Written & Submitted by RS (09/2005); Edited by JS (09/2005), Reformatted by JS (02/2010)
The Beginning
I grew up in Spokane Washington and was interested in models from an early age. From as early as I can remember I would always have some sort of plastic car, airplane or train model in construction. Some would reach completion, some not. I think it was the building experiences that keep me interested.
I had an HO scale model railroad layout in the mid-1950’s taking up a portion of our basement. Before that, my train setup was on a board that slid under my bed. I was earning money to support this by repairing model trains for a local hobby shop in Spokane.
My earliest radio control model was a scale Chris Craft boat, built from a kit. I completed it sometime in the late 1950s. Construction was all-wood, with a “soft tube” receiver, on/off throttle and escapement control of the rudder. (Picture included) Experiments
From the mid-1980s and on, I probably built more Radio Control airplanes of my own design than from kits. There is definitely a thrill seeing your own design fly the first time, successful or not. One interesting model I built was a flying flat iron. I had two sizes, one small version that was not too successful and a larger version that flew very well. The larger version was about five feet long, three feet wide, and powered by a .60 two-stroke engine. I flew this in the mid-1980s (see picture below.) From the early 1990s and on, I have been designing and flying small electricpowered airplanes exclusively. Leadership
In 1978, I joined a newly started Radio Control airplane club called the Cascade Model Association, AMA charter number 1610. I was elected the Secretary/Treasurer for 1979. In 1980, this club merged with the Sammamish Aero Modelers to form a new club, combining membership, and flying out of a field we maintained at the King County Marymoor Park near Redmond Washington. The new club was named Marymoor Radio Control Club and used the charter number 1610 from the Cascade Model Association. I continued as the Secretary/Treasurer in the Marymoor Radio Control Club for two additional years.
In 1982, I was voted President of the Marymoor Radio Control Club and served for two years. I continued on the Board of Directors through 1985. Around that time I applied for Contest Director status and held yearly fun fly and scale contests for the club. I was promoting electric powered flying in the club and held electric powered-only fly-in events from 1991 to 1996. I was also the Treasurer of the Boeing Hawks Radio Control Flyers Club for two years during the late 1980s.
Publishing Experience
My only published model was a small electric airplane called the LLP-50, published in the January 1992 issue of Model Builder magazine.
I had dropped out of modeling from1997 to 2005, but have retired and am now back, active again.
Ron Standley AMA 1311 ron@standley.com
A Radio Control airplane Ron designed Ron not only builds aircraft models, but also watercraft and train models
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