FREE FLIGHT: OLD-TIMERS
Bill Baker, 1902 Peter Pan, Norman, OK 73072
John Pond — Old Time Plan Service
A couple of modelers recently asked me for help locating an Old-Timer plan. When I suggested that John Pond surely must have the one they were seeking, I was surprised to find they were not aware of his plans service. I then realized I have not given John’s address for a few years, and I shouldn’t assume that everyone has been with me since the flood receded.
Without doubt, the most comprehensive collection of Old-Timer plans is John Pond’s Old Time Plan Service:
- Address: P.O. Box 90310, San Jose, CA 95109-3310
- Phone: (408) 292-3382 (telephone answered 10:00–15:00 on Tuesdays and Fridays only)
Catalogs and contents
There are four catalogs:
- Two are for Scale (with gas, rubber, CL, etc.).
- One catalog covers rubber, with gliders, control line, and RC (the RC plans are mostly from the 1940s and 1950s).
- The fourth catalog is Old-Timer gas, divided into before and after December 1942 (corresponds roughly to the SAM Old-Timer cut-off and the NFFS start date for Nostalgia free flight events).
Old customers may not be aware that John Pond now takes plastic money — a real convenience, especially when you don’t know the price of a plan.
I have catalog set number 24; catalog 25 should be about ready, and possibly there will be price changes. The catalog books are $2 each, $8 for the set.
New offerings and special lists
A great new idea is in the center pages of the gas model catalog:
- A list of 580 plans for $1 in 8-1/2 x 11 size — a low-cost way to study several plans and decide which to order.
- A list of 175 engines with full-size or dimensioned drawings, history, and other data for the same price.
SASE will get free literature; John has been in the plans business for at least a quarter of a century. He’s 76 years old, so it is a part-time retirement business (which is why the phone is only answered Tuesdays and Fridays).
Many rubber scale plans have templates available, making construction more practical since printed-wood patterns are not always shown on plans.
Castings, kits and contact
I’d like to hear from anyone who has castings or kits, since I have readers looking for such things. John’s address for castings/kits:
- 143 Richmond Street, El Segundo, CA 90245
SAM (Society of Antique Modelers) information
A letter from SAM President Jim Adams is of interest. Current secretary Larry Clark replaced Bob Dodds, who passed away after a lengthy illness. Bob devoted a long time of great service to SAM.
To join SAM:
- Send $15 to: Larry Clark, Box 528, Lucerne Valley, CA 92356
- For $4 you can get a booklet giving the approved list of gas model designs for SAM competition. Larry also has rule books. (The books come with membership benefits.)
Jim says that SAM has a magazine collection that includes:
- MAN back to issue #1 in 1929
- Air Trails issues back to the beginning
- Aeromodeller issues from 1940 to 1955
- An incomplete supply of Flying Aces
For old magazine plans:
- For $2 you can buy copies of any old magazine plan (plan and construction article).
- Air Trails’ pull-out centerfold plans are $3.
- Librarian: Gene Wallock, 220 W. Leroy Ave., Arcadia, CA 91006
The SAM full-size plan library, which includes everything done by Chester Lanzo, is run by Floyd Reck:
- Send an SASE to: Floyd Reck, 10332 Tristan Dr., Downey, CA 90241
The SAM newsletter is now edited by Bill Kimbell:
- Submit newsletter material to: Bill Kimbell, 2 Noel Place, Smithtown, NY 11787
- Subscription to the newsletter is included with SAM membership.
One more SAM item:
- The SAM Champs are to be held at Muncie, Indiana, September 11–16.
Other resources and offerings
- Bob Lane: 68 pages of randomly arranged photos and captions gleaned from many years of model magazines. About six pages are arranged by class chronologically or by other noticeable traits. Look at the photos, read the name of one you like, then hunt for it in the catalogs. Cost: $8, postage paid. Send to: Bob Lane, 10 Blossom, Lake Jackson, TX 77566.
- Reproduction Torpedo engines: Shilen Aero Sports, P.O. Box 1300, 250 Metro Park Blvd., Ennis, TX 75119. Tel: (214) 875-1442; Fax: (214) 875-5402. These are glow or ignition models in .24, .29, and .32 cu. in. displacements. A .19 engine was expected “late this year” and has been approved for SAM competition as an “original ignition” engine. Delivery time is said to be immediate; parts generally will fit original Torpedos. SASE will get free literature.
- John Morrill: no longer markets engines; he does have a castings kit for a .2 cc diesel (not an Old-Timer but of interest to those who machine things).
Aero Ply Research Co. and ignition literature
Aero Ply Research Co. is a source of ignition systems and components:
- Address: 2029 Crist Drive, Los Altos, CA 94024
- Owner: Floyd E. Carter — he will try to answer questions concerning ignition problems.
The literature he sent contains three of his papers published in Strictly I.C.:
- "Fine Tuning the Spark Ignition System"
- "A Look at Spark Ignition Systems for Model Engines"
- "Spark Ignition Conversions Using Hall Effect Components"
He did not mention a charge for these, but sending a large SASE and a dollar would be appropriate.
Call for nominations
Some months back I started to list model designs that were frequently seen at free-flight contests, and designs seldom seen that have high potential. I didn't finish, but will get back to it soon and try to present it in an organized list.
Meanwhile, send me your nominee for the category of "seldom seen but should be" in all SAM free-flight events: gas, rubber, etc.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
