VA-Vol-22-No-8-Aug-1994

EDITORIAL STAFF

August 1994

Vol. 22, No.8

CONTENTS

Publisher Tom Poberezny Vice-President,

Marketing and Communications

Dick Matt

Editor-in-Chief

Jack Cox

Editor

Henry G. Frautschy

Managing Editor

Golda Cox

8 The VanDersarl Bleriot/

Bob Maxa nt

Art Director

Mike Drucks

Computer Graphic Specialists

Sara Hansen

Olivia L. Phillip Jennifer Larsen

Advertising

Mary Jones

Associate Editor

Norm Petersen

Feature Writers

George Hardie, Jr. Dennis Parks

Staff Photographers

Jim Koepnick Mike Steineke

Carl Schuppel Donna Bushman

Editorial Assistant

Isabelle Wiske

9 A Barnstormer's Dream/

Jim Beisner

EAA ANTIQUE/ CLASSIC DIVISION, INC.

OFFICERS

1 Straight & Level/

Espie "Butch" Joyce

2 AlC News/

Compiled by H .G. Frautschy

3 The EAA Flight Advisor

4 Mystery Plane/George Hardie

6 The Presentation Book/

H.G . Fra utschy

Page 8

13 Harking Back to the Champ/ H .G. Frautschy 18 Jack Hill's Waco UEC/ Norm Petersen

President Espie "Bulch" Joyce 604 Highway St. Modison. NC 27025 919/ 427-0216

Page 13

22 What Our Members are Restoring/ Norm Petersen

Treasurer

E.E. "Buck" Hilbert

P.O. Box 424

Union.IL 60180

815/923-4591

DIRECTORS

24 Type Club NoteslNorm Petersen 25 Pass it to Buck/ E.E. "Buck" Hilbert 28 Welcome New Members 29 AlC Calendar 29 Vintage Trader

Secretary Sieve Nesse 2009 Highland Ave. Albert Leo. MN 56007 507/373-1674

Vice-President Arthur MorQan W211 Nll863 Hilltop Dr. Germantown. WI 53022 414/628-2724

Page 18 FRONT COVER ... Cliff Harkins, (A/C 21293) of Houston. TX is enjoying the simple pleasures of flying his Champion 7FC Tri足 Traveler . Cliff's airplane was selected as the Contemporary category Outstanding in Type - Champion award winner at EAA Sun ' n Fun '94. EAA photo by Jim Koepnick. Shot with a Canon EOS- 1 equiped with an BO-200mm / f2 .B lens. 1/500 at f5 .6 on Kodak Ektachrome Lumiere 100 film. Cessna 210 photo plane piloted by Bruce Moore.

BACK COVER. . Jack Hill's 1932 Wa co UEC was one of the beautiful biplanes at EAA Sun 'n Fun this past spring. EAA photo

by Mike Steineke. Shot with a Canon EOS-1 equiped with an Bo足 200mm /f2.Blens. 1/125 at f13 on Kodak Ektachrome Lumiere 100 film. Cessna 210 photo plane piloted by Bruce Moore.

Copyright 息 1994 by the EAA Antique/Classic Division Inc. All rights reserved.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by Ihe 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 surtace 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 subm~ 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 shoukl be sent to: Ed~or. VINTAGE AIRPLANE, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 414/426-4800.

The words EM, ULTRALIGHT, FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM, SPORT AVIATION and the logos of EM, EM INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, EAA ANTIQUE/ClASSIC DIVISION, INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB, WARBIRDS OF AMERICA are 速 registered trademarks. THE EAA 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.

John Berendt 7645 Echo Point Rd. Connon Falls. MN 55009

507/263-2414

Robert C. "Bob" Brauer

9345 S. Hoyne

Chicaw. IL 60620 312/ 79-2105

Gene Chase 2159 Corlton Rd. Oshkosh. WI 54904 414/231-5002 Phil Coulson 28415 Springbrook Dr. Lawton. MI 49065 616/ 624-6490 Charles Harris 7215 East 46th St. Tulsa, OK 74145 918/622-8400

John S. Copeland 28-3 Williomsbur8 Ct. Shrewsbury. MA 1545 508/842-7867 George Daubner

2448 Lough Lone

Hartford. WI 53027

414/673-5885

Stan Gomoll 1042 90th Lone. NE Minneo~I~, MN 55434 61 /784-1172

Dale A. Gustalson 7724 Shady Hill Dr. Indionapolis. IN 46278 317/293-4430

Jeannie Hill

P.O. Box 328

Harvord. IL 60033

815/943-7205 Robert D. ' Bob" Lumley 1265 South 124th 51.

Brookfield, WI 53005 414/782-2633 George York

181 Slobodo Av.

Monsfield. OH 44906

419/529-4378

Robert liCkteig 1708 Boy Ooks r.

Albert Leo, MN 56007 507/373-2922 Gene Morris 115C Steve Court. R.R. 2 Roanoke. lX 76262 817/491 -9110

S.H. OWes" Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa . WI 53213 414/771-1545

DIRECTOR EMERITUS S.J. Wittman

7200 S.E. 85th Lone

Ocala. FL 32672

904/245-7768

ADVISORS Joe Dickey 55 Ookey Av. Lowrenceburg. IN 47025 812/ 537-9354 Dean Richardson 6701 Colony Dr. Madison. WI 53717 608/833- 1291

Jimmy Rollison 640 Alamo Dr. Vacaville. CA 95688 707/451-0411

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

STRAIGHT & LEVEL

by Espie "Butch" Joyce

Ken Hyde - Warrenton, VA John C: Luebke - Naperville, IL Harold Maloy - Oklahoma City, OK Vince Mariani - Findlay, OH Lee Parsons - Carrollton, OH John Perry - Scottsbluff, NE Nick Rezich - Rockford, IL H. N. " Dusty" Rhodes - Santa Fe, NM Robert Ring - East Kingston, NH

Since I reported that we would be ac­ quiring lapel pins to recognize those dif­ ferent individuals who have remained with us for five, 10 and 15 years, I have been asked about those who joined the division 20 yea rs ago. We will be issuing pins for those fine folks as we ll. While discussing this issue , the question came up as to when the Antique/Classic Divi­ sio n was formed. He re 's a bit of An­ tique/Classic history: On Saturday, November 6,1971 , a meetin g was held in Hales Corners, Wisconsin to consider the formation of an antique and classic group within the EAA for members whose interests fell in this area of sport aviation. Sixteen men from aro und the nation atte nded this meeting. From this meeting there was a provisional Board of Directors se­ lected and also a provisional slate of Of­ ficers chosen. These people were:

George E. Stubbs - Indianapolis, IN Ed Wegner - Plymouth, WI Landis West - Scottsbluff, NE Dr. Bernard Yocke - Aurora, IL George York - Mansfield, OH

These people were to serve as a for ­ mation body until the first formal meet­ ing of the EAA Antique/Classic Divi­ sion at the Oshkosh Convention 1972.

The first annual business meet ing was held November 18,1972. At this meet­ ing the first formal Officers and Direc­ tors were elected. Elected for the 1972­ 1973 term were: President - E. E. " Buck" Hilbert, Union, IL Vice President - J. R. Nielander, Jr., Ft. Lauderdale, FL Secretary - Dick Wagner, Lyons, WI Treasurer - Nick Rezich , Rockford, IL

Provisional Officers President - Dave Jameson, Oshkosh, WI Vice President - J. R. Nielander, Jr., Ft. Lauderdale, FL Secretary - Dick Wagner, Lyons, WI Treasurer - Bill Dodd, Lake Zurich, IL

Provisional Directors Richard "Dick" Austin - Greensboro, NC Richard Baxter - Seattle, WA Tony Blackstone - Enid, OK Peter Bowers - Seattle, WA Ray Brandly - Dayton, OH Evander Britt - Lumberton, NC Ron Fritz - Grand Rapids, MI Wayne Fredline - Grand Rapids, MI James C. Gorman - Mansfield, OH

So the first annual business meeting of November 18, 1972 is considered the formal formation date of the EAA An­ tique/Classic Division.

The EAA O shk osh '94 Conve nti o n this year will mark the start of my fourth term as president of the Antique/Classic Division . Thanks for everyone ' s sup­ port.

I was clea ring out some o ld boxes in my hangar the ot he r d ay a nd came across the mailer th at I sent o ut on my own to the membership in 1988, asking for your vote to be president of the Di­ vision. This was the first time I had ever tried to run fo r an office in this way, and in reading this m a il er, I ma d e some statements in a politica l way. Let's see, one was " I have always had a n interest in grass roots aviatio n and have owned

several an tique airplanes." Now, having an in terest in grass roots aviation in it­ self is not a very expens ive interest, if you keep it at just that.

Let me explain the part about having owned seve ral ant iqu e airplanes. For m a ny of you, what I hav e to say will strik e a respon sive chord. I would al­ ways do whatever it took - second job, se ll my hunting dog, etc., - to raise the monies necessa ry to acquire whatever airp lane it was at that tim e I cou ld not remain alive without owning.

Then I would give this aircraft tender lovin g care, fly and e njoy , a nd strut around at fly-ins like I was so mebody.

Finally the day would arrive; I would check my ba nk account and other fac­ tors and decide that " no," the cockpit of my Monocoupe was not large enough to live in. Sad ly , I would put them on the market, always hoping that I had priced them so high that no one in their right mind would buy it for that price - but someone always did. Believe me fo lks, if I could have , the statement would have said " owns several ant ique air­ planes." I wou ld have kept e very last one of them.

Another statement back then was "to keep the lines of communication open from me mbers to Headquarters , a nd that I would like to see that people who visit Oshkosh have a place to feel at home in the A ntique/Classic area of the Convention." I fee l that the lin es of communicat ion have been good , and I still wa nt to keep them open. Plea se contact any of your Directors, Advisors or me anytime; we are wi lling to talk to the members about the many aspects of the Division.

I must tell yo u that when I ran for president of the Division , I thought that I knew what was involved in this job. It o nl y took me six months and o ne an ­ tique airp la ne to come out of the day­ dream . I do love to do this work for the Diviso n a nd plan on continuing for as long as I'm able. Then at some point in the future I will step aside and allow one of th e ma ny quali fie d individual s to have the sa me pleas ure th a t I am now e njoyin g. When I do th a t , may be I'll start loo kin g for a nothe r a ntiqu e air­ plane. ..

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1

compiled by H.G. Frautschy

CUB FLY-IN AT

PIONEER AIRPORT

A fly-in open to Piper Cubs will take place at EAA 's Pioneer Airport, part of the EAA Air Adventure Mu­ seum, the weekend of September 17­ 18. This fly-in is specifically for Piper Cubs only - if this particular event proves to be a success, other " type spe­ cific" fly-ins may also be held.

The only other requirement is that you must contact AntiquelClassic Di­ rector Bob Lumley at 4141782-2633 (evenings) for an invitation and direc­ tions on the proper methods to fly into Pioneer Airport. We enjoy an excel­ lent working relationship with the FAA Control Tower here at Wittman Fi eld , and one of the reasons we are able to do so is due to the fact that we require pilots flying into Pioneer be properly briefed . It's not difficult or hard to remember, but there are a few peculiarities to Pioneer that need to be reviewed by the pilot before flying in.

We hope to see you and your Cub here for the fly-in!

TIRES NEEDED Mike T. Sarna, of Chicago's Mu­ seum of Science and Industry , sent a note detailing a problem the museum has in finding tires for two of the his­ toric aircraft they have on display.

For their Boeing 40 B-2, they need a 36 " x 8" tire. The one they currently have on the airplane is a U.S . Royal 1l01237k14, with a rim diameter of 22" and a rim width of approximately 7-1/2".

Another famous airplane on display in the Museum is the Travel Air Model R Mystery Ship, Texaco 13 , flown by Frank Hawks as he set a coast-to-coast record in 1930. The tires needed for this famous racer are 24" x 4". The tires currently on the airplane were made by Firestone, with a partial num­ ber of ???-581. They have a rim diam­ eter of 17"-112" with a rim width of 3­ 112".

If you can help the museum with their search for these tires, please con­ tact Mike T . Sarna at the Museum of Science and Industry, 57th St. and Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60637. You can call him at 312/684-1414, ext. 2295.

2 AUGUST 1994

CONTAMINATED

AVGAS

IN CALIFORNIA

The FAA has informed EAA that Chevron Oil Company delivered 100LL avgas contaminated with Jet A fuel to a few airports in central Califor­ nia between May 18 and June 2. One of the airports affected was the Wat­ sonville airport, where the annual f1y­ in was held over the Memorial Day weekend. Other airports affected that received contaminated fuel were Sacramento Metro and Executive air­ ports, plus the airports in Oakl a nd , Petaluma and Concord , CA. We hasten to add that Chevron im­ mediately notified the FAA as soon as the problem was discovered and , to their credit, they took full responsibil­ ity for the refinery error. They have also offered to "pay for any reasonable expense associated with the inspection andlor disassembly (of engines) in ac­ cordance with the mechanic's and man­ ufacturer's recommendations." On June 23 the FAA issued four Priority Letter Airworthiness Directives, one each for Lycoming, Continental, Franklin and Wright engi nes requiring an inspection for internal damage of engi nes certified for use of 80 octane avgas, and (2) "a teardown and analyt­ ical inspection for detonation damage" of e ngi nes certified for use of 91 or higher octane avgas.

