Jim's aviation interests go back to his childhood. He loved airshows as a kid and earned his pilot's license as a teenager. He's an avid enthusiast of radio controlled models and drones. His company, Knife Edge Software, is a leader in flight simulation technology and is the original developer of the RealFlight sim which Jim sold to Horizon Hobby in 2021. Jim also created RCGroups.com, the world's largest website for enthusiasts of radio controlled aircraft.

Jim is an active leader in the flying community and serves as President of the International Aerobatic Club (IAC). In 2021 he invented National Aerobatics Day, which occurs the fourth Saturday in June each year and celebrates the skill, beauty, and excitement of aerobatic flight. He has appeared on the Discovery channel and has made many media appearances related to aerobatics, aviation, and radio control. In August of 2020, the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) inducted Jim into the Model Aviation Hall of Fame.

As a competitve aerobatic pilot Jim flies at the highest level, the Unlimited category. Jim is the fourth person in the history of aerobatics to achieve the coveted Mastery of Flight Award for demonstrating mastery of aerobatic flight in both powered and glider aircraft. Jim is a top-ranked freestyle pilot, a nationally qualified aerobatic judge, and a mentor to many. He holds over 75 flight medals, and 26 first place finishes.

Since 2017 Jim has been a member of the Unlimited US Aerobatic Team which competed in two World Aerobatic Championships in Malelane, South Africa in 2017 followed by Chateauroux, France in 2019. Only the top 8 pilots are chosen from the US National Aerobatic Championships to be part of the team.

Jim's show is a high energy display of the capabilities of the Extra 330SC featuring a complete repertoire of aerobatic maneuvers from precision flight to gyroscopic tumbling.