Who Are You?

Someone suggested that I post this question since the board is growing and there are a lot of people posting (and a lot more still lurking in the shadows.)

Why not post a short (or long) message about yourself...who you are, how old, how long you have been modeling (or how long you have been back), your interests, your level of expertise, whatever.

I think this would be interesting. I can't wait to see what you say about yourselves.

EddyR----is Ed Ruane from Holiday Florida.I started building controline model's around 1950 at 9 years old.I lived in Binghamton NY until moving to Florida in 1972 and flew contest free flight until moving to Fl.I have built around 400 c/l and<200 f/f> models most being stunt ships.I fly old tyme,classic and expert p/a.My wife and I made most of the contest in the south east ovet the last twenty years untill 4 years ago when my eye sight got so bad that I have flown very fer contests.Don't feel bad for me as last week I had cataract's removed and I have perfect 20/20 for the first time since I was 10 years old.I love building the classic I/Beam models and have built a USA/1 and a Detroiter Saturn this last year.Don Ogren lives close to me and we just took pictures for Pampa of his Saturn and mine together.In the 80's and early 90's Bill Rich and I flew together two or three times a week and we went to contest together.I belong to the Tampa Bay Line Flyers and they are a great group to fly with having many great flyers from the past in this club makes for a lot of fun.As we fly all year around many people visit our club in the winter.One day Jack Sheeks shows up with his grandson and wanted soneome to help his grandson fly.Well I taught his grand son to fly that day.Yes I fly R/c some times also. I started R/C in 1956 with tube equipment.Controline modeling is a great hobby that can last one a life time and bring much pleasure to ones life.
Ed Ruane

Hmm, well, I started modeling in the late 60's when my uncle drug me out to Whittier Narrows in California in response to my mother's request to keep me out of trouble (something I was good at finding about that time). I became immediately infatuated with these planes. By the time I entered high school, I was pretty well on my way. Unfortunely, I never could quite build what everyone else was building (a problem that persists today). I countined to build through high school and into college, then quit when other things (like a new wife) intruded. I remained interested, but never could quite get back to it.

In the mid 80's, I saw a guy flying CL at the LesBois fairgrounds in Boise, ID and stopped to talk. This became a friendship with Pat Johnston that remains today. He talked me into jumping back in (didn't have to try very hard). Since that time I moved to beautiful Kitsap Penninsula. There isnt' another soul flying around here (though I keep trying to cultivate someone). I travel to Seattle, various sites in Oregon and Canada to fly in contests and pursue a solitary existence as a CL flyer in the area.

Just finishing a plane of my own design that I really like but I'm sure the judges will hate on site. Heck, it wouldn't be any fun otherwise.

After reading all the posts, thought I should add:

Let's see, I'm 44 years old (GAWD!) and am a Counseling Psychologist. I supervise a 6 bed crisis residential facility in Tacoma, WA.

WHO AM I: Lets seen Now?? Oh Yeah!

My full name is James Mathers Pollock Jr. I come from a long line of Scottsmen dating back to the 1200's Our family was allies with William Wallace. Well that's enough of that. I have been into modeling since I was about 11 years old. That's when my dad took me to Beard Brook park in Modesto, CA to watch the airplanes fly. Come to find out, one if his co-workers was a modeler and had invited him there. Well, I was hooked on first sight and control line "STUNT" as it was called in those days has always been my first love in modeling. I flew in the Modesto Flying Circus a club organized in the Western Associated Modelers organization from 1957 through 1963 when I graduated from high school and eventually ended up in the Air Force in 1964. I began again in 1968 after doing my country's service and competed at selected events on the west coast. My profession at the time (Flight Instructor) did not allow me to fly at a lot of contest but I did manage to make several a year. I also managed in conjunction with my flying partner Mike Thompson to design a simi-scale Spinks Akromaster using Gieseke Nobler type aerodynamics. To this day, it probably is the best flying model I have ever flown. Due to family concerns I droped out of C/L modeling from late 1972 until I returned in Sept of 1996. In the mean time I had moved from CA to Anniston Alabama where I was working at Ft McClellan. My computer found is way to a CL chat site and information from Bill Caulkins to get hooked up with Tom Morris right there in Anniston. Luck could not have been better on my side when returing, I had an instant flying partner and updating guru in Tom Morris and my Questions on the CL forums were willingly and I might add freely answered such people as Ted Fancher, Brett Buck, Randy Smith, George Aldrich, Tom Dixon, Windy Urtnowski, Len Neumann and a host of other modelers. With the help of these world class individuals I managed to make a comeback from a not so well built Tutor flown at the KOI in 97, to an Intrepid X/L with PA .51 on Pipe, and from Intermediate to Expert in about 2 & 1/2 years time. My probable next model will be a modified Legacy, and then the one I promised myself I would build almost two years ago, a 1969 version of the 640 Sq. In. Jim Silhavy Gypsy. It is a sentimental aircraft for me, because as I was re-entering C/L modeling after 23 years, I called Mike Thompson's dad to get his phone number and try to cajole him back into the fold. Sadly, I found out from his dad that he had died in a tragic auto accident two weeks before I called him. Now, all my aircraft bear his old AMA number becuase I had the AMA re-issue it to me. Now I am living in Huntsville, AL because Ft McClellan closed in 1999, thus the handle I use on these boards of Rocket City Jim. See you at the 2001 Nats!

One thing I forgot to add to the original post. That Gypsy was Mikes last plane he had build, it now hangs on his Dad's wall in Modesto, CA. Mine will be an identical copy.

Hi all!

My name’s Tony Elmore and I live in Aylesbury Bucks UK and I’m 46.

As I have recounted before I’m rather an “armchair” control line stunt fan.

I first encountered control line models being flown in Hemel Hempstead (in the early 60’s I suppose I would have been about 9) in the days when people could fly almost anywhere there was the space!

My first plane (I suppose I was about 12?) was a Cox Fledgling that my dad crahsed first flight!

Now is the time to own up – I’m a terrible builder – nothing I build ever goes right.

Up till I was married (at 18) I started quite a number of kits but never finished any – except a Mercury Picador (with an AM10) which is the model I’ve had my one and only flight with - I was about 15 – my friend Michael Frawley (a more successful modeller than I) flew it first – then it was my turn and then I (foolishly I can see in retrospect) let another mate (Geoff Dean – a model boater!) fly it and he totalled it…..

Since I’ve been married aeromodelling has cropped up every few years in my psyche and I’ve bought a kit or a motor and started – but never got anywhere.

My latest attempt (since just before XMAS 2000) has been much more successful – mainly due to the general upsurge in interest and the internet (and the availability of artf control line models).

I have a U-key with a Fox 35 nearly ready to fly and I’m determined to get my second flight (in 30 years!) in this summer…..

Hopefully a successful flight or two will spur me on to build something a bit more elegant.

Control line stunt spars with my other hobby which is listening to and playing blues and american old time music.

I would like to thank everybody who runs and posts on the various message boards for keeping my interest going this time!

Tone

Like Tony I live in the UK. I am a 43 year old flyer who returned to the hobby after a 20 break being distracted by railway modelling, beer and women.

I am a fuel and energy engineering graduate who never got round to having an engineering career and instead have taught Science, Metalwork and Information Technology for the past 18 years.

My interest in model flying was resurrected by a neighbour who introduced me to the local FF club and I have had fun with them. They regard me as a junior member. However, the lure of C/L has a stronger pull and I kicked off with Keil Kraft Phantom to prove to myself that I could keep one aloft for more than the 1/2 lap that I acheived as a spotty youth.

I have subsequently acquired a whole range of engines and plans for planes that I could never afford as a youth and have a near complete set of Mercury C/L plans a cartload of PAW diesel engines and a bucketfull of Fox, McCoy and K&B glow engines. Working on the premise that I will not dies until I have used up all of my plans and engines, I expect to see in the next century

I really enjoy the comraderie of the C/L online communities. My local club is 20 miles away and I find it more convenient to go to the end of mt street where I have some playing fields to fly in. I ought to make the effort to fly with a club but you can't beat the five minute time lag between deciding to fly and flying!

My major failing is that I want to sample nearly all C/L disciplines:
Vintage 1/2A team racing and speed
Vintage A Speed
Carrier Deck
Vintage Classic and F2B stunt
Combat
As a result I have more airframes that need completing than I have airworthy.

Keep the words and advice flowing.

LAST EDITED ON Apr-27-01 AT 01:06 PM (EST)

Letsseeee....I'm Kelvin Heath, originally of Lubbock, TX. At age 8, in 1962, my Dad took me to the opening of a new hobby shop and we came back with a Guillow Trainer and a McCoy RH 19 and all the other stuff. We had a good friend (Norman Vanderschel) who was a great craftsman and had a couple of things published in MAN in '52-54. My brother had flown with him in the 50's. He helped me get going by giving me a Veco Brave with an O&R 23 that I still have. About this time I met Riley Wooten, Pete Jaden, Carl Barryman and others of the Lubbock Texans MAC. Mixed in a little HLG and indoor rubber. Started RC in '69 with a Heathkit radio and Falcon 56. Have flown RC off and on ever since and still have a couple of RC things around. I'm now an RN (surgical ICU) here in Rochester, MN. Restarted CL last year to get my son (7) started modeling. We have him a Flite Streak Trainer, some 1/2A plank things (got a new one to test this weekend), gliders, etc. I'm working on a Brodak Buster and a Mackey ProFile (Thanks, Jim Thomerson!). Got a U-key 35 coming, and a Brodak Nobler and an RSM Thunderbird II in the wings. Can fly locally or go to the Twin Cities and visit the Piston Poppers. So far there are three other guys around that are interested in CL. One is doing some things with his Boy Scout troop. So will be trying to stir things up a bit more this summer. It's just now getting decent weather to fly. Joined PAMPA this month and wanta learn the PA pattern.
My very special thanks to Leonard (for his patience with my blunders), Ted Fancher, Jim Thomerson, OS, Marvin, Windy and all you guys for your help and open sharing and easy-going way of enjoying this great hobby! It's a pleasure to know you all.

Hi to all, My name is Joe Just. Grew up in Penn Yan,NY and started modeling in 1947. Attended my first contest as an observer in Rochester,NY in 1949 and was totally captivated with Harold Debolt's speed planes. With little building talent it was difficult to reach the goals I set for myself,but I kept at it on an on again/off again basis through High School, College and the early years of Marrige,etc.
Entered the fishing tackle industry and eventually ended up as the National Sales manager for a company here in Wa. State. Re-entered the hobby with a passion in 1973. After a stupid personal assualt I was left on cruthes and a cane for 13 years, but continued to fly as often as I could. Ended up as a news director and announcer for two different radio stations in Eastern Wa, until I retired two years ago.
Started a small control line company in 1978 (J & J Sales) and concentrated on 1/2 A equipment and fiberglass/carbon props. Came to the concllusion in the early 90's that the hobby needed a low priced easy to build and fly control line ARF. Along with my partner, we developed the U-Key series of planes.
In the past I flew OTS (my favorite!) carrier, (Iwas president of the NCS for several years) and was one of the 6 or 7 local guys that developed the Flying Clown race. Attended many Nats over the years, but haven't been able to attend the past few.
There are no control line flyers nearby where I live now, but find nearly daily contact with others through the many fine forums that are available. Stuka is the first forum I check out every day.
I have little flying skill, but find that this hobby is one of the greatest ever concieved. I ramble on a bit much so will end this by saying "jtight lines" to all.

