I did this autobiography thing before, but all the old posts were wiped out.
Let's all go back to 1942. Yes, WWII was new then. I was a Cub Scout aged 9. I won a rubber band kit at a scout meeting. It actually flew (a little bit).
Fast forward to 1944. I had been spending my weekends at the local park watching people fly C/L. So for Xmas in 1944, I got my wish; a new O&R 23 engine! These were actually available during the war in small numbers. One had to fill out a form from Ohlsson & Rice Co. saying that I was planning an aeronautical career and this engine would be an educational tool. In time for Xmas, the new engine arrived at my LHS fresh from the factory with my name on it. My parents paid $18.50, a bunch of money those days. A friend had an old free flight model called Spook 48. He showed me how to install a bellcrank and elevator control. The O&R 23 just barely got it off the ground on 50' lines. At least I became "one of the boys" at the park.
Very soon after, better and stronger engines appeared on the market, so after an O&R 29 front intake, there was a Torp. 29.
I'll stop there, because otherwise my modeling activity would cover more pages than "War and Peace".
Here is a recent build of a 1940 Modelcraft Spook 48. This time, for electric motor and R/C