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

[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!

[Phil Hawkins]

LOL! Hi Phil: When it comes to comparing scars you better have more than that inch and quarter slit.

Bob, I have a bent fork experience too! At age 24, I broadside a 1972 Chevelle at 35 mph on my 1979 Yamaha XT500 torque monster! I was pretty adept on a trampoline in HS, witnesses said it looked like an acrobatic performance! I landed on the top of my head, taking a gouge out of my week old orange Bell helmet (helmet law in California had just passed) that helmet saved my brain for sure. At 17, 19 & 24 I had motorcycle accidents that tore me up good! Years of chiropractic care followed. Now at 61, I am an arthritic mess. 30 years as a printing pressman, 15 as pest control tech, plus a few years in waterproofing, backyard mechanic since handing my dad wrenches since I was 5! Yes, brother we probably match many scars!
But hopefully,  next time, we can talk about the perfect control set up, the best ever hinges and how to line them up! Cloth. Stitched, various maker hinges... I'm still trying to get that pull on my handle feather light, having that ship dance like it's on rails!
Thanks for sharing all these pics & stories! I have spent every possible moment reading, thinking and reminiscing of my own passion for flying model airplanes, how it came to be, the endless drawing as a kid, all of it. The holidays tend to be that way, but this is great send into the new year. It is much appreciated! I have miles of 8mm B&W film... been wanting to something with it before it ends up in the dust bin.

[Warren Walker]

LOL! Hi Phil: When it comes to comparing scars you better have more than that inch and quarter slit. I have a beauty on my right leg from a very serious sledding accident when I was 14 (running into a frozen-in-the-ground, ragged water cutoff pipe at 30 MPH can fillet your leg pretty quickly). But, hey, I'm game if you are...

I loved hanging out at Warren's. You guys really have a great group there. I was treated like a king, and the best part was being introduced to Tri-Tip steak! Don't have that where I live.

Glad to call all you guys friends. Now, be careful with that knife; unless you get really serious with it you don't have a chance in our scars competition.

Later - Bob                 

Bob I can assure you the pleasure was all mine, I wish you could make it back someday.

W.W.

[Brett Buck]

Found this one in the box of slides. My son, Robby learned the pattern on a Hole Shot in less than a week, and then he needed something with flaps. We built two RD-1 models, which were essentially foam winged Twisters with slight mods to the moments and the aesthetics.

   I guess a lot of people had the same idea. I forget who else told me they did it, but I also designed a foam-wing Twister, with a decent tail volume and different esthetics (and also paying attention to the Fancherized Twister idea of not breaking off the tail when it flipped over). This was for a bunch of guys flying down at Gilroy, named Gilroy Standard Stunter. I gave the plans and a set of cores to a guy down there, so he could build it under my direction and come up with a prototype. He had been around for a while do I figured he was fully engaged. Never saw him, or the plans, again! As far as I know the airplane was never built.

   I note that I ALSO had the idea to take the same airplane, add some taper to the wing, and have an advanced trainer. Would have been just as easy to build as long as it used a foam wing.  I didn't do anything, and then a year or so later, someone showed up (again, at Gilroy) with a Prowler kit!

      Brett

   

     

[Steve Dwyer]

Bob,

Thanks much for entertaining us with this tour of your past, I hope you don't run out of goodies soon. I look forward to your next post every time I go to SH.

The interesting thing that comes to mind here is he calls this model U2. Lockheed first introduced the U2 in 1953. The young fella was obviously impressed.

Steve

[Ted Fancher]

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

Holy Cow! Bubba!  How can you remember all these details when I can't remember what day it is!!

You da man!  The hobby is lucky to have you....in more ways than one; I might add.

Ted

[Ted Fancher]

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

Hey Bob!  That Chief is hanging pretty  much over my head as I type this!  Sun doesn't reach it where it is (unlike a few others like the Ares I built and flew at the first ever VSC).  Pour some solvent into the engine, flip the prop a few hundred times and we could take it out and put in a few!!!

A Nats era judge at that VSC said he thought the Chief's flights would have been competitive at a Nats!!!  (Was that you, by the way???) 

Problem was it came in a lowly 3rd place (IIRC) cause I could never get the engine started in time to avoid an over run!!  One round or another someone (don't recall who) ran out to the circle as I was trying to beat the  "Chief era" engine to life (forgot which it was back back then) with no success and gave me some straight nitro to plop in the intake and that got it going.  Pretty embarrassing for a so called "Hot Shot" pilot of the era!!!!  Once airborne the Chief flew pretty darn good.  Came in 3rd IIRC despite the penalty for over runs.

Great memories!  (at least the memories I actually can remember!!!)

