Vintage Cox Control Line Plane's History and flights by NightFlyyer. A few are Testors.
516,103
Published 2010-05-01
Can you watch this video all the way? If not, don't try flying dizzying U-Control. What you see is exactly what I saw! My friend Larry at the Roller Skating Rink asked me if I wanted some old Cox airplanes. Of course I said yes. This video shows what is like to stand in the middle of the circle on only 25 foot strings and spin. Cox engines are now available at coxengines.ca/ Here is a recent video of 3 of my latest u control planes. • 3 Control Line Plane's maiden flights...
And here is an exciting video where We got GOATED flying fast UKIE. • COX .049 planes & Ukie today, tethere...
Using 2 cameras, you will see the perspective and hear the engine noise. Ending with a Modern twist, I hope you enjoy this piece of Model Airplane Nostalgia.
Cox Models, a former division of Estes Industries of Penrose, Colorado, was a multimillion-dollar hobby company, was one of the hobby industry's oldest companies, and is noted for its production of miniature model internal-combustion engines.
This company, originally named "The L. M. Cox Manufacturing Co, Inc.," was founded in 1945 by the machinist Roy Cox in Placentia, California. Cox grew up in and around his father's bicycle shop, and developed an interest in mechanical devices.
Cox's first products were wooden pop guns, produced in his home garage. Cox chose wood for his basic material, since metal was scarce during WW II.
When metals became readily available in the United States in 1947, Cox turned his attention to new products, beginning with a diecast metal car. This product was developed into a "whip car", a tethered vehicle which could be manually swung in a circle at high speed. Nitro- and gasoline-powered tether cars with .60 cubic inch miniature engines capable of speeds of 100 mph (160 km/h) were quickly becoming popular.
Cox's first contribution to that growing hobby was a cast aluminum midget racer powered by a .15 engine by Cameron Brothers.
Cox Manufacturing enjoyed a large postwar growth due in part to its production of miniature model internal combustion engines and tethered model aircraft, finally moving to a new factory in Santa Ana, California, in 1963. The factory started at 80,000 square feet (7432 square meters).
Three expansions in a few years' time saw expansion to 225,000 square feet (20,903 square meters) and introduction of a line of slot cars, model rockets, HO scale model trains, and a full-sized, one-horsepower gasoline-powered chain saw.
Roy Cox retired in 1969, and he sold the company to the hobby conglomerate "Leisure Dynamics". Kites, toy walkie-talkies, and yo-yos were added to the Cox company products. A major step toward participation in the growing radio controled hobby business happened in 1976 with the acquisition of the radio manufacturer "Airtronics".
By 1983, Leisure Dynamics was facing bankruptcy. Their engineer William Selzer, the designer of the "Babe Bee" .049 aircraft engine, joined with a local businessman to purchase the Cox company.
The new company, Aeromil Engineering Company, changed the name of the company from Cox Company to Cox Hobbies, incorporated, in 1984.
Growth of the company continued, but its factory space became fragmented since the operations were spread out over a number of leased buildings. This prompted a move to a consolidated facility in Corona, California, in 1990.
In January 1996, a leading model toy rocket manufacturer, Estes Industries, purchased Cox Hobbies, Incorporated, and relocated operations from Southern California to the Estes facility in Penrose, Colorado.
This signaled a major change in marketing direction for the new company, now known as Cox Models. A great many new products were aimed towards a mass market and they were sold in large chain stores and discount stores.
Since then, Cox has returned to its hobby roots and is once again offering its products through hobby stores. The product line came to include a line of radio-controlled model aircraft.
Some of the former Cox model train line is now sold by the Wm. K. Walthers company.
A few of them in this video is Testors, but the history is mostly about Cox.
Thanks again for Watching, your loyalty, subscribing and rating.
Dave Herbert
AMA # 8221,
LM/CD/Scientific
The Cox RC Electric Warbirds are being sold by Gravity Hobby for only $17.99
All Comments (21)
-
I never had one minute of problems with the Cox 0-49 motor. We used it in control lines, free flights, tether cars, even small R/C's. I am 65 and this wonderful little motor is one of the icons of my life!
-
Boy, that really took me back! Great times and great history. The great cox .049...one of man's greatest inventions. I really loved the sound and smell of it all. These were the best Christmas gifts you could get in the 60s and 70s.
-
Everyone I know who flew these as a kid, grew up to be decent, hard working people. Great memories.
