fordman1

The redhead McCoy engines (19, 29 and 35) were notorious for having soft  pistons and cylinders. Subsequently , they wore quickly. The trick to hand starting a worn McCoy was to squirt a little 3 in 1 oil into the cylincer when you primed it. That would bring to compression up enough to start it. Once started they ran "OK".

Ed Southwick was paid to advertise McCoy and he had access to loads of them at no charge. When one wore out he always had another to replace it. Now us kids delivering newspapers to pay for our hobby couldn't just run down and buy another when the first wore out. You either spent a fair amoint on a good engine or win them like I had to do on ocassion. That's how I got my first Johnson CS. Second place at the annual Sand Point contest. That engine was $17.95 when the McCoy was $5.95. My Johnson JBB was $24.95. This was in '62 when I made $25.00 a month delivering newspapers.

If you go back and look at the the result of the National model Airplane contests of those early iears, you never saw a Red Head McCoy in the winners circle. Not like Johnsons or K&B's. At the 62 Nats, all three of the Combat places in Junior, Senior and Open, first through third were taken by Johnson engines. Fox was the C/L stunt winner and Jonson was the rat race favorite.

McCoy was Ok if that's all you could afford.

Ernie Misner

Did Hi Johnson make the Johnson engines, or???

Thanks,

Ernie

proptop

My Feedback: (8)

Yep....and the "Dynamic" line of Slot Cars and parts during the 60's.

Azcat59

Great story Tom! Hi Johnson used to come to Phoenix for most of our contests, and his engines were very popular in U/control combat and rat racing. I only know of myself and a student of mine that flew them in stunt, because they had a reputation of leaning out and flying too fast. Most stunt pilots were using Fox .35s and the West Coast guys were having success with the McCoy 35s. I never had problems keeping the Johnsons in a four cycle run, and didn't do anything special to them, just turn'em loose rich! The later version that Hi called the "Supremes" , with a heavier crankshaft and case tended to run faster, I never used them in stunt. Those were pretty good ol' days, huh!

Clair

w8ye

My Feedback: (16)

My Johnson 35 SS engines were bad about running away and going lean.

Azcat59

w8ye, you are right. So I put mine in a Navy Carrier plane, with a Johnson carb on it, and let it go lean and scream, won some contests with that small Grumman Mauler! And published the design!

Clair

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

Well now I just learned a little more about you Clair, and I am once again realizing I am talking to a pioneer in the hobby!

https://www.modelaircraft.org/files/SieverlingClair.pdf

Thanks for commenting in my thread.

Ernie Misner

That was a great read about Clair! Thank you Tom. And Clair, thank you for all you've done for the sport.

Ernie Misner

jessiej

I had the great fortune of watching Mr. Sieverling fly precision aeorbatics at the Dallas Nationals. What a great experience!

jess

Azcat59

Awww, thanks guys, but you know a blind hog finds an acorn once in awhile! Although I have been flying RC since 1976, I still have a soft spot for all the guys, then and at present, who flew or are flying U/Control. Everytime I pass a softball field near home, I remember a plane from my youth, scratch built from a magazine plan, called a Super Looper, and with it I finally managed to do a loop without crashing.....a momentous feat at the time. Good old days for sure!

Clair

Ernie Misner

Do you guys remember the scream of teather cars? When I was in grade school my dad built a teather car using a propeller driven McCoy .09. The prop was cut down and when that thing leaned out at the end of the run (using Thimble Drome "red can" fuel!) people would scatter in all directions!

I think that' when I first started loosing a little hearing....

Ernie Misner

earlwb

Yeah I remember them. There is a thread about them here http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1467479
Here is a McCoy 35 example:

jessiej

I remember watching them as a kid. Most I recall as being similar to the one in Earl's pictures. There was a tether car track in Columbus GA on victory drive. It was near Fort Benning for any of you guys who may have been stationed there. About a quarter mile away was King's School of Aviation, a small grass airport where the Control Line guys flew on weekends.

jess

djlyon

On any weekend in Southern California you can still hear the scream of tether cars at Whittier Narrows on an excellent fenced in track. During Pylon races there, they are trying to out scream our Nelsons and Jetts.

Denis