VA-Vol-28-No-9-Sept-2000

STRAIGHT AND LEVEL 2

EAA AIRVENTURE 2000 VAA AWARDS

3

VAA NEWS

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AEROMAIL

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THIRTY FIVE YEARS AT THE OUTER MARKER! Dutch Redfield

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PASS IT TO BUCKlE.E. "Buck" Hilbert

10 YUKON TREASURE/John Underwood 18 YUKON GOLD/john Underwood 22 FORCED LANDING ATTITUDE/ Denis M. Arbeau 24 MYSTERY PLANE/H.G. Frautschy 27 CALENDAR 28 WELCOME NEW MEMBERS 29 CLASSIFIEDS

www.vintageaircraft.org

Publisher

TOM POBEREZNY

Editor-ill-Chief

scon SPANGLER

Executive Director, Editor

HENRY G. FRAUTSCHY

Executive Editor

MIKE DIFRISCO

Contributing Editors

JOHN UNDERWOOD BUDD DAVISSON

ArtIPhoto Layout

BETH BLANCK

Photography Staff

JIM KOEPNICK LEEANN ABRAMS MARK SCHAIBLE

Advertising/Editorial Assistant

ISABELLE WISKE SEE PAGE 32 FOR FURTHER VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INFORMATION

s

by ESPIE "BUTCH" JOYCE PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

NEW AIRVENTURE DATES FOR 2001 Thoughts on Fly-Ins Following up on suggestions made in 1999 and after sur­ veying members and volunteers during the past AirVenture, it has been decided to shift the dates for AirVenture by one day, making it now a Tuesday through Monday event. In 2001, EAA AirVenture will take place Tuesday, July 24th through Monday, July 30th. Based on the feedback we received, the new schedule should better accommodate volunteers, guests and vendors.

I'm looking forward to the change in the AirVenture sched­ ule. As a member and volunteer who attends the entire event, it will make it easier to plan our trip and give us plenty of time to work our way home after AirVenture.

AirVenture 2000 is now part of this past summer's mem­ ories, and we sure had a great time! Were you there in Oshkosh? Lots of fun, a little rain, cool temperatures and great airplanes and airplane people all added up to a won­ derful week.

Total attendance was down a bit for the event, and there may have been a number of reasons. Gas prices, and the weather, while generally good in the upper Midwest, was poor for some people trying to fly in during the early part of Air­ Venture. Quality seems to be the hallmark of the airplanes that did make it here in our area and those of the homebuilt, war­ birds and ultralight airplanes. It was quite a week!

We had about the same amount of airplanes in our area, with a marked increase in Contemporary airplanes. While we were down on Antique airplanes, the judges told me that the airplanes we had were of outstanding quality.

I'll have plenty more to write about concerning the 2000 edition of AirVenture in next month's column.

I was reading an article in the Summer 2000 issue of Sports­ man Pilot magazine, and I'd like to share it with you. Jack Cox, publisher and editor of this wonderful quarterly magazine wrote about VAA chapter 3's efforts to increase attendance at their fly-ins . We've all noticed that people don't seem to stay at fly-ins as long as they used to. We've all wondered why, and as usual, Jack has skewered the truth. With his permission, here's what Jack wrote: II • • •

This is a problem facing fly-ins all over the country today.

lilt appears that it is not a matter ofa lessening of interest in

homebuilts and vintage airaaft, but, rather, that there are simply so many more activities competing for people's time these days. The times they are indeed a' changin'-and all of us have to cope as best we can.

For us diehard enthusiasts who will never give up our love for avi­ ation and the kindred spirits who share our affliction, it was business as usual, however. The same little groups were to be found sitting under wings taking airplanes, or out wandering up and down the parking lines admiring the showplanes and talking to their own­ ers. For us, little changes - we just keep enjoying the same 01' same 01', year after year. There are always newly built or newly restored airplanes to pique our interest and an occasional newcomer to take into the fold, but how much has really changed in the past halfcen­ tury sinceEAA, VAA and AAA were formed?

Maybe that's really the crux ofthe matter. With all the dramatic and often traumatic upheavals we've seen in our way oflife in the past halfcentury, perhaps it should not be surprising that there is a certain comfort level in being able to sit down under an airplane wing occasionally and ramble on about our favorite things with someone who feels the same way about them we do. The older we get, I think, the more we tend to appreciate such simple pleasures . .. and in the context ofour current ever-mare-frenetic world, just how precious and inevitably transitory they really are.

There is one cold, hard fact of life in all this we have to acknowl­ edge, though. There is not now and there never will be again a generation that has the same passion for aviation that those of us have who were born in roughly the first halfofthe 20th century. We grew up at a time when being a pilot was the most exciting, heroic thing a person could do-a time before astronauts, rock stars, and dot.com instant billionaires. When we open our hangar doors and see our airplanes waiting there, we experience emotions based on memories, attitudes and experiences that are ofa different time and a different cultural context. We can't expect younger enthusiasts to see the world . .. and aviation . .. precisely the same way we do, so if it is the fate of our sport aviation world to be inaeasingly caught up in a struggle by competing interests for everyone's time, we sim­ ply have to roll with the punches. Those ofus who are so inclined can still go to the fly-ins early and stay as late as we please, and those who can only spare a day in their schedule can do that.

There's really nothing to be gained by getting worked up over the sit­ uation - let's just all enjoy whatever time we can spend together, whether it's a weekend, a day or just a few hours."

Enjoying time spent together-isn't that the pOint, more of­ ten than not? Think back to your favorite fly-in memories. If you're like me, I'll bet the best part about it was the friend you saw or the old buddy you hadn't seen in years.

Ask a friend to join the Vintage Aircraft Association. Re­ member, we are better together. Join us and have it all! .....

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

1

EAA AIRVENTURE VAA AWARDS ANTIQUE GRAND CHAMPION John Swander, De Soto, KS, Waco UEC (NCI2471) RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION Densel Williams, Jackson, MI, Aeronca Chief (NX22378) SPECIAL AWARD - JUDGES CHOICE Delta Airlines, Inc. , Atlanta, GA, Dou­ glas DC-3-G202A (N28341) CHAMPION - CUSTOMIZED AIR­ CRAFT Richard Ash, Piffard, NY, Waco UPF-7 (NC29303) RUNNER UP Mark Gulbrandson, Prior Lake, MN, Waco UPF-7 (N39748) OUTSTANDING Charles Davis, Washington Island, WI, Waco YQC-6 (NCI6009) CHAMPION - TRANSPORT CATE­ GORY Greg Herrick, Jackson, WY, Stinson Tri­ motor (N11153) TRANSPORT RUNNER UP Delta Airlines, Inc., Atlanta, GA, Travel Air 6000 (NC8878) CHAMPION REPLICA AIRCRAFT Jim & Drew Jenkins, Waquoit, MA, Gee Bee E (NC856Y) REPLICA AIRCRAFT RUNNER UP Roy Redman, Faribault, MN, Waco Ta­ perwing (NX5HX) CHAMPION W.W.II MILITARY TRAINER OR LIAISON AIRCRAFT Ken Barnes, San Leandro, CA, Stinson L-5E (N3 1858) W.W.II ERA (1942-1945) CHAMPION WORLD WAR II ERA

1943-1945 Jim Jones, Newton, lA, Meyers OTW (N34323) 2 SEPTEMBER 2000

OUTSTANDING OPEN COCKPIT BIPLANE Dan Haas, Galesburg, IL, Boeing A75N1 (N40lDB) RUNNER UP Mark Haag, Houston, TX, Boeing E75 Stearman (N99AN) OUTSTANDING CLOSED COCKPIT BIPLANE Archie Lane, Cypress, CA, Beech D17S (N67736) CHAMPION SILVER AGE

(1928-1932) Jack Tiffany, Spring Valley, OH, Davis D1W (NC854N)

BRONZE AGE (1933-1941) CHAMPION BRONZE AGE (1933­

1941) Kent and Sandy Blankenburg, Grove­ land, CA, Lockheed 12A (N99K) OUTSTANDING CLOSED COCKPIT MONOPLANE Max Davis, Waconia, MN, Stinson Re­ liant SR-6A (NCI5 127) OUTSTANDING OPEN COCKPIT MONOPLANE William Rose, Barrington, IL, Ryan ST-A Special (N17368) OUTSTANDING CLOSED COCKPIT BIPLANE William Nutting, Prescott, AZ, Waco SRE (N1252W) RUNNER UP David Stark, Weatherford, TX, Stinson SR-9F (NI8425)

CLASSIC

2000 BEST CLASS I (0-80 HP) James Zangger, Cedar Rapids, lA, Tay­ lorcraft BCl2D (NC94953) BEST CLASS II (81-150 HP) Sydney Cohen, Wausau, WI, Ercoupe 4150 (N94196) BEST CLASS III (151 -235 HP) Mark Ohlinger, Akron, OH, Bellanca 14-13-2 (N86937) BEST CLASS IV 236 HP &: UP Charles Luigs, Bandera, TX, Cessna 195 (N9836A) BEST CUSTOM CLASS A Carol Cansdale, Eden Prairie, MN, Piper J-3 (N7072H) BEST CUSTOM CLASS B Ellis Clark, Bath, MI, Piper J-3 (N6615H) BEST CUSTOM CLASS C Hal Cope, Spring, TX Globe Swift GC1B (N3303K) BEST CUSTOM CLASS D Ronald Judy, Gate, OK, Navion (N8915H) BEST AERONCA CHAMP Me lvin Vorbach, Romne y, WV, 7EC (N4306C) BEST AERONCA CHIEF Wilbur Hostetler, Marion, IN , llAC Chief (NC9659E) BEST BEECHCRAFT W. Roberts , Fremont, CA, Beech C35 (N1808D)

BEST CESSNA 120/140 Robert Lidster, Mesquite, TX C-140 (NI872V)

GRAND CHAMPION Thomas J . Hammer and David Liebe­ gott, Clearfie ld , PA , Piper j3C-65 (N6697H)

BEST CESSNA 170/180 Paul Applegate, Queen City, MO, C­ 170B (N2548D)

RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION Michael Greenblatt, Midland, GA, Twin Beech, D-18S (N2913B)

BEST CESSNA 190/195 Ron Karwacky, Riverside , CA, C-195 (N3089B)

VAANEWS

compiled by H.G. Frautschy BEST ERCOUPE Alan Cuthbert , Dowagiac, MI 415-C (N93512)

CESSNA 1 70/ 172/1 75 Charles Papas, Crown POint, IN, Cessna 172 (N7612T)

BEST LUSCOMBE jerry Cox, Mattoon, IL 8F (N1947B)

CESSNA 180/182,/210 john Voninski, Manlius, NY, Cessna 182 (N2435G)

BESTNAVION Andrew Woodside, Pickerrington, OH (N4448K) BEST PIPERJ-3 William Hogan, North Little Rock, AR, j3C-65 (N92611 ) BEST PIPER OTHER Curtis Cumberland, Woodbine, MD , PA-20 Pacer (N7403K) BEST STINSON William Smith, Long Beach, CA, 108-1 (N97979) BESTSWIFf Duane Golding, Marion, TX, Globe B (N80626) BEST TAYLORCRAFT john Knight , jackson , Ml, BC12-D (N96035)

BEST LIMITED PRODUCTION Duane Peters, Anchorage, AK, DeHavil­ land Beaver (N73Q)

CESSNA 310

Leonard Rennie, Glenn Dale, MD,

Cessna 310 (N31OjT)

PIPER PA-22 TRI PACER j. D'Amico, Mount Airy, MD, PA-22 (N7455D) PIPER PA-24 COMANCHE Clifton Davis, Elida, OH , PA-24 (N5271P) UNIQUE AIRCRAFT Bob Luskin, Long Beach, CA, Cessna 175 taildragger (N9300B) LIMITED PRODUCTION jack Arthur, Des Moines, lA, Forney (Er­ coupe) (N3044G) CUSTOM CLASS I SINGLE ENGINE (0 -160 hp) james Douglass, Kennedyville, MD PA 20/22 (150 hp) (N6043D)

CONTEMPORARY

CUSTOM CLASS II SINGLE ENGINE (23 1 HP &: HIGHER) David Bennet, Colorado Springs, CO, Cessna 21O-B (N21OEA)

GRAND CHAMPION Steve Koshar, Coloma, MI, Cessna 172 (N3626L)

CLASS IV MULTI ENGINE jim Simmons , Nashville, TN, PA-23 (N3294P)

RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION john Morriso, Collierville, TN, Bellanca 14-19-3 (N8856R)

SEAPLANE AWARDS

OUTSTANDING CUSTOMIZED Ronnie Cox, Newnan GA, Piper Co­ manche 250 (N7930P)

GRAND CHAMPION Mark Taylor, Riverdale, IN, Grumman Widgeon G44A (N350GW)

OUTSTANDING IN TYPE BEECH SINGLE ENGINE Thomas Schoder, Modesto, CA, Beech Bonanza H-35 (N5487D)

OUTSTANDING METAL Craig Burggraf, Grand Rapids , MN , Cessna 180j (N410CE)

BEECH MULTI-ENGINE Cody Welch , Linden, MI, Beech H-18 (N6000M)

OUTSTANDING FABRIC FLOAT PLANE Steve Petrich, Mound, MN, Aeronca 7AC (N84609)

GRASSROOTS GATHERING TOUR

Tom Poberezny, President and Chief Executive Officer of EAA, is taking his message to fellow EAA members this fall with a six-stop "Grassroots Gathering" Tour. Fol­ lowing the success of the spring meetings held in Wheeling, Illinois and Fairfax, Virginia additional gath­ erings have been scheduled for the following dates: Monday, September 25th, Arlington, Texas; Tuesday, Sep­ tember 27th, Dallas, Texas; Tuesday, October 17th, San Jose, California; Wednesday, October 18th, Long Beach, California; Tuesday, Novem­ ber 14th, Tampa, Florida; Wed­ nesday, November 15th, Orlando, Florida Exact times and locations for the gatherings are still being determined.

