Deeper

5 Jun

My Take

DiVoran Lites

John 20:29

Jesus said, So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes.  

Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing: 

Photo Credit :Pixabay

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Random Memories of Virginia-Part 2

4 Jun

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

2.    There is an area along my journey to work in Williamsburg that is called Lee Hall.  Wikipedia explains:

Lee Hall, located in the former Warwick County, was named for nearby Lee Hall Mansion which was built in 1859 as the home of Richard Decatur Lee, a prominent local farmer who was not directly related to the famous Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The mansion was used as headquarters for Confederate generals Joseph E. Johnston and John B. Magruder during the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War in 1862. 

Lee Hall Mansion

Credit Google Search and Lee Hall Website

I used to drive through Lee Hall often to get to U.S. 60 and on to Williamsburg.  But the funny thing about Lee Hall was that, if it was raining at my house  in Seaford as I started out – in winter at least – when I got to Lee Hall it was snowing!  And it was snowing all the way into Williamsburg!  I guess the elevation was just enough higher to make the rain turn to snow!  

Credit Google Search

3.   Also along the Colonial Parkway (as well as Jefferson Ave) is the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station.

Officer Housing on Yorktown Naval Weapons Station

Credit Google Search and YNWS website

It is an active Navy Base, and we occasionally would go there to shop at their facilities, as well as do some of our medical stuff there.  Most of our medical was done either at Langley AFB in Hampton, or Fort Eustis Army Base.  But we enjoyed the smaller, quieter pace of the Weapons Station.  If we happened to be driving along the Colonial Parkway, we could see where the original gate to the Weapons Station was…lovely brickwork. And further down the Parkway was a secondary gate – that was the one we usually used to enter the base.  However, following the events of 911/2001, this secondary gate was closed and barricaded, so that the only entrance was from Jefferson Ave (Virginia road 143).  By that time we had moved to Florida, and didn’t need to go to the Weapons Station.

4.   We used to drive the Fort Eustis Blvd to the Fort Eustis Army Base quite often.

Credit Google Search and Peter Hahn

We would go to that military post for shopping and occasionally some medical reasons.  As we drove along that road recently, we were reminded of a couple from our church in Seaford who moved into a retirement community that was built off Fort Eustis Blvd.  They were pillars of the church and we were sorry to see them leave this earth, but know they are with our Heavenly Father and are in no more pain.  Praise God!

5.   A fun connection with Fort Eustis Blvd is along U.S. 17 and Fort Eustis Blvd.  A McDonald’s eatery was built right on that corner while we were living in VA.  Nothing noteworthy about that, except they had a huge picture-window right on U.S. 17.  And right in front of that window – INSIDE the eatery – they placed a Ford ThunderBird convertible! 

Credit Pixabay

 Amazing!  Right there in the picture window!  It was an eye-catcher, for sure!  Unfortunately, I assume either they needed more eating space, or someone really had a hankering for that T-Bird, because it is no longer in the window.  Shucks!

We also found it interesting that there are now four eateries on that corner of U.S. 17 and Fort Eustis Blvd – the McDonald’s mentioned above, Bojangles, Wendy’s, and Arby’s.  No shortage of places to eat there!  Just whatever your taste buds need that day!

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Happiness is Flying Model Airplanes-Part 4

31 May

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

After DiVoran and I moved to Florida and I got settled into my new job with North American Aviation, working on the Apollo Manned Space Program, I took lessons in a real airplane, working toward receiving my private pilot’s license.  I got as far as soloing twice, but the main problem with that plan was that with a full-time job that involved a hectic work schedule, a new family, and little money to spare, I never was able to find the time or the money to obtain the number of flight hours needed to complete that private pilot’s license.  What a Bummer that was!

