OLD RC EQUIPMENT STORIES
QUICK CURT
I was talking with a long time flying buddy (28 years) about the first
equipment we used and it sure brought memories.
Although there was better equipment on the market when I started I was young
and newly married(no money)
An older fellow was quitting and gave me all his stuff. (Dan Hudspeth) It
included Reed sets, Escapements, and even several Halco "Galloping ghost"
setups.
Any body out there remember using this stuff??
Curt!!
John Miller
>ATTENTION "OLD TIMERS" (you know who you are.)
>
>An older fellow was quitting and gave me all his stuff. (Dan Hudspeth) It
>included Reed sets, Escapements, and even several Halco "Galloping ghost"
>setups.
>Any body out there remember using this stuff??
Ah, well, I remember reading about it fondly back then,
but couldn't afford any of it at the time . . .
Newer modelers probably wouldn't believe what could be
done with a rudder-only escapement plane if you told 'em.
--
John Miller, N4VU Linux! Offense should be in
'96 base model MCA #70258 short supply; so much
"Shiroi Kuruma" DoD #1942 more is taken than given
Doug Stewart
Controlaire 5 superregen receiver, Mule transmitter, single function
escapement (brand?).
I worked hard all summer 1965 to earn enough 'extra' money to buy all that.
Two glorious flights followed by a re-kitting. Expensive first outing, but
enough to get me hooked for life!
The DougSter
AMA 75773
(had a much lower AMA number back then)
QUICK CURT
Knew an old fellow that did touch and Go's with rudder only!!
Curt!!
John Miller wrote in message <77jeol$kol$1...@n4vu.dyn.ml.org>...
R. Wayne
Propo was of age when I started but, I did have some reed flights
to see what it was all about... Now, was that 4 clicks for up or 2?
took alot of planning then, just to takeoff.
R. Wayne
QUICK CURT wrote in message <77j809$206$1...@remarQ.com>...
>ATTENTION "OLD TIMERS" (you know who you are.)
>
>I was talking with a long time flying buddy (28 years) about the first
>equipment we used and it sure brought memories.
>
>Although there was better equipment on the market when I started I was
young
>and newly married(no money)
>
>An older fellow was quitting and gave me all his stuff. (Dan Hudspeth) It
>included Reed sets, Escapements, and even several Halco "Galloping ghost"
>setups.
>
>Any body out there remember using this stuff??
>
>
>Curt!!
>
>
mol...@canisius.edu
> An older fellow was quitting and gave me all his stuff. (Dan Hudspeth) It
> included Reed sets, Escapements, and even several Halco "Galloping ghost"
> setups.
>
> Any body out there remember using this stuff??
Yes, but not very fondly.
I had a Galloping Ghost setup around 1967-68. It was
fascinating to watch it work on my bench. Never had any
success with it in the air.
I was too young and too proud to ask for enough help to
make it work. I just kept patching up the planes and
trying again. The longest flight was perhaps 45 seconds.
More my fault than the gear's fault, actually.
Marty
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Jim White
>ATTENTION "OLD TIMERS" (you know who you are.)
>
>I was talking with a long time flying buddy (28 years) about the first
>equipment we used and it sure brought memories.
>
>Although there was better equipment on the market when I started I was young
>and newly married(no money)
>
>An older fellow was quitting and gave me all his stuff. (Dan Hudspeth) It
>included Reed sets, Escapements, and even several Halco "Galloping ghost"
>setups.
>
>Any body out there remember using this stuff??
>
>
>Curt!!
>
us older types won't admit to being that old..... :>)
Jim White
AMA 2466
WB2WOY
WPMPA/BCF/PFC
SouthShoreSoftware
Treasure Island, FL
dgam...@nbnet.nb.ca
<Bra...@localaccess.com> wrote:
>ATTENTION "OLD TIMERS" (you know who you are.)
>
>An older fellow was quitting and gave me all his stuff. (Dan Hudspeth) It
>included Reed sets, Escapements, and even several Halco "Galloping ghost"
>setups.
>
>Any body out there remember using this stuff??
>
REMEMBER IT ??? I still have some of it...
How about a Controlaire Single Channel Tx... w/a Bonner stick on it
(Galloping Ghost), Companion Rx and dual rand actuators with a rate
decoder for elevator?
At one time , a "State of the Art " system....
Dave
Wb4guk
I just finished a Tri-Squire with Galloping Ghost. I am using a home made
transmitter that I built in 1964 with a Controlaire SH100 receiver. The
actuator is also Controlaire. I used the single crank on the tail so that
non-believers could see only one connection to the rudder and elevator.
