Control line flying is a sport close to my heart. I'm still building them but having lost my flying partner years ago, I haven't had a handle in my fist in almost 30 years. At 78 I may never enjoy the thrill of this type of modeling again but thank you sincerely for uploading this video.
This takes me back, I used to love flying control line combat. I still have all my engines, they're all antiques now! Do you remember the "Liberator" and "Mini Earlybird" flying wings? I.d love to get my hands on a set of plans for these again.
Check out Radio Control. There is still a whole world of flying out there and there are beginner planes with so much safety features it is waaaaaay easier to get into the air than it used to be. Look at the Horizon Hobby website. 77 in 3 weeks and I have more planes than I can fly in our short season. If you can still get up and around, you can fly and have fun.
This video literally made me cry. Like Eric Kelly's comment, my first control line plane was the Cox PT-19 Trainer. Moved on to building many balsa kits by "Scientific", many with the solid balsa wing and the pre-carved fuselage. In my late teens I flew AMA Fast Combat. DOES AMA FAST EXIST ANYMORE? Used the Fox Mark III Combat Special. Some planes were all balsa (ribs with center-section and leading-edge sheeting). Some other planes used the all-foam wing with a wood center "fuselage". Those foam planes were bought kits. I didn't cut my own wings. Actually won two trophies here where I live. It wasn't due to talent though - just pure luck. I'm from Toronto, Canada. One summer, around 1976 or 1977, I drove with three others to Cincinnati, Ohio for a weekend Combat contest. I had the time of my life. Beaten badly, but that didn't matter. I haven't built a plane since I gave up Combat due to school studies. Then there was marriage, kids, and where does the time go? I'm 65 now. THANK YOU so very much for this video. It brings back very, very fond memories - not only of the actual building and flying, but of reading the model airplane magazines that were available in bygone years - "American Aircraft Modeler", "Model Builder" "Flying Models". I know I'm leaving at least one out. Fond memories of articles in "Model Builder Magazine" by "Dirty" Dan Rutherford on Combat. I noticed one fellow in this video flying Combat is wearing a M.A.C.A. t-shirt. I was a member of that group too, way back when. Thank you again, and best wishes to all. Stay safe.
I’m the modeler who made the video, Jay Gerber….you’re response touched my heart and made all the work doing the movie worth the effort. I remember well the excitement of control line pilots, their passion and excitement when flying their planes…..I remember the scale builders some not here any longer and how they cherished their models and experiences….I remember the camaraderie some of which you elude to and happy that my small contribution to the sport of control line touches the hearts of people like yourself. At age 65 you have a lot of years left to enjoy a great hobby like control line or some of the other disciplines of modeling. I’m 90 and flew precision aerobatics well into my late 80’s and loved every minute of it so find time to enjoy a great hobby with your family and especially your children if you can. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and meaningful comments they are very appreciated. Jay Gerber AMA L-48 HOF, Fellow
@@modelaircraft Thanks for posting this video. I'm the pit crew guy at 25:12. Showed this video to one of my grandkids and she commented 'You sure had a lot of hair then, grandpa.' LOL. Brings back a lot of great memories of friends and family trips.
@@aljorgensen6828that is awesome!!! .., can only imagine how cool it is to share that memory, and have the ability to relive that memory now by clicking on a video on RUclips now… I grew up in the ‘80’s, so for me, it was the plastic Cox control line planes at my local hobby shop… I was never a part of the action, but I very much enjoyed reading AMA and MA NEWS magazine’s articles highlighting events, or passion build projects…
Even though it was well before my time, and I’ve never really been in a position to enjoy U-control in any of the ways that look like such amazing times in this video, I do remember reading about it in magazines and having a sense of wonder what speed.., combat.., or navy carrier competitions would be like… I can only imagine how awesome it feels to watch this and have it stir up those memories from so long ago…
This seems silly but i remember how exciting it was when i was a kid the first time i got my plane in the air. Blue and yellow PT 109 cox .049 was my first control line plane ever. Then a sig kadet got me into rc back before monokote i used silkspan and "airplane dope" to cover. When i got it built my dad bought me my first futaba 4 chan and Enya .19 for power. Sorry to ramble but this vid really brought me back.
Eric Kelly my brother and I saved up all year for a cox 049 control line plane. We couldn’t get the motor to gun for more than a second. So frustrating. We spent all our money in it. That was 30+ years ago. Never did get it working.
The art of this type of video making was the mark of greatness and Bruce Brown was the king as he produced "On Any Sunday" using the same technic by touching on all types of motorcycle racing. I too flew U-control till I was 22. When I finally made enough money to afford R/C I flew scale. To this day I passionately fly only true scale.
This brought back a LOT of memories of being a child and "helping" my dad in his hobby room back in the 70's. Recall quite a few moments when his engineering skills were put to test as a random piece broke off. Wish he could have seen this video.
What a great video/documentary. My father was an engineer and loved all facets of RC and UC flying. He taught me so much as a kid that I could apply later in life. Those were good days!
This takes me back, I used to love flying control line combat. I still have all my engines, they're all antiques now! Do you remember the "Liberator" and "Mini Earlybird" flying wings? I.d love to get my hands on a set of plans for these again.
I used to compete in Australia in Combat and Rat race. We weren't as sophisticated as these guys with battery packs on our arms. We used diesel engines for Rat race. We had Taipan engines made in Oz but also the Supre Tigre engines from Italy. I could never afford them as a teenager but my parents always bought me a new motor for my birthday. It was a great way to spend your youth travelling around the country meeting new people and competing.