Photo Credit: https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/cessna+150

It wasn’t until after my interest in model airplanes re-surfaced in the early 1990s that I finally discovered Radio Controlled (R/C) Model Airplanes.  A good friend at work had also been a model airplane enthusiast in his youth and talked me into trying R/C model airplanes.  I started out by buying used planes and equipment to see if I really wanted to spend that kind of time and money on the hobby.  It didn’t take long for me to realize my true love of flying model airplanes was back: and especially when I could fly them around the sky like a real airplane instead of on wires around in circles.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

I was surprised by the number and variety of used R/C airplanes and equipment that were available, just from many of my fellow workers here at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC).  I was able to buy a variety of broken airplanes, ready to fly airplanes, and brand-new airplanes still in the box.  The stories that came with these airplanes could pretty much be expected: “I broke the plane on the first flight and didn’t want to try again,” or “The airplane looked so great when I finished it, I was afraid to fly it.” or “I just never got around to putting the airplane together.”

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

My first flight instructor was a member of the Titusville Model Airplane Club that I had joined, and he was great.  He taught me how to go easy on the controls and kept me from crashing my basic trainer airplane on every flight.  Landing was the hardest part of flying for me, and he would tell me, “Easy on the controls now – cut the power and just let the airplane land itself.”  That was easier said than done.  However, with lots of practice, and with his help, it all got easier.  Once I was able to master the basics of R/C flying, I began to expand my stable of R/C airplanes to include sport and scale model airplanes.

=Photo Credit: Bill Lites 

One of the used airplanes I bought was a Neptune Seaplane.  Our model airplane club grass flying field was located adjacent to a small lake and many of the club members flew their models from that lake.  Not me!  I was afraid I would crash during takeoff or landing and ruin my engine and electrical equipment.  Besides, with the engine on my seaplane mounted above the wing, I could takeoff and land easily on the grass without fear of breaking the propeller or getting the airplane and equipment wet.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

One of the most challenging used R/C model airplanes I purchased was a Tower Hobbies TwinStar.  This twin-engine, low-wing R/C model looked a lot like a Piper Seneca and flew really well as long as you could keep both engines running and synchronized.  If one of the engines quit, you had to kill the power on the other engine and hope you could get the airplane on the ground as soon as possible without crashing it.  Now-a-days, all of that is handled electronically by the new radio systems.

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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Divine Power

29 May

My Take

DiVoran Lites

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.

On the contrary, they have the divine power to demolish strongholds.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,

And we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 

 Photo Credit: Pixabay

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Memorial Day 2023

28 May

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Memorial Day is upon us again.  Another day of celebrating…picnics in the park with hot dogs and hamburgers and friends and family…sales…sales…sales.  It’s all here.

Fred and I had an experience today (Friday) just as we finished our lunch at Longhorn Steakhouse.  Heading to the car, a gentleman stopped us, he leaned toward Fred and said, “Thank you….for keeping our country safe.”  Fred replied with his usual, “It was an honor to serve.”  And he means that.  The gentleman then asked some things about the Air Force and airplanes in general, so they talked together for a few minutes.

I am always so touched and proud when these kinds of things happen – and they seem to be happening more and more often – people just thanking Fred for his service.

How do they know he was in the military?  Well, since his hair is “thinning” a bit on top (sorry Honey), he usually wears a hat – this hat in particular

So is he advertising that he is a military man?  Perhaps, but it could also be in his stature.  His bearing is that of a military person.

All that to say that, while we are touched by those who give him this honor, that’s NOT what Memorial Day is all about.  Memorial Day is about those who never came home – those who willingly gave their lives so this country can be free as it is.

Here are some facebook entries that have touched me.  Perhaps they will touch you and give you something to think about this weekend:

Someone recently said, that when a military person is “thanked” for their service, the service member should respond with:   Thank you for being worth it.

Are we still a country that was or is WORTH the death of those who go to war for us?

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Five Reasons Why Loneliness Cannot Enter Your Heart

27 May

Walking by faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged May 27, 2023

As I made my way down the hotel hallway, I held on to the arm of the kind woman in charge of the speaker. In this case, I was that speaker who had the honor of addressing the annual women’s conference.

