Flymall March 2023 Wheels & Wings Newsletter

Welcome to the Kraemer Aviation/Flymall.org Wheels & Wings Newsletter. This month our theme is “Treasure Hunters and their vehicles”.

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”.

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: Is there Nazi Treasure in Lake Toplitz? Legend has it that the Nazis dumped billions of dollars worth of stolen gold into the waters of Lake Toplitz. Lake Toplitz is an isolated lake located in the heart of a lush forest in the Alps. The gold is said to be valued at about 5.6 billion US dollars. Over the years, scuba divers have explored the lake and some currency has been found, although no sign of the gold yet.

Here’s a picture of Lake Toplitz. Click on the image for a larger view.

The Titanic was a very different type of treasure waiting to be found. Robert Duane Ballard, an American oceanographer and marine geologist whose pioneering use of deep-diving submersibles laid the foundations for deep-sea archaeology. He is best known for discovering the wreck of the Titanic in 1985. The Titanic sank in April of 1912 and was not found until 1985.

Argo was the system of television cameras and sonars that helped find the Titanic. Argo was named by Titanic expedition leader Robert Ballard for the mythical Greek vessel that carried Jason on his quest for the Golden Fleece.

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: Four years ago this month (March), Harry was at the FAA campus in Oklahoma City for his initial Designated Pilot Examiner training class. He was actually selected over a year earlier, however the government shutdown of 2018-2019 closed the FAA. A DPE is part of a very élite group of highly qualified flight instructors. As of February 2022, there were 942 DPEs. At any given time, there are usually less than 1000 DPEs world wide.

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: The Lost Squadron. Glacier Girl was part of the Lost Squadron. Glacier Girl is a Lockheed P-38F Lightning, World War II fighter plane that was restored to flying condition after being buried beneath the Greenland ice sheet for over 50 years. On 15 July 1942, due to poor weather and limited visibility, six P-38 fighters of 94th Fighter Squadron/1st FG and two B-17 bombers of a bombardment squadron were forced to return to Greenland enroute to the British Isles during Operation Bolero and made emergency landings on the ice field. All the crew members were subsequently rescued, but Glacier Girl, along with the unit’s five other fighters and the two B-17s, were eventually buried under 268 feet (82 m) of snow and ice that built up over the ensuing decades. The excavation of Glacier Girl was documented in an episode of The History Channel’s Mega Movers series, titled “Extreme Aircraft Recovery”. This is an incredible story. If you ever get a chance to see her fly, you’ll enjoy it. Pat Epps and Richard Taylor were the two original treasure hunters that set out to find the Lost Squadron, and they did, however they ran out of money and could not retrieve the plane from under the ice.

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

Earlier in March, the Flymall team attended their annual FAASTeam training at the historic College Park Airport.

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. We currently have a Piper Archer, Cessna 152, Beech Sierra, and a 172 XP for sale. Check them out by clicking here.

Imagine being a treasure hunter and flying to a spot to look for sunken treasure and instead of chartering a boat and submarine once you get there, your plane is your submarine. The United States Navy had project to develop such a vehicle. The Convair Submersible Seaplane (or “Subplane”) was a United States Navy project to produce a seaplane which could travel underwater as well as fly.

Car/Motorcycle Show News:   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.

When we think about treasure, we often think about gold and gold mines. In our collection, we have a 1901 Miner’s Bicycle Teeter Railway Cycle, that was actually used in a gold mine. Click here for more information on this rare vehicle.

Light Rail Inspection Cart

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. 

Here we have not a barn find, but a gold mine find. The Davis Motor Mine Cart. This was found in an abandoned Gold Mine in Northern California in the late 1970s. This Davis Motor Mine Cart is a home built creation using most of a 1926 Harley Davidson 21c.i. B-Model motorcycle. The machine also features a Ford Model-A transmission with electric start!

Not all treasure has the same value to everyone. For some treasures, it only has value to perhaps one person. During the 1960s, Harry enjoyed traveling a lot with his father, Ed Kraemer. Ed was a truck driver and loved being on the open road. In the 1950s and 1960s, your motel key was on a little plastic key chain with the name of the motel and the room number on it. Ed collected these. He probably had several hundred or more. Sadly, Ed passed away when Harry was only 23 years old. Harry moved away and his childhood home was sold and Harry thought Ed’s key chain collection was lost forever. The last time Harry saw the collection was in 1970s. As Harry’s aviation career “took off”, whenever Harry stayed in a motel, he kept the decorative key chain just as Ed did. Harry always had hopes that somehow he could be reunited with his father’s motel key chain collection and merge the two together. In the year 2021, Harry’s childhood home was sold and the new owner found the collection and thought that it should be given to Harry. A few phone calls and a meeting later, Harry was reunited with this lost treasure. Click on the image for a larger view.