This takes me back, I used to love flying control line combat. I still have all my engines, they're all antiques now! Do you remember the "Liberator" and "Mini Earlybird" flying wings? I.d love to get my hands on a set of plans for these again.
Maître Hunt le premier....!! Et thé Genesis.....!!? Très très belle vidéo de toutes les catégories du VCC ..U.S MERCI BEAUCOUP.... NOUS EN ATTENDONS D:AUTRES .....!!!!!!!
Thank you thank you thank you...I have been waiting for this for so long since I lost my original VHS...I have a strong sentimental attachment since it shows my grandfather at 6:35 , the man who started me in model aircraft ;) Thanks again
Mike Wisniewski Is your grandfather Bill Wisniewski? I used to read so much about his exploits in speed models in the UK publication of the Aero Modeller. I found this film quite by accident on RUclips and when I saw your comment it sparked memories of my youth and many happy hours of building and flying. Health problems prevent me taking part these days but nothing lasts forever, apart from the memories. Happy flying and keep up the good work.
I stumbled across the video by accident and instantly recognised your uncle Bill, then saw your comment. He is holding one of his famous Pink Lady models. What an inspirational guy to so many people. He was responsible for a huge number of ground breaking developments in his field. Sorely missed. Regards from UK.
Mike, I just found my VHS copy of this and was going to upload until I saw the AMA had finally done so (a few years back by now, lol). I used to fly C/L and remember Bill. I flew a lot of Speed and Racing events in the NorthWest region from mid-80's through mid-90's, competing with Mike Hazel, Paul Gibeault, Marty Higgs, Ron Salo, lots of other names I can't remember now. Was lucky enough to attend the Nats when they were here in '89 and in '95.
A real gem of a video! Though I was flying mostly R/C airplanes as a kid, I got my start few years early with control line. Across the street from my childhood home, I used to fly with my best buddy, and have wonderful memories of flying my SIG and Cox CL planes there. I remember drooling over the AMA magazines as a kid, and this video brings back great memories of those days!
Quelle belle vidéo les deux grands champions du monde MC Donald et son Stilletto , et Bob Hunt et son Genesis Des merveilleux appareils . Et bien sûr toutes les autres catégories Merci pour ce reportage
I grew up with this from age 4. It taught me craftsmanship skills and applied science. I grew up to be on the team that built the 757, CH47D and the V22. Still flying control line models age 68.
In the early '50's we had up to 5 aircraft in the team racing circle and the fusilage had a minimum cross section. We won a meet at Willow Grove, PA by gliding across the finish line after not fueling enough at the pit stop because the engine was started before the fueling was finished and vibration foamed the fuel. We had two pit crewmen and used phone jack's for glow plug power. More exciting than any Indy 500
I live an hour away from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.. I go to the race every year.. I see how watching these toy planes fly around could be fun, but there is no way it's more exciting than the Indianapolis 500.. I mean 235,000 people getting wasted and watching race cars crash into each other at over 200mph is about exciting as it gets.. Even If you are not a fan of racing the track is the place to be on race day.. It's basically the biggest party on earth..
@@MarkLada I have listened to indy on Fm radio since the 50's and watched it ever since it was on TV. 250,000 people getting wasted and hoping for crashes is not healthy excitement. Indy and U-control team racing is about technology and skill and both require a lot. I have participated at a national level in model aviation and it is serious stuff. I'm also a EE and retired airline captain
In the race events I see some flyers pulling on the control lines. Was that allowed? Wouldn't that have the effect of swinging the plane around and at same time reduce the radius of the flight, which both help to speed the plane up. I always thought the reason the handles were anchored to a pole was to precisely prevent both these actions from being performed.
I’ve watched this video many, many times! Having started in control line (and aero modelling in general) in 2022 I feel like I was born in the wrong era!
Just seen this and remember my first control line plane. Also a PT 109. After breaking it several times I was broke repairing it with new parts so i started to build my own models from kits and then plans. I still have a copy of RG Moulton's Control Line Manual. I remember the excitement of going to the British Nats every from age 10 to probably 16. Then I discovered motorcycles😊
In The 70s My Dad Bought Me A Cox Trainer , From A Kmart In Michigan I Was Like 13 Or 14 Years Old , Couldn't Wait To Get Home From The Store To Fly It , Remember That Plane So Well It Was Red With White Stripes And A Number, I Loved Just Turning It On , I Crashed It A Couple Of Times But It Was A Blast To Fly , I Left It In Texas At My Grandfathers Little House He Used To Store Stuff In , I Had Other Cox Motors An Models That Me And Brother Would Build , Model Cars And Trucks , We Lost It All When The House / Shed Got Destroyed In A Strom, Im 55 Now And I Tell My Kids About My Childhood And The Get Excited, I Still Love Rc Planes And Cars I Still Run Rc Cars , But Haven't Got Back Into Planes , Miss Those Years.
My father used to tell me tons of stories of him as a child flying these kind of planes with his father, who was a pilot. The unshakeable urge for aviation wasn't there in my father as it was for my grandfather and I. I just wish dearly he wouln't have died just after I was born. I would love to connect with my grandfather over aviation. ): I have the last gas powered RC airplane he ever built hanging from my bedroom ceiling just as it hung in his workshop untouched since the day he died in the mid 90's.
