Jagdgeschwader 26

My Feedback: (4)

Wow, it has taken me hours to read through this thread. But time well spent. I am impressed with the level of mature discussion presented here, in spite of differences in opinion at times. Congratulations.

I grew up within 5 miles of the CL field adjacent to Cleveland Hopkins Airport. I flew in the 1958 and 1959 Junior Air Races there. I grew up flying CL. My friend and I would mow lawns in the morning to have enough money to purchase a quart of Testor's 39 fuel at the LHS, a 10 mile round trip on our bicycles. Then we flew our PDQ Flying Clowns all afternoon, until the quart of fuel was gone. We'd repeat the drill almost every day, all summer long. CL is in my veins, even though I haven't lifted a handle in probably 45 years.

I took up RC in the early 70's when it became affordable for me. I have flown RC ever since, but lately, I am longing for something different from the RC routine. So I am going back to CL after all these years. Not in any big way, just a sport plane that I can do some maneuvers, and have fun with at the local school yard. Perhaps I will take it to the RC field and fly it there too, but all I really want to do is to fly it within 5 minutes of home. My local RC field is 25 miles away. I am getting tired of driving so many miles to enjoy my hobby. But that seems to be the price we have to pay these days in order to enjoy our hobby. I've got RC electrics too, which I can fly locally, but somehow they just don't impress me very much.

I was sorry to learn that the old field at Cleveland Hopkins Airport was sold for a hotel development. The field as I remember was owned by the City of Cleveland. I was a member of the Lakewood Flight Masters while in high school. There were some great fliers in that organization, whom I looked up to. Bill Werwage lived in Berea, not far from where I grew up. Saw him fly CL stunt with his Ares on many occasions. His patterns were always flawless from my perspective.

I am enjoying this thread, and am looking forward to putting my EZ-Just handles to work soon!

Keep up the excellent discourse. It has been a pleasure to follow this thread.

ghost123uk

So many folks I know are going this route.

It is amazing how well received a guy bringing a nice control-liner to the R/C field is.
It often sparks off a resurgence of interest.
One local club near me now has a very active control line contingent, even entering national comps, after a friend and I took a couple conrol-liners to the field one Sunday last year.

Best to make a good impression though, like check there is no one who objects, and use a silencer etc.
Also do the safety check routine, like line pull tests etc so no one can critisize you on that score.
Lastly, get some practice in before you fly in front of your R/C buddies, there is nothing more likely to put them off the idea than watching a shaky flight, with the pilot getting dizzy and ending in a wreck !!

50+AirYears

Right now, I have two CL models in my car, along with 4 RC and 3 FF models. If I can get out to the club field on my lunch break, and nobody is flying RC, I will take up the CL job for a trial flight. I THINK I can still fly out a 4 ounce tank on my profile Shoestring, but I won't know for sure till I try.

cfrizell

What I like about C/L is the feeling of CONNECTION, actually FLYING the model. I really enjoy my Peacemaker though I get a bit dizzy if I'm not careful. Next plane will be another radial cowl Thunderbird - I had a great one I built in about '76 when I still lived in Rhodesia. Used a Johnson 35, wonderful motor. It died in Johannesburg SA in early 80's when a line broke. The Johnson broke too, sad to say. That's the problem with flying over tarmac.

Last Saturday I went to a show here in UK - all RC of course, but it bored me to death, except for the jets. Now, if they'd had some novelty events . . . and C/L combat . . .

Our club used to do an annual show to raise money and we'd have RC, C/L, free flight and novelties like flying lawnmowers or magic carpets.

So this winter it's the Thunderbird, probably with one of my Fox 35's

rjbranchii

I have not followed this thread, in fact this is the first time I have come over and looked at the RCU cl forum. But the topic got me. I have to say, I disagree. I last flew CL about 20 years ago. I flew it as a kid, up to .35 planes like the Combat Streak and my last was a Stuka Stunter by Don Still. Then in my 30's I found some guys flying competitve stunt here in the Detroit Area... still had been since the 40's in fact. Rolland and Bob McDonald mentored me and Frank Carlise coached me. Art Adamission did my motors. There were only about 5 people flying cl stunt in Michigan at the time. I drove as far away to contests as Kentucky and never saw more than 8 or 10 guys.

