‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
“Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!
On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONNER and BLITZEN!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes — how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT!
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Written on December 23, 2017 at 9:40 am, by hkraemer
Twas the night before Christmas,
And all through the shop,
Nothing was stirring, not even the mop.
The stockings were hung over the workbench with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.
The tools were all clean and snug in their beds,
While visions of ‘Made in USA’ and ‘chrome vanadium steel’ Danced in their heads.
When all of a sudden there came a strange roar.
A souped-up red snow mobile, ported and stroked
With a custom bore.
And driven by no ordinary elf –
This was the real deal – St. Nicholas himself!
He materialized in the shop, saw the stockings.
And hopped up on the bench.
Filled them with sockets, Channel Locks,
And a shiny new torque wrench.
Then back to his snow mobile, idling like a Harley.
And I heard him say as he motored out of sight:
“Good tools are like good friends, so treat them right.
Now Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
Written on December 16, 2017 at 9:43 am, by hkraemer
Twas the night before Christmas, and out in the garage. Two Harley’s were sitting…… a V Twin montage. But all of the streets they were covered with snow…. Not a safe place to ride, not a spot on the road.
The tenders were plugged in and humming away. Keeping batteries charged on that cold winter day.
The chrome was all shiny, the paint bright and clean, But the weather outside, it was nasty and mean….
Then out in the yard I heard such a Clatter, But how can that be, does the snow really not matter?
Then out in the driveway was a thunderous rattle, The unmistakable sound of a Ural’s lifter clatter.
The pilot was plump and dressed for the weather. A long beard of white gauntlets of leather. He went to the house and walked right through the door, Leaving gifts by the tree and gifts on the floor. A helmet and shield and a new set of lights, to make the ride safer for all those two wheeled bikes.
A new set of pipes just to make the bike sing. Chrome license plate cover, a bit of new bling. Then back to his Hack, old Ivan Clause came. He fired it up and the soviet motor sang. And I heard him exclaim as he clattered out of sight.
Safe riding to all, and to all a good night.
Merry Christmas my friends.
Safe riding in 2018, Ural, Harley or any brand that makes you smile
Written on December 11, 2017 at 12:53 pm, by hkraemer
Welcome to our December 2017 Wheels & Wings newsletter found only on the Flymall. We hope you have enjoyed our new format for the past 3 months. This month we have decided to add a new section to the newsletter – “Achievements & Special Recognition”. This section will highlight achievements and recognition by flight students and our readers on the “wheels” side of Wheels & Wings.
Achievements & Special Recognition: On December 2 2017, Joe Neely took to the skies on his first solo in Cessna N2621Z. Joe has been training on weekends and has about 22 hours. It was cold that day, but he handled the water bucket rite-of-passage like a winner. Way-to-go, Joe! Pat Kraemer is his flight instructor.
Aviation/Aviators in the news: We’re featuring some “old” news this month in Aviation/Aviators in the news. Here is the Futuro, or Futuro House. These were a prefab house built in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Less than 100 were made. There were several of these spaceship houses around Harry’s hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.
Also, last month (November) we celebrated the birth of aviation. No, not the Wright Brothers. The Montgolfier Brothers, who on November 21 1783, flew their hot air balloon in Paris. 120 years before the Wright Brothers first successful powered flight.
Here is an interesting takeoff from an interesting airport. A Twin Otter takeoff from Barra Airport. This is a short-runway airport (or STOL airport) situated in the wide shallow bay of Traigh Mhòr at the north tip of the island of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The airport is unique, being the only one in the world where scheduled flights use a beach as the runway. The airport is operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited, which owns most of the regional airports in mainland Scotland and the outlying islands. Barra Airport opened in 1936
There is some good news in the aircraft manufacturing industry. First, Cessna has announced a new aircraft – the Cessna SkyCourier 408 and Pilatus Aircraft Ltd has recently received FAA approval on their new PC-24 Jet.
Here is a picture of the new Cessna 408 next to the Cessna 208.
While not really news, this is something that was very common to do in the 1960s and 1970s.
Barn Finds/Hangar Finds: If you’re considering purchasing a barn find, here is a guide to interpret the car ad. You can click on the image for a larger view.
If you need an appraisal on your barn find visit our appraisal page for information on our appraisals.
How would you like to find something on Craigslist for $700 that turns out to be worth millions. Interesting? Click here for the story.
Here is a rare barn find seen on eBay Motors UK. A 1983 Vauxhall Chevette with a 1.3 engine. One owner and only 31,000 miles on the clock. It comes with the original Bill of Sale from 1983. Click here for the listing.
CFI Notes: This month we have started to update/upgrade the flight training section of the Flymall. Just click on the Flight Training icon on the right side of the home page. Visit Harry’s Lesson Plan page found on the Flymall for up to date flight training information. You can also click here to read the numerous articles Harry has published over the years.
Three Wheel Association (TWA): Visit the TWA page for up to date information on the association. On the TWA forum there is also an area for the latest news pertaining to 3 wheelers. Click here for the TWA forum page.
