The Air Derby

[Brett Buck]

I found that someone has posted the (previously mentioned) "My Three Sons" episode The Air Derby. Features some mid-50s 1/2A Control line flying with classic "message" about sportsmanship. Also some shots inside a hobby shop of sorts, and lots of Wen-Mac product placement!

And it's a Bub!   As opposed to an Uncle Charlie.

    Brett

[Dan McEntee]

  Yeah, it's a Bub!!  I watched it again fairly recently and it's from early on in the series. Both Bub and Uncle Charlie were played by great character actors of the time. The Dad, Steve Douglas, was supposed to be an aeronautical engineer, and that was at least one other episode that I remember that was aviation related. I think it was the oldest son, Mike, wanted to learn how to fly so he could fly a Nieuport 28 that belonged to a visiting older man that was a WW-I pilot or something like that, and the Dad knew the difficulties of flying the old biplanes powered by a rotary engine and that set the scene for the scene for the episode. I probably haven't seen that one since I was a kid so I'm not real sure of the synopsis. I'll have to see if that can be dug up on YouTube. Another one I would like to revisit is the episode of Hazel, starring Shirley Booth, and the son in that series was involved in a C/L contest similar to the My Three Sons episode. Been a long time since I saw that also. I think there were at least two episodes of Lassie that had plastic RTF models in them?

  Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

[Steve Helmick]

They shoulda taken the kids to Disneyland and paid the big bucks to have Bart Klapinski teach them to fly! That would probably be $1k+ these days, at the exorbitant rates Disney charges.

Everybody now! "It's a small world afterall, it's a small world afterall.....". I don't remember the rest. Catchy tuna (sic), tho!

 Speaking of that, does anybody know what they have now in the location of Bart's flying circle?  Steve

[Paul Taylor]

  Yeah, it's a Bub!!  I watched it again fairly recently and it's from early on in the series. Both Bub and Uncle Charlie were played by great character actors of the time. The Dad, Steve Douglas, was supposed to be an aeronautical engineer, and that was at least one other episode that I remember that was aviation related. I think it was the oldest son, Mike, wanted to learn how to fly so he could fly a Nieuport 28 that belonged to a visiting older man that was a WW-I pilot or something like that, and the Dad knew the difficulties of flying the old biplanes powered by a rotary engine and that set the scene for the scene for the episode. I probably haven't seen that one since I was a kid so I'm not real sure of the synopsis. I'll have to see if that can be dug up on YouTube. Another one I would like to revisit is the episode of Hazel, starring Shirley Booth, and the son in that series was involved in a C/L contest similar to the My Three Sons episode. Been a long time since I saw that also. I think there were at least two episodes of Lassie that had plastic RTF models in them?

  Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

I asked ChatGPT. Here is the response. It could not locate it on the www.
The episode you’re thinking of where Hazel helps Harold get into model airplanes is Season 5, Episode 153, which is titled something like “Hazel Helps Harold With Model Planes.”

[Ken Culbertson]

 

Everybody now! "It's a small world afterall, it's a small world afterall....."

You didn't have to do that.....  It repeats with a slightly different tune and then goes into a permanent loop in your brain. 

Ken

[Dan Berry]

It seems that some fellows have low opinions on the WenMacs. As the only person whe has won two first place trophies at the Nats while using WenMacs I must take exception to the denigration that the Mighty WenMacs get subjected to. Next week I will have three planes with WenMacs at the Nats for three different events.
Optimism abounds.

[Dave_Trible]

It seems that some fellows have low opinions on the WenMacs. As the only person whe has won two first place trophies at the Nats while using WenMacs I must take exception to the denigration that the Mighty WenMacs get subjected to. Next week I will have three planes with WenMacs at the Nats for three different events.
Optimism abounds.

+1!   I learned to fly on a WenMac.   They are powerful and can be less troublesome than reed valve Coxs.   I have several here now.   I need to have a half A day and load up my pile and go have some fun.  The older ones WITHOUT the heavy starter gizmo on them are the best in my opinion.

Dave

[Steve Helmick]

You didn't have to do that.....  It repeats with a slightly different tune and then goes into a permanent loop in your brain. 

Ken

Baby shark, da dit da dit, baby shark...    Steve

[Colin McRae]

Those were the good ole (and simple) days.

But fast forward 70+ years:

Horizontal CG
Vertical CG
Model weight
Wing tip weight
Lead out location
Lead out spacing
Engine thrust direction
Prop diameter
Prop pitch
Prop airfoil
Fuel oil content and type
Fuel nitro content
Wing loading
Wing airfoil design
Fuel tank volume
Fuel tank design
Handle design
Line design
Line length
Lap time
Ground rpm
etc
etc
etc

And that is just for IC powered models.

Then there are all the additional parameters involved with electric powered models!!!

 
 
 

[Colin McRae]

and go have some fun

Dave

Dave, I agree

After all, this is 'supposed' to be a hobby

[Dan McEntee]

+1!   I learned to fly on a WenMac.   They are powerful and can be less troublesome than reed valve Coxs.   I have several here now.   I need to have a half A day and load up my pile and go have some fun.  The older ones WITHOUT the heavy starter gizmo on them are the best in my opinion.

Dave

   I keep threatening to do something with some WenMac/Testors engines, maybe do that soon. That "Roto-Matic" spring starter can be removed if you get some that are stuck, or something is broken. I took one apart that wasn't working just to see what made them tick, and they are pretty simple sprag mechanisms. They get stuck from congealed castor or the main spring breaks. The stuff in the back half can come off and the front part then serves as the prop drive washer. Guys have been using the Wen-Mac and Testors engines in nostalgia f/f models for any years. I have always wanted to do that little twin stunt model that Pappy DeBolt published in Air Trails and it's even OTS legal!!

  Type at you later,
    Dan McEntee