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I mixed the science and art whenever I could , and later somehow concocted a BA in filmmaking at the University of Washington . Immediately after college I remained in the Northwest long enough to be a magazine photographer and licensed pilot ( go Cub !). Next stop , Los Angeles — film grad , right ?
In between the legendary full-time Hollywood job of looking for work , I found employment in film and TV projects , and enjoyed the environment of writers , artists and entertainers . The years passed and I felt something elemental was missing . I needed to court my flying and make art . So , I upped my pilot ratings and also jumped into my first love of drawing . Thousands of sketches later , a few found their way into some toney LA galleries . Then I left town for a summer job as a pilot at a glider school a couple hours north of LA . I stayed for four years . Adios LA , I will always love you .
The gliderport immersed me in the flyers ’ world . Soaring was popular and the fixed-base operator ( FBO ) was busy . Being a “ tow pilot ” ( flying the planes that pulled gliders aloft ) was a good fit for my short attention span — flights were brief , and it was easy to log thousands of them each year . On my days off I relaxed with long glider flights . The FBO had a contract with the U . S . Air Force Test Pilot School based at nearby Edwards Air Force Base ( glider flying was part of the test pilots ’ curriculum ). In Hollywood I was comfortable with coworkers in costumes , but military uniforms were unsettling . These flyers seemed like foreigners . The only language we had in common was aviation . We got along great ; I was proud to work with them , and the new link to Edwards would change my life — again .
AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2024 ISSUE NO . 40 61