VA Vol 50 no 1 Jan Feb 2022 by EAA Vintage Aircraft Association

JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022

SPLISH-SPLASH FLY-IN CESSNA 172 TIME CAPSULE ERCOUPE REBORN

TRIUMPHANT

TRAVEL AIR

Preproduction models shown. F-150 Lightning available spring 2022. E-Transit available late 2021.

WE TO OK THE FAMILIAR. AND MADE IT REVOLUTIONARY. THE ALL-ELECTRIC: F - 1 5 0 L I G H T N I N G , E -T R A N S I T, M U S TA N G M A C H - E .

B U I LT F O R A M E R I C A

Message From the President

January/February 2022

SUSAN DUSENBURY, VAA PRESIDENT

STAFF Publisher: Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO and Chairman of the Board Vice President of Publications, Marketing,

Letter From the President

and Membership: Jim Busha / jbusha@eaa.org

VAA President Susan Dusenbury

Proofreader: Tara Bann

Senior Copy Editor: Colleen Walsh Copy Editors: Tom Breuer, Jennifer Knaack Graphic Designer: Erica Horst

ADVERTISING AT THE TIME OF THIS LETTER, I

have just returned from the fall board meetings in Oshkosh. These meetings are always a review of the previous EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, with some preliminary plans for the next AirVenture thrown into the mix. It’s a time that we at Vintage review everything we can think of, plus feedback that we may have received from any of you. The Vintage flightline is over a mile long, and it is no secret that transporting yourself throughout the Vintage area and beyond can be a trying and sometimes exhausting experience. I have been there and done that, so I completely understand. The tram stop at Vintage Village, which was discontinued in 2021, has been reinstated for AirVenture 2022 and beyond. Preparations are now being made to rearrange the Vintage area, which will shorten our 1-plus-mile-long flightline and move the southernmost vintage airplane parking areas north and west. The number of vintage aircraft parking spaces available to us will remain the same as it is now. This will be completed by 2023 at the earliest. As an aside, the current vintage aircraft parking area ends at Row 150 to the south. I’ll take a wag and say that there are about 50 or so more rows to the south of Row 150 that are under EAA management. The above changes will not only help all of you as you navigate through the Vintage area, but it is a huge help to our flightline volunteers as they travel to their assigned areas on the field.

A while back, Myrt Rose gifted Vintage with a 1929 Ford truck to be driven in support of the organization and to be displayed at times in the Rose Plaza (which, of course, is a part of Vintage Village). Arthur, as Myrt named the truck when she received it as a gift from her husband, Bill, started its life on the Ford assembly line as a car and was later converted to a truck. Recently, Arthur was transported to San Pierre, Indiana, for maintenance related to safety and reliability. The entire fuel and electrical systems, as well as the wheels and brakes, etc., will receive a thorough inspection, and any worn or questionable parts will be repaired or replaced. No cosmetic work will be done, as Vintage will keep Arthur in its current cosmetic condition.

Advertising Manager: Sue Anderson / sanderson@eaa.org

CONTACT US Mailing Address: VAA, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903 Website: www.eaavintage.org Email: vintageaircraft@eaa.org Phone: 800-564-6322

Visit www.eaavintage.org for the latest in information and news.

Current EAA members may join the Vintage Aircraft Association and receive Vintage Airplane magazine for an additional $45/year. EAA membership, Vintage Airplane magazine, and one-year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association are

Preparations are now being made to rearrange the Vintage area, which will shorten our 1-plusmile-long flightline and move the southernmost vintage airplane parking areas north and west.

available for $55 per year (Sport Aviation magazine not included). (Add $7 for International Postage.) Foreign Memberships Please submit your remittance with a check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars. Add required foreign postage amount for each membership. Membership Service P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 Monday–Friday, 8 AM—6 PM CST Join/Renew 800-564-6322 membership@eaa.org EAA AirVenture Oshkosh www.EAA.org/AirVenture

CONTINUED ON PAGE 64

888-322-4636

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Contents FE AT UR E S

12 Splash-In Family reunion style! By Moose Peterson

20 Glenn Chiappe’s 1957 Cessna 172 If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It! By Budd Davisson

28 A Triumphant Travel Air 6000 Revitalized by a symbiotic symphony and a touch of synchronicity By Sparky Barnes

40 Invoking an Irresistible Intrigue Les Gaskill’s DeLuxe 1928 Waco GXE By Sparky Barnes

50 The Ercoupe That Wasn’t Supposed to Be Derk Kingrey saves a little airplane from the graveyard By Budd Davisson

January/February 2022

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOOSE PETERSON

January/February 2022 / Vol. 50, No. 1

COLUM NS 01

Message From the President

By Susan Dusenbury

Friends of the Red Barn

Air Mail

How to? Assemble a New Wood Wing By Robert G. Lock

Good Old Days

The Vintage Mechanic Engine Installations, Part 2 By Robert G. Lock

Flymart

COV ER S Front EAA photographer Connor Madison catches Scott Glover’s Travel Air 6000 above the puffy Ohio clouds.

Back Moose Peterson captures a Goose in its element.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? Send your thoughts to the Vintage editor at jbusha@eaa.org. For missing or replacement magazines, or any other membership-related questions, please call EAA Member Services at 800-JOIN-EAA (564-6322).

www.eaavintage.org

Appearance Maintenance

Facts, Fixes & Tips FROM THE PROS

Friends of the

RED BARN 2021-2022

DEAR FRIENDS,

January/February 2022

For one week every year a temporary city of about 50,000 people is created in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on the grounds of Wittman Regional Airport. We call the temporary city EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. During this one week, EAA and our communities, including the Vintage Aircraft Association, host more than 500,000 pilots and aviation enthusiasts along with their families and friends. As a dedicated member of the Vintage Aircraft Association, you most certainly understand the impact of the programs supported by Vintage and hosted at Vintage Village and along the Vintage flightline during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh every year. The Vintage flightline is 1.3 miles long and is annually filled with more than 1,100 magnificent vintage airplanes. At the very heart of the Vintage experience at AirVenture is Vintage Village and our flagship building, the Red Barn. Vintage Village, and in particular the Red Barn, is a charming place at Wittman Regional Airport during AirVenture. It is a destination where friends old and new meet for those great times we are so familiar with in our close world of vintage aviation. It’s energizing and relaxing at the same time. It’s our own field of dreams! The Vintage area is the fun place to be. There is no place like it at AirVenture. Where else could someone get such a close look at some of the most magnificent and rare vintage airplanes on Earth? That is just astounding when you think about it. It is on the Vintage flightline where you can admire the one and only remaining low-wing Stinson Tri-Motor, the only two restored and flying Howard 500s, and one of the few airworthy Stinson SR-5s in existence. And then there is the “fun and affordable” aircraft display, not only in front of the Red Barn but along the entire Vintage flightline. Fun and affordable says it all. That’s where you can get the greatest “bang for your buck” in our world of vintage airplanes! For us to continue to support this wonderful place, we ask you to assist us with a financial contribution to the Friends of the Red Barn. For the Vintage Aircraft Association, this is the only major annual fundraiser and it is vital to keeping the Vintage field of dreams alive and vibrant. We cannot do it without your support. Your personal contribution plays an indispensable and significant role in providing the best experience possible for every visitor to Vintage during AirVenture. Contribute online at EAAVintage.org. Or, you may make your check payable to the Friends of the Red Barn and mail to Friends of the Red Barn, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Be a Friend of the Red Barn this year! The Vintage Aircraft Association is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), so your contribution to this fund is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Looking forward to a great AirVenture 2022!

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE DAHLGREN

C A L L F O R V I N TA G E A I R CR A F T A S S O CI AT I O N

Nominate your favorite vintage aviator for the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Hall of Fame. A great honor could be bestowed upon that man or woman working next to you on your airplane, sitting next to you in the chapter meeting, or walking next to you at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Think about the people in your circle of aviation friends: the mechanic, historian, photographer, or pilot who has shared innumerable tips with you and with many others. They could be the next VAA Hall of Fame inductee — but only if they are nominated. The person you nominate can be a citizen of any country and may be living or deceased; their involvement in vintage aviation must have occurred between 1950 and the present

day. Their contribution can be in the areas of flying, design, mechanical or aerodynamic developments, administration, writing, some other vital and relevant field, or any combination of fields that support aviation. The person you nominate must be or have been a member of the Vintage Aircraft Association or the Antique/Classic Division of EAA, and preference is given to those whose actions have contributed to the VAA in some way, perhaps as a volunteer, a restorer who shares his expertise with others, a writer, a photographer, or a pilot sharing stories, preserving aviation history, and encouraging new pilots and enthusiasts.

To nominate someone is easy. It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part. •Think of a person; think of their contributions to vintage aviation. •Write those contributions in the various categories of the nomination form. •Write a simple letter highlighting these attributes and contributions. Make copies of newspaper or magazine articles that may substantiate your view. •If at all possible, have another individual (or more) complete a form or write a letter about this person, confirming why the person is a good candidate for induction. We would like to take this opportunity to mention that if you have nominated someone for the VAA Hall of Fame, nominations for the honor are kept on file for three years, after which the nomination must be resubmitted. Mail nominating materials to: VAA Hall of Fame, c/o Amy Lemke VAA PO Box 3086 Oshkosh, WI 54903 Email: alemke@eaa.org

Find the nomination form at www.VintageAircraft.org, or call the VAA office for a copy (920-426-6110), or on your own sheet of paper, simply include the following information: •Date submitted. •Name of person nominated. •Address and phone number of nominee. •Email address of nominee. •Date of birth of nominee. If deceased, date of death. •Name and relationship of nominee’s closest living relative. •Address and phone of nominee’s closest living relative. •VAA and EAA number, if known. (Nominee must have been or be a VAA member.) •Time span (dates) of the nominee’s contributions to vintage aviation. (Must be between 1950 to present day.) •Area(s) of contributions to aviation. •Describe the event(s) or nature of activities the nominee has undertaken in aviation to be worthy of induction into the VAA Hall of Fame. •Describe achievements the nominee has made in other related fields in aviation. •Has the nominee already been honored for his or her involvement in aviation and/or the contribution you are stating in this petition? If yes, please explain the nature of the honor and/or award the nominee has received. •Any additional supporting information. •Submitter’s address and phone number, plus email address. •Include any supporting material with your petition.

Air Mail

Letters to the Editor I REALLY ENJOYED BUDD DAVISSON’S discussion of straight tail Cessnas in the November/December issue. I learned a lot. However, he missed one: the Cessna 175. The 175 (later given the marketing name Cessna Skylark) was basically a beefed-up 172 with a bit more gross weight, 52 gallons of fuel, and a bit more engine. The engine proved to be its downfall. It was a geared version of the same O-300 that was in the 172, but it could turn a bigger prop and make more power due to running at higher engine rpm and letting the gearing put the prop at an optimum rpm. It was a great idea, but most general aviation pilots could not stand seeing the high engine rpm and ran the poor thing at lower throttle settings and created unneeded engine and gearbox problems. The plane developed an unwarranted reputation as a problem airplane due to the user-induced engine and gearbox issues. I suspect that if Cessna had put the tach drive on the prop shaft instead of the engine, the plane would have been a wild success because it would not have been so abused by the pilots. It was (and still is) a strong and capable airplane. The engine is getting very hard to support, however, due to a lack of gearbox parts. Like the other variants, the swept tail got into the 175 line after the first few years, but a bunch of them were built as square tails before that pollution happened. I have a 1958 straight tail 175 fitted with a Lycoming O-360 and a constant-speed prop. That is a magnificent combination! Great airplane. The 175 lives on, by the way. When Cessna wanted to upgrade the 172 to larger engines and a larger fuel capacity, the engineering/recertification to do that was going to be considerable. Then they realized that they already had a beefed-up 172 type airframe that could carry more fuel and accept more powerful engines. However, that plane had a crummy reputation and had been taken out of production for that reason. What to do? They ended up using the 175 type data to manufacture the “new and improved” 172 but marketed it as a 172 in order to avoid the bad reputation that killed off the 175 line. Pretty much all the 172s from the Hawk XP and up are actually 175s being marketed as 172s.

