A long time coming
 

Back in 1959 - 63 (my high school years) I got involved with a bunch of fellows who became quite fanatic about controlline combat But these were not AMA or any other sanctioned events just informal flying at the school football field during off season over those years we actually used four different high schools in the LA area Covina, West Covina, Northview and Charter Oak. Each week we would alternate between those schools (they were not very far apart and you could usually bum a ride. I we did end up with quite a few fellows from all four schools and these informal matchs well a high light of my school years.

Unfortunately after graduation and moving on to college these wonderful times stopped as we all drifted different directions. I never did completely drop controlline over the years always making every effort to keep a hand in here and there but never agine with someone else in the circle and never really understanding just how much I missed that.

Well dang that was I guess over fifty years ago but along come a young fellow who I have been mentoring with some types of RC disciplines and he showed an interest in Ukie, An excellent student he has done very well and dang recently if we did not get to talking about flying Two Up not combat or racing but just simple To Up flying.

On of my favorite flyers for about the last 12 years is a magician with a throttled OS .40 FP and Jason has acquired and old Magician And since he used throttled engines on his growing fleet He also used a throttled .40FP Well after much planning we gave it a go two weeks ago with success, simple two up flying. Ended up that day with four flights and gradually improving our technique and communication. Wow what a wonderfull feeling .

Agine this morning we were able to do three flights and this time was able to enlist someone to get a few pics. Will get a few up on this post in about an hour.

John:cool:

...

A couple of F2D hopefuls here.

Great! Always good to see folks having fun with U.K. i.e.

Thanks cardinal and aspeed, F2D naw but just fun stuff. The last flights we did manage doing loops on opposite sides of the circle by communicating with each other and that worked pretty well. So what we plan to do is practice up some more when we can and include some simple opposite side half loops to inverted for several laps and then outside halfs to upright on call.

One other thing we have been stewing on is nite flight. I have been messing with nite flight RC for well many years now and with an eclectic variety of airplanes. But dang never with a controlline. We got a little tradition with our club going now for about six years with a new years eve nite flight where the object is to be airborne at the midnight hour. These have always been great fun with maybe six to eight flyers each time. heck one of those years we even had snow on the ground and that is rare here. but the sky was crystal clear and it was great fun with the comradery around the burn barrels.

Don.t know yet what airplanes to use for the circle but it would be something special in concert with the RC nite flyers. A two up nite flight is definitely on our plans. So will keep ya posted on this. Am thinking maybe my RC/controlline turbine/glow Cadet. I did wire this ship up for nite flight but that is the one thing I never did finish up with on that airplane because of the AMA restriction on flying turbines at nite but for this phase it is simple to just remove the turbine of the top and just fly on the OS 55. Shes done many controlline flights on just the glow engine and just the turbine.

Maybe Jason and I will also light up the Magicians Too:cool:

John

Pulse jet. No lights required!

That an interesting thought Greg probably s similar degree of light (at night) would come from the turbine also however the AMA restriction of no night flight for turbines I suspect would indeed also include pulse jets. So I am not willing to put my waiver at risk, It was too much work to acquire.

John

Pulse jets HAVE been flown at night, back in the day when control-line was big., but who knows what the AMA's position would be today? I've flown glow control-line at night with, and without lights. Without lights you fly by feel, just like the combat guys who are looking at their opponent, and not at their own airplane. I will say I didn't do any stunts while flying with no lights. I didn't have the guts! I know that they have been flying control-line at night at the Joe Nall since the control-line circles were added a couple of years ago. I need to get some LED's and give it a try.

Nite flying?
 

Well, not quite, but close...
Back in the mid-1970's, in a large mid-Western city, we flew at the truck overflow parking lot of a nice motel in the middle of town. A nearby amusement park made plenty of noise; ours didn't bother anyone... No mufflers even thought of back then!
Mostly full-body stunt models, so the engines weren't screaming, either. Sorta late Summer/early Fall, it tended to get dark in a hurry. Our flights lasted almost 8 minutes. Always tempted to get in "that one last flight."

I had a stunter up one late afternoon. Inverted Fox 35, no muffler, and as it got dark I could see the bright orange of the open exhaust port clearly, No, I didn't do any stunts... There was enough late twilight, and some parking lot lighting, so I could still see the model - sort of - I just kept a steady hand and let it land itself.
Memorable!
But, I doubt we could've got away with a Dynajet (pulse jet) powered model at ANY time there. they are L O U D ! ! !

I remember the sparks from the skids when landing the mouse racers in the parking lot, and flying really high with the control line combats to see them at all in the lighter sky. Lighter than the buildings and trees anyway.

Ahhh very cool fella's I seemed to have sparked many memories of euphoric flights. Keep it up guys:cool:

Johnj

First CL flght and relatedm matters...
 

Grew up n Brooklyn, NY about the same years, John. We didn't have a dedicated flying site. Just bummed (paved) schoolyards, parking lots, city parks ad lib. We did use the parking lot from the 1939 World's Fair, if we could get there. About 20 miles from my area at the Atlantic Coast bottom of Brooklyn. As we got to driving age, some of us anyway, we piled into any available car to get there or "The Farmer's Market," or one or two other available places.

Traveled a lot on NY Public Transit. Quite a sight: 5 or six teenagers, some with several models, some with field boxes, some with cans of fuel. Places like Red Hook Stadium parking lot required several changes of elevateds, subway AND bus, occasionally trolley, etc. Coordinating us to move from last car forward (or back) one car at a time to be nearest the destination exit stairs during the brief station stops was "most enjoyable!" Public transit worked best weekend mornings - no commuters to their jobs and back.

Still usually left a hike of a few blocks. But we did it. Closed-for-weekend offices, light manufacturing shops, etc, had no one who'd be bothered while we used parking and loading dock areas.... That particular area has since been "re-developed' to where I'd never recognize it now - so I hear.

And yes, it was 10 miles, all uphill, in a raging blizzard, both ways, every time. Ain't memory grand?

Lou I have only been to NYC once in the 70s going to Germany -----but have been the Ft Huachuca many many times

I imagine, for you, Sierra Vista is a very stark contrast