U.S. AIRMAIL TIDBITS PART 1
THOSE OF A CERTAIN AGE will recall writing “AIR MAIL” on envelopes (and adding extra postage) for this special service. Imagine that; how quaint. Posting “letters” to be delivered by … Continue reading
THE 1929 GOLDEN BEAR CABIN PLANE—SOARING PLANS, SORRY DEMISE PART 2
YESTERDAY IN PART 1, THE GOLDEN BEAR NC-1 had soaring plans of being an all-metal airplane for private flyers, one bearing resemblance to Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis. Alas, a … Continue reading
THE 1929 GOLDEN BEAR CABIN PLANE—SOARING PLANS, SORRY DEMISE PART 1
AS DESCRIBED IN CLASSIC AIRPLANES of the 30’s and Aircraft of the Roaring 20’s, “The November 1939 issue of ‘Popular Aviation’ carried a photo sequence of the destruction of a … Continue reading
KATIE’S AEROPLANES—AND MINE
KATIE HOUNSOME IS A TALENTED ILLUSTRATOR with an evident love of classic aeroplanes. “My parents think it’s hilarious that I’m so retro,” she told Mick Walsh in Classic & Sports … Continue reading
A HOBBY DIVERSION
FOR A LONG TIME, MY GMAX/FLTSIM HOBBY focused on pre-WWI civilian aircraft. Examples appearing here at SimanaitisSays include Cody’s 1909 BAA-1, first to fly in Great Britain; 1910’s Coandă “Jet” … Continue reading
VIKTOR BELYAEV’S FLYING WING PART 2
SOVIET AIRCRAFT DESIGNER VIKTOR BELYAEV had faith in his batwing idea, but one thing and another complicated matters. We’ve already discussed its rear gunner locations being too cramped to operate … Continue reading
VIKTOR BELYAEV’S FLYING WING PART 1
I ENJOY BUILDING SCREWBALL AIRCRAFT with GMax for importation into Microsoft Flight Simulator. These include the Stipa-Caproni, which Daughter Suz calls the flying toilet-paper roll; the Pemberton-Billing Nighthawk, which I … Continue reading
FLIGHT-SIM STIPA-CAPRONI
A WISE YOUNG WOMAN taught me “Never say never.” Well, a fat lot of good that did, because as recently as October 13 of last year, I noted that the … Continue reading
GMAX/FLTSIM IMITATES LIFE
SO THERE I WAS, just like SAAB engineers with their 21A fighter: They wanted to convert it to jet power. For details, see “Saab 21—Where’s My Prop?” here at SimanaitisSays. … Continue reading
DUCTED FAN AD EXTREMUS PART 2
LUIGI STIPA’S INTUBED PROPELLER concept may have been derided as the “flying barrel,” but Stipa had done his homework. Here in Part 2, we’ll see whether theory translated into practice. … Continue reading
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