APRIL 2010
STRAIGHT & LEVEL GEOFF ROBISON PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
Change in season, change in activity s everybody out there ready for a brand new flying season? The weather around here has finally improved to a point that we are well into beginning the annual spring ritual of extensive preflight preparation of all the airplanes in the hangar. One Chief needs the dust knocked off, some fuel, and it’s ready to go. The Lycoming-powered Aeronca TL is likely going to get a different engine, a Continental, to make it a TC. The Cessna 120 is finally getting that interior you have heard me talk about in previous columns. It’s also getting a rework of the panel and replacement of the skylights, along with an annual inspection. We’re sure it will be completed by the end of April . . . right! The other Chief in the hangar is patiently awaiting its turn for an annual inspection, and my Cessna 170 is in annual and fl ight ready. (I cannot remember the last time I could say that in mid-March!). In the midst of all this busyness we are still making progress on the Neumann Monocoupe, which we as a chapter are restoring for the EAA AirVenture Museum. On top of that, we have now completed the expansion of the VAA Chapter 37 hangar; you can see we had a busy winter. I’m ready to do some flying for a change! One interesting factor that has developed here at Vintage Chapter 37 has been an uptick of youthful participants. It seems as though the word has gotten out
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that we welcome the opportunity to engage our local youth in our aviation activities.
Nothing is more fulfilling to our mission than reaching out to these young folks. Having the opportunity to engage these energetic participants in our activities has paid off in many ways. Nothing is more fulfilling to our mission than reaching out to these young folks. Having the opportunity to engage these energetic participants in our activities has paid off in many ways. Our Young Eagles events continue to expand because we reach out and gather as many of our local youth as possible. These busy young minds and hands pay huge dividends to the chapter experience in many ways. Because of this single development, I see a bright future for this chapter. It will continue to thrive, since we consistently open more
and more doors for these youngsters. Here’s hoping that you are engaged in a local EAA chapter and it is experiencing similar growth. Have you participated in an EAA webinar yet? You have to check out this latest member benefit. I personally attended the first two events and have come away absolutely enthralled. This is great stuff! It’s educational as well as informative—and even entertaining. If you are unable to attend the webinar fi rsthand, no worries, as they are also being posted on the EAA website for viewing at your leisure. It’s better to attend the actual webinar because you have the opportunity to ask the presenters questions. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to engage yourself in these events. Check it out on the EAA website at www.EAA.org; just click on Oshkosh365. May 15 is the first International Learn to Fly Day, an observance first announced at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009. EAA is urging all aviation groups and pilots to participate in the event, which seeks to spark interest in adults learning to fly, similar to the success of Young Eagles over the past two decades. A new website has been unveiled at www.LearnToFlyDay.org, which will help serve as a clearinghouse of information and events surrounding this new, focused effort in aviation. VAA is about participation: Be a member! Be a volunteer! Be there!
A I R P L A N E Vol. 38, No. 4
2010
APRIL
CONTENTS IFC Straight & Level Change in season, change in activity by Geoff Robison
2
News
4
The 1930 Kreider-Reisner Challenger D.J. Short’s tribute to aviator Bill Watson by Sparky Barnes Sargent
11
My Friend Albert Vollmecke Part 4 by Robert G. Lock
26
Light Plane Heritage The 1924 Mummert Sportplane by Jack McRae
18
Technical Tidbits
4
FAA issues SAIB on circuit breakers
21
The Vintage Mechanic Continental W-670 main bearing failures, Part 1 by Robert G. Lock
26
The Vintage Instructor Hitting the mark: precision landings by Steve Krog, CFI
28
STAFF
Mystery Plane by H.G. Frautschy
30
Mystery Plane Extra The Flying Dutchman Otto Szekely and his three-cylinder wonder by Wes Smith
36
11
Type Club Notes Handy Tip for Drilling Out Rivets by Gerry Sheahan
38
Advertising Coordinator Classified Ad Coordinator Copy Editor Director of Advertising
Tom Poberezny Mary Jones H.G. Frautschy Kathleen Witman Jim Koepnick Bonnie Kratz Sue Anderson Lesley Poberezny Colleen Walsh Katrina Bradshaw
Display Advertising Representatives: Specialized Publications Co. U.S. Eastern Time Zone-Northeast: Ken Ross 609-822-3750 Fax: 609-957-5650 kr40@comcast.net
Classified Ads
COVERS
EAA Publisher Director of EAA Publications Executive Director/Editor Production/Special Project Photography
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FRONT COVER: Inspired by the late Bill Watson, this is the restoration of a 1930 Fairchild
Kreider-Reisner KR-31 Challenger done by D.J. Shor t. With its Cur tiss OX-5 engine popping at the exhaust por ts, the KR makes a pass for the camera of Gilles Auillard. See the stor y by Sparky Barnes Sargent star ting on page 4. BACK COVER: This original illustration of the Bugatti 100 racer is on loan to the EAA Museum thanks to the owner, Marc Boegner, a grandson of one of Ettore Bugatti’s employees. Other than the fact that the illustration was produced prior to the actual construction of the airplane, little is known about the ar tist, A. Lamber t, or if the illustration was also reproduced in print form. It cer tainly evokes the sensation of speed and streamlined purpose of the proposed racer!
