My first radio system was a used
Controlaire six channel reeds system, which was really only three functions.
This system was out of date when I got into RC in the 1970's. The receiver
contained a "reed bank" that consisted of metal strips that would vibrate a
certain tone and the corresponding servo would move. Receiver had to be placed
in the plane a certain direction for the receiver to operate.
The radio worked pretty well until one day
it quit working right after take off in a Midwest Esquire. When the tank ran
out, the plane was so high you could not see it. A farmer found the plane
several miles away a couple of weeks later. His cows had done some damage to the
wings but I repaired the plane and put in proportional radio
equipment.
Reed
equipment was not proportional, moving the spring-loaded toggle switch on
transmitter started servo moving in one direction until the switch was returned
to neutral, then the servo returned to neutral.
Throttle servo did not return to neutral but stayed at the position it
was at when the toggle switch was returned to neutral. Only one function could be performed at a
time. There was no trim or servo
reversing.
I later sold the plane for someone to
learn on. Another guy sold him a radio and helped him fly the plane. When the
owner of the plane got in trouble, he handed the transmitter to the instructor
and the plane crashed. The instructor looked at the transmitter and the power
switch was off. He asked the student why he shut the switch off and he said,
"when you are operating power equipment and there is trouble, the first thing
you do is shut the power off." Not a good idea with RC equipment.
Bill Kuhl
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