|
 At
Tuskegee, Alabama, March 7, Colonel Frederick V. H. Kimble, U. S. A., pinned
wings on the blouses of five young Negro lieutenants, members of the first
graduating class of the Army's first Negro air school. Since last July they
had undergone all the primary and advanced training to which white Army cadets
at Randolph and Kelly fields are subject. Now they are charter members of the
Air Force's 99th (all Negro) Pursuit Squadron, established last summer at a
$2,000,000 airdrome near Alabama's famed Tuskegee Institute and now developing
into one of the Army's biggest training bases...
 "Claimed
to be a world first, the demonstration took place at Swinhay House. A McMurtry
Spéirling
PURE Validation Prototype 1 (VP1) was driven on to a custom-built platform
which then rotated 180 degrees to invert the stationary vehicle. Relying on the
huge 'Downforce on Demand' created by twin 23,000 RPM fans on the car's
undercarriage, the Spéirling remained firmly attached to the platform and was
driven a few feet forward before the rig rotated it back to ground. 'This
demonstration was an exciting proof-of-concept using a small purpose-built rig,
but is perhaps just the beginning of what's possible. With a longer inverted
track or a suitable tunnel, we may be able to drive..."
 Balsa wood was a special thing to me as
a kid. To me, it represented the essence of model airplanes and model rockets. At
the time - the 1960s and 70s - plastic and foam as model components were considered
a sign of cheapness, low quality, amateurishness. It was like having "Made in Japan"
stamped on it. Now, of course, it's a different world where Japan is renowned for
some of the highest quality electronics and cars and the plastic and foam ARFs represent
some of the highest-performing aircraft at the flying field. I have owned a few
of those foamies, but still, at least for my tastes, nothing beats the look, feel
and aroma of balsa. Somehow the tell-tale surface texture of foam, even with a nice
paint job, ruins the authenticity of an otherwise beautifully factory-finished scale
F4-U Corsair or P-38 Lightning. Sorry, that's just the way it is. Sig Manufacturing
was...
 When this
Trans World Airline (TWA) advertisement appeared in the April 29, 1950, issue
of The Saturday Evening Post magazine , the airline industry was transitioning from
relying on amphibious aircraft for long-distance overseas flights to using land-based
planes. These new aircraft, like the 300-mph Skyliners mentioned in the ad, offered
increased speed and comfort, revolutionizing air travel and making it more accessible
to the general public. TWA capitalized on this newfound ability to fly customers
quickly and comfortably to destinations across the U.S. and around the world, emphasizing
the potential for adventure and leisure even within the constraints of a typical
two-week vacation...
 An
April 1942 issue of Life magazine, just four months into WWII, carried
this full-page advertisement celebrating the
Lockheed P-38 Lightning, a revolutionary fighter aircraft hailed as the world'
s fastest - nearing the speed of sound - with unmatched maneuverability, outclassing
enemy planes in combat. Built by Lockheed for the U.S. Army and British RAF, the
P-38 embodied American ingenuity and freedom, flown by daring pilots defending democracy.
The ad positions the Lightning as a symbol of U.S. air supremacy, critical to Allied
victory in WWII, while promoting Lockheed's role in advancing aviation for both
wartime protection and postwar progress. The closing tagline, "Look to Lockheed
for Leadership," reinforces the company's wartime prestige and vision for the future...
 Some of the adventure stories in Flying
Aces magazine were practically full-length novels. The May 1934 issue included
one of Donald Keyhoe's pieces entitled, "Death
Flies the Equator," featuring intrepid G-2 agent, Dick Knight, and his sidekick,
Lothario Doyle, who team up to pit good against evil across the globe. The notorious
"Four Faces" cabal fixed on achieving world domination are a constant challenge
for the wits and wile of our heroic pair. Dick Knight supplies the brunt of required
brainwork while ex-Marine Doyle breaks bones and faces when needed. Both are accomplished
airborne dogfighters, avigators (archaic term for aviator / navigator), and mechanics.
