Old Timers
Mike Keville 6218 E. Evergreen St., Mesa AZ 85205 E-mail: [email protected]
YES, THE OLD-TIMER column is back, but with expanded subject matter. We'll now include Radio Control and Control Line as well as Free Flight.
The column is scheduled to appear bimonthly, and I'm actually on a three-column trial basis here. Whether I continue or not will be entirely up to you. Since we intend to include all categories, we'll need your input—especially photos and other activity pertaining to FF and RC.
I am a former Free Flight competitor who returned to his CL roots 13 years ago, and I have been heavily involved ever since. I admit that my RC experience is rather limited; I'll need your contributions if this column is to be a success.
I've been modeling since 1947, starting with StromBecker solids, then into Monogram Speedee-Bilt kits. I discovered flying models in 1950 and to this day maintain a passion for the designs of that decade.
I'm an AMA Leader Member, and my wife JoAnn is an AMA Contest Director. Together we host the annual Vintage Stunt Championships, and were among those who helped organize and run the first US Free Flight Championships back in 1971.
As for RC, I have some buddy-box time on a deBolt Champ and a couple of modern designs, and recall quite well the early days when RC was considered a huge success if the rudder-only escapement mechanism worked.
Why Old-Timers?
So just what is it that attracts a certain percentage of modelers to old-fashioned construction methods/materials and obsolete designs?
For the most part, it's a nostalgia thing — fond memories of simpler times, a slower pace, and the fun associated with relatively simple flying machines.
Many of us just prefer building with balsa, model cement, silk or silkspan, and dope, as opposed to contemporary materials.
Some (myself included) are inspired by memories of certain designs we saw in Air Trails 50-or-more years ago and always intended to build. Others fly old designs purely for the thrill of knocking the other guy's socks off in competition.
I have fond memories of the Navy Nats days, when the AMA Nationals were held aboard various US Naval Reserve bases around the country. In retrospect, the flying sites were marginal (read: small) for the FF folks, but there was a magic associated with having all categories on one site together.
Who can forget the sound of Speed engines (and Dyna-Jets) being tested at midnight? Of course, many of us were still awake since we were busy building models inside the huge workshop hangar in preparation for the next day's competition. Row after row of sturdy wooden workbenches, literally covered with every type of model imaginable.
And there was the Scale cage: faithful reproductions of full-scale aircraft displayed all week long behind a protective screen of chicken wire. Throughout was the ever-present aroma of dope fumes mixed with engine exhaust residue.
Sometime in the early 1960s, John Pond began hosting unofficial OT Free Flight events at the Nats, including a large display of competitors' models inside that workshop hangar. I first saw that at NAS Glenview (IL) in 1962, and something clicked.
What really opened my eyes to Old-Timer modeling, however, was a visit to the old Gardner Field flying site in Taft, California, circa 1969. There gentlemen like Sal Taibi, Jim Adams, Gene Wallock, Russ Johnson, and others were flying giant Texaco models using the original 1/4-ounce fuel-allotment rule.
Flights of one-hour-plus were not uncommon, and yes, they chased them cross-country via automobile, just like the old days. (Society of Antique Modelers guys are thinking, "And your point is?") Although I never built one of those, I did manage to dabble in the .020 OT event, both ROG and R/W, as well as a few OT rubber models.
It's mainly the stick-and-tissue or balsa-and-silk construction that I find appealing, as do many Old-Timer fliers.
Special Interest Groups
Depending on which modeling category you prefer, there are Special Interest Groups and organizations to serve your needs.
