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Author Topic: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972  (Read 2247 times)

Offline EddyR

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How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« on: October 08, 2019, 01:18:07 PM »
  Controline as I remember it. I was born in Binghamton NY in June 1940. This little story is not about me but CL and FF  as I remember it from 1947 to 1972.
    I lived one block away from a huge parking lot for a furniture factory. One day in 1947 I heard a sound that I didn't know. I went to the parking lot and found several guys flying CL models. I guess they were ignition models. These guys were in there 20's and 30's not kids. No profile models all were built up with  40-50” wingspan. I saw them a few more times but  a few of my friends and I  started to fly 1/2A in 1948-49 but not with these older guys. We new nothing about stunt just 1/2A combat with anything that would fly.  As it worked a guy on the next street was one of the older guys from earlier and he lived behind me and hear my motor running. He invited me over to see his models and my life changed as this was way beyond anything I had seen as far as CL models were concerned. He had profiles and builds up bodies,Fox,Veco and K&B motors.  He told me spots where people were flying. This was 1950-51.
   I went to the local elementary school playground on Saturday and there were many guys Flying CL models. They gave me several crashed models and I took them home and rebuilt them and flew one the next weekend.
 I had gotten a used K&B 32 and put it on one of the profile model not knowing how fast this was going to be.   There was seven of these guys who went to contest so I  go to go to a few meets with in 100 miles with them.
   I remember Ithaca. and Syracuse NY stunt and combat contest. There were at least 25-30 entered in the events. I do remember flying and crashing but I did a lot of that. Combat models were large flying wings like the Reactor, DarWing and Half-Fast the K&B 32-35 was the hot set up. There were contest in Endicott and Elmira.NY and Scranton Pa up through 1955. Stunt guys were flying Smoothies T-Birds AASr Chiefs and a lot of original models. Old time pattern was still flown at contests.
  Up until this time We had been flying FF models but not in contest as we had no way to get to contests.
Starting in1956 four  friends and I started to go to FF contest all over the north east.  We won a lot even though there would be a lot of entries 40-60 at some contests. After the 1957 Nats at Willow Grove I and two other guys started to go to the NYC area contest and Rochester NY, Buffalo NY all over Pennsylvania. We flew a lot of combat and stunt also Rat Racing. There were large contest with 40-50 entries. Most events were Jr SR Open back then. No beginner you has to fly the pattern.
  There were a few Noblers but not a lot. Veco kits were still the most seen. NYC area had the most original models that performed well. I saw a lot of Ruffys and I-Beam models.  From 1957-1965 I was flying I-Beam models and many people saw them and copied mine. I was given a I Beam model in 1957 at a Buffalo contest by a kit manufacturer who decided not to kit it.
   From 1960 to my move to Florida in 1972 I went to CL,FF and RC contest. We went to quite a few FF contest and tried for the US FF team several times at Warminster PA just north of  Willow Grove at the Naval air center. I remember the early spring contest in 1968. Just outside the west gate was the Hurst Factory. I had my Red 1968 RoadRunner and they came over to look at my cat . The 1968 RR did not come with a Hurst Shifter and they offered to upgrade my car,no charge, to what was going in to new RR as a option. My car was in most RR adds showing the Hurst shifter. I think they had CL contests here also but I never got to one. The 1957 Nats was a huge event with hundreds of people all over the base as it was FF CL and RC all at the same place. I slept in the barracks.  My friends and I did win or place in a lot of contests as  we always came home with motors silk and trophies.
   I do not remember having  very many motor problems like I see on here all the time. No burping ,no quitting,no will not start. Starting was crude but it worked . Prime motor in exhaust ,flip motor over a few times connect alligator clips and flip. One of the bigest problems in combat was blown plugs.
  I saw combat models go through several stages.  1950-5 was mostly profiles and flying wings. Modified profiles  or any Sterling kit. Smaller Flying wings started around 1954 ,Omega.Half-Fast, WowWee,T-Square, NoBody. Around 1956 the Quicker or Wings with short tail moments came along and the guys I flew with changed over to that style model. We took the Quicker and turned the motor over on it's side and that stopped the breaking off the motor mounts when going in inverted. Some were using Quicker numbers with a very small profile body. I think speeds were 90-100mph.I saw a lot of guys win matches with Fox and McCoy motors. Flying tail models came along but many stayed with the Quicker style at smaller contest. Just a NOTE  All my combat models were built using the I-Beam method or curved rib over spar. This made it easy to build tapered wings. They were stronger than a full rib.
  Many contest had a grand champion for Jr,SR and Open. To try and win this I flew A speed ,Combat,Stunt, Rat Racing,Hand Launch Glider You got points for your place in each event and did not need to win any events. I won  grand champ many times. I still have one of the motors I won in around 1957 a K&B 29.
  A few contest had scale but none of our gang did scale so we did not pay a lot of attention to it. I got married to Rebecca in 1961 so she and I went to many FF contest on the east coast even The King Orange in Florida in 1968. FF from 1958-1972 was before the super hot motors and everyone was on a equal standing. Popular models were the SandiHogan, T-Bird, StarDuster, RamRod, Spacer, Satellite on and on every month there was a new FF in one of the magazines. Hand Launch Glider was very big at all FF contest and Towline was at most of them also.
  That is how I remember it. There was a lot more and several Nats in there but this is the things that have stayed with me. I do remember the names of the guys who I flew with and who I met but that is not important to the story.
 EddyR

