http://members.eaavintage.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/VA-Vol-35-No-5-May-2007.pdf

GEOFF ROBISON PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Together we move forward Spring has now finally arrived in the Midwest. This, of course, is a welcome event that has finally, thank goodness, brought that long, cold winter of '07 to an everlasting end, although as I write this, a massive winter storm is bearing down on the East Coast! I am trying to be optimistic about the weather in May, hoping that we will see a dramatic change over what we experienced so far in April. I am writing this month's column just days before the beginning of the Sun ' n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland, Florida, and I just hung the phone up with a friend in Albert Lea, Minnesota, and he said the area is expecting up to 10 inches of snow yet tonight. I also just received an e-mail from Oshkosh and was told it was snowing there again at this very moment.

The big debate on the new FM fund­ ing initiatives we have been hearing so much about of late continues inside the beltway in Washington, D.C. Key mem­ bers of Congress seem to continue to be successful in debunking the FAA's plan and properly labeling it as mostly dysfunctional. I will reserve my final re­ marks on this important issue for when this debate finally comes to an end and we have a clearer vision of what devel­ ops or, hopefully, what fails to develop in the way of additional user fees for general aviation.

Change, whether we're talking about the weather or additional challenges to our rights to freedom of flight, is ever­ lasting. That principal also applies to this great organization fondly known to us all as the Vintage Aircraft Association.

Some six months ago the leadership of EAA and the VAA agreed in principal that the business arrangement between our organizations (that's EAA's three di­

visions, the affiliate [NAFI], and the two councils) does not function well. The worst of the matter is the fact that we are not doing a good job of providing the membership with an appropriate level of satisfaction. We know this thanks to some comprehensive survey work done

by EM, and by comments and requests sent to us from the membership.

Having collectively recognized that fact, it truly is time for some change. We are working toward real changes that will positively impact our members' sat­ isfaction with EAA, as well as all of the divisions and all of the affiliated special­ interest groups that exist under the flag of EM. The process was begun by all of the division and special-interest groups in conjunction with EAA. We prepared a list of issues that we felt were the most relevant and critical to improving our ability to deliver the benefits and pro­ grams our members expect. We came to realize just how convoluted a process it can be to do any kind of business with the EM, from becoming a member of the organization to renting a display booth during the convention. I'm sure many of you have been part of compa­ nies that experienced growing pains as­ sociated with growth, and that's what we're coming to grips with at EAA. By carefully evaluating where we can gain efficiencies in EAA's processes, we'll be able to match our processes to theirs and positively impact the quality of the relationship between these organiza­ tions and our members.

This effort is being worked on aggres­ sively, and we hope to have an action plan in place so we can realize some gains starting early next year. What kind of changes are we talking about?

That's still a little difficult to quantify at this moment. But what is interest­ ing to point out at this juncture is the fact that the leadership of EM and all the different divisions and affiliated special-interest groups are communicat­ ing at an all-new and refreshing level.

The makeup of the leadership represent­ ing all of the different divisions and the affiliated special-interest groups is rep­ resentative of some of the very best vol­ unteer leadership ever to be assembled.

Be assured, these are not simple is­ sues we as an organization are facing. In a lot of ways a great deal of these pro­ posed changes have the potential to not only enhance our following, but also address a large number of the offerings that an association of this type should be routinely providing to its member­ ship. And that's potentially the most exciting part of this initiative. So, stick with us and come along for the ride. I truly believe we are prepared to move forward to a much stronger and effec­ tive organization in the near future. I'll continue to keep you posted on our progress in the months ahead.

Remember, now is the time to begin planning your journey to EM AirVen­ ture. We promise you an experience un­ matched anywhere else in aviation.

EM AirVenture Oshkosh 2007-The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration­ coming July 23-29,2007.

VAA is about participation: Be a member! Be a volunteer! Be there!

Let's all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation. Remember, we are better together. Join us and have it all.

VOL. 35, NO.5

N E 2007

M A y

CON T ENTS I Fe

Straight & Level Together we move forward

by Geoff Robison

2

News

5

AeroMail

6

Restoration Corner Steve Wittman on taxi tests, firs t flig ht, and debugging

by Norm Petersen

8

Just "Plane" Tommy Th e story of the Thom as-Morse Aircraft Corporation Part I

by Al Kelch

14

Th e Flying Pemberton Family Like fa ther, like son, like son

by Sparky Ba rnes Sargent

19

DHC-2 de Havilland Beaver Ma king a silk purse out of a ... ?

by Budd Davisson

24

Mystery Plane Extra Th e Bristol Prier

by Wesley Smith

30

Th e Vintage Instructor Airmanship

by Doug Stewart

33

Pass It to Buck Complications

by Buck Hilbert

34

Mystery Plane

by H.G. Frautschy

38

Calendar

39

Classified Ads

COVERS FRONT COVER: With the sun glinting off the polished valve tubes and silver painted cylinders.

Doug DeVries' de Havilland Beaver shows just how nice one of aviation's workhorses can be when it is given a pampered "retirement." While no longer hauling passengers and freight for a living, its outstanding capabilities are now being used by Doug and his family and friends to explore the world . EAA photo by Bonnie Kratz, EAA photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.

BACK COVER: The Rying Pemberton Family flies, among a stable of other fascinating airplanes, this beautifully finished 450-hp Pratt & Whitney-powered Boeing Stearman 75, the Wendy May. Named for Addison Pemberton's wife, the number 419 on its cowling helps him remember when her birth­ day is. See the story starting on page 14. Photo by Sparky Barnes Sargent.

STAFF

EAA Publisher Director of EAA Publications Executive Director/Editor Executive Assistant Managing Editor ews Editor Photography Advertising Coordinator Classified Ad Coordinator Copy Editor Director of Advertising

Tom Poberezny David Hipschman H.G. Frautschy Jillian Rooker Kathleen Witman Ric Reynolds Jim Koepnick Bonnie Kratz Sue Anderson Daphene VanHullum Colleen Walsh Katrina Bradshaw

Display Advertising Representatives: Northeast: Allen Murray Phone 856-220-7180, fAX 856-229-7258, c-Illail: ailelllllflml)o@IlIilfl/sprillg.colfl Southeast: Chester Baumgarhlt'f

Phone 727-532-4640, FAX 727-532-4630, e-ma il: cballmtl1 @lIilfdsprillg.com Cent ral: Todd Reese Phone 800-444-993Z, FAX 816-741-6458, e-Illa il: /{)(ld@Spc·mag.com Moulltain & Pacific: John Gibson Phone 916-784·9593, e-Illail: ;ulfIIgibsulI@Spr-mag.com Europe: Willi Tacke Phone +4989693402 13, fAX +498969340214, e-Illail: wiili@(lyills-pages.com

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

200;'

AIHVENTUHE OSHKOSH

~ AIRVENTURE NEWS Beach Boys to Make Encore Performance at World's Greatest Aviation Celebration "With warmed up weather let's get to­ gether and do it again."

From "Do it Again" by Brian Wilson/ Mike Love (1968) AeroShell Square will once again be rockin' to the sounds of endless summer on opening day as the Beach Boys return to perform at EAA Air­ Venture Oshkosh 2007. The legend­ ary inventors of the California surf sound will appear from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., free to all AirVenture guests on Monday, July 23, courtesy of Eclipse Aviation and Ford Motor Company.

The band thrilled the standing-room­ only crowd last year.

"We're thrilled to welcome the Beach Boys back to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007," said EAA President Tom Poberezny. "Last year's perfor­ mance was definitely one of our ma­ jor highlights and set the stage for a tremendous convention. We're look­ ing forward to their return and are thankful to Eclipse and Ford for mak­ ing it happen again."

Like EAA AirVenture, the Beach Boys are a quintessentially American original that has gained a devoted in­ ternational following for nearly half a century. Led by co-founder Mike Love and longtime band member Bruce Johnston, the Beach Boys are among the most recognizable performers in music history.

The Beach Boys have sold more than 100 million albums over the past 2

MAY 2007

four and a half decades. They were in­ ducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sci­ ences in 2001. In 2006, the band also celebrated the 40th anniversary of its groundbreaking album, Pet Sounds.

Movin' Across the Runway EAA KidVenture setting up shop at Pioneer Airport EAA's KidVenture . . . you can't miss the big white tent right behind EAA AirVenture Museum , directl y west of Pioneer Airport. Only begin­ ning this year KidVenture will be lo­ cated on Pioneer Airport.

"We're looking for a fantastic

year ... with our expanded square footage , " said KidVenture Chair­ man Dan Majka, who coordinates volunteers from some 25 EAA chap­ ters. A large hangar will offer protec­ tion from the weather for high-tech equipment. More room will be avail­ able outSide , which means more space for activities allowing kids to experience many different aspects of flight.

Features this year include: • Flight-training sessions with Na­ tional Association of Flight Instruc­ tors certificated flight instructors.

• Radio-controlled and control­ line air show flying.

• Kids can build and fly their own balsa gliders in the "skunk works" area or design an aircraft on the computer with DaVinci Technologies software.

• KidVenture Heroes Stage returns with its popular showcase for avia­ tion personalities.

• Learn riveting skills (courtesy of Van's Aircraft and Avery Tools) and shape your own propeller (supported

by Hartzell Propeller).

The U.S. Army will return with its 18­ wheeler science laboratory, featuring physics experiments and cool demon­ strations. Also planned is an unmanned aerial vehicle on static display.

Andy's Airplane, a KidVenture spon­ sor this year, will feature an interac­ tive video display for younger kids featuring the new television series

aimed at young children. And Thurs­ day through Sunday, ham radio oper­ ators will set up equipment and allow kids to communicate with other far­ away operators.

More information about KidVenture can be fo und at www.AirVenture.org.

~';;~

EM A1rVentu,. Oshkosh Photo Gallery

Speakers, Forums, and Workshops Galore

Create Your Own EAA AirVenture Photo Gallery Get yourself in that "Oshkosh state of mind" by visiting the new interactive photo gallery on the EAA AirVenture website. View selected images from 2006 and 2OOS, and create your own personal favorites gallery and slide show.

You can also rate the photos you view. Click for a larger view and see specific image information, including the title, name of photographer, and a brief photo description. Search the gallery by title, description, file name, and photographer.

Go to the EM AirVenture Photo Gal­ lery link located at www.AirVenture.org.

As of press tim e we're stil l final­ izing the exte nsive speaker, forum, workshop, and other sched uled ap­ pearances for EAA AirVenture Osh­ kosh 2007, but by the time you read this, all the details should be ava il­ able at www.AirVenture.org.

Schedule your day in advance by searching the database by personality, sub ject, time, date, and venue . And each day during the convention the up-to-date schedule of events will ap­ pear in AirVenture Today so you can catch any late changes.

Airlines Offer EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Discounts For those not flying into Wittman Regional Airport or who live too far to drive to the World's Greatest Avia­ tion Celebration, several airlines are

offering airfare discounts during EM AirVenture Oshkosh 2007.

The discounted fares are available courtesy of the participating airlines, which include American, Midwest, and Northwest . Discounts are sub­ ject to individual airline restrictions.

For more information , visit www.

Air Venture. org/ 200 7/f/ying/airl ine_ discounts.html.

Bonanzas,Cessnas,and Mooneys Plan Group Arrivals Traditions stretc hin g from two years to nearly two decades continue this year as several airplane groups are planning mass arr ivals to this year's EAA AirVenture Oshkosh on Saturday, July 2l.

The granddaddy of them all, Bo­ nanzas to Oshkosh (B20sh), will make its 18th group flight from Rock­ ford , Illinois, to EAA AirVenture this

Beecheraft to Celebrate Landmark Year This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Beechcraft Model 35 Bonanza and the 75th year since Walter and Olive Ann Beech formed the Beech Air­ lliiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilll. craft Corporation . To commemorate the occasions, the folks at Hawker Beechcraft will sponsor a gathering Sunday evening, July 22, in the North 40, as well as other special activities and exhibits during the week.

Since Sunday before opening day is the traditional night for the annual Bonanzas to Oshkosh party, the B20sh group will defer its soiree until Wednesday evening in the B20sh group aircraft parking area in the North 40 campground.

To learn more details as they are confirmed , check www.AirVenture.org and www.B20sh.org.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

3

Cessnas arriving at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2006.

year. New flight leader Larry Gaines says 75 aircraft are currently sign ed up to participate, but he anticipates 100 airplanes this year.

"There's nothing quite as thrilling as flying in before the crowd at Osh­ kosh," he said, recalling his first trip to OSH in 1998 in a Beech Muske­ teer. (Learn more about B20sh at www.

B20sh.org.)

The 10th Mooney Caravan fea­ tures as many as 48 aircraft flying in eight groups of six. They will again stage at Madison's Dane County Re­ gional Airport for the flight. (For more on the Mooneys, visit www.Mooney­ Caravan.com.)

Cessnas to Oshkosh (C20), which organized for the first time in 2006 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the C-172/182, plans its second flight in 2007. Aircraft will gather at Dodge County Airport, Juneau, Wisconsin.

(More about C20 can be found at www.

C20.us.)

Group flights have been a safe and efficient way for large numbers of air­ craft with similar performance char­ acteristics to arrive at AirVenture.

These group arrivals, whose pilots are required to take special training be­ fore participating, can temporarily interrupt the Ripon-Fisk visual flight rules (VFR) arrival pattern.

B20sh plans to depart Rockford at noon Saturday, July 21, and arrive at Wittman Regional Airport at 1 p.m.

4

MAY 2007

The Mooney Caravan plans a 3:30 p.m. departure from Madison and a 4 p.m. arrival in Oshkosh. Times for C20 have not been announced.

The normal Ripon-Fisk VFR arrival as described in the 2007 EAA Air ­ Venture notice to airmen (NOTAM) will be in effect when the group ar­ rivals are not in progress. Visit www.

We'll list all submitted type club events during EAA AirVenture Osh­ kosh 2007. Submit your club's infor­ mation online at https://Secure.EAA. org/airventure/type_cl ubs .html. We'll post all events submitted by July 14, and run them in the daily AirVenture Today as well. If you have questions, call 888-322-4636, ext. 6112, or e-mail

AirVenture.org/200 7/f/ying/i ndex.html for more information and to order/ download your NOTAM copy.

ssedlachek@eaa.org.

New AirVenture Arrival ATIS Frequency

We have a couple of additions for the type club list.

Several pilots responding to an FAA survey about AirVenture proce­ dures last year reported difficulty re­ ceiving the arrival ATIS at a distance from Oshkosh. So this year the FAA will use a higher-power transmitter at the Fisk Approach Control location for the AirVenture Arrival ATIS. The transmitter will use a new fre­ quency that'll be published in the 2007 AirVenture NOTAM. Order your free, printed copy by calling 800-564-6322, or visit www.AirVenture.org/2007/f/ying/ index.html to order or download.

