VA-Vol-18-No-10-Oct-1990 by EAA Vintage Aircraft Association

STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

€ <3u ~ ~

by Espie "Butch" Joyce

I have told everyone in the past, fall is one of my favorite times of year to fly . It brings good weather and the changing of the leaves. Here in the foot hills of the Appalachian Mountains, we are starting to enjoy this colorful season. For the entire month of September, though, North Carolina has gone without rain . The goldenrods are blooming and with the dust of the dry weather I have come up with a terrible head cold. This condition has detracted somewhat from the joys of flying . Taking medication for my condition has allowed my friends to be the ones to haul me around in their airplanes. This past Saturday was a good example as I arrived at my hangar to find my good friend and past president of the Anti que/Classic Division, Brad Thomas. Brad told me he had come by to see if I would accompany him to a local fly-in just south of Mocksville, North Carolina. I agreed only after his as surance that he would also bring me home.

2 OCTOBER 1990

Brad flew along at no more than 2,000 feet so my ears would survive the trip. We arrived at a small, 2,200-foot strip known as "Tara". This grass air port is owned by Novaro Nichols, a USAir pilot. He and his wife were run ning around trying to park aircraft with the help of a number of good friends. This Saturday we had about 115 aircraft. It was not an EAA gathering per se, but most present were EAA members. The Tara get-together sta rted with just a few friends gathering, but has grown over the years by word of mouth to a looked-forward-to event. Thanks to Novaro and all for a good time. We look forward to next year. Good luck. After asking if anyone would volun teer for the Chairmanship of the Anti que/Classic Parade of Flight, Steve Nesse has volunteered for this duty. Steve has been a hard worker for us in the past and I am sure he will do a good job for your division with this new responsibility in the future. Former Chairman, Phil Coulson will be assist ing Steve this year for a smooth transi tion. Your Vice-President, Art Morgan and I have been working with Head quarters almost every day with the placement of a new communications center south of the big concrete taxiway . I have mentioned in the past that con vention activities are moving so uth.

The Antique/Classic Headq uarters in years past was really in the sticks when it came to convention activities, but times have changed this. Art and I are looking at a less populated area to park the Antique aircraft to better protec t them. I'll be able to give you a more detailed report on thi s mailer after our November Boa rd M ee ting . If any members have items they would like addressed at our boa rd meet ing, please let me know by leller or telephone. I am happy to report that the Anti que/Cl assic membership continues to grow. Also, our renewa l rate is the highest percentage of all th e EAA divisions. Your publication, VINTAGE AIRPLANE has continued to improve. We still have room for more improve ment, however, and other members love to read about your personal experiences. So please write us about them in let ter or article form. Thi s year, with world even ts and rising energy costs, will be a trying one for all of us. We, as a group, need to stick together and be ever vigilant to protect our freedom in the sky. En courage each of your fellow pilots to be safety conscious. Also, you need to ask a friend to join the EAA Antique/Clas sic Division. Let' s all pull together in one direction for the good of aviation. Joi n us and have it all.

PUBLICATION STAFF PUBLISHER

Tom Poberezny

VICE-PRESIDENT

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Dick Malt cDITOR Mark Phelps

OCTOBER 1990 • Vol. 18, No. 10

MANAGING EDITOR

Golda Cox

ART DIRECTOR

Mike Drucks

ADVERTISING

Mary Jones

Contents

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Norman Petersen Dick Cavin

Straight & Levellby Espie "Butch" Joyce

FEATURE WRITERS

George A Hardie, Jr_ Dennis Parks

AIC News/compiled by Mark Phelps

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Isabelle Wiske

Members' Projectslby Norm Petersen

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Jim Koepnlck Carl Schuppel

Mike Steineke

Flagship Navionlby Vic Giotto

Vintage Literaturelby Dennis Parks

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC

DIVISION, INC_

OFFICERS

President Espie " Butch" Joyce 604 Highway St. Madison, NC 27025 919/427-0216 Secretary George S. York 181 Sloboda Ave. Mansfield, OH 44906 419/529-4378

Vice-President Arthur R. Morgan 3744 North 51st Blvd. Mi!waukee, WI 53216 414/442-3631 Treasurer E.E. " Buck" Hilbert P.O. Box 424 Union. IL 60180 815/923-4591

DIRECTORS Robert C. "Bob" Brauer John Berendt 9345 S. Hoyne 7645 Echo Point Rd. Cannon Foils, MN 55009 Chicago. IL 60620 507/263-2414 312/779-2105 Gene Chase 2159 Carlton Rd. Oshkosh, WI 54904 414/231-5002

John S. Copeland 9 Joanne Drive Westborough. MA 01581 508/366-7245

Philip Coulson 28415 Springbrook Dr. Lawton. MI 49065 616/624-6490

George Daubner

2448 Lough Lane

Hartford, WI 53027

414/673-5885

Charles Harris 3933 South Peoria P.O. Box 904038 Tusla. OK 74105 918/742-7311

stan Gomoll

1042 90th Lane. NE

Minneapolis. MN 55434 612/784-1172

Dale A. Gustafson 7724 Shady Hill Drive Indianapolis, IN 46278 317/293-4430

Jeannie Hill

P.O. Box 328

Harvard, IL 60033

815/943-7205

Robert D. " Bob" Lumley Robert Lickteig 1708 Bay Oaks Drive 1265 South 124th St. Albert Lea, MN 56007 Brookfield, WI 53005 414/782-2633 50713732922 Gene Morris Steven C. Nesse 115C Steve Court, R.R.2 2009 Higl11tmd Ave. Roanoke, TX 76262 Albert Lea, MN 56007 817/491-9110 507/373-1674 S. H. "Wes" Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa. WI 53213 414/771-1545

DIRECTOR EMERITUS S. J. Wittman

7200 S.E. 85th Lane

Ocala, FL 32672

904/245-7768

ADVISORS John A Fogerty 479 Highway 65 Roberts, WI 54023 715/425-2455

Dea, Richardson 6701 Colony Drive Madisen, WI53717 608/833·1291

Vintage Seaplaneslby Norm Petersen

Lindbergh's Resting Placelby Dave Millikan

Great Escapelby Ron Ferrara

Oshkosh Judginglby Phyllis Brauer

Grand Champion Antique/by Mark Phelps

Grand Champion Classic/by Norm Petersen Page 18

Interesting Memberlby George Daubner

Wanderlust Strikes Againlby Andrew King

DC-3 on "Boats"lby Jeannie Hill

Pass It To Bucklby E. E. "Buck" Hilbert

Vintage Trader

Mystery Planelby George Hardie, Jf.

Page 21

FRONT COVER . . . EAA Oshkosh's Grand Champion Classic Cessna 195 with owner, Tom Hull in command. Photo by Jim Koepnick and photo plane flown by Colin Soucy. REAR COVER ... Grand Champion Antique Stearman flown by owner. Fred Nelson. Photo by Carl Schuppel and photo plane flown by Daryl Lenz.

The words EM, ULTRALIGHT, FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM, SPORT AVIATION,and the logos 01 EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INC., EM INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, EM ANTlOUE/CLASSIC DIVISION INC., INTERNATIONALAEROBATIC CLUB INC., WARBIRDS OF AMERICA INC., are registered trademarl<s. THE EM SKY SHOPPE and logos 01 the EM AVIATION FOUNDATION INC. and EM ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION are trademarks 01 the above associations and their use by any person other than the above associations is strictly prohibited. Editonal Policy: Readers are encouraged to subimit stones and photographS. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those 01 the authors. Responsibility lor aocuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. MateriaJ should be sent to: Editor, The VINTAGE AIRPLANE, Wittman RegionaJ Airport, 3000 Poberezny Rd., Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone: 414/426·4800. The VINTAGE AIRPLANE (SSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc. 01 the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. and is published monthly atVr:~mc.1 Regional Airport, 3000 Poberezny Rd., Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Second Class Postage paid at Oshkosh, WI 54901 and additional mailing offices. MemberShip rates lor EM Antique/Classic Division, Inc. are $18.00 lor current EM members for 12 month period of which Sf 2.00 is lor the pubtication 01 The VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Membership is cpen '0 all who are interested in aviation. ADVERTISING -Antique/Classic Division does not guarantee or endorse any product offered tf1rough our advertising. We invite constructive cnticism and welcome any report of Inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EM Antique/Classic Division, Inc. P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

VINTAGE AIRPLAN E 3

- of all ages - and aviati on interests. For more informati on call (414) 426 4800. We look forward to greeting and sharing the EAA AIR ADVENTURE MUSEUM with yo u.

Compiled by Mark Phelps

EAA AIR ACADEMY 1990 ADULT SESSIONS There is still time to register for the November Adult Air Academy Ses sions. Each five day session offers the opportunity to experience an inside view of EAA and the EAA Aviation Center, make new aviation fri ends and gain knowledge of the skills needed to build and restore aircraft. The schedule for the rest of '90 and a brief descripti on of each session follows: Novemb e r 5- 9/Aircraft Fr a bric Covering - Th e Superflite Process N o ve mber 12 - 16/Aircraft Fabric Covering -The Stits Process Participants should plan to arrive the day before and depart the day after the program dates above. The Registrati on fee for each session is $650 which in clud es program, accomm oda tion s , lunches, banquet and ground transpor tati o n in Oshkos h. Th e EAA Air Academy is a progra m of the EAA Aviation Fo undation, registrati o n is open to all. For more information or to pre-register, pl ease contact the Educa tion Office at EAA Headquarters (414) 416-4888. FLY IN VISITS TO THE EAA AIR ADVENTURE MUSEUM Fall will offer some beautiful flying days before Old Man Winter returns to the northern states. Consider the EAA AIR ADVENTURE MUSEUM in Osh kosh, Wisconsin for one of your fall sky sojourns. When you fly into Wittman Regional Airport , Museum staff will provide ground transportation to and from your plane without charge. The EAA Museum is an ideal destination for all aviation enthusiasts. Open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM and on Sunday from 11 :00 AM to 5 :00 PM for yo ur enjoy me nt , th e Museum offers something for everyone 4 OCTOBER 1990

