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 Balsa wood was a special thing to me as
a kid. To me, it represented the essence of model airplanes and model rockets. At
the time - the 1960s and 70s - plastic and foam as model components were considered
a sign of cheapness, low quality, amateurishness. It was like having "Made in Japan"
stamped on it. Now, of course, it's a different world where Japan is renowned for
some of the highest quality electronics and cars and the plastic and foam ARFs represent
some of the highest-performing aircraft at the flying field. I have owned a few
of those foamies, but still, at least for my tastes, nothing beats the look, feel
and aroma of balsa. Somehow the tell-tale surface texture of foam, even with a nice
paint job, ruins the authenticity of an otherwise beautifully factory-finished scale
F4-U Corsair or P-38 Lightning. Sorry, that's just the way it is. Sig Manufacturing
was...
 When this
Trans World Airline (TWA) advertisement appeared in the April 29, 1950, issue
of The Saturday Evening Post magazine , the airline industry was transitioning from
relying on amphibious aircraft for long-distance overseas flights to using land-based
planes. These new aircraft, like the 300-mph Skyliners mentioned in the ad, offered
increased speed and comfort, revolutionizing air travel and making it more accessible
to the general public. TWA capitalized on this newfound ability to fly customers
quickly and comfortably to destinations across the U.S. and around the world, emphasizing
the potential for adventure and leisure even within the constraints of a typical
two-week vacation...
 An
April 1942 issue of Life magazine, just four months into WWII, carried
this full-page advertisement celebrating the
Lockheed P-38 Lightning, a revolutionary fighter aircraft hailed as the world'
s fastest - nearing the speed of sound - with unmatched maneuverability, outclassing
enemy planes in combat. Built by Lockheed for the U.S. Army and British RAF, the
P-38 embodied American ingenuity and freedom, flown by daring pilots defending democracy.
The ad positions the Lightning as a symbol of U.S. air supremacy, critical to Allied
victory in WWII, while promoting Lockheed's role in advancing aviation for both
wartime protection and postwar progress. The closing tagline, "Look to Lockheed
for Leadership," reinforces the company's wartime prestige and vision for the future...
 Some of the adventure stories in Flying
Aces magazine were practically full-length novels. The May 1934 issue included
one of Donald Keyhoe's pieces entitled, "Death
Flies the Equator," featuring intrepid G-2 agent, Dick Knight, and his sidekick,
Lothario Doyle, who team up to pit good against evil across the globe. The notorious
"Four Faces" cabal fixed on achieving world domination are a constant challenge
for the wits and wile of our heroic pair. Dick Knight supplies the brunt of required
brainwork while ex-Marine Doyle breaks bones and faces when needed. Both are accomplished
airborne dogfighters, avigators (archaic term for aviator / navigator), and mechanics.
Many of these stories involve fantastic weapons and deception devices, sabotage,
moles, traitors, and incredible feats of flying. They really are "page-turners,"
and the only things that keeps me from reading straight through is wanting to be
able to spread the entertainment across t
 Flettner rotors were at one time believed
to be the next big thing in air-driven propulsion. They would replace cloth sails
on boats and fixed wings on aeroplanes. I remember seeing such fantastic contraptions
in magazines like Mechanix Illustrated and Popular Mechanics back
in the 1960's and 1970's. The nouveau sails and wings were actually built on experimental
vehicles which can be found in a Google search on Flettner rotor. They operate on
the Magnus effect, which is where a lifting force is generated by a spinning sphere
or cylinder moving through the air (or water, or any fluid), thereby causing an
unequal pressure to build on opposite sides. I had a Magnus rotor kite as a kid
in the late 1960's that was made of thin, molded plastic...
 Without
a doubt, Germany has in the past far overestimated its ability to conquer the world
by leveraging its undeniable history of innovation and determination. A success
in the Franco-Prussian War gave it a sense of superiority and invincibility. WWI
and WWII were lost primarily due to the
blitzkrieg strategy later failing to overwhelm and subdue the enemy in short
order, causing protracted wars and diminishing resources from within its domain.
If Germany had instead exploited its technical prowess in world markets, it might
have been an economic superpower today. The native population was/is brilliant.
Today, Germany's leaders are, in acts of self-flagellation and penance...
