132 M ODEL AVIATION
ReadeR ReSpOnSe to the Thermic
glider feature a couple of issues ago was
pleasantly surprising. I have received
several requests for plan sources.
In this column I’ll feature something
along the same line (no pun intended) for
Control Line (CL) fans.
Old-Time Stunt (OTS) is a concept
introduced in 1970 by John Miske Jr. of the
Garden State Circle Burners club.
Using the 1951-52 AMA CL Stunt pattern as
a guide, some changes were made to simplify
scoring. Appearance points were eliminated, but
bonus points were awarded for the use of
nonflapped designs and spark-ignition engines.
The winner of that inaugural 1970 OTS
contest, foregoing the “no-flap” bonus by
flying a Veco Mustang, was MA’s
Aeromodeling Editor and AMA Hall of Fame
member Bob Hunt—the 1978 Fédération
Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) CL
Precision Aerobatics (F2B) World Champion.
The event is thriving today,
notwithstanding an apparent need for
clarification of maneuver descriptions.
Plans for these grand old designs are
available from several sources, as are a
number of high-quality kits. Space precludes
listing all the sources; if you’d like the names
and addresses, E-mail me or send a legal-size
self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE) and
I’ll point you in the right direction.
Classic (initially Nostalgia) Stunt, a
companion event to OTS, is for post-1952
designs, such as the Smoothie, the
Thunderbird, the Ares, the Nobler, the Shark
45, etc. Old-Time designs are also eligible
to compete in this event.
Classic Stunt is flown using the current
AMA Precision Aerobatics pattern. At many
contests, the number of Classic entries
exceeds the number of OTS entries.
Many of today’s top-ranking CL Stunt
pilots fly in these events—primarily for fun
and relaxation, though never without that
competitive spirit.
One thing that never fails to amaze me is
the number of people who are willing to
travel thousands of miles to fly designs that
were obsolete 30-50 years ago at best. At
the annual Vintage Stunt Championships
(VSC) in Tucson AZ, entrants to date have
come from England, Japan, Australia,
Germany, Holland, and Switzerland.
We at the VSC have also been privileged
to witness flights by several legendary
designers: George Aldrich (Nobler), Bob
Palmer (Thunderbird), Lew McFarland
(Shark 45), Bob Gialdini (Sting Ray), Ed
Southwick (Skylark), and Bill Werwage
(Ares), who is still a world-class competitor.
I’ll be glad to supply names and sources
for plans, kits, and other information about
the Classic Stunt event. An E-mail or SASE
will do the trick.
There is also VSC participation by an
increasing number of Radio Control (RC)
and Free Flight (FF) fliers who cut their
modeling teeth on these designs. Jim
Persson, who is active in the Society of
Antique Modelers (SAM) as a competitor
and an organizer, entered last year’s VSC.
Jim flew a Super Cyclone-powered
Akrobat (a Bill Skipper design) in the
Ignition Stunt event and won the prestigious
Spirit of ’46 award, which was presented to
the model that best represented construction
methods and materials of the era.
although mostOld-Time CL activity currently
centers on Stunt, there is increasing interest in
1950s-era designs among those who fly
Combat, Carrier, and especially Team Racing.
Several of the latter are making a serious
attempt to revive the old AMA Class B
Team Race event using .21- or .25-
displacement engines. B-T/R, as it’s known,
features rules that require the use of models
that resemble full-scale aircraft, with
appearance points being part of the game.
Dave Domizi, the 1954 Nationals Carrier
winner, paved the way for smaller, simpler
Mike Keville, 6218 E. Evergreen St., Mesa AZ 85205; E-mail: [email protected]
OLD-TIMERS
The Sophomore 29 built by Bill Schmidt (Wichita KS). It’s one of four in a series of
stepping-stone kits produced by Testors Corp. in the early to mid-1950s.
Ron Carr’s (Ballwin MO) CL Perky from 1946 Megow plans. It has a Torpedo .15
Greenhead, spans 18 inches, weighs 111⁄2 ounces, and has speeds to the mid-60s.
models in that event with a lightweight 28-
inch-span Guardian. (Simpler, that is, until
the advent of line-sliders and other gadgets.)
We’re hearing of growing interest in Old-
Time (read, “throttle and hook only”) Carrier.
Thanks to Mr. Domizi, now you can see
the original Guardian on display at the
AMA museum.
i’d like to share some words about and
photos of some lesser-known designs from
CL’s bygone days.
In the early to mid-1950s the Testors
Corporation produced four CL kits, and
each was available in three sizes: .09, .19,
and .29, with an obvious preference for
McCoy Stunt engines.
