116 MODEL AVIATION
Also included in this column:
• Readers’ models on display
• The Tennessee Museum of
Aviation
• Top Notch Models
• Bookshelf
• Don’t miss Toledo!
Air Mail Days: the theme of the 2008 AAA Fly-In
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Scale Stan Alexander
Ben Scott (Reno NV) owns this single-engine Stearman
4E, which was photographed at Oshkosh WI.
Lloyd Roberts’ Lockheed Vega waits for its next flight at Top Gun.
This close-up of a full-scale Stearman 4E
shows some of the details you can add to
the exterior of a model biplane.
Lawrence Klingberg’s Travel Air 2000 at the AMA Convention.
The propeller was hand-carved from laminated pine and redwood.
ANTIQUE AIRPLANE Association Fly-
In: Finding that special airplane, jet, or
whatever Scale subject you’re interested in
can take years sometimes, as can finding
enough documentation to build that special
model. Finding rare aircraft is at a premium
these days, but we have a unique
opportunity to document airplanes from the
Golden Era of American aviation.
A few people who had an interest in old
full-scale airplanes formed the Antique
Airplane Association, Inc. (AAA) in 1953.
Today the association has approximately 20
active chapters in the United States.
The national headquarters is located
close to Blakesburg, Iowa, at Antique
Airfield. Membership is open to anyone;
being a pilot or an airplane owner is not
required. Yearly membership is $40.
The AAA has its annual Fly-In and
convention Labor Day weekend, and
activity goes on most of the week. This is a
special year for the event; the association
will commemorate the 90th anniversary of
airmail service in the United States. The
theme will be Air Mail Days, to honor those
pilots and airplanes.
This will be the largest gathering of
airmail aircraft in years. Airplanes in the
membership listing include some rare types
such as the world’s only flying DH-4, a
Boeing 40, and a Ryan M-1.
A Curtiss Jenny, several Travel Air and
WACO biplanes, Laird biplanes, Pitcairn
Mailwings, several Stearman 4Ds, Stinsons,
Trimotors, and others are on the list. Some
of their owners have already committed to
attending the Fly-In. Check out the Web site
for a list.
To add to this list of possible attendees,
Mike Gretz, the Air Power Museum board
president, has designed postal covers to
mimic those as originally carried. Custom
envelopes will be canceled with replicas
from the original CAM (contract airmail
04sig4.QXD 2/25/08 10:16 AM Page 116
April 2008 117
Top Notch sells the kit for this electric-powered Rockwell Aero Commander Shrike. Bob
Hoover made the full-scale business twin famous with his aerobatics.
Steve Ort built his beautiful 100-inch-wingspan Stinson SR-9 from the Top Flite kit. He
added retractable landing lights, which you can see here.
routes) inaugural flight covers.
The US Postal Service has been brought
onboard and will have an updated replica of
the original airmail “Jenny” stamp. There
will be a different cachet for each of the
four days of airmail flights. For Scale
modelers who are interested in this era of
aviation, or stamp collecting for that matter,
this is an event not to miss!
Around Scale: A host of models across the
country fit the description of “airmail”
types. Some of the full-scale versions were
purpose-built airplanes, but many were offthe-
shelf 1920s- to 1930s-era civil and
military aircraft that were pressed into
service.
Steve Ort built his beautiful Stinson SR-
9 from the Top Flite kit. He covered it with
Stits Lite and used Stits paint to finish it.
The model has a 100-inch wingspan and is
powered by a US 41 gas engine. Steve uses
a JR PCM eight-channel radio for guidance.
The SR-9 was photographed, at the Scale
National Championships, lined up for a
landing. Notice that the flaps are down, the
landing lights are out, and the mains are
ready to touch the asphalt.
Check out all the details that can be
added to the exterior of an airplane such as
this one. There are all kinds of struts,
antennas, radio masts, door handles, fuel
vents, etc. This is not an ARF, so you have
the opportunity to build it and show off your
skills as a builder as well as a pilot.
