VA-Vol-36-No-9-Sept-2008 by EAA Vintage Aircraft Association

GEOFF ROB I SON PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATON

What is EAA to you?

It's often difficult for me to put into print my perspective on what EAA means to me. I'll bet the same is true for you. Because it means so much to us, and it's about so many things, it's hard to get your head around it. It's such a large part of my life, yet trying to quantify it is hard. The challenge to communicate the emotion and passion I personally feel for this orga nization is daunting. So, why is this guy from the Vintage Aircraft Asso ciation singing the praises of EAA? It's simple; first and foremost, I'm an EAA member. Everything else I choose to engage in, including the VAA and the B-17 tour, is an important part of the whole package. A long time ago, when I was al lowed to engage myself deeper and deeper into the soul of EAA, I came to realize that all of the residual fun and entertaining aspects of my member ship had to be measured as secondary, for it was the broader mission of the organization that locked me in. So many doors were opened for me along the way, it hardly seemed possible, but getting involved was often as simple as knocking on that door. What if that door never ex isted? What if Paul and Audrey Po berezny and their family and friends had never pursued their passion and created EAA for us? I am reasonably certain that my life would have likely never known the joys and pleasures of aviation. The opportunities I have grasped along the way have had a large impact on my life, so it is diffi cult for me to envision where I would be today without EAA playing such a large part in my life. Just think for a moment about the

many friends you have met through EAA, whether it's an Oshkosh friend or a local chapter friend. How many fewer friends would you personally have? For me it would certainly have meant not having had the opportu nity to meet so many great people like Steve Wittman, or John Miller, or the Pobereznys. Maybe my life would have been a little less fast paced, but it for certain would have had a lot less excitement in it!

Do you see yourself

as part of a

larger organization ,

one whose goal is to

further the causes

of recreational

aviation and expose it

to as many fol ks

as possible?

I am unable to fathom what the im pact would have been to my life with out EAA. This line of thought then gets me to ruminating about the great pil grimage to central Wisconsin to attend The World 's Greatest Aviation Cele bration. World's greatest? Sounds a lit tle boastful to those of you who have never made this pilgrimage, doesn't it? Am I right? I would bet that every EAA member who has attended Oshkosh would consider that seemingly boast ful statement for mere seconds before they would wholeheartedly agree that

it is a perfectly fair assessment of EAA's annual convention. Many EAA members have stated before that it is truly impossible to properly describe in total the event with mere words. EAA continues to improve our web sites with videos and stories of what goes on at these events, and even those individuals who pore over all of these offerings will not be totally prepared for what they will eventually witness when they attend their first AirVenture. I really enjoy talking to the youth who attend this event for the first time. They are typically completely overwhelmed with the magnitude of the event, and they will talk in run-on sentences as they describe what they observed and participated in on that first day. Their day may have included a ride in (on?) a Breezy or a flight in the Ford Tri-Motor, or maybe they were just hanging around KidVen ture, or perhaps they had the chance to "high-five" Sean D. Tucker. It's just so fun to listen to these first-time im pressions. One would swear that their smile is forever frozen to their face . What a sweet pleasure to witness, and then I stop and think about the fact that I had the opportunity to person ally playa small part in their experi ences. How much more fortunate in life can one be? That's EAA! How about you? Do you see your self as part of a larger organization, one whose goal is to furth er the causes of recreational aviation and expose it to as many folks as possi ble? Think about it the next time you have an open seat. Call that friend from church or work you've been continued on page 39

G VOL. 36, NO.9

N E 2008

SEPTEMBER

CONTENTS I Fe

Straight & Level What is EAA to you? by Geoff Robison

News

2008 EAA Aircraft Award

The Robin Alights at Sun In Fun

An early cabin-class monoplane from 1929

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

Carolinas-Virginia VAA Chapter 3 Fly-In

Alamance County Airport

by Jack Cox

Light Plane Heritage

Remember the Klemm

Part III, The Young Baron's Great Adventure

by Bob Whittier

The Vintage Mechanic

Part One: Maintenance and troubleshooting

ignition systems

by Robert G. Lock

Restoration of Porterfield LP-65

Serial Number 842, NC32412

by Randall Krystosek

The Vintage Instructor

Maintaining proficiency

by Doug Stewart

Mystery Plane by H.G. Frautschy

Wanna Be Famous? Write an article for Vintage Airplane by H.G. Frautschy and Scott Spangler

Calendar

Classified Ads

COVERS FRONT COVER: The Curtiss Robin is one of antique aviation's most recognizable airplanes. The Robin helped move the business of aviation from helmet and goggles to a suit and hat. Richard Epton's Robin is the only C-1 model ftying, now powered by a Wright J6-5. See the article by Sparky Barnes Sargent starting on page 6. EAA photo by Jim Koepnick. BACK COVER: The Pemberton family's magnificent restoration of their Boeing 40 was chosen as this year's Grand Champion Antique at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. The big biplane will also take part in the Transcontinental Air mail reenactment ftight from New York to San Francisco in mid-September. We'll have much more on the Boeing in an upcoming issue of Vintage Airplane. H.G. Frautschy photo.

STAFF

EAA Publisher Director of EAA Publications Executive Director/Editor EAA Art Director News Editor Photography Advertising Coordinator Classified Ad Coordinator Copy Editor Director of Advertising

Tom Poberezny David Hipschman

H.G. Frautschy

Olivia P. Trabbold

Ric Reynolds

Jim Koepnick

Bonnie Kratz

Sue Anderson

Daphene VanHullum

Colleen Walsh

Katrina Bradshaw

Display Advertising Representatives: Northeast and Southeast: Chester Baumgartner Phone 727-S32-4640, FAX 727路532路4630, e-mail: cbaumll1@mindspring.com Central: Gary Worden Phone 800-444-9932, FAX 816-74 1路6458, e-mail: gary.worden@Spc-mag.com Mountain", Pacific: John Gibson Phone 916-784-9593, e-mail: johllgibson@Spc-mag.com Europe: Willi Tacke Phone +498969340213, FAX +498969340214, e-mail: willi@f/ying路pages.com

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

2008 EAA Sweepstakes Winners

AirVenture Oshkosh 2008 In the months prior to the start of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2008, EAA President Tom Poberezny said he was asked one question nearly every day: "Will anyone come to the fly-in convention with high fuel prices and a struggling economy?/I To paraphrase the movie Field of Dreams, "If you build it, they will come./I EAA developed the deepest and broadest lineup of events, an nouncements, flight demonstrations, entertainment, and happenings than ever before. And as a result, people did come and created one of the most event-filled, memorable conventions on record. "The idea was to provide more value for the members and at tendees than ever before,/I Poberezny said. "Attendance at this year's event, coupled with the fuel and economic issues, validates the unique relationship between the EAA members and Oshkosh, be tween the aviation community and Oshkosh, and between govern ment officials and Oshkosh. "All EAA members should be proud of the results and, more impor tantly, the impact their event has on the entire aviation community./I Numbers were up for homebuilts, warbirds, and vintage planes on the field. The North 40 was full much of the week. A record 23,000 youths visited KidVenture. Theater in the Woods saw its largest crowd ever on Wednesday night-an estimated 10,000 people-when come dian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham appeared courtesy of RotorWay International. That same night, another 6,000 were at the EAA Fly-in Theater, presented by Ford Motor Co. and Eclipse Aviation, to hear Harrison Ford introduce Indiana Jones and the Temple ofDoom. AirVenture 2008 raised the bar for what the convention will be mea sured against in future years. As a result, planning has already begun for 2009. Late in the week Poberezny revealed three major themes are already confirmed: the appearance of Virgin Galactic's White Knight Two (and maybe SpaceShipTwo as well); highlighting mission aviation, people who use flight to conduct humanitarian efforts throughout the world; and a Concorde reunion, inviting crews and passengers of the world's first supersonic airliner. Mark your calendars: July 27-August 2,2009. 2

SEPTEMBER 2008

AeroShell Square was abuzz with anticipation as the cement mixer with sweepstakes entries rolled into place for the EAA Share the Spirit Sweepstakes drawing. And the win ners were: First grand prize: A new Cir rus SR20 with a year's supply of fuel-Greg Thompson, EAA 652822, Fairfax, Virginia Second grand prize: A Rotor Way A600 Talon kit-Mike Schoenmann, EAA 656186, St. Clair, Michigan Honda ST1300A motorcycle: John Thibout, EAA 374572, Na poleonville, Louisiana John Deere Select Series X700 Ultimate tractor: Martin Ger hard, Chandler, Arizona Bose Wave radio/CD system: Steve Hill, EAA 583395, DeWitt, Illinois Canon EOS 40D camera: Edward Leddy, EAA 14448, Maryville, Tennessee Tickets for the 2009 EAA Share the Spirit Sweepstakes aircraft-a new Flight Design MC light-sport aircraft-will become available later this fall.

Pelton Receives EAA's Higbest Honor

Jack Pelton and his award-winning Cessna 195.

Cessna Aircraft President and CEO Jack Pelton received the 2008

Freedom of Flight Award, EAA's highest honor, bestowed annually to an individual whose contribu tions to aviation closely mirror the integrity, entrepreneurship, and in novativeness of EAA members. EAA President Tom Poberezny said Pelton received EAA's high est award for three reasons. "We're recognizing Jack for his leadership as chairman of EAA's Gathering of Eagles; for his vision for supporting the light-sport aircraft initiative, as evidenced by the announce ment of Cessna building the Sky Catcher; and lastly, for his longtime involvement in EAA that goes back to his days as a youth growing up in southern California as part of Chapter 1." Jack's contributions go beyond his position as chairman, presi dent, and chief executive officer of Cessna Aircraft Company where he actively influences na tional policy on general aviation and is highly involved with indus try organizations. He is an EAA Lifetime member, belonging to EAA Warbirds of America, Vintage Aircraft Associa tion, and International Aerobatic Club. Jack also supports numerous grassroots activities to expose kids to aviation, including the Build A Plane organization that gives young people the opportunity to build airplanes. "The access and venues for youth are not like they were for me 40 years ago," he said. "Security at air ports and fewer local air shows just don't give kids the opportunity I had to go hang out at the airport and bum rides. We have to work much harder to ensure we share our story with kids so they can catch the excitement that we all found." @EAA.org AirVenture 2008 videos, photo galleries, and news archive EAA's website team posted more than 100 videos, close to 250 sto ries, and 30 photo galleries covering all the happenings at AirVenture with more videos being added every

week. Spend some time browsing these videos, stories, and photos to relive the excitement of The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration.

Videos:

Upcoming

Major Fly-Ins

Southeast Regional Fly-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH), Evergreen, Alabama October 24-26, 2008 www.SERFI.org

Copperstate Regional Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ), Casa Grande, Arizona October 23-26, 2008 www.Copperstate.org

U.S. Sport Aviation Expo

Link: www.EAA.org/video/ airventure.html

Photos:

Sebring Regional Airport (SEF), Sebring, Florida January 22-25, 2009 www.Sport-Aviation-Expo.com

Aero Friedrichshafen Messe Friedrichshafen, Friedrichshafen, Germany April 2-5, 2009 www.Aero-Friedrichshafen.com/html/en

Sun 'n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL), Lakeland, Florida April 21-26, 2009 www.Sun-N-Fun.org

Golden West Regional Fly-In Yuba County Airport (Myv), Marysville, California June 12-14, 2009 www.GoldenWestFlyln.org

Virginia Regional Festival of Flight

Link: www.AirVenture.org/photos

News and Feature Stories From AirVenture Today:

Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ), Suffolk, Virginia May 30-31 , 2008 www.VAEAA.org

Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Front Range Airport (FTG), Watkins, Colorado

TBD www.RMRFI.org

Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO), Arlington, Washington July 8-12, 2009 www.NWEAA.org

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH), Oshkosh, Wisconsin July 27-August 2, 2009 www.AirVenture.org

Link: www.AirVenture.org/2008/ avtoday_index.html

For details on EAA chapter fly-ins and other local aviation events, visit www.EAA.org/events. VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Welch Airplane Help Brandon Abel, the grandnephew of Orin Welch, is looking for infor mation regarding the Welch air plane. Any information regarding the aircraft, plans, etc., is welcome. Please call Brandon Abel at 850 685-9207 (he's in the Pacific time zone) or e-mail him at brandon. abel@yahoo.com.

It's Amazing What Can Be Accomplished in a Week The dozens of meetings, work groups, and brainstorming sessions held annu ally at AirVenture Oshkosh involve many of aviation's movers and shakers, from the grassroots level to the top. The 2008 fly-in continued that tradition , as EAA hosted representatives from the FAA, all levels of industry, EAA chapters, type clubs, other aviation interest groups, and thousands of individual aviation enthusiasts. The flying community flocks to Oshkosh because this is where you can see ev erything and everyone. People identify problems and opportunities and are able to work on ideas, solutions, and strategies, all to keep airplanes flying, amateur build ers building, aviators aviating, and preserve the dream of flight. Representatives from the FAA always come to Oshkosh because it's a unique opportunity to meet and interact with aviation 's grassroots, hear concerns, and work to solve problems. Here's a list of just some of what was accomplished: .VAA facilitated a series of six meetings with FAA staffers and vintage aircraft type clubs who requested face-to-face meetings to address their concerns. • FAA representatives from the Small Airplane Directorate in Kansas City met with VAA and EAA staff to discuss the next steps in creating a new category of des ignated engineering representatives. • Members ofthe U.S. House of Representatives Aviation Subcommittee spent a full day at AirVenture listening and talking with manufacturers, EAA members, and other aviation enthusiasts. .A number of working groups met to discuss refining light-sport aircraft (LSA) ASTM standards to make them more user-friendly and to help usher in ground breaking technological developments, such as electric-powered airplanes. .One day FAA officials outlined proposed changes for administering and enforc ing the 51 percent rule. The next day, EAA staff and members had their say, and in the end, both sides did a lot of listening. . Warbirds of America and the National Association of Flight Instructors rep resentatives met with regulators to resolve operating limitations and airworthi ness issues. • Industry experts discussed proposed standards for unleaded aviation fuel in anticipation of 100 low-lead fuel being phased out. . Safety statistics for LSA and amateur-built aircraft went under the micro scope as EAA and FAA officials and others met to review and identify ways of improving safety without adding new regulations. EAA also met with National Transportation Safety Board officials to answer that agency's concerns about LSA safety and standards. Nick Sabatini , FAA associate administrator and an active pilot and strong sup porter of LSA and grassroots aviation, summed things up. "We don't work together just for the sake of working together. We work together because of the things we can accomplish when we work together." 4

SEPTEMBER 2008

VAA Hall of Fame Nominations As mentioned in last month's issue of Vintage Airplane, the time is at hand to submit nominations for the 2009 VAA Hall of Fame. We have a preferred address for those of you who wish to send in a nom ination. See last month's issue for the nomination details, and send it to: Charles Harris, P.O. Box 470350, Tulsa, OK 74147-0350. TFRWebsite If you're like most of us, read ing a temporary flight restriction (TFR) listing written in all capital letters as it tries to delineate the boundaries of a TFR can be very confusing. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recognizes that the nature of the text-only TFR can be perplexing and may lead to inadvertent TFR intru sions. To help combat that issue, the FAA has created a website that you may wish to make a part of your preflight briefing ritual. The website, http://TFR.FAA.gov, high lights in both text and graphical form the lateral boundaries of the TFR and its effective times, as well as defining its upper limits. While the FAA plans on updating the site as often as possible, it is possible that a newly issued text TFR may not be listed immediately. A call to flight service at 1-800-WX-BRIEF (800-992-7433) or a briefing using the online Direct User Access Ter minal System (DUATS) is the only way to make a final check on the latest TFRs that may be issued for your route.

