More sad news

We have lost another Great soaring pilot and human being Rick Walters passed away yesterday after being involved in a bicycle accident here in Nevada

On Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 1:41:55 PM UTC-7, wrote:
We have lost another Great soaring pilot and human being Rick Walters passed away yesterday after being involved in a bicycle accident here in Nevada

My condolences to Rick's family. This is a great shock. Rick helped me and many others when we were all learning to fly cross country and contests. He was a great pilot but more than that he was one of the really good guys. Very sad, he will be missed. Tom Hubbard VN

So sad... Rick was a good guy.

Here's a nice photo of Rick at a soaring contest in Albert Lea, Minnesota,
flying an LS-10.
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/conte...7/DSC_6609.jpg

Paul Remde
___________________________________

"Tom VN" wrote in message
...

On Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 1:41:55 PM UTC-7, wrote:
We have lost another Great soaring pilot and human being Rick Walters
passed away yesterday after being involved in a bicycle accident here in
Nevada

My condolences to Rick's family. This is a great shock. Rick helped me and
many others when we were all learning to fly cross country and contests. He
was a great pilot but more than that he was one of the really good guys.
Very sad, he will be missed. Tom Hubbard VN

I was stunned to hear this. I first met Rick in 1992 in Hobbs and Littlefield. He had already established his credentials as a top pilot but was unfailingly polite and encouraging to those of us in the ranks. Over the years, he continued to provide a boost and a bit of encouragement here and there although we flew against each other infrequently. Finding his single-line email in my inbox the morning after my first (and only) daily win at the Cordele Std. Nats in 2008--"Welcome to the club"--was almost as surprising and delightful as the actual win itself. This from a many-time national champion and U.S. world team pilot. I can't recount his many honors and achievements. It's sufficient to say that whenever he showed up at a contest, he was a factor to win...and frequently did.

When he learned I was back in flying again last fall after losing a few years, Rick encouraged me to enter the Elmira nationals next month. The prospect of catching up with him there was a factor in my decision to do so. I didn't know him nearly as well as many but we'd swapped stories over the years about comebacks from medical adversities, his building business, whatever insight I might have on how to get the most out of the ASW 24 in preparation for his flying one at a nationals, and my daughters' progress.

My daughter Tina ran his wing in her first time really crewing for me at the Hobbs Open/Std. Nats in 2010 and got to know him. So when she wrote her college common application essay on that experience, I emailed him a copy, to which he responded flatteringly.

One of the things I liked about Rick was the evident diversity of his interests. This was no one-dimensional guy focused grimly on soaring to the exclusion of everything else. I wish I could say more about this multi-faceted human being but I will rely on his close friends to elaborate. I knew him well enough to consider him a friend but not well enough.

Life serves up surprises. We should be grateful for the joy in this world while taking nothing for granted. But when bad things happen to good people, it's particularly hard. Tonight I'm feeling a sense of loss not just for the untimely passing of this good man and the impact on his family and friends, but selfishly because I won't get to spend time with him in the future.

Rest in peace, Rick.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"
U.S.A.

On Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 4:41:55 PM UTC-4, wrote:
We have lost another Great soaring pilot and human being Rick Walters passed away yesterday after being involved in a bicycle accident here in Nevada

Very sad news indeed. Rick was a good friend and my competitor at many contests. He won the 18M pre-worlds in Germany in the LS-10.
Goodbye my friend and our thoughts are with your family. A1

On Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 4:41:55 PM UTC-4, wrote:
We have lost another Great soaring pilot and human being Rick Walters passed away yesterday after being involved in a bicycle accident here in Nevada

Wow. Heavy news.

Although I only flew a couple of contests with Rick, we corresponded from time to time on various topics. My favorite memory though was a day in the 15M nationals at Mifflin in 2007. We had a spectacular ridge day, and Rick decided to go for a 1000KM task. It probably wasn't the fastest choice, and he came up a couple of KM short, but he was grinning like a teenager after landing and the whole rest of the evening.

A couple of years later, he was the Project Manager during a rain day when a bunch of pilots got together to put stain on the newly-constructed Mifflin Soaring clubhouse. During that day, I got to find out more about the spectacular houses he built in his professional life. He seemed to love life and embraced everything he did.

A sad, sad day.

P3

What a good guy, our paths crossed many times over the years and he was a true gentleman.

Gary Kemp "NK"

I am sad beyond words. A tragic loss of unique talent and extraordinary human being. We are all poorer today.

9B

Rick astonished me once by describing specific detail about a good contest flight I'd had 25 years prior. How could a man who is himself so accomplished in the sport have possibly remembered such a thing? That he did, and shared it with me, says a lot about his character. I'm deeply saddened.

I met him for a pizza in Minden last year. We were both totally worn out after long drives. I had pulled John Cochrane's ASG-29 from Chicago two days earlier ahead of 18 meter nationals and he had been in SoCal picking up the Ventus that he eventually flew to 2nd. We still had a nice chat about soaring, the 13.5 meter class, my upcoming participation in sports class nationals, etc.

Since then I've also been on the receiving end of a few very nice notes like Chip mentioned. One during the PAGC after a very good showing on a difficult day and just a few weeks ago after Francois and I had a very good flight together in Cordele, Rick commented "Pair flying perfection. Well done."

As with so many others, we can only remember the excellent example that has been set in this sport and do our best to carry the torch. Good finish, Rick.