VA-Vol-37-No-7-July-2009 by EAA Vintage Aircraft Association

GEOFF ROBISON PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

It's EAA AirVenture time! It's here. For aviators around the globe, the month of july always brings EAA AirVenture Oshkosh to mind. Most every one of these aviators will wish he or she were going to be able to attend, but for varied reasons, many are never able to make it. Here's hoping this is the year for you! I still remember my first EAA convention in 1984. So far, I have not missed a single Oshkosh since my first, and each of them has been very enjoyable . But, some members are not as fortunate as J am in being able to come to this great event every year. Even if you can get here only once, you really owe it to yourself to experience this amazing celebration of the Spirit of Aviation . One of the great benefits of membership is the opportunity to serve your fellow members as a Vintage volunteer during EAA AirVenture. So, as we typically do each year in july, here's a partial list of names and contact information for many of the volunteer chairpersons for the Vintage area of operations. Want to rev up your visit by installing some extra horsepower to yo ur Oshkosh e xperience? just drop these folks a lin e, and they wi ll fill you in on these varied volunteer opportunities . Hope to see yo u around the Red Barn. Please do us al l the favor of inviting a fri end to join the VAA, and help keep us the strong association we have all enjoyed for

so many years now. VAA is about participation: Be a member! Be a volunteer! Be there! Let's all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation. Remember, we are better together. join us and have it all.

Merchandise Bob Lum ley, Chairman, lumper@ execpc.com, 262-782-2633 Metal Forming Workshop Steve Nesse, Chairman, stnes2009@ Iive.com, 507-373-1674 Parking and Safety Michael Kosta, Chairman, cubflyr@ Vintage Aircraft Association comcast.net, 303-673-9355 Chairpersons Participant Plaques jack Copeland, Chairman, Convention Management copelandl @jul1o.com, 508-393 Geoff Robison, Chairman, 4775 chief7025 @ao l. com, 219-493 Past Grand Champions 4724 Steve Krog, Chairman, sskrog@aol. Butch joyce, Vice-Chairman, com, 262-966-7627 windsock@aol. com, 336-427-0971 Safe Flying Convention Management Field Ken Morris, Cha irma n, Operations taildragger7w@aol .com, 815-547 George, Daubner, Vice-Cha irman, 3991 gdaubner@eaa.org, 414-673-5885 Security VAA Judging/Awards Tim Fox, Chairman, tim @ Dave C lark , VAA C hi ef judge, f l yingshepherds.com, 260-486 davepd@iquest.net, 317-839-4500 8126 Computer Operations Tall Pines Cafe Ear l Nic hol as, Cha irman, eman4@ Steve Nesse, Chairman, stnes2009@ ameritech.net, 312-451 -2930 Iive.com, 507-373-1674 Construction and Maintenance Tony's Trolley Michael Blombach, Chairman, jim Brown, Chairman, 414-895 m ichaeI84 6 @aol.com, 260-745 6282 2339 Tour Tram Headquarters, Sales james LeFevre, Chairman, 920-434 Ruth Co ul son, Chairman, 1656 rcoulson516 @cs.com, 616-624 Type Club Headquarters 6490 Steve Krog, Chairman, ss krog@aol. Headquarters, Information/ com, 262-966-7627 Activities Volunteer Center jeannie Hill, Chairman, 815-943 Steve Moyer, Chairman, 215-514 7205 1855 Membership/Chapter Info Volunteer - Hospitality Center Dave Bennett, Chairman, antiquer@ Lorraine Eber le, Vice-C h airman , inreach.com, 916-645-8370 920-233-2324

VOL. 37, NO.7

2009

CONTENTS I Fe

Straight & Level It's EAA AirVenture time! by Geoff Robison

News

The Vintage Aircraft Association Who we are ... how fortunate we are .. . and all for so little! by Charles W. Harris

It All Started With Dad's Airplane:

The Jacobson Family Saga of N5752C A Grand Champion with a family connection by Budd Davisson 15

N90 Tango Tango to Oshkosh The vintage AirVenture experience by Mike Sheetz

The McBride C-150TD A family project by Budd Davisson

The Vintage Mechanic Adhesives and bonding, Part II by Robert G. Lock

Mystery Plane by H.G. Frautschy

Eagles Nest at Platte Valley Giving new meaning to the golden age of aviation by Sparky Barnes Sargent

Aeromail

Classified Ads

STAFF

EAA Publisher Director of EAA Publications Executive Director/Editor Production/Special Project Photography Advertising Coordinator Classified Ad Coordinator Copy Editor Director of Advertising

Tom Poberezny Mary Jones H.G. Frautschy Kathleen Witman Jim Koepnick Bonnie Kratz Sue Anderson Lesley Poberezny Colleen Walsh Ka trina Bradshaw

Display Advertising Representatives: Specialized Publications Co. U.S. Eastern Time Zone-Northeast: Ken Ross 609-822-3750 Fax: 609-957-5650

COVERS

kr40@comcast.net

FRONT COVER: One of the best reasons to choose a project airplane can be its history with your family; that same reason can cause your judgment to be clouded when it comes

U.S. Eastern Time Zone-Southeast: Chester Baumgartner 727-532-4640 Fax: 727-532-4630

to the project's viability. When it was discovered his newly pu rchased C-170A was a frosty

cbauml1 1@mindspring.com

caricature of an airplane crafted entirely out of corrosion, Steve " Jake" Jacobson just couldn 't say " No," and so an extensive restoration of this classic was done and it was selected as the Grand Champion Classic of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2008. EAA photo by Mike Steineke. BACK COVER: There are five McBrides, and they all had a hand to one extent or another in the creation of this modified Cessna 1500. Just saying you're going to convert a 150 to a taildragger sounds like it's easy, but it 's not. There is a lot of work that has to be

U.S. Central Time Zone: Gary Worden 800-444-9932 Fax: 816-741-6458 gary. worden@Spc-mag.com

U.S. Mountain and Pacific Ti me Zones:John Gibson 916-784-9593 Fax: 510-217-3796 iohngibsol1@Spc-mag.com

done and a lot of parts to be chased . See Budd Davisson's article on the McBride fami ly

Europe: Willi Tacke Phone: +49(0)1716980871 Fax: +49(0)8841 /496012

project starting on page 20. EAA photo by Bonnie Kratz.

willi@{lyillg-pages.com VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Rare Pitcairn Autogiro Arrives for AirVenture Around this time last year, Jack and Kate Tiffany, of Spring Hill, Ohio, and the crew of Leading Edge Restora足 tions, were anticipating the flight of their recently restored Pitcairn PA-18 Autogiro to Oshkosh for AirVenture 2008. However, the rotor blades were significantly damaged during testing about a week prior to Oshkosh, and the flight had to be called off. That made the arrival of the PA-18 that much sweeter as the 77-year-old rotorcraft landed safely at EAA's Pioneer Airport on Wednesday, June 24, 2009, in plenty of time for this year's convention. A total of 19 Pitcairn PA-18s were built from 1932-1933, and this one, the result of nearly a decade-long restoration, represents the only flying example left in the world. The last leg of the journey to Pioneer Airport was from the Hartford, Wisconsin, airport, about 38 nautical miles south of Oshkosh. With just a hint of emotion in his voice, Jack remarked as the 'gyro took off on the final leg from Hartford, Wisconsin, "It's unreal [to see it depart]; 40 miles from Oshkosh, after nine years ... it's unreal:' Plans are for the aircraft to be displayed at-where else-Pioneer Airport's Pitcairn Hangar until right before AirVenture, then it will be relocated to the Vintage area on convention grounds for static display throughout the week. For more on the arrival of the Autogiro along with a video clip of it in flight, visit www. AirVenture.org and click on the Multimedia link. After AirVenture, the PA-18 will return to the Pitcairn Hangar for display through August. Andrew King, pi足 lot, may even fly the Autogiro in EAA's Good 01' Days of Aviation event scheduled for August 29-30 before de足 parting to the airport in Brodhead, Wisconsin, and then back to Spring Hill, Ohio. 2

JULY 2009

Theater InThe

""""'\ ) West SideVintage Aircraft Camping

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Woods

Vj)

~ Antiq ue Parking

V;""" ",,'"

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5hog," ( ) Hangar Cafe

Row 74

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VAA AREA

GENERAL

LAYOUT

Type Clubs,

\:!j

Workshops

Showplane/ Camper R ' t t' egis ra Ion

Red B,,"

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M\ b h' B h em ers Ip oot

\:> \ \'--_ _ _ _ __

Volunteer Booth

Ta ll Pines Cafe Near Ultralight Runway

VAA Special Interest Aircraft Display Area

VAA Parki ng- No Ca mpi ng Row 62 t hrough Row 77

East Side VAA Camping and Parking Starts Here Cont inues to Row 150

Grass Runways and Fuel Also o n o u r VAA web sit e, we p ubli sh a li st crea t e d b y VAA

Row 50

R..... C6lO9

To help members who fly in to understand the layout of the convention area administered by the VAA, we've prepared this simplified map. As you can see, camping starts at Row 74 on the east side of the main north/south road (Wittman Road), with the areas to the north of that line set up to handle display-only vintage aircraft. That's why you may see open areas as you taxi south to your camping location. Once you arrive, you'll need to register your aircraft and/or campsite. In addition to roving registration ve hicles, there is one main aircraft registration building, 10

As an EAA m ember (an im por tant part of yo ur VAA m emb er ship), you can use the EAA Flight Planner to ch art your trip to Wit tman Field for EAA AirVenture Os hkosh 2009 . Just click on the EAA Flight Planner link on the left side of the members-only home page at http://Mem bers.EAA.org or you can log in at www. VintageA ircraft.org.

CommCenter

Rows 60 & 61

Row 78

Flight Planning for Your EAA AirVenture Trip

Wayfinding Tower

Past Grand Champions - parked along road VAA and in rows 60 & 61, Operatio ns

Shack

cated just south of the VAA Red Barn (see map). The EAA convention campgrounds are private campgrounds and are not open to non-EAA members. Each campsite must be registered by a current EAA member. Another immediate benefit of VAA membership is your free VAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009 Participant Plaque, which you can pick up in the rear of the Red Barn. EAA and VAA memberships are available at both aircraft registration and at the membership booth located under the VAA Welcome Arch, northeast of the Red Barn at the corner of Wittman Road and Vern Avenue.

m ember Kris Kortokrax. Kris flies a variety of old biplanes that are mo re pleasant to fly when they are flown from grass strips, and he and his buddies from Shelbyville, Illinois, do th eir best to keep the old biplan es h appy (and keep tire wear to a m inimum) by flying cross co untry fro m grass st rip to grass strip. Finding fuel facilities can be a challenge these days, and Kris has distilled t h is airport information to be useful for like-minded grass runway-preferring pilots. Th is data was current as of the beginning of the year, and we'd suggest calling

ah ead to confirm fuel availability and hours of operation, If you have any changes or additions, drop us an e-mail here at VintageAircraft@ eaa.org and we'll forward it to Kris. Our thanks to Kris for sharing his list. Let us know if you find it useful!

