Just got a new toy! Here's something historic...

[Bob Hunt]

Around 1967 or '68, Mike Stott (of Foam Flite foam wing manufacturing and Sig Manufacturing fame...) came East for a few weeks and brought along his famous Chipmunk stunter. The attached photo was taken at the Union Model Airplane Club field, where I'm pretty certain he won Senior Stunt in the contest that day. He also flew at a couple of other meets while he was here and had some great (and friendly) battles with Dawn Cosmillo. I can't remember who won the most contests between the two, but I do remember that it was a thrill to have Mike visit our corner of the world. One of the nicest guys ever! 

More to come... Bob

[Bob Hunt]

That was the first time I met you..I was one of the new members of the New Bedford Raiders, Len Gadomski was the club president at the time. I loved that candy apple red model and asked you how you did it, Very patiently you explained the entire procedure..  Later I saw the Nobler on the ground and a bimbo bent over and touched the wing and said, "Oh, baby it's paper"  At first I thought she had put the hole in the wing... The Goomba behind her had to be one of Patriarca's men. Cigar and all.  Later, before you went home, you did the most perfect patch I ever saw. Still have the photos.

LOL! I remember that lady! Funny how guarded we are with our toy airplanes. But, hey, a lot work went into them and like Bill Werwage always says, "My planes are my children." That was a great day for me. Gene and I went into another group of "gunfighter's" territory and we pretty much wiped them out; Gene won Open and I won Senior. The little bit of damage that tree limb did to the last outer bay on the Nobler was a sort of badge of honor. From that point on I stopped babying that ship and just used it as a competition weapon... Until Red crashed it. 

Thanks for the memory, Ty! - Bob

[Ken Culbertson]

No way I can compete with Bob but Ty's post prompted me to share a few of my childhood memories.  The first picture was taken the day of my first contest in 1959.  I think I was 12.  I have no clue how I did.  My steel trap memory rusted shut years ago.  The next ones are of my Sandpiper design of which I have built 5.  The best story is #1.  I designed it in 1963 as a high school drafting class project.  My meager allowance and some grass cutting jobs had kept me flying but nothing spectacular.  With the 1964 Nats being a home town event the next year our local hobby shop owner offered to let me use his back room to build.  I was thrilled and started immediately.  He sold me a Fox 35 at cost, I think it was $2.50 and he gave me enough wood, Ambroid and AeroGLoss to finish it.  I think the total cost added up to $14.  Even though I had a driver's license, I had no car, so all of my flying had to be walking distance from our house or I had to carry the plane on my bicycle.  I learned how to hold it by the nose just right so that it would "fly" as I rode. There was a grade school two blocks from our house that had a baseball diamond and basket ball court.  If I laid it out just perfectly, I could take off from the side of the basketball court and land on the baseball diamond and that is how the plane got it's unlikely name.  Had nothing to do with the bird.  The baseball diamond was very sandy, and I had my wheels very close to the CG and the plane only weighed 34oz so every time I landed too fast it would nose over and fill up my pipe shaped nose scoop with sand.  Pipesander just didn't have much of a ring to it.

I flew it in the 1963 Southwestern's and I think I won Senior but that is part of the rust. (I need some of Bob's brain lube) and a couple of other "locals" in the Dallas area before the 1964 Nats.  This is where Ty's post comes in.  The picture with the young lady watching me put on a fresh coat of wax prior to appearance judging is my Grandmother.  Immediately after my Grandfather took the picture she slipped and put her hand through my outboard wing.  I had a problem.  Fortunately George Aldrich, the ED excused me from appearance judging so that I could go home and fix it.  They would judge it in the morning.  This was before the days of CA and replacing two ribs and recovering with enough dope takes time but I got it done and made it back the next morining. They judged it and gave me somewhere around 28 points.  After what I thought were two pretty good flights I was off to fly my FF events and had to wait till that was done to find out I had placed 6th (out of 20+) with a 300 (a good score from Navy judges).  When I got my score sheets I had a big fat -0- for appearance.  Not even the minimum.  The Tabulator had forgotten to put it on my score sheet and nobody noticed.  That was the last contest for the original Sandpiper.  It didn't survive the motor quitting in a RWO and broke the nose and tail off.  That was the birth of II which was a profile with the same wing and tail.  III was the first plane I built after returning to Stunt in 2017.  It had different tips and an OS46LA replacing the Fox 35.  Great flyer but not Classic Legal.  I have this thing about designing and flying my own planes.  It is a character defect.  That led to a complete rebuild of the original 1963 plane to be my classic ship - Sandpiper IV. Only significant change was to make it electric.  Even used the 1963 rib templates I had preserved the sheet metal stacking ends to make the ribs.  Placed in a few local contests with it, then disaster struck. A defective oil filled heater exploded in our attached aviary and our house *and my shop* burned to the ground.  My entire fleet, all 5 of them were vaporized, literally.  Fortunately, Insurance covered about half of what they were worth and Sandpiper V, duplicating II which was a profile, was born.  Named it Trifecta since it can be flown in profile, classic and PA.

