JUST ONE OF THE COOL KIDS!
Photos provided by Martin Jones | flyshamu@gmail.com
MARTIN JONES (Phoenix, Arizona) wanted to pass along a quick story about his good friend, David Thielman (Spokane, Washington; email: datsmt@aol.com). He wrote:
“David recently won a ‘Cool Kids’ 3D contest at a fly-in in the Pacific Northwest, at the very young age of 76. He also won a Best Airplane Award in April [2023] at the Society of Aircraft Demolishers 3D Festival in Tucson, where he flew a giant, foam DR-1 in a noontime demo and wowed the crowd.
“David is not only one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, but he is also a master builder and exceptional RC flier—a rare combination in our hobby, it seems. The reason I say that is because, in my 26 years of RC flying, I have seen many, many talented builders and some amazing fliers, but I haven’t seen too many people who excel at both. David is one of those guys in the hobby who is in a class of his own.
“He’s an Arizona snowbird and spends the summers at his ‘field of dreams’ in Spokane, Washington. It’s a 70-acre alfalfa farm with a beautiful grass runway along one side. He is kind enough to invite close friends to fly there, and I was fortunate to be able to visit him up north a few years ago. It is a modeler’s dream come true!
“I want to finish by saying that David lets everyone and anyone fly all of his [airplanes] in Washington and Arizona. It doesn’t matter if it’s a $25 foamie or a $10,000 turbine jet. He shares his incredible collection of [air]planes and helicopters with his family and friends. He also helps with build ideas and repairs at the field when someone needs a hand to get their aircraft back in the air. He is a true ambassador to the hobby. We are all honored to call him our friend out here in Phoenix at the Sun Valley Fliers.”
SHARE YOUR STORY
Do you have a high-quality/high-resolution airplane, helicopter, or multirotor photo that you are proud of, or a model aviation-related photo with a great story behind it? Email your “Viewfinder” photo and a description about it to jennifer@modelaircraft.org.
