Written by AMA staff (01/2001); Transcribed by JS (03/2008), Reformatted by JS (02/2010)
Richard Luke Waters is the recipient of a $2,000 Sig Manufacturing Scholarship. Luke, of Rockville, Maryland, graduated from Rockville High School and is attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona. He is pursuing a degree in aeronautical science. Having “a passion for things that fly” since he was four years old, Luke feels that a degree from Embry-Riddle will make him more than a pilot; it will give him a well-rounded course of instruction in all aeronautical fields.
As a member of AMA for five years, Luke has enjoyed flying a number of different airplanes. He became involved with Radio Control gliders while living in Lexington, Kentucky, where he was a member of the Bluegrass Soaring Society in Lexington.
After moving to Maryland, he became an active member in the Capital Area Soaring Association (CASA) and a member of the Eastern Soaring League (ESL). As an avid participant in Radio Control glider competitions, Luke has accumulated a number of trophies and plaques at both the local and national levels.
Most recently, Luke competed in the 2001 National Aeromodeling Championships in the F3B, F3J, Hand-Launched, Two-Meter, and Unlimited events. He placed in the top five of each event overall and took first place in each event in the Senior division.
Luke has worked the last three years at the Westfield Works Wonders Holiday Charity program at Westfield Shoppingtown Wheaton. He has earned 30 community-service hours in his Child Development class at Rockville High School.
Luke was also a member of the men’s varsity volleyball team.
Luke has been employed making sailplane kits for retail sale, fueling aircraft, and providing office assistance at Montgomery County Aviation, as a mechanic in the making of target drones at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, DC, and most recently assembling and servicing bicycles.
When not flying Radio Control, Luke has been flying a Piper Cherokee and has recently earned his private pilot’s license.
Good luck, Luke, and may you realize your dreams.
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