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Mars Rovers
Live Up To Their Names
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View of East Hills of Mars taken by panorama cameras mounted on Mars Rover "Spirit."
(Photo courtesy of NASA and JPL.)
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As NASA’s rover robots scrambled over the surface of Mars, their “adventures” and the highly detailed panoramic photographs they’re sending back to Earth continue to fascinate and amaze people around the world. It is the first time we’re getting a “close-up” look at our nearest planetary neighbor. This is not the first time, though, that the planet has engaged our imagination.
In 1877 the Italian scientist Giovanni Schiaparelli observed what he thought were canals but later turned out to be rock formations. Interestingly enough, these “canals” were included in U.S. Geological survey maps until the late 1960s. The entertainment industry, especially, has cashed in on our preoccupation with the Red Planet. The “War of the Worlds” radio show terrified us into an actual panic that the Martians have landed, while Hollywood entertained our children with their “Marvin the Martian” cartoon.
Notwithstanding all the NASA knowledge and mystique behind the planet Mars, the most profound thought may have come from an unexpected source, a little girl who had not much more than a dream.
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You may have heard the story; if not, here goes. A nationwide essay contest to name the two robotic rovers was held for school-age children from kindergarten through 12th grade. From a field of 10,000 entries, the winning names were “Spirit” and “Opportunity” submitted by Sofi, then eight years old. An orphan during her first two years in Siberia, she was adopted by a single mother from Scottsdale, Arizona. At the Kennedy Space Center Sofi read this from her winning essay:
“I used to live in an orphanage. It was dark and cold and lonely. At night, I looked up at the sparkly sky and felt better. I dreamed I could fly there. In America, I can make all my dreams come true. Thank you for giving me the ‘Spirit’ and ‘Opportunity’.”
Spirit and Opportunity are on a mission to uncover evidence, if any, of life-supporting conditions on Mars. Whether or not they find that evidence, the planet and the stars in the sky will continue to inspire those who look up and beyond, and continue to dream.
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TWA — A Great Airline
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Western Air Express, which was founded on July 13, 1925, merged with Transcontinental Air Transport in 1930, and they became Transcontinental and Western Air (TWA). Thus a great airline was born. TWA flew the skies for 70 years before it was acquired by American Airlines in 2001.
Even before the merger, Transcontinental Air Transport had established its role as a pioneer, starting the first coast-to-coast air and rail service from New York to Los Angeles along a route mapped by Charles Lindbergh.
TWA continued to chalk up many firsts in aviation history, including coast-to-coast all-air service (1930), U.S. air cargo service (1931); all-weather air travel with the pressurized Boeing Stratoliner (1940); and direct transatlantic all-cargo service (1947). Of special note, TWA flew the only DC-1 ever built! Howard Hughes owned and controlled TWA from 1939 to 1965, though he never held an official position with the airline.
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The Lockheed Constellation L-049 was originally designed in 1939 to meet specifications defined by TWA for a long-range commercial transport. The L-1049 Super Constellation was unveiled in 1951. These "Connies" were the flagship of the TWA fleet in the 1940s and 50s.
(Photo courtesy of Airline History Museum At Kansas City, Missouri. This airworthy Lockheed Super Constellation was restored by Museum volunteers in 1988. It was repainted in the TWA colors of that period by TWA's Kansas City overhaul base in the late '90s.)
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Initially based in New York, in 1931 TWA relocated to Kansas City, Missouri, where it remained for most of its life, and maintained its main hub in St. Louis.
TWA and The '80s
The Trans World Corporation was formed in 1979, and had TWA, among others, in its portfolio. TWA was spun off as a new public company in 1983. It then came under Carl Icahn’s control in 1985 and acquired Ozark Airlines a year later.
TWA was made a private company in 1988. The process drained $610 million cash from the company and added a $540 million debt. Despite drastic cost-cutting measures and the sale of several of its major routes, the encumbered airline subsequently filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in 1992.
TWA and The '90s
When TWA emerged from reorganization a year later, Icahn had relinquished control and employees owned 45% of the company and creditors the remaining 55%. With a second financial reorganization in 1995, TWA finally recovered, rebounded, and enjoyed unprecented growth thereafter.
For TWA, the period after the bankruptcy until its acquisition by American was one of optimism and growth. The revived airline unveiled a new livery; expanded its fleet; pioneered new programs and services for new markets; added new domestic and international routes; updated its reservation system; and also earned several industry awards for customer satisfaction and on-time arrivals.
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When the company changed its name to Trans World Airlines in 1950, in its second iteration TWA truly became an industry leader. With its fleet of Lockheed Super Constellations, the airline inaugurated regular non-stop transcontinental service in 1953— the eastbound flight took a mere 8 hours while westbound flights, because of prevailing head winds, had to refuel in Chicago. TWA launched the first polar route service from Los Angeles to London in 1957, and its first transatlantic flight without a navigator aboard in 1962 paved the way for the fully-automated Doppler radar navigation system. Retiring the last Constellation from its fleet in 1967, TWA became the first U.S. airline to go all-jet. In 1969, TWA inaugurated the first transpacific and round-the-world service.