Upon reaching my hotel room, she inserted the key. And as the door opened, I asked her, “Can you come in a minute and make sure all the lights are off please?”

She was silent. I imagine that was an odd request so I explained: “It’s not healthy to sleep with the lights on. Since I can’t see, would you mind making sure they’re all off?”

They always comply with that silly request from this blind Chica.

Once in the room, using my fingertips, I found the locations of each piece of furniture in the room. Then I unpacked, arranged my items on the bathroom sink, and headed to bed.

And while I was praying in silence and putting the details of my talk in order in my head, I fell into a deep sleep.

The reason is because the fear of being alone in a strange hotel room or of experiencing loneliness never gets a chance to come in. And in the hotel room of your life, loneliness won’t come in either if you hold on to these five truths:

  1. God’s protective power is real.
  2. His presence is certain.
  3. His protection is constant.
  4. His companionship is sweet
  5. His comfort is forever.

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16).

Let’s Pray

Father, sometimes even when surrounded with people, the loneliness can be cruel. But thank you for filling the void. For bringing reassurance to every moment. For whispering protection and provision. Thank you for sending your Holy Spirit, for we know you’re present now, and you’ll be present in the happenings of our tomorrows. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Have you invited Christ Jesus into your lonely moments?

Further Reading

God gives you what you need to defeat loneliness.

Janet

It’s my joy to have you as part of my inspirational family. Please feel free to share today’s post with others.

Special Announcement

I invite you to dance with me in celebration of my newly released book: Now I See: How God’s Amazing Grace Transforms Betrayal, Blindness and Heartache to Shining Joy. I wrote it for you—to uplift you with fresh inspiration. You can get it here.

Let’s Stay in Touch

I also invite you to visit my WEBSITE. You’ll find more inspirational blogs along with my story, books, and videos. You’ll also learn the passion and mission of JC Empowerment ministries.

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

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Happiness is Flying Model Airplanes-Part 3

24 May

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Note:  I didn’t fly model airplanes during the years after I got my first motorcycle, while in the U.S. Navy, or while I was going to college.  This ended up being roughly 11 years, between 1954 and 1965.

At age 14 my interest shifted from airplanes to motorcycles, cars, and girls, in that order.  With my parents’ consent, I was allowed to get my driver’s license when I was 14 years old.  Back then the state of New Mexico allowed a person to obtain a driver’s license at age 14 because of all the farm kids in the state who needed to help with ranch duties involving driving tractors, pickup trucks, and cars.  At first my parents were not happy with the idea of me riding a motorcycle, but I assured them I was a careful and responsible driver.  I started small with a used Harley-Davison 125cc Hummer.  The next year, I traded that motorcycle in on a new Harley Davidson 165cc ST Hummer.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

As you can tell by the photo above, by this time I was a Marlon Brando follower (The Wild One) and dressed appropriately.  That was all the rage at that time.  My next and last motorcycle was my favorite: a 1955 Harley-Davidson KH Sportster (Flat-head 888 cc).  I rode that motorcycle for ten years.  I used it for transportation during my years in the U.S. Navy (when I was home) and during my collage years.  During those years my wife, DiVoran, was a frequent passenger on that motorcycle as we were living on a very tight budget.  I never did get a ‘Buddy Seat’ for that motorcycle: ‘Riding Double’ involved me sitting on the gas tank while DiVoran got the seat.   I don’t know how legal that was, as we were never stopped while riding double.

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Around age 16, when my interest in girls began to grow, I realized I was going to need a car.  My first car was a 1940 Chevrolet Coupe that I paid $50 for.  It took a lot of time, work, and most of my money to fix up that old car into something I wasn’t embarrassed to take a girl out in.  During our senior year in high school this car was the first car that I took my (then) girlfriend, DiVoran, out on a date in.  I only kept that car until I finished high-school and started my tour of duty in the U.S. Navy.  The photos below are a fair representation of my 1940 Chevy.

