Flymall January 2025 Wheels & Wings Newsletter

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

Kraemer Aviation hosted their annual Christmas party on Christmas day last month. We had pilots, car collectors, bicycles collectors, plus a few international flight students. Click here for more pictures.

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: December 29 1800, Charles Goodyear was born. Charles Goodyear was an American self-taught chemist and manufacturing engineer who developed vulcanized rubber, for which he received patent number 3633 from the United States Patent Office on June 15, 1844. Charles Goodyear didn’t found Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, however, it is named after the self taught chemist. Fast forward to 1898, 38 years after Goodyear died, Frank Seiberling founded Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, naming it in honor of Charles. The company’s new automobile tires became popular due to their durability and the simple process required to change them. Our 1898 Rex Single bicycle still has an original rear tire that is made with vulcanized rubber.

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: We have some excellent news this month for some WIFA instructors as well as for Harry.

Earlier in January, Harry presented Ameen Bsoul with his Outstanding Aviator Award.

What is the difference between a pilot and an aviator? Here’s what I found online; An aviator is the airplane, and they move as one, while the pilot is simply manipulating the proper controls at the appropriate time and sees the airplane as a machine that he forces to do things. Pilots are just drivers. Aviators are artists of the trade. If you fly like a professional, study constantly and never push your or your aircraft’s limits unnecessarily, even if your ride is the most basic trainer, then you can call yourself an aviator.

Harry & Asaf also received awards from the FAA earlier in January. Harry earned the FAASTeam Rep of the Year and Asaf won Flight Instructor of the Year.

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: January 4 1990 – On this day in aviation history:

Northwest Airlines Flight 5, a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Tampa International Airport (TPA/KTPA), Florida, to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP/KMSP), Minnesota, operated with a Boeing 727-251, registration N280US, experienced an engine failure and separation while flying over Madison, Florida. The airplane landed at the departure airport without incident. The six crew members and 139 passengers were not injured. (145 survivors)

Details: While cruising at FL350 the crew heard a bang and noted the loss of no 3 engine power. A safe emergency landing was carried out at Tampa International Airport, FL (TPA). It appeared that the forward lavatory external seal was missing the safety button and the internal seal was improperly installed allowing for leakage when the airplane was pressurized. Frozen chunks of lavatory fluid had been ingested by the no. 3 engine, causing it to separate from the fuselage.

Cause: “The failure of company service personnel to properly service the airplane forward lavatory.”

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.

Earlier in January, Harry traveled to Port Arthur Texas to have get the Chaparral from the museum and get the car started on it’s journey to Maryland. Click here for Harry’s video highlighting his travels to Port Arthur.

January 12 1966, the Batman TV series premiered on this date. Harry is pictured below at his friend’s Bat Cave with Batman and Robin.

Here’s the Bat Cave! Click here for Harry’s newsletter covering his visit to Bill’s Bat Cave.

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. 

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: January 6 snow storm. The snow started during the evening on January 5 and continued until the early morning hours on January 7.

On January 21, we had some historic snow fall in Florida. Some areas received as much as 10 inches. January 19, 1977 was the first time in recorded history that snow fell in Miami.

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.  

Prototypes: According to Andy Green, our Chaparral was the prototype for the Jim Hall Chaparral 2. Andy Green was the primary builder for the Jim Hall Chaparrals as well as one of the builders for our Chaparral pictured here.

Nautical Notes: Tristan da Cunha is a cool place to visit. The island has no airport, so the only way to reach it is by sea, which can take several days from the nearest port. This is one of the few places on earth that you cannot get to by plane.

The Tankas or boat people are a group people that live on junks along the coastal waters of Southern China. Some resources state that they have been living like this for about 1300 years and that some of the Tankas have never set foot on land. Their their traditional livelihood is fishing. they were sometimes referred to as “sea gypsies” by both Chinese and British.  Their homes are floating on the sea. These boats are equipped with living rooms, kitchens and bathrooms. Everything starting from weddings to funerals are held on these boats. The whole life of the people of the Tanka tribe revolves around water and fish.

Here’s a cool story since we recently celebrated the New Year. It most likely is not true (although I am not sure). The navigation we had back then was not accurate enough. Here’s the story: The passenger steamer SS Warrimoo was quietly knifing its way through the waters of the mid-Pacific on its way from Vancouver to Australia. The navigator had just finished working out a star fix and brought Captain John DS. Phillips, the result. The Warrimoo’s position was LAT 0º 31′ N and LONG 179 30′ W. The date was 31 December 1899. “Know what this means?” First Mate Payton broke in, “We’re only a few miles from the intersection of the Equator and the International Date Line”. Captain Phillips was prankish enough to take full advantage of the opportunity for achieving the navigational freak of a lifetime. He called his navigators to the bridge to check & double check the ship’s position. He changed course slightly so as to bear directly on his mark. Then he adjusted the engine speed.

The calm weather & clear night worked in his favor. At mid-night the SS Warrimoo lay on the Equator at exactly the point where it crossed the International Date Line!

The consequences of this bizarre position were many:

The forward part (bow) of the ship was in the Southern Hemisphere & in the middle of summer.

The rear (stern) was in the Northern Hemisphere & in the middle of winter.

The date in the aft part of the ship was 31 December 1899.

In the bow (forward) part it was 1 January 1900.

This ship was therefore not only in: Two different days, two different months, two different years, two different seasons and in two different centuries – all at the same time!

Riding The Rails: Have you ever wondered how model trains became associated with Christmas? The Lionel Corporation was the American company that played a significant role in popularizing the Christmas train tradition. They started advertising electric model trains as gifts, often showing them encircling Christmas trees.

We close this newsletter with these words: If you’re not winning, you are losing.