GUGGENHEIM FELLOWSHIPS Through the support of the Guggen heim Foundation, the National Air and Space Museum sponsors a one year resi dent fellowship for scholars interested in hi storical and scientific research re lated to aviation and space. ELIGIBILITY: The Fellowshio is open to predoctoral and postdoctoral a ppli ca nts . Predoc to ral appli cants sho uld ha ve co mpl eted preliminary course work and examinations and be e n gage d in di sse rt a tion resea rc h . Pos td octora I applic a nts prefe ra bl y should have rece ived their Ph.D. within the past seven years. AWARD : Pre d octoral s tip e nd $ 13,000; Postdoctoral stipend $21 ,000. CONTACT: Guggenheim Fellow shi p, National Air and Space Museum , Interpretive Programs-3356B, 6th & In dependence A venue S.W., Washington, DC 20560 ; Attn : Ch e ryl B au e r, 202/357-1529. DEADLINES : Applicati o n and Proposals by : January 15. Notification by: April 15. Beginning Dates: Be tween Jul y 1 and October 1. A. Verville Fellowship The National Air and Space Museum has established the A. Vervill e Fellow shi p in honor of Alfred V. Verville, a noted avi ation designer. This is a com petitive nine to twelve month fell ow ship intended for the analysis of major trends, developments and accomplish ments in the history of aviation or space studies. ELIGIBILITY: The Fellowship is open to all interested candidates with demonstrated skill s in research and writing. An advanced degree in history, engineering or related fi elds is NOT a requirement. AWARD : 12-month fellow ship , $26,000. CONTACT: A. Verville Fellowship, National Air and Space Museum, Inter pretive Programs-3356B, 6th & Inde pendence Avenue S.W., Washington, DC 20560; Attn : Cheryl Baue r, 202/357- 1529. DEADLINES : Applicati o n a nd Proposa ls by: January 15. Notification by: April 15. Beginning Dates: Be

tween Jul y 1 and October 1. Fo r info rmation concerning o ther Smithsoni an Institution opportunities, pl ease cOl1lact: Office of Fe llowships and Grants, Suite 7300 - L 'Enfant Plaza, Smithsoni an Instituti on, Washin gton, DC 20560; 202/287-3271.

EAA OSHKOSH '90 AWARDS ANTIQUE AWARDS: Grand Champion - 1943 Stearman PT-17 (N63624). Fred Nelson, Gl en Ellyn, Illinois. Reserve Grand Champion - 1941 Mo noco upe 90AL (N 38922) . Bud Da ke, St. Louis, Missouri . Silver Age Champi on - 1929 Waco 10 ASO (NC768R). To m Co lli e r, Jonesboro, Georgia. Runn e r-up - 1930 Waco RNF (NCI29Y). Gene Lehman, Dayton, Ohi o. Conte mporary Age Champi on 1938 Taylorcraft (N21239). R.A. Hat fi eld, Meridian, Ohi o. Rurmer-up - 1934 Luscombe Phan tom (N272Y) . P. Douglas Combs, In cline Village, Nevada. Outstanding Open-Cockpit Biplane - 1940 Meyers OTW (NC26460). David C. Lau, Oconomowoc, Wiscon S In.

Outstanding Closed-Cockpit Biplane - 1936 Waco ZPF-6 (NCI7470). Phil Dacy, Harvard, Illinois. Out s ta nding Op e n - C o ckpit M o n op la n e - 19 41 R y an STM (NCI7343) . Bill Rose, Barrington, Il linois. Out s t a nding Cl ose d - Cockpit Mon o pl a ne - 1941 T a ylorcra ft (NC29654) . Lowell Baker, Effingham, Illinois. WORLD WAR II TRAINER/LIAISON AIRCRAFT Champion - 1943 Stearman N2S-4 (N4561N) - Stubbs, Schreier, Dunlap, Henderson, North Carolina. Rurmer-up - 1943 Stearman A75 Nl (N60M) - Ken Volk, Rho me, Texas. CUSTOMIZED AIRCRAFT Champion - 1946 Fairchild F-24 (NC81222) . Martin Propst, Jackson ville, Florida . Runner-up - 1943 Howard DGA 15P (N35RH). R o be rt Helmch en, Hampshire, Illinois. Outst a nding - 1943 St ea rm a n (N45747) . Carl Ha ys, Sa n Di ego, Cali fornia.

TRANSPORT CATEGORY Champion - 1938 Lockheed 12A (N99K). Kent Blankenburg, San Luis Obispo, Califomia . REPLICA ANTIQUE AIRCRAFT Champion - Wedell Williams "44" (NR278V). Jim Clevenger, Black Mountain, North Carolina. Runner-up - Beachey "Little Looper" (N288QB). Vem Dallman, E, Sparta, Califomia. UNIQUE ANTIQUE AIRCRAFT 1945 Spartan 12 (NX21962). William C. Kyle, Winston-Salem, North

Carolina.

CLASSIC AWARDS :

Grand Champion - Cessna 195 (N1504D) . Tom Hull, Hollywood, Maryland. Reserve Grand Champion Beechcraft Bonanza C-35 (N2017D). Sam James/Dave Slovachek, Colgate, Wisconsin. Class I (0-80 hp) - Aeronca Champ (NC81455). Richard Lyon/Fred Price, Thawville, Illinois.

Class II (81-150 hp) - Pi per Cli pper (N5526H). Charlie Hillard, Fort Worth, Texas. Class III (151 hp - up) - Stinson 108-2 (N9354K). Jim Weymouth, Westland, Michigan. Custom Class A (0-80 hp) Taylorcraft NC96440). Donald Claude, Dekalb, Illinois. Custom Class B (81-150 hp) - Er coupe (N93841). John Wright, Jr., Springfield, Illinois. Custom Class C (150 hp - up) Stinson 108 (NC108WW). Harry Whiting, Higden, Arkansas. Best Aeronca Champ - NC81520 - Gene Sigle, Ponca City, Oklahoma. Best Beechcraft - N5186C - Don and Georgene McDonough, Palos Hi lis, Illinois. Best Bellanca - N86845 - Warren Kronierger, Oak Park, Illinois. Best Cessna 120/140 - N9405A Jack Cronin, Denver, Colorado. Best Cessna 170/180 - N2681D Mike Willey, Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Reserve Grand Champion Antique winners, Bud and Connie Dake.

Best Cessna 190/195 - N195PD Paul Dougherty, Warrington, Pennsyl vama. Best Ercoupe - N2701H - Scott Olson, Lake Elmo, Minnesota. Best Luscombe - N2038K - Jim Rushing/Owen Bruce, Allen, Texas. Best Navion - NC4242K - Ronald Judy, Gate, Oklahoma. Best Piper J-3 - NC3426N - John Bramscn, Chicago, Illinois. Best Piper (other) - PA-12 (NC98979) - Bob McBride, Jr., Aus tin, Texas. Best Stinson - N400C - Tom and Loraine Zedaker, Las Vegas, Nevada. Best Swift - N80966 - Mark Hol liday, Lake Elmo, Minnesota. Best Taylorcraft - NC44493 John McDonald, Windom, Kansas. Limited Production Funk (NC1613N) - Dan Stoor, Savage, Minnesota. Most Unusual - Grumman Al batross (N888AC) - Mike Arthor, Scottsdale, Arizona. •

Reserve Grand Champion Classic winners, Sam James and David Siovachek. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

by Nf)r-m Veter-sen

A closeup of Roy Redman's Luscombe 8A reveals the Federal SC-1 skis rigged to the Luscombe gear with the coverings re足 moved. Roy's biggest wish in the wintertime in Minnesota is for more snow!

With its engine wrapped in a warm nose blanket, Roy Redman's pretty Luscombe 8A. N45646, SIN 2173, waits on skis for its owner to come out of the house and go flying! The scene is on Cannon Lake near Faribault, MN, Roy's home town.

This very pretty DeHaviliand Tiger Moth DH82C, N18840, SIN 1317, was recently restored by Wayne Edsall (EM 182214, NC 7085) of Bozeman, Montana. Obtained from Betty Cook in Maryland in 1987, the 1941 Tiger Moth was U-Hauled to Bozeman and restored, the first flight being made on April 30, 1989. It is hangared with another Tiger Moth (N5050C) and a Model 9 Fleet. 6 OCTOBER 1990

by Vic Giotto

decade ago, N4969K, among other neglected Navions, was not anywhere close to being recognized or considered for a nomination as "PRIDE OF THE FLEET." Vic Giotto, of Giotto's Aircraft Inte riors of San Jose, California, is the proud owner of N4969K. He found her in Davis, California - a model A225 that took many parts from another Navion to rebuild her. After about 10 years of work by physicians in the laboratory, with the help and guidance of Bob Holberg of Davis Air Repair, a heart transplant was performed and the model A was transformed into a model B with the aid of a beef-up kit. Plans and drawings from a Rangemaster were used to redesign the engine compart ment to conform to certification of a new powerplant - a 285-hp 10 520 B heavy case engine along with a three blade prop. Also installed was an IFR instrument panel, all new wiring, rocker switches, 3 way strobe system, Vernier controls, toe brakes, headliner with movable air vents and spot lites, new upholstery, tip tanks and a four-color Imron paint scheme consisting of red, maroon, orange and white.

All of this was accomplished in spite of some setbacks bent on doing her in, such as: a wheels-up landing which merely scrapped the bottom and dinged the prop - with no engine or crankshaft damage; and a car (Mercedes yet) driven by a woman under the influence of alcohol, which smashed through the locked hangar in San Jose and damaged the elevator and left wing section of N4969K. No fire or personal injury

resulted, f;)rtunately . This event could have been a tragic end for all concerned including Navion N4969K. After recuperating from major surgery, and in spite of all these mishaps, she flys proudly as Flagship of 1988 - leaving in her wake, - unfor getable memories of happy times, places, events and most of all, good friends who also have a similar admira tion for their very own Navion. •

The interior with its full panel looks as good as the exterior. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

VI~TA(3~ LIT~l?ATUl?~

b y ()ennis [)a.-Io ~

FIRST ISSUES - AERIAL AGE In the EAA Aviation Foundation's Boeing Aeronautical Library, there are over 630 different aviation magazines with the oldest dating back to 1908. Among these various titles there are a large number of first issues of these magazines. These initial issues can be very interesting for they usually have an editorial statement as to their purpose and the editors' view of the state of aviation at that place in time. In addi tion, the first issue gives a time capsule of what was considered important to the world of flight at the time the publica tion began. This is the second in a series in which these first issues are inves tigated. This month the subject is AERIAL AGE. AERIAL AGE was the only weekly

Lib.-a,-y/ .An:hives ()i.-ect().