- Free Flight: Society of Antique Modelers (SAM)
- Radio Control: Vintage Radio Control Society (VRC/CS)
- Control Line: PAMPA (Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots Association)
I am a member of PAMPA and will have established contact with the other Special Interest Groups by the time this column is printed; addresses for the SIGs are at the end of the column, or check the Special Interest Group section on the AMA Web site (www.modelaircraft.org). Two excellent publications also help to explain the mystique of Old-Timer modelers. Many modelers consider Don Thorpe's Do You Speak Model Airplane? as the definitive work on why we do this; it is currently out of print, so you may need to borrow a friend's copy. Control Line fliers will also be enchanted by Charles Mackey's Pioneers of Control Line Flying, available through AMA Supply and Service.
Early Iron-On Film Coverings
Here's something of interest to those who prefer iron-on film coverings.
It's often thought that this type of covering was first used in the 1960s, with the original (if not entirely successful) sticky-back Monokote®. But Wisconsin's Doug Dahlke sent a copy of a page from a 1939 Megow catalog featuring something called Planofilm. This was the first I'd heard of this material, though some readers may be familiar with it.
According to Megow, the covering was "non-porous, smooth as glass ... can be applied in a fraction of the time required by old methods ... stretches itself drumlike over irregular curves" (sound familiar?). The ad also states that the material "comes attached to a backing sheet ... is easy to handle and cut to shape ... eliminates the use of glue, dope, finishes and stretching, is far superior in lasting quality and produces an opaque brilliant, colorful, glossy effect that cannot be approached by old methods." (Italics mine.)
Available colors were white, black, yellow, red, blue, and silver, in sheets ranging from 9 x 12 inches at 18 cents to 36 x 36 at $1.50. It was also available in 36-inch widths at any length for $1.50 per yard.
Nowhere in Megow's ad do I see the term "iron-on," thus I'm unsure how it was attached. They did offer a solvent, but the ad doesn't detail its use. Perhaps someone familiar with Planofilm could fill us in, and also explain why it apparently failed to take the modeling world by storm.
Plans and Classic Designs
Old-Timer modelers pretty much know where to find plans for their favorite designs—sources such as John Pond, Dick Gleason, Bob Holman, and others. RC fliers may not be aware that there's another source stocking plans for those great old designs from the 1950s and '60s.
Tom Dixon offers plans for such old favorites as the Flat Top Stormer, Orion, Taurus, Rudder Bug, and others. Although his catalog contains primarily CL kits, plans, and reworked engines, there is an excellent section listing many RC plans. Send $5 to Tom Dixon, Box 671166, Marietta GA 30066; Tel./Fax: (770) 973-9238.
Those who recall the extensive line of all-balsa 1/2A semiscale CL models produced by Scientific in the '50s and '60s (remember those two-page ads?) may know that the designer was the legendary Walt Musciano.
If you have fond memories of those fun little models, you may be interested to know that plans are currently available from the designer himself. In fact, a Northern Virginia club hosts an annual meet solely for those designs. Walt has attended, and even served as an appearance judge on at least one occasion. Contact Walt Musciano, 133A Dellglen, Lodi NJ 07644; Tel.: (973) 340-9410.
Closing
That's a wrap for this introductory column. As it was being submitted, I was busy contacting modelers in all three categories for material for future columns. I'll need photos and other items of interest so that you won't have to continue reading the rambling reminiscing of an old fuddy-duddy about how great things used to be.
Whether your interest centers on Playboys, Ringmasters, or Royal Rudder Bugs, I'd like to hear from you. Please share your latest project(s) with us and we'll certainly try to include them here.
I'd also appreciate being added to the mailing list of any manufacturer or distributor offering items of interest to Old-Timer modelers. If sending contest announcements or other time-sensitive material please remember we work to a three-month lead time, and the column will appear in alternate months. If you'd like a reply, please include a SASE. MA
Special Interest Groups
Free Flight
Society of Antique Modelers Larry Clark Box 528 Lucerne Valley CA 92356
Radio Control
Vintage Radio Control Society G.W. Poythress 2 Hemlock Ct. Saugerties NY 12477
Control Line
PAMPA Sharen Fancher 158 Flying Cloud Isle Foster City CA 94404
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
