mikenlapaz

Telephones with cranks on the side and seperate earpiece. 2-4D was just that stuff for you used for spraying ditch banks and it was not too big a deal get you hands wet with the stuff. Test patterns for hours before a program. Burma Shave road signs.

jrcaster

I had one of those COX Baja Buggies, for all of about a day or two. Me and my brother tried to start it on Christmas day, cold weather. Wore out the pull string. Took it back to KMart for a refund.

I remember the Testors airplanes with a McCoy .049 engine. They were built with the forward air intake and the timed cankshaft. Never did have the power of the Cox.

foodstick

I remember those little cox dunebuggies you mentioned, there was this hobbyshop when I was a kid, had a bunch of them brand new no bodies ,flat spots on the wheels, all messed up. We thought we were in heaven just starting them and letting them drive around free flight..running in circles and bumping into stuff. It sure didn't take as much back then to make a kid feel like he had state of the art stuff !

Redback

I remember back in England when the Keil Kraft rubber powered scale series kits went up from 3 shillings and 9 pence to 4 shillings and 2 pence.

Terry

jescardin

My Feedback: (1)

Ed, good morning from Spain and thanks for your confirming coment.

Here in Spain it was straight castor oil fuel which produced a smell similar to a popular soup known as "cocido" and I remember going to the only flying club in my hometown Seville with my father and telling him how the "smoke from the small planes" smell like my mother soup.

Now, of course, with different oils and, of course, the nitro is quite rare to note that again or at least I do not notice it well since 8 or 10 years ago.

Best Regards and continue this fantastic thread that I will try to look back to some memories which may well be common to other modelers over the world.

Jesus Cardin

abufletcher

I remember when I didn't know which way the grommets went in the servos and thought CA stood for California!

PLANE JIM

My Feedback: (109)

I remember Saturn Rockets being launched by NASA and my first control line-my mother ( Santa Claus) brought it for Christmas I was 11-it was a Wen Mac I remember and it was plastic-it kind of look like a plane but more of a hershey bar wing and with a elevator and short stubby vertical fin all moulded from one piece-red and yellow in color, it had a auto start-you wound the prop backwards a turn or so and let go quick to keep your fingers, all the nicks and fresh fuel in them-we never got infections. I can remember carrying this plane on my bike and my starter box was a brown paper grocery sack with a square battery and fuel and glow plug wrench and rubber bands that was it . I can also remember propping for hours it seemed like to get just a short run, I can also remember putting a brick in front of the right wing and walking backwards once running to let it roll. Boy I wish I could find that same model again-I would hang it up to remind me when things were simpler and slower. Than I graduated to Cox and Testors- a PT-19, A silver plated looking corsair, and a formula plane that was purple.

jescardin

My Feedback: (1)

I remember when I built my first aileron trainer -yes, back then you usually started with a "2 axis" model and then progresed to a full control one- and have to study and learn a method to remember how the ailerons operated....aileron going down in wing going up, or was it just opposite?, hum []

Best Regards,

Jesus Cardin

Ram-bro

My Feedback: (101)

I remember that also. I am guessing the main reason fr this was because a 3 channel setup was less expensive than a 4 channel setup. Kinda funny to think about that now

50+AirYears

I remember when:
My father would snap Gillete Blue Blades in half, and wrap the back with mastic tape so I could cut parts from Comet and Guillow kits.
O. K. Cub had their .049B, .074, and .099 engines available in assemble it yourself kits.
Radio Control was something you only read about in Air Trails, Model Airplane News, or Flying Models magazines.
Air Trails had articles on how to build your own (tube type, single channel) radios.
Almost half the engines on the market were still gas-oil ignition types.
Slag engines, even GHQs, were still easily purchased mail order through America's Hobby Center.
You could go to a local schoolyard and fly glow powered control line all day with nobody chasing you out.
Locally, B&O and Nickle Plate railroads were still using steam locomotives.
Our Landlord's car actually had a rumble seat.
Our town had at least three formal hobby shops, and you could also buy modeling supplies and kits in a number of small local pharmacies, variety and hardware stores. In fact, I bought my first CL plane and engine at a local bicycle shop.
Control Line ruled. Free Flight was taking second string, and RC was still the province of the rugged DIY people.
I saw my first air-to-air refueling. A KB-50 in a slight dive was leading a B-47 that was obviously flying slow with partial flaps and at a high angle of attack.
Feeling before seeing flights of B-36s coming low over town.
Sonic booms were a regular occurence.
Hearing the news about Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier.
Hearing the news about Roger Bannister breaking the 4 minute mile.
Flying standbye in the AF, and getting to sit in the semi-circular lounge on a Boeing Stratocruiser, Just me, another Airman from the Cleveland area, and a number of Stewardesses flying deadhead.
Getting served a meal on a 500 mile flight.
A Civil Observation Corps spotter tower in the downtown area.
The city maintaining a couple flying circles in a local park for control line.
Seeing a picture of an early NATS in a flying Models magazine, and reading the caption about how we expected big things from this ytoung Man. Somebody named John Glenn.
Flying from Cleveland to Lackland AFB in a combination of DC-6, DC-7, Boeing 720s, and a Lockheed Super Connie.
Seeing regular passages of B-50s, F-80s, F-84,F-86s, F-89s, and F-94s.
Freight trains always had cabooses.
DC-3s were flying over regularly.
Sud-Ouest Caravelles were the most common jet airliners around.
The Navy always hosted the NATS.
It was the fashion to either build your own fall-out shelter or have a pre-fabbed unit built and installed for you.
It was almost impossible to go a month without opening up a magazine like Air Trails, Popular Mechanics, Science and Mechanics or the like without finding an article for a model airplane design by people like Walt Musciano or Roy L. Clough, Jr.
The RC frequencies were on the current 27 MHz, 50 to 53 MHz, 220 MHz, and 456 MHz bands.
Electric powered planes were at best a FF novelty, and at worst an exersize in futility, being at best capable of an extended powered glide.
The majority of RC planes were single channel, usually using escapements, and usually only rudder only, with an occasional throttle added.
A 700' self unloading Great Lakes ore boat was an unbelievable monster.
Power Steering and Automatic Transmissions were extra cost options for the people to weak or lazy to handle a real car.
Geting to see an active duty PBY5A take off, followed by a pair of active duty P-47Ds (Belem, Brasil August 1967, Brasillian AF planes).
The Three Stooges were alive, well, and making movies.
I first learned about how a prop could cut fingers,while winding an AJ Hornet rubber powered FF.
Top Flight had a line of Jig Time rubber powered all sheet balsa planes

