What years were the Jim Walker Firebaby and U-Reely released? Thank. Dan.

Had both in about 1955 or so! Don't hold me to the exact date as my OLD memory may not be exact, but close. Had a Cox 049 on the Firebaby and bought extra parts as needed, wing was about .25 cents or so? Had nothing but scar tissue on my start finger, little buggars could bite.Used the U-Reeley on the larger planes like the Ringmaster................

Thanks Gizmo, Here's me with a Barnstormer around 1953. That was many years after I started with the Firebaby. Used the Ureely with the Testers Freshman, Zilch, Sterling profiles and many others. They had to be available before 53. Dan.

Cool pic.

According to this history of American Junior Aircraft and specifically the Firebaby, the prototype appeared in 1947:

http://americanjuniorclassics.com/fi...yhistory-1.htm

Have not been able to track down the intro date of the UReely. My first successful flights occurred starting in 1953 and used a pair of Spitzy .045's on many of the scientific hollow logs. Did acquire a UReely somewhere along the line and still use it for some occasions but much prefer my simple EZJusts. Still active and proud to say I never totally abandoned Ukey for RC.

John

Sure shows our age (72), time flys when you'r having fun!

Good posts. I have found advertisements for the U-reely and Firebaby in the 1950 issues of MAN. I didn’t have time to check the 49s. He may have advertised in the earlier issues of Air Trails. I don’t have any of those. Dan.

Just checked a Feb. 1948 Air World magazine. The U-Reely handle was available and offered by several hobby shops.

Jim Walker patented the U-Reely control system. You may have seen plans with instructions in the general vicinity of a bellcrank mount, "install your favorite control system here" but no image of the patented bellcrank system. He apparently expected modest royalties from those using it for their own profit. There was a lengthy lawsuit about patent infringement. Charles Mackey's book Pioneers of Control Line Flight, if I remember the name right, covers the early days very well. It is still available, possibly through PAMPA sales. I'll check if that IS a source, and advise how to contact them, and the price. I doubt you'd need to be a member to buy from them.

Walker liked "stunts", not what we call precision aerobatics today, but odd capers that earned publicity. That magazine included a photo of him flying three CL models at a time, and quoted him as saying it wasn't too hard if they flew about the same speed. (3rd model controlled via a modified football helmet with a handle turning on a post. I'd guess at least two of them had spark advance speed control, too. He was quite an inventor.

There was a major hobby and recreational show at a large armory either way uptown Manhattan or in the Bronx in the late 1940's or early 1950's. Don't know if Jim Walker got there. He may have, as one legend tells of him in a cab in front of the NYC Main Library, stuck in traffic. He 'just happened' to have a Fireball fueled, charged and with lines connected. He stood up by the cab door, started the engine, launched the Fireball and, releasing the brake, paid out the lines. Flew it a while and reeled it back in about the time the light changed...

My Dad and I got to the armory show. I remember the 'cage.' A few other old timers recalled flying CL in it - they're mostly, if not all, gone now. It was way too small. Possibly 50' diameter. Spark .23s, .49s and I expect, even .60s on less than 25' lines? No mufflers... Fuel 3 to 1 gasoline and motor oil... Wonderful sound and aroma! Great memory! I was 10 or so at the time. Made a lasting impression, obviously.

Mackey's book has a copy of Walker's patent, with the dates. I may dig my copy out to verify, but I seem to recall patent was either applied for or granted in 1939! WW2 and the tail end of the 1930's depression years somewhat delayed the production and sale of U-Reely goodies. Very popular items after the War, though.

Lou, what a great post!. It's just what I was looking for. That book is still available if you have nothing better to do with a $100. Dan.

http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?au...ic&st=sr&ac=qr

Dan,

Thanks! It was as good living it as telling it...*

Through PAMPA (Precision Aerobatics Model Pilot's Association) website, the book - Pioneers of Control Line Flying is available for $12. I tried logging in as a 'guest' and tripped over completing a sale: the sequence required logging in as a member. I've been a member, actually an accidental plank owner ! (USN for first crew of a new vessel), since it formed in 1973, at the Oshkosh, WI, Nationals. No website then, of course.