My first make believe airplane was a couple of rulers, tied to tube, with rubber bands turning a "propeller". My first real powered model plane was a control liner. With a Cox Pee Wee engine. Anyone remembers this engine? Man, it screams like crazy! Had no instructor. Could not even complete 1 circle. Sob, Sob. My beautiful plane is broken. It was harder than I thought! Finally got the hang of it. Cox 049, unforgettable engine. And those diesels! Later went on to RC, gliders and powered, and also Full size gliders and PPL, light planes.
WOW love it. I remember going to watch the U-Line control flyers at Mission Bay Park in San Diego Ca. when I was a kid on Saturday and Sundays. I was always amazed at the planes, pilots and the flying. Some guys were very nice and would let me look closely at the planes and some would let me touch them or even hold them. These are the guys that got me into the sport for years. Of course you always had some spoiler there who was arrogant, conceited and about as friendly as a rattlesnake. Those are the guys who always hold the kids back from getting into the sport. Thankfully I met more helpers than jerks, and earned my RC wings from a WWII vet by the name of Woodrow Wilson on Whidbey Island. He taught me to fly my Carl Goldberg Eagle 63 on the OLF, now NOLF, field near Coupeville. He was a member of the Whidby Island Radio Control Society W.I.R.C.S. I joined the club that same year and later became the clubs newsletter editor. Had a lot of fun with those guys back in the 80's. Thanks for sharing your nice video. Best Wishes and Blessings. Keith Noneya (My YT Name) LOL.
Greetings from Patrick Carey Jr (NY Crazy 8's MAC) This was so great to see! It brought back a lot of great memories! At first, I thought it was the 1980 Nats in Wilmington, OH. Thanks for sharing this! Hope everybody is doing well. :)
Who remembers the Mattel Vertibird Helicopter? For me the Vertibird came first then .049 control line planes. Dad worked for Hughes Helicopters at the time so I got the occasional flight in the real thing. ;)
Everybody smoked and hardly anybody was obese. All I needed was my bmx bike, my roller skates and one of those plastic barrel drinks and I was good to go.
Buenas tardes,muy complacido con el vídeo,yo volar varias categorias pero la que más me gustó fue acrobacia hice casi todo el plan,aún tengo 2 aviones de Sterling modelos el spitfire y el skylark,Espero volver a volar luego de 40 años sin hacerlo debido a que vuelo los de radio control,tengo todo lo.necesario.
I was born in 1953 and I already had a control line Cessna ready to go. My father being a B-29er capt in WWll built my brother and I our first planes. By 5 and 6 I was flying with friends in the threeway intersection s block away competing with other kids cutting streamers from competitors. Saturday morning till dusk we smelled like engine fuel. Those were the days.
I fly RC, but I appreciate CL. I like the idea of "staying" with the plane enjoying the look of the plane flying. I always get my plane off the ground and fly it away from me!!!
I'm in a similar boat. As a pilot CL holds ZERO interest to me. But it's fascinating to watch, especialyl from a historic standpoint. That's....what gave me my RCs in the first place. It's what everyone flew before RC was even a thing, what made so many hobby companies we take for granted today what they are. And hell, it's still fun to take elements of the days of CL and adapt them to the model airplane of today! I've got a Cox 049 that I've put a true airbleed carb on and I've got a Fox 049 FAI in the mail that will get the same treatment.
Flew control line or, as some call it "U control" back in the seventies at NAS Memphis, Millington TN. They had a flying circle right outside the base hobby shop where you could buy, build, and fly a Ringmaster, Flightstreak, Voodoo etc. It was fun!
70s Flares and control line Stunters as we used to call them....Heady days, Im old enough to remember them, before RC took off in a big way of course...The models were very lightweight works of art though as i recall. We had them in the UK too you know....lol.
I remember beautiful and nice flying U-control scale models flying in competition at the Milwaukee, WI fairgrounds back in the 50's when I was a kid. Back then, RC was mostly experimental and models had to be large and boxy to carry the heavy receivers , batteries and complex escapements for a few minutes of semi-controlled flight, if you could get the spark ignition engines to cooperate. RC really came to life when transistorized receivers and proportional controls became available.
Good film, but it's a shame they didn't include any actual sounds of these aircraft's engines running at full throttle during aerobatics and speed runs. We had hours of fun in the neighborhood flying Control line models.
Tons of my friends/fellow competitors in this one. It's great, but sad, some of them are no longer with us. Seeing them at their peak (like my dear friend Bob Whitely and his magnificent 'stach, Bill Fitzgerald and his infamous pen doing the judging). I note that the main guy in the aerobatics section is still very much with us, although his hair is much, er, "compact" an gray - Bob Hunt.
@@alfiecartwright9655 Well, I don't know about the nationals as I don't follow them that much and just an old school ukie flier from the 50's and now into RC but I get the AMA magazine and online ads for products and know even the old Ringmaster has a big following in some clubs. The hobby and all it's aspects is still around and if you want to fly do it. Maybe a bit of a hunt depending on where you are.
