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Gemini VII Launch in December 4, 1965 TV Guide

Gemini VII Launch Announcement from December 4, 1965 TV Guide - Airplanes and RocketsWhile looking for the edition of TV Guide that published the first airing of "A Charlie Brown Christmas," I noticed that the time period coincided with the launching of the Gemini VII spacecraft. In a stroke of good fortune, it indeed included an announcement that regularly scheduled programming would be preempted as necessary to provide live coverage of the launch, to give timely updates, and to coverage the splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. 2:30 Gemini Space Flight The 14-day Gemini VII space flight is scheduled for launching from Cape Kennedy's Pad 19 at 2:30 P.M. Astronauts Frank Borman and James A. Lovell will be making man's longest journey...

Skydweller Solar Plane Flies in Mississippi

Skydweller Solar Plane Flies in Missippippi - Airplanes and Rockets"An aviation company pushing the boundaries of solar-powered flight has successfully finished the first in a series of tests for its uncrewed airplane, taking off from Mississippi's Stennis International Airport for six flights high over the Gulf of Mexico. The company, Skydweller Aero Inc., says its aircraft - essentially a giant drone with a wingspan greater than a 747 - had one flight lasting 22.5 hours and another lasting 16 hours during the initial testing campaign. The company says it is developing technology to enable its airplanes to eventually spend months cruising at 40,000 feet, guided by a team of techs on the ground and using only the sun for fuel. The top of the plane is equipped with 17,000 solar cells..."

Air Trails Sketch Book

Sketch Book, February 1949 Air Trails - Airplanes and RocketsA scheme I have considered for control line models is one of the entries in the "Sketch Book" section of the February 1949 issue of Air Trails magazine. Mr. Joseph Johnson shows how he used a moveable rudder on his scale airplane to increase tension on the control lines when up elevator is commanded. A similar system could be devised for stunt models which increases right rudder (for CCW circles, left rudder for CW) as either up or down elevator is fed in. Another option I have never tried is to have a moveable rudder controlled by a spring connected to a sliding bellcrank platform that would increase outward rudder when line tension lessens, and decrease it when the lines get tight. Such a system would be most useful for compensating for wind gusts that slacken the control lines. Maybe some day I'll have the time to experiment with that. A handful of other ideas are included...

F-84G Thunderjet Article & Plans

F-84G Thunderjet Article & Plans, July 1970 American Aircraft Modeler - Airplanes and RocketsWebsite visitor Bob wrote to ask that I scan and post the construction article and plans for the F-84G Thunderjet control line model. It appeared in the July 1970 issue of American Aircraft Modeler magazine. The unique feature of this model is that the power is supplied by the pilot. A fishing pole and line is used to drag the airplane around the flying circle and a separate, standard two-line elevator control is used to maneuver the model. Construction is sheet balsa. Author Joe Wagner (well-known in the modeling world) claims that with a bit of practice just about any aerobatic maneuver can be accomplished except for the overhead routines like the figure eight...

Drones Perform Infrastructure Inspections

Drones Perform Infrastructure Inspections - Airplanes and Rockets"Drones will be deployed for long distance inspection of infrastructure as well as site security following new rule changes published by the UK Civil Aviation Authority. The aviation regulator's new rules will enable drones to fly beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of remote pilots in so-called 'atypical' operations through its new policy for atypical air environments (AAE). BVLOS flights have been taking place in the UK for several years, but these flights have occurred primarily in trials under strict restrictions..."

World Championships in Germany

World Championships in Germany, Model Annual 1956 Air Trails - Airplanes and RocketsThe 1956 Air Trails magazine Annual Edition reported on the World Championships in Germany for the International Wakefield Cup, F.A.I Free Flight, and Nordic A/2 Glider events. The three '55 World Championships were held in September at the U.S. Air Force's Finthen Airfield, near Wiesbaden, Germany. Competition was fierce amongst European and American contenders. It is worthwhile to remember that 1955 was a mere eleven years after the end of World War II, and that former foes were gathered together for a sporting contest. There could easily have been men there who, without knowing it, were competing against military adversaries they met on the battlefield or in occupied towns a decade earlier...

