Anyone for Autogiros?
DO YOU THINK you've tried everything in model aviation? How about 'giros? "Autogiro" is the trademark name for rotating-wing aircraft designed or licensed by Juan de la Cierva of Spain. All other machines of this general type are more correctly termed "gyroplanes," but we will use the word "giro" in a generic sense for this article.
Model Aviation Books: Chapter 3
IT ALL STARTED innocently enough back in August of 1977 with a letter from Model Aviation's then-Editor Bill Winter. It said, in part: "Dear Bill, Would you be interested in tackling a bibliography of model books for delivery by January 1 at the latest?" Having been a model aircraft bookworm for most of my life, this seemed to be a dream assignment! Of course the specified deadline was fairly close, which meant I would have to put aside a few other projects, but the job was eagerly accepted.
Model Books
ALTHOUGH some books stayed on the market for years, sometimes with revisions and updating, many more appeared only briefly, then disappeared. Often these were products of small publishers who lacked finances (or knowledge) for proper promotion and distribution. Some were simply labor-of-love projects which never made a profit for their authors or publishers. Lacking widespread publicity or sales, many vanished over the years. Even those printed in large quantities were discarded, especially during World War II, tossed out by thoughtless parents, who wrongly assumed their servicemen sons would have "outgrown" the hobby by the time of their return home.
Model Books
WHEN THE editor offered me this assignment, back in August of 1977, it sounded like a fascinating and straightforward project. Having long been interested in model aircraft publications, I anticipated no special problems in composing an article on the subject. However, when actual research began, it quickly became apparent that a monumental task had been undertaken! We enlisted the aid of John J. Brown, collector of model books, who supplied us with an extensive list of publications, compiled over a period of many years. To this we added other titles which were encountered during the course of the project. Next, we contacted as many publishers as we could locate who were known to have model aircraft titles among their offerings. Most cooperated helpfully, and enabled us to catch up on the currently in-print books.
Peanut Pilatus Turbo
THE FULL-SIZE Turbo-Porter is a product of Switzerland, and first flew during May of 1961. An outgrowth of the piston-engined Pilatus Porter, the Turbo-Porter has been produced in several variations over the years, differing in power plants and many minor details. These machines have been employed in a number of different countries, and thus a large variety of color/marking schemes may be found from which to choose. For those who may care to undertake research, we offer the following list of references: Flying, April, 1962; Aviation Week, December 17, 1962; The AOPA Pilot, December, 1963; Aviation Week, October 4, 1963; Flugwelt Heft II, 1965; The AOPA Pilot, October, 1965; Flugzeuge aus Aller Welt, 1966; The Aircraft of the World, 1965; Model Airplane News, August, 1968; Australian Modeler, No. 7.