For the latest information, check EAA's web site at www.eaa.org.

If you've wanted to find out more about EAA programs and services, EAA's position on key issues, or you wanted to ask questions or give feed­ back to EAA president Tom Poberezny, the Grassroots gatherings are your opportunity to do so. We look forward to seeing you there! .....

THE COVERS FRONT COVER ... The Fokker Universal restored by Clark Seaborn for the Western Canada Aviation Museum's collection is a faithful reminder of CF-AAM's days as a working bush airplane in Canada's interior.

EAA photo by Jim Koepnick, shot with a Canon EOS1 nequipped with an 80-220 mm lens on 100 ASA Fuji Provia slide film.

EAA Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.

BACK COVER ... The Fokker Universal was designed specifically for the North American market by Robert Noorduyn,and was built by the Atlantic Aircraft Company.The cabin accommodated four fare-paying passengers.

The 1928 model had an enclosed pilot's cock­ pit, and increased horsepower.

John Underwood collection.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

PIPER "0" WINDOWS

Dear H.G., Sometimes an obvious, simple mechanical cure isn't what it seems to be. Reference your page "Type Club Notes" in the August 2000 issue of Vintage Airplane. Clyde Smith, ]r. advocates drilling a hole in the bottom of "D" type side windows in all Piper taildraggers to prevent rusting in the lower window channel. If this is done, a more serious, long range problem will develop as the water will drip or flow on the inside of the fabric, down to the lower longerons, and flow to the aft end of the tail, hence, rusting out this important structural member.

A more positive cure for this problem is to initially set the plexiglass window in a but y l rubber compound when affixing the window aft in the channel. This compound, which comes in strips (Th e example sent measured 7/ 16xl/ 16"-Editor) is easily gotten at a local plate glass window store for literally pennies. The product is liable at all temperatures , never hardens, and is guaranteed for 20 years. I used this compound when setting all the plexiglass windows on Miss Pearl and no leaks have developed since installation.

Another helpful hint is to use wooden cuticle orange sticks to trim the excess rubber around the margins of the windows to prevent scratching of the plexiglass. (Walmart has this item. ) I would not advise a silicone rubber application, as it will cement the window in place 4 SEPTEMBER 2000

and it will be very difficult to extract the window at a later date. Please point these suggestions out to the Piper taildragger own e rs as our planes must have a safe longevity in order to stay in the air without structural problems.

Frank Sperandeo III Piper N3383A Fayetteville, AR

THE END OF THE MV-1 STAR FLIGHT Greetings, I just received m y August Vinta ge Airpl ane and was amazed that the aircraft piCtured on page 8 was the airplane that I had taken piCtures of in May of 1993!

While traveling on vacation in the lower Louisiana

area, I saw a sign with directions to the Wedell-Williams museum . I am one of those who has to check out all aviation museums and airfields.

You never know what you might find at one of these places.

The enclosed photos will show what I found at the museum in Patterson, Louisiana . What a mess. The aircraft was in such a state that it was difficult to tell what kind it was.

Best Wishes, Brooks Lovelace, ]r.

Albany, GA

The one and only Monsted-Vincent MV-1 Star Flight was badly damaged by hurricane Andrew in 1992.

•

ears

I

att

Outer Marker The707 an American, once again the leader and again the pioneer had placed the first industry order with Boeing Aircraft Company for seven Boeing 707s, with options for many more. In 1958 Jack Ryan and I were assigned to Pan Ameri­ can's initial 707 ground school at New York and felt very privileged to be in the first group of pilots to re­ ceive 707 flight training. This training was most extensive, with all of it being given on the airplane it­ self. Our flight instructor was Jim Gannett of Boeing, who later headed up Boeing's supersonic transport program.

Was this new machine just an­ other airplane? Indeed it was not.

Despite later to come flight simu­ lator training which very effectively developed necessary familiarity with the cockpit, cockpit operating proce­ dures and operating check lists, for many years thereafter an average of

P

22 hours on the airplane itself, after simulator, was required for very ex­ perienced airline pilots. These airmen, long accustomed to pro­ peller driven aircraft and the docile characteristics of straight wing air­ planes, had to adapt to the very different and often unforgiving char­ acteristics of this new swept wing, jet powered airplane.

In many, many instances the posi­ tioning of hands and feet to produce an aircraft response to control inputs were very different and much un­ learning was necessary.

An early industry problem to sur­ face was a rash of short-of­ the-runway threshold touchdowns, caused by the airplane's very differ­ ent glide characteristics during a landing approach. The pilot of a pro­ peller-driven airplane, if a bit low on final approach, by merely adding a small amount of power could in­ crease the flow of propeller air over a

large portion of the wing behind the propellers, with the direct result an immediate increase in the wings' lift, even prior to speed being gained, or vice versa if power was reduced. This resulted in the airplane's being liter­ ally lifted back toward the desired descent profile with a minimum change in the airplane's pitch atti­ tude and use of power for landing approach glideslope control was quite effective. But it took a while for many airmen to become really con­ vinced that these old techniques would not work on the jetliner where the jet engines were mounted on pods suspended far below the wing and where thrust changes, in them­ selves, had no effect whatever on wing lift.

And where the conventional straight wing airplane was very toler­ ant of yaw, or skidding flight, the swept wing airplane very definitely was not, and there were several early

by Holland "Dutch" Redfield VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

incidents and accidents, I believe almost all of them during pilot training, in which airplanes got in deep trouble because they were flown in conditions of excessive and uncorrected yaw. When thus triggered, and whether the yaw de­ veloped gradually or rapidly, the subsequent snap rolls were of such violence as to cause severe struc­ tural damage and in almost all cases ended up with the airplane inverted.

My friend Jack Ryan partici­ pated in what was probably the first of such incidents. A between trips layover airplane was being pi­ lot trained in the vicinity of Paris, France, and Jack was conducting a training demonstration of the min­ imum speed at which directional control can be maintained with two engines at idle on one side, and very high thrust on the other two engines. Up to that time it was a required demonstration.

The early 707 models had an un­ boosted rudder and to protect the vertical tail surfaces from damaging pilot rudder inputs at higher speeds, force limiting springs were placed in the rudder actuating system between the pilot's rudder pedals and the big rudder itself.

During the Paris demonstration the rudder was fully deflected, but as the demonstration proceeded, speed slowly increased causing the forces in the rudder actuating system to build up in excess of the values pro­ grammed into the force limiting springs, at which pOint they released, with the result that the rudder very suddenly "blew down" and centered, despite the still held full pedal deflec­ tion. This caused the airplane to yaw sharply then snap violently to an in­ verted position.

At that time, the trainer was at 9,000 feet and fortunately had some wing flap extended. From inverted flight the nose fell and the plane be­ gan to spin. Jack, well experienced in aerobatics, was able to stop the spin and recover at about 2,000 feet.

6 SEPTEMBER 2000

.. .it took a while

for many airmen to

become really

convinced that

these old

techniques would

not work on

the ietliner. ..

As the airplane was leveling off over the farmlands of France, Herb Seil­ berger, the flight engineer, shouted, "We've lost No . 4 engine!" Jack replied, "Well, let's get it going again!" Herb yelled back, "No, no, I mean it fell offl" The flight was closer to better re­ pair facilities in London, so the crippled airplane was gingerly flown there and safely landed. Inspection showed that besides No.4 engine be­ ing no longer there, that No.3 engine was hanging by little more than the skin of its cowlings.

An early Pan American 707 came very close to disaster while making a transatlantic crossing during the air­ craft's introductory phases into airline service.

Pilot contracts covering pay, working conditions, etc., had not yet been signed and delivery of the industry's first 707 to Pan American was impending. In the Company's upper management it had been hoped that agreements might be ar­ rived at in time that the 707

inaugural flight could be flown on the anniversary of the airline's first flight.

Corporate Officer Waldo Lynch, an airman on th e pilot's roster himself, proposed to Juan Trippe, president of the airline, that until such time as signing of the pilots' contract could in fact take place, that the many supervisory pilots throughout the airline's system could easily be qualified on the 707, thereafter operating the new jet liners as administrative person­ nel. Captain Lynch's proposal was quickly approved and imple­ mented on a crash training program.

The inaugural 707 flight was flown as scheduled, New York to London, on October 26, 1958, with Captain Sam Miller, Chief Pilot of the airline's Atlantic Division as pi­ lot in command and Captain Waldo Lynch performing the du­ ties of First Officer. Thereafter, the newly and hastily qualified 21 ad­ ministrative airmen operated the airline's 707 schedules between New York, London, Paris and Rome while contract negotiations dragged on for the next 14 months.

It was a few months following the inaugural flight that Captain Lynch was scheduled in command of Pan American's flight 115 from Paris to New York, with the flight leaving Paris at six in the evening.

Captain Sam Peters, Chief Pilot of the Pacific Division, was assigned as First Officer.

Meeting the crew of the incoming flight from New York, Lynch was ad­ vised that the trip on the eastbound crossing had been unable to commu­ nicate with Keflavik, on Iceland, due to aurora borealis radio interference, and although Keflavik was much preferred as a westbound fueling stop, and because Pan American's first airplanes were short range , it was decided to land at London for a quick topping off of the fuel tanks, thereafter proceed ing London to Gander, Newfoundland, for another

refueling before continuing on to New York. After a 12 minute turn­ around at London, the flight was fueled and again airborne and a short while later reached its initial cruising altitude of 29,000 feet. The 707 had flight plan clearance to later climb to higher altitudes as fuel consumption produced lighter gross weights.

Weather reports indicated a large low pressure area with heavy snow­ storms along the flight's normal route, so the course purposely flown took Flight 115 somewhat south of its normal track, with a turn back to­ ward the north anticipated about 600 miles from Gander.

At cruising altitude the 707 was in and out of cloud tops with its associ­ ated moderate turbulence and concerned with the comfort of his passengers, Captain Lynch re-cleared to 35,000 feet where they were on top of the weather and in smooth

ahead of flight plan. In on the discus­ sion and seated in the observer's seat directly behind the captain's seat was Flight Dispatcher Tom Mackay out of the New York flight dispatch center.

As part of his duties Mackay was ob­ serving the company's new aircraft in line operation.

Satisfied, Captain Lynch walked back through the open cockpit door­ way. This was prior to the FAA regulation that airliner cockpit doors in flight remain closed and locked due to later-experienced hijacking problems. It was necessary only that a small felt-covered rope be un­ clipped for crew members to leave or enter the cockpit.

The copilot, now alone in his for­ ward pilot's position, huddled head down in the dimly lit cockpit study­ ing his fuel charts. A few minutes later, his earphones pressed tightly to his head, he endeavored at the

encountered the flight's Purser, who was just finishing up dinner service.

As he asked him how the after din­ ner cabin clean-up was progressing, he was again aware of the gradual in­ crease in the plane's speed. Then as he turned back toward the cockpit, passengers seated in the forward lounge area asked about New York weather and the flight's approximate arrival time. Waldo did not wish to cut them short despite now feeling mounting apprehension about the still gradually and steadily increasing and uncorrected aerodynamic airstream noises. He did not think of the plane possibly being in an ever steepening dive.

In response to his passenger's question Captain Lynch temporarily perched on the edge of the forward lounge seat, facing aft. From this po­ sition he could see through a cabin window and out over the airplane's

But, in the meantime, in the dark and unnoted,

the autopilot had silently disengaged...

air. Shortly after the change in alti­ tude, Flight lIS's navigator advised the crew that it was time to change course to Gander. Using the engaged autopilot, a gentle turn to the right was made.

Captain Lynch had not left his cockpit position since departure at Paris and now wished to stretch his legs and make use of the lavatory.

Shortly following assumption of the new course, he slid his cockpit seat full aft and unbuckled his seat belt.

Stepping aft, he checked with Flight Engineer George Sinski, seated on the right side of the cockpit directly be­ hind the pilots, how the flight's fuel burn was progressing and what fuel remained. He then turned to the op­ posite side of the cockpit, reviewing briefly with Navigator Laird the flight's estimated arrival time at Gan­ der, ground speed, wind, etc., and he was advised they were a few minutes

scheduled time to read and copy weather observations along the flight's westbound route on the sta­ tic-ridden high frequency receiver.

But, in the meantime, in the dark and unnoted, the autopilot had silently disengaged, permitting the airplane over a period of many min­ utes to very gradually and very gently enter a very slowly steepening diving turn.

Back in the lavatory Captain Lynch sensed a slight increase in the airplane's airspeed, evidenced by the 600 mile per hour whistling airstream sounds streaking along the plane's outer skin. He believed this was probably due to the now some­ what lower gross weight because of fuel burn-off, but he also wondered why the cockpit crew did not reduce thrust in compensation, as he had done previously on the flight.

