His name has not be released to the public yet because they are still trying to track down family members to notify them. So please don't put his name here, just in case the media finds this site.
My thoughts go out to his family. He will be missed.
I knew him as his hangar was just down the row from me. I was fortunate to have seen his airplane several times on the ground. He was the most meticulous person I have met with regard to his plane. It should have been in a museum or on a pedestal in someones living room. It was perhaps the cleanest RV I have ever seen. I remarked to him that parts of my plane did not look as good as his when they were brand new just out of the box. I never saw the plane fly. He was always cleaning or maintaining it when I was there. I once asked him if he ever took it up and he remarked that he way a flyer and not just a builder. Everytime I went to the airport, and he was there, I had to stop and look a the plane. It was inspiration to me. The news report said the that a man age "X" in a homebuilt from "my airport" died on Sunday. It's kind of a wake up call as that would be the EXACT same description as me except for the age! I don't know if he had any kids but I did meet his wife on several occasions when they came over to look at my 7 or when I dropped in on them. Words seem so worthless in these situations. I really do wish his family all the best!
They finally tracked down his wife to notify her, so Bruce MacKinnon has been officially identified as the pilot killed in this RV-3 crash. This news story provides a nice bio of Bruce.
As Andrew said, his airplane was just about perfect. He had the hangar next to mine and was always working on it, cleaning it, or polishing it. Actually, I think I saw him polish it more than anything. It was awesome.
Bruce will be missed. He was a great guy and had loads of enthusiasm.
