VA-Vol-36-No-1-Jan-2008 by EAA Vintage Aircraft Association

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GEOFF ROBISON PRESI DENT, VI NTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATON

VAA business notes

Here's hoping you all had a wonder ful holiday season. Merry Christmas and happy New Year to everyone! In early November your Vintage Air craft Association board of directors held our fall board meeting in Oshkosh. We had a heavy agenda before us, and as we worked our way through it, I paused and reflected on the many positive de velopments we were dealing with. First of all, I am pleased to mention that the financial status of your organization remains strong. Our worthy treasurer, Charlie Harris, continues to report a record-setting cash position as well as an expanding list of assets . Our over head is minimal and our bills are paid. Can we ask fo r any more than this? This data is of course reflective of not only the dedication of a fine staff (both VAA and EAA), but through the efforts of a solid group of Vintage volunteers. It is critically important to your board of directors that we acknowledge those among us who may never have even had the opportunity to see the marvel we all know as EAA AirVenture Osh kosh, yet continue to support the VAA financially through the Friends of the Red Barn Fund. Our thanks, as well, to each and everyone of you dues-paying members; your support makes our day to-day functions throughout the year possible. Thanks to all who have played an important part in our financial suc cesses, past and present. Another important piece of business we hand led at the fall board meeting was to install a past VAA board mem ber as director emeritus. Mr. Gene Mor ris has been a longtime director with the VAA. He started as an advisor in 1979 and became a director in 1983.

Gene recently made the decision to step down from the board, so the board of directors, as an acknowledgement of his nearly three decades of service, felt it was appropriate to award Gene with emeritus status. Thanks for the

We had a heavy agenda before us , and as we worked our way through it, I paused and reflected on the many positive developments we were dealing with . memories, Gene! It has always been a pleasure to work beside you. I am also relatively certain that we have not seen the last of Gene, since he has already shared with me his desire to continue to volunteer with the VAA at EAA Air Venture. We all hope to see you out there, Gene! With Gene's departure, along with the recent departure of Director Emeri tus Bob Brauer, we solicited petitions for their replacements, and the VAA nominations committee recommended two fine gentlemen to the VAA board. The VAA board of directors unani mously approved these recommenda tions to fill these vacancies with Mr. Jerry Brown from Columbus, Indiana,

and Mr. Dan Knutson of Lodi, Wiscon sin. Many thanks to those who sub mitted the petitions to bring these two fine candidates into the fold. Both of these gentlemen have been engaged in the VAA movement for a long time. Jerry is well-known in the Waco com munity as an extremely capable re storer, and Dan and his father, Doc, are well-known for their absolutely amaz ing restorations of any number of older Piper aircraft. Both new directors have also served many years on the Vintage judging committee at AirVenture. Wel come aboard, guys, and many thanks for agreeing to engage yourselves at this new level. I know I can speak for the entire board in saying that we all look forward to working with you. One last item I want to include in this month's column is a short book review. Many of you know that since 1988, I have had the pleasure of serv ing on EAA's B-17 Bomber Tour. Since my engagement in this world-class, premier EAA program, I have taken to reading a great number of books re counting the personal experiences the crews of the Flying Fortress brought home with them from the European theater during World War II. The bi ography I am interested in sharing with the membership is that of Col. Hal Weekley from Atlanta, Georgia. I am certain some of you know Hal as "one of our own." His book, The Last of the Combat B-17 Drivers, was co-written with the assistance of another well known EAA member, Mr. Jim Zazas. Hal has been a personal friend since I met him in 1997 in my first interac tion with the EAA B-17 Program, when I continued on page 38

VOL. 36, No. 1

N E 2008

DECE

CONTENTS

I Fe

Straight & Level VAA business notes by Geoff Robison

News

Aeromail

2007 Vintage Aircraft Association Hall of Fame Honors Chet Peek, Ph.D.

In the Tradition of Testosterone Team Wathen's Schoenfeldt Firecracker reproduction by Budd Davisson

Type Club List

Type Club Notes The technical corner: Part II elementary assembly and rigging by Robert G. Lock

Pass It to Buck The cold, naked-legged Luscombe adventure by Elroy Hilbert

The Vintage Instructor Night requirements by Doug Stewart

Mystery Plane by H.G. Frautschy

Calendar

Classified Ads

STAFF

EAA Publisher Director of EAA Publications Executive Director/Editor Executive Assistant News Editor Photography

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

FRONT COVER This is a r~reation of the Keith路Rider R-4, the Schoenfeldt Firecracker. Described

Advertising Coordinator Classified Ad Coordinator Copy Edi tor Director of Advertising

by author Budd Davisson as being a "tiny 900-pound , retractable-gear airframe the size of a Pitts Special (l8-foot span) with the drag of a knitting needle: the Golden Age of Air Racing comes alive with this latest of the reproduction racers built over the past two decades. See the feature article beginning on page 12 for much more on this spectacular reproduction. EM photo by Jim Koepnick. BACK COVER: With his wife, Marian, smiling in the front cockpit , Chet Peek , the VM's 2007 Hall of Fame inductee, guides his Curtiss Jenny on takeoff during EM's 1989 salute to aviation his颅 tory, "Jennys to Jets." Chet and other Jenny owner/ pilots brought their OX5 powered trainers to the annual EM convention and wowed the crowds during their low and slow fly-bys . For more on Chefs induction and his life, see the article starting on page 6. EM photo by Jim Koepnick .

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COVERS

Display Advertising Representatives:

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Precision Carbs Business Acquired A tentative agreement was an nounced Monday to restart produc tion of Precision Airmotive's MSA line of carburetors and spare parts. EAA reported earlier this month that Pre cision had halted production of the units November 1 because it was un able to obtain product liability insur ance. That move prompted concern in the vintage and experimental air craft communities, as Precision was the nation's only manufacturer of the Marvel Schebler float carburetors used in many type certificated aircraft engines manufactured by Lycoming, Continental, and Franklin. A group led by Tim Henderson, president of Aero Accessories, and others from Tempest and Precision Airmotive carburetors saw a signifi cant need for someone to continue that product line, said John C. Her man, Tempest vice president of sales and marketing. "This has obviously happened very quickly because of the circumstances of Precision announc ing that they're getting out of that product," Herman said. "We had to move pretty quickly." While the details of the agreement were not disclosed, Herman said that the acquisition and relocation of the production line from Seattle, Wash ington, to Gibsonville, North Caro lina, would be completed by Janu ary 31,2008. The Henderson Group's immediate plans are to continue to produce the carburetors and parts as Precision has in the past. The line will eventually be integrated into the Tempest engineering and research and development programs and be sold as Tempest brand products. "Go back and look at what we've done with the vacuum pump prod uct line when Airborne got out of the business," Herman said. "We stepped in and took over that product line and as a result have made some significant product improvements, making them much safer and a better product. 2

JAN U ARY 2008

VAA Hall of Fame VAA inducts Chest er L. Peek, Ph.D. , into Hall of Fame EM and VM members from across the nation welcomed Dr. Chester L. Peek and his family to the EM Aviation Center for Chet's induction into the VAA Hall of Fame. The program also included the induction of Hal Shevers, founder of Sporty's Flight Acade my and Pilot Shop, into the National Asso ciation of Flight Instructors Hall of Fame; Debby Rihn-Harvey, eight-time women 's national aerobatic champion and longest standing member of the U.S. Unlimited Aer obatic Team into the International Aerobatic Club Hall of Fame; Wilson Connell "Connie" Edwards, longtime pilot and chief stunt pi lot for the movie Battle of Britain into the EM Warbirds of America Hall of Fame ; Ran dy Schlitter, founder of RANS Aircraft into the EM Homebuilders Hall of Fame; and Michael Markowski, author of numer ous ultralight books, including Ultralight Aircraft, Ultralight Technique, and Ultra light Airmanship, into the EM Ultralight Hall of Fame. Peek was visibly moved by his induction. During his acceptance speech, he told the guests present in the Eagle Hangar, " I feel so honored to be here with all these other aviation greats and very humbled, because, as you will see, there are really some outstanding people here. It seems like only yesterday that I sent a dollar or two off to some fellow in Milwaukee who was starting a new club for private aviators. He called it the Experimental Aircraft Association, the EM. Who would have thought back there in those days, as you look around today, the or ganization would be what it is and what it is doing. " Please see the article beginning on page 6 for more on Peek's contribution to vintage aviat ion, and why we're honored to have him as one of our inductees in the VM Hall of Fame. Alan Klapmeier, co-founder, president, and CEO of Cirrus Design Corp., was the keynote speaker for the evening. A lifelong Midwesterner, Klapmeier, who founded Cirrus in Baraboo, Wisconsin, has strong feelings about the contribution EM has made to the viability of general aviation . He said , in part, "As we look back over the past 20 years, we feel that the EM, to no small measure, has saved general aviation. When the industry started to collapse in the early 1980s, EM was there promoting innovation , promoting creativity, promoting general aviation, promoting kids .. . all the things we needed to do as an industry. " For more on the gala event, including a photo gallery and a special time-lapse video, visit www.EAA.org/news/ 2007/2007-11-12_hof.asp. A nomination form for the 2009 VM Hall of Fame induction will be included in next month's Vintage Airplane. If you prefer, you can download a copy of the form from the VM website at www.VintageAircraft.orgjprograms/ nominating.html.

EPA Seeks Comments Regarding Lead Emissions Petition

AI Hallett

Steve Moyer

2007 Volunteers of the Year Each year at the end of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, two volunteers among the more than 500 VAA volunteers are chosen as the volunteers of the year. This year's VAA Flightline Volunteer of the Year is AI Hallett of West Chicago, Illinois. One of our perennial volunteers who dedicates many hours of his vacation to shepherd ing the many vintage aircraft that park in our area each year, AI's willing ness to jump in wherever there is a gap is always appreciated. Our 2007 Behind the Scenes Volunteer of the Year is Steve Moyer of Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Steve seems to be everywhere during the AirVenture-helping out in the VAA data processing area, shooting photos for the volunteers and for Vin tage Airplane , helping plan the annual VAA Volunteer Picnic, and generally lending a hand wherever it is needed. Our congratulations to AI and Steve, and our thanks to them and to all VAA volun teers who help our association during the annual fly-in and throughout the year!

We simply ran out of space in last month's article about the Baker family's Champ, and we had one more photo we really wanted to share with all of you -the Baker family! Here they are, at the National Aeronca fly-in in 2006. From left to right we have Mark and his wife, Kate, Bob and Brenda Baker, and on the far right, daughter Sara.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a no tice in the Federal Register seeking comments on a petition from the environmental group Friends of the Earth to limit lead emissions from piston general aviation aircraft that use 100LL fuel. EAA, a leader in alter native fuel research since 1964, does not see this as an immediate threat to the supply and availability of lOOLL, but other economic pressures could affect availability. The petition seeks one of two out comes: 1) Have the EPA make a finding that lead emissions from GA aircraft endanger public health and welfare and issue a proposed emissions stan dard for lead from GA aircraft under the Clean Air Act; or 2) Have the EPA administrator order a study on the health and environmental impacts of GA aircraft lead emissions and report on the study's findings. In 2005, the EPA stated there is in sufficient information to determine that aircraft lead emissions endan ger public health and welfare. The agency also stressed that because a suitable, safe, unleaded aviation fuel has not been developed, regulating leaded aviation fuel would ground all general aviation aircraft, resulting in severe economic repercussions to GA businesses and operators. Earl Lawrence, EAA vice president of industry and regulatory affairs and secretary of the ASTM Internation al Aviation Gasoline Committee, re cently met with EPA officials. "The EPA has a lot of work to do before they would take any action on re moving the lead in 100LL," he said. "They are in the process of setting the new airborne lead standard for the u.s. That will most likely not be done until early 2009." EAA will remain in its leadership role as crucial decisions are made regarding aviation fuels.

EAA Speakers Bureau Surpasses 400 Presenters In less than six months, the EAA Speakers Bureau has grown from an idea to more than 400 individuals VINTAGE AIRPLANE

who provide a ready resource of pro gramming for monthly EAA chapter meetings and events. The bureau is composed entirely of volunteers rep resenting the aviation industry, Air Venture workshop and forum pre senters, EAA technical counselors and flight advisors, and other knowledge able aviation enthusiasts. Since announced at EAA AirVen ture Oshkosh 2007, interest in the Speakers Bureau has been outstand ing, says Brenda Anderson, EAA chap ter administrator. "We're extremely pleased by the response from the EAA community," she said. "The bureau speaks to EAA's volunteer spirit that defines the organization. This unique collection of talent and expertise will prove an invaluable resource for our local chapters." And the list keeps growing ... new registrations are still coming in, and others are welcome. Chapters can re fer speakers from past meetings and events to the online registration form located at http://Speakers.EAA. org/speakersbureau-bin/public/register. Or simply download and complete the form and mail it to EAA Chapter Office, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. To book a speaker, visit www.EAA. org/chapters/speakers. There you can search the bureau database by name, topic, and state, as well as get tips and guidelines for working with and scheduling a speaker. For more information, questions, or comments, e-mail speakersbureau@ eaa.org, or call EAA at 888-322-4636 ext. 4876.

FAA Reauthorization Still on Hold in Congress WithnoFAA ~ reauthoriza " • tion legisla .

tion final ized as of this writing,

NO!

EAAiscon ~. tinuing to urge the u.s. Senate to pass a reauthorization bill-one that does not contain user fees imposed on gen4

JANUARY 2008

Annual Skiplane Fly-In, January 26, 2008 The annual EM Skiplane Fly-In is slated for Saturday, January 26, 2008-snow or no snow-at the EM AirVenture Museum's Pioneer Airport. If there is enough snow, expect an impressive array of skiplanes to participate. Wheel airplanes are welcome to land at Wittman Regional Airport (OSH), with shuttles available through out the day to and from Orion and Basler fixed base operators. Complimentary chili and cake will be served to celebrate the birthday of EM's matriarch, Audrey Po berezny, beginning at 11 a.m. All are welcome to this free-of.<:harge event. Those driving in should follow the signs to Pioneer Airport. Skiplane pilots are required to receive an arrival briefing by calling Sean Elliott at 920-426-4886.

eral aviation-so the measure can ad vance to a congressional conference committee for a final agreement. IIWe continue our support of the language contained in House Bill HR 2881, which maintains a viable funding plan for FAA's operations and modernization plans that in cludes the current Aviation Trust Fund," said Doug Macnair, EAA vice president of government relations. 1I0 perating under a series of continu ing resolutions is better than impos ing GA user fees or other draconian financial burdens, but it is not the way anyone wants the nation's avia tion agency to operate." EAA and other general aviation or ganizations stand united against the use of user fees as a viable and prac tical way to fund the FAA's current needs and modernization propos als. More background on user fees is available at www.EAA .org/govt.

