Model Builders From 1957

[dale gleason]

Well, here's the reason I feel so strongly about maintaining a B.O.M. in C.L.P.A. I ran across this old picture from 1957, Ruston, Louisiana. Yep, these guys built these planes, start to finish...with guidance from Cliff Stinson, the hobby shop owner, barely visible holding the yellow and black Smoothie. I'm one of these young hoodlums, and we wereall great pals.

 Try to guess the airplanes they are showing off. A few are kinda' tricky.

 Those definitely were the good ol' days, mainly because of Cliff, who took us all over the South to contests, taught us a few things about model airplanes, and a whole lot of how to live a good life.

Respectfully submitted,

dale g 

[wwwarbird]

 That photo is what it's all about, and is a great example of why I enjoy Control Line Modeling.

 Hopefully this hobby doesn't become another victim of "progress".  

[Bill Little]

Great picture!

Looks like maybe a Kenhi Panther  on the right, and several of the "_________ Sweep". (can't remember what the profile version was called)

Big Bear

[builditright]

Three Sweet Sweeps, Smoothie, Panther, maybe the green and gray one could be an Expendable, and I dont know what the others are possibly a Firecat and a Tom Tom or Tomahawk

[Brian Massey]

Cool Picture; I guess "sweeps" were in.

Brian

[Bill Little]

Three Sweet Sweeps, Smoothie, Panther, maybe the green and gray one could be an Expendable, and I dont know what the others are possibly a Firecat and a Tom Tom or Tomahawk

Looks like the blue profile near the middle (white wing tips, lighting bolts) is a Tomahawk, and the white built up fuselage with blue wings might be a Tom Tom. (??)  Both being the "first generation" Veco designs.

Big Bear

[W.D. Roland]

I agree with the BOM 100% other than at the entry or lower levels to help those on the steepest part of the learning curve.
The BOM makes it a complete skill set to achieve a goal and this makes it special  in today's world.
The draw back is possibly placing the U.S. at a disadvantage, or so I have heard.


Humm.
Tomorrow will pass this along to Dad, Give him something to take his mind off the Chemo.
For now will see how many times I can do the foot in mouth trick.

1957
 I was one year old. Will see what I can get right.
Would imagine that one is Dale.
A wild guess that the Smoothie belongs to Chuck Anderson?

Guessing Tommy Stinson is one of the boys?

The one standing in front of Cliff? Blue airplane. Nah ! no way! That can't be who those ears fit!

Cliff Designed a swept wing airplane? Super Sweep?
Do I see one of his flying saucers?

The Hobby shop and Bicycle shop is on the other side of the white house? Or behind the photographer?
My mom was probably working in the hobby shop so my guess is I was making some sort of mess while sucking on a 10x6 nylon T.F. That prop is around here somewhere.

So who took the picture? Opal?

On Google maps the Hobby Hawks paved flying circle can still be found.


If it wasn't for people like Cliff a lot of people would not have got a far as they did in the Hobby.
Cliff taught my Dad who taught me and others and then us onto others.

David

[Hoss Cain]

One of the truly fine things exemplified in this photo is the clean-cut hair styles on these fine young men. Certainly  a show of quality.  

[dale gleason]

Lessee now,
Chuck Anderson, kneeling on the left,  holds two "Sweet Sweeps" (Ken Hale and Lester Grogan"; Troy Biscomb with his blue Veco "Tomahawk"; I can't recall the name of the fellow with the other "Tomahawk";  Werner Harvey holds a "Zilch X-Pendable" and a delta-wing original, similar to the "Flounder". Behind him is Jim Butler raising a Jim Walker "Firecat" on high; Tommy Stinson kneels with his Guillow's "Trixy" (he was the Jr. Nats Combat Champion a few years later), I hold the blue "'Sweep"; next to me Jim Waldron with his Kenhi "Panther". Barely visible is Cliff holding  a silver "'Sweep" and his yellow and black Veco "Smoothie". Bill Roland, Allen Carpentar, Paul Dupont, Robert Grant and Ronald Tubbs are about the only ones missing....

