05-29-2026, 02:01 AM
When I was 20 years old, I drove all the way to upstate New York to see my first helicopter, a sleek Enstrom F29A. I was going to buy it before I even knew how to fly, thinking it would be the cheaper route rather than renting; at least I'd have the equity of the heli to always be able to sell. Unfortunately, I didn’t buy it because it was a gem—and that was my first mistake. From there, everything else followed. I bought a Hughes 269A—beautiful, but a wolf in disguise. After a meticulous pre-buy by three mechanics with whom I tipped each of them $350, $190k later, it was a lemon.
But then I found Rotorway. In the experimental world, I discovered something that spoke to my restless soul—the freedom to build, to test, to become a pilot who was also a creator. I called Homer Bell—my building mentor—and he pointed me to a machine he’d built in Clearwater. He and I trailed it home, and we drove through the dark streets of Brooklyn—3 a.m., a dream on a trailer. Homer, who loathed the city, became the man who handed me the wings to try again.
![[Image: Screenshot-2025-02-27-at-11-36-23-AM.png]](https://i.ibb.co/LD5MG2cL/Screenshot-2025-02-27-at-11-36-23-AM.png)
I hired a guy from "NYC's West Coast Helicopters." Called him to teach me how to fly. Let's call him "Bob.......Bob," with over 20,000 hrs in Jet Rangers, had no clue about the 'Experimental world." Our first session, he "scud ran" trees in cold, freezing rain. The second lesson (although 2 passengers), he forgot to put the ballast weight on the back, cranked the collective stuck in mud, and off we went out of CG into a line of trees, destroying that heli. But at the time I trusted him because I simply didn't know better. He was the most expensive, so I (in my naive self) didn't know better. I rebuilt that bird—every bolt, every frame, every dream. After two and a half years, I painted it bright yellow, flew it through the phases at Rotorway, and trained with Orv until the day I soloed—right there at Homer’s “Bean Patch.” Now, I’m back, rebuilding Frankenstein—Andrew Burr’s helicopter—and I’m 70% there.
I’m also an author, and I share these stories in my book, The Happiness Factors. You can find it here: on YouTube, or on Amazon. And I’ve toured 17 countries as the lead singer of my rock band—check out our official video here: . The Rotorway journey has been my greatest inspiration—it’s in my blood. I look back on those days building and flying with the Rotorway community as some of the best times of my life. I just want to thank everyone who’s walked with me—and also Paublo—for making this journey real. Rotorway is more than a helicopter—it’s my lifeblood. Let’s take flight again.
But then I found Rotorway. In the experimental world, I discovered something that spoke to my restless soul—the freedom to build, to test, to become a pilot who was also a creator. I called Homer Bell—my building mentor—and he pointed me to a machine he’d built in Clearwater. He and I trailed it home, and we drove through the dark streets of Brooklyn—3 a.m., a dream on a trailer. Homer, who loathed the city, became the man who handed me the wings to try again.
I hired a guy from "NYC's West Coast Helicopters." Called him to teach me how to fly. Let's call him "Bob.......Bob," with over 20,000 hrs in Jet Rangers, had no clue about the 'Experimental world." Our first session, he "scud ran" trees in cold, freezing rain. The second lesson (although 2 passengers), he forgot to put the ballast weight on the back, cranked the collective stuck in mud, and off we went out of CG into a line of trees, destroying that heli. But at the time I trusted him because I simply didn't know better. He was the most expensive, so I (in my naive self) didn't know better. I rebuilt that bird—every bolt, every frame, every dream. After two and a half years, I painted it bright yellow, flew it through the phases at Rotorway, and trained with Orv until the day I soloed—right there at Homer’s “Bean Patch.” Now, I’m back, rebuilding Frankenstein—Andrew Burr’s helicopter—and I’m 70% there.
I’m also an author, and I share these stories in my book, The Happiness Factors. You can find it here: on YouTube, or on Amazon. And I’ve toured 17 countries as the lead singer of my rock band—check out our official video here: . The Rotorway journey has been my greatest inspiration—it’s in my blood. I look back on those days building and flying with the Rotorway community as some of the best times of my life. I just want to thank everyone who’s walked with me—and also Paublo—for making this journey real. Rotorway is more than a helicopter—it’s my lifeblood. Let’s take flight again.