Frank Fanelli, Editor

Aviation, in any form, has always been in Frank’s blood. From the time he was a very young kid, he was always interested in planes and pestered his parents and older brothers to take him to airports near Brooklyn, New York where he grew up. Passing Floyd Bennett Field, LaGuardia, or Idlewild (now John F. Kennedy Airport) he would always ask to stop so he could watch the planes take off and land.

He built loads of plastic models for years as a kid but never any stick and tissue models. The urge to try his hand at one was always a goal and he first tried it during a Christmas vacation. He was thoroughly hooked and started on the traditional route of many modelers from stick and tissue, to control line, and finally to radio control, even though his first experience with R/C should have made him give up the hobby completely!

Frank came to Flying Models after a stint as the manager of a small northern New Jersey airport and a corporate flight department. When the operation closed in 1982 because of the drastic downturn in general aviation then, a chance encounter with former Flying ModelsEditor Bob Hunt landed him the position of Associate Editor. After Bob left FM in 1996 Frank took over as the Editor. He still maintains an association and involvement with full-size aviation. He currently owns a Kolb Firestar and has hundreds of hours in Quicksilver ultralights and general aviation planes.

Though primarily interested in radio control, he still flies some freeflight and control line models occasionally and still has a keen interest in them. He doesn’t consider himself an expert but an experienced modeler of almost 40 years and, like the quintessential sport modeler, has tried his hand in almost every aspect of R/C modeling, and wrote a book about glow powered ducted fans in 1987.

He considers himself a fan of the knowledgeable authors that have contributed to Flying Models through the years and finds himself in the enviable position of having first hand access to these many experts. They have educated him in the wonderful ways of model building, finishing, and flying through all the years he has worked for FM. Each issue of the magazine offers the chance to learn even more of the hobby he loves so much.

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Chris Susicke, Associate Editor

Chris has been an airplane enthusiast his whole life. From an early age he built gliders and static models from scrap balsa that was left over from his father’s radio control projects. He dabbled in freeflight and control line and also studied aviation history. If it had anything to do with flight, it held his interest. Around the age of 6 he had his first flight with an R/C airplane, and modeling has become a passion that has not stopped since then.

After high school, Chris studied at several institutions with several different concentrations including medicine, computers and engineering before graduating with a degree in Art. He pondered what type of career would make the best use of his talents and in which he could do the things he loved, and then he got wind of an opening at Carstens Publications. They were looking for someone who could fly R/C, could write well, take good photographs and knew their way around the publishing business. Chris had no prior publishing experience, but after joining the Flying Models team he quickly learned the ropes.

Chris spends most of his time taking care of the magazine’s layout and ensures that the photos therein are the best they can be. He also thoroughly enjoys doing reviews on new products and being sent to cover model airplane events.

Chris enjoys video games, drawing and photography as well as all aspects of flying, but he concentrates mostly on R/C. He flies 3D, warbirds, precision, jets, sport and even a helicopter from time to time. He currently lives in West Caldwell, NJ, with his two cats, Julia and Sephiroth.

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Maureen Frazer, Production Editor

Maureen Frazer has spent her entire career in publishing. Immediately after graduating from high school, she took a job at Prentice-Hall Publishing. Her plan was to work there for six months to gain some experience and then move on to something better. By the time she left 25 years later she had worked on everything from newsletters and pamphlets for the business and professional market, to high school and elementary textbooks, and then, after the company was purchased by Simon & Schuster, she found her real love in producing books for the general market.

Maureen joined the Flying Models staff in January, 1991 as the Editorial Secretary. Although she’s not a modeler, her many years of experience in the publishing field made her a perfect fit with Carstens Publications, just when magazine production was transitioning to electronic publishing. She was instrumental in setting up the page templates for Flying Models, Railfan & Railroad, and Railroad Model Craftsman, and training the editors to use the new software.

These days you’ll find her wearing many hats at Flying Models. As Production Editor, she’s involved in every phase of the production cycle from receipt of a manuscript to final page proofing. She’s directly responsible for filling the pages of the “Flying Report” and “Air Mail” columns of the magazine. She’s affectionately known as “the nag” because she keeps after Frank and Chris, reminding them of deadlines, etc. When the boys go out to “play” (they call it "product research"), Maureen keeps the wheels turning at the office.

Even after 19 years of producing a monthly magazine all about model airplanes, Maureen willingly admits that the only airplane she can identify with any authority is a Gee Bee. That doesn’t stop her from trying to assist any modeler who calls or e-mails with a question or concern. She’ll do her best to get an answer or point them in the right direction.

Maureen lives in Highland Lakes, New Jersey with her son, Michael.

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