It’s been over a century since the Wright flyer lifted off from the sands of Kitty Hawk. Powered flight has come a long way since. Early planes were a joint effort of engineers, cabinetmakers, and seamstresses. Aviators belonged to a privileged class, known by name to an eager and curious public. Some of the early aircraft and their pilots have taken on nearly mythical proportions. The Red Baron, Tommy Sopwith, Charles Lindbergh. The planes that made them famous are available as plane models in this unique collection. Hand-built. Fabric on a lightweight wooden frame. Detailed engines, markings, spoke wheels. Finely detailed, but also conveying true feel and emotion.
Our collection of plane models is truly unique. The selection includes exquisite models and artifacts of early flight era. Hand-built biplanes whose lightweight frames are stretched with fabric. Dakotas and Trimotors plane models made of aluminum, meticulously executed in intricate details, moving parts, and cockpit interiors. Wood propellers and vintage travel agent plane models.
A surplus commodity from the Great War. Out-of-work aviators flying out-of-work planes, itinerant showmen of the air. “Barnstormers” as they called themselves were an American phenomenon, performing from coast to coast. In pastures, at big-city air shows, in motion picture melodramas. Offering rides for five dollars in their Curtiss Jennys. Developing spectacular tricks. Walking and playing tennis on wings in flight. Transferring from plane to plane, from car to plane, from a speeding train to plane. Bringing the thrills of flight to an excited nation.
This historic biplane was designed and built in the USA during and after WWI. More than 10,000 of these front-engine biplanes were built. The Jenny’s fabric-covered wings were braced by wood struts and rigged with a maze of turnbuckle wires. The original Jennys had no brakes and fast landing planes risked hitting fences or ending up in a ditch. Landing speed was about 45 mph. Our plane models are handmade of fabric covering a wood frame. The frame is a true miniature reproduction closely resembling the construction and appearance of the original big Jennys.