Many of these stories involve fantastic weapons and deception devices, sabotage,
moles, traitors, and incredible feats of flying. They really are "page-turners,"
and the only things that keeps me from reading straight through is wanting to be
able to spread the entertainment across t
 Flettner rotors were at one time believed
to be the next big thing in air-driven propulsion. They would replace cloth sails
on boats and fixed wings on aeroplanes. I remember seeing such fantastic contraptions
in magazines like Mechanix Illustrated and Popular Mechanics back
in the 1960's and 1970's. The nouveau sails and wings were actually built on experimental
vehicles which can be found in a Google search on Flettner rotor. They operate on
the Magnus effect, which is where a lifting force is generated by a spinning sphere
or cylinder moving through the air (or water, or any fluid), thereby causing an
unequal pressure to build on opposite sides. I had a Magnus rotor kite as a kid
in the late 1960's that was made of thin, molded plastic...
 Without
a doubt, Germany has in the past far overestimated its ability to conquer the world
by leveraging its undeniable history of innovation and determination. A success
in the Franco-Prussian War gave it a sense of superiority and invincibility. WWI
and WWII were lost primarily due to the
blitzkrieg strategy later failing to overwhelm and subdue the enemy in short
order, causing protracted wars and diminishing resources from within its domain.
If Germany had instead exploited its technical prowess in world markets, it might
have been an economic superpower today. The native population was/is brilliant.
Today, Germany's leaders are, in acts of self-flagellation and penance...
 During the late 1930s, commercial air transportation
experienced a significant boom, largely fueled by the introduction of the Douglas
DC-3 in 1935. This aircraft, widely recognized for its efficiency and reliability,
revolutionized air travel, making it more accessible and popular than ever before.
The rapid growth of this sector placed an
unprecedented
demand on air traffic control services, as exemplified by the busy operations
at Newark, the world's most active airport at the time. The article from the 1938
issue of Boys' Life magazine further illustrates this, detailing a trip
from Newark to Pittsburgh, where Air Traffic Control, managed by the Bureau of Air
Commerce, played a critical role in ensuring the safe and orderly movement of a
burgeoning number of flights, underscoring the vita...
 In
this October 1964 issue of Radio-Electronics magazine, editor Hugo Gernsback
writes about the historic feat on July 31 of that year, where NASA lunar probe Ranger 7's
RCA-designed television cameras successfully transmitted the
first close-up televised pictures of the moon's surface to Earth after six previous
failed attempts. The unmanned spacecraft traveled 240,000 miles through space over
68 hours to capture 4,316 still images with its six high-resolution cameras. These
images provided crucial information for future manned lunar explorations, revealing
that the dust layer on the moon's surface is likely only 2 to 12 inches deep, and
showing small craters down to sizes of three feet. The success of Ranger 7
marked a significant advancement in lunar exploration technology, paving the way
for further unmanned missions and eventual manned expeditions to the moon...
 Imagine if your path to flying an R/C helicopter
involved first designing, then building, and then troubleshooting the contraption.
That was the burden of pioneers. We have people like
S.S.P. Helicopter
designer Gene Rock to thank for being able to enjoy the state-of-the-art models
that are available today. This article from the August 1972 edition of American
Aircraft Modeler magazine describes the process of machining all the metal
parts for an Enya .45-powered craft. Mr. Rock even designed a very successful mechanical
gyro for keeping the tail under control. If you have ever tried flying an R/C heli
without any type of gyro (I have, on a DuBro Tristar), you will fully appreciate
what a pleasure it is to not have to manually counter torque changes (throttle)
with tail rotor stick input from the transmitter. Around 2008 I bought a Blade MCX2
coaxial rotor helicopter for flying inside, and the gyro is so good on that thing
that you can put it in a full speed pirouette...
 In 1946, Popular Science magazine
highlighted the
burgeoning
potential of helicopters, detailing their versatility and the innovative ways
people envisioned using them, from hunting expeditions and aerial orchestras to
funeral services. The article underscored the helicopter's unique capabilities,
such as vertical take-off and landing, and its proven utility during World War II
in diverse environments. Commercial helicopters were on the cusp of becoming available,
with initial deliveries set to start that year, though primarily for business and
government use due to high costs and complexities in operation. The piece also discussed
the challenges faced by manufacturers, including mechanical complexities like torque
and the need for mass production to reduce costs...