I started in 1949 or 1950 with a OK Cub .049 and some kind of 1/2A ship of that era.I then bought a very used O&R .23 and had a riend help me build a ship for the engine, spent most of the time attempting to start the O&R, not much flying. Got a new Fox .35 in 1954. I wanted to shine the dull case up so, I used buffing compound and a buffing wheel and buffed it without plugging up the exhaust port or the intake. Well you know the results, had to get a new piston and sleeve before I had startsd it the first time. Built a Circus King for the engine and learned to loop and fly inverted with that combo. Entered the Navy in 1955 and didn't fly again until about 1971 while stationed at NAS Alameda, CA. We formed a Navy club and joined WAM and went to all the contest until 1975 when I retired and moved to FL. The WAM activity was a lot of fun, really nice people. I attempted to compete in combat with voodoo/G21 ST.35 combos and various slow combat combos. I started my 2nd career with Piper Aircaft in 1976 and ended it when I retired from Lockheed Martin Astronautics in Harlingen ,TX in 1998. I suffered a major heart incident with emergency surgery in 1995. When I retired I bought my first computer, went on line ,discovered control line was still alive and here I am with about 20 engines I don't really need and about 10 airplanes that I need to fly REALLY slow. I am 63 now and having a ball. I want to thank Leonard for all his help for this old retread.
Al

My name is Dave Merithew.Ed Ruane's comment above caused me to reply. Although I have been an active viewer of most all the control line forums for the past couple of years this is my first reply.Ed and I grew up together in Binghamton, N.Y.in the 50's and always flew together until Ed moved to Florida in the early 70's. Until the last few years I flew mostly free flight although always flying control line on and of.In 1995 I joined PAMPA and have been a member ever since. Due to recent health problems I can no longer fly free flight so now focus on control line. I have not yet flown in any control line contests,as travel has been difficult, but hope to change that in the future. Old Time Stunt and Classic are my main points of interest. I have my own flying field (Ed has flown on it when he comes to Binghamton,Hope to see him in June).Any one visiting in the area is always welcome to stop by and fly or visit, you don't even need an airplane as I always have plenty ready to go!

I'm 46 and JUST started to fly stunt 5 years ago. Today I fly in the expert class, Classic, And Old time. I got involved with control line planes in 1962, However my brothers flew in severial contest in the MIDWEST in the early 1950's. When I was little I always looked at thoese troyphys and I wanted one!
My first flight was with a FIERBAY that I still have and Fly today. The grade school I went to had a control line club. I was enolved with that program untill High School.
About 6 years ago My girl friend asked me about my Ringmaster that I had in the basement. I told her the story about flying and what I thought about getting back into the hobbie. SHE went out and bought all of the Fuel, battery, lines, props, ect, and had everything sitting there ready for me. We went out to the field and I GOT HOOKED.
My mother who is 86 still goes out to the field to hold my planes and watch. She remembers when GEORGE ALDRICH, BOB PALMER, and many other were just kids. Scott Riese

Jim Thomerson. I grew up on a ranch near Menard, TX. built various unsuccessful rubber-power kits and then got into towline gliders when I got into highschool. Built all the Jasco kits, a couple from Aeromodeller and other plans, and one or two of my own design. Flew them out in the pasture among the mesquite trees. First engine was an OK Cub 049, which I never got to run. Learned to fly CL the summer of 53, after graduating from HS. Cameron 19 and Berkley Senor Puddlejumper. Built a number of 1/2A CL sport-stunt airplanes. Learned to do horizontal lazy 8's with a Senior 19 and Arden 19 on glo. Met George Aldrich in '55 at the University of Texas. He got me into FF and took me to my first CL contest. Flew Sport CL and contest FF for several years. Was in Lubbock, '59 - 61, flew CL and FF with the previously mentioned bunch of Lubbock guys. Went to '61 Navy Nats in Dallas.

Went to Tulane U. in 61 to work on PhD in zoology and gave up modelling. Started again in @'72,(St. Louis area) when son Austin expressed interest. Flew indoor and outdoor HLG, power FF, and got into CL racing (I was CL Racing Director at the '83 nats). Austin flew and I pitted. He got into girls and cars and I started flying stunt. Got 2nd in Beginner at one of the Moose Allan contests in '78, my first stunt contest. Worked up to Advanced, and flew Old Time and 1/2A stunt. Dropped out to work on South American fishes in '86, and came back in about '92 to relax from being department chair. I'm 65, retired, living on the south side of Austin and doing as much modelling as I can. I've been fortunate to attend the last four VSC's. I belong to clubs in St. Louis, Dallas, and San Antonio, and am a PAMPA member. I'm wanting to do some sport FF, if I can find a local place to fly.

Jim.

Hello, my name is joe meyer. I've been flying c/l since 1968 when my older brother took me out to the local high school with a testor's cosmic wind plastic arf. My father and brother had flown alot of C\L in earlier years and It started back up with the Cosmic wind. I had no interest in building a wooden airplane at the time so the interest died down til a couple of years later I came home with a comet piper cub which I put together and destroyed on it's first flight. This piqued my dad's interest because my next birthday present was a top flite warhawk stunter. The construction of this was beyond my capability and it also ended up getting destroyed. My next project was a flite streak and this managed to stay together long enough to be flown extensively. I live in Kernersville NC near Winston-Salem and we have great facilities to fly at in this part of the country. Winston has a hobby park for c/l and r\c. I've attended one contest in my life - Brodak's. I was in heaven for about three days and it enlightened me to just how much more I need to learn in this hobby. I enjoy all aspects of the hobby from R/C to c\l. The one thing I most admire in all endevours is the skill, ingenuity and craftmanship dispayed. I fly a couple of times a year now, mostly because I have a new family which occupies most of my time. I visit all of the bulletin boards but I am mostly a lurker due to the fact that I do my browsing at work. I've become an accumulator, not a collector. I have about a hundred planes and 50 or 60 motors. My favorite is the fox 35 stunt, I'm going to build them all some day and more. I keep my eyes open for good deals and different planes, engines etc.

I am Marvin Denny (what's left of me) Started model building and flying in late 1936 Megow rubber power FF. (christmas present) First gas engine Brown Jr (never got it to run) First contest 1941 before the war broke out. Was living in Childress TX area (1/2 way between Amarillo and Wichita Falls) Got into FF, then CL Speed and in the 50s RR and combat.
Currently flying OT stunt and Classic stunt with a little Sport racing thrown in. I never quit modeling at any time like many did. I discovered a girl who liked models and married her. Been married now for 48 1/2 years.
I'm not very good at modeling and flying but compete so the hotshots will have someone to beat. I build as much of my models and equipment that I can, and even do ny own engine work. My wife and I have a pact to go out and fly one of my models when I am 90 and she is going to launch it for me.
I think I have flown just about every type of model there is except some of the newer RC types ie heli, slope soar. pylon.
Currently live in Wichita KS.
Bigiron

> I am Marvin Denny

> I'm not very good
>at modeling and flying but
>compete so the hotshots will
>have someone to beat.

> Bigiron

Marvin, that statement could not be any furthur from the truth!
I watched you fly your classic plane "Novi" IV to a 6th place in Advanced in the 97 Nats putting quite a few of the upcoming hotshots in their rightful place, myself included!! With a competitive modern plane I'll bet that you could easily qualify in the open top 20! Will we see you and Ree there in 2001!

Jim & Janet Pollock

I'm Ray Ferreira. Been interested in airplanes and started modeling since maybe 1955....plastic, rubber powered and then control line. Always seemed to favor the stunt ships, though I consider myself more of a sport flyer (all my models fly better than I can). Tried RC from time to time but that bug never really bit.

Like many model aviators, I learned to fly the real ones. This pretty much convinced me that I like to hold on to whatever I fly....even models! Balancing family & work with CL modeling has caused a few gaps in my involvement with the hobby, but the interest never changed.

Really like the technology available to the CL Stunters. And best of all are the CL pilots themselves. All real people that still build their own models....and willing to share their experiences.

Thanks for the forum, Leonard!

Gang --

I got on today to check out some notes in previous threads concerning finishing sequences. Found this, and have sat here like a zombie reading all the above. This is the most interesting thread in quite a while -- and uncovered a few lurkers, huh?

P. S. to Leonard --

I think we ought to organize a "writer's strike" until Leonard and Matt post theirs! Where are yours? (I think Matt ghost writes a lot for Leonard.)

My name is Steve Fauble and I am 56 years old. I got started by a neighbor when I was about 9 years old. He had started a Comet P-47 from the war years with the cardboard formers and poplar stringers. Never got to finish it as I found out that all of the ribs were not there, still remember the dents in my finger from the razorblade trying to cut that cardboard. Built a number of stick and tissue kits, mostly in the unheated upstairs room in the Illinois farmhouse that I grew up in. One of the older neighbors started flying a control line model and my father took me down to watch. I was about 12 at that time. I thought it was the neatest thing that I had ever seen. A few weeks later my dad took me to a basement hobby shop in one of the near by towns and gave me $20 to get started. That got me a Gillows II trainer and K&B .29, kind of like an early rat racer. That is what I learned to fly on. Went on to get involved in combat, stopped for the start of university and marriage. When I decided that I was not going to ever be any good as a motorcycle tuner and racer I started to build stick and tissue planes again. Went to the 1968/9? Penn. Nationals and found a very nice guy named Charlie Sotich from Chicago that answered all of my questions. He got me started in free flight and indoor and I did those for a number of years. During the early 70's I found CL combat again and during the next few years I finished my BS degree, my wife got her masters, and I managed to have several combat designs published. In the last few years I have been building old time combat designs and playing with stick and tissue again. I am employed by Raytheon as a fab producibility Engineer trying to figure out how to build what the Mechanical engineers design.

My name is Bob Beasley. I am 53 and live in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma now but home is Fort Smith, Arkansas. I started flying in about1959 after my 4 year older brother began. He told me only a few weeks ago about a neighbor of ours in Fort Smith, last name Haynes, that was a competitive stunt flyer. He flew a Nobler and my brother was so awestruck that he began flying. I flew .049 1/2A's then 15 and 35 powered Chief's, Tomahawks and Ringmasters I think. You can guess we used Fox engines as Fort Smith is the home of Fox. My brother was much better than I but I am the one that has returned to building again. The Dad of one of my closest friends in grade school was a salesman for Fox. He gave me an engine from time to time and you can imagine how I loved to see the engines on their dining table when I went over to visit my friend. I would always ask a lot of questions in the hope he would give me another engine. I also used to build engines from mistakes Duke would throw out the back door. He finally quit doing that and started burying the bad parts. Today I am building a scratch Veco Chief from plans I got from Leonard. This is very nostalgic for me and I am enjoying it again. I still have an old Fox 35 my brother used when we were kids and it is the best running engine I have right now. He and I are coming to the Nats in Muncie. He wants to see the Jets.

Bob, Hop down to the field and spend some with the Gluedobber's C/L bunch sometime. We're on south Garnett, right on the banks of the Arkansas River. If the weather's good on Saturday most of the group will probably show up. A couple of us try and do a little flying on weekdays too, usually around 5PM. Hope to see you there sometime!

Elwyn, I will come over to the field soon. Right now I am working in the yard on Saturdays, Spring stuff you know. I will have this knocked out before too long and will come over. Thank you for the reply! Bob

Crapshoot-aka Elwyn Aud- I started flying C/L about 1970. Learned to fly on plastic Cox planes and somehow survived the experience and eventually graduated to balsa planes. Messed with C/L planes till about 1980 and drifted off into other things for a good while. Started getting back into flying in the early 90's I'm definitely more of a sport flyer than a competition flyer. Might try and make a few local contests this year though. Currently residing in Broken Arrow,OK.