Fast forward 20 year. I moved and my new neighbor flew RC. I told him I couldn't, I just kept rekitting them every time I flew. He said he could teach me, I said no he couldn't...... he was right, I was wrong. Been flying alot of RC for 3 years and is it easy! No buying wood from a mill in Equador to get wood light enough to build a plane from. No cutting your own 1/20th in sheeting from blocks for the same reason. No spending an entire winter to build and paint one plane to competition standards. Go get an arf and learn to fly and have a pretty plane! I loved it. Still do. Then this spring I was surfing and what to my eyes should appear on the screen but an ARF stunter... and a plane I knew was competative! Long sotry short, I am back to flying competative stunt here in the Detroit area and what happens first contest I go to? About 15 fliers show up! Second contest I go to......two in SE Michigan in one year?!! its at Remote Control Club of Detroit's field and the RC guys closed the field for us to have it for the contest! Over 20 fliers show up! And now there are contests for profiles, 4 levels of stunt competancy, old time stunt, classic stunt..... a whole new world....! Third contest... yes in SE Michigan again and about 20 fliers and a zillion combat guys including the Canadian and Russian Teams!

Oh, and in August there is another CL stunt meet in SE Michgigan and I know of at least one more on the west side fo the state that is for only solid body half A planes like Scientific models used to kit.

There is a thriving cottage stunt industry, 4 different forum groups I have found, Brodak has brought some very nice kits and very competative ARF's to the market...... CL ain't dead. From what I can see it is really barreling back!

bob branch

da Rock

Bob, you got a good point about the numbers.

Do you still see any of the Adamisins? How about McDonald? Any of the crowd from back then? I used to come up to a few contests in that area back then. Art hosted at least one of the US Team selections and had everyone over to his house for supper. Bet today that wouldn't work because PAMPA's network would turn out way too many people. About the numbers.... Lew McFarland also had all the stunt guys over to his house when the team selection was in Lexington and the crowd was just a good number, not a mob.

I read where the Vintage stunt meet out in Phoenix (or wherever it was) had about 100 entrants. And the list didn't have but about 20-25 from the old days.

rjbranchii

darock

My greatest sadness since returning was to learn of Rolland McDonalds death a few years ago. A nicer man there never has been and I do miss him. Bob is still flying stunt actively, in fact he is Bill Werwage's coach. He is also president of the Signal Seakers RC Club (which he claims to be perenially stuck with) but they have a nice area for CL flying at the club there. A nice core of fliers thru expert level call it home. Frank Carslisle got the thing going at RCCD and I joined last month as well because the cl fliers have the old rc field as their own there. The contest I referred to with the combat also going on was at the Old Rouge Site that the Strathmore club flew from and in fact they were the hosting club!

I was there very early (like 7am) to get some practice in because in returning I have had to go thru 4 airplanes to get my pattern back (another wonderful use for ARF's) to the point where I am now done with that. I had just finished setting my plane off the circle when I look up to a mustacio'd head of curly white hair with a huge smile and grasping me in a huge bearhug and asking if I was serious enough to accept some suggestions. BIG ART has only changed in weight, he is now quite thin... but just a Big in his heart. His wife is quite ill and requires full time nursing care from him, but he "gets out" when he needs to and a contest by the Strathmore Club was one of those needs to. He still does mufflers and engines. He offered 2 suggestions that jumped my pattern 50 points. Still a great joy of a man! Denny does not fly now, Archie only occaisionally.

Frank Carslisle I mentioned earlier. He returned after probably almost as long away as myself. He is ever the promoter of anything Control Line. He is a Brodak Dealer and helps us with anything we need from them and is just returning coming back into his previous form. He has his first competative plane just finished... a 19 appearance point plane at his first contest with it!

I wish I knew all the others but being new I really don't alot of the names. John Paris flying Expert classes, Curt Nixon and Paul Smith in Advanced are some other names I know but they were not flying back when I was previously. In Flint, Michigan there is a very large core of fliers.

