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Member Spotlight: Frank
Williams
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The beauty of flight has always been a marvel and thrill to me.
The ease and grace of the hawk circling the field out the window
as I write this, is a testament to God's wonders and miracles.
From a hand launch glider to a full blown piped c/l stunt ship,
there are always design improvements to be made, but we'll never
come close to the perfection of that hawk lazily floating in the
afternoon thermal.
I received degrees from the University of Texas at Austin in
aerospace engineering, and after a commitment to the U.S.A.F.
during the late 60's, I have spent my entire career working on
the Space Shuttle program in the areas of guidance, flight
control, and flight vehicle simulation. Although my area of town
around the Johnson Space Center has probably a larger than
average number per capita of aviation enthusiasts, I have one of
the few garages in the neighborhood that has a wind tunnel in
it. My workshop even has a four-fout tall sculpture of a bird's
wind at the entrance. From propeller theory to wing theory, I'm
always trying new applications of the basic laws of physics to
our model aircraft. There's always room for improvement and
innovation.
My beautiful wife Sally, of forty years, has always been
supportive of my modeling endeavors. Son Mark, now grown and
married, still holds the AMA junior and senior control line
endurance records and won Jr. mouse race at the Nats several
times. I have placed in the top ten several times in stunt at
the Nats and always enjoy the thrill of competition. Our family
has been a member of the Clear Lake United Methodist Church for
thirty plus years. |