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Classic Designs => Classic Planes => Topic started by: Bill Ervin on August 12, 2011, 09:42:56 AM
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This is Larry "Sonny" Murphy's plane he flew during the mid-sixties. He flew it in one Team Trial in 1967 and in one AMA Nats and built up quite a collection of trophies with it. During this time Sonny was living in VA.
I've been hanging out with Sonny for the past few weeks helping him liquidate his modeling items and enjoying and listening to him share his stories of flying stunt back in the 50's and 60's.
Enjoy the pictures, Bill
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GREAT POST Bill. I especially like the Team Trials pix, in front of Sonny's bird, got Werwage, Kostecky (I think) and in the distance (profile view), looks like Gierkes Novi 3 - STILL one of my favorites. The Results table in the last pix show my brother Arch finished in the top ten, not bad for a Sr age group flyer at his first Team Selection.
All my best to Mr Murphy too, I hope you can find & post more pix like these!
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And that looks like Arnold Stott (red socks) sitting next to Mike's Chipmunk.
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Thanks for the additional info fellas, I love that stuff. For guys like me who weren't there it's like finding clues to a mystery. Bill
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OK, Bob, here's a question you can probably answer: what the heck was the attraction to mint green in the mid sixties?
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Bill had a similar post in the "As Time Goes By" thread.
This seems like yesterday. Here is that I wrote on the thread:
Thanks for showing these pictures. I was one of the judges at that Team Trials. Brings back many memories. Also shows things that I have forgotten.
My only regret was that being a judge, I was not able to socialize as much as I would have liked. I have always felt that as a judge I should only socialize when it was over.
Bob Hunt has made a great conclusion on airplane colors. The ground cover at northeast contests was orange, Bob Gialdini started the white revolution, white airplane, white pants. Then Les McDonald added special shirts. Bob Hunt took rudders off airplanes and like many forgot that the pilot should look through the canopy. To his credit he has returned to rudders, and is one of the best at designing airplanes that look aerodynamic.....And now Bob Lampione dresses like a flag.
It's been a great ride through the years, and all these people are what make stunt.
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Wow! I did NOT see this coming! Sonny, your decades of stunt-anonimity have inadvertently come to an end. Thank you gentlemen for the wonderful contributions.
Of course the first thing I did after reading today's posts was rush to the phone (the one in my shirt pocket) and call Sonny. Sonny met the Albrittons When J.E. was about 12, younger brother Timmy was about 10 (if I'm relaying all this correctly), he was very close with their father also. Sonny credits most of the success he's had in the event to J.E. and his brother because the two young boys were getting really good really fast! Sonny (who was in his early/mid thirties at this time) had to "up his game" to keep up!
Until Bob posted his picture of J.E. Sonny had not known about the green Rusty!
Tom, well said, it's the people that make the event. I'm forwarding this to Sonny... he's in for a thrill.
Bill
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I remember well the first 1957 Chevy I ever saw in the "mint green" pastel color. In fact, I almost bought a Bel Air HT, 283 automatic, about 1970 that was that color. I have always thought that car colors did play a part in the color of our models over the years, especially since many used automotive acrylic lacquer for the colors.
Bill
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Bill,
You know how I feel about green...
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Neat story, Bill.
(I had a green Olympic, 1990 metallic Corvette green. I also had a 90's turquoise blue/green Skylark. I was looking for an old fashioned color for the old fashioned models, Iguess. They were just different, as my AMA Stunters were white.)
Chris...
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Hi Chris, I remember your Skylark from about 20 (sheesh has it been that long?) years ago. In fact I have a picture of it somewhere, nice plane.
Regarding the obsession with pastels during that era; I remember reading an old construction article written by Jim Kostecky, I think it was for his Talon. His reasoning for painting his planes "Cool Cucumber Green" was to not only be distinctive from all the typically bright colored planes but to also take pity on the poor Navy personnel who were enlisted to be the judges for our event. Jim felt the pastel colors were easy on the eyes of the poor judges who were stuck out in the sun judging pattern after pattern. Judging ten flights of bright, red and yellow planes might make anybody's eyes glaze over, but you'll remember that cool presentation from the pilot with the cool green plane.
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I think Dave Gierke's Novi article had a pretty good summary on the subject. Dark colors show imperfections, metallics worst of all. Plain white can be kinda lifeless or chalky looking, hence pastels. Walk through the color chart and pretty soon you can see how light blue, light green and light brown (tan) come out on top.
I did one pastel orange and liked it but never repeated it - for no particular reason...
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(Answer to #6) Maybe it was Steve Wooley's Argus was mint green too, http://stunthanger.com/smf/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=20767.0;attach=77927;image
Roger
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I can live with pastels I suppose, but not green. ;D
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What I have so far. A wing on a jig waiting for bellcrank installation, a mostly sanded stab/elev and a couple of really blockey wingtip blocks.
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On one shoulder I have an angel whispering 'use the Fox 35, it's authentic, righteous etc.'.
On the other shoulder is the devil yelling 'MORE POWER!'.
This is a ROJett 36, there's a couple carbon props for it somewhere in my shop... so the devil made me do it.
As a concession to the angel there's a 2" Veco spinner out on the front.
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Rojett .36 is how you answer the devil when he yells More power??
I need to change religions......
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Well, "more" is a relative term. Lead me not to temptation PJ. Between you and that RoJett-65 staring at me from the shelf it's taking all my willpower to keep the faith.
There will be a time to move from the sublime to the ridiculous.
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I like to tempt...
.65 is silly tho.. :)
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I like to tempt...
.65 is silly tho.. :)
Yes. A RO-Jett .76SE would be way mo' betta! ;)
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A Sig 3" bellcrank modified to Tom Dixon's specs. A new hole was drilled 7/16" from the pivot for the flap pushrod and the other end connects 1" up from the flap hinge line on the horn. Flap to elev. ratio is 1:1. It's worked well on my last four "35" sized planes. Second pic shows a stock Sig 3" BC for comparison.
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Got started on the fuse. The engine crutch is 3/8 of an inch down form the top edge of the fuselage sides. I made up a spacer using 3 layers of 1/8" med balsa with alternating grain direction, got this idea from Steve Moon on the old, UHP forum. This spacer will be permanent and places the engine crutch assembly in just the right spot. Second pic shows the crutch placed on top of the spacer and ready to be trimmed, zero engine offset.
Third pic shows most of the pieces at the front ready to be glued and the last one shows them assembled.
Day off tomorrow!
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Any updates on this plane Bill?
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Rojett .36 is how you answer the devil when he yells More power??
I need to change religions......
I thought the same thing. LL~
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Is this the same "Sonny"? I have the picture in my files, but no last name. I think he is/was in the Carolinas or Virginia area. H^^ Steve
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Is this the same "Sonny"? I have the picture in my files, but no last name. I think he is/was in the Carolinas or Virginia area. H^^ Steve
Steve your picture is of Sunny Williams from Charlotte. He is not the person the thread is about
Ed
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Steve your picture is of Sunny Williams from Charlotte. He is not the person the thread is about
Ed
Yep, that is Mr. Williams. He was a pretty good speed flier, too. He is a fine Southern Gentleman!
BIG Bear
RNMM/AMM