‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
“Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONNER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes — how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!
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Twas the night before Christmas,
And all through the shop,
Nothing was stirring, not even the mop.
The stockings were hung over the workbench with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
The tools were all clean and snug in their beds,
While visions of ‘Made in USA’ and ‘chrome vanadium steel’ Danced in their heads.
When all of a sudden there came a strange roar.
A souped-up red snow mobile, ported and stroked
With a custom bore.
And driven by no ordinary elf –
This was the real deal – St. Nicholas himself!
He materialized in the shop, saw the stockings.
And hopped up on the bench.
Filled them with sockets, Channel Locks,
And a shiny new torque wrench.
Then back to his snow mobile, idling like a Harley.
And I heard him say as he motored out of sight:
“Good tools are like good friends, so treat them right.
Now Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
Twas the night before Christmas, and out in the garage. Two Harley’s were sitting…… a V Twin montage. But all of the streets they were covered with snow…. Not a safe place to ride, not a spot on the road.
The tenders were plugged in and humming away. Keeping batteries charged on that cold winter day.
The chrome was all shiny, the paint bright and clean, But the weather outside, it was nasty and mean….
Then out in the yard I heard such a Clatter, But how can that be, does the snow really not matter?
Then out in the driveway was a thunderous rattle, The unmistakable sound of a Ural’s lifter clatter.
The pilot was plump and dressed for the weather. A long beard of white gauntlets of leather. He went to the house and walked right through the door, Leaving gifts by the tree and gifts on the floor. A helmet and shield and a new set of lights, to make the ride safer for all those two wheeled bikes.
A new set of pipes just to make the bike sing. Chrome license plate cover, a bit of new bling. Then back to his Hack, old Ivan Clause came. He fired it up and the soviet motor sang. And I heard him exclaim as he clattered out of sight.
Safe riding to all, and to all a good night.
Merry Christmas my friends.
Safe riding in 2018, Ural, Harley or any brand that makes you smile
Welcome to our December 2017 Wheels & Wings newsletter found only on the Flymall. We hope you have enjoyed our new format for the past 3 months. This month we have decided to add a new section to the newsletter – “Achievements & Special Recognition”. This section will highlight achievements and recognition by flight students and our readers on the “wheels” side of Wheels & Wings.
Achievements & Special Recognition: On December 2 2017, Joe Neely took to the skies on his first solo in Cessna N2621Z. Joe has been training on weekends and has about 22 hours. It was cold that day, but he handled the water bucket rite-of-passage like a winner. Way-to-go, Joe! Pat Kraemer is his flight instructor.
Aviation/Aviators in the news: We’re featuring some “old” news this month in Aviation/Aviators in the news. Here is the Futuro, or Futuro House. These were a prefab house built in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Less than 100 were made. There were several of these spaceship houses around Harry’s hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.
Also, last month (November) we celebrated the birth of aviation. No, not the Wright Brothers. The Montgolfier Brothers, who on November 21 1783, flew their hot air balloon in Paris. 120 years before the Wright Brothers first successful powered flight.
Here is an interesting takeoff from an interesting airport. A Twin Otter takeoff from Barra Airport. This is a short-runway airport (or STOL airport) situated in the wide shallow bay of Traigh Mhòr at the north tip of the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The airport is unique, being the only one in the world where scheduled flights use a beach as the runway. The airport is operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, which owns most of the regional airports in mainland Scotland and the outlying islands. Barra Airport opened in 1936
There is some good news in the aircraft manufacturing industry. First, Cessna has announced a new aircraft – the Cessna SkyCourier 408 and Pilatus Aircraft Ltd has recently received FAA approval on their new PC-24 Jet.
Here is a picture of the new Cessna 408 next to the Cessna 208.
While not really news, this is something that was very common to do in the 1960s and 1970s.
Barn Finds/Hangar Finds: If you’re considering purchasing a barn find, here is a guide to interpret the car ad. You can click on the image for a larger view.
If you need an appraisal on your barn find visit our appraisal page for information on our appraisals.
How would you like to find something on Craigslist for $700 that turns out to be worth millions. Interesting? Click here for the story.
Here is a rare barn find seen on eBay Motors UK. A 1983 Vauxhall Chevette with a 1.3 engine. One owner and only 31,000 miles on the clock. It comes with the original Bill of Sale from 1983. Click here for the listing.
CFI Notes: This month we have started to update/upgrade the flight training section of the Flymall. Just click on the Flight Training icon on the right side of the home page. Visit Harry’s Lesson Plan page found on the Flymall for up to date flight training information. You can also click here to read the numerous articles Harry has published over the years.
Three Wheel Association (TWA): Visit the TWA page for up to date information on the association. On the TWA forum there is also an area for the latest news pertaining to 3 wheelers. Click here for the TWA forum page.
Prototypes: This month we’re featuring concepts of the 1960s and vehicles made from drop tanks (aircraft fuel tanks made to be dropped after use).
Here’s an interesting idea that GM’s Truck Studio was working on in March, 1961 for the next generation Suburban. The studio mocked up their “Regatta” concept for a wood-grained panel option on the studio’s fiberglass model. The concept also included a wood grained panel between the taillights.
Here is another concept from the 1960s. The Singolette: was a concept of tiny cars that would occupy a very minimum area. It was considered personal transportation of the future designed for busy city travel. This illustration is by Walter Molino for the Italian magazine, Domenica del Corriere, 16 December 1962. Click on the image for a larger view.
Here is a 1963 Cadillac V12 concept.
Here is another GM concept from the 1960s. The 1968 Chevrolet Astro II (XP-880). A mid-engine vehicle. It was introduced at the 1968 New York Auto Show.
Here is the original Facebook post on this vehicle. Click on the picture below for more reading.
Here is the 64 Pontiac Banshee XP 833
Here is the 61 Pontiac XP – 758 Scorpion
And now for the drop tank vehicles. Here is a 1968 Belly Tank Trailer that was made from a Corsair A7 drop tank. It was made to haul a motorcycle. Very creative!
Here is a Facebook find. Built in 1946 in Lake County, CA. by a gentleman that was fabricating custom equipment for hospitals. The drop tank is aluminum 300 gallon. Perhaps a P-38 lightning tank. The car was used as a daily driver into the 1950s. In around 1964, the owner was giving a grandchild a ride, and hit a tree in his driveway. He then hung it from the rafters of his shop. The next owner mounted it on a tilt trailer and it became a Lake County parade favorite – He would raise the front end, and exhaust a fire extinguisher for blast off! The 1949 Triumph twin was installed sometime in the fifties. Trans, wheels, brakes, fenders are Harley Knucklehead/ Panhead. Steering wheel is VW. Controls, front axle, suspension, and rear swing arm are all home made. The gas tank is custom made and sits behind the driver.
Animals in the headlines: For those of you that travel with your pets, here is something we found online regarding motels allowing pets: We allow pets in this motel. We never had a dog smoke in bed and set fire to the blankets. We never had a dog that stole our towels, had the TV too loud, or had a noisy fight with his travelling companion… we never had a dog that got drunk and broke all the furniture… So if your dog can vouch for you. You’re welcome too….
Enjoy this video about the friendship between a dog and a duck.
Here is a companion dog for those that drink too much wine!
We close this newsletter with a quote from Winston S. Churchill: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
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