Stepping outside the lavatory he

left wing, which was in near level flight, as evidenced by stars visible above the wing. He hastily apprised the passengers of New York weather, that ceiling and visibility were at ap­ proach minimums but that no problems were anticipated and the flight's arrival time at New York would be quite close to that sched­ uled. Then before he was able to respond to another question and re­ turn to the cockpit, he suddenly felt heavy aerodynamic buffeting in the airframe and a glance out the win­ dows showed the left wing rising rapidly with its tip pOinted toward the stars. At the same time a power­ ful yawing motion abruptly threw him onto the floor in the plane's aisleway.

Back in the cockpit, the first indi­ cation of trouble was the frantic ringing of the Mach airspeed warn­ ing bell. Captain Peters, in the VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

copilot's seat quickly, took over and attempted to recover from the now steeply banked diving turn, but he was faced with two big problems.

First, later research showed that at very high Mach, if rudder and aileron control is applied, as in this case, to level the wings, with rudder possibly applied in excessive amounts, in response, the airplane either will not roll at all, or will pos­ Sibly roll in a direction exactly opposite to the aileron and rudder being applied. Second, at high Mach the center of pressure on the plane's wing is caused to move rear­ ward making an already diving, accelerating airplane more and more nose heavy.

Unlike the preceding generation of propeller aircraft which had a fixed, bolted-into-position stabilizer (the horizontal surfaces on the tail forward of the trailing moveable ele­ vators) this new generation of jetliners was eqUipped with an ad­ justable stabilizer designed to minimize drag while still providing a normal means for cockpit crews to achieve "hands off" longitudinal trim of the airplane. These very large stabilizing surfaces were normally positioned by an electric drive sys­ tem and caused to change position by means of thumb switches on the pilot's control wheels. At very high speeds, however, under conditions of excessive elevator inputs, it was known that the stabilizer drive sys­ tem could be loaded up to the point where its drive motor would stall out and the stabilizer position could not be changed, no matter how desper­ ate the situation. In case of complete drive system failure the system was designed so the stabilizer position could be adjusted manually, if nec­ essary, by actuation of hand cranks in the cockpit.

Back in the main cabin, Waldo somehow was able on his hands and knees to claw his way forward along the cabin floor; back under the felt covered rope and into his left pilot's seat. As he worked his way past Engineer Sinski's position, 8 SEPTEMBER 2000

George shouted, "Waldo, power is still at cruise setting!" As Waldo crashed into his chair he immedi­ ately slammed the throttles closed, while shouting to NaVigator Laird who had traded pOSitions with Dis­ patcher Mackay during his absence, "Strap my belt on for me!" Lynch never was able to slide his seat for­ ward to its normal position, nor was he able to pull his feet from alongside the pedestal up onto the rudder pedals. Although the flight's cruising altitude had been at 35,000 feet, as Lynch took control the air­ plane's plunge was taking it through 17,000 feet.

Waldo's attitude horizon, the prime instrument for precise presen­ tation of the airplane's wings level, or climbing/diving attitudes, had long ago tumbled and now flopped in a random, useless fashion. His Turn Indicator, a very basic, non­ preCise, back-up instrument of flight, showed a full right deflection as dis­ played on its fully displaced turn needle. The altimeter was unwind­ ing at a frightful rate, "Clunk, clunk, clunk" per thousand feet, almost as fast as it can be spoken, and the air­ speed indicator was totally off scale at 400 knots. Due to Waldo's far aft seat position his Mach meter could not be seen.

On the other side of the cockpit the buffeting was so severe that a gray plastic decorative shield, also providing indirect instrument light­ ing for the copilot's panel, had shaken loose and fallen down, ob­ scuring copilot Peter's instruments, besides depriving him of vital instru­ ment lighting. Peter's eyeglasses had fallen to the floor and his earphones had fallen down over his shoulders.

His desperate control wheel inputs had bloodied his hands.

At the engineer's panel, the pow­ erful shaking of the airframe had tripped the field relay on number three generator supplying the Essen­ tial Electrical Bus, which, in turn supplied power to the captain's flight instruments, radios, and cockpit lighting . Only minimal cockpit

lighting was thus available on Lynch's panel from emergency sources, and Engineer Sinski, under the diving turn's centrifugal loads, was simply unable to raise his head to see, nor was he able to raise his arm in order to actuate necessary switches on his panel to correct this.

As Waldo took the controls his first action in the black of night, and with the airplane now in heavy cloud, was to attempt to level the wings, and this by reference to his only usable panel instrument, the turn indicator. This successful action momentarily relieved the turns "G" loads, and at this point Engineer Sin­ ski was able to reach up and quickly restore power to the Essential Electri­ cal Bus, thus again providing normal cockpit lighting.

Noting that the stabilizer indi­ cated full forward (nose down) and feeling a desperate need to be of as­ sistance in a very desperate situation, Sinski released his seat belt and care­ fully edged his way forward from his engineer's station to a position where he straddled the pedestal be­ tween the two pilots' seats. Here, with superhuman effort, he began a turn at a time hand cranking the sta­ bilizer toward a nose-up position.

(Boeing engineers later reported that hand cranking under the air loads being experienced would be impos­ sible for one person to overcome.)

NaVigator Laird, seated behind Lynch, shouted, "Captain, we're go­ ing through 8,000 feet!" Waldo, realizing that it was now or never, applied all the strength that he could muster into a tremendous backward pull on the control yoke, and while doing so he was not able to even brace his feet against the rudder ped­ als because they well still behind him alongside his chair.

Boeing engineers later estimated that 6.7 Gs were imposed on the air­ frame as a result of Waldo's last minute desperate pull. The airplane's beautifully swept wing, which not too many moments before had only

-continued on page 26

PASS

IT TO

BU CK

by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert EAA #21 VAA #5

P.O. Box 424, Union, IL 60180

Dear Buck, It was good to talk to you the other day. I need a 1918 D3-A Mercedes engine for my Fokker D.VII replica. I have a new Wolf propeller made by Guy Watson.

The D.VII Fokker, as shown in the p ictures, is completely hand-crafted from German draWings done in Metric scale.

At this time I'm making the fuel lines and hand pressure pump fittings and tubing. All the instruments are 1918 Ger足 man Bosch. New wheels are being made at this time. The fabric is from Belgium, and I expect it here any time. I need either a Mercedes or BMW engine to complete the project, and I don't want to accept a modern substitute.

I do appreciate any and all help to locate such an engine.

Thank you,

Richard R. Enos

Santa Maria, CA

805/922-4063 or 739-1025 (Shop)

Take a look at the magnitude of the work and the sharp workmanship Richard has put into his Fokker project. Hope 足 fully one of you out th ere can help him find that elusive Mercedes or BMW engine.

Over to you, t(

~t(ck ~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

9

Fokker's talented staff creates a back country workhorse.

nthony H.G. Fokker was not the most popular aviation per­ sonality in the early '20s.

Fokker, a Dutchman, had thrown in with the Germans in 1914. He was widely perceived to be a war profi­ teer and, ind ee d, had been one of the few major suppliers of the Kaiser's air service to survive with his industrial base more or less intact and plenty of money in the bank.

Within a matter of months after the armistice, Tony Fokker was back in business in his native Holland manufacturing aircraft. His surrepti­ tious departure from Germany, which involved marshaling no less than six trainloads of contraband materials, tools , engines, and 220 unfinished aircraft, was a classic piece of international subterfuge. An ex-fighter pilot, Capt. Hermann Go­

A

ering, helped with the arrangements.

The future Reichsmarshall, equipped with a pacified Fokker D.VII, would be Fokker's sales representative in Scandinavia for a year or more.

Fokker's detractors have alluded to a secret 1922 agreement between th e manufacturer and the new Ger­ man government, wherein that government would have first call on Fokker's serv ices in th e event of another war. This, of course, was long before Hitler came to power and th e idea of another war was anathema to almost everyone. Nevertheless, a German-Soviet pact main­ tained a clandestine Luftwaffe on Soviet soil.

Fokker supplied most of its equipment.

By John Underwood

10 SEPTEMBER 2000

The secret of Fokker's success was his genius for hiring talented people.

He had picked the right engineers and designers, such as the gifted Reinhold Platz, a welder who rose from the ranks, and Walter Rethel, whose mas-

terpiece would be the Messerschmitt Bf 109. This team created air craft that were among the best avail­ able anywhere in the world.

Fokker himself, though no engi­ neer, had an instinctive under­ standing for what was technologi­ cally correct. He was a superb pilot and did much of his own test fly­ ing. Fokker's brilliant demon­ stration flying and masterful sales­ manship was a combination that invariably spelled success. That and the fact that he was not averse to cheating to make a good perfor­ mance look even better on paper.

Fokker's warplanes were far supe­ rior to anything available in the United States, which had precious little expertise in the production of combat aircraft. The air service had been equipped exclusively with French, English, and Italian aircraft during 1917 and 1918. Indigenous designs were regarded as unsuitable for combat for a considerable period of time thereafter.

Fokker fighters remained in ser­ vice well into the '20s, both in Europe and the United States, which had acquired 50 highly esteemed D.VIIs for the military. In addition, the army and the navy procured small quantities of postwar Nether­ lands-built Fokkers. These included fighters such as the PW-5, CO-2 ob­ servation craft, and T-2 transports, one of which made the first nonstop coast-to-coast crossing of the United States in May of 1923.

The T-2 was a stretched version of Fokker's F.I1I commercial aircraft, which had evolved from a prototype built in Germany in the immediate postwar period and spirited to Hol-

"Tony" Fokker, shown in a 1912 Spin (Spider) . He built and flew his first mono­ plane in 1910 at age 20. He moved to Germany (Johannistal) in 1912 to seek his fortune, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1917. Fokker later became a U.S. citizen and lived in Nyack, NY, when he died of complications following minor surgery in December 1939.

land on the q.t. The F.III, with its comfortable passenger cabin (pilots preferred to remain in open cock­ pits) , quickly found favor with Europe ' s infant airline industry, which included KLM and DVR, the forerunner of Lufthansa. Fokker, on one of his early U.S. visits, brought two F.IIIs to test the North American market.

There was strong resistance to the importation of foreign aircraft, par­ ticularly anything Teutonic. Fokker's modest success in selling aircraft to the U.S. military was roundly criti­ cized from almost every quarter.

Why spend American dollars over­ seas when the aircraft industry at home was in dire need of what little business there was?

Fokker escorting Kingsford-Smith's world girdling Southern Cross in a bor­ rowed Monocoupe, July 1931. He was fined $500 for performing stunts with a passenger ("Pushka") and having no certificate. Fokker had never troubled himself to apply for any certificate after earning German FAI License No. 88 in 1911. The fine was rescinded when Fokker presented his newly acquired U.S. private pilot's certificate in September.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

11

Fokker and "Pushka" Galanschikoff, an early Russian aviatrix, in 1913. Fokker sold her a Spider and fell in love.

"Pushka" fled the Russian Revolution, lived in New York, and performed pub­ lic relations services for Fokker. She aspired to fly the Atlantic in a Fokker, but Earhart beat her to it.

Crow, and the FK.26 transport, a cabin biplane. He was an engineer­ designer by training and a born manager with a full measure of fi­ nancial sense. Noorduyn was named general manager and treasurer of At­ lantic Aircraft.

Bob Noorduyn's first production order was for 135 welded steel tube fuselages to rejuvenate the U.S. air service's dilapidated de Havilland DH-4 bombers. The welded fuselage was largely a Fokker innovation, and his welders were among the most skilled in the industry. Many were Dutch imports themselves. Indeed, the language on the factory floor was as much Dutch-German as it was English.

Commercial aviation was late in developing in the United States, and Fokker's F.III transport, which was widely used in Europe by KLM and Lufthansa, was a marketing disap­ pointment. Only two F.IIIs were imported, one of which found its way to Anchorage, where the broth­ ers Wien hoped to start an airline.

The other later belonged to a boot-

Canada. His mother was English. Unlike Fokker, Noorduyn had helped supply the Allies with aircraft during the war, notably in the employ of Tom Sopwith and Sir W.G. Armstrong-Whit­ worth & Co. Noorduyn had been an assistant to another Dutch designer, Fritz Koolhoven, at Arm­ The Fokker F-11, built at Schwerin in 1919, featured strong-Whitworth, cabin comfort for six passengers. Fokker adopted the which led to a postwar full-cantilever wing in 1917. hitch in the same ca­ pacity with the British Wartime sentiments notwith­ Aerial Transport Co. , which pro­ standing, Fokker had friends and duced the BAT monoplane fighter, admirers in the business world and an ultralight monoplane called the in the U.S. military. One of them was Brig. Gen. Billy A lineup of Fokker D.Vlls still bearing German crosses at Kelly Field circa 1920.

Mitchell, assistant chief of the Peter M. Bowers photo. air service. The upshot of this was the establishment of a com­ pany at Teterboro, New Jersey, in a nearly new plant formerly occupied by the Wittman-Lewis Company, builders of the cele­ brated Barling Bomber. The venture, funded largely by American investment, became known as the Atlantic Aircraft Corporation.

Fokker had an able assistant in the person of Robert B.C. Noorduyn, a fellow Dutchman whose mother was English, who would later manufacture the Norseman bush airplane in 12 SEPTEMBER 2000

The first Fokker Tri-Motor was created on short notice to compete in the 1925 Ford Reliabi lity Tou r. It was quite a sensation.

Variants pioneered the airways with WAE, American, and Pan Am.

legger. The lack of suitable landing facilities, both in the Lower 48 and in the territories, was a major obsta­ cle that had to be overcome.

