Special Exhibit:
Controlaire Three Channel
A Mystery Including a Ghost from the Past
(Click on any of the images on this page to see a larger
version)
These are the
only Controlaire three channel proportionals ever made.
They were prototypes, built around 1968, to explore the
concept of a more affordable 3-channel alternative to
Controlaire’s full house proportional. Ultimately,
Controlaire decided to pursue the M.A.N. 2-3-4 for its
budget line, and the three channel models were never
produced. These two prototypes were the first, and it
turned out the last, of their line.
The Controlaire
Three Channel.
After Don
Baisden took over as Chief Engineer (see “First Controlaire
Proportional”) it became Controlaire’s practice to produce
2 prototypes of each new model. One would go to Baisden for
his personal use and flight-testing. The other would serve
as the model for refining and staging full-scale
production. The prototype with the O.S. stick was
Baisden’s.
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The other one was made for an O.S. stick but, although otherwise completed inside, the stick assembly was never installed. The four stick assembly retention screw holes are new inside without any marks from bolts or screws being threaded or passed through. Controlaire’s three-channel program was abandoned before reaching the need to mount the control stick in this one.
End of story? Hardly.
The Controlaire Three Channel story is not as simple or clear as the previous paragraphs imply. There is also an historical oddity cloaked in at least a little mystery. Years before these “first and only” three channel transmitters were built, Controlaire ran an advertisement for a three channel digital proportional. What?
Note that this 1965 system was to have only two proportional channels, not three like our prototypes. The third channel was to be a trimmable throttle operated by a reed-type toggle switch. So, at a minimum, our two prototypes continue to be the only true 3 channel proportionals ever made by Controlaire. Moreover, we suspect the pictured 1965 “three channel” wasn’t real, but only a ghost, and a galloping one at that. Research continues, but at this juncture we believe the pictured 1965 “3 channel system” was a mere mock-up and none were ever produced or even prototyped.
It was fairly common back then for manufacturers to prepare ads for systems which weren’t finished yet due to the long publication lead times. Sometimes a planned system was never produced (or even prototyped) leaving only the advertisement with its then-misleading message.
Rutherford made this after finding a rare, first-generation, open-gimbal Controlaire Galloping Ghost for a pittance. The reason it was so cheap is the case was almost entirely destroyed. Rutherford had a new, empty case from his days as a Controlaire dealer and he simply mounted the undamaged insides into the new case.
Ed Rutherford knew this would result in a genuine Controlaire Galloping Ghost, just like those originally manufactured, if he took one more little step. All he had to do was glue a standard Controlaire Galloping Ghost plaque over the words “DIGITAL PROPORTIONAL”. He recalled how all Controlaire proportional and galloping ghost transmitters started with the same case for commonality savings. All cases had “DIGITAL PROPORTIONAL” printed on them and those that became ghost transmitters had the plaque glued over these words at the factory.
Thus, it couldn’t have been much easier to produce the 1965 three-channel mock-up. We suspect they simply used a galloping ghost transmitter without the plaque. The result would look like the purported three-channel proportional pictured in the ad, including the black flipper switch on the left side.
End of story? We wish. But it isn’t going to be that simple. Look carefully at the portion of the transmitter case immediately above and below the on-off switch. And what about the pictured receiver?
Some mystery remains.