 If
you do a lot of overseas air travel for work (or any other reason), this
en route time map from a 1950 issue of The Saturday Evening Post
magazine might give you a bit of cheering up. Compare the length of time in the
air back during the day of propeller-driven airliners versus what you typically
experience today. United Aircraft published that a trip from New York to London
took 12-½ hours (with favorable winds). The same flight today takes around 7-½ hours,
a 40% reduction. From Seattle to Tokyo was 28-½ hours, and is now 10-½ hours, for
a 63% reduction! Those shorter flight times are due to both faster jet-powered airplanes
and an ability to climb to and cruise at altitudes where jet stream winds are highly
additive. Of course having to endure 10-½ hours crammed into a narrow seat with
the back of the front...
 "Like a bumblebee flitting from flower to
flower, a new insect-inspired flying robot created by engineers at the University
of California, Berkeley, can hover, change trajectory and even hit small targets.
Less than 1 centimeter in diameter, the device weighs only 21 milligrams, making
it the world's smallest wireless robot capable of controlled flight. For a robot
to fly, it must be equipped with a power source, like a battery, and electronics
for flight control, both of which can be challenging to integrate into very small,
lightweight devices. To overcome this issue, Lin and the UC Berkeley team used an
external magnetic field to power the device and control the flight path. The robot
is shaped like a small propeller and includes two small magnets..."
 Being very far-sighted, having a modern
alarm clock next to the bed with large LED numbers is a great convenience for seeing
the time at night. However, I have always hated the electronic alarm sound and neither
do I want music since it tends to put me back to sleep. The old fashioned wind-up
mechanical alarm clocks did the job quite handily, and I missed having such a clock
after many decades of doing without. So, I decided to look for a Peanuts-themed
clock from the 1960s or 70s. This
Snoop alarm clock came up
for bid on eBay, and I picked it up for under $10, probably because the seller said
it did not work. He was correct that it didn't work in its selling condition. However,
I disassembled...
 In this November 1940 issue of the Boy Scouts
Boys' Life magazine, amateur radio operators, or "hams," are described
as having the ability to communicate across vast distances, connecting far-flung
locations such as Goulds, Florida, Cali, Colombia, Cairo, Kenilworth, England, Bombay,
and Brisbane. These operators, licensed by the Federal Communications Commission,
engage in various activities such as talking to distant stations, participating
in contests, and providing emergency communication during natural disasters. With
call letters assigned by international treaty, these stations use a combination
of code and phone to make contact, exchanging reports and QSL cards. The
Radio merit badge
was first offered in 1918 and has been...
 The venerable
Cessna 150 first came
on the scene in 1958. Per Wikipedia, "The Cessna 150 is a two-seat tricycle gear
general aviation airplane, that was designed for flight training, touring and personal
use. The Cessna 150 is the fourth most produced civilian plane ever, with 23,839
aircraft produced. The Cessna 150 was offered for sale in the 150 basic model, Commuter,
Commuter II, Patroller and the aerobatic Aerobat models." The design has changed
considerably since 1958, with two of the most notable changes being the vertical
fin and the rear fuselage behind the cockpit. Note that a photo of the 1958 Cessna
150 is on the cover of this edition.
 LaGuardia Airport was dedicated on October
15, 1939 as the New York Municipal Airport, and opened for business on December
2 of that year. It was built on the site of the old Gala Amusement Park at a cost
of $40 million. This aerial photograph shown here was taken within a couple months
of when LaGuardia first opened since this "Airports:
Biggest and Busiest" article appeared in the March 1940 issue of Boys' Life
magazine. The recent Google map satellite view is below the page scan, and I superimposed
the 1940 runways and taxiways on top of it for comparison. You can see where expansions
were built into the water to accommodate longer runways...
 Long before rechargeable nickel-cadmium
(NiCad) and nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries were used for starting model airplane
engines, we used standard primary type (non-rechargeable) 1.5-volt dry cells. In
fact, the nominal 1.2-volt-per-cell potential of NiCad and NiMH batteries were barely
high enough to sufficiently light the ignition coils in the glow heads and/or glow
plugs, which were designed for 1.5 volts. Today's glow plugs work just fine on 1.2 V
or 1.5 V. I have written before about how as a kid on a very small modeling
budget, I would often spend a long time flipping the propeller of my
Cox .049 engines while using a single,
worn-out D-cell battery (usually "borrowed" from my father's only flashlight). One
Christmas my parents got me a field kit that included a can of 25% nitro Cox fuel,
a glow head clip...
