Welcome to the Kraemer Aviation/Flymall.org Wheels & Wings Newsletter. This month we’re featuring failed technology. We have some very cool technology this month, from dual motor cars, to the hyperloop high speed transportation tunnel. Plus we have a special interview with a young helicopter pilot that made an awesome flight in a very cool helicopter.
Pat & Harry hosted their annual Thanksgiving dinner. It was truly a Wheels & Wings event. There were pilots there, car collectors, and bicycle collectors. Click here for more pictures.
History Trivia: How many knew that Cessna made a helicopter. The Cessna CH-1 Skyhook is the only helicopter ever built by the Cessna Aircraft Company. It was the first helicopter to land on the summit of Pike’s Peak and the last piston-engined helicopter to set the helicopter altitude record. With having such a record breaking helicopter, one must wonder why Cessna did not continue producing helicopters. Was this just some failed technology? Why didn’t Cessna stay in the helicopter manufacturing business?
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.
On November 10 1885, we had the first test ride of what is often considered the first modern motorcycle, the Daimler Reitwagen (“riding car”), occurred. At the controls was 17-year-old Paul Daimler, son of the bike’s inventor, Gottlieb Daimler. This journey effectively made Paul the world’s first biker. This is certainly NOT failed technology. It has been improved upon over the years and we’re still riding on 2 wheels.
Do you recall NASA’s research on lifting bodies in the 1960s? Lifting bodies paved the way for the Space Shuttle! The M2-F1 lifting body research program required a tow vehicle for its low-speed glider. Engineers, including Walter Whiteside, modified a 1963 Pontiac Catalina convertible with a more powerful engine, custom gearbox, and drag slicks. The car, which remained street-legal with NASA license plates, made its first successful tow on 1 March 1963, and would make over 400 more tows before the project moved onto the next phase, where the M2-F1 would be towed by a Douglas C-47 at altitude instead.
Achievements & Special Recognition: Carmel Haas: Earlier this month, Carmel celebrated her two year anniversary (November 11 2021) of passing her instrument checkride. A flawless checkride at that. She had moderate turbulence and 20 to 30 knots of wind at altitude and she kept the needles centered for every approach. This girl is outstanding. Her first lesson was 9-3-2021, first solo was 9-23-2021, private pilot checkride 10-7-2021, and instrument rating 11-11-2021. Now she is flying with the airlines. Best of luck to her in her aviation career.
Aviation/Aviators in the news: This month we have a special interview with Lexie Diedrich. She has just completed an awesome flight ferrying a Chinook helicopter from Istanbul Turkey to Burkina Faso Africa. Click here for her interesting story.
While air-to-air refueling is commonplace for our military today, it was very different in 1929. On November 12 1929, the first air-to-air refueling took place. It was accomplished by Wesley “Wes” May, Frank Hawks and Earl Daugherty whom devised a simple plan to strap a 5 gallon can around Wes’ back, who then, carefully made his way from the Curtiss Jenny to the Lincoln Standard to transfer the fuel. Here’s a picture from that day. The method used in 1929 is failed technology.
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.
Chrysler Corporation introduced high fidelity record players for their 1956 line-up of cars on Oct 12, 1956. The unit measured about four inches high and less than a foot wide and mounted under the instrument panel. The seven inch discs spun at 16 2/3 rpm and required almost three times the number of grooves per inch as an LP. A set of 35 classical recordings were available that provided between 45 and 60 minutes of uninterrupted music. The players would be discontinued in 1961.
Barn Finds/Hangar Finds: Need an appraisal on your barn find? Visit our Appraisal Page for information on our appraisals. It would be awesome to find one of these sitting in a barn. This is the 1959 Ford Country Squire concept camper station wagon. Dubbed the Swiss army knife of cars.
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 Citroen Sahara built for the North African terrain. It featured identical front and rear engines and could be driven using either engine or both. A multi engine car! There is nothing failed about dual motor cars, we have them now. They are referred to as hybrids. And we also have cars with electric motors at each wheel. Chevrolet’s new E-Ray uses power from the gas engine on the rear axle and power from an electric motor in the front (a dual motor Corvette).
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.
Weather in the news: Just 2 days before Thanksgiving, we had a major storm system move across the states. Just in time to disrupt travel plans for many.
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. Check out the all new 3-Wheelers.com site. We have over 750 listings in the A to Z list. The A to Z list has numerous sub categories as well. Check it out here.
In the late 1800s, the Rex Cycle Company tried something that failed. Their unique bicycle was only in production for one year. The Rex Cycle Company of Chicago, Illinois manufactured this three-wheel bicycle in 1898. The bicycle was designed by Bohn C. Hicks, who obtained three patents on this type of machine (patents, 557,387, 557388 and 561710) in 1896. The unusual construction of the Rex cycle resulted from Hicks’ efforts to produce a machine “particularly adapted to absorb or minimize the shocks incident to riding over obstructions.” The seat was mounted on a tube attached to pivot points on the front wheel and the rear third wheel, a design to allow the wheels to undulate over bumps with minimal jostling to the rider. We have both a single and a tandem in our collection. The tandem is so rare that only two are know to exist, the one we have and one in the Henry Ford Museum. Click here for info on our Rex single. Click here for info on our tandem.
Want a reproduction vintage 3 wheeler. Walker Aviation can scratch build from pictures or drawings. Visit his page on the Flymall.
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Prototypes: Ford Levacar was a concept vehicle from the 1950s that is failed technology in terms a transportation for the public. The Ford Mach I, also known as the Ford Levacar Mach I, is a concept car hovercraft developed by the Ford Motor Company in the 1950s. The Mach I was a single-seat automobile which rode on pressurized air, not wheels. Its name was inspired by the speed Mach 1, an aspiration speed not yet achieved by vehicles at the time. It used air pressure at a force of 15–100 psi to provide lift and propulsion. In experiments, 50–60 psi was used so that 15 hp was needed for levitation and 2.5 hp propelled it 20 mph.
The Levacar project was led by Andrew A. Kucher (a Ford Vice-President for Engineering and Research) and David J. Jay (a Senior Development Engineer). Kucher had initially conceived the concept around 1930. One of the lead designers was Gale Halderman, known for being the initial designer of the Ford Mustang. In addition to the Mach I automobile, the project also developed a similarly outfitted scooter, the Levascooter. In experiments on a circular track,[4] vehicles would raise .125 inches (3.2 mm) off the ground and could jump 1 inch (25 mm) obstacles
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When Chevrolet recently “re-introduced” the mid-engine Corvette, there was a lot of excitement. Yes, we said “re-introduced”. The idea has been around since 1968 with the 1968 Chevrolet Astro II (XP-880). This mid-engine Chevrolet concept car was introduced at the 1968 New York Auto Show as a practical, personal sports car designed to carry two passengers and their luggage comfortably and rapidly. A hint of Astro I styling flavor is seen in the frontal appearance of this running experimental car, but unlike the Astro I, Astro II had doors to access the passenger compartment. The contours had been altered slightly to accommodate wide section tires, which promoted stability and handling and reflected the change in dimensions, which resulted from the adoption of a mid-wheel base location for the engine. The air-cooled, single overhead camshaft six-cylinder engine used in the Astro I was replaced with a liquid-cooled 390 horsepower MK IV big block V8 engine, with power passing through a two speed torque converter from a Pontiac Tempest transaxle. Unlike many European mid-engine vehicles, the Astro II carried its radiator at the rear; a location intended to minimize the amount of plumbing required and to keep the hot water lines from passing through the passenger compartment. This arrangement freed the front compartment for the storage of luggage. The sponson area on either side of the car behind the passenger compartment was available for extra storage on the left and a collapsible spare tire on the right. The rear section of the Astro II raised immediately aft of the passenger compartment to allow access to the sponson storage areas and to the engine and suspension. The Astro II has a wheelbase of 100 inches, overall length of 181 inches, and a height of a mere 43.7 inches. Overall width is 74 inches.
Lead engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov and GM styling chief Bill Mitchell were hoping Astro II would be the concept for the next generation Corvette, but the GM management figured the public was not ready for a mid-engine car.
The Astro II is currently part of the GM Heritage Center Collection. This isn’t really “failed technology”, it is just technology that was decades in the making.