That situation began to change with the privatization of airmail, which became the foundation for scheduled passenger services. The Fords had foreseen the future of air transportation; So had the Guggen­ heims, whose funding for an experimental airline resulted in Western Air Express, which began carrying a few passengers almost from the outset. WAE would pro­ foundly affect Fokker's American sojourn.

Ford aroused public interest by sponsoring the first Commercial Air­ plane Reliability Tour in 1925. The nationwide tour afforded millions of Americans the opportunity to see the latest developments in air transporta­ tion. Fokker's marvelous F.VIII/3M Tri-Motor, produced as an after­ thought and brilliantly demonstrated by its maker, was the sensation of the event. Reporter Cy Caldwell, tongue-in-cheek called it the "Fokker PubliCity Tour," and Ford himself was so impressed that he bought the airplane and named it the Josephine Ford.

"Tony" Fokker, proud of his "non-stalling," 10-seat F.vll ai rliner, had a gen ius for adopting innovative features such as the welded tu be f uselage, spl it -axle landing gear, and full-cantilever wing well before the com petiti on .

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

13

The F.III, introduced in the United States in 1922, needed better landing fields than were generally available at the time. This one made profits for its owner by hauling Canadian bootleg .

These developments created the climate for a viab le manufacturing enterprise that began with th e Fokker Un iversal, designed specifi­ cally for the North American market.

Noord uyn and his technical staff, which included chief engineer A. Franc is Arcier, a Witteman-Lewis h oldover from th e Barling Bomber, had formu lated specifications for a

five-passenger monoplane to be powered by a 200- hp Wrigh t J-4 Whirlwind.

The Universal embodied the prin­ cipa l characteristics of its Dutch predecessors with the exception of the wing, which was semi-cantilever.

Heretofore, Fokker's transports had featured cantilever wings, innovative in themselves, almost to the point of

being proprietary. The Universal's wide-track tripod landing gear, also innovative, would be widely emulated in the decade to follow.

Up to that point Whirlwind production had been reserved ex­ clusively for the military. The availabil­ ity of the J-4 and J-5 for commercial ap­ plications greatly en­ hanced Fokker's pro­ spectus for the Whirl­ wind was eminently reliable. The Univer­ sal, first flown in October 1925, had come to fruition in the remarkably short gestation period of two months. It was an immediate success.

Colonial Air Transport acquired the first of three Universals early in 1926. Edd ie Hubbard, a pioneer air­ mail contractor, became Fokker's distributor in the West. Eddie flew up and down the Pacific Coast, ag-

Hermann Goering, last commander of the famed "Richtofen Flying Circus," was at loose ends following the armistice. He became Fokker's sales representative in Sweden before turning to politics. This was his D.VII demonstrator. The cross on the fin has been painted over with white paint, and the LVG guns have been removed while their cartridge chutes remain in place. It's interesting to note that the biplane's engine is running, but Herr Goering is nowhere to be seen!

14 SEPTEMBER 2000

gressive ly demonstrating the Universal from Canada to Mex­ ico. This resulted in sa les to Pacific Air Transport and th e Aero Corporation of California, whose CEO, Jack Frye, was about to launch the ancestral beginnings of TWA. A gold rush in northern On­ tario, near Hudson Bay, brought the first of many Canadian orders. Wes t ern Canada Airways, founded by Capt. A.C. "Doc" Oakes, co l­ lected his first Universal at the factory on Christmas Day, 1926, during a heavy snowfall, F-32, then the largest airliner in North America, seldom carried profitable payloads and was prone to distributing passenger equanimity when rear engines failed from overheat­ which necessitated the installa- ing. Only three F-32s were in airline service, and they retired early. tion of skis. Oakes was so pleased with the Universal that he ordered two more on floats for with extensive arctic flying experi­ invaluable asset to th e Unive rsa l service in the gold-mining district. ence. Balchen, lured to the United program and a great deal more.

WCA eventually had a fleet of 12 States by Cmdr. Richard Byrd's Early o n the Canadians found Universals. promise of a flying job, did much of themselves with severa l dam aged the experimenta l testing at Teter ­ aircraft. T hi s was due mainly to Fokker then hired Bernt Balchen, a young Norwegian army aviator boro. He would prove himself an harsh winter flying conditions and pilot error. It was a n ew kind of fly­ ing, and everyth in g had to be learned the hard way. Balchen, a skill ed mechanic as well as a pilot, was loaned out to Western Canada Airways t o oversee repairs and get their Universals back in service. On his return he was named chief pilot.

Whereas the Whirlwind's 200 to 220 hp had seemed sufficient for all practical purposes in 1925, it was not long before customers were agi­ tating for more horsepower and increased payloads. No less a voice than Jack Frye's joined the chorus for more power. Frye, h aving bought o ut Hubbard, was th e new West Coast distributor. For him the power issue was more a safety issue.

For mountain flying 220 hp just wasn't enough .

On his way to Spokane for th e 1927 Nationa l Air Races, Frye had aCCidentally flown up a blind Bernt Balchen, on indefinite leave from the Norweg ian air force, became a Fokker test pilot and field service mechanic while awaiting arctic flying opportunities.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

15

Fokker's chairman, James A. Talbott, who also presided over Richfield Oil, traveled in style in this executive F-10A. NC535E was often detailed to events to promote air-mindedness. It conveyed thousands of first timers aloft during its four years with Richfield. Florence "Pancho" Barnes sometimes spared pilot Jake Littlejohn at the controls.

canyon while wending his way through the Cascades. Lacking the power to extricate himself by climb­ ing out, he had no option but to reverse course with a vertical turn .

The canyon was narrow and steep, and the Fokker's wheels brushed leaves from a tree as Frye rolled out of the turn . It had been a white­ knuckle affair, one that Frye's passengers would never forget.

A stretched version of the Uni­ versal, known as th e Universal Special, appeared late in 1927. Pow­ ered by a 400-hp Wasp, it had a larger wing but retained the semi­ cantilever feature. The pilot'S cockpit was also fully enclosed,

(top right) The Fokker Super Universal, introduced in 1928, carried six passen­ gers. It proved to be popular in Canada with bush operators, thanks to its year­ round adaptability on wheels, skis, or floats. (bottom right) A Universal on Hamilton floats built for the Cuban coast guard.

16 SEPTEMBER 2000

with the windshield raked forward in the characteristic manner of later Fokker Tri-Motors. This aircraft was a one-only production.

The Super Universal, which fol­ lowed, differed mainly in having a new, fully cantilever wing and re­ vised tripod landing gear attached to the wing spar. The advent of the Su­ per Universal coincided with an expansion program and corporate name change. Atlantic Aircraft be­ came Fokker Aircraft Corporation of

The Super Universal became Fokker's best-selling commercial airplane. Eighty were built, the last of which in 1931, many for Cana­ dian users. Western Canada Airways had 13. In addition, Canadian Vick­ ers built 14 under license and the Japanese firm of Nakajima built 47, many of which were military C2N-1 utility airplanes. Japan Air Trans­ port, with government subsidies permitting fares commensurate with railroad fares, inaugurated pas-

Capt. Edward V. Rickenbacker as sales manager. The company planned to build the giant, four­ engine 32-passenger F-32 at a new plant at Alhambra, California, but the airplane was neither ready nor the economy right for so capa­ cious an airplane. Production had come to a virtual standstill when Fokker, having divested himself of his shares, returned to Holland in 1931.

The advent of the Great Depres-

A master self-promoter, Fokker never missed an opportunity to place his name before the public. Richfield's management held the majority of Western Air Express stock, reequipping the airline with F-10s and F-14s. They controlled the Fokker com­ panyin 1928 and 1929.

America. A new factory was built near Wheeling, West Virginia, and production of the Super Universal got underway early in 1928.

The smaller Universal was re­ tained as a companion model for several years, mainly for charter op­ erators and private owners. The enclosed cockpit became a fixture in 1928, and several engine options raised the horsepower range to 330.

Altogether, 45 Universals were built, half of which were sold to Canadian operators either directly or indirectly as used aircraft.

senger services with U.S.-built Super Universals in April 1929. Some were float-equipped to better serve the is­ land empire.

Japan, by far the largest user of Fokker Universals, supplied a num­ ber of Nakajima-built aircraft to its puppet state of Manchuko, which created the Manchurian Aviation Company Ltd. in 1932, an exten­ sion of Japan's Air Transport's Korean service.

The Fokker Aircraft Corporation of America became an element of General Motors in May 1929, with

sion and a tragic plane crash in Western Kansas, remembered as the Rockne disaster, marked the begin­ ning of the end of Fokker as a manufacturing entity in America.

General Motors reorganized Fokker as the General Aviation Manufac­ turing Company, which was unprofitable, and then sold the di­ vision to North American Aviation in 1934. Many of the skilled crafts­ men included in the transaction were Tony Fokker's countrymen.

Some would remain on the job into the jet age. ...

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

17

Fokker's bush country workhorse

By John Underwood Aerial photography by Jim Koepnick, ground photography by Leslie Hilbert

arly in 1929 the twenty-seventh Super Universa l, earmarked for Western Canada Airways and registered CF-AAM, rolled out of Fokker's Teterboro assembly hangar.

Nobody knows for certain who was at the contro ls when th e Wasp was cranked up for its maiden flight. The customer's representative sometimes carried out these duties, which in the case of WCAir was usually Leigh Brint­ nell, "Doc" Oakes, or "Punch" Dickins.

On this occasion, however, the pilot was almost certain ly Bernt Balchen's successor, Max Holtzem.

Balchen had thrown in with Byrd

E

18 SEPTEMBER 2000

for an Arctic expedition, and Holtzem was doing nearly all of the Teterboro fly ing, which included experimental and production testing. Fokker himself had been doing some of the test tlying, but he'd cracked up a new Super Uni­ versal in October while taking a checkride for a U.S. pilot's certificate. It was his second serious accident in as many years. Even Tony had to admit it was time to let others handle the test flying.

Holtzem had joined Fokker at Teter­ boro in 1928, having given up a South American barnstorming operation.

They had met in 1917, when Holtzem

was a test pilot for Pfalz. Fokker had been much impressed with a show Max had put on with a speedy and ag­ ile new Pfalz . It might have won the fighter competition had the twin-row rotary been equal to the task. It quit at an inopportune moment, and Holtzem, unable to avoid a nasty crash, had been trundled off to the hospital.

He had, however, walked to the ambu­ lance.

Trained as a military pilot in 1913, Holtzem had been posted to a Taube squadron when war was declared in August 1914. Reconnoitering the front seemed a relatively tranquil way to

conduct the business of war. There was a kind of camaraderie between airmen on both sides at first, with salutations of one kind or another as they passed each other over the front lines. Then someone took a pot shot at someone else with a revolver, and soon the sky became as dangerous a place to be as the battlefields below.

Holtzem's engagement as a Pfalz test pilot was between two tours with fighter squadrons. By the latter part of 1917, there was a greater need for ex­ perienced pilots at the front, so he was posted to a Fokker D.VIII unit. By the war's end he had downed four enemy airplanes. Decades later, as a retiree in California, Holtzem liked to point out that his four victories had not been fa­ tal to the vanquished.

Holtzem, even in 1916, was fa mous for being able to walk away from crashes. So was Doolittle, a fellow test pilot. But Holtzem's military days were over, and he saw no future as a flier in Germany, so he migrated to So uth America to operate a flying circu s.

Then came a job offer from Tony Fokker at Teterboro. Production had begun to accelerate with the introduc­ tion of the Super Universa l and the F-lO, which was being built at Wheel­ ing, West Virginia.

A 30-min ut e hop was usually enough to sort out any bugs, and in the case of 'AAM there probably was­ n't much that needed attention. The wing was jig built, and little was re­ quired in the way of rigging adjustments. There being no logbooks from that time, we may assume that it was a routine test hop and that 'AAM was handed over to the buyer'S ferry pilot on or about February II, 1929.

Western Canada Airways, Fokker's sales representative for the Dominion, resold 'AAM nine weeks later to Con­ solidated Mining and Smelting, Ltd. (Cominco, for short), of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The company had recently acquired a pair of de Havil­ land Moths in an effor t to make mineral exploration less arduous.

Prior to this, crews in the field had been obliged to travel by canoe, on horseback, and on foot when the roads petered out. The Moths were a step in

(Top) Staggered seats in the cabin meant side-by-side seating could be had inside the Super Universal.

According to "Punch" Dickins, there was a need for cockpit security even in 1929, to protect the pilots from smelly sled dogs and drunken prospectors.

(Left) Shock absorption at its most maintainable, the shock cords snub the impact of landing when acted upon by the sliding tube assembly. the right direction, but they were short on payload. 'AAM's mission was to ser­ vice remote minin g sites, both as a freig hter and personnel transport.

'AAM's pilot, Ken Dewar, had learned to fly in the RFC in 1917. His flight mechanic, Bob Niven, had trained at Pratt & Whitney and knew the Wasp inside and out. They wou ld work as a team for the next five years, during which time'AAM served as the flagship of Cominco's growing fleet.

The compe titi on was doing the same thing, and the airplane quickly proved to be a boon to the Canadian mining industry, which was just open­ ing up . Ind eed, it was the bush operations, beginning to a large extent with Western Canada Airways, that formed the basis for the scheduled air carriers that followed in the latter half of the decade. Men like Dewar would become the first ge n eration to ply Canada's airways.

Cominco's business policy was "get there first with the most" and to hell with the competition. There were the

occasional exceptions when humani­ tarian considerations were involved.