 During World War I, the United States spent
$1,500,000,000 on military aviation, resulting in the development of various
advanced aircraft designs. This 1937 issue of Flying Aces magazine
mentions a few of them. This was 19 years after the armistice. Although these planes
did not see combat due to the war ending sooner than expected, they showcased American
ingenuity and engineering prowess. Notable examples include the L.W.F.G.2, which
had a top speed of 130 mph and carried seven guns; the Loening monoplane, which
was the fastest two-seater fighter at the time with a speed of 146 mph; and the
Curtiss single-seater fighter, capable of reaching 160 mph. These aircraft laid
the foundation for modern American military aviation...
 While looking through some old issues of
American Aircraft Modeler magazine, I was quite surprised to find that
none other than radio great
Paul Harvey is (or
was) a builder and flyer of radio controlled airplanes. There was a feature article
done by Paul Harvey in one of the issues in the 1974 timeframe. Mr. Harvey then
wrote a regular column titled "Paul Harvey Views." Understandably, the column only
ran for a few months - probably because of his extremely busy schedule. This one
is from the December 1974 edition...
 "In August last
year Nokia and Axiom Space announced they were working to equip the latter's next-generation
lunar
spacesuits with 4G/LTE connectivity for the for NASA's Artemis III mission to
the moon. The idea is that arming the new spacesuit, called Axiom Extravehicular
Mobility Unit (AxEMU), with high-speed cellular-network capabilities means it can
support HD video, telemetry data and voice transmission over multiple kilometers
on the moon. This means the Artemis III crewmembers will then be able to capture
real-time video and communications..."
 Previously I posted the first part of a
story about two 1980s-vintage bicycles I bought from a guy off craigslist. That
was the complete teardown and restoration of
Melanie's Columbia
Commuter III, 3-speed women's model. This page has photos from doing the
same thing to my
Huffy 3 Timberline, 3-speed men's bicycle. One important aspect worth repeating
is the use of Krud Kutter for removing all the oil and grease. The stuff is amazing.
I soaked all the parts overnight that would fit in a bucket filled with a gallon
of it. Upon removing even the grimiest and greasiest components like the gearbox,
bearings, and the chain, I discovered they were squeaky clean. A toothbrush removed...
 Being
a long-time fan of John T. Frye's "Carl & Jerry" technodrama™ series, I
have been intending to attempt a contemporary version which has a Ham radio theme.
Its purpose, as with "Carl & Jerry," is to encourage young people to adopt electronics
as a hobby and even as a career, while using Amateur Radio as an enticement. Ham
radio offers practical experience in electronic theory, fabrication, and operation
in an environment that encourages community service, mentorship, camaraderie, and
self discipline. In the U.S., there are approximately 760,000 licensed amateur radio
operators; worldwide, the estimated number is around 3,000,000. The American Radio
Relay League (ARRL) and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) track these
statistics. This title of the series is, for now anyway, "Calvin &
Phineas Hamming It Up," and the first adventure is called, "The Phantom QRM."
Call signs are fictitious, chosen to hopefully not step on someone's real call sign.
The boys' names derive from my grandson's name...
 You might wonder why an article entitled
"Winning
the National Radio Control Meet" for model airplanes would appear in the ARRL's
QST magazine. The answer is that back in 1940 when it was published, a
Ham license was required to operate a radio control (R/C) transmitter. There were
no license-free bands for hobbyists as there are now. In fact, it wasn't until 1976
that the FCC suspended their requirement for registration as an operator, which
has returned in the form of an FAA "drone" (aka USAS) pilot directive. The author,
William (Bill) E. Good (W8IFD, W2CVI), was the twin brother of Walter (Walt) A.
Good (W3NPS), both of whom held doctoral degrees in and physics, and were referred
to as "the fathers of radio control." The photo of Bill shows his station...