OMG! These comments are incredible!!! The comments ... I don't know how to say this tactfully or ... or in a nice PC sort of way ... but I'm not sure that really matters or not. Anyway, this video stopped me dead in my tracks at 1:45. Not because there was anything of interest showing at that particular moment, but because of the format of this video. Meaning the way the video is put together and presented to the viewer. The music, the dialog, the camera angles, etc. From the less than 2 minutes I have seen so far, if this video were made today I can't imagine much of it being the same, except maybe the camera footage but that's it. I say that because to me this all comes across as so incredibly old fashioned. It literally screams "Old Fogey!". And that is where I wasn't sure how to go about this tactfully, because the comments here pretty much echo that scream. The thing for me is, this all hits incredibly close to home for me. That's because even though at 55 years old and being born and raised in Los Angeles, my 99 year old father and recently deceased mother in 2/2015, both were born and raised in Grand Island, Nebraska. And this video has the look and smell and Old Fogey-ness of NE all over it it seems. I'm not saying there is anything necessarily wrong with any of this Old Fogey-ness, but to me because of this Old Fogey-ness there is almost a resounding THUD of why this sport isn't more popular today. I mean, you've got a video named "Wired for Excitement", yet we've got a video with music so mellow stoners would complain. And a great narrator with an incredible voice that's about to lull me to sleep. The creators of this video obviously had not heard of or probably even cared of skateboard videos or anything X-Game like at that time, but if you ask me, had they been hip to stuff like that back then, this video would look, feel, and sound Completely Different! And with that, the sport of Control Line Flying might be hugely popular today. Seriously! Doing one huge change like using The Dead Kennedy's first album as the soundtrack and this video might have taken off and changed everything! This video just floors me because I don't doubt that in the next year or two after this was made all videos showing anything that was dubbed "Extreme" or "Excitement" oriented were made a completely different way than this. In that way this video is truly a time capsule of how things used to be.
You have some very valid points but The Dead Kennedys or Metallica can't revive this activity for one simple reason. Work. These things take a lot of time, effort skill and intelligence that is far beyond our current society. A few could do it but not enough to support the industry it requires.
The only from of model flying that you can feel. Opposed to UC is RC, RC is very real, and great, but it is just like a video game, quick eye to control movements. No feel. Just brain reaction. Brain reactions are very important, but where were programmed brain reactions on Apollo 12?
I was thinking mid to late 70's based on the hair, clothes and cars in the background. Fun to watch, as a kid we put a lot of time into this hobby. Just looked it up. Filmed in 1979.
Control line flying is a sport close to my heart. I'm still building them but having lost my flying partner years ago, I haven't had a handle in my fist in almost 30 years. At 78 I may never enjoy the thrill of this type of modeling again but thank you sincerely for uploading this video.
I can't spin around in a circle anymore. Last flew one around 1985. A great hobby and so much fun when I was a kid.
This takes me back, I used to love flying control line combat. I still have all my engines, they're all antiques now!
Do you remember the "Liberator" and "Mini Earlybird" flying wings? I.d love to get my hands on a set of plans for these again.
If you enjoy modeling why not try RC and find a club? You can still enjoy the fun of it. 77 next month and a very active Sunday flyer.
Check out Radio Control. There is still a whole world of flying out there and there are beginner planes with so much safety features it is waaaaaay easier to get into the air than it used to be. Look at the Horizon Hobby website. 77 in 3 weeks and I have more planes than I can fly in our short season. If you can still get up and around, you can fly and have fun.
Gunner Benavente
Great advice Gunner.
This video literally made me cry. Like Eric Kelly's comment, my first control line plane was the Cox PT-19 Trainer. Moved on to building many balsa kits by "Scientific", many with the solid balsa wing and the pre-carved fuselage. In my late teens I flew AMA Fast Combat. DOES AMA FAST EXIST ANYMORE? Used the Fox Mark III Combat Special. Some planes were all balsa (ribs with center-section and leading-edge sheeting). Some other planes used the all-foam wing with a wood center "fuselage". Those foam planes were bought kits. I didn't cut my own wings. Actually won two trophies here where I live. It wasn't due to talent though - just pure luck. I'm from Toronto, Canada. One summer, around 1976 or 1977, I drove with three others to Cincinnati, Ohio for a weekend Combat contest. I had the time of my life. Beaten badly, but that didn't matter. I haven't built a plane since I gave up Combat due to school studies. Then there was marriage, kids, and where does the time go? I'm 65 now. THANK YOU so very much for this video. It brings back very, very fond memories - not only of the actual building and flying, but of reading the model airplane magazines that were available in bygone years - "American Aircraft Modeler", "Model Builder" "Flying Models". I know I'm leaving at least one out. Fond memories of articles in "Model Builder Magazine" by "Dirty" Dan Rutherford on Combat. I noticed one fellow in this video flying Combat is wearing a M.A.C.A. t-shirt. I was a member of that group too, way back when. Thank you again, and best wishes to all. Stay safe.
I’m the modeler who made the video, Jay Gerber….you’re response touched my heart and made all the work doing the movie worth the effort. I remember well the excitement of control line pilots, their passion and excitement when flying their planes…..I remember the scale builders some not here any longer and how they cherished their models and experiences….I remember the camaraderie some of which you elude to and happy that my small contribution to the sport of control line touches the hearts of people like yourself.
At age 65 you have a lot of years left to enjoy a great hobby like control line or some of the other disciplines of modeling. I’m 90 and flew precision aerobatics well into my late 80’s and loved every minute of it so find time to enjoy a great hobby with your family and especially your children if you can.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and meaningful comments they are very appreciated.
Jay Gerber AMA L-48 HOF, Fellow
@@modelaircraft Dear Jay. Thank you so much for your response - and again for all the hard work with the video. Best wishes.
@@modelaircraft Thanks for posting this video. I'm the pit crew guy at 25:12. Showed this video to one of my grandkids and she commented 'You sure had a lot of hair then, grandpa.' LOL. Brings back a lot of great memories of friends and family trips.