AKA Steve Helmick! I'm almost 56, machinist, father of a boy and girl, soon to be 25 and 22, respectively. The girl, Kelsey, is graduating from Emerson College in Boston in a couple weeks. She is a major in TeeVee Production, so if you see her name in the credits, that be her. Need I mention that I'm REALLY PROUD of her? Anyway, I started modelling at about age 4 as I spent the first dime I ever got on a solid balsa kit. As an Air Force kid, we lived all around the country, but never near anyplace where models appeared to be a major thing. My father flew a Barnstormer in the vacant lot next to our house in Winchester, TN. It had an O&R .29, and was pretty fast. I can still visualize it blowing the wings off on some quick loops... twice! When Pa retired, I was 16, and he went to work for Boeing in Renton. I met a few guys, found a club, etc. My first contest was FF "B Gas" with a Fox .201 Ramrod 600, placed 2nd. Next was a combat contest a 5 months later, and I did good and placed 3rd. Flew a lot of combat, a bit of rat, monoline A, B, B-Proto and C (now D) speed, and did ok at all. When the tuned pipes came out, I retired from speed and built an A-2 Nordic glider, a Wakefield, and a Mathis Excalibur. I was married, in college and working. Ended up as a mechanic, then machinist, QC inspector & QC manager, and back to machinist. I flew Nordic glider for about 16 years, '69 to '85, and pretty much retired. Took the kids out fishing and ended up getting hooked on bass fishing myself, and am still doing that, and can't see myself quitting. Even during periods of non-modelling, I still maintained my AMA for all but a couple of years, so still have my original number, 7781. I knew I was going to come back. Built a NW Sport Race CG Buster in '88 or so, came out of retirement in Nordic in '95 & '96, but old age and arthritic knees didn't help. About then, I stopped by the Kent Boeing Space Center to see a CL contest there and was standing next to Howard Rush (who I knew) watching Paul Walker flying an Impact. I had watched stunt at some contests, but never anything remotely resembling the display I saw that day. Howard said "I'm going to do THAT." I decided it would be fun to putz around with it too, but have no dreams of great victories, and in fact am not that hot for competing anymore. I figure that I'll enter a contest if I want and will help the Skyraider's run our events. Near as I can figure, my 4 flights at Nils' C.O.L.D. event were the first time I'd flown ukie since the early '90's. I would like to become a decent flier again, and would like to fly in a VSC and an Australian NATS, but that's about it. Snug lines to all, Steve

Replying from Hailin, People's Republic of China. I dropped in to an internet users store in downtown Hailin to catch up on the news from Canada, and of course I just had to see what's happening on the forums. Its costing me 2 yuan an hour (not much). I wish I had a way to contact some of the F1B and F2B fliers here, I'll try to find a good hobbyshop when I get to Beijing.
I'm a nearly retired psychology prof and I can't ever remember not being interested (my wife says obsessed) with model aeroplanes. Probably stems from growing up under the flight path of Bell. A lot of Stearman trainers used to fly over the house back then.
I used to fly sport stunt in the park when I was a kid but finally settled on freeflight. I've been on 5 world's champ teams for Canada, 3 in F1C and 2 in F1B, including the upcoming champs in Lost Hills this October.
I nearly burned out on F1B recently so I started back on sport stunt for a change of pace. I tried sport RC but couldn't get interested.
I did my first full pattern last year with a flapless plane I based on the Doctor. I've added flaps to the next version of that idea and am practicing with it now. I've just finished a Sukoish model with a Saito .56 which I can't wait to fly. I got most of the ideas for it from the forums and all the guys who like to share their ideas. I think I'm more interested in modelling now than ever before because of the forums, SN, and all the guys who like to share their opinions. It's great.

Well, I'm off to my son's wedding now. See you in mid May back home.

Jim B

I started flying with my Dad in 1967. My first flight was in the parking lot of the Westinghouse flourescent lamp plant in Salina, KS with a beginner's Ringmaster Bipe and a TD 049. It was so fast no one sould fly it, and I was mostly just scared of the noise (being 6), particularly after my Dad decided to test-run it in the basement at 10:30 at night. Getting awakened by the horrific screeching was a memorable moment! I was intimidated by the airplanes, and really wasn't that interested.

I did a lot of modelling, mostly plastic and rockets, but not much with airplanes. My dad took us to the 1973 FAI Team trials (I'm sure he didn't grasp the significance, just an airplane event), which was the first time I ever saw serious stunt. My brother and I were fascinated by this huge airplane that had the smoke coming out the sides, later identified as Al Rabe's "Sea Fury". Sitting in the pits it looked like is was going to stomp on and eat all the little 35 planes.

I started flying again in about 1974 with my uncle. We flew at the Jacuzzi plant on I-30 between Benton and Little Rock, Arkansas. I wanted to fly every day, but I couldn't find anyone to fly with, so I only flew once a year or so. I was very active in rocketry, and was quite competitive in scale, and B/G events.

This all changed when I found a paved parking lot I could fly in. I made a stooge, and started flying almost every day. I built probably 6-7 green box Noblers with Foxes, most scratch-built using a saddle wing jig. This was all by myself, since I still didn't have any local flying buddies. The nearest was 30 miles away in Lexington Ky, and being painfully shy, I didn't feel confident just going up and jumping in with others. I eventually overcame this and met some really great guys - among them Ed Robbert, Dan Lutz, Larry Robertson, and Lew McFarland.

I got pretty good and flew my first 500 point pattern right before I moved to California in 1983. There I met Ted Fancher and the McClellans. I flew fairly infrequently, but went to most WAM contests and kept my hand in. Around 1988 I started getting serious again and with Ted's friendship and guidance, and my own pretty decent engineering skills, I got a lot better. I went to my first NATS in 1993, where I qualified and finished 18th and missed out on rookie of the year by 2 points to Steve Buso. After that I really tried to step up my efforts. With world-class local competition, I had good goals to shoot for and eventually made the top 5 in 2000.

I am still a casual competitor in model rocketry, and was something like 26th in national points in the 98/99 contest season, with about 1/3 the allowable contest participation.

The highlights of my modeling career are:

June 1974 - world record 12:13 flight in B Parachute Duration
July 2000 - tied for 3rd at NATS
Aug 2000 - 35 minute flight in D Dual Eggloft duration (recovered but DQ due to egg breakage)
Oct 2000 - Flying the B-17

The best thing about airplanes is the people I have met. I have a great deal of trouble relating to others (due to several neurological conditions) but airplanes have always provided a great way to be around people in an environment I can handle. The west coast modeling scene is great, but I would single Ted out as a particular help and great personal friend. Almost like family, like an older brother. REALLY older.


Outside of modeling, I am an aerospace engineer at Lockheed/Sunnyvale. I design attitude control and propulsion control systems, and am a constultant on software and systems engineering. I have been the lead engineer for Attitude, Guidance, and Propulsion systems on all 4 MILSTAR satellite launches in 1994, 95, 99 and 2001. I'm 39.

LAST EDITED ON Apr-27-01 AT 02:26 PM (EST)

My name is Peter Hess. I am 58 going on 59 going on 16. I live in Canton, Connecticut (about 15 miles due west of Hartford)with my wife, who has put up with me for almost 34 years and continues to do so despite the odors of dope, castor oil, and my living in the basement. We have two terrific twenty-something sons who remain single. I spent twenty-two years of my life in formal education - - far more than is healthy for a normal human being - - plus four years teaching. I gave up my teaching career to go to law school and have been an in-house corporate lawyer for about twenty-nine years.
My interest in model airplanes was sparked by an uncle who is only about fifteen years older than I am. When I was eight or nine, he occasionally took me to Nazareth Park (Pennsylvania)where he and others flew C/L planes on the ball diamond. As I recall, people would flock to the stands to watch what was then still a novlty. The whole thing was exhilarating. I could not resist it. That uncle gave me a little scratch-built, twin boom, C/L plane with a K&B .049 that was my pride and joy but which I could never get to fly. Nevertheless, several of my friends and I kept plugging away at it and finally taught ourselves to fly on a Ringmaster Jr. pulled, but barely, by a Cub .074. I can still remember counting the number of completed laps until, eventually, running out the tank became routine.
Then came the typical run of Ringmasters (including an all silver Super Ringmaster), Sterling Yak 9's, Sterling Navions, and - - my pride and joy - - a silk covered Veco Chief with a K&B Greenhead 35. That was one terrific machine.
My modeling ended rather abruptly when I was sixteen. Sports and studies took over my life. Then, all that stuff of life that I mentioned in the first paragraph left no time for model airplanes.
But, my interest continued. And, starting in 1994 I built a bunch of Dewey Birds, taught my nearly grown sons to fly (neither remains interested), and found, with an extended wing Baby Ringmaster powered by a Black Widow, that I could still do more than go around and around. That was followed by a SkyRay 35 and a Sterling Mustang that were flown only occasionally, but are still servicable. In a couple of weeks I will also have a trio of significantly reengineered, scratch-built SkyRays and a Magician ready to support what I hope will become a very concerted effort to really learn how to fly and, maybe next year, to start going to contests. Partial, voluntary, and gleeful early retirement will help a lot.
Given the long time that I was away from modeling, I had and still have an enormous amount to learn. I am enormously grateful to so many of you who have given me advice in this and other forums and to Leonard, who, by creating this Forum and his support via email, have helped my "comeback". This is a wonderful fraternity and I am eager to become an active, if amateur, part of it.
Good luck to you all this flying season!
Peter Hess

Z is Zuriel Armstrong from the LARGE town of Beebe, Arkansas. Not a lot of CL activity here. I got my first CL airplane when I was about 7 years old, a Cox PT-19. We could never get the engine started but I did learn how to slling it around with some control. 6 volt lantern batteries did not help either.

In 1975 I met a friend in school who had the coolest airplane, a Green Box Nobler. This was the first time I had the opportunity to see what these great airplanes could do. I was hooked. I build my first airplane, a Sterling Eindecker with a Cox Golden Bee 049. Went to my first contest that same summer and won Balloon Bust and saw Jim Lynch flying his Beautiful Rabe Bearcat. I was really hooked then, but money was not on my side at that point in life. I continued building and flying, mostly profile Banshee's and Shark 15's and the likes. I built a Johnny Cashburn "Miss Behave" that lasted most of one flight and pretty much faded away from the hobby.

In 1994 I bought a modeling magazine and got the bug again. I bought a Forerunner and left it in the box for five years. In 1999 I built the Forerunner and have re-entered competitive flying and I work hard to learn skills I was not able to learn when I was younger. It helps to have GREAT FRIENDS in the area who share my passion for building and flying.

I am currently going through a career change due to some health problems. I am 41 and have a beautiful wife and family. Some high points from CL:

I was in attendance at the 2000 VSC and saw Al Rabe fly his Bearcat. Al gave me a set of his new Mustang plans. Serious kid in a candy store syndrome. Meeting and flying regularly with my Arizona friends and having them teach me how to build an airplane right. Flying at Whittier Narrows with some of the people I had only read about in magazines.

Future plans are somewhat confused. I am at a point where I still want to be a world beater, but building a cool looking ship to fly with friends is a whole lot more fun. Also watching the little kids watching you and inviting them into the circle is great too.

Thanks,
Zuriel

Barry Hagen from Sammamish, WA. At 38 Years old I feel like a real youngster in this crowd (Just joking). Started flying C/L around 1968, never really chose a "specialty", just fly for the fun of it. I teach a computer class a couple of days a month, build web pages for a little "flying money" and work full time for a building maintenance company. Other hobbies are fishing, music, and mountaineering (I wonder how a C/L plane would fly at the top of Mt. Rainier?). I'm married, have three kids, five dogs (although as I'm writing this I have a dog giving birth) three cats, two fish, about a dozen chickens and a turkey (whew).
Kiiski

319 views and only 24 posts.. Must still be a bunch of lurkers out there that haven't signed in yet..

Hi folks,

Bob Reeves here.. Currently residing in Tulsa OK, struggling with a fairly new business in Thrill Ride Photography which keeps me away from home and building/flying more than I would like. First started flying CL back in the early 60's when I was in the Navy, nothing serious and did some pretty foolish things like put a McCoy 35 on a JR. Flight Streak. Got married and dropped out of the hobby till about the mid 70's when I ran into a small control line club (Salisbury Hawks) flying at the Salisbury MD. Airport.