  Rebecca still asks me if I am going flying any time soon,she still offers to launch my plane.
Locust NC 40 miles from the Huntersville field

Offline Chris McMillin

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #1 on: October 08, 2019, 01:34:23 PM »
Cool man!
Chris...

Offline Bob Hunt

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #2 on: October 08, 2019, 03:35:57 PM »
Great story, Ed.  #^

Ah memories... - Bob

Offline John Skukalek

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #3 on: October 08, 2019, 06:10:30 PM »
Your story is an absolute treasure Ed. Thank you very much for sharing it.

Offline Tony Drago

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #4 on: October 08, 2019, 06:28:13 PM »
A very good read.
  Thanks for sharing.

Offline john e. holliday

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #5 on: October 09, 2019, 11:21:36 AM »
Ditto to all the above.   You started way before I did. H^^
John E. "DOC" Holliday
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Shawnee, KANSAS  66203
AMA 23530  Have fun as I have and I am still breaking a record.

Offline John Watson

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #6 on: October 09, 2019, 11:38:24 AM »
I have flashbacks every time I see C/L planes flying. I went to a hobby shop as a kid and was fascinated by the models in the 40's and fifties. My brother built and flew as I just watched. Didn't start flying until I was in the Navy and wound up in San Diego. Met a guy who was flew stunt , combat and rat racing. He taught me how to pit for him and I was hooked we traveled all over southern cal and Arizona Nevada to contest which then were packed with fliers. I'll never forget those days and at 79 now I just go fly the circle most times by myself and remember the old days...………..

Offline EricV

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2019, 12:17:05 PM »
Nice write up Eddy! I've known you forever, and even I learned a few things.
EricV

Online Dick Byron

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #8 on: October 10, 2019, 01:33:27 PM »
The memories of the past is what makes this one special hobby. There are so many good and frustrating things that we have learned to cope with. The friendships are important. Good guys all over this world. This hobby is strong.  #^ #^ #^

Dick Byron

Offline Steve Fitton

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2019, 04:49:10 PM »
You dog! You had a 68 Roadrunner??!!
Steve

Offline EddyR

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #10 on: October 10, 2019, 05:32:24 PM »
Steve. I had two 1968 Road Runers.  At the end of 1967 I ordered a new red coup 383 four speed. In 1970 I bought a used 1968 blue hardtop hemi four speed. It did not have the Hurst shifter.. The red coup cost $2370. I got the hardtop for $710 at a auction. It had a 383 hood on it and no one new it was a hemi
 Steve I am sur Eric V remembers the Hemi RR
Ed
« Last Edit: October 10, 2019, 06:21:18 PM by EddyR »
Locust NC 40 miles from the Huntersville field