@@aljorgensen6828that is awesome!!! .., can only imagine how cool it is to share that memory, and have the ability to relive that memory now by clicking on a video on RUclips now… I grew up in the ‘80’s, so for me, it was the plastic Cox control line planes at my local hobby shop… I was never a part of the action, but I very much enjoyed reading AMA and MA NEWS magazine’s articles highlighting events, or passion build projects…
Even though it was well before my time, and I’ve never really been in a position to enjoy U-control in any of the ways that look like such amazing times in this video, I do remember reading about it in magazines and having a sense of wonder what speed.., combat.., or navy carrier competitions would be like…
I can only imagine how awesome it feels to watch this and have it stir up those memories from so long ago…
Man you took me back 50 years. What a beautiful memories i have. The smell of nitro and Castrol oil never wears off.
With control line...the nostalgia runs thick. Sterling, Goldberg, Fox, Midwest.... Simpler times and boys will be boys.
This seems silly but i remember how exciting it was when i was a kid the first time i got my plane in the air. Blue and yellow PT 109 cox .049 was my first control line plane ever. Then a sig kadet got me into rc back before monokote i used silkspan and "airplane dope" to cover. When i got it built my dad bought me my first futaba 4 chan and Enya .19 for power. Sorry to ramble but this vid really brought me back.
Eric Kelly my brother and I saved up all year for a cox 049 control line plane. We couldn’t get the motor to gun for more than a second. So frustrating. We spent all our money in it. That was 30+ years ago. Never did get it working.
same here with the cox pt-19, what id give to have the early spting of the late eighties back but still flying today
Cox PT19 was my first also. PT 109 was a boat although the Cox PT19 may be considered a bit of a boat now days LOL.
@@gen3v8 I had both! The good old days.
I also had a pt-19 and a p-40 . After that I started to build goldberg balsa wood planes using .049 cox engine.
Being 66, we grew up in a great time, kids today will never know.
Ho yes maintenant .... smartphone and play Station......!!!!! IS no good..
Amicalement
Wonderful. My mates and I spent many happy hours getting oily, bruised fingers in our control line pursuits!
The art of this type of video making was the mark of greatness and Bruce Brown was the king as he produced "On Any Sunday" using the same technic by touching on all types of motorcycle racing. I too flew U-control till I was 22. When I finally made enough money to afford R/C I flew scale. To this day I passionately fly only true scale.
RIP Big Otto. What a fun mono wing fighter to fly. Thanks for the memories. Great video.
This brought back a LOT of memories of being a child and "helping" my dad in his hobby room back in the 70's. Recall quite a few moments when his engineering skills were put to test as a random piece broke off. Wish he could have seen this video.
Wow! Talk about nostalgia. The music and voiceover and similar to the style of "On any Sunday." The stuff of my youth. Loved it.
Sounded like John Facenda didn't it...
What a great video/documentary. My father was an engineer and loved all facets of RC and UC flying. He taught me so much as a kid that I could apply later in life. Those were good days!
Oh those were the days! A real trip down memory lane flying combat control line. Models got me started and I finished as a CFI when I lost my medical.
This takes me back, I used to love flying control line combat. I still have all my engines, they're all antiques now!
Do you remember the "Liberator" and "Mini Earlybird" flying wings? I.d love to get my hands on a set of plans for these again.
I have a bunch of vintage control line stuff. Need to get back in it.
I used to compete in Australia in Combat and Rat race. We weren't as sophisticated as these guys with battery packs on our arms. We used diesel engines for Rat race. We had Taipan engines made in Oz but also the Supre Tigre engines from Italy. I could never afford them as a teenager but my parents always bought me a new motor for my birthday. It was a great way to spend your youth travelling around the country meeting new people and competing.
This takes me back, I used to love flying control line combat. I still have all my engines, they're all antiques now!
Do you remember the "Liberator" and "Mini Earlybird" flying wings? I.d love to get my hands on a set of plans for these again.
Awesome. Haven't flown Control Line since i was 12 years old. Moved to RC. Now I fly FPV Quads.
Don't suppose I'll ever do it again, at 72, but ,boy, it was fun while it lasted!
I NEEEEED the music in the background. OMG that is PURE GOLD.
Maître Hunt le premier....!! Et thé Genesis.....!!?
Très très belle vidéo de toutes les catégories du VCC ..U.S
MERCI BEAUCOUP....
NOUS EN ATTENDONS D:AUTRES .....!!!!!!!
Just bought 3 of them that are at least 30 years old. I can’t wait to give it a try
this is solid gold. I am going to rewatch this until my new control line comes.
those engines were tons of fun, built boats using ice cream tubs and even tried building a duckaduck that never flew lol.
Thank you thank you thank you...I have been waiting for this for so long since I lost my original VHS...I have a strong sentimental attachment since it shows my grandfather at 6:35 , the man who started me in model aircraft ;) Thanks again
Mike Wisniewski Is your grandfather Bill Wisniewski? I used to read so much about his exploits in speed models in the UK publication of the Aero Modeller. I found this film quite by accident on RUclips and when I saw your comment it sparked memories of my youth and many happy hours of building and flying. Health problems prevent me taking part these days but nothing lasts forever, apart from the memories. Happy flying and keep up the good work.
Hello Mike, do you have any TWA engines that you would like to sell? Regards Barrie in England
I stumbled across the video by accident and instantly recognised your uncle Bill, then saw your comment. He is holding one of his famous Pink Lady models. What an inspirational guy to so many people. He was responsible for a huge number of ground breaking developments in his field. Sorely missed. Regards from UK.