Prototypes: This month we’re featuring concepts of the 1960s and vehicles made from drop tanks (aircraft fuel tanks made to be dropped after use).
Here’s an interesting idea that GM’s Truck Studio was working on in March, 1961 for the next generation Suburban. The studio mocked up their “Regatta” concept for a wood-grained panel option on the studio’s fiberglass model. The concept also included a wood grained panel between the taillights.
Here is another concept from the 1960s. The Singolette: was a concept of tiny cars that would occupy a very minimum area. It was considered personal transportation of the future designed for busy city travel. This illustration is by Walter Molino for the Italian magazine, Domenica del Corriere, 16 December 1962. Click on the image for a larger view.
Here is a 1963 Cadillac V12 concept.
Here is another GM concept from the 1960s. The 1968 Chevrolet Astro II (XP-880). A mid-engine vehicle. It was introduced at the 1968 New York Auto Show.
Here is the original Facebook post on this vehicle. Click on the picture below for more reading.
Here is the 64 Pontiac Banshee XP 833
Here is the 61 Pontiac XP – 758 Scorpion
And now for the drop tank vehicles. Here is a 1968 Belly Tank Trailer that was made from a Corsair A7 drop tank. It was made to haul a motorcycle. Very creative!
Here is a Facebook find. Built in 1946 in Lake County, CA. by a gentleman that was fabricating custom equipment for hospitals. The drop tank is aluminum 300 gallon. Perhaps a P-38 lightning tank. The car was used as a daily driver into the 1950s. In around 1964, the owner was giving a grandchild a ride, and hit a tree in his driveway. He then hung it from the rafters of his shop. The next owner mounted it on a tilt trailer and it became a Lake County parade favorite – He would raise the front end, and exhaust a fire extinguisher for blast off! The 1949 Triumph twin was installed sometime in the fifties. Trans, wheels, brakes, fenders are Harley Knucklehead/ Panhead. Steering wheel is VW. Controls, front axle, suspension, and rear swing arm are all home made. The gas tank is custom made and sits behind the driver.
Animals in the headlines: For those of you that travel with your pets, here is something we found online regarding motels allowing pets: We allow pets in this motel. We never had a dog smoke in bed and set fire to the blankets. We never had a dog that stole our towels, had the TV too loud, or had a noisy fight with his travelling companion… we never had a dog that got drunk and broke all the furniture… So if your dog can vouch for you. You’re welcome too….
Enjoy this video about the friendship between a dog and a duck.
Here is a companion dog for those that drink too much wine!
We close this newsletter with a quote from Winston S. Churchill: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
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Earlier this month we celebrated Veterans Day. Thank you to all that have served.
We often get reader feedback regarding topics in our newsletters. Sometimes we receive submissions or additional material to add. So check back because we will often update a newsletter.
Hundreds of events have been added to our events calendar. Click here to view our calendar. With over 25 categories, there is something for everyone.
You can also visit our ebay store for more items for sale. From now until the end of the year we have many items up for auction with the bidding starting at $1.00 with no reserve. Don’t miss out on these deals.
Aviation/Aviators in the news: Here are some aviators in the news from WWI. Very little has been written about the forward defensive machine gun position on top of German Zeppelins. Often freezing cold, always vulnerable, the defensive gunners occupied a tiny, sunken recess on the very top of the airship, shielded from the buffeting winds only by a shallow screen and their thick leather flying suits. Just a handrail and a shallow step lay between them and a drop over the side the Zeppelin. Their air-cooled Parabellum MG.14 machine guns did little to scare away their attackers.
Car/Motorcycle Show News: Our Friday night Laytonsville Cruise In will slow down (attendance of classic cars) now that we set the clocks back an hour. However the event is all year (every Friday). Click here for information on the cruise in. Every Friday folks start arriving around 4PM. Stop by for some good food and good company. What has become a tradition on Friday nights is celebrating birthdays at Julliano’s. Earlier in November we celebrated Pat’s birthday at Julliano’s.
The new documentary about Danica Patrick came out earlier this month. Here is Danica talking about it.
Not really car show news. Here are some manufacturers that made both cars and planes. Ford is one of the automobile manufacturers that also made aircraft. Enjoy this picture of a Ford Model A with A Ford Tri-Motor.
Bugatti also made an aircraft. Here is a 1936 Bugatti type 57 sc atlalante automobile and the Bugatti 100 p aeroplane “the blue dream”.
And we still do not have mass produced flying cars????
Barn Finds/Hangar Finds: If you have a Barn Find that you purchased and want to share the price, you can do so in our Market Watch section of the Flymall. Just click on “Add your own price quote”.
CFI Notes: This month in our CFI notes we’re going to have some fun. Here is a collection of aviation jokes, humor, etc., from Harry’s lesson plan section of the Flymall.
Here’s one: A student became lost during a solo cross-country flight. While attempting to locate the aircraft on radar, air traffic control asked: “What was your last known position?”
Student: “When I was No. 1 for take-off.”
One more sample: O’Hare Approach Control: “United 329, traffic is a Fokker, one o’clock, 3 miles, eastbound.”
