National Aviation History Month Part 1

What part of flight interests you? Did you dream you were Superman? Did you make an airplane out of boxes?  Did you go to the airport just to watch the planes come in?

What about your favourite kind of plane: First flight like DeVinci's contraption or the Wright Flyer? Or is it a jet fighter, commercial aircraft, air balloon or Space Shuttle.  Whatever it is the child in us gets excited!

Man has always been fascinated with flight. What would it be like to fly like a bird? Or to own a Jetsons Car and fly over traffic...

Here are some great articles from blogs we have found.

1) Keeping time in the cockpit is essential. Whether it’s to note time off the ground, to keep track of how long you've been in a holding pattern, or to note your ETA (estimated time of arrival), pilots will always have a need to document time.
http://garmin.blogs.com/my_weblog/2013/10/keep-time-during-aviation-history-month.html#.UnLPs_msim4

2) The history of aviation has extended over more than two thousand years from the earliest attempts in kites and gliders to powered, heavier-than-air,supersonic, and hypersonic flight.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_aviation

3) Welcome to the new online home of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society, the world's premier organization dedicated to preserving Canada's flying heritage.
http://www.cahs.ca/

4) Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. The word "Aviation" was coined by French writer and former naval officer Gabriel La Landelle in 1863, from the verb "avier" (synonymous flying), itself derived from the Latin word "avis" ("bird") and the suffix "-ation".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aviation

So encourage that inner aviation explorer, come down to our store and check out our great selection of plastic aircraft and sci-fi ships and diecast aircraft too!

 Diecast Commercial Aircraft

Rocketry

Balsa and Styrofoam Gliders

Plastic model kits from beginner to expert

Please let us know what you thought of our blog post. 

Leave a comment!

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Thanks for reading!

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National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day

March 29th is ‘National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day.’ As the name says, this day is to celebrate and give attention to those small business owners. These people normally put in long and hard hours because there usually aren’t many employees. Things still need to get done so the few people that are employed at these places have to get the work done no matter how long it takes. Normally these people don’t mind these kinds of hours because the work isn’t overly bad. After all, they do not have to listen to other people really because they are their own bosses.

Small businesses like these are vital to the economy and many people prefer going to these places instead of the big corporate companies. Customer support usually is way better and quicker. People know what they are talking about and are more willing to help because they know that’s what keeps businesses alive.

This holiday should be promoted by people shopping in these stores. If you generally pass up these shops to go to the corporates, take a moment today to stop in and see what they have to offer. These are people’s livelihoods and they are very passionate about what they do. I know firsthand what this is like as my grandparents and parents own a small hunting and sporting clays club. They appreciate every person that walks through the door to support them. Everyone is greeted and treated like they are valued, which is how everyone should be all the time anyway. Make someone’s day happier by shopping at the small ‘mom and pop’ places in your area. Thank them for their hard work by buying things they sell. Have fun and good luck!

Source: BY: AMANDA THORSON

How The Holiday Started:

On National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day we honor the small, family business owners who bring so much to our communities. As they labor to grow their enterprises, they bring jobs, revenue to other local businesses, and general good fortune to the area. The success and desirability of many communities is closely tied to the success of nearby enterprises.

According Rick Segel, the son of the "mom and pop" who started this holiday, it was created on March 29th, 1939. His parents were the owners of a hat shop called "Ruth's" in Everett, MA.

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January is National Hobby Month!

At the beginning of every New Year everyone has a list of Resolutions. Some are common like losing weight or getting more organized; some are unusual* such as learn a new party trick.  Why not be different this year and try a new hobby or rekindle your childhood hobby?


Here at Chinook & Hobby West all of our staff participate in at least one hobby that we sell. Jim loves building and airbrushing model kits, Tyler is creating a new HO layout**, Valerie is delving into painting/customizing 1:32 and smaller figures, and a couple of our guys are taking a break from their hobby to look into something new.



