Jim Walker flies three planes at once

[Steve Thompson]

I have heard of Jim Walker flying three planes at once with one in each hand and one controlled from a helmet he wore.

I am reading a very interesting book, "Do You Speak Model Airplane?" by Dave Thornburg.

From the book I learned that the helmet also had a microphone for announcing during the flight.  Planes had two speed ignitions and the ignition for the helmet plane was controlled by a squeeze bulb in his mouth.  That he also was working on flying a fourth model attached to his belt.  Book talks about a trick where a streamer was looped around the wing and transferred from one plane to another.  And the Saber Dance popping a balloon with a pin mounted on the tail.

I found short footage of the Sabre Dance on You tube under:  U-Control by Jim Walker (Sabre Dance)




Does anyone have a link to footage or good pictures of him flying three planes at once?

[Robert Zambelli]

I saw Jim Walker fly the three-plane show at Willow Grove NAS  nationals in 1953.

AMAZING!!!!!

 Bob Z.

[Dave Harmon]

I remember Jim Walker being at the Tulsa Glue Dobbers site but I arrived just as he was driving away in his cool convertible.
Unfortunately....he never came back....I missed out!!

[FLOYD CARTER]

There is a photo of Walker flying three at once, so it must be authentic.

Jim Walker came to our town just once, in his Chrysler "woodie" station wagon.  He flew a Fireball in a vacant lot, using his U-Reely handle, and launching and recovering the plane himself, without it ever touching the ground!  His Fireball was equipped with a 2-speed engine, operated by a 3rd line.  but he used only 2 lines that day.

[Steve Thompson]

From Thornburg book, page 186:

In a Sunday show, Jim Walker flew three Fireballs at once on two-speed McCoy .29s - a performance that Model Airplane News said, "outshone the Blue Angels in modelers' eyes."

[Tom McClain]

Here are several pictures of jimmy walker amazing the audience.

[Larry Renger]

Bart Klapinski did that several times every day at the Cox pavillion in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. With no throttles!

👍

[Steve Dwyer]

Wondering what to do with my old J Walker U-Reely. I haven't seen one on Antiques Roadshow yet, not holding my breath on that one.

Steve

[Larry Renger]

Donate to the AMA Museum?

[Steve Thompson]

Hook it to a plane and do the Sabre Dance!

[Steve Thompson]

Tom, thank you for the good pictures!

Space helmet shot shows radio for announcing his flight and the air bulb he held in his teeth for the two-speed control on the third plane.

[Dave Harmon]

Hook it to a plane and do the Sabre Dance!

I hooked mine to the garbage can decades ago!
I don't need any extra help crashing my airplanes! 

[Steve Dwyer]

I honestly can't part with it. I bought it when I was around 13 during a time when model building and flying was just about everyone's passion it seemed. Recalling, it was a must have back then. I bring it out once a year for the Ringmaster fly-a-thon and enjoy seeing the young RC guys taking an interest in it. It still has the same .015 braided steel lines I flew on in the late 50s. Many models came and went the hard way on the lines on this handle.

Steve