Airplanes and Rockets' history & copyright Google search American Modeler Air Trails American Aircraft Modeler Young Men Hobbies Aviation Flying Aces Saturday Evening Post Boys' Life Hobby Distributors Amateur Astronomy Engines & Motors Balsa Densities Silkspan Covering Comics Electronics My Models Model Aircraft Articles Plans Model Boat Articles Plans Model Car Articles Plans Model Train Articles Plans 1941 Crosley 03CB Radio Model helicopter articles & plans Crosswords Model Rocket Articles Plans Restoration Projects Photos Peanuts Collection Model Aircraft Articles Plans Sitemap Homepage Hints and Kinks Amateur Radio Archives of the homepage R/C Modeler Electronics About Airpleans and Rockest, Disclaimer, Terms of Use Model Topics Please Donate to Airplanes and Rockets Parole Plaza, Annapolis, Maryland Hobby Items for Sale Airplanes and Rockets Hero Graphic




Model Aircraft Museum, AMA - Airplanes and Rockets
RF Cascade Workbook - RF Cafe

Welcome to the Airplanes and Rockets Website

1st TV Airing of "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

"Peanuts on Television," by Charles Schulz - Airplanes and RocketsAs a lifelong admirer of Charles Schulz's Peanuts comic strip, I occasionally buy a collectible item like a Snoopy music box that plays "It's a Long Way to Tipperary," a plastic Schroeder and piano figurine, a Charlie Brown Skediddler, or a Snoopy astronaut from the Apollo era. This time I bought the edition of TV Guide that announced the first showing of the "A Charlie Brown Christmas" cartoon. Also in this edition is the announcement of plans to preempt regular programming to televise the launch of the Gemini VII spacecraft, which carried astronauts Frank Borman and James A. Lovell. It launched right on time at 7:30 pm on December 4th, 1965. "As his millions of fans long since have discovered, under that inept, ineffectual, bumbling exterior of Charlie Brown's there beats a heart as soft and sweet as a marshmallow. In the sequence on these pages, drawn exclusively for TV Guide by Charlie's creator, Charles Schulz, he becomes concerned about the true meaning of Christmas...

X-acto Knife Blade Usage Chart

X-acto Knife Blade Usage Chart - Airplanes and RocketsI've been using X-acto tools since my teenage years the early 1970s. Before that, my razor knife blades were either the single-edge hardware store type or double-edge blades copped from my father's safety razor (those were truly dangerous, even with one edge taped). Half a century later, I now have a selection of many flavors of X-actor blades and handles. As the chart above shows, there seems to be an X-acto blade for every purpose. I often wondered what they were all meant for, until I found this X-acto Blade Usage Chart from the company. Like most people, by far my most often used blade is the trusty #11. I've been through hundreds of them. X-acto also makes a wide variety of specially shaped carving blades, including vees, cups, circles (routers)...

Your Job in Aviation: Flight Engineer

Your Job in Aviation: Flight Engineer, October 1950 Air Trails - Airplanes and RocketsMost people these days are probably now aware of an aeronautical profession that up until around the early 1980s was a vital part of aviation - the flight engineer. This 1950s article in Air Trails magazine highlights what was at the time a very prestigious and sought-after position for people wanting professional level careers in both commercial and military aviation. Since the 1930s, aircraft were rapidly growing larger and more complex. Most had two to four engines, retracting landing gear, pressurized cabins, autopilots, electronic and celestial navigation, long distance routes, and increasingly crowded airways. All that plus en route and destination airport weather, and even ground traffic clutter at airports...

Symposium on Free Flight Adjustment

Symposium on Free Flight Adjustment, Part II (March 1957 American Modeler Magazine) - Airplanes and RocketsThis is part two of a series from the March 1957 issue of American Modeler magazine that briefly introduces a dozen winning free flight models and comments from their designers. Current day modelers who like to fly the vintage (old timer) airplanes might pick up a useful tip from the masters of the golden age of free flight. Materials have not changed a lot since then, other than maybe the use of carbon fiber in the airframe, and no doubt engine technology has gotten better, but the fundamentals of trimming for the powered and glide portions of free flight pretty much remain the same...

