VA-Vol-21-No-2-Feb-1993

EDITORIAL STAFF

Vol. 21, No.2

February 1993

CONTENTS

1 Straight & Level!

Espie " Butch" Joyce 2 AlC News! compiled by H.G. Frautschy 4 AeroMail 5 The First Flight!Sue Islas

7 Woodgrain on Metal? Yes!!

Page 7

H .G . Frautschy 10 "BOTTOMS" to Oshkosh!

Ron Bailey

19 Super Cruiser Rebuild!

Norm Pet ersen Norm Petersen

Page 13

Vice-President Arthur Morgan 3744 North 51st Blvd.

Milwaukee, WI 53216 414/442-3631

Secretory Steven C. Nesse 2009 Highland Ave. Albert Lea, MN 56007 507/373-1674

Treasurer

E.E. 'Suck' Hilbert

P.O. Box 424

Union, IL 60180

815/923-4591

John Berendf 7645 Echo Point Rd. Cannon Falls, MN 55009 507/263-2414

24 Pass it to Buck!

E E . " Buck" Hilbe rt

27 Welcome New Members 28 Calendar

t;:;~::=':::;]

President Espie 'Butch' Joyce 604 Highway St. Madison, NC 27025 919/427-0216

DIRECTORS

23 Mystery Plane!G eorge H ardi e

29 Vintage Trader

Managing Editor

Golda Cox

Art Director

Mike Drucks

Computer Graphic Specialists

Olivia L. Phillip

Sara Hansen Jennifer Larsen

Advertising

Mary Jones

Associate Editor

Norm Petersen

Feature Writers

George Hardie, Jr. Dennis Parks

Staff Photographers

Jim Koep nick Mike Steineke

Carl Schup pel Donna Bushman

Editorial Assistant

Isabelle Wiske

EM ANTIQUE/ CLASSIC DIVISION, INC,

OFFICERS

13 Widgeon!lH.G. Frautschy

21 What Our Members Are Restoring!

Publisher Tom Poberezny Vice-President,

Marketing and Communications

Dick Matt

Editor-in-Chief

Jack Cox

Editor

Henry G . Frautschy

Page 23

FRONT COVER. . John and Linda Schwamm's Grumman Widgeon is caught just as it touches down on Lake Winnebago during EAA OSHKOSH '92 by EAA photographer Carl Schuppel. The Widgeon was selected Runner-up Customized Antique at the annual EAA Fly-In. Shot with a Canon EOS-1 equipped with an BO-200mm lens. 1/500 @ f5.6 on Kodachrome 64. Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.

BACK COVER .. ' Movie Planes Over West LA" by artist Frank L. Warren depicts a fictional formation of early Hollywood greats. For more on this fun painting, see the description in AlC News, starting on page 2.

Copyright © 1993 by the EAA Antique/Classic Division Inc. All rights reserved.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Antique/Classic Division, Inc. of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviation Center, 3000 Poberezny Rd., P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086.

Second Class Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices. The membership rate for EM Antique/Classic Division, Inc. is $20.00 for current EM members for 12 month period of which $12.00 is for the publication of VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Membership is open to all who are interested in aviation.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EM Antique/Classic Division, Inc., P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail.

ADVERTISING - Antique/Classic Division does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken.

EDITORIAL POLICY: Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. No renumeration is made.

Material should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 414/426-4800.

The words EAA, ULTRALIGHT, FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM , SPORT AVIATION and the logos of EAA, EAA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION, INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUBS, WARBIRDS OF AMERICA are ® registered trademarks. THE EM SKY SHOPPE and logos of the EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION and EAA ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION are trademarks of the above associations and their use by any person other than the above association is strictly prohibited.

Gene Chase 2159 Carlton Rd. Oshkosh, WI 54904 414/231-5002

Robert C. ' Sob' Brauer

9345 S. Hoyne

Chicago. IL 60620

312/779-2105

John S. Copeland 28-3 Williamsburg Ct. Shrewsbury, MA 01545 508/842-7867

Phil 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 Tulsa, OK 74105 918/742-7311 Dale A, Gusfafson 7724 Shady Hill Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46278 317/293-4430 Robert Lickteig 1708 Bay Oaks Dr. Albert Lea, MN 56007 507/373-2922 Gene Morris 115C Steve Court, R.R. 2 Roanoke. TX 76262 817/491-9110

Stan Gomoll 1042 90th Lane, NE Minneapolis. MN 55434 612/784-1172 Jeannie Hill

P.O. Box 328

Harvard, IL 6OJ33

815/943-7205 Robert D. ' Sob' Lumley 1265 Scuth 124th St. Brookfield, WI 53005 414/782-2633 George York

181 Sloboda Av.

Mansfield, OH 44906

419/529-4378

S_H_' Wes' Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa, WI 53213 414/771-1545

DIRECTOR EMERITUS S.J. Willman

7200 S.E. 85th Lane

Ocala, FL 32672

904/245-7768

ADVISORS

Jimmy Rollison

823 Carrion Circle

Winters, CA 95694-1665

916/795-4334

Dean Richardson 6701 Colony Dr. Madison, WI 53717 608/833-1291

Geoff Robison 1521 E. MacGregor Dr. New Haven, IN 46774 219/493-4724

STRAIGHT & LEVEL

by Espie "Butch" Joyce A number of excellent publications have come my way recently, and I'd like to share my impressions of a few of them.

First, I received a book from William Thompson , who served both as an engi­ neering test pilot and manager of the flight test and aerodynamics at the Pawnee Division of Cessna for 28 years.

His book, entitled "Cessna Wings For The World ," is an excellent documentary of the different aircraft that Cessna pro­ duced, with each aircraft's own develop­ ment story, technical information, pho­ tographs and performance figures. It is available from Thompson Aero Products of Sun River, OR, phone 800/237-0140.

The book retails for $20 softbound , $30 hardbound.

Two more outstanding publications I have been sent copies of are WW I Aero and Skyways, both quarterly journals published by Leonard E. Opdycke. WW I Aero concerns the time period prior to and during the " Great War. " Skyways covers the time period from 1920 until 1940, "The Golden Age of Aviation."

Both are excellent reading for someone interested in aircraft of that time. (I'll second that! - HGF) and contain a wealth of historical and technical information on these eras.

In the March issue there will be an ap­ plication blank or petition form to nomi­ nate an individual to be considered for the Antique/Classic Hall of Fame. This Hall of Fame has been established by your Division to recognize individuals who have contributed to the antique, clas­ sic and contemporary movement , with their contributions occurring during the years 1950 until the present. A committee has been established to review these peti­ tions, which will be during this coming May. The applications must be returned and in our hands no later than the of 30th of April. The person or persons will be selected between May and the EAA Oshkosh Convention . They will be in-

sta ll ed in the Antique /Classic Hall of Fame during the October Board of Direc­ tors meeting held in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

T he H a ll of Fame inductee's travel and lodging will be paid. They'll be rec­ ognized at our Friday night din ner at the Museum and subsequently wi ll be in­ stalled in the Muse um ga llery, with their image on a metallized photograph for ev­ eryone to see in the future . This is a very prestigious honor and we will treat it as such . This is another service that your Antique/Classic Division has established to make people more aware of the impor­ tance of the era of aircraft in which we have an interest. Please give this nomi­ nation a lot of thought, and if there is someone whom you think is deserving of this nomination , please do not hesitate to do so. The more nominees that we have, the more prestigious this honor will be.

I would like to note that our member­ ship now stands at well over 8200 mem­ bers. I am very proud of each and every one of you who have encouraged an indi­ vidual to join our Division. I still encour­ age you to keep doing just that! Our dues structure is very reasonable and our publication is excellent. I would like to thank everyone for their support.

On a personal note, the way the win­ ter weather has bee n here in North Car­ olina and the southeast with all the rain and fog, about the only thing I have been able to do with my Clipwing Cub is pump up the tires about every 30 - 60 days. Of course , it is not getting ravaged by the weather sitting in my hangar. I look for­ ward to the spring weat her so I can get it back in the air again . r have been flying my Baron a bit for business . I was in Wilmington, North Caro lin a o ne after­ noon and had one of my salesmen with me . We called on a customer t here and went back to the ai rport abou t 5:00 p.m.

I jumped into the Baron and cranked the left engine a nd WHAMMO, the right starter would not engage; it had gone out.

I we nt back into Air Wi lmington there at the airport and they were very, very help­ ful. I would like to tha nk these people for being so responsive to my dilemma by having a mechanic return to the airport, putti ng a starter on my airplane and hav­ ing me on my way in very short order.

All of it done at a very reasonable figure, I might add. If you are ever in Wilmi ng­ ton , please stop by and visit wi th these people; they a re very he lpful a nd really care for airplane people.

About two weeks later , I was flying with our South Carolina salesman, Bill

Deane. We stopped in a small airport in So u t h Caro lin a wh ic h did not h ave a FBO. I got ready to leave from our cus­ tomer's location to Georgetown where Bill had just bought an E Model Bo­ nanza. We got into my Baron and W H AMMO, the left starter went out again. This was not good - there was no one t here - just the ramp , runway and telephone booth. We were stranded.

Bill called the gent leman whom he was buying the Bonanza from and he flew over and picked him up. In the mean­ time, there was a King Air on the airport from another company. I asked if they were going to North Carolina or Greens­ boro and they said , "Yes we are, but there is a company policy that we can't take any riders, " so they winged off into the sky without me. Time for another plan. I called my good friend Emory Chronister, who happened to be at my hangar working on his 170. I told him I was stranded and asked if he would please drag out the 172 and pick me up. I gave him my location and he said he would be on his way in 30 minutes. I was standing out on the ramp, just me and the fire ants, and it started getting darker and darker; twilight, and the runway lights had not come on. I thought to myself, this is not good.

Just about dark, I was thinking about breaking into the FBO's building to see if there was a switch to fire up the runway lights. Luckily for me, the lights hap­ pened to switch on s u ddenly . Then , about 30 minutes after darkness, I heard the drone of the 172. Emory picked me up and we had a night flight back. It took me three weeks to get back dow n there to pick up my Baron , while trying to lo­ cate a starter at a reasonable fig ure. It is now back in my hangar.

Finally, I'd like to remind all of you who e nte red the A ntique/Classic Photo Contest at last year's EAA Convention to be sure and send your entries to Jack Mc­ Carthy, Photo Contest Chairman, and his Co-Chairman Lorraine Morris right away.

Send your prints to: Jack McCarthy 14132 South Keeler Crestwood, IL 60445 If you have a rules question or just need to contact him right awa y you ca n call him at 708/371-U90.

Let's all pu ll in the same direction for the good of aviation. Remember, we are better together. Join us and have it all!

'*

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1

C-=WJ ABOUT THE FRONT COVER . ..

Artist Frank L. Warren has this to say about his submission to the Sport Aviation Art Competition: MOVIE PLANES OVER WEST LOS ANGELES depicts an imaginary event with the great stunt pilot, Frank Clarke, leadi ng an ersatz jagdstaffel consisting of Travel Airs, a Fokker DVII, and a Pfalz D XII. Clarke's plane is the Fokker as it appeared in the 1929 epic, Hell's Angels. (Editors Note: Recent research by Bill Hannan, with the help of J ohn Underwood and Peter Bowers, plus many others, has determined that the Fokker flown by Clarke in " Hell's Angels" was in fact painted black, with the white markings you see depicted in this painting. The Fokker displayed hanging in the courtyard of Grauman's Chinese Theater was evidently painted a shade of red, with similar black markings. See Bill Hannan's terrific series of publications "Stick & Tissue International" Volumes I and 2. for the information uncovered

by Bill and his merry band of aviation sleuths. Contact Hann an's Runway, P.O . Box 210, Magalia, CA 95954.

Please enclose a Self-A ddressed, Stamped Envelope. If you enclose $1 they will send their entire catalog.- HGF) The checkerboard Travel Air and the checkerboard Pfalz are painted as they were for the 1930 film, "The Dawn Patrol. " The yellow and the striped Travel Airs are from 1938's "Men With Wings." I have imagined that Frank Tomick handles the checkerboard Travel Air and Roscoe Turner follows in the Pfalz. "Ace" Bragunier is in the yellow plane, while Dick Rinaldi keeps his eye on Clarke from the Wichita Fokker with the sunburst on its top wing.

Incidental note - As I worked on this picture, I had no idea that NASM was preparing to exhibit the very Pfalz I was depicting, and that they also were painting the real plane as it had appeared in "T he Dawn Patrol "!

However, theirs is red and white and has only 2 rows of checkers on the wings-ah well, we movie types never seem to get anything right. . . The scene below the planes is UCLA and Westwood Village as they appeared in 1929 when all the wars th e re were imaginary.

2 FEBRUARY 1993

compiled by H.G. Frautschy

My educational and profe ssio nal background also kept me oriented towards aviation ... a B.A. in Art ED. Univ. CA , Santa Barbara , 1 yr. Art Center , L.A . I spe nt 40 years as illustrator/designer, and copywriter at Hughes Aircraft (5 years) and TRW (formerly Thompson Products). I am a lifelong aviation buff. My uncle took me (when I was 6) for my first airplane ride in his beautiful, black and bright yellow Waco 10. I was an unsuccessful Aviation Cadet during World War II (eliminated-so help me , on a final check ride in BT-13s). Was a successful B-29 Propeller Specialist and KP (34 days in a row). I now live alternately in Santa Barbara, and Norco, CA. I do occasional free lance jobs and paint a lot for my own pleasure.