Breakfast and a Briefing The VAA Tall Pines Cafe will be in operation again this year with an expanded schedule prior to con vention, and fly-in-style pan cake and egg breakfasts during EAA AirVenture. Starting on Friday morning, July 24, and continuV I N T A G E A I RPLANE

ing through Sunday, July 26, the VAA Tall Pines Cafe will be open for breakfast (6:30 - 9:30 a.m.) and dinner (4:30 - 7:30 p.m.). Start ing Monday, July 27, only break fast will be served at the Tall Pines Cafe (6:30 - 9:30 a.m.). Just to the north, an FAA Flight Service Sta tion (FSS) trailer will be located near the cafe. At the trailer you'll be able to check the weather for your flight and obtain a full brief ing from FSS specialists with out having to trek up to the FAA Building near the control tower. We'll see you there each morning for "breakfast and a briefing." Are You a Friend of the VAA Red Barn? If so, be sure to check in at the information desk at the VAA Red Barn. There, we'll issue you a spe cial name badge. We can also pOint out the location for the Ford Tri Motor rides. If you have any ques tions, feel free to ask for Theresa Books, the VAA administrative as sistant. If you need to reach her in advance of your arrival, call her at EAA headquarters, 920-426-6110. Our thanks to each of you who have contributed to the VAA Friends of the Red Barn 2009 cam paign. We'll have the list of con tributors in the September edition of Vintage Airplane! VAA Message Center If you would like to leave a mes sage for people you know who fre quent the VAA Red Barn, stop by the information desk. You can write them a message in our "note book on a string," and we'll post their name on the marker board so they'll know there's a message wait ing for them. Sure, cellular phones and walkie-talkies are great, but sometimes nothing works better than a hand-scribbled note! VAA Picnic Tickets for the annual VAA picnic to be held Wednesday, July 29, at the Nature Center will be available for sale at the VAA Red Barn. Tick4

JULY 2009

ets must be purchased in advance so we know how much food to order. The delicious meal will be served af ter 5:30 p.m. Trams will begin leav ing the VAA Red Barn around 5 p.m. and will make return trips after the picnic. Type clubs may hold their annual banquets during the picnic. Call Jeannie Hill (815-943-7205), and she will reserve seating so your type club can sit together. Shawano Fly-Out The annual fly-out to Shawano is Saturday, August 1. The sign-up sheet will be at the desk at the VAA Red Barn, and the briefing will be at 7 a.m. the morning of the fly out. The community of Shawano, approximately an hour north of Oshkosh (as the Cub flies), is a big supporter of VAA and puts forth a lot of effort to sponsor this event. Shawano's residents do a great job of hosting us, and we hope you'll help us thank Shawano by joining us on the flight. VAA Red Barn Store The VAA Red Barn Store, chock full of VAA logo merchandise and other great gear, will be open with expanded hours all week long, Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Early-bird arrivals can shop on the previous weekend as well, during limited hours. Show your VAA membership card (or your receipt showing you joined VAA at the convention), and you'll receive a 10 percent discount. One evening during AirVenture there will be a special VAA mem bers-only sale. Inquire at the store for the date. Bring your VAA card, and you'll receive an additional discount on specially priced mer chandise. See you there! VAA Volunteer Opportunities Are you an ace pancake flipper? If you're not one yet, we can help! The VAA Tall Pines Cafe is looking for volunteers who can help provide a hearty breakfast to all the hungry campers on the south end of Witt man Field. If you could lend a hand

for a morning or two, we'd appreci ate it. If that's not your cup of tea, feel free to check with the VAA Volunteer Center, located just to the northeast of the VAA Red Barn. The volun teers who operate the booth will be happy to tell you when your help is needed each day. It doesn't matter if it's just for a few hours or for a few days-we'd love to have your help ing hands! There is no need for you to contact us ahead of time; you can talk with us when you arrive. VAA Judging Categories and Awards The VAA's internationally recog nized judging categories are: - Antique: Aircraft built prior to September I, 1945 - Classic: September I, 1945 - De cember 31, 1955 - Contemporary: January I, 1956 - December 31, 1970 Any aircraft built within those years is eligible to park in the Show plane parking and camping areas. If you wish to have your aircraft judged, let the volunteer know when you register your aircraft and camping area. If you want your aircraft to be judged by VAA vol unteer judges, you need to be a cur rent Vintage Aircraft Association member. VAA contributes a signif icant portion of the costs related to the EAA awards that are pre sented to the award winners. The Awards Ceremony will be held Sat urday evening at 6 in the new Vin tage Hangar - not in Theater in the Woods as in previous years. Designated Smoking Areas Near Flightline Smoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture is prohibited because it's a hazard to all aircraft. There are several deSignated smoking areas with butt cans along the flightline, well away from aircraft and refuel ing operations. DeSignated smoking areas will be south of the ultralight runway; near the Hangar Cafe; near the Warbirds area (northeast corner of

A Night at the Movies With EAA Fly-In Theater Bring your blankets and lawn chairs and watch a great aviation movie at the EAA Fly-In Theater, presented by Ford Motor Company and supported by Hamil ton Watches. Movies are shown nightly, from Sunday, July 26, through Saturday, August 1, and each film is introduced by a celebrity presenter. The theater is lo cated just north of EAA's Camp Scholler at the end of Doolittle Drive, and the pro gram begins at 8:30 p.m.

AirVenture NOTAM

www.AirVenture.org/flying Alternate Airports and Waypoints

www.AirVenture.org/flying/alter nate_airports.html www.AirVenture.org/2008/ news/08060S--presentations.html Put more than a thousand pre sentations, workshops, and other scheduled events at your fingertips.

Here's the lineup of movies, along with the guest presenters who have been confirmed: Sunday, July 26

One Six Right

(presenter TBD)

and Barnstorming

presented by Paul Glenshaw and Andrew King

Monday, July 27

The Right Stuff

(presenter TBD)

Tuesday, July 28

Cloud Dancer

presented byTom Poberezny and friends

Wednesday, July 29

Six Days Seven Nights presented by Harrison Ford

Thursday, July 30

Bat*2 1

Friday, July 31

X-1S

Saturday, August 1

Pearl Harbor

Audrey Lane and Eide Avenue); the Wearhouse flag pole area; the shade pavilion north of the control tower; and near the Ultralight Barn. Lo cations will be indicated on EAA's free convention grounds map. The admission wristband also instructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in deSignated smoking areas. EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here ... Are You Ready? Just a few short weeks from now, many of you will make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA Air Venture 2009. Are you ready? Here are several handy online tools on the newly redesigned AirVenture website. Visit www.AirVenture.org and find out what you need to know about The World's Greatest Aviation Celebration.

(presenter TBD) presented by Joe Engle (presenter TBD)

Admission, Parking, Hours

www.AirVenture.org/planning/admis sion.html Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh

www.AirVenture.org/rideshare

Site Map www.AirVenture.org/planning/ AV2009....grounds_map.pdf Quick reference guide of new site layout: www.AirVenture.org/siteplan/ guidechanges.html AirVenture Schedule

www.AirVenture.org/schedule Where to Stay

www.AirVenture.org/planning/where_ to_stay.html

Find Your Favorite Presentations and Workshops Online With hundreds of the world's leading aviation authorities giv ing close to 1,000 individual pre sentations at nearly 4S locations spread throughout the AirVenture ground s, finding out who is pre senting, where, and when, can be, in a word, challenging. The EAA AirVenture website has an online tool that can make this task sim ple when you use the integrated AirVenture Schedule. Located at www.AirVenture.org under "A ttraction s" an d then under" Ac tivitie s, Presentations & Workshops," the d atabase in cludes all the venues, sub jects and topics, presenters and events from not only Forums and Workshops, but also Warbirds in Review, Kid Venture, Museum Speakers Show case, Authors Corner, Theater in the Woods, special " at the air craft" presentations on AeroShell Square , and more. In addition, the web schedule is updated on a daily basis. A quick link to this new sched ule is www.AirVenture.org/schedule. A brand-new ground breaking feature this year is the ability to cre ate your own itinerary of various events of interest. You can save or print it out for future reference. The online schedule will now make it easier for you to find pre sentations, book signings, activi ties, movies, and other events at every venue on the site. ....... VINTAGE AIRPLANE

THE VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Who we are . . . how fortunate we are .. . and all for so little! BY CHARLES

The grassroots aviation commu nity of the good old United States is a most fortunate and privileged group of airplane enthusiasts. We have be come the current-day recipients of the brilliant aviation concept that Paul Poberezny and his small group of close flying friends created in Mil waukee, Wisconsin, in January 1953 and what has since become a world wide movement of people from ev ery walk of life who have banded together in a common cause-the cause of sport aviation! Sport avia tion now encompasses every phase of aviation and airplane interests; 6

JULY 2009

W. H ARRIS

antiques, classics, contemporaries, warbirds, experimentals, light sport, aerobatics, replicas, biplanes, ad in finitum, and all of these areas of our special interes t are welcomed and encouraged under EAA and its huge 160,000-member umbrella. In the Vintage Aircraft Associa tion (VAA), while we embrace virtu ally every airplane we see, the older, more historic airplanes have a very special appeal and Significance to us. From the days of Orville and Wil bur and their first ingenious and miraculous flying machine, from Capt. Eddie and his sturdy Spad,

from "Slim" Lindbergh and his Ryan NYP, from Jimmy Doolittle and his Gee Bee and Super Solution, from Howard Hughes and his simply fabulous world-speed-record-break ing Racer, and from Benny Howard and Ike, Mike, Pete, and Mulligan came our inspired and breathtak ing background . Mr. Piper and his Cubs together with e.G. Taylor and his Taylorcrafts, Don Luscombe and his Monocoupes and later his even more successful and remark able "8" Series Luscombes, and still later, Duane Wallace with his highly marketable 140s, 150s, 170s, 172s,

180s, 182s, and 195s together with Mr. Piper again and his Short Wings, Cherokees, and Comanches cre ated the marketing successes that brought aviation down to a cost level that nearly everyone could af ford. These aviation pioneers an d their airp lanes together with Wal ter Beech's engineering masterpiece Bonanzas brought us aviation as we know it today. In addition to these legends there have been all the other greats and near greats who with their un canny abilities have developed the airplanes for us individual pilots who love the sky, who love to fly, and love the indescribable magic of liftoff and flight through Mother Nature's heavens in what is still a never-ending miracle. Today thou sands and thousands of these unbe lievably fine airplanes are available to us with all of their proven capa bilities at essentially bargain base ment prices. We are the present-day beneficiaries of our glorious avia tion past; additionally, we are the recipients of what EAA founder Paul Poberezny envisioned and cre ated. It should be crystal clear to everyone what an exceptionally fortunate group we are. This is who and what we are. Our love of airplanes is what we are, and the airplanes are our glue. But the who we are even tops the what we are. The people of EAA and VAA are the emotional heart and soul of all of this magic. When one steps onto the porch of the Red Barn or into the brand-new Vintage Hangar at EAA AirVenture Osh kosh, even if it mig h t be your very first time ... and even if the place is busy as a bee-there is not a single stranger, not one. Whether you pose a question in the information area of the Red Barn or sit down on the Red Barn's front porch next to someone you have never met before, you will be as much at home as you are at your hometown airport hangar. The conversations will center on airplanes, about aviation happenings and personalities, and the attachment and affection EAA

FAA Admin istrator Marion Blakey speaks to a group ofType Club officia ls during EAA AirVenture. In cooperation w ith EAA, the Vintage Aircraft Asso ciation has regular contact with many levels of the FAA as we work to repre sent our membership on maintenance and operational issues.

The VAA volunteer kiosk is always a busy place. More than 500 members volunteer their time and expertise during the weeklong convention .

and vintage members have for their airplanes, their aviation friends, and their aviation organization. This is who we are, this is what we are; we are the living counterparts of those who pioneered the devel opment and sparked the fervor of self-taught surplus IN-4 drivers in the 1920s, the Taylor Cub and Piper Cub buyers and pilots of the 1930s, and who in the postwar years would buy and fly the Swifts, Bonanzas, Comanches, Mooneys, Sky hawks, and Skylanes. We have grown into a 600,000 certificated pilot group in

the United States and support the largest private aircraft industry in the world, but through it all, our hearts would always be in the pride and privilege of flying our own little air planes from our own home airports, when we chose, to where we chose, and fly them with the safety and competence that has been gained by scores and scores of years and thou sands of hours in the air. This is who we are, this is what we are. This is our past, this is our heri tage, this is who we are .. .and all of this is now part and parcel of EAA's VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Ken an Lorraine Morris explain the proper w ay t o hand-prop an airplane, one of the educational events the VAA hosts in its area every yea r.

Expert metal workers demonstrate metal-shaping techn iques t o mem who can then give it a try themselves.