-
when you said sizzle and then went to start the engine with that old glo plug clipper a smell i have long forgotten but used to love hit my senses, nitro. Thanks for all you have done for this hobby . -form John in Texas
-
Such memories. As a cub scout in the early 60's I sold greeting cards door to door and used my credits to buy the Cox line control planes. I think I had the whole line. In the mid 70's flew full stunt line control then moved to RC. Good clean fun. Maybe not so clean as the spent oil had to be cleaned off. Thanks for sharing.
-
brings back some great memories, I was so young and has so much life potential then. Thanks for posting this !!!!
-
I miss those days it sure was fun. Listening to the engine brings back good memories of the 60s & 70s I just loved anything Cox.
-
I grew up dizzy flying these..till i mastered rc. No way in hell would i ever grab a handle again. Took me 17 years self taught to master the radio. I now own 32 rc planes. Got my own flying strip. Nice video..brought back alot of dizzy memories.
-
I used to use planes like that too. Reminded me of summers spent in Arkansas with my grandparents deep in the Ozarks. Thanks for sharing that!
-
My Dad used to fly control line planes way back in the day. He would be amazed at the current RC planes. Thanks for the video.
-
Great story! I flew U-control when I was a brand new USAF navigator in the mid 70s. My Dad and I flew when I was a kid... Wonderful memories!
-
I had cox planes when I was a boy, I never got them to fly, this is the first time I seen one in flight, 45 years it took to see it, but better late then never, nice flying
-
Thank you my friend for the trip down memory lane,grew up flying these in a control line model club in centennial park in Sydney back in the early 70,s,wish now I had kept some of the old planes I had,keep up the great videos,thanks again,LOVE IT
-
I had the PT-19 and a testors BD-5. Later on, I built several Combat Kittens and a Little Satan which I used in control line dogfights with the other kids where I grew up. We kept bumper stickers in our flight boxes to repair smashed planes. These little planes inspired me grow up and fly Lear jets for a living.
-
thanks for the memories, cox Red Baron and P 40 Warhawk...........so much fun
-
Thanks Dave.Great memories. As kids we'd build the scientific kits with .049s. One day at the field an "older guy" comes out with a 35 powered Ringmaster. Wow. Finally I saved up enough money for the Fox 35 (about $7 then) and the Ringmaster kit about $3. That was a lot of money for a kid in the fifties. I learned how to fly inverted! That was a big step. I eventually worked my way up to the "Nobler" which was the creme de la creme. Using Ambroid glue it took me about a year to build. Can you imagine kids nowadays working on a model for a year? By 1969 I started into R/C and still am building models in 2015....but it all started with the Cox .049....Skip
-
5 minutes into this video when he is starting the old thing i could smell the fuel i haven't smelled that stuff since 1977 when i had my cox dune buggy good memories
-
I used to fly my Ringmaster on 70 foot steel lines. You had to keep track of your inside loops, then do the exact number of outside loops to keep your lines from being crossed. I LOVED flying control line models in the Sixties as a young teen. When I took my first flying lesson in a real plane (Piper J-3 Cub) in 1966, I already knew how to make a landing as it is the same as landing a C/L airplane. I turned my model flying into a career flying real airplanes, including 29 years as a pilot for United Airlines. 54 years later I am still flying professionally and still have 5 flyable control line models. I have always felt my flying career really began the day in 1962, as a 12 year old, that I was able to fly my Baby Ringmaster for a full tank of fuel without crashing.
-
1957 1958 Flew a Piper tri-pacer.049 Cox Golden Bee successfully first try, I was 8. Went on to profile models like the ringmaster and ringmaster jr. With a bigger power plant like a 38 Fox Rocket then Enya.Had a bunch of engines given to me too. McCoy's and others some with piston rings, something I had never seen before. Never got into the remote, but did manage to get my Pilot's license with a Seaplane rating and have been flying for forty years. I enjoyed seeing you fly, brought back some good memories of a couple of guys I flew with winter or summer. On a side note, That Fox Rocket was notorious for catching fire, and boy did that prop hurt when it hit your finger, Chicken stick anyone?
-
Hey Man, You Sure Did Bring Back Some Memories. Back In The '60's, I Had A Piper Cherokee (I Think) With A .049 Wen Mac Engine. My Dad Would Take Me Up To The Sears Parking Lot On Sunday Because They Were Closed. After That Got Smashed, I Put The Engine On A Stunt Man 23 & It Came Off In Flight. I Bought A Little Red Biplane Made By Cox From A Neighborhood Kid & It Might've Lasted A Little Longer. To Be Honest, I Don't Think I Ever Flew One As Long As You Did In This Video But The Memories Are Worth It, Thanks . . .
