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VOL. 34, No. 12

N E 2006

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CONTENTS 2

VAA News

4

By The Numbers

Getting the markings right

by Marv Hoppenworth

7

Restoration Corner

General restoration techniques

by Stan Gomoll

10

The Prototype 1930 INF

Ted Teach's AirVenture award winner

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

18

The Oldest Chipmunk

Can you fly Canadian?

by Budd Davisson

28

Why I Love to Fly

Explaining the lure of flight

by Hugh B. Horning

32

Book Review

34

The Vintage Instructor

Best glide

by Doug Stewart

36

Mystery Plane

by H.G. Frautschy

38

Classified Ads & Calendar

COVERS FRONT COVER: The Waco INF is a great favorite of many biplane aficionados , and this one in par足 ticular is even more special ; it's the prototype of the model! See Marcia "Sparky " Barnes' arti足 cle on this award-winning antique biplane , starting on page 10. EAA photo by Bonnie Kratz, EAA photo plane flown by Bruce Moore in EAA' s C-210 near Green Lake .

BACK COVER: If you can 't be the first one, then be the oldest one flying! This Canadian-built DHC足 1 Chipmunk was the eleventh one built, and spent it's early days in England, being evaluated by DeHavilland in England. The DHC-l was built to repl ace the beloved Tiger Moth. This one now resides in Canada, where it flies with UK registration . See Budd Davisson ' s article beginning on page 18. EAA photo by Bonnie Kratz, EAA photo plane flown by Walt Dorlac in Lance PA32R300.

S TAFF

EAA Publisher Executive Director/Editor Administrative Assistant Managing Editor News Editor Photography

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

Northeast: Allen Murrtt y Pho ne RS6-220-7180, FAX 856-229-72SR, e-mai l: a/lenlllllrTay(1;)nillllsprillg.t'OIII Southeast: Chester R;llllnga rtncf Phone 727-S32-4640, FAX 727-532-4630, e-mail: cblllllllil /(iM llilldspriIlS,,"III Cent ral: Todd Reese Phone 800-444-9932, I'AX 816-741-6458, e-ma il : todd@Spc.mag.colII \ iountain & Pacific: John Gibson Phone 916-784-9593, (.-mai l: io lll1gi bs()II(~.spc- mag.co l1l

VINTAGE AI RPLANE

FAA to STC Holders: No Ethanol in Auto Fuel The FAA has issued a special air­ worthiness information bulletin (SAIB) warning aircraft owners and operators with auto fuel supplemen­ tal type certificates (STC) to ensure the fuel they use does not contain alcohol (ethanol or methanol). The SAIB reinforces EAA's ongoing efforts to ensure the availability of compli­ ant autogas by heading off or modi­ fying legislative attempts in several states to require ethanol in all gaso­ lines sold.

EAA, one of two primary sources of automobile gasoline STCs for general aviation aircraft, advocates that, at the very least, states should exempt premium grade fuel from ethanol mandates to ensure a readily avail­ able and safe fuel supply for aircraft.

The FAA cites numerous reasons alcohol and airplanes do not mix.

Alcohol: • Adversely affects the volatility of auto gasoline, which could cause va­ por lock. . Is corrosive and not compatible with rubber seals and other mate­ rials used in aircraft, which could lead to fuel system deterioration and malfunction .

• Is subject to phase separation, which happens when the fuel cools as an aircraft climbs to higher alti­ tudes. When the alcohol separates from the gasoline, it may carry water that has been held in solution and that cannot be handled by the sedi­ ment bowl.

• Reduces the energy content of fuel. Methanol has approximately 55 percent of the energy content of gasoline, ethanol 73 percent. More alcohol equals reduced range.

EAA's auto fuel STC has saved air­ craft owners untold thousands of dol­ lars by allowing them to use auto fuel rather than more expensive avgas.

The FAA recommends that owners use 2

DECEMBER 2006

automobile gasoline that conforms to the specifications published in their airplane flight manual or automobile gasoline STC flight manual supple­ ment. Those unsure about the pres­ ence of alcohol can perform a simple test with EAA's auto fuel Alcohol Test Kit, available by calling 920-426-4843 or e-mailing dwalker@eaa.org.

200j1 /lIRVENTURE OSHKOSH

~

It's Never Too Early to Plan for Oshkosh Aviation's biggest week of the year takes a year to prepare for, and you can bet preparations are well under­ way for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007, set to take place July 23-29.

EAA draws the aviation community together to share the pure joy and excitement of flight unmatched any­ where in the world.

"All the spirit, innovation, and dreams of aviation come together in one place, for one week," said EAA President Tom Poberezny. "This is the true magiC of AirVenture: Whether we come from the pilot community, industry, or govern­ ment , we are brought together by our passion for flight."

As we enter the new year, keep up with the continuing developments at www.AirVenture.org. Look for many neW special features, including video and audio presentations, interactive sections, plus essentials like admission rates, housing information, forum pre­ senters, special attractions, and more.

"EAA AirVenture is one of avia­ tion 's most important events for business, government, and educa­ tion," Poberezny said. "What makes

this event unique, however, is the fact that it is also aviation's annual family reunion .

"If you're asked to explain what EAA AirVenture is, there's only one good answer-'You gotta be there!'"

Start Out the New Year at a SportAir Workshop EAA's SportAir Workshops will hit the ground running in 2007 with a large number and variety of ses­ sions located throughout the coun­ try. Now is the time to make plans to attend before they fill up. And what better holiday gift is there for the as­ piring homebuilder?

• Oshkosh, Wisconsin-january 27 -28: Learn to successfully build your aircraft with these courses: Compos­ ites, Fabric Covering, or Sheet Metal.

Other courses include Electrical Sys­ tems and Avionics, and Gas Welding, plus Introduction to Aircraft Building and What's Involved in Kit Building suit those just getting started.

• Lakeland, Florida-February 17­ 18: Held at the Sun 'n Fun campus, learn Composites, Fabric Covering, and Sheet Metal, as well as Electrical Systems and Avionics, and What's In­ volved in Kit Building.

• Dallas, Texas-March 3-4: Com­ posites, Fabric Covering, and Sheet Metal construction methods, plus Electrical Systems and Avionics, Gas Welding, and What's Involved in Kit Building.

• Watsonville, California-March 17 -18 : Com posi tes, Electrical Sys­ tems and Avionics, Fabric Covering, Sheet Metal, and What's Involved in Kit Building.

• Detroit, Michigan-April 14-15 : Composites, Electrical Systems and Avionics, Introduction To Aircraft Building, Sheet Metal, and What's In­ volved in Kit Building.

Take the first step toward fulfilling your dream of homebuilt flight. To learn more about these and other upcoming

workshops, as well as special EM mem­ ber tuition for the courses, visit www.

SportAir.com or call 800-967-5746.

Lost Swift Cowling Mark Holliday had a bad night a while back, and he's willing to share the event with those of you in the southeastern United States in the hope that someone will hear of a new Globe Swift cowling that's appeared. Here's Mark's sad tale: While trailering N78261 north on Interstate 75 'from Atlanta to Athens the entire nice original cowl blew off the airplane, unknown to me until I was getting off the highway at the Ath­ ens exit. The cowl appeared to be bolted in place, the handles were latched, and the camlocks on the top fastened, but the brackets were bolted only to the firewall and were not attached to the cowl. I saw screws through the holes

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where the bracket attaches to the cowl, but they were apparently too small and used only to position the cowl; but the cowl felt solid.

By the time I got turned around and returned to Atlanta to proceed north on 1-75 (about a two-hour drive each way, and it's now about 2:00 a.m.) looking for the cowl, someone must have already picked it up. I didn't find it. I checked with the Georgia State Pa­ trol, and there was no record of any accidents or their people picking it up.

Could you please run the following ad: Lost complete original Swift cowl on northbound 1-75 between Atlanta, GA and Athens, TN on 10-5-06. Reward for return or information. Mark 651-270­ 1318, or e-mail: MarkH85@aol.com If you've got news for Mark, please contact him at the numbers above, or call us here at VAA headquarters: 920­ 426-4825.

roWINTHE 20

AIRCRAFT

Enter EAA Aircraft Sweepstakes Online For the first time this year, those eligible to enter the 2007 EAA Aircraft Sweepstakes can do so online through the EAA AirVenture website . Your chance to win the grand-prize Aviat Husky donated by Aviat Aircraft Inc., or several other great prizes, is only a few clicks away!

To enter online, visit www.AirVenture.org/ sweepstakes and follow the link to EAA's secure site for entry instructions. A minimum $10 donation is required for each block of 10 entry tickets entered online. The sweepstakes is open to residents of the United States and Canada (excluding Quebec). See official rules for complete details at www.AirVenture.org/ sweepstakes.

Other donated prizes for the 2007 sweepstakes include a John Deere trac­ tor, a Bose Wave radio, a Canon digital camera, and a Honda ST1300 motor­ cycle. The big drawing takes place on the last day of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007, Sunday, July 29.

TOMFLOCK Just as this issue was going to press, we were advised of the passing of 1999 VAA Hall of Fame Inductee Tom Flock of Rockville, Indiana. Tom was a master re­ storer of Waco aircraft and known worldwide for his expertise and outstanding workmanship on a number of Waco restorations and a PiperJ-3 Cub. He was a longtime member of EAA Chapter 83.

A retired farm-implements dealer, Tom's avocation was an­ tique aircraft, a passion at which he excelled. During the 1993 Waco Club fly-in, Tom was awarded the Bob Poor Memorial Award for ex­ quisite workmanship. His restora­ tions consistently won awards at fly-ins across the country. He en­ joyed meeting folks from all walks of life and especially enjoyed giv­ ing rides in his UPF-7. In 1995, Burt Rutan was speaking at Indi­ ana State University and visited EAA Chapter 83. The designer of some of the most amazing aircraft of the century was delighted when given a chance to ride in the UPF­ 7 with Tom. Our condolences to his wife, Carolyn, his children and step­ children, and to his many friends in vintage aviation, especially those he knew within the Waco community.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

3

BY THE

Getting the markings right

BY MARV HOPPENWORTH

veryone who builds or restores an airplane is hit with the task of laying out registration identification numbers.

Over the last 60 years they have gone from 24 inches to 20 inches to 12 inches and whatever on classic and amateur­ built aircraft. May I suggest a current copy of Federal Aviation Regula t ion (FAR) Section 45 .1, Subpart C, Nation­ ality and Registration Marks. The FAA­ mandated markings can be traced

back to a 1919 international agree­ ment that detailed the type of mark­ ings for aircraft around the world.

I painted my first set of numbers on my ]-3 Cub in 1948: NC9245H in black on yellow. I did quite a few in those ea rly years. Yo u must hear about this one set of numbers in par­ ticular. A friend was having me re­ cover the wings of his 1939 Aeronca Chief. One day we were alerted to two new cute little yellow airplanes at the gas pit. Come to fi nd out, they were the new Piper PA-15 Vagabonds.

My friend drew my attention to the new little 18-inch numbers on the wings and asked if I cou ld paint his wings like that. My answer was , "I don't know why not." So I proceeded to layout the set of numbers. Maroon on white. Two days after I pulled the tape, we got an advisory circular in the mail announcing the new mini­ mum size of registration numbers on the wing was 20 inches!

There was no way I could correct that except to do it over. I spent the next two evenings on my own time,

Download the letters at www. VintageA ircra ft. org

[J 4

DECEMBER 2006

with a sharp knife, peeling the ma­ roon letters down to the silver dope and reworking the white base color.

Then the new size 20-inch numbers were masked and repainted maroon.

Now you know why I recommend a current copy of FAR Section 45.1, Subpart C. There are so many combi­ nations of size, speed, age, etc., that it is too hard to commit to memory.

Here's another story I have to credit to experience. Sometime around 1960, my Taylorcraft was due for re­ cover. At that time the FAA was re­ questing registration numbers be put on the side so that recognizing these numbers would be easier for fighter pilots. I did not argue with that. Since my T-Craft had split colors on the fu­ selage, I masked and painted black numbers, black above the split-line and yellow numbers below the line, surrounded by the black trim color.