United 329: “Approach, I’ve always wanted to say this … I’ve got that Fokker in sight.”
Three Wheel Association (TWA): The Market Watch section of the Flymall is the best place to research prices/values of three wheel vehicles of all kinds. From 3 wheel cars, motorcycles, off road 3 wheelers, 3 wheel bicycles, etc., we most likely have price data on it.
Keep checking the TWA page on the Flymall. Lots of exciting news coming very soon.
Prototypes: On October 16, 1958, Chevrolet begins to sell a car-truck hybrid that it calls the El Camino. With that in mind, this month we’re going to feature some Ranchero or El-Camino type vehicles. First here is a 1966 Mustang Ranchero. Shown here are 2 of 50 licensed by Ford. These were produced by Beverly Hills Ford. They called them Musteros. Click here for more information. Click on each image for a larger version.
Here is a Facebook find, a GTO version. To the best of our knowledge this is just a home made vehicle.
Here’s a post we found about a Vettamino. Click here for the story. This is a custom one-off vehicle. We hope you appreciate the work that went in to this vehicle whether you like it or not.
Here are a few more Facebook finds.
And here is a 1949 Ford Phantom Ranchero (custom).
Here is another Facebook find. A one-off 57 Chevy.
A few reader submissions.
And a Ford Edsel version.
Animals in the headlines: Harry’s African Sulcata (Sherman) is in the news again this month. Sherman has a lot of stories to tell. Back in 2016 he busted through the fence in his habitat and in the course of about 4 hours he managed to get more than 3 miles away. And from the Facebook posts of sightings of him on his way, he walked all 3 miles on public roads without getting hit. That’s nothing he says. Last month (October 2017) the livestock heater in his new house caught fire early one morning badly damaging his new house. He managed to get out unharmed and just sat near by as Harry & Pat put out the fire. And if that wasn’t enough. Sherman was temporarily staying in a bathtub (no water, he is a desert tortoise that cannot swim, he sinks) while Harry was repairing his house. There was a UV light hanging on a hook on the wall (UV or sun is very important for a turtles health). Sherman somehow managed to reach high enough to pull down the light braking the bulb and in the process of doing so Sherman also turned on the water. There was some uneaten food that clogged the drain. So Sherman was in the tub with a live electric light fixture floating in the water and the water was just about over his head when Pat found him. He was saved again, unharmed. He could have been electrocuted or drowned.
Sherman came to Harry & Pat with quite a tale to tell. Before he was given up for adoption by his previous family, he lived in a bathtub without proper lighting and heating. He was given up because he ate too much and the family could not afford him.
Enjoy this video of police escorting a family of geese.
We close this newsletter with a quote from Henry Ford: Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.
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This month you’ll notice a new format in the newsletter. Starting this month we’ll have standard sections that will be covered each month.
Aviation/Aviators in the news: Here is an interesting aviation fact that happened in October 1967: October 3rd, 1967, Test pilot “Pete” Knight gave that Ol’ Mach Demon the best chase it ever had! William John “Pete” Knight set a world absolute aircraft speed record for manned aircraft when he piloted the X-15A-2 to 4,520 miles per hour, or Mach 6.72, almost seven times the speed of sound. A speed record that still stands to this date. Knight also became one of only five pilots to earn their Astronaut Wings by flying an airplane to an altitude over 280,500 feet.
If you enjoy aviation history you can visit Flymall.org and each day we have a new fact at the bottom of our web pages under “Today in Aviation History”.
And now for some current aviation news: Bravo Flight Training was recognized as one of AOPA’s Distinguished Flight Schools! And Brenda Tibbs was nominated as one of the North East Region Distinguished Flight Instructors.
On October 13th Pat & Harry surprised Kenia (waitress at Julliano’s) with a cake and gift for her 24th birthday. Kenia does a great job with our Friday night cruise in folks waiting on our large table. Click here for more pictures.
The Flymall team attended the Laytonsville Volunteer Fire Department benefit dinner on October 21 2017. Click here for more pictures from the event. The fire department is a supporter of our Friday night Laytonsville Cruise In. They will often bring their restored 1930 Brockway fire truck (pictured below) to the cruise in. They also bring their barbeque trailer and vending truck and sell grilled hot dogs and hamburgers at the event.
Barn Finds/Hangar Finds: If you enjoy reading about barn finds and/or hangar finds, Facebook has numerous groups dedicated to just that. We will also be posting some here each month.
They’re out there, you just have to look for them. Here is an old Dodge that showed up in a barn in Lovettsville, VA. From the picture it looks like there are a few more vehicles in the barn.
If you have a barn find and what to know the value of it, contact Harry for an appraisal. You can visit our appraisal page to learn more about our appraisal service. Click here for the page. You can also visit the market watch section of the Flymall. Our market watch is an online searchable database of vehicle (including aircraft) values. You can also add your own price data to our market watch. Just go to our market watch page and click on “Add your own price quote”. We will review it and enter into our online database.
Should you need assistance in restoring your barn find, visit our tech tip page found on the Flymall. You can search the page by vehicle type, component, or other key words. You can also visit the Flymall Classifieds & Flea Markets page to shop for vintage car parts.
