Archive for July, 2022

Flymall Wheels & Wings July 2022 Newsletter

Friday, July 29th, 2022

Welcome to the Kraemer Aviation/Flymall.org Wheels & Wings Newsletter.

This month its all about the drive or the journey – getting there (the people, the machine, the journey)! Including scenic routes, awesome boating trips, flying to Oshkosh, rowing around the world, and more.

You can view past newsletters here.

This month, many pilots around the world are converging on Oshkosh.

Here’s a shot of some warbirds flying into Oshkosh.

The arrival path into Oshkosh. Every pilot needs to experience this at least once in their life. It is an awesome experience. There is so much to see and do.

This month is about the journey and July happens to be the month that in 1969, a spaceship took off from earth heading to the moon to have the first humans walk on the moon. The ultimate journey. Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, and Armstrong became the first person to step onto the Moon’s surface six hours and 39 minutes later, on July 21 at 02:56 UTC. Aldrin joined him 19 minutes later, and they spent about two and a quarter hours together exploring the site they had named Tranquility Base upon landing. Armstrong and Aldrin collected 47.5 pounds (21.5 kg) of lunar material to bring back to Earth as pilot Michael Collins flew the Command Module Columbia in lunar orbit, and were on the Moon’s surface for 21 hours, 36 minutes before lifting off to rejoin Columbia.

Earlier this month, Kraemer Aviation hosted their annual 4th of July cookout and car show. We had vintage bicycles to ride, vintage motorcycle rides, great food, swimming, and more. A great time has had by all that attended. Click here for more pictures and videos from the event.


Interested in living at an airport?  Visit our Aviation Real Estate page here. You can view price data for airport property in our Market Watch section of the Flymall. Here is the data for all airport property. You can refine the search by “state” simply by searching for the desired state under “Model”. We currently have a nice grass strip for sale in Carroll County Maryland. Click here for details. On August 21st, Kraemer Aviation Real Estate is hosting a fly-in at Keymar Airport. Free food! Click here for information on the Fly-In and Open House.

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: Did you know that Alice Huyler Ramsey, the first woman to drive across the US. She did this trip in 1909. On June 9, 1909, this 22-year-old housewife and mother began a 3,800-mile journey from Hell Gate in Manhattan, New York, to San Francisco, California, in a green, four-cylinder, 30-horsepower Maxwell DA. The trip took 59 days. They arrived amid great fanfare on August 7, 1909.

Alice Ramsey with her Maxwell

Ramsey had always loved the open road. Her husband, John Ramsey, had gifted her a Maxwell Touring Car in 1908, and she became a common sight driving all over New Jersey. Very few women drove cars at this time, and Ramsey’s enthusiasm and composure behind the wheel caught the eye of some local Maxwell dealers. It was then that the Maxwell Company approached the Ramsey’s with the idea to let Alice drive one of their cars across the country. The company wanted to prove that not only was their vehicle durable, but was also easy to operate and repair. Maxwell provided her a car, covered all the expenses and alerted dealers and media about the trip. 

Six years before Alice Ramsey made her trip, in 1903, George Wyman became the first person to make a transcontinental voyage across the United States by motor-vehicle. And he did it on a 1905 Yale California motorcycle. Wyman made the trip from San Francisco to New York City in 51 days. His motorcycle only had 1 and 1/4 horsepower. He is pictured here with the bike that made this incredible journey.

If riding a motorcycle across the country isn’t a long enough ride for you, check-out this journey. The longest road in the world to walk, is from Cape Town (South Africa) to Magadan (Russia). No need for planes or boats, there are bridges. It’s a 22,387 kilometers (13911 miles) and it takes 4,492 hours to travel. It would be 187 days walking nonstop, or 561 days walking 8 hours a day. Along the route, you pass through 17 countries, six time zones and all seasons of the year. Amazing!!!

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: Earlier this month, Akhil passed his private pilot checkride today with Harry. He did an outstanding job. Near perfect on all maneuvers. He did this just a few weeks after his 17th birthday. Now he can fly a plane by himself anywhere in the world, however he still cannot drive a car by himself. His instructor was Tal Sabag. Harry did her CFI checkride just over a year ago. Her two most recent applicants both did outstanding. Way to go Akhil and Tal. Akhil plans to study aeronautical engineering in college and design planes one day.

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.

Aviation/Aviators in the news: In the early 1990s, Harry had a student that was involved in a historic and record setting trip. A 16 year old Jimmy Mathis flew from coast to coast as a student pilot. He was the first student pilot ever to make such a trip and the youngest certificated pilot to do such a trip. Click here for an article written about this amazing trip.

Harry’s friend, Kathrin Kaiser from Germany made an incredible journey from Germany to Oshkosh earlier this month. She did this by herself in her single engine Grumman. What an amazing trip.

Here is the start

As of July 11 2022

Here she is as of July 15 2022

Day 22. She had flown 6700nm or 12400km from her home in Germany.

