VA-Vol-23-No-4-April-1995

EDITORIAL STAFF Publisher Tom Poberezny Vice-President

Marketing & Communications

Dick Matt

A pril 1995

Vol. 23, No.4

Editar-in- Chief

Jock Cox

Editor

Henry G. Frautschy

CONTENTS

Managing Editor

Golda Cox

Art Director

Mike Drucks

1 Straight & Level/ Espie "Butch" Joyce

Assistant Art Director

Sora Hansen

2 AlC News/

Computer Graphic Specialist s

Olivia L. Phillip Jennifer Larsen

Compiled by H.G . Frautschy 4

Advertising

Mary Jones

Aeromail

Associate Editor

Norm Petersen

5 Vintage Literature/Dennis Parks 9 Type Club NoteslNorm Petersen

PageS

Staff Photographers

Jim Koepnick Mike Steineke

Corl Schuppel Donna Bushman

11 Fabric RejuvenationlDip Davis

Editorial Assistant

Isabelle Wiske

12 Details, Details . ..

Frank Sperandeo Ill's Piper P A-20/22 Pacer/H.G . Frautschy

EAA ANTIQUE/ CLASSIC DIVISION. INC. OFFICERS

16 Frank Warren's

President Espie ' Butch' Joyce P.O. Box 1001 Modison, NC 27025 910/573-3843

Thompson Trophy Paintings

18 Gary Granfor's Cessna 172/ Norm Petersen

21 Time Bomb - That Old Compressor Could be Deadly/ Cy Galley and H .G. Frautschy 23

Page 12

Secretory Steve Nesse 2009 Highland Ave. Albert Leo, MN fHJJ7 507/373-1674

Vice -President Arthur Morf]an W211 N 11863 Hilltop Dr. Germantown, WI 53022 414/628-2724

Treasurer

E.E. ' Buck' Hilbert

P.O. Box 424

Union, IL 60180

815/923-4591

DIRECTORS

Members Projects/Norm Petersen

25 Pass it to BucklE.E. "Buck" Hilbert 27 Mystery Airplane/George H ardie 28 Welcome New Members 30 Calendar 31 Vintage Trader

Feature Writers

George Hardie , Jr. Dennis Parks

Page 18 FRONT COVER .

The 1960 Cessna 172 of Gary Granfors and his partners, Gene Leclerc, Rick Worringer and Bill Worrlnger, was selec t ed as the Con temporary Reserve Grand Champion of the EAA Antique/Classic Division at EM OSHKOSH ' 95. EAA photo by Jim Koepnick, shot with a Canon EOS-l equipped with an 80 -200mm /f2.8 lens. 1/2 50 sec. at f 10.0 on Kodak Ektachrome Lumiere 100 film . Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.

BACK COVER ...The Piper PA-22/20 Pacer of Frank Sperandeo III was honored with a Best Custom Engine Inst allation award. See the article st arting on page 12 for a breakdown on Frank's many c ustom modifications to his Pacer. EM photo by Jim Koepnick, shot wi th a Canon EOS-l equipped with an 8O-200mm / f2 .8 lens. 1/250 sec. a t f 8.0 on Kodak Ektachrome Lumiere 100 film . Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.

John Berendit 7645 Echo Point Rd. Connon Falls, MN 55009 507/263-2414

Robert C. ' Bob' Brauer

9345 S. Hoyne

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

John S. Copeland 28-3 Williamsbur8 Ct. Shrewsbury, MA 1545 508/842-7867

Phil Coulson 28415 Springbrook Dr. Lawton, MI 49065 616/624-5490

George Daubner

2448 Lough Lone

Hartford, WI 53027

414/673-5885

Charies Horris 7215 East 46th St. Tulsa, OK 74145 918/622-8400

Stan Gomoll 1042 90th Lone, NE Minneapolis, MN 55434 612/784-1172

Dole A. Gustafson 7724 Shady Hill Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46278 317/293-4430

Jeannie Hill

P.O. Box 328

HaNard, IL 60033

815/943-7205

Robert Licktei~ 1708 Boy Oaks r.

Albert Lea, MN fHJJ7 507/373-2922

Robert D. ' Bob' Lumley 1265 South 124th St. Brookfield, WI 53OD5 414/7B2-2633

Gene Morris 115C Steve Court, R.R. 2 Roanoke, TX 76262 817/491-9110

George York

181 Sloboda Av.

Mansfield, OH 44906

419/529-4378

Chl~~~~9~~

m

2D

S.H. ' Wes' Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa, WI 53213 414/771-1545

Copyright © 1995 by the EAA Antique/Classic Division Inc. All rights reserved.

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

Second Class Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices. The membership rate for EM Antique/Classic Division,lnc. is $27.00 for current EM members for 12 month period of which $15.00 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 submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. No renumeration is made.

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

Joe Dickey 55 Oakey Av. Lowrenceburg, IN 47025 812/537-9354

Jimmy Rollison

640 Alamo Dr.

Vacaville, CA 95688

707/451-0411

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

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

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

DIRECTOR EMERITUS S.J. WlIIman

7200 S.E. 85th Lane

Ocala. FL 32672

904/245-7768

ADVISORS

STRAIGHT & LEVEL

by Espie "Butch" Joyce

The 1995 Sun 'n Fun Fly-In in Lake­ land, Florida will most likely be in full swing when this issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE reaches your mailbox. If you've signed up for the Division dur­ ing Sun 'n Fun, you may have recieved this issue at A/C Headquarters. Wel­ come aboard!

As the kickoff fly-in of the season, people come to rekindle their aviation soul, not to mention bask in the warm sun and good weather. I'm looking for­ ward to this early spring gathering and I hope to see you there!

I was pleased to have EAA Chap­ ter 1083, located at Salisbury, North Carolina (Rowan County), ask that I serve as the speaker at their Chapter program . Jack Neubacher, a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Southern Aviator magazine is the spark plug of this group, but he cannot do this deed alone. It takes all of the other members of the chapter to help keep it going. Joe Wilborn is the per­ son who invited me to address the group. He's a retired aeronautical en­ gineer from Lockheed in Atlanta, Georgia. I also found out that Joe's wife E leanor is a retired aeronautical engi neer and A&P. One of the really nice things is that they fly an d main­ tain a Cessna 170. That's a long way from a C5A! Approximately 80-90 people showed up that night (February 14, 1995) to visit and talk about aviation. My talk was intended to explain to everyone that EAA does a great deal of good for everyone in aviation all over the coun­ try, with the representation in Wash­ ington, DC and that EAA does not al­ ways get a lot of credit for these good deeds.

A gentleman at the rear of the group held up his hand and said, " I know an­ other place EAA is doing a lot of good and is not getting credit for this deed."

Somewhat puzzled, I as ked him to ex­ plain his statement.

He explained, "Right here in Rowan County." OK, you have my ear. "Well, if it was not for the EAA, all of these people wouldn't be here tonight. There was a lot of flying going on here, but this EAA Chapter is the only thing that has brought us together. Now we are doing things together. It's good. Thank Paul and Tom for me." Well, I will, and now that you have said so, I'm go­ ing to thank them myself also.

We took a break and I fielded a number of questions about EAA and A/e. After leaving the meeting, while driving back home, I started thinking (Which has caused me trouble from time to time) that when you work with the staff at Oshkosh like I do, you have a tendency to forget what it's like on the other end. At a number of Chapter functions it's been pointed out to me that if it were not for an EAA Chapter, people would not have any kind of avi­ ation function to enjoy - other than working on or flying their airplanes .

The Chapter system is good and worth­ while.

Asking for a show of hands, about 70 perce nt of any Chapter you visit will be flying an antique, classic or contem­ porary class airplane. This speaks well for our type of flying when it comes to EAA members.

I received a letter the other day from Dick Matt. Dick is a Vice President of EAA in charge of the Marketing and Communications. In this letter Dick explained that EAA had struck a deal

with ESPN to produce a 12 part avia­ tion series for ESPN. Dick writes, "I'm very excited about the series because it has the potential to greatly impact our membership. As you know , commer­ cial time on the series would be highly effective for many products. If you know of a company, group or individ­ ual who might be interested in becom­ ing a sponsor, please forward the name of a contact person and phone num­ ber." If you know of a company that you think could benefit from this type of exposure, drop Dick Matt at EAA Headquarters in Oshkosh a note so this project can move forward.

I have my Baron down for annual again. I have always tried to do this an­ nual in March each year, but every year it seems that I get rushed to get every­ thing back together before Lakeland.

This year I plan on having it signed off in April. Besides all of that, it's got my Clip-wing Cub blocked in the hangar and wouldn't you know it, we've gotten pretty weather early this year!

Your next mailer will be sent out soon regarding our membership re­ cruiting program. The last mailer proved to be successful; hopefully this one will also. Ask your friends to join up with us and enjoy your great monthly magazine, VINTAGE AIR­ PLANE. Your Antique/Classic Board of Di­ rectors will be meeting in May 1995. If you have anything or concerns that you feel need to be addressed, please drop me a note . We want and ne e d the membership input.

Let's all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation. Remember we are better to ge ther. Join us and have it all!

*'

CI'WI

compiled by H.G. Frautschy

MANDATORY EMERGENCY LYCOMING AD As this issue of Vintage Airplane was going to press, we were advised that an emergency Airworthiness Directive applicable to Lycoming engines was to be is­ sued. The AD has been issued via Priority Mail to inspect for substandard connect­ ing rod bolts shipped by Superior Air Parts, Inc. between February 15, 1994 and De­ cember 20, 1994. If you have overhauled your Lycoming -360, -540, -541 or -720 series engine since February 15, 1994, you should immediately obtain a copy of AD 95-07-01 to determine if your engine is affected by this AD. The emergency AD im­ mediately grounds applicable aircraft until the AD is complied with. The AD does not apply to aircraft engines overhauled by Lycoming.

The suspect rod bolts have failed in a random pattern, and are the result of the parts having been manufactured by an outside source from substandard materials.

Superior Air Parts issued Service Bulletin No. 95-002, dated March 3, 1995, detailing inspection and identification of the suspect rod bolts. Copies may be obtained by contacting Superior at 800/487-4884, or by writing: Superior Air Parts, Inc., 14280 Gillis Rd., Dallas, TX 75244-3792.

For more information on this AD from the FAA, contact Richard Karanian, Aerospace Engineer, Special Certification Office, FAA, Rotorcraft Directorate, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth , TX 76137-4298, phone 817/222-5195 , fax: 817/222-5959. or Locke Easton, Aerospace Engineer, Engine and Propeller Stan­ dards Staff, FAA , Engine and Propeller Directorate, 12 New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803-5299, phone 617/238-7113 or fax at 617/238-7199.

The FAA views this emergency AD as extremely serious - so much so, they will not issue ferry permits to move affected aircraft.

OTHER FAA NEWS ...

20591 or call 202/267-8361.

PMA ENFORCEMENT The FAA has announced that it will fully enforce total compliance with the regulations concerning the production of replacement parts for sale and instal­ lation on type certificated aircraft.

If you produce parts for sale and in­ stallation on aircraft, you must be the holder of a Parts Manufacturer Ap­ proval (PM A) issued by the FAA. As detailed in Vintage Airplane in the past , and confirmed in conversations between the FAA and EAA, this policy statement by the FAA does not effect your ability to make parts for a type certificated aircraft that you own, under the provisions of FAR 21.303 .

The policy statement by the FAA made provisions for a 90 day period during which persons may begin appli­ cation for a PMA without the informa­ tion in the application being used to ini­ tiate enforcement. At the very least, a person desiring a PMA to make and sell parts for installation on type certifi­ cated aircraft must submit a prelimi­ nary application to the FAA no later than May 30, 1995.

For more information, contact EAA 's Government Affairs Specialist, Earl Lawrence, at 414/426-6522. You may also contact the FAA directly at: Production and Airworthiness Certifi­ cation Division, AIR-200, FAA, 800 In­ dependence Av., SW, Washington , DC

ANOTHER lOOLL CONTAMINATION The FAA has announced that an­ other fuel contamination incident has occurred - this time on the East Coast.

3,000 gallons of 100LL fuel was conta­ minated with a small amount of diesel fuel and was delivered to the Chatham, MA airport. The fuel was used at the airport between December 2, 1994, and January 13, 1995 .

The contaminated fuel tested at 89.5 octane and no significant damage has been reported to the FAA as a result of this contamination. The fuel was sup­ plied by Texaco, who has admitted re­ sponsibility for the altered fuel. The FAA does not plan to issue any Air­ worthiness Directives unless further in­ formation comes to light. If you're con­ cerned about your engine and you used fuel purchased at Chatham Airport during the above mentioned time pe­ riod, you may wish to contact the ap­ propriate engine manufacturer or the FAA. If you have a Continental en­ gine, contact Teledyne Continental Motors, Service Engineering , phone 205/438-3411, extension 340. For a Ly­ coming engine, you can call them at 717/327 -7187, and for other engines, contact the applicable engine manufac­ turer or call the FAA's Locke Easton, Engine and Propeller Standards Staff, phone 617/238-7113.

2 APRIL 1995

FCC LICENSE NEWS Back in mid February, a bill was in­ troduced in the United States House of Representatives that could provide the FCC with a way to avoid what has be­ come for them (and us!) a bureaucratic headache. The title of the bill is: "To amend the Communications Act of 1934 in order to permit recreational ra­ dio operations without radio licenses."

Representatives Stupak of Michigan and Fields of Texas introduced the bill, which was referred to the Commerce Committee. It would allow the FCC to get out of the licensing business for a por­ tion of personal aviation, maritime and personal radio services. The part that would affect aviation reads as follows: " ... the commission may by rule au­ thorize the operation of radio stations without individual licenses in the fol­ lowing radio services: (A) the personal radio services; (B) aircraft stations op­ erated on domestic flights when such aircraft are not otherwise required to carry a radio station ..." " ... (2) Any radio station operator who is authorized by the Commission to operate without an individual license shall comply with all other provisions of this Act and with rules prescribed by the Commission under this Act." You ' ll note that the bill would not provide relief from a licensing require­ ment if you wish to fly your aircraft outside of the U.S. - international agreements still require a station li­ cense for international flights.

You may wish to contact your U.S. Representative and Senator to urge them to support this bill, H.R . 963 ­ point out that the passage of this bill will relieve the federal government of a bureaucratic licensing burden, and pro­ vide you with a respite from what some­ times appears to be a never-ending list of fees and taxes that we all have to pay. With the current atmosphere in Washington of " making government more responsive to the people" this line of thinking may well provide a founda­ tion of support.

