Timmer,
You don't think the very first forays into flight and control line occurred here in the USA, do you? There is archeological proof that the first attempts occurred near Wiltshire, England. Unfortunately, using the materials of the times (ie. stone) the propellers were prone to crack and embed themselves into the ground. They were working on refining the shapes I'm sure, but lugging higher quality stone for endless miles just so's they could get away from all the HOA rules was a drag...literally. But back then it was truly a Manly Sport.
Joe,
One of my nieces, when she was just a toddler, had trouble with my name. But she loved to play cars, cooking, and generally anything else she thought was a good time. Since I like to play at all that stuff too, we got along pretty good. The best she could do with my name at the time was "Uncle Divot." However, through the eyes of a child, sometimes the truth of things is revealed, even though see hasn't seen me fly--yet. I did teach her a bit about flying a kite, which she dearly loved.
David "Divot" McSlow