When the food service vendor for the convent ion decided to drop morning food service on the south end of the field, VAA stepped up to the challenge and created the VAA Tall Pines Cafe. Like t he rest of VAA's programs and of ferings during the week, the meals are cooked by volunteer staff. 8

JULY 2009

VAA. We have been the leaders in our chosen field since our first days in 1972. We have moved consistently over the past 37 years to perpetu ate our historic past and at the same time deliver the utmost to our VAA members in the way of, first and al ways foremost, our freedom to fly. Without EAA and our 160,OOO-plus members and our never-ending vigi lance for our freedom to fly, it is al most certain private and sport flying in the United States, and perhaps over the entire world, would not ex ist. Secondly, VAA is never ending in its quest to provide its membership with the utmost in solid, meaning ful, ever greater member benefits and value. Our members presently receive so much value for their affiliation within our special area of interest that we quite often lose sight of the forest for all the beautiful (airplane) trees. Virtually sight unseen, almost invisible, and taken for granted every day are the things that VAA has pro vided us through the years, and the ever more new things that further enhance our membership. Are you aware or have you ever considered: e The VAA has two full-time staff members: namely, an executive di rector/magazine editor and his very able assistant. EAA provides access to EAA staff in everything needed for the business of running an as sociation, from membership cards to financial accounting. Addition al! y, VAA en joys edi torial assis tance from the EAA editorial staff and constantly commissions out side professional writers to provide Vintage Airplane magazine readers the finest in articles about our most outstanding historic airplanes and sport aviation personalities. e The VAA publishes and distributes 12 full-color monthly magazines to its members each year with 40 pages of content. There is hardly a monthly aviation magazine in the country to day that can be obtained for $36 per year, and certainly not one devoted exclusively to vintage airplanes. e The VAA has 19 local chapters continued on page 32

MIKE STEINEKE

The Jacobson Family Saga

of N5752C

A Grand Champion with a family connection BY B UDD D AVISSON

t's amazing how strong both nostalgia and sentimental attachment can be. In Steve "Jake" Jacobson's case, even he admits it was powerful enough to totally overcome com足 mon sense and financial fore足 boding when it was discovered his newly purchased C-170A was

a fros t y caricature of an airplane crafted entirely out of corrosion. "Every time we took something apart, it got worse and worse. This airplane was so far gone it would have been d ifficult t o part it out beca u se so little was usa ble." He makes it sound as if the scrap recy足 clers would have refused it . Had it

Above: The tapered outer panel wing outline of the 170A would become a clas足 sic planform in its own right, used on everything from the Cessna 150 up through the modern 182.

V I NTAGE AIRPLANE

been any other C-170, a scrapyard would have been its final destina tion. But N5752C wasn 't just any C-170, and Steve Jacobson wasn't just any C-170 owner. Steve was born into aviation, and his life and this particular C-170A have been entwined, in one way or another, for nearly half a century (48 years to be exact) . liMy dad flew for American Air lines and was based out of Nash ville for many years," he says. "While there, he and three other pilots decided to buy an airplane to fly their families around in and possibly teach some of their kids to fly. That airplane was N5752C." The year was 1961, and Steve was learning to fly. II Actually, I had flown a lot with my dad. In fact, I was sort of his au topilot. Then, when I was about to turn 16, he gave me a few official flying lessons in a Champ, getting 10 JULY 2009

me ready to solo on my birthday. However, when the time came, we were delayed by weather, and in the meantime, the C-170 was de livered. Since it was there, Dad gave me a few hours of dual in it, and away I went, doing my initial solo in our own 170./1 By now, you're getting an inkling as to why Steve is so attached to his airplane, but hang on because the story doesn't flow as smoothly as he would have liked. "Our airplane was never a cream puff," he says. lilt flew pipeline pa trol for 10 years, then sat around for six months before Dad and his friends bought it. He eventually bought them all out, and even though it was a little tired look ing, it was corrosion-free and had a strong engine. My grandparents lived in Kansas, which was a two day trip on the ground, so Five Two Charlie spent a lot of time

droning back and forth between Tennessee and Kansas." As is always the case, we tend to outgrow airplanes with which we were perfectly happy as we yearn for something that's faster and of fers more utility. "In 1972 Dad sold the 170 and upgraded to a C-l72 with an Avcon 180-hp conversion and a constant speed prop . By that time, I had al ready gone to college and was fly ing A-7s in the Navy Reserve after being on active duty for six years, including a tour in Southeast Asia. I had known the pilot Dad sold the C-170 to when I was based at NAS Lemoore, California, when he was flying A-4s. I gave him a few hours of dual and watched our first family airplane disappear over the horizon. At the time, the airplane had around 6,000 hours on it, but it was still a strong-running, well maintained airplane. II

While Jake Jacobson toyed with the idea of a super-duper, full-of -bells-and whistles modern panel, once the decision was made to put the airplane back to its original configuration, there was no turning away from creating a restored panel, right down to the brown-faced flight instruments and NARCO radio.

Interestingly, the airplane was again sold to another U.S. Navy pi lot whom Steve had known. "For whatever reason, when I got back into flying little airplanes again-I was flying for the airlines almost since getting off active duty-I decided I wanted our old airplane back. It was as simple as that. I wanted it, no matter what, which is a bad mind-set to have when buying an airplane. It clouds your judgment. " I tracked down the second owner who had moved to Fort Lau derdale. It turned out the airplane had been out of license and sit ting outside for four years almost within sight of the ocean. I knew that was a potentially lethal envi ronment for an airplane, but as I walked around it, I kept telling my self, 'It doesn't look all that bad .' Truth was, if a door had fallen off in my hand, I still would have bought

Steve"Jake" Jacobson and Chris Shaw, who was instrumental in getting the Cessna 170 restored to award-winning condition. Chris works for Harry Del licker of Del-Air in Porterville, California.

it. And I made a really dumb error: I agreed to take it at a lower price and out of license, rather than pay full price and have the airplane in-

spected and licensed. The decision was also easier because the owner had recently left Florida and moved the airplane to Phoenix, which VINTAGE AIRPLANE

The interior fabrics were duplicated by Ronnie Broadhead, owner of Bust er's Auto Upholstery in Porterville, California. The multipanel design from 1950 was expertly re-created, and shoulder harnesses were installed in such a way that few would think they weren't original equipment. Back before the days of electric trim and a flap motor, the pilot could quickly "grab a handful of flaps"and roll in just the right amount of trim. Duri ng the restoration, care was taken to duplicate the style and finish of the placards and lettering style.

would save me a lot of flying time getting it home. "1 knew things were probably worse than the y appeared when I forked over $3,000 just to get a ferry permit because the mechanics didn't want to do all the work the airplane needed to be licensed. Re gardless, I hopped in and pointed it west toward San Francisco, where I was based at the time." Moving an airplane into the Bay Area, or any metropolitan area for that matter, isn 't as easy as it sounds because of that famo us six letter obstacle: hangar. "I couldn't find any place to put it that wasn't as bad, or worse, than sitting outside at Fort Lauderda le. Even tiedowns in th e mud were wildly exp ensive, and the salty mist in th e Bay Ar e a would eat what was left of my oid airplane in no time at all. At m y father's rec ommendation, I contacted Harry 12 JULY 2009

Dellicker of Del-Air in Porterville, California . Tha t was well inland and away from the sea. Besides, Harry had done the conversion on Dad's 180-hp 172 and came highly recommended by a wide variety of sources as being one of the best metal men in the country. liMy original intent was to have Harry fix what needed fixing so I could go flying and en joy my air p lane. However, it seemed as if it was a matter of only a few hours after he started taking t h ings apart that I knew my airplane was much sicker than I thought it was. "For one thing, t here was a lot of seam and rivet corrosion . In fact, later on, after we had decided to do the entire airplane, I found I cou ld hit a belly skin wit h my fist and break the rivets loose! Those four years sitting on the ramp in Fort Lauderdale had done some se rious damage. A good percentage of t he more serious damage was because there was a leak in the ceiling, and all that salty water was running inside and down one of the door posts into the belly. One of the gear brackets looked like a stack of potato chips; it had exfoliated so badly. It was II

way past the intergranular stage, and that gear could have ripped out of the airplane at any second . Knowing how far I had ferried the airplane, when I saw that, I couldn't believe I had dodged that particular bu llet. It shou ld have come home on a truck. "Early in the process, I came to grips with reality: I hadn't bought an airplane; I had bought a flying basket case. Everything about the airplane was wrong, and there was simply no way to put it back into the air safely without doing a com plete restoration. But, I didn't know if I really wanted to go that way or not. I knew I didn't want a show winner, but I did want a totally safe airplane with a nice paint job, new interior, and IFR panel. " Something happens to owners when an airplane is totally broken down to its basic structure. It is so far apart that they usually find them selves thinking, "Well, we've gone this far, we might as well do just one more thing.... " And that leads to an other. And another. And ... "I designed this lavish panel after one I had seen in a Bonanza and ac tually had it machined out. It had all the bells and whistles, but when

With more than 75 percent of the exterior skins replaced during the restoration, the 170 gleams in the partly sunny skies over Waupaca, Wisconsin, one of our regular sites for a relaxing afternoon of air-to-air and ground photogra phy during the annua l EAA convention.

I went radio shopping, I found the bells and whistles were going to cost something like five times what I had paid for the airplane in the first place. I just couldn't do it. At the same time, I sat back and thought about how much of my life had been spent glaring at illuminated gauges in the middle of the night in lousy weather. I had done it in single-engine Navy air planes and most recently in 777s, and it was usually over the ocean. I was building this airplane to fly for fun, but as many dark, nasty nights had repeatedly reminded me, flying hard IFR quite often is a long way from being fun. "I was in the middle of an epiphany of sorts and didn't know exactly which direction I wanted to go with Five Two Charlie. But IFR was becoming a non-factor in the equation. About that time I went to Oshkosh, where the place seemed overrun with beautiful 170s, and I looked at them all in great detail. I was learn ing a lot, and each airplane gave me ideas. However, the airplane I kept coming back to was Don Lind holm 's prizewinning 170A. It was polished and just seemed 'right' to me. The hook had been set, and II

I then knew what I wanted in an airplane: a no-frills, fun-to-fly, and fun-to-Iook-at airplane. Five Two Charlie was going back to original. When Steve returned home, he pulled the trigger on a total res toration, and Harry Dellicker in cluded a bunch of extra sheets of aluminum in his next truckload of metal because he was going to need it for S2C. Del-Air is well-equipped for do ing complete 170/172 rebuilds be cause, among other things, it has one of the original fuselage jigs it bought from the factory, and Steve Jacobson made good use of it. lilt became obvious that there wasn't one piece of major structure that shouldn't come apart, if noth ing else to check for corrosion, and the jigs were going to be invaluable. After 6,000-p l us hours in the air and over SS years, even though the old engine had been leaking enough oil tha t the en gine compartment had no corro sion, the firewa ll forward looked pretty sorry. In fact, t h e firewall itself looked pretty sorry. It was a mess of cracks and had so many extra holes in it that it looked like Swiss cheese. We had to replace the entire thing. II

"Incidentally, as soon as I saw Lindholm's airplane, I knew Five Two Charlie was going to be pol ished, and that drove many of the decisions during restoration." It goes without saying that pol ishing an airplane doesn't give the restorer anywhere to hide. Every single little nick, ding, and zit be comes painfully obvious, and ev ery time he lines up a rivet gun to drive a rivet he asks himself, "ls this the one where I'm going to screw up and put a 'smiley face' on an otherwise pristine panel and have to replace it ?" It's a nerve-racking process tha t leads to 'craftsman ship paranoia' during the restora tion. It's an old axiom that perfec tion is the enemy of completion, but an imperfect polished airplane isn't someth ing any true craftsman wants to lay claim to. It's perfection or nothing. That's the nature of re storing an airplane to be polished. And that meant S2C was going to have to be something other than a run-of-the-m ill C-170A. As we worked our way back down the fuselage the amount of rivet corrosion was, in some places, unbelievab le. Everything was so bad we just figured a piece was for patterns only unless proven II

