Schultzie,

Thanks for the great pics of the early Chipmunks.  Good sharp pics as usual, and the color is really good for their age (did you do some photoshop magic on them?).

The 3rd pic, titled "VanLoo in the staging area.jpg" is actually Mike Stott's Chipmunk.  Notice the 17085 AMA number on Mike's airplane .. Jim's AMA number is 822. 

Do you reckon the picture of Mike's Chipmunk was taken in '68 or '69?  He flew it at both those NATS.  My guess would be 1968.  Notice the wide white stripes on the runway that appear in both your pic of the Stott airplane and in the Chris McMillin pic on this web site .. http://members.zumatel.net/mdgretz/1968nats.htm

Schultzie, were you at the '67 NATS in california?  The reason I ask is that dating some of these old Chipmunk pictures from the '67-'69 era has been a bit of a guessing game.  Most of the dates in my timeline of Chipmunk evolution are certain ( http://members.zumatel.net/mdgretz/Chipmunk.htm - are certain ) but a couple are "best guess" from Jim and Mike and myself.

For instance, we know for certain that Jim flew the Chipmunk in your first two pictures at the '67 NATS.  There is a picture of the airplane in the '67 NATS coverage in the November 1967 Model Airplane News - see http://members.zumatel.net/mdgretz/mannov1967.htm 

He may have also flown the same airplane in '68, but I don't think so.  I believe he flew the airplane with the blue checkers on top in '68.

Another certainty is that Mike flew his Chipmunk in both the '68 and '69 NATS. 

Both Jim and Mike are a little foggy about the dates at this stage in their lives (aren't we all!).  Just recently Mike was gathering some info for PAMPA historian Wynn Paul, and he started to question which model he flew at the '67 NATS in california?  He's not certain.  He may have been flying his Phantom Foam Stunter a second time, or a maroon Foam-Flite winged Nobler, or the Chipmunk.  If it was the Chipmunk, that throws off the timeline that we deciphered before for my web site. 

Input from you and others who were there in '67, '68, and '69 are helpful.  So check again on the dates of your slides and let me know what you find.

Mike G

Shultzie,

So does that landscape look more like Kansas ('68) or Pennsylvania ('69)?  My guess is Kansas.  '69 wasn't that sunny, was it?

Mike

Shultzie,

So does that landscape look more like Kansas ('68) or Pennsylvania ('69)?  My guess is Kansas.  '69 wasn't that sunny, was it?

Mike

I agree..that this has to be Kansas...(look at the Jerry's yellow shirt in that close up slide) but maybe Chris changed his yellow shirt...(you know how kiddies can drool up any T shirt in an instant?
Perhaps Chris had his mind on "that ice cream cone" that the Navy folks were giving to so many of the kids hat year in Olatha...
HEY CHRIS....Lets go with Chris's brain...mine has proven to be somewhat.. (maybe more than just somewhat) foggy...from too many years of sniffin paint fumes and cheap Raaaaainer Light beer. Uhhh? Beer...perhap it was all cheap beer that Billy W, Dave Gierke....etc were known to suck up in great quanities after those hot daze-days on the 68 nats tarmac from the hot pits of hell could have started that depravity?
67-68-69 etc..sadly somehow...seem kinda all blurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrred into one lately.

Actually the sun was around in 69 but always clouded up in the afternoon at Philly. Both Kansas and Philly in the summer often have humiteee' in the high double Ds...

Hi guys,
Is it an optical illusion or is Jim Van Loo's Chipmunk wing slightly longer than the Sig kit? - Interesting.

Great pictures O' Ye "slide-master" Donaldo.

I have a suggestion for the good folks at SIG. What about producing a limited run 40th Anniversary "Special Edition" of the Jim Van Loo kit. You could modernize it by substituting fiberglass for the wheel pants and cowl for the plastic versions and upgrading the controls and etc. Use the currently produced wing and laser cut any other parts specific to the Van Loo version. Use Stunt News and the forums to pre-sell a gaggle of them like the cottage guys do before you even start cutting wood. Raise price to reflect the kit's upgrades and status as a"Limited edition" product that should also bring kit collectors out of the woodwork as buyers. Would anyone else like to have a kit like this, especially all the guys who missed out on getting Walters great kit?  Hummmmm?

                                                                                                  Pat Robinson

Holy Cow, Donaldo!
It looks like Olathe.
Mike,
Jim's model had blue checkers then. I think Mike's was brand new for '68. I'll try Rick Loomis or Bob Harness for their recollections on '67 Senior. I just remember Rick winning with Two Bits.
Chris...