VA-Vol-34-No-10-Oct-2006 by EAA Vintage Aircraft Association

N E VOL. 34 , No. 10

OCTOBER

2006

C ONT ENT S 1

Straight & Level

by Geoff Robison

VAA News

Restoration Corner

Fuselage and landing gear

by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert

Stinson Gullwing

A victorious V-77

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

Ryans, Tigers, and Spartans

-OhMy!

Meandering through the Fields

of Flying Machines

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

The Vintage Instructor

Playing the Weather Game

by Doug Stewart

Mystery Plane

by H.G. Frautschy

Calendar

Classified Ads

COVERS FRONT COVER: The Stinson Gullwing has long been a favorite of antique airplane enthusiasts. This beautifu l example was restored by Mark Henley and his father, Don. Read more about this award-winning restoration in Sparky Barnes Sargent's article beginni ng on page 8. Using Canon digital photo equipment , EM photo by Bonnie Kratz , EM photoplane flown by Bruce Moore

BACK COVER: " Hungarian Ace Franz Graser and the Eagle Owl Albatros " is the title of this mixed media illustration by EM Master Artist William Marsalko. Here's his description of the painting: A number of Albatros 0.111 were built for the Austro-Hungarian fighter squadrons by the Austrian Oeffag factory. These machines were fitted with Austro-Daimler engine and gave exce llent ser颅 vice . This aircraft , 153.44 was flown by Franz Graser at " Flik 42-J," shown in this painting shoot颅 ing down an Italian seaplane on November 23. 1917.

STAFF EAA Publisher EAA Editor-in-Chief Executive Director/Editor Administrative Assistant Managing Editor News Editor Photography

Tom Poberezny Scott Spangler H.G. Frautschy Jennifer Lehl Kathleen Witman Ric Reynolds Jim Koepnick Bonnie Bartel Kratz Advertising Coordinator Sue Anderson Classified Ad Coordinator Louise Schoenike Copy Editor Colleen Walsh Director of Advertising Katrina Bradshaw Display Advertising Representatives:

, ort heasl: Allen Murray Phone 609-265- 1666, FAX 609-265- 166 1, e- mail: aflelllllllml,'@rllillcisprills.colII Southeast: Chester Baumgartner Phone 727-532-4640, FAX 727-532-4630. e-mail: cbmllll l l l@lIIillrisprillg.colli Cent ra l: Todd Reese Pho ne 800-444-9932, FAX 816-741 -6458, e-mail: to<ld<!!'lpc-mas.com Mountain &: Paci fic: Keith Knowlton &: Associa tes Phone 770路516路2 743, e-mail: kt.kllowltoll(ii111illd.<;prillg.com

GEOFF ROBISON PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Flier's rights It's mid-September, and I find my self traveling with the EAA's B-17 Aluminum Overcast again. This trip will take me from Columbus, Ohio, through the Louisville/Knoxville area, and then out to South Carolina before returning home late in the month. I'm currently poolside doing my best to concentrate on the task at hand, if you know what I mean. Typically, I do quite a bit of travel by airliner to catch up with the B-17 tour, but of late I have been carefully planning my volunteer time with the EAA in a manner that allows me to avoid the airlines as much as possible. Airline travel is no longer appealing to me in any way. The inconveniences associated with this type of travel now far outweigh what I used to consider a relatively enjoyable experience. It's not really the fault of the airlines; it's mostly all about the ever-changing policies the industry has to deal with that severely affect the previously "sim pie" rules we had to deal with as passen gers. I mention these inconveniences here in this column because I often wonder about where this is all ulti mately going when it comes to impact ing those of us who regularly engage ourselves in aviation travel, whether as airline crew members or as passengers. It's really something we all need to keep at the forefront of our minds. The right to freely travel by air in our personal conveyances is slowly eroding away, and it should be a mat ter of great concern to us all. The best defense is always a great offense. We should be consistently diligent in maintaining our personal skills and forever operating our personal ma-

chines within the rules. We must do so in a diligent manner as we conduct safe operations. Your personal right to engage yourself in recreational avi ation in this great country of o urs is not much different than any of your other personal rights as a citizen. We simply must do all we can to protect these exclusive rights, because the mo ment they become insignificant to the masses, some seemingly bright politi cian or bureaucrat will begin the pro cess of limiting or eliminating these rights we all hold so dear. The long and short of this message is to remind you all to be diligent, and be safe. I have previously mentioned here in this column the development of the new home of VAA Chapter 37 in Au burn, Indiana (GWB). This is my home chapter, and although progress on our new home has been coming at a little slower pace than we had hoped for, a great deal has been accomplished in the past 60 days. By the time this column hits your mailbox, our SO-foot by 100 foot hangar restoration project will have been completed, and hopefully the con struction of the clubhouse will be well underway. The DeKalb County Board of Aviation Commissioners and their staff have been real champions in seeing this project through to completion. The entire membership of VAA Chapter 37 is extremely grateful for their efforts to assist us in creating a truly wonderful opportunity for this VAA chapter. The hangar was stripped down to the red steel, with new insula tion and steel siding installed. All new electrical service has now been com pletely installed, and we have mapped out a nice floor plan for the clubhouse.

We will be moving our aircraft into the new facility within the next cou ple of weeks, and we hope to have a small shop area completed soon that will allow us the unique opportunity to maintain and restore some Significant vintage flying machines. Please con sider this an open invitation to come join the chapter or at least stop by for a visit if you find yourself in our area. We are extremely proud to report that we recently conducted our first Young Eagles event at our new home. It was a wonderfully successfu l event that hosted dozens of Boy Scouts and assisted them in gaining their Avia tion Merit Badges. This is what it is all about, folks . As I have repeatedly stated, the ef forts to plan for yet another AirVen ture in 2007 finds us attempting to figure out how we will top the pre vious year's event. Be assured, we are already formulating and develop ing a number of new and interesting ideas for events in the Vintage area for 2007. It's never too early to be gin planning your next visit to Osh kosh. Stay tuned to the ever-changing events and attractions at EAA/VAA. Visit us regularly at www.EAA.org and www.VintageAircraft·org. Hope to see you there. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007, the world's greatest aviation celebration, is July 23-29,2007. VAA is about participation: Be a member! Be a volunteer! Be there! Re member, we are better together. Join us and have it all.

A~ VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Setting the General Aviation Agenda Each year EAA AirVenture Osh kosh is the meeting place for govern ment officials and general aviation (GA) representatives to discuss is sues and solutions, to cooperate on preserving and improving GA, and to set the GA agenda for continuing dialogue throughout the year. Oshkosh also provides the setting for a mid-winter gathering of EAA and senior FAA officials to review progress on the agenda items. This year's EAA-FAA Summit is scheduled for January 2007. In the meantime, here are the key issues that continue to receive prior ity EAA attention. Fight general aviation user fees

General aviation fuel taxes help pay for the nation's aviation infra structure. That funding mechanism will expire in September 2007. The Air Transport Association, a lobby for U.S. airlines, is calling for air traffic control user fees on gen eral aviation aircraft and pilots and for a new governing board to con trol ATC operations-a board that would effectively be controlled by the airline industry. The general avi ation community is united against the airlines' proposal to pay less and control more. EAA and the other general aviation organizations will continue to express opposition to the airlines' proposal, to Congress, the public, and the FAA. Finish implementing the SP/LSA rule

The FAA, with input from EAA and others, has made tremendous progress toward full and final im plementation of the sport pilot/ light-sport aircraft rule, issued in September 2004 . Several areas of concern remain: • Complete the transition of all ultralight pilots who wish to con2

OCTOBER 2006

vert to the sport pilot certificate by the January 2007 deadline, and complete the transition of ultralight trainers (so-called "fat ultralightsl/) to light-sport aircraft by the January 2008 deadline. EAA is providing in formation, materials, and assistance to ultralight pilots and owners. • Allow amphibiOUS aircraft to qualify for the light-sport aircraft cat egory. The EAA will work to resolve this issue in time to allow owners to complete the transition of amphibi ous ultralights to light-sport aircraft by January 2008. • Support and promote the inter nationalization of light-sport aircraft standards. Many countries have ad opted, or will adopt, some version of SP/LSA. Australia has adopted the ASTM voluntary standards for LSA; Europe and Canada are considering doing the same. EAA will support and promote this and other initiatives to create a truly global LSA marketplace and community. Continue work on aviation medical issues

EAA and its Aeromedical Advi sory Council have led the way on this issue, with specific propos als for reducing the FAA's backlog of medical certification cases in Oklahoma City-especially special issuance certifications. The FAA ad opted several of EAA's proposals earlier this year. Marion Blakey announced two more significant changes to ease the backlog: extending the interval for first-class medical certificates from six months to a year, and third-class medicals from three to five years for pilots young than 40. The council will continue to work with the FAA to address these and other aviation medical issues. Support aging aircraft 'Keep 'em Flying'

Seven industry-led groups are

working on issues related to ag ing general aviation aircraft. That initiative was launched at an FAA Aging Aircraft Summit earlier this year, and work groups gathered for a progress report at AirVenture. Offi cials from the FAA said the agency's goal is to keep aging airplanes flying safely, not to stop them from flying, and the FAA is looking for grass roots solutions to the challenges facing aging aircraft. EAA will con tinue to be an active participant in this process. Preserve and strengthen the 51 percent rule

The FAA's 51 percent rule, issued in 1952, is the foundation of the homebuilt aircraft movement. The FAA strongly supports preserving the 51 percent rule, but the FAA and EAA agree there are problems, in cluding how to consistently define what constitutes 51 percent of the work of constructing an airplane and how to treat increasingly popu lar commercial builder assistance" programs that seemingly violate the letter and spirit of the rule. Blakey recently appointed an Avi ation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) to advise the FAA on strengthening the rule. Earl Lawrence, EAA vice president of industry and regulatory affairs, is ARC co-chairman. II

Reduce regulatory obstacles facing air shows

A new FAA air show waiver policy could place significant hurdles in the path of AirVenture and count less other air shows and fly-ins held each year. EAA will continue to work toward improving the un derstanding and implementation of the new air show waiver policy, to maintain the outstanding overall safety record of U.S . air shows and to ensure the public can continue to enjoy flying exhibitions of aircraft and aerobatics.

Marcia "Sparky" Barnes Sargent Received Bax Seat Award Congratulations to our newest member of the Vintage Airplane team, Sparky Barnes Sargent. Sparky was pleas antly surprised to learn she had been chosen to receive the Bax Seat Award, given annually during EM AirVenture to the

EM member who perpetuates the Gordon Baxter tradition of communicating the excitement and romance of flight. Baxter, beloved columnist for Rying magazine for more than 25 years, passed away in 2005. Sparky's refreshing view of vintage aviation has been published in various aviation publications over the past de cade, and most recently in Vintage Airplane. Sparky's aviation enthusiasm is contagious-you need spend only a few minutes reading her words or engaged in conversation with her to get an aviation inoculation , and it doesn't even hurt! The daughter of an aviator, she has enjoyed flying and maintaining vintage airplanes and sailplanes, including her restoration of a Piper PA-17 Vagabond. But it's the stories of other restorers and pilots that really grabs Sparky. "When I have a sense that a good story may unfold, I'm

tor for Flying magazine, was honored to be the presenter of the Bax Seat award to Sparky Barnes Sargent at EAA's Theater I'n The Woods during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2006.

like the proverbial child in the candy store-I'm hungry for it! I feel very fortunate to be able to combine my passions for aviation and writing, and have the opportunity to capture vari ous facets of our collective aviation heritage through photography and the written word." Like so many of us in aviation, the airplanes bring us together, but it's the stories about people's experiences that keep us together. Our hearty congratulations to Sparky on being presented with the 2006 Bax Seat Award.

