Core Team
Dave Messina
FPVFC President, CEO, and Board Member
Interim CEO, Flite Test
I have been flying, building and designing fixed wing RC model airplanes for decades. I started building and flying FPV quadcopters in early 2016. I’m a mechanical engineer and my nearly four decades of experience at IBM has provided me with business and technical knowledge which transfers to the RC and drone industries.
Josh Cook ( Coojo )
FPVFC SVP and Board Member
I continued, learning as I went, enjoying the freedom that flight had given me. It brought back that childhood dream of flying, and never has something felt purer in my life than realizing I could set myself free into the sky, even if just for mere minutes at a time. I have made friends I never thought I would have, and experienced things that would have left me scratching my head in my earlier life. Everything that I have done in my life has led me to this. Every skill I have acquired, every moment in school and beyond, has given me the skills to enjoy this hobby to the fullest. Now, I share the knowledge of all I have gained, through helping others, opening my garage to my friends that need a place to repair their gear, giving freely from my parts stash, and writing product reviews and how-to’s in an effort to give back to the community that has given me so much. I am an artist, a builder, a designer, an engineer, a techie, an educator, a photographer, a writer. I am an FPV pilot.
Dan Oachs ( 5zero7rc )
FPVFC VP of Technology and Regulations
That is why the FPV hobby appeals to me so much. I can take so many things I enjoy such as nature and the outdoors, science and technology, and combine that with computers and art to create entertaining videos that I can share with the world on my YouTube channel. I am fighting for this coalition because of how much this hobby and other hobbies like it have meant to me over the years. I would hate to see kids lose the opportunity to explore the world via FPV and learn the skills that will carry them and their friends into the future.
Alex Suarez
FPVFC VP, Youth & Racing Advocacy
I knew aviation was my future when I saw my first Blue Angels airshow. However, before I went airborne, I began on the ground with RC cars. I eventually got into RC planes because my cousin flew them. After I received my first RC plane I attempted to fly them, but after a year and a half of trying, I learned RC planes were not my thing.
Around 2013-14, I learned about quadcopters from my local RadioShack and tried their display model. I realized I could keep it in the air without crashing and begged my parents for one. I got my first quadcopter, and little did I know, that was going to be my future. The next couple of years I flew them all over the house and in the park.
ItsBlunty
FPVFC VP of Governmental Affairs
I grew up with technology as a core part of my life. My Aunt sent us a computer when I was about to turn 6. I spent most of my time on that computer, and that drive to learn more about computers and technology carried through my entire life.
I chose not to go to college based on advice and observation, and after 4 years of running a Pizza Place, I moved to Colorado to find some better work. Soon after moving I went to work with a friend and started trimming cannabis professionally. Since this was the start of Recreational Legalization, I was quickly propelled into a career and worked my way up a struggling 7-figure company, performing almost every role in the grow warehouse.
Rob Robertson
VP, Public Safety Liaison
My primary focus in the industry can be summarized in one sentence. “Placing [flying] robots in dangerous situations save human lives.”
Bringing 15 years of law enforcement experience, I supervise a team of 34 public safety pilots. I hold a Part 107 license, an FCC Radio Technician License, and operate UAS for NFL, MLB, and NCAA events. I secured the first endorsement from the NFL for municipal UAS operations in stadium TFRs. I also build and fly FPV aircraft and fly for recreational and commercial purposes. I provide training and consultation for numerous public safety entities instituting UAS programs and I instruct at global conferences. I am working on my Master of Science in Unmanned Aviation and serve as a member of multiple regional UAS workgroups.