At Oshkosh!

The aviation section of the Flymall is full of aviation news, training info, and much more for the aviator.

Crossing the English Channel can be a challenging journey. How about trying it in a human powered aircraft. The Gossamer Albatross is a human-powered aircraft built by American aeronautical engineer Dr. Paul B. MacCready‘s company AeroVironment. On June 12, 1979, it completed a successful crossing of the English Channel to win the second Kremer prize worth £100,000 (equivalent to £538,000 in 2021). Just before 6 am on June 12, 1979, amateur cyclist and pilot Bryan Allen powered the Albatross to the rehearsed speed of 75 revolutions per minute and took off from a point near Folkestone, England.

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.

Car/Motorcycle Show News:   Have you ever driven the Tail of the Dragon? The Dragon has 318 curves in just 11 miles. What an awesome ride! It is a ride like no other place in the world. Some of the curves have been given nicknames like: Beginner’s End, Bust Bend, Shade Tree Corner, Hog Pen Bend, Sunset Corner and Mud Corner. There is a resort that has a tree decorated with various motorcycle parts lost in crashes on The Dragon. If you drive it, be careful.

The Laytonsville Cruise In is the place to be on a Friday night in Montgomery County.  The Laytonsville Cruise In was started by Harry in 2010. It has become one of the most popular cruise ins in the area. You can follow Harry on Facebook for daily updates during the many shows and events he attends.

The Laytonsville Cruise In July 15 2022 Award Night was amazing. Great weather, great awards, and lots of new folks with their cars showed up. Click here for more pictures of the July 15 award night. Here’s what we’re doing for 2022:

For 2022, we will have guest judges each month. We will have a first & second place award each month and a Best Of Show award. The judges will pick their choice for a first and second place award and based on the schedule below, the themed car for that month will have a Best Of Show selected. We will also have a special award for the “Best Original Vehicle”, sponsored by Mel Short. The first and second place awards will be selected from ALL cars that night. The judges may give out other special awards as well. We will also have some awards for the kids that bring something cool to show off. And starting in July 2022, we will have a special award sponsored by Bingo – The Saints of Kulture’s Choice Award. We will also have a TFR Choice Award each month. This award will be selected by The Family Room.

Here’s what is coming up for award night:

August 19 2022 – Corvette night – Best Of Show Award for a Corvette
September 16 2022 – Imports – Best Of Show Award for Imports
October 21 2022 – British Cars – Best Of Show Award for a British Car

Here are some of the award winners from July 15. Debbie was one of the award winners from July. Debbie and her 1977 Corvette won the Mel Short award for the Best Original Vehicle. Debbie has a great story to go with this very nice Corvette. Debbie ordered this car new back in 1977. Click here to read Debbie’s (in her own words) full story on her and this 1977 Corvette.

Harry’s friend, Lauren was also an award winner in July. Way to go Lauren.

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.

Since this month is all about the journey, did you know that the first transcontinental trucking delivery started on July 12 1916. William Warwick left Seattle on July 12 1916 driving a GMC 1 1/2 ton truck carrying evaporated milk heading to New York.

Harry attended the District Harley Davidson Bike Night on July 14. This is a monthly event. A very cool event with food, music, and of course motorcycles. Click here for more pictures from the July bike night.

The Flymall team attended the Harley Davidson of Frederick Motorcycle Show. This show was to benefit the Hogs and Heroes Foundation. It was a great show with vendors, food, live band, and more. Click here for more pictures.

The AC took first place at the Harley Davidson of Frederick show.

As you may know, the Kraemer Aviation/Flymall team enjoys our motorcycles and we have a large collection of rare and unusual motorcycles and bicycles. Our bikes are ridden locally and/or trailered to shows. Grace McDonald is riding her KTM motorcycle around the world. Grace has a very cool story to tell about her journey.

Here is Grace’s story called Destination Everywhere:

It’s 2016, late on a Thursday night, Town Hall Station, Sydney: I’ve just left work and I’m watching rats scurry along the tracks as I wait for my train. I’m exhausted. I’ve been exhausted for a long time. Long days and nights as a corporate lawyer have not brought a fulfilling life, only grey fatigue. I just want to get on my motorcycle and ride away, and not come back.

Six months later, that’s exactly what I do. I pack my worldly possessions into the panniers of my KTM 690 Enduro and I ride out of town and I don’t look back.

I’ve been warned: everyone tells me that as a solo female, I won’t make it. That I am too weak, too vulnerable, too lacking in mechanical qualifications.

First, I ride into the deserts of central Australia, remote regions where I camp beside dry river beds and watch the unbelievably bright stars splash across the sky like milk. Day after day, the corrugated gravel roads bring me peace. People, when I find them, are friendly. They give me oranges from their gardens, fruit cake baked in camp ovens.

