Aircraft motors had to originate from somewhere.  Enter Daimler/Mercedes and the first working motor car, even with a four stroke engine.  I have a scale model of this car I fo5und on ebay incredibly cheap, a 1/18th scale model of the car, knowing one day it will be a collectors item (actually it already is).  Without the car pioneers, powered flight would not have been provable, it was all about the motor required to move the weight of the car or aircraft.  I love it when car museums include aircraft on display, or when aircraft museums include cars, given what they owe each other for pioneering transportation as we knew it then and know it now.  First car I ever rode in was a late 50's Chevy Nomad wagon, our first family car which saw the arrival of my second brother and myself.  My Dad was a great driver, having never been in or caused a car accident in the 40 some odd years he drove, he gave up driving when he came down with cancer.  Like me he traveled a lot, and both of us remember our fav rentals.  My Dad, normally a sedate sedan driver, was given a Ford Probe once, and he loved it.  Me, I had a Chevy Beretta I rented when I went to get married in Reno with my wife, and we both loved it as well.  

Then in Jackson hole, when I flew there on business, I rented a Toyota Camry so I bought one seven years later, which I drove for many years before giving it to my ex wife, in appreciation for her providing me her home after our divorce, until I became healthier and financially self supportive again after the disease which caused my divorce, narcolepsy, which is why I had to give up flying, it was late onset, a precursor of the mild Parkinsons I have today, which is why I no longer fly, sadly enough.  Better to give up wings than have an unconfident grip on a real aircraft yoke but with new treatment even that is improving, the form I have is called essential tremor syndrome which in my case effects my right hand and foot, never affected my driving though, I drove until just recently, just before the accident where I was run over, but I still ride a bike, albeit at a slight imbalance which I handle with a heavy bike.  After all, my legs, like modern cars, have CVT (continuously variable transmission, lol), so I only need a one speed.

 

https://www.daimler.com/company/tradition/company-history/1885-1886.html

Sorry again for the bit of nostalgia but after receiving my Mercedes model of the car mentioned above today, I thought it a good day to share.

John

Edited July 16, 20196 yr by John_Cillis

As a follow up to this post, I wanted to share a picture that neither falls into Real aircraft, or sim screenshots, just a comparison of the travel companions I mention above.  Both models can be found on the web, the C172 is a rare Gemini model, quite well done, and the Mercedes is a Fairfield collectible model, quite rare and richly detailed, and I know it will increase in value by the time I am old and infirm and can't enjoy the proceeds from Antiques Roadshow, lol....  As part of simming, aircraft modeling and nostalgic car modeling go hand in hand.  I was no good with plastic models which is why I get diecast models, but my oldest brother was amazing with his patience and modeling skills. 

I also used to visit the model train club at the Napa County fair grounds and the powered race car track in Napa's downtown, both were fun to see and enjoy.  I hope you enjoy my sharing here and to the mods, if you can find a better place for this post, please move it to the proper location.  I'd even suggest an addendum to the screenshots forum, called aircraft modeling...  The beauty of payware and freeware in our hobby is it is the epitome of CAD, Computer Aided design, which is used in so many areas from real aircraft creation, to computer wind tunnels for aircraft and other vehicles, and of course architecture. 

My closest friend did manual drafting and became an architect as well as RC modeler, together we designed an RC sailplane which could ridge soar for hours on a small 200 foot high hill facing the mud flats south of Napa.  Either I or my friend would ridge soar and I became quite adept later at flying powered sailplanes.  I would climb to 500 feet AGL and by watching the hawks above, could climb to beyond 2000 feet AGL.  The hawks would circle with my glider, it was a sight to behold, and I think they adopted it as one of their own, lol...

John