American aviation publication to sur vive beyond the First World War. It was published from March, 1915 through July, 1923 by the Aerial Age Company of New York. The founding editor was H. Chadwick Hunter who was followed by G. Douglas Wardrop. Wardrop remained editor till the publi cation ceased. The contributing editor was Harry Woodhouse who was also editor of FLYING, the Aero Club of America's publication which was ab sorbed by AERIAL AGE in 1921. The first issue of March 21, 1915

Burgess-Dunne Seaplane 8 OCTOBER 1990

announced that the publication was taking the place of AERO & HYDRO as "The American aeronautical week ly." AERO & HYDRO had ceased in November 19 14. AERI AL AGE boasted of an initial subscription list of 10,000 and listed among its first sub scribers Katherine Stinson and Capt. Thomas Baldwin. The first issue had 24 pages but by June 1st it was up to 46 pages. T here were some introductory remarks by Henry Woodhouse, Manag ing Editor of FLYING, entitled "The Wonderful Prospects of American Aeronautics." "The prospects of American aeronautics are world-wide and wonderful and new developments take place constantly which open new prospects. For instance, after this ar

TABLE OF CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LEADING AMERICAN AEROPLANES

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46'-2' 6'-0' 6'-0' 550 'Q . ft.

Christofferson T. B

2 148'-0'

34'-0' 6'-0' 6'-0'

Heinrich T. B

I 40'-0'

35'-0'

TYO~E Ii BOO\' ,

. 2 skids

Flaps

20'-0' Nacelle

36'-0'

30'-0' 6'-0' 6'-0" 350'Q. ft.

51'

41 hrs.

41 hr•.

Hall-Scott 8cylV

100

Ailerons

Curtiss

8 cyl V

90-100

Gyro

9cy!. Rotary

110

41'

Gyro

7 cy!. Rotary

80 90

2 wheel. 2 skids

36'-0' 5'-0' 16' _0' 352 .q. ft.

26'-0" Fuselage

2 wheel. I skid 2 wheel.

Small Flaps

I I

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7 cy!. Rotary

Small Flap.

, Gnome

14 cy!. Rotary

i24,_0"

Aileron. Aileron.

4 hr•.

4\ h ...

4 I'

51'

5 h ...

41"

6 •

4 hr•.

100

4\'

41'

4 hI'S.

90- 100 100

4' 5 •

5' 5 II

5 to 8 hrs.

34'-0"

34'-0' 0'-0'

350 .q. ft.

Mahogany 25'-0' Fuselage

30'-0'

30'-0' 6'-0" 6'-6'

300sq . ft .

Mahogany 25'-0' Fuselage

2 wheel.

Aileron.

Curtiss or 8cyl V lIall-Scott 8 cyl V

Ailerons

Gyro

7 cy!. Rotary

41"

5hrs.

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Au9lro Daimler

6 cy!. Verticle

4j'

5\"

5 hr•.

flO

4j'

4 I'

4 h ...

40'-0"

400sq. ft.

26'-0" ' Fu.elage

• Mayo T. B

39'-11" 39'-11' 6'-0" 5'-10" 455 sq. ft.

29'-4' Fuselage

2 skid. 2 wheel.

360 .q. ft.

26'-0' Fu.elage

2 skid. 2 wheel.

32'-0" 6'-0' 6'-0" i 350 SQ. ft.

Fuselage 26'-0· motor in

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Fuselage

24'-0' 5'-0' ,5'-6' 300sq. ft.

Cap

130

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2 wheels 2skids

Martin T. B

Wright P . B

ISalmson

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Gallaudet T. B

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31i'-0" 32'-0'

40'-0' 5'-0' 6'-6'

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ticle had been written word was received that the Navy Department has ordered the Naval Militia throughout the country to organize aviation corps, the Navy Department to provide two aeroplanes and spare parts to each division, which means about one hundred aeroplanes to be employed in

this plan alone. "While the most immediate and sub sta ntial demand is for military aeroplanes, that does not by any means constitute the most substantial prospect of the American aeronautical industry. Aeronautics is fast becoming related to every line of human endeavor, and is

about to extend from the military period into the period of aerial navigation, as a popular sport and for utilitarian pur poses." Along the lines of aviation as a popular sport the editor had some com ments on water flyng - "Water-flying promises to become popular this sum-

Martin Military Tractor VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

mer. A number of prominent sportsmen have ordered, and others are planning to order, flying boats and hydroaeroplanes for the coming season. This is not surprising. Faster than any water or land craft, the airboat carries its pas足 sengers over the water or on the surface of the water and can cut across promon足 tories and soar over land and even mountains to reach other bodies of water. It does these things easily at a speed from 50 to 80 miles an hour."

FEATURES There were three short features in the first edition of the magazine. One by N. MacCoull was entitled "American Aeronautical Engines," one by Walter H. Phipps was called "Latest American Military Type Aeroplanes" and the other was about Katherine Stinson. AIRCRAFT - The article on American military airplanes gave praise for the efforts in this area which is in contrast to the opinions at the end of the First World War. - "Considering the substantial crop of latest American aeroplanes one cannot doubt that the

Thomas Military Tractor

Sturtevant Motor 10 OCTOBER 1990

American aeroplane constructors are ready to meet any demand for machines for sport, military and general purposes, and to deliver as efficient machines as can be had anywhere." Eleven new military aircraft were listed, all of which were two-seat biplanes. Five of the aircraft were powered by rotary engines, one by a radial, two by in-lines and three by V 8s. Horsepower ranged from 60 to 130. As the First World War had been in progress for over seven months, it is interesting to note that none of these military machines had any armament. ENGINES - The feature on American aeronautical engines dis cussed the difficulties of development. - "The aeroplane engine presents some of the most difficult problems known in mechanical engineering. The automobile engine has presented in numerable difficulties to the designer and though the best engineering brains in the country have been concentrated 011 these problems for several years, there is still possible an enormous development. It seems as though the

greater the progress, the greater the pos sibilities that are revealed for still fur ther progress." There was included a table which listed details of engines from a dozen American manufacturers. Most of the engines were water cooled and of these about half were V8s. The other half were in line and ranged from four to six cylinders. Of the 31 engines listed, only nine were air-cooled and most of these were rotary engines. KATHERINE STINSON - It was reported that Miss Stinson had been flying at San Antonio and devoting con siderable time to promoting interest in aviation in the schools. Every student of the San Antonio schools had been receiving instruction, some by actual rides in the air. The feature also reported that her younger sister, Mar jorie, had recently obtained her pilot's license and that her two brothers were being instructed in aviation and ex pected to have their licenses soon.

COLUMNS AERIAL AGE also has two regular

Katherine Stinson with young student. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

American Aeronautical Engines

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columns, One was about model avia tion called "Model News" and the other was a humorous approach to aviation news called "Aeronitis," AERONITIS ~ This column con tained quips and quotes either new or reprinted from other sources, One story in the first issue goes: "An aviator, whose claim to the appelation was based on his ability to fly his machine round a big field on a calm evening, had been taken by a get-rich-quick promoter to fill an engagement in a Southern town, The flying fi eld was the usual ball park with the back fence Gi'Opped, The flyer got out in fine shape as the weather was good, but on returning he couldn' t hit the hole in the fence and came over it. His wheels touched first at the diamond and ran smash into the comer. The ends of the wings meeting the converging fences at the comer arrested in their breakage the momentum of the machine before the seat was impurged against the fence. The aviator, dazed, was being assisted by an elderly native in the operation of extracting splinters from himself, when the latter made in puzzled tones the following inquirey: 'Say, pardner, how do ye stop that dam thing when you ain't got no fence?'" 12 OCTOBER 1990

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The rest of the editorial content of the issue consisted of short reports on avia tion news at home and overseas, SCRAP THEM ~ "There are about one-hundred motors in this country be tween three and five years old, American and foreign, that should be scrapped, They are a danger to the aviators and a reflection to up-to-date aeronautics, Scrap Them!" FRENCH AEROPLANES "During these six months (since the start of the war) the aerial squadrons made about 10,000 reconnoitering flights, corresponding to more than 18,000 hours of flight. These flights represent a dis~ance covered of 1,080,000 kilometers, or, in other words, twenty five times around the world." PASSENGER CARRYING AT HEMPSTEAD - "Judging from the number of passengers who were carried for flights at the Hempstead Plains avia tion field on March 13th, it looks as if flying is destined to become quite the popular fad this season. On Saturday twenty-five flights were made when Mr, Henry Woodhouse entertained a party from the Aero Club of America." ARMY TRACTORS ~ "Eight Cur tiss tractors and extra motors, the flying

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equipment of a squadron, have been ordered for the U, S, Army aviation section, The machines are to be equipped with 90 hp, Curtiss motors," (This probably refers to the Army order for Curtiss IN-2s.) ADVERTISEMENTS The state of the aviation industry in 1915 is reflected in the amount of adver tising in the fust issue of AERIAL AGE, Of the 24 pages of the issue, eight pages were of advertising, Curtiss had two full pages of ads, one for the Curtiss Flying Boat and one for Curtiss motors. Half-page ads were taken by six com panies. These included Sturtevant for a motor, Burgess for a seaplane, Gyro for a rotary motor, Martin for its tractor biplane and Huntington for its biplane, Other items advertised included instru ments, flying suits, radiators and model airplanes, There was also a classified section which listed used airplanes and equipment for sale, In this issue there was a 1913 Curtiss flying boat and a 220 hp Anzani motor for sale, During its first year AERIAL AGE published 632 pages of up-to-date infor mation on the emerging aviation in dustry in the United States . •

by Norm Petersen

This photo of a Keystone-Loening K-84 Commuter was taken at the Oakland, California Airport by noted author, Peter Bowers, in June of 1941. Powered with a Wright J6-9 of 300 hp, the four-place Cummuter saw extensive service in the early 1930's as a working amphibian with some forty examples built. A useful load of 1220 Ibs. combined with a 90 mph cruise speed, made the $16,800 price tag viable in 1930. This particular aircraft, NC10248, SIN 324, was built at the approximate mid-production pOint.

