.Guillows and Comet Return to:  Home      Other Models Comet :  Our first experiences with model airplanes began a half a century ago.  A classmate was building model airplanes and got me interested in them.  He was building a Comet kit, so we followed suit.  It was a satisfying and enjoyable activity, so we continued.  The first kits built were the '10 centers', a Stinson.  From these we went to 25 and 50 cent kits; P-40, F4U, Sparky, F-86D, and perhaps a few others. Guillows:  On our trips to the hobby shop we found someGuillows kits on the shelves.  Mostly shelf models and simple 'Zip' kits.  We built some of the shelf kits; F4U, Mig 15, B-36, C-119, F-84.  The shelf models were intended for display but we flew some of them RTP(round-the-pole).  During this time we also built a Zip glider of the F2H.  While building these first models, we became interested in U-control models.  One Christmas we got a AJ firebaby powered by a K&B 049 and promptly crashed it.  Then tried a profile F-51 with no success.  Then a scratch built McCoy 09 powered C/L model with no success.  Thinking we needed more power, we got a Fox 35 and put it into a Ringmaster and succeeded in crashing again.  Went thru a few more scratch-built Fox 35 powered models, each ending in a crash.  Finally, we met a hobby shop owner/modeler who introduced us to the Guillows Trainer 2.  Finally, success, and we literally flew the wings off that Guillows Trainer.  This was the start of several years of fun flying with controliners.  During those happy years we also flew a Guillows Reactor flying wing C/L.  Around 1960 our active modeling with flying models came to an end, but we continued to keep up with the hobby by reading and collecting model airplane magazines and model kits to the present time. more to come: