shd3920

I remember . . .

Being with my father as a young child when he brought the entire family to watch him fly. When the frequency sticks were color-coded with two colors instead of numbers.

Boy those were the days . . . and now my father wants nothing to do with us kids [] . . . which really sucks, with him flying for over twenty years (not flying now) he could have taught me to fly many, MANY years ago.

OH, and I particularly remember a mid-air collision at a FunFly my father participated in. I was very young but I remember there being nothing left to either airplane, just bits and pieces floating back to earth.

Boy, now I am depressed, but I wanted to share this with you. But that's OK, I will teach myself to fly this year, with the help of the LHS owner I hope!!!

~ Steve

Arceenut

Still called ESSO here in Canada

jwfly

My Feedback: (2)

I remember when steam locomotives filled the railyards waitng for the scrapper's torch and dieselization began....when passenger trains were the hallmark of a certain railroad company not owned by the government...they had names the california zephyr, the city of new Orleans, the Superchief...they had vista dome cars... I remember when Bobby Kennedy flew into our little town on a DC3 as he was campaigning for his brother in 1960...I remember being frightened because my older sister was convinced that we'd all be blown up during the cuban missile crisis... I remember actually getting our cox u control planes to work and fly! by accident at first but then we got good...we'd fly at the local school yard and neighbors would come, not to complain about the noise, but enjoy the modest airshow we could put on... then, balsa kits....I remember grabbing the handle flying my first "big" plane at the end of sixty feet of wire... how about ice hockey on the frozen lake...then cars, girls , motorcycles, family, career, and full circle back to the wonderful world of model aviation...but if you were gonna fly back then, you had to build...now, gyros, turbines, digital, Bob's song was timeless- the times they are a changin'

squeakalong

My Feedback: (8)

.....and getting a new pair of Red Ball Jets (we thought they had wings but they really didn't), and sitting in Jr. High English class when the news of JFK came across the intercom, and getting up at 5AM and riding my new Western Auto bike about 6 miles to a small lake on Saturday morning where the friendly boat rental man would leave a boat untied for me (I'd pay him 25 cents when I came in from fishing, most times he never took it), and using Monokote for the first time...complete with multiple patches over the burn spots, and sticking my fingers to the workbench via CA for the first time without anything nearby to aid the release.....and I remember why I don't do that anymore.

gutmark

I could buy a pack of smokes AND fill up my motorcycle with a $1 bill. I also remember when my 1st AMA number only had 5 digits (or was it 4? I don't remember...)!!

Thumprding

My first C/L airplane, a cox P-40 warhawk and starting it with my dad on the front porch. Flying it with my dad at a parking lot on a sunday after church (remember blue laws when stores were actually closed on sunday)

Building my first C/L air plane a GC Lil Wizard
Learning to cover with Dope and tissue and moving up to Silk Span.
The summer days of flying various control line air planes in Jr High and Sr High with my friend Grant.
When we built a filght box
Riding our bikes to the Jr High foot ball field with our new Combat Kittens and flight box.
Look at RCM and wishing we could afford R/C
Flying my first big plane a C/G shoe string stunter using a full sized handle and cables.

Graduating from high school and losing my flying partner as he went away to start a medical degree. (summer 1981)

Flying Control line again 1989. The smell is still the same.

Getting into R/C 1989.

Using CA for the first time. Hey this stuff is pretty cool.

Seeing 3-D for the first time

ARFs

RCBOATMANIAC

I can remember eating a lot of cereal as well, but I can remember Saturday mornings watching Captain Kangaroo, Mr. Rogers, Lamb Chop, along with Mr. ED the talking horse, and of course I dream of Jeannie Barbara Eden aways had my heart. My first gas model gas was a funny car with a Cox .049 engine that hooked to a tether line and went in a circle like a bat outta He! I can remenber when gas was only .35 a gallon go to the candy store and .05 for a Snickers bar that was bigger than the King size is now, and my mom sending me to the store and buying her a pack of cigarettes for .15 a pack. Those where the days.

Broken Wings

My Feedback: (20)

I remember when all motorcycles had kick starters....

HighPlains

My Feedback: (1)

Getting up early to watch Sheppard, Glenn, and the rest of the Mercury 7 each time their flights came up, on B&W TV.

Seeing Harold Krier fly at an airshow, and finding out that dad knew him. Last part of his act was an inverted ribbon cut, and I've still got the piece of silk that stuck to his prop studs that he removed after he landed and handed to me.

foodstick

I remember going to my first rc field, at a SIG event in Montezuma Iowa, and barely being able to see over the top wing of a biplane model.. If only it hadn't been windy!!! I can't recall anyone flying in the short time we were there! I wish I had a dollar for every balsa glider I bought, its a wonder there is any balsa left in the world, those gliders used to be everywhere it seemed.

smedsky

How about when gas was 12.9 cents a gallon

alfredbmor

Plenty of space to fly and only used to fly those Cox control liners, amazing engines with their tiny fuel tanks, a little can of fuel, our big battery and the clip, that was all we needed to have hours of fun and some sea seeks.

kamakazie frank

My Feedback: (2)

Wow Smedsky..................you are my senior as the lowest I remenber it was at 29.9 a gallon.

