“PLAYER PIANO” ROLL Controls Sky Sign

USING a musical siren to gain attention, a new sky sign, designed by Edward Link, Cortland, New York, aeronautical engineer, after five years of experimental work, took to the air for the first time over Miami this winter.

The sign, constructed as a lower wing to a high wing monoplane, is operated from an automatic “feeler” roll. It can display ten letters at one time, using as many as 75 words per message.
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MI tests the new Motorette

MECHANICAL rollor skates might be one way of describing them. Where-ever you went in southern Florida this year, the but-but-but of the Motorette was constant. When I saw the hundreds of little gas-powered bugs up every alley, street and path, I knew I had a “must” story. This was a Motorette year in Florida—and for good reason.

These little cars, a happy cross between a motorcycle and your kid’s tricycle, were primarily designed for use in mile-long aircraft plant, but they now spell fun with a lot of the practical on the side. They can seat two comfortably and carry enough baggage for a week-end. Read the rest of this entry »

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HOUSEKEEPING in a TRAILER

by Esther Hall

Furnishing your home- on-wheels properly is the best way of insuring a care-free trip.

IN PLANNING a trailer trip, what you leave at home is apt to be fully as important as what you take with you. In other words, you will soon learn the value of traveling light. The personal wants and desires of those making the trip must, of course, be taken into consideration and the quantity of essential supplies, such as food, will depend upon the length of the trip, number of persons, availability of fruit and vegetables in season and the general location, whether mountains, seashore or only main traveled roads. The following check list cannot be all-inclusive but it may be found useful as a guide and serve to prevent overlooking some very essential articles. Read the rest of this entry »

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New Records Ahead!

New power sources will make startling speed records on the speedway!

BY CAPTAIN EDDIE RICKENBACKER

Everyone knows of Captain Rickenbacker’s vivid exploits since the days he was ace of World War I, but some may have lost sight of the fact that he is a successful business executive in addition to being a promotion and creative genius. Today Captain Rickenbacker is president of Eastern Airlines as well as the Indianapolis Speedway, besides being the active chairman of the contest board of the Automobile Association of America. Shortly after World War I Captain Rickenbacker built his own stock car, the “Rickenbacker” and this car brought to the public many features then considered revolutionary, such as 4-wheel hydraulic brakes, short stroke and high compression engines, light pistons and a host of other innovations. And for this reason any predictions in this article, regardless of how fantastic they may seem at the moment, should not be taken lightly.—Editor. Read the rest of this entry »

Science and Mechanics from the 1930’s are such a pain to deal with that I’ve almost given up on them. This is one of the less obnoxious examples but still, you have to go to another page for 2 sentences.

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Streamlined Car Has Cruiser Cabin

IN the June issue of last year, we presented a description of a car streamlined sideways, in recognition of the fact that a car, unlike aircraft, encounters cross-currents of air. Its interior, also, abandoning all previous conventions, was like that of a plane or yacht. There is no chassis; the body is its own frame. Oil shock absorbers are used as in airplane landing gear.

WHILE affording very much more room than an ordinary car, it has not the freak appearance of the “raindrop” bodies; it weighs less than 2,000 pounds. The commercial model, now on the market in a limited edition, presents advantages over the preliminary design. One of the refinements is electrical door opening by push buttons.

Ford Navigates in Flood Areas
“SERVICE regardless of flood water” is the motto of a Mississippi taxi driver who “raised” his Ford to meet the occasion. The body is elevated from the axles by using simple metal cross-frames. An elongated drive shaft and steering apparatus complete the job.

“Doodlebug” is the name Sgt. C. O. Peterson gave this runabout built of salvaged airplane parts. Single cylinder engine does 200 miles to the gallon at speeds up to 42 mph. The tank holds two quarts of gas and the machine weighs 300 lbs.

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McCahill Drives The Austin Healey

Uncle Tom test-drives the most talked-about sports car of the year and finds very few faults to criticize, many virtues to praise.

NOT since the day Neville Chamberlin showed up at 10 Downing Street with his umbrella incorrectly rolled, has a more sensational shocker taken place than that caused by the birth of the new Austin Healey 100. The windscreen and bonnet boys of England’s motordom were outrageously amazed at the reception accorded this upstart at Mr. Herbert Shriner’s Second Annual International Motor Sports Show in New York. At this prime American exhibit, the sales people of some of Britain’s oldest and most traditional concerns never put a mark on an order blank whilst Mr. Donald Healey’s creation was causing a near-riot. In two words, Donald Healey and associates “had It” whilst their fellow Britons “Had it.” Read the rest of this entry »

That tail prop plane looks a lot like a Predator Drone.

Tail Props, counter-rotating, powered through a 60′ shaft by two Allison 1630 hp engines, drive the speedy new 48-passenger Douglas DC-8 transport.

3-Wheel Car powered by an aircraft engine, will do 100 mph and 40 miles to a gallon. In production now on West Coast, it will be on sale in 3 months.

Tourists Can’t Lose Road in Radio Guided Automobile

AUTOMOBILE tourists still get lost, especially in states where the road marking is poor and at night when various guiding signs are invisible.

A new system of direction finding will banish all of that. In the future the auto tourist, rolling along in strange country, will hear an alarm on his dash sound when he gets off the right road for each great national highway will then have its set of code signals flowing through the telephone or telegraph wires at the side of the roads by means of carrier waves. Read the rest of this entry »

Jeepers! The lowly jeep has been glamorized in the best Hollywood tradition. The boys overseas would have to look twice before they recognized it. This gives you an idea of what can be done with the present car-of-all-work of G.I. Joe when it is painted and generally fixed up. Jeeps are going on sale now to the public. The girl on the hood? She comes under the heading of Special Accessories—which you have to supply yourself.

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The Fuel-Injection CORVETTE

Chevy leads the way with a fuel injection system that may enable this buggy to beat the Grand Prix record of 170 mph, says Tom, By Tom McCahill IN 1920, when a be-mustached gentleman named Gaston Chevrolet won the Indianapolis classic at the astounding speed of 88 mph, he was a hero’s hero and about as swashbuckling a character as you would be apt to meet at a luncheon for the late Jean LaFitte. Later on, Gaston zigged when he should have zagged and they buried him that November. Somehow I can’t help wondering how Gaston would have reacted if he could get a look-see at his namesake as we know it today. Read the rest of this entry »