RE: Some early digital proportional history
Reading about the pioneers from the 60's and 70's has been fabulous ! I started flying RC when I was about 13 or 14 in Lebanon, Indiana. I bought a used Citizen-Ship four channel proportional radio that had the thick metal transmitter with the red anodized case. I paid $275.00 for it. That radio worked perfectly. Never a glitch that I noticed. I acquired and identical Citizen-Ship about a year ago. Once I became a proficient pilot, I had to have a Kraft radio. All of the great pilots flew Kraft radios in 1968 & 1969. I would read and re-read every issue of RC Modeler and Model Airplane News looking to see which pilots were using Kraft. In 1970 I went to the Toledo show and met Larry Leonard of pylon racing fame. He was one of several people working the Kraft booth. I told him I was saving for a Kraft six channel. I held a Kraft transmitter for the first time at that Toledo show. Months later, I picked up my Series Seventy six channel set with the tiny KPS-12 servos. The radio cost $449.95 There weren't any discount places in those days and I paid for the radio with paper route money. Last week I acquired a Kraft Series Seventy six channel of of Ebay that is identical to my first one. The Ebay radio has the KPS-11 servos instead of the KPS-12's. The last Toledo show I attended was 1978 or 1979. I had a fraternity bother living in Toledo so I decided to drive up for a visit and take in the show on Sunday. Saturday night, me and my fraternity brother were out boozing at a hotel bar. Up walks Phil Kraft and I introduced myseld. He was congenial but I could tell he didn't want to talk about model airplanes. He was busy dancing with different women !
I have since been collecting old radios. I have about eighty radios in my collection. Everything from old Orbit and Citizen-Ship reeds to most of the brands sold in the 1970's. I have every Kraft from the Seventies except for a Series Seventy Four. In addition to the Kraft sets, I also own the following brand radios: S&O, Orbit, MicroAvionics, RS, Min X, World Engines, Blue Max, RC Manufacturing, Ace, Bonner, Controlaire, Pro Line, CG Hercules, EK, Cannon, KGL, Heathkit, Royal and PCS. I would like to own one of the old Kraft proportional transmitters that had the thick gold metal case and open gimbals.