V IN TAGE AIRPLANE

otherwise. We wound up replac ing about 75 percent of the skins. Even the fin was mostly junk. All we were able to save were the ribs. The same thing applied to all the control surfaces. The corrugations were terrible, so we got new skins and remanufactured the surfaces . We weren't restoring an airplane. We were building a new one, one piece at a time! liThe wings were basically a re peat of the fuselage. We pulled ev ery bolt and rivet and replaced ev erything, including skin s, cables, pulleys, and anything else that wasn't close to looking like new, and I don't remember much that fit that description. liThe instrument panel had been modified for an old VTR-1 , so we just rebuilt one and put it back in. We're using the receiver and the VOR, but the transmitter isn't hooked up . The one [transceiver] we use is in the glove box. " Steve can ' t say enough about the support he got from the Inter national Cessna 170 Association or the maintenance guys at the Cessna Pilots Association, but none of them could help him when it came time to do the interior. There was lots of information for a 170B but nothing for a 170A, and Steve hadn't come that far only to cut corners at the last minute. "Ron Partridge, customer service manager for the propeller division at Cessna, and his staff shuffled through a bunch of drawings and came up with engineering specs on the fabric and stitching patterns. I took this to Ronnie Broadhead, owner of Buster's Auto Upholstery in Porterville, who is known for his 195 interiors. Using that informa tion, he was able to duplicate the original 170A interior." When speaking about the resto ration process, a number of names come up repeatedly because over the several decades the rebuild was in process, the hands on the job changed . "John Garrett at Del-Air, an ab solute wizard with metal, got us 14 JULY 2009

"I decided I wanted our

old airplane back.

It was as simple as that.

I wanted it, no matter what,

which is a bad mind-set to have

when buying an airplane."

started before he retired, and then Paul Lodas jumped in . However, Chris Shaw, who was a young guy just out of school, took over and finished the airplane by himself, in cluding doing the panel, rewiring the entire airplane, and shooting the Insignia Red in the original fac tory scheme. He can't get too much credit for what he's done. "Chris also polished the airplane so well that I needed welder's gog gles to approach it for the first flight, which was Valentine's Day, 2007 . It was 22 years since its last flight. "I don't know exactly how to say what my feelings were on that first flight . I was worried, careful, and all the things you'd expect. But, there was something else . Something more powerful. liMy dad didn't live to see the

airplane finished, but as I took off, I knew he was watching, and I couldn't help but grin, think ing that my career, in fact, my entire life, started right there in that same cockpit, with him by my side. Absolutely nothing gets better than that." Nothing we can say would add anything to that. .....

Suppliers/Shops Del-Air Porterville 2099 Wildcat Way Porterville, CA 93257 559-784-9440 Buster's Auto Upholstery 365 W. Olive Ave. Porterville, CA 93257 559-784-5667

N90 Tang

lOa-

ango

The vintage AirVenture experience BY MIKE SHEETZ

or an "old" student pi lot and devout aviation "junky," there is nothing like a trip to Oshkosh, Wis consin, for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. I was fortunate enough this past July 2008 to join with my older brother, Harry, my certificated flight instructor, on our annual pil grimage to the mecca of aviation as we have for some 20 years now. Only, this time it would be a lot dif ferent. You see, we were given the privilege of flying there from our northern Indiana home in a beauti ful , fully restored 1957 Beechcraft Super E18S Tri-Gear. The original plans were for the owner, Tony Miller of Warsaw, Indi-

ana, to fly the vintage aircraft early in the week to the show. We were to follow with the company's King Air in mid-week and return with the Twin Beech at the close. As luck would have it for me, Tony was un able to go but wanted to still show the beautiful '57. Brother Harry and I were given the opportunity to fly the vintage aircraft to the show, prepare it for judging, and return. I couldn't believe it was really going to happen. The plan was to leave sometime on Wednesday afternoon and arrive at Oshkosh's Wittman Regional Air port (OSH) when it reopened after the afternoon air show. Of course, the weather always has the last say in things. So early Thursday morning

we would take this beautiful bird for its flight to the big dance. Up early Thursday morning, I found ground fog and low ceilings to be ruling our departure plans. Harry is instrument rated but preferred to not depart un til the elements were at least a little more accommodating. We arrived at the hangar in great anticipation of the day and events to come. Just walking in and see ing the two birds in that beautiful hangar setting was worth the price. I wasn't disappointed in what I saw of the Super 18 when I first laid eyes on it. Spectacular in cream and red with gold accents, it certainly was a plane begging to be flown, admired, and preserved for lovers of flying V I NTAGE AIRPLANE

A close look at the award plaque and the Lindy trophy.

machines. Tony had seen that it was lovingly restored with beautiful at tention to nearly every detail. The panel was closely restored to origi nal except for the GPS autopilot navigation systems and the radios including the Bose headsets. I was in aviation heaven already. With our luggage, flight bags, navigation charts, and supplies to prepare the plane for judging, we were set to get this journey mov ing. Fortunately, the ground fog be gan to lift around 9 a.m . We knew that the overcast was shallow and we would arrive on top in short or der. We pulled the beautiful bird out into what was left of the mist, had the fuel truck top the tanks, and prepared for departure. Start-up was more than I expected. The checklist for an older radial-engine airplane like this is extensive. Bringing each of those beautiful-sounding engines to life is an experience I had never 16 JULY 2009

had before, but will always remem ber. We made our way down the taxiway, made our radio calls, and were heading down Runway 27 with the morning light behind us. We climbed through the shallow cloud cover and in just a minute were on top with a beautiful morning sun shining off to my right as we headed north for our first rendezvous pOint, the Pullman, Michigan, VOR (PMM). Lake Michigan came into view early on and seemed a frontier to be con quered, but not frightening in our beautiful machine. Harry is a very experienced pilot, with nearly 18,000 flight hours in everything from Piper Cubs to cor porate jets. My job was to help keep track of our position and frequencies for our communication and navi gation. Occasionally Harry would let me handle the flight controls while he set the GPS, navigation ra dios, and alternate frequencies, and

checked our heading. We were listen ing to air traffic control (ATC) out of South Bend, Indiana, and Chicago Center as we climbed to a cruising altitude of 4,500 feet mean sea level. Angling across Lake Michigan to the northwest can be a little unnerving for a student pilot like me, but with Harry's careful eye on things, I was comfortable just keeping an eye out, watching his moves, and listening to ATC. Those beautiful round engines had such a low and quiet reassuring rumble, too. Once you ' re halfway across the lake and lose sight of the eastern shore, the western shore comes into view. We had planned to stay east of Milwaukee's airspace and arrive over the lakeshore heading just south of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Heading more westerly we were monitoring ATC at Oshkosh's Wittman Regional and Fond du Lac (FLD). Out of the haze just south of Fond du Lac we

came upon what seemed like a hun dred windmills generating electricity. Quite a sight I must say, just spin ning gracefully in the wind. About this time we heard from Oshkosh ATe. There had been some delays, and if we weren't yet circling around Green Lake west of Ripon, the en try point for Wittman Regional dur ing AirVenture, we had better find a place to just lazily bore a hole in the sky for a while until things eased up. Harry decided to head toward Fond du Lac after a bit and set down for a while instead of burning off fuel at 50-plus gallons per hour even in effi ciency cruise. About 15 minutes later a more serious ATC communication informed us that an incident had occurred at Wittman Regional, and ATC was shutting down arrivals for at least an hour. Now the fun began. Harry steered our Beech from the southwest, making a nice gradual turn back to enter a left downwind for 36 at Fond du Lac. We could see aircraft coming from Green Lake and Ripon like bees going back to the hive. Once in the pattern we were able to get in line and were quickly turning onto left base for 36. Com ing directly at us on a right base for 36 was a Mooney. About that time Fond du Lac tower said, "Twin Beech cleared to land on 36." Harry banked our bird in a smooth 90-degree low turn and headed for the numbers. The last I saw of the Mooney off to my right was it beginning to climb out for a go-around and keeping its distance. "Thanks," I thought, to the Mooney pilot, "for giving way." With gear extended the Beech hit right beyond the numbers, and Fond du Lac tower told us to high speed taxi all the way to the end of the runway. I got a good look at a lot of the planes sitting there as we hurried past and exited to the right. Looking back down the runway was a sight to behold. Anyone flying into a busy airport at the height of mass arrivals knows what I mean. Back down the runway were at least a dozen or more planes on the ground or in the air on final, each following the tower's directions. For

the next half-hour it never let up. After an hour or so of waiting, we got news that Wittman was about to open; we prepared ourselves for departure. After a brief delay caused by other parked aircraft was solved by the line crew, we made a hard left turn from our parking spot and then traveled down the taxiway for departure on 36. One or two aircraft departed ahead of us, but soon we were off and turning west toward Ri pon and entry into the line for Wit tman. Scanning for other planes, I assisted Harry with information for approach, and we fell in behind a couple of Cessnas heading up the tracks from the southwest toward Wittman. We had to drop the gear and flaps and go into a near-stall configuration, with an occasional chirp from the stall warning, to stay behind them. ATC asked us to do the usual wing waggle to make sure we were in communication. About the time I thought Harry was going to take the high and wide approach of faster aircraft, ATC told us to head di rectly east from our position over the town of Fisk and follow Fisk Avenue (County Road N), which would take us into an extended direct base entry for 36 at Wittman. With light winds Wittman Regional was using both runways for arrivals. We had maybe two other aircraft ahead of us, and compared to our arrival at Fond du Lac, this was a piece of cake. That big runway was a sight to behold, with all the planes and activity going on to our left. It was magical. Harry put the Beech down on the numbers, and we followed directions like we were told. We had our signs in the windows to alert the ground crew of our vintage tie-down destination. We barely had the Beech shut down, and already we were drawing a crowd. As we exited some admirers came up and were soon followed by a couple of the award judges. They asked if we were entering the Twin Beech into the judging, and we re plied yes. They said they would be back the next morning at 9 a.m. to take a look. This was going to be an other part of the adventure this time.

