KIR
Sparks, NV
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2022
- Messages
- 1,920
Anyone ever fly one of these?
- Thread starter KIR
- Start date
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Yup.
Flew and destroyed lots of 'em when I was a kid.
Flew and destroyed lots of 'em when I was a kid.
contender
Ruger Guru
Yep,, and crashed them a bunch too! 
john guedry
Single-Sixer
Lot of fun!
Busterswoodshop
Buckeye
We never had them.
The rich kid down the street did though.
It was just as much fun crashing his , as it would have been , if we had our own to crash.
The rich kid down the street did though.
It was just as much fun crashing his , as it would have been , if we had our own to crash.
As a kid, when me and my friends earned some spending money, we'd go to the local "hobby" store and buy balsa wood in bulk and make our own, it was cheaper than buying the already made ones. Had a lot of fun and when they got too beat up to fly good, we'd tape on a firecracker (or 2 or 3 or...), light and let it fly.
The wind up rubber band planes with the landing gear were our favorites. Fun to watch them take off, but they would nose dive once the rubber band power was done. Cost a lawn mow job to buy one though.
MHtractorguy
Single-Sixer
My ten year old son was participating in a science olympiad last school year. One of the events was a contest to see who could sustain the longest flight with a rubberband powered balsa plane. Obviously, we bought several and learned how to adjust everything for the best flight characteristics.
We had a blast. I forgot how much fun they were. Oh, they are not fifty cents anymore. I paid 16 bucks a pair for the ones without landing gear.
We had a blast. I forgot how much fun they were. Oh, they are not fifty cents anymore. I paid 16 bucks a pair for the ones without landing gear.
Armybrat
Buckeye
$16!
Bob Wright
Hawkeye
Those were often given away with a purchase from a convience store. Tape a firecracker behind the "cockpit", light the fuse and launch. With the wing set a just the right place, the plane would do an inside loop and explode just over your head. A firecracker would render it into four pieces. (A cherry bpomb was too heavy for flight.)
When my daughter was little, she got one and we launched it in the front yard. It was set to loop, and as it did she turned to watch it (it was not loaded with the firecracker) and it centered right in the middle of her forehead. She remarked, "Daddy, my head cracked like an egg!"
Bob Wright
When my daughter was little, she got one and we launched it in the front yard. It was set to loop, and as it did she turned to watch it (it was not loaded with the firecracker) and it centered right in the middle of her forehead. She remarked, "Daddy, my head cracked like an egg!"
Bob Wright
- Joined
- May 29, 2011
- Messages
- 911
Hell with the rich kids. I became a expert designer with plain ole paper.
What was really fun in the Summer in the South was Catching a June Bug (Beetle) and tying one of his legs to a light string. Yep, their leg would eventually break, but hey, their were thousands more.
What was really fun in the Summer in the South was Catching a June Bug (Beetle) and tying one of his legs to a light string. Yep, their leg would eventually break, but hey, their were thousands more.
Used to get those all the time! I really liked the ones that were powered by the rubber bands. Grandpa and I built and modified a lot of them. Very fond memories there, thanks for jogging the ol' memory banks!
Hertervillian
Saluki
I loved those things.
Quite memorable was an especially long flight. We had a HS football practice field across the street that was ideal for all kinds of childhood activities. Launched that little balsa wood flyer and the breeze caught it perfectly. It flew halfway down the field, a miracle of aviation for a 10 year old boy.
Memory has stuck for 50 years, I'd give a Kennedy Half Dollar for another memory like that.
Quite memorable was an especially long flight. We had a HS football practice field across the street that was ideal for all kinds of childhood activities. Launched that little balsa wood flyer and the breeze caught it perfectly. It flew halfway down the field, a miracle of aviation for a 10 year old boy.
Memory has stuck for 50 years, I'd give a Kennedy Half Dollar for another memory like that.
HumphreyDaBear
Bearcat
A Kennedy Half Dollar and a balsa plane…those were the good ol' days. I think I'll break out my set of lawn darts today. Ain't picked up a new scar doing stupid kid crap while having fun for years.
They were fun to play with. I think they were $.19 when we used to have them. I knew a kid in school that used to make amazing paper planes. One time in the school auditorium he threw one of his planes and it did a triple loop. The loops were impressive but the final resting place is something that I can still picture today. The study hall monitor was reading a paperback book and not paying attention to what was happening in the auditorium. The plane looped under his paperback and the nose of the plane lodged itself about 2 inches up the monitors nose. He jumped up with a surprised scream and he had to pull the plane out of his nose which started to bleed profusely. The look on his face with that paper plane stuck in his nose was priceless!
RC44Mag
Buckeye
Well, how long did it fly?
Xrayist
Single-Sixer
I have probably 100+ flight hours between the two pictured. The "powered" one I had blew an engine(rubber band) during prep for flight...fortunately no damage to pilot and plane was repaired within a few minutes.
We found. These to be the best flyers. Lots of height and good glide pattern They were marketed as lil skeeter is it cheating to throw a rubber band motor in the mix?
Yep. The ones earlier than the one shown had the number 94 on it and sold for $.10 in the late 1940s
They also had a version that the wings folded back so you could use a rubber band to shoot it into the sky. It sold for$.25.
Had a bunch of these also and bought some for my kids and grandkids.
They also had a version that the wings folded back so you could use a rubber band to shoot it into the sky. It sold for$.25.
Had a bunch of these also and bought some for my kids and grandkids.
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