History Trivia: On September 8 1974, Evel Knievel attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon in his SkyCycle X2.
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.
Aviation/Aviators in the news: On Friday September 12, the Flymall team arrived in Hammondsport for their annual Wings & Wheels of Hammondsport. A stop a Depot Park to checkout the seaplanes and boats is always on their list. This is a good time to meet some of the pilots and hear about their aircraft.
September 13 was the annual Wings & Wheels of Hammondsport. This is an awesome event. The Flymall team and their employees attend this event every year. The seaplanes are always a big attraction. This year, Harry got to fly a Lake amphibian at the event. This is one of his dream planes to own. As of flying the Lake, this was the 135th different type of aircraft in Harry’s logbook. These aircraft types include time in jets, ultralights, 2 different WWII bombers, several WWII trainer/fighter aircraft, helicopters, gliders, seaplanes, the Good Year Blimp, turbo-props, and more.
While at the event, it is becoming a tradition for Friday night to have dinner at the Switzerland Inn overlooking Keuka Lake. Click here for more pictures. The Switzerland Inn is on the east side of the lake. On the outside deck seating, you’re facing west and this makes for picturesque sunsets while dining.
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.
The Frederick Municipal Airport held their annual Frederick Festival of Flight on Saturday September 27. There were a lot of exhibitors and vendors as well as static aircraft displays. Click here for more pictures. Harry’s friend, Li got to go for a ride on a motorized couch/sofa.
One of the highlights at the Festival of Flight was the CH-47 Chinook from the MD Army National Guard.
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.
In addition to the seaplanes at the Wings & Wheels of Hammondsport event, on Saturday September 13, there is also the big car show. Click here for more pictures. The entire town square is packed with classic cars. With the entire town full of classic cars and spectators, it is best to park just outside of town and walk a short distance to the events. This year, a new Keuka Lake walking trail was recently completed. This trail starts behind one of the local schools that has a large parking lot that is used during this event.
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. If you need insurance for your barn find or collector car, visit our insurance section of the Flymall.
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.
Earlier in September, Li passed her instrument instructor checkride (CFII) with Harry. She did an excellent job. She scored 100 percent on the knowledge test. She passed this checkride just a few weeks after passing he initial flight instructor checkride with Harry.
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.
Pat & Harry finished of the last weekend of September with a spectacular day boating on Little Seneca Lake with the Walker Bay 8. Click here for more pictures. The Walker Bay 8 boat is powered by a Minn Kota Transom Mount Trolling Motor and a Power Queen lithium-ion battery, and both work great.
One of the highlights of the day on Little Seneca Lake was spotting this very colorful Northern Red-bellied Cooter.
Riding The Rails: Here’s the old railroad station building at Depot Park. This was originally the Hammondsport , NY train Station. It opened in 1877 by the Bath and Hammondsport Railroad. The railroad tracks were removed around the year 1996.
Animals in the headlines: On September 26 2017 (Sept 26 is Harry’s birthday), while visiting our main turtle habitat, Harry noticed something moving in the dirt near his feet. It turned out to be some baby box turtles hatching. Two of the males are still thriving in our habitats.
We close this newsletter with these words: Here are some words by John Lennon from his song Imagine; You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us and the world will live as one.
Kraemer Aviation hosted a birthday celebration for Larry Barker, our good friend that passed away this past October. We all enjoyed sharing memories of Larry. Click here for more pictures.
History Trivia: August 4 1954: Roland “Bee” Beamont took the English Electric Lightning into the air for the first time. A creature of raw power and brute force, the Lightning, planned as an interim solution, remained in production until 1972 and served the RAF well into the late 1980s.
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 August 18 1984, Harry took his first official flight lesson in N2346V, a Piper Tomahawk. Harry had been flying in general aviation aircraft since the late 1960s. On this day in 1984, he actually took the flight controls for the first time and it was logged in his logbook.
