The Coachella Valley Radio Control Club has come a long way from a loosely knit group
of model enthusiasts without a home, to an organization of well over 100 with a
professional flying field. Some of the current members of the club have been part of
these changes, as they were among the pre-WWII free-flight flyers launching their
planes out at the La Quinta Airport (located between Eisenhower and Washington south
of Avenue 52).
Looking back - From 1938 to 1941 model airplane enthusiasts such as Bob Taylor,
Susie Musashi, Jack Burkett, Rod Leap, George Shepherd and Warren Harvey
showed up each week to launch their planes.
“We flew up to the start of the war, quit and then started up again right after the war at
the same spot,” Taylor recalled. “They were free flights in the beginning. You set them
up to fly in a circle but sometimes the wind came up and blew them off course. All you
could do was hope they came back, but I'm sure there are lots on that mountain yet.”
After the war, model airplane flying resumed on an informal basis at various
schoolyards, parks, vacant lots or grassy fields. Pilots such as Don Ahlefeld, Roger
Turner and Ernie Chapin were moving up from free flight to control line flying
The next advance in model technology came in the late 40’s when remote control was
introduced. “It was really remote, remote control,” Taylor said with a laugh. “We had a
single channel, one frequency (27.255 megs) which meant we had to take turns flying”
This loosely knit group of weekend pilots continued to meet at airports, schools, in
canyons, on ranches, at the fairgrounds or on private property. Unfortunately, as soon
as they started feeling at home on private property it was subdivided and sold out from
under them. Some of the members during this period were Tom Curth, Mel Shepherd,
Kenny Partlow, Phil ”Shorty” Hanson, Monet “Ham” Hamilton, Frank Gomez, Dr.
Doug Taylor, Chick Hetrick, Walt Murray, George Seto, Dimitri “Jimmy” Kolaturas,
Bill Valley, Walt P