 During the late 1930s, commercial air transportation
experienced a significant boom, largely fueled by the introduction of the Douglas
DC-3 in 1935. This aircraft, widely recognized for its efficiency and reliability,
revolutionized air travel, making it more accessible and popular than ever before.
The rapid growth of this sector placed an
unprecedented
demand on air traffic control services, as exemplified by the busy operations
at Newark, the world's most active airport at the time. The article from the 1938
issue of Boys' Life magazine further illustrates this, detailing a trip
from Newark to Pittsburgh, where Air Traffic Control, managed by the Bureau of Air
Commerce, played a critical role in ensuring the safe and orderly movement of a
burgeoning number of flights, underscoring the vita...
 In
this October 1964 issue of Radio-Electronics magazine, editor Hugo Gernsback
writes about the historic feat on July 31 of that year, where NASA lunar probe Ranger 7's
RCA-designed television cameras successfully transmitted the
first close-up televised pictures of the moon's surface to Earth after six previous
failed attempts. The unmanned spacecraft traveled 240,000 miles through space over
68 hours to capture 4,316 still images with its six high-resolution cameras. These
images provided crucial information for future manned lunar explorations, revealing
that the dust layer on the moon's surface is likely only 2 to 12 inches deep, and
showing small craters down to sizes of three feet. The success of Ranger 7
marked a significant advancement in lunar exploration technology, paving the way
for further unmanned missions and eventual manned expeditions to the moon...
 Imagine if your path to flying an R/C helicopter
involved first designing, then building, and then troubleshooting the contraption.
That was the burden of pioneers. We have people like
S.S.P. Helicopter
designer Gene Rock to thank for being able to enjoy the state-of-the-art models
that are available today. This article from the August 1972 edition of American
Aircraft Modeler magazine describes the process of machining all the metal
parts for an Enya .45-powered craft. Mr. Rock even designed a very successful mechanical
gyro for keeping the tail under control. If you have ever tried flying an R/C heli
without any type of gyro (I have, on a DuBro Tristar), you will fully appreciate
what a pleasure it is to not have to manually counter torque changes (throttle)
with tail rotor stick input from the transmitter. Around 2008 I bought a Blade MCX2
coaxial rotor helicopter for flying inside, and the gyro is so good on that thing
that you can put it in a full speed pirouette...
 In 1946, Popular Science magazine
highlighted the
burgeoning
potential of helicopters, detailing their versatility and the innovative ways
people envisioned using them, from hunting expeditions and aerial orchestras to
funeral services. The article underscored the helicopter's unique capabilities,
such as vertical take-off and landing, and its proven utility during World War II
in diverse environments. Commercial helicopters were on the cusp of becoming available,
with initial deliveries set to start that year, though primarily for business and
government use due to high costs and complexities in operation. The piece also discussed
the challenges faced by manufacturers, including mechanical complexities like torque
and the need for mass production to reduce costs...
 If
you do a lot of overseas air travel for work (or any other reason), this
en route time map from a 1950 issue of The Saturday Evening Post
magazine might give you a bit of cheering up. Compare the length of time in the
air back during the day of propeller-driven airliners versus what you typically
experience today. United Aircraft published that a trip from New York to London
took 12-½ hours (with favorable winds). The same flight today takes around 7-½ hours,
a 40% reduction. From Seattle to Tokyo was 28-½ hours, and is now 10-½ hours, for
a 63% reduction! Those shorter flight times are due to both faster jet-powered airplanes
and an ability to climb to and cruise at altitudes where jet stream winds are highly
additive. Of course having to endure 10-½ hours crammed into a narrow seat with
the back of the front...
 "Like a bumblebee flitting from flower to
flower, a new insect-inspired flying robot created by engineers at the University
of California, Berkeley, can hover, change trajectory and even hit small targets.
Less than 1 centimeter in diameter, the device weighs only 21 milligrams, making
it the world's smallest wireless robot capable of controlled flight. For a robot
to fly, it must be equipped with a power source, like a battery, and electronics
for flight control, both of which can be challenging to integrate into very small,
lightweight devices. To overcome this issue, Lin and the UC Berkeley team used an
external magnetic field to power the device and control the flight path. The robot
is shaped like a small propeller and includes two small magnets..."