I am really enjoying this thread.  Hope others have stories to tell.

Ken

[Frank Imbriaco]

Around 1967 or '68, Mike Stott (of Foam Flite foam wing manufacturing and Sig Manufacturing fame...) came East for a few weeks and brought along his famous Chipmunk stunter. The attached photo was taken at the Union Model Airplane Club field, where I'm pretty certain he won Senior Stunt in the contest that day. He also flew at a couple of other meets while he was here and had some great (and friendly) battles with Dawn Cosmillo. I can't remember who won the most contests between the two, but I do remember that it was a thrill to have Mike visit our corner of the world. One of the nicest guys ever! 

More to come... Bob

I convinced Mike to make the long trip from Mankato (MN) to attend the Union (NJ)  AAA Memorial Day Contest. I took Mike to a single circle field in Springfield , NJ to get some handle time. My family had a small motel and Mike stayed there. The night before the contest, Mom prepared  a big Italian meal for Mike and his travel mate.  They loved it. We had a lot of fun. Mike and his late Dad, Arnie - great people.

[Frank Imbriaco]

It was either 1969 or 1970. He had won (or would soon win) Senior at the NATS. Memory fading here.

[wwwarbird]

 This is the best thread on this forum in a REALLY long time. Thanks Bob, can't ever get enough of this stuff. 

[Airacobra]

I agree Wayne, I love these old photos. I saw a number of these planes in black and white magazines growing up and to see them in color and to hear the history associated with them is just awesome. Thanks Bob!!!

[Ken Culbertson]

 Immediately after my Grandfather took the picture she slipped and put her hand through my outboard wing.

Didn't include the picture.  1000 limit!

Found a couple more while I was stationed in Korea.  About 10 of us shared the base Hobby Shop.  We each had a cabinet.  Working on my Miss America mustang. Last one the mustang in flight.  Sorry but my digitizer really sucks.  Need to get one like Bob's.  No idea why the site decided to rotate them.

Ken

[Bob Hunt]

I convinced Mike to make the long trip from Mankato (MN) to attend the Union (NJ)  AAA Memorial Day Contest. I took Mike to a single circle field in Springfield , NJ to get some handle time. My family had a small motel and Mike stayed there. The night before the contest, Mom prepared  a big Italian meal for Mike and his travel mate.  They loved it. We had a lot of fun. Mike and his late Dad, Arnie - great people.

Hi Frank:

How's Florida? You dodged a bullet by starting your winter vacation when you did. We just got hit by a pretty good snow storm up here. Say hi to Julie for me.

I did not know that you were the one who invited Mike to come East. The year was fuzzy in my mind, but I do remember that he flew at Union, and also at a contest in Troy, New York. I was still flying the original Black Caprice at that time, so it had to be 1968, unless he made two separate trips. Guess it all doesn't matter much so long as we can save these old photographs for posterity.

And, a shout out to Ken Culbertson, who has embraced the spirit of this thread and has posted some photos from a bygone era in his neck of the woods. We need more people to start chronicling with stories and photos, again, to "fill in the fabric of the history of the event."

Okay, before I fire up the snow blower and clean off the driveway, here's another photo from the past. This one is of Andy Lee's exquisite Sunshine. Andy and I traveled together to the 1973 Nats in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and had a great week flying with all the "greats" of the event. It was my first Nats to fly Stunt; I did fly Combat at the 1961 Nats. I think Andy had competed at a Nats or two before 1973, so he was the "veteran" of our twosome (I just fact checked this with Andy and he told me that he had indeed flown in the 1965 and 1966 Nats).

I'm also including a B&W photo that Andy sent me several years ago. That's Beth England holding Andy's Sunshine at a Union Model Airplane Club event some time after the 1973 Nats. Beth, by the way, was "Miss Old Tyme Stunt" at the first OTS contest in 1970. Very nice girl.

The snow blower awaits... - Bob



   

[Bob Hunt]

Ya' know... Snow blowing ain't that easy when the snow is deep and wet! I'm exhausted, but the driveway is clear. Now the ambulance will be able to pull right up to the door. 

