Welcome back. We’re up to 1964 on our little retrospective jaunt through the years as seen through the eyes of RCM&E archive issues. By now the magazine had stepped up a size and the editor was W.P.Holland. The model featured above on the March cover was Punpkin Seed a 20″ span single channel design by Bert Striegler who admitted that he liked fat little biplanes best of all!
The G.P.O was discussing Channel allocation plans for 27MHz in February and this reader letter encouraged debate – who remembers splits?
The April issue carried a report from the British Toy Fair in Brighton bringing new products such as the new Merco 61 and Keil Kraft’s new proportional set called Stabo (bottom left).
RCS Ltd were busy advertising their 10-channel Superhet unit for £62 (about £800 in spending power today) and receiver for £26 (£334!)
June had a report from the Rolls Royce MAC pylon race meeting. A young Peter Russell (bottom right) was caught by the camera with his ‘361’ racer using Kraft 10 R/C and ETA 15 power. Maurice Franklin and his Skyliner model were on the cover (below)
Are you a potential proportional pilot? asked Geoffrey Pike in the August issue. With the types of radio we use today still very rare (and hugely expensive) Geoff spoke about his experiences in using proportional gear and remarked that proportional was tailor-made for inverted flight either with or without the use of elevator trim. He added that he found it easier to leave the trim alone and just hold the stick slightly forward.
August also carried a spread from the British Nationals. Jack Morton won the scale section with his Tiger Moth while F.Van Den Bergh won the Multi SMAE Cup with his Skydancer model. Seems funny in retrospect that a Tiger Moth with a motor sticking out the top of the cowl could win but that’s easy for the next generation to say I guess.
The Bristol MAC rally at Hullavington in July was covered in October. Chris Olsen won the pylon and Jack Morton’s Tiger Moth again featured.
November saw Mrs Joyce Van Dorp modelling her husband Willie’s Flying Fool bipe. Powered by an Enya 45. The magazine noted the ‘gay’ colour scheme.
Finally to finish the year, the December issue had something that I can’t quite believe anyone took the time to build…..
Yes, you read that correctly – an R/C steam Christmas pudding! Plenty of ‘currents’ indeed. Designed to steer around a course of beer and wine bottles, the pudding stood 10″ high, used a Mamod steam engine for power and Meccano parts for godness knows what else.
I’ll be back to look at 1965 very soon.