EAA Fantasy Flight Camps Explore Noteworthy Aircraft Up Close EAA's Fantasy Flight Camps are ex pert-led weekend seminars exploring the detailed study of special aircraft. Upcoming sessions focus on the Ford Tri-Motor and B-1? bomber. All camps include privileged access to various EAA facilities and special ists, plus culminate in a flight aboard the subject aircraft.

EM's Ford Tri-Motor, October 13-15 Study the world's first mass-produced airliner at the Ford Tri-Motor Fantasy Camp. The program provides an un derstanding and appreciation for one of aviation 's "classic " designs, affec tionately referred to as the Tin Goose. continued on page 29

Living Aviation Icon Immortalized Clayton L. Scott, EAA 24643, has been flying airplanes for 80 years , compiling more than 8,000 hours in airplanes too nu merous to list. When he turned 101 on July 15, the folks up at the Renton, Washington, airport that bears his name (Clayton L. Scott Field) dedicated a life-sized bronze sculpture to honor him . "Scotty, " to his friends, learned to fly by persuading airmail pilots at Vern Gorst's Pacific Air Transport to give him some dual instruction in 1926. He soloed in a Waco 9, three months before Lindbergh 's famous trans-Atlantic flight to Paris in May 1927, and soon was a Pacific Air pilot. In 1929, Scott made the first commercial flight across the Gulf of Alaska , from Juneau to Cordova, in a Keystone Loening Air Yacht. Later he flew a Loening Commuter amphibian from New York to Seattle in 19 hours 35 minutes flying time. He met Bill Boeing during a fuel stop on Carter Bay, British Columbia, while flying a Commuter from Seattle to Alaska in 1932. Coincidentally, Boeing was there in his yacht, Taconite, and Scott offered him a sightseeing flight. That chance meet ing resulted in Boeing hiring Scott for his United Air Transport, the company subsidiary that would became United Air Lines . During 1933-34, Scott flew Boeing 247s between Portland and Salt Lake. Later Scott became Boeing's personal pilot, covering all of Alaska on fishing and hunting trips in a Boeing B-1E 204 flying boat as well as a Douglas Dolphin amphibian and a Douglas DC-5. In 1941, Scott began a 25-year stretch as a production test pilot for Boeing, 14 as chief test pilot. There he flew many dif-

Clayton "Scotty" Scott at his lOlst birthday with (L to R) Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, president of the Museum of Flight in Seattle; Bill Jepson, co-sculptor, and Kathy Keolker, mayor, city of Renton. ferent types, including the DB-7, A-20, B-29, B-50, B-47 , B-52 , C-97 , 707, 727, and, of course, the B-17 . Scott holds the dis tinction of having flown more of the big bombers-more than 1,000 of them-than anyone else. He retired from Boeing in 1966 and went full time into his aircraft modification business, Jobmaster, which engineered float installations for planes not previously certificated for wa ter operations . Some of the airplanes he modified included the Dornier, Pilatus-Porter, Howard (at one time , he owned the type certificate for the Howard 15 series) , Lasa , Piper Aztec, North west Ranger, Bellanca , and Cessna 195. He still maintains his Jobmaster hangar on Clayton Scott Field and flies with friends while demonstrating the exquisite skill at the controls that has long been his trademark. VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Our thanks to every member who stepped up and m de a donation to help make the VAA area of EAA AirVenture 2006 one of the highlights of the annual EM Fly-In and Convention. Your selfless contributions benefited your fellow VAA members, as well as those members of the general public who came to be educated and entertained. All of the contributors are listed on this page, and we thank you all! - The VAA Board ofDirectors and VAA Staff

Diamond Ted &: Beverly Beckwith D. Ronald Boice Jeffrey Fallon Rich Giannotti Charles W. Harris Lynn Jensen Butch Joyce Norma Joyce Bill &: Saundra Pancake Stephen Pitcairn Ronald E. Tamon John R. Turgyan Leslie Whittlesey Jim Zazas EAA Antique/Classic Chapter 10

Platinum Richard &: Sue Packer Robert &: Jennifer Parish W. Ben Scott

Gold Raymond Bottom, Jr. Jim Gorman Mark A. Kolesar Geoff Robison John Seibold Thomas W. Wathen

Ron Apfelbaum Kent &: Sandy Blankenburg Richard Hay A. J. Hugo Peter N. Jansen Weston &: Ann Lill Carson E. Thompson Jamie Wallace Donald]. Warner

OCTOBER 2006

Bronze Anonymous Donor William Aikens Lloyd L. Austin Jam es c. Baker Lawrence A. Bartell Hobart Bates Dave Belcher Gary Brossett Thomas K. Buckles Steve Buss John S. Carr George J. Ceshker Perry M. Chappano Gene R. Chase David A. Clark Geoffrey E. Clark Syd Cohen Gerald W. Cox Dan Dodds Chris &: Cheryl Drake David G. Flinn Rudy Frasca Gavin Giddings Bruce E. Graham Mal Gross Joe Harrison Johnson David Robert Kellstrand John D. Koons Joseph P. Leverone, Jr. Jimmy Leeward, RAF Group, LLC Thomas H. Lymbllrn Shawn Lynch Robert R. May Bill Moore Roscoe Morton Jim Moss George A. Northam Anna &: John Osborn Steven Oxman John Patterson Robert K. Poling - In Honor of Clement Harold Armstrong

Bob &: Norma Puryear Stephen Sawyer Arthur F. Sere que, Jr. Robert W. Siegfried Hal W. Skinner Colin A. Smith David P. Smith Guy A. Snyder Joan Steinberger Donald J. Straughn Seymour Subitzky Allan R. Thomas Don &: Mary Toeppen Cliff Tomas Carl &: Pat Tortorige Harland Verrill Tom Vukonich Bob &: Pat Wagner Kern Wallace LeRoy Weber, J r. Robert D. Weber

Loyal Supporters Harry O. Barker, Jr. Jesse w. Black III Jerry Brown Camille Cyr David Darbyshire Ed Garber, Jr. M.D. T. Randy Gillette William W. Halverson Richard Heim Daniel B. Hooven George Jenkins Walter J. Kahn Patricia A. Moore Keith PIendI Robert E. Staight Gary W. Sullivan John P. Sullivan Douglas]. Szymik James R. Temple Jan Douglas Wolfe

Current Editor's Note: This is one of a series of articles concerning the restoration of vintage aircraft. The original series started in the February 1986 issue of Vintage Airplane and ran until early 1987.

Fuselage and landing gear BY

E.E.

"BUCK" HILBERT

EAA

Any attempt to be specific on this subject would have to be on one, and only one, type of aircraft. So I feel it best to start with the all-metal mono cogue style of construction, e.g., Cessna, Ercoupe, Luscombe, Swift, etc. They all share similar construc tion and evidence similar traits in how they wear and how they are repaired. We want this IRAN (Inspect and Re pair As Necessary) project to conform to "good practice," using original specs and standard repairs. In 2006, EAA sells a couple of good books: Tips on Fatiglle will tell you how it got that way and point out possible areas to consider as prime inspection for rework . Aircraft Sheet Metal, pub lished by Jeppesen, is one good book available on the subject. I'd also sug gest a copy of FAA Advisory Circular 43.13 be in your library. This is your bible, your encyclopedia, and your ever-ready reference as to how the FAA says repairs should be accom plished. And if available, we want the airframe manuals from the spe cific manufacturer. j'm assuming we have stripped the fuselage bare, with the engine off the firewall and the upholstery removed. We are down to the basic airframe. All the plates, access panels, and fair ings have been removed, and we are about to start the IRAN process. Got your worksheets? Digital cam era? Pencil and measuring stick? We're embarking on a complete in ventory here of what we have and what we need to do. And like your

21, Ale 5

dentist does, we are going to "chart" it all, complete with frame n umbers, locations, descriptions, and notes as to our plan of action. We'll attach this plan to the airframe and use it as a checklist as we accom plish our IRAN. We may have to leave room for items that will turn up as we go.

Got your worksheets? Digital camera? Pencil and measuring stick? We're embarking on a complete inventory ... Now, let's examine the interior structure through the holes and in spection openings. We are looking for bent braces, cracks, stress and crunches in the skins and structural members, evidence of oil canning, pulley cable hangars, fair leads, the cables themselves, the control arms, bushings, turnbuckles, rudder ped als and anything else that's in there. REPRINTED FROM

Vintage Airplane JUNE

Take one area at a time, making notes, takin g pictures, or drawing diagrams. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" may apply to plumbing jobs, but we are working on an airplane, so be thor ough! Your airframe manual will be a great help. It should have subassem bly diagrams and speCifications, bolt sizes and tensions, and information that will save a lot of trial and error when it's time to reassemble. Some airplanes may have bundles of wiring. Pay attention to these, look ing for deteriorating insulation. Cal culate planned new electrical loads if you can, and determine if there is a need for replacement, or if the wir ing is serviceable. Now is the time, too, to look at the engine controls, the heat and air boxes on the firewall, and the ducts to the back seat. Check the battery box, door hinges, locks, catches, ashtrays (hah! I threw that in to get your attention!). Look at the fuel lines and valves, hydraulic lines, brake master cylinders, pitot and static lines (especially the old rubber connecting hoses) and sources, ELT location, antennae mountings and connectors, radiO racks, cargo doors, seat attach rails and fittings, and the seat belts themselves. Again, a neat, orderly list will detail and organize your efforts and make it eas ier to see what has to be done. Don't be discouraged by the magni tude of the task. Ed McConnell, the guy who helped me on the Swallow, once said, "You can eat an elephant if you take it one bite at a time!" As

1986

VINTA GE A I RP L A N E

you look at that list and try to put a timeframe on each item that needs accomplishing, you' ll also realize this is going to take awhile. But it's not impossible. You can do it!

Tires and Wheels These guys take one beating af ter another. They get slammed onto the ground, accelerated from zero to landing speed in a fraction of a sec ond and banged through loose stones and gravel. They hop up and down over pavement and turf irregularities and suffer the indignities of heavy footed drivers who take them for granted. These are the drivers who cuss when a brake fades and who give very little thought to routine mainte nance. "Whaddaya mean I need new bearings! They were okay when they were inspected last year!" One of the mysteries of aircraft wheel bearing deterioration is expe rienced when we open up a wheel we know hasn't flown in maybe a year or so, and we find the bearing cup all full of little dents. They were re packed and fine when we stored the airplane in the back of the hangar last year, and now they whine like a siren when we spin them up. This is a classic case of what the bearing boys call "frenelling." This was explained to me as being the re sult of the earth's vibrations acting on the bearings . (Anyone else heard that definition for "frenelling?" - Edi tor) These vibrations seem to affect

the old, hard, 6-inch tail wheels more than anything. One of the engineers told me it's a high-stress area and that if the bearing isn't rotated with some regularity, it'll occur with alarming frequency. I took him at his word, and several times during the winter months I go to the hangar and move the tail wheels around a little to fore stall this phenomena. I must admit it was a "just in case" effort, but it seems to work. While we're discussing tail wheels, be advised that the little guy carries a good deal of the load and provides MOST of the control on the ground. He is probably the most abused, mis understood, and ill treated part on 6

OCTOBER 2006

the whole airplane! He gets dragged through the mud, sand, tall grass, and dirt, suffers the same decelera tion/acceleration forces and unbeliev able side loads, and yet is one-tenth the size of the main gear. Usually the only attention he gets is when he falls apart and doesn't work anymore. I wish there was some way to teach respect and admiration for this little guy instead of the scorn and neglect that is so prevalent. But lectures aside, check the tire for wear, the bushings for slop, the steering and swivel op eration, the springs and chains, also the connectors and the control arms on the rudder and the wheel for wear and elongations.

