After seeing this is the Continental classic legal?

Phil Granderson has attested to it being built in 1968. I know I saw it fly summer of 1969. Yet some say it's not legal. Who has the straight story. I would like to know this as I am going to build a Continental original?

EDIT for second question.

Also is the Minado legal (same plane with a I beam) Built before the continental?

I say it is. What say you?

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PTG's word should be good enough for anyone.

Confirmation can also be obtained from Tom Lay: thelayster(at)aol(dot)com.

Mike Keville

>Worden’s original Continental is Classic legal. This is
>based on the interpretation that the plane must have been
>designed, built or flown prior to the end of 1969. It was in
>reality designed and built by the end of 1968.
>
>While there are many things I have forgotten I do remember the
>Continental, Whittier Narrows, Tom Worden, Walt Schroeder and
>the Saturday morning in April 1968 when the cover photo was
>taken. I watched and listened to Tom agonize over every
>little detail for several years. Tom like many in So CA those
>days was inspired by the classic clean works of Jim Mayfield.
>His Continental and Minudo designs were the result.
>
>Looking at that cover photo, if you look in the background
>behind the world famous tether car track you can see the faint
>outline of three guys. They are Neil Moore, Jerry Keck and
>Frank (just can’t remember his last name). I had met these
>guys a couple of months earlier when I decided to see if there
>was anything going on Saturdays other than RC. I remember
>them well because they were instrumental in the design and
>development of my original Tyrantula. I learned much about
>aspect ratios and airfoils from these guys. Although it was
>very rare for them to enter a contest they flew airplanes that
>were far superior to the modified VooDoos and other combat
>planes of the day.
>
>I was surprised to see Tom there on a Sat. because we always
>flew on Sunday all day. I distinctly remember passing by him
>and an older man talking, my arms were loaded with combat
>stuff on my way to the circle. I waived and said hi to Tom
>but my mission that day was strictly combat. From the circle
>I could see the man taking pictures of Tom and the
>Continental. As I went back to the car to get something, Tom
>called to me “Phil, I want you to meet someone” When I went
>over he introduced me to the late Walt Schroeder, editor of
>Model Airplane News! We talked a few minutes and I was off to
>fly some combat. When Walt was finished taking pictures he
>and Tom came over to the four of us flying combat planes, we
>all talked and he took a few more pictures. This was the
>beginning of a good friendship with Walt which led to him
>asking me to be a one time guest columnist for Round and Round
>and the publication of my first construction article. I left
>So. Ca in the summer of 1973 headed to the Nats in Oshkosh
>never to return. I stopped at Howard Rush’s apartment in
>Kent, WA spent a few days there and headed for the Nats.
>After the Nats I went up to Toronto for a big contest at the
>Canadian Nation Exhibition. On my way back I stopped at Model
>Airplane News headquarters in White Plains, NY, met with Walt
>and got the job of permanent columnist for Round and Round.
>
>When would the Continental fly? That was a very long running
>Worden/Granderson debate. The thing was finished (at least to
>me) in late 1968. Tom, being the perfectionist, was always
>fixing, touching up or re-doing something! I remember once he
>removed the canopy after everything was finished because he
>was unhappy with some little detail!
>
>Although it did not appear in print until early ’71 due
>primarily to Tom’s relentless pursuit of perfection, not
>seeing it fly had nagged me for a couple of years. Think I
>only saw it fly once or twice.
>PTG

And now taken form Stunt Hangar

Norm Whittle


Sparky
I sold the Playboy to Tom Warden in Spring of '69 he must have been a very fast builder if he built two Minados' and the Continental in '69 - He did work full-time at Stunt in those years. I know he build both after buying the Playboy from me for $100 ( big money in '69). Phil Granderson rebuild the Playboy in August of '68. I flew the airplane in '69 in Phoenix AZ before selling it to Tom. I discovered race cars and women during this period and don't remember much after that. I got married in '71 and joined the Air Force. Flew a couple of contest in 73-74 and attended my first open NATS in 77. As Paul Harvey would say "and that's the rest of the story"

Norm


I wish my memory was better. So I guess its not.