Thanks again...like everyone else I'm loving this thread.  You da' man, my friend!
 

Ted

[wwwarbird]

I have no idea who this young man is, but the airplane was unique.
Later - Bob

 To say the least. Looks like he started building a school bus, then added wings, and named it...Denise.

[Les McDonald]

I think the U2 is a grownup's plane and the kid is just getting his picture taken. To me the graphics are pretty fancy for the time period although anything is possible, especially considering the location.
This is a most excellent thread. Stunning photos of both well known and obscure planes and people.
A couple of years before Schultzie passed I sent him a box of slides from the late sixties and early seventies. He was going to do what you are doing here. You just know that box is around some where but, alas, I truly believe it's gone from us.

[wwwarbird]

A couple of years before Schultzie passed I sent him a box of slides from the late sixties and early seventies. He was going to do what you are doing here. You just know that box is around some where but, alas, I truly believe it's gone from us.

 Would be great to track it down and send it to Bob. 

[wwwarbird]

Up this time is the legendary Al Rabe.

 Al was the absolute master in the design mix of an excellent scale appearance with great stunt performance. The flawless front row finishes were the icing on the cake. Sure do miss seeing his work.

[M Spencer]

56 inch , on ' William ' Simons . Believe you knew the guy .



Al ( and others ) work were an inspiration to many ' overseas ' , I believe lead a ' semi scale ' stunt trend worldwide . Not all of them got it as good .

[Alan Buck]

 Walt's Airacobra was pubished in flying models in
  April 1995 c/l stunt classic series #2

[Ken Culbertson]

One of the most beautiful and stunning models seen at the 1974 Nats was Jerry Pilgrim's Sundance.

This one brings back a memory.  I think it was around 1976 or 77 at the Southwestern's in Dallas.  It was early, with the morning sun just peaking over the tracks and I looked up to see Jerry carrying Pilgrim's Progress to the circle, catching the sun so that it looked like it was really on fire.  A junior I was helping (yes we had them back then) got that awe struck look only a kid can get and blurted out: "WOW, that's Jerry Pilgrim".  I can't remember another single thing about that contest. 

Ken

[James Lee]

Bob
Just ran across this pic from the past.   
About 2010 at the Polk City , Iowa contest I believe.
Freddy showed up at one of our contests in Topeka a year or so before this.  Saw him at a couple of contests then lost touch.
Later'
Jim

[James Lee]

Interesting to note that he went from the Iowa contest directly out to see you....   See the same shirt and pants...!!
 Sorry to hear he had passed .  didn't know.
thanks
Jim

[James Lee]

Bob
You are correct!    That was in Omaha instead of Iowa.   I can see the soap box derby gravity track in the background.
Seymour Smith park, Omaha, NE
thanks
Jim

[wwwarbird]

Bob
You are correct!    That was in Omaha instead of Iowa.   I can see the soap box derby gravity track in the background.
Seymour Smith park, Omaha, NE
thanks
Jim

 I wasn't gonna stir the pot Jim, but I was sure those pics weren't from Polk City. No matter. 

[James Lee]

Wayne
I must admit that I guessed the location, because I knew I had seen Freddy at the Polk City contest.
And, obviously at Omaha!!
the mind is a wonderful thing......   ;-)
Jim

[Dan McEntee]

    Good pooch!! Glad she's gonna be OK.. The first dog we owned lived a long time. Just a rescue mixed breed that my wife and mother in law picked out of a local "adopt-a-thon" that would have been euthanized in the following days if she had not been adopted. She had similar problems with her hind legs. One had a bad joint, and in compensating for it, she injured the other. The vet said it would be enormously expensive to do any surgery on a dog her age ( about 12 or15 at the time I think) and the money just wasn't in the budget. he said there was a chance that she could heal naturally with some medication but we would have top carry her up and down steps and such. So that's what we did. She really seemed to know what the situation was and did not push things herself at all. After 3 weeks or so we saw an improvement and after about 3 or 4 more weeks, we let her start walking stairs herself to go outside, but it was obvious that she knew she still had to take it easy. She eventually fully recovered, and was her old self again and lived to be almost 20 years old I think Dogs are amazing animals!

  Thanks for the pictures also Bob!! That scanner does a really nice job. Does it freshen up the colors and such as part of the process? Sean gave me a small scanner for Christmas a few years ago that I still need to learn how to use.
   Type at you later,
    Dan McEntee

[Dan McEntee]

Hi Dan:

Thanks for the thoughts. What Casey had would not have healed on its own. And, yes, this particular surgery is VERY expensive. But, hey, she's my little girl...