I have this idea that I’ll ride to Paris: it’s a long way away, and the route will take me through Asia and up through Iran. I think it will take me 18 months. I am wrong.

I ship my motorcycle into Asia via Timor Leste, the youngest country in the world. I’ve never been to an undeveloped country before; I reclaim my motorcycle from customs and ride through the chaotic streets, out in the villages, wide eyed as dirt tracks take me deep into the interior. This is a country of mountains, and kindness; deeply Catholic but animist in times of trouble; a place of generosity in the face of the fact that 40% of the population are stunted from malnutrition. I stay at convents, with the nuns and schoolgirls; at first they won’t let me in because, when I arrive on my big motorcycle in all my gear, they think I am a man.

Later, in the steam of hotsprings at night, I have a machete stand off with a survivor of the war of independence. He is clearly not well; a living ghost. He stakes out my door, chainsmoking cigarette after cigarette, before he takes his machete and vanishes with his mob of wild dogs, the same way that he came.

The first time I cross a land border – Timor Leste to Indonesia – I am tingling with excitement. Imagine riding around the whole world on your motorcycle. I am addicted.

I fall in love with Indonesia, island hopping for nearly a year, losing myself in a simple version of life which rotates around rice, fish, and family. This is a country where people truly love motorcycles: more than once, I ride into a small town to be greeted by strangers who are waiting for me. How did they know I was coming? The moto family is sprawling and vibrant; the grapevine works formidably.

In Borneo, I cry over a damaged camshaft and replace my rocker arms. In Cambodia I do it again, this time without the tears. On a road in Java I hit the back of a car that stops suddenly, denting the bumper; the driver gets out and apologises and asks that God bless me. In Sulawesi, a car hits me from behind and I go down; but I get up again, and straighten my barkbusters, and don’t complain. Everything works out in the end.

My original timeframe has long passed by the time I talk my way into Vietnam, against all laws and all odds. I ride all the way to the Chinese border, shivering through mountains shrouded with cloud, places where the only warming soup available is made out of pony.

When Covid closes the borders and the music stops, I am in Thailand. Everyone asks me if I will ‘go home’ now, but where is home? The money runs out. My motorcycle is stuck on the wrong side of the Cambodian border.  I am penniless, alone, bereft in the midst of a pandemic.

So I learn to ride enduro, and I learn to speak Thai. Suddenly, my whole world opens up: it turns out that meaning of life is not only motorcycles, but specifically dirt biking. I ride a 2 stroke enduro machine for the first time and I am hooked, and the answers to everything emerge. I start a business with my Thai friends. Now, I run enduro and road tours through the mountains of Northern Thailand between November and February; the rest of the year, I ride the whole world.

Destination? Everywhere.

You can follow Grace’s adventures on www.bikehedonia.com or ride with her in Thailand at www.hivoltmototours.com .

Here is a Question & Answer interview with Grace.

The Flymall team attended District Harley Davidson’s Bikes, Brews, and BBQ event on July 23. The Lomax made the trip uneventfully. Click here for more pictures from the July 23 BBQ. District Harley Davidson hosts a lot of events throughout the year. Checkout their Facebook page for all of their events. You can checkout our schedule of shows we attend here. If you need an appraisal on your classic car or motorcycle, we offer discounts at shows. Click here for information on our appraisals.

In late July, the Flymall team visited the Washington County Rural Heritage Museum in Boonsboro Maryland. They received a private tour by two of their friends. Click here for some pictures of the vehicles in the museum.

Barn Finds/Hangar Finds:  Need an appraisal on your barn find?  Visit our Appraisal Page for information on our appraisals. 

The topic this month is the “Journey”. And he is an interesting “basement crawl-space find” for this month. This collection has an interesting 2 part journey. If you stayed overnight in a motel before the late 1990s, you most likely received a key connected to a large metal or plastic key fob. The initial purpose for these tags, which were primarily made of a heavy metal, were so guests wouldn’t forget to the return them. Harry’s father (Ed Kraemer) was a truck driver. He loved to travel. As a young boy, Harry’s family would take a lot of weekend trips and his father was staying in motels almost daily. Ed started collecting the motel key fobs (back then, they were just referred to a key chains). Ed kept the key fobs in metal coffee cans until the family was able to purchase their own single family home with a basement so Ed had a place to display the collection. Harry helped with putting the key fobs on these boards. Some of the fobs are likely from the 1950s. Ed continued collecting them up to the early 1980s until his health was failing and he could no longer work. After he passed away in 1983, Harry moved away and the collection was lost. As Harry’s aviation career “took-off”, Harry would often think about the collection whenever he stayed in a motel and was given a key fob like in his dad’s collection. Harry did not know the whereabouts of the collection, however, over the years he hoped that one day he would be reunited with it. In 2021, the collection was found and Harry was contacted and asked if he wanted it. Yes! Was the answer. The collection was found in the basement crawl-space of Harry’s childhood home. So after nearly 40 years, the collection that Ed Kraemer started in the 1960s, was reunited with Harry. This collection was a journey collecting them and then being lost for nearly 40 years and then making the journey back to Harry was amazing.

