Walt and Bill Good: The Pioneers of Radio Control Aeromodeling - AMA Films

The story of Walt and Bill Good and their development of the first radio-controlled model, "The Guff" which is on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. In 1949, Walt swept the national championships with a new model and in 1952 set a new record for the longest Radio Control flight. Footage of the Goods and their demonstration flight with Henry Ford as a spectator. Other interesting developments and interviews with both Good brothers.
Produced by AMA Member Jay Gerber
Walt Good AMA Biography
www.modelaircraft.org/sites/d...
William Good AMA Biography
www.modelaircraft.org/sites/d...
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[@JaleelJohanson62]

We all owe a debt of gratitude to these two men!

[@MrHelidude]

Yes, we sure do ........ (っ◕‿◕)っ

[@Jimmyzb36]

I agree.

[@bipolatelly9806]

for the surveillance state....

[@0623kaboom]

actually to tesla without whom we wouldnt have this

[@JaleelJohanson62]

@@0623kaboom Tesla earned praise on a scale much larger long after his death.

[@LourieJacobs79]

Thank you from the bottom of my heart - cant imagine my life without RC. Grew up with it and passing this proud heritage on to my children.

[@davesublette7447]

Walt Good knocked on my back door in the late 1970's. He introduced himself and wanted to visit because he saw my antennas for amateur radio. Walt was W3NPL, a competent radio man, in spite of the portrayal in the video that he was the model builder and his brother was the radio man. Walt had a PhD in physics. He was a very friendly guy. We became friends and I visited with him and his wife, Joyce at their Clearwater Beach home. They fed me and later Walt says, "Would you like to go with me to the local sailplane club meeting? I am giving the program." So I got to listen to him give his personal account of the early days of RC aircraft. It was a thrill and privilege to know him. 73 from Dave, K4TO

[@andiwangen9696]

Respect for this RC Pioneer Brothers!❤❤❤👍👍👍

[@easystar123]

What a great piece of rc aviation history. I really enjoyed watching this. These two men have brought joy to thousands of radio control pilots throughout the years because of their invention. I myself have been flying radio control model aeroplanes since 1986. I'm now 57 and I'm still flying. I love this hobby so much.

[@KevinMaloneysmilingthrutherain]

I am not as old and influential as these two pioneers, but I fondly remember building my first little stick-built flying airplane models starting at the age of eight years old. (1968) At the same time Apollo 8 was successful in orbiting the Moon. It took over a month to build a single little rubber-powered airplane with the slow curing glues. every glue joint had to be pinned with stick pins and allowed to cure overnight until after school let out and I got home. Only then could I make sure that it hadn't shifted or been bumped by one of the cats jumping up on the modeling table while I waited? Once the framework was completed, the model had to be carefully and meticulously covered with tissue paper and the nasty-smelling Dope that my mother constantly complained about. Each little airplane easily took a full two months to complete and balance to the point that it might actually fly for a few short minutes. But more often than not, a gust of wind or a power line or telephone wire would destroy the airplane within a few hours. Saddened, but never discouraged, I would begin construction on the next airplane. That modeling table and seeing an airplane through from start to finish taught me valuable life lessons about staying focused and helped me develop tenacious work ethics which paid off in high dividends throughout my life. But the most handsome of rewards came from the development of my imagination and the dreams of the future.

[@jasonboche]

When Henry Ford wants to see your stuff. Bravo gentlemen!

[@tariksbl]

Amazing. Love the shock-mounted vacuum tube receivers! Amazing what they did with what they had. An inspiration.

[@ecstrat100]

I was blessed to enjoy the hobby a few times a year with Walt and his wife several years before his passing. I am sure he is soaring whenever he wishes now.

[@GFTP100]

I feel very honored to say that I knew and became Friends with Walt A. Good and his wife Joyce in 1969. He let me build the wing of my first R/C plane in his basement and stood by my side for its first flights. Walt showed me many revolutionary projects that he developed for the R/C hobby and shared lots of stories. The Goods will be missed very much 😭

[@stanburdick9708]

What a glorious piece of model history😎and can't believe I seen Jimmy walker!!!!!

[@ShevillMathers]

Built many free flight-radio assisted planes from the late 1950’s using a two valve Rx and a one valve ground bases Tx. I built and flew every R/C design for the next 60 years. I have used my 10 foot wing space plane to carry cameras and video tx along with scientific instruments for climatology studies in the early 90’s when most gear had to be home made. In 2019 it is so easy with everything affordable and ready made. I preferred my many experimental years.

[@MrCanis4]

Me and my dad did RC modeling until he died. I was 22 years old. Now I'm 58. I think a lot has changed in those years.

[@onepalproductions]

Me too, I remember in 1972 (I was 5) my dad testing the range of the transmitter by getting me to walk further and further away whilst pushing the single button (rudder control) on the transmitter box, so he could determine what was a safe distance to fly the model at and not lose control.

