Flights & Fancy: What Would You Send to Orbit?
Mementoes in an astronaut's luggage.
- By Terry Dunn
- Air & Space magazine, November 2011
A Babe Bee that powered countless aircraft models hitched a ride to space. Courtesy Terry Dunn
As a United Space Alliance employee providing engineering support for crew training, I had the pleasure of working with U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Robert Behnken, who flew on space shuttle missions STS-123 and -130. During the final weeks of training for -130, Bob offered to carry a personal item of mine into space. His offer was flattering, but it also presented a challenge. How do you choose an object worthy of such an experience?
The widget of my choosing would undergo all the physical contortions of a space shuttle flight: The uneasy twang just before liftoff (the swaying of the shuttle stack caused by the three main engines firing), the cacophonous shove of the solid rocket boosters, and the majestic awkwardness of zero-G.
My choice was made somewhat easier by the need to keep the item small. Whatever I chose would have to fit within a tiny imaginary box, one whose dimensions were never given. Bob said that wedding rings were a popular selection. So much for Granddad’s lucky anvil.
After I mulled the options and whined to my wife, Nicole, she eased my burden. Sensing that I felt obligated to choose an object meaningful to our whole family, she said, “The kids and I already have plenty of space stuff. This should be just for you.”
Soon I had two candidates, which represented my two major interests: music and model airplanes. One was the trumpet mouthpiece that had escorted me around the country while I was a member of the Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps, a larkish adventure that proved to be the swan song of my musical ambitions. The second: a Cox .049 Babe Bee engine, an internal-combustion icon among aeromodelers.
In the end, I chose the motor. It was a Cox motor that had provided my first taste of powered flight. The tiny buzzing engine pulled a plastic Fairchild PT-19 through meandering circles as I stood in the center, fighting off vertigo. In later years, a stable of Babe Bees powered countless projects and endured my compulsion to disassemble and investigate all things mechanical.
I still bear scars from moments of carelessness around whirling six-inch propellers, but I can think of no other engine that could have powered my explorations of flight within the skills and budget of a 12-year-old. Those experiences drove my ambition to study engineering and become a part of the space program.
Cox engines are no longer produced, but during its 40-year run, the factory churned out the nitro-burning engines by the million. Any American kid with an interest in model airplanes, cars, or boats since 1956 probably owned at least one Babe Bee.
Related topics: Shuttles
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Comments (6)
Was the the Cox .049 cu.in. engine returned to you and where is it now?
And, you are probably correct: I was over at Bob's Hobby Shop yesterday and made inquiry about who had owned & flown that dinky lil engine. Every single guy there [and all the married ones, also] and a couple of the wives standing around -- every one one of 'em fessed-up to having owned at least several of the engines! The name of the ol' red-headed McCoy engines came up also.
Posted by Willy Humper on September 20,2011 | 01:05 AM
Wonderful choice! I cannot think of any other single item that influenced model aviation more in the last 60 years.
Alan Peterson
Posted by Alan Petersonds on September 26,2011 | 04:03 PM
THE AUTHOR REPLIES: Yes, the engine was returned to me along with the certificate. The photo is of my actual motor...taken post flight. It now sits on my shelf of space memorabilia. I really should make a proper stand for it.
Posted by Terry Dunn on September 27,2011 | 11:54 PM
I am so pleased that Bob flew the Baby Bee for you. Owning something that means so much and having it circle the earth on a Shuttle is indeed a great honor. I am very happy for you and our friendship over the years. Having the article published by Smithsonian is also a great honor that you indeed deserve. Congratulations & happy flying!!
Posted by Ron Buckley on October 14,2011 | 03:28 PM
You couldn't have chosen a more perfect representation of Terry Dunn. Well done, sir. What an honor.
Posted by Tom Sheene on November 15,2011 | 11:28 AM
The Leroy Cox designed series of glow engines launched more aviation careers than can be counted easily - mine included. How fitting that a 0.049 cu in glow engine took the big ride! Please make a plaque or case and frame the article and engine together. Later it woul be fitting to donate it to the academy of model aeronautics museum in Muncie Indiana where it will join similarly significant artifacts and serve as further inspiration to future aviators. Please go to: Www.modelaircraft.org Dave Fogarty AMA 9818 CD/Leader Member & US Commercial Pilot & Flight Instructor 2792897 CFI-IA.
Posted by Dave Fogarty on December 24,2011 | 09:54 AM