What ever happened to------------

[helicopter ed]

There is alot of gyro guys, gals, and friends that are not around any more.
Vanished, lost interest, [how could that happen], or died. Some one some
where, or somehow can fill in the details. Keep the thread going with someone you want to find out about.

I'll Start it off with the best CFI I ever met and worked with. TONY BOLINGER.
Was CFI for Don Farrington at Paducah for years in the mid to late 80's.
He was most sincere and not a big head like 75% of CFI's I observed for many years. He left Pudacah and vanished from PRA ? What a good kind person he was... WE old guys miss you Tony Bolinger. Nice guys that trained hundreds of new gyro pilots do not fall off the earth...

[helicopter ed]

Nobody knows what happened to CFI Tony Bolinger ?

How about Frank Haller ? Designer of the Gyrocar. Had a steering wheel instead of a stick
Pitch was fore and aft, roll/bank was right or left steering. Head cyclic and rudder all linked
to steering wheel. Also he owned Rotorhawk for many years in the 80's, also rotorheads.
His workmanship was a 10.

[GyroDoug]

All before my time so I can'[t help but this is a great idea. There has got to be someone that knows some of these people and what happened to them.

[BUD ONEAL]

We had two Tonys did we not Ed? One went to Irland or England to teach , or some where overseas. That may have been Tony Snow. Just don't remember.

[scandtours]

Originally Posted by BUD ONEAL

We had two Tonys did we not Ed? One went to Irland or England to teach , or some where overseas. That may have been Tony Snow. Just don't remember.

BUD,
I have the impression that you are referring to Tony Stones.

[scandtours]

Originally Posted by helicopter ed

There is alot of gyro guys, gals, and friends that are not around any more.
.

ED,
Give me some time to find the letter from my last correspondence with Tony Bolinger. I had his address and tel no. ( That was a long time ago and maybe it has been changed)

[gyroplanes]

Originally Posted by helicopter ed

How about Frank Haller ? Designer of the Gyrocar. Had a steering wheel instead of a stick
Pitch was fore and aft, roll/bank was right or left steering. Head cyclic and rudder all linked
to steering wheel. Also he owned Rotorhawk for many years in the 80's, also rotorheads.
His workmanship was a 10.

The Gyracar was "invented" by Bob Barrett. Frank Haller and Ron Mitchell were the owners of the only two I ever saw fly. I think they converted them both to conventional controls.

I just heard from a guy who bought Mitchell's Dominator style gyro. Ron is in Western Illinois.
Bob Barrett is still building gyros of a more conventional nature and is experimenting with tip jets. Bob had an article in the PRA publication not too long ago.

Last I heard, Frank Haller lived in Green Cove Springs, FL. on an airstrip there.

Some help??

[gyroplanes]

It's probably time to make my annual call to Fran Jansen. Fran, and her husband Russ, were both PRA board members. Russ died at El Mirage when he flew into power lines (that lead to Ken Brock's nearly fatal rotor strike to his head)

Fran has an amazing collection of PRA 16mm sound films taken at the PRA conventions for a decade or two.

Anyone keep in regular touch with FRAN that might do a better job than I of persuading her to let us copy the movies???

[helicopter ed]

What ever happened to Doug O'Conner. An airline pilot, Our PRA safety editor, Big time gung ho on gyros. Flew his Snowbird [I believe] up accross verticle U.S.
Started at the gulf in Texas all the way to Canada. Had more balls then me flying a Rotax over the forests and through the hills, [Sorry about that you Rotax owners. But I had 28 Engine failures while training in the early years with the 532's. 28 of my students saw real seat of the pants" hands on landings". some down wind]. Subaru cured those early woes.
What happened to Doug O'Conner, I sure would like to know...

[BUD ONEAL]

Charlie Presnell passed,as did Bill Tarpley,Floyd Brown and a host more that I cannot remember right now.

[gyroplanes]

Hi Bud, Great seeing you and the kids at Bensen Days.

How about: Slim Rosenberg, Smoky Castner, Lloyd Poston, E A VanHouten.
Sunstaters from years gone by. I remember them well.

[BUD ONEAL]

Thanks Tom, Great to see you again and to meet your son.

[Gyro28866]

Hey Ed:
"28 of my students saw real seat of the pants" hands on landings". some down wind]. Subaru cured those early woes... ",
I sure hope you have installed checkvalves on the fuel lines coming from each tank on the tandem. I guess that was a good save, landing downwind in the wheat field.
No Sh$t!

[helicopter ed]

Skip Tyler, Another old timer some one should know. Flew helicopters in VietNam. Improved on the Hollmann Sporster he built. Animal, he had a Helicom/Commuter and Arnie, it flew like a 47. A machinest in upstate NY. In the 80's moved his whole operation down to Don Farrington's, peacefull setting. Don used him in building Air and Space 18 A's. Skip was a ace in everything he did. I believe the huge 36 foot dia. 3 bladed balsa/composit tip weighted blades was his responsibility there to. When Don died, things went to Hades real fast at the Airpark. What happened to Skip Tyler, I sure would like to know...

[MikeBoyette]

Originally Posted by gyroplanes

Hi Bud, Great seeing you and the kids at Bensen Days.

How about: Slim Rosenberg, Smoky Castner, Lloyd Poston, E A VanHouten.
Sunstaters from years gone by. I remember them well.

Tom,
Slim,Lloyd,and Van all died from cancer. Smokey crashed and died in the 70's from loss of control due to having no jam nuts on his contol rods.