WKRP in Cincinnati: "As God As My Witness, I Thought Turkeys Could Fly"

WKRP in Cincinnati: "As God As My Witness, I Thought Turkeys Could Fly" - RF Cafe Anyone who watched the WKRP in Cincinnati TV sitcom back in the 1970s has to remember what was one of the funniest episodes ever. Here is the 4 minutes that made Prime Time history. In this Thanksgiving episode, station owner Arthur Carlson decided he would surprise the community with good deed - that doubled as a promotional stunt for his radio station - by dropping turkeys from a helicopter for lucky shoppers at the local shopping mall. Watch the disaster unfold as Les Nessman reports live, and then see Carlson's final comment that is still used or alluded to in many comic routines. Posting this video is an RF Cafe tradition. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Aftershock II Rocket Sets Altitude Record

Aftershock II Rocket Sets Altitude Record - Airplanes and Rockets"A team of students at the University of Southern California has officially set a new record for the highest amateur space launch - and they've set the bar very, very high for anyone who tries to beat it. The rocket, Aftershock II, reached a height of about 470,000 feet (about 90 miles), passing the existing record for highest amateur space flight by about 80,000 feet. The launch The team's successful launch took place on October 20, though it took roughly a month for the student team to verify the data via a report this month. That data showed that the amateur rocket traveled roughly five-and-a-half times the speed of sound during the launch. To perform the test, students from the USC Rocket Propulsion Lab traveled to the Black Rock Desert, since the playas and dry lake beds there proved suitable..."

Getting Off to a Good Start in Control Line

Getting Off to a Good Start in Control Line, October 1950 Air Trails - Airplanes and RocketsThis brief piece from the October 1950 issue of Air Trails magazine was a springboard into articles on control line models for beginners. The Peppy Trainer, for example, is 28" wingspan, flat−bottom airfoil control line model with a solid balsa fuselage and tail surfaces. It used a .09 engine - which would typically be easier to adjust and keep running than a standard .049 engine. That article also recommends more than a dozen other good trainer models to server both the rank control line beginner and someone just getting into control line aerobatics. Many have built-up fuselages, which the experts claim is best for high precision maneuvers since the rigidity of the 3-dimensional structure minimizes twisting, keeping the alignment between the wing and horizontal stabilizer consistent. There are low-wing, mid-wing, and high-wing configurations, both scale-like and non-scale...

New Flight Test Museum at Edwards AFB

New Flight Test Museum at Edwards AFB - Airplanes and RocketsDestination Lancaster pledged $100,000 toward finishing construction of the new Flight Test Museum at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The Museum is expected to become a top destination and draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Aerospace Valley area near Lancaster, California. Art Thompson, Chairman of the Flight Test Historical Foundation (FTHF) said, 'This significant pledge from Destination Lancaster demonstrates their vision for the economic growth and tourism potential of our region. The new museum will serve as a cornerstone attraction, drawing aviation enthusiasts..."

Mylar Trim for Models

Mylar Trim for Models article from the October 1972 edition of American Aircraft Modeler - Airplanes and RocketsAirplanes and Rockets website visitor Michael M. wrote to request that I post this article, along with the ones for the Satellite 1000 free-flight champion, and The Giants of Free Flight. His reason was that he wanted to get his flying team back together again in Bill Hunter, who passed away recently. This 1972 American Aircraft Modeler magazine article on covering with Mylar is very extensive and is another example of such efforts that were common in hobby magazines of decades ago - a large part of my motivation for making them available. It is rare...