2008

EAA AIRCRAFT AWARDS

ANTIQUE

Antique Grand Champion (Gold Lindy) Addison Pemberton, Spokane, WA, 1928 Boeing 40C, 5339 Antique Reserve Grand Champion (Silver Lindy) Jerry Wenger, Faribault, MN, 1935 Waco YPF, N15700 Transport Category, Champion (Bronze Lindy) Jim Hagedorn, Old Crow Aviation, Columbus, OH, 1943 Grumman G-44, N135MG Customized Aircraft Champion (Bronze Lindy) John Hill, Jr., Washington, NC, 1941 Waco UPF-7, N32071 Runner-Up John Leppien, Alma, MI, 1940 Waco UPF-7, N30107 Outstanding Kenneth Kreutzfeld, Port Clinton, OH, 1940 Howard DGA-15P, NC1227 WORLD WAR II ERA

Champion (Bronze Lindy) William Rose, Barrington, IL, 1944 Grumman G-21A, N600ZE Runner-Up J. Holmquist, 1949 Beech Staggerwing D17S, N19493 BRONZE AGE (1937路 1941)

Bronze Age Champion (Bronze Lindy) Michael Vaughan, Charleston, IL, 1940 Howard DGA-15P, N22410 Bronze Age Runner-Up Larry Boehme, Jacksonville, NC, 1941 Waco UPF-7, N180LN Bronze Age Outstanding Closed-Cockpit Monoplane Glenn Larson, Sarasota, FL, 1939 Cessna C-165, N19498 Bronze Age Outstanding Open-Cockpit Monoplane Gary Kozak, Downers Grove, IL, 1940 Ryan Aeronautical ST-A Special, N8146 Bronze Age Outstanding Open-Cockpit Biplane Curtis Arnold, Toronto, ON, Canada, 1941 de Havilland Tiger Moth, CFTBS SILVER AGE (1928路1936)

Silver Age Champion (Bronze Lindy)

Ted Davis, Broadhead, WI, 1929 New Standard D-25A, NC7286

Silver Age Runner-Up John Seibold, Rancho Santa Fe, CA, 1929 Curtiss Wright Travel Air A-6000-A N4942V Silver Age Outstanding Closed-Cockpit Biplane John Thomason, Sonoma, CA, 1936 Waco YKS-6, N16522

Outstanding Cessna 120/ 140 D. Troy Westrum, Des MOines, lA, 1946 Cessna 120, NC76189 Outstanding Cessna 170/ 180 Donald Lindholm, Phoenix, AZ, 1951 Cessna 170A, N1424D Outstanding Cessna 190/195 Beau Bradley, Sheridan, MT, 1952 Cessna 195A, N252BB Outstanding Ercoupe Ward Marsh, Dixon, CA, 1946 Ercoupe 415-CD, NC93337 Outstanding Luscombe Joe Champagne, Fairland, OK, 1949 Luscombe 8F, N48RR Outstanding Navion Gary Rankin, Camas, WA, 1947 Navion, N8969H Outstanding Piper J-3 Raymond Cook, Spring Grove, IL, 1946 Piper J-3C-65, N70971 Outstanding Piper Other James Hudgin, Lewisburg, TN, 1948 Piper PA-17, N4612H Outstanding Stinson Earl Muenze, Columbus, OH, 1947 Stinson 108-2, N8055K Outstanding Swift Swift Museum, Athens, TN, 1948 Globe GC-1B, N78271 Outstanding Limited Production Richard Epton, Brooks, GA, 1949 BOcker BU-181, N94245 Preservation Ray Johnson, Marion, IN, 1947 Aeronca 11AC, N3469E Preservation Terry Chastain, Pacific, MO, 1952 Rawdon T1, N5160 Custom Class A (0-80 hpj Tim and Larry Geldermann, Hartland, WI, 1947 Aeronca 7AC, N3506E Custom Class B(81-150 hpj Merrel Kenneth, Mayflower, AR, 1946 Funk B-85-C, NC81137

Custom Class C (151-235 hpj

Hal Cope, Spring, TX, 1946 Temco GC-1B, N3303K

Custom Class D(236 hp & higher)

James Nezgoda, Sandy Valley, NV, 1947 Republic RC-3, N6325K

Best Custom Runner-Up Michael Lewis, Carmel, IN, 1953 Cessna 170B, N4567C CONTEMPORARY ( 1956路1970) AWARDS

Silver Age Outstanding Open-Cockpit Biplane Historic Aviation Museum, Creve Coeur, MO, 1929 Zenith Z6A, N392V

Grand Champion, (Gold Lindy) Stephanie Allen, Mukilteo, WA, 1969 Cessna 172K, N78797 Reserve Grand Champion, (Silver Lindy) Mark Malone & Miles Malone, Camarillo, CA, 1963 Beech Travel Air, N234M

CLASSIC (SEPTEMBER 1945 THRU 1955)

Class I Single Engine (0-160 hpj, (Bronze Lindy) Bob McBride, Mineola, TX, 1963 Cessna 150C, N14TX

Grand Champion (Gold Lindy) Joe Dobransky, Allen, TX, 1946 Piper J-3C-65, N70111 Reserve Grand Champion, (Silver Lindy) Charles and Robert Parish, Tullahoma, TN, 1952 Beech 018, N4477

Class II Single Engine (161-230 hpj, Bronze Lindy Roger Florkiewicz, Schererville, IN, 1968 Piper PA-28R-180, N65KF

Class I (0-80 hpj, (Bronze Lindy)

Joel Severinghaus, Des Moines, lA, 1946 Taylorcraft BC, N96130

Class II (81-150 hpj, (Bronze Lindy)

Rick Michalek, Keosauqua, lA, 1953 Piper PA-22, N3314A

Class 11/ Single Engine (231-up hpj (Bronze Lindy) Thomas McKim, Winston-Salem, NC, 1967 Piper PA-24-260, N9171P Custom Multiengine (Bronze Lindy) Robert Tanner, Little Rock, AR, 1970 Piper PA-39, N8871Y Outstanding Customized (Bronze Lindy) Tony Miller, Warsaw, IN, 1957 Beech E18S, N90TT

Class 11/ (151-235 hpj, (Bronze Lindy) Doug Grevatt, Danbury, CT, 1952 Beech C35, N5050X Class IV (236 hp & higher), (Bronze Lindy) Jonathan Scholl, Plano, TX, 1952 Cessna 195, N195BL Best Custom Bronze Lindy, Duane Oosterhuis, Ozark, MO, 1946 Luscombe 8A, Nl071K

Outstanding Beech Single Engine, Outstanding in Type Mario R. Sotolongo, Ann Arbor, MI, 1964 Beech S35, N6855Q Outstanding Beech Multi-Engine, Outstanding in Type Rasmus Nielsen, Seattle, WA, 1959 Beech G18S, N565US Outstanding Bellanca, Outstanding in Type Rich Moehling, Cleveland, OK, 1969 Bellanca 17-30, N7346V

Outstanding Aeronca Champ William Pancake, Keyser, WV 1946 Aeronca 7AC, N1890E Outstanding Bellanca Kevin Gassert, Cincinnati, OH 1946 Bellanca 14-13, N74241

Outstanding Cessna 170/ 172/ 175, Outstanding in Type Gary Grimmonpre, Huntley, IL, 1956 Cessna 172, N5054A Outstanding Cessna 180/ 182/ 210, Outstanding in Type Kathleen Royer, Port Orange, FL, 1965 Cessna 180H, N65LG continued on page 39 VINTAGE AIRPLANE

An egr cabin-class monoplane from 1929 BY SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

RobiD: 3-place C.biD oooplane Corti.. CbaUeo,er" iD tailed. If

1929 ad from Aviation magazine. This is a Robin with a Curtiss Chal lenger engine, excerpted from the entire ad.

The poster board leaning against the Robin is promoting the Curtiss World Endurance Record.

Built for Durability The Curtiss Robin debuted in March 1928. Designed and built by Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Com pany of Garden City, New York, the monoplanes were manufactured at Curtiss-Robertson Airplane Manu facturing Company in Anglum (St. Louis County), Missouri. (This is now the location of Lambert Field.) In 1929, Curtiss Aeroplane and Wright Aeronautical merged and became the Curtiss-Wright Airplane Company. All told, more than 750 Robins were manufactured before production ended in 1930, and to day there are about 50 Robins listed on the FAA Registry. Various models of the Robin were manufactured, powered by a vari ety of engines. The first Robin was powered by the water-cooled OX-5 (military surplus) and won popu larity soon after its debut in 1928. An article titled "The 'Robin,' First Curtiss Light Commercial Plane" 8

SEPTEMBER 2008

in the June 1928 issue of The Avia tor touted the fabric-covered Robin as the first closed-cabin plane in the "popular-price field, " selling for less than $4,000 . Its fuselage was built of chrome-molybdenum steel tubing, the main gear had a wide, 96-inch tread for safe landings and taxiing, and a steerable tailskid fa cilitated ground maneuvering. Its wing ribs were built of lightweight, corrosion-resistant Alclad duralu min mounted on spruce spars. "Every precaution has been taken to make the cabin wind- and weather-tight and as nearly sound proof as possible. Thus passengers in the Robin may enjoy their flights under any weather conditions with out burdening themselves with spe cial cloth ing, goggles, helmets or other clumsy paraphernalia.... The performance characteristics of the Robin, predicted from careful wind tunnel tests months before the ship was ever flown, have been fully

borne out in actual flight tests .... Its stability and easy flying qualities were also carefully worked out in wind tunnel tests, and pilots who have flown it say that it is the nic est flying plane, and the easiest to fly, in its class." Additionally, a company adver tisement in a 1929 issue of Aviation magazine promoted the Robin's "ri gidity, ruggedness and durability," proclaiming that "detail after de tail, the Curtiss Robin proves itself a plane that's built to last." Epton heartily bears testament to the Rob in's performance and durability; he delights in owning and flying his 79-year-young Robin.

Flying the Robin "She flies beautifully straight, and she's got a big wing, so short field performance is quite exceptional, even with full fuel and three heavy men aboard," says Epton. "She flies and performs like a very heav y Piper Cub. I fly it every weekend, and I give rides all the time. After all, these airplanes are for sharing. I own it today, and in 50 years' time I won't own it-somebody else will, so we're all just caretakers." Recalling his first flight in the Robin, Epton chuckles and says, "When I went to Florida to col lect this from Ron Waldron and his 'partner in crime' Harry Wool dridge, I asked them to put the orig inal dual controls back in it, just so one of them could sit in the back," recounts Epton. "Well, Harry was elected, and he promptly folded his arms and almost went to sleep! There was a 25-mph wind blowing down the runway, and I asked him what the stall speed was. He said, 'I don't know.' What's the rotation speed? 'Not quite sure.' Landing speed? 'You'll know.' So then Harry said, 'Just line it up, do nothing with the stick, and keep it straight with the rudder-it will track abso lutely straight. By the time you ad vance the throttle and hit the stop, she'll be showing 1800 rpm; the tail wheel will already be up and then you'll be airborne.'

Removing the old fabric from one of the Robin's wings in May 1996.

Waldron, Wooldridge, and Epton (left to right) on the occasion of Epton's first Robin flight.

"So that was basically it. We indi cated 80 mph cruising around, and my recollection of landing speed is somewhat vague because I was kind of busy on that first flight, stir ring the soup with a big stick! But I seem to recall it was around 55 mph over the fence, and as soon as the throttle's pulled back and the nose is raised slightly, the airspeed immedi ately goes to zero. That does enable you to do beautiful three-point land ings, and those big gear are like two hands just feeling for t h e grou nd. She rea lly kisses h erself onto the runway most of the time. I've never bounced her, and I've never done a wheel landing, because she just sets herself up so perfectly." Waldron, who watched Epton's first flight with interest, says, "Rich ard made the most wonderful land ing I've ever seen in my life, on the first fligh t h e ever ma d e wit h it !

The fuselage is painted and on its gear, with the Wright J6-5 Whirlwind engine mounted.

Epton lifts off, with Wooldridge in the rear seat.

He's a natural with the airplane." He advised Epton to remove the dual controls for his flight home to Georgia, since the installation of the rear controls required the pilot's seat to be moved 6 inches forward, thus making it uncomfortably close to the instrument panel. But Epton didn't heed that suggestion, and af ter battling a strong head wind to his first stop, he had covered only 105 miles in 2-1/4 hours and wel comed the opportunity to land on the welcoming grass runway at Fitzgerald, Georgia. "When I got out I couldn't walk! So I changed it back to single con trols, per Ron's advice/, says Epton. "Not only does that give me more room for my legs, it also allows more maneuvering space when switching the fuel valve, which is located on the floor between the rudder ped als. That's an interesting procedure.

I have to shuffle to the edge of the seat, take a very good look around the sky, then dive down to the floor and reach for the valve while bend ing around the control stick and trying not to push it around!" Epton's second cross-cou ntry in the Robin was from his home in Brooks, Georgia, to Lakeland, Flor ida. He departed on Sunday after noon and landed at Valdosta for the night. The next morning dur ing his preflight inspection, he was dismayed to discover that the Wright's front exhaust collector had cracked. "Fortunately, Walt Bazemore, who is the new owner of Cham pion Air, the on-site maintenance facility, put the Robin in his han gar right away and went to work on it at 8 o'clock that morning/' says Epton, "and by 4 o'clock that afternoon, his buddy Joey, who is a VINTAGE AIRPLANE

marvelous TIG welder, showed up and took the collector to his shop. By 10 o'clock that night, he had finished welding it, and we took it back to the airport where Walt and his mechanic Ben worked until 1:30 the next morning. They really did a great job, very willingly. It was all about getting me to Lakeland."

The engine bolts to a 1-1/2-inch足 thick metal-reinforced plywood board, the plywood bolts to the en足 gine mount, and then the engine mount bolts to the firewall/airframe, without the aid of rubber bushings.

Close-up view of the data plate on the instrument panel. to SEPTEMBER 2008

Passenger's view of the cabin. With the skylight and full-length windows up front, the pilot and passengers have a great view.

It took 20 hours for Rick and Lori Mullinax of 1000 Signs in Fayette足 ville, Georgia, to hand-paint the Candler Field logo and trim stripe.

