OLD-TIMERS - 2004/01
JUST BEFORE THE deadline for this
issue I received a nice packet from David
Baker of England, who is a member of SAM
(Society of Antique Modelers) Chapter 1066.
This group is currently quite active with
small rubber-powered vintage designs.
David wrote that they often fly at Middle
Wallop: the “world’s most beautiful flatfield
flying site.”
OLD-TIMERS - 2001/05
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.
OLD-TIMERS - 2003/01
In early 2003 my wife and I will move from Arizona to Maine.
As of this writing our exact location isn’t decided, but it will be
somewhere in the Brunswick area. I’ll keep you posted. Meanwhile,
continue to write, telephone, or E-mail me here, probably until
sometime in April. I answer E-mail within 24 hours; reply
immediately to letters enclosing a self-addressed, stamped envelope;
and will publish the new address as soon as it’s known. I do plan to
continue writing this column for as long as people are interested in
reading it.
OLD-TIMERS - 2001/03
ExpandEd CovEragE: “Old-Timer”
is a relative term. To Free Flighters, it
means models designed no later than
1942; the year is 1952 in Control Line
Stunt.
In a previous column, I mentioned the
intent to seek editorial approval to include
Nostalgia-era designs here. That request
was granted.
This will probably cause grumbling in
certain quarters, but the reasoning is sound.
When I was approached about writing
this column, it was with the understanding
that it would encompass not only Free
Flight (FF), but Control Line (CL) and
Radio Control (RC). As most are aware,
the last two categories began significantly
later than the first, so they have different
guidelines for what constitutes “Old-
Time.”
Moreover, the majority of AMA
members have been in the hobby a
relatively short time compared to those of
us who have been involved since the 1940s
and earlier. A previous request asking me
to feature the 1950s Payload designs is a
case in point.
That modeler recalled those designs from his childhood as
among the earliest flying models he’d seen. To him, they are
surely “Old-Time” in every sense of the term. I can understand
how others might feel the same about a deBolt Live Wire
Cruiser or a Veco Smoothie.
OLD-TIMERS - 2001/01
Old-tIme tOwlIne: In the “pre-
Nordic” era, most Towliners resembled fullscale
gliders. Unlike today’s anorexic
thermal-hunters, early line-launched gliders
featured full, built-up (or pod-and-boom)
fuselages and unique surface shapes. They
were graceful, eye-pleasing designs.
Often overlooked, the Towline gliders
aren’t nearly as popular as the gas-powered
models, which is a shame; they’re loads of
fun, for a relatively small investment.
As kids, we built and flew the many
designs and sizes in the JASCO (Junior
Aeronautical Supply Co.) line, but I’m
amazed we got them to fly at all.
We built the aircraft on workbenches that
were best described as “close enough.” Using
single-edge razor blades and Comet cement, the
models’ frames were covered with everything
from gift-wrap tissue, to silkspan, to silk.
I can’t recall anyone in our crowd who
used fixtures or level building boards.
“Fixit Wright” would’ve been aghast.
(I’ll discuss that subject another time.)