Frank

sledge_78

My Feedback: (24)

I remember my first flight, A ringmaster with a Mc Coy.29 sportsman engine, and reading about Sterling models producing the 1,000,000 ringmaster kit. When Berkeley Models was in West Hempstead, NY they had great planes, with great plans but poor quality kits.

Sledge_78

Super08

My Feedback: (2)

A Ringmaster!! I had two a Jr with an Enya .15 and a a regular one with and Enya .35 that came with three carb inserts and two heads. One high compression and one low. Ya and I remember single chanel pulse radios that I couldn't afford for my Guillows models.

Roby

Buying a brand new Thimble -Drone .049 for 1.95 and
then puting it on Scientific CL block of wood. The only one
that ever flew any good was the Stuntmaster with the
built up wing.


Great times,
Roby

mrbassman

I remember in the Italian neighborhood in the Bronx where I grew up a guy would come around with his little cart to sharpen all your knives and scissors, mom would gather up everything along with $2.00 and tell me to get them all sharpened. I looked like Edward Scissorhands running down the street.

And then the jingle of the bells from the Good Humor ice cream truck....."Mom, throw down a quarter....Hurry !!!!!!

My brother flew control line and I thought that was the COOLEST thing......

Ken

datagoblin67

My Feedback: (1)

I remember when living in Germany during the 70's, moonies gathering at parks with huge blankets to talk (and one immature kid making 'fart' noises with his hands in the back who now flies RC models)

Dad working for the military yet always dressing in civilian clothes and not being able to tell people we were 'military'

Coca-cola in large glass bottles

Mom always being home when I got home

Playing marbles every weekend

Running everywhere

Riding a bike with t-shirt/cutoff shorts and keds....No helmets at all and never got hurt or was a 'burden to taxpayers & healthcare' If you did fall, you went home and mom fixed you up with a kiss and some milk.

Having friends of every color and everyone spoke english well...The only 'gang' I knew of had Spanky and Alf-alfa in it.

Bruce Lee was cool...and alive...Everyone had home made nunchuks (ow, my head still has a small scar).

Bell bottoms with the cuffs frayed and tan ankle high hush puppies with the gum sole.

The guy on the news standing on the map of Vietnam with updates about the war, Dad watching VERY closely.

If you got in 'bad' trouble, the police took you home to 'tell your parents'.

Three Stooges on TV didnt come with a warning...in fact hardly anything had a warning, seems people had more common sense 'back then'.

Riding on my brothers Suzuki 250 Enduro for the first time, again, no helmets and all smiles.

Older brothers first Cox control line plane. Awesome black Stuka!

Knowing right from wrong. When you did something wrong, you got disciplined by Dad and you never did it again!

No cell phones, no internet, no fast food...Playing backyard football/baseball and always being outside with your freinds...

andrew66

did u know that they cant even use the word weight in the class room! god im only 23, but i think were raising a bunch of sissies now

Scar

My Feedback: (3)

I remember "Dodger Cola" and "Sun-Drop Cola" (probably local bottlers.)

I remember when I took my first trip in an airplane. An Ozark Airlines DC-3, with oil streaks behind the right engine nacelle and a lot of smoke there. It got us draftees to Fort Leonard Wood, though.

I remember Basic Training. Funny the things that stick with you. I barely passed the rifle range, with the lowest allowable score.

Dave Olson

pmillerusa

.... Being envious [sm=cry_smile.gif] when my older brother got a new Tamaya Tyrell Elf 6 wheel R/C car for Christmas and it had a gold Kraft Wheel radio. (I think I got a Voltron or something that year)

The next year I got a 72" Soar Birdy glider and spent hours with my dad in the garage gluing my fingers together... and then checking for the red/white [:-] flag on the other radios at the field.

SPLIT S

I remember my dad's TX said Heathkit on it...

cvause

A Pilot RPM Barnstormer 15T kit with a Conquest AM radio was the absolute nuts!

Also, the KAOS with a YS .61 was the top of the top.

jrcaster

So which one was the original name for Exxon, Esso or Esco. I remember all three, just not the order.

Cox airplanes came with a complete Golden Bee .049 engine including the gas tank, then they came with the engine with a plastic motor mount and the gas tank was molded into the airplane.

Texaco had these neat Fire Helmets with megaphones built in, and the push button microphone clipped into a mount by your ear.

Hobby shops had all kinds of cool stuff, Chemistry sets, and also the glassware like test tubes and beakers.

invertmast

My Feedback: (23)

when people weren't cheap and lazy and didn't mind paying $100 for a box of wood called a "kit"