The next three to four hours were spent cleaning the plane in prepa ration for judging and setting out a display that detailed the restoration of this fine aircraft. I couldn't believe I was here, at AirVenture, helping prepare a beautiful aircraft for judg ing. I didn't mind dirtying up my AirVenture cap from the year before while getting to baby this beauty. Anyone who knows about round en gines knows they aren't the clean est, but that makes them all the more unique. After all, how many times in one's lifetime do you get to fly in an honest-to-goodness classic airplane in exchange for preparing it for the highlight of being at AirVenture. I still couldn't believe it. Once Harry and I finished clean ing up and locking things up for the night, we headed out for food and to check out some of the other aircraft. Of course, we spent some time talk ing to a lot of people about our ride and got to know some of the other Twin Beech parties around us, all great people. We had some visitors from all over, including Australia . Venturing through some of the clas sic, vintage, and antique aircraft on display, we made our way down to the ultralight strip. We're fortunate our older brother, Jim, lives in the nearby Appleton area. He and his wife, Jan, welcome us to AirVenture every year. Jim's not a pilot but enjoys the show enough to join us one day each year to see and hear the action and take plenty of pictures. They knew of our plans, but we called them to set up a meet ing place so we would have ground transportation to their place. They were bringing their daughter, Saman tha, and grandson, Seth, to see the planes. Apparently, Seth, not quite 2, has a big interest in planes already. We watched several of the para planes and ultralights make several passes into and out of the grass strip, and then we headed to Jim's place for the night. Friday morning brother Jim offered the family's second car for us to drive to the show. We arrived at the Twin Beech in time to wipe off most of the VINTAGE AIRPLANE

dew and a few night bugs stuck on the surfaces, set up the restoration photo display, and chat with those who came by to admire the Beech. One fel low gave quite a compliment by say ing he had been around AirVenture three days taking pictures and that the Twin Beech was the best looking of the lot. The judges arrived promptly as planned and quickly went about their duties. We could tell they were im pressed, but there are so many beauti ful aircraft here at Oshkosh. Anyone would be hard-pressed to judge them all. Several others stopped by, includ ing the pilot-owner, Rod Lewis, of the P-38 Glacier Girl. That was a special treat. We watched a lot of planes ar rive through the rest of the morning, monitoring ATC and admiring the controllers' professionalism. Harry stayed with the plane, and I headed out to check out the displays and consider some souvenirs from my stay. My daughter, Suzie, had given me a gift of a ride in a plane owned and flown by EAA. Friday afternoon found me in EAA's Ford Tri-Motor flying over part of Lake Winnebago and then over Oshkosh and near Appleton and back to Air Venture. That is a whole other story. What a grand plane, and beautifully flown I might add. I took in some warbirds on display, ate an ice cream cone and some chicken, submitted entries in various draWings, watched some of the air show, went through a couple of the commercial build ings, checked out the Fly Market, 18

JULY 2009

and finally made it back to the plane. A nice surprise was there waiting at the Twin Beech when I got back. An invita tion from the judging com mittee to attend the Saturday evening awards ceremony had been handed to Harry. Wow! This was to be a real event-filled week! I'm sorry the owner, Tony, wasn't in attendance. We called to let him know of the invitation. I could hardly wait. The rest of the evening was taken up with a few conversations with admirers of the Beech and shutting down for the night. We walked over to the Theater in the Woods to take in the program. I believe that night included an interview with Jimmie Doolittle's navigator, Dick Cole. That was primetime, too. Saturday was taken up with trying to get in as much as possible with the commercial building displays, more air show with warbirds and all, tak ing in the Ford exhibit, checking out some of the newer designs, and ad miring the work of others. The big aircraft at show central are always a hit, as are the military aircraft dem onstrations. There was so much to see and do. Of course, the evening program was yet to come. Theater in the Woods is a special setting for AirVenture faithful. This is where we get to know those who have made aviation such a grand un dertaking. Many notable figures have appeared there, and the programs are always entertaining and rewarding. The awards programs are no excep tion, and for me tonight's was really special. I can only imagine what it is like for those who have toiled for years and countless hours fine-tun ing an aircraft to receive a Lindy tro phy. That has to be truly rewarding. On stage sat the judges and what must have been 30 or more tro phies. A Lindy is a likeness statu ette of Charles Lindbergh, a fitting award for the highest achievement in aircraft quality. You could see the pride in the award winners as they

came to the stage to be recognized for their achievements. We sat there not knowing for sure what the out come would be, just that our atten dance was requested. Finally, the moment came and brother Harry made his way to the stage to receive the Bronze Lindy for the Outstand ing Customized Contemporary Air craft. Older brother Jim was there taking pictures, as was I. Harry ac cepted the award on behalf of Tony Miller, the owner. I was very proud to be even a small part of it all. Back at the house that evening, we remi nisced about the entire goings-on and then, sadly, began plans for Sunday and leaving AirVenture. The time had finally come to pack up and be on our way back home. We contacted the volunteer shed handling departures and cranked up. Again, Harry had to make a hard turn out of our parking spot to avoid some thing, this time a PA speaker pole. Out on the taxiway there was quite a line. Then to top it off, a departing aircraft apparently lost a fuel cap. Runway 18 was shut down to allow a couple of vehicles to cruise the runway looking for the missing cap. When the runway was finally cleared, the line moved fairly quickly under the watchful eye of the controllers. I was able to take a couple of quick photo shots as we lined up on Runway 18 of the long runway ahead of us and a final shot of the miracle of AirVenture. Winding up those beautiful radial engines, we climbed out to about 500 feet until clear of the pattern and a few miles beyond, and then began climbing to our cruise altitude for crossing Lake Michigan. I go through withdrawal every time I leave. I just pray I get the opportunity to return next year, and the next, and the next ... Thank you, EAA, for one of my fondest memories of AirVenture and aviation. Thank you, Tony Miller, for allowing me to be a part of showing your beautiful bird to an admiring aviation crowd. Thank you, brother Harry, for taking me along once more. I am blessed! I so look forward to AirVenture 2009. ~

Emory Chronister Stonevilre, NC _ Graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Institute in 1962

_ Joined Braniff Int'l Airlines in 1965 _ Over lost 40 years has flown for three airlines, a charter company, and as a corporate pilot _ 29, 000 hours

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viation has a way of be coming a form of fam ily DNA, and it is often passed down from gen eration to generation. That's only a theory, but if you were to look at Bob McBride's fam ily and its C-1S0 taildragger, you'd definitely believe in the concept. There are five McBrides-Bob; his wife, Robbie; and their three sons, Bob Jr., Chris, and Greg-and the entire crew is severely infected

JULY 2009

with AV (aviation virus). They each have their own tastes and prefer ences, but they all came together on the C-1S0TD. Bob the elder, who now calls Mineola, Texas, home, began his aviation career as a mechanic on Martin B-26s in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942. The war was just barely over when he received his commission and was assigned as a flight engineer on B-29s. He was, however, determined to

fly, and he kept after it until the brass gods on high assigned him to flight school in 1947. "I was in the first class to re ceive primary and basic instruction in T-6s. That was the very first air plane we flew," he laughs. "At that time Randolph AFB had all grass runways, and it took me 10 hours to solo the old Texan, which was about average. " You can't help but wonder what it must have been like to be an in

"I went to Williams AFB and flew T-33s getting ready for F-80 fighter/ bombers overseas. I wasn't crazy about the F-80, but at least it was a fighter. I really wanted F-86s, but they were all going to the more sea soned hands. Fate has a way of changing the cards an individua l holds in the oddest of ways, but seldom is it as odd as the next turn of events. "I was on leave during Christ mas of '51 from fighter/bomber sch ool at Ne ll is. I decided to try to drive thro ugh a blizzard, which was a serio us mistake. I got stuck and nearly died before being res cued. However, I had frostbite seri ous enough that they temporarily grounded me and I couldn't report as per my orders. "When my new orders arrived, it was to be part of the first class of pilots to be checked out in F-86s. I was finally going to get to fly the fighter we all dreamed about." When he arrived in Korea he flew 100 combat missions in the F-86 with the 51st Fighter Group. Bob went on to a distinguished career in the Air Force, which in cluded 170 missions in Vietnam flying RF-101 Voodoos, before retir ing as a fu ll colonel. Although the military kept him in the air and moving from base to base, it wasn't enough to satisfy his aeronautical desires, so he bought his first airplane. "I was based at Offutt AFB in Omaha and kept my Swift right th ere on base. The old man, Gen. LeMay, had his Howard based there, too. Can you imagine keep ing a private airplane on a military base today?" While in the military he bought and rebuilt a Navion and then moved up to a '53 Bonanza, but he was al ways looking for the next project. "I was just out of the military and made it up to the last day of Osh kosh in 1974 and was looking on the bu lletin board at airplanes for sale. There was a Piper PA-12 listed as being for sale in Minnesota, and we decided to go look at it. II

The McBride family took home the Class I Single Engine (0-160 hp) Bronze Lindy for the outstanding conversion and restoration of their Cessna 150.

structor at that time: There you are in the back seat of an enormous air plane with a student up front who has never been in an airplane. The program must have weeded out a lot of pilots and instructors.

Bob's goal from the beginning had been to fly fighters, but that wasn't to be. "Most of the class went into Mustangs, but I wound up doing advanced training in B-25s and went from there to instructing in the reserves." Bob's disappointment didn't last long because, when his unit was ac tivated in 1951, he volu nteered to go to Korea with the condition that he be trained to fly fighters .

VIN TA GE AI R P L ANE

The distinct head-on view of the high-wing Cessna is punctuated by the deep black McCauley prop.

With just a couple of slight changes to make the 150 a bit more accommo dat ing to the modern operating environment, the interior of the restored 150 hearkens back to a less complicated time of flight instruction and per sonal transportation .

"We flew over to Spring Valley, and the gentleman who had it for sale met us there. It was David Pi etenpol, Bernie's son. He took us over to his dad's hangar, the same one that is now sitting on EAA's Pi oneer Airport. When he slid open the door, I could hardly believe how pristine the PA-12 was. It was beauti ful, so naturally, we bought it." That PA-12 turned into not only a family project, but also a paint of family pride. "Both sons Rob and Chris be came aircraft mechanics, so when we decided to restore the Super Cruiser in 1990, Robert overhauled the engine and Chris painted it. We 22 JULY 2009

installed a full gyro panel and did what we thought was a first-rate job on the airplane." Most of the rest of aviation agreed with them because the air plane won Best Piper-Other at Oshkosh, Best PA-12 at Sentimen tal Journey in Lock Haven, as well as awards at almost every fly-in in which it was judged. Even better, again at Oshkosh it was awarded two Bronze Lindys. The taildragger 150 happened because Bob Jr. bought a basket case 140. "Dad kept looking at that air plane and liked it," Bob Jr. says . "Then he started looking around at

Cessna 140As because their tapered metal wing was a little more effi cient than the early model wings." Bob the elder continues, "I liked the A Model 1405, but then I started looking even closer at con verting a square-tail 150 into a tail dragger. That would be the best of all worlds. It had the Fowler flaps and better ailerons as well as a more modern panel. The only thing wrong with the pre-'63, straight-tail 150s was that the little wheel was on the wrong end. So, we decided to find an airplane and convert it." Just saying you're going to con vert a 150 to a taildragger sounds like it's easy, but it's not. There is a lot of work that has to be done and a lot of parts to be chased. Bob the younger says, "We bought a wrecked 120 fuselage, which gave us two good gear legs and one good gearbox. We bought the other one from Univair. The STC for the con version comes from David Lowe in Sacramento, Kentucky." Of course, even if you have the paperwork and some of the parts,

Bob Jr., mom Robbie, father Bob Sr., and brothers Chris and Greg all had a hand in creating a new-old classic.

you still need an airplane to convert. Bob Sr. says, "I started the search in the usual place, Trade-A-Plane, and found a listing for a 1963 C-lS0, which was the last year of the straight tail and had the best panel. The air plane was in Mountain City, Tennes see, so we bought it, then drove 950 miles to pick it up, intending for one of us to fly it home. "When we got there the airplane had no wings or tail on it. At some point in the past, the seller had taken it apart and taken it home so he wouldn't have to pay stor age fees for it on the airport. In fact, when we arrived the wings and tail weren't even at the airport. "He finally delivered the wings and other missing parts at nine the next morning," Bob Sr. remembers. "We all jumped on it with both feet, and we flew it at three that af ternoon. I had to laugh when one of the local guys said, 'Y'all act like a NASCAR pit crew.' He was right. We were really working." Chris did most of the conver sion work at his shop in Cedar Park, Texas, and says, "When we

The "fastback" version of the Cessna 150 makes a sharp-looking subject for a tailwheel conversion. Many pilots claim that a fastback 150 is quicker than the later Omni-Vision version of the airplane.

took the airplane apart, we found it was pretty clean with no corro

sion or hidden damage. Part of the STC requires that you remove the tail cone to inspect for cracks be fore mounting the tailwheel cast ing, and we did find a few minor ones there that we fixed. "We had to remove the £1oor-

boards back to the location of the new gearboxes, but you have to re move the belly skin back to the old gearboxes. You use the old skins as patterns, but the new skins are all thicker, mostly 0.040 and 0.050. In addition, there are some longitudinal stiffeners that have to be installed. "We replaced the 150 mount VINTAGE AIRPLANE

with one from a 140A to get rid of the nose-gear mount bracketry and to clean up the cowling area. "Part of the firewall forward cleanup includes removing the steering mechanism and flush patching the holes in the boot cowl. And, of course, you have to cut the nose-gear connections off the pedals themselves. We spent quite a bit of time tidying up every thing ahead of the firewall. "When we started on the instru ment panel, the original idea was to hard-mount the entire thing, but we decided to maintain the original panel on the right. We'll do a plas tic overlay for the entire panel, as soon as we can get Mom and Dad to stop flying it for a day or two." Dad chimes in, "We didn't plan on redoing the wingtips and the dor sal, but the dorsal was pretty sorry. It wasn't straight because the mount ing flange was bent and probably always had been. So, Chris did a 'fl_ angectomy.' He cut the entire flange off, made another, and riveted it in place. He also made up mounting flanges for the 152 wheelpants." Once the airplane was on its gear

