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RE: Memories of Dad... - 11/2/2009 12:43 AM   
WEDJ



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Status: offline 		I posted up here earlier, but now I am still remembering another good time with my dad, it seems that this thread helps to keep the good memories alive.  I just remembered another time with him, I must have been about 6 or 8, he was building a Guillows P-39 Aircobra with me.  I can clearly recall pulling the half-built kit down from the shelf in the den while he was at work and I came home from school, and trying to look at the plans by myself, not making much headway, but dad would work with me at night, and I can still remember smell of the Duco cement.

Yea, this thread must have a lot of misty eyes on it............

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RE: Memories of Dad... - 11/5/2009 4:42 AM   
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Another thing that got me hooked:
One of the times we went to the flying field in Sunnyvale (Pioneers) a cropduster flew over the field. It looked like a Stearman Bipe but I was real young. It came in real low. I could look up and it looked like I could almost touch the control surfaces as they moved. You could see everything moving followed by the appropriate movement by the plane itself. That did it.
mightyhorn

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RE: Memories of Dad... - 11/5/2009 3:08 PM   
hugger-4641



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Status: offline 		Enjoyed reading this thread!
Cherish your memories, I envy all of you!

I never knew who my dad was, Mom is a long story, most of my childhood was spent being raised by my grandparents. Not complaining just stating facts.
Among other things, my grandad was a machinist, and worked till the day he died at age 72, my junior year of high school. His boss Jimmy,who owned the machine shop where he worked, had a Cessna 172 and used to take me up now and then and even let me fly it. I think I was born with an affinity for planes, but this was probably the final hook for me!
Both my grandparents had passed by the time I finished high school, and I got married and started my family soon after. We ended up living close to a farmer named James Dale who had a Cessna 182, wonderfull plane, and had his own grass strip and hangar! James took me up several times and I got a lot of "stick time" in that 182 before he got in bad health and had to sell it! Wish I could have bought it, but it wasn't the right time. I'll get my license and a Cessna one day, but for now I've got to keep my priorities straight with one kid in college and two still in school!.
In the mean time, I'm trying to be the dad I never had to my kids. The one in college is not too crazy about planes, but the other two fly models with me! My 15 year old is pretty good with her Super Cub and my Avistar. My 11 year old does pretty well with her Slo-V and is progressing with the Avistar too! Hopefully, they'll have memories of me like you all have of your dads!

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RE: Memories of Dad... - 11/7/2009 3:31 AM   
Jim_Purcha



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Status: offline 		My father wasn't interested in model building at all. He liked to fish and in his later years play some golf. Doesn't mean he didn't give me some support. I started this hobby backwards by purchasing plans. If I remember, I was either 13-14 years old and attempted to build a Miss Dara (quarter pylon) from American Aircraft Modeler as a first plane. I figured it can't be too fast, it only had a 0.15 engine. Ever try to carve out a foam wing? He thought I should try something different, maybe a kit. Eventually started the hobby with a midwest sweetstick purchased from Indy RC with money from my paper route. My next kit was a falcon 56 Mark II, which my parents  bought me as a Christmas gift. In 1978, Dad and I drove up to see the Canadian Nats for a couple of day in Gimli. The local rc club was the host club. He'd help me from time to time to work on a engine.

We played goif from time to time, and fished. I substituted for him in curling because his back was sore and he was going on a winter holiday. Came back from the holiday with mom and five inches shorted due to collapsed vertibae in his spine. His sore back was "bone pain" from his cancer. He passed away three years later, thirteen years ago. I still miss him. Wished he could have known my kids.

Jim

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RE: Memories of Dad... - 11/8/2009 5:46 AM   
carddfann


 