PETER MARSHALL'S

PHONE NO. For those of you attempting to reach Peter Marshall in New Haven , CT, to try and help him with his quest to re­ produce a Curtiss Hawk III (see "Aero­ mail" in the February issue of Vintage Airplane), his correct phone number is 2031773-3268. Peter is looking for any and all information , including drawings, concerning the Hawk III. Give him a call if you have information to share.

KNOB RESTORATION Member Bob Hollenbaugh of Mid­ dletown, OH and I both wonder if any­ body has a method to refinish the

Some of these guys take this STC thing just a bit too far ...

Staggerwing Club member Bill Helsell decided he 'd give the business to the young FAA inspectors who were coming for a visit. (Should it be named the "Staggerwing OX trainer? " How about the "Staggerox?") The OX-5 seems to fit OK, and could certainly lend itself to a nice cowl , but we're not sure that the climb and cruise won't suffer a bit from the drag of the radiator.

(But oh , think of the cabin heat you could have! ) The 90 "horseponies" put out by the OX are a bit on the light side as well.

We suspect Bill and his rebuilder Orville Tosch probably sprained their tongues when they planted them so far into their cheeks!

Now before you go send off a note asking for more information about this modification for the Staggerwing, be sure and check the cover date of this issue . ..

Our thanks to George York of the Staggerwing Club for sharing these shots with us.

molded plastic knobs found in the cock­ pits of so many of our airplanes. In particular, Bob is rebuilding SIN 2 Aeronca llAC Chief, and has to re­ store the knobs for the throttle, carb heat and cabin heat. Without resorting to a lathe and sandpaper, which would destroy the heat imprinted legends on the face of the knob, or painting the knobs themselves (they have a translu­ cent look to them) is there a rejuvena­ tion process that can be done? If you know of such a method, please send the details to us here at EAA HQ, at the address at the end of this next AIC News item.

AlC CHAPTER ACTIVITIES AntiquelClassic Chapters have often been the foc us of local activities for a number of our members. There are now 18 Chapters, with one more to be added to the list this month. (Congrat­ ulations to AIC Chapter 28 in Lexing­ ton, KY!) With that much interest, we're sure that the Chapters are coming up with all sorts of projects, from the familiar fly-in to other social events. We'd like to feature some of those events on a regular basis here in the pages of Vin­ tage Airplane. A few sharp photos and a write-up on what you do as a Chapter will give you a boost to encourage oth­ ers to join in the fun, and may give oth­ ers ideas on ways they can enjoy their affiliation with a local AIC Chapter.

Don ' t just limit yourself to fly-ins-

Those folks in the Staggerwing Club certainly have a lot of fun - member Jim Gorman shared a list of interpretations for use the next time you're perus­ ing the classified airplane ads ... Anybody else got a few to add to this list?

HOW TO INTERPRET ANTIQUE AIRPLANE ADS Recovered -Airplane washed Rebuilt -Recovered Totally Restored -Recovered, painted Fabric Good -Only flaps a little when flying Fabric Fair -Finger goes through at the slightest touch -New spark plugs Rebuilt Engine Engine needs slight adjustment -Needs complete overhaul Low Hours -About 10,000 hrs Lost storage -Neighbors got court order Needs interior -Seats are gone NDH (No Damage History) -On its back twice 200 mph cruise -Airspeed indicator broken New tires Recapped for the third time Modern radios -Omnigator Propeller Overhauled -Straightened after hitting steel pole IFR equipped -Turn and bank write up a visit to a local restorers shop, or a purely social event as well. Per­ haps you have a Chapter restoration project as well - write it up and who knows, you might just get some unex­ pected help from another source! Send your write up and photos (and please, don't write on the back of the photos!) to the editor at: H.G. Frautschy

EAA Aviation Center

PO Box 3086

Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086

STAGGERWING VIDEO If you're a Staggerwing fan, your

television can be your ticket to video bliss. A 45 minute video has been pro­ duced which documents this famous aircraft. The video project , spear­ headed by Staggerwing club member Dick Hansen, chronicles the history of the famous Beechcraft and the Stagger­ wing Museum in Tullahoma, TN, and features air-to-air and historical footage of the Model 17. I saw a preview of the video during the Staggerwing Conven­ tion this past fall, and was quite en­ thralled. It can be yours by calling or writing the Staggerwing Museum , Box 550, Tullahoma, TN 37388. Telephone 615/455-1974 or -3594. ...

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

MAIL

Dear Henry, I thought I'd send you the latest up­ date on the restoration of the "MGM Special." Also included is a photo you can publish (see page 3). I'm still trying to work up an article on the project.

Anyway, here's the latest: I was able to get a copy of the original stress and design analysis done in Spetember of 1927. That little gem came from the San Diego Aerospace Museum . From that , I was confident enough to order a sufficient amount of chromoly tubing (I hope!) to rebuild both Ryans.

Unfortunately, the analysis doesn ' t have anything on the wood structures.

I'm still looking for some form of con­ structio n drawings. I have a request into the FAA for a copy of what ever they have of the Approved Type Cer­ tificate for the B-1 series. (#25). If all else fails, Yankee Air Museum in Chino, CA has offered to call me when their B-1 (c/n 141 , NC6956) is rolled onto the restoration floor. They will al­ low me to take photos, dimensions, etc., to develop my own plans.

From Harmon Dickerson in Colum­ bia, MO, I purchased a partially over­ hauled Wright J-5 "Whrlwind " engine, with all accessories. It 's abso lutely georgeous too! I can't wait until it's finished and running.

Today, I purchased a pair of B-1 ailerons from the Antique Airplane As­ sociation . I'm also in the process of ob­ taining from a private collector the original fabric from the rudder of the "MGM Special!" Boy, was I surprised to find that!

Other than drawings, I'm looking for photos of the " MGM Special " as well as any Ryan B-1 "Brougham." I could also use instruments, mag swi tches, etc.

One special thing I need is a complete Pioneer Earth Inductor compass, or any parts thereof. That's about it right now. Hopefully in the next few months I 'll be able to start actual reconstruc­ tion. I'll keep you informed.

Sincerely, Scott Gifford (A/C 17672) 550 Frederick Ln. Prescott, AZ 86301 4 APRIL 1995

DearH.G., For a while now I have thought that one thing that would add value to the whole of vintage/classic aircraft interest would be well prepared write-ups com­ plete with photos dedicated solely to what to check on any particular aircraft prior to purchase or rebuild.

Because it occurs so often that a per­ son, full of enthusiasm, purchases a cl ass ic , and even if it were perfectly painted up , finds that because of per­ ha ps rusted out tubing in the landing gear, that his beautiful J-3 or other has just now been totaled.

There always exists a natural fear of the unknown whenever I purchase a classic. I have owned several during my lifetime and am currently down to three, namely a PA-17 Vagabond , a J-3 Cub and a beautiful Pietenpol. Should you publish in Vintage Airplane such a series of articles describing what to ex­ amine closely prior to purchase, then much of the usual uncertainly will be allayed within all of your members ,whether purchaser or seller. If nothing more, it would at least lay some author­ itative " sort of" ground rules into how much of an inspection a person should expect or allow on specific classics.

As an example of what I am refer­ ring to, I have wanted a "good" Er­ coupe/Aircoupe for years . I have the manuals, I have bits and pieces of infor­ mation, I have saved magazine articles, etc., but still I shy away from purchas­ ing. As much as I would love to own a good aircraft of this type, I am re luctant to just jump in and acquire one unless I feel that I have done a thorough and meaningful exami nation . I am not afraid to hav e to rebuild or change parts, that doesn 't trouble me. A failed major component, due to my lack of knowledge, would trouble me some.

Basically , what is needed is a new sectio n in antique/classic magaz ine .

The section would cover a different air­ craft eac h month . This would also greatly benefit owners such as myself who would then pay more attention to their own aircraft thus helping greatly to preserve these classics by perhaps ave rting disastrous accidents. My belief

is that there is much to be gained by knowledge of what to inspect for, not only for a potential aircraft purchaser but for the health of the movement in general.

Should my suggestions meet with your approval, may I suggest the first article be on the Ercoupe family of air­ craft. I feel certain that the Ercoupe Type Club would be happy to help out.

Perhaps then I will feel more easy re­ garding the purchase of one. I have ad­ mired this little aircraft type now since first seeing one back in the forties.

Should you publish such an article in VINTAGE AIRPLANE then I would probably have my first Ercoupe/air­ coupe in short order. At least I would feel quite a bit more confident regard­ ing the aircraft, its future and my own.

Sincerely yours, Ron M. Hynes 7 Maywood Road Sherwood Park, Alberta T8A OJ9 Canada P. S. EAA is one of the things in this old world that make life worth­ while. Thanks for all your efforts, and a special thanks to Paul Poberezny , a great man .

Ron's idea certainly has merit, as I'm sure that most of our readers would agree.

The tough part comes with the execution ­ were does one gather the information on a wide variety of aircraft types? The an­ swer, certainly, lies with each of the Type Clubs. Other than the few AI's out there with antique/classic experience, there is nobody with a broader knowledge of each aircraft that those who keep the type clubs going. Our staff here at EAA, while expe­ rienced, cannot possibly cover all the air­ craft that could potentially be in each of the articles, so, here's my proposal: l'd be happy to publish a series of arti­ cles on the pre-purchase inspection of spe­ cific aircraft types authored by people with experience with that aircraft make and model. If you are member of a type club, please feel free to submit it though your club, so that a compLete review can be ac­ complished before pubLication . PLease feel free to submit photos of specific probLem areas if you have them, and don't be self conscious about your writing styLe - we'll take care of that on our end.

Send your articles to: Antique/Classic Aircraft Reviews EAA Aviation Center P.O. Box 3086

Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086

If you need more guidelines, call me at 414/426-4825.

- H.G. Frautschy

....

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Libr-ar-",/~r-chives [)ir-ect()r-

From the pages of Aero CHICAGO 1911 During January 1910, air racing came to America during a meet held at Dominguez Field outside of Los Angeles. Twenty-five thousand spectators jammed the field to see American pilots in Wright and Curtiss ma­ chines compete with Bleriots and Farmans from Eu­ rope. Curtiss brought a new airplane and won $6,500 in prize money for speed and endurance contests. How­ ever he was outdone by Louis Paulham of France in his Farman, who captured over $10,000 in winnings. Both Curtiss and Wright formed flying schools and exhibit teams during the year. The number of pilots rose from twenty in 1909 to one hundred by the end of 1910. In October 1910 the aviation world gathered again for America's second international meet on the occasion of the second Gordon Bennett Cup race, the first in America. This event took place at Belmont Park out­ side of New York City. Prizes totaled $73,000 with $10,000 set aside for a race around the Statue of Lib-

The Twenty-One Prize Winners Aviator Machine Amount Thomas SOpwlth ............ Blerlot, Wright.......... $13,120 Lincoln Beachey .............Curtlss.. .. . . . . . .. .. . .. .. 10,622 C. P. Rodgers ............... Wright...... . ...... .... . 9,960 G. W. Beatty............... Wright............. ..... 6,800 Earle Ovington ............. Bleriot, Curtiss. . . .. ..... 6,300 A. 1.. Welsh ................. Wright........... . . ..... .,981 Rene Simon .. . .......... ... .Molsant... ........ ....... .,282 Eugene Ely................. Curtiss. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,796 PhllUp Parmelee .. ......... . Wright...... . .... .. ..... 3,701 James Ward ........... ... .. Curtiss . .. . .. . . . .... . .. .. 2,900 O. A. Brindley .............. Wright. ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,606 J. A. D. McCurdy ............ McCurdy. ................ 1,900 Howard Glll ................ Wright............. ..... 1,860 John J. Frisbie ............. Curtiss............ , ... .. 1,.96 Lee Hammond .............. Baldwin... ......... .....

660 George Meatach ............. ~orane...... ..... ..... ..

460 J. C. Turpin ........ ....... . Wright........... .. .....

460 Paul W. Beck ............... Curtiss.. .. . .. . .. . . . . . . . .

400 J. V. Martin ................ Grahame-Whlte. .. . ... . . . .

260 Frank T. Coffyn ............ Wright......... ... . .....

160 Andrew Drew......... ~ . ....Wright. ........... . .....

160

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(Above) After the Chicago meet Cal Rodgers (on right) traveled to Appleton, Wisconsin where he gave rides to friends and family of his wife.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

Greatest Event in the History of Aeronautics!

INTERNATIONAL AVIATION MEET Grant Park-CHICAGO August 12-20, 1911

tional av iation to the Midwest. In April 1911 a group of busin essme n me t a t the invita tion of th e Aero Club of Illin ois.

They were asked to unde r take the pro­ ject of bringing international competition to Chicago. Under th e lea ders hip of Harold McCormick success was ass ured.

The site c hose n was alo n gside Lake Michigan at Grant Park. The location in downtown Chicago wo uld ensure access by large crowds. Ca ll ed the INTERNA­ TIONAL A VIATION MEET the event was scheduled for nine days from August 12-20 and prize money was advertised at $80,000.

ENTRANTS Under Auspices International Aviation Meet Association-Full Official Sanction

$80,000 IN PRIZES! Largest purse and most ambitiolB program ever offered in any country.

Aviation field exceeding one mile in length. in circumference minimum distance.

Oval course over one and one-thiJd miles

Events embrace every feature and novelty

in aviation. Hangars for 40 machines. Grand stand for 50,000 people.

SPECIAL RAILROAD RATES.

NINE DAYS, EVERY AFTERNOON.

Many Free Seats.

Scale of Prices, 25c to $1.50

erty. The Curtiss and Wright teams bo th entered fo ur aviators each. T here were also seven independent Americ a n e n­ tra nts. England, provided three pilots in­ cluding C laude Graham-White a nd Fra nce nin e including Rola nd Garros.

The event was quite a disappointme nt for the Wright a nd C urti ss tea ms who

Box Seats $2.00

weren 't able to match the performance of the Europeans. Graham-White was out­ sta ndin g at th e mee t winning both th e Gordon Be nn ett C up and th e race around the Statu e of Liberty. With in­ te rnational eve nts o n both the West and Eas t coasts in 1910, it was dec id e d in Chicago that it was time to bring interna­

T he A ug ust S, 1911 issue of AERO held that the many entries promised suc­ cess of the Chicago Meet. "With a great e ntry li st ass ured so that hangars will be provid ed for 30 mac hin es at least, a nd each flier entering as a contestant rather than as a n ex hibitor, it is believed that the competition will be the kee nest that has ever been witnessed in America, and that the meet will go down in aeronautic annals as the beginning of truly competi­ tiv e av ia tion in Am e rica ."T he li s t of thirt y nam es published included Harry Atwood, Tom Baldwin, James McCurdy, Earle Ovington, Charles Willard, Lincoln Beachey, Charles H amilton, Cal Rodgers and Eugene Ely from the United States.