SPORT AVIATION ART

COMPETITION

EAA Air Adventure Museum Director Carl Swick ley rec e ntly announced plan s for the 1993 EAA Sport Aviation Art Competion and its special theme " Antique/Classic Aircraft."

The Art Competition will follow a similar format as that used for the previous 16 annual competitions; it will be a juried contest for two dimensional media having aviation as its theme.

Par Excellence plaques will be awarded to the top five entries in addition to Excellence and Merit awards. Entries from children 16 years of age or under will be judged separately in a Youth Division.

A specia l Par Excellence will be awarded to the piece the judges feel best exemplifies this year's theme - the joy and fun of restoring and flying Antique , Classic and Contemporary airplanes of a bygone era.

The deadline for entries is April 30, 1993. For more information, on the Competition, please contact Joan Mueller , R egistrar, EAA Aviation Foundation, PO Box 3065, Oshkosh , WI 54903-3065.

AEROQUIP 601 HOSES Aeroquip Corporation has sent out a le tter detailing problems associated

with th e model 601 hose when used with aviation gasoline. Aeroquip has seen degradation of the e lastom eric inner tube on the 601 hoses that are in contact with aviation gasoline, and has de ter mined that th e failures occur after about 2 years time after installation. The time in service does not seem to influe nce this time before failure - the constant contact with the fuel over a certain time period is the determining factor.

If you have any Aeroquip ho se installed on your aircraft, and would like more information on identifying and replacing a type 601 hose, contact Aeroquip.

The le tter from the company was sent to all owners/operators of general aviation aircraft, but if you did not rece ive a copy and would like one, contact Aeroquip Corporation, Aerospace Group , 300 South East Ave., Jackson, MI 49203-1972. Phone 517/787-8121.

VOLUNTEERSFOREAA

OSHKOSH '93 YOUTH

ACTIVITIES

Convention youth activities initiated in ' 92 and expanding in '93 need capable, energetic volunteers to help in the preparation and pre足 sentation of the following youth activities at EAA OSHKOSH '93: -Th e WINGS Newsletter needs help to gather information, prepare and distribute this pUblication for yo ungsters attending the Convention.

EAAers with newsletter or newspaper experience would be of special help in this project.

-HANDS-ON WORKSHOP activ足 ities , including traditional aviation projects plus activities to demonstrate the basic concepts of flight. Both aviation craftsmen and educators could provide significant support of the Hands-On Workshop for youth at EAA OSHKOSH '93.

- The CONVENTION QUEST, provides a daily sequences of activity for youthful Conve ntion attendees.

We need ideas for activities and volunteers to staff the activity during the Convention.

- The YOUTH FORUMS te nt ne e ds " hosts " to receive the kid s,

introduce speakers and answer questions.

Contact the EAA Education office at the address listed after this next item with your interest and ideas.

THE CLIFF ROBERTSON

AIRPORT WORK

EXPERIENCE PROG RAM

A Summer Work Experience for Youth A new program at EAA's Pioneer Airport, starting this summer, will be the focus of an exciting new program for youth. Two youngsters will be selected to work at EAA from June 21st through August 13th. They will work 30 hours per week for pay in and around Pioneer Airport. Participants will also receive ground and flight instruction plus share in the many aviation and personal experiences available at the EAA Aviation Center and with their Oshkosh host fami ly throughout the Summer. A travel subsidy for those living outside the Midwest is available.

Applicants must: -Be participants in the EAA Young Eagles Program, -Be 16 or 17 years of age as of June, -Be avai lable June 21st - August 13th, -Have a demonstrated interest in aviation, -Submit a one page letter of application and a resume of experiences plus -Letters of recommendation from their local EAA Chapter, schoo l and others who know and can recommend them.

-Application materials must be received by May 1, 1993.

Questions and applications should be referred to: The Education Office EAA AVIAnON FOUNDATION, Inc. P.O.Box 3065 Oshkosh, WI 54903-3065 Phone (414) 426-4888

PARKS COLLEGE CAD ETS Parks College of Saint Louis University will host a reunion October 2-3, 1993, for all U .S. Army Corps cadets trained by Parks College personnel during World War II. The reunion will be held on the Parks College campus in Cahokia , Ill. in conjunction with the college's annual homecoming and open house. Former

All loaded up with mail and ready for takeoff is this DeHaviliand DH-4 biplane powered with a 400 hp Liberty engine. The unusual part of this photo from the EAA archives is that the skis are installed backwards! The longer portion of the ski should be ahead of the axle and the big curved tip should be at the front! One wonders how the pilot made out on his flight.

instr uctors of cadets are especia ll y invited to attend.

Parks College trained cadets at five locations: t h e Parks campus in Cahokia, IL; Cape Girardeau and Sikeston, MO; Jackson , MS; and Tuscaloosa, AL. If you, or anyone you know, were a cadet or an instructor invo lved with the WWII training program under Parks College auspices, please contact Nita Browning, Director of Public R elations, Parks College of Saint Louis University , Cahokia, IL, 62206 , or 618-337-7500, ext. 206.

SILVE R WINGS

FRATERNITY

Bill Auman and Robert Mellinger both wrote to fill us in on the latest information concerning this organ足 ization, in response to our news note last month . Membership is open to those who have soloed an aircraft 25 years prior to the date of application.

Give the date, location and type of aircraft you soloed in, along with a check for $15 to Silver Wings Fraternity, P.O . Box 44208, Cincinnati, OH 45244. Phone 513/321-5822.

Annual dues are $10 thereafter. The HQ for the fraternity is now P.O. Box 11579, Burke, VA 22009-1579. Phone 703/303-8763.

Robert and Bill both advised that the founder of the fraternity , Russ Brinkley passed away about a year ago. An early aviation pioneer, Russ was an airshow announcer in the late '20s and '30s, and at one time had his own airshow. He also worked as a newspaper man and radio announcer, as well as a stint at the Waco factory

for a period of time. Thanks for the help, gentlemen!

EA A PE RIODICAL INDEX Once again, John Bergeson has this year's installment of his handy EAA Reference Guide ready for shipment.

With it, you can locate just the article you are looking for in your collection.

The basic vol ume covers 1953 足 1989, and costs $18.

The supplements one each for 1990, '92 and '93 cost $3 for each supplement.

Payment is to be made in U .S . funds, or Visa and Mastercard are also accepted. Postage paid (bookrate) to USA and Canada. Other countries add $2 per item.

Send your orders to: John Bergeson, 6438 W. Millbrook, Remus, MI 49340-9625 , phone 517/561-2393.

CESSNA 140A STC Based on the attention given by the NTSB and Cessna to water contamination problems in high wing Cessna aircraft , C-Mods, Inc. has announced they have an STC'd kit available to install a drain valve in the fuel sump (the lowest point in the fuel system) of Cessna 140As. The installation allows water and other contaminates to be drained from the fuel system during preflight.

C-Mods has other STCs available for a variety of other Cessna aircraft.

Kit prices range for $20-25 per aircraft.

Contact C-Mods , P.O. Box 15388, Durham, NC 27704 for more information. .足 VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

MAIL Dear Editor, This is to say that I very much en­ joyed your article in "Vintage Airplane" on the often abused and maligned (milk stool) Piper Tri-Pacer.

It seems that very few people can comprehend the good fortune this perky little aircraft brought to the aviation world. First, it gave Piper Aircraft a sec­ ond chance to become another world leader in light plane manufacturing; 2. it gave hundreds of small airport operators a small plane in which they could still clear a few bucks, 3. and to the private pilot, a craft in which he could afford to fly with his family.

Down through the years I have owned three models of the P A-22; a 1953, '56 and the '63 Colt model ... all performed well and were very economi­ cal to operate. The only short-coming I perceived was the little craft 's inability to carry a full load in high country ... but what 4 place 150 hp craft can??

I recall , how many years ago, I was demonstrating the Tri-Pacer to Hubert Baker, a seasoned pilot and he was as­ tonished at the way you could trim-up the craft for a 300 fpm sink down to pat­ tern level without touching the controls.

Later on, Piper mentions this control technique in some of their advertising, in case a non-rated pilot was trapped on top of a solid overcast was their reason­ ing for this maneuver.

If r may have the liberty to say so, there is one statement on page 12 in your article that I feel needs a bit of ex­ planation. The statement goes some­ thing like this: ("The PA-20 Pacer's con­ ventionallanding gear was making it tough for Piper to compete with the Cessna 172. ") During its production life, the Pacer didn ' t have to compete with the 172, as the 172 did not appear 'til late 1955.

Actually , Cessna is the one that had to compete, after the runaway sales achievements of the Tri-Pacer which be­ gan in 1951. It seems to me the Piper Cherokee is the craft that had to com­ pete with the 172. r believe if Piper had elected to do a little modification on the PA-20-22 series 4 FEBRUARY 1993

they could have evolved into a line of air­ craft quite similar to the Maule aircraft which are very popular and useful today.

The above statement is certainly not to belittle your " Best Kept Secret" arti­ cle ... my hope is to add just a little to it.

I too think the "Milk Stool " has been abused and overlooked so many times.

As you mentioned in your article, the Tri-Pacer is now e njoying a new lease on life as many are being converted back to Pacer form by sport pilots, and probably even more so by bush pilots in remote areas over the world . These aircraft make a fine light weight bush plane. r am enclosing a photo of a 1956 model that was converted by EAA member Ed Cahill a few years ago, in Juneau , AK. Ed and r just landed the little craft on the North Pacific ocean beach, and did a lit­ tle fishing. The first shot shows the PA­ 22-20 rigged out as a bush plane, and the

other shot shows the same aircraft rigged out for cross country flying. Note the Q­ Tip C.S. prop, and wheel pants. Again , thanks for the good job on the Piper arti­ cle , and all the other fine features of "Vintage Airplane."

Sincerely yours, Roy G. Cagle A IC 9212

Prescott, Arkansas

Thanks for the compliment Roy - and for the clarification. The Tri-Pacer was indeed selling the industry on its ear dur­ ing its first year oj production - Pip er sold more than 900 Tri-Pacers during the first two years of production. With over 7600 of the airplanes built, it's a safe bet that th e Tri-Pacer will be around for a long time to come. - HGF ...

The "First Flight"

by Susan Islas July 11, 1991 Max Kruger's Bird biplane teaches a new pilol what flying was like so many years ago ...

It was as if it was out of a story book.

One filled with time that stood stilL .the easy life and simple pleasures. A story without a plot but enjoyed for its content.

It was an early Sunday morning as I drove across town to "my" airport. The airport is about 16 miles west of town. A 5000 foot paved runway nestled between corn fields and vast farm land. Quiet and remote, it has a charm and personality of its own that lures and refreshes the soul.

As I drove the final stretch of road leading to the airport, I took a casual in­ ventory of the familiar sights. No cars. I am the first one here. That's good. It will be quiet then. Looks like Lou (the family FBO) is not up yet. There 's my Cessna

150. She looks pretty sitting there waiting to be flown this morning. Windsock is ge ntly flowing , not too much wind right down the runway too. Corn sure looks ready to be picked. Amount of rain must have been just right this year. Liked it better when th ere were no crops on these fields, more places to land . Guess farm­ ers have to farm .

What is that?! Looks lik e an open h angar. Someone is here after a ll.

Haven't seen that airplane before. Can't make it out just yet. It's a bright orange one though. That's strange, I have never noticed that hangar before , a lth ough it 's always been there.

As I drive closer I can't keep my eyes off the mystery plane. I always enjoy see­ ing an unfamiliar airplane. Soon I rea lize it 's a biplane but before I can make out further details I must turn around the cor­ ner and park.

The child inside of m e wanted to scramble out of the car, and dash over to

the hangar only to be too breathless to ask questions. In stea d , with great self­ control, I slowly exited my car and made my way to the hangar.

I rounded the corner and stood dumb­ founded at what I saw. There , glistening with absolute perfection in the early morning sun, was a Brunner Winkle Bird.

Not that I knew what it was at the time.

However, I was certain it was something special. Some airp lanes take time to de­ velop a personality. The Bird, however, ex uded instant character. She held her nose high with a certain haughtiness. Yet the broad fuselage and motorcycle-sized tires let one know that she was still hum­ ble. The bright fuselage was in stark con­ trast to her cream colored wings. The fabric was taut , revealing her aerody­ namic form and lin es. The metal cross­ wires (later I was to learn they are called flying wires) stood silent, but I knew once airborne, they would si ng. Under her nose a huge radiator rudely interrupted VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

the gentle curve of the cowling. A shiny wood propeller, open cockpit; all things from a time past. A time I did not know.

A man was sitting by the old Bird. He acted as if he had not a care in the world .

Looked as if he were contemplating, but not too hard . He was looking out , away from the airplane , watching that early morning sunrise that complemented the Bird so.

