Tribute to Jeff Troy
01-30-2024, 05:14 PM
#1
Tribute to Jeff Troy
I wanted to take a moment and pay tribute to Jeff Troy. I first met Jeff in 1981. I can clearly remember the evening I was unloading the Dave Platt (Top Flite) Contender .40 out of my dad's station wagon for show and tell at the Valley Forge Signal Seekers club meeting. It was dark and he came right up, named the plane right off and started asking me questions about the construction. This started a long modeling relationship that lasted through high school and college. Jeff quickly became the manager of the local hobby shop in King of Prussia. I can remember visiting and him showing me the finishing touches he was doing on his super finished (down to rivets!) pattern plane for the Toledo show. He loved scale and I an still remember the stories he would tell of Bleriot, the first man to cross the English Channel. He led the Sailplane contingent at VFSS, which I quickly became part. I flew 2M contests and he even inspired me to build a 2M from scratch (Scooter 2M). Over the decades, I moved out of state after college and we did not stay as connected to the local clubs in PA; he married Lisa, became editor and contributor to many model magazines and hobby related areas and ran the Sailplane NATS a few times. Every time I'd see him over the decades that have passed, , whether it be at Toledo or regional indoor fly-in, he would always ask "How's your Pop?". Later he would ask "How's your pop?" then soon followed by "How's your son?". Anyhow, I am sure Jeff has impacted probably thousands through this hobby and he will be missed.
