Radio Gremlins - [Aviation Gremlin]

Radio Gremlin - [Aviation Gremlins] - (Latin: Messybeam 'Radiolus' Gremlinicus) aka "Grohm."

• About this Gremlin: A most troublesome and talkative species of Gremlin with a loud mouth, said to populate the null space 'inside' of radio beams, often blamed for messing up signals & interrupting important announcements with sharp fuzzy static, blaring white noise, mysterious groans & wiseguy banter, these are the ones that  where known to whisper into a blind pilots ear, "Hey buddy, you're flying upside down!!" They're also known to mess up Morse code turning dashes into dots and vice versa. (Especially dangerous when you're trying to get out a coded 'S.O.S' signal!) - Although they love to cause trouble and are no doubt behind several pilots going M.I.A, they've also been said to help lost pilots on occasion guiding them back to home base. - A young apprentice radio gremlin is called a “Grohm” & infests the pleasant listening AM/FM stations regularly especially in car & home radios systems.

 

"Any really first-rank radio gremlin is a combination of a great comedian and a great radio engineer He is clever enough to make a dot-dash (A) sound exactly like a dash-dot (N) there by making an instrument pilot wish he had "stood in bed" He can make static sound like the craziest funniest show, merely by using his portable electric vacuum cleaner. He starts it up and the resulting screech and howl is terrific and very amusing (to a gremlin).

the radio beams are so populated with radio gremlins that pilots often gives up in disgust. Old timer pilots however know that the gremlins are great kidders and often splutter right back at them on the two way aria this discourages the mischief makers and the old timer lies on without interference.

"Personally I am apparently in good standing with the gremlins; at least they seldom monkey with my air plane. But curiously every time my husband flies as my passenger and "back seat drives" the gremlins – according to him – virtually swarm over the machine playing tricks with every part of the plane and giving him no end of worry. - Mrs. Alexander P .De Seversky December 15 1942"

• About the Correspondence: Mrs Evelyn Seversky (1907–1967) seems to have been one of Erics close friends, and this quote, [unlike the other one.] seems to be an proper quote, as it is dated! - Her husband, Mr. Alexander Seversky (1894-1974) was was a Russian-American naval aviator, who founded Seversky Aero Corporation in 1923, and was influential in the formation of the Strategic Air Command post-war in 1946. Evelyn helped test fly most of his planes!] 

-(In case it wasn't obvious to the youngsters reading this: Solanes Gremlin's body resembles a "ham radio system" popular back when 'square was hip!') -

• Grohms are sometimes called "cousins" to the "Radio Gremlin"  inhabiting radio stations (AM+FM radios) they interrupti music and news broadcasts, jinxing actors and otherwise causing announcers to cough. it was well documented from 1942-1943 but especially present in the radio industry & newspapers. Grohm (also called "The Hobo of the Beams." or the "Slobnick.") are generally depicted with springy legs, huge noses and ears. - [There are many types of "Grohm" listed from several sources that one could argue that these 'Grohms' are their own species that just did not catch on as well as the idea of Gremlins did.] - They're still worthy of note, as they're similar and certain sources say they're one and the same, however, it should be noted that Grohm seemingly aren't from the minds of aviators and don't seem to attack planes, so, perhaps the two shouldn't be overly conflated as "aviation gremlins" [it mostly seems to be a fad piggybacking on the popularity of gremlins from the time.] 

[7 different types of "Grohm" illustrated. - El Paso Times 1943.]

[an article about both grohms and radio gremlins, May 1943]

[another article which combines the twos lore.]

 [The radio gremlin & Ghroms although similar in theme, should not be confused with the "Whistling Gremlin" another mentioned by Solane (and others), who's noise resembles a 'Musical Radio Beam signal' it fools pilots into thinking they're going faster than they really are.]

• See also: Gremlinology.

[Art by samkalensky (yo thats me!) part of my Gremlinology series of stickers, check my shop and follow for more!]