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Brian Taylor has passed away.


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Very sad to hear about Brian Taylor, I have made quite a few of his  designs. Had a few chats with him over the years.When I first started building from his plans I asked if he supplied decals, a very cold response "These are scale models I expect the insignia to be painted on" . RIP Brian. 

Edited by Eric Robson
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I remember going down to Merryfield to learn to ride a bicycle, because I had to ride the two miles to school. I wasn’t keen, it defied logic balancing on two wheels.

However there were some model aeroplanes being flown that we went to have a look at.

One in particular was a big green bomber that had a Merco engine with twin plugs and it carried a couple of cap bombs (remember those) and a parachutist in the bomb bay. A couple of years later I cycled down to the airfield to watch the models and the same man was flying a Hawker Hurricane. In the eighties I was a member of the club and I got to see quite a few maiden flights of Brian Taylor's Designs. He was also still flying the Hurricane on reed relay gear and to watch that plane get right down on the deck and fly up along the runway absolutely rock steady was a sight to behold.

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Yes a sad loss. I never met him but his skills and ability made him a legend in this hobby.  He left a lasting legacy with his designs and a space that will be hard to fill.

 

My condolences to his family and friends

stu k

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So sad to hear Brian has passed away, I talked to him at the nationals in the 1970s, seeing his models started me on scale modeling 

 

Brians plans are the go to for scale models and I know his models are famous world wide, he has a big following in the United States.

 

 

 

 

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Very sad to hear this. Around 1967-8, as a teenager, I used to cycle out to Merryfield from Taunton, single-channel model in a duffle-bag on my back, to fly with the guys there. Despite them all flying expensive (to me!) models, they always made time for me to lob my Cox .049 s/c model off and have a few minutes solo airtime.

 

Even then, before he became well known, it was clear that Brian was an outstanding pilot. As Tim (above) has said, proportional radios were so new that most club pilots were still on either single-channel or reeds. Brian had a scale Japanese dive-bomber (a Kawasaki something or other IIRC) which he flew with great gusto. His low level high-speed passes were something to see.

 

Merryfield was open to the public back then, and the model club flew at one end of the runway. A drag racing club operated at the other end, and one week-end a particularly obnoxious character in a Daimler Dart decided to do some high speed runs into our end of the runway. I will never forget the moment when, travelling at very high speed, he looked out of his window to see the Kawasaki dive bomber overtaking him at a height of about two or three feet above the runway! Brian had dived from quite a height to get that much speed up, and the Dart was probably slowing down as the end of the runway approached, but it must nonetheless have given him quite a shock! He got another shock a few moments later, when another club member (who had better remain anonymous, as he's still active!) dropped a couple of flour bombs in front of him from the club's toffee bomber!

 

He fled back down the runway, never to be seen again!

 

Happy days!

 

I believe that Brian had to give up flying due to failing eye-sight in recent years, though this was only gleaned second or third hand from another pilot from those days, that I happened to run into. Even back in the 60's he wore quite thick tinted glasses, so it sounds about right.

 

RIP Brian, and thanks for the memories!

 

--

Pete

 

Edited by Peter Christy
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Very sad. Prior to, and all the way through my R/C life Brian was my "demi-god" ....... inspiring in design, construction, finishing and flying ...... fly high and wide Brian ..... and Thank You for everything. Condolences to Margery and all the Family and Friends. 

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