District III
Bob Brown, District III Vice President; [email protected]
Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
From the Canton RC Club comes this memorial.
Richard A. Fano: 1933-2007
There are leaders, there are followers, and then there are inspirations. Dick "Pop" Fano of Canton, Ohio, falls in this category. Those of us who were fortunate to have known Dick will agree that when it came to the modeling hobby, he was that inspiration.
One of Dick's favorite sayings was "an airplane and a radio." He could tune an engine like no other; fly the MonoKote off the wings; and devote countless hours in the hobby and his business, solely to see others become involved in fixed-wing, helicopters, boats, cars, trucks, or rockets. His satisfaction was seeing a new student progress, culminating in receiving his or her solo wings from Dick.
His reputation in the hobby preceded him. Dick won several regional competitions in FF when he got into the hobby and participated at the national level doing extremely well before moving on to fixed-wing aircraft. Hobbyists from West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and eastern Ohio would venture to "the shop" because it had the finest and most complete collection of modeling paraphernalia. If he was there, your day had better be an open calendar.
When he went to the local club's flying field, he always did something to enhance the facility. He wanted it to be a premier airport in the area and perfection was Dick's motto.
Where most northern-tier clubs shut down for the winter, you could always see Dick and his band of followers at the field every Sunday — rain, shine, sleet, or snow. He was instrumental in starting the New Year's Day Fly-In with sauerkraut and all the trimmings.
Not only our club but several of the local clubs had the honor of seeing Dick visit their field on any given Sunday. This hobby was his life and his sustenance. The title of CD was not something he took lightly. He ran fly-ins smoothly and effectively.
There is a huge void in our hearts and in the modeling community since Dick's passing. His inspiration and craftsmanship will be forever missed. Although Dick never flew full-scale airplanes, watching him at the field and the satisfaction he got out of flying RC aircraft brings to mind the "High Flight" poem by John G. Magee Jr. that military pilots hold in high regard:
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth Of sun-split clouds, and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung High in the sunlit silence, Hov'ring there, I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air ... Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace Where never lark nor even eagle flew And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space, Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
Rest in peace, good friend.
Russ Brown, editor of Crosswinds, the Cleveland Free Flight Society's (CFFS) newsletter, provided the following information and pictures:
Excellent, mild flying conditions at Lorain County Community College at the Storks' field concluded the 2007 outdoor flying season.
Welcomed back in Flying Aces Club (FAC) action after a medical pass was FAC Top Gun Gordon Roberts flying his Debut Embryo Endurance #14. Gordon is building again with Debut #15 on line. The Northern Ohio Free Flight Association fliers joined CFFS for combined duration and FAC scale model flying.
Local Top Gun and designer, FAC Air Marshal Steve Griebling, enjoyed a triple-win day, closely followed by Detroit ace Stu Weckerly, Dan Kane with a Fokker D.VII, and Rich Weber flying a bright red-and-blue-wing Sundorph 1937 Bendix racer.
Building season is on for the big CFFS Indoor Contest and records trial at Kent State Field House, April 5, 2008.
Please check the AMA Contest Listings for additional information.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