This month we have a couple of Camaro barn finds. This 1967 Camaro had been sitting outside untouched from 1974 to 2004. Then the car was sold to the second owner and packed into a barn until it was recently discovered by a Camaro enthusiasts. Click here for the full story on this awesome find.

The second one is a red 1967 Camaro SS 396 that spent 43 years in a pole barn. They’re out there, you just need to look for them. The story goes like this: The owner parked the Camaro in his pole barn behind his house in Wisconsin in 1975. He had purchased the vehicle in 1972 for just $800.00. He did have plans to restore it, however, life happens, family, etc. In 2018 he decided to pull the car from the barn and sell it. Turns out, it was/is a matching numbers SS 396. We could not find any information on what the car sold for or if he did sell it. This just reinforces the fact that there are gems out there just waiting to be found. Click here for more reading on this barn find.

1967 SS 396

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. 

If you’re restoring a General Motors barn find, as of July 13 2022, you may be able to get help from general Motors. There are reports that GM has filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the trademark “GM Restoration.” General Motors has not released any details as of the writing of this newsletter. We’ll need to wait and see with this one.

If you’re restoring a fabric aircraft, Ira Walker of Walker Aviation is your resource.  Visit his page on the Flymall by clicking here

CFI / DPE Notes:  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.

Earlier this month, Elizabeth passed her initial flight instructor checkride with Harry as the DPE. Elizabeth is a very gifted and natural pilot. This was their 4th checkride together. Harry did her private, instrument, commercial, and now her CFI. She did this in her own Cessna 150. She soloed at the age of 17 and had her commercial pilot certificate by the age of 18. She was a commercial pilot before she had her driver’s license. She was able to get paid to fly, however she could not drive herself to the airport. And now, she can teach you to fly an airplane.

Weather in the news: As thousands of planes head for Oshkosh and millions attend this annual show, weather can always be an issue for the last week of July. In fact, some years, it has been referred to as Sloshkosh! Here are a few pictures taken this year of the storms there.

Planes need to be tied down and very secure before these mid summer storms arrive.

Here’s one that wasn’t so lucky.

The storms usually make for a beautiful sunset.

Three Wheel Association (TWA):  Harry started the Three Wheel Association in 2013 to promote/support the industry of three wheel vehicles of all types. Visit the Three Wheel Association page on the Flymall for more info on the association.

We have some big news for the Three Wheel Association and the Flymall. We have agreed to purchase the well known website 3-Wheelers.com. It will be accessible from Flymall.org as well as from the Three Wheel Association website.

Want a reproduction vintage 3 wheeler.  Walker Aviation can scratch built from pictures or drawings.  Visit his page on the Flymall.  

Prototypes:

Nautical Notes: Meet Ellen Falterman. Checkout her Facebook Expeditions page here. Ellen is a 26 year old, pilot, flight instructor, and extreme adventurer. She is currently preparing for an adventure that is like no other. Ellen is planning to row around the world. This is a 40,000 plus mile trip. She expects the trip to take about 7 years (maybe longer). She will be using a custom built ocean rowboat built in the United Kingdom. Navigation will be via GPS and a sexton. She’ll be starting the trip sometime in 2022 from her home state of Texas. Her first stop will be Florida and then down go go through the Panama Canal. Ellen is pictured here with her boat the “Evelyn Mae”. The Evelyn Mae was built for Ellen by Rannoch Adventure.

Ellen’s longest distance in the open ocean will be when she crosses the Pacific. This will be about 8,000 miles and her estimate is that it will take her 8 to 12 months. So Ellen will be on her boat, for 8 to 12 months non-stop. She will not get off for breaks or rest periods. Her boat can hold about 12 months of supplies. The Pacific crossing will just be Ellen and her boat.

Ellen is taking the international trip of a lifetime. How would you like to go on an international trip in your backyard? ZAVIKON ISLAND is home to a bridge that, at only 32 feet in length, is considered the shortest international bridge in the world. It connects a Canadian island with an American island in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River. So every time you go to your backyard, you have taken an international journey. This property is a private residence, both islands are part of a family’s home.

Who doesn’t love traveling on a cruise ship? Here’s a canal in Greece that makes the journey just as exciting as the cruise; the Canal of Corinth, Greece. Breathtaking views going through the canal.

Want to experience what it was like to sail on a Baltimore Clipper ship like the ones built over 100 years ago? The tall ship Liberty Clipper offers windjammer sailing vacation cruises on such a sailing ship. The Liberty Clipper is a replica sailing ship whose design was inspired by the Baltimore Clipper style of vessels which were predominant along the East Coast in the early 19th century. So you can go back in time and experience what it was like to sail on a Baltimore Clipper ship from the 19th century.