If a bunch of you can't order as guests, I might be able to buy them and send them at cost = purchase + postage from PAMPA + any postage from me to you. No profit involved; volunteer time and effort at my end. The book is worth it. Contact me, PM or open in here...

PAMPA Store also has the Tom Morris compendia (compendiums ? ) of eligible 'Old Time Stunt' model plans and 'Classic Stunt' (1953- December 31, 1969) Model plans at about the same price. Both are very good, and very few have been added to each list since they were published somewhat over 10 years back.

*- Actually, the first CL flying I ever saw was from Brooklyn's Coney Island subway terminal, overlooking the ruins of burnt-out Luna Park. Charmed and fascinated right then; the Armory show just locked it in.

Lou, sign me up for one of the books. I used to be king of the control line circles in Riis Park, yes the one in Queens, from the late 40s to the early 50s. We used to fly in the parking lot or on that big traffic circle outside the park. Little did we know that it was right across from the mental hospital for the soldiers who returned from the WWII battles with long lasting conditions. They used to walk over to watch us ten year olds fly. It would never happen now. I switched to RC in 1953. Girls and college took over from there until I graduated and moved to California in 1963. Started up RC and never quit. Dan.

We in Bensonhurst considered Riis Park as Rockaway: you got there by crossing the Flatbush Avenue Bridge. Flew there a few times in the later 50's. Flew more often in parking lots at Marine Park, Brooklyn, or some of the (paved) sports fields at local Junior High Schools, or parochial schools - Bible, Catechism, Yeshiva, wherever they didn't chase us off. When cars were available, we flew at the Farmers' Market and the 1939 World's Fair Grounds lots. Flew often at a wide Belt Parkway flood flat just next to Fort Hamilton Veterans' Hospital before the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge was even started. You think YOU were close to vets with what we now call PTSD... It crossed our minds, too. Did a lot of bus and subway travel to flying sites - like Red Hook Stadium in mid-winter. There was always a scrapped tire we could burn for heat... Choreographing the movement of modelers, models, fuel and field boxes on subways and buses became an insider's art.

If I get a few more interested in Mackey's book, I'll get back to each for snail addresses. Give it a week or so?

It's a different world now, no? People puffing on strange smelling smokes, with car radios blaring music full of brutal language, crime and violence, at the bleeding ear level, complain about OUR noise. And we've learned to take their 'complaints' seriously.

Been there (when it was good), done that, moved to Arizona...

Dan,

No other nibbles for a copy, so I ordered two. One's yours, if I may have your snail-mail address. When mine comes in, I'll determine the postage and let you know. I don't do PayPal Personal check or MO would do fine. My email is [email protected]. An email from you will provide me your email address, so we can continue away from posting on this or any other wide access forum.

Hope to hear soon, #1 from PAMPA Sales, the #2 from you. The book is certainly worth it!

I still have a firebabby and u reely i flew with in the late 40s. Never did really like the hande for me it was too heavy and did not give a good feel to the plane.The fire babby is the plane I learned to fly with.

Murf, I too learned on the Firebaby and then graduated up to the U reely with the larger control line trainers. I never got the hang of flying with other handles so I stayed with the U reely. I tried getting back into control line in my latter year but never could fly more than two minutes without getting too dizzy. I stuck with the U reely. Dan.

Dan,

I'm still waiting for Mackey's book. Sad story involved: Jim Vornholt (designed several I-Beamers published in the 1970's - flew with Jack Sheets around Indianapolis...) accepted the job of handling PAMPA Sales. Then, at this year's Nationals, Jim slipped in the shower and broke a hip (or leg) and is still recuperating. I'm sure orders to PAMPA Sales have continued to gather - not everyone visits sites where Jim's injury was mentioned. Jim is solid good gold and dependable.

I expect the book will arrive as soon as conditions allow. The price is great, and the book will give you a lot of great info about tethered flying even before U-Control, as well as histories of our event's "founders."

I haven't forgotten, and hope to be able to get in touch "soon."