In the course of the investigation, a list of aircraft that were sold the conta­ minated avgas was compiled from the FBO ' s involved, and they were con­ tacted both by the FAA and Chevron.

As many as 2,000 ai rcraft are thought to have been affected, which is leadi ng to a shortage of overhaul parts for the engines damaged by the contaminated fuel. Both Lycoming and Continental have stepped up production to help fill the demand.

SWIFfIN

SPACE

OK, so it was just part of a Swift, but how many of us can say the same?

Astronaut Jay Apt is a good frie nd of member Lew Fischer of Friendswood, TX, who has owned Swift SIN 1125 for the past 40 years. When Apt asked

Lew if he could take something of his aloft into orbit on the Space Shuttle, Lew gave him the data plate to the Swift, which now has more miles on it and attained an even higher altitude than one of Jack Nagle's SuperSwifts ­ the data plate'S journey covered 4.5 million miles at an altitude of 130 miles while zipping along at 17 ,500 mph! The mission , by the way, was flown by an all EAA crew - Astro­ nauts Hoot Gibson , Jay Apt and Curt Brown are all sport aviation enthusi­ asts, and as many of you saw on televi­ sion and in the pages of Sport Avia­ tion, they even brought along and displayed an "I • EAA" bumper sticker. The data plate was returned to Lew with a commemorative plaque doc­ umenting its "flight" on the Space Shut­ tle. Congratulations to Lew and Jay .

Owen Billman 1917-1994 A frequent and enthusiastic con­ tributor to our monthly column , Mys­ tery Airplane, has passed away. Owen Billman, aviation historian, WW II veteran pilot, and airplane restorerl builder died May 2, 1994 after surgery.

One of the founding members of the Empire State Aerosciences Museum , Owen was a well known and much loved part of the aviation scene in up­ state New York.

As a historian, Owen was instru­ mental in finding a number of rare aeronautical artifacts , including the propeller of the Curtiss Silver Dart, a rare e ngi ne and other bits and pieces now on display at the Curtiss Mu­ seum in Hammondsport, NY. The Ecker Flying boat now part of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum's collection was also discovered due to detective work done by Owen Bill­ man.

The author of several articles, he was also an outstanding artist with both paint and pen. He was also an accomplished pilot , and was privi­ leged to fly a wide variety of aircraft , from the P-38 he flew during the war to Cole Palen's SPAD. Our condolences to Owen's wife Sara and the rest of his family and friends. ...

A New Safety Program for Sport Aviation from fAA

The success and growth of sport avia­ tion activity has made it increasingly im­ portant to have an organized support group for the first flight tests of home­ built aircraft and the early flights of vin­ tage aircraft restorations. Building on the success of EAA's Technical Counselor Program, EAA has announced the EAA Flight Advisors Program as a means of tapping into the huge resource of flight experience among EAA members.

Simply stated, the Flight Advisor pro­ gram is aimed at providing service to EAA members and helping to improve sport aviation safety. One out of five homebuilt accidents occurs on the first or second flight and is all too frequently at­ tributable to pilot error rather than me­ chanical failure. Similar statistics are not available for restorations, since the NTSB computer is not programmed to recog­ nize a ground loop in a newly rebuilt Waco UPF or a gear-up landing in a freshly restored 1951 Bonanza as first flight accidents.

Accidents in the early phases of flying a new airplane of any kind generally point to the same conclusion - inexperi­ ence or lack of currency in type. There may be instances in which pilots simply are not aware of the different handling characteristics they will encounter, but more often they simply choose to ignore the obvious and hope everything will turn out right.

The EAA Flight Advisor Program is meant to be an alternative to such ac­ tions. The Advisor will supply the expe­ rience the pilot may be lacking and help evaluate the individual's skills as related to the airplane to be flown. The Flight Advisor will be the mentor through the entire first flight or transition process, be it in a Kolb Firestar, Cessna 120, Glasair III, Pietenpol or Bellanca Cruise master, whether flown by a relatively new pilot or one with years of experience.

The Advisor concept is not new, and that's one of the things that makes it so workable. A similar situation existed in the early days of EAA when it became obvious builders needed a local source for answers to technical questions while their aircraft projects were under con­ struction. To fill that need, the Technical

Counselor program was developed. The Technical Counselor program is now over 30 years old and utilizes a corps of more than 700 volunteers, each of whom is a recognized expert in aircraft con­ struction and systems.

EAA is building on the same concept to introduce this new program. How­ ever, Flight Advisors will work strictly with flight-oriented questions. In their primary role, Flight Advisors will advise and assist in making evaluations, but they will not make final go / no-go deci­ sions, and they will not do any flying.

The Flight Advisor will: - help the pilot in evaluating his or her current proficiency and skill level; - assist in analyzing the airplane to be flown and determine what skill levels are required to fly it safely; - compare the pilot's skill level and pro­ ficiency to that required by the airplane; - aid in finding proper instruction, if necessary; - assist in planning the first several flights of the airplane, utilizing pre­ planned schedules.

Evaluating skill levels without flying with the prospective pilot isn't as hard as it sounds. It is primarily a matter of ask­ ing the right questions and using a little common sense. For instance, the prob­ lem is obvious if the pilot hasn't flown in two years. It is also identifiable if he or she has been flying regularly in a Cessna 152 but is preparing to launch into the air with a Pitts Special or a Lancair.

An Advisor is selected and designated because he or she has significant experi­ ence in a number of specific flight areas.

But, one Advisor won't deal with all types of airplanes. It will depend on his or her preference and background.

Because the Flight Advisor knows the characteristics of the airplane about to be flown, he will guide the builder / pilot's self-evaluation accordingly. The Flight Advisor will not tell the builder / pilot he or she can or cannot fly the airplane .

However, by the time the evaluation of the plane's flying characteristics as com­ pared to the pilot's skills is completed, the builder /pilot should clearly see the logical answer with no further input from the Flight Advisor.

If the builder / pilot decides not to do the first flights or needs further instruc­ tion, the Flight Advisor will help evalu­ ate appropriately qualified pilots to do the test flying. He will also provide the pilot with criteria for evaluating the proper instructor and training aircraft so the training received is appropriate for the airplane to be flown.

As the Flight Advisor Program picks up steam, EAA will publish more mate­ rial related to the flying of aircraft. The existing EAA list of instructors, now pri­ marily oriented toward tailwheel check­ outs, will be expanded to include more instructors with experience in homebuilt, vintage or other sport aircraft.

What are the qualifications and duties of a Flight Advisor? As we've men­ tioned, the Flight Advisor is just that ... an advisor. He doesn't climb into the cockpit to check out a pilot. The primary qualifications of a Flight Advisor will be an extensive flight background and a de­ sire to share experience with others. To­ tal hours are less important than the type of hours.

Since no flying will be necessary, the Flight Advisor applicant doesn't have to be a current pilot. A medical isn't needed to pass along experience. Considerable flight experience lies within the EAA membership, and a large percentage of it belongs to those who no longer carry ac­ tive medicals.

A steering committee of experienced EAA members provided much of the groundwork for the Flight Advisor Pro­ gram: Norm Howell, Edwards F-16 test pilot with wide experience in high per­ formance homebuilts; Ben Morrow, ultra­ light/light plane owner, instructor and Technical Counselor; Greg Erikson, acci­ dent investigator for Lycoming, builder and homebuilt expert; Budd Davisson, aeronautical engineer, instructor and well-known aviation writer and photog­ rapher; and Steve Krog, vintage airplane restorer and instructor specializing in taildragger transitions met in June. C. J. Stevens, test pilot for the CAFE Founda­ tion, and George Daubner, of the An­ tique / Classic Board of Directors, will participate in future committee work.

The committee clearly saw the prob­ lems it faces and the sQlutions needed.

EAAers all over the world have been go­ ing through the same basic process every time a new airplane has been flown for the first time. The challenges of a first flight are forever unique to the first-time test pilot.

The program is in place and the mo­ mentum is building. As experience dic­ tates, revisions to improve the services of the Flight Advisor Program will be incor­ porated. This is the beginning of a new era of capitalizing on EAA's greatest re­ source - the experience and expertise of its members. ...

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

MYSTERY PLANE

by George Hardie This unique design will cause some h ead- scratchin g among th e exp erts.

Th e photo was submitted by Robert F. Pauley, Farmingto n Hills, MI. An ­ swers will be published in the N o vem ­ b e r 1 994 iss u e of VINTA GE AIR­ PLANE. The deadline f o r the answers to this Mystery A irplane is Septem ber 25, 1994.

Th e Ma y M ystery Plane had a f ew replies f rom the many of our long time m em bers. It's the Dare Variable Cam­ ber M onoplane. R o bert Pauley, who gave us this m onth 's Mystery, supplied us with this extensive answer: T he Myste ry Plane in the May 1994 issue of VINTA G E AIRPLAN E was th e D are va ri abl e camber monopl a ne o r , t o b e m o r e s p e cific , th e seco nd co nfi gura ti o n o f Me lvin D a re's fir st a tt e mpt a t d eve lo pin g hi s p a te nte d ideas o n variable camber.

M e lv in E. D a re was bo rn in 1888 a nd grew up in Ko ko mo, india na. A s a yo un gste r he was fascin a te d by th e fli ght of birds and close ly followed the efforts o f th e Wri ghts, La ng ley a nd o th e r ea rl y av ia ti o n pi o n ee r s as ma nn e d fli g ht beca m e a rea lit y. in 1910 D are obtained his first job in avi­ ati o n with th e H ea th A e ri a l Ve hicl e Co mpany in C hicago. After frugalliv­ in g a nd savin g hi s mon ey, Dare le ft H e ath a nd m ad e a n e xte nded trip to T e xas to pursu e his ob sess ion with bird fli ght. Hi s o bjectiv e wa s to ob ­

se rve close-up the flyin g characteris­ tics of the huge condors that live d in the T exas dese rt areas. Armed with a ca m e ra and s ke tchbook , Dare m a d e nume rous drawings of the bird 's wing sh a pes as th e y took off, soare d and the n landed ne ar his hidde n obse rva­ tion point. His sketch es revealed that these big, grace ful condors would a l­ te r th e ir win g cambe r as they tra nsi­ tion e d from t a keoff o r landin g to stea dy , so a rin g fli ght, a nd Dare con­ ceived his id e a s for va riabl e ca mbe r from those obse rvation s. He eve ntu­ ally r e turn e d to Chic ago to pur s ue and develop his ideas a nd later moved to Buffa lo , N e w Y o rk wh e r e h e worked a t C urtiss on the J e nn y tra in­ e rs. In 1919 D a re moved to Muskegon and late r to D e troit, wo rking for va ri ­ o us aircra ft ma nufacture rs and a lways deve lo ping his ideas fo r va riable ca m­ be r wings.

D are was issued his first pate nt fo r va ri a bl e ca mb er w in gs wh e n he was livin g in Mu s k ego n - P a t e nt N o .

1,319,211 dated Octobe r 21 , 1919. A f­ te r hi s move to D etroit , by scrimpin g a nd sav in g mos t o f hi s ea rnin gs, a nd with the he lp of some fin a nci a l back­ e rs, D are was able to build an airpla ne th at inco rpo rated his va ri able cambe r principl e a nd th a t a irpl a ne was co m­ pleted in 1921.

Th e Dare va riabl e ca mber m o no­ pl a ne was a two-place , op e n cockpit d es ig n that ha d an all stee l int e rnal

structure with a n aluminum skin. The powe rplant was a 4-cylinder 140 hp G e rman Ben z engin e . The airplan e had been built in a shop in D etroit by Dare and a mechanic, Ed Jakobi , with he lp from an e ngin eer named Ca rns.

A s originally built, th e controls to ac­ tiva te the variable camber wings were loca te d in th e re ar cockpit while the front cockpit , norm a lly occupi e d by the pilot, had conventional contro ls as a safe ty precaution.

Dare's va ri a ble ca mbe r inve nti o n was int e nd e d to re pl a ce the conve n­ tional eleva to rs a nd ailerons by chang­ in g the ca mbe r o f th e win gs in fli ght.

M o ving th e stick for e a nd aft wo uld change the wing's ca mbe r and thus in­ crease or d ecre a se the lift ge nera te d by th e win g, ca usin g th e a irpl a ne to ri se o r desce nd with no cha nge in th e a ttitude of the fuse lage. Side-by-side sti c k mov e m e nt a lt e r e d th e win g ' s cambe r asy mmetrica lly to provide lat­ e ra l contro l.

Th e first fli g ht a tt e mpt was m a d e fro m Se lfridge Fi e ld in Mt. C le me ns, Mi chi ga n b y a test pil o t nam e d Mill s in th e sprin g of 192 1. U nfo rtun a te ly th e a irpl a ne was und e rp o we re d a nd b a r e ly got off th e g ro und, a nd a ft er cl earing the a irport's bo undary fe nce, cras h land e d in a fa rm fie ld a bo ut a mil e from Se lfrid ge, tea rin g o ff th e la nding ge a r and doin g som e minor damage.

