Free Flight: Sport & Scale
Bill Warner 1370 Monache Ave. Porterville, CA 93257
Walt Mooney — "Ole Professor"
One of the greats of free-flight scale is gone. Walt Mooney, planning his trip to the Flying Aces Nats, saw his 64-year adventure on Earth come to an end. Shakespearean praise would not come close to describing Walt; he exemplified what our hobby is about.
Walt, known as "Ole Professor," packed more into his time than most of us could in a lifetime. By day he designed full‑size aircraft for Ryan; in his spare time he designed model aircraft, built and flew hundreds of them, and shared his work through countless articles and his Bag of Peanuts plans business, which he ran on an almost no‑profit basis. He promoted contests and events, and he never flew just to win—he flew to have fun.
A regular at indoor and outdoor meets despite hundreds of miles of driving from his San Diego home, Walt shared his humor and vast store of knowledge freely. His willingness to help anyone having problems made his presence a delight. He was a flyer who sometimes wore a necktie and would occasionally shake things up with a Mickey Mouse T‑shirt—proving he wasn't set in his ways.
Walt's family life reflected his passion for aviation: his children were named Curtiss, Douglas, and Christa. He also flew full‑scale sailplanes; his wife Carole and the kids spent many happy hours chasing Walt on cross‑country contests, plucking him out of places like dry lakebeds in Nevada and, once, from a cemetery. Some of you may have seen him on TV—he did a stunt sequence for the "Thrill Seekers" program.
He was a glider‑pilot instructor. Once, at Torrey Pines, when a winch tow cable wouldn't release, Walt and a student executed a vertical S to get back down with slack in the cable while a panicked winch attendant hacked at the cable with an axe. All three emerged unscathed; the cable survived because the man missed every swing.
Walt also found time to write letters to congressmen, sculpt birds, build full‑size gliders, and test‑fly motorized aircraft such as the original Volksplane. No, he wasn't connected to Mooney Aircraft Co.—but had he had more time, he might well have started his own.
Ole Professor seemed to be everywhere—Oshkosh, Merced, Taft (arriving in his trusty Piper Vagabond), and around countless campfires with modeling buddies. He could hold audiences spellbound with tales of pranks at MIT and Army days in the South Pacific. Everyone who knew him felt he was a very special, personal friend. The first question you'd hear at any meet Walt couldn't make was, "Hey, where's Mooney?" Being missed during your lifetime is a sure sign of indispensability.
Walt's tie and smile will be missed at our meets, but he'll certainly be there in spirit. His models will be built by generations who never met him; his stories will be retold until they enter the realm of legend. Contests will be flown by Mooney Rules. In the words of his son Curtiss (also an aeronautical engineer), Walt was "larger than life." And so he shall continue to be.
Covering products
I recently received a small sample of a new material called Litespan from Idealair Models (Canada). Made by Solarfilm, this stuff beats anything I've seen yet. It looks just like doped Japanese tissue, has a textured finish that could fool almost anyone, and weighs about half as much as MonoKote.
I made a light 1/2‑sq. balsa test frame and applied Litespan using cellulose glue instead of the Balsaloc product they recommend. Dropping a fork on it from about eight inches produced only dents that promptly smoothed out when heated over the stove. The frame did not seem to distort, though a lightly built wing on a small rubber job might be affected.
Litespan is classed as an iron‑on and comes in these colors:
- yellow
- orange
- red
- blue
- antique cream
- black
- white
- silver
It is made of fibers and has a definite grain. A 20 x 36 in. sheet costs $3.50; the special introductory price was $2.95 as of the end of March. For more information write Idealair Models, 21 Simcoe Rd. #10, Alliston, Ontario L0M 1A0, Canada. Tel: 1‑705‑435‑3085. Shipping charge: $3. Canadians add 15% to the quoted price.
Fibe‑Mini (Japanese fiber drink)
A while back I mentioned a Japanese product called Fibe‑Mini, reputed to have anti‑shrink properties when used on tissue in a 5:1 solution. Capt. Eric Shellenberger at Yokota AFB sent an eight‑pack of the stuff from Tokyo. Eric (who flies a C‑130 and RC Pattern) reads the column because he's fascinated by FF Scale.
I applied a square of Peck's finest Japanese tissue to the test frame and tried Fibe‑Mini in a 5:1 dilution; it tightened the tissue just like water. Undaunted, I tried Fibe‑Mini straight from the bottle, and it performed as advertised—it loosened the tissue.
If you've ever struggled with tissue‑induced warp, you can see the possibilities. The trick is to get the tissue to tighten where you want it and loosen where you don't. Because the label is almost entirely in Japanese, I can't provide ingredients or a domestic source. If anyone can translate the label or tell us where to buy it domestically, please speak up. In the meantime, keep an eye out in Little Tokyo markets and other Japanese shops.
Fiskars hand drill
Another handy product is a Fiskars plastic hand drill available at most hardware stores. It's about 8 in. long with a 3‑in. throw on the handle and will pack windings at 3/32 in. It has a pistol grip and very smooth gearing.
I put a bent nail (head behind the chuck jaws) with a #10 flat washer slipped down to the head and used it on a short motor with three loops of 1/8‑in. rubber. It seemed to be putting in full winds. At about $9, this little black beauty should be a useful addition to your go box.
Scale data source
The National Association of Scale Aeromodelers (NASA) has a new booklet by Claude McCullough listing places to get scale information: drawings, museums, book dealers, and more. This valuable list is free with membership in NASA. For $8 you also get a bimonthly newsletter, an embroidered shoulder patch, and a decal. Send your check to: Bert Dugan 11090 Phyllis Dr. Clio, MI 48420
Events — Free Flight Scale
- Tennessee: Ninth U.S. Indoor Championships combined with the AMA Indoor Nats and the MIAMA Indoor Grand Prix at the East Tennessee State University Mini‑Dome, Johnson City. Phone the USIC at 1‑414‑782‑6256 after 7 p.m. Milwaukee time.
- New York: Flying Aces Nats, Geneseo, NY, July 13–15. Write to CD Vic Didelot, 4410 Lorna Ln., Erie, PA 16506. Tel: 1‑814‑838‑3263.
- Illinois: Mid‑America Nats (Scale events July 18–19), official AMA and FAC events. Contact John Guenther at 1‑812‑967‑2814, or Stan Alexander at 1‑615‑834‑1879.
- Washington: Third Annual No‑Doc Scale Meet, Snohomish, WA, Aug. 25–26. A laid‑back meet with no documentation required. $100 prize for best WWI fighter. Phone Ric Dittman at 1‑206‑776‑6519, or Larry Olson at 1‑206‑631‑4832.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
