Thank you, Bubba Hunt

[Ted Fancher]

After spending several pleasurable hours reading and reviewing the latest magnificent Stunt News issue published through the hard work and talent of our good friend Bob Hunt I wanted to publicly thank him for his years of valuable and professional service to us, his fellow stunt fliers.  As Editor and Publisher of the one piece of mail I check for religiously as each delivery date approaches, Bob joins a pantheon of predecessors in service to our community, each of whom was willing to expend time, resources and talent for our benefit, seeking no reward for having done so but our thanks. 

Bob, your peers will forever hail you as a giant in service to our CLPA community. Your contributions to our mutual avocation are legion and disparate: Designer, Craftsman, Champion, Entrepreneur, Innovator, Author, Publisher, Editor and on and on; your contributions to the well being of our "flock" have been extraordinary!  In all those aspects of service to our small community you stand among those at the very top.  You'll fit right in, my friend.

Thank you, Bubba! 

Ted

[NED-088]

Great tribute, Ted!

I wholeheartedly agree with you.

Bob, thanks again.


Bruno

[Terry Bentley]

I agree completely . I always look forward to getting The Stunt News.  Bob you do a great job Thank You. !!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Randy Powell]

Amen, brother Ted. Amen.

[Larry Fernandez]

I would like to add, that he is always there to answer any questions. He spent an hour on the phone with me yesterday about a wild idea I have for scale like Fairchild PT-19, in the Al Rabe context.
I know he is a very busy man, but he always has time to let me pick his brain.
Thank you Bob!

Larry, Buttafucco Stunt Team

[john e. holliday]

Yes, we can never thank Bobby Hunt for all he has done through the years and what he may be doing in the future.   Will never for get the first time I met him at a Lake Charles NATS.  Remember the flags for a tall masted schooner comment from my fly partner/pilot for F2C.

[louie klein]

Bob taught me how to fly inverted! I'll never forget, a great individual.---Louie

[James Mills]

Very well said Ted.  Bob has let me pick his brain many times, and he hasn't yelled at me yet for all the pocket dials from my phone .  Bob thanks for all you have done.  Awesome job my friend.

James

[BYU]

Thanks Ted for saying so eloquently what many of us feel, and Bob you are a Giant and a humble one at that.

Thanks and Merry Christmas!

[Will Hinton]

I totally agree with all of this, and he ain't a bad git-tar picker, either!  Not many people know this, and he might swat me for telling, but his suggestion was responsible for our forming the Fellowship of Christian Modelers.  Just one more testimony of his influence on those who know him.

[wwwarbird]

 Can't imagine it being said any better Ted, and yes, THANK YOU BOB! 

[Paul Walker]

Here here! Thankyou for all you have done for stunt Bob.

Now you gave time to imorove your model box drag race in the hotel isleway technique.  Naybe you are up for a rematch!

[Randy Cuberly]

I must join the throng of admirers and grateful friends of Bob Hunt!.

A hearty Thank You My friend for all you have done and continue to do for all of us in the Stunt community!

I also call Bob from time to time and always enjoy a long conversation with him about the past and future of Stunt and also another of our common interests Guitar.  Not that I'm much of a player but He most certainly is and is a joy to talk to about it!

Merry Christmas to you and your Family Mr. Hunt!

Randy Cuberly

[PerttiMe]

"Bubba"?
People call him that?

[Dane Martin]

May I also add my appreciation for Mr. Hunt? Since I became a contest director, Bob has been an important part of my operation. He's very very helpful with phone calls whenever I have questions. Contest related or just to talk about planes.
Thanks Bob!

[Pat Johnston]

I'd like to throw in my admiration not only for "Bubba" Hunt, but that myriad of others that we all stand on their shoulders when we play with our toy airplanes.  Yes, Ted, this does include you.  From the first contest I ever shared with you, you have been not only a help, but an inspiration on how to live one's life.  This is the greatest group of guys around!
Merry Christmas and Blessings to All!
Pat Johnston
Skunk Works

[Allan Perret]

I don't think anyone will ever surpass the contributions Bob Hunt has made to our hobby.  And no one could have said it any better than Ted .

[Scott Richlen]

Ted: how very very true!  Thanks Bob!

[Bob Hunt]

To say that I am overwhelmed by the post on this thread by Ted and the responses by my many friends would be the monumental understatement of my life. My heart is full, and just in time for Christmas! What a wonderful gift.

Ted: You know how much I admire and respect you, and you also know that I credit you for keeping me focused on Stunt at a time when things were not going too well for me. I'll never forget your sage council that night in New York City... Your friendship has been a constant blessing. Thank you for this amazing tribute.

