JIM KOSTECKY revisited today...Slide scans from my old Minolta Sr-2 on Etkatchome.

Jim will forever be remembered not only for his genius and out of the world artistic talent...but most of all...HE LEFT THIS PLACE A MUCH MUCH BETTER PLACE! Although we hear this comment all the time.....

WE ARE ARE LESSEND BY HIS PASSING.

Pictures are soooo PALE in comparison to the memory and blessing of SEEING JIM'S BEAUTIFUL STUNNING MODELS OF PERFECTION... UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL..under those glaring NAVY HANGER LIGHTS, that night before qualifications...1969!

ONLY 40 YEARS AGO?

attached two shots of detailed canopy to see just how extensively detailed his models were.
Can you just fanthom how fortunate it would to be in one of his art classes in school?

Thanks Shultzie!

That is the "Spirit of America"

Later that year I was a judge at the team trials in St Louis.

After the team selection was finished, Jim asked me if I wanted to fly his airplane..Jim had never seen me fly, but he just said "If you can judge you can fly."

On take off the lines caught a blade of grass....I nearly died.

Then it pulled loose of the grass. I did a lazy 8 and thought... "this airplane feels nice!"

I then did a full pattern... Jim's only comment was "Gee, the judge flew it better than I did!"

That wasn't true, but he was a great guy.

Shortly before he left us, Jim told me that he did not have a good picture of the airplane. I sent him a fair shot that I had taken, I only wish that he had been able to see these pictures by Shultz.

I wish that there were plans for this airplane somewhere, but I don't know of any.

Jim left this earth much to early. May God bless him.

>>I wish that there were plans for this airplane somewhere, but I don't know of any.<<

This is kind of like Dave Gierke's Novi II. He told me it only got about 8 or 10 flights on in before it went into the pavement (some kind of control failure). He never drew up plans for it but still has the template's and some pictures. I hope that he will some day draw up plans for it.

Actually YES..and NO.

Take a look at this borrowed photo from Dennis Adamisin...who was also on hand to take some memories, and you'll notice that aft end had a sub fin...that not only added some side area but also equally important, STIFFNESS.

Jim Kostecky was  one of my earlier STUNT GRUNTS of the day..thang' so for more details about both Jim and his beautiful models. Great stories by Bob Hunt, Dennis etc..
As you can see he was and IS SORELY MISSED.
Here is the link:
www.stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?topic=6472.0
www.stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?topic=3224.0

A belated THANKS for letting me attach that link with your memories and great photos of not only that Formula..but his American Eagle...(Humm? Why does Dave Gierke's retractable geared stunter comes to mind?

(Dennis...do you have slides of that Gierke "ALL American Eagletto' model for another post?)

Thanks for being my brain left bank....
That AAE didn't have retracts...I remember how much problem Dave was having with that Battery pack thingeee' that used ONE SINGLE  coated-shielded  flying line.
 And somewhere it was causing a short somewhere.

Was neat...to see that Eagle model idlin' on the tarmac...and then watch as he  powered up for takeoff and even better yet....after the pattern, watch Dave throttle back that
engine to apower on landing...
taxi up..tap the brakes and stop right in front of judges. TOO COOL or what?

Retracts....were a further brain storm idea that I never got worked out. Then Dave went into R/C and one model of his...would have been one amazing stunt model...(seemed it had a swept wing...but I thought the body line was AWESOME!

DAVE GEIRKE was another bud of Jim Kostecky...that seem to fed off each other creative minds etc.
attached photo:
 is the line up showing Kostecky's model right behind Dave's NOVI 4

(Then "WIPIN' UP THE REAR" was an equally great flying machine Bobby Baron's HUMBUGGA-BOOGA that opened the minds eye just what high rpms and flat pitch props could soon bring to CLPA...
BOB BARON..ANOTHER GENIUS CLPAer "GONE TOO SOON." I always thought that he was waaay  AHEAD OF HIS TIME...

 GOOD GODLEEE' it was so amused to see that he so often boggled the britches and caused so many bitches for so many traditional Nobler-puriest stunt grunters and then stand back and watch the show...when he sat that model out there on the line in the staging area.
Ah...History was in the making...huh?

WOW!
YES! THOSE TRULY WERE HAPPY DAZE-DAYS...THANKS RANDY FOR MAKING THIS DAY...ANOTHER HAPPY DAY!!!!  GREAT TO SEE THAT AAE AGAIN...THESE SHOTS ARE AWESOME...tell me who shot these or how you found them?
NEVER NUFF photos of beautiful CLPA art at its finest.

Dave Gierke and Kostecky really knew how to utilize EAGLES in their paint schemes...huh?
At the 68 nats...that model really drew a crowd of spectators. I often wish that over the years that we would see more scale like action in the CLPA circles...auto start...throttle take offs and touch and goes...stop and starts...then a free style pattern...and then ending with a power on landing...and finally a taxi up to a marked spot on the tarmac. Right in front of the panel of judges. Would that be COOL OR WHUT?

I flew one of Jim's Talon's that Tom McClain had possession of in Northern VA.
It seemed to fly light on the lines after flying my monster 67 ounce Intrepid X/L.
I liked the Ultimate Ukrainian logo on the wing.  Especially after spending three weeks
in the Ukraine!

Jim Pollock