U.S. Eastern Time Zone-Southeast: Chester Baumgartner 727-532-4640 Fax: 727-532-4630 cbaum111@mindspring.com U.S. Central Time Zone: Gary Worden and Todd Reese 800-444-9932 Fax: 816-741-6458 gary.worden@spc-mag.com; todd@spc-mag.com U.S. Mountain and Pacific Time Zones: John Gibson 916-784-9593 Fax: 510-217-3796 johngibson@spc-mag.com Europe: Willi Tacke Phone: +49(0)1716980871 Fax: +49(0)8841 / 496012 willi@flying-pages.com
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1
VAA NEWS Senate Approves FAA Reauthorization Provisions to release abandoned type certificate data included The United States Senate passed its $34.5 billion version of the three-year FAA reauthorization bill March 13, 2010 without user fees, maintaining the present system of (slightly higher) fuel excise taxes. The bill, passing on a unanimous (93-0) vote, would provide funding for development of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) as well as $8.1 billion for the Airport Improvement Program with a general-aviation fuel tax increase from 21.9 cents to 36 cents per gallon. “This is a major milestone that puts our nation on a path to modernization of the air traffic control system,” said Tom Poberezny, EAA chairman/president. “We’re extremely pleased that user fees are not a part of this bill, but we also are vigilant and ready to act should user fees be proposed in this volatile economic climate.” The House version passed last year with different language than the Senate version, meaning it needs to be reconciled in a HouseSenate conference committee before being sent to the president. Both bills, however, do contain identical language to allow the release of abandoned type certificate data, a provision EAA has been seeking for years in an effort to assist vintage aircraft owners in safely maintaining their aircraft. If that provision emerges in the fi nal version, it represents a signifi cant win for vintage aircraft owners. “We’re pleased to see this language included in the FAA reauthorization bill. It’s a great first step toward the release of data that is critical for the restoration and maintenance of these aeronautical national treasures,”
2 APRIL 2010
notes H.G. Frautschy, executive director of EAA’s Vintage Aircraft Association. “While the number of abandoned type certificates is relatively low, and the actual amount of TC material maintained by the FAA is not complete, giving the FAA the legal authority to release abandoned type certifi cate data allows them to say ‘yes,’ rather than being constrained by outdated rules.” EAA is asking type club members and vintage aircraft owners who know of someone who might benefit from this provision to please let us know at vintageaircraft@eaa.org.
Learn to Fly Day Saturday, May 15, will be a day where dreams of flight will become reality as the inaugural International Learn to Fly Day brings together aviators with those who have always wanted to discover flight. International Learn to Fly Day, first announced at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2009 last July, is an aviation communitywide effort to help people take that “next step” to discover the fun, freedom, and accomplishment of flight. EAA is joined by numerous other aviation organizations and businesses in this effort, which features introductory flights, seminars, and open houses at airports and other locations throughout the nation and internationally.
