TALESPINNERS - June, 2003

Hangar Flying
with Stu Faber

WHAT'S NEW? WAR BIRDS! Popular Mechanics, May 2003 discusses the flock of new designs being considered.  From the size of a Frisbee on up.  Some to fly in space others hugging the ground.  And everything from spying, to battle field observation, to launching weapons from space.  Almost all use various forms of "stealth" such as radar deflecting or absorbing and exhaust hiding and even exhaust cooling to hide contrails.  Configurations range from tailless arrowheads, to flying wings, to lifting bodies.  More and more are flown by remote control by pilots far away, or are sophisticated enough to mostly fly themselves.  Without the equipment to accommodate an on board pilot, planes can be much lighter, smaller, and less costly.  If a plane is lost no replacement pilot is needed.  Many of the experimental models being tried are built by the companies without costly government support.  Some show promise, some don't work out.  Progress seems slow but the next 10 years or so should see some amazing changes.  These new ideas would surely astound the pioneers of the first 35 years of the Twentieth Century.

Popular Science - June also weighs in with a long article listing with pictures many of the new experiments in similar machines.  The RC modelers must be having a ball.  Some are in production others just a dream.  Several were used to good effect in Iraq.

TECHNOLOGY. Have you considered what the micro-chip has done to aviation?  Heads-up see thru glass instrument panels, GPS, fuel injection and ignition, fly-by-wire controls, and almost all the recent high tech gadgets, and communications.  A long way from following railroads and using a sparkplug hanging on a string as an attitude indicator.

MUSEUM. The new Udvar-Hazy (ODD var. - HAH zee) facility of the Smithsonian at Dulles Airport, has hung its first airplane.  When completed later this year it will house some 80% of their current collection.  Presently they can only display about 10% of what is available.  Something to look forward to.
       Look it up: www.nasm.si.edu/nasm/ext/
The Garber Facility (Silver Hill?) is closed to tours while they move exhibits to Udvar-Hazy.

BAD NEWS. The EAA email Hot Line notes the passing of Peter Bowers at age 85 on April 27.  He was designer of the award winning Fly Baby plane and one of the leading aviation historians.  He worked at Boeing for many years.  It is hoped someone will continue to edit and publish volumes of his many articles which have appeared in the past.  The first volume was titled "Of Wings and Things".  He will be missed.

GOOD TRICK. In 1927, when Clyde Cessna and his partner incorporated the Cessna-Roos Aircraft Co. one of the assets included was 67 ten cylinder, 90 HP, rotary, Anzani engines.  At the end of 1927 the Cessna Factory was trying to finish its fifth and sixth monoplanes built with a high mounted cantilever wing.  A very unusual design for those days.  As the popular Wright J-5 engines were hard to get a man named Curtis Quick began reworking the Anzani rotary engines into fixed conventional radials.  He used aluminum alloy pistons, replaced the automatic intake valves giving more horsepower at higher altitudes.  Oiling was improved and dual ignition added.  It turned out to be a pretty good engine.  Some job.  The first monoplane went to E. A. Link and Richard Bennett for $6500.  $75,000 or more in current dollars?  The high wing monoplane became a sort of Cessna trademark with hundreds sold.

SMALL WORLD. I recently wrote about a 1920 Library book on early engines.  I wanted a copy and Bob Lauderback found one for about $1000.  I didn't want it that much.  In a letter I had written to Torque Meter, the magazine of the Aircraft Engine Historical Soc., and which they published, I mentioned that, among other things.  One noon in mid May my phone rang and the voice on the other end asked for me.  Thinking it was a sales call I almost cut him off.  He had a thick accent with a British sound to it.  It turned out that it was a Bill Allan calling from Scotland.  He had seen my letter and wanted to tell me that the book was available on a CD on the above AEHS web page.  I have ordered it.  Price - $14.95.  Aviation people do stick together.

Copyright © 2003 by Stu Faber.  All rights reserved.