My dad built and flew Control Line planes as a kid, probably in the late 1940s, early 1950s. I vaguely remember him flying one time when I was maybe 3 or 4, but never again.
Fast forward 10 years to 1971. I was approximately 13 years old. One Saturday morning, Dad told me that we had a special project for that day. He got down a large box from the attic and opened it up. It was that plane that he last flew 10 years earlier. He had crashed it and just boxed it up. It was a P-51 Mustang with a Fox 29 engine.
We tore the plane apart and harvested all the hardware. Dad then got a large piece of paper and drew up plans for a Control Line plane with a silhouette fuselage. He then made a bill of materials, gave me $10, and sent me down to the local hobby store to buy everything. We built the plane together over the next several days. The best part for me was using his Fox 29.
We went to the local elementary school, and Dad did the maiden flight. He even used his Jim Walker U-Reely (which I still have and use to this day). The plane took off and flew with no issues. Dad then decided to do a loop, but did not have enough altitude and crashed. The fuselage snapped in two. We took the plane home and rebuilt it, this time with a plywood fuselage instead of balsa. I actually don’t remember my first flight, but the rest is history.
For the next several years, I built and flew a number of different planes, including several Voodoo’s and a Smoothie (I still have that Smoothie in my basement). The two kids next door and one friend across the street all got into it. We flew all kinds of planes, including Free Flight. As we got older and got jobs and had some money, we all got into Radio Control.
I went off to college and continued to build and fly in my spare time. I built my first Gentle Lady with a Cox TD 0.049 up front. When I first got married and moved to a new town, I got in with a group of guys that did gliders. We all joined the League of Silent Flight, and I earned my Level 1. We then got into ½ Combat. That was a lot of fun.
Then, kids came, and time in the hobby basically came to a halt. When my kids were about 10 or so, I would take them flying, both Control Line and Radio Control (with my Falcon 56). But neither really had much interest, so the hobby was shelved.
Fast forward to about 2020. I had not flown in probably 20 years. My son was now married and had two small kids. He asked me to get back into the hobby. So…I did with both feet. I rejoined AMA and read up on all the new technology (electrics). I then found a local club and joined. During my first visit to the field, I happened to meet with one of the club trainers. He asked if I wanted to fly one of the club trainers on a buddy box. I said, "Sure." He asked me if I wanted to fly with SAFE. I had no idea what it was.
He explained it to me. I said, "Oh, like training wheels." He laughed. I said, "No thanks." He then explained that I would not be able to take off or land. I said I understood. He took off and gave me control. I flew around and started making some landing approaches. Next time around, he told me that if I was going to land, I needed to reduce the throttle. So, I did and landed successfully. I asked him why he let me land. He said it looked like I knew what I was doing. I swear it’s like riding a bike. It comes back really quickly.
Fast forward again to today (2025), and I am now the Secretary/Treasurer of the Cobb County Radio Control Modelers. We have over 200 members. I have had my entire family at the field and flying on my buddy box, including both of my grandkids. I intend to keep flying as long as I’m physically able and continue to contribute to the hobby.
My dad was a mechanical engineer. Thus, his ability to design and build. Guess what I became….you guessed it, a mechanical engineer. Designing and building a plane from scratch, including a bill of materials, kind of sealed the deal for me. That’s what I did for my entire career.
All I can say is, "Thank you, Dad."
