VintageViews I
t looks like I haven’t written about our sport as it was in the early ’50s. My first Vintage Views column, published in the April 2007 issue, reflected on the
year I started in this great hobby, 1952. How about taking a look at what was going on just prior to my getting involved while I was still in high school? The 1950 AMA Nationals were held at the
U. S. Naval Air Station, Dallas, Texas. The sponsors were the Exchange Club of Dallas and the U. S. Navy. There was only one class of radio control competition in that year and it was won by Gene Foxworthy flying his rudder only plane with one of the Citizen- Ship 465 mc radios. R/C enthusiasts had long wanted a “li-
cense free” band and in mid-1949 the FCC opened the “Citizens Band” for plain citizens and model airplane builders and flyers. So Vern MacNabb began to market his Citizen- Ship Class B R/C system by his company, Vernon MacNabb Co. in Indianapolis, IN. Vern had been producing his Citizen-Ship “27” radios for a few years. Class B stations were limited to 10 watts on 462-468 mc. While this band was really not license
free, there was no test required, only the FCC Form 505 submitted by any U.S citizen over the age of eighteen. The station licens- es were issued for five years and were re- newable. Those modelers younger than eighteen could operate a station with the permission of the licensee. As I looked back at a February 1950 FLY-
ING MODELS article, I was amused by some of the questions posed in an article by Walt
PHOTOGRAPHY: BOB NOLL
The Citizen, a rudder only design by Bill Winter, was designed in an attempt at a minimum size airplane that would utilize the heavier, long lasting batteries which commonly are carried by 6-foot and larger planes. It used one of Vern MacNabb’s original 465 test radios.
Good and Gordon Light. Here are a few of those questions and answers: • What is a relay? It is an electro-mag-
netic switch, mounted in the model, which picks up the signal from the receiver and switches on the escapement. • What is an escapement? The escape-
ment is the muscle which puts into action the signal received by the brain. Strands of rubber or a tiny electric motor usually pro-
vide the power for moving the rudder. • How many different controls can be in-
stalled in a model airplane? A single control, using rudder alone, is recommended for the beginner. A dependable rudder control plus good flying technique generally proves su- perior to the more complicated multi-control systems. • What type of model is suitable for radio control?A good, stable, freeflight gassie with
by bob noll You can reach Bob Nollvia e-mail at
bobrc@aol.com
Vernon MacNabb Company’s 465 mc transmitter (above left) was introduced in 1950 as the result of the new band provided by the FCC. Price less batteries
44
was $39.95. The 465 MacNabb receiver (above right) had only one Sylvania 6K4 tube but very large 4F relay. It was priced at $29.95.
APRIL 2012
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68