Internatio nal entrants included Thomas Sopwith, and Roland Garros. One of the unu s ua l fea tur es of th e meet was th e novel pl an of distributing a large part of the prize money according to flying time, thus ma king the event especiall y att rac­ tive to skill ed fly ers. T he plan guaran­ tee d contestants two d o ll ars for eac h minute they were in the air during official hours. The program also included a vari­ ety of contests: durati on, speed, altitude and cross-country races. This was the first tim e flyers we r e n ' t paid appearance mon ey. For nin e d ays th e fl yers com­ pe ted for records and prizes. Top honors in th e spee d contest went to Sopwith,

.

Fifteen hangars were built on the Grant Park site for the 1911 meet.

The Blackstone hotel is in the background.

6APRIL 1995

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Beachey and Ovington. Sopwith recorded seven first-, two secondo, and one third-place awards. Prizes from the speed contest netted t he Englishman over $10,000. Along with his other prizes he earned over $13,000, the most for any contestant. Beachey established an alti­ tude record of 11,642 feet which wou ld last for three years. This along with ten other awards earned Beachey nearly $11,000. Honors for total duration went to a newcomer, Cal Rodgers. Using a slow but reliable Wright B, he remained aloft three hours nearly every day. At the close of the meet his total time aloft was 27 hours and 16 seconds, earning him over $9,000. Another highlight of the meet occurred on August 14 when Harry Atwood, piloting a Burgess­ Wright biplane landed after a 283 mile trip from St. Louis. It was the first part of a flight to New York city which would earn him the $10,000 prize offered by Victor Evans, a Washington, DC patent attorney. His journey of 1,295 miles ex­ ceeded the world's distance record by 82 miles.

(Above) Phillip Parmelee, one of the Wright team pilots, at the starting line in one of the short wing Model Rs. Parmlee flew a little over five hours during the meet.

(Below) Wright Model B Flyer in the air. Probably taken at Detroit during September 1910. The Model B first flew in July 1910.

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(Above) This Burgess Model E, also known as the Grahame-White Baby, was flown in the Chicago meet by J. V. Martin. This aircraft was designed by Grahame-White and manufactured by Burgess. It is very similar to a Farman biplane.

(Above right) The Curtiss hydro-aeroplane flown by Hugh Robinson attracted a great deal of attention. The use of this craft for rescue work was demonstrated when the pilot landed at the site of Johnstone's crash into Lake Michigan.

ACCIDENTS Even though it was a great meet, these we re the pio neer days of aviation, and it was marre d by a few acc id e nts, two o f th e m fa tal. Bot h of t he fa taliti es took place on Tuesday, August 15.

In the first, Willi am Badge r, flyin g a Ba ldwi n bipl a ne, ove rstresse d his m a­ c hine by m a kin g a sudd e n di ve a nd a quick climb. As the climb was begun, the wings collapsed and the plane dropped 50 fee t to th e gro und , killin g Badger. H e apparently was trying to duplica te a ma­ ne uver of Li nco ln Beach e y's , wh e re he dove into a sunken portion of Grant Park and then pulled up abruptly into a brea th­ ta kin g climb , givin g the a pp ea ra nce of co ming up o ut of th e gro und to th e as­ sembled crowd.

T he other victim was St. Croix John ­ sto ne fly in g a Mo isa nt Bl e ri o t mo no­ pl ane. H e had bee n in th e a ir fo r two hours when his plane suddenl y dove fro m abo ut 3,000 fee t into Lake Michigan. The p il ot was tra p pe d in th e mac hin e as it sun k out of sight. Some believed that the gyroscopic forces of the Moisant 's ro tary

engine had caused the accident. St. Croix had ea rlie r anno unced that it was his in­ te nti o n to give up fl ying at the close o f the meet a nd go into the airpla ne suppl y business on a large scale in New York.

GREATEST MEET The August 16, 1911 issue of AERO decl a red tha t th e " Greatest Mee t E ve r H eld E nds H appily." " Wh at T o m Sop­ with ca ll ed ' the greatest avi atio n meet th e world has eve r see n,' e nd ed yeste r­ day, the facts and figures of the nine days of fl ying proving it wi thout the shadow of a do ubt. " Pro ba bl y three o r fo ur mil ­ lio ns of people have witnessed at least a p a rt of th e m eet, a t which $80 ,000 in prizes have been wo n, two new wo rld 's records made and $140,000 taken in a the gate. " H ow ma ny people have become prac tica lly inte rested in aviatio n as a re­ sul t of the meet is a matter of conjecture, b ut if o ne in every t h o usa nd wh o wit ­ nesse d th e mee t h as b ee n co nve r te d , t he re are today 3,000 new foll o we rs of the sport, scie nce or industry. " During t he n ine days t here has bee n tw ice as

much fl ying as the world has ever heard of in a like pe riod . Lincoln Beachey, in an all-American Curtiss biplane, has set a new altitude mark of 11 ,578 feet fo r the wor ld to ma rve l a t , a nd W.G. Bea tt y, with th e ink h ardl y dr y o n hi s pil o t ' s brevet, has broke n a lo ng standing dura­ tion record with a passe nger by flyin g 3 ho urs, 42 minutes 22-1/5 seconds in a n a ll -Am erica n Wright b ipl a ne . "Cal P .

R odgers , in a no th er Wri ght has fl ow n mo re th a n 3 ho urs d ail y with o ut sto p ­ ping, save on o ne day when his du ra tio n was less, using a Wright biplane tha t he lea rn e d to fly onl y a mo nth ago . H e showed the comparative simplicity of the tas k by lolling in his seat each afternoon, legs crossed and da ngling a ciga r in his mo uth . "America n motors and Ame ri­ ca n ae ro pla nes ha ve come to the fro nt with indisputable evide nce of superiority.

Altitude a nd duratio n with a passe nger, the two most sea rching tests, have bee n met and passed with a rush of victory. A Curtiss biplane with a Curtiss motor has taken the fo rme r, a Wright Biplane with a Wright motor the later, with a wo rld's record to the credit of each." ...

(Above) Lineup of Curtiss entries at Chicago with the Burgess overhead. In the background (on the left) appears to be Lincoln Beachey's " headless" Curtiss.

(Above right) There were no injuries to aviators beyond the two fatal ones, but many accidents to machines occured. An auto truck was kept busy carting machines to sheds, minus wheels, skids, parts of wings, etc. This was the unfortuante encounter of a Mosiant Bleriot and Cottyn's Wright. Cottyn appears to be the pilot at fault in this instance.

8 APRIL 1995

Notes

From the "International Cessna 120/140 Association Newsletter": Bill Rhoades, Newsletter Editor

(612-652-2221) Carb Ice

Through the years there have been attempts to warn the pilot of carburetor ice by showing the carb air temp, etc.

Back in 1946 when the Cessna 120 and 140 came out, an "MIT brain" and close friend, introduced me to the installation of a manifold pressure gauge in his sin­ gle engine airplane with a fixed pitch prop. I soon made a similar installation in a Cessna 140 and haven't been with­ out one since. Why? I think it is the best power indicator to use and it is rel­ atively cheap. I take off at full bore and climb at 26" HG and cruise at 23" HG, which is around 65% power. Also re­ member that you lose about one inch of manifold pressure per thousand feet of climb up to 8,000' where it is slightly less per 1,000' climb. Anyway, back to the HG meter as an ice indicator. When flying at a constant altitude and power setting, if any ice starts to form in the carb throat, it restricts the flow into the induction system, which acts the same as closing the throttle, except it is much more sensitive. When this happens the HG meter will drop. If the ice build-up is small and the meter reflects it slightly, in most cases it isn't noticeable as far as RPM goes. If the meter is down but an inch or two of HG, put on carb heat.

This will cause a further drop in HG be­ cause of less dense heated air plus pip­ ing resistance in the hot air system.

Wait a short time and take off the carb heat. If the HG needle goes up higher than when heat was applied - you had ice in the carb! It works!!!

- Curt Hewitt, Bethany, CT Oil Pressure Update

I am writing to follow up my plea for help from Cessna 1201140 owners in solving my recent oil pressure problem.

Many suggestions were made to raise the tail, one friend claimed they had to do this with brand new airplanes. How­ ever, my AI was opposed to doing it with a fresh overhaul since it does not solve the problem, it only gets around it.

by Norm Petersen After the time and money to overhaul the engine, there was too much to risk.

As it turned out we found the fault lay in a new part of the oil pump.

Due to the way the new cover plate was machined, it was warped and al­ lowed oil to escape from the pump cav­ ity.

My A & P who overhauled the en­ gine had used a petroleum based grease in the pump to keep the gears from run­ ing dry until the pump primed, and this apparently sealed the gap for some five hours of running. Hard to believe, but it did. Today, after lapping the cover plate to the pump body I get a strong 40-45 psi at cruise and at idle. Thanks for the help.

- Craig Kloppenburg, NH Rep. From the "American Bonanza

Society" magazine

Patrick Rowley, editor (316-945-6913) Propeller Ordeal Which we'll subtitle - "It pays to get a second opinion!"

I have just gone through an interest­ ing ordeal with my Beech 278 propeller that may be of interest to our members.

About one year ago, I had my prop overhauled by Thunderbird Propellers, Inc. , in Bethany, Okla. (405-789-1830).

A short time back, after about 100 hours in use, I began seeing stains on the back side of one blade. After a call to Thun­ derbird, I was advised to have a me­ chanic look at the prop immediately to determine whether the leak was oil or grease. I was told that if the leak was oil, I had a potential major problem, but if it were grease, I only needed to have the blade seal replaced.

An IA determined it was a grease leak, but he did not want to open the prop. I then agreed to have it sent to a local prop shop to have the seal replace­ ment. Two days later I was informed the prop had been disassembled, in­ spected and 10 discrepancies related to the hub were noted. Four parts, includ­ ing the hub itself had been red-tagged.

Rather than agree to pay an estimated

$1600 to $1900 to have the prop re­ assembled with new parts by the local shop, I returned it to Thunderbird.

Upon receiving the disassembled prop, Thunderbird immediately sum­ moned an inspector from the Oklahoma City FAA office. All parts were re-ex­ amined and micrometer measurements were referenced to the Beech overhaul manual by both Thunderbird personnel and the FAA inspector. The hub was sent out for an X-ray procedure and in the end, all red tags were removed by FAA. Additionally, not one of the 10 discrepancies cited by the local shop proved to have any merit!

It is interesting to note that the hub in question was supplied during a previ­ ous overhaul by the local shop that pre­ cipitated this fuss. Additionally, both the FAA inspector and Thunderbird could not understand (1) why the prop was disassembled for a simple blade re­ placement; and (2) the rationale behind the red tags without reference to either micrometer readings or the Beech over­ haul manual.

Throughout this ordeal, Thunderbird responded professionally, in good faith and with utmost courtesy. The hub was reassembled and the prop was returned to service. My billing from Thunder­ bird? Not one red cent! Thunderbird even prepaid the return air freight!

From my experience, I would highly recommend Thunderbird to owners of older Bonanzas over any local prop shop. These people are specialists and appear to be in business to keep us fly­ ing by fixing and repairing rather than selling new parts and props.

-Cliff Low, Oregon Meltdown!

My wife and I were at Punta Col­ orada (Mexico) over Thanksgiving holi­ day when we took pictures of what re­ mains of a Model 36. This is the story we were told: On about November 10, an American Bonanza driver landed his 1980 Model 36 at a remote strip south of LaPaz, Baja California Sur. He had buzzed the Punta Colorada Hotel one mile south for a pickup, but no one came, so he started walking. Soon a truck came by from the direction of the airstrip with the driver gesturing frantiVINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

cally for the pilot to get in. Th ey roared back to the strip where the 36 was billowing black smoke from the cabin area!

After seve ral explosions, another employee arrived with a hand-held fire extinguisher. The aircraft was almost totally melted down, with flames com­ ing out of the open root of the right wing. The volunteer fireman, risking his eyebrows, squirted out the remain­ ing fire.

The pilot reported that the only con­ ceivable source of ignition was a magni­ fying glass lying on a map in the back seat.

The rudder and elevators are all that remain unscathed - and they may fly again. (The rudder is equipped with an SMP Upper Bracket.)

- Dick Wilson, California From "The Texas Chapter AAA

Newsletter" ­ Penny Richards, editor (817-482-6175) "Temple Monoplane" Arrives Love Field

On Thursday , Jan. 19, the one-of-a­ kind "Temple Monoplane" was flown from Temple, TX by its restorer, Jerry Ferrel, to Love Field. Jerry donated the plane for display at the Frontiers of Flight Museum.

The "Texas Temple" was the first aircraft designed to be mass produced in Texas by the first commercial com­ pany to be licensed to sell airplanes in Texas. It was developed and flown in 1927 by George W. Williams, Jr. who was the first man to design and build an airplane in our state. He built and flew Texas' first airplane in 1910 in the pasture behind his home in Temple.

Jerry Ferrel has been using a Warner engine on the Temple, so on Monday, January 30, he and Joe Haynes changed out that e ngine for its original Anzani.

The Anzani is a Clyde Cessna modified engine which added push rods for th e intake valves. Ed McCracken donated a wooden Rogers prop which Jerry took home to finish.

This last remaining Temple was as­ sembled from the parts of several. It was famous for introducing several unique safety features, such as landing lights that were fully adjustable by the pilot in flight. No planes were ever mass produced as planned due to the death of George Williams and the stock market crash.

The silver and red Temple will be temporarily stored at Foxtronics while the Frontiers of Flight Museum arranges for its display in the main ter­ minal at Love Field.

10APRIL 1995

(Ed. note: The Texas Temple is listed in Juptner's Volume I, Page 121, under ATC #45 dated June 1928) Square Tip Prop?

David Stark is progressing well on his Stinson SR-9, having completed the wings, tail, and put new wood on the fuselage. This news was passed on to (us) here by Joe Haynes along wi th a question he couldn't answer for David.

