Va vol 38 no 11 nov 2010 by EAA Vintage Aircraft Association

NOVEMBER 2010

STRAIGHT & LEVEL GEOFF ROBISON PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

More than just a bunch of planes The feature piece of this month’s column answers the age-old question, “What does AirVenture mean to you?” I am oftentimes enlightened with the various descriptors vocalized by the many individual members who take the time to truly analyze the question and respond . . . sometimes quite artfully! The following piece is one of those moments where I thought, “Man, I wish I had said that.”

What AirVenture Means to Me By Shawn Lynch I’m at Wittman Regional Airport, but it’s not July 28, it’s July 8 . . . three weeks too early. Sad for me, I will miss AirVenture 2010. In two weeks I will be 32 years old, and since 1978 I have only missed four Oshkosh fly-ins, and this year will mark my fifth . . . prompted by a call to duty, an overseas deployment, by personal request from dear old Uncle Sam. With this visit to Oshkosh today, I begin to think why it will be harder than ever for me to be away from AirVenture this year. People who have

been to AirVenture may say it’s just a bunch of planes, but to me it’s much much more. I keep asking myself, “What am I going to miss?” It’s a lot like when you were a little kid and your folks told you “time for bed,” and you didn’t want to go because you thought you were going to miss something. There are so many incredible things that happen during our weeklong celebration of flight (in my book they’re “aviation milestones!”). This year alone…the 75th anniversary of the DC-3 and B-17, the grandest arrival of DC-3s ever seen, the visit of the last flying DC-2, the chance to see the only DC-7, V-22 and hot air balloons in action, the first AirVenture night air show, and so much more. Don’t get me started on the milestones I have personally experienced at past Oshkosh events (SR-71, U-2, Concorde, A380). AirVenture is the chance to witness history in the making, and I never want to miss a single moment of it. The planes are wonderful, but the human aspect is the biggest part of what I’m going to miss. The people of EAA are some of the most wonderful, welcoming, salt of the earth people in this world. We come from every corner of the globe and from all walks of life, but share our common love for aviation, airplanes, and flight. I really wish I could be at AirVenture for this year’s Salute to Veterans, not because I am a veteran, but to honor and salute the men and women who have served our country over the years. I know it will be an emotional and beautiful spectacle. My grandfather is an Air Force veteran of 34 years, a WWII POW, and B-17 aviator; it would be so overwhelming to

be at Oshkosh and have a chance to salute him for his courage and service! AirVenture has long been a family affair for me and mine over the 32 years. Oshkosh is truly my Christmas in July as well as a family reunion year after year, but not just for my immediate family, but for my EAA family as well, my dear friends at the Red Barn, the Vintage Aircraft Association volunteers! So, come the last week in July, I will be tuned into EAA Radio over the World Wide Web and logging into www. AirVenture.org for the daily highlights of the world’s greatest aviation event. As I listen and read, I may develop a lump in my throat and a heavy heart, because I know I will be missing something very very special at AirVenture 2010. Capt. Shawn Lynch is currently serving our country in the United States Air Force. He is presently assigned to an E-3 Squadron in the Middle East, flying missions over Afghanistan. Shawn, along with his brother, Evan, and sister, Mary, have been valued volunteers with the Vintage Aircraft Association for many years. Thanks for your service, Shawn, and we all hope to see you at AirVenture 2011. Here’s wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving holiday! 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. Come share the passion! See you at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh—July 25 to July 31, 2011.

NOVEMBER

A I R P L A N E Vol. 38, No. 11

2010

CONTENTS IFC Straight & Level More than just a bunch of planes by Geoff Robison

News

FAA Aircraft Re-registration Process Trying to Make the Registration Database Accurate by H.G. Frautschy

A Wonderful Prewar Waco Jack Hill’s longtime aerial conveyance by Sparky Barnes Sargent

One Man’s Fleet of Floatplanes Meet the current caretaker by Sparky Barnes Sargent

Light Plane Heritage The de Pischof Avionnette by Owen S. Billman

My Friend Frank Rezich, Part II by Robert G. Lock

The Vintage Mechanic Special inspection—Boeing Stearman by Robert G. Lock

The Vintage Instructor

Windsocks and downwind landings—Fly in the little end and out the big end by Steve Krog, CFI

Mystery Plane by H.G. Frautschy

Classified Ads

Book Reviews

COVERS FRONT COVER: EAA Volunteer photographer Chris Miller captured this fine shot of Jack and Glinda Hill’s cherry Waco UPF-7 as it cruised along. The beautiful restoration is another Waco restoration by done by the father-and-son team at Aircraft by Shue of York, Pennsylvania. Photo by Chris Miller BACK COVER: As many VAA volunteers as we could gather without disrupting the ongoing operations stand together around the new VAA Flightline Safety Operations building, constructed by VAA volunteers and funded in large part by the donations of the VAA Friends of the Red Barn. We’ll see you all next year right here in Oshkosh! Photo Steve Moyer

STAFF

EAA Publisher Director of EAA Publications Executive Director/Editor Production/Special Project Photography Copy Editor Art Director EAA Chairman of the Board

Rod Hightower Mary Jones H.G. Frautschy Kathleen Witman Jim Koepnick Colleen Walsh Dana Heimos Tom Poberezny

Publication Advertising: Manager/Domestic, Sue Anderson Tel: 920-426-6127 Email: sanderson@eaa.org Fax: 920-426-4828 Senior Business Relations Mgr, Trevor Janz Tel: 920-426-6809 Email: tjanz@eaa.org Manager/European-Asian, Willi Tacke Phone: +49(0)1716980871 Email: willi@flying-pages.com Fax: +49(0)8841 / 496012

Interim Coordinator/Classified, Alicia Canziani Tel: 920-426-6860 Email: classads@eaa.org

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1

VAA NEWS A Foot in the Slamming Door EAA, lawmakers stand up against FAA’s through-the-fence policy It’s a perfect morning; the sun is just beginning to glow in a cool blue sky, and there is not a wisp of wind. It’s a great day for flying, you think, as you step out of your house into your hangar, do your preflight,

and taxi directly to the runway. The ultimate dream for many EAA and VAA members and other aircraft owners is to have instant access to their airplane and a runway, just as drivers do to their car and the street. Imagine, then, if you backed out of your driveway one morning, turned the corner, and found a gate smack across the

road that led to the highway out of town. That’s the situation aircraft owners who currently have or might want future access to the nation’s publicly owned airports could face. The FAA’s proposed new throughthe-fence (TTF) policy would cut off the ability to connect with the very transportation system that en-

Phillips 66, Skiles Team Up to Support Chapters During EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010, Phillips 66 Aviation awarded three lucky EAA chapters with special support for one of their upcoming Young Eagles events. Three Phillips 66 Aviation fixed-base operators (FBOs) hosted the chapter events—EAA Chapter 237 (Blaine, Minnesota) at Cirrus Flight Operations, EAA Chapter 579 (Aurora, Illinois) at J.A. Air Center, and EAA Chapter 810 (Payson, Arizona) at Payson Aviation. Included in the package were special fuel discounts, promotional support, and an appearance by Young Eagles co-chairman Jeff Skiles. MARK KLEIN Each of the events enjoyed beautiful weather, and Skiles was able to Jeff Skiles in the cockpit with Noah Berg, 13, at Cirrus Flight Operations. fly his bright red 1935 Cabin Waco to the Illinois and Minnesota rallies. Other EAA member volunteer pilots joined Skiles in the usual variety of aircraft present at Young Eagles events, everything from vintage airplanes to sleek homebuilts. “That was amazing,” exclaimed 14-year-old Clara Jordan after her flight with Skiles. The excited Minneapolis teen could barely talk as Skiles handed her a Young Eagles certificate. “I actually got to fly his plane,” she said, her smile wide. “I, uh, uh, wow. I can’t wait to go flying again.” Phillips 66 wanted to do something special to recognize EAA chapters and their efforts to fly Young Eagles and promote general aviation to the public. “We thought that bringing Jeff Skiles, an aviation hero, to Young Eagles rallies at our FBOs was a sure way to ramp up interest for general aviation,” explained Rod Palmer, manager of general aviation at ConocoPhillips. Skiles—an aviation legend since he and Capt. “Sully” Sullenberger safely guided a planeload of passengers to an emergency landing on the Hudson River in 2009—charmed both wide-eyed youths and local EAA volunteers with his easygoing ways and his beautiful Waco. Children, parents, and EAA volunteers lined up to grab an autograph or a stor y from Skiles, while those lucky enough to take flight in the Waco had their Young Eagles logbook signed by aviation’s most famous first officer. “Young Eagles is one of the best ways to ensure the future of aviation,” Skiles said. “And when you pull up to a rally in that 1935 Waco, people tend to get excited about aviation.” The volunteer coordinator for EAA Chapter 237, Joseph Gmitter, agreed. “When I was a kid, I wanted to go flying but never got the chance,” Gmitter explained. “I hung out at the airport, visited the hangar, got to touch the planes. But I wanted to fly.” With the nation’s largest FBO network, Phillips 66 Aviation has long supported Young Eagles as the program’s presenting sponsor. Since 1994, Phillips 66 Aviation has also provided a $1-per-gallon discount for Young Eagles pilots.

2 NOVEMBER 2010

ables the freedom of flight. The FAA originally wanted to end all current TTF agreements on public-use airports and ban any future ones. EAA’s advocacy staff and many members quickly made it known that that was not acceptable. EAA even created a plan that would allow the FAA to give local jurisdictions the option of writing such agreements, while maintaining prudent safety and security precautions. The FAA then proposed to allow current TTF arrangements to remain in effect until the existing agreements came up for renewal; then those TTF operations would be banned, too…eventually allowing the FAA to slam the door on that ultimate dream completely. Did the FAA hope that by quieting the most vocal opponents it could eventually accomplish its longterm policy direction? Cutting off local TTF arrangements also slices the economic opportunities available to many airports through aviation-related growth, not to mention the free-

dom to use the aviation infrastructure created for all pilots. In addition, blocking such arrangements may allow non-aviation developments to encroach on local airports. Such developments often lead to calls for airport closures or create land-use and noise disputes. In late September, U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri), a longtime pilot and EAA member, and U.S. Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wisconsin), who represents the Oshkosh area, scheduled a public hearing before the House Transportation Subcommittee. Graves directly told the FAA that a one-size-fits-all approach to local airport issues is not the way to go. In addition, EAA and VAA lifetime member Dr. Brent Blue, a longtime member of EAA’s Aeromedical Advisory Council, testified how his Wyoming airport benefits from these arrangements and how aviation access would be crippled by the FAA’s new policy. EAA fortified his testimony with written comments included in the hearing’s record. For a link to EAA’s comments, visit www.SportAviation.org.

What Our Members Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration? Or is it done and you’re busy flying and showing it off? If so, we’d like to hear from you. Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no home printers, please—those prints just don’t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch, 300-dpi digital photo. A JPG from your 4 by 6 i 2.5-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine. You 2.5-me can burn bu photos to a CD, or if you’re on a highspeed Internet connection, you can e-mail them along with a text-only or Word document describing airplane. (If your e-mail program asks if you’d yyour yo ur a like tto 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 Che Send Us A Photograph? Sen

For more information, you can also e-mail us at vintageaircraft@eaa.org or call us at 9920-426-4825.

