nanavion46

Reply to Post 38 - Sterling Stinson Reliant.

I have one of these kits and I would be willing to copy the parts you need if you will be specific. There will be no postage nor copying costs involved. E-mail me at: [email protected].

nanavion46

Lightning Fan

My Feedback: (17)

Hello to those of you who remember Sterling. I have a Sterling Spitfire that I bought at a PX on the base I was stationed at sometime in the late 70's. It's been with me for years - I built the fuse and tail, but in trying to get the old DuBro retracts in her, screwed up the wing badly. I have "rekitted" the wing to get templates, copied the plans (originals pretty much looked like the Dead Sea Scrolls) and am off and running with new Dave Brown retracts. Anyone ever fly one of these?

Mike Denest

My Feedback: (1)

Scale R/C Modeler Magaziine (now defunct) ran a Sterling Spitfire construction article in the October and December 1982 issues. The builder added flaps and retracts plus made the fuselage and stabilizer more representative of the aircraft. If you can't find these issues, PM your snail address to me and I'll send you copies.

Bill Donlon

My Feedback: (1)

One late afternoon in early December 1960, I searched for and found a bag my father had bought home the night before and I looked inside without hesitation. I was a junior in high school and just two weeks had passed since my father had come home from work early and caught me in my bed room with my ---. I hadn"t gone out for the team that fall and my father knew that something had changed. I was evasive about my activities and my time alone. So when he opened the door to my bedroom that late fall afternoon and found me there with the capitan of the track team and the team running back and a McCoy redhead 35 and a room full of fumes he had outed me. Sometime over the summer I had fallen hopelessly in love with airplanes. I got up early and came home late with sneakers wet and rotting off my feet from chasing .89 cent wind ups through the wet grass at the Damn. He closed the door and never said anything to me about it. So when I looked into that bag and found that one of the boxes was a Sterling Flying Fool I knew that my father had accepted what had happened to me. I can not tell you how many times I have thought about that moment and why I measure my own life by it. The number of guys who hung out at my house and flew C.L.s down across the river grew over the next few years, but none of them had the same commitment that I had because they didn't have my dad. I worked harder at school, won scholarships, went to college and my dad died just three weeks before I graduated. The Sterling Flying Fool? I had it built and ready to go with the redhead 35 by the end of Xmas vacation. About five of us took turns flying it and "piling it up". Which proves that inside every man is a little boy modeler waiting to be outed. Merry Christmas All! Bill Donlon

flicka5

My Feedback: (2)

Sterling Monocoupe, rudder only: have this model in basement that I started construction in 1963 with Ambroid glue. Meanwhile as the project languished, a fellow at work sold me an unflown Sterling Monocoupe that had been converted to 4 ch with ailerons and zero wing dihedral. He was scared to fly it. It was covered with silk and dope, yellow with blue trim. I put an OS .40 4stroke ( the original .40) in it and it flew very well but would easily snap on takeoff without proper speed on grass. Flew it on skis off frozen lake in winter as no problem getting high take off speed. It tracked like a pattern ship and was very positive in the air.
After many years of flying, put a .48 4stroke in it and it crashed on the "first' flight after realizing that I had forgotten to reinstall the lead nose weight necessary to balance properly the short nose design (ie. tail heavy). The remains which were not too badly mangled, languished in the basement until I noted a fellow from Pa. on the internet who was dieing to get the kit. Convinced him to buy my Monocoupe remains after demonstrating its worth by sending him digital images of same. Don't know if it is flying again but if I finish my first Sterling Monocoupe and fly it, will I get some kind of an award for longest construction time (40+ yrs.)? [sm=confused.gif][sm=confused.gif][sm=drowning.gif]

PS: thinking of electrifying it?

PS2: also have the Sterling PT19 and the large Spitfire, both in kit form. Will they ever get constructed?[sm=confused.gif[sm=confused.gif

wirerunner

I have a brand new still in the box Sterling PT-17 that has never been touched...what should I do with it? It was bought in 1968 by my dad who trained in the in the Army Air Corp in 1942...he died beofre he got to build it and it has been stored since. It has everything and in very great shape.

Mike Denest

My Feedback: (1)

This kit is desireable to the collector or builder. It averages between $125 - $175 at auction. Or post it for sale here. [sm=greedy.gif][sm=biggrin.gif]

nanavion46

Wirerunner,

If the Sterling PT-17 is still available, I would be interested in buying it. Contact me at: [email protected] with details, price, etc.

Thanks, nanavion46

grebmohr

I flew a Sterling Challenger in the 80's. a more modern design but I remember two things-- fast build (some custom work required) and it flew like a bat out of hell with an OS.25 FSR. Wish I had it now for electric power.

