If you’re a fan of Twin Pushers like I certainly am—believe me you’ll like this month’s Post !!! You will find that this month’s Op-Ed takes a slightly different departure from the normal “Op-Ed” format in that it’s an Op-Ed / Short Story. For the first time ever, JB Nisley, the author, brings to our Aeromodeling community a “History of Stooges Document” that hitherto has never been attempted before—let alone researched. In this “Fictional Fable Epic Tale,” Nisley not only delves into the subject of Stooges, but offers a more suitable name for our “Most Trusted Model Airplane Rubber Winder Stand.”
Look for a “Tip of the Hat” to Twin Pushers, Winding Platforms and Sailing Schooners thrown in to make this short story interesting and worthwhile even if your are new to the hobby, a spouse of an airplane model enthusiast, or an “Aeromodelling Old-timer Veteran” like there is in the story named Nathanial.
Nisley, also introduces in a clever way how this month’s “Twin Pusher Winding Platform” supposedly came to be. So treat yourself to this unique story especially written for us AEROMODELLESTS and stay tuned for an ending you DID NOT SEE COMING !!! 😀
Jeff Renz — Blogger/Editor in chief
& Blogger/Webmaster — Jeffrey B. (JB) Nisley 
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JB NISLEY’S 
AEROMODELLING OP-ED / SHORT STORY – JUNE 2022 1
AEROMODELLING 
WHAT’S NEW IN OUR WORLD? – 6/22 2
JEFF RENZ’S POST NOTES 
Blogger/Editor in Chief 2/223
THE LATEST AEROMODELLING TIP – JUNE 2022
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CASEY BALDWIN’S Free Flight Legacy Continues 
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JB Nisley’s “MESSAGE 
IN A BOTTLE” Closing StatementJUNE 2022 6
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Interestingly his month’s Op-Ed happens to be a departure from the traditional Op-Ed format. Here is an original short story that I’ve written in good faith that both speculates about the hitherto non existent “History of Stooges” and at the same time provides an introductory glimpse into the rich lives of Casey Baldwin and Alexander Graham Bell and their world at the start of the twentieth century more than a hundred years ago.
Dive into this alternate fictional world where it’s Casey’s own son Patrick A.G.B. Baldwin that invents what we now unwittingly and wrongly call “Winding Stooges“.
In some ways this is an introduction to Marty Welch’s 1923 Twin Pusher Winding Platform presented this month as it provides a basis for its own History.
Click the thumbnail below or the link to access the PDF.
JB’s JUNE 2022
Op-Ed / Short Story – The History of Winding Stooges and the Baldwin’s Winding Station.pdf
Author: JB Nisley
Blogger/Webmaster
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AEROMODELLING WHAT’S NEW IN OUR WORLD?
By JB Nisley 6/22 2
Shown for the first time is the First Complete Free Standing
Twin Pusher Winding Platform—93 years After Don Burnham at age 14 won the 1929 Junior Division, Outdoor Competition, at the 1929 Nats in Detroit with his Twin Pusher design—still popular today.
Later this month or the early part of July, Marty’s 1923 magazine article featuring this Winding Platform will be published complete with detailed Drawings, Assembly Instructions and a Materials List. If you’re serious about A-Frame Twin Pushers—this platform, made entirely of simple 1x2s, would absolutely provide a valuable tool for your continued Vintage Flying Machine’s success. Signed, — Jeffrey (JB) Nisley 😀
He was captain of the Esperanto in 1920 when it defeated the Canadian schooner Delawana in the first International Fishing Schooner Championship Races in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
He also was the
Captain of the American
fishing schooner Eslie who lost
to the Bluenose in 1921. Read more about me in JB’s June 2022 Op-Ed / Short Story.
Ahoy Matey! — I’m a friend of Casey Baldwin, Captain Marty Welch, and one of the fictional characters in JB’s JUNE 2022 Op-Ed / Short Story this month. I’m the one that Casey Baldwin designed & built this Winding Platform especially for.
I enjoy everything there is about duel propeller Twin Pushers and folks around here say I’m quite the seasoned competitor at the local Aeroplane Contests when I’m not aboard a Saltbank Fishing Schooner. Casey, to his detriment, prefers to avoid assembling and learning to fly Twin Pushers to this day. (His loss by the way.) 😦
Believe it or not I’m a big fan of Harry Houdini so I dabble a little in magic myself so get ready as I show you some amazing things about this Platform !!!
Shown at right is the Winding Platform’s business end—the aft end that holds the two propellers. You will see two “L” shaped wood “Sliders” made of 1x2s facing inward that are held in place by only 4 thin rubber bands each spaced evenly if you look closely enough.
If you look even closer you will see a slanted 1/16″ piano wire “peg” on each slider that are used to hold the propellers of the A-Frame Twin Pusher in place.
the Crocket Hooks of the Rubber Motors.
