The 1983 F3B World Championships were held in York on the Racecourse. The organising committee included some real cool dudes!!
A well thumbed Plans Handbook from around 1962
A page from the C/L Stunt section. I made both 'Blue Pants' and 'Skua' shown on this page. Other stunt models made included 'Princess', 'Calamity Jane' and 'Cheshire Kitten'
A page from the C/L Combat section. Everyone must have made a 'Peacemaker' at some time or other. I think mine is still in the loft! Also constructed from this page was a 'Razor Blade' and a 'Dongus' Other combat models made from the plans handbook include 'Pedro' and 'Splatt'
In the 50's, Clifton Airfield near York,signposted as York Aerodrome, was getting pretty derelict, but never-the-less was still a great site for Aeromodellers. Freeflight and Control Line were probably the dominant activities, but Radio Control was beginning to appear.
Alas the Airfield was never going to survive, and subsequently in the 80's, the area was turned into a retail park known as Clifton Moor.
The Google image shown here, has the original runway configurations overlaid on the google image. There are just a few remaining sections of the old runways still visible.
For more information on the Airfield, The Yorkshire Air Museum have produced a book,
THE STORY of CLIFTON AIRFIELD,
"The Airfield that Never Was".
ISBN 1 901791 10 6
The Mercury Midge was a control line speed model designed for 1.5cc engines. My version had an AM 15 installed in it. It was my first control line model I bought, mainly because it was cheap, I seem to remember something like 17shillings and 6pence but may have been slightly more. Unfortunately I put the leadout wires in the wrong wing, and so the model rotated clockwise instead of the more normal anti-clockwise. I don't remember it lasting very long!
This kit was kindly donated by Adam Richardson.
Memorabilia Page
Old Models, Leaflets, and Plans Collected by Jon Edison
Created Jun2015
At the same time Clifton Airfield was in use, Elvington Airfield, then probably still operational, was occasionally used for Model Aircraft Rally's. This leaflet dated 1962 for an 'Air League Model Rally (?)'
Keil Kraft leaflet probably dates from the early 1970's.
Above programmes and Leaflets from Dave Sanderson
An original Keil Kraft Dolphin kit. Acquired not long before Keil Kraft ceased trading, so not that old, but complete. The sticker on the box says suitable for ages 10 and over. That's an understatement!. Cutting out those sheets of parts would challenge even the most skillfull adult never mind a 10 year old!
Keil Kraft Eaglet, rubber powered model kit. This was my first ever kit, and as I stated in my review of the KK Dolphin above, was almost impossible for a 10 year old to construct without adult help! This example was acquired recently ( 2023 ) after helping out with a garage clearance. This is an original from the KK heyday when they were based in Wickford, Essex