Rocket (Jetex) Powered Dyna-Soar

Rocket (Jetex) Powered Dyna-Soar Article & Plans, July 1962 American Modeler - Airplanes and RocketsThis rocket boost glider called the Dyna-Soar was powered by American Telasco's version of the Jetex 50 engine. Jetex rocket engines were quite popular with model airplane, boat, and car builders through the early 1970s, at which point the fuel supplies began to disappear. Most Internet sources posit that Imperial Chemicals Industries (ICI) ceased making the fuel pellets due to a combination of liability and regulation issues. ICI, based in Scotland, manufactured the Jetex fuel pellets* from a measured blend of guanidine nitrate, 2,4-dinitroresorcinol, potassium nitrate...

Windmill Planes

Windmill Planes, February 1939 Popular Science - Airplanes and RocketsLeonardo da Vinci is usually credited with producing the first illustration of a helicopter concept. It employed a rotating helical corkscrew device at the top in order to enable the craft and occupant to "screw his way aloft, in much the same manner as Archimedes designed his eponymous helical screw device to lift water from a lower level to a higher level. Water, being dense and cohesive with itself, was easily elevated, whilst air, not being dense or cohesive, did not yield to the same technique. In fact, if the "aerial screw" were able to spin rapidly enough and was of an efficient aerodynamic design, it would work. Here is a 4-screw drone to prove it. These "Windmill Planes" presented in the February 1939 issue of Popular Science magazine represent the state of the art at the time. Surprisingly omitted is an example of Igor Sikorsky's helicopter design, which he first flew successfully in September...

Top 50 NASA Photos

Top 50 NASA Photos - RF Cafe"On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which began its operations on October 1, 1958, we offer this list of the 50 most memorable images from NASA's history. We recognize that any such ranking is inherently subjective. The rationale for why any one image ranked two slots higher than any other combines several factors, including our attempt to balance the list between human spaceflight, satellite imaging, and planetary exploration. Many wonderful images did not make the final cut - we couldn't convince the editors to give us 20 pages instead of 10. The list omits significant events from space history that were not NASA achievements..."

Fan Forces Parachute to Ascend with Jumper

Fan Forces Parachute to Ascend with Jumper, August 1937 Popular Mechanics - Airplanes and RocketsThis sort of cutting edge technology used to be the domain of military operations, but nowadays it can be found in amusement parks and even at backyard parties. The parachute training facility which appeared in a 1937 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine was real whiz-bang stuff at the time. Although Russia's system is featured here, I have to believe other countries were doing the same sort of thing. Using a high power fan to boost the paratrooper trainee in a simulated parachute descent was an excellent method of introducing men to the sensations and reactions to control inputs via shroud lines. The story noes not mention whether the fan was forceful enough to simulate a free-fall experience. Just today a saw a news item showing such recreational free-fall machine companies called Urban Air and iFall...

Wee -38 Lightning Article & Plans

Wee -38 Lightning Article & Plans, December 1959 American Modeler - Airplanes and RocketsSince first starting with control line model sin the late 1960s, I always intended to build a multi-engine model of some sort, but didn't get around to it until around 2016 when I began construction on a Douglas DC-3 (maiden flight occurred in 2023). With the plethora of ready-to-fly (RTF) and almost RTF (ARF) models on the market today at very reasonable prices, there is no real good excuse for not doing it; so I'll have to stick with my bad excuses. But I digress. This simple twin "Wee-38" Lightning which appeared in the December 1959 issue of American Modeler magazine, uses a pair of Cox .020 or .049 engines and solid balsa components. You could electrify the model with equivalent brushless motors, ESCs, and a LiPo battery pack. It would be nice if a series of ESCs would be marketed for twin motors, since unlike with brushed...

