CHARLES WINTER

Duane The pictures that I get off this Web Site are not good quality. Your emails are good but the best is a Hard Photo Prints that I can scan and edit if necessary. Chuck

CHARLES WINTER

Hi Duane, Got the DVD today and loaded it into my I-Mac. Sending you a few pictures that I took off the DVD. Great job. I now have my work cut out - I hope I live long enough.... Chuck Winter

kingaltair

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Well.... looks like our fighter pilot friend has been busy since the end of August. A view days ago I received a preliminary version of the promised DVD video update he has been working on all this time. He wanted an HONEST CRITIQUE, and he certainly came to the right guy. I sometimes have been TOO HONEST with my opinions, but that's another story.

In one word, the new, expanded DVD is spectacular if you care about the history of RC pattern, (actually early RC in general as I will explain). Since this is a "Classic Pattern" forum, most of us should fall under that heading.

Remember, the video originally came from home movies of three Detroit Invitational meets, (held in 1963, 1964, and 1965, what many consider to be the early part of the "Golden Era" of RC pattern). This meet was one of the largest, most prestigious pattern contests in the nation at the time...similar in some ways to the TOC. People attended ONLY by invitation, and a "whos who" of RC pattern pioneers would gather, (LIKE A REUNION) each September to compete, and have fun, people like DeBolt, Kirkland, Kazmirski, Izzo, Keck, Hester, Lowe, and many others. It was wonderful to see these classic airplanes actually be flown by their designers. We are so used to seeing these planes in "still" pictures. To see them taxi out and take off is sooooo cool. ANYBODY interested in vintage RC pattern should be "begging" Chuck to get a copy of the original video, and now it's even better with a new section that is a tremendous tribute to Tom Brett, who belonged to and was president of the Radio Control Club of Detroit at the time, and 1962 World Champion.

Chuck has combined still photographs, (many from Helen's personal scrapbook), along with the Brett's personal home movies of their trip to England for the 1962 World Championships, (which Tom won in a flyoff). There is even rare professional "movie newsreel" type coverage of the 1962 "Worlds", with that old-style narration of the proceedings...great fun.

The single thing I enjoyed the most was part of the professional coverage showing a close-up of Tom flying the Perigee with his Bramco reed system. There may be video somewhere of somebody flying an old reed system, but I have never seen movie or video footage of a world champion, (and one of the pioneers of RC), actually demonstrating his skill with "reeds". It is a whole world removed from today's modern programmable proportional radios, and a real treat to see. Tom was "playing" that Bramco like a piano, when you watch the speed and agility by which he toggled the controls...amazing.[X(]

Chuck will be adding a few more rare photos from the personal scrapbook, and putting the final touches on the video in the days to come. I don't think Chuck is making any money with this video...it is a rare gift to anyone wo says they are interested in RC pattern history, and a MUST to see.

I'm just glad you enjoy doing this kind of thing because I don't have the inclination, interest, skill, or patience necessary to do it. Thank goodness for people with different skills!!!

Duane

kingaltair

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I reviewed the final version of Chuck Winter's expanded DVD of his home movies showing RC pattern's pioneers...a "whose who" of early RC pattern. The new part of the video is a tribute to Tom Brett, and is a video documentary of his brief, but colorful RC career.

This final version is more complete than the first version of the tribute, which concentrated on the photos that started this thread, and the Brett home movies of their trip to England. The final version highlights each of Tom's aircraft designs with a combination of video and still photos, while mixing in the professional footage of the 1962 World RC Championships, (FAI). Chuck is getting better and better in the production of his video, and the way the story "flows"...very very nice storytelling.

As I said earlier, I loved the close-up video of Tom flying his reed radio system, (playing it like a piano). I also enjoyed the preparation of the travel crate that carried Apogee and Perigee to England. Tom's workmanship in constructing his custom crate that fit both planes "like a glove" was amazing...the fit of all the pieces demonstrates his meticulous manner in everything he did.

You can see glimpses of his personality in video that don't come through in a still photo. The same is true of his writing...a great deal of his personality comes through in his magazine construction articles, almost like you get the feeling you know him somehow, (I never actually had the pleasure of talking to him...it's too bad I was on the "shy side" back when I was an early teen).

An added and unexpected bonus was discovered about 20 minutes into the 52 minute video when I suddenly recognized my (departed), Dad in the crowd of onlookers during the 1965 Invitational...I had never seen him before when I viewed the video. The resolution of the 45 year-old 16mm movies wasn't perfect, but both my wife and I were able to pick him out separately, so it had to have been him.

