Where is all began
I have been building models since I was about 10 years old. I think my first model was an old Monogram TBD. I hacked and slashed it together, and in the end it looked like an airplane so I was happy. After that I mosly built airplanes, but I had built an occasional Star Trek or Star Wars model. As I got older, I started getting more serious about building them. I eventually got an air brush from my parents and I aquired some better tools. I tried to make models that looked more real and not so toy-like. Then the internet came along and I found all sorts of great info on model building. After reading lot of articles and seeing some great models online, my skills quickly improved. I was able to make models that didn't come in a kit, and I learned how to use aftermarket add-on kits. Now, I can make some pretty cool models. At some point in there, I had a friend who had some server space, so I built a web page for fun.
My original site was just a 'for fun' site that almost nobody saw. It was about me and what I did, so there were a few model pictures on it. Then I decided to make it a modeling site, and took out all the extra stuff. Eventually, that site has turned into this one. About the only thing left from the original site is my refernce to OnlyInLa. That site has now shrunk into a few short links to some people my friend knows. They don't update their pages on those links anymore, and my page there directs you to here. Because I'm also something of a computer geek, this is a nice melding of two of my favorite hobbies. In fact, I even won an award for my site and models.
Who is Erick?
But who am I? Well, I was a pilot in the Air Force. I had always wanted to fly when I was a kid, and I managed to make my dream come true. I flew C-141s around the world for a couple years, and I had a lot of fun doing it. Then the C-141 went away and I came to Las Vegas to fly the Predator, a remote controlled spy plane. Not as fun as going around the world, but interesting nonetheless.
I am now out of the Air Force and have moved on to civilian life. I thought I was going to end up outside airplanes for while, but life didn't turn out that way. I ended up getting a job as a test pilot for the Global Hawk UAV. It turns out that some people like the fact that I flew remote controlled planes, and offered to pay me a lot of money to do it. Who would have thought? (Well, apparently everyone I'm working with, so I guess a lot of people.) I got married and had kids since I've been in Las Vegas, so I wanted to do something that doesn't take me to all ends of the world without them. This job does exactly that. Also, my wife found her dream job out here too. So right now we are sitting very pretty. Gotta love it when a plan comes together.
My Workspace
My workspace was in the garage. Then it was in our 'hobby room.' My wife likes to scrapbook, and we both are on the computer a decent amount, so we made a hobby room in our house. There is one big table that wraps around two walls, and the closet is full of hobby stuff. However, we decided to move the room to the den to give the kids some more space, and the den doesn't have a door. Plus, I didn't really have enough room anymore to build my models, so I took it all back outside into the garage again. This time, it's something of a Man Cave though, so I like it. Well, other than the fact that it gets hot in summer, but I can handle that.