Both of these L sliders with the slanted pegs make it possible to adjust the spacing between the pegs to accommodate different sized Twin Pushers. Below is a close up of one of these assemblies to better show you how these work to hold the propellers down on each side..
Shown at left is the simple but effective system used to hold down each of the Twin Pusher’s right and left propellers safely to the platform.
MAGIC ANYONE? 😀
This is accomplished by the use of a single rubber band stretched over the peg and atop the rubber motor’s crocket hook.
An explanation of how this was done as an Animated GIF is explored in
this month’s JUNE 2022 JB’s “Message in a Bottle” Closing Statement below.
Close-up of the “A-Frame Retainer Rope” Hold Down
If you look closely at the forward end of the Twin Pusher Platform (aka rotating T-Bar)you will see that the top of the A frame is securely but gently held in place with a length of 1/4″ manila rope 21 inches long which I call the “A-Frame Retainer Rope.”
The above photo also shows a better view of the fish netting, which greatly contributes to
the nautical theme and at the same time—adds greatly to the utility of the platform.
Above is another view of what I’m calling the pivoting “T” Bar located at the forward end of the Platform. Manila rope is simply glued to the wood structure where it’s needed. Notice the forward placed black rectangle shaped object in the middle. This object is actually two strong magnets that are attracted together to hold and tension the single rope holding the A-frame in place which is called the “A-Frame Retainer Rope.
Removing the Twin Pusher from the Platform after winding is super easy!
With this quick three step system, this process can be performed literally in seconds while gently but firmly holding the model in one hand and using the other to release the two rubber bands from the crocket hooks and lastly pulling the magnets apart releasing the “A-Frame Retaining Rope” from the Winding Platform. 😉
The fish net surrounding the platform is a great place to toss things needed within reach such as your winder, other tools, notebook, clipboard with scorecard or even your lunch!
You will be winding one motor at a time on opposite sides of the platform so no need for a double winder. A single winder with a counter is ideal.
Here again is a bit of “MAGIC” courtesy of a GIF animation JB produced using GIMP showing how the Platform folds in two making it compact enough for transport inside a Sailor’s Ditty Bag.
In lieu of an authentic Sailors Diddy Bag, a cloth laundry bag with a drawstring will suffice.
It’s nice to know that for a seemingly awkward looking device—when folded up and secured by the four manila rope “guy wires” that are used to secure it to the ground—it’s a simple matter to carry it upside down by its pole. In addition a huge bonus is that for the most part it won’t tip over if it’s on relatively flat ground, even on grass.
😀
Note: When folded this platform’s base takes up only a 14″ by 14″ square footprint and when stored in its bag shown above—it’s a breeze to throw in your vehicle or to store in your garage in the off season. When you go to use it simply unfold, stake down with 4 tent stakes you keep in a separate case, and you’re set up ready to wind—no assembly of the platform is required.
Please note that this Winding Platform has purposely avoided the use of the term “Stooge” in its name as Stooges came out in the 50s—so it would not be in the spirit of the models built in this era of 1910 to early 1930s.
Because It is made entirely out of three #2 grade Pine 1 by 2s ( 3/4″ x 1-1/2″ actual dimension) this Platform is not out of the reach for most AEROMODELLERS. One coil of manila rope 50′ x 1/4″ is all you need plus some other materials makes this an affordable project.
Front View of Captain Marty Welch’s 1923 Twin Pusher Winding Platform with Don Burnham’s Twin Pusher ready for winding.
This is the first one of the four (4) new “Stooge” designs that Jeffrey B. (JB) Nisley will introduce sometime in 2022. You can find out more about Marty and his Winding Platform in this month’s JB’s JUNE 2022 Op-Ed / Short Story. The first of the foursome is a “Winding Platform” and the next three will have “Winding Station” in their names instead of Winding Stooge. This is in keeping with the desire to eliminate the word “Stooge” and in turn transition to the more respectable phrase “Winding Station.” 😉
Proper credit needs to go to Gene Wallock for his wonderful Twin Pusher article titled
GENE WALLOCK – TWIN PUSHER BUILDING AND FLYING TIPS which provided the inspiration for this platform. Gene’s article truly has been a great source for ideas when I was building my own Don Burnham A-frame Twin Pusher from a Short Kit.
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2/22 3
Observation by
Jeff Renz
Last fall JB and I discovered something quite amazing and useful when winding the two Twin Pusher Motors on Nisley’s Burnham Twin Pusher while using an earlier version of Marty’s Winding Platform.
It turns out that if you are lucky enough to have a counter on your winder you’ll have a simplified time of winding the motors plus it’s way more easy to keep track of the number of winds.
LET ME EXPLAIN . . . . if you, let’s say, put 1000 turns on the right hand motor clockwise, naturally your counter would show a positive number of 1000 turns.