This set of numbers, although con ­ trasting in color, washed out to be unrecognizable at 200 feet. I then had to lower my trim line about 8 inches and redo the letters in black-an-yel­ Iowan the lower half. You cannot be­ lieve what a difference that made. We learn by our mistakes. So we call it ex­ perience. Wisdom comes from learn­ ing from someone else's experience.

Over the years I have observed many sets of N numbers. I have seen I/4"s and I/7"s that would tip if you looked at them long enough. In­ cluded is a layout of what, I think, numbers should look like. The FAR calls for "Roman Block." Many print shops do not even recognize Roman Block. As you will note, the numeral 1/8" is the "frame" for many of the numbers and is used in directing many of the letters of the alphabet in Roman Block. There is one excep­ tion in width of the letters M and W. These will be as wide as they are tall, and the center intersecting bars will join with a B width just like on the letter N. In laying out the numbers, they should be in a straight line and the vertical edges should be 90 degrees to the top and bottom. You can use the 3-4-5 triangle or multiples of that, such as 9-12-15 to verify your verti­

cals. Decide where you want to put your row of numbers. If it is a rect­ angular wing, I suggest you take your measurements from the trailing edge.

The distance between each letter or number is to be one-half the width of the letters. Do not use a ballpoint pen to make any marks. A soft lead pencil should be used if you need to make marks. You may also use short pieces of tape.

Two days after I pulled the tape, we got an advisory circular in the mail announcing the

new minimum size of registration numbers on the wing was 20 inches!

Pull the masking tape to the full length of the registration numbers.

Bring the tape down to your marks and be cautious not to curve the tape.

Do the same for the lower edge. Now mark on the tape where the vertical guides will go. Verify that you are still

90 degrees when you get to the last number. It is suggested that you iden­ tify each number and letter, and mark it on the tape. Check it against your registration certificate. An error from here on would be hard to correct.

We all know that masking tape never tears where you wish it to, so I recommend a putty knife about an inch and a half wide . Place the putty knife over the spot you want the tape to tear and pull up. This leaves a sharp edge with accuracy within about 1/64 of an inch . Where two pieces of tape converge on an angle of less than 90 degrees, just lay them down, stick­ ing one on top of another. Lift the two ends together, slip a small piece of metal under the intersection, and, using an Exacto knife or a sharp util­ ity knife, cut on the lines formed by the masking tape. Then lay the tapes back down. Do not cut directly onto your painted surface. There are vinyl tapes that give a nice sharp edge, and these may be worth the extra cost.

3M "Fineline" masking tape is also a great product for producing sharp, clean masked paint edges.

Double-check each number, mak­ ing sure you have closed in and masked all the corners that should be treated that way. It is easy to over­ look. Before painting the numbers, remember to check all the edges by rubbing down with your thumbnail and use a lower air pressure when painting the trim and numbers.

A simple way to put numbers on the vertical fin and rudder is to lay out your small numbers using mask­ ing tape sized to match the width of the bar (B). Example: I-inch mask­ ing tape will give you a letter or number 6 inches tall. Then mask a horizontal line above and below the numbers. This will present you with a horizontal bar about 12 inches to 15 inches with 6-inch contrast­ ing numbers. It looks nice and it is much simpler to make than mask­ ing around little numbers.

Remember, upper right wing and lower left wing. Yes, it can happen.

I hope that this has given you a bit of a heads-up on laying out registra­ tion numbers.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

5

AVIATION ROMAN

BLOCK TYPE

BY H. G. FRAUTSCHY

The font shown to the right is based upon the let­

website, there are computer type fonts available for

ter guide published in the December 2002 issue of

use in marking aircraft. The closest version to the

Vintage Airplane, as originally published in Brimm

style used on pre-World War II and postwar aircraft is

and Boggess ' Aircraft Maintenance for the Airplane

commonly designated "AmarilloUSAF. " It is the font

Mechanic. In my research on this subject, at no time

used by the U.S. Air Force to mark its aircraft. The

have I turned up an FAA or Civil Aviation Authority

font is available from TLai Enterprises at www.TLai.

(CAA) document that actually depicted the letters.

com/med_des/amusafhtml. It is available as a free

Only a description in the regulations has been seen in

download on a trial basis and is fairly inexpensive

official documents.

($15) if you want to buy the full letter set.

I have created alternative versions of some of the

This font is very close to that used on civil aircraft

letters (the 2 and 7) as seen in material submitted by

in the 1940s, but there are differences. Research of

Marv Hoppenworth and in period photos of aircraft

your aircraft type will disclose changes you may need

built in the 1930s and 1940s. If members have oth­

to make. For example, the "7" used on Waco aircraft

ers they'd like to see depicted, please let us know.

has the upper right corner of the numeral trimmed at

The letters and numbers are available on the VAA

an angle, where other aircraft manufacturers used a

website at www.VintageAircraft.org. They will be down­

"7" that featured a sharp corner at that point. The

load able in PDF form and as Adobe Illustrator docu­

regulatory requirement for the font's thickness to be

ments. You can download only the letters you need,

1/6 of the height of the character notwithstanding,

or all of them if you wish. Typically, sign shops spe­

variations in thickness seemed to abound as well.

cializing in computer-generated graphics can work

Another option, for those who would prefer to have

with vector graphic artwork, such as Adobe Illustrator,

their artwork generated by a specialist, is to employ

Corel DRAW, FreeHand, etc. Thanks to being created

the services of a company such as Aerographics of

in vector-based computer artwork, these characters

Loveland, Colorado. They can generate graphics in

are scalable to very large sizes. The sign shop can

a variety of styles and outputs. They can be reached

adjust the artwork to your required size with no prob­

at 800-336-9633 or www.Aerographics.com. Be sure

lem, whether you're asking them to make a mask for

to clearly explain your needs, particularly with regard

the numbers or are looking for the entire character to

to the exact configuration of the letters. As you can

apply to the airframe.

see, even for a marking defined by regulation, there's

In addition to the scalable artwork provided on our

6

DECEMBER 2006

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AIRCRAFT REGISTRATION

NUMBERS AND LE II ERS

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General restoration techniques

BY STAN GOMOLL

Editor's Note: In this installation of the "Restoration Corner," well-known vintage aircraft restorer Stan Gomoll of Minneapolis, Min­ nesota, discusses general techniques used in renovating tail groups and wings . .. G. R. C. and H. G .F TAIL GROUPANDWINGS Tail Group The types of construction used in air­ craft tail groups falls into three general cat­ egories: steel tUbing, aluminum and wood.

Some of the aircraft utilizing wood construc­ tion in their tail groups are Mooney, Culver, Waco and Fairchild, to name a few.

Start by laying all the parts on the floor in plan form. Now is the time to check for pieces that are missing or may have been misplaced, such as trim actuator brackets, hinge pins , brace wires and attaching hard­ ware. Make a list of missing parts along with a worksheet of the work to be accom­ plished; then when you set the piece aside awaiting parts or material, you can pick up where you left off.

Check for ADs or factory service bulletins that may apply to your aircraft. These could refer to such things as attach points, hinge brackets, internal corrosion or wood rot.

Steel Tube Construction Clean all the parts using soap and wa­ ter, paint stripper or sandblasting. I do not choose to sandblast unless it is absolutely necessary, as this process removes the natural protective coating on the metal. Wire brushing will clean the surface, but leaves rust in pitted areas and inside small radius corners. If you do choose to sandblast, care must be taken because it will reduce the thickness of the material and can distort light sheet metal parts.

After cleaning and removing all the rust, punch test the tubing using a dull-pointed punch and hammer. Also check for any cracks or distortion. A check for misalign­ ment of hinges can be made by standing the part vertically and running a weighted string through the holes. When there are more than two hinge points on a surface, the alignment becomes more critical.

Replace worn bushings by pulling them in . A simple puller can be made using a threaded bolt and socket or a piece of tub­ ing with a large, heavy washer welded on one end. This works well on straight-type

bushings or roller bearings.

If the trim tab on the control surface is mounted with bolts or PK screws , it might be necessary to weld a reinforcement in this area to prevent cracking of the thin trail­ ing edge tubing.

After each part is repaired and cleaned, give it a coat of primer. I like to use lac­ quer-resistant zinc chromate or a good ep­ oxy primer.

Adjustable trim tab actuators should be disassembled, cleaned and re-assem­ bled using a grease with a wide tempera­ ture range . Check cables for condition and proper clearance from structures . Make a drawing to be used in accurately locating the inspection plate holes after the new cov­ ering is installed .

Check and, if necessary, replace the wir­ ing for the navigation light. You might want to install extra wiring for the possible instal­ lation of a strobe light at a later date.

After all the tail pieces are cleaned , re­ paired and primed, take the time to mount the complete assembly on the fuselage . It's much easier to take care of mounting prob­ lems now than after the pieces are covered.

At this time do a complete rigging of all wires and/or struts for the tai l group, including hooking up any adjustable trim tabs . Check for adequate clearance between parts, tak­ ing into consideration the added thickness of one or more layers of fabric and/or tape.

Also, it's easy to rig the proper travel of trim tabs and control surfaces at th is time. Use the FAA or manufacturer's specifications to determine the proper degrees of travel.

Aluminum Construction Check for loose rivets, cracked or broken internal structure, improper repairs and cor­ rosion inside and out. Check for mice or bird nests, which hold moisture, causing corro­ sion. Check that all drain ho les are open .

If the surfaces are painted, you might want to strip the paint to check for hidden dam­ age or repairs. Some unscrupulous persons have been known to cover such areas with plastic auto body filler.

R EPRIN T ED FROM

8

DECEMBER 200 6

Vintage A irplane

A UG UST 1986

Check to see that all repairs are covered on Form 337s . It's not uncommon to find that the proper paperwork has not been completed.

Wood Construction The small blade of a pocket knife is a good tool for checking the condition of wood struc­ ture . The po int should penetrate very little into the wood . I suggest trying this on a piece of scrap wood to "get the feel." The blade will penetrate very easily into decayed wood.

It's advisable to replace all hardware such asbolts , nuts, washers, etc. as cad­ mium plating wears off and moisture in the wood can result in rust on these areas , which in turn, causes the wood to decay with a major loss of strength. Even though the hardware may look good, it should be replaced. It has probably been installed for a long time and with the long life of today's modern fabrics it will be a long time before the plane is re-covered again.

Pay particular attention to the area around the attach points. All of the old paint should be removed down to bare wood so a good check can be made for cracks and dry rot. Check all the glue joints and gussets for strength and/or separation. The old casein glues deteriorate with age.

Refer to the FAA's Advisory Circular AC 43.13, which describes repairs to wood and metal structures. The old standby is to fin­ ish the wood with two coats of spar varnish, as this product has stood the test of time.

To make an internal inspection of tail pieces covered with plywood and containing no inspection openings, it may be neces­ sary to cut holes-but first check with your AI or FAA inspector.

There are a lot of qualified people to an­ swer questions concerning your restoration project-all you have to do is ask. Available through EAA Headquarters the year around are many "how to" manuals. These are also available at the EAA Sales Building during each annual Convention at Oshkosh, as are many educational forums and workshops covering every aspect of aircraft construc-

tion and restoration. Another good source of information is local EM and VAA chapter fly-ins and fly-ins sponsored by the various type clubs.

As mentioned in previous " Restoration Corner" articles , there are companies that sell reprints of aircraft and engine manuals.

These companies advertise in Trade-A-Plane and several aviation magazines and are well worth knowing about.

Wings-To remove fabric covering, first remove the rib stitching by cutting the cords.

If the fabric is secured by metal clips, these must be removed carefully to prevent dam­ age to the metal ribs . Whether constructed of wood or metal, most wings are delicate structures and can be damaged easily. Ei­ ther save the old fabric or make patterns from which the location of inspection holes and control cable openings can be deter­ mined when the surfaces are re-covered .

