Restoration Corner

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 restoring an airplane with attendant sore hands, tired muscles, and a flat pocketbook-only to suddenly realize that now you have to fly the critter! To enlighten us on the many details of flying a newly rebuilt airplane for the first time, we asked the old master, Sylvester "Steve" Wittman, to give us his thoughts on the proper procedure.

The first item on the agenda, according 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 upward, 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" lowers 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 measurements, 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 stabilizer 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 rotation. "This was a bunch of gobbledygook!" according to Steve. "I once flew Bonzo into Cleveland for the National Air Races, only to read a story in the evening paper claiming that it couldn't fly! Supposedly, 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 "antitorque" as it goes by the wing, allowing 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 endeavors! 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 alignment, brakes, tailwheel control, rudder effectiveness at low speeds, and control pressures in general. This author well remembers a Minnesota pilot 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 proceeds 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 nosehigh attitude, h e knows it will make a three-point landing. (And a minimum of 1,500 feet is the best insurance you can have when doing 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

Steve Wittman and a 40-hp Taylor E-2 Cub. normal three-point attitude! a red and silver Porterfield. Anxious to take it up for the first flight, he taxied downwind to the far end of the hard surface runway. As he came to the end of the runway, he stepped on the brakes ...in that same instant he remembered he had not connected the brakes! The Porterfield went off the end of the runway into tall grass where it promptly went up on its nose, shattering the new wooden propeller and bending nose metal.

Steve Wittman's wise words, coming from 60 years of experience: "Don't fly until you are ready to fly. And when ready, have your mind made up-don't extend the agony!" Steve relates how they once lost a Knight Twister at Oshkosh because the pilot wasn't sure what he wanted to do. Making a high-speed taxi down the runway with the tail in the air, the pilot abruptly closed The only option left was to make a tail-high wheel landing, which he did with the usual Wittman finesse. After the flight, he wondered what might have happened if the engine had failed, as it would have been an absolute bearcat to land without the power. Curiously, the owner never gave so much as a hint of the weird flight characteristics before the flight! The nearest thing to such an unusual flight envelope in a commercial airplane was a twin-engine pusher amphibian that Steve was invited to try from the copilot's seat. Following takeoff, Steve says, "I was in the right seat as we leveled off in cruise and the pilot turned it over to me. After a few turns, I slowed the bird to check the stall. The pilot looked over at me and said, "Watch it, it comes off the hook pretty fast! " Believe me, never in my life have I heard a better 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, "Toein is the worst of the two, as it exacerbates 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 nothing 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 weatherchecked 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 protuberances. Be very critical of any intersections of less than 90 degrees, as they create extra drag. Round tubes should be fa ired to a streamline 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 Steveand 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. .......

The story of the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation Part I

BY AL KELCH

Preface two-part story in two 1960 issues ofAmerican Airman, ex1982-The following three-part article on the Thomas tensively researched by Frank Strand with a great deal otorigiMorse Aircraft Corp., although extensively edited and further nal contact with William Thomas Sr. researched by me, should be credited to Robert G. Elliott of Frank had permission to use all ofthe material he had gathDaytona Beach, Florida, who sought out William T. Thomas ered to put together one more article specially tailored tor VinJr., still living in Daytona Beach. Mr. Thomas generously tage Airplane magazine on the Tommy-Morse Scout at World shared pictures and recollections of his father plus some ma War I tame. For the real Tommy buffs, it would pay to seek out terial from the personal collections of Paul D. Wilson, one of his extensive two-part story in the American Airman tor June the three original test pilots. Robert submitted to me fresh ma and July 1960. Frank also did Profile No. 68 published by Proterial on the earlier portions of the Thomas airplane venture. file Publications Ltd., P.O. Box 26, lA North St., Leatherhead, On researching several older articles, I zeroed in on a wonderful Surrey, England.

