Bob Odegaard

For those that don't already know, Bob Odegaard died this past weekend in ND practicing for an airshow routine in his Super Corsair (the blue and white one that ya'll probably saw at OSH). Truly a remarkable human being, and a friend to a number of folks on this forum and many homebuilders/restorers in general. Those who don't immediately know the name will surely recognize the previous Super Corsair he restored (the red/white one with the singular white prop blade)....or the bright yellow "Duggy" DC-3, or many of his other gorgeous planes over the years which have graced many an airshow.

HERE IS THE LINK to his obituary and details for any memorial donations.

Stein.

He Will be misses

Thanks Stein for posting this.

I met Bob several times at OSH. He was a true gentleman and would always take time to chat.

We flew with Duggy during the Circle the Jumpers for the Tuesday opening of this years AirVenture and I actually hunted down the Duggy crew (Bob was the PIC) to compliment them on how easy they made the adjustments that happened to the schedule at the last minutes. True professionalism.

I know the Warbird community will sorely miss Bob, but we all have lost a friend and mentor.

Larry mentioned this at the Badlands flyin, during our air tour briefing.

R I P, Bob.

My deepest condolences to the family and friends. Here is a very nice video of him doing the tribute to Bob Hoover in a Shrike:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o50A_nTa7b4

Some years ago, I spoke with him at a flyin near Fargo, and he was kind enough to ask about my RV. I of course reciprocated and asked him about the super Corsair he was sitting near... he was a truly fine person.

Big loss

Although I had only met him a couple of times he stood out as a gentleman and a tremendous advocate for aviation. He was a regular at Stellar Airpark in Chandler AZ when he was at his winter home in Apache Junction.

He was close to many of my neighbors. One of my neighbors, Larry Perkins, was a close friend and they were together at Oshkosh when I met Bob. The other Super Corsair is based here and Larry Perkins flies it. Larry flew Bob's Shrike to Osh.

When Bob found out I was originally from South Dakota he invited me to visit his place in North Dakota anytime. Pretty amazing on a first introduction.

My thoughts are with his family and the hundreds he has touched in his all too short of lifetime.

I wanted to post about Bob this weekend but didn't know if it would be deleted.

Bob was a great guy, and his love of aviation shone thru. I just spoke to him at a flyin Memorial Day weekend we hold each year to remember his good friend Gerry Beck who died at OSH in 2007. I teased him and his son Casey about arriving to the flyin in a 172. He always had a smile on his face, and had time to talk.

He will be missed by many.

?There was not a person that Robert met that did not instantly like him, respect him, and want to be around a man so in love with airplanes, the idea of flight,?

http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2012/120910services-salute-for-robert-odegaard.html

Bob was playing his '64 Fender Mustang in my hangar just a few weeks ago, while helping Captain John fix his alternator...

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=90008&page=3&highlight=famous

Regrettably, I can't make it out to the service, but here's the info if you have an interest in paying your respects to a guy that made a difference.

http://fargoairmuseum.org/events-fargo-air-museum/robert-odegaard-service/

We're all going to miss this man...

Nick, that's right... He was a great man!

He will be missed by many.

. CJ

Small remembrance of an amazing pilot

Unfortunately, I never saw Bob Hoover fly in person in his Shrike Commander. However, this year at OSH I luckily was at show center when Bob Odegaard flew the Shrike in a tribute to Bob Hoover. I was simply in awe of the flying skills Mr Odegaard displayed flying the Shrike. I was trying to explain to my daughter who is just getting interested in aviation what a remarkable display of flying she was seeing that day. She could not believe he was doing all those manuevers with the props stopped!

At the end of the flight he coasted to a stop a few feet from where we were standing against the ropes. He stepped out of the plane and had a great big friendly smile on his face as everyone applauded his performance. He was greeted right away by his crew or some of the VIP's then he said hello to many of the fans like myself who admired his skills.

It seemed by his graciousness to the average Joe Schmos like myself that his personality matched his flying skills. I am shocked by his untimely passing. What a great loss to his family and friends and all the Joes like me who love flying. Aviation has lost one of its stars. Condolences and prayers.