 Often when I see photos of some of the
early
radio control gear for model airplanes, I have a simultaneous reaction of aghastness
and marvel at the crudity and ingenuousness, respectively, of the electromechanical
devices - the same kind of reaction I have to stories about early surgical procedures
and equipment. In 1940, when this article appeared in the ARRL's QST magazine, successful
takeoffs and landings were considered notable events not so much because of pilot
ability (or inability), but because of the low reliability of available electronic
and mechanical gear. Vacuum tubes with attendant heavy, high voltage power supplies,
and heavy metal gears and shafts required large airframes to support...
 American Modeler magazine published
stories on many forms of modeling including airplanes, cars, boats, and rockets.
A lot of attention was paid to teenagers in order to encourage a pursuit of careers
in engineering and science. In case you don't know, the U.S. Navy used to sponsor
the AMA Nationals specifically to attract young modelers into the service. This
1957 edition reports on the activities of James M. Blackmon, Jr., who was the nation's
youngest rocket builder to receive national recognition by the
American Rocket Society.
He built in his basement a 6' tall liquid-fueled rocket...
|
 The Douglas DC−3 (C−47 was the military
version designation) has always been my favorite twin engined commercial airplane.
Its nickname of "Gooney Bird" amongst troops is undeserved IMHO. The DC−3 is credited
with launching the commercial airline industry, and its C−47 version was listed
by Dwight D. Eisenhower as being on the most important tools for winning World War II.
Edward F. Burton, Chief Engineer at Douglas Aircraft Company, runs through the evolution
of the DC−3 and it predecessors and descendants in this December 1945 issue of
Flying Age magazine. December of 1935 marked the maiden flight of the DC−2,
was was a direct follow-on the the DC−2. A single DC−4 (4 engines) was built and
delivered to Japan. Then a DC−5 was built (high-wing version of the DC−3) but never
went into production. The 4-engine DC−6 entered commercial service in 1946, followed
by the very popular DC−7. A coaxial, counter-rotating pusher prop model DC−8 (not
to be confused with the 4-engine commercial DC−8 jet) never made it off the drawing
board. The next iteration was the C−54, which...
 The Academy of Model Aeronautics is granted
tax-exempt status because part of its charter is for activity as an educational
organization. I think as time goes on, it gets harder for the AMA for fulfill that
part of its mission because presenting anything even vaguely resembling mathematics
or science to kids (or to most adults for that matter), is the kiss of death for
gaining or retaining interest. This article, "Control-Line
Aerodynamics Made Painless," was printed in the July/August 1966 edition of
American Modeler, when graphs, charts, and equations were not eschewed
by modelers. It is awesome. On rare occasions a similar type article will appear
nowadays in Model Aviation for topics like basic aerodynamics and battery / motor
parameters. Nowadays, it seems, the most rigorous classroom material that the AMA
can manage to slip into schools is a box of gliders and a PowerPoint presentation...
 Ambroid was probably the biggest name in
model aircraft cement. It has been around in one form or another since the early
1900s. The name is a portmanteau of amber (its color) and celluloid. By the time
I got into the balsa model building scene in the late 1960's, Duco cement was being
fairly widely used, and since it is what was on the shelf of my local convenience
store, that's what I used. A few years later when I was driving and could visit
hobby shops, I tried
Ambroid cement, but never really took to it, primarily because it seemed to
get brittle quickly. There was never a joint failure I could attribute to Duco cement,
so I stuck with it (pun intended). About ten years or so ago the price of Duco cement
began going way up, so nowadays I use mostly Sigment*. I had used Sigment occasionally
prior to that and had confidence in its integrity. It appears Ambroid cement is
no longer being manufactured, but Sigment is, so I highly recommend it as a general
purpose glue for balsa structures...
 While I never had the pleasure of owning
an AAMCo Lou Andrews
Aeromaster Too
biplane, it was one of the many kits I though someday I would build. After 61 years
of existence, there still is no Aeromaster Too kit in my collection, and at this
point likely never will be. The Aeromaster Too was a four-channel ("full-house"
as it was known back in the day) aerobatic biplane with a 48" wingspan for .45 to
.61 in3 displacement glow fuel engines. It used balsa, plywood, and hardwood construction
along with music wire components for the landing gear and cabane struts. The photos
presented here were downloaded from multiple Aeromaster Too kits listed on eBay.