Submit Your 2007 EAA AirVenture Type Club Event Information Many type clubs hold special events, dinners, and meetings in con­ junction with EAA AirVenture Osh­ kosh. Everyone is here, so why not?

Type Club Additions

Cessna T-50 "The Flying Bobcats " Jon D. Larson PO Box 566 Auburn, WA 98071-0566 skykingjon@hotmail.com Dues: By donation Newsletter: Quarterly 175-R-172 Type Club PO Box 397 Velma, OK 73491 Phone: 405-821-3746 E-mail: mail@cessna175-r172.org web: http://www. cessna175-r172.org Newsletter published on website 3-4 times/year Dues $25/year in North America; International is $35/yr

'~

Aviation is still a pretty small com­ munity. As a result, we keep bumping into the same people wherever we go!

Unfortunately, H.G ., some keep dropping off at the back end. Like you, we are going to miss Dorothy Hilbert.

Keep the blue side up!

Don & Mary Toeppen Sun City West, Arizona SEND YOUR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS TO: VAA, LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

P.O. Box 3086 OSHKOSH, WI 54903-3086 OR YOU CAN E-MAIL THEM TO : vintageaircraft@eaa.org

More on Curtiss-Reynolds I really enjoyed Ken McQueen's ar­ ticle on Curtiss-Reynolds Airport.

During the 1933 event, I worked as a "go-fer" for the press group. At the time, I was an Eagle Scout, and six of us were hired by the Chicago Daily News, one of the sponsors for that duty. Needless to say, we met all the high-profile pilots of the day, as we helped set up interviews for the press.

One of the men met was Maj. Udet, who became a high-ranking official under Hitler for their air force. Of course I also met Roscoe Turner who had a lion cub as a mas­ cot! Later, as a United Airlines pilot member of our UAL speaker panel, I was assigned to appear on a program with Roscoe in French Lick, Indiana.

At that time he was still running his FBO in Indiana.

Relative to Curtiss-Reynolds, it was here I had my first airplane ride.

Our family went out to the field after dinner on a summer evening. Some pilot had a Ford Tri-Motor and was hopping rides for a penny a pound.

Grandfather popped for all of us.

This guy had the right idea as a barn­ stormer. He had a ticket seller who loaded and unloaded the ship. For the bucks, you got a takeoff, field circuit to final, and a landing! As a result, I've always enjoyed the Tri-Motor.

When EAA started restoring ours, we had a home in Fontana, Wisconsin.

That is but a short drive from the Bur­ lington Airport, so I spent a year and a half working with Tom Soerens re­ building EAA's Tri-Motor.

Since that first Tri-Motor ride, I've

always kept an eye out for them . One day, flying for United in a DC-3, one showed up near Sandusky, Ohio. I kept an eye out for it and eventually found it was based at Put-it-Bay Is­ land (South Bass) in Lake Erie, and was flying into Port Clinton. In 1947 we were visiting in Ohio, so we drove to Port Clinton and met the owner, Milt Hershberger, and flew to the is­ land in the FlO (first officer's) seat.

On arrival, I had him sign my log­ book for the :15 flight time. He then gave us a tour of his facility.

After a fine lunch in town, we bought a mixed case of wine at one of the wineries. The owner drove us back to the airport.

When the Ford came in , we sat in the rear with our wine. Milt looked back and saw me, told me to come up, which I did. He said I want you to sit up here. There's a guy on the trip I have to talk to . Told him I'd been drinking. Forget it he said. That stuff is so weak no one cou ld get high on it!

Well, Milt made the takeoff, handed the ship to me, and went back to talk to the man he knew! So, I flew it to Port Clinton, he came up and landed, and we left the airport .

Fast-forward a few years. I'm on a night DC-6B trip to the West Coast.

About 0300, I'm getting kind of tired out, so I hand the ship to the FlO and go back for a cup of coffee. As usual, on that trip, everyone was sleeping, except the stewardess and one passenger back at the buffet. Who was the passenger?

Milt Hershberger, who now had sold Lake Erie Island Airlines and was Ohio's director of aeronautiCS!

ARecommendation From a Member Dal Donner EAA 102228 lAC 3787 Restoring an antique airplane calls for many different kinds of skills .

And, like most people, I found myself deficient in some categories. Wood­ working was the biggest problem, both from an experience level and having tools to make complex parts.

My current project is a Fairchild 24W, and it has a lot of wood which has suffered neglect and exposure to the elements.

It would have been convenient to go to the nearest Fairchild store to buy some of these wood parts. But the "Fairchild Store" is as much of the past as the hand craftsmanship em­ ployed to build this old airplane back in 1939.

Fortunately I know a young man who is a furniture maker. In fact, he's a third generation wood craftsman and has studied under American and European artisans. He works with hand tools as well as power tools.

He primarily builds elegant cus­ tom furniture from old-growth, tight­ grained wood which is highly figured.

His work is like the fine art you 'd ex­ pect to see in a well-known gallery.

So, I felt privileged that he found it interesting and enjoyable to help me make some airplane pieces. And, at a reasonable price! I supplied the Ai rcraft grade Sitka spruce and enough of the old tattered parts to get some dimensions.

I'd like to share his name and ad­ dress with others who might be "wood challenged" like myself: Mr. Frank Straza 329 Coastal Lane Waco, TX 76705 254-715-6660 F.Strazza@att.net VI NTAGE AIRPLANE

5

Editor's Notes: This is the 12th and final installment of the current series of "Restoration Corner" articles. The intent of the series was to present information of a general rather than highly detailed nature: therefore, more could have been written on each subject. We encourage readers to share their restoration techniques with us for future "Restoration Corner" articles.-Gene. R. Chase While Gene and Norm wrote these words nearly 20 years ago, they still hold true today. We're only as good as the information and experiences our members share with us. Feel free to drop us an e-mail at vintageaircraft@ eaa.org, or drop us a note in the mail. The address is on the contents page.-H.G. Frautschy

Steve Wittman on taxi tests, first flight, and debugging

BY NORM PETERSEN

It is one thing to spend years re­ storing an airplane with attendant sore hands, tired muscles, and a flat pocketbook-only to suddenly re­ alize that now you have to fly the critter! To enlighten us on the many details of flying a newly rebuilt air­ plane for the first time, we asked the old master, Sylvester "Steve" Witt­ man, to give us his thoughts on the proper procedure.

The first item on the agenda, ac­ cording to Steve, is to properly rig the airplane during final assembly. This includes putting in the proper wing dihedral and wing incidence . And when establishing incidence, don't forget the all-important wash-out at the wingtips per the manufacturer's recommendations. "Wash-out" tips the trailing edge of the wingtip up­ ward, allowing the wing to stall first at the root of the wing, with the stall progressing to the wingtip in a very controllable fashion. "Wash-in" low­ ers the trailing edge of the wingtip, causing it to stall first. This is a bad situation for two reasons: The stall is violent and uncontrollable, and the wingtip can suffer structural failure from overloading.

Don't be lulled into using the old "eyeball" method. Use proper means to establish the necessary measure­ ments, be it a plumb, inclinometer,

transit, or incidence board . A final measurement to determine that both wings (or four on a biplane) are square with each other and the fuselage is most important. And along this line, make sure the stabi­ lizer has the proper incidence (most often negative).

Don't be lulled into using the old "eyeball" method.

Use proper means to establish the necessary measurements, be it a plumb, inclinometer, transit, or incidence board.

Steve says that years ago it was common to rig for "torque"-the large, imaginary hand that would twist the fuselage opposite to the crankshaft ro­ tation. "This was a bunch of gobbledy­ gook!" according to Steve. " I once flew Bonzo into Cleve­ REPRINTED FROM

6

MAY 2007

Vintage Airplane JANUARY 1987

land for the National Air Races, only to read a story in the evening paper claiming that it couldn't fly! Suppos­ edly, there was insufficient aileron to offset the huge amount of torque! The newswriter estimated that 300 mph was necessary before Bonzo would fly straight and level! I am most happy to report that such was not the case!"

Steve went on to explain that when you have a midwing aircraft using a thin wing section with a large chord, the propeller slipstream is "anti­ torque" as it goes by the wing, allow­ ing the aircraft to be nicely controlled by the ailerons about the roll axis.

Once the rigging is determined to be okay, the taxi tests may begin. This is almost an art in itself and should only be attempted on a taildragger if you have tailwheel experience.

Without experience along this line, the taxi tests can be dangerous en­ deavors! If you don't feel comfortable making the taxi tests yourself, by all means, swallow your pride and find a competent taildragger pilot whom you can trust.

The taxi tests allow you to check many items, including wheel align­ ment, brakes, tailwheel control, rud­ der effectiveness at low speeds, and control pressures in general. This au­ thor well remembers a Minnesota pi­ lot who had finished a total rebuild of

the throttle and lowered the tail. The resulting increase in angle of attack caused the Twister to leap some 10 feet into the air. The pilot was so surprised he "lost it" and proceeded to wrap the small biplane into a ball .

According to Steve, his normal procedure is to take off and climb for altitude, watching the temperature gauges closely. Once he has 1,500 feet AGL, he checks for wing heaviness and pro­ ceeds through stalls and slow flight. This helps to relieve the tension about coming in for a landing. If the aircraft will stall at the proper nose­ high attitude, h e knows it will make a three-point landing. (And a minimum of 1,500 feet is the best insur­ ance you can have when do­ ing these maneuvers.)

Some years ago, Steve was invited to fly another racing airplane, only to discover in flight that it had a vicious stall and would not get into a normal three-point attitude!

Steve Wittman and a 40-hp Taylor E-2 Cub. The only option left was to make a tail-high wheel land­ a red and silver Porterfield. Anxious ing, which he did with the usual to take it up for the first flight, he tax­ Wittman finesse. After the flight, ied downwind to the far end of the he wondered what might have hap­ hard surface runway. As he came to pened if the engine had failed, as it the end of the runway, he stepped on would have been an absolute bearcat the brakes ... in that same instant he to land without the power. Curiously, remembered he had not connected the owner never gave so much as a the brakes! The Porterfield went hint of the weird flight characteristics off the end of the runway into tall before the flight! grass where it promptly went up on The nearest thing to such an un­ its nose, shattering the new wooden usual flight envelope in a commercial propeller and bending nose metal. airplane was a twin- engine pusher Steve Wittman's wise words, amphibian that Steve was invited to coming from 60 years of experi­ try from the copilot's seat. Follow­ ence: "Don't fly until you are ready ing takeoff, Steve says, "I was in the to fly. And when ready, have your right seat as we leveled off in cruise mind mad e up-don't extend the and the pilot turned it over to me. agony!" Steve relates how they once After a few turns, I slowed the bird to lost a Knight Twister at Oshkosh be­ check the stall. The pilot looked over cause the pilot wasn't sure what h e at me and said, "Watch it, it comes wanted to do. Making a high-speed off the hook pretty fast! " Believe me, taxi down the runway with the tail never in my life have I heard a bet­ in the air, the pilot abruptly closed ter description! It was a clean, sharp,

abrupt stall-just like someone had cut the string!"

When queried about the age-old question of toe-in versus toe-out, Steve thought a minute and answered, "Toe­ in is the worst of the two, as it exacer­ bates the swing of a turn and makes it worse. Toe-out is easier to control; however, on hard-surface runways it will wear out a set of tires in noth­ ing flat! I have always liked 'straight ahead' the best with neither toe-in or toe-out. I love grass over hard-surface runways, as you can fly for years from a grass runway and never wear your tires out. The inside of the tire carcass will look like new after many years, while the outside gets all weather­ checked and cracked."

When it comes time to get your nicely restored classic or antique up to its advertised cruising speed, Steve says there are many little things to consider. Close-fitting fairings are important along with eliminating lumps, bumps, and extraneous pro­ tuberances. Be very critical of any in­ tersections of less than 90 degrees, as they create extra drag. Round tubes should be fa ired to a stream­ line shape, and gaps should be sealed.

Good common sense will help a great deal in "tweaking" your airplane to optimum performance. Even a close look at a Wittman Tailwind will give you a number of clues as to making an airplane go fast. A look at the strut stub reveals a cleaner juncture, since the bolt head and nut are moved out of the high-speed air! Even the wing roots and the wingtips are tapered down in size to save drag on each end. Little, tiny improvements, when all added together, make for a very fast airplane.

One of the real joys in life is to sit back and observe Steve Wittman look over an airplane from nose to tail. As each part is examined by Steve, you can almost hear his brain figuring out a way to make it go 25 percent faster.

It is just a natural thing with Steve­ and after 60 years of doing the same thing-you get pretty good at it!

Thank you, Steve Wittman, for setting an example for the rest of us to follow. .......

V I NTAGE AIRPLA NE

7

The story of the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation Part I

BY AL KELCH

Preface 1982- The following three-part article on the Thomas­ Morse Aircraft Corp., although extensively edited and further researched by me, should be credited to Robert G. Elliott of Daytona Beach, Florida, who sought out William T. Thomas Jr., still living in Daytona Beach. Mr. Thomas generous ly shared pictures and recollections of his father plus some ma­ terial from the personal collections of Paul D. Wilson, one of the three original test pilots. Robert submitted to me fresh ma­ terial on the earlier portions of the Thomas airplane venture.

On researching several older articles, I zeroed in on a wonderful illiam T. Thomas, the in­ geniOUS guiding light of the whole Thomas aircraft venture, began his career in England with an education at Dulwich Col­ lege, near London. He later attended Ventral Technical College of the Uni­ verSity of London at South KenSing­ ton, from which he graduated in 1908 with a degree in civil and me­

W 8

MAY 2007

two-part story in two 1960 issues of American Airman, ex­ tensively researched by Frank Strand with a great deal otorigi­ nal contact with William Thomas Sr. Frank had permission to use all of the material he had gath­ ered to put together one more article specially tailored tor Vin­ tage Airplane magazine on the Tommy-Morse Scout at World War I tame. For the real Tommy buffs, it would pay to seek out his extensive two-part story in the American Airman tor June and July 1960. Frank also did Profile No. 68 published by Pro­ file Publications Ltd., P.O. Box 26, lA North St., Leatherhead, Surrey, England.

chanical engineering. To gain practi­ cal experience, young Thomas became an appren tice in the shops of the Brit­ ish Westinghouse Co., where he was exposed to the gas engine and turbine engine departments as well as the pat­ tern shop and foundry. He gathered a deep background in methods of de­ sign and development that would serve him well in later years when the R EPRINTED FROM Vintage Ai/plane JULY 1982

Above: Earl Beers, left, W.T. Thomas, center, and Bert Chambers display the center section of the first plane made in 1910. It was constructed in a barn in Hammondsport, New York, without the aid of power tools. W.T. Thomas here learned the trick of hand drill­ ing small holes first and then following with successively larger bits until the holes were of specific size.

