Modeling Spoken Here
Bob Hunt Aeromodeling Editor
George was bigger than life to many of us.
THE NEWS OF the passing of George Aldrich came right at our editorial deadline for the last issue, and I just couldn't gather my feelings and thoughts quick enough to write something that I felt was appropriate.
Sandy Frank, District VIII vice president (George's district), wrote an eloquent and heartfelt obituary in that issue that really covered George's many contributions and accomplishments. I wanted to add just a few thoughts of my own about George this month.
I knew George for many years as a friend, but his impact on my life began a number of years before I ever had the pleasure of getting to know him personally.
I suspect that the following thoughts may have a familiar ring for many who grew up learning about modeling through the late 1950s and the 1960s.
As a youngster I was luckier than most because not only was my father a modeler, but most of his friends and even most of his employees were modelers. In fact, they were all Control Line (CL) stunt fliers, so I naturally gravitated in that direction.
One of the hottest and most desired models for Stunt flying in that era was the George Aldrich-designed Nobler. It was kitted by Top Flite Models in roughly 1957 and was an instant best-seller.
Most Stunt fliers of the time had built at least a few Noblers before venturing off to design their own Stunt models, and, even then, most used the well-proven Nobler wing and moment arm numbers just to be sure that their “original” creations would perform well.
To own a Nobler was a sign that you were at least trying to become a serious Stunt flier.
It was not a particularly easy model to build, however. George designed it to have the capability to be built light, and that meant many ribs in the built-up stabilizer and elevator and even the vertical fin.
I wanted one bad! But my building skills were not yet up to the task in the late 1950s, and my dad knew this.
Each Christmas morning, I would run down the stairs from my bedroom, looking for a certain-aspect-ratio box (all young and aspiring Stunt fliers knew the exact measurements of that famous “Green Box” Nobler kit), only to see a somewhat different shaped, wrapped box than the one I was hoping for.
Dad made sure the model kits I received matched my abilities, but I was impatient to own a Nobler!
Then in 1962 my waiting came to an end; my first Nobler kit was placed prominently under the tree and I was deliriously happy! Sound familiar?
I waited until the 1963 Summer Vacation to build that first Nobler. My father made me a deal. He said that if I could build that kit, ready for finish, in a week, he'd buy me an engine for it!
Now remember, we didn't have cyanoacrylate glues in those days, and each part had to be preglued with model-airplane cement before final assembly. I worked diligently and almost finished the airframe in the allotted time — but not quite.
I didn't get the engine (dad was, and is, a man of his word), but I learned so many great building lessons that helped me go on to be a good builder that I really didn't mind. It was the best summer of my life.
All through that week I had the box top perched so I could look at the model on the cover. Just the thought of having my own Nobler kept me going.
I remember telling George that story many years later, and he was smiling during all of it. He told me that he'd heard similar stories from dozens of modelers throughout the years, and that he was very proud and flattered that so many people had learned so many lessons about modeling from building and flying his designs.
George reached legendary status in the Stunt event at an early age, and even though he stepped seriously into the scene in the late 1950s, his mark was so indelibly etched in CL folklore that to this day his name is synonymous with the event.
He designed a Stunt pattern that is still, in virtually unchanged form, in national and international competition. There is a funny story attached to that, and George shared it with me several years ago. AMA had contacted George about designing a new Stunt pattern. At that time George was the reigning National Stunt Champion, so who better to get to do it?
George knew that the performance of the models to come would be such that the challenging set of maneuvers would be needed. Up to that point the emphasis was on round maneuver shapes; there were few square-cornered figures in the pattern of the time.
He designed an exquisitely logical sequence that started with a Reverse Wingover then flowed from simple round Loops through more difficult Saucer Loops to a Triangle Loop then into round and Square Figure Eights.
Then the sequence went to vertical-type maneuvers, with a Vertical Figure Eight and an exotic Hourglass Figure. These were followed by an Overhead Figure Eight and the pattern was capped off by the difficult Four Leaf Clover followed by a scored landing.
Most of the pattern was designed to cancel the time loss from the previous maneuvers so that control input would always be smooth, and the difficulty was progressive. It took a great airplane and a skilled pilot to perform these maneuvers consistently well.
The same is true today, even with significant technological advances in airframes and engines. George's original pattern remains a challenge.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
