No not the JPO or any other organization.

This morning I let my dog out and I glanced at a pile of books and stuff and saw my BVM Bobcat XL manual sitting there and immediately John Redman came to mind.

Got me thinking, I've been in this turbine game 23 years this year and seen some awesome jets and met some awesome people.

Who do you associate with a particular model when you see one? Maybe it was a build thread or maybe it was the first time you saw that particular jet.

Here is some of my list.

CAI Raptor - Karl Hibbs
BVM F4 - David Reid
BVM F86 - Dan Avila
JMP Firebird - Tom Cook
JMP Hustler - Victor Montalbano
Mibo A10 - Billy Edwards
BVM kingcat - Vern and Larry Kramer
BVM Super Bandit - Justin Sands
Kangaroo - Dean Wichmann
Top Gun Mig 29 - Roy Holt


The list could carry on a long time I'm sure but those were definitely some of the lasting impression models that stick in my mind as iconic in this hobby.

When I see F9F Panthers always makes me think of Lewis Patton's CAI Panther. And Bob Fiorenze with any T-38s or F4s

John Redman, he'd already been a bunch of help trying to get one of the new JetCat 180's when they were first released. When it was discovered that there were a number of problems with that engine for which John found the solution after JetCat could not, I was very impressed with him not to mention the fact that he was/is a h*ll of a nice guy and very knowledgeable.

Jump forward to the acquisition of an SM Tomcat which was complete minus rx's and engines. By that time, JetCat had released the RXi versions of the 180 engine so I called John about them and he said all the problems had been resolved and the RXi was a great engine. Out of stock he told me.....RATS.... But said he had some coming in but not sure when they would arrive. I told him I had an SM F14 that needed some engines and could he provide me with a pair of sequential serial number and power matched engines for that model.

Came down to shipping charges and I asked it they'd be done by the Best In the West meet in ButtonWillow CA (That's near Bakersfield, CA for the uninitiated) and if he was going, could he just bring them down.

Turned out I could not get to that meet, but a couple of my buddies were going, both of whom knew John, they were willing to pick up the engines. John showed up with the engines at BITW and one of my buddies accepted them.

That model is still in my garage and I'm going to have to sell it, but everytime I walk past that box the model is in, I think about John Redman.