News from WAAAM Museum - October 2010

November 2010 - Museum Newsletter

Look to the Sky!
Veterans Day Flight
Planned for Gorge Communities

Throughout the day WAAAM will be flying our antique military L- birds over the communities of the gorge to recognize, honor and celebrate Veterans Day. We will be involved with activities with our military vehicles on the ground too.

Look for us dressed in our finest Olive Drab and Camo.

Visit the museum to see our collection of military artifacts.

Veterans Day has so much meaning.

Please take the time to learn why we have this as a holiday.

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday- a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day."

An "armistice" is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace.

Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen in the Nation's history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars

For the Service to our country, Thank you to all Veterans

Click here for a History of Veterans Day

Second Saturday to continue Throughout the Winter!

Visitors watch and learn

The weather has changed and that means our monthly Second Saturday will change too.

Rain, fog and snow won't stop the museum's special Second Saturday event. " It will be different than what we do during good weather but you can be assured we will have fun and teach you a thing or two" said WAAAM Director Judy Newman.

"You can understand why we will not be flying or driving our fantastic line up of antiques during bad weather but we will have some lively demonstrations and speakers between 10am and 2pm each Second Saturday throughout the winter and if the weather gives us a break we will make every effort to crank up some engines!" added Ben Davidson: WAAAM's Chief Pilot

Lainey Brandt our volunteer chef is changing up the Second Saturday menu. Chili and Cornbread, Soup and Sandwiches food to warm your bones. Lunch is served 11ish to 1ish.

Coffee and donuts are available in the morning.

Volunteer Spotlight
Please meet Volunteer Dick Clarke

Dick likes airplanes, Hood River and WAAAM. He started life here in Hood River in December of '32, went through the school system and later trained as a mechanic at a Portland trade school.

Between 1953-1954 as an Army Engineer he "got the flying bug while flying with Bush Pilots and the Air Force".

In 1955 Clarke married Carol Craig from his high school class. "We have three children, seven grandchildren and four greats" says Dick.

Clarke added, " I started flying May 1957 with Larry Moore of S&M Flying Service where I received my private license".

Having belonged to two flying clubs and later serving twenty two years in the Civil Air Patrol flying the L-4, PA-18, C-172 and C-182, Dick had this to say. "I remember when our L-4 arrived someone leaned on it and punched a hole in the fabric and we had to recover the whole plane before we could fly it!"

Dick volunteered at the Evergreen Museum when it was at their Portland hanger, "I was lucky to ride in their B-17, Ford Tri-Motor (right seat!) and a TBM".

He also was the Chairman of five Hood River fly-ins in the 1990s. Dick knows how to WORK!

When asked about WAAAM he said this.
"I started with WAAAM before the 1st building was built and I have enjoyed working with a great group and have met many interesting people. Many thanks to Terry and family for putting WAAAM in Hood River".

When you visit WAAAM, ask for a tour from Dick. It is what he loves to do.

Thank you Dick, you help make WAAAM wonderful!

What is in a Name?

Model A Ford Tudor Deluxe

One of WAAAM's automobiles is an original and unrestored

Model A, Ford Tudor Deluxe Sedan

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Tudors vs. 2-Door

"I do have a quick question. Are all Deluxe Tudors... 2 doors? And are they sometime written as a Deluxe 2 door- maybe people misunderstand the Tudor to mean 2 door?

I asked this question of Rick Black of El Paso, TX who owns a model A, writes articles and is apart of MAFCA: Model A Ford Club of America.
This is passed along from Rick.

In 1931, as Ford sales began to slip, the marketing group came up with the idea to release some new models to help increase sales. The Deluxe Tudor Sedan was introduced in June of 1931. Ford hoped to boost sales during the early years of the depression by adding features the Standard Tudors lacked to make it more desirable. Most of these changes were inside the car, where the interior resembled the Victoria. Fewer than 24,000 Deluxe Tudors were produced and all were "late 1931" models with Indented Firewalls. Cowl Lights, Rear Window Shade made with "Silk-like Cloth" and Mohair or Bedford Cord Interiors

The term "tudor" was adopted by Ford to denote a sedan with two doors and a front and rear seat. Ford used the term "fordor" to describe sedans with 4 doors with front and rear seats. The rest of the industry probably used 2-door to describe the same vehicle. Ford continued to use those words up to WWII.

A "coupe" has two doors but only one seat for 2-3 people.

A "roadster" is like a coupe in that it has two doors but has a fabric top that folds down and with no roll-up windows.

A "cabriolet" is like a roadster except that it has windows. The modern term is "convertible".

A "phaeton" is like a sedan in that it has seats front and rear and a fabric top that folds down but with no roll-up windows.

Check out this site MAFCA to read more

Thank you Rick .

Indoor Flyers Welcome

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WAAAM's successful "Second Saturday" events, happening since last April where people are given rides in antique cars, biplanes with round engines are flown, and other stuff like hit-n-miss engines run, is now entering the rainy season.