There were plenty of colorful WWI models in the early days of the Rhinebeck WWI Jamborees. An Albatros (above left) was flown by Lou Perretti to third place in scale at Rhinebeck. John Rohrback (above right) with his VK Nieuport 17 at Rhinebeck. WWI planes are very colorful with unique squadron paint
schemes. The author’s winning Nieuport 27 (below, at left) with the special trophy won at the first Rhinebeck WWI Jamboree. This photo was taken at the VR/CS Celebration of RC at Muncie in 2009 where the Nieuport flew its last flight before going to the Glenn Curtiss Museum.
Multi Servo. It was a reed servo package containing four servos for relayless opera- tion. The elevator servo was equipped with an overdrive feature so that when rudder and elevator were simultaneously operated the elevator pulled up more thereby permit- ting a good spin control. This unit listed for $89.98. World Engines also advertised the Controlaire $109.95.
Galloping Ghost Combo for
DP-3 on the newly approved 72–75 mc fre- quencies. The DP-3 (27 mc) system complete listed at $274. And the DP-372 (72–75 mc) system listed at $299.95.
In September 1967 Carl Goldberg began advertising the company’s new Skylane 62 semi-scale kit for $21.95 and their new Shoestring Goodyear Racer kit for $19.95. Goldberg ads also included their Sr. Falcon for $22.95, their Falcon 56 for $11.95 and their Jr. Falcon for $4.95. Sullivan adver- tised their Jr. Skylark and Skylark 56 as the “World’s First Single or Twin Engine R/C Models”.
Su-Pr-Line Products introduced the Ny- rod, the flexible pushrod. This piece of hard- ware gave many pilots grief when the length of the pushrod would change with tempera- ture changes. Sullivan Products quickly in- troduced their Gold ’N Rods which mini- mized the effect of temperature changes. There were new radios coming to the market place every month and here are a few that were found in my September 1967 magazines.
Micro Avionics of Ontario, California ad- vertised their DS 400 (4-channel dual stick) and their SS 400 (single stick 4-channel) for $419.95. Their 6-channel versions sold for $449.95. These systems included transmit- ter, receiver, four servos, switch and batter- ies. Micro Avionics also introduced their MS 200 with three servos as a self contained compact receiver/servo waterproof unit for boaters. A new radio system, the Uni-Tron- ics Mustang 200 was reviewed in the Sep- tember 1967 issue of RCM as the newest en- try in the pulse proportional field. The system shipped with Rand actuators. World Engines advertised the new O.S.
FLYING MODELS
W.S. Deans Co. advertised their 4- and 8- channel digital system on either 72 mc or 52 mc. The 4-channel unit could be converted to 8 channels. The 4-channel system sold for $395.00 and the 8-channel system sold for $475.00. The factory conversion cost was $100.
Hallco Products, Inc. advertised their Model 103 Simple Proportional that sold for $134.50 with receiver, battery and actuator but without the transmitter battery. The ac- tuator, which was the Rand LR-3, was mounted directly on the receiver board. Their ad stated that this radio would bring multi-servo reliability to the Galloping Ghost proportional field.
EK Products advertised “The New Stan- dard of Reliability” Logictrol 5 proportional control system that could be expanded to 7 channels and was available in single or dual stick. Cannon Electronics, Inc., makers of some of the smallest radios and servos, in- troduced their Queen Bee 521, a 2-ounce single-channel superhet receiver that was available as a built-up for $32.50 or kit for $27.50. It was available for 3V, 3.6V or 4.8V operation and was ideal for Galloping Ghost. Associated Hobby Manufacturers adver- tised what I think was one of the earliest “Ready-To-Fly” planes. The $69.95 Cessna 210 had a 30-inch wing span and was an ex- panded foam model that was completely as- sembled. It included a Cox Babe Bee .02 for power and the plane was available in kit form for $14.95.
So much was happening back in 1967 and those late years of the ’60s that they were of- ten referred to as the “radio of the month” years. Manufacturers were learning how to use transistors to improve reliability and make smaller systems. Compare the prices with today’s radio prices and it is obvious that we are getting a lot for our buck today.
How many of you know what Galloping Ghost meant or why some advertisements highlighted “superhet” design? References to “digital” and “proportional” design are taken for granted today. How many manu- facturers supply their radios in kit form to- day? We have great value and reliability with today’s radios but it is still fun to play with those older radios which bring back many memories to me, both good and not so good.
I hope all of you had a very enjoyable hol-
iday season and are now ready to build a new vintage plane or dust off an older plane in your workshop or attic. Plan to take a vin- tage plane to one of the Vintage RC Society’s events in 2013. Check the VR/CS web site at
www.vintagercsociety.org for an event near you. You will enjoy the fun and fellowship that these events afford. I think I will recov- er a LiveWire Trainer or a LiveWire Cruiser for my winter project.
Readers write
From Bill Mitch, Hebron, Indiana: “Got my FMtoday and of course the first ar- ticle I read was yours. Yes. I can relate to early days of R/C. I started out when I was 14 or 15 in 1951 or 1952. I built a DeBolt LiveWire with a OK Cub .09 on it and I was going to use the 465 equipment. I only had the receiver. But I was out at Tony Grish’s place watching them fly R/C one day and no- ticed that you had to point the transmitter at the plane to control it. Of course later on when I became an amateur radio operator I then understood the use of a dipole antenna. I did not like that and sent my receiver back and got one on 27 mc.
“Then I got a Mac II ground base five watt transmitter on 27.255 mc. All the time I flew that plane I never had a flyaway. When I put a OK Cub .14 on it, it really performed. As long as I peaked the receiver at the begin- ning of the flying day to make up for the B battery gradually being worn down, I never had any trouble with the CS equipment. Oh, forgot. I used a C/S SN escapement in it. I may have told you this stuff before. I don’t remember. I also worked for Tony Grish af- ter I got out of high school for about a year- when he was making the Plasticote props. That’s enough for now.”
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