To Speed Index

Note:
I went through some very old negatives from the mid sixties this year (1999) and tested my HP film scanner. I ran across shots of the FAI F2A team selection meeting held at the Sepulveda Flood Control Basin in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley.

Like the verse to the song "San Fernando Valley" says : "Packin' my clothes, coolest ones I've got, 'cause that San Fernando Valley is hot." -- the verse was later struck out of the popular version that went "gold" in the late 30's. The Valley Chamber of Commerce didn't want the truth to come out until after you moved there and bought property. You'll look at these photos and see F2C flying where it is "high and hot" -- about 700 feet above msl and in the 90's.

Roger, a polymath among modelers, built and flew everything from the complete engine to the aircraft to special handles. To me he really is 'the one and only'

Roger Theobald
The One and Only

Roger Showed up one day at a Valley Circle Burners meeting. The meetings were held in any open place you could find at the Johnson Engines Company on Saticoy. He was from the East, had red hair and drove a big Thunderbird. Just another guy who wanted to join the "Circle Jerks".

Within 10 years Roger had teamed with Will Wisniewski to develop the TWA engine that blew away EVERYONE at the 1966 World Champs with a 1-2 finish and changed F2A forever, then turned around and developed the ARM diesel engine with John Barr and flew to fourth in F2C at the 1972 World Champs. Then Roger joined Phil Kraft in Vista, California and designed and developed the Kraft 61, still made and marketed by RJL here in the US

To my knowledge Roger is the first person ever to represent the U.S. in two different control line categories in the world champs. Bill Hughes reminds me of two other examples:  Carl Dodge(F2A) flew F2C with Henry Nelson  and Tom Fluker jr.(F2D) flew F2C with BillLee

Here, however, is a study of Roger of his unique and breathtaking style of entering the pylon. Monoline is no longer allowed in F2C, but any AMA speed flier had to appreciate this, it seems to me.


The monoline handle he made can be seen clearly in the photo above as he begins to tow the TWA up to resonance.

In the photo to the right the pipe comes "on" and Roger gets the aircraft high as he stops rotating. Only two or three seconds have past since the engine hit peak revs. Then, below, the almost unthinkable happens. He stops rotating all together and the aircraft flies behind his back. The eyes aim, instead at the pylon forks.

Somehow nothing goes wrong. His hand goes down as the aircraft comes around in to view, then, hand in the forks in one move after the aircraft reappears, he starts to pivot again.

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