Robin Restoration N781M's return to flying status is primarily due to Waldron's ef forts . In 1996, after Waldron had finished building a Travel Air 4000, he was offered the opportunity to buy a Curtiss Robin project-and he just couldn't refuse. After all, he had grown up around scale mod els of the Curtiss Robin because it was his father's favorite airplane. So he and his buddy Wooldridge flew the airlines from Florida out to California. Waldron purchased the project from Charlotte Nelson and says he "actually ended up with one and a half Robins. I had four wings, a fuselage of another Robin, lots of parts, and a Wright J6-5 engine. We rented aU-Haul and drove 50 mph all the way back across the country." Although he had numerous parts, there were items he didn't have-such as seats. Scanning through Trade-A-Plane one day, he saw an ad for original Robin wicker Below: The Robin has oleo-spring outrigger-style gear.

seats. He called to inquire, thinking that the seller would want a fortune for them if they were in good con dition. "He was an older guy and told me that when he put them in his barn in 1940, they were in good shape," recalls Waldron. "He only wanted $300 for them, but wouldn't ship them, so Harry and I drove up to Toledo, Ohio, to get them, and we also picked up some extra wing lift struts from him." Waldron built two new doors for the airplane, using one old and rot ting door frame as a pattern. The Robin originally had a skylight as well as sliding windows in the doors and on the left-hand side of the fu selage-plus full-length windows on either side of the pilot's seat. He fabricated the wooden framework and metal trim pieces for those and discovered that "there's some pretty fancy woodwork up around the skylight, and the luggage com partment was originally bigger and deeper-you could crawl inside it! So I built a little one, because you really don't need all that space." He ordered new spruce for the heavy "I-beam" wing spars and spent a considerable amount of time straightening the original wing ribs. As far as I know, this is one of II

the first airplanes manufactured with metal ribs," says Waldron, and a few years later, the ribs were all bending because the cotton was stretching so tight across them . Cu rtiss- Wrigh t came out with a manufacturer's service letter stating that plywood had to be attached to the ribs. [That letter stated the stamped metal ribs have a tendency to collapse, especially on the top side and to roll down until they are flat on top, on a line with the tops of the front and rear spars.'] So I straightened the ribs that I had and riveted plywood the whole length of them, front to rear, to make a solid rib." When it came to the landing gear, Waldron needed a bit of help from another source. So he con tacted Dick Fischer in California. " He was the biggest help of any body. I needed springs for the oleo gear legs, and he had some extras on hand that he'd had made up," recalls Waldron. He also had some tail wheels made up that looked like the ones that Robins had, after they switched over from the tailskids." The most challenging aspect of the project was the paper work, since the type certificate for the Curtiss Robin C-1 listed the Curtiss Challenger R600 as the II

I • ••

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

approved engine installation, and not a Wright J6-5. Waldron chuck les in retrospect, explaining, "The FAA guy told me I had to get a let ter from the manufacturer regard ing the change in engine types. He didn't know what a Curtiss Robin was! A DAR [designated airworthi ness representative] came out and gave me an airworthiness certifi cate, and the next day he called me and told me to send it back to him. I asked him, 'What do you mean?' He told me he had to come back out and give me a special air worthiness certificate for experi mental exhibition because of the engine change. So even though Curtiss did install the Wright J6-5 on another production model of the Robin [1-1], I had to get all the paperwork I could. A guy up in Minnesota had put a J6-5 on a Robin that originally had an OX 5, so he gave me copies of that pa perwork. I gathered more through the ' Robin 's Nest' Curtiss Robin type club, and I sent everything in to the FAA. About four months later, the DAR called me up and 12 SEPTEMBER 2008

said he had a standard airworthi ness certificate for me, so it all worked out okay." Waldron installed Ceconite fab ric on the airplane and finished it with Air-Tech Coatings, using a color scheme similar to the origi nal-cream for the wings and tail and orange for the fuselage. The Curtiss Robin took to the skies again in 2004. It was the first time it had flown since 1942, when it was dismantled and placed in storage during World War II. (As for Waldron, he and Wooldridge bought a 1929 Travel Air Model 10-D project from Nelson in 2004, which they completed to award winning status in 2007.)

Robin Records The Curtiss Robin was quite pop ular during its heyday, and several intrepid aviators chose the mono plane for their attempts at record setting. In St. Louis, Missouri, For rest O'Brine and Dale Jackson flew the St. Louis Robin C-l for just over 420 hours, 21 minutes, and 30 sec onds in July 1929. In Meridian,

Mississippi, brothers Fred and Al gene Key set a world record for sus tained flight when they flew Ole Miss, a Robin J-l Deluxe, for 653 hours and 34 minutes during the summer of 1935. These Robins re ceived aerial refueling in order to stay aloft and had been modified with catwalks for in-flight engine maintenance and a larger fuel tank, plus an access panel atop the fuse lage for receiving supplies while airborne. Robins were also flown in air races and National Air Tours in the 1920s and early 1930s. Perhaps the most amazing feat was that of Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan in 1938; instead of flying back to Cal ifornia from New York, he flew his Wright Whirlwind-powered Robin solo across the Atlantic and landed in Dublin, Ireland. His proposal of such a flight had been disallowed by authorities, so he just blamed his easterly heading on an inaccu rate compass. Another Robin was owned by the Daily Gazette in rural Nebraska, where it was used for airborne newspaper delivery. The airplane is

wasn't among those flown for re cord-setting flights, it is just that type of history that inspired him to own and fly a Curtiss Robin. And perhaps it may be said that N781M is on its way to making its own mark in modern-day aviation. Among the appreciative onlook ers at Sun 'n Fun were the aircraft judges, who awarded it Best Silver Age antique. True to his English roots, Epton has fondly given N781M the nick-

When I would tell them Lincoln shire, they would say, 'Ah! The Poacher!' Hence my nickname has been 'The Poacher' for many years. My mother, Marjorie Epton, still lives in Lincolnshire, and not only does she make the world's greatest shepherd's pie, she has also been my biggest supporter in everything I do! So when she asked me if I was going to put The Poacher's name on the Robin, 'Of course' was my reply. Hence the Poacher's Pony was

"It's just a beautiful aeroplane. Every time I go into the hangar and she's there in her glory with the morning sun coming in on her, I can't wait to push her out and turn her into the wind!" - Richard Epton

currently displayed at The Museum of Flight in Seattle. According to the museum's website, it was nick named The Newsboy because it was flown "380 miles a day to deliver 5,000 newspapers to 40 towns .... At each town, pilot Steve Tuttle would drop a bundle of newspa pers out a hole in the bottom of the fuselage."

Poacher'.1 Pony Although Epton's airplane

name of Poacher's Pony, which has been painted on the cowling. "When I was a budding young ster playing cricket in England, I was from a county called Lincoln shire," explains Epton with a twin kle in his eye, "where folklore has a character known as 'The Lincoln shire Poacher.' I went on a cricket tour around Europe when I was 16 with a bunch of professional and semiprofessional players, and they would ask me where I was from .

born. I'm an Englishman, and this is my ride." The Poacher's Pony will occasion ally be stabled at Ron Alexander's new Candler Field Museum at the Peach State Aerodrome (identifier GA02, www.peachstateaero.com) in Wil liamson, Georgia, in the near future (hence the hand-painted Candler Field logo on the Robin's fuselage), where Epton plans to appear in period cos tume and continue giving rides to those tempted by a taste of yesteryear. ....... VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Carolinas-Virginia

VAA

CHAPTER

FLy-I N

Alamance County Airport BY JACK

he Carolinas-Virginia An tique Airplane Founda tion, otherwise known as EAA-VAA Chapter 3, held its annual Spring Fly-In at the Ala mance County Airport (BUY) near Burlington, North Carolina, dur ing the first weekend in May. In contrast to the past few weather plagued years, the 2008 event en joyed good weather and, as a result, an encouraging turnout of both air craft and drive-ins. "Encouraging"

Cox

because everyone was concerned about the effect of high fuel prices on attendance . It didn't seem t o matter a lot-the display area was full of airplanes on Saturday, and the awards banquet that evening was a full house. Chapter 3 is a rather unique group. It was chartered as a three state nonprofit foundation in the early 1960s by the late Evander Britt, a Lumberton, North Caro lina, attorney and antique airplane

collector and restorer. It was from Britt that author Richard Bach ob tained the Parks P-2A he would im mortalize in his books Biplane and No t hing by Chance. By the late 1960s, the group's annual Spring and Fall Fly-Ins had become the largest sport aviation events held on the East Coast and would main tain that distinction until the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland, Florida, came along in the mid-1970s. With members spread out over three

Jack and Glinda Hill's Show Grand Champion 1941 Waco UPF-7, N32071. 14 SEPTEMBER 2008

states-North and South Carolina and Virginia-the group has never held monthly meetings, as do most local chapters, relying instead on its two fly-ins and its bimonthly news letter, Antique Airways, for com munication and cohesiveness. When EAA's Antique/Classic Di vision (now VAA) was formed in the early 1970s, the Carolinas-Virginia Antique Airplane Foundation be came affiliated as Chapter 3 and has been an active part of EAA activities ever since. A number of its members became part of the national scene. Brad Thomas and Butch Joyce each served long terms as president of the EAA Antique/Classic Division and its successor-in-name, the Vintage Aircraft Association. Evander Britt and Morton Lester served as mem bers of the Antique/Classic board of directors, and Morton also served as a member of the EAA Aviation Foun dation board of directors. Susan Dusenbury is a current and longtime member of the EAA board of direc tors-and is the current president of Chapter 3. Jack and Golda Cox, who produced Antique Airways during the 1960s, became members of the EAA headquarters staff in January of 1970 and would head EAA's editorial department until their retirement and subsequent return to North Carolina and Chapter 3 in 1999. A number of Chapter 3 members have served as showplane judges at Sun 'n Fun and EAA AirVenture Oshkosh over the years, and several continue to do so today. Chapter 3's fly-ins are open to the public but are basically twice-a-year reunions of its members . Days are spent visiting in the sh ade of the high-wing airplanes, admiring and photographing the showplanes, giving buddy rides, and making fly bys ... although with $S plus avgas, the latter were noticeably down this year. Various type clubs often join in the fun, and this year the Er coupe Owners Club took part, with the group's founder, Skip Carden, leading a forum on the type. Friday night is reserved for either an on-field barbecue or dinner at a

Chapter 3's logo features Er nie Webb's award-winning 1928 OXX-6 powered Travel Air 2000, which brought widespread recog nition to the chapter in its early days in the 1960s.

The evening ended with the presentation of awards by Chief Judge Xen Motsinger. The winners were: Best Experimental-2002 RV-6 , N164N, Tommy Newkirk, Gar land , North Carolina Best Warblrd 1943 North American SNJ-5C, N3JC, Larry Morris, Concord, North Carolina Best Single Engine Contemporary-1957 Cessna 172A, N8377B, Bob Schaefer, Tryon , North Carolina Best Multi-Engine Contemporary-1967 Cessna 310, N221MB, C.T. Mendenhall, Sophia, North Carolina Best Classic 0-65 hp 1946 Taylorcraft BC-12D, N95525, Bill Brown, Gibsonville, North Carolina Best Classic 66-100 hp-1947 Cessna 120, N2613N, Joe and Roxanna Mancusi, Raleigh, North Carolina Best Classic 101-150 hp-1948 Swift, N3849K, Jeff and Donna Smith, Asheboro, North Carolina Best Classic over 150 hp-1946 Bucker Jungmann, N191X, Steve Hawley, St. Matthews, South Carolina Custom Classic 1948 Piper PA-15/ 17 Vagabond , N4309H , Frank Moore, Wake Forest, North Carolina Longest Distance-Gary Collins, Goshen, OH - 1954 Cessna 170B, N1981C, Gary was accompanied by his friend Howard Wells, who celebrated his 86th birthday during the fly-in. Grand Champion Classic-1952 Cessna 195, N1571D, Stan and Sandy Sweikar, Dameron , Maryland Show Grand Champlon-1941 Waco UPF-7, N32071, Jack and Glinda Hill, Washington, North Carol ina Congratulations to all!

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Stan and Sandy Sweikar's Grand Champion Classic 1952 Cessna 195, N1571D.

nearby facility, followed by a get足 together at the host motel for more visiting and viewing vintage avi足 ation movies. An awards banquet is held on Saturday night that in足 cludes a featured speaker. The speaker at Burlington in May was VAA Treasurer Charlie Harris of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Harris is one of the founders and the driving force behind the Biplane Fly-In held each year at Bartlesville, Oklahoma, the longtime editor of the VAA Chapter 10 (Tulsa) news足 i:3 letter, and the owner of a collection ~ of beautifully restored showplanes. ----------~ 8 An excellent, entertaining speaker,

-&--.. . . . . .

Charlie Harris and Susan Dusenbury.

16 SEPTEMBER 2008

Harris detailed t he purposes and founding of the Biplan e Fly-In and its ancillary effort s to h ono r th e men and women who h ave served our country in the military services. He concluded by urging support of the construction of the EAA Found ers' Wing within the EAA AirVen ture Museum at Oshkosh-a facility to display Paul and Audrey Pober ezny's 55-year collection of EAA historical material. Special guests at the Burling ton fly-in were VAA National Di rector Bob Lumley of Brookfield, Wisconsin, and Director Emeritus John Turgyan of New Egypt, New Jersey. Harris, Lumley, and Turgyan have been members of Ch apter 3 for years, even though th ey reside

Jeff and Donna Smith's Best Classic 101-150 hp 1948 125 Swift, N3849K.

in other areas of the country. On Sunday morning, a num ber of pilots flew to the nearby

Jim Wilson (in the black cap) hard at work interviewing subjects for ar ticles in Chapter 3's newsletter, Antique Airways, with his Waco YK5-6 in the background. Jim and his wife, Eileen, flew the Waco to Alaska last year.

Roxboro, North Carolina, airport for a fly-out brunch at the Home stead Restaurant, with reservations and arrangements for ground trans portation made by Skip Carden. Special thanks are due to Chapter 3 President Susan Dusenbury and Vice President Ron Normark, who handled most of the advance prep arations for the fly-in, plus all the chapter volunteers who assumed the various on-field duties during the weekend. Next up for Chapter 3 is its Fall Fly-In, to be held the weekend of October 3-5, 2008, at Woodward Field (CDN) in Camden, South Car olina. For fly-in formation, call Jim Wilson at 843-753-7138 or e-mail him at crosswindjim @homesc.com. Everyone is welcome. ......