Bob Pustell, VAA 720435 West Ossipee, New Hampshire

January/February 2022

He’s right on all scores about the 175. I actually have a fair amount of time in one, but far from stock. For a time they were being reengined with 160 Lycomings, and the guy doing the STC for that was 20 miles south of where I was going to college in Oklahoma. His test airplane had the engine and prop from an Apache, which means the prop could be feathered. He was offering free flying time to anyone who would drone around in it putting required hours on it for his STC. So, I droned around in it, as did others like me looking for free flight time. Universally, every one of us would get up to altitude, shut the engine down, feather the prop, and take a photo of it just to prove we had done it. Never gave a thought to it not restarting. — Budd Davisson

CORRECTION Regarding the Stinson 10A photo that somehow ended up during the layout process with a Waco-related caption (Cruising the Vintage Line, page 34 of the Vintage Nov/Dec issue)? The owner/restorer was happy to see the image of his airplane in the magazine, but wishes the correct caption had been used with it. Correct caption: Jim Kjeldgaard of Freemont, Nebraska, restored NC31594, and enjoys owning and flying this 1941 Stinson 10A.

The Vintage Aircraft Association is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanzas built between 1947 and 1970. Forums and other events hosted by the American Bonanza Society held in their tent located just to the north of the Theatre in the Woods.

EAAVINTAGE.ORG EAA AirVenture 2022 | July 25th - July 31st

How To? ROBERT G. LOCK

Assemble a New Wood Wing BY ROBERT G. LOCK

WE BEGIN THIS COLUMN with some sound advice from an “old timer.” If you have purchased a basket case and the airplane is in a thousand pieces, begin by assembling the major structural components to see if they fit together. I know of several people who just took the pieces, farmed some of them out and when the airplane was ready to assemble, the new wings would not fit the fuselage. Alas, time and money wasted. Above, my Command-Aire 5C3 the first time the pieces went together. This turned out to be a very smart move because there were 3C3 and 5C3 struts and wires mixed together—they looked the same but were different lengths, so I separated those parts so they would not get mixed again. This airplane is interesting because it does not have a center section—the upper wings bolt together in the center line of the fuselage, so precise fit is most important. Which brings up another important point. When constructing new wings, make sure they fully fit their respective attach points. If the aircraft has a center section, restore it first, then build the wings to fit the center section. When building new lower wings, bolt each wing to the fuselage, then glue in the compression member and wing ribs in the first bay.

January/February 2022

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF EAA ARCHIVES

The upper wings were built one-at-a-time—I built the left wing first, trammed it and glued in all the ribs. Everything was complete except the plywood leading edge skin and trailing edge metal. Then I assembled the right wing, bolted it to the right wing, trammed it and then glued the ribs in place. By doing this I was assured that the bolts would fit in the attach fittings upon assembly. This is how the upper wings bolt together. The bolt load is in tension rather than shear. The left wing has one coat of varnish while the right wing is bare wood. Both front and rear spar attach fittings are similar in construction. It has been many years since these wings were built, but the photo below, I built the left wing first and then built the right wing to fit. In the photograph left the upper wings are bolted together to check fir of root ribs, leading edge and trailing edge. Designed by my friend Albert Vollmecke, the upper and lower leading edge was skinned with Birch plywood. In this new column we have previously discussed building wing ribs, wing spars, laminating tip bows and tramming a wing. So here you see these pieces all assembled in my shop in Reedley. Yet to be installed is the plywood leading edge and the aluminum trailing edge. But first the wing must be coated with at least two coats of marine spar varnish or epoxy varnish. Spar ends should receive several coats of varnish to assure penetration into wood grain and completely seal it. Failure to do this will eventually lead to shakes, which are cracks between annual growth rings, and checks, which are cracks across grain lines. This happens when moisture enters poorly sealed wood, the wood swells because of the moisture and shrinks when moisture leaves, stressing growth lines so they crack. So use plenty of sealer on end grains.

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Good Old Days

From the pages of what was ... Take a quick look through history by enjoying images pulled from publications past. 10

January/February 2022

www.eaavintage.org

FAMILY REUNION STYLE! BY MOOSE PETERSON

January/February 2022

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOOSE PETERSON

www.eaavintage.org

viation viiatiion has been, from the beginning, begiinniing, about folks getting tiing together with wiith other folks. On January 1, 1914, a biplane biiplane flying ffllyiing boat made the first fiirst scheduled passenger flight ffllight in in Florida. Floriida. While Whiile the flight ffllight across Tampa Bay was slow, and the return flight ffllight always a question questiion mark, getting gettiing folks around by air, aiir, using usiing water to launch and recover, was the wave of the future. In the decades to come, piloting piilotiing massive massiive flying flyiing boats around aarround the world became becam ame commonplace (for those who could afford it). it). The emphasis emphasiis on flying flyiing boats was in in part par art because runways, as we know them today, were rare rar are to nonexistent nonexiistent prior priior to World War ar II. That all changed chan anged after aft fter 1945. The war ar brought with wiith it it massive massiive airport aiirport rt construction constructiion with wiith long runways. And with wiith that, traveling traveliing in in flying flyiing boats came cam ame to an an end. Aviation, Aviiatiion, though, continued contiinued to bring briing folks together.

With Wiith ease (backed (backked with wiith great skill), skkill), Larry Teufel powers his hiis Turbo Goose up the ramp at Polson.

January/February 2022

The gathering gatheriing of aircraft aiircraft for the sheer enjoyment enjjoyment of flying ffllyiing to talk with wiith friends friiends is is very much a part of our aviaviiation atiion heritage. heriitage. The fly-in fflly-iin today is is your typical typiical gathering: gatheriing:: several aircraft aiircraft on a tarmac and folks in in a hangar having haviing pancakes while whiile discussing diiscussiing life. liife. You know what I’m talking talkiing about, because you have done that more than a few times tiimes yourself. You’ve been to EAA AirVenture AiirVenture Oshkosh, which whiich is is the greatest fly-in fl fly-iin on earth and a gathering gatheriing of those who simply siimply love flight. ffllight. And those waterdogs, well, they gather, too, but it’s it’s not a fly-in fflly-iin — it’s it’s a splash-in! splash-iin!! There is is a tight-knit tiight-kniit gang of aviators aviiators in in the Northwest who share a love for flying ffllyiing boats, amphibiamphiibiious and amphibian amphiibiian aircraft, aiircraft, new and old. They are in in many ways a family, famiily, though not related, who love flying fl flyiing and the water. They have met informally informally over the years at this thiis lake or that river, riiver, but this thiis year they decided deciided to try their theiir first fiirst splash-in, splash-iin, which whiich turned out to be a huge success. The invite inviite went out to the “family,” “famiily,”” and Petrels, Gooses, a Mallard, a Cub, and a Cessna arrived arriived at Lake Mary Ronan for a glorious gloriious day of food, family, famiily, and fun!!

Stuart Fenwick (left seat) and Loel Fenwick bring their Mallard to rest on Lake Mary Ronan and taxi to where they anchor.

Organizing the Party

“The “The Montana Splash-In was a vision viisiion of Dennis Denniis and Tamii Buehn at a splash-in splash-iin at Priest Priiest Lake, Idaho, in in 2019. The Buehns did diid a lot of groundwork for us and were wonderful hosts,”” Addison Addiison Pemberton said. saiid. Tamii said, saiid, “Dennis “Denniis asked Addison Addiison to fly his hiis Cessna 185 over to Polson to check out the awesome opportunity opportuniity of organizing organiiziing a splash-in. splash-iin. Addison Addiison was as excited exciited as Dennis, Denniis, with wiith the perfect location locatiion on the Flathead River Riiver with wiith a seaplane ramp.”” Addison Addiison and Buehn were the spirit spiiriit of the reunion, reuniion, being beiing very active actiive in in the flying flyiing boat community, communiity, and in in many respects they are responsible responsiible for so many having haviing their theiir single-engine siingle-engiine sea (SES) or multiengine multiiengiine sea (MES) ratings. ratiings. The plan was simple: siimple:: Fly to Polson on Friday, Friiday, splash in in to the river, riiver, and then on Saturday, splash in in to Lake Mary Ronan for a day of food, flight, fliight, and fun. “The “The [Flathead] river riiver adjacent adjjacent to the Polson Airport Aiirport is is ideal ideal for seaplanes, with wiith safe approaches and adequate water distance, diistance, even with wiith performance concerning concerniing density densiity altitudes. altiitudes. The wide wiide concrete 50-foot seaplane ramp is is really nice, niice, with wiith great parking parkiing for up to 10 Grumman amphibs amphiibs in in the grass,”” Addison Addiison said saiid of the Friday Friiday meetup locale. Buehn went on to say, “It’s “It’s the best of all for seaplanes, ramping, rampiing, anchoring, anchoriing, docking, ing, splashing splashiing good time!” tiime!!” The folks at Polson Airport Aiirport (8S1) were huge supporters of the splash-in, splash-iin, bringing briingiing in in fuel for the Turbo Goose and courtesy cars for all!! That was important important for the huge, magnificent magniificent dinner diinner hosted for everyone at The Shoe, a mile miile from the airport. aiirport. While Whiile the planning planniing was spot on, one thing thiing you can’t plan on months in in advance is is the weather. The wildfires wiildfires of the West filled the skies skiies with wiith nasty smoke!! “Pemberton “Pemberton Goose N95467 had to fly a TFR-dodging TFR-dodgiing IFR ride riide from Spokane Felts Field Fiield (KSFF) to Polson, Montana, because of 1-1/4-mile 1-1/4-miile smoke vis viis in in Spokane. The 1.3-hour flight fliight was uneventful, with wiith good VFR flight fliight 20 minutes miinutes out from Polson and a river riiver landing landiing in in perfect water adjacent adjjacent to the airport. aiirport. We were unable to top the smoke even at the 10,500 (MEA) in in route with wiith no ground contact until untiil we hit hiit Montana,”” Addison Addiison recounted.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOOSE PETERSON

www.eaavintage.org

Jay Pemberton negotiated with ease around the watercraft, bringing the Pemberton G-21 Goose in on Flathead River.

For Dennis, Denniis, the flight fliight in in “was “was a short 30-minute 30-miinute flight fliight from Kalispell, Kaliispell, Montana, north end of Flathead Lake. Cruising Cruiisiing at a leisurely leiisurely 90 mph in in Tami’s Tamii’s Super Cub, Tweety, on Wipline Wiipliine amphibs amphiibs — VFR.”” But for Mike Miike Rinker, Riinker, the flight fliight was much longer. “N600ZE “N600ZE departed Union Uniion City, Ciity, Tennessee, with wiith cousin cousiin Jerrod Callis Calliis and son Connor Rinker, Riinker, who are both flight fliight instructors instructors and Goose lovers!! We stopped in in Cape Girardeau, Giirardeau, Missouri, Miissourii, picked piicked up Dean Houseman, mechanic mechaniic extraordinaire extraordiinaiire and medevac pilot piilot and another Goose lover. We made our way VFR to Billings, Biilliings, Montana, for our overnight, overniight, with wiith smoke becoming ing an issue issue around Rapid Rapiid City, Ciity, South Dakota. Eight Eiight hours of flying flyiing the first fiirst day. Ate a great breakfast at Billings. Biilliings. We flew for another 1:45 1::45 to land at Polson with wiith nice niice VFR weather. We may be the first fiirst Goose to have ever come up the ramp at Polson, according accordiing to Dennis Denniis Buehn, who directed diirected us in in with wiith a handheld radio. radiio. Hung out on the shore as the other Gooses made their theiir way up the ramp and met some very nice niice people.””

January/February 2022

Stuart Fenwick, Fenwiick, piloting piilotiing the Mallard, said, saiid, “We “We woke up early Friday Friiday morning morniing at Tanglefoot Seaplane Base on Priest Priiest Lake and stayed busy preflighting prefliightiing Mallard N811G while whiile we kept an eye on the smoke. By 2:00 2::00 the smoke had thinned thiinned enough for a VFR flight. fliight. We taxied taxiied down the ramp, took off to the north on the water, and flew 15 minutes miinutes to Sandpoint, Sandpoiint, Idaho, where we picked piicked up Helga Sallmon, who’s a Grumman Albatross check airman aiirman and legend. From there it it was an hour flight fliight down the Clark Fork River Riiver to Polson. We had previously previiously decided deciided to land on the Polson runway because of concerns about density siity altitude altiitude and boat traffic on the river. riiver. After overflying overflyiing the river riiver and noticing notiiciing how long, pretty, and uncongested it it was, we briefly briiefly second-guessed our decideciision siion but stuck to the plan and landed on the runway.”” With Wiith all safely parked at the seaplane ramp at Polson Airport, Aiirport, the excitement exciitement of getting gettiing there and anticipaantiiciipation tiion of the next day’s event, you can imagine imagiine all the conversation conversatiion during duriing dinner! diinner!! And afterward it it continued contiinued outside outsiide on the restaurant’s deck overlooking overlookiing Flathead Lake. Though smoke lingered liingered in in the skies, skiies, the exciteexciitement cut right riight through it. it.

