So what was your first control line plane, and what was the year, and age that you...
#126
my first CL plane at 13 or 14 was a "buster" profile plane by Top Flite IIRC. I put an ill-starting M'coy .29 in it because that was all I could afford. I think I repaired that plane about 25 times before I got through a full tank of fuel without crashing !.
#127
My Feedback: (56)
1st CL was an Aurora L-19 Birddog with Aurora 049 from Christmas 1959. I was 7 years old. It survived about 2 laps.
L-19 is in the lower left of photo with "hanger box" behind.
2nd CL was a Scientific Piper Super Cruiser with solid balsa fuse and flat wing with a Cox 049. It survived crashes and repairs long enough to for me to get the hang of it.
Thats me on the left. K&B fuel with big round dry cell battery.
L-19 is in the lower left of photo with "hanger box" behind.
2nd CL was a Scientific Piper Super Cruiser with solid balsa fuse and flat wing with a Cox 049. It survived crashes and repairs long enough to for me to get the hang of it.
Thats me on the left. K&B fuel with big round dry cell battery.
I also had an Aurora L-19 Bird Dog. Almost forgot the manufacturer until I saw your post. Got it Xmas 1960. Flew it several times for 4 or 5 laps until it was damaged beyond repair. Took out the .049 and built a Berkeley Bulp Pup that I got from A.H.C. That was some building task for a 10 year old on his own. Have pics of it. In 1962 I saw my first "big" C/L ship- a Goldberg Shoestring Stunter. That site was all I could think about for the longest time. In 1964, I traded in O&R 23 and also taped "Barbary" quarters , "Mercury" dimes and "Buffalo" nickels from my coin collection(desperate kid) to some cardboard stock and mailed to A.H.C. for a Ringmaster kit and my first "big" engine, a McCoy 35 Red head.The build was a challenge for an unassisted 12 year old, but I finished it and flew it level with a loop here and there for many outings at a local park. Thereafter, I was kicked out of there by the Park Ranger- who actually did me a favor because he told me of the Union Model Airplane Club in Union, NJ.
I'm still at it today, thank God.
My latest C/L ship is an electric twin motor" TURNING POINT" with 3 retracts. Automotive finish, the works. Designed by Bob Hunt- a fellow UMAC'er since 1965.
The following users liked this post:
Flicker (04-01-2022)
#128
My Feedback: (20)
Geez :
I also had an Aurora L-19 Bird Dog. Almost forgot the manufacturer until I saw your post. Got it Xmas 1960. Flew it several times for 4 or 5 laps until it was damaged beyond repair. Took out the .049 and built a Berkeley Bulp Pup that I got from A.H.C. That was some building task for a 10 year old on his own. Have pics of it. In 1962 I saw my first "big" C/L ship- a Goldberg Shoestring Stunter. That site was all I could think about for the longest time. In 1964, I traded in O&R 23 and also taped "Barbary" quarters , "Mercury" dimes and "Buffalo" nickels from my coin collection(desperate kid) to some cardboard stock and mailed to A.H.C. for a Ringmaster kit and my first "big" engine, a McCoy 35 Red head.The build was a challenge for an unassisted 12 year old, but I finished it and flew it level with a loop here and there for many outings at a local park. Thereafter, I was kicked out of there by the Park Ranger- who actually did me a favor because he told me of the Union Model Airplane Club in Union, NJ.
I'm still at it today, thank God.
My latest C/L ship is an electric twin motor" TURNING POINT" with 3 retracts. Automotive finish, the works. Designed by Bob Hunt- a fellow UMAC'er since 1965.
I also had an Aurora L-19 Bird Dog. Almost forgot the manufacturer until I saw your post. Got it Xmas 1960. Flew it several times for 4 or 5 laps until it was damaged beyond repair. Took out the .049 and built a Berkeley Bulp Pup that I got from A.H.C. That was some building task for a 10 year old on his own. Have pics of it. In 1962 I saw my first "big" C/L ship- a Goldberg Shoestring Stunter. That site was all I could think about for the longest time. In 1964, I traded in O&R 23 and also taped "Barbary" quarters , "Mercury" dimes and "Buffalo" nickels from my coin collection(desperate kid) to some cardboard stock and mailed to A.H.C. for a Ringmaster kit and my first "big" engine, a McCoy 35 Red head.The build was a challenge for an unassisted 12 year old, but I finished it and flew it level with a loop here and there for many outings at a local park. Thereafter, I was kicked out of there by the Park Ranger- who actually did me a favor because he told me of the Union Model Airplane Club in Union, NJ.
I'm still at it today, thank God.
My latest C/L ship is an electric twin motor" TURNING POINT" with 3 retracts. Automotive finish, the works. Designed by Bob Hunt- a fellow UMAC'er since 1965.
That L-19 set me on my life course of C/L, RC, Full scale pilot with 20 years military and 19 years airline flying. Retired now and trying to be full time model pilot. Model airplanes have been my go to passion since the start.
Last edited by Viper1GJ; 05-20-2018 at 05:35 PM.