[@stejer211]

Excellent documentary! Thank you, Good brothers.

[@rva1945]

One of the most fascinating stories in RC history!

[@martynh5410]

This is fascinating indeed! I started getting interested in RC planes in the early to mid 60’s when library books explained all about escapements and tube transmitters and receivers. I never was able to build anything like that as I was only about 10 or 11 back then. Fast forward about 12 years or so and I finally built my first RC plane, a slope soarer glider. I built my RC gear from a kit and yes it worked pretty well, providing elevator and rudder control. Now as I look back, those were some fun and exciting days for me!

[@JannieH]

Almost the same..took the wife to library 1972 and found a book explaining radio control exactly as you mentioned. Not a clue about electronics at that time but determined, I went on to study electronics as a hobby, then finally built my first digital RC system from published plans some 8 years later. (9 channel, 27MHz). Still heavy into electronics to this day. Gave up RC flying around 2010. But yes, like yourself, all you need is spark. A spark of interest.

[@jimslaughter498]

I had the honor of flying with Walt for a few years before he passed away. What a great gentleman he was!

[@alexfrix7419]

So blessed!! THANK YOU!

[@PhilipCockram]

I'm glad I got to watch this before KZbin takes it down .

[@FSXgta]

Why will youtube take it down???

[@PhilipCockram]

@@FSXgta Just a joke dude .

[@1STGeneral]

Karen called ?

[@tomasinacovell4293]

I remember Bill Good, my fathers childhood friend, I met him when my father picked him up and gave him a ride to his Mother's when he landed in Kalamazoo, he knew I was in love with aeromodeling then and he was the Good brother that always had a lovely reassuring grin. I was in awe of him, I think he was still working for DuPont or something then.

[@robertwren2289]

I'm glad I happened upon this story. I've been flying for 6 years now and never knew the history of RC flying. I got into this sport late in life, and I love every minute in the field. Not to mention the great friends I've made over these years. To be able to see the look on their faces today when you tell them they make receivers that won't allow your plane to crash or that it will land itself using GPS.

[@MrSoarman]

A while back I gave my Citizen Ship single tube receiver to a hobby shop for display, they were very grateful.

[@stevefox3763]

imagine if these guys were able to see things in the rc world now!

[@skipperrussell2025]

Yeah, but there is nothing like being a pioneer.

[@MEIOSONSO]

@@skipperrussell2025 If they had not opened the way there was no way to be pavemented.

[@EJ-74]

With the smart technology in these planes today self leveling return to home etc It still blows my mind these guys were flying planes in the 30s with none of these things just pure skill They have my upmost respect

[@stevefox3763]

@@EJ-74 yeah, and in thier workshop they fabricated absolutely everything, people call glueing dome foam together 'building' now lol

[@stevefox3763]

@@EJ-74 I hate stabilisation, i fly full manual myself :)

[@G56AG]

I have heard about the brothers for about 50 yrs now, didn't know much about them except they were pioneers in RC, this personal look at the brothers was fascinating!

[@itszor]

oh my gosh what a long beautiful way we have come from. Very good Documentation. Respect and love out to those people how make this all possible

[@jimhiscott2918]

The Good brothers are amazing. We wouldn't be where we are now without them....

[@Roj0307]

The tray transmitter at 16:59 made me chuckle. Great video.

[@boris1932]

Great documentary! As a teenager back in the late 1980's I was into flying free flight models of the 30's and 40's - I was lucky enough to have met Bill and Jim Noonan -- formed a friendship with Joe Hervat another pioneer modeler among several others -- sure wish I could have met the Good Brothers too! Remember reading about them in the AMA magazines -- Thanks for posting!

[@budsims6573]

One such pioneer that I knew and that taught me to fly in the late 80's was Matt Pearson. He took the time to teach me to build 1/2 a two surface control quit plans. Matt passed on in the late 80's but his memory lives on with me..

[@sailr]

I used to fly with Walt. Wonderful man!

[@neurozee6598]

I had the privilege of knowing Dr W. Good. I was one of his physicians in New Port Richey, FL. He was not that well then but one of my neighbors took him often to a local RC plane field. That lighted up his days. His wife loaned me old films when they were kids in Indiana, showing their planes to Henry Ford and his grandchildren. Lets not forget their contribution to the WWII effort with inventions in radio and radar. Two great Americans not to be forgotten.❤ 25:49

[@1000frolly]

When I started flying RC, it was single channel escarpment they called it the 'bang-bang' control method. Both the transmitter and the receiver were valve radios. The transmitter had only a single red button for 'control' of the rudder only. Later, the single-channel escarpment was used to move both the rudder and the elevator together.

