tell a Model A related story

[katy]

Originally Posted by woofa.express

He must have run over a Chinaman]

Never heard that one before.

[Jim Brierley]

Woofa, re post #1458 about your English. I always though my English was fairly good ... until I wrote my book. My sister-in-law was an English teacher, while I was writing the book I decided not to tell her because she was the busiest person that I have ever known, and didn't want to add to her load. Well, someone ratted on me and she volunteered to edit it for me. So I printed out a double-spaced version and when I got it back I suddenly realized how bad my English was! So much for me thinking it was OK! :-)

[woofa.express]

William the Conqueror 1066

In primary school we learned history. I can recall how frequently we were taught ‘William the Conqueror, 1066’. So frequently I haven’t forgotten. But what we weren’t told was just who this William was. I did learn however, at the age of about 60. He was a Frenchman who invaded England to have a scrap with the poms. He, the frog, in his 21 year reign never learned to speak English and so new words were introduced, some we continue to use today. I call it pobblebonk.
Most of us speak in relatively simple terms that is clear and easy to understand. However there is an industry that thrives on this shit William introduced. The legal industry. At times it’s so difficult to comprehend we need to consult their industry for meaning of this stuff, especially the stuff in small print.
In 1968 I become an agricultural pilot. Amongst the pesticides we used was a family called ‘organic phosphates’. Quite toxic. If poisoned by ingestion one was to take orally ‘ipecac syrup. At times when spraying insects out bush I always gave thought to where our closest supplier of ipecac syrup might be located. Pharmacist or hospital and time it would take time to acquire some. Some locations were more than two hours’ fast drive away.
It took at least 40 years of curiosity to get to the bottom of why this treatment? It turns out that Ipecac syrup induces vomiting. Why the hell wasn’t I and other pilots told this when we entered the ag aviation industry.
Two hours’ drive to get this stuff? Two fingers down a victims neck would have provided the same outcome. Preferably someone else’s fingers. But never the less.
William the Conqueror. Ipecac Syrup. To think these teachers and instructors were paid to provide useless information.
It is possible that today these people are still in the teaching industry industry or carrying clip boards wearing yellow high vis vests and welding considerable authority and acting with superiority. Many of them are in university or CASA or other bureaucratic industries.

[mercman from oz]

[Ray in La Mesa]

And this relates to the Model A how?

[woofa.express]

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Originally Posted by Ray in La Mesa

And this relates to the Model A how?

Hello Ray. It has absolutely nothing to do with Model A’s. It goes like this.

I did start writing of Model A’s (I have 3) and became exhausted in stuff to write about, but I did create considerable interest with readers so I simply continued to write about other subjects. Aviation in particular; there seems to be many flyers (and Walter Mitty’s) who enjoyed this so I continued. Including this thread I have had half a million views and responses to my contribution.

I am somewhat dyslectic and have difficulty in reading. At school couldn’t get a pass of 30 in the compulsory subject of English. Writing in this forum has greatly improved my ability and I’ve enjoyed just that.Also it has done my self confidence well.

Two other readers have commented negatively, one with courtesy and one without. I have no difficulty with criticism and receive your question without animosity.

[Ray in La Mesa]

I ment no disrespect just trying to follow your train of thought. My 80 year young mind takes side trips too.

[woofa.express]

Bob Caldwell. A past story which I have now abridged. A good story of a crop sprayer from Williams California.

Bob became my friend when he toured Australia, calling upon local cropsprayers. A personable fellow with immaculate manners. He had married an Australian girl, her name Loraine who he had met here while on an R and R leave from Vietnam where he was flying helicopters. He was also an enterprising fellow and bought for me a cropduster from South Dakota, packaged it and had it shipped. He made many such purchases and shipments for Australian operators.
Bob was a cropduster in Williams, rice being just one of several crops he sowed, protected and fertilized. During his off season he came to Australia and sowed rice at Coleambally which is an hour and half north of us here at Tocumwal. I got to know him well.
Bob died of prostate at only 52. One always wonders if it was dioxin from 245T (agent orange) used in Viet Nam or being a passenger in an ag plane in Canberra in which the pilot crashed. (Bob had no flight controls to recover a bad manoeuvre). What bought on this cancer we will never know. His ashes are spread at Williams and Coleambally and a plaque is set in Coleambally town with a Hamilton Standard propellor set with it.