TWA also led the way in the passenger care area. TWA was the first airline to offer in-flight audio entertainment with individual headsets; in-flight movies; in-flight coffee; all-sleeper luxury service characterized by the transatlantic “New York Sky Chief” and Paris Sky Chief”; and no-smoking sections aboard every aircraft in its fleet by 1970!
TWA embodied a sense of innovation, boldness and toughness shared by the best companies anywhere. TWA is no more, but it takes its place in the annals of aviation as a great airline and a giant in its time.
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The TWA fleet colors were always predominantly red and white, and gold when the globe was featured. The red stripe along the fuselage was a common element.
Flight Miniatures offers 17 TWA models, showing a variety of livery flown by the airline, from a DC-3 in its 1941 delivery paint scheme to the more recent liveries, including the TWA/AA transition colors.
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During 1964-74 the TWA livery was characterized by the double-globe on the fuselage and tail.
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During 1974-1995 the fleet carried white TWA letters in a red block on the tail.
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TWA's last livery unveiled in 1995, had the single-globe on the fuselage, with the stripe continuing into the tail diagonally, under the TWA letters.
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Preserving Airline History
Part 1
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A trip to an air museum will quickly show how, in less than 100 years, we went from dreaming about flying to landing a man on the moon. More importantly, when we see relics of the past preserved or restored to their former glory, we are reminded that today's rapid advancements are built on the foundations of yesterday's steady progress.
For the past two years we at Flight Miniatures have been honored to create models in association with two different museums — the TWA DC-3 with the Airline History Museum At Kansas City, Missouri, and the Northwest DC-3 with the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. The restoration projects have different goals: the TWA plane will grace our skies as it did over 60 years ago, the Northwest plane, its restoration now completed, is on static display for all to see and appreciate.
We knew that creating accurate models of the historical DC-3s in the livery of the period would be a challenge, as information was slim at best. So when we discovered that restorations were underway for the TWA and Northwest planes, we contacted the respective museums. They were very helpful in sharing the information they had.
As it turned out, there were some gaps and inaccuracies in their information that we were able to help out with from our research. In fact some of the artwork we created for our models was sent to the museums and incorporated in the restoration artwork (at actual scale).
We will showcase the TWA restoration in this issue and the Northwest restoration in the next issue of the Flight Miniatures Collector's Newsletter.
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The TWA DC-3
The Airline History Museum At Kansas City is a nonprofit organization staffed by volunteers with a mission: To restore propeller-driven commercial aircraft to an airworthy state and then fly them to air shows and events across the country. Starting out as a "Save A Connie" group, the museum currently have two fully restored propeller-driven aircraft, a Lockheed Super Constellation and a Martin 404. They are in the process of restoring their DC-3 in the TWA WWII-era livery.
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The DC-3 that the Airline History Museum is restoring, serial number 3294, registration number NC1945, was built in February 1941 in Santa Monica, California, and delivered to Transcontinental and Western Airlines (TWA) March 4. It is one of the few DC-3s with an 8-window, 24-passenger configuration. Most DC-3s were built with a 7-window, 21-passenger configuration.
NC1945 was operated by TWA from 1941 to 1952 as ship 386. Unlike most other DC-3s, it was left in civilian service during WWII instead of being converted into military transport. After its service for TWA, it was sold to North Central Airlines and served for 14 years. In 1968 it went into charter operations, and later was a travel club airplane for Coronado Airlines in California. The airplane ended its service as an electronic test bed, and finally went into storage at Roswell, New Mexico.
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The Airline History Museum found out about ship 386 and purchased it in 1993. The plane was disassembled and transported on trailers to Kansas City, Missouri.
First the paint was stripped to determine the condition of the outer fuselage skin. Then the inside insulation was removed, which revealed a great deal of corrosion on many internal parts. New parts were manufactured using the old ones as templates and patterns. Essentially, the plane is being rebuilt from scratch from the inside out.
The livery selected for the plane is the TWA livery used during WWII, with "Victory is in the Air - Buy Bonds" on the fuselage. We were informed that the museum intends to use vinyl graphics instead of paint for the livery. The vinyl is easier to maintain and, in the event the plane is ever used in movie or television productions, allows for more possibilities for use with other color schemes.
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Restoration of the TWA DC-3 has been slow, but the end is in sight.
(Photo courtesy of Airline History Museum At Kansas City.)
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Progress has been long and slow, with completion of the restoration projected as "sometime in 2004 or 2005." For more details on the restoration of the TWA DC-3 by the Airline History Museum, you can visit http://www.airlinehistorymuseum.com/dc-3.htm.
Check in the next issue for Part Two, featuring the Henry Ford Museum restoration of their DC-3 in vintage Northwest colors.
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New Arrivals
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Now Available
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Air New Zealand A320
1:200 Scale • AB-32020H-051
The Airbus A320 is a new addition to the Air New Zealand fleet. Air New Zealand took delivery of their first Airbus A320 in 2003 and currently operates four of this aircraft type in its fleet, with 11 more scheduled for future delivery.