Sikorsky's Helicopter

Set'er Down in Your Back Yard: Sikorsky Helicopter, April 1943 Popular Mechanics - Airplanes and Rockets1943, in the midst of World War II, was about the beginning of the time when all the fantastic predictions of flying cars, video phones, domestic robots, two-day work weeks, meals in pill form, self-driving lawn mowers, self-driving cars, moon and planet habitats, and other creations were being pitched by technical magazines like Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Science and Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, and others. Even the "women's" mags were full of promises of automated everything to make housework simpler. While many of the fundamental inventions has since been created, only a few have evolved to full maturity as envisioned. A flying machine in every garage is one which has not. Such a Jetsons...

Criterion RV-6 Telescope for Sale

Criterion RV-6 Dynascope Telescope Restoration Project - Airplanes and RocketsWe will be moving back to Erie, PA, where overcast skies dominate, and the city lights kill views, so I am going to try to sell this before leaving. I'd keep it as a museum piece for display if I was going to have room, but we might be going into an apartment. The entire system has been stripped down and refinished, with original components retained for authenticity. Included are telescope, mount, clock drive, finder scope, 9 mm and 18 mm eyepieces, 2x Barlow, dust covers. This is truly a unique opportunity. Please contact me via e-mail if you are interested in buying it. Local pick-up only, or I'll deliver for $50 within 100 miles of Greensboro, NC, with payment in advance...

A Simple Monokote Lettering Technique

Monokote Lettering Technique Using Computer and Printer - Airplanes and RocketsHere is a very simple technique for creating and applying custom lettering - or even complex graphics - using Monokote covering. It makes cutting out and positioning the individual pieces easy on flat surfaces or surfaces with a simple curve or bend. Complex surfaces like cowls and wheel pants can be more challenging, but at least the shapes can be created this way. Use any word processor or graphics program to create the exact size and text and/or graphic shapes, including spacing and alignment, italics, font face, etc., that you want on your printer. Print it out on regular printer paper (20# works fine). Tape the paper onto the Monokote and cut out each character with an x-Acto...

Sharpie Schooner by Midwest Products

Sharpie Schooner by Midwest Products - Airplanes and RocketsThis Midwest Products Sharpie Schooner is one of two static display models that I built for my dearest, Melanie (the other being a Midwest Products Muscongus Bay Lobster Smack). She actually bought them to build herself, but decided to let me build them instead. I used my woodworking, metalworking, and painting skills for the structure and accessories, and she used her sewing skills to make the sails. Applying all those tuft strings on the sails was quite time-consuming. Deft Gloss clear was sprayed on the entire structure and sanded between coats for a smooth surface. Then, Testors enamel paint was applied on the bottom of the hull. The effort paid off with a 1st Place ribbon at the 2004 Dixie Classic Fair, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina...

Jetex-Powered Scale Russian & French Jet Models

Russian and French Scale Jet Planes, May 1956 Young Men • Hobbies • Aviation • Careers - Airplanes and RocketsThe Russian MiG-15 and French Mystère jet airplanes were prominent first in the Korean War and then into the Vietnam era. They were two of the earliest jet fighters in air warfare. Many of the American jet planes were being modeled around 1956, when this issue of Young Men magazine came out, but at least in domestic magazines, plans for foreign jobs were fairly rare. Here are plans for the two aforementioned Russian and French jets which use the Jetex 50 engine for propulsion. Construction is all balsa, consisting of a minimal framework covered with 1/32" balsa...

Snow Skis on Herr Engineering J-3 Cub

DuBro Park Flyer Snow Skis on a Herr Engineering J-3 Cub - Airplanes and RocketsSnow season arrived here in Erie, Pennsylvania, already (13" on November 10th), and I didn't want to miss the chance to do some flying off of snow skis. Last winter I mounted a pair of DuBro snow skis to my Herr Engineering J-3 Cub and flew a couple times with them, but they were the standard model that are too big and heavy for this 1/2A-sized model. DuBro's Park Flyer Snow Skis seemed like they might be a better choice for the J-3, so I ordered a pair. The size is just about right, but the vacuum-formed plastic was a bit too thin for me to confidently install them on the J-3. I decided that they would be perfectly useable with a little sturdying up. As can be seen in the photos, there are two stiffening slots...

