Famous First Flights

Another thread got a couple of stories of first flights, so I thought I'd open a thread devoted to the topic.

I had a number of aborted attempts when I was in grade school in Wyoming with the usual suspect Cox PT-19. Mostly I remember nitro from the fuel stinging cold cut fingers and a lot of time spent trying to start the engine.

Later when I had moved to Arizona I decided to start seriously to learn to fly control line. I determined that light full airfoil stick and tissue Guillows models with an .049 would be a better bet then the heavy plastic ones. So I started building with nothing more than my determination, imagination and the Guillows instruction sheet as a foundation.

I was certain I wanted to be able to control the airplane. Knowing nothing about control pressures or elevator effectiveness or--for that matter control sensitivity due to CG--I build a series of the big WWII fighter line, a Mustang, ME-109 and eventually a Spitfire. In each case, I built a solid elevator for control (shifting the CG aft) and geared up the controls so that a small amount of control handle input gave full up or down.

I literally had no idea what I was actually doing setting up the planes to be so sensitive.

Each airframe, lovingly build and finished with considerable detail, lasted roughly a half a lap of increasingly divergent oscillation from level flight before impacting on the local school yard grass and shattering into a silkspan bag full of balsa shards.

All I knew was that the flying business was demanding and difficult and that perserverance was supposed to be the key to success. So I would salvage what I could, deposit the debris in the trashcan and go buy another Guillows fighter kit.

The famous first flight that I remember most from my youth took place on a sunny Saturday afternoon at the local school yard where I had set up my most recent accomplishment--a Spitfire all dressed up for the Battle of Britain and sporting a three blade prop.

I fired up the venerable Baby Bee, walked the lines out to the handle, lined everything up, made sure I had full up to keep from nosing over (Full up being 70 degrees of elevator deflection) and waved for release.

After a short ground run, the Spit pryed itself off the grass and commenced the entry to a loop from ground level at slow airspeed. As the nose pitched passed 45 degrees I slammed in full down elevator in an attempt to staunch the staggering climb. So the Spit commenced entry into an outside loop from 10 feet or so. And we were off to the usual races, the airplane wildly out of control, pitching up and down radically as I alternated between full up and full down in an attempt to stave off one form of recurring disaster or another.

At one point, the Spit was headed down hill and not responding as I thought it should, so I instinctively jerked back on the strings while pulling up to avoid the ground.

What happened next amazed me.

Somehow the airplane did a snap-yaw pitch turn and ended up pointed more or less right at me and at about 8 feet or so of altitude, wings level. Clearly the airplane was now doomed, since I could not possibly exert any control whatsoever.

Or so I thought.

The lovely little Spitfire settled into a stable level cruise and flew directly across the circle, over my head, dragging the useless control lines behind it with all of the calm assurance a free flight design can display. I watched in awstruck confusion as the airplane demonstrated an obvious and profound talent to fly much better without any help from me at all than any of the prior flight attempts had produced with my fervent but inexperienced hands on the highly strung controls.

It hit me like a rock.

The airplane was better at flying than I was and my obsession with making sure my control input would be responded to was totally counterproductive.

It was a lovely sight, that little Spitfire, gracefully cruising away from me.

Until the lines finally tightend up and the airplane jerked around on the leash. I only managed to curtail my control inputs slightly as the racuous roller coaster ride resumed and the airframe was destroyed on impact a quarter of a circle later.

The next one I build had far less control imput available and the CG was studiously set per the plans.

And then I began to learn to fly.

Any one else have a memorable first flight experience?

That is beautiful man.
Chris...

Most memorable (and, I suspect, traumatizing) was a two tone green Ruffy with Torpedo 35 Greenhead. I was in high school, maybe 15 years old, and went out to the local school to fly it the first time. Went straight up and straight in. A million pieces.

This was my first lesson in center of gravity. And my first time to realize really tail heavy planes are really hard to fly. I think the Ruffy balanced somewhere near the trailing edge.

My first was the classic Figure 9 with a Cox P-51. The engine survived to fly again. I even did the Guillows Fighter trick, mine was a P-40 with Green/ Brown camo and the shark mouth. I thought it was the coolest thing on the planet.