The following users liked this post:
Flicker (04-01-2022)
#130
This hobby of ours has to be without any doubt the greatest one ever, as it has so many different and diverse offerings, plus the added benefit of meeting some of the nicest persons in this world.
#131
My Feedback: (6)
That L-19 set me on my life course of C/L, RC, Full scale pilot with 20 years military and 19 years airline flying. Retired now and trying to be full time model pilot. Model airplanes have been my go to passion since the start.
Almost exactly the same for me. Models lead me to all the other things in my professional carreer.
Cox PT-19 Christmas 1967, NAVAL Aviator 949 carrier landings 22 years in the Airlines. Teaching, mentoring, modelers and can still kick butt occasionally in model contests.
Sparky
Almost exactly the same for me. Models lead me to all the other things in my professional carreer.
Cox PT-19 Christmas 1967, NAVAL Aviator 949 carrier landings 22 years in the Airlines. Teaching, mentoring, modelers and can still kick butt occasionally in model contests.
Sparky
#132
My Feedback: (20)
Almost exactly the same for me. Models lead me to all the other things in my professional carreer.
Cox PT-19 Christmas 1967, NAVAL Aviator 949 carrier landings 22 years in the Airlines. Teaching, mentoring, modelers and can still kick butt occasionally in model contests.
Sparky
Cox PT-19 Christmas 1967, NAVAL Aviator 949 carrier landings 22 years in the Airlines. Teaching, mentoring, modelers and can still kick butt occasionally in model contests.
Sparky
Gary
#133
My Feedback: (6)
Gary,
Is that silk on your Shoestring? Quite advanced finishing technique for a youth. If you did that without mentoring I am in awe!
Fingers on a nylon prop I still have the scars!
My first big engine was a hand down K&B .35 Green Head. It had the exhaust was on the left and burned your fingers when adjusting the needle when side mounted on a profile fuse.
Sparky
Is that silk on your Shoestring? Quite advanced finishing technique for a youth. If you did that without mentoring I am in awe!
Fingers on a nylon prop I still have the scars!
My first big engine was a hand down K&B .35 Green Head. It had the exhaust was on the left and burned your fingers when adjusting the needle when side mounted on a profile fuse.
Sparky
#134
My Feedback: (20)
Sparky,
Yep its blue silk. I remember it came in a plastic bag from the Sears hobby counter. The clear dope I got at the local airport in a quart glass jar. This was my second attempt at covering. First was a Baby Ringmaster done with nylon fabric from fabric store which was a disaster. After the Shoestring I learned to cover the bottom first so the top would overlap on the bottom and not show. Look carefully and you can see the scissor cuts as I tried to get it to stick to the edges. It was so bad I tried to paint the blue dope around the edges to cover up the silk overlap from the bottom. Just made it worse. This was the first time I tried to use tape to make straight paint lines. Worked ok mostly.
You can't see the wrinkles in the color photo but they show in the black and white below. I remember my dad posing me for the color photo but don't remember the black and white taken. What I learned from the Shoestring was not to trust Ambroid glue to hold the bell crank platform to balsa ribs. Lol I still remember that thing doing outside loops bigger and bigger till it went in.
Yep I still have the scars on my fingers also.
Gary
Yep its blue silk. I remember it came in a plastic bag from the Sears hobby counter. The clear dope I got at the local airport in a quart glass jar. This was my second attempt at covering. First was a Baby Ringmaster done with nylon fabric from fabric store which was a disaster. After the Shoestring I learned to cover the bottom first so the top would overlap on the bottom and not show. Look carefully and you can see the scissor cuts as I tried to get it to stick to the edges. It was so bad I tried to paint the blue dope around the edges to cover up the silk overlap from the bottom. Just made it worse. This was the first time I tried to use tape to make straight paint lines. Worked ok mostly.
You can't see the wrinkles in the color photo but they show in the black and white below. I remember my dad posing me for the color photo but don't remember the black and white taken. What I learned from the Shoestring was not to trust Ambroid glue to hold the bell crank platform to balsa ribs. Lol I still remember that thing doing outside loops bigger and bigger till it went in.
Yep I still have the scars on my fingers also.
Gary
Last edited by Viper1GJ; 06-28-2018 at 05:21 PM.
#140
Banned
Cox PT-19 somewhere around 1960. I was 7 or 8. My dad had his private ticket, learned in a full size PT-19, but he had no clue about models. So we screwed up and made the lines way too short. I can still see my dad getting very, very dizzy in the front yard. Thankfully the rubber bands on the model did their jobs. We then called my Uncle down (lived down the street) who flew free flight. But he and my mother grew up building models with their parents. So he helped us sort out the PT-19 and we got many successful flights after that. The rest as they say, Is History!
#141
Yeah for me it was the Cox PT-19 also. It wasn't even mine but my friends who shared it with me. We used a 4'x8' sheet of plywood as a runway to takeoff. Thank goodness for the design and rubber bands holding it together.
#142
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just trying to get to 10 post....but..
I remember my father used to build these and we would sometimes fly them in the local park. Still remember the smell of the alcohol fuel. This would have been in the early 80's. He probably had them since the 70's.
