Ralph “Bud” Tenny

158
INDOOR FF lost one of its giants when
Ralph “Bud” Tenny died peacefully in his
home on October 7, 2005. Bud was a
master craftsman, designer, writer, and
tireless supporter of Indoor FF. He leaves
behind Jody, his wife of 42 years, two
children, one grandchild, and one greatgranddaughter.
Bud was born in Kansas City, Kansas,
in 1931 and attended high school in Iola,
Kansas. After graduation in 1949 he joined
the Air Force and served as an aircraft
engine instructor during the Korean War.
After four years of military service, Bud
moved to the Dallas, Texas, area and
studied engineering at Arlington State
College and Southern Methodist
University. His engineering/technical
career spanned four decades, mostly for
Rockwell, Texas Instruments, and his own
computer company.
Bud’s modeling résumé is vast. At age
17 he was active in CL Combat and Stunt.
Then he attended his first Indoor contest at
the Kansas City Memorial Auditorium. He
built a lightened Jetco ROG—his first
Indoor model—and the rest is history.
By the time the 1960 AMA Nats came
to Dallas, Bud was one of Indoor’s top
supporters. The Indoor events were held at
the Will Rogers Coliseum in Fort Worth
and generated much publicity. This
provided a springboard for Bud to launch
the National Indoor Model Airplane
Society (NIMAS)—AMA’s first SIG.
At this time Bud began publishing
Indoor News and Views—the first Indooronly
newsletter and the voice of NIMAS.
He published it until the mid-1980s when a
number of replacement editors offered to
step in. Indoor News and Views is still
going to this day, thanks to the seed Bud
planted.
Bud was heavily involved with the F1D
Indoor Team Selection program in the early
1960s. He managed three Team Selection
cycles and was the Team Manager three
times, including for the second-place US
team at the 1966 World Championships in
Debrecen, Hungary.
In the mid-1960s, Bud served as
Chairman of the FF Contest Board. When
the Indoor Contest Board (ICB) was
formed in the late 1970s, Bud was
immediately approached by AMA to chair
it and to handpick the district
representatives. Under Bud’s leadership the
ICB membership remained basically
unchanged for 25 years.
Bud wrote the “FF Indoor” column for
MA since its very first issue in 1975
through 2004 when his health finally
precluded him from this activity.
Bud’s columns were filled with
practical solutions, detailed advice, and
excellent photos. They regularly contained
information on Indoor sites and contest
dates around the country and the world
with a list of contact names. Bud’s
community-building kept modelers
informed and active. “U.S. Indoor
modeling is held together by Bud Tenny!”
proclaimed the National Free Flight
Society, when Bud was elected to its
prestigious Hall of Fame in 1979.
Bud’s impact on Indoor FF is
immeasurable. He was one of the first US
observers of the dominant European F1D
fliers of the 1960s. He brought that
intelligence back to the US fliers through
the pages of Indoor News and Views and
the results were astounding.
Of the 19 F1D World Championships
held between 1968 and 2004, US teams
won 10 team Golds and an unbelievable 15
individual Golds. There was never a year
during that period that the US did not have
at least one top-three finish.
Indoor FF had no greater mentor than
Bud Tenny. I met him in 1985 as a fidgety
and inexperienced 12-year-old attending
my first Indoor contest in Bedford, Texas. I
remember Bud’s beautifully built models
and the extreme care he took in handling
them. In contrast, my models were crude
and overweight, but with Bud’s help we got
them to fly.
I would go on to learn most of what I
know about Indoor flying from Bud and a
handful of other Bedford regulars. Thanks
to Bud I continue to enjoy flying Indoor to
this day, although I will never approach his
patience level or attention to detail.
Jerry Murphy, one of Bud’s oldest
flying friends and currently Chairman of
the FF Contest Board, summed up Bud’s
contributions this way: “I believe the fact
that the U.S.A. has been such a powerful
force in Indoor FAI competition is a tribute
to Bud’s work in building a strong
community of Indoor fliers.”
A strong community we are, indeed.
Thanks, Bud.
—Don DeLoach
MODEL AVIATION
Schedule for 2006 Executive
Council Meetings
The following dates were set for the 2006
Executive Council meetings. These dates
are subject to change.
January 28-29, 2006
EC Meeting
Muncie, Indiana
April 29-30, 2006
EC Meeting
Muncie, Indiana
July 15-16, 2006
EC Meeting
Muncie, Indiana
September 29, 2006
Finance Committee Meeting
Muncie, Indiana
October 14-15, 2006
EC Meeting
Muncie, Indiana
All regularly scheduled council meetings
are open to any AMA member to attend.
Ralph “Bud” Tenny
1931-2005
Nominations Due for AMA Hall of Fame
Established in 1969, the Model Aviation Hall of Fame honors those men and
women who have made significant contributions to the hobby/sport of model aviation.
The list of members is long and distinguished, and there are others not yet in the Hall
who are worthy of induction.
Anyone can submit a Hall of Fame nomination. Consider nominating a person who
has had a positive impact on some facet of aeromodeling.
For a nomination form, call or write Michael Smith at AMA Headquarters or see
the AMA Web page at www.modelaircraft.org. Deadline for nominations is March 31,
2006.
The National Model Aviation Museum is open 8 a.m.
until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m.
until 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Closed on Sundays Thanksgiving through Easter.
Call ahead for holiday hours,
(765) 287-1256, ext. 500.