OLD-TIMERS - 2003/07

128 MODEL AVIATION
WHAT DO YOU get with an Old-Timer (OT) columnist whose
primary interest is Control Line (CL)? Someone who misidentifies
a Flying Quaker as a Red Zephyr (on page 151 in the March issue).
One positive result was that I received numerous E-mails and letters
correcting the error—which would seem to indicate that people are
at least reading this stuff.
I also received several replies regarding voile, which was used
as a covering material in the 1930s. It’s a material similar to silk
with another material added—possibly cotton back then, but
probably polyester today. It’s used for making dresses and sheer
curtains. Among the replies was one from noted engine expert
Clarence Lee. (I realized I could have saved everyone a lot of time
when my wife said, “If you had just asked me … ”)
Another photo in the March issue showed a rise-off-water
(ROW) scene at an early Navy Nationals. I asked if anyone could
identify the location and year. Doug Koch of Reading,
Pennsylvania, wrote:
“The scene is from the 1953 Nats at Willow Grove. I am at the
far right in a white T-shirt and arms folded. I was 16 at the time and
attending my first Nats. Jim Kelly [the flier in the photo] won Senior
ROW and Sal Taibi won Open.”
Doug’s letter was a pleasant surprise since I also attended the
1953 Nationals as a young observer. My modeling background then
consisted of a few botched Cleveland kits, many Strombecker solids,
a horribly overweight Mini-Zilch with a Cub .049 that never got off
the ground, and roughly a bazillion AJ-74 “10¢ gliders.”
One look inside the workshop hangar at that Nationals, and I was
Mike Keville, somewhere between Arizona and Maine; E-mail: [email protected]
OLD-TIMERS
Larry Davidson with yellow-and-black OT FF Alert with ignition
O&R .29 for power. Photo courtesy of Bill Baker (1997).
The adventures of Fixit Wright contained advice for newcomers
in humorous cartoon style, featured in 1950s Flying Models.
The MarDix Challenger CL kit was ahead of its time; it never
achieved success despite attractive appearance. See text.
instantly on the path to becoming a “lifer.” There were literally
hundreds of models on workbenches, tissue and silk in a rainbow of
colors, half-finished products in bare balsa, giant Civy Boys and
diminutive Speed models, the explosive howl of Dynajets being
tested outside on the ramp, and the Scale cage where gorgeous
models, seemingly molded from plastic, rested behind a protective
wall of chicken wire.
It was sensory overload for a 13-year-old who until then had
seen those things only in black-and-white magazine photos.
July 2003 129
None of us are getting any younger. I
noted with regret the passing in February
of George Perryman and January’s loss of
the legendary Bill Brown. There is not
much I can add to that which has already
been written about those two fine
gentlemen, except that it seems like the
world’s old-fashioned model builders are
leaving us at an alarming rate. I guess
that’s to be expected since we OT fans are
mostly old-timers ourselves.
Kit collecting is a thriving subculture
within the OT segment. Ron Carr of
Ballwin, Missouri, recently obtained a kit
that he had greatly admired as a youngster.
As he tells it:
“Immediately after World War II,
control line model kits were many and
varied, usually from 16 to 36 inch
wingspan. Of course the very first
produced U-Control model, Jim Walker’s
36-inch span Fireball, began before WW
II, and resumed production in 1946.
“It is important to remember that in
that period veterans, kids, and everyone
who loved model airplanes found UControl
flying to be ‘King of the Hill’ fun.
Free Flight was still around but all you had
to do was look in the model magazines to
see that CL kit manufacturers were
springing up everywhere, and so was the
return of spark ignition model engines.
“Competition among manufacturers
became fierce in the latter part of 1946. In
June of that year, Model Airplane News
presented a full-page ad announcing the
Challenger Control Line kit from MarDix
Model Aviation Division, Denver, CO.
This was the largest CL kit produced at
that time, with a 48-inch wingspan, 37-
inch fuselage length and, reportedly, a 51
ounce flying weight.
“They said the design met all requirements
for Class C AMA controline contests. The kit
price was $7.95 ‘at your dealer’. A
remarkable prefabricated kit for its day, it
looked like a (full scale) private airplane
with its enclosed cabin, wheel pants,
inverted and enclosed ignition engine.
