CRRC History and Archives

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CRRC History

The CRRC, Inc. was founded late in November 1964 in a basement in Newton. For several months, the original Thirteen met in various cellars throughout the area. In those days there were only about 35 RC clubs registered with the Academy of Model Aeronautics and less than 12,000 AMA members.

By 1965, CRRC had come out of the underground to start meeting at the Newton YMCA. Membership climbed to 17! In these early years, there were no officers, only a chairperson. The newsletter was a postcard announcing the next meeting. No one knew how to fly an RC model except, perhaps, that Arizona transplant Bob Fish.

We flew, sort of, at the Wayland High School soccer field. RC gliders hadn't yet been imported to New England and digital proportional radio was a new kid on the block. People used to fly with radio systems called Reeds and Galloping Ghost.  The big names in radio were Citizenship, Bonner, Orbit, F&M, and ACE.

By 1966, CRRC had grown to 25 members, the AMA to 16,000 members, and some of them could actually control a landing! Monokote was just being invented.We flew all year long, on skis, in snowstorms, off the ice, in rain, below freezing, but it didn't help very much.

In 1967 we had a contest. The New England Radio Controllers Meet at Orange was one of the biggest RC events in the country. Phil Kraft, Ed Izzo, Jim Martin, Tony Bonetti, and Ernie Huber, all of the greats, flew. Bob Fish began to win the New England All Events RC Championship.

Radio control specialty items were hard to come by so Bob Fish started a store in his basement and sold these items at a discount.

By 1970, CRRC sponsored and ran the New England Championship with Bob Fish as CD. In 1972, we exceeded 100 members for the first time.We got a real flying field, dedicated to RC, later named Callahan State Park. In 1973 we ran 4 AMA sanctioned contests: Scale, H-Ray racing, a fun-fly, and a soaring contest.

CRRC, incorporated in the State in the late 70's, is now one of the oldest New England RC clubs. Our strength has been the ability to find and maintain good flying fields, help new RC enthusiasts to learn, and to have interesting club meetings and events.

CRRC now enjoys the use of separate AMA sanctioned fields for flying power-planes and gliders. Trips are organized to slope soar on Cape Cod, and an indoor athletic facility is booked during the winter months for flying R/C out of the snow and ice. We are in constant search for new fields to continue to enjoy the hobby we love.

Newsletter Archives

Archives of CRRC newsletters going back to 1998 are available here.

Club Officers

Year President Vice President Membership Secretary Recording Secretary Treasurer Newsletter Editor and Circulation Ex-Officio and Raffle Chairman Webmaster Chief Instructor
2008 Tony Davids Howard Hager Ray Harlan Larry Wetmore Istvan Sleder Tom Stammberger   Brian Rickman Brian Rickman
2007 Tony Davids Stephen Young John Nilsson Lee Arnold Jon Leehey David Spielman Jean-Pierre Riu Brian Rickman Jeremy Harkin and Brian Rickman
2006 Jean-Pierre Riu Tony Davids John Nilsson Lee Arnold Jon Leehey David Spielman Andrew Johnsen Brian Rickman Jeremy Harkin
2005 Andrew Johnsen Jean-Pierre Riu John Nilsson Jim Otis Scott Anderson David Spielman and
Tracy Clark		 Ken Antonellis Joel Foner Ruane Crummett
2004 Ken Antonellis Jeremy Harkin Dick Williamson Dave Walter Scott Anderson Jeff Newcum Derick Veliz Joel Foner Ruane Crummett
2003 Derick Veliz Mark Drela Dick Williamson Jeremy Harkin Miner Crary Michael Cormier Jon Leehey Joel Foner Ruane Crummett
2002 Jon Leehey Derick Veliz Dick Williamson Laurie Hurwitz Miner Crary Fritz Bien Tom Bauer Joel Foner Ruane Crummett
2001 Tom Bauer Jose Bruzual Dick Williamson Chris Larsen Miner Crary Jan Kansky Pete Young Joel Foner Jon Leehey
2000 Pete Young Bob Scott Dick Williamson Jose Bruzual Ed Devereaux Ken Antonellis Bill Dimpfl Joel Foner Jon Leehey
1999 Bill Dimpfl Tom Bauer Jan Kansky Glenn Schrader Don Black Fritz Bien Dick Williamson Joel Foner Neil Kaufman
1998 Dick Williamson Les Gerhardt Joel Foner Ned Watts Bill Dimpfl Fritz Bien John Weigel Joel Foner Neil Kaufman
1997 John Weigel Dick Williamson Andy Fyffe Jon Leehey Bob Doppler Fritz Bien Dave Walter Dave Walter Bill Condon
1996 Dave Walter Larry Copeland Bill Martin Ken Antonellis Paul Doppler Fritz Bien Ed Omiccioli Dave Walter Bill Condon
1995 Ed Omiccioli Dave Walter Brian Hazen Jerry Kennedy John Weigel Fritz Bien Ruane Crummett Dave Walter (Founder) Dan Ross
1994 Ruane Crummett Dan Ross Bob Cummings Brian Hazen John Weigel Fritz Bien Jack Hall   Alex Lob
1993 Jack Hall Ruane Crummett Bob Doppler Paul Doppler Jeff Cummins Ken & Cathy Antonellis Bill Martin   Lincoln Ross
1992 Bill Martin Jack Hall John Weigel John Weigel John Evans Lincoln Ross     Ruane Crummett
1991 John Nilsson Dan Snow John Weigel John Weigel Stuart Strong Fritz Bien Bill Martin   David Walter

Bob Fish Award Winners

The Bob Fish award is presented by the previous year’s president to a non Board Of Directors member for outstanding service to the club.

Year Winner
2006 Ken Antonellis
2005 Dick Williamson
2004 David Spielman
2003  
2002 Les Gerhard
2001 Bruce Schneider
2000 Larry Copeland
1999 Bill Martin
1998 Joel Foner
1996 Jesse Hefter
1995 Fritz Bien
1994  
1993 Fritz Bien
1992 Kenny and Cathy Antonellis
1991 Floyd Loyer

History

Bob Fish was one of the founders of the CRRC. Being a real R/C enthusiast as an engineer at Sylvania, he helped R/C guys get those hard-to-find R/C items that were not carried in the regular hobby shops of the 1960s by ordering from manufacturers and distributors. He sold these items at a 20% discount from retail, keeping just enough profit to sustain his hobby.

Bob later expanded this business by opening a hobby shop in the basement of his home, selling kits such as the Lou Andrews H-Ray, the latest engines such as the K&B, fuel, propellers, glues, and coverings. This shop became one of the social hot spots in the Greater Boston R/C community. Bob and his wife Margaret served coffee and showed 8-mm home movies of various R/C events around the region, and ones taken from major events every Friday night. Regulars at these parties were who’s who in New England R/C, including Ernie Huber, who was scratch building his own helicopter, Buzz Sawyer, Bob Charron, Ed and Louise Izzo, and many others.

Though Bob Fish never served as an officer of CRRC, he offered his shop as a meeting place for the Action Committee, the predecessor to our Board of Directors. He ran several events every year, including fun-flies, H-Ray pylon races, novice pattern contests. The thing most older club members remember him for though, was that he acted as the chief instructor for a majority of the new pilots.

Northern Connecticut Sailplane Contest May 1971. Bob Fish, right, came in third flying a Phoebus, Stu Richmond, center, finished first with his Amigo II and Fritz Bien finished second with his Cirrus.