JULY 2009

it was Bob Jr.'s turn. "I painted everything inside, in cluding the doorsills, so we wouldn't have to worry about them when painting the rest of the airplane. "We replaced all of the glass, and when it came time to do the uphol stery, [we] used Airtex seat kits and the wool headliner, but I had to work it quite a bit to get a clean fit." Little by little, as the airplane came together, the pile of painted pieces continued to grow, and Bob Jr. kept moving them into his back bedroom for safekeeping. "I took some time to build a regular paint booth for the fuse lage and the wings, and it was well worth the effort." As Oshkosh 2004 began bearing down on them, Bob Jr. says they were putting in 80-hour weeks try ing to get everything done. Plus, their mother had just gotten out of the hospital from bypass surgery and didn't have enough strength to flare the PA-12 to land it. For that reason alone, they vowed to have the airplane at Oshkosh, when their parents showed up. Bob Jr. says, "We decided to

go with a slightly modified 1955 Cessna 180 paint scheme, but we had to do it in red. Dad is a real red freak, so there wasn't even a ques tion what color the trim would be. He continues, "We really wanted to surprise them, and, in fact, we sort of kept it a secret, and they didn't see the airplane for the first time until the two of them walked up at Oshkosh. Mom hadn't been out of the hospital very long at all, and she absolutely lit up when she saw the airplane. That was the ef fect Chris and I had both been hoping for. That made it all worth while. The fact that we received a Bronze Lindy made it even better!" These days so many families have a difficult time maintaining their relationships as the kids get older and new families begin to take precedent. However, it doesn't take more than a few minutes around the McBrides to realize that they definitely don't have that problem. Love takes many forms, and in this case, it is shaped like a little red and white airplane, and neither Bob Sr. nor Robbie McBride would have it any other way. ......

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Adhesives and bonding Part II In this issue I want to follow up on the subject of a previous arti cle-bonding. Specifically, I want to comment on the use of epoxy resin on type-certificated aircraft. But first, let's explore where the FAA stands on this issue . Advisory Circular 43.13-1 B is the latest re vision and contains the approved adhesive for the construction and repair of type-certificated aircraft. Chapter I, Paragraph 1-4a (1 ) says to refer to the aircraft repair manual for acceptable adhesive selection. There's only one prob lem here-there are no structural repair manua ls for old airplanes! Paragraph 1-4a (2) says adhesives must meet a military specifica tion (mil spec), aerospace material specification (AMS), or technica l standard order (TSO) for "Wooden Aircraft Structure." Further, Para graph 1-4b states, "Adhesive tech nology continues to evolve, an d new types (meeting the require ments of Paragraph 1-4a may be come available in the future ." And fina lly, Paragraph 1-4b (6) states, "Many new epoxy resin systems APPEAR to have excellent work ing properties. Ca ution: It is es sent ial that only those products meeting the requirements of Para grap h 1-4a be used in aircraft re pair." So where does that leave us? Currently there is no directly approved type of epoxy adhes ive for the construction and repair of 26

JULY 200 9

Fabricating a Command-Aire wing rib using aluminum fixture fabricated from an original rib. The rib fixture was fabricated from a good original factory wing rib, thus contour and spar spacing were accurate (there were no drawings available for this aircraft).

The Command-Aire upper wings taking shape. Note that the wings are bolted together to assure proper fit when aircraft will be rigged for flight. At this point the leading edge plywood skin has not been installed. Installation of the leading edge skin takes skill; the job is made easier if one has done it before. Nailing strips will be used to apply pressure to glue joints while the adhesive cures. Nailing strips are cut from clear pine and will measure 118-inch thick and 114-inch to 1/2-inch wide depending on how wide the glue joint requires the clamping pressure to be applied.

wood aircraft structures. Each approval, including the use of the WEST SYSTEM on an FAA type-certifi足 cated airplane, has been done on an individual basis. Don't look for any mil spec, AMS, or TSO approv足 als for epoxy adhesives for wooden aircraft to come jumping out of the woodwork! The only way to use this new stuff is with an FAA field approval, and they are beginning to come forth. Before you start your restoration, touch base with your local flight standards district office (FSDO)inspector to be sure you 've gotten approval to proceed with restoring your structure with epoxy. Perhaps the best epoxy laminating system for

The upper left wing for a New Standard ready for installation of plywood leading edge. The lower skin is bonded in place and varnished well to resist water damage. Outboard skin is bonded in place, and nailing strips can be seen applying pressure to the adhesive joints. Inboard skin has been prepared by applying several coats of varnish. Note the rib, spar, and stringer locations do not have varnish but are the raw wood. A light sanding, just enough to scratch the surface, will improve bonding strength. Adhesive is applied to both surfaces to be bonded, and the skin aligned and tacked in place at the upper corners. Now the nailing strips are put into place to apply pressure to the joint. Waxed paper is placed between nailing strips and skin. I'll go into more detail as to how to align, mark, and apply skin in a future article.

wood is the WEST SYSTEM, manufactured by the Gougeon Brothers. It was specifically designed for marine use and can be used on woven fibrous mate足 rials, such as fiberglass, Kevlar, and graphite . I have used it on both wood and fiberglass structures. It works well, is easy to mix (ratio of 5 part resin to 1 part hardener or 3 parts resin to 1 part hardener, depending on what type mix you need), and is rela足 tively easy to spread. When cured it is clear, so the epoxy does not stain the wood structure. Take a look at its website: www.WESTSYSTEM.com. You can read product information and download the instruction manual. The epoxy resin and hardener are available VINTAGE AIRPLANE

from Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Company or almost any marine supply business. There are precautions that m ust be observed wh en using any epoxy adhesive. For old-timers wh o have used Resorcinol or plastic resin (no longer approved) adhesives, clamping pressure for spar splices or an y bonded joint with a large surface area was by m eans

of C-clamps or para llel cla m ps. Clamping pressure for those older adhesives is recommended at 125-150 psi fo r softwoods and 150-200 psi for h ardwoods . If on e uses that mu ch pressure with epoxy adhesives, the pressure will drive th e epoxy resin from the joint an d a wea k bond will occ ur. A clamp that applies en ough pressure to bring surfaces into con tact and all ows so m e "squeeze out" of ex cess resi n is n eed ed . If possible, spring-type clamps and caul blocks sh ould be used. For ri b fabrica t ion, use brass n ails an d n ail through gussets for pressu re during cure. For installa ti on of p lywood skin over wood ribs, use nailing strips and lI2-inch to S/8 -inc h lo n g p lain wire nails. The nailing strips will be removed after cure. Note : My m ain concern when u s in g epoxy res in is clamping p ressure wh en th e joint requires m ech anical clam ping. If mechani cal clamping is required, make sev eral test samples until the clamping press ure yields an airworthy joint. An airwort hy joint will cause wood The Command-Aire lower left wing with skin bonded to upper and or show wood fibers in the to fail lower surfaces. Leading edge skin is birch, while lower wing walk area bond li ne wh en test ed to destruc is mahogany plywood. Difference in color is apparent. Both birch and tion . Clamp, cure, and destruct test mahogany plywood are from the hardwood family of woods, but birch is samples u nt il you achieve the de denser and harder than mahogany. It can be difficult to nail with brass nails, Most repairs to wood sired results. especially if it is more than liB-inch thick. st ructures are classified as rna jor repairs, so the airframe and pow erplant mech anic with inspection authorizat io n m ust conduct these tests since h e or she will be signing to return the structure to service. Mixing th e WEST SYSTEM is easy. Wh ile m a n y p r evio u s ep oxy resi n s were q u ite visco u s (res ist ance to p o ur ), t h e WEST SYS TEM is abo ut th e right consistency and is easily spread with a brush . The mix ratio is specified by the manufacturer but is either 5 parts resin to 1 The quality of the bond joint is traced back to the person who mixed, part hardener or 3 parts spread, and clamped the adhesive. Curing pressure, temperature, and resin to 1 part hardener clamping time are of the utmost importance. One must always read depending on wh at you and follow directions exactly as specified by the manufacturer. Always are using. The res in is remember that the number one objective is safety; make all the right moves part n u mbe r lOS, fast so a pile of parts like this . . . h ardener i s 205, and 28 JULY 2009

AERO CLASSIC

slow hardener is 206. I've used only the slow hard ener. You can purchase pumps that fit in the can that will meter out the exact amount of resin/hardener.

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EPOXY TIPS Mixing: Use unwaxed paper cups; do not use any container that is glass, waxed, or plastic foam. Some times the pumps that dispense the resin and hard ener will "spit" some air, particularly if they haven't been used for a period of time. In that case, meter some resin into a cup, then meter some hardener into the same cup. If the pump does not emit any air with the material, you're good to go. If some air is emitted with either the resin or hardener, throw the batch away and mix a new batch as the ratio of resin and hardener will not be correct. Stir slowly for at least a minute to thoroughly mix the hardener with the resin . Don't "whip" the mixture, as you will introduce air bubbles into the adhesive. Popsicle sticks or tongue depressors make good stir sticks. Once mixed, the pot life will depend on ambient temperature and amount of epoxy in the cup. Ep oxy resins cure by chemical cross-linking of mole cules. The byproduct of this cure is exothermic heat (exotherm). Once the cure process kicks off, the ma terial will begin to gel. Your project must be assem bled and clamped before the material begins to gel. If the resin is in a pot, the gel time will be very lim ited due to exothermic heat buildup . So don 't mix too much material at one time. It's always better to mix small quantities often than to throwaway large batches when they kick off. Spreading: Use a brush that doesn't shed bristles. For hardwoods (plywood) I sand bonding surfaces lightly with a fine grade sandpaper; just enough to

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OISE

put some scratches in the surface. Softwoods (spruce) do not need sanding. Spread an even coat on both surfaces to be bonded , as semble, and then apply appropri ate pressure. Clamping: Apply only enough pressure to bring surfaces into good contact and allow for a small amount of "squeeze out" of resin . Maintain pressure until resin has cured. Curing: I usually leave clamps in place at least overnight and keep temperature to around 70°F (I'm from the old school) .

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There may be a time when a filler material can be added to the epoxy resin mix to create a spe cial occasion product. I have used two types: microballoons and cotton linter. Micro reduces the density of the epoxy and can be mixed to any consistency from syrup to peanut butter. It depends on what you are going to do with it. Micro and epoxy make good filler that is easily sanded but has very little structural strength. Cotton linters and epoxy resin is strong when cured, but it has little use on wood aircraft struc tures. Be sure to thoroughly mix the resin/hardener first and then add in filler.

