History Trivia: 6/17/1946: The first mobile telephone call is placed from a car in St. Louis, Missouri.
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: Rotem recently passed his private pilot checkride. His instructor was Harry’s friend Nir Levy. Nir and Rotem have known each other since birth. They were in kindergarten together and even in the Israeli Army together. The last time they saw each other was about two years ago in Thailand. When Rotem decided to earn his FAA private pilot certificate, he contacted Nir Nir did an excellent job preparing him for his checkride. Here is a picture of Nir and Rotem at a very young age and they recreated (20 plus year later) the picture that day Rotem passed his checkride.
Aviation/Aviators in the news: Margaret Ringenberg (June 17, 1921 – July 28, 2008) was an American aviator, who had logged more than 40,000 hours of flying time during her career. She became interested in flying as an eight year old when she saw a barnstormer land in a field near her family’s farm. She trained at a flight training school and had her first solo flight in 1941 as a 19-year-old. During World War II she became a ferry pilot with the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). Although WASP pilots were not allowed to fly combat missions, they served grueling, often dangerous duties, such as ferrying, test flying, and target towing. The WASP corps was disbanded at the end of 1944. Ringenberg went on to become a flight instructor in 1945 and flew as a commercial pilot and instructor for the rest of her life. She began racing airplanes in the 1950s.. She raced in every Powder Puff Derby from 1957 to 1977, every Air Race Classic since 1977, the Grand Prix and the Denver Mile High and many others, garnering over 150 trophies for her accomplishments. She completed the Round-the-World Air Race in 1994 at age 72, and in March 2001 at the age of 79 she flew in a race from London to Sydney. In 1999, she received the NAA Elder Statesman in Aviation Award in a presentation ceremony in Washington, DC.
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.
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. Our Day Tripper section now has different categories to choose from to make it easier to find events that interest you.
Barn Finds/Hangar Finds: Need an appraisal on your barn find? Visit our Appraisal Page for information on our appraisals. While not exactly a barn find, our Cutlass Rollfast (part airplane, part bicycle) was made from a wrecked airplane and save from the junkyard. This bike is very popular with the kids when we take it to events.
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.
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: Beryl has become the first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season. Beryl is the earliest Category 5 hurricane and the strongest July hurricane.
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. Click on the image below for the new 3-Wheelers.com page.
Want a reproduction vintage 3 wheeler. Walker Aviation can scratch built from pictures or drawings. Visit his page on the Flymall.
Prototypes: A very cool prototype in our collection, is our 3 wheel pedal powered dragster. The idea was conceived by Harry and designed and built by David Sprecher.
Nautical Notes: Walker Bay (Boats) was founded in Walker Bay, South Africa in 1997. The Walker Bay 8 was introduced in 1998. The Walker Bay 8 Dingy was designed by Paolo Rista.
Riding The Rails: The Schienenzeppelin or Rail Zeppelin was an experimental railcar which resembled a Zeppelin airship in appearance. It was designed and developed by the German aircraft engineer Franz Kruckenberg in 1929. Propulsion was by means of a pusher propeller located at the rear: it accelerated the railcar to 230.2 km/h (143 mph) setting the land speed record for a petrol-powered rail vehicle. Only a single example was ever built, which due to safety concerns remained out of service and was finally dismantled in 1939.
Native American Indian Transportation: Pontiac, Michigan was founded in 1818. It was named after Pontiac, a war chief of the Ottawa Tribe, who occupied the area before the European settlers. In 1893, Edward M. Murphy established the Pontiac Buggy Company in Pontiac, Michigan. Here is a 1908 Pontiac Buggy.
Here’s an ad for a Pontiac Buggy.
Animals in the headlines: Ace is starting the enjoy going in the pool. Maybe he will be a water dog and Jett will be our snow dog. Here’s a video of Ace in the pool.
We close this newsletter with these words: When facing a difficult task, act as though it is impossible to fail.
History Trivia: In 1959, a coffee maker was an optional extra in Volkswagen cars. The Hertella Auto Kaffeemachine was the first and only known dashboard-mounted coffee maker. Manufactured in 1959 specifically for the Volkswagen Beetle, it came with porcelain cups which could stick to the machine magnetically.
Here is a 1955 Volkswagen Driver’s Education Training Car. This was designed specifically for driver’s education programs. It was equipped with dual steering wheels as well as dual brakes. It also had a padded dash for added safety in case of a collision.
Here’s another cool accessory for this month. Who can tell me what this is on the dash of a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air? It is the little curved white glass piece. Leave your answer in the comments below.
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: Back in the day, 20 years ago, when Harry was a full time flight instructor and corporate pilot, he held 3 different Master Instructor awards simultaneously. They were: Master Flight Instructor, Master Ground Instructor, and Master Aerobatic Instructor. No other instructor has ever done this, either before Harry or after him.
Aviation/Aviators in the news: On Friday, May 10 the planes that were participating in the National Mall Flyover (the flyover was May 11 2024) were gathered at the Frederick Municipal Airport for the public to view. It was a raining day, however, there was a lot to see and the pilots were on hand to tell you about their aircraft. Click here for more pictures from the Friday gathering and preview event.
