I AM THE AMA
MIKE ZABOROWSKI
IMPBA Hall of Fame member and RC pilot
By Jay Smith | jays@modelaircraft.org
JAY SMITH: How did you become involved with model aviation?
MIKE ZABOROWSKI: When I was about 10 years old, our town had a small hometown hobby shop/jeweler just down the street from where I lived called Rinehart Jewelry and Don’s Hobby. This caused every cent of lawn-mowing money I earned to net me a Sleek Streak airplane, model rocket engines, slot cars, or fuel for a Control Line airplane.
With a large, empty field behind my house, model airplanes and rockets were a large part of my childhood. My brother Tom and I both flew rockets. RC was a few years away, but in my senior year of high school, I got my first glider, built it, climbed the bleachers at the high school, and away it went. Approximately 100 yards seemed like a mile. In that very moment, I knew this was going to be a large part of my future.
JS: How has model aviation impacted your life and/or career?
MZ: Modeling, in general, was a huge part of my working life. I have roughly 20 years of sales, design, and development in the hobby industry. Although I do not currently work in the industry, I am an ambassador for Futaba USA and love to help people when I can.
As a mechanical engineer, engineering and the model hobby go hand in hand. My background has allowed me the discipline to not only better understand design, but to also understand timelines, testing, and budgets to get a project done.
JS: What disciplines of modeling do you currently participate in?
MZ: I really enjoy all aspects of the hobby, but I spend most of my time flying Scale RC helicopters, Scale RC airplanes, racing RC boats, and model railroading. Yes, my garden train layout is radio control! I help organize a few local RC flying events and love to meet people who enjoy the hobby as well. I am a member of the International Model Power Boat Association (IMPBA) Hall of Fame.
JS: What other hobbies do you have?
MZ: My other hobbies are model rockets, model trains, racing RC model boats, building plastic model cars, collecting vintage RC and hobby-related items, designing and engineering, 3D printing, machining, and muscle cars.
There is a lot going on around here. My latest project was a mobile 1/24-scale rock crawling course that my brother-in-law and I dug into called Sandstone Crawl. Next is to paint my new Phil Thomas Super Sport 20 hydroplane, new mechanics for my Vario Bell 212, a RailPro radio system installation on a new USA Trains engine, and complete brake system replacement on my 1969 AMC Hurst SC\Rambler.
JS: Who or what has influenced you the most?
MZ: People are an important part of my journey. Don Rinehart, Don Anderson, Ron Zaker Jr., Gary Preusse, Tommy Lee, Darrel Sprayberry, and Greg Hahn have influenced me, just to name a few. They are people who have driven my goals in the hobby. Having a supportive wife has been extremely important as well.
JS: What advice would you give someone looking to get involved with Scale helis?
MZ: To get started in Scale RC helicopters, my advice is to build a machine that has two blades and a straight tail (a Jet Ranger, Long Ranger, etc.). The fun factor goes up as the complexity goes down and, to me, it’s critical that early success helps set the future path.
Start with a 600- or 700-size heli that will allow you to fly often but is large enough to fly well. Build well and practice flying slowly! Never be afraid to ask questions.