Nautical Notes: How useful is a boat that can crawl onto land? This could have some military uses as well as search and rescue. Click here for a YouTube video of a crawling boat. This seems like an improvement of the landing craft we saw in WWII. This is just some more technology that we will need to see if the test of time makes it failed technology.
Riding The Rails: Is it possible that the Virgin Hyperloop could make other forms of transportation obsolete? Or is this just some failed technology? We will need to wait and see. Hyperloop One is an American transportation technology company that works to commercialize the high-speed travel concept called the Hyperloop, a variant of the vacuum train. The company was established on June 1, 2014, and reorganized and renamed on October 12, 2017.
Native American Indian Transportation: The travois was a popular means of carrying loads over long distances. These were widely used by the Plains Indians of North America.
The basic construction consists of a platform or netting mounted on two long poles, lashed in the shape of an A-frame; the frame was dragged with the sharply pointed end forward. Sometimes the blunt end of the frame was stabilized by a third pole bound across the two poles.
Animals in the headlines: Meet the newest addition to the Kraemer family, a Belgian Malinois.
We close this newsletter with these words: Here are some words of wisdom from Sir Paul McCartney: And in the end, The love you take, Is equal to the love you make.
What is it with pilots and the lure of flight? Leonardo da Vinci has been quoted to say: For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward; for there you have been, and there you long to return. For most pilots, flying is flying. It doesn’t matter if you are going from place to place or just flying circles in the pattern.
Imagine being a pilot and your current job is flying a helicopter over a cherry tree orchard to dry cherries. Cherries are easily damaged from being too wet. Many growers will hire a helicopter to fly above the orchard and dry the cherries to prevent damage. Cherry drying is very seasonal and when the crop is picked, the pilot is looking for their next job. This is exactly what happened to Harry’s friend, Lexie Diedrich. Lexie had applied for a position to ferry a BV-234 Chinook across 13 countries, over 7500 miles. As her cherry drying contract was coming to an end, she received an email from the assistant chief pilot that her application (for the Chinook ferry flight) was reviewed and that they would like to do an interview.
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem-rotor helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol. The Chinook is a heavy-lift helicopter that is among the heaviest lifting Western helicopters. Its name, Chinook, is from the Native American Chinook people of Oregon and Washington state. A commercial model of the Chinook, the Boeing-Vertol Model 234, is used worldwide for logging, construction, fighting forest fires, and supporting petroleum extraction operations. In December 2006, Columbia Helicopters Inc purchased the type certificate of the Model 234 from Boeing, Columbia Helicopters’ model is the Columbia Model 234 Multi-Mission Chinook.
Here’s Lexie about the interview: It was a pretty informal phone conversation. I remember thinking, “there is no way that I got the position… that would be too good to be true.” “Fast forward to two weeks later, I was on the phone with a friend whom I was telling that it would be too good to be true if I got the job. At that moment, I looked at my phone and saw a call from my new company. I was hired! The timing worked out perfectly with the end of the cherry drying season in Washington, and my drive to Oregon for training. I am so fortunate to have been picked for the ferry trip as well.”
Lexie’s ferry flight started in Istanbul, Turkey and ended in Burkina Faso, Africa. The crew consisted of a captain, the second in command (Lexie) as well as two maintenance personnel: one Crew Chief and one mechanic. Since they were flying into many remote areas and maintenance from outside sources would not be available, they carried the two A&Ps. They did have some maintenance issues in Greece, for a short time, they thought they would need to return to Turkey, however, their maintenance crew resolved the issue.
Here are the countries that Lexie visited on this awesome flight; Turkey, Greece, Italy, Algeria, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Burkina Faso. The trip was just over 44 total hours. The Chinook burns from 1250 to 1500 pounds per hour.
The Chinook is a true, two pilot aircraft that requires a type rating for the captain as well as the SIC. The PIC is the one flying the aircraft and the SIC is very busy with the radios, navigation and pretty much every task other than stick-and-rudder flying. Lexie says “It is like the synchronicity of a brain and body; the PIC is the body, the SIC is the brain.”
When asked what her favorite part of the trip was, Lexie replied “Our three days in Greece. Though the delay was due to unfortunate circumstances, I was able to see some of the most beautiful, secluded beaches I have ever seen. The rural, oceanic landscapes we saw while flying over Greece inspired me to build a homestead here one day.”
Harry asked what her least favorite part of the trip was and Lexie replied “The fact that we only got to stay in many beautiful places for a night; no time for exploring, if you want to get any rest.”
Here’s more from Harry’s interview with Lexie.
Question – Do you have any other ferry flights coming up?
Answer – The flights I do are all at the mercy of my company’s business needs and if I get chosen. We often don’t know our schedule until the day before!
Question – Did you get to do any sight seeing?
Answer – Many places we did not have enough time to, as the needs of the business went before our leisure. However, I would go to the beaches as much as I could. The hotels we stayed in were incredible; I learned there is a hotel in Africa built where no natural growing plants can be found for hundreds of miles, that teaches windsurfing guests. I got ideas from all the places we stopped at of locations that I would like to go back to and visit for a longer period of time. I will definitely be seeing more of Greece and Spain! When the trip was over, I tried to take a couple day trip to the beach in Morocco. Word to the wise; do not try to change your flight on Royal Air Maroc at the airport in Morocco, Africa. It is not worth the effort.
Question – Did you cross over the western mediterranean sea or stay close to land?
Answer – We hugged the shorelines. It made for a picturesque view, places to land in case of emergency, and a good way to stay on course.
Question – Any border crossing or customs issues?
Answer – The company hires another business to handle our General Declarations, hotels, visas etc. They were a big help as we did not have to figure these things out as we were handling our pilot duties.
Question – Was there any complex airspace to deal with?
Answer – YES. It turns out that controllers in Italy will not hand you off to the next controller whose airspace you will be flying through, despite the fact that they have your flight plan. They also get irritated when you ask to get handed off to the next controller so you don’t get in trouble. At one point, we were flying along the coast of Italy from one CTA to another. The controller did not hand us over to the next and we were told to call “the number.” Thankfully they never called us and we were able to continue.
Question – Were there any issues getting fuel?
Answer – Typically not. Occasionally our hired company forgot to send the fuel release form. That was fixed with a phone call, and at worst having to wait until the next day for fuel.
Question – Did you use a flight planning service?
Answer – No, we needed to file our own flight plans because we are a helicopter flying VFR. We would have to explain to the tower personnel that we don’t want to climb up to 10,000+ feet, but needed to stay low level. In many African countries, we were not allowed to use IFR waypoints. The charts with the VFR waypoints are not online. The VFR charts are only found as physical copies in the flight planning offices of each airport. One airport would not have the charts with VFR waypoints for the next airport to land at on our route, so we kept having to explain to them we don’t have their points. We would write down all the applicable VFR points for the local airspace on our route and use them to be directed out of their airspace.
Question – Were you able to get accurate and current weather information?
Answer – Only in first-world countries. Many places in Africa would only update their Metar once a day. The weather was also inaccurate in terms of cloud layers. There were a couple times when it was questionable as to whether we would be able to land VFR at our destination airports.
Question – What were your longest weather delays?
Answer – We wouldn’t be able to depart after noon local time, since we do not fly after dark. So if the adverse weather remains past noon, we would stay at the current location for the night. We hoped for bad weather when we were at good locations and to depart early in less favorable locations.
Question – Did you get flight following?
Answer – Per company policy, we had to have flight following for every leg. We would typically get flight following from the company headquarters. The PIC was to call company headquarters before our departure each time we took off and get the flight following. If we did not have service, the cockpit was equipped with a satellite phone that we could call company headquarters from.
Question – Did most controllers speak good english?
Answer – Oooof…not at all. I would often have to turn my volume up to ear piercing decibel levels to try to make out what they were requesting. There were a good amount of “say again?” Radio calls made by me.
Question – What are your career goals?
Answer – This has changed throughout time for me. My current career goal is to get away from contract work and work for one company indefinitely. I desire to have a living wage and work/life balance from said company, such as two week on/off. Doing short contracts can be exciting, but I desire to know where my next paycheck is coming from. I am actually about to move to New Mexico to get my add on fixed wing ratings to continue my aviation education. Perhaps I will work in the airlines for a couple years until I get on my feet financially.
