Farewell to Chris Handegard
by Don Grissom
dongrissom@hilltopflyers.com
RC Combat had a great year in 2016. There were many contests held in the central and western parts of the country. The top pilots in total points once again came from Texas, but Wisconsin fliers were not far behind. The top pilot this past year in Open B and Scale 2610 was William Stringham. In Slow Survivable Combat (SSC), Gnat, and Limited B, the top pilot was Andy Runte, and for Scale 2948, William Drumm III took top honors. Andy was the Open Overall winner in 2016, and William took the Scale Overall credits. I am looking forward to another great year of RC Combat in 2017.
Chris Handegard
On November 9, 2016, the Combat community received word of the loss of Chris Handegard. Although Chris had not flown Combat in many years, his contributions to RC Combat were lasting.
I first met Chris in the early 2000s, when I was getting started in RC Combat. We had just started flying SSC and I was asked to go to Florida to perform a noon demonstration during the Top Gun event in Lakeland. We had a lot of fun, and Chris started coming to our contests in Georgia.
When flying Scale 2948 became more common, acquiring kits that would be easy to assemble and durable was a problem. That was when Chris came up with the design for the Bulletproof Models Ki 43 Oscar. Throughout the years, he produced more designs, including some twin-engine airplanes that most people would not even try because of the extra work involved. Chris was one of the only pilots who could get them up in the air most of the time without too many problems. They always flew well, which led me to purchase one from him, although I never had any luck getting the engines to run as well as he did. Chris always welcomed us into his
Chris Handegard (center) with one of his twin-engine airplanes at a contest. Photo by Craig Buttery.
Chris and his P-47 Thunderbolt. Buttery photo.
Chris with his Spitfire. Buttery photo.
Chris on his mining dredge in Oregon. Photo courtesy of Alan Mash.
home. Instead of having to stay at a hotel, we could stay with him at his house during the many contests that he held in southern Florida.
I once helped Chris cut an airplane that I wanted to acquire from him. He showed me the system that he used and how to go about making the aircraft. Many of the Scale Combat models that are flown in Scale 2948 today are copies of the ones he made.
After leaving RC Combat a few years ago, Chris moved to Oregon to become a gold miner. I always kept up with his travels throughout the past few years and how he was enjoying life. Many of us will remember Chris as a great friend.
SOURCES:
Radio Control Combat Association (RCCA)
www.rccombat.com
