My first airplanes were control line when I was a kid. I had the little Cox and Testors .049 plastic airplanes. The chrome Testors P-51 was my favorite; I thought it looked so cool. My dad built me a Golberg control line plane with an Cox .049; I think it might have been a Little Jumpin' Bean, can't remember for sure. Then I built a Sterling Ringmaster with a .35. Can't remember if the .35 was a K&B or a McCoy. I twas a hand-me-down from my grandfather I think. I covered the ringmaster with tissue and dope at first but when that got damaged I did a poor red white and blue Monokote job. Thinking back, that plane looked like crap but I loved it.

I also loved taking apart the little .049's or pulling them from a crashed plane & trying to use them for other stuff. I tried making prop powered cars, boats and stuff like that. Don't remeber having much success but that's how you learn.

I had a lot of fun back then with those old U-control planes. Not to mention hours spent looking in airplane magazines & catalogs, drawing airplanes, watching airliners and Air National Guard F-106's fly over the house. Going to the hoby shop or airshow was better than Disneyland for me.