Lexie is a very experienced helicopter pilot and CFI with over 1,000 hours of flight time. She also has her fixed wing ratings. In addition to her cherry drying contract flying, Lexie has flown aerial tours, ferry flights, flight instruction, and other contract work.
Here is a list of the airports Lexie stopped at on her trip with a map showing each stop: LTBU – LGKV – LGKF – LGPZ – LIBG – LIPY – LIML – LFML – LERS – LEMI – GMTT – GMMN – GMAD – GMML – GMMH – GQPP – GQNO – GOBD – GGOV – GFLL – GLRB – DIAP – DFOO – DFFD
History Trivia: We start our un-stoppable theme with Violet Jessop. Who’s she you may ask? In 1911, Jessop began working as a stewardess for the White Star liner RMS Olympic. Olympic was a luxury ship that was the largest civilian liner at that time. Jessop was on board on September 20 1911, when Olympic left from Southampton and collided with the British warship HMS Hawke. Jessop later boarded RMS Titanic as a stewardess on April 10 1912, at age 24. Four days later, on April 14, it struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank about two hours and forty minutes after the collision. In the First World War, Jessop was a stewardess for the British Red Cross. On the morning of November 21 1916, she was aboard HMHS Britannic, the younger sister ship of Olympic and Titanic that had been converted into a hospital ship, when it sank in the Aegean Sea after an unexplained explosion. Britannic sank within 55 minutes, killing 30 of the 1,066 people on board. While Britannic was sinking, Jessop and other passengers were nearly killed by the ship’s propellers that were shredding lifeboats that collided with the propellers. Jessop had to jump out of her lifeboat, resulting in a traumatic head injury which she survived. Jessop survived 3 major mishaps (2 sinkings) on 3 of the White Star Line’s best ships and she kept going.
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 2023, Pat’s student Noah did his first solo on his 16th birthday. He did a great job. Noah has been flying since he was 11 years old. Here is a YouTube video showing his first solo takeoff, first solo landing, the traditional clipping of the shirt tail, the water bucket, and some pictures. Click here for more high resolution pictures and videos from that day.
Noah hopes to take his checkride with Harry next year on his 17th birthday. We hope Noah has a long and prosperous career in aviation.
Meet George Frederick “Buzz” Beurling, a Canadian fighter pilot that was un-stoppable in WWII. By the end of the war, he had 31 confirmed kills. Most of his kills were when he was based on the island of Malta. His most famous shot of WWII was when he shot down a Messerschmitt 109 from 800 yards. This is said to be the most famous kill of WWII. At the time, Beurling was flying a Spitfire. Spitfire guns were said to be good for about 450 yards. This shot/kill was done at a distance of almost twice that.
Another Canadian fighter pilot that was un-stoppable, was William Avery Bishop. Bishop was a Canadian flying ace of the First World War. He was officially credited with 72 victories.
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 20th was supposed to be the last award night at the Laytonsville Cruise In for the year. However, the weather wasn’t at it’s best. We did give out some awards on the 20th to the few cars that did show up and we gave out the remainder of the awards on October 27.
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.
Earlier in October, Pat & Harry attended the Fall Fest hosted by District Harley Davidson. Free food, live music, bikes, vendors, and more. Click here for more pictures.
The Earnhardt name has been un-stoppable in stock car racing with Dale Sr. and Dale Jr. Earlier in October we celebrated Dale Jr.’s birthday. Dale Jr. began his racing career at the late age of 17. Together, Dale Sr. and Dale Jr. hold many awards and championships in their careers.
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.
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 has had a facelift. The lesson plans are now in categories according to the certificate and/or rating. Check it out on the Flymall by clicking here. Visit our Flight Training page for information on our aviation training classes.
Weather in the news: Earlier this month, parts of the states experienced the ring of fire eclipse. Our next eclipse is in April 2024.
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.
Established in 1901 in West Norwood, United Kingdom, AC Cars is Britain’s oldest active vehicle manufacturer. With Carol Shelby, the AC name became un-stoppable in auto racing. Here is our 1912 AC Delivery trike, the vehicle that kick-started the AC name.
More progress has been made on the new 3-Wheelers.com site. The A to Z list has over 700 entries/listings in it now.
Want a reproduction vintage 3 wheeler. Walker Aviation can scratch built from pictures or drawings. Visit his page on the Flymall.
Here is the Aprilia Magnet Tilting Reverse Trike that can be found in the Concepts category of the A to Z list. Click here for more info.
Nautical Notes: The Flymall team is continuing with their sailing education. Earlier this month they rented a 37 foot Beneteau and a captain for a full day of sailing on the Chesapeake Bay. Click here for more pictures.
On the last Saturday of October, the temperatures were in the mid 80s and the weather was perfect for an afternoon on Little Seneca Lake. Pat & Harry were treated to an unusual sight on the lake that day. A 1922 steam boat.
Riding The Rails: The Middleton Railway is the world’s oldest continuously working railway, situated in the English city of Leeds. It was founded in 1758 and is now a heritage railway, run by volunteers from The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd. since 1960. In 1812, the Middleton Railway became the first commercial railway to use steam locomotives successfully. Here’s a picture of one of the early steam locomotives used on the railway.
Native American Indian Transportation:Tecumseh, was a Shawnee chief and warrior who promoted resistance to the expansion of the United States onto Native American lands. A persuasive orator, Tecumseh traveled widely, forming a Native American confederacy and promoting intertribal unity. Even though his efforts to unite Native Americans ended with his death in the War of 1812, he became an iconic folk hero in American, Indigenous, and Canadian popular history. Tecumseh was widely admired in his lifetime, even by Americans who had fought against him. The name “Tecumseh” is iconic today day as a popular small engine used in mini bikes, go-karts, and other small utility vehicles and lawn mowers.
Animals in the headlines: Salukis are acknowledged as the world’s oldest dog breed by the Guinness Book of World Records, which states that the breed has been around since at least 329 B.C. This breed was highly prized because of their speed, stamina (un-stoppable), and hunting abilities.
We close this newsletter with these words: Since The Beatles are un-stoppable, we close this newsletter with a quote from John Lennon. When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. Pictured here are John and Sean on their birthday.
We’re also remembering John Lennon on his birthday, October 9 1940. And Sean Lennon on his birthday, October 9 1975. We can forget that also on October 9 2011, Paul McCartney married Nancy Shevell.
Janice Littell Love was a member of the original Unicycle Wranglers (see Note 2), a professional unicycle group from Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Unicycle Wranglers were managed and trained by Loyd Smith, the inventor of the Loyd Unicycle (click here for more information on Loyd Smith). Janice was an accomplished unicyclist able to ride on a tight wire, foot walk forward and backward, jump rope, ride with one foot, and perform many other unicycle tricks and stunts. Ted Jorgensen (now deceased) was a member of the original Unicycle Wranglers. Ted Jorgensen (now deceased) was the biological father of Jeff Bezos.
The Unicycle Wranglers had many acts including a square dance, a unicycle trapeze act, modern swing dance, jump rope, head-to-head stand, and many others. In the mid 1960s, the Unicycle Wranglers left the cowboy boots behind for more traditional circus attire and they changed the name of the group to the Uniques (see Note 1). The Uniques performed throughout the southwest and western United States at variety shows, state fairs, and at many other venues including the Los Angeles Press Club and the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles where the Academy Awards were held. The Uniques also performed with the Rudy Bros. Circus. The Uniques could do all of their acts on ice (thumb tacks were pushed through the tire for traction). In the late 1960s, the Uniques once again changed their name, this time to the Universals. The Universals continued to perform throughout the early 1970s.
Janice joined the Albuquerque Unicycle Club (the Albuquerque Unicycle Club was incorporated in 1953) in 1962 and she was active until about 1970. History says that the Albuquerque Unicycle Club was the first in the world to play unicycle hockey. Janice says that she does not personally remember that and that by the time she joined the club, they had replaced the hockey sticks with polo mallets. She says the game remained the same. Every Tuesday night, the Albuquerque Unicycle Club would gather at the Heights Community Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico to ply polo, practice tricks/stunts, and race. There was a four foot cinderblock wall that surrounded the Heights Community Center and the riders would compete to see who could ride the farthest on the wall without falling off. Once a year the Albuquerque Unicycle Club had formal competitions. There was a race for the fastest, a technical and trick competition for the most versatile, and a creative competition in which unicyclists spent weeks preparing their costumes and their “show”. The unicyclists were awarded with beautiful tall hardwood and metal trophies. The first place awards had the rider’s name and year engraved on the trophy and the rider got to keep the trophy for a year. If a rider won a first place trophy 3 years in a row, they got to keep it forever. These trophies were very special because each one had all of the previous winners names on it. They were a piece of history. Janice retired both the Most Creative and the Versatile trophies. These trophies were given out at the club’s annual banquet. The club also rode in many parades and often won awards for their performances.
