By Henry Hajdik, president, Pacific Aeromodellers Club, Vancouver, B.C.
It is with deep regret
that we have been advised by Mark & Pat Boden that Frank Boden,
after a bout of pneumonia, has passed away peacefully in his sleep at a
Revelstoke Hospital at 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2007.
As you may be aware, in the past Frank was an executive member of both the Pacific Aeromodellers Club and the Vancouver Gas Model Club. Frank and his beloved wife Jacquie were outstanding supporters and promoters of Control-line and other facets of modelling in the Pacific Northwest.
Due to his involvement in Combat, Racing, and Navy Carrier events Frank was also well-known to many of our fellow modelers in Washington and Oregon. Frank Boden was the only individual who was awarded a life membership in both the VGMC and the Pacific Aeromodellers Club in consideration of his support and dedication to the sport of control-line modeling.
You can be sure that as Frank passes through the Pearly Gates he may challenge St. Peter to a combat match -- which might explain his desire to take a couple of combat streamers with him!!! Could it be that his pit crew will be Jacquie & Ron Salo? St. Peter won't stand a chance!!!
Frank's passing marks the end of an era -- but he has passed on the torch to you and me! God Bless you Frank & Jacquie -- we miss you but we know that you are in Safe Hands!
Message:
Cards may be sent to Mark & Pat Boden and Family -- P.O. Box 2312, Revelstoke, B.C., V0E 2S0. E-Mail may be sent direct to Mark & Pat or you may contact the writer at my office (604) 438-9888 or e-mail Henry Hajdik.
Read a biography of Frank Boden on the Pacific Aeromodellers Club Web site.
Photo provided by Pacific Aeromodellers Web site.
By Ken Burdick
I remember Frank.:
Frank Boden passed away in his sleep at 10:30 Wednestday, Oct. 3, in Revelstoke B.C
To any Northwest flyer nothing more needs to be said.
I didn't know him all that well, we never went out for dinner or exchanged Christmas cards. I just liked him.
I thanked Mel for letting me know about his passing on, and said I took his presence for granted and feel stupid for this. We all have people in our lives that make up the little world we each live in. For me, Frank was one of those and I am feeling the loss.
I first met Frank Boden when I was sixteen years old, I was flying combat at a VGMC Internats with Bod Buster Don McKay. My parents had driven us to the contest and I remember it being sunny. Don and I were pretty busy trying our best to win everything when friends Greg Davis and Barry Hobkirk approached me. They said "look out for the old guy flying the T-Square". I looked puzzled, they continued, "the thing goes about 40 mph but will tumble on to your streamer and get a kill." "OK," I said.
I flew Frank next and he seemed old even then. I won the match by not getting tangled up. And when I killed him, he laughed like Popeye the sailor and said, "oh well."
Over the years it has been my pleasure to fly with Frank and compete with Frank in all manner of combat. Fast, slow, 80 mph, 1/2A, and diesel. If there was a streamer attached to it, you could find Frank on the other end.
Frank Boden was the first one I saw make a fuel shutoff work. It was slow and used a tiny propeller to wind down on a lead screw finally pinching off the fuel, but it worked.
I remember countless times leading Frank back to the pilots circle while flying with him. He would wander off and you'd have to bring him back ... that's just how it was.
I really don't know the many things Frank did in his life, only this small part but it's enough to make an absence where there was once a friend.
One thing you could say about Frank was that there was never a model airplane flier anywhere who enjoyed flying model airplanes more. He was a competitor, but he was mainly in it for fun. He enjoyed the participation.
Frank was a combat flier, but he never worried much about whether his equipment was the latest, best stuff. He built his own planes his own way -- with lots of crazy WWI decorations, etc. -- and he flew what he had and made the best of it. If he beat you, he would say, "It was just luck" and if he lost, you could tell he was having fun anyway.
Frank was also a gracious host to visiting fliers. Mike Hazel and I remember fondly our visit to the 1986 Canadian Nats where we stayed at Frank's home. I especially remember enjoying the late sunset from his back deck, after a long and humorous visit to his workshop. Man, he had everything in there, from free-flights, to Dyna-Jets. He also had memorabilia from a brief political career and clippings from his early modeling days during World War II, when at least once he stirred up the local authorities with a giant box kite that was mistaken for an an enemy attack. See the PAC Web site for details of that incident and other notes from Frank's modeling life.
I can remember a lot of funny stories about flying with Frank -- his runaway NW Sport Racer terrorizing the carrier circle at the Raider Roundup leaps to mind -- but I can never remember a time when Frank's presence at a contest didn't make the experience a bit more enjoyable.
We're hoping to find a picture or two of Frank's flying exploits and
post them here later. Further remembrances also welcome. Just e-mail
the editor.
This page was upated Oct. 18, 2007