Fred Blair Memorial Information

Much has been reported already here on R.A.S. concerning the tragic loss
of Fred Blair, his daughter-in-law and grandson in a glider crash on June
17. As a Board member in the club involved (Greater Houston Soaring
Association-GHSA), I have been asked by the NTSB not to comment or
speculate on the causes of the crash. I do know many of the facts, and I
can say with absolute certainty that a lot of the speculation that has
been reported on R.A.S. is wrong, but the facts such as they are will come
to light in due course once the NTSB has finished its investigation.

What remains for us in the club to do at this time is to mourn the loss of
a great friend, mentor, club-member, and supporter of this sport. I would
ask all of you, whether you knew Fred personally or not, to do the same.
We cannot change what happened, and at this point, we cannot yet
understand the cause(s), but we can come together to support Fred's family
and celebrate the sport that he, and we, love so much.

Fred was a glider CFI, with over 700 hours of glider flight time. He was
a past President of GHSA and had been a member since sometime in the early
1980's (as far as anyone can remember, as most of us were not in the club
back then). He flew a Libelle 301 when he wasn't instructing in the back
seat of one of the club's Blaniks. He also contributed more of his time
than probably anyone in the under-appreciated maintenance tasks which so
often go undone in a volunteer organization. In a very literal sense, he
kept a lot of things in the club from falling apart. As one of the
"hearts" of our organization, he figuratively kept the club operating
smoothly as well. In short, at every level he will be sorely missed by our
club and our sport.

Fred's wife, Lois, and GHSA are planning a celebration of Fred's life on
Saturday, July 21 at 10:30 AM at the Wallis, TX gliderport (TE71), home of
the GHSA. If you knew Fred (or even if you didn't) and you can make it to
the ceremony, please plan to attend and help us celebrate the life of one
of the great contributors to our sport. If you can't make it, please keep
Fred, Lois, and their family in your thoughts and prayers.

--
Stefan Murry