EAA Calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online EAA’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 a fly-in. We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of Events at http://www. eaa.org/calendar/

Upcom ing M ajor F l y - I ns U.S. Sport Aviation Expo Sebring Regional Airport (SEF), Sebring, Florida January 20-23, 2011 www.Sport-Aviation-Expo.com Sun ’n Fun Fly-In Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL), Lakeland, Florida March 29-April 3, 2011 www.Sun-N-Fun.org AERO Friedrichshafen Messe Friedrichshafen, Friedrichshafen, Germany April 13-16, 2011 www.AERO-Friedrichshafen.com/html/ en Virginia Regional Festival of Flight Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ), Suffolk, Virginia April 30-May 1, 2011 www.VirginiaFlyIn.org Golden West Regional Fly-In and Air Show Yuba County Airport (MYV), Marysville, California June 10-12, 2011 www.GoldenWestFlyIn.org Arlington Fly-In Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO), Arlington, Washington July 6-10, 2011 www.ArlingtonFlyIn.org EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional Airport (OSH), Oshkosh, Wisconsin July 25-31, 2011 www.AirVenture.org Colorado Sport International Air Show and Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC), Denver, Colorado August 27-28, 2011 www.COSportAviation.org

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

FAA Aircraft Re-registration Process Trying to make the Registration Database Accurate BY

H.G. FRAUTSCHY

ACCORDING TO THE FAA , about onethird of the approximately 357,000 aircraft registered in the United States have inaccurate records. To clean up what it says has become a database riddled with incorrect addresses, aircraft that have been destroyed, etc., the agency has made a decision to require all currently registered aircraft to be re-registered. Essentially it’s starting with an empty ledger and will fill it out in the next three years. As spelled out in a Federal Register notice published July 20, 2010, the rule establishes specific registration expiration dates over a three-year period for all aircraft registered before October 1, 2010, and requires subsequent re-registration every three years, according to a specific schedule. Re-registration of aircraft currently in the FAA database will occur between November 1, 2010, and December 31, 2013. The process is intended to update the U.S. Civil Aircraft Register, making it a more reliable database.

It is important that each aircraft you own, regardless of its airworthiness status, be reregistered when the notice comes from the FAA, or its registration could be revoked. Even if the aircraft exists in basket-case form (or less!), it’s important to keep it properly registered. There are a number of changes to the aircraft registration system that each owner should pay particular attention to: • Each aircraft initially registered under the re-registration program will be registered for three years, expiring three years after the last day of the month in which it is issued. The re-registrations will be issued in quarterly blocks. (See the chart from the FAA to determine when you’ll be re-registering your aircraft.) • T h e r e a f t e r, t h e a i rc r a f t registration expires three years from the expiration date of the previous certificate. • Re-registration and subsequent renewals will cost $5.

There are provisions written into the pending FAA Reauthorization Act (H.R. 915) to dramatically increase those costs; VAA and EAA will continue to monitor the progress of the act through Congress (it’s been delayed innumerable times). The next aspect of the program is especially important to note: If you were thinking about not bothering with this re-registration program, you should know that the cancellation of the N-number assigned to an aircraft will take place approximately 90 days after the expiration of an aircraft’s registration. (Once canceled, the N-number will not be available for assignment or reservation for the next five years.) As it stands right now, without a current registration and N-number, an aircraft is deemed unairworthy, regardless of its annual inspection status. So how will you know if your aircraft’s registration is due for renewal? About six months before an aircraft’s registration expires,

Aircraft Re-registration Schedule If the certiﬁcate was issued in:

The certiﬁcate expires on:

The owner must apply for re-registration between these dates—to allow delivery of a new certiﬁcate before expiration.

March of any year April of any year May of any year June of any year July of any year August of any year September of any year October of any year November of any year December of any year January of any year February of any year

March 31, 2011 June 30, 2011 September 30, 2011 December 31, 2011 March 31, 2012 June 30, 2012 September 30, 2012 December 31, 2012 March 31, 2013 June 30, 2013 September 30, 2013 December 31, 2013

November 1, 2010 February 1, 2011 May 1, 2011 August 1, 2011 November 1, 2011 February 1, 2012 May 1, 2012 August 1, 2012 November 1, 2012 February 1, 2013 May 1, 2013 August 1, 2013

4 NOVEMBER 2010

and January 31, 2011 and April 30, 2011 and July 31, 2011 and October 31, 2011 and January 31, 2012 and April 30, 2012 and July 31, 2012 and October 31, 2012 and January 31, 2013 and April 30, 2013 and July 31, 2013 and October 31, 2013

using the mailing address of record, the FAA’s aircraft registry office will mail a notice with instructions to the owner. The notice will identify the expiration date and the three-month window during which application must be made to ensure receipt of the new certificate before the old certificate expires. Again, refer to the chart for the timetable for initial re-registration. The third, fourth, and fifth months before expiration make up the timely filing window. A code provided in the notice allows online re-registration and payment of the $5 fee when there are no changes in ownership, address, or citizenship to report. If there are changes to report, the form can be completed online, printed, signed, and mailed with the $5 fee. No matter if there are no changes or there are revisions that must be made to the registration data, the form must be filled out online. How should you prepare for the upcoming re-registration? The FAA offers these tips: 1. Look up your aircraft on the Search Aircraft Registration Information web page and verify that the mailing addresses and the names of owners shown are correct. You can also confirm the registration certificate issue date. Please note that the registration issue date is not the same as the airworthiness certificate issue date. For newer aircraft they may be identical if the aircraft was sold to the current owner immediately upon its manufacture, but for most aircraft the registration certificate will have a different date. That’s the date the FAA will be using when you re-register. 2. If the mailing address is wrong, the owner should update the address promptly. 3. If an ownership change has occurred, the seller should report the sale to the registry, and the purchaser should submit their application for registration, evidence of ownership, and $5 registration fee to the registry as soon as possible. One more note: A number of members have asked if they can just re-register now and not wait until the note from the FAA arrives. The short answer is, “No, you can’t.” The FAA’s explanation was that the Aircraft Registration Branch has only so many people working to input the data, and the procedure they’ve put in place will make certain that the workload will

be consistent throughout the time period of the re-registration. The same holds true for the subsequent registration renewals. That’s unfortunate, since it means that aircraft owners of multiple aircraft will have to keep track of and execute the re-registration process one at a time for each aircraft as their registration and renewal dates occur. Subsequent correspondence has clarified one other question that has come up regarding the issuance date of the new certificate.

When an aircraft owner submits their re-registration application to the FAA, the FAA then issues a new registration certificate with an expiration date of the last day of the month in which it was issued. That date will continue to be the expiration date for all subsequent renewals. For more information, visit the FAA’s Aircraft Registration Branch website at www.FAA.gov/licenses_ certificates/aircraft_certification/ aircraft_registry or call EAA’s aviation services at 888-322-4636.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

6 NOVEMBER 2010

A Wonderful

Prewar Waco Jack Hill’s longtime aerial conveyance by Sparky Barnes Sargent

CHRIS MILLER

oised on the past-award-winners’ row at Sun ’n Fun at Lakeland, Florida, this past spring, NC32071 was simply gleaming, despite the sprinkles from scattered rain clouds. Jack and Glinda Hill were close by their Waco, and Glinda wiped away the raindrops after each shower, carefully caressing the biplane’s graceful, sweeping lines. John “Jack” Hill developed a soft spot in his heart for biplanes when he was a child, and he’s been virtually inseparable from his 1941 Waco UPF-7 since he first became its caretaker nearly 30 years ago. He’s had other airplanes through the years—J-3 Cubs, a Piper Colt, Cessna 190, and a cabin Waco UEC—but the UPF-7 has turned into a keeper. “I bought it from Dr. John Bussard in New Jersey,” Jack shares in his gentle tone. “John had it restored in 1978, and I bought it in 1981. It had 3,969 hours, 45 minutes total time then, and was a very nice airplane. I flew it 1,400 hours before having it restored.” >>

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

Jack has owned this graceful 1941 Waco UPF-7 since 1981. CHRIS MILLER

ow a retired United Airlines pilot, Jack had a rather unusual introduction to the world of aviation. He grew up in a small town— Ahoskie, North Carolina—and often traveled with his family to visit his grandmother in nearby Rocky Mount. Jack was always intrigued by the airport they passed along the way, and sometimes his father would stop and let him watch the airplanes. The aviation bug really bit 5-year-old Jack on a Sunday morning in 1937, when a hometown naval aviator flew an N3N over their house at about 200 feet. “It is still a vivid memory, to this day,” he fondly recalls. Three years later, he found his way aloft. “My first flight was in the Goodyear blimp,” says Jack and laughs, reminiscing in his relaxed yet enthusiastic tone. “Oh, it was fun! It’s an indelible memory for me, because I got to ride in the front seat. I remember the pilot controlling the elevator with what looked like the wheel of a wheelchair—he’d roll it back and forth. That was in 1940, when I was 8 years old. Later that year, I had my first airplane ride, which was in a Waco UEC.” He took flying lessons as a teenager and soloed a J-3 Cub a couple of days after his 16th birthday. He earned his private certificate at 17 and enlisted in the Navy after high school. Jack couldn’t get into the pilot program, so he went into submarines instead. But he continued

8 NOVEMBER 2010

flying during his time off, earning commercial and flight-instructor certificates. After he left the Navy, he enrolled in Embry-Riddle’s business pilot and aviation administration program through the University of Miami. “[The late] Paul Sanderson (of Jeppesen-Sanderson fame) was my ground school instructor, and as soon as I got my instrument and multiengine ratings, I applied for a job at Capital Airlines in Washington, D.C. I started with them in March 1956 in Chicago, flying DC-3s,” recounts Jack. “The next year I went to New Orleans, and then I was transferred to New York, and I spent most of my career there. I flew a little over 36 years for the airlines, finishing my career in 747-400s. I really enjoyed going to work every day, and I’m sorry they had that age limit for retirement!” Throughout those years, Jack always kept flying light airplanes—some lighter than others. Interestingly, he discovered that his passion for aviation transcended powered flight into the realm of soaring. He’s owned several sailplanes through the years and has earned the prestigious FAI Diamond Badge (distance, goal, and height). “I had a [Schempp-Hirth] Standard Cirrus and flew in the U.S. National Soaring Championships one year,” he says with a chuckle. “I didn’t do very good, but I had fun!” Yet his passion for radial-engined biplanes eventually took first place in his recreational flying.