Dripping water on the ramp after a short flight from San Francisco is this Loening "Air Yacht" C2H amphibian, used in the early 1930's for the Oakland-San Francisco ferry runs. Capable of hauling eight passengers, the 525 hp 'Wasp" engined Air Yachts gave six-minute service, dock to dock. This photo came from an old glass negative in Peter Bower's collection. Note the skid used instead of a tailwheel and the decals on the Hamilton propeller. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

LINDBERGH'S RESTING PLACE by Dave Millikan HAWAII - warm, wet, dry, lush and a pretty vacation spot. I never thought of going to Hawaii until my son got a duty station in Japan. So off to the bookstores for several tourl guide books. Only after skimming several did I real足 ize that Lindbergh's grave was on Maui. In 1989 we did two islands (Kauai & Hawaii) and didn't make it to MauL In '90 we had a chance to visit our Far East family again and their choice was Maui and Oahu. Another check of the books showed that the Hana area was sorta off the beaten path and a neat place to go. Hana is a small town on the East side of MauL Lindbergh's grave is about 10 miles beyond Hana but the getting there is something else. The tour books describe the trip to Hana so I'll leave it at a three hour trip to go 51 miles 足 decent pavement but maybe 500 curves and pretty country. Route 31 beyond Hana deteriorates to more curves, nar足 14 OCTOBER 1990

row road and a few steep slopes at the road edge. Many visitors drive it daily through a semi-wet forest to reach Oh'eo Gulch (also known as the Seven 1!Lt!:z:z~~::::s~_.gD ~:.;,:::j"'"

For nine miles beyond Lindbergh's gravesite, the road continues, unpaved and "off limits to rental cars" whatever that means.

The author at the gravesite.

Sacred Pools). More than one tourist has looked at a few waterfalls and a couple of small pools and wondered why they spent half a day for this and

now had to do it again to return to civilization. The Seven Pools is in the early stages of development by the Na tional Park Service and has few

amemtles other than rest rooms (no water) and some control of the hiking trails. The park has a gorgeous seacoast with huge rocks and frothy waves within a five minute walk from the park ing lot. On to the Palapala Hoomau Church and Lindbergh. Continue on Route 31 the same direction that got you to the park and note the sign "leaving the Seven Pools Park." The church road is 0.9 miles ahead from this sign. About half way there pass a small church on the right and several dwellings on the left marked "Kapu" (keep out). Route 31 here is not paved but is compacted dirt and stone and useable. Approach ing .9 miles is a pasture on the left about 500 ft. square. At the far end of the pasture is a water tank and a road to the left with a metal cattle gate which is open. You're there. Drive down the short rough road and tum left into the church parking lot (room for several dozen cars). The church is open and has a guest book. Lindbergh's grave is at the east end of the small cemetery next to the church as shown in the photographs. It's worth the trip and you can almost hear the Ryan's Wright Whirlwind and the Lockheed's Allisons droning over head just above the broken clouds. When I returned from Hawaii with photos, most everyone wanted to know how Lindbergh got to Hana. I had to check a biography to find out. Lindbergh did many pioneering flights for Pan Am in the 1930s and was later on the Pan Am board. Also on the board was Sam Pryor who owned several thousand acres in the Hana area. Sam Pryor sold some acreage to the Lindberghs and they built a home there. Actually this took place in their later years and Lindbergh did not get to spend extensive time there before he died of lymphatic cancer. Many remember the kidnapping but a lot of us have forgotten that the Lindberghs went on to raise five other children. Those who fly can easi ly relate to the fascinating trips they took in the Lockheed Sirius floatplane. Many do not realize he flew a few com bat missions in the South Pacific as a tech rep (A story in itself - 50 missions and 179 combat hours. A few in Cor sairs and most in P-38s. One Japanese plane downed) or that he almost died in his first parachute jump in Kansas in 1925. c.A.L. is a legend worth remember ing . • VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

could see Murfreesboro, Tennessee's junior version of gridlock developing. More and more cars were appearing, filled with folks in a hurry to get some where. As 1 lazily passed overhead, smoke from a nearby fire indicated that there had been a shift in the wind. This necessitated flying over the airport to check for traffic, although it was still too early for most students to be out. What a pity, they missed some of the best flying of the day . As 1 cut the power to idle and entered a glide, that freight train sound again reminded me of how different this type of flying was. Clearing the engine on base leg, 1 set up for a full stall landing, slipping slightly in order to make the first taxiway. The landing was "a little rough" and 1 was surprised and disap pointed until I realized 1 had violated one of the cardinal rules of taildragger flying . I had failed to hold the yoke all the way back and the tail wheel was not firmly on the ground. This poor perfor mance required another attempt. When I applied full power, the notorious hesitation which seems to be inherent to the Stromberg carburetor told me that I had pushed the throttle too fast. 1 circled back around the pattern to another landing which, as the yoke was now firmly back, was much more ac ceptable. After refueling, I attempted to find someone to give me a prop. Unfor tunately, I was back in the modern world of liability insurance. I finally did persuade someone to sit in the cock pit and hold the brakes without consult ing their lawyer, as I propped the engine myself. As I taxied back to the hangar I was a little saddened thinking about how much the world of aviation had changed over the years. The sense of excitement and adventure has been replaced, to a large extent, by the modern concept of monetary return. Many students don ' t really seem to enjoy flying for itself, but are attracted by the salaries they believe pilots earn. The joy and commitment that I remem ber seem to be less prevalent in many of today's students. I fly alone most morn ings in spite of a standing invitation for anyone to join me. I guess 1 am just a low-tech pilot trapped in a high-tech world and I oc casionally like to escape to a simpler time. I am lucky enough to have a time machine available to me that allows me that escape, at least for a little while, in the cool, clear, early Tennessee morn ings . •

IIEAT ESCAPE

by Ron Ferrara

At six a.m. the sun was at war with wispy remnants of ground fog. I was barely alert as I rolled open the hangar door. With the door fully open the blue and white Taylorcraft looked anxious to be set free. This vintage airplane was my personal vehicle for time travel back to 1938. As a mechanic and flight in structor in today's complex world of HSIs, loran and digital electronics, I was looking forward to the next hour or so in the much simpler world embodied in this airplane. A well maintained 52 year-old aircraft gives meaning to the adage, "quality need have no fear of time." The 1938 BL65 Taylorcraft was con verted to a BC65 by installation of a Continental engine at some point in the distant past. The tail wheel was an im mediate indication of age. So was the instrument panel. It had a large faced tachometer that indicated backwards (or is it the modem ones that indicate back wards?), with an oil temperature and pressure gauge built into the face . The instrumentation was completed by the mandatory altimeter and airspeed in dicator. Nothing fancy . Nothing un necessary . No radios, gyros or electronics to mar the simplicity. Each instrument provided the information necessary for flight. I thought about how strange this unadorned panel would appear to many of my students. Most were totally unfamiliar with this austerity, this innocence. They were trained to the world of master switches, warning lights and radio checks. Un doubtedly this airplane would seem un natural to them . The starting procedure itself is foreign to the modem aviator. The idea of tying the tail of an airplane to a fence and spinning the prop by hand brings a smile to modem faces, except insurance company representatives and some FBOs. While introducing one of my students the joys of flying antique and classic airplanes a few days earlier, 1 was turning the prop through while priming the engine. The student, in all seriousness, asked, "Why don't you just tum it through with the starter?" My 16 OCTOBER 1990

reply was, "I am!" Slowly a look of understanding ap peared on his young face, followed by a large smile. "I don't know if 1 am ready to fly in this thing or not," he said, only half in jest. The procedure of using S turns to see in front of the airplane and an abbreviated run-up were also revela tions to the future airline pilot. One of the joys of flying this type of airplane is that if you pay attention it actually communicates with you. The special sound of the 65-hp. Continental clawing its way into the sky, the smell of the hot engine during a climb, and the loping of the engine in a glide, a sound that always reminds me of a freight train, all combine to tell the pilot what is happening. The lack of radios and electronics increases the tendency of the pilot to look out the windows for traffic rather than relying on position reports. Large barn door size ailerons quickly teach the pilot about the proper use of rudder. The airplane is light and boun cy, responding to every changing air current. The long wingspan, without flaps, exhorts the pilot to perfect the maneuver of the side slip. With a land ing speed of 35 mph and mechanical heel brakes, this airplane is a gentle teacher. The takeoff on this cool morning was uneventful and the rate of climb some what better than normal. The escape to the past had begun. Leveling off about 1,000 feet agl I headed away from the sleeping city. Once over the open country I picked up Interstate 24 head ing south. Off the right wing was a loaded 18-wheeler challenging me to a race. I accepted the challenge and closed in. 1 was indicating 85 mph with a groundspeed somewhat less and he was pulling away. We rounded a bend and I closed the gap a bit. It was close but I finally took him on the hills to the south. Rocking the wings as 1 turned back north 1 caught the flash of head lights and the wave of an arm out the open window. 1 had to believe that he enjoyed this little diversion as much as I.

Descending gently over the city I

IT HAS TO FLY A report on aircraft judging at EAA Oshkosh by Phyllis Brauer

"It

has to fly." That is a prime re quirement of all antique and classic Grand Champions, explained Dale Gus tafson, antique judge chairman. "Yes, and it has to be factory fresh," added George York, classic judge chair man. "That means as original as pos sible," he said. "When these planes left the factory, they had certain paint schemes and wheel pants which must be present now." As a matter of fact, the authenticity must extend to the same types of nuts and bolts used in the original construc tion. All features, major as well as minor, must conform to the original manufacture. "Of course, we have to make al lowances for radios and other safety equipment to comply with FAA regula tions," said Dale. "We also allow for the owner's utilization of the aircraft." To qualify for Grand Championjudg ing an aircraft must be flown to or at Oshkosh and must be licensed, but not

every plane that comes to the conven tion is judged. When an antique or clas sic airplane is registered, the owner may indicate that the plane is to be judged. But no matter how much time and effort a pilot has devoted to his plane, it is all for naught if it is not registered by 11 :59 a.m. on Wednesday. Dale said that this deadline is ab solute because, "It's still a manual operation although I am always trying to think of shortcuts. In addition, Bob Ladd, A wards Chairman, needs time to get the plaques engraved. During this past convention Dale and his staff judged approximately 80 planes, and George and his assistants evaluated nearly 400. George is a charter judge who has been on the job since 1971 while Dale started in 1975. All the judges devote long hours each day to deliberations, "And long nights, too," interjected Faye, Dale's wife. "He takes his work home with him to the hotel."

