GOODBYE, MY FRIEND!
By Jay Smith, Executive Editor | jays@modelaircraft.org
WHEN I STARTED at AMA nearly 16 years ago, Jeff Troy was the new editor of Park Pilot magazine, and the first issue of the publication had recently been released. Soon after, I began writing for the magazine and was involved with editing it.
Jeff and I became good friends and attended many tradeshows and flying events together. He was larger than life, with many rock and roll stories and a long history in the hobby. Some of his rock and roll stories included playing with Chubby Checker and Billy Joel! Jeff was a bass player, and so am I, so we would always connect with music and the hobby.
On January 25, 2024, I received a call from Jeff that was a gut punch. He was in the hospital with only days to live. He was making a goodbye call to me and it was very moving and emotional. He asked me to reach out on his behalf to three other AMA employees with specific things to tell them. It was a difficult afternoon and evening as I completed my task. I hardly slept that night, lying awake thinking about our nearly 16-year friendship.
Four days later, Jeff took his final flight surrounded by his family. Although it wasn’t unexpected, when I received the news, it still stung.
Throughout the past year, I’ve lost too many friends in this hobby to count. I will be forever thankful for having them in my life and they will never be forgotten!
“On January 25, 2024, I received a call from Jeff that was a gut punch. He was in the hospital with only days to live. He was making a goodbye call to me and it was very moving and emotional.”
