Written by MM (2012), reformatted by JS (08/2012)
Career
- 1989-1992: NSRCA District 8 Vice President
- 1989-2012: Team Horizon/JR
- 1990-1995: Columnist for Model Builder magazine
- 1992-1994: NSRCA President
- August 1995- July 2000: Columnist for Model Aviation magazine
- 1995-2012: AMA District 11 Associate Vice President
Rick Allison, AMA 6678, departed on his final flight July 30, 2012. His transplanted lungs gave out after 11 years, and since he had them for so long, retransplantation, his only hope, was not an option.
Rick began modeling in 1956, with Free Flight. His father bought him all the supplies he needed, but required he design the first model himself. Rick did that, and then moved on to Control Line Sport, Combat and Stunt.
After serving in the Navy as an electronic counter measures technician, Rick played bass guitar in a number of bands in the US and Canada. He then returned to the Pacific Northwest and after a first marriage ended, met and married Joan Anastasio in 1980.
Rick returned to modeling in 1982, when he built his first RC trainer kit and learned to fly. He was introduced to Pattern in 1983, at Wavemasters in San Jose, while he and Joan were living there for a short period. That set the hook and Rick never looked back.
Rick and Joan returned to Seattle where Rick continued competing in Pattern and began designing his own Pattern planes. After competing in Expert at the 1988 AMA Nats, Rick moved to FAI again competing both locally and nationally, winning the National Society for Radio Controlled Aerobatics (NSRCA) District 8 Championship six years in a row. Rick moved back to Masters in the late 1990s, and finished second at the AMA Nationals in 1999 and 2000. He also placed first in Expert at the 2000 Canadian Nationals; campaigning the entire 2000 season on supplemental oxygen. He designed and flew the Artemis, Cursor, Meridian 900 (with Henry Piorun), and Olympian during his Pattern career, as well as the MUFFET and the Paradox Sport planes.
After retiring from Pattern in 2003, Rick took up Big Birds and Scale, flying last at the 2011 Huckfest, in Wenatchee, WA.
Rick became involved with the local RC club as a leader and newsletter editor, beginning his modeling writing career. Rick’s first nationally published articles were in the NSRCA newsletter, the K-Factor, as District 8 VP in 1989, and in 1990 he began writing the Aerobatics column in Model Builder. After 5 years with Model Builder, Rick took over the RC Aerobatics column in Model Aviation from Ron VanPutte and wrote that column for another 5 years. He covered many of the Tournament of Champions as well as the AMA Nationals.
Rick became involved in both the AMA and the NSRCA as a leader, with the goal of supporting and promoting the hobby in general, and Pattern in particular.
As NSRCA District 8 VP he helped effect the change to turnaround Pattern. Then, as VP and then NSRCA President he was instrumental in putting on the NSRCA Pan American Championships in 1992 and 1994, which helped convince the AMA to allow the Special Interest Groups to run their own events at the Nats. This successful format is still in place today. He started the District 8 judging seminars, and worked both locally and on the national level to improve Pattern judging and judge training.
Rick became an AMA AVP in 1995 and remained one until the end. He worked on many different issues over the years in that role, and was always ready to support the hobby and encourage beginners in modeling. Rick was a Team Horizon/RC team member since 1989, and, as such, provided field support and assistance to those who needed it.
This page is a text transcription of the original document, made automatically and may contain errors. .