The launch from Polson went wen nt nt smoothly at 10:15 10::15 a.m. The flight ffllight time tiime over the hill hiill was short but gorgeous, gorgeous, even with wiith the veil veiil of smoke in in the air. aiir. Buehn flew ffllew in in early to to Lake Mary Ronan in in the Cub, double-checking double-checkiing that the Zodiac Zodiiac water taxii was was all set for our arrival. arriival. Larry Teufel in in Turbo Goose N640 was assigned assiigned to launch from Polson/Flathead River Riiver and land, scouting scoutiing Lake Mary Ronan approach and water water for the rest of the waterdogs to follow. waterdogs Launching Launchiing next was Turbo Goose N642 piloted piiloted by owner Doug DeVries. DeV Vries. Vriies. In the process of circling ciircliing th the he lake and checking checkiing out conditions, condiitiions, Doug caught up with wiith Larry, so naturally, naturally, a little liittle formation formatiion flying flyiing was in was in order. This Thiis gave the large crowd that had gathered on the shore shorre re of Lake Mary Ronan a really n niice ice show!! Coming Comiing in in next was Mike. Miike. “The “The Grumman Goose is is the most most versatile versatiile and coolest airplane aiirplane deesiigned, in designed, in my opinion. opiiniion. I have owned mine miine since siince 2016, and an nd nd since siince have flown ffllown it it to Alaska three tim times tiimes and California Caliiforniia once to land on Lake Tahoe. My airplane airplane is is a 1943 version versiion that spent time tiime in in the th he Coast Guard before being beiing decommissioned decommiissiioned and and sold to the civilian ciiviiliian market in in the mid miid ’50s. It It then went to work commercially commerciially for a few few different diifferent airlines, aiirliines, including includiing Chalks in in the Bahamass and and Kodiak Kodiiak in in Alaska. It was involved invo olved olved in in a crash on a lake on Kodiak Kodiiak Island in in 1975, and went to Vancouver Va Vancouver to be rebuilt rebuiilt lt with with several McKinnon McKiinnon mods, and sold to a private priivate indiindiividual viidual in in 1981. After three three private priivate owners, I became the lucky caretaker, and together we have traveled North America. Ameriica. So glad that Addison Addiison invited inviited us to the splash-in, splash-iin, because with wiith COVID we haven’t gone anywhere in in two years. We were needing neediing a break!” break!!” “The “The piston piiston Goose, with wiith two each 450-hp supercharged Pratt & Whitney Whiitney engines, engiines, provides proviides safe performance for the water ops,”” Addison Addiison said. saiid. “We “We only used one-third one-thiird of the 8,900-footlong Lake Mary Ronan, even with wiith a nearly 6,000-foot density densiity altitude altiitude and six siix pax on board. We anchored to the lake bottom, which whiich was 20 feet deep, with wiith 500-foot separation separatiion between the four Gooses and one Mallard. This Thiis distance diistance prevented a bumper car show if if the wind wiind picked piicked up. The lodge provided proviided a Zodiac Zodiiac boat to shuttle the 27 of us in in the group to the lodge, which whiich was easy and exciting. exciitiing. The Lake Mary Ronan Resort is is beautiful, beautiiful, and a wonderful background live-music liive-musiic venue lunch was offered, with wiith covered deck seating seatiing overlooking overlookiing a sea of Grumman ‘ironworks’ ‘iironworks’ seaplanes floating fflloatiing in in the bay.”” The Buehns in in their theiir Cub simply siimply docked at the floatplane-parking-only fl floatplane-parkiing-only dock. “We “We love the simplicity siimpliiciity of the PA-18 amphib, amphiib, as well as having haviing the option optiion of landing landiing at a runway and being beiing able to put her away safe in in a hangar. Finding Fiindiing a secluded lake just just to have a swim swiim and a picnic piicniic is is the best.””

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOOSE PETERSON

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perfect perfect lake!! perfect perfect hosts. “While “Whiile the Goose was originally oriigiinally designed dessigned for sportsmen to explore remote lakes, bac backcountry ckcountry airstrips, aiirstriips, and the rugged North, the M Mallard allard was designed desiigned as an executive executiive transport and an sold to private priivate individuals indiiviiduals and corporations,” corporatiions,”” said saiid Stuart, the owner and pilot piilot of the Mallard. Mal Maallard. “The “The Mallard flies fliies with wiith finger-light finger-liight controls controlls and is is immensely immensely refined and well-balanced d on the runway, water, and in in the air. aiir. Our Mallard Malllard has original-spec oriigiinal-spec R-1340s, producing produciing 600-h 600-hp hp a side, siide, and the original oriigiinal nine niine passenger with wiith two tw wo crew cabin cabiin configuration. configu guratiion. While Whiile the Goose foun found nd a role in in military miiliitary service serviice and eventually as a lifeline liifeliine to remote Alaska villages, viillages, most Mallards were eventually repurposed into into airline aiirliine transport aircraft. aiircraft. Our Mallard is is one of few that has never been used in in commercial commerciial service, serviice, and as a result has never been in in saltwater. We love the smooth and quiet quiiet ride riide the Mallard gives giives us to amazing amaziing and remote destinations destiinatiions — or to wherever our friends friiends are.”” The Lake Mary Ronan Resort was an amazing amaziing host for the splash-in! splash-iin!! The gorgeous view viiew from its its deck provided proviided a spectacular locale for a delideliicious ciious lunch, as well as ability abiiliity to keep an eye on the fleet floating floatiing just just offshore. As you can imagimagine, ine, the conversations conversatiions were full of hands acting actiing out flights fliights and laughter of past events and fun. Nobody wanted to leave, but the smoke was making ing some of the flights fliights out more challenging challengiing than if if there were blue skies. skiies. After Afteer hours hou hours on the th he d deck, eck k, the move was being beiing made. made.

The two Turbo Gooses left leeft eft first, as they had some disdiistance to travel. The two piston piston Gooses had some more time. tiime. Addison, Addiison, being beiing thee soul soul he is, is, wanted to thank folks at the Lake Lake Mary Mary Ronan Ronan Resort by giving giiviing them rides riides in in his hiis Goose. On one of the flights, fliights, he had a reporter for the local NBC affiliate, affiliiate, who later produced and broadcasted a great piece piiece on the splash-in. splash-iin. With Wiith this thiis opportunity, opportuniity, the folks at Lake Mary Ronan Resort provided proviided a pontoon boat and expert captain captaiin for the photo crew (still (stiill and video). viideo). Addison Addiison gave his hiis passengers brilliant briilliiant flights, fliights, taking takiing off and splashing splashiing back onto Lake Mary Ronan. Their Theiir smiles smiiles were so big, biig, they had issues issues getting gettiing through the hatch and back onto the Zodiac Zodiiac water taxi. taxii. Mike Miike in in his hiis Goose provided proviided the folks on the shore with wiith a spectacular flyby as he departed. Then the Mallard departed, moving moviing out a ways so it it had plenty of water to launch.

All pilots and crew gather as Addison Pemberton briefs the flight into Lake Mary Ronan and the fun that’s coming.

January/February 2022

The splash-in was all about the family gathering and getting caught up. Where else but under the wing of the Turbo Goose?

Wing-waving to all the new seaplane fans now on shore, Addison was the last to launch. He and Stuart landed back on the runway at Polson to fuel up, checked on flight plans in the pilot room, and then waited out the band of smoke moving through for an hour. The Buehns landed and rejoined the group. And as pilots do when they gather, even if only a heartbeat of time goes by, conversation continued about flight, water, and family. Stuart summed it up. “Dennis and Tami Buehn have been talking about doing this splash-in for years. Addison did an amazing job of pulling together the details and emailing out updates to the group.” Hours later, when all had gotten back to home base safe and sound, the emails started coming in. They could all be summed up by saying, “That was great; when’s the next one?” There is simply nothing as good as a splash-in, family reunion style!

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MOOSE PETERSON

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IF IT AIN’T BROKE, DON’T FIX IT! BY BUDD DAVISSON

January/February 2022

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JACK FLEETWOOD

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It just caught caug my eye in Barnstormers,” said Glenn Chiappe, of Lago Vista, V a, Texas. “I wasn’t actually looking for a vintage airplane In fact, airplane. fact I wasn’t really looking for anything in particular. However, apparently pparently I was in the mood for another polished airplane, which shows I had forgotten what it was like to own one. That’s when I saw the little ad for the 1957 Cessna 172 N8686B. It was described as being bare aluminum and only had 2,400 hours on it, even though it was nearly 65 years old at the time. That being the case — and the photos made it look really good — I decided it was worth a trip to Fairmont, Minnesota, 90 miles southwest of Minneapolis, to take a look. So, I stuffed some cash in my pocket and bought an airline ticket.” This was not to be the first airplane Glenn had bought. In fact, it was around number 28. Or possibly number 30. He’s not sure because he was born into an aviation family and airplanes constantly came and went. His father was an electronic entrepreneur and, in fact, was a partner in Skytech, whose lightweight, high-torque starters are well known. “I have long loved airplanes (haven’t we all!),” he said, “so, as a teenager I was learning to fly. I soloed during my junior year and had my PPL by the time I graduated high school.” Glenn’s history of buying and owning airplanes is unique in that, rather than having marriage and kids cause a hiatus in his aviation interest, which is a very common story, he said, “It wasn’t until after I got married that I got really serious about owning airplanes, the first being a Cessna Cardinal. A couple of dozen followed that one.” For a time, Glenn was involved in electronic sales, primarily chips, but that developed into what he does today, which is electronic consulting and contract flying, usually in King Airs and TBM series of aircraft.

January/February 2022

Is this the look of a happy man or what? The originality of Glenn Chiappe’s 1957 C-172 suits him.

“I WAS REPEATEDLY THINKING, ‘THIS IS SUCH A NICE LITTLE AIRPLANE!’ I COULDN’T GET THE MONEY INTO HIS HANDS FAST ENOUGH!” — GLENN CHIAPPE “When I got out of the car in Minnesota and met Denny Larson, who had owned 86B for 20-plus years, I’m not certain what I was expecting,” Glenn said. “He showed me around the airplane, and the situation felt as if it was 1970 and I was simply looking at a used airplane, not a far older vintage time capsule. I found the airplane really interesting because it didn’t begin to look 65 years old. It still had its original interior (which was well worn and covered with some automotive sheepskin covers), and the panel was totally vintage, etc. Everything was true to the period and almost nothing had been changed. You almost never see that anymore.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRETT BROCK AND JACK FLEETWOOD

Denny had the A&P who had maintained the airplane there, and the A&P mechanic gave Glenn a guided tour. Then Denny took Glenn for a ride in the plane, and it was “love at first flight,” Glenn said. “As far as that goes, considering how old it was, the airplane itself was almost flawless,” he said. “It had really straight metal, zero corrosion, and had spent most of its life indoors. I had a difficult time finding anything wrong with it. Yes, it needed a little cleaning and a little rehabbing here and there, but it definitely was not a candidate for a full restoration. It was fine the way it was. It sounds silly, but as I poked around inside the airplane, I had to suppress giggles. I was repeatedly thinking, ‘This is such a nice little airplane!’ !’ I couldn’t get the m money into his hands fast enough!

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TOP: Glenn said, “The panel had its share of extra holes and butchered metal,” which forced him into building a new one. It retains the feel of old even thought it’s new. BOTTOM: Originally the airplane used new old-stock 1956 Chevy upholstery, and Glenn replaced it with new old-stock 1956 Chevy upholstery. He substituted old for old.

