One of the All Time Greats of our hobby is gone

[proparc]

This from David Bridi.

"Joseph Bridi AMA 288 Pioneer of Model Aviation and goodwill ambassador to Pattern,Scale, Formula One (NMPRA) has passed into the Eternal Gates of Kaos this morning at 9:45am
Joe was 92 years old. For all the friends that kept in touch with him over the last few years you had made a difference in the last couple of years. He will always be remembered as everyone’s friend."

I was fortunate to have met Joe Bridi In Los Angeles. We talked about a number of things. He said of all the things he did, people still see him as the Kaos guy. Well,that work of genius of his was that good! Still is. God Bless.

[Jim Kraft]

I flew a Dirty Birdy for years in pattern back in the 70's and 80's . I always liked the simplicity of his designs and they always flew well. He will be missed.

[Crist Rigotti]

I flew a Super Kaos in the mid 70's.  Great design.  Joe will be missed.

[Frank Imbriaco]

Flew my Kaos 60 ARF yesterday morning. When I read of his passing last eve, I sorta  felt as though I knew him. His aircraft were benchmarks. Loved my first Kaos 60 and especially, my scratch built Dirty Birdy which I  still regret selling. My ARF is E-powered and really ballistic. I have plans to strip the China Kote, block sand it and silk it orange and yellow- just like my first was decades ago.


And I almost forgot , Joe's Trainer 60. What a great flying high wing aircraft ! Built one early in my R/C career and it served me  very well. Bill Hayden, one of the most advanced flyers at our field, ( who at the time who was flying a 1/3 scale  Laser )asked for the sticks. Sure thing, but in silence I wondered why he would want to mess with a Trainer 60 ? He did a series of marvelous rolling circles and right there and then, I knew it was a standout design.

[Dave Shadel]

I first met Joe when I worked at Kraft.  He would come down and visit pretty often in the mid-70's to pick up parts or get his Sig Series single stick tweaked by Jim Kimbro and Steve Helms.  Joe most often had a big smile on his face and it was always a treat to talk with him.  He supplied a lot of kits for Phil, and balsa for the guys building pattern airplanes.  His Cadillac had a huge trunk and more often than not, it would come down full and leave empty. 

I was one of many who had the good fortune to know him.

Dave

[Bill Adair]

Unfortunately, I never got to meet Joe Bridi, but learned to fly R/C with his Trainercraft 40. Liked it so well that I scratch built another one with slightly extended wings and liked it even better for lazy flying. I still have the empty T-craft box  filled with building scraps!

RIP Mr. Bridi.

Bill

[Chris McMillin]

Oh that is too bad. Sorry to hear this because I always liked to hang around him at Mile Square and listen to the latest news in RC back in the olden days. I started RC with his RCM Trainer 40 and Kaos 40. I have a Dirty Birdi ARF and an RCAiir repro UFO kit. I love his designs.
Chris...

[Jim Kraft]

Going back before the Kaos were the Sun Fli designs which also flew well. I have seen his original Kaos win contests with a light case Super Tigre 60 in the hands of a good flyer. It is one of the most honest R/C planes ever designed. It just did what you told it to. No surprises.

I miss those days of the Kwik Fli and Kaos era, when you had to fly the plane, not just push buttons. As radios got more sophisticated we lost those early skills of flying with the sticks. That is one of the reasons Joes planes flew so well by the sticks alone. No dual rates, no roll buttons, and no expo.

Great memories Joe.

[Tony Drago]

Joe Bridi was a good friend. Tought me how to make jigs and bend landing gear for kit manufacturing.
 Joe was way ahead of his time. He told me that he liked to use control line airfoils on most of his designs.That they made his planes fly better.
   Rest In Peace,My Friend

[Richard Imhoff]

Motorman must never used a serch engine..

http://www.bridiairplanes.com/crew/index.htm

[Tony Drago]

I want to see some of these planes everyone is raving about, anyone got some pics?


Motorman

Go to Ebay and type in Joe Bridi. Some of his kits and plans will pop up.

[Tom Luciano]

I have an all wood original Dirty Birdy 60 kit. Still have mt os 60 SF-P. Might have to put that on the build list. I loved my 40 size back when I was a kid. Had a Webra blackhead 40 in it. Love alot of his designs.  Had Trainer 40 too!

Rest in peace Joe and thanks

Tom

[dave siegler]

I miss those days of the Kwik Fli and Kaos era, when you had to fly the plane, not just push buttons. As radios got more sophisticated we lost those early skills of flying with the sticks. That is one of the reasons Joes planes flew so well by the sticks alone. No dual rates, no roll buttons, and no expo.

Great memories Joe.

I think the Rudder Onlyand galloping ghost guys said the same thing. 

But the simple Kaos was a great airplane.  Simple easy to build straight, easy to repair, and a great flier. 

I cut my teeth on his kits RCM trainer 20, and soar birdi glider

[Jim Kraft]

I agree. My last Pattern plane was an MK Joker with retracts, tuned pipe behind a YS 2 stroke. I retired from Pattern flying in 94. I was still flying Jr Centry 7 PCM radios. I never made the switch to computer radios and 4 strokes in competition.

I started with single channel galloping ghost in a Midwest Esquire with Enya 19IV. Later converted it to 3 channel with EK radio. Not good advertising for uncle Phil.

[Frank Imbriaco]

Joe designed several dozen aircraft that to my eye all looked good. He had an eye for design. And what do we have now ? Bulbous  2 meter guppies with cantilizers  perched atop and thin shell composite bodies that almost can't be built using  traditional balsa /glass methods. I had several and they  flew well, but the only supply source is  Asia and the prices are astronomical.
Joe's aircraft have all stood the test of time. I never thought my Brio and Griffin as pretty-but now that they're +10 years old,  they look even worse today.  I get it: they're designed for a function  - lots of side area for knife edge maneuvers and difficult rolling components within FAI schedules that most can't do. 
Silly watching Intermediates  fly them with 28 channel radios. Their next model as close as their charge card.

[Skip Chernoff]

I would build two Kaos models each building season. Once set up  for the Kaos wing ,my Adjusta Jig was never used for any other models. I competed in class A at first,then class B .This was in the  1970s. I actually liked the original Kaos better than the Super Kaos. In those days I used Webra engines .First the Blackhead ,then the Webra 60 Speed.For guidance, I used a Series 70 Kraft System and those great Kraft electric retracts. Joe Bridi's designs were great fliers. Does anyone remember his profile "Dart Kart"?  Sorry to read about Joe's passing.