Tires and Tubes Why is it a guy with thousands of dollars invested in an often rare and valuable machine wi ll risk the whole thing with a pair of mismatched, weather-checked, raunchy-looking, you-wouldn't-believe-he-did-that car casses of old tires? He won't replace them because the tread is still good, even though the sun has baked the sidewalls to a frazzle. Plan to rep l ace them if they are more than seven or eight years old, but keep them on the airplane through the rebuild process. Then you won't get all upset if you spill stuff on them or overspray a li ttle paint. Replace them after the threat of oil spills, paint, and any backward towing trips are over.

Trade-A-Plane Proving Test Redoing the gear isn't too difficult. It involves rebushing the holes that

are worn, replacing the bolts, rebuild ing the shocks and/or replacing the shock cords, and then after it's done, checking the track across the hangar floor. This can easily be accomplished by laying Trade-A-Plane pages on the floor and rolling the normally loaded airplane across them . The pages will crinkle up and tell you exactly where the problem is, if there is one. Do the test on a floor that is as smooth as possible, so the newspaper can slip easily. If it's smooth, when there's toe-out, the paper will be turned out

ward, and vice versa if there's toe-in. Try it-you'll figure it out! It's then up to you to adjust the track correctly according to the manual, if you have one . In an older machine you may have to "beat and heat" and use the old eyeball and Trade-A -Plane pages to get the results you want. Toe-in may be desirable in a rolling vehicle, but it isn't too advisable for an airplane. If you have toe-in it will exaggerate when the wing goes down, and actually promote or help a ground loop. DOff Carpenter learned this trick with his Ryan ST, and he got it from Bill Haselton who got it from some smart cookie who will go nameless. The old Swallow is a good example. When originally built, that thing had so much toe-in it looked like the tires were affectionately looking at one another. No wonder the old-timers couldn't keep it from ground loop ing. With that short-coupled tailskid and a wing going down, the wheel just rolled under and took the gear with it. We heat and beat all that toe-in to a neutral alignment and now actually have toe-out when the shocks are fully compressed. We can now handle cross winds up to 2S knots, and any hint of a ground loop is all but eliminated by the semi-automatic toe-out feature. My experience with the Wittman type Cessna gear has been very sim ilar to the Swallow's problem . I've seen more than my share of Army Bird Dogs (L-19s) all scrunched up be cause the down wing exaggerated the toe-in and the wheel actually rolled in and under. After the dust settled

we picked dirt and grass from be tween the wheel flange and the tire bead. More often than not, the wheel flange is scratched and/or broken. A Cessna 195 also suffers some what from the same malady. Pay ex tra special attention to the manual on these airplanes. Make sure your Trade-A-Plane proof test shows proof positive that you don't have a built in ground loop. One more item on this type of gear leg. There is a bolt I call the tongue bolt at the extreme upper end of the gear that holds the entire assembly. Give this guy more than a cursory glance. He holds everything in place and is subject to all the forces imag inable. If the aircraft has a history of hard landings, it might behoove you to replace that bolt, or at least Mag naflux it to be sure.

Tubes, Rags, and Sticks Make the structure out of tubing an evolution of the bamboo struc ture in Dale Crites' Sweetheart Curtiss Pusher. Then fair it into a nice shape with formers and stringers to make the lines flow. Cover the whole thing with the "rag" process of your choice, and you can have some very aesthetic and eye-pleasing designs like the Stag gerwing, Monocoupe, Aeronca, etc. These shapes are really neat and func tional, but the strength lies not in the rag or the stringers or the formers, but in the tubes; namely the longe rons and the clusters where the gear, wing struts, engine mounts, and tail feathers are attached. When manufactured, these long tubes were usually filled with Lion Oil or linseed oil, drained of the ex cess, and then plugged to maintain a rust and corrosion-resistant atmo sphere within . Hopefully, you'll find them in the same condition when you inspect them. Do pay special at tention to those lower areas where moisture may have become trapped . An extreme example might show as a burst tube where a collection of water had actually frozen inside. Closely examine the bottom of these longerons where the fabric was wrapped around them all those years.

Telltale signs of rust-impregnated fab ric may lead you to discover more ex tensive internal damage. An ice-pick test or even a drilled hole in these suspect areas will confirm or deny deep involvement. Now is the time to prove to yourself and your IA that you have a sound fo undation to build on. Also, if you have a tube within a tube assembly (such as where a fin or horizontal surface slips into a tube receptacle), it's a good idea to check these rather carefully too. Check these weld clusters and look closely if these areas have a repair. Clues as to deformation can really be evident if you just realize they are trying to tell you something; for ex ample, a dragging door that doesn't seem to fit the opening anymore, doors that won't stay closed and keep popping open in flight under normal flight maneuver "G" loads, or when you are taxiing over rough or bumpy ground. A little flexing may be nor mal, but it could be a clue that some thing is amiss! I have seen Champs with backbone problems, and Super Cubs with cracked and even broken diagonals behind the baggage pit ar eas. Suspicious wrinkles in the fabric and a "loose as a goose" feeling are usually there to give us a clue. When you do repair or replace, do it according to th e book and do it well. No one can dislike a job well done, and if you really like it when it's finished, then you, my friend, are a mechanic and a craftsman . A true mechanic is the guy who is proud of his work. EAA sells both books mentioned

Hook up air hose from your com pressor. Add Glass Beads or other abrasive. Aim power gun (included) at part and remove rust, paint, andscale FAST! Abrasive drops into funnel where it is recycled. WORKS GREAT! 22"d, 34"w, 20" , 'h work area. 22 ga steel, 14 ga steel legs. Requires 7-20 cfm air @ 80 psi & shop vac.

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in this article . Aircraft Sheet Metal, published by Jeppesen, sells for $18.95, catalog number F-37118. I'd also suggest a copy of FAA Ad visory Circular 43.13 be in your li

brary. It's catalog number F-00191 in the EAA book catalog, and it sells for $19.95. Both prices do not include shipping and handling charges. You can buy them using a credit card by calling EAA Membership Services at 800-843-3612.

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GREAT BENEFITS

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

taxied onto the flightline in the vintage aircraft camping area just as the crowds had thinned for the day. The early evening sun ca ressed its bright scarlet gull-shaped wings, setting them aglow atop a vel vet black fuselage. Freshly restored to show status in August 2005, this victorious 1944 Stinson-Vultee V-77 (AT-19) was making its first public ap pearance at the 2006 Sun 'n Fun Fly In at Lakeland, Florida. The judges, along with many other pleased vin tage aircraft buffs, discovered it there the next morning, and it was soon proclaimed Custom Champion.

N9116H

Milt"fory to Oivilion. Those graceful, double-tapered

OCTOBER 2006

gullwings denoted N9116H's Stin son Reliant heritage, but N9116H began life as a military AT-19. The Stinson Aircraft Division of Vultee built 500 of these robust aircraft for use as navigational trainers by the United States Army Air Forces. Pow ered by a 300-hp Lycoming R-680, the AT-19 had a wingspan of 41 feet 11 inches, measured 28 feet 3 inches from nose to tail, and stood an im pressive 8 feet 7 inches tall. It carried 38 gallons of fuel in each of its wing tanks and was capable of cruising at 120 mph while burning around 17 to 18 gph, giving it a range of about 500 miles. It landed smoothly at half its cruising speed on widespread, cantilever oleo landing gear. Hydrau lic toe brakes and a full-swivel tail

wheel facilitat ed ground handling. The majority of the AT-19s were sent to Great Britain via our govern ment's Land-Lease program during World War II, and the British military employed them for a variety of uses, ranging from training naVigators and transporting personnel or cargo to fly ing observation and aerial photo mis sions. Yet their need was short-lived, and several hundred AT-19s were des tined to become military surplus back in the States after the war. These hardy, five-place airplanes were soon made available for civil ian purchase and subsequently cer tificated as the V-77. They quickly gained popularity in Alaska as bush planes-whether on wheels, pon toons, or skis. While 134 V-77s and 15 AT-19s remain listed on the FAA Registry, they are still a fairly rare sight to behold. In fact, restorer Mark Henley hadn't ever seen one until he and his father went to look at N9116H. Although the disassembled aircraft had been in storage for sev eral decades and its major compo nents were stored in three separate locations, Henley knew it would be come his third significant restoration project. liMy father and r bought it the night I looked at it," he recalls, adding, "I loved it from first sight."

Wynne, Arkansas. Then he sold it to another friend of mine, and it sat again for years and years. Finally, this fellow decided he wanted to sell it, and I told Don and Mark about it. They bought it in the spring of 2004 and started restor ing it to show quality."

Restoration and

~ O/'a//enges ~

The V-77, at that point, had only

~ 1,077 hours total time in service, but c: Q1j it desperately needed a heavy dose ~ of tender loving care to bring it back It <f)

Pilot Chris Emerson and owner Don Henley with N9116H.

Sixt!l Years The Henleys' Stinson began its ci vilian life in November 1946, when it was sold by the United States' War Assets Administrator via the Surplus Property Act of 1944, and it was pur chased by a gentleman in Virginia for the sum of $1,500. Although its own ership varied, it remained in Virginia until 1962. From there, it went to the North Carolina coast, then to Tennes see, and briefly back to Virginia. In 1970, N9116H found a new home in 10

OCTOBER 2006

Idaho, where it remained for six years before it went to Oregon and Colo rado. A decade passed and the Stin son changed hands again, landing in Arkansas . It languished there for nearly a quarter of a century before Mark Henley and his father, Don, heard about it from family friend and pilot Chris Emerson. "It had belonged to a friend of mine who had planned to restore it," re calls Emerson, "and he had it for years, sitting in the back of the hangar in

togeth er into flying form. The ensu ing ground-up restoration took about two yea rs overall, according to Mark Henley, who says he "was also doing annual inspections, overhauling en gines, and making various repairs to other aircraft in the daytime during that period of time. " Aircraft restorations can become a concerted team effort, and the V-77 was no exception . Don Henley, along with John Richey, was steadily in volved in the project. "The three of us together put about 5,000 hours in it, and it was a process. My son, Mark, is the A&P, and he had restored two

The Stinson has ample space and horsepower to cany camping gear.

a::

"We Dought if the night

I looked ot If;

I lOt/ed 11' /rom Hrst slght··

~--------------~------------~ ~ AirVenture Lindy award winners-a 1946 Piper Cub and a 1947 Aeronca Champ-before taking on this Stin son. He's a perfectionist, and he knows what it takes to do a quality restora tion. I am a house builder, and he's an airplane builder, and there's a tremen dous difference there. Mark has taught me a lot in rebuilding this airplane." And when the airframe components were completed and ready for the fi nal assembly phase, Ross Jones gave Mark Henley a helping hand. Nearly all of the Stinson's major components had somehow survived those long years of storage. There was even a set of Fiberglas wheel pants that, while not original, were available with the project. Just a few items were missing, such as the tail wheel, land ing gear fairings, and the cabin inte rior (except for one seat). Mark Henley fabricated new sheet metal panels for the Stinson and designed the interior panels and upholstery for the cabin. He took his design locally to Pat Roby, who installed the headliner, carved the foam for the seats, embossed the embroidered panels, and sewed th e new gray leather upholstery.