Bob had a unique and a fortunate experience in Viet Nam. While flying he was shot in the head by a sniper and survived. Unique because the bullet entered the right hand side of his helmet and exited the left side destroying the audio on both sides. You may well ask how he survived. After it entered the right audio it turned and tracked at the rear of the helmet between his helmet and his head before it’s exit. I know this to be true because I visited him in Williams, held the helmet and viewed this myself.
It is a sad event when a gentleman loses his life prematurely, leaving a wife and 3 kids. His parents were among the first ag aeroplane operators in America and they lost another son in ag aeroplane when he was only 21 leaving them childless.

I told this story industrial chemist by the name of Hugh Fisher who was with the Dept of Ag. now long retired. He spoke of an another unusual and fortunate case. Fortunately because the fellow also survived. Hugh wrote me the story and here it is below verbatim.

Hi Gary
The account of the bullet in the helmet reminds me of a similar Vietnam war account. In the 1970s I worked as a laboratory assistant at UNWA. My boss was a former US medical officer deployed over there. A conscious but wounded soldier on a stretcher was brought to him and he asked him “what’s the problem?” The soldier replied “not sure doc but I’ve sure as shit got the mother of all migraine headaches.” The paramedic (John Ormond, my former boss) removed his helmet and discovered a bullet hole in the centre of his forehead. An X-ray revealed that the projectile had passed exactly between the left and right lobes of the brain, exiting from the back of his head. John watched him recover and saw him on a flight back to the US.
Picture below is Bob and wife Lorraine on holiday in Hawaii.

[woofa.express]

FROM A SMALL MAGAZINE I WRITE.

It was at Mt. Gambier I was posting a package to Brisbane. At the conclusion of this simple transaction the post mistress said I had good manners and I enquired why she said that. She said I had said please. I then asked “doesn’t everyone”? She said it was not a common practice.
The word please is a powerful word. Along with thankyou of course. The person for whom it is intended feels some gratitude plus is more likely to be helpful then and in the future. My daddy and mummy taught me those words when I was a kid.

When I pay at our local supermarket and other places the checkout chick or Charlie tell me the price and by example I’ll use $85. This is how the conversation goes.
“That’s $85.”
“No, that’s not correct” I’ll say.
They respond by going through it again or saying “how much do you reckon it is”
“$85 please” I’ll respond.
Mostly they smile and comply. Very occasionally they won’t and I’ve even had one get snakie.
Many will say “that’s $85 thank you”. I accept that even though it’s incorrect.

So I’ve checked it out on the thesaurus and here it is copied verbatim below.
PLEASE. used as a polite addition to requests, commands, etc. When asking for money in my example.
THANK YOU. A conventional expression of gratitude upon receiving something.

NOW HEAR THIS.

[Jim Brierley]

Woofa, re #1469, about please and thank you. As you know, I'm about a half step from a wheelchair, but have found that there are many very nice people in this world. I send many packages from our local P.O., I often use my walker as a transporter for these packages, but rarely have to open the doors for myself, many people go out of there way to open them for me! Yesterday I went to buy envelopes and an ink cartridge, on leaving the store, and going down one of those !@#$% handicap ramps with all those bumps in them, the box of envelopes slipped off the walker. Bending down to pick things up makes me nervous because my balance is not good. Well, it had barely hit the ground when a guy offered to pick it up! I graciously thanked him ... this is just my comment on people in general. Of course when I go into the P.O. a couple of the clerks always give me bad time, saying things like "here comes trouble", this just makes life more fun for me, and them!

