Click on link for obituarie notice,


http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?I=LS000100579331X

Another great one gone. I have a half built Orion in my stash of planes to build. I've had it for 40 years. Time to get it out and finish it.

Yes, it is time.

There goes another pioneer and legend, into the wild blue yonder.

I was reading on the AMA website that he won a World Championship in 1960 and a National Championship in 1961 with his Orion.

If I remember correctly, didn't the Taurus come after that? Did he win any titles with the Taurus?

I recall that he used a 12-channel reed set and a .46 engine. I think that he even had a method of sliding something around in the fuse to change the CG as he was flying, so that the CG could suit whatever manuever he was going to do next.

This is all pretty fuzzy in the memory, just thought I would toss it out to see if folks would like to discuss it, refute it, or add more to it...

Bob

From the number of replies, I'm thinking that most people are a little fuzzy as to who he was.[]

I would like to post my expreience and pay respects to a long time aquatience Eddie Kazmirski,
Living in the same town, I met Eddie and his brother Lenny in the late 40's,All of us had a passion for the Triumph motorcycle,Eddie being the machinist he was designed a Roots type
supercharger for the bike but always had problems with the pistons caving in,Discarding that project he got interested in model planes in the early 50's,My friend and I were in FF and Cl
and Eddie came over one day and wanted to know if we would help him get started,This was Eddie's begining to be coming a world champion and designer of model aircraft,I always felt his first lovewas in photography as in the late 40's he won many prizes from Chicago news papers.I always knew Eddie was at the top of the modeling world but do to his machine shop buissnes and my returning from service our paths never crossed until he came by our flying field in 2004,He called me and wanted to know if I could help him get started again in RC,I filled him in on all the latest equiptment and told him if he needed help let me know but in only a few weeks he called back and said he was just to shaky and didn't want to try it.
In the years of 2004,5,6 we shared many hours just setting around and Eddie would tell stories of his trips to Europe pretaning to his world championship and also of flights on the Concord jet,I will never forget Eddie as he was one of a kind,a person who was never satisfied
unless he was on top.Eddie was very excited when he came to the field one day and told me he had received a call from the AMA and that he was going to be inducted into the hall of fame,
I offered my congratulations but after his passing I went on the hall of fame site and did not see his name,If he is not added it will be a grave injustice,Rest in Peace
Bob

Thanks for that Bob.

I say we (R/C Universe members) get on the AMA and see if he's been inducted and if not, then why not.

I met Ed for the first time back in the 60's at the Nats in Chicago. He introduced the Taurus at that meet. I had already built an Orion, and then proceeded to build two of the Taurus models. All three were powered by the K&B Torpedo .45 Green head engines, the largest engine available at the time. All three planes were equipped with Bonner servos, and flown on Orbit 8-channel reeds.

Attached is a rather poor photo of the three planes. The bi-plane is a deBolt Acrobat, the second one ever made. That plane was equipped with my first proportional radio - the Orbit 7/14 special built for me by Bob Dunham.

Also attached is the cover of Model Airplane News, January 1963 showing Ed with the Taurus.

Thanks for that cover photo of M.A.N. Do you know if the original construction article was also in that issue of M.A.N.? And, do you still have the old plans? I'm wondering what the plan number was so that I might get a copy for myself...

Thanks,

Bob

That issue of MAN is the January 1963 issue. It contained the construction article for the Taurus. Unfortunately, MAN does not sell this plan any longer. However, check out this site ===) http://www.homeandhobbysolutions.com/ as they sell a version of the Taurus called the Primus. The outline is true to the original Taurus with updated construction techniques. Do a search here on RCU for Primus for more info.

I too am very saddened by the passing of Ed. He was a very talented modeler who IMO started the way pattern ships were designed. Just look at how all other designs are variations of the Taurus. To this day the Taurus is still very popular and if you can find an original Top Flite kit, be prepared to pay big bucks for it!

ED, Rest In Peace and many happy flights!

Thank You, Free Bird.

Please consider to be part of this flying legend. you can join this group TAURUS by Ed Kazmirski on www.facebook.com and post your photos and experience. joining this group we can extend our passion to others beyond rcuniverse....

Did Ed design the tauri? (the smaller version of the taurus sorta like the senior falcon and the falcon 56)
Thats what I learned to fly with back in the day. I thought that the taurus was the cadillac of R/C. Still do.

Yes, Ed designed the Tauri.

I felt very privileged to have had the brief opportunity to speak with Ed by phone shortly before he became ill.

I had just written the second of two articles for Model Aviation magazine about vintage pattern, VR/CS and SPA. One of the e-mails I received after that article was from a guy who had Ed's address. Ed had been a long-time hero of mine since I follwed early R/C pattern as a special interest of mine, and had considered the Taurus to be the first "modern-era" pattern plane. It still flys beautifully today on proportional radios. I had been wanting to contact Ed for a long time about his tremendous contribution to pattern modeling, but I didn't know his address. After begging the guy, and promising I would not pester him, he gave it to me. I sent Ed both of my articles, and asked if he could comment on them. I had also included an enlargement of a picture of him taken with his "taper-wing" Taurus by by Dad at a 1965 Detroit Invitational-this picture was included in the first M.A. article I wrote in May 2006.

I was also particularly interested in his giant, (at the time) Simla design, as that model had been mentioned in my second article. Ed and fellow cub member Vic Husak, (and possibly others), had gotten together and decided that "big was better" and smoother, and wanted to try their hand at designing a large pattern model. Vic's model was the King Alltair, (which Ed named). Ed's Simla was a one-time model built without plans.

A week went by. Finally I received several phone messages on my answering machine from Ed while I was away at an SPA contest. My wife even contacted me saying that Ed had called on her cell phone trying to reach me. We eventually got together by phone, and we had several conversations in late July-early August of 2007 about Ed's R/C career, his reasons for leaving the hobby, and details of the Simla. One conversation lasted over an hour, and it was wondferful to talk to him.

He sounded somewhat frail over the phone, but was otherwise healthy. He mentioned the story told earlier that he had been interested in getting back into R/C, but that he didn't feel he could physically do it. He told me of upcoming back surgery to relieve pain caused by pressure on spinal nerves. He was not looking forward to the surgery, but it was necessary. We made tentative plans for me to travel to Chicago to meet him in person, and interview him, but he wanted the surgery out of the way first. The surgery was Aug 23rd.

After about three weeks post surgery I contacted him, but there was no answer. Eventually the phone was disconnected. Apparently the surgery didn't go well, and he passed away a few months later. Like all of us who understand and appreciate his contribution to R/C pattern, I was saddened at his passing. I would have loved to meet him personally

I remember distinctly that one of the things he DID tell me on the phone, was that the 11 years he spent in R/C were the "best years of his life" when he looked back. It's nice to know he felt that way, and that he still had a fond spot for vintage R/C pattern after being out of the hobby nearly 40 years..