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START HERE NMPRA Hall Of Fame Inductee - 2013




Fred Burgdorf
is best known in the model aviation community for his line of injection-molded airplane propellers.

Fred started his career in the industry immediately after high school. He worked in the business for more than 25 years, acquiring technical and business management experience. Much of this experience came when he was working for Ray-Chem in the 1970s. Later he and two partners started their own company making high-tech connectors for the blossoming computer industry in Fremont, California, and what is now known as Silicon Valley.

He started his injection-molding business, Landing Products, in the late 1980s by manufacturing competition propellers. Advanced Precision Composite (APC) propellers have become the standard in the modeling community and have revolutionized model aviation.

Fred designed the propellers for specific applications in the disciplines of Pattern, Pylon racing, Giant Scale racing, and the Sport flier. The large selection and high performance of APC propellers has made Landing Products a supplier for RC pilots around the world, greatly advancing the sport. With the help of APC propellers, pilots are able to achieve more with their model aircraft than ever before.

Fred’s interest in model aviation grew out of his competitive spirit. In order to improve his products, he had to be able to do his own testing. As a result, learning to fly high-performance model airplanes became a regular part of his daily business. Fred has been an active participant in the modeling community since the early 1990s. He began competing in Warbirds racing soon thereafter. In addition, Fred has successfully competed in Giant Scale racing, AMA Pylon, and FAI Pylon (F3D).

Fred became the Pylon racer to beat in the last few years. He improved his flying with relentless practice. His regiment included two to three daily flights in the morning before the sun broke the horizon, followed by three to four more flights each afternoon. Each flight was made to match race conditions as closely as possible. This included setting up pylons, using a start timer, and having a helper at the pylons to watch for cuts. Fred would also have practice sessions in adverse conditions, including high crosswinds and low sun angles.

Fred’s F3D involvement began with him entering the EuroCup F3D races back in 2004 and forging many friendships with competitors from around the world over the past several years. His dedication to F3D racing with countless hours of testing and propeller development has been instrumental in putting the USA on top again in world-level F3D competition.

USA F3D Team Member Fred Burgdorf At 2007 Muncie World Championship

Fred With One Of His Q40 Models