Member Profile- Clarence Williams

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Member Profile- Clarence Williams

Postby Clarence » Mon Aug 20, 2012 11:50 am

Member Profile of Clarence Williams

One of my earliest recollections of the hobby was flying paper airplanes off of the steps at my house on Carey Street in Baltimore somewhere in the mid 1940’s.I often tried to build the10 and 25 cent rubber band models, but I was never able to complete one. My cutting knife was a double edge razor blade with tape covering one of the blades. The planes were purchased at the local five and ten cent store, Tommy Tuckers, on Pennsylvania Ave. I once saw an impressive rubber powered model, called the Cloud Hopper, advertised in the back of a magazine. I ordered the plans and waited patiently for the mail man. I went to the lumber yard, with my plans, to buy the balsa. After repeated trips there, the clerk finally told me they did not handle that kind of wood.

Somehow I discovered Goffman’s Hobby center in the 400 block of Park Ave. When I walked in I could not believe all of the models and parts on display. I bought a Jim Walker Firebaby for about $7.50. I managed to start the engine, but never flew it. I do remember it had a tornado .049 engine and a balloon tank. I also visited Gammerman’s hobby Center in Edmondson Village. I was always inquiring about various planes. Finally, one clerk recommended I contact an experienced modeler (Rudy) who became my mentor through those early years. He was a young black Morgan State College graduate Chemist who worked at Edgewood Arsenal in Aberdeen. Since he was not a control line flyer, he suggested that I build the Civy Boy 31, a small ½ A free flight. I enjoyed free flight as it was cheap and simple. One of the hot free flights at that time was the Zeek.

Rudy’s planes were the big Sandy Hogan and a single channel Rudder Bug RC model. I remember he had to adjust the radio equipment before each trip to the field. Our field was located in the upper Park Heights Ave area of Baltimore, an area now known as Stevenson. We attended contests in the local area and I flew mostly ½ A. I also flew a Sandy Hogan 45 and a Fubar with the horizontal stabilizer tips constructed horizontal instead of turned downward as the plans called for. I never understood that.

I joined the Air Force after graduating from high school, the point at which all interest in modeling and Amateur Radio ceased. After military service, marriage and school, I built the Heathkit RC system which sold for approx. $219.95. I purchased a Sterling Mambo and a Duraplane. Neither was ever finished. The Heathkit RC system was sold through a Sun paper ad. I don’t remember how I got rid of the Duraplane. I frequented the City Wide Hobby Center, on Hartford Rd, during that period.

I retired in 2000 and decided to get serious about RC. I joined the SWAP Modelers after attending one of their annual TOC events. I subsequently joined The Sunday Flyers. I met Paul Hillman at one of the SWAP events and he suggested I investigate RCMB. I joined RCMB in 2003 and received flight instructions from Don Stricker, Steve Stricker, Steve Stanton and earned my wings under the tutelage of Jack Stites. I Started with an RCM Trainer, and eventually qualified on a SPAD Version of the Sig Kadet LT-40 with a Magnum .46. When I discovered the Simple Plastic Aircraft Design (SPAD) website, depicting how to build a plane with Coroplast, I was hooked. My first Coroplast model, the Debonaire, remains firmly planted, nose down, somewhere in the weeds of the SWAP field. The models, a magnet for hecklers, are very cheap, easy to build and present an alternative for those with limited building skills.

After building at least a dozen of the SPAD’s, I switched to foam board as it was a much lighter material. The foam board, purchased from the Dollar Tree, was then covered with contact paper for fuel proofing. Coroplast was still used in high stress areas. The wing spars were ripped from 2x4 studs. There was no balsa used in their construction. I currently have foam board versions of the Sig Kadet Senior and the 1st U.S. R/C flight school’s Slow-N-Low trainer. I feel extremely comfortable flying these large slow high wing trainers as I continue to develop building techniques to simplify construction and assembly time.

Clarence Williams August 18, 2012
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Last edited by Clarence on Mon Feb 18, 2013 12:39 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Clarence
 
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2012 4:21 pm

Re: Member Profiles

Postby mBagley » Tue Sep 11, 2012 11:08 pm

Nice start on the profile of club members. I have started to work on my and will be posting it too.

I did not realize you have been in the hobby for quite some time.
mBagley
 
Posts: 97
Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2012 12:58 am
Location: Maryland, USA


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