Jim Walker

Hi family and friends! Today's "character" that we still remember after 70 years is model aviation pioneer and showman Jim Walker........Bill

JIM WALKER - Model Aviation Pioneer and Showman

On a warm summer weekend in the 1950’s dad drove Jimmy and me to a ball field near the Hayward Airport where a model airplane meet was underway. The high pitch buzzing of planes could be heard overhead sounding like a swarm of angry bees and the sky was busy with two miniature planes darting around trailing long colorful ribbons. On the ground, two skilled “pilots” were intent in using their planes propellers to chop off the others tail while trying to avoid a seemingly inevitable high speed crash. Luckily we had arrived in time to see members of the local model airplane club on hand to compete for trophies and bragging rights in the combat category of control line flying. Meanwhile other model airplane hobbyist were attempting to land their highly detailed scale models on a simulated aircraft carrier while others performed aerobatics, raced , launched free flying models and tried to best one another lifting weights with large realistic multi-engine model planes. “Ham” radio members were also on hand demonstrating the newly developing hobby of free flying radio control model aircraft. Jim and I recall that afternoon seventy years ago crossing paths with memorable character Jim Walker, founder of the American Junior Aircraft Company and manufacturer more than 225 million ready-to-fly inexpensive balsa wood gliders and rubber band powered planes. Walker made regular appearances for his company and for the model airplane industry at air meets and model plane shows around the country frequently flying three of his Fireball U-control planes at one time and demonstrating his nickle gliders, but what we remember most vividly is Walker attaching firecrackers to his rubber band powered balsa models, winding the rubber bands tight, lighting the fuse and hand launching the short lived aircraft into the sky for very dramatic shattering explosions, much to the delight of the spellbound crowd and two impressionable young boys from Castro Valley.   -Bill