CFI Notes: In 2018 Harry will enter his 29th year as an active flight instructor. Still a very active flight instructor Harry also offers consultant services to start up flight schools and other aviation businesses. Harry can assist in 141 certifications, M1 and F1 visa programs, 135 operations, and more.
Congratulations to Jason Reid on passing his CFI checkride this month. Harry was his instructor.
Here is a trivia question for the flight instructor readers: See picture below. Leave your answers in the comments below.
Visit Harry’s lesson plan page for more detailed information on various maneuvers and other information required for FAA certificates and ratings. Click here for the page. Click here to view the many educational articles Harry has published in various aviation publications.
Weather in the news: With the extreme drought in Califorina and the many wildfires, the tankers (airborne tankers) have been brought in to drop fire retardant on the fires. We salute the pilots that fly their aircraft in to these fires.
Three Wheel Association (TWA): October 8 to October 15 2017 was the World Solar Challenge race. This is a race of solar powered electric vehicles. Teams from around the world compete to become the first to deliver sustainable solar powered electric vehicles. Many of these vehicles are three wheelers.
Harry has had a long interest in three wheel vehicles, flying cars, and solar powered vehicles. They all sort of go together, many flying cars and solar powered vehicles are three wheelers. Harry’s interest in three wheel vehicles has lead him to found the Three Wheel Association (TWA). TWA was founded to provide support for all three wheel vehicles. TWA will also be opening a museum in the near future. Click here to view Harry’s vehicle collection (mostly 3 wheelers). Harry’s three wheelers will become part of the TWA museum.
Prototypes: This month we’re going to feature some self balancing motorcycles. Lit Motors designed a conceptual 2 wheel vehicle which is a fully electric, gyroscopically stabilized vehicle. Click here to visit their site to learn more about this motorcycle.
The first prototype Gyrocar, The Shilovski Gyrocar (pictured below), was commissioned in 1912 by the Russian Count Pyotr Shilovsky, a lawyer and member of the Russian royal family.
Look for our November newsletter where we will feature some Ranchero or El-Camino type vehicles.
Animals in the headlines: Here is an interesting video showing the benefit of wolves.
Speaking of wolves, Pat & Harry’s Jett (a Tamaskan) likes to enjoy the tropical lagoon at the Flymall headquarters. Here she is on a typical Saturday afternoon.
Harry’s African Sulcata tortoise (named Sherman because of his strength) got a new house this month. Click here for more pictures. The house is large enough that he can spend all winter in it. It has a pig heater (a large heating pad used for pigs and other livestock) in it which has been keeping it around 80 degrees with the door open. As the cooler months arrive a large UV or sun lamp will also be added as he will most likely be spending more time in the house. Sun or UV rays are very important and/or crucial to a turtle’s health. Click here to visit Harry’s turtle section of the Flymall.
We close this newsletter with some words of wisdom from the late Tom Petty: “You will never be told when the next bit of education is coming or where it’s coming from or who the teacher will be. That information will only reveal itself after the fact. All that you can do is leave a little room there for the next lesson to come through. Someone will be carrying it. You just leave the door open a crack.” -Tom Petty
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Harry received a big surprise on his birthday morning. As he was feeding his turtles he saw something moving in the dirt. It was a baby eastern box turtle hatching from the nest. A total of 3 turtles were found in the habitat that day. As of this newsletter they are all doing well. Click here for Harry’s turtle page on the Flymall.
Once again the weather was in the news earlier in September. Hurricane Irma. Here is a METAR for Key West during Hurricane Irma (Harry got this from ADDS during the hurricane). Click on the picture for a larger view.
TAF found online for Princess Juliana International Airport (Philipsburg, Sint Maarten) during Irma. Click on the picture for a larger view.
While on the topic of the hurricane, Harry’s student Francesca came back to Maryland (from Embry Riddle in Florida) to ride out the storm. They had dinner together at Julliano’s.
Another successful pass by one of Harry’s students. Gilad passed his initial flight instructor checkride. Congratulations.
The big news from this past August was the eclipse on August 21 2017. Here is a picture of it taken by a friend.
While on the topic of the eclipse here is an old car advertisement from the 1963 eclipse.
If you’re in the market for a used aircraft visit our used aircraft page by clicking here. If you’re planning to leaseback your aircraft to a flight school check out Harry’s leaseback calculator developed by Harry when he was a Cessna dealer. Click here for the calculator.
Looking for something to do, visit our events calendar. Many car shows and air shows benefit different charities. You can search our events calendar by the name of a charity to find an event that supports your favorite charity. For example “Toys for Tots”. You can even have our calendar email you a reminder about an event.
You can sign up for our newsletter on any of the pages on the Flymall. Simply use the “sign up for our newsletter” box in the upper right of our webpages.
Harry’s friend Brenda at Bravo Flight Training continues with her success as a new flight school. She recently hosted an informative aircraft insurance seminar. Visit her site for informative and educational events like this. Earlier this month Brenda also earned her seaplane rating. Brenda was also part of a group that went down to Jack Brown’s Seaplane base many years ago. About 8 total earned their seaplane rating during that week. Click here for Harry’s post on the outing.
