Written & Submitted by HLR (06/2001); Transcribed & Edited by SS (08/2002), Reformatted by JS (01/2010)

Career

After World War II, helped charter the Shelby Balsa Buzzard Club; served as a leader member and contest director
Served as AMA’s District III vice president from 1953 to 1954
Won many local meets in Ohio
Won the CO2 event at the Nationals in 1949 and won various other Nationals’ events in following years
Won three first places and four second places in Old-Timer Radio Controlled Assist at the Society of Antique Modelers’ Toledo (Ohio) Weak Signals Show
His Nationals-winning plans were published in Air Trails magazine in 1953
Received fourth place in the Twin Pushers event at the Society of Antique Modelers’ Championships in 1998

I built my first Baby ROG (Rise-off-Ground) in 1929. But, I had trouble bending the bamboo for the wing tips and rudder over a candle flame.

I started building the stick and fuselage models in the 1930s. I also built a twin pusher. My first gas engine was a GHQ. I could not get it run. Then I bought a Gwen Aero for $17.50 and it ran well! I built a Red Zephyr for the first gas model, but stayed with rubber-powered models until the Zipper came along. I went to Akron to watch the 1934 Nationals (Nats) and got hooked on model aviation!

At this time, our club was the Shelby Model Aircrafters and we were part of Grant’s IGMAA sponsored by Model Airplane News magazine in 1937. Then the AMA was formed and we joined up.

The Nats were in Detroit in 1936, 1937, and 1938 then in Chicago in 1940 and 1941. I flew Zippers and Mercuries. Then to war!

After World War II, we chartered the Shelby Balsa Buzzards Club with 20 members. I served as a leader member and contest director for the club. We held two sanctioned meets each year, one open and one invitational where we furnished lunch for the contestants.

In 1946, I started to design my own models and flying rubber, gas, and towline gliders. For the Academy of Model Aeronautics, I served as vice president of District III from 1953 to 1954.

Russ Nichols was our executive director and the AMA had very little money at this time. I sent out cards and letters to all the clubs in District III at my own expense. The NAA helped us stay alive.

Competitions

I won in many of the local Ohio meets and in 1949, I won the CO2 event at the Olathe, Kansas, Nats. In 1952, I won the ½-A ROW (Rise-off-Water) event at Los Alamitos, California and the Rubber-Power event at the National Capitol Air Show at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. (Air Terminal Services Trophy). In the Society of Antique Modelers (SAM) at the Toledo Weak Signals Show, I placed seven out of eight years in the Old-Timer Radio Control Assist Category (three first places and four-second places).

Publishing

In August of 1953, Air Trails magazine published my plans for Past Due, a ½-A ROW plane that I won with in California at the 1952 Nats (Los Alamitos).

I am still active in SAM-39 and flew to fourth place in the Twin Pusher event in Muncie, Indiana in 1998. (signed) Howard L. Robinson June 12, 2001

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