Okay this next one is very special as the builder of this model passed away only a few years ago. He was one of the most gifted builders/finishers this event has ever known. Of course I'm referring to Ski Dombrowski. Ski was perhaps most well known for his flawless Lacemaker, with which he captured the Concourse award at a Nats long ago (if someone remembers the year, please enlighten us here...).

Ski produced another flawless model before the Lacemaker, however, and - please forgive me - I cannot recall what he called this one. But, it was a fixture at many East Coast contests I'm thinking back in the late 1980s to early 1990s (again, someone who know this history better, please fill in the blanks here).

So, without further ado (always wanted to use that word somewhere...), here's one of Ski's masterpeces.

Bob

 

[Bob Hunt]

No thread of this nature would be complete without at least one photo of the legendary Jack Sheeks. He's shown here holding his twin-engine Semi-Scale Mosquito at a Nats. I'm thinking this was taken at the 1982 Nats in Lincoln, Nebraska, as the white pants (seen in the background) were still in vogue. This was yet another published model by the great Mr. Sheeks. Does anyone care to venture a guess as to how many airplanes Jack had published?

Later - Bob

[Bob Hunt]

Here's the last one until later today. Many of you have probably never heard of Rick Bachl before, but he and his dad, Fred, were fixtures on the East Coast Stunt scene back in the day. Rick stopped flying for a long time to focus on a career and a family, but he did reappear a few years back at VSC flying a Charles Mackey-designed Lark. His dad designed a very clever exponential bellcrank system in the late 1980 to early 1990s. Sadly, Fred passed, but Rick is still with us and I'm going to try and get him back in the game as he lives very near me.

The photo is of Rick and, I'm assuming, his wife (sorry, don't know her name) at the Union Model Airplane Club field somewhere back in the late 1960s to very early 1970s. He's holding his rendition of the Dave Gierke-designed NOVI III. It was absolutely beautiful! Note the "stacked" AMA numbers and copious paint detailing. Another perfectionist...

The pre-game shows are coming on and I'm set to watch some football - Bob

 

[dale gleason]

John D came to Dallas for a few months, installing floors in numerous stores using the same tools, measures, and tapes he got when he stepped off the Navy ship and hung up his SeaBee uniform.  WWII was over.

John flew his planes and broke in engines at the DMAA circles, sharing his knowledge with everyone.

 What a wonderful gentleman!

dg

PS: How wonderful to see photos of his younger days ....Thank you, Bob.

[Bob Hunt]

Okay, now I'm going to have some fun with an old buddy of mine. Lou Wolgast flew in the Senior division back in the early 1960s. His main competition was Eddie Elasic, George Jones, Frank Pisz, and Buddy Wieder. Eddie won the lion's share of the contests back then with his Impala design. He had three of them. Two of them were painted brown with gold or cream trim, and the third one was a light mint green.

Lou really like the triple rudder effect, but he was a Mopar man, and a Chevy name would just never adorn one of his ships! Or at least that's what he told me on the phone a couple of days back when I called him. Lou's Fury design had more squarish rudders than did the Impala.

When I scanned the second photo shown here, I noticed that the model had squarish rudders, but it carried the name "Impala II." It just couldn't be Lou's ship with that name on it...

I called Lou to try and figure out whose plane this might be. "It's not mine," answered Lou, "Mine was named Fury!" Then I checked the AMA number and asked Lou what his number was. Turns out the plane taking off in the photo below has Lou's AMA number on it. Being a Chevy guy myself (hey, I had a Caprice just a few years later...), I just could not resist busting on Lou hard! All in good fun of course..

So, judge for yourselves. I'm posting the photo of Eddie's Impala first, then Lou's "Impala II" (Woo boy is he going to get harassed by his fellow Cholla Chopper club members), which clearly shows his AMA number. And just to seal the deal, I'm posting a photo of Lou's magnificent Mirage as well. Please note the AMA numbers on the "Impala II" and the Mirage...

I just love this stuff... - Bob



     

[Bob Hunt]

Here's the last one for tonight.

This one is difficult for me, as the man pictured here was one of my very long time friends. Vic Macaluso passed away a couple of years ago, and I still cannot fathom that. He was a vital and athletic guy who loved to water ski, build model airplanes and model boats, fly RC gliders, and generally keep himself busy doing all sorts of creative things. He was an author for me when I was the Editor of Flying Models magazine, producing a ton of product review articles, how-to articles, and he authored the model boating column for several years as well. He bailed me out on numerous occasions when I needed to fill a few pages in the magazine. I wondered if he ever slept.

Vic was a fast rising star on the East Coast CL Stunt scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s, producing a number of spectacular semi-scale models, including his original Crusader. Vic's first Crusader was built in just eight weeks, and it featured an anhedral wing with large drop tanks attached, lots of surface relief detailing, and a spectacular finish. And, it flew great, too!