"Like your plane," I said, trying not to be over-enthusiastic.

No introduction, no exchange of names. Wasn't necessary. We already had a common bond.

"Oh, it's not mine, I just fly it," he said in even tones.

You just fly it?! , I thought. Wow! This guy actually flies this plane! He actually sits in that cockpit, "revs" her up and takes to the air. He gets to hear those crosswires sing! He just flies it. Ha! I had a feeling no one JUST flies it, they experi­ ence it. If she flies anything like she looks, it must be some great experience. "What kind of airplane is it?" I asked, not daring at this point about keeping my enthusi­ asm in check or revealing my possible ig­ norance. " It's a Bird," he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh?" I said , hoping he would offer a more in-depth answer.

He spoke as if he were talking about the Sunday afternoon newspaper. Non­ chalantly, arms folded behind his head, looking off into the distance, he slowly began to elaborate about "The Bird."

"It 's a Brunner Winkle Bird. They were built in the twenties. This particular one was built in 1929. Nice f1yin ' air­ plane. In fact , Charles Lindbergh bought one for his wife to learn how to fly in. Of all the airplanes he could have had, he got her this one. She's still alive, you know.

Still talks about her Bird. The engine though, no, that's a 1917 Curtiss OXX-6.

It's water cooled. That's why you see that big radia tor. " " What is the cruise speed?" I asked.

(As if it really mattered.)

"Oh , it'll cruise around 85 mph. Yea, it'll move if you want it to, but this isn't an airplane to go places in. We fly it around here mainly. We like to fly it early morn­ ings when it is still cool so we can really enjoy its great flying characteristics.

"Go ahead, take a look inside the cock­ pit if you want. See those bars up there?

Don ' t grab those, they connect the ailerons. Keep on the black protected part when you step on the wing."

Carefully, I hoisted myself up onto the lower wing and peeked into the cockpit.

A stick, a throttle, and little else. Beauti­ fully simplistic. ''I'm waiting on the owner to get here," he said. "He was supposed to get here at 7:30 a.m. Maybe he got confused and thought 8:00. Anyhow , if you ' re still around here when he gets here you can 6 FEBRUARY 1992

probably go up for a ride if you want," he stated in that same casual manner. "Prob­ ably won't get many chances to ride in a Bird." " Really!? " I exclaimed. (No compo­ sure here, folks.) "That would be great!"

He only nodded.

A ride, I thought, in the Bird! Do I re­ ally want to do this? Am I going to en­ trust my life to a pilot I do not know and to an airplane that is almost three times as old as I am? It did have a current airwor­ thiness certificate, I rationalized. I'll ask Lou about the pilot. Beside, isn't it worth it to say that I have flown in a 1929 air­ plane, to feel the wind in my hair, feel and hear that engine and look down from an open cockpit and to hear those crosswires sing? ... You bet! My heart pounded a bit faster at the very thought. You only live life once and I intend on living it fully.

What an opportunity!

I went to the FBO to do my 'research,' all the while thinking this was too good to be true. I couldn't have just blundered into something as unique as this. Surely something would fall through and I would be unable to go up in the Bird. After re­ ceiving a satisfactory approval on both the pilot and the plane from Lou , my mind was more at ease.

Soon I heard the roar of an unfamiliar engine.

"That's it," Lou said. "You better hurry or you might just miss the chance of a lifetime." I ran out the door with enthu­ siasm.

Next thing I knew, before I even had a chance to think twice about it, I was sit­ ting in the front cockpit stuffing earplugs into my ears, fastening the bulky seat belt.

My heart was pounding.

We taxied to the end of the runway .

No radios to deal with, just the good old "see and avoid" technique. Lined up and ready, throttle gently added and she's rolling! I wondered if it could ever get up to lift speed . Just as I thought that, our wheels parted with the ground. It was as if we floated off from practically a stand­ still. So gently we took to the air that I thought I was imagining it all and that we were actually still rolling on the runway below. For the first time I looked back over my shoulder at my pilot. He offered a genial, knowing smile. He wore the typ­ ical old time goggles and helmet.

I felt as if I had been whisked back in time, for there was no indication of the 1990's. Just farm land, the 1929 Bird with the 1917 engine, the goggled pilot and his eager passenger.

As we gradually ascended, I was del­ uged with new sensations. I saw things be­ low I had never seen before. I was look­ ing down , not through a window , but through the air. The engine roared only a few feet in front of me . The wind , oh, how wonderful, the wind rushed through my hair and in my face. I was flying.

Somehow it felt as if it was for the first time ever; my "first flight."

We flew over a few green hills and around the small town at a slow speed , one for really looking. The farm workers below momentarily stopped, looked up, and pointed in amazement. I peered over the edge of the cockpit, enjoying all the sensations and sights. I found myself smiling, feeling wonderfully natural and free.

After some time the pilot pulled the throttle back and nosed her over. He must have known what I wanted .

Quickly , she built up speed through her own momentum. And in the semi-silence the wind rushed by the airframe. Then I heard it, the soft whistle ; the singing, of the crosswires. We pulled up into a stall.

So gentle was the stall, I wasn't sure it re­ ally happened. A few steep turns, an easy hammerhead or two, and I knew the Bird was a friendly airplane. She made every­ thing comfortable and easy.

Soon, too soon, it was time to land.

Throttled back, we coasted towards the runway. However, we were not lined up with the cement runway, but rather next to it , towards the grass. I braced myself for a bumpy landing. I should have trusted her consistent amiable tempera­ ment, for she took to the grass like it was a pillow. She's made for grass, I thought.

Sure hope the pilot did not sense my an­ ticipation. It was the softest landing I have ever experienced. I smiled back at the pilot to acknowledge his skill and to thank him for the flight. He still had that same smile, as if he knew what I was ex­ periencing.

Slowly, I climbed out, not eager for it all to end. I walked away with strong im­ ages of the flight still lingering in my mind.

The pilot turned the Bird over to the owner. I watched as he taxied her away and took off again to the place where she belonged - in the air. She slowly flew into the distance. Her bright orange faded into but a shadow on the horizon.

Some hours later I was still in a reverie about my "first flight. " I walked into a restaurant full of people. All eating, all going about their lives as usual. I thought to myself, I have done something this morning that no one in this room proba­ bly has ever had the chance to do. What a way to start my day! What a nice experi­ ence to add to my life collection of experi­ ences. It made me glad to be alive.

I have experienced flight in a way that not even many pilots have. I did not read or hear about history that day, I experi­ enced it. I felt it, heard it, smelled it, and lived it. For a brief moment, time stood still for me and I could imagine what it was like in that time I did not know . I learned a most memorable lesson from a silent but genteel teacher - The Brunner Winkle Bird. ...

Woodgrain On Metal?

YESI "Woodgrain by Estes" keeps an old printing process alive for aircraft and automotive restorers

b y H.G. Frautschy

Editors Note: During the past couple of years, while I have had the privilege of editing Vintage Airplane I've noticed and pointed out that aircraft restorers, by their very nature, are a pretty resourceful bunch . Many of the folks involved in restorations have a particular talent that is not very well known, or perhaps is very specialized. In the future, we will try to highlight some of their handiwork here in the pages of VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Those people or companies with a little known but much appreciated or sought after talent are the ones we are looking for, so if you know ofsomeone or a small company who has an unusual talent, please drop us a line - we'd love to tell oth­ ers about them, and I'd bet they would like to have the exposure here in the mag­ azine.-HGF It looks like wood. But it doesn't sound like wood when you rap it with a knuckle, and it 's cold to the touch , just like metal. What is it? Self-adhesive vinyl? Paint? Formica? Nope. None of the above. It's metal printed to look like wood grain!

Back in the decades before and after WW II, a number of companies, including a few aviation firms, took advantage of a printing process that gave the appearance of woodgrain, but without the muss and fuss of wood finishing and its attendant maintenance headaches. All sorts of things had "woodgrain" applied to them, including jukeboxes, but by far the most prevalent use of the woodgrain printing process was the automotive industry ­ over 65 different car companies used the system to detail the interiors of their cars.

Everything from Plymouth to Packard and Dusenberg had the woodgrain ap­ plied for trim. According to Bennie Estes, in addition to the Aeronca Chief instru­ ment panel, other aviation manufacturers that used the woodgrain trim included Stinson, Waco and Fairchild.

Also, a few models of cash registers made by the National Cash Register Com­ pany (NCR) in Dayton, Ohio also used this process, which resulted in a light, easy to care for finish that was somewhat unaf­ fected by heat and humidity, and could be easily cleaned. The automotive firms found it to be a cheaper (on a production

line basis!) and attractive way to "dress up " the interior of their autos , without having to add wood finishing costs to the final price of the car. Aeronca and evi­ dently a few other aviation firms found the "woodgrained" panels added an auto­ motive look to their cockpits , perhaps making them a bit more appealing to the average Joe who might be shopping for his post-war aerial carriage.

Bennie Estes was an engineer at NCR during the 1960s, and had watched the production people at NCR apply the pro­ cess to the cash registers that were run­ ning through the production line. He re­ calls watching them apply the woodgrain and thinking to himself, "That would be a fun hobby to get into. " During the years 1967-68, NCR decided to phase out the process, and shortly thereafter, Bennie left NCR to start his own machine shop.

He purchased the equipment from NCR, and started playing with it. After three years of research, Bennie decided to sell the machine shop and dive headlong into the woodgrain printing business.

The first jobs he did were restorations for antique cars that had originally had this process applied to the dashboard. As so often happens, as the Estes ' work be­ came known in antique car circles, a few auto enthusiasts who were also into air­ planes began to have work done for them.

Bennie and Pat moved their business to Sarasota , FL in 1978, and have been steadily working ever since, doing work for customers world-wide , from instru­ ment panels to finishing the woodgrain stock on a prop gun for the Oliver Stone movie " JFK. " It seems the producers needed a realistic looking replica of Lee Harvey Oswald's gun , and the woodgrain process (which can actually be applied to any material, as long as the base material can hold a smooth coat of paint) was the finishing touch they needed. Other cus­ tomers include Don Garlits , the famous drag racer, who is having a number of his show cars finished off with this woodgrain process.

The process sounds simple , but it re­ quires a deft touch and and methodical mind to make it all work out. Bennie and his business partner, Pat Estes, have be­ come masters at applying the woodgrain to any surface , including a compound curve!

After carefully prepping the material with zinc chromate and making certain that any surface imperfections have been eliminated, the process begins with a base coat of paint applied to the piece to be woodgrained. This paint will be the light "in between the grain" portion of the " wood." Then the actual printing process begins. '(/)

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First, the appropri ate type of woodgrain is selected, and the cor­ responding photo-etched plate is laid out on the workbench. Bennie and Pat currently have over 90 plates from which to choose. Each plate is etched from 3 to 7 thou­ sandths of an inch deep, which will give appropriate variations in the grain. One style of woodgrain is shown.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

An expensive ink is then applied to the plate, and is carefully squeegeed into the etched areas of the plate, using a finely machined metal squeegee. With the 90 plates they have in stock, Bennie and Pat can produce over 1600 grain variations.

The ink is then carefully applied to the piece to be printed. A crude analogy would be using a rubber stamp and a stamp pad - the process is similar. This part of the process requires an adroit touch, and must be done using great care. One slip, and it's strip it off and try again! Normally, at this stage, only the base coat of paint would be visible, with the woodgrain ink being applied over the lighter color paint. In this demonstration photo, the panel has already had the woodgrain printing and protective urethane topcoat applied. Each pass of the rubber roller must be carefully matched to the edge of the previous pass.

A very soft rubber roller is used to pick up the ink from the plate. How soft is the rubber? Its hardness is in the range of 4-6 dirometers - close to Silly Putty速 with a memory. If you were to push your fingerprint into the roller surface, the imprint of your finger would remain for a number of minutes, and then the rubber would return to its molded state. A variety of rollers and applicators are used to transfer the ink, but they all have very soft rubber as the transferring surface.

The completed panel, showing the fine variation of the wood grain pattern.

After the ink has dried, a clear coat finish of urethane is sprayed over the surface to give a varnished look to the woodgrain finish, and to protect the ink and base coat of paint from the elements.

8 FEBRUARY 1992

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o (Above) Densel Williams' EAA Oshkosh '92 Grand Champion Classic Aeronca 11 CC Super Chief has an instrument panel finished by "Woodgrain By Estes" as the centerpiece of his nicely restored interior. Aeronca used the woodgrain effect in an effort to make the cabin of the Super Chief more "car like." It also has the added benefit of being much lighter in weight than a wooden panel of the same configuration.

Bennie Estes and his business partner, Pat Estes, proudly show the finished panels for Joe Hindall's Fairchild 24W. The finished panel looks spectacularly like the real thing!

The complete process can take as long as 3 to 4 weeks. After each step, in­ cluding the prep work, adequate time is given for the paint or ink to cure, with­ out any additional heating used to speed the cure. Each panel may get 15 or 30 minutes attention each day, as each piece of the puzzle is linked together to com­ plete the process.

They also prefer to do all of the preparation work themselves, to make certain the base for the printing process will be compatible. Fortunately, with the new urethane primers and paints available versus the nitrocellulose lac­

quers used originally, the restored in­ strument panels should last much longer, and be more resistant to the en­ vironment.

