Lost a Friend in Flushing

To all New York City flyers , today we lost Richard Kurth (Dick)from Flushing . He was 88 and taught many top flyers ,all his years in Flushing Meadow Park. We really are going to miss him. Respectfully Submitted, NEAL Beekman

LAST EDITED ON Dec-07-04 AT 03:21 PM (CST)
 
>To all New York City flyers , today we lost Richard Kurth
>(Dick)from Flushing . He was 88 and taught many top flyers
>,all his years in Flushing Meadow Park. We really are going
>to miss him.
> Respectfully Submitted,
>NEAL Beekman

Neal, How have you been???
Have not heard from you personal level on the thread??..I am sad to hear this..Windy will be affected I am sure..The king of all sholcker's will be missed. Flyers from all of New York will be saddned, from Big Jim Greenaway to Joe Modesto. Lampione, etl
A truly fine gentelman, who probably helped more people to fly control line models than there are current flyers...Flushing Meadows should be named in his honor! Regards David

This a sad day. I agree with Dave. Dick was the "King of the Schlockers" He must have introduced thousands to controline!

Tom Niebuhr

LAST EDITED ON Dec-07-04 AT 04:05 PM (CST)
 
>This a sad day. I agree with Dave. Dick was the "King of the
>Schlockers" He must have introduced thousands to controline!
>
>Tom Niebuhr

Hi Tom
Good to hear from you..I was thinking about Dick just the other day..When I was living in NYC-(Bronx)-I would ride the subway to the field to practice--My 660 sq stunter in hand!!Dick always greeted me with a smile, he was struck by my commitment/stupidity-LOL..He always respected the competitive nature of the event and helped many of the top New York flyers--You know the list...Schaffer, Lampione, Baron, Urt etc..He never flew on the concrete circles, I think done out of respect...He was there every weekend, for how many years???? Probably more than 50..I know Joe Ortiz has an event after him in the city, I am sure they will support Dick in this way...Flusuhing will different without him Regards David...

>To all New York City flyers , today we lost Richard Kurth
>(Dick)from Flushing . He was 88 and taught many top flyers
>,all his years in Flushing Meadow Park. We really are going
>to miss him.
> Respectfully Submitted,
>NEAL Beekman

Hi Neal,
Loosing Dick is a personal lose to me because Dick is the one that actually taught me how to stunt.

please send my condolences to Dicks family and to all the other guys at the field.

For those that did not know Dick you missed out on knowing a man that truely loved flying, He did not care about glitz, glitter or fame, He simply loved to teach people how to fly.

I met Dick at Flushing Meadows in July 1998. Only meet I have been to in the NY/NJ area. Met Joe Ortiz at that meet also, and went to Jimmy Borrelli's for Joe's going away party...
Both were really nice guys.
My thought's and prayers are with his friends and family.
Bill <><

Are you guys still flying at Flushing Meadows? I use to go up there for the speed contests. Glad someone is still using the place. I didn't know Dick but, I think I saw a guy like that flying some sport planes on the side during the speed contests. I'll bet it was him. Too bad we can't live forever, I'm going to go flying more next year.

LAST EDITED ON Dec-08-04 AT 00:39 AM (CST)
 
Wow..

Dick Kurth? King of the Schlockers? Absolutely!

Dick probably taught more people to fly Controline than anyone else in the history of our event. No kidding. He put a handle in the hands of literaly THOUSANDS of people, both kids and adults.

I met Dick back around 1982 when I returned to Controline. I was living in Manhattan and had heard that people were still flying at Flushing Meadow Park so I took the first of many long subway rides to Flushing Queens and then walked, the 1/2 hour walk, to the park (A trip that I would take many, many more times, stunter-in-hand!). I had been told to look him up when I got there an he was a local legend even then.

Dick was allways the first guy at the field on weekends and was usually the last one to leave, just before dark and long after the Pro Stunt crowd had packed it in. He was the guy who policed up the trash left by the picknickers along with the paper towels that the Stunt guys left blowing in the weeds.

