Old school Air Force crewchief from back in the day...

Hello!  My name is Patrick and I live in Lakewood, Colorado.  My first model was a Revell 1/72 Fokker Dr.1 triplane (Werner Voss) my dad and I built in the '60s. Growing up in a small town in Oklahoma I spent my allowance every week on models and built most of the commonly available Lindberg, Aurora, Monogram, and Revell kits of the '60s and '70s.  At 17 I joined the USAF and became a 431X1 Tactical Aircraft Maintenance Specialist (more commonly known as a crewchief) and trained on the F-101 Voodoo and F-4 Phantom II.  After training I was assigned to the 65th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas, Nevada on the Northrop F-5E Tiger II. I also worked the AT-38B at Holloman AFB, NM and the F-15A and B.  After getting out of the military I went to school and got an FAA A+P license and went on to become an electrican/avionics technician.  I worked heavy commercial jets (DC-8, DC-9, DC-10, MD-11, Boeing 707, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777) for awhile and then went to work for Boeing in Seattle, WA on the 737 production line.  I thwn worked for Lockheed Martin in Greenville, SC on the USAF KC-10 tanker. the C-130 Hercules, and the Navy P-3 Orion. Eventually I ended up at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, CA working on the F/A-18A and B(chase planes), several types of drone and UAV aircraft, and some special mission vehicles.  I got a ride in the legendary NASA B-52B 0008 before they retired her!  Today I work on military versions of the Pilatus PC-12 and the PZL M-28 Skytruck (formerly Anotov AN-28).  I have assisted with several warbird restorations, hiked around the jungles of the Phillippines and Papua New Guinea looking for warbird wrecks, and dived in Truk Lagoon.  I build all types of models, mostly aircraft and ships, and have about a 500 kit collection at the house. I love collecting old kits and have a lot of Aurora, Lindberg, etc.