After a plane wins Grand Champion, it is no longer eligible for competition at Oshkosh. "It has reached the pinnacle. He's (the owner) won all the marbles," said Dale. The panel of judges for this past convention was as follows : ANTIQUE JUDGES Chairman, Dale Gustafson; Co Chairman, Peter Covington; Gene Chase, Gene Morris, Dave Clark, Dave Morrow, Don Caleman, Bob Kitslaar, Dave Anderson, Charlie Bell, Bob Wil son, Steve Dawson, Bill Johnson, Mike Shaver and Faye Gustafson, secretary. CLASSIC JUDGES Chairman, George York; Co-Chair man, Paul Stephenson; Bob Hilbert, Marvin Hoppenworth, Chuck Johan son, Terry Ladage, George LeMay, Dean Richardson, John Womack, Frank Moynahan, Jerry Gipner, Mike Ham mer and Jim Alford. Classic judges are assisted by Deb Hauser and Jean LeMay . • VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

FULL CIRCLE The story of a Grand Champion Stearman by Mark Phelps

t takes a scrupulously correct airplane to win Grand Champion honors at EAA Oshkosh. Judging standards include details as minute as correct hardware fasteners, clamps and exact placement of markings and placards. Sometimes, the key that turns the judges' head can be a seemingly innocent detail. Fred Nelson says that his acquisition of an authentic World War II vintage Stear man battery may have garnered him the big prize this year after he had won Reserve Grand Champion status for the past two Conventions. The battery was the icing on the cake for Fred who has become an expert on Stearman trivia over the eight years it took to restore his airplane and the three years he's had it flying. It started with a complete set of factory blueprints that showed how everything went together, right down to which way the slotted screws should be turned. Other details on the blueprints included the correct layout of the two instrument panels, the routing of the pitot-static system, specifics on the rigging, how the cockpit coaming should go as well as the correct placement of the gaskets on the windshield frame . There were pieces of molding on the outboard edge of the wingwalk that Fred has never seen on another Stearman but they show on the blueprints so they appear on Fred's airplane. You have to look closely at the under sides of the wings, but there is a line of grommet holes that run along the span at about the mid-chord point. At first, Fred thought they were drain-holes, despite their location at a relatively high point of the wing in the three-point at titude. Besides, there are matching drain holes at the trailing edges of each wing. Fred installed the grommet-holes even though their purpose was a mystery. They were on the blueprints so they went on the airplane. Fabric specialist, Ray Stits commented that he knew he was looking at a serious Stear man restoration when he saw the holes, although he could shed no light on their purpose either. The answer came at EAA Oshkosh '89 when Fred was dis cussing the holes with a judge, who also couldn't shed any light on the mystery. An anonymous World War II mechanic stepped forward from the crowd and 18 OCTOBER 1990

told them that after a groundloop, of which there were many, the mechanics could test the wings by inserting a stiff piece of wire, bent at the end, into the wing through the grommet-hole and strumming the bracing wires along the span. Any discordant notes would reveal a wrenched or twisted wing and the need for further repairs. If the wing sounded in proper tune, it was returned to service without the need for uncover ing the wing to inspect it. With the number of oopses encountered by Stear mans during cadet training, this feature must have saved countless hours of maintenance.

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Besides the details learned from the blueprints, Fred liberally consulted the Smithsonian Institution and Ken Wil son of the Stearman Association for in formation on the placement of markings, stencils and colors. The Stearman is covered with modem Stits fabric but the nitrate and butyrate dope are consistent with what would appear on a 1943 Army Stearman. It doesn't shine like today's urethane finishes, but that would not be true to it's Army Air Corps heritage. Fred 's Stearman was rolled out of the Boeing factory in May 1943 and went immediately to Fletcher Field in Clarksdale, Mississippi. It spent about 1,500 hours bringing green cadets up to speed on what makes an airplane fly . After military service, it was surplused to a banner-towing operation and wended its circuitous way through some 15 documented owners to Fred's garage in 1980. It was a classic basket case. There was a facsimile of an engine, a broken crankshaft and the rest of the airplane in pieces less seats and instru ment panels. Fred had stretched his budget to its limits to buy the project so initial progress was slow. He began scouring the country for parts and pieces, build ing up an impressive inventory of original Stearman treasure along the

way as he executed the sweat-work in his spare time. His advice on how to complete a project of this magnitude is simple yet profound. "Complete one project before moving on to the next. If I had gone from one fun part of each project to the next without completing the boring parts, pretty soon I would have ended up with nothing but boring work to do." It's been said that an airplane is completed when, one day, the builder finds that he has simply run out of things to do. Fred is quick to point out that he was not alone. Helpers included his son, Fritz, PJ. VanReeth, Will Windmill, and Cory Linnane. A special vote of thanks goes out to George Reeves who built the wings over two and a half years. Other Stearman rebuilders ex press disbelief when Fred tells them who did his wings. In his 70s, George said that this set of Stearman wings would be his last and there was no shortage of bidders, his reputation is that impressive. Fred believes that his many trips to Dacy Aviation in Harvard, Illinois where George had his shop con vinced the craftsman that his Stearman was worthy of the wings. Another contributor was Martha Miles, a student at Wheaton College, four blocks from Fred's house in Glen Ellyn. She answered Fred's ad for a housepainter when his Stearman work started to supercede his ability to take care of his home. In the course of her housepainting, she saw the airplane in the garage, thought it was a boat at first, but soon began spending all her spare time working on the Stearman. She is now working toward a private pilot license. There were other visitors as well. Fred puts them into two basic categories. Many people remarked how much fun the Stearman would be when it was finished. He could see the twinkle in their eyes and feel their sup port and optimism. These people in spired him to continue the project, but he confesses that the ones who gave him his real motivation were the ones who politely told him that he should realize he would never finish the airplane and he'd better get used to the idea. "I deter mined that I would prove them wrong if it was the last thing I did. Funny, none of those people have shown up lately." If they get around to Fred's garage again, they'll find that he's added an "Oshkosh Oscar" to his collection of Stearman parts.

Fred Nelson and his Grand Champion Antique Stearman.

The aircraft would have its first duty assignment stenciled on the side. As aircraft moved from base to base, they mayor may not have the new information sten足 ciled on the fuselage depending on how much time the mechanics had avail足 able.

The panel, mahogany foot plates and hickory control sticks are original Boeing parts and the battery is an authentic, functional 50足 year-old artifact. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

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Stearman restorer Fred Nelson attired for aviating, Stearman style.

Even the hose clamps are original parts and the en足 gine compartment is spotless. Well, everything can't be "the way it was." 20 OCTOBER 1990

Tom Hull's Cessna 195 in flight over Lake Winnebago.

Real metal wheel pants for a Cessna 195 don't grow on trees.

This is the authentic spinner around which the story is based.

The Cessna's panel remains largely unspoiled, except for the modem tools of tootling through East Coast airspace.

The cabin Cessna was early competition for the Bonanza market but the big round engine was no match for the economy of the more modern flat-six. The cabin, though, is much more accommodating. Tom Hull of Hollywood, Maryland. The airplane has been in the family for two generations.

22 OCTOBER 1990

1990 GRAND CHAMPION CLASSIC Tom Hull's 195 Cessna or "Where is my spinner?" by Norm Petersen Th e scene was the annual EAA gathering at Lakeland, Florida called Sun 'n Fun and the time was April 1989. The warm sunshine and pleasant condi tions were most welcome to a snowbird from Wisconsin. In a stroke of pure luck, I had been asked to fly co-pilot with the father and son team of Steve and Scott McLain in their highly polished Navion from Waukesha, Wis consin to Lakeland. Following a pleasant seven-hour flight, including an overnight in Chattanooga, Tennessee, we arrived in fine shape and immedi ately the next morning, I began to ex plore the Antique/Classic area. Standing next to a sharp looking Cessna 195 was a gentleman by the name of Tom Hull, pilot and owner of N1504D. In talking to Tom, it was ob vious that he knew Cessna aircraft and what makes them tick. He explained how the restoration came to pass when he purchased the 195 from his father's estate in 1979. The airplane had been in the family since 1962 when his father, a TWA Captain, bought the five-placer at a sheriff's sale. Tom had flown in the aircraft many times as a young child, sitting in his father's lap and holding the control wheel with his small fingers. Some time later, Tom Hull soloed a J-3 Cub on his 16th birthday (his father was his instructor) and passed his private license checkride on his 17th birthday in a Cessna 170. After graduating from high school, Tom en rolled in Parks Air College, Cahokia, Illinois, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineer ing. His friends still remember him as the "Baron" of second floor, C-Block. One of the interesting things I remember at Sun 'n Fun '89 was in going over the 195 with Tom, I com mented on the original pointed propeller spinner on his airplane, one that is not often seen on restored 195s. Tom ex plained how the front half of the spinner was cracking and he was in a quandry as to how to fix it. I calmly explained that I had the front half of a 195 spinner among my airplane "junque" back in Wisconsin. Tom must have jumped two feet in the air! When he came down, we struck a deal that he could have the spinner when I located it in my garage. Would you believe I have so far been

unable to find the blasted spinner in all my stuff? It was given to me over 20 years ago by a Flying Farmer by the name of Ben Leinenweber in St. James, Minnesota, who had owned a Cessna 190 at one time. Ben always liked the Cessna 180, 182 and 190 because, "When you grab a handfull of throttle, by God, somethin' happens!" For years, Benny would fly fishing trips far into Canada in scud and muck that was unfit for the ducks to fly in. In the soup, he would often poke along at 100 feet over the highway, with the flaps down, trying to find the next town. We all told him how dangerous it was and one day, he would eat an instrument panel for lunch. Not so. One 4th of July morning, Benny went out to cut the weeds around his gravel pit on the farm. The tractor got too close to the edge of the pit and Benny rolled into the gravel pit, the tractor landing on top of him. The loss was especially tragic because Ben Leinenweber was a mover and shaker who got things done while everybody else was standing around talking, and more than anything else in the world, he loved to fly. When Tom Hull showed up at Osh kosh '90 with his pristine Cessna 195, I immediately looked at his spinner only to find there were no cracks. He explained that when I was unable to find the extra spinner in my junk, he had a new one "spun" by a professional metalsmith (Spelled $$$$$$$). It looked especially nice on the front of the big Shakey Jake engine. The overall amount of work put into the eight-year effort of restoring the 195 to Concours condition was astounding, however, a really close inspection revealed the extent of refurbishing. No detail was left untouched. Tom ' s dedication was augmented by his per sonal comittment to honor the memory of his late father, TWA captain Earle Hull, whose 34-year airline career spanned some 36,000 hours of flying. Tom speaks of his father in a soft, reverent tone of voice that makes you wish for all the world that you had known the gentleman personally. Such a display of courtesy, admiration and high esteem merely reinforces the belief that Tom Hull is a person of excellent character, following in his father's footsteps. The one redeeming discovery in the 195 rebuild was the absence of internal corrosion, caused primarily by being constantly in a hangar during its 39-year lifespan. The only metal that needed

