Rusty Brown and Babe

[john e. holliday]

First met Rusty at a meet at the KCK ball field and CL circle.  He didn't have a Babe then.  Lost count of how many he had as when one went to a better place he would get another one.  I also remember the wife(Janis) going with Rusty, his wife  and friend to some park in Chicago.  He was one of the greatest and you never seen him in later years with out his Babe.

[Dan McEntee]

 Hi Doc!  I believe the dogs name was Sugar Babe, and I think he did have several and were probably the same breed? All small, curly haired white dogs. I met Rusty first at VSC and he attended a contest or two here in St. Louis, A genuine, old school nice guy and gentleman!! Those that never met him really missed out!
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Jim Kraft]

  I learned more about running ignition engines from Rusty than all the others put together. He is the one who sent me the plans for the Taurus that won the ignition event 3 years in a row at VSC. I first met Rusty at a Topeka contest. I told him I had been flying a Dragon with a Madewell 49, but the crankshaft broke. A few days after the contest a new old stock Madewell crank showed up in my mail box. I called him to thank him, and he said he had gotten a bag of six of them at a swap meet.

Rusty was one of a kind. We pitted for each other where ever we flew together. We both flew old time at the Nationals and pitted for each other there also.
We both flew antique free flights with ignition engines and radios.

Rusty also had a great sense of humor. We were at a Topeka contest and Rusty came walking by with Sugar Baby. Sugar Baby looked up at him and let out a little whimper. Rusty turned to Sugar Baby and said, " Now Sugar Babe, you know we do not drink beer this early in the day".

 I really miss Rusty. He was special.

[FLOYD CARTER]

"Rusty" was a regular flyer at the annual VSC in Tucson.  He often flew OTS, as did I.  So we usually got into conversations about  OTS designs and the OTS pattern.

It is really sad.  So many of my friends have gone.  I guess that is to be expected with old age.  I am 90, and most of my friends are "new" friends, because the old ones have passed on.

[Robert Zambelli]

Rusty Brown - a truly interesting fellow.
I met him (and Sugar Baby) at VSC in the late nineties.

He also showed up at the Brodak Fly-In a few times and we really spent some good times together.
He's the one who got me interested in the (Britt) John Coasby designs, in particularly, the Icarus and Taurus designs.
I found him to be just a bit opinionated with a good sense of humor.
At one point, Dan Banjock and I were chatting with him about his newly acquired Fox 35. All the goodies - balanced crank, stuffer backplate, hemi head, special piston and liner, the works.
The obvious question came up: So, how's it run? His reply? "Darn near as good as a stock one".
Definitely a fine gentleman.

Bob Z.