Lowry AFB and USAF Model Airplane Team Practice

LAST EDITED ON Oct-16-04 AT 07:41 AM (CDT)
 
This is in answer to private email I received from a modeler who recalled seeing USAF Model Airplane flyin Lowry AFB, Denver, Colorado.

Here are some of my recollections. Hope Mr Neuman will not delete due to not being totally Stunt oriented.

You were talking about Lowry Air Force Base, where you Dad witnessed the USAF team flying and testing their models. After weeks of building, testing, repairing and triming their models they would board an Air Force Cargo plane (usually a C47 or T-29 and fly to hosting Naval Air Station, usually arriving one to two weeks early.
The early period would be devoted to building, flying, triming, and repairing more models. The team had it down to a science.

Lowry was closed to flying, I think shortly after 1960. The only activity/ facilities left were the initial Air Force Academy that later moved to a permanent home at Colorado Springs, and the USAF Accounting and Finance Center.

You are correct about the Air Force Team being marshalled at a designated Air Force Installation weeks before the AMA Nationals. During that two or three week period the team members did nothing but build and test fly, and fine tune their models. We had to fly three control line events (usually speed) three powered freeflight events, which ranged from rocket powered, all of the gas powered free-flight events, and rubberpowered events, and three none powered free-flight events, usually indoor hand launch glider, outdoor hand launch glider, A-1 towline glider, or A-2 tow line glider.) An added team member member who was quite good at Radio Control Pattern flying or Radio Control Scale would be arbitrarily put on the time to fly just that one event, but only if he was good enough to place in top five at the Nationals. He had to serve as a helper, builder, go-for, or free-flight retriever when he was not flying.

The team always consisted of 5 primary team members and 5 helpers (Go-fors/retrivers. These bottom five were the five who scored just out of the top five in points at the USAF Model Championships.

I am not sure which year Lowry was chosen. I was station at Lakewood Colorado at the USAF Reserve Training Center in 1964-1965. I flew at Lowry with other Air Force Modelers stationed in Denver area nearly every weekend for practice and testing. There was always a lot of activity on the weekends, which sometimes resembled a full blown model contest. Fun Fun Fun.

I believe the last USAF Team to compete for the AMA Team Championship was in 1972, two years after I quit flying in USAF competion. A team of five young modelers, including a young lady, banded together after arriving at the Nationals and beat the USAF Team for the first time in 13 years. The young lady was Mary Lou Brown, beautiful daughter of George Brown Senior, from Queens, NY I think.

I believe 1971 was the last year that the Navy hosted the AMA Nationals.

The Air Force did not field a team any more after the 1972 defeat. The funding of all these annual modeling activities was paid out of Non-Appropriated Funds, not from Taxpayers. The Non-Appropriated Funds came from profits from vending machines and Clubs on military installations for troop welfare. Like every thing else, emphasis's change with the change in regimes.

I have some super 8 movies of R/C flying at Lowery in 1967. I was at Ft Carson and got out of the Army in September 1967. I was just getting back into modeling after 8 years in the Army.

As a "brat" in Japan, I, along with about four others, prepared for the PACAF (Pacific Air Force) competition to be held at Tachikawa AFB in 1958. We had Stunt, Combat, and Rat Racers ready to go. Problem was, only Air Force personell were allowed to fly- no "brats"! So we all became pit crew members for the Combat guys. I've lost the names of those flyers from Guam, Phillipines, Japan, Formosa,Korea, but what a wonderful time we had. I believe the winners progressed on to contests that led to a USAF Team to go to the Nats. ( I do recall one flyer-Al Kuello- he had been in the Ravin'Cajun model club in New Orleans and later returned to Japan as a civilian). The winner in Jet Speed glided the last lap for an official. The same individual won Stunt with a Twin-boom (Gobbleswantz ? Torp 45) Stunter. Combat was all Quickers/Torp35s. The fellow I launched for ended up flying half a Quicker the last flight, but I think he won anyway. He told me to meet him at the 1960 Nats in Dallas- he would be flying an Eureka B-36 in scale. Sadly, we never saw each other again.Great memories. dg

LAST EDITED ON Oct-15-04 AT 04:09 PM (CDT)
 
