Written by EH (09/2008), reformatted by JS (10/2011)
Radio Control Aerobatics column By Eric Henderson Thank you, Kirk Gray. We’ll miss you very much.
We have lost a great RC Aerobatics (Pattern) pilot and competitor. I received a note from Bob Lee, letting me know that Kirk Gray passed away June 1, 2008, from a heart attack. I was shocked because he was only 41 years old. There is something wrong about people dying who are 20 years younger than you are; it’s just not the natural order of things. My wife and I loved watching Kirk fly in competition. He had an easygoing approach to the events. We were in the judges’ chairs when he won the Nats. Kirk stood out there with his baseball cap on backward and feet apart, and then as casual as can be, he drew lines in the sky that were a sight to behold.
Kirk was a Florence, South Carolina boy who loved fishing, hunting and NASCAR. As he walked down the street, you would never guess from his quiet Southern demeanor that he represented the US several times as a member of the F3A (FAI RC Aerobatics) World Championships team.
Kirk will be missed in the world of Pattern, and most sincere condolences go out to his family. Although his services were held June 4, you can still send donations to the American Heart Association. (The address is in the source listing at the end of the column.) I searched my archives for an individual photo of Kirk, but he was always in a group of fellow competitors. The one I found shows him where he liked to be: at the top, competing with the best.
Sources
American Heart Association 181 E. Evans St., BTC Suite 200 Florence, SC 29501
This page is a text transcription of the original document, made automatically and may contain errors. .