1939 Dick Korda Wakefield Free Flight at SCCMAS

The name Dick Korda is one of the most recognized and respected names in model aviation throughout the U.S. and abroad. A modest and very courteous competitor, Dick was always willing to help others with their modeling problems. His interest in aviation was nurtured at an early age while living next to a small airport. He was soon reading all the air war stories in the popular pulp magazines of the time, especially about his idol, the Red Baron – Manfred Von Richthofen. When he was 13, his father bought him a small 12-inch rubber-powered model airplane. It was made in Japan and silk-covered on a wire frame with a metal prop. After flying the model he was soon building his own Rise-off-Ground (ROG) stick models and on his way to an illustrious career in model aviation.
Intensely fascinated with airplanes, Dick always found a way to attend the Cleveland Air Races every day of the event beginning in 1929 when he was only 14. He loved the racing planes and even managed to meet some of the pilots.
Dick's aeromodeling interest ranged from indoor microfilm and all phases of Free Flight models and Radio Control (RC). His most notable success was in 1939 when he won the coveted Wakefield Trophy at the International Wakefield Contest held in Bendix, New Jersey. His remarkable flight of 43 minutes and 15 seconds was the best of the day and set a new international record.

The Korda Wakefield has been built and flown more than any other design of Wakefield model and 60 years later is still a favorite model for Old-Timer events. The Wakefield Cup is considered model aviation's most prestigious trophy. The Wakefield Cup was donated by Lord Wakefield of Hythe to promote interest in model aeronautics. The first Wakefield Cup competition was held near London, England in 1928.
After winning the Wakefield Cup, a Cleveland aviation firm hired Dick as a machinist, recognizing his resourcefulness and ingenuity. This experience led to a career as a very respected and skilled toolmaker in the Cleveland area.
Dick Korda flew models competitively through 1953. His main interest then turned to real flying. His first airplane was a Piper Cub in 1950 and later an Aeronca Chief. Dick took glider lessons in 1951 and a year later was part owner of a Schweitzer 126. In the mid 1950s, he became a tow pilot for the Cleveland Soaring Society. In 1973 he flew a Schweitzer 126 over Colorado's Pikes Peak in hopes of earning a diamond pin given by the Soaring Society of America for attitude soaring. He was within 200 feet of the required 16,000 feet height gain (after release) when the extreme cold forced him to retreat to a lower altitude. Sadly, in 1989 Dick's flying days drew to a close after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Even with the onset of Parkinson's, Dick's enthusiasm for airplanes never dimmed. At age 79, he built and flew his 1939 Wakefield model at the 1994 Society of Antique Modelers (SAM) Championships, which was a commemorative event in his honor. He placed 10th out of 76 entries.

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