Control Line Model Airplane Maker

Mike O'Neill

Somewhere around the age of 14, I came to own a balsa stick and tissue covered model airplane kit. It was a Guillow’s World War I biplane and with it I entered a whole new world. I was totally intrigued by the construction plans, the kit building process, and the resulting flight attempts with this model airplane. Thus began a lifetime love of both aviation and model building. Throughout the remainder of high school, I delved into both worlds. I discovered control line models and spent many hours learning how to build and fly my airplanes. Between my junior and senior years, I took flight lessons in a Cessna 150 from a short gravel airstrip until my money for more lessons ran out. I had accumulated a grand total of 8 hours of flight time! My desire was to become either a military or commercial pilot. However, that desire was thwarted by the discovery that I had no depth perception. So after high school graduation, I joined the US Marine Corps with an aviation guarantee and became an Aircraft Structura