OK so this is a wee bit tangent to the normal stuff we talk about but bear with me

Am home for the weekend, and getting caught up on my reading - including my latest Flying Models.  Read that our moderator Dean Pappas is (after after almost 27 years) "retiring" from writing the RC Pattern column.

I fly some RC, never Pattern tho, but I always enjoyed reading Dean's stuff.  He is knowledgeable, and most of all enthusiastic about all forms of aeromodeling.  His insights on model design, trimming and especially his ability to recognize and adapt "crossover" technology has been demonstrated many times over the years (I'm sure Bobba can chime in here) Notably Dean was in the vanguard of a adapting piped engines for CLPA and most recently in the van again for ECL.  His is a legacy of innovation and excellence seasoned with good humor and great writing skill.  Fun to talk to in person too!

For those of you who do not have access to his column, he finished with these observations - offered for RC pattern but 100% applicable for us too.  These are shamelessly copied (with my comments added) from Deans "farewell" column in Flying Models, May 2010 issue:

1. Widening the appeal of the event is not the same as dumbing it down! (AMEN!)

2. The opportunity to demonstrate excellence is not the same as exclusivity or esoterica.

3. Overfly and noise considerations still dictate where & how this event can or will be flown. (true for all of us)

4. There MUST be a place at the table for both the hobbyist and the sporstman.  (GOLDEN!)

5. This event will never be cheap to participate in, but it really is cheaper than habitual drinking.  Seriously, sensibly accepting the fact that competition is inherently not cheap should not excuse us from trying to keep it within reason. (please reread the last sentence 10 times)

6. The event as a group should make the effort to keep the folks who can no longer compete (for whatever reason) close, because they have much to offer and make great teachers & judges. (us too)

7. We should free ourselves of silly notion that Pattern will ever be a spectator sport. (same for CLPA)

8. Sophistication and difficulty are not the same as complexity.   (I'd suggest the opposite is also true - that complexity is NOT the same as sophistication)


THANK YOU Dean for all the great reads over the years.  Here's hoping we can see more of ya here in the forum AND on the field!

I too read Dean's farewell column word for word, at least twice.  "When Dean talks, I listen."  He is the Maynard Hill of my generation.  Thanks for everything you do for modeling Dean.

Good grief, Mike, Dean could hardly get his head through the door before your post; not because he's sold on himself, just because of all that's in there! Now it will be impossible!

Seriously (and that's a stretch for me...), Dean's contributions to RC Pattern, CL Stunt and model aviation in general over the years have been plentiful, amazing in their worth, extremely readable, understandable, fun and thought provoking. And, I can tell you from knowing Dean for 33 years, what you've seen from him is but the tiniest tip of the iceberg. I have never known a more giving person, nor one who has more innate intelligence, nor one who could pass along information on complex subjects in a more digestable manner. In short, I consider Dean to be a genuine national treasure, especially in the world of model airplanes.

At our house he is simply "Uncle Dean." He helped raise our kids and he has helped me in more ways than I could ever express here. I was honored to have hired Dean on as the RC Pattern columnist for Flying Models back in the 1980s, and he never disappointed his readers. Sometimes it was like pulling teeth to keep him on his deadlines, but somehow he always managed to get his column in on time (I can hear Dean laughing at that...).

The really scary thing is that I pretty much know at least some of what he's working on now, and I can tell you that a lot of it is game changing stuff for electric CL stunt. Perhaps, now that he's a man of leisure, we can persuade him to write some things for the pages of Stunt News. I'll work on him for that...

The very best thing about Dean is... he's my best buddy - a brother really. I congratulate him on his many years of service to the RC community through his FM column, but if the truth be known, fliers from all disciplines read and learned from his stuff regularly. He will be missed at that post.

Bob Hunt