Dare

back to his shop to start the rebuilding process. It was obvious that the air­ plane needed more power and, thanks to one of Dare 's financial backer s, Gar Wo o d , h e was able to obtain a 400 hp Libe rty V-12 e ngin e that had been used in one of Gar Wood's rac­ ing speedboats. Fitted with the new e ngin e , a rebuilt and lon ger la ndin g gear and a French Lamblin " lobster pot" coolant radiator, the second ve r­ sion of D a re's variable camber air­ plane was taken back to Se lfridge for a noth e r flight attempt. That is th e co nfiguration shown in the Myste ry Plane photo in th e May 1994 issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE. On September 26,1921 a new test pilot, Eddie Stinson, made a success­ ful fli ght in the Liberty powe red " tin ca n," as th e Air Corps pilots a t Self­ ridge h ad named it. For th a t fli g ht Stinson was in th e front cockpit and mechanic E d lakobi was seated in the rear cockpit operating th e variable camber wing controls. Stinso n made o ne short flight aro und the field but it was obvious to him th a t h av in g th e variable ca mbe r controls operated by someone o th e r than th e pil o t was not a practical arra ngement a nd a n invita­ tion to disaster. So it was back to the shop again where the variable camber controls were moved to the fro nt cock­ pit.

Eddie Stinson made 10 flights in the D are airpla ne with that arrange ­ ment. D are claims that Stinson reached spee ds of 186 mph with the airpla ne, which is highl y unlikely and obvious ly a gross exagge r at ion by

Dare. It was noted by observers th a t Stinson was very cautious when flyin g the airplane, always making ve ry flat, skidding turns, giving the impression that it suffered from a bad case of lat­ eral instability.

Following these test flights, the air­ plan e was tak e n bac k to D e troit and D are announced that he was makin g plan s to e nte r it in the 1922 Pulitze r Air Race scheduled to be held the fol­ lowing Octob e r. Eddie Stin so n was li st e d as the ra ce pilot and th e air­ plane wa s assigned race number 57.

D a re 's a pplication was late r disquali ­ fi ed, pe rhaps due to the airplane's lat­ eral instability which would have pre­ se nted problem s whe n makin g pylon turns on a race course.

Still pursuing his dream , D are later had another pil ot, Virg il Simmons ,

test fly the airplane. That fli ght e nded in a crash and th e airplane was da m­ aged beyo nd r e pa ir. That se tb ac k , plu s D a r e's in a bilit y to ra ise addi ­ tional mon ey, ca use d him to decl are bankruptcy and to clos e down hi s small shop .

Undaunted, D are continued to pur­ sue his variable camber ideas. H e had found ne w financial back e rs and by 1926 had started to build a ne w a ir­ plan e with which to continue hi s ex­ periments. This time the airplane was a two -pl ace, low wing cabin mon o­ plan e powe red by a 65 hp 5-cylinder Warn e r radial e ngin e . The construc­ tion was similar to that of the original a irpl a ne, usin g a stee l tube st ructure with aluminum skin. Th e inner two­

(Continued on page 29)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

The Judging

Presentation Book

Part of the Judging process at an EAA fly-in involves the use by the judges of a Presentation Book, put together by the owner of the airplane being judged. Why do they need a book filled with pictures, since the complete airplane sits before them in all its glory? The answers are both obvious and not so clear, and in this article I'll try and clear up any misconcep­ tions about the presentation book, as well as give you pointers on how to put to­ gether a book that will make it easy for the judges to give you full points for some­ thing you've worked long and hard on.

First , remember the short paragraph in the Judging Standards Manual about the book? Here's what it says:

G. Presentation Book Proof of authenticity contained within the Presentation Book should be judged on details of the contents relative to the au­ thenticity of either a continuously main­ 6 AUGUST 1994

by H.G. Frautschy tained or restored aircraft and not on the beauty or artistic quality of the book itself Seems pretty simple at first glance, and it really is. The Presentation Book's pur­ pose is to document the restoration process, or if you have a very rare air­ plane it can trace the history of a continu­ ously maintained airframe throughout its lifetime . It is also part of the airplane project that would best be kept in mind during the entire restoration process - it is a lot easier to do as you work on the pro­ ject, rather than putting it all together the night before a fly-in.

The restoration process can be classi­ fied as a series of segments. They don't always fo llow the same sequence, so you may have to adjust your book layout to suit your particular application.

First, a general history of the aircraft type may be in order, especially if the air­ plane is a rare type. It may not be neces­ sary to document the history of a Piper Cub or a Champ in its entirety, but an An­ derson-Greenwood AG-14 could stand a deeper historical treatment in the Presen­ tation Book, simply because it is not likely the judges have seen too many of them in their lifetime. The historical portion of the Book should include photos, espe­ cially factory photos of the airplanes origi­ nal configuration, factory brochures and any other documentation you'd like to in­ clude that can be used by the judges to document details you've painstakingly in­ cluded in your restoration.

A word about factory brochures may be in order at this point. If you are fortu­ nate enough to locate an original factory brochure, you may wish to consider hav­ ing a color photocopy made and included in your book, instead of the original.

Color copiers today are capable of out­ standing reproduction, and have really advanced during the past few years.

Check with one of your local quick print­ ing shops to see if they provide this type of service.

Since the color printing methods of the past (or occasionally today, for that mat­ ter) norma lly didn ' t render exact repro­ duction of the original colors, it's not very likely you can use the brochure to docu­ ment the paint colors. The only excep­ tions to this would be a factory supplied "color chip. " With the relative scarcity of original brochures , you may wish to keep them safely at home, away from the possibility of damage or loss. Mount it between two pieces of ultraviolet resistant glass, frame it, and put the brochure on display in your den or family room!

Often , one of the best ways to show the original colors is to find a scrap of fab­ ric or metal still painted with the original paint. Unless this airplane has never been restored, original paint would be hidden in an area not painted in the past, or possibly painted over with a different type of paint. Since it would have been kept from the elements, they often are a good indication of the true co lors used when the airplane was first built.

Of course, you don 't want to be fooled by documenting the colors of a previous restoration , so you need to know for cer­ tain if a plane had been restored in the past. On my Aeronca Super Chief, for in­ stance, the airplane had been recovered in the past, b ut there were still traces of the original paint under the first layer of paint on some of the sheet metal. I used a weaker paint stripper to pull off only the first layer, and then was able to peel off a few larger chips of the original paint to match the ye ll ow used on my airp lane.

Those chips will be included in the Pre­ sentation Book when I finally finish the restoration.

Color scheme documentation shou ld also be included in your historical section, especially if your airplane was delivered with a custom paint scheme. ]n the im­ mediate post - WW II era, not too many airplanes were delivered with custom paint jobs, but before the war , a large number of airplanes were delivered with paint color choices selected by the owner.

If you want to receive full points for your work, the scheme must be documented in some way - photos, factory drawings and factory invoices call all be used to help pin the colors down.

The next section of the history should include the specific past of your particular airp lane . The first bill of sale, a list of equipment, and any ot her factory docu­ mentation can all help pinpoint the exact configuration of the airplane whe n it was delivered. As men tioned before, pho tos are inva luab le docume ntation. Yo u may

wis h to capt io n each pictu re to highlight any subtle deta ils yo u want the judges to notice. Logbook entry copies may also be appropriate, especially if any factory au­ thor ized work or modifications were do ne.

T he next section of the Presentation Book covers the actua l restoration of the airframe and engine . You don ' t want to overwhelm the judges with this section, but you need to be sure and show all of the aspects of your restoration with a few well chosen photos. Here are a couple of hints.

First, if your talents lie in restoring but not in photography, consider using one of the automatic " point and shoot" 35mm cameras. A camera that uses 35mm film will give you a larger film surface to record your image, instead of the Disc or 110 format. The smaller negatives of these films may be fine for snapshots, but not when you are trying to show as much detail as you can.

Most of the newer automatic 35mm cameras allow the flash to be used in most lighting conditions. This is important,

"Remember that the judges give points for work­ manship as well, and show­ ing off the work done in hidden areas can aid your final score . Thh hone place where out of sight is not out of mind." since often I see p hotos that could have been acceptab le if only the background light had not dominated the shot, and un­ derexposed the subject of the photo in the foreground . If possible, try to use a flash .

Avoid a bright background and a dark foregro und - shooting a fuselage frame in the garage while looking towards the open garage door, for example, is sure to produce disappointing results.

If your subject is in bright sunlight with a hard shadow, go ahead and use the flash to fill in the details in th e shadows.

Even though you can see the details fine when you look at the subject , the film can ' t compensate for the diffe rences in lighting. Think of the last time you took a picture of someone with a baseball cap on - remember how his face disappeared in the shadow of the bill of the cap?

While you ' re disassembling the air­ frame, invariably you'll want to shoot a pict ure of a small detai l or fitting for fu­ ture reference, so you may wish to keep that in mind when selecting the camera to be used . A camera should be considered part of yo ur tool box, as much as a set of socket wrenches or screwdrivers.

If yo u ' d rat her not take t he p hotos you rse lf, perhaps you have a p hotogra­

pher fr ie nd who is wi llin g to shoot your project as th e work progresses. Often, simply cover ing the cost of the fi lm and processing, along with a ride or two in the restored airplane is a ll the photographer would want in return.

When you sit down to choose the pic­ tures to be included in the Presentation Book, keep in mind what you are trying to show the judges. Is it a sharp photo?

If not, don't include it - a fuzzy picture is worse than no photo at all. Does it show the part to be shown, without a lot of background clutter or other parts th a t tend to hide the component?

Since the details on the normally visi­ ble parts of the airplane can be seen by the judges, it's not necessary to exten­ sively document those parts after installa­ tion, but you do want to be sure and show pictures of the areas of the airplane that cannot easily be seen by the judges. The aft fuselage , for instance , or the control stick area below the floorboards are two examples. Remember that the judges give points for workmanship as well , and showing off the work done in hidden ar­ eas can aid your final score. This is one place where out of sight is not out of mind.

Included in your documentation of the restoration can be copies of any factory drawings or blueprints you need to docu­ ment the configuration of a part or instal­ lation. Reduced size photocopies can be a great help in this regard.

How should all of this material be arranged? As stated in the rule book , judging is not to be infl uenced by "the beauty or artistic q uality of the book it­ self. " That doesn ' t mean the book can be haphazard ly concocted . If the book is composed of hard-to-read hand scribbled notes and too many fuzzy , hard to deci­ pher photos, it's not likely the judges will be able to find all of the details you may have put in the airplane during restora­ tion . Remember, if your hidden work is not documented, the judges cannot award you full points for workmanship.

Neatly typed or hand printed cap­ tions and short, concise paragraphs de­ tailing the process will go a long way in helpin g the judges see everything you want them to look at. With the prolifer­ ation of personal computers , often the written portion of the book can be printed after being written on the com­ puter. Try to avoid the use of a draft or light dot matrix type when printing - it can be tough to read. The photos can be contained in a photo album page , the most popular of which seems to be the so-called " magnetic " pages that use a small series of mounting wax stripes to hold the photos and a clear plastic over­ lay on t o t he page. A neat three ring binder to hold it all toget her can help make t he judges job a bit easie r, so me ­ thing they all will appreciate.

'*

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

The 1911

A n origina l and rare 1911 Bleriot type mo nop la ne is now o n display at Dow ling Co ll ege after havi ng been re­ stored by volunteer experts and students at the nearby Bayport, NY Aerodrome.

A lth o ugh ha mpered by one of the worst wi nters in the New York area, a tea m of experienced aircraft restorers , led by John Zale, Jackie Mineo and Russ Moore, assisted by members of the Bay­ port Aerod rome Society as well as Dowling students, began the project just before Christmas and with heroic effort, completed it in time so that it was hang­ ing in proud display during a recent Transportation Symposium held at the college. It is still currently on display and available for public viewing.

According to restoration team leader John Zale, the aircraft was designed by aviation pioneer, Louis Bleriot, (1872­ 1936) who is best remembered for his pi­ oneering 23-112 mile flight across the English Channel in 1909, it is considered to rank among the earliest successful air­ craft designs.

Jackie Mineo, another member of the restoration tea m said that Bleriot engi­ neered and experimented with a number of designs, sett ling on the Model XI Monoplane with wheeled landing gear and externally braced single wing. The design proved worthy and was used widely until World War 1. Russ Moore added that Bleriot also helped des ign the SPAD, considered by many to be the finest fighter aircraft of the war.

All of the restoration work on the airp la ne was done at Bayport Aero­ drome in hangar facilities donated by the Bayport Aerodrome Society. The aircraft, on loan from Joseph Gertler of Riverhead , NY, was origina lly built by two brothers, Frank and Jules VanDer­ sari, ca. 1911, from plans obtained from

VanDersarl Bleriot

by B ob Maxant Photos courtesy Dowling College

(Above) The unmistakable configuration of the Bleriot design is shown in this shot of the nose section of the VanDer­ sari machine. The construction and fly­ ing o f t h i s aircraft was a rema r kable achievement fo r t wo Denver boys barely into their teens!

(Right) Three of the principals of the lat­ est restoration of the VanDersarl Bleriot were (I-r) Russ Moore, Jackie Mineo and John Zale.

8 AUGUST 1994

(Continued on page 29)

IA Barnstormer's DreamI TheWeaver (Waco) 4

by Jim Beisner Ale 19587

A

bout the time that we think a part of av iation hi story is lost forever, out of some old barn comes bits and pieces that some avid restorer molds into a beautiful aircraft.

