America
Cradle of Liberty

A.M.A. Member Since 1970
Member Number: 49091


Cuba
Pearl of the Antilles

Radio Control Model Airplane Flight

Before we get to the photos below, I'll give you a condensed narrative of how I became involved in R/C Flying. My affair with things that fly has spanned better than 54 plus years, inevitably leading to my involvement with this great hobby of ours.

My introduction to flying things resulted from watching our maternal grandfather build and fly very elaborate and large Kites when my brother and I were about six or seven years old in our home town of Sagua la Grande, in North Central Cuba. I must state here that our maternal grandfather played a very influential role in our formative years, after my father, he was our role model.

Aero Modeling followed when he gave us both Cox .049 glow-powered Control Line Airplanes. The airplanes Grandpa gave us were plastic ones, mine being a COX Stuka and my brother's a PT-19. They were powered by the ubiquitous Cox .049 "spring start" Glow Engine and are featured below. Before we could get to fly the planes he took the time to instruct us in the importance of safety and were not allowed to mess with the models until we had passed his safety "course". After flying those models there was no going back to kites or rubber powered airplanes. Although we had been exposed to it early enough in life, R/C flight was out of our reach financially, so all we kids could do was to dream about them and keep flying our ukies.

Once in the States, Jose Colon, a very good friend invited me to attend a 'Remote Control' airplane flight demonstration at the Paint Branch Golf Course complex in College Park, not far from the University of Maryland Campus. The sight of a 36" wingspan Sterling Minnie Mambo flying away under the command of its pilot without having any lines attached to it was enough to get me hooked on R/C for good. There was no way of escaping it, I had to get into R/C and get me one of them 'things', period.

My Minnie Mambo was similarly equipped with a single channel Ace Radio and powered by Cox .049 engine, what a thrill it was to be able to 'hand launch' it and be able to fly it by 'remote control'. After the Minnie Mambo, came a similarly equipped and powered Goldberg Junior Falcon, a lovely flying model capable of take off from hard surfaces. Next in line was a Junior Skylark with an O.S. Max .10 R/C engine at the nose controlled by an O.S. Max "PIXIE" Single Channel Radio, an equally thrilling experience since I now had throttle control in addition to rudder (the Pixie was a unique system, on click of the push button gave you full right rudder. Two clicks gave you full left and three clicks in rapid succession made a throttle servo go from full throttle to middle, three more clicks would make it go to the idle position and three more clicks took you back to full throttle! One mistake I made was to purchase a RTF Testors SKYHAWK single channel low winger model in 1969 from Lafayette Radio, what an awful device that thing turned out to be, totally un-flyable. In '71 I purchased better radio gear and flew a Goldberg Falcon 56, a Skylane 62, a Skylark 56 (both single and twin engine versions), a variety of LANIER and DUBRO ARF models which followed in rapid fashion due to my lack of experience at flying more complex R/C planes and radios. I got me a 9' wingspan Bud Nosen Models J-3 in '79, it was powered by a GOLD HEAD OS 60 mounted on the DUBRO belt driven 2 -1 gear reduction unit and swinging a 16X8 propeller. An equally large 8' Giant Stick by the same company with a QUADRA Gasoline engine on its nose closely followed the Nosen Cub. Yep! I was flying Quarter Scale (as it was known in those days) models when Quarter Scale was in its infancy. A J&J Industries Troublemaker Pattern Plane designed by Tony Bonetti & powered by a .61 Webra Black Head engine was used for "pattern" flying. My Troublemaker was equipped with pneumatic retracts. Radios used were one Futaba six channel, three were Kraft Series 70 through 73, and one an O.S. Max Single Stick five channel unit.

I joined DC-RC in '70 and flew from the Columbia, MD field, though occasionally I used the COMSAT and the Fairchild Hiller Flying Sites also. The COMSAT Site was a bit restraining due to very tall trees surrounding the flying area perimeter. I 'flew' a 16 foot wingspan "Sweet 16" FOAMIE (yes again, there were many of us flying styro foam models back in the late '70s) right into one of those airplane hungry trees at COMSAT.