Offline Peter Germann

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #11 on: October 11, 2019, 04:07:53 AM »
October 1967, Swiss Nationals, Lausanne-Blecherette, Switzerland:

Stunt, 21 competitors (!): Peter Germann, Bob Palmer Skyscraper, Veco .45
Speed, 8 competitors: Fausto Pagani, Super Tigre .15 (no pipe) : 206 Km/h
Team-Race, 6 teams,: Paul-André Meyer & Jaques Matile: 10'34" 200 laps

Tempi passati...
Peter Germann

Offline EricV

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #12 on: October 11, 2019, 07:55:05 AM »
Steve. I had two 1968 Road Runers.  At the end of 1967 I ordered a new red coup 383 four speed. In 1970 I bought a used 1968 blue hardtop hemi four speed. It did not have the Hurst shifter.. The red coup cost $2370. I got the hardtop for $710 at a auction. It had a 383 hood on it and no one new it was a hemi
 Steve I am sur Eric V remembers the Hemi RR
Ed

Yup, I also remember your (son in law's??) Charger you got stuck working on when you had the 4 car roll up when you lived off of US19 behind the statue place...
Time keeps on rolling, don't it?
EricV

Offline EddyR

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #13 on: October 11, 2019, 06:31:31 PM »
Jumping forward a few years Eric and I did quite a few contest together in Florida and Georgia. Those contest were stunt only.  It use to be that almost all CL contest has a hand launch glider event as it did not take up much room. It seemed to just stop around 1965.
Locust NC 40 miles from the Huntersville field

Offline EddyR

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #14 on: October 12, 2019, 06:01:31 PM »
 After a few days all the old dates and memories are starting to come together. Here is a event I remember quite well. In 1961  Dave Merrithew. Tom Zelinsky and myself decided to go to a FF contest upstate south of Rochester maybe Pike NY. We had been flying a lot of FF and were very good at it winning a lot of contest. Dave went on years later to win many nation titles.  I has  a brand new K&B 40 that I put on my Starduster 900. I had been flying this model in class B with a .29 on it. No one had seen the new 40 perform. I did a test flight with a 5 second engine run and the model exploded out of my hands so fast is startled me. Every person on the field could not believe how fast the model was going up. It DT in 30 seconds and I was ready for a official flight. It was windy so max time was reduced to two minuted. With the full 10 second run the model was so high that I thought I had lost it but I got it back. I got three max flight and won. I did not go there to even fly power but went to compete against all the guys who would be a the next team trials for A2 townline flying. In the high winds the high aspect ratio wings were folding or going off the hook to soon . I used my old English Inch Worm that had a flat center section with just tip dihedral. Dave launched it and it zoomed  straight up and came on top at high speed and did a giant loop coming out at 300 ft.
I lost it on the 3rd flight but won. I used that same model to win at Canadian Nats three years earlier. I think Tom Z won 1/2A with a High Thrust  model mentioned below.
  One guy who use to go to contest with us and taught us all we knew about FF was Norm Alderman who was at least 15-20 years older than us three.  Norm won the several FF events at the old Plymouth Nats . He flew rubber power and carved all his own props. In the late 50's he came up with a design that no one had tried and it was a supper hot FF design.
 Norn took the very popular Ramrod 250 by Ron St Jean and converted it to a high thrust model with the rudder on the bottom.  It was so good at that time we all started to use it. It glided much better than the other high thrust models because of the long tail moment. I later gave the big Starduster to a friend as It was just to big to haul around in my car.
  My next post will be about a combat event held in central PA .
Ed
« Last Edit: November 07, 2019, 06:11:20 PM by EddyR »
Locust NC 40 miles from the Huntersville field