replacing were some belly skins and one bulkhead that had been rearranged during a couple of severe groundloops somewhere in the murky history of the airplane. Tom did most of this work under the watchful eye of his friendly A & P mechanic (with Inspection Authorization). Originality was matched, right down to the semi-flat Brazier head rivets that Cessna used in 1951. Tom readily admits he became quite adept at sheet metal work during the rebuild . One advantage he had was the Cessna came from the factory to the state of West Virginia wearing an op tional cream & dark red paint scheme, rather than the standard bare aluminum. Hence, he knew the final paint job would tend to hide any tiny imperfec tions and would require much less up keep. Other items from the original factory invoice included straight gear instead of Goodyear crosswind gear, which al lowed the use of factory wheel pants (originals) - a key item when it came to presenting a really good-looking Cessna 195. The two smaller photo ports for the pilot and co-pilot plus the large photo port in the middle of the cabin floor were restored to factory original condition. Even the factory vacuum line to the large port (used for pulling the film flat in the camera) was restored to original condition. A look at the original Cessna 195 factory brochure from 1951 reveals a useful load of over 1,300 pounds. The brochure also claims a baggage capacity of "one-tenth of a ton". (My, how the writers earned their pay!) Tom Hull says, "As you work on a project, you have a minds-eye view of what will result. This one came out better."" Although Tom Hull suspects the 195 will be withdrawn from active competi tion with the Grand Champion "Lindy" on the shelf, he fully expects to keep it flying about the country. He and his wife, Kim also ha ve a Cessna 170A that gets plenty of use. It is in need of a new instrument panel, which Tom says will be on the front burner. He is also look ing at the possibility of an open cockpit biplane. One fine day I am going to slip and fall on that spinner in my garage after looking for it this hard. I just hope I don't hurt myself so badly that I can't call Tom Hull on the phone and tell him I found it. You will all hear the loud noise when it happens!

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

SALLY RYAN

by George Daubner

tii

there! I'd like to introduce you to my friend Sally. I've known Sally and her husband Brian for about four years now, and I must say, it's been an inter esting four years. The Ryans (that's their last name) hail from Minneapolis. Sally is a teacher and author in the field of Oc cupational Health, and Brian is an en gineer. They are the proud owners of a 1947 Ryan Navion, and are active mem bers of the Navioneers. Brian is the pilot in the family. Sally and Brian have been making their annual trip to Oshkosh since 1970. At first they sat back and enjoyed the show with their two kids, but as the years passed, Sally found herself less a spectator and more a volunteer, but not in the usual way. It all started with a glass of water, 24 OCTOBER 1990

then lemonade, a hot dog here and a brat there, an aspirin, a Band-Aid - and pretty soon Sally became a First and Thirst Aid Station for volunteers. Today you can stop by with almost any problem, and Sally probably has a remedy. Speaking of stopping by, you rarely need an invite. Usually just a smile and a handshake will get you in the "camp door." After introductions, you're pretty much on your own, i.e. part of the family. You never know who you might meet at Sally's. They might speak Russian, or their home might be London. They might fly the fastest airplanes in the world, or the oldest, or they might not be pilots at all, but they're all people, people with a story, and that's what Sally loves, getting to know people and making them feel at home.

There were a multitude of people sit ting around one Saturday night a few years back, when Sally realized that no one had had dinner, so she decided to crank up the "OAKEN ALLEY GAL LEY" (that's where we're at, "Sally's Oaken Alley) and feed everybody. The dinner was so well received that Saily decided to make it an annual event. It's appropriately called "The Meal For The Multitudes." The event is an oppor tunity for old friends, and new friends, to get together and tell their war stories or just reminisce about years gone by. Well, it's time to go. I hope you enjoyed meeting my friend, Sally, and if you find yourself in the neighborhood next OSHKOSH, just stop in at "Sally's Oaken Alley" and sit a spell - the welcome mat is always out. •

WANDERLUST STRII<ES

r AGAIN

by Andrew King As 1990 progressed through spring and into summer my spirit of adventure, never dormant, began calling more loudly until it was impossible to ignore. The antique airplane ferrying business had been slow (almost nonexistent, ac足 tually) for over a year, and my move to Miami to work for Kermit Weeks had resulted in a further reduction of my flying activities. Something had to be done, and ideas started germinating in my fertile mind. Back in upstate New York my friend Karl Erickson was talking seriously of flying his Piper J-4 out to Brodhead, Wisconsin for the annual Pietenpol fly足 in in July. Why not, I thought, fly up to New York on the airlines and borrow my dad's Luscombe for a couple of weeks to go along with him? This would also allow me to visit a number of friends that I might not otherwise see for months or more. From these beginnings Lonnegan's Flying Circus evolved. We decided to "barnstorm" across the country at a leisurely pace of less than 300 miles per day, leaving plenty of time for hangar searching, and hangar flying with friends new and old along the way, and

we also tried to find others with temperaments (and airplanes) to match ours, if possible. We debated setting the time of our travel between 1939 and 1940, a time after each of our aircraft was designed. But we never did come to a serious decision. The cast of characters ended up being

myself, unofficial leader by virtue of my greater experience and connections; Karl, official leader, which meant that he'd get to finally exercise the naviga足 tional skills which had basically lain dormant as he'd flown only locally during the eight years since he got his license; Dave Gifford, who had a white

Camping under the wings at Cottonwood Airport in Rockford, Illinois.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

The Cub aloft after breaking out into clear weather near Canandaigua, New York.

and blue J-3 Cub that I'd flown back from Ohio to Rhinebeck for him that winter before moving south, he'd gone on to get his Private Pilot's License just a month before we left for Brodhead, and he came to the rescue of Karl's ailing J-4 by offering him the front seat of the Cub. The two could then help each other with the flying and navigat ing, and also split the fuel costs. Karl, Dave and I were all about the same age,

not tied yet to any of the things that might forestall such an understaking. I gained a passenger also, Wendell Smith, a 17-year old who worked with me in Miami doing things teenagers should dream about like polishing P-51 s and riding in JemlYs and such. He soloed just days before we left for New York and was about to add a most un usual touch to his summer vacation. Last but not least there was Ed Ham-

Replica of the first airplane to fly in Indiana, hanging in the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Museum. 26 OCTOBER 1990

merle, who had a few years on the rest of us and a wealth of experience to add to the outfit. He lived in central New York State and was to join us at our first stop with his blue and yellow Taylorcraft L-2M. Of course the best laid plans ... I knew that it would be one of those "vacations" where I'd be more tired at the end than at the beginning, although well worth it, and it certainly started that way with our flight to Newark delayed late at night and then a hectic weekend at Rhinebeck and catching up with other friends. Our route was laid out to the north and west down the Mohawk River Val ley to Durhamville, New York, where we'd meet Ed for lunch, and then con tinue westward, eventually angling down to Ohio. Objective for the first day was Hopewell Airport near Canan daigua in the Finger Lakes region of New York and our starting time was to be 9:30 am Monday. I'd made up some simple "Lonnegan's Flying Circus" wings that I handed out when we met just before our official departure, Karl immediately took to wearing his upside down, having once had the experience of being in an airplane that was in that position, but no longer airborne ... It was a most murky Monday morn ing, but we took off anyway, the Cub dutifully in the lead with Wendell and me wafting along behind in the Lus combe, throttled back to 1,700 rpm and indicating somewhere less than 70 mph. It wasn't much of a day for refreshing one's navigational skills, and although they'd started out fine Dave and Karl landed after 20 minutes at Freehold, with us right behind them, to ask me to lead through what was left of the Catskill Mountains. I agreed and once more we were airborne into the hazy windy morning, a wind that most amaz ingly was on our tail. The sun was trying to shine into the picture by now, but visibility was still barely three miles in the haze. Fortunately Route 145 goes the same way we were and, staying to one side of the valley in case it suddenly got worse and we had to turn around, we made our way through the hills to the Mohawk Valley, where Karl and Dave took the lead again. Almost two hours out of Rhinebeck the Cub started circling Frankfort -High land Airport and I knew they wanted fuel, though I didn't think that there was any there, and besides the wind was

stretching out the windsock perpen dicular to the runway. I tried to signal them to continue to the next airport but they landed anyway, so we followed. Sure enough, no gas. A look in the tank of the J-3 showed more than enough fuel to get another eight miles to Riverside Airport in Utica, and we taxied out for what turned out to be one of the more exciting moments of the adventure. That much of a crosswind is always more than fun in a Luscombe but more than that the wind was changing back and forth some and must've swung be hind us a little as we took off. It became apparent at liftoff that our heavily loaded airplane wasn't going to clear the trees at the end of the runway, and it was too late to stop. Fortunately there was room to the left, into the wind, to use Aviation Rule # 12: If you can't go over it go around it. This done we hopped over to Riverside where the Cub got its eagerly awaited 80 octane. This was our third stop and we still hadn't made it to our first planned stop, another 20 miles distant, and never would. The skies to the west were turn ing darker by the minute as we left Riverside, me leading in the Luscombe now, and less than a half-hour later we were back there, having made the big " 180" in the face of rain and low clouds, much to the appreciation of my cohorts, after getting within six or seven miles of Durhamville. A call to Ed disclosed that he hadn't even been able to leave his strip in that weather, so we told him our hoped-for itinerary for that day and the next and he promised to catch up when he could. Then, after a ride to the Lota-Burger for lunch, it was waiting time. We passed the hours reading magazines and look ing around the hangars, and inducted the first extra member into the LFC, a woman named Sam who ran the FBO. Since we weren' t pressed for time we waited for several hours before taking to the grey skies again. The ceiling had indeed lifted some and visibility was five to 10 miles in some directions as we made our way south of Syracuse and decided to forego our planned stop at Weedsport to make it all the way to Canandaigua. The clouds were not so amicable to this idea, however, and some 30 miles from our destination they started spew ing rain and again threatening to sur round us. Throttled back with the Cub on our tail I made the big "180" for the second time that day, not the most en-