After installing the fabric on the Stinson's steel tubing and aluminum faired airframe, Henley used th e Air Tech coatings system, just as he had for his previous award winners. "It's rea l user-friendl y and ha s a really good shine, plus it holds up well," he explains, adding, "I've had real good luck with it, and I prefer it over other paint systems. The color scheme came from a Hallmark Christmas ornament that a buddy gave me-it was a minia ture Stinson Reliant, painted black and red-and I modified that scheme for the V-77. I used just a basic black and asked Air-Tech to mix the exact color of red that I wanted, which they named Henley Red ." (That Hallmark Christmas ornament is a model of Dr. Paul Sensor's Stinson SR-SE Reliant.-Editor)

Even the Stinson's powerplant, a 300-hp Lycoming R-680 overhauled by Radial Engines Ltd. of Guthrie, Okla homa, was included in the Stinson's overall color scheme. Its gold-tone nose case matches the gold-tone instrument panel, while a thin gold accent trim highlights the airframe's paint scheme from engine cowling to rudder. Throughout the restoration, the

Mark Henley

Henleys enco unt ere d a variety of challenges. For Don Henley, it was "learning how to sew the hidden rib stitch that Mark taught me and then rib-stitching those gullwings, because the depth of the wing varies, and it has so many internal structures." For Mark Henley, one notable challenge that required some careful thinking was th e wing installation. "That was a head-scratcher, for sure," he recalls, explaining, "we ended up making padded, carpeted slings that hung from the ceiling to help slowly raise those h eavy but fragile wings into position so we could bolt them on to the fuselage and install the struts. It took about two hours just to raise each wing, and we didn't put a scratch on them."

Shore the Know/edge One of the most helpful aspects of a restoration can be making com parisons between yo ur project and a similar model airplane (prefera bly airworthy). During the Stinson's restoration, Mark Henley had the good fortune to meet a friendly V-77 owner, Buddy Kirkland of Tennessee, VI NTAGE AI RPLANE

N9116H boasts a 300-hp Lycoming R-6S0 from Radial Engines Ltd. Note the gullwing style cowling, which pro足 vides easy access to the engine and reveals the Stinson's military heritage.

Bright Henley Red paint and gold trim accentuates the Stin足

son's tail.

OCTOBER 2006

at a fly-in at Bartlesville, Oklahoma. "When I met him, he asked me what I was restoring, and I told him what it was. Most people hadn't even heard of one, and he actually had one! So he took me flying in it, and that was real encouraging because I hadn't even seen a complete V-77 at that point. And it's the only one I've seen except for mine since then. He's a real nice guy, and I called him a hundred times-he never hesitated to answer any questions about the airplane. So he was absolutely a great help."

Features and Mods This custom restoration was de signed to keep the aesthetic beauty of the gullwing Stinson intact while simultaneously incorporating the practical convenience of modern technology. Its modifications include Cleveland wheels and brakes; an al ternator; a Garmin GNS 430 GPS, GTX 327 transponder, and GMA 340 audio panel; and for the pilot and passengers' entertainment, a PS Engi neering CD player. One unique feature about the V-77 is its vacuum-operated flaps. "I was going to modify them and put elec tric flap actuators in it," explains Mark Henley, "because I didn't re alize how smooth and reliable the vacuum-operated flaps were until af ter I flew with Buddy in his Stinson. The flaps are lowered by using mani fold pressure from the engine, and a return spring helps them retract. If the engine quits, there is an extra reservoir tank that gives you one last chance to lower the flaps, and they're very effective." Another important item of inter est pertaining to the Stinson V-77, according to Mark Henley, is that "there are no airworthiness direc tives at all on this airplane . I was getting ready to research all the ADs when Buddy told me that my research could stop right then , that there weren't any. This airplane is built really strong, and the AT-19 handbook shows that it's aerobatic, with just a few restrictions." continued on page 28

Rib-stitching the Stinson's gullwings was a time-consuming job.

Work on the wings is well underway.

Work on the fuselage is nearing the point of fabric installation. VINTAGE AIRPLA N E

10-------- -----------~

Ryans, Tigers, and Spartans Meandering through the fields of flying machines ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

h my, look at those Ti ger Moths nestled below the trees, and over there, how about that silver Ryan with the orange triangle mark ings? And three Spartans this year! C'mon, let 's keep walking-there 's more to see in the next field. Just look at that array of fabric-covered short wing Pipers, the sleek Swifts, and all of those colorful Navions. They were all there-and hundreds

14 OCTOBER 2006

more-waiting to be discovered by vintage enthusiasts this year at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2006. Opportu nities abounded in these fields of fly ing machines-opportunities to learn more about our aviation heritage, to be inspired by handsome restorations, to meet the owners and pilots, and begin nurturing new friendships, as well as reuniting with aviator friends who've become family through the years. So c'mon, let's m eander through

the fields with the warm morning sun on our backs, and wend our way between the rows so we can discover just a few of the stories surrounding these flying machines.

Tiger moths Turn 75 Vintage member Leon Whelch el flew his 1942 de Havilland DH 82A Tiger Moth from Vinton, Iowa, to AirVenture; he 's been coming t o Oshkosh for more than two decades.

•

"This is my 36th year at Oshkosh; I started coming as a modeler, looking for subjects to model, and I got caught with the full-size bug, so now all my models are full size!" -Tom Dietrich Whelchel has owned his biplane for 33 years now, and flying with him was his longtime compatriot and fellow Tiger owner, Robbie ]ewitt. Whelchel explains that "Robbie lives in the United Kingdom, so when he visits me, we fly mine, and when I visit him, we fly his-that works out pretty well. He won the Herron Tro phy-Best Owner Restored for his TiA 1942 de Havilland Tiger Moth

owned by Harry Clark of Indiana.

•

Leon Whelchel IL) of Iowa and his 1942 Tiger Moth, with longtime friend and fellow Tiger Moth owner, Robbie Jewitt of the United Kingdom

Tom Dietrich of Kitchener, Ontario, with his replica Woody Tiger Moth -a tribute to pilot Lindley Wright.

Close-up view of the Tiger Moth's instrument panel.

OCTOBER 2006

ger, and it was presented to him by the Duchess of Bedford." Whelchel describes the Tiger as a fun flying airplane, but one that "isn't terribly stable. I think they designed it that way, because it was a primary trainer for the Royal Air Force. They built over 8,000 of them during World War II, and the Tiger Moth is as well known in England and the British Commonwealth as the Piper Cub." One of the interesting features you'll find on this vintage machine, in ad dition to its "ship's compass," are the slats on the leading edges of the upper wings, which are controlled by a lever in the cockpit. Whelchel elaborates, "If the slats are not locked, they'll fly aerodynamically. As you increase your speed, they'll fly back to the retract po sition, and when you slow down, they come out and help you fly at slower speeds. You'll want to lock them down if you're flying acrobatics or dog fighting with a Cub--and you can out tum a Cub with this airplane!" Three of these flying machines were present this year to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Tiger Moth . Two retained military paint schemes, and the third was a replica of Lindley Wright's original Woody Woodpecker, owned by Vintage member Tom Diet rich of Kitchener, Ontario. Dietrich explains the history surrounding the Woody Tiger Moth this way: "Lindley Wright is a retired airline pilot and a wartime pilot who flew 125 missions over the 'Hump,' and he just loves to fly. He used to come to Oshkosh and he gave rides in Woody, and that was with no brakes and a tailskid-he was really devoted and taught so many kids to fly. He had thousands of hours in Woody, and we really love Lindley and wanted to do something special for him. So we got his permission to make a replica of the Tiger Moth that he owned. It has a Gipsy Major IC 140-hp, four-cylinder inline engine that turns counterclockwise." The replica Woody was test-flown in July 2005 and has already flown 130 hours. Nine of those hours were logged by pilot Kurtis Arnold (accom panied by Jim Dyson), on the flight from Ontario to Oshkosh this year,

Gary Kozak of Illinois with his Menasco-powered Ryan ST and its original Dutch navy paint scheme.

as they battled strong headwinds for 750 miles. Dietrich smiles with con tagious enthusiasm as he shares that he has "loved airplanes all my life, and this is my 36th year at Oshkosh; I started coming as a modeler, look ing for subjects to model, and I got caught with the fu ll-size bug, so now all my models are full size!"

Ryan ST When Vintage member Gary Kozak of Downers Grove, Illinois, taxied his 1940 Ryan onto the grass field, onlook ers walked over and began talking with him before he even climbed out of the Menasco-powered open-cockpit mono plane. But Kozak didn't seem to mind the attention at all. He described the airplane he's owned since 1998 by first explaining that it is "technically a mili tary-export Ryan STMS-2 that was one of 13 on floats when the Dutch navy had them during World War II. Today, it's registered as an ST-A Special." This Ryan, painted in its origina l Dutch navy paint scheme, lived in Aus tralia until 1970, when it came to the United States. It was originally pow ered by a 150-hp Menasco C4S, but Kozak vividly remembers when "that engine had an inflight, 'three-quarter' failure, and I could just barely hold alti tude with it, but I managed to get it on the ground back at Brookeridge, where I'm based. I replaced that engine with a

Jake Bartholow was a member of the Gemco Aviation Services team that re stored this "Green Hornet" Beechcraft Staggerwing.

134-hp Menasco Pirate D487." Kozak has loved Ryans since he was a child and can't help but smile when he adds, "It's a joy to fly! It's a nice airplane, yet the ground handling is challenging because it's a/ways ready to ground loop with its narrow gear, high center of gravity, and fairly heavy tail. I took some refresher tailwheel in struction when I bought it."

Staggerwing Jake Bartholow works with Gemco Aviation Services Inc. , in North Lima, Ohio, and was part of the restoration team for NC80309, an eye-catching Beechcraft Staggerwing powered by a

450-hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp R-985 . Painted in its original Sherwin Wil liams Spartan Green and Berry Red colors, the Staggerwing was originally purchased by the Oles Envelope Cor poration of Baltimore, Maryland, in late 1946. Bartholow says that "be cause of the color, it was affectionately nicknamed the Green Hornet by the Boston-area controllers where the air craft was originally based." The biplane was virtually destroyed in a fire in February 1947, according to Bartholow, who elaborates that "it landed with a flat tail wheel tire, and the magnesium wheel heated up and caught the whole airplane on fire. VINTAGE AIRPLA NE

A highly modified Navion, which belongs to Ron Judy of Oklahoma.

