Flymall / Kraemer Aviation October 2023 Wheels & Wings Newsletter

Sunday, October 29th, 2023

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

You can view past newsletters here. This month our theme is “Un-stoppable”

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: We start our un-stoppable theme with Violet Jessop. Who’s she you may ask? In 1911, Jessop began working as a stewardess for the White Star liner RMS Olympic.  Olympic was a luxury ship that was the largest civilian liner at that time.  Jessop was on board on September 20 1911, when Olympic left from Southampton and collided with the British warship HMS Hawke. Jessop later boarded RMS Titanic as a stewardess on April 10 1912, at age 24.  Four days later, on April 14, it struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank about two hours and forty minutes after the collision. In the First World War, Jessop was a stewardess for the British Red Cross.  On the morning of November 21 1916, she was aboard HMHS Britannic, the younger sister ship of Olympic and Titanic that had been converted into a hospital ship, when it sank in the Aegean Sea after an unexplained explosion.  Britannic sank within 55 minutes, killing 30 of the 1,066 people on board. While Britannic was sinking, Jessop and other passengers were nearly killed by the ship’s propellers that were shredding lifeboats that collided with the propellers. Jessop had to jump out of her lifeboat, resulting in a traumatic head injury which she survived. Jessop survived 3 major mishaps (2 sinkings) on 3 of the White Star Line’s best ships and she kept going.

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: On October 10 2023, Pat’s student Noah did his first solo on his 16th birthday. He did a great job. Noah has been flying since he was 11 years old. Here is a YouTube video showing his first solo takeoff, first solo landing, the traditional clipping of the shirt tail, the water bucket, and some pictures. Click here for more high resolution pictures and videos from that day.

Noah hopes to take his checkride with Harry next year on his 17th birthday. We hope Noah has a long and prosperous career in aviation.

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:  On this date October 14th 1947 Chuck Yeager flew faster than the speed of sound. Chuck Yeager was un-stoppable as an aviator. Visit the Chuck Yeager Wikipedia page to see his awards and honors.

Meet George Frederick “Buzz” Beurling, a Canadian fighter pilot that was un-stoppable in WWII. By the end of the war, he had 31 confirmed kills. Most of his kills were when he was based on the island of Malta. His most famous shot of WWII was when he shot down a Messerschmitt 109 from 800 yards. This is said to be the most famous kill of WWII. At the time, Beurling was flying a Spitfire. Spitfire guns were said to be good for about 450 yards.  This shot/kill was done at a distance of almost twice that.

Another Canadian fighter pilot that was un-stoppable, was William Avery Bishop. Bishop was a Canadian flying ace of the First World War. He was officially credited with 72 victories.

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.

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.

October 20th was supposed to be the last award night at the Laytonsville Cruise In for the year. However, the weather wasn’t at it’s best. We did give out some awards on the 20th to the few cars that did show up and we gave out the remainder of the awards on October 27.

Here are the award winners from October 20th.

The weather was perfect for Friday October 27, for “Award Night Part 2”.

Here are the award winners for October 27th.

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 ideas and interesting places to visit.  Check it out here.

Earlier in October, Pat & Harry attended the Fall Fest hosted by District Harley Davidson. Free food, live music, bikes, vendors, and more. Click here for more pictures.

The Earnhardt name has been un-stoppable in stock car racing with Dale Sr. and Dale Jr. Earlier in October we celebrated Dale Jr.’s birthday. Dale Jr. began his racing career at the late age of 17. Together, Dale Sr. and Dale Jr. hold many awards and championships in their careers.

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. 

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 has had a facelift. The lesson plans are now in categories according to the certificate and/or rating.  Check it out on the Flymall by clicking here. Visit our Flight Training page for information on our aviation training classes.

Weather in the news: Earlier this month, parts of the states experienced the ring of fire eclipse. Our next eclipse is in April 2024.

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.

Established in 1901 in West Norwood, United Kingdom, AC Cars is Britain’s oldest active vehicle manufacturer. With Carol Shelby, the AC name became un-stoppable in auto racing. Here is our 1912 AC Delivery trike, the vehicle that kick-started the AC name.

More progress has been made on the new 3-Wheelers.com site. The A to Z list has over 700 entries/listings in it now.

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

Prototypes: If you enjoy reading about prototypes and concept vehicles, Harry has added a “Concepts” category to the A to Z list on 3-Wheelers.com. Check it out at https://3-wheelers.com/magento/index.php/a-z.html?cat=35.

Here is the Aprilia Magnet Tilting Reverse Trike that can be found in the Concepts category of the A to Z list. Click here for more info.

Nautical Notes: The Flymall team is continuing with their sailing education. Earlier this month they rented a 37 foot Beneteau and a captain for a full day of sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. Click here for more pictures.

A few weeks later, they had their Walker Bay 8 out for a day of paddling around on Little Seneca Lake.

On the last Saturday of October, the temperatures were in the mid 80s and the weather was perfect for an afternoon on Little Seneca Lake. Pat & Harry were treated to an unusual sight on the lake that day. A 1922 steam boat.

Click here for some video shot inside the steam boat. Click here for Harry’s video montage of the steam boat on the lake that day. Click here for a video of the engine operating.

