What was your very first model aeroplane and what year?

[aidan mcatamney]

This was my very first model aeroplane in May 1986.  It was a Yamamoto 40 Trainer Kit with OS 40 two stroke and Futaba radio.  Happy days and happy memories from that time .

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

Cox powered plastic control line Skyraider, it never did a full circle,,,🤢

 

I was probably 12 years old.

Edited August 6, 2023 by Paul De Tourtoulon
12

[Learner]

Precedent electrafly in 1997 soon followed by a Flair Cub to pass my A with.

[leccyflyer]

First model aeroplane was, I think, a Monogram P-51B Mustang, 1/48th scale, which my Uncle Dave bought for me when I was on holiday visiting in probably 1967-68-ish. First flying model aeroplane would have been a Cox Stuka plastic control liner, probably Christmas 1970. Like Paul's Skyraider, I don't think the Stuka ever flew successfully -one went on eBay for £103 last week. 😮

[David Davis]

Keil Kraft Ajax rubber powered free flight model. 1959 I was eleven. I couldn't get the nose block to stay in!

 

My first r/c model was a St Leonard's Models Gemini designed by Jim Baguley who usually designed gliders. It waspowered by an Irvine 20 and guided by a Sanwa radio. It was not a success so I built a Junior 60 and put the engine and radio into that. I learned to fly on the Junior 60. This would have been in 1988.

 

Year's later, having kept the Gemini's plan, I built another to prove that I was now able to fly it. This time it was four channel and electric powered. After a few months I gave it away!

[Jake Bullit]

Not sure what the plane was, maybe a Dornier seaplane? or whether it achieved take off speed while attached to the lawnmower 😀

Probably around 1965😁

[dave windymiller]

First model was a rubber powered Veron Sentinel in ~1976.   First radio model was a Snipe, not the KK version but a single channel 049 powered model from aeromodeller feb 1970.  Built when i was 16 in 1979.

 

This had home built 27mhz radio designed by Cliff Stapelton from the electronics lab at Nottingham Uni and also an Enya 09-III engine (which pepped it up a bit!).

 

I was very lucky befriending Cliff who walked me through building the 3ch radio. I still use it today on a replica of the snipe after i lost the original a couple a years back.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Edited August 6, 2023 by dave windymiller

[Graham Bowers]

Keil Kraft Skystreak 26 CL model. 1970/71. Around 14 years old. 

[2.4g Shaun]

KeilKraft  Champ control liner, 9 years old back in 1965.

 

First RC model, Veron Impala, single channel MacGregor gear when I was 12.

Edited August 6, 2023 by 2.4g Shaun
Added Info

[Martin Dance 1]

Vic Smeed Debutante free flight model underpowered with a Frog 80 juist about managed a gentle circle. Second Hot Canary free flight ED Cadet, success, had hours of fun with that model. 1962/3.

[Shaun Walsh]

That would be a Kiel Kraft Phantom Mite powered by a DC Merlin diesel engine in 1969.

Edited August 6, 2023 by Shaun Walsh

[Kevin Fairgrieve]

A Cosmo trainer.
Lasted 4 3 1/2 flights before I stuffed it in completely. My teacher at the time said it was the best thing for it as it flew like a pig.

SC25 2 stroke guided around by Sanwa radio.

 

Around 1993

 

Second plane was a Flair Cub. Did the rest of my training on that. And I still have it.

 

[Don Fry]

Someone bought me a plastic delta, about 10 cm span, lofted by an elastic band. I was about seven. So late 50’s. Hooked. If you launched it upright, (bigger elastic band, power upgrade), it looped, and could debrain the launcher. Angle the launch, it spiralled up. I watched one, caught in a thermal, disappear forever. Magic.

Cheap. 
 

Then I entered this vale of tears, KK CHAMP.

[David perry 1]

No idea...something many decades ago...free flight of course,  glider probably, or rubber balsa and tissue, probably 1970 or 71 ish?

 

First RC a Tauri or Taurus...

First succesful one a gentle lady glider with Acoms RC

 

First successful power Super 60...best model ever designed...1986.  I still call the man who taught me to fly it my second dad.  He gave me the gift of wings.

 

 

[Dickw]

First model was a Keil Kraft Senator rubber powered free flight sometime in the mid to late 1950s.

First control line model was a Keil Kraft Joker about 1960.

First RC model, in 1984, was an electric powered glider of about 60inch span designed and kitted by my local model shop.

 

Dick

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

8 minutes ago, Don Fry said:

Someone bought me a plastic delta, about 10 cm span, lofted by an elastic band. I was about seven. So late 50’s. Hooked. If you launched it upright, (bigger elastic band, power upgrade), it looped, and could debrain the launcher. Angle the launch, it spiralled up. I watched one, caught in a thermal, disappear forever. Magic.