                          
                         Tyler                                 Jim                                     Valerie


So how can you find a hobby? Here are a few tips:

• Think about what interests you. Are you looking to do something outdoors or inside? Something active or quiet? Something to do alone or as a family? Make a list and you may find you can combine two hobbies into one. (i.e- love of photography and trains = railfanning)
• Think about cost/time/space. For Example- Many get intimidated when thinking of building a train layout. They believe they need a huge room, lots of time and a bucket of money. That is not so. You can start with a 4x6 board for HO scale and a starter set and build it up and add to it as you can. 
• Ask questions! When you find a hobby that interests you go to a source that will be able to answer your questions. A store that specializes in what you are interested in, The library, the internet, or someone that may already have the hobby you are looking into. 
• Get started on your hobby! Once you have decided which hobby best suits you in every way and you have bought or borrowed the equipment, clothing, tools and anything else you need, it is time to get it happening. Expect to start slowly at first, while learning, so have patience. You might even find a club to join and meet others with similar interests. This is a great way to make friends and to exchange ideas.

Need some ideas? Model Railroading, miniature figure painting, toy collecting, rocketry, dioramas, window box display, scratch building bridges, Remote Control vehicles, woodworking, Train spotting(fanning), reading, the list goes on and on.....


So come down to either of our stores here in Calgary or email us and we will do our best to match you to a hobby! (even if we may not sell it - lol)

* Reference the article: 10 Unusual New Year's Resolutions http://www.realbuzz.com/articles/10-unusual-new-year-s-resolutions-us-en/
**Follow Tyler's progress (Thompson River) on our blog - http://chinookhobbytalk.blogspot.ca/

~~This article is the opinion of Valerie Gale, Owner of Chinook & Hobby West

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National Aviation History Month Part 2

Its National Aviation History Month! For our blog on November 1, 2013 we posted about the interest we, as humans, have in flight.

We asked our Facebook community what their favourite aircraft are and there were some interesting responses!

 Favourite Aircraft:

1. Glenn K. - Avro Arrow  Info & Video
2. Mark Y. -  KC-135 Info & Video
3. Ted B. - Junkers 87  Info & Video
4. First Powered Flight - The Wright Flyer Info & Video (Kit Available)

So what is your favourite? Why is it your favourite?  Please let us know by commenting on this post!

Encourage that inner aviation explorer, come down to our store and check out our great selection of plastic aircraft and sci-fi ships and diecast aircraft too!

Plastic and Diecast Planes- Hang them or Shelf display its up to YOU!

Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XVIe

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National Aviation History Month Part 3 The Futuristic

National Aviation History Month -

What Does the Future Hold?

When you were a child what ideas of the future did you have?  Did you watch the Jetsons and think that by the time you were an adult we would have flying cars and moving sidewalks?

The Jetsons

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jetsons

What about your hobbies?  Were you building models of Lost In Space, Star Wars or Star Trek ships and robots? Did you fashion a space ship out of boxes? Tell stories to your friends about space adventures you would have? Or did you stay on the earth and fantasize about homes that would read your thoughts and turn on the lights automatically, cook your favourite meal in seconds, or shower and dress you in minutes?

Enterprise Model Kit

Annekin's Jedi Starfighter

A glimpse into the future of aviation

Fuel is getting ever more expensive. If we still want to be able to fly in the future, we'll need new and more efficient planes. Aviation pioneers are working on concepts on how the planes of the future might look like.

draft plane of the German Aerospace Center blends cabin with wings to create a "blended-wing body."

Green aviation

Aviation causes around 3 percent of CO2 emissions worldwide. For the EU commission, this is too much: it's calling for a reduction by 25 percent by 2050. Visionary new aviation projects could help realize this ambitious goal. The plane pictured here, built by Bauhaus-Luftfahrt, uses electricity to get off the ground.

What do you thing the future will hold for Aviation?

Let us know by commenting on this blog or on one of our other medias.  Thank you for reading our blog, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

Chinook & Hobby West

Where The Fun Begins!

South:

5011 Macleod Tr. SW

Calgary, AB   T2G 0A9

PH- 403-243-1997

toll free- 877-525-5785

hobbywest@shaw.ca

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