Kermit Weeks' World War I lineup at Tamiami Airport, Florida, with the Avro Tutor in the foreground, Sopwith Triplane, a Camel and a Jenny.

joyable experience but more than pru dent, and decided to land at Weedsport after all. This was a big, beautiful grass air port, though deserted at the time, but the office was open and would've provided more than suitable overnight accom modations for our weary crew. Spirits in the Circus were pretty low after all we'd been through already and general concensus seemed to be to stay there for the night, but after someone showed up and we got fuel, and there

was plenty of light left, some persuad ing got everybody in the air again "for a look" down the four-lane that followed our course. First sight wasn't too en couraging and I almost turned back, but we pressed on and then, just 10 miles out, we broke the back of the front, into gorgeous blue skies and sunshine. The Cub went into a series of celebratory wingovers and gyrations around us and a few minutes later we settled onto the tranquil grass of Hopewell Airport. My friends the Moores were there,

The cockpit of the Avro, complete with instructions.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

Dayne and Helen and their son Brian, all high-time pilots and appreciative of old airplanes and aviating, and of run ning the weather. The talk went on until well after the sun went down and then they graciously loaned us a beautiful new car to drive to someplace to eat, not quite befitting a band of barnstormers, but they didn't have a Model T. We were most grateful for the generosity. Once our appetites were satisfied we returned to the airport (somewhat of a navigational exercise in itself at night), and rolled our sleeping bags out under the starry sky. Wendell was completely unenthused about this at first, but by the next morning had decided that sleeping under the wing was great. This and several other changes of opinion earned him the nickname "180 Wendell," and much was the good-natured ribbing he was called on to endure as junior mem ber of the group. We waited until 10 o'clock the next morning before leaving Hopewell to see if Ed would show up, but he didn ' t, so after inducting Mr. Moore into the LFC we took off and headed for Bob Dart's Airport in Mayville in westernmost New York, hoping that the T -craft would meet us there. The weather was spectacular this morning, and we only made two unplanned stops on this leg, one at Geneseo to see a pair of B-17s, and again at Gowanda for the Cub to get gas so as to not push its endurance. Wendell and I went on ahead from Gowanda in case Ed was waiting for us at Dart and it turned out that he had landed there just five minutes before we did. A few minutes later the Cub circled and came in, and the Circus was com plete. Ed was given his wings and we all walked into town for some sandwiches. Then we set out for Ohio. We had to thread our way through some thunderstorms and rain near Erie, Pennsylvania to a fuel stop at Ash tabula, Ohio, and then it was on through some more gorgeous, clear skies past Cleveland to our destination for Day 2, Valley City. Our host for the night, Mike Cuy, had been forewarned of our arrival and met us in the air in his Champ on the way in. He and his wife Debi were most hospitable and not only took us in for the night but even had a cookout and small get-together in our honor, easily earning their "Lonnegan's" wings. "Boy, I'd sure like to go with you guys," Mike kept saying, and we sure would've liked to have him along, but it 28 OCTOBER 1990

Lonnegan's Flying Circus, slightly out of focus, as usua l. Left to Right: Ed, Karl, Dave, 180 Wendell and the author with the Luscombe.

wasn't to be this time through, and early the next morning he drove us to the airport and after our farewells and thank yous we were airborne again into more fantastic sunshine and smooth air. We had two missions for the day, the first being to visit the Auburn-Cord Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, In diana. A fuel stop was made at Bowling Green, Ohio, and then the loose, three ship formation proceeded into Hoosier skies to a landing at Auburn. The fellow running the airport told us that the museum might even come and get us, saving us a three mile walk, and sure enough a phone call brought a van out that turned out to be driven by Museum President, Don Aiken who also offered us a ride back when we were ready . More midwestern hospitality. The A-C-D Museum was well worth the visit and comes highly recom mended for both air and ground travelers, great old cars and various other exhibits that made for a most en joyable afternoon. Afterwards Mr. Aiken drove us around town and showed us E. L. Cord's old house, be hind which used to be the old airport and terminal, now a farmer's field . That stop was another highlight of the trip, and after taking off we circled over town a couple of times before heading west towards our other objective for the day. A fuel stop was made at Goshen and then we set course for the magenta oval on the chart west of South Bend that marked the old Studebaker proving grounds, where we'd been told that the

name "STUDEBAKER" was spelled out in the trees next to the track. Sure enough, as we approached there it was, reading from south to north in the pines on the northwest side, a relic from the era of our aircraft. We circled for a look and some pic tures and then hopped over to laPorte for some fuel. From there Ed led the gang on the last leg of the day to lans ing, Illinois, a long-established airport south of Chicago that more importantly is within a couple of miles of the home of the Zander family, friends of mine since my college days, so of course this was as much a social visit as anything. As always they were great hosts, giving us all room and board for the night, another most appreciated haven along the way. We were close to Wisconsin now and right on schedule, so the next day was a leisurely one, first stop 35 flying minutes away at Naperville, at the home and hangar of fellow antique airplane enthusiasts Gar Williams and family . The fellowship was fine there, daughter Gail scooped us some frozen yogurt for refreshment, nontraditional for barnstormers but delicious, and Gar loaned us his pickup truck to go down the road to lunch. We also got a good look at his various projects underway, and just sat around the living room for over an hour talking - what else? We decided to do some passenger swapping and on the next leg to Dacy Airport in Harvard, Karl rode with me while 180 Wendell went with Ed and

The final destination, Brodhead, Wisconsin and the Pietenpol Fly-in.

Dave was alone in the Cub. Wendell made the mistake of falling asleep in the Taylorcraft on this flight, his second such airborne nap on the big adventure, a fact we wouldn't let him forget. His worries weren't over for the day, though, as he decided he wanted to use his new-found navigational skills to lead the Circus to its next stop, Pecatonica. We were full of fuel after a nice stop at the pleasingly 1940-ish Dacy Airport and had time to bum, so to increase the challenge we paired Wendell with new Private Pilot Dave in the Cub, while Karl rode with Ed and I went alone. The Cub stayed on course for all of the thirty-odd miles to the town made famous by Richard Bach in his book "Nothing By Chance," although the L-2 made the task easier by making the un authorized move of speeding ahead for most of the way, and this may have been critical since when they fmally came back and rejoined the formation the Cub flew right over Pecatonica and con tinued on. With some gesturing and turning we got them turned around and entered the pattern for the little strip north of town. We wanted to see the town Bach had written of, but apparent ly things have changed since then. Don't go back there, Dick, unless you want to hear a lot of grousing about liability insurance. We hightailed it out of there before the Cub even had a chance to land. A quick decision was made to fly over to Cottonwood Airport on the west

side of Rockford, and this was a good one, we were met there with much friendliness. After pitching our tents next to the airplanes we accepted an offer of a ride down to a local resturant, where Wendell was sentenced for fall ing asleep while airborne and for miss ing Pecatonica while awake. He had to take all of our orders before the waitress came and then give them all to her cor rectly. We were all in a good mood that evening, having thoroughly enjoyed the last few days, and with only 25 miles to go to our destination. There was still even enough light left to go flying after we walked back to the airport so Ed and I swapped airplanes to each fly a new type, and Karl took Wendell up in the Cub. Friday broke with an overcast and haze all around. Wendell forgot to wear his wings to breakfast and had to repeat the sentence from the night before, and about 10 o'clock we said good-bye to the folks at CottonwQod and set off on the last official leg of our journey. For the fmal time the throttled-back Lus combe led the Cub and the T-craft over the patchwork countryside, each with its original crew. Soon the big grass run ways of Brodhead appeared in the haze ahead and we closed up a little for a formation pass overhead before separat ing to land. Lonnegan's Flying Circus fit right in at the Pietenpol Fly-in, a great little meeting with no registration or trophies, just good people and fun, a most suitable

destination for a 1940 flying circus. I think everybody in the group got at least one ride in a Piet, Wendell got two, and I got to fly one, courtesy Ted Davis, and also got to fly Frank Pavliga's new Hatz biplane. Sunday afternoon we flew up the Sugar River a few miles to the little grass strip at Albany, just for someplace to go, and Wendell got some dual in both the Cub and the L-2. On the way back to Brodhead I flew the Cub while Karl and Dave zoomed around me in the Luscombe and Wendell polished his navigation with Ed in the Taylorcraft. The skies were clearing now behind a cold front, and the forecast was good for the next morning when we would all head our separate ways before returning to New York. After another night in the tents we were up before sunrise and in the air by six o'clock, forming on the Cub for one more minute of group flight. Circling back over the airport we made another pass to salute our hosts, then with some waving and wing-wag gling peeled off, and the summer of 1990/1940 was history for Lonnegan' s Flying Circus. There were plenty of adventures and challenges awaiting each plane on the different routes back, and we caught up with each other at Rhinebeck on the following Saturday to hear all of the stories of derring-do. It was an unforgettable experience for the five of us, the long string of little airports (over 20 just on the way out), miscellaneous eateries with waitresses of varying pulchritude, and different ac commodations all over the route. Old friends were visited and new friends made, people being of course what is really important, and we stretched our limits in flying and navigating, not to mention appetite and cleanliness. Wendell never did make the parachute jump we kept telling him he was going to have to make, but he keeps asking me if we're taking the same route next year. Next year? You can be sure that when he gets to his cross-countries he'll get more out of a sectional chart than most student pilots. He was also astonished at the friendliness of the people we met along the way, generally unlike Miami. For me, I'm not sure if I've tem porarily satisfied my wanderlust or reawakened it. Who's got an old, slow airplane out there that they need flown to California? Or from California . . . ? VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

DC-3 ON "BOATS"

-T

A Greenville, Maine Gooney Bird returns to water

flying in a big way.

by Jeannie Hill

Standing tall on ultra-rare Edo floats that displace 29,400 pounds each. 30 OCTOBER 1990

HaVing grown up in Oshkosh, my first recollection of an airplane was a DC-3. Several times a day North Central Airlines' DC-3s would rumble over my back yard on final to Runway 18. When I was four years old, I suc足 cessfully begged a ride out to what is now Wittman Regional Airport to see my first airplane up close and in focus. In those days little girls weren ' t sup足 posed to love airplanes but I can tell you that seeing that DC-3 deeply affected me. It was one of those "firsts" in life you remember forever. Though the DC-3 has always held a

The "bow" of one of the floats.