Janice on the tightwire
During this same time period, there was another unicycle club called the Little Wheels (see Note 2). This was a group of kids that did free shows for children’s hospitals and senior centers in Albuquerque, New Mexico and other locations throughout New Mexico. The founder and leader of the Little Wheels was Ken Littell from 1963 to 1993.
Did you know??? US patents for single-wheeled ‘velocipedes’ were published in 1869 by Frederick Myers and in 1881 by Battista Scuri.
Note 1 – The Uniques (established in 1962), was Smith’s top performing group, pulled from about 150 youngsters who had been riding in Albuquerque over an eight-year period. Membership in the Uniques was limited to seven riders and one alternate at any given time, with Smith as director. They traveled, with their costumes and equipment, in a custom-built 12-passenger limousine.
Note 2 – The more talented of the younger riders were organized into a second group trained by Kenneth Littell, who later lived in Phoenix, Arizona. These youngsters, called Little Wheels, provided a feeder system for a third group, the Wranglers, who were excellent riders in need of something more challenging to do.
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. We also have advertising spots available on the all new website 3-Wheelers.com.
History Trivia: According to information online, the first motorcycle race involving exclusively two wheel designs occurred at Surrey, England, in 1897.
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: Harry’s friends Lin & Carlo had a very special wedding this month. Both are pilots and they eloped and got married while flying in a DC3. How cool is that? After a 15 year engagement, an opportunity came up to get married in a DC3 in the air! So they hurried and made the arrangements very quickly and off they went. They met each other at a fly in and Carlo took Lin for a ride in his Air Cam and the rest is history. Click here for more pictures. Carlo is an award winning aircraft builder and Lin is a flight instructor. Lin is currently preparing Carlo for his commercial pilot certificate.
On September 30, Harry attended the Frederick Festival of Flight at the Frederick Municipal Airport. It was an excellent event. The weather was perfect. Lots of aircraft on display, venders, and more. Click here for more pictures. The Frederick airport is a growing airport and it is well supported by the county.
Aviation/Aviators in the news: Since our theme this month is “Great Races”, we should also include something on a great racer, Glenn Curtiss. Earlier this month, Harry was in Hammondsport for their annual Wheels & Wings event that includes a seaplane fly in. In 1907 Glenn Curtiss earned the title the fastest man in the world on a V-8 motorcycle that he designed. And by 1909, Glenn Curtiss was the fastest man in the air after competing in the Grande Semaine d’Aviation aviation meeting at Reims, France.
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 this month some of the Kraemer Aviation employees were at the start of the 2023 Motorcycle Cannonball race in Virginia Beach. Click here for Harry’s YouTube video of the bikes crossing the starting line. Click here for a YouTube video showing an overview of the bikes on the fishing pier and then crossing the starting line. Click here for a YouTube video of the bikes arriving at Neptune Park. Click here for a YouTube video showing an overview of the bikes at Neptune Park.
Click here for pictures from day one of the event. Click here for pictures of the bikes on day one.
Click here for pictures from day two of the event. Click here for pictures and videos of the bikes on day two.
Click here for pictures from day three of the event. Click here for pictures and videos of the bikes from day three of the event. On day 3, the bikes gathered at Neptune Park on the Virginia Beach Boardwalk.
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.
We need to say Congrats to Todd for his run in the Motorcycle Cannonball this year. Todd raced his 1909 Indian single across the USA with a perfect score.
Todd Cameron from Monrovia, CA is a a 2 time Cross Country Chase Legend and now a Motorcycle Cannonball Champion! Congratulations to Todd for successfully navigating his 1909 Indian Motorcycle from coast to coast starting in Virginia Beach, VA and ending 3800 miles later in Oceanside, CA in the hardest antique motorcycle event in the world!
If you love classic cars, antique motorcycles, and seaplanes, then Wings & Wheels of Hammondsport is the place to be in late September. That is exactly where Harry was earlier this month.
We can’t talk about great races without talking about the great racer Glenn Curtiss. On Friday, September 15, Harry visited the Glenn Curtiss Museum for a Wings & Wheels event. Glenn Curtiss was the fastest man alive on two wheels and then he was the fastest man alive in the air.
The Finger Lakes Beer Company is a local brewery in Hammondsport with some very good locally brewed beer on tap. If you are in the area, be sure to stop by and have a taste.
Saturday, September 16 was the big day for the car show and the seaplane competition at the lake.
Harry was able to fit in a visit to the Finger Lakes Boating Museum on Saturday as well. Click here for pictures.
Barn Finds/Hangar Finds: Need an appraisal on your barn find? Visit our Appraisal Page for information on our appraisals.
The use of a solid mold for boat construction has its origins in the Canadian canoe making industry. The first known use in sailboat building was with the Comet class. It was part of the Skaneateles Boats, Inc. entry in the 1938 New York Boat Show.
In the mid 1930s, Skaneateles Boats, Inc. engaged marine architects Sparkman & Stephens to design the Lightning. The goal was to produce a one design boat that was family friendly and would be a fine racer and could be built by professionals as well as amateurs. Skaneateles Boats, Inc. had no trouble with the rights of the design being sold to the newly formed International Lightning Class Association. They believed that their solid construction technology would make them very competitive in this new market.
While design was intended to minimize construction costs, its arched hull created some production challenges. Skaneateles Boats, Inc. constructed their boats with double planked bottoms.
The 17-foot mold on exhibit at the Finger Lakes Boating Museum was built by Skaneateles Boats, Inc. in 1939. This was the first year of Lightning sailboat construction. The boat on display at the Finger Lakes Boating Museum is #167 and it was build on this very mold. At some time later, Skaneateles Boats, Inc. created a more sophisticated mold using metal surfaces that served as a backing iron to clinch the brass tacks that held two layers of planks together. This mold pictured here was retired and set aside. It was removed from the factory and placed in an open area under the factory floor where it sat until 2016 and brought to the Finger Lakes Boating Museum. A lot of the deterioration is from the result of exposure to years of flood waters that at times, partially buried the mold in mud and debris.
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. This month we started revamping our training section of the Flymall. We made some changes to our Lesson Plans page. They are now grouped by certificate and/or rating. Soon, this section will be searchable via the codes in the ACS.
Weather in the news: On Saturday, September 23, we had a tropical storm hit the Mid-Atlantic area.
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.
The new 3-Wheelers.com site is up and running. The A to Z listing has about 600 entries in it. There is also a section in the A to Z listing for current production 3 wheelers which includes links to their sites. With the A to Z listing you can also find 3 wheelers that were at major events that Harry has attended over the years, for example: the motorcycle Cannonball can be found under “C”. Another example is 3 wheelers at the AACA/America’s Transportation Experience can be found under “A”.
Want a reproduction vintage 3 wheeler. Walker Aviation can scratch built from pictures or drawings. Visit his page on the Flymall.
Prototypes: We have a lot of cool motorcycle info this month and to keep going with that. Here is a 1909 Harley-Davidson prototype. This machine is the first known Harley-Davidson with a magneto ignition, and also the only produced with a V-belt drive along a 500cc engine, with atmospheric intake valve. This is currently owned by and located at the Dale’s Wheels Through Time museum. Dale purchased the machine in 2016 and it is run only on special occasions.
Nautical Notes: On Harry’s September trip to the Finger Lakes, he visited The Finger Lakes Boating Museum. The main museum building, the former Taylor Wine Company’s main building was built in 1886. Click here for pictures of the wine cellar at the museum.
The museum is dedicated to preserving the rich history of Boating and Boatbuilding in the Finger Lakes.
The historic Taylor campus consists of 14 acres and 19 buildings.
Riding The Rails: Since we’re featuring great races this month, we’re going to introduce you to the Blue Train Races. The Blue Train Races were a series of record-breaking attempts between automobiles and trains in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Here’s an interesting article on AutoWeek.com about a Bentley and the great Blue Train Race.
