I just received the plans for the Ell Gringo. Has anyone out their flown one? I know Ted White is an awsome pilot , I just wanted to see if someone else has flown one and what they thought of it. I may build it for my vintage pattern plane for this year. Jim

Back in the pattern contests in the mid '80s...at least in Texas, Sunday afternoon was for Sport Scale.
When I'd fly at the Mesquite Texas contest I would always look forward to seeing Ted White fly his MB-5 in the scale contest.
VERY impressive!
Very low level!
An unusual subject to model but always wondered why it wasn't kitted or made available otherwise.
Nice looking plane!
JLK

I have the plans, too. It has great lines; a beautiful design. It has the nose of a Spitfire and the tail of a Mustang. I would probably not use hardwood dowels for the wing spars, though. It's one of the few planes of that era that I can see as a taildragger. You should build one and post photos!

What is a MB-5?

http://www.martin-baker.com/history_mb5.html

Here's El Gringo's daddy, El Toro from 1963.

I've got one of the Model Merchants El Gringo kits that was supplied by Don Downing in the late 70's and early 80's. I flew a scratch built one in the early 70's with a Kraft radio and the retracts were Never Fail Landing Gear built in Houston. The only way to get the nose gear locked down was to do a square inside loop before landing. Great flying airplane but Ted could always fly it better.

Dwayne Brown

Hey, I bult the El Gringo in the mid 70's . Still have some pictures. I saw it in a mag.article(forget which mag.) and it looked sooo good.Ordered the plans and scratched it .Flew in a couple of contests in Mass. then went scale. It flew great. So guess what....Iam now waiting for my El Gringo plans to arrive in the mail. Why am I and so many other pilots from the 70's looking to recapture those times of silk and dope,die-cut parts,(or worse,cutting out of inked stripwood),glue that took forever to dry,or so it seems now. As they say, maybe it's the journey not the destination. But I think back then,it was both.Have fun with the "Gringo" especially hollowing out that big hunk of balsa for the turtledeck.

If ever there was a "Natural R/C" pilot the name beside the definition should be 'Ted White'. I flew at several contest with Ted all over west Texas, the south plains of texas, hill country of Texas and I think it is a huge testimony to Teds ability to design and build models that were/are a bit different but flew great.

I witnessed Ted White fly an original Aeromaster (Lou Andrews Design) and win a Pattern Contest and I honestly don't think Ted ever flew much higher than 75'! ! Just an incredible demonstration of how good his hand to eye coordination really was. Ted could do things with that Aeromaster that guys couldn't do with these modern "Fun Fly" airplanes. I think he had an old "F & M" radio in it at the time big ole box with open Gimbals.

True Sports man, would help anybody that asked him.

JFYI...

Tony
BPA #2
Boling,Tx.

*****
jeide,

I'm still trying to put a face with your "Threads"..

He might have been flying the Galaxy radio instead of F&M Digital 5. I think he was directly involved with it. Besides, the F&M had the Bonner closed gimbal sticks.

I saw him fly at the Nat's in Lincoln one year. The MB-5 he flew in both scale and pattern. The judges made him mad, saying that he flew too low on his scored passes in the first round. So he flew them higher and the unscored passes were the lowest I have ever seen doing knife edge and rolls.

He also had a .40 sized El Gringo II that RCM has the plans for that is a great looking airplane, too.
Frank

Hi. I am a new member of RC Universe, a long time RCr. I met ted white at Northlake Park in Grapevine TX. I was a beginner Flyer, with my first real trainer plane. Ted was very nice and trimmed out my plane, and got me comfortable with flying it (Its first flight and mine). He astounded me by his flight ability. He was testing out numorous radios and servos he had repaired. (he worked for EK Logictrol at the time). He was a frequent visitor to North lake, as he lived in Irving texas, not too far away. A little later in my flying carreer, I was there one evening and Ted showed up with a barrage of planes and radios again. He had his El gringo and was putting on quite a show, as he liked to do. (always late in the afternoon with very few people at the field). I was standing next to him, and shooting the breeze as he was doing knife edges, and 8 point rolls and the like. I asked him how he made it look so easy. He told me alot has to do with the trimming of the plane. He said here take it! He handed me the radio, and I was flying his El Gringo !!!!! I was just a little better than a average flyer and he let me fly it! That webra .60 speed was haulin ash. I could knife edge! That plane flew as good inverted as upright. I couldent belive its ability to fly hands off in almost any attitude. I was very impressed. I know now that alot of any planes flight characteristics can be trimmed out with careful testing and modification. That Plane was SWEET! I would like to get plans for that plane Help, Where do I find them? Thanks Guys I am getting back in the sport after a few years off. Later! P.S. I believe he started Galaxy Radio and sold it to EK.

http://www.rcmmagazine.com/store/sto...ku3lDsNwc2p2D9

Good looking plane and plans.

Thanks! rainedave. I havent built a plane from scratch in a long while but this would make a good project. I have a webra 61 speed, same as Ted had in his. I guess he his still around, I found his pic on a web page http://www.hawkfield.org/2005Newsltrs/Dec2005b.pdf He is an amazing man. I would like to see him again in person. Later Dude[8D]

Hi guys ; I built an El Gringo back in 1975, got a picture of it in my gallery. A real pretty plane. Loved to watch it come around for a low high speed pass !! At the time I had only been in the hobby for 5 yrs. so couldn't fly it like it should have been flown, so last month I got plans for another one ......plus the El Gringito.... Watch out !!! Enjoy your builds and post some pics too...puplover

Hey puplover ....... I was reading your reply and now I am wondering what is a El Gringito? Is it the same plane with eliptical wings? Anyone have Pics or Plans? Thanks. I wish PCs were around back when I started in this hobby. I think It is a great thing to have a forum thing such as this. It is realy cool.

Kenworthbob; El gringito is the .45 version of the El Gringo. I got both plans from RCM plans service. I had no idea Ted White did a smaller version till I read it on RCU somewhere. The plane looks super, just like it's momma!! At the plans site there is a pic with a chic holding the plane. Let me know what you think....of the plane I mean....puplover

Whoops ... I forgot I already posted El Gringo stuff earlier on this thread.....sorry....El puplover