As for the scanner, yes, it does have a feature that lets you adjust the color and the brightness, but I prefer to use the color and other adjustment tools on my MAC. I'm almost at the end of the slides that I have, but now it's on to the mountain (about a foot high...) of B&W film strips. There must be 10,000 of them or more... I won't have too much time to do that in the near future as I'll have to be with Casey pretty much 24 -7 for the next two weeks. At that point I'll probably start another thread as this one is getting long.

Later - Bob

     Good Morning Bob;
     You have mentioned before that you have several writings in progress and have doubts about being able to finish. Is it possible in this day and age to post the manuscripts, photos, and related items that you have to a web site somewhere that will preserve them but still allow others to view them/ If you go through this process of scanning photos and such, it would be nice to only have to handle them once. You could make slight corrections, additions and deletions as you go but they will still be around. What you have accumulated and what you have in your head still is too significant to let slip away over time. I would think someone out there might know how to do this. I'm sure the AMA would like to have a digital archive, but I think a separate, independent collection would be a good companion to that. I would like to think that 40 years from now or more that there will still be people around that would greatly appreciate being able to see and read of your life time's modeling adventures, and it would include your Dad also and his contributions to model aviation history. Just a thought.
   Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

[Shorts,David]

That's gotta be Jim silhavys gypsy in his world team color scheme, either that or somebody (aside from my dad) cloned it.

[john e. holliday]

Bobby,  I have just started through this thread again.  As I have stated before you have had/have a great life with all the people and places you have been.  Glad to hear your pup is doing wel.  Remember my Sandy the demented toy Poodle that used to be with me at VSC?  She liked everybody except one person that she would groel at every time he got close for some reason.  She was supposed to be a pure bred but because of deformed hind qaurters could not be bred.  But she was my puppy from the first second she got in my arms.  She passed about three or so years ago on a memoroal day while I was at the computor.  She was hurting and I gave her som hemp oil to ease the pain.  I think shewent peacefully then.  Still mis her.  Lost count of how many dogs have been in my life.  Dad always said don't make pets of them  but I remember a couple that stayed close to him.  One in particular that was rejected from a litter as a pup.  I would feed her with a toy baby bottle until she learned to drink from a dish.

Also I want to thank you for the memories of the people that have gone on and I wonder why I'm still here.    Anyway thanks again.

By the way talking of pictures the wife handed me several boxes of picture I had taken through the years.  A lot of contest photos, NATS and trips with Melvin and Brenda.  Fro some reason I alway had doubles made.  I sortd through them and all the contest pictures I sent home with Melvin about a month ago.  Amazing how we changed through the years.

[Dan McEntee]

Hi Doc:

So sorry to hear about Sandy. Yes, I do seem to remember her at VSC with you. Also remember Rusty Brown's pup, but have forgotten her name; they were inseparable too. They ge into our hearts...

Time for more photos. The two posted here were taken at VSC 3 (I'm pretty sure...) of Gordan Delaney's version of Mark Fecnor's Two Much design. Gordan and his pit crew are getting the engines started for Bart Klapinski. Bart flew the model - sans appearance points - in the contest and did very well with it. I got a chance to fly it after the contest and it took a month for my right arm to stop hurting. That thing pulled hard!

Later - Bob

   That was my first, maybe second trip to VSC I think. I think the guy in the white T-shirt is Robin Siezmore maybe?  Not sure whgo is launching the airplane. I think it was on Bart's second flight that he sucked in a butterfly into the venturi of one of the engines and and man did that sound strange!! Didn't choke the engine off, just made it back fire and not run correctly. After the flight Gordy cut the lead outs off, if I remember correctly. Chris McMillin picked one of them up and handed it to me as a souvenir! I had won the best crash trophy which had a broken off Madewell .49 cylinder and head as a topper with a Champion spark plug in it. The lead out was solid wire so i clipped the loop onto the plug like it was the high tension lead! More great memories!!
   Type at you later,
    Dan McEntee

[Gordan Delaney]

Hi Dan,
That is Mark Fechnor in the white tee shirt.  Designed the first twin. Raul Alva is holding the plane and I`m starting the engines.This is my version of  his twin. Shorter Nacells? and longer tail moment. Also moved the canopy forward and slim down the Fuse.and changed the rudder shape

Gordy

[Ted Fancher]