Had to go over and see what was going on.. hooked again. Flew Stunt, Slow Combat and Slow Rat at almost every contest that was within reach till I moved to San Diego in 78. Bob Hunt and the Geneses were my gods but never made it past Advanced. After the move CL just wasn't the same without my flying buddy Lloyd Gregory so tried RC, didn't get any satisfaction out of it so dropped out of the hobby again until last year.

Not sure what spurred my interest again but I ended up finding De Hill and got involved with the Tulsa Glue Dobbers. Now I am just trying to re-learn the pattern and keep a plane in one piece.

Guess my only claim to fame is the TwistMaster which is proving to be a great flying airplane. As soon as I can get some engine problems worked out I will be back in the competition circle.

Ok ---
EricV is Eric Viglione, another Florida resident, and friend of Ed Ruane. EddyR and a recently deceased friend, Bill Whitson, got me into C/L in the early 80's. It kept me out of trouble while my other friends raised teenage Heck!! I flew simple ships like Ringmasters, Banshee's & I even scratch built a profile of my own design. I got married, started a business and put C/L down for 14 years!
About 2 years ago, I'm talking to my friend EddyR and he says, "Why don't you come fly with us this Sunday?". As they say, the rest is history! ( I finally did crash Ed's Tom Tom, sorry Eddy!!! ) Since I've gotten back into C/L I've built an All American Sr, a Jamison Nats Special, a Semi-Scale Mustang and I have just finished building my first fully competitive stunt ship, a Randy Smith designed SV-11, which I've dubbed the "EV-11". I have flown and placed in OTS and Beginner at our local club contests, and flown at the KOI. Earlier this year was a landmark, as I flew the complete AMA pattern with a Magnum donated by Jim and Wayne Smith, I hear came down the line from Curt Contratta. What a rush!!!! Thanks Wayne, Jim and Curt! I am now looking forward to trimming out the New "EV-11" and competing in some PAMPA events.

Dreams and goals: make it to VSC one year, and to place at the Nat's.

Thanks to all who do what you do!

Nils Norling here. I'm 53 & I fix bent cars for a living. I started building model airplanes in the mid 50's. Mostly swing line that I could fly in my bedroom at first. Then gliders & rubber powered for outside. We had a friend of my dad's renting our downstairs apartment about '55-'56 & he built me an ROG from plans that I watched him draw. He even hand carved the prop. I was WAY impressed.
Then I started getting model airplanes for my birthday. The first one I remember finishing was a "Red Devil". It has a hollowed out balsa fuse & a plank wing with a Cox .049. I never tried to fly it, although I got it started a few times & it scared the tar out of me.
A few years later one of my two cousins down on the farm outside Merced CA got a PT-19 as a Christmas present. They never could get it to run. We used to visit from Alameda several times a year, & on our next visit, since I could actually make the thing run, I was immediately made the test pilot, due, apparently to my obvious vast knowledge of model airplanes. Yeah. Well, anyway, we took the thing out to the field in the deep whatever, (wheat stubble, I think), & after I showed them how to start it, they just kept chucking the thing up in the air until I managed to fly it. The stubble was deep enough that the rubber bands were the only damage after many crashes. My uncle’s milk cows were out there in the same field & enjoyed the show immensely. As soon as the little Cox would start they'd all trot over. When we'd get the airplane in the air they'd all stand around in a circle watching it go around & around. It was really quite comical watching their heads go back & forth When it would run out of fuel (or crash) they'd all trot over & stand around staring down at it. I don't now what they thought it was was, but it was obviously the most interesting thing they had ever seen.
I used to like to go to the dump in Alameda with my Dad back then because there was a circle next to it. Apparently it's still there, right on the edge of the estuary just off Bay Farm Island. I was too young to get there by myself & never flew there. Mostly the guys I saw fly were just going around in circles when I was there. I did see some guys try to start a jet once. It made a lot of noise a few times but never actually flew while I was watching.
In '61 we moved to the Navy Base in Kodiak Alaska. I still had an airplane or two in various stages of assembly that had never been flown, & Bruce Andrews (the kid that lived next door that I hooked up with) & I finished them up & smashed 'em on the pavement of the O Club parking lot across the street until we got the hang of keeping them in the air, more or less. Then I built a Sterling Mustang with an Enya .19 in the nose & learned to do loops & wingovers with an occasional lazy 8 & touch & go, though we did have more touches than we did goes. Bruce had a Ringmaster Junior with a Cox .15 on it. (I still have my Enya)
I bought a Fox .36X (still have it too) in Anchorage on a trip in '64 & built a Ringmaster Custom into the "combat" variation. I have no idea who I figured I was going to fly combat against in Kodiak, but it WAS cool looking. I also have no idea what prop I put on it. Our selection was pretty thin at the base hobby shop, but whatever it was that thing went WAAYYYY faster than the Mustang/Enya .19 I was used to! Fortunately it wasn't broken in & quit after only a few screaming laps. I was so dizzy I had no idea where I was standing when it stopped & I wound up flying it into the outside of the O Club kitchen wall. There was a little Chinese cook that worked there & he came boiling out the back door yelling at us in Chinese. I had no idea what he was saying, but it was obvious from the meat clever he was waving around that he would be pleased if I took my toy airplane elsewhere. Immediately. Or it was going to be in even worse shape than it already was.
A few weeks later we were back with everything stuck back together, when a Navy officer pulled into the lot & drove over to where we were. We were afraid we were going to get run off again, but the guy had heard us flying & asked if we'd launch his airplane for him. It was a boxy high wing thing with rubber bands holding the wing on. We were very dubious about it's flying abilities, but we launched it for him & he started doing the most amazing things we'd ever seen! He would dive straight at the pavement & pull out upside down right at our eye level! He did more than one loop at a time, even outside loops! Even square ones! I didn't realize it for another 35 years or so, but he was flying the pattern. The airplane said Boxcar Chief on the wing.
I graduated from KHS in '65 & went to the U of A in Fairbanks taking general engineering courses for two years before discovering that I was too dumb to ever be an engineer, so I dropped out & got married, (proving how truly stupid I was). Eventually in '69 I ended up here in Central Oregon & met my present wife of 23 years.
About 7 years ago my nephew Montana got a Cox PT-19 for his birthday. On Mothers Day his mom, his Grandma & my wife talked me into trying to fly it for the first time in way too much wind. I told 'em it was going to die but they insisted. Sure enough, it died. Montana was 5 at the time & wasn't too upset. I told him that when he got old enough that I though the could actually fly a model airplane I'd build him one that would fly much better than the plastic one. When he was 7 he reminded me of my promise, so I built him a Baby Ringmaster while he watched. We put an old Golden Bee on it that I'd saved since Kodiak. I had a blast flying it & teaching him. I was having so much fun I built a full sized Ringmaster for myself.
I had always wanted to see someone do that amazing fancy flying again & after asking around on the net through Iskandars BBS I was given email addresses for several PAMPA members here in Oregon who encouraged me to attend the '97 Fall Follies in Portland & enter as a beginner. Since I was the only entry in Beginner I won. I've been going to contests ever since & am now enjoying reasonable success in Classic & Advanced PA with a Shark 45/T&L ST.60.
I scared up a nice Torp.32 last year & plan to build it a Boxcar Chief for OTS. I've wanted one of those ever since I saw that one in Kodiak.....
Montana is 12 now, attending contests with me & doing well in Beginner with a SkyRay that he won last fall. At the contest last weekend he won a Brodak LaGG 33 kit. Montana's little brother Mac has been bugging us for an airplane since he was 5. He is 7 now & has his own Lil’ Hacker. He learned to fly it a few weeks ago & is having a great time. I have 4 more nephews; I'm going to have to get a bigger van
I knew this was going to run long so I put it off. I hope I haven't bored you too much.
Nils

My name is Tim Macek and I'm from the Pittsburgh, PA area.
I was really into c/l sport flying as a teenager and recently returned after about 20 years of life's interference. I'm 39 now.
As I've learned since returning 8 or 9 months ago, this is John Brodak's back yard. I'll have to make the trip an hour south of here to check out his shop and maybe attend the fly-in this year.

My dad was a c/l flyer in the mid - late '50s, and my brothers and I asking about his airplanes, and wanting to see them fly, finally got him to start us into the hobby around 1970 or so.
We belonged to a club, The Flying Devils of Pittsburgh, along with my dad's uncle and about 40 other members (the good old days). Unfortunately the club disbanded in the early '80s.
There were times back then that my dad, brothers and I could field about 20 airplanes at any given time. Boy would I like to have some of them today.
I left the hobby in the early '80s after high school and computer school and moving onto a career, then marriage. Last fall my kids started to express interest in some of the old planes I had at the house. Some are my dad's and are over 40 years old.
So I dragged out the old Ringmaster, and headed to the field. That Fox 36x was a little much, I don't recall ever getting dizzy as a kid. So I replaced it with a Fox 35 and I'm teaching he kids to fly. Funny how it's like riding a bicycle, the handle was just as natural in my hand as it was 20 years ago.
So now I've got an old Midwest P-51 under construction and some new kits for the kids that I need to build, as well as repairing some of the old planes I have from the old days. I just hope my son (and daughter), ages 7 and 10, enjoy it as much as I did.
I'm having a ball, and though I'll probably never compete, I may have Leonard rework a couple of FP35's for me, because I do enjoy a good strong stunt engine on a good flying airpane, even if it is just for fun.
I have learned so much these past few months from this forum and others. Although I've built plenty of c/l planes, it was almost always "in a hurry" to get them flying and "a nice finish" was never a priority. This time around I'll try to do it right and the advice and tips are certainly helping. Thanks to all of you.

My name is Dave and I am 40 and an addict. I live in Milwaukee Wisconsin. My brother and I have build model airplanes on and off for a long time. My dad started by building ROG sticks and ones made out of Bamboo. He was (is) a great prop carver. We were building as soon as we could hold a blade. As a kid we lived close to bong, so I would got watch FF there often. I got shot down there (RC glider). I got my first TD from a farmer friend on a flyaway ALWAYS put your name on your airplane. We littered the surrounding countryside with model rockets at that time. We went to EAA almost every year and both ended up as engineers, mostly because we built models as kids. I write software and firmware for industrial controls, and my brother is a full scale IAC pilot and an engineer out in Whiticha for a major aircraft company.

In the late 60’s we flew tried free flight, but after many moths of building it looped and crashed on its first test flight. The Babe Bee ended in a series of sterling CL models. We could fly right in out back yard. My uncle was flying big stuff, shoestrings, busters and monokote…. We kept on with the ½A’s and inherited all his CL stuff, most, of which I still have. We dabbled in RC and had some good success with gliders. And small models. Had a blast with my ACE pulse single systems (still mid 70’s). Never got in the big engine thing. A long break for motor cycle racing, university and kids a now I am back. I raced bicycles for a while and my wife is much happier that I am building airplanes now (home more hurt less, less money). My kids would see the old airplanes and engines in the shop and ask about them. Now they are 7 and 9 and it is time to show them. I would like to get back and fly stunt and maybe a little combat. I could see myself pitting for my kids in mouse or sport race.