Put on your thinking caps.

David's prop has a squared-off tip.

The blade is legal , but doesn't look like the original blade. The question is: " Will this square tip provide any better performance?"

If you have the answer , call David Stark at 817-594-9519.

From "The Bucker Newsletter" ­ Chris Arvanites, editor & publisher (815-436-1011) I attended an FAA Seminar the other day regarding approved parts for air­ craft. It covered acceptable standards of certification, identification of parts , ac­ ceptable traceability, and how to deter­ mine if the parts conform to type design.

All these parts that are approved is any part that is manufactured and approved under the provisions of FAR Part 21, provided that the part is used for the purpose it was originally intended and it has been maintained in an airworthy condition. As far as being airworthy, they say that a part must conform to type design and be in condition for safe operation. Do you know that you can produce a part for your own aircraft?

A few important things to remember . .. know your supplier, issue specific in­ structions on the P.O . (Purchase Or­ der), perform receiving inspections and have a good certification and traceabil­ ity. There is an avition safety hotline number: 800/255-111l.

Also something to know is they are goi ng to do away with all yellow tags on parts and an FAA form 8130-3 airwor­ thiness approval tag (which is really an 8 X 10 sheet) will be used from now on and you should keep (the sheet) in your record folder and don 't staple it to your log books.

- Chris Arvanities, editor From the "Cessna Pilots Association" newsletter ­ John Frank, editor (316-722-1352) Paper Towel Downs Aircraft

During a cross-country flight, the pi­ lot of a single-engine aircraft experi­

enced a loss of oil pressure and an in­ crease in oil temperature. While at­ tempting to locate an airport for land­ ing , the engine quit. The aircraft sustained substantial damage during the off-airport landing.

An investigation and engi ne tear­ down revealed small pieces of a paper towel caught in the oil pickup strainer.

The remainder of the paper towel was found in the engine oil sump. It was determined the paper towel restricted and/or blocked oil flow to the engine, resulting in #1 rod bearing seizure and failure of the connecting rod.

Although the chain of events that led to the paper towel getting into the engine could not be determined, it re­ minds us of the care that must be taken during maintenance to assure items are not left in inappropriate places. Quite often towels or rags are used to cover crankcases when cylin­ ders are removed or oil dipsticks are taken out. Additionally, tools used during maintenance have been left in places where they could cause "fatal" damage to the aircraft and its occu­ pants. In this case , the occupants suf­ fered serious injuries and a beautiful aircraft was destroyed. Please use the events related in this article as a re­ minder to review your procedures for assuring proper control of all items not intended for installation in the as­ sembly on which you are working.

From "Coupe Capers" -

Ercoupe Owners Club ­ Carolyn Carden, editor (919-477-1832) When Roy Prugh wanted to work on his nose gear strut, he had to raise the nose of the plane and control its position by him self. To do this, he started by removing the cowl, then lowering the tail with two bags of soft­ ener salt.

(Ed. note: [think I'd want to wrap those bags in plastic, and then give the airplane a good bath after this! You also want to keep the added weight as close to the centerline of the fuselage as possible.)

Then he attached a cable between a rafter and the engine's lifting ring (with a ratchet on the cable).

After removing and fixing the strut, he removed one of the bags from the tail. Then, using the ratchet on the ca­ ble, he was able to lower the nose down onto the strut a fraction of an inch at a time. When necessary, he was able to re-raise the nos e a little , adjust the strut, then lower the nose back down onto the strut.

With this method , Roy was able to reinstall the strut by himself with com­ plete control. ...

-- - ...

-BRIC REJUVENATION

by W. D. "Dip" Davis •

NC

1804 • Cooper Aircraft, Inc.

Restoring Your Aircraft's Dope Finish . ..

Here we go, misleading you right from the title. Actually aircraft covering fabric can't be rejuvenated. The term really refers to a process of restoring the finish that is applied to the fabric. Since syn­ thetic fabrics , primarily polyesters , have almost completely replaced the organic materials of coUon and linen , the useful life of the actual aircraft covering has been extended many times over, and un­ less given regular doses of tender loving care , the finish will deteriorate to the point of un acceptability while the fabric itself is still airworthy.

Thought should be given to the condi­ tion of the structure which is hidden by the fabric on components which can ' t be thoroughly inspected through access pan­ els. The amount of deterioration which can occur in 15 or 20 years could be enough to cause catastrophic failure un­ der severe loads. If you (and your in­ spector) are satisfied with the condition of the basic airframe and have deter­ mined that the fabric itself still tests above the minimum allowable tensile strength, which is based on the wing load­ ing and never exceed (red line) speed of the particular aircraft then finish rejuve­ nation can be done.

Airplanes with a wing loading of nine pounds per square foot or less and a Vne of 160 mph or less were originally allowed to use Intermediate grade fabric which tested 65 pounds tensile when new. Heav­ ier and/or faster aircraft were required to be covered with Grade A cotton which tests 80 pounds tensile strength. Since the strength is allowed to deteriorate to 70 percent of the original before it must be replaced, this means your 1-3 Cub or 7AC Champ can test as low as 46 pounds and still pass the test but your Cessna 140 or Staggerwing Beech fabric must pull 56 pounds or better. (Reference FAA AC 43.13-2, Figure 3.1) Chances are excellent that your poly­ ester fabric will still register readings well above the minimum a ll owable unless some areas have lost all of the finish, al­

lowing direct exposure to sunlight. How­ ever, there are probably cracks in the fin­ ish next to stringers or other supporting structure. "Ringworming" can happen where a sharp blow occurred, such as from a hailstone or small stones from an unimproved runway. These areas will re­ quire individual attention before begin­ ning an overall finish rejuvenation.

First, determine that the finish is dope rather than enamel or other non-soluble material. If there is any question about the topcoat, a quick determination may be made by dampening a cloth with MEK or acetone and rubbing lightly in an in­ conspicuous spot. If the color comes off on your rag, the finish is resoluble. Don't be misled by the removal of a little oxi­ dized pigment-you can feel a drag or re­ sistance to your rubbing if the material is being softened. Check on the trim stripes and registration numbers we well. It 's not uncommon to find that someone sprayed enamel trim over a pigmented dope base coat. This can usually be re­ moved using sandpaper and/or solvents.

An enamel finish is generally not re­ pairable. If the topcoat is beginning to chip and flake in large areas it might be feasible to remove dry using plastic scrap­ ers. Chemical paint removers almost never produce satisfactory results in re­ finishing , as it is extremely difficult to completely remove all the stripper residue from the material under the enamel. If the cracks are minor you might merely fill them with a bead of ce­ ment, wet sand the entire airplane and give it another light coat of enamel.

O.K. You have determined that the finish is pigmented dope and it is becom­ ing brittle. The first step is to thoroughly clean the airp lane. I prefer to use a strong, low suds detergent such as Spic & Span rather than wiping down with sol­ vent cleaners which may just relocate the grease, rather than removing it. Follow the deterge nt wash with a clear water rinse. Don't drown the airplane by hos­ ing it down or it might take a week to

dry. A terry cloth towel rinsed often and pretty well wrung out will remove all of the soap residue without a total soaking.

You will be amazed at the amount of oxi­ dized dope which will be removed, which will open the pores and allow good pene­ tration of the rejuvenator.

When the airplane is completely dry you can attend to the cracks and ring­ worms in the finish by brushing unre­ duced rejuvenator onto those areas using a small watercolor brush. Allow a few minutes for the solvents to work and ap­ ply a second coat. Thick finishes may re­ quire a third or even fourth application to soften all of the material clear down to the fabric. Avoid direct sunlight and temperatures above about 85 degrees , which will dry the solvents before they have had time to perform their task.

When the dope is pliable enough to allow you to do so, "heal " the cracks by rub­ bing the softened dope into them with your finger, making the surface as smooth as possible and avoiding furrows.

After all the damaged areas have been taken care of, a spray coat of rejuvenator is applied to the entire surface.

Rejuvenator is a special blend of sol­ vents and plasticizers that are strong enough to penetrate completely through old , brittle or sun baked nitrate or bu­ tyrate dope.

It will probably be necessary to reduce or thin the material to get it to atomize properly for spraying . Use retarder or retarding thinner rather than regular dope thinner so that the surface will stay wet long enough for the solvents to pene­ trate the entire dope film . Unless yours is a minimal thickness finish , a second ap­ plication of rejuvenator will be required.

This is followed by a coat of non taut­ ening clear butyrate dope before the re­ juvenator has cured more than a few hours. Clear dope doesn't make a good topcoat as it will tend to yellow with age, so a light coat of pigmented dope should be applied as soon as practical. You will find that the original trim stripes and reg­ istration number lines are still quite evi­ dent and it won't be difficult to mask off and repaint using the original design . If you wish to change the trim lines you can wet sand the edges with approximately 320 grit wet-or-dry paper and copious amounts of elbow grease before spraying any rejuvenator.

Dope is not a suitable finish for metal, so if your cowling and fairings are un­ sightly against your shiny new fabric fin­ ish, you will want to sand and repaint us­ ing a matching enamel. Or, better yet, strip to bare aluminum , prime and re­ paint.

Sound like a lot of work? I didn ' t say it was easy, but carefully done this proce­ dure wi ll prolong the life of your fabric for several years and give you an airplane ... you can be proud of again.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

Details, Details • • •

by H.G. Frautschy •

The Custom category of the judging

guidelines for Classic airplanes allows for modification for those who prefer an air­

Frank Sperandeo II/IS Piper PA-20/22 Pacer

plane with a few more amenities. You can take it as far as you wish, from the simple addition of a shiny paint job to an otherwise stock Piper Cub, all the way to what you see on these pages.

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(Above left) In the category of aerodynamic mods, the wings saw a great deal of cleaning up. On top of the wing, the aileron

horns were covered by a pair of fairings. The light two piece affair fits cleanly over the aileron horns on both the top and the bot­

tom of the wings, and as the aileron is moved, the fairings telescope inside of one another. The flap hinges were also given a sim­

ilar treatment. All of these fairings were made of fiberglass. The fairing molds were first built up with balsa wood, and then fash­

ioned out of multi-directional glass cloth.

(Above center) Even the lowly tailwheel was given its proper attention. Yes, Frank assures me that the tailwheel springs were

baked to eliminate hydrogen embrittlement after chroming. Thin plastic spring shims are used to keep the springs from chafing

on each other.

(Above right) Good golly, even his tiedowns were given the polishing treatment! Frank improved upon the three spike tiedown by

putting a bushing, made of Nylatron®, a graphite impregnated nylon invented by Dupont. He also used the Nylatroll® for the cable

fairleads. Teflon® was used for the control yoke bushing mounted in the instrument panel.

(Above left) The door holders on the Pacer received aerodynamic as well as machine tool attention. A smooth polished clamp is used to hold the strut mounted pin holder, while the door mounted receptacle is secured to the door using a pair of studs and nuts. The pin is adjustable, and the ball at the end of the pin snaps behind a spring loaded ball hidden in the side of the receptacle.

Look closely and you can see the thin rubber pad used to cushion the strap from the strut.

(Above right) Even the wing fuel tank drain valves did not escape the attention of the fiberglass man - a smooth teardrop cover was built for each of the drain locations. They're mounted using double sided foam tape. Just to the rear (left) of the drain fairing is the wing root fairing mounted courtesy lights.

12 APRIL 1995

Eank

Sperandeo III (EAA 387132) of Fayetteville, AR wanted an airplane he could fly, but he also wanted some­ thing beautiful at the same time, and to his eye, that meant each and every sur­ face and fitting on his airplane was to be worked on . Each part was to be machined to a gleaming finish, pol­ ished, painted and buffed to perfection or it didn ' t get on the airplane . He works as a design engineer teaching students the fine art of manufacturing design processes in the physics lab at the University of Arkansas, and solv­ ing difficult mechanical problems is just part of the job. His job routinely involves tolerances as tight as 1130 the thickness of a human hair (1 mil).

Frank also enjoys the cha ll enge of imagining modifications and then ma­ chining them into reality. (He 's a pretty hot banjo player too!) On his Piper PA-20-22 Pacer, Frank has 75 different modifications he worked into the basic airframe.

Special spring-loaded gap sea ls on the aerodynamic surfaces, based on Frank's design of a spring loaded laser mirror mount for the physics lab were built and installed. During EAA Oshkosh '94 they were some of the most talked about modifications made to the airplane.

Seemingly easy changes were made to the airplane to make using it just a bit easier. The baggage door is held open by a gas-charged door opener adapted from an automotive applica­ tion . Whe n the door is opened, a mi ­ croswitch activates a pair of lights in­ side the compartment so you can see what you are doing . A custom de­ signed microchip circuit then turns off the lights after 2-112 minutes. All doors are carefully sealed with weatherstrip­ ping to preclude excess wind noise, and the doors were installed with at­ tention paid to minimizing the gap be­ tween the doors and the fuselage.

The interior is finished with a velour common to the '84 Chrysler New Yorker, with a copy of the Cadillac reef embroidery used on each seat, complete with Frank's initial s in old English script.

Electrical goodies include a mi­ croswitch on the landing gear to auto­ matically activate his enro ute timer ­ break ground and the timer starts, land and it stops! Another function on the clock counts down to a preset time, af­ ter which a beep is heard in the head­ sets and a light illuminates on the panel, reminding Frank to switch fuel tanks. Changing fuel tanks is impor-

The instrument panel does not depart from the original configuration as far as instru­ ment layout is concerned, but it was extended 2 inches on the bottom to make room for switches and circuit breakers. It features a pair of yokes salvaged from a Piper Seneca II. It has a few electronic gadgets that were fun for Frank to create. They're detailed in the text. Full dual controls, including brakes, are included on this Pacer. An interesting addition to the panel is a small receptacle (on the far left bottom of the panel) for the external antenna of a handheld radio, just in case the panel mounted unit fails.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

The upper end of the wing strut is also faired, and the quick disconnect wing tiedowns are neatly fitted into a ma­ chined block mounted to a spacer in the wing. The ribbons, an idea of Betty Tur­ ney, Garfield, AR, are the same colors as the airplane, and feature small pearls, since Betty decided the airplane should be called Pearl. Why? White Sandstone Pearl paint (a Nissan Maxima color) was used for the final color finish. The trim is a Chevy truck red. Both paints are a PPG automotive base coat/clearcoat polyurethane with flex agent added.

14 APRIL 1995

tant on a cross country trip, because he has two long range tanks installed.

