Welcome to our November 2020 Wheels and Wings newsletter. Click here to view and search past newsletters.
The Kraemer annual Thanksgiving dinner was small this year due to the virus. However, everyone had a good time with lots of fine food and conversation. Click here for pictures from the dinner which was outside this year due to the very warm temperatures.
This month: road engine patent, Cadillac V16 concept car, Chevrolet Astro II XP-880, largest piston aircraft engine, 2020 hurricane season, checkride successes, air show news, wingless aircraft, vintage bicycles, and more.
Want to have your business highlighted on the Flymall??? We offer inexpensive rates to have your business featured on our Wheels & Wings page. Contact us for more info.
History Trivia: Tuesday 5th November 1895, 125 years ago Inventor George B. Selden received US Patent No. 549,160 for his “road engine” (gasoline-powered automobile), granting him the monopoly on the concept of combining an internal combustion engine with a carriage. Although he never became an auto manufacturer himself, every other automaker would have to pay Selden and his licensing company a significant percentage of their profits for the right to construct a motorcar, even though their automobiles rarely resembled Selden’s designs. In 1903, the Ford Motor Company, which refused to pay royalties to Selden’s licensing company, was sued for infringement on the patent. Thus began one of the most celebrated litigation cases in history, ending in 1909 when a New York court upheld the validity of Selden’s patent. Henry Ford appealed the decision, and in 1911, the New York Court of Appeals again ruled in favour of Selden’s patent, but with a twist: the patent was held to be restricted to the outdated construction it described. In 1911, every major automaker produced vehicles that were significantly different from that described in Selden’s patent, and major manufacturers like the Ford never paid Selden another penny.
Since the bicycle patent is 154 years old this month, we have some interesting bicycle history. November 20th , marks the 154th anniversary of the first bicycle patent in the world US 59,915 granted to French import, Pierre Lallement .
Meet Mile a Minute Murphy. He actually pedaled a bicycle at 60 miles per hour. He did this remarkable feat in 1899.
Below we have a picture of the Upright Bicycle, made by Herbert Torrey of Boston, Mass. Made in 1896, this bicycle was designed to have the rider sitting in an upright position. Its not clear how many were made, there is one know example in a Maryland collection.
If you enjoy history we have a new aviation history fact each day at the bottom of our webpages. Some days there may be more than one, just refresh the page. And if you like Beatles history, checkout our Events Calendar and select the Beatles category. This is a work in progress, we’re building the most comprehensive calendar of important dates in Beatle history.
For those that like to stick with current news, we have an aviation news ticker on our home page. This is updated daily to show the current aviation news.
Achievements & Special Recognition: Instructors, what to highlight your students first solo or other achievement here? Just send us a short write-up and a picture or two and we’ll post it here for you. Click here for our contact info.
Tal passed his commercial pilot checkride the day after Thanksgiving. Everything was at the last minute. His knowledge test expired in 3 days and he was the last plane to land before they closed the airport for VIP movement. He did his power off 180 and landed on the mark and the airport was closed. Perfect ending for a checkride!
Aviation/Aviators in the news: The aviation section of the Flymall is full of aviation news, training info, and much more for the aviator.
Here is a unique aircraft, the Horton Wingless aircraft. Designed by William Horton. Horton did not have the money to develop the aircraft so he teamed up with Howard Hughes which turned out to be the wrong decision. Horton and Hughes ended up in a lawsuit which ended the relationship and the wingless aircraft.
Car/Motorcycle Show News: Think your “big block” is big??? What is the largest US made piston aircraft engine? The Lycoming XR-7755 is the largest piston aircraft engine ever built in the US. The 36-cylinder, single overhead cam, water-cooled behemoth displaced 7756 cubic inches and made 5,000 horsepower.
Martinsburg West Virginia is not usually know as a town that produced automobiles like Detroit is. However there was an automobile produced in Martinsburg, the Norwalk. Here is a 1914 Norwalk automobile. And the only remaining example has found its way back to West Virginia. It is located at the Rural Heritage Museum.
Our Events Calendar has the most current info regarding local and national car shows, air shows, and more. With nearly 30 categories, there is something for everyone. The Day Tripper section of the Flymall has dozens of day trip ideals and interesting places to visit. Check it out here.
Barn Finds/Hangar Finds: Need an appraisal on your barn find? Visit our Appraisal Page for information on our appraisals.
Visit our online store to search for hard to find car parts, aircraft parts, and much more. You can pay online in our secure store, just click on the Store button on our home page.
