FREE FLIGHT OLD-TIMERS
Byline
Bill Baker 1902 Peter Pan, Norman, OK 73072
Reflections on Retirement
I have found out what I want to be when I grow up: retired. I find myself very busy, and as Sal Taibi and many others have told me, I wonder how I had time to work. Still haven't had time to clean out the garage, but there is no hurry.
Many of the people flying models today were doing it when they were very young; it is not just a hobby, it is a way of life. The two photos in this issue show this.
Old-Timers and Memories
Loren Dietrich, now retired and one of my faithful pen pals, is shown with his Scientific Mercury that he made when he was about 14.
The other photo shows Jim Adams at the '98 SAM Champs with his modified Gladiator, powered by an O&R .60 that was in a hobby shop in Pearl Harbor when the bombs fell. Jim wrote me a nice letter about the 1938 Wakefield Champs, stimulated by the photo of the '38 Wakefield team in the November column. Does anyone know the whereabouts of Ralph Baker, one of the team members?
Jim, Loren, and Old Bill Baker are all retired, and all still having fun after starting very young, going to school, fighting in wars, raising families — and it is more fun than ever! This is a great time for those of us who were flying in the 1950s.
Control Line and Engine Resumptions
There has been a resurgence of Control Line with reissues of several classic designs:
- Nobler
- Flight Streak
- Ringmaster
RJL (see address in their ad or under MECOA) has resumed manufacture of the Atwood Shriek .049. These were great engines that I used in the '50s to power my Zeeks, replacing the OK Cubs I started out with.
I bought one of these newly made engines, and it looks great: made from original castings using original tooling and fixtures. They are not repros; they are a resumption of manufacture. So your Campbell's Zeek or Fubar now has a really suitable engine. I would advise moderate nitro (10–15%); more than that will likely overpower the authentic designs of the period.
The Fox .049 FAI is also available, made from original parts, and is National Free Flight Society nostalgia-legal because it is a resumption of production using original parts. H & R Engines (5024 Old Mayfield Rd., Paducah, KY 42003) bought all the parts from Fox, where they had been in storage for 30 years. I got one of these; it has great "feel" and has received excellent reviews in Free Flight, the NFFS Digest.
- Price direct from H & R Engines: $55
- Extra glow head: $4
- Shipping: $4
Free Flight and the NFFS
Free Flight is a fine publication, and in addition to informative articles it has many cottage-industry ads for Free Flight products that are too small to advertise in the major magazines. If Free Flight is or has been important to you, then you should support the National Free Flight Society by sending $20 to:
NFFS Membership Office 3317 Pine Timbers Drive Johnson City, TN 37604-1404
- Under age 18: $7.50
- Non-US residents: $24
Kits and Small Suppliers
You may have seen small ads from BMJR Model Products for Free Flight kits, mostly NFFS nostalgia designs. I bought their Phoenix 1/2A; it is a nice kit — very modern, with laser-cut parts and Polyspan. They also make a Kiwi 1/2A and a Gee 250, also nostalgia-era designs.
To get a price and product list, send an SASE to: BMJR Model Products Box 1210 Sharpes, FL 32959-1210 Tel.: (407) 537-1159 Web: www.bmjrmodels.com
Covering Materials and Techniques
Since I mentioned Polyspan, I want to say that I covered my Flight Streak wing with it, heat-shrunk it, and then filled it with a couple of coats of water-based polyurethane from Home Depot. This is a great product, and for many purposes can be used instead of dope — good news for those who no longer enjoy the smell. It does not shrink; more good news.
I have also covered some models with Thermalspan, and the claim that it goes around compound curves better than Polyspan is true. Polyspan (carried by FAI Model Supply and most other Free Flight suppliers) is a pleasure to use so long as the surfaces are flat (bottom of wing) or have curves in two dimensions (top of most wings), but it is somewhat hard to do wingtips or other surfaces that have complex curves and small-radius turns. Heat will often do the trick, however.
Campbell's Kits and Other Notes
I mentioned Campbell's Zeek and Fubar kits; word via the grapevine is that he has packed up and moved to Muncie: Campbell, Box 3104, Muncie, IN 47307.
Valentine Aijoshine made a high-performance .049 called the VA.049 Mk. II. News is that the .020 version is about ready for release. VA engines can be ordered from: Kitting It Together 6906 Third St. Lubbock, TX 79416-3724 Tel.: (806) 796-3747.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
