Passing of a Legendary Icon

[Bob Hunt]

I just received a call from Tom Luciano, who heard from Al Ferraro that Larry Scarinzi passed away this morning around 3AM. It is going to take me a long time to process this news as Larry was a fixture in my life from a very early age, and it was his passion, enthusiasm, craftsmanship, finishing, and, well, general zaniness that sparked the juices in me to fly model airplanes.

Those of us who grew up around Larry (and also Red Reinhardt...) can tell stories for days and days about the antics of Larry. He was bigger than life for us. Many of us remember the Union Model Airplane Club Thursday night meetings at the field in good weather and at the Civic Center in the winter months. It seemed as though Larry would bring a gleaming new original design model to every meeting. That wasn't the case, of course, but it sure seemed like it! And, those models were absolute masterpieces. Most were covered flawlessly in red or yellow (occasionally green) silk, with shiny tinted clear dope finishes that were also flawless. And, they performed at a level that no one else on the East Coast could match. We fed on that, and hoped that someday we might build models like Larry's.

Red Reinhardt worked for my dad off and on for 36 years, and wherever Red was, Larry could usually be found. We had a machine shop in our basement and Dad hired mostly young model airplane fliers to teach as machinists. Red was exceptional in that respect and went on to be a noted automation machine designer just as my father did. But Larry would also show up at the Hunt household in those days, and my earliest recollections were of Red and Larry playing with me (at 3 to 4 years old) on the living room floor. They were my heroes, and they still are to this day.

There will be a lot written in this thread by many who Larry inspired. The stories in some cases may seem a bit far fetched; believe me, they are all true. He was one of a kind, and his influence will continue to inspire all of us who knew him for the rest of our lives.

Next to my father, Larry was the most influential person in my life. I will miss him dearly.

Godspeed Larry; I know you and Red are now flying at a better place...

Bob Hunt             

[john e. holliday]

1964 Dallas NATS is where I met Larry.  He had his Crusader and we were talking when Navy MP walked up and started talking.  He dropped his club and the divet on the floor he stated you didn't see this.  We talkes a while longer and then headed for the barricks to try and get some sleep.  It was several years before ai seen him again and it was like we had never parted.  He was at the top of my list as a heo for model planes.  Now he can be with his mate for life and may they rest in peace

I losing too many of my heroes.

[Dave_Trible]

This is sad to hear.  I didn't know Larry well but did talk to him at past Nats a couple times.  He was surely an outgoing gentleman.  The last time he gave me a couple new Fox "Miracle" glow plugs to try-he seemed to be promoting them.  Some of his designs were bold and rakish and will always be CL folklore. 

Dave

[Frank Imbriaco]

I had just finished devouring Larry's Blitz article  around 1964 and soon thereafter, met him at a meeting of the Union Model Airplane Club. That was early 1965 and I was a 15 year old kid wanting to learn all I could about model aviation.
Spring of 1966 and we were out at the Union( NJ) Club field one Thursday eve. In the back, there was an absolute, freakin' mind blowing fast combat ship in flight.  Akin  (at least to me) to watching a Top Fuel Dragster or NASCAR vehicle in full race for the first time. Of course, it was Larry ringing out his latest tapered wing SUPER SATAN. In my youthful mind, I told myself " maybe you can do that, but you'll never own or drive a race car." Larry became my engine man for all my future combat ships and that included a self - built  Super Satan  two years later when I was 17.
There are so many  "L.S, his-self" and "Lightning Strikes "stories about him, but I leave them to others to post. It was Larry who dubbed me a nick name that has, amusingly, stuck for 55 years.
Larry, let's hope you're up there already flying with Red, Buddy, J.D., and the rest of the UMAC and Rich's Hobbytowne guys. And of course, with Ginger launching your ships.

[Ken Culbertson]

I also met Larry at the 1964 Nats.  We flew on the same practice circle with his protégé Barry Simmons for the two days before competition.  He had that beautiful F11 Tiger that became known as the "Blue Angle".  I was privileged to witness some of his first trim flights.  He was quite a character and had it not been for him I probably would have never met Duke Fox, who took my troubled Fox 35 and reworked it (or replaced it which I suspect) and never asked for anything in return had Larry not mentioned that I was having motor troubles.  They are all gone now....all of them.

RIP Larry, Say high to Bob for me.