Although this has happened a num足 ber of times in the past. never has the barnstormer pilot attempted such a project after an absence of more than 50 years.

Perhaps the name of the original air足 craft should be "weaver," due to the fact that it was built by the Weaver Aircraft Co . of Lorain, Ohio . This company was established by George " Buck" Weaver of the Matty Laird consortium. We've heard of Lloyd Stearman, Jake Moellendick , Walter Weber, Walter Beech, Billy Burke and others that got their start with Laird, but Buck Weaver was quite successful as well. His Weaver Aircraft Company

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was renamed Advance Aircraft Com­ pany, and later Waco Aircraft Com­ pany, which became the world's largest manufacturer of aircraft in the lat e 1920's.

What was the "Four" you ask? It was the first multiple passenger carry­ ing, single engine aircraft. (It had seats for three in the front cockpit.) Only one example was ever built.

The only Waco Four built by th e original company was built in 1921 with surplus Curtiss Jenny parts (engine , wheels and controls), and flown in 1921. .

Who flew it? After 3 hours and 20 minutes of dual instruction, Raymond Vaughan began hauling passengers for hire. This was the beginning of this three year barnstorming career. His flying career would, however, span over half a century, and end with the same aircraft that he started with ­ "The Four."

In 1975 he was challenged to build a new, or replica, model 4. With no blue­ prints, drawings or even a sketch avail­ able, he set forth to steam bend th e wood longerons. Many helpers volun­ teered, but how can you he lp with a project that only Ray Vaughn knows how to build? He cut ribs, spars, and gussets at the Toledo Metcalf Airport.

10 AUGUST 1994

Ray tacked and glued at his Waldridge shop (14,652 tacks!) until it took the shape of an old biplane.

Why would anyone start such a pro­ ject after a 50+ year career in aviation?

Ray wasn't just anyone, nor was his ca­ reer mundane! A few years of barn­ storming would count for a career in it­ self. He also was the maintenance person for the OX-5 powered craft.

This consisted of " fly-it-a-little - fix-it­ a-lot"! After the barnstorming, he de­ signed , built and breathed life into sev­ eral airports that are going strong yet this day. Ray helped to build dirigibles prior to World War II, including the Akron and the Macon. As Chief Di­ rector of a large C.P.T. program, he trained many pilots. He used 17 Waco UPF-7s a nd a " passel" of Cubs in hi s program. His record of support of the war effort was impeccable. He then continued as a fixed base operator after the war.

So when did he finish the Waco 4?

Unfortunately, he didn 't . Ray had a stoke in late 1990, and passed away in November 1990. Prior to his death , he had ex pressed his desire to have the plane go to Troy, Ohio (the home of Waco) and be completed. With the help of many friends (dedicated Tro­ jans, it was purchased, transported to

Troy and made airworthy. This was a case of a project that was 90% com­ pleted by the former owner, but 60% yet to go by the new owners!

The OX-5 engine was assembled from parts of severa l engines. (The parts looked as though they had been rescued from Sanford & Son's truck.)

With the help of Glen Courtwright, Ken Hyde, Howard Emmert and oth­ ers, the old V -8 became a masterpiece!

Many parts had to fabricated , induding the Bosch magneto drive gear box .

Does it start easy? You bet - in the first pull! Does it run good? You bet ­ on a ll eight cylinders, which contributes to the 90 horsepower purr! (The finger exhaust stacks sound more like a roar.)

How about the first flight of the replica? Here are the particulars: December 22,1993, the test pilot was Bob Wa gner. The le ngth of the flight was once around the pattern, at an altitude just above the treetops.

The airspeed was not too high - 55-60 mph. After replacing the propeller and installing gap seals, the ' 4 ha s per­ formed smoothly throughout the twenty hours of restricte d flight time required by the FAA. (Additional hours would be required if a non-certi­ fied engine and/or propeller had been used .)

(Above left) The barnstormer whose dream made the Waco 4 possible, the late Ray Vaughn. He is holding the radiator for the OX-5 engine.

(Above) Bill Long sits in the cockpit of the Weaver Aircraft Company's Weaver (Waco) 4 during 1921.

(Right) The instrument panel of the '4 is as simple as could be, including the water temperature gauge and counter-clockwise reading non-sensitive altimeter.

(Below) Nearing completion, the Waco 4 's wing sec足 tion, a USA 27 airfoil, is clearly evident.

On the EAA "Walk-Me" prop card is a "Judge Me" message. Instead of the traditional mark in the box, the following message can be found: "Judge me, YES, but judge me not for my var足 nish and paint; my wood or fabric; for I am more than that! I am from a time before us ... of by足 gone days. I am the best that I could be in the days of yesteryear. I was created by people of great skill and insight. People that had a dream of things that you now enjoy. I am the product of an old barnstormer, built from memory of an era that you can only imagine. I ask only that you share in the dream that I represent.

VINTAGF AIRPI ANF 11

Jim Kessler

Rudder Control Cable Attachment

''IN-4'' Rudder Bar

\ With the advent of runways, in lieu of "Air-Fields," steer­ able tail skids are necessary.

Parallel Spring

~ (Maintains Cable Tension) 1/ 8" Cable -

_ _ _ _~

Fixed Pulley

Fixed Pulley

~

/ .........;---- Pivot

STEERABLE TAIL SKID (Top View)

12 AUGUST 1994

...... . . - - - Tail Skid

How does it fly? Not easy! Un­ doubtedly most, if not all of the early airplanes (pre-1920) were inherently unstable. The pilots had nothing to compare them to. Therefore, they must have thought that all airplanes fly that way . In flight, it constantly tries to do its own thing. It is as if it has a mind of its own. It is not hard to fly, but it does require constant effort.

What does it do? On the ground , it handles great. It taxis almost as easy as a Cub. This is largely due to the steer­ able tail skid, (see the illustration on the left) and the hydrau lic brakes (both non-original equipment). Take off and landing characteristics are very good - it lik e s to lift off at about 38 mph indi­ cated , and climb out at 55 or 60. Cruise speed, at less than full power, is approx­ imately 70 mph. The landing character­ istics are excellent, and ground effect is quite noticeable (it is also appreciated).

The glide ratio is not much more than 1:1 with no power. This can be ex­ tended with the addition of a few rpms on the 101 inch propeller. A speed of 70 or 80 mph seems comfortable, and can be judged by the sound of the 28 external support cables on the craft.

It is a majestic sight to see a Waco 4 in the sky, after an absence of 70 years.

It is like a dream come tr ue ... Ray Va ughan's dream. ....

Jim Koepnick

+

,"

-';~<t ~ '_:''-:''~4tK~

~~, ?:..... t r ' ·

, The Tri-Traveler main landin

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across the Mississippi River, 30 miles north of St. Paul on the airport in Osceola, WI. By Feb­ ruary of 1955 the first producti on Champion 7EC was rolled out into the winter sun and af­ ter being test flown, it was sent off to its eager new owner.

The 7EC was basically the same airpl a ne built by Aeronca a few years before, with a few updates a nd a new paint sc hem e. Pow ered with a Continental C-90 with a full e lectrica l system, the airplane had a gross weight now of 1,450Ibs. It was still th e lowe st priced two­ place training a irpl a ne made in the U.S.A. They soo n followed with an upho lstered ver­ sion of the 7EC, the "Traveler Deluxe," which had foam rubber seat cushions, floor carpeting, spinn er, metal prop , wheel pants and and ad­ vanced in strum ent panel with fli ght in st ru­ ments including attitude and directional gyros.

As of 1959, Champion reported in their annual report that they held 45 percent of the training market in the U.S. - but what they didn 't men­ tion was the competition. The mid 1950's saw the introduction of the tricycle landing gear on a large scale by the major lightplane producers, Cessna and Piper.

Soon, training airplanes all started to have the third wheel on the opposite end of the air­ plane, just behind the prop, and students and flight schools were clamoring for the " new style" of landing gear. Ground loops we re practically a thing of the past, and flight schools found their customers asking for the new train­ ing ships, rather than the tailwheel equipped airplanes they had on the line.

Champion saw the trend developing, and worked to revise the 7EC into a product that the FBO 's could still afford, but one that had the landing gear installation more to the liking of some of the student pilot population. Intro­ duced in 1957, the 7FC Tri-Traveler would out sell its conventional geared stable mate as the tricycle gear became the standard. Basically the same as the 7EC Champion, the Tri-Trav­ eler, despite its name , was intended for the training market, and if it made a student more

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

The distinctive profile of the Champ is still unmis­ takable in this shot of its descendant, the Cham­ pion 7FC Tri-Traveler.

comfortable to fly on a cross country, that was added frosting on the cake.

Equipped with many of the same fea­ tures as the Traveler Deluxe, you could also get one built with a set of gyro in­ struments and radio equipment. The engineering on the tricycle gear was rel­ atively simple - the main landing gear was moved aft of the e.G. , so the rear landing gear mount was in line with the back edge of the door frame. The en­ gine mount was beefed up to handle the installation of a steerable nose wheel.

Just in case an over enthusiastic student should over rotate the airplane on take­ off or landing, the original tailwheel spring was left in place , sans tailwheel.

The Tri-Traveler sold well in the begin­ ning, but unfortunately for the company, Champion 'S share of the market quickly eroded as Piper and Cessna's grip on sales of training airplanes tightened . By 1963, they sold just 21 of the Tri-Travel­ ers.

Cliff Harkins (A/C 21293) of Hous­ ton, TX was looking for something that would be fun to fly, not just a traveling machine. His previous two airplanes, a Piper Warrior and then a Dakota , were comfortable airplanes, but they lacked a certain pizzazz. He was looking for something he would enjoy flying, an air­ 16 AUGUST 1994

plane that could take him back to his early days of flying, if that was possible.

As a young man , Cliff had soloed in 1947, but like so many before and after him, he found he couldn't afford to keep flying. By 1975, as Cliff's involvement with the real estate business world be­ gan to payoff, he found he could afford to fly again . The Warrior and the Dakota were OK, and they could be useful in the business , but when he be­ gan to think about just Hying and having fun, they didn 't seem right.

Resting in a pile of parts in New Braunfels, TX (the home of " Wurst­ fest"!) were the components of 7FC-080, an early Champion Tri-Traveler built in Osceola during 1957. Cliff and his friend, Ron Stegemoller, an expert A&P who was also interested in the 7FC struck a deal and the airplane was theirs.

As Cliff put it, "He did all the hard stuff, I did all the work! " The " hard stuff" and "work " con­ sisted of stripping the airplane down to the bare tubular frame and cleaning up parts and reinstalling them until a com­ plete airplane sat before their eyes.

O.K., that's a bit of an oversimp lifica­ tion , but certainly that is the essence of any restoration project, with varying de­ grees of research involved.

The fuselage was in excellent shape, needed only a general clean up and then a coating of epoxy primer. From there a complete new set of wood formers was added to the fuselage frame, and bit by bit all of the fittings, including the control sticks, and brake pedals, were cleaned up, checked for wear and reinstalled.

The wing structure was a different story. All four spars had various de­ grees of damage, and needed to be re­ placed. Aircraft quality spar blanks were obtained and a set of new spars were completed by the new owners.

Fortunately, the wing ribs were in good shape, as were the wing tanks. The 7FC has a a fuel capacity of 26 gallons, which Cliff points out will give a you a five hour endurance. That's about 3 hours longer than he normally likes to sit in the airplane, so the extra gas is just added peace of mind to him.

The windshield that came with the airplane was in great condition , but the side windows needed to be replaced with new transparencies , and the inte­ rior was completely refurbished with an Airtex interior kit, including new seat cushions , headliner and baggage com­ partment.

Cliff was also quick to point out the level of craftsmanship evident in the

Jim Koepnick

+

covering wo rk done by R on Stegemoller - it is hard to find any hin t of a blemish in the Poly Fiber Aerothane finish. The fa bri c o n the wing was attac hed in the same way the origina ls we re built - P-K

scre ws throu gh a fa bric t a p e and th e wing covering, finished off with a pinked edge tape . The si mpl e color scheme is not the standard layout for the Tri-Trav­ eler, but it does effectively highlight the classic lines of the Champ's descendant.

With the proj ect came a set of rather rough wh ee l p a nts for th e main s, but R o n a nd C liff we r e a bl e to se t th e m straight with a hammer and dolly, not to me nti o n a few o th e r bod ywork s kill s.

The nosewheel fender, designed primar­ ily to keep mud and other muck off the fuselage, is the only fiberglass part in the restoration.

Anothe r nice part of the restoration involve d th e e ngin e. Th e C90-1 2 th a t came wi th the project had onl y 350 hours on it sin ce a maj o r ov e rh a ul , a nd it checked out fin e. It did need a new set of gaske ts and rubbe r sea ls, since they had dried out while in storage. The only work that needed to be done up front in­ volv ed reworking the baffl es, and re­ newing the various hoses and other rub­ b e r co mp o ne nt s. Th e a irpl a ne ca me equipped with a damaged wooden prop, but Cliff fo und a McCauley Met-L-Prop of the correct size and had it readied for flight.