Thanks so much Chuck for doing this; I'm glad you had the inclination, desire, and skill to put this project together for the rest of us.

Duane

CHARLES WINTER

Hi Tom Brett Fans, I have available the Up-Dated DVD of the "Detroit Invitationals" It's 20 minutes longer and I feel it's a Great Tribute to Tom Brett's modeling genius. If you want a DVD, please send me your mailing address. All I ask for is the cost of the postage. You figure it out and send it back to me. Col. Chuck Winter

kingaltair

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Chuck

It truly is rare to have 45 year old movies of R/C pattern pioneers on convenient DVDs to watch anytime you want. Most movies of the period, (if people took the trouble to shoot them in the first place), are in some dusty box in the basement somewhere. What you did couldn't have been better.

The new footage is even better put together than the original footage and reflects more practive and experience as a "movie director and editor". That movie doesn't just appear by magic...each scene has to be thought-out and put together. I also like the Star-Wars"-type graphic. Looks every bit as good as the Star-Wars movies done by "what's-his-name" Lucas.

I'd like 4 moreI'm going to send one to my brother, and another to Model Aviation editor Michael Ramsey to watch then pass on to the AMA museum. They once told me they needed a bio of Tom for the museum. If they don't have one yet, the video will certainly help. That video is a living, breathing, tribute to R/C pattern pionneers. It is so "cool" to see that planes actually FLY, rather than just hang from the ceiling. You watch them with their dry cells starting them up, and taxiing them out, (just like the rest of us).

Other than the 1963 FAI championship in Belgium, your video is the ONLY other record of the period. And yours is much better quality. It's 52 minutes long too!!!

All the best

Duane

CHARLES WINTER

Hi Duane, Thanks for the nice comments. I have had a few requests already for the updated DVD. I'll get yours off soon. I just had to add a few pictures of me and jets that I flew and Russian Aircraft I intercepted. Chuck.

stuntflyr

Hi Chuck,
Thanks for the service pics, the 102's look great!
I'll send a PM to secure a DVD of the Pattern Pioneers. Thanks for the effort.
Just a FLAP,
Chris...

stuntflyr

Received DVD from Col. Winters and it is simply great. The old movies are restored quite well, and editing is nicely done and helpful. Super tribute to Tom Brett and after seeing all of the pics on this thread and the film of the preparations for the Internats and Helen Brett's face during the award ceremony at Kenley, it was hard to not get a little misty for a great past that we all shared a little bit of.
Man, those guys were gutsy with those old radios!!!!
Thanks Duane, Helen and Chuck, awesome stuff.
Chris...

kingaltair

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Thanks Chris for the nice comments. The DVD REALLY DOES give you an appreciation for the times, and ANYONE with an interest in vintage R/C pattern and the pioneers and planes of that time should love it. Added to that for me was that I was THERE at least at the 1965 event, and the RCCD used to be my home club...we spent lots of time out there.

I was surprised the way the planes would "spring" off the ground with the reeds and early proportional units of the period, and that at times it looks like they are taking off TOWARD the spectators...it's hard to judge depth of field. [8D]

I'm glad that because of SPA and VR/CS, we can still build and fly those planes with others of like-mindedness, and share the experience.

This thread has been wonderful for me to do as well. It turned into a mini-biography of Tom and his designs so that hopefully younger folks who didn't know of him will discover his contribution to R/C pattern. I still have a number of the pictures from Helen's scrapbook that can be posted, and I'll get to that soon.

Duane

kingaltair

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The other day I received an e-mail from Al Taffs, (Sideport), now living in Oklahoma. Al said on page 2 post #43 that he has some pictures from one of the Detroit Invitationals. I wrote him asking him to send them in and we'd post them. They arrived the other day. They were taken at the same Detroit Invitational that my Dad took all his pictures....1965. Some of the photos show club president and moderator Tom Brett, and wife Helen at the prize table.

I'll combine Al's photos with those taken by my father. Al's photos are the PDFs. My Dad's were color slides.

By the way AL, if I get something wrong, be sure to let me know.

This first series was taken of a plane attributed to Ed Keck, (note the wing sweep, and long tail moment). My guess is that this plane would fly very well. If anyone knows the name of this plane, please let us know.

You saw more planes with wing sweep then than you do now, (Don Lowe's original Phoenix 1 was at the same contest).

MORE TO COME!!

Duane

kingaltair

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Next are photos of Hal De Bolt's Acrobat Bipe. Hal flew this plane at several Detroit Invitational events based on Chuck Winter's DVD video.