If you enjoy going to car shows, motorcycle shows, air shows, etc., consider becoming an appraiser. The Flymall is looking for folks to join our team. You’ll work for yourself, make you own hours, and learn about numerous different cars, bikes, aircraft, and more. You’ll be required to attend our one day training program ($575.00 fee) and then you’re off to start getting paid to look at vintage cars, motorcycles, and more. Visit our appraisal page for more info on our appraisals.
If you would like to advertise on the Flymall contact Harry. – Ira Walker is one of our long term advertisers. He is an expert craftsman and aircraft restorer. Ira built Harry’s very rare Briggs & Stratton Midget Mobile from plans. Ira is an expert on Husky Aircraft as well as Pitts, and Snowcars. Here are a few of his current projects. The snowcar is the predecessor of the modern snow mobile.
Harry recently attended a Japanese Motorcycle Show at the White Rose Motorcycle Club. A very impressive motorcycle club. The club owns 200 acres of land with riding trails, streams, etc. in York PA. They have their own snow plow, salt truck, numerous tractors, maintenance shop, and more. The main club house includes a full commercial kitchen (the food is great). Harry had his 1984 Honda Gyro in the show and it won first place in its class.
In late August Harry, Pat, and Jett attended the Simple Transport 10 show in Hagerstown. We had our 1912 AC Delivery in the show. It won a top motorcycle award and also the People’s Choice award. Our vehicles have done very well at the shows this year. We have won awards every time we showed a vehicle.
Here is Harry collecting the People’s Choice award.
Here is Pat with the top motorcycle award and the People’s Choice award.
Prototypes: Last month we featured some prototypes and one of a kind vehicles. We received a lot of positive feedback on this. So this month we’re featuring a few more and the theme is “You can take it with you”. Have you ever thought that it would be nice to be able to fold up your car, motorcycle, or plane and take it with you? Well you can.
First here is the Goodyear Inflatoplane. It was an all fabric inflatable aircraft. It could be packed into a 44 cubic foot container. That made Inflatoplane suitable for transport by truck, jeep trailer or aircraft. As it was proposed, main use for this unusual aircraft was rescue. The plan was to drop the container behind enemy lines so downed pilots could rescue themselves. Very few we made.
Next here is a 1960s Centaur Folding Scooter. This was a scooter designed to be folded up like a suitcase and could be carried with you as such.
Click here for a newsletter post Harry did on a Mazda Suitcase Concept Car. This was/is a 3 wheel car that folds up to be carried like a suitcase. The car came from a design contest. An engineer at Mazda thought “What if you could get off of an airplane and not need a rental car. The suitcase you are carrying is your car”.
Click here for a newsletter post Harry did on the Switchblade flying motorcycle. This is a 3 wheel motorcycle that converts to an aircraft (or vise versa). After landing, no need to get a rental car, just convert your plane back to the motorcycle and you’re on your way.
So as you can see, you can take it with you!
While not actually a concept vehicle or one that can be folded up, here is something that you do not see too often, a 1938 GAZ GL-1.
The GAZ (Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod) company was founded in 1932 in a partnership between Ford and the Soviet Union with the intention of growing the automobile sector in the Soviet Union. The result for racing, was this exotic GL-1 equipped with a six cylinder 3.5L engine, boosting 100hp.
CFI Notes: How not to do a short field landing. A CFII, MEI did this. This was done going in to a 2000 foot paved runway in a Cessna 172. If done correctly there is no need to even use the brakes.
Harry is often asked by new pilots about VFR over the top. Here is what it looks like. On a recent flight Harry was VFR over the top (at first a scattered layer and then it turned to broken). Click here for the pictures. The pictures are in order and they show the layer of clouds becoming more solid below the aircraft.
Harry recently purchased a 3 wheel vehicle called a Heald Hauler (pictured below). This vehicle will be converted into a 3 wheel fire-truck using some of the features found in these 3 wheel fire-trucks. The vehicle will get a full mechanical restoration as the transformation to a fire-truck takes place.
Visit our Classified page for aircraft sales, vintage cars and motorcycles, and more.
CFI Notes: Recently an instructor applicant went to a local Designated Pilot Examiner for an initial flight instructor checkride. Within minutes of the checkride starting the examiner had to fail her. There were a few endorsements missing as well and some of the required training (required training was not logged in the log book). This is a failure by the recommending instructor as well as the applicant. Advisory Circular 61-65F is very clear on the endorsements required for the flight instructor practical test. One of the endorsements references FAR 61.187 and 61.187 states “A person who is applying for a flight instructor certificate must receive and log flight and ground training from an authorized instructor”. If the ground instruction is not logged in the applicant’s log book the examiner has no choice but to fail the applicant. The applicant failed the checkride because 2 endorsements were missing and the required ground training was not in her log book.
A while on the topic of flight training, enjoy this YouTube video about go-arounds.
Words of wisdom for the aviator – Any attempt to stretch fuel is guaranteed to increase headwinds!