“The joy, fulfillment, and sense of accomplishment of flying an aircraft is unlike anything else that one can experience,” said Tom Poberezny, EAA chairman/president, who announced International Learn to Fly Day at Oshkosh last July. “We who fly want to share this unique freedom with others, as we know there are millions of people who have thought, ‘I would love to learn to fly,’ but have never taken the next step. We are leading this effort and calling upon every aviation business and association to join us in opening the door for others to discover flight. EAA also asks every pilot to individually take someone flying on May 15.” The information center for International Learn to Fly Day is the www.LearnToFlyDay.org website, which features the ability to find an event that encourages a person to discover more about flying, or allows a group or company to post an event that welcomes those interested in flying. EAA has taken leadership of this important effort because of the organization’s extensive network of nearly 1,000 chapters, which support and promote aviation on the local level. Those grassroots chapters offer resources for those interested in flight, whether it is through the chapter’s members or connections with flight schools and instructors. As part of that effort, EAA chapters are urged to participate by organizing events in their local communities, and to let people know about those activities by posting them on the www. LearnToFlyDay.org website. “EAA chapters offer a very important link to growing the flight community, as chapters are the neighborly connection that welcomes new aviators and those who want to discover more about flight,” Poberezny said.
Gone West August Bellanca August Thomas Bellanca, 83, died March 16 in Annapolis. The son of aviation pioneer Giuseppe M. Bellanca and his wife, Dorothy Bellanca, August became a noted independent airplane designer and inventor and worked as a civilian Navy aerospace engineer, most recently in the U.S. Navy’s Conceptual Design Department in Patuxent, Maryland. He’ll be remembered as well for his work in designing and building the Skyrocket II, an early composite aircraft that broke five FAI world speed records for single-engine airplanes. August started working in aviation at his father’s aircraft factory in New Castle, Delaware, and he held various positions at Douglas and Grumman before starting his own company. Our condolences to his family and friends.
EAA Features Webinars In March, EAA launched a regular series of webinars as a new communications and learning service to members. (A webinar is a multimedia presentation transmitted live over the Internet, viewed on a computer.) The presenter can use slides, audio, and video during presentations, while the audience can ask questions, chat, or be polled for their opinion. EAA’s webinar series will feature a range of speakers on a wide variety of aviation topics. The first presentation—Design and Development of the B-17 held on March 3— was hosted by Sean Elliot, EAA’s director of aircraft operations, and a Flying Fortress pilot. Initial reaction to that inaugural presentation was positive. Some of the topics to be discussed in future webinars include medical certification, homebuilding skills, the Spirit of St. Louis, as well as several AirVenture-focused webinars as we approach the fly-in. EAA’s webinars are offered free of charge to EAA members, but space is limited to the first 1,000 registrants. To view the webinar your computer (Mac or PC) must have audio speakers or headphones, and a broadband connection is recommended. See the schedule of upcoming webinars and sign up at www.EAA.org/webinars.
William “Bud” Field The San Francisco Bay area lost an aviation spark plug when Bud Field, the president of VAA Chapter 29, passed away after an extended illness. Bud was one of those guys who didn’t know the word no. He pressed on in his quest to make aviation a better industry and more fun. Reading his president’s column in the chapter newsletter, you always got the feeling this fellow was very bullish on aviation, and he was an aviation evangelist of the first order. Under his leadership, Bud helped elevate Chapter 29 into one of the most active EAA or VAA chapters in the country, with plenty of social and community service events throughout the year. A passion for aircraft restoration was also part of his makeup, with Bud overseeing and often participating in the restoration of a number of unique airplanes, from a Curtiss Robin to one of his most recent, a DC-3. We’ll miss his enthusiastic messages and presence at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Our condolences to his daughters Nikki and Angelina, and to his hundreds of friends across the country.
