Our Mentors

Bob Gammons has served as a mentor for the FullMetal Falcons since 2021. Bob’s career in engineering began with a five-year tenure at Grumman Aircraft, where he worked as a Mechanical Systems Design Engineer. His contributions included working on iconic projects like the Lunar Module, the F-14 Tomcat jet fighter, and the Maglev Experimental Train.

Later, Bob took on the role of Director of Engineering at Olin Ski Co, where he led product and machinery design efforts. He also served as Engineering Manager at Warner Communications, working on entertainment robots and further expanding his engineering expertise. In addition, Bob played a pivotal role at Olin Urethane Systems, designing specialized equipment for urethane dispensing applications.

An entrepreneur at heart, Bob became the owner of Schaefer Machine Co, where he designed and fabricated advanced roll coating machinery for liquid adhesives. His diverse career reflects a commitment to innovation and excellence across various fields of engineering.

Rich Hawley has been a mentor for the FullMetal Falcons since 2022, offering valuable guidance and expertise to the team. With a background in network engineering, he specializes in firewall and switched network design, with a particular focus on Voice over IP (VoIP) platforms.

Outside of his professional work, Rich is an avid R/C airplane enthusiast, where he has honed skills in soldering, aircraft function, and brushless electric power systems. He maintains the CAD workstations and 3D printers for the FullMetal Falcons, ensuring the team has the tools needed for their design and fabrication projects. In his free time, Rich enjoys snowboarding and practicing martial arts.

Nick has been a mentor for the FullMetal Falcons since 2014. Nick started with the original FullMetal Falcons FRC Team (FRC # 4557) and transitioned to the FTC program when Xavier switched to FTC. Nick brings a wealth of build and design knowledge and is instrumental in the success of the Teams in competing at the highest level at competitions

Helen Tine joined the FullMetal Falcons in 2024. She holds degrees in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science and has spent her career as a software engineer. Helen’s passion for robotics began in 1998 when she volunteered at a FIRST FRC competition and was captivated by the event. The following year, she became a mentor for an FRC team. Over the past 12 years, she has dedicated her time to the administration and organization of VEX IQ teams, while also volunteering at numerous competitions.

Scott joined the FullMetal Falcons as a programming mentor during the 2024 season, following a visit to the Durham Fair that sparked his interest in both the team and Xavier itself for his son. With over 25 years of enterprise software development experience, Scott brings extensive technical expertise to the program. He is currently working with students to develop a formal FTC (First Tech Challenge) programming curriculum and progression track, aiming to streamline the onboarding process and ensure that future team members have a strong foundation in robotics programming.

Chip Hamma has joined the FullMetal Falcons as a mentor. A fabricator his entire life, Chip is a self-taught cabinet maker as well as an industrial designer, builder and fabricator, both for work and for pleasure.

Chip loves to solve the puzzle. He enjoys finding new solutions and new uses for materials and processes, and he approaches every project with the attitude that failure isn’t an option. He brings that problem-solving mindset, and a love of a good challenge, to the team’s robot builds.

Bio coming soon.

Steve has assisted the FullMetal Falcons since 2024. Steve initially mentored a FIRST team (FRC team #111) in 1999 and has been hooked on competitive robotics ever since!  After mentoring the FRC team for many years, Steve started a VEX IQ team at his daughter’s elementary school.  Steve has been mentoring and being a head ref for VEX IQ for over a decade now.  Professionally, he is a recovering software/electrical engineer and software architect who now works as a software product manager. Steve and his son have been instrumental in formalizing the programming for the FullMetal Falcons.