Love this thread...brings back nearly 40 year old memories when I entered R/C.

My first radio was a used Controlaire 5, bought for 100 bucks when I was 14 years old. It worked well enough for a time, then destroyed my Lanier Transit in a death spiral, knocking down a clothesline and post - only ten feet from the lady hanging her laundry! I still have nightmares about that...the date was July 20, 1969; the day of the moon landing.

My mentor and local World Engines Service Expert couldn't find anything wrong, so it was attributed to CB interference. I installed the wretched thing in my next airplane, a Lanier Bronco. Two minutes into the maiden flight, it locked up and rolled into the ground, scattering Bronco over 75 feet of ground.

Mr. Bryant (my instructor and hero mentioned above) felt so bad about the performance of the radio he sold me, his first digital outfit (replaced with a Kraft
Gold Medal series, BTW) he GAVE me a Maurice Franklin designed Henchman he had built from M.A.N. plans. It had been flown many times with the Controlaire 5. It lasted about three flights - then the dreaded full-throttle roll into the terra firma. If these seem like fancy models for a 14 year old to be flying, I was already a pretty good flyer - Mr. Bryant taught me how to fly R/C on HIS airplanes, before I ever owned my own. A tremendous gesture on his part, he was one of the kindest persons I have ever known.

After loss number three, I traded the awful beast to some hobby shop in Oklahoma that would take any radio for a 50 dollar credit on a new system. I got a M.A.N. 2-3-4 kit, Mr. Bryant in his unselfish way, built it for free ( I was out of money, anyway!) That second generation digital radio was totally reliable and glitch-free, and I flew it exculsively till 1977. Still have it; it last flew in the early 1990s.

I spoke to Dave Brown our AMA prez a few years ago, and the discussion turned to early digital systems. One thing I learned is that the round-cell GE ni-cads under vibration would sometimes emit RF right on the 27 band, causing a loss of control. Dave was at World Engines in the late 60s, and testing by Jim Lanterman brought this out, albeit slightly too late to help me - they were already building the second generation by then, with AA ni-cads. Actually, by 1969 WE wouldn't even service the first generation systems; Dave said they wanted them out of the field ASAP.

Enough rambling - I'm still wondering - other than Bonner and F & M, what other first gen systems had fail-safe? Russ Farris