31 July, 2006

It Could Have Been You

Below is a picture of the WACKEMALL-1 parked in front of a big box retailer waiting for the shoppers to arrive. Just think of all those shoppers that didn't get your message.



30 July, 2006

StreetPlanes Fly Where Others Can't Go

Ever seen your advertising message flying through a drive-thru or landing in front of a busy book store? It could happen. Keep up with the Diary Of A StreetPlane Pilot to see all the ways StreetPlanes could be taking your message to new heights.

28 July, 2006

What's Up With WACKEMALL-2?

You've already seen the world's first StreetPlane, the WACKEMALL-1 but what's next? Though we're still in the earliest stages, construction has already started on the WACKEMALL-2, and thanks to a couple of breakthroughs we managed to save dozens of man hours by simply adapting some preexisting hardware to fit our needs. If only everything were so easy. The folks at Recycles have been a big help this week as have several of our other suppliers.

Here's what I can tell you about WACKEMALL-2: It will be lighter, easier to drive, have a lower center of gravity, stronger wheels, better braking, and a more modern look that's every bit as visually striking as the WACKEMALL-1. And it will have an electrically operated front wheel drive that requires no gasoline whatsoever with a range of 50-100 miles before it becomes necessary to recharge the batteries.

Sorry, but thanks to the Bush Administration we're still not allowed to travel faster than 20 miles per hour.

25 July, 2006

Catch The WACKEMALL-1

Saturday, July 29th, 2006 10 am until 12 noon, StreetPlane pilot, Billy Jones and the WACKEMALL-1 will be at Borders Books And Music on the corner of High Point Road and Holden Road in Greensboro, North Carolina to join in the celebration of Harry Potter's birthday. Come on out and join us!

24 July, 2006

Panic In The Skies!

StreetPlane pilot, Billy Jones, is forced to make an emergency landing in a hotel parking lot and walks away unscathed. Read how Billy managed to land the WACKEMALL-1 and get it back up in the air and flying in almost no time and without any tools. Let's see you do that with a Leer Jet.

23 July, 2006

StreetPlanes In The News

Slowly but surely StreetPlanes are making the news as well as the rounds throughout the Blogosphere. Here's some StreetPlane stories we've found thus far. We'll be adding more as we find them. Also, don't forget to check out Billy's Diary Of A StreetPlane Pilot to learn the how, when, and why of StreetPlanes.

From Yes Weekly: "The city's first streetplane is poetry in motion."
AutoMoto Magazine
Greensboring.com
Greensboro101 Citizens' Media
Greensboro Is Talking
SpiritBlog
BuffaloBikes.com
WFMY TV2 Independence Day Parade Coverage
DaSkinnyBlackMan
MattHillNC.com

Our first national story appeared in Make Magazine.

19 July, 2006

WACKEMALL-1 Hard At Work

I find it really amazing that I don't even need to ride the WACKEMALL-1 for it to produce more traffic to my website. Of course, if this were a paying gig I'd be somewhere other than parked in front of my house but as any business owner knows much of the business takes place outside of the view of the public so this morning while I'm calling on potental customers and drawing up plans for another StreetPlane the WACKEMALL-1 sits parked on the street but if you'll tune in to the Journal Of A StreetPlane Pilot late tonight or tomorrow you'll learn of today's StreetPlane adventures.

Also, tonight the WACKEMALL-1 will be landing at Panara Bread on Lawndale Drive-- a busy street in an affulent neighborhood shopping center in Greensboro, North Carolina (map) for our local Blogger MeetUp Group. You need not be a member to attend.

Learn what StreetPlanes can do for your business by clicking back there.

18 July, 2006

Good News For StreetPlanes

No, we've yet to land that major account and I can't name any names, but a reporter is on his way over tomorrow morning to do a story about StreetPlanes.

Also, StreetPlane pilot and co-founder, Billy Jones taught his first poetry class today. It's Billy's dream that someday StreetPlanes can bring poetry, art, music, science, and lots of other creative ideas to children everywhere.

Please use the links on the right to learn more about StreetPlanes.

17 July, 2006

StreetPlanes Authorized Products

The following products are available to aspiring StreetPlane pilots everywhere:

Pilot's Gear Bag with glow in the dark lettering so you'll have more visibility for those late night flights. Like all StreetPlanes products they can be customized by the buyer.


