OLD-TIMERS - 2003/01
- Mike Keville
6218 E. Evergreen St., Mesa AZ 85205 E-mail: jkeville@extremezone.com
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.
Vintage Stunt Championships (VSC)
The planned move affects a subject near and dear to our hearts. For 14 years my wife JoAnn and I have hosted the annual Vintage Stunt Championships (VSC) for Control Line (CL). Actually, "we" is not quite correct since JoAnn put together and was contest director for 12 of those while I was off running around in the Middle East.
We are pleased to announce that the VSC will continue, thanks to Tucson's Gold Leader Club, the Cholla Choppers (say choy-uh, not chahl-la). The 2003 gathering will be March 20–23. Pre-entry is required by March 10. The contest director will be Lou Wolgast. The point of contact for entries and other information is:
- Jim Hoffman
2658 W. Montgomery Dr., Chandler AZ 85224 E-mail: Windswept4@aol.com
Correction
In the November column, when naming a few of the remaining old-fashioned neighborhood hobby shops I mentioned Miami's Orange Blossom. Just after deadline for that column I received a call from Les McDonald—three-time CL Precision Aerobatics World Champion and former Orange Blossom employee. This shop bit the dust more than a year ago. (Further comment on the demise of neighborhood hobby shops would not be suitable for publication.)
Porkey and Old-Timer rules
In an earlier column I mentioned an attractive little Class A–B Free Flight (FF) model named Porkey (yes, with an "e"): a small pylon gas model featured in the April 1943 Air Trails. Designed by Eldred Hoopengarner, it somewhat resembles the Megow Ranger but with a polyhedral rather than a three-panel wing. Unfortunately the only photo I have is the one on that old, yellowed magazine page which probably would not reproduce well here.
As did many magazine construction articles of that era, this one included full-size patterns for ribs, formers, wingtips, and other curved parts. A grid pattern on part of the plan enabled you to easily enlarge the straight-line dimensions. You could then draw your own plan, which was done quite often in the days when building was considered an enjoyable part of the hobby rather than a necessary evil.
According to Society of Antique Modelers (SAM) rules, to be classified as an Old-Timer FF a model must have been designed, kitted, or have had plans published before December 31, 1942. Since the Porkey was most likely designed in 1942 (or earlier), is it eligible despite the 1943 magazine date? Perhaps the answer is the SAM category for post-1942 designs that show a spark-ignition engine on the plans. The Porkey's three-spar wing features an undercambered airfoil, balsa-covered oval fuselage, and a pylon with carved balsa fairings for strength and streamlining. This model is on my "someday" list—along with Ray Mathews' Crowbar 56 PAA-Loader, Jim Saftig's Super Duper Zilch CL Stunter, and approximately a dozen others. I wonder if they'll have a model workshop at the "Sunshine Rest Home."
Memories of Cubs, Champs, and changing times
Many years ago I flew models at a city park near a municipal airport in southern New Jersey. Every few minutes a full-scale J-3 Cub or Aeronca Champ would pass low overhead on final approach to the main runway. Sometimes it was an Ercoupe or a Bellanca, but it was mostly those ubiquitous yellow J-3s. It seems hard to believe now, but we hardly glanced up: "just another Cub." We thought they’d be around forever—just like the kits on the shelves at our local dealer.
We took it for granted that Megow, Strombecker, Berkeley, F&B, etc. would be there forever. There was nothing to suggest that balsa and tissue would someday be replaced by foam, plastic, and miniature electronics, completely transforming the hobby as we knew it—much the same as the Cubs and Champs gave way to the "spam cans" that fill our skies now.
Robert S. Smith's Reliant
In 1947 Robert S. Smith (there are many Bob Smiths in this game; this one is from Grand Rapids, Michigan) built a Cleveland Stinson Reliant. Powered with an ignition O&R .60, the 82-inch-span model had a silk-and-dope finish and was flown CL.
In 1999—52 years later—Bob built another Reliant from John Pond plans. "Exactly as the original, with fabricated wing ribs, etc.," he wrote. "Current version has a K&B .65 Sportster, Futaba radio and Coverite 21st Century Fabric. It is quite light for its size and a very stable flier."
That's part of the attraction to the Old-Timer niche: recreating designs that we built in our youth and which may or may not have performed as expected back then.
Rebuilding old favorites
In the past few years I have built and flown a Berkeley Brigadier 58, a Consolidated Guided Star, and numerous other models simply because of the fond memories associated with each design. Sometimes they still didn't perform as well as I would have liked, but that's probably more because of a lack of skills than inherent design flaws. However, some do manage to obtain excellent performance from old designs.
At the Outer Banks of North Carolina—Kitty Hawk, to be exact—there is a gentleman I've had the privilege of knowing for several years. Warren Tiahrt has a foot planted in both modeling worlds: modern and old-time. He is a many-time event director for CL Stunt at the AMA Nationals, yet is an active enthusiast of the Old-Timer event.
At one of the earlier VSCs he brought an absolutely gorgeous, all-orange Stunt Rocket: a Walt Musciano design from 1951. If memory serves, it won the "Best Appearing" award. (If not, it should have.) Last year Warren built a Di-Doe, which is the 28-inch-span, profile-fuselage CL biplane design by Howard Thombs that won the Novelty Stunt event at the 1949 Nationals. The design was kitted in the 1950s but never achieved popularity. Featuring a whopping 10° engine offset, it is a capable stunter when flown, uh, briskly. Warren's version is finished with clear dope over white and orange silkspan and is pulled by an O.S. .15.
Letter from an anonymous longtime modeler
I received a letter from a longtime modeler who feels that technical advancements have all but ruined the hobby—at least from his viewpoint. For reasons that should become obvious, he did not want his name revealed. He has won numerous awards, including a contest at Nationals, and is widely recognized as being someone who knows what he's talking about. Though he wanted to remain anonymous, he did ask that I share his thoughts with readers. Following are the highlights.
It saddens me to see what has become of what was once our hobby. Thanks to high-priced gadgets, expensive engines and other components, a popular pastime for many is now dominated by just a few. Very few in the hobby today honor the "build-it-yourself" rule, and it seems like success is directly proportional to how much money one can spend. Every time a new "Beginner" event appears, it isn't long before the experts are there, setting standards unreachable by the average modeler.
Whatever happened to the days when a youngster could build a flyable model for just a few dollars? Even us old-timers would appreciate a return to a time when you didn't need a truckload of cash to participate. I have become so disillusioned with the current state of affairs that I am seriously considering selling everything and taking up golf.
That's pretty extreme, but if my small sample is any indication quite a few others share that view. Those of us who are attracted to materials, methods, and performance of the 1920s through the 1940s are in the minority. As we continue to age, that situation is only going to worsen. The hobby has changed. Many people in today's fast-paced society prefer to buy, rather than build, their models, and there is ample evidence that sport fliers far outnumber those of us who enjoy competition.
There is no rule saying that those who enjoy doing things the old way must change. No one is forcing us to build or fly anything we don't want to. I have friends who build state-of-the-art CL stunt models powered by engines that are strong enough to cover my grocery bill for a month. That's how they're going to enjoy the hobby, whereas I prefer building obsolete designs using traditional materials. While I think the other people are quite talented, they think I'm a reactionary nutcase. The point is that we get along fine. It's only a hobby.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
