Author: Pat Tritle

Edition: Model Aviation - 2026/04
Page Numbers: 46, 47, 48
Small-Field Flying

Guillow’s Celebrates 100 Years

By Pat Tritle patscustommodels@gmail.com

NC38622 was Pat Tritle’s dad’s first Piper J-3 Cub, and the one in which Pat got his first airplane ride at around age five. There’s a good chance that the Cub is still airworthy today.

Small-Field Flying

When it comes to flying model airplanes, this winter has been the best I’ve seen in a long time. Mornings have been in the 40s and afternoons near 70, with clear skies and nearly calm winds—it just doesn’t get any better than that. All told, this has been the best winter for flying that I can remember in several years.

The best part has been that we can fly RC early, and then, when the breeze lulls mid-morning, finish out the day with Free Flight (FF). If there’s a downside, it’s that all of the outdoor fun cuts in on the typical winter “bench time,” but that’s okay; there’s still plenty of time to keep those winter projects moving in a positive direction.

Happy Anniversary, Guillow’s!

While all of that is going on, let’s not forget that this is the 100th anniversary of the Paul K. Guillow Inc. company. Guillow’s has provided balsa model kits that have shaped many young modelers throughout the years and continues to do so today. The company has kits for simple gliders up to, and including, both Scale and nonscale rubber FF models that also convert well to both Control Line (CL) and RC. In keeping with the times, many of the older die-cut kits have also been updated to laser-cut parts to make them easier to build.

Just for fun, take the nostalgia trip and build a Guillow’s kit—maybe one that you built as a kid? Maybe you could even convert it to electric RC, but even if you build it simply for display, it will be a fun and rewarding project.

N-Number Nostalgia

While I’m on the subject of nostalgia, having built models of all three of my dad’s full-scale airplanes throughout the years, I looked up the registration numbers from his 1941 Piper J-3 Cub, 1946 J-3 Cub, and 1946 Luscombe 8E Deluxe airplanes, just to see whether they were still active. It turns out that both Cubs are still listed, although the Luscombe was badly damaged in a forced landing in 1965, so it’s perhaps no longer airworthy.

The 1941 J-3, N-number NC38622, was photographed arriving at the EAA Cracker Fly-In at the Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville, Georgia. The photo was taken in July 2014, so I wouldn’t be surprised to find that the old Cub is still flying.

What’s on Tap From Readers This Month?

This time around, we have some beautiful airplanes that were sent in by some terrific modelers, plus a special treat at the end.

First up is Gary Brown’s 44-inch wingspan Spitfire Mk 1. The model was built from enlarged plans in a Model Builder magazine publication titled Flying Scale Models of WWII.

The original plans were enlarged and marked up for RC with a .15 glow engine. The model was ultimately completed with electric power and set up with E-flite 10- to 15-size retracts and finally flown in the fall of 2025. The test flights went flawlessly, and since then, the model has logged more than 56 flights. Gary didn’t mention what covering was used, but the finish, including all of the markings, are hand-painted.

Next up in the realm of small-field models is the Dumas Ercoupe from Jeff Fozard. The kit was built basically stock but with the addition of a steerable nose wheel and a mount that was fabricated for modern brushless power.

Jeff’s Ercoupe is set up with an E-flite 250 motor, 10-amp ESC, a 7 x 3.5 propeller, and a 450 mAh 2S battery. The model is covered with Doculam and painted using Dupli-Color lacquer. The trim color is Dupli-Color Metalcast Sapphire translucent paint. The windscreen was made from a 2-liter soda bottle, with lots of detail added in the cockpit. The hubcaps are made from milk jug seals. Additional scale details round out this beautifully built model.

Michael Myers has become a “household name,” and he is one of the most prolific modelers I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. This time, Michael has completed his four-channel RC, 55.5-inch wingspan Curtiss Robin that was built from upscaled Flyline kit plans.

The model is covered in Polyspan and dope. The wings are Lemon Yellow and the orange is a mix of Cub Yellow and Insignia Red. The model is powered with a GForce E480 motor and a 3S 1,300 mAh battery.

One prominent feature of the Robin is the articulating landing gear, which goes a long way toward smoothing out the landings. All-up, the Robin tips the scales at 30 ounces, and after a bit of minor tweaking, it turned out to be a superb flyer.

Last but certainly not least is the pleasure of flying FF with a legend in the hobby, none other than Dave Thornburg. Dave is the author of 48 consecutive columns in Model Builder magazine, as well as two great books, Old Buzzard’s Soaring Book and Do You Speak Model Airplane?. Dave has also designed a number of FF and RC models and held the record for Class A RC Soaring Duration in 1997.

The best part is that Dave lives here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and I have the privilege of flying FF with him often. It’s nothing serious these days; we just enjoy winding rubber and chasing simple models. When the flying is done, we swap stories from years past of flying not only RC but FF and CL too. Dave is a wealth of modeling knowledge and a great guy to boot. He never lacks for a good story from some 70-odd years of modeling.

Gary Brown built his Spitfire Mk 1 from enlarged Model Builder plans. The RC conversion is electric powered with retractable landing gear from E-flite.
Gary Brown built his Spitfire Mk 1 from enlarged Model Builder plans. The RC conversion is electric powered with retractable landing gear from E-flite.
You have to look closely to see that Jeff Fozard’s Ercoupe is actually a model. It appears right at home on the ramp in front of the hangar and ready for takeoff.
You have to look closely to see that Jeff Fozard’s Ercoupe is actually a model. It appears right at home on the ramp in front of the hangar and ready for takeoff.

That’s going to just about do it for now, but not to worry; I’ll be back. First, a great big thank you and well done to Gary, Jeff, and Michael for some beautifully built models, as well as to Dave for his friendship and camaraderie and for sharing years of modeling experience that can only be gained by being there.

Until next time, keep the sawdust flying and the photos flowing my way. I love to see what you’re building.

Column Name > figure 3
Michael Myers has done himself proud again with his upscaled Curtiss Robin that was built from enlarged Flyline plans. It was converted to electric power and four-channel RC.
Michael Myers has done himself proud again with his upscaled Curtiss Robin that was built from enlarged Flyline plans. It was converted to electric power and four-channel RC.

Photo captions

Dave Thornburg is still up and running and loves to fly simple FF models with the group of FFers in Albuquerque, N.M.

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