Flying solo with the tanks filled to the brim with 64 gallons of 100 octane gives him an endurance of nearly 7-112 hours!

Another electrical change involved a new pair of landing and taxi lights.

The landing light lamp, the same as used on the Boeing 747, pulls 29 amps when operating, hence the need for a 70 amp alternator. " ...it absolutely lights up the whole runway!" observed Frank.

What did all of this cost in terms of weight? Frank says that his airplane weighs about 40 pounds heavier that a stock P A-20122 - not bad considering the added mods and changes made to the airplane. He says his useful load is about 850 pounds.

Where possible, he paid close atten­ tion to trimming weight from the origi­ nal airframe, and kept the weight of

his modifications to a mInImum.

Amazing weight savings were realized by shaving 17 pounds from the seat cushions - the result of removing steel springs from the cushions and replac­ ing them with progressive resistance shock absorbing foam, commonly re­ ferred to by a trade name , Temper­ foam. The change to a smaller battery saved 3-4 pounds (an STC is in the works on this by B&C Specialty), and 8 pounds were shaved off with the use of an STC'd starter from B&C. Since visiting EAA Oshkosh '94, he has been busy recovering the tail sur­ faces, and has been tweaking little de­ tails here and there, including the in­ stallation of a set of disc brakes. He did mention that he plans on attending EAA Oshkosh '95, so be sure and look for him on the Convention flightline.

We've detailed some of the other highlights on his modification list with these photographs. ...

(Above) The engine compartment filled with the sparkling Lycoming 0-32OB2B en­ gine won Frank a special Antique/Classic award for the Best Custom Engine Instal­ lation. He says that a big portion of the credit for the compartments looks go to air­ craft restoration mechanic Bob Bell of Springdale, AR. The ripple free baffles and firewall have a fine brushed finish, and even the rubber hoses in the compartment get special treatment with some silicone and ArmorAII®. On the back of the stain­ less steel baffles, you can see the twin air intakes for the cabin heater. Frank says that he has not experienced any engine cooling losses due to this installation, but he was careful to point out that the baffles and the cowling are all tightly fitted, so there are few air leaks. The cowl tops are held in place by a pair of chromed tele­ scoping tubes that are locked in place with a thumbscrew. It's not visible in this view, but the engine oil cooler is relocated to the back left engine baffle, using an available STC. The fuel sample tester and mount are available from Sporty's Pilot Shop - you'll have to add your own chrome plating.

(Above) The cowl has been extensively modified, beginning with the filling of all the holes on the bowl save for the cylinder cooling holes and carb air intake. A starter from B & C Specialty, manufacturers of an STC'd unit for the Lycoming was used, eliminating the protruding starter drive on the front of the nosebowl. A new scoop was built up out of fiberglass for the carb air intake. An NACA duct was used for cabin air intake - the vent came from an aircraft salvage yard, and was originally from the engine cowling of a Metroliner. Another NACA duct is mounted on the bottom of the cowl for carb heater air intake, as well as a smaller duct used to sup­ ply cooling air to the back of the 70 amp alternator. Finally, a spinner from Aircraft Spruce and Specialty smooths the airflow into the nicely finished engine cylinder cooling holes in the cowling. Frank noticed that after all of the work, the engine's heat distribution was more even, and it ran cooler.

(Left and right) The fiberglass wheel pants were bought by Frank, and then the exquisite strut fairings were created to clean up each strut/component intersection. The wing strut/fuselage intersection was also given the same treatment, as well as the wing strut/fuselage juncture.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

1934 THOMPSON TROPHY The winners:

#57 Roscoe Turner - Wedell Turner 248.13 mph #33 Roy Minor - Brown B-2 214.93 mph #92 John Worthen - Wedell-WIlliams 92 208.38 mph Others in the race:

#39 Harold Neumann - Howard Ike # 131 Roger-Don Rae - Rider R-1

# 15 Art Chester - Chester Special 'Jeep"

#44 Doug Davis - Wedell-WIlliams 44足 crashed on lap 8, structural fa ilure #6 Lee Miles - Miles-Atwood Special足 Out on lap 4, engine trouble 16 APRIL 1995

1933

THOMPSON TROPHY paintings by Frank Warren

The winners:

#44 Jimmy Wedell - Wedell-WIlliams 44 237.95 mph #92 Lee Gehlbach - Wedell-WIlliams 92 224.95 mph #38 Roy Minor - Howard Mike 199.87 mph Others in the race: # 1 George Hague - Rider R-2

#54 ZD. Granville - Gee Bee Y #2 Roscoe Turner - Wedell Turner Disqualified - cut pylon (had fastest lap speed in race - 265 mph)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

by Norm Petersen Pitted against some very determined candidates for the top awards in the Con­ temporary Class competition at EAA Oshkosh '94 was a highly polished 1960 Cessna 172A, N7758T, SIN 47358 , that was flown in from Sky Harbor Airpark at Webste r, MN , by Gary Granfors (EAA 242832, A/C 10666). Sparkling in the morning sun , it was plain to see that this was not your everyday, run-of-the-mill , Cessna 172. Even the huge crowds knew it wa s so me thing special and the An­ tique/Classic judges perked up their ears and eyes, proceeding to go over th e 34­ year-old airplane with their delibe rate, methodical examination.

18 APRIL 1995

When all the shouting was over and the hoopla had died down , th e Tuesday evening Awards Ceremony at the The­ ater-in-the Woods declared the Contem­ porary Reserve Grand Champion to be Cessna 172A, N7758T, entered by Gary Granfors. The extremely low time 172 (1184.18 hours T.T. at Oshkosh '94) had pushed Lee Maples' Grand Champion Beechcraft D18S to the very Iimjt and had the judges scratching their heads for quite a spell. However, all is not lost in that in 1995, the 172 can still enter the competi­ tion while the Beechcraft is retired from competing and is to be honored in th e Past Grand Champion's paddock.

Gary Granfors is the first to acknowl­ edge that he is not alone in the ownership and detailing of the beautiful 172. The

co-owners of th e airplane are Gene Leclerc, Rick Worringer and Rick 's fa­ ther , Bill Worringe r (EAA 31317, A/C 21428) - all of the Bloomington, MN area.

In addition, Gary's lifelong friend from Inver Grove Heights, MN, Mike Richard­ son (EAA 360620, A/C 16543), not only aided immeasurably in the super detailing of the 172, but also flew co-pilot with Gary to EAA Oshkosh '94.

Presently flying co-pilot on a Northwest Airlines A-320 Airbus, Gary Granfors is 36 years old with over 5,000 hours in his logbook. He made his solo flight in a Civil Air Patrol Cessna 172 at Fleming Field , South St. Paul , and was so intrigued with aviation that he went on to get all the rat­ ings. For five years he flew an Aztec for a printing company whil e attending Inver

(Above) Original interior and instrument panel of N7758T features black and ivory coloring. Center console has knobby trim wheel and manual flap operating handle - a feature loved by many pilots.

In this day and age, the chrome ash tray on the left wall looks a bit superfluous! (Left) High among the fleecy white clouds, Gary Granfors brings the award winning 172 in close for Jim Koepnick's camera. Mike Richardson is in the right seat. Note the standard landing light in the leading edge of the left wing. Dual 21-gallon wing tanks caps are visible on top of the 36-foot wing. (Below) Close friends since fourth grade, Mike Richardson on the left and Gary Granfors on the right, pose in front of the award winning Cessna 172.

13

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Hills Community Co llege. He then be­ came an FAA controller, working at Rapid City, SD, and Holman Field in St. Paul, MN. This was followed by a four month stint with Mesaba Airlines flying Beech 99's.

The next three years saw Gary flying Con­ vair 580 prop jets for Republic Airlines , which led him directly to Northwest Air­ lines in the buyout. Over the years, Gary has owned at least 14 airplanes, so the 172 is not a new experience for him.

N7758T, SIN 47358, was built near the middle of the production run of 992 Cessna 172A models (the first 172 with a swept tail) and was delivered to its first owner, a lady in Ottumwa, Iowa. At 160 hours, she lost her medical and sold the airplane to Dr. Robert L. Moore, a dentist

in the small town of Hampton, Iowa.

There is absolutely no doubt in anyone's mind that the fastidious care lavished on the beautiful new 172 by Dr. Moore dur­ ing the 20 years he owned it was the basis for the Reserve Grand Champion Lindy award. Dr. Moore kept the airplane hangared at Ed Doyle's (EAA 79606) pri­ vate strip at Hampton, lA, for all those years and every time the airplane flew, it was carefully cleaned of any bugs or dust of any kind before being hangared.

Eventually, the ultra clean 172 was moved to Amery, WI, where it was owned by several parties; the last two being Courtney Kuchler , who sold it to Paul Isakson (EAA 331354, NC 19076). Paul brought N7758T to EAA Oshkosh '93 and ran off with the Best Contemporary

Cessna award in the 1701172/175 classifica­ tion - the very first official judging year for the new Contemporary class. Again, the airplane had received excellent care along with numerous items to preserve its origi­ nality, however, the old bugaboo of keep­ ing a polished airplane looking good really got to each successive owner's muscles!

Paul Isakson was in the process of trad­ ing the original looking 172 for a Czecho­ slovakian "Delphin" jet with plans to ship the 172 overseas in pieces when the Cessna was flown to St. Paul for tempo­ rary han garage. It was here that Gary Granfors and friends saw the airplane and purchased it on the spot - thus narrowly averting the overseas shipment!

The foursome began by finishing small details such as locating and installing a VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

Reserve Grand Champion­ Contemporary Class

genuine nosewh eel fairing, installing ex­ ha ust pipe ex te nsions to he lp keep th e belly clean and carefully placing the ori gi­ na l deca ls (as rep ro du ce d by Moo d y G raphics in Florida) in the ir exact loca­ tio ns. A full -fl ow oi l filt e r kit wa s in ­ stalled to help keep the original Continen­ tal 0-300 engine clean internally.

Perhaps nowhe re e lse is teamwork so impo rta nt th a n in polishing a me tal air­ plane. It takes go bs of elbow grease and ca n be a rea l physical challe nge, such as layi ng on yo ur back, polishing the be ll y above you . T his kind of work will soon make a co nvert o ut of the stro ngest be­ liever - all airpla nes should be pa inted !

However, this particular 172 came out of the fac tory in bare metal and paint - and that was the goal. The work began.

Using every kind of polish available to get the oxidation and scratches removed, the crew ended up with Rolite for the mir­

ror-finish shine. In spite of sore muscles, the results were quite spectacular. When contrasted with the original paint scheme of iv o r y a nd oran ge, a lo ng with bl ac k numbers on the wing and tail , the result is a pleasing combinatio n of brilliant metal and shiny paint. Again, the super de tail­ ing improves the overall impression a nd adds the impo rtant acce nts, so necessary to achieving a balanced look. It is readily apparent the Cessna marketing people did their homework in 196O! The 172 is fl own strictly as a VFR air­ plane in that it has a Comm radio, a Loran C for navigation and an ELT. The original ve ntu ris o n the side of th e fuselage runs the three gyros in the panel. Everything in the interior is just like it came out of the facto ry in 1960. T his includes the original Owne r's Ma nua l and ph o tos fro m 1960, de ta iling th e ai rpla ne. (A bo ut the o nl y thing missing is th e 1960 secti ona l chart

the factory ferry pilot would have used on the delivery fl ight! ) The Annual Inspection on the airplane was d o ne by ve tera n mec ha nic, Wade Lowry (E A A 138970), of A irlake Indus­ trial Airport. Wade went through the old girl from stem to stern and said, "This has to be th e cl ea nes t ai rpl a ne I have ever seen! " And Wade Lowry has seen quite a few airplanes in his lo ng span of yea rs as an " IA." It was at this point the fo ur own­ ers began to suspect they had a winner on their hands.

Gary G ranfors and his sidekick, Mike Richardson, fl ew the pre tty bird to EAA Oshkosh '94 a nd the rest is history. Our co ng rat ul a ti o ns go o ut to th e " fa mo us foursome" who have worke d so hard to upgrade the Cessna to championship cal­ iber. We look forward to seeing your pol­ ishe d "swe pt t ai l" o n th e lin e a t EAA Oshkosh '95. ....

(Left) Normally an area of grease and oil, the nosewheel, com­ plete with its original wheel pant, is remarkably clean. The gray piston with the polished rod going through it is the nosewheel steering damper. (Above) The aluminum w ingtip is made up of two compound curved pieces riveted together. A faired in wingtip clearance light - green, for the right wing is also a nice touch.

20 APRIL 1995

by Cy Ga lley

That Old Air Compressor Could be Deadly!

One of the first purchases when setting up a shop is probab ly one of those cheap roll-a-round air compres­ sors . Just about everybody is on a budget these days, and since they work and you only need one occa­ sionally, why not save a few dollars?

Wherever there are tires, or parts to be cleaned, it comes in very handy .

An "old-timer" can tell you that it will sandblast rusted parts and then paint them so they look like new.

You can bust rusted nuts, cut off muf­ flers, drill holes, drive rivets, run im­ pact wrenches, plus sand and buff.

Very handy indeed without the fear of electrocution present with electri­ cal tools.

What some "old-timers" don 't real­ ize is that their old compressors are also time bombs. Time bombs j ust waiting to kill or maim them and pos­ sibly YOU. What did yo u look for wh e n you went to buy your co mpressor? Most people look to get the most powerful motor, the largest tank, the most cubic foot per minute o u tput for their money . These are very important items for sure , but do we check the working pressure rating, a reliable pressure relief valve, or an easy work­ ing drain valve? Probably not.

Mark Bauer, an EAA Tech Coun­ selor and member of EAA Chapter 75, brought the results of this time bomb that is just waiting to "get cha" to our last EAA Chapter meeting . When Mark got out of A&P sc h ool , he bought and gave his father an inexpen­ sive air compressor to use on the fam­ ily farm. It was a proud moment for Mark. The compressor was the token that showed his family that he was fi­ nally gainfully employed. He was a fu lly licensed A&P with a rea l job. A job that paid a living wage a nd bene­ fits . Now this happe ned in the middle 1960s. After 25 years, it was still back

in the corner of the barn. Twenty-five years of typical " put it in the corner of the barn and forget it service." Plug it in when air was needed . Then forget it 'til next time . Well , the last time they won ' t forget- it exploded! The cylin­ drical tank now looks like a pig- a fly­ ing pig with its wings fully extended. It was on wheels. They found one of the wheels at the opposite end of the barn.