[@oldguy2800]

Remember the Bonner escapement? I built a "Mambo" (hi wing boxy thing) using one. Tube Tx and transistor regen reciever.

[@ianlambert8034]

I remember those escapements , wasn't it called the 'galloping ghost' system?

[@1000frolly]

@@ianlambert8034 Yes. The model was only partially under control really. It was a free flight plane which you basically tried to bring back when it tried to get away. Sometimes unsuccessfully. (Retrieved my plane from up in someone's apple tree in their backyard once!)

[@stanleybest8833]

@@ianlambert8034 No. Galloping Ghost was an early transistor system that varied both a tone pitch and duration. Oriental toys still employed Galloping Ghost systems for decades.

[@danmcintyre7161]

A good friend of mines father in law helped me get into rc flying he was also a pioneer of rc model aircraft I remember stories of the first planes he built where free flight rubber banned powered and the first rc remote he ever used he called clickers I always tried to imagine what it would be like to fly with one even though I had a general idea how it all worked this video showed me exactly how it did

[@gordonbriggs2345]

Thankyou guys.

[@umbongonights]

I just learnt a new thing from these guys. ROG = Rise From Ground. I had heard it, wondered at it but until today never knew. Thanks Guys ! Great video, thanks too for sharing.

[@jonchmielowski835]

Just awesome!! ❤

[@andyrbush]

Loved this video. I started with rubber band powered models and went through all the phases including control line right up to scale planes helicopters. I have the greatest respect for these pioneers.

[@wallywally8282]

Excellent presentation👍

[@bjoe74fm]

these guys are the legacy of a great hobby, they should have recognition, thanks

[@ScienceguyOrg]

Thank you AMA for making this available I had purchased this on VHS many years ago and other videos now on the Internet. Bill Kuhl

[@JarcodeRover]

Rc "Good"fathers :D Can't thank them enough! I'm amazed by the fact that they could fly with that single action rudder system!

[@onemantwohands5224]

good lads they are , May they live for a thousand years :-) :-) :-)

[@electronicdiy8544]

Massive respect to them😍❤️❤️

[@patprop74]

Such a fantastic interview/documentary .

[@sayeretmatka1418]

I'm just want to say THANK YOU friends

[@racket1000]

My great uncle (my grandmothers uncle) actually was the owner of Walt and Bill. Sadly, I couldnt see this great, successful man while he was alive.

[@bsdguy]

This is some great info.....thx for posting.

[@beyondfossil]

Excellent historical video! I couldn't stop watching. Finally I understand how the simple "escapement" controller was used with the closeup demonstration at 7:53 in the video.

[@elmonotigre]

There was an ingenious mechanism. Still at the '60 we used it. I keep one.

[@scottfirman]

There were others hard on their heels to come up with many of the same ideas they had back in the day. There are so many people we can thank for the hobby as we know it today,including Tessla,the original remote control inventor.

[@argonman1]

AMA number 11 wow! The very early days indeed!

[@westfield5264]

wow...what a great story. thank you so much for this

[@j.h.holliday5748]

First time I've seen their story. Wonderful! Thx. 4 this :)

[@sergio5825]

Thank you guys for starting an awesome hobby

[@FloridaWildlife]

What an absolute great piece of history!

[@OldGuyCarnivore]

Wow! I remember meeting Walt in the 70's and In the 60's I worked for the producer of this video, Jay Gerber, in Philadelphia. Small world.

[@federicosagun8243]

Thank you so much for paving the way for us hobbyists...

[@julianneale6128]

A fascinating documentary on RC flying. Incredible how they had to do absolutely everything back in those days, what a perfect coincidence that the Brothers shared such compatible hobbies. It's interesting that seemingly almost all of the credit in this documentary goes to the Brothers and yet others were also doing the same or extremely similar things to them, with little mention to the others. Also interesting that they give RC credit to the Brothers, when they discreetly drop into conversation that they directly copied the Royal Navy, who were flying RC arecraft that they called 'Drones'... Still it must have been truly astonishing at the time for spectators (like Henry Ford) to see such things fly.

[@kkteutsch6416]

Do you read something about radio control of german bombs that even had tv cameras on it ?

[@elxero2189]

Much thanks to them for bringing so much joy to our lives

[@drs9489]

I'd like to just say thanks to these two men. Always love learning the history how things came about

[@mikegee9284]

mesmerising ... thank you

[@johnorabone6112]

I started with an escapement system but could never keep track of where I was on the escapement. Then I went to ACE RC's proportional tail wagger system which was rudder only. The Rudder banged left and right continuously but would wag more to one side or the other depending on stick position on transmitter. Now, at 69 years old I am flying incredible EDF jets on crystalless 2.4 gig systems that have more features than the computers used in early space flight! Wonderful stuff.

[@drone_video9849]

Excellent video.... I really enjoyed this one.