Neat posts for memories....

flyintexan

My Feedback: (1)

Wow, this post is full of great memories and sterling stories. I am on a quest to find plans to a flying fool (C/L bipe). My dad taught me to fly on a Mambo when I was a kid and he just sent me an email asking how to find old sterling kits. He was thinking about upsizing a flying fool. I will gladly pay for a copy of the plans or return the originals to the owner to give my dad the chance to relive his early r/c youth. Does anybody have a picture of a flying fool?


Regards,
Mark

Mike Denest

My Feedback: (1)

Check eBay. Flying Fool kits are always showing up.

flyintexan

My Feedback: (1)

Thanks for the info. Went there and did find a sterling profile P-38, but no flying fools. Will keep looking, in the meantime if someone still has just the plans that would be great.


Mark

iltridente

This might stray a little from where this thread is now, but does anyone have any information on the old 1/12 Sterling Albatros DII-A kit? How rare is it, etc.

TIA,
JP

CoosBayLumber

My Feedback: (1)

That was kind of a "pricey" kit.

Have you gone to the Vintage Sterling site yet?

http://home.mindspring.com/~jeff.coo...els/index.html

Wm.

dfkroft

I'd like that Sterling Piper Tri Pacer .
Dave

amelia-air

My Feedback: (82)

I have a Tri Pacer if your looking for one ,Dave I think its one of the later kits (FS-1) on the box.It had a plastic nose piece ,but I traded it for a metal one --This is the third one I have had --Buy & Sell ,and its in a better box then the other one's.If your interested --e-mail me back
I have had to with draw my offer to sell the Tri Pacer --

dennis

My Feedback: (90)

If dave isn't interested I certainly would be. I had 2 of them and the first one had an Enya 19 with single channel. Actually got it to r.o.g. fairly well once we got the noe wheel set up to 4 degrees positive. Next one had a World Engines Blue Max radio and an OS 35. Lot of good memories with that plane. Dennis

nanavion46

If anyone has the Sterling Piper Tri-Pacer kits, FS-1 and FS-37 they would like to sell, please contact me at: [email protected]. I have built and flown both of these kits. Thanks.

nanavion46

dfkroft

Boy! You guys are really making it tough on me. I would like to see it first. I never saw Sterlings FS-1. I had my own Tri-Pacer 'N4834A' back in the 60's. I lost it because of reasons beyond my control. (No, I didn't crash it) But I never saw a good model of one. Here is the picture of the real plane. (Top) and a Sterling model FS-8 that I converted to a (sort-of) Tri-Pacer (Bottom)
Dave

SeditiousCanary

I have a new/in box Stering Diamant (Kit E-3). I was about to build it, but I will hold off till I can scan the plans (which I was going to do anyway), unpunched balsa and decal kit for you. I'll scan the box too if you want.
I poked about your website and was pleased that such a site existed. I would certainly be interested in a trade.

propjet

My Feedback: (68)

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Grampaw

I remember a buddy's Sterling Gazarater (believe I spelled it correctly) in the 70's. It was a shoulder wing sport model, I think it was a .40 size. He did a great job on it and we flew the dickens out of it. He later lost it in a flame out in a steep climb right after takeoff. He's a much better flyer today! I'm going to check and see if he might still have the plans stashed away.

jimdgregg

Would anyone be interested in this Sterling Model Inc., Kit #FS-29 "Fledgling", complete in box with instructions. RC model, span 56", area 545sq in., length 42" for engine .23 to .40. Contact me at .. [email protected]

northiceman

Hi Mike,

I just recently finished kit FS-20 (Stearman PT-17 by Boeing out of Witchita KS). It's the second one I do - first was back in 1973. I was astonished to see this kit in a hobby store about 7 yrs ago and bought it VERY QUICKLY!
My computer consulting work has kept me from completing it until this winter. I have built a lot of sterling kits beginning back in the 1950's.

I have all plans for the Stearman PT-17 as well as plans for a few other Sterling kits (I began modeling back in 1952). In the 50's I would order by mail from America's Hobby Centre in NY - first .049 I bought cost me a whopping $3.95 !

Do you have or do you know of anyone who has a copy of the Rimfire (kit #FS-27). I built one of them back in 1973 and stuffed an OS Max .40 in the nose - boy that thing went like stink! I thought I was goin' to have a heart attack on the first flight - good thing there were no trees for about a quarter mile.

Ron

km6tj

This is a great thread for a trip down memory lane...

I still have the Sterling Tri-pacer I built in 1969-70 hanging in the garage pretty much ready to fly. I don't remember the model number, but it came with the steel nose cowl. I orginally built it as a rudder-only ship with an escapement setup. I think the plans showed the layout for that but I can't be sure. Never got the nerve to launch it with a push button radio, though, and probably a good thing. I set it up to fly 3 channels and flew it several times in the early eighties. Looks great in the air and on the ground.

Wish they would bring them back!

Ken