And I could go on typing on this subject for a few more hours, but I won't.

NM2K

My Feedback: (14)

Now you done it, 50+...

I haven't heard the term "Variety Store" for decades.

I was friends with the owners of our local variety store, which also served as our only hobbyshop. Being that their oldest son and I were the best of friends, I ended up spending the night at their house on weekends during most of my youth. I also got to see the variety store (hobbyshop to me) from the other side of the counter. A rare treat back in those days. I also fell in love with their daughter that was only slightly older than my friend. But that's another story.

Ah, memories...


Ed Cregger

captinjohn

I can remember when they was selling crystal radio kits at Hobby shops. I was around 10 and bought a OK Cub .049. I bolted it to a small square can. When I tried to start it, I got some small cuts on my finger. When I finally got it going it flew can and all right off the kitchen table and hit the wall [X(] ! I got some fuel in the cuts also....boy did that burn! Twas a long time ago. Capt,n

Super08

My Feedback: (2)

I remember when they would test the air raid siren at noon and at ten o'clock. The ten o'clock siren was also a curfew for anyone under 16.

jescardin

My Feedback: (1)

I remember my first model engine: a ZOM 2,5 c.c. diesel engine to be fited to my first C/L model , a Yeyito (both Spanish designs and manufactures by Modelhob) in the mid 70's.
I remember how my late and beloved father and I, only 10 years old then, spent an entire evening at the space used for the world famous Sevilla's Feria de Abril (April Fair) trying to start and run in the motor with just ocasional burst, which were received with great excitation and celebrations....my God, how the arms hurted teh next day!.

This motor took several more evenings at my flat home balcony alone and with my father trying to start it with very little success and making fuel marks in the floor that still exist today.

It just took a moment to my aunt, who lived in Madrid, to start it at the first try when in a visit at home and he left the engine tunned for us to become used to start and run in it.

That was the beginning of an story and love for the hobby and planes which still continues 35 years later!.

Best Regards,

Jesus Cardin

jsv1204

Great thread! Have been away from the hobby since a family move necesitated the sale of my gear when I was in high school. Then, FM radios were the new thing and four-stroke engines were top-of-the-line. Just finished building up a PT-40 kit leftover from that era - rubber bands! but I converted to bolts... [shrug] . Must admit to being a bit disappointed at showing up on the flight line only to find a bunch of monster gas-engine 3D ARF's and electric helicopters.

Nothing like the smell of nitro exhaust in the morning!

ouflyer

Going to A&W and getting a frosted mug of root beer, tom terrific cartoons, johnny quest. Rabbit ears on the TV, playing games outside instead of playing games inside (what was video?). You could fill up a gallon gas can for under a quarter. First job was washing windows, checking the air in the tires, checking the oil. Anyone know what that job was? Your friends could actually see how tall you've gotten over the summer by looking at the bottom of your jeans (anyone else?). Taking your new neighbor from the big city Snipe hunting. And yes the good ole cox control line that never flew.

jescardin

My Feedback: (1)

I remember when I "devorated" RC magazines and how I learned aerodinamics, building techniques, about engines and my poor english -aside from school and high school- reading RC Modeler, RCM&E, Radio Modeller and Aeroplane Monthly magazines and as well disfrutated reading the only Spanish one then, RC Model.

Now I only watch beautifull photos in smart publications.....and I have no Nobel Prize on RC modelling!.

Best Regards from Spain.

Jesus Cardin

50+AirYears

I remember when - -
As a draft dodger, sitting on my bunk in the barracks in 1965 in Lackland AFB and reading my draft notice. Also, reading the included note my dad had gone down to the local draft board and letting them know where I was. Never heard another thing.
I walked into Ace RC in Higginsville Mo in dec 1967 and Paul Runge Sr. told me there really wasn't anybody there but him, since it was lunchtime, and so he took me back to the huge warehouse area in the quonset and told me to just look around and he would check me out when I was done. I still have the transistor tester I bought there. It was nice being TDY at Whiteman AFB, about 20 minutes down the road. But as a buck sergeant, I was only making $265/month, including uniform allowance and separate rats.
We were at the local field and a funny panel truck with several different antennae sticking out, and we all had to show our liscenses, and a couple guys actually had to take an on-the-spot code test, because they were on 50 MHz, and the rest of us were on the 26 -27 MHz CB band.
George showed up at the field with his DeBolt Jenny, and a funny looking transmitter - - a Sampey 404 Analog Proportional. Control surfaces actually followd the (single) stick movement, no dither like Galloping Ghost or Kickin' Duck, no center-end-center movement of control surfaces, like the escapement, reed, or tuned audio systems. Of course, the system at $495 was a bit pricey for a college student making $1.27/hr and paying his own way.
After shedding large quantities of blood trying to start up Veco and K&B .35s, and O. K. Cub .14s and .19s, I got my first Fox .35 and getting one and two flip starts right out of the box.