[@retiredk9copper726]

Great video thank you

[@RichardRaueiser]

Nice documentary, thank's folks.

[@stephenlittle7534]

Wow what history in the making. I am so glad I found this. And thank you brothers for leading the way.

[@BALAZSER1]

Thank you guys so much!!! Can you believe where we are now because of your efforts !!!! Wow!!! Subscribed !!!

[@freeroamer9146]

What a great view! These are the kind of things men should continually strive for. It separates the men from the boys! 👍👍

[@steven-vn9ui]

Wow, what a fantastic piece of history. Well done Good brothers, a great achievement for sure.

[@kermets]

Awesome footage....Thanks

[@longbowshooter5291]

I remember the huge box that was the transmitters connected to a hand held switch with a button on it. You pressed the button and the rudder would deflect full left or right - switching back and forth with each push, first press would deflect either left or right, the next push would then give the opposite deflection. Airplane were basically free flight with rudder control. The "motor" that drove the rudder was a wound up rubber band. Saw a few that were fly-aways because the rubber band broke causing loss of control of the rudder.

[@paulhammersley4562]

really enjoyed that, thank you,

[@starshipgus8578]

Wow,just wow,these guys deserve a lot of credit in my book for me to be able to enjoy my hobby today,I do remember the escapement mechanism in my early models,yes I’m that old but still flying.

[@musk-eteer9898]

what a amazing piece of history, i thank you both. i will think of this story each and every time we fly. my son started a few yrs back and i just started when the pandemic hits

[@iPilott]

Thanx for everything fellas...wherever you are 🍻👍🏼

[@christophertaylor4722]

New subscriber here. These two men made my childhood. I still love model airplanes!!

[@reidbtable]

Great vid!!!!! More!!!!

[@pwrplnt1975]

Amazing Video! Very enjoyable and amazing part of history!

[@jorgenelsonfelix52]

Excellent very good spectacular. A great greeting from Buenos Aires Argentina 👋😷.

[@triskellian]

Wonderful documentary on the pioneer days of RC!

[@lamatvlol9252]

Thanks guys two brilliant men with out them no rc any thing

[@balsabasher5801]

Amazing film. Takes me back to when I built my first R/C equipment in the early 1960's. And nothing can beat that Jim Walker Transmitter at about 16:40.

[@vidis7544]

great men, great video. thank you!

[@jimvincenti2324]

Great RC aircraft pioneers

[@robertpapps3618]

Amazing men, a great contribution!

[@redbearrc6706]

I still fly these models. Nice documentary

[@angelofmusic477]

I salute the pioneer of RC. I learnt a lot of idea by reading everything about RC aircraff in school. Yes they show the rubber loop escapement and reed relays. Still I have no cash to actually start RC aircraft. It took another 15 years before I start RC aircraft flying. This time the RC has advanced with transistorised transmitter and receiver and radio proportional with gimbal controls.

[@fido3561]

Been flying 40 yrs or so. Started back in the 70s in Germany. Still fly when I can. The cost has gotten so high. Clubs want $100 + to be a member and required to be a member of AMA. Now The FAA stepped in and installed rules for how high you can fly and I love to fly gliders. At 400 ft flying the Bird of Times glider isn't much fun. I might as well hang up my transmitters. I do have a drone that I fly around in the house. Now the wife gets on to me. Oh well my .02 worth. Thanks, Take Care and Be Safe. Just remembered I can go fishing. lol. I see some fellow using a drone to fish with, mmmmm.

[@helicrazee]

$100 expensive? Your joking try join a golf club!

[@dingalarm]

Yes, it's insane how not only the FAA, but other aviation authorities around the world have decided to ruin this great hobby with so many restrictions and fees 😡😢

[@alfnoakes392]

I had always assumed that RC Model Aeroplanes came about as a result of military developments such as the British Queen Bee mentioned in the video (a radio-controlled Tiger Moth used for target practice), thank you for informing the world about the pioneering activities of these amazing twins.

[@dayarao1555]

Two legendary brought rc hobby to million of ppl in this world..glad to knew abt two gentlemen..brovo

[@ryanquick94]

loved this video!

[@Moraren]

What a nice documentary!

[@markymark3075]

Amazing history, thanks

[@elmarvonkolson3263]

Thank you!!! Yours Elmar

[@gt1man931]

So cool. I am thinking these brothers are gone now. I am glad they got to see what was really possible with RC. So glad they decided to try way back when.

[@justaguitardude]

much respect. :)

[@SoilHealthpk]

Good Brothers - Thanks

[@MegaBoilermaker]

Remember my "Galloping Ghost" type escapements of the 1950's.

[@HFamilyDad]

Brilliant!

[@nelhanekom]

Respect! What a vision they had!

[@MrBrut33]

AWESOME!