On e of th e a dd e d b e n e fit s o f th e 7FC's Continental C90-12 e ngine is the full e lectri cal sys te m. C ha mpi o n a ir­ planes are started while sitting inside the cockpit and pull ing a handl e to engage the Delco starter. Cliff also has installed a co upl e of rad ios o n boa rd - a Na rco tra ns po nde r , Apo ll o lo r a n a nd T KM MXll communi catio ns ra di o. H e a lso ca rri es a h a ndh e ld ra di o fo r b ack up .

A lo ng with an overhead cabi n speaker,

it has a full intercom installed so cockpit communications can be done easily.

A new in strum e nt p ane l was fa bri ­ cated, and a new electric turn coordina­ tor was in sta ll ed , along with th e oth e r re quired fli ght in strum e nts. Cli ff was not happy about leaving the previo usly installed venturis on the fuselage - he'd rath e r h a ve th e s p ee d , a nd sinc e h e didn 't plan on usi ng a vacuum turn and bank with his 7FC, having the turn coor­ dinator as an electric unit didn't bothe r him in the slightest.

Soon it was time to assemble the T ri­ Trav e le r. Ron a nd Cliff h a d th e li ft struts rebuilt, and they also replaced the tail brace wires with brand new ones. " An ything th at could be critica l we did replace with new stock," said Cliff.

With a cruise o f about 90 to 95 mph , Cliff says that fl ying the Tri-T raveler is very relaxing - he must enjoy it - he flew th e 7FC all th e way to L a ke land fro m Hou s to n , foll o win g a wea th e r fro nt , burning a thrifty 5.2 gallons per hour of avgas . H e's a lso ha d th e a irpl a ne to EAA OSHKOSH , and bo th trips have proven to be fruit ful , winning awards in the Contemporary category's inaugural yea r. A t E AA OSHKO SH '93, C li ff was awa rd e d th e Co nte mpora ry Out­ standing in Type - Champion award , and at Sun n' Fun '94 , Cliff to ted home the Best Fabric Single trophy.

Cli ff sees now hi s cho ice fo r a n air­ pl a ne th a t was fun to fl y a nd o ffe re d many of th e ame niti es th at he enjoyed with hi s Warr ior a nd D akota was a lso o ne he co uld fee l nosta lgia in as we ll ­ it's a Co nte mporary th a t sti ll rem in ds him of "the good old days."

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Retired airline pilot, Jack Hill, brought his friend and fellow pi­ lot, Jean Cunningham of Emerson, NJ, along to Sun "n Fun .

The two pilots were quite amazed at the interest shown in the pretty cabin Waco.

18 AUGUST 1994

I e unmistakable sound of a Continental 220 engine rat­ tled past my ears at Sun 'n Fun '94 as I was investigating a couple of nicely restored J-3 Cubs on the flightline. I turned to see a cabin Waco taxi into a parking line just a short dis­ tance away. The 220 engine sped up for just an instant and then died away to nothing as the pilot pulled the mixture con­ trol.

The mental image of the Waco immediately spelled UEC, a combination of the distinct round tail, the "rear window" in the fuselage and the somewhat stubby, squared off nose sec­ tion. My first experience with the UEC Waco came about at the Le Sueur, Minnesota airport, way back in June of 1954, when I stopped to admire the late Ed Frost's Waco UEC parked next to his Fleet biplane. Forty years have since passed, however, the heart still skips a few beats when a Waco UEC taxies by.

Our subject for this story is a 1932 Waco UEC, N13050, SIN 3678, which left the Waco factory in Troy, Ohio, on Sep­ tember 23 , 1932, and was delivered to H. C. Lippiatt in Bur­ bank, California. The present owner, who brought the pretty

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(Above) With its unique rear windows in the fuselage and original 1932 paint scheme, Jack Hill' s Waco UEC poses in the Florida sunshine at Sun 'n Fun. This was the last word i n high speed transportation com足 pared to the Model A Ford and the very first V-B, its ground based contemporary in the early 1930's.

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(Right) Exact replicas of the original wheel fenders as supplied by Waco in 1932 were hand built by Wayne Hayes during the restoration of the airplane. Jack Hill says they help keep the airplane clean when moving on wet or muddy ground.

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(Above) Jack Hill leans down to keep an eye on the photo plane as he pulls the Waco in for a close-up shot. The combi足 nation of a slow turning Continental en足 gine and a wooden propeller makes for a very softly muffled feel and sound - a unique characteristic of the Waco UEC, long endeared by pilots of the marque.

(Left) With the Waco approaching head on , we can see the throw over control wheel is on Jack's side and the tailwheel is having trouble staying in line! The large skylight really brightens up the cabin.

UEC to Lakeland, FL, is Jack J. Hill, Jr. (EAA 219748, A/C 8059) of Closter, NJ. Jack, who grew up in Rocky Mount, NC, soloed a J-3 Cub at age 16 in 1948 and earned a Private license in 1949. In 1956 he signed on with Un ited Air Lines, flying the next 36 years for the airline and accummulating some 30,000 hours in his logbook.

When the " age 60 re tirement " rule ca ught up to him, Jack decided it was time to have some fun flying, so he pur足 chased the Waco UEC from none other than Waco expert Wayne Hayes (EAA 124382, A/C 3882) of Mount Vernon , Ohio. (Way ne Haye s has owned a YKS-7 Waco cabin since 1971 and has flown it 4,000 hours! His home airport at Wynkoop is the site of the National Waco Club Fly-In each June.)

Our subject Waco UEC had spent over twenty years in Beverly, Massachu足 20 AUGUST 1994

setts, where John Nelson (EAA 10358, A/C 9235) had used the airframe as a teaching aid in his aviation classes.

(John had purchased the Waco UEC as a basket case in the early sixties in Rhode Island.) In addition, John had re­ stored the unique rear windows on the UEC fuselage which had been removed by a previous owner. John is an avid airplane aficionado, having been an A & P, lA, aod Mechanic Examiner for "many moons" and was recently the re­ cipient of a 50-Year Mechanic Award from the FAA. Wayne Hayes bought the UEC pro­ ject from John Nelson and hauled the parts and pieces to his base at Rob­ binsville , NJ, which is also home to a well known aviation personality (and true gentleman), Steve Pitcairn (EAA 109260, A/C 4080). The rebuild of the Waco wings was well along with new ribs on the original spars when Wayne moved his operation to Mt. Vernon , Ohio; the Waco UEC making yet an­ other trip by trailer and truck! Nearly a.1I the pieces of the neat old cabin Waco were ready for assembly when Wayne suffered a bunch of medical problems that put him out of action for a spell. It hurt to see the Waco so close - but yet

so far from completion. About this time Jack Hill came along, so he sold the air­ plane to Jack and once again, the Waco was loaded on a truck and hauled to John Shue's shop in York, PA. John Shue (EAA 73049) proceeded with the assembly details and when everything was ready, he called in the FAA inspec­ tor for licensing and a new Certificate of Airworthiness. The old girl passed with flying colors! (It has been said that N13050 has more miles on a truck than in the air - at least in the past 30 years!)

A happy Jack Hill climbed aboard the Waco about two years ago and has been enjoying the solid feel of two wings ever since. At Sun 'n Fun '94, Jack had flown the bird some 56 hours and was enjoying every minute. The Continen­ tal W-670 engine of 220 hp was running very strong with almost no leaks. Jack likes the toe brakes that have replaced the old Johnson Bar installation and he feels they are a definite safety item .

The panel sports a nav-comm radio , transponder and G PS plus an electric starter and generator installation - a must for safe travel in the 1990's.

Waco built forty of the UEC model (ATC 467) and at present , there are eight remaining on the U. S. register.

The UEC featured a streamlined strut between the wings (tension and com­ pression) rather than a series of stream­ lined wires. The empty weight was 1750 lbs. and gross was 2700 Ibs. Maximum speed was listed at 133 mph with normal cruise at 116 mph and landing at 49 mph. The factory new price in 1932 was listed as $5985.

Jack Hill related how he stopped at his old home town of Rocky Mount, NC on the way to Sun 'n Fun. While there, he called an 80-year-old man on the phone who promptly came out to the airport to give his Waco UEC a very close inspection. He inspected the Waco from nose to tail, remarking about the Heywood Air Starter that he had on his machine years ago. The elderly man was impressed with the quality of workmanship on the airplane . This same 80-year-old man was hopping pas­ sengers way back in the summer of 1940 with a Waco UEC. Jack Hill had his very first airplane ride with this gentle­ man that particular summer at the age of eight years. Apparently the desire to have a Waco UEC of his own was in­ stilled in the young Jack Hill on that summer day - 54 years ago! Isn't avia­ tion history fascinating? ...

+ The classic silhouette of a Waco UEC is one that is long remembered by Waco aficianados, the rounded tail, the rear fuse­ lage windows, the aileron slave struts and the substantial landing gear. This is antique flying at its very best.

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WHAT OUR. MEMBERS ARE RESTORING

-------------------------------------------------------byNorrnPetersen

John Hartman's Stinson V-77 (AT-19) This pretty photo of Stinson V-77 , NI5JH, SIN 77-452, was sent in by longtime EAA member, John Hartman

(EAA 53043, A/C 910) , of Mack , Colorado. Nicely finished off in a yellow paint scheme with brown and red trim,

the big "gull-wing" Stinson even has the crankcase of the Lycoming R -680 en­ gine done in matching yellow! John re­ lates how the airplane came off the line in 1943 as an AT-19 , was sold to the RCAF for IFR training and was shipped to India where it sat in the crate. It was shipped back to the U.S. after the war and was modified to a V-77. It sat at Burley, Idaho for 18 years until Lon Woodward bought it and stored it for two years at Provo, Utah. John bought the airplane from Lon six years ago and spent the next five years restoring the Stinson from the ground up . The first flight after 26 years was February 12,1994. John, who is 70 years young, says the big Stinson is fun to fly and rock solid in the air. It had 470 hours total time engine and airframe at the time of rebuild. There are 123 V-77 re­ maining on the U. S. register and four AT-19s.

Fred Ludtke's Monocoupe 110 Special Ripping through the sky with the smoke system on is a Clipwing Monocoupe 110 Special, N2064, SIN A748, flown by veteran airshow performer, Freddie Ludtke (EAA 46948, A /C 13053) of Freeland, Washing­ ton. Named the "Spirit of Dynamite," the Monocoupe features a 165 hp Warner en­ gine with fully inverted fuel and oil systems and airshow smoke. Complete with a Stan­ dard Airworthiness Certificate, the Mono­ coupe is used for aerobatic instruction as well as airshow work. Normal climb is 2000 fpm, cruise is 150 mph and dives can be made at over 200 mph. The full story on this "hot rod " is related in the March 1990 SPORT AVIATION. Full information on the airplane , which Fred plans on selling, is available at 206-331-5811.

Hans Allenbach's Fairchild

UC-61A "Argus"

Pictured over the beautiful landscape of Switzerland is Fairchild UC-61A " Argus," reg­ istered HB-EMI , owned by Hans Allenbach (EAA 348518, A /C 16531) and his son, Peter, of Deitingen, Switzerland. The Fairchild served in the British RAF from 1943 to 1946 before going on the Swiss register as HB-EMI. Hans has owned the Fairchild for many years, restoring it in the 1960's and again in the 1990's. It is pow­ ered with a 165 hp Warner and features a steer­ able Maule tailwheel and added struts from the main gear to the fuselage under the cabin - a re­ quirement of the Swiss FAA for certification in their country. This author was at the Grenchen Airshow in Switzerland in June and observed this particul ar Fairchild on the grou nd and in . the air. It is indeed, a very nice airplane!

22 AUGUST 1994

George Flynt's Temco

Swift GC-IB

The proud owner of this much mod­ ified "Swift," N2362 B, SIN 3662, is re­ tire d ai rlin e Ca pt a in G e orge Flynt (EAA 156555) of Summit, MS. Built

by Te mco in 1948, th e Swift was first o wn ed by Ma rk Full e r , M a rk s, M S, who so ld it to a fo rm e r Navy fighter pilot, C. D. Russe ll , of Clarksdale, MS , o n June 7, 1950. George Flynt bought th e Swift fro m C. D. Russe ll 's esta te o n Se pt e mb er 29 , 1988 . B e in g th e third o wn e r of thi s " Mis siss ippi a ir­ pl a ne ," Geo rge in sta ll e d a new Ly­ co min g AE IO -360-A ID e ngin e a nd H a rtzell ae ro bat ic pro p , new in stru ­ ments and panel, control sticks, Cessna 150 sea ts, J ack Nage l ca n o p y a nd Cleveland wheels and brakes. In addi­ tio n, George added the spa r mod fo r higher gross weight, electric fue l boost pump, 12 volt electric hydra uli c dri ve

mo to r a nd e lect ri c trim (designed by Nagel). He now has just over 18 hours o n the airplane a nd repo rts a cruise of 145 m p h a t 24 s qu a re a t 3000 feet.

Normal takeoffs are made in 800 fee t.

B e in g a n ex-cro pd uste r, George e n­ j oys p uttin g th e mod i fi e d Swi ft thro ugh its paces.