Here is an interesting aircraft with a unique feature. The Douglas A-4 or “Scooter” as it was called. It is said that this aircraft can make a gear-up landing on it’s belly tanks with very minor damage to the nose section of the aircraft. After the gear up landing it could be back in the air in minimal time.
If you would like to advertise on the Flymall contact Harry. We have numerous places available to advertise your business on the Flymall.
Harry loves to promote general aviation to young folks. In fact Harry made aviation history in doing so. Back in the early 1990s Harry had a student pilot that made a coast to coast flight (solo) in a Cessna 172. This was long before the days of GPS and moving maps. Young (16 years old) Jimmy Mathis did a long cross country from Ocean City, Maryland to Long Beach, CA. Click here for an article Harry published about the trip.
Many of the locals know that there is construction going on at the Montgomery County Airpark and that we have back taxiing going on due to the taxi way being closed. Harry recently witnessed a near collision (head on) on the runway. Here is his account of what happened: “I was in the main parking lot and saw N5132C back taxiing on 32 (I thought he was back taxiing however after speaking with the pilot he said he landed on 14). N5132C was nearing taxiway C about to turn off the runway. He had not started his turn yet. Then I heard and saw an aircraft on his takeoff roll from 32. The takeoff aircraft was N34VF. N34VF rotated just a few feet prior to hitting N5132C. N34VF flew over N5132C. For a few seconds, the two aircraft were coming straight at each other. Another 5 seconds and they would have hit. Most aircraft were using 32 based on the windsock however the AWOS was saying winds variable or calm.” Be careful while the construction is going on.
Here’s an interesting article Harry saw online about an aircraft once owned by Charles Lindbergh. It is based in Maryland and still flying. Click here for the story.
Here is a friend’s 3 wheeler that was at a show in September. It is a copy of the very first Oldsmobile (steam powered) that he hand built (including the engine) from pictures. This is a scaled down version. He did build a full size non running version as well. Mr. Olds built his first 3 wheel steam powered vehicle in 1887.
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Written on August 24, 2017 at 11:10 am, by hkraemer
Ground portion:
He asked the applicant to confirm that you are familiar with the following:
Airman Certification Standards (PTS/ACS) document and concept?
How the ACS is to be utilized by the Applicant/Instructor/DPE?
The 6 items associated with Single-Pilot Resource Management (SRM)?
Harry’s note: Here is what the Private Pilot ACS says about SRM – In assessing the applicant’s performance, the evaluator should take note of the applicant’s use of CRM and, if appropriate, SRM. CRM/SRM is the set of competencies that includes situational awareness, communication skills, teamwork, task allocation, and decision-making within a comprehensive framework of standard operating procedures (SOP). SRM specifically refers to the management of all resources onboard the aircraft as well as outside resources available to the single pilot. Deficiencies in CRM/SRM almost always contribute to the unsatisfactory performance of a Task. While evaluation of CRM/SRM may appear to be somewhat subjective, the evaluator should use the risk management elements of the given Task(s) to determine whether the applicant’s performance of the Task(s) demonstrates both understanding and application of the associated risk management elements
Be very familiar with the FAR/AIM. Know the different sections and what is in each: Part 67, Part 61, Part 91, etc.
Weight and balance, including zero fuel weight, takeoff weight, landing weight, full fuel weight.
Class E airspace and Class G airspace including VFR weather minimums. Know about Class E airspace that starts at the surface. Know about Class E airspace extensions.
Engine operations including; number of spark plugs, number of cylinders, how fuel gets to the engine, what happens if the fuel vent gets clogged.
Carb heat; how it works, when to use it, know when you may get carb ice.
AVIATE acronym for inspections required on the aircraft:
A- Annual inspection – 12 calendar months.
V – VORs (30 days)
I – 100 hour (if used for hire)
A – Altimeter & Pitot/Static (24 calendar months)
T – Transponder (24 calendar months)
E – ELT (12 Calendar mo., 1/2 life battery date, 1 Hr. cumulative use)
The 5 P’s:
A helpful way for a pilot to assess his or her situation as a single pilot is to utilize the concept of the 5 P’s, which is a practical way for the pilot to analyze the risks associated with the elements of a flight.
Plan – The pilot should accomplish all preflight planning, and be prepared to adjust the flight plan as necessary during the flight. The plan also involves circumstances surrounding the flight planning process, like gathering weather information and assessing the route.
Plane – The airplane is obviously a significant element of the flight, and the pilot should asses the risks associated with inoperative equipment and the general shape of the airplane.
Pilot – The pilot should assess himself with a risk assessment checklist and the I’M SAFE checklist, but should also assess his currency and proficiency, as well as the conditions of the flight in relation to his abilities and his personal minimums.
Passengers – Passengers can present challenges like illness, fear, discomfort and distractions. It’s best for a pilot to plan for passenger challenges ahead of time, like providing them each with water and sick sacks, and briefing them about what will occur.
Programming- Advanced avionics must be understood completely and programmed correctly.