The Model TA, 1911, during its second flight, powered by a 22-hp Kirkham engine.

The modified Model TA with dual controls for instruction flights. It was powered by a 50-hp, six-cylinder Kirkham en­ gine. Note the two narrow radiators mounted vertically.

Bud Carey piled up a 1911 pusher on frozen Cayuga Lake. The plane was rebuilt within several days and successfully flown.

airplane industry began to bud.

In the early part of 1909 Thomas came to America, where he used his qualifications to obtain a job with Glenn Curtiss in the drafting room.

His first assignments were in working out designs for motorcycle engines and dirigible engines. It was here he got his first taste of aircraft design and development, and over a period of time his observations and partici­ pation in the Curtiss designing pro­ gram whetted his appetite to try his own wings and attempt the design of an even better airplane. His faith was shared by one mechanic friend, and the two of them set out to construct and design the first Thomas airplane, right in Curtiss' own town of Ham­ mondsport, New York.

Needing an engine, they chose the 22-hp Kirkham automobile engine .

This proved to be the first automobile engine ever flown in a powered air­

Walter Johnson, pilot, in the Model TA with the 50-hp, six­ cylinder Kirkham engine used for many exhibition flights.

W.T. Thomas stands at left of pilot.

craft in America. On June 14, 1910, final assembly and checking of this first Thomas airplane was completed on the Page Farm, near Canisteo, New York.

Initially the airplane relied on di­ hedral ailerons (wing warping) for control and had two vertical panels between the outer interplane struts for stability. The test pilot, Bert Cham­ bers, made the first flight on June 25, 1910. During the next three months many changes were made. The wing warping was eliminated, and flaps, which operated in a down movement alternately, were attached to the up­ per wings. Later, ailerons were fitted between the wings, and then an ad­ ditional set of flaps was added to the bottom wing, all three being operated together. The final location of the ai­ lerons between the wings resulted in the first sustained flights, which were conducted at North Hornell, New

York, with Walter E. Johnson as the test pilot.

Somewhere during this period, Wil­ liam's brother, Oliver Thomas, joined the efforts. With the continued in­ tent to manufacture the airplane, a suitable factory was located at Bath, New York. The two brothers formed the Thomas Aeroplane Company for further development of a pusher-type airplane, similar to the Curtiss efforts, but containing many different inno­ vations from the fertile mind of Wil­ liam Thomas.

The later Kirkham engine, rede­ signed for a lighter structure having an aluminum case, developed a speed of 1750 rpm. This, of course, was too high a speed for the propellers of that day. The result was a well-designed chain drive coupled with a low-speed propeller with sufficient power to de­ velop and assure sustained flight.

This plane was developed and built VINTAGE AIRPLANE

9

The 1911 Model TA pusher with Walter Johnson at the con­ trols during exhibition and races at the New York State Fair, Syracuse. Glenn Curtiss flew an 80-hp pusher, and Walter Johnson beat Curtiss in a race with his 65-hp powered TA. The state fair buildings appear much the same today as they did in 1911. The original Kirkham engine was a geared drive. The day before the race the gearbox failed, so Char­ lie Kirkham worked all night converting the engine to direct drive and replacing the prop. W.T. Thomas also added addi­ tional fairings to reduce drag.

Pilot Fred Eells and Earl Beers standing right behind what is probably an 80-hp Kirkham engine. This plane was flying in 1911.

by hand, with nothing but hand tools, the work being carried out in a barn. William Thomas jr., in an interview, gave us a picture of the untiring efforts that must have gone into the construction of such a machine without ad­ equate tools. According to Thomas jr., " Pa said that when it came to drilling holes with a hand drill for fittings and bolts, he would start with the smallest bit possible, and by slowly enlarging the holes with progressively larger bits, they would eventually be bored to the proper size" with 10

MAY 2007

patience and a lot of elbow grease. After great effort, with many modifications and changes, the airplane finally became airworthy and accomplished a flight of about 6 miles on September 20,1910.

The obvious use of an airplane in this period being for exhibition, Mr. johnson, the company aviator, attempted a show on September 27, 1910, at Binghamton, New York, to thrill county fair-goers . Unfortunately, the machine hit the cattle tent on takeoff and was damaged . There is a substantial lack of data concerning the welfare of the cat­ tle housed within the tent; however, one can imagine the havoc and scrambling of those Wide-eyed, snorting cattle running loose among the fair patrons.

The ensuing repair was rushed, which permitted Walter johnson to make a circular flight over Concklin Field near the Binghamton fairgrounds on October 11, 1910. This successfu l exhibition flight was the 10th flight for test pi­ lot johnson.

Later that month, at Rochester, New York, William and his brother, Oliver, witnessed the International Air Meet at Belmont Park, New York. Immediately following that flight, Thomas and johnson, accompanied by a mechanic, trucked the airplane to Rochester, New York, where john­ son made demonstration flights on November 3 and 10, 1910. The month of December 1910 saw William Thomas again at Bath, New York, where the airplane was fitted with a single rear elevator. Flights were made over the wintry countryside from Burleson Field near Lake Salu­ bria. On january 27, 1911, Walter johnson, flying from the frozen surface of the lake and with only the 22-hp Kirkham engine for power, carried Florence Scrafford as a passenger. During this period a further modification of the machine was made to a twin rudder configuration, which allowed greater control in flight.

Early in March, William Thomas, johnson, and Gene Bell, their mechanic, departed for Morgan City, Louisiana, to further continue their exhibition flights in a warmer climate . A ballpark had been reserved in Morgan City, which proved too small upon examination, and the dem­ onstration was moved to a larger field, where all went well until johnson crashed into a stump on landing. Repairs were minor, allowing time for a circular flight the same day to save and assure the success of the demonstration.

A second demonstration at Houma, Louisiana, pro­ duced a second crash into a fence on landing. Again, mi­ nor repairs were needed for the skids.

To satisfy officials, a demonstration was scheduled on the Colonel Breaux Estate in Lafayette, Louisiana, and witnesses were recruited for the occasion to certify that the airplane had the ability to fly. Such proof was to be furnished to the flight sponsor, W.I. Swain Company. A successfu l straight flight of 300 yards, followed by a cir­ cular flight at 125 feet altitude, satisfied the judges, who testified that the flights were genuine and the airplane performed as advertised.

On April 10, flights were made at Forsythe Park in Mon­ roe, Louisiana, followed by flights at Shreveport and Crowley

Paul Isakson Amery, WI

• Owner of a 1939 Cub J3F-50 and a 1937 Ryan ST-A • Member of AOPA and fAA since 1986

• Plans to add his oldest daughter, who wants to be a professional pilot, to his policy in the near future • Whole family has been to six out of the last eight AirVentures

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Actually I didn't call, I used your online quote system. It was quick and easy."

- Paul Isakson

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Pilot Fred Eells, W.T. Thomas with anns crossed, and Earl Beers by the prop pose with the plane that achieved an endurance flight record on October 31, 1912.

Pilot Walter Johnson and Earl Beers demonstrate the manner of seating in which pilot and passenger endured the cold to establish the endurance flight on Halloween 1912.

on May 7 and 8. From there William Thomas, Johnson, and Bell went to Mississippi and performed at the Delta Fair in Granville, where their exhibi­ tion flights drew few people; a decision was made to return to the North.

Their next exhibition was at Erie Beach on June 9, 1911, where Walter Johnson accom plished the first sus­ tained flight ever made in the vicin­ ity of Buffalo, New York. Extra wing panels on top and bottom had been added and proved to be successful.

Further developments had been in progress and produced a new Thomas model, the TA, which was introduced on August 6, 1911. A larger engine, made by Kirkham, with six cylinders and producing 50 hp was used in the 12

MAY 2007

the first school chartered by the New York State Board of Regents.

The earlier p lane with the four­ cylinder Kirkham engine was modi­ fied as a preliminary trainer having been rebu ilt for dual instruction.

Many exhibition flights with the re­ built airplane continued around the New York area. At Sylvan Beach near Syracuse, the TA was flown. After be­ ing broken, it was only natural for the Thomas machine to be included for its share of honors.

Johnson, flying a TA model with a larger 65-hp engine, and with a school mechanic as his passenger, established an American endurance record of three hours, 51 minutes, 15 seconds at Bath, New York. The flight was be­ tween Bath and Savona, New York, a

Glenn Tate at the controls in about 1912. The aileron control cable, recessed in a groove, circled the steering wheel. Note the sing1e foot pedal.

new model. This produced much bet­ ter flight characteristics, and 16 miles were flown from Savona to Ham­ mondsport in 18 minutes . The return flight was made in 12 minutes, set­ ting an average of 64 mph, which was considered very good for the period.

The new performance all added up to a new d imension being added to their exh ibitions. A subsequent flight at Danv ill e, New York, produced a truly high-a ltitude demonstration.

The model TA underwent 10 de­ sign modificatio n s an d was used ex­ tensive ly at t h e aviation school at Bath, New York. Walt Johnson made more than 1,000 flights between Jan­ uary 15,1912, and April 1913, carry­ ing students at the sch ool. This was

distance of 235 miles. The passenger weighed 150 pounds. This weight fac­ tor was a requirement by the American Aero Club, under whose supervision the flight was made. Termination of the flight was not caused by mechani­ cal trouble but by the blustery cold winds of October, forcing these two to land early that Halloween evening.

In 1913 Frank Burnside, a former student now appointed chief pilot, es­ tablished an altitude record of 13,000 feet to break Lincoln Beachey's alti­ tude record. The top wing of the TA had been lengthened and the tips squared, and the powerplant was changed to a Curtiss 80-hp engine for additional lift.

(To be continued next month.) .......

Like father, like son, like son ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

trio of Stearmans landed softly on the late-summer grass in Blakesburg, Iowa, and taxied over • • •" to the flightline in the adjoining field. When their big radial engines had falien quiet the three pilots climbed out of their respective cockpits and, with big smiles, stepped on the ground, relishing the moment.

Addison Pemberton and his two sons, jay and Ryan, had just completed their first "formation" cross-country flight from their home base (Felts Field) in Spokane, Washington, to the Antique Airplane Association's (AAA) 14

MAY 2007

annual invitational fly-in.

That momentous flight didn't just happen, though; it was a long time in the making. You see, it started way back, when young Addison became intrigued by the airline pilots' antique airplanes at Gillespie Field in San Diego. He learned to fly as a teenager, and in the 37 years since then, he has logged 10,000 hours. In 1977, he started teaching an attractive young lady to fly; by the following year, Wendy had earned her private pilot certificate and the couple had their marriage certificate in hand.

The arrival of sons jay and Ryan not

only completed their family, but the boys' own interest in the antique mode of aviating serendipitously complemented that of their aviation­ minded parents. "jay and Ryan have grown up in an aviation environment," explains Addison, elaborating that "they learned to fly in gliders, and then as a family project, we built up a Super Cub for them to learn to fly. We've done 18 projects in 35 years, and the kids have grown up with nitrate and butyrate dope. In fact, when they were young, I would make trips from San Diego to Riverside to get dope

Far left: Jay Pemberton prepares to fly the Wendy May. Ryan Pemberton flew this 275-hp Jacobs-powered Steannan, owned by a family friend, to the AAA Fly-In in Blakesburg, Iowa.

When their big radial engines had fallen quiet the three pilots climbed out of their respective cockpits and, with big smiles, stepped on the ground.

from Poly-Fiber, and they would tell their teachers that their father had to go fly and make a dope run!"

Equally proud of both of his sons, Addison felt quite comfortable with their flying skills on their long cross­ country adventure. Even as they all landed at Chamberlain, South Dakota, where the winds were gusting to 35 knots, he wasn't worried about them ground -looping-he just hoped he wouldn't. Twenty -four-year­ old Jay (who has already launched a successful career and is now able to finance his own flying) soloed a glider at age 15 and has acquired nearly 2,200 hours' total time, with about 330 of that in Stearmans. He's earned the same certificates and ratings as his father-commercial for multiengine land and Single-engine seaplanes, instrument, and a flight instructor rating-with the exception of an airframe and powerplant certificate. Twenty-year-old Ryan , who soloed on his 16th birthday, has logged about 800 hours' total time, with around 260 Stearman hours. He's earned a seaplane rating and, according to his father, didn't even fly a nosewheel airplane until he had the opportunity to fly a 8­ 24 Liberator two years ago for the Collings Foundation.

Addison and Wendy Pemberton with their son Ryan and their Steannan

Speedmail.

A rare moment during the fly-in when the Wendy May wasn't in flight.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

15

The Pemberton's Square Tail Stearman 4DM Sr. Speedmail.

The Wendy May lifts off from Antique Airfield in Iowa.

Cross-Country Adventure The cross-country trio comprised thr ee very different Stearmans .

Addison flew his Stearman Speed mail, Jay flew the family's 4S0-hp Stearman, and Rya n had the good fortun e to fly a Stearman N2S-4 owned by Jeff Hamilto n, a family friend. Ryan says he was the slowest of the threesome, 16

MAY 2007

explaining that "the Stearman I flew was re-engined with a 275 -hp Jacobs, and I cruised at 110 mph, whereas my brother, in the 450-hp, could go up to 125 mph , and my dad , in the Speedmail, could go up to 140 mph .

We stayed within a half mile of each other, and then as we'd come up to an airport, we'd tighte n up and fly

a nice formation with an overh ead break, trying to look good."

From Spokane, th ey followed 1-90 all the way down to Chamberlain, where they picked up the Missouri River down to Sioux City, Iowa, and from th ere, on up to Blakesburg. " [ think we had 16.9 hours logg ed when we arrived h ere," shares Ryan,

SQUJlRE TJULS

Square Tail Stearmans were showcased at Blakesburg in 2006.

Ron Rex's 1931 Western Airlines Stearman 4D heads up the lineup of Square Tails.

Greg Herrick's 1928 Varney Airlines Stearman C3-B.

Ben Scott taxies his 1930 Stearman 4E.

This Stearman 4E, registered to Alan Lopez, was manufactured in 1930.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

17

smiling as he conveys his enthusiasm for the flight. "It was really neat for me, because this is the first time I've flown an airplane to Blakesburg. And of course, to fly on my dad's wing and have my brother on the other side, it was really special. As we were planning the arrival here, I could just see my dad starting to get all proud and he was really excited."

apartment with running water. The hangars of the past only had 'walking water,' as Wendy says. It's been really nice. So I have a day job, and then a night life that's produced all these great things over the years." The Pemberton's long-standing family

Speedrnail

his 450-hp Pratt &

Square Tail Stearmans were showcased during AAA's 2006 fly-in, and seven of the 18 flying Square Tails were on hand for the occasion.

Of those seven, four were Speedmail Model 4s, including Addison's Stearman 4DM Sr. Speedmail. He bought it in 1989 as a $4,000 basket case and flew it in 1992 after an 8,000­ hour family restoration effort. "There are only nine Speedmails in existence today, seven of which fly actively.

