Oba St. Clair in his shop in 1960. Below: The Miss Shirley with a very young Shirley St. Clair.A Museums are treasure troves of amazing, and often unique, pieces of our cultural heritage. They preserve these pieces so that we might learn how the world has developed and changed. On rare occasions museums get the opportunity to share these fantastic items with visitors, as well as provide a venue so that those originally involved can share their experiences. On July 20, 2012, the National Model Aviation Museum in Muncie, Indiana, held the fi rst of what is hoped to be many such events. A reproduction of the fi rst documented CL model airplane to be built and fl own, Miss Shirley, was unveiled. On hand for the event were Shirley St. Clair, daughter of Oba St. Clair, the original designer and builder; CL world champion, former MA editor, and editor of Stunt News, Bob Hunt; and well-known CL builder and manufacturer, Tom Morris. Noted CL historian, Charles Mackey, joined the program via Skype and offered his unique perspective about Oba St. Clair as highlighted in his book, Pioneers of Control Line Flying. The presentation is available for viewing on the museum’s website, listed in “Sources.” Born in 1912, Oba, like so many others of his age, was inspired by Charles Lindbergh’s fl ight. Aviation excited him The world’s first “full-house” Control Line modelA reproduction of the Miss Shirley was constructed by museum volunteer Scott Cheslik.Flying by Michael Smith31Model Aviation FEBRUARY 2013www.ModelAviation.com031
and at the age of 15 he built his fi rst model, a rubber-powered airplane covered with butcher paper. Other models followed, but it was an advertisement for a Brown Jr. engine and a construction article for a model of the Berliner/Joyce fi ghter in Modern Mechanics and Invention magazine (August 1935) that really excited him. Plans for the Berliner/Joyce were reprinted in the February 1977 issue of Model Builder magazine. Oba started construction on the model immediately, while saving money for a Forster Model A engine. As he neared completion, the realization of his project hit him: he was building a FF model in the woods of Oregon. His creation would most certainly not survive. Feeling that the solution was to fl y the model around in a circle, Oba attached a fi shing line to the left wing and set the airplane’s controls to turn right. He also designed an engine shut-off system that would cut the engine upon landing. Oba cleared and leveled an area next to his home, creating his own fl ying fi eld. Using a fi shing pole to keep the line straight, he made his fi rst fl ight in June 1936. Although the fl ight was successful, experimentation led to improvements. Oba noticed how the airplane climbed when it fl ew into the wind and descended as it fl ew downwind. He determined that the solution was adding more lines, allowing him to actually operate the model’s control surfaces, just as on a full-scale airplane. At fi rst Oba was going to modify the Berliner/Joyce, but as it neared winter he decided to continue to enjoy fl ying his model and construct a new airplane. The new model had an 8-foot wingspan, weighed 10 pounds, and was constructed from spruce and balsa and covered in silk. Named Miss Shirley after his newborn daughter, it fi rst fl ew on July 4, 1937. Miss Shirley featured ailerons, rudder, elevator, and throttle control and was fl own using a four-line system Oba called “full-house.” He had no metal lines, only fi shing line, which he found stretched in an uneven manner. Oba’s next step was to devise a control handle that would eliminate the uneven line slack. The result was a large and cumbersome handle with four poles and a joystick. The poles took up the uneven line slack, yet still allowed Oba to control the aircraft. He knew that this system would have no commercial applications; safety was his main concern. Word of Oba’s airplane quickly spread and on July 15, 1937, the Telephone Register newspaper of McMinnville, Oregon, ran a large spread with photographs of Oba’s CL design. Several articles also appeared in model airplane and science magazines. In 1939, the Union Oil Company came and took pictures for a monthly employee magazine. Although Oba’s achievements with the model are signifi cant in their own right, Miss Shirley also played another signifi cant role in the history of CL models. In 1952, Jim Walker (whose company, the Junior American Aircraft Company, played an important part in the development of CL models), fi led a patent-infringement