1st flight at the schoolyard, fire the Babe bee up, check controls and my buuddy lets go. Straight up! hanging on the prop with slack lines. I run back and get "control". Several up/down/up/down before the impact. Pick up the shattered pieces and head home. Studdy the plans again and figure out that I put the belcrank 1 former fwd of the location shown. Duh!!!

Red Cox P-51B....... had help for the first couple of flights until I was allowed to "solo". The Dad of my buddy was a pretty good teacher.
I am doing the GB Cosmic Wind as a 40+ year tribute to him. I even got the original McCoy 35 RH that he used in his running again, and with the help of this forum, a set of decals so that the one I'm building will be complete. Thanks guys!
As an aside, the first plane I saw him fly was a Stuntwagon w/McCoy 60 (!!) on really long lines. A great period of my life.
Bill <><

Mine was with a Testors Cosmic Wind. Greatest Christmas gift ever. When spring finally rolled around, My father and I gave it a try. Quite a crowd had gathered to see this huge orange plastic beast with a tiny .049 in the nose. My father flipped the motor for what seemed like an hour. It finally did start. I had the handle and my Dad ran and launched it. If any of you know this plane I’m sure you know what happened. It was like trying to fly a rock. I think the plane weighed 3 pounds. It just dropped like a brick. No matter how we tried it, nothing.

Then I moved on to a Cox Crusader with the foam wing. First flight was about a half dozen somewhat level laps then a Wing over, just like they show in the instructions. Wing over to “Lawn-dart” dismount. It was Beautiful.
Chris

My brother and I learned to fly on 1/2A models. Later we decided we were ready for larger stuff, so we built a Ringmaster, and put a Fox 36X up front. The plans called for 58 1/2 foot lines, with no further info, and there was nobody around to explain things to us. SOOOOO, we tied two sets of 1/2 A lines together, and.... Believe it or not, it made ALMOST one full lap... You know the rest...

There were a couple of abortive attempts in the late 50s with a Comet Sabre 44, and with a Scientific Kingpin. I may have gotten a lap out of the Kingpin, but I don't count it.

Spring 1960, at the Alexandria, Va, Sailing Marina...This was right after the peak of CL, so there were two nice circles there, but, this time, we were on grass. It was only a mile from Washington National (now Reagan) Airport. I had built a Sterling P-40, complete with a Teardrop Exhaust Enya .19. I decided for some reason not to go with landing gear, so it was land launched.

When the engine fired, it was nervous time. But the launch went OK, and I had to think "stiff straight arm" for the entire flight. Towards the end, the oscillations got pretty extreme, but I was able to rein everything in. And the landing was fine.

(A lot easier than the smaller planes. And I note that the NVCL club generally uses 15-19 sized ships for trainers). I have NIB P-40 right now, and I'll probably just stick a Fox 15 Steel Fin on it.

I was so pleased. Had a cold root beer at the Marina restaurant afterwards, and it was the best cold drink I've ever had, potable or otherwise.

I was five years old and had just built a "comet" PIPER CUB. I covered it somehow and put in the rubber and put the prop on. I was wanting to fly it,I thought, "Nay, I don't want to put the landing gears on"!!!! Wound up the prop and set it on the ground---MMMMM, prop won't turn--OK I'll just trim the prop down until it DOES turn. Well, WERRRRRRRR, prop stopped and no take off. I tried several times but no real powered flight. That model had the honor of sitting on the piano so every one could see--I was very proud of that Cub!!!

Well I'm not sure how famous it was, but my first airplane - a Cessna 172 made of sheet balsa (Scientific kit maybe?)- was a rubber powered one that would curl off left as soon as released, so Dad helped it by putting in some right rudder and regluing it - Dad was an engineer. Between the two of us, we managed to make it R.O.G. a little but eventually I rekitted it with overwinding and releasing inside the house too often. See picture of it and me before first flight! It was 1959 and I was 9.

In the other thread, I discussed my first CL attempts. My first model flying had to be the Jim Walker 74 glider and Hornet models. Age about 6 or 7. The first model I built that really flew had to be a Jet-x "thing" sometime around 1951. Sort of a flying platter. Pico model shop and Colonel Bob's the shops of choice then.