Mike, I just found my VHS copy of this and was going to upload until I saw the AMA had finally done so (a few years back by now, lol). I used to fly C/L and remember Bill. I flew a lot of Speed and Racing events in the NorthWest region from mid-80's through mid-90's, competing with Mike Hazel, Paul Gibeault, Marty Higgs, Ron Salo, lots of other names I can't remember now. Was lucky enough to attend the Nats when they were here in '89 and in '95.
A real gem of a video! Though I was flying mostly R/C airplanes as a kid, I got my start few years early with control line. Across the street from my childhood home, I used to fly with my best buddy, and have wonderful memories of flying my SIG and Cox CL planes there. I remember drooling over the AMA magazines as a kid, and this video brings back great memories of those days!
Quelle belle vidéo les deux grands champions du monde MC Donald et son Stilletto , et Bob Hunt et son Genesis
Des merveilleux appareils .
Et bien sûr toutes les autres catégories
Merci pour ce reportage
Narrated by John Facenda, of NFL Films fame!
That's what I remember of those days going around and around until can't walk. I was so happy when I got my first AM RC radio.
I grew up with this from age 4. It taught me craftsmanship skills and applied science. I grew up to be on the team that built the 757, CH47D and the V22. Still flying control line models age 68.
In the early '50's we had up to 5 aircraft in the team racing circle and the fusilage had a minimum cross section. We won a meet at Willow Grove, PA by gliding across the finish line after not fueling enough at the pit stop because the engine was started before the fueling was finished and vibration foamed the fuel. We had two pit crewmen and used phone jack's for glow plug power. More exciting than any Indy 500
I live an hour away from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.. I go to the race every year.. I see how watching these toy planes fly around could be fun, but there is no way it's more exciting than the Indianapolis 500.. I mean 235,000 people getting wasted and watching race cars crash into each other at over 200mph is about exciting as it gets.. Even If you are not a fan of racing the track is the place to be on race day.. It's basically the biggest party on earth..
@@MarkLada I have listened to indy on Fm radio since the 50's and watched it ever since it was on TV. 250,000 people getting wasted and hoping for crashes is not healthy excitement. Indy and U-control team racing is about technology and skill and both require a lot. I have participated at a national level in model aviation and it is serious stuff. I'm also a EE and retired airline captain
In the race events I see some flyers pulling on the control lines. Was that allowed? Wouldn't that have the effect of swinging the plane around and at same time reduce the radius of the flight, which both help to speed the plane up. I always thought the reason the handles were anchored to a pole was to precisely prevent both these actions from being performed.
@@davidl5546 in the old type there was no anchor and you couldn't pull the plane around with several others in the circle.
I am wired for excitement!
I’ve watched this video many, many times! Having started in control line (and aero modelling in general) in 2022 I feel like I was born in the wrong era!
Wow, talk about bring back great old memories in my home town of Lincoln, NE. Think this was in 1982. Thank you AMA for posting this........
that was great, it brings me back to the days of my youth, thanks
Just seen this and remember my first control line plane. Also a PT 109. After breaking it several times I was broke repairing it with new parts so i started to build my own models from kits and then plans. I still have a copy of RG Moulton's Control Line Manual.
I remember the excitement of going to the British Nats every from age 10 to probably 16.
Then I discovered motorcycles😊
In The 70s My Dad Bought Me A Cox Trainer , From A Kmart In Michigan I Was Like 13 Or 14 Years Old , Couldn't Wait To Get Home From The Store To Fly It , Remember That Plane So Well It Was Red With White Stripes And A Number, I Loved Just Turning It On , I Crashed It A Couple Of Times But It Was A Blast To Fly , I Left It In Texas At My Grandfathers Little House He Used To Store Stuff In , I Had Other Cox Motors An Models That Me And Brother Would Build , Model Cars And Trucks , We Lost It All When The House / Shed Got Destroyed In A Strom, Im 55 Now And I Tell My Kids About My Childhood And The Get Excited, I Still Love Rc Planes And Cars I Still Run Rc Cars , But Haven't Got Back Into Planes , Miss Those Years.
Such pleasure to watched and listen to : ) Thank you AMMA : ) Greetings from sky painters from Slovakia : ))))
My father used to tell me tons of stories of him as a child flying these kind of planes with his father, who was a pilot. The unshakeable urge for aviation wasn't there in my father as it was for my grandfather and I. I just wish dearly he wouln't have died just after I was born. I would love to connect with my grandfather over aviation. ): I have the last gas powered RC airplane he ever built hanging from my bedroom ceiling just as it hung in his workshop untouched since the day he died in the mid 90's.
Get it in the air at least once. I know if I was him I'd be chuffed to bits to see it flying again after I was gone.
Irecognized the Stiletto model my father had one. The Nobler was an excelent plane, the dolphin, banshee, etc
Nice music in the background
The autumn wind is a raider.... god bless John Facenda.
I haven't seen that film in thirty years. Like another comment, my dad is on the right at 1:49. Lanny Shorts. Great to see it again.
This it awesome.
My first make believe airplane was a couple of rulers, tied to tube, with rubber bands turning a "propeller". My first real powered model plane was a control liner. With a Cox Pee Wee engine. Anyone remembers this engine? Man, it screams like crazy! Had no instructor. Could not even complete 1 circle. Sob, Sob. My beautiful plane is broken. It was harder than I thought! Finally got the hang of it. Cox 049, unforgettable engine. And those diesels! Later went on to RC, gliders and powered, and also Full size gliders and PPL, light planes.