The purpose of this is to show the younger generation that it did work!
In article <369D6535...@ecsis.net>, Skipper Jones <sjo...@ecsis.net>
writes:
>> ATTENTION "OLD TIMERS" (you know who you are.)
>>
>> I was talking with a long time flying buddy (28 years) about the first
>> equipment we used and it sure brought memories.
>>
>> Although there was better equipment on the market when I started I was
>young
>> and newly married(no money)
>>
>> An older fellow was quitting and gave me all his stuff. (Dan Hudspeth) It
>> included Reed sets, Escapements, and even several Halco "Galloping ghost"
>> setups.
>>
>> Any body out there remember using this stuff??
>>
>> Curt!!
>
Dan Thompson (AMA 32873, IMAA 20735, EAA 60974, Ham call WB4GUK)
Sound engineering and good marketing are not always parallel paths.
M75771
controls (two simul. inputs) was just coming to market. Remenber seeing my the
Astro-Hog for the first time in late '59 equipped with the HUGE K&B .45. Man
that was the ulitmate! At least three real active fliers in our club (Delaware
RC) successfully used the Good TTPW system (as kitted by Ace). Still have my
Min-X 1200 GG system. Flew the heck out of that sucker. Still have about 7 or
8 various superregen Rx's and escapements and Mighty Midget motors. The funny
part about all of this is that I saw all of this stuff flown very successfully
in the early 60's. I think those that flew in the mid to early 50's are the
ones who really deserve credit. Tone RX's seemed to be much more reliable than
the earlier Carrier Wave types. And they came into vogue in the late 50's,
early 60's. At least they did where I lived.
Mike McCormick
AMA 75771
Gord Schindler
>ATTENTION "OLD TIMERS" (you know who you are.)
>
>
>
>Curt!!
I started in this hobby in 1954. In '56, I built my 1st radio...gas tube, hand wound
coil and a relay the size of a quarter(THAT was some impressive relay). The
'B' battery in the A/C weighed as much as some of my planes do now!
Graduated to an ACE single channel in 61/or 62. It was a kit and still a tube radio.
Basically the same as the 1st one but it was a superhet...way sophisticated
technology. Still drove the rudder with a rubber band escapement.
In '65 I bought an OS single channel with two motor driven escapements. One for
rudder and 1 for throttle(3 positions on throttle). This was a great little outfit.
4 AA batteries in the plane and a nine volt battery in the TX. Had it in a Jetco
Navigator. Flew it for at least 5 yrs at the cottage.
In '66 or 67 we REALLY moved up...analogue proportional! I forget who made it
but it was in a beautiful red aluminum case. Had to have one it looked so nice.
Well, the servos moved so slow that you could easily crash yr plane before you
got control of it. What a waste of money that was.
Just about this time Heathkit came out with a digital propo which I built and flew
for several yrs. Oh yes, there was a KRAFT propo in there somewhere as well.
I wonder how many of you remember some of these old attempts at RC?
Regards,
Gord Schindler
Toronto, Canada
MAAC 6695
Remove the ** from my name to reply by mail
Julian Garrett
a Mambo with a OK Cub .099 (VERY underpowered), many times over on
week ends to try and get the thing to work.. Plane flew fine, radio
just kept keying escapement constantly. Worked fine at home, but not
at field. Was not untill years later that I found out that a Raincoat
Factory next to the field used RF to heat
seal the coats togather. ON 27 Mhz Yet.
Good Old Days????
Julian Garrett
JP1
>>"In '66 or 67 we REALLY moved up...analogue proportional! I forget who made
it but it was in a beautiful red aluminum case. Had to have one it looked so
nice. Well, the servos moved so slow that you could easily crash yr plane
before you got control of it. What a waste of money that was."<<
Gord, the analog propo in the red case was made by Citizenship, I bought one
and recall well how s--l--o--w the two propo servos were. (On the other hand,
they didn't have much thrust/torque, either.) Do you remember that the
throttle channel wasn't propo, but instead was a "run while the lever is held"
positionable type?
I was in the Air Force at Grand Forks AFB, ND at the time ('66) and sold the
system to another Air Force type when I was transferred in '67--I'd never
actually flown it. This guy was an absolute electronics whiz (and is now a
computer profesisonal and even more of a whiz in that field), and he actually
used the Citizenship analog system as the foundation for his own-design
_digital_ propo system!!
Orbit also had a three-channel analog system in the '66-'68 era.
