Gender

Male

Location

Mesa, AZ

About Me:

I have been professionally designing and manufacturing unmanned aircraft for over 25 years from 5 pound vehicles to 1,600 pound go fast machines. We began our family business as Thorpe Engineering selling Starhawk ARF and RTF model planes (we had over nine different models from Fun Fly to Ducted Fans) in the 80's and 90's and sold over 30,000 units through 400 retail hobby shops. We completed transitioning the business into Thorpe Seeop Corporation to focus solely on commercial unmanned aircraft work prior and during the 1991/1992 Recession. We have since made well over 200 unmanned aircraft in various sizes and configurations and I think of each as one of my children! Aviation is a passion for me and my family. I grew up in landlocked Arizona but spent considerable time on the coast of Mexico and California - even living 5 years on a small sailboat my father gave me while I attended and graduated from the University of California, Irvine, with a mechanical engineering degree. I love sailing - especially match meter boats; flying in fixed and rotary wing (my last job before starting Thorpe Engineering & Seeop Corporation was as a lead designer at Hughes Helicopter for what later became the Comanche Program), photography, travel - especially cruising (big or small - even if it's just a raft I"m happy) and of course my family. I am very proud of my family for the way they have stood by me through thick and thin. In the end, they really are the only thing that matters to any of us.

Please tell us a bit about your UAV interest

www.seeop.com

Hometown:

Mesa, Arizona