January/February 2022

“Denny took me to Walmart that afternoon,” he continued. “It was a Sunday, and in preparation for the flight the next morning, I bought some oil, a CO2 detector, and a fire extinguisher. I knew it looked like a really good airplane, but I had a long flight ahead of me and I wanted to be prepared. “I launched the next morning, and nine hours later landed at home in Texas, with absolutely zero problems,” he said. “If it had been a brand-new airplane, it couldn’t have made the trip any better. Plus, it didn’t burn enough oil to even measure because it had a fairly recent top overhaul. Like I said: It was really a nice little airplane.” As soon as Glenn got the Cessna 172 home, he decided to have his local A&P/IA mechanic go through it. “He found a broken motor mount, and I had him install the BAS shoulder harnesses,” he said. “I felt naked flying without them. That started what I thought would be a two-week period of cleaning and gentle rehabbing, but [it] turned into a six-month drive to make it as original as I could make it. There was nothing major to be done, and the stuff that did need fixing or cleaning up was fairly minor. However, it all took time. “The airplane is the 2,386th one built — eventually, over 44,000 were built — but the seats still had the original fabric,” Glenn said. “Unfortunately, that was worn enough that it really wasn’t usable. It was easy to tear, and I would have loved to leave it as is, but I wanted this to be a usable airplane, not a hangar

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRETT BROCK

queen. It took only a little research to find that in 1957, Cessna used 1956 Chevy upholstery, and I found some actual, new old-stock: original ’56 upholstery material that was left over from Chevy’s production and exactly matched the upholstery 86B still wore. Exactly! I got the original welting too. So, when I took it to a local upholstery guy for sewing and installed it myself, it was very satisfying knowing that I wasn’t replacing old with new. I was replacing old with old … and I like that. When doing the carpet, we weren’t so lucky and couldn’t find original material, but we did get stuff that you can’t tell from the original.” Glenn said the firewall, however, proved to be a much bigger challenge. “At some time in its life an owner decided to cover the engine side of the firewall with foil insulation,” he said. “That wouldn’t be too bad, but it was of the ‘peeland-stick’ variety and was pretty much baked in place. It was a mess to try to remove. I wound up using a gallon of MEK and dozens of rubber gloves and scrapers. This was a one-man show. I couldn’t ask anyone else to do such a miserable job, but when finished, I’m so glad that I did it. It really dressed the old girl up!” Glenn did need to redo the instrument panel. Among other things, instrument panels of 65-year-old airplanes have holes for AN gyros that are not really useful anymore. The Genave nav/comm also needed an upgrade. It had its share of extra holes and butchered metal, so he enlisted the help of his son, a mechanical engineer, and created a new panel. He said it only took two tries to get it just right!

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“I was able to reposition the compass and correction card from the original panel overlay, and it just gives it that old look it needs,” he said. Beyond that, Glenn really tried not to change too much. “The vacuum instruments are still powered by the original Venturi that gives 5 or 6 inches of suction. I also wasn’t tempted to put in some sort of space-age nav/comm unit; I installed a fresh KX-170B, because that seemed to fit the style of the airplane better than a fancy GPS. I have a good compass and a clean windwind shield; what else do I need to go cross-country? IIf I want to go space-age, I always have an iPad with wi ForeFlight. Can you imagine what Cessna eng engineers would have thought seeing an iPad in 1957, when w this

To you young ‘uns out there, this is a venturi and generates the suction that runs a couple of instruments.

January/February 2022

old bird was born? I did repaint the gear legs and wheel hubs, and balanced the prop, but it still has a generator and pull-starter. I also kept the old rotating beacon. That is a real kick because, when you have it on, you can hear it not-so-quietly grinding away. Even more amazing, all of the windows are original. “There was so much of the original equipment that I didn’t even think about replacing because it still worked fine,” he said. “Just because something can be worked updated, that doesn’t mean it should be. I was looking for original, and in this case, original riginal works just as good as new but really connects nect me to the past. Every time I pull the T-handlee to start st it, I grin. It is such a kick to own. And much uch more m important: ant: It’s a useful airplane and I do o use it.” it

And use it he does, for himself and for others. “I’ve lost track of exactly how many Young Eagles I’ve flown,” Glenn said, “and I’m keeping my CFI active, giving primary instruction in it. In fact, at one point, one of my students was taking a checkride in it, and the examiner, in an awed tone of voice asked, ‘Where did you get an airplane like this?’ That kind of reaction makes the effort, some of which was nasty and time-consuming, ming, well worth it. Of course, cou when I took it to Oshkosh in n ’21, it was real fun because the airplane obviouslyy isn’t really restored, and people seemed to recognize restored, gnize and nd appreciate its originality. It gives them the same me glimpse into the early days of postw postwar aviation as it does me. Yet another thing I like about the airplane.” ane.”

It is seldom that 65-year-old aluminum is this unblemished.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRETT BROCK

Glenn, everyone who saw you at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021 liked it as much as you do. Congrats! You clearly proved that to have fun with old airplanes, it’s not necessary to strive for restoration perfection or spend money by the bushels. The trick is to find a “nice little airplane” and keep it that way.

All post-war Cessnas, including the 1957 172, used Steve Wittman’s patented spring gear or his tapered rod variation.

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REVITALIZED BY A SYMBIOTIC SYMPHONY AND A TOUCH OF SYNCHRONICITY BY SPARKY BARNES

POISED ELEGANTLY IN FRONT of the VAA Red Barn during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2021, NC8112’s glistening black fuselage, glowing orange wings, and lustrous mahogany interior attracted a continual throng of admirers. Yet the most exceptional aspect of this exquisitely restored Travel Air 6000 couldn’t be perceived by the eyes alone; it’s the way in which it has resonated in dozens of lives, past and present.

January/February 2022

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CONNOR MADISON

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irplanes aren’t merely flying machines that provide the means by which we ascend from the earth; they can also facilitate opportunities to transcend our individualism and thrive as a larger entity. With minds and hands working rhythmically toward a purpose-driven goal, a cohesive team ultimately relied upon more than 600 fingers to complete the restoration, all of which left their unique fingerprints on this Travel Air. Owned by Scott Glover’s Mid America Flight Museum (MAFM) at Mount Pleasant, Texas, NC8112’s restoration took place at Mid America North at Grimes Field in Urbana, Ohio, due to Scott’s good friend, Jim Bob White. Orchestrating this symphonic restoration was master airplane restorer Doug Smith of Ohio. One of Doug’s inherent gifts is possessing the global vision of all that needs to be accomplished, the timing of the tasks, and the finest details. He delegated tasks to a cadre of volunteers as they came and went, keeping them purposefully engaged in harmonious efforts. That is how this rare Travel Air became the beautiful symmetry of function and form that it is.

January/February 2022

HISTORICAL CONTEXT One of 160 manufactured and eight flyable today (according to volunteer Larry Furrow), this Travel Air 6000’s story begins in Wichita, the “Air Capital of the World.” The now-legendary Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech, and Lloyd Stearman started the Travel Air Manufacturing Co. in early 1925 in a 30-by-30-foot building. Just prior to the Great Depression, their company was thriving, and NC8112 was completed on March 18, 1929. Priced around $12,000, the Travel Air 6000 was designed as an executive transport and airliner, whose reliable and dependable performance would comfortably transport six passengers. To that end, the company touted the monoplane as being “the last word in Performance, Dependability and Comfort,” with a “spacious cabin permitting passengers to exchange seats at will with the relief pilot while in flight.” Purchased new by Pittsburgh Airways, NC8112 was based at Bettis Field and flew scheduled passenger service connecting Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New York City. It was later owned by Atlantic Airways and then in 1934 by Queen City Flying Service at Lunken Field near Cincinnati, Ohio, where it flew passenger and cargo charters. “People look at the Travel Air and see a beautiful airplane, but it’s more than that. You’ve got to put it back in the context of the times. It wasn’t made to be beautiful; it was made for a purpose, a function. It was an airliner, and people would pay money to go fly from Pittsburgh to New York on this airplane — it was a big deal, and they were wearing coats and ties and hats. It was an airliner back when there were very few airplanes and airports. But people wanted to go places, so there were lots of challenges to air travel, including weather,” Scott said. “The Travel Air 6000’s purpose was to help lead the way for the birth of a brand new industry in the 1920s — and we’re trying to keep the history of that functionality alive.” NC8112 just happened to be instrumental in the birth of another new industry as well: dropping firefighters by parachutes to fight forest fires, known as smokejumping.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CONNOR MADISON AND MID AMERICA FLIGHT MUSEUM

Doug Smith orchestrated the harmonious restoration efforts of dozens of volunteers.

SMOKEJUMPERS The Johnson Flying Service of Missoula, Montana, acquired NC8112 in 1939; it was its sixth Travel Air 6000. Powered by a 300-hp Wright engine, it could haul 1,500 pounds of freight while operating on short, unimproved fields, and “was just what the Forest Service needed to compete with pack mules in supplying the many remote areas in the mountains. The Johnson brothers developed air freight and the air drop procedures used in delivery. … Bob Johnson, assisted by [his brother] Dick, as well as Frank Derry — an old head at exhibition parachute jumping — then perfected the smoke jumper technique, which revolutionized the whole firefighting procedure.” (Montana and the Sky: Beginning of Aviation in the Land of the Shining Mountains, by Frank W. Wiley.)

NC8112 was flown by Dick Johnson on the historic first jump. “In 1940, the Moose Creek Ranger Station airfield was chosen to serve as the base for the new smokejumper program. … On July 12, 1940 a fire call came through, requesting the new jumpers to make their first jump to a fire located on the Moose Creek District of the Nez Perce Forest. Travel Air NC8112 was dispatched to pick up the jumpers. Rufus Robinson of Kooskia, ID and Earl Cooley of Hamilton, MT made the first fire jump in the history of the Forest Service on the Rock Pillar Fire in the Marten Creek drainage.” (United States Department of Agriculture brochure, Smokejumpers — Firefighting’s Elite.) By 1965, Johnson Flying Service had sold NC8112 to Dolph Overton for his Wings & Wheels collection in Santee, South Carolina. In 1979, NC8112 was re-covered with cotton and painted in Delta Air Service livery as a representative example of one of Delta’s three Travel Airs. As such, it participated in Delta’s 50th anniversary of passenger service. Then in late 1981, it was sold to Richard Holbert, owner of Central Flying Service in Little Rock, Arkansas, but was rarely flown. Next in the chain of owners was Scott Glover.

Smokejumpers boarding NC8112 at Lolo National Forest.

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January/February 2022

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CONNOR MADISON

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RESTORATION BEGINS

Balsa formers on the longerons.

ACQUIRED BY MAFM Scott has a personal history with this Travel Air that dates back to the late 1990s. “My parents had a feed mill when I was growing up, and I ended up buying a feed mill in Little Rock in 1997. We had a Cessna 210, and I rented a hangar space from Central Flying Service in a community-type hangar — this Travel Air was in the back of that hangar and hadn’t flown in many years. I didn’t know anything about the Travel Air 6000 but I just loved the airplane, but the owner wouldn’t sell it,” Scott said. “Fast-forward to the mid-2000s, when I was a corporate pilot, occasionally flying back in to Central Flying. I would take my captain back to see the old Travel Air there, and I was finally able to acquire the airplane in 2008. Radial Engines of Guthrie, Oklahoma, overhauled the Wright R-975, and then we had a new exhaust made. We flew it for about 10 years, giving rides, going to a few fly-ins, and even a local Antique Airplane Association event, where it won an award for the best vintage airline aircraft.”

January/February 2022

On March 18, 2018, precisely 89 years after it rolled out of the Travel Air factory, NC8112’s restoration began — after one last day of ride hopping, of course. New and old technologies were skillfully blended to restore the Travel Air to its Antique Grand Champion Gold Lindy award-winning status over a period of three-anda-half years, during which Doug Smith and 60 volunteers, ranging in age from 13 to 85, logged approximately 30,000 hours. There’s a time capsule, of sorts, which is now hidden by the fuselage fabric, but when someone restores this airplane again, they’ll discover a panel that has the signatures of nearly every volunteer who touched this project. One of the volunteers was Jim Buxton, a certificated A&P mechanic and mechanical engineer who had built a lot of models but had never worked on an airplane. “He’s been coming to Oshkosh with his family for over 40 years,” Doug said, “and it was really providence that brought us together. The airplane would not look like it does without Jim Buxton and his engineering skills. He even hand carved the curved ‘V’ balsa fairing where the landing gear legs join the axle. His 15-year-old daughter, Jocelyn, along with sister and brother-in-law Jamie and Tim Moeller, and brother Jay Buxton with wife Roxanne, came with him and put a lot of hours into the restoration, too.” The synchronicity that occurred during the project was remarkable. “Volunteer Leroy Lynn said it best: ‘Throughout the entire restoration, whenever we got to a point where we were kind of stuck, somebody would walk through the door that had the answer.’ That happened time and time again, just out of the blue!” Doug said. Jim Buxton masking and prepping for the Travel Air logo to be painted.