               Left:  When I bought it        –>       Right: When it was restored

Photo Credit: https://yahoo.com/1940-chevrolet-coupe

During the latter part of my tour of duty in the U.S. Navy I ended up being stationed in San Diego, CA.  It was during this time that I got a chance to live out one of my teenage “Bucket List” items: to own a 1932 Ford five-window Coupe (Hot Rod).  As it turned out, the Master Chief of the engine shop I worked for was an antique car restorer and he knew this guy who had a ‘32 Ford for sale.  I bought it (basically a shell with an 85-hp flathead V-8 engine) and the fun began.  My ’32 had the top ‘chopped’ a total of 4” and the body was ‘channeled’ a total of 7” with one very basic plywood driver’s seat bolted to the frame.  The rest of the interior floor was nothing but a sheet of plywood covering the frame (no passenger seat).

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

Photo Credit: amazingclassiccars.com/1932-ford-5-window-coupe/

I didn’t have time to finish the interior, the engine, and a beautiful new paint job as things in my life were about to change.  The photo below is pretty much what I wanted my ’32 to look like when it was finished.  However, a few months after I started that project, I married DiVoran, ‘The Love of my Life’ and she didn’t like sitting on that plywood with nothing to hold on to.  Very soon after we were married, I traded the ’32 for a nice 1950 Mercury Sedan (much more comfortable).  We kept that Mercury until after I got out of the Navy, finished college, and we were ready to move to Florida.

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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A Strong Tower

22 May

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Prov. 18:10

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; 

The righteous run into it and are safe.

Photo Credit:Pixabay

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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Random Memories of Virginia

21 May

SUNDAY MEMORIES

RANDOM MEMORIES OF VIRGINIA

Fred and I recently made a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, to visit our daughter, Janet and her family.  We had lived in that part of Virginia for nearly 13 years before we moved to Florida, where we now live.  It’s always nice to get back to Virginia, since we spent so much time there.  It is actually the place we lived the longest, continually, since we married, over 61 years ago, so it holds a special place in our hearts.

Credit Google search and Wikipedia Sign along Interstate 64

On our first day there, since the twins were in school, Tom was working from home, and Janet was at her job in Richmond, we decided to take a ride and see places we had been/lived.  As we were driving down the Colonial Parkway from Colonial Williamsburg, we began to reminisce about things Virginia.  Therefore, I would like to present my readers with some random memories of Virginia.

Credit Google Search

1.   Driving the Colonial Parkway brought thoughts of how much we enjoy that drive – in all seasons.  Spring brings new-green leaves on all the trees and some flowers – the redbuds, and especially the Dogwood blossoms.

Credit Google Search

Summer is lush foliage all through the drive.

Credit Google Search

Fall has the gorgeous fall colors on the trees – golds, yellows, oranges, reds.  Beautiful. 

Credit Google Search and RVing with Rex

Winter is beautiful in its own way – snow on the trees and shrubs.

Credit Google Search

Not so nice is the snow/ice on the roadway.  The Parkway is made up of aggregate, and the ice on it isn’t very comfortable.

While unmarked, one can readily see the three lanes of the Parkway, as they were laid.  There are frequent signs for “Do Not Pass” along the way, especially when the road turns and the way ahead is not easy to see.

The Parkway has a 45 mph speed limit, which can be frustrating if one is in a hurry!  However, it is an easy thing to set the cruise-control for 45 mph and just let George (the cruise control driver) do the driving.  The Parkway is heavily patrolled, so it pays to pay attention to the speed limit.