By assessing each of these items and the variables involved, a pilot can more discover and mitigate risks, and make knowledgeable decisions on the spot.
The 5 Cs:
Confess
Climb
Conserve
Communicate
Comply
Know the PAVE checklist:
Personal
Personal minimums will include pilot health and experience and can be evaluated in depth with the I’M SAFE checklist. How many hours of sleep do you usually need to function well? Are you healthy? Have you battled any illness or are you on any medications? How much flight experience do you have in the aircraft you’re about to fly? How many hours have you flown in the past week/month/year? Are you rusty? Stressed? All of these factors can affect your flight.
Aircraft
Is the aircraft airworthy? Did it undergo any inspections recently? Do you have the fuel necessary? Are you comfortable with the weight and balance and performance for the flight?
Do you know the aircraft limitations? Do you have current charts? Is the GPS up-to-date?
EnVironment
What’s the weather like? Are you comfortable and experienced enough to fly in the forecast weather conditions? Have you considered all your options and left yourself an “out”? Are you instrument-current? Are you comfortable with the type of approaches available to you? Did you check PIREPs and NOTAMs? Are you at comfortable flying in busy airspace or on edge about the air traffic control situation? Does the aircraft have heat or air conditioning? Are you familiar with the terrain?
External Pressures
Are you stressed or anxious? Is this a flight that will cause you to be stressed or anxious? Is there pressure to get to your destination quickly? Do you have a plan B? Are you dealing with difficult passengers or an unhealthy safety culture?
Are you being honest with yourself and others about your pilot abilities and limitations?
Weather including; charts, decision making based on weather.
Emergency procedures
Night VFR instruments and equipment required
Temperature vs performance. Know how to properly use all performance charts/tables.
High altitude flight and hypoxia.
Know the alcohol limits – .04 percent or 8 hours bottle to throttle.
Passenger briefing including asking them about scuba diving & flying and motion sickness.
NTSB – what needs to be reported, how long do you have to file report.
Ferry flight requirements. When would you need a ferry permit.
NASA form or NASA report.
Required placards in aircraft.
Maintenance required. Who is responsible to maintaining aircraft in airworthy condition. Who is responsible for determining if aircraft is airworthy. Be able to show the required inspections in aircraft log book.
What are the required documents in aircraft and what documents does the pilot have to carry.
Know how to divert to an alternate and why and when.
How to recover from a stall and or spin.
What are the left turning tendencies.
Know the sections of the POH.
Airport rotating beacon colors.
What would happen if the person fueling the aircraft did not put the gas caps on tight or properly. The low pressure on top of the wing would suck the fuel out.
On an engine failure know your glide distance.
Flight portion:
Examiner said something about her 2 handed flying. He said there was nothing in the ACS that said you cannot fly with 2 hands. He had concerns about her doing a go-around – if she could get to the power fast enough.
They did: Turns about a point. Power off 180. Go around. Slips to a landing. Steep turns. Slow flight. Engine out to a field. Stalls power on and off. Short and soft field takeoffs and landings. Fly under the hood. Track to a VOR.
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This month we’re going to feature some prototype aircraft and other vehicles. Some only made it to the design stage while others were actually built.
Here is a 1940 Buick Roadmaster Pickup—only one ever made !!
Here is an interesting Boeing 747 prototype, a Boeing 747 TriJet. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Boeing studied the development of a shorter 747 with three engines, to compete with the smaller L-1011 TriStar and DC-10. I do not believe any were ever built.
A recent Facebook post reminded Harry of a place he would sail to in the 1970s, Fort Carroll. As a young boy Harry would sail several hours in his small sailboat by himself to Fort Carroll to go on the island and explore it. The fort (now abandoned) was built in the mid 1800s.
Harry was introduced to sailing in the early 1970s. He learned the art of sailing on a 42 foot Ketch similar to the one pictured here.
Enjoy this YouTube video of a tour of Fort Carroll
This summer brought us a lot of thunderstorms in the Maryland area. It sure made flight training challenging. Here is an article (click here for the article) Harry wrote for IFR Refresher a few years ago about a thunderstorm encounter he had while flying a Piper Malibu. Keep your cool and fly the plane if you find yourself in some serious weather.
Harry & Pat hosted a birthday party (18th birthday) and off to college party for Harry’s student Francesca. It was complete with an airplane on her cake and fireworks. Click here for more pictures from the party. Francesca is off to Embry Riddle and then on to a military fighter pilot career. Francesca turned 18 in August 2017.
The day before Francesca’s 18th birthday she passed the flight test for her private pilot certificate. Here she is holding her temporary certificate.
The next day (on her 18th birthday) after passing the test for her private pilot certificate Francesca and Harry flew to KCGE to see the Hawker picnic area, in person, for the first time. Francesca also earned her complex aircraft endorsement on that flight. Click here for more pictures.
Francesca & Harry with N36777 (Piper Arrow). Click on each picture for a larger view.
The Hawker is on display next to the main terminal building.
Here is Harry and Francesca by the Hawker.
Here’s Harry at the aircraft.
Harry was able to get the keys and let Francesca sit in the cockpit of this 1960’s vintage aircraft.
Francesca and her parents were able to enjoy lunch at the table that Kraemer Aviation donated.
To read more about the Hawker project use the search box in the newsletter section of the Flymall and search for “Hawker”.
CFI Notes: While conducting a checkout flight with one of the new instructors, Harry experienced an alternator failure in a Cessna 182RG. The first indication of trouble was the low voltage light. This will get your attention when it comes on. Next the amp meter was checked and this confirmed that they were running off of the battery. Being inside the SFRA where a radio and transponder are required it was necessary to take some of the load of off the system to conserve battery life. It was also decided to put the gear down so it was not necessary to pump it down if the battery ran out of power. This also ensured that they were able to confirm the gear was down and locked. In a 182RG the gear needs to be pumped down via a hand pump in the event of loss of electrical power or pump failure.
If you’re in the market to purchase an aircraft, car, motorcycle, or any other type of vehicle, visit Harry’s Market Watch section of the Flymall. Harry has pricing data on thousands of vehicles. For some that have been for sale for a while you can see how the seller has lowered the price such as in this Brevetti MeCart and this Jawa Trike. Our Market Watch shows offers, asking prices, actual sale prices, appraisal values, and more. Harry also tracks offers versus sale prices. Many folks will sell an aircraft or other vehicle for a price lower than their first offer. Don’t make that mistake. Click here for some actual offers versus sale price data. You’ll see that some of the sale prices are tens of thousands below the first offer.
Harry is always eager to introduce young folks to aviation. In August of 2016 he met this 3 year old girl at the flight school. She was there to take a discovery flight. She wanted to be an astronaut and she came dressed in her flight suit for the flight.
On August 8 2017 Pat’s student Uma did her first solo in N34HD. Here she is just after her solo landings.
You may remember Uma from last fall. Her and Pat hit a goose just after takeoff in a Cessna 172. The goose hit the windshield and parts of the windshield and goose hit Uma. They had to continue the climb and fly the pattern with a big hole in the windshield. Click here for the newsletter showing the aircraft and Uma after hitting the goose. Click here for the newsletter showing the special plaque that Uma received as a Christmas gift.
We close this newsletter with one of Harry’s favorite John Lennon quotes: “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.”
If you’re a Beatle fan and enjoy reading about The Beatles history, visit our events calendar and select “Beatles” under category. This is an on-going project by Harry. Important dates in Beatle history are posted here.
You can view past newsletters by clicking here. Our newsletter section is also searchable. You can use the search box on the right side of the screen in our newsletter section. You can search by subject, a person’s name, etc.
July 20, 1969: The Lunar Module Eagle, at a weight of 16,153 lbs, carried astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin Jr. from Apollo 11 to the surface of the moon. If you enjoy aviation history facts we have a new one each day on Flymall.org at the bottom of our pages.
For months we have been posting pictures and updating you on the Hawker project at the Cambridge Airport. Here is the finished product. Click on the picture for a larger view. If you stop in and have lunch on Harry’s table post some pictures on Facebook and tag him in them. For past post about the Hawker project use the search box in the newsletter section and search for “Hawker”.
Here is some big news in the flying car / roadable aircraft industry. Geely, parent company of Volvo Cars, has agreed to purchase the flying–car startup Terrafugia. For more information on flying cars / roadable aircraft visit Harry’s Flying Car page on the Flymall.
Harry loves to introduce aviation to young kids. Harry recently met this young boy and his grandparents at the airport. They were watching the planes. he told him it was more fun on the other side of the fence and offered to let him sit in a few planes.
This is what experienced pilots call a sucker hole. It looks like a way out between two cells until you try to fly through it. This picture was taken at KGAI earlier in July. Here are some more “sucker holes” via Google Images.
In August Harry will be at several judged shows with a few of his vintage three wheelers. Click here for his appearance schedule. Follow Harry on Facebook for more updates and pictures live from the shows. For other events including car shows, county fairs, airport open house, air shows, etc., visit our events calendar by clicking here. The calendar is searchable. You can set up an email reminder about an event. The calendar will automatically email you a reminder about an event you are interested in.
Harry’s friend Brenda continues to see growth and success with her flight school Bravo Flight Training.
Brenda will often plan fly-outs for breakfast or lunch. Here is some info on an upcoming fly-out to Cumberland for breakfast. Click here for her post on this fly-out. Click on the log above for her site and more info on the numerous events Brenda organizes.
Harry’s student Francesca completed her solo cross countries this month. She hopes to have her checkride completed by the end of July. Here are a few pictures of her with N34HD after she returned from her first solo cross country.
If you are looking for a used aircraft visit Harry’s used aircraft page by clicking here. We also have a page dedicated to “buyer’s tools and information”. Here you can find useful information to help you in your search for an aircraft. Click here for the page. You can also visit Harry’s market watch page to research price data on aircraft, cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles. If you’re planning to purchase an aircraft to leaseback to a flight school visit Harry’s leaseback calculator developed by Harry. The leaseback calculator is a useful tool in determining rental rates, monthly income, etc.
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