Th e other wheel flew out th e door never to be seen again!

Mark brought it to our attention be­ cause there are probably many, many other inexpensive compressor tanks just waiting to " getcha." The best guess was that the electrical pressure switch stuck. Without a safety valve, press ure kept b uilding 'til fina lly the ta nk exploded!

Why wasn't there a mechanical pres­ sure safety valve? So it could be sold at a low price, this corner was cut. Fortu­

nately no one was hurt THIS time.

I t o o k t h e r e mai ns of th e t a nk h o me. Fro m t he ru st line on the in­ side of the tank, wate r had been stand­ ing in the bottom of the tank at least a co upl e inch es d ee p for a lo ng, lo ng t im e. Su rpri singly, th e co nd e nsate drain valve was we ll worn by the pli­ ers used to o pe n a nd close it after the h a ndl e bro ke. T he t a nk o nce had a wall t hickn ess of 0.060 in. - after the fai lure, it no w measures abo ut 0.020, with heavy pitting a t the rupture line.

U nbelievably, all the we lds held.

B efo r e M a rk unv e il e d t h e de­ s t roye d ta nk at o u r m eet ing I h a d h eard of ta nk ex pl os ions, bu t h ad never seen the results. I took the tank home to write this article and started aski ng q uestions. Ot h er m embers started telling me compressor stories.

One was abo u t a fairly new rig. The owner left it p lugged in so that he had air without a wait. Coming back from town one day, he noticed a hole in the metal roof of his shop. Yep! the re­ mains of the compressor, tank, and all were out behind the shed. I called several compressor sales companies.

Some comments were downright hos­ tile. Why all the hostility? They were upset that the unknowing trusting public were buying these cheap out­ fits, and that they could not compete with the low prices. Yet they were also concerned that these low priced rigs down the road , IF not correctly maintained and checked, could be killers.

What does this ruptured tank tell us? Check your compressor setup, es­ pecially if it is inexpensive . Does it have a worki ng safety valve? If the

This inexpensive air compressor tank ruptured after many (20+) years of use. Water condensed in the tank caused corrosion of the steel, leaving a weak spot that eventu­ ally cracked.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

The corrosion found on the inside of t his air compressor tank is quite severe. As you can see, the welded seam of the tank held when the steel tank ruptured.

tank is several years old, you might do a hydrostatic pressure test. For the test, the tank is completely filled with water, and then pressure is app lied with a hand pump. Then if the tank ruptures, the incompressible water will spurt out. The difference in how the water under pressure will rupture the failure prone tank can be ex­ plained with the analogy of a water filled balloon - rather than the loud explosive bang you get when you over­ fill a balloon with gas, a completely filled water balloon will simply "sploosh" its contents out all over the floor.

Oddly enough, Jim Smith, our other Technical Counselor, said that even though an air tank can be a prob­ lem , it wasn't as big a problem as the common hot water tank in every home . Every hot water heater should have a pressure and temperature re­ lief valve. Code says that a new valve must be installed with every new tank.

Why? Well , they also corrode and stick closed. In the city, the pressure will push back into the city mains. He has had instances where the neighbor had steam coming o ut of their fa ucets from an overheated water heater, when the burner did not shut down.

What if yo u have a we ll ? Then you are in trouble. The check valve of the pump contains the pressure. W hen the tank ru ptures , it re leases s up er­ heated pressurized water , instantly turning to steam. Whi le air at 150 psi has expansion of abo u t 10 times, wa­ ter turning to steam has an expansion 22 APRIL 1995

factor of 1600 times . It is instant rocket time. He has pictures of the roof exit points of several water heaters. Navy guys should remember that carrier launches are done with a steam catapult, because of this very large expansion figure. So make sure

when yo u insta ll that new hot water tank, to also install a new relief valve.

From my research, the test pres­ sure for hydrostatic testing is 150 per­ cent your working pressure, i.e. 150 psi if you turn the compressor off at 100 psi.

There are standards for tanks in the work place determined by the Ameri­ can Society of Mechanical Engineers.

You can inspect ASME rated tanks with working pressures of 125 and 200 psi. These can be visually inspected as they have a large enough plug so you can insert a mirror and light. If OSHA comes around, the safety pressure re­ lief valve better be set for these work­ ing pressures or it is big fine time.

Your safety valve should not be for more than 100 psi , which is the work­ ing pressure for most non-ASME cheap tanks. Before you run the pres­ sure above the rated pressure on your ta nk, take another look at the pictures with this story. Do you rea lly want to do a dynamic tank test inside your shop?

So safety check your tank. See that it has a worki ng safety valve. Do a hy­ drostatic pressure test if it has been in use severa l years. Make it a habit to drain your ta nk after use before quit­ ting for the day. Waiting unti l the next time yo u u se the compressor might be months. Months that just might corrode your tank into a Time Bomb! ..

You wouldn't want this to let go while you were standing next to it! The explosive power of this air tank was more than enough to shoot one wheel of the compressor cart out the barn door, never to be seen again.

IVIIAT OUR. MEMBERS ARE RESTORING

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - by Norm Petersen are then put in the 1979 T-Craft F-19, N2004A, SIN F­ 153, powered with a Lycoming 0-235 with complete e lectrical systems, radios, gyros and the works to finish out their Private license requirements - and never be ex­ posed to a nosewheel! There are a considerable num­ ber of students who desire this exact type of training and are extremely proud when they receive their ticket.

The contact· person at the club is Merton Meade, Jr., P. O. Box 1132, Leesburg, VA 22075.

Vintage Aeroplanes of Leesburg These two Taylorcraft airplanes are specifically used for training brand new students in the joys of flying a tailwheel aircraft. The first is a 1946 T-Craft BC-12D, N422JE, SIN 9689, powered with a Continental A65 and swinging a wooden propeller. The students are taken up through their first dual cross-country in this airplane complete with hand propping and the whole bit. They

Don Macor's Republic RC-3 Seabee This beautiful photo of Don Macor's Republic Seabee, N6224K, SIN 430, was sent in by his good friend , Bruce Dudley (EAA 347684, A/C 21819) of Duluth, MN. A nearly original Seabee, it still has the Franklin B9-F engine of 215 hp, control­ lable prop and wing splates. The Seabee had been laying derelict for 23 years when Don acquired the project and proceeded with the long rebuild. He literally had to teach the Seabee how to fly again - it's fly­ ing very well now and really looks sharp in its original silver and blue paint scheme.

The Seabee is based at Sky Harbor Air­ port and Seaplane Base on the east end of the Duluth harbor, a most delightful spot for watching seaplanes come and go.

Tony Morozowski's

WacoASO

This photo of Waco ASO, NC268M, SIN DS 3001, was se nt by Tony Mor ozowsk i (EAA 246668, A/C 15283) of Zanesville, OH, who says the 1929 biplane flies lik e a brand new Waco. Powe r is supplied by a 245 hp Jacobs engine swinging a ground ad­ justable Hamilton Standard prop . Other amenities include a fancy purple and white paint scheme and large wheel pants. The result is a really nice looking Waco ASO. There are 38 Waco ASO examp les remain­ ing on the U. S. register, making this beauty quite a find!

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

Lee Parsons' Waco QCF-2 This photo of Waco QCF-2, NC11427, SIN 3488, was sent in by Tony M orozows ky , who took it at their Zanesville, OR, fly-in. The aircraft has been owned by Lee Parso ns (EAA 304394, A/C 12214) of Carreiton, Ohio, since he bought it from Bill Gieb in 1962. A com­ plete restoration was done from 1970 to 1976 including a new Conti nental 220 hp e ngine from Cliff DuCharme at West Bend, WI. T he Waco won the Si lver Age Run­ ner-up trophy at Oshkosh '76 and the Best Customized Champion Antique at Oshkosh '78. It also garnered the Grand Champion Trophy at the AAA Fly-In at Blakes­ burg, lA, in '76. Lee is also restoring a second F-2 since retiring as a Captain for USAir. With over 30,000 hours in his logbook, he feels very fortunate to have flown DC-3 up through the "glass cockpit" of the 7571767.

Frakes Turbine Mallard, G-73 This pretty photo of a Turbine Grum­ man Mallard , N609SS, SIN 1-09, nosed up on a sandy shore in Puerto Rico , was sent in by Capt. Michael Steers (EAA 480778) of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Al­ though quite modern looking, the Grum­ man Mallard was manufactured in the late 1940's and is 12 years older than Michael , who taught the owner how to fly the air­ plane and acquire a rating! It was con­ verted to turbine power by Frakes Avia­ tion which in conjunction with the fully reversing propellers, allows the airplane to push itself away from shore. The original e ngines were P&W R-1340 's of 600 hp .

There are presently 32 Grumman Mallards remaining on the U.S. register.

Owen Stiegelmeier's Meyers 145 A two and a half year restoration was completed in 1994 on this Meyers 145, N34360, SIN 203, that is the pride and joy of longtime EAAer Owen Stiege lm eier (EAA 65885, A/C 580) of Elyria, Ohio . Owen reports the speedy two-placer is the first of the model 145 that came off the line at Tecumseh, MI, and was Al Meyers' personal airplane for quite a spell. Of the twenty that were produced, sixteen are still on the U. S. register. Originally powered with a Contine ntal C-145 engine of 145 hp, Owen's has been upgraded to a Continental 10-360 engine of 210 hp pulling a constant-speed propeller. The net result is a two-place hot-rod that really moves out smartly!

24 APRIL 1995

Working on a project of your own? Send your photos along with a short story on your airplane to: Attn: H.G. Frautschy

EAA Headquarters

P.O. Box 3086

Oshkosh,VVI54903-3086

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by Buck Hilbert • EAA #21 • Ale #5 • P.O. Box 424 • Union, IL 60180 Dear Buck, I was always under the impression that years ago there was a type of Hobbs meter that was used to record the engine hours on aircraft that did not have an electrical system. My thinking is that the recording instrument was activated by the vibration of the running engine. In one case I thought I saw such an instrument that was on the firewall of an aircraft and it was held there by a magnet. The idea be­ ing, that since the aircraft was of show quality and it did not originally come with an engine hour recorder, it could be easily removed when the aircraft was being judged. My question is, was this just a dream that I had or did such an instru­ ment exist? Of course, if it does exist do you happen to know where I could find one?

I have enclosed a picture of the aircraft that I would want to put this instrument on. You may not recognize the aircraft but you should recognize the N-number (84405). You used to own it!

Dick, Good to hear from you! 84405100ks just great after all the trials and tribu­ lations you went through-its' "Bee­ yooty-ful." Will we see it at aSH? 84405 "had" a mechanical hour meter on it when you got it. Where'd it go?

We used it for all the years we had it.

It was mounted on the engine mount right near the oil filler cap. Worked just great. I don't remember where we got it, but it was from an auto/motor­ cycle parts house and it satisfied all the requirements of keeping a log.

Over to you, Buck

So went a quick exchange of letters a few weeks back. Dick had purchased our 7AC Champ several years ago, and after a ntishap made the decision to do a com­ plete restoration. He has promised that we will see N84405 at Oshkosh this year.

I'm really looking forward to seeing the new old girl again. All our kids grew up with this airplane and it was a fixture here at the "Funny Farm." It was a dis­ consolate moment when we saw it fly away. A poor decision, for sure, but now it's coming back to OSH and dressed in original factory threads.

Dick put everything back to original factory, even to the nonrecording tachometer. And thence comes the prob­ lem. He wanted to stay original, but then he has to make a log entry in each of the three logs: Engine, Propeller and Air­ plane after each flight. Somewhat of a chore when you come back after flying and spend time gassing, and cleaning.

You often forget to make the entry, and again you may have even forgotten your watch or to even remember the time.

What to do?

Well, I was thumbing through the Northern Hydraulics catalog shortly after Dick had called, and I found they stock an item called the RTM (Run­ ning Time Meter). They have two ver­ sions of the meter, one electrical and one mechanical.

Both are identical in appearance. They are built by Computime, Inc., 2030 Florida Blvd West, Denham Springs, LA 70726, phone 504/665-1863. They are a neat 1-5/8 inch by 2-5/8 inch package with several mounting options. An LCD

Sincerely, Richard F. Charette Wadsworth, IL

Buck's son Bob spent a pleasant afternoon at his dad's place flying his newly acquired Champ on skis for his first time ever. Bob's first takeoff and touchdown on skis is recorded by Buck's camera.

(Right) Two shots of the Funny Farm super-duper hangar heater. The system heats the biggest heat sink you could find in the hangar - the concrete slab floor, and the radiant heat keeps your feet nice and warm. The high-temp flexi­ ble hot water line was laid in the floor a couple of years ago, exiting the floor in a common location. A simple cop­ per manifold connects the tubes to the hot water heater, recirculation pump and an expansion tank that has been gutted, so it now acts simply as a heater fluid reservoir. A 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water is used in the system.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

display gives running time (each run) and keeps accumulating total time.

There is a little Lithium battery in­ stalled that will last about three years under regular industrial usage (10 hours a day for 3 years, or 2,600 hours!), so it should last a very long time for us antiquers. Computime does sell direct, so if you think this would be of interest, pick up the phone and give them a call.

They are not TSO'd but this appears to be the answer to keeping up with the time. There was a German Moto­ Meter installed on 84405 at one time that somehow got lost in the restora­ tion. This looks like an even better substitute. If anybody out them knows of any other manufacturers of similar equipment, drop us a line and fill us in on the details. As for the Run­ ning Time Meter, I think I'll get me one and install it on our Sedan.

Over to you, Buck PS. Richard dropped me a note just the other day to say that he bought one of the Running Time Meter units and that it works great on the Champ.

A couple of weeks ago, when the Northern Illinois weather was exercis­ ing its winter muscle, H .G., our inter­ rupted editor, came down to do some ski flying. He never did get to do it.

There was a three foot drift in front of the hangar door and the temperature was hovering in the vicinity of six to eight degrees Fahrenheit. It was NOT a day to get an airplane out. We could have done it, but the idea of braving the near 15 mph wind, shoveling snow and my sudden and unexplained at­ tack of laziness gave way to a coffee klatch instead.

26 APRIL 1995

After coffee, I took him out to the shop to show him the J-5 we are work­ ing on. It came in for an annual and the engine flunked the compression test. OK! So we'll top it! Oh, yeah, sure, we will. The owner was over­ joyed when the cylinder people called and told us they were all next to junk!

