With the Model Builders
January 1941 Flying Aces

January 1941 Flying Aces Table of Contents These pages from vintage modeling magazines like American Aircraft Modeler, American Modeler, Air Trails, Flying Aces, Flying Models, Model Airplane News, & Young Men captured the era. All copyrights hereby acknowledged.

I'm guessing that Mr. Peter Henderson, of Los Angeles, California, who was featured in this 1941 edition of Flying Aces magazine, was 12 or 13 years old at the time. That would make his somewhere in his mid-70s today, so there's a very good chance he is still building and flying model airplanes. As with so many of the people who appear in these old magazines, I always wonder what happened to them over the years and whether they are still engaged in the hobby. If you ever see yourself or someone you know in a photo on Airplanes and Rockets website, please send me an e-mail with an update. Visitors love reading comments submitted by others who happen upon one of these pages.

With the Model Builders

Arnold C. Baer, of New York City, who is an advertising artist in his own right, applied his technique in the form of camouflaging on his Ohlsson-powered Class "B" contester.

Cold weather and deep snows constitute no set-back for the year-round model builder. At least, Don Smith, of Niles, Mich., thinks so. And with the first snowfall of the season, Don rolled out his Class "C" Brown-powered gas job for trial flights in still air. Real flying characteristics show up in this kind of weather.

Donald Barth, of South Bend, Ind., not only whittled out this swell replica model of Miss Los Angeles, but snapped it so it looks like the real McCoy. This famous racing plane of a few years back was designed by Ben Howard.

Thomas Petrone, of Charleroi, Pa., sent in this shot of his fourth successful gas job, which is none other than the "Duck," built from plans appearing in the August, 1939, issue of F.A.

Here's the Army Bellanca cargo transport C-2M, as modeled by Frank Roberts, of Jamesburg, N. J. These ships are known as "flying freight cars" because of their load carrying capacity.

Dick Lober, of Moffett Field, Calif., adjusts the spark plug point gaps for his Cyclone powered Aeronca C-3.

Peter Henderson, of Los Angeles, Calif., with his "Ensign" design, which is powered with a Phantom "Bullet" motor.

Posted August 22, 2015