I considered naming this thread "Classic plane of the week," but I am not sure that I can update the thread that often, so "of the moment" takes me off the deadline hook...
Okay, what is this thread about? I have been a fan of the Classic era stunt models for most of my life. I started flying stunt in the Classic era, and most of my heroes did as well. That era produced some of the most distinctive model designs in the event's history, and I felt it time to highlight those models and their designers, and tell the behind the scenes stories as best I could from memory and through some research. We are in danger of losing some of that history if those of us who lived through that time do not stop and chronicle our remembrances of those planes and designers.
Truly the Classic era is responsible for many unique looking models. The event was still fairly young, and there were no "rules" regarding airplane design. As the years would pass we as a group found out that certain design attributes worked better than others and the development process started to yield higher performance models; more or less like the development of Formula 1 race cars. The planes gradually started to look very similar in design and character. Some have used the term "cookie cutter" in describing modern stunt models. And, to a degree that's true, although many still strive to make their models distinctive.
I've often written that stunt models are similar to store front mannequins. They are essentially a set of aerodynamic numbers onto which different "clothes" can be draped to achieve a certain aesthetic look. And in the Classic era this was most apparent. The staple mannequin of "numbers" in those days was the George Aldrich-designed Nobler. Hundreds - if not thousands - of "original" designs were seen at contests around the globe that incorporated Nobler wings and dimensions. But the styling of many of those spinoffs were notable in their pleasing aesthetic character... and some were not! There were a lot of forgettable models produced in that time frame, but there were a lot of amazingly beautiful models produced as well. Okay, many of those early designers started with the Nobler numbers, but they gradually stretched the nose and tail lengths, experimented with different airfoils, and added their own touches in terms of styling, and a whole generation of original designs was the result.
Most of the designs of that Classic era were Nobler sized models. This followed the engine development of the time. Let's face it, the Fox 35 was in large part responsible for the growth of the Stunt event in the 1950s and early 1960s. It fit the requirements of run characteristics better than almost any other engine on the planet. Yeah, yeah, some used the Veco 35, and some the McCoy 35 and 40, and a few even used the Foster 35, but the Fox was the dominant power system for the vast majority of those early Classic models. But, as early as 1960 some were experimenting vary successfully with larger engines, and that meant larger airframes. Certainly Lew McFarland's Shark 45 design was the most famous of these early large stunt models. And, the development went on from there as we shall discover as we present for your approval the "Classic plane of the moment" series.
I'm not even going to try and do this in chronological order; that would require actual work... Instead I'm going to just go with whichever model and designer pops into my head as I go. Please feel free to add your own personal favorite Classic model/designer stories to the mix. And, let's also include the local popular models of the era that may have not received national attention. I know of several models from my area that were unique, but were never published, and I'll highlight some of those as we go.
I want to publicly thank my old and dear friend, Andy Lee for providing a ton of great photos from the Classic era. They will be used as we proceed with this series.
Okay, see the next thread on this subject for our first "Classic model of the moment."
Retrospectively - Bob Hunt
Topic: Classic plane of the moment (Read 20509 times)