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:  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: March of 2023 brought us numerous large storms systems.

March 3 storm system.

On March 14 we had our first major Nor’easter of the year.

The March 14 storm brought high winds to the Mid-Atlantic region. Click on the image below for a larger view.

And on March 25, we had another large storm system moving across the country.

Three Wheel Association (TWA) & 3-Wheelers.com:  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.

Kraemer Aviation recently purchased the popular 3 wheeler site 3-Wheelers.com. Look for some major updates/improvements coming sometime in 2023. We will have a new A to Z list and viewers will be able to submit vehicles/information to be added to the list. We also plan to have a online “For Sale” section where users can post vehicles, parts, and services for sale.

The Honda ATC90 makes a nice offroad vehicle for the amateur treasure hunter. The ATC90 can go most anywhere. Honda acquired the trademark on the term—the ATC90 (All Terrain Cycle), it was designed purely for recreational use. Clearly influenced by earlier ATVs, it featured large balloon tires instead of a mechanical suspension. Click here for information on the ATC90 in our collection.

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

Prototypes: We have the ultimate offroad treasure hunting vehicle. In the 1950s, LeTourneau Inc. developed several overland trains, essentially oversized semi-trailer trucks that could travel over almost any terrain. Their intention was to be able to handle logistics needs without being dependent on local road or rail systems, allowing them to operate in back-country areas. The US Army had three experimental units built, the largest reaching almost 600 feet long, which holds the record for the longest off-road vehicle. Road trains are in use in certain roles today, but the US Army examples and a few derivatives appear to be the only off-road examples built. Pictured here is the TC-497 Overland Train, Mk II. These were a fully equipped RV complete with bedrooms, kitchen, and bath. Fully self contained and could travel just about anywhere on land.

Roger Miklos

Nautical Notes: Roger Miklos was a flamboyant and well known treasure hunter. Mr. Miklos became renowned as a leading treasure hunter after a string of high-profile discoveries. One of his most impressive finds was the ship, Atocha that was lost in 1622. Atocha was carrying tens of millions of dollars worth of treasure. Mr. Miklos claimed to have located a famous German U-boat packed with gold. After Mr. Miklos passed away, his documents were handed over to diver and explorer Mike Fletcher. Mike picked up where Miklos left off. To date, there has been no word if the U-boat has been located.

One of the most famous treasure ships/pirate ships was Blackbeard’s ship Queen Anne’s Revenge. In May 1718, Blackbeard ran the ship aground at Topsail Inlet, now known as Beaufort Inlet in North Carolina.  After the grounding, her crew and supplies were transferred to smaller ships. In 1996, Intersal Inc., a private firm, discovered the remains of a vessel that was later determined to be Queen Anne’s Revenge, which was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Riding The Rails: The mysteries of the Amber Room and the Nazi train (Wałbrzych gold train). The Amber Room was constructed in the 18th century in Prussia, the room was dismantled and eventually disappeared during World War II. Before its loss, it was considered an “Eighth Wonder of the World”. As recently as 2015, it was reported that a lost Nazi train could have parts of the Amber Room.

Native American Indian Transportation: Superstition mountains is a range of mountains in Arizona. The legend of the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine centers around the Superstition Mountains. According to the legend, a German immigrant named Jacob Waltz discovered a mother lode of gold in the Superstition Wilderness and revealed its location on his deathbed in Phoenix in 1891 to Julia Thomas, a boarding-house owner who had taken care of him for many years. Several mines have been claimed to be the actual mine that Waltz discovered, but none of those claims have been verified. Native American Indians were rumored to know where the gold was, however they kept a good distance from the mountains because some  believed that the hole leading down to hell, is located in the Superstition Mountains.

The gold rush of 1848 brought more devastation to native North American Indians. North American Indians were a big part of the gold rush of 1848, either as slaves, paid workers, or providing a rest stop and food to the voyagers on their way to California. Maidu and Miwok Indians knew exactly where to look for gold, although they had ignored it for centuries. The Indians were said to be very successful in finding gold.

Animals in the headlines: Here is a Native American with his pet wolf. Unlike the many fearsome myths created about wolves by settlers, Native Americans maintained a close and respectful relationship with wolves and had domesticated them to become pets and working animals for hunting and carrying packs.

We have started to move our turtles to their outside habitats for the summer. The first one out this year was our common snapping turtle. Kraemer Aviation sponsors/supports a not-for-profit turtle rescue. This snapping turtle is one of about 20 turtles in our turtle sanctuary. This turtle is about 20 years old.

We close this newsletter with these words: Commit yourself to quality!

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