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Status: offline 		I have a similar story about my dad and I'm the only child. I always had an interest in planes and rockets about since I can remember. Maybe some of it came from my dad, but I don't know for sure. The only time I ever saw an RC plane was when we went to the local flea market on weekends just to "kill time." Sometimes we would find someone with a plane for sale and dad was always quick or first to the draw to point it out by saying something like "Look over there at that big model on top of the car." I would look and see some huge RC plane for sale sitting on top of somebody's car. The time was the mid 70's and I was about 8 or 9 years old. He seemed to be fascinated by them and that rubbed off on me. He also took me to air shows to see the real planes and sometimes talked about his experiences in WWII. He wasn't a pilot but saw plenty of what they could do in the war. Up until around late 1978, we built little Comet planes and tried Cox control line and Scientific "hollow log" kits. We built a Comet Dauntless dive bomber and had it ready to cover, but our cat got up on the bench one night and trampled it to pieces. I wanted to skin that cat, but I guess he was after a mouse or something. For control line, we would take turns flying them in the back yard. After getting into CL, my desire to try RC grew pretty strong. We couldn't afford RC at the time. Later in '78, we saw some cheaper Cox RC planes in the Sears catalog and ordered the Cessna Centurian. Without knowing anything about clubs and instructors, the Cessna experience was a disaster. A friend of our neighbor messed with RC once and suggested the Goldberg Ranger 42 and told us about the AMA. We contacted AMA and found a club in Fort Knox. When the Ranger was done, we took it to the club and one of the instructors flew it. With a Fox 15, it was a hell of a plane to handle (far over powered and a wonder the wings didn't snap). They suggested a Sig Kadet with a 4 channel radio and a .35 -.40 size engine. Suddenly, the price of getting into the hobby the right way shot way up and he had to think about it a while and convince mom. However, our interest grew too strong and he broke down and ordered a Futaba 6 channel, engine, Kadet, and everything else right before Thanksgiving of 1980. He said it would be our Christmas present and there wouldn't be anything else. Now here comes the sad part and its hard to type. He had a heart attack and died Thanksgiving night. A night I'll never forget as I ran down that long, cold, wet gravel road in nothing but my PJ's and socks to flag down the ambulance. Had to do it since we lived on a rural country road and the ambulance might miss our road. About 3 weeks later (just before Christmas), the order arrived at our house. It was really painful to open up and look at everything he ordered. I was sitting Indian style on the floor and picked up the Kadet and started crying. I told my mom I would do the best I can building it and I did. All those Comet experiences came in handy. The first time I ever used monokote and it wasn't too bad with a household iron. The plane looked pretty good and covered like on the box. That plane served me well. My mom continued to take me to the club and I learned to take off, turn and do basic stuff with it until I got too low and hit a tree one day. The plane was gone and I felt like a piece of dad was too. I later soloed with a already built Bridi GLA 40 that one of the club members kindly sold to me at below cost. There were a lot of great guys in that club that helped me. Before he passed away, I remember him eyeing the Sig 71" Cub and I believe he was going to order it for his next project after learning to fly. However, he didn't get the chance. Lately, I've been feeling like getting one of those original Kadets off ebay as kind of a tribute to my dad and also a Sig Cub. A couple of years ago, I got a new Ranger 42 kit off ebay, built and flew it with a Thundertiger .10. This one turned out much better and is a joy to fly. Check out my pics of it under my profile.

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RE: Memories of Dad... - 11/9/2009 3:25 PM   
cloudancer03


 

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Status: offline 		my dad is responsible for giving me the opportunity to enjoy a lifelong passion .during my childhood back in the 50's I was scared to death of model plane engines.my father was president of a local controlline club at the YMCA.I still have his engines and a few airplanes. before he passed away not that many years ago he handed me a macy box with a rubberband around it.when I opened it there were many of his model engines .herkimers Mc Coy red heads dualing olsen 60's and testors just to name a few.I built a testor kit and installed a foresster 29 we went to the local school yard and he handed me the control.I remember getting around and dizzy before racking it along a fence. not too long after that he built a debolt livewire champ that I cherish to this very day.in those days you had to build a box receiver and use a babcock rudder bug to steer it.he got so involved with the electronics it sparked his interest in ham radio as well as building several heath kits. we tavelled around the state to different events and I got to meet walter good and a few other rc pioneers. my dads old ukies are hanging above me in my workshop and they serve as a constant reminder to me of my father and good memories.

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RE: Memories of Dad... - 11/9/2009 10:30 PM   
KitBuilder



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Status: offline 		Cardffann...
I too had was "involved" in my dads heart attack.. he had 3 of them over time.. back then bypasses weren't an option. And yes it was difficult .... I had trouble dialing 911 while mom was giving mouth to mouth... can you believe it.. trouble dialing 911.. on the old rotary phone... it only took a couple tries but I blamed myself for the longest time.... He didn't get to see me fly... but I know he is watching now .

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RE: Memories of Dad... - 11/9/2009 11:24 PM   
carddfann


 

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Status: offline 		He didn't get to see me really fly RC either. We did Comet rubber models, Scientific and Cox CL. He saw me mess with and crash the Cox 2 channel Centurian, but didn't try it himself, which was before finding a club. We built the Ranger 42 and we saw it fly once by a club instructor. It was far over powered and not flyable by a beginner. Heck, the instructor struggled with it. It was only 2 channel with a Fox 15 schnurle screaming wide open. When it finally ran out of gas, the instructor said thank God. We didn't fly it again and that's when he suggested the Sig Kadet. Its tuff when you're a kid and somethink like this happens. I tried doing CPR on my dad like I saw people do it on TV, but it didn't do any good. The heart attack was caused by a blood clot that went to his heart so it was over very fast. Holidays still aren't easy with both parents gone and being the only child. I do have my own kids and my youngest has some interest in planes and has his own trainer that we fly, but I still miss my parents.

