build light

That single rotor was called Charibdis and looked like this:
http://members.cox.net/arrio2/historic/CHARYBDIS2.PDF

You should build one too!

Here is a video of one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJEoYNE2zN8

Robert

50+AirYears

I remeber Flying Models magazine doing a couple pages about flying Cox models at that Disneyland site. Made me want to get one of their P-40s. Never had the opportunity, though. Had to be satisfied with the Scientific logs and some scratch built jobs from magazine plans. Built about 5 of the Li'l PTs from the 1962 MAN Annual article. In fact, I still have most of that mag, although it's starting to disintegrate into paper dust from age. Very delicate!

Just realized I still have an AJ Firebird NIB kit. Balsa fuse and parts, Ply firewall and bellcrank mount, and a 2-piece molded foam wing.

Monday, I yielded to advancing age and dementia and ordered a Firebaby 2 from American Junior Classics. Hope one of my Cub .049As fits up OK. If the kit comes with the die-cut bellcrank, I hope I can still find my original bellcrank from about 1949 or 50. Still had it a couple years ago. Still had a fin at least 15 years ago.

Wonder if they'll make the stamped aluminum cabanes available so the monoplane can be converted to a Firebaby Bipe. I had one of those, too.

build light

As I recall the AJ Firebird was a really good flyer. I am sorry I never had one but looked at the ad for it many times wondering. There is hardly anything to it.

Robert

50+AirYears

Just have to be carefull not to let dope on the fuse get on the foam wing. Wish I still had my RR-1 for it. Oh, well, maybe a TeeDee .049 with tank mount.

golfpsycho

Been lurking for a couple weeks. Lots of great posts. I started with the Cox plastic models when I was 8 or 9. After tearing up a P-40, and a Stuka, I traded some pidgeons for a crashed Buster. My dad helped me repair it, brought home a new Fox .35, (the engine he used as a teen) and away we went. I built and flew a lot of models until I left home for college. I never learned the pattern, but inside and outside loops, wingovers and inverted flight for the most part satisfied me. After college I moved on to hangliders and sail boats.

Anyways, here it is 35 years later and my parents found and sent my old engines to me. A couple Fox .35's, a .29, 2 McCoy Redheads, a Torpedo .40 and a Stallion .35, an Enya .29 and serveral .049's. Didn't realize I had so many engines. Guess I'm going to start easing back into the hobby cause I ordered an RSM kit last week, and if I still have the patience to put the thing together, I hope to get something in the air soon.

Walt

build light

Excellent news!

Robert

COPO

Seems to be quiet a few people back 30 -35 years ago that were into control line are now returning to it. Great to hear!! The patience I now have compared to when I was a kid is completely opposite. I look at my built kits from that era and cannot believe how much of a hack I was. I have 2 planes under construction currently and am very pleased with the outcome so far. I look foward to getting out of work and being able to have fun with this stuff.

What RSM kit did you get?

golfpsycho

I got the profile P-40. I figured a profile plane would be an easier build, something I wouldn't have a whole bunch of building hours into if I stuff it into the ground right off. But still capable of flying well and completing a few loops and other whoop de doos if I can keep from tripping over my own feet. We'll just have to wait and see. I look forward to learning a lot more from all of you before I actually crank this thing up.

build light

Do take some pictures!

I too had the profille P-40 from Scientific at one time!

Good luck on the maiden!

Robert

COPO

I like the P-40. Looks real nice. I bought a RSM 1/2A kit and just love the laser cut balsa. The plans are little to be desired though. As stated above please take some pics so we can see progress. I am considering getting this kit also, but would like to hear on how good or bad it was to fabricate and how it handles in the air. Good Luck!!

50+AirYears

Maybe I'm entering my second childhood, but I just broke down an purchased an AJ Classics Firebaby II. Only about 40 times the original cost. I'm trying to convince myself that one of my Cob .049As will be adequate, so don't try to fit that 58 year old Cubb .099 to it.

COPO

Good for you 50+AirYears! Keep that second childhood alive as it is so enjoyable.. Back in the day Control line was soo cheap to do. One of the reason I was into that and not R/C. But by todays standards, it isn't so cheap anymore however I am grateful there is still alot of stuff available.

jeffie8696

I had a Testors P40, I thought it was awesome. I flew it until it wouldnt fly no more. I used the engine on my first balsa plane, a profile with solid wing ,flew it until the dog ate it.

limey kenny

13 years old ,regents park london. Keil kraft phantom
with a mills 1.3 diesel.1946.broke it.Built last one 1951
while in the R A F.still have it.

kenny.[8D]

bsteckler

8 years old with a Testors/McCoy Shoestring. Card companies used to award prizes to kids that signed up and went door to door selling greeting cards. Sold enough for the plane and a starting kit.

Greatest memory was that of my Dad's patience. Neither one of us had ever had planes before, and he would walk over to the schoolyard every night after work until I had mastered starting the engine and flying that little plane. Learned so much...glow plugs, fuel, tuning, where the LHS was located, but mostly that my Dad was a very cool guy.

da Rock

13 years old. Cox baby bee on a Scientific "hollow log".