The Space Race

Space Race (ChatGPT-generated content) - Airplanes and RocketsThe Space Race was one of the most significant geopolitical and scientific competitions of the 20th century, driven by the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It spanned from the late 1940s through the 1970s, with a focus on achieving superiority in space exploration, a domain viewed as critical not only for scientific advancement but also for military and strategic dominance. Rooted in rocket technology developed during World War II, the Space Race transformed the world's understanding of science and technology, culminating in the most dramatic achievement: the landing of humans on the Moon in 1969. This treatise explores the key milestones, the countries and key players involved, technological developments, the interplay between military...

Model Rocketry Takes off in Oregon

Model Rocketry Takes off in Oregon - Airplanes and RocketsThis article appeared in the November 2024 issue of Astronomy magazine - not sure why. "Brothers is a place that has somehow slipped outside the passage of time. Located in a sea of sagebrush in central Oregon, this former stagecoach stopover once serviced horse-drawn migrants bound for the Willamette Valley. Thanks to the nonprofit organization OregonRocketry, Brothers has outlasted the surrounding ghost towns to find new purpose as one of the preeminent high-power rocket launch sites in America. The group has purchased land and established a site out here in coyote country for the advancement of amateur rocketry and education of future aerospace engineers. They have a waiver from the FAA that currently allows them to blast the things nearly four miles into the air..."

HAPS Aircraft for Stratospheric Comms

SoftBank Trials HAPS Aircraft for Stratospheric Communications - RF Cafe"Japanese operator SoftBank announced that the Sunglaider, its large-scale solar-powered uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) designed for High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) stratospheric telecommunications, was utilized in a field trial conducted by AeroVironment and the U.S. DoD in New Mexico, the U.S. During the trial, carried out in early August, Sunglider succeeded in achieving stratospheric flight, the Japanese operator said. With a wingspan of 78 meters and the capability to carry payloads weighing up to 75kg, the Sunglider is larger than other publicly announced HAPS UAS..."

Championship 336 Cessna Skymaster

Championship Winning 336 Cessna Skymaster Article & Plans, July/August 1964 American Modeler - Airplanes and RocketsThe Cessna Skymaster (336/337) has always been my favorite twin-engined civilian lightplane. A military version of it is designated as the O-2 Skymaster. For as long as I can remember, I have threatened to build a control-line model of one. Well, that time has finally arrived, and I began by ordering these plans from the AMA Plans Service. It will be powered by a pair of 480-sized brushless motors, and throttle will be controlled by a hand-held car/boat format transmitter, the one I use on my control-line Douglas DC-3. I am modifying the fuselage construction to accommodate the motors, and am adding formers to simplify the building process. Mr. Welch's original omitted formers in the cabin area...

Fox 15x Engine

Fox 15x Engine, November 1961 American Modeler - Airplanes and RocketsFox model airplane engines had a reputation for ruggedness and contest-winning performance, but were also notoriously difficult to get started - at least without an electric starter. In 1961, when this full-page advertisement appeared in American Modeler magazine, electric starters were not in many modelers' field boxes, and particularly those owned by youngsters whose modeling budget came from meager allowances and paper routes. Born in 1958, I was 15 or 16 years old before being able to afford the luxury, and I remember relentlessly flipping the propellers on my Fox 15 and Fox 35 control line engines. Half the time when they...

Airnocker Article & Plans

Airnocker Article & Plans, March 1957 Model Airplane News - Airplanes and RocketsIf you have ever wanted to try your hand (thumbs, to be more specific) at a floatplane, then this 1/2A size Aeronca Champion which appeared in the March 1957 issue of Model Airplane News magazine, is just the ticket. Although designed by Walt Mooney as a free flight ROW (rise-off-water) model that easily converts between wheels and floats, modifications to 3 or 4 channel radio control would be a snap, especially since the plans show separate construction for the control surfaces along the hinge line. With about a 46" wingspan and lightweight but strong construction, this model could easily have been designed with modern electric power...

