MIKE MUELLER
Owner of Gator-RC and F3A Unlimited
By Jay Smith | jays@modelaircraft.org
JAY SMITH: How did you become involved with model aviation?
MIKE MUELLER: In 1959, my father, a World War II Army Air Corps veteran, built his first RC model. At the age of 6, I was hooked for life! By the age of 8, I had my first model—a Midwest Esquire kit that I mostly built with a McCoy .19 engine on a MinX reed radio. Man, that was so much fun.
JS: How has model aviation impacted your life and/or career?
MM: Model aviation has been an integral part of my life. As a young person, it taught me disciplines that carried over into so many important segments of my life, and it still does today. It’s a story told over and over again, but in a nutshell, it personally did a lot for me.
JS: What disciplines of modeling do you currently participate in?
MM: Since both of our companies, Gator-RC and F3A Unlimited, touch so many types of model airplanes, I personally have a vast array of models. Although RC Aerobatics (Pattern) has always been my main interest, I also have turbine jets, warbirds, racers, and anything with a fixed wing in my hangar.
JS: What other hobbies do you have?
MM: I have no other significant hobbies, except chasing my grandkids around!
JS: Who or what has influenced you the most?
MM: Two people influenced me the most: my father, Carl Mueller, and my friend, Mickey Losardo, a longtime Pattern flier from the Midwest who taught so many of us how to build.
JS: Looking back over your time in the hobby, what are you most proud of?
MM: I’m most proud of our company’s success. We’ve accomplished a lot in a fairly short amount of time. I’m also proud that we can maintain the relationships we have with our suppliers that are the lifeblood of our ability to offer so many great products.