I also joined PG/RC and Charles County Radio Control Clubs, so I had quite a bit of latitude in my choice of flying sites to use, though I mainly flew from the PG/RC Site off Rt. 301 next to Second Genesis in Bowie, MD after the Club had two intersecting 750' paved runways constructed in the mid '70s. I met Bill Hinnant there (PG/RC Club President at the time), Joe Solko, Paul Niner, John Connors (*), Gary Hoorn and quite a few other nice chaps. I used the Charles County R/C grass site quite often too. I flew amphibians from Lake Kettering, MD (conveniently located on the way to PG-RC). What a thrill to see my "GOLDBERG" Skylane 62 or my 7 foot wingspan twin engine scratch built Grumman Widgeon 'get on the step' and take off into the Wild Blue Yonder from that lake. If you've never flown R/C amphibians and have access to a lake or large pond, try it, you'll love it! What an incredible experience it is.

When Montgomery County provided the DC-RC with a site in Rockville, MD, it made it more convenient for me to fly from there as it not only was a nicer field, but also much closer to home (7 miles). The field was moved slightly and 650' intersecting paved runways were added. Two Jiffy-John sanitary facilities were installed, we had running water, electricity and a beautiful hexagonal brick gazebo fitted with a wood burning fireplace to shelter us from the elements. The County had provided another similarly fitted gazebo for the use of Control Line flyers at that site also. Some of the fellows I met at Mt. Trashmore/McMap (the names by which the site was known at the time) are/were Harry Lewis (*) A.K.A. Captain Crunch, Jim Conlan (*), Jim Koutris (*), Fred Diehl (*), Maynard Hill, Ernie Schwartz (*), Greg Skaroupa (*), Harry Varvounis, Ron Bozzonetti, Fred Fisher, Dick Daniels, Sam Kane (*), Harry Grattan, Bill & Paul Savage, Bob Clint, Don Westergren (a good friend of Ernie Schwartz from California), Wayne Simpson (*), Charlie Calvert, Jerry Gott, Bill Keibler (*), Roy Smith and Glen Scillian just to name a few. Of these chaps the ones marked with a (*) have crossed over to the other side. The same applies to the ones below having the same sign behind their names. Ernie Schwartz, my very good friend of 37 years passed away from complications after heart valve replacement on November 10, 2007

Mt. Trashmore/McMap became my flying site of choice until I stopped flying altogether in '83 for personal reasons. Things I missed most after leaving were the DC-RC's special events at Dahlgreen, the Smokey Glen Farm cookouts and the famous DC-RC Auctions. In the end, the gorgeous site in Rockville was lost due to a noise complaint by a well connected neighbor and remained off limits to Model Airplane Flight until 1995, when through the auspices of Roy Smith (proprietor of Suzie Goose Ceramics & Hobby Shop) it was re-opened to Electric Powered Models and Sailplane flight exclusively. In August of '96 I suffered two near fatal heart attacks. One suggestion my Cardiologist made was that I look into the possibility of getting a hobby for therapeutic reasons. When I told him I used to fly R/C models his reply was 'to go for it' again. It took me two years to get back into flying again. In '98 I was made aware that Mt. Trashmore had re opened to Electric Powered Models, it was the incentive I needed to get me flying once more, only this time as an electric model airplane flyer. The Miss 2 pictured below was the first model I was to fly after my 15 year break from this magnificent hobby. The Little Luscombe Park Flyer pictured below and a G/P Fundango were my favorite electric model until I got me a GRAUPNER Funky Chicken, though.

I may point out that the condition of the former paved runways in Rockville is not as good as before, though they are still usable for electric flight. The vast grassy area (over 125 acres) is used for model aircraft and sailplane launch & landings, while the runways are used by Electric Powered model aircraft take off & landings exclusively. There at Mt. Trashmore, I met Barry Drew and his son Jamie, Dereck Woodward (an accomplished EP aerobatic flyer from Great Britain), Irv Hecker, Dan Mintz, Ken Troxell, Don Dotty(*) and countless others who share an interest in Electric R/C Model Plane Flight. Quite an enjoyable group of people to mingle with.