FUSELAGE STRUCTURE

The Travel Air is taking shape.

CNC AND 3D PRINTING The throttle quadrant was in poor condition, but fortunately, Jim digitized it so a CNC maple mold could be made. Doug formed each half of the aluminum quadrant in the female molds, and the halves were then welded together. Volunteer John Nance took on the task of making new wooden control wheels, and as a master furniture craftsman, he also taught woodworking to young volunteers. John made the maple wheels from scratch, routing out teeth in the wood and overlapping them in the same manner the originals were made. The finishing touches were sanding and 17 coats of shellac. As with other early airplanes, the landing gear and wing strut fairings are made of balsa wood and wrapped with fabric. “One of our volunteers, Dan Kafka, who is a captain for Jet Blue, had a 3D printer in his basement, and he 3D-printed sanding blocks for the different airfoils,” Doug said. “So the fairings are made in two halves, and the volunteers were able to sand the balsa into the correct airfoil shapes after the balsa was spliced together around the steel tubing.”

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MID AMERICA FLIGHT MUSEUM

Hank Galpin of Kalispell, Montana, kindly provided the team with information he accumulated while restoring his own Travel Air (NC9038), including drawings for the steel components. But there were no drawings for the wood stringers and formers, and the old wood was only partially usable for patterns. Fortunately, Doug had the proverbial ace up his sleeve — Larry found a March 1929 Travel Air factory photograph of a fuselage on its gear, with all the wood structure visible. They could see where all the pieces went but couldn’t quite determine the precise shapes. “After making and installing the pieces, we used strings and lasers and even masking tape to simulate the fabric covering, but it wasn’t until we pulled fabric over it in February 2021 that we knew we had it just right,” Doug said. “What a feeling that was!” Volunteer Price Smith helped make the balsa formers on the four longerons, which consisted of a long, rounded block of balsa with spruce on the ends as attachment points. The 16-foot-long bottom stringer was scarfed together from Sitka spruce — that was the easy part. “Then we had to put the curve in it, so we built a jig with PVC tubing and slid the stringer inside it,” Doug said. “I filled the PVC with steam, using my wife’s pressure canners — we put hoses on the little stem that comes out the top — and after about an hour of steaming the wood, we pulled it out and let it sit on the table for a day. That created a smooth, constant curve for that stringer.” Cowling sheet metal work is underway.

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SPECS NC8112, Serial No. 884 1929 Travel Air 6000 ATC No. 130 Not eligible to be flown by a sport pilot. WINGSPAN: WING CHORD: TREAD: LENGTH: HEIGHT: EMPTY WEIGHT: GROSS WEIGHT: USEFUL LOAD: SEATS: ENGINE: FUEL: OIL: MAX SPEED: CRUISING SPEED: LANDING SPEED: STALLING SPEED: RATE OF CLIMB: SERVICE CEILING: CRUISING RANGE:

48 feet, 7 inches 78 inches 9 feet 30 feet, 10 inches 9 feet, 3 inches 2,788 pounds 4,420 pounds 1,632 pounds 1 pilot, 6 passengers 440-hp Wright Whirlwind R-975 80 gallons 7 gallons 130 mph 90 mph 60 mph 60-70 mph 800 fpm 16,000 feet 400 miles

Close up view of the tail wheel assembly.

WING STRUTS The wing struts were in sad shape due to water seeping into balsa wood at the jury struts, so the damaged areas were cut out, and new tubing was spliced per FAA Advisory Circular 43.13-1B. The front wing struts weren’t adjustable, however, so their length had to be precise to retain the correct dihedral. The team built jig tables just to hold the struts prior to cutting out and replacing the middle sections.

LANDING GEAR Doug took the landing gear parts and wheel spokes to Lori Galovics at her shop, G & M Precision Machining in Tipp City, Ohio. Lori machined brass gland nuts for the oleo struts (as well as many other parts), and sourced new spokes from Buchanan Spokes in California. It made the slotted nuts for the spokes and even replicated the stamped “S” (which designated Indian Motorcycles) on the heads of the spokes, per the originals. “That’s one of those things when you’re restoring an airplane and you’re trying to get the details just right,” Doug said, “and you can pull off something like that, it just makes it!” Jim digitized the outer wheel cover, and an oak buck was made and taken to a shop in Columbus, Ohio, that spun new covers. The Travel Air had suffered half a dozen accidents in previous years, which affected the geometry of the landing gear, making both wheels pull to the left. The team straightened the gear and was delighted later to hear that the airplane tracked perfectly down the runway. “Volunteers John Lynn and Rich Snell spent countless hours overhauling the wheels and brakes,” Doug said. “Snell has now moved on and is working in the restoration department at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.”

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SHEET METAL All of the Travel Air’s sheet metal is new; shaping the tail cone’s tapered radius was a bit of a challenge. The team glued a hefty chunk of oak together, and Al Schmidt, an experienced woodworker, turned an oak taper pin on his lathe. That was used as a buck to form all four radii on the tail fairing. The instrument panel completes the top of the firewall, and that presented another challenge. The firewall (originally aluminum) is composed of separate pieces sans fasteners — the pieces are folded over and crimped onto themselves. “I recruited the guys that are helping restore Champaign Aviation Museum’s B-17 here at Grimes to make the firewall from galvanized steel, and they did a great job.”

DUELING PAINT GUNS When it was time to paint, an inflatable paint booth was set up inside the restoration hangar. The booth had a compartment that served as a mixing room, but it was opened so the entire 29-foot length could be used. Local high school students welded rotisseries to hold and rotate the fuselage and wings, which facilitated the entire painting process. Doug and master craftsman Bill Knisely (who is now on staff ) became “dueling paint gun” partners. “We sprayed with high-volume low-pressure systems, and we each had guns going at the same time. We used Air-Tech Coatings, which cure slowly, so everything stayed wet,” Doug said. “We’d start at opposite ends of the wing and meet in the middle, rotate, spray the leading edge and trailing edge, and rotate. When we’d get close to meeting in the middle, either he or I would stand back and let the other one finish that middle section. There’s very little difference in who painted what.” They took turns painting the fuselage instead of painting simultaneously. One held a light in the booth to make it easier to see the fresh paint, while the other painted. “Bill painted the top and the bottom, and I painted the sides. It’s exhausting, both physically and mentally, to paint something that big,” Doug said. “Our volunteers Bruce Larson and Mark Curtner were in the booth too. One’s sole purpose was to crank the rotisserie when we were ready, and the other supplied us with paint when we needed a refill. We had another set of volunteers, led by Christine Detwiler and her daughters, outside the booth who were continually mixing and agitating the paint. It was a huge team effort.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CONNOR MADISON

The throttle quadrant and control wheels are newly made by hand.

INTERIOR The interior panels are made of 1/16-inch mahogany veneer plywood, which received several brush coats of varnish, with each coat being sanded. The final coat was smoothed down by just a couple of light passes with 4-ought steel wool. Paul Workman of Bedrock Aero in Zanesville, Ohio, did a beautiful installation of the carpet and the wool headliner, and he used his exceptional sewing skills to create the leather seat upholstery. The original seat frames were entrusted to Helen Cribbs of Delaware, Ohio, for wickering. But after a bit of research and taking one of the old seats apart, Helen realized that what was thought to be wicker was actually fibre rush, which is paper twisted into a cord. “So the laterals are simply that, and the verticals have a wire core in them for support,” Doug said. “You can still buy that today; it comes on a spool. Helen did a wonderful job on the seats.”

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This image reveals the vitality of the restoration volunteers as they swarm the Travel Air with towels to make it spotless.

THE HOMESTRETCH With the goal of flying NC8112 to AirVenture, Doug found himself deeply discouraged two weeks prior to the convention. There was a seemingly insurmountable list of things that still needed to be done. But help was on the way, in the form of MAFM mechanic-pilots Kelly Mahon and Denzil Charles, who were flying up from Texas to get the Stinson Model A Tri-Motor (NC15165) ready for Oshkosh. Almost miraculously, everything was finished one week later, thanks to the symbiotic relationship between Mid America’s southern and northern locations. Kelly made the first flight on July 15, and there were no squawks — and there was still a week until Oshkosh. “It was just surreal, how insurmountable it felt, and then it became complete,” Doug said. “Kelly and Denzil were a little bit apprehensive to help us, because we have all these volunteers who have such ownership in the Travel Air. But the volunteers were happy that Kelly and Denzil were there, and welcomed them as they all teamed up to finish the airplane. When we were about done, I looked at Kelly and said, ‘Two locations, one team!’ That’s what we are.”

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VOLUNTEER VITALITY Doug conducted the harmonious complexity of the restoration and its growing team of volunteers with gratifying results — much like a maestro leading a symphony in a great performance. He kept the volunteers, of all ages and walks of life, engaged in the project by instilling purpose-driven focus, while making sure they realized their work was vital to the overall success. “Doug is an inspirational teacher. As one example, he showed high school kids how to burnish engine turning, gave them a few practice pieces of aluminum, and then he’d say, ‘Okay, here are the pieces we want to do for this airplane.’ He’d just walk away and let them work on their own, and the engine turning you see on the airplane was all done by high school kids,” Scott said. “Doug has led this team and helped it evolve into something absolutely amazing. I think we all have grown a lot in learning each other and what each other’s skill sets are. We also have each other’s back, and I think it’s really become an amazing family. I don’t know of another airplane restoration that has a story like this Travel Air 6000. Here we land at Oshkosh, and it’s like a NASCAR team gets around that airplane to clean it. You don’t even have to tell them what to do. They just know because they have already touched every piece of that airplane. I’m telling you, the people behind this Travel Air restoration are way more impressive to me than the airplane!” To learn even more about NC8112’s history and restoration team, visit TravelAir6000.com. Learn more about Mid America Flight Museum at MidAmericaFlightMuseum.com.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SPARKY BARNES AND CONNOR MADISON

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R T N I

E U IG

LES GASKILL’S DELUXE 1928 WACO GXE BY SPARKY BARNES

BASED IN OTTUMWA, IOWA, Les Gaskill enjoys flying his Waco GXE the short distance over to Antique Airfield, and as he flies overhead, the distinctive chuckling of the Waco’s old watercooled OXX-6 engine brings the past to audible reality. Descending for a flyby, his Waco is silhouetted in an otherworldly golden glow from the late-summer sun sinking low on the western horizon. These sounds and images invoke an irresistible intrigue — what role did this model Waco fulfill in history, was it innovative for its time, and who were the pilots who flew them?

January/February 2022

PHOTOGRAPHY BY G R DENNIS PRICE

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ack in 2016, Les wasn’t looking for an antique Waco. He already had a 40-horse 1938 Piper J-2 Cub (NC20161), a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub (NC70895), and a Model A powered Pietenpol Air Camper (N3535) that he finished building in 2018. But his fellow antiquer comrades, in the form of father and son Forrest and Vaughn Lovley of Minnesota, kindly thought of him when Forrest began selling a collector’s airplanes in Minnesota. “I didn’t want the airplane,” Les said, “but Vaughn called me and said, ‘You need to come up and get this Waco 10.’ So I drove up with Brent Taylor (Antique Airplane Association president), and we looked it over, and I decided to buy it.”

