Written by LEK (2016); Reformatted by JS (04/2019)
LAWRENCE E. KLINGBERG
AMA Number: 154616
It is with great respect that I recommend Larry Klingberg for consideration in the AMA Model Aviation Hall of Fame. Larry has been a friend and mentor to me for many years. His leadership, involvement, and encouragement in all aspects of model aviation has driven me to greater involvement in clubs, education, events, and the nurturing of others to be better representatives for model aviation.
Some history
Larry, at 85 years young, has been building model planes since he was 7 years old. Many of these were entered in contests that he won most of the time. His dad was a plane enthusiast and they built a large gas model during the war in their garage. He continued building models through the war years, entering them in contests and winning most of the time. When they moved from Michigan to California in 1946, they would fly planes at an Inglewood field knows as Western & Rosecrans. At that time, they were free flight planes.
Later on, during the Korean War, he started building planes in his communications van. Of course, only after the shooting stopped. He had a chance to work with the Air Force in a unit called “TAC Air,” and this gave him a permanent location to build and fly planes. He got his command officer interested in building models and they flew them together in Korea. He shipped his largest plane home when he left Korea and it hung in his tv repair shop for a number of years. By this time, radio control had been perfected. He installed the equipment in his old 76” Luscombe and was once again flying at the local field.
Following his move to Canyon Lake, a new world of model aviation opened up as he joined the Lake Elsinore RC Club. They flew from the lake and held water flys each year that drew flyers from all over the LA area. He helped Woody Simms organize events and conducted the inspections for safety on all participants’ airplanes. Around 1989, Bob Martin started the “Schneider Cup” reenactment at the Lake Havasu site and all of the guys from Elsinore started building replicas of the different scale models that they took to the Lake Havasu event each year. They competed in the static judging and flying at the 4-day events.
He was president of the Lake Elsinore RC Club for many years, and also vice president of the Hemet Model Masters Club. He was also a founding member of the Gillman Springs RC Club. After moving to Huntington Beach in 1998, he joined the Scale Squadron where he the membership chairman. He also joined the Orange Coast RC Club, where he was the vice president and program chairman for 12 years.
After losing his wife of 46 years in 1999, he became fully immersed in model aviation to occupy his time. He started writing articles for Model Aviation, with the first one titled “A Modeler in Korea,” which was published in the October 2000 issue. He had a knack for writing articles, and since then has had about 20 published in Model Aviation, RCM, and High Flight magazines, mostly dealing with “how to” articles and building planes.
In 2000, he started building planes to take to the AMA Show for static judging. He usually takes 1, 2, or 3 planes, and has done this for 16 years. He helped Bob Gregory with the static displays and pilot check-in of their planes. Later, when the process moved to the California Scale Modelers Association, he assisted with the checking in of all the various static displays of planes, boats, rockets, and others. He was always hanging around the displays, answering questions and helping to educate the public about the planes and model aviation.
He has been a great representative of model aviation at any event or competition where he would be available to explain the planes features, what it takes to build planes from scratch, and display them for all to enjoy.
Most of the planes he built are historical replicas of planes from the 1914 era to the cabin planes of the golden age of aviation. He has about 30 planes he has built and likely has the largest collection of historical RC planes in the world. In 2007, his ½ scale Farman Moustique took 3rd place in the Hemet Scale Master’s event. His two Sikorsky planes, the S-35 and S-29, have been featured in the “Sikorsky Archives” newsletter from Stratford, Connecticut.
In February of this year, the American Aviation Historical Society held their 60th anniversary meeting at the Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale, California. He was asked to display his Fokker C-2 Tri-Motor at the show. The display fit in perfectly with the airline passenger history that was the theme of the show. As always, he continually promotes the AMA and modeling.
He continues to be a contributor at the many club meetings he stays involved in. He is always available to discuss his projects and help others with their projects, no matter how large or small.
A sampling of the many planes he has built: (Almost all have been awarded 1 st place at the AMA static competitions and the RCX static competitions.) Sopwith Schneider Sea Plane, 1/3rd scale Bellanca Flying “W”, 1/6th scale Sikorsky S-29 Black Bomber, 1/6th scale Walrus Sea Plane WWII, 1/6th scale Fairchild FC-2 on Floats, 1/3rd scale
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