Honoring a friend of the hobby:
Michael “Crash” Hancock
Jim T. Graham
jimgraham@yahoo.com
I heard Michael “Crash” Hancock on his podcast before I ever met him. I have always been an RC podcast collector, and listen to them while I’m in the shop or traveling to RC events. The charm of TheCrashcast podcast wasn’t just the RC aspect—it was also the personalities on the show, and Crash was the person who held the whole thing together.
I like to say his voice had a dulcet tone. I knew I would meet Crash and his gang at the Southeast Electric Flight Festival (SEFF), held at Mac Hodge’s field in Americus, Georgia, and I did! Chaos and insanity ruled in TheCrashcast tent town, and the residents owned the sky at night.
More than a few times, the RCGroups crew rolled up on something that we had never before seen. Night bowling was fun to watch, and sometimes tricky to safely observe! You always knew a good time was going to be had by TheCrashcast. I was excited to be invited to be on TheCrashcast podcast a few times, and I made sure I had some moonshine nearby so that I could keep up with the crew!
I also got to know Crash throughout those many years. We would talk at events, and the nighttime was always the right time for the whole Crash crew to have big fun! When I started tooling leather, he would let me know how interested his daughter was in what I was making. I would always try to make sure she had some information about how to get started making things.
I made a point of finding Crash at the annual Joe Nall Week, in Woodruff, South Carolina, in May 2017. That was not an easy task! I had made him a pocket holster for his favorite pistol as a gift. It was the least I could do to thank him for all of the information and laughs that I was given through his podcasts. We saw each other off and on throughout Nall, and I knew that might be the last time I would ever see him. It made saying goodbye a whole new thing.
The last time I saw him, we were in our golf carts across from the 3D flightline during Joe Nall Week, watching the large aircraft lay down their thick smoke over the 3D lake. He had a big smile on his face. A few months later, he was gone.
Here is one of Crash’s last posts:
“I’ve received so many wonderful PMs from folks wondering how I’m doing, and I am truly grateful for all of your concern. Cancer sucks. The oncologist maintains that I’m ‘terminal,’ but I refuse to let that damper my faith and good spirits. I’m doing all that I can to stay healthy and do things with family, friends, and my favorite hobby! Thanks so much for all of your continued prayers and support, dear friends!”
Laine “L mopar69” Stahr Remembers Crash
Michael “Crash” Hancock. Man, I miss that big dude … On a normal (crazy) evening of night-flying at SEFF, around 2012 or so, Tim “IFLYOS” King came walking up to me, very excited, with some huge, long-haired lookin’ fella. He introduced us with a big grin on his face. It was like Tim knew then that Crash and I would be great friends.
Crash was approximately 6 feet, 6 inches, and close to 300 pounds. I am 5 foot, 6 inches, and approximately 160 pounds. I looked up at him like a 5-year-old to a normal adult, and I proceeded to (in Crash’s words) “press flesh” with the giant. I said, “Nice to meet you, Crash. Can I try to fly this Super Fly night flyer between your legs?”
To make a long story short, a week later, when he got back home to his beautiful wife, Connie, she asked him, “How did you get those two bruises on your inner thighs?” Poor fella. I really thought that I could get that airplane through there.
That night, and the days to follow at SEFF, cemented a friendship between the big guy and me. We shared ideas and techniques on the telephone. Together, we came up with some pretty good ideas, and some pretty bad ones. I don’t think a week went by since I met Crash that we didn’t talk at least once.
He was the premier “enabler.” When
you combine an “enabler” with a “Shinangator” like me, only insanity can ensue. We built and convinced many others to build some fun and some crazy stuff. As a bonus, if Crash was there at an event, I always had an announcer when I flew demonstrations. The guy had a voice that was as smooth as butter, and he loved to talk.
I was lucky enough to get to spend a few years as a cohost on TheCrashcast. I had never heard of a podcast until I met Crash. We had a great time doing the show. Crash loved to share his ideas, his experience, and his extensive knowledge of all things RC and life in general.
He spent many hours each week returning emails and messages from listeners of the show, helping them work through an RC problem or just talking about life. One thing is for sure—Crash never met a stranger. He talked to everyone as though they were his long-lost buddies. People could tell that he truly cared about them.
It’s not every day that you find a friend such as whom I found in Crash. I am lucky to have spent a lot of time with him and with his great family. Since he passed away, I have caught myself multiple times picking up the telephone to give him a call to talk about my next idea, or just shoot the bull, only to remember that the reality is that he will not be on the other end to answer.
Fair winds and happy landings up there, Crash. And in your own words, “Get out there and build something, fly something, and enjoy this great hobby.”
Barbara Wolfe and her husband were not only fans of TheCrashcast, but friends with Crash as well. To read the supplemental story that she wrote about him, visit www.ModelAviation.com, or see the digital edition of the magazine.
Crash Isn’t Really Gone
People such as Crash help shape our hobby and make it something that RC folks want to be a part of. People such as Crash make the hobby doable, and that is what will move it into the future. The good news for all of us is that Crash isn’t really gone. He doesn’t feel gone to me, and I’m sure when I’m back at SEFF, I will still feel his presence. He is out there on the internet in all of those podcasts. We can visit with him anytime we want. The fun and good he has done will continue.
Friends Honor Crash with Walk of Fame Brick
You can read more about the Walk of Fame brick that was purchased in Crash’s honor on the AMA Foundation’s blog. The link is listed in “Sources.”
SOURCES:
TheCrashcast
www.thecrashcast.com
Hancock
http://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amafoundation/2017/11/30/friends-honor-...
TheCrashcast Facebook page
www.facebook.com/thecrashcast
AMA Foundation
blogpost about Crash
