Seaspray my ears clicked up when you mentioned control line ! the Americans introduced this to Britain way back late 1949 when it was called 'U-Control' during the war the flying of powered models was forbidden so people fitted their 'Gas' engines in all sorts of things including race cars,power boats that were sometimes tethered to a pole in the centre of the lake and then came along control line,almost a forgotton flying form with the mass take over of radio many people like myself learned about model engines from this form of flying,there was nothing quite like feeling the model respond on the end of the line,and if the up-line broke as it usually did ! then the model just dived into the deck,some of the aerobatic models that had coupled flaps to smooth out the loops were quite something but the medium had one appeal to myself and that was flying scale subjects that would be impossible to trim as free flight models,as a schoolboy with limited pocket money I had the use of endless school playing fields with the blessing of the head master.
Getting back to your story the Americans bought with them their culture and control line was certainly one of them,virtually unheard of in the UK gradually the bug stuck and kits and engines started to flow into the countryfrom firms like Sterling,every local park had control liners at weekends,these noisy statically placed models annoyed the neighbours and the authorities started to gradually ban them as dangerous whirling objects that dogs chased around and around ! people tripped up over the wires and granny complained,why cannot people be normal and all build models,life would be so much easier if they did.
I dont know of any single control line activity around these parts everyone has gone over to radio control,such a pity because it brought with it fun flying in very small areas and that never to be forgotton feel factor that the model airplane would transmit down the lines to your hands and make you know that you were really flying it,simply great