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...

The BOMARC IM-99 Story

The BOMARC IM-99 Story, August 1958 American Aircraft - Airplanes and RocketsIs the BOMARC an airplane or a rocket? If it is an airplane, then it is the pilotless type (aka "drone"). If it is a rocket, then it is the ultimate in controlled trajectory hardware - at least in its day. The DoD referred to it as a surface-to-air guided missile. The name is a combination of "BOeing Airplane Company" and "Michigan Aeronautical Research Center." Clever, non? If memory serves me correctly (it has been 30+ years), the AN/TPX-42 IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) secondary radar system (built by Gilfillan) I maintained as an air traffic control radar technician reserved a special "X" bit in its data packet to designate the BOMARC - and maybe other guided missiles. That might have been a military secret at the time, because the Air Force instructors acted like they were divulging proprietary information when discussing why that bit was present in an otherwise...

Why Not Authentic, Prefabricated Husbands?

Why Not Authentic, Prefabricated Husbands?, April 1960 American Modeler - Airplanes and RocketsWives poking fun at their hobby-obsessed husbands is not a new thing. Good-natured articles contributed by wives have appeared in all kinds of specialty magazines for decades. This one entitled "Why Not Authentic, Prefabricated Husbands?" was written by the wife of a model airplane, rocket, and boat builder. Her name is Laurie Cunningham, which makes me wonder if she is the better half of Chuck Cunningham, who wrote the "Cunningham on R/C" column for R/C Modeler magazine for many years. Mrs. Cunningham's experience is not unlike my own wife's (Melanie) dilemma living with me going on four decades. Throughout our house on display are Estes rocket models, plastic and balsa model airplanes and boats, and even a helicopter or two. Most of them are ones I've never flown or floated for fear of messing up the carefully applied finish. Fortunately, the in-service models are now all electric so there is not a mess of glow fuel dripping onto the floor - just an occasional tire mark on the wall. In exchange for her tolerance...

R/C Reliability

R/C Reliability, March 1955 Popular Electronics - Airplanes and RocketsThe topic of R/C system reliability rarely is mentioned in model airplane magazines these days. Many of the high-end, big dollar planes like jets (turbines), giant scale and giant 3D, do use redundant receivers and batteries because the pilots have thousands of dollars worth of equipment and hundreds of hours of personal time invested in them. Operating at 2.4 GHz with spread spectrum modulation, there is little to no chance of radio interference, which was a huge problem back when this article appeared in a 1955 issue of Popular Electronics magazine. William ("Bill") Winter, who would later serve as president of the Academy of Model aeronautics (AMA), was editor of Model Airplane News magazine at the time. Vacuum tube receivers and electromechanical escapements and relays were being used in model airplanes. The very nature of construction of those components made them extremely vulnerable to vibration and shock induced intermittent or total failures. The models themselves were necessarily large and often underpowered for carrying such heavy loads aloft. We owe the R/C pioneers a lot for taking the arrows of trial and error to ultimately give us the carefree systems we enjoy today...

Sketchbook: Tips and Tricks

Sketchbook from March 1957 American Modeler Magazine - Airplanes and RocketsThis Sketchbook was scanned from the March 1957 issue of American Modeler magazine, published by the Academy of Model Aeronautics. Most building tips are timeless. Even in this era of ready-to-fly (RTF), almost-ready-to-fly (ARF), bind-and-fly (BAF), etc., there are still many modelers who build their own aircraft. Nearly all top tier competition fliers build their own models, as do aficionados of vintage (aka old-timer) models. Some guys just would rather build than buy a pre-build airplane, whether from a kit or from plans. I like the idea of using a sharpened bullet cartridge for boring lightening holes in ribs, tail surfaces, etc., rather than using a drill bit. The tip about using a slot in the bellcrank for the flaps of a control line stunt models seems a bit iffy, since it can permit oscillations (fluttering) during normal flight...