After the covering is removed an evalua­ tion of the condition of the wing is next on the agenda. Continuing with your worksheet, make a list of the following items along with pertinent remarks: Leading Edge-note wrinkles , cracks, previous repairs , corrosion or plywood sepa­ ration. Wings are frequently stored with their leading edges down creating a natural trap inside the leading edge covering for mois­ ture resu lting in corrosion and/ or wood rot.

Ribs-note previous and/ or unrepaired damage , wood rot, loose glue joints and gussets, damage to capstrips cause by wire or PK screws, ribs misshapen because of over-taut fabric or bowed due to over-tighten­ ing of drag and anti-drag wires.

Butt ribs-same as above.

Ribs at aileron space-same as above plus distortion resulting in too little or too much clearance from the aileron.

Spars-note condition of finish, any cracks or elongated holes causing loose bolts at metal fittings. Are the spars straight and in alignment when sighting down them length-wise? Are all the ribs the same height from top of spar? Were previous repairs made in accordance with Part 43 and prop­ erly noted on a Form 3377 Trailing Edge-note condition. Is it straight and in alignment with aileron trailing edge?

Aileron Hinge Brackets-check bearings and bushings for wear. Do bearings rotate freely? Check security of attachments-are they bent or cracked?

Drag wires and compression members­ are the wires rusty, broken or loose? Do they have a heavy build-up of paint applied by brush? If compression members are wood,

have they shrunk, causing ribs to bow?

Navigation and landing lights-check mounting brackets for cracks and security, unnecessary screw holes in the wood , nut plates or tinneman nuts miSSing or worn out, and condition of wiring. If the landing light is retractable , does it operate properly?

Ailerons-check general condition of structure. Depending on construction ma­ terials , is there rust, corrosion , wood rot, loose rivets or glue joints? Are hinge attach points secure? Is the trailing edge straight and aligned with wing trailing edge? Check leading edge for cracks and/ or wrinkles­ these are usually visible even through the finish paint. Some ailerons are counterbal­ anced with lead weights in either the leading edge or mounted on external arms. Check these for a good , solid attachment.

A decision must be made at this point whether to completely disassemble the wing panels or to restore portions of them.

If you decide to totally restore the wings, be sure to do one panel at a time, leaving the other(s) assembled to guide you in re-as­ sembly of the rebuilt unit.

When possible, the route I like to take is to remove the leading edge covering, drag and anti-drag wires and compression mem­ bers, leaving the spars and ribs assembled .

This procedure allows a good cleaning and checking of the structure . I then refinish the wood with a minimum of two coats of spar varnish, and the metal parts with a good primer followed by a good covering with black enamel. Primer alone does not give long-term protection. Reassemble the wing panel using all new hardware.

Aluminum structures can experience electrolytic action between the aluminum and steel fittings (dissimilar metalS) , result­ ing in corrosion. The use of cadmium-plated bolts will neutralize this action.

An advantage in restoring a classic rather than an antique aircraft is that many new parts are available from supply houses . If this describes your project, the next step is to sit down with catalogs from several sup­ ply houses and make a list of parts needing replacement and which are available. Get that order off right away as delivery may take some time.

A good example of new replacement parts is a repair kit for the metal ribs and spars in Piper aircraft. In some cases, lead­ ing edges can be bought preformed or you can make them yourself.

When re-assembling a wing, to get th e proper height and fit of the ribs on the spar, make a pattern off the spar attach points

and the top of the fuselage (high wing mono­ planes or cabin biplanes). Using a wing rib pattern sawed out of plywood, line up the leading and trailing edges of the ribs with nose ribs in place aligned with main ribs.

The ailerons should be in place to assure proper alignment and clearances.

The t rammeling process comes next.

Don 't be alarmed at the thought of doing this, as it is simple if done according to the book. It 's just a matter of tightening the drag and anti-drag wires in sequence, keep­ ing each bay square and the spars straight.

This must be done before the leading edge sheeting (if used) is installed.

Wood leading edges are more difficult to repair or replace. The wood sheets have to be prebent over a form with a smaller ra­ dius than that of the rib curvature. Start by soaking the plywood in water overnight, then clamp it to the form with wide straps . Old seat belts work well for this.

Do not try to fully bend the sheet at one time, but tighten the straps gradually. The use of an electric steam iron set on "full heat" and applied directly to the wood sur­ face helps to bend the wood without crack­ ing, thanks to steaming action.

It's of utmost importance to trammel the wing before final installation of the lead­ ing edge sheeting. For holding the sheeting in place I made a set of clamps that work great for either wood or aluminum. I cut sev­ eral pieces of 2 x 4 four inches longer than the height of the spar, then fastened one end of each strap (seat belt) to one end of each 2 x 4 . I then weld flat steel plates to one end of 8" long pieces of l ' 4" threaded rod and riveted them to the other end of each strap.

Each clamp is completed by inserting each rod through holes drilled at the other end of each 2 x 4 and held in place by large washers and nuts. These clamps can be used to secure the leading edge material to either the form blocks or the wing pan­ els . Care must be taken to not over-tighten the clamps and damage the leading edge material. Good clamping pressure can be attained by positioning the clamps over ribs about 18-24" apart.

During most restoration projects it is necessary to make some repairs. These should always be made in accordance with FAA manual, "Acceptable Methods, Tech­ niques and Practices-Aircraft Inspection and Repai r, " FAA AC No. 43.13. This man­ ual is sometimes referred to as "Part 43" and it should be a mandatory addition to ....... every restorer's library.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

9

"It jumps off the ground and flies like it's very light ...

-Ted Teach /I

10

DECEMBER 2006

ner Airplane & Motor Corporation Ltd. of Glendale, California.

The Model INF

oU just never know ex­ actly when you'll find yourself in the an­ tique airplane market­ again. When Ted Teach went to California to pick up the freshly overhauled Menasco en­ gine for his Ryan ST project back in Dayton, Ohio, he really wasn't thinking about acquiring another airplane project.

But while he was at the engine

Y

shop, he was enticed into taking a look at an old Waco biplane. It was fully assembled, looked nice, and its engine ran fine-yet the fabric was deteriorated to the point that all it took was finger pressure to punch right through it. Still, there was something special about NC864V, something that made it unique. It held the distinction of being the prototype model INF, manufactured

by Waco in Troy, Ohio, for the Kin­

Teach believes that Kinner wanted its share in Waco's biplane market, and that, ultimately, is how the INF model came into produc­ tion. "This was an extremely popu­ lar biplane, even in 1930 with the economy the way it was , and they were selling like hotcakes-30 of them in six months! So we think that Kinner agreed to buy the air­ plane if Waco would design and use the Kinner engine installation for this airplane."

Leslie H. Bowman (who would later become one of the first presidents of the National Aviation Training As­ sociation) was a test pilot for Kinner and personally took delivery of the prototype INF on June 13, 1930. At that time, the aircraft bore an experi­ mental registration number, since ap­ proved Type Certificate 345 wasn 't issued until August of that year. For those who wonder what "INF" means, Waco's designation is interpreted this way: "I" represents the 125-hp Kinner B-5 engine; "N" was used in 1930 to represent open-cockpit aircraft; and "F" denotes the aircraft series. Accord­ ing to Teach, the INFs were known as the "baby Fs" in the Waco "F" series, since they were smaller than, for in­ stance, the UPFs. Bowman drew some attention to the new Waco by flying it in the 1930 National Air Races in Chicago just a couple of months later. He won $300 by finishing in second place, with a speed of 118.97 mph, in Event Num­ ber IS-the Men's 450 Cubic Inch. In November, Bowman flew the Waco in the National Air Tour, publicly dem­ onstrating the reliability of the aircraft and its five-cylinder Kinner engine.

The INF became popular with pi­ lots who enjoyed its short take-off roll and initial climb of 950 fpm, along with a 90-mph cruise, a touch-down speed around 40 mph, and its abil­ ity to stop (without brakes) within 235 feet. The 125-hp Kinner burned 8 gph from its 32-gallon center-section wing tank and had a 3-gallon oil tank.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

11

was also well liked by those who appreciated its aerobatic agility, and it was used for aerobatic training, as well as in the Ci­ vilian Pilot Training Program. Nearly SO of these three-place open-cockpit biplanes were manufactured by Waco in 1930 and 1931, and they sold for around $4,400 or more, depending upon the customer's choice of op­ tional equipment, which included a ground-adjustable metal propeller, Heywood starter, navigation lights, and Hot Shot battery. An engine ring cowl and wheelpants were also avail­ able for those who desired a sleeker machine and a bit more speed.

NC864V-Yesterday

Doug Smith, Andrew "Flyboy" King (pilot of the Waco INF for our photo shoot), Ted Teach, Jack Tiffany, Herman Leffew, and Jerry Pruden.

g ~ ~ ~

Kinner Airplane & Motor Corpo­ ration owned the prototype INF for about seven months before selling it to a woman named Elsie Bala, of Idaho. Not much is known about her, except that she retained ownership of the biplane for about six years. Af­ ter that, several flying schools owned it during the early to mid 1940s, in­ cluding the United Flying Schools of America, Incorporated . The Defense Plant Corporation in Washington, D.C., also owned it at one time.

It had been in California for a number of years when Teach bought it, and although it didn't come with a complete history (except for what could be obtained from FAA records),

~ there were a few jewels from the past

~ that accompanied the biplane. A cou­ ~ pIe of faded black and white photo­ (J)

The instrument panel and placards were silk-screened. Note the hand­ stitched leather cockpit coaming.

12

DECEMBER 2006

graphs of the dismantled Waco loaded onto a trailer are still intriguing to Teach; the year" 1968" is written on

Around 50 Waco INFs were buiH in 1930 and 1931.

the back of one, along with this statement: "I purchased the airplane for $100 behind a hangar in northern California in 1961." Teach wonders who that person was, and who the men in the photographs were.

Another interesting item that yields some history about this Model INF is a letter that W.T. Homan of Santa Paula, California, typed on De­ cember 28, 1971, to a Mr. Beichtold.

In part, it says, "About three years ago I bought INF Waco NC864V Se­ rial Number 326S .... This ship was new at Mines Field (now Interna­ tional Airport) Los Angeles in 1930 and I find that several of my friends either learned to fly in it or soloed

The INF has outrigger-style gear legs.

it. Also it has resided in Wyoming, Montana and Washington."

A wind-driven generator is neatly mounted between the gear legs.

NC864V-Today Teach called upon some of his avi­ ation friends to help dismantle and truck the Waco from California to Ohio, and the group of experienced aircraft restorers who refer to them­ selves by the moniker "Leading Edge Aircraft" happily embarked upon the journey. The restoration process began in 1998, as soon as the Waco arrived at Teach's hangar in Dayton. However, after the wings were covered, prog­ ress on the project slowed down un­

til 2004, when Teach employed Doug Smith, a young and highly skilled an­ tique aircraft restorer, to work with him on the project. Smith had previ­ ously worked for him on some other aircraft projects, so they were eager to work together to finish the INF. At first , Teach thought the Waco would require only new fabric and paint. But as soon as they removed the old fab­ ric, Ted decided it was time for a more extensive restoration, as well as any modifications needed for safe opera­ tions in today's environment.

Pilots through the ages have en­ joyed modifying their aircraft , es­ pecially when those modifications include adding horsepower. When Teach purchased the prototype INF from its previous owner, he found the gentleman had obtained a field ap­ proval (FAA Form 337) in 1989 and in­ stalled a 160-hp Kinner R-SS in place of the original 12S-hp Kinner B-S. While he was contemplating the difficulties posed by hand-propping the engine (many fixed base operators don't allow hand propping-never VINTAGE AIRPLANE

13

-1

The INF is a three-place biplane-if the front two passengers are small. The gold pinstripe around the registration number was painted by hand.

I

mind that it's rare to find a line boy who can perform such a task), he de­ cided to install an electrical system and starter in the biplane, which re­ quired locating and installing a wind generator and voltage regulator. Along with the electrical system came the addition of a Hobbs meter and clock.