[Dan McEntee]

   It's sad to hear about Larry. I have plans and kits for many of his designs. I got to meet and "experience" Larry at the VSC contests that I attended in the early years and I'll agree with Bob that he was one of a kind! I had read and heard a lot of stories about him and after my meetings with him I can believe that they would all be true!! I liked the experience of seeing Larry park his really nice Cadillac in the parking lot, and then put a box on the front fender asking for donations to help send a boy to the Nationals!! One year back when it was still a Saturday/Sunday two day contest, things had wound down, trophies were handed out, and the famous wind had come up by that time. Everyone departed to head home or at least rest up for the trip and to get out of the wind. Not Larry ! He had someone launch a fast combat model for him or maybe he had a stooge but he was out there by himself just really cranking away on that thing in all that wind!! He truly is a legend, one of the big cornerstones of the hobby and there will never ne another like him.

   Fair Skies, Light Winds and Tight Lines for You Larry!

   Dan McEntee

[kenneth cook]

              This is sad news, Larry certainly made fun of the day when present. He enjoyed my son always offering him knowledge and always with a smile.

[Ted Fancher]

May God  bless Larry as he had blessed those who new him.  Amen and farewell.

[Paul Taylor]

Our condolences to the family.
Larry was always an energetic person at Brodaks and fun to watch his fast combat demo.
🙏🏼

[Tony Drago]

Larry was truly one of a kind,
 Rest in Peace my friend..-

[Curt D Contrata]

This is very sad news indeed, my memories with were of the practice weeks before Nate and Team Trials. I launched for him many times and had many great laughter filled conversations.

A fun article is his Queen Bee. He will be missed.

https://outerzone.co.uk/plan_details.asp?ID=8169

Curt

[Dennis Adamisin]

Had some nice chats with Larry at Brodaks.  Always fun watching him tear up the sky with a fast combat ship.  One of my lasting memories was seeing him carrying a gallon of Nitro around the Toledo show,  I imagined that he went home, poured off about 20% of it, back-filled the can with oil then proceeded to melt down some 36X's with it...

Fair winds, tight lines - and more SPEED Larry!


"Say not in grief that he is no more, but live in thankfulness that he was."

[Jim Kraft]

Lova and I spent time with Larry and Ginger at VSC, and I ran into Larry at the SAM Champs several times. He was a hoot. He will be missed. Larry was one of a kind. I remember one time standing with Him when we were watching some guys putting empty fuel jugs in a trash barrel. Larry suggested we go check the empty jugs to see if there was any left that we could drain out. He thought we might be able to salvage at least a pint of free fuel. That was Larry's sense of humor. You just had to love the guy.

I had been flying Fox 59's at the time, and Larry gave me a few tips he used in the one he had in the Blue Angel. There will never be another one like him.

[Motorman]

Sorry about your friend Bob. Sounds like he was a bright light.

[Peter in Fairfax, VA]

Balsa with his red lightning bolt logo was excellent contest quality.

[jfv]

Al Ferraro and I visited Larry about a month ago to have him sign my Blue Angel.  He was in good spirits and we had a blast talking about his antics with his Blue Angel.  He will be missed. Surely, one of a kind!

[Bob Hunt]

For those who are interested, Larry's services are scheduled for this Thursday (August 10) from 4 to 8 PM at the Bradley-Braviak Funeral Home,
49 Whippany Rd, Whippany, NJ 07981  Phone: 973-887-2186.

Website:

https://www.bradleyfuneralhomes.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp-whippany&utm_id=local&utm_content=whippany

There is supposed to be an internet link to a stream of the services but I have not yet received that address.

My family is making a donation to the AMA scholarship fund in Larry's name, but you can also send flowers to the funeral home if you choose.

Again, the end of an era, and the loss of a true legend.

Bob Hunt

[Bob Hunt]

I just saw that the link at the funeral home is up on their webpage (listed in the post above) to allow streaming of the services. Hope you can all make it.

Thanks - Bob

[De Hill]

Thanks for the information, Bob.

[Tom Luciano]

Larry's  Blue Angel

[Tom Luciano]

Infamous sign

[De Hill]

8/10/23   6:07 C.S.T. Larry's funeral is now streaming.

I wonder what Larry would say if He viewed his own funeral.

I'll bet it would be something funny!

Larry's eulogy was done with a catholic priest. (which was kind of ironic) Larry had been raised catholic and went to a catholic school. He was not a practicing catholic, because he was still mad at the nuns who used to hit his knuckles with a wooden ruler when he acted up in class. He said that it really hurt to get hit with the ruler.

When Larry told you something, sometimes it was hard to tell if he was spoofing you, or telling the truth.

