So...what are OT R/C'ers up to now?

Model Airplane News, Nov 1997 by deBolt, Hal

Input from readers suggests an interesting, different phase for our OT R/C discussions. Most of our truly early OT R/C'ers are in their golden years, yet many are still active in the hobby. They've been through the mill, enjoyed "the new" as it arrived and had the opportunity to "do," or at least to see, the changes as they all came about.

Here's a question: what are our OT R/C'ers doing now? I'll bet it's something dear and interesting to them, so that will be our new theme.

I'll need to hear from you, of course. Do understand, you don't have to be nationally renowned, a Top Gun champion or have done anything more than just enjoy early R/C and remain active in some way. What's needed? A short biography of your R/C days, unusual and interesting experiences, your club associations and, most of all, photos. Please tell us what you're doing these days, too. I hope to hear from you all.

Let's commence with the granddaddy of R/C and friend to all, Bill Winter. Never a competitor, he was responsible for numerous innovations and was a designer and flyer of many hundreds of down-to-earth R/C models-best described as "working man's planes."

A lifelong writer for the model press, he served as editor of Model Airplane News, Air Trails, American Modeler and Grid Leaks. He also edited several model aviation books. There probably is much more! In his 80s now, Bill continues to be active in modeling. He tells us R/C is a great reason to wake up each day! Healthwise, Bill is short on mobility, so he appreciates the attention he gets from fellow modelers and the collaboration with his friend, John Houton.

At this stage of life, Bill is happy to have done the mundane things; now he can explore all the realms that were just dreams in the past. Bill envisions and designs; John builds and flies. Best of all, you can see their dreams come true as they continue to publish their efforts for us.

We OT R/C'ers are still enjoying modeling, and many of us are still pointing the way!

RESTORED KURWI

We had a fine letter from Dale Willoughby, now of Benson, AZ. I recall that Dale worked with Maynard Hill on his R/C glider altitude record. A caption in the June '97 column listed Dale as the other gentleman in a photo of Maynard and his glider, but Dale tells us that the photo was probably taken after the flight, back at the Glenview Nats, and that the second man is probably Dan Pruss, the contest director.

If you recall, Dale assisted Maynard by locating thermal activity with his Kurwi glider. Now he tells us that some 30-odd years later, he has restored the Kurwi, and it is flying once more. He adds that the Kurwi was produced in Munich, Germany, by Kurt Wilhelm and was the first glider to feature a fiberglass fuselage. Dale reports that he imported the kits in large quantities at that time.

Dale also tells us he established FAI straight-line glider speed records in '76 and '79. The latter record was set in Pellestouva, Norway (site of the Olympic Games), as Dale traveled the world as an Army officer. He flew his Nelson KA-6 12-foot sailplane through the course at 101 mph. That American record was recorded by the Norwegian Aero Klub!

Dale also had a cute experience relating to the early use of the 27MHz band. Some early receivers were tuned by using headphones to find the loudest noise (this indicated the strongest signal). In 1957, Dale went to fly at the Portsmouth, VA, field. While he was tuning his receiver, a voice came on the headphones calling "CQ, CQ"-the call sign ham operators use when looking for a response. An operator in Ohio was trying to find someone on our 27MHz frequency!

I'll save more of Dale's antics for another time.

SAD NEWS FROM NEW YORK

A letter from Fred Weaver of Ripley, NY, brought some sad news. While Fred is not an R/C'er, his father, Haylie "Bud" Weaver, could fit the OT R/C'er bill. Fred was sorry to report that Bud passed away in April after an extended illness. He was a stalwart R/C'er in the western Pennsylvania/New York area. Never one to make waves, he was just one of the guys who greatly enjoyed the sport. In the past, Bud filled us in on the old-time activity in his area, which we greatly appreciated. Fred recalls his father taking him to the Toledo and Buffalo RIC shows when he was a youngster. He was very impressed! He has a couple of R/C kits his dad left behind, and he thinks perhaps he will give them a go one day. I'm sure.Bud would be pleased to see the Weaver tradition continue.

I want to tell his family of our sorrow and hope all is well with them. Bud has joined a prestigious group of the finest modelers the world has ever seen; God bless them.