The cost is not inexpensive - the Fairchild panels you see here were priced at approximately $225. Unfortunately, since each panel is done as an individual project, the relatively low cost per piece of a production line run, when hundreds or thousands of pieces were done at the same time, is simply not possible. But if replicating the exact same process used on your piece of trim is important to you, investigating whether this process,

done the same exact way as the original, may be worth it. You can contact "Woodgrain By Estes" at 2230 Whitfield Park Dr. , Sarasota, FL 34243. Phone 813/753-9663.

Remember, if you or someone you know performs a rare or unique process, and you think other Antique/Classic members would like to know about it, drop me a line here at EAA HQ. Your fellow members will be happy to find out that "Hey, that can still be done!" and the person or company doing the work will be pleased that others will know how to contact them. Let us know! ...

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

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by Ron Bailey (EAA 408304)

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

When my youngest grandson helped me blowout the candles on my sixty­ eighth birthday, I came to the sobering realization that the time remaining in my allotted "three score and ten" years was diminishing at an alarming rate.

The advancing years were also catching up with "Kilo Charlie Tango," my aging 1946 Cessna 140. By EAA criteria, she was a "classic" in spite of languishing in the tall grass at Thunder Bay, Ontario , St. Andrews, Manitoba and Cooking Lake, Alberta. Our last pilgrimage to Oshkosh had been in 1983, but that had been from the Lakehead. Nine years have since elapsed and Cooking Lake is that much further removed . I came to the conclusion that if we were ever to make one last "hadji" to that aviation mecca in Wisconsin, it had better be soon. During her annual medical this spring I asked Mike Paplinski of Aero Tech Alberta if " Charlie Tango" could make the long journey to Oshkosh and return. He thought that she could, but in case she couldn't, he installed a set of shoulder harness as a precaution.

Navigating by dead reckoning is an anachronism synonymous with the sail­ ing ship. "Charlie Tango's" panel for the most part is little changed since the day she rolled off the assembly in Wi­ chita, forty-six years ago. Apart from an altitude encoding transponder, manda­ tory in the Edmonton control zone for some dubious reason, a compass and di­ rectional gyro are all we have to guide us. What the heck!! Captain Cook cir­ cumnavigated the globe with less. Surely if one keeps track of the isogonic lines 10 FEBRUARY 1992

•••

to Oshkosh

and resets the gyro occasionally, we should be able to find Oshkosh.

In a society obsessed with acronyms, this flight would be conducted by " BOTTOMS" (Back Over To The Old Manual System). I had a thought of ac­ quiring a Loran or GPS but rather than sit mesmerized by a panel of naviga­ tional instruments, I decided to look for a co-pilot instead. We could then enjoy the scenery enroute and at least know where we'd been.

My youngest son, Grant, who lives in Saskatoon, was a one time pilot. That was before he disposed of his third air-

plane and acquired a bride. Not an un­ usual circumstance. I decided to extend the invitation for him to accompany me through my new daughter-in-law, hop­ ing it would be accepted with more en­ thusiasm than her mother-in-law had shown. Lo and behold , it was, and the flight planning could begin.

The following day I journeyed over to the Edmonton Flying Club to pick up a set of maps. For those who haven't pur­ chased a new "sectional" lately, be ad­ vised that they now cost $13.59 per copy (in Canada). That should be enough to either send the low budget flyer over to

the tourist bureau for a road map or commit the old bird to a Ritchie Auction - and take up golf!

Planning a flight of this duration in ­ volved some current factors that were never discussed at the flight school I at­ tended. A great deal of emphasis was placed on fuel efficiency and provision for reserve. I wish that some aviation medi­ cal practitioner would develop a chart similar to the Koch chart for density alti­ tude, that would relate age, distance and bladder capacity. By drawing a line on such a chart one could determine th e ideal dista nce between fuel stops, etc.

Not having such precise data available, I determined by experience that the flight time of one hour and thirty minutes be­ tween Cooking Lake and L10ydminster is about the ideal interval for both fuel and other requirements. Beyond L1oydmin­ ster, Saskatoon, Regina and Estevan , this criteria results in an odyssey of middle America. Stops are indicated at Minot, Jamestown , Fergus Falls, Flying Cloud , Waupaca a nd Oshkosh. This will entail considerable landing and take-off practice if nothing else.

The flight to L10ydminster was routine although I did discern a drop or two of oil on the tarmac after fueling up. At Saska­ toon, where I picked up my co-pilot , the oil consumption appeared normal but again a slight drip from the cowl was noted. A similar situation prevailed at Regina and when we arrived at Minot to clear Customs, the drip had become a trickle. I feared our Oshkosh flight might terminate at Minot, ND. We were parked in front of a hangar emblazoned with the name Pietsch Fly­ ing Service above the door. The name struck a respondent chord in my mem­ ory. Twenty-five years previous , I had made one of the great miscalculations of my life. I had taken my present co-pilot, then ten years old, to an airshow at St. Andrews, Man. The star performer that day was a stunt pilot named Al Pietsch.

Thus began an involvement in aviation that would disrupt our happy family , usurp my hard earned savings and culmi­ nate here in Minot, North Dakota , star­ ing at a puddle of oil trickling out of an ancient Cessna.

I walked into the hangar office and was greeted by a comely receptionist who smiled when I inquired if this was the same Al Pietsch whom I rem e mbered from long ago. She nodded to two chaps sitting on an adjoining sofa. They were AI's two sons who had just returned from flying airshows at Fort St. John and Whitehorse. Then AI himself showed up.

I asked if he remembered flying an old Starduster Too at an airshow at St. An­ drews, Man. in 1967. He replied that it was a new Starduster Too and is now an old Starduster Too. On learning of our predicament, he immediately dispatched a fine young me­ chanic who pulled "Charlie Tango" over to the hangar. After steam cleaning the engine, it was determined that the leak was in the generator seal and he immedi­ ately began to remove the generator.

The next morning all was back together and we were on our way to Oshkosh once again.

I get distressed when I hear disparag­ ing remarks about our American friends and the above incident only amplifies my unease in this regard.

At each FBO we stopped we were treated courteously. "Charlie Tango" inspired favorable comment and re­ ceived TLC during each fueling opera­ tion . We had decided that I would fly the morning shift while fresh and Grant would take over after lunch as I began to fade.

After laps from Minot to Jamestown and Fergus Falls, I was happy to relinquish the controls for the flight to Flying Cloud. We had decided to overnight in Minneapolis and visit a cousin of mine. Flying Cloud is located deep within the Twin Cities control zone (TCA) and the radio traffic suggested

this would be a good warmup for Oshkosh. Our Mode C transponder came into use and we were vectored into Flying Cloud directly . On the ground we proceeded to Aero Services, Inc. where they fueled us up and provided hangar storage free of charge. Depar­ ture the following morning was handled like the arrival and we were cleared on course right through the control zone.

H is a two and one quarter hour flight from Flying Cloud to Waupaca. We ar­ rived over this picturesque little Wiscon­ sin town shortly before noon . The Oshkosh A TIS advised that the field would be closed until 1900. This being Saturday, the second day of the big air­ show, we had anticipated such a contin­ gency and arranged to stay at Waupaca which has a fine uncontrolled airport with a new terminal building and great tiedowns. That afternoon we rented a " U-Drive" and drove to the " 1201140 Assn." barbecue at the Oshkosh Country Club. Of all the attendees, we had flown the farthest and were royally treated.

Sunday proved another difficult day for arrivals. The pilot of a KR-2 suffered a heart attack during flight and crashed off the south end of the airport. This re­ sulted in various complications so we de­ cided to postpone our attempted field ar­ rival until the following day.

In the sky, bright and early over Wau­ paca on Monday morning , we learned Oshkosh was closed and holding was in progress due to congestion of arrivals.

The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pa­ cific Railroad once had a branch line run­ ning through the towns of Ripon and Fisk into Oshkosh . The abandoned line runs straight to Wittman Field and is used to direct incoming arrivals by a controller on the ground at Fisk. We were finally able to penetrate the great circle of planes milling around Rush Lake . Prop to tail , in single file, around and around we went for almost an hour, listening to the con­ troller's instruction. No verbal response

VINTAGE AIRPLANE11

Ron's grandson, Cody Bailey, poses by a "Corsair Statue" at Denver's Centennial Airport. He is of the next generation of pilots.

is needed. Finally we heard the following, "Red and white Canadian Cessna 140, rock your wings, proceed down the tracks to Fisk. Maintain 90 knots and 1800 MSL. Monitor Oshkosh Tower 118.5 over Fisk.

All trailing aircraft follow Canadian Cessna, single file. " We were to lead the parade! Down the old right-of-way we went toward Fisk. Changing to tower fre­ quency as requested, our instruction was, " Red and white Canadian Cessna 140, downwind right, two seven, on the button , clear to land . Out over Lake Winnebago on downwind, right base and short final to two seven."

No sooner had our wheels touched the pavement than a bike rider waved us off the runway and we began our tortu­ ous taxi to the show plane parking area at the far end of runway 36. Finally we had arrived. Row 85, third space in from the flight line, an ideal location for view­ ing the airshow and the arrivals and de­ partures.

One of the major highlights of Oshkosh for me was a visit to the EAA Air Adven­ ture Museum. This was my first opportu­ nity to view the new Eagle Hangar, added in 1989. Awesome!!! This museum is a world class facility and like the Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Drumheller, Alberta, two or three days are required to do it justice. I also enjoyed Pioneer Air­ port , a Stan-Reynolds-like collection of vintage aircraft, all in flying condition and stored in vintage hangars as Stan has done at Wetaskiwin. Each day they wheel them out on the tarmac for viewing or a flight 12 FEBRUARY 1992

around the patch.

The heavy military metal that we en­ joyed at Namao this spring was somewhat different than the " heavy iron" at Oshkosh. There was, however, a good supply of "Warbirds" and some beauti­ fully restored B-25 Mitchells that flew in a Doolittle commemoration of the raid on Tokyo fifty years ago.

Another highlight was the appearance of a second Lockheed Super Constella­ tion restored to flying condition. I had last seen this old aircraft languishi ng away at Dorval, Quebec, after a spr uce bud worm spraying expedition . It was pur­ chased in 1984 by John Travolta and is now owned by Vern Raburn of Scotts­ dale, Arizona. The Gee Bee was parked nearby a nd each time a shower threat­ ened, they pushed it under the Connie's broad wing for s helter. Delmar Ben­ jamin's Gee Bee was also a treat to watch in the air and his flying performance at the airshow was spectacular.

For one whole week at Oshkosh, we heard not one word of murders , rapes, AIDS or politics. The only talk we heard was about airplanes , the people who built them, the people who owned them and the people who flew them. Oshkosh is a tonic to last the whole year. Good on you, EAA. All good things must come to an end however, and tomorrow we must pack up and head for home. The next morning as we arose at dawn , departures were a l­ ready underway. We completed our ablu­ tions and had our last breakfast in the

Hangar Cafe. Since my co-pilot had got­ ten us safely into Oshkosh, it was my turn to get us safely out. The ATIS advised that runway 27 was in use for departures with a wind of 300/12. Our bike escort was waiting and guided us back through the tortuous route we had followed on ar­ rival. The taxiing process consumed al­ most an hour. The scene that greeted me on arriving at the threshold of 27 was one to make the heart of a pasture pilot skip a beat. Aircraft were departing in pairs from either side of the center line. At any one moment, there were six planes on the runway in various stages of departure , many of them taildraggers like ourselves.

There was no turning back however, when we got the wave, it was right aileron , full throttle, get the tail up and away we go!

"Charlie Tango" pointed skyward like a horse heading for the barn in a snow­ storm . The euphoria of that moment will remain as the apogee of my aviation ex­ perience forever.

We touched down at Waupaca to fuel up with 80/87 and access the Pan Ameri­ can Weather Network, which provides hard copy of the SA 's, IT's , upper winds and weather map. A big " high " was build­ ing over North Dakota so once again, the Lord tempers the wind for the 140 flyers.

Havin g forgone a second cup of coffee this morning , I manage to endure the three hour flight to St. Cloud, MN. My co-pilot flies the next three hour stretch to Jamestown where we overnight. Two Globe Swifts follow us in with the same idea. One is a si ngle pilot and the other a couple, each heading for California and dod ging a front in Wyoming. We share the mot e l limou si ne , have dinner and spend a convivial evening together shar­ ing our Oshkosh experiences.

The weather is CA vOK (CA VU in the U.S.) next morning and we will make the best of it. Two and a half hours to Es­ tevan and a similar interval to Saskatoon, where I (reluctantly) lose my co-pilot.

The next day it was on through familiar skies to Alberta.

Except for the incident in Minot, " Kilo Charlie Tango " performed flawlessly.

Hom e again, she has resumed her static angle of repose on the three concrete slabs embedded in the turf at Cooking Lake. To the casual observer she might have just returned from a flight to Tofield, Cam rose or Wetaskiwin. I, however, have a plaque with her picture on it and a mug adorned with a set of pewter wings, to prove she had once been an " An­ tique/Classic " showplane at EAA Oshkosh '92. She done good.

