Freddy

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Back in 1975 my best childhood friend John Bainathsah and myself attended an RC pattern contest as spectators in Paramaribo in our native Suriname. After that we were hooked and both got into RC! Instrumental into our entry into the hobby was Mr. Leo Jong Pian Ki, aka Meneer (Mister) Jong or Oom (Uncle) Leo, who at the time was the best RC pilot in the country/region, and also owned the local hobby shop Hobby Inn where all modelers would obtain their equipment.

Leo (in green I love Suriname t-shirt) now 81 does not fly anymore due to health issues. But he was an amazingly smooth classic RC pattern pilot and builder who was our reference and provided guidance to get into RC pattern. He had a beautiful Blue Angel which was completely painted in the colors of Japanese world champion Yoshioka. We attended various local competitions with Leo at the Aeromodelers Suriname club. Later we even ventured out to competitions in neighboring French Guiana and Brazil providing some amazing memories of our teenage years! Leo is a little more than 20 years our elder. To this day John and I enjoy flying pattern ships, nothing flies like them bar none. Look at John's beautiful Aurora with which he won a major competition in Colombia.

We had an RC get together fly-in on 6 January 2023 in honor of Leo when I was on vacation there recently for a couple of weeks. The local RC community fly at a car racing drag strip that is located near the international airport. Leo very much enjoyed seeing al the different airplanes fly and it was our pleasure to have him join us.

Thank you Leo for all your early help, guidance, mentoring, and friendship! As several of us from the attached pictures stated if it were not for Leo likely RC would not have blossomed in Suriname nor would we be standing there together in the pictures. 48 years since that 1975 meet RC is still alive and well in Suriname thanks largely to the efforts of John Bainathsah and a small group of RC enthusiasts.