 Being very far-sighted, having a modern
alarm clock next to the bed with large LED numbers is a great convenience for seeing
the time at night. However, I have always hated the electronic alarm sound and neither
do I want music since it tends to put me back to sleep. The old fashioned wind-up
mechanical alarm clocks did the job quite handily, and I missed having such a clock
after many decades of doing without. So, I decided to look for a Peanuts-themed
clock from the 1960s or 70s. This
Snoop alarm clock came up
for bid on eBay, and I picked it up for under $10, probably because the seller said
it did not work. He was correct that it didn't work in its selling condition. However,
I disassembled...
 In this November 1940 issue of the Boy Scouts
Boys' Life magazine, amateur radio operators, or "hams," are described
as having the ability to communicate across vast distances, connecting far-flung
locations such as Goulds, Florida, Cali, Colombia, Cairo, Kenilworth, England, Bombay,
and Brisbane. These operators, licensed by the Federal Communications Commission,
engage in various activities such as talking to distant stations, participating
in contests, and providing emergency communication during natural disasters. With
call letters assigned by international treaty, these stations use a combination
of code and phone to make contact, exchanging reports and QSL cards. The
Radio merit badge
was first offered in 1918 and has been...
 The venerable
Cessna 150 first came
on the scene in 1958. Per Wikipedia, "The Cessna 150 is a two-seat tricycle gear
general aviation airplane, that was designed for flight training, touring and personal
use. The Cessna 150 is the fourth most produced civilian plane ever, with 23,839
aircraft produced. The Cessna 150 was offered for sale in the 150 basic model, Commuter,
Commuter II, Patroller and the aerobatic Aerobat models." The design has changed
considerably since 1958, with two of the most notable changes being the vertical
fin and the rear fuselage behind the cockpit. Note that a photo of the 1958 Cessna
150 is on the cover of this edition.
 LaGuardia Airport was dedicated on October
15, 1939 as the New York Municipal Airport, and opened for business on December
2 of that year. It was built on the site of the old Gala Amusement Park at a cost
of $40 million. This aerial photograph shown here was taken within a couple months
of when LaGuardia first opened since this "Airports:
Biggest and Busiest" article appeared in the March 1940 issue of Boys' Life
magazine. The recent Google map satellite view is below the page scan, and I superimposed
the 1940 runways and taxiways on top of it for comparison. You can see where expansions
were built into the water to accommodate longer runways...
 Long before rechargeable nickel-cadmium
(NiCad) and nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries were used for starting model airplane
engines, we used standard primary type (non-rechargeable) 1.5-volt dry cells. In
fact, the nominal 1.2-volt-per-cell potential of NiCad and NiMH batteries were barely
high enough to sufficiently light the ignition coils in the glow heads and/or glow
plugs, which were designed for 1.5 volts. Today's glow plugs work just fine on 1.2 V
or 1.5 V. I have written before about how as a kid on a very small modeling
budget, I would often spend a long time flipping the propeller of my
Cox .049 engines while using a single,
worn-out D-cell battery (usually "borrowed" from my father's only flashlight). One
Christmas my parents got me a field kit that included a can of 25% nitro Cox fuel,
a glow head clip...
 During World War I, the United States spent
$1,500,000,000 on military aviation, resulting in the development of various
advanced aircraft designs. This 1937 issue of Flying Aces magazine
mentions a few of them. This was 19 years after the armistice. Although these planes
did not see combat due to the war ending sooner than expected, they showcased American
ingenuity and engineering prowess. Notable examples include the L.W.F.G.2, which
had a top speed of 130 mph and carried seven guns; the Loening monoplane, which
was the fastest two-seater fighter at the time with a speed of 146 mph; and the
Curtiss single-seater fighter, capable of reaching 160 mph. These aircraft laid
the foundation for modern American military aviation...
 While looking through some old issues of
American Aircraft Modeler magazine, I was quite surprised to find that
none other than radio great
Paul Harvey is (or
was) a builder and flyer of radio controlled airplanes. There was a feature article
done by Paul Harvey in one of the issues in the 1974 timeframe. Mr. Harvey then
wrote a regular column titled "Paul Harvey Views." Understandably, the column only
ran for a few months - probably because of his extremely busy schedule. This one
is from the December 1974 edition...
 "In August last
year Nokia and Axiom Space announced they were working to equip the latter's next-generation
lunar
spacesuits with 4G/LTE connectivity for the for NASA's Artemis III mission to
the moon. The idea is that arming the new spacesuit, called Axiom Extravehicular
Mobility Unit (AxEMU), with high-speed cellular-network capabilities means it can
support HD video, telemetry data and voice transmission over multiple kilometers
on the moon. This means the Artemis III crewmembers will then be able to capture
real-time video and communications..."