Larry Miller's Cessna UO De li vere d to th e Cess na dea le r (Barna Air, Inc.) in Tuscaloosa, AL, o n No ve mb e r 11 , 1946, thi s ver y prett y

Cessna 120, N76826, SIN 11258, has been a n Al aba ma res id e nt all its life . T he o ri gin al own e r had it for 32 yea rs. In

1978, it was restored by two new owners a nd th e pr ese nt ow ner, La rr y Mill er (EAA 45 1796) of Pra ttvill e , A L, pur­ chased the little two- placer fro m them in Se pte mb e r of 1993. La rry reports the 120 has 2100 hours on the ai rframe and about 760 hours on the C-85 engine since major. The only deviations fro m origi­ nal are the STC'd dorsa l fi n, a ValCom radio a nd a built in Int erco m. A tota l de li ght to fl y, th e Cess na is flo wn for pl eas ur e by La rr y who says a t ev e ry small airport landing, someone comes up a nd wa nt s to bu y th e air pl a ne. How­ ever, Larry has a two-year-old grandson who will one day get his chance at flyi ng the Cessna, so it is not for sale.

Charles Wilkin's Luscombe 8E These " before" and " afte r" photos of Luscombe 8E , N22004, SIN 854, re­ veal a tremendous amount of restora­ tion work. Charles Wilkins, Jr. (E AA 414450, A /C 19427) of Sugar Land , TX , is th e proud owne r. The 8E was involved in a taxiway collision with an A e ronca Chief on Octobe r 25, 1958.

Following a fue l sta rvation accident in 1965, the Luscombe was again rebuilt to its present state a nd the first flight took pl a ce on J a nu a r y 14, 1993 .

Equipp ed with a Contin e nt a l C-85­ 12F en gin e, th e Lu scomb e ha s won two awards at regional fly-in s a nd has logged about 130 hours since rebuild .

It s port s a KT -76A tran s pond e r , Mode C, TKM co mm and a G a rmin GPS-5 S. A fu el flow me te r has bee n add ed to preve nt a reccure nce of th e 1965 accident! Ve ry coo l thinkin g !

Con gra tulations to Charles Wilkins, Jr. a nd hi s sharp lookin g Lu scombe 8E. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

Notes

by Norm Petersen From the National Ryan Club - Bill Hodges, Newsletter Editor

"SAFETY - it comes in many and various styles. We have addressed this general subject before in its different forms. What to do when starting (i.e. hand propping) your engine and you are the only knowledgeable one around. Using Dick Cutler's method of tying the tailwheel down is good. But if you use a person who is a casual ac­ quaintance or even unknown to you to sit in the cockpit to handle the throttle and brakes, be sure they are thoroughly checked out in the starting procedure and the cockpit. Make sure they know which direction to move the throttle and to keep the stick full back , and the feet on the brakes. Remember that just because a person is on the airport does not mean he is a qualified airplane op­ erator."

(Ed. Note: The above paragraph per­ tains not only to pilots of Ryan air­ planes, but to pilots of all aircraft requir­ ing hand propping. Every year, with clock-like regularity, the horror stories come to the surface and we lose more valuable airplanes - to say nothing of the terrified people involved. The old adage is: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!)

Texas Chapter AAA Newsletter ­ Penny & Tom Richards, editors

A very nice article on the 14-year restoration of a Stinson 108-3 by Clyde and Elaine Boggus completed in 1993 was followed by a sequel from May of 1994 relating additional experiences: " Difficulties with crosswind takeoffs and landings plagued and intimidated me untill finally determined the prob­ lem was the Scott 3200 tailwheel. The unit had been reworked with new bush­ ings and parts, except for part no. 21, a pin which should restrain the spring, part no. 18. Back in the past life of N6915M a #4 machine sc r ew was adapted to retain the spring and I found the screw to be in good conditon. I had a good assortment of #4 screws so 1 e lected not to order part no. 21 for $5.00 (Univair) or $25.00 (Aircraft 24 AUGUST 1994

Spruce & Specialty). Those prices seemed high! Back to our story - I se­ cured, restrained, the spring with a #3 bolt modified to suit the occasion and the tailwheel then performed posi­ tively. Confidence in crosswind opera­ tions then slowly improved. There was no more free castoring and weather­ vaning.

"The first annual inspection was completed in April 1994. Accumulated time was 85 hours and 138 landings.

Mark Burke, lA, performed a very thorough inspection and looked at everything! 1 appreciated this take­ nothing-for-granted approach. Mark's inquisitiveness and thoroughness lo­ cated the cause of an irritating noise which had persisted since the first pre­ flight. An aileron cable in the right wing was threaded on the wrong side of the bracket anchoring the flap spring.

A sharp pocket knife provided access to the area and allowed a simple cor­ rection. Finally locating and correcting this problem was the highlight of the annual inspection! Removal of the rear headliner then enabled easy access for retensioning the cable.

"New Slick magnetos and harnesses were installed rather than comply with an AD note to replace magnets and coils in the Bendix magnetos. Perfor­ mance increase was minimal. And es­ thetics may have improved. The Slick mags are just a tad purtier!

N6915M is back at work serving as an instrument trainer. Stability of the Stinson is good and learning to use the instruments is an enjoyable challenge."

International Cessna 120/140 Associa­ tion - Bill Rhoades, Editor

"Aircraft Interiors Flame Retardant Requirement - from the FAA. A Mal­ function or Defect Report received from a repair station certified for burn test brought to our attention the need for clarification of the requirements.

The summarized report follows: During the rebuilding of a Piper P A-18 Super Cub , it was determined that a new headliner was required . After receipt of the new h ead liner from a popular

aviation supplier, the burn certification on the material could not be certified.

The manufacturer provided a state­ ment that 'the material was manufac­ tured to meet or exceed the flame and mildew specifications of FAR Section 25.853(b).' " First of all, any authorized state­ ment of material burn certification must come from an FAA burn certified repair station operating under FAR Part 145 of other FAA approval , such as a manufacturer under a TSO or PMA. The operation specifications of a burn certified repair station must con­ tain a ' Limited Rating for Specialized Services,' the specific service autho­ rized, and the specifications to be used.

A burn certification must include the name and certificate number of the re­ pair station or other FAA-approved source that performed the required tests. Traceability of approved testing must be maintained all the way to the end product, in this case the headliner.

"The second point concerning this report is that FAR Part 25 deals with ' Airworthiness Standards: Transport Category Airplanes.' Obviously, this regulation does not apply to a Piper PA-18 airplane . FAR Part 23 is enti­ tled , ' Airworthiness Standards: Nor­ mal, Utility, Acrobatic, and Commuter Category Airplanes.' This regulation does apply to a large number of general aviation airplanes, however, it does not apply to the P A-18. It should be men­ tioned that both of these regulations contain very rigorous requirements for certification of materials used in air­ plane interiors and are more stringent that the requirements for this airplane.

"The Piper P A-18 airplane was origi­ nally certified under 'Civil Air Regula­ tions 3' (CAR 3). CAR 3 is contained in the 'Civil Aeronautics Manual3 ' (CAM 3). Therefore, the requirements of airplane interiors found in CAM 3, Section 3.388 apply to the Piper PA-18 airp lane. FAA approved materials which meet or exceed the requirement fo und in CAM 3 state that if smoking is to be permitted, the material used must be flame-resistant; if smoking is to be permitted, then a 'No Smoking' placard must be installed and the material used must be flash-resistant."

American Bonanza Society Newsletter - Patric Rowley, Editor The July 1994 edition of this really splendid publication features a leading co lumn entitled , " President ' s Com­ ments," written by John Kilbourne and containing the following news of a sobering nature: " The long famous ABS/ ASF Bo­ nanza/Baron Pilot Proficiency Program (BPPP) was discontinued effective May 21 , 1994. The ABS Board of Directors at its meeting on May 20-21 decided to cease flight training operations con­ ducted by ABS because of substantial liability exposure and the possible loss of the Society itself.

"In our litigious society today, peo­ ple are not generally inclined to accept misfortunes which befall them as their own responsibility or "fate," but look to someone else to carry the blame.

This results in the high number of law­ suits with which we are all too familiar.

Some of these lawsuits result in astro­ nomical damages . Anyone such suit could result in an award of damages which could consume all of the assets of the Society and the Air Safety Founda­ tion, including its buildings. " Moreover, where a board of direc­ tors is closely involved with decisions affecting a matter, plaintiffs can argue that the so-called "corporate veil" could be pierced and that directors them­ selves should be liable. Several of the current directors have been advised by their own counsel to either cease flight training or resign from the board.

"Several eminently qualified persons who had earlier considered joining your ABS Board have elected not to do so for the same reason .

"The Society itself on at least two occasions was advised by its counsel in Wichita that there was no effective way to prevent possible liability for the flight training operations. . .. As president , I assure that this decision was not taken without a great deal of soul searching, without the best possible outside advice and without all board members being heard and all views being considered. Nonetheless, when all the facts were on the table, it came down to the continued existence of your Society and looking for alterna­ tive ways of training weighed against the continuation of the BPPP. "The board will continue wherever it can to support excellent flight training for members of the ABS. We would welcome any suggestions as to how that can best be accomplished."

(Ed. note: One wonders how many lives have been saved and how many fine airplanes are still flying today be­ cause of the extremely diligent and dedi­ cated efforts of the BPPP instructors

over these many years. The more hours they spent preventing accidents, the more the liability exposure - a true "Catch 22" situation. N.A.P.) International Cessna 170

Association, Inc. ­ Velvet Fackeldey, editor

FLAP FLAP by Randy Martin. " I discovered a problem on my l70A, N9059A , SIN 18818, which I think war­ rants bringing to the attention of the members. " During a preflight following a se­ vere storm , I discovered only my right flap would extend. Investigation dis­ closed the left flap control system ca­ ble , PIN 0510105-11, as broken at the cable ball swedge assembly where the cable connects to the flap assembly, PIN 0523228. The cable showed no evi­ dence of corrosion and further investi­ gation of the right flap assembly dis­ closed the cable had also fai led some time in the past , because a screw swedge ball assemb ly had been in­ stalled.

"I have owned the aircraft for 10 years and the screw swedge ball assem­ bly was not installed during this period. " What concerns me is what would happen if one flap cable failed during takeoff or landing with flaps extended.

The affected flap would immediately fair with the wing, thus causing an im­ balance condition. I don't know if the ailerons would compensate for the dif­ ference. At any rate , I recommend a one time inspection of the flap cable as­ sembly."

Taylorcraft Owner's Club ­ Bruce Bixler II, editor

"Over the past few years at numer­ ous Fly-Ins, etc. I have noticed a num­ ber of post-war BC-12D wings with the three-piece stamped ribs that have been rib-stitched instead of the wire clips be­ ing used . The whole idea of the three­ piece stamped rib was to get away from the slow process of rib-stitching and rib fabrication to speed up production in 1946. The fabric clip is the on ly ap­ proved method of covering a three­ piece stamped rib on a T-Craft wing.

An FAA man, aware of the two types of Taylorcraft ribs, could ground an air­ plane for an unapproved method of cover. Most FAA field inspectors don't know a Taylorcraft from a Chris Craft so this probably won't happen. I've seen a lot of B models with a bu il t-up rib wing on one side and a stamped rib wing on the other, no prob lem as lo ng as the correct method of attachment is used and each wing has 15 ribs."

THE BE ECH E AGLE - published by the new " Twin Beech 18" Division of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation Enrico Bottieri, editor " D r ip Drip D ri p! A lmost from day one of the introd uction of " Radial" ro un d engines we have bee n seek ing better ways to stop unsightly oi l leaks, We even joke abo ut the engines being externa ll y lubricated. This was true years ago as the rocker boxes were ex­ posed and externally lubricated with oil and grease. " Even good tight e ngines of very low time may be prone to oil seepage over time. We are almost certain we know where the leaks come from and why. We are working on fixing one of the most prominent culprits, the engine oil shut off valve. Meanwhile, one man has come up with a fix for collecting all that ugly black stuff. His name is John C. Alden." " Dear Enrico: Thank you for your call on 1/13/94 regarding my desire to introduce your readers to the FAA ap­ proved "RORS" system (Rocker Oil Recovery System). Regrettably (this system is) over forty years too late for the many who have suffered the results of accumul ated rocker oil performing its weary and often catastrophic mis­ sion. The information will hopefully impart upon the so-called "New Gener­ ation" of radial engine operators the importance and now the means of deal­ ing with the rocker oil dilemma, thereby protecting the powerplants of their nowadays expensive flying machines.

"It has been the other established users of radial engines such as Ag Op­ erators , a lot ofT-6 (owners) and one of your own Beech subscribers in Fresno, CA , that have been the bulk of my customers to date, and all by virtue of the system selling itself. It is inter­ esting that many of these users have re­ sponded with the same question: Why hasn 't this device that functions so well been done before??? I guess its not too surprising when you stop to think about it; As aviation a long with other highly regulated and controlled indus­ tries seem to stimulate the " Attitude of accepting and living with the Status Quo" and in this case even old P & W wasn't immune.

"The STC for this system has an AML (Approved Model List) that cov­ ers the Beech 17 Staggerw ing and the 18 series and all their ex-military mod­ els; also the Lockheed models, 10-A, lO-E E lectras a nd the model 5 Vegas .

Enclosed is a photo sheet that you can use as you see fit. " Sincerely,

John C. A lden (408-373-7135)

...

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

P_1\_SS_ITT_Q1J~ An information exchange column with input from our readers.

by Buck Hilbert (EAA 21, Ale 5) P.O. Box 424

Union, IL 60180

A few days ago I was talking to H.G., our friendly editor, about our airp lanes and what an owner can actually do as far as maintenance is concerned.