Riding The Rails: The Middleton Railway is the world’s oldest continuously working railway, situated in the English city of Leeds. It was founded in 1758 and is now a heritage railway, run by volunteers from The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd. since 1960.  In 1812, the Middleton Railway became the first commercial railway to use steam locomotives successfully. Here’s a picture of one of the early steam locomotives used on the railway.

Native American Indian Transportation: Tecumseh, was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the expansion of the United States onto Native American lands. A persuasive orator, Tecumseh traveled widely, forming a Native American confederacy and promoting intertribal unity. Even though his efforts to unite Native Americans ended with his death in the War of 1812, he became an iconic folk hero in American, Indigenous, and Canadian popular history. Tecumseh was widely admired in his lifetime, even by Americans who had fought against him. The name “Tecumseh” is iconic today day as a popular small engine used in mini bikes, go-karts, and other small utility vehicles and lawn mowers.

Animals in the headlines: Salukis are acknowledged as the world’s oldest dog breed by the Guinness Book of World Records, which states that the breed has been around since at least 329 B.C. This breed was highly prized because of their speed, stamina (un-stoppable), and hunting abilities.

We close this newsletter with these words: Since The Beatles are un-stoppable, we close this newsletter with a quote from John Lennon. When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. Pictured here are John and Sean on their birthday.

We’re also remembering John Lennon on his birthday, October 9 1940. And Sean Lennon on his birthday, October 9 1975. We can forget that also on October 9 2011, Paul McCartney married Nancy Shevell.

Janice Love

Tuesday, October 17th, 2023

Janice Littell Love was a member of the original Unicycle Wranglers (see Note 2), a professional unicycle group from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Unicycle Wranglers were managed and trained by Loyd Smith, the inventor of the Loyd Unicycle (click here for more information on Loyd Smith). Janice was an accomplished unicyclist able to ride on a tight wire, foot walk forward and backward, jump rope, ride with one foot, and perform many other unicycle tricks and stunts. Ted Jorgensen (now deceased) was a member of the original Unicycle Wranglers. Ted Jorgensen (now deceased) was the biological father of Jeff Bezos.

The Unicycle Wranglers had many acts including a square dance, a unicycle trapeze act, modern swing dance, jump rope, head-to-head stand, and many others. In the mid 1960s, the Unicycle Wranglers left the cowboy boots behind for more traditional circus attire and they changed the name of the group to the Uniques (see Note 1). The Uniques performed throughout the southwest and western United States at variety shows, state fairs, and at many other venues including the Los Angeles Press Club and the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles where the Academy Awards were held. The Uniques also performed with the Rudy Bros. Circus. The Uniques could do all of their acts on ice (thumb tacks were pushed through the tire for traction). In the late 1960s, the Uniques once again changed their name, this time to the Universals. The Universals continued to perform throughout the early 1970s.

Janice joined the Albuquerque Unicycle Club (the Albuquerque Unicycle Club was incorporated in 1953) in 1962 and she was active until about 1970. History says that the Albuquerque Unicycle Club was the first in the world to play unicycle hockey. Janice says that she does not personally remember that and that by the time she joined the club, they had replaced the hockey sticks with polo mallets. She says the game remained the same. Every Tuesday night, the Albuquerque Unicycle Club would gather at the Heights Community Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico to ply polo, practice tricks/stunts, and race. There was a four foot cinderblock wall that surrounded the Heights Community Center and the riders would compete to see who could ride the farthest on the wall without falling off. Once a year the Albuquerque Unicycle Club had formal competitions. There was a race for the fastest, a technical and trick competition for the most versatile, and a creative competition in which unicyclists spent weeks preparing their costumes and their “show”. The unicyclists were awarded with beautiful tall hardwood and metal trophies. The first place awards had the rider’s name and year engraved on the trophy and the rider got to keep the trophy for a year. If a rider won a first place trophy 3 years in a row, they got to keep it forever. These trophies were very special because each one had all of the previous winners names on it. They were a piece of history. Janice retired both the Most Creative and the Versatile trophies. These trophies were given out at the club’s annual banquet. The club also rode in many parades and often won awards for their performances.

During this same time period, there was another unicycle club called the Little Wheels (see Note 2). This was a group of kids that did free shows for children’s hospitals and senior centers in Albuquerque, New Mexico and other locations throughout New Mexico. The founder and leader of the Little Wheels was Ken Littell from 1963 to 1993.

Click here for more pictures of Janice with these various unicycle clubs. Descriptions are with the pictures when viewed in Flickr.

Did you know??? US patents for single-wheeled ‘velocipedes’ were published in 1869 by Frederick Myers and in 1881 by Battista Scuri.

Note 1 – The Uniques (established in 1962), was Smith’s top performing group, pulled from about 150 youngsters who had been riding in Albuquerque over an eight-year period. Membership in the Uniques was limited to seven riders and one alternate at any given time, with Smith as director. They traveled, with their costumes and equipment, in a custom-built 12-passenger limousine.

Note 2 – The more talented of the younger riders were organized into a second group trained by Kenneth Littell, who later lived in Phoenix, Arizona. These youngsters, called Little Wheels, provided a feeder system for a third group, the Wranglers, who were excellent riders in need of something more challenging to do.