Flying the White Mystery, Elmer Wasman placed third in the first RC Nats in 1937. The White Mystery had an elaborate control system based on wind-driven controls. Walt Good has a detailed description of the controls in the April 1986 issue of Model Aviation in the article, “History of RC […]
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Don Burnham’s 1930 A-frame pusher
At the age of 14, Donald C. Burnham won the 1929 Junior Division, Outdoor competition, at the 1929 Nats in Detroit. He won a trophy, $200 cash, and a trip to Canada and Europe. Besides these perks, he also published his A-frame pusher design in Carl H. Claudy’s 1931 book […]
Continue readingBing Autoplan Conservation, pt. 6
Covering Mysteries When we first saw the Bing Autoplan, we assumed that it was originally covered in silk, as would have been typical of aircraft of the time. We were wrong. The conservators at the ICA first brought this to our attention after they finished examining the covering remnants that […]
Continue readingBing Autoplan Conservation pt. 5
More History on the Bing Autoplan The story of how and when our Bing Autoplan model arrived in the United States from Germany is unknown. What we do know is that it hung as a decoration behind the speaker’s podium at a party in St. Louis honoring Charles Lindbergh in […]
Continue readingBing Autoplan Conservation, pt. 4
General History of the Bing Autoplan A 1914 Bing Autoplan recently donated by Dick Moyer is the oldest original model aircraft in the museum’s collection. With no covering, flaking paint and dents, the model is only in fair condition. We recently sent the Autoplan to the Intermuseum Conservation Association for conservation […]
Continue readingBing Autoplan Conservation, pt. 3
Off to the conservator! Last week, the 1914 FF model Bing Autoplan was delivered to the Intermuseum Conservation Association in Cleveland, OH to begin its conservation review and treatments. Our interactions with the conservators there have been very positive, and we’re all excited about seeing what the Autoplan looks like […]
Continue readingBing Autoplan Conservation, pt. 2
A dedicated, but attention shy, museum volunteer has stepped up to help draw a set of plans for the Bing Autoplan. And since plans are useless unless they are as accurate as possible, we spent several hours recently examining the Bing Autoplan in close detail. Right now the plans will […]
Continue readingWhen you build… tips from the past pt. 2
It is surprisingly difficult to get good building tips from the older model building manuals. Primarily because the models discussed in those sources are generally A-frame pushers, tractor monoplanes or non-flying scale models. Some basic wisdom survives the decades, though. Cutting Tools Elmer Allen in the 1928 book, Model Airplanes: […]
Continue readingWhen you build… tips from the past, pt. 1
In honor of yesterday’s (10/10/2013) Plans Build Webinar and Model Aviation’s October issue on scratch building, the museum presents some handy building tips, circa 1940. The importance of sanding “When designing and building the model the main idea is to get a well-balanced plane with as little drag as possible. […]
Continue readingBehind Glass
“I love the old: when it’s behind glass. Thank God for 2.4.” This comment was recently left in regards to the museum’s radio control equipment exhibit, which encourages visitors to leave comments and information about the radios on display. It raises a good point – the past is the past, and […]
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