lawsuit against the L.M. Cox Manufacturing Co., Inc. over the use of a bellcrank. Roy Cox heard about Oba’s fl ight and refused to pay royalties to Walker when he began to produce his COX TD-1 model airplane, believing that Walker’s patent on the bellcrank was not legal. In 1955, the case was fi nally heard and Oba supplied Cox with dated pictures, newspaper articles, and even Miss Shirley, as evidence. The judge’s decision ruled in favor of Cox, and with Walker’s patent ruled null, the marketplace was quickly fl ooded with a wide variety of new CL aircraft. For the National Model Aviation Museum, this important milestone in the history of CL aeromodeling had to be documented for visitors to see. With the help of Shirley St. Clair, museum volunteer Scott Cheslik accepted the challenge of building a reproduction. Shirley supplied some construction drawings, along with photographs of the original model, which proved extremely valuable as Scott strove to duplicate the original as accurately as possible. As construction neared completion, additional assistance was provided by museum volunteer Don Sanqunetti, who constructed the main landing gear and tail wheel; Alan Hokinson, who assisted with the dummy engine; and Gary Bussell, who lent his painting expertise. If you are interested in learning more about Oba St. Clair and Miss Shirley, Oba’s biography is available online as part of the Museum’s History Program. The link is listed in “Sources.” Additional information about Oba is also available on Shirley St. Clair’s website. The drawings that Scott used to build the Miss Shirley are available through the AMA Plans Service. —Michael [email protected]:Miss Shirleywww.modelaircraft.org/museum/missshirley.aspxOba St. Clair History Program Biographywww.modelaircraft.org/fi les/StClairOba.pdfOba St. Clair: Father of Control Line Flying for Model Aviationwww.obastclair.com/index.htmlAMA Plans Service(800) 435-9262, ext. 507www.modelaircraft.org/plans/plans.aspx (L-R) Bob Hunt, Tom Morris, Michael Smith, Shirley St. Clair, Scott Cheslik, Don Sanqunetti, and Alan Hokenson at the Miss Shirley presentation. Photo by Gene Martine.Photos as noted32Model Aviation FEBRUARY 2013www.ModelAviation.com031
Edition: Model Aviation - 2013/02
Page Numbers: 31,32
Edition: Model Aviation - 2013/02
Page Numbers: 31,32
Oba St. Clair in his shop in 1960. Below: The Miss Shirley with a very young Shirley St. Clair.A Museums are treasure troves of amazing, and often unique, pieces of our cultural heritage. They preserve these pieces so that we might learn how the world has developed and changed. On rare occasions museums get the opportunity to share these fantastic items with visitors, as well as provide a venue so that those originally involved can share their experiences. On July 20, 2012, the National Model Aviation Museum in Muncie, Indiana, held the fi rst of what is hoped to be many such events. A reproduction of the fi rst documented CL model airplane to be built and fl own, Miss Shirley, was unveiled. On hand for the event were Shirley St. Clair, daughter of Oba St. Clair, the original designer and builder; CL world champion, former MA editor, and editor of Stunt News, Bob Hunt; and well-known CL builder and manufacturer, Tom Morris. Noted CL historian, Charles Mackey, joined the program via Skype and offered his unique perspective about Oba St. Clair as highlighted in his book, Pioneers of Control Line Flying. The presentation is available for viewing on the museum’s website, listed in “Sources.” Born in 1912, Oba, like so many others of his age, was inspired by Charles Lindbergh’s fl ight. Aviation excited him The world’s first “full-house” Control Line modelA reproduction of the Miss Shirley was constructed by museum volunteer Scott Cheslik.Flying by Michael Smith31Model Aviation FEBRUARY 2013www.ModelAviation.com031
and at the age of 15 he built his fi rst model, a rubber-powered airplane covered with butcher paper. Other models followed, but it was an advertisement for a Brown Jr. engine and a construction article for a model of the Berliner/Joyce fi ghter in Modern Mechanics and Invention magazine (August 1935) that really excited him. Plans for the Berliner/Joyce were reprinted in the February 1977 issue of Model Builder magazine. Oba started construction on the model immediately, while saving money for a Forster Model A engine. As he neared completion, the realization of his project hit him: he was building a FF model in the woods of Oregon. His creation would most certainly not