Three were cracked and the last one wouldn't grind within the tolerance for chroming. We were looking at big bucks to weld and chrome and re­ place. We settled for some used but serviceable ones, and the airplane is now about to come out of the shop.

H.G. walked into the shop and said something like, "Hey, it's warm in here!" " Yes," we said, "We got heat!

Look over there, see that hot water heater with the tank above it? Well, when we put the floor in the shop we put hot water tubing in the floor with the intent to have radiant heat. We now have it."

"But that's just an electric hot water heater. How did you do it?" So I told him the story.

We had shopped around for a bot­ tle gas hot water boiler and found they were horribly expensive. Then, too, we don't have a water supply out there in the shop, so that was another major hurdle. Came a glimmer of an idea.

Why not a closed system? Fill it with antifreeze and it should work. I called my good buddy the plumber and asked for his advice. He assured me it would work so we started collecting the parts.

Over at Sears I found a new electric 40 gallon hot water heater that had a dinged outer cover. Cosmetically it looked mean, but it was NEW and it was just what I needed . I got it for half price and it even came with a pop off or pressure relief valve. My plumber friend came up with a used

circulating pump and I bought a 110 volt thermostat. Up in the loft of the barn I had saved a used expansion tank.

We put all this stuff together, added 25 gallons of antifreeze and "presto" we had a neat heating system where we set the thermostat at 45 degrees and it minds itself. This allows us to work barehanded and with warm feet.

There isn't any air blowing around; it's very quiet, no open flame burners, and the cost of operation is reasonable.

Mechanically, the operation is sim­ ple. The thermostat is connected to the 110 volt circulation pump . The built-in thermostat settings on the heater are set at the lowest value, about 105 degrees. The water is hot all the time and whenever the air thermo­ stat calls for heat, the pump turns on and circulates the antifreeze through the floor.

How much did it cost? Well, the biggest item was the tubing in the floor. It was done a couple years ago at the time we poured the floor. I don't remember how much it was but it seems to me it was expensive, and there is about 500 feet of it under that concrete. The heater cost about $80.00, the circulating pump and miscella­ neous fittings were another hundred, and the thermostat sixty. The an­ tifreeze was about $3.60 a gallon and we used 25 gallons . All together the out of pocket expense was about $330.00. We couldn't even buy a de­ cent space heater for that price, and we are well pleased with the results.

It sure is nice working out there with warm feet and the cost of operation is far outweighed by the simplicity and trouble free operation.

Over to you,

J. F. Meade, Jr. of Hammondsport, NY adds: Dear George,

ysteryPane

by George Hardie and H.G. Frautschy Member Earl Stahl was kind enough to send along a couple of photos of this month's Mystery Plane. He actually sent them in quite some time ago, but time seemed to slip away on us. Answers will be published in the July issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Dead­ line for that issue is May 25, 1995.

The January Mystery Plane was a lot of fun for afew of our readers. Racers seem to evoke strong memories for many people, espe­ cially if they were seen in their heyday.

Our first answer is from Lynn A. Towns, Brooklyn, MI:

steel tube with fabric covered wings and removable formed aluminum panels on the fuselage. The horizontal tail was an 'all flying' one piece type, and the main landing gear retracted vertically into the thick wing root with fairing doors. The engine was a 90 hp Cirrus.

"Harvey Mummert flew the Mercury S in the 1930 All American Flying Derby (Cirrus Derby), but withdrew after a forced landing caused by carburetor prob­ lems damaged the right wing."

"The mystery plane pictured in the January issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE is the S Racer or 'Red Racer ' designed and built by Harvey Mummert in the 1930­ 1931 time frame at Mercury Aircraft in Hammondsport, New York.

"An unusual episode took place with this airplane when after a race in a nearby city Mummert was unable to lower the landing gear; instead of landing on its belly at the airport he flew to Hammondsport and after cooling the engine by stopping it at a high altitude, he proceeded to spiral down to a dead stick landing in the water of Keuka Lake at Champlain Beach, where he coasted up to the shore and stepped out of the airplane without getting his feet wet, and very little damage to the plane or the engine. The engine from this plane can be seen today in the recently restored 'Mer­ cury' Racer at the Glen H . Curtiss Mu­ seum here in Hammondsport. "

Other answers were received from Herb deBruyn, Bellevue, WA; Charley Hayes, New Lenox, IL; Ralph Riedesel, Paton, lA; and Ralph Nortell, Spokane, WA. Bob Pauley, Farmington Hills, MI sent in photos of the Mercury S-1 Racer after it's restoration by the late Larry Wood which we'll publish in a later edition of VINTAGE AIRPLANE. ...

Dear Mr. Hardie, "The Mystery Airplane in the January issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE is the Mercury S Racer which was designed by Harvey Mummert and built by Otto Kohl in Hammondsport, New York. Mummert was chief engineer and Kohl was plant su­ perintendent at Mercury Aircraft (previ­ ously known as Aerial Service Corpora­ tion). This was a spare time project which was intended to promote Mercury Air­ craft products.

"The construction was of all we lded

Mercury S Racer VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

Mark E. Pfunke William L. Philbrick William L. Poole Franklin V. Reagan William Rees James D. Rezendes Gerald E . Rickheim Richard Roath Charles L. Rook Harry F. Ropp Scott Rustad Clarence W. Rutter

New Members

Mike Abdul Westchester,IL Harry Albert Silsbee, TX Larry Allen Brockwood, TN Gregg E. Anderson Naples, FL Stephen H. Arnold Memphis, TN Chuck Attema Santa Cruz, CA Robert Baker Allen Park, MI Ronald M. Bales Salem, OR Duke A . Ball Oxford,IA John Baratta Englishtown, NJ Roderick W. Barnes Zanesville,OH Bruce S. Barrett Pasadena, MD G. Russell Berry Kingsland, TX David P. Bigelow Quincy,IL Dirck T. B. Born Cambridge, MA Michael Boyette Diboll, TX Stephen Brackley Pacific Palisades, CA Robert L. Broaddus Corona del Mar, CA Glenn E. Brooks Winter Haven, FL Robert J. Brown Derby, KS Terrell L. Burks Huntsville, AL Fee Busby Conway, AR Denis C. Bush Tekonsha, MI Joseph Caccamise Edgewater, MD Michael A. C. Chapman Merrow, Guildford, England Thomas W. Clements Scottsdale, AZ Richard Clohecy Gravette, AR Kenneth Collinge Trumbull,cr D. E. Copeland Selma, TX Jack E. Craiglow Lancaster, OH Charles F. Davis Flossmoor, IL Don A. De Gasperi Albuquerque, NM Bruce DeStafdno Clearspring, MD Steven C. Devine Haddonfield, NJ Joel Draskovich Habbing,MN Charles E. Dray Rockford, IL Steven A. Eastburn Champaign, IL John Eastman Rockport, ME Russ Ellis Davis, IL Ben T. Epps Atlanta, GA John Everette Garner, NC Charles Foust St. Clair Shores, MI R. Dave Geer Maumee, OH Bob Gillespie Bethesda, MD Lexington, MA John B. Graham, Jr. 28 APRIL 1995

Jerry Gray Belgrade, MT George Martin Gumbert, Jr. Lexington, KY Jerry D. Hail Keatchie, LA Jeffrey E. Hamm North Little Rock, AR J. Carl Hendershot Deleon Springs, FL Jerry Henderson Zanesville, OH Ken Hollis Haltom, TX Donald D. Kamm North Bend, WA Paul M. Keeku Kenosha, WI Charles A. Keskimaki Naperville,IL David N. Kieffer Kutztown, P A Edward Kilanski Boyceville, WI Brian W. Knechtel Scotland, Ontario, Canada Donald R. Krout Incline Village, NV Bill T. Kuhar Cleveland,OH Richard M. Lane Grafton, OH Botero E. Lazaro Pereira, Colombia James E. Leavitt Sanford, FL Lyle Letteer Oakwood, GA John E. Lukaszewicz Syracuse, NY Chester A. Maciver Watertown, cr John S. Magdic Doylestown, P A Fergus H. Mann Bridgeport, MI James A. Martin Rockwood, TN Stephen J. Martin Pottsville, P A Alan G. McGrady Bradenton, FL Patrick E. McGuinness Cincinnati, OH Douglas D McNaughton Lynnwood, W A John E. Milczarek Round Lake, NY Kenneth Miller Marietta , GA Dale J. Milnes Richmond, IN Worthington,OH Charles R. Moor L. Dewey Nichols Panama City, FL Dallas Nord Woodinville, WA Irving H . Norton Harwinton, cr Peter Onderak, Sr. Cleveland, OH Jayne A. Orleans Eastsound, W A John H . Osborn Austin, TX Seth E. Owen Milwaukee, WI Nancie Parrack Coral Gables, FL Daniel Patrick Galena, AK Coeur D' Alene, ID Delmer L. Pedersen Victor Peres Erie, PA Oliver William Perin, Jr. Cincinnati,OH

Mendham,NJ Eugene, OR Alexander City, AL Destrehan, LA Franklin, IL Summerset, CA Waukesha, WI Madison,OH Bryant, AR Wonder Lake, IL Devils Lake, ND Fairfax, VA

APRIL 22-23 - SPRINGFIELD, IL - 2nd Annual Charlie We lls Memorial Fly­ InlDrive-In. 217/483-320l.

APRIL 22-23 - AMERICUS, GA - 2nd Annual Lindbergh Days, held at the site of his first solo flight. Homebuilts, Warbirds, airshow daily. Contact: Dale Sellars , 912/931-2561.

APRIL 29 - KITTY HA WK , NC - An­ tique (pre-1960) Aircraft Fly-In. Replica an­ tiques welcome. Wright Memorial Field, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sponsored by First Flight Soci­ ety and Dare County Airport Autority.

Show aircraft advance registration requested.

Contact: Tim Gaylord, 919/473-2600.

APRIL 29 - OPELOUSAS , LA - EAA Chapter 529 Fly-In. Rain date 5/6. 318/942­ 2254.

APRIL 29 - LEVELLAND, TX - EAA Chapter 19 Fly-In Breakfast. 8061797-1900.

APRIL 29·30 - GRIFFIN, GA - Alexan­ der Aeroplane ' s Builders ' Workshop. 1­ 800/831-2949.

APRIL 30 - CUMBERLAND , MD ­ EAA Chapter 426 Fly-In Breakfast. 3011777­ 2951.

APRIL 30 - HALF MOON BAY, CA ­ Pacific Coast Dream Machines Fly-In. 4151726-2328.

MA Y 5·7 - WOODLAND , CA - First Annual Gt. Vall ey Fly-In . 916/666-1751, FAX 916/666-707l.

MA Y 5·7 - ROANOKE RAPIDS , NC­ EAA NC Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In. Contact: Ray Bottom, Jr. 8041722-5056 or Fax 804/873­ 3059, MA Y 6·7 - CLEVELAND , OH - 11 th Annual Air Racing History Symposium.

216/255-8100.

MA Y 6·7 - GEORGETOWN , TX - 9th Annual Fly-In/Airshow. 512/869-1759.

MA Y 7 - Rockford , IL - EAA Chapter 22 annual fly-in breakfast at Mark Clark 's Cour­ tes y Aircraft, Greater Rockford Airport.

Wallace Hunt 815/332-4708.

MA Y 13 - PUNTA GORDA, FL - EAA Chapter 565 Pancak e Breakfast Fly-In .

813/575-6360.

MA Y 13 - VIDALIA, LA - EAA Chap­ te r 912 Spring Picnic/Banquet. Rain dat e 5/20. 3181757-2103.

MA Y 13 - TOCCOA , GA - EAA Chap­ ter 1011 Parade of Planes. Fax 7061779­ 2302.

MA Y 19·21 - PA ULS V ALLEY, OK ­ Antique Airplane Fly-In . Contact Dick Fournier 405/258-1129 or Bob Kruse 405/691­ 6940.

MA Y 20 - DAYTON, OH - Chapter 325 EAA Day/U.S. Air Force Museum. 216/382­ 0781.

MA Y 20 - CRESTVIEW , FL - EAA

Richard Savell Colton , CA Sam Schaerer Bartlett , IL Ken R. Schmitt Leverkusen, Germany Thomas O. Schneider, Sr. Cle Elum, WA William R. Schonasky Manassas, V A Arthur F. Sereque, Jr. Westmont, IL William P. Shaffer Huntington Beach , CA Donald Sievers Minooka, IL G. M. Simms Clovis, NM Stefan Sonestedt Gammelstad, Sweden M.Stow Blayton Burn, Tyne & Wear, England Chapter] 08 Pancake Breakfast. 904/862­ 2673.

MA Y 20 - DAYTON, OH - EAA Chapter 325. EAA day at the U.S. Air Force Museum.

216/382-078l.

MA Y 20 - NEWPORT NEWS, VA - 23rd Annual Colonial Fly-In, sponsored by EAA Chapter 156. Newport NewslWilliamsburg IntI. Airport. Contact Charles Collier for info and no-radio entry. 804/247-5844.

MA Y 20-21 - WINCHESTER, VA - EAA Chapter 186 Annual Spring Fly-In. 703/391­ 0674.

MA Y 20-21 - BLAINE, MN - EAA Chap­ ter 237 Pancake Breakfast/Fly-In . 6121757­ 4353.

MA Y 20-21 - MIDLAND, TX - Dynamics of Flight Discovery Center. CAF Headquar­ ters. 9151563-] 000.

MA Y 21 - ROMEOVILLE, IL - EAA Chapter ]5 Annual Pancake Breakfast.

3121735-1353 (after 6 p.m.).

MA Y 26-28 - ATCHISON, KS - 29th An­ nual Fly-In , sponsored by the Kan sas City Chapter of the AAA. Contacts: Del Durham, 8]6/753-6625 or Dr. A.F. Lindquist, 8161756­ 094l.

MA Y 27-28 - SYRACUSE, NY - Alexan­ der Aeroplane 's Builders ' Workshop. 1­ 800/831-2949.

MA Y 27-28 - TOCCOA , GA - EAA Chapter 1011 Fly-In. R ain date 6/3-4 .

7061779-3446.

MA Y 27-28 - RESERVE, LA - EAA Chapter 971 Day on the Delta. Rain date 6/3­ 4. 504/652-9270.

MAY28- CUMBERLAND,MD-EAA Chapter 426 Fly-In Breakfast. 3011777-295].

MA Y 28 - SMOKETOWN , PA - EAA Chapter 540] 3th Annual Fly-In Breakfast.