There were no drawings for any of them when we were restoring this," he recalls, "then I met Ben Scott, and through our correspondence, I reverse-engineered his Speed mail 4£ to build many parts of mine."

Addison's 1931 Speedmail has a top cruise of 150 mph and carries six hours of fuel. It was originally manufactured for American Airways; it was based in Chicago and flew to Dallas every night on the airmail run.

In the early 1930s, it was also featured in the movie Bright Eyes, starring Shirley Temple. Then, in 1934 it went back to the factory and had a front seat installed so it could be flown as an instrument trainer. In 1936, it became a crop duster. Seventy years later, it's back to its original configuration and is flown frequently.

Wendy May Although Wendydidn't accompany the men on the cross-country journey, she was on the ground waiting to greet the trio as they touched down in Iowa . "I want to compliment my wife, who is a big part of all this," beams Addison, explaining, "Wendy has made dinner at the hangar for 25 years, the last two of which have been at our new hangar, which has an 18

MAY 2007

Addison named

Whitney-powered Stearman (Boeing) 15 the

Wendy May in honor ofhis wife,

and the number

419 on its cowling helps him per when her birthday is. business is also aerospace-related; Scanivalve Corporation manufactures instrumentation for the flight-test and wind-tunnel markets.

Addison named his 450-hp Pratt & Whitney-powered Stearman (Boeing) 75 the Wendy May in honor of his wife, and the number 419 on its cowling helps him remember when her birthday is. Addison purchased it, along with three other Stearman dusters, when he graduated from college in 1976. "I finished this airplane in 1986, and it is the culmination of everything I loved in a stock military Stearman," he reflects, explaining, "it has four equal-span, servo-boosted ailerons with a counter-balanced elevator, a

modified AT-6 canopy for the rear cockpit, and a tow hitch for glider or banner towing. It has a standard airworthiness certificate, which I'm very proud of-that was quite an accomplishment to get this airplane out of an experimental and into the standard category."

Wendy, having learned the art of dope and fabric along the way, is also involved in the restoration projects.

And she, too, is mighty proud of her sons. "The excitement that my boys have in aviation has given th em a direction, a purpose, and an awesome group of people to be around. Pilots are great folks. The boys never really had the awkward teenage years where they never had anything in common with their dad, because there were always airplanes to talk about. Aviation is such a diverse field; there are always new airplanes and new challenges," she reflects, and adds with a dazzling smile, "I feel very lucky, because normally when kids get to be 20 years old, they're off living their own life and you don't see them as much anymore-but we haven't experienced that. Jay is 24 years old and he's still with the family, and it's just very exciting for me as a mom. We do eat dinner down at the hangar, because that's where the guys want to be, and if that's where my family wants to be, that's fine by me! I would rather be down there with them than be home alone, wishing I was with my family."

As the Pembertons' fleet of airworthy vintage and antique aircraft continues to grow through their immaculate , step -b y-step restorations-their current project is a 1928 Boeing B-40C transport airplane-the human element of their family is increasing, as well. Wendy and Addison will welcome an aviation­ minded daughter-in-law to the fold when their youngest son, Ryan, marries his fiancee, Taryn Applegate, who soloed her family's Piper J-3 Cub on her 16th birthday. No doubt there will be many more memorable occasions and aircraft restorations for the flying Pemberton family, as they look forward to exploring new horizons together. .......

few pristine Beavers that spent at least part of its life looking up at a saltwater surface from the bottom. Although the accident was long before Doug came into the picture, it will be remembered The cockpit of the Beaver still retains the flavor of the original layout, but a number of modern improvements are incorporated. On the far right, the ra­ dio panel is angled inward for better visibility for the pilot, and the center console is dominated by a completely restored de Havilland Canada engine control cluster and a Gannin GPS/mul­ tifunction display.

29

MAY 2007

You can carry plenty in a working machine such as this bushplane. A smart­ looking Beaver logo is embroidered on the aft bulkhead, with a beefy cargo net installed to keep the baggage where it belongs.

over. Doug doesn't think this actual crash was used in the movie, but the ap­ proach was. The airplane was crudely yanked out of the water and then spent a few years as a pile of parts languish­ ing in various locations before Doug DeVries came into the picture.

Doug got into aviation shortly af­ ter graduating from Cal Poly with a degree in mechanical engineering.

"A friend took me up, but I was pretty broke and at the time couldn't do much more than take ground school," he says. "A few years later I got my private pilot's license and rented ~ for a year or so before going into part­ ~ nership in a Grumman Tiger." ~ Then, as is often the case, career o CD and other interests took precedence. as an ignoble end for a movie star-it From the beginning he had wanted to was in the process of making the 1998 get into the medical device field in the Harrison Ford movie Six Days, Seven hopes of developing something that Nights when disaster struck. would benefit people in general. He Serial number 799 was one of three began focusing on breathing ventila­ Beavers used for flying shots in the movie tors and eventually became successful (four more were used for static/studio enough to get back into aviation. shots). If you saw the movie, you'll re­ "I wanted my own airplane and member the last shot of Ford's charac­ bought a Bonanza, but then saw a ter trying to land a Beaver on makeshift Stearman and read Stephen Coonts' floats in the surf, which didn't go well The Cannibal Queen and thought that at all. In real life, the airplane was sus­ kind of open-cockpit touring was pended on a cable under a helicopter something I'd love to do , but kept while it "flew" onto the water. Although putting it off. Then, one day I went in the case of SN799, it flew "into" the to the hardware store to get a tool for water, when it caught a float and flipped a repair I was doing on my Bonanza,

and the clerk started asking me ques­ tions about what I was doing. Half­ hour later, it came out that the clerk had at one time raced P-S1 Mustangs at Reno, but in a freak accident got a thistle in his ear while camping in the desert, got permanent vertigo, and lost his medical and flying privi­ leges forever. His story motivated me to start the Stearman project now, as one can lose the privilege to fly in a moment's notice.

"I decided waiting was the wrong thing to do and started looking for a Stearman project."

Doug dragged an incomplete N2S-3 into his shop, and when it rolled out several years later and he flew it to Oshkosh 2000, he took home the Best WWII Trainer trophy. Not too shabby!

"Even while I was doing the Stea­ rman I was dreaming about de Havil­ land Beavers," he says.

Considering that he lives in Ken­ more, Washington, the home of Ken­ more Air Harbor, which not only produces EDO floats, but also has been a center for Beaver rebuilding for decades, it only makes sense he could contract Beaver fever. Kenmore has dozens of STCs for the airplane and routinely turns out totally rebuilt Beavers and Otters.

"I've always loved the airplane and decided it would be my next project, VINTAGE AIRPLANE

21

"I've always loved the airplane and decided it would be my next project, so I started look­ ing around. I finally fou nd the one in pieces that had been wrecked in the movie and looked like a good possibil ity, so I went to look at it." so I started looking around. I finally found the one in pieces that had been wrecked in the movie and looked like a good possibility, so I went to look at it.

"The airplane needed total rebuild­ ing from one end to the other because the damage affected almost every part of it. When it was wrecked and they tried to pick it up, they actually broke the spars and folded the wings outboard of the struts. The cabin was badly crushed and compressed at least 6 inches. All of the structure in the top, including the structural channels, was damaged or tweaked, so nothing lined up.

"Most Beavers spend their lives on floats, as did this one, so you expect to find corrosion, especially in the tail, and this one was no different. How­ ever, since this one had been sub­ merged for at least a little while, we 22

MAY 2007

had to do some serious investigating to make sure we found all the corro­ sion. The rear of the fuselage, includ­ ing the back bulkhead, was pretty bad, but the rest was surprisingly clean, con­ sidering its history, which made little difference since so much of the metal had to be replaced anyway to repair damage. They must have hosed it out immediately after pulling it out of the water. However, everything electrical was useless./I Doug is very much a hands-on re­ storer and estimates that of the 7,000 man-hours that went into the airplane, at least 4,000 of them are his. He has a complete shop with most machin­ ing and sheet metal capabilities right at hand.

"The wings looked unrebuildable until you understand the way Beaver spars are designed; they are built in four sections, not one long piece, so I pur­ chased another set of damaged wings, and between the two sets I was able to piece together the spar structures./I The good news about the Beaver is that it was specifically designed for a

rough and tumble market that included both civilian and military/governmen­ tal bush -type operations . During its nearly 20-year production span (1948­ 1967) 1,657 airplanes were built, but many of the customers were military or government departments (the U.S. military, among many others, operated hundreds as L-20s), so spares were also produced by the truckload to support them. De Havilland apparently recog­ nized the types of operations in which the airplane was likely to be involved were of a high-risk nature, which meant an unusually large number of airframe components would be consumed as a matter of course. This has worked very much to the advantage of people such as Doug who are putting Beavers into the air that would otherwise appear to be damaged beyond feasible repair. In Doug's case, without too much trouble he was able to find new, unused struc­ tural components for the cabin, along with many other ex-military/govern­ ment components.

In addition to the NOS (new old stock) and surplus components still

available, Viking Air of Victoria, British Columbia, purchased all of the avail­ able production tooling for the airplane and has been producing those replace­ ment parts that aren't readily available.

In addition, in February 2006 Viking Air purchased the type certificate for the machine from Bombardier Aero­ space, which gives it the exclusive right to manufacture new Beavers. Does that mean we'll be seeing a new generation of DHC-2 Beavers in the future? Given the cost of production and the supply of older airframes, that doesn't seem likely, but anything is possible in aviation.

Even if his airplane hadn't gone swimming, the sheet metal on Doug's bird was typical of Beavers worldwide: It showed the dents and dings that come from being gainfully employed for more than five decades. Beavers have never been relegated to antique status, and nearly all that are still flying are still working for a living. In Doug's case, however, between the saltwater, damage and wear and tear a lot of sheet metal had to go.

He says, II Around 90 percent of the fuselage skins are new along with a lot of internal structure, especially in the cabin area. To straighten the fuselage, I built a jig in accordance with dimen­ sions given in the original de Havilland drawings and used the jig to fix the precise locations of the major attach points, such as the wing connections.

And yes, it does fly straight. There are a lot of structural frames and string­ ers and such in the top of the cabin that were damaged, and if the compo­ nent needed was a bent-up part and we couldn't find NOS, we just made it new in the shop. Because there was a lot of damage to the wings and we didn't want to install patches, about 75 per­ cent of the wing skins were replaced. liThe cowling was badly crushed, so I sent it to Ray Morin in Quebec, who specializes in rebuilding Beaver compo­ nents. He did a masterful job on it.

IIBeaver landing gears are a little unique because the legs are essentially chromoly boxes that pivot at the bot­ tom of the fuselage. There is no me­ chanical shock system . Instead, the legs butt up against big rubber blocks.

We installed rubber pads that were '337

field approved,' as ours were dried and hard. We did find a crack in one of our gear legs, but that repaired fairly easily.

11There are 10 type-written pages in the logbook, which is actually three three-ring binders (since condensed to a mere single three-ring binder) that describe the repairs."

Once he had repaired the damage and removed the IIpatina" that 18,000 hours of hard work had left behind, he could start working on the fun stuff.

"There is nothing original on the panel. I planned on flying this airplane a lot, not just to fly-ins, so I wanted it as modern and as usable as I could make it. I modeled it in 3-D on the computer in Solid Works and set it up to optimize the ergonomics from the pilot's posi­ tion. This included slanting the radio stack toward the pilot so I have a direct view of the radios.

The cockpit still includes the unique Beaver oil system: the dipstick is in the cockpit and you can add oil in flight, something that's probably important when flying an R-985 on long flights.

"We had to get 22 337s for things we modified, ranging from extending the cockpit to installing modern avi­ onics. The entire process worked fairly smoothly because we had an excellent FAA rep that worked with us, rather than against us."

The paperwork on the airframe work may have gone smoothly, but Doug had another paperwork situation that most definitely didn't go smoothly.

"The title paperwork we got with the project didn't actually match the data­ plate on our airplane. It showed a se­ rial number which the records showed as being destroyed in Alaska. I could have gone with that and had a lot fewer headaches, but we wanted it as it was when it flew in the movie. On the forward bulkhead of the fuselage, we found an original dataplate that identi­ fied this airframe as SN799.

"We needed the FAA to authorize the issuance of a new data plate, which isn't something they take lightly. We needed proof of what we were saying and that the numbers were correct.

Thankfully, Bombardier had all the re­ cords, so we sent them serial numbers from a number of the serialized parts,

and they verified that they belonged to SN799. We combined their letter with photos of the airplane in the movie, and the FAA relented and issued autho­ rization for a replacement data plate.

"I thought long and hard about just staying with the existing SN pa­ perwork, because by opening that can of worms the FAA could just as easily have said that we looked as if we were trying to do something fraudulent (and in fact they did at one point), and we'd have no airplane at all. The real turn­ ing point came when a safety inspector came through our shop to take a look at the airplane. He saw how profession­ ally we were approaching the project and that we weren't trying to pull a fast one on them."

Kenmore Air is renown for its exper­ tise on the R-985 Pratt & Whitney, so Doug's decision on who should rebuild the engine was a no-brainer.

IIWhen Kenmore did the engine, we were surprised to find the inside of the engine to be in good condition consid­ ering the time it had spent underwater.

The original cylinders, which had been full of saltwater, were reused, although they were chromed. Major components replaced were all the pistons, crank­ shaft, crankcase, blower, rear case, and the impeller shaft assembly.

IIWe replaced the two-blade prop with a slightly smaller diameter, STC'd, three-blade McCauley, mostly because of noise considerations. I'd be working off Lake Washington, which is ringed with houses, and I didn't like the idea of being 'that noisy floatplane."'

While Doug was in the rebuilding process he bought another Beaver to fly, which not only got him in the air, but also showed him what he wanted to change in his other airplane during the rebuild. This airplane also opened his eyes to the kinds of adventures he'd like to have in the new airplane.

This aircraft was flown to Oshkosh on straight floats in the summer of 2004 and was the main subject of an EAA Sport Aviation article titled Leave the Floats at Home.

"We heard about a unique airplane tour in Australia called the Great Circle Air Safari that was open only to vin­ continued on page 37 VINTAGE AIRPLANE

23

y

E XTRA The Bristol Prier

BY WESLEY SMITH

The photo of the February 2007 Mystery Plane is identical to that which appears in The Aero ("The Bris­ tol Two-Seated Monoplane," Volume 5, Number 104, November 1911, page 231). Most likely, this is one of the first series of Bristol Prier military mono­ planes, shown later in the February 1912 issue of The Aero ("50 hp Gnome­ engined Bristol Military Monoplane on Salisbury Plain," Volume 6, Num­ ber 107, page 43) and described in detail in the June 1912 issue of Aero­ nautics (London, "The Bristol Mono­ planes," Volume 5, Number 82, pages 174-179).