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RE: Memories of Dad... - 11/17/2009 10:44 PM   
KitBuilder



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Status: offline 		I know what you mean... we never really got past the father / son relationship.. and move into an adult relationship... It's all good.. I'd say we turned out pretty good.. Sounds like we both have nice families and kids and that's what it's all about... (and of course planes!! )

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RE: Memories of Dad... - 11/18/2009 1:02 AM   
carddfann


 

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Status: offline 		Well as I mentioned above, I found a 71" Sig Cub on ebay that I couldn't pass up. It arrived a few days ago so it'll be one of my winter projects - build the plane my dad thought about getting. So far, my two sons are doing good. My youngest (13) is into planes. My oldest (16) is into nitro rc cars.

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RE: Memories of Dad... - 11/18/2009 5:15 PM   
warbird51


 

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Status: offline 		I know that I was real lucky as my Dad was an aircraft mechanic and built models also. So, I grew up around full size and control line and R/C. I started with plastic models and started in control line when I was 8. I cought his passion for aviation ( although my late wife would say it was more like an obsession). I also became an aircraft mechanic when I was 21. Now, I restore warbirds and am still very active in the modeling. My Dad was still in the hobby when he passed away in 95 and I still have models that he built. I fly them every so often and I can feel his presense when I'm flying one. I still have several that he built that still needs to be finished. Thse memories of going flying together are still very vivid in my mind. And, even though it's been 14 years since he died, he is still with me.

Rest easy. Dad.

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RE: Memories of Dad... - 11/20/2009 3:42 AM   
safeTwire


 

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Status: offline 		I just lost my Dad on the 12th at age 89. He was a modeler as was his brother. They ran a small hobby shop in Mount Vernon, NY called Zephyr's in the 1940's till early 50's.

Free flight, Control Line and Hand Launch Gliders were their mainstay at that time.

I remember them taking me and my cousins to Van Cortlandt Park one hot summer day. My uncle, who was over 6 feet tall, ran a few steps and hurled a glider straight up so high, us kids laughed hard. Well trimmed and with a built in turn, it slowly descended in a wide circle. As it lowered to the altitude that me and my cousins knew it was time to start running after it, with hopes of being the one to catch it...a Thermal grabbed it instead! I still remember the feeling that came over me as I watched that glider circle around and around while maintaining it's altitude!

I was totally awed! I knew something was going on, but had not one clue as to what! This was my introduction to the intrigue of the laws of flight!

Listening to my Dad and His brother talk, we came to understand just how brilliant and loving these men were.

During WWII My Dad worked for Ranger Aircraft Engines. There, he worked on a research and development team that performed wind tunnel tests on the PT-19. The inverted 6 cylinder in-line engine's had an overheating problem as the front most cylinder ran the hottest! There they designed/improved the inter-cylinder cooling baffles.

A couple of photos: My father with a Free Flight from the 40's. The other with his brother holding the Dynaflite pt-19 wing, which we built together!

I too enjoyed reading all the stories here!

Our dad's and our mentor's goodness will surely continue!


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RE: Memories of Dad... - 11/21/2009 11:47 PM   
mightyhorn


 

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I remember the "free flight stories" from my dad as well. His favorite was running after a free flight plane from one end of town to the other. He lived in Lodi, CA so I don't know how much running that was.

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RE: Memories of Dad... - 1/25/2010 12:27 AM   
CESSNA 421


 

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Status: offline 		Hi Mike,

My father was an avid model builder also. He enjoyed freeflight, control line and toward the end of his short life of 43 years, radio control. He passed away in Feb 1956 and had been flying a Berkeley Bootstraps with I believe a Super Aeritrol radio. I have photos of his models that date back into the 1930's. He also owned and operated a part time hobby shop to fulfill the needs of local hobbist since there were no other hobby shops in the area. After my father passed away my mother attempted to run the shop but with her limited knowledge of model airplanes and with me only 5 years old it was impossible so she sold all of his inventory. I was able to aquire his Bootstraps model years ago but it is not in good shape after all these years. I would like to find a Bootstraps kit to attempt to repair his or build a new one. I continued building models to the best of my ability for a few years after his passing. During junior high school I started building again and have been doing so ever since. I taught myself how to fly R/C models in a rather unorthodox way but the end result was I learned how to fly.

I have often wondered how my modeling experience as well as my life would have been if dad would have lived longer.

Mike

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RE: Memories of Dad... - 1/25/2010 1:36 AM   
JB-Heli



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Status: offline 		An amazing thread, brings back so many memories...

