1967
As you have noticed from the first 2 pictures, my dad is a cowboy at heart.
Cowboy Ken
1969
My next happy-snap brings us to 1969, the year my academic quest begins.
My first grade class picture
I'm the one in the middle of the back row. One of my more memorable 1st grade
moments was when my teacher, Mrs Sasser, had us think about what we wanted to be
when we grew up. At home I asked my parents what you call people who
design airplanes. The next day I told the class I was going to be an
aeronautical engineer. My parents called Mrs Sasser when I graduated
college to let her know I indeed had become an aeronautical engineer. I have
been extremely fortunate to know all my life what I wanted to do. I can
not remember any time in my life where I wasn't plane crazy.
1972
My family would always go on at least 1 or 2 vacation trips a year, including
sunny Florida where this next picture was taken.
Me and my sister at the Bounty
1975
Here are some pictures from the mid-70's.
Scouting picture
Flying a Tetra kite
Halloween - I'm the astronaut in white.
1976
I remember this year for 3 things - my family's long trip to Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan (Canada, for the geographicly challanged) and its the year I
started
hang gliding.
By the way, my parents let me start hang gliding at 13 because my dad
remembered wanting a pony when he was young, and wanted his children to
follow their dreams.
This was also the year I steated to really experiment with paper airplanes -
and invented the World Record Paper Airplane. At the time I didn't even realize
there was a paper airplane record - I think I just called it "that paper
airplane design of mine that flies well."
1981
In 1980 I was elected to high school president at Edgewood Baptist School -
and under my leadership the school immediatly went bankrupt. I graduated
in 1981 from East Forsyth Senior High School, destined for North Carolina
State University and 4 years of college to become an aeronautical engineer.
High School Graduation
1983
With the help and encouragement of all my friends, I set the Guinness
record for time aloft for paper airplanes at 16.89 seconds (see my history of
the record for more info).
I also began flying ultralight aircraft. Here I am flying my Pterodactyl.
Flying Pterodactyl Ultralight
1984
This entry is to give an update on my sister (and as an excuse to include
this picture). My sister and I have always been good friends. She graduated
from ther University on North Carolina (the light blue school with the normally
slightly better basketball team) with a degree in journalism. From there
she went to work in minor league baseball as assistant general manager. In
1984 she was with the Savanah Cardinals. I went down to visit - she took this
picture in near-by Hilton Head.
Riding a dolphin
1985
I graduated from NCSU with a BSAE (GPA 3.74/4.0) and started work at McDonnell
Douglas in St Louis, MO. My first assignment was in the fuel design research
group.
College Graduation
1987
This year I reset my paper airplane record at 17.2 seconds.
At work I moved into the aerodynamics department, and began an assignment
developing "outer loop modes" (auto-pilot functions) for the YF-23.
1988
Every year (except 1990 when I was in California) since 1985 I have visited
the Experimental Aircraft Association's annual fly-in at Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Here I am with friends (L to R) Tom McAtee, Me, Don "Flesh" Gordon, and Chuck
Coleman.
Oshkosh 1988
1989
I received my private pilot's licence. Also
I met my parents in Atlanta, and we drove to the Florida Keys for Chrismas.
While there my mom and I did some scuba diving at John Penecamp state park.
Scuba
1990
In January 1990 I began a new job assignment - 6 months in Long Beach, CA to
help transition the T-45 jet trainer to St Louis. While there I was able to
do plenty of
surfing
and hang gliging
(remember I am a natural born Californian).
My parents visited, and I got
this picture of them in a tram over the San Diego Zoo.
1991
Here I am on the "bad idea" ski trip to Winer Park, Colorado.
Bad Idea Ski Trip
The next year
Jeff Lammers and I
went on a ski trip to Colorado, and decided to write a paper airplane book -
the birth of The World Record Paper Airplane Book.
Also, my mom got her private pilot's licence - here I am after my flrst
flight with her as pilot in command at
Wilkes County Airport.
1993
St Louis, and the mid-west, are covered by flood water.
1994
Workman Publishing produces the first printing of The World Record Paper
Airplane Book, and I reset my record again at 18.80 seconds.
1995
The Man Will Never Fly Memorial Society Internationale declares it to be
the year of the paper airplane. I attend their yearly meeting as guest speaker
at Kitty Hawk, NC on Dec 17 - to commemorate the Wright Brothers flight.
Here I am with my parents in front of the marker where the Wright Brothers
made their first flight.
Kitty Hawk, NC
1996
The year begins with a trip to England for a paper airplane contest.
The 1997 Paper airplane calander debuts in the summer, the Kids' Paper Airplane
Book appears for the first time in November. Also I begin on the Formula 1
air racing crew, including a trip to the Reno Air Races.
1997
I have
enjoyed traveling to promote my paper airplane stuff in Dallas (Women in Aviation Conference), North Carolina (science Olympiad), and of coarse in St Louis (Festival of the Little Hills, ...). Other highlights include my friend Chuck Coleman winning the great Cross Country race in his
Fire Breathing Lancair IV-P
I also attended the Reno Air Races this year -
Here I am hand propping #43
I also fulfilled a long time goal by riding a "Century" on my bicycle - 111 miles in the El Tour de Tucson with my sister Jackie and her husband, the "Ticket King" Jack Tyson.
1998
Most of the year has been spent preparing to regain the Guinness record for time aloft for paper airplanes, concluding with a flight of 27.6 seconds in the Georgia Dome Oct 8th.