Native American Indian Transportation: Have you heard of the Indian Relay Race? There are different accounts of it origins. One account says it started like this; “When the horse that they rode got played out, they would jump on another horse, and they would do that all the way back home. That’s where the Indian relay started.”
3-Wheelers.com owner, Harry Kraemer was on hand for the 2023 start of the Motorcycle Cannonball in Virginia Beach. This was basically a networking and reconnaissance trip. Harry plans to participate in the race in the near future.
Here is Harry’s YouTube video of the bikes going across the starting line.
Here is Harry’s video of the bikes on the fishing pier and then each bike crossing the starting line.
On day 3, the bikes gathered at Neptune Park near the boardwalk for the local media and for the public to see them one more time before they headed for their next location.
Welcome to the Kraemer Aviation/Flymall.org Wheels & Wings Newsletter. This month our theme is “Overnight Delivery”. We have a little history on both UPS and Federal Express (FedEx).
History Trivia: We all know of UPS, how many know how this global company started? All the back to 1907, two teenage entrepreneurs had an idea that would become the world’s largest package delivery service. They started in a Seattle basement with a $100 loan. These two were Claude Ryan and Jim Casey. With this loan, they opened the American Messenger Company. They started by delivering telegrams and running errands for customers. They even walked dogs for their clients. By 1919, the company had expanded beyond Seattle to Oakland, California, where they started using the name United Parcel Service. That same year, the company painted the company’s vehicles its signature color brown, representing class, sophistication and professionalism. Brown was picked because it would not show the dirt and because the Pullman railroad cars were also brown, and they represented high class and elegance. By 1975, UPS became the first package delivery company to serve every address in the continental U.S. And by 1985, UPS Next Day Air service became the first air delivery network to reach every address in the 48-contiguous states, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. And in 1988, UPS won approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate its own aircraft, launching UPS Airlines.
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.
Was an August 1901 flight by Connecticut aviation pioneer Gustave Whitehead (pictured below) the first successful powered flight in history? It was in the summer of 1901 that Whitehead flew his airplane, which he called the Condor. In the early hours of 14 August 1901, the Condor propelled itself along the darkened streets of Bridgeport, Connecticut, with Whitehead, his staff and an invited guest in attendance. In the still air of dawn, the Condor’s wings were unfolded and it took off from open land at Fairfield, 15 miles from the city, and performed two demonstration sorties. The second was estimated as having covered 1½ miles at a height of 50 feet, during which slight turns in both directions were demonstrated.
Achievements & Special Recognition: This month we’re giving some special recognition to Harry’s friend Nir Blumenfeld whom passed his flight instructor checkride earlier this month. Nir is going to make an outstanding flight instructor.
Let’s go way back to August 18, 1984, Harry received his first flight (logged flight lesson). He had been flying in general aviation aircraft since the 1960s. It was on this day, that he received his first flight lesson, and the rest is history. His first lesson was in N2346V, a Piper Tomahawk (pictured below).
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.
August 26 1967: On this day in 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! His average speed of 183.586mph remains unbroken.
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, here is the original (the plane which had carried the first Federal Express package) Federal Express Falcon 20 Jet. It now resides at the Udvar-Hazy Center.
When aviation businessman Frederick W. Smith was seeking an ideal aircraft with which to launch his new business, Federal Express; Smith soon identified the Falcon 20 as showing promise for his purposes, noting the availability of unsold aircraft due to an economic downturn and its atypically strong fuselage, the latter factor lending itself well to cargo operations.
It was in 1965 that Frederick W. Smith wrote a term paper at Yale University proposing a revolutionary way to accommodate time-sensitive shipments. Smith received an average grade on this term paper. On April 17, 1973: Federal Express began operations in Memphis, Tennessee, with 389 team members. That night, 14 aircraft delivered 186 packages to 25 U.S. cities.
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: On August 7 of this month, the Mid-Atlantic region had a major storm system move through the area that brought heavy thunderstorms.
And there was 2 more lines of storms after the first one passed.
And as hurricane season is heading into it’s peak time, in late August we had 2 tropical systems affecting the states.
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. The “NEW” 3-Wheelers.com site is up and running. Check it out here.
Here’s the latest addition to our collection of rare and unusual 3 wheelers. Its a pedal powered dragster. Click here for more information.
Want a reproduction vintage 3 wheeler. Walker Aviation can scratch built from pictures or drawings. Visit his page on the Flymall.
Prototypes: Federal Express founder, Frederick W. Smith, was the son of James Frederick “Fred” Smith, the founder of the Toddle House restaurant chain and the Smith Motor Coach Company (renamed the Dixie Greyhound Lines after The Greyhound Corporation bought a controlling interest in 1931). The Dixie Greyhound Lines (GL) began in 1925 in Memphis (on the Mississippi River and in the southwest corner of Tennessee) as the Smith Motor Coach Company, when James Frederick Smith, a former (and successful) truck salesman, received a used truck as a gift from his previous employer (John Fisher, a dealer, who owned the Memphis Motor Company).
Here’s a 1954 GM Scenicruiser, designed by Raymond Loewy and manufactured exclusively for Greyhound. In our research for this newsletter, we tried to find a picture of the very first coach built by Fred Smith, however, we could not find one.
Nautical Notes: Earlier in August, the Flymall team was at the Annapolis Sailing School earning their American Sailing Association 101 Certification. The weather was perfect. Two days were spent on the Chesapeake Bay sailing a 24 foot keelboat.
The Flymall team also received a PADI scuba refresher course/certification this month. We have some exciting dive trips planned. Flying, boating, and diving!
The Flymall team did a quarry dive earlier (August 25-26) this month in Lake Phoenix in Rawlings VA. Click here for more pictures.
Click on image for larger view
The Flymall team arrived in Blackstone on Friday August 25 and enjoyed a nice dinner at 101 on Main Eatery and Pub. The building was built in 1900. Here’s a picture of the bar.
The team stayed in an old college for girls that was built in 1890 and recently converted into an Inn. It is now known as the Inn at Blackstone. Click here for more pictures of the Inn at Blackstone and some other historic buildings in town.
Riding The Rails:Fast Mail (MILW train) was an overnight delivery train service. The Fast Mail was a train service operated by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (the “Milwaukee Road”) on an overnight schedule between Chicago, Illinois, and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Native American Indian Transportation: Since were featuring overnight delivery this month and this section is about native American Indian transportation, here’s an American Indian owned transportation business. Tribe Transportation is owned by a female native American Indian. The company even created Tomahawk Truck Sales to help their drivers to become owner operator via another one of their companies called Cherokee National. This seems like an excellent company to work for.
Animals in the headlines: Long before we had overnight delivery via jets and state of the art trucks, America had a very famous delivery know as the 1925 serum run to Nome. One of the most famous dogs from the 1925 serum run was Balto. Balto (1919 – March 14, 1933) was an Alaskan husky and sled dog belonging to musher and breeder Leonhard Seppala. He achieved fame when he led a team of sled dogs driven by Gunnar Kaasen on the final leg of the 1925 serum run to Nome. Pictured below is Balto with Gunnar Kaasen, his musher in the 1925 Serum Run.
On August 26, we celebrated National Dog Day.
We close this newsletter with these words: Here are some words of wisdom from John Lennon. “When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”
On July 4th, we presented Nir Levy with a congratulations cake for the Air Race Classic.
And July 5th was Mel Short’s birthday so we had a special cake made for him as well.
On July 26, one of our yellow-bellied sliders laid some eggs in one of our turtle habitats. This was remarkable for several reasons. This was also the anniversary of Delilah passing away in 2009. Delilah is buried just a few feet away from where this turtle laid her eggs. When Delilah passed away, Harry decided to create a garden of life around her grave. That is how all of the turtle habitats started. So Delilah’s garden of life is producing some new life (as long as the eggs were fertile).
History Trivia: On July 6 1928 Amelia Earhart returned back to the United States after her flight (as a crew member) across the Atlantic Ocean.
After Charles Lindbergh‘s solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927, Amy Guest (1873–1959) expressed interest in being the first woman to fly (or be flown) across the Atlantic Ocean. After deciding that the trip was too perilous for her to undertake, she offered to sponsor the project, suggesting that they find “another girl with the right image”. While at work one afternoon in April 1928, Earhart got a phone call from Capt. Hilton H. Railey, who asked her, “Would you like to fly the Atlantic?”