What’s better than a sailboat or motorboat? An amphibious vehicle. Did you know that the first self propelled amphibious vehicle was tested on July 13 1805? The vehicle was developed/invented by Oliver Evans. Click here for a short story about his invention.

Oliver Evans’ vehicle was steam powered. Steam was the choice of power during the era.

Steam Power beginnings: In 1698 Thomas Savery patented a pump with hand-operated valves to raise water from mines by suction produced by condensing steam. In about 1712 another Englishman, Thomas Newcomen, developed a more efficient steam engine with a piston separating the condensing steam from the water

Riding The Rails: If you enjoy vintage trains, here’s a journey for you. The Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad in West Virginia. The railroad uses vintage locomotives and passenger cars to give you an awesome experience through scenic West Virginia.

The Autumn Colors Express is another vintage passenger train in West Virginia. The 2022 Autumn Colors Express takes you on a day-long journey through the New River Gorge National Park, at the peak of the fall foliage season. The round trip from Huntington, WV to Hinton, WV lets you experience this beautiful area of West Virginia in a way few do. This special passenger train pulled by Amtrak is comprised entirely of privately-owned vintage rail cars from all over the nation, assembled exclusively for this event. This will be a great experience later this year.

Animals in the headlines: Our wolfdog, Jett is gearing up for some awesome journeys this winter once we have some snow on the ground.

We close this newsletter with these words: Think big thoughts, but relish small pleasures.

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Debbie Grasso’s Love Affair With A White Corvette

Thursday, July 28th, 2022

My love for Corvettes started at the tender age of 4. I remember standing behind the driver’s seat as my dad was driving with my arm holding on to his neck pointing out the corvettes as they went by. “Look at that sporty car”’ I would squeal, “I want one of those”!

I quickly decided my car would be white on the outside and red inside. I wanted two doors and 4 wheels and windows, a steering wheel and radio.

Click on image for a larger view

I would repeat this to my dad constantly over the years, he would suggest other colors and I would say no.

When I was 21 I came home from work one day and my parents were in the living room waiting for me. They wanted to talk.

“We want you to buy a new car to establish credit”. I said, “Oh no”!! “Everyone at work is constantly complaining about car payments and house payments. I am not interested in that”!

My dad said, “Debbie, look me in the eye. It is time to buy a car”. He had to say this to me several times until I finally got in gear!!

“Oh, its time to buy my Corvette”! As I was jumping up and down!!

Dad was jumping up and down  to!

My Mom was not thinking Corvette, but she got out voted!

My dad spent several days calling all the Chevy dealers to make a deal. They were constantly calling him back, he loved making a deal.

We went and ordered it and were told it would be 16 weeks until it would arrive. WHAT?

I cried when we went to pick it up. I started crying as I was driving her home. I asked my dad to drive, he was so happy to take over, I thought I would never get the car back! He loved that car to!

Over the years I saw many body styles and headlight styles, hard and soft top, wheel styles and windows and paint colors.

I believe this car was made for me, the perfect shape and style, I wouldn’t change a thing and I haven’t.

So, the secret behind the White with the Red is, when mixed together they make Pink which has always been my favorite color.

Grace McDonald – BikeHedonia Interview

Sunday, July 24th, 2022

Many of us have dreamed of taking our motorcycle (or car, or plane) and simply leaving to explore the world. At the age of 28, Grace McDonald did just that. In February 2017 she resigned from her career as a corporate lawyer and set off from Sydney, Australia, with a motorcycle, a dream and very little else.

Tell us how did you get into motorcycling?

When I was a child when had small motorbikes to ride around my parents’ 200 acre property, but my family saw motorcycles more as a (hazardous) means of transport than a passion. At the age of 23 I got my road licence and commenced a beautiful obsession with speed, motorcycles and freedom.

What made you decide to ride around the world?

I spent ten years becoming a corporate lawyer in Sydney, and quickly discovered that this was not the way to a happy life. Eventually I reached the end of my tether and decided that I just wanted to ride away on my motorcycle and not come back. Six months later I’d made that a reality as I rode out of town on my KTM 690 Enduro with all my worldly possessions strapped to the back.

Did you have a schedule?

I had no schedule; but I thought that I would ride to Paris from Australia and that it would take me 18 months. I was completely wrong. Along the way, I fell in love with people and places; someone would invite me to take a side trip and I’d always say yes; someone would recommend meeting a person or seeing a place two or three thousand kilometres away, and I’d always go. If you plan your trip and keep on schedule, you will only discover the things you already imagined.

How long have you been on the road now? Do you get tired?

It’s been nearly five and half years on the road and yes, you do get tired sometimes. But that’s the beauty of not being on a schedule. You can stop and rest and take in your surroundings whenever you need. I spent so long in Indonesia and Thailand that I now speaks some Indonesian and some Thai. Of course that’s just a recipe for staying longer still – because once you speak the language, suddenly all of the nuances of a place become available to you.

