Directions
Take the 8 Mile Road exit off of I-275 and go west 2.5 miles to Center Street. Go south on Center Street for a 1/2 mile and then west on Main Street.
The Northville Senior Community Center is located at 303 West Main Street.
There is free parking in the back of the building, off of Cady Street.

     As part of the Midwest Swap Shop there will be a Priceless Sale with all of the proceeds going directly to the Midwest RC Society.

     What is a Priceless Sale?

     Great models and modeling items are placed on the selling tables and it is basically make a somewhat reasonable offer, and he item or items are yours.

     It is a great way to get some super buys!

     Rich Utkan passed away suddenly and without warning on Saturday, September 21, 2019. He was 72 years old.

     I got a call on Sunday afternoon, Sunday, from Richard's daughter and it hit me like a ton of bricks, to say the least.

     I am still trying to process this.

     Richard and I go way back to the days of the original Union Lake Flying Organization (UFO).

     He's been my/the EFO's vice-president since its inception in 1988.

     My mind is filled with his unique voice and speech patterns and I can hear him constantly in my head now. Only about a month before we were having such an enjoyable time together at the CARDS meet.

EFO Vice-President, Richard Utkan - My Last Photo of My Great Friend

     My last photo of Richard was taken at the CARDS flying field on that day.

     I received the following from Mark Williams of the United Flying Organization, where Richard was also an active member.

Dear Friends,

     It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that our fellow club member Richard Utkan passed away. This tragic event occurred Saturday, September 21st, 2019.

     He laid down to take a nap and did not get up.

     Richard is a distinguished pilot, builder, US Air Force veteran, and recipient of the Carl Goldberg Vital People Award from the AMA. Most of all Richard is our dear friend.

     He has been a member of the UFO club since records were kept. He joined in 1984. He was a member of the lawn crew and a club student trainer.

     Richard would help other members and provide advice and help both on and off the field. Richard pushed the envelope with new building techniques and scratch-built designs that were often very successful.

     This truly is a detriment to the RC community and to our club.

     Richard is the Vice-President of the EFO, the electric only spin off of the original Union Lake Flying Organization, UFO club. Their field was located on Wise Road, near Union Lake, MI at the old Nike base.

     The EFO members include Keith Shaw and Ken Myers, editor of the Ampeer, the oldest electric RC publication still in existence.

     Richard was among the founding fathers of electric RC, especially modern Electric RC. Among his peers are the best and most famous pioneers of RC flight.

Sincerely,
Mark Williams

     Richard's Obituary is located here.

     The following is from his obituary, and really notes what a great kind of guy he was.
"From 1966-1970, Richard proudly served his country in the United States Air Force as a crew chief on the F-111. Upon receiving his honorable discharge, he began his career as an assemblyman for Ford Motor Company. He worked at Ford for many years, until his retirement in 2007. Throughout his life, Richard enjoyed camping, hiking, cooking, and being outdoors. Richard greatly enjoyed building and flying model airplanes, and was a member and vice-president of the Electric Flyers Organization. He was also a devoted member of the Immanuel Lutheran Church in South Lyon for many years."

     Richard was based in Thailand and we had many a talk comparing his service in Thailand to my service in South Korea from 1968 - 1969. I'll miss those talks a lot! Like me in Korea, he continued to be a model builder in Thailand.

     I will just plain miss him so very, very much.