District I

Bud Bier with a large model airplane and his wife

District I

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont

The Bristol County RC Club informed me that Bernard “Bud” Bier passed away in June at the age of 97. Bud was the last of four AMA club members who were referred to as the elder statesmen who pioneered many areas of the hobby through their aeromodeling design and building contributions. They were well-liked, lifetime modelers who shared their knowledge and advanced the hobby. Each contributed their services to World War II war efforts. Bud’s son, Dr. Jon Bier, sent me the following write-up and photos of his father.

“Bud participated in many forms of model aviation, from Free Flight (FF) to Control Line and RC. After completing a year at Pratt Institute of Art, Bud joined the U.S. Army and was assigned to the 23rd Headquarters Special Ghost Army. Bud, along with many notable artists of the day, used phony equipment, as well as visual and sound effects to deceive the enemy and ensure victory in key battles following the D-Day invasion. His working career was as a commercial artist, designing packaging for many well-known products.

“Bud married the love of his life, Ruth, and remained married for 73 years until his death. Their first daytime date was flying rubber-powered FF models in Van Cortland Park in the Bronx in New York. After moving to the suburbs Bud began flying RC at Mitchell Field on Long Island, New York. He became president of the Long Island Drone Society, a member of the Cedar Creek Park

Model Airport, and a member of the Whitman Flyers.

“In his later years, Bud moved to Massachusetts and was a member of the Bristol County RC Club and was often seen with his three best club buddies at district events.

“Bud enjoyed all aspects of modeling, but in his heart, he was a dedicated RC sport pilot. Beginning with an early reed unit on a Mini Mambo, he progressed to fully proportional self-built Heathkit radios that he flew for many years. He was an early adopter of electric flight, having several models powered by the first Astro-Flight systems. He primarily enjoyed Scale modeling, particularly World War I military and pre-WW II civilian aircraft. He also dabbled in Towline and Powered gliders. Assisting his son, Jonathan, Bud enjoyed RC Pylon Racing and Pattern competition.

“Bud was involved in RC model design as well, working with Hot Line models in the 1980s, producing hand-drawn 3D construction plans.”

Thank you, Jon, for the tribute to your father. I am sure the four buddies are flying together again at much higher altitudes. Our deepest condolences to you and your family.