DC-2 to Join Oshkosh DC-3 Celebration
A rare Douglas DC-2, the predecessor to the DC-3, will join the July 26 mass arrival of 40 airplanes at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010. The aircraft, owned by the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington, will lead the group flight of DC-3s just before the opening-day air show to usher in the DC-3’s 75th anniversary celebration. Aviation luminary Clay Lacy, EAA Lifetime Member 285436, who was a driving force behind the airplane’s restoration, will pilot the DC-2 from its current home at Van Nuys Airport, California, to the group departure airport at Sterling/Rock Falls, Illinois (KSQI), then on to Oshkosh. Painted in the classic TWA red and gray scheme of “The Lindbergh Line,” it is one of only two airworthy airframes left in the world. The aircraft has rarely been seen in flight at any air shows since 1985, and it has never been to Oshkosh. It will be available for viewing and photos at KSQI July 23-25 and will be on the ground at AirVenture July 26-31. More than 40 DC-3s are expected to be on the grounds of Wittman Field during the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the famous aircraft, with more than a dozen parked in the Vintage parking area in at least two locations. For more on the DC-3 celebration, visit the EAA convention and fly-in website at www.AirVenture.org.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
The 1930
Kreid
Cha 4 APRIL 2010
ider-Reisner
hallenger D.J. Short’s tribute to aviator Bill Watson BY
SPARKY BARNES SARGENT VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
Like many of its contemporaries, the airfoil of the wing on the KR-31 has undercamber. ttime was 64 years old— tthat was all he’d ever done. That scared me d tto death; I did not want tto do that.” As time and income permitted, he in eenrolled in university courses to better himco self. He wanted to learn se how to weld, so he took ho basic airframe class. a b After a couple of weeks, Af the instructor recognized Aviation March A that D.J. had some potentha 1929 tial and hired him to start i l April 1928 working on airplanes. Aero Digestt “I had never touched an airplane D.J. Short is a soft-spoken, me- before, and he pretty much menticulous craftsman with a serious, tored me,” says D.J. “I stayed at the intent focus on his work. He thrives university for five years, and I got upon challenges—whether pro- my BS degree. During that time, I fessional or personal—and strives learned to fly sailplanes, and then for excellence along the way. His I learned to fly a 40-hp E-2 Cub. newly restored KR-31 is a fine ex- Eventually I got all my ratings up through CFI and sailplane CFI. The ample of that. guys I worked with owned old airplanes, and a J-2 came available, Happenstance D.J. didn’t grow up around avia- and they decided I needed that. So I tion, nor did he foster aspirations bought the project, finished it, and to fly. His introduction to aviation probably logged about 300 hours a was quite by happenstance. Imme- year in it—I flew that thing to work diately after high school, he worked every day, and I still have my J-2.” Once D.J. had his degree, his airas a truck driver, moving houses across the country. “It was terrible frame and powerplant certificate, work and no pay. Then I got an- pilot certificate, and ratings, he other ‘quality’ job pouring concrete started his own restoration shop walls in Kansas City on commer- in 1994. Since then, Short Air has cial structures,” reflects D.J.. “And specialized in not-so-common proja gentleman I worked with at the ects, including a Nicholas-Beazley
6 APRIL 2010
NB-3, an Anderson Greenwood AG-14, several Monocoupes, and numerous engine conversions. D.J. sometimes finds time to work on his own projects, as well—such as the KR-31.
Bit o’ History Lewis E. Reisner and Ammon H. “Amos” Kreider formed the KreiderReisner Aircraft Company in 1927 in Hagerstown, Maryland. In December that year, they received approved type certificate number 19 for their Challenger C-2 (KR-31) biplane. In the early part of 1929, the company was acquired by Fairchild Aircraft Corporation. “Kreider and Reisner were influenced by Waco, and their KR-31 was very similar to the Waco 9 and 10 ships, but those were very heavy,” explains D.J. “So Kreider and Reisner made the KR31 lighter by routing out the wing spars, and they went with the conventional straight-axle gear, which is much lighter than big oleo struts hanging out in the wind. Now that gear is a weak point, but it is light.” The three-place, OX-5-powered Challenger had an upper wingspan of 30 feet 1 inch, a lower wingspan of 29 feet 2 inches, and four ailerons. It measured 23 feet 9 inches from nose to tailskid, and tipped the scales at 1,236 pounds empty. Its useful load was 842 pounds with a gross weight of 2,078 pounds, and it carried 33 gallons of fuel and 4
The OX-5-powered KR-31 has four ailerons, which are activated by push-pull tubes. gallons of oil to feed and lubricate its 90-hp engine. The Challenger would cruise at 85 mph for a range of 340 miles and land at a slow and easy speed of 37 mph. Its construction was simple yet sturdy, with a
welded steel tube fuselage and wings of spruce spars and wood ribs. According to aviation historian Joseph Juptner (U.S. Civil Aircraft, Vol. 1), “a ‘Challenger’ model C-2, powered with an OX-5 engine,
was flown in the Air Derby from New York to Los Angeles in the latter part of 1928 by Amos Kreider. He finished in 17th place after a grueling contest with most of the country’s finest. There was a good
Modern Cleveland brakes have been installed.
There’s no mistaking the rounded tail of the KR-31. D.J. Short modified the tailskid to make it steerable.
The lower cowling is opened during preflight to permit access to the fuel drains.
