Flight simulation icon Rudy Frasca passed away May 11, 2020, at the age of 89. He died of natural causes.
Rudy was born on April 19, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois. He was one of six children of Anthony and Jenny Frasca. He and his wife Lucille (Matern) married in 1955 and moved to Champaign, Illinois, where Rudy started his business, Frasca International, and where they raised their eight children together.
The flight simulator icon started his aviation career when he began taking flying lessons at the age of 14 and soloed shortly thereafter. In 1949, Rudy joined the Navy and was stationed at Glenview Naval Station, where he worked as a flight instructor teaching pilots on the early Link trainers.
After the Korean War, Rudy left the Navy to attend the University of Illinois, where he did research in Aviation Psychology and honed his interest in the field of flight simulation. The more he worked with that early generation of pilot training devices, the more he realized that there had to be a better way.
In 1958, putting together everything he had learned in the Navy and the university, Rudy built his first flight simulator at home in his garage and Frasca Aviation was founded (the name later changed to Frasca International to reflect the emerging character of the business).
Over the years, Rudy collected many unique and antique aircraft, including a P-40, a Spitfire, a Wildcat, an SNJ, a T-34, a Fiat, and a Zero replica. He loved all airplanes, but had a special place in his heart for his Piper Cub.
In his flying days, Rudy was active in many aviation organizations and has loaned several of his aircraft to the Experimental Aircraft Association’s museum so that the general public can enjoy them.
My wife and I met Rudy several years ago at a fly-in at Frasca Field. We had just toured the soon-to-close museum at the old Chanute Air Force Base and wanted to fly some more. We were told that there was a fly-in at Frasca Field that day. We flew in and saw that it was a Light Sport Aircraft fly-in. We were walking around one of the hangars admiring the collection of vintage aircraft and cars when a booming voice called out “how do you like my collection?” Sure enough it was Rudy himself and he proceeded to take me and my wife on a personal tour of his hangars and his shops where the original simulator was invented and perfected. It was surreal. Just to cap off an amazing day I later met Paul and Audrey Poberezny hanging out at the quaint little FBO drinking lemonade.
Bought our Frasca Simulator from him in 1969. What a salesman! Was always available to talk and he would call periodically to see how things were going. Smart businessman, pilot, inventor private airport owner and much more. Rudy Frasca may you RIP!
A great life for a great man! Hope he was able to take his Cub with him.