 Previously I posted the first part of a
story about two 1980s-vintage bicycles I bought from a guy off craigslist. That
was the complete teardown and restoration of
Melanie's Columbia
Commuter III, 3-speed women's model. This page has photos from doing the
same thing to my
Huffy 3 Timberline, 3-speed men's bicycle. One important aspect worth repeating
is the use of Krud Kutter for removing all the oil and grease. The stuff is amazing.
I soaked all the parts overnight that would fit in a bucket filled with a gallon
of it. Upon removing even the grimiest and greasiest components like the gearbox,
bearings, and the chain, I discovered they were squeaky clean. A toothbrush removed...
 Being
a long-time fan of John T. Frye's "Carl & Jerry" technodrama™ series, I
have been intending to attempt a contemporary version which has a Ham radio theme.
Its purpose, as with "Carl & Jerry," is to encourage young people to adopt electronics
as a hobby and even as a career, while using Amateur Radio as an enticement. Ham
radio offers practical experience in electronic theory, fabrication, and operation
in an environment that encourages community service, mentorship, camaraderie, and
self discipline. In the U.S., there are approximately 760,000 licensed amateur radio
operators; worldwide, the estimated number is around 3,000,000. The American Radio
Relay League (ARRL) and the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) track these
statistics. This title of the series is, for now anyway, "Calvin &
Phineas Hamming It Up," and the first adventure is called, "The Phantom QRM."
Call signs are fictitious, chosen to hopefully not step on someone's real call sign.
The boys' names derive from my grandson's name...
 You might wonder why an article entitled
"Winning
the National Radio Control Meet" for model airplanes would appear in the ARRL's
QST magazine. The answer is that back in 1940 when it was published, a
Ham license was required to operate a radio control (R/C) transmitter. There were
no license-free bands for hobbyists as there are now. In fact, it wasn't until 1976
that the FCC suspended their requirement for registration as an operator, which
has returned in the form of an FAA "drone" (aka USAS) pilot directive. The author,
William (Bill) E. Good (W8IFD, W2CVI), was the twin brother of Walter (Walt) A.
Good (W3NPS), both of whom held doctoral degrees in and physics, and were referred
to as "the fathers of radio control." The photo of Bill shows his station...
 Often when I see photos of some of the
early
radio control gear for model airplanes, I have a simultaneous reaction of aghastness
and marvel at the crudity and ingenuousness, respectively, of the electromechanical
devices - the same kind of reaction I have to stories about early surgical procedures
and equipment. In 1940, when this article appeared in the ARRL's QST magazine, successful
takeoffs and landings were considered notable events not so much because of pilot
ability (or inability), but because of the low reliability of available electronic
and mechanical gear. Vacuum tubes with attendant heavy, high voltage power supplies,
and heavy metal gears and shafts required large airframes to support...
 American Modeler magazine published
stories on many forms of modeling including airplanes, cars, boats, and rockets.
A lot of attention was paid to teenagers in order to encourage a pursuit of careers
in engineering and science. In case you don't know, the U.S. Navy used to sponsor
the AMA Nationals specifically to attract young modelers into the service. This
1957 edition reports on the activities of James M. Blackmon, Jr., who was the nation's
youngest rocket builder to receive national recognition by the
American Rocket Society.
He built in his basement a 6' tall liquid-fueled rocket...
|
 For a few months, Air Trails magazine
ran a series of scale line drawings called "Aircraft Engine Scrapbook" which were
meant to be cut out and put in a 3-ring binder. They were one-page information sheets
on various powerplants of the day containing dimensions, mechanical specifications
(displacement, horsepower, compression ration, rotations per minute, etc.), and
a brief note on the engine's production and usage history. This drawing for the
9−cylinder Wright
J5 "Whirlwind" radial engine must be the first of the series because it is numbered
as "−1." Interestingly, the Fokker company is included in the list of "American"
aircraft manufacturers who used the J5. I thought Fokker was primarily a Germany
/ Netherlands company, but according to the Wikipedia entry Anthony Fokker established
a presence in the United States in 1927, and eventually merged with General Motors
and then North American Aviation. It is ironic that the builder of the P-51 Mustang
and the B-25 Mitchell bomber...