Second EAA Chapter Leadership Academy Coming This Month EAA headquarters will host the second Chapter Leadership Academy this month, and plans are in place for future staff and chapter leader get-to gethers later this year. The fast-paced, fact-filled weekends aim to generate new ideas and suggestions that will help strengthen and sustain local

EAA chapters. The first academy in September was a tremendous success, said EAA's Bob Warner, who facilitated the weekend event. lilt became imme diately clear that this kind of event can foster increased participation in our chapters, which is what it's all about," he said. Participants will have many op portunities to interact with each oth er, as well as get to know the EAA staff members who provide support to chapter activities throughout the year. Other EAA staff members will also participate, offering their servic es as valuable chapter resources. Accommodations are provided by EAA at the Air Academy Lodge. Group activities include a special IIbehind-the-scenes" tour of the EAA AirVenture Museum and office facili ties. Aside from transportation costs to Oshkosh, EAA provides lodging, food, and workshop materials. Because response to the January event was overwhelming, addition al weekends are being scheduled for spring and fall of 2008. If you would like to be placed on the waiting list for upcoming sessions, please contact Kaysie Oudenhoven at koudenhoven@ EAA.org or 920-426-6297. Questions? Contact Ron Wagner at rwagner@eaa. org or 920-426-6122. .......

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 Waco UEC NC12472 Hello, H.G. It was a great pleasure to find on the flightline at AirVenture 2007 the Waco UEC, NC12472, that was most gra ciously donated to EAA on the closing day of the convention by Kate Meredith in memory of her husband. I thought you would be interested in a small slice of the Waco's history when it was based back here in West Virginia. At the end of WWII my fa ther, Harold Armstrong, was hired as a flight instructor by Mr. Dave Baker to start up a flight school at Baker Air Park in Burlington, West Virginia. Dave was an Aeronca dealer and had three new 7AC Champs for the pro gram. My father was the only full-time employee, and his tasks included in

structing, passenger hop flights and occasional charter work during the day, and running the movie projector at Dave's drive-in theater at night. Dad worked here for four years until his re serve unit in Pittsburgh gave him the opportunity to finish his military ca reer at the start of the Korean War. Dave owned NC12472 for a number of years, and I literally grew up hear ing Dad's stories of this fine airplane and the adventures he had in it. They used her for towing banners over the tri towns area, advertising local business establishments, but most of the flights were with full loads of first-time passen gers over the Patterson Creek Valley. It was during this time that Dad met his future wife, Martha Thrush, and in 1947 he flew her in the UEC to Cleve-

Waco NC12472, now part of the EAA collection, at Baker Air Park in Burlington, West Virginia. These various shots show the Waco, as well as a Miles Sparrowhawk, NC191M, just a bit of a Messerschmitt Me 108, NX54208, and an Aeronca Champ.

A happy fellow, Clement Harold Ann strong, and the Waco UEC in 1947, the year he flew the young lady who would become his wife, Martha Thrush, to the National Air Races in this very UEC. land to attend the National Air Races. My mother recalls that trip fondly and is still eager to go each summer to Osh kosh for the big fly-in . I have sent some photos of those days and a copy of one page out of my father's many logbooks. These log en tries best show what we would now consider a nostalgic week at a little airfield now gone. The Sparrowhawk (NC191M) was also based at Burling ton, and Dad flew a parts mission in it to Springfield, Massachusetts, on May 17, 1947, to help get the Waco going again. Lastly, I have included a photo of 1,4 inch models that Dad scratch built of these two airplanes many years ago. These are two models in a collection of 25 that were made of air planes that touched my father's early days in aviation-and I treasure every one of them. Blue skies, Robert K. Armstrong VAA 717819

Two of the 25 solid models built by Har old that were part of his flying history. VINTAGE AIRPLANE

2007

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAME HONORS Chet Peek, Ph.D.

orld War II veteran. Thir ty-one airplanes owned, many of them restored with the help of his wife. Author of six aviation history books. Engineering professor. Father of two boys and husband of Marian. Five short sentence fragments, but it's the gaps between the words

ing lessons in a Taylorcraft A. A year later, he was selected to be one of the 10 students in t he second CPT pro gram sponsored by Iowa State Uni versity, and by May of 1941, Chet was thrilled to be the holder of a lim ited commercial pilot certificate, with more than 100 hours in his logbook. Close to graduation from mechan-

cer for the 8th Air Force, 95th Bomb Group, and would serve in that ca pacity until the war in Europe ended in the spring of 1945. Reunited for the first time in two and a half years, Chet and Marian started life in the Midwest, where Chet began his career as an engineer with a Frigidaire distributor, design ing commercial refrigeration plants and air conditioning systems . Like so many of their peers, they started their family, with sons Stan and Tom arriving in 1947 and 1951. Later, Chet's career would take him into ev er-higher positions within the com mercial trailer production business. At age SO, Chet went back to college to earn a doctorate in industrial engi

The Peek Family homestead near Paullina, Iowa.

that fill out the remarkable story of our 2007 VAA Hall of Fame inductee, Chet Peek, Ph.D. Chet was born on Armistice Day, November 11, 1920, on the family farm homesteaded by his grandfather in 1883. Chet still owns that farm, near Paullina, Iowa. His first airplane ride came in 1932, a two-dollar ride in a Waco RNF paid for by his grand father. In '39 he managed to start fIy6

JANUARY 2008

ical engineering school at Iowa State at the outbreak of World War II, Chet was accepted into the Engineering Ca det School in the Army Air Corps and entered the school on June 2, 1942. A month later, while on his first 24 hour pass and against all regulations, he married Marian Swain, whom he'd met while they were both freshman at the Ames, Iowa, campus. Chet served as engineering offi-

1937-Chet and his big 1927 Harley.

neering. After graduation, he worked in academia, serving as the head of the Oklahoma City University's MBA Program, retiring in 1989 as an in stru ctor in Oklahoma Universi ty's College of Business.

When Chet sent in the photos and biographical information we requested for the Hall of Fame pro gram, he neatly organized a series of envelopes for the various periods in his life. One envelope was appropri-

ately marked Antique Airplane Ad diction." Not surprisingly, it was the thickest of them all, liberally sprin kled with shots of his family and air planes and of the many projects he's enjoyed working on throughout the years, which have served as the sub ject of his aviation books, including The Pietenpol Story, The Spartan Story, The Taylorcraft Story, Flying with 40 Horses, Resurrection of a Jenny, and The Heath Story. He's currently work1/

194O-Some of his training in the CPT program was done in this Luscombe SA.

Reunited with his bride after two and a haH years. Chet and Marian on July 29,1945.

Chet and Marian graduated from Iowa State in the spring of 1942.

After graduation from the Anny Air Corps Engineering Cadet School, Chet was ready to go overseas in April 1943.

Lt. Chester L. Peek, engineering officer of the 95th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force.

boys, Stan, age S, and 4-year-old Tom. VI NTAGE A IR PLA NE

One of his earliest restorations, Chet's E-2 Cub, N14330, was part of the family for 4S years, until completely destroyed by an FS tornado.

Chet seemed to be addicted to the CaliAir. Here's one of his restorations, a CaliAir A-3 Cabin.

Chet and his family with their Waco UPF-7 in the early 1960s. 8

JANUARY 2008

One of a series of Taylorcrafts owned by Chet and Marian, this is their BL-GS.

A couple of the 10 CaliAirs owned by Chet at one time or another. Here are his res足 torations of a pair of Cabin CaliAirs, an A-3, N2909V, and an A-2, NC33356.

Below: Chet's first brand new airplane, a Taylorcraft F-19.

Chet loves rare airplanes. This is his restoration of Driggs Skylark NU301.

1956-Chet used a Chevy to haul home a Standard J-1 basket case from Lynch, Nebraska, with a small U-Haul trailer.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Chet and his restored Jenny were one of the five Curtiss IN·4s featured in 1989's "Jennys to Jets" feature at EAA Oshkosh that year.

ing on a history of the Standard J-l. For more information on his books, you can visit his book website, www. ThreePeaksPub.com.

Throughout the years of engineer ing work, restorations, and writing, Chet's wife, Marian, has been busy as well, earning a master's degree, sewing fabric, hauling wings, and enduring in numerable retrieval trips to haul home a dilapidated airplane project. Chet was thrilled to have Marian and their sons, Stan and Tom, along with their

grandchildren and friends, join them in Oshkosh to celebrate Chet's induc tion into the VAA Hall of Fame. In his acceptance speech, Chet said, "I feel so honored to be here with all these other aviation greats and very humbled, be cause, as you will see, there are really some outstanding people here," Peek said. lilt seems like only yesterday that I sent a dollar or two off to some fellow in Milwaukee who was starting a new club for private aviators. He called it the Experimental Aircraft Association,

In May of 1999 the J·l restoration was nearing com· pletion when an FS tornado obliterated Chet's hangar, destroying the J·l along with four other airplanes, a SO·year collection of antique aircraft parts, several antique cars, and a completely equipped shop. Chet holds what appears to be a small section of a spar.

10 JANUARY 2008

the EAA. Who would have thought back there in those days, as you look around today, the organization would be what it is and what it is doing. "We're free to fly in this country, and it's something we should appre ciate, and the EAA is very much re sponsible for a very large portion of that freedom. It's been a great jour ney, these last SO years at the EAA, and I'm happy to say it's not over. I've got a Pietenpol almost done in my garage." ....

Thank you from the staH at AUAI Back row, from left: Laura, Cora, Jori, Tammy, Pat, Phil, Pam, Mac, and Jeanette Front row, from left: Rob, Norma, Butch, and lisa

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved. To become a member of VAA call 800路843路3612.

AUA's Exclusive EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Insurance Program Lower liability and hull premiums - Medical payments included - Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages No component ports endorsements

et's say it's 1934 and you're a shiny new Army Air Corps lieutenant who's terribly proud of his equally shiny new Boeing P-26, the hottest new fighter the gov ernment has to offer. According to the test pilot who checked you out, this, the first all-metal fighter and the first monoplane fighter in AAC service, will hit an unbelievable 234 12 JANUARY 2008

mph flat out. Then you're cruising along and you look over and there's a tiny, obviously civilian, airplane sit ting off your right wing, matching your speed. So you edge the throt tle up. You'll show him! But he's still stuck to your wingtip. So the throttle goes up more. Then more, until it's against the stop and this civilian dart of an airplane is still out there, its pi lot grinning over at you. Just when

you realize your airplane has given all it can give, the other pilot waves at you, switches his attention ahead as he moves his own throttle forward and, in seconds, he's a rapidly disap pearing speck in the distance. He had an easy SO mph on you, and you can feel your ego shrinking at the same rate he is disappearing. To put the above in a modern con text for comparison: you're cruising

•

1]' ... (.

along in your F-IS Eagle, and a home built civilian airplane comes up along side, matches your best speed (after you've gone into burner), then effort lessly disappears in the distance. To do that, he'd have to be doing something on the high side of Mach 3.0, or faster than a 30-06 rifle bullet. If you put that into historical context, that's what the golden age of racers represented in their time. Here were a bunch of homebuild

ers chalking out airplanes on their han gar floors that could eat the lunch of anything the military could put in the air by a wide margin. During a golden decade that began in the late '20s and ran until the late '30s, the military was consistently playing second fiddle to backyard speed demons. The golden age racers that flew the various competitions (Thomp son, Bendix, Greve, etc.) were almost

always designed and self-taught engineers who knew the basics of speed: Keep it small, keep it light, and stuff as much horsepower as you can fit ahead of the firewall. It was an exciting time during which glory and death were separated by nanoseconds and race pilots became national heroes. Today, those who un derstand what that period represented are driven to replicate the airplanes, VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Tom Wathen: A"iation Enthusiast EHtraordinaire If you want to have a fun expe ri ence , sit down at a picnic table at Oshkosh with Tom Wathen and start talking airplanes. You don 't have to know anything about him to quickly realize that this is a gentleman who takes airplanes (though not necessarily himself) seriously. Self effacing is the term usually used to describe him, but it's a description that includes liberal sprinklings of humor and raw enthusiasm. Yes, Wathen is wealthy. However, to say that is to trivialize not only how he got that way, but to ignore that he was an aviation nut long before he had the money to indulge his passion at the level he Tom Wathen does today. Tom made his mark on business by paying attention to the basics : He recognized a need (security services) and came up with a way to provide it at a profit. That's marketing 101. But it doesn 't work if you don 't throw yourself into it, and Tom did just that in 1988, heading one of the largest security entities on Earth. Does the name Pinkerton mean anything to you? Long before his career climb began, Wathen owned, and was into, airplanes. Ai rplanes of all sorts . Immediately after getting out of the Air Force in the early '50s , for instance, he bought an Aeronca L-3 and partially restored it. Then there was a long line of "normal " airplanes from 182 RGs to cabin-class twins, but there were always the "interesting" airplanes. He hung out at Flabob airport , which means he had no choice but to fall under the spell of one of aviation 's most interesting characters , the late Bill Turner. Turner was cranking out replica racers as fast as he could find sponsors , and Tom Wathen became involved in backing some of t he most ambitious repl ication projects in history, including the twin-engine de Havilland Comet and the hulking, otherworldly Turner-Laird (this Turner was Roscoe, not Bill) Meteor. Beyond the recently completed Firecracker project, Wathen and his team of enthus iastic aeronuts are working on a Caudron 460, and he ' s eyeing the Folkerts series of racers . One of Wathen 's more noteworthy achievements and one that is going to prove to be of long-lasting benefit to aviation is the saving of what should be designated a national landmark but isn't-Flabob airport in Riverside, California. Just as developers were coming over the hill , and the owners were ready to go for the developer bucks , Wathen galloped over another hill dragging the Thomas W. Wathen Foundation (a nonprofit organization) behind him and scooped Flabob out from under their noses, guaranteeing its survival as an airport. Wathen 's achievements and contributions to aviation are too long to list almost anywhere, much less here, but among them is the restoration and donation of the Piper PT trainer in the EM AirVenture Museum. An EAA member since 1959 (he has a four-digit number), he has served on the President's Council for years and is a central character in EM fund raising for the museum and other projects. Wathen 's aviation background runs wide and deep, and if you see him hanging around Flabob, Oshkosh , or any of the other fly-ins he attends, try to stay within earshot. You ' ll be eavesdropping on conversations we can guarantee you 'll find both interesting and illuminating. 14 JANUARY 2008