Cheap. 
 

Then I entered this vale of tears, KK CHAMP.

It was a 'Zeta" I also had one, they were really good fun, those were the days, elastic powered, skeeter, with wheels and a bit bigger was the sleek streak,,,

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

My first flying model was a KK Gypsy when I was 6 or 7 (1961ish) but my dad built it for me.  I also had a Frog Buccaneer (plastic rubber power) RTF a couple of years later which I saved my pocket money for seemingly ever to buy.  
 

First build (other than the various little KK free (allegedly) flight scale models) was a KK Snipe with a DC Merlin around 1968. 

 

First C/L was a Phantom Mite with the Merlin in 1970ish.  I did a “nostalgia” build a few years ago:

 

First RC was a Sterling Cessna 180 single channel which I built around 1975.  I did a (rather tongue in cheek) restoration of it:

First RC that flew successfully was a Lumpers trainer built a few weeks after the first flight disaster of the Cessna - designed for African bush flying apparently and covered in nylon/dope it was almost bulletproof.  

Which was just as well!

[GaryW]

A Waterhouse & Eley Superfly back in 1988 & it's a plane i keep coming back to now and then this is my current one

[Michael Barclay]

Control line kit called a "Pinto" with 1.5cc diesel make forgotten. That was in 1961. It didn't fly very well but it got me interested. Built a lot of Bat-wing stunt and combat models with my neighbour Ralph. Happy times with simple planes.

[John Stainforth]

Snap!. My brother and I had a Veron Pinto with 1.5 cc ED Super Fury, also in 1961; also a bat-wing stunt plane - think it was a Veron Wombat. Out first planes (a large cardboard glider, and then a balsa glider) were in about 1959/60.

[PatMc]

When I was about 8 or 9 I watched a pair of older lads in the local park chucking a huge all wood glider around, doing some adjustments to it, then one of them towed it up on a line. I think it was a kit design called a "Three Footer" with solid shaped balsa wings, tail & stick fuselage. Apart from the amazing glide performance of the model, one thing that stuck in my mind was that when the model was damaged a couple of times they repaired it with an almost instantly acting (it seemed) super glue - balsa cement.

With a birthday coming up I persuaded my parents to give me the money to buy a model plane kit. Full of optimism I went to a model shop in Edinburgh, naively asked advice then came away with a recommended rubber powered Skyleada kit -  a scale Curtiss Wright XP55 Ascender. The box was decorated with drawings of the Skyleada range of scale fighters so I wasn't certain which one I'd got. When I started to try & build it I didn't understand the plan & why the windscreen seemed to be looking backwards at the tail. For those that don't know what the Ascender looks like click here. Needless to say little to no progress was made on that model & I've had a healthy scepticism of shop assistants ever since.   

Around the same period (I can't remember if it was just before or after) during a school break time I saw the Bristol Brabazon fly over very low on it's way to RAF Turnhouse, now Edinburgh airport. It was doing a tour of the country to display our expensive national white elephant to the population. 

Anyway I swapped the Ascender for something to someone even more naïve than me & got (from a different model shop) a Skyleada glider that was designed for beginners. I can't remember what it was called (may have been Fledgling or similar) but it flew. That was followed by a string of Skyleada, Keil Kraft & Veron gliders, rubber powered & Jetex kits plus a few own designs. My first diesel powered FF & C/L models were a KK Pirate & Champ that took turns sharing the same ED Bee.    

 

[Paul De Tourtoulon]

8 hours ago, Michael Barclay said:

Control line kit called a "Pinto" with 1.5cc diesel make forgotten. That was in 1961. It didn't fly very well but it got me interested. Built a lot of Bat-wing stunt and combat models with my neighbour Ralph. Happy times with simple planes.

Like the 'Talon' ?, I used to make a couple at a time as they didn't last long, a Russian diesel up front.

[Doug Moss]

My first flying model that I can remember was a Frog Interceptor, one of those that you wound up in its box, that would have been around 1961.

My first RC model was a Senior Falcon with an O.S. 40 FSR. in about 1979.

No photos of either I'm afraid.

 

[Ernie]

Must of been in the 50s.  My dad bought me 

[Futura57]

My first proper engine powered model aircraft was a control line cox 049 plastic spitfire. 1972 it was my 11th birthday. My dad took me to the local park to fly it instead of going to school. Half a lap, then crash, then lots of tears. After getting a new set of wings a week or so later I went out with a friend and we figured it out between ourselves. How quickly the years pass.