Written by AMA Staff (01/2001); Edited by JS (12/2005), Updated by JS (10/2007, 12/2010)
Edward Beshar - 1999
At age 81, Ed Beshar’s aeromodeling career spans almost 70 years. As a young hobby shop owner in the 1930s, he attracted individuals of all ages to his hobby shop club based in the shop in New Rochelle, New York.
In addition to the shop, Ed produced his own line of kits. These included Free Flight models named the Alpha Corsair, Baby Corsair, Yankee, and Brigadier. These ranged from gas engine models to rubber-powered Wakefield models, from sport to competition. All were quite successful and popular.
Ed’s business suffered, as many did, during the Depression. The club, however, continued, as did Ed as combination mentor and big brother for many fledgling competitors. One of his first loves was Indoor, flown at the local YMCA. He was, in fact, the first to record a 15-minute flight with an Indoor tractor model.
World War II intervened in his modeling career. However, following its conclusion, his activity was renewed, finding Ed again inspiring and leading. He continued to achieve many significant wins in local, regional, and national competitions. His modeling interests have embraced .049 to .99-powered models, Rubber power from twin pushers to Wakefield, Scale, Towline, HandLaunch, Speed, Indoor, Ornithopter, Helicopter, and a single RC effort. Besides helping establish clubs in the New York area, Ed proved to be excellent at helping young people achieve success in attaining flight results.
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