Rebinding Damaged Books

Rebinding Damaged Books, February 1965 Popular Mechanics - Airplanes and RocketsI did a quick Web search on how to repair damaged book bindings, and as is typical, most of what is out there is a rewritten regurgitation of other pages. Tape and glue are the order of the day per those instructions, but that is really insufficient to effect a good repair on books - particularly older volumes - which use string and fabric along the spine to form a very rugged and durable binding for standing up to repeated use. When you desire to restore a book to as close to its original condition as possible, the more extensive method described in this 1965 Popular Mechanics magazine article is needed. All the tools and materials required are described, as is instructions for assembling a book...

R&S Counter-UAS to Combat Autonomous Aerial Threats

Rohde & Schwarz Advances Counter-UAS Technology to Combat Autonomous Aerial Threats - RF Cafe"Rohde & Schwarz has been at the forefront of addressing the evolving threats posed by advanced drone technology to security, public safety, and critical infrastructure. As drones become more sophisticated and complex, malicious drones equipped with advanced capabilities present significant challenges. To counter these threats, Rohde & Schwarz has developed cutting-edge Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (CUAS) designed to detect, neutralize, and mitigate emerging drone risks effectively. In a recent interview, Martin Woywod, Product Manager for Counter-UAS Systems at Rohde & Schwarz, explained the urgency of counter-drone technology in today's world..."

Wind Flying

Wind Flying - September 1972 American Aircraft Modeler - Airplanes and RocketsAirplanes and Rockets website visitor Lars B. wrote from Sweden requesting that I scan this "Wind Flying" article from the September 1972 edition of American Aircraft Modeler magazine. It describes a method for replacing engines and motors with human power for preforming some pretty impressive C/L aerobatics on windy days. Basically, you drag the model airplane around on its control lines, which often required not just turning in a circle while standing in one place, but walking around a small circle in order to get more speed. If there is any wind, you need to put extra effort into the pulling when moving into the wind. I can remember doing this as a teenager, only I did it with the engine in place but not...

Aviation News Headlines <Archives>

• FCC Rules for 5 GHz Band Drone Operations

EAA Weighs in on MOSAIC

• Smithsonian Opens Hangar Doors to Pilots

• EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024 July 22-28

• The Smallest Air Force One

Model Boats More Popular Than Ever

Model Boats More Popular Than Ever, Model Annual 1956 Air Trails - Airplanes and RocketsPost World War II was a big time for model building and operating. Veterans and their families helped relieve the stress and anxieties of the era with both scale and original design model boats, cars, trains, submarines, motorcycles helicopters, airplanes, tanks, even oddities like bicycles, farm equipment, carnival layouts, animals, and historic buildings (of which many of those appeared in model train layouts). The level of artistry and craftsmanship was impressive, particularly considering the sparsity of pre-made miniature accoutrements like hardware fittings, mechanisms for operating control surfaces and mechanisms, and even appropriate finishes. Radio control was in its infancy, being largely the realm of modelers with knowledge...

Square Hare from Delaware Article and Plans

Square Hare from Delaware Article and Plans, September 1962 American Modeler - Airplanes and RocketsWebsite visitor Steve R. wrote requesting that I scan and post this "Square Hare" article from the September 1962 issue of American Modeler magazine. Says, Steve, "I built one of these back then on Galloping ghost and it went great till servo failed (modified mighty Midget motor). Later I built another for Class one Aerobatics fitted with OS 40 and Kraft Propo, this was very successful. Nostalgia strikes and I'd like to build another as a sport model." Square Hare from Delaware is a bit unique in that its wing has no spar and is constructed from diagonally arranged ribs sandwiched between 3/32" balsa sheeting. Looking at all the hardware required just for the elevator control really makes you appreciate modern radio gear with servos. Hopefully, Steve will grace us with a photo of his completed Square Hare.

Craftsman 5½" Bench Vise and 7" Woodworking Vise Restored

Craftsman 5½" Bench Vise and 7" Woodworking Vise Restored - Airplanes and RocketsI have been using a 4½" bench vise for decades, and have always wanted to get a larger one. It was OK for most jobs, but there have been times when I thought for sure I'd break it when hammering or bending metal parts in it. This Craftsman 5½" Bench Vise (Model No. 113.228162) appeared on eBay and looked to be in pretty good condition. I figured a bit of polishing and painting would restore it to nearly good-as-new. The vise was taken completely apart and all the paint was removed using a high speed grinder with an abrasive pad. It left the metal unscathed. Areas that could not be reached with the grinder were wire brushed. Unpainted metal parts were polished with a fine grit pad. A thin coat of RustOleum primer was applied, then three coats of gloss red over that. The vise was set in the sun all day to cure. A thin layer of grease was put on the swivel base mating surfaces, jaw screw, and where the handle meets the vise jaw...