Late in the fall of 1929, Dewar and Niven were sent to aid in the search and rescue of eight missing prospec­ tors working for anoth er company.

This was the MacAlpine Expedition, fielded by Dominion Explorers and equipped with two Fokkers. The planes had failed to return to their base and the search for their crews became front page news for two months.

'AAM relayed fuel and supplies from the railhead to Fo rt Reliance, the base of operations for the search. The onset of winter and the remoteness of the area added to the difficulties. Niven had to improvise an A-frame, using lodgepole spruce, to switch from floats to skis. It was bitter, finger-freezing cold.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

19

The search concluded successfully, largely due to the lost party's own re­ sourcefulness and help from the local Inuit, but the cost in equipment was considerable. Five aircraft were either seriously damaged or destroyed. Dewar and Niven made their last trip out of Fort Reliance on December 4, 1929 ar­ riving at Winnipeg on the December 6, after an eight-week absence.

'AAM resumed Cominco business, first at Prince Albert and then at The Pas, where Dewar was involved in a forced landing in September 1930.

most aircraft servicing facility.

'AAM shared a shelter with another Super Universal, G-CASL, which be­ longed to Canadian Airways. The next morning the aircraft went their sepa­ rate ways, loaded with prospectors and mining gear. Three months later 'CASL crashed in the vicinity of Yellowknife, killing its three-man crew. Fifty years later the remains of the one Super Uni­ versal would facilitate the rebirth of the other.

During 1933 and 1934, 'AAM served Cominco in the Germanson Lake re-

Dewar reported another accident in February 1934. This time 'AAM was on skis, and they had frozen to the sur­ face. Efforts to free them were only half successful. When Dewar applied power, one ski slid forward while the other remained stuck. The result was collapsed landing gear. Such accidents, though routine in bush flying, could be catastrophic.

CF-AAM based at Columbia Gar­ dens, near Trail, British Columbia, in September 1934, where Ken Dewar and the Fokker parted company. They

(Left) The utilitarian cockpit is basic VFR . To the right of the center windshield strip is the mirror used to read the compass which is mounted on the bulkhead behind the pilot's head. The markings on the compass read backwards unless read in the mirror! (Right) From a simpler time, the pitot tube is itself an elegant sculpture.

While on floats and with no open wa­ ter in sight, the Wasp quit. Dewar dead sticked into a stubble field. The pon­ toons dug in, shearing the landing gear struts, and 'AAM flipped over on its back. The crew was badly shaken up and bruised, but otherwise unhurt.

The Fokker was dismantled and taken by rail to the company's shops at Trail, British Columbia. Six months later it was back in service, again on floats, after a test hop off the Columbia River.

Cominco had mining interests at Great Bear Lake. 'AAM , newly equipped with a "key and cope" radio transmitter, was sent there in March 1932. En route the crew spent the night at Fort McMurray, the northern 20

SEPTEMBER 2000

gion of the British Columbia interior.

At this time, Dewar saved an aspiring airline operator from certain ruin.

Grant McConachie, a rather impetu­ ous young man with a natural talent for flying, had been grounded. His two Fokker Universals had been wrecked and his remaining aircraft, a three­ place de Havilland Puss Moth, had been repossessed.

Four of McConachie's clients were stranded at a remote gold mine near Two Brothers Lake. They were starving.

Dewar rescued the prospectors, one of which became McConachie's partner and principal backer in United Air Transport, which led to the founding of Yukon Southern Airlines, a precur­ sor to Canadian Pacific Air Lines.

had been paired for five years. Dewar subsequently joined Canadian Pacific Air Lines, retiring in 1958.

In October 1934, 'AAM was sold to George Simmons of Carcross, Yukon Territory, for $9,800. Simmons, doing business at Northern Airways, sent his pilot, Bob Randall, to ferry' AAM to its home base. This was a lO-hour trip, with three intermediate stops. Carcross then, as now, was little changed from its turn of the century gold rush begin­ nings, but it had become a hub for rail, boat, and air transport to nearby min­ ing operations.

Business was such that Simmons added a Ford 4-AT, G- CARC, to his fleet in March 1936. The Tri-Motor had belonged to McConachie's bur­

geoning airline, which was upgrading its equipment. Eight hours of flying each day was not uncommon at that time, and Randall, the principal pilot, sometimes logged 150 hours a month.

Both the Fokker and the Ford flew reg­ ular mail and passenger runs to Whitehorse, Dawson City, Telegraph Creek, AtIin, Selkirk, Mayo, and Teslin.

In the spring of 1935, 'AAM was chartered by the National Geographic Society to support the Washburn Ex­ pedition, whose mission was to explore and chart the St. Elias Range.

This was a 2,000-square-mile blank spot on the map of Canada and Alaska.

Piloted by Randall and Everett Was­ son, 'AAM proved indispensable during the 80-day expedition, which was featured in the June 1936 issue of National Geographic magazine.

On January 6, 1936, Bob Randall flew a charter to Francis Lake in ' AAM. It was a 2S0-mile trip with several pas­ senger stops along the way, and he remained there overnight. The next morning he cranked up 'AAM for the return flight to Carcross. It would be a one-minute flight, and the journey it­ self would take months to complete.

As Randall became airborne the heal of his port ski struck a hard snow­ drift, snapping the forward restraining cable attachment. This permitted the ski to rotate downward, bringing the aft end up hard against the landing gear strut, thereby creating enormous asymmetriC drag. Randall could not maintain altitude, and the toe of the disabled ski snagged another drift, causing the aft section to break off when it struck the strut again. The ski was now trailing upside down.

Randall had no choice but to Land immediately as best he could on the remaining good ski, keeping the port wing up as long as possible. It was a su­ perb landing under the circumstances. ,AAM had slowed well below flying speed when aileron control played out, allowing the port wing to drop with sufficient force to severely dam­ age the outboard half.

There was no radio at Francis Lake, and the ensuing six days of severe weather prevented any contact with the outside world. Randall's young

Cl ark Seaborn,

Don M cLean and

Bob Camero n

wife, expecting their third child, began to fear the worst. One can imagine her re­ lief when, after a week of silence, a telegram arrived.

Bob was fine. In­ deed, he would move on to a career with Canadian Pacific Air Lines, retir­ ing as a 3S,OOO-hour jet captain. So would his twin sons, who have also reached retirement. A third son and two grandsons continue to fly for CPA. Nineteen thirty-seven was a bad year for Simmons and his partners.

Northern Airways' other Super Univer­ sal, CF-ATJ, experienced a similar mishap at Francis Lake. This left them with but one aircraft, the Ford Tri-Mo­ tor, and its days of usefulness were numbered. Ford G-CARC had been damaged at Telegraph Creek in the previous November, although it con­ tinued in service for several months. It was eventually grounded and placed in storage. (It 's currently awaiting restoration in Greg Herrick's hangar, but that's another story.)

The Fokkers were repaired at Francis Lake under arduous conditions, one wing at a time. This was accomplished in subzero weather by thrusting the damaged wing through the window of a cabin large enough to accommodate the damaged section . This took four men two months, and both Fokkers were again flying in March. In the fol­ lowing September, 'AAM was ferried to Vancouver for a thorough recondi­ tioning.

On December 5,1937, pilot Les Cook taxied for takeoff at Dawson City. There was considerable snow on the runway, and 'AAM was still on wheels. The Fokker failed to unstick, and the aborted takeoff resulted in ma­ jor damage to the forward fuselage.

Simmons decided not to repair the ag­ ing aircraft, which by then had attained 3,2S0-hours on the airframe.

The undamaged wing was shipped back to Carcross and eventually in­ stalled on Northern Airways' replacement Fokker, CF-AJC, which continued to provide yeoman service until 1942. In June of that year it was engaged in salvaging parts and equip­ ment from four B-26s that had crash landed in a nameless valley after be­ coming lost on the way to Fairbanks.

Thereafter, the location was known as Million Dollar Valley.

On its last trip the Fokker, diverted by weather, landed on the Dezdeash River, little more than a stream, with nearly empty tanks. After refueling, a takeoff was attempted, but the air­ plane struck an overhanging tree. The result was a violent water loop into the riverbank. The engine and fuselage were salvageable, but the unwieldy wing was abandoned beside the river.

Thus ended the career of 'AAM's origi­ nal wing.

Fast-forward four decades ...

A second-generation Canadian bush pilot, Bob Cameron , not yet born when the forgoing transpired, had been aware of the remains of 'AAM for some time. They were worth sal­ vaging, but Cameron didn't quite know what to do about the commu­ nity of "hippies" living at the site.

They might not take kindly to an in­ truder, especially if they were raising a little pot with their carrots and beans.

One day Cameron decided to make his move. He and a friend went in with a helicopter, hooked a cable to

-continued on page 27 VINTAGE AIRPLANE

21

commentary

Forced Landing Attitude One reason why flying can be more dangerous today than it was 7S years ago...

By Denis M. Arbeau lying more dangerous now than it was 75 years ago? That's silly, you say? I can understand why you would feel that way. Orville Wright did not sign your pilot's li­ cense and you don ' t fly an old antique biplane with an unreliable 90-some-odd horsepower engine that may quit at any moment. Your engine is highly maintained to the strict levels that common sense and safety require. It is a basic, relatively modern, long-reliable design that has flown millions of safe hours in thousands of airplanes. Modern air­ plane engines rarely fail. In fact, the vast majority of pilots today will never experience an actual engine failure in their entire flying career.

In his short story, "The Snowflake and the Dinosaur," from the book "Gift of Wings," Richard Bach wrote... "When you fly old-time air­ planes, you expect to have forced landings now and then. It's nothing special, it's part of the game, and no wise pilot flies an antique out of glid­ ing distance of a place to land. In my few years flying, I'd had seventeen forced landings, not one of which I

F

22 SEPTEMBER 2000

Modem day pilots may not take the prospect of a forced landing as seriously as their pioneer brethren did. had ever thought unfair, for all of which I was more or less prepared.

But this was different. The Luscombe I flew now was hardly an antique ... and had one of the world's most reli­ able engines. Modern airplane pilots ... don't want to be bothered with such things as aerobatic train­ ing and forced-landing practice.

Chances are rare that they'll ever stop or that a minor little linkage will break in half. Because a forced landing.. .is honestly quite unfair, I began to realize that pilots get to

thinking it can't possibly happen."

Today, most pilots, from the time they go to full throttle on takeoff un­ til the moment they turn off the runway, are not mentally prepared to immediately deal with the chal­ lenge of what they would do and where they would land if an engine failed . Ironically, it is because of the reliability of modern aviation en­ gines that the vast majority of pilots are lulled into being unprepared.

I've given more than 10,000 hours of dual instruction and have seldom seen pilots handle unexpected simu­ lated engine failures properly during training or BFRs. Usually, the first few critical seconds after all goes quiet are spent inactive in shock try­ ing to deal with the fact that the unthinkabl e has happened. The worst case scenario had come true.

When the pilot has not kept his con­ tinuous plan for dealing with an engine failure in the back of his mind, surviving the ensuing forced landing is 90 percent luck. I've seen it. Time and time again.

AIRPLANES DO NOT PLUMMET STRAIGHT DOWN TO THE

GROUND AFTER AN ENGINE FAIL­ URE! A pilot who is not mentally prepared to manage a forced landing will most likely panic and try to make the airplane do something it is not capable of doing. In fact there is a group of Internet Swifters out there who will recall they were standing right next to me a few years ago at Shelter Cove Airport in Northern California when we were witnesses to a pilot reacting in just that way.

He took his wife, two kids and least of all a very nice Stinson with him...Most forced landings that end in fatalities are the result of the pilot stalling the airplane close to the ground in some panic-driven at­ tempt to delay the inevitable. It must be understood that when forced landings are accomplished with the aircraft under positive con­ trol, even in impossible terrain, the pilot and passengers have the best chance of survival.

Am I telling yo u anything you didn 't know? "Of course not," you say. Easy to say "of course not" when you sit safe and secure staring at this page. But when you are, let's say,

500 feet in the air and the engine stops and you were not ready for something like this to happen, how well do you think you are going to handle it? Unless you're prepared, you probably won't do very well.

Sure, sometimes we fly our air­ craft in situations and/or over terrain where if the engine stops it's going to be hard, if not impossible, to find a reasonably safe place to set the aircraft down. It is our right and our decision to accept that risk should we choose to do so. But not being mentally prepared to cor­ rectly deal with the unexpected significantly increases that risk, even over the most ideal types of forced landing terrain.

Most instructors are good about teaching and practicing forced land­ ings with their students. The best ones even find a way to encourage those pilots that they can influence to practice these tasks with an in­ structor from time to time. But many overlook development of that ALL THE TIME mind-set in their students that keeps them thinking about how they would handle an engine failure

at any given moment while in flight.

That's the key to being properly pre­ pared to have a reasonable chance to bring a forced landing to a successful conclusion.

I'll probably go flying within the next 24 hours after I write what you've just finished reading here. If I am true to what I've just discussed, I will, after I take the runway and just before I go to full throttle, turn on that switch in the back of my mind that arms me to react to an engine failure as best I can. That switch will not be turned off until I am back on the ground. Instructors can tell us to do that, but we have to remember to do it.

Seventy-five years ago, the train­ ing and mind-set put the possibility of an engine failure foremost in the minds of each aviator, making them safer pilots than if they ignored the high probability the event would oc­ cur in their flying career. These days, most pilots are not ready, so I put the question to you. When it comes to an engine failure, are you as pre­ pared as the pioneer pilot who flew 75 years ago? .....

