The first ringmaster I ever laid eyes on was an S-1 I found in the want-ads! I had to drive 60+ miles to get it, but I did, and was about to wet my jeans on the drive home! I put it on the front seat, and as I drove home I could imagine myself flying this giant bird...and because it was white, I nicknamed it lovingly the "Pelican" It's skin was silkspan, with untold applications of white dope...the stripe was bright red, the engine mount cheeks were black, and believe it or not, there was a Fox 35 tightly bolted right in front of a wonderfully shaped steel tank! When I got home, I went to work on the pre-flight checks, while my boys watched in awe......It was their first chance to see their Dad fly...and fly I did, one whole tank...many laps at 65'cables...and several jubilant loops, smiling like a madman.....fill er up boys, I'm not done till the sun goes down.....~John Dennis Stiles

I was stationed with the the Army at Camp Zama, Japan from April 1956 til July 1958. We had a wonderful craft workshop on base run by a talented, personable guy named Michitaka Sogosan.

"Sogo", as he liked to be called, was a championship level contender in the Japanese national U-control speed competition. His beautiful little racing planes were works of art. And, he made U-control enthusists out of all of us who spent time at the craftshop building model airplanes. Sogo was an avid promoter of Sterling models. They were strong, easy to build accurately, and good looking. So I learned to build and fly U-control with a Super Ringmaster dolled up with wheel pants and a hand rubbed red and white paint job.

After polishing my building and flying skills my second Sterling kit was the beautiful Waco cabin plane.

One of the guys who built and flew with us was Larry Tarrent. He later became a test pilot for Douglas in California. He was a true enthusiast and his modeling reflected his dedication to aviation and airplanes. Flying and building competitions with the Navy and Marine bases in the area were frequent and well attended. Larry's models were consistant contest winners both for finish and performance and typically featured things like lighted instrument panels and navigation lights. Naturally we all were inspired by his work and tried to include his show stopping details in our own modeling efforts.

I put a lot of time, effort and TLC into the Waco. It was finished in dark blue with orange trim. Of course it had a lighted instrument panel and working nav lights. I had just finished it when my time to return to the U.S was moved up a month. Along with a couple of other lesser projects and the Super Ringmaster, I carefully packed it up in a custom made crate (A Spec-5 could afford that kind of stuff in Japan at that time) and shipped it to my home in Indiana. The crate never got there. I have no idea what happened to it, whether somebody discovered what was in it and "requisitioned" it or whether it got smashed beyond recognition in transit and pitched over the side. But, you can bet I've never gotten over that Waco. When I discovered a kit of that very airplane on eBay some months ago I couldn't believe it. Unfortunately somebody wanted it as badly as I did, maybe more. I've bid two or three since without success. But I'm going up the learning curve and I'll get one. When I do there's a great shop in Valparaiso that will make a perfect copy of the plans. I will have that done and send them to you. As,I see the C-4 drawings are one sets you need. I also have the Ryan ST, still in the box with "Ronsan $4.30" written on the top in Sogo's hand. The plans for that one are covered with scotch tape, some of the diecut formers for the rear of the fusalage are missing due to a long ago torn corner and there are no decals, so I can't help you there. I'm recreating the #11 and 12 formers so I can build it. I have time to do that now that I'm retired. But, I'll make you a promise. If I acquire a C-4 Waco in respectable condition, I'll share any aspect of the kit you can use.

Thanks for your interest in "old" models. What a great thing the internet is. All of this stuff you were certain you would never see again can be found with the press of a couple of keys.

I hope I didn't bore you to sleep with my story, but it's a sincere attempt to convey the fun, relationships and great memories that revolved around modeling and particullarly Sterling models as far away as Japan and as long as fifty years ago. Thanks for listening,

Ron Fraser