OLD-TIMERS
Mike Keville
Somewhere between Arizona and Maine E-mail: [email protected]
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 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.
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.
Ron Carr and the Challenger kit
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 U‑Control 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 controlline 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 wet‑cell 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 '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."
Clubs and organizations
If your OT interest is CL, consider joining PAMPA (the Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots Association). Membership includes Stunt News, which is an outstanding (100+ page, including color photos) bimonthly magazine. The content is primarily model but it also features information about kits, plans, and supplies for our segment of the hobby.
- Dues: $35 per year for US residents (recommend adding $15 for first‑class mailing).
- Contact: Sharen Fossner, 158 Flying Cloud Ln, 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!
- Memberships and renewals: Larry Clark, Box 528, Lucerne Valley, CA 92356.
SAM is nearly 100% Free Flight and Radio Control, and is the voice of OT modeling in the USA.
Cartoons and memories
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 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 Conrad; 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.
Personal note
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
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
