Flymall.org / Kraemer Aviation October 2025 Wheels & Wings Newsletter

Saturday, November 1st, 2025

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

You can view past newsletters here.

Coming in my November Wheels & Wings Newsletter, you’ll learn about this motorcycle from the late 1800s.

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 living at an airport, here’s a cool fact. Did you know that Narita International Airport in Japan has a house and farm on the airport located between the runways. This aerial view image from Wikipedia shows several areas that may be the farm, although it is not clear.

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.

Our company offers some cool gear (bags & clothing). Enter for a chance to win some of our cool gear for free. To qualify to win some of our gear for free, you need to do something significant for your aviation community. This can include conducting a Wings approved safety meeting, organizing an open house at your local airport, or any other activity to promote general aviation. Just send an email to harry@flymall.org with some proof documenting what you did.

History Trivia: October 13, 1922: Glenn H. Curtiss is acclaimed “the world’s foremost aeronautical engineer” when his aircraft, all Curtiss racers, take first, second, third, and fourth places and break world speed records in the Pulitzer Race at Detroit, MI. The highest speed reached of 206 mph by Lt. Russell L. Maughan in a field of 24 planes. Visit Flymall.org for a new history fact each day, located at the bottom of our webpages. Click here to view some of Glenn Curtiss aircraft on display at the Glenn Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport New York.

When you think of pirate ships and pirates, you usually think of men. Grace O’Malley was a pirate (female) that defied all images of what we usually think of when it comes to a pirate. Grace was born around the year 1530 and dies around 1603. She was about 73 years old at the time of her death. At the time, Ireland was ruled by dynasties or clans. She took over as head of the Ó Máille dynasty after her father died. Grace became the ruler/owner of what became know as Hen’s Castle on the west coast of Ireland (built in the 12th century) after he husband died defending it. Her husband actually lost control of it and she fought to win back control of it. By 1566, Grace married (she married  Risdeárd an Iarainn (“Iron Richard”) Bourke) a second time just to get control Rockfleet Castle that was owned by  Risdeárd. She ended up divorcing  Risdeárd after 1 year and kicking him out of his own castle. At sea, Grace ruled from north of Ireland up to Scotland and down to Spain. At one time at the peak of her rule, she had about 20 Galley Ships. By 1577 England was wanting to get control of Ireland and England knew that Grace was a threat. At one time, England had one of Grace’s sons held captive. Grace would eventually meet with Queen Elizabeth the First and make a deal to have her son released. The deal was for Grace to give up control of her clan to the English. Grace would go back on her word. Grace eventually gets captured and was held in prison, however, Grace makes another deal and is released. As late as the year 1601, Grace was involved in one last battle, she would have been in her seventies by then. She would die about 2 years later.

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 2024, Noah passed his private pilot checkride. This day was also his birthday. He was 17 years old, this is the youngest age at which you can earn your private pilot certificate.

Noah’s first solo was on his 16th birthday, on October 10 2023.

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.

It was one year ago this month that Nir Blumenfeld received his Outstanding Flight Instructor award from the Baltimore FSDO.

Aviation/Aviators in the news: On October 10 1954, Juliane Margaret Beate Koepcke was born. She is the sole survivor of the 1971 LANSA Flight 508 crash. When the plane was struck by lightning, she fell 10,000 ft while strapped to her seat and suffered numerous injuries including a concussion, broken collarbone, and a torn knee ligament. She survived 11 days alone in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest until she located a lumberjack camp.

On October 28, 2025, the CubCrafters Carbon Cub UL, piloted by Jon Kotwicki, climbed to 37,609 ft over the California coast. This is an unofficial world altitude record for Cub-type aircraft. Pictured below is a 1946 Piper Cub (yellow plane) which is a similar airplane.

Here is a picture of Harry on his first plane ride. It was at Bay Bridge Airport sometime in the 1960s. They were selling planes rides for a penny a pound. It probably cost his dad about 50 cents for his first plane ride. And the rest is history. Harry is the one in the blue shirt.

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 17 was an award night at the Laytonsville Cruise In. There were over 50 cars there. Click here for more pictures of our award winners from October.

We had two really awesome vehicles show up at the Laytonsville Cruise In on October 24. We had a street legal boat and a street legal Sea Doo. These were very cool to see.

Here’s Harry’s YouTube video of the Sea Doo and boat in action.

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.  We’ve added some cool places/events in the motorcycle category of our Day Tripper page, click here to check it out.

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 October 10 1974, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was born.

On October 5, the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing held a track day and swap meet. The weather was prefect for the event. Click here for more pictures of the event including a tour of the museum. Click here for a YouTube video of the cars racing including a tour of pit row.

On October 12 1868, August Horch was born. August Horch was a German engineer and automobile pioneer, the founder of the manufacturing giant which would eventually become Audi. His first business was established in 1899 and his early cars carried his name “Horch”.

October 12 1956, the Chrysler Corporation introduced high fidelity record players for their 1956 line-up of cars. Have you ever seen one in a car? Let us know in the comments below.

On October 25 1975, Evel Knievel jumped 14 Greyhound busses at Kings Island near Cincinnati, Ohio. While he did not land on the ramp, he landed on the 14th bus and the jump was considered a success. This was a record that would stand until 1999 when Bubba Blackwell jumped 15 busses. Here’s a Harley Davidson XR-750 like the bike Evel Knievel used for the jump at Kings Island. This is a scale model from our collection.

