Extremely sad news; a legend is gone

[Bob Hunt]

It is with deep sorrow and a very heavy heart that I pass along the sad news that I received today from Fred Carnes. Art Pawloski, designer of the Atom and the Lunar and winner of the Walker Trophy as a Senior competitor, passed away yesterday.

Fred received the news from another CL Stunt legend, Rod Pharis. Here's the note that Rod sent to Fred:

Hi Fred,
It is with deepest regret and sorrow that I have to report to you that my long time and very close friend Art Pawloski passed away yesterday evening.  Art spent the last several years in a senior care home suffering from dementia.  Other vital organs began failing and his brother Ray was at his side for the last 24-hours.  We were as close as brothers, and would have done anything for each other.  Teri and I will miss him dearly.
I will pass on other details in a day or two as I receive more information.  Fred, please pass on this sad news to the Precision Aerobatics community.  Yours is the only e-mail address I have found.  Ray is understandably tired and distressed, so he asks that nobody attempt to contact him until at least Sunday.  Ray’s e-mail address is ralou@cox.net  
Fair skies and tailwinds,
Rod

Too many are passing away. We all need to rededicate ourselves to each other and vow to love and perpetuate Cl flying for as long as we can in memory of these greats and especially in memory the thousands of now gone, not-so-well-known fliers who have kept the sport going for so long.

In sorrow - Bob Hunt  

[Tom Niebuhr]

Art is one of those who I regret having never met. I admired his "Atom" from the day it was published. This is another great loss to our stunt community.

[proparc]

Too many are passing away. We all need to rededicate ourselves to each other and vow to love and perpetuate Cl flying for as long as we can in memory of these greats and especially in memory the thousands of now gone, not-so-well-known fliers who have kept the sport going for so long.

In sorrow - Bob Hunt  

These are the men who gave us what we have today. I strongly agree we are losing too many. Indeed, what we have is very special, and we do need to appreciate each other because, are numbers are definitely diminishing.

[Howard Rush]

Art won combat and stunt at the same Nats, an amazing achievement.  I don't think that's been done before or since.

[Mike Keville]

So sorry to learn this.  Art (and Rod Pharis) visited a 1990s VSC during one of the years I was unable to get home from Kuwait, thus I missed meeting both of them.  Always regretted that.

[Shultzie]

My deepest condolences and prayers go out to his family and friends. Any chance of posting a few photos of his amazing contributions in modeling?

We have lost so many gifted friends in modeling lately!

[john e. holliday]

Another one gone that I used to read about and never got to meet.   My thoughts and prayers got out to his family.

[Randy Powell]

Sad day.

[Bill Little]

It is saddening to hear of another icon of this hobby passing on.  I never got to meet Mr. Pawloski in person, but I am a fan of his Atom.

I hope the recent trend will slow down.  We are loosing too many of the ones who did a lot of the "construction" of our event.

My prayers for Mr. Pawloski's family and friends.  God Bless.

Bill

[Dennis Adamisin]

I was 9 yo when my Dad & brothers joined the Strathmoor Model Club in 1963.  By then, just about all of the Strathmoor legends had moved on.  Thus, while I never met Art Pawloski, he was always an icon, a National Champion from Detroit, someone whose legacy was to be envied, celebrated, and – if possible - emulated.   I can tell you that when I first actually saw my name on the Walker Cup, the next name I went looking for was his.

Thanks Art, for putting that mark high on the wall for the rest of us to admire and pursue…
 

[Shultzie]

My deepest condolences and prayers go out to his family and friends. Any chance of posting a few photos of his amazing contributions in modeling?

We have lost so many gifted friends in modeling lately!

Beeeuuutiful LUNAR by Warren Tiahrt? Anymore photos of his model designs?

[Phil Spillman]

The loss of Art Palowski is truly a sad moment. It was recently my good fortune to have had the opportunity of writing the cover story for Control Line World featuring the life and times of Les Nering. In that piece Les paid many tributes to Art and especially his Atom which is featured in the first cover picture of of CLW with Les's rendition of that model prominently placed. Les knew Art as a very genuine and unimposing person, one I'm sure we all would surely have liked to have known.

[John Sunderland]

 I keep seeing that photo of Art in my head, sporting a T shirt that displays his young solid bicep as he proudly holds his Atom. Never met him but I didnt need to, the picture said it all.  One of us, an original and so totally cool! It is the way I want to remember us all. Young, vibrant talented and handsome. While I am younger than most here, time is ticking by and I am happy to say so many here were or are my childhood heroes. I remember being a kid and thinking as I thumbed through Dads old magazines " Gee if only I could build or fly like that or look so damned handsome doing it!" I spent endless hours on long winter nights running the projector watching old stunt film into the wee hours, thumbing through magazines and dreaming of being that cool! In many ways it shaped what my young mind thought being a grown up would be like. Probably sounds hokey but it is true!

So many of us are aging and passing on, it truly makes me wistful for a simpler time when eating, sleeping, and breathing this hobby was the only thing I really cared about. The hobby and the stunt event shaped so much of who I am, it is often a bit painful to watch us all get older. Some things I have said over the years may have sounded a bit morbid and thoughtless concerning our thinning ranks and what I think should be the important points of this event but I assure you all it is with the deepest heart felt respect for the many who have made the hobby what it is. Art was one them for that brief period when stunt was coming of age as were its majority of participants. My only wish is that I could participate more today and simply hang out at the field with those who love it as much as I do.

Sorry to prattle on.... God speed Art! and my condolences to his family and close friends.

[Serge_Krauss]

John has stated  well my own feelings. I'm so sorry to see again an icon pass. While I never met Art, he has always been part - an important part - of why I honor the pioneers of CL flying. He added beauty, meaning, and purpose to a young person's world, and old-er as we may be, I think and hope that we all still are these eager youngsters, just looking with more experienced eyes out of our "more experienced" bodies. I know that I'll still be that eager kid and remember inspirations like Art, when I too pass.

SK