50 Year Time Travel

[Dave Swanson]

This is my introduction post.  I live in Northern Illinois (Rockford), am 62 years old, and am an active RC flyer.   I flew CL when I was 10, 11 and 12 years old, but not since.   

Lately my interest in CL has been rekindled.   I found a Sterling Ringmaster kit at a swap meet and this kicked off a lot of memories that have laid dormant since I built my first Ringmaster 50 years ago when I was 12 years old. 

When I pulled the Ringmaster instructions out it was pure time travel!   Looking at the instruction sheet brought back the most vivid memories! My mind flew back 50 years and I was surprised that I could remember all of the instructions and pictorials.   When I built my Ringmaster 50 years ago the content of the instructions became the sum total of my building knowledge at that time, and it brought back memories of how intently I had poured over them time and again.   No one around me knew anything about building CL so I was completely on my own except for the hobby shop owner who was a long bicycle ride away.

I poured all my allowance, lawn mowing, and birthday money into that old Ringmaster.  I silk and doped the wing and went with yellow.  Sanded the fuselage and painted it with black dope.   I purchased a brand new Fox 36X and was puffed up about how much more power it would have over the Fox 35!

My flying experience up to this point was slinging around someones Cox plastic 049 plane.   I just now remembered that the owner of the hobby shop came out to the schoolyard to help me with the maiden flight.   He flew a tank through it and deemed it airworthy.   I was able to keep it up without crashing during my first few flights and I can remember the euphoric feelings of victory.  The memories of standing in that circle so nervous and feeling that pull of the lines are now vivid again after laying dormant for so long. 

I found my old Fox 36X that I had carefully packed away and was pleased it was still with me after all the moves over the past 50 years.   It was stuck of course, but I carefully took it apart, cleaned and lubed it.  After putting it back together I installed a prop and flipped it over.  It still has fantastic compression and the sound of flipping it over was excellent!

I am not sure if I will build the Sterling Ringmaster or buy a laser cut kit from one of the great vendors out there.  I may buy a NOS Fox 35 also.  But I will be back out there!  I am not aware of any active CL flyers in my area, but I will be on the hunt! 

[Shug Emery]

Great read and good to hear your back to good ol' control line.
I got back into it 4 years ago and it has been a fun challenge. Love it.
Shug

[Dave Swanson]

Shug,  thanks for chiming in!   I have watched most of your CL YouTube vids and have enjoyed them all very much!  They have helped me with the initial steep learning curve a lot!  Thanks a million.  

[Jim Oliver]

Hi Dave,
Welcome!  There are several of us old retreads that hang out here:)

Jim

[George Albo]

Dave, more and more of us are returning to the hobby after a long period of dormancy. Your story mirrors mine in many aspects as it does of several members here on SH. I've yet to build plane 1 but am having a ball buying engines I could not afford back then, kits too. SH has a wealth of info.

Bunch of very nice kindred spirits here at the ready to help. All you need do is ask.

Welcome to the party,

George Albo

[pat king]

Dave,
Welcome back to the fold! The new laser cut Ringmaster kits are far and away better than the original kits. The wood is good (read not Pine or Oak) The parts are not crushed, the parts actually fit together. Airplanes built from the new kits fly better than the originals. Our club the Treetown Modelaires fly at the Aurora Airport. Our next meeting is Saturday the 10th of June at the airport. Call me at 708-921-6322 if you want to talk.

Pat

[Fredvon4]

My own story is very similar and the Ring Master my dad and I built in the late 50s was also in my "must relive" list

I too, paid way too much for a old original Sterling S-1 kit. But, well before I found it, I had experienced several 1/2a and larger LASER kits with good wood , better instructions, and lots of hints and building, covering, trimming advice from these forums

Not to take away from Pat King's excellent selection of great kits

There are actually several good Ring Master resources

Pat King
Brodak
Pat Johnston
RSM...Eric Rule

I am sure I am forgetting a few other sources

I have one RSM / Eric Rule --Mike Griffin S-1 with older Fox 35 that runs / flys well for my meager skills
One of my 2  1/2a Ringmaster Bi-planes is from Pat King with a Cox Medalion on the nose...I fly each every year during the RM Fly a Thon*
Also  a scratch build one with a OS LA 25 on the nose that is also fun and easy to fly
and I am still building a 526 RM from Pat Johnston intended for a EVO 36

I recently acquired many OS LA 40 and OS LA 46s so may get Pat Johnston to cut me his 576 sized RM for one of the engines

Any way...welcome back to the dizzy side
You can not go wrong with ANY of the more modern Laser kits IMO

BUT the real fun is the first flight , sound, smell and giddy nervous trepidation of way back when...
 
MY first RM flight took me back--- while in flight ----to helping my dad, then later his helping me... grin, laughter, tears

BTW I fondly remember zooming all over the neighborhood on my bike getting pop bottles to cash in at Safeway for enough cents to buy a few ozs of fuel for the weekend flying

* not sure if you are aware
Brother Hood of the Ring web site forum is all about Ring Masters
Each year is a RM round Up in Houston
Annually all over the world people participate in the RM Fly A Thon

[pat king]

I kit a lot of different Ringmasters, but I do not sell kits for the S-1 Ringmaster. Everyone should have an S-1. I learned to fly using an S-1 from the Sterling kit in 1966 in the Air Force. I taught a lot of people to fly with that airplane.
Remember, it is all about having FUN!!!

Pat

[Dennis Nunes]

Welcome back! This hobby has a way of bring back some great memories. It happened to me back in 2014. Attached is a picture of my scratch built Ringmaster that brought back some of those memories as a kid.

Enjoy,

[Mike Bufkin]

Dave,
Welcome back !!
You will be welcome here,
Don't be surprised if you hear from national champions,and other legends !!
Mike

[Avaiojet]

Dave,

Welcome back to the hobby. You have some nice stuff for starters, good for you.

I did that time warp time travel thing like you did and came back to CL after 50 or so years also, but I stopped off at R/C first.

Thing is I landed on a different planet. 

Welcome again Dave.

CB

[Dave Swanson]

Thanks all for the nice welcome!

Pat, I just may take you up on the invite down to the club meeting. 

[Terrence Durrill]

   You just can't go wrong with a Ringmaster.

          LOVE THOSE RINGMASTERS .....  I built my first Sterling S-1 Ringmaster in 1955 when I was 14 years old and used a K&B .29 greenhead as the early plans recommended for power / 10-6 Top Flite prop / Nitro X fuel ...... a great airplane.  Over the years, I've flown them with Torp 29's, Torp 32's, Torp .35's, Fox 29 and 35 stunt's, and the Johnson small case 35,. Never tried one with a .19 Torp.....I have 3 Torp .19 greenheads and will have to try that combination out .... maybe this summer.          

[ringmaster]

Hello my friends, I am over 60 years old I have been building and flying the Sterling Ringmaster s-1 for about the last 60 years of my life it was my first control line airplane I flew with Fox 35 on it. When I was a kid at 10 years old my father took me the hobby shop in Orlando Florida to buy a Ringmaster it cost $4.95 and Fox 35 was $25.00 and red handle control line handle $3.00 and 60 feet steel lines. That was my start to control line I still love control line too. I guess that why the Ringmaster too me was the best control line airplane. I will always build ringmasters and love them very much so thanks to Matt Kania 1950 for designing such a great airplane the Ringmaster my favorite airplane too. Thanks ringmaster.