Restoration "Team" There were numerous pairs of hands that brought this 1930 Waco to its current Bronze Lindy-Silver Age (1928-1936) award-winning status, and owner Ted Teach was central to the entire process, logging countless hours on the project himself. "I did a fair amount of structural work on it in my basement," he explains. "It just took a lot of hours, and Doug's been at it nearly two years, working 14 DECEMBER 2006

36 hours a week, with 90 percent of his time on this airplane."

Doug's enthusiasm for restoring old airplanes was awakened several years ago when he was working at a flight school to build time to become an air­ line pilot. "A professor asked me to help him work on a Champ one summer, and I did," he says with a smile,' " and I fell in love with the restoring process, and that's the path I chose. I restored a Beechcraft AT-lO with four other gen­ tlemen, and that's now on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Now I own a Stearman that I re­ stored with a partner while I lived in South Carolina. I've also helped Jack Tiffany restore a Cub, and my next project is Ted's Ryan ST." Speaking of Jack Tiffany, those who know him might describe him as the

"instigator" of the Leading Edge Air­ craft-Restorers of Old Flying Ma­ chines group in Spring Valley, Ohio.

The group is basically composed of Tiffany and his wife, Kate; Herman Leffew; and Don Siefer (and more recently, Jerry Pruden). They have combined their individual talents to produce many award-winning air­ craft restorations through the years and were glad to provide assistance to Teach. "We were just there to give a helping hand when Ted and Doug needed it," shares Tiffany, elaborating that "we did repair some woodwork in the aileron bay, and Herman and Kate did the rib stitching. Don primed the wings and tail group, and then we took them back to Ted's hangar."

"Jack also helped put this airplane together and rig it. And here's an

The handcrafted metal wheelpants add a nice finishing touch to this 1930 Waco INF. Note the attention to detail where the flying and landing wires join the wing.

interesting note regarding the cor­ rect tension ' for the flying wires," says Teach with a chuckle. "It says to 'tighten all wires to a fair tension .

Make sure they are in a streamlined position ... .' We got that right from the book, and that's all it says."

The Waco wasn't the first resto­ ration project for Teach, either. He learned to fly in 1949 when he was in high school, and he went on to earn a degree in aeronautical engineering from Ohio State. "My hobby has al­ ways been aircraft. I've done a lot of soaring; I had a glider for 20 years and did a lot of competitive soaring-it was wonderful! And then I got interested in antiques. I bought a Mooney Mite

in 1991, and Doug did a lot of the res­ toration work on that-it was an Osh­ kosh winner about 10 years ago. Back in 1969, I started a Pitts, and it took a while to get it done," he says, eyes twin­ kling as he laughs and adds, "I have a record for building time on a Pitts Spe­ cial-29 years and 11 months! Doug helped me finish that one, too, along with Kenny Blalock of Special Products Aviation in Conway, Arkansas-and it was an Oshkosh Lindy award winner."

(Editor's note: Teach is also an active model builder-we ran into him at the 2006 Flying Aces contest in Muncie, Indiana. He was busy flying in the "Old Timer Stick" rubber-powered model airplane event; he won! -HGF)

Finishing Touches Streamlined wheel pants look good

on most any airplane, and especially so on the Waco INF. Since pants didn't come with the Waco when Teach pur­ chased it, he decided to ask Mark Ken­ nison of D&D Auto Restoration in Covington, Ohio, whether or not he would be willing to fabricate a pair.

Kennison agreed to squeeze the project into his schedule, and the end result exemplifies the quality of his work.

Teach created wooden bucks (three­ dimensional forms) to use in form­ ing the 1/16-inch aluminum sheets to the correct compound shape. "Mark made halves and then welded them together, and he is a genius at moving sheet metal," declares Teach.

A beautiful paint job is essential for an award winner. Smith, who sanded and finish-painted the entire biplane, used a high-volume, low-pressure VINTAGE AIRPLA N E

15

Lessons Learned Each aileron extends all the way to the wingtip.

(HVLP) gravity-feed paint cup an d gun, with excellent res u lts. Smith and Teach selected Randolph's bu­ tyrate dope system for the fabric and Randolph's Ranthane for the metal to obtain a good match between the components, and they retained the Waco INF's original colors-vermil­ lion on the fuselage, with silver wings and tail. They also researched the black trim stripe, according to Smith, who explains that "depending on what year your Waco was built, it had a different design for the stripe, and we found that the arrow was correct for 1930."

The instruments were overhauled and refaced, and the instrument panel and placards were profession­ ally silk-screened. And with a steady hand, Bill Kirnec painted the or­ ange pinstripe around the registra­ tion number on the rudder and the wings. He also hand painted the de­ tailed Waco logo on both sides of the fuselage. Finally, it all came to­ gether-the engine, airframe, and FAA paperwork . NC864V was ap­ proved on June 19, 2006, for its re­ turn to airworthiness and flew on June 25. About a month later, it made its debut at EAA AirVent u re Oshkosh 2006.

16

DECEMBER 2006

If you've ever helped restore an air­ plane, you know firsthand that the successful completion of a project nor­ mally takes longer than anticipated .

Teach reflects, "After all these years, it's hard to make an estimate of how long it'll take to finish a project. This past January, I said 'Doug, I think we'll have this done the end of the month,' and in February, I said the same thing.

It was finished mid-June!"

Smith agrees that it's easy to make an optimistic estimate, especially in the beginning. "When we first started on it, we both thought we'd have it finished in a year, no problem. But it took two years to finish. The im ­ portant thing in doing something like this is that if you put in the time, they come out nice. We could have had a flying airplane a lot faster and a lot sooner and, for Ted's sake, a lot cheaper. But from my standpoint, I appreciate someone who says I want a nice airplane and understands that it's going to cost money, and that it's going to take time. That's the key to having a plane look like this-having an owner who understands that."

A Flying Future Teach is pleased with his hand­ some Waco INF and is looking for­ ward to flying it frequently. He also owns and flies a Stearman, and he thought at first the INF might have similar flying characteristics. But he

discovered that "it flies nothing like a Stearman! It jumps off the ground and flies like it's very light, although it isn't that light. It has a good cruis­ ing speed at 95 mph, and on grass it lands and settles right down, but put it on a hard top and then each land­ ing can be exciting."

While Teach likes working on an air­ craft restoration, he also loves flying the finished product and sharing it with those who are appreciative. He says he enjoys "giving rides, because it's excit­ ing for people. I remember taking some Young Eagles in my Stearman, and that usually makes kids pretty happy.

There were 10 of them that Saturday afternoon, and most had a big smile.

In Monday's mail, I had a thank-you note from one little kid who had made the effort to find my address, go home, buy a card, and write a thank­ you note-he had to have it in the mail that Saturday night! And that made the whole thing worth while, you know?"

Since two small children can fit com­ fortably in the cozy front seat of the Waco, perhaps one day soon there will be some lucky youngsters who will have the opportunity to feel the fresh air in their faces and see their world framed by a pair of silver wings as they expe­ rience 1930s-style open-cockpit flying with Teach, in his Kinner-powered pro­ totype INF. And maybe, just maybe, Teach will find another thank-you note in his mailbox. ......

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hipmunks are just one of "those" airplanes; no one can walk past one and not have some variation of "cute" or "just right" pass through his or her mind. There's something about its lines that makes it univer­ sally loved. When you pass over the Canadian/U.S. border headed north, however, there's an additional ingre­ dient to the airplane's attraction-na­ tional pride.

The Canadians are justifiably proud of having hacked a nation out of a wilderness and everything that en­ tails, which in this case includes the

C

18

DECEMBER 2006

Chipmunk. It 's a homegrown prod­ uct, and any serious sport aviation nut from up there has his eye peeled for one of two airplanes, or both: a Canadian-built de Havilland Tiger Moth or, its descendant, the Chip­ munk. And it was through the simple process of keeping one's eyes peeled that the latter-day saga of Chipmunk No.ll, the world's oldest flying Chip­ munk, began. "j was scanning an auction web­ site looking for ex-RAF Bulldogs and happened to click on a link to past auctions," says James Brooke of Sas­ katoon, Saskatchewan. "As j scanned

through the listing of RAF Bulldogs [the military version of the Beagle Pup] sold in the past, j ran into a list­ ing for a Chipmunk. It was buried clear in the back and caught my eye because it said the airplane had been the winner of the King's Cup Race in 1953 and was the developmental air­ plane that had been sent to England from Canada for the RAF to test to see if they wanted to adopt it. What was even more interesting was that the airplane was listed as having been put in the auction for sale, but it didn't show up on their listing as having been sold. So, j didn't know what to

think. Was it sold, or wasn't it? And, if so, where did it go?"

Had this been just another Chip­ munk for sale, James would probably have ignored it. But what few histori­ cal facts were given on the airplane told him this wasn't just any Chip­ munk. This was the airplane that had forged the link between de Havilland of England and its Canadian subsid­ iary and eventually led to the mass production of the airplane for the Royal Air Force (RAF).

James says, "As we understand it, when de Havilland of England de­ cided to build an airplane to replace

7e

s

their Tiger Moth as a basic trainer, they were busy doing what they prob­ ably saw as more important projects, fighters and airliners and all that. So, they assigned the design of the new trainer to de Havilland Canada.

"De Havilland Canada finished the design and test-flew serial number 1 for the first time in May of 1946 with de Havilland England's Pat Filling­ ham at the contro ls. Then in Janu­ ary of the next year, having been sent over to show the 'mother company,' serial number 1 was flown in Eng­ land. At the same time in Canada, se­ rial number 2 crashed because of a

delayed spin recovery, destroying the aircraft and almost killing [the] pilot.

Subsequently, spinning a Chipmunk has been taken as a training maneu­ ver requiring very special attention.

But, more on that later."

While serial number 1 was being tested in England, de Havilland Can­ ada (DHC) continued refining the airplane and produced a small pre­ production batch including serial num­ ber 11, which rolled off the line in April 1947 in Downsview, Ontario. Three weeks later, serial number II, along with serial number 10, were shipped to England for evaluation flights.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

19

plane had, so we continued research­ ing it. We checked the U.K. registry and found the airplane was listed to a name in North Yorkshire, Eng­ land: Philip Derry. I called to verify t h at it was there and, having recog­ nized the last name, Derry, asked him if he was any relation to John Derry, the de Havilland test pilot who in­ vented the Derry Turn aerobatic ma­ ne u ver and who was the first U.K. pilot to break the sound barrier flying a DH.I08 Swallow. It turned out he was indeed related, as a great-nephew severa l times removed. He was exUJ tremely nice and invited us over to ~ ~ have a look." <..l ~ W h en James and his elder son, ~ also a pilot, fo llowed the directions To cure a quirky spin characteristic, the Chipmunk has a pair of strakes running th rough the English countryside, they along the fuselage into the leading edge of the horizontal tail. The wood compo· were intrigued at what they found. nent highlights the craftsmanship that went into this uniquely Canadian airplane. liThe airplane was located on this

No. 11 was given the U.K. registration of G-AKDN-the only registration it has carried for more than S9 years.

James says, " I got together w ith David Gillespie, and we both liked the Canadian connection the air -

(/)

20

DECEMBER 2006

The tightly cowled Gipsy Major 10 Mk2 was a bit of a headache as as r.~u,~"l illn registration was concerned, so the Chipmunk retains its British registration.

The wing fuel tanks feature the filler neck and mechanical fuel gauge all in one unit. tiny, squishy green airport-Bagby Field in North Yorkshire. It looked as if there should be signs saying 'Hob­ bit Crossing.' It was a perfect place for a Chipmunk."

It was no coincidence that Philip Derry owned the airplane and his great -uncle was a famous-in-Eng­ land de Havilland test pilot and the first supersonic pilot in the United Kingdom. Philip said he saw the air­ plane in the auction and recognized it as one his great-uncle had flown as one of the evaluation pilots before the RAF adopted the type. Philip con­ tacted the then-current owner and arranged to have it taken out of the auction for a private sale. That ex­ plained the curious Internet listing of being for sale but not being listed as sold. The strength of Philip's desire for th e family connection is made

even more evident in the fact that he isn 't, and never has been, a pilot.