Offline EddyR

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #15 on: October 14, 2019, 06:18:11 PM »
 There were combat contest almost every weekend back in 1955-62 withing 150 miles of Binghamton NY where I lived. Many of these contest were small affairs. Maybe 10 flyers at some and up to 40+ at others. I was never a player or one of the hot guys in combat. I don't remember ever winning a combat contest. In 1955 to 58 I did go to quite a few as a worker and a driver. There guys I went to Combat contests were not the same guys who went to the FF contest. I do remember having  a lot of fun at our local get together on Saturday and Sunday. There were at least 25 different guys who would show up at different times. Everyone brought something to fly and it was all out for a kill. NO one won on time.
  The local hot combat job was a WingMaster. It was a Ringmaster wing with the body cut down so the motor mounted right at the leading edge and the tail was one inch behind the wing. It was tough and flew quite good for the time. By 1956 wings had taken over because of there faster speed.  Many of the contest I went to in the late 1950's had large numbers of T-Square wings. We had started flying the Quicker style model and in the hand's of a good flyer it was the dominate plane. I remember going to the Wilkes Barre Pa the home of the T-Square. When we got there we found the ground covered with the T's. There was Jerry Hickey  ,Ron Boors and myself with a total of six models.  Even though there were many flyers there they treated us very well as Jerry was the guy to beat. He was well known for his combat and stunt flying. The last match was Jerry and the writer  of this thread, Jerry won.  Jerry and I had practice doing outside loops at 10-12 ft and suckered the T's into the ground/ If they didn't follow us into the loop then we were right there at there tail as they pulled up.  Well that is the way I remember it as it was 1958. I always liked going to Scranton- Wilkes Barre as the put on great contest and they did treat us well. For those seven years I had a few mid aires but I do nor remember flying into the ground as many did. I think good stunt flyer had a advantage as many combat flyer were not very good flyers. As I remember it a lot of these contest were held on local HC football fields.
  Rebecca and I went to a few contest up and down the east coast from 1962 -68. We went to combat and stunt contest were no one new us all the way south to Largo and St Petersburg Fl. Rebecca launched my combat models.  For those who like old pictures here is  of me in 1957 and then 25 years later with the same model recovered and refinished. Joe Mead giving out trophies.
Ed
Ed
Locust NC 40 miles from the Huntersville field

Offline Robert Zambelli

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #16 on: October 15, 2019, 12:24:15 PM »
What a GREAT post!
We may have competed against each other.
I found this trophy that I won at the DA-WA (Dansville-Wayland) Spar Benders contest in 1959, 2ND in Stunt.
I flew a VECO Tom-Tom powered by a K&B 19, shown in the second photo.
The plaque reads:
                               2nd
                             STUNT
                              1959
                   DA WA SPAR BENDERS
                           SPONSOR
                   I DEAL LUMBER & HWD.
Were you there?
Did you ever fly at the Hylan airport in Henrietta, NY? I flew a few contests there along with Jim Kostecky and some of his friends from the Lancaster, NY control line club.

THANKS for the memories!!
Bob Z.

   

Offline Jim Kraft

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #17 on: October 15, 2019, 12:47:03 PM »
Great stories guys. I think we all have some. My earliest were the ignition era. Guess that is why I am still enamored by them and have so many.
Jim Kraft

Offline FLOYD CARTER

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #18 on: October 15, 2019, 01:48:03 PM »
This story is similar to my own, so I won't repeat much of the same experiences here.  My first C/L flight  was in 1945, and my first contest entry wasn't until 1950.  (It took a while to get good enough to compete).

I'm tempted to call those days "The good ol' days". but looking back, those days were not as "good".  We now have infinitely better engines, and stunt design has progressed about as much.  These days, a beginner can enjoy a legacy of knowledge that we "old timers" had to learn by trial and error.

