I built this Corsair from a "J Roberts" kit about 60 years ago. But, there must be older control line airplanes out there. This one recently got new paint, a new canopy and new prop. The engine is a Fox 36X. It does not have a throttle, so the airplane was built with just a 2-line bellcrank. After high school, I phased out of model airplanes, to begin my flying career. And this was my last control line airplane.

Who has a really old CL airplane to show us?

Here is another shot of the 60 year old Corsair.  The square-intake Fox .36 motor can be seen in this photo. I think I obtained that motor in 1964. It's interesting to note the "J Roberts" kit was suggested for .29 to .60 motors !

In the photo above, 60 years of corrosion can be seen on the wheel hubs.  When I cleaned up and painted the model recently, I did not remove and clean up the wheels because I thought it likely the threads would strip.

Quote from: Bill Whitney on June 12, 2026, 10:07:11 AMI built this Corsair from a "J Roberts" kit about 60 years ago. But, there must be older control line airplanes out there. This one recently got new paint, a new canopy and new prop. The engine is a Fox 36X. It does not have a throttle, so the airplane was built with just a 2-line bellcrank. After high school, I phased out of model airplanes, to begin my flying career. And this was my last control line airplane.

Who has a really old CL airplane to show us?

Bill, welcome to the forum.

I don't have any C/L's that old to brag about. I still have a .049 powered Goldberg half-A Little Toot biplane (photos on Outerzone) and a Sterling Ringmaster Jr. that I built both in the 1990's and have repaired over time. Have nothing left of what I built prior starting with the 1960's except memories and an old faded photo.

I guess it is similar to a career in flying, but my first job out of high school early 1970's was a clarinet and saxophone player for the Army Band of the Pacific, the 264th in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Took the non-regular reserve retirement 12 years ago. The band's idea of bivouac was the Fairfield Inn; tough job but someone has to do it.

Again, welcome to the forum.

Thank You,
I remember the Little Toot airplane from magazine articles. And I had a couple of Sterling Ringmasters many decades ago.

I would like to see one of these airplanes with a McCoy 60.  Someone must have done that, back in the day.

Although there can't be many of them in existence anymore, regardless of the engine...

  If there is anything laying around in garages or basements, I'll bet they would be from the Sterling kit, as it's  older I believe than anything from J-Roberts. Making a working throttle for an engine back then was the challenge. There was a guy from here in St. Louis that was known for his early throttle work, but his name escapes me, Charlie Johnson I think?  He came up with the sliding blade to restrict the exhaust coupled with a home brew fuel metering regulator for low speed  he used to come into the hobby shop I worked part time at lot and I'm pretty sure that he talked about installing one on a McCoy .60. With the rear intake, everything was easier I would think. I gotca Fox .4o rat race engine with that set up on it.
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

Hey Dan,   That would have been Bill Johnson.  He came up with the special fuel metering system.  The exhaust slide component I believe was original with the J. Roberts company.   My dad had a McCoy 60 set up with the Johnson system for carrier flying.

I built a "Super Looper" from full size plans in a June 1948 issue.. Weird looking.

Quote from: Mike Hazel on July 02, 2026, 07:06:52 AMHey Dan,   That would have been Bill Johnson.  He came up with the special fuel metering system.  The exhaust slide component I believe was original with the J. Roberts company.   My dad had a McCoy 60 set up with the Johnson system for carrier flying.

   Thanks for the memory boost Mike!! I don't know why I can't ever remember his first name! Bill used to come into the hobby shop I worked part time at and we would talk about all sorts of stuff. He had a mechanical retract system that he developed for carrier models that worked off of centrifugal force. It was written up in Aeromodeller Magazine but I don't know if it made the US mags. He couldn't understand why it wasn't ever tried in stunt. We lost touch, and afterca while Charlie Reeves asked me if I had any contact information for him. I didn't but took a shot at searching the internet at that time and found him first try!!He sounded irritated at first but once he reconnected with Charlie I think he was vety glad!! I found out during this time that when I was a kid, he luved within walking distance of my house and worked for McDonnell Aircraft!! If I knew that at the time, I may have turned out to be a carrier flyer!!
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

I have a couple original AJ Walker planes, not flyable. The balsa is pretty fuel soaked.
One is a Firebaby. It had a Cox Golden Bee on it when it was given to me.

The other is the carrier design with throttle control. It has a third line that just goes through an eye screw to the "throttle" control. Really a choke and an exhaust blocker.

Another club member has a Fire Ball built from an original kit but it hasn't flown yet.

The AMA museum must have some really old C/L planes too, right?

My oldest still flying would be a ratty Ringmaster from the early 60s. Electric power.

Current condition of a Sterling Eindecker built around 1985ish. Made an appearance in the paddock at an early Tucson VSC in-between rows of gorgeous stunters and sport jobs. Little old guy in shorts, pith helmet, cigarette holder, stopped dead in his tracks, whipped up his 35mm camera and took pics. Got his autograph a few hours later

Another shot of the 60 year old Corsair (built about 1965).  This was an early kit; it does not have molded fuselage skins like the later ones had, but rather it was planked with 1/4 inch balsa sticks, glued edge to edge. It was covered with doped silk. When I changed the canopy recently, I had to fix a couple places with light fiber glass cloth in the canopy area. I gave it a pilot seat and instrument panel
which it did not have for it's first 60 years.