"In Pursuit Of His Dream",The Backyard Flyer.

[JohnReid]

Now that I am just about finished my WW1 trilogy ,my mind is starting to wander again to the Backyard Flyer project.

[JohnReid]

[Willi Von Klugerman]

Interesting photo,what is the story to it?Im preety sure we all have fantasies similar to this.It reminds me of the time I attempted to make a 5 or 6 ft long glider out of an old bed sheet and a frame out of thin strips of wood nailed together.I had made several "flight" attempts,but never even lifted me up an inch.It felt at times that it was going to lift as my arms felt like it was going to be pulled off its sockets,but it didn't fly.

[JohnReid]

2 storylines!
You know when you look at the picture ,there are really two story lines going on here.One large and one small,literally!
One is large and obvious,the airplane of course ,and the other more subtle and hardly visible ,the dog that the lady in the next yard has on a leash ,much to the delight of the young girls watching.The gentleman building his airplane doesn't even notice as he is too absorbed in his "dream." The boys sitting on the fence seem to be more interested in the airplane ,as they have obviously been sitting there for awhile, but for some reason seem to be afraid to approach too closely.
These are elements that I saw or thought about when really studying this picture.That is why I think that this will make a great diorama! The imagination is initially captured by the airplane and the clothes on the clothesline ,which seems totally out of place until you realize that it is somebody's backyard.Once the attention of your imagination is engaged then all the other sub-stories can be told.To me this is what makes a great diorama ,not only to capture the viewers interest but to hold it long enough to tell an even more subtle story.
We dioramists don't have the luxury of language to tell our story but we do have imagination!

[JohnReid]

Mr. Mair's design.
I have been studying Mr. Mair's backyard flyer a little closer and have come up with some interesting things about his design.It is obviously very much influenced by the Wrights airplane,a pusher with the engine sitting behind the pilot.I would imagine that he planned to purchase the later upright version of the Wright engine and probably install it along the centerline ,with the pilot sitting upright at the controls.There looks to be three boards just forward of the bottom wings leading edge which I assume would be a footrest and attachment for a rudder bar.Notice also the bicycle nose wheel.The fuselage frame looks to be metal tubing of some sort although it could also be wood.
One really interesting feature is that it looks like he was experimenting with some sort of aileron design.The wingtips are square and their is no extended spar indicating that he might have planned to built rounded wingtips.There are however curious looking square open panels on both top and bottom wings that look to me that he may have been planning some sort of aileron design.(At this time nobody had yet figured out that the most efficient place to place ailerons was on the outermost area of the trailing edge.)
I can't really tell if he planned for two propellers of just one but the large cage like structure at the aft end looks like it may be made to accommodate a single prop.There is a rudder post but no rudder .The total wingspan looks to be less than thirty feet.All in all a pretty remarkable design for its day.

[JohnReid]

Backyard Flyer idea #2
I pulled out an old Monogram kit of a 1907 Rolls-Royce.In reading the text that comes with the kit I learned that Rolls quit the car business and went into aircraft in 1910.He later was killed in a Wright Biplane flying in an exhibition.This got me to thinking about my next diorama "The Backyard Flyer"(Flier?)When I made the connection in my mind I came up with the following idea.Rolls while driving his car notices this guy building a backyard flyer ,so of course like any pilot would he stops to takes a look at what is going on.The element that it adds to the story is the connection between the two men, one with his dream already realized and one with his dream underway and of course their common interest in airplanes.This in no way would effect the other elements of the story.The only thing that bothers me now is not having control of the dioramas lighting, although he could be building his dream in a shed or lean-to of some sort.
__________________

[JohnReid]

History of the pic.

The year is 1910 in Chicago.I don't know any more about the story or if Mr. Mair ever flew his machine.I do know that very few backyard flyers ever actually made it into the air.Photo is coutesy of the Chicago Historical Society.

[JohnReid]

Now that I am coming to the end of the 10 year adventure of building the WW1 aircraft trilogy of storyboard dioramas,I am thinking of something new.
Although I have used a lot of license in these builds I now would like to do something based in reality but would be mostly a fantasy piece.
The above picture gives you the reality part but the fantasy will be from my own imagination.
In this my fifth storyboard diorama I want as much freedom as possible to do my own thing.
What I want to do is put myself back in time to when aviation was young,before it became so connected with warfare and transportation and rules and regulations.Back when it was still a fun thing to do but only a dream in most peoples minds.
I want to put myself back in those days and fantasize about building my own backyard flyer.
I would have probably read about the Wrights and would have actually seen an airplane fly at a local exhibition ground.Then and there I would have promised myself that I too would fly someday.I have heard that the Wrights would sell you some plans and maybe even one of their marvelous new 30 HP engines.
I have some woodworking skills and I have tinkered around with a Model T Ford so that will be a help.But where to build it?Being young and having a lot family obligations my only option is my own backyard.(when winter comes I will build a tent, I guess.)The kids will probably not be happy losing their backyard and I will have to ask the lady next door if she doesn't mind if one of the wings hangs over her fence.
I also have some ideas about the wing warping thing that I would like to test out ,although I am hoping to use a wing of similar design to the Wrights.Single engined pusher,pilot up front,bicycle wheels,.............

[Willi Von Klugerman]

Very interesting!Good luck with the diorama!

[JohnReid]