NC32071 History A t l e a s t 6 0 0 Wa c o U P F - 7 s w e r e o r i g i n a l l y manufactured under Approved Type Certificate 642 (issued June 5, 1937); of those, 213 are listed on the FAA Registry today. The UPF-7 was designed as a trainer for primary through advanced flight instruction in Civilian Pilot Training Programs. The biplane measured 23 feet 6 inches from prop to tail, stood 8 feet 5 inches tall, had an upper wingspan of 30 feet, and a lower wingspan of 26 feet 10 inches. It sold for $9,500 at the factory in Troy, Ohio. For those who may wonder what “UPF-7” means, Waco’s designation is interpreted this way: “U” represents the engine, in this case a Continental W670; “P” is the Waco plan designator (wings and fuselage), and “-7” denotes the seventh of the F series (opencockpit biplane). One interesting bit of history that Jack has for his biplane is “Sales Order No. 593C, Airplane Equipment and History Record [for] Serial No. 5703, License No. NC32071, UPF-7.” According to this airplane record, the biplane was originally equipped with the following: Continental W670-6A, Stromberg NA-R6 carburetor, Scintilla mags, Eclipse 13 starter, Hartzell wood prop, and Eclipse 9 generator. It also had Hayes 750-by-10 wheels and brakes with Goodyear 850-by10 tires and Waco shock struts, and a Hayes 10-inch smooth contour tail wheel. It was outfitted with a Pioneer tach, altimeter, compass, airspeed indicator, and clock. Its fuselage and fin were painted ArmyNavy blue; its wings, stabilizer, and elevators ArmyNavy yellow; and all struts were Army-Navy blue. The license number was painted in intense black. Its extra equipment was an Eclipse control box Model 1. The biplane’s total weight was 1,880 pounds. According to other aircraft records, NC32071’s first flight was by Waco test pilot Walter Pate on September 17, 1941, at Waco Field in Troy, Ohio. The next day, the biplane was delivered to Beacon Flying Service at Cheektowaga Airport (later known as Buffalo International Airport), New York. In March 1943, it was purchased for the Defense Plant Corporation by its maintenance supervisor, Travis Lee, and was ferried to Southern Airways of Danville Inc. (in Virginia). A year later, it went to Blacksburg, Virginia. In November 1945, Albert Simmons of Newark, New York, became its first individual owner. Five years after its first flight, the Waco was re-covered with Grade A cotton. Though the biplane would change hands numerous times, it remained in New York through 1966. Then in June 1967, James Lloyd Hoff of Burlington, New Jersey, bought it and ferried it home; in 1972, he (and the Waco) relocated to Albion, New York. Louis Grama of Trenton, New

Rounded tail feathers complement the lines of the Waco. SPARKY BARNES SARGENT PHOTOS

The polished Curtiss-Reed fixed-pitch prop shines in the sunlight.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

PHOTOS COURTESY JACK AND GLINDA HILL

Working on the bare-bones fuselage in October 2001.

Jersey, purchased the biplane in June 1975, and the following May, he sold it to John Bussard of Ringoes, New Jersey. NC32071’s total time was 3,750 hours, 50 minutes when it was ferried to Sky Manor Airport. John replaced its engine in July 1977, and in March 1978, the biplane was disassembled for repairs and recovering and returned to service in November. Jack, the Waco’s current owner, inadvertently discovered a fun way to celebrate the Wright brothers’ first flight day (December 17) in 1981. A resident of Closter, New Jersey, at the time, Jack purchased the Waco that day and flew it to its new home base— Wurtsboro Airport in New York. Nearly five years later, after enjoying the Waco for 203 hours, 35 minutes, the engine’s rear bearing failed. About three months later, the zero-time engine (overhauled by Aero Engines of Los Angeles) was installed, and Jack was once again logging time in the Waco. It would be nearly 15 years until the biplane required more than routine maintenance.

Restoration

The beautiful interior of the fuselage in January 2006.

In 2001, Jack contacted Aircraft by Shue (a fatherand-son team specializing in Wacos) and flew NC32071 to their location in York, Pennsylvania, on September 26 for restoration. The 220-hp Continental W670 was removed after 1,013 hours of service and was overhauled by Radial Engines Limited, of Guthrie, Oklahoma. In the meantime, recounts Jack, “Scott Shue completely restored the airplane; he replaced all the wood and inspected

New wood stringers and formers on the fuselage in March 2003.

10 NOVEMBER 2010

PHOTOS COURTESY JACK AND GLINDA HILL

CHRIS MILLER

“I’ve had the airplane back from restoration not quite two years now and have already flown it 196 hours—I’d rather wear it out than to let it sit there.”—Jack Hill all the metal parts. They found only one tube in the whole fuselage which needed repair—and that was where somebody had welded a battery box into the fuselage. All of the sheet metal is new; they have a shop nearby where they outsourced all the compound curves. Dick Herman built all the wing ribs—the wings are completely new. They also removed all the instruments, inspected and repaired them as needed, and had the dials repainted. Scott covered the airframe with Ceconite, finishing it with butyrate dope in a paint scheme of his own design.” According to Jack, the only change to the Waco was the installation of fiberglass wheelpants. The restoration took nearly six years, and Jack is exceptionally pleased with the Shues’ work. “We knew it would take a while, because Joe Kaminskas, Al Shimer, and I spoke to him at the same time about a restoration,” says Jack amiably, “so he worked on all three airplanes simultaneously. We had a little friendly rivalry, but Al and I knew each other from our Capital Airlines days. Mine was the fi rst one to

be finished, and John Shue made the first flight in it. When I went to pick it up, they had it in a fixed-base operator’s hangar. When I got there, they opened the door to the hangar, and the airplane was sitting there and they had a red carpet on the floor leading up to the wing walk!” On April 18, 2008, Jack fl ew his pristine Waco to its new home base at Warren Field (an old World War II training field in eastern North Carolina) in Washington, North Carolina. He and Glinda flew it to AirVenture that summer, where it received the Antique Customized Aircraft Champion (Bronze Lindy). That same year it was also Grand Champion in Burlington, North Carolina, at the VAA Chapter 3 fly-in and First Place Antique at the Virginia Regional Festival of Flight at Suffolk. It was awarded Grand Champion at Sun ’n Fun in 2009. Additionally, NC32071 always receives a warm welcome on stopovers at the Virginia Tech Airport, in Blacksburg, where it was used in the Navy’s training program in the early 1940s.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT PHOTOS

Flying the Waco Joseph Juptner, aircraft historian and author, wrote: “The UPF-7 was maneuverable, predictable, and very capable; its flight characteristics were excellent with good control, it was nimble enough for most aerobatics, and like all ‘Waco’ biplanes it was a pleasure to fly.” (U.S. Civil Aircraft, Volume 7.) That’s a sentiment shared by many UPF-7 pilots, including Jack. And as he likes to say, “The Waco carries twice as many passengers as the Stearman. Of course, they have to be two like me; two of the average Americans today wouldn’t fit that well,” he says and chuckles. Jack admits that he was partial to Stearmans before he bought the Waco. Then he remembered how much he enjoyed his first airplane ride in the Waco, and a friend told him about NC32071 being for sale. “So I bought the airplane from Bussard, who also had a cabin Waco. Later that year, he and I flew together to my first Waco fly-in, and I’ve been having a good time ever since I got the airplane. I’m a member of the American Waco Club, National Waco Club, and also the Waco Historical Society.” O v e r a l l , J a c k s u m m a r i z e s t h e Wa c o ’s f l y i n g characteristics by commenting: “It’s a nice-handling airplane. It has four ailerons that are operated by

Profile view of the Waco’s nose.

Glinda and Jack Hill enjoy flying to points near and far in their 1941 Waco UPF-7.

12 NOVEMBER 2010

CHRIS MILLER

pushrods and bell cranks, and it makes the airplane nice and responsive. It’s a light airplane to fly; in other words, when you come in for a landing and you chop the power, it pretty well sits right down. If you’re a little bit fast on the speed, it takes a little more runway, but you get used to it. The initial climb is at 70 mph, and then once you’re clear of the trees, about 80 mph. I try to keep the speed up in the pattern, so I’m not holding people up, and I’ll fly the final approach at 70 mph. It stalls around 60 mph and cruises at 110 mph. It holds 50 gallons in two wing tanks and burns around 12 gph—so I could fly four hours, but I plan for three and a half, maximum. Two to two-and-a-half hours is what we normally fly between stops on cross-countries.”

Into the Future Flying cross-country is something Jack really enjoys. “When I put a new engine on the Waco in 1986, I wanted to break it in, so my friend and I flew to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and on up to First Flight Airport at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. We had a four-day odyssey, and that was a lot of fun. I’ve had so many nice flights, to Oshkosh, Creve Coeur, Lakeland, and many other places.” Jack fully intends to keep the biplane as far into the future as possible, and in addition to its recent restoration, he has made other arrangements to that end, as well. “Three years ago, we moved to Washington, and I got a 20-year lease and built my hangar at Warren Field. I asked them to add three months to my lease, just so I’d be 90 years old when it expires,” he says with an irresistible smile. “Locally,

we fly to Ocracoke Island, which is just 80 miles away—it’s either a 45-minute fl ight or a two-and-ahalf-hour ferry ride! We’ll fly out there for fun, and also to nearby Plymouth, North Carolina, where they have a free fish fry every Wednesday—with fish, coleslaw, and hush puppies—for anybody who fl ies in. I’ve had the airplane back from restoration not quite two years now and have already flown it 196 hours—I’d rather wear it out than to let it sit there,” Jack continues, “We’re having a good time with it. Glinda knows more about GPS than I do; when we flew the cabin Waco she would always sit up there and work the GPS, and now she programs it for me, since we’re flying open cockpit.” Glinda, taking a moment’s pause from wiping down the Waco, smiles as she shares her perspective: “When I first dated him, he took me for rides; years later when we got back together, we’d go to fly-ins—flying was just part of him. I can always find something to do; I like computers and programming the GPS, and I usually have a camera and take lots of pictures. In the beginning, I took the flight controls, but in this one, you have to push the button to talk to each other, and I usually have my luggage under my arm, too.” It’s obvious that this UPF-7 is in good hands, and the biplane seems to know it. If you happen upon NC32071 in a field of flying machines, particularly on a breezy day, try quietly sidling up to its Continental engine— and listen carefully. Even though its deep, rumbling voice will be silent at that moment…there’s a good chance that you’ll hear it whistling a merry little tune, as the wind slips by those stainless exhaust pipes. It’s one happy flying machine, even on the ground.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

1929 Travel Air 6000

One Man’s

Fleet of

JIM OLTERSDORF

Floatplanes planes Meet the current caretaker by Sparky Barnes Sargent

hen the 1929 Hamilton Metalplane H-47 (s/n 65) was sold at auction in January 2010, it landed in the hands of an energetic gentleman who is proud to care for such a unique facet of aviation history. Mr. Wright is not a collector, per se, but rather an aviator, and he’s looking forward to developing a flying relationship with the Metalplane. During AirVenture this past summer, the Metalplane was on display in front of the VAA Red Barn in the Vintage area. Shining under the summer sun, its corrugated aluminum skin provided rippled reflections of numerous pilots and enthusiasts who enjoyed the opportunity to see this one-of-a-kind monoplane in person.

14 NOVEMBER 2010

Bearing the Northwest Airways Inc. logo on its fuselage, N879H is the only flying example of 29 Metalplanes manufactured. Its restoration was completed in the mid-1970s by the late Jack Lysdale, and the airplane was a multiple award winner at Oshkosh and the Antique Airplane Association’s fly-in during that time. Thirty-five years later, it returned to Oshkosh for the second time, where it received the Transport Category Champion – Bronze Lindy award. Its handsome appearance is well-preserved; its 525-hp Pratt & Whitney Hornet sports a gleaming, burnished cowling, and the functional yet elegant interior bespeaks the glamour and simplicity of days gone by.