04sig4.QXD 2/25/08 10:45 AM Page 117
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/04
Page Numbers: 116,117,118
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/04
Page Numbers: 116,117,118
116 MODEL AVIATION
Also included in this column:
• Readers’ models on display
• The Tennessee Museum of
Aviation
• Top Notch Models
• Bookshelf
• Don’t miss Toledo!
Air Mail Days: the theme of the 2008 AAA Fly-In
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Scale Stan Alexander
Ben Scott (Reno NV) owns this single-engine Stearman
4E, which was photographed at Oshkosh WI.
Lloyd Roberts’ Lockheed Vega waits for its next flight at Top Gun.
This close-up of a full-scale Stearman 4E
shows some of the details you can add to
the exterior of a model biplane.
Lawrence Klingberg’s Travel Air 2000 at the AMA Convention.
The propeller was hand-carved from laminated pine and redwood.
ANTIQUE AIRPLANE Association Fly-
In: Finding that special airplane, jet, or
whatever Scale subject you’re interested in
can take years sometimes, as can finding
enough documentation to build that special
model. Finding rare aircraft is at a premium
these days, but we have a unique
opportunity to document airplanes from the
Golden Era of American aviation.
A few people who had an interest in old
full-scale airplanes formed the Antique
Airplane Association, Inc. (AAA) in 1953.
Today the association has approximately 20
active chapters in the United States.
The national headquarters is located
close to Blakesburg, Iowa, at Antique
Airfield. Membership is open to anyone;
being a pilot or an airplane owner is not
required. Yearly membership is $40.
The AAA has its annual Fly-In and
convention Labor Day weekend, and
activity goes on most of the week. This is a
special year for the event; the association
will commemorate the 90th anniversary of
airmail service in the United States. The
theme will be Air Mail Days, to honor those
pilots and airplanes.
This will be the largest gathering of
airmail aircraft in years. Airplanes in the
membership listing include some rare types
such as the world’s only flying DH-4, a
Boeing 40, and a Ryan M-1.
A Curtiss Jenny, several Travel Air and
WACO biplanes, Laird biplanes, Pitcairn
Mailwings, several Stearman 4Ds, Stinsons,
Trimotors, and others are on the list. Some
of their owners have already committed to
attending the Fly-In. Check out the Web site
for a list.
To add to this list of possible attendees,
Mike Gretz, the Air Power Museum board
president, has designed postal covers to
mimic those as originally carried. Custom
envelopes will be canceled with replicas
from the original CAM (contract airmail
04sig4.QXD 2/25/08 10:16 AM Page 116
April 2008 117
Top Notch sells the kit for this electric-powered Rockwell Aero Commander Shrike. Bob
Hoover made the full-scale business twin famous with his aerobatics.
Steve Ort built his beautiful 100-inch-wingspan Stinson SR-9 from the Top Flite kit. He
added retractable landing lights, which you can see here.
routes) inaugural flight covers.
The US Postal Service has been brought
onboard and will have an updated replica of
the original airmail “Jenny” stamp. There
will be a different cachet for each of the
four days of airmail flights. For Scale
modelers who are interested in this era of
aviation, or stamp collecting for that matter,
this is an event not to miss!
Around Scale: A host of models across the
country fit the description of “airmail”
types. Some of the full-scale versions were
purpose-built airplanes, but many were offthe-
shelf 1920s- to 1930s-era civil and
military aircraft that were pressed into
service.
Steve Ort built his beautiful Stinson SR-
9 from the Top Flite kit. He covered it with
Stits Lite and used Stits paint to finish it.
The model has a 100-inch wingspan and is
powered by a US 41 gas engine. Steve uses
a JR PCM eight-channel radio for guidance.
The SR-9 was photographed, at the Scale
National Championships, lined up for a
landing. Notice that the flaps are down, the
landing lights are out, and the mains are
ready to touch the asphalt.
Check out all the details that can be
added to the exterior of an airplane such as
this one. There are all kinds of struts,
antennas, radio masts, door handles, fuel
vents, etc. This is not an ARF, so you have
the opportunity to build it and show off your
skills as a builder as well as a pilot.