survive. Feeling that the solution was to fl y the model around in a circle, Oba attached a fi shing line to the left wing and set the airplane’s controls to turn right. He also designed an engine shut-off system that would cut the engine upon landing. Oba cleared and leveled an area next to his home, creating his own fl ying fi eld. Using a fi shing pole to keep the line straight, he made his fi rst fl ight in June 1936. Although the fl ight was successful, experimentation led to improvements. Oba noticed how the airplane climbed when it fl ew into the wind and descended as it fl ew downwind. He determined that the solution was adding more lines, allowing him to actually operate the model’s control surfaces, just as on a full-scale airplane. At fi rst Oba was going to modify the Berliner/Joyce, but as it neared winter he decided to continue to enjoy fl ying his model and construct a new airplane. The new model had an 8-foot wingspan, weighed 10 pounds, and was constructed from spruce and balsa and covered in silk. Named Miss Shirley after his newborn daughter, it fi rst fl ew on July 4, 1937. Miss Shirley featured ailerons, rudder, elevator, and throttle control and was fl own using a four-line system Oba called “full-house.” He had no metal lines, only fi shing line, which he found stretched in an uneven manner. Oba’s next step was to devise a control handle that would eliminate the uneven line slack. The result was a large and cumbersome handle with four poles and a joystick. The poles took up the uneven line slack, yet still allowed Oba to control the aircraft. He knew that this system would have no commercial applications; safety was his main concern. Word of Oba’s airplane quickly spread and on July 15, 1937, the Telephone Register newspaper of McMinnville, Oregon, ran a large spread with photographs of Oba’s CL design. Several articles also appeared in model airplane and science magazines. In 1939, the Union Oil Company came and took pictures for a monthly employee magazine. Although Oba’s achievements with the model are signifi cant in their own right, Miss Shirley also played another signifi cant role in the history of CL models. In 1952, Jim Walker (whose company, the Junior American Aircraft Company, played an important part in the development of CL models), fi led a patent-infringement lawsuit against the L.M. Cox Manufacturing Co., Inc. over the use of a bellcrank. Roy Cox heard about Oba’s fl ight and refused to pay royalties to Walker when he began to produce his COX TD-1 model airplane, believing that Walker’s patent on the bellcrank was not legal. In 1955, the case was fi nally heard and Oba supplied Cox with dated pictures, newspaper articles, and even Miss Shirley, as evidence. The judge’s decision ruled in favor of Cox, and with Walker’s patent ruled null, the marketplace was quickly fl ooded with a wide variety of new CL aircraft. For the National Model Aviation Museum, this important milestone in the history of CL aeromodeling had to be documented for visitors to see. With the help of Shirley St. Clair, museum volunteer Scott Cheslik accepted the challenge of building a reproduction. Shirley supplied some construction drawings, along with photographs of the original model, which proved extremely valuable as Scott strove to duplicate the original as accurately as possible. As construction neared completion, additional assistance was provided by museum volunteer Don Sanqunetti, who constructed the main landing gear and tail wheel; Alan Hokinson, who assisted with the dummy engine; and Gary Bussell, who lent his painting expertise. If you are interested in learning more about Oba St. Clair and Miss Shirley, Oba’s biography is available online as part of the Museum’s History Program. The link is listed in “Sources.” Additional information about Oba is also available on Shirley St. Clair’s website. The drawings that Scott used to build the Miss Shirley are available through the AMA Plans Service. —Michael [email protected]:Miss Shirleywww.modelaircraft.org/museum/missshirley.aspxOba St. Clair History Program Biographywww.modelaircraft.org/fi les/StClairOba.pdfOba St. Clair: Father of Control Line Flying for Model Aviationwww.obastclair.com/index.htmlAMA Plans Service(800) 435-9262, ext. 507www.modelaircraft.org/plans/plans.aspx (L-R) Bob Hunt, Tom Morris, Michael Smith, Shirley St. Clair, Scott Cheslik, Don Sanqunetti, and Alan Hokenson at the Miss Shirley presentation. Photo by Gene Martine.Photos as noted32Model Aviation FEBRUARY 2013www.ModelAviation.com031