Bob McDonald is as creative as ever and just breathtaking to watch. He is markedly better than he was 20 years ago.... but you'd expect that from someone as much on the cutting edge as he and Rolland always were. He is just as generous as Rolland was with his help and advice. In all the South Eastern Michigan CL faternity is alive and very well due in large part to the generosity of the fliers involved.

Personally, I've gone thru a Brodak Oriental ARF (not a good plane for me, I only have flown modern planes), two Brodak Pathfinders, and a Brodak Vector 40, all ARF's. The Brodak 40 is a wonderful out of the box stunt motor. Doesn't even need any custom rework to work well, just about twice the breakin the manual recommends... but that could be me. The Brodak 40 in the Vector 40 is a very good combination. Superb flier that will definately take someone thru Advanced level stunt with teh Brodak .40. I have a second Brodak 40 ARF i have just finished that has an AeroTiger .36 in it and a non stock control system, more like what I used to fly with ei, fully adjustable system ala McDonald's. A full build Vector 40 will get the AeroTiger once I settle on the control system in this last ARF and get the fuel system worked out for the AeroTiger. The ARF will become my backup and the first V-40 will go to an upcoming intermediate flier as a gift at the end of the season. The Brodak is going into a Profile Pathfinder so that I have a Profile-40 class and classic class plane in one package. Its fun to be back. RC is fun. But even 3D is nothing like the juice I get from a horizontal square 8 with the bottoms at 4 ft. Now that's a rush! Its good to be back.

bob branch
'

geebee4me

I can not speak numbers but i have 4 grandchildren ages 6-12 flying c/l and learning the beginner pattern.myself have come back after a 15 year run with r/c.because i donot have to drive 40 miles to fly!My c/l models use 1-5 functions not just elevator.It is very challenging and fun and i have a lot of interest from the public especialy young one's.I do not mean to take anything away from r/c just wanted to give my 2 cents!!!!!!!

rjbranchii

I think kids gravitate to cl easier than rc because they are connected to the plane and its alot closer. They can see it and see they are making it do what it does. Plus lets face it, a small half a cl plane is alot simpler project than most rc trainers.

bob branch

da Rock

Big Art is still alive? Nah..... He looked old enough to be my father back in uh..... back when he produced his Dewoitine 520. Good news. Thanks for that news, it made my day.

rjbranchii

darock

loughbd

Well Paul, Boring?????

C/L has lost people becuase there is no place to do it anymore. When I was a kid, we all flew in School grounds but that is no more. Liability and noise got us all kicked out of school. I'm a teacher and I can't even fly on a high school playground.

Old??? Very Old???? I'm 58 and that, pal, is NOT Very old. My dad is 84 and still flying model airplanes and he doesn't consider himself old.

Devilduck

Hey all my fellow C/L ers.

i am new here. I have been reading the R/C electric flight forums as I have been looking at a small park flyer.

I love my C/L planes. I am finishing up a Strega .50 right now. I fly Pampa Stunt in N. Louisiana. Been a long hiatas. Over in the Med serving in the USN 10 years. I have missed my pattern lol. I made it up to intermediate. I won once at Houston contest. 1st one I flew in. I am glad to find a forum on CL.

I currently live in N. Louisiana. I flew alot in Baton Rouge. At inpendence park. With about 5 guys on average. I have been very forunate. Only crashed 1 plane in 300 flights. Was a good one though. Old ringmaster(my gramps from the early 70's). He gave it to me.

I am looking for people in the N. Louisiana area to fly with. Any way to find people? I do need to get my AMA and Pampa back. But, I would like to find some one to fly with.


