News:



  • March 28, 2024, 02:33:48 PM

Login with username, password and session length

Author Topic: Dave Slagle  (Read 1922 times)

Online Ara Dedekian

  • 24 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Captain
  • *
  • Posts: 488
  • Ara Dedekian
Dave Slagle
« on: October 13, 2018, 06:13:37 PM »


         I got the sad news today from Dave's daughter that Dave passed away recently from a heart attack. He was 85. I last spoke to him a bit over a month ago and while dealing with numerous health problems, his mind was still razor sharp, was building yet another Bippi, his bi-plane design, and hoping to get better so he could get to the field.

         I just finished some modifications to my Bippi and was going for the maiden flight tomorrow, eager to let him know how it went. I'm sure he would have known that all would go well; his designs work!

         Ara

Offline De Hill

  • Moderator
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 1197
Re: Dave Slagle
« Reply #1 on: October 14, 2018, 04:26:18 PM »
Davey, (or Davis, or David) Slagle is best known for winning the 1946, 1947, and 1948 AMA Nationals Stunt event as a Junior flyer. He beat the Senior and Open flyers all three years.His father worked for Lockheed, and was acquainted with Bob Palmer and JC Yates. His father purchased two airplanes from Bob Palmer; a Corsair, and one called the Sky Baby, which was the better flyer. The Skybaby had a few crashes, and was renamed the Bulldozer!

The airplanes that Davey campaigned next were modifications of the SNAFU companies "Ercoupe". They were named after phrases in a 1940's song. They were, (in order) Chickery Chick, Chala- Chala, The symmetrical airfoiled Checkala Roma, (His favorite) and, In a Bannanica (not a good airplane)

Davey didn't do much flying after the 1948 nats. He got interested in girls and cars, and didn't fly much until he joined the Air Force.

He switched to R/C while in the Air Force.

He owned the Eagle's nest Ranch in California, and later moved to the Northeast United States.

The above entries were obtained from Charles Mackey's book "Pioneers of Controline Flying."

« Last Edit: March 09, 2021, 06:15:26 PM by De Hill »
De Hill

Offline Jim Mynes

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Commander
  • ****
  • Posts: 321
  • Chelsea, ME
Re: Dave Slagle
« Reply #2 on: October 14, 2018, 05:09:38 PM »
Sorry to hear this, Ara. I know you were fond of him.
I have seen the light, and it’s powered by a lipo.

Offline phil c

  • 21 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 2480
Re: Dave Slagle
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2018, 11:30:49 AM »
Sorry to hear this, Ara. I know you were fond of him.

Sounds like he would have been a good friend to most people.  I'm sorry I missed meeting him.
phil Cartier

Offline Serge_Krauss

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • ******
  • Posts: 1331
Re: Dave Slagle
« Reply #4 on: March 18, 2019, 06:12:33 PM »
I need to keep better track of these. I never knew Davey Slagle, but surely knew the history. I am very sorry to hear that he is gone, always having promised myself that next time we made our annual pilgrimage to Maine, I'd look him up and learn of the early years of our niche in the hobby. Sad...

Offline FLOYD CARTER

  • 24 supporter
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Admiral
  • *
  • Posts: 4458
    • owner
Re: Dave Slagle
« Reply #5 on: June 23, 2019, 02:04:40 PM »
The Slagle family were frequent visitors to our flying field located in South Gate Park, in South Gate CA.  Those were the days when flying at public city parks was still OK.  The city designated a small corner of the park for C/L flying, although the city did nothing else, except to mow the grass once in a while.

I had thought Davy was younger than I.  But I guess he only looked younger and smaller.  Actually pretty much the same age.  That means that we were about 15 or so in 1948-49 when he flew at our field. 

We all thought it was strange that his dad did everything;  rolled out lines, fueled the model, started it.  Davy stood by at the handle until all was ready.  I guess we were sort of impressed, although his flying would be considered "non-precision" these days.  But, loops and inverted stuff was kind of rare among our own club members.  So we thought that was pretty good.  My own flying consisted of mostly getting a few minutes in the air without breaking something.
89 years, but still going (sort of)
AMA #796  SAM #188  LSF #020


Advertise Here
Tags:
 


Advertise Here