LINE KID

Les came into aviation via his father, who learned to fly after World War II. “But then he had a bunch of kids and quit flying. I was next to the youngest, and when he got back into flying in the 1970s, I was a teenager. So I did like everybody else — I built model airplanes, and then I worked at the airport as a line kid when I was 15, and he paid me like $2 an hour trade. I made about $900 that summer to get my private pilot license.” He soloed a Cessna 150 on his 16th birthday, and forged ahead to earn his instrument, commercial, and multiengine ratings when he was in his early 20s. “But I liked flying the Cub better, so I never got a flying job. I became an electrician instead so I could afford to buy airplanes and fly them,” Les said. “I love the freedom of flying, and it’s relaxing to me. I have about 5,000 hours’ total flight time, and most of that is in my yellow Cub — I’ve owned it for 39 years. I’ve owned the J-2 since 2006, and it’s got about 400 hours on it now.” LEFT: This Waco GXE has a tail skid as opposed to a tail wheel. CENTER: Les Gaskill, happy Waco GXE pilot. RIGHT: This ad from Aviation (May 1927) features the Ten prototype.

January/February 2022

WACO HISTORY HIGHLIGHTS

The three-place Waco Ten received its approved type certificate in October 1927. It was known as the “Ten” or “10” before Waco changed the designation to GXE the following year. (The first letter denotes powerplant, in this case a 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 or 102-hp Curtiss OXX-6; the second letter, the airframe design; and the third letter, the series.) The finish color coats were a light and a dark shade of the greenish Berryloid Benz Gray on the fuselage and cowling, with silver wings, and Les’ GXE wears a similar livery. Waco historian and author Fred O. Kobernuss, in Volume 2 of his WACO Symbol of Courage and Excellence, wrote about the significance of this biplane: “This new Model Ten, would be the catalyst that would increase the awareness of the existence of the WACO acronym on a global basis and leave an indelible mark on the pages of American aviation history.” The popularity of the Ten continued throughout its seven-year production run. This model incorporated a number of significant improvements from the Model Nine, and the frame was built to enable the installation of a variety of engines larger than its standard 90-hp OX-5. The Ten featured an in-flight adjustable horizontal stabilizer, included a passenger entry door, and introduced “the hydraulic shock-absorbing landing gear to the personal aircraft industry. The Waco 10 was the first Waco to use a center section airfoil between the upper wings” (excerpted from “The Waco Story” by Ray Brandly, EAA Sport Aviation, August 1969). An Aero Digest March 1927 ad succinctly detailed the innovations featured in the Ten: “Landing Gear — wide tread, split type, hydraulic shock absorbing — heretofore found only on costly military types. Cockpits — large and roomy — as easily entered as any roadster. Seats — scientifically shaped for relaxation — properly cushioned for comfort. Windshields — correctly inclined — affording maximum protection. Cowling — fully enclosing motor with graceful curves — each piece accurately stamped — quickly removable and interchangeable. Adjustable Stabilizer — conveniently operated in flight — affording perfect balance trim with any load. Four Narrow Ailerons — individually and differentially operated without wires or pulleys — insuring ample and reliable lateral control at all speeds and with little effort. Structural Strength in excess of requirements for Class 1 U.S. Air Commerce regulations. Designed for and available powered with OX5 – OXX6 - Hisso or Whirlwind motors. Truly a $3,000 airplane but priced considerably lower. Popular demand made it possible — that’s what WACO VALUE means.” Additional details included a streamlined headrest for the pilot, a tubular-braced fuselage, a push-pull tube for the elevator control, and gently curved wingtips and tail feathers. The horizontal stabilizer could be adjusted in-flight with a lever left of the pilot’s seat, and a leaf spring (as opposed to shock cord) was used for the tail skid, which was fitted with a replaceable hard steel shoe. Another company ad enticed potential aviators to make the leap and buy their own Waco: “The New WACO Ten surpasses all previous models in style, performance and safety. Its quick take-off, fast climb, high top speed and ease with which it does all that you ask of it in the air makes it the talk of Pilots everywhere. Its split-type, hydraulic shock absorbing, landing gear takes all the unpleasantness out of landings. Its sturdy fuselage and wing sections, engineered to withstand motors from 90 to 250 horse power, give you more safety than ever before.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SPARKY BARNES AND KYLE SHAWVER

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CHAIN OF OWNERS

This Waco has flown through time from 1928 to 2021, thanks to nearly two dozen owners and partners who played a role in its airworthiness through the decades. At least four different OX-5 engine serial numbers are listed in the aircraft records, with at least as many different propellers. The GXE mostly resided in Iowa and Minnesota, and for a short time in North Dakota, per the aircraft records. C-4465 was manufactured February 14, 1928, by the Advance Aircraft Co. of Troy, Ohio, under Type Certificate No. 13. Equipped with a 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 and Hartzell wood prop, the Waco’s equipment and instruments included an oil pressure gauge, altimeter, Fahrenheit meter, tachometer, fire extinguisher, and first aid kit. Les’ antiquer friend, Steve Adkisson of Hammond, Illinois, says this Waco “was originally bought by Johnny Livingston of the air show and air race fame. He ran the airport in Monmouth, Illinois. He was a Waco dealer, and Waco would ship him airplanes by rail car. He’d assemble them and then sell them.” TOP: Dan Neuman works on the fuselage. CENTER: Dan Neuman with the Waco and engine. RIGHT: Dan Neuman works on the fuselage.

January/February 2022

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF LES GASKILL

Livingston and his company, Mid-West Airways Corp., bought the Waco for $2,585. It was then sold to F.C. Anderson of Des Moines, Iowa, in March 1928. The chain of owners is highlighted as follows: Anderson sold it to Yellow Cab Airways Inc. of Des Moines, replete with a set of standard motor tools. Yellow Cab sold it for $1,500 to C.H. Cordes of Gilmore City, Iowa, and by October 1929, the Waco was in poor condition. It needed new fabric; new gas, oil, and water lines; new valve assembly; and the Supreme wood prop was in poor condition — the biplane failed inspection. Cordes sold it to Iowa Airways Corp. in January 1930, and it sold the aircraft two months later to Stanley Fuller of Milford, Iowa. By April 1930, the Waco’s prop tips were “somewhat battered” and the engine was in “fair” condition; nonetheless, the ship passed inspection. Fuller sold the GXE to Mary A. Howe of Estherville, Iowa, the next month. She kept it more than a year, selling it to Fred Fox of Fairmont, Minnesota, in September 1931. By October 1932, the Waco had flown into the hands of Leon R. Alsworth of Sherburn, Minnesota. A year later, the GXE was once again in sore need of repairs, and records show that John Walatka “repaired or remodeled” the Waco with factory-built parts and re-covered it with Grade A Flightex. New cap strips were installed in the wings and center section, and the diagonal brace in the lower front portion of the fuselage was reinforced with a “double F fish weld.” In May 1934, Alsworth sold the ship to Grand Forks Air Transport Inc. in North Dakota. The aircraft inspection in May 1935 reported that the ship was in good condition with a total aircraft flight time of 800 hours. The recorded chain of ownership ended rather abruptly, and lasted for an extended period of time, after Lloyd John Neubauer of Hannaford, North Dakota, purchased the Waco for $250 in May 1939.

NEUMAN RESTORATION

Perhaps the most noteworthy in the long line of owners is the gentleman who restored the GXE to its current and beautiful state of airworthiness. Antiquer Forrest Lovley recalled, “It was a project by Dan Neuman Sr. of Minnesota. He restored a bunch of airplanes, and this Waco was the last airplane he restored before he passed away.”

Daniel F. Neuman was born in 1918 and earned his private and mechanic certificates in his teens. Early on, he worked for Stinson Aircraft Co., Warner Aircraft Co. and instructed for Floyd Floren Airlines. He started flying for Northwest Airlines in 1942, and as senior captain on 747s, retired from a 36-year career with Northwest in 1978. Dan then plunged headlong into his antique aircraft restoration hobby at his hangar at the Anoka County-Blaine Airport in Minnesota. He and his wife, Vona Jean, had previously re-covered their Beech Staggerwing and restored a Jenny. They also restored a Waco 125, which he later donated to Northwest in her memory. Dan’s meticulous restorations won awards, including the Antique Airplane Association’s 1968 Grand Champion for the Curtiss JN4-D (N2404), and the Oshkosh 1980 Grand Champion Antique for his 1931 Buhl LA-1 Pup (N348Y). He also won the Oshkosh 1981 Antique Pioneer Age Champion for the 1917 JN4-D Jenny (N2404). Both aircraft went on display at the EAA Aviation Museum.

1928 Waco 10 (GXE) ATC No. 13 Not eligible to be flown by a sport pilot. WINGSPAN: LENGTH: HEIGHT: EMPTY WEIGHT: GROSS WEIGHT: USEFUL LOAD: SEATS: ENGINE: FUEL: OIL: MAX SPEED: CRUISING SPEED: STALLING SPEED: RATE OF CLIMB: SERVICE CEILING: CRUISING RANGE:

30 feet, 7 inches 23 feet, 6 inches 9 feet 1,200 pounds 2,025 pounds 825 pounds 1 pilot, 2 passengers 90-hp Curtiss OX-5 or 102-hp Curtiss OXX-6 37 gallons 4 gallons 96 mph 85 mph 37 mph 500 fpm 13,000 feet 380 statute miles

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The Neumans acquired the GXE project in the early 1960s. Dan did some preliminary research by sending a letter in February 1963 to Berry Brothers Inc. of Detroit, inquiring as to the “availability of Berryloid ‘Benz Gray’ (almost a green) aircraft nitrate dope and lacquer. We are restoring a Waco 10 airplane, manufactured in 1928, which originally was finished in a light and a dark shade of the above color. Please advise if you can supply this particular special order in the quantity of two gallons of lacquer and six gallons of nitrate dope. The lacquer should be several shades darker than the nitrate dope. If you should be unable to supply the above, we would very much appreciate a color sample of Berryloid ‘Benz Gray.’ Very truly yours, Midland Aviation Company, Daniel F. Neuman, Owner.” A reply was promptly sent by I. Morton of Berry Brothers, which stated: “We no longer manufacture aircraft finishes and have no color chips.” Eleven years later, Dan’s ongoing background research focused on the GXE’s registration, which had been canceled in July 1948. The aircraft records reveal a January 1974 affidavit from Daniel F. Neuman stating that the last registered owner, Lloyd John Neubauer, couldn’t be found. “A diligent effort, covering a period of many months, consisting of letters, long distance phone calls, and interviews with various persons, has not provided a clue to the whereabouts of this person. It is further acclaimed that the subject aircraft was extensively cannibalized many years ago, and the remaining components were acquired from a scrap pile. (Actual photograph attached hereto.)” The black and white photocopy in the file depicts a basket case project with a damaged prop, an engine still bolted to the fuselage framework, and wing struts. Dan clearly did his due diligence, not only with research, but with the restoration. He had patiently worked from the ground up, breathing new life into the Waco GXE relic by doing most of the hands-on work himself. He was in the midst of actively restoring the GXE in his mid-80s and served as an inspiration to others simply by still doing what he loved to do — fly and restore aircraft. He was inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame in 2007 — the same year he passed away. “Dan Neuman put so much into this restoration — oh my god, I couldn’t have done what he did!” Les said. “I like woodworking and covering, but I don’t know how to weld, do metal work, or overhaul engines. The engine works perfect; it was overhauled by a master mechanic who knew what he was doing. Now I just have to take care of it, and that’s what scares me about it — the engine’s kind of finicky, but the airplane’s easy. My mechanic, Steve Adkisson, helps me out with all that stuff.” The GXE’s original identification number, 4465, wasn’t available when Dan was restoring the Waco, so he chose 4495. But thanks to Forrest’s keen attention to such things, he discovered that 4465 was available again. Forrest mentioned it to Les, and Les reserved it. Hence, should the Waco be restored again or repainted, it may revert to its original number. LEFT: The roomy pilot’s cockpit, with minimal instrumentation. RIGHT: Passengers’ view of the Tasco Gauge and the horizon on climb-out.

