Product Development Team
The E-flite Product Development Team is comprised of people with the same
passion for great-flying electric aircraft that you have. These guys know why you fly electric
and put their engineering and modeling knowledge to good use in designing aircraft with the
kind of quality and performance you - and they - want most.
David Ribbe : Vice President - Product Development
David Ribbe is a lifelong aviation enthusiast with over 20 years of experience
in the RC industry. He began modeling at age 10 and designed his first RC model
at 17. Since then he has designed more than 30 models including everything
from electric park flyers to jets. He's also a veteran modeling competitor with
many first place finishes including Grand Champion at the 2005 US Scale
Masters and Top Gun Champion for 2007. A native of Orlando, Florida, David
now leads the E-flite product development team in his role as Vice President
for Product Development for Horizon Hobby.
David Eichstedt : Director of Aircraft Development
David Eichstedt recently joined Horizon from the aerospace industry, with
a background in engineering, program management, and business development.
These skills are now being applied in his role as Director of
Aircraft Development, where he supports the product developers of the
E-flite, ParkZone, and HobbyZone brands. He has been a modeler
since his childhood, with his primary interest being scale aircraft. David has
a BS in Aeronautical Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University,
and an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Patrick Brown : Category Development Manager - Electric Air
Patrick has worked in the RC hobby industry for fifteen years, thirteen of those
with Horizon Hobby. The past eight years he has worked primarily on aircraft development
for E-flite and been instrumental in the development of several airplanes and accessories.
As Horizon Hobby's Category Development Manager for Electric Air, he is responsible for
setting strategy and priorities for the category, managing and executing the development
schedule, as well as supporting the E-flite development staff.
John Redman : Senior Product Developer
John has been an avid modeler for over 30 years. Before joining the E-flite
Team, John's love of airplanes led him to a career in the US Air Force as a
crew chief on the F-16 and later on the F-117A Stealth Fighter. He has also
flown research UAV models for Lockheed, Boeing, and NASA. His modeling
experiences include competition in national scale modeling events such as
Top Gun and the Scale Masters, with a number of top-ranking finishes in both.
He is also regarded as a leader in the RC turbine community, currently serving
as a field representative for both Bob Violett Models and JetCat USA.
David Payne : Product Developer
David is a third-generation modeler who is the son of an Army pilot and the
grandson of an Air Force pilot, both of whom were avid RC enthusiasts. As
a result, David has always had a great passion for the hobby as well as all
other aspects of aviation. He began flying models at the age of 5 and enjoys
everything from free-flight to turbine jets. A lifelong native of Chattanooga,
Tennessee, David left his job as a full-time fire fighter there to come to
Champaign, Illinois and pursue his dream of a career in the hobby industry
developing and designing aircraft for E-flite.
Mark Padilla : Product Developer
Mark fell in love with RC at a young age and with the support of his grandmother
began flying RC helicopters at 13. He worked as an Air Traffic
Controller in the Hawaii Air National Guard, and was on active duty for nearly
two years in the Air Force. Mark also worked as a professional RC helicopter
pilot for an aerial photography company in Hawaii. After living in Hawaii for
almost six years, Mark moved to Champaign to pursue a career in the hobby
industry developing RC Helicopters for E-flite.
Mike McConville : Contributing Designer
A Cincinnati, Ohio native, Mike moved to Champaign, Illinois in 1996 to design and
develop airplanes for Horizon Hobby. He has designed more than forty aircraft,
including the E-flite Extra 260 3D 480 and Mini Pulse XT ARFs. Mike won
his first U.S. Pattern Nationals (Expert class) in 1981 when he was just 17 years old, and since
then has dominated at nearly every level of competition: 8-time TOC competitor and 2-time
finalist, an IMAC U.S. Nationals champion, 6-time F3A U.S. Team Trial competitor, and a
winner of more than 200 pattern and IMAC events.
Quique Somenzini : Director of Advanced Aircraft Technology
Quique is recognized by many as the father of the 3D revolution. Born in Rio Curato,
Argentina, he began flying RC at age 9. At the age of 12, he became the youngest pilot ever
to compete at the F3A worlds. Since then, he has gone on to win numerous U.S. National and World
honors: 4-time TOC Champion, 21-time Argentina F3A National Champion, 6-time South American
F3A Champion, XFC Champion, Free style world champion, 2 times Tucson Shoot Out free style champion,
3 times Don Lowe Masters Champion, 4-time F3A U.S. National Champion, 3 times ETOC runner up,
2007-2008 F3A World Champion. Quique has poured all this expertise over 30 aircraft designs,
five of which include E-flite's Yak 54, Byp Yak, Pitts Model 12 15e, and Divo 3D, Brio 10.