The flight to Oshkosh covered some 3000 miles , involved sixteen stops and required thirty-five hours flying time.

The acronym " BOTTOMS" turned out to be descriptive because after that length of time in a Cessna 140, I cer­ tainly had a sore one! ...

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Poised on the flight line at EAA OSHKOSH '92, John and Linda's 1942 Grumman G足 44A Widgeon displays the classic lines of the stout airframe designed by the engineers of the "Grumman Iron Works."

14 FEBRUARY 1993

The late 1930s saw remarkable changes in the still relatively new industry called aviation. Aircraft manufactured towards the end of the decade would benefit from the advances being made in aircraft struc足 tures and aerodynamics, as well as a loos足 ening or the Great Depression's financial stranglehold. Grumman Aircraft was in a uniqu e position to reap the rewards of these changes.

As the United States geared up its mili足 tary for the defense of the free world, Grumman produced a series of military aircraft that literally spanned the changes that would characterize the decade - from biplanes with fabric covered surfaces, to a ll metal monoplanes. Roy Grumman's company began with work for the U.S. Navy, designing an amphibious float for

(Below) The front office of the Widgeon, complete with overhead engine controls.

The hatch on the right side of the cockpit allows entry to the bow hatch. A removable rudder bar fits in a receptacle on the floor to allow the co-pilot to fly the amphibian using the throwover yoke.

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use with the Vought Corsair biplane fighter. With the exception of outside re­ pair work on Loening Air Yachts, done to help keep the company coffers solvent while the engineering and fabrication work was done on the military project , Grumman built aircraft entirely for the military. But the civilian market was never far from Roy Grumman's thoughts and , in 1936, after being contacted by a syndicate of 10 wealthy businessmen, pen was put to paper to create Grumman Air­ craft's first civilian airplane design , the twin-engined G-21 Goose , an amphibian with plenty of room for the businessman /sportsman who could afford the $60,000 price tag . Grumman was in the unique position of having a lot of experience building seaplanes , having built the J-l

and J-2 Duck series for the military since 1934. Experience gained from the hull de­ sign of the Duck, and the ingenious land­ ing gear designed by Roy Grumman and Bill Schwendler would add up to help make the Goose, and its smaller sibling, aircraft with no equal. The Goose first flew May 31, 1937, and would stay in pro­ duction until 1945, with a total of 345 air­ planes built.

The Goose proved to be a success for Grumman, but it was, for some , a bit too large. Market studies showed there was potential for a smaller twin-engined am­ phibian with the same basic capabilities as the 6-place Goose , but at a lower operat­ ing cost.

In August 1939, the engineering staff at Grumman began work on the new smaller

amphibian , the 4 to 5-place model G-44.

The G-44 was basically just a shrunk down version of the G-21 Goose, of which the flight characteristics were considered out­ standing for a plane of its weight and size.

Maintaining the company tradition of naming the amphibious aircraft after wa­ terfowl , the new trim little airplane was dubbed "Widgeon," after a small freshwa­ ter duck found in various parts of the world. (The British, who would later take delivery of 11 of the military model J4F-2, would, no doubt referring to the ancestry of the smaller amphibian, dub the airplane the "Gosling.") Work on the airplane was completed by the middle of 1940, and Bud Gillies and Roy Grumman first test flew the airplane on June 28 , 1940. Pleased with the results, work progressed towards certifying the design, as war clouds loomed on the horizon. The Widgeon would have just 37 built before Grumman was to shift all production to military aircraft. The Widgeon line was not stopped though - it simply became the J4F, as its utility be­ came known to the military . The U.S. Coast Guard was the first military cus­ tomer, buying 8 airplanes in 1941 for use in coastal patrol. (It would later buy 17 more during 1942.) The Navy also found the Widgeon useful, and would order 131 for use as utility aircraft - submarine spot­ ting, search and rescue , medical evacuaVINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

tion and whatever else the Navy had a need for. Even the U.S. Army found the Widgeon useful, sometimes flying the air­ craft as landplanes, removing the tip floats for a little added speed. The uniquely large cabiil, essentially a box with the bot­ tom hull " Y" added , was very comfort­ able for almost any activity the military could come up with. For added utility , the Coast Guard aircraft had a flip-open hatch added to the top of the fuselage, just above the normal door opening. The top loading hatch allowed easier loading of patient litters.

A Coast Guard Widgeon also served as an offensive weapon - the Widgeon as­ signed to th e C.G. base at Houma, Louisiana is officially credited with a sub­ marine kill in the Gulf of Mexico, south of the Mississippi river delt a. The action took place on August 1, 1942. The J4F had bee n modified to carry a 325 lboo depth charge under the starboard wing.

On routine patrol over the Gulf, Chief A viation Pilot He nry C. White and his crewman , Radioman First Class George H. Boggs, Jr. spotted the 225 foot long 16 FEBRUARY 1993

German submarine U-166 on the surface.

As the sub tried to make its escape by div­ ing, White released the depth charge while in a dive with the Widgeon, and Ra­ dioman Boggs observed the bomb ex­ plode with what appeared' to be a direct hit. The sinking of the U-166 was the only sinking of a sub by the Coast Guard during WW II. This Widgeon is still fly­ ing in Alaska today. A similar scene had been enacted by the Civil Air Patrol two weeks previous - Wynant Fan and Johnny Haggin tracked a German U-boat off the New Jersey coast for three hours until it came up to periscope dept\l, at wbich time they dutifully dropped two depth cbarges on the target. They too were credited with a submarine kill.

As the war drew to a close, Grumman began to produce a civilian model of the Widgeon again. A slight design modifica­ tion to the hull was made (the G-44 had a tendency to bury its bow on landing if the approach was made at too Iowa trim an­ gle, as documented in NACA Report W­ 104.) The new deep keel configuration was designed to alleviate that problem .

76 G-44As would be built between 1944 and 1949. An additional 30 aircraft, desig­ nated SCAN 30s, were built in France un­ der license by Societe de Constructions Aeros Navales in 1949, powered by the Salmson 8 AS-OO engines of 200 hp.

As the Ranger engine became less and less the engine of choice for some owners, a number of modifications were STC'd to upgrade the Widgeon . One of the most startling was the installat ion of a pair of 300 hp Lycoming radials. Instantly , the Widgeon looked even more like its big brother, the Goose. A different idea was in the making though - the installation of the 260 hp Lycoming flat-opposed engines gave the Widgeo n the added kick it needed. With constant-speed props and a total of 120 more horsepower, the Wid­ geon had more acceptable engine out characteristics (it would now maintain al­ titude on one engine , something it could

Carl Schuppel

not do with the fixed-pitch wood prop and Ranger engine combination).

Certainly the most commonly known conversions of the Widgeon were done by the McKinnon-Hickman Co. Commonly referred to as the McKinnon conversion, the centerpiece of the changes made to the airplane was the installation of a pair of Lycoming GO-435A engines, equipped with 2-bladed Hartzell propellers. The smaller diameter of the 2-bladed props helps keep them out of the water spray that is so detrimental to the life of the prop blades. Additional changes include the installation of an augmenter type ex­ haust system, and on some airplanes, the modification of the wing to accept re­ tractable tip floats. As time has passed, the horsepower of the engines installed on converted Widgeons has steadily climbed, to the point that many of the air­ planes now feature almost 1/3 more power

than the y had installed ori ginally. The added clout of the new installations really helps the airplane 's rate of climb, no t to me ntion its ability to take off from even more restricted waterwa ys and runways.

The versatile Grumman Widgeon kept on doing the job it was designed for long af­ te r it beca me a b onefi de a ntiq ue. For many owners, nothing else can replace it.

John Schwamm has had the Widgeoo " bug" for a long time. He and his new bride Linda are enjoying the fruits of the labor involved in the rebuild of Grumman G-44 Widgeon seria l number 1324, N144GW. When it was first built in 1942 as a J4F-2, it wore the drab blue and white of the U.S. Navy, but when it arrived at EAA OSHKOSH '92 it had a spectacular new paint scheme, and immediately drew a small crowd of admirers.

The waterway to Oshkosh was a long haul for the bantam Grumman - it had not had a easy life up to that point.

According to John, this Widgeon, in more than. one occasion in its lifetime, has had the nose section torn off. Two times in the past the airplane has suffered a mishap resulting in its sinking. The first time, the pilot of the Widgeon , in an at­ tempt to avoid a collision with another aircraft during a takeoff run, had to lift off too early. The Widgeon cleared the other

airplane, but without sufficie nt speed to maintain fl ight, the pilot wound up land­ ing the amphibian in a lake with the land­ ing gear down. Putting any airplane i n the wate r with the gear down just abo ut guarantees the ai rplane will immediately bury its nose in the water and fl~p over on its back. T his time would prove to be no exception - the Widgeon's nose plunged into the wate r, and the loads imposed on the fuselage were too much, with the nose of the airplane being torn from the rest of the fuselage . Dragged back to shore, the Wjdgeon languisb ed un til bought by an ai rli ne owner who had the airp lane re­ built. After flyi ng it for a few yea rs, and putting a couple of hund red ho urs on it, he too had an unfo rtunate landing - once again the Widgeon wound up on the bot­ tom of a,lake with the nose of the airplane ripped off. The airplane was salvaged, a fiberglass nose put on it and the Widgeon was flown out to have another major re­ build. A new nose was grafted onto the airplane, the forward hull you see on the airplane today. But its days of rough wa­ ter were not yet over.

John does not have all the details, but after this resurrection , the airplane and the airline owner were once again plying the airways and waterways of Alaska when they became the main players in an­ other incident. While flying off the water, the Widgeon came back down and landed on the water surface, but was too close to the shoreline to turn. It climbed the bank and went crashing through the trees, tear­ ing off the outer wing panels and twisting the aft fuselage . The props were man­ gled, and it seemed there was hardly a piece of metal left in the airplane that VINTAGE AI RPLANE 17

John and Linda Schwamm had not been bent or dented , with one exception - the nose was spared any major damage this time! John and Linda said there were a few minor dents to be worked out of the metal on the nose, but by and large it was dam­ age free.

Incidentally, in all three of these crashes , as far as John knows every­ body involved walked away with noth­ ing major hurt. Quite a testimony to the stout airplanes built by the "Grum­ man Iron Works."

This time, the insurance company sold the salvaged wreck to an Alaska Airlines pilot, Dave Strelinger who later sold it to John Schwamm. When you've been bitten by the Widgeon "bug" so hard , you're willing to tackle anything, so piece by piece, parts were gathered, rivets drilled and once again, serial number 1324 Grumman Wid­ geon was made whole. A new set of wings were found, and the intricate task of transferring the McKinnon re­ tractable wingtip floats was done. Also, 18 FEBRUARY 1993

to extend the range of the Widgeon , long range fuel tanks were installed, bringing the total on board to 176 gal­ lons. Other sheet metal work was farmed out to various mechanics. Dave Strelinger, the Alaska airlines pilot, had a full time mechanic , Chris Ed­ wards, working for him at his shop in the Seattle area. He worked on the project for two years, helping John re­ alize his dream of flying a Widgeon.

The 270 hp engines were also re­ placed with a pair of 295 hp Lycomings that were sold 20 years ago for use on the Helio Courier. A friend of John's had run across them in, of all places, Thailand. They were leftovers from Helios used during the Vietnam War era. Even though they came " new" in the boxes , John had them carefully checked and overhauled. A pair of long (90") 3-bladed Hartzell props help convert all that horsepower to thrust. The extra power is quite no­ ticeable. The Widgeon can be a hawk in duck 's clothing - with all the extra power coupled with the new props, it will surprise you with an astonishingly rapid acceleration on takeoff, and an equally impressive rate of climb. All I could say was "Wow!" as John just sat over on the left side of the cockpit and grinned.

The aft cabin presented quite a chal­ lenge to the rebuilders. Badly twisted and banged up, the aft hull of this Wid­ geon is all new sheet metal, with the vertical fin off a Coast Guard J4F-1 Widgeon.

As the mechanical work came to a close, the decision on the color scheme had to be made. For six months, John and Linda worked on the paint ideas.

"We really agonized over it," she re­ called.

Keeping elements of the original paint jobs of the first Widgeons, and working with the lines of the hull and wing, they, with the help of Alaskan artist Don Dawson, came up the the very pleasing scheme you see on these pages. The entire airplane is finished with Ditzler polyurethane enamel, ap­ plied over a three month time frame by Lindbergh Aircraft in Arlington, W A. The interior and cockpit were also carefully restored, with soundproofing, and pleasant gray leather and tan side panels. Also included in the ceiling is a laminated map of Alaska, as their friends George and Ruby Pappas had done in their Widgeon.

Up in the cockpit, an entire set of modern instruments and avionics was installed in the completely reworked panel. All of the cockpit placards were redone, as well as refinishing the many knobs used on various controls.

Active in the real estate business in Alaska, John intends to use the WId­ geon more for pleasure than for busi­ ness, for trips to the wilderness to camp or visit their cabin for fishing.

