These meandering posts on "nostalgia" have given me some pause to reflect on how far I've come. I consider the mid 60's as to when I got into the RC hobby. And too, lately some of the things peaking my interest makes me think I've almost come full circle.

I remember the Reeds, but never had one, couldn't afford "em. I was a newly wed and my interests were not in model airplanes, if you know what I mean. Later while waiting for our first child I bought a Comet rubber powered J-3 kit in a "Variety Store" to have something to unwind with after work. (what's a "Variety Store" you ask? A store that sold everything...the forerunner of Wally World.) I'd built rubber models in the 40's during WWII, and thought I'd enjoy it again, which I did.

That J-3 led me to designing and building my own models. I bought a few model mags "to see what others were doing" and got interested in Control Line. A co-worker and I built two Goldberg .049 Trainers, and with gifts of engines from wrecked Cox PT-17s we made two flights. Our first and last! The planes survived, but we didn't. Our getting dizzy and falling down was embarassing our wives, so we quit.

I kept buying the model mags and drooling over the RC stuff that I couldn't afford for once again, we had another kid on the way. We had a hard winter. Galloping Ghost appeared and was affordable. I had quit smoking so I put that money into an "RC" kitty. RCM ran a series of articles on building your own "Porportional Radio," but it was way over my head. The designer sold built-up units on a "Layaway Plan" that I considered until I saw a Heathkit ad in Popular Mechnaics on their new "do-it-yourself 3 channel RC radio system available on an installment plan, and signed right up and as it is said, "the rest is history."

A friend and I started into building and flying together. He had built his own World Engines RC radio set so we had a lot in common. We built several "Joy Sticks" from RCM plans (very similar to SR batteries X250) They were two channel, elevator and ailerons, and .049s with no throttle. Our flying site was an 80 acre cow pasture. We
had no strip, but with no wheels anyway all flights were hand launched. We flew wide
open till the engine quit, then glided around looking for a soft bush to land on. Got real good at it too. Later we put in a runway and got into larger models with throttles and wheels. After a while a few other guys came out to fly with us, and I wound up as the official instructor. After 7 years most of the guys quit flying, and when my old flying buddy passed away I put my planes up for a while. No one left to talk "Piper Cub" to.

Time passed till the day one of the old group asked me to go with him to visit a club site. I joined that club 12 years ago and have progressed on up through the complexity of models, but have not gotten into the real biggies. Electrics have begun to interest me again. I had an Astro Flight model when they first came out back in 75
and now that electrics are getting more popular, I got one and have been flying it out in my horse pasture. My grandsons and I are having a ball. Tonight I dug out my old "Joy Stick" plans to see about electrifying it. Wow! Seems as I have now come full circle in this hobby....but it was fun, and at 72 I'm still enjoying it! Ain't gonna quit now!