Stunt History: The Story of Model Aircraft Control Line Precision Aerobatics

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As seen in the September 2023 issue of Model Aviation.

WYNN PAUL and his publisher, Butler Books, attended the Control Line (CL) Nats this year for the release of Wynn’s new book, Stunt History: The Story of Model Aircraft Control Line Precision Aerobatics, which was released on July 9, 2023. The release features two hardcover books in a slipcase. Book one covers 1937 to 1979, while book two covers 1980 to 2014.

Wynn shared with me that he had been researching and writing the set of books throughout the last 45 years! Because of the timespan, he had a chance to interview many notable people, some of whom are no longer with us.

The books are broken down into year-by-year chapters and contain a wealth of information, including historical text, competition results, photographs, and "Plane of the Year" artist renderings. Wynn shared with me that selecting an airplane to feature for every year that the books cover was a little challenging.

Each book measures 9 × 12 inches, has a combined total of 976 pages, and contains hundreds of photos. Research for the book set included many first-hand interviews, as well as a wealth of information found in aeromodeling publications. He employed nearly every available resource needed to provide what is likely the largest publication dedicated to CL Precision Aerobatics.

I had the chance to give Stunt History: The Story of Model Aircraft Control Line Precision Aerobatics a look at the Nats; however, Bob Hunt, who is featured in the book, will be doing a comprehensive review of the set for an upcoming issue of Model Aviation that that will provide more details.

The National Model Aviation Museum store is currently selling the book set, which retails for $225.

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