When the fire department got there, they hit it with water and that just accelerated the flames. It only had 7S hours total time then, and it's flown only 30 hours since we've restored it and a new owner has purchased it-so it has just over 100 hours total time today."

which were field approvals. Judy flew his Super Navion from his home in the panhandle of Oklahoma to AirVenture-and he's been flying a Navion to the show ever since he bought his first one in 1988 and be came a Vintage member. All told, he's flown to the show for a total of 27 years.

Ron Judy at work in the type club tent; he is on the board of directors for the American Navion Society.

ard Means of Oregon, and Dick and Jeanie Collins of California," says Nelson, who also elaborates on other Swift activities that went well during the week, including their information table in lithe type club tent, thanks to lots of help. Our forum was attended by 67 people, and we had 46 for din ner in Winneconne."

nauion's 60th Hnniuersary While some folks enjoyed family Swifts Short Wings type reunions, type clubs celebrated The International Swift Association The Short Wing Piper Club the 60th anniversary of the Navion . (now the Swift Museum Foundation (SWPC) was very well-represented Ron Judy of the American Navion So Inc.) has made an annual tradition of this year, thanks to organizational ciety explains that three rows of park attending AirVenture. Founder Char efforts by Vintage and SWPC mem ing were reserved for them by the lie Nelson explains that "beginning ber Jim Clark, who contacted VAA Vintage Aircraft Association this year. in 1970, we have always had a group about type club parking. He was "We flew in individually, and we had arrival at Oshkosh. This year, we had originally granted 20 spaces, but to be here by Sunday night, or the 23 pre-registered Swifts, and also two that number soon doubled. Twenty tie-down spots were given to some or three found their way after the short wings made a group arrival on Sunday, with 20 more arriving later. body else. Vintage also worked with opening of the show." "Swifters" flew to Wisconsin from Clark remarks, "This has just been a another Navion type club, Navion Skies, and we love the fact that we a variety of locations, including Or hoot! And VAA has been so gracious were all able to park together," says egon, Minnesota, Tennessee, Texas, with us. We have an abundance of Judy, adding, "I think we had a total and Canada. "I suspect the longest Tri-Pacers, some original PA-20 Pac of 19, from states including Califor distance flown will fall between How- ers and converted PA-22/20s, a cou nia, Maryland, Oklahoma, Texas, North Dakota, Penn sylvania, Ohio, Louisi ana, Illinois, New Mexico, and Arizona." If you noticed a Navion with a four - bladed, Colemill-conversion pro peller on the flight line, tha t's Judy ' s Singular Navion. He spent six years modifying it and has the paperwork to accompany 2005 VAA Hall of Fame inductee Charlie Nelson's Swift from Athens, Tennessee, heads this it- 2 S For m 337 s, 1 S 0 f Swift row at AirVenture. Nelson's is one of the few Swifts with a retractable tail wheel. 18

OCTOBER 2006

These Tri-Pacers were among 40 short wing Pipers on the flightline this year. The Spartan has a 450-hp Pratt & Whitney R-985, and Bucher says, "it cruises around 150-160 mph down low, and it goes 200 mph up high at 10,000 feet. It's a two-finger airplane; it's very stable in the air and has fairly good ground-handling characteris tics. I do like wheel landings because they give me better visibility over the nose./I He's owned the airplane for four years now-two of which were devoted to its restoration-and this was its third visit to AirVenture. Jim Clark of Kansas is all smiles as he stands with his freshly restored, award winning PA-22120. pie of Vagabonds and a Clipper here. Our members flew in from Kansas, Ohio, California, Illinois, Nebraska , Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, Indiana, Oregon, Missouri, Michigan, Tennessee, Washington, Texas, New York, Florida, and Idaho./I Clark flew his newly restored and modified PA-22/20 Pacer to the show this year from his home in Chapman, Kansas, and smiles proudly when he says, "I had eight hours on it when I landed here. This is my first resto ration, and it was a basket case in January 2005 when I began working on it./I And he has every right to be proud of his glowing red Pacer-the judges awarded it Custom Class C (151-235 hp) this year.

Spartan-they only made 34 of them, and there's 21 left on the registry, of which about 10 to 12 are flying./I

Luscombe T8f Longtime Vintage member Jerry Sadowski was quietly reading a book under the wing of his Lycoming powered 1949 Luscombe T8F Observer,

Spartan Executive Vintage member Burton Bucher of Waukegan, Illinois, bases his 1940 Spartan Executive in Kenosha, Wis consin . Eager to share information about his airplane, he says that "Tex aco owned the airplane from 1946 to 1956 and flew it from their New York office. I' ve always loved the

Burton Bucher of Illinois with his 1940 Texaco Spartan Executive. VINTAGE AIRPLANE

That was right after World War II, when all the pilots were fly ing on the GI Bill. My friend and I would ride our bicycles across town to the airport and go sit inside the airplanes-and they'd let us!/I

family of Huiators AirVenture not only attracts all sorts of flying machines, but groups of individuals who have bonded over the years. Twenty four years ago a unique family of aviators was formed amidst the rows of airplanes at Osh Jerry Sadowski of Minnesota with his 1949 Luscombe T8F and patch-covered jacket rep kosh. That family has grown to resenting decades of attendance at AirVenture. more than 60 members today, and they range in age from 7 to yet welcomed the opportunity to 70, according to Ercoupe owner Darrell share his knowledge about the T8F. Jenkins of Heber Springs, Arkansas. "We "There were 73 of these Observ have people from California, Arkan ers built, and they made 35 more as sas, Illinois, Ohio, Texas, Kentucky, and sprayers; there are probably just un South Carolina, and most all of us fly der 50 flying today. I bought it in vintage airplanes here every year. Being 2000 in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, and at Oshkosh is an experience that you before that, I owned a Luscombe 8A just can't describe to people, and I guess for 27 years. Compared to the 8A, the if I had to say that one particular thing T8F is a very heavy-feeling airplane, is the best part, it would be the fellow and it's a difficult airplane to land in ship in our Metro Warbirds group./I a crosswind." Vintage members John and Joyce When asked how many times he's Pipkin, who journeyed to Wiscon attended the show, Sadowski laughs sin from Columbia, South Carolina, with the unbridled enthusiasm of a in their Cessna 180 to be with the young boy and holds up his patch group, echo similar sentiments. Joyce covered jacket, exclaiming, "I come to Pipkin enjoys the lithe gathering of Oshkosh every year! I wouldn't wear folks from all over the country; we this jacket until I had five patches look forward to getting together each Janis Thacker of Illinois spent her on it, because I wanted to be an old year to celebrate our love of avia honeymoon with her husband, Bill, at timer-now I am a really old timer. tion with longtime friends and new EAA's fly-in at Oshkosh years ago, and As a little boy, I was an airport bum. acquaintances." Both she and her they've been attending ever since. husband are also steadfast EAA vol unteers during the week. She works with EAA membership, and he has been judging antiques for 10 of the 20 years that they've been attend ing the air show. They bought their 180 as a project two years ago, and 800 working hours later, John and a friend finished the restoration. Janis and Bill Thacker, along with their children Jake and Jessica, are also part of this aviator family. They flew their Cessna 195 from their home strip Darrell Jenkins III of Arkansas, with fly-in friends Joyce and Don Pipkin of South Carolina and their Cessna 180. 20

OCTOBER 2006

A nicely restored 1946 Aeronca 7AC. in Chenoa, Illinois, this year-a jour ney they've been making for 19 years. "My husband and I had our honey moon at Oshkosh under the wing of our Luscombe, and that's when we met some of these guys. Now it has become a family vacation as well as an aviator's reunion for us," she says with an en ergetic smile. She earned her pilot cer tificate years ago, but explains that as a busy mother today, she "flies a mini van" instead of an airplane.

A 1959 Meyers 200-0ne of two Meyers on the flight line this year.

fields of Discouery AirVenture's grass fields were ripe for discovery this summer, and we hope you've enjoyed learning a bit more about just a few of the hundreds of airplanes and their caretakers who were there. The next time you find yourself meandering through a field of flying machines, pause for just a moment, and allow your eyes to caress the graceful curves of wingtips and rudders, and feel the wonder of dis covery unfolding deep within you as you listen to the stories that so many friendly aviators are willing to share stories that are just for the asking.

There were several Piper Cubs on floats at the seaplane base.

These Steannans made a nice showing on the flight line-and one even had a tandem cockpit canopy. VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Bob Lock's newly re-restored 1929 Command-Aire, which flew with the American Barnstormers Tour this summer.

This 1931 Steannan was a participant in the American Bamstonners Tour, which ended at AirVenture.

This Menasco-powered 1932 Fairchild 22 was part of the American Barnstonners Tour.

The Price family's 1929 Fleet was part of the American Barnstormers Tour. 22

OCTOBER 2006

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A Pratt & Whitney-powered Grumman Goose-note the retractable tip float modification.

- ~ :

A patriotic-colored Seabee nestles close to the shoreline at the seaplane base.

This 1941 Aeronca 65-CA was rebuilt by a host of teenagers at the Flabob Airport in Riverside, California. We'll have more on this inspiring story in a future issue of Vintage Airplane. An award-winning 1930 WACO INF, owned by Ted

Teach of Ohio, was in front of the Red Bam this year. L:.r.Iia

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Cessna 195s were plentiful on the flightline.

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Several Cessna 170s were grouped together.

These three Spartans made an impressive showing on the flightline.

Bob McCorkle flew his 1935 Kinner Sportster to AirVenture from his home in Connecticut.

Charles Laird of Indiana flew his award-winning OX-5 powered 1927 Swallow to AirVenture. 26

OCTOBER 2006

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conti nued fro m page 8

Beautiful Henley Red gullwings form a bold yet graceful silhouette against the blue Florida sky. leSSOIlS

and Rewords

Together, the Henleys gained some valuable knowledge throughout the project. When asked what tips or sug gestions they might share with others, Mark Henley laughs good-naturedly and comments, "Know when to stop! That's because before too long, it can cost you more than it might be worth." Don Henley, who watched his son Mark become interested in air planes as a child, shares that his own "personal satisfaction was to see my son fulfill a dream," adding, after a moment's thoughtful reflection, "I know how to build houses, and how to make a living, but I had no clue we would spend a third this much

time to build an airplane. So it's im portant to have patience and not be overwhelmed by a project. If you can learn to take it one step at a time, it's not so overwhelming." Perhaps the most satisfying thing about the pro ject, for both men, was seeing it accelerate down the runway and take off for its maiden flight .

Sweet FI!ling Moehine Of course, one of the ultimate re wards of this custom restoration is re served for those aviators who have the good fortune to climb inside the spacious cabin and experience flying in this victorious V-77. Mark Henley wasn't able to attend Sun 'n Fun be

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

rAiLW~55LS

OCTOBER 2006

cause of his work schedule, and it was Chris Emerson who received the honor of flying the newly restored Stinson from Batesville, Arkansas, to Lakeland, Florida, accompanied by Don Henley. "Well, somebody had to fly it," says Emerson, laughing as a huge smile spreads across his face . He quickly adds, "Seriously, it's a real opportu nity to get to fly it, and opportunities like that don't come along every day. We left Arkansas a little after 9:00 a .m. and arrived here at Lakeland about 7:30 p.m. When we left, it only had about 10 hours on it, and we put about seven hours on it flying down here. It's very fun to fly; it's kind of like a big truck because it has a heavy, solid fee l to it. It~ not bad at all on land ing, but it does need brakes be cause the tail wheel doesn't steer. It's a real sweet flying airplane, real easy to handle, and very predictable." Mark Henley agrees the Stinson is a good-handling airplane, and adds that "the flight controls have needle bear ings, so it's an incredibly smooth and fluid control system-it takes a much lighter to uch on the controls than what I th ought it might require." No doubt Emerson and the Henleys will continue to cherish the opportu nity to fly this award-winning Stinson at every available opportunity, espe cially since the airplane is now available for purchase and may soon take off for new horizons under the loving care of another pilot. ........

continued from page 3 The experience is capped by a two hour flight in EAA's 1929 aircraft, during which participants can log 0.2 hours at the controls.