Ray Models "Ray-Jets"

Ray Models Advertisement, November 1946 Air Trails - Airplanes and RocketsThis Ray-Jets advertisement appeared in the November 1946 issue of Air Trails magazine. The name is unfamiliar to me. The company claims to have the first jet-propelled models, which use their brand of "Rocket Units" that use "no fire," "no chemicals," and are "absolutely harmless." It was obviously not some form of the Jetex rocket engine since they did not enter the marketplace until 1958. According to the Model-Plans.co.uk.com website, which has good info on the Ray Models kits, the "Rocket Unit" was a CO2 cartridge that get punctured at launch. The Jetex.org website has a mention of the Ray Jet−Racer, describing the launch method, and another page on CO2-powered jet models. On rare occasion one of the Ray Models kits will appear on eBay...

Ready to Try Towline Gliding?

Ready to Try Towline Gliding?, April 1960 American Modeler - Airplanes and RocketsIn 1960 when this article appeared in American Modeler magazine, radio control (R/C) was still in its infancy and was a rich man's sport (mostly). R/C also required an amateur radio operator's license in order to use the transmitters. Control line and free flight constituted the purview of the vast majority of aeromodelers. Towline gliders were very popular in areas where enough open area was available - and back then there was a whole lot more open area than there is today. Take a look at the backgrounds of photos and movies in the 60's and before and notice how relatively undeveloped the land was, even around larger metro regions. Anyway, this article offers sage advice to modelers considering getting into towline gliders. Many kits were available in the day...

What Next? - Modelin' Folk Singers

What Next? - Modelin' Folk Singers (July/August 1963 American Modeler) - Airplanes and RocketsFinding poetry, short stories, and even songs in magazines was common up until sometime in the 1970s. I'm not sure why it stopped (or nearly so), but as a reader of many vintage magazine types - airplanes, woodworking, mechanics, electronics, and others - I can attest to it. Both here on Airplanes and Rockets and on my RF Cafe engineering website, I have posted quite a few examples. Here is yet another from the July/August 1963 edition of American Modeler magazine. As time goes by, I wonder how many of today's readers are even familiar with some of the tunes the songs are meant to follow...

Covering a Compound Curve with MonoKote

Covering a Compound Curve with MonoKote - Airplanes and RocketsI took the occasion of having to cover the wingtips of my AAR-X1 electric control line model to make a short video of how I cover a compound surface (one that curves in two or three dimensions) with MonoKote. The only "trick" involved is being daring enough to apply the amount of heat needed to exploit MonoKote's extreme ability to shrink, while pulling on it to stretch it. By daring I mean that it can take quite a bit of heat, even to the point of being dangerously close to the melting point. It can also put the phalanges is peril while attempting to stretch the MonoKote while heating it. In the case of these wingtips, there is an open framework, but the method works equally well on solid compound surface. I have smoothly covered carved sailplane nose blocks and curved wingtips using this method...

The Nearly Effortless Flight of the Albatross

The Nearly Effortless Flight of the Albatross - Airplanes and RocketsThe July 2013 edition of IEEE's Spectrum magazine had a really good article on a high tech study that is being done on the manner in which an albatross manages to fly great distances and for long periods of time while rarely needing to flap its wings. As shown in the thumbnail (and in the article), an albatross performs a series of rapid climbs into very strong wind, turns, and dives leeward nearly to the water's surface, then repeats the process over and over as it makes its way to its destination. The process is called dynamic soaring. R/C soaring pilots have been doing the same sort of thing for a few years now. Obviously the albatross figured out how to fly like that long before mankind was able to mimic it, but the researchers in the article seem to not have knowledge of the R/C soaring technique. They are capturing albatrosses in their nests and attaching GPS-based sensors with data recorders to the birds' back feathers and retrieving the units when the birds return to their nests...

