Old-Timers
Mike Keville, 6218 E. Evergreen St., Mesa AZ 85205; E-mail: jkexville@extremezone.com
AS WE GROW older it seems that we can recall events from decades past with crystal clarity, yet we can't seem to remember what happened last Monday. I can "see" modeling events from 50 years ago as if they occurred yesterday, but I have no memory whatsoever of being asked to take out the trash 10 minutes ago.
The older I get, the more often this happens. Long-dormant images, recessed in hidden corners of my mind, suddenly appear in a kaleidoscopic image of color and sound. City Boys and Fubars roar skyward, McCoy .60s howl at the Speed circle, the weather is a perfect 75°, breezes are calm, and the Nationals (Nats) will arrive at Willow Grove (PA) in two weeks.
(Am I a few amps short of a full charge? Doubtful. Others have expressed similar thoughts—and I have the letters to prove it.)
Of course, memories are often sweeter than reality. They tend to get better each time they're relived, which is pretty close to the truth about why I wanted to write this column in the first place—not as an expert on Old-Timers (OT), which I am not, but as one who enjoys them because of the associated memories.
Because of Model Aviation's production schedule, you're reading this sometime in March or April although I drafted it just after Christmas. At that time I was looking forward to attending January's Southwest Regionals in Eloy, Arizona. Since the column had to be submitted prior to that gathering, I can't tell you anything about it except that a full slate of OT and contemporary events was planned, including rise-off-water (ROW).
That's what got my attention because I always liked the action at the ROW pond, especially at the AMA Nationals. Remember when contestants would line up at the edge of the pond for their turn with everything from 1/2As to Class D giants?
For some unknown (at least to me) reason, ROW disappeared from the Nats scene and is rarely seen today except for at Radio Control (RC) fun-flys.
Granted, the "sled"-type floats used on Free Flight (FF) models bore a scant resemblance to full-scale pontoons. Ditto for the takeoff runs. Notwithstanding all that, the rules required that the floats support the model unassisted for a specified time in order to qualify for the event. Under power, assuming all went well, models would leap off the water and enter their climb.
With power off the glides were often, shall we say, "aberrant" because of the added drag of the floats. The hilarious part (to everyone but the contestants) was when a "dud" hit the water or when a model supported a wingtip high. Heavy dropped finishes were required since ROW models frequently "dunked," and they required a period of drying out before trying again.
Nearly 30 years ago I flew the event from the shoreline at Lake Elsinore, California. It was quite a thrill to watch the models jump off the surface and spiral up in a nice power pattern. The SCIF (Southern California Ignition Flyers) used to sponsor O.O.O.T ROW events there. I built a little TD .020 Strato Streak for the event. It leaped off the water's surface, and although it glided about as well as a bowling ball, I managed to win or place a couple of times.
All in all, it was a good deal of fun for the small man of the time and much interest!
Flushed (no pun intended) with success, I then built a set of floats for an antique Rubber design, a 1931 Feinberg from the pages of the Annual — it was amazing. This didn't turn out exactly the way I'd planned. Thinking it would hop off the surface like the Cub models, I neglected to adequately brace the long, spindly landing gear. Repeated attempts to ROW met with failure — not to mention howls of laughter from the onlookers.
It's nice to see the ROW event being revived — especially here in the Southwest desert.
The "hydro" events also bring up many good memories for me. George Perryman sent me a nice letter regarding his Southern 29. He flew the design in A, B, and C Gas events in the 1946 and 1947 Nats, and he flew an enlarged version with a McCoy .09 for Old-Timers.
Notice that this was in the days before electric starters, he wrote: "I was much braver back then, hand-cranking the mighty Red Head." At the 1950 Dallas Nats, George campaigned a Southern 29 in ROW. He didn't say how it performed, but it must have been quite successful if it equaled his usual standards.
More items: If you're like most of us, you have a collection of plans that far exceed the time required to build them all. We'd have to live 200 years to build half of them, but we keep collecting them anyway.
Among the better are two very nice full-size blackline plans from Charles F. Schultz: a 1939 Berkeley Musketeer .54 and an Earl Stahl Stinson 0-49 including a copy of the July 1941 "Air Trails" Test article.
Charles has an extensive collection of plans from the 1930s through the 1950s, including designs by Megow, Comet, Peerless, Owat, an extensive array of Stahl plans, and— you get the idea. He also offers several Control Line (CL) and die-cast model plans.
To receive list No. 14, send a dollar bill and a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) to Charles F. Schultz, 910 Broadfields Dr., Louisville KY 40207. Tell him where you read about it.
As OOT (Old-Timers) fanciers, probably everyone seems to agree that everyone sells plans or kits of Old-Timers at American Senior. Fran Paszkiewicz has plans for all of Hal's DIMECO kit designs. These are small reproductions of the original kit plans and are authorized by Hal. Included are CL Stunt, Speed, and Sport RC designs such as the Live Wire series, the Viscount, the Sonic Cruiser, and even a couple of FF designs.
Fran has long been a key source for die-cut plans. Approximately 15 years ago I ordered copies of the Sportwing and the AA Senior from him and can attest that they're the genuine article. To receive the list, send an SASE with two stamps to Fran Paszkiewicz, 28 Marlee Dr., Tonawanda NY 14150-4821.
Something I dislike: I admire the publication of the Society of Antique Modelers, Bob O'Brien wrote that participation in OOT Rubber Scale has dwindled for one basic reason: the dominance of the Lanz-Roze float, which, as he correctly phrased it, "is more destructive than my old GCI boots but mostly much."
Bob noted that there are "more than 4,000 designs to choose from," but they are rarely seen in scale competition, concluding that "Since you create or redesign your own old time scale model to compete with the Lanzo, it owns the field, to the detriment of the event."
What Bob is leading up to is one type of potential rules change. Before you get too upset about that, consider that we were the original O.O.O.T Rules, FF rules and Old Ruler rules, both of which are extremely popular today.
If you have feelings about the one way or the other, let Bob know at 312 Modesto St., Henderson NV 89014-1610. Tel: (702) 898-4448.
If you are not a SAM member, you should be. Annual dues in the USA and Canada are $18; foreign dues are $30. Join or renew today. Contact Lanny Clark, Box 525, Lucerne Valley CA 92356.
I'm seeking anyone who remembers the H-Way/Golden Gate clubs. H-Way existed N. 1930–1959, and particularly anyone who attended its midwinter "Polar Bear" meets.
Thanks for all your letters and E-mail. Although I often don't have the answers, I try to direct writers to the proper source. Please remember that when requesting a reply by mail, a SASE will help speed things along.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