I joined the Freestate Aeromodelers in Laurel, MD in 2000 in order to fly some of my glow powered models, besides FSA is about seven miles closer to home than DC-RC's flying field and getting there involves less traffic on the road to boot. FSA's flying field is very nice and wide open (over 100 acres) with a 550' grass runway, ample pit and parking areas. Most members are friendly and helpful to one another, though as it happens with other R/C aeromodeling organizations, there are those who fly their models recklessly putting everyone's safety and property at risk. Some of the fellows who used to meet there on a regular basis to fly and chew the fat are Jim Barnes, Bill Muser, Richard Liberman, Gene Bean, Roger Thorne, Mike Montemarano (*) (Mike belonged to both the DC-RC and Freestate Aeromodelers), Harry Buit, Ralph Blenker (*), George Edler, Jim Finn, Dan Mintz, Joe Reyner (*), Don Sassaman (Don belongs to CASA also), George Simms, and Mike Nicewonger to mention but a few.

I volunteered to serve as a Safety Officer in 2000 under Keith Klingebiel, and when the he resigned his position due to health reasons, Roger Thorne asked that I take over as Field Marshal, a position where I faithfully served for two years. Safety issues relating to this hobby of ours have always been a serious concern of mine. R/C planes as well as helicopters must be handled with the respect and care they deserve lest we wish to be involved in disastrous accidents caused by fast spinning model plane propellers or helicopters rotors.

Of the models featured here, my pet plane is the Berkeley Astro Hog. I believe it has a lot of character and it is a very classy looking model. Even though it was designed by Fred Dunn in '57 and built from a Berkeley kit back in 1961, its Classic design lines are unquestionably Timeless. The Hog is a plane for All Seasons. Cheers to Fred Dunn for designing such a classic beauty! Following the Astro Hog my next all time favorites is a Goldberg Sr. Falcon. Both of them are joyful models to fly. The Sr. Falcon is capable of real fast and somewhat aerobatic flight and slows down to a crawl for absolutely beautiful three point landings.

As I move ahead, gas powered planes are being left behind as I find electric flight a much re-fined facet of this hobby. Some of the gas powered models here will be going on the "For Sale" block soon, though I intend to keep the Hog and the Falcon.

I do thank you from the bottom of my heart for having stopped by to share a few minutes with me. I hope you come back again often as I hope to add a few more photos of my other models later on. Links to the three R/C Clubs I currently belong to are found at the end of this page.


A Cox PT-19 done in Red, White and Blue. My brother's was the traditional Blue and Yellow scheme

My control line Cox German Stuka

Scan of an ad page in the October 1961 issue of Model Airplane News featuring a Sterling Minnie Mambo like the one that introduced me to R/C flight. The ubiquitous COX .049 engine is visible on its front end. Many thanks to my friend Jim Barnes for having made this magazine available to me

A venerable Oldie, this original Berkeley Astro Hog was built by the late Jim Conlan (*) in 1961 and in my possession since '71 when I purchased from him. The adhesive Jim used to put it together was Ambroid Cement. Also notice how the wing and horizontal stabilizer are held in place by rubber bands. As of April of 2009 she has turned 48, making my Hog one the few original Berkeley Astro Hogs still in flying condition. A majestic sight while in flight, its character is Genuine Vintage Model R/C all the way. This original Astro Hog flies as good today as when it took off on its maiden flight in the Spring of 1962, and just as good a flyer as Fred Dunn's original prototype of 1957!

The Astro Hog and I as featured on the August '80 cover of the DC-RC Newsletter at the Mt. Trashmore flying field on Gude Dr. in Rockville
Guidance for this model at that time was a KRAFT Series 71 Single Stick, six channel radio.
The DC-RC Logo is visible on the left wing panel while PGRC's is on the right one
Photos were taken by the late Harry Lewis (*), A.K.A. Captain Crunch