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

23

Thanks to the collection of R. W. Buttke, we have this month 's Mys­ tery Plane to share with you. Now obviously, we know who made it, but which one is it? Send your an­ swers to: EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903­ 3086. Your answers need to be in no later than October 25, 2000, for in­ clusion in the December issue of Vintage Airplane.

You can also send your response via e-mail. Send your answer to vin­ tage@eaa.org.

Be sure to include both your name and address in the body of your note, and put" (Month) Mystery Plane" in the subject line.

by H.C. Frautschy

July's Mystery Plane, which ap­ peared courtesy of David Carlson, Hay Springs, Nebraska was known to a number of you. Here's our first letter:

Hanging high above farm equipment seats and Lanterns is the bright red and yellow parasol Rearwin Junior 3000 with "Say-kay" heads (SzekeLy 45 hp.) hanging on by straps.

The Rearwin Jr. is a sister ship to the Eaglet design by Doug Weber and Noel Hockaday at the American Eagle Co. of Ed Porterfield. Further Eaglet types were built as the Rearwin Jr., Porterfield Wyandotte Pup, Parasol Zephyr, Cabin David Carlson shot this photo of the Rearwin 3000 NS07Y (formerly NCll092) at the now closed Oscar's Dreamland in Billings, Montana. A major part of the col­ lection was sold at auction this past June, and the registration number does not cur­ rently show up on the FAA register.

24 SEPTEMBER 2000

Zephyr and POIter(ield Sportster.

The last remaining Rearwin Jr. 3000 of 23 built, NCll092 belonging to Marion McCLure (Wiley Post biplane

owner) of Bloomington, Illinois was soLd at auction in Billings, Montana for $35,000. The original new price was $1795 in 1932. The Junior was then donated to the Oscar Cooke Museum.

Oscar Cooke re-registered the Junior as N507Y, after Rearwin Junior X507Y. An Aero Digest ad for Annitie All-Pur­ pose Cleaning Compound shows this X507Y with the wing and tail the same color shade as the fuselage . Possible color was red with a black spear point strip and registry.

Regards, Russ Brown Lyndhurst, Ohio

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As advertised in the April 1932 issue of Aero Digest

Lester Everett, Jr., of Craw­ fordsville, Indiana adds:

... Manufactured in Kansa s City, Kansas, it was designed in 1931 and produced in 1932. The Junior was available with either the Szekely 45 hp or the Aeromarine AR-3 50 hp engine.

The aircraft was a two -seater in a single tandem cockpit with dual con­ troLs. A deta chable winter enclosure was available. The wing span was 36 ft., Length 21 ft., 8 in. and the height was 7 ft., 6 in . Cruis ing speed was 78 mph with a top speed of91 mph.

Landing speed was 25 mph, absolute ceiling was 16,400 ft., with an initial rate of climb of 700 fpm.

The Rearwin Junior pictured is still hanging in the late "Oscar Coo ke Farm Imp lement Mu seum- "Osca r's Dreamland" in Billings, Montana.

Other correct answers were re­ ceived from Wayne Mux low, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Frank Abar, Livonia, Michigan; Ed Kast­ ner, Elma, New York; Larry Knechtel, Seattle, Washington; Dr. Ed Garber, Fayetteville, North Car­ olina, Ken Brugh, Jr., Roaring Gap, North Carolina and John H. Hess of Manheim, Pennsylvania. ......

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-Thirty Five Years ... continued from page 8 been called upon to support the air­ plane's estimated weight of 195,000 pounds in wings level cruising flight, was now called upon to support an effective weight, due to the arcing parabola, of 1 million pounds. For it to do so was aerodynamically impos­ sible and the terribly flexed wing, close to the point of failure, went into a shattering high speed stall.

The subsequent fearful pounding was described as extremely severe, yet in a few seconds, the altimeter, one of the two useful instruments on Captain Lynch's panel, began slowing from its unwinding scream­ ing dive, then, as zooming, upward flight into the night sky was as­ sumed, began winding at a fearful rate in the opposite direction. The dive had been arrested somewhere near 6,000 feet, then back at about 11,000 feet the airplane was finally pushed over into level flight, where the airspeed gradually began drop­ ping for the first time from its pegged position at 400 knots. The throttles throughout were in the tight closed position.

As speed diminished the airplane became nose heavy and Sinski, at Waldo's request, and still in his pedestal straddling position, hand cranked the cockpit stabilizer wheel in response. It wasn't until this point that Sinski was able to reach forward and actuate switches to crossover Lynch's artificial horizon so that it repeated off Sam Peter's instrument, which had not tumbled, and Waldo again had aircraft attitude informa­ tion displayed on his panel.

As the airspeed continued to slow Waldo realized with great relief that the 707 was apparently still in one piece, but he also realized that the flight could never hope to make Gander if they stayed at such fuel consuming low altitudes. Unsure of the engines, he gingerly advanced the thrust levers and was as­ tounded, first, that all engines appeared to be still attached to the 26 SEPTEMBER 2000

airframe, and second, that they re­ sponded normally. A careful climb was made back to 29,000 feet where flight at slow speed range cruise was established.

In the cockpit, as they leveled off, little was said with all busy with they own thoughts. At Waldo's re­ quest, Sinski left his engineer's station to check the main cabin for injuries and possible damage. There, in response to a public address an­ nouncement, the cabin was being prepared for a possible emergency landing and the life rafts had been lowered from their ceiling storage positions and laid in their assigned aisle positions adjacent to exit doors and windows. As George worked his way back and over the rafts, passen­ gers and cabin crew members impulsively grasped his hand and squeezed his arm in gratitude.

At last, on a sparkling clear night, the lights of Gander could be seen far ahead. As a precautionary mea­ sure as the flight descended through 10,000 feet the airplane was tem­ porarily leveled off, slowed, and the gear and wing flaps extended to check their operation. Except for a previously observed difficulty in es­ tablishing lateral trim and a now somewhat sluggish response to aileron inputs, control seemed near normal and a normal approach and landing was made, although flown at higher speeds due to Lynch's un­ certainty at what yet might be encountered.

A short while later as the airplane slowly taxied through the night to the ramp there were cheers and ap­ plause from the relieved passengers.

The flight crew debarked last and then walked around and examined the jetliner's exterior in the glare of ramp floodlights. First noted was the large outboard aileron on the left wing which hung downward, its drive system broken. It had been trailing uselessly in the airflows of flight. There were heavy wrinkles in the fuselage skin and large creases in the wing root fairings where the big wing had flexed upward and a large

30-inch section of the fairing was missing and had fallen into the cold Atlantic. The tail root fairings were also damaged and there were heavy wrinkles in the skin of the tail's hori­ zontal stabilizer.

Boeing engineers later estimated the plane dove to a speed of .99 Mach, just below the speed of sound and far beyond its design limits.

During the 707's earlier certification destruct tests conducted with hy­ draulic jacks on the factory floor, the wing tips were purposely and very gradually flexed upwards 17 feet from their normal in-flight position before permanent set to the wings structure began to take place. Later checks on Lynch's airplane, after it was ferried to the factory, showed that the wings under the 6.7 G pull­ out loads had taken a permanent set of several inches. It is not diffi­ cult to visualize the loads that this wing was subjected to and its sur­ vival is quite a tribute to an extremely well-built, strong air­ plane which returned and flew the airline for many years afterward.

Waldo's recovery was effected in the black of night and in cloud and flown from a full aft and low seat position with only two usable in­ struments of flight, the Turn Indicator and the Altimeter. He af­ terward noted, had he been able to get his feet on the rudder pedals, he probably would have caused damage to, or parting of, the airplane's verti­ cal tail surfaces, or possibly caused an engine, or engines, to part com­ pany with the airframe. As it was, several engine mount bolts were later found bent into "U" shapes.

In summation, had not some fine, basic and intuitive airman­ ship, plus some fine crew back-up come through under extremely dif­ ficult flight conditions , there would have been a totally unex­ plainable disappearance of a new jetliner into the dark wintry waters of the North Atlantic. Had this oc­ curred, the newly opening era of this great airplane would have been set back for years. ~

-Yukon from page 21 the remains while the helicopter hovered, and plucked them out be­ fore the astonished hippies kn ew what was happening. What was left o f ' AAM was soo n on the wa y t o Whiteh orse, Cameron's home base.

Cam eron made further inquiries and determin ed that 'AMM's wing mi g ht still b e where it had b ee n abandon ed in 1942, 80 miles from Whitehorse. He'd spoken to a hunter who h ad see n it some years before.

The hunter had been in too great a hurry to investigate the remains. His main co ncern at the time wa s putting distance between himself and a bear.

The hunter, known as Scotty, led Cam eron to the site. It was difficult to find, being an isolated spot, and it seemed to b e the last place in the world one would pick to land an air­ plan e on floats. Yet , there was 'AAM's decomposing wing, incon­ trovertible evidence that an airplane h ad once landed there, on what passed for a river, and tried to take off again. Alas, the wing was too far gone, except for a bucket full of fit­ tings. In the summer of 1982, Clark Seaborn's family stood aghast at the sight of a trailer-load of "junk" being dump ed in the driveway of th eir Calgary h o m e. Lying on the pave­ ment were the rusting components of not one, but several Fokker Super Universals, including the remnants o f CF-AAM. They had come from the Western Ca nada Aviation Mu­ seum. In time there wou ld be still more bits and pieces salvaged from the crash of 'CASL 'AAM's long-ago shelter mate at Fort McMurra y.

Seaborn himself had flown to a lake near Yellowknife, the nearest town, and hiked to the crash site.

Seaborn, a vintage plane enthusi­ ast with a Waco UIC , had set for himself the task of re-creating CF­ AAM as a museum piece. Moreover, it would be a fl ying museum piece.

Seaborn had arranged with the West­

-continued on page 30

Fly- In Calendar Thefollowing list ofcoming events is furnished to our readers as a matter ofinfor­ mation only and does not constitute approval, sponsorship, involvement, control or direction ofany event (fly-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed. Please send the infor­ mation to EAA, Au: Vintage Airplane, P.o. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

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

EAA Regional Fly-Ins shown in bold.

SEPTEMBER 15-I7-WATERTOWN, WI-(RNV) 16th Annual Byron Smith Memorial Stinson Reunion.

Info: Suezette Selig, 630/904-6964.

SEPTEMBER J6-17-ROCK FALLS, IL -Whiteside County Airport (SQI). North Central EAA "Old fashioned" Fly-ln. Sun. morning pancake break­ fast. Info: 630/543-6743 oreaa IOI @aol.com SEPTEMBER J7-LANSING, IL-EAA Chapter 260 Fly-InlDrive-In pancake breakfasl. Info: 708/474­ 3748 or 708/798-3801.

SEPTEMBER 22-23-BARTLESVILLE, OK-Frank Phillips Field. 43rd Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-ln.

Info: Charlie Harris, 918/622-8400.

SEPTEMBER 23-24-ZANESVILLE, OHIO-John's Landing. VAA Chapter 22 9th Anuual Fall Fly-In. Breakfast both days, Hog roast on Saturday night.

Info: Virginia at 740/453-6889 or 740/455-9900.

SEPTEMBER 22-23-ASHEBORO, NC-EAA Chapter 11 76 Aerofest 2000 at Smith Airfield. Oldfash­ ioned grass field Jly-in and pig pickin '. Un icom 122.9. Info: JejJSmith, 336/879-2830.

SEPTEMBER 30-HANOVER, IN-Lee Bollom Air­ port (641). Wood, Fabric and Tailwheels Fly-ln.

Rain date 10/1, starts atlO a.m. Info: Rich David­ son, 812/866-5654, I1r211 75th@aol.com OCTOBER 5-8-GAINSVILLE, TX-(GLE) 25th an­ nuai international Cessna 120/140 Fly-In. Info: L. or M. Richey 940/670-1883 or mrichey@ntws.net OCTOBER 6-7 - SONORA, CA - Columbia airport.

Western Waco Reunion. Info: Jon Aldrich, 209/962-6/21.

OCTOBER 6-8-DAYTON, OH-Luscombe Reunion at Moraine Air Park(173). Call Mike Williams 937/859-8967.

OCTOBER 6-8 - TOUGHKENA MON, PA - EAA East Coast Fly-In. Info: 3021894-1094 or www. eastcoastflyin_org OCTOBER 6-8 - EVERGREEN, AL - EM Southeast Regional Fly-In (SERF/). Info: 3341578-1707 or wwwserji.org

OCTOBER 12-15 - MESA, AZ-Copperstate Regional EAA Fly-In_ Williams Gateway Airport_ Info: 5201400-8887or www_copperstate.org OCTOBER 21-DAYTON, OH-Antique/Classic Chili Fly-IN at Moraine Airpark (I73). Call Darrell Montgomery at 937/866-2489.

OCTOBER 14-ADA, OK-4th annual Plane Fun Fly-In and Youth Expo sponsored by EAA Chapter 1005 at Ada Muni. Airport (KA DH). Free T-shirtfor first 50 pilots. Info: Terry Hall, 580/436-8190.

OCTOBER 12-15-WICHITA, KS-Travel Air 75th Anniversary Homecoming Celebration. Raytheon Aircraft, Beech Field. For scheduled events and registration materials send SASE to Travel Air Restorer's Assn., 4925 Wilma Way, San Jose, CA 95124 or Mike Sloan ofRaytheon Aircraft, PO Box 85, Wichita, KS 67201.

