Gas Powered Radio Control Aircraft

When most folks use the term “Gas Powered Radio Control Aircraft“, they are referring to the nitro burning, internal combustion engines that have been used in the radio control and the model airplane hobby for many years.  Or the opposite of “electric powered radio control aircraft”.  However, the term “Gas Powered” can actually mean several things.  When you are referring to radio controlled aircraft for example, it could mean the more common two or four stroke nitromethane burning engines or it could mean an actual gasoline powered engine.   Gasoline powered engines are more common among the serious large scale model airplane enthusiasts.  The purpose and scope  of this post is not to differentiate which type of fuel one uses, but to celebrate and promote all types of gas powered radio control airplanes.

Lets face it, gas powered radio control aircraft are quickly taking a back seat to electrics.  Electric motors are quieter, simpler, and environmentally friendlier.  Just take a look at any model airplane magazine over the last 10 years and you can see the growing popularity with electrics.  There is an obvious trend.  It is a trend that I am not all that happy about.  I am not saying that I am an “anti-electric” kind of guy.  On the contrary, I support anything that can draw more people into the sport of model aviation.  There is definitely a place for electrics.   I personally just love the feel , the smell, and the sound of a gas powered radio control airplane!  I guess I am a bit “old school”.  I think it is the same reason folks will still drive a big V-8 powered muscle car when gas is $5.00 a gallon.  It just feels good!

I just can’t help it.  I love gas powered engines!  There is something about the sound and the smell of a  perfectly tuned 2 stroke that brings me back to my childhood.  Ever since I got my first model airplane I was hooked.  I grew up in the 1970’s when receiving a COX .049 airplane, helicopter, or flying saucer for Christmas was the equivalent of a kid getting a new video game console for Christmas today.

I remember it like it was yesterday…It was late into Christmas morning and all of my gifts had been opened.  Things were winding down and we were getting ready to have our Christmas breakfast.  Then, with a smirk, my dad reached behind the big wooden stereo console (which was the size of a small automobile) and pulled out one more gift that had been “misplaced”.  It had my name on it!  I tore open the gift wrap and there it was… The big red and white COX logo in the corner.  Off came the remainder of the wrapping paper in the blink of an eye.  Then I saw it.  It was a beautiful blue and yellow airplane with a scale pilot and co-pilot in the cockpit. a COX PT-19 trainer.  It had a real gas engine and everything else I needed to fly it.  I was ecstatic!

I am sure that thousands of other lucky little boys got the same thing that year.  Unfortunately for the sport, these were not the most user friendly toys one could receive.  For every person who fell in love with flying those little COX model airplanes, there are scores more who became frustrated and gave up.  They were hard to start, easy to destroy, and a bit to heavy to fly very well. Lucky for me, I had a father who was a model airplane enthusiast from the 1950’s.  He knew just how to tweak those little engines to get them to sing.  In fact, any kid in our neighborhood that had an .049 knew just who to take it to when they couldn’t get it to run.   I am not sure our next door neighbors enjoyed hearing those screaming little engines at all hours of the night, but us kids sure loved it!

Of course I wanted to fly my airplane immediately after I opened it.  But I was informed by my mom that we had to eat breakfast first, then clean up before we could play with our Christmas toys.  I immediately informed her that this dangerous machine was not a TOY!  Then I started cleaning up the wrapping paper myself.  Next , I had to wait the excruciatingly long time for everyone else to finish their breakfast.  Were they in slow motion?

Then… It was time.  My dad gave me the little plastic control handle, along with a brief flight tutorial and told me to ” go stand out there and GET READY!”  My heart started racing the moment I heard the engine come to life. It sputtered for a moment…popped…then died.  He tried a couple more times to start it.  Nothing.  My hopes were deteriorating quickly.  I watched him make  a couple of adjustments, squirt something in the engine, spin the propeller then… ERRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!   the engine was screaming.  My heart was pounding.  My dad was yelling something but I couldn’t hear him.  He made a gesture with his hands to move the control handle up and down.   I pulled up on the handle as instructed and my dad gave me the thumbs up sign.  The rest is a blur of adrenaline, nitromethane and tears.  I am not sure if the plane made it around even once before I saw it arch high overhead then uncontrollably angle steeply towards the ground.  OH NOOOO!  In the next instant I watched my plane explode into a flash of blue and yellow plastic, rubber bands, and red clay dust.

For a moment I stood motionless with my arm still extended out toward the shattered remains of my new plane.  The control lines were slack and I could feel the tears start to well up in my eyes.  I looked at my dad and he was calmly walking to the plane.  I followed his lead.  I set the control handle down and followed the S-trail of slacked white string to the crash site.  There it was… The propeller was brokenin two.  The motor mount, the wing,  and the tail assembly were all violently amputated from the fuselage.  It was a sickening site!  Soon the tears started flowing and my sobs changed into a full body convulsive cry.  All was lost!  No survivors!  Then…just after I was sure there was no hope, after his brief post crash analysis, my father exclaimed “We can fix that!  It’s all held together with rubber bands!”  Hurray! my dad the hero! Those COX people sure know how to build a trainer.  That little plane got fixed and glued so many times in the next few months it finally became too heavy to take off. That is how my obsession with model aircraft started.