Steve Hawley's Best Classic over 150 hp 1946 Bucker Jungmann, N1 91X.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Light Plane Heritage

ORI GI NALLY PUBLISHED IN

EAA Experimenter

DECEMBER 1991

Remember the Klemm

Part III, The Young Baron's Great Adventure BY B OB W HITIIER

Last month we told you about how in 1929, 22-year old EK. Baron von Koenig-Warthausen of Germany made a nonstop flight from Berlin to Moscow-and kept on go ing. We left him making his aerial way from Shiraz to Bushire in what was then Persia and is now Iran. The latter city had a good airport on which were based representatives of the Junkers aircraft firm and some of their all-metal commercial monoplanes. They took their young fellow countryman under their wing-both figuratively and literally. They showed him the town and sheltered his little Klemm from the broiling sun under the wing of a big Junkers. In Bushire, EK. was thrilled to receive a telegram in forming him that his Berlin to Moscow nonstop flight had won him the coveted Hindenburg Cup. There he also met his hero, Baron von Huenefeld (pronounced Hoonfeld), who had been one of the crew of the Junk ers Bremen that made the first east-to-west crossing of the Atlantic in 1928. This airman had stopped in Bushire while on a flight to the Far East. EK.'s stay in Bushire had its amusing moments. A lo cal potentate heard that EK. was on his way there and became quite excited. Expecting a monarch in a top hat and swallowtail coat to emerge with great pomp from a polished and majestic Junkers, he was indeed flus tered when what looked to him like a kid hopped out of the cockpit of a travel-begrimed little Klemm. It seems he knew that the word Koenig means king in German and assumed the king of Germany was going to honor Bushire with a visit. Too bad about that. Our hero expressed a keen interest in seeing for himself one of the fabled harems of old Persia. This called for much string-pulling on the part of the Junk ers people because the Persians took as dim a view of foreigners intruding in this way as the Soviets later did

of U-2s overflying their country. However, a visit was somehow arranged. Alas, on passing through the magic door, EK. found himself inside an ordinary-looking home in which four not at all glamorous women were going about routine household tasks. This, he was solemnly assured, was one of Bushire's finest harems. Well, so much for harems. Talking with the Junkers people, F.K. decided that the most logical option open to him would be to fly on to Karachi on the west coast of India (now Pakistan). There he could get a steamer bound for Germany. So he said farewell and headed eastward along a coast line where the climate proved to be so unbelievably hot and arid that he sighted not one speck of green. By that time he had learned that pilots of open-cockpit air planes in that part of the world routinely wore typical pith helmets while flying in order to avoid sunstroke. He stopped for two days at Bandar Abbas on the north side of the Strait of Hormuz. The British consul there (remember, EK. spoke English well) had the only car in town and also the only house with electricity. This place was said to be the hottest town in the world and was made all the more oppressive by high humid ity and thick swarms of flies. He sighed with relief as he left this hellhole behind, both for the foregoing reasons and because the soft sand there had so hindered his takeoff that he barely cleared a power line. Then he set course for Cape Jask, another obscure coastal town looking out over the Gulf of Oman. After an hour of following the coast line, he noticed a worrisome sound coming from the engine. He chose a place to set down and found that one of the cylinder hold-down bolts had broken, prob ably from his having overtightened it. So he nursed the Klemm back to Bandar Abbas,

Editor's Note: Longtime aviation enthusiasts will recognize the byline of Bob Whittier. Bob has been a regular con tributor to EAA publications since the founding of the organization, as well as a knowledgeable author for other avia tion and boating magazines. Bob's Light Plane Heritage series in EAA's Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to Vintage aircraft and their history. Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this series, we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members. Enjoy!-HGF 18

SEPTEMBER 2008

As he glided in to land, he was startled to see the whole huge crowd was running righ t into his path. None of them had the slightest knowledge of the operating peculiarities of these new fly ing machines, of course, so he gunned the engine and came in on a different ap proach-and the same thing happened again! This insane game went on for 20 mad dening minutes until the o local telegraph operator real ~ ized what was going on and ~ managed somehow to clear ~ the field. ~ The sand was so soft ~ that only the Klemm's very low landing speed avoided a nose over. The pith hel met had shielded the top of F.K.'s head, but the intense In California, Baron von Koenig-Warthausen (center) poses with Tommy Tomlinson, sunlight unequally reflected then chief pilot for Maddux Airlines and later prominent in the development of ma from the broiling desert and jor U.S. airlines, and Charles Spicer, builder of Grand Central Air Terminal . Ripples the sea had badly sunburned on the fuselage below the cockpit indicate thinness of the plywood covering. the shoreward side of his where the consulate's mechanic made up a new bolt. face, while leaving the seaward side unaffected. He Unfortunately, he used one of the shop's British taps didn't realize this until later when he was shocked to and the resulting thread simply would not go into the look into a mirror and see that he now had a black engine's metric-threaded hole. After searching all over and-white face. Pressing on, he finally reached the large city of Ka the plane, F.K. removed one of the propeller hub bolts and was relieved to find that it would fit the engine rachi in India and was happy to land at a good airport properly. He replaced the "stolen" bolt from the hub having ample facilities. Royal Air Force personnel sta with a British one for which a suitable nut was avail tioned there made him their guest of honor at their fa able. A test hop showed no noticeable vibration, so he cility, which was like a country club . They made him so welcome, in fact, that he remained there for five landed, loaded up, and took off again. He found Cape Jask to be another godforsaken town, enjoyable weeks. As but one example of the interest it having no car at all. This required him to quickly ing things he did, the city's mayor took him on several learn the fine techniques of riding a donkey. The help hunting trips. Intriguing things his RAF acquaintances told him ful telegraph operator there advised him to follow the telegraph line for the SOO-mile flight to Pasni in Bal then made him drop the idea of boarding a steamer, uchistan. This would call for a longer flight but a far and instead fly across India to Calcutta in the eastern safer one. If he were to be forced down, he could climb part of that country. He took off from Karachi on De a pole and cut a certain wire. This would alert opera cember 17 and followed the railroad and rivers across tors to the fact that he was down and would enable mostly desert country with stops at Uterlai, Jodh pur, Nasirabad, and Agra. At Agra, the desert abruptly them to ascertain just where he was. The air was so dreadfully hot that he felt compelled changed to a lush green valley, and he landed on a to fly out to sea a bit to escape being baked alive, but splendid turf airfield. A two-day stopover here gave him time to see the he kept close enough to the shoreline to keep the tele graph poles in sight. This was one of the many times fabled Taj Mahal. On taking off later he circled to get a when he was thankful for the Klemm's generous glid rare view of it from aloft and then followed the Ganges ing ratio. On arriving at Pasni, he found that the air to Allahabad . In this fertile valley, he flew over a great field was swarming with excited natives who had heard many small, crowded towns and began to understand that a real aeroplane was coming-truly a sight not to why India at that time had a population of 300 mil lion (now it is 843.93 million [and now 1.1 billion in be missed! V I NTAGE AIRPLANE

2008!-HGF]). He learned that the airfield at Allahabad was at that time the only civilian one in all of India, the rest being RAF establishments. While sightseeing on the ground, he observed that many people were spitting blood, and he shuddered at how prevalent tuberculosis was in that backward county. Then he chanced to learn that what he was seeing was merely spittle-stained red from the natives' habit of chewing betel nuts. He then flew on to the holy city of Benares where he was quickly informed that a cholera epidemic was raging and advised that he should not stay there any longer than necessary. Hundreds of corpses were being cremated on the riverbank, and as he circled to gain altitude he gagged as he flew through a pall of smoke carrying the odor of burning flesh . The next stop was Gaya, and when he arrived there he circled repeatedly trying to locate the air field. Failing to find it, he set down on a dried-out rice field. Someone then informed him that the air port was 10 miles outside the town. He had to get workmen to make an opening in a clay dike that bor dered the rice field, to get enough room to take off. Gaya to Calcutta was a six-hour flight, which he was obliged to make at an altitude of only 500 feet because the engine had devel oped a falling off of power. It ap pears that the desert dust drawn in through the carburetor was the cause. But happily this flight was over flat river valley country, and once in Calcutta, he was glad to be offered a room in the German consul's comfortable home. There he observed Christmas and New Year's Day and found it to be a strange feeling to do so in swelter ing hot weather. He made sightseeing flights over the country and was invited to go along on some hunts. A railroad journey took him to Darjeeling at the foot of the Himalayas. There he met some other young travel ers from England and the United States, and together they took a mule pack trip up into Tibet and Nepal. It took a month for an engine overhaul kit to be shipped from Germany, so altogether F.K. spent two months in Calcutta. While there he had the honor of being introduced to Mahatma Gandhi. By this time he found that he greatly enjoyed visiting strange lands and admitted to having picked up some of the East's disregard for time and tight schedules. During the course of his aerial wanderings, he had kept in touch with his parents in Germany through telegrams. When he informed them he had decided to press on to Singapore, they replied that in their opinion

he had done quite enough of risking his neck in wild and remote places and should forthwith come home. But RAF personnel at Calcutta's airfield had helped him do an excellent overhaul on the Klemm's engine, and it now ran beautifully. So on to Singapore it would be! On February IS, 1930, he took off and headed for Akyab in Burma (now Sittwe, Myanmar), a SOO-mile flight which would take at least six hours. The first part of this flight took him over an extremely lonely 200-mile-wide muddy lowland in the region where the Ganges and the Brahmaputra River merged. That bad stretch behind him, he then flew over alternating jute fields and stretches of forest . Then he picked up and began to follow the shoreline of the Indian Ocean . He noticed that there was no beach. The ocean and forest met in a very distinct line with no place at all to set down safely in an emergency. Looking down on the forests, he sighted many wild elephants and real ized that even though he might make a safe forced landing in the treetops, getting to civilization would pose an entirely new set of difficulties. Fortu nately, the little Mercedes kept purr ing steadily. He knew he had entered Burma when he began to spot more and more pagodas and was glad to land on the Fokker company's excellent field at Akyab. That turned out to be a large, modern city that was full of automo biles. The funny thing was, they were all quite unable to travel beyond the city limits because there were just sim ply no roads out there! He planned to continue on to Rangoon as soon as he had refueled, but had to accept an invitation to stay for a few days at the home of the manager of the British Oil Company establishment. It seems that the only available field in Rangoon was being used for a bog polo match, and it would be much better to arrive there the day after. When he did resume his journey, he had enough confidence in his engine to give up a plan to detour many miles around a mountain range and saved 400 miles by going over it instead. Then came mile after mile of rice paddies. The air became steadily more turbulent and finally became so bad that he seriously thought of looking for a place to set down. But then he caught a glimpse of sunlight flashing off of a bright object on the horizon and knew it could only be the golden dome at Rangoon. The polo field proved to be too short for a safe take off, so the Klemm's wings were removed and racked onto the sides of the fuselage. With the help of four local men, it was then trundled over the road to a race track that offered more space. During the five days he

On the morning of July 12, he left his hotel and hailed a taxi to go out to the airport. The next thing he knew, he woke up at 5 p.m. in a hospital room with doctors hovering over him.

SEPTEMBER 2008

bad weather and worrying about navigation. He had thought he might stay in Bangkok for 10 days but ended up staying there for five memorab le weeks. A royal coronation was go ing on, and he was intro duced to the new king and his family. The crown prince had been Siam's minister in Berlin for several years, and both he and the crown prin cess spoke German. They and F.K. got along splen did ly. The princess gave F.K. a beautiful Siamese cat named Tanim . A special box was made for Tanim This photo gives an idea of the baron's slight stature and the size of his Klemm and fitted into the Klemm's monoplane. The ship was big but light and was really what used to be referred cockpit. From there on he to as a "power glider. " Colors appear to have been natural varnished wood and traveled along with his new owner. His first few flights clear, doped fabric. left him a bit wobbly, but he remained at Rangoon, he noticed that the culture there soon got accustomed to ric;ling in a plane. differed appreciably from what he had encoun tered in An idea had been growing in F.K.'s mind . He was some other countries he had visited. The people were then 13,000 m iles out from Germany. Why not con much more energetic and progressive. tinue on all the way around the world and enjoy con Local fliers and officials painted a grim picture of the founding the "it can't be done" skeptics? Accordingly, proposed next step in EK.'s journey, the hop from Ran he proposed to fly from Bangkok across French Indo goon to Bangkok in Siam (now Thailand). It would be china (now Vietnam) to China itself and then on to Ja necessary to cross high mountains and vast swamps. pan. But people in Bangkok who knew that part of the Some regions had not been mapped, and indeed, a few world very well earnestly discouraged him from doing had not even been explored. But by now EK. consid so. There would surely be many vexing complications ered himself to be quite an experienced and capable and grave dangers. So again the Klemm's wi ngs were long-distance flier. So to Bangkok it would be. removed and the plane, pilot, and cat traveled to Hong Leaving Rangoon, he head ed southwest over the Kong by steamer. At Hong Kong, permission to fly over China was Gulf of Martaban and passed over Bilugyun Isla nd. By prearrangement, he circled twice over the city of flatly refused. So there was nothing to do but stay on Moulmein so that his progress could be noted and the ship until it reached Shanghai. There he managed telegraphed back to Rangoon . With six more hours to get permission to assemble the Klemm and fly 150 of flight ahead of him, he was dismayed to find that miles inland to Nanking, where he met an d talked somehow he had lost his pocket compass! So he used with Chiang Kai-shek. Then back to Shanghai to board the shadow of a pencil held vertically to judge direc a steamer for Kobe in Japan. tion as best as possible. The little thermometer in the EK. made several attempts to fly from Kobe to Tokyo Klemm's cockpit, by the way, at that time registered but each time was turned back by fog. Finally he got off to a good start with two Japanese military planes as es 113 degrees Fahrenheit. Over a vast forest, a violent th understorm came cort. But then he encountered more fog and climbed to up. Several times, downdrafts from the mountains re 6,000 feet to get above it, in the process losing contact quired him to circle to regain lost altitude. He became with the Japanese planes. After two worrisome hours disoriented in the downpour, and so when he chanced above the fog, he sighted a hole in it, circled down, and to fly over a river, he followed it hoping it wou ld lead was appalled to find himself over open ocean. Guessing at his position, he headed north and was to a settlement. But none appeared. After a while the storm let up and the temperature soon very much relieved to sight a volcano far ahead. went down to a comfortable 90 degrees. Then more Reaching it, he saw that it was smoking and so he luck: He spotted a railroad that led him to Bangkok. He circled this marvelous sight. Then it began to rain . landed, very tired indeed, from nine hours of fighting By pure chance the Japanese escort planes came into V INTAGE AIRPLANE

On June 19, he headed south for sight and led him to Tokyo, where Los Angeles. A short time out he he landed after a nervous and tiring heard a terrific roar approaching six-hour flight. from behind. His first thought was There he was given a great wel that the dreaded "United States Air come by Japanese and German offi Police" that some joker had warned cials. During the five weeks he spent him about was after him for some in that city, he stayed with a Japa unwitting transgression. But the nese family in their home of tra racket proved to be coming from ditional design and construction. the big radial engines of three Ford They all sat on cushions, slept on Tri-Motors being flown by pilots he the floor, and ate with chopsticks. had met at Alameda and Oakland. EK. was surprised at how quickly he When these big planes came adapted to this lifestyle and, once alongside, people in the win back in Germany, delighted in dem dows flashed placards on which onstrating to friends his proficiency had been painted messages such with chopsticks. While in Tokyo, a as "Good Luck!" and "Have a Safe fine day came along that prompted Journey!" Ah, the camaraderie of him to fly to and circle around the air! Then the Fords turned 12,OOO-foot Mount Fujiyama, a ma back, and F.K . continued south jestic and thrilling spectacle from feeling just wonderful. the cockpit of his little plane. The flight was generally pleas