Bruno: Thanks for the thought, and never forget how our small group introduced electric Stunt at the worlds. Would love to jam with you sometime. If you are ever in the area, you have a place to stay and we’ll go visit the Martin Guitar factory, which is about a mile and a half from my house! (I go there to take friends on the tour and to see the museum, but I play only Taylor guitars…)

Terry; Thanks you for the thoughts as well, and thanks for sending me so many interesting emails. You certainly have eclectic interests! Good providence with your flying and say hello to your grandson Aedin for me.

Randy P.: Thanks, man, and stay off of ladders! You know how much of a fan I am of your designing; keep it up!

Evil Larry: Hey, I love those brainstorming conversations. Be sure to contact Al Rabe as I suggested; he’ll have lots of tips for making that very-scale PT-19 fly.

Doc Holliday: Sure I remember meeting you in Lake Charles in 1974. Man, was it hot there or what? Hope our paths cross again in the future my old friend. I’ll miss seeing you at VSC…

Louie: Glad the inverted lessons took! I just received your SASE for a catalog. I really don’t have a catalog, but I do have some stuff I can send via email. Send me a note with your email address and I’ll get some stuff right out to you.

James: Actually the “Butt-Dial” sessions are quite interesting… Not a problem. Keep Ben working on his pattern, and then keep a look out behind you because he’s coming fast! God Bless you my friend, you and Becky are great parents.

Eliott: Thanks for all you have done for me and my family over the past couple of years. I really enjoyed your visit, and if you come again, we’ll go to the Breakfast Table a couple of times. And, thanks for those amazingly light blocks of balsa. They are under lock and key because Robby is visiting and I don’t trust him to not sneak them into his suitcase to take back to Seattle.

Will: Yeah, well it may have been my suggestion to form the FCM, but it was the sweat and hard work that you and Allen did that made it a reality. God Bless you both for being such Good and Faithful Servants of The Lord. We need to jam a bit one of these days…

Wayne: Thanks for your thoughts and thanks for the many kudos you’ve sent along over the years about my ideas and my posts here.

Paul: I know that I have driven you crazy over the years, and especially on our team trips. Thanks for overlooking the screw ups, and thanks for always being there when I have had questions. Do I remember the Airplane Box Races?” All I can say is that we were both lucky that no one tried to exit their room while we were approaching the top end speed of those things. We would still be in jail in the Czech Republic… The real question is, do you remember the Stop Watch games over ice cream sundays and beer? How did that work out again… Want a rematch? And, do you remember trying to find an open restaurant in Czechoslovakia (That’s what it was at that point…). We drove up one street and down the other for about an hour before finding that great Pizza joint! Billy said, "It’s like trying to find a meal in a haystack!”

Randy C: Hey old buddy, we sure have covered a lot of ground during those long phone conversations haven’t we? Airplanes, motorcycles, music, politics (Oops, maybe we should skip the politics…), VSC, and life stuff in general. Loved every minute of it.

PerttiMe: Not sure who you are, but, yes, my “buddies” gave me that moniker (Bubba) many years ago and it stuck. I guess it’s better than Stinky or some other nickname that might have caught on…

Dane: It has been my pleasure to help another modeler who wants to VOLUNTEER to do stuff for the hobby. I’ll always be here to answer any questions you might have about running a contest or about flying. Your type is getting to be a rare breed. Thanks for being a “doer.”

Pat: You are so right in reminding us all that their are so many great and helpful people in this brotherhood. May it always be so.

Allan: Thanks for those words. And thanks for the consults on shop equipment. You are a wealth of knowledge yourself, sir!

Scott: Thanks for chiming in here old friend. I have just one request of you: Get that Silver Lancer published! It is a very unique and original design and I would love to see it in print with plans available. I can put a word in at Model Aviation whenever you are ready…

Thanks again to all who have posted on this thread. My heart is full, and I’m a very blessed man to have such friends. May God’s Good Graces fall upon you all this most Blessed Season, and may those Blessings continue for the remainder of your time on this orb and beyond.

Peace - Bob Hunt

[Ted Fancher]

snip

...you also know that I credit you for keeping me focused on Stunt at a time when things were not going to well for me. I'll never forget your sage council that night in New York City... Your friendship has been a constant blessing. Thank you for this amazing tribute.

snip

Peace - Bob Hunt

Bob,

Over the years I've often reflected on that long evening sitting in your car in front of my layover hotel in Manhattan.  Those reflections always include a "lucky me" segment for having the opportunity to become more than an "acquaintance" of a modeler I had admired from a polite distance after first meeting you in Lake Charles in 1974.  Those reflections usually include the memory of visiting your motel room to "check out" your little Max .35 powered, cockpit-less Genesis...and end with Bill Fitzgerald (David's dad) picking it up off the bed with one hand under each wing, looking incredulously at me and exclaiming: "Ted, it doesn't weigh anything!"

