A View from Broadway

Legendary Speed champion John Newton dies

By Ken Burdick

John Newton passed away quietly in his sleep Thursday, June 13, 2024, from complications of a blood infection.

John was the Grandfather of control-line Speed, and had forgotten more about Speed flying than most of us will ever know.

John was born and raised in Albany, Ore., and graduated from high school in 1952. Six years before this, John had a friend (Donnie Reed) who got him interested in model airplanes. John began with the whip-style models that have no engines but were an early attempt at control-line flying. Power models came after his father gave him his first engine in 1949. Among other aircraft, he built a Hell Razor for that engine, and thus began a 69-year love affair with control-line Speed.

After completing his military service, John met the love of his life, Carol, at a dance in 1957 and they were married in 1958. They were husband and wife for 67 years.

John and Carol moved to Los Angeles, where John would take a job with Carnation Dairy Products and remain with them until he retired. While in LA, John was befriended by Bill Wisniewski, Jim Nightingale, Chuck Schuette, the Western Associated Modelers crowd and Dale Kirn. These were his real formative years of learning Speed. Until then he didn’t know much about timing and modification of engines. John worked at Carnation and K&B as well as teaching flight on Fridays, making $6 an hour as a flight instructor.

John represented the United States on seven teams that participated in the FAI world Championships: 1970, 1980, 1986, 1988, 1990. 1992, 1994. He told me he quit piloting the FAI ships in 1994 because he couldn’t keep up with them anymore.

It’s been said that you know each one of the characters in the book “The wind in the Willows” in your own life. Mr. Toad, Ratty, the Mole, If that’s true, and it is, then John Newton surely would have been the Badger. Quiet, reserved, clever and inventive. Well mannered and polite, charming when the occasion called for it and always generous with his time.

Goodbye John, I will surely miss you.

John Newton (right) at his home with Ken Burdick in 2022.

A View from Broadway

Legendary Speed champion John Newton dies

See article by Ken Burdick about his 2022 visit to John's home, which includes more biographical and model airplane information and photos

Back to Speed main page

Back to Bod Busters main page

Flying Lines home page