A few years ago when Tom Wardon passed on I got on my bandwagon & asked on this board about this question. I'm not 100% sure but I believe it was Dennis Adimision that responded that he saw Tom's Continental at a Nats in 1968 or 1969... if it wasn't you Dennis I am sorry but it seems like it was.

> A few years ago when Tom Wardon passed on I got on my
>bandwagon & asked on this board about this question. I'm
>not 100% sure but I believe it was Dennis Adimision that
>responded that he saw Tom's Continental at a Nats in 1968 or
>1969... if it wasn't you Dennis I am sorry but it seems like
>it was.
>


Tom flew a Tempest at the '69 Nats.

Hi Cris, like I say it was from a solid sourse but I didnt copy the posts or emails. It did sound like it was with out a doubt Classic leagal .

RSM kits the Continental and it says it's Classic Legal on their website. With all the other posts as evidence, I'd say it's a done deal. Steve

http://www.rsmdistribution.com/index-2.htm

Steve Helmick
Renton, Washington
USA

> A few years ago when Tom Wardon passed on I got on my
>bandwagon & asked on this board about this question. I'm
>not 100% sure but I believe it was Dennis Adimision that
>responded that he saw Tom's Continental at a Nats in 1968 or
>1969... if it wasn't you Dennis I am sorry but it seems like
>it was.
>

Hi John
Can't really help here. I have a couple of polaroid pix (undated) of Tom Worden's Minado & Bob Whitley's Continental, my recollection is I saw them at Glenview NATs in either 1970 or 1971.

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I remember you answered more than one of my posts a few years back...and you helped me , maybe I misinterpepted maybe not. Sorry for any & all inconvienence to you.

Excerpt from the pen of Tom Lay's article on Tom Warden and soon to run in the Jul/Aug 2008 issue of Stunt News:

"Tom's Continental was on the cover of Model Airplane News in March of 1971 several years after it was built. The Continental is the same design as the Minados, but had a D-Tube wing, for easier construction. The Continental and the Minado had identical areas, and specs. The Minado was on the cover of Model Airplane News in August 1969. Warden copied Aerobatic Pilot Art Scholl’s paint scheme, from Art’s Chipmunk, onto the Trophy Trainer and the Continental.
Tom Warden built his profile Trophy Trainer for a 1970 USC movie, which Tom Lay starred in. Lay was J.D., the president of the Model Airplane club, in a Movie titled “Flight Streak”. Warden built and painted the Trophy Trainer exactly the same as the Continental because he wouldn’t loan out the Continental for the flying scenes in the movie."

Tom, all,

Also Tom Warden wrote himself in the "March" 1971 article that the original article had been lost in the late 1970 rush. Soooo, the article was probably written sometime in the summer of 1970. Tom also indicated that during flight testing it was noticed that the nose was too long and actually shortened the nose moment by 1" on the plans.
I also took the liberty to solicit comments from anyone that may know when the "Continental" was actually "designed" "built" and "flown".
The responders were R.J. Whitley, Phil Granderson, Paul Walker and Robert Storick. All whom stated that the airplane existed before 31 Dec 1969. Robert used the historical reference of the moon landing in Jul 1969 as the basis for his knowledge. Also Tom Lay's article states that the models were build years before the March 1971 article was published. At that time (about 2005) on SSW, I declared that all evidence supported the original "Continental" as well as the "Minado" as being "CLASSIC LEGAL!" there were absolutely NO OBJECTIONS! So once and for all time, it is hereby decided by all concerned that the original "Minado" and "Continental" models of Tom Warden are in fact, "CLASSIC LEGAL!

There is another note about a late publishing of an article I would like to mention. There is an article in the early 70's, maybe 1973 about a British design called the Nimrod. The first three versions of the Nimrod were built prior to the 31 Dec 1969 cut off date according to the article and knowledgeable British who frequent this board.

Jim Pollock [photo not recovered: sipcof.gif]

I guess this plane has been right under our noses.

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