OCTOBER 14 - RIDGEWAY, VA - Pace Field (N36.35.05, W79.52.48.) Old Fashioned Grass Field Fly-In Pig-Picking. EAA Chapter 970. Info: Tommy Pace, 540/956-2159.

OCTOBER 20-21 - ABILENE, TX-EAA SOllthwest Regional Fly-III. The Big cOllntry Fly-In. Info:8001727-7704 or lVlVw.slVrji.org SEPTEMBER 16 - ANDOVER, NJ-Andover­ AeroJlex Airport (12NJ- Vintage Aircraft Assoc.

Chapter 7 Annllal Fly-In_ Rail! date: 9117 SEPTEMBER 22-24 -LOUISE, TX- Il th annual "Under the Wing "Jly- in at the Flying Vranch.

Info: Robbie, 979/548-2163 orjlyingv@ykc.com OCTOBER 6-8 - DARLINGTON, SC-Fall VAA Chapter 3 jly-in. Awards, major speaker, EAAfel­ lowship. Info: 910/947-1853 and 757/873-3059 (FAX).

OCTOBER 14 - NORTH HAMPTON, NH- Hamp­ ton Airfield. 10th annual VAA Chapter 15 Pupkin Patch Pancake Breakfast Jly-in. 8 a.m.-12 p.m.

Rain date:10/ 15. Info: 603/539-7168 or the Air­ field: 603/964-6749.

JA NUA RY 1, 2001- NAPPANEE, IN-10th annual New Year's Day Hang Over jly-in, sponsored by EAA Chapter 938. II a.m.-2 p.m. Info: "Fast Ed­ die , " 219/546- 2795 or the chapter website: WlVlV.bnill.netl-jlyboy VINTAGE AIRPLANE

27

NEW MEMBERS

Mike Bourget .. ... .Orleans, Ontario, Canada

Robert A. Loogman ................. Hanford, CA

John Reinert ....................... .Crystal Lake, IL

Barry G. Smith ... Oakville, Ontario, Canada

Kevin Mccarthy ........................ Pacifica, CA

Kenneth W. Schrader. .. .. ............ Decatur, IL

Leopold Veilleux ................... .... .. ..... .... .. ... .. .

Brian Neal. ... .... .... ......... ....... ..Monrovia, CA

Michael R. Sices ............... ..... ...... Gurnee, IL

... ........ .............. St George, Quebec, Canada

William R. Schicora ..... ....... Winchester, CA

Allen C. Smith ...................... New Berlin, IL

Stephane Ollier ............................................ .

jeffrey Scholz ... ................. .......... .. Perris, CA

Carl J. Tortorige ............ .. ............. Quincy, IL

........ ....... .......... St Rambert D'Albon, France

Phil Schultz .......................... .. Lancaster, CA

Randy D. Whitaker. ..... ........ .Woodstock, IL

Richard Moore ........... Boston, Great Britain

Richard A. Sweet ...................... Ventura, CA

Robert W. Williams ................ Lexington, IL

Alexander Tullis ........................................... .

Klaus ten Hagen ................... Sunnyvale, CA

Mark W . Hanna 1I ................ Markleville, IN

........................... Black Heath, Great Britain

Dirk A. VanCott ............... .... ..... .Rescue, CA

William Hiller.. ........ ........ .. ......... Marion, IN

jeffrey W. Salter ........................................... .

john C. Watts ....................... San Diego, CA

Randall Hockenberry ............. Ft. Wayne, IN

...... .. ............. Holywood Co. Down, Ireland

Bradley P. Hindman .............. Littleton, CO

Frederick A. Martin .... .. .. Columbia City, IN

Kuni Hasegawa ...... .... .............Tokyo, japan

Kris D. Kluge ............. Colorado Springs, CO

Scott A. Martin .... ......................... Lizton, I

[van Campbell ... ....................... ......... .... ..... . .

Tom Poeling ................................ Eckert, CO

Stanley R. Peters ............. Columbia City, I

... ...................... Christchurch, New Zealand

Stephen A. Tonozzi ......... .. .......................... .

Eric T. Van Horn ......................... Linton, IN

james Schmidt .. .. ............. ........ ....... ............. .

................................Glenwood Springs, CO

Mark A. Werkema ..................... Granger, IN

.............. .... .......... Warkworth, New Zealand

Robert L. Williams .......................... Erie, CO

Steve Williams ...................... Richmond, IN

Mervyn R. Thompson ..... ..... .. ... ...... ..... .... .. ..

Roger L. Klein .... .. ......... .......... Hadlyme, CT

C. joseph Beck ........................... Wichita, KS

............... ......... Christchurch , New Zealand john B. Pelkey, Sr. ............. .... ..... Enfield, CT

Francis Ca nnon ......................... Wichita, KS

Eric Grover .. ........ ................. ... ............... ..... ..

john Benson .................... ....... ..... Naples, FL

John D. Hawley .. ......... .... ...... .. .. Wichita, KS

.. ... .. ........ Pretoria, Republic of South Africa

Jeffrey A. Jones ... ... .. .......... .. .. Ciearwater, FL

Patrick R. Hicks .. ... ... ..... ...... ...... Mayetla, KS

William justusson ... Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

William Lowery .... ...... .. ...... ...... .Geneva, FL

Robert Bain .. ..... ..... ........... Nicholasvi lle, KY

Franz Straumann .............. Elgg, Switzerland

William G. Mercer .... ...... ... .jacksonville, FL

Anthony M. Ball .................... McCreary, KY

Duane A. Peters .................... Anchorage, AK

Art K. Sproch ...................... .jacksonville, FL

David Lowe ......................... Sacramento, KY

julian A. Smith ........ ............ Eagle River, AK

Kempton Ballard, Jr. .. .............. Newnan, GA

Nick Rosato .......................... River Ridge, LA

Dennis L. Hasha ...... ...... ...... .Tuscombia, AL

Stiles D. Brown .... ..... .... .. ... ...... Newnan, GA

jack Spring .... ........................ Kentwood, LA

Sidney L. Brain ...... .. ... .. ....... Russellville, AR

Steve Forsyth ..... .. ............... ..... .. Atlanta, GA

David I. Arch ... ..... ..... ..... .. .... ... Pocasset, MA

jason P. Overman ........ ... ............. Cabot, AR

Ryan R. Funk ............................. Atlanta, GA

Sheldon Buck ..... ................... Weliesley, MA

Donald Downin ............................ Mesa, AZ

Allen Hayes ................. ............ Honolulu, HI

Rodney Hinkle ....... .. .. .. ........ . Falmouth, MA

David Klingensmith ...................... Mesa, AZ

Jack E. Arthur. ................ ..... . Des Moines, IA

Robert]. Rittmuller ................... ...... ...... .. .... .

james Knapp ..................... Casa Grande, AZ

Richard Minette .............. .. ..... .lowa City, IA

.............. .. ........ .. .........North Falmouth, MA

Robert j . O'Connell ....................... Mesa, AZ

Tim Steffen ............ .. ............. ...... Spencer, IA

Linda P. Soltys .... .. .. ............ Gilbertville, MA

Ronald A. Starling ............. ... ... .... Tempe, AZ

Charles L. Farrey ...... ...... .. ............. Athol, ID

Mark Baris ............. .. ............. Baltimore, MD

Harlan Weissenborn ..... ......... ..... Aguila, AZ

Donald R. Bartlett .......... ........ Carterville, IL

James Douglass .. ............. Kennedyville, MD

Mark Boenke ............... .... ..... Santa Rosa, CA

Kermit Carlson ...... ................. ..... Batavia, IL

Marvin Merryman, Jr. ....... .. .Columbia, MD

j. Brian DalPorto ............ .......... San jose, CA

james]. Coonan ....................... .Ransom, IL

Arnold Stackhouse ...... Havre-de-Grace, MD

John M Frank ... ... .... ....... .... Santa Maria, CA

joseph M. Czaplicki ...... ................... Zion, IL

Bud Walker. .... ........................... Bel Air, MD

Mark Kevin Holmes .............. ..... .Chi n o, CA

Scott Downer ........... .. ..... .. .... Mundelein, IL

William Bertrand .................. ... Harrison, MI

Fernand A. Labrecque ............ Riverside, CA

Raymond Dreisbach ......... ...... .Shefffield, IL

Stanley G. Bieker. ... ..... .......... Greenville, MI

james Lawson .. ... .......... ........ Ridgecrest, CA

Wayne Gedutis .............. .. ......... Lockport, IL

Derek K. Bradfield ......... Berrien Springs, MI

Bob F. Leitch .......................... ..San jose, CA

Steve Haupert ............... Hoffman Estates, IL

Josephine M. Clark ......... .Traverse City, MI

Peter Lloyd ..................... Walnut Creek, CA

john Livesay .................................... Pana, IL

Norman Croteau ................ Ontonagon, MI

28

SEPTEMBER 2000

Christopher E. Dackson .......... Ypsilanti, MI

Ted Millar .... .......... ... ..... .......... Portland, OR

Wolfgang Rittgers .... ... ........... La Crosse, WI

Scott D. Downing ...................... Marion, MI

Robert W. Saville ....................... Eugene, OR

E. Joe Rounce ............ .. .......... Shell Lake, WI

Ken M. Holster ..... ...... ............... Cornell, Ml

John Berkstresser. ......... ........ Bethlehem, PA

Gregory H. Smith .. ............ Clintonville, WI

Kenneth jablonski ................ Waterford, MI

james S. Dodson, jr. ......... East Freedom, PA

James Strawn ............ ..... ........ .janesville, WI

Robert Thorn Ruffini ................. Berkley, MI

Patricia Ea rly ......... ....... .... ....... ..Palmyra, PA

Sam Taber ...... ........ ................. East Troy, WI

AI Todd ... ............... .. ..... ...... Stevensville, MI

David A. Hostetter. .. ........ Sheppinsburg, PA

Eugene H. Vande Hey ..... Wrightstown, WI

Hartland W. Deering ......... ...Stillwater, MN

Gary H. Ransom ................ ...... ... ... Delta, PA

Donald H. Walter ..................... Algoma, WI

Randy Huyck .................... .. ..... ..Anoka, MN

Richard S. Rhoton ..... .. .......... Pittsburgh, PA

Thomas R. Weiler ...... .... .. New Franken, WI

R. William Ingvoldstad ........... .Nisswa, MN

Marc Roberts ..... ....... .......... Thomasville, PA James A. Wilcox ....................... Altoona, WI

Merrill Jorgenson ................. Prior Lake, MN

William E. Bell... .. .............. Summerville, SC

Kelly Koza ...............................Winona, MN

Jim Herpst ............. ........... ..... Lexington, SC

Thomas H. Lymburn ........... Princeton, MN

Wayne Norris Jr. ..... .................... Seneca, SC

Kevin R. Moeri ................ ...... Mankato, MN

John Loudermilk ........ .... ..... Brentwood, TN

Dennis D. Moser ............ ...... Princeton, MN

Donald D. Way .. ...... .. ............. Rickman, TN

David Arthur Skogland .. ..... .Shakopee, MN

David C. Crowe ................ .Georgetown, TX

Gene D. Uselman ................ .. .... Blaine, MN

Ronald Havelaar .................... Arlington, TX

Kevin Jay Clark ........... .... ...Grandview, MO

Don Johnson ........................... Houston, TX

Arthur W. Stewart ...... ... .....Crestwood, MO

Douglas Lathem ..... .. .. ... .. .......... Dalhart, TX

Steve Swinney ....................... Raytown, MO

Don J. Loughran .................. ... .. ... Dallas, TX

Daniel K. Fordice .................. Vicksburg, MS

Michael Alan Luigs ..... ............. Bandera, TX

James D. Threlkeld ............... Columbus, MS

Michael Masterov .. .................. Ho uston, TX

Larry O. jenkins ........ .......... ..Charlotte, NC

Robert Michie .. .. ................... Lago Vista, TX

Jon R. Mitchell .... .. .... ........... Lexington, NC

Eric Motz .............................. .Galvesto n, TX

Rodney Lyle Erickson .......... Fairm ount, ND

Christine Terrell ........ ....... Wichita Falls, TX

Gary M. Stagl .......................... Mandan, ND

Matt Witt... .................................. .Waco, TX

Steve R. Wetherbee ............. Fairmount, ND

David Beazley ........ ....... .. ... ....... Palmyra, VA

Larry Glabe ........ ................ ..... Hickman, NE

Michael]. Finnegan ...... .......... Leesburg, VA

Robert H. Baker. .. .. .......... .... Merrimack, NH

Mark Walker ....................... New Castle, VA

Alan Emerson .......................... Laconia, NH

Michael P. Day ............. Sedro Woolley, WA

H. W. Egdorf... ................... Los Alamos, NM

Leonard H. Guttersen ..... Leavenworth, WA

Kenneth Jensen ................... Edgewood, NM

Kent Mehrer .......................... Mukilted, WA

Richard E. Dayton ................... Freeville, NY

Douglas Szymik ............................ Kent, WA

Hubert U. Gammill ............... Wingdale, NY

Cindy C. Wischmeyer ......... Redmond, W A

John E. Garzione .................. Sherburne, NY

Allan O. Checky .................... Merrimac, WI

1. Sapodin ...................... Atlantic Beach, NY

Gary G. Cross man ................ Eau Claire, WI

James Zambik ..................... E. Moriches, NY

Thomas A. DeWinter ........... Waunakee, WI

Timothy Bodnar .... .. ..........E. Palestine, OH

jay Esty ........ .............. ................ Neenah, WI

Roger 1. James ........................ Conover, OH

joseph W. Farwell ................... LaCrosse, WI

Bernard Rottkamp ...... .... .. ........ Warren, OH

Darryl D. Jordan ................... Eva nsville, WI

William R. Rousseau ................... Salem, OH

Gregory T. Kerkenbush .......... .Madison, WI

Mike Thomas Stich .. ......... Uniontown, OH

Daniel C. Korth ................... Cambridge, WI

Mike Bass .......................... ....... Quapaw, OK

Walter C. Lange .................. .... Allenton, WI

Douglas M. Frantz .......... .... .... Mustang, OK

Mark D. McNab ................... Milwaukee, WI

james Aaron ............................ Portland, OR

Gra ham Olson .......................... Elkhorn, WI

Rod Andersen ......................... ..... Banks, OR

Richard Reinhart.. ................ .. Appleton, WI

VINTAGE

TRADER

Something to buy, sell or trade?