partially to honor those high-speed pioneers but also to taste just a little of the adrenaline themselves. One of these is Tom Wathen, who has cap tained (from the wings, so to speak) a loosely knit team of what many would consider "eccentric" (it sounds bet ter than "nut case") pilots and build ers who included the likes of the late Bill Turner and Ed Marquardt, both legendary builders, as well as many others. From that small group of hy perenthusiasts, most of whom were based out of SoCal's Flabob Airport in Riverside, a steady stream of golden age replicas have taken to the sky to delight audiences and often as not to terrify pilots-though in a good way. The most recent of the breed is the Rackleff/Halloran/McCombs/Wathen (we'll explain all of that in a second) reproduction of the Schoenfeldt Fire cracker, one of the best-known and most successful rocket ships of its day. The Firecracker was originally the Keith Rider R-4 but was bought by Bill Schoenfeldt, a wealthy sportsman, shortly after it was built in 1936. He immediately had the original Mena sco Buccaneer six-cylinder (489 cubic inches) replaced by a supercharged version, the 545-cubic-inch Super Buccaneer, which cranked out as much as 350 hp when tweaked by the racers. This was 350 hp on a tiny 900 pound, retractable-gear airframe the size of a Pitts Special (I8-foot span) with the drag of a knitting needle. The airplane consistently took home gold with lap speeds above 250 mph and straightaway dashes report edly over 300 mph. It took a special kind of pilot to fly these kinds of air planes, because there was nothing comparable in the civilian inventory to prepare them for what they were about to fly. Take the most successful of the Firecracker pilots, a young man named Tony LeVier. LeVier was a low time pilot typical of the period: He had flown nothing but lightly loaded general aviation airplanes and the oc casional cabin biplane. To him, 130 mph was lightning fast. Then there he was, squeezed into a tiny cockpit with 350 hp up front and handling characteristics that have often been

described as "evil," coupled with 100 mph over-the-fence speeds and zero visibility. He flew it exactly once be fore he started running the pylons in it and won two of the first three races. Only a few years later he was to become the legendary Lockheed test pilot we all know so well, but the first time he took to the air in the Fire cracker he was, like most race pilots of the time, inexperienced to a truly frightening degree. Now flash ahead to the 1970s. Golden Age racing fever had in fected a small but enthusiastic group of builders. Flabob Airport was see ing a wide range of golden age racer replicas popping out of the hangars, notably those of Ed Marquardt and Bill Turner. Bill was first to replicate a golden age hot rod with his Brown Miss Los Angeles racer and the build ing race was literally on, as old-timey, go-fast machines, big and little, took to the skies. It was impossible to be on that airport and not catch just a little of the fever yourself, and Stan Rackl eff, a retired member of EAA Chapter One, located on Flabob, proved he wasn't immune to the virus: He took up the challenge and put the Shoen feldt Firecracker in his sights. When building a famous airplane

Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Halloran

for which no plans exist, the first and most necessary part of the project is research . You can't just wing it and do a sort-of-looks-like airplane, be cause everyone knows exactly what it's supposed to look like and you'll catch an enormous amount of grief if it isn't right or very close to it. Rack leff spent several years unearthing ev ery bit of photographic and written data he could find on the airplane.

Luckily, because of their position in the public spotlight, many of the rac ers were photographed regularly both at races and while being rebuilt af ter crashes and races. It's from study ing details in the photos that Rackleff figured out how the knock-kneed landing gear worked, as well as many other construction details. Unfor tunately, Stan Rackleff passed away midway through airframe construcVINTAGE AIRPLANE

Sitting in the flattened grass in front of the Red Barn, you can see how much foot traffic the diminutive replica racer created. The small tail surfaces and short moment arm aft of the CG contribute to both its quickness and lack of stability. All that surface area forward of the CG doesn't help!

tion, so he never got to see the com pleted project. The airplane sat derelict in one of Flabob's less frequented hangars un til Tom Wathen, Flabob's savior (lit-

eralJy : see sidebar) , saw the pieces and recognized it as an airplane that should be finished . Wathen had been the money and much of the spirit be hind a number of Bill Turner's more

The original Keith Rider R-4, the Schoenfeldt Firecracker, rests in the grass. The long cowl keeps a 545-cubic inch Super Buccaneer under wraps, and while that high-pitch prop may not be great for a short-field takeoff, boy, could this racer scoot along. Nearty 300 mph was not uncommon when screaming down the straightaway.

This shot of the cockpit shows how the electrical equipment and radios are installed in a center stack below the panel.

JANUARY 2008

son, the tiny Firecracker looked almost like a weekend project, something he laughs about today because it took nearly 10 years to finish. But he didn't know that's what it would take and neither did his friend and Comet demonstration pilot Air Force Maj . Gen. Pat Halloran, a retired fighter pi lot (100 missions in Korea, 600 hours of SR-71 time), when Wathen asked him to take over the responsibility of getting the Firecracker finished. Halloran says, "In 1998, I arranged to haul two big loads of Firecracker pieces along with at least three old, partially complete Ranger engines to my place on Meadow Lake Airport in Colorado Springs." The Rangers were along for the ride because they were to substitute for the Super Buccaneer that is now one of the world 's rarest engines, with only a few extant even in muse ums. The Ranger was only 200 hp, but would do the job, since it is nearly the same weight and outline, although it would require minor reshaping of the nose profile. This is always the case when substituting Rangers for Me nascos, because the top of the crank case on a Menasco is extraordinarily shallow and many racers minimized their frontal area by forming the cowl

Pat Halloran 's solution for a long nose

BY S TEVE M OYER

A crowd of AirVenture admirers milled around this met iculously crafted replica of the Firecracker, asking questions of Thomas W. Wathen, entrepreneur, former Air Force officer, private pilot, and owner of historic Flabob Airport near Riverside, California. Accompanying Wathen was retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick J. Hal loran, primary pilot of the Rrecracker with more than 60 logged hours. According to Maj. Gen. Halloran, "That's probably more time than anyone else." He's also logged more than 600 hours in the SR-71. I wanted to get closer and take some photos, but the curious people surround ing this gem mO ade it impossible. Eventu ally I got my chance for a close inspection. What a beauty! That long nose contains an inverted 440-cubic-inch, six-cylinder Ranger "that runs like a sewing machine and looks like a crown jewe l," says Ha l loran. The tail end is just the opposite tiny and with very little rudder. The cockpit is snug. I thought I could fit nicely. The Rrecracker is a 1930s replica, but well-appointed to navigate in today 's air space. One thing that made me curious was a small 4-by-6-inch video screen in the center of the glare shield obstruct ing any forward vision, if there is any. Halloran explained that, no, it wasn't a GPS or weather radar, but a video moni tor connected to a tiny " lipstick" camera in a fairing under the nose to provide bet ter forward vision. What a neat gadget, I thought, without considering the signifi cance of this safety feature. The fact is, most taildraggers, espe cially the long-nosed racers, suffer greatly from a lack of forward visibility. The Fire cracker, completed at Meadow Lake Air port in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is no exception. The runway at Meadow Lake is only 60 feet wide and the runway is only 50 feet across at Rrecracker's home field, historic Rabob. "They didn't design planes in the 1930s like they do now, and this pony wanted to do lots of things in the air I wasn 't agree ing with," Halloran said. "Just keeping the

pointy end forward was a full-time task, and keeping the ball in the middle? Forget it. " Firecracker can't be slipped and visibility on takeoffs and land ings is nonexistent. "You never see a landing area from the cock pit until the plane is just inches from the ground," he adds. Gen. Halloran first saw a cam era system installed in James L. Wright's Howard Hughes H-1 re The little camera is mounted unobtrusively production at AirVenture 2004. on the bottom of the cowl. Wright thought it was useless, but only because it wasn't installed to give him a proper field of vision . Rrecracker's system was installed at Flabob Airport by mechan ic Mike McCue. The components were acquired at a local electron ics warehouse for less than $400. The $170 weatherproof CCD se curity camera was available in var ious focal lengths, and they found one to meet their vision require ments . The LCD monitor is ful l color and bright enough to see in all but direct sunlight. The 12-volt system, connected to the primary The small cockpit of the Firecracker man battery, could be powered by a dates its position, which doesn't really hinder lighter type connection. forward visibility down the centerline, since Now on final there really is a even without the camera there isn't any! runway and a centerline . When a system for backing up, sold by an RV taxiing, the need for S-turns is el iminated. The system doesn 't replace normal visual supply company. Most RV systems seem indications but greatly enhances your situ to range from less than $500 to several ational awareness. "Very comforting," re thousand dollars. Wireless backup sys tems are available for as little $130 at marks Gen. Halloran. local auto supply stores, but have small Another example of a camera installa tion is in Jon and Patricia Sharp's Nem viewing screens (2.5 inches) and may se esis NXT of Nemesis Air Racing Inc. The verely limit your field of vision. airplane (certainly not vintage) has a for Gen . Halloran believes Wathen's 1934 ward vision system installed on the land twin-engine British de Havilland Comet ing gear that, when retracted, fits snugly and the Roscoe Turner ' s 1939 brute in the engine cowling. Pat says the mo force Meteor are both likely candidates in the future for similar systems. In an un ment the gear drops, the world appears in the monitor but speeds by so fast, they foreseen emergency, your forward vision turn the system on only for taxiing. The of a highway, grass strip, runway, or FOD Sharps refer to it as their "taxi camera. " on the taxiway may be greatly enhanced Where did they acquire their system? It's by this simple technology. VINTAGE AIRPLANE

ing to hug the engine's outline. The Ranger's crankcase is deeper and forces the slightly modified lines. When seehlng someone to build the airplane, Halloran found two sets of tal ented hands right on his own airport. "I persuaded the father-and-son team of Bruce and Evan McCombs to take on the project. It was slow work, as some partially completed structures had to be redone to meet the high standards of the McCombs. "The engine components were me ticulously inspected and refurbished as needed. When finished, the engine was beautiful and ran like a sewing machine. Since major airframe construction had yet to be done, along with more histori cal research, progress was slow, because the McCombs had to fit the project around their normal heavy business of aircraft maintenance and repair. "Finally, the big day arrived when it was rolled out the hangar door in prep aration for its first flight . For nearly 18

JANUARY 2008

eight years, I'd been like an expectant father watching this project come to fruition . I'd been dreaming of making this first flight, but it was not to be. "A few days before it was to happen, I had a pain in my chest followed by a very inconvenient heart bypass. So a good friend of mine, Les Tugaw, did the first flights while I sucked on oxy gen and watched. Bummer!" In short order, Pat Halloran got his own airframe straightened out, includ ing jumping through the FAA's required hoops to get his medical back, and he was ready to start flying the airplane. "In the first place," he says, "they didn't design planes in the 1930s, espe cially the racers, like they do now, and this pony wanted to do lots of things in the air that I wasn't agreeing with. Just keeping the pointy end forward is a full-time task, and keeping the ball in the middle? Forget it! "Even making the left turn onto base or final takes a little RIGHT rud

der to be coordinated. That's an un comfortable control input. The reason? They didn't bother to design a respect able-sized tail for conventional flying, as the racing crowd is only concerned with 'go fast, turn left.' Less stability margin means more speed (to a point) and more agility around the pylons. It's a real handful to fly, but a very satisfy ing challenge. "Visibility from the cockpit," Halloran says, "is nonexistent, so takeoff and landing give about as much excitement as a man cares to enjoy. The runway at Meadow Lake is only 60 feet wide, and you never see a landing area from the cockpit until the airplane is just inches above the ground. You just hope that ground is covered with asphalt. Know ing that the runway back at historical FJabob, where I was to eventually land, was only 50 feet wide meant I procrasti nated on mahlng such a delivery. "I eventually built my time to 60 hours and finally hit upon a solution:

AII·Urethane Recovering Handbook

AERO CLASSIC "COLLECTOR SERIES"

I installed a tiny 'lipstick' video camera in a fairing under the nose and a small 4-by-6-inch video screen on the glare shield in front of me. Eureka! There was a runway out there! It was great for taxiing, but on final approach was where it really paid off. The comfort factor went way up. Now I thought I was ready for that 50-footer at Flabob." Gen. Halloran missed ferrying the airplane to Oshkosh be cause of some medical tests, so famed race pilot Skip Holm was called on to make the fight. (The general did get to fly the Firecracker for the photos you see on these pages.) The airplane created a minor sensation out in front of the Red Barn in the Vintage area. More than one pilot was seen to visibly shud der when looking at those tiny, highly tapered wings and that long, brutish nose that rose higher than the windscreen. In perusing the airplane at Oshkosh, it didn't take a his torian to know that pilots who stepped out of wallowing biplanes directly into the likes of the Rider R-4 Schoenfeldt Firecracker were a special breed. And many didn't survive. Those who did, however, helped bring the technology of speed to more purposeful aircraft during the war that ended the golden age of air racing. Team Wathen's (our term, not his) reproduction of the Firecracker serves to re mind us of a generation of men who were unafraid to go where no man had gone before," and, in so doing bring back knowledge that benefited us all. ...... /I

•••

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

TYPE CLUB LISTING

Aeronca

Beech

Buhl

Aeronca Aviators Club Robert Szego P.O. Box 66 Coxsackie, NY 12051 USA 518-731-3131 Email: staff@aeronca.org Website: www.aeronca.org Dues: $29/yr, $55/2-yrs; $37/yr, $55/2-yrs Canada and Foreign Publication: Quarterly, Aeronca Aviator

Twin Beech 18 Society Rand Siegfried P.O. Box 550 Tullahoma, TN 37388 USA 931455-1974 Fax: 931445-1994 Email: staggerwing@bellsouth.net Website: www.staggerwing.com Dues: $50/yr. US; $60 Foreign Publication: Quarterly

Buhl LA-l "Bull Pup' Owners Group Technical Coordinator-William R. "Bill' Goebel 894 Heritage Creek Dr. Rhome, TX 76078 USA 940-627-5938

Aeronca

Bellanc&Champion Club Robert Szego P.O. Box 100 Coxsackie, NY 12051 USA 518-731-6800 Email: robert@bellanca-championclub.com Website: www.bellanca-championclub.com Dues: $38/1-yr,$72/2-yrs; Foreign $43/1-yr, $81/2-yrs Publication: Quarterly, B-C Contact!