William T. Thomas, the ingeniOUS guiding light of the whole Thomas aircraft venture, began his career in England with an education at Dulwich College, near London. He later attended Ventral Technical College of the UniverSity of London at South KenSington, from which he graduated in 1908 with a degree in civil and mechanical engineering. To gain practical experience, young Thomas became an apprentice in the shops of the British Westinghouse Co., where he was exposed to the gas engine and turbine engine departments as well as the pattern shop and foundry. He gathered a deep background in methods of design and development that would serve him well in later years when the

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 drilling small holes first and then following with successively larger bits until the holes were of specific size.

The modified Model TA with dual controls for instruction

The Model TA, 1911, during its second flight, powered by a flights. It was powered by a 50-hp, six-cylinder Kirkham en

22-hp Kirkham engine. gine. Note the two narrow radiators mounted vertically.

Walter Johnson, pilot, in the Model TA with the 50-hp, sixBud Carey piled up a 1911 pusher on frozen Cayuga Lake. The cylinder Kirkham engine used for many exhibition flights. plane was rebuilt within several days and successfully flown. W.T. Thomas stands at left of pilot.

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 participation in the Curtiss designing program 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 Hammondsport, 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 aircraft 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 dihedral ailerons (wing warping) for control and had two vertical panels between the outer interplane struts for stability. The test pilot, Bert Chambers, 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 upper wings. Later, ailerons were fitted between the wings, and then an additional set of flaps was added to the bottom wing, all three being operated together. The final location of the ailerons 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, William's brother, Oliver Thomas, joined the efforts. With the continued intent 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 innovations from the fertile mind of William Thomas.

The later Kirkham engine, redesigned 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 develop and assure sustained flight.

This plane was developed and built

The 1911 Model TA pusher with Walter Johnson at the controls 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 Charlie Kirkham worked all night converting the engine to direct drive and replacing the prop. W.T. Thomas also added additional 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 adequate 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 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 cattle 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 successful exhibition flight was the 10th flight for test pilot 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 johnson 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 Salubria. 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 demonstration 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, produced a second crash into a fence on landing. Again, minor 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 successful straight flight of 300 yards, followed by a circular 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 Monroe, 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

"I called, you quoted, I bought. As easy as 1)). Not only easy, but competitive. It's a pleasure doing business with you. Actually I didn't call, I used your online quote system. It was quick and easy."

- Paul Isakson

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved. To become a member of VAA call 800·843·36J2.

AUA's Exclusive EAA Vintage AircraftAssociation Insurance Program

lower liability and hull premiums - Medical payments included - Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages No component parts endorsements

The best is affordable Give AUA Q call - it's FREE!

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.

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

The earlier plane with the fourcylinder Kirkham engine was modified as a preliminary trainer having been rebuilt for dual instruction. Many exhibition flights with the rebuilt airplane continued around the New York area. At Sylvan Beach near Syracuse, the TA was flown. After being 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 between Bath and Savona, New York, a

Pilot Walter Johnson and Earl Beers demonstrate the manner Glenn Tate at the controls in about 1912. The aileron of seating in which pilot and passenger endured the cold to control cable, recessed in a groove, circled the steering establish the endurance flight on Halloween 1912. wheel. Note the sing1e foot pedal.

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 exhibition 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 accomplished the first sustained flight ever made in the vicinity 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 new model. This produced much better flight characteristics, and 16 miles were flown from Savona to Hammondsport in 18 minutes. The return flight was made in 12 minutes, setting an average of 64 mph, which was considered very good for the period. The new performance all added up to a new dimension being added to their exhibitions. A subsequent flight at Danville, New York, produced a truly high-altitude demonstration.

The model TA underwent 10 design modifications and was used extensively at the aviation school at Bath, New York. Walt Johnson made more than 1,000 flights between January 15,1912, and April 1913, carrying students at the school. This was distance of 235 miles. The passenger weighed 150 pounds. This weight factor was a requirement by the American Aero Club, under whose supervision the flight was made. Termination of the flight was not caused by mechanical 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, established an altitude record of 13,000 feet to break Lincoln Beachey's altitude 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.