"While clearing Mr. Harris' home and office, as the personal representative of his estate, I discovered a nice photo of Frank price in front of his Bucker. I am sure you are well acquainted with Frank and his history with aerobatics and the IAC. In consideration of that history, it is only fitting that the photo goes to IAC, "said Betsey in a letter addressed to the IAC.
"Mr. Harris was a catalyst for sport aviation in northeastern Oklahoma and was chairman for many aviation events for more than forty years. In that Frank lived in Texas, he attended fly-ins in our area and became a close friend of Mr. Harris. Frank was a delightfully entertaining gentleman and through the years I enjoyed listening to the stories of his colorful adventurous life," said Betsey.
Steve Kurtzahn, the IAC Executive Director received the portrait and is arranging a fitting location.
Frank Price
by, Mike Heuer, IAC 4
I was delighted to see the photo of Frank Price that was received from the Charlie Harris estate. Charlie was a very devoted guy – organized a lot of things – and I have seen this portrait before. I am not sure of this, but I believe it was taken at Oshkosh.
I have a ton of stories about Frank – and am also happy that years ago, a trophy was created in his honor to recognize people who had made substantial contributions to aerobatics. Frank certainly did.
He was not really an “organizer” in the sense we think of it today. More of a gathering point. We were members of the American Tiger Club when it first got started in the 1960’s and attended Tiger Days for the first time in 1968. I have some wonderful, though poor quality, photos of that gathering and the folks who brought their airplanes. It was somewhat disjointed – no organized events during the day – just flying in all four quadrants of the airport where Frank hosted it near Waco, Texas, his hometown.
There is another photo of Frank hanging in the IAC Pavilion – I put it there. It is that famous photo of him standing alone, behind the American flag, and next to the full Soviet Team at the first WAC in Bratislava in 1960. His trip over, his participation, and his way back could fill a novel. You can’t make this stuff up – which is what makes aerobatic history so fascinating.
After Tiger Days in 1968, we went on to form IAC in late 1969. After completing the first rule book draft in early 1970, Dad and I took off on a 10-day tour in his Bonanza to discuss the new rules with some of the aerobatic luminaries of the time. We went all the way to south Florida and around the coast into Texas. We arrived in Waco, Texas on 11 January 1970 to see Frank after departing Monroe, Louisiana for a visit with Marion Cole.
While Frank didn’t provide much input on the rules draft, it was amazing for a young 20-year-old like me to sit in his company, knowing that he was already one of the legends in aerobatics. He was also to sole source of the Aresti Catalogue at the time, seller of Bucker Jungmeister plans, an airshow pilot, and instructor – among other things. His hangar was like a museum. We departed the next day for Kansas City where we met with Dr. Dale Drummond, one of the most experienced aerobatic judges at the time and who taught me a lot when I assisted for him that same year.
As I have said before, Frank is principally known for his being the lone and first American to fly in the WAC some 62 years ago. But he was a wonderful friend as well – and trusted me enough to send me the large-format negative of that photo of him with the Soviet Team. After making some prints, I returned it to him. That’s another reason why I love that shot of him that is displayed in the IAC Pavilion.
There is more, of course, but I am going on too long. I last saw Frank at the 1996 WAC in Oklahoma City. He wanted to be there though his health was deteriorating. He also crop-dusted and I think the years of being exposed to those chemicals (in the years before the pilots wore respirators) took their toll on his lungs.