Fearless Aeronca Aviators (f-M) John Rodkey 280 Big Sur Dr. Goleta, CA 93117 USA 805-968-1274 Email: poobahster@gmail.com Website: http://aeronca.westmont.edu Dues: Donations accepted for server maintenance Publication: email list http://mail.westmont.edu/ mailman/listinfo/aeronca

Bellanca

Bird

Aeronca National Aeronca Assoc. Jim Thompson 304 Adda St Roberts, IL 60962 USA 217-395-2400 Email: nationalaeroncaassociation@yahoo.com Website: www.aeroncapilots.com Dues: $25/yr. $35 Canada, $45 Int'. Publication: Quarterly

Beech Beech Aero Club Cloyd Van Hook 10022 Idlewood Place River Ridge, LA 70123 USA 504-619-2379 Email: cloydvanhook@imtt.com Website: www.beechaeroclub.org Dues: $50/yr. Publication: BAC Talk

Beech Staggerwing Museum Foundation P.O. Box 550 Tullahoma, TN 37388 USA 931455-1974 Fax: 931455-1994 Email: museuminfo@staggerwing.com Website: www.staggerwing.com Dues: $25/yr. US, $30/yr. Foreign Publication: Quarterly

Beech T-34 Association, Inc. Jud Nogle 880 NCounty Rd 900 E Tuscola, IL 61953 USA 217-2534243 Email: jud@t-34.com Website: www.t-34.com Dues: $50 for first year/$45 per year thereafter Publication: MENTOR MONITOR published 4 times ayear plus email updates as needed

20 JANUARY 2008

Bird Airplane Club Jeannie Hill P.O. Box 328 Harvard, IL 60033-0328 USA 815-943-7205 Dues: Postage Donation

Bonanza American Bonanza Society Thomas P. Turner Mid-Continent Airport, PO Box 12888 Wichita, KS 67277 USA 316-945-1700 Fax: 316-945-1710 Email: absmail@bonanza.org Website: http://www.bonanza.org Dues: US: $55/yr. Publication: ABS Magazine - Monthly

Cessna Cessna International Bird Dog Association (L-19/0-1) Larry Rinn 9618 Jason Bend Helotes, TX 78023 USA 210-695-1944 Email: C24712@aol.com Website: http://www.L-19Bowwow.com Dues: $30/yr US; $35/yr Canada; $45/yr Int'! Publication: Quarterly Magazine; Monthly Email Newsletter

Cessna Cessna 150/152 Club Lori Colunga, Membership Coordinator P.O. Box 1917 Atascadero, CA 93423 USA 805-461-1958 Fax: 805-461-1035 Email: membership@cessna150-152.com Website: http://www.cessna150-152.com Dues: $35/yr internet only or $45/yr postal subscription Publication: Bi-monthly

Cessna Cessna Airmaster Club Gar Williams 9S135 Aero Drive Naperville, IL 60564 USA Phone: 630-904-6416 Email: Aerocraft@aol.com Dues: No Dues. Membership is restricted to those that own, or would like to own, aCessna Airmaster.

Bonanza Twin Bonanza Association Richard Ward 19684 Lakeshore Drive Three Rivers, MI 49093 USA 269-279-2540 Fax: 269-279-2540 Email: forward@twinbonanza.com Website: http://www.twinbonanza.com Dues: $35/yr US; $45/yr foreign Publication: Quarterly

Bucker National Bucker Jungmiester Club Colosta Price 300 Estelle Rice Dr Moody, TX 76557 USA 254-853-9067

Bucker Bucker Club A. Gordon Clement 2225 Peachford Lane Lawrenceville, GA 30043 USA 770-995-1798 Email: bucker131@adelphia.net Website: www.bucker.info Dues: $25/yr US & Canada, $27 Foreign in US Funds Publication: The Bucker Newsletter 6/yr

Cessna Cessna Ryer Association Trevor Janz Waupaca Municipal Airport, The Blue Hangar, P.O. Box 381 Waupaca, WI 54981 USA 920-867-2800 Fax: 920-867-2805 Email: trevor@cessnaflyer.org Website: www.cessnaflyer.org Dues: $40/yr. US, $55/yr Canada & Mexico, $65/yr Other Publication: Monthly

Cessna Cessna Owner Organization Randy Augustinak P.O. Box 5000 lola, WI 54945 USA 1-888-692-3776 Fax: 715-445-4053 Email: help@cessnaowner.org Website: http://www.cessnaowner.org Dues: $48/yr., $89/2 yrs., $119/3 yrs. Publication: Monthly

Cessna

Corben

Great Lakes

Cessna Pilots Association John Frank, Executive Director 3940 Mitchell Rd, Santa Maria, CA 93456 USA 805-934-0493 Fax: 805-934-0547 Email: info@cessna.org Website: http://www.cessna.org Dues: $55/US, Canada, Mexico, $70 International Publication: E-ATIS electronic weekly/ CPA Magazine monthly

Corben Club Robert Taylor P.O. Box 127 Blakesburg, IA 52536 USA 515-938-2773 Fax: 515-938-2093 Email: antiqueairfield@sirisonline.com Website: www.aaa-apm.org Dues: $15/yr. Publication: -3

Great Lakes Club Brent L. Taylor, Editor P. O. Box 127 Blakesburg, IA 52536 USA 515-938-2773 Fax: 515-938-2093 Email: antiqueairfield@sirisonline.com Website: www.aaa-apm.org Dues: $15 Publication: (3) 16 pg. Newsletter

Cessna Cessna T-50 "Bamboo Bomber" Jim Anderson Box 269 Sunwood Marine St. Croix, MN 55047 USA 612-433-3024 Fax: 612-433-5691 Email: jamesanderson@qwest.net Website: http://www.cessnat50.org Dues: Call Club for Info Publication: Quarterly

Cessna Eastern Cessna 190/195 Association Cliff Crabs 25575 Butternut Ridge Road North Olmsted, OH 44070 USA 440-777-4025 Email: ccrabs@aol.com Dues: $15 Publication: 4/yr.

Cessna International Cessna 120/140 Association Ken & Lorraine Morris, President 2900 Howard St Poplar Grove, IL 61065 USA 815-547-3991 Email: president@cessna120-140.org Website: www.cessna120-140.org Dues: $25/yr. Publication: 7 issues per year, included in membership

Cessna International Cessna 170 ASSOCiation, Inc. Jan Billeb, Executive Secretary 22 Vista View Ln. Cody, WY 82414 USA 307-587-6397 Fax: 307-587-4297 Email: headquarters@cessna170.org Website: http://www.cessna170.org Dues: $45 USD/yr or $130 USD/3 yrs Publication: Rypaper-monthly; The 170 News-quarterly

Culver Culver Club Brent Taylor P.O. Box 127 Blakesburg, IA 52536 USA 515-938-2773 Fax: 515-938-2093 Email: antiqueairfield@sirisonline.com Website: www.aaa-apm.org Dues: $15/yr. Publication: (3) 16 pg.

Grumman

Ercoupe

Harvard

Ercoupe Owners Club Carolyn T. Carden P.O. Box 7117 Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469 USA 910-575-2758 Email: coupecaper@aol.com Website: www.ercoupe.org Dues: $30/yr. US; $35 Foreign Publication: Monthly, Coupe Capers

Fairchild Fairchild Club John W. Berendt, President 7645 Echo Point Road Cannon Falls, MN 55009 USA 507-263-2414 Email: fchld@dvtel.net Website: http://www.fairchildc/ub.com Dues: $20/yr. Publication: Quarterly

Fairchild Fairchild Fan Club Robert L. Taylor P. O. Box 127 Blakesburg, IA 52536 USA 515-938-2773 Fax: 515-938-2093 Email: antiqueairfield@sirisonline.com Website: www.aaa-apm.org Dues: $15 Publication: (3) 16 pg.

Cessna International Cessna 180/185 Club (ownership required) Keith Peterman 40087 Mission Blvd. # 392 Fremont, CA 94539-3680 USA Phone: 510-226-1364 Email: president@skywagons.org Website: www.skywagons.org Dues: $25/yr. Publication: Bi-monthly

Cessna International Cessna 195 Club Coyle Schwab 632 N. Tayler Rd. SI. Charles, IL 60174 USA 630-513-7002 Email: coyle.schwab@sbcglobal.net Website: www.cessna195.org Dues: $25 Publication: Online at website (members only). Non-members can access photos and "Hangar Talk" forum

Fleet International Reet Club Jim Catalano 8 Westlin Ln. Cornwall, NY 12518 USA 845-534-3947 Email: fteetclub@mac.com Website: http://web.mac.com/fteetclub/FieeCClub/ Home.html Dues: Contributions Publication: Approximately 4/yr.

The American Yankee Association Stewart Wilson P.O. Box 1531 Cameron Park, CA 95682 USA 530-676-4292 Email: sec@aya.org Website: http:// www.aya.org Dues: $40/yr. Publication: The American STAR - Bi-monthly

Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association Ray Whittemore, President P.O. Box 175 Tillsonburg, ON N4G 3T9 Canada 519-842-9922 Fax: 519-842-3292 Email: ray@spitcrazy.com Website: www.harvards.com Dues: $50/yr. Publication: Quarterly "The ROAR of the Harvard"

Hatz Hatz Biplane Association Lyman Hatz P.O. Box 10 Weyauwega, WI 54983 USA 715-536-1069 Email: HatzLymanC@aol.com Website: http://www.weebeastie.com/ hatzcbl/ Dues: $20/yr. Publication: Quarterly

Hatz Hatz Club Robert L. Taylor P. O. Box 127 Blakesburg, IA 52536 USA 515-938-2773 Fax: 515-938-2093 Email: antiqueairfield@sirisonline.com Website: www.aaa-apm.org Dues: $15/ yr. Publication: (3) Hatz Herald

Heath Heath Parasol Club William Schlapman 6431 Paulson Road Winneconne, WI 54986 USA 920-582-4454

Howard Funk Funk Aircraft Owners Association Thad Shelnutt 2836 California Av. Carmichael, CA 95808 USA 916-971-3452 Email: pilotthad@aol.com Website: www.funkftyers.org Dues: $12/yr. Publication: The Funk Ryer (monthly)

Howard Club & Howard Aircraft Foundation Edward R. Moore P.O. Box 50 West Mystic, CT 06388 USA 860-536-3002 Email: EBDGA15P@aol.com Website: http://members.aol.com/ HowardClub Dues: $30/ yr. Publication: Quarterly

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Interstate

Naval Aircraft

Piper

Interstate Club Brent Taylor P.O. Box 127 Blakesburg, IA 52536 USA 515-938-2773 Fax: 515-938-2093 Email: antiqueairfield@sirisonline.com Website: www.aaa-apm.org Dues: $15/yr. Publication: (3) Interstate Intercom

N3N Owners and Restorers Association H. Ronald Kempka 2380 Country Road #217 Cheyenne, WY 82009 USA Phone: 307-638-2210 Email: wyn3n@aol.com Dues: $15/ yr. Publication: On Yahoo.com

Cherokee Pilots Association P. O. Box 1996 Lutz, FL 33548 USA 813-242-7814, 800-292-6003 Dues: $38 US, $40 Canada & Mexico, $46 Foreign Publication: l1/yr.

Luscombe Continental Luscombe Association Ellie Madison, President, Patti Sani, Membership 10251 E. Central Ave. Del Rey, CA 93616 USA 559-888-2745 Email: cla-jim-patti@pacbell.net Website: www.luscombeda.org Dues: $24 US, $30 Canada, $36 Foreign. US Funds Publication: The Courant (bi-monthly)

Luscombe Luscombe Association Steve Krog 1002 Heather Lane Hartford, WI 53027 USA 262-966-7627 Fax: 262-966-9627 Email: sskrog@luscombeassoc.org Website: www.luscombeassoc.org Dues: $25 USD - US & Canada, $30 Foreign Publication: Luscombe Association Newsletter 6/ yr

Luscombe The Luscombe Endowment Inc. Doug Combs 2487 S. Gilbert Rd Unit # 106, PMB 113 Gilbert, Al 85295 USA 48M50-0883 Fax: 484-762-6711 Email: mr.luscombe@luscombe.org Website: www.luscombe.org Dues: None Required, Donations Requested, WIN ME Raffle support Publication: Combined written and online at www.luscombe.org

Meyers Meyers Aircraft Owners Association Doug Eshelman 1563 Timber Ridge Dr. Brentwood, TN 37027 USA 615-400-3382 Fax: 615-371-8231 Email: desh@Comcast.net Dues: Postage Fund Donation Publication: newsletter 3-4 times yearly

Monocoupe Monocoupe Club Frank and Carol Kerner 1218 Kingstowne Place SI. Charles, MO 63304 USA 636-939-3322 Email: monocoupe@sbcglobal.net Website: www.monocoupe.com Dues: $25/ yr. Publication: website

Mooney Western Association of Mooney Mites (WAMM) Michael Harms P.O. Box 391641 Mountain View, CA 94039 USA 650-966-8292 Email: michael.harms@Comcast.net Website: http://www.mooneymite.com Dues: None Publication: None

22 JANUARY 2008

Navion American Navion Society Gary Rankin PMB 335, 16420 SE McGillivray # 103 Vancouver, WA 98683 USA May -Oct: 360-833-9921; Nov - April:623-975-4052 Fax: May -Oct: 360-833-9921; Nov -April: 623-975-4062 Email: Flynavion@yahoo.com Website: www.navionsociety.org Dues: US $60/ yr.; Canada $64/ yr.; Foreign $74/ yr. Publication: The Navioneer (Bi-monthly)

Navion Navion Pilots Association Jon Hartman P.O. Box 6656 Ventura, CA 93006 USA 805-320-3924 Fax: 805-672-2424 Email:jon@navionpilots.org Website: www.navionpilots.org Dues: $25/yr. Publication: News via web

Navion Navion Skies Raleigh Morrow P.O. Box 2678 Lodi, CA 95241 USA 209-482-7754 Fax: 209-367-9390 Website: http://www.navionskies.com Dues: $45/ yr. Publication: Navion Skies/ American Navioneer

Parrakeet Parrakeet Pilot Club Barry Taylor Box127 Blakesburg, IA 52536 USA 515-938-2773 Fax: 515-938-2093 Email: antiqueairfield@sirisonline.com Website: www.aaa-apm.org Dues: $15 Publication: (3) The Parrakeet Pilot

Piper Cub Club Steve Krog 1002 Heather Lane Hartford, WI 53027USA 262-966-7627 Fax: 262-966-9627 Email: sskrog@cubclub.org Website: www.cubclub.org Dues: $30 USD - US/Canada, $35 Foreign Publication: Cub Clues 6/yr.

