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General control line discussion => AS TIME GOES BYE => Topic started by: Shultzie on November 05, 2006, 02:21:01 PM
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Anyone lurking....who had a photo of someone that we can call our Stunt Grunt of the day?
Since time is runnin' out, so without futha' adoooda-day may I proclaim JOE DILL....."THE SHARK MAN! One of our most proflic model builders and prolific 1st place winners from the past.
Joe was a full time model maker at the Boeing Wind Tunnel before heading up advertizing for AG Corp. until retiring and moooooovin' into exile in NW Washington country.
This was a beautiful example of perhaps one of the best Shark modifications that I had ever seen or flown.
STUNT GRUNT OF THE DAY!!!!
Photo sent by Leo Mehl....thanks bud! Joe looks pretty much like he did when he was a kid except for the white beard and thinner head cover
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Hey...fellow model grunts...
COME ON! DOESN'T ANY ONE REMEMBER "LITTLE JOE and his beautiful models...especially the success that he was having during the early years with his modifed Shark that was in Crusader garb...lika sooo
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I met Joe when I was stationed at Fairchild in the late 70's. He was flying a modified Shark with a Jet style canopy and other mods, most noticeably the vertical stab. I have yet to see a plane I liked better. His finishes were just awesome. He taught me how to skin a wing at the time. Bob Hunt CSC wing for a Miss Kell design. If anyone is still in touch tell him Mike Foley says hello
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Hey...fellow model grunts...
COME ON! DOESN'T ANY ONE REMEMBER "LITTLE JOE and his beautiful models...especially the success that he was having during the early years with his modifed Shark that was in Crusader garb...lika sooo
I don't have any pics of Joe, but I remember seeing him with the Chimpunk (sic) at the Boeing Space Center back lot (top picture is there). Never saw the Crusader version of the Shark, but I'm wondering if it would be Classic Legit? Any idea on the year? I'm also puzzling over where the picture with the Crusader was taken.... n~ Steve
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That B&W photo was taken at Delta park in 1968. This Crusader was a Shark 45 wing and tail...but the tail moment arm was shortened, as well as the nose, if I remember and this model was one of his most successful stunt machines. I have owned two standard Shark 45's and as much as I love Lew's Sharks...
I can assure you that Joe's Crusader, although a tad heavy on the weight scales, it didn't FLY HEAVY. (I am only guessing this was due in part for the shortened length of the body. It was very important with that long body of the Shark to avoid that "tell-tail bar-bell effect if you didn't take extreme care to keep the body weight in check
However, I still think that Lew's body design was one of the best thought out formats. I had the opportunity to fly The Chizler...which to me, in flight, not only kinda had that Shark 45 look but on a smaller sale. I think that Dick Mathis was right on the money with that beautiful little light weight model that he flew at the LA nats. The plus factor was that super light model...pulled by one of the greatest running Gold Series Fox 35's ever.
I think that both Jim Silhavy that day...and along with Daddy Bear, were a bit ENVUS of just how beautifully that Chizler of Mathis's flew. However Mathis...a genius model builder and most of all, his flying skills were really dialed in.
If you can find that Chizler article...that is one of those article magazines that has soooooooooooooooooooo many golden nuggets of knowledge and tips on what it takes to build and fly such a successful model.
ALL THIS ASIDE...JOE DILL, AND THAT CRUSADER...WAS TRULY ONE HECK OF A GREAT COMBINATION, plus Joe Dill could pick up the handle of just about anybody's stunt model and fly a winning pattern with it....AND WOULD FLY IT BETTER THAN EVEN THE OWNERS OF THOSE MODELS.
GADS! HE TOOK THAT AVENGER MODEL OF MINE.....and flew it with such grace, precision and skill.
I litterally felt so humbled...that I almost felt like taking a shovel and that plane out into my backyard---and bury it! **)
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Joe Dill and Bob Welch...both Boeing modelmakers....built two of the most outstanding virtual SCALE SUPER CHIPMUNKS...that also took home lots and lots of awards.
THOSE TWO MODELS...REALLY HAD THE "WOW-FACTOR!"
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Joe Dill was about my size and every time I see him I tell hime he was the only guy that I could talk to eye to eye.What a wonderful person and a very good craftsman. one of my favorite people and then there is Shultzie.Leo
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I know Joe and I certainly recognize that Shark. Motivated me to many paint schemes that were imitative. Joe is a great guy and probably freezing his back side off in eastern Washington ever as we speak, ur, write.
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There is no way that you can say enough about joe Dill. When I got back into this hobby Joe and Gary Letszinger were the first modlers that I met since the sixties. They were running the contest at the Boing space center. I always liked Joe because he was the only guy that I could talk eye to eye with. Ben Madsen has a picture of Joe and I and we were a couple of scroney kids in those days. I am 5-6 and joe about the same except when he wore his cowboy boots. all those guys from the Seattle area were special kind of guys and I learned a lot from the them. I was always impressed by thier realy beautiful planes. We were all still learning then and then there was Ted Fancher. He was the new kid on the block. We all know about him. What modelers all of these guys were.I remember shultzies Chipmonk at Sandpoint.everyone ooh and awd. did you realise those were the good old days when our AMA numbers were shorter.