GROWING UP WITH AIRPLANES
By Tim Bailiff | casurfish@aol.com
BACK IN THE DAY, growing up was much different than it is now. There weren’t as many people and life was much simpler—high-tech, it was not. The TV was our main form of entertainment, but that was generally reserved for the evening. During the day, if I was not in school, my mom would usher me out the door saying something like, “Go play and come home when the streetlights turn on.” There was never any fear of danger because I was constantly surrounded by friends and family. I always felt protected and safe. Life was good.
My Flying Family
As I frequently say, I feel very blessed to have been born into a kind and loving family. I was also fortunate to have grown up in a family that loved flying. My dad was a private pilot and my older brother, Dan, was to become a pilot for United Airlines. I always looked up to both of them, but it was Dan who influenced my aeromodeling the most.
One of my first recollections of my big brother was of him running in the front yard, test-gliding one of his model airplanes. It seemed that he was always working on something that flew. Naturally, I grew to love model airplanes as well. Even as we grew older, we would take time out of our busy schedules to build and fly model airplanes together. Those were wonderful times, and what fun we both had.
However, my brother and I weren’t the only kids influenced by things that flew. You see, the love of flying extended to our neighbors as well. For the longest time, our housing tract was the last development in East Riverside, California. Orange trees surrounded us, and only March Air Force Base lay some miles beyond us further to the east.
Many of our neighbors were Air Force families. Some of them were private pilots too, and just like my father, they owned their own airplanes as well. As might be expected, most of us neighborhood kids were into model airplanes. Whether it was Free Flight, Control Line (CL), or later RC, somebody was always flying something. We flew everything from simple slide-together gliders to more complicated kit-built, gas-engine airplanes. We all had the best time, and it seemed that the flying fun never ended.
Christmas
Of course, Christmastime was extra special. Santa Claus always knew exactly what I wanted: airplanes! Each year, Santa filled my stocking with 5¢ and 10¢ gliders, as well as rubber band airplanes. Under the tree were beautifully wrapped gifts, often containing model airplane kits. If I had been particularly good, Santa would leave me a ready-to-fly CL airplane. The anticipation was almost unbearable! Some of my most cherished memories are of sitting by the Christmas tree, unwrapping those wonderful gifts.
For all of us kids, even more fun was yet to come because the days following Christmas were vacation days! My buddies and I would gather at a local school yard to show off and fly our treasures. Gliders were tossed, rubber band-powered airplanes were launched, and for those lucky kids who had received ready-to-fly CL models, it was a time for maiden flights.
Although no longer in production, in those days, the Cox PT-19 was the airplane most often used for fledgling pilots. You see, it was cleverly designed to come apart if it crashed. I’m not too proud to admit, but mine came apart many times! For the more seasoned pilots, the little Cox Mini-Stunt was one of the local favorites. Not to be forgotten were the ever-popular warbirds as well. That said, regardless of the brand or model, what we all shared was our love of flying.
For those of us who received kits, well, we eagerly began building. We worked diligently because we knew our efforts would soon be rewarded, and, sure enough, in just a few days, we’d find ourselves standing in the center of our makeshift CL flying circle. Then, with our airplane engines screaming and our hearts pounding, each one of us proud pilots would take turns flying our newly constructed aircraft. If we felt confident enough in our buddies’ flying abilities, we would even offer them a turn as well.
Most of the time, our flights were fun and exciting; however, there were those occasional mishaps. Sad was the fellow who had to carry his model home in pieces. But even at a young age, we understood: It was all just a part of aeromodeling. Soon
From then on, other than girls, RC consumed most of my free time.
On my 14th birthday, I received my first RC model kit: a Tri-Squire. Of course, I had to build it first and I could hardly wait to get it in the air. The radio system I started with was a Controlaire Galloping Ghost. Taking my dad’s advice, I also joined a local RC club named the March Hares. With its help, I became a successful RC pilot. I was hooked and, as they say, the rest is history.
Extremely Fortunate
Yes, things were different back then. Life was simpler. Schoolyard flying was simpler. However, I must admit that kids these days are extremely fortunate. Why? Because RC gear is way, way better! Although I really enjoyed the airplanes of my youth, I can’t say enough about the reliability, availability, and just general quality of today’s model airplanes and equipment. That said, I can’t wait to see what aeromodeling has in store for us in the future.
enough, the damaged airplanes were rebuilt, and the grounded pilots were again ready to rejoin the squadron and take to the sky.
RC Airplanes and Girls
During junior high school, I developed a few new interests. I had become vice president of the model airplane club and was a hardcore CL guy. I took great pride in being considered one of the better CL pilots. I was also known for my original designs. Then, out of the blue, I became aware of two things: RC airplanes and girls!
So, until next time, my friends, stay safe, stay well, and keep flying. Fun stuff …
Sources:
Cox Model Engine
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cox_model_engine
National Model Aviation Museum Digital Collections
modelaircraft.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/0DA97221-142E-4B72-BEE2-919118121629
