I too learned to fly CL in the 50s with a Jim Walker whip control model. I used my dad's fishing rod for a pole and probably around 15 to 20 feet of carpet thread tied to a piece of broom stick for a handle.
I'd fly until I got so dizzy I'd fall down. It was lots of fun, cheap and good training too.

This reminds me of another flying toy I built as a kid in the days of no TV and video games. It was the classic thread-spool nailed loosely to the end of a piece of broomstick. A prop fashioned from tin-can stock had two small holes at the center which keyed into two decapitated small nails inserted into the top of the spool. Load this system up, wrap a string around the spool and give a hearty pull and the Helicopter (prop) would soar to incredible heights. However, you had to be careful aiming the unit otherwise the prop might give you the shortest crew cut ever... or maybe worse!

Orv.