Before the roads and irrigation ditches were in and the plats were made for development which would be a subdivision of Phoenix, Arch Harlan, his brother, and other freeflighters had a desert paradise for unfettered pleasure. Into the modeling world of that era came the Dynajet engine and many a freeflight modeler had watched a U-con-trol flight or two with these noisy monsters and wondered what kind of flight you could have with that much thrust. In a tree-filled flying site with tall grass, the thought was easily squelched by common sense-but in a slightly vegetated desert such an idea had a chance to explode into an airplane. Some people can be happy just to sit around and think-not Arch Harlan. He dreamed up an 8-foot twin boomed monster to fill the desert skies and built it ready for a test glide. The size and weight were such that a hand glide wouldn't do the trick, so Arch got in the back of his brother's pickup and when he felt the model reach flying speed he hollered "Stop!" After several such tests the glide was adjusted and the model was ready for the first powered flight. The jet roared into action with enough command to raise the dead in the nearest grave yard and a fast swooping climb to the right initiated a satisfying floating glide over the desert. Dreamer, designer and builder Arch just knew it could be done and he was in the right place and time to do it. He is still a dedicated freeflighter, slowed a little by a recent bout with cancer but is making a determined steady recovery in Phoenix, AZ.
展开▼
