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Wow! I think I’ll frame this one. Great story.
Wow! I think I’ll frame this one. Great story.
Very timely Paul and again your great writing did not disappoint. Thank you.
Wonderful, thank you for sharing.
Thanks Paul. A lovely story, encapsulating every detail.
truly a beautiful memorialization. One can only hope for such an honor.
Good one Paul
Beautiful, aviation at its best. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Paul. A perfectly appropriate tribute to the one-of-a-kind Rudy.
Paul, What a wonderful story and so typical of dad. If you came to the airport he would treat you like a star. Even if you did not bring an airplane that he wanted to fly. We grew up with the TP maneuver. At a Frasca Field Airshow the announcer would build up the maneuver as ‘The Great Northern Roll, a treat and something spectacular’ while dad climbed out. Thank you so much for sharing your memories in such a wonderful way. Regards, John Frasca.
What a great story. Soooooo much better than a kid writing offending words in the sky. I wonder what Rudy would have said to him? Thank you!
Thank you for aviation writing at its best. A wonderful tribute in memory, for a legend.
An absolute delightful story…told with compassion, humor, and fellow aviator, aviation love. I met Mr. Frasca at Oshkosh next to his Spitfire. I asked him a couple of questions about the Spitfire. I could not believe he was going to share with me his enthusiasm and knowledge of that warbird. Yet he did. He made me feel as if I was the only spectator there.
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Oh damn … now I’m going to have to dig into my hard won stash of TP and see if I can do it with MY airplane. I’m betting another shortage is going to erupt as a result of your blog.
Paul, thank you for writing this. You captured my dad perfectly and I found myself smiling and laughing aloud - much needed after several days of sadness over losing the best dad anyone could hope for. You are a gifted writer and I will add this article to our Rudy archives. Thank you again for reminding us all of his sense of humor, graciousness and love of grassroots aviation.
That is what made him so special. He really did care about everyone he met…
Rudy has always been bigger than life. Your writing about Rudy brought back many memories of the J-3s and Champs that we flew doing this very thing! So much fun! As soon as TP is back on the shelves, I will gather my buddies and have a TP Massacre in honor of Rudy. Peace.
Back in 1980 I had the privilege to have lunch with Rudy as I was just finishing college at the U of Illinois and Illinois State. He offered me a position to continue with a rebuild project that was a work in progress. I declined as my goal at the time was to aim for major airline employment. I always wondered how my life may have scripted had I taken that “y” in the road. Never forgotten and always remembered whenever I see a Wildcat. Thanks for your vision and what you have done for aviation.