FWLIW, my RC beginning was in '65: my first ship was Bill Winter's "Swampbox"
(MAN, Dec 64...and the plan is still available from MAN!!), powered by an O.S.
Max .10 RC, and controlled by a Min-X Pulsemite 1200 galloping ghost rig (which
i still have). I flew it first in only rudder/motor mode, and derned if it
wouldn't do a half-decent touch and go...though the timing of advancing the
throttle to pull the nose up was a challenge.
Later, I replaced the Ted Strader Du-Ac actuator with a just-released Rand LR-3
actuator, and pretty decent proportional elevator and rudder (with
five-position throttle) was a reality. The Swampbox made some very pretty,
flared landings...and since up elevator was the lowest pulse frequency, it was
a hoot to see the ship's nose "bobbing" just before touchdown.
I will always remember my very first RC flight in May 65. Squadron-mate (and
experienced RC flier) Will Greenwood hand-launched the Swambox for me and
coached me through the flight...which was a solo from the first instant. (I'd
been a FF modeler since the early 50s, so building the Swampbox "square and
straight" was not a challenge...and typical of Bill Winter's trainer designs,
"hands off" would let the ship recover from almost any pilot error.) The
highlight of that first flight was that I landed the Swampbox on its wheels (a
taildragger design), and on the runway! Onliest "Yeah-bu!" is that the landing
was _across_ the runway, not down it. (I just declared victory and pressed on
from there. <g>)
John Pothier
Anaheim Hills, CA
AMA 39016
Walter W Johnson
jgarr...@cyberhighway.net (Julian Garrett) wrote:
I guess i'll add my old story. I started in 53 with a "Mac 5" on 27/1/4 meg's, it had two 3D6's
in pariell running on a dinamotor power supply. I used to pee on the ground to get a better gnd.
The rece had a 1AG4 gas tube an a sigma relay, it used a 45v B batt. a whole bunch of pen cells
for the filiments and the accuatter. (i can't spell worth a damn)I had a pulsing box connected to
the xmitter to key the output to cause the rudder wiggle back and forth.(semiprop.)Hold the stick
one way it went left the other way it went right, in the middle it wiggled back and forth. The
plane was a Trixter Beam with a Webra 15 dez. Way to much power........Walt
Walt
papad...@webtv.net
first stage and a 1AG4 second stage, controlling a rubber powered
escapement?
Papa D
Dan D
--
Dan
Check out our page: http://my.voyager.net/gingerd/
QUICK CURT wrote in message <77j809$206$1...@remarQ.com>...
ATTENTION "OLD TIMERS" (you know who you are.)
I was talking with a long time flying buddy (28 years) about the first
equipment we used and it sure brought memories.
Although there was better equipment on the market when I started I was young
and newly married(no money)
An older fellow was quitting and gave me all his stuff. (Dan Hudspeth) It
included Reed sets, Escapements, and even several Halco "Galloping ghost"
setups.
Al Campana
Dmeco called the "Live Wire Cruiser". It was powered by a K&B Greenhead .23.
Hal DeBolt had a "servo" he designed and I used that instead of an escapement.
It worked about 50% of the time (no kidding) but I flew it anyway. Actually it
flew better as a free-flight! It had a Babcock single channel radio which
required 3 batteries, 1.5 volt filament battery, 67.5 volt "B" battery and a 15
volt bias battery. I had a lot of fly-aways but I always got it back! Aah, the
good old days!!!
Al
QUICK CURT
experience on this NG.
And the next time you are a strugglin and a sweatin, remember those that
have gone before you!!
Curt Easterbrook
OLD - but not as old as I thought!
Red Scholefield
rudder only class.
Red Scholefield - AMA 951 IMAA 18939 IMAC 2333 LSF 412
red...@gnv.fdt.net
David Larkin
a British rudder only unit (Reptone?) with a block Rx and motorised
actuator - didn't work in the Canadian winter. But the Tx was OK with
a Kraft single channel (tube) Rx from ACE, and with the later K3VK
transistorized version. I had a Wildfire bipe with Babcock compound
escapement and a clockwork Fred Rising escapement on motor. Then went
to Reeds with Kraft 10 and 12 channel units with Bonner Duramite and
Transmite servos and Annco servos. Pretty good stuff provided you
kept the Tx channels accurately tuned to the reeds, and served me well
in a FROG Jackdaw, a Palmer G-String and of course the Taurus. I
avoided analog proportional but had the first PCS (Kraft) unit.
