I think someone in advertising would tell you it is OK to create a demand for a product, rather than produce a product to meet a demand. So far as recognizing demand, Top Flite was the first to produce modern CL ARF's. I imagine they expected to sell them. In fact, there were long waiting periods because shipments sold out immediately, and people were looking around the country trying to find one. It appears to me, just speculating, that Brodak, a major CL supplier, did not see the demand until TopFlite demonstrated it. Same true of Sig.

It is interesting that the Nobler and Flite Streak are both 50ish. The Nobler goes back to around 1950, and the Flite Streak to around 1956. I suppose that tells us something about the nature of Control Line.

So far as evangelizing goes, If one is unaware of CL. one is unlikely to have a burning desire to give CL a try. We CL fliers get evangelized by RC fliers from time to time. Many resent it, but I take it that they enjoy what they are doing and want others to enjoy as well. It does amuse me when an enthusiastic RCer tells me I'll have to join the AMA to fly RC when my airplane is sitting there with my AMA number large on the wing.