As a side noteYears ago in Baton Rouge) I took my Vector 40 out to the Local RC field they loved it. Flying "freestyle" stunt... Nothing more funny then "building a house". The name of the manuver. 1 square with a triangle on top....Quite funny. I could hear the RC guys cringing when I was inverted less than a foot off the ground. snapped into a wing over to come out level again at about 5 inch off the ground...needless to say they were impressed.

jerichod

My Feedback: (4)

I had not been following this thread for some time, but was tickled to see that so many r/c'rs are returning to or going to control line. i was a 20 year r/c person, never tried cl until a few years ago, and now it is most all i fly and certainly the flying that i enjoy most. r/c is just boring right now. i too have started taking the brodak cardinal to the r/c field, and flying when there is a lull. i have even gotten a few of the staunch r/c'rs to give it a hand, and they enjoyed it. no converts yet, but certainly an upswing in interest. in fact, the club agreed to clear a c/l circle next to the r/c area so we can all hang out at the same field.

one of the things that surprised me is that flying control line helped my r/c flying. yep. for real. the ground used to be something to stay far away from as an r/c pilot, and i could always feel the increase in stress whenever i got too close to the ground, even when landing. control line helped me get over that. nothing like a bunch of maneuvers that end a foot or two off the ground to cure you! of course there are a few figure 9's and the cardinal is broken even as we speak from a ground fault, but i can tell that my attitude has changed alot, and for the better.

hmmmm. maybe it is time to start a new thread titled something like "why control line flying is fun and beneficial for the r/c flyer". I think i will get on that, as soon as i break in my fox 35 on my superfly racer :}

r.

rjbranchii

Devilduk

Welcome back to the stunt famlily. There are three dedicated stunt forums on the web. Stunthanger.com is by far the most in depth and most active. www.stunthanger.com You will find secialty subforums on most every area of control line from stunt to speed. Lost of building help and lots of very good building info. It is the most active forum I know of.

Stuka stunt forum http://www.clstunt.com/htdocs/dc/dcboard.php is another and also excellent.

Ultra Hobby Products control line stunt forum http://www.egpworld.com/forum/ is another very good one.

PAMPA also has a web site but there really is not a forum proper there.

Yo will find that Stunt Hanger forum will be able to put you in touch with fliers in our area very quickly.

I have just returned this past year to CL stunt after over 20 years off. Its been alot of fun and I still prefer cl stunt to rc aaerobatics. Just a bigger thrill when you are attaaached to the plane and the bottom of the maneuvers is 4 ft off the ground. I went thru 3 ARF's getting the pattern back down (ie killing them) and getting so I could fly a competative pattern again. Its nice that Brodak has brought out planes that are competative and light weight and even a useable stunt motor. There are a number of cottage industry companies kitting superb planes with excellent wood that is good enough to rsult in competative planes. Even cottage industry motorrs that are stunt specific and give tgurely amazing stunt runs. I currently am using aerotiger .36 in a Vector 40. Most amaizng out of the box plug and play motor I have ever seen. After I stopped killing the planes I was able to move up thru inermediate ad win consisatntly there so next year I am going to fly PAMPA advanced. I have a new Vector 40 I'm doing from an ARC (so I can get the appearance points) ... was using arf vectors this year to work out the control system I wanted to use, for me from what I used to fly in the past I wanted a faster than stock system after doing a stock plane... and I wanted to work out the power system in an arf before I did a finish on a plane. I started with a Brodak 40 which worked ok, but was not a killer system like the aerotiger. I'm also building an aerotiger .36 poewered Profile Road Runner to fly in PAMPA classic class and P-40 class. Its nice to go to a contest and be able to fly 3 clsses, especially with only 4 airplanes.

Anyway, you'll find lost of info and friends on the web sites above. All 3 are diffent in focus as is this one.

Keep track of the greasy side,

bob

Devilduck

Thanks rjbranchii

With the new ARF's. You will lose pattern points right?