In fact, Vic won a number of East Coast meets in 1970 with the first Crusader against very stiff competition. None of us on that circuit thought that the Crusader would be a success with all the unusual design features. Boy were we wrong. Vic went on the design a very scale-like F-14 Tomcat, and that few well also. It was Vic's influence that made me decided to build my F-105 Thunderchief. 

Vic's love of RC Scale took over for many years, and he produced a large number of museum quality models that usually won the static competitions at the major trade shows. Very often he'd win in both the RC Scale Airplane category and the RC Scale Boat category at those shows. He was a dynamo.

Around 1993 he decided to return to Cl competition, and built a beautiful version of Randy Smith's SV-11. He followed that with updated versions of his Crusader and his Tomcat, and both were published in Flying Models magazine.

We traveled together a bit to trade shows (Toledo), and to CL contests out of the area, and then his interests returned to RC Scale, where his heart really was... I thought he'd go on forever.

So this last photo for the day is dedicated to that human dynamo and great guy, Victa'!

Godspeed, Vic, and please do not use up all the good balsa in heaven - Bob

[Bob Hunt]

I'm kicking off today's offerings with a few of my old Buddy and childhood hero, Larry Scarinzi.

The first photo is of Larry's Super Flapper design. Note that more than half the wing is hinged as a large flap. Larry had a similar 1/2 A design back in the 1950s, and updated it many years later in this .15-size ship. I asked Larry if he thought it might be worth trying in a full-size Stunt model. He said that the hardware to make it strong enough might be a weight problem. That was several years ago, and with some of today's materials it just might be feasible... Anyone game to try it? (I might...) Larry said the model flew extremely well and had a great corner. Hmmmm...

There is also a shot of Larry seemingly asleep; he was probably just conjuring up another outrageous design. 

And, lastly there is a photo of Larry with some of his Combat designs and a Red Reinhardt-designed El Diablo. He was a master silker!

Later - Bob


   

[Jeremy Chinn]

Love that Flapper.

And love these pics and all the history!

[Bob Hunt]

Here are a few group shots that I took at various contests.

The first one shows the Top 5 finalist at the 1981 Nats. In the back row left to right are Kirk Mullinex (5th), Wynn Paul (4th). In the front row left to right are Ted Fancher (2nd), Bill Werwage (Champion), and Les McDonald (3rd).

The second photo was taken at a VSC back in 1991. This one features all the Olympics that were there that year. Left to right standing are Bob Whitely, a mystery flier (perhaps someone can identify him), and Chris McMillin. In the front of the group kneeling is the designer of the Olympic. Bob Gialdini.

The third photo is from the same VSC as the above photo (1991), and this one features all the Noblers that were there. Kneeling Left to right are Jim Lee, Lou Wolgast, and Randy Cuberly. Standing is George Aldrich, the legendary designer of the equally legendary Nobler.

More to come - Bob



     

[Bob Hunt]

Just one more from the 1991 VSC contest. Here are the Chiefs... Not the guys holding the airplanes, but the design! That's Ted Fancher standing with his Chief and Mike Pratt kneeling with his. The Chief is one of my all time favorite airplanes, and these are two great examples.

Later - Bob

[Bob Hunt]

Here's one last group shot for the day. This one was taken by my father at the 1974 Eastern States Championships that were contested at the Johnsville Naval Air Station in Warminster, PA. How many can you identify!

Bob

[Bob Hunt]

Okay, last one for today.

This is Dave Rees' Talon at a contest in Union New Jersey in 1974. This may be the most perfectly constructed CL stunt model ever... next to maybe Dave's incredible F-5 Freedom Fighter. The cockpit detailing in those two models was beyond belief.

I was honored to have been asked to cut and cover the foam wings for those two models, and even more honored to have been asked by Dave to do the trim flights on the Talon. It flew just about perfectly right "off the board." Dave left CL Stunt to become one of the Free Flight Scale world's greatest champions. A nicer more gentle man never existed. He passed away severl years ago, but he sure left his mark on modeling.

Later - Bob

PS: I'll throw in a shot or two of the Freedom Fighter as well...

[Norm Faith Jr.]

LOL! Yeah, my sister was a fanatic about applying tinsel to every tree we ever had. She wouldn't let me do any tinseling, and when I went to bed she would also rearrange every ornament that I had put on the tree. 

Here's another shot of Red at the Millville NJ meet around 1949 or so. As many of you know, Red went on from here to design a number of very famous Old Time Stunt models, including the 1950 International Stunt Champ, the El Diablo, the Galloping Comedian, and the Stunt Wing, with which he won the 1954 Mirror Meet.