What did you do during Covid?

I was in Thailand when the music stopped and the borders closed. About three years into my trip, I suddenly found myself unable to travel and unable to make my funds stretch any further. It was initially a low time for me, but then I discovered enduro. I’d never ridden much serious off road before – just dirt and gravel tracks – and suddenly I was immersed in the glorious jungle single track of Northern Thailand. I made friends, learnt new skills and started a new business – HiVolt Moto Tours.

So are you still riding around the world or have you found a home in Thailand?

Both. I’ve got a home base and a business near Chiang Mai, where I run enduro and road tours mostly during the months of November to February. But during the other months of the year? That’s for me to travel the world. I still have my KTM 690 Enduro and I’m waiting for Myanmar to reopen so I can head through India, Pakistan and Iran.

Have you had any difficulties on the way?

For sure. I’ve had mechanical problems, money problems, and the odd crazy-machete-wielding man problem. What I’ve learnt is that there’s always a solution. Sometimes you have to find new skills and courage within yourself, other times you are set to be humbled and amazed by the generosity of ordinary people. And still other times – you just have to find another machete.

What’s your advice to anyone wanting to travel around the world like this?

There are a thousand ways to make your journey – everyone travels differently. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing, just start. Starting is the hardest part. You’ll figure out the rest.

Flymall.org June 2022 Wheels & Wings Newsletter

Saturday, July 2nd, 2022

Happy 4th of July everyone!

Welcome to the Kraemer Aviation/Flymall.org Wheels & Wings Newsletter. This month “The Great Escape”. The theme is all about get away vehicles and/or vehicles used in great escapes.

You can view past newsletters here.


Interested in living at an airport?  Visit our Aviation Real Estate page here. You can view price data for airport property in our Market Watch section of the Flymall. Here is the data for all airport property. You can refine the search by “state” simply by searching for the desired state under “Model”. We have a nice airport and home for sale in Carroll County Maryland with a 1900 foot grass strip. Click here for details.

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.

On June 26, Jett celebrated her 9th birthday. She was treated to some banana cream pie.

History Trivia: Have you heard of the Colditz Cock. The Colditz Cock was a glider built by British prisoners of war for an escape attempt from Oflag IV-C (Colditz Castle) in Germany.

After the execution of 50 prisoners who had taken part in the “Great Escape” from Luft Stalag III, the Allied High Command had discouraged escape attempts, though the plan to build a glider was encouraged in order to divert the energies of the prisoners from descending into boredom and tedium. The idea for the glider came from Lieutenant Tony Rolt. Rolt, who was not even an airman, had noticed the chapel roof line was completely obscured from German view. He realized that the roof would make a perfect launching point from which the glider could fly across the River Mulde, which was about 60 metres below.

Below is the only know photo of the “Cock” as it was called. This was taken on April 15 1945 by Lee Carson, one of two American newspaper correspondents assigned to the task force which captured the castle.

In the movie “The Great Escape”, Steve McQueen rode a 1962 650cc Triumph TR6R modified to look like a WWII-era side-valve BMW with an olive paint job. In the movie McQueen was a better driver than many of the stuntmen playing Germans, so McQueen put on an SS uniform for some of these scenes and chased himself. While McQueen is famous for The Great Escape’s most famous stunt (jumping the fence), it was Bud Ekins who performed it. When you watch the motorcycle chase scenes, you can clearly see the riding style is exactly the same. Click here to research Steve McQueen vehicle values from the Flymall Market Watch.

The Bonnie and Clyde get-away car of choice was a Ford. They didn’t buy them, they stole them! Did you know that the papers to incorporate Ford were signed on June 16 1903. Here’s the Bonnie and Clyde “death car” is on display under glass.

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: Earlier this month, Rowena passed her instrument checkride with Harry. She plans to purchase a single engine turboprop to be able to visit family in her home country of Jamaica. Congratulations!

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.

Aviation/Aviators in the news: Larry Murphy was the Chinook helicopter pilot who’s iconic landing during Operation Mountain Resolve was captured on film. Operation Mountain Resolve was launched by a coalition led by the United States on 7 November 2003 in the Nuristan province and Kunar province in Afghanistan. It involved an airdrop into the Hindu Kush mountains by the U.S. 10th Mountain Division . Not many helicopter pilots could perform a maneuver like this.

The aviation section of the Flymall is full of aviation news, training info, and much more for the aviator.

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.

On June 11, the Flymall Team attended the AirPower Tour at the Hagerstown Aviation Museum. Click here for more pictures from the event. One of the highlights was getting to climb in the cockpit of Harry’s friend’s DC-3.

