If your aviation history interestsgo beyond Messerfirestangs, then you should do yourself a favor and become acquainted with these two excellent journals.
The 80 page January issue of Skyways features a very well illustrated, in depth, article on the Abrams P-1 Explorer. This Buck-Rogerish, or Art-Deco if you prefer, looking Twin-boom pusher was designed by Kenneth M. Ronan for, and with the help of, pilot/engineer/aerial photographer Talbert "Ted" Abrams specifically for aerial photography. It first flew in November 1937 and was extensively used up until the US became involved in WWII when it was placed in storage. Post WWII the Explorer was not needed due to the availability of newer, better, equipment. In 1948 Ted Abrams, therefore, donated the plane to the Smithsonian, which stored it outdoors. In 1975 the Lansing, Michigan Community College did a static restoration of the plane for an event honoring Abrams, a native of Lansing. Due to the advanced state of decay of the airframe, as a consequence of its exposure to the elements, this restoration was less than satisfactory. The plane was returned to the Smithsonian where it is now stored indoors at Silver Hill awaiting proper restoration by the NASM staff.
The explorer would be a great model subject for any of the many small Czech companies currently issuing kits of unusual and interesting airplanes.
Issue No. 60's ID UNK feature drew more than the usual number of responses including a great, well detailed, three-view of the sporty Pasped Skylark two-place, side-by-side, low-winged, cabin monoplane.
The balance of the contents of this issue includes material such as the Stinson SR-10F Cockpit, Alexander Bullets, a Savoia-Marchetti S-56 Restoration, and more. There's also the regular features such as From the Members, ID UNK and Wants & Disposals.
A note on the contents page teases us with: "Coming In Skyways:" Early Helicopters, Laister Yankee Doodle, Great Lakes Aircraft Corp., USN Rigid Airships, Fleetwings Seabird, Curtiss-Wright CW-22, Hess Blue Bird, Bauman/Mercury B-100 & BT-120, Civil Aircraft Colors, Spirit Of St. Louis Movie, Golden age Fly-In, Howard Pete, Savoia-Marchetti S.55 Flying Boat, Fokker C.IV Restoration, Travel Air 4000 Test Flight, Anacostia Flight Tests - Curtiss F11C Goshawk, Cockpits - Grumman XF5F-1, Details - Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk and Racing Notebook.
These should be reasons enough for you to get on board with Skyways.
It becomes awfully difficult after only a few reviews of WWI Aero and its sister quarterly, Skyways, to say something original without sounding like a sycophant. Too many superlatives and too much effusiveness wears on readers. Suffice to say - if you're seriously interested in av history, you need to have these two journals showing up in your mailbox every three months. Between the two journals you get full historical coverage of aviation from the beginning through 1940.
It appears the better paper and better printing recently introduced in both journals have become permanent.
WWI Aero The Journal Of The Early Aeroplane, No. 175, February 2002
The 144 page February issue of WWI Aero leads off with two fascinating articles on the Wright's 1902 glider - the first of their flying machines to look like an airplane. It was the one upon which they developed their full three-axis control system and the design which they patented in 1906. Their efforts to enforce this patent seriously delayed development of aviation by others up to, almost, WWI. The author of these articles, Nick Engler, and a friend, Mary Jane Favorite, built a 1:1 scale reproduction of the '02 glider for their Wright Brothers Aeroplane Company, a non-profit educational organization focused upon enthusing students with aviation. The reproduction is frequently flown. See their we-site at https://www.wright-brothers.org.
The balance of the 144 pages, illustrated with 180 black and white photos and 32 line drawings - plus a beautiful in-flight cover photo of Heinz Linner's new Albatros B.11 reproduction - includes articles on the Short Brothers & Wright Brothers, the Death of Charles Rolls (of Rolls-Royce), Fokker D.VII Control Grip, Murrin's New Camel, Selected French Drawings, and more.
Back to the several mentions of "reproduction(s)": For some time now I have been confused by the difference between a "reproduction" and a "replica". So I finally broke down and did what our teachers used to tell us to do, and got out my beaten up but trusty old 2nd Edition Unabridged Webster New International Dictionary and looked up those two troubling words. Here's what I found: (the italics are mine)
REPLICA: A reproduction, facsimile, or copy, as of a picture or statue, by the maker of the original and assumed to be of equal value.
REPRODUCTION: 2. a copy, likeness, counterpart, or reconstruction; a representation in another form or medium; as, to sell reproductions of the great masters; to make a reproduction of the Elizabethan theater.
WWI Aero The Journal Of The Early Aeroplane, No. 175, February 2002