You know how guys talk about learning to fly R/C by themselves. Well, I learned CL all by myself. No lie.

cutaway

Must have been about 8. A Cox PT-19 which was pretty much a bust barely being able to get itself off the ground.

That motor very quickly made its way into a scaled down diamond airfoil thing I designed myself based (very loosely) on Wooten's old Demon which I'd read the mag construction article for. I was fascinated by diamond airfoils at the time. That plane I put hundreds of flights on hand launching it myself in the yard using one of those Cox handles that had the line reel built in that let you spool'em out during flight. It was light, with maybe 120 square inches, and flew amazingly well considering I had no idea at all what I was doing.

JohnBuckner

My Feedback: (1)

Eight years old 1953, Did most of the Scientific hollow logs for several years with two Spitzy .045's Still have those two engines.

John

downunder

I would have been about 13 or 14 from memory (it was a long time ago ) and the model was just a solid wing with a piece of pine for the fuselage laid flat to mount the engine/wing/tailplane on. The engine was an ETA 29 that I had to re-ring before I could use it. Two of my friends from school started at the same time with the same kind of trainer, one used a RR McCoy 29 and the other used a Dooling 29. Those were the days .

kruegz

I loved my Cox PT-19 that I learned on (I was about 12). Eventually I broke the wing. A friend gave me another wing. He had put a bunch of clay under the right wingtip to increase line tension. I assumed he knew what he was doing and kept it on there. Probably a bad idea considering how underpowered it was.

Anyway, once I had the brilliant idea to fly it at night. I rigged up a tiny model-railroad type light to one or two AA cells. I had the light sticking out of the cockpit. I realized that a single light would not enable me to determine the plane's attitude, but I figured the light plus the glow of the engine's exhaust port would provide me with the two points needed to "determine a line" and thus the plane's attitude.

I have fond memories of riding my ten-speed with the generator light up to the high school track where I flew. Got the thing started OK by the light of a flashlight. When it came time to fly, the thing barely made it off the ground, despite traveling for 3/5 of a circle. The combined weight of the clay and the battery was just too much. And it turned out I was wrong about being able to see the glow of the exhaust port, so I was left with a single point of light flying around with no way to determine attitude. Once it the air, the plane just flew slower and slower, forcing me to feed in more and more up-elevator. I knew I was getting into a high angle of attack, and that I should be trying to pick up speed and lowering the angle of attack, but I just couldn't do it. The plane eventually got so slow it contacted the ground with the engine still running. No damage, but that was the end of that experiment.

I should note that this was before I learned to tow a controlline plane. At that time I considered towing "cheating". The PT-19 had enough wing area it would actually glide very well once the engine failed, so I never needed to tow it. The first time I flew my Testors Zero (which had a third the wing area of the PT-19), when the engine ran out of fuel and quit the plane just fell out of the sky. I learned to tow the Testors planes just so I could avoid these embarrassing "not so much fly as plummet" occurrences.

EF

At the age of 11, I built my first CL model, after building a few simple gliders.

It was a Spectre, designed by Dave Platt, which I scratch built with a profile fuselage since the built up fuselage was beyond my ability...

It flew very well, and was also my first powered model ever.

kdheath

I was eight (McCoy 19 onn a Guillow Trainer II) and my son (now 13) was 6 or7, on a home brew 1/2 model. The youngest kid I ever saw osoloing was only four, so you nevber know...Keep your booy in contact and let you kneow he's ready.

Ralph78

I flew my first control line plane when I was 12, I bought a used O & R 23 Ignition engine, a real pain to start and keep running. I would go to the school yard on a Saturday Morning, mess with the @#&*#@ Ignition engine for 4 to 6 hours, get one or two level flights on an old high wing plane with a 40 in. wing span, that could be built as a FF or C/L. After two or three months, I traded the O & R ignition engine for an O & R 23 GLOW engine. Then I would go to the school yard on a Saturday Morning, fly 5 or 6 times in two hours. NEVER OWNED ANOTHER IGNITION ENGINE, AND NEVER WILL.

As my dad was not interested in models, and I had no one to work with, I had to teach my self to build, repair the models, and care for the engine, including repairing crash damage. I also had to teach my self to fly, as I am left handed and no one wanted to try to help me. (Same problem when I started flying RC) I flew off the grass on the football field, so usually did not damage the plane very badly when I crashed. Eventually we had a little group of 5 or 6 that would fly on a regular basis. I never did like the little .049 engines, so did not get around to flying the .049 size plane until many years later

Ralph

jeffie8696

You Guys..... ya made me go out and buy a Sig Staggerwing (awesome kit) and started flying it with a little Baby Bee. Love it.

build light

Just out of curiosity, where did you get the Staggerwing from? !t is available from a number of sources.
Not a bad price either. Did you get a good look at the decals? Very sharp and would be difficult to reproduce with the metallic in it. For what you get in that box it is well worth the money to be sure. I might also add it is a great looking plane by any standard and lots cheaper than most of the older kits on $bay.

Pictures of yours please?

Robert