He knew that I wanted to fly on the pavment with the Stunt guys and frequently cautioned me: "Good Sport Flyers make good Stunt Flyers. Take your time and get good at this, before you try to get good at that!". He, of course, was right.

He also told me, "Flying over here on the grass is fun. Once you go over to the Stunt Circle with those guys, it'll be a lot more work and much less fun." Unfortunately, he was pretty much right about that too!

I flew whth Dick for a couple of seasons along with Joe Ortiz, who was also a proud member of the Schlockers before he built his Bud Lite Nobler and went over to fly off of the pavement with the "Big Guys". I followed Joe about a year later. Dick thought that I was going over too soon and he was probably right.

If I remember correctly, the last time I saw Dick was just after 9-11. I needed to dispose of a bunch of stuff before evacuating the E. Coast and drove over to Flushing Meadows to give him several cases of fresh fuel. Dick wasn't much into gifts, unless it was a Fox-35 (His favorite engine.) and offered to pay me for the fuel. I refused and told him he'd be doing me a favor, if he would use it up for me. That was one of the few times that I can remember him not smiling.

Dick was missing a few teeth but he had a heart as big as all of New York. It has always made me feel good, to remember him, flying his beat-up, Fox-powered Shoestrings from dawn to dark. He made them Saber-Dance and was allways looking for some new person with whom to share the wonders of CL model aviation.

I don't know whether he would have wanted us to dedicate the flying park in his name or not but, to at leaste some of us, it WAS his field and I'm happy to have flown with him.

BIGS

" What constitutes the dignity of a craft is that it creates a fellowship, that it binds men together and fashions for them a common language. For there is but one problem - the problem of human relations."

I met MR. KURTH (DICK) as 13 year old. He put his hand on my shoulder and assisted me in some flying with a large and heavy Urily. that was his handle of choist. Joe Ortiz was the mayor of Flushing Dick was the governor.The king schloker. That's the name for a very good bunch of control line flyers. the name chosen by them.
Mr. Dick as I called him was a life long friend. The first person that I looked for wen I entered Flushing and the last one on my way out.
One of my favotite moments was always watching Dick fly doubles with one of his many partners,Nancy, allen and others that I cant name.
Wen I started to fly the 60 size pm's I dint have an EZ Just large handle I mentined this to Dick, the next day I had two brand new handels.(PS AT NO COST)
MR Dick you will be greatly missed by me.
WITH MUTCH LOVE AND TEARS IN MY HART I THANK YOU.

>I met MR. KURTH (DICK) as 13 year old. He put his hand on my
>shoulder and assisted me in some flying with a large and
>heavy Urily. that was his handle of choist. Joe Ortiz was
>the mayor of Flushing Dick was the governor.The king
>schloker. That's the name for a very good bunch of control
>line flyers. the name chosen by them.
>Mr. Dick as I called him was a life long friend. The first
>person that I looked for wen I entered Flushing and the last
>one on my way out.
>One of my favotite moments was always watching Dick fly
>doubles with one of his many partners,Nancy, allen and
>others that I cant name.
>Wen I started to fly the 60 size pm's I dint have an EZ Just
>large handle I mentined this to Dick, the next day I had two
>brand new handels.(PS AT NO COST)
>MR Dick you will be greatly missed by me.
> WITH MUTCH LOVE AND TEARS IN MY HART I THANK
>YOU.

Jose, How are you doing??Are you still flying at Flushing?? It is sad to hear about Dick...Flushing will be different I am sure. Let me know what is up in NYC..I am going to see Midge/Woody/Campbell NEST boys this weekend. I wish I could stop in NYC:( Love David--I'll see you at the Nats I hope, if I go..Later

Sad to say but we( Flushing Flyers ) Were at the field when Richard Kurth (DICK) made his last trip to the park on the way to St Michaels Cemetary where an Army Honor Guard laid his sole to rest. We will miss all the war stories and his active sprit, its just not the same without Dick. He was a real HERO. Respectfully submitted, NEAL Beekman