1942 JUNIOR NATIONAL AIR RACES CLEVELAND, OHIO CONTROL LINE PLANES & RC AIRCRAFT 3492

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This glorious silent film shows the National Junior Air Races, held in Cleveland, Ohio. The Scripps-Howard National Junior Air Races are almost completely forgotten, but in the 1930s and 40s they represented the premiere competitive arena for aircraft modelers, radio-control and control line pilots. This rare silent home movie dates to 1939 - 1942, but probably 1942. It was shot by a member of the Cleveland Press staff. It shows many of the events at the Races, including the weigh-in that started the days' activities. According to a Pittsburg Press article the 1939 competition offered $25 wrist watches as rewards which included an American Airlines Trophy and Roscoe Turner Award for the best entries. Various newspapers sponsored the regional competitions, as you can see from the t-shirts many of the contestants are wearing. The 1939 contest featured nearly 1000 spectators and special guests that included Roscoe Turner and Major Al Williams.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFi...

[@mpojr]

Building and flying model airplanes l think is the best hobbie ever,l am 74 now and have been building since l was 7,this film brings back alot of memories,l think in some ways building and flying models helps keep your mind working and helps keep you healthy.

[@garyvale8347]

great video, nice that it was filmed in color too......my dad, who was a RC pioneer, was 17 years old in 39'........I can still remember growing up and seeing those huge transmitter boxes, tube receivers and winding up the rubber band escapements, .........models were all hand built with balsa wood , covered with silk and dope and paint .....the most sophisticated RC models in these early years were " rudder only" control .....the RC hobby has come a long way.....

[@angelreading5098]

This is a gem of a film,airminded America and a thriving model airplane interest with hoards of people out for a great days flying,the beautiful old time designs,the pretty girls in their outfits and a real sense of flyers having fun with their families,but what got me most was the wind ! we would think twice today at flying a radio model in that and yet they launch them and some actually weathercock into the wind,we have lost something havnt we ? the simplicity of life and many of these youngsters will be all set to go into aviation,you do not find many young keen modellers these days sadly there are too many other distractions in this electronic world,but hey this has made my night and now this is available to us all to see our aeromodelling roots.

[@mgrantom]

Brought back a lot of memories from the 1960's. What a great sport/hobby for kids. I learned a lot from it.

[@MoreFormosa]

great quality footage of some real Americana. I miss this wholesome America. One observation, not a single overweight person. Pre-junk food era, and kids actually played outdoors a lot back then.

[@Captain-Nostromo]

This is a Beautiful film I still Fly this old timers

[@richardstewart4124]

Love the guy in the red cap around 12 mins licking his finger to test the wind direction. They could barely kneel down without being blown over let alone stand !!! Great upload thanks.

[@boris1932]

I'm a younger guy, but I was lucky enough to have met Joe Hervat, Bill and Jim Noonan along with George Perryman. This was back in the late 80's early '90's ---- I was one of the few kids building model planes. I see why the kids back in the 30's - 40's had there heads on straight. Building and flying model planes is such a positive motivator for a young teenager. It sure was for me. I was also lucky enough to have a great art teacher in high school who built and flew models. Taught me a lot. My first big rubber powered model was a "Gollywock" won a few events with it before it went OOS at one meet, never found it.

[@jonremmers7723]

What an absolute gem of a film this is. Really made my evening. Thanks!

[@e-rj8984]

Thanks so very much for sharing this important moments from our common Aviation history ❤ - Oh yes..! Model Aircrafts is also a part of Aviation history! It have to start one place... 😊

[@johnjriggsarchery2457]

Back when everyone had to build if they wanted to fly. Great upload, thank you.

[@direktorpresident]

Wow, that was marvellous, thanks....that looked like Dr Walt Good and his "Big Guff", never thought I would have seen that flying in such beautiful colour!..I wish Pete Russell would have seen it. Most noticeable also was the innocence and camaraderie of the people then, the "Balsa Buzzards" and the "Cloud Bashers" etc....great for a glimpse into a lost era

[@Inferalanding]

If you gathered up all the youth in the U S flying rubber free flight in 2016 you probably couldn't fill a McDonalds.

