On a theme of flying

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Flying. adj. in the air, winged

Up, up, and away! Take to the air with TVTA as we present retro adverts and comic covers on a theme of flying! We promise you all our pilots are teetotal (mainly on Mondays and Wednesdays) and pride ourselves in our company motto what goes up must come down, eventually. Choose from our range of travel options: jet engine, propeller, elastic band launch, glued feathers on card, or why not go full-on space cadet! So, buckle up, grab a Hostess Twinkie, and familiarise yourself with our flight safety instructions (free parachute included).

FEATHERED MADNESS. “NOW, EVEN MORE GOJA!”

Swedish friends may have to help me with this translation. I think ‘goja’ means nonsense, silliness?

Mad Magazine Sweden. 1978.

MORE FEATHERED FANDOOGLERY!

I’ll have what the bird’s having please! Bird seed? Not just any bird seed, it’s Trill!

Trill bird food. 1981. Denmark.

FEATHERED FELONY! PIGEON WOMAN IS PIGEON PERSON!

I like this DC supervillain – Pigeon Woman/Person – and her evil plot to steal famous statues of North America aided by her pigeon army! Pigeons love nothing more than perching (and pooping) on statues, so it’s a brilliant evil plan! Plus, she gets to annoy historians and tourists. Pigeon Person’s costume has that washed-out, grey and black pigeon poop colour, augmented with a crimson red tunic. Her wings quite honestly are spectactular! But bad luck for Pigeon Person that Batman and Robin were ready to foil her plans with those crime-busting super snack allies – Hostess Cupcakes!

Hostess Cup Cakes. Batman and Robin in Birds of a Feather. 1977. US.

WAYS TO FLING YOUR FLYING THINGS!

A 1979 Mighty Marvel Flying Shield. Free when taking out subscriptions. Offer only available to true believers everywhere, but not valid on The Red Skull. No frisbee love for him then. You can almost hear the glee in the Captain’s voice as he tells us this!

Marvel Flying Shields. 1979. US.

MONOGRAM SPEEDEE-BILT. RUBBER-POWERED FLYERS

I have a ton of adverts for the famous Monogram brand, and this new one is an interesting addition: you assemble it, wind it up, then let it go. We all know products sometimes never live up to their advertising claims, but these Speedee-Bilts look fun.

Monogram SpeedeeBilt Flyers. 1977. US.

TAKE OFF ON A TRIP TO ENGLAND

Another Monogram ad, this time a sweepstakes competition to win a 1st prize trip to England at the Farnborough Air Show.

Monogram Wild Blue Yonder Sweepstakes. 1976. US.

FLYING ON AUTOMATIC

This Cox Sure Flyer had an automatic pilot switch as well as the traditional hand control method.

Cox Sure Flyers. 1976. US.

SKY HEROES

Traditional pull-back-and-launch-from-elastic band. Sky Heroes were made by the reputable Marx Toys company, so were probably good value for money.

Superman Sky Heroes. Marx toys. 1977. US.

SUPERGIRL. IN FLIGHT. SHE’S ARRIVED

Supergirl movie. UK. 1984.

THE DARKSIDE OF FLIGHT

WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU! A truly awful outcome for that one time you make a routine parachute landing in enemy territory and discover your comrades are skeleton-dead!

Weird War Tales 44. 1976. US.

OR, AIRSHIPS AND ALIENS!

Weird War Tales 60. 1978. US.

ALPHA FLIGHT – EVIL IS HERE

Alpha Flight N°72. 1989. US.

THE WAR OF THE STARS

Handheld electronic game in which you fly a space vehicle around the galaxy and destroy stuff.

Guerre des Astres. 1983. France.

“THE MOST DEVASTATING KILLING MACHINE EVER BUILT…

… His job … steal it!”

Firefox (when web browser names were simply killer jets).

Firefox movie. France. 1982.

BLOOD-CURDLING VAMPIRE BAT

My favourite line from this 1973 ad: ‘So realistic, it even fools other bats’

Vampire Bat. 1973. US.

That’s all for now, vintage mates. Thank you for flying with TVTA 🙂

19 thoughts on “On a theme of flying”

  1. Pingback: Modes (and joys) of Travel – part 3 | Wibi Wonders

  4. Pigeon Person!? Wow.

    I had a few flying toys. I had planes that looked a bit like the Sky Heroes, but the launch device was more like a gun.

    My favourites were the ‘polystyrene gliders’ (the slotting WW2 planes). I actually found somewhere selling them fairly recently and bought a whole load to fly with the kiddo.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • J, I loved those slot-together polystyrene planes. They were so cheap to buy we bought loads as kids!
      Help my memory out if you can… did they come in slim envelopes, with cool art on them, a bit like the old Airfix kits art? And did the planes have a little rubber or plastic nose cone for balance that you slotted on the end??

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

      • They did! The envelopes being the size of the plane’s body, with an illustration of the plane and its name. I remember them having a clear plastic piece for the nose, which is exactly what I found with those I found recently (though some of those had propellers!).

        Liked by 1 person

      • Thanks J! Yes, you’re right, it was a clear plastic end that slotted on the nose, and now you mention it I remember some having propellers too. Thanks for helping to fill in the memory blanks mate 🙂 Only one thing would have made those planes cooler (not they needed it mind) and that would have been to include a stick of gum in the envelope lol, like the football trading cards and superhero cards/stickers.

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Well, as it’s often the case with your blog, I went back to a very early childhood memory about a battery powered airplane that you would hang from a nylon thread & it would fly in circles…
    …and as I write this I listen to ” Men of Honor” by Two Steps from Hell and I need a drink !!
    Cheers mate!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • I had a listen (and a drink) to Two Steps From Hell, the extended mix – pretty epic that. Cheers!
      The battery operated plane you mentioned reminds me of a toy helicopter I had that was attached to a base – it span round in a circle attached by a wire. So simple, but completely cool to a 8/9 year old!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

    • Thanks for the info Paul – the Sky Heroes look really good. I remember there were all sorts of flying toys like these as a kid. They used to have these thin, balsa wood or polystyrene WWII planes that came in 3 or 4 slot-together parts. They were sold in illustrated art envelopes, and I think you attached a plastic part to the nose for balance. They were great, really cheap, and we bought loads of them.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

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