Mike Ogren, Son of Don Ogren who flew @ Purdue and in the Air force(42-63?) . I built a Flitestreak and bounced it softly upon it's nose and broke it off. I could'nt beleive that it broke!! I was 14 or 15 @ the time. Now I'm 44 . Ive been flying about three years. All I want to do is to fly combat well. I love the rush.
I have always wanted to fly combat ever since seeing my dads mags with pics of all the cool wings and talk of 50% nitro.
I tried to fly small Cox planes and got fairly proficiant at running the engines and designing the planes, both to fly and not to break. I am fairly stubborn. My Dad and I fly 3-5 times a week. about half the time with streamers. Life is good. The plane thing started when we tried to get my Son started with the planes. He didnt like the hassle of the engines and the noise. He likes it a bit more now, and can fly loops and wing overs etc. We often fly @ Tampa with the nice guys there.
We( the three of us) fly the schools near here when I have time. I do a short lesson on the science of flight and then let em at it. We use the Cox Plastic Fantastic 24 and Fox 15 /KISS 33 . The kids love it. We use about a 1/2 gal / week.
I have just bought my first wood plane!! A Mongoose Slow combat kit.
For $, I fix strange cars , Jags, TVR,VW, and race cars. I rent the race cars for SCCA schools and races.
My Dad and I cut the kits in the office part of my shop.
I also work on a TransAm Team (# 77, Custom Tube,Ford Cobra ) as a mechanic and race data analysis/ driver coach. I also teach race driving @ Sebring and Watkins Glen for private clubs. (BMW etc)
Most of my students have way cool cars and I get to drive a lot of great stuff, like Cobras, Vettes, Busch cars, GT 40 .
The money isn't too good but the people are nice and the cars cool. Just like CL people.
What I've noticed is a lot of RC guys are getting back to CL.
I like the direct connection and the action. What we'll need to do is bring the kids into the sport, somehow. Just as important are products that work for CL. MM

I started models at the age of 6 in the Washington D C area, flying A J Walker 74 Fighter gliders, A J Hornet or Pursuit windups, Northern Pacific gliders with the clip on wings (great flliers), Go Hi gliders, etc. then, Top Flite Jigtimes. Later, I struggled getting into CL, first with a Comet 44 Ready To Fly (1/4" thick plastic, Cub 1/2 A, recipe for dodo-like "flight" characteristics), and maybe getting a lap or two out of a couple of Scientific 1/2As. The breakthrough occurred with a Sterling P-40/Enya .19 Teardrop at the Alexandria Va Sailing Marina, about a mile away from Washington (now Reagan) National Airport. I still remember how pleased I was to finally fly CL.

Then it was Flying Clowns, Ringmasters, Busters, Magicians, Streaks, the usual. Later, we had a great club at Purdue. Howard Rush was there at the time, and we are proud to count Neil Armstrong as a member some years before (I'm not quite that old, guys). I dabbled a little in outdoor HLG too (in my semi-juvenile delinquent days, I could throw a softball about 90 yards; the only thing I can throw now is my shoulder out of joint).

I'm just a sports flyer that can't say "no" to delelict swap, garage, and flea market models, especially the flapped stunters. I like to restore and fly them, although my skills for either are average at best. I guess I have about 50 that are more or less in flying condition. I also scratch build, and have a particular interest in bipes, although I haven't had one that flies well yet. I've flown maybe about 60% of the 50 or so models. I'll admit that owning 7 Noblers is a bit sick, but at least I got them (some, anyway) in the air again. And I really love the looks of the old ones, like the Smoothie, Ares and T-Bird.

Lately, I got interested in Hollow Log Scientific 1/2As, as they fly in the annual Musciano meet. I think I am compensating for missing on these as a kid.

Constant readers of this and other BBs (like Isky's) have painfully suffered through my declarations of love for Fox Stunts on a regular basis, preferably attached to a Streak. But I also reach for OS FP 40s ( our own Len, and Big Art mods), Johnsons, and McCoy Redheads when the spirit moves me. One year I actually got a couple of diesel powered ships in the air. And I have a scratch profile 71" Nobler with a ST 60. Don't ask.

The boring stuff:
I have a Ph.D. in Human Factors Engineering/Industrial Psychology from Purdue, and started out at William and Mary and the U of Richmond. I work for General Dynamics Land Systems as a Section Managerfor Concept Design. My group does human factors engineering, and very preliminary three dimensional advanced ground vehicle concepts, on high end computers. (I know nothing about solid modelling, but just try to steer the guys in the right direction). I'm proud to say that I was on the original M-1 Abrams Main Battle Tank (still in production) design team. We're pretty much doing Robotic and manned wheeled vehicles now, however.

See ya at the old flyin' field, and bring that can of Superfuel you caged from me last week...

My full name is Michael D Garmon and I was born and raised in Midland North Carolina. I have been infatuated with airplanes since I watched my uncle flying a Madewell 49 powered Zilch in 1950. I first started flying Testors and A J sheet balsa gliders and building many Comet stick and tissue models that I was never able to get into the air. My first control line plane was a Sterling Ringmaster. My cousin and I pooled our recources and came up with $2.95 for the Ringmaster kit and within a week we had it ready to fly but we lacked an engine for it. My cousin's older brother was drafted into the Army and gave his new Fox 35 to my Aunt to keep untill his return. My cousin found the Fox hidden in a closet and now we had powerplant for the Ringmaster that was hot in more than one way. As neither of us knew how to fly we fliped a coin to see who would try the first flight. I won the toss and we fired up the Fox and I was able to take off and fly out the full tank of fuel and land with no damage to the Ringmaster. My cousin was also able to teach himself to fly on the next flight without damaging the Ringmaster. We continued flying untill the Vietnam war started and I visited the local Navy recruiter and told him I would join up if they would let me work on airplanes. Two weeks later I was at Great Lakes going through boot camp and I thought I made a big mistake in joining the Navy. I was sent to NAS Memphis after boot camp to attend Avaition Machinist Mate Jet school and much to my surprise they had a super hobby shop with flying circles right next door. I was able to fly just about every day of the nine months I was at NAS Memphis. In 1966 I transfered to VF-31 at NAS Oceana and found out that there was a lot of control line fliers in the area and I joined the Norfolk Aeromodelers club and have remained a member to this day. I did my entire 23 year Navy career home ported at NAS Oceana and served in two F4 Phantom Squadrons, VF31 and VF101. The bulk of my career was in A6 Intruder squadrons that included tours in VX5, VA34 VA176 and two tours in VA42. My last squadron was VF43 that flew A4 Skyhawks , T2C Buckeyes , T38 Talons F5's and F21 Kifirs. During this time I made 12 Med cruises one Indian Ocean cruise four North Atlantic cruises aboard the aircraft carriers USS Saratoga, USS Kennedy and USS Independance. I did not get to do as much model bulding and flying as I would have liked while in the Navy but I never quit modeling. After retiring from the Navy as a Master Chief Aircraft Maintenanceman my modeling activities increased and I have been fortunate to have six of my designs published in Flying Models magizine and six of my plane designs kitted by Brodak Mfg. I was PAMPA district IV director for several years and had a great time in that position but after my wife died in 1999 I felt I could not do the job properly and I resigned the position. Model building and flying has been lot's of fun over the years but the best part is the great people you meet through modeling.

Not wishing to be a lurker, I'll contribute too. I'm Mike Brooks. I've always felt like I was born into this hobby. Don't ever remember not being around it somehow. My dad flew C/L and FF before I was born. A Testors Junior 29 hung on the wall of his room at my grandparents for years. I remember Dad and I going to watch combat etc when I was really little. The neighbor boys flew in an open area across from my house. One day, Dad put his OR 29 on a board and fired it up (he was in school and this was about all he could do) when I was 4. If I wasn't hooked before, I was after that.

Began flying myself when I was about 14. Dad built, I flew. My first plane was a Goldberg Buster with a Green Head Torpedo .35. We goofed around mostly, but did try to fly B Speed. Dad had flown C & D Speed in the late 40s. Had a wonderful time. On a nice day, I could almost always count on Dad getting off work early, coming home and telling me to load up the car. We'd get home after dark usually. When I went to school ('72) and my folks split,it all got packed away, but not completely forgotten.

When I got married, several years later, I told my wife I'd get back into C/L someday. At the time I drove a bookmobile. One day, while I was at a park eating lunch, I watched someone flying a Sig Banshee. Went home, got my stuff unpacked and haven't stopped since ('89). It's been a blast. Mostly now I just goof off at this, but it's something I definately missed. Made a lot of new friends, one of whom is Zuriel from an above posting. Zuriel, anytime you want to just fly a cool looking airplane with your friends, I'm glad you email me. Always fun even if it's too windy to fly, right?

Btw, I want to say that while I haven't met most everyone that posts here, feel like we've all become friends. This is a great hobby!

Mike

I just found this forum (almost by accident), saw many familiar faces, and decided to join right up! This is great!

About me:

I got "back" into control line last summer as a way to find something that my 14-yo son and I could do together, only to find it was way more satisfying and meaningful to me than to him. I built a small 1/2A plane I designed myself (barely airworthy, but it flew!), then a flying wing configuration (still 1/2A, but this time from a tried-and-true design). Along the way I discovered several destinations on the Web where I was able to get a lot of help and met some really great guys. Most of them are here (you know who you are...).

Last fall I began building a Skyray from scratch, and flew it last weekend for the first time (a really short flight, but it survived). Looking forward to flying it again tomorrow!

I said "Back" in quotes because even though I had fond memories, my only real C/L experience was back in '68 and/or '69 with a Cox much-heavier-than-air contraption (PT somethin or other - a green Mustang). I had, I think, one golden summer where we flew almost daily in the back yard, and it seemed that almost everyone in the neighborhood was doing it. After that, I built a Ringmaster Jr. that I never ended up flying, and that was it, until last summer.

Personal: I'm 45, a computer systems analyst, married with 3 kids. I went through a bad patch in the 90's where I was self-employed and didn't make much money, so now I'm kind of on the rebuilding side - still struggling financially but more secure.

Wow this is most interesting reading. My name is Dave Reyes and am 43 yrs old and work as an engineer for ARINC in Annapolis, MD. Grew up as an Air Force brat, dad would clip out plane pictures from the Stars & Stripes and give to me. He really didn't have an interest in planes, but he birth in me the love of aviation. As kid my brother and I built plastic planes like they were going out of style. As a 13 yr old, checked out a book from the school library about CL flying. It had a plan in the back which I traced and built my first plane. Bought a Cox 1/2A and put it on. Had no idea what to do. Got it fired up and brother let go and actually emptied the tank. I was hooked. Many trips to the hobby and issues of Flying Models. Drooling over the stunt planes and scaling up plans from the magizines. Started to build from the plans I drew and would sport fly. Have been building off and on since the mid 70s. Finally joined PAMPA in late 98. Why I waited so long? I was awe struck. For Chrismas my wife got me Windy's Brodak 98 tapes. Had to be there in 99 so my son and I went as spectators. 1st time I saw the pattern and seeing many of guys I've read about over the years. 3 wks got a call from Al Reed who was looking for a flying partner. Was I flying high. We flew about every weekend and learned so much from Al. Brodak 2000 was my first contest and came dead last in Beginners...But I had a blast and met some great folks who I'm looking forward to seeing this year. My son Jesse, 11 yr old will be flying in Beginners at Brodak this year with me. What more can say.

LAST EDITED ON Apr-29-01 AT 02:53 AM (EST)

My name is Dave Moffitt, I am 54 was born in England in a small village called Irthlingborough 60 miles north of London.
Emigrated to Australia in 1982, I love it here.
Started CL in 1973 or so with a Cox P-40 I had been given for Christmas many years before but never got to fly as I could not start the engine.
My brother and I had a ball with it and started to build proper planes and I stayed with it, flying mostly at Hemel Hempstead and District Model flying Club.
Favourite planes....
Keilkraft Spectre with 2.5cc PAW
Mercury Crusader, I had 2
Sig Mustang with ST C35
Peacemaker with OS Max25
Own Design twin with 2 OS Max25's ( I still have it in bits...)
I sold all my planes before emigrating to Oz ( still wish I'd kept them, but packing was a nightmare anyway..)
When we got here in 1982 I built a quick-and-dirty stunter, looks horrible but flies OK, I still have it.
Then I built the twin, it will fly again.
I stumbled on to Iskandar's board and was hooked again, bought 5 or 6 engines and another Sig Mustang ( I know, but I like it..)
I dusted the planes off and have flown a few times since, great to be back.
Other boring stuff.......
My first job was at RAE Bedford in High Speed section, I was one of the scientific gophers, we looked after the Fairy Delta II, I got to fly in Meteors as a passenger, got to handle the controls of a Meteor T7, What a rush for a 19 year-old, also flew as chase plane in a Meteor NF14 alongside the FD II, beautiful.
My other interest is dogs, we breed and show Scottish Deerhounds and are fairly succesful at it.
Like a lot of us here I like Motor-cycles also, used to have Velocettes.
I post as "jacobite" because that is our Breed name, that is, the dogs we breed are named Jacobite XXXXXXXXXXX, where XXXXXX is Albert, Brian, Charlie etc.