August 16, 1960, Colonel Joseph William Kittinger stepped away from his open gondola named “Excelsior” tethered to a massive helium balloon from an unbelievable altitude of 102,800 feet (31,300 m) above the surface of our Earth. The atmospheric pressure so low, that during the accent, Joe’s pressurization in his right glove malfunctioned, and his right hand swelled to twice its normal size. Taking that one giant step, Joe free fell for 4 minutes and 36 seconds, slamming into the thicker atmosphere below at speeds up to 614 miles per hour (988 km/h) before opening his parachute at 18,000 feet (5,500 m). Joseph William Kittinger II was decorated with a second Distinguished Flying Cross, and awarded the Harmon Trophy by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Kittinger later served three combat tours of duty during the Vietnam War, flying a total of 483 combat missions. May 11, 1972, just before the end of his third tour of duty, while flying an F-4D, Kittinger and his wingman were chasing a MiG-21 when Kittinger’s Phantom II was hit by an air-to-air missile from another MiG-21 that damaged the Phantom’s starboard wing and set the aircraft on fire. Kittinger and 1st Lieutenant William J. Reich ejected a few miles from Thai Nguyen and were soon captured and taken to the city of Hanoi. Kittinger and Reich spent 11 months as prisoners of war (POWs) in the Hỏa Lò Prison, the so-called “Hanoi Hilton”
August 19 we remembered Orville Wright on his birthday. Orville was born on August 19 1871. We also celebrated National Aviation Day on Orville’s birthday.
Aviation/Aviators in the news: The first human to walk on the Moon, Neil Armstrong, was born on August 5 1930. He was an Apollo 11 astronaut, NASA test pilot, the command pilot of Gemini 8, and more.
The first “official airmail flight” took place on August 17 1859. John Wise ascends from Lafayette, IN, with the first official air mail (intended for NY) but lands at Crawfordsville, IN, 28 miles away. The airmail flights and the US Postal Service basically started the airlines. In the early days of flying the mail, they soon realized that they could make more money with paying passengers onboard. So bigger and faster planes were built with the intent to carry people as well as mail & cargo.
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. With the release of the FAA’s new MOSAIC, Cessna 150s are being listed for sale for as much as $100,000 USD.
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.
Earlier in August, Harry attended Bikes & Breakfast of Poolesville. An awesome event in the town of Poolesville Maryland. Click here for more pictures.
After Bikes & Breakfast, Jim had an open house at his garage showing us his awesome collection of racing bikes and other very cool items. Click here for more pictures.
August 26 1967, at the age of 68 and on a 47-year-old bike, Burt Munro set a new World Record in the Flying One Mile Class S-A 1000cc! Here’s his bike, the Munro Special.
August 27 1978, Don Vesco averaged 318.598 mph on the Lightning Bolt. The 21-foot streamliner motorcycle featured two 1016cc turbocharged Kawasaki KZ1000 engines.
We’re remembering Jessi Combs this month. She died August 27 2019, in an accident while driving a jet-powered car in the Alvord Desert in Oregon. Combs was 36. She was posthumously awarded the female land-speed world record by Guinness World Records in June 2020.
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.
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: Hurricane Erin was the first hurricane of the 2025 season. It had rapid intensification and became a Category 5 hurricane before it weakened some. Erin was also one of the largest hurricanes and one of the fastest moving hurricanes.
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.
Here’s a boat similar looking to the Orca from the Jaws movie.
Being the boating lovers that they are, Pat & Harry wanted to be sure that they got some time on the water while they were in the “Boating Capital of the Chesapeake Bay”. They got lucky with the first place that they called, Norton Yachts had boats for rent. Norton Yachts was just 3 minutes from their motel. Pat & Harry were able to rent a 23 foot Bennington 23 SLSE Tritoon. They were soon boating on the Rappahannock River.
Harry was the pilot getting the boat out of the marina and out into deep water.
Riding The Rails: While touring the abandoned boats, Pat & Harry came across this vintage travel lift or boat hoist. They were told that it was still in working condition and used often. This type of lift can also be fitted to railway tracks that go down in the water and the boat drives up to it similar to the way you use a boat trailer. And then, once the boat is on the lift, it can be carried via the railway tracks to it’s location in the marina.
Native American Indian Transportation: One of the displays in the Deltaville Maritime Museum was a Jamestown log canoe pictured here. Native American Indians were building log canoes long before the English arrived from across the Atlantic.
Animals in the headlines: On August 8 2013, Pat & Harry drove down to North Carolina to pick up Jett from the breeder.
Pat & Harry also had a boating day with Jett & Ace. It was an amazing accomplishment to get both dogs out on a boat together. Click here for more pictures.
We close this newsletter with these words: Always choose to be kind and happy!
