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World War I Aeroplanes, Inc. |
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Skyways The Journal of the Airplane 1920-1940 No. 74 April 2005 |
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Reviewed By Phil Peterson, #8739 |
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Note: Subscriptions in the US are $42.00 per year and $47
overseas. Individual issues can be purchased for $13.00 each postpaid if
available; if not available, Xerox copies can be purchased for $11.00 each
postpaid. Go to
www.skywaysjournal.org for more information. I love to read about aviation (among other things) and while most of my study deals with military aircraft and conflicts, I will read pretty much anything on the subject. The timeframe of this magazine is a period I have not read much about and I didn’t think there would be too much to interest me. Boy was I wrong. The cover photo shows the Short-Mayo Composite during one of its flight separations. Ok, I admit I like odd aircraft, and these composites (including the German Mistel and 747/Shuttle combo) fit the bill. The article has several nice photos of Mercury and Maia as well as scale drawings, specifications, and the history of the development and use of these interesting planes. One of the interesting things about this era is the colorful aircraft and multitude of manufacturers who made them. The next article has all the information regarding the Hess Brothers and the Alliance Argo. This follows the history of this small company, including pictures and drawings and the complete production list of all 22 Argo’s. The next article is part 2 of 2 on the Design and Construction of the Navy Curtis NC Flying Boats. I have seen NC-4 at the Pensacola Naval Air Museum and it is an impressive plane. This article deals with the construction features of these large aircraft, but the pictures focus on the First Trans-Atlantic Flight completed by NC-4. Again, more scale plans are included. Next is an article by Dave Straub on how he created his award winning airship collection. I got to see this display during the 2004 National Convention in Phoenix and it was superb. What is more notable is how he created these masterpieces. This article should have been in the Journal or on the IPMS website. The center spread is a large drawing of the Lockheed Vega “STANAVO Eagle” by Ted Williams. This is really impressive in color which you can see at www.tedwilliamsaviationart.com. Actually, the one thing missing from this publication is color. Up next is a section titled “Cockpits”, and this issue deals with the massive Junkers G38 Transport. There are several drawings of the instrument panels with each instrument labeled. A couple of pictures round out this section. “Aviation Movie Publicity Stills” includes several neat pictures, followed by some pictures of the US Air Force Museum concentrating on planes from this era. I still have got to make a trip to this museum. This is followed by a list of Aeronautical events, ID UNK (Identification Unknown), a couple of pictures of a Longwing Eaglerock, mail from the members, and a Models section (which includes pictures and information including new releases in both plastic kits and RC plans). The last article incorporates some member feedback on an article published in issue no. 73 titled More on the Internet: A Curse or a Blessing for Historians? This deals with how helpful, or harmful, information on the Web can be, compared to research found in print. Looks like it was an interesting article based on the comments in this issue. The last items are a Book Review section and a Wants and Disposals. This last deals mainly with requests for parts and/or full aircraft. Overall I enjoyed this issue as it covered several topics I have interests in and opened my eyes to some possible new projects outside my normal comfort zone. If you like this era, get this magazine and others with an interest in aviation should like it too. I recommend it. Thanks to Skyways for the exchange subscription arrangement. |
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