CFI's Guide to Sport Pilot and

Light-Sport Aircraft Available

EAA's B-17G, December 1-3

EAA and its affiliate organization the Na

One of the most noteworthy-and effective-airplanes of World War II was the B-17 Flying Fortress. EAA's meticulous flying example, Aluminum Overcast, needs little introduction. Camp participants will be immersed in the history of the type, meet B 17 veterans, and receive a 45-minute flight experience. Visit www.AirVentureMuseum.org/ f/ightops/fantasycamp for more infor mation or to sign up to attend.

t ional Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) have developed the CFI's Guide to Sport Pi lot and Light-Sport Aircraft for existing cer tificated flight instructors seeking to offer sport pilot instruction. Current certificated flight instructors don't need any new certification to train sport pi lots. They may train sport pilots within the category and class limitations of their certifi cate . The CFI's Guide provides overviews of t he sport pilot certificate and the various LSA categories, along with requirements for aug

VAA Calendar Ad In this month's issue of Vintage Air plane, you'll see an advertisement for the 2007 Vintage Aircraft Association calendar, as published by Turner Pub lishing. The calendar features the out standing aviation photography of EAA's staff and volunteers, along with a bonus page dedicated to VAA's vol unteer corps. Each airplane is described and shown with a three-view draWing, and many aviation events are high lighted on the actual day of occurrence. A portion of the proceeds benefits the VAA. See the ad on page 25 for more in formation, and order yours today!

Do You Have a Story to Tell? Whether you are a student pilot or an experienced flight instructor, we'd like to hear about why you fly. EAA is collecting motivational stories that will inspire prospective pilots to get involved in aviation. If you have a story to tell, please submit your writ ten account and/or video clip for pos sible use on the EAA website or in EAA's publications. Those submitting video should mail it to EAA, Attn: Charlie Becker, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903 3086. Written materials can be e-mailed to info@eaa.org. Requirements and disclosures:

• Video must be two minutes or shorter in length.

mented privileges, endorsements, and more. "Our goal is to make it as easy as pos sible for existing CFls to offer sport pilot instruction," said Charlie Becker, EAA director of aviation services. "This puts it all in one place to take some of the perceived mystery out of what's required for sport pilot instruction." Larry Bothe, Master Instructor and an FAA deSignated pilot examiner from Seymour, Indiana, attended AirVenture Oshkosh this year looking for answers to a list of sport pilot certification questions. "My intent was to ask the experts who would be available at the show," he said, but upon entering the sport pilot area at the EAA Member Village, he got a copy of the CFI's Guide. "After I got that I didn't need to talk to anybody," he said. "All the answers and interpretations I needed were right there in plain English. Every CFI and DPE ought to have a copy." Visit www.SportPilot.org and click on the Flight Instructors tab to download your copy today. And if you're a CFI offering sport pilot instruction, get some free expo sure by listing yourself in the EAA sport pilot instructors directory on the website .

• Written testimonials must not exceed 150 words in length. • Videos in digital format (recorded onto a DVD) are preferred, but they may also be submitted if recorded onto videotape. • All submissions become the property of EAA. • Submissions may be edited at EAA's discretion. • Submissions that encourage or show unsafe practices or violations of FAA ordinances will not be considered. • By submitting your testimonial, you authorize EAA to use this prop erty at its discretion to promote recre ational flying or any facet thereof.

EAA's New U.S. Bank Visa Card Features Aircraft Spruce Discounts Help EAA keep the fun in flying by applying for and using the official EAA Platinum Visa credit card, is sued through EAA partner U.S. Bank. Choose from one of three de signs: EAA's B-17 Aluminum Overcast, a Piper Cub, or the EAA logo . New cardholders also receive the opportu nity for a low-interest rate for the first 12 months. The EAA Visa card entiVINTAGE AIRPLANE

ties cardholders to a discount (Up to 10 percent; restrictions apply to avi onics) with EAA flagship partner Air craft Spruce & Specialty. Additional partners will be added to the program in the future. EAA serves the needs and interests

of aviation enthusiasts by provid ing opportunities for participation, representation in government and industry affairs, information re sources, and educational programs. EAA receives a portion of each pur chase made with the card to help

support its educational and youth activities . Share your passion and commitment to aviation by signing up for an EAA Platinum Visa credit card . Visit U.S. Bank's secure sign up site, www.USBank.com/eaavisa. for more information.

AVIATION IN THE MEDIA

Flyboys

PBS Aviation Programs

Lucky EAA members who won tickets to the premiere of Flyboys min gled with aviation celeb rities such as Bob Hoover and movie folks as the film, directed by Tony Bill, debuted in EAA's Ea gle Hangar during EAA AirVenture. Based on the story of the men of the La fayette Escadrille, the film features the flying skills of a number of EAA mem bers, including VAA's own Andrew King, who helped the movie's producers gather the replica aircraft used for full-scale flying. Andrew also flew for the cameras, his experience with World War I aircraft and vintage airplanes proving to be just what the director needed. Using extensive computer-generated (CG) scenes and aircraft, F/yboys is a spectacular film. While certainly not a documentary, the aircraft look exceptionally good, as the filmmakers strove to make the presentation of oth erwise impossible scenes to film come alive. Bill, direc tor of the film, is an active pilot, and he used technology to help artists complete their CG work. For example, a Bticker biplane was rigged with a set of sensors so that aerobatic sequences for the movie could be recorded in terms a computer could understand, including accelera tion rates, control deflections, etc. After the flights were flown as close as possible to WWI-era flight parameters, the data was fed into the computers used to generate the aircraft in the movie. It results in some close-up action you've never seen before, to the point you'll find your self leaning a bit in the turns and ducking when airplane partsstuff come flying at you, and you'd swear they're go ing to leap right off the movie screen. The movie opened September 22. Our thanks to Tony Bill and producer Dean Devlin for premiering their movie amongst what they knew would be a critical crowd when it came to the flying scenes. I'm sure they were relieved when no less than Bob Hoover congratulated them at the movie's end. "Outstanding! I thought it was great!" said Hoover to an obviously appreciative Bill.

Aviation seems to be a common theme in the media these days, and the PBS network has a pair of programs that will pique the interest of aviators. Warplane will air November 8 and 15, 2006. The first program, Airplane to Air Force, deals with the invention and growth of the airplane into a practical fighting machine and includes some well-done graphics. In particular, the use of a com puter-animated rotary engine explains the unusual na ture of its construction clearly and quickly. Since there is no actual aerial footage shot during WWI, the produc ers met the challenge of visually explaining early aerial combat by rolling out the footage from Hell's Angels and Wings to help fill in the visual gaps, and those shots are intermingled with footage shot of modern-day replicas, which help clarify the origin of the footage. Since I saw a copy of the program before it had been finalized, I can't tell you for certain the footage will be identified within the program, but you'll know it when you see it. Both programs help highlight the challenges aviators and designers had to deal with as the fighting airplane rap idly matured into a force that literally could change the course of history. Also being shown on PBS within its award-winning NOVA series is a documentary concerning one of piO neer aviation's most enigmatic men: Alberto Santos Dumont. We have not had the opportunity to preview the program, but the NOVA website has details con cerning Wings of Madness, the title of the NOVA pro gram that will tell the amazing tale of Santos-Dumont, the expatriate Brazilian whose work in balloons, air ships, and heavier-than-air flight captivated both France and the world during the early 1900s. The web site has great interactive materials, including a clever tour of a replica of the Demoiselle built by Dan Taylor, which is now on display at the Old Rhinebeck Aero drome. We look forward to the program, which, ac cording to the website, was produced with help from LEO Opdycke, the founder of WWI Aero, who has worked to preserve the accurate history of early avia tion for many decades. The program will air Tuesday, November 7. Check your local listings for the exact time. For more informa tion, log on to www.PBS.org/wgbh/nova/santos. We'll have an article on "Ie petit Santos" in next month's issue of Vintage Airplane.

OCTOBER 2006

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

BY DOUG STEWART

Playing the weather game Last month I wrote about my departure from AirVenture 2006 and mentioned the fact that many pilots were rushing to depart between two weather systems. A strong front had swept across OSH from the northwest with a squall line con taining some severe thunderstorms that created havoc in its path. A second squall line was following about 80 miles behind the first line, so many pilots were eager to depart be tween the two lines of weather. I suppose many of those pi lots might have been departing to the west, southwest, or south and would soon be far away from the problematic weather. But I was headed eastbound. It wouldn't take too terribly long until I would catch up to the weather that was leading me on my way back home. What would I do then, and what was my rush to depart Wittman Field? To answer the latter question first, I did have a client scheduled at my home airport for the fol lowing day. The client knew that our appointment was dependent upon my ability to get home from OSH, and we both understood the challenges the weather can create for pilots undertaking long cross country flights in the summertime, especially when the Great Lakes are involved. My client understood that I endeavor not to fall prey to external pressures when flying and that the appointment might very well get cancelled. If I waited until the second line of weather had passed through and gotten far enough ahead of me to allow a de parture, it would delay me too much, meaning that I most likely would not make it home that day. But if I departed between the two systems and played my

cards correctly, there was no reason I couldn't make it safely home before the day was done. Part of playing my cards cor rectly was knowing that I had an ace up my sleeve in the form of all the weather information that was available to me in my Garmin 396 portable GPS and XM Weather receiver. It was the proper use of this equipment that would aid me as I caught up to the weather and picked a route around it. In the not too distant past, the best that any of us flying general aviation aircraft had for weather avoidance equipment was "third world radar" (our two eyeballs look ing out the windshield) and an ADF to act as a Stone Age stormscope. A handful of folks did have live weather radar on board, and some of those folks even knew how to use that equipment. That, along with some approach and center con trollers who had the knowledge, equipment, and willingness to help, was about the best that we could do in avoiding any serious en-route weather. But those days are history. Now I know that those of us who belong to the Vintage Aircraft As sociation are steeped in the history of flight. We hearken to a day and age when there was less technology in the world of aviation. We would prefer to hone our stick and rudder skills rather than our buttonology skills. But I must say, if I am going to be taking any kind of a long cross-country flight (read more than 300 miles), whether in my Super Cruiser, or some other vintage aircraft I might be ferrying for a client, or IFR in my Cardinal or my boss' Navajo, I sure do like to have my XM weather receiver along with me on the flight. So now, as I departed Oshkosh headed toward the serious

In the not too distant

past, the best that any of

us flying general

aviation aircraft had

for weather avoidance

equpment was

"third world radar"

(our two eyeballs looking

out the windshield) and

an ADF to act as a Stone

Age stormscope.