"Sweet Sweeps" with the new Combat Fox or Torp Greenhead 35 were dominate in Combat, they hadn't "run into" Riley's "Quicker" and Johnson 35 yet....

George Aldrich was walking on water over in Texas, flying the green box "Nobler" and his new "Fliite Streak".

dg

Edit: W.D.-The picture was taken by my Dad, thus the amateurish composition....we are in the small lot next to Cliff's.

[Randy Ryan]

Well, here's the reason I feel so strongly about maintaining a B.O.M. in C.L.P.A. I ran across this old picture from 1957, Ruston, Louisiana. Yep, these guys built these planes, start to finish...with guidance from Cliff Stinson, the hobby shop owner, barely visible holding the yellow and black Smoothie. I'm one of these young hoodlums, and we wereall great pals.

 Try to guess the airplanes they are showing off. A few are kinda' tricky.

 Those definitely were the good ol' days, mainly because of Cliff, who took us all over the South to contests, taught us a few things about model airplanes, and a whole lot of how to live a good life.

Respectfully submitted,



dale g 

When I see pictures like this I wish I had a Wayback machine. I agree whole heartedly with the BOM statement, but like so many old institutions, the helpful hobbyshop owner now has a modern counterpart more akin to rich toyshop owner. I was 7 in 1957 and I remember that in my Dad's R/C club, the Flying Robots in Michigan, all the guys sons seemed to be involved as well. I flew FF and CL and Dad would help but NEVER would he do it for me. I've tried that approach with some and the result was for them to walk away, this is because the culture is different, and people can't "do" like we use too. My Dad was a metal model maker, he had also worked with his father as a carpenter, he learned plumbing, elecrical and a hundred other things along the way just to get along. Until I got into high school, I thought everybodies dad could do anything. Now, after all these years, we've learned to pay to have "it" done, whatever "it" is, and that's the jist of the matter. Why build when you can buy? Those of us that are staunch BOM believers come mostly from that era, with a few exception like Matt Colan. Some of you are familiar with my engine building activities, here, in my local R/C club at a meeting I showed some of my engines. I was approached, rather condescendingly, by a member asking why anyone in their right mind would ever want to build and engine when you can buy one already made!!! I've had th same sort of questions about my models, and for many, they don't even see the difference between the quality of their latest ARF (R/C) and my stunt models, it is a non-issue to them. My whole point is that the world we live in now sure isn't the one most of use grew up in, and I miss that world BAD. I don't go along with it, but this is now where I am forced to live, this other place is gone and I seem to be fossilizing.

Oh well, I will build my own and enjoy it. I really feel sorry for those that have been trapped into this "new way" of thinking, they are missing out on so much. We're rich guys, we have it all, and even as a fossil, I can still look back and enjoy my life over and over again just by seeing great old pictures like this one.

[Will Hinton]

This is SO COOL!  In 1957 I was 17 and buying my hobby supplies from a hobby shop in Marietta, Ohio where Steve Wooley worked!  Steve had won senior at the KOI the previous year and that year if I have the years right.  The first he won with a Fierce Arrow and the next with his original Argus.  I had the wonderful privilege and memories of watching him fly both!  I agree with Randy on all points except that he is fossilizing.     The rest of the world is doing that because they are now getting hard headed about the buy it all thing.
I totally support the BOM myself, and can attribute my success  in skilled trades and luthiery to the skills I learned by building everything I fly!  It's amazing how many modeling learned techniques I use while building a $2000.00 or $3000.00 musical instrument!

[W.D. Roland]

Well Dale where was the picture taken?

[PerttiMe]

One of the truly fine things exemplified in this photo is the clean-cut hair styles on these fine young men. Certainly  a show of quality.  

