I'd like to offer a few of my observations from that time period.
I'm only an average builder and flyer, but I did compete back then.

Orion vs Taurus.
There are only two ways to land a conventional geared airplane.
Fly it on for a wheel landing or full stall for a three point landing.



Wheel landings had a drawback in that on a touch and go you had to ride it out till the tail wheel dropped for the plane to no longer be flying.
As per a few judges.

Three point, meant you had to wait it out until the plane was fully stalled. If you were a little too high, you bounced.
If you let it touch before stalling, you bounced.

As mentioned it was not uncommon to carry a little higher rpms with the old engines due to inconsistent idling.
Sometimes with the old reed set ups we had to remove the engine side throttle plate.
The metal to metal noise would cause unwanted reed action with certain props at certain rpms.
So again higher rpms.


Slipping was not an option if you didn't have the new proportional radios.
Rudder and aileron toggle switches were both on the same side of the box.
Some of the radios were non simultaneous, only one control input at a time.

I know it wasn't right, but a few people could get away with small mistakes on landing with a plane with a nose wheel.
I saw some people get high marks for skimming onto the ground, something you couldn't get away with the tail wheel equipped planes.

Also the brakes on the nose wheel equipped planes were activated by down elevator.
You could get away with early activation with the Taurus.
My Orion had a drag wire across the tail wheel, couldn't get any help till the tail was on the ground.

The thick wing helped to slow the Taurus a lot for landing, even with a high idling engine, the plane came down reasonably and stopped fast. That was easier than the Orion.

I believed the Taurus was a good evolution from the Orion.
If you look at all the other changes Ed made, and called each variation by a new name, each plane being an evolutionary new design, maybe there would be a little less controversy now.

My opinion, and only an opinion, is that back then R/C planes were a bit heavier than a similarly powered control line plane. To lift the extra weight many designers still used the semi symmetrical wing section.
Just a very short time later fully symmetrical airfoils were the in setup along with zero incidence stabs and wings.

Evolution just went on.



Paul



Since everyone is showing early pictures, here's mine.
The first is one my first self built planes.
The second was me with one of my dad's ex planes.
I was very lucky to get an early start.