Piper International Comanche Society Dave Fitzgerald PO Box 1810 Traverse City, MI 49685 USA 888-300-0082 Fax: 231-946-6180 Email: ics@Villagepress.com Website: www.comancheffyer.com Dues: $66/ yr US, Canada & Mexico, $89/ yr UK, Europe, Asia & Africa, $79/ yr all other Publication: Monthly, 50 pages

Piper Piper Apache Club John J. Lumley 6778 Skyline Drive Delray Beach, FL 33446 USA 561-499-1115 Fax: 561-495-7311 Email: captainapache@aol.com Website: www.piperapacheclub.com Dues: $36/ yr.

Piper Piper Aviation Museum Foundation Cecil Hazlett 1 Piper Way Lock Haven, PA 17745 USA 570-748-8283 Fax: 570-893-8357 Email: info@pipermuseum.com Website: www.pipermuseum.com Dues: $30 per year Publication: The Cub Reporter (Quarterly)

Pietenpol

Piper

Brodhead Pietenpol Association Doc Mosher P.O. Box3501 Oshkosh, WI 54903 USA Fax: 920-886-3575 Email: BPAN@tds.net Website: http://www.pietenpol.org Dues: $16/ yr. Publication: Quarterly

Piper Flyer Association Trevor Janz Waupaca Municipal Airport, The Blue Hangar, P.O. Box 381 Waupaca, WI 54981 USA 920-867-2800 Fax: 920-867-2805 Email: cavu@piperffyer.org Website: www.piperflyer.org

Pietenpol International Pietenpol Association Robert L. Taylor P. O. Box 127 Blakesburg, IA 52536 USA 515-938-2773 Fax: 515-938-2093 Email: antiqueairfield@sirisonline.com Website: www.aaa-apm.org Dues: $15 Publication: (3) 16 pg.

Piper Piper Owner Society Randy Augustinak P.O. Box 5000 lola, WI 54945 USA 866-697-4737 Fax: 715-445-4053 Email: help@piperowner.org Website: http://www.piperowner.org Dues: $48/ yr., $89/ 2 yrs., $119/ 3 yrs. Publication: Monthly

Piper Short Wing Piper Club, Inc Eleanor Mills P.O. Box 166 Halstead, KS 67056 USA 316-835-3650 or 316-835-3307 Email: swpn@sbcglobal.net Website: http://www.shortwing.org Dues: $30/ yr. US & Canada; $40 Foreign Publication: Short Wing Piper News - Bi-monthly

Piper Supercub.org Straight & Level Productions, Inc PO Box 150 Waldron, MO 64092 USA 816-741-1486 Fax: 816-741-5212 Website: www.supercub.org Dues: Donations - Min $25/ yr Publication: Online discussion forum

Porterfield Porterfield Airplane Club Chuck Lebrecht 91 Hickory Loop Ocala, Fl 34472 USA 352-687-4859 Dues: $5/yr. Publication: Quarterly

Rearwin Rearwin Club Robert l. Taylor P. O. Box 127 Blakesburg, IA 52536 USA 515-938-2773 Fax: 515-938-2093 Email: antiqueairfield@sirisonline.com Website: www.aaa-apm.org Dues: $15 Publication: Rearwin Register

Ryan International Ryan Club Joe Hodges 300 Sagewood Dr. Ridgeland, MS 39157 USA 601-896-1300 . Email: editor@ryanclub.org Website: www.ryanclub.org Dues: $15 electronic subscription, $20 print (U.S.); $25 print (International) Publication: Quarterly

Schweizer 1-26 Association (Schweizer) Beverly Beckwith 106 WCrosswind Ct Tullahoma, TN 37388 USA 931-455-3990 Email: biplanes@bellsouth.net Website: www.126association.org Dues: $15/yr. Regular; $25/yr. Sustaining; $500 life membership Publication: bi-monthly

Steannan Stearman Restorers Association Jack Davis 7000 Merrill Ave., Box 90, Chino Airport Chino, CA 91710 USA 626-792-0638 Email: davco@stearman.net Website: www.stearman.net Dues: $35/yr. US, $40/yr. Canada & Mexico, $45 Overseas Publication: Stearman Aying Wire, Quarterly

Stinson Stinson Historical and Restoration Society (or Stinson 108, Antique Airplane Assoc.) Robert Taylor P.O. Box 127

Blakesburg, IA 52536 USA 515-938-2773 Fax: 515-938-2093 Email: antiqueairfield@sirisonline.com Website: www.aaa-apm.org Dues: $24/ yr. Publication: (4) SHARS

Stinson International Stinson Club Anthony l. Wright 2264 Los Robles Road Meadow Vista, CA 95722 USA 530-878-0219 Email: stinson2@juno.com Website: www.stinsonclub.org Dues: $30/yr. Publication: Monthly

Stinson National Stinson Club George Alleman 1229 Rising Hill Road West Placerville, CA 95667 USA 530-622-4004 voice & fax Email: nscgeorge@internet49.com Dues: $20 US & Canada; $25 Foreign Publication: Stinson Plane Talk, 4/yr.

Stinson

Email: sskrog@gmail.com Website: www.taylorcraft.org Dues: $35/yr. $5 of which is donated to the Taylorcraft Foundation Publication: Quarterly (technical)

Taylorcraft Virginia/Carolinas Taylorcraft Owner's Club (VCTOC) Tom Pittman Rt. 6 Box 189 Appomattox, VA 24522 USA 434-352-5128 Email: vctoc6@juno.com Website: www.vctoc.org/ Dues: $10/yr. Publication: Quarterly

Travel Air Travel Air Club Robert l. Taylor P. O. Box 127 Blakesburg, IA 52536 USA 641-938-2773 Fax: 641-938-2093 Email: antiqueairfield@sirisonline.com Dues: $15 Publication: (3) Travel air Talks

Travel Air

Sentinal Owner and Pilots Association (Stinson L-5) James H. Gray 1951 W. Coolbrook Ave. Phoenix, !1J. 85023 USA 602-795-0413 Email: akdhc2pilot@yahoo.com Website: www.sentinelclub.org Dues: $20 Internet, $28 US/Canada, $34 Int'l Publication: Quarterly Newsletter

Travel Air Div. of Staggerwing Museum Foundation, Inc Karen Garrick P. O. Box 550 Tullahoma, TN 37388 USA 931-455-1974 Fax: 931-455-1994 Email: museuminfo@staggerwing.com Website: www.staggerwing.com Dues: $40/yr. Publication: 4-5 per yr.

Swift

Travel Air

Swift Museum Foundation, Inc. (Swift Association) Charlie Nelson P. O. Box 644 Athens, TN 37303 USA Headquarters: 423-745-9547; Parts Department: 423-744-9696 Fax: 423-745-9869 Email: Charlie:swiftlychs@aol.com; Secretary: swiftlypam@aol.com Dues: $35/yr. Publication: Monthly

Travel Air Restorer's Association (TARA) Jerry Impellezzeri 4925 Wilma Way San Jose, CA 95124 USA 408-356-3407 Email: clea.-prop2003@yahoo.com Dues: $15/calendar year Publication: Travel air Log, Quarterly

Swift West Coast Swift Wing Gerry or Carol Hampton 3195 Bonanza Dr Cameron Park, CA 95682 USA 530-676-7755 Fax: 530-676-7755 Email: av8rgnh@sbcglobal.net Dues: $15/yr. Mail or $5/yr email Publication: Monthly

Taylorcraft Taylorcraft Foundation, Inc. Forrest A. Barber, President 13820 Union Ave. NE Alliance, OH 44601 USA 330-823-1168 Fax: 330-823-1138 Email: fbarber@alliancelink.com Website: www.taylorcraft.org Dues: $15/yr. Publication: Quarterly

Taylorcraft Taylorcraft Owners Club Steve Krog 1002 Heather Lane Hartford, WI 53027 USA 262-966-7627

Waco American Waco Club, Inc. Phil Coulson 28415 Springbrook Dr. Lawton, MI 49065 USA 269-624-6490 Email: rcoulson516@cs.com Website: www.americanwacoclub.com Dues: $35 US, $45 Foreign Publication: Waco World News Bi-monthly

Waco National Waco Club Andy Heins 50 La Belle St. Dayton, OH 45403 USA 937-313-5931 Email: wacoaso@aol.com Website: www.nationalwacoclub.com Dues: $20/yr. Publication: Waco Pilot, Bi路monthly

Waco Western Waco Association Les Whittlesey 16 Oak Canyon Trl Coto De Caza, CA 92679 USA Les: 949-789-4555 E14 Fax: 949-789-4556 Email: Whittlesey4@Cox.net Dues: USPS $20, Email $10 Publication: Quarterly

FROM THE TRAVEL AIR RESTORER'S ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

The technical corner: elementary assembly and rigging BY ROBERT

LOCK

In the previous edition we discussed assembly and rigging of major airframe structural components. This article will complete my thoughts on elementary assembly and rigging techniques, focusing on control surfaces and post-flight rig ging changes. Hopefully, I can pass along a few "secrets" that will make the job easier and still give the desired results. Part 2

Flight Control Details Some aircraft are designed with "aileron differential." That is, the UP travel is more than the DOWN travel. This is done to correct for adverse yaw, a phenomenon caused by an increase or decrease in drag at the wingtips when the ailerons are moved UP or DOWN. An ex ample of aileron differential is seen in the Boeing Stearman. UP travel is 25 degrees, while DOWN travel is 18 degrees. When the aile ron is moved DOWN it effectively increases the angle of attack, and therefore the lift, of the outboard section of the wing. Any increase in lift is accompanied by a corre sponding increase in drag. This in crease in drag will cause the nose of the aircraft to yaw opposite the bank. So some designers would use more UP travel to try to compen sate for the additional drag caused 24

JANUARY 2008

by the DOWN-moving aileron. This is "aileron differential." You can tell if aileron differen tial is used in your aircraft by look ing closely at the bell crank. If the throw is the same in both the UP and DOWN direction, the ai leron will move the same amount in either direction. My Command Aire ailerons move 25 degrees UP and 25 degrees DOWN. With ab solutely no rigging directions for the aircraft, I decided to use what Lloyd Stearman had designed on the model A 75 . So I chose to use the 25 degrees of UP travel and not worry about the DOWN travel. It worked just fine. When there are no available rigging data I am a firm believer in observing what "others" did. Since I have most of my biplane experience with the Stearman, and because it has an ex cellent rigging manual, that is my airplane of choice. Many early aircraft used the

"slotted" aileron because it pro vided very good low-speed lateral control. Originally conceived by the Englishman L.G. Friese (the aileron type is commonly spelled "frieze" and pronounced "freeze") and the German Dr. Gustav V. Lachmann at about the same time in history, it featured a generous slot between the wing and aileron leading edge that allowed air to flow over the top of the aileron at high angles of attack as the wing approached the stalling angle. However, its drawback was a drag penalty at cruise speed. The aileron was hinged at the main spar, and as the aileron moved UP-the lead ing edge dropped below the bot tom wing surface. This feature was to add some drag to the UP-moving aileron to counteract adverse yaw. Look at all the early low-powered monoplanes such as Piper Cub, Aeronca Champ, Taylorcraft, Bel lanca Citabria, etc. They all use the Friese slotted aileron. The New Standard D-25 I cur rently fly uses a large aileron on the upper wing that is 9 feet in length and has a chord of 16 inches at its widest paint. It is hinged at its front spar directly to the aileron spar on the wing panel. Therefore all the weight of the aileron is aft of the hinge point. There is a small slot between the aileron spar and aileron mounting spar on the wing. John Barker, who flew and main tained a D-25 for Old Rhinebeck Airdrome in New York, told me that he was able to make the ailerons more effective by covering the slot with fabric. So I did this on both New Standards we restored, and the ailerons work well-much better than I had anticipated. However, if

the airplane is slow in turbulent air, aileron response is terrible. With a 4S-foot upper wingspan, it takes a large amount of aileron force to re move the airplane from a roll cre ated by turbulence, plus you need to add a generous amount of rud der input. Elevator travel usually exhibits more UP travel than DOWN travel because the aircraft is slightly nose heavy in its design of the center of gravity position and doesn't need a large amount of DOWN travel. Rudder travel is usually the same amount both LEFT and RIGHT. The rudder should be rigged with the full amount of travel, as it is the rudder that stops rotation during a spin. If your airplane does not have published control-system travel data , look at the Stearman rigging manual. Under no circumstances should the rudder, when deflected full LEFT or RIGHT, contact the elevator. Rudder travel is usually around 2S degrees left and right. I should point out that aircraft designed in accordance with Aero nautics Bulletin 7 (the original issue) were not required to have control stops on ailerons and elevators. El evator stops were essentially the control stick contacting the back of the front seat (down stop) and the front of the back seat (up stop). Aileron stops were the stick con tacting the pilot's knees. There was a limiting movement stop on rud der because it would contact the el evator, which wasn't a good thing. Look at old photos of airplanes of the era and you'll see the elevator with a generous amount of DOWN travel. That's when the top of the control stick is resting against the back of the front seat! When I was restoring the Command-Aire, I an ticipated the FAA would ask about control stops, so I designed and in stalled stops for primary flight con trols. Sure enough, the question came up during the type inspection authorization (TIA).