Well, Ken, your comment dovetails nicely into my next photo. I had the thought to just skip this one, as it was by far not the best looking airplane I had produced in that period. But, it was a significant one for me. I had two Chiefs, but could only find slides depicting the second one that I built. I guess I was in a hurry to fly it because I didn't install a canopy, or any paint detailing to speak of. It was light at 32 ounces, however, and it really flew quite well. It was the first airplane that I ever entered in a Stunt contest, and with it I won the 1966 Far Hills New Jersey contest in the Senior division. It was 1965 at my club dust-bowl field in Dumont, New Jersey, and while I was wiping it down from a flight, that I heard a voice behind me say "Looks like someone here wants to be a Stunt flier." That someone was Bill Simons. Bill was at that time one of the top three Stunt fliers on the East Coast, and certainly the best one in New Jersey at the time. I was shocked when he offered to help me, and then he gave me a matchbook cover with his phone number on it. I recorded that phone number in several places just to be sure I'd never lose it. I still remember it by heart: PO-8-5806. (Don't bother calling that number; Bill moved from that location many years ago, and, I'm sad to report, passed away several years ago.) Bill was good to his word and we became inseparable flying and building buddies. Without Bill's help and guidance I'm sure I would never have achieved any of things I did in the years after that in the Stunt event. Thanks, Bill, and enjoy the competition in Heaven...

Bob

Hey Bob!  I have a Chief hanging on the wall to my right that I flew at VSC a couple of times.  Alas, I failed to get the "era appropriate" engine started quickly enough and ran overtime.  A judge from somewhere out east came up afterwards and told me the flight "could'a won" a Nats had it not been for that overrun!  Was that you by any chance?

Just reminiscing.  Like everyone else, I'm flabbergasted at your memory and collection of still dandy photos from a century or so of CLPA past.  You "da Man" my friend! So glad we shared our passions for a part of our treasured years.

Ted

[wwwarbird]

Getting very close to the bottom of the barrel of the slides my father took way back when, but I thought the one attached here might be of interest. It was taken during a contest at the famed Linden, New Jersey Airport. If you look close you will see several PBY Catalina flying boats lined up in the background.

Later - Bob

 Wow, so jealous of "those days". Makes me wonder when the last time three flyable PBY's all sat together. Any idea what year the photo is from?

[wwwarbird]

Probably 1948 or '49.

Bob

 Great stuff. 

[Ken Culbertson]

Do we get to ask questions?  Like is the person pictured still with us?  I can narrow it down slightly since the toddler looks about 2 and the plane has what looks like an OK Cub .049 that he cannot be more than 77.  Assuming the plane in the pictured won the trophy then the contest would have to be around 1949.  But if he is just holding it for someone else all bets are off.  Hair color is no help but the white shoes, who do we know that liked white shoes?  So with just those facts I have narrowed it down to just about anybody.

Ken

[Larry Fruits]

 Bob Hunt.
 Youngest Junior pilot to win a contest.
 !949-50

 

 Blessings;
  Larry

PS: He started with the white pants and shoes at a very early age.     

[Larry Fruits]

Thanks Bob,
 Much appreciated. Cool story. You have certainly had a long and illustrious career. Thanks for sharing a portion of it with all of us. A fun ride it has been, reading and enjoying your many stories. I am sure it was even more enjoyable for you living them. Thanks again, and please continue sharing your incredible experiences.

 Many blessings my friend;
  Larry

[Ted Fancher]

Wow, so jealous of "those days". Makes me wonder when the last time three flyable PBY's all sat together. Any idea what year the photo is from?

Just read this and thought I'd add the following!

When I was very young and working as a "swabber and gasser of Cessna's" at my dad's Cessna FBO at the Renton, Washington airport (at the south end of Lake Washington) there was a string of a half dozen or so apparently grounded) PBYs across the runway sitting idle and mothballed (in front of the huge Boeing Plant).  When we were feeling antsy once in a while big brother Gary and I would sneak across the lake end of the runway and climb aboard one that had a missing aft window (IIRC) and wandered up to the cockpit and "flew" the puppy all over the globe!  One of the "perks" for working for daddy!  Shoot, one of the lots of  airborne memories from a long aviation filled life, now restricted to those memories!

Ted

P.S. IIRC, I later learned that these old timers had been raised from the bottom of the Lake and placed there for a few years along with a handful of larger amphibians.  Not sure for how long nor where they later went.

[bob whitney]

Bob, was the plane a Testers .049 Trainer??

[bob whitney]

their trainers were very under rated

[Ken Culbertson]

Maybe it is once belonged to Ari?  He isn't the only one.  My 1974 Surveyer and the 1975 Surveyor.  First person to notice the mistake was a judge.

[Dennis Toth]

One of his cool ships was the Tucker 903 (the 903 was from the Raleigh 903 cigarette brand). It was powered by a Madwell 49. It is in the Tom Morris OTS booklet. Pretty good size ship for its day.

Best,   DennisT

[john e. holliday]

Thanks for the photos.  Maybe some one will recognize the the young guys.