The left motor however also needs the same number of turns but this time it needs to be wound counter-clockwise. Voilà !!! — You can use this to your advantage !!! So—without a second lost—if you switch over to the left motor, and leave the counter where it is (now 1000) and start turning the crank counter-clockwise, you then will be winding it backwards as it counts back down to Zero again amassing a total of exactly 1000 turns!
How convenient and easy to keep track as both motors by this process will have had exactly the same number of turns every time! 😀 Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy as the saying goes !!! 
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THE LATEST AEROMODELLING TIP – JUNE 2022 4
SUSTAINABLE TENT STAKES
This idea courtesy of JB is used in conjunction with the Winding Platform showcased this month in JB’s JUNE 2022 Op-Ed / Short Story. The definition of sustainable is “able to be maintained at a certain rate or level.”
Here’s a better looking and in my opinion a more durable or sustainable solution to the commonly available “Plastic Tipped Tent Stake’s” tendency for the tips to bend easily and as a result end up broken. 😦
Tent stakes are a necessity when it comes to holding down tents of course but in our case also “Winding Platforms.” Our Winding Platform utilizes four (4) ropes that function as “Guy Wires” to keep the Platform upright, steady (without twisting), and securely held down so the platform can carry out its intended task of winding rubber motors. The “Guy Wire” ropes terminate at the ground with tent stakes that are driven into the soil with a hammer.
Shown here and in the photos of this segment are the type of tent stakes that I recommend. They can be purchased inexpensively at Walmart individually (orange) and are priced at $1.34 each or a Package of 6 (green) for only $4.99 at a Harbor Freight store close by.
I’ve found that the plastic tips of these types of tent stakes tend to bend and ultimately break when it came time to pull them out of the ground with the claw end of a hammer—especially when the ground was dry and hard. To avoid all this I went to a metal alternative—a 3/8″ wingnut commonly available at Ace or other Hardware Stores.
Ask an associate where to find them. 😉
Example 4 shows the simple HALF HITCH knot that is used for the hold down rope.
At left are four examples of tent stakes. The 2nd to the left tent stake shows where the plastic has a tendency to bend and ultimately break. My solution shown in the left two examples is to replace the plastic tip with an Upside Down 3/8″-16 Wingnut which is epoxied directly to the head of the aluminum “spike” that makes up the tent stake. 😀
Gluing Directions: The photo above and at left shows the aluminum spike with the plastic end removed—replaced by the wingnut as pictured.
Epoxying the Wingnut to the Spike is a 2 Step Process.
Step 1 — In one hand hold the wingnut tightly to the head of the spike and Super Glue (CA) around the top perimeter gap to fill in the space between them. Let this dry for approx 10 min or speed up this process by spraying with CA Accelerator.
Step 2 — When the CA has set, turn the stake around so that its pointed end is straight up. The next step is to epoxy the wingnut to the stake. I tend to like 4-6 hour epoxy as the longer the cure time, the stronger the joint, however 30 minute epoxy seems to be strong enough. Mix equal parts of the A and B epoxy according to directions and carefully transfer (Drip) the mixture into the space between the wingnut and the spike in order to make it solid using your stir stick. Now place this assembly inside a large disposable plastic drink cup and scotch tape it at the top to vertically hold it in place while it cures. Let it set for several days before putting it into service and it will be a long time before you even need to think about having to replace it. 😀
USE A SIMPLE HALF HITCH FOR THE TIE DOWN ROPES ON BOTH ENDS.
As for the rope’s end knot shown in the photo above and to the left, I’ve found that a very simple over hand knot some people call a HALF HITCH will work just fine. (BUT HERE’S THE SECRET.) Go ahead and soak all of the fibers of the tightened knot while it’s still on the stake with Clear Elmer’s Glue so it won’t stand a chance of loosening and coming apart! I’ve tried this successfully and it works like a champ. It’s super easy to do—and again like MAGIC—no one I know would ever be the wiser !!! 😀
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How to Submit a LATEST AEROMODELLER’S TIP
Use our CONTACT FORM at the bottom of our CONTACT US web page to provide us with your email address so we can set up an email exchange that allows us to obtain the article and the photos you may have that describe your tip. The photos can be simply attached to your email. If you would like—show us a photo of you with your friends showing or using this tip. You don’t have to to live in the United States or be a HAFFA Member to participate. If approved by our staff we will publish your TIP in a future Casey’s BLOG POST. Thanks. Your TIP will be much appreciated !!! 😀
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FREDRIC WALKER (CASEY) BALDWIN.