A pair of nosewheels, size -

Much of the mounting hardware had to be fabricated from pictures and drawings.

Dick Hill looks up into the vacant wheelwell.

extra-large.

special place in my heart, I never gave much thought to what one would look like on floats. That is, not until my flying buddy, Bob Lumley called from a business trip to New Hampshire one Friday to tell me he had found a newspaper article with a picture of a DC-3 on floats up in Greenville, Maine. Now, Bob is not the kind of guy who could let something like that go by without investigating it first hand. He is also the kind of guy who would suggest that my husband, Dick and I fly nearly 1,000 miles to investigate it with him because he knows we're crazy enough to do it. Bob called at noon. We were on the 5:00 pm non-stop from Mil足 waukee to Boston. Bob picked us up at the airport and we drove north a couple hours 揃to Manchester, New Hampshire and spent the night. The next day we started the long drive "down Maine" to Greenville. (Travelling north to Maine is properly called going "down Maine," an expres足 sion dating back to when early merchant sailors rode downstream on the prevail足 ing Gulf Stream current to get there. Only tourists go, "up to Maine." - Ed.) VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31

This is how the wheel struts attach insid e the wheelwells.

The mainwheel tire is visible in this picture.

Looking aft from under the nose of the DC-3. 32 OCTOBER 1990

Unfortunately the fog rolled injust after we arrived in New England and stayed all through the weekend. We didn't get to view the best of the region's famous scenery. We did, however, experience a couple of local specialities, a minor car accident and a lobster dinner. I liked the lobster better. After five hours of zero-zero driving we finally made the correct left tum and found Folsom Air Service. It's a busy operation that currently flies several aircraft on both wheels and floats . The aircraft include Beavers, helicopters and Cessnas. We were disappointed that we didn't get to meet Dick Folsom who founded the company in 1946 after a tour with the USAAF as a mechanic. We also missed his son, Max the driving force behind the DC-3 project. Both men were involved in the search for a missing airplane that Max later found about three miles from the airport. We did find the DC-3 on floats, big足 ger than life. Or should I say it was on boats. This particular DC-3, an ex足 military C-47, flew between England and France with the 8th Air Force during World War II. It was acquired by Eastern Airlines after the war. East足 ern replaced the original Pratt & Whit足 ney engines with Wrights. In 1985, Dick Folsom acquired the aircraft. The floats, which he got in 1986 are one of 20 or 21 sets built by Edo in 1943. They each have a displacement of 29,400 pounds. Only five aircraft were originally commissioned with floats. The Air Force operated them in exotic places such as Alaska and New Guinea. A previous owner of these floats watched the destruction for scrap of 16 sets along with their hardware after the war. Matching the airplane to the floats was a very complicated undertaking. All the hardware and mounting brackets had to be fabricated from the original plans which were 01) microfilm. The quality of the film was poor making them difficult to read. Howard Tools, Fall River Tool & Die, Edo and Folsom Air Service built the parts. It took six hours to hoist the DC-3 and install the floats underneath . At the time of this article, the hydraulics were installed and operating. The Folsoms hoped to fly the airplane to EAA Oshkosh '90 but time did not permit the completion of the project. But when they arrive in 1991 , Bob, Dick and I will be among the crowd waiting at Brennand's Seaplane base to welcome its largest visitor yet. .

PASS IT TO

--1] An information exchange column with input from readers.

by Buc k Hilbert (EAA 21, Ale 5) P.O . Box 424 Union, IL 60180

A Book Review? It isn't my forte, but I had to comment on this well-done effort by Dorr B. Car penter called RYAN SPORT TRAINER. Carpenter, some of you will recall, has written several books; three on Ryans and one on submarines of the Japanese Imperial Navy. That one was the by-product of research done on submarine-carried observation aircraft.

This volume will answer any and all questions on PT-22 and STA airplanes. It's a part of the "Aviation Heritage Library Series" published by Sunshine House, our friend Drina Welch Abel's creation. The book gives the history and design theory on these and other Ryan airplanes, and even goes into operating and maintenance techniques. It's a must for the PT and STA owners or those who've always wanted one. Incidentally, the Ryan that is in the

rotunda at the San Diego Air and Space Museum is one that Mr. Carpenter rebuilt, a pristine example of his workmanship on this and several others. Dorr is also an expert on small canons, two-handed broadswords, muzzle-load ing long rifles, and horses. There are times when I wish I would have taped some of Dorr's conversa tions about his adventures. He was, and is, quite an adventurer. He is one of the few people who traversed the Amazon River all the way to its source, en countering all the hazards along the way, including native headhunters, dis ease, captivity and escape. He was an infantry lieutenant in Korea and had first-hand experience with combat. He learned to fly and got his private pilot license in a PT-22, his commercial in the STA and his multi-engine rating in a DC-3. As you can tell, I admire the man for his accomplishments, knowledge and efforts to preserve the Ryan story. Take a look at the book RYAN SPORT TRAINER and see if you don't find it as interesting as I did. Back Again for Some More? EAA Oshkosh '90 came and went. spent the entire month of July working around our EAA Aviation Center, the Air Adventure Museum and Pioneer Airport prior to the Convention. EAA Director of Education, Chuck Larsen let me work with the Air Academy students and I even flew some of the antique VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33

PASS IT TO

--1]

airplanes at Pioneer Airport. AND, get this! EAA's Chaplain, Bill Barnhart, pastor of the Fergus Chapel, even had me stand in and conduct services one Sunday when he was attending an im portant lecture on the West Coast. Now ain't that one for the books? Well, by the time the Convention came I was ready to head for the hills. I was overwhelmed by the crowds and the activity. My duties included flying photo missions in the EAA Foundation T-6, my Cessna 182 and a leased Cherokee Six. We used all those airplanes and you'll see the results in the pages of all our publications as the year progresses. We used the T-6 mostly for the warbirds, the Cessna for the antiques and the Cherokee for everything in be tween. With the rear cargo door removed, our photographers were able to shoot out of a hole in the fuselage about four feet long by three feet high. Jim Koepnick (EAA Chief Photog rapher) and Jay Meidl (Manager of Video Services) got some real good .stuff. You'll be seeing it in pictures and video. Anyway, after it was all over, I was just plain burned out. I had seen so many airplanes, talked to so many people and was so run down I was fried to a crisp. Even a lO-day fishing trip to Canada didn't help. I came home with an abscessed tooth and about as low in spirits as I could be. Even though I had just bought Norm Petersen's old Star duster Too, I couldn't even muster the ambition to fly the little beauty, so you know I was down in the dumps. I just 34 OCTOBER 1990

moped around and didn't do nuthin' . Well the letter writers must have felt the same way. I got only a dribble of mail, very little to do with airplanes. A lot of people had things to say about the myriad of rules and regulation changes that we are continually being plagued with, so that didn't help a bit. About this

IILITTLE BY

LITTLE

THE FUN

IS COMING

BACK"

time, too, the CAP started giving all their senior members static about the new anti-child molestation program. We had to submit fingerprint cards and a character attestment form to prove we were not felons, miscreants, and/or detrimental to young cadets in the Civil Air Patrol. I flunked! Not once, but twice my fingerprint card came back from the FBI for some intrinsic reason (blame it on the computer) and I was

ostracized from the CAP. Not really, but I was placed on what they term "Patron" status and forbidden contact with cadet members, unable to par ticipate in any CAP activity, operate any CAP equipment or fly CAP aircraft! Now this, guys and gals, was the ul timate insult! I wrote a letter, a HOT one for sure, to the Commanding General of CAP and told them where to go, where I would be and they could take my Lt. Col. title and ... well, I told them what they could do with it. It may have vented my spleen but it got me in even warmer water because I didn't file my protest through my Wing Commander, Region and the rest of the military chan nels. After 26 years of involvement in CAP, this is my reward? All this further depressed my already depressed frame of mind. Well, to make the long explanation a little longer, I am starting over. I went to Blakesburg, Iowa for the AAA Con vention - only for one afternoon and half the next day, but it was a start. Then the next weekend I went to Brodhead, Wisconsin, Pietenpol Haven! And this past weekend to Rock Falls, Illinois, a miniature aSH, and then to a local Chapter fly-in/picnic yesterday. I rode in number-one-son's Cessna 170A to one, flew my Varga to BKB and flew the Starduster to the picnic. Little by little, the fun is coming back. I'm wait ing for my pictures to be processed and then I'll be writing about some of the airplanes and people. Meanwhile, Over to you! .

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I V)NTAGE AIRPLANE 37

by George Hardie, Jr.

his amphibian was produced by a well-known aircraft company in the late 1920s. The designer became famous in later years as the head of his own aircraft company. The photo is from the Hardie collection. Answers will be published in the January, 1991 issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Deadline for that issue is December 10. The July Mystery Plane is a Pheasant Traveler. Robert Wynne of Merrill Is land, Washington writes: "The airplane pictured is a Pheasant Traveler. The airplane was an experimental offshoot of the organization building the Pheasant Model H-lO biplane. As your picture shows, the airplane was a very clean design cabin monoplane with a full cantilever wing. Of even greater interest was the engine. It was a special four-cylinder, in-line, air-cooled engine built up of Ford Model A parts. They were well ahead of the (Wiley) Post Model A biplane! A total of three were built and one was shown at the 1929 Detroit Aircraft Show. As far as I know, none are in existence." Les Deltgen of Appleton, Wisconsin adds this: "The July Mystery is a Pheasant Traveler. Only three were built by the Pheasant Aircraft Co. in 38 OCTOBER 1990

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin in about 1930. Steve Wittman had a big part in building and test flying them. It was a single place, closed-cockpit plane with full cantilever wing. Two of them were powered with modified Model A en gines, the other one with a Cirrus Her mes. The Cirrus was a four-cylinder, in-line, air-cooled engine of 90 hp. I owned and flew the one with the Cirrus

in 1936-38. I flew from the old Out agamie County airport." Other answers were received from Charley Hayes of Park Forest, Illinois and Edgar Hilke of Sun City West, Arizona. The complete story of the Traveler will be told in a future article by Norm Petersen who will interview Steve Wittman about it. Look for it in a future issue!

The Pheasant Traveller.

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