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If I remember correctly, Bill Hannan describes in his book "Peanut Power" how 50 years ago they unearthed precisely these old plans when they got fascinated by small flying scale models. Thus, those humble old time kits became the progenitors of the "Peanut Scale" phenomenon. They just adjusted the wing span to 13 inches / 330 millimeters.
Martin - 31/08/2021
I like that story. Can anyone quote that bit of text from the book? Would be nice to hear it.
SteveWMD - 31/08/2021
Hi Steve, I still got that book somewhere in my stash, 40 years later. Guess it was a Christmas present in 1982. Will get it out and send you the exact quote later today, after work.
Cheers,
Martin - 31/08/2021
Is it possible to scan the book and upload it to r/c library?
mike Hollamby - 31/08/2021
Hi Steve, Hi Mary, As I lived in Detroit for a few years, I wanted to find out more about the Dallaire Model Aircraft Co. (of Detroit, Michigan). I found an interesting article about this company here : https://www.modelaircraft.org/sites/default/files/files/Dall... I was pleased to learn that my favourite hobby shop, 'Joe's' on Wyoming, was set up by Joe Dallaire. There was hardly a Saturday when I did not visit Joe's which involved a drive through some depressed areas of the city.
Chris Pinn - 31/08/2021
Pulserudder here. Regarding the comments concerning the link between these plans and the creation of the peanut scale event, that is precisely why I put out the request for these plans on the RC Groups vintage and Old Timer plans thread recently.
As I understand the history from my research, Flying Aces Club co-founders Dave Stott and Bob Thompson gave out copies of Megow and Dallaire 10¢ kit plans which they obtained from John Pond at early Flying Aces Club meets circa 1966-1967. They built a couple of the models themselves and discovered they actually flew, and the creation of an event they dubbed "peanut scale" quickly followed. The first peanut scale contest was held at "Pinkham Field" in Milford, Connecticut, November 5, 1967, and the creation of the Flying Aces Club newsletter followed that meet. Incidentally, famed prewar modeler Henry Struck won that first peanut meet flying an original 12" Dallaire Howard Pete that he built back in the 1930's.
As I understand it, first Bill Hannan and then Walt Mooney out in California were both made honorary members of the FAC. They took to the idea of peanut scale like wildfire and began holding meets as well as designing new models and publishing in the modeling press. The concept spread and grew rapidly thereafter...
For more information, check out the first several issues of the original Flying Aces Club newsletter, located on the FAC website, along with issue #200 from July/Aug 2001 which includes a brief history of the early days of the FAC and the "invention" of peanut scale. Link to back issues of FAC News: http://flyingacesclub.com/wp/about-the-fac/fa...
And now you know how I spent my time during all the covid lockdowns...
Regards,
Pulserudder - 01/09/2021
Hello, Steve. Wanted to offer an addendum to the hastily written comment I dashed off yesterday evening. First and foremost, thank you very much for publishing these lovely old 12" plans from Dallaire, especially for the work that went into converting the raw scans. I personally appreciate your efforts and hope many models will be built. As I am a rather slow builder myself these days, it may be a little while before I produce a finished example.
Also, regarding the 13" wingspan for peanut scale, according to the article on the inauguration of peanut scale included in the very first Flying Aces Club newsletter, the original rule set the span at 12 inches, plus or minus half an inch, but after perusing the old model magazines and discovering plans for suitable models ranging from 10 inch span up to 13 inch span, the rule was revised to set the upper wingspan limit at 13 inches for future peanut scale meets.
Hope my comments have provided interesting information for you and other modelers. All of my historical information has been gleaned from the early issues of the Flying Aces Club newsletter and the modeling press of the late 1960's and early 1970's. But I still remember the magic of "discovering" peanut scale for myself as a young boy through an article in American Aircraft Modeler. I was probably 7 or 8 years old at the time and already solidly hooked on modeling, building sheet balsa gliders, learning to fly 1/2a control line models (without letting go of the handle) and accompanying my dad to the big RC flying field every weekend, watching him fly the RC ships of the day. My late father started telling me stories from his childhood of riding a bus into town on a Saturday morning with a pocket full of coins for a haircut and a model kit that he recalled costing the grand total of 25¢, and shortly thereafter I received my first stick and tissue rubber model kit along with a tube of Ambroid cement. That was 1974, and while I've built and flown all kinds of models in the intervening years, I always come back to stick and tissue and the magic of peanut and "dime" scale rubber powered models.
Thanks again for offering these plans and best regards,
David aka pulserudder
Pulserudder - 01/09/2021
Ha! I found the book. ON page 6 of "Peanut Power" by Bill Hannan it reads:
"About 1967, Dave Stott and Robert Sands Thompson, of the Bridgeport, Connecticut Flying Aces Club, were reminiscing about the pre-war kits and how much fun they had been. They managed to unearth some plans of the pre-war kits, featuring models with twelve-inch wing-spans, and decided to organized a contest. With a stroke of the genius, they named the proposed class "Peanut Scale".
Their aim was to develop an uncomplicated flying scale event, with the accent on simplicity and fun."
And so it goes on. Bill Hannan passed away on December 14 2020, so we can not ask him anymore to permit publication of a scan of the aforementioned book. Examples of "Peanut Power" are few and far between and they cost ridiculous sums, being published in 1980. My book is really tattered and worn out, missing the rar envelope page. If it is legal and still wanted I could scan it, being an office worker.
Cheers, Martin
Martin - 01/09/2021
Thanks, Dave and Martin. Good to have a better handle on this. Makes me want to look into this more.
SteveWMD - 02/09/2021
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