They typically sell in the $125 to $200 price range, which is very comparable to
what a new kit of similar size and complexity would sell for today...
 One of the motivations for posting these
photos from a 1945 issue of
Flying Age magazine is the appearance of an F2G Corsair, of which I own
a Cox control line model from back in the 1960's. Having been published shortly
after the end of World War II, there are some things being shown that probably
would not have been declassified a year earlier, like the De Havilland Vampire jet
airplane. I have to admit to not knowing what the "pannier" was mounted to the belly
of the converted Halifax bomber. A pannier is a basket, as most cyclists probably
know. The word derives from the Old French "panier," meaning bread basket. Another
bit of news to me was the "Lily" portable sea-drome that simulated aircraft carrier
conditions to help train pilots for takeoffs and landings on the oceans. Another
very interesting item is the "tube" which housed three Jake reconnaissance planes
aboard a giant "Jap" submarine...
 Surprisingly (or maybe not),
electric
slot car racing is still fairly popular amongst kids. I say surprisingly because
with radio control electric cars being under $10 in some cases, it is a wonder that
anyone these days wants anything that confines a car to a specific course or has
to plug into the wall to work. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, slot car racing was
very popular. I can remember even into the 1970s that some of the bigger hobby shops
still had slot car tracks set up where you could rent time on the track for a buck
or so an hour. If you didn't have your own car, you could rent one there. My good
friend, Jerry Flynn, was a slot car aficionado and would lend me one of his spares.
I think the hobby shop we went to was in either Bethesda or Rockville, Maryland.
It was quite a drive from our neighborhood around Annapolis. While typing out these
words I can remember the smell of the electrical arcing of the motor brushes heating
the oil we put on the axels and motor bushings. Ah, those were the days...
 I have been wanting to build another Jetco
Shark 15 control line model airplane for a long time and finally decided to
take the dive into the project. Having sold all of my glow fuel engine support equipment
(power panel, fuel pump, electric starter, etc.) in exchange for electric power
equipment, it would be necessary to modify the airframe to accommodate a brushless
outrunner motor, an electronic speed controller (ESC), a motor timer, and a LiPo
battery. I dubbed it the "E-Shark 15." Without a whole lot of engineering calculations,
I settled on one of the two ElectriFly Rimfire .10 motors I purchased to power
my Douglas DC−3 / C−47 twin engine control line models. A 30 A
ESC with a 3-cell (3S), 1300 mAH LiPo completed the package ...
 Snow season has arrived here in Erie, Pennsylvania,
already, and I didn't want to miss the chance to do some flying off of snow skis.
Last winter I mounted a pair of DuBro snow skis to my Herr Engineering J-3 Cub and
flew a couple times with them, but they were the standard model that are too big
and heavy for this 1/2A-sized model.
DuBro's
Park Flyer Snow Skis seemed like they might be a better choice for the J-3,
so I ordered a pair. The size is just about right, but the vacuum-formed plastic
was a bit too thin for me to confidently install them on the J-3. I decided that
they would be perfectly useable with a little sturdying up. As can be seen in the
photos, there are two stiffening slots molded into the skis, so I epoxied a 3/32"
x 1/4" spruce stick into each slot. Up inside the landing gear mount area is hollow,
so I shaped a piece of hard balsa block to fit, and then drilled through-holes to
accept ...
 The turbojet-power version of "Alain's
Duck" canard has made its maiden flight. As you can see in the video (on the
page), it handles as smoothly as the other versions. Of course Alain's piloting
skills play at least a small part in how well she flies. More details will
follow once Alain supplies them ...
 When
Dyna-Jet engine in new or like-new condition is listed for sale or auction on
eBay, it usually sells for north of $500. Sometimes buyers get lucky and win an
auction for less. This 1946 Popular Science magazine article entitled "Baby V-1
Flies for Fun" appeared just a year after Germany had surrendered unconditionally.
Only a year before that, Londoners ran for cover in underground shelters when V-1
"Buzz Bombs" were heard making their tell-tale 45 Hz "buzz" noise as they made
their way toward England. "V-1" was from the German Vergeltungswaffe 1 meaning
"Vengeance Weapon 1." The only reference to a "robomb" I see other than this
article is from a 1944 issue of Time magazines entitled, "Science: How the Robomb
Works." As Paul Harvey would famously say, "Now you know... the Rest of the story."