I will be searching those forums and having a look thanks a ton

rjbranchii

Davilduk

Yes you are right, there are no appearance points awarded for arf's. That isn't a big deal in intermediate as the point spreads are usually pretty big and so many folks fly arfs. It did cost me a 2nc place in P-40 when I beat an advanced flier on flying points but he beat me by afew on appearace. We were both flying Brodak .40 pathfinders but his a kit and mine an arf. That really doesn't matter to me though since I was just tring to get back to compeative flying as fast as I could. I went thru 5 planes this year to do that. 3 I killed, a fist vector .40 / brodak 40 in stock kit config, and a second vector 40 with a control system more to what I used to fly and an aerotiger .36. No way I could have done that with building the planes. I would probably have barely made it past the killing airplane phase and hten only if I had monocoted the planes, no way for me with a dope finish. Also I do not repair arfs. If I kill it, an all were easily fixable, I give it away to a flier who would like the plane. This helps the sport alot. It gets planes to fliers who would normally maybe not be ready for that level plane or not be able to get it themselves and lets them fly something at a higher level than what they normally fly. This was done for me when I was a kid 11 or 12 years old and a stunt flier in his 20's gave me a nobler he had crashed and nocked the front off. No way I cold build a plane like that then, I was not able to even fix it. But it had a shine! I worked on it, and tried to repair it and kept it in my shop for years as s inspiration. One guy I gave a pathfinder to could only fly an inside loop when I gave him the broken plane. He killed it a month later.. learning a square 8! Same gu it turned out got the second pathfinder (last one I killed) from me and learned the rest of the pattern this year. No way it would have happened with his ringmaster and that was all he thoght he could fly. He bought my Brodak 40 and vector 40 from me at the end of the season. He is going to compete in intermediate next year and is probably done killing airplanes now. The palne was fully trimmed and ran very well. Just by giving awy and not rebuilding those planes another flier has in one year moved all the way to competative flier. Its a tradition in CL stunt that has stood the test of decades of sucess.


bob

Jim Thomerson

Should mention in passing that there is no builder of the model rule, nor appearance points, in Old Time Stunt.

rjbranchii

One of the interesting things about both classic and old time classes is that the planes fly really differently from modern stunt planes. There are obviously transition planes especially during the end of teh calssic era that fly like modern stunters, Aeres and USA1 come to mind most immediately, but in part becaue of my background. IWhen I was a kid I flew old time stunt planes but could not fly a pattern or anything more than a straight wingover and an outsde loop back when I was 11 or 12. I started building boats at age 13 and did not return to cl until my mid 30's when I began flying under the mentorship of Bob and Rolland McDonald. So the planes I learned the pattern on were state of the art modern era stutnters. When I came back this year my first plane was a Brodak oriental arf with a Brodak 40 in it. By all who know the plane it is a very competant stunt ship. To me, never having flown a classic era stunter it was abysmal. I was never so happy to see a plane die as when it did. It flew like a pig compared to what I was used to. It was from a differnet era when planes flew differently than what I became accustomed to. I then got a Pathfinder and was back in the modern era that I was used to. I have more than a little trepedation doing a classic ship, but the Profile Roadrunner has a fat wing and moments about like modern stunters and I will put in a control systems with rates that are fast as I am used to flying with. Again, what I am used to.

But that is what is cool about stunt today. You no longer have to weight every piece of wood or cut if off the blocks yourself to get light enough planes. They are pretty well available. Doesn't mean you use every piece, but you can come up with competative wieght planes alot easier today than 20 years ago. Also, highly capable modern era kits are avaialbe today. Not so 20 years ago, when every competative plane had to be scratch built. And you can fly what you like now. You can fly 4 classes if you want. If you don't like a particular era of planes you can still participate in just about any contest and have a great time. I just don't like old time planes or the old time pattern. Just a personal choice. I can still go and enjoy a contest and compete at a level that is appropriate for my flying in any class I like, wether I can build the plane or not. Its why I do not agree with the title of this thread. Its amazing how many people have come back to conrol line in the last 2 years. Its thrilling to see control line comming back. In my area there were 7 or 8 contests this year within 60 miles of Detroit. Average was about 20 fliers at each. Its great, CL is comin back!

bob

NorfolkSouthern

I have to agree that C/L is gaining in popularity, largely due to the litigation that R/C is starting to get subjected to. The challenges of opening up new R/C fields is mounting, even when almost all the planes are park flyers. Clean is right, the public is less than willing to put up with what they perceive as guided missiles these days. And the IMAC behemoths with the big block Harley Davidson motorcycle engines and noise that carries farther than the thump of a boom car are not helping the R/C aspect one bit. If anything, the big models give communities more ammunition in their efforts to shut down flying fields.