Rigging Flight Controls Rigging Ailerons: Neutralize the

control stick in the rear cockpit by measuring from side to side. Clamp the stick in position so it cannot move. If the sys tem is cable-controlled, start by assembling the cables symmetrically. To do so, either count the number of turns on each turnbuckle or snug the ca ble turnbuckles until the threads of the cable ends just disappear inside the turnbuckle barrel. Control surface rigging, especially the ailerons, requires that bell cranks be positioned accurately, so symmetri cal assembly of cables will give you a good start to the rigging process. In a cable control system there is a left and right aileron ca ble and a balance or carry through cable. Once cable tension has been snugged, observe the position of the aileron trailing edge to wing trailing edge. That is your reference point to start. If you reach inside the wing and pull on anyone of those three cabl es, the aileron trailing edge will move ei ther up or down . The balance cable will move both trailing edges ei ther UP or DOWN depending on which side of th e bell crank it is attached. Once you see which ca ble moves the aileron in which di rection, you can proceed without chasing yourself round and round. Remember, when rigging ailerons it is necessary to "droop" the trailing edges about 1/4 inch so they will streamline in flight . Cable ten sion should be set with both ailerons clamped in the neutral position. Adjust all cables symmetrically and safety. Clamping the ailerons in neutral takes weight off the cables and allows for accurate tension to be set. This is particularly true of the New Standard. With the aile rons clamped in neutral, tension is the same in both cables. (See Fig ure 1.) However, when the clamp is removed, one cable is noticeably

Figure 1

Figure 2 tighter than the other. That's be cause of the weight of the aileron aft of the hinge line. In flight and when the ailerons neutralize, the tension should be the same. If the control is a push-pull rod, start by making each rod the same length. This is always the best place to start. Use the same procedure for setting droop in ailerons. When finished rigging, the push-pull rods should be the same length. Rigging Elevators: Rigging el evators can pose a small problem because many older aircraft had movable horizontal stabilizers used for longitudinal trim. So when measuring elevator travel the stabi lizer had to be placed in a particu lar position. What that position is you usually do not know. So un less you have specific manufactur er's data, place the stabilizer trim in NEUTRAL. If the system is cable controlled, symmetrically assemble both cables until snug with the el evator clamped in NEUTRAL. Then check UP and DOWN travel using a bubble protractor or by measur ing with a steel ruler. The UP travel is most important, so work until VINTAGE AIRPLANE

it reads the correct amount. If no data are available, look at biplanes where the data is available. You can adjust travel by altering the length of the UP and DOWN cable, which will alter the neutral position of the control stick. When deflec tion is correct, tension both cables equally and safety. Figure 2 shows the aircraft leveled longitudinally and laterally. Rigging Elevator Trim Tabs: If the aircraft is equipped with ele vator trim tabs, assemble the ca bles symmetrically and snug. Make sure the tabs move in the proper di rection! Don't rig them backward. Tab UP moves the elevator DOWN. Tab DOWN moves the elevator UP. Once the cables are snugged, you may need to adjust the length of ca bles to get the travel to the correct amount. Once travel is correct, ten sion each cable symmetrically and safety. Here, a single-wrap safety is used because the cable diameter is usually 1/16 or 3/32 inches. Rigging Rudder: On some aircraft the vertical fin is offset to the left to counteract the effects of engine torque. The rudder should be rigged neutral to the vertical fin even if it is offset. Clamp the rudder pedals in neutral; symmetrically assem ble the left and right cables. Many older aircraft just used springs to hold the rudder pedals forward; the tension on the rudder cables was provided by the pilot's feet. So you cannot rig much tension in the ca bles, since they are pulling against a spring. Here, just rig enough ten sion to balance the spring and ca ble tension. Make sure the pedals and rudder are in the neutral posi tion. Safety the cables. Tensioning Cables: Once the control surface is correctly rigged, it is time to tension the cables. Control cables pull against each other, so it will be necessary to ten sion (shorten) each cable equally. So line up the safety wire holes and take a half-turn in each turnbuckle 26

JANUARY 2008

until the system is tensioned. A cable tensiometer can be used to determine actual cable tension . However, most older aircraft did not use a high amount of tension just enough to transfer movement from the control source to the sur face. Somewhere around 20 pounds was common. If the tension is too loose there will be "slop" in the control. If tension is too tight the control will feel "heavy" when moved. Seek a tension between tight and loose. Cable tension will depend on what type of pulleys are installed in the system. Old pulleys had only a bronze bushing in the center, while newer pulleys use a sealed bearing. The sealed bearing type pulley can withstand higher tensions. For this type of pulley 40 to 50 pounds might be the norm.

NEVER attempt to clean threads using a thread die. All aircraft threads are rolled type, and a thread die WILL NOT WORK. Safetying Turnbuckles: FAA AC 43 .13 -1B provides all data neces sary to safety turnbuckles. Both sin gle and double wrap are approved. Adhere to the following specifica tions: After final rigging adjust ments check to make sure no more than three threads on any cable end are outside the turnbuckle barrel. Figure 7-23 shows details. Chapter 7, Section 10 describes safety meth ods for turnbuckles . I use either double- or single-wrap methods. I don't use the spiral-wrap method,

but that's just my choice. Figure 7-24 shows the correct safety pro cedure. Note that there should be four turns minimum on the wrap. Pay particular attention to Table 7-8 for approved wire diameter and type. Note that .040-inch diameter wire is approved for cables 1/16 inch to 5/32-inch diameters, and that brass, annealed stainless steel, monel, and K-monel wire can be used. Push-Pull Rod Safetying: Push pull rods have adjustable ends that feature rolled threads inserted in side a threaded barrel welded to the tube. There will be a hole drilled through the barrel, called a "wit ness hole." The hole is there so a piece of safety wire can be inserted to check if the adjustable rod end is threaded far enough into the barrel. If the wire contacts the ad justable end, hold the end with a wrench and tighten the "jam" nut snug. Some push-pull rods may have female threads and some may have threads on the end. Whatever type, a witness hole is provided so one can determine proper thread engagement. NEVER attempt to clean threads using a thread die. All aircraft threads are rolled type, and a thread die WILL NOT WORK. You can purchase a set of thread cleaners or use a thread file to touch up slightly damaged threads if the need arises. Aircraft threads are special-don't mess with the threads! They are all rolled, not cut. Thread dies will not work. Don 't ever be tempted to alter the length of a bolt or threaded rod end with a thread die. Final Control Surface Rigging Check: Check to make sure the sur face moves in the correct direction, especially elevator trim tabs.

Post-Rigging Adjustments After the aircraft has been test flown on a calm morning, make notes on how it flies . Is it "wing heavy?" Do the ailerons stream line in flight? Can the aircraft be

trimmed for level flight? Where is the trim handle or control in level flight? These are just a few ques tions that need answers . Post-Rigging Adjustments: Af ter the aircraft has been test-flown, there may be further rigging ad justments that need to be made. Assuming that both wingtips were "washed-out" the same amount, the aircraft may be left-wing heavy. Let's explore washout and wing heaviness before progressing. It is customary to wash out both wingtips so that the ailerons are somewhat effective into the stall. Washout is the twisting of wingtips UP. Washout is usually 1 to 2 de grees. Let's say that the fixed angle of incidence of the lower wing is plus-2 degrees-that is, the chord line is 2 degrees up from the longi tudinal axis of the aircraft. So if you set the wingtips at minus-2 degrees, the result is that the tips would read 0 degrees. The New Standard has 4 degrees of washout in the up per wings; the aileron trailing edge is curved up to meet the tip of the wing. You don't need to level the airplane again to adjust washout. Next, let's explore why an air craft would exhibit left-wing heavi ness (the aircraft rolls to the left) . The airplane tends to react to pro peller torque opposite the direction of prop rotation. If the prop ro tates clockwise when viewed from the rear, the airplane will tend to rotate counterclockwise, which is a left-rolling motion. You should start to wash in the left wing at the strut point to remove some of the washout. In effect you will be twisting the left wingtip DOWN. Some aircraft make it easy, like the Stearman. Go to the left wing and lengthen the rear interplane strut a couple turns and fly it again. Do this until the airplane will fly wings level in calm air at cruise rpm and airspeed. Other biplanes use the in terplane diagonal strut, which will change wash-in in both wings . In any case, wash in the left wing(s) until the airplane flies wings level. 28 JANUARY 2008

But what happens when you slightly increase the lift on the left side of the airplane? You also in crease the drag because lift and drag are closely associated. Now the airplane flies wings level but yaws slightly to the left. If the air plane has an adjustable vertical fin,

But what happens

when you slightly

increase the lift

on the left side

of the airplane?

move the leading edge to the left until the airplane flies straight and the ball is centered. If the fin can not be adjusted it will be necessary to add or adjust a ground-adjustable trim tab on the rudder trailing edge. Bend the tab to the left to force rud der to the right until the ball of an inclinometer is centered. Now we should have an airplane that will fly wings level with the ball cen tered in cruise flight. If you change the power setting and the airspeed, your rigging adjustments will change. So do your fine-tuning at cruise flight regime. Let me conclude this rigging col umn with a short story about the restoration of my 1929 Command Aire . I added a Wright R-760-8 to replace a Curtiss R-600 Challenger engine. I covered the entire aircraft except the fuselage, assembled it, and leveled the aircraft on scales. My center of gravity calculation showed the airplane to be slightly nose heavy, so I placed the 12-volt battery behind the baggage com partment (actually the only place to mount a battery). The center of gravity (CG) moved to within my predetermined limits of 27 to 34 percent mean aerodynamic chord.

Proof of the correct CG location came after the test flight. In-flight photos of the aircraft in level flight showed the elevators in line with the horizontal stabilizer, with the trim handle in the center of its travel. No further proof is needed; the aircraft is neither nose nor tail heavy. When the airplane is stalled in flight, the nose falls smartly be low the horizon, making recovery simple . Just add some power. I've never spun the airplane; I decided not to do that before I flew it. Aft CGs are the most danger ous because the nose may not fall through the horizon when the air plane stalls. This is NOT what you want in the finished airplane. This is an example of neutral to nega tive longitudinal stability. Using some rigging data from the Stearman proved to be just fine for the Command-Aire. I did an extensive search for any exist ing drawings, but they were appar ently destroyed. I did find a copy of an original weight and balance re port filed by a couple of CAA pilots when the Command-Aire SC3 was flight-tested for approval in the Ci vilian Pilot Training Program. This was most helpful to me when try ing to establish weight and balance forward and aft limits. My airplane came to within 0.1 inch (that's 1/l0'h of an inch) of the calcula tions made in 1939. So aUmy plan ning ahead worked! There may be some biplanes flying that need to be re-rigged because they don't fly well. My rec ommendation is to loosen all the wires and start over again rather than try to adjust. It's easier in the long run. Happy flying. Be safe and strive for excellence.

Definition of Technical Terms Wash out: Removing angle of in cidence of wing at the tip. Wash in: Adding angle of inci dence of wing at the tip. Neutral: A control surface that is in line with the fixed surface, the zero point for measuring travel. ~

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BY ELROY HILB ERT, PINCH HITTING FOR BUCK HILBERT

The cold, naked-legged Luscombe adventure Editor's Note: Cap'n Buck had to go in for a top overhaul on his shoulder, so Elroy, one of Buck's sons, was kind enough to fill in for his dad. Like most stories, this one starts with waiting-waiting for the right season, the right conditions, and the right timing. In this case, I have been waiting all winter for snow-lots of snow. I waited until March 5, hardly two weeks before spring. The weath erman had forecast a big system, and this time it looked like he may have been right. It started snowing toward evening. I drove to the airport in the snowstorm that night and put the skis on. If the conditions were fa vorable, I could play ski-hooky from work the next day. On the Luscombe, the ski cables attach to a bracket that attaches to the front gear leg, and the gear fair ings have to be removed to attach the bracket. Some Luscombe fairings have a hole to fit over the bracket after it's installed. Mine did not, so I left the fairings off. I'm pretty sure that the gear is just as strong without the fairings as it is with the fairings , but the gear looks naked, spindly, and weak without them. The frozen breath gasp from bystanders confirms that the Luscombe is indeed naked. Others who mistake the Luscombe for a Cessna are, as always, even more confused when they see the naked gear. They are not sure what it is, but they know it's naked. The next morning we had 6 inches of perfect powder, and the skies were 30

JANUARY 2008

clear and blue. I went to work as usual, but it didn't take long for Cliff, my boss, to see that I wasn't going to be any more useful than used engine oil. The Luscombe was his first love, so he was more (or less) sympathetic when he tapped me on the shoulder

The Luscombe was

his first love, so he

was more (or less)

sympathetic when

he tapped me on the

shoulder and told me

to take the rest of

the day off.

