F/FSport “It is through accomplishment that man
makes his contribution; and contribution is life’s greatest reward.”—JOHN PORTMAN
R
emembering Dave Rees: We were all saddened to learn of the recent passing of Dave Rees, one of the most influential modelers of
our time. While Dave was best known for his wonderful scale freeflight designs, he first became known in the pages of this magazine in the mid-to-late ’70s for his aesthetically clean and highly original control line de- signs like the Talon and the Dazzler 40. As he transitioned into freeflight, and
more specifically freeflight scale, he began to produce and publish designs that changed the way scale models had been built since the very beginnings of the hobby. Before Dave’s innovative designs and building techniques, most modelers were happy just to get their scale models to fly for any mea- surable period of time. That all changed be- cause of Dave Rees and the way he looked at modeling. As Dave Mitchell noted in his eulogy of
this remarkable and accomplished man, “Dave’s development as a model designer can be traced through the progression of his extraordinarily beautiful plans. A Dave Rees plan is not just a guide to structure; it is a distillation of dreams and an invitation to excel. From his first, published in 1977, to his last, he was constantly pushing the en- velope of how light and yet still strong a model could be made. The audacity of his in- novative structures made a major impres- sion on modelers, many of whom still follow his lead...” I am privileged to count myself among
those modelers. Our phone conversations over the years, and the several times we flew with and competed against each other I count as the highlights of my time spent in
by larry kruse You can reach Larry Kruseat 18 NW Heatherstone Drive, Lawton, Oklahoma 73505, or via e-mail at
aircats@att.net
PHOTO: BOB CLEMENS COURTESY OF MAXECUTERS
The late Dave Rees, wearing his trademark straw hat, lofts his immaculate Fieseler Storchinto the breezes of Geneseo during the 1994 FAC Nats. Dave was a guiding light and inspirational force for scale modelers worldwide for over three decades.
modeling. His legacy of over 50 published designs, many of them in this magazine, will continue to encourage and inspire modelers to think about excellence, to build lighter, and to fly longer. Our condolences go out to his wife, Marie and his family. He was a gift to all of us.
Wrapping up some things In the February and March columns, two of
the subjects were Don DeLoach’s Super Pearl 202E for the new E-36 NFFS event, and Tom Hallman’s newly improved dethermalizer system for scale ships. Both have since elicit- ed comments and interest from readers.
PHOTOS: TOM HALLMAN
Master modeler Tom Hallman’s Scientific Fairchild 24 (above left) sports a barely visible and improved dethermalizer system that is totally non-intrusive, while at the same time being very effective in popping up (above right) the
24
entire rudder and stabilizer unit to a 45-degree angle. It is actuated by a hidden viscous timer on the underside of the beautifully rendered craft and a small music wire spring embedded in the structure at the leading edge of the stabilizer.
APRIL 2012
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