Model Aircraft.

I had been flying model airplanes for a few years but only control line models, the small ones made of plastic and with a small .049 Baby Bee engine.

They were easy to start easy to fly, well after the first few crashes and patch up jobs it became easy. I mixed my own glow fuel and bought all the ingredients from he local chemist.

I flew the aircraft on the empty sports fields that were available in our small mining town.

One day my father arrived home and said I should go and have a look in the car, boy was I surprised, jammed into the back of the Volkswagen Beetle was a BIG half build wooden control line model aircraft. The wood was balsa wood and all the bits that still had to be build were in a big colorful box with the magic name Stunt Queen on the front with a picture of the finished aircraft flying. It seemed to be doing 200mph just looking at the picture on the box.

It took me nearly 3 weeks of working every afternoon to complete the model and to mount the massive engine. The prop looked large enough to chop of my finger.
My best friends dad came over one evening and helped me sort out the final few items and to cover it. He also painted it for me.

Then it stood, mocking me because I was too scared to go fly this monster. I was 12 years old at this time. It took me a while to work up the courage to go fly it . One afternoon I was ready, the stunt Queen was ready so I carried it to the sports field and my brother carried the box with battery and Fuel and control cables.

The field was empty and I was grateful for that didn’t want to crash it on its first flight in front of a crowd.

We fueled he aircraft, my brother held it and I started it adjusted until the engine was running at full revs , then ran into the centre of the circle where the control handle lay on the grass picked it up and made sure that up gave up elevator and down gave down elevator.

The control lines were thin steel trace lines and they glinted in the sun , the engine was roaring and I signaled for my brother to let it go. Boy did it go and boy did it pull, it felt as if I had to lean back 45 degrees to prevent it pulling me over. After initial over control where I managed to prevent it diving into the ground It settled down to some steady super fast laps and I was praying for the fuel to run out after 12 laps but the engine was still giving its all

On Lap 15 or thereabouts the engine quit, the silence was deafening. and it glided around in a circle for 2 more laps before sinking low enough to do a real smooth landing.

It was only then that I noticed that a crowd of 6 or 7 cars had stopped and some people had been watching. My knobbly knees were knocking together but I was walking 10 feet tall with an idiotic grin plastered all over my face.

I flew her many more times and each time I flew her she made me look good.