On Friday, September 4, 2015 at 3:03:29 PM UTC-4, Echo wrote:
Ha these are fantastic stories. The guy definitely was a legend. When he flew at R4S I was rubbing ropes, but he was in a Ventus then. Dirk bought the 20 from him and I got it from Dirk in 2011. Thanks!

Jordan

Ahhhh Dirk, say Hi from me if you see him.

"Fonz stories", should be some good reading here.

Yes, I've heard of him, "ridge soaring the hotels on Miami beach" ("Always keeping at least 500' above beachgoers...."), trips across the Everglades, etc.

Best story I remember (subject to others clarification) is....

I believe in the SE US at a contest.
Weather went to poop, so an off field landing was needed.
Fonz found a baseball field, he set up a pattern with final from outfield to home plate.
Coming in over trees, he was "high & hot" and was not sure he would stop before the HUGE fence behind homeplate..... so..... he pulled up & over the fence.
ARRRGGGHHHHHH..... what now?
Over trees, the next field was WORSE!!!!
It was low compared to surrounding ground, and had been "sorta cleared" of LOT'S of trees...... "sorta cleared as in, they had trunks ~2' high still anchored to the ground!
OMG......

But, there was a dirt road (a couple feet above the "field elevation") along the right side of the "field", what to do???

He dragged the right tip along the road with the fuselage over the trunk stumps and "ground looped" the mainwheel onto the road and stopped.

When the retrieve crew showed up, he calmly stated, "I had the perfect airspeed on final and great Schleicher brakes so I could stop in the road width".

Go figure.