Left and Middle Centerfold page of the same Newsletter

Opposite Centerfold page of same Newsletter

A 48 year backward step in model aviation history.
This is the original Astro Hog (Kit No. 16-4) box, manufactured by Berkeley Models of West Hempstead, New York. As stated above the Hog was designed by Fred W. Dunn, engineered by Bill Effinger and plans drawn by Don McGovern. The Astro Hog sports a wing span of 72", wing area of 824 sq. in., length of 50", and requires any favorite .40 to .60 size engine. Equally at home with a Veco, Johnson, McCoy, Torpedo, K&B, Merco model airplane engine for radio control flying or any .45 to .99 size engine for control line operation. Mine uses the venerable Anderson Spitfire Series 6100 ignition engine converted to R/C glow operation. Rubber banded horizontal stabilizer is rather obvious in this shot

Harry Lewis (*) A.K.A. Cap'n Crunch in the center flanked by Bill Kiebler (*) to the left and Jay Stargel to the right. Scan from an old photo from Marvin Klein's DC-RC photo collection

Isn't she beautiful? Built in '69 the Sr. Falcon was re-fitted with a brand new BB Super Tigre .40 (Italian Made) in 1998 and she has now become an integral member of my 'Oldies Flying Stable'. Along with the Hog she is one of my All Time Favorites. Needless to say, as it holds true with all Carl Goldberg Models designs, the Sr. Falcon is a magnificent flying machine!

This is the model that got me started in Electric R/C Flight. A Geared (2.33-1) GRAUPNER 7.2 volt Speed 400 Electric Motor powers this Miss 2 by Scorpio Models from Italy; propeller is a GRAUPNER 9X5 Slim Electric. A Jeti 110 ESC provides motor speed control. HITEC HS-81 servos control the rudder and elevator. Juice for this machine is furnished by an eight cell 1100 mah NiCd pack. A great relaxing flying machine that ROG in less than 20 feet. Converted to Li-Poly in 2005

Doug & Ginny Bosworth on a cool Spring Sunday morning (2000) at Konterra Model Airpark in Laurel, MD. Although Doug is featured here with a glow model, he switched to electrics in 2003.
They moved to TN recently and pay a visit to Hobby Lobby quite often. Nice to be 30 minutes away from R/C Heaven, isn't it?

For a change in pace, I accepted George Simms invitation to go for a ride in his BLANIK Sailplane. He keeps this beauty at the Frederick Airport where we went the morning of September 24, 2000. I was about to experience a new thrill in man's quest to imitate bird's flight. Up until that morning I've never been in a full size Sailplane. George's BLANIK is made in Czechoslovakia and has a wingspan of 56 feet. A Piper Pawnee that belongs to the Sailplane Flying Club in Frederick towed us up to 3500'. After being released we lazily flew around until we ran into a thermal and began to go up. I was surprised as to how a thermal stresses the airframe of an ascending sailplane. The creaking noises it was making let it be known she was been pushed around. The whole experience was better than the wildest roller coaster ride I have ever been in my entire life. Up slowly one minute, up very fast the next as well as turning left and right then left again. Once back on Terra Firma I was still riding high. That experience made me realize what those same thermal forces may subject a model Sailplane to. No words can describe the experience of that wild ride

Here is the latest addition to our family of R/C Pilots. Justin at three years old with his first Airplane (this photo was taken in 2000), an electric Piper Cub.
He is five now and ready for bigger models.

At ten now he flies a GWS Slow Stick Trainer. He also practices R/C flight daily on his mom's PC thanks to the "Real Flight Simulator" uncle Santa brought him for Christmas

Having a good time flying the Slow Stick at the CASA R/C Flying Field on Gude Drive in Rockville

This Bulgarian model is called "The Little Luscombe", an ARF Park Flyer. It uses a Fiberglass fuselage, balsa wing and tail feathers covered in Ultracote. A direct drive 7.2 volt GRAUPNER Speed 400 with a 6.3X3 Graupner folding propeller, a 6 cell 1200 NIMH pack powers it. They will be switched to Thunder Power 2100s and to a Castle Creations Pixie 20P will replace the JETI 110 in 2005. This is a rather snappy performer at full speed (30+ MPH). It does very tight loops, while still being a very well behaved model with marvelously gentle stall characteristics. It lands at a walking pace and can be flown from almost anywhere. It even R.O.G. from grass! Flight duration in excess of 20+ minutes at 2/3 throttle is the norm with this system. Total weight ready to fly is just a tad over 16 ounces. Highly recommended. Available through N.E. Sailplanes on the web

