RIP Patrick Hibbs

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ksaves2

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Tex Perry the ex-vice pres. of the Peoria Area Rocketry Society called me yesterday to advise that Pat Hibbs died on 2/22/19 after a short battle with cancer. The old PARS website is here: https://www.tripolipeoria95.com/ but the club became largely inactive about 1.5 to 2 years ago due to loss of local interest. Couldn't get enough to come out and fly and the weather could be highly variable. I've taken down the APRS icon for PARS because it's likely going to be permanently gone now and Tripoli #95 will be disbanded. Had a lot of fun in his rocket shop and learned to mix there. For better or worse, Pat was responsible for some memorable flights. Got his L3 on the big Phoenix on an M at MWP3. We got it up at the PARS site on a Research N motor. Motor did fine and lofted it up considerably higher than the 1400 feet or so he got out of the M but Pat decided to use two chutes instead of three. The three did great on the cert flight but with the two on the N, one chute fouled and the back end took some damage. A few years later, he repaired it and had that hairy loop on an O at MWP that destroyed the rocket. The OMG rockets had their issues with one going in ballistic due to the altimeters being whacked by a 2 watt Garmin dog tracker.

Made a new OMG rocket and it just slipped off the tower as the rear end of the 6" diameter motor gave way and the burning grains slipped out and consumed the rocket and the launch trailer that Pat brought (it was his own so no QCRS tower was wrecked) Probable metal failure as the O motor casing with a graphite nozzle had I believe 4 other flights/attempts on it. Heat soak over time I think decreased the case strength.

The 3 finned OMG rocket I was told flew in Indiana but the Ebay was torn to bits with chute deployment because it wasn't strong enough. After the last O failure/fire with the last OMG rocket he said to me he wasn't going to go there anymore and stick with smaller M motors.

Went through two fires. One burned down his garage and rocket shop and the second one was a burnpile accident that darned near killed him. Pat was persistent though as he always bounced back in some way shape or form and continued in the hobby.

As members drifted away, he told me he was going to maintain the landowner relationship, the waiver and let me know when he was going to fly. I believe health issues got in the way of that. Tex mentioned that Pat's spouse Karen is going to have a celebration of life later and arrangements are still pending.
Godspeed Patrick Hibbs.

Kurt Savegnago
 
Rest in peace Pat

I remember his flights at MWP. You always knew when Pat was near by. His laugh was great. A very friendly guy.
 
Pat always seemed to have a smile on his face and his laugh could be heard up and down the flight line.

Here is a pic I took of Pat that the PARS Muscle Launch in April, 2007.

100_1170-2.jpg

Rest in peace Pat.
 
Great shot Chuck. That was a nice launch but some nearby neighbors got ticked off and we couldn't host another one. I remembered
a fellow from Iowa got his L3 on his Thunderbird rocket and it broke 20k............... Without a tracker!! He did find it and did get it back.
I saw in a post he flew it again something like 10 years later successfully after he took it out of "retirement". Kurt
 
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