 Radio control (R/C) of a model does not get
much simpler than the transmitter and receiver circuits shown in the schematics
of Figure 2. Of course the cleanness of the transmitted signal and the selectivity
of the receiver of that signal leaves a lot to be desired. In 1952 when this article
appeared in Radio & Television News magazine, the airwaves were not
cluttered with wireless communications devices, but given that these radio systems
were sharing the electromagnetic spectrum with Citizens Band (CB) radio, the chances
of getting "shot down" from nearby operators was pretty high if you lived within
a few miles of where CBers were communicating. More sophisticated R/C equipment
was available from commercial manufacturers, but this system targeted the do-it-yourself
types and those with limited hobby budgets...
 SIG Manufacturing, forever located in Montezuma,
Iowa, is among the ranks of a dwindling number of America's original model airplane
kit and accessories makers and distributors. Sig's catalog from the early 1970s
was the first hobby catalog I ever owned. You can bet I read it cover-to-cover many
times, wishing to own everything on its pages. In case you don't know, the name
SIG is a shortened version of Sigafoose, which is the last name of the company founders,
Glen and Hazel Sigafoose. According to a press release, "In February 2011 SIG Manufacturing
Co., Inc. was purchased by Herb Rizzo (President), David Martin (VP and General
Manager), and Ron Petterec (VP) ...
 According to this 1960 Air Trails magazine
"Starting
Control Line Combat" article, the contest event first appeared in the AMA (Academy
of Model Aeronautics) rulebook in 1950. Hard to believe that was 72 years ago as
of this writing. It's equally hard to believe it was only 8 years before I was born
- ugh. Control line combat remains a very popular sport today, and is one of the
relatively few aspects of the hobby which has not changed considerably. Engines
have gotten more powerful and reliable, and building materials have improved, but
the basic outline of the airframe is about the same. The story reports on combat
rounds having up to five planes flying at once, duking it out for air superiority.
Too bad there's not a video of it with all the flyers trying desperately to not
become entangled in each other's lines or even keeping out of each other's way.
There must have been a lot of smashed balsa after that event. Anyway, this article
provides a lot of detail concerning all aspects of model construction, engine and
fuel tank setup, and flying. Interesting fact: In the early days of control line
combat, prolonged inverted flight was permitted...
 Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in
his Bell X−1 (aka Glamorous Glennis) airplane on October 14, 1947, over the Mojave
Desert.
Control reversal in the transonic realm (transitioning from subsonic
to supersonic speeds) is a phenomenon caused, per most authoritative sources, from
the pressure wavefront around the aircraft transitioning from entirely in front
of the airplane to some point aft of any leading portion of the airframe. That includes
the fuselage nose, and wings and empennage leading edges. Airflow can transition
from laminar to turbulent at various distances, thereby altering the aerodynamic
forces on the fixed and moving portions of the surfaces. Control reversal can also
occur due to control surface deflection causing a twist in the fixed surface which
opposes the input intention. Britain's Spitfire exhibited such behavior in high
speed dives, and even the human-powered Gossamer Condor reportedly had control reversal
due to a flimsy airframe structure to the extent that the solution was to reverse
the direction of aileron deflection in order to obtain a proper response. Supersonic
airframes are rigid enough to mitigate the flexure problem...
 Bill (William) Winter served as the editor
of the Academy of Model Aeronautics' (AMA's) American Modeler and American
Aircraft Modeler magazines from 1966 through 1974, but his efforts to promote
all form of modeling - airplanes, helicopters, cars, boats, trains, and rockets
- covered many decades. His first recorded article, "Building the Famous Udet Flamingo,"
(co-authored by Walter McBride), was published in the March 1935 issue of Universal
Model Airplane News magazine. His 264th, "The Soft Touch," appeared in
Model Aviation (the latest incarnation of the AMA's flagship magazine) in 1996.
This article entitle "The Boom
in R/C Boats" appeared in a 1955 edition of Popular Electronics magazine
which, during the early ...
 Some 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)...
 With 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...
 It's a good bet that many modelers, myself
included, have dreamed about
owning a hobby shop. How nice it would be to spend our days amongst
walls, shelves, and display cases filled with every type of modeling kit and accessory.
