Gasoline powered mini plane

[swings16]

I was flying yesterday in my regular spot...Forest Park in NYC...it was a fine day and there were literally hundreds of people jogging on the track (where i usually fly)...i was forced to go to another area...fenced in..concrete..very tall trees on the perimeter...I see a man come in near me and i see him unpacking something...i am thinking that it was another pilot like me...He WAS...The thing that he was going to fly was one of those old gasoline powered airplanes which is controlled by very fine steel wires...i am sure that everyone knows what i am referring to...i was ready to leave (low battery power) and he called me over...he needed help from me to hold it in position before he flew it...it was an old HUGE beat up thing with only one front tire but i helped him...he primed the engine with gasoline and we were on our knees doing this...after a few misses the motor engaged and being so close to the props (HUGE) and the engine noise..UGH ! i was nervous...he asked me to hold the plane in place as he waked to pick up the hand controller with the cables...he told me to NOT LET GO until he gave me a signal (a hand DOWN) and i did just that..in a second this HUGE plane is flying loops and backwards up down sideways all this as he is walking a small circle to keep it up...even being 30 + feet or more away my ears were aching..SCREAMING loud...it was evident that the guy knew what he was doing having it go through loops,upside down,backwards...all for 2 minutes and then he landed..he was fascinated by my MP but he was a hard core old timer who was doing what he was familiar with...it was exciting to see...i was thinking that you have to have excellent Balance instincts...going around and around with this heavy object would definitely mess with my head..it was fun to look back at what was a huge interest of mine...seeing my oldest brother do the exact same thing 55 + years ago !

 

[FoxhallGH]

I used to build my own control-line models with glow-plug motors on them a zillion years ago. Your description brings back some nice child-hood memories, but also reminds me of how my fingers used to get whacked & cut by the nylon prop's! Interesting thing that - but I never got dizzy - I think it's because you are so focused on the plane on the end of the wires, that you don't get effected by the world spinning beyond ...

 

[AMann]

Just reading your description brought back an old memory from my youthfull days. Yeah, one never forgets the smell of that castor oil all over the plane and your hands after flying one of those.

 

[io390]

Control line models are about as far removed from a Mavic as possible. Amazing how far the technology for small flying machines has come.

 

[swings16]

Control line models are about as far removed from a Mavic as possible. Amazing how far the technology for small flying machines has come.

Indeed...he was (WE) were on our knees messing with this monster to get it started...it had a big scary looking prop that i was very aware and wary of and it took him scores of tries to finally get the motor going...it would start..then stop...over and over all the while i am very close to the blades and the gas and DANGER...i wanted to bail on him but hung in and he flew it well putting it through tricky looking moves and i was impressed by his maneuvers and control...the wing span was at least 3 feet long if not 4...it looked like S but it flew well..the pilot seemed to be a bit down on his luck ($) but he was kind and cool with me sharing the experience with me...$ has nothing to do with the excitement that some of us have for this type of FUN...i am a kid again when i fly...EXCITED as i am on my way to fly EVERY time

 

[FatherXmas]

Back when I was maybe 10 or so (back in the dark ages), I had a neighbor that flew those things. As a kid, I was fascinated with it, went with him to watch him fly it as often as I could. That was the only one I've ever seen.

 

[FoxhallGH]

I remember adjusting the needle valve into the carburettor, and how my knuckles were just mm away from the buzz-saw of a prop'. Every now and again I'd get a layer of skin taken off to remind me just how close I was! ... The light-years between that and swiping-right on Go 4 to start & take-off my Mavic is just amazing. The box of stuff I used to have just to start and run the control line and RC models was bigger than the DJI bag that holds my entire Mavic Pro and its controller.

 

[Bob in Savannah]

I had one. Some ww2 fighter plane. This would have been in the extreme late 1970s or maybe as early as 80 or 81.. It had a Testor's engine and just nylon wires not metal.. Might have been not much longer than a foot or so...

 

[DanMc]

Same here, started out on control line. My first girlfriend's father was into this, so he got me into it. There was a little friction at times between who I spent time with - the girlfriend, or her dad. I was always crashing with control-line, being so close to the ground. I moved on to R/C planes and had better success with more distance from the ground. It was still a very unforgiving hobby - make a couple mistakes either building or with flying and you're back down in the shop starting over building a new plane. It's agony when your beautiful plane is pulverized to splinters by the ground. The Mavic Air is so much easier, but having full control over the aircraft is a great deal of fun. A drone will never generate the admiration of a nitro-fueled plane gently settling in for smooth landing.