| At 10 years of age,
I have a very vivid memory of my dad taking me to the
hobby store. We purchased a SIG Piper Super Cruiser balsa
kit. We went home, laid out the plans, covered them with
Saran Wrap and began to cut the ¼ by ¼ stringers and
pin them to the plans. That event marked the beginning of a life long passion for building and flying airplanes. During the past 30 years I've built over fifty model planes and flown 14 airplanes, many of which I had the pleasure and good fortune of owning. I will always be grateful to my dad for the great gift he gave me--the gift of passion. I feel very fortunate for discovering my passion early in life. I think finding and embracing one's passion is the key to experiencing true happiness and success in life. Having a passion provides a sense of purpose as well as a sanctuary from the stresses of everyday modern life.
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| Over the years, I built
various model types including control line Shoestrings,
Combat Cats, VOO DOO, Spad VII, radio controlled Jack
Stafford B-24 Bombers, and from the Nosen line of quarter
scale models, the Cessna 310 and P-51 Mustang. By the time I built a quarter scale model with a 10 foot wing span and cost exceeding $3,000.00, I realized I wasn't that far away from building an airplane I could actually get in and fly. The tools, terminology techniques, engineering theory, jigging, and aviation theory are all the same. Here is an almost complete list (I can't remember the names of a few) and some photos of kits I've built:
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| This is the Bud Nosen Cessna 310 kit finished with my 4 year old son in the background. A previous picture on this page shows this plane hanging from the rafters in a primer stage with my son at 2 years old. The wing span was 10 feet and weighed about 40 pounds. |
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| This is a beautiful bamboo kit by Procter called the ANTIC. My dad actually started this plane and some years latter I finished it. The covering on the kit is transparent so you can see all of the detail construcion inside the wing and tail surfaces. |
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| Out here in California we have a small flying field called El Mirage Dry Lake Bed. A modest 3 mile by 5 mile parking lot smooth runway. We fly here because its safer. This is a Ziroli AT-6 with a Zenoah G-62 gas engine. This airplane snap rolls just like the real one. May it rest in peace...If you know what I mean ! |
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| Here we are at our modest flying spot with a few of our toys. Yes.. you can put two 102" wing span planes and a trainer plane in one Toyota 4-Runner. And for for the trip home..you can put one 102" plane in a Toyota 4-Runner. Ouch !!! |
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| This is my Nephew Dustin. He loves flying the planes I build for him. He does well with the power planes but also enjoys flying the foam gliders for combat. He can fly R/C planes better then I can. Good thing I like to Build. |
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| This is the Bud Nosen P-51 102" wing span kit. I put a Super Tigre G4500 4.5 hp engine in it and it turns a 22" propeller. |
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| Here is a list of kits I have built. Maybe you will see a kit or two that you may have built. |
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| I have been fortunate enough to have flown and/or owned the following aircraft: |
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| Copyright © 1999, All
Rights Reserved, Clark
Canedy |
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| e-mail: ccandy@sbcglobal.net | |
| Last Updated: -07/16/2002 |