Then plane, pilot, and cat boarded ant and interesting, save for some

a shop in Yokohama and on May 25 headed for the United States. During Baron von Koenig-Warthausen and rough air over desert country. EK.

a brief stopover in Honolulu, a lo his Siamese cat Tanlm , nicknamed was amazed at the immensity of

cal pilot took him for a sightseeing Felix by the U.S. press during his agricultural operations in the Im

perial Valley. The appearance of flight in a Waco. Just as they came visit here. more and more palm trees, some alongside it, Mount Kilauea decided old Spanish missions, and then oil it was time to erupt, providing them with a very unanticipated spectacle. rigs told him he was approaching the Los Angeles The ship arrived at San Francisco on June 28. The area . He landed at dusk at Beverly Hills Airport just press had heard all about the boyish but intrepid in time to witness a glorious sunset. After shivering young baron, his adventurous journey over strange in the cold spring air of China and Japan, little Felix lands, and his exotic cat Tanim. At that time the me reveled in the balmy air of Southern California. dia was much more air-minded than it is today, and The flight was made on 8 gallons of gasoline, which they lionized EK. Siamese cats were then rare in this at the prices then in effect cost EK. exactly $1.08. The country, and they insisted on renaming his pet Felix stay in Los Angeles was another whirlwind of visits to after a popular comic strip character. The cat became movie studios, the local German Club, and aviation as famous as his master. groups. Maddux Airlines made it possible for him to The Klemm was unloaded and taken over Alameda realize a longstanding desire by allowing him to fly for reassembly and a general checking over. Some one of its Ford Tri-Motors. of the pilots there had flown against Germany dur Then he paid a brief visit to San Diego and did a ing World War I, but because airplanes have a way of short flight over into Mexico . Leaving San Diego, he bringing people together in a common interest, ev followed a highway leading eastward to El Centro, at times having a bad time of it with rough air. From eryone let bygones be bygones and got along beauti fully. Ten hectic days in the San Francisco area went that town a black road led him straight across the by swiftly, with F.K. attending functions and sight white desert sands to Tucson. As he was approaching seeing both on the ground and from the air. He was that city, he saw that a big thunderstorm was making amazed at the size, vitality, and heavy auto traffic in up. So he opened the throttle wide and nosed down the Bay Area. to gain more speed. He got down just before a terrific But there was a sad footnote to his time in the Bay cloudburst struck. Area. While talking to him in Bushire, EK. came to re Often EK. did not completely fill his Klemm's large alize that his hero Baron von Huenefeld was in pain gas tank, for the sake of good climb when challenging from a progressive illness. In San Francisco, news came mountains. But for the hop from Tucson to El Paso, a that he had died. So EK. decided to name his plane hunch told him to have it topped. He estimated the after this man, and that's why you see "Huenefeld" flight would take 4.5 hours, but it actually took eight painted on the Klemm's fuselage. because of head winds. Just after touching down at El 22 SEPTEMBER 2008

Paso, another severe storm struck, and he wondered if thunderstorms were following him! On the morning of July 12, he left his hotel and hailed a taxi to go out to the airport. The next thing he knew, he woke up at 5 p.m. in a hospital room with doctors hovering over him. The taxi had been in a vi olent collision that had knocked him out and caused bad head, face, and leg injuries. The doctors told him he had been in critical condition for a while, but was now out of danger, yet facing a long recovery. Terrified by the crash, poor little Felix had shot up the nearest tree. Someone eventually got him down and took him to the hospital, where EK. was delighted and relieved to see that his little pal was all right. During the two moths EK. was obliged to remain in EI Paso, many Americans helped him with money and legal problems arising from the accident. By Sep tember IS, he had recovered sufficiently to resume his travels. A six-hour flight got him to Big Springs, where yet another downpour soaked the field and obliged him to wait until late in the afternoon to hop off for Sweetwater. He somehow got the impression that the airport there was lighted, when in fact work on run way lighting was still in progress. So he was obliged to land in the dark. The Klemm's left wheel rolled into a mudhole, causing the plane to ground loop and wreck that wheel and its landing gear vee. So EK. telegraphed Aeromarine Klemm at Keyport, New Jersey, for new parts. These were shipped to Dal las, for some reason involving slow freight service to Sweetwater. EK. hired a truck and driver, and the plane, with its wing folded (how many times had that feature saved the day?), set out for Dallas. The driver had brought along a good supply of tequila and drove accordingly on this nine-hour trip. EK. did not enjoy it much. Once the gear had been repaired, he flew on to Oklahoma City, St. Louis, and Chicago more or less uneventfully. The rotating beacon at Detroit's Ford Airport helped him find his way to that field and land after dark. There it was discovered that the Mercedes engine had a broken valve. It took Aeromarine only 24 hours to express a new one to Detroit. But then fog kept EK. grounded for four days. He accepted an invi tation to tour the Ford factory. Water in the gas tank forced him to land at London, Ontario, and for the next two days it snowed. F.K. gratefully accepted the gift of an old but very warm overcoat. He battled head winds and more snow for four hours to reach Hamilton. Rain grounded him again at Little Falls and Albany. Knowing that a big reception was planned for him at Roosevelt Field on Long Island, he left Albany and followed the Hudson River, flying at 110 feet while keeping a sharp watch ahead for bridges. He almost struck one of them. He groped past a cloud-covered

New York City and set down on the first piece of clear land he sighted. As luck would have it, it turned out to be Roosevelt Field! There ensued several days of receptions and a trip to Washington, D.C. On November IS, plane, pilot, and cat left America aboard the steamer Bremen for Germany and a reunion with his proud but enor mously relieved parents. He had been gone for 15 ad venturous months. Baron von Koenig-Warthausen's world flight nearly eight decades ago gives us rich food for thought. To day's pilots will feel that he took unacceptable risks with weather, terrain, and navigation. But it must be acknowledged that his only serious mishap involved a taxicab. He convincingly showed that the ability to fly and land slowly can resolve assorted bad situa tions. He showed what can be done by a patient flier in a basic airplane. The sum of aviation progress since his time, based on preoccupation with getting from point A to pOint B as swiftly as possible, has been to make private fly ing so complicated and expensive that it is becoming out of reach for more and more people who would really love to fly. EK. dealt with his plane's modest speed by regarding it as being an observation platform in addition to a conveyance. Remember, today many people greatly enjoy viewing the sights below from even slower hot air balloons. "Man does not live by bread alone." By not being a slave to a tight schedule, he showed that a leisurely journey in a small plane can add immensely to a person's "quality of life." He returned home with a head full of grand memories that remained with him throughout his long life. His journey around the world gave him a postgrad uate course in geography, the customs and cultures of many lands, human nature, politiCS, officialdom, self-reliance, and practical aviation unobtainable at any university. The 500- to l,OOO-mile flights he made using mostly a pocket compass and landmarks underscore the neg ative and paternalistic mindset of bureaucrats who feel that recreational pilots should not be allowed to cruise more than SO miles from their home fields. He left Berlin a rank amateur pilot with 17 hours in his logbook and returned an extraordinarily seasoned flier with 450 hours and 20,000 varied, challenging air miles to his credit. Considering the worldwide political and economic situation, some would say that no one can have such a great adventure today. Yet we now have ultralights that can equal or surpass the Klemm's small-field capa bilities. Most of them can be outfitted for operation off the water, which offers a solution to the growing prob lem of "public" airports at which basic aircraft are not welcome. And then there are the inspiring trans-Atlantic flights in ultralight-type aircraft by Eppo Numan and ~ Andre Lafitte. So perhaps there's hope! VINTAGE AIRPLANE

BY ROBERT GLOCK

Part One: Maintenance and troubleshooting-ignition systems First, let's review the entire igni tion system as installed on a typical seven-cylinder radial engine. The magnetos provide the spark; the switch either grounds one or both magnetos or opens the circuit so both magnetos operate via the pri mary (P) leads. The harness carries high-tension voltage to the spark plugs, and the ensuing arc that jumps the gap between the spark plug's electrodes ignites the fuel/air charge in the cylinder combustion chamber. Simple enough. When ev erything works properly the engine runs smoothly and produces rated power. If one component causes a problem, the outcome is anything from an rpm drop to a complete loss of power. I've had 'em all! Let's start with the magneto and cover some problems from rough running to not running at all. First we'll look at timing of the magneto to the engine. The manufacturer specifies the full advanced firing position in relation to crankshaft position and specifies the number of degrees before top dead center of the piston in the number one cyl inder. The number one cylinder is always on the top of the engine (for radials), and it mayor may not be the master rod cylinder. The Wright R-760 uses 25 degrees, the Lycom ing R-680 uses either 30 degrees or 34 degrees for front plugs and 30 degrees for rear plugs, the Pratt & Whitney uses 25 degrees, the]acobs L-4 uses 30 degrees, and the Conti nental W-670 uses 32 degrees for 24

SEPTEMBER 2008

the right magneto and 29 degrees for the left magneto. • If the magneto is not properly timed to the engine, then the drop will be excessive (greater than 75 rpm) but the engine will run smoothly. • If the magneto has a shorted lead or if a spark plug is fouled, the drop will be 150 rpm and the en gine will run roughly. In this case, leave the magneto switch on the roughly running magneto, even though the engine doesn't want to run well. After about 2-3 minutes, shut the engine off and check the spark plugs to find the one that is cold. Remove that plug and inspect it for fouling. If the plug doesn't appear fouled, put the plug in the opposite side of the cylinder and run the engine again. If the mag neto drop changed to the opposite magneto, then the plug is not op erating. If the problem stays with that particular magneto, then the lead is bad. • If a magneto has some excess

drop beyond the 75 maximum allow able but the engine runs smoothly, the cause might be the point open ing. The point gap should be checked every 100 hours of operation. To check the pOint gap opening (Figure I), assure that the magneto switch is in the OFF position and always treat the propeller as if the magne tos were HOT. Rotate the propeller until the point cam follower is on the highest part of the cam lobe. At this moment the points should be opened to the maximum. Insert a feeler gauge to check for clearance. It is normally 0.012-0.014 inch for a Scintilla VMN magneto. If this clear ance does not exist, carefully open the points and check for pitting or burning. If the pOints are good, us ing a small open-end wrench, loosen jam nut A and turn the points at B until the proper clearance is achieved. Hold the points at B with a wrench and tighten jam nut A to a snug torque. Rotate the propeller so the magneto moves through all four lobes, checking the point gap open ing at each lobe. You should always check the magneto-to-engine timing after adjusting the point gap open ing. If the adjustment was small, it may be possible to retime the mag neto simply by loosening the three retainer nuts on the pad and then moving the magneto in the slot. If the magneto timing cannot be reset by this method, it will be necessary to remove the magneto and retime it to the engine. • Figure 2) Checking the point

gap on a Bendix SF7 magneto. The point opening should be 0.010 inch minimum, 0.012 inch desired, and 0.014 inch maximum. • Closely inspect the felt wick that lubricates the phenolic plas tic point cam follower as it rides on the hardened steel cam. Points that slowly lose their gap opening can be traced to non-lubrication of the felt wick. Carefully apply a couple of drops of oil to the wick at every 100-hour inspection to keep the wick lubricated and pliable . • Check the points for burning or pitting. This is normally caused by a faulty condenser assembly. The condenser keeps the points from arcing when they open, and exces sive arcing will eventually destroy the platinum surface by creating pits and valleys. If this happens, both the pOints and condenser should be replaced . • If the magneto suddenly fails to operate, first check the connections to the unit. Occasionally a P-lead will chafe and cause a ground, so the problem is not in the magneto, but in a wire that connects the mag neto to the switch. (This commonly occurs as the P-lead passes through the firewall.) Or the switch may be faulty. I have had both problems on occasion, so it is worth the time to inspect the magneto switch and P-lead and associated connections. I once advised on a 300-hp Lycom ing R-680 installed in a Stinson Re liant. The Lycoming engine uses a dual magneto, which is essentially two magnetos incorporated into a single unit with a single drive shaft. One magneto worked and the other did not. To remove the magneto was a major job, just about requir ing partial removal of the engine from the airframe. I suggested the owner check the magneto switch, instructed him on how to use an ohmmeter, and turned him loose . A phone call came indicating that the magneto problem was in the switch. He saved a lot of money and labor by doing this simple check. However, if the magneto is the culprit, it is best to remove it and

send it out for an overhaul. I know of no mechanic who will disassemble a magneto and try to troubleshoot it. I replace points and condenser, but that is just about all. . If the magneto drop is around 150 rpm and the en gine runs roughly, the problem is most Figure 2 likely a fouled spark plug. Conduct a cold cylinder check to locate the plug. As explained above, run the engine on the rough magneto to isolate the plug. Remove and replace, or clean, gap, test, and reinstall. I usually keep a couple of spare good spark plugs in the bag gage compartment with necessary tools to remove and replace them. With lOOLL fuel, spark plug fouling in these old engines is a continual problem . I'll address that in a fu ture column on maintenance. . Once in a great while a harness lead will break down, causing an indication of a fouled spark plug. You can trace this by removing the cold plug and swapping it to the other bank of plugs. Run the en gine and if the problem moved to the other magneto, the problem is the plug. If the problem stayed with the initial magneto, the prob lem is the lead. Sometimes mois ture will manifest itself in the terminal end (sometimes called the "cigarette end" of the lead) . Porce lain Cigarettes were used on all old shielded harnesses and are remov able. If you suspect moisture in the lead, that is the most likely place to find it. Remove the cigarette and dry the lead; then reinstall the cig arette. On newer harnesses the cig arettes may not be removable. You can gently pull the lead while hold ing the cigarette end to check for contaminants. Sometimes I have found engine oil in that area. Fig ure 3 shows the older-style shielded harness with a removable cigarette (terminal sleeve) and elbow. It is

Term inal sleeve

Figure 3

this area just above the shielding and cigarette where moisture can cause problems. I remember when I was young (probably around 17 years old), it was necessary to hand prop the 450-hp Pratt & Whitney engines. In the wintertime it was a real drill because the oil was thick and the engine very stiff. If the pi lot didn't keep the engine running once it fired , you could hand-prop until you were exhausted. The pi lot, who also was my flight instruc tor, had been flying for years, and VINTAGE AIRPLANE

average drop in rpm, Figure 6 the plug not firing will be cold. In the military we used a grease pen cil touched to the ex haust pipe to check for a cold cylinder. Another easy method is to tape a small cloth ball to a pencil, drop the cloth in water, and move to each cylinder, touching the exhaust pipe with the wet cloth. If it is hot, it Figure 4 will sizzle; if it is cold, the moisture will remain on the pipe for a short period of time. The plug will be so cool that you can grab on to it. You have just Correct found the faulty plug! When removing a plug, should it be dropped to the floor it should be dis carded, so be very care ful. At the price of spark plugs you should ex ercise extreme caution. Look into the firing end M - - Round wire of the plug (Figure 4) for clearance gauge traces of carbon or chemFigure 5 ical deposits that bridge between the center elec trode and the plug body; you may be able to detect a small carbon or chemi Spark plug cal deposit from the fuel burn bridging the gap. If this is the case, clean the I recall him saying that the spark plug, check the gap, and reinstall plugs were "frosted over." I main the plug. To equalize wear, the spark tained that since there was fire plugs should be removed every 50 inside the combustion chamber hours of operation, the gap reset, there was no way there could be and the plugs reinstalled, moving moisture on the plugs. He made the front plugs to the rear and the me remove the front bank of rear plugs to the front. I normally plugs, and sure enough, there was get at least 500 hours or more of a little water all over the firing end operation from massive electrode of the plugs. I took them into the spark plugs using this method. The hangar, blew them dry with com rear bank of plugs will wear greater pressed air, and reinstalled them. than the front bank, and the rear After a few more turns the engine plugs will tend to foul quicker than finally started. Amazing! the front, so this automatically • Conducting a "cold cylinder" cleans the plugs and equalizes the check can easily isolate spark plug wear. I set the gap in massive elec problems. If the engine runs on trode spark plugs to around 0.016 the magneto that shows an above inch to 0.018 inch at each 50-hour 26

SEPTEMBER 2008

oil change. I use a special gapping tool that can be purchased from all suppliers. I slowly and carefully bring the tangs to the correct gap, making sure not to overshoot and make the gap too narrow. Always use a wire gauge and never a flat feeler gauge . Figure 5 shows the correct method to reset the gap in a spark plug. .On a trip east, the Continental R-670-5 engine began to have in termittent rough operation. I tried everything to determine what was happening-carburetor heat, power changes, etc., but the problem per sisted . We made a precautionary landing at a nearby airfield and dis covered that the left magneto was running roughly, with a large drop in rpm. I installed a spare mag neto, and we went on our way. I later opened the bad magneto and discovered the rotor assembly was broken in two, thus causing the magneto to go in and out of timing to the engine. • Recently the rpm drop of a Scin tilla VMN7DF magneto continued to exceed the 75 rpm maximum, so an investigation was conducted. The point gap opening was within limits, and the points were in good condition. There were no contami nants on the points, so the mag neto was removed from the engine and a spare installed. Upon inspec tion of the magneto I found the point return spring had failed and the points were not closing prop erly. Interesting! You can see the broken spring in Figure 6. .....,..