Melanie and I actually looked into buying one when we lived in Colorado Springs
in the early 1990s. It's a good thing we didn't in retrospect, given the way the
local hobby shop (LHS) has suffered tremendously since Internet-based purchases
have become so popular - especially being tax-free in most areas. There are still
big hobby shops left, but they are few and far between. I'm as guilty as the next
guy for not doing more to support my LHS, but usually it's for convenience sake
more so than price and not paying sales tax. This article from the November 1962
edition of American Modeler magazine, a time when local hobby shops were
still the rule rather than the exception, is a humorous "day in the life of a hobby
dealer." You can just imagine how plausible the scenario might be...
 Balsa wood was a special thing to me as a
kid. To me, it represented the essence of model airplanes and model rockets. At
the time - the 1960s and 70s - plastic and foam as model components were considered
a sign of cheapness, low quality, amateurishness. It was like having "Made in Japan"
stamped on it. Now, of course, it's a different world where Japan is renowned for
some of the highest quality electronics and cars and the plastic and foam ARFs represent
some of the highest-performing aircraft at the flying field. I have owned a few
of those foamies, but still, at least for my tastes, nothing beats the look, feel
and aroma of balsa. Somehow the tell-tale surface texture of foam, even with a nice
paint job, ruins the authenticity of an otherwise beautifully factory-finished scale
F4-U Corsair or P-38 Lightning. Sorry, that's just the way it is. Sig Manufacturing
was ...
 The
1971 Toledo R/C trade show as a major event in large part because
of the new generation of transistorized pulse proportional radio control systems
being introduced that were rapidly replacing legacy vacuum tube and some solid state
reed and escapement systems. A large selection of new model designers were also
offered to accommodate the lighter weight, smaller, and more highly functional radios.
Fast forward nearly half a century to what will soon be the 2019 Toledo Show and
you will find an incredible array of high technology electronics and airframes.
Most models will be factory-built, with balsa and plywood kits being mostly extremely
small or extremely large models. Glow fuel engines will barely have a presence,
having been replaced by large gasoline engines and brushless motors. Transmitters
are highly programmable and have no extendable antennas ...
 It was May 6, 1937, just a couple months
after this comic appeared in the March 1937 issue of Flying Aces' "Wisecrack-ups"
feature, that the namesake of the alluded-to dirigible would suffer a fiery end
to its service in ferrying passengers back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean.
Prior to that, big plans were in the works for making fortunes on luxury travel
in the relative safety of a large, inherently stable - and presumably safe - mode
of transcontinental travel. Even a switch from highly flammable hydrogen to inert
helium was not enough to assuage the flying public's concerns. Besides, helium was
rather scarce and therefore expensive at the time. The other comic is rather funny,
given the fuselages of both the aeroplane its presumptive passengers. Otherwise,
a collection of puns, jokes, and humorous conversations are included. Some of the
content's impact will be lost on a younger generation not familiar with the situational
circumstances of the era. Enjoy!
 It was in this May 1975 issue of R/C
Modeler magazine that I first saw the
Airtronics Aquila
sailplane (way too graceful to refer to it as merely a glider). Airtronics had
not introduced a kit yet, but they were selling a canopy and hardware kit along
with plans, so I ordered them and scratch built my first Aquila. I was 17 years
old then. It was covered to look like the one in the photo above (which would become
the kit box label photo). Not having lite ply for the fuselage, I used hard balsa.
Somehow I eventually managed to destroy Aquila #1, but by that time a kit was available,
so I bought one and also the ABS plastic fuselage. A standard Hi-Start was used
for launching. A few years ago I built a 105% Aquila version simply because I wanted
another Aquila and had never built a sailplane with a wingspan greater than 99".
I am now in the process of building an 80% scale Aquila...
 As I have written many times, the lack of
proportional representation of
women
and girls in the model airplane realm is not because when they do show up, no
attention is paid to them. In fact it is just the opposite. Go to any flying field
of any type - R/C, C/L, or F/F, and watch what happens when a girl shows up with
a model if you doubt it. In 1960 and in 2022, and all the years in between, the
fairer sex is sought out and highlighted by model aviation magazines. They are never
exploited, ignored, or criticized - just the opposite. You can be sure that any
female model builder/flyer and/or contest official receives due attention and credit.
The 1959 Academy of Model Aeronautics Nationals (Nats) is a prime example of that
which I claim to be so. Many other examples can be found in the articles posted
here on the AirplanesAndRockets.com website...