I worked in the Colonial Williamsburg area at one time, and had a certain way I liked to drive to work.  From our house in Seaford, down Denbigh Blvd, to U.S. 60 or Warwick Blvd to Williamsburg.  However one of those mornings, I was nearly involved in a fatal accident.  Coming around a curve in the road, the car coming toward me slipped onto the dirt and gravel  – probably losing control of her car – and rammed/slammed into the front of the pickup truck in front of me.  By the time we stopped and I got out, the driver from the truck said the driver of the car was dead.  Turns out, she was just 18 years old, and on her way to her college class.  I was so upset by the entire thing, that I found I couldn’t take that route to work for many months – I kept seeing the accident in my mind.  So I started driving the Colonial Parkway – set my cruise-control to 45 mph and just rode until I reached the Colonial area.  It was a great way to get to work, and the reminder of the accident diminished in my mind.  Time heals.

~~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

Judy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years. Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.

After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer. She also enjoys scrapbooking.She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins as well as a great-grandson and a great-granddaughter. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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Happiness is Flying Model Airplanes-Part 2

17 May

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

As I gained experience, I moved up to rubber band powered balsa stick model airplanes covered with rice paper.  These models required a lot more concentration and patience to assemble.  The kit consisted of a box full of balsa sheets with fuselage formers and wing ribs printed on them and lots of balsa sticks.  The idea was to carefully cut out the formers (bulkheads) and wing rib parts, and using the balsa sticks, assemble the airplane over the full-size plans provided.  Once the model was assembled, the entire airplane was covered with rice paper and sprayed with water to shrink the paper.  When the paper dried, it could be painted with clear or colored model paint called ‘dope.’  The propulsion was by means of a long rubber band inside the fuselage and twisted many revolutions to turn the propeller for the thrust needed.

Plans Credit: yahoo.com/rubber+powered+model+airplanes 

Next, at about age 10, I started building and flying small U-Controlled fuel powered model airplanes using .049 and .065 CID (½ A glow) sized engines.  These airplanes were of similar balsa construction, except the fuselage was made of thicker balsa sheet and the wings and tail were covered with a heavier silk span paper.  When the silk span was sprayed with water it also shrank when it dried.  Then the paper was painted with airplane paint (dope) and it would shrink to an even tighter and tougher surface.  I could then add decals or paint other colored designs if I wished.

Photo Credit: yahoo.com/search/=.049+fuel+powered+u- controlled+model+airplane

These airplanes were so easy to build, that I started designing my own with variations in wing design.  I would buy the necessary bulk balsa stock from the local hobby shop and use the plans from one of the kits I had previously purchased to build the airplane.  Imagine the airplane in the above photo, with the trailing edge of the wing on each side of the fuselage tapering from the wingtip almost to the forward edge of the horizontal stabilizer.  That was one of my designs that I tried, and you can see that airplane in the photo below (the battery is in the way, but you can see how the wing tapers from the wingtip toward the tail).

Photo Credit: Bill Lites

I used special 35’ long wires to control the flight and needed a large (70’ minimum diameter) clear space to fly these airplanes.  Luckily, a city park, Bataan Park, was only a block from my house and provided plenty of space for my needs.  However, I found out that flying these airplanes around in a circle could make me dizzy if I wasn’t careful.  I won’t bore you with all the plane crashes I had, learning how to fly those first U-Control model airplanes.

Diagram Credit: https://www.modelaircraft.org/control-line/ 

At about age 12, after a lot of experience with the smaller airplanes, I moved up to the larger and more expensive fuel powered .15 and .29 CID (A glow) sized U-Controlled airplanes.  These airplanes were of a similar construction as the ½ A models, but much bigger, stronger, and heaver.  Since these models flew much faster than the ½ A models, I used 70’ wires.  Here again, Bataan Park, the well mowed city park, provided a nice convenient well-maintained grass flying field for me.  The pride of my airplane fleet at that time was my Top Flight ”Nobler” with a Fox .29 CID engine. What a beauty that airplane was!

Photo Credit: www.efkjghfdlf.top/products.aspx=nobler+control+line+airplane

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 65 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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