Welcome to Torrey Pines GullsSteve Hurd – Modeler of the Year – 2018
Steve Hurd was born in Oakland, California, and at a young age in the 1950s, moved with his family to Escondido. Serving as a doctor in Escondido, his father also maintained an interest in general aviation, earning his private pilot’s license from either San Marcos Valley Airport or McCormick Airport (both of which are now part of San Marcos’ industrial parks). As a child in his elementary school days, Steve grew up with an interest in the space program and flying free flight models, but the model airplane interest didn’t last all that long. He enjoyed flying in his dad’s plane and received his private pilot’s license in the late 1960s, graduating from Escondido High School in 1969. After high school, Steve attended Palomar College, and started working in the hospitality industry throughout the San Diego area, mostly in the food and beverage sector. Through the 1980s his interests diversified into real estate and property management.
Steve really didn’t have much exposure to RC models until running into a person flying a Gentle Lady RC glider on a hill near his work in La Costa near Stagecoach Park. That looked pretty cool! He got his own Gentle Lady kit and started building. Between 1985 and 1992, Steve enjoyed flying RC gliders with a friend, Paul Schulte, largely on their own at various locations in North County San Diego. Steve would fly his Gentle Lady while Paul flew a Hobie Hawk regularly at the top of La Costa near a water tank after work; also at Beacon’s Beach in Leucadia and Swami’s in Encinitas. Steve’s first radio was a 4-channel Airtronics and he also enjoyed building and flying a lot of the lower cost Bridi Tercel kits which used to be available for $15 each. Those were fun days of just flying whenever and wherever you wanted! He was aware of the activities of the North County Clouds and their efforts with thermal duration contests in San Marcos. While he did stop by to fly there occasionally with Keith Finkenbiner, Bill Liscomb, and others, he officially never joined the club.
By the late 1980s Steve moved to Maui to take a position in resort management. There he befriended modelers in the Maui Island Soaring Organization (MISO) club who were flying at various locations including the Poli Poli Park on the NW side of Haleakalā and from slopes north of Kahului. The experience on Maui taught Steve to do more with less as it was difficult to obtain kits and equipment. The locals taught him a lot about “improv,” building and flying with foam designs, etc. for both thermal and slope. He really enjoyed flying heavily-ballasted PSS style foam planes from the slopes in the constant trade winds. Super fun!
However, in 1992 Steve returned to San Diego when Paul Schultes gave him a new start in the healthcare insurance market, an area he has continued with to the present. This career move provided Steve with some additional financial independence. Simultaneously the Internet was “new,” and Steve had a hobby of website design. At that time, very few Insurance brokers had any website presence at all. Within a year of setting up his own website, Steve quickly outpaced others in finding new clients! He was an early adopter of search engine optimization, building his own computers, learning how to use tools like Microsoft Frontpage and applying it all to the insurance industry. This experience would pay off later for TPG but allowed Steve to serve a wider region for his insurance business.
Now back in San Diego, Steve met Arthur Markiewicz during a time when foam flying wings were very popular. The connection to Arthur led Steve and Paul to the Torrey Pines Gulls. Steve purchased a full-house Sapphire and started flying at TPG thermal duration contests and more regularly at Torrey. He enjoyed the camaraderie of the TPG and began to put in his own efforts as a volunteer with TPG starting in the early 2000s. Armed with his experience with website design he volunteered to develop the club website and serve as the club webmaster. As a member of the TPG, Steve enjoyed regular trips to Visalia and Arizona for TD contests. Through TPG and Palomar RC Flyers member Tom Minegar, Steve also got into scale soaring as Tom was also working in the insurance market. At that time a large group of scale modelers were flying at Horno Field on Camp Pendleton. Steve bought a Multiplex ASW-22 from Ron Brown and found another new set of friends in Mike Lance, Mark Foster, Dan Troxell, Gary McCartney, Scott Monarch, and Ken Kaye.
Steve then also branched out most recently into FAI F5J but enjoys building the most. Ken Kaye has been a great building mentor, helping Steve with the building of his own light ply/foam 4m gas-powered tug for aerotowing of his own design. Steve also enjoys flying a Rosenthal Cirrus 7.5m/8.0m at aerotow events in Visalia. Towing has now become its own source of fun. Steve says: “I’m not the best pilot at the field and my building is even worse (crooked and heavy) but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the hobby for the past 45 years and plan to continue until the peepers give out.”
Steve is a firm believer that each of us has our own expertise that can be used to help a club like the Torrey Pines Gulls. He feels that you get back what you give and that community service is an important effort in life. Sometimes it’s good to be the guy on the towline, sometimes it is also fun to be the guy doing the aerotowing. Either way everyone has a fun day.
In 2018, the TPG recognized Steve’s many years of service as club webmaster by honoring him with the TPG Modeler of the Year award. Thanks, Steve for all your continued efforts with the website!