[woofa.express]

Hi Jim.Most people are helpful and co-operative towards someone in need especially the disabled or impaired. Both myself and wife Patsy are continually driving people in need to medical appointments. Plus mowing their lawns and attending gardens. They are grateful and thank us and we feel pleased with ourselves because we have helped them.
But never the less the magic words, please and thankyou don’t seem to be part of everyday courtesies. Shame. They are polite, pleasing and powerful words.

[woofa.express]

For my 28 ute, Woofa express, I purchased a new pressurised radiator and to complement this new component I filled the cooling system with vinegar to clean the block. But it boiled over. Mess in the engine compartment and over my great paint job. The paint still looks good following hours polishing however not as good. The radiator cap plug on the pressure tension spring became detached and woosh. Of course I was disappointed.But I Still love her.

[woofa.express]

Again here is an article I've written for my aviation small magazine. It will be of interest to American readers. Start reading and the reason will be obvious.

• The Elegant town of Cue and almost ghost town of Gwalia.
•
• Cue is a small town in an area in West Australia in a broad area commonly known as the Gold Fields. In the year 1900 the population was 10,000, well so the internet tells me. The last census says 178. It has a nice hotel, many beautiful old sand stone buildings including a general store which has the old flying fox, remember those? A cylinder which holds an invoice and the cash for a purchase and is shot up on a cable to the cashier who records the transaction and returns the change again in the same fast traveling device. The buildings are made of sandstone and are most elegant as the picture shows.
• The picture on the left has significance. See the attached building this is where the camel lady lives but she trades as Camel Man. She is unique because she does solo camel treks across the desert with her camel team. She told me even her kids ride to the school bus on camels. Because they are gentle with the animals they remain put where so she has no need to hobble them even when overnighting.
• So why am I telling you all this? It is the former flat or apartment where the chief mining engineer lived when he was away from his usual residence in Gwalia which is 300 miles to the north-west.
•
Gwalia

• It's hard to imagine that a future American president was working underground in a remote Western Australian gold mines in 1897 and in the middle of the remote Great Victorian Desert. That's where a young Herbert Hoover took on his first real job 30 years before being elected head of state in his own country. Hoover described the country as a land of black flies, red dust and white heat, well that’s according to the internet.
• The mine, 'Sons of Gwalia' (Wales), 830 km from Perth, was started the year before and attracted the attention of a London-based firm of engineers, Bewick, Moreing & Company. It was this company that sent a 23 year-old mining engineer, Herbert Hoover, in August 1897 to Western Australia to prepare a thorough evaluation with a view to acquiring the property.
• Hoover had studied mechanical engineering and geology at Stanford University and initially worked in a California mine for US$2 a day, but less than a year later he was on the other side of the world. Within days of arriving at the mine in WA, Hoover was in no doubt about the mine's long-term value and recommended systematic extraction and the construction of a much larger treatment plant.
• In late 1897 the London and West Australian Exploration Company bought the mine, with plans to float it on Britain's stock market. Despite it being his first real job as an engineer Hoover's leadership skills were already developing and he demanded entire control over the design of the mine plant. The young engineer was appointed general manager and given the remit to develop the mine as he saw fit.
• The gold mine was located in a harsh climate, 70 miles from the railway, and Hoover set about cutting production costs by increasing working hours, stopping double time on Sundays, sacking the union organisers, reducing wages, and bringing in Italian miners on contract. A radical change in underground structure was planned by Hoover and a new incline shaft was sunk at 45 degrees in the gold-bearing formation in September 1898.
• Haulage was to be done by a 50 horsepower Risdon winding engine over a headframe of timbers 48 feet high which incorporated an automatic ore cart tipping device, primary crusher and ore bin. However Hoover's tenure lasted just over a year as he clashed with Bewick, Moreing & Company despite becoming a shareholder and partner. Want to know what happened?
• You can read the full story in the free-to-read Engineers Heritage Australia Magazine and register at [email protected] for a free email subscription to future issues. Editions from 2013 to 2020 of this digital magazine are also available on EA's website.
•
•
•
•
From the left. What was once a home for a miner and probably his family aswell. Note the fence around the back yard. It’s constructed from bed heads.
The second. Hoovers home.
The third is the young Hoover.
The forth (last), Hoover’s house is restored and today a Bed and Breakfast.
•
The pictures are pretty pitiful (size).Sorry. Maybe Mercman might enlarge them.
•

