My Hero, Cal Smith.

Kim Tue Nov 05, 2019 8:23 am

I've managed to meet several of my Heroes in full-scale and model aviation, but many had their time and passed on before I ever knew about them. Luckily, my stacks of old model airplane magazines provide a bridge to long-gone years. and introduce me to people I couldn't have appreciated had I met them as a kid.

Stephens Calhoun Smith 3rd was a Creative Force in the 1950's and early 60's. Like several of my current cronies, he seemed to have the energy of a otter chasing fun. Besides designing and building untold numbers of model airplanes, his wildly diverse artwork appeared on the front pages of many magazines, like the December 1952 Air Trails shown below. His talents in photography ranged from individual projects to event articles that helped fill the magazines that carried his paintings on their covers.

Like most of his kind, he pursued BUNCHES of other sports, like Ice Boat Racing, and who knows what else.

My only direct contact with Cal Smith is the reduced-size copy I built of his "Blunderbus" Free Flight design. Powered by a Cox Tee Dee .010, my tiny replica has only a single servo to guide it around the sky, and was an "Everyday Flyer" back in the day.

It also received high marks from my little sheltie, Chelsea, who was allowed to chase it on it's many flights since the .010 didn't pose a serious threat to her long snoot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1I5-kCRUWU

So, it's fun for me to think that one of Mr. Smith's creations still occasionally cruises through the air behind a screaming castor slinger. Never met him, but can surely relate to him.

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