The project coordinators (including book publisher and publicist George P. Putnam) interviewed Earhart and asked her to accompany pilot Wilmer Stultz and copilot/mechanic Louis Gordon on the flight, nominally as a passenger, but with the added duty of keeping the flight log. The team departed from Trepassey Harbor, Newfoundland, in a Fokker F.VIIb/3m named “Friendship” on June 17, 1928, landing at Pwll near Burry Port, South Wales, exactly 20 hours and 40 minutes later. There is a commemorative blue plaque at the site. Since most of the flight was on instruments and Earhart had no training for this type of flying, she did not pilot the aircraft. When interviewed after landing, she said, “Stultz did all the flying—had to. I was just baggage, like a sack of potatoes.” She added, “… maybe someday I’ll try it alone.”[
Earhart reportedly received a rousing welcome on June 19, 1928, when she landed at Woolston in Southampton, England. She flew the Avro Avian 594 Avian III, SN: R3/AV/101 owned by Lady Mary Heath and later purchased the aircraft and had it shipped back to the United States (where it was assigned “unlicensed aircraft identification mark” 7083).
When the Stultz, Gordon, and Earhart flight crew returned to the United States on July 6, they were greeted with a ticker-tape parade along the Canyon of Heroes in Manhattan, followed by a reception with President Calvin Coolidge at the White House.
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: Earlier this month Chris Meyer passed his CFII checkride with Harry. This was their fourth checkride together. He is an excellent pilot and flight instructor. Chris wants to be an airline pilot one day.
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.
During WWI and WWII, car manufacturers were called upon the assist in the war effort. During WWII, General Motors was a major manufacturer of aircraft and aircraft parts. One of the aircraft built by General Motors was the Grumman TBF Avenger. The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval aviation services around the world.
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 this month we celebrated National Collector Car Appreciation Day. This is celebrated on the second Friday of July each year.
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.
Are you familiar with the Greyhound Scenicruiser? Built by GMC specially for Greyhound from 1954 to 1956. The design was influence by the observation railroad cars. There were only 1001 made.
Barn Finds/Hangar Finds: Need an appraisal on your barn find? Visit our Appraisal Page for information on our appraisals.
How would you like to find a 1969 Chevy Camaro that has been sitting in a barn untouched for the last 45 years? This is exactly what Joe Al did. Click here to read this story on Hemmings.com.
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: Here in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region, we have settled into the typical summer time weather pattern. Thunderstorms most afternoons into early evening.
Three Wheel Association (TWA): 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.
Most of the major car manufacturers have toyed with building three wheel vehicles. General Motors is not exception. Here is a three wheeler designed by Peter Maier in 1966. Peter Maier At the age of 20, Maier was one of the youngest designers ever hired by General Motors Corporation.
Want a reproduction vintage 3 wheeler. Walker Aviation can scratch built from pictures or drawings. Visit his page on the Flymall.
Prototypes: The General Motors EV1 was an electric car produced and leased by General Motors from 1996 to 1999. It was the first mass-produced and purpose-designed electric vehicle of the modern era from a major automaker and the first GM car designed to be an electric vehicle from the outset.
The decision to mass-produce an electric car came after GM received a favorable reception for its 1990 Impact electric concept car, upon which the design of the EV1 drew heavily.
Nautical Notes: General Motors also made a very cool amphibious vehicle known as the Duck. The DUKW (GMC type nomenclature, colloquially known as Duck) is a six-wheel-drive amphibious modification of the 2+1⁄2-ton CCKW trucks used by the U.S. military during World War II and the Korean War.
Designed by a partnership under military auspices of Sparkman & Stephens and General Motors Corporation (GMC), the DUKW was used for the transportation of goods and troops over land and water. Excelling at approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious warfare attacks, it was intended only to last long enough to meet the demands of combat. Surviving DUKWs have since found popularity as tourist craft in marine environments.
Here’s something very cool, although not General Motors related. This is the Pont du Sart Aqueduct in Belgium. This massive structure was built to carry the Centrumkanaal water channel, and is one of the longest of its kind.
Riding The Rails: And yes, General Motors also built trains.
Here is an abandoned General Motors Aerotrain. Only 3 were placed into service, beginning in 1955. They were rented to several railroads, including Pennsylvania RR, New York Central RR, Union Pacific, and Santa Fe. Although futuristic in appearance, they developed a poor reputation in service. Aerotrains reportedly were underpowered and unable to ascend Santa Fe’s Cajon Pass without assistance. Passengers complained about their discomfort. The coaches designed for Aerotrain service were modified Scenicruiser buses that GMC produced for Greyhound at the time. In the state of Michigan, they ran briefly in revenue service between Chicago and Detroit as the Great Lakes Aerotrain. Eventually, GM sold them to the Rock Island Line at a substantial discount. Rock Island used them in commuter service in the Chicago area until 1966. None have run in revenue service since then. Two survive on display at museums – one in St. Louis, Missouri and the other in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
This month in history. On July 3rd 1938 – A world speed record for a steam locomotive is set in England, by the Mallard, which reaches a speed of 125.88 miles per hour (202.58 km/h).
While not General Motors related or built, here is a YouTube video of Funbob, an insanely steep alpine coaster located at Adventure Park Cimone, in Sestola, Italy.
Native American Indian Transportation: Long before Detroit became know as the Motor City and even before the French and British came to America in the 1600s and 1700s, Michigan was home to several Native American Indian tribes. Michigan’s three largest tribes are the Ojibwe (also called Chippewa), the Odawa (also called Ottowa) and the Potawatomi (also called the Bode’wadmi).
Animals in the headlines: Nancy & Paul McCartney have recently adopted a new dog and they named him Jet. Here’s Nancy with Jet.
We close this newsletter with these words: You can improve your performance by improving your attitude.
Welcome to the Kraemer Aviation/Flymall.org Wheels & Wings Newsletter. This month our theme is “What’s happening in Maryland this month”. We are covering wheels & wings in the great state of Maryland. And we have some other wheels & wings news that we’re covering as well. Its an interesting newsletter this month.
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”. We’ve added some features to our new real estate section. If you’re looking to purchase aviation real estate, you can use this form to tell us what you’re looking for. If you’re selling, you can use this form to tell us about your property.
Aircraft sales seem to be on the rise. Last month we sold 2 aircraft, a Cessna 152 and a Beech Sierra. Here’s a picture of the seller and buyer of the Beech Sierra. Both parties were very happy with the sale. The Cessna 152 sold for a very high price of $45,000.00 USD.
History Trivia: On June 4 1783, history was made when the Montgolfier bothers, Joseph and Jacques made the first public demonstration of their dream: To fly! It took place in Annonay, France. Of the two brothers, it was Joseph who was first interested in aeronautics; as early as 1775 he built parachutes, and once jumped from the family house. He first contemplated building machines when he observed laundry drying over a fire incidentally form pockets that billowed upwards. Joseph made his first definitive experiments in November 1782 while living in Avignon. He reported some years later that he was watching a fire one evening while contemplating one of the great military issues of the day—an assault on the fortress of Gibraltar, which had proved impregnable from both sea and land. Joseph mused on the possibility of an air assault using troops lifted by the same force that was lifting the embers from the fire. He believed that the smoke itself was the buoyant part and contained within it a special gas, which he called “Montgolfier Gas”, with a special property he called levity, which is why he preferred smoldering fuel.
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: Getting your private pilot certificate is a huge accomplishment. How about getting your private pilot certificate in a plane that you built? That is what Harry’s friend Laura did. Here’s her story in her own words: My name’s Laura and I’m currently in college at MNSU working on my commercial pilot certificate! I got into aviation in high school through our club, where I actually got to help build the plane that I got my private pilot’s license in. I originally was scared of flying (I never had been on an airplane, airline or otherwise), and just joined to help build the RV-12is. After some convincing from friends, I went up and ended up falling in love with it. The thing that helped me overcome my fear the most was having a deeper understanding of the airplane I was in. While in the club, I mainly focused on building the fuselage and the right wing. I joined my junior year. Covid slowed down the process a bit, as we had to stop meeting for a few months, and then there were also delays with the shipments of the kits. The plane was built by us students, with supervision from the club leader and a few parent volunteers. Last year I was attending Iowa State for aerospace engineering, but after not being able to fly for months, I realized I couldn’t live a life that didn’t involve flying frequently. This year I got my instrument rating, which was one of the hardest (but also one of the most fun) things I’ve ever done. As of now, I’m still not sure whether I want to do airlines or corporate aviation, but I know I’ll be happy as long as I’m in the sky. I would eventually like to join NOAA and their hurricane team. Flying has given me some of my closest friends and best memories, and I can’t wait to see what else is in store!