An inexpensive ad in the Vintage Trader may be just the answer to obtaining that elusive part. .55¢ per word, $8.00 minimum charge.

Send your ad and payment to: Vintage Trader, EAA Aviation Center, P .O. B ox 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, or /ax your ad and your credit card number to 9201426-4828. Ads must be received by the 20th o/the month/or insertion in the issue the second month /ollow­ ing (e.g., October 20th/or the December issue.)

MISCELLANEOUS BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod beari ngs, main bearings, camshaft bearings. master rods, valves. Call us Toll Free 1/800/233-6934, e-mail ramremfg @aol.com Web site www .ramengine.com VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS. N. 604 FREYA ST.. SPOKANE, WA99202.

AIRCRAFT LINEN - Imported. Fabric tapes. For a 18" by 18" sample, send $10.00. Contact for price list. WW I Aviation Originals, Ltd., 18 Journey's End , Mendon, VT 05701 USA. Tel : 802/786-0705 , Fax: 802/786-2129. E-mail : Wwlavorig@AOL.com

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1940's aircraft oil temperature gauges - 8' capil­ lary, new-old stock, $125 • Wind generators com­ plete with aluminum propeller, new-old stock, $300 • 1920's and 1930's ACCA aircraft yearbooks. $125 each . Brass 2" Pioneer Venturi , $145 • Buy/SelllTrade vintage aircraft instruments and parts • Old Jon Aldrich, Ph/Fax 209/962-6121, E­ Mail oldjon@goldrush.com VINTAG E AIRPLANE

29

had earned high commendation for a 1928 Super Universa l survey fligh t, provid ed details for an aut hentic in­ strument panel. The wooden parts of the wing, of course, were all new and built from a partial set of blueprints that had somehow survived.

Th e wing, being a single piece 51 feet in length, was especially challeng­ ing. It is 2 feet in depth at the root and comprises no less than 600 pieces of woodwork. Some 90,000 tiny brass nails were required to fasten it all to­ gether, plus gallons of glue. The driving of the last nail was the occasion for a measure of pomp and ceremony, sort of a modified vers ion of driving the last spike in the transcontinental railroad.

The fuselage and empennage were a less daunting task, there having been significant elements of several Super Universa ls in the Western Canada Aviation Museum salvage yard. This included the forward half of 'AAM's fuselage, as rescued by Bob Cameron from the hippie co mp ound near Dawson City. Sundry other parts sur-

-Yukon from page 27 ern Canada Aviation Museum to spon­ sor the project, funding it largely on his own and performing the work it­ self. It would be a monumental task, even with a team of specialists con­ tributing many thousands of hours of free labor.

It turned out to be a long-term pro­ ject, consuming the better part of two decades. Seaborn was fortunate in find­ ing the necessary help, but any account would be remiss in not mentioning three key people: Ross Richardson, Ron Jackson, and Don McLean. Richard­ son, a retired aerospace engineer, is a noted historian with a large aeronauti­ cal library. Jackson was the guiding light on many aspects of carpentry, and McLean toiled eight hours a week beside Seaborn for a year to complete the restoration.

Significant input came from pilots and mechanics who had worked on the Fokkers when they were new. C. H. "Punch" Dickins, a WCAir pilot who

faced, includin g an original Super Universal rudder.

July 24, 1998, was the culmination of a labor of love that had consumed more than 10,000 man-hours over a period of seventeen years. CF-AAM was airborne at last, the first Fokker Super Universal to occupy Canadian airspace in 56 years. Strangely enough, one or more Japanese Super Universals sur­ vived World War II in airworthy condit ion. One or two others are known to have continued in Latin American service, at least into 1944 and 1945.

The highlight of CF-AAM's n ew lease on life was its grand tour during the summer of 1999, which culmi­ nated at Oshkosh during AirVenture '99. The tour, which included a side trip to Red Lake, Ontario, for the an­ nual"Norseman Festival," gave an estimated million air show visitors a chance to see the only extant Fokker Super Universal. Indeed, most of them, including the crew, had yet to be born when the Super Universal became an extinct species in the 1940s. ......

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Of course, if you plan to fl~ it, the easiest way is stiD Poly-Fiber.

Complete interior assemblies for do-it-yourself installation.

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" have followed our easy steps and achieved safe, truly superlative, long-lasting results. And Poly-Fiber products are painstakingly manufactured and proven over time. Our reader-friendly manual is almost like having an instructor right there with you, and if you'd like some coaching, tJy one of our hands-on wori<shops.

There's also a step-by-step video, a kit for practicing with Poly-Fiber, plus a web site full of information.

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

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

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!iii ~

Bf£Hfn Aircraft Coatings

www.polyfiber.com e-mail: inio@poJyiiber.com

Gr John & Kathy McMurray

BurkburneH, TX John - retired Air Force pilot; current pilot with the Red Baron Stearman Squadron Kathy - legal secretary and Nbest light aircraft navigator in the business"

AUAis

John and Kathy McMurray acquired "Boomer," a 1946 in 1992. Their efforts to restore the aircraft led to an award at Oshkosh 1994 for Best Custom Classic - Class B.

"We began insuring with AUA because of our activities with old airplanes .

Other insurance companies replied ,

approved.

To become an EAA Vintage Aircraft

AUA's Exclusive EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Insurance Program

'You want to insure a what? ' AUA said,

Lower liability and hull premiums

'No problem, we do this all the time.'

Medical payments included

AUA is unsurpassed in their

Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages

understanding and service for antique

No hand-propping exclusion

and classic aircraft."

No age penalty

- John and Kathy McMurray

No component parts endorsements Discounts for cla im-free renewals carrying all risk coverages

Association Member call The best is affordable.

800-843-3612

Remember,

We're SeHer Togetherl

Give AUA a call - it's FREE!

800-727-3823

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AVIATION UNLIMITED AGENCY

Membershi~ Services Directo!y_ VINTAGE

Enjoy the many benefits ofBAA and the AIRCRAFT BAA Vintage Aircraft Association ASSOCIATION EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

~

Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Site: http://www.eaa.org and http://www.airventure.org E-Mail: vintage @elUl.org

OFFICERS President Espie 'Butch' Joyce P.O. Box 35584 Greensboro. NC 27425 336/ 393-0344 a-moll: w indsock@aol.com

Secretary Steve Nesse

2009 Highland Ave. Albert Leo. MN 5fflJ7 507/373-1674

Vice-President George Daubner

2448 laugh lane

Hartford. WI 53027

262/673-5885

a-moil: ontique2@aolocom

Treasurer Chanes W Harris 7215 East 46th St. Tulsa. OK 74145 918/622-8400 cwh@hv5u.com

DIRECTORS Robert C. ·Bob· Brauer 9345 S. Hoyne Chicago. Il 60620 773/779-2105 &mai: photoplklt@aai.com

e-mail: sskrog@ool.com

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

Robert D. ·Bob· lumley 1265 South 124th St. Brookfield. WI53DOS 414/ 782·2633

John S. Copeland 1A Deacon Street Northborough. MA 01532 508/393-4775 e-mail: copeklnd l@juno.com Phil Coulson 28415 Springbrook Dr. lawton. M149065 616/624-6490 Roger Gomoll 321-1 /2 S. Broadway #3 Rochester. MN 55904 507/288-2810 rgomoll@hotmail.com Dale A. G.ustatsan 7724 Shady Hili Dr. Indianapolis. IN 46278 317/293-44JO Jeannie Hill P.O. Box 328 Harvard.ll6OO33 815/943-7205

dinghao@owc.net

Steve Krog 1002 Heather In. Hartford. WI 53027 262/966-7627

e-mail: lumper@execpc.com

Gene Morris 5936 Steve Court Roanoke. TX 76262 817/491-9110 e-mail: n03capt@flash.net Dean Richardson 1429 Kings lynn Rd Stoughton. WI 53589 608/877-8485 dar@resprod.com

Geoff Robison 1521 E. MacGregor Dr. New Hoven. IN 46774 219/493-4724 &mail: chief7(Y25@aol.com S.H. "Wes" Schmid 2359lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa. W153213 414/771-1545 shschmid@execpc.com

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

Gene Chase

2159 Coman Rd. Oshkosh. WI 54904 920/231-=

E.E. ·Buck· Hilbert

P.O. Box 424

Union.ll60180

815/923-4591 e-mail: buck7oc@mC.net

ADVISORS David Benne" 11741 Wolf Rd. Gross Volley. CA 95949 530/268-1585

antiquer@inreach.com

Alan Shacklelon P.O. Box 656 Sugar Grove. Il60554-0656 630/466-4193 103346.1772@compuserve.com

EAA and Division Membership Services 800·843·3612 •••••• • •••• •• FAX 920-426-6761 (B:OO AM -7:00 PM Monday- Friday CST) • Newlrenew memberships: EM, Divisions (Vintage Aircraft Association. lAC, Warbirds).

National Association of Flight Instructors (NAF!) • Address changes • Merchandise sales • Gift memberships

Programs and Activities EM AirVentu re Fax-On-Demand Direc tory . ......... . ................... 732-885-6711 Auto Fuel STCs . ... . . . .. . ...... 920-426-4843 Build / restore information . . .... 920-426-4821 Chapters: locating/organizing .. 920-426-4876 Education . .................. .. 920-426-6815 • EM Air Academy • EM Scholarships • EM Young Eagles Camps

Flight Advisors information ..... 920-426-6522 Flight Instructor information ... 920-426-6801 Flying Start Program ••••••.•••• 920-426-6847 Library Services/ Research ...... 920-426-4848 Medical Questions ....... ..... . 920-426-4821 Technical Counselors ......... . 920-426-4821 Young Eagles ....... ........ ... 920-426-4831 Benefits Aircraft Financing (Textron) ..... 800-851-1367 AUA ................... . ...... 800-727-3823 AVEMCO .................... . 800-638-8440 Term Life and Accidental ....... 800-241-6103 Death Insurance (Harvey Watt & Company) Editorial Submitting article/photo; advertising information 920-426-4825 •••.....•.••. FAX 920-426-4828 EM Aviation Foundation Artifact Donations . ............ 920·426-4877 Financial Support . .. . . ... ..... 800-236-1025

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association , Inc. is $40 for one year, including 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION. Family membership is available for an addi­ tional $10 annually. Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually. All major credit cards accepted for membership. (Add $16 for

Foreign Postage.)

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION Current EM members may join the Vintage Aircraft Associaton and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE maga­ zine for an additional $27 per year.

EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE mag-azine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Air­ craft Association is available for $37 pe r year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included). (A dd

$7 for Foreign Postage.)

lAC Current EAA members may join the International Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $40 per year.

EM Membership. SPORT AEROBATICS magazine and one year membership in the lAC Division is

available for $50 per year (SPORT AVIATION mag­ azine not included). (Add $10 for Foreig n

Postage.)

WARBIRDS Current EM members may join the EM Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $35 per year.

EM Membership, WARBIRDS magazine and one yea r membership in the Warbirds Division is available for $45 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included) . (Add $7 for Foreign

Postage.)

EAA EXPERIMENTER

Current EAA members may receive EAA EXPERIMENTER magazine for an additional $20 per year.

EM Membership and EM EXPERIMENTER mag­ azine is available for $30 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included).(Add $8 for For­

eign Postage.)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submit your remittance with a check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars. Add required Foreign Postage amount for each membership.

Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions.

Copyright ©2000 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association

All rights reserved.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE II55N 009t-6943) IPM 1482602 is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Associalioo of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviation Center. 3000

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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 suriace mail. ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association 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 thaI corrective measures can be taken. EDITORIAL POLICY: Readers are encouraged to subm" stories and photographs. Policy opinioos expressed in articles are solely those 01 the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. No renumeration is made.Materi" should be sent to: Ed"or. VINTAGE AIRPLANE. PO. Box 3086. Oshkosh, WI 54903·3088. Phooe 9201426-4800.

The words EM, ULTRALIGHT, FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM, SPORT AVIATION, FOR THE lOVE OF FLYING and the logos of EM, EAA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION, INTERNA· TIONAl AEROBATIC CLUB, WAR BIRDS OF AMERICA are ill registered trademarks. THE EM SKY SHOPPE and logos of the EM AVIATION FOUNDATION, EM ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION and EAA AirYenlure are trade­ marks of the above associations and their use by any person other than the above association is strictly prohibited.

32 SEPTEMBER 2000