At the 60 nats in Dallas, I assisted a USAF officer who was flying a scale model of a B-36. I believe his name was Brian (or maybe Bryan or Bryant) Thompson, I do not recall how well he did. I think that later in years, he was CD or CL Category director for the nats for several years (that was after he got out of the AF) I heard that he opened a hobby shop somewhere around ElPaso TX or Las Cruses NM. Not sure about that though. In the mid 60s he CDed a few contests around Clovis and Hobbs NM.
Bigiron

> At the 60 nats in Dallas, I assisted a USAF officer who
>was flying a scale model of a B-36. I believe his name was
>Brian (or maybe Bryan or Bryant) Thompson, I do not recall
>how well he did. I think that later in years, he was CD or
>CL Category director for the nats for several years (that
>was after he got out of the AF) I heard that he opened a
>hobby shop somewhere around ElPaso TX or Las Cruses NM. Not
>sure about that though. In the mid 60s he CDed a few
>contests around Clovis and Hobbs NM.
> Bigiron

Big Iron you were helping Captain Morehead. Don't remember his first name as I was a Staff Sergeant on the USAF Team in 1960. Morehead did indeed fly his B-36. But he did not get extra points for extra engines, a bonus that was added later. Tom Dean, a licensed jeweler from a well to do family won Control Line Scale that year I believe.

Morehead was not a good team player. He was stationed at Biggs AFB, El Paso, Texas and drove up to Dallas and flew as an individual.
Morehead had a Hobby Shop in El Paso. He retired as a Captain around 1965 or so. I never heard of him after the 1960 Nats. So I would imagine that his is deceased.

Brian Thompson was a mainstay on the Team about every year. He is still alive and living in California. He was usually high point man because he flew every thing in the book. He was honest and consistent and rarely dropped an event. And any team member could count on him to help them in anyway needed.

I talked with him last Christmas. Tommy, as he was called by all who know him, was a walking encyclopedia of info useful info about any aspect of modeling. And he had mentally stored the names significant people in the entire spectrum of model airplane hobby. His first claim to fame was at a Contest at the Atlanta, Georgia Naval Air Station in 1946. He was an Airman Third Class just barely out of basic training.(same as Army Private.) He placed in UC Scale flying a B-17 with four Cox .049 Thermal Hoppers, the fore runner to Cox's TD .049s. These little suckers had reed valves and they often times started running backwards, and run just as hard as running forward.

Tommy designed many successful free flight models over the years. He also had a design of a .29 sized team racer, and many speed models published in model magazines.

His motto: "Fly for points, then fly for trophies." In other words make sure you get an official flight above all else. It seemed to work, as he won his share of trophies. And so did the Air Force Team. Brian wss CD and after his retirement he did CD one or two Air Force meets, I am not sure if he ever CD the USAF Championships though. He was the team leader many times over. He was a competitor of the first order.

He taught me everything I know about competing at the Nats level.

Brian opened a Hobby Shop/Slot Cat Track combination just outside the main gate at Chanute AFB, Illinois, before he retired from USAF. He opened another Hobby Shop in Champaign, Illinois around 1973, and his son runs it now.

Brian (Tommy) Thompson was inducted in to the AMA Haul Of Fame.

I am proud to call him my friend and Air Force brother.

Hawk, You are 100% correct. I got Moorehead and Thompson intermingled and mixed up. I was stationed at Biggs for a while, but not while Moorehead was there. Thompson was at the 60 nats with a B-36 also. It was a small one with (I belueve) 1/2 A engines on it. I don't think that I got to see moorehead's.

Thanks for refreshing my memory.

Bigiron (its h--- getting old)

Yes, you are correct, my dad did work for the Air force he was working at the base and was a member of the Jeffco Modelers.

He provided the team with technical help as needed and the team had a special building site in one of the hangers and a wonderful hobby shop for support. He provided help as needed for the team. He did fly with the team when they went to many national level events aboard one of the airplanes that took the team to the national in the 60’s.

I recall sitting at the end of the runway just out side the fence waiting for a t-33 or a P61 Black widow to take off. The pilots would see us sitting there and would just give us a short blast with their exhaust just before takeoff and we would go tumbling down from the blast!!

We had many a wonderful flying days; the contest there were fun and I have many a fond memory of those days!!

Elmer Haynes

Y'know, threads like this should be encouraged, and then forwarded to Dick Thornburg, who I understand is compiling material for another Model Airplane book ("Do you speak . . .?").