Some may poo-poo this pastime, but anytime the great JOHN FACENDA (rip) THE VOICE OF NFL FILMS is doing the narration, I'll listen.
WOW love it. I remember going to watch the U-Line control flyers at Mission Bay Park in San Diego Ca. when I was a kid on Saturday and Sundays. I was always amazed at the planes, pilots and the flying. Some guys were very nice and would let me look closely at the planes and some would let me touch them or even hold them. These are the guys that got me into the sport for years. Of course you always had some spoiler there who was arrogant, conceited and about as friendly as a rattlesnake. Those are the guys who always hold the kids back from getting into the sport. Thankfully I met more helpers than jerks, and earned my RC wings from a WWII vet by the name of Woodrow Wilson on Whidbey Island. He taught me to fly my Carl Goldberg Eagle 63 on the OLF, now NOLF, field near Coupeville. He was a member of the Whidby Island Radio Control Society W.I.R.C.S. I joined the club that same year and later became the clubs newsletter editor. Had a lot of fun with those guys back in the 80's. Thanks for sharing your nice video. Best Wishes and Blessings. Keith Noneya (My YT Name) LOL.
Greetings from Patrick Carey Jr (NY Crazy 8's MAC) This was so great to see! It brought back a lot of great memories! At first, I thought it was the 1980 Nats in Wilmington, OH. Thanks for sharing this! Hope everybody is doing well. :)
Who remembers the Mattel Vertibird Helicopter? For me the Vertibird came first then .049 control line planes. Dad worked for Hughes Helicopters at the time so I got the occasional flight in the real thing. ;)
The 70's were great...no PC BS and men with mustaches flew gas powered planes with dignity! I was there. I know.
Don't forget the cutoff jeans and the tube socks.
Everybody smoked and hardly anybody was obese. All I needed was my bmx bike, my roller skates and one of those plastic barrel drinks and I was good to go.
12.10 ....and not only men....
Very like
The great John Facenda.
Très bon reportage, sur une discipline de l'aéromodélisme que je ne connais pas !
I flown control line in the 60s and 70s, abd still have one ready to go.
Top Film.
Buenas tardes,muy complacido con el vídeo,yo volar varias categorias pero la que más me gustó fue acrobacia hice casi todo el plan,aún tengo 2 aviones de Sterling modelos el spitfire y el skylark,Espero volver a volar luego de 40 años sin hacerlo debido a que vuelo los de radio control,tengo todo lo.necesario.
I was born in 1953 and I already had a control line Cessna ready to go. My father being a B-29er capt in WWll built my brother and I our first planes. By 5 and 6 I was flying with friends in the threeway intersection s block away competing with other kids cutting streamers from competitors. Saturday morning till dusk we smelled like engine fuel. Those were the days.
Nice!
@@justanotherguy469 we had a blast
Thanks for this!!
Control line dancing😂Good show🏆I watched rc planes in the 70s but never saw these
Marvelous and so much fun.
I fly RC, but I appreciate CL. I like the idea of "staying" with the plane enjoying the look of the plane flying. I always get my plane off the ground and fly it away from me!!!
I'm in a similar boat. As a pilot CL holds ZERO interest to me. But it's fascinating to watch, especialyl from a historic standpoint. That's....what gave me my RCs in the first place. It's what everyone flew before RC was even a thing, what made so many hobby companies we take for granted today what they are. And hell, it's still fun to take elements of the days of CL and adapt them to the model airplane of today! I've got a Cox 049 that I've put a true airbleed carb on and I've got a Fox 049 FAI in the mail that will get the same treatment.
Flew control line or, as some call it "U control" back in the seventies at NAS Memphis, Millington TN. They had a flying circle right outside the base hobby shop where you could buy, build, and fly a Ringmaster, Flightstreak, Voodoo etc. It was fun!
70s Flares and control line Stunters as we used to call them....Heady days, Im old enough to remember them, before RC took off in a big way of course...The models were very lightweight works of art though as i recall.
We had them in the UK too you know....lol.
My favourite flying as a kid in the 1960,s as it was cheap and fast. And didn't spend as much time running after fly-aways.
I remember beautiful and nice flying U-control scale models flying in competition at the Milwaukee, WI fairgrounds back in the 50's when I was a kid. Back then, RC was mostly experimental and models had to be large and boxy to carry the heavy receivers , batteries and complex escapements for a few minutes of semi-controlled flight, if you could get the spark ignition engines to cooperate. RC really came to life when transistorized receivers and proportional controls became available.
A kid with a plastic Cox P-47 049, a can of fuel and a battery was closest i ever got, but that was close enough for fun to me.
what an excellent video, its a shame our BMFA cant do something similiar
Hate to boast, but in England, we race with 3 in the circle. Still enjoyed watching though.
16:30 lol u have got to be jokin..man this is funky
NFS hahahaha
Thanks AMA I've about worn out my VHS copy!
Looks like people had a lot of fun. Also the dance in the center is hilarious, I wonder if theres any control-line cartoons.
my favorite hobbys
Good film, but it's a shame they didn't include any actual sounds of these aircraft's engines running at full throttle during aerobatics and speed runs. We had hours of fun in the neighborhood flying Control line models.
Volo vincolato circolare..un bellissimo hobby... spero torni prepotente alla ribalta..
I'm pretty sure thats the wide world of sports announcer.
the dalas contest purse is 75 gs
Victory lasts the moment....
Picture Day lasts forever.
Skill might be required? Great Video! Double Thanks!!!! OH! Why was this contest performed on concrete?