and told me to take the rest of the day off. I was standing with my face pressed up against the hangar door window with a shop rag in my hand continually wiping the frost off the glass so I could see the snow-removal crew "ruining" all that beautiful snow. "Leave it alone!" I thought to myself (or maybe out loud) . Big air ports just don't appreciate the snow. I suited up and headed out to the little Cottonwood Airport near Rockford, Illinois. After clearing the

snow away from the door and shov eling some under the skis, I pushed the mostly 1941 Luscombe out into the sun. I wondered if NC37038 had been on snow before. I have logs dat ing back to 1946, but I didn't remem ber seeing anything about ski flying . Some of the flights that were logged were from Detroit to Miami and back. Fourteen hours one way, with no other stops recorded. I probably would not be making that trip anytime soon. With or without stops, that would be a long trip. I'd have to take a week or more off work. Still, I thought about what it would have been like to fly 2,000 miles in 1946 on 65 hp and no radios, no engine-driven electri cal system, very little weather infor mation, and no GPS. The Luscombe would have been nearly brand-new then, only 5 years old. Now it was 60 years plus and getting cold Sitting in the snow ... or was it just me? Nev ertheless, I though t tha t if 37038 had grown up in Michigan, surely it would have played in the snow at one time or another. I chocked the skis and stood be hind the prop with one hand on the strut to start it. There wasn't much chance that it would go anywhere in the fresh powder, but I didn't want take to take the chance of fall ing down in the snow and then get ting run over. I walked around to the door and brushed as much snow as possible off my boots before drag ging them inside. The Luscombe glided quietly across the pure, untouched snow. I

say "quietly" because, as Luscombe owners know, it was designed after the original RCA Victrola . The tail wheel transmits all the bumps and squeaks and rattles up a huge widen足 ing cone right into the cockpit. But on the snow, the RCA dog of "His Master's Voice" fame wouldn 't hear anything. By the way, do you re足 member that little dog's name? (The answer is at the end of this article.) I taxied all the way to the end, made a big sweeping turn, and then remembered that I could not stop to do the run-up, so I went around again and did it while on the slide. One last look at the oil temp and the area, and I advanced the throt足 tle smoothly. The acceleration was a little slow, but smooth. The air was cold and the sky was as blue as blue sky can be. A short run and the Luscombe was in the air. It climbed effortlessly over the snow-covered fields. It always looks so different when everything is covered with snow. The familiarity of the land足 scape is obscured. You know you are where you are, but at the same time you have a feeling that you have never been there before. I headed east and continued to marvel at the white landscape. The browns and grays were now covered with white. The tree lines were now great barrier reefs, the farm buildings islands, and the roads shipping lanes. My first stop was my brother's place . He has a rural landing area VINTAGE AIRPLANE

(RLA) just south of Harvard, Illinois. I set up a downwind and kept a lit tle power all the way to final. The touchdown was nearly unnoticeable. And again it was quiet. Bob hap pened to be outside working on the snowblower when I arrived, so he was already dressed to go ski flying. He asked, "Why did you leave the fairings off?" It was too cold to ex plain, so I just pOinted at the ski at tach bracket. He nodded, and then told me to go ahead and get in and he would prop it. I squeezed back into the Luscombe. I couldn't tell if my feet were on the brakes or not because of my huge pack boots. Then I realized that holding the brakes wouldn't do any good on skis anyway. (I only fly on skis once a year.) After it started, I leaned out my door so Bob would have room to climb in. Of course, we had trouble squeezing in with all our winter gear on. We looked like a heavyweight sumo wrestling tag team trying to squeeze into a phone booth. We wedged ourselves into the 36-inch-wide cabin and finally got buckled in. Then I took the rag I still had in my hand from work and wiped the fog off the inside of the windshield. There isn't any heat in the Luscombe, so you have to dress warm-really warm. There's a knob on the panel labeled "cabin heat," but I don't think it makes any dif ference what position you have it in. And besides that, with all the winter clothes on you really can't be sure the doors will close, or are closed, any way. A few minutes later we taxied out for takeoff. The snow was a little on the sticky side, but the ground run was still short and we were in the air. We traveled up to Lake Geneva and flew all over the lake, waving to ice fishermen and "chasing" snowmo biles. Everyone knows that in order to put skis on an airplane you have to remove the wheels, but it is also a well-known fact among skiplane en thusiasts that when you remove the wheels some of the pilot's judgment gets removed, too. This explains why we risk frostbite to fly on skis, and why it's okay to sneak up on snow 32

JANUARY 2008

mobiles or land in any field or on a frozen lake, something you would not (or come to think of it, could not) do in the summertime. We then flew over the hill to Lake Como. Lake Como still had some open water in the middle near the west end, but the ice looked solid further south by Mars Resort, where we stopped for lunch. We sat in the restaurant looking over the snow and ice-laden lake. No one in the place seemed to think it was unusual for a plane on skis to be sitting out front (except to comment that it looked naked). A group of snowmo bilers came in out of the cold and sat at the bar. I wondered if we had chased them earlier. They finished their drinks, suited up, and headed back out. We finished our lunch and headed back out as well. The Luscombe looked cold sitting on the ice and the skis were frozen down. (Note to self: Loosen the skis from the ice before getting in and trying to taxi away.) Bob and I flew over to Larry's RLA. We were not planning on landing, because his strip is very narrow and runs uphill to the north (the same direction the wind was from), and it ended with a considerable berm at the fence line. But he spotted us and was waving us in. Larry had flown T-28s in the military, whirlybirds for NASA, and big jets for the airline. He also owns a Champ, and a really cute

Parakeet. He p-robably would have not thought any less of us if we had not landed, but we felt it would be easier to land than to explain at a later date why we didn't. We had a nice visit. We remembered to break the skis loose and then climbed back into the Luscombe while Larry of fered to give us a prop. We taxied to the extreme south end of the runway and were able to swing it around in the adjoining hayfield . I gave it the power, and the Luscombe accelerated slowly and finally broke ground a lit tle past the point of no return. We did a large 180 and flew by to wave at Larry and started off for more ski plane adventure. We did some snow-and-goes at Dacy's and then headed back to Bob's. After dropping Bob off, I flew over Cliff's house, which is near the final approach end of Runway 27 at the old Belvidere Airport. He recog nized the Luscombe, hopped in the car, and drove over to the airport. I landed and taxied as close as I could to the pavement and left the engine running. As he hopped in, he made a comment about the missing fairings. He had never flown his Luscombe on skis and was eager to give it a try. The sun was quickly setting and it was getting dark. It was difficult to make out the runway on the last few snow-and-goes, but we had a great time. As he got out he thanked me for the ride, and I thanked him for

the day off. He said, "I suppose you want tomorrow off, too?" I laughed and said, "No, I'll be in." I could not win the race with the night back to Cottonwood, but that was okay since the runway lights were on. "There is one for the logbook," I thought. "A night landing on skis." I taxied as close as I dared to the han足 gar, shut it down, and got out. What a fun and full day! I dragged it in the hangar and brushed the snow off the skis and the naked gear. Within a couple of days the snow melted considerably and within a week it was gone . I went back out to the airport, took the skis off, and put the wheels (and some of my judgment) back on. Then I covered the nakedness of the gear. "Next year," I thought, "I will keep the fairings on. " Oh, that little RCA dog? His name was Nipper. Most folks know him as a trademarked symbol of RCA, but that's not where his fame started. Google "Nipper RCA" and read what pops up. It's quite a story! .......

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DA VE BROWN COPY RIGHT 2007

www.tailwheels.com

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

BY DOUG STEWART

Night requirements

c Departing for home from Martha's Vineyard yesterday afternoon, I knew that combining the expected head winds I would encounter with the late ness of the day, I would be arriving back home at the Columbia County Airport after dark. I was prepared for this, hav ing checked that all the airplane's lights (position, anti-collision, landing/taxi, and cockpit) were working and having ensured that the batteries in all three of my flashlights were fresh. The visibility on the westbound flight was difficult at first, what with the sun directly in my eyes, but as the sun sank lower and lower on the horizon, the sky went through a glo rious kaleidoscopic transformation. Reds, pinks, salmons, magentas, blues, purples . .. such a vast variety of color filled the windscreen. Soon my GPS automatically switched from its "day" display to its "night" display, signaling official sun set and reminding me to turn on the airplane's position lights. While it was still quite bright aloft, the shadows on the ground had lengthened into disap pearance, and now the lights of houses and vehicles on the ground were start ing to appear. The sun was just ap proaching the horizon from my per spective at 6,500 feet mean sea level, but for the folks who found themselves ground-bound, it had indeed set. The estimated time en route to the Columbia County Airport, as displayed on my GPS, said I should be there in another 35 minutes. As I thought ahead to my arrival and landing at IBl, I con sidered whether or not I would be able to log it as a night landing. This led me 34

J A NUARY 2008

POSITION LIGHTS ANTI-COLLISION LOG NIGHT REQUIRED? LIGHTS REQUIRED?* TIME?

NIGHT LANDING CURRENCY

SUNSET/SUNRISE

END OF CIVIL TWILIGHT/

START OF MORNING

TWILIGHT

, HOUR AFTER SUNSET/ 1 HOUR BEFORE SUNRISE

REGULATION REFERENCES: FAR 91.20S-VFR FLIGHT (NIGHT), POSITION LIGHTS; 91.209 ANTI-COLLISION LIGHTS; FAR 61.57 RECENT FLIGHT EXPERIENCE "IF INSTALLED, ANTI-COLLISION LIGHTS MUST BE ON AT ALL TIMES, UNLESS THE PIC DETERMINES THEIR OPERATION WOULD BE DETRIMENTAL TO THE FLIGHT.

to wonder how much of the total flight I would be able to log as "night" flight. At least I knew the correct answer as to when to turn on the position lights, as I had already correctly done that. But as I approached my home base it became evident that not all pilots can answer some of the questions relative to flying at night. When I was about 15 miles to the southeast of the airport, with the air port beacon flashing green-white, green-white, in sight, I canceled flight following and switched my radio to the UNICOM frequency to monitor any activity that might be occurring there. Shortly after the Switch I heard the pi lot of a Mooney announce a departure from Runway 21, "remaining in the pattern," followed by a Decathlon pilot calling the downwind . "Shouldn't be any separation issues there," I thought to myself as I strained to see if I could pick them out visually. "Don't try to see them straight ahead, Stewart. Pick them up in your peripheral vision," I reminded myself, remembering that the visual scanning techniques for "see

and avoid" are different at night. As the Decathlon pilot announced turning final for a touch-and-go, the Mooney reported on a mid-field downwind leg. It sounded to me as if these two pilots were doing a good job of keeping each other informed as to where they were in the pattern. As is my preference, they weren't us ing tail numbers, hopefully because they realized that even if they were flying in close formation, it was a wee bit too dark to be able to discern any writing of any kind on the fuselage of either airplane. From my vantage pOint of about 12 miles to the southeast and at an alti tude of 3,500 feet, I could see the land ing light of the Decathlon as it touched down, rolled out a bit, and then took off. However, I was having a heck of a time picking out the Mooney. Ap parently I wasn't the only one, as the Decathlon pilot announced: "Hey, Mooney, your position lights sure aren't very bright; in fact, I'm having a hard time finding you." "Oops ... how's this?" replied the Mooney pilot, as not

only the position lights, but also the anti-collision lights of his airplane sud denly appeared. "Guess I forgot. Thanks for the heads-up," he added. (Some times it's nice to know that I am not the only one who succumbs to CRM... No, not cockpit resource management, but "can't remember much.") While we are speaking of remember ing, perhaps we had best review what the regulations have to say about night flight, especially since we are at that time of the year, at least in the North ern Hemisphere, when many of us are most likely to have occasion to fly at night. It is interesting to note that the FARs refer to three different periods of time in relation to night operations: one for equipment, one for currency, and one for logging night operations. To begin with, let's look at the defi nition of night that is found in Part 1 of the FARs. "Night means the time be tween the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight, as published in the American Air Almanac, converted to local time." When referring to the Almanac, we find that the period of civil twilight changes relative to geographic position as well as the time of year. In the winter it might be 15 or 20 minutes long, but as the days lengthen as spring turns to summer, it could be almost an hour. During the rest of the year, it can be any time in between. So the only flight time that can be logged as night flight is that flying that takes place during the period of time defined as "night" in Part 1 of the FARs. But what about those takeoffs and landings that have to be made to carry passengers? Does the same time period apply? No, it doesn't . If we refer to FAR 61.57, Recent Flight Experience: Pilot In Command, we find that to carry passen gers "during the period beginning one hour after sunset and ending one hour before sunrise," the pilot in command must have made at least three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop, be tween the hours of one hour after sun set to one hour before sunrise, within the preceding 90 days. The FARs also state that the pilot be the sole manipu lator of the controls, which means that

if you are a certificated flight instructor (CFI) conducting night training, the takeoffs and landings that your client makes do not count toward your own night currency. If we consider the regulations, then the landing that the Decathlon pilot made would not count toward his night currency for two reasons. One was because the landing was a touch and-go and not a full-stop landing. The other reason was because although it sure was dark at the time, as civil twi light had definitely ended, it still wasn't an hour after sunset. Okay, we've reviewed what the FARs say about logging night flight and re cency of experience, but what about the regulations relative to those lights on the airplane? It is here that the regu lations might be considered contradic tory. FAR 91.205 starts off: (c) Visual Flight Rules (night) for VFR flight at night. the following instruments and equipment are required. (Let's remember the defi nition of night discussed above.) The airplane needs all the daytime instru ments and equipment, plus approved position lights, and an approved anti collision light system, as well as an ad equate source of electrical energy. Let's discuss the issue of anti collision lights a little further. I used to try and convince myself that I didn't need an anti-collision light on my PA-12, using the argument that it was grandfathered from the requirement. I was wrong, however, since 91.205 states specifically: Anti-collision light systems initially installed after August 11, 1971, on aircraft for which a type certificate was issued or applied for before August 11, 1971, must at least meet the light standards ... that were in effect on August 10, 1971, except that the color may be either aviation red or aviation white." (Yes, I installed a flashing beacon on the top of the wing root fairing, to comply with the regula tion.) So if you're to fly it at night, you do need an anti-collision light of the type that may have been installed on aircraft when your vintage airplane was built. Remember, "night" is defined in FAR 1 as the time between the end of evening civil twilight and the begin ning of morning civil twilight. /I

Continuing to read 91.205, we see that a landing light is not required, un less the airplane is being flown for hire. 91.205 could lead one to believe that one only needs position lights between the end and beginning of evening and morning civil twilight, as the regulation states: "For VFR flight at night ..." But reading on just a little further in the regulations we find 91.209, Aircraft Lights, which says that: "No person may: (a) during the period from sunset to sunrise ... (1) Oper ate an aircraft unless it has lighted position lights." (Please, all you pilots in Alaska, don't get upset if I don't mention the exceptions to the rules you folks have.) It was this regulation that would end my flying day when I used to ferry a non-electric Champ from Massachusetts to Florida every fall. Without position lights on that airplane, I would have to be sure to be on the ground by the time the sun had set. 91.209 makes it clear that if an aircraft is not equipped with posi tion lights, it will turn into a figura tive pumpkin upon the setting of the sun and should not be flying again until the sun rises. So as we find ourselves at that time of the year with the shortest daylight, remember the three different time pe riods we need to be aware of. Sunset to sunrise for having the lights turned on. That period of time between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight for logging our flight as "night." And one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise for logging takeoffs and land ings for recent experience currency. Oh, by the way, did I mention that by the time I was tying the airplane down, the full moon had risen and was casting sharp shadows on the ground? I didn't need my flashlight at all as I reflected on a wonderful flight at night. Whether you fly at night, or not, may you be blessed with ... blue ... errr, uhhh .. . clear skies and tail winds! Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI ofthe Year, a Master Instructor, and a des ignated pilot examiner. He operates DSFI Inc. (www.DSFlight.com) based at the Columbia County Airport (lBI). ...... VINTAGE AIRPLANE

BY H .G. FRAUTSCHY

THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM JOHN WOOLSON , AFTER A

SUGGESTION OF A POSSIBLE MYSTERY PLANE BY MEMBER DAVE MciLVAINE.

Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI S~903-3086 . Your answer- needs. to ' be -in. no later than February 7 for inclusion in the April 2008 issue of Vintage Airplane.

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

OCTOBER ' S MYSTERY ANSWE R

Our October Mystery Plane was not too hard for a few of you. Here's our first note:

from Jo e Juptn er's T-Hangar Tales: Stories of the Golden Age, Page 120, and Aerofiles.com.

The followin g information comes

The October 2007 Mystery Plane

seems to be the il m ericau Eagle A-429 Flyabout built in 1929 as CIN 335 and Identification [X99Ej. The engine is a LeBlond 5D of 60 hp. The same photo as Cedric Gal/away's is shown in both references. The design seems to have been based on the Longren Sport of 1925, but with some different structural features, especially the fus elage. The foldable wing was retained from the Longren. Jack Erickson State College, Pennsylvania

Here's more from Wes Smith of Springfield, Illinois: The October 2007 Mystery Plane is th e sale (see notation below) American Eagle Aircraft Corporation 1928 American Eagle, Approved Type Certificate A-429. This was, of course, 36 JANUARY 2008

a modified version of the Longren Sport. The aircraft was never certificated, but was registered as X99E. The company was based in Kansas City, Missouri, and E.E. Porterfield was the company president. Between 1928 and 1931, the American Eagle Aircraft Corp. built a number of other designs including the A-201 (ATC 293), 251 Phaeton (ATC 282), 330 (ATC 119, a version of the Wallace Touroplane B), A-101 (ATC 17), A-129 (ATC 124), A-139 (a clipped-wing racing version of the Phaeton), A-229, A-329, A-430 (ATC 301, also D-430 and E-430), A-529 (uncompleted), A-629 (the only twin engine company design), Eaglet 130, Eaglet 230 (ATC 380), Eaglet 231, Eaglet A-3l, Eaglet B-31/32 (ATC 450), and the uncompleted Trimotor Taloga, ordered by H.H. Patton. The photo used in Vintage Airplane is identical to that which appears on NASM laser videodisc 1, side A, frame 2882 (I note that you removed the registration number). Additional photos of this aircraft appear in frames 2866, 2890-92, and 2895. 1 also refer you to Page 269 of the Chuck Lebracht article on A.K. Longren, which appeared in the winter 1981 issue of the AAHSJournal (V26 N4). This is the same page that a photo of the Butler NL-13 (as per my "Extra" piece on Longren) appears on. Also apparently known as the Flyabout, the A-429 had a new fuselage, and landing gear, but retained the folding wings of the Longren Sport. It was powered by a 60-hp LeBlond 5D, had a span of 27 feet 11 inches, a length of 19 feet 6 inches, a weight (presumably empty) of400 pounds, and a range of 340 miles. The price of the A-429 ranged from $1,895 to $2,495. According to the Aerofiles.com website, two A-429s were built, registered 363 and X99E. The maximum speed was stated to be 100 mph, with a cruise of 85 mph and a landing speed of 25 mph. A version with an optional 40-hp Anzani engine was also offered.

Other correct answers were received from Bruce E. Renner of Fall City, Washington; Thomas Lymburn of Princeton, Minnesota; and Wayne Can Valkenburgh of Jasper, Georgia. ......

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

continued from inside front cover

served on the EAA Chapter 2 committee while hosting the B-17 in Fort Wayne,

Indiana. This book, about what these

. crewman experienced, is by far the most

fascinating and detailed telling that I

have ever had the privilege of reading. I

thought I knew Hal, but I really didn't.

Jim has truly done an excellent job of

putting Hal's story to words. The book takes you through Hal's boyhood to manhood, and then into his personal commitment to serve his country and putting his best foot for ward to bring his crew home after ev ery mission. This was, of course, not to be. On August l3, 1944, Hal and his crew were shot down over France on his 20 th mission, one that was a sup posed "milk run./I Their mission was to close down transportation routes and create chokepoints for the retreating German army. This mission is detailed with every frightening moment he experienced, through the shoot-down to his even tual success in evading the enemy so he could return to his unit in Eng land. The book goes on to detail Hal's experiences with the beloved Flying Fortress as an aircraft commander of EAA's B-17 bomber, Aluminum Overcast, which he proudly served with until his 80 th birthday. I was filled with pride when, in the book, I read my name as one who Hal thanked for encouraging him to see this mission through and share his personal story with the world. Thanks, Colonel! Hal's book, The last of the Combat B-ll Drivers, is available through Atlas Books: 800-247-6553 or online at wwwAtlasBooks.com. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2008, The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration, is July 28 through August 3, 2008. 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.

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

May 30·June 1 - Poplar Grove Airport, IL (C77) - Army Wings and Wheels 2008 Vintage Wings and Wheels Museum L-bird fly-in and living history re-enactment. Flying events, pancake breakfast, awards. See website at www.ArmyWingsAndWheels. com or call Museum at 815-547-3115 for further details. June 5·7 - Bartlesville, OK - 22nd Annual Biplane Expo, Contact 1-918-622-8400, www.biplanexpo.com June 21 - Porterville, CA - Eagle Mountain Air Show at Porterville Airport Aerobatics, Warbird fly-bys, vinatge, military and civilian aircraft on display, Awards for display planes Gates open at 8 AM Flour bombing and spot-landing in the morning. Food, beverage, crafts vendors Contact: (559) 289-0887 September 19·20 - Bartlesville, OK - 52 Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In, Contact 1-918-622-8400, www.tulsaflyin.com

200 8 MAJOR

FLy-INS

For details on EM Chapter fty-ins and other local aviation events, visit

U.S. Sport Aviation Expo

Rocky Mountain EAA Regional FIy·ln

Sebring Regional Airport (SEF), Sebring, FL January 17-20, 2008

Front Range Airport (FTG), Watkins, CO June 27-29, 2008

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www.RMRFI.org

Sun 'n Fun Fly·ln

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Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL),

Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO), Arlington, WA July 9-13, 2008 www.NWEAA.org

Lakeland, FL April 8-13, 2008 www.Sun-N-Fun.org

Golden West EAA Regional Fly·ln

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Yuba County Airport (MYV), Marysville, CA

Wittman Regional Airport (OSH),

June 6-8, 2008 www.GoldenWestFlyln .org

Oshkosh, WI July 28-August 3, 2008 www.AirVenture.org

Virginia EAA Regional Fly-In Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ), Suffolk, VA June 14-15, 2008 www. VAEAA .org

EAA Southwest Regional-The Texas FIy·ln Hondo Municipal Airport (HDO), Hondo, TX October 10-11, 2008 www.SWRFI.org

38 JANUARY 2008

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Classified Word Ads: $5 .50 per 10 words , 180 words maximum , with boldface lead-in on first line. Classified Display Ads: One column wide (2.167 inches) by 1, 2, or 3 inches high at $20 per inch . Black and white only, and no frequency discounts. Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (i.e., January 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per issue. Classified ads are not accepted via phone. Payment must accompany order. Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426·4828) or e·mail (classads@eaa.ortJ 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, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

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~McFarlane ' McFarlane Aviation Products 888.794.5280 696 East 1700 Road, Baldwin City, KS 66006 785.594.2741 785.594.3922 Fax sales@mcfarlaneaviati on.com Order Online at www.mcfarlaneaviation.com

Nominations for EAA Directors Pursuant to the amended and restated articles and bylaws of the Experimental Air craft Association Inc., the president has designated six (6) members of the Associa tion to act as the Nominating Committee to receive nominations for Class I directors. The Committee includes Ron Scott, chairman, N8708 Sky Lane, East Troy, WI 53120; Zonnie Fritsche, W6305 Peninsula Ct. , Neshkoro, WI 54960; Robert D. Lumley, 1265 S. 124th St., Brookfield, WI 53005; Fred Stadler; 1718 Autumn Ln ., Arlington, TX 76012; Cody Welch, 15057 Lindbergh Ct., Linden, MI 48451; and Harry Zeisloft, 2787 Leisure World , Mesa, AZ 85206. By this notice, nominations are hereby solicited for the eight (8) Class I director positions to be filled at the 2008 Annual Membership Meeting. Nominations for these positions shall be made on official nomination forms that may be obtained by mail (at Experimental Aircraft Association Inc., c/o Tom Poberezny, P.O . Box 3086 , Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086) or bye-mail (JReader@EAA.org). The nomination petition shall include a recent 3-by-5 photo or full-resolution two megapixel (300 DPI) photo of the candidate and shall contain a brief resume of his or her background and experience. Candidates must be current EAA members. Each petition shall require the signatures of at least twenty-five (25) EAA members, along with such members' EAA numbers and membership expiration dates. Nomination peti tions shall be submitted to the chairman of the Nominating Committee, Ron Scott, c/o EAA Aviation Center, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, no later than March 4, 2008. The Nominating Committee shall verify the signatures included on all nomi nation petitions. If insufficient nominations are received, the Governance Committee of the Associa tion board of directors shall make additional nominations of its own. The Annual Busi ness Meeting will be held during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, which is scheduled for July 28 through August 3 , 2008. The Business Meeting will be held at the Theater in the Woods at 10 a.m . COT on Saturday, August 2, 2008, at Wittman Regional Airport, Os hkosh, Wisconsin . Voting instructions and procedures will be published in a forthcom ing issue of EAA Sport Aviation and EAA Sport Pilot. -Alan Shackleton , Secretary, Experimental Aircraft Association Inc

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Membershi~ Services VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND EAA's V INTAGE A IRCRAFT A SSOCIATION ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS Vice- President

President Geoff Robison

George Daubner

1521 E. MacG regor Dr. New Haven, IN 46774 260-493-4724 chie{7025@aoi .colII

2448 Lough lane

Hartford , WI 53027

262-673-5885 gdallbl1er@eaa.org

Secretary Steve Nesse

Treasurer Charles W. Harris 7215 East 46th St.

Tulsa, OK 74 147

918-622-8400

2009 Highland Ave. Albert Lea, MN 56007 507-373-1674 stlles@desk1uedia.com

cwh@iwsu.com

DIRECTORS Steve Be nder 85 Brush Hill Road Sherborn, MA 01770 508-653-7557 ssllO@comcast.l1et

David Bennett 375 Killdeer Ct Lincoln, CA 9S648 916-645-8370

Dale A. Gustafson 7724 Shad y Hills Dr. Indianapoli s, IN 46278 317-293-4430 daiefaye@msll.com

Jeannie Hill P.O. Box 328

Harvard, IL 60033-0328

815-943-7205

a ntiqller@inreoch .c01n

dillghao@owc.net

john Berendt

7645 Echo Point Rd.

Cannon Falls, MN 55009

507-263-2414

Espie " Butch" j oyce 704 N. Regional Rd. Greensboro, NC 27409 336-668-3650 w;udsock@clol.com

mjb{cllld@rcotlllect. col l1

Jerry Brown

Dan Knut son

4605 Hickory Wood Row Greenwood, IN 46143 317 -535-8882

106 Tena Marie Ci rcle

IbromI4906@aol.com

lodicuiJ@dwrter.11et

Dave C lark 635 Vestal lane Plainfield, IN 46 168 317-839-4500 davecpd@;qllest,lJet

Steve Krog 1002 Hea ther Ln. Hartford, WI 53027 262-966-7627 sskrog@aol.com

john S. Copeland lA Deaco n Street Northborough, MA 0 1532 508-393-4775 copelandl@jutlo.com

Robert D. " Bob" Lumley 1265 South 124th St. Brookfield, WI 53005 262-782-2633 Illmper@execpc.com

Phil Coulson 28415 Springbrook Dr. lawton, MI 49065 269-624-6490 rcouisoIlS16@c:s.com

Dean Richardson 1429 Kings Lynn Rd Stoughton, WI 53589 608-877-8485 dar@aprilaire.com

Lodi, WI 53555 608-593-7224

S. H. " Wes" Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa, WI 53213 414-771-1545 shschmid@mi/wpc.col1l

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

Robert C. Brau er 9345 S. Hoyne Chicago, IL 60620 805-782-9713 photopilot@aol.col1l

E.E. " Buck" Hilbert 8102 Leech Rd. Union, IL 60 180 815-923-4591 bllck7ac@dls.llet

Gene Chase 2159 Carlton Rd. Oshkosh, W I S4904 920-231-5002 GRCHA@charter.net

Roanoke, TX 76262

817-491-9110

gellemOrri5@Charter.lJet

Ronald C. Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave. Kent City, MI 49330 616-678-5012 rFritz@pa tllwaYllet.com

John Turgyan PO Box 219 New Egypt, Nj 08533 609-758-2910 jrtllrgyaIl4@aol.com

Gene Morris

5936 Steve Court