Red and Larry Scarinzi were absolute best buddies, and now, sadly they are both gone. But, boy, the memories they left behind...
Later - Bob

Bob, at my house down in Miami, we used tinsel too. My brother and I would get in trouble with mom as we liked to throw the tinsel on. She insisted that it be hung "delicately." After Christmas, mom would remove all of the tinsel and put it back in the box to use again.
There was a lot of experimenting with flying wing concepts in that period of time. Look now at the B-2, who would of thought?

[Bob Hunt]

LOL! Yeah, Norm, that tinsel thing was one of my childhood traumas. I really wanted to "help" with the tree, but my sister was insistent that I not be allowed to "mess it up." She meant well, however, and we laugh when I bust her about it now. She's now 83 and she's still a dynamo and a perfectionist. She was also a champion roller skater in her youth, and she turned pro at that as a teacher and a judge. My brother, Jim, was also a champion in his sport of motorcycle Enduro racing, so all three kids in the Hunt household were (and still are...) extremely competitive. If you were to reach for the last baked potato in the bowl at dinnertime you'd be likely to get a fork stuck in the back of your hand! 

That flying wing that Red is holding in the photo never panned out, and I don't think more than five or six people ever even saw that model. Red brought it to the house to show my dad, and thankfully Pop grabbed his camera and got that shot. Red was extremely inventive and creative; and he was just plain fun to be around. In later years Bill Simons and I stayed for the week of the 1969 Nats at Red's home in Doylestown, PA. We played killer gamed of Ping Pong late into the night with Red. He and Larry Scarinzi were my two childhood heroes...

Later - Bob   

[Bob Hunt]

The first "victim" for today is Frank McMillan. I have photos of two of Frank's airplanes from years past. The first photo shows his immaculate Martin Baker MB-5 Semi-Scale stunter. Frank designed this one in collaboration with Al Rabe. It was powered by a hybrid ST/Como engine.

The second photo os of Frank's well-traveled Tucker Special. This photo was taken at a VSC in the early 1990s. With this model Frank won the Nats Classic Stunt crown in 1991 at Lawrenceville, Illinois. Great flying model!

Later - Bob



 

[Bob Hunt]

Up to this point most of the photos I've been posting were those that my father took years ago. I did lip in a few that I took over the years, and, well, that's how I'll proceed now as I've pretty much scanned all the relevant old "dad" photos.

When I was the editor at Flying Models (for 17 years), we published a number of significant CL Stunt designs and other CL models as well. Typically I'd ask the authors to shoot some possible cover shot candidates. I have a number of boxes of those slides and will continue on posting one or two examples from each of those boxes.

The first one up is Les Nering's Nering Special. This was a very popular plan from our Carstens Plans Service. The FM plans are still available from Thayer Syme, who purchase the plans when FM went defunct. Do a search for Flying Models Plans Service and you will find a rich source for CL Stunt plans. I'm also including a photo of the Nering Special posed with two more examples of Les' work. The red (ish) model appears to be a Smoothie, and the black model looks like a 1952 Nobler. Les did beautiful work!

Later - Bob

   

[Doug Stout]

Bob,

Thank you for posting the picture from the 1974 East States Championships.  Now to name some planes and flyers.  Front row is Mark Sullivan’s Centurion.  Second row close is Billy Simons Scorpion and far is my Apparition.  I don’t know who flew the Messerschmitt, the Stunt Machine or the blue Genesis.  I see two Genesis behind that where the close one is yours and the other may be Gene Schafer's.  Behind that in the center is Dave Rees’s Talon.  In the back behind the Talon I believe is Andy Lee’s Sunshine.  Mark Sullivan and I are standing in the back on the right, where I have on the light blue fishing hat and Mark is to the left.  Great memories!

[Matt Colan]

Up to this point most of the photos I've been posting were those that my father took years ago. I did lip in a few that I took over the years, and, well, that's how I'll proceed now as I've pretty much scanned all the relevant old "dad" photos.

When I was the editor at Flying Models (for 17 years), we published a number of significant CL Stunt designs and other CL models as well. Typically I'd ask the authors to shoot some possible cover shot candidates. I have a number of boxes of those slides and will continue on posting one or two examples from each of those boxes.

The first one up is Les Nering's Nering Special. This was a very popular plan from our Carstens Plans Service. The FM plans are still available from Thayer Syme, who purchase the plans when FM went defunct. Do a search for Flying Models Plans Service and you will find a rich source for CL Stunt plans. I'm also including a photo of the Nering Special posed with two more examples of Les' work. The red (ish) model appears to be a Smoothie, and the black model looks like a 1952 Nobler. Les did beautiful work!