FLOATPLANE PILOT As a young boy growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Mr. Wright loved being a passenger in floatplanes, so much so that it inspired him to learn to fly. When he was in college, he earned his private certificate just so he could fly floatplanes. Though he would have been happy to solo and take all of his flight instruction in a floatplane, he instead learned to fly in a landplane. “A very wise instructor shared his observation with me that private pilots who fly landplanes get used to talking to the tower and using radios. He told me, ‘If you’re used to doing that, but don’t ever have to do it, that’s better than not being used to it and having to do it. Plus, the private pilot program is slanted toward

single-engine landplanes. Go do all of that, and learn about controlled airspace. You may never fly in controlled airspace again, because I know you want to fly floats, but you should know it, and you’re going to have to know it for the exam.’ So I did that. I soloed in a Cessna 152 and got my license in a 152. Then I immediately went out and got my floatplane rating in a Cessna 172. Then I bought a Cessna 180 on Edo floats and flew that for several years—then I upgraded to a 185, and went from that to a Beaver.” In the years since he learned to fly, he’s logged several thousand hours, and he currently holds an airline transport pilot certificate. His type ratings include one that few pilots today possess: the type VFR (visual flight rules) rating for the Ford TriMotor. He recently broadened his floatplane horizons by adding a multiengine sea rating, as well.

Alaska, with a buddy of mine who is a helicopter guy. He said, ‘You ought to go down and see this floatplane that’s on Beluga Lake—it’s a 1929 Travel Air 6000 on Edo floats.’ So he took us down to see it, and first of all, that is the coolest airplane I’d ever seen in my life! I thought, ‘Man, how cool would it be someday to own a plane like that!’ I thought about having my friend say to the owner, ‘If you ever want to sell this airplane, I’ve got a friend who’d be interested in talking to you.’ But I couldn’t muster up the courage to do that; I thought it was a little presumptuous.” That Travel Air resurfaced in his mind a couple of years ago when he received a copy of Water Flying Magazine with a feature on that airplane, along with the owner’s name and e-mail address. “So I e-mailed him and introduced myself and said, ‘I don’t mean to be

“What piqued my interest in [the Metalplane] was that it had been on floats with the Ontario government for several decades.”—Mr. Wright

said, ‘Let’s take this to Oshkosh for the show in 2009.’ I said, ‘I’ll make you a deal; if you get it there, I’ll fly it back home.’ And so we did that; 2009 was my first time at Oshkosh, and it was with a 1929 Travel Air 6000B on wheels.” Before he purchased NC9084 (s/n 865), it was owned by Kachemak Bay Flying Service Inc. It bought it in 1969 and flew it extensively as a bushplane in Alaska for years—on wheels and Edo 4650 floats. In 2002, the airplane underwent a thorough

Mr. Wright SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

He’s been fortunate enough to have owned his Beaver for 18 years, and it made its first appearance at AirVenture this past summer. “It’s the first time it’s been on wheels in 18 years,” he says and smiles. “And I still have never flown it on wheels. A couple of Kenmore Air buddies from Seattle brought it back for me, so we’re all here together.” TRAVEL AIR The Beaver isn’t his only f l o a t p l a n e ; M r. Wr i g h t a l s o appreciates the aesthetic qualities of antique aircraft. Sharing the story of how he came to own a Travel Air S6000B floatplane, he says, “About 10 years ago, I was up in Homer,

presumptuous, but would you add my name to what I’m sure is a very long list of wannabe owners, just in case you should ever decide to sell it—although I know you won’t.’ He called me, and said, ‘It’s been for sale for six months—why don’t you come up to see it?’ So over a three-month period we negotiated a purchase. It had been on floats for 40 years, and we put it on wheels, because he wouldn’t deliver it to Seattle on floats. We flew it 2,400 miles in three days, down the Alcan (Alaska-Canadian Highway), and we had a blast! I learned a lot about the airplane, and then I had it down in Paso Robles, California, having some work done to it. A colleague there

restoration—from the bare frame all the way up through its wicker seats, roll-down windows, and lavatory. Sporting a bold paint scheme of orange wings and a two-toned bright and dark blue fuselage, this Wright Whirlwind-powered Travel Air reflects its current ownership with the words “Pole Pass Airways, Orcas Island, Washington” painted on its door. This grand old airplane has an intriguing history (according to several online resources, including www.AlaskaSeaplanes.com/NC9084. html). When it was brand new, it was first owned by Phillips Petroleum Company of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. About half a year later, it went to the Travel Air Company in Wichita,

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

Kansas, and just a few months later, it was owned by Wichita Air Service. In August 1930, pilot Charles Lander, along with Roger Rudd, made two attempts to set a new endurance record in the airplane (dubbed the City of Wichita)—but their longest time aloft was just under 14 hours. Shortly thereafter, another endurance attempt was made in NC9084 (by then known as the Century of Oklahoma) by pilots Bennett Griffin and Roy Hunt, but a dust storm cut their flight short after 13 days. The Travel Air was later owned by several flying service companies and was used for charter and aerial photography and eventually for hauling smoke jumpers for the U.S. Forest Service. Today, this Travel Air’s current caretaker thoroughly enjoys flying it for pleasure and maintaining it in top condition. HAMILTON METALPLANE Then toward the end of 2009, Mr. Wright took note of yet another intriguing antique aircraft—the 1929 Hamilton

Metalplane H-47. Since he wasn’t familiar with the Metalplane, he did some research on its history, prior to its auction in January 2010. “What piqued my interest in it,” he shares with a smile, “was that it had been on floats with the Ontario government for several decades. So again, it all goes back to floats. I put in a bid and ended up being the purchaser. I talked to the seller, and they said they had never owned floats with it, but they knew it had been on floats. They knew the floats were up in Alaska, and they gave me a contact number. So I called Cliff Everts, who’s a longtime aviation pioneer up in Fairbanks, and he said, ‘Yes, I think they’re out back under a snowbank. Call me in the spring!’ So I did, and we determined that they were the Edo YC-6400 fl oats off the Metalplane, with the matching serial numbers from 1929. I ended up purchasing them, and they were in good enough shape to be rebuilt. So they’re on their way to Seattle now, where we’ll rebuild them.”

He plans to be flying the Metalplane on floats by the summer of 2011. Smiling from earto-ear and sounding as happy as a young boy with a pile of birthday presents in front of him, he says, “Then I’ll have two 1929 airplanes, each with their original set of Edo floats! That’s pretty cool!” Commenting about the flying characteristics of the Metalplane d u r i n g A i r Ve n t u r e 2 0 1 0 , M r. Wright shares that the airplane had “only flown two and a half days in the past 35 years,” and that he had flown it for just a couple of hours. He says, “It’s a little bit heavy; I liken the Travel Air to flying a really friendly waterbed, and the Metalplane is much heavier; it sinks like a stone if you pull the power back. So we’re just learning; we’ll have many more learning experiences ahead of us! I really believe that I’m just the temporary caretaker for this wonderful piece of aviation heritage. Of all its past, present, and future caretakers, I’m just proud and happy to be the present caretaker.”

The Hamilton Metalplane flies over a farm in Kansas during its flight from Oshkosh to the West Coast. COURTESY MR. WRIGHT

16 NOVEMBER 2010

Light Plane Heritage published in EAA Experimenter October 1990

THE

PISCHOF AVIONNETTE BY

OWEN S. BILLMAN

arly in the year 1921, Monsieur de Pischof, a schoolteacher in Paris, set a lot of hearts throbbing among those Frenchmen harboring a desire to learn to fly. There was an air show in progress at Buc, a suburb of Paris, and it was there that he was able to display and fly one of the smallest practical airplanes since Santos Dumont’s Demoiselle had captured their hearts in a similar manner several years earlier. De Pischof’s airplane was dubbed the Avionnette, or Baby Airplane. The small aircraft, advertised as a 12-foot biplane, arrived at the airport in the van of a small truck. In front of a battery of newsreel cameras, it was set up, cranked up, and flown up into the blue carrying its 140-pound pilot, seemingly without effort. Competing with many much larger aircraft, it was the hit of the show. Every person who watched no doubt imagined himself speeding through the skies to keep all manner of rendezvous, at a price even he could afford. The plane was powered with a 16-hp, twocylinder, horizontally opposed engine that consumed fuel in very economical sips that made maintenance and fuel costs quite within the range of most pocketbooks. Understandably, M. de Pischof was besieged with inquiries and many copies were built in France and around the world. The success (or lack of it) depended then, as today, on how closely the builder adhered to the plans, the powerplant used, and the builder’s personal weight. It seems remarkable how many designers of these very light aircraft were men who appeared on the verge of starvation. For example: Ed Heath of Heath Parasol fame never weighed more than 120 pounds; Jack Irwin of the Irwin Meteorplane weighed about the same amount most of his life. Are thin people apt to be more creative? . . . more avid fliers? The Avionnette was, to say the least, an unorthodox version of aircraft in vogue at that time. Perhaps the most unusual feature was the seating arrangement for the pilot. The fuselage, if it could be called that, consisted of the small engine in tractor position at the front, faired in by an aluminum cowling that extended aft only as far as the pilot’s place, shielding little more than his knees, His seat was a motorcycle-style saddle mounted on the narrow

top longeron, of which there were just two, one over the other, separated by vertical members, all braced with diagonal wires. The small tail assembly was mounted, too, on the top longeron, braced to the bottom one with a strut. The assembly of this little plane, as well as its disassembly, could be accomplished very quickly due to the fact that the wing struts and brace wires were designed as a unit and were never completely taken apart except if necessary for repairs or servicing. The inboard spar fittings were connected first by slipping the ends over stubs extending from the landing gear axle, then pinning them in place. The wingtips were raised to flying position and the interplane struts unfolded. When that hinge point was

Editor’s Note: The Light Plane Heritage series in EAA’s Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history. Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this series, we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members. Enjoy!—HGF

18 NOVEMBER 2010

locked by inserting a pin, the bracing wires automatically became taut and the wings were again in proper rig. Voilà! A fully rigged, ready-to-fly airplane, about as easy to do as making instant coffee these days! The Avionnette’s landing gear was one of its more novel features: It had no shock absorbers at all; its axle, which was also the carry-through of the wing spars, was attached to the bottom longerons. The wing spars were made of round aluminum tubing (shades of Jim Bede!). Ground clearance was minimal, perhaps 8 inches, providing considerable ground effect, which aided in relieving landing shock, to a degree. Tail surfaces were small considering the fact that the flow of air aft of the pilot must have been burbling considerably. (Later versions of this plane exhibited a faired fuselage—unfortunately destroying its unusual character—as well as enlarged tail surfaces). M. de Pischof was not a newcomer to aeronautics, having collaborated in 1909 with a man name Koechlin on a monoplane of much larger size (gross weight: 771 pounds; wingspan: 26 feet). It is not reported how well it performed with its 32-hp engine. In the construction of Avionnette no wood was used except for the propeller. The craft was made entirely of steel and aluminum, covered with doped fabric. It was designed to a safety factor of 9. Visibility was about as good as it is possible to be. The pilot was exposed to the elements, it is true, but it must be remembered that this machine was designed strictly for fun and not for either high speeds or altitude. One simply dressed for the occasion and returned to Earth and the comfort of a bit of stimulant in the country club when one had had enough. Gasoline was carried in a center section tank just aft of the engine; capacity: 3.7 U.S. gallons. Instruments consisted of a tachometer together with an oil pulsometer and ignition switch. The throttle was attached to the joystick and connected to the Zenith carburetor by a Bowden cable. The plane that M. de Pischof flew at the 1921 Paris Air Show at Buc was registered F-ABGD. Unfortunately, he was killed in an air crash soon after and so was unable to continue development of this promising design. One wonders what other innovations in aero design this man might have contributed if fate had not decreed his early demise.