On Saturday, June 17, the local EAA chapter hosted a pancake breakfast at the airport for the sponsors and support team for the Ford Trimotor visit. Many thanks to them. Click here for a video highlighting the pancake breakfast.
Harry’s flight in the Ford Trimotor makes 132 different type aircraft in his logbook that he has flown. This includes time in gliders, blimps, helicopters, jets, turboprops, seaplanes, and more.
On Sunday, Harry’s friend Carlo had his Hatz biplane out. The Hatz Classic is an American homebuilt biplane, designed by Billy Dawson and produced by the Makelan Corporation of New Braunfels, Texas. The aircraft is supplied as a kit or, alternatively, in the form of plans for amateur construction. A few years ago, Carlo’s Hatz won the Lindy award at Oshkosh. This aircraft is an absolute masterpiece. Carlo carefully crafted it from scratch. Except for the engine and a few other fittings, he fabricated every single part – including learning to stitch leather to make the seats.
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. Kraemer Aviation has sold 3 planes in the last two months. If you’re looking to sell, give us a call.
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. Be sure to checkout the all new Laytonsville Cruise In page on the Flymall.
Judging will start at 6:30 PM. Vehicles must be registered BEFORE 6:30 PM.
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.
Earlier in June, the Flymall team was at the British Car Day held at Lilypons Water Gardens. Our 1975 Lomax 223 Roadster earned a third place award. In fact, it was in a tie with a 1953 Lister Jaguar for third place, so both vehicles earned the award. Pictured below is the Lister Jaguar (the white Jaguar in the picture). Click here for more pictures from the event.
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.
How about a “barn find” of 6 Tesla Roadster cars sitting behind a Tesla store in Owings Mills, Maryland. Yes, 6 of them just sitting there. Click here for the story on MotorTrend.com.
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.
Four years ago this month Harry passed the final checkride and all of the training to be designated a Designated Pilot Examiner. He has given about 400 practical test since then.
Weather in the news: The 2023 hurricane season started this month. Three named storms formed in June, tying the record for the most to develop in that month. Among them were tropical storms Bret and Cindy, which formed within a few days of each other, making this the first June in which two systems were active simultaneously since 1968.
Three Wheel Association (TWA): 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. Within a the next few months, we will have our new 3-Wheelers.com site ready.
Here is a cool motorcycle with sidecar taxi photographed on the streets of Baltimore Maryland in 1925.
Want a reproduction vintage 3 wheeler. Walker Aviation can scratch built from pictures or drawings. Visit his page on the Flymall.
Prototypes: Not exactly a prototype, however it is a rare and unusual car that was made in Maryland. Sinclair Scott Company, built a car called the Maryland. It was built at their factory at the corner of Wells and Patapsco streets in Baltimore. It had a reputation for being the “solidest of the extra solid cars” of its day. Henry Ford was so impressed with the Maryland when he saw it at the Baltimore Auto Show in 1906 that he asked its maker, John and Edwin Rife, to merge their Baltimore plant with his. This did not happen. The Maryland was made from 1907 to 1910.
Sinclair-Scott was a maker of food canning machinery and in the early 1900s started to make car parts. One of their customers, Ariel, failed to pay, so to make amends, Sinclair-Scott took over production of the Ariel, moved the factory to Baltimore, and marketed the car as the Maryland. Pictured here is an Ariel which is identical to the Maryland.
Nautical Notes: It is a surprise to many that Ford actually built planes such as the Ford Trimotor that we wrote about above in this month’s newsletter. In the early 1920s, Henry Ford, along with a group of 19 others including his son Edsel, invested in the Stout Metal Airplane Company. Stout was working on a single-engined “Stout monoplane”. In 1925, Ford bought Stout and its aircraft designs. The single-engined Stout monoplane was turned into a trimotor and eventually the Ford Trimotor. And you may also be surprised to learn that Ford also built boats. Ford Motor Company accepted a government contract to build “Eagle Boats” and began production at its partially developed industrial complex along the Rouge River in 1918. By late 1919, Ford had completed 60 Eagle Boats for the U.S. Navy. The Eagle-class patrol craft were anti-submarine vessels. They were steel-hulled ships smaller than contemporary destroyers but having a greater operational radius than the wooden-hulled, 110-foot submarine chasers developed in 1917. Pictured here is a Ford built Eagle boat.
Riding The Rails: Baltimore Maryland is also home for the B&O Railroad Museum. This museum has the largest collection of 19th-century locomotives in the states.
Native American Indian Transportation: During the 1660s, due to conflict among the native nations in the west, a large number of Shawnee bands emigrated south and east from their homes in what is now Illinois. Most fled into Kentucky, but one band, the Youghiogheny, traveled further, and settled in western Maryland in what later became Garrett County. They were also known as the Youghiogheny River Indians and/or the Monongahela Indians. One of their modes of transportation was likely a dugout canoe like shown here.
Animals in the headlines: Jett Kraemer turned 10 years old this month.
Jett sharing some ice cream on her birthday.
We close this newsletter with these words: Demand excellence and be willing to work for it.
Welcome to the Kraemer Aviation/Flymall.org Wheels & Wings Newsletter. This month our theme is tracked vehicles.
So what was the world’s first tank or tracked vehicle? The answer is Little Willie. Little Willie was the world’s first operational tank in 1915. It was developed to tackle the problems of trench warfare under the direction of Winston Churchill.
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”. We have added some features to our real estate section that allow users to submit information about their airport that they are selling and you can also send us information regarding what you are looking for in an airport or airport property.
The Flymall Team attended the annual Laytonsville Volunteer Fire Department’s benefit breakfast on Mothers’ Day. Click here for more pictures.
EAA’s Ford Trimotor will be at the Frederick Municipal Airport from June 15 to June 18. Rides are available. Kraemer Aviation Services is sponsoring a portion of the Frederick visit. We will be there on June 17 and June 18. Stop by and say hello. For more info on the Frederick visit, click here.
History Trivia: A flying tank? Many of the world’s military have experimented with flying tanks, either on paper or a scale mock-ups. Here is one such vehicle by the Russians.
The Antonov A-40 Krylya Tanka(Russian: “tank wings”) was a Soviet attempt to allow a tank to glide onto a battlefield after being towed aloft by an airplane. A prototype was built and tested in 1942, but was found to be unworkable.
Here is a Russian Tupolev TB-3 Heavy Bomber carrying a tankette aloft to be dropped. The T-27 was a tankette produced in the 1930s by the Soviet Union.
Mercedes-Benz was one of the major manufacturers of tanks and other armored vehicles for Germany during World War II. And this month we celebrate the birthday of Bertha Benz.
May 3, 1849: German automotive pioneer and inventor Bertha Benz was born Cäcilie Bertha Ringer in Pforzheim. She was the business partner and wife of automobile inventor Carl Benz, and she was the first person to drive an internal-combustion-engined automobile over a long distance, field testing the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, inventing brake lining, and solving several practical issues during the journey of 65 miles. In doing so, she brought the Patent-Motorwagen worldwide attention and got the company its first sales.
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: Earlier this month, Delaney passed her initial flight instructor checkride with Harry. This is an extremely long test, just the ground portion is usually about 7 hours of one-on-one questioning and explaining.
Delaney is also an accomplished motorcycle racer and sailboat racer. Delaney earned second place in the Mid-Atlantic Motocross Association in the women’s class in 2016. Very cool!
Delaney earned the prestigious Unsung Hero award (for her sailing skills) at her high school.
To an army, tanks and heavy bombers are invaluable military assets. Combining the two should be a winning combination, correct? The answer is , NO! During the Cold War, the U.S. Air Force experimented with a seemingly crazy idea for dispersing the weight of their heaviest bomber across the tarmac of airports and bases. They would fit the bombers with tank tread-inspired landing gear. The aim was to eliminate the need for long, reinforced runways and to ensure operations could be conducted on rough terrain. Click here for an interesting story on these test.