AllTheGoodNamesAreTaken

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I know I'm a bit late on this, but I use this software to solve that problem. There's a free trial if you just want to convert a couple DVD's.

http://www.slysoft.com/en/anydvd.html

EscapeFlyer

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How did this one perform?

Brian

kingaltair

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All right I suppose if you are a "bipe" person. There is footage of it flying and landing in Chuck's video. The thing that surprised me the most in the video was a general lack of smoothness by everyone, especially on takeoff...planes seemed to "leap" into the air, and bounce a lot on landing...and that was with the best pilots in the country flying them. Although proportional was starting to come out, many still flew reeds, and radios in general were not all that refined. Of course, to be fair, weather on some days when the video was shot wasn't the best...windy. Still there were very few really nice take-offs or landings in the whole video. To me Jimmy Grier had the smoothest flights with his Taurus with the inverted engine...it was fast as well.

If you don't have the video, you should get it. Maybe some day it will be put on YouTUBE. Chuck said it was allright to do, I just haven't done it. It would have to be in several posts.

Duane

RFJ

Yes, Ed's for sure. In the second picture you can read his AMA number (3817) on the wing. Unfortunately I don't know the name of this design.

Ray

kingaltair

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Yes I saw that AMA number. I'm impressed that you know Ed's number...is there aplace you can look it up, or do you just "know it"?

Duane

RFJ

In this case I just checked here - [link]https://www.modelaircraft.org/files/Keck-Edward.pdf[/link]

Ray

kingaltair

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Interesting, but the biography doesn't give his AMA number, or did I miss it?

YES IT DOES...WHO READS THE BIG PRINT AT THE TOP ANYWAY???

bem

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Hi,

Charles Winter's DVD "Detroit Invitationals" 1963, -64, -65 is really great. I was surprised how well they seemed to fly their planes back then. OK, some starts and landings was perhaps so and so but on the whole I was impressed with the flying that was shown.

It must have been a real "festival", I saw a note in the video that over 1000 spectators was present at 3 day event.What RC event today would gather such amount of people?

1st place winner Jim Kirkland at one of the Invitationals really got his hands full of prices shown there in the video- a radio, a big statuetteanda silver cup.

Tom Bretts prepartion & packing of his planes in the transportation box for the 1962 World Championship was interesting to see, and also his flying at 1962 WC that made him World Champion.

Hope the video will be placed on Youtube some day so it would bemore spread.

/Bo

kingaltair

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Jim Kirkland became VERY well known after designing the Beachcomber. Here are a number of photos of Jim from that Detroit Invitational. In the end Jim walked away with all the "stuff"....he can hardly carry it all. Notice he won a reed radio, (Tom in the background on the PA system). There is lots of "live" video of Jim in Chuck's Detroit Invitationals DVD.

Jim was instrumental in pioneering proportional, (Pro Line I think). Notice the child laying on his stomach in pictures taken by two different people. The must have been taken about the same time.

Michaelj2k

Interesting pictures Duane, thanks. The first pdf of the Beachcomer shows what looks like an early Kraft single stick transmitter with a rudder knob. From what I recall, the Kraft KP-4 and KP-6 SS radios had a two axis stick with the self centering rudder pot mounted on the top of the transmitter. The pilot could have his index finger on the throttle and thumb on the rudder. Any thoughts? I also noticed the red Citizen Ship wheels on the white Beachcomer.

Michaelj2k

I may have found the answer. Thanks Jay! http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_10379060/tm.htm

Free Bird

I was recently browsing through an old issue of MAN (February 1965), and much to my surprise, there was an article on the 1964 Detroit Invitational. Being Col. Winter's DVD is focused on this event, I thought I'd post the article for all to view. Also in the same issue, is a few other pictures from the same event but in a different article. I thought the article would give some insite on what you're watching on the DVD.

FB

Sideport

Ilikebips

To answer your question regarding deBolt's bipe.
It was the prototype of the kit he would soon release. I built one in 1967. It was a good neutral stability design, but tipical slow roll rate and fast pitch.I flew mine for 2 years until I dumb thumbed it into the ground.
A interesting design feature was that from the firewall to about 2" aft of the lower wing saddle there was one piece of plywood for each side. This made both wings and the engine alignment correct just as the plans called for. There was not an incidence meter on the market at the time, so this was a step forward for those wanting to build a bipe.
Another lost art is the covering. Silk painted with butyrate dope and painted trim. Super Monokote had recentlly come on the market, but at $8.00 a roll (probably $36 in todays money) it took awhile to catch on.

The deBolt's plans are being handled by Fran Ptaszkiewicz
23 Marlee Dr.
Tonawanda, NY 14150
(716) 695-2099

Al