Later - Bob

 

Vic Macaluso ended up with that Nering when he first got back into flying. Then Vic sold that plane to my grandfather and he flew it for a while. My grandpa ended up building two more Nering Special’s, one was painted a silver green, then refinished and flown at the 1996 NATS. The second one was finished all white and given to Mike Chiodo for him to finish painting. He flew it before he gave it to Mike and he said that was probably one of the best airplanes he’s ever built. It flew right off the board.

He also built another Nering-esque airplane. He used the fuselage profile of the Nering but used a Joe Adamusko Bucks Deluxe wing and tail in it. it was an incredibly attractive airplane! This is the only picture I have of it on my phone

[Matt Colan]

Couple more pictures of Vic with his F-14 and my grandpa launching for him and the belly of his pink SV-11

[Bob Hunt]

Bob,

Thank you for posting the picture from the 1974 East States Championships.  Now to name some planes and flyers.  Front row is Mark Sullivan’s Centurion.  Second row close is Billy Simons Scorpion and far is my Apparition.  I don’t know who flew the Messerschmitt, the Stunt Machine or the blue Genesis.  I see two Genesis behind that where the close one is yours and the other may be Gene Schafer's.  Behind that in the center is Dave Rees’s Talon.  In the back behind the Talon I believe is Andy Lee’s Sunshine.  Mark Sullivan and I are standing in the back on the right, where I have on the light blue fishing hat and Mark is to the left.  Great memories!

Wow! Hi Doug! How the heck are you? So glad to see you here; when are you going to come back and play with us?

The ME-109-like plane belonged to Joe Attewell (not sure of the spelling if it should be one "T" or two...); one of the Philadelphia area fliers. He was friends with Dave Rees and Lou Ruger. I'm pretty sure one of the unidentified planes belongs to Lou. There is also a Stunt Machine in there, but that's not Gene's. You are correct; one of the Genesis models (the one in the center) is my "Nuclear Banana Genesis, and the other one on the far side aft is Gene's. Gene flew his Genesis 46 at that year's Nats and placed second, and at the 1974 World Championships and placed sixth. That is Bill Simons' ship near the front, but it was actually named Scorpio. Brings back some memories, eh?

Later - Bob

PS: Give me a call

 

[Bob Hunt]

Couple more pictures of Vic with his F-14 and my grandpa launching for him and the belly of his pink SV-11

Great shots of Vic and your grandfather, Matt! So glad these old photos are surfacing here.

Bob

[Bob Hunt]

Here's the last one for today. I took this photo at the 1981 Nats in Seguin, Texas. I was judging that year instead of flying.

This is Mr. PAMPA himself, Wynn Paul with the 1981 version of the PAMPAWAGON. Pretty sure it had an ST .46 in the nose in that era. Wynn flew very well and placed fourth, just behind Les McDonald, Ted Fancher, and the Champion that year, Bill Werwage. Pretty much all I remember about that Nats is that it was HOT! 

Later - Bob 

PS: If you have not yet obtained a copy of Wynn's history of Stunt book, you are missing out on the most outstanding work about our event's history that has ever been published. Get one soon, as there will only be one print run... - Bob

[Ted Fancher]

OMG BUBBA!   JUST OMG!!!!!

What a memory and all those "pics"!!!!

The history of "STUNT" should be cataloged and danged if you ain't doin' just that!

You da' Man my friend!  Luv ya!

Ted

[Chris McMillin]

Here are a few group shots that I took at various contests.

The first one shows the Top 5 finalist at the 1981 Nats. In the back row left to right are Kirk Mullinex (5th), Wynn Paul (4th). In the front row left to right are Ted Fancher (2nd), Bill Werwage (Champion), and Les McDonald (3rd).

The second photo was taken at a VSC back in 1991. This one features all the Olympics that were there that year. Left to right standing are Bob Whitely, a mystery flier (perhaps someone can identify him), and Chris McMillin. In the front of the group kneeling is the designer of the Olympic. Bob Gialdini.

The third photo is from the same VSC as the above photo (1991), and this one features all the Noblers that were there. Kneeling Left to right are Jim Lee, Lou Wolgast, and Randy Cuberly. Standing is George Aldrich, the legendary designer of the equally legendary Nobler.