The limitations are spelled out in the 29 paragraphs of FAR part 43, Ap­ pendix A and are further amplified by Advisory Circular 43-12A . This Advi­ sory Circular states very firmly that if a function doesn't appear on the list , you can 't do it. It is pretty specific, but basi­ cally it boils down to common sense. If whatever you are contemplating doing affects the airworthiness of the airplane, you can't!

In other words, if you want to take off a wing, or change an engine or work on instruments, or remove the propeller or anything that would render the airplane unairworthy, you ain 't supposed to touch it. Get a certified technician or an A&P to do the job and sign it off.

Furthermore, you must be the owner, have at least a Private Pilot certificate" and you must do the work personally and approve the airplane for return to ser­ vice. In other words , you make a log­

book entry. You do the work by the book, too.

Again , the items you can do for the airplane you own are listed in the 29 paragraphs of that Appendix A. There are preventive maintenance items you can easily accomplish which are fairly common and easy to do.

You can change tires , add hydraulic fluid to the brakes and shock struts, re­ place shock cords, service shock struts, replace safety wire and cotter keys, (see the last issue of VINTAGE AIR­ PLANE) change the engine oil, lube things, do simp le fabric repairs , repair upholstery, seat belts , remove and re­ place seats, troubleshoot electrical sys­ tems , replace light bulbs and fuses, re­ flectors, and landing lights. You can also remove, clean, check and replace spark plugs, replace any hoses and connections except hydraulic (meaning hydraulic sys­ tems such as the gear retraction system , not the brakes), replace prefabricated fuel lines, clean and replace fuel and oil strainer or fi lter elements, replace a nd/or service your batteries. You can a lso

"EI Bucko Hilberto" and the 1942 Nicaraguan Air Force.

26 AUGUST 1994

check your chip detector if you have one, and even replace side windows if you don 't get involved with disassembling the airplane structurally.

These are some of the items you can accomplish to save yourself a dollar or two on labor. Of course, if you've a friendly maintenance person , either an A&P or a Designated Aircraft Mainte­ nance Inspector who will allow you to work under supervision, then you really have it made. It is not uncommon to help on an annual or repair or rebuild.

The most important factor here , of course, is to do it by " The Book" or Books as the case may be. Get out that service manual, the parts manual can re­ ally be a big help by showing exploded views on the component or parts you are working on. Get yourself a copy of FAR 43, EAA has them in their list of publica­ tions and also Appendix A , and be sure and take to advice of your A&P or AI. Over to you,

f'(

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

On this page you'll see the latest additions to the ranks of the EAA Antique/Clas足 sic Division. Whether you're joining for the first time, or are coming back, we welcome you, and we'd especially like to welcome those of you who are joining us with your interest in Contemporary class aircraft. Welcome one and all!

John Dean Acker Tomah, WI William S. Allison Braidwood, IL Jack R. Archibald Kalispe ll, MT Joseph A. Biesel Louisville, KY Bert H. Blanton Ponca City, OK Marvin F. Bond LeRoy, MI Green Lake, WI Robert A. Boste lmann John H. Boyd Lockport, NY D ecatur, AL Willi am F. Braddock Tim Brooks D avison , MI Adrian Brouwer lola Park , TX Robert A. Brown Marietta, GA Timothy J. Brown New Brighton, PA Donald R. Burton Midlothian , V A Athens, MI Dennis C. Ca ll away Johnstown, CO Lon Carlson D avid Ce lie Osceola, IN H a na han, SC Jack Chumney Leland Cli fford Sabattus, ME Edward R . Collins San Diego, CA Lowell Victor Curtis D es Moines, IA C. J . D ahms The H auge, Netherlands Robert E. Davidson Placerville, CA Danilo De-Maria Bellinzona, Switzerland Terrence A. Dolan Twin Fa lls, 10 Duane N. Dunkley Bakers Mill, NY Canada Eric Edwards John Eickmeier Malinta,O H Tom E llis Providence, KY Lyle K. E nderud Bella Coola, BC, Canada Jeffrey A. Evans Los Angeles, CA Paul A. Faeth Fort Wayne, IN Ronald E. Fandler Gresham, WI Gerald Farrell D ana Point, CA James W. Farriss N Lawrence, OH Jack W. Ferns Concord , NH Robert M. Fitzgerald Co lorado Springs, CO David M. Forshaw He rtford , He rtfordshire, England Clyde R . Fox St Petersburg, FL Keiji Gotou Sapporo, Japa n Stamford , CT Edward A. Grant D ave R. Grisham Mesa, AZ Stephen Hamisko Wallingford, CT Charles W. H ampton Worthingto n, OH Thomas M. Hampton Charlotte , NC W. J. H anley Dubuque, IA Joa n H armon Mountainview, CA James O . Harrison Memphis, TN Greg A. Heckman Dixo n, IL John S. Held Cincinnati,OH Alan B. Hendershot Columbia , NJ David Hubbard D exter, MI D avid IUies Fossto n, MN Arvada, CO Chris A. Jacobse n Edina , MN Douglas M. James Richardso n, TX Rod Johannsen Albert A. Johnson Minnetonka, MN Robert Johnston Foresthill, CA James H. Jones Payson, AZ Robert H . Jones Ashland , OH Judge Howard R. Ka ufman Naples, FL Fred M. Key Bedford, TX Charles A. Kordowski Palmetto, GA Joseph A. Kowalski Chicago, IL Robert A. Krome r San Antonio, TX Steve Lamb Big Bear City, CA Warren T . Leber, Jr. Mechanicsville, VA

Charles L. Levsen Donahue, IA John A. Lewis Rockvill e, MD Martin Libhart Wichita, KS Carl Li ebig Eagle River, WI W. E. Little Lehigh Acres, FL Craig J . Lovell Madison, WI Ben Mason Effingham, IL Walter E. McClory D elaware, OH Earl McCollom Valley Center, KS Douglas D. McDowall North Little Rock , AR Martin E. Mcintire De laware , OH Lawrence R . Meyer Guilford , IN E li zabe th , CO John Miller Middletown,OH Roger L. Miller Northbrook, IL John R. Moore Thomas F. Moore C linton, NY Robert J. Morris A rlington, V A La ke head , CA Care n Newell Brighton , MI Russ Newhouse Russ Newhouse Brighton, MI D av id Nutt Jackson, MS George O'Nei l Bloomington , IL Leland O liph an t Pe nn Vall ey, CA Milwaukee, WI H arley William Pa rker Randall W. Parks Batav ia, IL David G. Paulley O sage, Wy R on C. Peeples Belleville, MI Larry L. Philyaw Pontiac, IL Watertown , WI Ro nald Rad ue nz Bellevue, WA C harles Redshaw Edward C. Rice III Beaufort , SC D avid Roberts Roscoe, IL Kenneth G. Salinger, Jr. Milwaukee, WI Paul Scholz Dayton,OH Richard L. Schreiber Romeo, MI Edward D . Segen Trumbull, CT Russe ll W. Sheets De laware,O H Leo F. Sheridan Ostrander,OH Lester Showers Bridgeville, D E Ann Arbor, MI Richard S. Sider Craig Sinclair N Hampton, NH Langl ey, WA G. A. Siader Richard P. Smith Gravios Mills, MO Thomas A. Sparr St Pe te rs, MO Larry Squarcia Cupertino , CA Burnsville, MN Ja mes N. Stamos D arcy Steele Petoskey, MI Stephen N. Stompanato Schaumburg,IL John C. Sullivan Lee, NH Adolph R . Svec Mare ngo, IL Charles H . Swartz, Jr. Houston , TX KimG . Sweet Be lla Vista, AR D ebra Lee Taylor Whitewate r, WI D ennis M. Temple Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Charles To rbe tt Sycamore, IL Alpharetta, GA Bill Tre nt D av id Va ldez Southlake , TX Carl S. Van Orden E mporia , KS D avid C. Von Brock Tucson , AZ Tom Wanne r Mount, MN Bonny Warner Byron, C A San Luis Obispo, C A Je ff Welles Pete r R. Whyte Subiaco, NSW , Austra lia Canajoharie, NY Chris Wilcox C. Young Markyate, SI. Albans, England

Patricia Z a nder Glenview, IL

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is $35 for one year, including 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION. Family membership is available for an additional $10 annually. Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $20 annually. All major credit cards accepted for membership.

ANTIQUE/CLASSIC Current EAA members may join the Antique/ Classic Division and receive VINTAGE AIR足 PLANE magazine for an additional $20 per year.

EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE mag足 azine and one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic Division is available for $30 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included).

lAC Current EAA members may join the Intemational Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $30 per year.

EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBATICS magazine and one year membership in the lAC Division is available for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included).

WARBIRDS Current EAA members may join the EAA Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $30 per year.

EAA Membership, WARBIRDS magazine and one year membership in the Waroirds Division is available for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included).

EAA EXPERIMENTER Current EA A members may receive EAA EXPERIMENTER magazine for an additional $18 per year.

EAA Membership and EAA EXPERIMENTER magazine is available for $28 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included).

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submit your remittance with a check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dol/ars. Add $ 13 postage for SPORT AVIATION magazine and/or $6 postage for any of the other magazines.

EAA AVIATION CENTER P.O.BOX 3086 OSHKOSH, WI54903-3086 PHONE (414) 426-4800 FAX (414) 426-4873 OFFICE HOURS: 8:15-5:00 MON.-FRI. 1-800-843-3612 MEMBERSHIP DUES TO EAA AND ITS DIVISIONS ARE NOT TAX DEDUCTIBLEASCHARrrABLE CONTRIBUTIONS. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of information only and does not con­ stitute appro val, sponsorship, in volvem en t, control or direction of any event (jIy-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed. Please send the information to EAA, All: Golda Cox, P.O. Box 308 6, Oshko sh, WI 54903 -3 0 8 6.

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

AU GU ST 20 - IND IANAPOLIS , IN - Fly- I n/Drive-In/Pancake Break­ fast. Hendricks County Aviation Asso­ ciation (HCAA). Speedway Airport, 5 mi les NW of Indianapolis International Airport. David Clark, 317/839-4500.

FAX 317/838-9637.

AUGUST 20-21 - GADSDEN, AL - WW I Aerodrome ' 94. For more in­ formation, call 205/878-7310.

AUGUST 26 -28 - SUSSEX, NJ ­ 22nd Annual Sussex Airshow. Gates open at 8, airshow at 1:30pm. Call 201/875-7337 for information.

SEPTEMBE R 3 - MARION, IN­ Marion Municipal Airport. 4th Annual Fly-In /C ruise-In Breakfast. Call 317/664-2588 for info.

SEPTEMBER 3-4 - PROSSER, WA - EAA chapter 391 11th Annual Prosser Labor Day Fly-In. Food, Flying, tours, raffle and more . Camping on the field.

For more info call Thompson Aircraft at 509/786-1034.

SEPTEMBER 3-5 - TECHAHAPI, CA - Sailplane Homebuilders Assn'!

Vintage Sailplane Convention/ Work­ shop. Call 603/248-8805.

SEPTEMBER 4 - WA YNES­ VILLE, OH - EAA Chapter 284 Tail­ dragger Fly-In. 513/780-6343.

SEPTEMBER 8-11 - PAGOSA SPRINGS, CO - Bellanca-Champion Club International Convention .

414/783-6559.

SEPTEMBER 10-11- HICKORY , NC - EAA Chapter 731 9th Annual Fly-In. 704/328-5807 or 704/396-7032.

SEPTEMBER 10-11- HOBBS, NM - CAF New Mexico Wing Fly-In and Open House. Breakfast and lunch Sat­ urday . For accomodations and ground tran sportation info , contact Brad Woody, 505/392-6660, or write P.O. Box 1260, Hobbs, NM 88240.

SEPTEMBER 10-11- SCHENEC­ TADY , NY - Northeast Flight '94 Air­ show. Call the Empire State Aero­ sciences Museum for more information, 518/399-5217.

SEPTEMBER 10-11- MARION, OH 29TH MERFI - EAA Regional Fly-ln. Call 513/849-9455.

SEPTEMBER 7-11 - GALES­ BURG, IL - Galesburg Municipal air­ port. 23rd National Stearman Fly-In. 28 AUGUST 1994

Contact: Tom Lowe , 823 Ki ngston Lane, Crysta l Lake, I L 60014. Phone 815/459-6873.

SE PTE MB E R 16-18 - ARAPA­ HOE , NE - Antique Airplane F ly- In .

Call 308/962-5240 for more info.

SE PTEMB E R 16-18 - FORT WORTH, TX - All iance Airport. The All American Sport Aviation F ly-In , sponsored by EAA Chapter 34. A wide variety of aviation act ivities are p lanned. Call 817/572-1205 for more information.

SE P TE MB E R 17-18 - ROCK FALLS, IL - 8th Annual North Central EAA " O ld Fashioned" Fly- In. Pan­ cake breakfast on Sunday. Ca ll 708/513-0641.

SE PTEM B E R 22-24 - EXETER, CA - 12th Annual West Coast Travel Air Fly-In. Largest annual gathering of vintage Trave l Airs on the west coast.

Good food, flying events, world famous auction and more. For info call evenings: Jerry ImpeJlezzeri, 408/356­ 3407.

