stunthanger.com
General control line discussion => AS TIME GOES BYE => Topic started by: Shultzie on December 05, 2006, 02:47:05 PM
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Sept 1966
Thun Field Contest...south of Puyallup Wa.
3 Big Winners.....starting from the left.
1st place-ED KNUDSON
2nd BEN MADSEN
3rd? LEO MEL
This was about the roughest flying site for a contest that equalled the 1966 YAKIMA FIRING CENTER CONTEST
The photo is shown as we were practicing on the end of the runway before they closed it off to us that morning...claiming that it was unsafe for landing aircraft.
After this photo was taken....the owners came out and shoooooooo'd (demanded that we fly our contest on that weed-stubble field at the left of the photo.
HEY NO PROBLEM..I MADE A QUICK TRIP TO A FUNITURE STORE NEAR BY
All of us that day...used 3 old cardboard mattress boxes...cut open and nailed down onto the grass for our take-off strip.
Who ever made the best take-off and landings on that stubble ended up the winner.
Hey Leo!!!! If you are lurking....your mind is less demented from sniffin paint fumes than mine?
FILL US IN ON THE DETAILS...
THAT WAS THE CONTEST WHERE ONE EXTREMELY UGLY TWIN CHAIN-SAW MOTORED HOME BUILT AIRPLANE CRASHED AT THE END OF THE RUNWAY???
The pilot was not even hurt...but was pinned against the makeshift seat and joystick that he had made. Quick thinking on Bruce Gail's part..he ran out there with an old crow bar that he had in his trunk and pried him out of the seat.
Thus lending fact and truth...THAT THE GOD TAKES CARE OF FOOLS, DOGS, AND SOME MODELBUILDERS!!! n~
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Man, this must have been taken about a hundred years ago. I know Leo and he is, uh, no spring chicken. Looks like a kid here.
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That is for sure...4 DECADES...PLUS! REALLY TAKES ITS EFFECTS ON MORTAL FLESH? SH^
1966...Actually I was just told that it was 1964-5?
I was flying an old Blue Nobler at the time that I finished in an apartment in Portland.
So it had to been back then. That old Nobler was modified into a twin tail version..after talking with Bob Gialdini about his Olympic series models.
That Olympic article was my stunt-bible....and Bob will always be forever my GUUURUUU'STUNTMEISTER,WITH THE MOSTEST!
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Schultzie...are you sure that was Thun Field and not Spannaway Airpark? Don McClave said he flew a contest at Thun before, but we have not found any proof of that allegation. We did find out that Pete Bergstrom ran at least one contest at Spannaway, but not sure of when that was. It had to be in the '70's, tho.
Bruce Thun flies CL, as do his kids and grandkids. He remembered (last year) having my '63 Ramrod 600 in the old house, waiting to be picked up. It went OOS at HLP and was spotted on the landing approach to Thun. Darned DT fuse! I've got a picture of me picking it up at Thun and loading it into the trunk of my mom's '57 Imperial. But I still don't think we had any kind of contests there, until 3 years ago. Mike Potter (honcho at Clover Park Aviation Trades School) arranged it.
Going tomorrow to Letsinger's, to try and get him dialed on photo resizing, compression, et al. He's MAC equipped, so should be 'interesting'. ~~> Steve
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Uh? Spanaway?....
Hummm? I will check with Ben and Lynn... We drove out south of Puyallup...at Thun field with the old garbage dump at the south end of the runway..
I remember driving back toward Puyallup and stopped at a cheapie furniture store and picked up those old mattress boxes with Bruce Gail and his pickup?
Hummm? I do remember the Spanaway contests. That same day....that old homebuilt ultralight Gold colored plane tried about 3 run-ups down the runway...and finally on that 3rd attempt, he tried to get that underpowered piece of crappola off the run way...and then had to dump it because he wasn't able to get enough altitude?
Hey...old men dream dreams..others dream nightmares..(that contest was a nightmare if my demented memory serves me? **) n~
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Hey Randy! I was 27 years old when that picture was Taken
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There's been a terrible mistake here. Leo was never that young!
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Is Ed Knutsen still around? I had forgotten about him altho I flew with him quit often.
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Is Ed Knutsen still around? I had forgotten about him altho I flew with him quit often.
I hate to admit this..but Ben and I have tried to find Ed Knutsen for some time...(we not only flew stunt models together but skiied all over the NW. He and his wife were both on Ski patrol duty here in Wa. and both of them..about killed me many many times...I had more guts than brains in those days...so loooong long ago.
I can't find them on People search engines...?? Must be a better way??? He's not in the local phone books?
Let me do some more R&D research about Ed.
GADS!! I FEEL SO MUCH REMORSE..for not staying in touch with you and so many of my old friends?
Gee, Leo!! and gang.
ANY ALMS of FORGIVENESS...for this ol' grunt-toot, exiled in Gig Haaaba, would be ooooh so welcome?
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You do not need to show any remorse. I did not keep in touch for 28 years altho I did think about all the friends I flew with in that era. and have alway thougt all you guys were friends and I never get mad hardly about anything. It takes too much energy to get mad. I have always savored those competition days as the greatest. Not to worry. The old flyer from the past.Leo