Still have a couple of ACE single channel rudder only models which are
most enjoyable to fly.
Dave Larkin
MAAC 3577L
go...@idirect.com, Gord, Schindler wrote:
>
> In <77j809$206$1...@remarQ.com>, "QUICK CURT" <Bra...@localaccess.com> writes:
> >ATTENTION "OLD TIMERS" (you know who you are.)
> >
> >Any body out there remember using this stuff??
> >
> >
> >Curt!!
>
> I started in this hobby in 1954. In '56, I built my 1st radio...gas tube, hand wound
> coil and a relay the size of a quarter(THAT was some impressive relay). The
> 'B' battery in the A/C weighed as much as some of my planes do now!
>
> Graduated to an ACE single channel in 61/or 62. It was a kit and still a tube radio.
> Basically the same as the 1st one but it was a superhet...way sophisticated
> technology. Still drove the rudder with a rubber band escapement.
>
> In '65 I bought an OS single channel with two motor driven escapements. One for
> rudder and 1 for throttle(3 positions on throttle). This was a great little outfit.
> 4 AA batteries in the plane and a nine volt battery in the TX. Had it in a Jetco
> Navigator. Flew it for at least 5 yrs at the cottage.
>
> In '66 or 67 we REALLY moved up...analogue proportional! I forget who made it
> but it was in a beautiful red aluminum case. Had to have one it looked so nice.
> Well, the servos moved so slow that you could easily crash yr plane before you
> got control of it. What a waste of money that was.
>
David Larkin
Jeff Chauza
enjoyed this thread. Many posts reference an "escapement" as a means of
control. Could someone please describe what, exactly, an escapement is?
Thanks...
QUICK CURT wrote:
> ATTENTION "OLD TIMERS" (you know who you are.)
>
> I was talking with a long time flying buddy (28 years) about the first
> equipment we used and it sure brought memories.
>
> Although there was better equipment on the market when I started I was young
> and newly married(no money)
>
> An older fellow was quitting and gave me all his stuff. (Dan Hudspeth) It
> included Reed sets, Escapements, and even several Halco "Galloping ghost"
> setups.
>
Gord Schindler
>I am not old enough to relate to the 50's and 60's era equipment, yet I have
>enjoyed this thread. Many posts reference an "escapement" as a means of
>control. Could someone please describe what, exactly, an escapement is?
>
>Thanks...
>
>QUICK CURT wrote:
An escapement is a rubber driven device used to give left and right rudder. Basically,
it is a relay with an L shaped armature on it with the pivot at the right angle.
The arms of the L were 'stoppers' for the ends of a rotating arm that was driven
by a long rubber band to the rear of the A/C. There was also a means to hook this
driven arm- mechanically- to the rudder. With no out put from the Rx, the rudder
was at neutral. Key 1 time and hold at the TX ,and the relay pulled in releasing one
end of the rotating arm allowing it to turn 1/4 turn giving right rudder. Let the TX
key go and it went back to neutral. Key 2X and hold, and the opposite end of the
rotating arm was stopped by the armature giving left rudder. Turns were done
by giving succesive 'bursts' of one or the other although one had to be careful not
to run out of power on the elastic. Of course, all the planes were free flight
anyway and trimmed to always turn slightly, so not too many planes were lost.
A little after this wonderful gadget was invented along came a method to couple
a second escapement to the 1st so that a quick jab on the TX button would cause
the 2nd one to rotate. This could be hooked up to the throttle. Man were we
sophisticated then! Way cool!
Red Scholefield
triggers a relay which pulls in a coil on the device allowing it to rotate
a shaft 90 degrees or so. When the radio signal releases the relay it goes
back to where it started. Now how did we control a model with this.....One
hold = right, one on,off,hold = left. Then we got sophisticated and ganged
these together so that a very quick blip of the radio set off a second
escapement for throttle, usually high or low speed. We flew rather large
planes with small engines. A tpical set up might be a 56 inch span with a
.15 size engine.
Red Scholefield - AMA 951 IMAA 18939 IMAC 2333 LSF 412
red...@gnv.fdt.net
On Fri, 15 Jan 1999, Jeff Chauza wrote:
> I am not old enough to relate to the 50's and 60's era equipment, yet I have
> enjoyed this thread. Many posts reference an "escapement" as a means of
> control. Could someone please describe what, exactly, an escapement is?
>
> Thanks...
>
> QUICK CURT wrote:
>
StarCad
>
> I am not old enough to relate to the 50's and 60's era equipment, yet I have
> enjoyed this thread. Many posts reference an "escapement" as a means of
> control. Could someone please describe what, exactly, an escapement is?