Unlike some artists, philosophers and engineers we've heard about...



 

[Larry Cunningham]

Your photo immediately brought to mind this one, of the Mesilla Valley Model Airplane Club in Las Cruces, also in the mid 50s. This was scanned from a photo in a box of material given to me by the late Bill Melton, and the scene is the control line field off Valley Drive (now a mobile home lot..), where we had an annual contest until several years ago.

The original field had three grass circles and a speed circle.

L.

"One man's remorse is another man's reminiscence." -Ogden Nash

[Ed Keller]

Randy - If anyone doesn't understand why your engine building, or for that matter, why someone wants to build a better, more beautiful, more unique stunter, you will not be able to explain it to them. Regards, Ed

[Brett Buck]

Oh well, I will build my own and enjoy it. I really feel sorry for those that have been trapped into this "new way" of thinking, they are missing out on so much. We're rich guys, we have it all, and even as a fossil, I can still look back and enjoy my life over and over again just by seeing great old pictures like this one.

  Couldn't agree more. It's sad to see that a few people (and it is still just a few) can't see and will never experience what this event is all about. Putting aside all the usual arguments about "participation", etc. I think people are robbing themselves of something that is very precious and important. Because just buying and flying is a very fundamentally different sort of activity. That's why the lines are so heavily defended - because everyone involved knows that changing this will completely and utterly change the event forever.

    Brett

[Bootlegger]

       Uh, Dale that sure does make us "More Mature "doesen't it ??  Good to " remember when" too...
    As Bob Hope used to say "Thanks for the memories"...

[Randy Ryan]

Here's my old pic, the Michigan Radio Control Society, Farmington Michigan, about 1965. I have R/C, FF and CL models in this picture. Your's truely, 3rd from the left with the great hair holding a foam winged bipe of myown design. My Dad is the guy behind that big model with 8754 on the wing, his name is Art. My lifelong flying buddy, we still fly some together when he feels good enough. To the right (Dad's left, my RC Falcon 56, also down there somewhere is my CG Buster and a VooDoo. For any old FAI F/Fer's, the 5th guy from the left is Ken Phair, he was quite an FAI Power flyer for a while after this. None of the other guys stayed in modeling as far as I know, but wwe sure had a good time. The guy at my Dad's left, in the foreground, is Bill Parker, he ran the Farmington Hobby shop for his aunt, known to us all as Mrs. Tee. He was a great guy but got himself in trouble finacially as near as we could tell, and the Hobby shop closed several years after this and the club disbanded.



I've just been looking over this picture trying to put names on the faces. I am amazed at how many I remember. Starting from the left: ?, Jerome Brack (CG Lil' Wizard designer), Me, Skip ??, Ken Phair, Jim Palmer, ?? Brack, ?, Gordon Pierson (LSF), Dad (Art Ryan), Will Bryant, Bill Parker, Mike Baldwin (behind), Ricky Williams (front), Rick Bryant, Bob Kropp, ??, Bob Bently

[Ed Keller]

Will - you sure are an old codger!  I also was 17 in 1957. Cars & girls took most of my time & attention then. It was earlier that all of the C/L model activity took place. I remember back in 1954 or 1955 that tere was a contest here in our town for some C/L events, & Bob Elliott & some youngsters came over from Atlanta with Bobs Black Tiger plane. Fox 35s, of course. These were the best running, best sounding, best flying things I had seen. They won just about everything they entered. To say I was impressed would be an understatement. You could always see what was possible if there was enough effort & persistence, by reading the mags, & seeing the creations of others. The Black Tiger was always one of my favorites. Regards, Ed

[Tom Niebuhr]

Dale,
Thanks for the memories. You haven't changed either. Seems like yesterday. I was a high school freshman in 1957. That was the year of Sputnik

[Will Hinton]

Quote - "Will - you sure are an old codger!"

You betcha, Ed!  And getting older, I just had another birthday Sunday!  My hair color is sure getting more platinum blond these days!

