by Ted Pritlove
Charlie Chomos has been flying RC model planes for 62 years. Back in the ’60s, his first model was a Sterling Models J-3 Cub, then a Goldberg Models 42 in. Skylane. This kit cost $5.99 and Charlie still has the original kit box!
A little history: Charlie was born and raised on a tobacco farm close to a village called Vienna near Tillsonburg, Ontario. His first interest in model airplanes began in the first grade of a one-room schoolnouse. A grade eight boy, a few desks over, assembled a rubber powered “stick and tissue” model airplane and when outside, he launched it. It flew. Charlie was hooked. Charlie began building his own rubber-powered models and by grade 8, he was building and flying glow powered free flight models.
After high school, he moved to Burlington and found employment at Dofasco and was trained as a crane operator. I first met Charlie in 1976 at Dofasco. I had read a radio controlled model magazine (RCM) about building and flying RC models and was interested. Dofasco’s Recreation Department suggested I contact a modeler called Charlie Chomos. I did. After a lengthy chat, Charlie gave me six RCM magazines to read and if I was still interested, he would take me to a basement hobby shop (Scotty Law – Dundas) to buy everything I needed.I started building my Sig Kommander with Charlie coming to my house every few weeks to check my work and offer advice. After 6 months, Charlie successfully test flew my Sig model. That was a fantastic moment for me! Then after 52 solo flights, Charlie presented me with my MAC wings.
All this time, Charlie was building big models ie. a 108" quarter scale Super Cub, a 108" quarter scale Porterfield and his latest model is a 114" Piper Colt. Most of the RC community know Charlie is a meticulous scale scratch builder. An example: if the plans call for a solid wing tip, but the full scale has a laminated wing tip – Charlie will laminate!
In 1983, Charlie got his Private Pilots License and in 1985 he co-owned a Champion Citabria with Art Titmarsh. For the next 10 years, Charlie did very little modeling. Charlie’s hobby passion now is vintage model planes and early radio electronic equipment. In 1992 he became a member of the Vintage Radio Control Society (VRCS) and has won several awards at the Toledo Show( Toledo Weak Signals RC Club) and at AMA headquarters in Muncie, Indiana. In Charlie’s words- “I like the challenge of making this old stuff work again” and he has a basement full of this “old stuff" – just ask wife Marie! His knowledge of vintage aircraft is surprising but with modern aircraft it is vague. He told me – “all the jets look the same to me”.
For the past few years, Charlie has enjoyed float flying at his Cottage, but plans to begin flying more often at Bayview and Bronte airfields.
So a BIG THANK YOU Charlie for being a founding member of our BRCM Club, your years of instructing and helping advice, and most of all, for your 45 years of friendship.
Good Stuff Charlie – Cheers
Ted Pritlove