A favorite park flyer of mine, the GWS Tiger Moth. Driven by the stock geared 150 motor and swinging a 9X7 propeller, it is powered by a 7.4 volt 800 mAh Li-Poly battery pack. With judicious throttle management flights well in excess of 30 minutes per charge are possible. I take two 800 fully charged packs to the field with me and fly the Moth on and off all day long. The GWS Tiger Moth is a fun flying machine that handles winds up to 7 miles per hour with ease

A gorgeous work of art in RC modeling.
A 57" wingspan "Easy Built Models" DeHavilland DHC-2 Beaver exquisitely assembled and covered in period colors and scheme by Rob Schaffer of Lansdale, PA. I purchased this gorgeous model from him through RCG Sunday 11-18-07. We met halfway between his home and mine to exchange cash for plane. If you think this plane looks good, I can assure you that it flies even better. It is powered by an E-Flite Power 25 spinning a 12X8E APC propeller. E-Flite Dual BEC 40A ESC controls motor speed, although I have bypassed the BEC. Electrons are supplied by a 6A 3S3P Pro-Lite Thunder Power battery pack. Sevos are Hitec HS-81s, RX is a SPEKTRUM AR6200; a 750 mil 4.8V NiCad pack provideS power to the RX and servos.
This Beaver is equipped for banner and sailplane towing or parachute drop

Another shot of the DeHavilland DHC-2 Beaver

The shot that sold me on the DHC-2 and made me drive halfway to Rob's house in Lansdale, PA to get it. He advertised it through the RCG "For Sale" forum.

Want to have some E-Fun? Get one of these, replace the GWS 350 power plant with a G/P T-370 juiced by a three cell FMA Cellpro 910 Li-Po pack and you'll have unlimited vertical and 3D capabilities. The Lady Bug is a riot to fly and 3D with. Take Offs are better described as Leap Offs. Landings are Harrier like!

With my good friend Al Anderson (*) in front of Rick Galvin's Skymaster the morning of September 10, 2002 just before going up for an early flight that day
Al passed away at home the evening of December 22nd 2006

DC-RC's Flying Facilities viewed from the South 1200' up. The foreground tree forest gods demand to be fed an airplane or two on occasion. Photo taken through the right rear window of Rick Galvin's full size Cessna Skymaster II when he took Al and I on a Fly-By the morning of September 10, 2002

Part of the M-W-F Olde Pharte Klub @ DCRC in Boyds, MD. From left to right are Nir Schweizer, yours truly, Randy Smith, Dave Littleton, Terrence Lamb, Bill Garner and Al Anderson (*). Taken early the morning of April 7, 2005

Another Sailplane, this one is a Bulgarian made ARF, the Omega 1.8 sold by N.E. Sailplanes

A Blucor Fan Fold Foam version of the venerable I.F.O. powered with a Great Planes 370 geared motor. Rather aerobatic and very good at 3D flight

Isn't it real looking? This shot was taken by Mike Nicewonger while I was bringing it in on final approach. Were it not for the antenna hanging from its tail, one would believe Bill's Stinson Voyager (kitted by DARE) is a full sized aircraft coming in for a landing. This photo was taken against rather overcast skies around 7:14 p.m. just as the sun was below the horizon

Marvin Klein prepares his "SKY KING" for flight. This 82" wingspan model is a magnificent flying old timer design and a majestic sight while in flight

A Park Flyer that is a blast, the GWS Slow Stick. It is now powered by a Himax 2015-4100 geared down 6.6 to 1, HITEC RX and HS-55 servos provide control, Great Planes SS-12 ESC provide power to this fun flying thing. Batteries are 7.4 volt Polyquest Series 20 Li-Poly packs, held in place forward of the landing gear under the boom by velcro strips and a rubber band for safety measure. With judicious throttle management I get in excess of 20 minutes flights per charge. The Slow Stick will loop from level flight. This plane is the most fun anyone can have without the fear of being arrested!