The 1911-12 Bristol Prier series be­ gan as the 1911 Bristol Prier P.1 mono­ plane (works number 46) during the summer of 1911, when M. Pierre Prier joined the Bristol firm in June 1911.

Bristol (The British and Colonial Aero­ plane Co. Ltd.) was originally formed in February of 1910 by Sir George White, who was at that time chairman of the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Com­ pany, and some of his relatives. Some­ times simply referred to as a Bristol Type P (Flight, Volume 3, Number 39, September 30, 1911, pages 839-841), the first machine was built for entry in the 1911 Gordon-Bennett Cup Race held at Eastchurch in the United King­ dom, on July 1. The original P.1 was the third tractor monoplane built by Bristol. M. Pierre Prier, described as a "capable engineer," was the first per­ son to make a nonstop flight from London to Paris, using a Bleriot mono­ plane. He was chief flight instructor 24

MAY 2007

at the British Bleriot school and also served in the same capacity for Bristol at both of its Brooklands and Larkhill flying schools.

Three P.1s were built. In addition to number 46, works numbers 56 and 57 were built during 1911. Both numbers 56 and 57 differed somewhat from number 46. As originally built, all P.1s were fitted with air-cooled 50-hp Gnome Omega rotary radial engines.

Numbers 56 and 57 were intended for use in the 1911 Circuit of Britain Race, and later, number 56 was temporarily modified for use in the 1911 Number 2 to be raced in the British Empire Mi­ chelin Cup and was to be flown by Brit­ ish pioneer aviator James Valentine.

In this form, number 56 had a seven­ cylinder, air-cooled 50-hp Isaacson ra­ dial installed in order to make the air­ craft "all-British." Unfortunately, prior to the race, number 56 was wrecked

by Prier and Number 57 was disquali­ fied because of a complicated affair in­ volving the pilot, D. Graham Gilmour.

While the Gnome Omega engine is well-known, Isaacson engines are not, and thus deserve further attention.

The seven-cylinder Isaacson radial was described in detail in the April I, 1911, issue of Flight (Volume 3, Number 13, page 289) and in Glenn D. Angle's Airplane Engine Encyclope­ dia (pages 263-264). Isaacson built at least five engine types: two rotary ra­ dials and three radial engines. The rotaries came in single- and twin-row configuration, the single row having nine cylinders and the twin-row hav­

ing 18 cylinders. The nine-cylinder rotary had a rating of 100 hp at 1200 rpm and displaced 930.69 cu­ bic inches; the twin-row version had double the horsepower and displace­ ment. The 50-hp Isaacson radial fitted to Bristol Prier P.1 number 56 appears to have been the first engine type to have been built by the Isaacson En­ gine Co., Boyne Works at Leeds.

First displayed at the Third Interna­ tional Aero Exhibition at Olympia, the engine displaced 312.06 cubic inches and produced the rated power at 1600 rpm (800 rpm at the propeller shaft).

The engine had a 2-to-1 gear reduction and forced lubrication was supplied by a pump, the engine consuming 1.1 pints per hour. The overhead valves were mechanically operated by push­ rods, and carburetion was supplied by a White and Poppe carburetor attached to the rear of t};fe crankcase. Fuel con­ sumption was 0.48 pints per hp-hour.

Isaacson also produced a twin-row (14 cylinder) version of its radial, the horsepower and displacement being double that of the single-row version.

Additionally, there was a 65-hp seven­ cylinder air-cooled radial that dis­ placed 527 .73 cubic inches and pro­ duced the rated power at 1100 rpm.

As previously stated, D. Graham Gilmour's disqualification was some­ what complex. Prior to the Circuit of Britain, Gilmour made a rather wild flight up the Thames. He first flew quite low over Weybridge to Happing and back, causing consternation in the press. Apparently not content, he next

ing the original Gnome Omegas. Theonlyexcep­ tion to this was number 56, which in addition to being temporarily fitted with an Isaacson, plans ~ had been made to in­ ~ stall a 40-hp Clement­ ~ Bayard. However, this g=> was never done. ~ Construction of the ~ original Bristol Prier P.ls was fairly conventional.

Above: These three angles show an early two-place Flight ("The Bristol Mono­ Bristol Prier. plane," 30 September "visited" the Henley Royal Regatta and 1911, Number 144, Volume 3, Num­ "proceeded to shoot up the river in a ber 22, pages 839-841) is undoubted­ dangerous manner" (Brett, Dallas. His­ ly the best description of the original tory ofBritish Aviation, Volume 1, page Bristol Prier P.l. The 23-foot I-inch fu­ 109). Gilmour then dove on the river, selage was of conventional wooden dragging his wheels in the water, be­ construction, utilizing ash longerons fore pulling up just in time to miss a and spacer struts to form a piano wire­ crowd. He then made a rather abrupt braced box girder structure. (The Aero landing in a field near the riverbank. is believed to list the most accurate fu­ For his transgressions, Gilmour was selage length-22 feet 11.875 inches­ called before the Royal Aero Club to although this apparently applies to the answer for his misdeeds. As a result, his initial two-place variant. The overall license was suspended for one month. length was 24.5 feet, including the Bristol then interceded on his behalf by nose skids.) Unique features of the P.l's filing a writ to lift the injunction. This construction included the use of pat­ was unsuccessful, and Bristol appealed ented wood-cored steel tube wing spars the ruling. As it turned out, the Royal and a very low-aspect ratio triangular Aero Club had failed to even follow its stabilator. The wing ribs of the P.l were own rules, and in any case, it had little designed to have enough flexibility to real authority to invoke a suspension allow the wings to adequately warp for of Gilmour's flying activities. Never­ lateral control. In order to prevent dis­ theless, by the time the matter was re­ tortion, they were wrapped in can­ solved, the Circuit of Britain was over, vas for additional reinforcement. The and Gilmour had cost Bristol the 100­ wings of the P.l had a span of 30 feet 2 pound entry fee for number 57 and all inches, an area of 166 square feet, and the legal expenses involved in fight­ incorporated a slight amount of dihe­ ing the suspension. As it was, appar­ dral (angle unknown to this writer, as ently all P.ls, numbers 46,56, and 57, is the angle of incidence). were converted for use as single-place The flight controls of the P.l con­ trainers at the Bristol flying schools, sisted of a conventional V-jointed with 35-hp Anzani "Y" engines replac- stick- and foot-bar, the stick having a if)

square spade handle attached to the top. Wing warping of the P.I was quite similar to that of the Bleriot Type XI monoplane, the front spar being se­ curely fixed in sockets mounted to fit­ tings attached to the appropriate ash uprights. The rear spars, however, were free to pivot at their attachment fit­ tings . The 3/16-inch stranded wire wing-bracing for the forward spar was affixed to a dorsal cabane pyramid of oval steel tubing that was placed im­ mediately ahead of the cockpit. Differ­ ential wing-warping cables (for the left and right wing panels) connected to the stick ran to a rocking lever arm lo­ cated at the apex of a ventral vee-strut, located just under the cockpit. The lat­ eral control cables from the stick were in turn attached to the appropriate triple warping cables that ran to the underside of each rear wing spar via the rocking lever arm. Return carry­ through cables attached to the dorsal side of the rear spars completed the warping control system. These ran from the top of each wing's rear spar through tubular guides brazed to the rear side of the upper cabane pyramid.

All control wires in the P.ls were dupli­ cated in case of failure . The triple brace wires for the underside of the front spars were attached to the landing gear struts, with the exception of the inner­ most wire, which was attached to the lower fuselage longeron.

The unique low-aspect ratio stab i­ lator was pivoted on a steel tube that ran through the fuselage . As in all such designs, this feature created problems.

The warping would, of course, be rather stiff and much slower to respond than the stabilator. Despite the fact that it was aerodynamically balanced (with the pivot point ahead of the center of pressure), it would nevertheless be VINTAGE AIRPLANE

25

quite sensitive to any pitch input. The vertical rudder was arranged in the same manner as the stabilator, being mounted on a steel tube shaft. The sta­ bilator of the P.1 measured 7 feet in length (chord), had a span of 4 feet 2 inches (same as the distance between the main landing gear skids), and an area of 16 square feet. The stabilator had an interesting wire bracing sys­ tem . Small horns were mounted verti­ cally and placed on opposite sides of the fuselage. They served as an attach­ ment point for two cables that ran to the trailing edge of the stabilator, on both the dorsal and ventral sides.

Additional brace wires were at­ tached to each apex of the triangular stabilator wedge (the central segment was removed to allow the stabilator to fit around the fuselage) . The vaguely trapezoidal vertical rudder measured 2 feet high above the fuselage to the top of the mounting tube and was 3 feet 9 inches wide, which gave it a total area of about 7 square feet. Like the stabila­ tor, the entire surface moved and was mounted on a centralized tube that served as the pivot point.

Another unique feature of the P.1s were the landing gear nose skids.

These extensions of the landing gear strut skids were intended to prevent the aircraft from "nosing over." On the P.1, the skid extensions were sharply curved and incorporated a helical spring held in compression in order to allow the extensions to flex in the event of any nose-over mis­ hap. The main landing gear wheels were held in place by steel fittings at­ tached to the main skids and through an interconnecting axle that was sprung via an elastic cord for each wheel, which served as a shock ab­ sorber. Originally, a double rattan bow tailskid was used on Bristol Priers well into early 1912 when it appears as though a more conventional de­ sign was adopted, which was retrofit­ ted to some of the earlier aircraft.

As originally built, the P.1s used four diagonal steel rods to secure the 50-hp Gnome Omega. These were eliminated on subsequent airframes and were re­ moved once the Anzanis were substi­ tuted for the Gnomes and the aircraft 26

MAY 2007

became school machines. Apparently the P.1s were fitted with an 8-foot di­ ameter Normale mahogany propeller, which on subsequent machines was replaced by a Bristol propeller of 8.1 ­ foot diameter. An aluminum cowl was used on all Bristol Priers, some cover­ ing the fuselage as far aft as the cockpit area. At least the first P.1 had an aux­ iliary fuel tank located immediately ahead of the cockpit. The auxiliary tank had one of two instruments that were fitted to the P.l: a fuel gauge (the other being a tachometer). The main fuel tank of the P.1 was located imme-

BECAUSE OF ITS PROFOUND LACK OF STABILITY AND CONTROLLABILITY, FULTON WAS QUITE UNIMPRESSED BY THE P.1 . diately aft of the pilot's seat. Location of the oil tank for the Gnome engines is unclear but was probably just aft of the engine. The seats of Bristol Priers were of aluminum construction and were mounted on cables that ran be­ tween uprights on opposite sides of the fuselage. The fittings that held the suspension wires allowed the seat(s) to be adjustable-both vertically and horizontally. On the initial three P.1s, the wings, empennage, and fuselage were covered with Zodiac rubberized fabric. By 1912, this was replaced with conventional fabric, doped with a spe­ cial Bristol dope that was intended to provide a smooth finish.

Early in the fall of 1911, the Bristol Prier had aroused official interest. On September 5, 1911, Prier apparently demonstrated one of the original three P.1s to Capt. J.D.B . Fulton of the Air Battalion. Because of its profound lack of stability and controllability, Fulton was quite unimpressed by the P.l. His negative report was forwarded to the

director of fortifications at the British War Office, but it seems to have had little impact as Bristol works number 75 from the first batch of two-place "military" machines was subsequent­ ly purchased for 850 pounds in Janu­ ary of 1912. It was delivered to Larkhill on February 17, 1912. This aircraft was assigned the serial number B6 and was assigned to Number 2 (Aero­ plane) Company, Air Battalion, Royal Engineers. Demonstrated by Prier dur­ ing a brief six-minute flight, it was not flown by an Air Battalion pilot until March 17, when Lt. H.R.P. Richards made an equally brief eight-minute flight. B6 was flown again on April 26 whenitmadeamuch longer 37-minute flight, but it crashed on approach fol­ lowing an engine failure. The aircraft was then returned to Bristol's Filton works for repair before being returned to service on June 20. A second engine failure on that same day resulted in yet another crash, with serial number B6 nosing over and ending up on its back.

The aircraft was returned to Filton for a second time. The lack of sufficient stabilator control resulted in improve­ ments introduced at the suggestion of Bertram Dickson. These improvements, incorporated in most subsequent Bris­ tol Prier types, included a 2-foot 6-inch longer fuselage and a redesigned hori­ zontal stabilizer and elevator of more conventional design. The new hori­ zontal stabilizer was of roughly semi­ circular planform, and the elevator was roughly a rectangular single-piece surface mounted at the rear.

Well before B6 was purchased, Bristol had begun production of more Prier monop lanes. Eleven further machines, numbered 58, 71 ­ 76, 83, 84, 90, and 94, were built as two-place machines with 50 hp . Gnome engines (works num ­ ber 75, part of this batch, became the B6 once purchased by the War Office). It would appear that the two-place "military" depicted in The Aero (and in Vintage Airplane) was ei­ ther the Air Battalion's number 75 or one of the other initial produc­ tion 11 two-place machines.

Following the failure of Bristol to show at either the 1911 Gordon-Bennett

Cup Race or in the Circuit of Britain, the only remaining race of note in the United Kingdom was the British Empire Michelin Cup, Number 2. The race began at Brooklands on July 11, 1911, but despite the planned participation ofjames Valentine in number 56 (with the Isaacson radial), th is event proved to be abortive. In fact, the only British aircraft to com­ plete the 1,0lO-mile cross-country flight was flown by Ameri­ can expatriate (and naturalized British citizen) Samuel Franklin Cody, who placed fourth, flying his 1911 Circuit of Britain biplane. Nevertheless, despite the disappointing showings in the United Kingdom, a Bristol Prier was the only British ma­ chine to be displayed at the 1911 salon de I aeronautique, when it opened at Paris on December 16. Offered for sale at the price of 950 pounds, the Bristol Prier generated much interest af­ ter a flight over Paris by James Valentine two days prior to the opening of the show. During 1911, Bristol trained a total of 53 pupils, 18 at its Brooklands school and 35 at Salisbury Plain. The limited success of the Bristol Prier had in no way affected the success of Bristol's highly successful Boxkite bi­ plane, which proved to be an excellent trainer.

