OLD-TIMERS
Mike Keville, 6218 E. Evergreen St., Mesa AZ 85205; E-mail: [email protected]
At one time the Philadelphia, PA, area was a hotbed of modeling activity. It still is to some degree, though not on the same scale as in the 1940s, when large multievent contests sponsored by local businesses were held at the city's Fairmount Park.
Among the contestants were several from Western states. Since this was long before the days of interstate highways and mass air travel, it is all the more notable.
In September 1941 the Quaker City Gas Model Airplane Association conducted one such meet, directed by Walt Eggert Sr. Thanks to David Cohen, Sarasota, FL, who loaned me an original program from that contest. It's noted that the events were Class A, B, and C Limited Engine Run (Free Flight [FF], of course), and something called Novelty and Stunt.
In the latter event, contestants were required to apply to the Stunt Committee, state the order and kind of stunt they intended to fly, then put up their flight and receive credit for the amount completed. All flights were considered official, and there was one particularly interesting rule: "No chemicals or fireworks allowed." What a bunch of spoilsports (just kidding)!
There was also a special "Fireball U-Control" event for the then-new concept of flying on wires. Although no rules were in the booklet, two admonitions were printed: "Absolutely no test hopping will be allowed in this event," and "All flights must be supervised." One can't help but wonder, supervised by whom? And—more to the point—why?
Comet, Polk's, JASCO, and Scientific were among the major manufacturers that featured full- or half-page illustrated advertisements. The booklet also contains ads from numerous Philly hobby shops and local businesses, such as Dewey Driver's Atlantic Service Station. You just don't see that kind of support anymore.
The back pages contain space to list the winners of all the events and a separate page for autographs. This was serious stuff!
Unfortunately, an era was about to end. Three months later, to the day, the age of innocence came to a sudden and shocking halt at Pearl Harbor, HI. Things (modeling and otherwise) haven't been the same since.
Despite wartime shortages (balsa became nearly unobtainable, since it was used in vast quantities for life rafts and other things), modelers persevered. Pine, spruce, and other woods came into use. Even cardboard was used, for fuselage formers in the Joe Ott Rubber Scale kits.
Solid Scale display models gained popularity, and full-size plans were often published in model magazines of the day. For those lucky enough to have a stash of balsa, designers also published Rubber Scale models with full-size plans in Air Trails, etc., and there were still kits on the shelves at hobby shops—at least for a while.
I've included a photo from the March 1942 Model Airplane News that shows a very young Stu Richmond holding an Me 109 built from a Comet 10-cent kit.
I didn't get involved in modeling until 1947, at which time the shelves were full again. While building horribly rough examples of Hawk and Strombecker solids (and slicing my little fingers on razor blades while cutting formers in Cleveland kits), I was blissfully unaware of a rather significant event that occurred that year: Ray Arden introduced the glow plug.
It wasn't long before the familiar drone of Control Line (CL) fliers could be heard each evening and weekend. We'd jump on our bikes and pedal madly to the nearest park or field, arriving to see several young guys and their models "twirling around." That was a very contagious activity for anyone who was already head over heels about airplanes.
I will forego describing my first attempt at flying CL because it didn't last long, it was embarrassing, and it's agonizingly familiar to anyone who's ever done it.
My initial attempts at Free Flight (FF) weren't much more successful. There was a 1/2A Zeek/Cub .049 combination that used coiled-up neoprene tubing for a tank. I took it to a local field, fueled up, fired up, and gave it a toss. The last time I saw the model, it was headed in the general direction of Atlantic City, NJ, looping and rolling at roughly 900 mph.
I had absolutely no idea how to properly trim an FF model. (As an active competitor years later, my good friend, the late Bob Isaacson, often suggested that I still didn't.)
The thing I remember most is the eager anticipation of the magazines' arrival at a local newsstand. We didn't subscribe in those days; heck, we were just kids. But we did know the day each issue would arrive—especially the "Nats (Nationals) issues," with their multipage photo layouts. We'd practically camp out on the news dealer's doorstep with quarters in hand.
Then there were the old Air Trails Annuals of the early 1950s. I still have a couple of those, and I wouldn't trade them for a mint-condition Dooling 61. (Again, just kidding—try me.)
Thanks to ever-increasing participation in CL Old-Time Stunt (OTS), there is a growing need to clarify some of the "gray areas" in the 1951-52 rules, upon which the event is based.
There are currently several items in the OTS rules that are—to put it kindly—subject to debate. Although the event is (and hopefully will remain) unofficial, that does not lessen the need for a clearly defined set of rules and maneuver descriptions.
Whereas OTS is supposed to be a fun event, the grumbling and nitpicking this year has caused several of us to consider pursuing other interests.
However, just in time, the Precision Aerobatics Model Pilots Association (PAMPA) leadership appointed a committee to address the issue. Active fliers and/or judges—all including MA Aeromodeling Editor Bob Hunt—it's expected that they'll resolve the issue soon.
It shouldn't be long before we can get back to enjoying OTS, instead of arguing about it.
RC Old-Timer activity extends to 1970. Among the notable experiments of that era were several attempts to fly RC using Dynajet power. Dick Saprolus and some friends gave it a try, enlisting the help of Frank Lashek—a noted CL Jet Scale flier of the 1950s.
Dick writes:
- "We did the test flying on a remote runway at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station. The best part was the sound of the Dynajet roaring; it could be heard for miles. But we quickly learned that for RC flying, a Dynajet had about the power of a mild .40 glow engine."
I've included a photo that Dick sent me of that event. He is at the far left, Frank is at the far right, and the others are unidentified. The twin-fin experimental howler appears to span approximately five feet.
I received a request from Jack Page, Germantown, TN (71562, [email protected]). He's seeking plans for a rubber-powered Scientific Cloud Hopper. He built and flew several in the mid-to-late 1940s, and he would like to build another.
According to Jack, the design is a small (approximately 30-inch wingspan) twin-tailed cabin model, which is flat-topped and "slightly guppylike in appearance." He added that it flew like a dream.
Try John Pond's plan service. It might also help to contact Gene Wallock, the Society of Antique Modelers (SAM) librarian.
I knew Gene roughly 30 years ago, and he always went out of his way to help other modelers—no matter what the subject. If Gene doesn't have the plan, he probably knows who does. Contact him at 13 NW Sandy Trail Ln., Lawton, OK 73505.
I've received overwhelming approval from readers to expand the Old-Timers column to include models from the 1950s. Thanks to all who wrote with their support for the idea.
Now I need those "Nostalgia"-era FF and RC photos. MA
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