I remember my father used to build these and we would sometimes fly them in the local park. Still remember the smell of the alcohol fuel. This would have been in the early 80's. He probably had them since the 70's.
#143
Not my original from '70~'71 but the Chinese clone from a couple years ago in the fenced backyard. Measured out and painted the small white circle for reference to keep me from hitting the surrounding obstacles. Credit goes to my wife for launching and video. Failure on my part to communicate clearly the intended ROG resulting in the delay at launch; she had previously done a hand-launch on a different model...
#144
Cox p-40
My first Ckntrol line plane was the COX P-40 Warhawk. I got it for my seventh birthday in 1970. I flew it with my dad in the parking lot on a Sunday. Promptly smashed it. I did keep it around for a long time and had the engine for a very long time.
#145
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Selma, AL
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I got my first CL model when I was 12 years old, about 1950. It was a bright red, solid wood (hollow fuselage), wings (20" span), & tail, and balloon tires. It had an O&R 23 ignition engine with a hand carved prop. The owner was tired of it and sold it to my mother for my Christmas gift, for $10.00. Being totally ignorant about fuel, I never flew it, but did repaint a couple of times. I really wish I still had it!
#146
My Feedback: (2)
My very first control line plane was in 1961.. a cox helldiver with a 3rd line to bail out pilot. Lasted 3/4 of a circle. Did a figure 9. Didn't know about making the lines the same length. All up.. No down.
then I went on to build a Zipper. Great little plane. Flew the heck out of that one. Went on to shoestring, flite streaks, tutor, voodoo...etc.
then I went on to build a Zipper. Great little plane. Flew the heck out of that one. Went on to shoestring, flite streaks, tutor, voodoo...etc.
Last edited by corsaircrazy; 03-20-2019 at 03:15 PM. Reason: Misspelling
#148
It wasn't until I was out of the house as a young adult, learned that balsa flies better. Crashed a 21 in. (530mm) Sterling Beginner profile Fokker E-III Eindecker kit build many times until I learned to fly CL. It was very sturdy, didn't shatter into pieces if flown over grass, unlike the plastic RTF's of the day.
#149
My Feedback: (1)
Age 10 in middle Tenn. I thought it was a Cox L-19 Bird Dog but previous posters said Aurora. Google pics verify it was Aurora. Dad never explained the concept so my few attempts were not successful. I had a follow-on Cox P-40 (the tan version with inverted engine). It never was attempted for flight. Wound up with a Cox .020 PeeWee.
Three years later we PCS'd to Clark Air Base, Dad preceded us by 6 months because of the housing shortage caused by the rapid buildup for Vietnam. I ran up the .020 in my uncle's basement in Olympia, WA. Was a bit surprised that it filled up with oily exhaust.
That Christmas of '64 my folks got me the Cox PT-19 (this one had the reversed blue wings/yellow fuselage) and the same uncle shipped over a Sterling Ringmaster with a McCoy .35 redhead. I studied the flight manual for the PT-19 and now that I understood how it worked, I was able to fly the tank out. Those tropical breezes required frequent dashes to regain line tension.
I got the Ringmaster assembled using Ambroid cement (the orange stuff), kit silkspan and Aerogloss dope. Clark had a large hobby shop which had a CL field next to it and a shop area in the rear where the airmen who lived in dorms could build models. It was staffed by a fulltime Filipino modeler, Sanchez, who built some of the most beautiful silk/dope finished CL stunters I had ever seen.
Ringmaster was successfully flown and I was amazed how much better it flew than the overweight underpowered 1/2A plastic airplanes. I still fly CL today, 55 years later. And Ringmasters!
Age 13, Clark Air Base circa 1965, Republic of the Philippines. My first 'large' balsa gas model. Sterling Ringmaster, McCoy .35 Redhead.
I went to school with Chuck Yeager's daughters.
I
Three years later we PCS'd to Clark Air Base, Dad preceded us by 6 months because of the housing shortage caused by the rapid buildup for Vietnam. I ran up the .020 in my uncle's basement in Olympia, WA. Was a bit surprised that it filled up with oily exhaust.
That Christmas of '64 my folks got me the Cox PT-19 (this one had the reversed blue wings/yellow fuselage) and the same uncle shipped over a Sterling Ringmaster with a McCoy .35 redhead. I studied the flight manual for the PT-19 and now that I understood how it worked, I was able to fly the tank out. Those tropical breezes required frequent dashes to regain line tension.
I got the Ringmaster assembled using Ambroid cement (the orange stuff), kit silkspan and Aerogloss dope. Clark had a large hobby shop which had a CL field next to it and a shop area in the rear where the airmen who lived in dorms could build models. It was staffed by a fulltime Filipino modeler, Sanchez, who built some of the most beautiful silk/dope finished CL stunters I had ever seen.
Ringmaster was successfully flown and I was amazed how much better it flew than the overweight underpowered 1/2A plastic airplanes. I still fly CL today, 55 years later. And Ringmasters!
Age 13, Clark Air Base circa 1965, Republic of the Philippines. My first 'large' balsa gas model. Sterling Ringmaster, McCoy .35 Redhead.
I went to school with Chuck Yeager's daughters.
I