Graupner Cirrus Glider Kit

Graupner Cirrus Glider Kit - Airplanes and RocketsBack in the early 1970s when first entering the realm of radio control, I loved sailplanes because of their graceful appearance. Gliders were also the only reasonably priced models with long wingspans, so there was that, too. My first glider was a Sterling Cirrus (87" wingspan), which was not meant for R/C other than a very compact and lightweight escapement system with a single channel on rudder. I made the tragic decision to install two servos from my newly acquired, used OS DP−3, 3-channel radio. It made the model so heavy that the thin wings could barely support it. About three or four flights did it in. From there I graduated to a Marks Windward glider, then to the Windfree. My ultimate experience was with an Airtronics Aquila sailplane with a third channel operating wing flaps. This Cirrus model by Graupner, with its amazing 118" wingspan and an ABS molded plastic fuselage was one of the kits that was not within reach of my meager budget. At the time (c1976) the retail price was somewhere in the $60 range, which in today's highly inflated dollars is the equivalent of about $285...

Spartan School of Aeronautics Advertisement

Spartan School of Aeronautics Advertisement, December 1954 Air Trails - Airplanes and RocketsNowadays know as Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology, the Spartan School of Aeronautics was founded in 1928 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by oil magnate William G. Skelly. Skelly believed air transportation was the way of the future and to be successful would require skilled aircraft technicians and pilots. Spartan claims to have trained more than 100,000 technicians and pilots for careers in the aeronautics industry. They now have branches in Denver, Colorado, and Los Angeles and Inland Empire, California. The Spartan Black Cat logo, which includes the number 13, and the slogan "Knowledge and Skill Overcome Superstition and Luck," was the original insignia of the Spartan College Dawn Patrol. The fact that Spartan School of Aeronautics began only a year before of the stock market crash of 1929 and survived the ensuing decade-long Great Depression and Dust Bowl years is a testament to its tenacity. This advertisement appeared in a 1954 issue of Air Trails - Hobbies for Young Men magazine...

Just Right Pee Wee F/F

Just Right Pee Wee F/F, November 1958 American Modeler American Modeler - Airplanes and RocketsWebsite visitor Danny B. wrote to ask that I scan and post this article and plans for the "Just Right" (aka J.R.) pee wee size free flight model. It appeared in the November 1958 issue of American Modeler magazine. J.R. is a simple built-up balsa airplane with a 29" wingspan that uses a Cox Pee Wee .020 engine for power. As with most other vintage models, the J.R. could fairly easily be converted to electric power. I did not have the November 1958 issue, but fortunately there was a batch of the entire year of 1958 on eBay, so I bought them. The Post Office gave itself 10 days to deliver a 2-Day Priority Mail package from two states away, and of course blamed it on the Wuhan Virus. When they finally arrived, I discovered the seller had mistakenly sent 1957...

1954 National Modelplane Championships

National Modelplane Championships, November 1954 Air Trails - Airplanes and RocketsThese are some really great action photos from the 23rd Annual National Modelplane Championships held in Chicago. Considering it was from a time when auto-focus, auto-exposure, auto-f-stop, auto-shutter-speed, and other modern features were not available on cameras, photographer John W. Schneider did an incredible job of obtaining shots with one one chance of getting each instance. Most events were held at Chicago's Glenview Naval Air Station, compliments of the U.S. Navy. Some free flight events were held at the Chicagoland Airport, while indoor flying took place in Chicago's 132nd Infantry Armory. The quality of construction and finishing is apparent, even in the grainy, black and white photos. Coverage of the event appeared in the November 1954 issue of Air Trails magazine. Do you recognize any of the names and/or faces here?

