Great information! I mostly agree but I guess I need to clarify my earlier statement. It's not that I want Lee to care what's going on in the hobby, I was just pointing out that he didn't know about a lot of the Centuri stuff that is on the web.
He's definitely in touch with things; when I last talked to him he asked me about the Aerotech bankruptcy, Leup regs in Georgia (where I am from), and a few other current things. (That's funny about Irvine, Lee commented to me about both Irvine and Cato.) He also told me that RC was where his interest ended up, pointing out several of his RC models that are hanging in his Glendale store. (To any doubters, remember, that's a full-sized biplane over the entrance of the mall Hobby Bench, not a Groove Tube!)
What I was trying to say is that he didn't know about resources like JimZ, Semroc, Holverson's site, Moldin' Oldies, and stuff like that. That was my point, not that he's out of touch, he's just not a web junkie like most of us on RMR are. Your comments that his interest is RC now explains why he isn't surfing those particular sites.
Lee isn't some rocket messiah or anything, I like him because he started a cool business right out of college and then changed that business to hobby shops and hobby distribution as he saw the business environment changing. He's still running that post-college business today, even though it's a totally different animal than it was back in the '60's.
By the way, I highly recommend the Hobby Bench stores. They have a good mix of inventory, including a lot of science kits that are useful for home schoolers. Plus it's fun to see rockets from the old days hanging from the ceiling.
Chuck W Sharc, NAR Section 613
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Sharc, the section where two out of three certification flights always work just fine!