JAY SMITH: How did you become involved with model aviation?
JIM COLWELL:A friend of mine in the U.S. Air Force from Chicago, who was also an in-flight aerial refuel boom operator like me, had a Control Line (CL) model aircraft. I watched him fly it and I got interested in learning how to build and fly CL model aircraft.
He went on to teach three of us. Not being able to easily obtain or afford tissue for covering our models, we covered our aircraft using the Sunday colored "funny papers." These were glow-powered models. I built and flew CL for the next 16 years and started to fly RC in 1969.
JS: How has model aviation impacted your life and/or career?
JC: At first, building and flying CL models was entertaining because I was often on "alert" status as part of a Strategic Air Command Bomber Wing. It helped to pass the time. I bought my first RC aircraft used from an individual while stationed in Arkansas at the Little Rock Air Force Base.
The RC hobby opened pathways to more social activities with other fliers. I even flew RC in Okinawa, Japan. I continued to fly after my retirement from the military, mostly with the local club near Folsom, California. In 2010, I led a group of fliers to organize what is now known as the Quartzsite Desert Flyers, an AMA sanctioned club in Quartzsite, Arizona. I also started to collect RC aircraft and military memorabilia, which today is a museum housed in a 2,400-sq. ft. building in Quartzsite.
Buying and selling RC estates has taken over my life. I often restore RC aircraft to flying condition and sell them to buyers at reasonable prices. My goal in doing so is to help others enjoy RC and not economic gain.
JS: What disciplines of modeling do you currently participate in?
JC:I still build some balsa, glow-powered RC aircraft. I never got into electrics, as I am "old school" for sure. I have a passion for old glow motors, especially four strokes. And I still fly a non-computerized radio.
JS: What other hobbies do you have?
JC: For 30 years, I worked as a pylon judge at the Reno Air Races. This helped feed my love of all aircraft.
JS: Who or what has influenced you the most?
JC: In the beginning, you are just a follower, learning from others until your skills and interests start to gel into your personal liking. I was most influenced by the Dial family, who sponsored and organized the Phoenix Air Races in the mid-1990s. Famous for Dial Soap, they brought together many of the Reno pylon judges to help set up and staff the Phoenix Air Races course. The family showed all of us kindness and devotion to the cause, which still lingers in my memory.
JS: What are you most proud of?
JC: My efforts in 2010 to help organize the city-owned-and-maintained RC flying field in Quartzsite is an accomplishment that I cherish. The Quartzsite Desert Flyers has nearly 90 members who fly from a 600-foot asphalt runway built by the City of Quartzsite specifically for RC aircraft flying. Upon its completion, and without any previous knowledge on my part, the city officially named the field the James B. Colwell R/C Field in my honor. That event is unforgettable for me.
Second would be my RC aircraft and military museum. It is established on my property in Quartzsite and includes a workshop open to Quartzsite Desert Flyers members. We hold our monthly club meetings in the museum space.
The museum displays approximately 40 models of all sizes hanging from the ceiling, including large-scale B-29, B-24, and KC-97 aircraft, plus many more. The museum is open to all visitors, free of charge, usually from mid-October through early April. Visitors of all types are always welcome. Come on by!
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