John and Linda are quite tickled that such a terrific airplane has come into their lives, and they look forward to ex­ ploring their ~me state of Alaska with the Widgeon. Looks like fun to us! . .

by Norm Petersen A neat photo of Dr. Carl Nichols standing next to his 1947 Piper PA-12 "Super Cruiser," N3336M, SIN 12­ 2194, was featured in the February 1992 VINTAGE AIRPLANE maga­ zine under the column heading "What Our Members are Restoring." At the time, we noted that Dr. Nichols' arm was being gently twisted for him to come forth with the full story of the PA-12 restoration.

Lo and behold , this fine gentleman from Mississippi sent u s his entire photo alb um with the story of the PA­ 12 from beginning to end. With a bit of information gathered from him, we are ab le to complete the story of this pristine Super Cruiser.

Dr. Nichols made his solo flight in a J-3 Cub way back in 1941, while a stu­ dent in the Civi l Pilot Training Pro­ gram at "Ole Miss" in Oxford , Missis­ sippi, his alma mater. He admits to an affinity for Piper aircraft ever since that time. Over the years h e has owned nine airplanes - of which eight have been Pipers! (His one "excur­ sion" was a Citabria.)

Shopping about for a PA-12 , he came across hi s friend, Billy Ray Handly of nearby Arcola , MS who

had a PA-12 with a lowtime 150 Ly­ com ing that was in good shape, with one exception - the paint was peeling.

It h ad been rebuilt abo ut six years previous but the dope suffe red from poor ad hesion. Sensing this would be a good starting point, Carl bought the PA -12 an d fl ew it up to C leve la nd , MS home of Pete Jones' Air R epair, In c. - well kno w n for Stearman restorations.

Overhead shot reveals how the paint was peeling from the fuselage with just the slightest amount of provocation.

The lack of bonding was painfully evident.

The original instrument panel really needed some help, especially with the two radios removed.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

Fuselage is suspended so it can be rotated while the Ceconite is put on and the first coats of dope are applied. Note the cast aluminum valve covers on the 150 hp Lycoming.

A close inspection revealed that mice had chewed most of the ribstitch­ ing in the wings, so the best course of action was to tear it down and do a complete rebuild of the airframe . Pete Jones and his crew agreed to do the job - provided they weren't "pushed."

(Of necessity, in Pete's shop the Stear­ mans get first priority.) The PA-12 was torn down to reveal a really fine airframe which was carefully restored to new condition . A new instrument panel was fabricated and a new inte­ rior was installed. The outside was covered in Ceconite and butyrate dope and finished off in a red and white paint scheme.

Unusual in that it still has cast alu­ minum valve covers with the large Ly­ coming " L " cast into them, the 150 (continued on page 26)

Last piece of bootcowl metal is carefully fitted before final painting. The interior with new instrument panel has also been installed. Interior colors are red and black.

With the tail feathers and ailerons covered, the airplane is assembled for rigging with the new control cables. You can see that the interior and landing gear are already installed.

All dressed up and ready to go, the "new" PA-12 looks sharp in its fancy new covering and paint scheme - even the hub caps are red! Note wing fairings on strut ends and jury struts.

20 FEBRUARY 1992

WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - by Norm Petersen

Jeff Forrest's Stinson 108-1 Brought back to mint condition in 1989, this sharp looking Stinson 108-1 " Voyage r ," NC81 89K , SIN 108-1189, is the proud possession of Jeff and Sharon Forest of Bloomfield Hill s, MI. Finished off in blu e and whit e Stits using an original paint sche me , th e Stinson r e tain s it s original Franklin e ngin e in a compartment that rea lly sparkles with attention to detail. The aircraft inte rior is don e in

a matching blue and grey that compli­ ment s th e ex terior. Ori g in a l m e t a l wheel pant s finish the Stinson look .

The poli sh e d metal pr o p a nd large spinner g ives the first clue that this classic is some thing diffe re nt - plus the chrome plated nose grill s. The For­ rest's Stinson is based at the Oakla nd Pontiac Airport in Pontiac, MI and is one of 2308 Stinson 108 series remain­ ing on the FAA register.

Doug Williams' Champion 7GCA The "first attempt" at rebuilding an airplane re­ sulted in this very nice lookin g 1960 Champion 7GCA, N8921, SIN 7GCA-168, by its owner, Doug Williams (EAA 299040, AIC 11781) of Moreland, Georgia. Doug reports the rebuild took three and one-half years of spare time work after the Cham­ pio n was damaged by hi gh winds fro m a squall line. The two spars in the right wing had to be re­ placed and the entire airplan e was covered with the Stits process. A new interior really dressed up the cockpit area. Powered with a Lycoming 0-320 of 150 hp, the Champion would make an excellent towplane or floatplane - especially with its full electrica l system. Doug says he had planned on keeping the blue and white Champion forever, but now wants to rebuild another airplane so he might consider selling the rather rare bird. (It is one of only two 7GCA 's listed on the FAA register.)

Doug's phone is 404-253-1120.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

WHAT OUK MEMBERS ABE RESTORING

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - by Norm Petersen

James Jones' Piper J-3 Cub An energetic and excited James Jones (EAA 404793, A/C 19174) of Ca dot , WI r ece ntly brought this res torabl e woodspar Pip e r J-3 Cub ,

N41567 , SIN 9047, to his shop to com足 mence work . Built on April 21, 1942, the Cub has logged 2703 hours on the airframe. The original Franklin 65 en足 gine was replaced with a Continental A65 in 1946, which in turn was rebuilt in 1960 by Southern Minnesota Avi a tion Service, Owatonna , MN for a total of $611.00! The labor alone was 55 hours at $3 .75/hr. The Cub has been flown 677 hours since then , mostly in central

Wisconsin by five different owners. It was placed in storage in 1986 until James discovered it in a dark, dusty shed in the spring of 1992. James , who is a brand new pilot, plans on a total restoration to original condition.

A close look at James' Cub pictures reveals a nice '40 Chevy two door and a 1946 Buick fastback in the yard. If these are an indication of his ability and work足 manship, the Cub will be a dandy.

Fran Nans' Cessna 170B

taken off floats so the new owner could learn to fly a taildragger (on whee ls)!

Once this is accomplished, Fran hopes to put it back on floats in the summer and enjoy the pleasures of seaplane flying along with acquring a seaplane rating on hi s pilot license. Note how the paint scheme is carefully carried over to the floats for an overall pleasing effect. ..

Some people end up with the best of all worlds! This very nice looking 1952 Cessna 170B , N8314A, SIN 25066, was purchased in Minnesota and moved to Wisconsin by its new owner, Fran Nans of Cudah y, WI. Complete with a matching set of Edo 89-2000 floats, the 170B was 22 FEBRUARY 1993

by George Hardie Here's what might be called the "basic flying machine" a "bare bones" airplane. the photo is from the Russell collection in the EAA archives. Answers will be pub­ lished in the May , 1993 issue of VIN­ TAGE AIRPLANE. Deadline for that issue is March 20, 1993.

The November Mystery Plane evi­ dently puzzled many readers, for only two replies were received. Roy Cagle of Prescott, AR had the correct answer. He writes: "The aircraft was designed and built during 1929-1930. George H. Orydden, the designer, had be e n associated with William Stout during the development of the Stout all-metal aircraft. This aircraft was known at the time as the Prudden­ Whitehead All -Metal Trimotor mono­ plane. The Whitehead part was a Mr. Edward Whitehead , a World War I vet­ eran and successful businessman who likely financed the project.

"The aircraft was built by the Atlanta Aircraft Corp. of Atlanta, Georgia, and was all-metal throughout of duraluminum and duraluminum Alclad. It had many new features for its day - NACA cowling with collector rings , engine nacelles mounted in the leading edge of the wing, Aero shocks, Bendix brakes with high pressure tires, and a wash room and toi­ let. It was powered by three Wright J-6 R-670 engines and was an eight-place configuration, or mail and cargo varia­ tions. Wingspan was 66 ft. 6 in.; length 44 ft 10 in. Gross weight 7735 Ibs, top speed

145 mph , landing speed 55 mph. Take-off run 384 ft. (These references are from Southern Aviation" and " Aero Digest. ") An extensive article on the airplane can be found in the British magazine Flight for January 2, 1931."

Charley Hayes of Park Forest , IL came close. He writes: " Could the fertile mind of William B. Stout have been involved in the concep­ tion of this aircraft which certainly looks like a low-wing Ford Trimotor?"

Roy Cagle also sent in further infor­ mation on the Mystery Plane for August.

John Underwood, Glendale, CA was right - it is the Frenard Duck. Roy sent a copy of a short article that appeared in Air Progress Special, Spring & Summer, 1966 describing the airplane. Quoting

from the article: "This unusual homebuilt was first flown in 1950, following four years of de­ sign and construction work by Fred Arnoldi, a former Curtiss engineer. Craft seats only its pilot, is known as a ' Fre­ nard' . A quick removable tri-gear plus addition of floats , permits water opera­ tions. Wings are of fabric-covered torque box construction and swept; hull is all plywood with tail fabric over plywood structure. Stabilizer and elevator are lo­ cated across the bow in a canard configu­ ration, utilizing a plywood/fa bric con­ struction ... The 'Frenard' can be assembled/disassembled in under an hour and has its own trailer for road trans­ portation, approximate cost of construc­ tion was $2500 . ..."

'*

Prodden- Whltehead All- Metal Trlmotor monoplane VINTAGE AI RPLAN E 23

P=1\=SS=IT=T=::°rJuck

An information exchange column with input from our readers.

by Buck Hilbert

(EM 21 , NC 5) P.O. Box 424

Union, IL 60180

Dear Buck, ... And here ' s more poop on that knocker Defender. I took t hese s hots while working on Tara, Tara , Tara. The bird belonged to the CAP at that time (or someone in the CAP). I sent for t he booklet detailing the hostile fire incident involving this little bird. I was a tad at the time (about 1943). Maybe one of these booklets is still extant.

Warmest Regards, Bob O'Hara EAA 77223 AIC 9561

Neat photos! How about it, all you fel­ low Antique/Classic "Pack Rats "? Who still has a copy of "The Unbelievable Ad­ venture," a small booklet written by Robert Casey and published by Aeronca in the 1943 time frame. Casey also wrote abollt the attack on the Aeronca flown by Roy Vitousek in his book, "Torpedo Junc­ tion. " Wally Baldwin also sent in some infor­ mation concerning the incidents involving Aeroncas during the attack on Pearl Har­ bor. According to the information Wally has gathered, th e airplane shown in the April, 1991 issue of VINTAGE A I R­ PLANE was shot at by the Japanese dur­ ing the attack, but it was being flown at that time by a female flight instructor (Tommie Tombestin) and her student, James Duncan. Duncan later went on to become an airline pilot. Roy Vitousek was flying a different Defender that Sunday morning in December, 1941. Wally also included a copy of an ad from Air Trails magazine, Ju ly 1943 that highlights the Roy Vitousek incident.

A Civil Air Patrol member points to the repaired fuselage longer on damaged by Japanese gunfire the morning of Dec. 7,1941 .

A BIT MORE AERONCA STUFF Dear Buck , Greetings from Rush City, MN. I just p ushed the C hief into t he hangar after 24 FEBRUARY 1993

Another view of the Defender shot up during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Bob O'Hara took these photos while working on the movie Tora, Tora, Tora.

\\ THE UIIBELIEVABLE ADVEIITURE

II

- OYER DIAMOND ~EAD tz (r -(:: III ,I," 1111.",11 '11 urly lip' or II.a' ralcrul tk.:emloer 71h - dvilhm ,.ilol Roy VilollKk mel Lhe .dn'lltufl: ill n: ul l ir~. _hid. we think of at lteloo!inS .okly iul"!! r(,lIlm o r aUl:!h lIIylhical aupermcn all Tt.rry ..ulthe Pin.tr:..

Will"low 01 tllQ N .....,. or Ihn1C:y Butr:,. ~ tz 0- Ci rd;"", hi /[h ,,',-r du~ Iot:acb al W.:iliki he .lived Lhrou~h Ih,-lilht ear ly Will', to juin ",I,a' 1m a" Ullle,1 w., :l familiar ' fluatl ron of Ann,. hien,j" 01 .. I,.'rul - 1Il" ... e n" lalc r II hUllIt o f ru ac hinr.p:un lire

giving rides all day. I can 't re member the last time I ' ve had so much fun.

I've got to tell you, I thought I would never see this Chief again. My fath er owned it from 1972 -1976 (I am only 22 now , so I was between 2-6 years old then) . He th e n sold it to a fellow in Hin ck ley , MN. From there it passed through to it's prese nt owner.

I look e d at it in mid-1991 . It was a mess. It had been recovered in 1982 but it had sat since then. The engine had sat for some six years after r e­ build ( luckil y, someone h a d pickl e d it). With the help of my friend, (who also has his IA), we put the rest of the pre-war bird toge ther. Since then , I have put abo ut 40 hours on it giving rides to kids that are no o ld er that I was when my father owned it. What I am really trying to do with the airfield here is to get some activity brewing on an otherwise dead airstrip , a nd it 's working too! W e ll , if you are ever in the neighborhood , stop into our new clubhouse - th e coffee's always hot, and the conversation is always about flying.

