"The son of a test pilot dad and a flight instructor mom, RJ has been in the cockpit his
entire life. Growing up around the airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, he started flying
before he was tall enough to see over the instrument panel! He soloed on his 16th birthday
and got his private pilot license on his 17th.
RJ developed a passion for aerobatics through radio-control (RC) flying. He started
competing in RC aerobatics at age 16 in national and international events, representing the
US in indoor precision and freestyle aerobatic championships. RC flying gave him a strong
background for "full-scale" aerobatic flying.
RJ earned his bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering from North Carolina State
University. After graduation, he moved to northern Virginia, just down the street from the
Bealeton Flying Circus! He got his Decathlon at the end of 2015 and has since flown over 800
hours in the airplane, flying his first airshow in 2016. Since then, he's flown hundreds of
performances and has loved every minute of it!"