Chalies and Sue Stites

Chapel Hill, NC

_ Charles received his pilot's certificate in 1980 _ Aviation writer/photographer for u.s and European aviation publications _ Has owned Ryan Navion N4891 K for over 10 years _ Oshkosh award winner _ Executive Director of Able Flight

"1 wouldn't entrust my '49 Ryan Navion to just any insurance company. For the past seven years, I've been a very satisfied customer of AUA and their EM Vintage Program. AUA understands what a classic means to an owner, and that care shows in their rates and their customer service."

- Charles Stites

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved. To become a member of VAA call 8oo路843路36J2.

Aviation in.urance with the fAA Vintage Program oHers: lower premium$ with payment options - Additional coverages - Flexibility on the use of your aircraft - Experienced agents

AUA is lic,nsed in all staIeI

Serial number 842, NC3 24 12

BY RANDALL KRYSTOSEK

his particular aircraft was completed on Decem ber 10, 1940, at the Por terfield factory in Kansas City, Missouri, and en tered service on December 22 at the Springfield Flying Service in Springfield, Missouri. Almost cer tainly, it was initially used in the Civilian Pilot Training Program. In 1943 it was turned over to the De fense Service Corporation, where it remained for about one year. It was then returned to the Springfield fa cility, perhaps as war surplus. Over the next 30 years, serial number 842 had at least 14 owners, most of them in Missouri and the surround ing states. In 1972, Tom Crane, the former owner/manager of Skylane Airport in Evansville, Indiana, purchased the Porterfield. He acquired it for nostalgiC reasons, as many years previous he had soloed in a Por terfield. Mr. Crane sold the aircraft

28 SEPTEMBER 2008

in 1976. It changed hands several times, but it always remained based at Skylane. On June 8, 1982, a tremendous thunderstorm downburst with winds of 100 mph struck the Evans ville area. At Skylane, several air planes were completely destroyed. The hangar roof collapsed on 842 but, amazingly, only minor dam age was inflicted on the airframe. Three left wing ribs were broken, the fin and rudder were bent, and the wooden turtledeck was frac tured. Due to the damage, the air plane was taken out of service and stored in pieces in an old barn. In 2003, the Porterfield and vari ous accumulated spare parts were purchased by Fred Williams and me; both of us are from Evansville. The plane was extricated from the barn, and minor repairs were made at a rather slow pace. Then in 2005, Bud Sherretz and Hank Meador joined the project, with the goal

being a full and complete restora tion of the Porterfield. This combination of individuals worked well, as both Fred and I are experienced amateur woodworkers and model airplane builders. Bud has been in the auto-body repair business for more than 40 years, and he's an expert at complicated sheet-metal repair and in refinish ing using traditional materials, as well as the modern finishes. Hank is a retired Xerox field engineer; he can repair or service anything elec trical or mechanical that's smaller than a locomotive . Bud and Hank are also veteran tailwheel pilots. As most of you know, there are many disciplines involved in re storing an old airplane. We initially (a lthough inadvertently) divided the work into several imaginary "shops" (i.e., wood, mechanical, sheet metal, fabric, and paint). Actually, these all occupied the same floor space. As work became

necessary in a particular discipline or shop, the individuals most com fortable with that task would step up and complete the work with any needed assistance from the others. Thus, we were able to pro ceed with the project on several fronts simultaneously. We began with the wings, aile rons, rudder, and horizontal tail surfaces . These were completely stripped and all necessary metal repairs were performed. The aile rons required considerable wood repair about the hinge-attachment structures. The wings were carefully cleaned and inspected. The three previously mentioned ribs required extensive repair and partial replace ment, while several others needed minor repair. Extensive areas of leading and trailing edges were re placed. After a thorough sanding, all the wooden structures were

coated with epoxy varnish, and the steel structures were coated with epoxy primer. New aileron control cables were installed. The rudder was straightened profeSSionally. With the blessing of our airframe and powerplant mechanic with an inspection authorization (A&PIIA), all these surfaces were then cov ered using a modern Dacron poly ester aircraft fabric. A finish of two coats of primer followed by a fi nal finish of silver was applied to the wings, ailerons, and horizontal tail surfaces. The original-style NC number was carefully stenciled on each wing at the standard 24-inch height, then taped off and sprayed a very dark blue, the same color as the fuselage. In February of 2007, we initi ated work on the fuselage. It was completely stripped to the bare tube steel airframe, which was then

professionally bead-blasted. A few minor repairs were made to the steel tubing, and after an applica tion of epoxy primer, reconstruc tion of the fuselage was initiated. In the "woodshop area," the en tire turtledeck was replaced uti lizing 1/4-inch aircraft five-ply plywood and beautiful straight grain white cedar stringers. This structure was firmly attached to the airframe will all new stainless steel fasteners. Two coats of epoxy varnish were applied. New side and bottom stringers, floor boards, seat panels, and various wooden spac ers were similarly fashioned and finished. We were able to obtain all wood locally, including a stunning piece or burled walnut veneer. This became our new instrument panel fac;ade. After multiple coats of ep oxy varnish and lots of sanding, it looks great! VINTAGE A I RPLANE

The instrument panel diverts just a bit from original - who The spartan interior of the LP-65 underscores its mission could resist using such a beautiful piece of burled walnut? as a primary trainer in the days just prior to WW-II.

Fred Williams, Bud Sherretz, Hank Meador, and Randall Krystosek.

The "mechanical shop" was also very busy during this time frame. Several steel components of the landing gear were severely corroded and beyond repair. These were exactly duplicated utilizing 4130 steel tubing and sheet metal, as well as tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding. We were pleased to see the fit was perfect. Utilizing a water jet cutter, a new set of shock biscuits was cut from I-inch rubber sheet, and new shock spacer washers were cut from thin stainless steel sheet using an electrical discharge machining (EDM) machine. The original wheels and mechanical brakes were rebuilt and refinished, with the wheel bearing and races refreshed as needed. New tires and tubes were fitted. We needed re placements for the heel brake pads and found the reproduction Model A Ford accelerator pedal footrest 30 SEPTEMBER 2008

to be an ex act d u plicate. The control system, including the u nique trim mechanism, was completely restored. All new cables were fitted . Several pul leys we re beyond salvage, so new duplicate p ulleys were machined and properly bushed. The tail wheel and sp ri ng assembly was com pletely disassembled, bead-blasted, rebushed , epoxy-primed, painted black, and then reassembled. All instru men ts were tested, serviced, and, amazingly enough, found to be in good working order. Meanwhile, in the "sheet metal shop" t he gas tank was cleaned and pressure-tested and the firewall carefully restored with hammer and holly. Th e u pper and lower cowl panels were deemed irreparable, and since they were basically flat

stock start with, they were readily duplicated in new sheet aluminum. New windows and window frames were fashioned, and new stainless steel foot pads were cut with the EDM machine and fit ted to the floorboards. Most everyone who examined the nosebowl was of the opinion that it best belonged in a dump ster. It was in frightful condition, with innumerable large and small creases, dents, and cracks as well as various ancient repairs, some of which were quite crude. After con siderable planning, the nose bowl restoration commenced. Many

full days of work were required to straighten and properly repair and reinforce the piece to the point of being ready for final finish. All who observed the effort involved and the skill required in this transformation agreed that the once-shabby nose bowl was now a worthy addition to the aircraft. Thank you, Bud! At this point, the "fabric shop" was reactivated. The job of properly fitting the rather complicated in terior fabric was found to be time consuming, but it went well. The "paint shop" then took over, and after two coats of primer, the inte rior fabric was finished in a dusky medium blue, and the exposed tub ing in the cabin was painted silver. The entire bottom of the fuselage was then covered . We made our own envelope. Two large pieces of fabric, each the entire length of the airframe (including the fin), were temporarily clamped in place on either side of the fuselage. These pieces were then adjusted so ev erything seemed to drape properly. Each piece of fabric was then cut vertically from the top down to the junction of the fin and turtledeck. The two large overlapping portiOns of fabric forward of the fin were carefully trimmed, leaving several inches of overlap over the center stringer. Everything was then tri ple-checked to make sure we had enough fabric in all areas and that there would be no difficult-to-man age wrinkles. When all were well satisfied, the center stringer was covered with Sa ran wrap, and the two side pieces of fabric were tack-glued together using the center stringer as a guide. When the glue was dry, a line was penciled on the overlapping fab ric directly over the center stringer. That line was used to have an ap proved double seam professionally sewn from the top of the cabin to the base of the fin. This method worked well, with the rest of the fuselage-covering job progressing nicely in standard fashion . After heat-shrinking the fabric, all rein forcing tapes, inspection panels,

cable lead-out fairings, etc. were glued in place. The fuselage was then trans ported to the actual body shop for priming, sanding, and painting. This went well, with the finish color being the previously chosen dark blue with contrasting silver trim. The airframe was then transported back to Skylane Airport, where final assembly began with enthusiasm. The seats were professionally upholstered and the coordinating headliner installed. The newly fin ished instrument panel was bolted in place, and a freshly rebuilt Ly coming 0-145-B2 was fitted to the motor mount. After completing the firewall-forward mechanical work and instrument connections, the cowl and nosebowl were in stalled. That part of the project was considered complete when we bolted our gorgeous old Flottorp 69-by-44 prop in place. We then retrieved the wings and horizon tal surfaces from storage, and in a few brief days, the project began to resemble an airplane once again. The control systems were con nected and functionally checked for proper, smooth operation. The Porterfield Company had two unique company logos affixed to the airplane. All we had to go on were rather poor copies of the lo gos on old company literature. We were able to find a small local sign shop with the capability (and inter est) necessary to make new replicas of the decals using vinyl materi als. Using its computer system, the company was able to develop beau tifully re-created, full-color rendi tions just as crisp as the originals must have been. At this point, time was taken to review everything that had been done. Every nut, bolt, washer, fit ting, and safety wire was checked and double-checked until all were satisfied with the airworthiness of the Porterfield. Weight and bal ance went well, with the empty weight being 793 pounds. With the addition of gas and oil, the engine was propped to life and

ran quite smoothly. After break in, fast taxi work revealed no unusual ground-handling tenden cies . During this time all the nec essary paperwork was completed and submitted. Then, on May 22, 2008, NC32412 flew again for the first time in 26 years. Bud was given the honor of being the pilot of the first flight. No control-system adjustments were required. With time, only two small problems were encountered and corrected. The door latch re quired a stronger spring, and the carburetor needle and seat needed to be replaced, with a slightly lon ger needle being necessary. The first cross-country was flown about a month later, on June 21, 2008. The project reqUired almost exactly two years from start to fin ish, with the four partners meet ing on a regular schedule of at least three workdays per week. As with most projects of this magnitude, there were plenty of onlookers, visi tors, and critics. These individuals seemed to be generally divided into two camps. On one side were the supporters who enjoyed watching the progress and were always eager to lend a hand. On the other side were the skeptics and detractors who thought the four of us to be quite nuts and that we should never have started to work on "that piece of junk." One of the fun things was observing the attitude of the latter group gradually change to mirror that of the former! Special thanks to: Dave White-lots of beautiful ma chine work. Mike Williams-delicately bead blasting many small parts. Ralph Traunetter-Ianding-gear fab rication, general supervision. Greg MCMichael-sewing-machine guru. Bud Fritchley-voice of experience, spedalized tools. Russell Goad-sage advice, design, and machining of specialized con trol surface hardware. Ron Johnson-A&P mechanic. Mike Vieke-A&P/IA mechanic~ VINTAGE AIRPLANE

BY DOUG STEWART

Maintaining proficiency

On Sunday evening I taxied up to the pumps and filled the tanks of my Super Cruiser with 100LL after a day of enjoying flight with my best friend and not having to engage in any in struction. The next morning I went to those same pumps to meet a client, who had just arrived for two days of intense instrument flight rules train ing. I gulped in astonishment as I got there. The fuel had risen 65 cents, quite literally, overnight. Everyone of us has had to deal with rising fuel prices. Much has been written about the numerous ways we can reduce our fuel usage, including simple actions like us ing a handheld transceiver to get a clearance and the ATIS or AWOS/ ASOS before starting the engine. That can yield significant savings over a year's worth of flying. And if the engine is equipped with a mix ture control, leaning for all ground operation as well as any time you are carrying less than 75 percent power aloft will produce consider able savings in fuel. And speaking of power, most of us flying vintage and antique aircraft are not flying them to travel anywhere; we're fly ing for the pure joy of being aloft in aircraft of an earlier era. So why fly at high power settings? Fifty-five percent power will do quite well, extending the time we are up in the air for any given amount of fuel. But what of the pilots who are dealing with the rapidly rising costs of fuel by cutting down on their flying? What are the effects and 32