The DC-3 first flew in 1935. Over 16,000 were produced. There are still some in airline service to this day. The C-47 (Military version of the DC3) was one of the most vital pieces of equipment that helped win WWII. The aircraft is also acclaimed for its role in the Berlin Airlift.

Car/Motorcycle Show News: Earlier this month the Flymall Team attended the Original British Car Day in MT. Airy Maryland. They had the Lomax entered in the show and it earned a First Place Award in it’s class. Click here for more pictures from this great British Car Show. Click on the image below for a larger view.

The Laytonsville Cruise In is the place to be on a Friday night in Montgomery County.  The Laytonsville Cruise In was started by Harry in 2010. It has become one of the most popular cruise ins in the area. You can follow Harry on Facebook for daily updates during the many shows and events he attends.

New awards for Award Night

Harry’s friend Bingo has sponsored these very cool awards for July, August, September, and October. Checkout his cool shop on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/BingosSwapMeetGarage

June 18 2022, Harry, Pat, and Mel Short attended the District Harley Davidson Bikini Bike Wash & Cookout. It was a great day with good food, cool bikes, live music, and more. Click here for more pictures from the event. They had an axe throwing contest/event that day. Pat got 3 in a row. Click here for the YouTube video showing Pat’s performance.

June 10th was an awesome night at the Laytonsville Cruise In. We had a large variety of vehicles including; a military truck, a golf cart, a go cart, vintage cars, motorcycles, bicycles, race cars, modern performance cars, a firetruck, vintage ramp body truck, a dirt bike, and more. Click here for pictures from June 10th.

Click on the picture below for highlights from June 10th.

Laytonsville 06-10-2022 Highlights

On June 9, Harry attended the District Harley Davidson Bike Night. The weather was perfect. Mild temperatures and low humidity. Harry rode the 1974 Indian MX74 to the event. Click here for more pictures. Checkout their Facebook page for all of their events. Their Bike Night usually has a free live band.

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:  In the 1967 film, The Dirty Dozen” there is a German half-track vehicle used in an escape scene. This vehicle was pulled from a barn located in the Salisbury Plain (south western part of central southern England) in the early 1960s. It was purchased by a farmer who bought it as workhorse. It stayed there in that person’s barn until another gentleman purchased it and restored it. The gentleman that restored it was also an extra in the 1967 film and in addition, he taught Lee Marvin on how to double clutch. An iconic escape scene from the film has Lee Marvin driving the vehicle over the Chateaux Bridge. If fact, resources say the the gentleman that restored it, was crouched under the dash telling Lee Marvin how to drive the vehicle during that scene while they were escaping over the Chateaux Bridge.

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. 

If you’re restoring a fabric aircraft, Ira Walker of Walker Aviation is your resource.  Visit his page on the Flymall by clicking here

CFI / DPE Notes:  On June 12 2019, Harry passed the final checkride to become a DPE and was issued his Certificate of Designation.

And on July 1 2019, Harry gave his first checkride. He is pictured here with the applicant after the checkride.

Rachel did her 1st solo earlier this month and then on June 30 2022, she passed her Private Pilot Checkride with Harry. Here are some pictures from her 1st solo.

The first solo is always a big accomplishment in the path to earning your private pilot certificate. Click here for a video on the water bucket tradition. Click here for Harry’s slides on the “Clipping of the Shirt Tail” tradition (shirttail).

Here’s Rachel on her checkride day after passing the test. She did a great job. Harry gave her numerous failures to deal with. She had an engine failure at 200 feet AGL on the soft field takeoff, a flap failure on the soft filed landing, and a landing with no airspeed indicator, all were handled perfectly. Rachel is an outstanding young woman with goals to be an airline pilot back in her home country of Israel or somewhere in Europe. In Israel she works as a medic and a firefighter. Click on the image below for a larger view.

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.

Always check NOTAMs, look especially for TFRs. This was for Santa Monica, California earlier this month. If you’re in this area, there is no escaping a TFR. Watch out.

Weather in the news: The weather was certainly in the news for the maiden voyage of the Titanic. The Titanic did not have enough life boats for all of the passengers to escape the icy waters of the North Atlantic.

Titanic had 20 lifeboats of three different types:

  • 14 clinker-built wooden lifeboats, measuring 30 feet (9.1 m) long by 9 feet 1 inch (2.77 m) wide by 4 feet (1.2 m) deep.
  • 2 wooden cutters intended to be used as emergency boats.
  • 4 “collapsible” Engelhardt lifeboats.

June 8th brought the mid-Atlantic region numerous lines of heavy thunderstorms. Here’s a few snapshots of the radar from that day.

Storms are something pilots need to avoid always. How far is far enough to avoid storms? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Three Wheel Association (TWA):  Here is a cool 3 wheel bicycle that is used by police in areas with large public beaches. There is no escaping the police here with these very cool electric assist 3 wheel pedal bicycles.

