Memory Lane

[Zuriel Armstrong]

I have recently gained an interest in building and flying electric CLPA.  It made me wonder, how many of us would have never found our first model airplane flying if they had flown electrics back in the day?

[Paul Taylor]

Everytime I would here a Cox engine running I would jump on my bike and ride to the source to find a plane on the end of the lines.

It's ok your going electric. At least we got you away from the helicopters. 

[Dick Pacini]

For me, it was the lure of the castor oil smell and the magic of seeing an airplane on lines bobbing up and down.

Remembering back to my childhood days with electric trains, both Lionel and American Flyer trains had smoke units that were fueled either by a pellet or a liquid.  Those ingredients were heated by a coil and they produced a smoke that had a distinct odor.

I think that if someone designed a "smoker" for electric PA models that would waft the fragrance of spent castor oil, it would be a good thing.

[Paul Taylor]

You might be on to something Dick.

I have a 1970 model Lionel train. I like smell the smoke

[Dennis Adamisin]

All golden memories!

[Steve Helmick]

I do know what you mean, Zuriel. But in my case, it was out the kitchen door and into the garage. Sometimes out the garage door and into the side yard, which was the takeoff strip of "good" grass. Occasionally dodging a carwheeling 14-8 Y&O after a backfire set it free...    Steve

[David M Johnson]

I used to spend Saturdays UNDER! the flight path tossing up Orange Union 76 antenna balls so the two guys that were flying could swoop down and hit them... Oh the memories.
David Johnson

[greg maclachlan]

"Jumping on your bike to find where the engine noise was coming from....." (usually the schoolyard)
Like moths to a flame.  Those were the days. Little Jumpin' Bean kit, $1.49, Babe Bee .049, $3.95, (or was it $1.95?) $1.00 a week allowance. Can't believe I can't remember the price of a Babe Bee. I do know the Pee Wee .020 was the same price. And those little blue half-pint cans of Cox glow fuel!!!!

[john e. holliday]

It just dawned on me that I had never seen a control line plane fly before I tried to fly my ARF Fire Baby with Space Bug .049.   I had read Young Mens Magazine for several years.   In the 6th grade at our grade school picnic a couple of class mates tried to fly theirs.  They spent all afternoon trying to start their engine.   Battery finally quit on them.   After trying to fly the Fire Baby on about 15 foot lines and getting so dizzy I fell down on the 9th lap, I managed to get a Scientific Sport Racer.  It was built up sheet wood.  I read the instructions a little better and flew on 25 foot lines.  Mucho better.  Litterally wore that plane out.  Never found another kit of it.  The little American Boy was one of my favorites.  I found I still have an original kit in the shop on the shelf.  I am back to work on the P-47.  Nose blocks tacked glued on and waiting for carving.

[Larry Cunningham]

First I sold "all occasion cards" (many of them) to get a Wen Mac Bonanza, which clearly was a fail. Better, later we got a Cox P-40 (not the crappy little newer one, the original) which had a much better engine. After we finally destroyed it, we used its engine and parts from an engine scrap box ($10 total) from an El Paso hobby shop to get into Scientific balsa models, and our own copies of them, when we finally learned to fly CL. We then progressed to our "combat wing" models with an Omega, and multiple homemade copies of it. Never learned much beyond wingovers and inside loops from these, but had a lot of fun.

I also would rush many blocks to see any model airplane fly and a box fuselage Fox .35 powered Goldberg model was absolutely awesome. When I finally saw a big flapped stunter with .35 power, I couldn't believe how slow it flew and what it was capable of.

I don't think an electric model would have been as much as an inspiration for me, at least for building stunters.

Today, I see things differently, because modern electric power technology is simply awesome, and practically resolves a primary aspect of CL stunt - consistent, reliable power delivery.

To be realistic, you have to wonder how many potential CL stunt enthusiasts were lost to their crappy plastic .049 models experience.

L.

"Why should anybody be interested in some old man who was a failure?" -Ernest Hemingway

[john e. holliday]

Now Mr C,  as crappy as they were, did we really think that back then?  Almost every thing we do or have done had to start some where.  My first car was the family car.  First lawn mower was a little two stroke that I also wore out using it.  I was the propelling power.  There are so many things,  my first house another example.

[Phil Coopy]

I gotta give the credit to a fellow that worked with my father.  He was into C/L and took the time to help out us kids who were not having a great experience trying to fly some of those plastic wonders and flying logs.  He showed us how to rig them right and slow them down to a manageable speed.  Thanks to Mike, most of those kids that I still know of, who flew with us at the local school paved doughnut, 60 years ago, are still flying, a few C/L only.  Unfortunately most of their kids can, but don't.

Phil