Ambroid Liquid Cement

Ambroid Liquid Cement, Annual 1960 Air Trails - Airplanes and RocketsAmbroid was probably the biggest name in model aircraft cement. It has been around in one form or another since the early 1900s. The name is a portmanteau of amber (its color) and celluloid. By the time I got into the balsa model building scene in the late 1960's, Duco cement was being fairly widely used, and since it is what was on the shelf of my local convenience store, that's what I used. A few years later when I was driving and could visit hobby shops, I tried Ambroid cement, but never really took to it, primarily because it seemed to get brittle quickly. There was never a joint failure I could attribute to Duco cement, so I stuck with it (pun intended). About ten years or so ago the price of Duco cement began going way up, so nowadays I use mostly Sigment*. I had used Sigment occasionally prior to that and had confidence in its integrity. It appears Ambroid cement is no longer being manufactured, but Sigment is, so I highly recommend it as a general purpose glue for balsa structures...

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...

Dumas Pay'N Pak R/C Hydroplane

Dumas Pay'N Pak R/C Hydroplane - Airplanes and RocketsAround 1978, before entering the U.S. Air Force, I built a Dumas Pay'N Pak radio controlled hydroplane (modeled after the Pride of Pay'n Pak unlimited hydroplane). Sadly, this is the only known existing photograph of my Pay'N Pak unlimited hydroplane. As shown in the photo to the right, it is hanging in my room in the barracks at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia (c.1980). The cowling & rear airfoil assembly is not attached for some reason, so you can see the water-cooled engine, flywheel, part of the drive shaft, rudder assembly on the transom, and the plywood hatch over the radio compartment. Like most of my other R/C models, it sported a Futaba radio. Construction was not simple, as I remember it. Interlocking plywood bulkhead members formed the basic inner structure, and the plywood sheeting was epoxied on the bottom, sides, and top. Forming and holding all the compound curves while the epoxy cured without allowing a twist to be built in was a real challenge. The transom is the only totally flat piece on the entire craft. I coated the entire thing with fiberglass resin and managed to get a very smooth and shiny finish using an automotive lacquer paint (sprayed by my friend, Jerry Flynn). I cannot recall which engine I used, but it was a marine type with the water-cooled head. To start the beast, I used a piece of string about 1/8" in diameter, threaded it under the grooved flywheel, and gave it a tug...

Peanuts Stars in Ford Falcon TV Commercials

Peanuts Characters Star in Ford Falcon TV Commercials - Airplanes and Rocketshe first-ever appearance of animated Peanuts characters came in the form of television commercials for the 1960 Ford Falcon. I learned about them in a book titled Peanuts: The Art of Charles M. Schulz. To me, Peanuts represents a more innocent time in America, where neighborhood kids played together, were moral in their actions, and even "crabby" kids like Lucy were not evil. Cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians, pirates and naval mariners did battle with makeshift weapons and only one ball team at a time won a trophy. My sisters and I rode in basic cars like the Ford Falcon, without the benefit of seat belts, crawling up onto the package shelf in the back to watch the world pass by, standing on our heads in the back seat, and thinking it a privilege to get to ride up front on the rare occasions when Mom was not in the car, too. It takes me back to my boyhood days in the 1960s and 70s when similar activities were a part of life, without all the computer-based activities...

Secrets of "Winning" Airfoils

Secrets of "Winning" Airfoils - 1961 American Modeler - Airplanes and RocketsThis article was scanned from the 1961 American Modeler Annual edition. The magazine has been out of print for decades, and is difficult to access unless you are fortunate enough to buy one off of e-Bay. Hopefully the original authors won't mind my reprinting "Secrets of 'Winning' Airfoils" here, but if they do, I will remove it. Airfoil plotting goes back to the NACA (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics) days of white shirts, neck ties, thick−rimmed glasses, and slide rules. Drawing boards, straight edges, and French curves which were in use since the days of the Wright Brothers eventually got replaced by software, but all the pioneering work was done by engineers with shirt cuffs smudged with pencil lead. Consider this a window for a look back in history...

