Old-Timers
Mike Keville | [email protected]
Mike’s request for reader input on the Kent Nogy photo bears fruit
In the August column I featured a photo of a young Kent Nogy seated above some others involved with shooting a movie produced by Paul Gilliam, who designed the Civy Boy. Some in the photo were identified and others were not.
A request for reader input brought several responses. Ron St. Jean—well-known designer of the popular Ramrod series—wrote:
“The venue is the 68 Ranch airport in the hills northeast of the San Fernando [CA] Valley. The photo was taken about 1957 and includes members of the San Veluers Free Flight club and others helping Paul Gilliam make his movie, to be called Nogy.
“The unidentified female is Anita, who later became Mrs. Keith Storey. [The late Keith Storey was an AMA president and famous CL Team Race and Speed flier.]
“Paul was a professional photographer who decided to make a movie (which was never finished) about a boy, Kent Nogy, who discovered modeling through full-scale sailplanes, and Jose Tellez—a modeler and sailplane pilot.
“Also in the movie was ‘Contest Director’ Bob Hunter timing a model that later crashed (in the film). Bob, of Satellite fame, was the one who later brought us cyanoacrylate adhesives as ‘Hot Stuff.’
“I think the shooting was finished when I saw it, but the sound portion was only rough. Paul approached Disney [Studios] with the rough, but they said it was ‘too long for a short and too short for a regular movie.’”
Well-known FF designer (of the Galaxy 585 and others) Vic Cunningham Jr. claims that the movie was called Nogy Boy and that it was “about a boy who goes to a contest and somehow causes a beautiful model to crash.” Vic wrote:
"Paul Gilliam was a movie industry photographer. He was very involved with the famous scene in The Bridge on the River Kwai where the train is crossing a big gorge and the bridge gets blown up, with the beautiful train crashing down to the river below. Paul explained that they had cameras at every angle—plenty of backup because they got only one ‘take,’ no chance for mistakes.
"At least two Flying Models covers showed scenes from the movie; one with Bob Hunter as a timer and a model called ‘Stardust’ taking off. The other one showed Kent Nogy climbing a hillside tree, retrieving his square-tipped model.
"This ‘Stardust’ (not Starduster) was built with partial cuts on critical spars, etc., so when they filmed the crash sequence the model would break badly. Again, a one-shot deal with no second take, like the train sequence. [The July 1959 Flying Models cover painting by Al Vela shows a youngster, perhaps Kent, preparing a Nogy Glider for flight.]
"You asked about the names of the other people in the picture. Well, I think the guy in the center, wearing the San Valecers shirt, is Bob Weedley [sic]. The first guy on the left and the one between Paul and John Nogy [Kent's dad] might be other film crew.
"As I recall, this was 1958 and the location was Hansen Dam, with some scenes possibly filmed at Porter Ranch, where a lot of films were shot back in the old days. The film was completed and 'in the can,' as they say, but I was told by John Nogy many years ago that for some legal reasons Nogy Boy was never released."
(For readers who also enjoy motor sports, particularly NHRA Drag Racing [as I do], Vic Cunningham Jr. is currently the Thunder Alley Coordinator at the Wally Parks Motorsports Museum at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona, California.)
A message from Don Hutchinson, who is in the photo, read:
"The site was the 6S Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley. Bob Wichele and I chased the model well up into the hills that day to no avail.
"This was also the site where they filmed The Flying Tigers, with John Wayne. Some of the old buildings with Chinese markings on them were still there at that time."
Some Old-Time (OT) fliers like to scale designs up or down, depending on their budget, personal tastes, and often the carrying capacity of their transportation. John Delevoryas of San Jose, California, scaled a 1938 Taibi Powerhouse to a 59-inch wingspan, and he covered it with transparent yellow film.
The model is powered with an AC brushless electric motor, a 9 x 5 folding propeller, and a three-cell, 2000 mAh Li-Poly pack. (Don't ask me what any of that means; I just copied it directly from his letter.)