Have been on travel and lots of neat posts happened while I was gone! I am a 30+ year layoff C/L retread who is learning all over again. I flew C/L as a kid (Started with a Sterling 1/2A profile Mustang), flew just about all the plastics, then built a CG Shoestring as my first "big" plane with a Fox .29 Stunt. I built a number of .35 size kits including a bunch of Sturdibuilt "Cobras" with the J-Roberts control we got in a closeout. (Boy would I like to find one of those now!)
I then "graduated" to R/C power, then to competitive R/C Sailplanes including several trips to the Nats. I used to work with Fred Carnes (who did the excellent I beam Stunter articles in Stunt News and Flying models). One day he called up a bunch of us he knew had flown C/L in the past and said "Let's go fly U Control!". So I ended up building a Ringmaster. Yes, Currell, it had a Fox .35 Stunt as did the CG Shoestring and the Flite Streak I built next. Rick Barr (or BARRICK on the other board) ended up with the Ringmaster. I have been having a ball learning all the things I never knew when I was young. Things like the 4-2-4 engine run and why it does. Really useful trimming tips like adjustable leadouts and a weight box and how to know when to do what to make it fly right. And most of all how important it is to have a straight aircraft. The really interesting thing is that C/L is now much more interesting to me than R/C, even though (and maybe because) I can fly an R/C plane MUCH better than my C/L planes.
Thanks to Len, I now have some good running O.S.s and have several full Stunt ships on the board (even though it takes me a LONG time to build a stunter). I now have several ships (including a Ukey from Rick Barr) to learn the Pattern on and have completed most of the maneuvers. And I am working on the rest. I'll get it one of these days!
Also boring stuff: I am a Lead Systems Engineer (majored in EE) with the USAF, and have worked primarily on missile systems for almost 20 years. I worked on the AMRAAM, AIM-9X, and a couple others. My modeling has helped many times when we were trying to trace down an aero based failure.
One last thing. Without the message boards along with everyone that has helped me (and there have been bunches!) I would never have made the progress I have, and would not have the interest level and numerous friends I have made. Thank you to everyone!! (sorry about being so long!)

Since everyone else is, I'll go ahead and jump in also. I'm 57, retired maybe temporarily, from life and health insurance admistration and most recently, mortgage banking.Spent several years big game hunting and fishing all over north America,shot several high power rifle and shotgun disciplines,played a lot of golf but kind of burnt out on the outdoor sports and golf and went back to flying, Live near Guthrie, OK, 25 miles or so north of Oklahoma City. I flew CL as a kid, did a few loops, crashed a lot and gave it up until around 1970. Flew all combat events, flew and pitted fast rat and goodyear,occasionally flew stunt at local area contests(not very well) went to the NATS every year from about 1971 til 1975 or so to fly combat and racing events. My son was born at that time, money was tight so I sold everything I had accumulated and did not touch a handle until last year. Right now, I am enjoying it a lot, trying to relearn everything I had forgotten. Will fly old time, classic and PA stunt whenever and wherever I get the chance this season, maybe a little super slow combat. Am working real hard to try to get a CL group together again in OKC-the club has been dead for around 10 years or so, despite lots of past local interest, great contests, etc. Many of the old club guys have degenerated into RC, some seem to have some interest in going back into control line and we have some new guys around as well.

I'm 55 years old. I built my first CL airplane in 1958. It was a Veco Tom Tom with an OK .29. I attempted to fly it on 70-foot lines on a windy day in Kansas City. It didn't work very well. KC was a hotbed of CL activity in the late Fifties. Every kid I knew was flying. We flew anywhere: schoolyards, vacant lots, even the lawn of an old-folks home. The geezers came out and sat on the porch to watch. I didn't have the perseverance to build a stunt plane, so I took up combat. Most contests had stunt and combat then, and I got to see some legendary stunt at the time, like Wild Bill's Fierce Arrows and the Tucker Special. The most memorable stunt flight of those days was Dale Kirn in 1960 flying three patterns on one ounce of fuel with a Baby Flite Streak on a 50-foot Monoline.

My family moved to Indiana in 1962. I took a bus to my first Nats that summer. It was wonderful. I saw Lew McFarland with his Shark, Charles Lickliter and Ballerina, Mario Rondinelli's Venus, and Bill Werwage's Ares, among others. I can't imagine that stunt planes now are as nicely finished as those were. They were really cool. While I lived in Indiana, I met Larry Fulwider, a regular on this forum. He won combat at the 1965 Nats.

I flew more combat, graduated from Purdue, and spent a couple of years in St. Louis at McDonnell. I moved to Seattle in 1973 and went to work for Boeing, my present employer. Seattle was an unusual place for modeling then. It is a long way to anywhere else, so there wasn't much contact with modelers elsewhere. The local combat crowd was flying seriously obsolete equipment, so I had fun for awhile. There had been a lot of activity in Seattle, but it diminished about 1970 as a result of an injury caused by a combat flyaway at a big, annual Navy-sponsored contest. The Navy then dropped its sponsorship.

I spent 1974 through 1977 years at NASA Langley in Virginia, where I got to hobnob with full-scale and model aeronautical legends such as W. Hewitt Phillips and Bob Champine of the Brainbusters club. I went to a zillion combat contests then, dabbled in free flight, and met a lot of nice folks.

I returned to Seattle and continued flying combat, making the 1984 and 1990 US F2D teams. I have intended to fly stunt since 1960. I finally got around to it about five years ago. The Northwest has always had a good grade of stunt: the building in which I work stands on a field where Ted Fancher flew as a kid. Paul Walker moved here about 1980. With Paul, Bob Emmett (Ted's mentor), and Bob Parker (front row in both Nats he entered) around, I figured I could probably learn to build, paint, and operate a stunt plane. Then Lew Akers gave me Allen Brickhaus's old Envoy and a splendid ST .60. After I wore that airplane out, Paul let me fly his 1985 Bad News. I abused that plane for a season, and social pressure forced me to finish building a plane of my own. Thanks to Paul and the other local guys, I have been able to become reasonably competitive in stunt in just a few years. I made my stunt Nats and F2B team trials debut in 1999, finishing in the middle of the pack. I still fly combat; I have to choose between team trials this Labor Day weekend. I'm an engineer in Boeing's commercial-airplane flight controls research group, working on newfangled airliners. Although I've worked in stability and control and flight dynamics for almost 30 years, and flown control line models for more than 40 years, I'm just starting to learn the subtleties of trimming a stunt plane.

I'm 55 years old. I built my first CL airplane in 1958. It was a Veco Tom Tom with an OK .29. I attempted to fly it on 70-foot lines on a windy day in Kansas City. It didn't work very well. KC was a hotbed of CL activity in the late Fifties. Every kid I knew was flying. We flew anywhere: schoolyards, vacant lots, even the lawn of an old-folks home. The geezers came out and sat on the porch to watch. I didn't have the perseverance to build a stunt plane, so I took up combat. Most contests had stunt and combat then, and I got to see some legendary stunt at the time, like Wild Bill's Fierce Arrows and the Tucker Special. The most memorable stunt flight of those days was Dale Kirn in 1960 flying three patterns on one ounce of fuel with a Baby Flite Streak on a 50-foot Monoline.

My family moved to Indiana in 1962. I took a bus to my first Nats that summer. It was wonderful. I saw Lew McFarland with his Shark, Charles Lickliter and Ballerina, Mario Rondinelli's Venus, and Bill Werwage's Ares, among others. I can't imagine that stunt planes now are as nicely finished as those were. They were really cool. While I lived in Indiana, I met Larry Fulwider, a regular on this forum. He won combat at the 1965 Nats.

I flew more combat, graduated from Purdue, and spent a couple of years in St. Louis at McDonnell. I moved to Seattle in 1973 and went to work for Boeing, my present employer. Seattle was an unusual place for modeling then. It is a long way to anywhere else, so there wasn't much contact with modelers elsewhere. The local combat crowd was flying seriously obsolete equipment, so I had fun for awhile. There had been a lot of activity in Seattle, but it diminished about 1970 as a result of an injury caused by a combat flyaway at a big, annual Navy-sponsored contest. The Navy then dropped its sponsorship.

I spent 1974 through 1977 years at NASA Langley in Virginia, where I got to hobnob with full-scale and model aeronautical legends such as W. Hewitt Phillips and Bob Champine of the Brainbusters club. I went to a zillion combat contests then, dabbled in free flight, and met a lot of nice folks.

I returned to Seattle and continued flying combat, making the 1984 and 1990 US F2D teams. I have intended to fly stunt since 1960. I finally got around to it about five years ago. The Northwest has always had a good grade of stunt: the building in which I work stands on a field where Ted Fancher flew as a kid. Paul Walker moved here about 1980. With Paul, Bob Emmett (Ted's mentor), and Bob Parker (front row in both Nats he entered) around, I figured I could probably learn to build, paint, and operate a stunt plane. Then Lew Akers gave me Allen Brickhaus's old Envoy and a splendid ST .60. After I wore that airplane out, Paul let me fly his 1985 Bad News. I abused that plane for a season, and social pressure forced me to finish building a plane of my own. Thanks to Paul and the other local guys, I have been able to become reasonably competitive in stunt in just a few years. I made my stunt Nats and F2B team trials debut in 1999, finishing in the middle of the pack. I still fly combat; I have to choose between team trials this Labor Day weekend. I'm an engineer in Boeing's commercial-airplane flight controls research group, working on newfangled airliners. Although I've worked in stability and control and flight dynamics for almost 30 years, and flown control line models for more than 40 years, I'm just starting to learn the subtleties of trimming a stunt plane.

Steve Dalke here. 39 years on this earth. Think you could say a semi retread. Whe I was about 24 a buddie and myself built some combat kittens with .051 TD's thinking these little thing should be fun to fly. After who know how many props and kits and spells of dizzyness later we gave up. Then came the stint of R/C off road trucks. Wicth were fun but rather expencive. Years pass and job changes later brings me to the summer of '00. A good freind ( who is a really good rc pilot) showed me Hermalle's web site with the platter as a beginner cl plane. Well thats where it started again. This time with a lot better results and help from the amazing people one meets (?) on these wonderfull BB's. Thanks Len. Now there is a Ringmater that survived last summer and a Majican almost finished. Plus a small squdaron of 1/2a planes for the local kids!
The other stuff. The local phone company pays me to keep everyone's phone working around here. My lady freind and here two daughters are the ones giving me all the gray hair. The older girl 14 is too much into boys and sports, but the younger girl, 11 is really turning out to be a good pilot. Enough of my ramblings. Nice to read all the other postings. SteveD.

I'm a young, arrogant, recent PhD in computer science. Now, how many of those descriptors are redundant?

Actually, I'm 45. I was born (when I was little) near Tacoma, but soon moved down to Houston. My Dad flew FF, CL, and early RC (i.e., with escapements) while my brother and I ran around the field. Later, I read all his old magazines and dreamed of flying, but somehow didn't have the gumption. Still later, I was distracted by computers, running, etc. About 15 years ago, I went back to grad school and really focused for a while. After that, came up to Seattle (like a salmon, home to spawn and die?) to work with Tera, which became Cray.

At some point, I realized that I had some spare time and enough money so I could start playing with planes, finally! Found Iky's board and Brodak, and I was off. A while later, started meeting some of the locals. The Canadians got me flying diesel combat and Howard Rush has been showing me everything else.