SE P TEMBER 23 -24 - MOCKS­ VILLE, NC - TARA FIELD - 9th An­ nual Anything That Flies Fly-In. Early arrival party a nd fun flying 23rd. 24th Big Day. Events, awards, USO style Big Band party Saturday night. Prize for best 1940's war years costume. CLT sectional, 2100 x 80, apt info 122.9, auto fuel, land north , if possible. Private f1y­ in operation and attendance is at your own risk. Info 704/284-2161 or 704/284­ 2107.

SEPTEMBER 23-24 - BARTLES­ VILLE, OK - Frank Phillips Field. 37th Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-in. For info call Charlie Harris, 918-622-8400.

SE PTEM BER 23-24 - NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV - Sixth Annual western Waco Assoc. Re union. Largest Waco gathering in the western U.S . Contact Jon Aldrich, 209/962-6]21 for more info.

SEPTEMBE R 24 - RANGER, TX ­ EAA Chapter 956 3rd Annual Classic Antique Fly-In/Lunch. 817/647-5308 SEPTEMBE R 24-25 - ZANES­ VILLE, OH - John's Landing Airfield.

3rd Annual Fall Fly-In. Sponsored by EAA Antiqu elC lassic Chapter 22 of Ohio. Antique /c lassics welcomed.

Food - Friends - Fun. For information call Virgi nia at 614/453-6889.

SE PTE MB E R 24-25 - BINGHAM, ME - 25t h A nnu al Gadabo ut Gaddis airs h ow and fly-in. Pilot contests, Booths, Displays, Demonstrations and lots of food . Contact Maine White Wa­ ter at 207/672-48]4 for more informa­ tion.

SE PT EM BE R 29-0 CT OB E R 2­ CHU R CHVILLE, MD - Harford County Airport (OW3). 19th Annual Convention Fly-In of the International Cessna 120/140 Association. Contact: Howdy McCann, Jr. , 2432 Plesantville Road , Fa ll ston, MD 21047. 410/877 ­ 7774. Lodging, Sheraton Inn Aberdeen 1/800/346-3612.

OCT OB E R 1-2 - POTTSVILLE, PA - Schuylkill County airport. Sixth annual Eastcoast Bellanca/Champion social/education and service clinic. Call Tom Witm er, 717/544-9311 or Ellie Thoens at 908/542-5599 for more infor­ mation.

OCTOBER 1-2 - SUSSEX, NJ - Sus­ sex Airport. Quad chapter Fly-In, Flea Market sponsored by EAA A/C Chap­ ter 7, EAA Chapters 238, 73 and 891.

Forums on welding, mag timing, Pieten­ pol and Heath construction. For info call Herb Daniel 201/875-7983 or Paul Styger at Sussex airport, 201/702-9719.

OCTOBER 9 - TOMAH, WI Bloyer Field . EAA Chapter 935 5th annual Fly-In breakfast. Call John Brady at 608/372-3125.

OCTOB ER 12-17 - TULLAHOMA, TN - 1994 Staggerwing - Travel Air­ Twin Beech Convention, sponsored by the Staggerwing Museum Foundation.

Howard, Spartans and Twin Bonanzas are also welcome. Membership in the Staggerwing Museum required - for more information, call 615/455-1974.

Pre-registration by Oct. 1 is also re­ quired.

OCTOBER 21-23 - AUGUSTA , GA DANIEL FIELD - Boshears Memorial Fly-In. Phone 706/736-9512 NOVEMBE R 10-13 - MESA , AZ­ 1994 Copperstate Regional EAA Fly­ In. Williams Gateway Airport. 1­ 800/283-6372 , Fax 602/827-0727 .

NOTE: NEW DATE AND LOCA­ T ION! ...

MYSTERY PLANE third s of ea ch win g p a n e l in corp o ­ r a t e d th e va riabl e c a mb e r fe ature (known as the quad ron Dare variable cambe r a irfo il) whil e the oute r on e­ third o f th e win g was a fi xe d p a n e l with a C la rk-Y a irfoil. A gain , a s a sa fe ty fea tur e, th e airpl a n e w as e quipped with co nve ntion a l a il e rons a nd e levato rs. Th e span was 31 feet, fo ur in ches; th e le n gth wa s 23 fe et , zero inches; a nd th e gross weight was 2,776 po und s. Th e a irpl a ne ca rri e d the experime ntal registration X3844.

The tes t pilot fo r th e new a irpl a ne was Lt. Slyg h W. Brown , an ex-Se lf­ ridge Field pilot who had resigned from th e Air Co rps to pursue a ca ree r as a civilian test pilot. A s with the first air­ plane , Brown's first attempts at flight proved that this new design was grossly underpowe red, so it was trucked back to the shop for a new engine.

The ne w powe rplant was a 110 hp French Anzani lO-cylinde r radi al, and with th e a ddition a l powe r avail a bl e, Brown succe ssfull y fl ew th e new air­ pl a ne in th e sprin g o f 1929. All test fli ghts were conducted at Scully Fie ld a t H a rp e r Av e nu e and Ei g ht Mil e

Road ju s t north of D e tr o it. In th e month s th at follow e d Brown carri e d o n an e xt e nsive fli ght tes t prog ra m, de mon stra ting th e a irpl a ne 's man e u­ verability and sa fe ty. Dare was ove r­ joyed with the success and progress be­ in g mad e with th e ne w airpl a ne. Hi s id e as ab o ut bird fli g ht and va riabl e ca mbe r we re be ing prove n with th ese flight tests and he proudl y a nnounce d th a t he h a d be e n g r a nt e d a se cond pate nt o n variable camber (Pate nt No. 1,720,667 issued July 16, 1929).

Dar e c la im e d that hi s a irplan e could ta keoff in 70 feet from a sta nd­ in g sta rt , tha t its minimum speed un ­ d e r compl e t e control wa s a low 28 mph, and that its maximum speed was 135 mph . This speed range of almost fiv e to o ne wa s re m a rk a b le, if tru e, a nd Dar e, e ve r th e optimi st , m a d e pl a ns to e nt e r hi s a irplan e in th e up ­ comin g Gugge nh e im Safe Aircraft competition.

On a W e dn es d ay, Jul y 17 , 1929 , D a re h a d mad e a rrangem e nts for a pre ss show to d e monstrat e the ne w airplan e and to announce hi s accep­ t a nc e into th e Gu gge nh e im e ve nt.

VanDersarl Bleriot

France. Th e broth e rs, who lived nea r Denver, CO , were in th eir earl y teens, and they taught themselves all th at they could learn about lift, horsepower, aero­ dynamics a nd a ircra ft des ign - a ll a t a tim e wh e n th e a mo unt of kn owl e d ge

available was extremely limited.

The brothers experimented with glid­ e rs and Fr ank e ve n we nt al oft in on e , much to his regret, since it cras hed. He was a ll o f 12 yea rs of age ! Havin g lea rn ed of thi s, th e ir moth e r se nt to a

The VanDersarl Bleriot, as it exists today. Now owned by Joseph Gertler of River­ head, NY, the airplane remained with the VanDersarl brot hers for the rest of thei r lives. During the early 1970's, the airplane was restored by t he Frank and John Van­ Dersarl.

(Continued from page 5) Present a t Scully Fie ld th at d ay we re about 75 friends, reporters, photogra­ phers and stockholde rs in D are's cor­ po ra tio n, all eager to see the a irpl a ne fl y. Brown had made numerous flights that day to de mo nstrate the airplan e's pe rform a nce capa bilities . At about 7 PM , o n th e a irpl a n e's 114th fli g ht , Brown a nd D a re took o ff on th e las t sch e dul e d fli ght o f th e d ay. As th ey fl ew across the airport at abo ut 70 feet in a ltitude, a hinge on th e left wing's vari a bl e ca mb e r m e ch a ni sm fail e d.

Alm os t immedi a t e ly th e le ft win g broke off and the airplane sideslipped into th e gro und . Dare, th e n 41 yea rs o ld , and Brown , 43 ye ars o ld , we r e both killed in the crash. Thus came to a n end th e Dare Aircraft C omp a ny a nd M e lvin D a r e ' s drea ms for va ri ­ able cambe r wings that wo uld revolu­ tionize aircraft design. - R obert Pauley

O th er ans wers were received from L ynn To wns, Broo klyn, MI; Charley Hayes, Park Forest, IL; Robert Wynne, Mercer Island, WA ; Ted Wales, West­ wood, MA ; and J o hn Un de rw ood, ....

Glendale, CA.

(Continued f rom page 8)

re lative in France fo r all th at could be o bt a in e d o n " Fl yin g Machin es." Th e broth ers had the information and plans transla ted a nd proceeded to fabricate the aircraft form ava il abl e wood , wire and fittin gs . Th ey even built their own four- cy linder, a ir- cool e d e ngin e t o powe r the aircraft! It woul d be a mi s­ ta ke to think o f Fra nk a nd Jul es Va n­ Dersa rl as tink ere rs, as th e buildin g of thi s a irpl a ne a nd a n e ngin e effici e n t eno ugh to fly it was ce rtainl y a very re­ markable accomplishment fo r two teens in 1911! And reme mbe r, afte r accom­ plished all that, they taught themse lves to fl y!

T he Bl eri o t is bea uti full y d isplayed , hanging fro m the glass-domed ceiling in Dowling College's atrium-like conserva­ tory in Bay port, Long Island . Also avai l­ able for viewing is a full y resto red 1914 Wo od Mobil e tt e a utom o bile, on loa n from J . Pa rke r Wi ckh am of Mattitu ck Airbase. According to Professor Mary Ann Turney, Dowling's Coordinator of Fli ght Tr a inin g, th e a ircr af t will be available for public viewing for several month s. For furth e r inform ation , call Dowlin g Coll ege a t 516/244-3324 o r ....

516/589-6100.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

MOVING?

IS THERE A NEW

LOCATION IN YOUR

IMMEDIATE FUTURE?

Be sure that your membership . . . and VINTAGE AIRPLANE ... follows you. Let us know at least two months in advance of your move.

Send your change of address (include membership number) to:

VINTAGE AIRPLANE P.O. BOX 3086 OSHKOSH, WI 54903-3086

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

The Vintage Trader, EAA Aviation Center, P.O. Box 3086, Oahkoah, WI 54803-3086 •

Payment muat accompany ad. VISAIM..terCard accepted.

MISCELLANEOUS: 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 .

(NEW) This & That About the Ercoupe, $14.00. Fly-About Adventures & the Ercoupe, $17.95. Both books, $25.00. Fly-About, P.O. Box 51144, Denton, Texas 76206. (c-3/94)

or call

1-800/843-3612

GEE BEE - R-1, R-2 super-scale model plans used for Wolf/Benjam in's R-2. GB "Z", "Bulldog," "Goon," Monocoupe, Culver, Rearwin. Updated, enlarged (113,1/4,1/6-1/24) .

PLANS on SHIRTS/Caps! Catalog/News $4.00, refundable. Vern Clements, 308 Palo Alto, Caldwell, 1083605. (c-9/94)

C-26 Champion Spark Plugs -orginal brass tip plugs for your Champ, Cub, Taylorcraft, Stearman, etc. Military reconditioned, $5.75 to $9.75.404/478-2310. (c-11194)

Popular Aviation, Aero Digest, Aviation, Sportsman Pilot and other vintage aeronau­ tical magazines from 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Have several thousand available. Also other 1915-1950 plane and pilot items. Buy - sell - trade. 44-page catalog airmailed to you, $5. Jon Aldrich , Airport Box-9, Big Oakflat, CA 95305, phone 209/962-6121 . (10-4)

DO YOU SAVE SPORT AVIATION? If you're like many EAA members, you save your back issues of Sport Aviation as a personal resource library. But how many times have you searched through a mile-high stack of magazines looking for one article only to find that issue damaged or, worse yet, missing! End your worries and organize your Sport library with these new EAA Sport Aviation binders . Store a complete year's worth of Sport Aviation, without worry.

These attractive, high-quality binders are extremely durable and are available in deep blue with gold-colored lettering.

BINDERS: $9.95 each; 3 for $27.95; 6 for $52.95. (plus shipping) Wis. residents add 5% sales tax.

To order, call

1-800-843-3612 or write: Sport Binder, P. O. Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086.

30 AUGUST 1994

Sitka Spruce Lumber Wisconsin. (c-6/95)

Oshkosh Home Bldg. Ctr, Inc. 414/235-0990. Oshkosh,

ENGINES TAILDRAGGER AND BIPLANE LOVERS! NEW HIGH QUALITY VIDEOS FROM ENG­ LAND! A TAILDRAGGERS AND FARMSTRIPS. Piper's J-3 and J-5 'CUBS' display tailwheel flying and short field landing techniques. From grass runways and farmers fields take an aerial tour of rolling English countryside. A TIGER'S TALE tells a fascinating story of the classic 'TIGER MOTH' featuring Christopher Reeve - a must for those who love open cockpit flying! Only $19_95 each plus $3.75 S&H for one tape and $1 for second tape. 1-800-770-0747. Mail: VC Marketing, 40 Kitty Hawk East, Richmond, TX 77469 (Tx. Res. and 7-1/4% tax). ASK ABOUT OUR "PREVIEW TAPE" FEATURING 25 EXCITING AVIATION VIDEO PREVIEWS. (c1094)

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