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.