Richard Steeves, a good and dear friend has passed, known for his achievements in medicine and among his friends for leading a long-term aviation club and even constructing a Coot Amphibian and electric ultralight airplane.
Many will know him from his leadership of the Coot Builder’s Club, a group of enthusiasts who build and fly Molt Taylor’s design. The organization publishes a newsletter that Richard edited for an astonishing 50 years. He became great friends with Moulton (Molt) Taylor, the designer of the Coot, and wrote books and articles about the amphibian. Now, with Richard’s passing, Andrew Wayne will take over running the organization and publishing the newsletter, which promotes the continued building and flying of this craft.
In the early days of aircraft home-building, enthusiasts had to find plans for their intended craft, materials, and if possible, supportive local help. This made building a Coot especially challenging. Managing construction of a complex airplane with retractable landing gear, and mastering wood working, metal fabrication and fiberglass layups made for a daunting project. Richard, because of his meticulous attention to detail and success in mastering those skills, became a mentor to others embarking on construction.
That he could perform cutting edge research in nuclear medicne and assist patients with a difficult prognosis while overseeing a world-wide club of aviation enthusiasts and coordinating an annual gathering of the club at Airventure shows his organizational skills. That he could reflect the levels of kindness and calm he manifested made him a memorable friend.
Adventures with Bravo
Richard was concerned about the ravages climate change was making on our planet. He drove only hybrid and electric cars in his later decades, and even investigated the possibility of converting his e-Gull ultralight to solar power. That little airplane gave him many hours of joy flying over the Wisconsin River he loved to follow. He achieved what he was looking for and continued working to increase the e-Gull’s efficiency.
Richard Steeves’ E-Gull Bravo was much loved, transporting him on many sunny trips along the Wisconsin River
He and the craft’s designer Mark Beierle, Earthstar’s CEO, made many modifications to the little airplane. Richard stayed at Mark’s hill-top airport in Santa Margarita, California and worked to make the necessary modifications to the craft. Rebuilding an existing airframe, The pair mounted a 170-pound battery pack behind the pilot’s seat, a Zero motorcycle motor behind the wing, and a large-diameter propeller behind all that.
Richard made one trip from Sauk City, Wisconsin to Oshkosh in his Bravo, staying overnight in Portage and Markesan. That is a good indication of how far batteries have evolved in the seven years since that memorable flight. Richard was a pioneer in electric aviation.
Bravo on its 2018 trip to AirVenture at Oshkosh
Richard showed great care for the earth and his fellow humans while here. All who knew him share a great sadness in his absence. We all benefit from his contributions.