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RECORDS AND RACES

Much to the delight of Advance Aircraft Co., the pilots who flew this model Waco were quite favorably impressed with its performance and handling, and they enabled the Waco Ten to make its mark as a competitive air racer in the late 1920s, thereby receiving national recognition. Additionally, there were four Waco Ten entrants in the 1927 Ford Reliability Air Tour. Advance Aircraft test pilot Charlie Meyers flew to a first-place finish in the 1927 Class B National Air Derby from New York to Spokane with a standard production model OX-5 powered Waco 10. Riding in the passenger cockpit was Tom B. Colby, a representative for Berry Brothers Progressive Aircraft Finishes. Berry Brothers’ company name and information was emblazoned on the fuselage, and the ship was named The Wings of Progress. Meyers won a $5,000 purse; the total flying time was 30 hours, 23 minutes, and 15 seconds. After the derby, the Berry Brothers company bought the biplane to help market their Berryloid aircraft finishes. The following year, John Livingston flew a Waco 10 to a first-place finish in the 1928 Class B Transcontinental race from New York to Los Angeles. His total flying time was 22:56:59, and he won a $7,000 purse. Charlie Meyers flew a Waco 10 as well, finishing fifth with a flight time of 25:04:13, for a purse of $700.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SPARKY BARNES

TOP: Note the slot for the adjustable horizontal stabilizer. CENTER: The Waco GXE has four ailerons, roomy cockpits, and a passenger door on the front cockpit. RIGHT: The streamlined cowling encloses the 102-hp OXX-6 engine.

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LEFT: 1928 Waco GXE flying by Antique Airfield, enjoying the golden rays of the setting sun. RIGHT: Dan Neuman restored this Waco and painted it in the original Benz Gray colors.

A few months after the transcontinental race, pilot Ed Hedeen set a world record in an OX-5 powered Waco in November 1928. Accolades for the accomplishment were focused, of course, on the strength of the airplane in this company ad: “… He made 283 consecutive barrel rolls at Air City Airport, Wisconsin … exceeding the former record by 203 rolls! And yet, after this record flight, official inspection revealed that no adjustments whatever were necessary. His WACO was a regular stock model with more than 330 hours to its credit. Of this time, some 250 were student training hours in which the plane was rolled more than a thousand times, not to mention hundreds of loops and spins. Once more it is proven by performance that WACO planes, built for commercial and pleasure flying, are unsurpassed in safety, strength, and all-round utility.”

FLYING THE WACO GXE

Though Les hasn’t put his Waco GXE through such strenuous paces as Hedeen or 1920s flying students, he’s nevertheless quite pleased with his aerial steed. With his feet on the GXE’s rudder bar (as opposed to rudder pedals), hand grasping the solid wood control stick, ears attuned to the OXX-6 engine, and eyes trying to peer around its visibility-blocking radiator, Les can count on each and every flight invoking the intrigue and nostalgia of the golden age. “It’s just so cool; you look around when you’re flying — you see that big radiator hanging down from the center section and all the wing struts and bracing — and you go, ‘Wow!’ Then you go to land and you go, WOW… what am I doing in this thing?! Don’t break it!” Les said with a wry smile. “Someone told me it’s probably one of the most original Model Tens around, and all the pictures I see of other ones, they all have tail wheels and brakes; this one doesn’t.”

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After treating the author to an earlymorning flight, Les evaluated his landing technique. “See, I’m still learning. That wasn’t bad; that was a lot better landing than my first one,” he said. “It’s completely blind as far as forward visibility! I was flying around here yesterday evening and couldn’t easily keep track of all the airplanes. In a Cub, you’re like one, two, you can see them all. I always thought airplanes were cool and wanted to fly — and I love it!” And there were plenty of folks who loved seeing it and watching it fly during the 2020 Antique Airplane Association Annual Invitational Fly-In. Its presence on the flightline, tied down “shoulder to shoulder” with the “modern” Wacos, served as a remarkable reminder of the progression of airplane design and technological advances. NC4495 was the 2020 AAA/APM Grand Champion Antique, and previously won the 2019 Sweepstakes for the Antique (pre-1936) category. All due credit is given to its current caretaker, Les Gaskill, for keeping this antique flying. Les, in turn, heartily attributes all credit to the late Dan Neuman for the beautifully detailed restoration of this 1928 OXX-6 powered Waco 10 GXE.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SPARKY BARNES AND MEGAN VANDE VOORT

DON’T WAIT Get your AirVenture wristbands and credentials mailed to you in advance. We’re committed to getting you into the grounds as safely and quickly as possible. EAA.ORG/TICKETS

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The Ercoupe That Wasn’t Supposed to Be Derk Kingrey saves a little airplane from the graveyard

BY BUDD DAVISSON

January/February 2022

Dirk Kingrey was looking for a C-182 when an Ercoupe in serious need of TLC grabbed his heart. It proved to be a perfect match.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM CHRISTINA BUSHA BASKEN

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“ACTUALLY, I WASN’T LOOKING for an Ercoupe,” said Derk

Kingrey, of Brookville, Ohio, EAA 1012592. “In fact, I was actually looking for a 182 to rebuild. The only reason I was looking at the Ercoupe was because the owner asked me to give him an idea of what it was going to cost him to get it back in the air and whether I, being an IA, would be interested in fixing it. Before our meeting, he had described the damage to me in some detail, but even so, it was much worse than I expected. To outsource the work was going to cost him far more than the airplane was worth. While we were going through all of that, at no point did I even consider rebuilding it myself. No matter how you rationalize it, an Ercoupe can’t possibly provide the utility of a 182. Still — and I’m not exactly sure how this happened — by the time we were done talking, I wound up being the owner of a badly bent Ercoupe. I guess the 182 is going to have to wait.” Like so many others, Derk had just found out how easy it is to find yourself being sucked into a project, seemingly incapable of resisting it. It’s a well-known aviation affliction.

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Derk came to be a little-airplane owner in a different manner than most. His background doesn’t include hundreds of model airplanes hanging from his teenage bedroom ceiling. Nor did he solo on his 16th birthday. In fact, he didn’t learn to fly until he was in middle age. This even though almost every minute of every day for the 20 years right after high school he could be found with his hands and tools inserted well into the bowels of a variety of airplanes. However, most of those airplanes were F-5 Tigersharks, F-4 Phantoms, C-141s, and C-5s. “Before I graduated high school, I filled out the paperwork at my local USAF recruiter, not with any urge to be a pilot but to be a mechanic,” Derk said. “And that’s exactly what I did. For 20 years I worked on, and was crew chief on, a wide variety of aircraft, from the little F-5 to the C-5. When I retired from the Air Force in 2005, I returned to where I was born and raised in Ohio and went to work as a general aviation mechanic on the little airport at Phillipsburg. I had gotten my A&P while I was still the Air Force. In doing work there, owners would often ask me if I had test flown the airplane I had just worked on, and I had to say, ‘No, but I’ll ride along with you while you fly it.’” No one ever complained about Derk not having a pilot certificate, but he felt it was silly for him not to know how to fly.

It’s hard to believe this was once a nearly destroyed airplane.

“The guy I worked for, Mr. Miller, had built up a pretty good little business buying and selling older aircraft from the ’50s and ’60s,” he said. “Often, when he went out to pick up an airplane, I’d go along, and with him being a CFI, the trips would be long lessons where I did most of the flying. Because of that, when I finally got my license, I had flown quite a variety of general aviation aircraft. Then, for three or four years, I owned a Cherokee 140 with a friend. “Beginning in 2013, I set up my own business where I was doing annuals and minor repairs on whatever aircraft the local pilots owned, which typically were older aircraft,” Derk said. “That’s when a gentleman dropped in and told me of his woes with what he said was a damaged Ercoupe. I inspected it, and as I was explaining the complications of the needed repairs and it was obvious the insurance company was going to total it, I suddenly found an unexpected train of thoughts racing through my head. I hate to see any airplane go to the graveyard, especially one that I knew I could breathe life back into. So, I wound up with an Ercoupe in need of TLC.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM BUSHA AND MIKE ULLERY

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As is the case with just about every project airplane anyone has ever towed into their workshop, two usually predictable things happened at the same time. First, Derk found that the damage was more extensive than he originally thought and would require parts that were difficult to find. Second, he found himself playing the same game every other well-meaning aircraft builder has run into: As a particular component is brought back to flyable and then new condition, Derk found he was talking to himself and saying, “Well, if I’m going to clean up and fix this part, I might as well do the ones next to it.” As is almost always the case, that kind of thought pattern, coupled with the damage repair and parts sourcing, took a little longer than expected. “When I first looked at the airplane,” he said, “I was pretty sure I could get it flying again in about six months. If anyone had said it was going to take me two and a half years, I would have said they were nuts. Now, I’m glad I did it the way I did it. “One of the sort-of fun things that happened, depending on how you define ‘fun,’ was when my wife came to see our ‘new’ airplane,” he said. “She took one look at the battered hulk, which was totally disassembled and looking very woebegotten, and said, ‘Are you kidding me? That’s our new plane? I’m never going to fly in that!’ Now, of course, she loves it, but it wasn’t until I’d made it look more like an airplane that she warmed up to the project.”

January/February 2022

When the nose gear collapsed and the nose was stuffed into the grass, everything ahead of the windshield was crushed beyond saving.

The nose gear had folded on the sod field on which it had landed. Perhaps, the airplane simply stubbed its toe in a low spot. The resulting sudden encounter with the ground drove everything ahead of the firewall back into the fuselage and slammed one wing into the ground. So, what Derk carted into his workshop was a fuselage that looked really good, except that everything instrument panel forward was badly wadded up. “When the nose gear was driven backwards,” he said, “the lower part of the firewall was slammed back into the fuselage, and everything ahead of the windshield was pulled down. Lots of wrinkles and buckling. There really wasn’t enough to repair by just replacing panels and parts. “The good news about Ercoupes is that they were built in sections,” he explained. “Compartments, if you will, that were probably assembled in separate jigs, and then the component sections joined together to form the fuselage. Fortunately, all of the fuselage damage was confined to that front section. As I was to find out, that’s a common Ercoupe form of damage, so although all I needed was that front section, from the back of the windshield forward, finding that front section took some time.” Derk finally located a salvageable fuselage in Texas, but when he got it home, he found it was severely corroded in some areas.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM BUSHA AND MIKE ULLERY

“This was unfortunate, because among other things, the airplane I had bought was actually quite clean,” he said. “Very little corrosion anywhere! So, I couldn’t just rivet the newly acquired section in place. I wound up drilling out almost all of the rivets from both front sections and using the best components from each. It was a jigsaw puzzle, but at least I knew what it was supposed to look like. Some pieces I could straighten out, but others, like the entire top skin section between the firewall and instrument panel, required making an entirely new piece. “The cowling, of course, was heavily damaged,” he said. “Most of it was flat sheet and fairly easy to duplicate, but the bottom skin is compound, which was well beyond my skills. As it happens, my EAA chapter, 1335, was part of this project from the beginning. For instance, during one meeting, we got together and stripped the wings down, getting them ready for re-covering.” One of the chapter members even had an English wheel, so they tried repairing the bottom skin themselves. Derk said that didn’t turn out too good, but they had a lot of fun ruining some aluminum sheet. “The matter of finding specific parts for the Ercoupe was made somewhat easier because Univair owns the tooling and type certificate, so you can just go to their website, and in most cases, they’ll have what you need, but not everything,” he said. “However, if you’re trying to do this on a budget, as I was, I leaned heavily on Vernon Gregory in Swansee, South Carolina. He and his company, Precision Services Inc., salvage airplanes in general, but specialize in Ercoupes. He had a good lower cowl piece that, while it wasn’t perfect, it was close enough that I could straighten it out.”

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In a departure from originality, Derk’s friend, Mike Kiamy, covered the instrument panel in leather. It looks as if it came from the factory that way.

The Ercoupe wing is unique because it is cantilevered, so there are no struts, but most of each panel is fabric covered, which is unique for a cantilever wing. It has no flaps, and the full-length aileron is metalized. All flight loads are carried by the section forward of the main spar, which is a torque box. The ribs behind the spar go in a diagonal zigzag pattern rather than going fore and aft, as is usually the case. Fortunately, the wings on Derk’s Ercoupe were not heavily damaged. Three ribs and some leading-edge skin on the left one was it, although they did need re-covering. However, as he started work on the airplane, he quickly realized this was not going to be a case where he could throw a Band-Aid on a bunch of parts and call it good. “As I’ve said, I really didn’t start this project with the intent of doing a full restoration,” Derk said. “The airplane didn’t really need it. In fact, I didn’t even repaint the main part of the fuselage because the paint was so good. However, when I was rebuilding the forward section, I’d see something that wasn’t quite right, and some part of my brain couldn’t ignore it, even though it was probably completely airworthy as is. So, one thing led to another, and pretty soon the full restoration I wasn’t going to do turned into a full restoration. It was the old ‘I’ve gone this far; I might as well do this.’ For instance, I wound up rebushing the landing gear and going through the complete control system, cleaning up and rebushing pulleys and rod-ends. It took two and a half years because there was so much of it and because it was an ‘after work’ project. I would stay at the shop after hours and work on it until 10 p.m. many a night.