04sig4.QXD 2/25/08 10:45 AM Page 117
Edition: Model Aviation - 2008/04
Page Numbers: 116,117,118
116 MODEL AVIATION
Also included in this column:
• Readers’ models on display
• The Tennessee Museum of
Aviation
• Top Notch Models
• Bookshelf
• Don’t miss Toledo!
Air Mail Days: the theme of the 2008 AAA Fly-In
[[email protected]]
Radio Control Scale Stan Alexander
Ben Scott (Reno NV) owns this single-engine Stearman
4E, which was photographed at Oshkosh WI.
Lloyd Roberts’ Lockheed Vega waits for its next flight at Top Gun.
This close-up of a full-scale Stearman 4E
shows some of the details you can add to
the exterior of a model biplane.
Lawrence Klingberg’s Travel Air 2000 at the AMA Convention.
The propeller was hand-carved from laminated pine and redwood.
ANTIQUE AIRPLANE Association Fly-
In: Finding that special airplane, jet, or
whatever Scale subject you’re interested in
can take years sometimes, as can finding
enough documentation to build that special
model. Finding rare aircraft is at a premium
these days, but we have a unique
opportunity to document airplanes from the
Golden Era of American aviation.
A few people who had an interest in old
full-scale airplanes formed the Antique
Airplane Association, Inc. (AAA) in 1953.
Today the association has approximately 20
active chapters in the United States.
The national headquarters is located
close to Blakesburg, Iowa, at Antique
Airfield. Membership is open to anyone;
being a pilot or an airplane owner is not
required. Yearly membership is $40.
The AAA has its annual Fly-In and
convention Labor Day weekend, and
activity goes on most of the week. This is a
special year for the event; the association
will commemorate the 90th anniversary of
airmail service in the United States. The
theme will be Air Mail Days, to honor those
pilots and airplanes.
This will be the largest gathering of
airmail aircraft in years. Airplanes in the
membership listing include some rare types
such as the world’s only flying DH-4, a
Boeing 40, and a Ryan M-1.
A Curtiss Jenny, several Travel Air and
WACO biplanes, Laird biplanes, Pitcairn
Mailwings, several Stearman 4Ds, Stinsons,
Trimotors, and others are on the list. Some
of their owners have already committed to
attending the Fly-In. Check out the Web site
for a list.
To add to this list of possible attendees,
Mike Gretz, the Air Power Museum board
president, has designed postal covers to
mimic those as originally carried. Custom
envelopes will be canceled with replicas
from the original CAM (contract airmail
04sig4.QXD 2/25/08 10:16 AM Page 116
April 2008 117
Top Notch sells the kit for this electric-powered Rockwell Aero Commander Shrike. Bob
Hoover made the full-scale business twin famous with his aerobatics.
Steve Ort built his beautiful 100-inch-wingspan Stinson SR-9 from the Top Flite kit. He
added retractable landing lights, which you can see here.
routes) inaugural flight covers.
The US Postal Service has been brought
onboard and will have an updated replica of
the original airmail “Jenny” stamp. There
will be a different cachet for each of the
four days of airmail flights. For Scale
modelers who are interested in this era of
aviation, or stamp collecting for that matter,
this is an event not to miss!
Around Scale: A host of models across the
country fit the description of “airmail”
types. Some of the full-scale versions were
purpose-built airplanes, but many were offthe-
shelf 1920s- to 1930s-era civil and
military aircraft that were pressed into
service.
Steve Ort built his beautiful Stinson SR-
9 from the Top Flite kit. He covered it with
Stits Lite and used Stits paint to finish it.
The model has a 100-inch wingspan and is
powered by a US 41 gas engine. Steve uses
a JR PCM eight-channel radio for guidance.
The SR-9 was photographed, at the Scale
National Championships, lined up for a
landing. Notice that the flaps are down, the
landing lights are out, and the mains are
ready to touch the asphalt.
Check out all the details that can be
added to the exterior of an airplane such as
this one. There are all kinds of struts,
antennas, radio masts, door handles, fuel
vents, etc. This is not an ARF, so you have
the opportunity to build it and show off your
skills as a builder as well as a pilot.
04sig4.QXD 2/25/08 10:45 AM Page 117