That and the fact that he didn't tell his girlfriend-soon-to-be-wife that he had bought the airplane. It was, as he phrased it, "An impulse buy."

"While I was there," James says, "Phil let me go through all the test pilot's notes, which included those by his great-uncle, which were re­ ally fascinating to read. I was just a little uncomfortable asking to buy such a family heirloom. However, it turned out that the Derry family also had Canadian connections in Ontario, and in fact, John Derry had learned to fly in C:anadian-built Ti­ ger Moths in Canada with the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in the early 1940s, so the idea of the air­ plane being returned 'home' to Can­ ada seemed reasonable to Phil. The

difficulty they had in trying to get primary flight training locally in the Chipmunk for Phil and his sons only added another reason for him to let the plane go.

"I called David and told him the airplane could be what we were look­ ing for. It only had 120 hours since the engine was overhauled and about 3,000 hours total. Plus, the airplane was in original 1948 condition, essen­ tially how it had left the RAF evalua­ tion trials in 1948 and was the way it was when it won the King's Cup Race in 1953. Best of all, it had no military service, so maybe it wasn't a wreck.

It was pretty much as it was when shipped to England in 1947. David was excited, which, if you knew Da­ vid Gillespie, you would know he was borderline crazy about the idea."

It's one thing to love an airplane, VINTAGE AIRPL A NE

21

but quite another when it's in Eng­ land and you're in Canada, plus the airplane is registered in England. Both areas present their own problems.

James says, "Even before we went over to retrieve the airplane, it was ob­ vious that re-registering the airplane in Canada was going to be a paper­ work nightmare, which is exactly the way it turned out. The shipping of the airplane had its own headaches, but they were more manageable."

Moving a foreign-registered air­ plane across the Atlantic is not for the faint of heart. It would be a ma­ jor challenge for anyone, much less two private pilots who had no idea

what they were getting into. James is a mathematics professor, and David is the creative director at an ad agency, neither of which prepared them for what they were about to attempt.

However, enthusiasm almost always overcomes inexperience.

Their enthusiasm, however, was further augmented by good fortune: Tom Coates, an engineer who had built up his own private de Havil­ land air force over the years and had shipped numerous airplanes across the pond, was literally in their back­ yard . He possessed the experience they were lacking, plus lent them the special attachment hardware they'd

There Are Chipmunks, and

Then There Is No. 11

In the course of putting their little beauty back in the air, the David-James team discovered on their airplane a number of items that differed from the usual Chipmunk. For one thing, it has the original Canadian-designed "bird cage" canopy that was adopted on the O.K.-produced airplanes (around 1,100 in total) but wasn't used on the rest of the Canadian-produced Munks (just more than 200 produced), which have the distinctive blown bubble. The rear side panels of their canopy were originally fiat but they were "bubbled ouf during the RAF evaluation process to allow the pilot to move his head further sideways.

The landing gear also has a number of characteristics that set it apart. In the UK. production models, the landing gear legs are canted forward a few inches to improve stability on the ground roll, but on Canadian production models the gear is in the origi­ nal position, as on No.n and all early pre-production versions.

Also, the airplane has small, streamlined fairings around the gear legs, which are found on UK. production models and the Canadian pre-production models but not on the Canadian pro­ duction machines.

The stall strips on the leading edges of the wings are much longer than those on Canadian production airplanes, and it has · the slab-like spin strakes on the fuselage ahead of the horizontal stab, which is a feature of all UK. airplanes but not found on the Canadian birds. As mentioned earlier, spin recoveries were al­ ways a problem, which led to the strake modification and to the longer-chord rudder and elevator on both the Canadian and UK production models. In contrast,No.n carries a short-chord rud­ der and elevators, as on the original pre-production aircraft.

22

DECEMBER 2006

need to secure the airframe in the 40­ foot shipping container. He said they could do it. They felt they could do it.

So they were on their way.

David says, "When my wife, Karen, James, and I checked in at the airport to leave, we were each carrying 60 pounds of slings and brackets for pick­ ing up and then securing the airplane in a shipping container."

"When we got to England," David says, "we flew the airplane a couple of times, which was really stressful! We had already committed to the pur­ chase with a down payment, and we had to make a 'go/no-go' decision be­ fore we took the next step . Neither of us had more than an hour's time in a Chipmunk. I had loads of Pitts time, but James' tailwheel time was in Fleet Canucks and Decathlons over 20 years before . But we took a deep breath and took the plunge.

"When we set about taking it apart, we quickly found it really wasn't fun.

We thought we had all the right equip­ ment, but we weren 't even close. For one thing, tools were hard to find be­ cause British standard wrenches didn't fit a bunch of the bolts. It was a ran­ dom mix of metric, British standard, and some stuff I'm not sure we know yet what it is. It took us seven full days

The forward cockpit of the Chipmunk is short on frills but long on usefulness.

to get it apart and packed in a 40­ foot container. This was also compli­ cated because some of the Chipmunk shipping brackets wouldn't fit, prob­ ably because this airplane was some­ thing of a prototype and was different from later airplanes. Finally, we found a bracket for a TV satellite dish that would work and modified that. We

also used a lot of big pipe insulation as bumpers. To make matters worse, the airplane was in the far back cor­ ner of a packed hangar, so wrestling it out of there was a chore. By the end, I think a lot of the locals thought we were nuts!

"Again, good fortune must have been looking over our shoulders be­ cause we came to know Graham Fox at Bagby, who maintained the aircraft for Phil Derry. He not only gave freely of his knowledge, but loaned us some of his people to help at the critical stages.

"It was through Graham that we came to know the proprietor of Bagby Airfield, John Dundon, who solved what appeared to be an immense prob­ lem for us: he moved the wingless air­ plane about a quarter mile across the soggy grass with his backhoe.

"It seemed as if everyone on the airport jumped in and helped, and there was a great spirit of 'getting the job done' and helping out other air­ craft lovers."

Whatever James and David's problems, the airplane arrived safely VI NTAGE AI RPLAN E

23

back at Saskatoon, where they looked at it closely.

James says, "The airplane was in good condition, no corrosion or any­ thing like that, although the fab­ ric on the wings could probably use some work. Actually, as we were to find out, it needed a lot of work.

What was curious was that as the air­ plane sat in our hangar, the 40-below weather caused the paint to flake off, and it left a shadow of the airplane on the floor in paint chips.

When they got ready to approach the registration issue, they knew they had a lot of work to do. Among other things, the airplane, when built in Canada, had a Gipsy Major lC engine, but when it was being prepped for the RAF trainer competition (the only other entrant was the Fairey Primer), the engine was changed to a Gipsy Major 10 Mk2. This didn't go down well with Transport Canada, and the possibilities of getting it re-registered were getting dimmer and dimmer.

"By that time, we were already looking at paint schemes, and every

time we thought about changing the G-AKDN, which is what it was known as since it arrived in England, to a Canadian CF number, it just didn't look right in our minds. The airplane had originally been natural alumi­ num with some stripes, and it had been painted perhaps sometime in the '60s, but we wanted it in its orig­ inal 1947 scheme, which is what it was wearing when it pioneered the RAF adoption in 1949.

"Somewhere along the line, while we were stripping the paint and pol­ ishing the aluminum, which took 200 hours, by the way, we decided the best way to keep the airplane looking origi­ nal was to leave it registered in England and fly it here in English registration.

There was simply too much history to lose by changing the numbers.

"We could only keep it registered in the U.K. if we were working with an English-licensed engineer and a U.K.-approved maintenance organiza­ tion in Canada. Once again, luck was with us, and we managed to have Tom Coates' aviation company in Saska­

when an airplane like this Chipmunk that is so complete comes along, it is terribly tempting to rip everything out and give it at least a fresh coat of paint before putting it back together. The foregoing is a tough call, but one thing is certain: once the decision is made to remove, re­ store, and repaint there is no going back.

Airplane restoration. like so many other things, goes through fads. At one point it's the rage to customize an older airplane, then total origi­ nality, right down to unsafe mechanical systems, reigns, and then 'leave it as is"comes on the scene and utility is the goal. Everything changes, but the one constant is that ifan airplane, such as this Chipmunk. isn't over-restored and is left, as much as possible, in its as-found condition. no mistake is being made and a later age won't be decrying our actions.

24

DECEMBER 2006

toon approved, and we engaged Gra­ ham Fox to oversee the paperwork and ultimately come over from England to conduct inspections. Also, Philip Derry wanted to maintain his connec­ tion with the airplane, so he's one of our partners, and we have successfully preserved the English registration.

James says, "When the aircraft orig­ inally came out of its shipping con­ tainer, in August 2002, and we flew it, over 55 years had elapsed since it initially left the country. Although it flew like a charm, we knew we had our maintenance work cut out for us. It was disassembled and worked on un­ til May of 2004, when it underwent its 'Star Inspection,' which is required every three years for English-registered aircraft. It is sort of a super-duper an­ nual. Graham came over and worked with Tom Coates to do the work.

"The test flight after this inspec­ tion was something really special because we had George Neal, then 86 years old and still flying his own Chipmunk, do the flight. George was the de Havilland Canada Chipmunk chief production test pilot who did the very first flight on No. 11 back in 1947. It was a thrilling day for us."

When the project was finished and the airplane was flying, James and Da­ vid found they had created much more than simply a wonderful airplane.

"Graham comes to visit quite often, both for inspections and to go hunt­ ing. Ultimately we expect to host an extended visit by Phil Derry and his family, and flying will be on the agenda.

The entire project has been fun with one of the major side benefits being the close friendships that have developed.

Those we never expected and have made it all the more worthwhile."

As the airplane now sits, it's not only the oldest airworthy Chip­ munk, but also probably one of the most original, because little has been changed or replaced since it left for England so many years ago.

David Gillespie sums it up when he says, "This airplane is very much a part of Canadian aviation history, and the less we do to change the airplane, the more of that history remains."

We like his way of thinking. ......

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I Love

you like to fly?/I At times it's tough to put it into words, and all you seem to be

attempt to explain the remark­

able experience that is personal flight. Hugh Homing as put his thoughts into words, and perhaps he can help all ofus fill in the blanks when someone asks you, "Hey, what's flying all about?/I-H.G. Frautschy

Horsemen say that when leaming to ride, the novice becomes a rider when he or she is in control of the horse and the horse knows it. It is much the same with a pilot and his plane. The student becomes an avia­ tor when he fully controls the plane and is in con­ trol in any situation.

The Challenge of Flying Broaden your flight-maneuvering expertise to handling weather, navi­ gation, radio communications, flight regulations, emergency procedures, etc., and you begin to understand why I, and thousands of others, love to fly: It is a constant challenge to be your best ... to anticipate, plan, and ex­ ecute a multiplicity of tasks in an ever­ changing situation.

An instructor once told me you should learn something from every flight ... even the briefest, most serene, and normal of flights. It is something I try to practice by asking myself after each sojourn into the blue (or gray) yon­ der: What did I learn from that flight ... or what might I have done more effectively, more effiCiently, or more smoothly? Did I do my best?

28

DECEMBER 2006

Sbiving for Proficiency and Professionalism Proficiency and professionalism are the pilot's continuing but never­ perfectly-achievable goals. Apart from the personal satisfaction one gets by constant improvement in his flying, there is another great benefit: the in­ creased assurance of staying alive. Un­ like most vocations and avocations, a careless attitude or action, a misjudg­ ment, or a mistake can cost you your life ... quickly and with absolute cer­ tainty. I don't mean to be melodra­ matic or suggest that flying is unsafe, but it is only as safe as the attitude and proficiency of the pilot. Federal laws, regulations, inspections, and periodic proficiency checks all work to assure that only properly trained and cur­ rently proficient pilots are granted cer­ tificates (licenses) to fly.