Retracting Gear B-17G Control Liner

Retracting Gear B-17G Control Liner Article & Plans, July/August 1963 American Modeler - Airplanes and RocketsCan you imagine what a sweet sound it must be with four Cox .049 engines running at the same time on the same airplane? Keith Laumer and John Simmance didn't have to wonder once they teamed up to design, build, and fly this 45" wingspan, control line B-17 Flying Fortress. As if that wasn't enough, they added a custom electrical retractable landing gear (including the tail wheel), navigation lights, throttles on all four engines, and flaps! An 800:1 reduction gear box was coupled with a 3 volt motor to drive the retract mechanism, flaps, throttles, and light switches. A third control line and a Roberts 3-line bellcrank controlled everything. Operation of the retracts is a bit dicey since they are triggered to go up at full throttle, then go back down at low throttle. That means the pilot has to be careful not to command full throttle while the model is on the ground or the landing gear will fold up on him. I would not have wanted the task of trying to get all four Babe Bee .049 engines running at the same time. Today we have commercially available electric starters for the small engines, but in 1963 when this article appeared in American Modeler magazine, it was either use the spring starter on the engine or flip it by hand...

Candid Camera at the 1959 NATS

Candid Camera at the NATS (September 1959 Model Aviation News Bulletin) - Airplanes and RocketsHere are a few more photos from the 1959 AMA Nationals, in continuation of coverage in the July and August issues of Model Aviation magazine. Some are behind-the-scenes shots rather than just flight line action. Vintage unbuilt kits of a lot of the airplanes you see in these pictures are selling for a small fortune today on eBay. BTW, this series of Model Aviation is completely different than and precedes the current incarnation of Model Aviation that followed the American Aircraft Modeler and American Modeler titles. Its size is just 8½" high by 5½" wide, and were typically only about 20 pages. The February 1959 issue has about twice as many pages because it also contains the 1950-1960 "Official Model Aircraft Regulations Governing Sporting Model Aviation in America." I have all 12 issue from 1959, and don't know if others are available...

59 Nats Hailed Great Success

'59 Nats Hailed Great Success (July 1959 Model Aviation News Bulletin) - Airplanes and RocketsHere is a report on the 1959 Nats, aka the 28th National Model Airplane Championships, held at Los Alamitos Naval Air Station, California. For those not familiar with the early Nats, the U.S. Navy used to sponsor and host the entire show primarily because it was considered a good recruitment tool for young men of a necessarily competitive nature. Their hopes were that those guys would see really cool stuff at the base and anxiously anticipate the day when they could join. Some time in the late 1960s, the attendance by youngsters was so low that the Navy decided to pull its support. Bill Winter managed to talk them into staying for a few more years after promising to work to bring youth participation back up, but, alas, it did not last...

Model Airplane, Helicopter, Boat, & Rocket Videos

Model Airplane, Helicopter, Boat, & Rocket Action Videos - Airplanes and RocketsHere is a list of model airplane, helicopter, rocket, and boat videos put together around 2008. As you might expect, by now many of the websites and/or the original content are gone. Where possible, I located missing material on the Archive.org website (the Wayback Machine). Links I couldn't find anywhere have been deleted. Many of the videos are ones I created for the Airplanes and Rockets website...

Aquativity Roundup

Aquativity Roundup, January 1962 American Modeler - Airplanes and Rockets"Aquitivity Roundup" was a monthly column in American Modeler magazine (the precursor to American Aircraft Modeler, precursor to the current Model Aviation). American Modeler covered many aspects of modeling other than airplanes including rockets, boats, cars, and to a lesser extent, trains and helicopters (helis were for experimenters at the time). Radio control for models boats was in full swing by 1962, both for engine and wind power. Just as with model airplanes, model boats were run as free float (a la free flight - get it?), on a tether (a la control line) and by remote control (could be via sound, light, or radio signals)...