[@steveb7310]

I remember going to this event with the Prop Busters club back in the 1970s when they moved it up to Cleveland. It was mostly control line and radio control piston powered airplanes. Good times.

[@balsabasher5801]

Superb film, shame there's no sound, be patient but if you don't have time to watch it all check-out these highlights:​Interesting early R/C at about 10' 30" (the Good Bros)Elf Twin at 13' 11"Rubber-powered speed models at 20' 23" inc. twin-engine at 22' 08"Selection of spark ign-powered (C/L ?) models at 22' 33" and F/F at 24' 19"Nice little tailless pusher at 22' 56"Ambitious airframe at 23' 02"

[@spikedart]

so much enthusiasm for the craft. sad to think most of these innovators have long since passed.

[@michaelmaucher998]

What a great look into the past of model aviation inthusiests....you don't see that anymore. and another thing very noticeable was how the invention of fast food joints changed peoples general appearance

[@kevinrby1982]

Clearly, a superior way for children to access their imagination, curiosity, and healthy competitiveness instead of digital entertainment.

[@pufango4059]

How do you think you are watching this video ?

[@todd718]

The glow plug helmet at 24:30 is great.

[@spikedart]

So much wind. But a single blade prop with balance was a thing in the 1940's. And I just learned about it this year!

[@stephaniekent8483]

just imagine if you could go back with your modern stuff wow! what would they think of our race drones and electric planes with giros and autos? this film is a reminder that we only visit this place for a brief time, God bless us all :)

[@ntesla66]

Dick Korda @ 21:27 and right around that time mark you'll see several members of the Cleveland Balsa Butchers! Look at that wind will ya! What A day! Thanks for sharing this it made my whole week.

[@ntesla66]

And it would have to be 41 because there were several Comet Carl Goldberg Sailplanes, those came out in 1940.

[@PeriscopeFilm]

Excellent!

[@nonoyorbusness]

The world is changed: I feel it in the water; I feel it in the earth; I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it. It began with the founding of the WEF.

[@ADAPTATION7]

Wow, in color.

[@josephclements3222]

Great film!!! Thanks for posting😎

[@PeriscopeFilm]

Love our channel? Help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Even a really tiny contribution can make a difference.

[@AmandaJuneLL]

So cool- I found this film because I have a medal that says "Megow Trophy, Robert Hoffmeyer, 1938" from my Great Grandfather who lived in Akron. Can anyone elaborate on what the Megow Trophy was about? I think I saw on another page that Megow was a brand of plastic model kits? I appreciate any help! Thank you!

[@dancahill8555]

I love this! Trying to design my own. Need help finding an article by Zaic on how to plot tapering wing ribs. Probably dates from this era.

[@paulalexander2144]

great bit of history - thanks for sharing

[@roguecheddar]

I'd sure like to have some of those cars in the parking lot, but I digress.

[@roguecheddar]

@Lyle Johnston, nice, good cars them Fords. My first two cars were a 66 Mustang convertible 289, then a 69 Mustang 302. How I survived through those formative years is a mystery for the ages.

[@roguecheddar]

@Lyle Johnston 54 Fords and 55 Chevys were definitely keepers.

[@wdtaut5650]

10:32 Is that one of the Good brothers and a later version of _Guff_ ?

[@thewaltbrownellchannel9318]

Where is the control line on here?

[@farklefuster6876]

The field where this was held is probably either a subdivision full of meth labs or a derelict shopping mall now. What progress

[@cajueiro2004]

Belo video muito bom mesmo.

[@frez777]

While waiting in line to get their planes weighed, not one of them on a cell phone.

[@paulbizard3493]

So much wind on that particular day,... how sad.

[@RC-Flight]

I wonder how many of these kids, were enlisted to fight in WWII before it ended in 1945

[@abundantYOUniverse]

That blew my mind.

[@cottersay]

Back in the day (late '60's) we had 'spring starters' on our gas (USA) and diesel (Ireland) engines, so we didn't have to constantly do a finger twirl on the propeller. (Maybe that's the way they still do it today?)

[@stephaniekent8483]

another thing too,bugger to see that it was always blowing like a hurricane even back then,.... OMG poor modelers.:(

[@EnglishTurbines]

Its not as windy as you think it is..the film is running too fast...Great days..proper Modellers.