First stick and tissue that demonstrated actual aerodynamic tendencies was a Comet F-86! (as a glider, of course). Built that one in Philadelphia

Never actually got much good as a builder until I met Mel Schmidt, and he gave me some pointers and took me flying a whole bunch (FF). Still flew mostly CL with the other students on the High School field. (Cratermakers Club sponsored by Jack O'Blennis of the Hermosa Hobby Shop).

When I got to college, Ray Harlan hauled out the whip and thumbscrews, and I actually got good enough to score some national records in indoor. Still couldn't reliably fly CL. Crashed a LOT! Did my thesis on CL control system/aircraft response. OH, so that's what the problem was! Demon overcontrol (and I needed glasses, it turned out).

Learned the pattern around 1969 while laid off from Lockheed and looking for a job. Magician 15, Fox 15, Epoxy on the fuse, Monokote on the wings, LOTS of repairs! Next job was with Estes Industries, and I never looked back! 2 years there, 1 at Fox, and then 5 at Cox. 12 years at Mattel, another couple of free-lance, and 5 more at Cox up 'till the latest takeover.

Still designing toys, and even have a glider upcoming as a fast food premium sometime next year. Unless they screw it up in production....

Hey Larry

When you worked at Mattel were you involved in the "Super-Star" electric powered / guided freeflight plane? Does anyone remember this thing. Sorta looked like a Citabria with a fancy star and flashes trim scheme.

You had a clockwork driven cam that pushed a rudder pushrod to "control" the flightplan. It was supposed to be hand launched and fly in a pattern determined by the cam , the land.The instructions also showed you flying it tethered to a hand held line.

tried the tether deal on first flight so it would not fly away. Another perfect 9 into the ground. Never flew again. Must have been around 1974-75.

Actually, the Super Star came out when I was at Estes in 1969. They also had a big RC job that got screwed up by the "Reliability" group that insisted it should be able to survive flying into a brick wall.

Yeah, RIGHT!

I had nothing to do with those. I hear they had a $50,000 wind tunnel to do the development, and just scrapped it when they were done! OW! Some school sure could have used it, I think.

The impressive thing to me, was that the Super Star would outfly any hand-built rubber model I had seen to that point. I never did find out who was the engineer on that project.

I really liked the Super Star. I could get no thermal two minute flights out of it.

"You'll cut your finger off!" No Firebaby. Speedy-Bilt P40 Warhawk was heavy with 11 coats of sanding sealer and Aero Gloss Olive Drab, but it would fly with a hand launch, 1951. Dad was stern, but into ROG Rubber power, it was safe. We ROG'd an A-J Hornet, and got a 4 minute flight. But I wanted a "Gas Motor Plane", 'all the guys had 'em!'
Fast Fwd. to '56, I'm 14 and building a hot rod, a sleek Roadster that enticed lots of new friends, including a Ringmaster Pilot that reluctantly admitted that he flew Model Airplanes, but was embarrassed in the company of a "big rodder" like me! My big chance had finally arrived. Jim secured a crashed Ringmaster w/ McCoy .35 and helped me rebuild it. My Gee Bee fascination moved the canopy back, and papered and doped the finish to a beautiful Aero Gloss Metallic Maroon, with 'True Blue' wing stripe.
The Ringmaster had a narrow bellcrank platform, (chordwise) but I had the pushrod 'aced'. Jim took her up the first flight, and handed me the handle, holding his hand over mine, 'til I got 'the feel'.
All was well until he showed me 'the loop procedure', and the 'up' got stuck. Pushrod end had entered top of bellcrank, with bend down, fell behind bell platform, 21 loops! We backed up 35 ft. or so, but a powered landing ripped the right wing off, clean break. A "crash course" in repair followed, and my Hot Rod was relagated to 'back burner' status...I WAS HOOKED!
Mom bought me a K&B Torpedo .35 for my birthday, and a Flite Streak. Ground loop on takeoff, didn't think that tiny elevator would work that good on takeoff! Full 'Up'. Fixed it, many flights, all "seat of the pants"! Super Ringmaster was next, K&B really 'woke it up'. Fast, and smooth. One of my better fliers, in those days...