By January 1912, Bristol had 100,000 pounds of working capital. Bristol pilots Howard Pixton and Harry Busteed were henceforth dispatched to Spain. At an airfield near Madrid, Pixton gave demonstration flights before the king of Spain (Alphonso XIII), demonstrating that the Bristol Prier could land and take off from freshly ploughed fields . Busteed made the first aerial crossing of Madrid at an altitude of 5,000 feet, winning the Avia Cup in the process. Pixton pressed on to Johannisthal in Germany where he demonstrated the Bristol Prier to the fledgling German aviation corps, giving flights to some of those present. Later, Bristol was to sell Prier mono­ planes to Spain, Italy, Germany, and Turkey and opened flying schools in Italy and Germany. Several of the initial batch of 11 Bristol Priers went to Spain and Italy. Additionally, it is worth noting that works number 73 (number 14 painted on the rear fuselage) was fitted with a complex "clothesline" antenna for wireless experiments conducted at Hendon in 1912. In this configuration, number 73's antenna arrangement was sup­ ported by beams attached to the dorsal cabane and the verti­ cal rudder support tube, respectively, which incorporated one additional diagonal strut for support. Between the two beams, four wires fitted with ceramic insulators were strung in "tele­ phone pole" fashion. The front portion of the antenna ap­ peared to be a simple diagonal pole fixed to the front side of the apex of the cabane strut pyramid.

By mid 1912 when the British Aeronautics article on Bris­ tol Prier monoplanes was published, the design had evolved into several different versions: In addition to the two-place military there was the one-place popular and two-place school variants. This matter has unfortunately become quite con­ fused and requires some explanation. Prior to this, the origi­ nal three machines described in Flight had long since become single-place school machines, while the initial production batch of 11 two-place machines was somewhat different. [n addition to the obvious inclusion of a second tandem seat, the wing chord of the original three P.ls was stated to be 6 feet 2 inches. The Aero appears to give a more precise figure of 6 feet

All three above: The Prier P.I as shown in the September 30, 1911, edition of The Aero.

Another set of three views of the Prier, this one the side­ by-side sociable version.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

27

2.875 inches for the initial two-place Bristol Priers. Like the discrepancy in fuselage length, this is minor; how­ ever, the span of the initial production batch was apparently increased from the 30 feet 2 inches (span of the origi­ nal three Bristol Priers) to 32 feet 9.5 inches for the initial 11 two-place pro­ duction machines. That said, the next production batch of eight two-place machines (works numbers 82, 85, 87, 89, 91, 130, 155, and 156) appears to have incorporated the longer Dickson fuselage and conventional horizontal stabilizer and elevator. This is unfortu­ nately contrary to the Aeronautics ar­ ticle that shows the older empennage in its drawings.

There was also a different wing area, possibly due to an increased wingspan and almost certainly due to an increase in wing chord. Both Peter Lewis' Brit­ ish Aircraft 1809-1914 and the more re­ cent British Aircraft Before the Great War list the span as 34 feet . I have been un­ able to confirm this in the contempo­ rary sources, but it is possible that one or more of the second two-place pro­ duction batch were built with a greater span . Aeronautics indicates that the chord was increased to 6.4 feet, and the fuselage length was increased to 23.6 feet. The wing area was now stated to be 200 square feet, an increase of 7 square feet over the older two-place "military" variant, which is stated by Th e Aero to have had a wing area of about 193.754 square feet (this source gives the area as 193 square feet, 108.5 square inches). The term military is somewhat loosely applied, but it per­ tains to all tandem-seat, two-place Bristol Prier variants. The differences between the initial and latter produc­ tion batches resulted in somewhat dif­ ferent aircraft.

The weight of the initial two-place Bristol Prier is listed in The Aero as 660 pounds. This was 20 pounds higher than th e original P.I, which had an empty weight of 640 pounds and a loaded weight of 820 pounds. The loaded weight of the 1911 two-place military was about 1,080 pounds. The stated endurance of 3 hours and fuel consumption of th e Gnome Omega (0.59 pounds per hp-hr) would require 28 MAY 2007

M. Prier is shown in this photo of one of the first three P.ls, retrofitted with a three-cylinder Anzani for flight school work.

88.5 pounds of fuel (13.6 gallons). In any case, the 1912 two-place Bristol Prier "military" had an empty weight of 670 pounds and a gross weight of 1,200 pounds. Both two-place versions are stated to have an identical max­ imum airspeed of 60 mph, 8 mph slower than the P.1 fitted with a Gnome Omega (British Aircraft 1809-1914 lists a speed of 68 mph). The Aeronautics article makes the interesting distinc­ tion of mentioning that the two-place machine can be flown in either one­ place or two-place configuration due to the proximity of the passenger seat to the center of gravity. In any case, number 91 of the second batch of eight two-place machines was also purchased by the British War Office and was subsequently serial numbered as number 261 in military service. As in the earlier two-place version, the engine of the later two-place Bristol Prier "military" was a standard 50-hp Gnome Omega. The sole exception to this were two machines based on works number 82 that were constructed for Turkey. These two machines (works numbers unknown) were fitted with 70-hp Gnome Gammas.

The "popular" one-place Bristol Prier school machine mentioned in Aeronautics was similar to, but not quite the same as, the earlier P.1s. The Aeronautics description most closely matches that of works numbers 95 and 96 that were based on number 57 and sent to Italy. The description also applies to works numbers 97, 98, and 102 (used at the Bristol Larkh­ ill school), which were the same as numbers 95 and 96 except that they had the fixed horizontal stabilizers and elevators of the later machines, numbers 95 and 96 apparently retain­ ing the original triangular stabilator.

In any case, the "popular" appar­

ently had a somewhat shorter span of 29.5 feet (the Aeronautics drawing confusingly states that it is 10 me­ ters, or 32.81 feet). This indicates that the span was approximately 8 inches less than that of the original P.1s.

The wing chord may also have been slightly less (the Aeronautics text states that it was 6 feet). Whatever the actual case, the stated wing area is slightly less than number 57, being given as 160 square feet. The fuselage length also closely matches that of the origi­ nal three P.1s, the "popular" length being listed as 23 feet, the longer Dick­ son fuselage extension not being used on this variant. While the engine of the "popular" is stated to be a three­ cylinder 28-hp Anzani, most sources give the actual horsepower as 35 hp.

Empty weight of the one-place "popu­ lar" is listed as 450 pounds, and the loaded weight is given as 750 pounds.

The final Bristol Prier variant listed in the June 1912 Aeronautics article is a two-place school machine. How­ ever, other sources refer to this Bristol Prier variant as the sociable because of its side-by-side seating arrange­ ment. After Prier had left Bristol, and Henri Coanda (see the November 2006 Mystery Plane) had joined the company in January of 1912, Coanda decided to modify Prier's fuselage de­ sign to the side-by-side arrangement used on the Bieriot Type XI-2. While the Aeronautics article gives a span of 41.2 feet (12.55 meters listed on the article's drawing), British Aircraft Be­ fore the Great War states that the span was 34 feet. In any case, the Bristol Prier sociable retained the longer overall fuselage length of 27 feet (8.2 meters is listed on the article's multi­ view drawing). If one accepts the Aeronautics description, the chord of the sociable was 6.2 feet and the wing area was 247 square feet . The empty weight is listed as 800 pounds, and the speed is given as 40 mph. Once again, a 50-hp Gnome Omega was used as the standard powerplant; however, one may have had an 80-hp Gnome Lambda. Three or four socia­ bles were built (explained below) .

Throughout 1912, Bristol Priers con­ tinued to be flown in various events. At

the Hendon meet held on April 20-21, 1912, 22,000 admissions were paid to witness the racing event. James Valen­ tine placed first in the pylon race but was disqualified for overtaking B.C. Hucks on the inside. Valentine never­ theless made good on the Bristol Prier, later winning the Whitsun Race at Hendon. Bristol Priers were also flown in the Daily Mail's First Aerial Derby, James Valentine piloting a Bristol Prier with the race number 7 for the 460 pound grand prize.

Toward the end ofjuly 1912, Bris­ tol was forced to temporarily close its flying school at Salisbury Plain for the 1912 British military aircraft competition. Most aircraft were trans­ ferred to the Brooklands school and were placed under the control of Bris­ tol instructors Hotchkiss and Mer­ riam. However, M. Jullerot, Gordon England, Howard Pixton, and Harry Busteed stayed on at Salisbury Plain to look after the Bristol entries in the competition. Determined to make a good showing at Brooklands, eight Bristol machines flew 20 pupils over a one-week period, making more than 300 flights totaling 40 hours.

Typically, flying began at 4 a.m. and continued all day into the evening hours . Some students are reputed to have been roused from their noctur­ nal slumber by the instructors waking them with the aircraft. In any case, on average, one brevet was awarded each day. Among those who soloed during this period were Maj. J.F.A. Higgins, Capt. C.P. Michaels, A.M. MacDonnell, Lt. EE Waldron, Lt. K.P. Atkinson, Sydney Picks, R.G. Holyo­ ake, and Lindsay Campbell.

The Australian government, with the intent of forming the Australian Flying Corps, had sent Campbell to England. He qualified for his license on his 49th birthday, flying a Bristol bi­ plane. Unfortunately, this was marred by a fatal crash on August 3 while he was flying a Bristol Prier monoplane.

According to contemporary accounts, Campbell's engine cut out at 300 feet.

The aircraft then stalled and dove to­ ward the ground. He was able to make a recovery when the engine came back on, but he stalled a second time and

finally hit the ground. The aircraft was not very badly damaged, but Camp­ bell was thrown against the padded cockpit coaming and was fatally in­ jured. He was not using a seat belt.

Following the trials at Salisbury Plain, B6 was returned to service on August 22, 1912, now sporting the new Royal Flying Corps (RFC) se­ rial number 256. When tested by Capt. C.R.W. Allen and Lt. C.A. Bet­ tington it was found to climb and handle well with the new fuselage extension and empennage. It was subsequently assigned to Number 3 Squadron, and on September 17 was joined by the second RFC Bristol Prier "military," which was assigned the serial number 261 (Bristol works number 91). It is unfortunate that the monoplane ban went into effect only a short time later, and as such, little flying was done with either of the machines. However, they were still listed "on charge" on December 21, but by March 28, 1913, they were listed as "unallotted to squadron."

They were held at the RFC Flying De­ pot until they were finally struck off charge on August 5, 1913 . Interest­ ingly, Jack Bruce's Aeroplanes of the RFC (Military Wing) gives the span of Bristol Prier military number 256 as 32 feet 9.5 inches and lists the length as 23 feet 7.5 inches. (The span matches that of the initial produc­ tion batch, but the length is slightly greater.) He also states that the wing area was 200 square feet and lists the empty weight as 670 pounds in origi­ nal form, with a gross weight of 1,200 pounds. (These figures would seem to apply to number 261 from the sec­ ond two-place production batch.) In all, number 256 was flown only 8 hours 33 minutes, and number 261 was flown 4 hours 38 minutes before they were removed from service.

The safety record for Bristol Priers during 1913 and 1914 was as check­ ered as it had been in the previous two years. On July 17,1913, another was involved in a fatal accident at Lark­ hill, when Maj. Alexander Hewetson was killed while doing a figure-eight test at low altitude. He apparently over banked the aircraft and sideslipped to

the ground from 100 feet altitude. He had only been flying for two months at the time of the accident.

This was followed by a second ac­ cident barely six months later. On January 26, 1914, Bristol instruc­ tor Warren Merriam was flying a Bristol Prier sociable fitted with an 80-hp Gnome Lambda at Salisbury Plain. His student, G.L. Gipps, had taken his certificate (number 513) on June 23, 1913. The aircraft was not equipped with any instrumentation, and neither person was strapped in nor were they wearing crash helmets.

According to witnesses, the aircraft completed one circuit of the field at 80 feet altitude. The aircraft then per­ formed a violent flat turn, stalled, and dove into the ground. Gipps was killed, and Merriam was severely in­ jured but recovered. The accident is said to have been caused when Gipps resisted Merriam's rudder input. Gipps then relaxed his leg, which threw the vertical rudder hard-over, causing the crash. Whatever the cause, little more was heard of the Bristol Priers.

It is somewhat difficult to ascertain exactly how many Bristol Prier vari­ ants were built. According to Peter Lewis, three sociables were built, with works numbers 107, 108, and 109.

However, unless one also counts the sociable destroyed in the Merriam­ Gipps aCCident, the total doesn't agree with his total of 33. British Air­ craft Before the Great War states that 34 were built. Kenneth Munson's book Pioneer Aircraft 1903-1914 states that there were three original machines, followed by seven one-place "mili­ tary trainers," and 24 larger two-place machines, and of those, 11 had 50­ hp Gnomes. Without counting the Merriam-Gipps accident, I arrive at a total of 32, with certainty. There were three P.1s, 11 two-place 1911 military machines, five additional one-place school machines, eight 1912 military machines, two mili­ tary machines with 70-hp Gnomes built for Turkey, and three sociables.

Thus, if one does include the Mer­ riam-Gipps sociable, one does arrive at the figure given in British Aircraft 1809-1914.

.......

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

29

BY DOUG STEWART

Ainnanship Seeing as how the wind was blowing strongly enough to rattle the windows of my office (located in a trailer at the Columbia County Airport), I thought of filing a pilot report (PIREP) stating, "Moderate turbulence reported by a trailer parked beside the ramp ... " The wind was blowing so strongly on this post-frontal day that my client and I had decided to cancel our training session scheduled for that afternoon . Since, except for the wind, it was a beauti­ ful, severe-clear day, I figured I would use the free time to get some exercise. (An important ingredient in staying fit for flight, especially for those of us into our vintage years, which too often gets neglected or put off.)

As I headed to my car, I couldn't help but notice a flock of seagulls congregating around a huge puddle, left from yesterday'S rain. Some were in the air, and some remained on the ground. I watched those that were flying, and I thought to, Boy, I sure wish I had that kind of airmanship.

They don't seem at all flustered by the turbulent air. What oneness with their environment they seem to display.

That is what airmanship is all about, isn't it?

After I got home, changed clothes, and headed out on my bicycle, I found myself still engaged in thoughts about airmanship. How does one really define airmanship? Does airmanship lie solely within the realm of stick and rudder skills? If that were so, then maybe those seagulls surely displayed it. But some might argue that airmanship tran­ scends stick and rudder skills. "Does not airmanship also encompass judgment and decision-making skills?" they ask. Others would say that airmanship must also include knowledge, and still others would say that airmanship should include ethical behavior. If all these were so, then those seagulls were falling short of the mark.

As my body struggled with propelling my bike into the headwind, my mind continued its struggle to really wrap itself around the concept of airmanship. I think that most of us pilots might be challenged to fully define airman­ ship, but we could state, as did Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart (no relation) did in 1964 in reference to 30

MAY 2007

another subject, "I know it when I see it."

If it is difficult to define airmanship, might it be even harder to find guidance on how to develop good airman­ ship? Whereas numerous sources encourage the acquiSi­ tion of airmanship as one of the primary goals of all pilots, few, if any, really provide concrete steps on how to achieve this state of being. As I pondered this question, the answer suddenly came clearly to mind: The Aviators' Model Code of Conduct (AMCC). This document not only encourages us to "seek excellence in airmanship," it also goes on to give numerous steps and suggested practices to achieve it.