SEPTEMBER 2008

implications of taking that less lofty approach? To be certain, the over all proficiency level of the average pilot will suffer. It is quite possible that we will see a slow rise in acci dent rates, and concurrent with that will be a rise in insurance premiums. Sounds like a nasty Catch-22 to me. Now we will have a hard time not only affording the fuel, but also the costs of higher insurance. However, there is a way we can ensure that our flight proficiency levels don't slip, even if our flight hours might suffer from the in creased costs of flying. And that way, quite simply, is to spend as much time in the air as we pOSSibly can, in endeavors that will sustain or, even better yet, increase our proficiency. As an example, if you choose to fly to get a hamburger that once upon-a-time cost only $100, make every effort on that flight to main tain your altitude at plus or minus 50 feet. I've worked my way to try ing to achieve a standard of plus or minus 20 feet. I haven't succeeded in accomplishing that target on a long flight, but it makes me a better pilot as I strive to realize that goal. While you are on that burger run, fly from one navigation sta tion (VOR) to another doing your utmost to keep the course devia tion indicator (COl) centered, par ticularly whenever you are within 5 miles of the VOR. Oh .. .you say you don't have a navigation radio in your airplane? Well, I'd be will ing to bet you have a handheld GPS

on board. In that case, I challenge you to set the COl scale to 1/25th of a mile and then never let the COl go to full-scale deflection. An other good challenge would be to leave the GPS behind and fly the entire route by pilotage. When was the last time you tried that? At some pOint during the flight, why not practice some slow flight? Try to achieve the standards set forth in the practical test standards (PTS) for virtually every certificate, and by that I mean flight at a speed that will yield a stall if either the power is reduced or the angle of at tack is increased. If the winds aloft are blowing at a speed that exceeds the slowest speed at which you can fly your airplane, see if you can "hover" or, better yet, fly backward. That's one of the more fun things I like to do, and I can't help but won der what air traffic controllers must think when they see my ground speed slow to zero, and then slowly increase a few knots in the opposite direction, and then as I add a little power again slow to zero, and then increase in the direction I was origi nally flying. I chuckle as I wonder if the person behind the radarscope thinks my target is a helicopter rather than the beautiful PA-12 that it is. And all the while this exercise is making me a better pilot. If you have taken the effort to fly at your slowest possible speed, why not also use this opportunity to practice some stalls . Use the techniques I described a couple of

issues ago. In fact, why not take it a few steps further, and on one of the power-off stalls, hold the airplane in a stall and wake your feet up as you perform a falling leaf" stall, keeping the wings level with the use of rudder alone. Once you have regained cruise speed, why not practice some steep turns? After looking for traffic, roll into a bank of 50-55 degrees, and as you fly through 360 degrees of heading, endeavor to maintain bet ter than plus or minus 50 feet. (If you can do that, you will be exceed ing the current standards for a com mercial pilot certificate.) Then, to kick it up a notch, as you complete 360 degrees, immediately roll into a 360 in the opposite direction. Will you still be able to maintain that altitude standard through the tran sition? If you can't, then practice it until you can! If the wind is blowing on the day you choose to fly, don't let it deter you from flying. In fact, seek out an airport where the wind will be a crosswind to practice takeoffs and landings. If the wind exceeds your personal minimums, then it would behoove you to find an instructor who is qualified in your aircraft to help you gain proficiency in cross winds that would normally keep you on the ground. Remember that there might be a time when you will need those skills, even though you might not choose to normally fly in those conditions. As an ex ample, what if the gust front of the thunderstorm you are racing home gets to the airport at the same time that you arrive? Having taken the time to practice in similar condi tions will have you prepared. If you are instrument-rated, and your airplane instrument-equipped, be sure to spend some time practic ing approaches-preferably in in strument meteorological conditions, but if not, then with the Foggles on and a safety pilot on board. If your vintage pride and joy has an autopi lot, then practice those approaches both coupled as well as hand flown. Fly the approaches to minimums 1/

before you "look," and then be sure to practice not only landing out of the approach without going below the glide slope, but "going missed" as well. Both skills require practice to remain profiCient. Please remember one other valu able tool to maintain proficiency. That tool is a flight simulator. No, you don't have to go to FlightSafety or SimCom. Your home computer can certainly suffice. There are nu merous programs available (and they're not all that expensive) that can serve as excellent tools in main taining your proficiency. It is true that you cannot log any of the time spent on most home computers, es pecially if there is no flight instruc tor present to conduct the training; however, the time spent-especially if you set up challenges such as winds, turbulence, and minimum ceilings (if you're practicing instru ment approaches)-will be worth every moment, as it can definitely serve to increase your proficiency.

It might be virtually impossible to

land that simulated airplane on the centerline (yet alone on the run way) when you've created high, gusting crosswinds, but if you can achieve it on the simulator, espe cially repeatedly, I can guarantee that you will find it a piece of cake when you do it in a real airplane. So, as you can see, there are many ways to ensure that we maintain our proficiency, even if we cannot afford to fly as frequently as we did before the price of fuel went into the stratosphere. Please endeavor to do something on each and ev ery flight that will help to sustain or, better yet, improve your profi ciency. Even when there are ... blue skies and tail winds.

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of th e Year, a NAFI Master In structor, and a designated pilot ex aminer. He operates DSFI Inc. (www. DSFlight.com) based at the Colum bia County Airport (lBi ). ....

"Bu••ds bounce rl.... oft file Po.y-FIber••. see?"

e here at Poly-fiber are mighty proud to help heroes like Captain Eddie defeat the dreaded Hun in the skies over france by covering his ship with the toughest, easiest-to repair fabric known to man. It's easy to apply, too, even Over There, and it'll see our boys through the most arduous dog fighting they'll face. Poly-fiber will never let them down, so don't you, either! Help put Liberty Bond sales "over the top" for all our gallant doughboys! * Friendliest manual around * Toll-free technical support

800-362-3490 polyfiber.com B uy Y O UR W A R B ON D S A T THIS C INEMA .

info@polyfiber,com

A Ircra ft Coating_

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

BY H.G. FRAUTSCHY

THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM THE

EAA ARCHIVES.

Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to be in no later than October 15 for inclusion in the December 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 your name plus your city and state in the body of your note and put I/(Month) Mystery Plane" in the subject line.

JUNE'S MYSTERY ANSWER

Professor A.A. Merrill's 1927 C.I.T. 9, with Walter Clavery as the pilot. The photo Is dated on the back as October 1927. It had adjustable decalage (the angular difference between the wing's and horizontal tall's angle of Incidence).

Here's our June Mystery Plane answer. It was a Roy Russell photo from the Ted Businger collection. "The June 2008 Mystery Plane is Albert Adams Merrill's 1927 Stagger-Decal age Biplane (Aviation. 34

SEPTEMBER 2008

March 7,1927. An Approach Towards the Fool Proof Airplane: Professor Mer rill, of California Institute of Technol ogy, Develops Airplane Which Will Takeoff, Flies and Lands Itself, p 473). A 1931 article from Time magazine states that it was built in 1926.

"Merrill had a very long and in teresting career going back to his days with the Boston Aeronauti cal Society in the mid-1890s un til his death in the early '50s. His correspondence with the Wrights, and articles on early control sys

terns, are particularly amusing . He thought th e Bolands (in fact, h e put the Wrights on to the Bo lands before they appear to have visited them) nailed the problem of adverse yaw (even though he didn 't call it that) on the head, and o ffe red a conversion to do th e same to the Curtiss ailerons by disconnecting the balance ca ble, allowing them to droop like those on a Farman, but with more droop on the highest aileron (he n ever explains how to accomplish that one). All this stems from his stall and spiral accident with the Burgess and Curtis Model F (li cense-built Wright Model B-with some significant dimensional dif ferences ). He had trouble transi tioning from using one hand to control the warping lever to the other when he switched from the Mod el F to the Model B. Oddly e n ough , he ex plains wh y one wi ng of the Model F stalled in a detailed letter showing his calcu lat ions. He blames W.H. Bonney for teaching him to fly at too high an angle of attack. "An amusing incident occurred with the 1931 Safety Plane designed by Merrill. It was wrecked right in front of reporters and Admiral Mof fett during one of the so-called au tomatic landings . And, of course, there was the 1928 Dill Pickle, so dubbed because of the bright green color. If nothing else, the guy had an imagination. The lower wings moved aft via the struts, and the angle of incidence changed up to 14 degrees on the 1931. "Merrill had a very long and in teresting career dating back to his days with the Boston Aeronauti cal Society in the 1890s. I have a lot of correspondence from Mer rill, and information on several of his design s, which is not generally availa ble. His papers are held at the California Institute of Tech nology at Pasadena, but there are only abo ut O.S linea r feet in the entire collection ." Wesley Smith Springfield, Illinois ~

GET THE SKILLS

TO GET IT BUILT

GET YOUR HOMEBUILDING PROJECT OFF THE GROUND

BY SIGNING UP FOR EAA'S SPORTAIR WORKSHOPS

BEGINS

DURATION

COURSE DESCRIPTION

LOCATION

September 12·14

2 ~ days

Repairman (ELSA) Inspection-Airplane

Oshkosh, WI

September 19-21

2 ~ days

Repairman (ELSA) Inspectian-Air~ane

Riverside, CA

September 26-28

2 ~ days

Repairman (ELSA) Inspection-Airplane

Lantana, FL

September 27-28

2days

CompositeaConstruction, Fabric Covering, ectricol Systems, Basic S6eet Metal, Test ~ng, What's Involved in KitbUI ing

Noshua, NH

October 4-5

2days

Composite Construction, Fabric Cover~, Electrical Systems, Basic eet Metal, Test ~ng What's Involved in Kitbui ing

Riverside, CA

October 18-19

2days

Basic Sheet Metal, Electrical Involved in uilding

Arlington, WA

October 24·26

2 ~ days

1IG Welding

Griffin, GA

November 1·2

2days

Composite Construction, Fabric Coveri!!ll, Electrical Systems, Basic S6eet Metal, Test ~ing, What's Involved in KitbUI ding

IndianapotlS, IN

~ems and What's

Complete 2008 Schedule onlne

VISIT WWW.SPORTAIR.COM OR CALL 1·800·967·5746 FOR DETAILS

EA A

WORKSHOPS

EAA SportAir Sponsors:

.~.

---~-VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Wanna be Fal11ous?

Write an article for Vintage Airplane H.G.

FRAUTSCHY AND SCOTT SPANGLER

What Makes a Good Article? VAAers are hands-on participants, active in all facets of vintage aviation. That's why, whenever possible, how-to is a common theme in each issue's mix of feature stories and departments. EAA and its divisions are also about people. This means a successful article doesn't tell what someone did in recreational aviation-it shows how he or she did it. No matter the subject or whether it is a feature or department, a good article is a narrative with a story linea beginning, middle, and end-that engages the reader. For example, anyone can write "My First Flight to EAA . AirVenture," and the articles would all sound pretty much the same. A writer with vision would look at EAA AirVenture and see "200 Miles a Day for Operation Thirst" or "Camp Scholler: How the Neighborhood Has Changed Over 25 Years." Always look beyond the obvious. Be specific. Focus on one part of the whole. In how-to articles, teach by example, not by a chronological monologue or lecture. It's not a textbook. And it's not numbers connected by words foreign to the vocabulary of the average pilot. Naturally, the story involves a VAAer, and to get a feel of what we're looking for, study the last few issues. Ultimately, every article must in some way enrich the reader's aviation interest. VAAers are ordinary people of ordinary means with an extraordinary passion for aviation. Connect with them by being their eyes, ears, fingers, and nose. Avoid jargon, but don't talk down to them; more than 96 percent of all VAA members are rated pilots, 20 percent of you are airframe and powerplant mechanics, and 77 percent of VAAers own at least one airplane. Explain new terms concisely, or include a glossary. If the article is math heavy, include a spreadsheet that allows readers to plug in the variables. We'll post the spreadsheet on the Web so folks can download it for their use.

topic. It is specific. Like a good story, it should have a headline that captures our attention and suggests what the story is about, a subhead that expands on the headline, and a strong lead paragraph that shows what the story is about-and why it's important to EAAers who love these great old airplanes. If you've already written the article, in lieu of a query you may submit it as a file (preferably a Microsoft Word document) attached to your e-mail. Make sure all of your contact information-name, address, phone number, and e-mail address-is at • the top of the Word document. We cannot assume responsibility for the loss or return of unsolicited manuscripts, and we will not consider queries or manu scripts submitted to more than one pub lication at the same time. We will acknowledge receipt of your query or manuscript immediately and will do our best to let you know whether it's been accepted or rejected within 60 days. (Expect a delay if you submit a query or manuscript six weeks before or after EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.) Upon ac ceptance, all articles are subject to edit ing. Please indicate whether we may print your e-mail address so readers can contact you about the article. Submissions are published at the discretion of the publisher and may appear in any EAA publi cation or on its website.

Have you ever consIdered bemg th.? an au or. It's not as hard as you might think, and you'd be helping out your fellow b mem ers.

How to Propose/Submit an Article Time is everyone's most valuable resource; to make the best use of it, please submit a query rather than a completed manuscript. Because the editorial staff is few in number, we don 't accept phone queries. Instead, e-mail them to VintageAircraft@eaa.org, and to avoid the spam folder, use "Vintage Aircraft Article Query" in the subject line. A good query focuses on just one feature or department 36 SEPTEMBER 2008

Feature Articles Each issue includes four or more features , which run between 1,500 and 3,000 words on average, that fall into these broad categories: - Aircraft (antique, classic, or contemporary-if you need help understanding the categories, visit www. VintageAircraft.org and click on Judging Information at the top of the web page) - Equipment/innovations (that make flying safer, eas ier, or more affordable) - Training/techniques (that make flying safer and ex pand pilot skills and capabilities) - Lifestyle/personality (of a VAAer known or unknown who has an interesting story)

Photography Photos help tell the story, and they are essential to nearly every submission. They must be of the highest quality and

must help tell the story. On rare occasions, we may assign a photographer to illustrate your article. What images to select depends on the story, but like a good movie they establish the scene and provide nec essary details. If someone is quoted often in an article, include several photos of the person doing something related to what he or she is talking about. When writ ing about a restoration, photos of its construction are often more important than photos of the finished proj ect. Whenever pOSSible, provide a wide selection (within reason-typically, 20 photos would be plenty!), and make sure you include caption and photo credit information for each one. Never send original slides or prints with an unsolicited manuscript. We cannot be responsible for lost slides or prints. Generally, we keep the images, but if you would like them returned, please let us know.

Digital Photos Digital photos are great and in fact make up 9S percent of the images we now use in the magazine, but unless they are of sufficient resolution and quality, what looks good on your computer screen may not work well in print. When requested to submit final versions of the photos, send the biggest image file aPEG or TIFF) your camera is capable of creating. Generally, a full-resolution picture from a 2-megapixel camera or better is required, or images 300 dpi or higher. Please do not "adjust" images in a digital photo graph program before sending them to us. Do not send printed digital photos. They do not have the quality necessary for reproduction in the magazine. Please send digital photos as individual JPEG or TIFF files. Do not place them in a Word document or make a PDF of the document or photo. Rename your digital photos so they are related to the manuscript filename. For example, if the story is SmithAir plane.doc, the photos should be named SmithAirplanel. jpg, SmithAirplane2. jpg, etc. If your photo files are too big to e-mail, burn them to a CD and send them via snail mail. If you have a high-speed connection to the Internet, please let us know; we can sup ply you with a link to a download site for the images.