OCTOBER 2006

AERO CLASSIC

weather that preceded me eastbound, I knew exactly where that weather was. At the touch of a button I could see the " COLL ECTOR SE RI ES" NEXRAD radar picture (including a time stamp telling me how old the picture was, which was rarely more than 10 minutes, maximum), I could see graphically which airports New USA Production were reporting VFR, MVFR, IFR, and LIFR, and if I chose, I Show off your pride and joy with a could also see a textual METAR as well as any updated TAFs fresh set of Vintage Rubber. These for any selected airport. If there were any storm cells, I could newly minted tires are FAA-TSO ' d drag the cursor on the screen to the cell and tell instantly and speed rated to 120 MPH. Some the height of the tops, the decibels of rain, and the general things are better left the way they were, and in the 40's and 50 's, these tires were perfectly in direction the cell was moving, as well as where it should be tune to the excitin g times in aviation. in 15 minutes. Again, at the touch of a button I could read a Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart from textual message telling even more about the cell: how wide the r est, but also look exceptional on all Gen eral Aviation the cell was; its direction of movement as well as speed; the aircraft. Deep 8/32nd tread depth offers above average height of the tops and decibels of precipitation; and the per tread life and UV treated rubber resists aging. centage and probability of hail. First impressions last a lifetime, so put these jewels on and As AIRMETS, SIGMETS, and convective SIGMETS were is bring back the good times ..... sued, I could go to the screen of my receiver and see, graph New Ge neral Aviation Sizes Ava ila ble: ically, what the limits of those warnings were, without 500 x 5, 600 X 6, 700 x 8 having to try and find the VORs that defined those limits Desser has the largest stock and (whose identifiers I knew not) on a chart. I could see the selection of Vintage and Warbird satellite picture as well as echo tops. I could reference winds tires in the world. Contact us aloft and request the most effective altitude without climb ing or descending only to find out that I had been better with off where I had been. I could see reported lightning strikes (more on this in a moment), the synoptic picture (as well as forecast pictures up to four days hence), and more, all at the stroke of a button or two. Having all this weather information available in the cock ' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - pit sure makes the airborne decision-making process much that is present in the cumulous (or building) stage of the easier when adverse weather is involved. It's obvious that thunderstorm is not shown on any of the datalink weather having it is the cat's meow, but I also have some warnings as receivers. The only place to find this information is on real well, lest that cat turn into a tiger and bite you real bad. To time devices, such as the L-3 Avionics Systems Stormscope begin with, we have to always remember that the NEXRAD and the Insight Strikefinder. radar picture is a minimum of five minutes old when it is re Also beware that when looking at the graphical depic ceived in the cockpit. Thus, whereas the information is fan tions of field conditions (VFR/MVFR, etc.) remember that if tastic in developing a strategic plan for aVOiding the serious the icon indicates VFR, it is only saying that the ceiling is at weather that can ruin our day, it is not to be used as a tactical least 3,000 feet and visibilities are at least 5 miles or more. tool to attempt to penetrate a line of weather. It does not necessarily mean that the skies are CAVU/severe As an example, I used the equipment on my flight out to clear. The ceilings might very well be just at 3,000 feet, and OSH, to avoid all the bad weather that lay from my home you might find yourself unable to descend from your cruise base at the New York-Massachusetts border all the way to altitude while remaining VFR. just east of Detroit and from Ontario south through the No matter what equipment we use to avoid and negoti northern half of Pennsylvania. By replanning and amend ate the weather we have to keep the words of the "Gambler" ing my route numerous times with ATC, we flew around in mind. As Kenny sang: "You've got to know when to hold all the level 4-6 preCipitation and the storm cells that went 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away ... along with it. Although we could see all this weather on the know when to run." Regardless of whether we are flying 396, we did not attempt to pick a route through it. Flying with just two eyeballs out the window or using all the lat around the weather added many miles to my route, but I est and greatest in high-tech weather avoidance equipment, made it to Wittman Field before the end of the day, without we have to keep in mind the limitations of the equipment. ever coming close to any truly threatening weather. Either type of equipment has the potential to get us into Another caution has to do with the lightning informa serious trouble. On the other hand, using the equipment tion . When you're receiving it through datalink services, properly can help us find ... bille skies and tailwinds. Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year, a Master the only lightning information provided is cloud-to-ground lightning. This lightning occurs in the dissipating stages of a CFI, and a DPE. He operates DSFI, Inc. (www.dsflight.com) thunderstorm. The cloud-to-cloud and intercloud lightning based at the Columbia County AirpOlt (lBl). .......

Vintage Tires

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

H.G. FRAUTSCHY

THIS MONTH"S MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO COMES TO US FROM

THE COLLECTION OF ERIC LUNDAHL.

Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to be in no later than November 10 for inclusion in the January 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane.

You can also send your response via e-mail. Send your answer to mysteryplane@eaa.org. Be sure to include your name, city, and state in the body of your note, and put (Month) Mystery Plane" in the subject line.

JULY ' S

ANSW ER

embers with long memo足 ries, and a Vintage Air足 plane collection to match, may recall that our July Mystery Plane was also our mystery subject back in the fall of 1990. This

OCTOBER 2006

MYSTERY

photo was one we'd not seen; it still managed to stump a few folks, but not four members! In addition to a correct answer received from Charles Schultz of Louisville, Kentucky, we have three notes. Here's our first letter:

The 1929 Great Lakes Aircraft Corp. amphibian (amphibian) was built after the introduction of the 2足 T-1 Sport, the first mention of its exis足 tence coming around August 1929. Aviation (V. 27 N.8. August 24 ,

1929, pp 388, 445) has two men tions of the 1929 amphibian. The first mention is made in an article about the forthcoming National Aeronautic Association (NAA) Exhi bition and National Air Race, held at Cleveland, Ohio (where the Great Lakes Aircraft Corp. was located). The article, "A forecast of the Cleve land Show" (Neville, Leslie E., pp 387 -394), states: " ... Two amphibi ons, the latest products of the Great Lakes Aircraft Corp., will be shown in the company's booth. Two train ers, one of which will be suspended overhead on a revolving turntable in constant motion, will be shown. An other trainer will be used by the air race management as a 'living poster' and other planes of this type will be exhibited at various hotels and de partment stores in the city .. ,," The second mention of the Great Lakes amphibian, or "amphibion," to use the contemporary term, comes in General News column in Aviation (Great Lakes Making Amphibions, p 445). The text states: "CLEVE LAND (OHIO) - Great Lakes Aircraft Corpora tion here is now in pro duction on a new four passenger, twin-engined amphibion biplane." Whether the Neville article refers to two air craft of the same type or two different designs, I cannot say. The next, and final, pe- The Great Lakes 4A-l while on display at the 1929 Cleveland National Airplane Show, sporting riodical reference I have the inadequate-for-the-task 115-hp Cirrus Hennes engines. to the amphibion is in the September 14, 1929, issue of Aviation (V.27 N.ll. General product that will go into quantity as the PB-1 Wand PB - 1 G, respec News. Another Great Lakes Addi production shortly .. ,," tively, for early warning and search When I examined the papers of and-rescue duties). As I recall, there tion to Be Erected, p 580). The new facility, added to the older Glenn L. Holden C. Richardson at The Library is a vague conceptual similarity of Martin factory, was announced by of Congress (Manuscript Division), the 1929 Great Lakes amphibion Col. Benjamin F. Castle, president I made no note of any Great Lakes and the PB-1 (unfortunately I did of Great Lakes, and was intended material. However, Box 10, Folder 7, not copy the report), which evolved to add 10,000 square feet. The text contains a report on the 1925 Boe into the B-1D/E amphibian. This states: " ... The added space will be ing PB-1 (please note, this is not the concept was by no means new. Gro used for production of four-place, post-World War II PB-I. Essentially ver Cleveland Loening (and several twin-engine amphibions, a new a B-17G used by the USN and USCG other designers) had designed amVIN TA GE A IR P L ANE

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phibions and air yachts as far back as 1911. Given the preponderance of evidence that Richardson had been involved with so many float planes and flying boats, it does seem likely that he had a good deal to do with the 1929 amphibion's design. That said, given his reputation as a designer, it is a bit surprising that the 1929 amphibion would have been such a flop. I understand the Skyways maga zine has a fairly good article on Great Lakes aircraft in the January 2003 issue, which may have further information about the amphibion. Unfortunately, I do not have that issue. Moreover, it is quite possible that there are further mentions of the 1929 amphibion in the various periodicals, including Aviation. My copies for 1929 are quite limited, as I generally specialize in much ear lier aircraft types. Wesley R. Smith Springfield, Illinois

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The July Mystery Plane is the 1929 Great Lakes 4A-1 amphibian with 16S-hp Wright WhirlwindJ-6-S engines. The Wright engines re placed the original 11S-hp Cirrus Hermes in-line four-cylinder en gines after the prototype crashed on takeoff with the Cirrus Hermes engines. It seems uncertain how many model 4A-l planes were built. Aero files.com lists registration number 8S0K as serial number 100, and reg istrations 851 K and 8S2K were ap parently reserved for registration as 4A-ls, but Aerofiles.com suggests these registrations may not have been built. Among the corrections made by John Underwood, in a note pub lished in the July 1991 issue, were a slightly corrected model number (Great Lakes 4A-l) and the iden tifi cation of the Wright engines as the five-cylinder model. This view [pub lished in the July 2006 issue] of the engines even more clearly shows that the engines are Wright J-6-Ss . Lynn Towns Holt, Michigan

The July Mystery Plane is the Great Lakes 4-A1 with identification made from Joe Juptner's T-Hangar Tales, pp. 83-84, and from the article by Page Shamburger and Joe Christy entitled liThe Legendary Meyers and his Mighty Midget" in Air Progress for November 1968, pp.S2-SS, 72-73 . There were reports in contemporary aeronautical magazines, for exam ple, Aviation, Vol. 27 (July - Decem ber 1929) p. 277, p. 245, p. 467ft., and p. 502ft. I'll quote from the last of these later. The 4-A 1 was built by the Great Lakes Aircraft Company (GLAC) of Cleveland, Ohio, in about 1929. It was a four-place amphibian powered ini tially by a pair of Cirrus Hermes four cylinder in-line engines of 115 hp each. Later, it was re-engined with a pair first of Wright J-6-S five-cylinder radial engines of ISO hp each and later with WrightJ-6-7 seven-cylinder radial engines of 220 hp each. The Hermes engines were probably made in England, since American Cirrus Engines Inc. built only a slightly smaller engine, the Cirrus Mk.Ill (ac cording to Aerosphere for 1939). The story of the failures to fly of the 4-A1 is described in the Juptner and Air Progress write-ups. I am quot ing, instead, from the fourth Aviation reference because it gives information not available in more recent publica tions. My quotation is from a hand written transcription that I made about 45 years ago (before copy ma chines), so it may not be exact. The GLAC training plane in the quote is the famous 2-T-l series, which had a Munk M-6 airfoil section for the lower wing and a Munk M-12 for the upper wing. liThe 4A1 amphibion (sic) is a four place biplane type, having engines mounted in streamlined nacelles be tween the wings, which are of equal span and rectangular in planform . The wing construction is similar to that of the GLAC training plane, consisting of wood spars, alumi num alloy ribs and fabric covering. The Gottingen 398 airfoil section however is used. Both structure and sheathing of hull are of aluminum

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alloy and riveted. The hull is en tered through a hatch directly above the rear seat and a portion or the seat back folds down to form a step while entering. A passageway between the recesses for the retracted land ing wheels leads forward to the con trol compartments which contain two other seats. The shock absorbing mechanism on the landing gear is hydraulic while the retracting mech anism is operated by cables. Tail group is well above the water line to avoid damage and is constructed of corrugated aluminum alloy. The craft has a wing span of 24 ft., 3

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in. and a gross weight of 3,200 lbs. Weight empty is 1,900 lbs. Provision has been made to carry Sixty gallons of fuel. The wing area is 302.5 sq. ft . and the payload is 410 Ibs." I have been especially interested in GLAC and its aircraft since I realized that I grew up about 2 miles south of the GLAC (formerly the Glenn L. Martin) factory and airfield. GLAC went out of business in about 1936, and a Chase Brass manufacturing plant was built on the GLAC/GLM site in about 1938. Jack Erickson State College, Pennsylvania .......