Author Owen Billman taxies the de Pischof Avionnette replica built by the Auburn High School industrial arts class. The original had been built in 1921, and no plans were available, so he began drawing them by eyeballing the only drawing he knew to exist, that eye-catching one drawn by Douglas Rolfe for the Alexis Dawydoff book Airplanes of the World, published in 1962 by Simon & Schuster, New York City. The students in his industrial arts class were anxious to get to work on this project, which had become intriguing to them, as well as to Lane, so they were soon at work building wing ribs from his drawings. He had followed as closely as reasonably possible the shape of the airfoil, which was obvious in Rolfe’s sketch. While the young people were busy with the ribs, he worked on the additional drawings in his spare time. His then-recent experiences in

A de Pischof Replica By Owen S. Billman In the fall of 1971, when Richard Lane joined the teaching staff of Auburn (New York) High School, he was reminded of the tiny de Pischof biplane he had admired so long. The Auburn school was noted for, and encouraged, free thinking on the part of its teaching staff. He proposed to the powers that be that he, with the students in his shop class, produce as accurate a copy of that little plane as possible. That proposal met with prompt approval.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

The Avionnette, built by de Pischof, first appeared in 1921 and featured allmetal construction. It was easily disassembled for storage or transport. Power was a 45-hp Anzani engine. designing and successfully building an experimental auto, and then an equally successful one-man submarine, were of great value to him. He was able to keep just a bit ahead of his enthusiastic devotees. He assumed (incorrectly as it turned out), that M. de Pischof had built his components along the usual lines, i.e., welded steel fuselage, with wings of wood, covered with doped fabric. The students applied for, and

soon received, their certificate of registration from the FAA on June 7, 1973; first flight was on July 5, 1975. For the sake of expediency as well as insurance, the new plane was registered in their teacher’s name. Power was supplied by a Volkswagen engine, Model 0-1192, rated theoretically at 26 hp, although it did not rev up properly from the start; modifications to the carburetor, as well as to the method of its air intake, finally

De Pischof Avionnette Specifications

Powerplant

Span, upper: 17 feet 1/4 inches Span, lower: 14 feet 11 inches Chord, upper: 2 feet 11 inches Chord, lower: 2 feet 3-5/8 inches Aspect ratio, upper: 5.8 Aspect ratio, lower: 6.5 Height, ground to top wing: 3 feet 3 inches Overall length: 11 feet 7 1/4 inches Dihedral, upper: 0 degrees Dihedral, lower: 4 degrees Angle of incidence, upper: 5 degrees Angle of incidence, lower: 3 degrees Decalage: 2 degrees Wing curve: Courtois-Surflit

Engine: 2-cylinder horizontally opposed air-cooled Clerget-Blin Power: 16 hp Bore: 3 3/8 inches Stroke: 3-15/16 inches Rpm: 2100 Weight: 55 pounds

Areas Upper wing, including ailerons: 53.5 square feet Lower wing: 27 square feet Total wing area: 80.5 square feet

Propeller Diameter: 4 feet 11 inches Pitch: 2 feet 1-½ inches

Weights Weight, empty: 224 pounds Weight of fuel: 21 pounds Weight of pilot: 140 pounds Wing loading :4.8 pounds/square foot Gross weight: 385 pounds Power loading: (16 hp) 24 pounds/hp

Performance Fuselage Height at front: 24 inches Height at rear: 12 inches

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Maximum speed: 56 mph Minimum speed: 34 mph Climb: 2,600 feet/inch 19 minutes “Unsticks” in 150 feet Lands in 160 feet Gliding angle: 1 in. 4.5 Range of action: 2 hours

resulted in 150 more revs . . . reasonably potent for takeoff and climb-out. Their pilot’s seat might have been taken from a John Deere cultivator, but on close inspection one can see it was handmade and beaten into the desired shape from an aluminum slab. When the plane was ready, most of Dick’s students were able to get to the airport to watch the taxi tests and finally the ultimate liftoff. It is easy to visualize the response of all those young people when they saw the result of all those months of work take to the skies. Unfortunately, it was quite obvious to Lane that to fly with the (reported) wingspan of 12 feet was to risk life and limb. There was simply not enough lift for safety. Subsequent investigation revealed that the 12-foot span reported to be used in 1921 was an error; the true span was 17 feet, meaning the wing area was greater by a comforting percentage. In addition, the flow of air around the pilot (listed as 140 pounds in the original plane) caused a serious burbling of the airflow over the tail assembly, especially since Lane’s weight and bulk was noticeably greater than had been de Pischof’s. So it was “back to the drawing board!” The span was increased to 17 feet, the fuselage was lengthened 18 inches, ailerons were extended another 9 inches outboard, the top wing incidence was increased 5-1/2 degrees, but the lower wing incidence was left as it had been…at 1-1/2 degrees. The new empty weight was 338 pounds, and gross weight was 558 pounds. Back to the airstrip! Dick again felt his way gradually to ensure that he and his faithfuls were on the right track, and later in the day of July 20, 1976, he made flights totaling 2-1/2 hours. Success with a vengeance! He says that flying this little aerial scooter is an experience to remember. It gets off when it is ready . . . not before. Rate of climb is not at all impressive, but it does gradually work its way up to impressive heights. The view in all directions is unequalled by any other plane because there is nothing to interfere with the pilot’s line of sight. continued on page 34

My Friend Frank Rezich, Part II BY

ROBERT G. LOCK

PHOTOS COURTESY OF REZICH FAMILY COLLECTION

y 1941 the Rezich boys, Mike, Nick, and Frank, had quite a collection of airplanes, and the Navy was in need of aircraft for training mechanics. Frank had just begun to change the OX-5 engine in the first Travel Air 2000, NC661H, at the family shop located one block from Chicago Municipal Airport. Early in 1942, Mike Rezich decided to sell the first Travel Air and the Pitcairn PA-7M to the Navy aviation maintenance training school, so both ships were sent to Navy Pier in Chicago. Unfortunately when the Navy was finished with both aircraft, they were loaded on a barge and dumped overboard in Lake Michigan, never to be seen again. Frank continued with his airplane maintenance and rebuilding activities.

Another of his projects was a small Porterfield Zephyr ship owned by a friend at the Harlem Airport. Frank re-covered it in the family shop. Harlem Airport was located about 5 miles southwest of Chicago Municipal Airport. There was actually no runway—it was just a large grass circle that allowed one to always land into the wind. During the 1940s Frank continued with his flying and maintenance activities, still working from the family shop during off hours whenever possible. There was a beautiful Travel Air B9-4000, NC9917, powered by a Wright J-6-9 engine producing 330 hp. It belonged to Harold Alford, who owned Alford Flying Service at the Chicago Municipal Airport. Alford also had the Pepsi Cola contract for smoke writing.

An intriguing photograph in the Rezich collection is a shot of a oneof-a-kind Travel Air D2000 racer powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine and built especially for Art Gobel. NX6473 was a highly modified Model 2000 built specifically for air racing at the Travel Air factory in Wichita. Take a look at the photo and you can see the extended nose to reduce the frontal area, speed wings, and a modified tail shape. The ship also had a narrow two-place fuselage with the front cockpit covered. Since Frank has always been a Travel Air man, I asked if he had worked on this ABOVE: 1941—The title of this Mike Rezich photo is “Mogie Engine Change” and shows Mike in the engine mount behind the prop. The old OX-5 engine can be seen lying on the ground at the bottom right of the photo.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

ABOVE: Frank’s overhaul of a small Porterfield Zephyr fully assembled and ready to fly. The ship was flown into the alley behind the house on a Sunday morning by brother Nick. He and Frank got the wings off and the whole airplane into the shop before the police came looking for the airplane that had “crashed.” Frank said, “The owner allowed us boys to fly it anytime we wanted.” LEFT: Frank Rezich standing in the cockpit of NC661H just after he soloed in 1938 at age 14. aircraft; his answer was no, but the photograph is so rare that it had to be included here in his story. Quite a bit was happening in the 1940s for the Rezich boys as they continued in the field of aviation. Mike bought another D4000 Travel Air, NC8115. The late 1930s and 1940s were prime opportunities to pick up great old airplanes at bargain prices because they had been flying for 10 years or longer and the cotton fabric was becoming

This beautiful Travel Air B9-4000, NC9917, powered by a Wright J-6-9 engine producing 330 hp, belonged to Harold Alford who owned Alford Flying Service at the Chicago Municipal Airport. Asked why he was not standing by the ship but sitting on the wheel, Frank replied, “Because I had been working on it all day and was tired!”

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unairworthy. Besides, two aircraft, the Travel Air 2000 and the Pitcairn PA - 7 M , h a d b e e n s o l d a n d a replacement was needed. NC8115 was nicely cowled with 30-by-5 wheels with wheel fairings and was powered by a Wright J-5 engine. NC8115 (the boys called it “eighty-one fifteen”) was disassembled as part of the War Act and remained disassembled until it was restored in 1977. Restoration work was primarily accomplished

by Nick, with welding assistance from Frank and general work b y N i c k ’s s o n J i m . N i c k a l s o had assistance from the co-pilot mechanic Gary Beck, who helped with sheet metal. He covered the landing-gear legs with aluminum and did the engine cowling and front seat and seat-door hinging. Of course, Nick bankrolled the project. A dark color is not the best for long-term life of cotton fabric on an airplane. When Nick and son Jim

A one-of-a-kind Travel Air D2000 racer, built for Art Gobel. It was powered by an OX-5. rebuilt the ship it came out white with red trim, perhaps the most handsome Travel Air D4000 I have ever seen. It was stunning to see the Wright J-6-7 engine tightly cowled and the landing gear covered with aluminum and low-pressure wheels with wheel fairings retained. Frank and Nick, while maintaining paying jobs, continued to work in their family shop under the name “Rezich Aircraft,” at the home just one block from Chicago

Municipal Airport. They continued to taxi or tow aircraft through the 50-foot open gate on 63rd Street to their property. It was the best of all worlds, as there was no hangar rent or airport fees to be paid, and they continued to hangar Mike’s airplane collection at nearby airports, where rent was cheaper. Work in the family shop continued from 1936 through 1950. It was Mike who collected marvelous pictures of the airplanes

of the era. His scrapbooks are a history of aviation from the early days. As each brother grew older and eventually passed on, the collection of historical material and the airplanes were passed down. All the memorabilia and the two remaining Travel Airs, NC9946H and NC606K, are still in the possession of the last Rezich son, Frank. Living so close to a very active Chicago Municipal Airport (later

Here’s NC8115 with its wings removed, but before the rebuild.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

LEFT: There were other times and activities when the boys had to discard their flying and mechanic garb for a full-blown dress day. Here they are on Frank’s wedding day. Mike is in the center, flanked by brothers Nick (L) and Frank (R) for the happy occasion. RIGHT: After its 1977 restoration, NC8115 was displayed at Oshkosh in 1980.