The AMCC is a fantastic document available to every­ one, either online, at www.SecureAv.com. or from a variety of flight schools as well as airplane distributors and dealers.

(In fact I provide everyone of my clients with a copy of the AMCC.) It was created by Michael Baum, with the editorial oversight of a permanent editorial board. The AMCC "is a living document, intended to be updated periodically to reflect changes in aviation practices and the aviation en­ vironment." There are versions of the AMCC created not only for pilots in general, but specific versions for seaplane pilots, glider pilots, student pilots, and sport pilots as well.

The introduction to the AMCC states: "The Aviators' Model Code Of Conduct (Code of Conduct) presents broad guidance and recommendations for General Aviation (GA) pilots to improve airmanship, flight safety, and to sustain and improve the GA community.

"The Code ofConduct presents a vision of excellence in GA aviation. Its principles both complement and supplement what is merely legal. The Code ofConduct is not a 'standard' and is not intended to be implemented as such."

It is not all that often that we find things in aviation that are purely altruistic; however, it is my feeling that the AMCC is exactly that. It is 100 percent free and avail­ able to all who seek to use it. Furthermore, anyone who chooses to "may use the Aviators' Model Code ofConduct as a resource for code of conduct development, although it is recommended that this be supported by independent

research on the su itability of its principles for specific or local applications and situations. It is not intended to pro­ vide legal advice and must not be relied upon as such ."

The Code of Conduct consists of the fo ll owing seven sections (each containing princip les and sample recom­ mended practices).

• General Responsibilities of Aviators • Passengers and People on th e Surface • Training and Proficiency • Security • Environmental Issues • Use of Techn ology • Advancement and Promotion of General Aviation Sample Recommended Practices are basic suggestions fo r using the Code of Conduct principles and tailorin g the principles to specific aviation comm un ities and organiza­ tions . " . . . the Sample Recomme nd ed Practi ces m ay be modified to satisfy t he u nique capa bil ities and requ ire­ ments of each pilot, mission, aircraft, an d GA orga niza ­ tion." (As I said before, truly altruistiC!) If one seeks to delve deeper into th e AMCC, there is a commentary available on li ne that provides d iscu ssion , interpretive guidance, and suggested ways to adopt th e Code of CondL~ct . If one is of a scholarly bent, Mr. Baum defi nitely provides far-reaching research and documenta­ tion of a vast variety of views on the sub jects presented in t h eAMCC. The AMCC can benefit pilots in numerous ways, some

of these being: high lighting importa nt practices to ma ke pi lots better, safer aviators; promoting im proved p il ot training, better airmanship, appropriate pilo t condu ct, personal responsibility, and p ilot co ntributions to the GA community and society at large; encouraging the develop­ ment and adoption of good judgment and eth ica l behav­ ior; advanCing self-regulation through the GA community as an alternative to government regu lation; and promot­ ing GA and making flying a more rewarding experience.

It seems that t h ere is n o overw h elm in g conse n su s among pilots as to the exact definition of airmans h ip.

It includes skill, knowledge, understanding, and ethical behavior amongst other things. It seems clear to me that the Aviators' Model Code of Conduct add resses every pos­ sib le meaning that one might come up wit h . The fact that the AMCC has as one of its umbrella provisions "seek excellence in airmanship" demonstrates t hat the entire document embodies this concept. As one implementer of the Code has stated, "You want to kn ow t he mean ing of airmanship to me? The AMCC. That's it. Now try to pu t that in one word ...."

What is so neat about the AMCC is that it not only defines airmanship, it then goes on to offer numerous sug­ gested practices to achieve it. May you seek exce llence in airmanship as you seek ... blue skies and ta il winds.

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Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year, a NAFI Master Instructor, and a designated pilot examiner. He oper­ ates DSFI Inc (www.DSFlight.com). based at the Co lumbia County Airport (181). .......

VINTAGE AI RPLA NE

31

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~

~ MERCURY

JAGUAR

BY BUCK HILBERT

Complications Over the years, I've seen things that didn't fully impact me until re­ cently. The impact of new technology has begun to affect me. I see my grand­ children doing things with comput­ ers, setting up programs on the DVD players, and accomplishing things in a flash that are completely baffling to me.

I see the trend toward glass panels and navigation systems in the new "plastic" airplanes and even the old standby Cessnas and Mooneys. All this wonderful computer-based high-tech stuff is being gobbled up with great en­ thusiasm by the "new breed" of avia­ tion people.

The computer-based training pro­ grams and the computer flying games (and they are games) that simulate fly­ ing a World War I fighter plane or a Boeing 747 are fantastic. The computer is an unbelievable tool for education.

Somehow, though, all this high-tech stuff has passed much of my generation by. Many of us feel like what I heard one man say: "Now I know what my dog feels like watching television."

Sure, using these new systems, with their ability to navigate while keeping track of where it (and the airplane!) has been and where it is gOing, and in the case of the newer airlines, even make position reports back to base, are amaz­ ing. They can bring the airplane right into position for the final approach and landing; these systems are indeed won­ derful and definitely safer.

I've heard it said that the airliner crew of the future would be one cap­ tain and a dog. With all this auto­ mated equipment, the dog is there to bite the pilot if he touched anything.

All thi s is true, and it's here ... and here's what I mean when I say "his-

tory repeats itself."

When I first began my airline career it was in the Douglas DC-3. Most of the old "threes" had thousands of hours on them. Some of the pilots I flew with at that time were in the sunset of their airline careers and were awaiting retire­ ment age. I couldn't help but wonder why these old-timers hadn't moved on and up into the newer equipment com­ ing onto the scene. It was the era of the beautiful DC-6 (its "B" model) and, in the case of some airlines, the new Constellations. When I asked some of them , the answers were usually that they didn't want to go to any school, or they were comfortable where they were, or they didn't want to get into something "new." Here's the answer that was closest to the truth : "It's too darn complicated!"

Going back even further, I was re­ minded that some of the early, and I do mean early, airmail pilots couldn't or wouldn't make the transition to instru­ ment flying. They quit because it was too complicated and took the "fun" out of the job. Many of those guys are the individuals who became barnstormers.

The next step in the evolution of the high technology of the time was the enclosed cockpit, or the cabin. Again, there were negative reactions from some of the pilots. "I can't hear the wires," "I need the wind in my face," or "I can't feel and tell what the airplane is doing." "It's too complicated. I quit!"

Then along came the radio and its invasion of privacy and the thought that it was diluting the captain's au­ thority. Now radios can irritate me with questions as to where I am and when am I going to get there.

Back then radio navigation super­

seded the airway beacons. Now the pi­ lot has to navigate with some precision down an airway while listening to the "beam," make instrument approaches using time and distance, and be obli­ gated to use minimums. Minimums for takeoff and for landing, and you can't even make an approach unless the weather reported is at or above mini­ mums. Many wonderfully competent "stick and rudder" pilots never made the transition and either quit by choice or simply failed to make the grade now being enforced by regulation.

Regulation began with the Aero Club of America. It was a sort of voluntary thing at first, until about 1926, when along came the Department of Com­ merce and the beginning of the regula­ tory bodies we know today. It took until 1938, when the Civil Aeronautics Act became law, to weed out the outlaws.

There were those who rebelled at losing their freedom to fly, and they just quit.

Learning to comply with all the rules was just "too complicated."

And so it goes. Some quit when go­ ing to multiengine airplanes. Too com­ plicated! More dropped out and quit when the medical requirements became law. Too complicated! As change takes place, there is always pain for some. It becomes too complicated for them, de­ spite the joy and enthusiasm the high­ techies exhibit.

Do we quit flying, trumpeting the phrase "too complicated," or do we make an effort to get with the new?

There are those who can make it, and there are those who find it "too compli­ It cated. " Which are you?

(( ~tJ.ci VINTAGE AIRPLANE

33

BY H.G. FRAUTSCHY

THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY PLANE IS PART OF THE EAA LIBRARY COLLECTION.

Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to be in no later t h an June 15 for inclu sion in the August 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane.

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

FEBRUARY ' S MYS TE RY ANSW E R Here's our first let­ ter abo ut the February Mystery Plane, from someone with intimate knowledge of the fami­ ly's history: A.K . Longren built the March Mystery Plane in the mid 1930s. It was built to compete with Stearman for a military trainer contract. It was one of the first all alumi­ num skinned airplanes.

I have done a lot of re­ 34

MAY 2007

search on the plane. Three were built, and two were stress tested. One flew and was later taken to California and owned by Longren Aircraft Corp. of Torrance, California. The plane num­ ber was L-13. It had an inverted four­ cylinder inverted engine . I hope to build a replica someday. The symbol on the side was four L's rotating around the seal of Kansas. A.K. Longren was my great uncle.

Jerry Longren Manhattan, Kansas And from another Kansan: This one is a Longren NL-13, built

by A.K. Longren in either Topeka or Wichita, Kansas. This is serial number 2; I have never seen a photo of number 1. It used the little Martin 120-hp in­ verted inline engine. Longren kept this ship at the Cessna airport where he worked in 1936-1940. Longren moved to Torrance, California, where it was last registered. A tip-off on this one is Longren's logo on the fuselage.

Some historians may remember that A.K. Longren built and flew the first airplane in Kansas in 1912, a pusher, similar to a Curtiss. Lon­ gren also built and sold several con­ ventional biplanes and three with composite (hard rubber material) that went to the Navy, all prior to World War 1.

Walt House Wichita, Kansas And a bit more on the subject: The subject Mystery Plane ap­ pears to be the Longren NL-13 c/n 2 (X12538), built in 1932 by Albin K. Longren (1882-1950) in Kansas City, Missouri. Longren had been a de­ sign consultant for Butler Manufac­ turing Co. during the certification of the Butler Blackhawk and built the NL-13 in the Butler facility with help from Butler employees. Butler had ceased production by that time in the depths of the Great Depression. The NL-13 had an all-metal airframe ex­ cept for wooden wing spars and the fabric wing covering. The engine was a 120-hp Martin 333 inverted inline with four cylinders. The X12538 was

the only NL-13 built (See Jerry's letter at left; there seems to be some discrepancy in the number built.-HGF) and was not successful in reaching production, although it was an early example of formed aluminum aircraft structures.

My information comes from Aero­ files.com and from Chuck (Charles E.) Lebrecht's fine article entitled "A.K. Longren - Pioneer Airman of the West" published in the Journal of

the American Aviation Historical Society, Volume 26, Number 4, Winter 1981, pages 258-270. Lebrecht's article gives a great view of Longren's career as an aircraft designer and manufacturer.

Jack Erickson State College, Pennsylvania Other correct answers were received from George Otto Snook, Monroe, Mich­ igan; Tom Lymburn, Princeton, Minne­ sota; and Wesley R. Smith, Springfield, Illinois. Also, it should be noted that Wayne Van Valkenburgh ofJasper, Geor­ gia, correctly answered our February Mystery Plane, as did Tom Lymburn.

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*00 you or your spouse work for a matching gift company? If so, this gift may qualify for a matching donation. Please ask your Human Resources department for the appropriate form.

NameofCompany ______________________________________________________ The Vintage Aircraft Association is a non-profit educational organization under IRS SOlc3 rules. Under Federal Law, the deduction from Federal Income tax (or charitable contributions is limited to the amount by which any money (and the value o(any property other than money) contributed exceeds the value o(the goods or services provided in exchange (or the contribution. An appropriate receipt acknowledging your gift will be sent to you (or IRS gift reporting reasons.

36

MAY 2007

DHC-2 de Havilland

Beaver continued from page 23

tage airplanes and included 4,000 miles touring the Australian Outback. That sounded like the kind of thing we'd like to do with the new airplane, so we shipped the Stearman to Sydney, where we had barely a day and a half to get the airplane together and fly one test hop before taking off with the rest. See Doug's website, www.VectoredFlight.com. for more information. All profits of DVD sales go to the Royal Flying Doc­ tor Service of Australia. liThe tour had nine airplanes on it that included three Stearmans, Chip­ munks, and Tiger Moths. The trip was really different. It was like flying over the red planet of Mars./I Out of that experience came some possible plans for the new airplane in the near future. Amongst them are the following: • Circumnavigate the entire state of Alaska.

• Explore the North Island of New Zealand.

• Put it on wheels and crisscross South Africa.

• Fly the entire circumference of Australia.

• Thoroughly explore the east coast of Australia.

When asked if he'd do anything dif­ ferently, were he to tackle another project like this, Doug said, "This took entirely too long. Over six years. My helper could only put about 20 hours a week into it, and I need more help than that. That last year was agonizing because it was so close but not close enough. As it was, we only had nine hours on the Hobbs when we left for Oshkosh. liMy wife, Robbi, has been wonder­ fully understanding and supportive through this entire process. She actu­ ally made it quite easy, which is im­ portant. Now maybe we can all enjoy the airplane. I'd also like to thank Rob Richie, director of maintenance and the smartest Beaver guy on the planet of Kenmore Air, for all the advice and support he provided during the resto­ ....... ration of this great aircraft./I

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VINTAGE AI RPLANE

37

TAiLW~EEL5 The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of information only and does not consti­ tute approval, sponsorsh ip, involvement, control, or direction of any event (fiy-in, seminars, fiy market, etc.) listed. To sub­ mit an event, send the information via mail to: Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Or e-mail the information to: vintageaircraft@eaa . org. Information should be received four months prior to the event date.