Offical Pilot's Uniform T-shirt also has glow in the dark lettering but you can change it if you wish.


More products are on the way.

StreetPlanes Are Growing

Having taken a few days off for the first time in a couple of years the staff at StreetPlanes started construction of a new hangar this morning so that we may house our growing fleet of WACKEMALL StreetPlanes.

We'll resume flying tomorrow.

12 July, 2006

What Can StreetPlanes Do?

That is the big question, right? Better put, what can StreetPlanes do that billboards can't do?

StreetPlanes can move to where the people are. Sure, there's lots of billboards out there on the highways of America but have you ever seen a crowd gather around a billboard?

StreetPlanes can park-- even in your competitor's parking lot. That is, until he or she threatens to call the police.

StreetPlanes can "fly" past your competitor's business location and not even the police can prevent us from doing that.

StreetPlane pilots can keep an online journal of their adventurers and mention, even link to your business-- a lot.

StreetPlanes can deliver "air mail." Okay, it's not really air mail but StreetPlane pilots can pass out your company literature so that passers-by will take your message home with them.

What else can StreetPlanes do that billboards can't do? How about teaching reading and writing skills to needy children. Yes, StreetPlanes can even do that.

11 July, 2006

Build Your Own StreetPlane

We're not scared of a little competition, as a matter of fact we're hoping to put together a world-wide network of StreetPlanes built by people just like you. Someday we hope to ship StreetPlane kits but until that day comes you'll have to build your own. If you like riding and working on bicycles and know how to weld then it may well be you can build your own StreetPlane and start a StreetPlane Business in your town and when our business becomes big enough we'll do our best to send some work your way. Or perhaps you can send some of your business our way after saving a cut for yourself.

We'll talk more about the business stuff later, for now let's concentrate on building your StreetPlane.

We built out first StreetPlane mostly from junk bicycles but that's the hard way and by the time you replace those worn out cables, chains, tires, and brakes you could possibly save money starting out with new bicycles new bicycles like these. Not only will this give you all the basic parts needed but it will also leave you with spare parts for when something wears out.

WACKEMALL-1 is powered by a 4 stroke Subaru/Robin engine from Staton Inc. Staton sells everything you need to mount the motor to most bicycle frames. The WACKEMALL-2 will be powered by electric hub motors and possibly a Staton kit.

We're already in the planning stages for the WACKEMALL-3 and we'll be including go-kart parts & accessories in its construction. As a matter of fact, the WACKEMALL-1 uses heavy duty go cart rod ends in its steering assembly.

You're going to be riding all day, might I suggest the best seat I've ever sat my big ol' butt on?



When it comes to keeping the tires inflated these guys claim to have solved the problem and we'll no doubt give them a try but the Wackemall-1 has done quite well with Slime Tubes. Whichever you choose, just remember that standard bicycle tubes are crap.

I'm surprised no one ever thought of this before. Sure, there's other generator lights out there but this one works without wearing out the sidewalls of your tires, requires no wiring, has two generators, and uses low voltage digital lighting. I haven't used the ReeLight Generator Light yet, but I did just place my order. If you've got experience with this or any of the products I've mentioned I'd love to hear from you.

Thinking of building an e-bike powered StreetPlane? Need new batteries for your e-bike? Why not take a look at NiMH 24V 3000mAh batteries to replace those old lead acid batteries or for that new project bike or hybrid. Look around, they've probably got other sizes as well. At least one brand of electric bicycles uses batteries like these to power their kits.

Need new brake pads. ?

Here's some books that will help:

Build Your Own Electric Vehicle by Bob Brant

Convert It by Michael Brown

Electric Motors and Control Techniques by Irving M. Gottlieb

Big Blue Book Of Bicycle Repair by Calvin Jones

And remember: StreetPlanes are green advertising, and just like Flip and Chilly we all need to do our part to stop global warming.

Lastly, it's a smart move to register your bike with the National Bike Registry-- a nationwide data base that police check when they recover a stolen bicycle.

Other Links of Interest


wholesale rechargeable batteries

Bike Mania!