A Continental A-40 Piper J-2 Cub, NC16398, in the Rezich backyard after a re-cover job in 1938. The ship was owned by Mearle Buck at the time, and no doubt Frank did most of the work. The garage with the propeller above the entry door was used for storage. Chicago Midway), accidents in the early days were common, as one of the photographs in the collection shows. About a block away from the Rezich home on La Porte and 64th streets, an Aeronca Chief stalled and spun on takeoff, coming to rest against this building. Frank recalled, “Oh, this happened next to a doctor’s office. After the loud bang of the accident, the doctor came out to check the condition of the pilot. He was dead, so the doctor walked back inside, called the authorities, and continued his practice.” There were many very interesting incidents in Frank’s life, but none more bizarre than Frank’s Fleet story. The Rezich boys did a lot of bartering in those days because there

24 NOVEMBER 2010

was very little money. They traded maintenance and overhaul for flying time. One day Frank went to the field to go up in a Fleet biplane. He planned on doing some stalls and maybe a spin or two, so he donned a parachute and hopped into the rear cockpit. Climbing to an altitude of about 5,000 feet, Frank stalled the airplane. He recalled, “The first stall was ver y gentle, so I did another one a little steeper. Wow, what a gentle airplane—I wonder how it spins. So I pulled the nose up and when it stalled, kicked the rudder and the airplane entered a spin. After about three turns it was time to recover, so I applied opposite rudder and shoved the stick forward. But the airplane

continued to spin, so I tried it again. No luck. By this time I had lost about half my altitude, so I guess I’d better jump. I climbed out of the rear cockpit and stood on the lower wing, when all of a sudden the ship started to recover. So I climbed into the front cockpit, recovered from the spin, and went back to the field, a little shaken, and landed. I parked the airplane, tied it down, and left, not telling anyone about what happened. And that is the Fleet story.” The Rezich boys are an amazing study for any historian—the knowledge gained through a lifetime of work is incredible. Next month, Frank joins Howard Aircraft at the Chicago Municipal Airport.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Vintage Mechanic

THE

BY ROBERT G. LOCK

Special inspection—Boeing Stearman Experience is a valuable commodity, and in these past columns I have tried to pass along my knowledge gained over the past 50-plus years as a mechanic. There is always something new to be learned when working as a mechanic, especially on vintage or “orphaned” aircraft. This column focuses on special inspections on a particular aircraft—the Boeing Stearman. Checking the Continental W-670 oil sump for large fragments of crankshaft main bearing cage failure is one special inspection I already brought to light. Here is a recent e-mail from an owner who found these fragments in his oil sump. Hi Bob, Just wanted to give you some feedback regarding your Vintage [Airplane] article earlier this year. You reported on crankshaft bearing failures in the W-670 engine—which I have on my Stearman. Well, I kept your article and at annual this month checked the oil sump, and “ouch,” we found metal parts from the cage. We have 375 hours on the engine. Last year, one of our friends here at C77 had the same problem, but he had 1,700 hours on his engine! Thanks for your article; our engine is in Oklahoma being repaired/overhauled. So here spreading the word paid off. Any owner/ pilot with a Continental W-670 should be on the lookout for these bearing-cage fragments that will show themselves in the oil sump. Now, on to another special inspection I recently encountered when performing an airworthiness inspection on a modified Boeing A75N1. This aircraft was highly modified to include the installation of a Pratt & Whitney R-985-14B with a Hamilton Standard 22D30 propeller, making the ship licensed in the Experimental-

26 NOVEMBER 2010

FIGURE 1

FIGURE 2

Exhibition category. Aircraft certificated in the Experimental category do not have annual inspections; rather they are given an “airworthiness” inspection (which actually is the same as an annual inspection). I became aware of an accident in South Africa involving an R-985 powered aircraft. The pilot was practicing aerobatics the day prior to an air show. The loads imposed on the engine mount caused the attachment bolts from the mount to the airframe to fail in flight. The whole firewall-forward engine installation departed the airplane, and it crashed near the airport with fatal results. The accident report is online and is very detailed, having been investigated by the CAA (the Civil Aviation Authority) in South Africa. After reading the accident report, I decided to make a close inspection of the hardware attaching the engine mount to the fuselage structure, since it appeared to be the same type of engine mount. You can read the accident report by visiting www.Sunzeri. com/Stearman/mount_concerns.htm. The engine was attached to the fuselage structure with four NAS148DH24 bolts. These are high-strength steel bolts, heat-treated to 160,000 psi with much greater tensile strength when compared to common AN 2330 nickel steel bolts that are heat-treated to 125,000 psi. FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 43.13-1B states, “Internal wrenching bolts, NAS144-158 and NAS172-NAS176. These are high-strength bolts used

primarily in tension applications. Use a special heattreated washer (NAS143C) under the head to prevent the large radius of the shank from contacting only the sharp edge of the hole. Use a special heat-treated washer (NAS143) under the nut.” And therein lies the problem. These NAS148 bolts were assembled using common AN 960-8 washers. The NAS143C washer designation indicates that the washer was heat-treated to high strength and has a small countersink (chamfer) to accommodate the radius from the bolt head to the shank. If there was no countersunk area around the inside of the washer, then all the torque applied will be absorbed by the small area where the washer contacts the inside radius in the area where the shank transitions to the head. Not only does this deform the washer, but under heavy loads the AN washer can crush, thus lowering or eliminating the torque applied to the fastener. Figure 1 is a vibrodamp engine mount produced under a supplemental type certificate (STC) to convert a Boeing Stearman biplane to either 450 or 600 hp. It is beautifully engineered. Large Lord-type vibration isolators can be seen at four locations around the mount ring, while attachment to the fuselage structure is rigid. The mount is fabricated from 4130 steel tubing. Figure 2 shows the NAS148DH24 internal wrenching high-strength bolt in place, with head safetied to the mount. If the bolt fails, the safety wire

FIGURE 3 VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

FIGURE 4

FIGURE 5

FIGURE 6 28 NOVEMBER 2010

keeps the fastener in place, making its failure difficult to see. The original airframe had heattreated studs installed to connect the mount to the fuselage, but the STC calls out these high-strength NAS (National Aeronautical Standards) bolts.. In Figure 3, the bolt is partly out, showing the washer installation. This is a standard AN 960-8 washer and is not authorized. It could lead to failure of the bolt if the ship were used for aerobatics, because it may crush under loads, lowering or eliminating the torque applied to the fastener. It takes a heavy load to cause a 1/2-inchdiameter high-strength bolt to fail, but the upper right bolt failed first on the South African Stearman. It apparently went undetected—one usually does not remove engine mount to fuselage bolts during an inspection. The right lower bolt failed, and the entire engine package rotated left, failing both the left upper and lower bolts on the left side of the mount. The stock engine mount for either Continental or Lycoming engines attaches to the fuselage structure via four threaded studs 7/16-inch diameter by 3-1/2 inches long. The factory also produced 0.004-inch oversized studs. If a conversion to a larger engine was desired, studs not produced by the original factory were 7/16-inch diameter by 2-1/2 inches long. When we converted aircraft back in the ’50s and ’60s, we made our own engine mounts in-house b y c u t t i n g u p B T- 1 3 m o u n t s , saving the ring and mounting fittings, building a fixture, and gas welding a “stiff” mount. The mount arm was severely shortened due to the added weight of the engine/prop package. Since the BT-13 mount pads were used, all the ships had to be modified to the 1/2-inch-diameter short studs because that is what the

BTs used. The threaded bushings welded into the four longerons were drilled oversized and tapped to 1/2-inch by 20 NF threads to fit the studs. Such is the case on these modified 450-/600-hp STC mounts—the attaching hardware is ½-inch-20, thus the NAS148DH24. Figure 4 shows a Stearman converted to 450 hp in the late 1950. It was owned by my uncle, George H. Baldrick. This is where I both started flying and being a mechanic helper. Figure 5 is a Boeing factory sketch for a bushing repair to the engine mount stud. Note the original threaded bushing is inserted into the longeron and then welded into place. As previously stated, NAS148 bolt and NAS143 washers (superseded by MS20002C-8) are stronger in tensile strength than a regular AN bolt. They also have an internal hex head rather than external. Figure 6 shows the configuration of an NAS148 drilled head, internal wrenching bolt. The NAS148 bolt is steel and heat-treated to 160,000-180,000 psi tensile strength and is plated with cadmium for corrosion protection. The arrows point to an area where the head fairs into the shank—a generous radius is provided, since this bolt is used principally in tension loads. Thus the need for a countersunk (chamfered) washer as shown in Figure 7. The NAS143 washer was superseded by MS20002C. The ‘C’ indicates countersunk on the inside diameter to accommodate the head to shank radius of the bolt. In the case of the NAS148DH24 bolt, the 8 indicates the bolt is 8/16-inch (1/2-inch) diameter. The washer under the head carries the code MS20002C8. The same washer, when used under a nut, carries the code MS20002-8. In the sketch (Figure 7), arrows point to the chamfered Figure 7 areas.

