Joseph (Joe) Peters passed away peacefully on Tuesday February 25, 2020 after a long struggle with cancer. Joe was 83.
Joe was born in Baltimore Maryland to Joseph Bonsal, Sr. and Florence (French) Peters.
Joe was an enthusiastic lifelong modeler, model designer, competitor and engine specialist. Always willing to share his knowledge with whomever asked, Joe was well-known in the competition ranks of the Free Flight and Control Line disciplines.
As for his model designs, Joe’s original designs were in the AMA gas powered Free Flight categories which were one of his passions. Joe’s swan song was the design and evolution of his “Magna” series of Free Flight gas models. The latest versions of the Magna design were flown by himself and others resulting in many wins at local, regional, national and international contests. The Magna also set AMA National Records in the 1980 and 1990’s time frames.
Joe’s modeling career began with his dad in Maryland where Joe flew both Control Line and Free Flight. Joe’s stories from the day always included his dad and were told expertly as if they were yesterday. One of my favorites was one where he strapped a Dynajet engine onto his bicycle and lit it off with no throttle control. As the story goes, he raced almost uncontrollably through the neighborhood eventually coming to a busy intersection where he managed to get though without crashing. By then, Joe told me the local police were in chase; and when the Dynajet ran out of fuel they confronted him and told Joe they were going to take him home to his Dad. Then the officer picked up Joe’s bicycle, holding it by the still very hot Dynajet. This resulted in the officer burning his hand severely. When the police took Joe and his bicycle home, Joe told me his Dad was not pleased with the situation; and his Dad made Joe sell the Dynajet. I am quite sure a lot of Joe’s later life was positively influenced by his Dad’s discipline in this and other situations Joe shared with me over the years.
I first met Joe in the late 1960’s at a Free Flight contest in Ohio and quickly became friends with him as my dad would take me to see him often. Joe guided me during those years by pointing me to good models and engines to fly. Joe also was a master at reworking engines for Free Flight competition and reworked several of my personal engines. Joe’s engines always sounded a good bit better than stock and his engine magic contributed to many successful flyers’ winnings in those days.
Joe, after earning a bachelor’s degree and serving in the Army, moved to Canfield, Ohio. There he was one of the officers for the avid Ohio Flying Aces, a primarily Control Line and Free Flight model club in Northeast Ohio. Those were the days of numerous summer contests, many of which Joe organized and ran. Joe was always in the loop facilitating the awards for not only the Ohio Flying Aces, but also for many of the local model clubs in the Cleveland area. Joe was also a member of the Cleveland Free Flight Society (CFFS), the Central Ohio Free Flight Club (COFFC) and the Central Indiana Aeromolders (CIA).
Joe was a firm believer in organized modeling and became an AMA Leader Member in order to help the hobby in the best possible way. Joe was a good example of someone who always wanted to give back to the hobby and he did it right.
As the years went by, Joe stopped flying Free Flight due to a variety of reasons, but then turned back to Control Line. One of his most memorable accomplishments was winning Beginner’s Stunt at the Nationals in 2006 (see picture).
In recent years, Joe volunteered his time as an official in the Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced stunt circles at the NATS. Joe served as official pull tester, a really neat job because he was able to weigh, inspect and pull test every model on a personal basis. I am quite sure many modelers will remember his enthusiastic professional manner while processing their models.
I personally will remember Joe for his unique and endless wit. Sometimes it was on a whim, but it was always spot on and brightened my day.
Rest in peace, Joe Peters! You are remembered!
Joe Mekina
Utica, Ohio
Topic: Joe Peters August 3, 1936 - February 25, 2020 (Read 545 times)