John reported that the model is a graceful flier, and he had nothing but praise for then-teen-aged Sal Taibi's design genius.
Thanks to several readers I now have a significant backlog of photos for use in this column. Among them are a number of historic black-and-white pictures taken between 1938 and the onset of World War II at the old Rosecrans and Western site in what is now South Central Los Angeles. Graciously donated by Royce Childress of Kent, Washington, most of them contain no identification of the fliers or models.
Starting with my next column (in the February issue) I will include some of those photos in the hopes that some sharp-eyed readers will recognize the people and airplanes and perhaps help identify them. Other pictures will go to Bruce Augustus—editor/publisher of the Society of Antique Modelers' (SAM's) journal SAM Speaks—for the same purpose.
Those who were active in the early days of RC might know the name Babcock. Ernie Babcock produced some of the finest radio components and systems when radio control was in its formative years. However, some may not know that before he and his son Ernie Jr. were forces to be reckoned with in CL Speed.
The Babcocks cleaned up at the big 1946 meet in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (those were big!), winning all Speed events, a fourth in Precision Aerobatics, and the High Point award for Ernie Jr.—a full-scale Ercoupe! Thanks to Joe Valente of Phoenix, Arizona, I'll have more about that and other items from the 1940s in future columns.
Since I'm crunched on space here, I'll have to hold for a future column the story from Bob Govro of Albany, Oregon, about the time several years ago when he flew RC floatplanes with Irwin Ohlsson and Joe Bridli.
This doesn't mean I'm overwhelmed with material; there is almost enough on hand for the next column, so don't stop sending items for print. Your stories and recollections are always welcome.
Good-quality photos are a must. That is, uncluttered backgrounds and unshadowed faces are required, as are in-flight action shots. I can use either 4 x 6 glossies or photos on CDs. We cannot use E-mailed photos or printer-generated copies of photos.
I have included a photo of the Super Duper Zilch I mentioned last time. A 1949 design by former national and
Old-Timers
Mike Keville
A 1949 design by former national and international champion Jim Saftig, it spans 52 inches. Despite having a rather thin airfoil, it flies a respectable Old Time Stunt (Precision Aerobatics) pattern.
Kitted for years by Berkeley, this model was built from a Walter Umland kit. Mr. Umland is no longer producing kits; however, plans for this vintage design can be ordered from Tom Dixon, Box 671166, Marietta GA 30066.
My Zilch has a few concessions to current technology, such as a Dixon-tuned K&B .40 engine, 11 x 5 APC propeller, Transparent Blue MonoKote covering, and white trim of Krylon Fusion topped with Minwax gloss polyurethane.
Note of caution: these models must be flown fast. Performance and, let's say, "structural integrity" may suffer if you attempt to fly a slow Precision Aerobatics routine.
I recently renewed my interest in FF, thanks to some gentle prodding by several acquaintances from 30 years ago. Last summer I rejoined the National Free Flight Society (NFFS), having once been among the charter members "Uncle" Carl Fries signed up in 1966.
Today my main interest is the Nostalgia events, probably because I was just 2 years old at the SAM Old Time cutoff date. The little 1/2A Zeek, one of Lee Campbell's kits, was ready for test flights when I wrote this in September.
If all went as planned, it will compete in Nostalgia Early 1/2A at January's Southwest Regionals in Eloy, Arizona. See you there! For more information about the contest, contact Al Liberg at 1030 E. Baseline St. 10-107, Tempe AZ 85283; Tel: (evenings and weekends) (480) 839-8154; E-mail: [email protected].
I have a couple other FF models under construction. Although that means another to endure a bit of ribbing from my fellow CL Stunt fliers, life is good for me; a senior citizen who is finally able to build and fly some designs that have been tucked away in a corner of his mind for more than 50 years—an experience that may be shared by many who read this column. Let us hear about yours.
MK
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