Torque charts in AC 43.13-1B, page 7-9, show a range of 480690 inch-pounds for a 1/2-inch-20 AN365 nut. If no torque value can be located, torque the NAS148 bolt to the upper limits, which is 690 inch-pounds. I torqued this bolt installation to 60 foot-pounds, or 720 FIGURE inch-pounds. All owners of Boeing Stearman aircraft modified with any type of engine mount other than stock parts should inspect for attaching h a r d w a r e t y p e . I n p a r t i c u l a r, those mounts that are STC’d with NAS148 attachment bolts should be inspected prior to further flight to ascertain the bolt condition,

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800-362-3490 VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Vintage Instructor THE

BY Steve Krog, CFI

Windsocks and downwind landings Fly in the little end and out the big end The airport at which I am based, Miles Field, Hartford, Wisconsin (HXF), is a nontowered airport with both hard-surface and turf runways. It is surrounded by a half-dozen “improved” airports with long runways and, in some cases, control towers . . . all no more than 15 or 20 minutes away. It is an easy airport to fly to and from, and flight instructors from the surrounding airports like to bring students to HXF to practice shortand soft-field takeoffs and landings. Hartford also has a 24-hour self-ser vice fuel facility. So, in addition to the student flight activity, a number of area pilots like to fly into HXF for fuel, as it is usually less expensive than at the surrounding airports. We have no fixed-base operator on the field, so the UNICOM is not monitored continuously during daylight hours. But we do have the old original standby for determining surface winds—a large orange windsock—located at the midpoint of the hard-surface runway, about 300 feet south of the centerline. On a daily basis we observe a number of airplanes arriving at the Hartford airport with the intention of landing. Dutifully, they announce their intentions: “Hartford traffic, this is Cessna 12345 entering left downwind for landing on Runway 11, Hartford.” A quick glance at the windsock from my hangar door indicates the surface wind to be from a westerly direction at about 10-12 knots, clearly favoring Runway 29. The student, with whom I am conducting ground school at the moment, and I exchange knowing glances, both deciding we need a short break, and move to the open hangar door to watch what will almost assuredly be a five-minute excellent visual student-training exercise. Let the circus begin! As an active instructor with ready access to the UNICOM, I struggle at this point. Do I listen to the little “angel” sitting on my right shoulder who is saying, “Pick up the microphone and tell the arriving

30 NOVEMBER 2010

airplane it is landing downwind.” Or should I listen to the little “devil” sitting on my left shoulder telling me, “No, don’t tell them anything. Besides, when they’re all done there might be some salvage parts we can use!” I decide to listen to the devil today, because the arriving aircraft appears to be a student and instructor from a nearby tower-controlled airport. The first attempt at landing is a confirmed goaround as the airplane is still at 500 feet above ground level when crossing the runway numbers. You can almost hear the conversation taking place between the student and the certificated flight instructor (CFI): Student: What did I do wrong? I was really high on that approach. CFI: You should have brought the power back a little sooner and maybe added some flaps. The next attempt at landing is not much better, and another go-around is initiated. Student: I was still too high even after adding 20 degrees of flaps. What am I doing wrong? CFI: Well, it appears to me that you still need to get the power reduced sooner, and this time use full flaps. And your airspeed is too fast. The student is becoming quite confused at this point. He (or she) has been doing ever ything exactly the way he or she was taught, and it just isn’t working, but the student is determined to nail it on the next attempt. At this point the local hangar fliers begin placing bets on the spot of touchdown. Loser buys the next round of coffee. This time the student has done everything he or she was taught to perfection. Carb heat was applied, power reduced abeam the numbers, a turn to base occurred 45 degrees off the approach end of the runway, 20 degrees of flaps were applied, and a turn to final aligned the airplane perfectly with the centerline. But something is amiss. It doesn’t look right.

Student: I think I’m still too high. CFI: Add full flaps. Student: I added full flaps but I’m still too high. What should I do? CFI: I’ll take it from here. From the ground it is clearly visible, even to the novice, when the CFI has taken the controls. The wings rock from side to side with the landing gear in search of the runway, and then the nose is pushed over into a dive attitude. Finally the wheels are in contact with the runway, and tires begin to squeal. After using approximately 2,900 of the 3,000 feet of runway, the airplane is now under control, and the CFI has the student take the controls for the remaining 100 feet of taxi. The “angel” on my right shoulder is now telling me, “Do something. Don’t let them try it again.” At this point I’ll usually pick up the mic and state: “Cessna 12345, we’ve undergone a wind switch in the last hour. You might want to use Runway 29 for your departure.” The student pilot didn’t pick up on the cryptic phrase “in the last hour,” but I’m sure the CFI did. The CFI will usually reply: “Uh, thanks. Cessna 12345 will depart Runway 29 and leave the pattern.” The CFI’s credibility has been saved, and the student’s question about what went wrong has been answered. The approach and landing were made with a tail wind. All of the gyrations experienced in the example could have been avoided had both student and CFI simply looked at the windsock and determined what it was telling them. I remember vividly a learning experience I had very early in my flight training. I was having a hard time determining the wind direction by looking at the windsock. My instructor picked up on my confusion and in one short statement gave me advice that I use and share with every student. He said, “Look at the windsock and fly into the little opening and out the big opening.” From that time forward I’ve never had a problem determining wind direction and runway preference. I share that statement with every student beginning with the first lesson. In addition to the windsock, there are two other surface-wind indicators commonly found on airports: the wind tee, which is a free-swinging T-shaped marker that resembles an airplane, and the tetrahedron, a four-sided object that resembles an arrowhead when seen from the air. If you’re inexperienced with either of these two indicators, it’s easy to get confused unless you remember a couple of easy statements. Think of the

wind tee as an airplane. The way it’s heading is into the wind. And when seeing a tetrahedron, think of it as an arrowhead pointing the way for you to take off or land. Included in the flight-training course I provide are downwind landings, a part of the emergencylanding segment of training. To make the downwind landing a true learning experience, first I have the student make a normal takeoff and landing on a day when we have an approximate 10-knot head wind. We’ll note both the takeoff and landing distance. Then I’ll have the student repeat the normal takeoff and landing, but this time with the 10-knot wind on our tail. The students are quite amazed, not only in the feel of the aircraft but also in the extended distances required. On final approach with a tail wind, it will sometimes feel as if the airplane is climbing and/or just won’t come down. H e r e ’s a n e x a m p l e f o r calculating how a 10-knot tail wind will affect your landing distance: At 70 knots, the airplane is traveling at 118 feet per second (fps); at 60 knots, at 101 fps. Let’s say the approach speed is 60 knots and groundspeed is 70 knots. If it takes five seconds to dissipate the extra speed, the airplane will have traveled approximately 550 feet in the float. Not a firm rule of thumb, but an additional10 knots on the approach groundspeed will generally use about 500 additional feet of runway. It doesn’t take a control tower operator to help you fly safely. Rather, it takes you—the pilot in command—using and applying common sense to every aspect of your flight. And that includes the traffic pattern and landing. Look at the windsock, make a safe landing, and don’t be the deciding factor when it comes to who is paying for the next round of coffee!

At this point the local hangar fliers begin

placing bets on the spot

of touchdown. Loser buys the next round of coffee.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31

by H.G. FRAUTSCHY

MYSTERY PLANE This month’s Mystery Plane comes from a batch of old photos sent to us by Duffy Thompson of Lakeland, Florida. Duffy’s friend Don O.W. Emerson gave them to Duffy years ago. The “O.W.” in Emerson’s name stood for Orville and Wilbur. Don’s father was very involved in the U.S. Air Mail Service and knew the Wrights, according to Duffy, hence the “O.W.” We’ve run photos in Mystery Plane from the collection of Don’s brother, Emy Emerson. This is a foreign design, but the photo was taken on the eastern seaboard.

Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to be in no later than December 15 for inclusion

32 NOVEMBER 2010

in the February 2011 issue of Vintage Airplane. You can also send your response via e-mail. Send your answer to mysteryplane@eaa.org.

Be sure to include your name plus your city and state in the body of your note and put “(Month) Mystery Plane” in the subject line.

AUGUSTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MYSTERY ANSWER

he August Mystery Plane came to us from the EAA archives, and Wes Smith of Springfield, Illinois, was the only one to hazard a guess:

plane, with the pilot sitting in a rear open cockpit (obscured by the wing). It was registered as 2235.

No other answers were received.

Well, you really had me chasing my tail on this one! I considered a number of possibilities, including the Siddeley Puma powered modified Bristol F.2B built by Peter Aillinio in 1928. The giveaway is the shadow on the ground, which indicates that it was a 12-cylinder engine, and carburetor intake, indicative of a Liberty. At first I thought it might be a Puma, because of the shape of the exhaust stacks. Then I looked more closely. Also, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Hall-Scott radiators, which appear to be from an L-6. So, with the long three-bay wing, the only thing that fits is the 1926-29 Kansas City Aircraft Co. Cabin (aka: Bennett Airliner. George or Gordon L. Bennett, Pres. Richards Field, Kansas City, Missouri). Originally powered by a Hall-Scott L-6, a 400-hp Liberty was fitted for a time (as shown in your photo) before a Hispano-Suiza in 1928. The span is in excess of 50 feet, and I agree with www.Aerofiles. com that it was a five-place cabin bi-

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33

VINTAGE TRADER S o m e t h i n g t o b u y, 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. Adver tising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (i.e., Januar y 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA reser ves the right to reject any adver tising in conflict with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per issue. Classified ads are not accepted via phone. Payment must accompany order. Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail (classads@eaa.org) 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 adver tising correspondence to EAA Publications Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

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Light Plane Heritage continued from page 20 The narrow chord of the wing means that the view of other traffic is superior. Nearly all his flying was done at full throttle; throttling back meant an immediate loss of altitude. Even while dropping off altitude to enter traffic, Dick says he would ease off on the throttle only slightly. With an idle power setting, his rate of descent was breathtaking. Thus he would make his glide at near cruising power and fly it to a wheel landing every time. During 1976 and the year following, Lane built up an impressive total of 40 exciting hours…40 personally satisfying hours for him in seeing another brainchild take form and do what he had anticipated, and satisfying to his young friends in seeing the results of their efforts bear fruit. “Was it all worthwhile?” we asked Dick. “You’d better believe it!” was his reply. “And, I believe we would all do it again if we had the chance.” His broad grin was proof of his sincerity. Editor’s Note: Through the efforts of Mr. Billman, the de Pischof Avionnette built by the Auburn High School industrial arts class is now on display at the Empire State Aerosciences Museum, 250 Rudy Chase Drive, Glenville, NY 12302-7104, 518-377-2191. (Vintage Airplane Editor’s Note: It’s still on display as of October 2010. You can visit its website at www.ESAM.org.)

34 NOVEMBER 2010

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VINTAGE BOOK REVIEWS The Forgotten Barnstormer— The Story of the Standard J-1 in War and in Peace By Sparky Barnes Sargent Aviation historian, pilot, and VAA Hall of Fame member Chet Peek of Norman, Oklahoma, at 89 years young, has just published his eighth book, The Forgotten Barnstormer—The Story of the Standard J-1 in War and in Peace. Peek’s inspiration to write the book was twofold: The Standard J-1 has so often been mistaken for the ubiquitous Jenny, and it has long been neglected in the annals of aviation history. Additionally, Peek had worked on his own Standard restoration for decades and was just about ready to hang a Hall-Scott A7a engine on the airframe for a test run when an F5 tornado destroyed his efforts. Peek, being intimately acquainted with the construction details of the Standard J-1, used this experiential knowledge as a springboard to launch his extensive research for the book. He and his wife, Marian, invested much time and energy investigating the history of the Standard, including personal visits to pore through museum archives in Texas and Missouri. Additionally, countless communications with knowledgeable individuals yielded invaluable material. Peek carefully categorized this information into easy-to-read chapters, which convey the significance of the Standard in aviation history, while highlighting intriguing and heretofore obscure details. The first part of the book traces the evolution of the Sloane Company into the Standard Aero Corporation, the use of the ill-fated Hall-Scott A7a, and the Standard’s service in World War I. Readers soon discover that as many as 1,600 Standard J-1s were built as primary trainers for World War I, but they were eventually taken out of service due to the unreliable Hall-Scott engine. An interesting side note during this era is that Standard Aero received a special order in May 1918 for six mail planes (Model Number JR-1B), which were duly built and delivered to the Postal Department. Part II guides the reader through postwar surplus sales—nearly a thousand Standard J-1s and twice as many Hall-Scott A7a engines were stored in Houston— and the burgeoning popularity of the Standard when it was remanufactured with the more reliable OX-5 or Hispano-Suiza. In Part III Peek invites readers to vicariously enjoy joy rides and wing walking, as well as flying circuses, barnstorming adventures, and Hollywood stunts. One reason the Standard found its niche with barnstormers was that two passengers could be hauled in the front cockpit— and when modified, up to four could be carried. The Standard also had more wing area than the Jenny, which allowed it to operate from shorter fields. Pilots including Art Chester, Clyde Ice, Charles Lindbergh, Noel Wien, and “Bud” Gurney all logged time aloft in Standards. Just like the Standard J-1 itself, The Forgotten Barnstormer—The Story of the Standard J-1 in War and in

Peace fills its own distinguished niche. Peek has unearthed an intriguing facet of aviation history for the rest of us to enjoy—all the way from the Standard’s tenuous beginningss through contemporary restorations. This book is a musthave not only for aviation history buffs and those who are intrigued by the early barnstorming era, but also for those unfamiliar with the Standard, the engines that powered it, and the pilots who flew them way back when—along with those who still seek to restore and fly Standard biplanes. Published by Three Peaks Publishing in Norman, Oklahoma, The Forgotten Barnstormer will soon be available from major aviation-related booksellers. This softcover book is 148 pages, with a plethora of black and white photographs. It is identified as ISBN 978-1-866196-07-0 and costs $29.95 plus shipping. (Peek’s previous aviation history books are The Taylorcraft Story, The Spartan Story, Resurrection of a Jenny, The First Cub, Flying with 40 Horses, The Heath Story, and The Pietenpol Story.)

