Perhaps it was the summer of 1967 while living in Escanaba, Michigan. My mother, and brothers Dave and Mike would pile in to our Light Metallic Blue 1964 Chevrolet Bel Air and trundle on down to the Escanaba Municipal Airport for an afternoon of airplane watching.. There we were, the four of us, having a picnic, at the airport, watching North Central DC-9-10s and Convair 580's taking off and landing. How I loved the Duck (or was it a goose?) on the tail of those airplanes. As the day wore on, my mother would start doing little sketches of airplanes. Little thumbnail sketches. Boy, she sure could draw, I thought as she sketched yet another....

By the early 1970s, we had moved to Highland, Michigan near Detroit. A local FBO, Ly-Con Aviation, located at the Southeast corner of Oakland-Pontiac Airport in Waterford, Michigan was of special interest. I'll never forget the first time I saw the late Dr. Jack Levine's P-51D there. I must have walked around that plane for an hour! Through incredible luck, both my brother and I were eventually both hired at Ly-Con, sweeping the hangar and Nev'r Dulling T-6s and the P-51. Ly-Con was primarily involved in aircraft engine overhaul, but also was heavily involved in aircraft restoration. A P-40E that we restored was awarded Reserve Grand Champion warbird at Oshkosh in 1981. In 1984, F9F-2 BuNo 123072 flew away with Grand Champion Warbird at Oshkosh.

During the summer of 1979 Rich began to take flying lessons. In April of 1980, he passed his FAA checkride and was awarded a private pilot certificate

In the summer of 1980, a trip to the Oshkosh airshow was the spark that ignited Rich's passion for painting. A young man by the name of Doug Nielson had a booth at the airshow featuring his own aviation art. That was all Rich needed to get him started

Over the next two years I continued to paint, and finally during my Junior year of college a classmate offered me $35 for an XB-70 painting. Wow! Beer money! I did several more commissions over the next two years, including three for the CEO of Kal-Aero, Mr John Ellis who had flown F-4s with VF-31.

During the summer of 1983, Rich applied to Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School. Sadly, he was turned down. In 1984, he applied again, and was turned down again. Finally, during the spring of 1985 after college graduation he applied yet a third time. This time Rich was accepted! I packed everything I owned and drove to Pensacola, Florida. No time to paint now! In September of 1985 I was commissioned as an Ensign, USNR. While I did some painting during flight school, I didn't have a whole lot of time. I was learning to fly the Navy way. In Primary I flew the T-34C. What a great little plane! I ended up getting helicopters and trained in the TH-57 Sea Ranger. I received my wings in January, 1987 and was assigned to fly the big new Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk helicopter in San Diego. I painted some while assigned to the RAG but I was very busy learning my new mission, ASW. Upon completion of the RAG, I was assigned to HSL-43, the "Battlecats" in San Diego. From August to December 1988, I was deployed aboard the USS CURTS as part of the first forward deployed SH-60B detachments to NAF Atsugi, Japan.

Painting during this time consisted primarily of change-of-command gifts for departing Commanding Officers. To date, I have done nine change-of-command paintings.

My second overseas deployment was much more exciting than the first. I was assigned to the AEGIS cruiser USS Mobile Bay for Operation Desert Shield. Just prior to the start of hostilities, Mobile Bay detached from the USS Midway and headed north with the battleships Missouri and Wisconsin. Our ship participated in most of the early Tomahawk strikes during the first few days of the war. Flying intensified. Four to eight hours a day. Every day. Mine patrols were the primary mission. I became obsessed with finding them. My crews found two during the war. We painted mine kill symbols on the side of my helicopter, Oceanlord 22. February 18th was a particularly busy day. Both the Tripoli and Princeton hit submerged mines. I was up for nine hours that day, assisting the stricken ships and patrolling for mines.

With the military drawdown of the early 1990s Rich was forced off of active duty. Ironically, he received word during the War while on a mission to the USS Wisconsin.

After getting off of active duty, I continued to improve my painting skills. I also approached Squadron/Signal Publications offering to write a book on the early Grumman fighters. To my surprise and delight, they accepted and I am currently working on my ninth book for Squadron Signal, "P-40 Warhawk in Action."

1994 brought my first published art. I did the airshow poster for the NAS New Orleans airshow. The response was so positive that I was asked to do the 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000 airshow posters. 1995 was also the year that my first limited edition print was released. "A Cold Day in Hell" features two P-40Es of the "Aleutian Tigers".

Future plans include more books for Squadron/Signal and more limited edition prints. Rich is currently employed at Boeing, where he works as a manager on the Navy's P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft Program.