Rain date 5/29. 717/486-083l.

JUNE 2-3 - MERCED, CA - 38th Annual Merced West Coast Antique Fly-In. Contact: Mike Berry, 209/358-3728 or for concessions, call Dick Escola, 209/358-6707.

JUNE 4 - DEKALB , IL - EAA Chapter 241 a nnu al breakfast 7am - noon . 8151286­ 7818.

JUNE 2-3 - BARTLESVILLE, OK - 9th annual National Biplane Convention and Expo. Biplanes and NBA members free - all others pay adm ission. Charlie Harris - 918/622­ 8400, or Virgil Gaede, 918/336-3976.

JUNE 2-4 - MERCED, CA - 38th Annual Merced West Coast Antique Fly-In. 2091722­ 6666.

JUNE 9-10 - DENTON, TX - Texas Chap­ te r of the AAA Annual Fly-In. Contact: Danny Doyle, 214/542-2455.

JUNE 9-11- WICHITA, KS - Aerodrome Days '95. 316/683-9242.

JUNE 11- LANSING, IL - EAA Chapter

William J . Steffenhagen Grayslake, IL Pt. Pleasant, NJ Richard L. Surgent Gerald Sutterfield Palm Beach Gardens, FL Keith L. Taurman Virginia Beach, V A Auburn, CA David W. Thiel John P. Tomlinson Marana, AZ Lori M. Traina Middle town, P A William D. Tyler T unkhannock, PA Richard D. Vandecar Caro, MI Terence D. Vaughan Royal Oak, MI John S. Vigneau S. Yarmouth , MA

Jeary R. Vogt Malvern, PA Jerome M. Weedman Buffalo Grove, IL Mark A. White New Orleans, LA Rodney L. White Stanley, NC James M. Williamson Northfield, MN Andrew B. Woodside Pickerington, OH Christopher Lee Woodward Murfreesboro, TN Christopher T. Yaney Cheyenne, WY Jimmy A. Y ohe Greenbree, CA Richard J. Zak Kinnelon, NJ Piqua,OH Pat Zimmerman

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

260 Fly-In Breakfastl GPS rafflel Young Ea­ gles Rally. Info: 7081331-4276.

JUNE 11 - INDEPENDENCE, KS - EAA C hap ter 980 4th annual fly-in breakfast.

316/331-2592.

JUNE 10-11- COLUMBUS, OH - Alexan­ der Aeroplane 'S Builders ' Workshop . ]­ 800/831-2949.

JUNE 15-18 - ST. LOUIS , MO - Creve Coeur Airport. American Waco Club Fly-In. Con tacts: Phil Coulson, 616/624-6490 or John Halterman, 314/434-4856.

JUNE 17-18 - CAMARILLO, CA - 15th Annual Fly-In. Homebuilts, Antiques, Clas­ sics, Warbirds , featuring the CAF's B-29 "Fifi." Contact: John Parrish, 805/488-3372.

JUNE 18 - RUTLAND , VT - 4th Annual Traildragger Rendezvous! EAA Chapter 968 pancake breakfast, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Contact: 802/492-3647.

JUNE 23-25 - GREELEY, CO - 17th An­ nual EAA Rocky Mountain Reg ional Fly­ In/Airshow. 3031798-6086.

JUNE 22-25 - MT. VERNON , OH - 36th Annual National Waco Reunion Fly-In. " Greatest Waco Show on Earth." For info call 513/868-0064.

JUNE 24-25 - GREELEY , CO - Alexan­ der Aeroplane's Builders' Workshop. 1­ 800/831-2949.

JUNE 30-JULY 2 - GAINESVILLE, GA - 27th Annual " Cracker Fly-In. " Sponsored

by EAA Chapter 611. Contact: Bennet Aiken, 404/532-8558 or Bob Savage, 4041718-1966.

JULY 2 - WISCONSIN RAPIDS , WI­ EAA Chapt e r 706 Fly-InlDrive-ln Pancake Breakfast. 8:01 a.m. to 11:59 a.m. 7]5/435­ 3644.

JULY 5-9 - ARLINGTON, WA - 26th An­ nu al Northwest EAA Fly-In/Sport Aviation Conve ntion. 360/435-5857.

JULY 9-15 - KALISPELL, MT - 26th anniversary convention of the IntI. Cessna 170 Assoc. Contacts: AI Jennings, 406/837­ 3133 or Terry Westphal , 406/257-4004.

JULY 14-16 - RED LAKE, ONTARIO, CANADA - Diamond Jubil ee Norseman Floatplane Festival. Events for both pilots and pedestrians. Contact the Norseman Festival Committee at 8071727-2809.

JULY 24-26 - LA CROSSE, WI - Short Wing Piper Club Annual Convention.

507/238-4579.

JULY 27-AUGUST 2 - OSHKOSH, WI - 43rd Annual EAA Fly-In and Sport Avia­ tion Convention. Wittman Regional Air­ port. Contact John Burton, EAA, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086,414/426­ 4800.

AUG. 20 - BROOKFIELD, WI - AIC Chapter 11 10th annual vintage airplane dis­ play and ice cream social. noon ' til 5 p.m.

414178] -9550.

SEPT. 9-10 - MARION, OH - MERFI (Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In). 513/253­ 4629.

SEPT. 16-17 - ROCK FALLS, IL - North Central Regional Fly-In. 708/513-0642.

SEPT. 23-24 - ALEXANDRIA, LA ­ Gulf Coast Regional Fly-In . 504/467-1505.

OCT. 6-8- PAULS VALLEY, OK -An­ tique Airplane Fly-in. Contact Dick Fournier 405/258-1129 or Bob Kruse 405/691-6940.

OCT. 6-8 - EVERGREEN, AL - South­ east Regional Fly-In. 2051765-9109.

OCT. 6-8 - WILMINGTON , DE - East Coast Regional Fly-In. 215/869-3484.

OCT. U-15 - PHOENIX, AZ - Copper­ state Regional Fly-In. 6021750-5480.

OCT. 20-22 - KERRVILLE, TX - South­ west Regional Fly-In. 915/651-7882.

'*

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Co erage suitable for the whole family Bruce M. Bixler" First soloed, 7966 Earned Private and

Commercial License,

7967-7977 Taylorcraft Owner's

Club, President and

Newsletter Editor

Currently Restoring a 7947 DC-65 NC36263

"AUA, Inc. has been an excellent company for my family with benefits that are 'tailor-made'

AUAis

for Taylorcraft owners. The feedback from members of the Taylorcraft Owner's Club (TOC) has been very positive, especially the

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Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages

exclusion . I always urge every TOC member to

No hand-propping exclusion

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No age penalty

No component parts endorsements joining EAA's Antique/Classic Division . I'm

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lower premiums and the no hand-propping

call AUA to compare rates and benefits after

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AVIArlON UNLlMlrED AGENCY

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) VINTAGE AIRPLANE to:

P.O. Box 3086 OSHKOSH, WI 54903-3086

EAA SCHOLARSHIPS AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING PILOT AND MECHANIC

EAA

ATT: CHUCK LARSEN

EAA AVIATION CENTER

PO BOX 3086

OSHKOSH, WI 54903-3086

414/426-4800

or call1-S00-S43-3612

40¢ per word, $6.00 minimum charge. Send your ad to The Vintage Trader, EAA Aviation Center, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 Payment must accompany ad. VISA/MasterCard accepted.

MISCELLANEOUS:

SUPER CUB PA-18 FUSELAGES ­ New manufacture, STC-PMA­ d, 4130 chrome-moly tubing throughout, also complete fuselage re­ pair. ROCKY MOUNTAIN AIRFRAME INC. (J. E. Soares, Pres.), 7093 Dry Creek Rd., Belgrade, Montana 59714.406-388-6069. FAX 406/ 388-0170. Repair station No. QK5R148N.

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FREE CATALOG ­ Aviation books and videos. How to, building and restoration tips, historic, flying and entertainment titles. Call for a free catalog, 1-800-843-3612.

(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. (ufn)

Sitka Spruce Lumber - Oshkosh Home Bldg. CIr, Inc. 414/235-0990.

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Modellers, Historians - Aviation packets for sale. Plans, three-views, cutaways, engines, racing alc, historic news photos and pulp maga­ zine drawings. $5 to $14. Send $1 $ SASE for sample info to: Douglas Worthy, 1149 Pine, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266. (4-2)

Wheel Pants ­ The most accurate replica wheel pants for antique and classics available on the market today_100% satisfaction guaran­ teed. Available in primer gray gelcoat. Harbor Ultra-Lite Products Co., 1326 Batey Place, Harbor City, CA 90720, phone 310/326-5609 or FAX 310/530-2124. (ufn)

AIRCRAFT: Stinson 10-A Available ­ Recent restoration, an '8' inside and out with original Franklin 90. Asking $13,000 with a fresh annual. Write: Stinson, POB 2431, Oshkosh, WI 54903 or call 4141235-8714 and leave your name, address and phone number. (5-2)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31

Fly high with a

quality Classic interior

Complete interior assemblies for do-it-yourself installation.

Custom quality at economical prices.

• Cushion upholstery sets • Wall panel sets • Headliners • Carpet sets • Baggage compartment sets • Firewall covers • Seat slings • Recover envelopes and dopes

DoLY-FmER... plus

r genius, perseverence, dedication, perspiration,

easy application and unri­ valed aurability, and PolyTone because it recreated the satin finish of the '30s.

Try it yourself at one of our Learn-to-Cover Work­ shops, held nationwide.

They're hands on and just $150 a person. And look for us at the Oshkosh and Lakeland fly-ins, too.

Free catalog of complete product line.

and a love of classic aircraft.

G eoffrey de Hav illand designed the Comet racer in 1Y34. A few years later it became the phenomenal Mosqui to fighte r-bomber.

Tom Wathen's replica chose Poly-Fiber for its

Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and

styles of materials: $3.00.

rhe Benchmark of Aircraft Covering Systems

Qil1~RODUCTS,

Customer Service:

800-361-3490

INC.

259 Lower Morrisville Rd ., Dept. VA Fallsington, PA 19054 (215) 295-4115

__

LEXANDER EROPLANE COMPANY, INC.

Other Stuff: 909-684-4280

Post O ffice Box 3129

Ri verside, California 925 19

Formerly Stirs

Hardware Airframe Parts Interiors & Covering Materials Presewn Fabric Envelopes

15% Discount to ALL EAAMembers Enjoy all the sights and sounds ofEAA Oshkosh '94, with the annual Fly-in Convention video

Call 1-800-831-2949 for a FREE Catalog and Subscription to Aeroplane News!

BUYBOTH TAPES aN{y £ 19 .95 >c'i-'!> Q~/~

Ask about our Workshops!

2-Full Days of Detailed Classroom

and Hands-On Instruction

for only $1991

Your Choice: Fabric Covering, Composite

Basics, Welding or Sheet Metal Basics!

P.O. Box 909 • Griffin, Ga • Fax: 404-229-2329 32 APRil 1995

A i r c r a f t C«>,a"t:in.gs

EAAVideos in PAL European Format

"Our Main Product is Service" • • • •

ffiffi5

Experience the fun ofseaplanes with Wake ofWings

..

CODE 941

Send Cheques/Postal Orders Payable to CORD AV Ltd CORD AV Dept EAA 2(b) Cleveland Street Kempston Bedford MK42 SON, ENGLAND

30 Mil1$.

£9.95

+£2 p&p

Catalogue and

Credit Card Orders

HOTLINE 'leI (0234) 840122 or

FAX (0234) 841076 IT"SFASTERBYFAX

EllA Members: Now you can get

the liability insurance you need, and

the aircraft financing you're looking for!

The EAA Insurance and Finance Plans offer you exclusive benefits, making flying - and buying - more affordable than ever!

The EAA Insurance Plan

The EAA Finance Plan

Underwritten by AVEMCO and NATIONAL.

Aircraft financing through NAFCOo

EAA Members now have a choice of insurance plans from AVEMCO or NATIONAL, tailored specifically to their needs, budgets and type of flying!

AVEMCO's Direct Approach® 2000 and NATIONAL's Personal Aircraft Insurance policies have expanded coverages available only to EAA members. Construction and first flight coverage is available for amateur built aircraft. Additional benefits for both amateur and standard-category aircraft include: a "disappearing" deductible ... right of first refusal on salvage ... and special consideration given to EAA members who participate in chapter activities and the EAA Flight Advisor and/or Technical Counselor programs.

AVEMCO's Direct Approach® 2000 - the new standard in aircraft insurance""'­ also provides extended liability coverage after the sale of your aircraft, and up to $5,000 legal defense if a pilot enforcement action is brought against you, as a result of a covered accident or loss.

Call today to get all the details on

The EAA Insurance Plan!

1-800-638-8440 Ee iI)

CAVEMCO' G NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY This is only a general

description of coverage.

Exclusions and limitations apply.

.....

Designed to make purchasing of aircraft and kits more affordable, the EAA Finance Plan is a new program available exclusively to EAA members.

Traditionally providing financing for normal category aircraft valued at $25,000 or more, the EAA Finance Plan from NAFCO lowers the minimum loan amount to $10,000 and includes gliders, classics, antiques, ultralights, experimentals (under construction, as well as flying) selected warbirds and sport aircraft. Rates start at 9.75%*, with terms of up to 10 years.

Whether you're a first-time buyer, or a seasoned owner looking to refinance your aircraft, you owe it to yourself to call the EAA Finance Hotline.

The lending professionals at NAFCO have been bringing pilots and aircraft together for more than 30 years. And, in addition to their competitive rates and flexible terms, they pride themselves on their outstanding customer service ... even getting together on a weekend , if that's more convenient for you.

Call today to get all the details on The EAA Finance Plan!

1·800·999·4515

NAFCO

Same number in Canada

...,... (AVEMCO policy not available in Quebec) (NATIONAL policy not available in Canada)

"I strongly urge

all EAA members

to take advantage

of these plans. "

ORates and terms are subject to change.

"The EAA Insurance Plan rewards members for their participation in EAA Chapters, and their use of the EAA Technical Counselor and Flight Advisor Programs. The EAA Financing Plan opens the world of aviation to those who might not have been able to own or build their own aircraft.

Aircraft owners and pilots can participate in these programs with confidence. The cooperative efforts - and combined strength - of EAA, AVEMCO, NATIONAL and NAFCO parallel EAA's mission of opening the world of flight to anyone who wishes to participate. " Tom Poberezny, President, EAA MK15C