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.
Here are a couple of interesting aircraft, although they are not tracked vehicles, they’re interesting.
The Savoia-Marchetti S.55 is a double-hulled flying boat produced in Italy. All the passengers or cargo were placed in the twin hulls, but the pilot and crew flew the plane from a cockpit in the thicker section of the wing, between the two hulls.
This odd-looking contraption was among many research experiments conducted decades ago. What you see is a small outboard-powered outrigger hull that is pushing that glider to maintain flight. The engine’s throttle was controlled from the glider cockpit.
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.
Harry was busy giving rides on the 1886 Coventry Rotary Tandem most of the evening. Click here for more pictures of Harry giving rides that evening.
Below is the schedule for the Laytonsville Cruise In award nights: May 19 2023 – American Muscle Cars – Best Of Show Award for American Muscle June 16 2023 – Motorcycle night – Best Of Show Award for a motorcycle July 21 2023 – Race cars – Best Of Show Award for a race car August 18 2023 – Corvette night – Best Of Show Award for a Corvette September 15 2022 – Imports – Best Of Show Award for Imports October 20 2023 – British Cars – Best Of Show Award for a British Car
This is a 1937 Mercier Motor Chenille 350 cc 1 cylinder was commissioned by the French Army. The Mercier crawler motorcycle was equipped with a 350-cc OHV JAP engine, rating 10 hp. at 3000 rpm. Additional cooling of the cylinder head was provided by a fan, which was driven by the engine. The Mercier crawler motorcycles were started with a kick starter and employed a three-speed gearbox with manual gear shifting. The military found the prototype interesting and useful but didn’t order the motorcycle in industrial quantities.
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 ideals and interesting places to visit. Check it out here.
Harry spotted one of these Action Trackchairs at Classic Motorcycle Day (it was especially cool to see one of these since our theme this month is tracked vehicles). The owner/operator wasn’t open to any pictures or video, so here’s a picture from their website. It moved along quite well over the grass and hilly terrain.
Inventor J. Lehaitre rides the Tractor-Cycle in 1938. This model of tracked motorcycle was invented in 1937-1938 by J Lehaitre from Paris, for off-road movement. This motorcycle uses a tractor-type transmission belt to travel on various kinds of terrain.
Barn Finds/Hangar Finds: Need an appraisal on your barn find? Visit our Appraisal Page for information on our appraisals.
Tractors are often “barn finds”. Here’s a rare tractor that every tractor collector would love to find in a barn. This is a Hornsby tractor or Hornsby chain crawler. In 1904 David Roberts, Managing director of the firm Richard Hornsby & Sons of Grantham, patented a new form of crawler track which was applied to various prototype vehicles. One of these was tested by the War Office in 1907 and in 1909 this machine was ordered from Hornsbys for military use. It is said that the term Caterpillar was coined by soldiers who watched it moving along although the name was later adopted by an American company and is now world famous. In 1907 Hornsbys had fitted tracks to the 1905 military tractor that had proved so successful in the War Office trials as a wheeled vehicle. This makes it the first tracked vehicle to enter service with the British Army. It was powered by a two-cylinder Ackroyd heavy oil engine rated at 80hp and was also one of the largest vehicles built for military service at the time. Steering was by braked differential assisted by compressed air at 80 psi although the compressor had to be hand charged with a manually operated pump. Trials were conducted with the Hornsby tracklayer pulling what appears to be a sixty pounder gun.
There were also steam powered version of the Hornsby.
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.
Here we have a B7 snowmobile. The B7 model was the first snowmobile mass produced by L’Auto-Neige Bombardier. It was designed for commercial use, and could carry up to seven passengers.
Below, the B12 CS snowmobile (Chrysler Special) was equipped with a more powerful engine and was produced by Bombardier Snowmobile Limited in 1950.
You can read about these historic Bombardier snowmobiles and other rare Bombardier items at
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: Next month is the start of hurricane season. The forecasters are predicting a total of 15 named storms, which is slightly above the 30-year average. They’re forecasting 7 hurricanes, including 3 intense hurricanes. The place to watch for a greater risk of a hurricane impact may be south Florida through the northern Bahamas.
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.
The Sd.Kfz.2 or Kleines Kettenkraftrad HK 101 (shortened to Kettenkrad) was one of the most successful tracked motorcycle designed for military use. The Kettenkrad started its life as a light tractor for airborne troops. The vehicle was designed to be delivered by Junkers Ju 52 aircraft. The vehicle had the advantage of being the only gun tractor small enough to fit inside the hold of the Ju 52, and was the lightest mass-produced German military vehicle to use the complex Schachtellaufwerk overlapped and interleaved road wheels used on almost all German military half-tracked vehicles of World War II. Click here for Harry’s Kettenkrad page on the Flymall.
Want a reproduction vintage 3 wheeler. Walker Aviation can scratch built from pictures or drawings. Visit his page on the Flymall.
Prototypes: Here is the Corvette Stingray that never was. This stretched version of a 1963 Corvette has rear seating and was built as ordered by Chevrolet chief Ed Cole. Here’s the story on Hagerty.com.
Pontiac also had a 2 seater that they experimented with and made a 4 seater. Here’s a 4 seat Pontiac Fiero. The car was built to demonstrate the flexibility of modifying the spaceframe chassis design with independent non-structure body panels. Click here for the story on Motor1.com.
Nautical Notes: How would you like a boat that can travers almost any terrain on land? A French company has just that. Iguana Yachts has developed a powerful boat and while on land, uses tracks to travel over almost any terrain.
Riding The Rails: While this looks like a steam locomotive, the Lombard Steam Log Hauler is actually used off of the rails. The Lombard Steam Log Hauler, patented 21 May 1901, was the first successful commercial application of a continuous track for vehicle propulsion. The concept was later used for military tanks during World War I and for agricultural tractors and construction equipment following the war.
Native American Indian Transportation: Have you ever wondered why United States Army helicopters are named after Native American Indians? The tradition of naming helicopters after Native Americans was once an official regulation. The regulation no longer stands, however the tradition continues. Click here for the story on Defense.gov.
Apache Helicopter
Animals in the headlines: To continue with our theme of tracked vehicles, here are a few “dogs” of a different flavor.
The Snow Dog. Designed to travel almost anywhere, over ice, snow, through the forest, and in the fields. It is basically a tracked vehicle that you stand behind.
The Tinder Dog is similar to the Snow Dog, however, the Tinder Dog offers some more accessories, such as a snow plow as seen below. Very cool setup.
In 1928, Buddy, a German Shepherd, becomes the 1st guide dog for a US citizen Morris Frank. Morris Frank was a blind man from Nashville. His father read him an article by Dorothy Eustis, a woman living in Switzerland who had seen shepherds training dogs to lead blind people get around. Excited by the idea, Frank wrote a letter to Eustis and received a response letter 30 days later inviting him to come see for himself. Frank then took a ship to Europe and trained extensively with a dog that had been bred specifically to lead a blind person. The training was hard, but after weeks with the dog, Frank could get around the nearby Swiss village holding tightly to a harness to which Buddy was strapped.
Morris Frank returned to America. From the day he got off the ship, he was successful. At one point, in front of a group of dumbfounded reporters, Buddy led Frank safely across a busy New York street. “I shall never forget the next three minutes, Ten-ton trucks rocketing past, cabs blowing their horns in our ears, drivers shouting at us. When we finally got to the other side, and I realized what a really magnificent job he had done” Frank later wrote. When Frank returned to Nashville, people were amazed at the sight of the blind man and his dog successfully navigating busy sidewalks and couldn’t believe that it was the same blind boy they had so recently taken pity on. What amazed people the most was that Buddy had an ability best known as “intelligent disobedience,” which meant that he would obey Morris except when executing that command would result in harm to his master. If there was a low hanging branch ahead on the sidewalk, for instance, Buddy knew how to navigate around it to the point where Morris wouldn’t hurt his head on it.
About this time, Frank, Eustis and several others cofounded The Seeing Eye, an institution set up to train guide dogs and their blind masters. Today, the organization reports that it has, in its 80-year history, trained 14,000 dogs. Buddy is considered the first. In 1978, on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the school, the U.S. issued a commemorative stamp in honor of The Seeing Eye.
We close this newsletter with these words: Compliment at least three people everyday.
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