Electric Bike w/ NiMH Battery icon

Electric Transportation Solutions

BannersByStats

Search for electric bicycles.

Search for motorized bicycles.

Other Vendors You Might Try















ATV Chopper Scooters Offers





So Where Do You Park A StreetPlane?

StreetPlane pilot, Billy Jones, poses the question, where do you park a StreetPlane? Then he comes up with some pretty novel solutions like parking the WACKEMALL-1 in front of the local television station.



You can read all about Billy's "high flying" adventures at Billy The Flying Poet.

Remember: StreetPlanes take your message to where the prople are.

09 July, 2006

What In Tarnation Is A StreetPlane?




The pictures you're looking at are of the WACKEMALL-1, the world's first StreetPlane. Besides making a very visual statement bound to catch the attention of your audience, the WACKEMALL-1 is the green alternative to unsightly billboards and 10 MPG truck-based rolling billboards burning precious diesel fuel at $3.50 a gallon or more.



The WACKEMALL-1 is a human/gasoline powered hybrid capable of exceeding 100 miles per gallon of regular gasoline at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour-- just perfect for operating on downtown city streets and urban areas where trucks might not be allowed to travel. The propeller is powered by the winds and use of the gasoline engine is only necessary on steep inclines and when the rider sees a need to "fly" at full speed for an extended period of time.

StreetPlanes are legal in all 50 US States as prescribed by Federal Laws defining bicycles.

The WACKEMALL-1 can pull your banner(s) or if you'd like to give away free samples of your products we can put your logo on a lightweight trailer.

Future versions of WACKEMALL StreetPlanes will include many other equally stunning designs as well as human/electric hybrids, human/electric/solar hybrids, and possibly even Hydrogen fuel cells. StreetPlanes designed and built to fit your needs are also a possibility.



The WACKEMALL-1 made its debut in the 2006 Independence Day Parade in Greensboro, North Carolina where Wackemall and StreetPlanes are headquartered.

WACKEMALL, StreetPlanes, and StreetPlanes.com are Trademarks of Billy Jones.

Why Fly StreetPlanes?


Okay, so what is it we're selling? The short answer-- advertising-- but we've got so much more to offer.

Think about this: StreetPlanes are the most unique advertising since... Well, since advertising began. The very first day the WACKEMALL-1 "flew" the websites advertised on its banners (BloggingPoet.com and LaureatesKids.com) saw marked increases of several hundred first time readers with equally impressive results coming from every "flight" thereafter.

What can we offer you? For starters we can put your banner behind the WACKEMALL-1 and put your name in front of thousands of wide open eyeballs everyday.

We can also combine other forms of advertising along with StreetPlanes. Passing out fliers and/or free samples for instance. Anyone who buys advertising from Streetplanes can also get advertising on almost a dozen other websites for no extra charge. We can make a huge impact at public gatherings sometimes going where cars and trucks are banned. And you should hear the cheers the WACKEMALL-1 gets at a parade.

Think about it, trucks aren't always allowed downtown and billboards are ugly. Bystanders-- your potential customers-- describe StreetPlanes as "cute," "funny," "attractive," "exciting," "cool," and "unique." They like the fact that StreetPlanes get up to 100 miles per gallon and when riding downhill or on flat ground (engine-off) StreetPlanes are as quite as a bicycle. You see, a StreetPlane is in-fact a bicycle as defined by United States Federal Law.

And should the Subaru/Robin engine ever break down... then the pilot can still peddle the rest of the day. You see, StreetPlanes are true hybrids with multiple power systems completely separate from one another. How's that for beating downtime?

StreetPlanes work even when they're sitting still. Land one near a busy intersection and a crowd will draw in no time with people snapping pictures on their digital cameras or camera phones to send to friends and family. That means your advertising will reach customers who never even saw a StreetPlane except in a picture. I believe that's what those big time advertising agencies call "viral advertising."

So think about it and ask yourself if you'd like to buy the most effective advertising in the world today? If your answer is yes then send an e-mail to idleblogs@yahoo.com and let's talk.



05 July, 2006

Contact Us

Currently the office telephone is yet to be installed so feel free to e-mail us at idleblogs@yahoo.com and we'll get back to you ASAP.