An earlier post mentioned "like a kid in a candy store." Well, that was me in Howard's basement. I asked once on the net about applying silk and Howard invited me over for a lesson. Well, that was pretty cool, but while I was there, I mentioned having trouble aligning a foamie. He says "What you need is a jig" and starts showing me the tooling for several generations of his combat planes. Now I spend _all_ my time building jigs.

Similarly to BigIron, my interest in C/L never went away, and there was never a time I decided to quit this part of the hobby (not to say that there weren't times I was not only out of all the needed supplies, like fuel, but also had no money to replace the stuff!) I literally always loved planes, big and small.

Living in a series of small towns on the Oakland side of the bay, we were surrounded by military aviation when I was little. I've but very few memories further back than age six or so, and WW-II ended when I was five, but with one Navy air base and two USAF bases all within 30 miles or so, a lot of planes were overhead.

Like Currell, I tossed dozens of 74 fighters in the air. Those and others similar to them led to Monogram Speedee-Bilt planes, badly mangled in the building, but usually still sorta flyable, if I used a better prop. At about age 8 or 9, I was delivering newspapers and had some money to buy used planes from older kids; but the Sparkies defeated me completely.

I kept trying off and on for at least a year, maybe two. Finally, during a visit to Texas, I flew a Guillow's Trainer that belonged to a great young man who loved helping kids. I lost track of him, but kept up what he started me on, and passed on the favor to a goodly number of kids along the way.

Eventually, at age 11, I had a couple of glow engines, and at least a little personal success with my own planes. By age 15, I was flying some combat, though not well. Between cars, girls, and various jobs, my flying time was whittled to almost nothing after age 17. But at 21 I started again. Met George Aldrich, flew with Hoyt Hawkins regularly, got back into combat and was beaten by Berryman, Mears, Wooten, et al, for a couple of years.

About the time I developed a little combat skill, I became a single parent to my pair of toddlers. That cut out the travels for contest entry for a long while. When they were bigger, and both were flying, I started to compete again, but you can guess the next. By the time I'd honed my skills enough to start winning on occasion, my professional career went in the dumpster.

I ended up having that sort of failure on a nine-year cycle of some sort.

Most recently, I was teaching computer skills in the local community college systems' Continuing Adult Education programs and getting referrals for private classes as well when politics became involved. Never could deal with that. Just way too plain- spoken, I suppose.

Modelling has been the place I've made friends that I still have; it gave me outlets when my work was stifling me. This hobby may even have saved my life when I was so depressed I had thoughts of suicide. But I had dispaired of finding much outlet any longer when I seemed to be the only "sport flying C/L fan" in the entire county.

Yes, I have flown some RC, on three occasions when I was feeling it might be the only way to get to go flying at all. But I did keep looking on various computer nets for fellow C/L types who also had computers, for about ten years before I found any. It was just two years ago, or maybe three, before I found RCO mentioned as a link on Bob Mears' web site, which led to Isky's, eventually. I'd apparently stopped trying any searches on the Internet about the time that Isky and RCO were starting; all I had ever seemed to find was RC people, so I stopped looking.

This electronic community is fantastic. I wish there had been this kind of communication all along, and I might've made many fewer of the mistakes I've made! It's -- well, I can't say that I don't have the words to describe how I feel, I just think it's past time to finally run down and end by saying Thanks to all of you for making a place for me to come to like these forums!

Bill (aka Kiwi)

P.S. -.. if you missed it, I use that handle because I was born in New Zealand, and the Kiwi is one of their national emblems, the way the Eagle is one of ours.

I tried to write this the other morning, but somehow my post got lost. Probably for the better as it was much to long.

My name is John Miller, I'm going to be 58 in less than a month, and I've worked most of my life in construction. I tried my hand at other jobs, but kept coming back to it because of the freedom it allows me to work as hard and as often as I want.

I was born in Salt Lake City while WW2 was raging. I can't remember a time I wasn't interested in planes. Whenever one flew over the small farming town I started out in, most of us little kids would run out on the lawn to see what it was and watch it until it was out of sight.

Back during and right after the war years, Nabisco used to put light card board dividers between layers of their shredded wheat bisquits. They also used to print a sort of airplane glider kit on them that you could cut out, slip together, and go fly them. Those were my first models.

Later I remember many AJ and other gliders eating up all my "bottle" money. Bottle money was what we got by walking up and down the side of the road finding soda bottles and turning them in for the deposit. $.02 each as I recall. If I had a good haul I could buy one of those wire and doped silk rubber jobs imported from a defeated Japan. Anyone remember those? I never got one to fly well, but they were sure colorful.

Kids in the country learned very quickly how to make many of their own toys and I was no exception. I would carve out planes from scraps of wood with my Jacknife. I remember making a few pennies from the other kids by selling the planes to them. Others wound up with a hand carved propellor, being used as a weather vane in the back yard.

Right about the time I started 1st. grade, I saw my first Control Line model fly. we were at the park in Salt Lake City, when a bunch of guys showed up hauling planes and equipment out into an open area. Parents and kids all lined up under the trees to watch as they put up flight after flight. Then a couple of them tied streamers to their tails and launched two up, chasing each other and trying to cut off the streamer with their props. I didn't know it then, but I was watching one of the earliest combat matches ever. 1949 was the year. Some of those very same guys are members of the very club I now belong to. It really is a small world isn't it?

When I was 7, we moved to an Army base where my parents were civilian workers. The Korean war was on and there was work there for them. I got my first real model kit while there, a Strombeker F84 Shooting Star solid. It was a little beyond my abilities to finish, so an older kid helped me out with the finishing. Later when I was almost 9, we moved to Los Angelos. I got a Cox TD3 for Christmas but wouldn't try flying it as I thought it was the most beautiful model I had ever seen and didn't want to crash it. To bad as in a few years, the LA smog really ate up the plastic and it got so brittle that it basically fell apart.

I had a good friend who was two years older than I. One day he brought out a WenMac aluminum flying delta wing. We spent a few days before we could manage to fly it without crashing, but then it was a free for all. We built lots of Scientific "hollow log" kits, Enterprise, and any other kits we could find or afford.

I was 13 when I bought my first "big" plane, a Sterling Mustang. I had a paper route and it took most of the money I made that month to buy it and the McCoy .35 Read Head to power it with. It was so much easier to fly than the 1/2A planes. I already knew how to loop and do lazy eights from the 1/2A's so it wasn't long before I and my buddies were learning the pattern. My buddies and I started a club, we had about 12 members and we flew every weekend at the schoolyard. Some of those early planes will always have a warm spot in my heart for all the fun I got from them. Ringmaster, Yak 9, Super Ringmaster, Whipsaw, Smoothie, T'Bird, and my all time best plane, the one I never crashed, could fly a pattern with that I would love to duplicate today, My Green box Nobler with that same original McCoy in it.

In '62 I went in the Navy and never was able to find the time to build or fly after that. I do have one great modeling memory from my Navy years though, We Pulled in to Kure Japan, on the Island of Hokkaido. It was in August of 1994. The town had not had a US Navy ship visit since the war, and was very Japanese as western influence was slight. The people were friendly and curious about us and treated us very kindly. While walking about the town, I came across a hobby shop and seeing the very engine I wanted for a Shark 45 displayed in the window, well, I went right in.

The shop owner, a very polite and helpful man, who, unfortunatly spoke almost no English, and me with almost no Japanese, were able to communicate none the less. Perhaps because of our common interests. I wound up buying a nice new OS .35 and an Enya .45. As I was trying to leave, I realised that the shop owner was trying to ask me something. He managed to get me to understand that the local CL club was having a contest the next day and he wanted to know if I would like to attend. Of course I said I would be happy to attend. He made sure I knew the time and told me people would be at my ship at 9:00 Am the next morning to take me to their field.

At 9:00 the next day, 3 cars and a motor cycle pulled up on the pier and about a dozen happy Japanese Control Liners were there to show me their field. What a neat day I had. They were great hosts, very proud of their planes which they flew well. Before the day was over though I was involved in a combat match they insisted on, between me and one of their members. I think he let me win though. Afterwards we went to one of their members home for a hanger session. Language really wasn't a barrier. I often wonder about those guys and how they are doing. They made me an honorary member of their club, but over the years I've lost the pin they gave me.

I eventually moved up to Seattle after my military service, then to Alaska for 10 years. I didn't do any modeling until after I left Alaska and moved to Wisconsin. I started back up in 1980. My first plane was a TF Tutor with a Fox .35. Since I lived in Door County, north of Green Bay, there were no other flyers nearby so I did what was done before. Started a club. It was mostly RC oriented and I spent a few years as the club instructor before I decided to join the Milwaukee Circlmasters. I would drive the almost 200 miles to attend the club meeting on Saturday afternoon. I met some great guys, many who still belong to the club and participate in competitions.

Finally going full circle, in the early 90's I moved back to Utah. I came to get a degree in Cad, but found my years of semi independence in construction didn't fit well with the office type environment, so I do Cad for my own enjoyment and continue to work in construction.

Here in this area I'm blessed to have a few very good mentors who give of their time freely and have helped me a lot. I've drawn a few plans, had a few articles published and am just enjoying the sport.

Like others, I found the forums in '95. Such a wealth of information and sharing. Thanks to all for helping to make this one of the greatest hobby/sports there is.

John

PS, sorry, but I think this one is longer than the first one.

>We Pulled in
>to Kure Japan, on the
>Island of Hokkaido.

Not that it matters to anyone but me, But I just realized that though we did go to Kure, that is not on Hokkaido Island. The actual name of the town was Otaru.

John: You mentioned a couple of things that really resonate:

1. The Nabisco cardboard separators: the ones I recall had indian lore on them. This was 1949.

2. Definitely remember the wire and silk Japanese windups. They were way to heavy to fly, as you said. There was a dime store in Alexandria Va in the early 50s that sold them. They hung a string from wall to wall, and put little hooks on the planes that hung on to the wire. Of course, the prop had enough power to pull the plane from one end to the other. I remember the wire as being a silvery shiny material, and the wings had little paper decals on them. But memory plays tricks.

John,

Is it possible that you made your visit in 1964 rather than 1994?

D'oh

Well I'm certainly glad you cleared that up John Btw, I remember those soldered metal & silk airplanes! I was beginning to think they were a figment of my imagination. I've mentioned them to a few people over the years & most of them looked at me like I was nuts. I'd pretty much forgotten about them until you brought them up. I remember fiddling with one in the kitchen while I watched Ed Sullivan on the TV in the living room. Must have been around '53-'55. Not that that matters to anyone but me either
I think one of the reasons I enjoy these forums so much is that every now & then someone will mention somthing like those little airplanes, & all of a sudden I'll flash back 40 or 50 years & remember a little piece of the past like it was yesterday. Thanks John.
Nils

Nils: I would guess even earlier, like very early '50s.

Pretty, but unflyable. Wonder what the wing loading was?

By the way, my sides are still hurting re the cow story above.

It was truly a Moo-ving experience
Nils

LAST EDITED ON May-01-01 AT 09:20 PM (EST)

Hi,

I've been at this hobby for 46 of my 51 years. Competitive Free Flight flying since I was about 12. I've modelled continuously except for a very short layff when I went into the Air Force.
I flew some stunt in the 60's but got away from it when I thought the airplanes got too "ugly" (beauty in the eye of the beholder). I fly a little R/C and have returned to CL stunt in the last 3 years and am presently flying Advanced. My most enjoyed interest of late (last 12 years) is Free Flight rubber having managed one National title in 1990 winning Wakefield at the Nats in Lawrenceville Ill.

I am a founding member of SAM (#36)
I will CD the Free Flight NAts this year. (AMA 8500)
I am the president of the Detroit Balsa Bugs, the oldest club in Detroit at 59 years this year. It's basically a FF club so not even alot of the local people know about us. I am also a member of both the Signal Seekers RC and Sumplter Hilltoppers MAC clubs.

