Dedicated to all Experimental and Personal Helicopters
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Here's a short biography of the team creating Experimental Helo magazine.
Kathryn Fields
So many adventures, so little time! Most of which have nothing to do with either Aviation or Publishing, but boy have they been fun. Meeting Stu in '83 escalated the real adventures and fun, along the way introducing me to Aviation, in particular, amateur built rotorcraft. About that time computers came to the desks and into my line of vision. Its been tippy-tappy and mouse moving ever since.
Stu's building bug came to the surface again around '92 and with it the air show and fly-in experience for me. I like the smaller ones where the people are getting together because they want to, not just because its a happening. There's a synergistic creative bubble which enriches my life every time. Stu's '93 Christmas present was the set of plans for the Baby Belle, followed by a long seven month round the country road trip in '94-'95 looking at all manner of aviation kits. My learning curve had begun in earnest.
As Stu began building the Baby (he really wanted to go low and slow and be able to fly out of our back yard), I began VK Support Services. Yes, a very non committal name for an ever changing business -- started out teaching basic computers, moved into the graphics area and then made the fateful step of emailing a note to Steph Gremminger, editor of Rotorcraft. Several months later she happily retired (I can remember her dancing and singing throughout Bensen Days 2000). Editor and publisher of any magazine takes some learning and the next three plus years served as a good apprenticeship.
During the months I took off after leaving Rotorcraft, we heard from many helicopter friends, urging us to "do a magazine"... We thought and thought, talked long hours traveling around, actually worked out a plan and still couldn't make up our minds. Testing your interest was what turned the indecision into Experimental Helo. At Homer's we talked, gave out the trial issue you can view here, and asked if any were interested. The response was wonderful. So good, we moved our time table up an entire month, started taking subscriptions at Oshkosh two weeks later, with the inaugural issue coming out in November.
Now, in November 2010, we made the big move to electronic publication. Lots of reasons. Hope you'll join us and enjoy the content expansion possibilities this medium allows. And, don't forget it reduces the subscription rate for all to $25.00 USD. Pretty cool.
Kathy Fields
Stuart Fields
So many projects, so little time! Pilot and helicopter builder, Engineer, designer, musician, writer, photographer, sailor, boat refitter, welder and my all around partner and good guy. Years ago Stu knew he wanted a shop and probably a place to live. The result, the perfect living area for the two of us. Since then projects flowed, if not constantly, certainly frequently.
Stu built his Safari from 1995 to '97, finishing it at the factory and beginning flight training in June. The reason this project took so long was the engineer -- always wanting to make it better or the best or "right". At about 80 hours flight time, Stu's earlier fixed wing training came along and bit him -- he crashed the Baby Belle. Since the rebuild in '98 and completion of flight training in 2000, he accumulated about 200 hours on our red/yellow ship.
Through out this time ideas and designs flowed and bubbled. Today, we walk around books, piles of parts, work tables full of tools, other parts and even finished designs, which some of you have in your ships.
Writing began overseas -- long story, but fun -- and continued over the past 15 or so years. When combined with his engineering thirst and a serious bent of humor, you have what you're reading today. Stu's first helicopter article in Rotorcraft helped move us into the editing and publishing business in 2000. He got the bug as much as I did and we've been playing in the field ever since.
Stu Fields
