RE: Remembering Carl Goldberg Models
Back in the 1970s-80s, if you were starting out, it was pretty likely that your instructor would recommend a Senior Falcon or Falcon 56 as your first airplane. Although I never built one, I have flown a few Seniors and have significant stick time on them. I don't think there is a better airplane out there! There may be better primary trainers now; however, the Senior Falcon stayed with you from primary school to intermediate trainer and beyond. This is one airplane that someone needs to offer as a kit, again!
I agree, Goldberg was an Industry Leader! This discussion reminds me that someday, I'm going to want to build another Goldberg Chipmunk!
Also reminds me of a funny tale: The old club here in Park Rapids flew off our flying field here on my property, which was fairly well surrounded by swamp lands. A friend had bought a Senior Falcon somewhere. One one of his first flights with it, he hadn't put enough rubber on, to hold the wing down. From sveral hundred feet in the air, the wing popped off! The fuselage came down like a Javalin, straight into the swamp and shot up a GEYSER of swamp water. The wing, meantime was still a couple hundred feet in the air, spinning and floating its way down into a pine plantation and luckly landed in a small clearing, unharmed. Several of us, plus the owner, trudged out through the boggy swamp and figured we're going to find the shattered remains of his fuselage. Not far into the swamp, we could see the old Falcon's tail sticking straight up. When we got to it, the fuselage was deeply embeded in the swamp, up to the wing saddle. The owner found he couldn't simply pull the fuselage from the swamp, as the engine had screwed the airplane into the swamp! He had to dig down to the engine by hand around the fuselage to free it! Other then some swamp water getting to the balsa structure, which needed to be dried out and tearing down the engine, cleaning and oiling it up, no damage was done to the plane and it lived on to fly many more flights!