[David in San Antonio]

From what I’ve read, Hoover was an excellent administrator. He was in the unfortunate position of being President of the US when the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began. Unfortunate because the understanding of economics at the time and political forces kept him from taking action to address the underlying problems. My father was born in 1930, and referred to Hoover Dam as Damn Hoover. By the way, the government called it “merely a depression” rather than use the frightening term “recession”. I wonder what went through Henry and Edsel’s mind after bringing out the Model A in 1928, then see in 1929 the stock market crash, commodity prices drop so far the farmers couldn’t afford to send the crops and cattle to market, thousands of banks go out of business while wiping out their depositors’ life savings. A popular song of the time says, “Mr. Herbert Hoover says that now’s the time to buy! So let’s have another cup of coffee and let’s have another piece of pie.”

[mercman from oz]

The Elegant town of Cue and almost ghost town of Gwalia.

[woofa.express]

Kids are embarrassed with their parents.

My daughter Sarah had many friends come to stay with us at our small country town home. Many were urban kids and it wouldn’t take too long for them to ask if I could take them for a ride in my old car, which was my 28 Tourer (Phaeton). They would all pile in and we were frequently overloaded. We would drive up the town centre and if we saw any boys or young men I’d give the klaxon a blast and the girls wave like crazy. Then we’d drive up the road heading out of town and with oncoming cars I’d flash the lights and again give the klaxon a blast and the girls would wave as if we knew them. As these cars passed us one could see the quite confused looks on their faces. My passengers would be excited but Sarah would shrink down under the seat and yell for me to stop it. She’d give me another blast when we returned home.
Was I the only parent who embarrassed their kids? No I don’t think so but I did enjoy doing it.


My 28 Tourer in which the visiting kids would request a ride. This picture appeared in the Victorian Model A Club’s 2022 calendar. It was shot at the state of New South Wales and the state of Victoria is over the river the bridge leads to.

[Jim Brierley]

Woofa, re: Herbert Hoover. He couldn't be too bad of a guy, he drove a Model A!

[woofa.express]

Another story from my monthly small magazine. I include it here in the Model A forum because many readers have an interest in aviation.

Is Faster Better?
This is a story about a farmer, his name is Graham. Graham was interested in learning to fly so he purchased a small Piper Cherokee. A 140hp aeroplane which has 4 seats. It would fly with 4 onboard on a cool day. A very cool day.. Otherwise 2 people on board was quite okay.
Well he learned to fly and I’d see him scooting around the local area in the afternoons, he was enjoying himself. The aeroplane was kept near his house which would have driven his wife mad with dust he left her when he opened the throttle.
It took about 2 years and those would-be pilots who held themselves in high esteem; otherwise known as armchair authorities, convinced Graham he needed a faster aeroplane. Something that he could go touring in and with retractable wheels. Something that would look slick and make him feel proud when he stopped by airstrips and airports away from home. Well Graham went and purchased a 260hp Piper Comanche which met the specifications recommended. But more fuel burn, more dust for his wife to clean, more friends who liked to fly but didn’t have an aeroplane of their own. Graham did very few tours in it and lost interest. He quit the afternoon local flights. The aeroplane was too fast and the pilot workload much greater. Not suitable for spying on his neighbours and to compare their crops. About a year later he sold it and said to me how he missed that little aeroplane. He has not replaced it.
As a side benefit his wife had no dust to clean. He probably has fewer friends now but more sincere ones.
The pictures are not of Graham’s aeroplanes but sourced from the internet.

