K.O. Eckland

It's very pity to hear that such bright man has gone. Thousand peoples and me also are amazing by his encyclopedia of US Aircraft

I'm not familiar with Mr. Eckland, but he presented me a lot of joy hours with Aerofiles.com. Thank you a lot, Mr. Eckland, and best wishes to you in your heaven.

Like so many others, I never had the pleasure of meeting K.O. in person but our common interest lead to many exchanges of information. It was very rewarding to see items I sent to him show up in AeroFiles and also to see my name listed along with other contributors like Bill Larkin and Jos Heyman.
Although he will be missed, his legacy will live on among us who treasure his life's work in Aviation History.

I'm sorry that the soul of one of the nicest fellows in aviation history has truly "slipped the surly bonds of earth," and I wish all best to his dearest friends and family who remain behind. K.O. produced a solid model kit of the Travel Air 4000 which I purchased but never built and will treasure even more today. Getting the kit produced was a Herculean effort, and his final note to me about it closed with "Never again!" There will never again be another K.O. Eckland!.

I met K.O. through Aerofiles, and it was his attention to detail, his very apparent sense of humor and his prompt replies which made me want to always be in touch with him. His art work is ourstanding and I'm honored to have a few of his postcard size prints. I don't know what made me send my last note to K.O. on May 4th, 2009. Goodbye dear friend.
Ron Ogren
Orchard Park, NY

I met K.O. through Aerofiles, and it was his attention to detail, his very apparent sense of humor and his prompt replies which made me want to always be in touch with him. His art work is ourstanding and I'm honored to have a few of his postcard size prints. I don't know what made me send my last note to K.O. on May 4th, 2009. Goodbye dear friend.
Ron Ogren
Orchard Park, NY

K.O. Eckland's AeroFiles website is an encyclopedic source of information on American aviation. K. O.’s aviation knowledge, his artistic ability and desire for accuracy resulted in the high quality of the AeroFlies website. His devotion to producing this body of work is greatly appreciated by enthusiasts all over the world, as is evident by over ten million visits to his website last year.

Many years ago K.O. was instrumental in helping me set up an aviation web site. His advice was simple and quite contrary to the trend: he said to keep things simple so anyone anywhere in the world could benefit even they had the simplest computer and slowest internet connection. K.O. was unwavering in his commitment to freely and widely sharing his information. His Aerofiles.com set a high standard for aviation web sites and it's popularity and value validates his way of doing things.

K.O. was a model of generosity to the aviation community in sharing vast amounts of free information to enthusiasts all over the world. Although I met him several times and corresponded for years he never mentioned an interest in music. Many of us likewise live multiple lives and all we ever discussed was aviation. We had similar experiences and a love for the old San Francisco Bay Airdrome and his poetic talent gave its description on AeroFiles a beautiful touch that I could never have done.

I never met K.O. Eckland in person. However, I have been directly touched by his life through my frequent use of AeroFiles. The knowledge gained and shared has undoubtedly touched the lives of many others as well. What a great resource and what a creative man he must have been.

For me, the connection with Richard Bach further demonstrates how closely we are connected to one another, though we often do not even know it. Richard Bach lived just down the street from me when I was...