>
>
with a Babcock 27 unit a C/G Skylane 42 with a Cox Mediallian .049. Had
a 2oz metal tank in the nose and the dang thing would fly around 10
minutes. If you didn't watch yourself you could run the rubber down and
the chase the plane several miles. But hey, I was a kid, right! Later
I lost a C/G Jr. Falcon because of the same problem of letting the
rubber run down.
Ok an Escapement was notheing more than the inerds of a windup alarm
clock only converted over to R/C use. Gee, I really don't know how to
discribe these just that I had more fun playing with them than anyone
should have.
--
Guy Fuller
ICQ# 26561523
+++ STARCAD PLANS +++
Your site on the Internet for FREE Model Airplane Plans
Bookmark this site for the fantastic resource it is.
<http://www.azstarnet.com/~stcad>
kra...@my-dejanews.com
Springfield, Illinois, in the mid 60's I bought some escapement equipment
from older modelers who had moved up to better stuff. Had a humongous
Heathkit transmitter and receiver, and a Mule Mark 2 transmitter and
receiver. Both gave me uniformly unreliable service, as every other flight
was a fly-away, and in those days when the equipment didn't work it
neutralized and just flew off for miles, the single channel birds were just
big free flights anyway. I saved up my lunch money and managed to buy two
Royal Servos, brushed brass annodized cases, and each probably 2x4 inches in
size, huge and heavy. Back then just one flight when nothing went wrong
seemed like a big accomplishment. The galloping ghost stuff also looked
ridiculous in flight, with the control surfaces flipping back and forth, and
the escapement stuff depended on cool nerves and a good button pushing
ability,because if you didn't time it properly you get two rights instead of
a left, which was the button pushed twice at the proper speed, and when
something was going wrong you could never seem to get left when you needed
it. Modelers now have no idea of how lucky they are to get good equipment at
a decent price.
In article <77j809$206$1...@remarQ.com>,
"QUICK CURT" <Bra...@localaccess.com> wrote:
> ATTENTION "OLD TIMERS" (you know who you are.)
>
> I was talking with a long time flying buddy (28 years) about the first
> equipment we used and it sure brought memories.
>
> Although there was better equipment on the market when I started I was young
> and newly married(no money)
>
> An older fellow was quitting and gave me all his stuff. (Dan Hudspeth) It
> included Reed sets, Escapements, and even several Halco "Galloping ghost"
> setups.
>
> Any body out there remember using this stuff??
>
> Curt!!
Gordon Jack
>
> In <369F49B5...@waddill.com>, Jeff Chauza <jeff_...@waddill.com> writes:
> >enjoyed this thread. Many posts reference an "escapement" as a means of
> >control. Could someone please describe what, exactly, an escapement is?
> >
> >
> >QUICK CURT wrote:
>
> An escapement is a rubber driven device used to give left and right rudder. Basically,
> it is a relay with an L shaped armature on it with the pivot at the right angle.
> The arms of the L were 'stoppers' for the ends of a rotating arm that was driven
> by a long rubber band to the rear of the A/C. There was also a means to hook this
> driven arm- mechanically- to the rudder. With no out put from the Rx, the rudder
> was at neutral. Key 1 time and hold at the TX ,and the relay pulled in releasing one
> end of the rotating arm allowing it to turn 1/4 turn giving right rudder. Let the TX
> key go and it went back to neutral. Key 2X and hold, and the opposite end of the
> rotating arm was stopped by the armature giving left rudder. Turns were done
> by giving succesive 'bursts' of one or the other although one had to be careful not
> to run out of power on the elastic. Of course, all the planes were free flight
> anyway and trimmed to always turn slightly, so not too many planes were lost.
> A little after this wonderful gadget was invented along came a method to couple
> a second escapement to the 1st so that a quick jab on the TX button would cause
> the 2nd one to rotate. This could be hooked up to the throttle. Man were we
> sophisticated then! Way cool!
>
> Regards,
> Gord Schindler
> Toronto, Canada
> MAAC 6695
> Remove the ** from my name to reply by mail
Yea and trying to get that throttle to change sometimes resulted in no
turns left on the rudder escapement and the plane flying on its own with
full throttle.
This was especially nice when there was a 10 Mph (Kph came later) wind
that day. ;-)
That is when I learned to cross country run. :-)
Galloping Ghost to the rescue!
Gord Jack
MAAC 8928