Not that I'm joining forces with the weird PAMPA cadre in search of the zero oz stunter, mind you.  All the cognoscenti know a good stunt ship has to have a bit of "heft" to it!

Merry Christmas, Bubba.

Ted

p.s.  Worth noting that Bill had been spending the week caddying my original Moby Dick...a Nobler in a jet-style costume which weighed 64 oz...which may well have influenced his incredulity.

[Gerald Schamp]

My two cents worth too. And to all of you in the Stunt Community that have had the time, effort, wisdom and experience to make this hobby what it is today. I've gleaned a bunch form all of you and am eternally grateful for that. Having said that, Merry Christmas to you all, many, many thanks and hope the New Year brings tight lines, and happy landings to you all.

[James Mills]

James: Actually the “Butt-Dial” sessions are quite interesting… Not a problem. Keep Ben working on his pattern, and then keep a look out behind you because he’s coming fast! God Bless you my friend, you and Becky are great parents.

Peace - Bob Hunt

We will keep working Ben, he's told me he's going to catch me (looking forward to him doing so).  By the way, Beth asked me who Becky is (almost got me in hot water  ).

James

[Bob Hunt]

We will keep working Ben, he's told me he's going to catch me (looking forward to him doing so).  By the way, Beth asked me who Becky is (almost got me in hot water  ).

James

Oops! Getting old and forgetful these days... I was thinking of Becky Firkins I guess. Hey, my wife gets mad every time I forget her name...

Bob

[Randy Powell]

One final note. When I went off a ladder and ended up at Harborview Trauma center with a a seriously busted pelvis, Bob called me to check on me and make sure I was OK. We talked for a bit and I can't begin to tell you how much it meant to me. Sitting there in the hospital not knowing what was going to happen, he picked up my spirits enormously.

Thanks, Bob. You are the best.

[Dennis_Bieber]

Very nice Ted.   I couldn't agree more..    Bob has made me a better builder , flyer and also a better person.  Thanks for all your help along the way!!   Merry Christmas to you Bob and your family .    See you soon.
   Dennis  Bieber

[john e. holliday]

This great to see all the comments made about a person while they are still able to hear and enjoy them.   I remember reading a story some years ago about a man who hired a mortician to help him with his funeral arrangements and a recorder so he could hear later what people, friends and relatives would say as he lay in the casket.  He said the mortician reproduced his head so perfect that people didn't realize it was fake.  But the old DOC would spend the rest of the year and miss a lot of people if I tried to give praise due to all I have met during the years I have played with theses model planes.  Especially the control line guys and gals.  So MERRY CHRISTMAS to all.

[Joseph Patterson]

 What Allan P. and Ted said says it all for me! Cajuns in S. LA. WOULD SAY, "TANK YOU TOO MUCH BOB!"
             Doug

[Vincent Judd]

Absolutely one of the nicest, most genuine people on this planet.  I've been an acquaintance/friend of Bob's for over 30 years and really enjoy our time together just talking about anything and everything every time I visit his shop.   As busy as he always is, he never makes you feel like you are intruding, never makes you feel like he wants you to leave.  Quite a guy. 

Thanks Bob.

[Serge_Krauss]

If one looks across the spectrum of model aviation publications after M.A.N and AT...American Modeler left us, Bob has had his hand in most, and they were the better for his guidance, editing, compiling, and writing. THEN there are the great planes and how-to's he's given us. A more gracious, talented, and persistent champion of CL stunt doesn't exist. Thanks, Bob, and I hope you and everyone else have had a great Christmas and otherwise holiday season.

[Fredvon4]

 My leisure time retirement hobbies have been greatly enhanced with the forums and the MANY contributors

I appreciate this was Ted F acknowledging the great PAMPA and other life long contributions of Bob Hunt

I seriously do not intend to demean, in any way, these acknowledgments

BUT ---as I read through this tread and especially Bob Hunt's eloquent response...

I am ever so grateful for the help and free exchange on these forums from everybody here who posted

We do not get a lot of PERSONAL back story about many members...BUT all the back stories that do leak out, are always interesting.

I find comfort that there is still a appreciable segment of the population with wisdom, experience, critical thinking, and typical or eclectic skill sets -----worth sharing...and being kind enough to do so !

Bob Hunt, and so many others are my mentors on many more topics ...not just stunt airplanes...

Happy New year to all

God Bless

And Thank you sincerely...everybody