MAY 4-6-Burlington, NC-Alamance County Airport (KBUY). VAA Chapter 3 Spring Fly-In. All classes welcome. BBQ on field Fri. Evening, EAAjudging all classes Sat., Banquet Sat. Nite. Info: Jim Wilson 843­ 753-7138 or eiwilson@homexpressway.net MAY 6-Lock Haven, PA-William T. Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Pancake Breakfast Fly-In to Benefit Sentimental Journey Fly-In 8 am-12 pm. All you care to eat pancake breakfast $5 Adults, $3 children under age 10. Piper Aviation Museum open for tours. Call 570-893-4200 or 748-5123 for more information. j3cub@kcnet.org WWW. sentimentaljourneyfly-in.com

MAY IS-San Martin CA-Annual Wings of History Aircraft Museum and South County Airport Fly-in and Open House. Food, old­ time tractors, airplanes, EAA Chapter 62 Young Eagles flights and free museum tours. 8am-4pm. Peggy Jones, Event Director, Wings of History Air Museum plj4peggy@aol.com 831-663-6935

MAY 20-Warwick, NY(N72)-EAA Chapter 501 Annual Fly-In, 10:00 AM- 4:00 PM, all classes welcome, Registration for judging closes @1:00 PM, food & beverages available, for info:973-838-7485, 201­ 444-1524, or e-mail flyin07@eaa501.org MAY 3'1-JUNE 2-Bartlesville, OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO). 21st Annual Biplane Expo. Info: Charlie Harris 918-622-8400 www.biplaneexpo.com

JUNE SolO-Union, IL-Poplar Grove Airport Army Wings and Wheels. Info Vintage Wings & Wheels Museum 815-547-3115 Tom Murray hiwheel@sbcglobal.net JUNE 14-17-St. Louis, MO-Dauster Rying Field Creve Coeur Airport (lHO). American Waco Club Fly-In. Info: Phil Coulson 269­ 624-6490 or rcou/son516@cs.com WWW. americanwacoclub.com

JUNE 20-2l--Lock Haven, PA-William T. Piper Memorial Airport (LHV) Sentimental Journey Fly-In . Family oriented fly-in featuring antique and classic aircraft of all makes and models, especially PIPERS! Seminars, vendors, food, camping, and entertainment daily. Come for the day or the week! Call 570-893-4200 or 748­ 5123 for more information. j3cub@kcnet. org www.sentimentaljourneyfly-in.com

JUNE 21-24-Mt Vernon Ohio-Wynkoop Airport (6G4) 48th Annual National Waco Club Reunion. Check WWW. nationalwacoclub.com for more information and contact information. Or email/call Andy Heins, 937 313 5931 wacoaso@aol.com MAY 2007

38

DAVE BROWN C 2WJ

JUNE 22-24-Gardner, KA-Gardner Municipal Airport, (K34) Greater KC VAA Chapter 16 Fly-in Contact Kevin Pratt 816-985-3248 JUNE 3O--Chetek, WI-The Chetek WI (Y23) 9AM car show, craft fair and show, a professional horse pull and a water ski show. Plenty of food and drink available throughout the day. For more info contact Chuck Harrison 715-456-8415 fixdent@ chibardun.net or Tim Knutson 715-237­ 2477 n3nknut@citizens-tel.net JULY 6-8--Alliance, Oh (2Dl)-Taylorcraft and Ohio Aeronca Aviator's Fly-In. See the airplanes built in Alliance, OH & Middletown, OH and the people that built them. Camping, motels, food all day. fbarber@alliancelink.com 330823-1168 bwmatzl1ac@yahoo.com 216337-5643 http://www.oaafly-in.com. see www.barberaircraft.com for airport diagrams. Breakfast served Sat & Sun 7AM to 11AM by EAA Chapter # 82 AUGUST 5-Queen City, MO-Applegate Airport (15MO). 20th Annual Watermelon Ry-In & BBQ. 2pm 'til dark. Come and see grass roots aviation at it's best. Info: 660-766-2644 AUGUST 5-Chetek, WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23). BBQ Fly-In. 10:30am Warbird displays, antique and unique airplanes, antique & collector car displays, and raffles for airplane rides.

Procedes will be given to local charities.

Info: Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924­ 4501, Cell 715-456-8415, fixdent@ chibardun.net; Tim Knutson - Home 715-237-2477, Cell 651-308-2839, n3nknut@citizens-tel.net AUGUST 18--Forest Lake, MN-(25D)-Airport Fly-in and Open House lOam - 4pm. 24­ hour gas and 24-hour grass: 3000-foot 31/13. Forest Lake Lions serve brats, corn-on-the-cob and ice cream . 100LL is available John Schmidt EAA 250021 St. Paul , Minnesota 651 776 1717 AUGUST 17-19-McMinnville, OR-25th Annual West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate the Rebirth of the Travel Air. Expected to be the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs in recent times. Held in conjunction with the Northwest Antique

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Airplane Club Event. Info: Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746 AUGUST IS-Brookfield, WI-Capitol Airport (02C). Ice Cream Social and vintage Aircraft Display, VAA Chapter 11. Dean London, 262-442-4622 SEPTEMBER I -Marion, IN-Marion Municipal Airport (MZZ). 17th Annual Fly-In Cruise-In . 7:00am until 2:00pm.

This annual event features antique, classic, homebuilt, ultralight and warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars , trucks, motorcycles, and tractors . An all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is served, with all proceeds going to the local Marion High School Marching Band. www.FlylnCruiseln.comlnfo: Ray Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnson@ indy.rr.com SEPTEMBER 2-Mondovi, WI-21st Annual Log Cabin Airport Ry-In. Doug Ward, Owner/ Operator, 715-287-4205. Lunch @ noon.

SEPTEMBER 8-Newark, Ohio-Newark­ Heath Airport (VTA) Annual Fly-In/Drive­ In Breakfast "Pancakes and More," Young Eagles Flights, Vintage Airplanes, Classic Cars, Tom McFadden 740-587­ 2312; email: EAA402@adelphia.net SEPTEMBER 21-22-Bartlesville, OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO). 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In. Antiques, ClaSSiCS, Light Sport, Warbirds, Forum, Type Clubs. Info: Charlie Harris 918-622­ 8400 www.tu/saflyin.com OCTOBER S-7-Camden, SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN). VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In. All classes welcome. BBQ on field Fri. Evening. EAA judging all classes Sat. Banquet Sat. Nite. Info: Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson@ homexpressway. net October 5-7-St. Louis, MO-Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) The Monocoupe Club Fly-In & Reunion www.monocoupe.com October IO-I4-Tuliahoma, TN-"Beech Birthday Party 2007" Staggerwing, Twin Beech 18, Bonanza, Baron, Beech owners& enthusiasts. Info 931­ 455-1974

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2007 MAJOR FLy-INS For details on EAA Chapter fly·ins and other local avi· ation events, visit www.eaa.orgjevents EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas Ry·ln Hondo Municipal Airport (HOO), Hondo, TX June 1·2, 2007 www.SWRFI.org

Something to

buy,

sell,

or trade?

Classified Word Ads: $5 .50 per 10 words, 180 words maximum, with boldface lead-in on first line.

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

Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired issue date

Golden West EAA Regional Ry·ln Yuba County Airport (MYV), Marysville, CA June 29-July 1, 2007 www.GoldenWestFlyln.org Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Ry-In Front Range Airport (FTGl. Watkins, CO June 23-24, 2007 wwwRMRFI.org

(i.e., January 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA reserves the right to reject any advertiSing in conflict with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per issue. Classified ads are not accepted via phone. Payment must accompany order.

Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail (classads@eaa.orltJ using credit card payment (all cards accepted) . Include name on card, complete address, type of card, card number, and expiration date. Make checks payable to EAA. Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classified Ad Manager,

Arlington EAA Ry-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWOl. Arlington, WA July 11-15, 2007 www.NWEAA.org EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH), Oshkosh, WI July 23-29, 2007 www.AirVenture.org EAA Mid-Eastern Regional Ry-In Mansfield Lahm Airport, Mansfield, OH August 25-26, 2007 http://MERFI.info Virginia Regional EAA Ry-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTB), Petersburg, VA October 6-7, 2007 www.VAEAA.org EAA Southeast Regional Ry-In Middleton Reid Airport (GZH), Evergreen, AL October 12-14,2007 www.SERFI.org Copperstate Regional EAA Ry-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28, 2007 www.copperstate.org

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

Airplane T-Shirts 150 Different Airplanes Available WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR AIRPLANE! www.airplanetshirts.com 1-800-645-7739

Flying wires available. 1994 pricing.

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

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

A&P I.A.: Annual, 100 hr. inspections.

Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 Ohio - statewide.

CUSTOM PRINTED T-SHIRTS for your flying club, flight shop, museum. Free samples. Call 1-800-645-7739 or 1­ 828-654-9711

BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod bearings, main bearings,bushings, master rods, valves, piston rings. Call us Toll Free 1-800-233-6934, e-mail ramremfg@ aol.com Website www.ramengine.com VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS, N. 604 FREYA ST., SPOKANE, WA 99202 1946 C-140 3500TT, 450 TSMOH, Metal wings, many mods, paint 9, int 7, comm, atc/enc. $22.500.00 918-809­ 5509 cwdenton1@cox.net

Aircraft Construction and Restoration, Russ Lassetter, Cleveland, GA. 706­ 348-7514 VINTAGE AIRPLANE

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VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President Geoff Robison 1521 E. MacGregor Dr. New Haven, IN 46774

Vice·President George Daubner

260-493-4724

2448 Lough Lane Hartford, WI 53027 262-673-5885

chie{7025@nol.com

vaa{lyboy@msl1.com

Secretary Steve Nesse

Treasurer Charles W. Harris

2009 Highland Ave. A lbert Lea, M N 56007 507 -373- 1674

7215 East 46th St. Tulsa, OK 74 147 918-622-8400

stnes@deskmedia.com

(wh@hvsu.com

DIRECTORS Steve Bender

Jea nnie Hill

85 Brush Hill Road Sherborn, MA 01770 508-653-7557 sst ]()@comcast.l1et

P.O. Box 328 Harvard, I L 60033-0328 815-943-7205 dillshao@owc. net

David Bennett

Espie "Butch" Joyce

375 Killdeer Ct Lincoln, CA 95648 9 16-645 -8370 ulltiquer@inreach.(om

John Berendt 7645 Echo POint Rd. Ca nn on Falls, MN 55009 507-263-2414

mjbfclrld@rconrlect.com Dave Clark 635 Vesta l Lan e Plainfield, IN 46168 317-839-4500 dav(!cpd@iqllt'st. llet John 5. Copela n d

lA Deacon Street Northborough, MA 0 1532 508-393-4775 copelandl@jllllo.com

704 N . Regional Rd.

Greensboro, NC 27409 33 6-668-3650 windsock@aoi.com

Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln. Hartford, WI 53027 262-966-76 27 sskrog@aoi. cOln

Robert D. " Bob" Lumley 1265 South 124th 51.

Brookfield, W I 53005 262-782-2633 illmper@execpc.coln

Gene Morris 5936 Steve Court Roanoke, TX 76262 817-49 1-9110 genelIl0rris@ciJarter. llet

Phil Coulson

Dean Richardson

284 15 Spring brook Dr. Lawton, MI 49065 269-624-6490 rcolli.son516({Pcs.co m

1429 Kings Lyn n Rd Stoughton, WI S3589 608-877-8485 da r@april£1ire.com

Dale A. G usta fson

S.H. "Wes" Schmi d

7724 Shady Hills Dr.

2359 Lefeber Aven ue Wauwatosa, WI 532 13

Indianapolis, IN 46278 317-293-4430 daie(aye@msll,COlll

414-771-1545 siJscilmici@milwpc.com

DIRECTORS EMERITUS Gene Chase 2159 Carlton Rd.

E.E. "Buck" Hilbert

Oshkosh, WI 54904 920-23 1-5002

Union, IL 60180

GRCHA@)ciJarter.llet

buck7ac(g)dls.net

8102 Leech Rd. 815-923-4591

Ronald C. Fritz 15401 Spa rta Ave. Kent C i ty, MI 49330 616-678-5012

Membershi~ Services Directory ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND EAA's VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

~

EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800

Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Sites: www.vintageaircra(t.org, www.airventure_org, www.eaa .org/memberbene(its E-Mail: vintageaircra(t@eaa.org EAA and Division Membership Services Flying Start Program ............ 920-426-6847 800-843-3612 ........ .. ... FAX 920-426-6761 Library Services/Research ... . .... 920-426-4848 (8:00 AM-7:00 PM Medical Questions.............. 920-426-6112 Monday-Friday CST) Technical Counselors . ___ .. . . .. _920-426-6864 -New/renew memberships: EAA, Divi5ions Young Eagles . ....... . . __ .. . . . _877-806-8902 (Vintage Aircraft Association, lAC, Warbirds), National Association of Flight Instructors Benefi ts (NAFI) AVA Vintage Insurance Plan ..... 800-727-3823 -Address changes EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan ..... 866-647-4322 -Merchandise sales Term Life and Accidental . ....... 800-241-6103 -Gift memberships Death Insurance (Harvey Watt & Company) EAA Platinum VISA Card .. 800-853-5576 ext. 8884 Programs and Activities EAA Aircraft Financing Plan . ___ 866-808-6040 EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory EAA Enterprise Rent-A-Car Program ......... . .. __ . _. . . . _.. _. _. . . 732-885-6711 .......................... 877-GA1-ERAC Auto Fuel STCs ... . ... _... _.. .. 920-426-4843 Editorial ....... . .............. 920-426-4825 Build/restore information ........ 920-426-4821 VAA Office ............ .. .. FAX 920-426-6865 Chapters: locating/organizing .... 920-426-4876 Education........... . ..... . ... 888-322-3229 - EAA Air Academy EAA Aviation Foundation - EAA Scholarships Artifact Donations .... . ....... _920-426-4877 Flight Advisors information ... _. . 920-426-6864 Financial Support. . . . . . . . . . . .. 800-236-1025 Flight Instructor information .. ... 920-426-6801

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA Membership in th e Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is $40 for one year, includ­ ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION. Family membership is an additional $10 ann ually.

Junior Membersh ip (under 19 yea rs of age) is available at $23 annually. All m ajor credit cards accepted for membership. (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage.)

EAA SPORT PILOT C urren t EAA m emb ers may add EAA SPORT PILOT m agazine for an addition al $20 per year.

EAA Membe r ship a nd EA A SPORT PILO T magaZine is available for $40 per year (SPOR T AVIATION magaZine not in­ cluded) . (A dd $16 for Foreign Postage.)

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION C u rren t EAA m embers may join th e Vintage Airc raft Association and receive VINTAGE A IRPLA NE magaZine for an ad ­ ditional $36 per year.

EAA Membership, VIN TA GE AIRPLANE magaZine and one year 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

Current EAA members may join the In terna tional Aeroba ti c C lub, Inc. Divi­ sio n a nd receive SPORT AEROBATICS m agazine for an additional $45 per year.

EAA Membersh ip, SPORT AEROBAT­ ICS magazin e and one year membership in t h e lAC Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIA TION magazine n o t inclu d ed). (Add $18 f o r Foreig n Postage.)

WARBIRDS Current EAA members may join the EAA Warbirds of America Division .and receive WA RBIRDS magaZine for an additional $45 per year. > EAA Membership, WAjlBIrR DS maga­ zine and one year membership in the Warb irds Division is ava ilable for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in­ cl uded) _(A dd $7 for Foreign Postage.)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please sub m it your remittance with a ch eck or d raft drawn on a Uni t ed States ba n k payable in Uni ted States dollars. Add requ ired Foreign Postage amou nt for each membership.

rFritz@pathwaYf let.cUl1l

Membership dues to EM and its divisions are not tax ded ucti ble as charitable contributions Copyright ©2007 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association. All rights reserved.

VINTAGE AIRPlANE (USPS 062-750: 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 whjch joe" Ides 12 iSS'les of \/jotage Aicplane magazine, is $36 per year for EM members and $46 for non-EM members. Periodicals Postage peid 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 deliver; of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail. ADVERnSING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee

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

EDITORIAL POLICY: Members 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 remuneration 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 EM 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.

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MAY 2007