The Birth Of R/C

[Cobras36]

An interesting video about the Good brothers, who it seems put the first radio control in a gasser back in the mid-1930s:

Amazing, and even the gear they're looking at 50 years later looks stunningly "crude" compared to what we have now.

 

[Thomas B]

We actually owe the birth of the radio control hobby to Mr. Tesla, who demonstrated a radio controlled model boat in New York City in 1898.

The Good brothers are certainly the fathers of powered RC aircraft.

A very obscure rc glider project in South Africa was evidently the first radio controlled aircraft, created around 1918-1922, if I remember correctly. One of the RC model magazines had an article complete with pictures about this glider project. I have never been able to locate this article again, or find any other info.

 

[Piotrsko]

Hmmm marconi style reciever and transmitter.......spark gap......wonder how many channels and range. Wouldn't ever be a frequency congestion problem, though.

 

[PsyBorg]

Hmmm marconi style reciever and transmitter.......spark gap......wonder how many channels and range. Wouldn't ever be a frequency congestion problem, though.

Was actually a single channel that operated a solenoid to ratchet a rubber band powered mechanism for the rudder control to bounce between left center and right fixed angles.

 

[boogieloo]

Great video. Thanks!

 

[Matthewdupreez]

We actually owe the birth of the radio control hobby to Mr. Tesla, who demonstrated a radio controlled model boat in New York City in 1898.

The Good brothers are certainly the fathers of powered RC aircraft.

A very obscure rc glider project in South Africa was evidently the first radio controlled aircraft, created around 1918-1922, if I remember correctly. One of the RC model magazines had an article complete with pictures about this glider project. I have never been able to locate this article again, or find any other info.

oooh... i must find that, as a south african, that is very much of interest to me