Safety Is Always First Like many professions that involve great degrees of knowledge, skill, and potential danger, the flying fraternity has generated a number of sayings that serve as reminders to the veteran practitioner and as gems of wisdom to the beginner. One of these sayings is, "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots; but there are no old, bold pilots!" Safety, caution, and conser­ vatism are the bywords of the expe­ rienced pilot. If one follows the rules and principles of safe flying, it is in­ deed a safe pursuit. This goes all the

way from always using your pre-, dur­ ing-, and post-flight checklists to fol­ lowing the aphorism "When in doubt, don't!" regardless of whether the doubt relates to the condition of the pilot, the plane, or the environment.

A sign sometimes seen at the exits of airport parking lots reads, "Be careful, you are now leaving the safety of fly­ ing." How true! Flying is much safer than driving, bicycling, and other rou­ tine pursuits, according to statistics.

General Aviation's Broad Scope General aviation, which includes everything except airline and military flying, has had an ever-improving safety record over the past 12 years.

General aviation includes such diverse commercial flying activities as corpo­ rate transportation, crop dusting, fish scouting, pipeline inspection, ban­ ner tOWing, flight instruction, char­ ter, cargo, and aerial photography.

General aviation also includes non­ commercial activities, such as recre­ ational, sport, and business owner pilot transportation. Recreational and sport flying include aerobatics, leisure travel, fly-ins, and "Sunday­ afternoon-around-the-patch flying."

Recreational flying interests and activ­ ities also revolve around the types of planes flown-antiques, classics, war­ birds, homebuilts, gliders, sailplanes, hang gliders, ultralight aircraft, and the up-and-coming new group of sport pilot-eligible lightplanes.

The Technical Versus Aesthetic Appeals of Flying As you might surmise, one of the great challenge-appeals of flying is its all-consuming involvement and test­ ing of one's physical, intellectual, and emotional qualities. One must develop and apply these qualities with disci­ pline, balance, and grace to the three outside-the-self entities: the aircraft, the physical environment, and the sit­ uation at hand.

If all this sounds ordered and techni­ cal, don't be misled, because the other great appeal of flying is the almost over­ whelming sense of freedom and beauty it bestows ... sometimes bordering on the spiritual or mystic. There have been times, when flying alone, that I have lit­ erally burst into song-so moved and in­ spired was I to be as free as the proverbial bird, soaring in the heavens far removed from earthly restraints and obstacles.

It is difficult to describe the elation and awe one feels while flying in an azure sky, as the red-orange sun is ris­ ing over the hills and valleys filled with morning mists. Or to be able to see 100 miles in all directions on a crystal clear day, from the white surf of the ocean to the purple inland mountain ranges.

The beauty of flight transcends all other aspects of flying.

Flying Teaches About ute

in General There are also many benefits that fly­ ing brings to one's life in general, apart from the obvious quick and convenient transportation and the kind of plea­ sures already described. Flying teaches, or at least sharpens, one's abilities in the areas of observation, preparation, patience, problem-solving, weighing options, decision-making, decisiveness, alertness, concentration, communica­ tion, perspective, self-sufficiency, and confidence .. .to mention just a few!

Here's one example, on perspective.

When learning to fly by contact or by pilotage (that is, without radio or instru­ ment navigation as the primary tech­ nique), one uses aerial charts and visual ground reference to determine present position and to plan progress toward a destination. To orient oneself, in seeking

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to determine present position, one starts by looking at the big picture-scanning the distance first for prominent large landmarks such as mountains, rivers, cit­ ies, etc. and relating these to the charts.

You then narrow down position by look­ ing at more specific detailed landmarks such as highways, lakes, railroad tracks, and relating these to the chart. And fi­ nally, you narrow down position by re­ lating a quarry, outdoor movie, bridge, racetrack, or road intersection to the chart and pinpoint your position. Such an approach of always starting with the big picture and then looking to the de­ tails is a sound one for handling any sit­ uation one encounters in life. Otherwise, we fall into the dilemma of not seeing the forest for the trees.

On the other hand, one must not ig­ nore the details. If you're flying at night on a course where there is a 4,000-foot mountain, and you let your altitude drift down to 3,900 feet because of in­ attention or downdrafts, you might be in for a rude awakening (or in this case, the opposite of awakening). Closely al­ lied to the principle of being attuned to one's environment (position) is the cor­ ollary of seeing what is there, not seeing what you want to be there. It's common for student pilots to get lost when flying cross-country for the first time because they have a preconceived idea of where they should be. They will strain to find on the ground the radio tower or lake that their flight course line on the chart says should be there. It may not be there because the plane has veered far off course or is either ahead or behind es­ timated position because of winds that have changed or were incorrectly esti­ mated in plotting the course. In life, too, sometimes we ignore the facts or reality of the situation and proceed as if things are the way we expected or wished them to be, not the way they are.

Not too long ago I had an eye-open­ ing experience that illustrates the im­ portance of seeing what is there rather than what you expect ... and paying at­ tention to detail. When preflighting the airplane, you take fuel samples from the engine gascolator and each wing tank to test for contamination-either dirt or water. When water is present, it ap­ pears as a globule at the bottom of the 30

DECEMBER 2006

gasoline in the clear plastic sampling container. In this instance there was no globule; just clear liquid, presumably gasoline. But upon closer inspection, I found that 98 percent of the clear liquid was water with only a small surface layer of gasoline! That was not what I was ex­ pecting, and I almost overlooked it. If I had concluded from that non-globule sample that the gasoline was not con­ taminated and taken off, chances are that amount of water in the fuel would have caused the engine to quit at a criti­ cal time during takeoff. So, we don't ig­ nore the details and make sure we see what is really there rather than what we expect or want to be there.

The Social Aspects of Flying In addition to the personal challenge and gratification one gets from the act of flying, there are also social and cultural benefits. The most pervasive of these is the camaraderie that exists among pilots ... an almost mystical bond that pilot-author Ernest Gann chose as the theme for his novel A Band ofBroth­ ers. This camaraderie manifests itself in many ways on a social level, from mem­ bership and activity in various flying organizations to participation in fly-ins, safety seminars, community flying proj­ ects, and just plain hangar flying, where pilots get together informally to tell tall tales and discuss airplanes and airman­ ship for hours on end.

Foremost among these social activi­ ties is Oshkosh, the cryptic description of the world's largest flying event: the Experimental Aircraft Association's an­ nual international aviation convention and fly-in, held at Oshkosh, Wiscon­ sin. During the seven-day event, from the end of July through early August, some ten thousand airplanes and al­ most three-quarters of a million people convene on Wittman Regional Airport to view more than a thousand display aircraft (antiques, claSSiCS, warbirds, homebuilts, and ultralights), participate in up to one hundred aviation forums, visit hundreds of exhibitor's booths, and experience a three-hour air show each day. There are also social gather­ ings each evening at the Theater in the Woods, in the campgrounds, and in the aircraft parking areas.

Similar but smaller fly-ins are held throughout the United States during the other times of the year. During the social flying season from roughly April through October, the flying enthusi­ ast can attend a fly-in or other aviation event within reasonable distance almost every weekend. A pilot's range of inter­ ests includes not only the pleasure of aerial solitude but also the fun of social­ izing with the band of brothers and sis­ ters. And, interestingly enough, one of a pilot's greatest pleasures is to introduce or share the love of flying with non-fli­ ers. Few experiences rival that of seeing the expressions of awe, wonder, and ela­ tion on a youngster's face during a first flight. EAA's Young Eagles program has given more than a million and a quar­ ter flight experiences to youngsters the world over, and more are added to the world's largest logbook each day.

The Diverse Appeal of Flying The focus of my flying interests is the golden age of flying ... the period of the 1930s through the World War II years. The romance of the era, as ex­ emplified by the barnstormers, airmail pilots, racing pilots, early airline pi­ lots, and combat pilots is beyond com­ parison. Perhaps it is because the pilot (the human factor) was predominant as opposed to the technological. It also strikes me that the aircraft of that era were more diverse and were more works of art and individuality than mechani­ cal marvels or technical triumphs. This is a highly subjective and personal view­ point and is in no way disparaging of the high-tech aerospace and avionic de­ velopments that are so ubiquitous in contemporary aviation and flying.

There are thousands of homebuilders who design, construct, or assemble their own aircraft from original plans or kits, taking thousands of hours and a num­ ber of years in the process. Building their own aircraft and flying it is their source of achievement and reward.

It is just this diversity of interests and freedom of choice that gives aviation its broad appeal. There is indeed some­ thing for everyone, and a great part of the pleasure is in the seeking and find­ ing of those things that constitute your personal world of flight. ......

NonnaJoyce Greensboro, NC 27425

• President of AUA, Inc. since 1986 Norma Joyce pictured with her granddaughter, Mikaela Ann Kamsch, who is now 5 years old and says she just loves flying.

• Post Treasurer for EAA Chapter 8 in GSO, NC • Vintage Chapter 3 Boord of Directors and Secretory for 2007

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A Drive in the Clouds-The Story ofthe Aerocar

By Jake Schultz The story of the Aerocar has been a long time coming, but it's well worth the wait. Jake Schultz took literally years to re­ search and write this book, which was published this summer

by Flying Books International.

Schultz, an engineer with Boeing, had the good fortune to become friends with both Molt and Lillian "Neil" Taylor, who opened up their archive for research into the Aerocar proj­ ects, as well as many other fascinating projects worked on by Molt Taylor during his long and prolific aviation career. The book takes the time to fill in many of the details of Molt's life, things that would all contribute to make the Aerocar, the IMP, Coot, and other projects come to fruition. Taylor's creation of the Aerocar was the closest we ever got to full-scale produc­ tion of a road able vehicle, even when aerospace giants such as Convair got into the act. That was due in part to the incredible dedication to the concept by Molt and Lillian, who did their best to bring the Aerocar to life over most of their careers. Side­ bars throughout the book highlight the personal involvement of many others in the Aerocar projects throughout the years, including personal remembrances by Carl Gladen, one of the

----'~~~~~~~~~~===~=~=~~=~.J Aerocar's early distributors and the producer of the Aerocar plastic model. Also detailed are the near-misses as Taylor did his best to get the Aerocar into production, but a combination of poor management on the part of one producer, along with excessively high production cost estimates by others, kept the Aerocar's production very limited.

There is plenty of new material here to enjoy, and some you'll shake your head at as you realize that but for a few mis­ guided individuals intent on making quick money, the Aero­ car would have made it into prodUction, and we'd be seeing it as a vintage airplane, rather than an interesting novelty.

Available in both softbound and a limited edition of hard­ back editions, A Drive in the Clouds~The Story of the Aerocar (ISBN: 0-9725249-2-4) is available through EAA and other aviation booksellers, including Historic Aviation (www.His­ toricAviation.com).

Stearman Aircraft: A Detailed History

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DECEMBER 2006

Ed Phillips has been a prolific writer of aviation history, having researched and written eight books on the individual histories of aviation manufacturers that at one time or another made their mark on Wichita, Kansas. Neatly documented in this latest book by Phillips: the work accomplished by Lloyd Stearman, and the aircraft produced by companies associ­ ated with this pioneer aircraft designer and builder. Peppered with a great number of photos from the period, the book tells the story of Stearman himself along with many others who were involved in the Stearman Aircraft Company. From his work at Swallow aircraft up through the legendary PT series biplane trainer, Stearman's history as a talented designer is

well documented. A few surprises are in the pages; for instance, we all know that the PT series trainers were built in Wich­ ita, but how many of us knew that the same company also built many of the Cold War's Boeing B-47 and B-52 bomb­ ers when it became a division of Boeing?

The book is also profusely illustrated with color photos in Appendix A. If there is one section of the book I would like to have seen done better, it's this, because the color photos suffer from poor quality control by the printer dur­ ing the layout and printing process, with a number of them marred by an excessive amount of magenta ink. In addition to the color-photo section, a handy set of reference drawings created

by Kenneth D. Wilson, noted drafts­ man, is published in Appendix E. It's just what's needed for modelers and en­ thusiasts of the PT series trainers. Also in that set are Peter Westburg's Stea­ rman 4E drawings.

Hardbound, Stearman Aircraft: A De­ tailed History (ISBN: 1-58007-087-6) is available from EAA and other booksellers, including the publisher, Specialty Press: www.SpecialtyPress.com or 800-895-4585.