The picture was taken aro und mid­ August 1992. Tha t's me with a certain 1941 Aeronca Chief 65-CA, N36526 that I truly enjoy flying.

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Over to you, Buck VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Dr. Nichols' Piper PA·12·150

(co ntinued fro m page 20)

MEMBERSHIP

INFORMATION

EAA Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is $35,00 for one year, including 12 issues of Sport Aviation.

Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $20.00 annually.

Family membership is available for an additional $10.00 annually. All major credit cards accepted for membership.

(FAX (414) 426-4873.

ANTIQUE/CLASSIC

A happy Dr. Nichols in the jump suit accepts the finished product from Pete Jones, Jr.

Lycomin g engine ha d bee n re m ove d fro m a wrecked Piper Super Cub, ma­ jored and then installed in the PA-12.

At the same time, bala nced PA-18 e l­ evators and stabilizers had been fi tted to handle the higher horsepower. T he only other changes fro m original were t h e 8:00 X 6 C leve la nd w h ee ls a nd brakes and the 3200 Scott tailwheel.

A n ew set of wi ng str ut s was o r­ dere d fro m U n ivai r " to re m ove a ll do u bts! " Wh e n a ll th e par t s w ere ready, the PA-12 was asse mble d a nd the finishing to uches applied. The re­ sult has been an exceptional flying air­ craft th at Dr. Nich o ls rea lly e njoys.

He says the extra p o nies up fro nt a l­ low fo r a q uick ta keoff rega rdl ess of

load. And o nce in the air, the three­ pl acer will indi ca t e 130 mph a t f ull power. N or m a l crui se is 2250 rpm , which yields a steady 120 cruise at 7.8 gallo ns pe r ho ur. With the 38 ga llo n win g ta nks, t h e r a nge is nea rl y f ive hours.

Dr. Nichols has built a n ope n type ha ngar o n a " pristine rice fa rm " just no r t h o f L e la nd , M S wh ere h e fl ies t he P A-12 fro m th e b ea uti ful gr ass landing strip. H e readily admits that a short flight in the sharp looking Super C rui ser is th e p erfect wa y t o e nd a hard d ay at the office. (D r. Nicho ls is a Se ni o r F AA Me d ica l Exa min er.)

As they say in the TV comme rcial, " It doesn 't get any better than this!" . .

EAA Member- $20.00. Includes one year membership in EM Antique/Classic Division. 12 monthly issues of Vintage Airplane and membership card.

Applicant must be a current EAA member and must give EM membership number.

Non-EAA Member- $30.00. Includes one year membersh ip in the EAA Antique/Classic Division. 12 monthly issues of Vintage Airplane, one year membership in the EAA and separate membership cards. Sport Aviation not included.

lAC

'1

Membership in the International Aerobatic Club, Inc. is $30.00 annually which includes 12 issues of Sport Aerobatics. All lAC members are required to be members of EM.

WARBIRDS Membership in the Warbirds of America, Inc. is $30.00 per year, which includes a subscription to Warbirds . Wa rbird members are required to be members of EM.

EAA EXPERIMENTER

EAA membership and EAA EXPERI­ MENTER magazine is available for $28.00 per year (Sport Aviation not included). Current EAA members may receive EM EXPERIMENTER for $18.00 per year.

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MEMBERSHIPS

WW1 AERO (1900-1919) and SKYWAYS (1920-1940) For the restorer, builder, & serious modeller 01 earty aircraft

• news 01 museums and airshows

• historical research • workshop notes

• technical drawings and data • photographs • scale modelling material • news 01 cUmlnt publications

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1 year subscriplion $25

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WORLD WAR 1

Sample issues 54 each

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INC.

15 Crescent Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 USA (914) 473-3679

26 FEBRUARY 1992

Please submit your remittance with a check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars. address:

EAA AVIATION CENTER

P. O. BOX 3086

OSHKOSH, WI 54903-3086

PHONE (414) 426-4800

FAX (414) 426-4828

OFFICE HOURS:

8:15-5:00 MON.-FRI.

1-800-322-2412

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

C. N. Adams Thomas Aldredge

Houston, TX

Bedford Hills, NY Harold W. Amstutz Kenya Dan Andrews Tuckerton, NJ Robert B. Andrews Ridgecrest, CA David W. Arlo Cannon Falls, MN Bill Backus Chesapeake, VA Loren C. Ball Hot Springs, AR Mark A. Ballard Vancouver, WA Michael Basila Tyler, TX Robert Beecher Reseda, CA Herbert Bippes Calgary, Alberta, Canada Hans Erik Bjorkqvist Ostersund, Sweden Hobe Sound, FL Curtis L. Blake Brookfield, WI Erick J. Bleskan Walter Breedlove Aurora, CO Alan Brown Victor, NY Peter M. Burgdorfer Titusville, P A Medway,MA Robert L. Burke Christopher J. Cade Arlington, TX Jeffery G. Cargile Columbia, SC J. Carlan CampbeLlford, Ont., Canada Dennis C. Carney Boiling Springs, P A Don Cartwright Greenville, TX Charles R. Childress Lawrenceville, GA O'Neill, NE Lewis Coker Glenn Cole Abingdon, MD Rochester, MN Joseph Combs Robert A. Conrad Winston-Salem, NC Gary N. Covington Midland, TX Dean L. Crouch Lakewood, CO Christopher P. Cutler St. Peters, MO Kent A. Dailey Bealeton, VA Richard Darling Erie, P A Willis H. Durst Jf. Los Angeles, CA Paul E. Dziekonski Serena, IL John Edmundson Cincinnati,OH Samuel P. Emme Lakeland, FL Don Engstrom Racine, WI James S. Espinosa Citrus Heights, CA Alexander French Annandale, VA William Funckes Holland, MI William Raymond Glick Newark,OH Martin Goldfarb Cheshire, CT David B. Golly Naples, FL George R. Gray Overland Park, KS Dale H . Gustafson Kingwood, TX George R. Haddock ZephyrHills, FL Robert D. Hann Bridgewater, NJ Richard T. Hansen Fresno, CA Ocala, FL Theodore Harder

Frank Harwell Harmitage, TN George Hays Lowell, IN Siren, WI Jack C. Hedlund Detroit Lakes, MN Fred H. Hein Lewis Hodgson Winchester, V A Irvine, KY Richard K. Holbrook Danielsville, P A Charles Hoover Ron Hope Huntsville, Ont, Canada Alvin L. Howerton Tulsa, OK Roy L. Huffman Waynesburg, PA Arleigh B. Hughes Pukalani, HI Richard L. Igaz Salinas, CA Bob Ivins Wye Mills, MD Donald Jacobs Ocala, FL Walter Jazun Parker, CO David R. Johnson Wichita, KS John E. Jones Jf. Evansville, WI Philip C. Jones Mantua,OH Albert L. Kaiser Gilroy, CA Donald R. Karr St Louis, MO Curtis L Kendall Tacoma, W A Gene A. Kent San Antonio, TX Takshi Kimura Konan, Japan Wallace D. Kineyko Jf. Woodcliff Lake, NJ George W. King Strykersville, NY Marty J. King Elkhart, IN Alantown, P A George W. Kinsey Gary Kontz Webster, MN John J Kosiara Schererville, IN Maynard P. Kruger Muncie, IN Alan La Rochelle Bloomington, IL Greenwich, CT Hilary Lawrence Hamtramck, MI James R. Layle George Ledo StPaul,MN Arnold, MD Anthony Lee Rangely, CO Robert C. Lee Arch Lennon Hanegi 1, Chome, Japan Charles R. Leonard Silverton, OR William Levenson San Diego, CA William A. Lewis Fernandina Beach, FL Bin Lin Taiwan ROC Ron Love Wagoner, OK Jose Damiao Bueno Lycariao Sao Paulo, Brazil David P. Mack Waldwick, NJ Shawn P. Magrini Salem,OH Jean-Claude Marcoux Mt. St. Hilaire, Que,.Canada John Marham Subiaco, Wales, Australia James W. Marshall Cozad , NE Johnny L. Mathis Papillion, NE Richard McCaffrey Fort Bragg, CA Michael C. McClure St. Charles, MO Russell McDonald Park City, UT D. S. McKellar Edenvale, South Africa Peter H. McMillan San Francisco, CA

James Mercer Detroit Lakes, MN D . Milner Johannesburg, South Africa Patrick Morrow Quincy, CA Donald Mosman Nevada City, CA William J. Neville Statesboro, GA Arkadelpha, AR J. Burt Nichols John O. Pettigrew Richmond, VA Fermon Pierce Gravel Ridge, AR Keith J. Plemmons Waynesville, NC Chris Polhemus Carmichaels, P A Randie L. Priem Fairbanks, AK Robert W. Renner Daytona Beach, FL Robert E. Rigney Richmond, TX Eloy Seijas Roman Sao Paulo, Brasil Dayton, OH George L. Ross III Joe Rybicki APO, AE Donald Saunders Alberta, Canada Don C. Schmotzer W Columbia, SC Jack Secord Playa del Rey, CA Mark Sibbernsen Bennington, NE R. J. Smiltneek Butler, WI Gregory P. Smith Elgin, Ont, Canada Herbert L. Smith Brandon, MS Randy Speidel Tucson, AZ Kenneth R. Spivey Jf. Birmingham, AL Ron Spooner Port Ludlow, WA Ralph G. Stephenson Willow Springs, NC George L. Stewart Anchorage, AK Ralph Strahm Holtville, CA William I. Sullivan Fort Walton Beach, FL Conrad Sylvia Pasadena, MD Jim Thompson Birmingham, AL Don Tresidder Pollocksville, NC James Ursitti III Aliquippa, PA Rex A. Victor Elmhurst, IL Guibert Vuylsteke Koksisde, Belgium Forrest L. Walton Jf. Charlotte, NC Victor Warners Atlanta, GA Ty G. Waterman Burke, VA Rose T. Weiner West St Paul, MN John N. Weis Lansing, MI Charles G . Wendt Iowa City, IA Steve Westmoreland Greenville, SC APO, AE Bruce A. Wharton Steven G. Whitchurch Molalla, OR Kent Wien Anchorage, AK Lynn B. Willett Wooster,OH L. A. Witham Jf. Ottawa, KS Eric Wright Lexington, KY David L. Wyatt Big Rapids, MI Faik Yagci Peekskill, NY Jim York Wichita, KS Robert G. Young Naugatuck, CT VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of information only and does not constitute approval, sponsorship, involvement, control or direction of any event (fly-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed. Please send the information to EAA, Att: Golda Cox , P.O. Box 3086 , Oshkosh , WI 54903-3086.

Information should be received four months prior to the event date.

FE B. 7 - O SHKO SH , WI - EAA Air Adventure Museum - Charles Lindbergh and the Spirit of St. Louis, a discussion by Verne Jobst. 414/426-4800.

FEB. 7 - FT. MYERS, FL - EAA Chap­ ter 66 Pancake Breakfast Fly-In, Page Field. 813/947-1430.

FE B. 12 - P A L-W AU K EE, IL - Pal­ Waukee Airport Pilots Assn . Va lentine's Day Party. 312/853-3550.

FE B. 13 - L EES B U R G, F L - EAA Chapter 534 Fly-InlDrive- l n Break­ fast/Lunch. 904/360-0293.

FE B. 20 - OSHKOSH, WI - EAA Air Adventure Museum - "Choosing a Home­ built Aircraft Design " . A discussion by Ben Owen. 414/426-4800.

FE B. 20 - R OC H ES T E R, MI - 36th Annual Amelia Earhart Luncheon.

3131781-6488.

FE B. 27- 28 • RI VE R SID E, CA Flabob Field. EAA Chapter 1 40th Annual Open House. All aircraft welcome, (espe­ cially Stits homebuilt designs). Fun flying, Six's burgers and Hank 's sandwiches. An­ nual fundraiser dinner, 7:30pm Saturday, Paul Poberezny , featured speaker. Call 909 /683-9582 , 683-5634 , 686-6268 or 818/287-2139 for more information.

MA RC H 4-6 - ST. LOUIS, MO - 4th Annual National Women in Aviation Con­ ference. Sponsored by Parks College.

618/337-7575 .

MA RC H 6 - 0S H KOS H ,W I -EAA Air Adventure Museum - Aviation Re­ search Seminar by Dennis Parks, Director of the EAA Boeing Aeronautical Library.

414/426-4800.

MARC H 7 - FT. MYE RS, FL - EAA Chapter 66 Pancake Br e akfast Fly- In.

28 FEBRUARY 1993

Page Field. 813/947-1430.

MA RCH 19-21 - CHANDLE R, AZ - 10th Annual Shamrock A ir Derby Cross Coun try Speed Race (AZ 99s). 602/961-1172.

MARCH 20 - OSHKOSH, WI - EAA Air Adventure Museum. Women in Avia tion prese nted by the 99s. 414/426-4800.

MA RCH 20 - PUNTA GORDA , F L­ EAA Cha pter 565 Fly- In Breakfast. Char­ lotte Co. 813/575-1471.

MA RCH 24 - P A L-WA UK EE, IL - Pal­ Waukee Airport Pilots Assn. Genera l Meet­ ing. 312/853-3550.

