Frank Noll: 50 years in RC
If you have been to any major RC event or trade show in the US, you have probably seen Frank Noll. I learned who Frank was early in my RC career and now I’m proud to call him a friend. Frank is an ambassador in aeromodeling and the team captain for Futaba, Thunder Tiger, and FlightPower. He is celebrating 50 years in the hobby this year. Below is a look at his RC origins and how he turned a love of flying into his livelihood.
Early exposure and inspiration
Frank’s father was a wind-tunnel model builder for the government and an avid modeler from childhood. He built excellent scale RC planes—often the airplanes no one else would attempt. Frank remembers his father as a great builder but a terrible pilot; as a child he watched him crash plane after plane on test flights. Seeing that paradox—continued building despite repeated crashes—inspired Frank to become a good pilot.
Frank started flying with a Mule-brand transmitter—the old escapement style. The transmitter used a button with clicks that selected control functions: one click for left, two for right, three for throttle. These were primarily rudder-only aircraft. One-click could hold full left and make the plane spiral down; two clicks neutralized the rudder and might let the plane do a loop—if you had enough altitude. Back then, maidening a new plane was a club event; if you could fly a circuit with minimal damage you were considered an ace.
Types of early airplanes and building
Frank began with Old-Timer–style planes, many of which were converted free-flight aircraft. Anything his father built that survived a flight he got to fly. Initially he wasn’t proficient at building; he and many others in the hobby tried everything from control-line (CL) to free-flight (FF) and hand-launched gliders.
Spending a lot of time in the shop with his father, Frank learned building skills. His first solo build was a control-line Goldberg Stunt Man 23 with a .049 engine—his proud first attempt.
High school, return to RC, and larger models
Around age 16 Frank took a break from RC for a time, distracted by girls. He picked the hobby back up after getting married in his early 20s. By then Byron Originals had released models such as the Pitts and the Christen Eagle, which led Frank into larger airplanes. His father’s preference for large models also influenced him toward that direction.
Full-scale flying
Frank is a full-scale pilot. His father had attempted a full-scale license but never progressed past soloing and a student license; Frank obtained his pilot’s license at age 16. Father and son spent considerable time flying full-scale aircraft together. Frank’s father had been a tail gunner on a B-17 during World War II and loved telling war stories; Frank’s favorite quote from him was, “I never knew where I was going, but always knew where I’d been.”
Local field, competition, and career turning points
Growing up near Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohio—an RC hotbed—Frank was fortunate to be around notable figures such as Don Lowe, Dave Brown, and the Tournament of Champions (TOC)/Pattern community. He learned a great deal by watching and flying with them. Frank often says, “You’ll only be as good as the best guy at your field.” With some of the best pilots in the country at his local field, that was the level he aspired to.
He started doing local shows and demos, which eventually led to international travel. The pinnacle of his modeling career was being invited to the TOC. At that time the TOC invitees were primarily Pattern pilots; Frank was an exception because of his Giant Scale background and show flying. He flew in four different TOCs and later flew at the Don Lowe Masters, which he won in 1999.
Transition to Team Futaba and professional work
When Steve Helms ran Team Futaba in California, Frank became a consultant and sponsored pilot. Steve brought him onto the team before Futaba came under the Hobbico umbrella. When the previous team captain, Mike Stokes, left, Frank stepped into the role of team manager—a natural transition given his relationships with both men.
Currently, Frank does flight testing and flying videos with various aircraft and aids in marketing for Hobbico.
What he enjoys flying now
Frank no longer competes, but he still enjoys flying big aerobatic airplanes for fun. He recently completed his second large jet. Flying jets requires attention to many details, which keeps him sharp and focused.
Advice for newcomers and those seeking an industry career
Frank emphasizes that the hobby began with creative people designing and building their own planes, a craft that is becoming rarer. He advises anyone pursuing a career in the industry to learn building and shop skills: fiberglass work, composites, and general construction. People who can build are invaluable.
For those getting into the hobby now, Frank recommends buying a kit aircraft and taking the time to build it from the ground up—an ideal family project with great rewards. There is a current movement between the AMA and EAA that supports this approach. Understanding how an airplane flies is critical both to enjoying the hobby and to transitioning into a possible full-scale career.
Frank’s son Jason learned through this process and turned it into a career; now his grandson Taylor is starting in the hobby. Their story is one of many multi-generation RC families.
Sources
- Hobbico
(800) 637-7660 www.hobbico.com
- Futaba
(800) 637-7660 www.futaba-rc.com
- Thunder Tiger
[email protected] www.thundertiger.com
- Flight Power Batteries
(888) 598-8037 www.flightpowerbatteries.com
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