Just my opinion . . .

I attended the last two Navy NATS at Glenview NAS in Chicago in 70 & 72. I know the USAF had a team there in 70 as I remember George Brown Jr. and Luke Roy both flew CL speed. Thay all wore blue jump suits with USAF on their backs. When I was stationed at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, Texas from 62-65 the base hobby shop was busy with control line flyers. I also met a Staff Sargent Bert Dugan when I was at Sheppard and he flew control line scale. I saw him some years later at the NATS after he retired and I left the USAF in 66. He judged control line scale for some years. I believe the group of kids that beat the USAF team that you referred two had some notables, Mary Lou Brown, the now deceased Danny Bartley, Vansant and maybe Billy Hughes. Very pleasant memories.
Wayne Buran

I attended the '72 Glenview Nats, but only as a spectator. My Aunt/Uncle lived in Arlington Heights, so it was an easy stayover. Wish I had taken more photos!

Hi Elmer,

I remember you Dad.

You were talking about Lowry Air Force Base, where you Dad helped the USAF team testing their models, and practice flying, prior to boarding an Air Force Cargo plane and flying to the Houston g Naval Air Station. But what you saw was a local team getting ready go fly at the Air Training Command team selections, which was held at James Connelly AFB, Waco, Texas in 1960. I remember it well as the first time I garnered enough points to make the ATC Team. After that meet a team from all major commands gathered at a host military base and played toy airplanes for a spot on the USAF Team to go to NATS. Every year many great modelers were not allowed to leave their duty assignments go participate because of various military exigencies.

Lowry was closed to full size aircraft flying shortly after 1960 and the only activity/facilities left were the initial Air Force Academy that later moved to a permanent home at Colorado Springs, and the USAF Accounting and Finance Center. What remained was an unbelievable flying site with acres of runway, taxiway, parking aprons, and wide open freeflight space. But the mile high location made the air thin and it was never considered for a major contest that I know of.

You are correct about the Air Force Team being marshaled at a designated Air Force Installation weeks before the AMA Nationals. During that two or three week period the team members did nothing but build and test fly, and fine tune their models. We had to fly three control line events (usually speed) three powered freeflight events, which ranged from rocket powered, all of the gas powered freeflight events, and rubberpowered events, and three none powered freeflight events, usually indoor hand launch glider, outdoor hand launch glider, A-1 towline glider, or A-2 tow line glider). An added team member who was quite good at Radio Control Pattern flying or Radio Control Scale would be arbitrarily put on the time to fly just that one event, but only if he was good enough to place in top five at the Nationals. He had to serve as a helper, builder, go-for, or freeflight retriever when he was not flying.

The team always consisted of 5 primary team members and 5 helpers (Go-fors/retrivers. These bottom five were the five who scored just out of the top five in points at the USAF Model Championships.

I am not sure which year Lowry was chosen. I was station at Lakewood Colorado at the USAF Reserve Training Center in 1964-1965. I flew at Lowry with other Air Force Modelers stationed in Denver area nearly every weekend for practice and testing. There was always a lot of activity on the weekends, which sometimes resembled a full blown model contest. Fun Fun Fun.

The last USAF Team to compete for the AMA Team Championship was in 1972, two years after I quit flying in USAF competition. A team of five young boys banded together after arriving at the Nationals and beat the USAF Team for the first time in 13 years.

1971 was the last year that the Navy hosted the AMA Nationals. The Air Force did not field a team any more after the 1972 defeat.

On a sad note, the Navy only had a team at the 72 NATS. I was selected for the team in Free Flight, but due to duties I had to cancel at the last minute. We had to take personal leave for the NATS. Navy gave us a Name, logo, and a nice letter, and a uniform of sorts, but other than that it was up to the individuals, active, reserve and retired to make up the team, get there and do the thing. I always was envious of the USAF teams and could never figure out why, even though it sponsored the NATS, the Navy never had an official team! In fact it was the Navy that got me back into flying and building model planes. Go figure.

I joined the USAF in 1970, in hopes of being on the model airplane team.

By the time I got through my training and war duties it was 1973. Th "recreation NCO" explained to me that, due to "budget restrictions" , the USAF was forced to drop twenty different sports teams, leaving only basketball and golf.

I never could get the ball in the hoop, but 30 years later I'm pretty good at golf.