Omnirange = Air-Safety

Omnirange = Air-Safety, February 1951 Radio-Electronics - Airplanes and RocketsIf you are familiar with aircraft electronic navigation systems, reading in this 1951 Radio−Electronics article's opening paragraph about how "Omnirange aircraft navigation will make air travel safe, dependable, and predictable regardless of visibility, and volume of air traffic," really makes you realize how far we have come in the last seven decades. The network VOR (VHF Omnidirectional Range) station revolutionized aviation by enabling precision navigation using relatively simple, reliable, and inexpensive equipment in the cockpit which enables pilots to fly from waypoint to waypoint across the country. Eventually, five variations of VOR evolved with ranges going from 25 nautical miles (~29 statute miles) up to 130 nm. The addition of TACAN (TActiCal Air Navigation) provided slant distance information to or from the VORTAC station. Since the introduction of full precision GPS, when the U.S. government unclassified the "P-code"...

Graupner Weltmeister Cirrus R/C Sailplane Kit

Graupner Weltmeister Cirrus R/C Sailplane Kit - Airplanes and RocketsPeople are paying amazing prices for a piece of model aviation history. This 1968 era Graupner Weltmeister Cirrus sailplane kit recently sold at auction on eBay for $2,500. You might think for that price the seller would pick up the shipping cost, but evidently not. According the the BLS Inflation Calculator, that $2,500 in 2020 money is the equivalent of $505 in 1968. The Graupner Weltmeister Cirrus (kit #4229) has a wingspan of 3000 mm (3 meters). The box states, "True-to-scale R/C soarer for tow launching, slope soaring and conversion to powered glider. Accommodates multi-channel or proportional R/C equipment with 2 - 6 channels for rudder, elevator and aileron control. Wingspan is 118 1/8" " The fuselage appears to be constructed of four sections of molded ABS plastic. My guess is that packet of " A look at the kit contents shows lots of metal parts, including an aluminum main former for the power pod assembly. Lots of balsa and hardwood parts are required for the big wing and empennage components...

How to Make Scale-Model Planes for Government Use

How to Make Scale-Model Planes for Government Use, May 1942 Popular Science - Airplanes and RocketsWith the entry of the United States into World War II came the need for service members to be trained on many new technologies - among them being airplanes and the ability to identify them quickly. Electronics technicians and airframe and powerplant mechanics were in need, of course, but everyone had to be able to tell friend from foe when airplanes were approaching. In order to assist the war effort, a call went out to civilians to begin producing thousands of models at a 1:72 scale so that at 35 feet away they appeared in size to be that of a full-scale version at about half a mile. Detailed paint jobs were not required - only that the profile from all angles look exactly like the real thing. In fact, the models were painted flat black so as to look like a distant airplane against the background sky. Both Allied and Axis airplane models were needed so that soldiers and sailors could quickly spot a potential danger and decide whether to take cover and prepare to fight, or to continue with business as usual. This article appeared in the May 1942 edition of Popular Science, meaning that it was probably written sometime around February, only a few months after the Japanese attacked our naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941...

Propellers

Propellers, December 1945 Flying Age Including Flying Aces - Airplanes and RocketsIn the mid-1940s, toward the end of World War II, Flying Aces magazine changed its name to Flying Age, while changing its focus from model aviation to aviation in general. Much to the consternation of many of its readers, that included no longer including the much-loved fictional stories of flying superstars like Kerry Keen, Dick Knight, Capt. Philip Strange, Battling Grogan and his Dragon Squadron, Crash Carringer, and of course Lt. Phineas Pinkham. The good aspect of the change is that Flying Age published a lot of stories about full-size aircraft and flying which were geared toward their audience of modelers who were interested in all aspects of aeronautics. This piece discussed primarily variable pitch, constant speed propellers being used on military, commercial, and civilian airplanes. You, like I, though that by now there would be similar propellers available for model aircraft use, but apart from a few homebuilts, no commercially made products are available (there was one for indoor electrics, but nothing for powerful engines / motors). Given the number of variable-pitch rotor heads for helicopters, it shouldn't be so hard to implement for airplane propellers...