NorfolkSouthern

rjbranchii

Norfolksouthern

I agree with your remise of rc flieds being more and more difficult to maintain and find. My RC club spent 2 years seeking a new field. The club that let us use their field spent the prior 2 years to that finding a new one, and the club that let them fly while they searched spent the 2 years prior to that doing the same thing. My club doesn't really have any big stuff in it and we have a strict 93db noise limit and everything must fly with a muffler that muffles. And we still all have a good time.

But from what I have seen that is not a major issue at least in my area bringing people back to CL. In fact 4 of the 4 clubs within 90 miles of Detroit that have CL facilities are RC clubs! The president of one of them is on of the top CL stunt fliers in the country! I actually came back because I found CL flying forums online and found that ARF's of competative planes existed. I would no longer have to spend an entire winter building one airlane in hopes it might be able to be made competative. If it got killed there went an entire year. The year I quite CL was the first year I wass going to fly stunt at the NATS. Night before I was going to leave I was doing a final set of practice flights when a red tailed hawk flew across the circle and hit my lines... just before the last corner of the hourglass. Concrete circle. S*** happens. But it didn't make alot of sence for me. I think the availability of planes that fly really well, even if covered in c*** cote at all levels of flying makes it a much more entereable thing to do. The net forums give people a way to get excited not just by expert fliers but by peple just like them. A good example has been all the Musciano contest that have happened in the last year or two where you can only fly planes designed my Musciano... you rmember, the balsa log planes that Scientific used to make that we all learned to fly on. Black Hawk models makes some now. The excitement these contests have created is amazing to me. People being able to communicate with others just gets people going. And flying a patten at an RC club for fliers who have never seen one does as one previous post said blow em away.

For me I am a very good bilder,, but I am not motivated to build much any more. I have in the last 4 years only completed one RC full build. 3 are sitting uncompleted. But I can do and ARC of a plane I can compete with and get appearance points because I do the finish in stunt. To me its the best of all worlds. ... now to get my RC club to put in a circle!

bob

build light

rjbranchii, I recently started a thread hoping to generate some interest in scratch building some of those "logs" I hear what you are saying about building these days but you might have a different mind when it comes to such a simple model like one of the logs! I hope you do.
here is a link to that thread:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_5161515/tm.htm

All are certainly welcome!

I do hope C/L is moving upwards in popularity. It never caught on where I come from. there were flyers, but no organization and you just flew where you were not run off from.

Robert

NorfolkSouthern

For one, C/L fields are considerably easier to acquire because the planes don't have any tendancy to wonder off like an R/C model can, so the public is less likely to worry. If a line breaks, the C/L plane goes down immediately. If a battery goes out in an R/C plane, the results can be severely unpredictable. I think another reason for C/L seeing more popularity is affordability, and lower upkeep. Not only that, but C/L derives a certain amount of pleasure that R/C can never duplicate. You actually have to do the flying in order to appreciate the sensation. I think part of the reason that all the C/L fields are at R/C clubs, is that the same amount of difficulty in getting a place to fly also applies to C/L in this particular area. Although I do know of one place in Flint where only C/L is flown.

Last Spring, there were quite a few folks who would run R/C model cars around our parking lot. They would do it just about every day, until it stopped completely. I once inquired about the possibility of running a model boat (an electric) in the duck pond here, but I was told that absolutely NO remote controlled vehicles are allowed to operate on the property. So that plan got shot down. Their answer to my quesiton suggested to me that it's probably a local ordinance, as I have never seen any type of model at or around any parks in my area. Certainly not Estes rockets either(are they considered as being like fireworks these days?)! So, I have to drive 20 miles to the nearest R/C field in order to see anything, and most of that is the giant 2-stroke gas stuff with an occasional kid and parent with a SkyFly or something similar. There are a few small nitros, but most of that is discouraged: "Bigger just flys better and is easier to see".