More to come - Bob



   

Hi Bobby,
Dino Mancinelli is the mystery SoCal Olympic Stunter in the picture of the long ago 1991 VSC.
Chris…

[Dan McEntee]

Hi Bobby,
Dino Mancinelli is the mystery SoCal Olympic Stunter in the picture of the long ago 1991 VSC.
Chris…

     I have been trying to think of Dino's name sine that post was made. It was my first VSC that was made possible by Chris McMillin arranging for me to buy an E Ticket. I scoured the magazines looking for something unusual and small enough to fit in a box that was under the TWA size limit and decidedon Arthur Alfieri's " Ruby" design. Remember that Bob? You were the only one there that recognized  the name and design. Didn't hurt that it was an east coast pilot and model. I still have the airplane in repairable shape. I fell in with Dino almost right away as he was a nice guy and fun to be around and had a really nice model. I could not think of his last name until Chris just texted me about it and it came to me right away. That was the beginning of a LOT  of fun to be had in Tucson over the years.
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Bob Hunt]

Of course, Dino Mancinelli! How could I forget? (I'm 76, that's how...). Thanks, Chris for filling in that blank. Thanks also to Dan McEntee for reminding me of Arthur Alfieri's  Ruby. He was a fixture at the early 1960 East Coast contests, and his designs and finishing techniques with silk were reminiscent of Larry Scarinzi's models. I remember when that was published in Flying Models magazine.

Great stuff - Bob   

[Shorts,David]

Ya' know... Snow blowing ain't that easy when the snow is deep and wet! I'm exhausted, but the driveway is clear. Now the ambulance will be able to pull right up to the door. 

Okay this next one is very special as the builder of this model passed away only a few years ago. He was one of the most gifted builders/finishers this event has ever known. Of course I'm referring to Ski Dombrowski. Ski was perhaps most well known for his flawless Lacemaker, with which he captured the Concourse award at a Nats long ago (if someone remembers the year, please enlighten us here...).

Ski produced another flawless model before the Lacemaker, however, and - please forgive me - I cannot recall what he called this one. But, it was a fixture at many East Coast contests I'm thinking back in the late 1980s to early 1990s (again, someone who know this history better, please fill in the blanks here).

So, without further ado (always wanted to use that word somewhere...), here's one of Ski's masterpeces.

Bob

That Ski Dombrowski model is one of about five which I clearly remember from my childhood days of running score sheets for some nats Ed. Captivating.

[Bob Hunt]

First one for today is of Jeff Anderson with his Ted Fancher-designed Citation II, I'm throwing in two photos of Jeff; one is with his good friend, flying buddy, coach, and mentor, the late Arlie Preszler. Jeff won Senior at the 1982 Nats in Lincoln, Nebraska with this model. Jeff was torn between Stunt flying and baseball. He was, from all accounts, a pro-level player. Jeff and Arlie hail from California. Two nicer people never existed...

Another great memory... Bob 

[Bob Hunt]

And while we are highlighting nice guys from California, here's one of my favorites, the late Jim Armour. Jim sent the slides from which these photos were scanned for a possible cover shot in the issue in which his Epic design was published. I was getting into a bit of hot water during my tenure at FM for giving Cl Stunt a bit too much exposure in relation to all the other modeling disciplines. Sadly, it seems Jim's masterpiece fell victim to that pressure and did not adorn the cover of the issue in which the Epic was featured.

Jim's other passions were hot cars (check out the detail on the nose of that '55 Chevy in one of the photos) and music. He was a fantastic guitar player. I had the opportunity to play with him once at a party and was humbled by his ability and talent. Just a super nice man. Jim and Bob Whitely were best buddies who shared a lot of the same interests; and now they are both gone...   

Later - Bob

[Ken Culbertson]

And while we are highlighting nice guys from California, here's one of my favorites, the late Jim Armour. Jim sent the slides from which these photos were scanned for a possible cover shot in the issue in which his Epic design was published.

Later - Bob

You are certainly on a roll!  I never knew my father had a twin brother with a different name.   Unfortunately, he is not around to ask.  The resemblance is uncanny.  Now I know where my liking for that tip design came from!  Keep it up, really enjoying this.  FM should have let you put him on the cover?  You are here, they are not! 

Ken

[Bob Hunt]

Here's another one from the 1992 (I'm pretty sure...) VSC contest. That's Rusty Brown kneeling in the front with his rendition of Bill Netzeband's Fierce Arrow. Not sure who the gentleman is standing with his FA. If you look closely you will be able to see Ted Fancher flying his Chief in the background. Ted edged me out that year for the Classic title. I was flying my brand new Tucker Special.

More memories... - Bob

[Bob Hunt]

The older East Coast guys (both of us...) will remember the infamous Far Hills New Jersey contests that were put on by the Bedminster/Far Hills Lions Club. The trophies were great, the judging, not so much. In fact it became known as "Farce Hills" by many of the Stunt Fliers. This photo was taken in either 1951 or 1952 by my father. I remember watching the B Team Racing event finals from the big grand stand on the field. That happened just before the trophy presentation each year as I recall. Years later I would win my first Stunt contest on that field. The judging was just fine that day!  They did have nice trophies for the era, however...



