Flymall May 2025 Wheels & Wings Newsletter

Wednesday, June 4th, 2025

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

You can view past newsletters here. We have a lot of exciting news this month with lots of interesting stories.

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”.

Speaking of real estate, did you ever dream of being the mayor of your very own town? Wauconda is a privately owned town in  Okanogan County, Washington. You may ask, what can top owning your own town? How about your own Hawaiian Island. Niʻihau is a privately own island. Niʻihau was purchased by Elizabeth McHutchison Sinclair in 1864 for $10,000.00 USD. The island has been owned by Sinclair’s family since 1864.

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 in the early 1900s, Arthur Davidson and William Harley received help with their engine development from Ole Evinrude? Ole was best known for the invention of the first outboard motor with practical commercial application. Pictured below is our Evinrude Zephyr 4404 outboard boat motor and our 1980 AMF Harley Davidson Sportster.

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 May 24, we celebrated the 177th birthday to Otto Lilienthal, the Glider King.

On May 29 1940, the mighty Corsair made it’s first flight. Pictured here is Harry in the Corsair called Korean War Hero at the Montgomery County Airpark in 1999.

Instructors, want 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: Here’s a cool diner. An airplane theme diner! It’s Sam’s Burger-Deli located in Rome Georgia. Thanks to Harry’s friend Richard Rickles for sending us these pictures to use in our newsletter.

The bar pictured below is made from an airplane wing and the leading edge of the wing is actually heated just as it would be on an airplane. We’re told the wing leading edge heat can be used as a backup heat system for the diner/deli.

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

Have you heard the story of Franz Stigler? It’s a story of respect.

Two years ago, Kraemer Aviation hosted the 90th anniversary of the DC Chapter of the Ninety-Nines. Click here for more pictures from this 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.

May 23, 1927: Lt. James A. Doolittle files the first outside loop in a Curtiss P-1-B pursuit plane at McCook Field. Starting at an altitude of 8000 ft Doolittle pointed the nose of the aircraft down and describes a circle of 2000 ft diameter, leveling out at his original altitude. At the bottom of the circle, flying inverted, it is estimated that his aircraft was traveling at 280 mph. The outside loop had not been previously attempted because of fear that the aircraft would disintegrate. [Note: French pilot Pegoud is purported to have performed outside loops prior to this date.]

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.

May 23 was the first award night of the 16th season for the Laytonsville Cruise In. Click here for more pictures. Click here for pictures of our award winners.

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. 

On April 27, the Flymall team attended the Gas and Steam Engine Show at the Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood Maryland. Click here for more pictures. There’s always a nice mix of steam engines, antique tractors, classic cars, and much more.

If you enjoy reading about historic vehicles, visit our Wheels & Wings section of the Flymall, we have numerous A to Z list there including; Automobiles, Aviation, Engines, Flying Cars, Motorcycles, and Nautical.

On May 18, Harry was at Classic Motorcycle Day in Mt. Airy Maryland with his 1975 Lomax 223 Roadster. This year, we won an honorable mention award with the Lomax. Click here for more pictures from the event.

Barn Finds/Hangar Finds:  Need an appraisal on your barn find?  Visit our Appraisal Page for information on our appraisals. If you need insurance for your barn find or collector car, visit our insurance section of the Flymall.

Have you heard about the collection of John Pergolese? It took John Pergolese over 40 years to gather a world class collection of Harley Davidson motorcycles. The collection features 28 motorcycles from 1908 to 1915. Some are original/preserved and some have been restored. Now the collection can be yours for about 1.6 million USD. Click here for more information. Pictured below is an early Harley Davidson seen at the start of the 2023 Motorcycle Cannonball.

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:  Here’s a story of how Harry used a Honda Rebel motorcycle to help a young pilot complete her first solo. Click here for the full story.

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.

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 build from pictures or drawings.  Visit his page on the Flymall.  

Nautical Notes: How did Paul McCartney & Wings end up recording an album on a yacht called Fair Carol in the Virgin Islands? The album was called London Town. It was started at Abbey Road Studios in London. Basically they were a bit bored and tired of the rainy weather in England. Plus Paul said that recording abroad brings in new influences. Their engineer, Geoff Emerick had just returned from Hawaii and was telling the band about the great weather in Hawaii. And Denny Laine had recently visited a floating recording studio in the states. And so, the idea was born to go to the Virgin Islands and finish the album on a yacht. In all, the chartered 3 yachts, one for the crew, one for the studio, and one for the band.

Have you heard the tale about a ship looking for a ship? The Artic Discoverer / Artic Ranger set out to find the ship wreck of the S.S. Central America. The S.S. Central America had 21 tons of gold on board when it sunk in September of 1857 off of the coast of South Carolina. In 1985, Tommy Thompson formed a team to find the S.S. Central America. Thompson’s team purchased the Artic Discoverer to use as their research vessel. Thompson’s team did find the Central America and after about 10 years of court battles, his team was awarded 92 percent of the treasure. Soon thereafter, Thompson skipped town taking some of the treasure with him. By 2015, Thompson was captured by US Marshalls and by most reports, he remains in jail for not telling authorities where he hid some of the gold coins. The Artic Discoverer sits abandoned in Green Cove Springs Florida. Pictured below is the SS John W Brown, a WWII Liberty Ship. Pat & Harry took a cruise on the John Brown in the early 2000s.

Native American Indians: Did you know that it is Oglala Lakota Chief Iron Trail’s distinctive profile on the Buffalo nickel or Indian Head nickel of 1913 to 1938. There is also a famous picture of Chief Iron Trail hand cranking a 1915 automobile. Iron Trail also worked with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

Animals in the headlines: Bill Swets was a retired farmer from Fort Collins Colorado. In 1985 Swets started making metal animals or creatures out of scrap metal. His creatures were made from old car parts, tractor parts, and machinery. It started as a hobby and soon Swets had nearly 200 animals around his property. It was like a zoo and so Swetsville Zoo was born. Sadly, Swets sold off his farm and the land is now owned by a developer who has said that they will find a place for Swets’ creations. Click here for some creative ways to recycle old spark plugs.

On May 4, four turtles hatched from their nest in our main turtle pond. And on May 5, another baby turtle was found. The eggs must have been laid last fall and when the turtles hatched, they just stayed underground until they emerged from their nest. Sadly only 3 were found alive. We found part of the shell of the fourth turtle as it appeared that he was eaten by one of the adult turtles. It all, it appears that 5 turtles hatched, one of the first three that was found on May 4 did not survive. Click here for more information on the turtles that we have in our sanctuary.

We close this newsletter with these words: Always choose to be kind and happy!