[RBinnie]

Originally Posted by Arceenut

Reminds me of one of my earliest modeling experiences. Built a 12 inch model of Sabre Jet, powered by a Jetex motor. That would be around 1954. 1954??? I just realized how OLD I am.

In the mid sixties, when I was about 12, I was on summer vacation in the UK and built a simple glider at my uncle's house to play with in the local park. I was having great fun with it when one day while poking around the LHS I saw the Jetex engins. I bought one and mounted it on the glider. I had built a few rubber powered balsa planes back home so I figured out the CG and lit up the Jetex. Well I spent a good part of the rest of my vacation chasing that sucker around the park all day long but what I remember the most was the fun I had just watching the Jetex motor power the glider up to altitude then glide back to earth after the burn. I don't remember what ever happened to it but it probably caught a boomer and went OOS.

On another note, a few guys at our club brew up their own fuel using castor oil, nitro and methanol and the one thing that always takes me back 40 odd years is the smell of that stuff burning in a glow engine.

Cheers!

[gordonbw]

From the 60s, I remember strapping a Jetex 50 onto a North Pacific Star Flyer rubber band model. Also a bunch of Kiel Kraft and Veron printwood kits from the UK. My Jim Walker Interceptor catapult glider, which I lost to a thermal. A styrofoam thingy from Japan called the Electra Fly, which had an electric motor that was powered by a wet cell battery (add salt water). A great towline glider kit that was manufactured in Czechoslovakia -- the ribs and stringers were made of thin pine, not balsa, but it flew really well. And my Sterling ringmaster c/l model.

Wow, I was really into this stuff, even then.

[ogopogo]

A couple of posts above on Jetex triggered visions of my home-built balsa rocket circa 1960 with a Jetex "glued" inside. Upon ignition, the rocket promptly fell over, the Jetex tore loose and continued on its own to perfect apogee. After "re-entry" it was located by a hole melted in the snow.

[ronnieo]

Seeing a guy selling a Sterling kit here got me going on old memories...I spent a whole two years building a B17 bomber when I was 13 and Dad taught me how to use the tissue paper...what a mess that was... and I warped it too and had the iron on steam trying to straighten the wing... wound up the elastics and let it go in the front yard...right into the fire hydrant in front of the house... only the tail was intact...
Dad just looked at me and said...


"Way to go , Lindberg"

[JimMcIntyre]

LOL!

I saw a Sterling Cirrus at the Kitchener swap meet Saturday, boy did that bring back some memories. Originally a free flight "tow" model, I modified her for single channel escapement and had many hours of fun "tow" gliding over my grandparents field that summer. Later in the year I tried a Hi start ... snapped/peeled the wings off and planted the fuselage resulting in the empenage leaving formation... I never did rebuild her as by then I had my first proportional radio (MRC) installed in a Springbok slope soarer that I modded for hi start and was starting on my first powered RC.... A Sterling Mambo.

[ronnieo]

hey Jimmy...I remember another Sterling kit I got years later... spent a whole two years again and got an Enya .19 and a COX Sanwa 6 channel radio for about $700 and got everything done and went to balance it and couldn't figure why one wing was longer than the other by about 2 inches...it was a C\L kit and dint see it on the plans...I had thrown out the box that said it was C\L. Sold the radio for $350 and gave the plane to a neighborhood kid to play with and never did remember where that engine went...oh well.

Ronnie

[Heliboy]

Originally Posted by Arceenut

Reminds me of one of my earliest modeling experiences. Built a 12 inch model of Sabre Jet, powered by a Jetex motor. That would be around 1954. 1954??? I just realized how OLD I am.

Ah yes, "Jetex"....as a pair of 8 yr old hellions a friend and I lit the fuse and set one of those off in the back row of the local movie theater during a Saturday morning kids matinee......we cleared the place out in about three minutes flat with volumes of dirty, choking, brown smoke.

I still find it hard to believe how much smoke one of those small plugs could create