 "Plane Views" was a monthly feature of
Flying Age magazine, with this installment being from the December 1945
issue. Flying Aces changed its name to Flying Age in the middle
of 1944, probably to focus on the rapidly advancing aeronautical technology prompted
by World War II. Whereas Flying Aces was full of fictional stories
of flying aces during World War I and the interim up though the middle of World
War II - along with plans for airplane models - Flying Age was essentially
an entirely new magazine with very little in the way of model aviation and none
of the adventure stories. Many Flying Aces readers were highly upset at
the extreme change, especially since it essentially abandoned the Flying Aces Club
as well. The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) had no involvement with either the
Flying Aces or the Flying Age magazines. In fact, I don't recall
the AMA ever being mentioned. The AMA had its own magazine that went by various
titles over the years, including American Modeler, American Aircraft
Modeler, and its present incarnation, Model Aviation...
 I finally found the scanned file for this
Stunting "Vickers Wellesley" article that appeared in the May 1957 issue
of American Modeler magazine. Somehow the magazine disappeared and I had
to dig back into an old hard drive from 2011 to find the file. Anyway, here is yet
another fine Walter Musciano design of the British bomber of World War II fame.
Designed for a .35-size engine, this 58" wingspan control line model with 420 cubic
inch of wing area should be capable of basic stunting. An electric power setup could
easily be adapted to the airframe, and some weight could be saved by thinning out
the structural members a bit. Smooth-running brushless motors don't put anywhere
near the vibratory strain on models as internal combustion engines do ...
 In yet another testament to the venerable
Douglas DC-3 (and its predecessor DC-2), this 1942 article in
Flying Aces magazine highlights the extreme extent of battle damage some
of these planes suffered and still managed to fly to a safe landing. Of course not
all flight crews were so fortunate, but the robustness of the airframe and engines
are rightly credited for their endurance and reliability. During and long past the
rigors of World War II service years, the DC-3 built upon its reputation as
a work horse. It is no wonder that the DC-3 (and its military designation of C-47)
has for going on a century been the all-time favorite transport type airplane of
many aviation enthusiasts - including yours truly. If I had a bucket list, which
I really do not, at or near the top of the list would be to take a ride in a DC-3
or a C-47. In all the places I have lived in the last many decades, there has never
been one at an airshow that was offering rides for hire. Time is running out
...
 1976
is the year I was emancipated (aka graduated) from high school, and this issue of
The Old Farmer's Almanac (OFA) happens to be from that year. For as long as I can
remember, the OFA has included a set of Mathematical Puzzles in its annual publication. They range in
difficulty from 1 (very easy) to 5 (sometimes quite difficult). Having been a faithful
buyer and reader of the OFA for as long as I can remember, I have spent many hours
toiling with some of the more challenging examples. In fact, there were a lot which
I never did figure out and needed to look up the answers in the back (come to think
of it, I experienced the same dilemma with my college engineering textbooks). Because
quite a few of the Mathematical Puzzles are worthy of an engineer's cerebration,
contemplation, and deliberation, all I have will be eventually posted here on RF
Cafe. Enjoy!
 Some companies
have expressed an interest in being able to target Airplanes and Rockets via the
Google
AdSense program. Yes, it is possible to do that. As you might expect, finding
the exact information on the Google AdSense website is a bit difficult. This short
video does a good job summarizing exactly how to implement the "Ad Targeting" option,
then "Placements," and then add "Websites." Just enter airplanesandrockets.com
. There are other settings to optimize your advertising campaign with keywords (both
included and excluded), pricing, scheduling, statistical data collection and reporting,
etc. If you are currently using Google AdSense, then please consider this method,
and if you are not using AdSense, now would be a good time to look into it. I have
had reports from some companies that experience great results using AdSense (not
just on Airplanes and Rockets)...