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of information only and does not constitute approval, sponsorship, involvement, control, or direction of any event (fly-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed. To submit an event, send the information via mail to: Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Or e-mail the information to: vint ageaircraft@eaa.org. Information should be received four months prior to the event date. OCTOBER 6-8-Camden, SC-Woodward Field

Museum Foundation, Staggerwing Club, Twin

(KCDN). VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In. BBQ Friday evening, EAA judging Saturday, Banquet and

& Travel Air Division. Info: 931-455-1974

Speaker Saturday night. All classes welcome. Info: Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwi/son@ homexpressway.net

OCTOBER 14-Georgetown, DE-Sussex County Airport (GEO). Delaware Aviation Museum 3rd Annual Wings and Wheels Fly-In. Vintage,

OCTOBER 6-S-Ridgeway, VA-Pace Airport (VA02). Aeronca Aviators Club SouthEast Regional Fly-In. Speakers, owner roundtables , and more. Come join the first regional event of the Aeronca Aviators Club - This is a good opportunity to see our Club in action! Everyone is welcome! Info: www.aeronca.org or staff@aeronca.org OCTOBER 11-l 5-Tullahoma, TN-Beech Party 2006. StaggerwingjTwin Beech 18/ Bonanza/ Baron/ Beech owners & enthusiasts are welcome. Sponsored by the Staggerwing

2006

Beech 18 Society, Bonanza/ Baron Museum,

Classic and Warbirds judging and awards. Fun flying activities during the day. Rides available for purchase in a B-25 and PT-17. Antique and vintage cars as well as street rods. Judging and awards for cars also. Free admission to the public. Donations appreciated. Info: 302-855-2355 OCTOBER 29-Jean , NV-Jean Airport. 18th Annual North Las Vegas International Ercoupe Ry In and Halloween party (EOC Region 8). Info:

MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events, visit www.eaa.org/events

EAA Southeast Regional Ry-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH) Evergreen, AL October 6-8, 2006 www.serfi.org

Copperstate Regional EAA Ry-In Casa Grande (AR) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 26-29, 2006 www.copperstate.org For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local avia足

http://www.airnav.com/ airportjOL 7

tion events, visit www.eaa.org/events

WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING

-=足 ~-

~~'"--~ REARWIN SKY RANGER

hese are the first tools you need

T to buy when you re-cover your

airplane. Anyone who has used them will tell you they 're the next best thing to having one of our staff right beside you. The VHS tape and the DVD will give you the Big Picture, and the manual will walk you step by step through every part of the process. You're never on your own when you're using Poly-Fiber.

J~ www.polyfiber.com e-mail: info@polyfiber.com Aircraft CoaHng s

OCTOBER 2006

800-362-3490

WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE R ESTORI NG Are you nearing completion of a restoration? Or is it done and you're busy flying and showing it off? If so, we'd like to hear from you. Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no home printers, please-those prints just don't scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch, 300-dpi digital photo. A JPG from your 2.5-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine. You can burn photos to a CD, or if you're on a high足 speed Internet connection, you can e-mail them along with a text-on ly or Word document describing your airplane. (If your e-mail program asks if you'd like to make the photos smaller, say no.) For more tips on creating photos we can publish, visit VAA's website at www.vintageaircraft.org. Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph? For more information, you can also e-mail us at vintageaircraft@eaa.org or call us at 920-426-4825.

Something to buy, sell, or trade? Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words, 180 words maximum, with boldface lead-in on first line. Classified Display Ads: One column wide (2.167 inches) by 1, 2, or 3 inches high at $20 per inch. Black and white only, and no frequency discounts. Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (i.e., January 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per issue. Classified ads are not accepted via phone. Payment must accompany order. Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail (c/assads@eaa.org) using credit card payment (all cards accepted). Include name on card, complete address, type of card, card number, and expiration date. Make checks payable to EAA. Address advertising correspondence to EM Publications Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 Airplane T-Shirts 150 Different Airplanes Available WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR AIRPLANE! www.airpianetshirts.com 1-800-645-7739

Visit www.f/yiogwires.com or call 800-517-9278.

THERE'S JUST NOTHING LIKE IT ON THE WEB!! www.aviation-giftshop.com A Website with the Pilot in Mind (and those who love airplanes)

BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod bearings , ma in bearings , bush ings , master rods, valves, piston rings. Call us Toll Free 1-800足 233-6934, e-mail ramremfg @aol. com Website www.ramengine.com VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS, N. 604 FREYA ST. , SPOKANE, WA 99202

Get ready for faR with this soft fleece jacket with the Vintage Association logo embroidered in gold and navy. 100% washable polyyester, full zipper and elastic wrist and waist Has two front zipper pockets. V07415 MD V07417 XL V07416 LG V07418 2X

TO ORDER

1-800-843-3612

From u.s. and Canada, au others 920-426-5912

LET BRENCO HELP YOU GET YOUR IA CERTIFICATE-Brenco has a 25 year history of training A&P's to obtain their Inspection Authorization. Courses are offered every year in Battle Creek MI , Columbus OH, Kenosha WI and Rockford IL. Call 1-800-584-1392 for addit ional information

Warner engines. Two 165s, one fresh O.H. , one low time on Fairchild

24 mount with all accessories. CUSTOM PRINTED T-SHIRTS for your Also Helton Lark and Aemnca C-3 flying club, flight shop, museum. Free project. Find my name and address samples. Call 1-800-645-7739 or 1足 in the Officers and Directors listing 828-654-9711 and call evenings. E. E. " Buck " Hilbert. *WWW.AEROSPACEFACTS.COM ' is the first aerospace website where A&P I.A.: Annual, 100 hr. inspections. you can find relevant information Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 quick and easy Ohio - statewide. JUST TRY IT ...

or online at http://shop.eaa.olg

Subscribe to e-Hot Line, EAA's free weekly members足 only electronic newsletter. To start receiving e-Hot Line visit the members only site at

www.eaa.org. ~)

----EAA/ VINTAGE A I RPLANE

Membershi~ Services VINTAGE

A IRCRAFT

ENJOY T HE MANY BENE FITS OF EAA AND THE EAA VINTAGE AI RCRAFT ASSOCIATIO N ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS President

Vice- Pres ident

Geoff Robison

George Daubner

152 1 E. MacGregor Dr. New Haven , IN 46774

2448 Lough Lane

260-493-4724 cliie{7025@aol.colll

Secretary

Hartford, WI 53027 262-673 -5885

vaaf1yboy<g""sll.cOIlI

Steve Ness£'

Treasurer Charles W. Harris

2009 Highland Ave . Albert Lea, MN 56007 507-373-1674

72 15 East 46th 51. luisa, OK 74147 9 18-622-8400

shlesQ!)iesklrl edia.colll

(wh@hvsu.(~ om

DIRECTORS Steve Bender

Jeannie Hill

85 Brush Hill Road Sherborn, MA 01770 508-653 -75 57 sstlO(g' cu m cast .llft

P.O. Box 328 Harvard, IL 60033-0328 8 15-943-7205

David Ben n ett

Espie "Butch" Joyce

704 N. Regional Rd.

Greensboro, NC 27409

336-668-3650

375 Killdeer Ct Lincoln, CA 95648 916-645-8370 alltiqller@illreach.com John Berendt 7645 Echo Point Rd. Cannon Fa ll s, MN 55009 507-263-2414 mjb(cllld@fCOlllltyt.com

Dave Clark 635 Vestal Lane Plainfield, IN 46168 317 -839-4500

davecpd@;quest.T1ef

dinghao(Pluwc.net

Willcisock@aoi.co lll

Steve Krog

1002 Heather Ln. Hartford, WI 5302 7 262-966-7627

Robert D. "Bob" Lumley 1265 South 124th Sl. Brookfield, WI 53005 262-782-2633 /wnper(g'e.r.fcpccom

Gene Morris

John S. Copeland

lA Deacon Street

5936 Steve Court Roanoke, TX 76262 817-491-9110 gellemorri s@cilarter.net

Dean Richardson

Phil Cou lson 2841 S Springbrook Dr. Lawton, MI 49065 269-624-6490

Stoughton, WI 53589 608-877-8485

rcoliisoTlS16@cs.com

dar(IPaprilaire.com

Dale A. Gustafson

Indian apolis, IN 46278

S.I-I . "Wes" Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa, WI 53213

317 -293-4430 dale{aye@ms ll. com

414-771-154S sJ/sc/1111id(t11milwpc.colII

7724 Shady Hills Dr.

EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 5490 3-3086

Phone (920) 426-4800

Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Site: www.vintageaircraft.org and www.airventllre.org EAA a nd Division Membership Services 800-843-3612 .. .... .. FAX 920-426-6761 Monday-Friday CST) (8:00 AM-7:00 PM · New/renew memberships: EAA, Divi sions (Vintage Aircraft Association, lAC, Warbirds), National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFJ) • Address changes •Merchandise sales

· Gift memberships

Programs an d Activities EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory . ___ . _... . . . ........ .. . _ 732-885-6711 Auto Fuel STCs . . ... . ..... _ 920-426-4843 Build/restore information ... 920-426-4821 Chapters: locating/organizing920-426-48 76 Education ____ .. . ... _. . . . . 888-322-3229 • EAA Air Academy • EAA Scholarships

E-Mail: vil1tageaircraft@eaa.org

Flight Advisors information .. 920-426-6864 Flight Instructor information 920-426-6801 Flying Start Program ... _... 920-426-6847 Library Services/Research ... _ 920-426-4848 Medical Questions . _. _. _. __ 920-426-6112 Technical Counselors . .. , .. _ 920-426-6864 Young Eagles ............. 877-806-8902 Benefits AUA Vintage Insurance Plan. 800-727-3823 EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan . 866-647-4322 Term Life and Accidental. ... 800-241-6103 Death Insurance (Harvey Watt & Company) Editorial ................. 920-426-4825 Vintage . .......... . .. FAX 920-426-6865 • Submitting article/photo • Advertising information EAA Aviation Foundation Artifact Donations ....... _ 920-426-4877 Financial Support. ...... ... 800-236-1025

sskrog(ii'(Io/ .[unJ

Northborough, MA 01532 508 -393-4775

copeland J @'jWIU,CO /1/