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Announcements => In Memory of our friends => Topic started by: Bob Mears on December 16, 2022, 10:18:08 PM
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With a heavy heart, I'm sharing with our group, Riley Wooten has passed tonight at 10:48. Rest in peace my friend. God bless.
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With a heavy heart, I'm sharing with our group, Riley Wooten has passed tonight at 10:48. Rest in peace my friend. God bless.
Another hero gone. Too many leaving us...way too many. Tight lines sir.
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Another hero gone. Too many leaving us...way too many. Tight lines sir.
One of the highlights of my modeling years was flying with and against Riley while attending Texas Tech in 65 and 66. He was a fierce competitor. I regret never getting to know him away from the field. God speed Riley.
Ken
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Not a good way to start off a Saturday. Riley was a giant in our hobby. Praying for the family
Blessings
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Sure not a great start to Saturday. I'm remembering the great evening at the dinner table with Riley and his wife just a few days before she passed. Wonderful people and Riley contributed so much to our sport, not to mention the outstanding balsa he supplied to us for years. His wife cautioned not to ask him about the fire that destroyed his business....He joins the long list of those we will miss.
Dave
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With a heavy heart, I'm sharing with our group, Riley Wooten has passed tonight at 10:48. Rest in peace my friend. God bless.
A Legend even among our Legends. His contributions to the hobby as a competitors, innovator and manufacturer were immense. I never got to meet him, but I learned about him through his friends and especially "Combat History" thread here on SH. If you missed it the first time around I strongly recommend reading it - even it you are not a Combat flyer. I re-read it last night; its a ringside seat witnessing the development of combat designs engines and the event as we know it and many of the event's participants.
https://stunthanger.com/smf/open-forum/50's-60's-combat-history/
Godspeed, fair winds & tight lines....
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They all hurt, but this one sets a little deeper even though I only met Riley in person one time. We had many conversations via phone, though.
The thing that touches my heart is the way he treated me the one time I approached him in person. He remembered who I was even though it was early on in our relationship and someone listening in to our conversation would likely have thought we saw each other daily. That tells me he was a very special man.
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One of my biggest heros. I had the privelage to get him second round of combat on 1964. Was told if I could have held on for a few more seconds the match was mine. But he got the kill. After planes landed he grabbed me and said I want to see your plane. He was such a gentleman to me. May he rest in peace. D>K
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Not much I can add to what has been written here about this great and good man. I do have one Riley Wooten story...
Knowing that Riley hailed from Lubbock, Texas I once asked him if he had known Buddy Holly - who also hailed from Lubbock. They would have been about the same age during their school years. He answered: "Claire Holley's boy? Sure I knew him." Priceless! For those not aware, Buddy Holly (stage spelling) was actually derived from Holley; his actual real last name. Charles Hardin Holley. Anyway, Riley knew him, or as I prefer to think of it, Buddy knew Riley!
Rest in peace, Riley - Bob Hunt
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Hey Bob,
Wasn't Riley at the '74 Lake Charles Nats? I seem to recall meeting him there.
thanks,
Peter
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Oh dear. We've lost yet another of the CL giants whose names rang loud in our young ears... If I recall correctly, although I never "met him" I'm almost certain that he was among the giants of the event I saw at the first Nats I flew in back in 1959 at the Los Alimitos NAS!
God Speed to a good man.
Ted Fancher
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I never flew combat competitively, but you could not have been involved in the hobby and read any magazines and not know who Riley Wooten is and at least be familiar with him. I got to meet him briefly at VSC and like Dennis mentioned, I read his History of Combat and need to go back and read that again. Maybe that could be pinned permanently at the top of the combat section, where it rightfully belongs.
Rest in Peace Riley,
Dan McEntee
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I only met Riley once .just after the big fire he lost everything .when i met him i mentioned that i had a Quicki Rat kit of his and offered it to him to start his collection again.and sent it off to him.. years later when Riley started the vintage combat talks ,the question came up as to what brand motor was on the 1st Quicker..i remembered it (i go back that far ) as being the K&B Green Head 35.He agreed and put in a little Thanks for the kit Bob.it made my day just knowing that he remembered after all that time.
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Rest in peace Mr Wooten. I am proud to still have this scratch built '92 Cardinal with your hand selected 4-6 Lbs contest balsa. Those were the days. My condolences to his many friends and family.
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So sorry to hear of Riley Wooten's passing. When I started flying Combat around 13 years old Riley Wooten was like the Mickey Mantle of Combat flying. Like many Combat fliers of that period ( early to mid 1960's ) most of us on the east coast were flying Voodoos. I switched over to "Raunchy's", a design by James Mears for a couple of years before I designed the first "Toothpick" in 1966. I went to my first AMA Nationals in 1980 in Dayton, Ohio. It was there that I met Riley Wooten, James Mears and Bob Mears. Not sure how it came about but I sat down and had breakfast with them one morning. I was like "star struck" sitting there talking with them. They were some of my heros and were very nice towards me as I remember. We owe a lot to Riley for everything he did not just for Combat but for all of model aviation. I'm so glad that I got to meet him and shake his hand.
My condolences go out to his family and his many friends at this time.
Dick Tyndall
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Sad here. I got to meet Riley at "The Last Ever" Bladder Grabber contest in Snohomish, WA, quite a few years ago. As we shook hands, I said "I thought you'd be taller", which made him laugh. I judged his height to be about 6'6".
I tried to convince him to get his "Slick Stunter" into the hands of somebody who could measure it up and draw some really good plans for it. All I ever saw was a small 2-view in Air Trails or perhaps some other model magazine. I suppose it went up in flames in the factory fire. Riley said it was hanging in his office, so it survived at least until the fire. :'( Steve
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I was about 12 years old when I built a Riley Wooten Voodoo. It had a KB Stallion 35. I nearly lost my R thumb when I accidently stuck in the prop. Luckily the ER saved it. I enjoyed the combat thread where Riley discussed his combat days. He was an impressive guy. Condolences to his family and friends.
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Hey Bob,
Wasn't Riley at the '74 Lake Charles Nats? I seem to recall meeting him there.
thanks,
Peter
Yes he was.
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A little late, perhaps....At the VSC one year, I was pointing out to Dee Rice the difference between a Firecat and a Ringmaster. (That Firecat was dolled up exactly like a "74 Fighter", clear monocote and perfect decals, but, that's another tale).
Dee didn't realize the difference, hadn't heard of Matt Kania, I think. I was trying to drum up support to get the late Mr. Kania in the AMA Hall of Fame, which I knew nothing of. Later evening found us in Riley's hotel room with Dee and a gentleman with a beautiful Quicker/Torp 35 he had built, happily getting Riley to autograph it.
All enjoying a cool one, we heard Riley, already an HOF member, exclaim he thought Mr. Kania was surely an AMA HOF member. He said he would contact other HOFs to help the late Matt Kania get voted in. Dee contacted the Kania family, who had sent AMA a recommendation on a yellow paper done in lead pencil...to no avail.
Whereupon Dee prepared an in-depth resume of Matt Kania's contributions in control line planes; all was presented to AMA, Matt Kania was duly voted into the Hall of Fame, where he was properly honored.
That's what Riley was like.
addendum: Then, Dee thought, "The Brotherhood of the Ring" might be a good idea.
Then, John Cralley figured a World-Wide Ringmaster "Fly-a-Thon" might be interesting, but, those are other tales.......too
dg