Rallylancer122
Well Known Member
Hi All,
My Dad, Dick Martin, passed away this week. Dick built one of the first RV-8's, finishing his in 1999. If you saw a well built, polished RV with a big black and gold 33 on the side and a flying tiger emblem on the tail, that was his.
After years of award winning aircraft restorations, he was "tired of dealing with old junk" and wanted a kit plane. He looked at the RV-4 (too small), Harmon Rocket (didn't like the big engine), Glasairs (didn't like fiberglass), and even started an Omega II (they pulled the kit). However when Van showed up at EAA with the -8 he was hooked. He finished the plane, slow build kit, in 2 years and put every speed mod known to man on it. For a time, it was the fastest one around.
The kit experience opened up a whole new world to him, unchaining him from the restrictions of certification and allowing him to express his inner engineer. Dick worked with Sam James on prototyping the round inlet cowl for the -8. (We combined the front of a James -6 cowl with the back half of a stock Vans cowl to build the first one.) He also worked with his long time friend Jim Younkin on the first RV-8 installation of the Tru-Trak autopilot. After his IO-360 chucked a rod he worked with BPE on installing an IO-390. If it wasn't the first RV-8 install of a 390, it was close to it. He loved ever single second of this. I always wondered he never painted the plane. He claimed it was for weight, but later on I realized it was because he never wanted it to be finished.
Dad ended up as 6000+ hour non-commercial rated pilot. (Think about that one for a moment.) This included more than 2000 hours in his Meyers OTW, which we still own, 1300+ in his Meyers 200, and over 2000 in his RV-8. Of the 25 airplanes he owned, the -8 was hands down his favorite.
Most of all, though, Dad loved the Vans community. His favorite thing to do was jump in his plane, fly around Wisconsin, and look at other people's projects. He helped a lot of guys build a lot of planes. So thank you to everyone, for giving his life so much enjoyment and meaning.
Sincerely,
Dennis Martin
Ps. Dad died of Alzheimer's Disease. A terrible illness that steals one's soul. Please consider some of the great charities out there doing Alzheimer's research when doing your charitable giving. Millions of people are suffering the agony if this disease. It needs to stop.
My Dad, Dick Martin, passed away this week. Dick built one of the first RV-8's, finishing his in 1999. If you saw a well built, polished RV with a big black and gold 33 on the side and a flying tiger emblem on the tail, that was his.
After years of award winning aircraft restorations, he was "tired of dealing with old junk" and wanted a kit plane. He looked at the RV-4 (too small), Harmon Rocket (didn't like the big engine), Glasairs (didn't like fiberglass), and even started an Omega II (they pulled the kit). However when Van showed up at EAA with the -8 he was hooked. He finished the plane, slow build kit, in 2 years and put every speed mod known to man on it. For a time, it was the fastest one around.
The kit experience opened up a whole new world to him, unchaining him from the restrictions of certification and allowing him to express his inner engineer. Dick worked with Sam James on prototyping the round inlet cowl for the -8. (We combined the front of a James -6 cowl with the back half of a stock Vans cowl to build the first one.) He also worked with his long time friend Jim Younkin on the first RV-8 installation of the Tru-Trak autopilot. After his IO-360 chucked a rod he worked with BPE on installing an IO-390. If it wasn't the first RV-8 install of a 390, it was close to it. He loved ever single second of this. I always wondered he never painted the plane. He claimed it was for weight, but later on I realized it was because he never wanted it to be finished.
Dad ended up as 6000+ hour non-commercial rated pilot. (Think about that one for a moment.) This included more than 2000 hours in his Meyers OTW, which we still own, 1300+ in his Meyers 200, and over 2000 in his RV-8. Of the 25 airplanes he owned, the -8 was hands down his favorite.
Most of all, though, Dad loved the Vans community. His favorite thing to do was jump in his plane, fly around Wisconsin, and look at other people's projects. He helped a lot of guys build a lot of planes. So thank you to everyone, for giving his life so much enjoyment and meaning.
Sincerely,
Dennis Martin
Ps. Dad died of Alzheimer's Disease. A terrible illness that steals one's soul. Please consider some of the great charities out there doing Alzheimer's research when doing your charitable giving. Millions of people are suffering the agony if this disease. It needs to stop.