January/February 2022

“Fortunately, one of the smartest things I’ve done in my life was marrying the right woman, Amy,” he said. “Even though she initially thought I was crazy for trying to breathe life back into an aluminum cadaver, she quickly came around and supported me every way she could. Not only was I trying to reuse what was usable, but my main goal was to make it a really reliable, VFR, sunny-day driver. I was not trying to build an award winner, but I wanted an airplane my wife and I could enjoy and be proud of, and she was a vital part of actually finishing it.” Derk said the interior was an area he wanted to rebuild. “The instrument panel had been modified, but it hadn’t been butchered,” he said. “Some stuff that wasn’t needed had been added, but I was able to repurpose some of the slots rather than building an entirely new panel. For instance, I put an intercom into the hole where the VOR had been. The radio, an old Terra, still worked, so I couldn’t find a reason to replace it, as I did with an AT-150 transponder. One thing I did do, which was a definite departure from original on the panel, is that I had my friend Mike Kiamy cover the panel with leather. It looks stunning, and I’m told it looks like it should have come out of the factory that way.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM BUSHA AND MIKE ULLERY

“When it came to the upholstery, Mike, who does custom car upholstery, helped me,” Derk said. “We used the original seat cushions, and Mike stitched up the covers in a scheme that was as close to original as we could find. The floorboards were destroyed in the accident, so I built new ones using 12-ply aircraft-grade plywood and finished them like furniture, as if they were going to be visible, but they are covered.” Obviously, when an airplane decides to dig a hole in the dirt with its nose, using the Continental C85 as the primary digging tool, the engine suffers. “The propeller was trashed, but the engine itself didn’t look that bad, and I thought we could salvage most of it,” Derk said. “However, when I took it down to a local engine shop, the take-down revealed a cascading series of problems. It started with a cracked crankshaft. Then the cam was badly spalled, and, to quote the engine guy, the lifters were all junk. What we ended up reusing was the case and two cylinders. That was it.

“Of course, the baffling was crushed, but the real challenge was the oil pan,” hee said. “The small Continentals — the 65, 75, and 85 5 — all have an oil pan that is a metal, roundish, nearly balloon-looking thing, and this one had been een squashed close to being flat. I searched everywhere I could search but couldn’t find a usable one. So, my friend Mark Runge and I decided to try to save this one via a method neither of us had ever seen anyone try. It was an experiment. “We capped off the flange with a plate and installed a Schrader valve in it so we could put air pressure into the tank,” he said. “We had no idea what we were doing but figured I had nothing to lose. We didn’t know how much pressure to use, but through experimentation found that 12 psi would do the trick. We carefully heated 3- or 4-inch sections of each crease to a dull red, being careful not to get it too hot. In short order, we found the creases ballooning into shape. The more we did, the more we fine-tuned the heat and pressure to the point that the result was a perfectly usable oil tank. We couldn’t believe how well the procedure worked.” Derk added that anyone who wants to try the same thing should keep in mind that the mounting flange is brazed in place, so heat has to be kept away from that area or the joint will open up.

The leather work in the cockpit extended to the new seats.

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Not many airplanes offer the joy of open cockpit aviating combined with closed cockpit cross country comfort.

“When it came time to cover and then paint the wings and the new nose section,” he said, “I was scared to death. In the first place, I’d never done any serious fabric work and had never painted anything. I used Super Flight’s System 7 and sent them a couple of color samples for them to match the color. Fortunately, I had friends Mark Runge and Sean Saddler for help. They both knew fabric and paint, and Sean was in the middle of building his Just Highlander, which is featured in May’s EAA Sport Aviation. Between the three of us, everything worked out better than I could have imagined. I was so happy. And, yes, it’s purple but it’s a tasteful purple. Not one of the goofy purples!

January/February 2022

“Now that it’s finished and we’re flying it regularly, it is exactly what my wife and I were looking for, and we’re enjoying it [to] no end,” Derk said. “It’s a good flying airplane, comfortable for the two of us, and better yet, it gets us where we’re going on a minimum of fuel and overall expense. This little airplane fits us and our lifestyle much better than a C-182 would have. It’s funny how things work out, but sometimes they just do.” And that, folks, is what flying and saving vintage airplanes is all about.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM BUSHA AND MIKE ULLERY

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The Vintage Mechanic ROBERT G. LOCK

Engine Installations, Part 2 BY ROBERT G. LOCK

IN THIS ISSUE we’ll continue our discussion of engine installations and look at other areas of concern. I’ve been asked to continue this subject and expand to cover magneto switches, booster coils, primer systems, care of air filters, and whatever else comes up. MAGNETO SWITCHES AND BOOSTER COILS

So first let’s tackle magneto switches and booster coils, because they are interrelated. The purpose of the mag switch is to open or close an electrical circuit, causing the magnetos to be either hot or cold. The purpose of the booster coil is to provide a hot spark for engine starting purposes. The magneto switch has a common ground with a rotary switch inside to cause a ground or open circuit to the P-lead. The P-lead connects the mag switch to the magneto primary windings. It is recommended that P-leads be shielded wire, usually 18 gauge. The wire is connected directly from a terminal on the switch marked “L” or “R” to the left and right magneto. The shielding connects from the magneto case directly to the “G” (ground) terminal on the switch. The “G” terminal is connected to a ground on the airframe. This completes a positive grounding circuit from each magneto to the airframe. A few engines are mounted with rubber shock assemblies, which means there would be no direct path to electrical ground between the engine and the airframe. If this were the case, then there would be no ground circuit for the magnetos if nonshielded P-lead wire were used. Thus the need for shielded wire. However, most engines are now equipped with electric starters; therefore, there will be a complete ground circuit from the starter to the airframe. Thus a nonshielded wire could be used. All of my airplanes use nonshielded wire.

January/February 2022

FIGURE 1

Figure 1 shows a magneto wiring layout. The sketch shows a complete wiring schematic for magneto switch, ignition leads, P-leads, and booster coil installation. Note that this sketch shows both magnetos connected to the switch with a ground lead to the engine crankcase. Keep in mind that the magneto fires 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 and the engine fires 1-3-5-7-2-4-6, which means the No. 1 spark plug lead goes to the No. 1 cylinder, but the No. 2 spark plug lead goes to the No. 3 cylinder. Using the above magneto/engine firing order, one can easily see that the No. 7 magneto ignition lead goes to the No. 6 cylinder. Refer to Figure 1 . . . it’s easy!

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ROBERT G. LOCK

The magneto switch will have the posts on the back side lettered G for ground, R for right mag, L for left mag, and B for booster coil. Note that when the magneto switch is OFF, the booster coil is grounded. There aretwo types of booster coils—manually activated and electrically activated. Figure 2 shows a sketch of a manually operated crank-style booster coil and associated installation diagram. The manually operated hand-crank booster coil are mounted in the cockpit, and when the engine starting procedure was initiated, the pilot cranked the handle, thus creating a high-tension current that was introduced into the magneto. On the magneto distributor block there is a hole that is marked H; that is where the high-tension lead from the booster coil is inserted. When using a booster coil system, it is important to start the engine on the magneto that has the high-tension lead installed. In the sketch in Figure 2, it would be the left magneto. The electrically operated booster coil has only a push switch in the cockpit, which is engaged by the pilot during starting. The circuitry is the same as the manually operated system, but the coil can be mounted in the engine compartment. Refer to Figure 3. FIGURE 4

FIGURE 2

FIGURE 3

AIR FILTERS

Now let’s look at air filters, particularly for radial engines. In Figure 4 is an illustration of a Wright R-760 carburetor air scoop, heater, and air filter. The air filter is a series of heavy-mesh wire screens. These original air filters will not screen out small particles of dirt as well as a paper or foam filter. Thus it is imperative to keep these filters clean. Remove filter, blow from inside to outside with compressed air, clean in mineral spirits, blow dry again, then spray with thinned oil. The oil will help trap small particles of dirt. The time between cleanings will depend on where the aircraft operates. If the aircraft operates from a grass strip or areas where dirt can be ingested, the filter should be cleaned every 25 hours, concurrent with an oil change. These air filters were originally manufactured by the Air Maze Company and were a standard aircraft item. While lengths of air filters may differ, the diameters are mostly the same.

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Figure 5 is a sketch of a Boeing PT-13/17 air intake system. The air maze filter is item No. 11, and its part number is 5AWA, taken from the Boeing parts manual. ENGINE PRIMERS

FIGURE 5

Engine primers (see Figure 6) come in several different sizes. Some have a small-diameter piston and others have a large-diameter piston. The primer intake will be connected directly to the fuel screen assembly or gascolator. All primers have a locking mechanism to keep the engine from sucking fuel through the primer during operation. Radial engines will always prime the upper three or four cylinders. Primer leads with either can be ported directly into the intake valve chamber or into the intake pipe. The primer is nothing more than a simple hand pump. The primer shown on the right of Figure 6 has a locking arm that covers the pump and shuts off the fuel to the primer assembly. The piston and cylinder have a small diameter, thus requiring several strokes to force fuel to the upper cylinders of the engine. Lunkenheimer and Parker were the largest manufacturers of aircraft engine primers. When the plunger is pulled out, fuel is sucked into the barrel through a check or oneway valve. When the plunger is pushed in, this valve closes and the fuel is forced out through another check valve to the distributor valve on the engine. Primer lines from the distributor to the cylinders are usually hard-soldered stainless-steel tube 1/8 inch in diameter. Care must be taken to secure all primer lines with suitable clamps. Normally the distributor (1) clamps to the No. 1 cylinder intake pipe. Some engines attach the distributor directly to the accessory case, as in the Wright R-760. FIGURE 6

January/February 2022

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ROBERT G. LOCK

FUEL SCREENS

Fuel screens (refer to Figure 7), commonly called gascolators, are normally located in the lowest point of the fuel system. Inside the housing is a screen that strains particulate impurities from the fuel before entering the carburetor. Fittings will be marked “IN” and “OUT,” thus indicating fuel entering and exiting the unit. A drain valve will be found at the lowest point in the unit to clear it of the particles and any water that may have settled at this low point in the fuel system. OIL COOLERS

I now would like to discuss oil temperature problems, particularly my experience with the Wright R-760. I’ve never been around a Continental W-670 that has high oil temperature problems. I have had discussions with representatives from AeroShell lubricants, and the information I have is that its Oil W will operate to temperatures up to 250ºF (113ºC). You may have some control over oil temperature by the size of the oil tank. The New Standards have 8-gallon oil tanks, and we normally carry 5 gallons of oil. The hottest I’ve seen the oil is 88ºC, and that is on a very hot day. In the same type of heat, the Wright in my Command-Aire would run at 95ºC. To control oil temperature, an oil cooler can be installed. (Refer to Figure 8.) A brass oil cooler may be placed in the return line from the scavenge pump to the oil tank. If the aircraft was never equipped with an oil cooler, then placement and mounting issues will have to be resolved. A suggestion would be to find an identical aircraft that has an oil cooler installed and copy the installation. That will make the engineering work a bit easier to swallow. The sketch in Figure 8 shows a typical oil system with a cooler installed. In small-engine installations, the temperature control valve is an integral part of the cooler assembly.

FIGURE 7

I have been around oil systems on Pratt & Whitney R-985 engines installed in Boeing Stearman agricultural airplanes. When plumbing an oil system in an antique airplane where no data is available, I always refer to my trusty Boeing PT-17 Stearman manuals. Oil tube sizes are 1-inch diameter, and since the lines are low pressure, they are connected with Mil-H-6000-16 hose. The ends of all tubing sections are beaded using a beading tool. Maximum spacing between tubing at connections is one tube diameter, and the tubing should never touch because vibration will cause chafing and introduce small aluminum flakes into the oil screen. Use suitable clamps on each end of the hose and tighten to an oil-tight fit. Do not overtorque. Well, friends, that ends our discussion of engine installations. Now go out and have some fun!

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Message From the President SUSAN DUSENBURY, VAA PRESIDENT