My memories of Martyn obviously do not extend back as far as the British
gentleman who previously have reminisced on SEN. But I will say that my
memories of Martyn extend back as far as I can remember on the flying
field. One memory that sticks out to me in particular is a Scat Annual many
years ago that he attempted to go after the Glider record. I watched
intently as he put up flight after flight pushing towards the record. After
is 2nd flight (9 min) I believe, he approached me and asked me if I could
chase for him. Martin had this orange bike with a lighter orange fender and
was just small enough that I could ride. My eyes lit up and he laughed as I
jumped on his bike and fired it up for the first time. I chased for him for
the rest of the day, thanked him and went home being so thankful for the
opportunity he gave me to feel like one of the big boys.

Not so long after that, I started to show a keen interest in flying models
myself. At the 1997 Vegas Contest, Brian Van Nest let me fly one of his
F1H's (unlatched of course) and I placed for the first time in my
freeflight career. Martyn approached me afterwards and told me that he
enjoyed my enthusiasm and desire to better myself. It meant a lot to me
that people besides my family were encouraging me, and Martyn was one who
continually went out of his way to build me up.

I remember that he always had such an enjoyable time with the British
invasion that occurred every February. The boys would always enjoy a good
conversation and meal at the restaurant on the field. They also came up
with a game revolving around minimizing the quantity of questions that a
waiter at Denny's would be compelled to ask when recording an order. These
things all may seem inconsequential to most, but something I enjoyed so
much was watching Martyn enjoy life! He had to give up F1A after he hurt
his knee, and I can only imagine how hard that was for him, but he wouldn't
burden anyone with that, instead he continued to show up to the field and
fly different events and support other free flight flyers. These were
characteristics that marked Martyn's reputation. A kind, fun loving,
extremely intelligent and encouraging man.

Its interesting to be someone that grew up in this community. I don't mean
to sound doom and gloom, but as I get older I sadly read of men that I have
admired and matured because of, passing away. I think this is a solemn
reminder that our lives on earth are fleeting and that we are very blessed
to enjoy a community that is as involved and tight knit as the free flight
community. May we cherish the time we spend with each other, not just the
time we spend competing. I know that I cherish the memories of
conversations in RV's and under sun fly's more than I do any trophy that
sits on my mantle. I may not have been close to Martyn, but I won't soon
forget him.

Benjamin Coussens