As for me, I had to get out of R/C because of my income, which consists of Social Security and is far below the poverty level. I am not even sure if I can afford C/L at this point, I would assume not just to be safe. Food, car repairs, socks, soap, toilet paper, the electric bill, the utilities, and rent come first I'm afraid. At least I get to enjoy reading about the fun folks have with the hobby, and look at the photos too. Which, obviously, is because I am blessed with having an internet connection. That's a lot better than nothing.

NorfolkSouthern

rjbranchii

Norfoksouthern

I just noticed where you live. Well, i officially extend to you an invitation to come out in the spring and visit the Flying Wolverines in Algonac, MI. I think a 1.80 was the largest thing flown last year and about 95% of the planes in our club are .90 and smaller. I joined the Radio Control Club of Detroit last year because they have a dedicated control line field and the largest plane I personally saw out there was a 2meter pattern plan and a Great Planes Wagstaff extra. Most of the regular fliers there now fly .46 to .90 size planes. Course over on teh C field we fly under .91... but no one there is flying anything like that. A ST.51 is currently largest in the group, though Frank Carlisle has a tin Brodak .40 poewred stunter he is finishing.... if he can figure out a way to get it to the field. But he is part of the group that put the Musciano event in Kalamazoo, MI last year and just finished a 0.20 cl biplane with a group of other modlers around the country tru online get together. What I'm seeing is pople downsizing in our area. I used to fly all .90 size RC and am downsizing to .46 size planes and have some really nice aerobatic .15 size RC planes and a wonderful electric pattern plane that would be killer with a .25 motor. But in the winter I fly electric only. The Wolverines and River district eagles club fly rc float planes at the Harsens Island Ferry together and everything is .60 or smaller. The Eagles have some larger planes and htey almost lost their new field to them this year. So you are right there. I think their members are flying smaller stuff because of the noise issues. One thing al of us need to do is be sure we are using mufflers whether we fly CL or RC. If we don't we are cutting our own throats.

bob
harsens island, MI

Wulf_Flieger

Hiya Fellas, I remember drooling over a cox plastic c/l model at the local hobby shop when I was a kid and begged my parents to get it for me for Christmas. I used to freeze my butt off just running the engine in our garage in Brooklyn New York and loved the smell of that fuel. Of course I crashed it into a million pieces on my first flight because I just didn't have anyone around to teach me. I never flew another C/L plane until I bumped into "Brownie Senior" a speed ship champion at a field In Staten Island. I bought my first Ringmaster kit from him when I was 40 years old. I was flying R/C for about two years at the time. To me theirs just something about flying a C/L plane that makes me smile from ear to ear. I don't know if its the "direct connection" to the plane or what. My experience is that whenever someone young or old stops to watch it fly they seem enthralled for a bit but then their interest kinda wanders off. Except if its an old timer that flew one as a kid.

Times change, computers, video games and Ipods are the new C/L planes of present day. The average attention span of the young is about 10 seconds, maybe less. If nothing happens in that time frame its on to the next thing. If you notice all the newer TV shows and movies constantly change camera angles like every 3 to 4 seconds which drives me nuts. If they don't change camera angles constantly its game over. Classic novels, once a requirement even in the crummy public schools that I attended in the early 60's are used as doorstops. I'm willing to accept the fact that the interests of the younger generation change but this short non existent attention span and lack of respect for life and discipline in most of our young deeply concerns me, in fact it scares me.

I feel safer walking around a "bad neighborhood" in Brooklyn then getting in an elevator in a "nice" suburban area with a bunch of spoiled 16 year olds. I sometimes feel sorry for these young kids growing up. I just feel they don't have time to be kids. Everything in their life is fast forwarded, their own parents neglect them so they can work more to buy the next hot SUV or 50k sq ft house they really don't need.

Sorry if ranting, anyway C/L is dying just like the oil lamp and not much can be done. I'm just thankful that I got to grow up in the early 50's and 60's and had a blast as a kid just climbing around in trees and on my neighbors garage roofs.

Take care