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Aircalin A320
Scale 1:200 • AB-32020H-052
Aircalin (Air Caledonie International), the airline of New Caledonia (a French overseas territory), flies routes to Australia, Japan, and several destinations in the South Pacific. The airline placed an order for its first Airbus A320 in June 2003 and took delivery of this aircraft on February 12, 2004.
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Australian Airlines 767-300
Scale 1:250 8 BO-76730I-003
A newcomer in the land down under, Australian Airlines is wholly owned by Qantas Airways Limited, but is managed and operated independently of Qantas. The airline plans to fly only one aircraft type, the Boeing 767-300, of which they are currently operating four.
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Blue Panorama 767-300
Scale 1:200 • BO-76730H-042
Blue Panorama Airlines, an up-and-coming airline headquartered in Rome, Italy, was established in 1998. The airline offers both scheduled and charter flights. The two Boeing 767-300ERs in its fleet have a capacity of 274 seats in a 2-class configuration.
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A smile in the sky describes the new livery for Britannia Airways, which is the U.K.’s largest charter airline. The new Britannia livery was introduced in late 2001 and will be gradually replacing the airline’s old colors in its fleet.
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Britannia Airways (NC) 757-200
Scale 1:200 • BO-75720H-055
This model shows the new livery on the Boeing 757-200. Britannia operates 19 of this aircraft type in its fleet.
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Britannia Airways (NC) 767-300
Scale 1:200 • BO-76730H-041
This model shows the new Britannia Airways livery on the Boeing 767-300. Britannia operates 9 of this aircraft type in its fleet.
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Continental Express ERJ-135
Scale 1:100 • EM-13500C-002
The Embraer RJ135 (ERJ 135) is a new generation jet for 37 passengers, based on the proven and very successful ERJ 145 regional jet. Continental Express, operated by ExpressJet Airlines, Inc., was the first North American operator of the ERJ 135.
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Delta Connection by Comair CRJ-700
Scale 1:100 • CA-70000C-004
In September 2002, Comair received its first CRJ-700 aircraft from Bombardier Aerospace. The 70-seat CRJ-700 replaces the 40- and 50-seat CRJ-200s on routes requiring greater passenger capacity. The first CRJ-700s were put into service for Comair in November 2002.
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Iberworld Airlines, founded in April 1998, is part of the Grupo Iberstar, one of the largest tourism companies in Spain. They have three aircraft types in their fleet, the A320, A330-200, and A330-300. We now have models of two of these:
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Iberworld A320
Scale 1:200 • AB-32020H-053
Iberworld Airlines took delivery of its first Airbus A320 in 1998 and currently operates eight Airbus A320s in its fleet.
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Iberworld A330-200
Scale 1:200 • AB-33020H-012
The Airbus A330-200 operated by Iberworld was delivered to the airline in 2002. Iberworld currently operates only one A330-200 in its fleet.
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Click to purchase new models.
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Showcase YOUR Collection
in the Collector's Corner!
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Here's your chance to share your model collection,
and brag a little . . . you're allowed.
Digital photos can be emailed.
Hard copies should be mailed and will be returned on request.
We'd love to hear from you!
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Our Models Ride the Carousel
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With the move into our new building, we were able to take advantage of the new technologies and systems designed into the facility. One of these is the double carousel system for automating our fulfillment function, making it an easier, faster and more accurate process.
The two carousels run on separate steel tracks. They are pulled by sprocketed steel belts powered by electrical motors, one at each end of the long circular track. Our carousels don’t carry brightly painted horses though, just cages, with six shelves — or “bins”— to a cage. Each bin is assigned a unique number comprising the shelf number, the cage number, and the carousel number. Also, each bin holds inventory for a specific model. The system is computerized and the controller can very quickly and accurately recall any specific bin to the front.
When an order is processed, our order processing system also generates a “picking list” detailing the description, item number, and bin number for each item ordered. The picking list could be for 1- or 2-model orders, or for orders involving several hundred models.
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Using the picking lists, all the corresponding bin numbers are entered into the carousel controller. When the “go” button is pushed, the carousel rotates and stops when the appropriate bin is in front, so that the inventory can be pulled from the same spot by the operator. With this carousel system, a customer order can be pulled in a matter of a few minutes, and packaged and shipped usually the same day we receive the order.
However, the carousel system is more than just a convenient way of pulling models. Having the inventory served up to the shipping area rather than walking the warehouse to pull the items saves a lot of time. While the computerized system insures that the correct model is pulled for shipment, it also keeps track of the inventory left in the warehouse. Inventory control is easier and more accurate, and year-end taking stock of inventory is now a breeze rather than the chore that it used to be.
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From his picking list, Gary pulls models from the bins to fill the order.
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Below:
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Stored models are bussed down to the shipping area by conveyor belt. |
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© 2002-2004 Genesis Worldwide Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Trademarks: Flight Miniatures products, other products and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved.
Date posted this issue: March 31, 2004.
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Phone: 888-777-6311 - Fax: 928-634-6700 - Email: