Vintage RC airplanes ('Old Timers')
There are several manufacturers of 'repro' vintage rc airplanes, and the models represent the Golden Era of aeromodeling, with some designs dating back to the early 1930s.
Back then, model flying was of course a very different hobby. The earliest model airplanes to be self-propelled were done so by rubber bands, and soon these naturally evolved into larger gas-powered free flight models as technology developed and allowed the production of model internal combustion engines.
The earliest record of powered radio control flight gives 1937 as the year, with the model airplane and radio gear being built by Michigan engineers and model airplane enthusiasts Dr. Walt Good and his brother Bill.
Today, vintage radio control planes have that same classic look and style as 'Big Guff' had (as their model was named) back in 1937, but of course they are flown with modern day glow plug engines and radio gear.
Traditionally, such airplanes were powered by diesel motors and there are still some manufacturers producing them, primarily for vintage model use.
The British based company Progress Aero Works (PAW) make a range of traditional diesel airplane motors, such as the classic 1.49cc example shown right.
Vintage rc airplanes can be bought in kit form now, but there are also many plans available to build the model from scratch.
The airplanes tend to be large in size and use traditional balsa wood construction techniques, making them great models for anyone who enjoys the building side of the hobby as much as the flying side.
Their large size makes them slow and gentle flyers, and a typical set-up for a modern day vintage plane is to use a 4 stroke glow plug motor and 3 channel radio with control to throttle, elevator and rudder.
One British company, Ben Buckle, is a well respected manufacturer of such kits and also has made available a large selection of printed vintage plans. Many of the classic designs are available such as the 'Buccaneer', 'Flying Quaker' and 'Majestic Major' all shown below:
Images from the Ben Buckle range of vintage kits
Shop for Ben Buckle vintage rc airplanes on eBay.
If you like the idea of flying something big and gentle, vintage rc airplanes offer an excellent opportunity. They are inherently very stable and forgiving, and are very satisfying to build!
And if you want to bring them in to the 21st century even more, they make great camera platforms because of their size!