Submission Checklist Before submitting your query or manuscript, ask yourself these questions: • Does it fit the mission of Vintage Airplane? • Has the magazine addressed this topic in the last 18 months or so? • In what feature category or department does it best fit? • Is it unique, and does it show not tell? • Does it include information on the availability of pho tographs and/or art? • Does it include all author contact information? Thank you for your interest in Vintage Airplane. It's great when VM members pitch in to help one another. We look ~ forward to seeing your work! .........

~-----------------------------------------------

AERO CLASSIC "COLLECTOR SERIES"

Vintage Tires New USA Production Show off your pride and joy with a fresh set of Vintage Rubber. These newly minted tires are FAA-TSO'd and speed rated to 120 MPH. Some things are better left the way they were, and in the 40's and 50's, these tires were perfectly in tune to the exciting times in aviation. Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart from the rest, but also look exceptional on all General Aviation aircraft. Deep 8/32nd tread depth offers above average tread life and UV treated rubber resists aging. First impressions last a lifetime, so put these bring back the good times ..... New General Aviation Sizes Available:

500 x 5, 600 x 6, 700 x 8

Desser has the largest stock and selection of Vintage and Warbird tires in the world. Contact us with Telephone: 800-247-8473 or 323-721-4900 FAX: 323-721-7888 "1Q"~~"6900 Acco St. , Monlebello, CA 90640 TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY

3400 Chelsea Ave, Memphis, TN 38106

www.desser.com

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

This VAA Calendar of Events is a fraction of those posted on the newest page on the EAA website. To submit an event, or to view the most up to date list, please visit the EAA website at www.eaa.org/calendar. During 2008, we'll publish this calendar as we transition to an all-web based calendar for 2009. This list does not constitute approval, sponsorship, involvement, control or direction of any fly-in, seminar, fly market or other event. September 12-14 - Hammondsport, NY - Glenn H. Curtiss Museum's Annual Seaplane Homecoming. Featuring the first flight of the Curtiss "America ". Seaplane rides , The Glenn Curtiss Salute seaplane parade, boat cruises on Keuka Lake, vendors and exhibitors, period dress contest, and much more . "Dining with Glenn" dinner Saturday evening. Registration includes access to the museum all weekend . Contact: Glenn H. Curtiss Museum , Phone: 607-569 -2160, Email : info@glennhcurtissmuseum .org September 13-14 - Auburn, IN - Midwest Stinson Fly-in. VAA Chapter 37 (GWB). Pancake breakfast and Young Eagles in the morning with a Midwest fish and chicken fry on Saturday evening. Visit one of the 3 local museums (Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg Museum/ WW II Victory Vehicle Museum/ Hoosier Warbirds Museum) for a great day. Vintage cars and motorcycles will also be on hand . Camping/ local motels available. Contact: Tim Fox, Phone: 260-437-7702 , Email: tim @flyingshepherds.com September 13-14 - Weirwood, VA - Great War Aerodrome WWI Fly- in . Campbell Field (9VG). A WWI themed fly-in. Come see WWI replicas , models and re-enactors. Meet historians and collectors . Repl ica owners and vendors should ontact: Robert Waring, Phone: 703 309-7596, Email: greatwaraerodrome@yahoo.com September 19·21 - Troy, OH - WACO Field (lWF) Annual WACO Fly-in at Historic WACO Field 8 -5 Saturday and 9-4 Sunday. Pancake Breakfast Sat. , WACO rides all 3 days , Parade of WACOs Sat., Museum tours, food and fun. Benefits the WACO Historical Society. For more information conta ct John Sch illing atjohn.schillingwaco@yahoo.com or Karen Purke at karenpurke@woh.rr.com September 19·20 - Bartlesville , OK - 52 Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In, Contact 1-918-622 8400, www.tulsaflyin.com September 19·21 - Coffeyville, KS - Funk Aircraft Owners Association Reunion. Coffeyville Aviation (CFV). Gathering of Funk Aircraft from around the country. Buddy rides , Balloon Burst, Bomb Drop, Spot Landing Contests (weather permitting) and lots of 'hangar flying". Free admission. Contact: LaNell Brown, Phone: 903-461-1304, Email : brownrl@ geusnet.com September 19·21 - Coffeyville, KS, USA. Funk Aircraft Owners Association Reunion . Coffeyville Aviation (CFV). Gathering of Funk Aircraft from around the country. Buddy rides , Balloon Burst, Bomb Drop, Spot Landing Contests (weather permitting) and lots of 'hangar flying ". Free admission . Contact: LaNell Brown , Phone: 903-461-1304, Email: brownrl@geusnet.com September 20 - Delaware, OH - EAA Vintage 27 Fly In Breakfast. (DLZ) . Fly In Breakfast Start Time: 08:00 End Time: 10:00 Contact: Woody Mcintire, Phone: 6145652887, Email: wjmcintire@cs.com September 20 - Delaware, OH, USA. EAA Vintage 27 Fly In Breakfast. (DLZ) . Fly In Breakfast Start Time: 08:00-10 :00 am . Contact: Woody Mcintire, Phone: 6145652887, Email : wjmcintire@cs.com October 3·5 . Camden, SC , USA. VAA Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In. (CDN ). All Classes Welcome! BBQ on field Friday evening. EAA judging all classes Sat. Awards Dinner Sat night. Contact: Jim Wilson, Phone: 843-753-7138, Email: eiwilson@homexpressway.net October 3·5 - Oshkosh , WI. The Golden Era of Aviation/ EAA Vintage Biplane & Spirit of St Louis Fantasy Flight Camp. Have you ever fantasized about flying a certain airplane or dreamed about becoming a part of history? Here is a once in a lifetime experience for aviation enthusiasts . Learn about great vintage aircraft and take a ride you 'll never forget. Contact: bcampbell@eaa.org, Phone: 920-426-6880, Email : museum@eaa.org October 4 - Syracuse, KS. Syracuse Antique and Classic Fly-In. Syracuse Hamilton Co. Airport (3K3). Lots of antiques, classics, warbirds , experimentals and powered 'chutes. Chamber sponsors ch ili cookoff and burgers and brats at noon . Great time always had by all ! Contact: Steve Phillips, Phone: 620·384-5835, Email: 3K3@pld.com October 4· 5 - Hagerstown , MD, Washington . EAA Chapter 36 Fly-In and Fairchild Reunion . Hagerstown Regional Airport (HGR). This event held on Papa Ramp at Hagerstown Aviation Services , Hagerstown Regional Airport (KHGR). Great fun for young and old . Excellent food, all day long. Start Time: 8 am-4 pm . Contact: Joseph Boyle , Phone: 301-797-1875, Email : joeboyle@myactv.net October 17·19 - Oshkosh, WI. Ford Tri -Motor Fantasy Flight Camp. EAA's weekend program gets flight enthusiasts up close and flying in this airplane . Contact: bcampbell@eaa .org, Phone: 920-426 -6880, Email : museum@eaa.org

38 SEPTEMBER 2008

Something to buy, sell, or trade? Classified Word Ads: $5 .50 per 10 words, 180 words maximum, with boldface lead·in on first line. Classified Display Ads: One column wide (2.167 inches) by 1, 2, or 3 inches high at $20 per inch. Black and white only, and no frequency discounts. Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (i.e., January 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per issue. Classified ads are not accepted via phone . Payment must accompany order. Word ads may be sent via fax (920426-6845) or e-mail (classads@eaa.org) using credit card payment (al l 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 Publ ications Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

AIRCRAFT D. Trone Aircraft Collection - Thunderbird W-14, WACO 050, Challenger KR-31 , Command-Aire, Bird, Uncoln5port, Polson Special (Daugherty), Snyder Baby Bomber, Corben Super Ace, Nieuport 11. Photos at www.dtroneaircraftco/lection.com. Sales: eftrone@dtroneaircraftcollection. com, 217~-7501

ENGINES D. Trone Aircraft Collection - Engines: Gnome Rotary, Harroun, Sturtevant, Curtiss OXX-6, Curtiss V2-C3, Curtiss K-12, Wells-Adams, Michigan Rover, Kemp, LeRhone Rotary, Globe Aero, Milwaukee Skymotor, Lenape Chief, Lenape, Lawrence WWI, Cleone, Long Harlequin, Lincoln Light. Photos at www. dtroneaircraftcollection.com. Sales: eftrone@ dtroneaircraftco/lectlon.com, 217-632-7501

MISCELLANEOUS Vintage Heath Aircraft Skis - Model 725, ATC 138, Max Load 1450#, $500 plus S&H. Bud Hill 518-283-5459. Flying wires available. 1994 pricing. Visit www. f/yingwires.com or call 800-517-9278.

SERVICES Always Flying Aircraft Restoration, LLC

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

Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481

Ohio - statewide.

promising a ride to, or get involved in your local chapter. All you have to do is knock on the door. The 2008 event was more suc cessful than any of us ever dared to anticipate. The weather was unbelievably ex ceptional, and it was a safe event in our area. I had to laugh when it began to rain at 5:20 p.m. on the last day, Sunday, 20 minutes after the final air show act of the week. It was as if ev eryone was given 20 minutes to get to his or her vehicle without getting drenched. That will always make me glance toward the heavens and wink at the big guy for playing such a large part in such a wonderful event. Across the board, the VAA experi enced an awesome event with many VAA members in attendance. The Tall Pines Cafe, the VAA retail sales in the Red Bam, the type club tents, return ing past Grand Champions, lemon ade and popcorn contributions, the VAA picnic, and the Shawano Fly-Out were all successful. We'll have more news about next year's event in the coming months. Do you have a sug gestion or comment about your ex perience? We'd like to hear from you. You can send them directly to the VAA office at vintageaircra(t@eaa.org or by regular mail at Vintage Aircraft Assoc., PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. And all of you wonderful volun teers. We again had more than 500 individuals sign in to volunteer with the VAA. That's fantastic! The preci Sion, devotion, and long hours. How can we ever properly thank you for your undying devotion to the VAA? You are truly awesome. Please do us all the favor of invit ing a friend to join the VAA, and help keep us the strong association we have all enjoyed for so many years now. EAAAirVenture Oshkosh 2009, The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration, is July 27 through August 2, 2009.

o ItIJ. oft e 1 9 f 9 - 1 949 atlollal ofllt tfi.sr.c.ej

e only comprehensive DVD Story of the National Air Races available today! "Aviation fans will enjoy the year-by-year storytelling about the airplanes, and the pilots who flew them"RoJt Do"oy, EAA Sport .... a positive addition to the aviation historian's video collection." J~rri B~,g~n ,

Amerlct:m Aviation Historical Society

.. [ highly recommend this interesting video." Tim SavlIge, Warbi,d Digest

2008

EAA AIRCRAFT AWARDS

continued from page 5 Outstanding Mooney, Outstanding in Type Donald McGettigan, Mesa, AZ, 1962 Mooney M20C, N6242U Outstanding Piper PA·22 Tri·Pacer, Outstanding lin Type Donald Bartlett, Carterville, IL, 1957 Piper PA·22·150, N7409D Outstanding Piper PA·24 Comanche, Outstanding in Type Ray Fey, Middleton , WI , 1966 Piper PA-24·260, N8897P Outstanding Limited Production, Outstanding in Type Roger Baglien, Saddlebrooke , AZ, 1966 Alon A2, N6529Q Best Continuously Maintained, Outstanding in Type Joseph Judge, Bailey, CO, 1959 Piper PA·24·180 , N5433P

SEAPLANE AWARDS Gold Lindy Dick & Patsy Jackson, Rochester, NH, 1930 Sikorsky S-39, NC50V Silver Lindy Roxanne Newman, Fargo, ND, 1956 Piper PA-18 Super Cub, N6792B Bronze Lindy Bernie Ness, Fargo, ND, 1956 Piper PA-18 Super Cub , N7174B Outstanding Amphibian Richard Springer, Fargo, ND , 1970 Piper PA-18 Super Cub, N7949 Outstanding Metal Seaplane Bob Steneman, Aspen, CO, 1980 Cessna 182Q, N300BS Outstanding Fabric Seaplane Craig Young, Hudson, WI, 1940 Piper J-3 Cub, NC32562

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Membershi~ Services VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND

ASSOCIATION EAA's VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

OFFICERS President Geoff Robison 1521 E. MacGregor Dr. New Haven, IN 46774 260-493-4724 cilie(7025@aol.com

Vice· President

~~~r~~:~t;~~

Hartford, WI 53027 262-673-5885 gdaubner@eaa.org

Treasurer

Secretary Steve Nesse

Charles W. Harris

2009 Highland Ave. Albert Lea, MN 56007 507-373 -1 674

7215 East 46th St. Tulsa, OK 74147 918-622-8400

stnes@deskmedia.com

cwh@hvsu.com

DIRECTORS Steve Bender 85 Brush Hili Road Sherborn, MA 01770 508-653-7557

Dale A. Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46278 317-293-4430

sst 100comcast.1let

dalefaye@msn. com

David Bennett 375 Killdeer Ct Lincoln, CA 95648 916-645-8370

j eannie Hili P.O. Box 328 Harvard, IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205

QlItiqller@inreach,com

di"ghao@owc,lIet

j ohn Berendt 7645 Echo Poin t Rd. Cannon Falls, MN 55009 507-263-2414 fchld@bevcomm.net

Espie "Butch " joyce 704 N. Regional Rd. Greensboro, NC 27409 336-668-3650 windsock@aoi .com

jerry Brown 460S Hickory Wood Row Greenwood, IN 46143 317-422-9366 Ibrown4906@aol.com

Dan Knutson 106 Tena Marie Circle Lodi, WI 53555 608-592-7224

/odicub@charter.llet

Dave Clark

Steve Keog

635 Ves tal Lane Plainfield, IN 46168 317-839-4500

1002 Heather Ln. Hartford, WI 53027 262-966-7627

davecpd@att.net

sskrog@aol.com

j ohn S. Copeland

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

1A Deacon Street

North borough, MA 01532 508-393-4775 copeland l @ilmo.com

Phil Coul son 28415 Springbrook Dr. Lawton, MI 49065 269-624-6490 rcou lson5 16@Cs.com

S.H. " Wes" Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa, WI 532 13 414-771 -1545 shschmid@milwpc.com

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

Robert C. Brauer

9345 S. Hoyne

Ch~~!_~8~9~f43 photopilot@aol.com

E.E. "Buck" Hilbert 8 \02 Leech Rd. Union, IL 60 180 815 -923-4591 buck7ac@gmail.com

Gen e Chase

Gen e Mo rris

2159 Carlton Rd. Oshkosh, WI 54904 920-23 1-5002

5936 Steve Court

Roanoke, TX 76262

817-491-9 1\0

GRCHA@Charter.llet

genemorris@Clrarter.llet

Ronald C. Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave. Kent City, MI 49330 616-6 78-50 12