Penni Helicopter

Penni Helicopter from the January 1970 American Aircraft Modeler - Airplanes and RocketsThis article for the rubber-powered free flight Penni Helicopter, by John Burkam and Gene Rock, was scanned from my purchased copy of the January 1970 American Aircraft Modeler magazine. The Penni Helicopter is fairly unique in that it has a functional tail rotor to counter the main rotor torque rather than just a big flat vertical surface. It also features a flybar on the rotor head to help stabilize flight. Main rotor span is 16 inches. Because the plans spanned two pages, I had to adjust the size and alignment a bit to get halves to line up properly. The AMA Plans Service does not carry the Penni Helicopter, so if you need a larger version, e-mail me and I will send you a 4.5 x 3.0 kpixel version. You should be able to scale up the image below, though...

Aircraft Marking of All Nations

Aircraft Marking of All Nations, November 1934 Flying Aces - Airplanes and RocketsI was surprised to find in this 1934 issue of Flying Aces magazine that the European countries of Finland and Latvia used Swastika insignia. The Germans were not the only country that used a Swastika for military markings. According to Wikipedia, many Asian nations and religions used the swastika (pointing clockwise) or the sauwastika (pointing left) long before the National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party) decided to adopt it as their organizational symbol. It would have been nice if Flying Aces had supplied the chart of early 20th Century aircraft country insignia in color, but back in the day color on anything other than the cover was very rare. Fortunately, they labeled many areas with what their color should be. I was going to colorize the symbols, but without knowing the true shades, doing so might do more harm than good if someone were to search for a color scheme...

Sterling Cirrus Sailplane Kit

Sterling Cirrus Sailplane Kit - Airplanes and RocketsBack in the early to mid 1970s, I built a Sterling Cirrus sailplane kit. Shortly thereafter I bought my first radio control system (a used 3-channel OS Digitron), and in a somewhat desperate attempt to fly an RC glider, actually managed to cram two of its huge servos, a huge metal-cased receiver, and a NiCad airborne battery pack (the only part that has not gotten smaller in the intervening 50 years) into the cockpit area. Although the cockpit was very spacious, the balsa frame construction was way too weak to support a radio system, but that didn't stop me... well, not right away anyway. The ready-to-fly weight was probably three times the recommended 12 ounce nominal. Although the Cirrus has a generous 87-5/16" wingspan, with it 25:1 aspect ratio, the root chord is only a little over 4" and the wingtip chord is around 1". Even with vertical sheer webbing between the upper and lower main spars, the wing was far too weak for so much weight. After much work covering the undercambered airfoil and compound curves around the fuselage with Japanese tissue and brushing on a few coats of clear dope, it was finally ready to fly...

Construction Details of the Messerschmitt Jaguar

Construction Details of the Messerschmitt "Jaguar", October 1941 Flying Aces When this detailed construction of the Messerschmitt "Jaguar" bomber appeared in the October 1941 issue of Flying Aces magazine, not many Americans suspected that within weeks the Japanese would bomb Pearl Harbor and draw the country formally into World War II. That included the other primary "Axis" power, Germany. Jaguars had been routinely dropping bombs all over Europe for years. News of the increasing aggressiveness of Hitler's hoards fill newspaper front pages and nightly news on radio (not many televisions at the time), but that was "over there," not on our shores. Out of sight, out of mind, as the saying goes. As with so many other areas of technology, the Germans were very good aircraft designers and builders. The Jaguar was considered a medium range bomber. It had a wingspan of 55 feet, similar to the De Havilland Mosquito bomber with a 54 foot wingspan. By comparison, the Mitchell B−25 had a 67 foot wingspan...

Should You Go Into Engineering?