Retail price is $39.95 plus shipping.

host of South American countries all were visited by Lindbergh flying the Spirit. Organized and funded by the Dan­ iel Guggenheim Fund, Lindbergh's avia­ tion evangelical message was brought to cow towns and big cities with equal enthusiasm. Lindbergh exhorted local officials to invest in airports and the in­ frastructure to boost both aviation and the local economy.

Each of the tour stops is described in detail, with nearly every stop also docu­ mented by a photo or two. Cassagneres' indefatigable work to gather this infor­ mation took great dedication, and he has patiently woven it into a quite readable book that is both entertaining and infor­ mative. Included in the book is a fold-out map with all of the tour flights shown.

You can purchase an autographed copy of The Untold Story of Lindbergh's 1927-1928 Good Will Tours (ISBN: 1­ 57510-125-4) from its author by writing to him at Ev Cassagneres, 420 Budding Ridge Road, Cheshire, CT 06410. For more information, you can give him a call at 203-272-2127, but be advised that he cannot accept credit cards. The cost is $29.95, shipping within the United States.

The Untold Story ofLindbergh's 1927-1928 Good Will Tours

The Pietenpol Story

By Ev Cassagneres Wow! Ev Cassagneres' companion book to his The Untold Story of the Spirit ofSt. Louis is an equally impressive work, the compilation of decades of research begun back in the 1960s. Cassagneres was fortunate to live in Connecticut, and after the intercession of a mutual friend, he and Lindbergh met in 1968, with Lindbergh giving his support of Cassagneres' research. This opened up an entire universe of university and mu­ seum archives. Coupled with a drive for historically accurate research, the pair of volumes will go down as the defini­ tive work on the Spirit of st. Louis and the impact the aircraft and its boyish pi­ lot would have on aviation during 1927 and subsequent years.

This second volume fleshes out the Good Will Tour embarked upon by Lindbergh after his triumphant return to the United States. Eighty cities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and a

By Chet Peek Review by William J. Schlapman Chet Peek's newest book-The Pi­ etenpol Story-to my knowledge, is the first and only book available on the life of B.H. "Bernie" Pietenpol and the Pi­ etenpol Air Camper. He's the pioneer developer of a very successful auto en­ gine-powered homebuilder airplane.

Created during the Great Depression, it featured modest cost combined with reliability to depend upon during the 1930s, when flying was beyond the reach of most people. With its two­ place cockpit, the Air Camper was just the ticket for giving airplane rides.

The key that Bernie recognized was a suitable but reasonable cost engine available to power a plane for entry­ level flying. When Henry Ford intro­ duced the new Model A car series in 1928, its engine became the answer to Bernie's search. Chet's book provides in­ formative and exciting pictures of that period, a time so totally different from

today. As shown by Chet, another en­ abler for the amateur builder was basic wood construction. Wood was used for both cost and familiarity to the build­ ers. Chet gives a firsthand report as he reveals his personal efforts during his current building of a Pietenpol Air Camper, which includes the Model A Ford engine. In fact, he interrupted his project to write the book.

In the post-World War II era, new generations of automobiles were de­ veloped and marketed. The Chevrolet Corvair, powered by a rear-mounted, air-cooled engine, was introduced in the late 1950s. Here again, Bernie recog­ nized a special opportunity and in 1960 adapted the six-cylinder, air-cooled Cor­ vair engine to the Air Camper-more horsepower, less weight. Improved per­ formance! It's all detailed in the chapter on Corvair Power.

Air Campers were never sold as kit planes in the currently accepted sense.

Kits offered by Bernie were bundles of selected woods in appropriate sizes and specially modified parts for the Model A engine conversion. Some builders make convenience or comfort modifications, but normally they stick closely to the time-proven plans.

There are active Pietenpol clubs or groups that extend the pleasures of own­ ing and flying Air Campers. All are cov­ ered in the closing chapters. An annual gathering at Brodhead, WisconSin-pre­ ceding EAA AirVenture Oshkosh-is particularly interesting.

In addition to The Pietenpol Story, Chefs books include The Heath Story, Flying With 40 Horses, The First Cub, Res­

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

33

BY DOUG STEWART

Best glide I was in a pilot briefing room, one dark gray day, getting the weather from the WSI station when I over­ heard the following conversation be­ tween an elderly gentleman and a young man who appeared to be in his 20s. The gray-haired fellow was saying: " . . . but what about best loi­ ter speed? Wouldn't we want to use that speed in a glide, once we had our landing site below us?"

The young man replied: "No! There is only one speed to use once the en­ gine has failed, and that is the best glide speed as published in the POH. That glide speed is also known as the best lift over drag (LID) speed . It is that speed alone that will give you the best glide performance because that is where the two curves for para­ site drag and induced drag intersect."

I was eager to hear the response to that. Whereas the term "best loiter speed" was a new one to me, I cer­ tainly was well familiar with the term "minimum sink speed" that every glider pilot is intimately acquainted with. The graybeard's response was: "Well, yes, best LID speed will give you the greatest distance covered in a glide, but once we are overhead our chosen landing site, wouldn't we be more concerned with a maximum time aloft to allow us to set up for our pattern and landing?"

The young man was adamant.

"No! There is only one glide speed to use, and that is, as I said, the best LID speed as published in the POH." As I looked at these two folks and took in 34

DECEMBER 2006

their animated discussion, I noticed that the younger man was wearing a shirt identifying him as an instructor with the local flight school. I must admit that I was taken aback. I had surely thought the elderly gentleman was the instructor who was trying to lead his client, through a Socratic method, to a better understanding of the subtleties of what to do when the engine quits and the airplane sud­ denly turns into a glider.

"No! There is only one glide speed to use, and that is, as I said, the best LID speed as published in the POH." Unfortunately there are many pi­ lots, instructors included, who do not have a thorough understanding of what airspeeds to use in a glide.

Certainly best glide speed is an im­ portant one to be familiar with. This is indeed the airspeed where the re­ sultant penalties of induced drag, a by-product of lift, and parasite drag, simply stated the drag resulting from things in the way of the airflow around the aircraft, are equal.

This airspeed is typically found in

the pilot's operating handbook (POH) for the aircraft. But for those of us fly­ ing older aircraft that don't have a POH (and might not even have much of an operator's handbook, for that matter) a published source of this air­ speed might not exist.

If that is the case, then using the best rate of climb speed (V y) for your aircraft as your best glide speed will certainly have you close to your best LID speed.

We would most definitely use this airspeed if the engine has ceased to function while we are at altitude and have some distance to cover as we glide to a suitable landing site . It is the glide speed that will allow us to maximize the distance covered in a glide. Let us also remember that even if we have that speed published in a POH or owner's manual, that speed, as published, is determined for use when at maximum gross weight.

Seeing as how too many of the en­ gine failures that pilots experience come as a result of poor fuel man­ agement, it is certainly reasonable to think that the aircraft will weigh less than the certified max gross weight when the engine stops working .

Keeping this in mind, remember to reduce that glide speed somewhat to compensate for the lessened weight.

But let us now say that by us­ ing the best LID speed to maximize our glide, relative to distance, we now find ourselves overhead a cho­ sen landing site with plenty of alti­ tude left to lose; do we still want to maintain that same speed? This is

the question the elderly gentleman at the start of this article had been posing. If distance to cover is no lon­ ger an issue, wouldn't our ability to maximize our time in the air, relative to altitude, be of greatest concern?

G!ider pilots are very conversan t with this speed as they seek to maxi­ mize their time in a thermal, and they refer to it as minimum sink speed. Un­ fortunately, it is a speed that we power pilots will probably never see in our POHs. (At least I have yet to see it there.) A good way to approximate that speed is to multiply the "clean" stall speed (V S1) by 1.2. This should afford most pilots their best minimum sink speed, maximizing their time aloft.

Let's also consider some of the other things that we can do to max­ imize (or minimize, if we find our­ selves too high) our glide. Certainly our configuration will have a major effect on glide performance. Flaps (oops, I guess that leaves my Super Cruiser out) as well as gear (if you have a retractable gear airplane) can be used to control our descent rate.

Certainly "getting dirty" will allow us to descend much more rapidly, if we find ourselves high. (In fact, my Cardinal RG will rival a grand piano in its glide once the flaps are fully de­ ployed and the gear is down.)

However, if we find ourselves get­ ting low on our fi nal approach in the engine silent mode, saving the flap de­ ployment to the last possible moment can quite often afford a balloon up of anywhere from 10 to 30 feet. If we have already deployed our flaps, either fully or partially, and realize we might be coming up short, then cleaning up the flaps, although initially yielding a sink, will allow us to accelerate and perhaps make the field. This would be similar to the way a glider pilot might work the spoilers and speed brakes while on final approach . We can do the same with our flaps.

I have often had pilots ask me about bringing the propeller to a stop to help in maximizing the glide. It is absolutely true that if we can stop the propeller, we will get a significant reduction in drag, which will aid in

maximizing the glide. But let's re­ member that to get the prop to stop we are going to have to slow down significantly, typically to an airspeed of less than 60 knots . To do this we will obviously need to pitch up, which will gain us some altitude. But it also means that we might be flirting aw­ fully close to our stall speed, and if we inadvertently stall as we endeavor to stop the prop, the altitude we lose as we recover from that stall will far out­ weigh any advantages we might have gained from stopping the prop. There­ fore my advice is to not bother trying to stop the propeller unless you are re­ ally, really high, and you are positive you can't get the engine restarted.

Glider pilots are very

conversant with this

speed as they seek

to maximize their

time in a thermal,

and they refer to it as

minimum sink speed.

While we are speaking of propel­ there are some things to consider, relative to maximizing our glide, if we have a constant-speed or controllable­ pitch propeller. When everything gets really quiet and we are at altitude, pull­ ing the propeller control all the way aft, moving the propeller into course pitch, will add significantly to the dis­ tance we will cover in a glide, as the drag of the spinning propeller disc is reduced in course pitch. This advice is often fo und in the aircraft POH. But that is as far as the POH goes.

I have some other advice to offer. If I find myself in glider mode at alti­ tude, I will indeed pull my prop to course pitch, but once I find myself over my chosen landing spot, I will put the propeller back into flat pitch (by moving the prop control all the l!~rs,

way in) . I consider this as akin to put­ ting money in the bank. What I mean by this is that if I find myself com­ ing up short on final approach, as a result of the increased drag that the now-extended gear has created, I can now pull the prop control all the way out. As the propeller now "shifts" to course pitch, the airplane will get "sucked" ahead to the runway.

I would like to discuss one more thing relative to flying the traffic pat­ tern when our airplane has become a glider. When flying with the en­ gine running, we certainly endeavor to plan our turn from the base leg to final so that the airplane intercepts the extended runway centerline at the completion of our turn. It is what we have been striving to do from the day we began learning to land. Now obviously if we realize that we won't make it to the runway, if we continue to the extended centerline on the base leg and the engine has ceased working, we turn toward the runway as soon as that realization hits home.

But what about when we find our­ selves high on the base leg? Certainly getting as dirty as we can both with flaps and gear will help. We can also forward slip to lose altitude. But so often I see pilots turn final as they approach the extended runway cen­ terline even when they are way too high. What says we have to do that?

(All our prior training and condition­ ing is what.) Instead, if you find your­ self high, continue on through the centerline, and turn back when and as necessary to get yourself on the proper glide slope to your intended touch­ down point.

Remember, we have to use all the possible tools and techniques we have to get ourselves to a chosen land ­ ing site once the engine has stopped working. Regardless of whether it's a dark and gray day or we have ... blue skies and tail winds.

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year, a Master Instmctor, and a des­ ignated pilot examiner. He operates DSFI Inc. (www.dsflight.com). based at the Co­ lumbia County Airport (lBl). ~ VINTAGE AIRPLANE

35

BY H.G . FRAUTSCHY

THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY PLANE PHOTO IS PART OF THE

EAA

COLLECTION.

Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to be in no later th an January 15 for inclu sion in the March 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 "(Mont h) Myst ery Plane" in the subject line.

S E PT E MB E R ' S MY STERY Here's our first letter about the September's Mystery Plane: The subject Mystery Plane is a Fokker Universal, c/n 421 (NR-1776) . The photo was taken at Boeing Field, Seat­ tle, Washington, on or before May 31, 1932. A reference for this is Peter Bowers ex­ cellent series "The American Fokkers," in particular Part 2, published in the AAHS Jour­ nal, Vol.4, No.4, Winter 1966, pp.253-265. Your photograph is also published in this arti­ cle. To save you time, I'll quote verba­ tim from Bower's last paragraph on p.

258 and carried over to p. 260. It is an interesting story.

"The reputation of the widely­ publicized 'Fokker Cantilever Wing,' which did not apply to this particular design, almost did one eager distance 36

DECEMBER 2006

flyer in. Nat Browne had acquired a well-used J-5 Universa l and tried to fly it non-stop from Seattle to To­ kyo for an established prize. Since it couldn't take off with enough fuel for the distance, he decided to take on fuel from a tanker after takeoff. The tanker was the Fokker C-5 described

ANSWER

in Part 1. An assistant was to take off with Browne to handle the refueling, after which he would depart by para­ chute and leave Browne to go solo the rest of the way. The Universal still had to take off with an overload since the tanker was of rather limited ca­ pacity. In order to get a running start,

Browne had a sloping ramp built at the north end of Boe­ ing Field. To save weight and drag on the plane, he had previously removed the wing struts and replaced the.!ll with wires, figuring that the 'cantilever' wing would stand up under the weight when not in flight. However, the jolt at the bottom of the ramp on the running start of May 31, 1932, bent the wing downward momentarily and this was enough to crack the spars. The forward speed and resulting lift kept the wing from further downward movement and the wires held it from any noticeable upward movement.

Under such conditions the Universal staggered into the air.

Troubles developed during the refueling. The hose flopped around in rough air and the nozzle hit the Universal's tail.

In the subsequent maneuvering, the wing folded under a negative load. Browne and his assistant, Frank Brooks, bailed out and the Universal crashed into Puget Sound, to the west of the city of Seattle."

The Fokker C-S used as a tanker was the only Fokker C-V registered in the United States. Bowers, in Part 1, describes it as a C-Vc (also known as the CoS), c/n 4127 [439]. It had its own interesting history.

By the way, Part 1 of Bowers' series included the Fok­ ker B-III [149] that baffled me as the August 2006 Mystery Plane. It belonged to a Vanderbilt, too.

Jack Erickson State College, Pennsylvania

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And our second letter: The September 2006 Mystery Plane, is a modified Amer­ ican-built Fokker "Universal" (basically, an "American­ ized" F. VIla) constructed by the Atlantic Aircraft Corp.

(The Atlantic Aircraft Corp., should not be confused with the Atlantic Aircraft Co., which built a twin-engined "Bat­ tleplane" in 1916. Described in Aerial Age Weekly, volume 4, number 3, October. 2, 1916, pp 68-69, 74.) The Atlan­ tic Aircraft Corp., formed on December 14, 1923, did not actually begin business until May 1924. It was formed on the 800-acre grounds of the Wittemann-Lewis Aircraft Corp., (which it absorbed) at Teterboro, New Jersey (later, Teterboro Airport), close to Hasbrouck Heights.

The particular Universal shown in the October 2006 Vin­ tage Airplane photo (p. 34) was used by Nate C. Browne (some sources call him Nat, and spell his surname as: Brown), and his assistant, Frank Brooks, for their ill-fated May 1932 flight from Seattle-Tokyo.

Another view of the Brown(e) Universal on its special launching ramp can be found online in the digital col­ lections of the University of Washington (at Seattle). As Fokker aficionados will recall, this was not the first time such a ramp was used. The first time was the Fokker C-2 (an Americanized F.VIIa/3m built by the Atlantic Aircraft Corp.). America, used for Admiral Richard Byrd's flight (with Bert Acosta, Bernt Balchen and George Noville) from Roosevelt Field, Long Island, New York, to just off the beach of Ver-sur-Mer, Normandy, France, onJulyl,1927.

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continued on page 39 VINTAGE AIRPLANE

37

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Classified Display Ads : One co lu mn wide (2.167 inches) by 1 , 2, or 3 inches high at $20 per inch. Black and white only, and no frequency discounts.

Adve rt is ing Clos ing Dates: 10th of second month prior to des ired issue date (i. e. , January 10 is the closing date for t he March issue). VAA reserves th e right to rej ect any advertising in conflict with its pol icies .

Rates cove r 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 (classads@eaa.org) using credit card payment (all cards accepted). Include name on card , complete address , type of ca rd, ca rd number, and expi ration date . Make checks payable to EAA. Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh , WI 54903-3086 Airplane T-Shirts

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www.aircraftnotes.com: Aircraft reviews, comments, & ideas 38

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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: Vintag e Airplane, P.O. Bux 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Or e-mail the information to: vintageaircraft@eaa.o rg. Information should be received four months prior to th e event date.

2007MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events, visit www.eaa.orgjevents U.S. Sport Aviation Expo . Sebring Regional Airport, Sebring, FL January 11-14,2007 www.Sport-Aviation-Expo.com Sun 'n Fun Ry-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL), Lakeland , FL April 17-23, 2007 www.Sun-N-Fun.org EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ry-In Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO), Hondo, TX June 1-2, 2007 www.SWRR.org Golden West EAA Regional Ry-In Yuba County Airport (MYV), Marysville, CA June 8-10,2007 www.GoldenWestRyln.org Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ry-ln Front Range Airport (FTG), Watkins, CO June 23-24, 2007 I'M'W. RMRR.org

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ikx, Marc, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997, p 119. cf: Bowers, Peter M. The American Fokkers, Part 2) Nat(e) Brown(e) modified the Fok­ ker Universal by removing the wing brace struts and replacing them with wires to save weight. Unfortunately, all did not go well. After takeoff, the duo had planned to refuel the aircraft in flight using a hose, which became jammed in the rudder, and appar­ ently rendered the aircraft almost uncontrollable. When it became clear that the wing was about to fail, the crew successfully parachuted to safety, and the aircraft crashed into Puget Sound.

The concept of aerial refueling used by Brown and Brooks was by no means new. It goes back at least as far as June 1923 when a DH-4 flown by United States Air Service (USAS) pi­ lots Us. Lowell H. Smith and J. Paul Richter, stayed aloft over San Diego, California, for four days, refueled by another DH-4. Smith, incidentally, took part in the Trans-global flight of the Douglas World Cruisers one year later in 1924. Ironically, the Atlan­ tic Aircraft Corp's first contract was not for Universals, but for 135 new welded steel tube fuselages for DH­ 4s. Apparently, this contract was a reward by Gen. William Mitchell in exchange for Fokker's establishment of an American company. Something Mitchell had strongly urged Fokker to do.

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Ira Eaker, and Maj. Carl Spaatz, re­ mained airborne for 150 hours, 40 minutes, 15 seconds. Like the 1923 flight, the Question Mark was refueled in flight by a hose. However, this time, from a Douglas C-l Transport (ATC No. 14), flown by Ross G. Hoyt, and over Los Angeles.

Between 1926 and 1931, 45 Fokker Universals were constructed by the Atlantic Aircraft Corp. at Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey; each basic land­ plane version selling for $14,200, and each seaplane for $16,650, equipped with twin-Hamilton duralumin floats. There were numerous versions of the Universal, equipped with both Wright J-4 and J-5 engines. They were widely used in the United States and Canada for everything from bush flying and airline flights, to airmail service. A good description of a Fok­ ker Universal (ATC No.9), and the subsequent Super Universal (ATC No. 52), and Standard Universal (ATC No. 164), can be found in volumes 1 and 2 of Joseph P. Juptner's U.S. Civil Air­ craft (The Universal is described in volume I, pp 33-35).

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Membershi~ Services VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION THE ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS President Geoff Robison 1521 E. MacGregor Dr. New Haven, IN 46774 260-493-4724 cllief7025@aol.com

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• Advertising information • EAA Air Academy • EAA Scholarships Flight Advisors information ...... 920-426-6864 Flight Instructor information ..... 920-426-6801

EAA Aviation Foundation Artifact Donations ..... . ....... 920-426-4877 Financial Support . .... , .. . , . .. 800-236-1025

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA Membersbip in the Experimental Aircraft Associa tion , Inc. is H Ofor one year, in d ud­ in g 12 issues of SPORT AViATION. Family membership is an additional $10 annually.

Junior Membersh ip (under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually. All ma jor credit cards accepted for membership. (Add $16 for Foreign Postage.)

EAA SPORT PILOT Curr ent EAA m emb ers m ay a d d EA A SPORT PILOT m agazi n e for an additional $20 per year.

EAA M embers hi p a nd EAA SPORT PILOT magazi n e is avail able for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in­ cluded). (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage.)

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION C u rren t EAA me mb e rs may jo in t h e Vintage Aircraft Association and rece ive VIN TA GE AIRPLANE magazine fo r an ad­ dition al $36 per year.

EAA Membershi p, VIN TAGE AIRPLANE magazine and one yea r membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in­ cluded). (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage.)

lAC

C urrent EAA m e mber s m ay joi n t he Inte rn a tio nal Aerobatic C lu b, Inc. Divi­ sion and rece ive SPORT AEROBATICS m agazine for an additio nal $4 5 per year.

EAA M embership, SPORT AEROBAT­ ICS magazine and one yea r m embe rsh ip in the lAC Div ision is ava il able fo r $55 p e r yea r (SPORT AVIATION m agazine n ot i nclud e d ). (Add $18 for Foreig n Postage.)

WARBIRDS Current EAA m embers m ay join the EAA Warbirds of America Division a nd receive WARBIRDS m agazine for an additional $45 per year.

EAA Me mbe rship, WARBIRDS maga ­ z in e a n d one yea r m e m bership in the War birds Divisio n is ava ilab le for $50 per year (SPORT AVIATION m agazine n ot in­ cluded). (Add $7 fo r Foreign Postage.)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please sub m it you r remittance wit h a ch eck or draf t d raw n o n a Un ited Sta tes bank payable in United States dollars. Add required Foreign Postage amount for each rnem bersWp.

Members hip dues to EM and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contri butions Copyright ©2006 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association, All rights reserved.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 082-750: ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Avia­ tion Center, 3000 Poberezny Rd., PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086, e-mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org. Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association, which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine, is $36 per year for EM members and $46 for non-EM members. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Vintage Airplane, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Distribution Services, Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5, e-mail: cpcreturns@Wdsmail.com. FOR­ EIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivelY of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surtace mail. ADVERTISING - Vinlage Aircraft Association does not guaranlee

or endorse any product offered through the advertiSing. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken.

EDITORIAL POLICY: Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. No remuneratior. is made. Material should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 920-426-4800.

EAA® and EAA SPORT AVIAnON®, the EAA Logo® and Aeronautica ™are registered trademarks, trademarks, and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

40

DECEMBER 2 00 6

par~nert' ecognllon VEHICLE PURCHASE PLAN

Introducing exciting new vehicles

from Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo.

FORD EDGE

The Privilege of Partnership: Exclusive Pricing, Exceptionally Simple!

Ford Motor Company, in association with EM, is proud to offer their members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease from one of their family of brands - Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Land Rover and Jaguar vehicles.

In more ways than one, it pays to be an EM member. Take advantage of the Ford Partner Recognition Vehicle Purchase Plan. The simple way to save hundreds, even thousands of dollars 011 your next vehicle purchase.

Get your personal identification number (PIN) from the EM website (www.eaa.org) by clicking on the EAAlFord Program logo. You must be an EM Member for one year to be eligible. ThiS offer is available to residents of the United States and Canada.

Certain restrictions apply. Available at participating dealers. Please refer to www.eaa.org or call 800-843-3612.

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VOLVO LINCOLN

MERCURY

JAGUAR

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