... my Dad was a pilot in the Army, both fixed and rotary wing (that is what they were called back then).  He also had an interest in R/C.  He had a Galloping Ghost in a box when I was about 12 and a friend and I got the bright idea to put it in a plane my friend was building - a Sterling SE5 (yeah I know, not a good idea).  Our idea didn't work out very well but we did get it installed and made an A on a school science project with it but Dad decided it would be best in the Sterling Mambo that he had intended it for.  Anyway, we cleared out a place in an extra room and proceeded to build the Mambo and finished it with a Fox .15 regular bushing r/c motor.  The good news is that it flew but the bad news is that the Mambo didn't have enough rudder and elevator control to work real well so we put it on the shelf.  With a group of raggly teenager friends I flew a variety of CL planes and got real good at 1/2A stunt flying.  With proceeds from a paper route I purchased a Cox/Sanwa 6 channel r/c unit a few years later and put it in a foamie and taught myself to fly (a long story and for another time) but I remember the great time we had driving out to the flying field with Dad.  He gave great advice and was always there encouraging me along the way.  The foamie didn't last very long (thank goodness for 5 minute epoxy) and I finally put the Cox/Sanwa in the Mambo. This time it few great and we later put a Fox .15 schnurel engine on it and had a blast with that plane!  Since Dad was really into helicopters Mom bought him an R/C helicopter a year or so later and we spent many a day trying to get that thing to hover!  It was a Schluter super heli baby which I still have (most of) it today.  I also still have the Galloping Ghost in a box somewhere! 

Over the years I progressed to flying pattern and taught many people to fly R/C - many fathers and sons came out to the flying field with the plane they just finished after spending months building and were anxious to fly!   Eventually I started to fly helicopters (along with planes) but not until after my Dad passed away.  I've taken a long break from R/C due to the inevitable raising a family, etc. One of our daughters is flying an eFlight MCX and we are all having a blast with it (she is pretty good at it also).  I've recently started flying R/C helicopters again but there is not a day that goes by I don't think of my Dad and the influence he has had on my life through R/C - even inspired a career in Mechanical Engineering... 

So Kitbuilder, thanks for starting this thread so we can, in a small way, provide a tribute to our Dads and share our stories with a crowd that shares many similar histories.  


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RE: Memories of Dad... - 1/31/2010 4:38 AM   
jeffEE



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Status: offline 		I lost my father just this month on the 15th. He did not have an intrest in Airplanes, but his intrest in his kids (6 of us) and his grand kids was HUGE. This past year I built a Balsa USA Fokker DVII. I was going to fly it at a fun fly in Park Rapids, MN. But the night before, as I was showing the plane to my father he noticed that one of the strut welds had broken. I thought that I would have to skip the fly in, but he just brought out his welder and in less time than it takes to tell about it, it was better than ever. I was glad to have it fixed and he was so proud of the fix that he came to the event to watch. Boy was I nervous about crashing in front of my dad. About a week later, I got my Tri-plane out and we went on the buddy box for a long flight. Flying it with him was perfect. He said it was fun, but not something he wanted to start learning at 76. I am glad to have the flight log with his name as the Co-pilot. My daughter and I flew together for a few years, but then she found horses. So much for airplanes. Thanks for the space in this forum for the memories.

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RE: Memories of Dad... - 2/1/2010 2:05 AM   
ss2fly


 

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Status: offline 		I too lost my Father on November 6 2009, the day after his 64th birthday after a long 7 month battle with cancer....

He alone was responsible for getting me into this hobby which to this day i still love.

I remember going to the local Airport, Wanganui, New Zealand where the local club had its own strip, called affectionately, "the gully"

He flew an old shoulder wing craft called a Manta from memory and after his flight ZI would throw my chuck glider around that we both built.....

As i got older I learnt to fly myself when i was about 16. That was 20 years ago....

Dad lost interest in flying himself but remained interested in what I was up to with my collection of planes, gliders, choppers, boats, cars, tank, motorbike and even a RC duck decoy! Boy he thought that was funny.......

 now days I have my own family and my 5 year old son has just got his 1st helicopter.....

Boy I miss my Dad so much but thanks so much for what he did for me....

Andy

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RE: Memories of Dad... - 3/14/2010 3:38 AM   
TommyWatson



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From: Pendle HillNSW, AUSTRALIA
Status: online 		My Father had a Saddlery business in the same building as a Toy/Hobby shop in Sydney (Walther and Stevenson). He was friends with the hobby shop staff and I always had a lot of model stuff at home. I was very spoilt and did not really appreciate his generosity. As I got older I realised how he had started this passion for the hobby we are all involved in now.
He died when I was 20 years old (1962) and I would love him to see what I have achieved in modeling now. I know he would be proud.

Regards



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