Thomas or "Tim" Harris grew up outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has been flying radio-controlled models since 1978 when he got his first radio. Before that Tim flew free flight models of various types, including balloons, parachutes, gliders, autogyros and helicopters. Tim has been flying models since some time before 1970.

While still in high school he earned an FAA flying license in "glider", and then in helicopter. Before finishing high school, Tim won an industrial arts award for his original design of a free flight helicopter made of wood.

Tim attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VA Tech) and got a BS in Engineering Science and Mechanics, with a concentration in Dynamics. Before graduating from VA Tech he also earned his flight instructor's license in helicopters. While in school Tim continued flying hand launch R/C gliders in search of more aerobatic designs. He subscribed to "Technical Soaring" to stay abreast of advanced techniques and theory in the glider world. Although studying every set of plans he could find, Tim continued to build all of his own models from scratch. While still at VA Tech one of Tim's models achieved consistient triple loops from hand launch. Tim recommends studying many diverse designs and then trying your own design to get what you want in a flying machine.

With the degree in Mechanics Tim went to work in the spacecraft industry and spent almost four years on an interplanetary mapping spacecraft program. During this period he continued his personal experiments with composite construction techniques for hand launch gliders. He did further interdisciplinary research in airframe structures and vehicle performance, pulling ideas from competition indoor and outdoor free flight designers and theorists into his own designs. By this time Tim had a model that achieved consistient quadruple loops from hand launch. He also started sport skydiving.

On his next job, Tim was as an orbit analyst for a fleet of Air Force communications satellites. He also worked on both launch support and the propulsion subsystem of that spacecraft fleet, giving him the actual title of "rocket scientist". By this time he had also won many trophies at the WRAM (Westchester Radio Aero Modeler's) show outside of New York City for his original glider and indoor R/C designs. He was night flying slope and aerobatics, and had thermal soared a bonfire at night without lights on the glider. He learned more about physiology and reaction time first hand by making several hundred skydives, and started BASE jumping.

Tim's most recent job in the aerospace industry was as a dynamicist on the V-22 "Osprey" Tiltrotor flight test program, working for Boeing Helicopters. While at this job Tim was first exposed to construction techniques for foam combat gliders. The world of combat foamies has added to his arsenal of construction techniques and materials, allowing him to further advance in the area of hand launch aerobatics. Tim now routinely performs hand launch aerobatics at sites as small as 1/4 acre, both pattern and freestyle. He enjoys flying with friends, exploring new sites to fly, developing new maneuvers and flying techniques, and helping others learn the hobby.