Visit the Test Drive section of the Flymall for reviews on automobiles, aircraft, motorcycles, and more. Read about it before you buy it. You can also research price info on a wide variety of vehicles, collectibles, and more in the Market Watch section of the Flymall. Our Market Watch section is an online searchable database and it is smart phone friendly. It was set up as a database for vehicle prices, however we have added other collectibles as well. For example, under “Make” you can search for Paul McCartney for data. You can also use the database to see what celebrity ownership of a vehicle does to the value. For example, under “Model” search for Trans Am, click here to view the results. You can also search the Market Watch for famous collections that have sold, for example, here is the data for the Bruce Weiner Microcar Auction. And here is the data for the Lee Roy Hartung collection that sold a few years ago. We have also included price data from TV shows such as Jay Lenos Garage, American Pickers, and others, simply search under “Make” for Jay Lenos Garage and click on search.
Want a reproduction vintage 3 wheeler. Walker Aviation can scratch built from pictures or drawings. Visit his page on the Flymall.
Prototypes: This month we have the 1963 Cadillac V12 concept car along with some other very cool GM concepts. As part of the General Motors V-Future program, Cadillac had an overhead cam V-12 slated for production in the late 1960s. The program led to a fiberglass mockup of a V-12 powered Eldorado coupe that remained hidden from public view until an article appeared in Special Interest Autos in 1984.
Cadillac offered a V16 in 1930 and it was available up to 1940. This was the first V16 powered car in the United States. In 2003, they created another concept car called the Sixteen. This used a 13.6 litre V-16 engine that developed 1,000 bhp. Pictured below is the 1963 V12 concept car.
We have another GM concept car for this month. Unveiled at the 1968 New York Auto Show, the Astro II XP-880 features a liquid-cooled 390hp MK IV big block V8 mid engine. Reports state that this was basically a research test bed for the mid engine Corvette.
The Cadillac XP-74 Cyclone, 1959.. Before computers, there was imagination, slide rules and hand-craftsmanship that turned out beauties like this. All done by hand!
Animals in the headlines: This month we have a video of two women that ended up in a humpback whale’s mouth.
We close this newsletter with these words: Stay close to anything that makes you feel glad you are alive.
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There is indeed a bolted-in section of tubing in the upper (top) plane of the forward-most fuselage “bay”, located immediately between the firewall and the opening of the front cockpit – the area immediately above the front rudder pedals. This bolted-in section is V-shaped, with a single bolted fitting forward, at the center of the forward-most fuselage left-to-right cross tube (immediately aft of the firewall). From that centered forward fitting, two tubes welded to that fitting run diagonally toward the rear of the fuselage, one to the left and one to the right, with their rearward ends each welded to individual bolted-in fittings. These left and right fittings are secured to the upper-most left and right fore-and-aft fuselage tubes respectively, just forward of the junction of the second fuselage cross tube. The base of the forward cockpit instrument panel is clamped to that second fuselage cross-tube.
All Model 75 Stearman aircraft were originally designed and built with a single tube welded into the forward-most fuselage “bay” in that location, oriented and running diagonally from the right side of the fuselage to the left side, across the top plane of that “bay”. When these aircraft were “retired” from military service and were sold to the public as military surplus at the end of WW II, many were converted from their original two-cockpit configuration into a single-seat configuration in order to be used as crop dusters and sprayers. That single diagonal tube was cut out without replacement, and the dual controls of the front cockpit were removed in order to mount a tank or hopper into the space that was the front cockpit. This alternation of the fuselage was made to many Model 75 Stearman aircraft. In fact, it is commonly accepted that their conversion and use as dusters and sprayers is one reason why so many Model 75 aircraft survive to this day.
In restoring a Model 75 Stearman to its original two-cockpit “military” configuration, a new diagonal tube was commonly welded into place to replace the cut-out diagonal tube, and the front cockpit controls re-installed.
In the case of N49680, that single diagonal tube was not replaced to restore the original fuselage configuration, but rather, a V-shaped two-tube replacement was bolted into place. Instead of a fuselage tube running in a single diagonal direction from one side of the fuselage to the other, two tubes were put into place. one running diagonally in one direction (for example, from center to right), and a second tube running in the opposite direction (from center to left). That is, the diagonal bracing in the top plane of the forward-most bay of the front cockpit is double that of the original configuration, resulting in bracing of the fuselage not merely in one direction, but two opposing directions simultaneously.
This non-standard bolted-in two-tube configuration was inspected during the restoration, and has been inspected during every annual inspection since, and found to be acceptable.
Nevertheless, this bolted-in two-tube replacement could easily be removed, and a new single diagonal fuselage tube welded into place to return the fuselage to its original “factory” configuration, as has been done with many “restored” Model 75 Stearman aircraft.
Those who are “very knowledgeable” about the Model 75 Stearman aircraft, their design, configuration, and history, including their extensive use as dusters and sprayers after the war, should be very familiar with this fuselage modification and its restoration. Indeed, it is widely known among Stearman restorers, experienced owners, and enthusiasts that a Model 75 fuselage that has not been cut is a true rarity.