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30 JULY 2009

OTHER USES When we were restoring the New Standard biplane , the fac tory made all wing and landing gear struts from round chromoly tubing. This was faired to stream line with balsa wood leading and trailing edges, then wrapped with pinked-edge surface tape. Since this was a nonstructural fairing, I decided to hot-wire cut polysty rene foam to the desired shape and fiberglass the outside sur faces. I used a medium-weight glass fiber cloth and the WEST SYSTEM epoxy resin . I should note that epoxy resin will stick to polystyrene foam, but poly ester (boat resin) will cause the

foam to soften. When the lam inated glass fiber is in the liB" stage of cure (resin begins to gel and exothermic heat increases), the glass can easily be trimmed to shape using a razor blade, knife, or scissors. After complete cu re I sanded the fairings to fit each strut. I then mixed resin an d added cotton linters to make a thick paste and stuck the fairings to the struts, applying pressu re with masking tape until cured. Adding filler material (cotton linters) to epoxy resin makes a good gap-filling adhesive, but it doesn't sand easily, so wipe off excess resin that squeezes out. I then sanded and wrapped the fairings with pinked-edge surface tape and finished with the Poly Fiber process. It worked great and is very lightweight. Epoxy resins can be useful for repair of structures due to their flexibility. Perhaps the FAA door to granting approval for use on type-certificated aircraft has opened ever so slightly. There are some FAA field approvals available for use of WEST SYSTEM epoxy resins in wood structures . Some of the type clubs would have a 337 available. It's only a matter of time now. ........

Flight Comes ~ALIVE!~

Members get in FREE! www.airventuremuseum.org Phone:(920) 426-4818

•

1\1RV ENTU RE ~~~

JOIN EAA's

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT

ASSOCIATION

TODAY!

Who we are . ..

continued from page 8

Gene Chase, a longtime VAA member, is just one of the many volunteer/ members who stand ready to help. Like the otherVAA directors and director emeritus, Gene's a great resource to the VAA staff throughout the year.

throughout the country to support local vintage airplane owners and en thusiasts ' groups. All of these local chapters originate and distribute peri odic aviation newsletters to their mem bers and supporters. Many local VAA

Volunteers like Dwayne and Sue Trovillion exemplify the camaraderie and spirit that's just part of the VAA experience.

chapters organize and conduct vintage airplane fly-ins throughout the coun try each year for the benefit of area members and the entire vintage air plane community. e The VAA represents its more

Hundreds of showplanes means dozens of flightline volunteers who safely marshal the airplanes in and out of the parking areas.

The VAA's Red Barn Hospitality Center and Headquarters is the hub of activ ity during the annual convention. 32

JULY 2009

than 7,000 members and approxi mately 40,000-50,000 non member vintage airplane owners at FAA Ag ing Airplane conferences each year. e The VAA nationally has 24 mem ber-elected officers and directors directly, publicly, and visibly in con stant support of the vintage airplane movement 12 months each year. e The VAA has initiated and con ducts the only annual Vintage Aircraft Hall of Fame program in the world. e The VAA conducts and hosts the largest gathering of the finest show class vintage airplanes in the world each year at AirVenture in an area specifically reserved for vintage air craft. It hosts each member attending the convention in a newly enlarged, most well-known, and highly recog nized meeting place in the world for vin tage airplane fans ...the one and only, internationally famous Red Barn and, now, the 7,500-square-foot VAA Type Club Hangar. e The VAA has just completed a new, large, one-of-a-kind Type Club and workshop/meeting and dis play facility on Wittman Field for the benefit of vintage aircraft type clubs of the nation. e During the annual AirVenture, the VAA hosts member picnics , member fly-outs, and volunteer ap preciation parties. e The VAA maintains an active membership of more than 7,000 mem bers dedicated to vintage airplanes.

HARRY HOUDINI LEn

NOTHING TO CHANCE.

• Through EAA, the VAA has access to the highest reaches of the Depart ment of Transportation and FAA, as well as the highest reaches of the po litical spectrum in Washington, D.C. • The VAA recruits more than "It's all right! There's 500 volunteers each year at AirVen ture to assist in hosting and to sup the Pol~-Fiber stamp! port the 700-800 vintage airplanes Go ahead and give'er that attend the largest sport avia the gun! " tion event in the world. • As this summary is written, VAA prepares to launch, in mid July 2009, the first issue of a new You don't have to be a medium, Vintage Airplane Online e ma~i cian to put the newsletter. It will be timely, with tou~hest, easiest-to-repair fabric coverin~ on your pride current updates on the happenings and joy. Just follow the clear detailed instructions in our in the world of vintage aircraft, and ente~ manual. Before you can say "Hocus-pocus!" will include a calendar of events, a you'll have a ~or~eous coverin~ job that you can show question and answer section, photo off and bra~ about for years to come. You don't need gallery, as well as links to interest a m~ic wand - all you need is Poly-fiber! ing websites. Now, where else can you be so current on vintage air *Friendliest manual around plane matters as at your home or *Toll-free technical support polyfiber.com office computer screen! Your cost? information@ Zero, zilch, all courtesy of the VAA! 8~)61-3490 polyfiber.com Air craft Coating _ • Vintage operates an exclusive vintage airplane merchandise and I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ apparel shop within the Red Barn during AirVenture to make vintage airplane gifts and apparel available to all at modest prices. • More than 100 dedicated VAA volunteers provide daily breakfast food services in the far south area of Wittman Field during AirVenture at our Tall Pines Cafe. . The VAA maintains a complete "information please" booth at the Red Bam to dispense full information It's caned rejuvenation, and it works great with real to all comers who may be new to Air dope finishes. Spray our rejuvenator over aged dope; Venture or to anyone with a question. it soaks in and restores flexibility for years of added • In addition to all of the above, the VAA further provides the finest in life. It can even hide hairline cracks. And no finish constant and openly accessible mem has the foot-deep luster of bership-elected leadership in the world of sport and vintage aviation. authentic polished dope. We are the members of the Vintage Aircraft Association, and we enjoy Roll back the calendar on the special camaraderie of airplane your plane's finish! people and flying the skies bonded together through the VAA to further our special field of enjoyment all the while protecting our aviation inter ests through the strength and cama RandolphAircraft.com raderie of EAA and VAA. We have so

And the rest is history.

airplanes,

got the idea from

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much for so very little!

....... VINTAGE AIRPLANE

BY H.G. FRAUTSCHY

THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM

A SUGGESTION BY WES SMITH OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS .

Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to be in no later than August 15 for inclusion in the October 2009 issue of Vin tage Airplane. You can also send your response via e-mail. Send your answer to mystery plane@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 sub ject line. II

APRIL'S MYSTE RY A NS WER We didn't fool many of you with the April Mystery Plane. Here's the first answer we received: The April Mystery Plane is a

Kreutzer K-S built by Air Transport Manufacturing for LA businessman Allan Hancock in 1929 (NC99SY). Later the K-Sdesignation was

changed to the T-6 and put into pro duction for a Latin American market. Julian A. Smith Hernando, Mississippi Hayden Hamilton, who serves as the managing edi tor for the American Avia tion Historical SOCiety, sent us a bit more on the K-S: The mystery aircraft ap pears to be a Kreutzer Air Coach, Model K-S, designed and manufactured by the Joseph Kreutzer Corp. (Air craft Division) of Los Ange les, California. This aircraft design was issued ATC 223 September 6, 1929. This aircraft was an enhanced version of the Kreutzer Air

JULY 2009

Coach introduced in 1928 which was offered in two models (ATCs 170 and 171) and were designed for the smaller airlines operating over rugged and desolate country. The company also thought the design would appeal to business owners looking for extra comfort and the safety of multi engine flying. The design, created by Albin K. Peterson, was a "baby tri-motor" powered by three Kinner K-5 100 hp engines. The cabin could accommodate six pas sengers in a spacious cabin that was equipped for heat and ventilation. The windows were made from shatterproof glass, thereby providing a perception of added safety. The total 300 hp provided more than ample reserve power that translated into higher per formance while providing ample power for contin ued flight if an engine where to fail. The Air Coach saw utilization with airlines op erating in Arizona and Louisiana, both of which offered bleak terrain where the margin of safety was most likely appreciated by all on board. Kinner En gine Co. operated a K-5 as a demonstration aircraft, flying around the country to show off their engines. Production was suspended with only about nine planes being produced, one of the many aircraft companies that folded during the Great Depression. An attempt was made in 1935 to revive the design by the Air Transport Mfg. Co., but this venture was not successful.

Specifications: Length: 33 feet 6 inches Wingspan: 48 feet 10 inches Height: 9 feet 6 inches Wing Area: 315 square feet Empty Weight: 2,745 pounds Gross Weight: 4,443 pounds Useful Load: 1,698 pounds Fuel: 85 gallons Maximum Speed: 130 mph Cruising Speed: 110 mph Landing Speed: 45 mph Service Ceiling: 17,000 feet Range: 520 miles Sources: U.S. Civil Aircraft, Joseph P. Juptner, Vol. 3, pp 71-73 Aerofiles.com - Aircraft A to Z

Other correct answers were received from Gary Gray, Darmstadt, Germany; Dave Dent, Camden, New South Wales, Australia; Frank Pavliga, Randolph, Ohio; Jack Erickson, State College, Pennsylvania; Arthur L. Bartley, Rochester Hills, Michigan; Thomas Lymburn, Princeton, Minnesota; Clarence E. Hesser, St. Augustine, Florida; and Ken Krohncke, Rio Vista, California. .......

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a topic that many of us are reluctant to think about: How long will my loved ones be able to live inde pendently, and if they should come to a point in time when they need assistance with their daily living, what's the next step? How about an assisted-living facility designed espe cially for aging aviators? Thanks to one woman's personal inspiration, there actually is such a place. Marilyn Taylor, of Eagles Nest Aviator Homes Inc., has a soft spot for aviators, having been closely as sociated with them for years-espe cially Swift owner and pilot Mark Holliday, her longtime boyfriend and stalwart supporter in the Ea36

J U LY 2009

BY SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

gles Nest project. Taylor's vision of an aviation-themed assisted living facility was first inspired by Dr. James Parks, founder of the La fayette Foundation and the Vintage Aero Flying Museum at Platte Valley Airpark in Colorado. "He was in the late stages of Alzheimer's disease and was living with one of his children. His son, Andy (who now heads the foundation and museum), would bring him to the airport on week ends, and even though he could not communicate very well, his avi ation vocabulary was still strong," reflects Taylor thoughtfully. "He would sit for hours and watch the activity and completely enjoy his lifelong passion-he seemed to be

alive and thriving, despite his con dition. When the family could no longer care for him at home and he had to go into an assisted-liv ing home, he immediately started to go downhill. The facility was nice and clean with good care, but there was nothing to stimulate his mind and keep his passion and memo ries alive. When I would visit him, he did not talk or communicate at all, except the one time when he showed me an old picture of his dad in his World War I aviator uni form-he said very clearly, 'That's my dad; he was a pilot.' I thought then that there should be some way to provide a familiar atmosphere for seniors during this phase of

Eagles Nest at Platte Valley's living area is cozy with its gas log fireplace and comfortable seating.