A FREE FLIGHT LEGACY CONTINUES. — JUNE 2022 5
This month’s Op-Ed, JB’s JUNE 2022 Op-Ed / Short Story, serves as an effective and fun way to get a slight glimpse into the very exciting and interesting world Casey Baldwin Alexander Graham Bell, and others in their orbit experienced during the time period between 1908 up until the mid 30s’s. I can only guess at the day to day life of these very interesting and fun loving people. From my reading they lived very noteworthy and rich lives. This short story also in some ways “Invents the History” of what’s behind the design and making of “Captain Marty Welch’s 1923 Twin Pusher Winding Platform“ that is presented in this month’s BLOG Post so be sure to not miss out on this lighthearted fictional tale. Signed, Jeffrey B. (JB) Nisley
— If you haven’t already checked out our sister Site here is the info —
Casey was a member of Alexander Graham Bell’s AEA—a group of early Aviation Pioneers. —
To lean more about Casey and the AEA, visit our Sister Site PHOENIX / AEA and specifically the “Into the Air” web page on that site to find out about the AEA and Casey’s significant roll in this Group of Aviation Pioneers. — Note: Both of the above links will open a new tab in your browser because you are going to a different website. TIP: Remember that you can zoom in on the photo above if you choose to view this page in your mobile device a.k.a. cell phone.
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JB Nisley’s “MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE” Closing Statement JUNE 2022 6
This month after doing some research on twin pusher models I want to direct your attention to an article on the AMA website that showcases the winning A-Frame Twin Pusher Don Burnham designed and built in 1929. The name of this article is Don Burnham’s 1930 A-frame pusher.
If I may, I would like to quote directly from this article: “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 Prize Winners’ Book of Model Airplanes.
In all honesty I think Don would have not expected that his design would be “modernized’ in the form of a laser “Short” kit and sold to the general public through something called the Internet. It was I (JB) in 2018 that purchased one of the “Short Kits of his prize winning design in 2018, almost 90 years later and in a new century. From Don’s perspective at age 14, there were no laser cutting machines anywhere be found. In fact I think he would have been astounded !!! 😀
One of the reasons I bring this webpage to our viewers front and center is that, just like the real person character Pat, in my Short Fictional Story is that Pat in 1935 (age 15) would be almost the exact age as Don Burnham when he won his 1929 championship at age 14. As a “Senior” model builder I sometimes am surprised how young the model builders seem to be in the photos of the Twin Pusher Era of say 1908 to the early 30s.
My “MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE” for May is an actual quote from the article i have a link to above. The publisher of the book in a letter thanking Don for his “kind words regarding the book.” the letter ends with:
My “MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE” for May is an actual quote from the article i have a link to above. The publisher of the book in a letter thanking Don for his “kind words regarding the book.” the letter ends with:
“May your next model fly farther and longer than all the rest!”
Author’s Observation: Here is another example of the notion that it was the distance the plane travels as well as the time spent in the air or “flight time” that was important in judging early contests unlike today where flight time is the only consideration.
As to the “Magic” that my story’s character, Marty, suggests in the first segment of this post—there really is no magic here as this was simply an image saved in a file format known as GIF, GIF images can be saved as an animated GIF file which is what I did. They can be animated and at the same time have a relatively small file size, especially if they are small. Unlike many of the animated GIF images you’ll see on the Internet and on your smart phone that are over-the-top garish and tacky, the gif images for my segment are way more subtle and actually educational in nature. These animations were made using a free to the public photo editing program called GIMP and surprisingly not that difficult to produce. In my case it was time consuming to get the animation to look just right, however.
My advice to users of GIMP designers and webmasters that want to try this is—is to seek out a video online that shows how it’s done. I recommend the YouTube video How to Create Animated Gif’s in GIMP. This was the actual video in which I learned how to make animated gifs. Prepare to spend some quality time to master this “tool” so you can add this to your bag of tricks !!! Believe me, your time will be well wourth it !!! 😀
DISCLAIMER: Photographs used in this BLOG, the KCFreeFlight.org, and PhoenixAEA.WordPress.com websites are for educational purposes only. There is much we don’t know about the amazing life of Fredrick Walker (Casey) Baldwin. There is a portion of the content on this blog currently and will be in the future that will be purely speculation & guess work on the part of our staff as to the details of his life and things he might have contributed that there is no historical record to ascertain if they could be true or false. In no way are we wanting to rewrite history. A good example of this is that he might possibly have been a great Aeromodeller and built model airplanes. 😀 It will be the sole intent of any speculation or guess work concerning Casey in this BLOG, the KCFreeFlight.org, and PhoenixAEA.WordPress.com websites to be positive and not to harm his legacy in any way but instead inform & educate the public of his contributions to Aviation in general and to the Aeromodelling world in particular. — Signed JB Nisley and Jeff Renz
Thank you for reading our JUNE 2022 BLOG POST.
If you’ve become a fan—then tell all your Aeromodelling Friends.
Thanks,
Jeff Renz Blogger/Editor in Chief & Blogger/Webmaster JB Nisley
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