[@ronmonn1367]

* I'll guess this video was someway connected to "CHARLES L. TRACY " - The man who helped Cleveland to be one of the most Model Airplane friendly cities. *Just look up his biography ! .... (* I'm "partial".. I've got a little trophy from the Cleveland Plane & Space show) :-)

[@josephclements3222]

As far as the actual date. Color Film?

[@milano61]

Some people spotted a 1941 Ford, so it's spring or summer or fall of '41. Before Pearl Harbor.

[@danrhinehart1134]

It's kind of odd watching a video of "old time rubber and gas freeflight" and the average participants is under 20 years old. Not an "oldtimer" or so much as one gray hair in sight. However, it's not at all out of the question that some of the younger contestants at this meet are still to be seen flying old timers to this day.

[@steveb7310]

My dad was 11 years old when this was filmed.

[@jamesmcdaniel7907]

My greatest excitement what's the deal that kit model free flight and watch it Fly well😋

[@TA-pp9jk]

No ARF's...

[@ohiohamguy]

Where in Akron was this held?

[@damiansmigielski]

23:12 polish PZL 11C. Interesting... Flying model in USA made in 1939?

[@scootergeorge9576]

Looks like free flight, not control line.

[@tomshiba51]

Hey! No AMA numbers on the wings!

[@wdtaut5650]

It was probably not an AMA event. There is an AMA number on the radio model at 11:12

[@kolgy1]

No way this was in 1939. It is shot in color and the cars in the parking lot are from the 40's. More like 1949 .

[@PeriscopeFilm]

You are correct! When we re-scanned this movie a few years ago (see link in the description) we identified this as likely 1942.

[@balsaboy55]

really windy that day......

[@donkboys]

Looks very windy...

[@jimmygentile1088]

No cell phones ? How did we ever survive ?

[@Romans--bo7br]

Jimmy Gentile..... A LOT Better than these days!! : )

[@my_dear_friend_]

Is there no sound? Can't hear a thing.

[@PeriscopeFilm]

It's a silent film.

[@my_dear_friend_]

@@PeriscopeFilm - thanks!

[@samyqks3988]

La ségrégation dans toute sa splendeur, pas un noir à l'horizon qui ferait tache Le rêve American quoi !

[@donaldgrant9067]

Wheres the control line planes?

[@wdtaut5650]

I think there's a couple of control line models at 22:33. No flying shown, just a couple of planes on the plywood.

[@todd718]

And the plywood is perfect, no knots at all.

[@jerryanstey7058]

they got microphones ,why no sound ?

[@PeriscopeFilm]

+Jerry Anstey This is a home movie from the 1940s. There simply wasn't a way back in this era, to make a consumer camera capable of recording synchronized sound. The first "sound on film" consumer cameras were Super 8mm cameras that emerged in the 1970s.

[@jetpack5]

nice day lol the flags were standing straight out for this one. that would suck. I would have called it off.

[@todd718]

48 star flags too!

[@machstang70]

1941 Ford sedan at about 12 minutes

[@charliebryson1285]

It couldn't have 1939 when a 41 ford drives thru.

[@ИгорьХулап-х4с]

Кто жив?

[@johnwessels2932]

noticed? can not see any obese people

[@enedenedubedene4811]

1939 im Vergleich, armes Deutschland, oder besser gesagt, deutsches Reich.😢😢😢😢😢😢😢 Viele Grüße aus Germany

[@CG-rr6yx]

Ich denke, Sie sind zu stark von den stereotypischer Geschichtsunterricht der Nachkriegszeit beeinflusst. In den 30er Jahren wurden in Deutschland alle Aktivitäten rund um die Luftfahrt stark gefördert. Dazu gehörte in erster Linie die praktische Einweisung in den freien Flug (Segelflug) und den Flugmodellbau. Wettbewerbe für junge Modellbauer hatten nahezu Massenausmaß.

[@redblue40rc33]

looks like the 50's......color video????????????????

[@super8man]

Kodachrome film. In 16mm and 8mm was the norm for those who could afford it back then. Kodachrome came on the market in around 1936. So it makes sense that 5 years later people were shooting it at events like these.

[@tonywright8294]

No blacks !