ED Boomerangs

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Mike_K
Posts: 669
Joined: 16 Feb 2018, 06:35
Location: Hertfordshire

ED Boomerangs

Post by Mike_K »

It feels like Christmas has come early for me as the postman delivered an ED Boomerang, made in 1954, but has been in the USA since. It's in a far better condition than the one I already had, so the other is heading to Shaun.

For most people, it's probably not of as much interest as some later S/C sets such as Wee Macs and RCS, but for me it's from another golden age of R/C, the pioneering days.

When it was released it had one revolutionary innovation, it was completely wired and ready for use! Up until then you were expected to wire (and solder) the battery plugs to the switches and potentiometer, wire the switches to the Rx which needed wiring to the escapement. As a long departed friend (who was around at the time) said to me "if they had never been wired up, how could they have ever tested them"? I guess the answer is that they probably didn't!

To make the day even better, the wind dropped so I went and had a fly with the Weekender that Wagga_Wayne sent over from Oz to be flown at Ponty. Still in one piece and still flying well, albeit with a more modern converted RCS set that I was test flying for the first time.

Mike
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ED_Boomerang_02.jpg
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Wayne_H
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Joined: 17 Feb 2018, 05:26
Location: Temora, NSW. Australia
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Re: ED Boomerangs

Post by Wayne_H »

Mike,

Did ED christen them "Boomerang" in the belief (hope?) that the radio would help make the model come back 8-) :P ;)

All jokes aside, how reliable were they?

Great to see the Weekender still going and still giving enjoyment :)
Cheers,

Wayne
Once a Retrobate, always a Retrobate............ ;)
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Sundancer
Posts: 122
Joined: 07 Jun 2018, 09:28
Location: Limousin, France

Re: ED Boomerangs

Post by Sundancer »

Wagga_Wayne wrote: 22 Nov 2018, 08:51 Mike,

Did ED christen them "Boomerang" in the belief (hope?) that the radio would help make the model come back 8-) :P ;)

All jokes aside, how reliable were they?

Great to see the Weekender still going and still giving enjoyment :)
Yes, I suppose that was the idea. How reliable were they?? About as reliable as any other hard valve single channel outfit!! IE, not very! I did manage to interfere with the otherwise essentially free-flight pattern of my Smeed "Electra" on a few occasions, and sometimes even landed back in the same field - but not very often! It wasn't until I got my MacGregor Tx and Minimac transister Rx that I experienced any real reliability and consistent control. But it was fun trying!
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Wayne_H
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Joined: 17 Feb 2018, 05:26
Location: Temora, NSW. Australia
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Re: ED Boomerangs

Post by Wayne_H »

Sundancer wrote: 22 Nov 2018, 10:06 ...........How reliable were they?? About as reliable as any other hard valve single channel outfit!! IE, not very! I did manage to interfere with the otherwise essentially free-flight pattern of my Smeed "Electra" on a few occasions, and sometimes even landed back in the same field - but not very often!..........
My first Radio was the OS Pixie MkII with super-regen Rx. I distinctly remember the mystery and awe as a 13(?) year old listening to the tone in my earpiece when tuning the Rx - at the time it seemed like magic :o :)
I don't ever remember a radio failure & certainly never any fly-aways. It really was a great radio :D :!:

Reading the old publications and looking at what folks invented & developed in their quest for a successful flight, I tip my hat to their dedication and ingenuity. :geek:
Cheers,

Wayne
Once a Retrobate, always a Retrobate............ ;)
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