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| My uncle in the mid-'30s |
I've been leisurely reading my way through some old issues of The Model Craftsman from the '30s and scans of The Model Builder from the '70s and '80s. This kind of trip is always a pleasure, but this time I'm again brought around to the thought lurking in the back of my mind that I'm only a 'real' model maker if I can successfully build a stick-and-tissue, rubber band powered, free-flying model airplane - and by successful I mean it looks good and flies well. I don't think I've ever been successful on those terms. And to drive the point home to me, most recently I parked the Pietenpol Air Camper project last summer when I got to the covering stage.
Look at that photo I recently found. There's my uncle of 1940s Winnipeg railroad photos fame with a stick-and-tissue flying model - one of several of these sorts of photos I've uncovered during my family photo scanning. I suspect he built those things, not just held them up for a photo. He died long before I was old enough to form any solid memories of him, so all this is inference from ancient images.
Anyway, all this has got me thinking I should get back to the Air Camper to see if I can at least discover why I have mental blocks about stick-and-tissue flyers.
That looks like quite an elaborate stick-and-tissue model!
ReplyDeleteI have to comment that I've been enjoying your uncle's Winnipeg photos!
He took some very interesting photos. I often go back to them looking for details and stories that I've previously overlooked. That model appears to be a biplane, and might be a replica of a Stearman, although I can't say for certain.
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