SHAWN SPIKER
Hitec R/C Dales Director
By Jay Smith | jays@modelaircraft.org
JAY SMITH: How did you become involved with model aviation?
SHAWN SPIKER: Since I was a little kid, I have always had a fascination with airplanes and loved building models. At the age of 10, while spending a summer at my grandparents’, I put together a balsa-and-tissue rubber band-powered Ercoupe. It was my first build and very much a learning experience, because I had never worked with the light and fragile wood before. Having to sand and shape pieces as they went together and building on top of plans was a new, exciting experience.
It never successfully flew, but I was hooked. I taught myself to fly with a 2-meter Great Planes Spirit. I still keep an eye out for kits and recently acquired an old Nick Ziroli Bearcat kit that one day will be on my bench.
This year, I got some stick time during Joe Nall Week on a friend’s 40% biplane, and in June, I spent hours in the air at the 2023 SkyPark World R/C Soaring Festival. I have been an AMA member since 1998.
JS: How has model aviation impacted your life and/or career?
SS: Model aviation is a huge part of my career and without it, I wouldn’t be at Hitec. Being a modeler gives me a huge advantage in the day-to-day communications that I have with my industrial customers, dealers, and hobbyists.
I am lucky to have made my hobby my career and use the products we make in the applications they were intended for. Sometimes I even get to have fun working! My first career out of college was in the financial services industry, working in Manhattan, New York.
The hobby industry has been a huge change, but one where I look forward to rolling out of bed and going to work.
JS: What disciplines of modeling do you currently participate in?
SS: I get to fly a lot of electric-powered foam airplanes, but I also fly a few Giant Scale aircraft, gliders, and helicopters. If I had to choose a favorite, the easy winner [would be] gliders. Southern California has many places to fly gliders, from scenic beaches, such as Torrey Pines, to some amazing mountain slopes. Gliders offer so much variety. Standing on a cliff somewhere, flying an airplane, is the most zen-like experience this hobby can offer.
JS: What are your other hobbies?
SS: My 16-year-old is my biggest hobby. He is a sports fanatic, and one of the benefits of great weather is year-round sports activities. Baseball is nonstop, and high school football is a large part of the calendar as well.
The nice weather also gives me the chance to mountain bike, dirt bike, and go camping with my family. More recently, I have started to acquire my private pilot license.
JS: Who (or what) has influenced you the most?
SS: My wife, Mary, has easily been the most influential. With her encouragement and insight, I left my previous career to pursue something that simply made me a happier person and a lot more enjoyable to live with. Her support means everything to me.
I have to give a big credit to my parents. Only since becoming a parent can I truly appreciate how much sacrifice it takes to give your child as many opportunities as possible. I strive to be there for my child as much as my parents where there for me.
JS: What advice would you give someone looking to work in the hobby industry?
SS: The keyword is balance. Turning your hobby into your work can be a recipe for learning to hate your hobby. You can never forget that the reason anyone participates in a hobby is because some type of enjoyment is supposed to be taken from it.
It helps to have other interests in your life that don’t involve getting CA glue on your fingers or smelling like nitro all the time. Being well-rounded not only makes us better modelers but better people.