To substantiate my statement that this Model 75 aircraft was originally designed and built with a two-cockpit configuration, we have copies of Boeing engineering drawings, numerous published reference documents, and the military history for this serial numbered aircraft, prepared by Ken Wilson, Stearman Restorers Association Historian. Boeing Model A75N1 PT-17 serial numbered 75-2242 was assigned to and served training military pilots at the Contract Pilot School, Bennettsville, South Carolina, after its delivery from the Boeing Wichita factory on 01 October, 1941. All Model 75 aircraft were originally built with a two-cockpit configuration.
History Trivia: As early as 1959, Nils Bohlin, a Volvo engineer is credited with inventing the 3 point seat belt. Volvo did patent the design, however they basically “gifted” it to their competitors, to encourage mass adoption and to save lives.
If you enjoy history we have a new aviation history fact each day at the bottom of our webpages. Some days there may be more than one, just refresh the page. And if you like Beatles history, checkout our Events Calendar and select the Beatles category. This is a work in progress, we’re building the most comprehensive calendar of important dates in Beatle history.
For those that like to stick with current news, we have an aviation news ticker on our home page. This is updated daily to show the current aviation news.
Achievements & Special Recognition: This month we want to congratulate Lusia for passing her Private Pilot Checkride with Harry earlier this month. We surprised her with a cake for the post checkride festivities. She did a great job. She is pictured below with “her plane”. Click here for more pictures from her checkride day.
Aviation/Aviators in the news: The aviation section of the Flymall is full of aviation news, training info, and much more for the aviator.
Hi-Li Lev passed her initial flight instructor checkride with Harry earlier this month. She scored 100 percent on both the FOI and the FIA knowledge test. Great job.
Air show season is always just around the corner. Want to travel to air shows in your own aircraft? Visit our used aircraft page on the Flymall to view our inventory.
This month we have 2 very nice aircraft for sale. We have a 1941 Stearman that comes with a hangar full of spare parts, tooling, supplies, and even spare engines. Click here for more information.
We also have a 1977 Piper Arrow III Turbo for sale. This is one of the nicest/best equipped Turbo Arrow on the market. Click here for details.
Car/Motorcycle Show News: Our Events Calendar has the most current info regarding local and national car shows, air shows, and more. With nearly 30 categories, there is something for everyone. The Day Tripper section of the Flymall has dozens of day trip ideals and interesting places to visit. Check it out here.
Here is a cool car for this month in our Car Show News. How about a million mile Honda Accord! Yep, here it is.
Alternate power sources for cars is not something new. Alternate power is as old as the car itself. Here is a wood gas driven Cadillac truck railroad inspection vehicle from the early 1940s.
Barn Finds/Hangar Finds: Need an appraisal on your barn find? Visit our Appraisal Page for information on our appraisals. We maked some changes to our appraisal section, now you will be able to pay online for your appraisal.
This month we have a museum find, and a rare one at that. Indian Motocycle Company made four experimental cars, designated X1 through X4, between 1927 and 1928. This car is the fourth, X4. Click here for more info.
Visit our online store to search for hard to find car parts, aircraft parts, and much more. You can pay online in our secure store, just click on the Store button on our home page.
Visit the Test Drive section of the Flymall for reviews on automobiles, aircraft, motorcycles, and more. Read about it before you buy it. You can also research price info on a wide variety of vehicles, collectibles, and more in the Market Watch section of the Flymall. Our Market Watch section is an online searchable database and it is smart phone friendly. It was set up as a database for vehicle prices, however we have added other collectibles as well. For example, under “Make” you can search for Paul McCartney for data. You can also use the database to see what celebrity ownership of a vehicle does to the value. For example, under “Model” search for Trans Am, click here to view the results. You can also search the Market Watch for famous collections that have sold, for example, here is the data for the Bruce Weiner Microcar Auction. And here is the data for the Lee Roy Hartung collection that sold a few years ago. We have also included price data from TV shows such as Jay Lenos Garage, American Pickers, and others, simply search under “Make” for Jay Lenos Garage and click on search.
Visit Harry’s Practical Test page for information on his checkrides. You will also find useful information there to help you prepare for your checkride. You can also visit Harry’s Lesson Plan section of the Flymall for other flight training information. Visit our Flight Training page for information on our aviation training classes.
Weather in the news: The 2020 hurricane season is one for the record books. As of this newsletter, 11 have made landfall in the US.
Three Wheel Association (TWA): How about a three wheeler that is a camper as well as a boat. Meet the Z Triton, a three wheel electric tricycle that is a camper as well as a boat. Very cool in deed!
Want a reproduction vintage 3 wheeler. Walker Aviation can scratch built from pictures or drawings. Visit his page on the Flymall.
Prototypes: This month we present the 1958 Buick XP75. The body of the XP75 was built by Pinin Farina (now Pininfarina) of Turin, Italy. Click here for more information on the XP75.