 Here is an ingenious method for mechanically
generating properly proportioned ribs for wings that are not rectangular - including
sing and double straight tapers and even elliptical planforms. Of course today you
can print out a perfectly dimensioned set of ribs to accommodate any planform and
root-to-tip thickness taper profile. In 1960 when this "'Simplex'
Airfoil Templates" article appeared in the 1960 Annual issue of Air Trails
magazine, such conveniences were in the purview of universities and government research
facilities. Even if you have no need of cutting ribs for tapered wings, it is worth
your time to read this brief article about the mathematical principle - logarithmic
(aka equiangular) spirals - behind the scheme. There are no formulas, so don't be
scared off ;-)
 This 4-view drawing of the
Fairchild
22 C-7-F (1934) was scanned from page 38B and 38C of my purchased edition of
the July 1968 American Aircraft Modeler (AAM) magazine. It is another example
of Björn Karlström's fine scale drawings. In the pre-Internet days, this sort of
detailed documentation was harder to come by, so AAM provided a great service by
publishing these. Per Wikipedia: "The aircraft was designed by Kreider-Reisner during
negotiations by Sherman Fairchild to take a major share in the company. Marketed
as the Fairchild 22 Model C7 the aircraft was certified in March 1931. The Fairchild
22 was a mixed-construction braced parasol-wing monoplane with a fixed tailwheel
landing gear and a braced tail unit. It had two tandem open cockpits and was initially
powered by a 80hp (60kW) Armstrong Siddeley Genet radial engine. After test flying
the prototype the first production aircraft were re-engined with a 75hp (56kW) Michigan
Rover inverted inline engine. The aircraft was fitted with both inline and radial
piston engines...
 While credit is not explicitly given to a
particular author for this "Starting
Free Flight" article in the 1960 Annual issue of Air Trails magazine, Cal Smith's
name is on the drawing, so it might be him. It was an era when many modelers were
transitioning from gasoline-fueled ignition engines to the newer glow fuel type.
Smaller and lighter engines and proportionally smaller and lighter models quickly
became popular both because smaller fields could be used and the costs were lower,
thereby providing greater affordability to no more people. The same change was true
for other forms of modeling - control line and radio control airplanes, boats, and
cars. An evolution in configurations of engine, fuselage, wing, and empennage was
occurring as well based on decades of experimentation by the hobby's pioneers...
 The
Eclipse is a gigantic
radio-controlled sailplane model with a 16-foot wingspan, geodesic ribs construction,
and "V" tail configuration. It is built up from balsa, plywood, spruce, and a fiberglass
tail boom. I remember first seeing the model on the cover of the October 1974 issue
of American Aircraft Modeler magazine, and really wanting to build one.
Unfortunately, I was only 16 years old at the time and was barely able to afford
control line models, let alone a huge RC sailplane. Of course with the cost of balsa
today, it is no more affordable now as then. It probably takes four rolls of Monokote
to cover! Here are plans for the Eclipse that I electronically scanned from my purchased
copy AAM. You might be able to scale up the image...
 Jetex rocket motors were a big deal to my
friends and me in the early 1970s, although they had been around a lot longer than
that. In fact, this article in the March 1957 edition of American Modeler magazine
was printed a year before I was born. The motors did not product a whole lot of
thrust, so light weight was an absolute necessity. Once I finally got the buggers
lit, they worked well and made a really cool hissing noise as the fuel burned. However,
the amount of fuse wire provided never was enough to use up all the pellets in the
pack because the darn things kept going out as it tried to enter the nozzle. No
doubt it was my ineptness that caused the problem, but my excuse was only being
a dumb kid. Now, I have a whole lot of fuel pellets but no engines for them...
 Airplanes and Rockets website visitor
Mel G. wrote to ask that I scan and post this article on Dick Mathis' famous
Bounty Hunter 1/2A free
flight airplane. It appeared in the September/October 1965 issue of American
Modeler magazine. Mel says he built one from a kit bought at MAL Hobby (Model Aircraft
Laboratories) back in the 1980s. According to their website MAL Hobby has been in
business in Irving, Texas, since 1948, but according to Archive.org their website
appears to have disappeared sometime about 2014. I could not find the Bounty Hunter
kit listed on their website. If you are looking for an article or plans not already
posted here, please send me an e-mail and I will be glad to do so if I happen to
have the issue you need... |