Sitting at the Silver Hill, MD (Garber) Restoration Facility in August 2002 we visited the plane that marked the end of WW-II. Being so close to the ENOLA GAY, being able to touch its historical shiny fuselage and to be allowed to climb into the bay that held "THE BOMB", the nuclear device that ended that bloody conflict was a rather moving experience to yours truly. Being in its presence leaves one awestruck, and I am not ashamed to admit that touching it brought chills up and down my spine and tears to my eyes. Getting in its immaculately restored bomb bay was a rather sobering experience as I knew I was in the presence of a magnificent Historic Airplane. Never, in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be so privileged

The bomb bay of the ENOLA GAY viewed from the rear

Inside the ENOLA GAY's Bomb Bay

The ENOLA GAY nose section

Another shot of the ENOLA GAY nose section

ENOLA GAY Tail Guns

Our fearless R/C Aviation Reporter Doug Bosworth, checking out Hobby Lobby's headquarters in Tennessee

A Graupner Funky Chicken electric flyer purchased Summer of 2003. Don't let its cartoonish looks fool you, this 'bird' soars like an eagle and even loops from level flight. Landings are to be expected as 'chicken like' as gets. This Chicken is powered by a Speed 400 motor and a seven cell 1000mAH NIMH Sanyo battery pack swinging a GRAUPNER 6X3 folding propeller keeping it airborne for quite sometime. NIMH batteries were replaced with 1500 KOKAM Power packs as they offer much better performance and longer flight times

Another indoor flyer, the Skooter flies so slow it is capable of not only flying in the most confined areas but it can also land on a card table. Manufactured in New York and sold by Hobby Lobby until 2002, the Skooter came also in powder blue colored tissue

My 76" E-Powered Red Zephyr and I at the flying field on 09-24-03 (photo taken by George Nunez). A geared Astro Flight 15-FAI motor swinging a 12X6E APC propeller gets this baby airborne in no time flat. Power for this baby is still provided Sanyo Nicads. Li-Polys of the required discharge rate and size for this power plant are still a bit pricey for my wallet

The latest addition to my fleet of E-Powered models (March '07). Moby sports a 79 1/2" wingspan (1050 sq inches of wing area). She is powered by a JETI PHASOR 45/3 brushless inrunner motor direct driving a 12X6E APC propeller. Electrons for the motor to spin are provided by a 14.8V 4A Li-Poly pack routed through a JETI JESAP40 programmable ESC. Her receiver and six standard size servos are energized by a 1.8A "JR EXTRA" 4.8V airborne pack. Moby's AUW is a tad under 6 1/2 lbs translates into a wing loading of a bit over 14 oz per sq foot.
These characteristics afford it a very scale like, gentle and slow flight manners at lower throttle settings. It takes off in less than 25' at one click above 1/2 throttle (approximately 60% of its 470W available power). At 1/3 throttle she takes her time to roll down the runway and take off in a very realistically scale like fashion. Landings without flaps are a joy to experience. With its flaps deployed it lands like a full scale lumbering giant. Moby is definitely a keeper!


In his latest adventure I present to you Don Dassaman next to his LT-40 now fitted with snow skis. This past Wednesday, January 26 2005 found us at the DC-RC flying field dying to fly his LT-40 from the snow remnants left behind by the previous weekend's 'nor-easter'. Ski Set was a present to Don by his beloved late sister Lois who was called to Heaven last year. Weather was perfect (for January in DC that is) and we had a great time. Photos by Don Gray who also filmed one of the flights. I must state that Don is slowly switching over to E-Flight


Damon Larry posing with the Goldberg USAF Eagle II in front of Hobby City in Burtonsville MD. Photo taken in mid December 2003
There is a link below to the story surrounding this particular U.S. AIR FORCE Eagle II. The USAF II Eagle took off on its maiden flight July 2, 2004


Link To The Capital Area Soaring Association Web Site

A VERY SPECIAL EAGLE
The link above this line is to a Page Dedicated To The Memory of Kevin Larry
Kevin made the Ultimate Sacrifice when he gave his life while serving with the U.S. Air Force in Iraq


GOD BLESS AMERICA

Of the member names listed above, the ones followed by (*) have sadly passed away from our midst and will always be sorely missed. Ernie Schwartz, my very good friend of 37 years passed away from complications after heart valve replacement on November 10, 2007.

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