Even during the busiest times of my life I have endeavored to maintain some
form of model building activity. This site has been created to help me chronicle
my journey through a lifelong involvement in model aviation, which
all began in Mayo, MD
...
All trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other rights of ownership to images
and text used on the Airplanes and Rockets website are hereby acknowledged.
Radio controlled aircraft were
really still in their infancy in 1953. Many R/C transmitters, receivers - all vacuum
tube circuits - were beginning to appear in hobby magazines, but other than operating
in FCC-designated frequency bands, there was not much in the way of standardization
in modulation schemes. Therefore, intercompatibility between brands - or even between
model types within a brand - was not guaranteed. The names you see mentioned here -
Hal deBolt, Walt Good, Howard McEntee, Claude McCullough - were for a long time the
most prominent figures in the field of radio control. They were truly the pioneers
who took the arrows for those of us who enjoy nearly interference-free and
failure-free radio systems with which to confidently guide our masterpieces skyward
and back again to terra firma.
R/C at the Nationals
Air Trails Radio Control Models
The rains came and how the wind did blow - last day at the National
R/C event. Walt Good, left, with "Wag"; McEntee in cap, slicker.
"This just proves what I've been telling the boys," said director deBolt at the conclusion
of the R/C competition at Willow Grove. "If you know what you're doing you can still
win with rudder control only." His words were backed up by the performances of 1st placer
Port who racked up the highest score on the stunt pattern - 70 points, and Richard C.
Allen of Dayton, Ohio, 3rd place flyer with rudder only who made the greatest number
of precision pattern points - 57. Allen tied with "Doc" Good who used a single channel
tone control rig operating only the rudder.
In spectator interest among both casual visitors to the Naval base and other contestants
radio outdrew all other categories. The number of autos present equaled those at the
combined free flight sites; this was the case day after day. Entries numbered 141, with
40 piling in during the final week end. About 10 multi-channel systems were present,
the remainder being rudder only or rudder plus one other control on one channel.
When activity lagged, event director Harold deBolt would whip out
a Live Wire and stir things up a bit. Pop deBolt at right assisted.
Dark Horse Jack Port from Fairborn, Ohio, with his original-design
ship which won with "rudder only," 7 points ahead. of Harold Bonner.
Claude McCullough with his "Wizard of Ah's," drastically changed from
last year. Farmer Mac hadn't flown ship since 1952 Los Alamitos meet.