their life. During the course of the next several years, I had the same type of experience with numer ous facilities accommodating both Mark's mom and my dad. This just reinforced my philosophy that se niors should be able to enjoy their passions through every phase of their lives." Taylor's father passed away in 2006, and she says she used her "minimal inheritance to purchase a piece of property adjacent to the airport, prepared a marketing plan promoting my unique concept to a local bank, and in conjunction with the Small Business Administra tion, was able to secure financing." The design and building process presented challenge after challenge, but Taylor persisted, and in February 2009, Eagles Nest opened its doors. If you're not familiar with the goals of an aSSisted-liVing environ ment (as opposed to nursing care), this excerpt from the Eagles Nest at Platte Valley's marketing plan spells it out succinctly: "By definition, as sisted living is a long-term care al ternative for seniors who need more assistance than is available in a re tirement community, but who do not require the heavy medical and nursing care provided in a nursing facility. Security and independence, privacy and companionship, and physical and social well-being are the primary characteristics of an as

sisted living setting." If you are familiar with these types of facilities, think about the ones you've visited: Within most as Sisted-living facilities, seniors find themselves living with a group of folks with whom they have few, if any, personal connections and very little in common. And so, even though they are surrounded by their peers, they may feel disconnected from their lifelong careers, hobbies, and paSSiOns, as well as from their friends and families with whom they shared these activities. The lack of a common bond can make it a challenge for seniors to strike up new friendships and maintain their lifelong interests, and it isn't unusual to observe decreasing am bition and motivation in their daily lives-just as Taylor observed. Yet consider the possibilities for seniors who are surrounded by a community of those who share their own interests-in this case, aviation. These proverbial "birds of a feather" can collectively fan the embers of their aviation memories and keep them glowing brightly. Such a scenario holds the poten tial for new friendships and cama raderie to be easily established from a mutually held longtime passion and, of course, for an abundance of hangar flying and tall tales. To that end, Eagles Nest has been designed to reflect the his

tory and nostalgia of flight in ev ery room. This country-style home is tastefully adorned with aviation memorabilia and artifacts, com plementing a general 1940s de cor. Monthly rental rates include nutritious home-cooked meals, a 24-hour snack bar, medication assis tance, daily housekeeping, personal laundry service, and an in-house beauty/barber shop. Trained staff members are on-site 24 hours a day, and residents also enjoy events and scheduled outings. Additionally, a cozy library houses a collection of aviation books and publications, and there's even a game room with several com puter flight simulators where resi dents can exercise their flight skills with a variety of aircraft. The nine private bedrooms, a guest suite, and the activity area have been named in honor of Colorado aviation pi oneers who have been longtime friends and supporters of the Platte Valley Airpark community. The most enticing aspect of Ea gles Nest is that residents can enjoy hearing and seeing local aircraft fly ing virtually every day-they can even judge landings from their com fortable front porch, all with the magnificent scenery of the Rock ies as a backdrop. Located in Weld County, Eagles Nest is adjacent to Platte Valley Airpark, a privately owned/public-use airport, and the Vintage Aero Flying Museum. Resi dents have abundant opportunities to visit the museum and participate in educational programs, where they are invited to share their wealth of aviation knowledge and experience with local youth. With a caring heart and em pathetic spirit guiding her, Tay lor has worked hard to bring her unique idea into reality. Smiling, she shares that Eagles Nest at Platte Valley "welcomes retired aviators, aviation enthusiasts, and seniors of all interests who would enjoy and thrive in a nostalgic country atmo sphere and a loving home environ ment." If you'd like to know more, call 303-536-4880. ...... VINTAGE A I RPLANE

EM calendar of Aviation Events Is NowOnline

P.O. Box 3086

EM's online Calendar of Events is the "go-to' spot on the Web to list and find aviation events in your area. The user·friendly, searchable format makes it the perfect web-based tool for planning your local trips to afly·in. In EM's online Calendar of Events, you can search for events at any given time within acertain radius of any airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code, and you can further define your search to look for just the types of events you'd like to attend. We invite you to access the EM online Calendar of Events at http://www.eaa.orgjcalendar/

OSHKOSH, WI 54903-3086

OR YOU CAN E-MAIL THEM TO: vintageaircraft@eaa.org

Upcoming Major Fly-Ins

SEND YOUR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS TO:

VAA, LEITERS TO THE EDITOR

Arlington Municipal Airport (AWOl , Arlington. Washington July 8-12, 2009 www.NWEAA.org EAA AlrVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH), Oshkosh. Wisconsin July 27·August 2, 2009 www.AirVenture.org Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly·ln Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC), Denver. Colorado August 22·23. 2009 www.COSportAviation.org

MId-Eastern Regional Fly-In Grimes Field Airport (174), Urbana, Ohio September 12·13. 2009 www.MERFI.info

Thanks to James W. Campbell, M.L.S, librarian and curator of manuscripts of The Whitney Library at the New Haven Museum & Historical Society in New Haven, Connecticut, we have thi s shot of the Kimball Model K Beetle.

Dear H.G., state registration, No. 30. Leo Kimball was involved with In the February 2009 issue of Vin tage I was extremely interested in the testing of the airplane, mainly be Mystery Plane explanation on page cause of his engine, the Kimball 30, the Curtiss UN-4 Jenny, with the Beetle, shown in the photo. It was a seven-cylinder radial, 120 hp at 1850 Sikorsky wing. For many years, probably since rpm, and was the Model K. Only five I was about 17, I have known about of the Kimball radial engines were one of those airplanes. I used to ride built, and none survive. You may my bicycle up to Bethany Airport, also read about the history of the Bethany, Connecticut, and recall viv Kimball Aircraft Corporation in the idly just such an airplane there. It was American Aviation Historical Society always known at the field as the Sikor Journal, Fall 2008, Vol. 53, Number 3, sky-winged Jenny. There is a wonder which I researched since I was a kid ful photo of that very airplane taken and finally wrote for the Journal. Mr. at Bethany, with the pilot Gus Graf Kimball and his family lived across (early parachute jumper) and his good the street from us, and I was good friend Leo B. Kimball standing by the friends with him and his children for airplane. On the rudder, near the top, many years. is the number 6703, and on the rear Ev Cassagneres side of the fuselage is the Connecticut Cheshire, Connecticut 38

JULY 2009

Copperstate Regional Fly-In Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ). Casa Grande, Arizona October 22·24. 2009 www.Copperstate.org

Southeast Regional Fly-In Middleton Field Airport (GZH), Evergreen . Alabama October 23-25. 2009 www.SERFI.org

U.S. Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF). Sebring. Rorida January 21·24 , 2010 www.Sport·Aviation·Expo.com

AERO Frledrlchshafen Messe Friedrichshafen, Friedrichshafen. Germany April 8-11. 2010 www.Aero-Friedrichshafen.com/html/en

Sun 'n Fun Fly·ln Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL). Lakeland , Rorida April 13-18. 2010 www.Sun·N·Fun.org

Virginia Regional Festival of flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ). Suffolk. Virginia May 22·23 , 2010 www.VirginiaFlyin.org

For details on hundreds of upcoming aviation happenings, including EM chapter fly-ins , Young Eagles rallies, and other local aviation events. visit the EM Calendar of Events located at www.EAA.orgica/endar.

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• A90 min., in-depth, narrated story • Includes 45 min. of outstanding COLOR film 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 (920-426 6845) or e-mail (c/assads@eaa.orltJ using credit card payment (all cards accepted). Include name on card, complete address, type of card, card number, and expiration date. Make checks payable to EAA. Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

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HAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING

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Are you nearing completion of restoration? Or is it done and 're busy flying and showing it If so, we'd like to hear from u. Send us a 4-by-6-inch print a commercial source (no ome printers, please-those • •iiil~r~nts just don't scan well) or ~ a 4-by-6-inch, 300-dpi digital .., photo. A JPG from your 2.5-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine. You can burn photos to a CD, or if you're on a high-speed Internet connection, you can e-mail them along with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane. (If your e-mail program asks if you'd like to make the photos smaller, say no.) For more tips on creating photos we can publish, visit VAA's website at www.vintageaircraft.org. Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph?

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For more Information, you can also e·mall us at vlntagealrcraft@eaa.org or call us at 920·426·4825. VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Membershi~ Services Directory VINTAGE

ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND ~ AIRCRAFT EAA's VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

~ TM

OFFICERS Pres ident Geoff Robison

152 1 E. MacGregor Dr. New Haven, IN 46774 260·493-4724 chie(7025@aol.com

Secretary Steve Nesse

Vice-President George Daubner

2448 Lough Lane Hartford, WI 53027 262·673-5885 gdaubfler@leaa. or8

Treasurer C harles W. Harri s

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

72 15 East 46th St, Tulsa, OK 7414 7 918-622·8400

5t1lCs2009@iive.com

cw h@h v5u .co m

DIRECTORS Steve Bender

85 Brush Hill Road Sherborn, MA01770 508·653-7557

Jea nnie Hill

P.O. Box 328 Harvard, IL60033-0328 815·943·7205

ss t ] ()@co mcast .fl et

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

David Bennet t

Espie "Butch" joyce 704 N. Regional Rd . Greensboro, NC 27409 336-668·3650

antiquer@inreacli. coIIJ

winrisock@aoi. coln

Jerry Brown

4605 Hickory Wood Row Greenwood, IN 46143 317-422·9366 Ibro1Vn4906(!Paoi.col11

Dave Clark 635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield, IN 46 168 317·839·4500

Dan Knutson

106 Tena Ma rie C ircle

Lodi, WI 53555

608-592-7224

iodiCllb@charter.nel Steve Krog

1002 Heather Ln .

Hartford, WI 53027

262-966·7627

Ph on e (920) 426-4800

Fax (920) 426-48 73

Web Sites: Wlvw.vintageairaa(t.org, WlVW.airventllre.org, WlVW.eaa.org/memberbenefits E-Mail: vintageairaa{l@eaa.org

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920-426-4848 Benefits

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800-727-3823 www,auaonline,cam EM Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-6474322 www.eaa.arg/ memberbenefits EM VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext. 8884

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EAA Members Information Une 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)

Use this toll·free number for: information about AirVenture Oshkosh; aeromedical and technical aviation questions;

chapters; and Young Eagles. Please have your membership number readywhen calling.

Office hours are 8:15 a.m. - 5:00 p.m, (Monday - Friday, CST)

davf'cpd@att.net

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john S. Copeland Northborough, MA 01532 508-393-4775

Robert D. "Bob" Lumley 1265 South 124th Sl. Brookfie ld, WI 53005 262·782-2633

(opeland J@jllfJo.com

lumper@exfcpc.coln

EAA

lAC

Phil Cou lson

S. H. "Wes" Schmid

Membership in the Experimenta l Aircraft ASSOciation , Inc. is $40 fo r o n e year, ineluding 12 issu es of SPORT AVIATION. Fa mily m em bership is a n additiona l $10 a nnu a lly. Junio r Membe rship (und er 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually. All m a jor credit cards accepted for m embersh ip. (Add $16 for

C urrent EAA m e mbe rs m ay jo in the Inte rnational Aerobatic C lub, Inc . Divi s io n a nd rece ive SPORT AEROBATICS m aga zine fo r a n additiona l $45 p e r year. EAA Membe rship, SPORT AEROBATICS magazine and one y ea r membe rship in the lAC Divi s ion is availabl e fo r $55 p e r ye ar (SPORT AVIATION m agaz in e n o t includ e d ). (Add $18 for Foreig n

I A Deacon Street

2841 5 Springbrook Dr. Lawton, MI 49065 269-624-6490

Wauwatosa, WI 532 13

rcoJllSoI15 16@Cs.com

sllscllmid@gmail .com

2359 Le feber Avenue

41 4-77 1-1545

Da le A. Gustafso n

7724 Shady Hills Dr.

Indianapolis, IN 46278

317-293-4430

Foreign Postage.)

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DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

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Robe rt C. Brauer

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pllOtOpilot@aol. cOlll

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Ro n ald C. Fritl

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

Gene Morri s

5936 Steve Court

Roanoke, TX 76262

817-491-9110

genemurri5@Cizarter.nct John Turgyan

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ro Box 219 New Egypt, Nj 08533 609·758-29 10

rFril z@pa thwaynet.com

j rtu rgyafl4@aoJ.com

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Postage.)

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FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Pl eas e submit yo ur re mittan ce with a c h ec k o r draft dr a wn on a Unite d Sta t es bank payable in United Sta tes dollars, Add required Fo reign Postage a mount fo r e ach m embership .

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Copyright ©2009 by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association, All rights reserved. VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750; ISSN 0091-69431is published and owned exclusivelyby the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EAA Aviation Center, 3000 PobereznyRd., PO Box3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086, e-mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org. Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association, which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine, is $38 per year for EAA members and 546 for non-EAA members, Periodicals Postage paidat Oshkosh,Wisconsin54901and at addhional mailing offices, POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Vintage Airplane, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, PM 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS, Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A6J5. FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allowat least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AiRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail. ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken.

EDITORIAL POLICY: Members are encouraged to submh stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely whhthe contributor. No remuneration is made. Material should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 920-426-4800. EAA®and EAA SPORT AVIATION®, the EAA Logo® and Aaronautica'" are registered trademarks, trademar1ts, and se!Vice mar1<s of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks and service marks without the pennission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

JULY 2009

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