[woofa.express]

Albert was correct.

I have been observing young folk becoming addicted to the internet using their mobile phones and I am critical of that. This disease has now spread to older people and is now infringing on my life. I have what is a modern motorcar, easy to drive, economical and comfortable to ride in but It gives me unwanted instructions. It also gives comments and advise which are mostly insulting. It even fights me when I cross lanes. I much prefer to drive my simple 1993 Landcruiser ute. However after saying that my son quite likes it and can drive hands off.
A local woman was killed on a pedestrian crossing who was paying attention to her little screen and not to the traffic. I am told pedestrian crossings, where there are traffic lights now gives verbal instructions when to cross and have an instruction screen built into the footpath to assist those who cannot spare a moment to look up for the “cross now” instruction. Too many people are engrossed even governed by this electronic trash.
I grew up on a dairy farm and my dad chose to inseminate cows with semen from good bulls. We didn’t have any high quality bulls so we used artificial insemination or what we commonly called AI. When articles in the press started writing of AI I was quite confused. AI ( article insemination) in industry? Just didn’t make sense to me. After searching the internet I discovered this AI was, of course artificial intelligence. I have also noticed what was good information or documentaries articles becoming fairy tales. Many have most convincing articles with credible people giving advise are made-up what I know as AI.
Some readers may well know where I’m taking you. It is a quote by the world’s best scientist mainly on relativity (atomic science). Below is one of his comments which is quite pertinent. Born in Germany to Jewish parents, Albert immigrated to America and died in 1955 aged 76.
Albert Einstein said technology would one day “surpass our human interaction” and create “a generation of idiots”.

[woofa.express]

Who do you think you are?
I was about the mid 80’s and I was running an Airtractor powered by a Pratt R1340 radial. I had the aeroplane in Moorabbin to be fitted with a newly overhauled engine and it was ready to be picked up. I had local pilot Peter Menhennitt fly me to Moorabbin in my Cessna to retrieve it. I fired up the Airtractor and both Peter and myself headed home at same time. Because the engine was newly overhauled I should have detoured to the west around the timbered hills to the north of Melbourne but didn’t because it was getting late in the day.
Having now passed over the rough country I felt slight surging through the seat of my pants, so to speak but as slight as it was I knew the trouble that was and choose a stubble paddock and landed. Peter, who had been flying off my left wingtip decided not to hang around because light was fading and we had no runway lights at our destination. I saw my Cessna become smaller and smaller until it disappeared leaving gary standing isolated in a paddock near Seymour. Then I walked to the road and in the fading light 2 ladies drove straight past me. By now it was pretty dark but a farmer stopped and picked me up. I had no wallet thus no identity nor money or credit card as I had not figured I need make any purchases nor to pay for any accommodation. Any motel receptionist would be most sceptical of my story and possibly call the cops. I didn’t need such complexities.
At home the Sleigh Bros were my clients, they had come from nearby Seymour where their parents lived. I asked the driver if he could drop me off there which he kindly did. It’s well dark by now and Mrs Sleigh opened the door, just a gap, didn’t believed me and called for John (husband). My identity was quickly established and they looked after me so well and were great hosts. The next morning the engine providers/overhaulers came to check out the engine and found a sump full of metal. They pulled it and returned to Moorabbin to overhaul it once again. The Sleighs even provided a motorcar so I could drive home.
Now the punchline of this story came from Mrs Sleigh when she made the statement followed by the question. So you went to Melbourne without money. Just who do you think you are? Royalty?
A footnote. Years before I had the same syndrome, that was slight surging in a Lycoming 720. I flew it to our local workshop at Armidale and the sump had metal. The surge was metal in the oil flowing through the prop governor and changing the pitch in the constant speed propellor.

Both pictures sourced from the internet.