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General control line discussion => Open Forum => Topic started by: Roger Vizioli on January 05, 2014, 09:02:43 PM
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Does anyone remember when the "Mirror Meet" (s) was/were held at the Grumman Facility in Bethpage,NY?
I believe it was in the early or mid 50's, but cant find a date/dates or number of contests held there.
Thx,
Roger V.
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Dee Hill or maybe Bob Reeves can fill you in on some of this. They held a yearly "Mirror Meet" tribute contest down in Tulsa, OK. My son Sean got to attend one of them, don't think they continued it after the first few years. There was a gentle man from my area here in St. Louis, whose name escapes me right now, was a participant and a podium finish winner in 1953, I think it was. It was a contest sponsored by the New York Daily Mirror newspaper and was quite large. I believe it was held on the parking lot of the original Madison Square Garden. I have seen pictures taken from the air the lot marked off in C/L circles, and huge crowds of spectators. What was difficult about the stunt competition, was the large number of maneuvers that were required. Most couldn't complete the flight on one tank of fuel and had to do pit stops. They guy I mentioned from my area told me he specifically designed a model that would do the whole pattern on one tank of fuel, and he credits that with helping him score well. I'm sure if you can get to someone's magazine collection, Air Trails, Flying Models, and Model Airplane News covered the contest and there should be lots of photos. I find it quite interesting and wish I could have attended the Tulsa meets.
Type at you later,
Dan McEntee
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I believe that a cadre of New Yorkers that flew in the Mirror Meets is still active in PAMPA....Frank McMillan, Gene Martine and Rich Giacobone....
I have the FOUR PAGE pattern that was flown (about 8 maneuvers per page!)......
Serious reconfiguration would be necessary to fly it today, or landing to refuel.......
Have fun
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I entered and competed in combat in the Mirror Meet. I believe it was in 1958. It was held at Randall's Island.
Joe
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I flew in the Mirror Meet mid 1950's. I won trophies in speed and FF. I got a lot of merchandise that lasted me for years. I just used the last of the checkered silk I got in 1955.
My Dad drove me and it took us six hours to get there from Binghamton NY. y1
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mw~ mw~ mw~
Floyd Bennett Field. mid 50's, thinking around 53 & 54!
Gene
#^ #^ #^ #^
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Peabody,
That pattern did require TWO flights to complete!
Ward-O
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I was Still in College in 1960 but was back into flying U Control. A full car load of fellow Flying Dutchmen from Lancaster, PA went up to Floyd Bennett Filed to see how the "Big Guys" did it! It was quite a thrill to go through NYC and to see such a large Contest! I still remember that day most vividly!
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This footage shows a Sassy Saucer right at the start
http://brooklynbullshit.com/historic-footage-of-kids-flying-model-airplanes-at-floyd-bennett-field-video/
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Floyd Bennett field is still there. I believe there is an airplane exhibit. I've been planning to take a look, for a number of years. Jack Weston, a Philly Flyer flew at the Mirror Meet as Junior. I believe George Aldridge saw him fly there and sent him one of the first Top Flite Nobler Kits. I asked Jack if the current Old Time pattern was accurate to the early 50's version. Jack said it was the same pattern he flew.
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The PARCS club flies R/C there ... NYPD Aviation unit flies helicopters out of there. It is part of Gateways National Recreation Area. Does anyone know the venues for the NY Daily Mirror Meets. I attended 2 at Randal's Island - late 50-s ... I entered combat - I think Junior and Intermediate. Can't recall exact years
Joe
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mw~ mw~ mw~
Floyd Bennett Field. mid 50's, thinking around 53 & 54!
Gene
#^ #^ #^ #^
Hi Gene,
Thanks!
I flew at Floyd Bennet, pitted next to Reinhart and Scarinzi, the year "Red" flew and won with the Stunt wing.
I also flew at the contest at the Grumman facility but dont remember the year, hence my question.
If it gets cold "up there where you are", come on down, it will be a warm 35 here tonight! ;-)
Take care,
Roger Vizioli
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I won PAA Payload Jet there as a Junior in 1959. It was at Floyd Bennett Field. Won a small RCA transistor radio. Quite expensive back then. Still have the radio and it works.
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The first Mirror Meet was held on Sept 29th, 1946 at the Grumman Bethpage airfield on Long Island. The report I have states there were 1,454 contestants, Approximately $10,000 in prizes and a guess of 150,000 spectators. Ernie Babcock of "Jughaid" fame won a full size Ercoupe.
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The first Mirror Meet was held on Sept 29th, 1946 at the Grumman Bethpage airfield on Long Island. The report I have states there were 1,454 contestants, Approximately $10,000 in prizes and a guess of 150,000 spectators. Ernie Babcock of "Jughaid" fame won a full size Ercoupe.
Don,
I am piecing together info. Your note leads me to "think" the Mirror Meets were all at Grumman until they moved to Floyd Bennett. Can anyone confirm that? I believe they were not at Grumman in '59 and later years as I started working there in 1959.
Roger V.
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They definitely were at Randall's Island. Late 50-s .... I was 13 or so ... guessing 1958 ... Joe
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Does anyone remember when the "Mirror Meet" (s) was/were held at the Grumman Facility in Bethpage,NY?
I believe it was in the early or mid 50's, but cant find a date/dates or number of contests held there.
Thx,
Roger V.
Hi Roger,
If you will send me your address, I'll send you all the information I've got regarding the Mirror Meet.
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The first contest I ever flew in was a MMFF at Floyd Bennett (then NAS, or NRAS?), around 1957-58. Flew in Senior. Johnson 35 on a kit Magician. Scored terribly.
VERY impressive meet! Crowd control and protection were "a bit different" from today's practice. Crowd stood a very few feet from the edges of the flight circles. No barriers. I remember the face on a kid next to me who thought a Dynajet speed model was soming straight at him - didn't get a long look at him, but remember it vividly. The Speed model's lines had a little slack at launch, so it rolled straight for a few feet. He didn't wait around...
Other things got in my way regarding competing for 'a few' years thereafter... Around then, however, did trek all the way from the bottom end of Brooklyn up to Flushing Meadows/ World's Fair parking lot with a load of my local buddies, occasional weekends. And a few other locations, often by way of the NY bus and subway system...
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The only info I have on the Mirror meets are the contest recaps from one of the model mags for the '46 and '47 meets.
Don
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The meet I remember well was held at Randall's Island in the Downing Stadium parking lot. The complete lack of crowd control is very different than today. As mentioned the speed circle was next to the carrier circle with people standing in between. Different times for sure. Damned if I can remember the year exactly now.
Joe
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Here is the sheet that I got from Rich Giacobone.....and scanned to a WORD file
As an aside.....almost everyone I have met that said that they flew in the MM said they came in third....
Have fun
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Here is the sheet that I got from Rich Giacobone.....and scanned to a WORD file
As an aside.....almost everyone I have met that said that they flew in the MM said they came in third....Have fun
third ? LL~ LL~
not me, I think I was way back on page 2 or ?? of the results, BUT, I did have fun! H^^
Roger V.
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Well I have tried to open the files. Being a cheap skate I am not going to pay for a program in order to see them. The new Windows in the computer does not support the program files. But, I will say from the video I seen, todays lawyers would have a field day. Even the chap that got hit with the free flight plane or was it a radio plane.
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The video mentions that the meet was held in conjunction with Armed Forces Day which is mid may ... I do remember it wasn't overly warm but it warmed up during the day.
Joe
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For Doc.....no need for fancy or expensive programs:
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Thanks Rich, I remember Tulsa Gluedobbers having the meets for this pattern. It was just to close to NATS time for me.