Blessings,
Will

[minnesotamodeler]

Well OK gotta throw in my 2 c. worth too.  This must have been 1959-60, thereabouts. Central Oklahoma.

After a little study, OK, must have been more like '62-63.  Lookit the combat wings...

I'm the tall drink of water on the left (18 yrs. old maybe?), my older brother in center, brother-in-law's brother at right. 

[Will Hinton]

Hey, I learned to fly inverted in Norman, Oklahoma while in aviation prep school with the Navy!  And it was on a T-Square, of all things.

[john e. holliday]

Trying to remember, 1957.  Was a member of the Flying Eagles of Kansas City KANSAS.  We flew at city park circle.  I turned 16 in december of 57.   Fall of 58 we moved to Humansville MISSOURI.  That is where I finished Jr - Sr highschool.  Don't knock the T-Square as it was the one my Dad enjoyed watching me fly.  Fall of 62 moved back to KC and rejoined the Flying Eagles.  Wish I had a club picture as the Mr Meriwether, Clayton Dunham and a few others taught me a lot. 

Thanks for the pic Dale.  Were we really wearing hair dos like that.  My Senior year had a flat top with fendrs and a duck butt for a hair cut.

[jim ivey]

Cool lookin bunch of guys. looks like they liked sweet sweeps. Sorry , never built one.   jim 

[Bill Heher]

On the line of Randy's post about his dad being able to fix just about anything- my dad was the same and he passed it down to me. I'll spend 3 hrs cleaning and rebuilding the crappy carb on a weed-eater instead of tossing it and paying 49.99 for a new one.  Some people think i do it because i'm a cheap-skate, i do it to prove to myself I can.

Even my wife has more ability to fix / build / re-model than 2/3 of the " Field Service Engineers" I come in contact with at work. Growing up in the Upper Midwest  helping her dad and brother gave her a good foundation. One day in a parking lot by our house in FL she saw a lady sitting in her car with the hood up. I was about 95 / 95% humidity  and the woman was sweating and fanning hrself with a piece of paper. Karen asked if she was OK, and did shee need help. " No- AAA is on the way" was the reply.
 Karen asked what was wrong and the lady said her battery was dead. She offered to give her a jump start- and proceeded to pull her van up- pop the hood, grab the cables from the back and hook them up. Let it charge for 10 minutes while the woman cooled off in the van, then said try it now. It started and the lady was amazed that Karen knew how to jump a car- asked if she was a police woman or a mechanic.

" Them that can - do, them that can't - pay through the nose"

[PerttiMe]

I am not quite old enough to remember him myself ...

A bit closer to my times, there was this author and printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat.



   

[W.D. Roland]

From 1974-75 at Thunder Streak Field Alexandria La. " The Hairy Days"

Starting from left:
Darrel Witheral with his Slow Rat Darrel had just come home from Military.
Next 2 unknown
Jay Deville our lone stunt flier with Smoothie.
Jim Point holding one of my Dads Flight Streaks modded for Slow Combat. Jim Flew Twisters and Super Twisters.

Kneeling is Bobby Himel holding our 6.5 never beaten Fast Rat. Bobby was Pilot. I built engines and pitted.

2nd pic
Bobby Himel, Bill Roland(Dad) and Blake Balew showing off trophy they earned in Slow Rat.
I think the contest site is Shreveport La although possibly Houston.

[Bill Little]

In my "younger days":

[W.D. Roland]

Fancy Hair Doo Bill

You look good!

When we quit breaking props we could afford hair cuts again!( long Haired country boys)

David

[Bill Little]

Fancy Hair Doo Bill

You look good!

When we quit breaking props we could afford hair cuts again!( long Haired country boys)

David

Thank you Sir David.

In my case it was some props, fuel, etc., or a pair of shoes.   Didn't need a new pair of shoes in the summer time so airplane goodies took priority!   Hair cuts??   

