When my Mother died, I was three months old.  The situation at the time dictated that my paternal Grandparents take me in.  They ended up keeping me "for life" and in turn lived with us until they both passed.

My Grandpa was a very mechanically minded old Southern Gentleman.  He had been dealt the duty of keeping up his Mother and Sisters when he was only 12.  He continued school and worked, first as a pipe fitter.  hand threading 6" steel pipe at the age of 12.  He later was given an "Honorary Degree" from NCSU in mechanical engineering.  Never attended a class in college, though.

The part where he affected my "Stunt Flying" was that he started me building models!   He didn't build anything FOR me, just oversaw my work.  If there was a problem, he had ME work it out.  A suggestion here and there, but I had to come up with the answer.  He taught me to "fix it".  He didn't believe in a disposable society.  If we couldn't get parts, we made them.  Usually with only hand tools!  But, they worked, and worked well.

This gave me a desire to learn, and solve problems.  A lot of guys who have come over and built with me ask "how did you do that?"  I honestly answer, "I don't know'.  Because I don't usually go through a conscious thought process when I am doing it.  I "just do it".   There was almost nothing that we do in this hobby that I didn't learn from him when it comes to the building phase of models.  And I learned it by his exposing me to it, and having ME figure it out.  He would anser my questions, and he was always right in te approach he took.

All I know is this:  If my Grandfather had not raised me, I would most assuredly not gotten into this hobby, much less stuck with it for well over 40 years.

So, the First Stunt Grunt who never flew a model airplane!