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.
There is no replacement for displacement. That’s certainly true with Trevor’s 1955 Chevy Gasser, big block. He went home with 4 awards on May 17 at the Laytonsville Cruise In.
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. Our Day Tripper section now has different categories to choose from to make it easier to find events that interest you.
Earlier in May, Harry visited the Classic Auto Mall in Morgantown PA. At any given time, they have about 1,000 cars under one roof that covers 8 acres. Imagine that, a climate controlled 8 acre building. They sell between 80 to 100 classic cars per month per month. Click here for more pictures from Harry’s visit. Read more on the barn finds at the Classic Auto Mall below in our Barn Find section.
Barn Finds/Hangar Finds: Need an appraisal on your barn find? Visit our Appraisal Page for information on our appraisals. While not exactly “Barn Finds”, this month were featuring a few of the items that were saved from the February 4 1965 fire that destroyed the original Laytonsville Fire Department station house.
Here’s the bell that survived the fire.
This is the front light of the old fire station.
And here’s a hub cap from their ambulance.
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.
The Classic Auto Mall has over 400 barn finds on display and for sale. It is likely the largest collection of original/preserved vehicles you’ll ever see. One of our favorites was this 1915 Republic 2 Ton Truck.
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.
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.
On back-to-back days earlier in May, Harry issued certificates to two Israeli pilots (Amin & Eyal) here in the states to study aviation. To celebrate, Harry flew them to Hagerstown for lunch.
Weather in the news: NOAA is forecasting a busier hurricane season for this year. So now is the time to prepare.
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.
Want a reproduction vintage 3 wheeler. Walker Aviation can scratch built from pictures or drawings. Visit his page on the Flymall.
Here’s our 1974 Indian MX74 dirt bike and our 1971 Triumph bicycle. Both of these manufacturers got their start with bicycles. Triumph was started by Siegfried Bettmann, who had emigrated from Nuremberg, part of the German Empire, to Coventry in England in 1883. In 1884, aged 20, Bettmann had founded his own company, the S. Bettmann & Co. Import Export Agency, in London. Bettmann’s original products were bicycles, which the company bought and then sold under its own name. Bettmann also distributed sewing machines imported from Germany. In 1886, Bettmann sought a more specific name, and the company became known as the Triumph Cycle Company. The “Indian Motocycle Co.” was founded as the Hendee Manufacturing Company by George M. Hendee in 1897 to manufacture bicycles. These were initially badged as “Silver King” and “Silver Queen” brands but the name “American Indian”, quickly shortened to just “Indian”, was adopted by Hendee from 1898 onwards because it gave better product recognition in export markets.
Prototypes: Here is a 1886 Daimler Four Wheel Automobile (Replica). This vehicle is on display at the Classic Auto Mall. This is the world’s first four wheel automobile.
Nautical Notes: Our Walker Bay 8 has been cleaned up and is ready for a summer of boating.
And our windsurfing board is proudly displayed waiting for some warm days with some winds for windsurfing on some local lakes.
Riding The Rails: Here’s our 1901 light rail inspection car. Made by the Teeter Company of Hagerstown Indiana. Known as a light rail inspection car. The wheels are covered with canvas to; improve traction, reduce noise, and to prevent sparks in the mine with could result in an explosion. Complete with a miner’s lamp with the external acetylene generator. The lens has a metal shield to protect it from flying stones during blasting in the mine.
Native American Indian Transportation: This month for Native American Indian Transportation, we’re featuring the Indian Motocycle Company. George Hendee, founder of the company, termed it a “motocycle” not a motorcycle. And here’s our 1974 Indian MX74.
These dirt bikes / trail bikes were produced when Floyd Clymer and Alan Newman owned Indian Motorcycle Company. They owned the company from 1963 to 1977. Basically these bikes were made by Italjet Moto in Italy and branded with the Indian name on them. Many of these bikes were made in Taiwan.
Here’s some history on the Indian name and the company.
Around the turn of the 20th century, bicycle racing was big in the USA. Bicycles would race around big curved tracks called velodromes aided by pacing machines powered by internal combustion engines. These pacers were made in Europe and often broke down. A young designer named Oscar Hedstrom built his own American pacer. He met up with a racer named George Hendee who had his own bicycle manufacturing plant in Springfield, MA. The two combined forces and created a bicycle powered by an engine developed by Hedstrom. Thus was born the Hendee Manufacturing Company and the Indian motorcycle. They chose the name Indian since it would signify an American product.
George Hendee became known as the Big Chief (B.C.) and Oscar Hedstrom became known as the Medicine Man. The factory was called the Wigwam and the dealer network was called the Tribe. The company finally changed its name from the Hendee Manufacturing Company to the Indian Motocycle Company in 1923.
Animals in the headlines: Jett is in the news this month. She had surgery in early May, she tore up her knee playing with Ace. The doctor said everything went well. She has a 10 to 12 week recovery period.
We close this newsletter with these words: Some words from Sir Paul McCartney “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make“.
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