More “JD” Model Sightings (L-4 Grasshopper)
By: Joe Pirozzoli
Introduction
On any given weekend, when there’s a pretty good crowd of pilots, you are very likely to find at least one of the planes from JD LaVasseur’s estate. FYI… it is always a very pleasant and warm reminder of our dear departed friend and the generous donation he made to our Club. I’ve spoken of JD many times and my great admiration for him. That is why I am proud to own 2 of his planes and make sure they get plenty of “stick-time”!
Very recently, including 2 weekends this past October, another of JD’s planes has been restored and is now getting a lot of stick-time… that being his Bill Hempel (i.e. “Team Edge”) 40% scale, L-4 Grasshopper. “Team Edge” boasts of being the “Home of the World’s Largest ARF’s”. No doubt this is true because they offer many large-scale models, some of which are up to 65% scale. Thus, if your thing is uber-sized scale models… then Team Edge is your destination for a wide variety of large, impressive scale models!
Flight of the L-4
As a fanatic scale modeler, with a preference toward warbirds, the L-4 was undoubtably an attractive choice for JD. Finding the age and date of which it was first flown was pretty easy. I simply contacted our trusty Club photographer (and current Newsletter Editor), Lee Jay Fingersh. Lee Jay not only sent me photographs, but also a video of the maiden flight. The pictures below were taken on August 26, 2014. There is also a video of the maiden flight, presumably the same day. The stats on JD’s L-4 are as follows:
- Scale – 40%
- Wingspan – 14 feet
- Weight – ~49 pounds
- Motor – DLE 120 cc
JD flew the L-4 many times and at many events. There photos of JD and his L-4 at most of the AAM Airshows and Warbirds Over the Rockies© from 2015 through 2018. Subsequently, JD’s health began to decline and his activity level was significantly diminished after his left leg was amputated in January 2019. However, he was still participating in static events, shows, attending club meetings, building models, and visiting the field. His last visit to the Airpark was on October 29, 2022. JD passed away just 13 days later on November 11, 2022. Per his final wishes, all of his models including the L-4, were donated to the Club.
Two of the signature features of JD’s L-4 were: 1) the pilot insignia on the right side of the aircraft (in white lettering) which read, “LT. JD La Vasseur”; and 2) the “Grumpy” (of the “7 dwarves”) insignia on the left side. Although JD was an extremely pleasant and amiable person, in many pictures he does appear to be frowning, which contributed to the “Grumpy” legend. All the photos below were all taken during the Arvada Harvest Festival parade and AAM Airshow on September 10, 2016.
It is also worth noting that the 3 large scale warbirds (PT-19, P-47 and Zero), on the parade float, were all JD’s.
The Next Chapter for JD’s L-4
JD’s L-4 was successfully auctioned on June 25, 2023 along with the rest of his donated estate. At that time, the L-4 was not flyable due to some minor damage (and a little hanger rash) to various critical components including the wing-tube housing. I specifically recall that the wing-tube housing would need to be repaired or replaced before it could be flown. Spoiler alert… the person that purchased it at the estate auction is NOT the same person that owns it today and is flying it with regularity at our Airpark.
Introducing… Randy Chrinka, current owner of JD’s L-4. As mentioned, Randy did not purchase JD’s L-4 at the estate auction in 2023. Rather, he purchased it around May 2025. Randy does not know (for certain) if the person he bought it from is the same person that acquired it at the estate auction. However, the person he bought it from confirmed that the L-4 he was selling to Randy originally had a “Grumpy” insignia on the left side of the aircraft. This is an important detail which confirmed that this had been JD’s L-4 because, at the time Randy purchased the plane, the plane had been re-covered (with fabric) and the “Grumpy” insignia was gone.
I inquired about the history of Randy’s L-4 because I was naturally curious if it had been one of JD’s models, despite the fact that there were many obvious modifications and improvements to the model. IOW… today, the L-4 looks nothing like it did when JD owned it. As I spoke more with Randy, he divulged many details about acquiring the L-4 and the numerous modifications and improvements that he had made. I also got to know Randy, who is relatively new to the Club, a lot better. He is obviously a very meticulous “scale” modeler. Everything that I’ve seen him bring to the field be it the L-4, helicopters, IMAC planes, etc. are all large, scale aircraft finished with incredible detail. He is also a very accomplished flyer.
The L-4 was in reasonably good condition and supposedly flyable when Randy purchased it last May. However, he did not want any of the original radio components or the DLE engine. Thus, he only purchased the airframe. The following are most of the modifications and improvements Randy made (which are substantial):
- GP123 cc engine with stock exhaust
- Extreme Flight 54 oz fuel tank (resulting in 40 min flight times)
- AirTop 8” rubber tires
- New, custom M6 axles
- Extreme Flight carbon tail wheel
- New or refurbished struts (painted white instead of green)
- All new Xact FrSky 5404 servos all around
- FrSky TDR12 receiver “Powersafe”
- IBEC ignition
- Interior carbon fiber, deck for batteries, and rudder servo mounts
- Painted interior and epoxy cleared painted firewall
- Installed scale cloth interior fuselage (aft of the pilot)
- All new clear glass all around
- Custom-made instrument panel to scale detail
- New scale pilot
- All new wiring
- Unilight Nav/Strobe combos installed on wing tips
- New insignias on the nose (both sides)
- Note… the tail number (092257) is the same
Randy’s maiden flight of the L-4 was sometime last June 2025. He says it went very well and has been enjoying flying it ever since!!!
Acknowledgements: Original photos of L-4 are by Lee Jay Fingersh. To see additional photos and events, please visit Lee Jay’s website.