MARCH 27 - OSHKOSH, WI- EAA Air Adven ture Museum's 6th Ann ual Model Air­ plane Show. 414/426-4800.

A PRIL 4 - FT. MYE RS, FL - EAA Chap­ ter 66 Pa ncake Breakfast Fly- In, Page Field.

813/947-1430.

A PRIL 17 - OSHKOSH, WI - EAA Air Adventure Museum - Wiley Post and the Winchester 21 seminar. 414/426-4800.

A PRIL 18 - 24, 1993 - LA KE LAND, FL - "The Gift Of Flig ht " . The 19th Annua l Sun ' n Fun EAA Fly-In and International Av iation Convention. Lakeland-Linder Re­ giona l Airport. For information call 813/644-2431.

A PRI L 24 - GLOBE, AZ - Holy Ange ls Fly-ln. Globe San Carlos (Cutter Airport).

602/425-5703,425/5979.

A PRI L 25 - S PRI NGF I ELD, I L - 2nd Annual Fly-In Drive-In Breakfast. Capital A irport. 2171483-3201.

A PRIL 30 - MA Y 2 - B U RLI NGTON, NC -Spring EAA Fly-In for Antique and Classic aeroplanes. Trophies in all cate­ gories; vintage aviation films ; good EAA fel­ lowship. All welcome. Contact: R. Bottom , 103 Powhatan Pkwy, Hampton, VA 23661.

APRIL 30-MA Y 2 - CLEVELAND , OH - 9th Annual A ir Racing History Sym­ posium. 216/255-8100.

MAY 2 - ROCKFORD , IL - EAA Chapter 22 annu al Fly- In brea kfas t wi ll be held at Mark C la rk 's COU RTESY A IR­ C RAFT, Grea ter Rockford A irport. For info rm ati o n, call Wallace H unt, 815/332­ 4708.

MA Y 2 • DA YTON , OH - 30t h An­ ni ve rsa ry E A A Cha pter 48 F und ay Sun ­ day Fl y- In at Mo raine Airpark , D ay to n, OH . Lo ts of foo d , anti ques , flea marke t and more . Call J e nni e D yke at 513-878­ 9832.

MA Y 16 - BENTON HARBOR, MI ­ Ross field, 7 th a nnual EAA 585 pancake brea kfas t, aviation and local ex hi bi ts, clas­ sic ca rs, Lunch available fo r non arrivals.

Co nt act: Al Todd, 616/429-8518 or write D awn Pa t rol, 4217 R ed Ar r ow Hwy, Steve nsville, MI 49127.

MAY29-DECAT U R , AL -EAA Chapter 9411Decatur-Athens Aero 5th An­ nual FLy- In. Experimentals, Warbirds , a nd Antiq ues and C lassics . Awards for planes and pilots. Camping available. Call for more information: (205) 355-5770.

J U NE 4-5 - BA RTL ES VILL E, OK ­ Frank Phi ll ips Fie ld. B IPLANE EXPO ' 93, the 7th annua l National Biplane Con­ ven tion and Exposition. Biplane airshow, forums, seminars , workshops. Biplanes and NBA members free , for all others an admission fee is required. Contact Charles W. Harris, Chairman, 9181742-7311 or Vir­ gil Gaede, Expo Director, 918/336-3976.

JU NE 24-27 - MT. VE R NO N, OH ­ 34th A n nu al National Waco Reunion.

"Greatest WACO Show On EARTH".

For more information, call 513/868-0084.

JUNE 26-27 - GREE LE Y, CO - EAA

Rocky Mountain Fly-In. 3031798-6086.

J U LY 7-11 - A RLI NGTON , W A ­ Northwest EAA Fly-In. 206/435-5857.

THURSD A Y JULY 29 -WED NES ­ D A Y AUG UST 4, 1993 - OSHKOSH, WI - 41st Annual EAA Fly- In and Sport Avia­ tion Convention. Wittman Regional Air­ port. Contact John Burton, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh , W I 54904-3086. Call 414/426­ 4800 for more information. ITS NEVER TOO EARL Y TO MAKE PLANS TO ATTEN D !

AU GUST 12-15 - LOCK H AVEN, PA - William T. Piper Memorial Airport. Sen­ timental Journey '93 . " Aerial Mail To Lock Haven" is this years theme. All makes and models welcome, especially Antique and classic airplanes . Call 717/893-4200 (9am 'til5 pm) , Fax 717/893-4218 or write P.O. Box J-3, Lock Haven, PA 17745-0496.

SE PT. 11-12 - MA R ION, OH - EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In (MERFI).

513/849-9455.

SE P T . 18-19 - RO CK FALLS, IL ­ EAA North Central Fly-In. 708/513-0642 SE PT. 25-26 - W ILM INGTON, DE­ EAA East Coast Regional Fly-In. 301/933­ 0314.

OCT. 15-17 - KE RR VILLE, TX - EAA Southwest Regional Fly-In. 915/658-4194.

TURBO ALTERNATOR

TYPE BPE - 14 UPGRADE YOUR NON-ELEClRIC PLANE FOR TODAY'S AIRSPACE SAFETY NEEDS. Increase safety by installing a BPE-14 Turbo Alternator to power a radio, strobe, nav.lights, transponder, ed.

Fully qualified with STC's for many common classics.

Call or write us and we'll send you the details on the BPE-14 Turbo '----- - - - - - - - - ' Alternator. The hi-tech design wind generator.

BASIC AIRCRAFf PRODUCTS, INC. 4474 Hickory Drive, Evans, GA 30809 (706 863-4474

Fly high with a

quality Classic interior

Complete interior assemblies for do·it·yourself installation.

Custom quality at economical prices.

• Cushion upholstery sets • Wall panel sets • Headliners • Carpet sets • Baggage compartment sets • Firewall covers • Seat slings • Recover envelopes and dopes Free catalog of complete product line.

•

Fabric Selectio n Guide showing actual sample colors and styles of materials: $3.00.

Qirt~AODUCTSJ

.

INC.

259 Lower Morrisville Rd ., Dept. VA

Fallsington , PA 19054 (215) 295·4115

I

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SUPER CUB PA-18 FUSELAGES - New manufacture, STC· PMA·d , 4130 chrome·moly tubing throughout , also complete fuselage repair. ROCKY MOUNTAIN AIRFRAME INC. (J . E. Soares, Pres.), 7093 Dry Creek Rd., Belgrade , Montana. 406·388­ 6069. FAX 406/388-0170. Repair station No . QK5R148N .

GEE BEE, etc. - Super scale model plans (used for Benjamin's R-2) . Catalog $3.25, refundable. Vern Clements, 308 Palo Alto , Caldwell , ID 83605. (c-4/93)

35~ per word, $5.00 minimum charge. Send your ad to

The Vintage Trader, EAA Aviation Center, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903·2591 .

Payment must accompany ad. VISA/MasterCard accepted.

AIRCRAFT: PT-19 Fairchild Fuselage - Center section rotted but has fuel tan ks and main gear, ranger mount, no seats or instruments and no flying surfaces. $2 ,500 OBO. Might trade. Merle Veverka, P.O. Box 636 , Frederick, CO 80530-0636 (2-1)

MISCELLANEOUS: CURTISS JN4-D MEMORABILIA - You can now own memorabilia from the famous "Jenny' , as seen on ''TREASURES FROM THE PAST". We have posters, postcards, videos, pins, airmail cachets, etc.

We also have R/C documentation exclusive to his historic aircraft. Sale of these items support operating expense to keep this "Jenny' flying for the aviation public. We appreciate your help. Write for your free price List. Virginia Aviation Co., RDv-8, Box 294, Warrenton, VA 22186. (c/5/92) Fly-About Adventures and the Ercoupe-Full color, 130 pages, $1 7.95. Fly·About, P.O. Box 51144, Denton, TX 76206. (ufn)

Air Salvage of Arkansas - Dealing in aircraft and engine parts, hardware, Route 1, Box 8020 , Mena, Arkansas 71953. Call Ron Otto, 501/394-1022 or FAX 501/394-7475 (Answer machine also).

(2/93-4) Antique and Classic wheel pants - Will custom build in fiberglass from original drawings, blueprints or photographs. Harbor Ultralights Products Co., 1326 Batey Place, Harbor City, CA 90710, 310/326­ 5609, FAX 310/530-2124. (c-10/93) WINDSHIELDS - WINDOWS - CANOPIES - for all unpressurized , certified, custom or experimental aircraft. Unmatched 1/2 price replacement warranty covers damage during installation and ser­ vice for 6 months after purchase . AIRPLANE PLASTICS CO., 8300K DAYTON ROAD , FAIRBORN, OH 45324. 513/864-5607. (c-1/94)

WANTED Wanted: One each cylinder barrel for Milwaukee "tank" engine (type 73) (OX-5 Conversion). Can swap earlier type 63. Also OX-5 magneto drive ass'y. Chuck, 603/742-3171 , leave message. (2·1 )

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

INTERIOR ITEMS ~

COVERING SYSTEMS

i

-Stlts -Randolph .. ' -Ceconlte -Air-Tech . . Dopes. Fabrics. Tapes.

Primers & Accessories

FABRIC ENVELOPES

-Cushion Sets -Headliners -Seat -Carpeting Slings -canopy & Windshield Covers -Baggage Compartments

"AN- HARDWARE

-Stlts - Pl03 and HD2X2 -Ceconlte-10l andl02

DROP-IN INTERIOR KITS -Antique & Classic Aircraft

-Bolts ~ -Nuts -Washers -Rttings -Screws -Fasteners

Call for your FREE copy of our ~~r!l~'t 1992 .::: catalog

ACCESSORIES

e8

Subscribe to YlEROPLANE ~WS

DECALS, STENCIlS

CUB & PLACARDS .

AIRFRAME PARTS

-Spruce -Rr -Adhesives .Steel Sheet & .Alumlnum

I:::-::~~~;;;::l Steve Lund's Kinner Hatz

I

• Rivets .Pins ~

CoIl1-800-831-2949 To order -Windshields -Rlters -Shock Cords - Tires' -Tallwheels -Spark Plugs ' -Tubes -Instruments -Wheel. Brakes & Axles -Propellers -Tall Draggers -Master Cylinders

Champions Know Stits

-Plywood • Nalls

Oshkosh '92

Grand Champion

Custom Built

From Plans

And Stits Is Now Poly-Fiber Over the decad~e,Thirty years of this little biplan trouble-free use identified Stits made Poly-Fiber Poly-Fiber aircraft the clear choice of covering products. champions and first­ Today those products time builders alike. have a new name Now it's coupled with and logo, but they still a level of service and come with the best support all too rare manual and how-to these days. Give us a video in the business. call, 8 to 5 Pacific time.

Customer Service: 800.362.3490 Other Stuff:

909.684.4280

FAX:

909.684.0518

Box 3084-5

Riverside, California 92519-3084

We Are the Paint Experts p.o. box 468 madison, north carolina 27025 (919) 427-0216

FABRIC COVERING

Less Work • Best Results Everyday more and more builders, shops and OEM's are turning to Superflite for their fabric and finish needs.

Original equipment. Recommended by the following manufacturers to name just a few ...

- American Champion - Flightworks Corp.

- Montana Coyote -TEAM

TANI( PAINTINb AND REP...IRING S...NOIl"'STlNG. T...NK LINUS ...ND CO... TINGS 'REVENTIVE T...NK ...... INHN ... NC~ INSPECTION SUvlCE L"'DDER SMETY EOUI''''ENT RESUvOIR LINUS ...ND ROOfS DlS...... NTlING AND "'OVING TANkS NEW. USED AND RECONDITIONED TANKS

30 FEBRUARY 1993

2 149 E. Pran Blvd.

Elk Grove Village. IL 60007 To ll Free 1-800-323-0611

Ask for FREE information plus 112 page aircraft supply catalog.

.INC.

Aviation Underwriting Agency P.o. Box 35289 • Greensboro, NC 27425

BeCOllle A Metnber Of The BAA

Antique/Classic Insurance Progralll!

Call Today!

BENEFITS INCLUDE: • Lower Uability & Hull Premiums

• Fleet Discounts • No Age Penalty • No Hand Propping Exclusions • No Component Parts Endorsements ,....., Not An EAA • A+ Company with In-House Claims ~~ ~ 'fir. ~E!f. Antique/Classic Member?

Call To Join! service ANTIQUE 1-800-322-2412 • Option to Repair Your Own Aircraft CLASSIC

800-727-3823 --.'111.,1.. . ,

..

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Join the fastest

on club in the country! EAA's way to explore the exciting world lON' CLUB member, you'll receive: *"SPORT AVIAT/O FOR KIDS," the Club's officjal bl-monthlY . e that introduces you to the awesol'it4f:wOflld of aviation! *A.....onali~J'beInbershlp card *The new-SPORrAVlATlON CLUB patch ......A SPORT AVIATION CLUB decal *And more!

SPORT AVIATION CLUB is of flight. As a SPORT ~VL

Annual Membership only

MaJot: GradII: eatda accepted P. o. Box 3086 Club EM Sport Aviation Oshkosh, WI

54803-3086

JOIN