The Midwest Esquire was a popular radio control model in the mid-1950s. Herb Ziegler found this excellent example of one at an estate sale and donated it to the museum.
Thank you, Herb, for helping us to grow the museum’s collection!
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For more information on the National Model Aviation Museum, including our location, hours and admission fees visit: www.modelaircraft.org/museum
The Midwest Esquire was my very first r/c airplane. This was 1962 and r/c aircraft was very new to my home town. I was 14 years old. I lived in Houma, Louisiana. It was powered by a Fox 10 2 cycle engine. The radio was a single channel that operated the rudder only by use of an escapement. I do not remember the brand of the radio. The plane flew well under certain conditions like very little wind. It was flown at the Houma-Terrebonne air field. On about its 10th fight, the wing broke in the center and the plane crashed damaging the receiver. I was a young boy and did not have money to get the receiver fixed or replaced. My name is Carey Belanger and still today am flying r/c airplanes. Many good memories !
Thanks for sharing your memories!
Muy bonito comentario y gratos recuerdos.
He volado aviones pequeños y grandes y disfruto mucho los pequeños ahora tengo dos motores .15 CVA en la caja estoy buscando avión para instalar estos motores, muy lindos mensajes.
the esquire brings back memories of my youth, i have been flying esuires for over 50 years. my original esquire dates back to around 1959, still in my garage. i have scaled it up and down from 25 in. span to 104 in. span . rudder only is becming a lost art. i have had kids ask me ” how do you make it go up with no elevator. they had no idea this is what early r/c was like.have built well over 48 esquires and all were a joy to fly, i am glad museum has now and example to put on display thomas ailes ama 18532/ vrcs#13
Thanks for sharing your memories!
Does anyone know when the Esquire was designed?
John, it was designed in the mid-1950s.
, designed by don hardy, kitted by midwest when still in gary ,indiana esquire designed and kitted 1956 bill evans was involved in little esquie. super esquire dates to 1958 though kitted much later. it was designed by doug mauer. giant esuire 96 in. span dates around same time it had fox .59 and escapements . itwas also rudder only i have kits from gary as well as hobart, in. tom ailes ama 18532/vrcs#13
The Esquire was actually designed by Don Parsons on the counter of Leonard’s hobby shop on Milwaukee ave Chicago. I was watched him do it.
I knew Bill Evans very well in the mid 80’s, he once told me he had something to do with the Esquire. This is the first time I have heard anybody mention Bill’s name with the plane. The Esquire was my first introduction to R/C, I flew mine with an O.S. .15 R/C on rudder only. It had a Babcock escapement and Orbit single channel radio. I knew very little about R/C and the plane did not fly very well. I am currently scratch building an Esquire, I hope this one will do much better.
Thanks for sharing and good luck with the Esquire build!
I have two Esquires, one converted to tricycle gear. Both date to my rudder only days in the 60’s. Later converted to 3 channel.
My first RC plane was an Esquire powered by a Webra 21 Glo Star and four Channel World Engines radio using 3 channels. It was hand launched and I soloed on my first day.