Tons of my friends/fellow competitors in this one. It's great, but sad, some of them are no longer with us. Seeing them at their peak (like my dear friend Bob Whitely and his magnificent 'stach, Bill Fitzgerald and his infamous pen doing the judging). I note that the main guy in the aerobatics section is still very much with us, although his hair is much, er, "compact" an gray - Bob Hunt.
The NFL Football Guy is talking.
Never seen a film narrated by him that was boring. Isn't that also the guy that speaks the intros to "The Thunderbirds" episodes?
@@RackwitzG Thunderbirds introduction and Jeff Tracy was Peter Dyneley, an English Canadian actor.
Watches:
Expects to see the 76' Oakland Raiders trot out onto the field.
Круто!
nice
I might be considering turning a guillows p40 war hawk into a control line...
RC Media Network By Captain Thiele b
Is the stunt pilot, Bobby Hunt?
Yes
I wish I was about when this was happening, modelling isn't what it used to be
It's as fun as you want it to be. Sure, 'building' is down but not out. Get out of the circle and try RC.
@@gunnerbenavente5075 I do fly rc, when I was a kid I saw how much fun my dad and his friends had. I still enjoy the hobby but it's slowly dying out
@@alfiecartwright9655 From what I see at our field and in the AMA magazine it is still very much alive and healthy.
@@gunnerbenavente5075 yes, but the bmfa nationals said different.
@@alfiecartwright9655 Well, I don't know about the nationals as I don't follow them that much and just an old school ukie flier from the 50's and now into RC but I get the AMA magazine and online ads for products and know even the old Ringmaster has a big following in some clubs. The hobby and all it's aspects is still around and if you want to fly do it. Maybe a bit of a hunt depending on where you are.
If I'm a spectator or a crew member here, I'm wearing a face shield. Dignity be damned.
OMG!
These comments are incredible!!! The comments ... I don't know how to say this tactfully or ... or in a nice PC sort of way ... but I'm not sure that really matters or not.
Anyway, this video stopped me dead in my tracks at 1:45. Not because there was anything of interest showing at that particular moment, but because of the format of this video. Meaning the way the video is put together and presented to the viewer. The music, the dialog, the camera angles, etc. From the less than 2 minutes I have seen so far, if this video were made today I can't imagine much of it being the same, except maybe the camera footage but that's it. I say that because to me this all comes across as so incredibly old fashioned. It literally screams "Old Fogey!". And that is where I wasn't sure how to go about this tactfully, because the comments here pretty much echo that scream. The thing for me is, this all hits incredibly close to home for me. That's because even though at 55 years old and being born and raised in Los Angeles, my 99 year old father and recently deceased mother in 2/2015, both were born and raised in Grand Island, Nebraska. And this video has the look and smell and Old Fogey-ness of NE all over it it seems.
I'm not saying there is anything necessarily wrong with any of this Old Fogey-ness, but to me because of this Old Fogey-ness there is almost a resounding THUD of why this sport isn't more popular today. I mean, you've got a video named "Wired for Excitement", yet we've got a video with music so mellow stoners would complain. And a great narrator with an incredible voice that's about to lull me to sleep.
The creators of this video obviously had not heard of or probably even cared of skateboard videos or anything X-Game like at that time, but if you ask me, had they been hip to stuff like that back then, this video would look, feel, and sound Completely Different! And with that, the sport of Control Line Flying might be hugely popular today.
Seriously! Doing one huge change like using The Dead Kennedy's first album as the soundtrack and this video might have taken off and changed everything! This video just floors me because I don't doubt that in the next year or two after this was made all videos showing anything that was dubbed "Extreme" or "Excitement" oriented were made a completely different way than this. In that way this video is truly a time capsule of how things used to be.
You have some very valid points but The Dead Kennedys or Metallica can't revive this activity for one simple reason. Work. These things take a lot of time, effort skill and intelligence that is far beyond our current society. A few could do it but not enough to support the industry it requires.
@@stiletto10826... Well Said!!!
Love flying them all! Can someone tell me what tune is played between 12:11 to 27:40? Gary Fort Worth Tx.
interesting to what year is this? according to F2D somewhere 1975-80
I remember Rat racing
Control line and John Facenda .
The only from of model flying that you can feel. Opposed to UC is RC, RC is very real, and great, but it is just like a video game, quick eye to control movements. No feel. Just brain reaction. Brain reactions are very important, but where were programmed brain reactions on Apollo 12?
Any idea what year this was filmed?
+Denis & Vivian Cousineau Early 80's in Lincoln Nebraska at the NATS
I was thinking mid to late 70's based on the hair, clothes and cars in the background. Fun to watch, as a kid we put a lot of time into this hobby. Just looked it up. Filmed in 1979.
1982 at the NATS in Lincoln Nebraska is where a lot of the footage was shot.
So this is what people used to do before computers and internet.
The Dave we still do it... see my profile pic?
Thanks from 660250!
who ever is knocking this sport, jam it up yours
Can't remember my number....
Wow didn’t realize this was a huge deal back then
I want one but I have one fear, How do I turn it off?
When it runs out of fuel
You don't. You start it up and it runs until it's out of fuel. They only run for a minet or two though.
I personally knew some of these flyers. The
Even as a kid in the 70s I always thought this was a joke. Fast forward 50 years and it still is.
OMG, it was fine until The Circle Dancers. Then the moustaches made sense.🇦🇺
I see George Cleveland and Jim Ong
with nfl music