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President Geoff Robison 1521 E. MacGregor Dr. New Haven, IN 46774 260-493-4724 chief7025@aol.com

Vice-President George Daubner N57W34837 Pondview Ln Oconomowoc, WI 53066 262-560-1949 gdaubner@eaa.org

Secretary Steve Nesse 2009 Highland Ave. Albert Lea, MN 56007 507-373-1674 stnes2009@live.com

Treasurer Dan Knutson 106 Tena Marie Circle Lodi, WI 53555 608-592-7224 lodicub@charter.net

DIRECTORS

Steve Bender 85 Brush Hill Road Sherborn, MA 01770 508-653-7557 sst10@comcast.net

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

David Bennett 375 Killdeer Ct Lincoln, CA 95648 916-952-9449 antiquer@inreach.com

Jeannie Hill P.O. Box 328 Harvard, IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205

Jerry Brown 4605 Hickory Wood Row Greenwood, IN 46143 317-422-9366 lbrown4906@aol.com Dave Clark 635 Vestal Lane Plainfield, IN 46168 317-839-4500 davecpd@att.net John S. Copeland 1A Deacon Street Northborough, MA 01532 508-393-4775 copeland1@juno.com Phil Coulson 28415 Springbrook Dr. Lawton, MI 49065 269-624-6490 rcoulson516@cs.com

Espie “Butch” Joyce 704 N. Regional Rd. Greensboro, NC 27409 336-668-3650 windsock@aol.com Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln. Hartford, WI 53027 262-966-7627 sskrog@aol.com Robert D. “Bob” Lumley 1265 South 124th St. Brookfield, WI 53005 262-782-2633 lumper@execpc.com S.H. “Wes” Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa, WI 53213 414-771-1545 shschmid@gmail.com

DIRECTORS EMERITUS Robert C. Brauer 9345 S. Hoyne Chicago, IL 60643 773-779-2105 photopilot@aol.com

Charlie Harris PO Box 470350 Tulsa, OK 74147 918-622-8400 cwh@hvsu.com

Gene Chase 2159 Carlton Rd. Oshkosh, WI 54904 920-231-5002 GRCHA@charter.net

E.E. “Buck” Hilbert 8102 Leech Rd. Union, IL 60180 815-923-4591 buck7ac@gmail.com

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

Gene Morris 5936 Steve Court Roanoke, TX 76262 817-491-9110 genemorris@charter.net

John Turgyan PO Box 219 New Egypt, NJ 08533 609-758-2910 jrturgyan4@aol.com

Membership Services Directory Enjoy the many benefits of EAA and EAA’s Vintage Aircraft Association

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

Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Sites: www.vintageaircraft.org, www.airventure.org, www.eaa.org/memberbenefits E-Mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org

EAA and Division Membership Services (8:00 AM–6:00 PM Monday–Friday CST) membership@eaa.org 800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 www.eaa.org/memberbenefits •New/renew memberships •Address changes •Merchandise sales •Gift memberships EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 www.airventure.org Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 www.sportpilot.org Programs and Activities Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 www.airacademy.org EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 Library Services/Research 920-426-4848 Benefits AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 www.auaonline.com EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 www.eaa.org/memberbenefits EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext. 8884 EAA Hertz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 www.eaa.org/hertz Editorial 920-426-4825 www.vintageaircraft.org VAA Office 920-426-6110

airventure@eaa.org sportpilot@eaa.org dwalker@eaa.or airacademy@eaa.org scholarships@eaa.org slurvey@eaa.org

membership@eaa.org membership@eaa.org vintage@eaa.org tbooks@eaa.org

EAA Members Information Line 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 ready when calling. Office hours are 8:15 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Monday - Friday, CST)

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is $40 for one year, including 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION. Family membership is an additional $10 annually. All major credit cards accepted for membership. (Add $16 for International Postage.)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submit your remittance with a check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars. Add required Foreign Postage amount for each membership.

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION Current EAA members may join the Vintage Aircraft Association and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an additional $36 per year. EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per

year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included). (Add $7 for International Postage.)

WARBIRDS Current EAA members may join the EAA Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year. EAA Membership, WARBIRDS magazine and one year membership in the Warbirds Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazine not included). (Add $7 for International Postage.)

IAC

Current EAA members may join the International Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year. EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBATICS magazine and one year membership in the IAC Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included). (Add $15 for Foreign Postage.)

Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions

Copyright ©2010 by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association, All rights reserved. VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750; ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EAA Aviation Center, 3000 Poberezny Rd., PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086, e-mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org. Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association, which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine, is $36 per year for EAA members and $46 for non-EAA members. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at additional 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 N9A 6J5. FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES — Please allow at 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 submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. No remuneration is made. Material should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 920-426-4800. EAA® and EAA SPORT AVIATION®, the EAA Logo® and Aeronautica™ are registered trademarks, trademarks, and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

36 NOVEMBER 2010

Baron Flight Cap (shown left) Canvas with ﬂeece lining for men, women, and children. MD Sage replica of a 1946 issue. 5265341503053 5265341502053 SM Sage Quilted lining with Strategic Air 5265341503084 MD Tobacco Command Print. 5265341502084 SM Tobacco

*$57.99- Bomber Jacket 61.99 Vintage B-15A Bomber jacket is a

100% Cotton Shell. Zippered sleeve pocket, knit waist and cuﬀs. Inside zippered pocket, zipper front, 2 front slash pockets w/ snap closure. Imitation fur collar is removable. (shown above)

5265697303082 MD 5265697304082 LG 5265697305082 XL 5265697306082 2X

*$36.95

SAGE

TOBACCO

Lady’s Quilted Black Vest VAA logo on left chest. 5265804203093 MD 5265804204093 LG 5265804205093 XL

*$24.95

Sweatshirt/Jacket Having side pockets and being extra soft inside, this top is cozy during chilly days. Comes in teal or pink. 5265803103064 5265803104064 5265803105064 5265803106064

Teal Teal Teal Teal

MD LG XL 2X

5265803103011 5265803105011

Pink MD Pink XL

*$20.99 www.shopeaa.com/vaa Telephone Orders: 800-843-3612 From US and Canada (All Others Call 920-426-5912)

Or send to: EAA Mail Orders, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086

Limited supplies available. *Shipping and handling NOT included. Major credit cards accepted. WI residents add 5% sales tax.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 37

www.shopeaa.com/vaa Telephone Orders: 800-843-3612 Ladies Jacket (below) Ladiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; light-weight nylon jacket with mesh lining has small biplane design on sleeve. Side pockets. 100% Polyester. Machine washable. BLUE 5265801504061 LG 5265801502061 SM 5265801505061 XL 5265801503061 MD 5265801506061 2X RED 5265801502020 5265801503020 PINK 5265801502011 5265801503011

SM MD

5265801504020 5265801505020 5265801506020

LG XL 2X

SM MD

5265801504011 5265801505011

LG XL

*$19.95

Or send to: EAA Mail Orders, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 Limited supplies available. *Shipping and handling NOT included. Major credit cards accepted. WI residents add 5% sales tax.

Ladies Hooded White Sweatshirt Red detailing accents this white sweatshirt creating an attractive casual statement. 5265815902100 5265815903100

*$32.95 PINK

38 NOVEMBER 2010

From US and Canada (All Others Call 920-426-5912)

SM MD

5265815904100 5265815905100

LG XL

Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Casual Long Sleeve Shirt (below)

Corduroy Shirt

This light-weight, extra soft 100% cotton shirt looks great on its own, or layered under another shirt. White shirt has navy VAA logo and detail stitiching. Black has white logo and stitching.

Classy, casual and comfortable this corduroy long sleeve shirt has snap closures, with two front pockets. Vintage Logo is tone on tone. 5265800404083 5265800405083 5265800406083

LG XL 2X

*$24.95

5265799104093 5265799105093 5265799106093

Black Black Black

LG XL 2X

5265799103100 5265799104100 5265799105100 5265799106100

White White White White

MD LG XL 2X

*$19.99

1/4-Zip Sweatshirt A biplane embroidered design. For pullover comfort this sweatshirt is a versatile wardrobe essential. 5265770903011 Salmon 5265770904011 Salmon 5265770905011 Salmon

MD LG XL

5265770903061 Indigo 5265770904061 Indigo 5265770905061 Indigo (runs small)

MD LG XL

*$41.99

INDIGO

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39

www.shopeaa.com/vaa Telephone Orders: 800-843-3612

Snoopy Flying Ace Mug Snoopy on the front; Woodstock on the back indicating â&#x20AC;&#x153;Curse these early morning hours.â&#x20AC;? 14 oz. ceramic mug. Microwave and dishwasher safe.

5264863600000

From US and Canada (All Others Call 920-426-5912) *Shipping and handling NOT included. Major credit cards accepted. WI residents add 5% sales tax.

Canvas Bag & Matching Hat Biplane embroidered cap and tote are 100% Cotton. Metal buckle at the back of cap adjusts for size. Choose bluegrass teal or chili red. Teal Cap 52656873140160 Teal Tote 5265687014060 Red Cap 5265687314020 Red Tote 5265687014020

CHILI RED

*$12.95

Cap

*$14.99

Wooden Toy Planes Cherry Wood Triplane (see price by photo) 5265657300000 Handmade in Wisconsin, the sturdy plane has wood that ages to a deep red. Wing span is approximately 12-1/2 inches. Propeller spins. Pilot can be removed from the cockpit. Maple & Walnut Monoplane (see price by photo) 5265657400000 Also made in Wisconsin, the monoplane has a wingspan of 12 inches. Pilot can be removed from plane for playing.

Tote

*$21.95

Coaster Set Set of six tin coasters each with a unique design. Cork backed. Approx. 3-1/2 inches across. Storage tin included. 5251604200000

*$31.95

*$13.99 *$34.95

Thank You, VAA Volunteers