Harry started the Three Wheel Association in 2013 to promote/support the industry of three wheel vehicles of all types. Visit the Three Wheel Association page on the Flymall for more info on the association.

Want a reproduction vintage 3 wheeler.  Walker Aviation can scratch built from pictures or drawings.  Visit his page on the Flymall.  

Prototypes: The ejection seat, an escape vehicle. In 1916, Everard Calthrop, an early inventor of parachutes, patented an ejector seat using compressed air. By World War II both Heinkel and SAAB had developed ejection seats.

The enclosed ejection seat concept has also been looked at and taken a step further by using the entire fuselage and the escape pod.

The Kamov Ka-50, which entered limited service with Russian forces in 1995, was the first production helicopter with an ejection seat. The system is similar to that of a conventional fixed-wing aircraft; however the main rotors are equipped with explosive bolts to jettison the blades moments before the seat is fired.

The only commercial jetliner ever fitted with ejection seats was the Soviet Tupolev Tu-144. However, the seats were present in the prototype only, and were only available for the crew and not the passengers. The Tu-144 that crashed at the Paris Air Show in 1973 was a production model, and did not have ejection seats.

The Lunar Landing Research Vehicle, (LLRV) and its successor Lunar Landing Training Vehicle (LLTV), used ejection seats. Neil Armstrong ejected on 6 May 1968.

The only spacecraft ever flown with installed ejection seats were VostokGemini, and the Space Shuttle.

Early flights of the Space Shuttle, which used Columbia, were with a crew of two, both provided with ejector seats (STS-1 to STS-4), but the seats were disabled and then removed as the crew size was increased.

Nautical Notes: Here’s an escape vehicle of a different nature. This is an offshore oil rig escape pod. Online, you can find numerous locations around the globe where these have been turned in to floating motel rooms that you can stay in. Originally designed to save lives, now used as floating motel rooms. How cool is that?

The Autocanoe by John Montgomery. a Pedal Powered Amphibious Recumbent Tricycle and a Road-able Pedal Canoe! The configuration is that of a Recumbent Tricycle with the two forward wheels driving and the single rear wheel steering both on land and in the water. It can travel over the road and through the water with comfort and grace. Not designed as an escape vehicle, however it could certainly be used as one. Just paddle the canoe of out the flooded area and then pedal on.

Riding The Rails: There are lots of stories regarding German prisoner’s being rescued during WWII via trains. One of them was the Kastner Train. The Kastner train consisted of 35 cattle wagons that left Budapest on 30 June 1944, during the German occupation of Hungary, carrying over 1,600 Jews to safety in Switzerland.

Here’s another story regarding a train leaving Nazi Germany, however this train took about 2,500 Jews to freedom. This story starts in early April 1945, just a few days before the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. The Nazis were in a hurry to get rid of the inmates. Three different trains left Bergen-Belsen between April 6 and April 11. Each train had about 2,500 prisoners. Their destination was the Theresienstadt concentration camp, in German occupied Czechoslovakia. Ultimately only one train reached the camp, after a few dozen of its passengers were killed in an aerial bombing by Allied forces. A second, later known as the “lost train,” traveled for two weeks back and forth between the lines of combatants, was caught in Russian-German crossfire, and finally came to a halt near the town of Troebitz, in eastern Germany, where the prisoners were liberated by the Red Army. the third train, which was actually the first of the three to leave Bergen-Belsen, is the train that carried the Jews to freedom. This train is pictured below. This train left Bergen-Belsen on April 7 1945. Many of the prisoners on this train were were “privileged” prisoners who had previously been in the “special camp” at Bergen-Belsen. They had been selected by the Germans for future prisoner exchanges with the Allies. One report says that the S.S. personnel escorting this train had orders to drown the prisoners if they came under Allied fire. After a six day journey, the train came to a stop with Allied and German fire in the not so far distance. The Germans fled the train under the cover of night via the trains locomotive, however they returned the next day. By April 13th, American soldiers had reached the train with no German resistance. And all on the train were eventually freed. Click here for the full story on this train and how this picture was discovered.

Von Ryan’s Express is a 1965 film (not based on a true story). While not a true story, the film is very interesting and exciting. The film depicts a group of Allied prisoners of war (POWs) who conduct a daring escape by hijacking the freight train carrying the POWs and fleeing through German-occupied Italy to Switzerland.

Animals in the headlines: Did you know that turtles are escape artist? They don’t need a vehicle to escape. In fact, turtles are good climbers. Checkout this picture of a snapping turtle climbing a fence.

There are times when animals need our help to escape, to escape extinction that is. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) has helped numerous species of animals escape extinction. AZA accredited zoos and aquariums have collaborated on breeding and reintroduction programs that have helped save at least nine species like California condors, black-footed ferrets, Przewalski’s horse, golden lion tamarins, American red wolves, and more from the brink of extinction. Great job.

We close this newsletter with these words: Compliment at least three people every day.

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