Generous patron of soaring. Endowed the Mozer Trophy and the Mozer Junior Champion Fund
Silver badge #291, Gold badge #78, Diamond C.
Rudolph Mozer was born on September 27, 1929 in New York to a German family working in the USA during the Great Depression. Started gliding in 1943 at age of 14 in an SG-38 primary glider that he helped his classmates build in the evenings after school.
Shortly after starting his soaring career at Elmira in the middle 1950s he became the importer of Schleicher sailplanes and as such introduced German high performance planes to the American market. This started with the Ka 6 and continued through the famed ASW 17 in the 80s.
Rudy flew in competition from 1957 through 2000 in regional and national events. He earned Silver Badge #291 in 1957, Gold badge #78 in 1958, and earned 2 diamonds, lacking only altitude to complete his diamond badge. All were accomplished in sailplanes of very modest performance compared to what we enjoy today.
In addition to his personal accomplishments in soaring, Rudy was a long time member of the Adrian, MI, soaring club and a great promoter of the sport in that region. There he earned the coveted Gold Pin with 3 Diamonds
Rudy received many awards for his accomplishments, and more importantly, his contributions to the sport that included serving as team captain for two winning international competitions and serving on the SSA Board of Directors from Region 6.
Supporting young people in soaring was always a passion for Rudy. He regularly made his gliders available to young people to help them advance. Rudy created and endowed the Mozer Trophy that is awarded yearly to the US National Junior Champion. Additionally, he endowed the Mozer Junior Champion Fund that serves to help defray the costs of our juniors when flying in the World Junior Gliding Championships.
Over the years, Rudy made generous donations to the Michigan Soaring Foundation, which sponsored a youth solo camp each summer, providing financial support to between 6 and 12 students. More than one hundred young pilots have soloed, thanks to Rudy.