Bob had a great technical mind and had a thorough understanding all things physical. He worked with Homer Powley on the two slide rules for reloading estimates and conducted many exotic experiments just to satisfy his curiosity.
Bob and I carried on a long discussion/work/study on the measurement of rifle recoil. We abandoned it abruptly after doing some "back of the envelope" calculations where we estimated that the typical rifle had only moved an eighth of an inch when the bullet left the muzzle. The problem isn't with the rifle accelerating, but with our stopping it. All the physics of bullet acceleration in the bore doesn't mean much. The first eighth of an inch doesn't hurt much. It's just one example of the questions Bob loved.
I regret to admit that I haven't heard from him in a couple of years. Last report was that he was recovering from a smashed face that happened as he was giving a student pilot a check ride. The landing was eventful.
He wasn't old.
Ken
