Letters To The Editor
All letters will be carefully considered; those of general interest may be used. Send to Model Aviation, 1810 Samuel Morse Dr., Reston, VA 22090.
That Loutrel
I always note with interest any photo or article regarding old spark-ignition model engines. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the photo of the Loutrel on page 19 of the January 1985 edition of Model Aviation. The engine, mount, etc., looked strangely familiar. Also, I knew there were only six or so Loutrels known to be in collections. Then I looked on my display shelf, and there it was — my Loutrel.
The engine in the MA photo is mine, #172, and that is why it looks familiar. I enclose a photo of the engine sitting alongside a Brown Jr. and a Mighty Midget.
Just as a little footnote: I acquired the Loutrel shortly after returning from Vietnam. I placed a wanted ad in the Asbury Park Press. A fellow called and said he had an old engine marked "Loutrel" in a very old model boat. We agreed to meet. I looked at the engine and thought it to be some sort of GHQ, nothing special. I offered five dollars; the fellow got mad, so I said I'd double my offer and give the princely sum of ten dollars. Sold!
A few weeks later, the Engine Collectors Journal featured the Loutrel on the cover. The article mentioned that there were only six known to exist. I sent a photo to the ECJ. It eventually ended up in your magazine. I've collected since I was 14 and now concentrate on Bunch engines. But I still get a kick remembering how I turned up that Loutrel in 1971.
Walt Craig Grafton, VA
CL Barnstormer Remembered
I just read the Barnstormer feature by Doug Dahlke in the December 1984 issue for the fifth time. It sure is a great plane.
When I was 10 years old, I would walk seven miles every Sunday to see models flying at Beverly Airport in Beverly, MA. At that time my best engines were .049 and .074 OK Cubs, but I did have some old "junk" with spark plugs: O&R, Atoms, and McCoys.
One Sunday a man asked if I could give his plane a launch for him. You bet! The plane was a Barnstormer, and the man was Lou Andrews. That was in 1950; it was the best launch you ever saw.
I have met Lou many times throughout the years, and he always remembers me as the kid with the Cub in his pocket.
Now I am 45 years old. I have a Barnstormer with a sandcast Fox .35 in it. Every time I fly this model, I lose 35 years!
James Carpenter Methuen, MA
Profile Smoothie
I returned to model building recently after a 30-year absence and was very pleased to discover your fine magazine. I started back in RC and enjoy it fairly well, but I am really more comfortable with Control Line and Free Flight. Your editorial policy seems to be directed at people like me, and I appreciate it.
Enclosed is a shot of my version of the Profile Smoothie from your September 1984 issue. I don't know how anyone over 40 could pass it up.
The Smoothie article was well written, and the plans are very accurate. It was a good project and very enjoyable to build. The ship flies well, and when my new Fox .35 is fully broken in, it should be better. My only comment is that the flaps may be a little large, and care must be taken not to get too much flap movement. Pilot ability makes a difference, too, of course.
Anyway, keep up the good work.
Jim Dicus Henderson, NV
Kudos to the National Center for Aeromodeling
I had the pleasure of visiting the new AMA building in November 1984. I would like to share my impressions with my fellow AMA members.
First of all, my thanks to Public Relations Director Geoffrey Stiles for his assistance. "We feel the building belongs to the members, and we would hate for someone to be in town and not be able to see the collection," he said to me. What a great philosophy!
Second, the building stands as a tribute to wise and courageous leadership. It is no Taj Mahal. Quite the contrary — it is comfortable, with just enough space to be adequate.
I really questioned the need for the museum, library, and display areas until I saw them. Those old planes and kits like the ones I built 35 years ago, the historical models, primitive engines and radio gear, the mobiles and tribute displays (like the one featuring Bill Winter), the membership wall, and club patch displays all seemed so right. It is important to see how we started, how far we've come, and who helped along the way.
My appreciation for the organization, its leaders, and its proud history has been greatly enhanced. Geoff has my contribution to the Mortgage Fund, a tangible expression of that appreciation.
Congratulations to AMA. All members can be grateful to those who worked to make "our building" possible.
Donald J. Holtz Pine City, NY
Garage Sale History Piece
I am sending you a bit of 54-year-old history of this great field of model aviation.
My wife picked up three of these folders for 10¢ each at a recent garage sale with the idea of letting the younger grandsons put them together when they come to visit. The shape and design of these paper gliders reflect the style and state of the art of 1930, as the copyright notice on the back cover indicates.
They were of great interest to me, as I was living in Minneapolis at that early time, but I had progressed to the Baby ROG and the Ideal Eagle, as I recall.
We moved to Detroit in 1931, and shortly thereafter a neighbor lad and I started making frequent trips to a basement hobby shop that was run by a family named Dallaire. I do not know if this is the same Dallaire of Dallaire Sportster fame, but at that time they had several large models of the Lockheed Vega powered with three-cylinder compressed-air motors hanging from the shop ceiling. You can imagine the awe these "monsters" created, as my friend and I were into twin pushers and biplane Baby ROGs—and other such wild things.
My first AMA membership was back when it was a branch of the NAA. We got a lapel pin with silver wings and a blue circle in the middle and the letters NAA, which I still have.
At present, I am working on three RC models to have ready for spring flying. One is a Quadra biplane, and the other two are Fox .25–powered biplanes for three-channel, non-nervous flying.
As I said at the start, I only have 10¢ in the folder of gliders, so use it as you want.
Howard H. Lundquist Arlington, MN
The pictured folder that Mr. Lundquist sent bears a 1930 copyright by the Animated Toy Syndicate, Minneapolis, MN. After photographing the folder, we turned it over to Hurst Bowers, curator of the AMA Museum, for possible use as part of a display sometime in the future.
Letters Editor — letters will be carefully considered for general interest and may be used. Send to Model Aviation, 1810 Samuel Morse Dr., Reston, VA 22090.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