Big Bear

[proparc]

Dale
I am about to take my next trip to Texas in about a weeks time, and it makes me feel good to know that guys like you are in Texas keeping the "building flame" alive. Hopefully, if I can get things together, i'll show you how the old New York cats, like Jose Modesto and myself rock and roll.

[Randy Powell]

WD and I are about the same age. I remember them long haired combat fliers. 

[Jim Kraft]

Thanks for posting the picture Dale, and you other guys also. You are all so fortunate to have been a part of a club back then. I was generally on my own since I lived in a small town where only 2 or 3 other guys flew. They were much older than I, being in highschool, but they did fly a half block from my house at the school yard. I was about 11 years old when I started building hollow log's with my trusty OK Cub .049. Over the years I have belonged to several R/C clubs, but never had the opportunity to be in a C/L club. But, I have been a modeler all my life with very few breaks. I guess once it gets in your blood it's there for good. Oh yeah! There was that time I was into motorcycles and this one special girl that kind of took me away from modeling. But I got back into it shortly after we were married.

[W.D. Roland]

Yes Randy I think I remember what I remember! When I can remember to remember.

Bill
I sure flew a lot of combat barefooted, That ended with a boot grinding a toe into the pavement! ouch!
I don't think it was intentional.


Dale
Can you tell me who this is and or where this picture was taken?
We are 99% positive that the little one is me but no one reconizes the location or the adult. The airplane might be a Flight Streak.
I just enlarged the picture and that is me and a Flight Streak. Do not recognize anything else.

David

[Richard Grogan]

Really cool picture Dale! Thank you for sharing it with us!! And you guys with your modeling pictures too. Brings back a lot of memories flying in Lake Charles and Westlake La in the early-mid 60's...there's so much to be said about the feelings that we have all shared with other like-minded youths...

[W.D. Roland]

Richard
I noticed in Dales list of names a Lester Grogan.



David

[dale gleason]

David,
The designers of the "Sweep" were Lester Grogan, Ken Hale, Leland Morton may have been in on it, too. Lester flew in a wheel chair. Both Grogans got Muscular Dystrophy, as did their father.

I don't recognise the fellow with the FliteStreak.  There was a very good stunt pilot whose name was Breard in Alec, I don't think that is him....

dg 

[john e. holliday]

I remember the Grogan name for the reports of the speed events at the Nationals.  He was the Dub Jett of the day/time.   

[W.D. Roland]

Dale
Thanks for that info!

The fellow named Breard, would he have flown a FW190 and a Spitfire or Hurricane in Stunt?
Tryng to identify the builder of an old stunter that I have.


Here is a couple of pictures that I would bet you can identify who is in them!

David

[W.D. Roland]

Dale
Dad informed me that somewhere in his house is a box of pictures of the "Ruston" days including pictures of
contest..Dallas and others.

Mom and Dad were picture nuts!

Everyone is on the look out for them as the house is slowly organized and emptied.

In my possession is a CD that I converted from 8mm film of same up through into early 70s.
Combat/speed/stunt/carrier.

Will post somewhere when I can get to a computer that can upload CDs. My CD drive is whacked.

Dale, I think in the footage one of the Alexandria contest has footage of you Flying( Crashing?)

David

[dale gleason]

My Thunderbird didn't fare well in Alexandria, the bellcrank pulled out on the pulltest. A year later I was fourth in Jr. C/D speed with my Sweep. Tommy Stinson was third with his. In combat I was T-boned and Chuck Anderson loaned me his Green Sweep, a bad mistake. It was cut-away and I had no planes left. I launched, pitted the rest of  the day and then we went over to your Grandfather's home where he had grilled a lot of chickens on an outdoor barbecue. Having not eaten all day, it was the best I had ever eaten, or ever will, for that matter!
That guy Breard flew mostly Chiefs, it was about 56-57 era.

dg