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.

October 14 1965, the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado was introduced on this day in 1965. The vehicle is historically significant because it was the first mass-produced front wheel drive American car since the Cord ended production in 1937.

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.

On October 20 2019, Harry had the privilege of accepting Annabelle Fera’s (a legendary DPE in the Baltimore FSDO Region) certificate inducting her into the Dean R. Van Kirk Aviation Heritage Museum Hall of Fame. Here are a few pictures from that day. Annabelle was the one that inspired Harry to become a DPE. When Harry met her in the early 1980s, he said “When I grow up, I want to be just like you”. Click here for Harry’s October 2019 newsletter that includes he short speech that he gave when he accepted Annabelle’s award.

Weather in the news: On October 28 2025, Jamaica took a direct hit from Hurricane Melissa, it was the strongest storm in 37 years since Gilbert. Melissa had winds of 185 mph and a pressure of 892 mb when it hit Jamaica.

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.

Here’s a rare 3-wheeler. It is a 1946 Buda Chore Boy Model FF Fuel-A-Plane. Click on the link to learn more about this rare piece of aviation history.

Would you believe that a self-propelled vehicle actually existed before the start of the Revolutionary War? The “Fardier à vapeur” or Steam Carriage, was built in 1769 by French engineer Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot for the French army. With a top speed of 2.5 miles an hour, its primary use was to haul artillery. Steam-powered vehicles had inherent limitations that ultimately contributed to their decline, such as range and efficiency, start-up time, maintenance, weight, size and speed. The invention of the internal combustion engine was a key factor in their eventual demise. But, would you believe the 1769 Fardier de Cugnot still runs today? It’s officially the world’s oldest self-propelled vehicle and it can be seen on display at the Musee des Arts et Metiers in Paris, France.

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

Prototypes: Have you heard about Henry Ford’s 1941 prototype bioplastic car? The car was also known as the soybean car. Ford wanted to use agricultural products for vehicles. The project was intended to reduce the need for steel during World War II, since steel was needed for the war effort. Ford also aimed to integrate agriculture with heavy industry by creating cars that could be “grown from soil”.  His 1941 prototype was said to be lighter and stronger than steel. The car even ran on ethanol fuel produced from agricultural byproducts like hemp.  According to material online, the car was destroyed and the original formula for its plastic body was lost. Click here for the Wikipedia page on the soybean car. The Wikipedia page states that the car was created by Lowell E. Overly.

Nautical Notes: Did you know that there is an island called Pheasant Island whose administration (ownership) alternates between two nations every six months. Pheasant Island is an uninhabited river island located in the Bidasoa river, located between France and Spain, whose administration alternates between the two nations every six months.

Earlier in October, history was made when the Neoliner Origin, the world’s longest wind-powered cargo ship arrived in the Port of Baltimore. Neoliner Origin is approximately 446 feet in length. It can carry 5,842 tons of cargo while cutting fossil fuel use by over 80%. Powering the ship are two 295-foot masts and 32,000 square feet of sails.

Here’s the story of one famous ship that includes another very famous ship. The Arctic Discoverer ship started out as a research ship and icebreaker vessel. In 1987, the ship was purchase by Tommy Thompson to locate the shipwreck of the S.S. Central America. Tommy convinced 161 investors to fund the expedition. The S.S. Central America sank in 1857 with 425 lives lost. The S.S. Central America was carrying 30,000 pounds of gold. In 1857, the gold had a value of about 2 million dollars (300 million in the year 2025). Tommy did located the S.S. Central America in 1988. Reports state that over $150,000 million in gold (over 1 ton of gold) was recovered. After returning to port, there were disputes over the gold and the reward money, Tommy ended up disappearing with some of the gold. Thirty nine insurance companies came forward staking claim to the gold since they insured it back in 1857. There was a 2 year manhunt to find him. Tommy was eventually found, however, he never revealed where the gold was. It was reported that Tommy sold the gold to a marketing group for 50 million dollars. Non of the 161 investors saw any of the money, many of them filed lawsuits. From reports on the internet, the Arctic Discoverer is still in Florida at a dock rusting away. There were plans to sink the Arctic Discoverer to make an artificial reef.

Riding The Rails: October 4 & 5 was the awesome Brunswick Railroad Days event in Brunswick Maryland. If you attend this event, be sure to visit the Brunswick Heritage Museum. They have a 1,700 square foot HO scale train layout on the third floor. Here’s a YouTube video of the museum’s trains. Click here for pictures and videos of the event.

Click here for a YouTube video of all the trains in action including the ones passing through that Brunswick Railroad station. The train station (pictured below) was built in 1891. It was originally located on Seventh Avenue. Years later, it was moved to it’s current location.

The Gaithersburg Community Museum or commonly referred to as the Train Museum, is a cool place tucked away in Old Town Gaithersburg. Their steam locomotive was built in 1918.

Did you know that at one time, banks would print their own money? Here’s a 10 dollar bill printed by the First National Bank of Gaithersburg. Banks could print their own money if they could prove that it could be backed with some type of solid investment like gold or silver. There is an entire section in the Gaithersburg Community Museum on this.

Animals in the headlines: A lot of the turtles in our turtle sanctuary are moving indoors for the winter. Here’s a few of our aquatic turtles enjoying their sun lamp.

We close this newsletter with these words: Demand excellence.