Compiled and edited by JF (02/2004), updated by JS (10/2007)
Career
- Built his first model at age 6, a solid model Waco biplane
- Sold Collier’s Magazine as a youngster; built his first stick and tissue model, a Quaker Flash, from that publication in 1937
- Flew in SAM Champs since 1972, placing numerous times
- 1975-1976: President of Southern California Ignition Flyers
- 1994-2003: Treasurer of California United Free Flight Model Airplane Clubs
(CUFFMAC)
- Secretary-Treasurer of Society of Antique Modelers (SAM)
Honors
- 1999: Member of SAM Hall of Fame
Larry Clark has spent just over fifty years modeling airplanes, beginning in 1930 at age six. A boy attracted to anything that had to do with flying, Larry built a solid model Waco biplane for his first model. That model cost ten cents at a five and dime store.
It did not take long for Larry to move up to stick and tissue models in those days. He claims that everything was fun and easy about model building except for the gluing, and it is not likely that Larry is the first modeler to be impatient waiting for the glue to dry. In 1937, Larry built his first gas-powered model, a Quaker Flash. The plans for that plane were discovered in a Collier’s Magazine while on route at his job selling these magazines in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. A Brown Jr. motor powered the Quaker.
Larry entered his first contest, Western Model Airplane Association Championships, in 1939. He competed with Miss Tiny, kitted by Modelcraft in 1937. The airplane did not place at that particular contest. He did fly in national competition at the 1972 U.S. Free Flight Championships.
Larry’s competitive focus was in Free Flight, as a SAM (Society of Antique Modelers) Champs participant. He received a few first and second place finishes in SAM competition and numerous top five finishes. Larry is a lifetime member of SAM and a former officer.
As an experimenter, Larry briefly designed and flew an A-Pylon airplane without much success. As a club leader, Larry was President of the Southern California Ignition Flyers, a local club, from 1975-1976. He was a long time treasurer of the California United Free Flight Model Airplane Clubs. From 1994 to 2003, Larry acted as Secretary-Treasurer of the Society of Antique Modelers. Larry was inducted into the SAM Hall of Fame in 1999.
This page is a text transcription of the original document, made automatically and may contain errors. .