Model airplane engine made of paper.... that runs!

[WVA]

As some know, or suspect, I was born and grew up in southern West Virginia. Left at l8, and never lived there again. But I like to visit now and then so, after the Convention in D.C. last fall, I decided to go home to Michigan by the way of Beckley, WV. There I met up with a high school classmate, and we spent several hours over breakfast and many coffees catching up. When we parted, he gave me a couple of woodwork items he makes, and I gave him a built paper airplane.

Then it got really interesting. He wrote that he was showing the plane to some friends at the Senior Center, and one lady told him her uncles had made model airplanes, and had made a paper motor that ran! Of course I asked him how we could make contact. I heard no more until a couple of weeks ago, when I got a phone call from Irene, the lady he spoke of.

Irene is the daughter of the youngest sister of John and Bill, model airplane builders. She described them, best she could remember, as paper airplanes, but I gather they were stick and tissue ones. Their father (Irene's paternal great grandfather) owned a printing business in Bluefield, WV,, and when he joined the service, John and Bill, not long out of high school, took over the business until they were drafted into WWII. During that time, she says, they invented a motor using “fireproof” paper used in the mines, and miner's lamp gas. (I know of fire retardant paper used to close off sections of a mine, and “miner's lamp gas” is acetylene produced from carbide and water). I have tried to imagine what kind of motor it might be: Piston? Turbine? Hot air? “Wankel”???

Irene told me that her sister had inherited the house in Bluefield, and there was a lot of family furniture and stuff still in the attic, etc.. And that she would ask her sister if there was anything from the boys. They, by the way, returned from service in WWII, got engineering degrees in Mining, but are deceased (would be well over 100s today).

Yesterday I got a call from Irene to say that her sister had found a bunch of papers and drawings by her brothers, and she will send them to me! I can hardly wait to see if there is more to the paper airplane motor that actually runs(!) story!!

[Astroboy]

Jim,
That's an intriguing story. Please keep us informed.


Bill Kastenmeier

[Rata]

For sure. You've hooked me in!

[Mike1158]

Well and truly on the hook. Please continue this fascinating story.

[USSMissouri]

I like tom see them.

[sbucher]

Please keep us up to date on what you find. This sounds interesting!

[Draco]

I'm imagining some kind of reaction engine with just one combustion camera feed with an acetylene deposit. It could work if launched by hand, something similar to a ramjet or a scramjet (but slower!!!!)

[mbauer]

This could be interesting. Will be paying attention.

Mike

[mhvink]

Gents, you DID notice the date of his original posting, right? Just suspecting . . .

Another Mike

[Burning Beard]

According to the date the original posting was Friday, what's your point?