[Doug Stout]

I was a young teenager in the later part of the 1960s when I first met Larry at the Livingston Model Airplane Club field in New Jersey.  He would stop by the club flying field with his old car full of model airplane kits and engines.  I watched the members of the club fly the stunt pattern with these beautiful model airplanes.  I was hooked and had to learn to fly like that.  With the help of Larry, I built a Magician 15 powered by a McCoy 19 to learn the stunt pattern.  I had numerous ground contacts while learning the stunt pattern, where I had a habit of forgetting which way to turn while performing the downwind portion of the reverse wing over.  Thank God the grass portion of the flying field was soft.  I became proficient enough to take my stunt flying to the next level and purchased a Midwest P63 King Cobra profile from Larry, powered by a Fox 35 setup by Larry.

My Dad and I would visit Larry in his basement workshop serval times during each year, and I would wander through his basement drooling while looking at all of his beautiful models hanging from the basement rafters, hoping someday that I could build and finish half as well as Larry.  His Blue Angel and Trident were my favorites stunt planes to study.  I build my first full body stunt plane I purchased from Larry, a SIG Chipmunk, that was powered by a Fox 40 setup by Larry.

After becoming proficient in flying the stunt pattern with the Chipmunk, I attended many local contests and then my first AMA Nationals in 1973.  In 1974, I designed my first original stunt plane that used a Chipmunk foam wing cut for me by Bob Hunt.  Larry was kind enough to setup a few custom Fox 35 engines for me to power my first light weight stunt plane, called the Apparition.  I was fortunate to place 2nd at the 1974 AMA Nationals and 1st at the 1975 AMA Nationals in the Senior age group with this stunt plane.  I believe the 1975 AMA Nationals was the last time Fox 35 engines won Junior, Senior and Open Precision Aerobatics.

I was one of Larry’s first teenagers that worked in his bike shop that he opened in the early 1970s.  Larry taught me the basics of bicycle mechanics and was patient with me while I was learning these new skills.  During that time, I was able to appreciate and enjoy his unique sense of humor.

I am deeply grateful for the support Larry provided me during my teenager years.  The skills I learned from Larry I still use today, both in my career as an engineer and my various hobbies that include unique projects for NASA.  God Speed Larry and may your flying lines always be tight and the wind at your back.

Doug Stout

[EddyR]

   I new Red and Larry  over 60 years ago when three friends and I went down to NJ contest from Binghamton NY in late 1950's to 1960's.  We spent a lot of time talking how to max power from motors of that day. I remember Larry as more of a stunt guy than combat but changed over the years. In the late 1960's I ran into Larry several times in Pennsylvania contest. He could not believe I was running Fox 35's and had the fastest combat model on the field most of the time. I was flying very light Quickers with motor turned over for side mount and needed light motors. I gave Larry one of my much  modifies Foxes and he sent me a used Schwinn Paramount bike. In 1979 when living In Florida and going to Binghamton for Rebecca's HS Reunion I took  my old beat up Fox 59 powered Viking just in case I could get down to NJ for a contest. I managed to get to the state park where the contest was going to held. After all those years Larry came up to me and started talking about my Fox 59. As we talked he remembered all the old contest we has flown in together years before. Larry launched my Viking all day for me. He told me if his Fox 59 had run as good as mine he would have won the Nats.

Note. I changed date from 1969 to 1979 for contest pictures
 I won Old Time, Classic and 3rd in Expert that day. With the old Viking. Last saw  Larry at Brodak about 15 years ago.  Here is a picture of Larry and his flying buddy at the 1979 Contest and my old Viking.
EddyR

[Tom Luciano]

Thats Kenny Wills with Larry in that photo. Ken was also along time Union club member. Kenny along with Al Ferraro saw Larry on a regular basis right up to his passing. Larry had a way about him that effected people. I have yet to fully wrap my thoughts around the Impact he had on me. As I process I will write my life long trip with  the legacy he left in the early 70's and becoming a fellow flyer in recent past.
Tom

[C.T. Schaefer]

Eddy,  I had to look close to see that the trophy and Viking were from the Middlesex Modelers.  We are still at it and still meet regularly at Mountainview Park.  We are hoping to  keep flying there for a few more years.  For years, even after he stopped flying, Larry would come to the field and hang out with us and then we would go to the 'Wiener'  for lunch which, for him at least was an order of buffalo wings. He would eat half and take the rest home for Ginger. I always wondered if they ever made it home. Larry's passing has left a big hole in our hearts and I realised that he was, maybe, the last living link to our own youth and history of  the `C/L  lifestyle/passion. We are now 'the old guys'!
  There was a good turnout of us 'Jersey Guys' at the funeral and the story's flowed for hours. Some of them I knew well. Some I never heard before. Quite a few I had forgotten due to passage of time so was really grateful to hear them recounted.    TS