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This
particular advertisement by Guillow's is from page 7 of the March 1955
issue of Air Trails magazine. What caught my attention about
the ad was the image of the Barnstormer control line model because it
shows the lines exiting the right wing, meaning that it flies in a clockwise
direction rather than the now-standard counterclockwise direction.
Guillow's is still
in operation today. Major Lester D. Gardner, founder of the
Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences (now the American Institute
of Aeronautics and Astronautics - AIAA), is honored in the ad. Major
Gardner was a friend and confidant of the Wright Brothers and was responsible
for the original Wright Flyer being preserved and displayed in the Smithsonian
Institute's
National Air and Space Museum. Use the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics'
inflation
calculator to see what items cost in today's dollars. For instance,
that $5.95 "Barnstormer" would be $51.92 in 2013 money. That's the low
end of the price range for similarly sized models today; e.g., the Brodak
Buster
kit for a .19 to .40 engine costs $75. All copyrights (if any)
are hereby acknowledged.
Guillow's Advertisement
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