“I acquired a Challenger kit through
MECA (Model Engine Collectors
Association) when I advertised some
engines for sale and got a response from a
modeler who had some old CL kits for
trade. The Challenger was among those
he’d purchased in those early days and he
said it was like new. When I received it I
found that it was everything I had hoped it
to be.
“The kit came in a sturdy box large
enough to contain the ‘tru-form’ fuselage
sides, bulkheads, cut and packaged ribs,
carved cowling parts, wheel pants, etc.
Included were two large plan sheets whose
detail and instructions would be an
excellent example for today’s kit
manufacturers.
“A label on the lower right corner
indicates that the designer was W.E.
Semler and the draftsman was Z.H.
Martin. The plans show a roller-pulley
control system (parts contained in a bag)
and an inverted Ohlsson 60 with an
ignition system recommending that a wetcall
battery be used.
“The ad in the July 1946 MAN, now
one-third page (a standard from then on),
stated that the Challenger was then
licensed under US Patent No. 2,292,416,
and only in the following ads did it specify
that this was the ‘Jim Walker Patent.’ [The
brouhaha about the licensing and use of
Jim’s patented U-Control system is a
separate and lengthy subject.] This July ad
stated that the kit would be available June
1 to dealers and jobbers through their
factory sales rep, The Hobby House, 610
Fifteenth St., Denver.
“The third ad differed from the first
two only in that there was now an
exploded picture of all the parts laid
outside the kit box. The next three ads
were basically the same except that the
price had increased from $7.95 to $9.50 …
quite a sum in those days and perhaps one
reason why it never achieved popularity.
“The December 1946 ad stated in bold
letters that the Challenger was now a
contest winner, having won (quote) ‘4
Firsts and 3 Seconds in AMA-sponsored
contests in the last 30 days, proving that
this highly maneuverable plane will take
top honors in any competition.’
“Looking through old model magazines
we see that many of those advertised CL
airplanes were said to be for Sport, Speed
and Stunt, yet many had wingspans of
only 14, 16 or up-to-30 inch wingspans. I
doubt if many of them could even
successfully perform a loop (with Ignition,
remember!). I believe the Challenger was
ahead of itself but died nevertheless. With
its 48-inch span and near symmetrical
airfoil, it was quite a looker and performer
for its day.”
If your OT interest is CL, consider
joining PAMPA (the Precision Aerobatics
Model Pilots Association). Membership
includes Stunt News, which is the
outstanding (100-plus-page, including
color photos) bimonthly magazine. The
content is primarily modern, but it also
features information about kits, plans, and
supplies for our segment of the hobby.
Dues are $35 per year for US residents,
but I recommend adding $15 for first-class
mailing. Contact Shareen Fancher at 158
Flying Cloud Isle, Foster City CA 94404.
The Society of Antique Modelers (SAM)
annual dues increased to $25 this year.
This is the first increase in many years,
but membership is still a bargain—
especially considering the excellent
bimonthly publication SAM Speaks, edited
by Bruce Augustus. Some of the cover
photos alone are worth the price of
admission!
Nearly 100% Free Flight and Radio
Control, SAM is the voice of OT modeling
in the USA. Memberships and renewals go
to Larry Clark, Box 528, Lucerne Valley
CA 92356.
Back in the good old days before the
hobby became a “sport,” Flying Models
magazine featured a two-page “how-to”
article drawn in cartoon fashion which
detailed the adventures of title character
Fixit Wright. He was a young modeler of
130 MODEL AVIATION
considerable talent for his age, which
appeared to be somewhere near 17. (He
was annoyingly correct 100% of the
time.)
Accompanied by sidekick Tailskid
Talby, and often joined by Tailskid’s
sister Bunny—a young woman whose
chief attributes were, shall we say,
physical—they shared many modeling
adventures. Tailskid was the inept fool
who constantly had to be shown the
“Wright” way by the hero. Drawn by
Bruce Wennerstrom, the stories were
amusing, yet they managed to offer
helpful tips and insights for beginners.
Another FM cartoon in those years
chronicled the adventures of lovable loser
Conrad Conrod: a Free Flighter who
seemed to operate under a perpetual
cloud of doom. His situations resembled
those of the little Radio Control guys in
“The Microhenrys”; he couldn’t do
anything right.
However, the “Fixit Wright” series
was instructional, and it was a part of
“modeling in the 1950s” that some of us
miss dearly.
As this is being written, we are awaiting the
sale of the Arizona house before moving to
Maine. Hopefully I will be able to provide
you with the new address soon. MA