Schultzie...The Stunt Judge on the left (well, in the center) looks a lot like John Lenderman. I think John won in '52 and placed in the top 5 or so in '59 or '60. First one, he flew a Still Stuka with a Fox .35, but in '59, I believe he flew a Nobler. AFAIK, John is still hanging around Clatskanie, OR. Bob Stalick would have contact info. Let me know if you think I'm correct! John turned into an F1A, F1B and F1C flier, later made the US Team in F1B and was Team Manager a couple of times. ??? Steve
Ben Madsen of Tacoma without question has given so much to the modeling community over the years.
The Tacoma Modelairs.....used that amazing basement shop of his for our monthly get-together.
He is a modelbuilders model builder, from his amazing carrier scale airplanes...
His outstanding memorial German scale models that took so many trophies.....for his virtual reality models...that up close, you would swear that you could could almost hear the crew talkin'.
A crowd would always gather when he brought out a finished new project.
but his greatest gifts to me was that he was one of the best stunt model builders and winning flyers in the NW during the early 60-to late 70's.
but his memorial gift to me was that he has been a life long friend..he was my best man at my wedding in 1970.
Our mutual passion for modelmaking, water skiing, motorcyle riding through the woods at Harts lake Praire, and our love for anything that flies...really bonds that time can no erase.
He and his beautiful wife...fed me n' gave me breakfast, many times when I was alone and didn't know many folks in the Seattle Tacoma area...He is and was.....like a brother.
THANKS BEN!
U MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN SO MANY OF OUR LIVES!
Like a brother...we both had a passion for extremely ugly hats. He stole that hat from Bing Crosby's old convertible, huh?
Here is the Shark 45 with the Veco 45 that gave us a sizable collection of 2nd or 3rd Place awards.
(Hey Leo Mel...My memory is toast. The stunt judge next to Ben beat George Alrich out of 1st place...at the Nationals in 1952? (Or was it 1959)
Is he still with us!
Sad to say that my demented brain cells...can not put a names of these two amazingly gifted stunt judges?
The photos...of course are compliments of another dear modeling friend for life.
GARY LETSINGER... who by the way...has on his shelf more than just a few of our 1st and 2nd Place hardware.
Gary is another one of those genius Boeing aerodynamic engineers who is a walking bible on just about anything that flies...