 

[Rick Campbell]

Bob . . . I sure wish Dave Cook was around to see these photos. Me, I'm still waiting for that perfect photo of Bill Simons' Yank.

[Bob Hunt]

Bob . . . I sure wish Dave Cook was around to see these photos. Me, I'm still waiting for that perfect photo of Bill Simons' Yank.

Hi Rick:

You mean like this one... 

[Rick Campbell]

Hi Rick:

You mean like this one... 

YESSSSSS!!!!!   Got any more? Wanna draw plans?

[Dan McEntee]

Here's another one from the 1992 (I'm pretty sure...) VSC contest. That's Rusty Brown kneeling in the front with his rendition of Bill Netzeband's Fierce Arrow. Not sure who the gentleman is standing with his FA. If you look closely you will be able to see Ted Fancher flying his Chief in the background. Ted edged me out that year for the Classic title. I was flying my brand new Tucker Special.

More memories... - Bob

   I'm not sure who the other gentleman is, but looks familiar. I'm thinking he is a local Cholla Chopper member.  We need pictures of the score boards from these old contests.
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee
 

[Ted Fancher]

Hey again Bubba!

Really enjoyed our half hour or so on the phone last night.  Thanks for calling! Wrangled a lot of "do you remembers"...etc. of grand times in the past.

Had to scroll through your whole thread again today and had some thoughts about the passing of time and the hobby.  Your pictures of one after another of magnificent, beautiful pieces of flying art was a grand reminder of what a wonderful life we lead among so many talented, artistic, kind and warm hearted competitors for so many years.  To think that, most likely, all of those beautiful ships were, in fact, creations of the guys (and a few gals, for sure) that grew up and in a hobby that required that they not only fly great but also spend the time and bread the talent to make the beautiful machines they flew so well. 

Makes an old geezer like me wonder to what degree the event has changed around the world with the ability to buy and fly in many venues.  Does the lack of craftsmanship necessary to compete in this previously demanding manner "change" the event we grew with and loved???  I sure don't know but it's got to be different.  Thankful that our Nats will welcome international competitors who wish to compete in our Nats those that comply with the requirement for craftsmanship as well as a tricky hand on the handle.

As you know after our chat last night I'm pretty much out of the CLPA gig at age 80, having moved on to other disciplines for a change of pace late in life, but I still keep up with what's going on and get on Stunt Hangar daily to keep my mind attached to what's happening.  Problem with that is I'm still surrounded by stunt stuff in my "den' and a garage that will only hold Shareen's car as the rest is filled with "stunt stuff"!  Don't know what to do with it!  Damned if I'm gonna trash it but...

Oi vey!  Life is demanding!

Kidding, my friend.  I'll be back again and again to see what else shows up.  Bet its more beautiful pieces of airborne fine art!

Ted

[Bob Hunt]

Hi Ted:

Yeah, we rambled on a bit didn't we... Those were great days. Glad you like the photos; I'm finding more every day, so this thread will go on for a while. Give Shareen a hug.

Okay, I've found a few more old slides. The first one here is anther shot of Dawn's plane from around 1967 or '68.

The second and third shots are of a fun plane that I built from a Veco Papoose kit. Those kits were great because you could modify them to look like anything you wanted.

Later - Bob

 

[Bob Hunt]

I spent the day helping a friend with his new model, so I'm bushed.

I'm leaving off tonight with three photos of my father's planes from the 1950s. The first one is a "bones" shot of his original design Travelaire biplane that was published in the December 1952 issue of Model Airplane News, making it OTS legal!

The second shot is of dear old dad with one of his profile sport models. Note that it is powered with a McCoy 60!

The third photo is dad's Trixter BC twin. See, twins run in the family...

See ya' tomorrow with more.

G'night - Bob

[Phil Hawkins]

Amazing pics & stories Bob
So many parallels in my memory banks! From the passion our fathers had, both my dad and cousin Hoyt constantly drew planes and comic characters, the Thursday night Man Cave build sessions at Warren Walkers basement shop, I even have the 1.25 inch #11 Exacto scar on my left hand! I'm really enjoying this. Funny thing, I have heard you tell stories at Warren's, as I read, I hear your voice! I seriously appreciate Warren and the very high caliber friends I have made there. I'd like to include you in that group! I hope to see you again someday, compare scars!

[Phil Hawkins]

Oh yeah, one other thing... Red's #13 model. I actually have a very nice short kit of it, and a new in box L&J Fox .35. Someday!