Should You Go Into Engineering?, November 1954 Air Trails - Airplanes and RocketsThe middle of the last century was a time ripe with opportunities for people with a penchant for innovation, experimentation, designing, and building high technology products. Aviation, aerospace, land and sea transportation, medicine, manufacturing, chemistry, physics, astronomy, communications, electronics, mechanics, nuclear technology, remote exploration of space and the sea, and many other realms were pushing forward the frontiers of knowledge (or pushing back the frontiers of ignorance, depending on your viewpoint) at an incredible rate. Both trade and hobby magazines often featured articles encouraging participation as technicians and engineers in a field related to hobby interests (Ham radio, model airplanes, boats, and cars, etc.). Air Trails magazine ran many such pieces, including this 1954 example...

Radio Control News

Radio Control News, May 1954 Model Airplane News - Airplanes and Rockets1954 was just a decade after World War II, during which time the Army Signal Corps introduced a method of printing - or etching - metallic circuit conductors on an insulator substrate, and thus was born the printed circuit board (PCB). The first boards used a phenolic-paper laminate, which is the shiny brown substrate material that is still found in some industrial applications like motors and control panels. Ferric chloride was used to etch away the copper foil not masked off with photoresist chemicals. I made many crude PCBs using a resist ink pen to draw circuit traces and component mounting pads, then etched away the exposed copper with ferric chloride purchased at Radio Shack. This line from the article is reminiscent of people who remarked similarly about the first televisions and computers: "One of the first questions that arises is: 'What good is it and what do I gain by using it?'" Printed inductors were already being used, as the photo shows...

Thimble Drome Cox Prop-Rod Air-Powered Car

Thimble Drome Cox Prop-Rod Air-Powered Car - Airplanes and RocketsThe Prop-Rod car was one of the earliest models produced by L.M. Cox Manufacturing. For many years the models went by the trade name of Thimble Drome, but later were know simply as Cox Models. It was featured in magazine advertisements as early as 1961 when it appeared in American Modeler. The Prop-Rod came with a Babe Bee .049 engine mounted with its cylinder inverted, which could make starting it difficult since fuel could pool in the glow head. As with airplanes having inverted cylinders, starting it was often done by holding the model upside down. It was designed to run either on a tether stretched along a sidewalk, on a tether mounted in the center of a circle...

Adjusting the Power R/C Plane

Adjusting the Power R/C Plane, January 1955 Popular Electronics - Airplanes and RocketsIf you ever had any doubt whether Bill Winter was one of the model airplane hobby's earliest and most prolific contributors, check out this article that appeared in the January 1955 edition of Popular Electronics magazine (only the third issue since its inception). Radio control systems were just beginning to be commercialized and priced at a point where a lot of the public could afford it. Quirks and high unreliability that plagued early systems had become less of an issue so that airplane and power plant design efforts could take priority with aeromodelers. In this article, Bill addresses setting proper wing incidence and engine thrust angles for good, repeatable, stable flight...

USAF Basic Training - Kirt Blattenberger

USAF Basic Training - Kirt Blattenberger - Airplanes and RocketsDuring this time of year 44 solar orbits ago (yikes!), I was "enjoying" my fifth week of USAF Basic Training. It marked the transition from a trade in residential and commercial electrical wiring to a career in electronics. November 9, 1978 was a date which will live in infamy - for me, anyway. That was the day I left my comfortable, oblivious 20-year-old existence as an electrician in Mayo, MD, and boarded a Delta Airlines flight to San Antonio, Texas. About six months earlier I had signed up under the Delayed Enlistment program. I was on my way to becoming a fully trained and qualified Weather Equipment Specialist, a career field chosen based on my keen interest in weather phenomena, aviation, and aerospace. The plan was to survive six weeks of Basic Training (BT) at Lackland Air Force Base, TX, and then go on to technical school at Chanute AFB, IL. My first official act was to carry along with me a sealed envelope containing the data of all enlistees boarding the flight from BWI airport, to be surrendered to the sergeant who would ask for it upon arrival in San Antonio. I was psyched. Following deboarding at SAT, a uniformed person directed our troupe to a staging area while awaiting a bus for the ride to Lackland AFB. We were to stand quietly, looking forward. It was a small sampling of what was to come. After what seemed like a long bus ride, we drove past the guard house at the gate, rode to some building and were led into a dining hall for grub...



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