Matchbox Fliers

Matchbox Fliers Article & Plans, April 1962, American Modeler - Airplanes and RocketsIt seems most every old time rubber-powered free flight model has been converted by someone to electric-powered radio control. The availability of motors and R/C airborne systems weighing in the grams - or fraction thereof - is making R/C flight for even the tiniest models possible. It would be interesting to see somebody convert these Matchbox Fliers, which appeared in the April 1962 issue of American Modeler magazine, to at least single-channel R/C using one of the nano-size radio systems available today. Heck, there's probably a way to even mount a camera to a model this small these days...

How to Target AirplanesAndRockets.com for Your Google Ads

Google AdSense - it makes good sense - Airplanes and RocketsSome companies have expressed an interest in being able to target Airplanes and Rockets via the Google AdSense program. Yes, it is possible to do that. As you might expect, finding the exact information on the Google AdSense website is a bit difficult. This short video does a good job summarizing exactly how to implement the "Ad Targeting" option, then "Placements," and then add "Websites." Just enter   airplanesandrockets.com   . There are other settings to optimize your advertising campaign with keywords (both included and excluded), pricing, scheduling, statistical data collection and reporting, etc. If you are currently using Google AdSense, then please consider this method, and if you are not using AdSense, now would be a good time to look into it. I have had reports from some companies that experience great results using AdSense (not just on Airplanes and Rockets)...

This Is Where It All Began...

This Is Where It All Began (114 River Road, Edgewater, MD 21037) - Airplanes and Rockets114 River Road, Edgewater, MD 21037 (originally Rt. 4 box 504) is where I grew up - or more appropriately, got older - and spent as much time as possible building and flying every kind of airplane, rocket, and helicopter I could get my hands on. It has been close to 20 years since going back there, but thanks to the miracle of Google Earth, I was able to grab this satellite image of the old stomping grounds. It looks pretty much the way I remember it. My father and I built the addition on the southwest end, and the porch on the southeast side. That section of sidewalk that goes nowhere now used to terminate at a 10'x10' steel shed. Those two outbuildings in the back yard are new. In the zoomed out view of the Google map (below) you can see the entire neighborhood of Holly Hill Harbor. Explanations of the markings will be given later in the story. The yellow circle is approximately where I flew and eventually crashed many control line airplanes. After destroying the first couple Cox plastic models I received as presents at Christmas and/or birthdays, I finally got wise and bought a Cox PT-19 Trainer. It was with the PT-19 Trainer that I finally learned to fly a control line airplane...

Radio Control: How to Get an F.C.C. License

Radio Control How to Get F.C.C. License, from September 1962 American Modeler Magazine - Airplanes and RocketsIf you have only ever known a time in the R/C era when 2.4 GHz, spread spectrum radios were in use and not only were there no interference issues, but there were no licenses required, either, for legal operation, then it might be hard to imagine when this was not so. Most people in the R/C realm at least remember the 72 MHz frequency band where each system operated on a specific center frequency, where no two systems could be operated in the same vicinity. Before that there was the 27 MHz band, which is where I began, more specifically on 27.195 MHz. Only five frequencies were reserved by the FCC exclusively for radio control use. That meant never more than five planes in the air, or even being worked on with the radio on, at a time. The band was part of the original Citizens Band (CB) radio allocation. Commercial CB radios were notoriously lousy at controlling bandwidth and often overlapped the R/C bands with enough power to cause deadly (to a model) interference. My FCC operator's permits (Class C and Class D), obtained sometime around 1972, is long gone...

Academy of Model Aeronautics Government Advocacy Coalition - Airplanes and Rockets

Cafe Press

RF Cascade Workbook 2018 by RF Cafe

Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) - Airplanes and Rockets

Academy of Model Aeronautics

Tower Hobbies logo - Airplanes and Rockets

Tower Hobbies

Horizon Hobby logo - Airplanes and Rockets

Horizon Hobby

Sig Manufacturing - Airplanes and Rockets

Sig Mfg

Brodak Manufacturing - Airplanes and Rockets

Brodak Mfg