Please accept my condolences on Rick’s passing.
He became a friend of mine over the last 20 years during the course of many happy visits to Uncle Bill’s Hobby. Rick and I shared a love of aviation– the aircraft, the history and the people.
Making models was just another way to express our enthusiasm for flight– for its beauty, the freedom it’s given us, and the challenges it’s presented. Rick was a patron of this artform, and was always eager to share his knowledge with ham fisted modellers like me, and he was especially happy to make sure that my sons had something really cool to build too.
I’ve been an athlete, a journalist and a pilot, and have had the good luck to meet many people who qualify as the best– Olympic champions, award winning test pilots, and other Canadians who’ve reached the top. Rick belongs right up there, not just because he was an expert artisan, but because he shared his knowledge and helped so many others express their love of aviation.
Rest in peace Rick, you’ve earned it.
My heartfelt sympathies to his family.
