Jack McLellan "Cougar Jack"

Like many of us, a 5-cent balsa glider was my first airplane.  After paper planes, Comet kits, and Cox .049 free flight, at age 12 I bought an O&R .23 glo engine and built a Piper Vagabond, my first control line plane.  An O&R .29 and many kits and plans-built models followed, all covered with silkspan and coat after coat of dope.  (I still have the O&R. 23 and .29 and two Cox .049 engines from 1948-1949.)

We moved to a farm when I was 14, and work, girls and cars overshadowed airplanes.  Fast forward through Univ. of Colo., Army, gold mining, Tech Writing Dir., M.S. and M/NLP degrees, HR Dir. of two health groups, and 26 years with Intermountain Health Care.  I retired in 2001 as an Asst. Administrator.

Over the years I was involved in a number of outdoor activities, including sky diving, white water kayaking, professional river running, advanced scuba diving (search & rescue certified), and motorcycling (300,000+ miles on BMW bikes).  I was a mountaineering instructor for 10 years and a charter member of the Salt Lake Alpine Rescue Group.

I am a private pilot and owned a Cessna l72, two C-150s and a C-182.  My last plane was a Van's RV-4, an all-metal sports aerobatic home-built beauty.  Other planes I have flown include a Bonanza, Citabria 7ECA, Stearman, Mooney M-20, Van's RV-6, Zenith 701 and Fisher Dakota Hawk.  I also have about 40 hours aerobatic training in a Super Decathalon, Mudro Cap-10, and a Great Lakes Biplane.  Last Spring I got to take the stick on an AT-6.  (Oh, and two hours in an F-16 3-axis simulator at Hill AFB!.)

Glaucoma in my right eye took me out of full-scale flying a few years ago.  I moped around awhile, but soon drifted back into building and flying model airplanes --- after only a 60-year break.  I found a few changes had taken place.  Radio control was just a dream in 1949.  I flew and crashed and rebuilt until I got the basics down.  I'm still learning and crashing, but having lot of fun.

My favorite planes right now are an electric powered 1/4-scale RV-4, and a clipped-wing Taylorcraft, 80-in. wingspan, powered by a Zenoah ZP26 gas engine.  Current projects include a plans-built 6-ft. wingspan powered glider and rebuilding my Rhapsody Biplane.  Christmas will bring me a DLE-35 engine, and later something in a very large box to put it on.

While we all love our warbirds, I hope we will also continue to embrace the great variety of scale civilian planes -- especially those classics from the 1930s through the 1950s.

Many thanks to my wife Eva for her enduring support, and to all of you in the Squadron, especially Walt, for your assistance and help.  I feel fortunate to be a part of our group.

Dave Thompson "Goose"

Gee Bee R-2

Dave Thompson “Goose”

I’ve always loved airplanes.  As a small boy I would build balsa gliders and plastic model planes of all types. 

The Gee Bee R-2 has long been my favorite.  I was introduced to Radio Control flying by my best friend.  I started building and flying R C in 1987.  Started with a Butterfly kit and moved to the Scat Cat racing plane.  Sport planes are fine, but I found that “Scale Birds” really excited me.  The research, then the build is great fun.  Flying R C has completed the circle for me.  I finally was able to build and fly my most favorite airplane.

My love of wings in the air has been passed on to my children and now my grandchildren.

I am the father of four daughters.  Some thought I’d learn to shop the “Barbie” aisle at the store, but I raised them at the flying field.  Thank God for porta-potties.

Craig Haslebacher "Pappy"

P-47 Thunderbolt

 

My name is Craig Haslebacher.  I got into modeling in 1960.  My first model was a Cox U Control AT6 airplane.  I built and flew these until 1972.  Then, I built my first radio which was a Heathkit 5 channel and my airplane was a VK Cherokee Babe.  After that it was war planes.  You name it, I have built it.  In 1976, I started fly-in competitions.  I won the 1977 West Coast Scale Meet.  What a thrill!  I also did fly demos for Northwest Model Technologies. I flew Corsairs at air shows and fly-ins for them.

 

In 1972, I started a new club at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.  The club is still active today.  In 1995, I joined the Ram club in Auburn, Washington and became club President.  In 2000, I moved to Salem, Oregon and built my own runway on the family farm.  I put on a fly-in every year for five years.  I joined the IMAA in 2000 and became District XI Assistant Director working along side Pete Melin.  I also started flying Scale Masters in 2000 and competed for five years.  In 2013, I became IMAA District X Director for Utah.

 

Here I am fifty-two years later, still flying and building scale airplanes.  Last year, I was invited to fly at Top Gun.  Quite an honor!  Flying scale has so many challenges but the satisfaction is out of this world.  You actually become the pilot in the cockpit and relive those glory days!  Once you fly and build scale airplanes, you are hooked for life.

Arnold Vitarbo "Fujisawa"

I began making models in 1943 when a model kit cost 10 cents and came with a bottle of glue which cost 5 cents.

I usually build only scale models and have built dozens of models  My first R/C model was a Goldberg Cessna Skylane with an .049 Cox Engine and was controlled by an Escapement. The control was a transmitter which used a button. One push for right and two pushes for left. My first " Proportional Radio" was made in Texas by EK Logictrol and cost about $350.00, over half of my Air Force months pay.

I built my first "Giant" scale model, a Bud Nosen 1/4 scale Citabria with a Fox .78 engine which barely flew it,  which I built in 1979.

There were no aftermarket parts or accessories so we had to make all of our own parts.

During the past 20 years I have built a 1/4 scale PT-19, another 1/4 scale Citabria, a 1/4 scale Zero, two 1/5 Scale Spitfires, and two 1/5 scale Zeros, a 1/4 Scale Mr. Mulligan, and a 1/3 scale Flybaby. Most of my planes are scratch built either from my own plans or commercial plans

I have a private pilots license and have flown, Cessna 150s, 172s a Cessna Cardinal, Piper Comanche, Piper Cherokee 140, Piper Cherokee Arrow, Piper Cherokee 6, a Grumman Yankee and have a little time in a C-47 while I was in the Air Force.

Children

Donald (Retired US Air Force)

Laura

Arnold Vitarbo (TSGT US Air Force Retired)

Zero Construction

Zero