Ranging from a basic trainer to a
(supposedly) full-Stunt competition model,
these aircraft were the Freshman, the
Sophomore, the Junior, and the Senior.
The models weren’t produced for very
long, nor were they all that popular at the
time. However, now that CL nostalgia is in
full swing, we’re seeing an increasing
number of the airplanes at Old-Time meets.
Bill Schmidt, who is known for his series of
delightful rubber-powered FF Scale designs,
remembers those old Testors CL models well.
He wrote, “I love the old UC from 1945 to
1957. I was a kid then, and boy, was life
simple!”
Bill sent photos of two models he’d built
recently. His Sophomore 29, an all-balsa
design, is powered by a 1950 silver-case
McCoy Stunt .29.
Although you can’t see them in the photo,
Bill’s replica is equipped with the original
wooden wheels. The Sophomore sports a
dope finish of Diana Cream with Maroon
trim, using the original box-art design.
Bill’s rendition of the Senior 29, which
uses a built-up symmetrical-airfoil wing and
planked fuselage, is powered by a K&B
glow Torpedo .29.
Among others who have built and flown
the Senior 29 are AMA Hall of Fame
member Art Adamisin and Nationals CL
Stunt director Warren Tiahrt. If you want
plans for the model, contact Bill Schmidt at
4647 Krueger St., Wichita KS 67220.
The Junior is arguably the most attractive
of the four airplanes in the series. I’ve only
seen one fly recently: the white-and-red beauty
built by Roy DeCamara of Vancouver WA.
Roy is another of those delightful individuals
who builds old designs for sheer enjoyment
rather than trophy-hunting, although his models
have won numerous appearance awards.
Using an original silver-case McCoy,
Roy’s clockwise-flying Junior was built
solely to exhibit a piece of modeling history.
SAM member Ron Carr of Ballwin MO
also has an interest in Old-Time CL. He sent
photos of the little Megow Perky he built
from original 1946 Megow plans.
Designed by Matt Kania, who later
designed the very popular Sterling kit of
the S-1 Ringmaster, the Perky was
available at a time when Class A Speed
kits were almost nonexistent.
Ignition engines were the order of the
day; the plan showed a Bantam .19, which
Ron says was “the engine of that time.” His
replica is powered by a K&B Torpedo .15
Greenhead using suction feed.
The Perky spans 18 inches, weighs
111⁄2 ounces, and is finished with silkspan
and AeroGloss.
Ron wrote:
“When I first received a copy of the plan
it didn’t look too difficult to build, but it
turned out to be a bear. No control system
was shown (U-Control patent, you know). I
had to decide whether to put the bellcrank
inside or under the wing. I chose inside,
which of course was more difficult.”
The model was originally intended to be
an entry in last year’s postal Perky
Millennium Old-Time Speed Contest, but
was finished too late to compete.
Ron is a member of the Lafayette
Escadrille club in St. Louis and the local
SAM NX211 chapter. There have been six
Perkys completed by various club members to
date, and they hope to include an event for
these at their Midwest CL contest in May.
even though I featured CL this time, I
haven’t forgotten that this column is intended
to cover all aspects of Old-Time modeling.
I ran across a really nifty-looking A-B Free
Flight model in the April 1943 Air Trails.
Named Porky, it was designed by Eldred
Hoopengarner. (Does anyone remember him?)
The publication date would make the
model ineligible for SAM Old-Time
competition, but it was surely designed before
1943 so it’s worth a mention here. At first
glance, the model resembles a Megow Ranger.
I’ll try to include a photo in a future column.
Did you know that the Army used Jim
Walker’s AJ Interceptor (the folding-wing
Catapult Glider we used to buy for 50 cents)
for target practice during World War II?
Neither did I, but following is a quote
from an American Junior Aircraft Company
ad, also in the 1943 Air Trails.
“Thousands of AJ Interceptors are being
knocked out of the sky by machine gun fire
at the nation’s principal anti-aircraft training
centers. Here at last has been found the ideal
free target for machine gun practice against
low-flying and attacking aircraft.
“To be suitable for anti-aircraft training, a
target must glide straight, circle or dive as
desired. These three flight paths simulate the
maneuvers of enemy planes in strafing attack,
or circling into position, or dive-bombing
“Using a specially built catapult, the AJ
Interceptor is shot into the air to an altitude of
about 300 feet. At this distance the scale effect
is approximately the same as a full-scale plane
at an altitude of 1500 feet, traveling 300 mph.
“When a gunner can consistently hit this
elusive target he is ready for actual combat,
and woe to the enemy plane that comes
within range of his gun!”
When you write, please include an SASE
for a fast reply. MA
May 2001 133
