Born in Motocross and Autosport country in Belgium, 1966. And so I was not introduced into flying by my family or friends as most of the team is. As a young kid, passing the Hobby Shops, my interest was drawn to the cars, a possibility to be part of the off-road world.
At 14 I had saved enough to get my first RC car and this was the beginning of an incredible journey that still goes on to the day.
End of the Nineties, after a successful racing career in nearly every 4- and 2-wheels RC class,
I wanted to take up flying, it is not completely correct that I was not introduced to flying at a young age. The family weekend trips included nearly always a visit to a War museum and here I was introduced to the iconic Spitfire. Flying a Spitfire was the new dream to chase.
Learning to fly an RC plane was the new path to follow. I was quickly humbled, driving RC cars at high level did not allow me to cut corners in the learning process, it helped a bit.
Moving forward a decade, I have stepped up to the Warbirds. Electric power became more mainstream for smaller scale. And that planted a seed in my mind. A seed that has grown into a healthy tree. How to get Electric power also mainstream for bigger scale Warbirds.
A few years later, I took delivery of my dream RC plane, The CARF Spitfire. This plane was to commemorate 40 years and 45 years of 350 Squadron and its public reveal was at Beauvechain Air Base during the festivities. I also had the privilege to fly another Spitfire during the airshow, earning me the congratulations of the AirBoss.
Although it started its life as Gas-powered, it recently has been electrified.
The 2022 Wings over Europe Airshow is where I pitched my vision of electrifying big scale planes to Andrea and Thomas. After a nerve wracking demo flight for Andreas, he gave me the challenge to restore and electrify his crash damaged P51 Strega. Challenge accepted, I designed the conversion kit. And after a successful show season, the revised conversion kit was ready for production and is featured in the new demo plane, the P51 Dago Red.
The day Andreas gave me my team shirts, was a very proud moment for me. Being part of the CARF family was something I didn't expect. Sharing the RC passion with all these not only talented group of people, but also honest and sincere friends. Flying the best flying planes in the world in this world class team is the best.
As Electric Drive designer, I continue to electrify the Carf-Models range, providing our customers not only with the means and hardware, But also advice and support as for us every customer is a part of the Carf family.
“The Electric Guy”