This is such a great hobby, I'm convinced it kept me out of trouble as a youth and it certainly gave me my career as an engineer.

I neglected to say that my father Art Ryan started me off at a young age. I learned to fly CL with a JA Firebaby (the balsa one) on my dad's shoulders at age 6. Dad(79 years young)and I still fly together and it's a pretty good bet that where you see one of us, the other is around too.
Randy Ryan

My name is Crist Rigotti and I'm 49. I live in Marion Iowa near Cedar Rapids. I've been modeling for 40 yrs now. I learned to fly C/L on a Cox P-51 in 1963 with sheer determination. Built Ringmasters and Flite Streaks and had a Fox 36XBB which I ran full out! Got a job and then I could afford R/C and C/L took a back seat.
Took 10 years off during the 80's to raise a family. Got back into the hobby in the early 90's with R/C. Flew planes for a while and then in '93 bought a helicopter. Flew helis till about a year ago.
In the Fall of '99 I felt I needed a change of pace and looked up in the rafters of my basement and spied a Banshee I had started several years earlier. I drug it down and dug out an OS 35 FP I had and sent it to Leonard. I've been into C/L ever since. I'm still flying Beginner Stunt but this year that will change. Still do R/C too!
I'm married and have 2 kids. My daughter(22)is married and living in Longmont Co, and my son (20)is just finishing up his 2nd year at Univ.of Northern Iowa. I'm a born again Christian and belong to the FCM.

Crist Rigotti

Hi everyone! I fly stunt at a middle Advanced level (when I'm not mowing our club's flying fields). I enjoy the competition almost as much as the commeraderie at contests. I've had the opportunity to meet a number of people who post here including the forum host. I don't believe there are a better group of people anywhere!

I started flying C/L when I was about 12 and thanks to my high school principal and fellow modeler, Carl Mealy, was able to develop that interest. Like many of you, a rather strong interest in the opposite gender caused me to wander away from the hobby. However, an image of Bob Gialdini flying his Olympic in my home town in Wis. (1962) stayed with me and provided some of the inspiration to rejoin the hobby about 10 years ago. Fortunately, I could still fly inverted (after all those years) and was able to learn the pattern rather quickly. Thanks to the members of the Treetown Modelaires and Fermilab Barnstormers, I am able to pursue my passion with many others.

My other interests include: singing in a church choir and an octet; my two sons, Aaron (24) a jazz guitarist and Nick (19) a computer science student; and dancing with my wife, Phyllis.

I work in a research environment and love it! My life is full and sometimes harried, but I don't think I would have it any other way. Leonard, thanks for asking.

>I started flying C/L when I
>was about 12 and thanks
>to my high school principal
>and fellow modeler, Carl Mealy,
>was able to develop that
>interest.

Fred,
I tried emailing you directly but it came back returned. I recognize the name Carl Mealy in your post. Are you still from the Mason City area? I'm just 20 miles to the north in Northwood. Maybe we can get together and do some flying.
Mike Evans
[email protected]

I'm a complete newcomer to C/L, I only started in it last fall. However, when I was in Jr. High, around 1971, I had a plastic RTF C/L model, I believe it was a P-63, which would never even get airborne. By high school, I had gotten rid of it & never gave it another thought.

How I got interested in it again is a rather convoluted story, linked to the one hobby I've been involved with for 30 years, amateur astronomy, and to high-powered rocketry. A few years ago, I saw the movie October Sky which rekindled my interest in rockets, and I learned there were now high-powered model rockets. A member of the astronomy club I was in was certified for high-power, and I decided to go for my certification. Last September we were launching mid-power rockets at our astronomy club picnic. Another member of the club brought his Brodak 38 Special, and put up a couple of flights with it. I remembered my unflyable P-63, & started asking questions. I decided to give it a try when I found out yet another club member, an ex-RCer, had an unused OS.25FX for sale. I bought the engine, then the Firecat kit from TCI hobbies, and made my first flight last October. It was short, 1/2 lap then crash. Since then, I've put up over 100 flights, many in winter. I still crash more than I'd like, usually when attempting something new. I can do loops, figure-eights, and wingovers now, but still haven't worked up the nerve to fly inverted. Currently I have 3 flyable planes, the Firecat, Ukey 35, and Jr. Lightning Streak. I converted a profile RC Extra 300 to C/L, but it never flew well & I destroyed it in a crash. I have an unbuilt Twister & Jr. Ringmaster, and just acquired a partially built full size Ringmaster. If it weren't for the internet, I doubt I would have gotten very far. The message boards are great.

I'm 43, divorced, no kids, & work as a computer programmer on an AS/400 & network administrator for a Windows NT (nice try) LAN. I also run the website for the Skokie Valley Astronomers. I live in the Chicago suburbs, and sometimes fly with the Chicagoland Circle Cutters. I also belong to NIRA, the Northern Illinois Rocketry Association, and the Treetown Modelaires.

My name is George Bain. I am 59 years old and started modeling in the early 50’s in Lexington, KY. I started with plastic model kits, then went to the combination plastic/balsa non-flying models, then to flying models.
My first flying model was a Scientific Little Bipe with an OK Cub engine. It was already built and I traded my BB gun for it. My first NEW engine was a Space Bug, Jr. I built a number of Scientific “hollow logs”. They were WAY overweight. I sanded them smooth but did not remove much balsa. They flew.
My first scratch built plane was a Roger Dodger form a magazine someone had given me. I did not know about ordering plans so I scaled it up using the ruler on the magazine plan. It had a terrible wing warp. I powered it with my first diesel, a McCoy .049. It was a beam mounted engine but I used the sheet metal radial mount supplied with the engine. After a few bloody fingers I got it to run well enough to somewhat fly the plane on short lines, but I ruined the engine by over compressing it.
Once I discovered other flyers, my skills improved. I always liked to fly oddball models like a .049 flying saucer, a .09 scaled down Manx Cat, etc. My favorite engine size is a .15. I enjoy flying diesels as well as glow. My favorite plane back then was a scaled down (35”) full-fuse Ruffy, closely followed by the Jr. Flite Streak. I was/am mostly a sport flyer.
I like engines and have amassed about 150 of them over the years. Intend to put every one of them in a plane .
I have been in and out of modeling several times. First exit was to put six years in the Navy Submarine Service. Tried RC in 1980-81. Dropped out when the narrow bands came around. Got back in three years ago and felt that I enjoyed CL more than RC. I haven’t had much time for flying due to having to work out of town (and sometimes state) during the week. Work wise, I am a consultant technical writer after having retired from IBM as an Information Developer.
Other interests include wood carving (mostly whittling) and Boy Scouts (20 years, this month).
I always keep some 1/2 A sheet wing trainers around to teach kids to fly. I hope this year to share them with my two grandsons.
George

Greetings,

My real name is Paul Roy, and I'm a resident of northern Illinois in a town called Wonder Lake near the Wisconsin border.

I guess my involvement with CL flying is pretty typical. From an early age I was absolutely fascinated with airplanes. My father helped inspire this in me by buying me loads of books on the subject of aviation. By age 10, I had just about every WW2 fighter and bomber's specs. memorized. Right about that same time, with a $10.00 as a birthday gift, I went out to the local department store and bought a Cox Stuka dive bomber. My first flight attempt ended in a crash that utterly destroyed the airplane. I was crushed. A year later I tried again, and this time purchased a Cox PT.19 trainer. That airplane never saw flight as well as it was constantly pounded into the ground. At this time I gave up on the hobby, but kept the Cox engine as I loved playing with it.

A close elementary school friend found out that I was messing around with model airplanes, and quickly straightened me out. He came to my house one day, grabbed me by the collar and said: "Were going to the hobby store to get you an airplane that will fly. Only model planes made out of balsa wood fly". On our 10 speed bikes, we rode 3 miles or so to the local hobby shop in where we picked out a Goldberg Stuntman 23, some glue, and some paint. This was the first time I really felt that 'modeling excitement' wanting badly to see my creation fly.

He helped me with the construction, and by the following weekend headed out to a field to try it out. Fortunately, I saved the engine from the PT.19 as it was now proudly displayed on my red Stuntman. I flew that airplane PERFECTLY from the very first flight. I then flew it again, and again, and again. I was so excited, that when I got home I called my father at work. His secretary told me he was in an important meeting and couldn't be disturbed. I told her in was an emergency, and I had to speak with him. Moments later, my dad's friendly voice was on the phone, and I told him I was sorry to disturb him, but I had to tell him of the flights. He laughed and said that it WAS an emergency that definetly required a call from me! He was very happy for me. This was probably one of the greatest days during my life with my now late father.

The Stuntman saw plenty of action that year, but the following year found me completely consumed with dirbikes and motocross racing. After that music, the drums, guitar, GIRLS, Beer and a long stint in the Navy. I had completely forgot about CL model aviation.

In 1986 I got the itch again after all those years and purchased a BIG PLANE this time (had some money then) and picked up a Goldberg Cosmic Wind. This plane from the very first flight flew wonderfully, but it met it's demise through total destruction when a car backed over it mistakingly in the garage.

I forgot about it again until 1999 when I stumbled upon Brodak's website. He just happened to have an old, now discontinued Goldberg Cosmic Wind laying around and I quickly bought it. I built that and it flew perfectly from the first flight as well. This time I got bit by the bug badly, and to date have built and flown 9 different models. I have also joined the treetown modeliers, and have now found out just how involved this hobby is.

Several close friends are RC modelers. They have tried numerous times to 'evangelize' me trying to persuade me into RC. I wouldn't hear of it. RC aviation is awesome, no doubt, but there is something about an airplane teathered to a set of lines going around in a circle that gives me so much joy. I still feel the same excitement today with these odd airplanes at 40, as I did when I was 10 with my old Stuntman 23.

I am an olde flyer from the fifties. My first plane was a Guillows Trixter Barnstormer with a McCoy .29R in it. I used fishing line for control lines and carved a handle from a 1X3 stake I found at a construction site. The surveyor is still looking for it. Well, the fishing line was woven nylon and kept getting tighter on the up line and soon I ran out of up, and had a new kit the hard way. My buddy and I then went to .049 powered Biplane A J Firebabys. They flew nice. My next "bigun" was a Veco Thunderbird, with the upright engine. Just bought the Brodaks version last month. I joined the Navy in 1960 and while on the Lexington CV16, in Pensacola, the NATS senior winners came on board as Navy guests for a one day cruise in the Gulf of Mexico. First they put on a demonstration and that's when I got to meet and visit with a young girl by the name of Dawn Cosmello (Cosmillo) and got interested in model planes again. That lasted until 1982 when I went into HO model trains. Then time, new wife, new jobs etc. got me moved to Huntsville, AL and one day I saw two old guys flying "stunt" and I'm Baaacckk. Jim Pollock was one of the guys and I think the other was Curtis Comer. There are about 7 of us here that fly Ukie. I'm in the process of building 5 planes at once. can't wait to get back into the contests.

in the last thread a name was mentioned, Dawn Cosmillo. A young girl of about 14, won junior stunt. Had a white navy uniform that she wore. Talk about impression points. Wonder what ever happened to her after that nats she was never heard from again.
Be interesting to find out weather she had children interested in the hobby

Just in case anyone here can come up with Dawn's address or some other methoid of contact I know that Larry Scaranzi would LOVE to find her again. Does anyone else remember the cover photo of the Super Satan on Model Airplane News?>

in the last thread a name
>was mentioned, Dawn Cosmillo. A
>young girl of about 14,
>won junior stunt. Had a
>white navy uniform that she
>wore. Talk about impression points.
>Wonder what ever happened to
>her after that nats she
>was never heard from again.
>
> Be interesting to find out
>weather she had children interested
>in the hobby

I'm not sure what year Dawn won the NATS, but I do know that she flew at the Glenview NATS in 1970 (it was my first Nats).