 It was in the May 1975 issue of R/C Modeler
magazine that I first saw the
Airtronics Aquila sailplane (she's way too graceful to refer
to her merely as a glider). Airtronics had not introduced a kit yet, but they
were selling a canopy and hardware kit along with plans, so I ordered them and
scratch built my first Aquila. I was 17 years old then. It was covered to look
like the one in the photo above (which would become the kit box label photo).
Not having lite ply for the fuselage, I used hard balsa. Somehow I eventually
managed to destroy Aquila #1, but by that time a kit was available, so I bought
one and also the ABS plastic fuselage. A standard Hi-Start was used for
launching. Back in the 1970s, there were still plenty of areas, even near small
cities, to stretch out a Hi-Start ...
 114 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...
 On September 22, 1955, Londoners Sid Allen
and George Redlich guided their 6-foot wingspan "Radio
Queen" across the English Channel from the white cliffs of Dover to Calais,
France, marking a first in the model aviation world - a mere 40 minutes in duration.
It was approximately the same path that Louis Bleriot took in 1909 when he became
the first to cross the English Channel in an aeroplane using his homebuilt XI Monoplane.
As with many (maybe most) record-setting model aircraft flights - be they distance
or duration - a diesel engine (ED 0.213 cu. in. Hunter Diesel) was used as
the powerplant due to their reliability (no glow plug or spark plug to burn out
or foul) and fuel economy. Takeoff weight was 7-1/2 pounds, with 1-1/2 pounds of
it being accounted for by three pints of fuel. Guidance was provided by an ED Mk.
4 Miniature, 3-reed type, from the cockpit of a Auster Autocrat monoplane...
Website visitor Christian H. for buying my Estes Alpha II rocket kit.
He and his son built it and sent this photo - nice job! The original
Astron (Estes) Alpha kit, as can be seen in the
photos, had balsa fins and nose cone. The fins were cut from sheet balsa and needed
to be glued individually to the body tube. Then, both the nose cone and fins needed
to be coated with filler and sanded before painting. I wonder whether the new model,
which uses lightweight plastic and does not require painting, is lighter than the
original?
 During World War II, Russia was considered
an ally, being part of the Allied forces battling the Axis powers. The Allied countries
were primarily the USA, England, the Soviet Union, China, and France. The Axis of
evil was primarily Germany, Japan, and Italy. Interesting, isn't it, that after
saving Russia from the Germans and China from the Japanese, they almost immediately
became our arch enemies, seeking to destroy the "Capitalist Pigs." Reportedly, Stalin
was originally to join with Hitler, but the two could not agree on how to share
power in the event of victory. Negotiations went awry after both countries invaded
Poland in 1939, which in spite of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, effectively triggered
the beginning of World War II. For a deep dive into behind-the-scenes WWII
actions, be sure to watch the entire six season of Hogan's Heroes ;-)...
 The
term "drone"
these days for most invokes the image of a little plastic spider-looking thing with
propellers mounted at the ends of the arms - usually with a toothless bumpkin at
the controls. Those same people often think drones are relatively new devices. People
with a just a little more information automatically classify all radio control (R/C)
models, be they traditional fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters, as drones. Pilots
of the aforementioned models are even likely, per observers, to have all their teeth
and bathe regularly. I happen to be one of the latter type R/C modelers and while
I no longer possess all 32 teeth I had at birth, I do bathe regularly. Drones have
been around since World War I where they were used for target practice by ground-based
marksmen. Once radio remote control became practical, adopting it for use in pilotless
aerial platforms was a natural evolution. I have written in the past about what
a large contribution hobbyists have made to "drone" technology both through their
technical prowess and flying ability...
 What
was considered in 1937 to be a breakthrough feat for a full-size airplane is today
accomplished regularly in model airplanes. What took hundreds of pounds of generators,
radio gear, sensors, and actuators to perform the first-ever
fully automatic landing is now done with a few ounces of microminiaturized GPS
receiver, processor, MEMS sensors, servos, and a LiPo battery. The HobbyZone Sportsman
S+RTF (see video at bottom) is an example. Most modern commercial aircraft are capable
of landing themselves in an emergency situation. Just today there was a news report
of an American Airlines pilot that died in flight and the copilot took over to land
the airplane; however, that Airbus A320 could have handled the job if necessary... |