I can look back on my early flying experiences with some nostalgia, but I wouldn't want to go through that again!
89 years, but still going (sort of)
AMA #796  SAM #188  LSF #020

Offline Allen Goff

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #19 on: October 15, 2019, 02:20:09 PM »
This might be the proper place to put this picture in.
Went down to Indianapolis yesterday and spent 4 hours with Shirley Sheeks and Steve Ashby talking about "old times". World scale teams, stunt, Jacks hobby shop and all the really nice people we've meet along the way. By-the-way Dick, Steve had some really great stories about you guys in Russia (I think) woooooooooooo. n~ But then for most of us that's been around since the early 50s you cant help but have some great stories.
maybe more later. Enjoy the read all you old.............................!

Blessings

Offline EddyR

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #20 on: November 07, 2019, 10:48:57 AM »
    I am going to finish this up talking about stunt contest. Last month at the Huntersville contest I judged Profile stunt. I watched 30 flights in ideal conditions. As I watched I was doing a comparison to flights from 1950-1965.  First the level of many flyers is very much better that in the past. I saw several flight that would have won the NATS back in the day.  I did not attend many stunt only contest before the 1970's. It is hard to say what went on at some contest so far in the past. One of the best stunt flyers at most contest I went to was one of my flying buddies. Jerry won every where we went and I saw him fly all the time so it is he who I  remember. Jerry flew right at 4ft and 45 degrees on every flight.  It was amazing to watch him fly. Jerry flew stunt combat and free flight so he was not a stunt only type of guy. Like myself he liked free flight better than stunt as far as contest go..
  My memory of stunt is only compared to what I or one of my friends did.  I saw most of the greats of stunt from that time fly and several from Huntersville would have beat them.
From 1961 my life changed a lot. I had my Glider licence,cars ,wife, ham radio licence, so going to contest got pushed to the back burner.
   To end this contest were fun but not anything like today's contest. Since there were no stunt classes like today people just quite flying contest when they had to fly open. 
Most of the people I new stopped flying contest as they got married by still came out to the local spot to fly with the guys. CL as it once was is gone and a few of the old guys are still around after all these years. Still fun to go to the field and put in my two flights.
EddyR
Locust NC 40 miles from the Huntersville field

Offline Ken Culbertson

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #21 on: November 07, 2019, 11:40:04 AM »
Jerry flew right at ....4ft and 45 degrees on every flight...
I am glad that I am not the only one that remembers that part.  I had to drop out in '68 to go play soldier.  When I came back in '74 everything was different.  Bottoms were up (so were tops!), appearance was changed.  Around here (Dallas) we still flew 4' bottoms till I had to drop out again in the early 80's.  When I got back in in 2016 it was gone.  Even '5 bottoms were only flown by the better fliers and Scores were way up but at least they were reasonable. 500 used to be a badge of honor.  Now it is an average score in Advanced.  So, things have changed all right but I actually think they are better.  Certainly the equipment is better which explains the scores and lets old farts like me fly a respectable pattern with my opossum like reflexes, but are the fliers today really better?  Probably not.  It is fun to look back and remember what was and what could have been but it is more fun to Judge Profile and enjoy what is.

Ken
AMA 15382
If it is not broke you are not trying hard enough.
USAF 1968-1974 TAC

Offline Frank Imbriaco

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Re: How I remember Contest Flying from 1947-1972
« Reply #22 on: November 07, 2019, 02:41:32 PM »
I flew in some pretty large contests (AAA) and five Navy NATS during the the sixties and early seventies. And just like others who have chimed in,  afterwards it was fast cars, motorcycles, gals, and weekends as a single guy at the Jersey Shore. Oh, let me throw in school and a career.
 Totally agree that the equipment today is so much better. Today,albeit on a much smaller scale, it remains lots of fun. I was fortunate to belong to one of the biggest clubs in the country, the Union (NJ) Model Airplane Club( UMAC). A club filled with who's who type modelers and flyers. None conceded . They were all great guys who helped any member just for the asking. I was a teen whose Dad wasn't involved in the hobby, but the guys there were glad to drive me to the field and East Coast contests long before I had a driver's license. Most are gone now.I'm grateful for having known them.


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