Model Airplanes

My recent article on the Ford Ranchero I christened as the first car-pickup generated numerous reader responses, including emails from Gabor Korthy, Augusta, Maine, and Guy S. (Sam) Colorossi, Orting, Washington, who both centered on the 1941, 1942 and 1946 Hudson pickups as the first car like pickup, well ahead of the 1957 Ranchero.

When I wrote about the 1957 Ranchero in a different column five years ago, some readers asked if the 1957 Dodge Sewptline was a car-truck model and should be recognized as such. Ill deal with this situation, too.

Lets start with what I define as a carlike pickup: Specifically, the pickup in question MUST be built on a car chassis and include car like amenities.

As for the 1941-1942 pre-war Hudson pickup, Ill immediately give Hudson its just due. These pickups were available in 116- or 128- inch wheelbase lengths and, most importantly, were built on the Hudson Commodore automobile chassis.

Hudsons total vehicle pre-war production was very good as 91,769 Hudsons were sold in 1941 followed by another 40,661 car and truck units in 1942. Production for 1942 was down due to the government mandate that stopped all commercial car/truck production from 1942 to 1945 to concentrate on the war effort.

To sway just a bit from the main question, Hudson was one of the top WWII military producers, noted for its aircraft parts, naval engines, and anti-aircraft guns. The Hudson Invader engine powered many of the landing water craft used on the D-Day

Article source: http://www.newschief.com/business/20180723/cars-we-remember-1941-hudson-and-1957-dodge-sweptline-were-they-carlike-pickup-trucks

By Burt Constable

bconstable@dailyherald.com

The small plane was flown by the British Royal Air Force during World War II, sold to a Dutch dentist and then sold again to an American pilot in New Hampshire.

The four-seat, single-engine Fairchild Argus III changed hands a couple of more times over the years, eventually winding up in central Illinois, where a farmer scavenged it for parts.

A pair of suburban aircraft buffs, however, saw a far different future for the one-time warbird and bought the cadaverous remnants and a pile of parts with the dream of restoring the antique plane to its former glory.

“Adventure, here we come,” says Bob Coon, a 74-year-old Warrenville pilot who, with Jim Chybicki, 53, of Mount Prospect, spent the past 17 years painstakingly rebuilding the classic plane. The final touch, fixing a problem with the brakes, proves more difficult than they hoped, scuttling their plan to fly the pristine plane to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, today to celebrate the RAF’s 100th anniversary as part of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual AirVenture show, which runs through Sunday.

Setbacks and disappointment come with the territory.

“This whole airplane project is a lesson in patience,” Chybicki says from Hangar No. 2 at Bolingbrook’s Clow International Airport, where the partners run Midwest Aeronautique, a company dedicated to the preservation of antique aircraft. “Each one of these wings took us over a year.”

Studying old blueprints on record

Article source: https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20180724/constable-caretakers-of-history-restore-world-war-ii-plane-in-suburbs

Dave W. Hall got hooked by the allure of flying machines after a family friend took him up in a little Cessna 172 for his first flight when he was about 8. “I had a lot of model toy airplanes,” said Hall, who grew up in the 1970s on a small farm in Ohio. “What little boy doesn’t hold out his arms and pretend he’s flying?”

Today he is co-founder and owner of MotoArt Studios, a Torrance, California, business that sands, polishes, paints and redesigns retired airplane parts that began with an old propeller destined for the junkyard that was turned into a free-standing sculpture.

“We can’t get rid of this,” Hall recalled his then-partner saying at the time. “A light bulb went off,” Hall said. “We can preserve aviation history.”

Article source: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/from-the-sky-to-your-home-airplane-parts-get-a-second-life/

My recent article on the Ford Ranchero I christened as the first “car-pickup” generated numerous reader responses, including emails from Gabor Korthy, Augusta, Maine, and Guy S. (Sam) Colorossi, Orting, Washington, who both centered on the 1941, 1942 and 1946 Hudson pickups as the first “car like pickup,” well ahead of the 1957 Ranchero.

When I wrote about the 1957 Ranchero in a different column five years ago, some readers asked if the 1957 Dodge Sewptline was a car-truck model and should be recognized as such. I’ll deal with this situation, too.

Let’s start with what I define as a carlike pickup: Specifically, the pickup in question MUST be built on a car chassis and include car like amenities.

As for the 1941-1942 pre-war Hudson pickup, I’ll immediately give Hudson its just due. These pickups were available in 116- or 128- inch wheelbase lengths and, most importantly, were built on the Hudson Commodore automobile chassis.

Hudson’s total vehicle pre-war production was very good as 91,769 Hudsons were sold in 1941 followed by another 40,661 car and truck units in 1942. Production for 1942 was down due to the government mandate that stopped all commercial car/truck production from 1942 to 1945 to concentrate on the war effort.

To sway just a bit from the main question, Hudson was one of the top WWII military producers, noted for its aircraft parts, naval engines, and anti-aircraft guns. The Hudson “Invader” engine powered many of the landing water craft used on the D-Day

Article source: http://www.beauregarddailynews.net/business/20180723/cars-we-remember-1941-hudson-and-1957-dodge-sweptline-were-they-carlike-pickup-trucks

Airbus completed the maiden flight of its massive new BelugaXL transport aircraft on Thursday, debuting the plane in front of a crowd of more than 10,000 near the company’s headquarters in Toulouse, France.

Airbus’ oddly shaped jet – named for its resemblance to the whale of the same name – is the first of five that Airbus expects to build by 2023. The jets will be used to phase out the existing BelugaST models that the company uses to shuttle large aircraft pieces to its assembly centers.

The first flight of the new AirbusXL took off from the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport in France, flying for 4 hours and 11 minutes before returning to land at the same airport.

Next up for the plane is 10 months of flight testing that should lead to the BelugaXL’s certification. If all goes as planned, Airbus hopes to put the first BelugaXL into service sometime next year.

The BelugaST that the “XL” will replace is technically the Airbus A300-600ST, a heavily modified version of Airbus’ now-discontinued A300 model. It initially was called the Super Transporter in the 1990s when it began to phase out an earlier transport model dubbed the “Super Guppy.” Eventually the A300-600ST took on the name of the whale many say it resembles.

The plane is used by European jetmaker Airbus to ferry aircraft and extra-large cargo. It’s especially useful for the company in moving large plane parts from its production facilities to its assembly lines.

The BelugaST is capable of holding the wings of an A340 widebody. It also

Article source: https://chicago.suntimes.com/business/airbus-beluga-strange-looking-airplane/