The instrument panel, circa 1930. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
number of these C-2 (KR-31) type built during a production period that lasted through the best part of 3 years.” Today, there are 14 KR31s listed on the FAA Registry, with “maybe only four that are still together,” according to D.J. In the April 1928 issue of Aero Digest, Kreider-Reisner advertised their biplane as “A Light Weight, High Speed Plane for Commercial Service—Embodied in the ‘Challenger’. . . are all the recognized improvements in the design and construction of modern aircraft. Its remarkably light weight…is made possible by the use of chrome molybdenum steel, duralumin and welded steel tubing—a distinct advance over the heavier types of construction.” A March 1929 ad in Aviation touted the KR-31’s comfort and performance: “Challenger! Comet— OX5—Warner: Take your pick—step into the comfortably upholstered, roomy cockpit. Notice the complete instrument equipment and how conveniently they’re placed. See how the controls respond to the slightest touch. Give her just a short run, then up and away. Watch how swiftly and steadily she climbs—how quickly she obeys. Loop her and roll her—get all the fun that flying provides. Then put her down slowly—surely into the smallest field. Trim of line—graceful as a bird—easily controlled— strong, sturdy, safe—the ship of ships for commerce or sport.”
Caretakers NC10290’s date of manufacture was June 9, 1930. Fairchild Airplane Manufacturing Corporation (a Division of Fairchild Aviation Corporation) sold the spiffy new Challenger to flight instructor Arthur C. Pottorff, who operated the nearby Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, airport. His was a familiar face at Kreider-Reisner, and by the following summer, he was also working at their flying field. Pottorff kept the KR-31 in his care for four years before selling it. It went from owner to owner
8 APRIL 2010
The “naked” KR-31 before fabric covering.
Kreider-Reisner employees building wings in the late 1920s. through the decades, and then in 1957, Charles E. Woerner of Geneva, Ohio, acquired NC10290. The biplane went through an extensive rebuilding process in the three years it was in his care, and a Curtiss OXX-6 was installed in place of the 90-hp OX-5. By October 1970, serial number 358 landed in the hands of Sid Hess, who added it to his antique fleet. He owned it for about eight years. Fast-forward another decade or so to June 1998. That’s when D.J. heard that Roger Freeman of Texas had a KR-31 for sale. D.J. and his father, Jackson, took a road trip to look at the disassembled project. D.J. made the decision—which was really more of a personal commitment to himself (as you’ll read later)—to purchase the KreiderReisner and restore it. Father and son hauled the project back to War-
rensburg, Missouri, and work commenced one step at a time.
Restoration You won’t find expensive, stateof-the-art equipment in D.J.’s restoration shop—primarily because he likes to do things the way they were done back in the day. While he worked on myriad parts, his father spent numerous hours working on the wings. “He’s not an airplane guy, but he’s a good listener, and he spent a lot of time dry-rigging it,” says D.J. with a proud smile. “You can look at the ailerons and the trailing edges of the wings and see how well they line up compared to other old airplanes.” Some pieces had to be reverseengineered by enlarging factory photos to glean specific details and measurements. But the most challenging aspect of the project was
Profile of the OX-5-powered C-2 Challenger (KR-31). finding time to continue working on it. The work itself, says D.J., “is not really hard. It’s all a piece at a time, and most everything was hand-built back then, except for certain castings. There were a lot of original parts, but most of them needed to be redone. The top cowl over the engine is original and was good enough to use after I did a little patch work on it.” D.J. covered the airframe with Ceconite fabric and used Randolph nitrate butyrate dope. Color selection was easy, he says, since “there was a little piece of fabric on one of the lower wing attach points when we got the project, and I cleaned it up to get the true color. I used that as my paint chip and then called the manufacturer and had them send the pigments—I enjoy blending and mixing the colors myself. It’s an old plane, and I tried to keep it looking like one—it’s so easy to make them look new.”
oil comes through the camshaft first and then to the crankshaft, and all the overhead oiling is external on that engine.” The water-cooled OX-5 has its own special protocol for starting. “You have to flood the carburetor because it’s 2-1/2 feet below the engine. So you turn the fuel valve on, and sometimes the carburetor will flood itself, but sometimes you have to flood it. So when I pull the fuel valve open after turning the prop through a couple of times, I take the cover off the float and pull the seat off to flood the carburetor myself,” explains D.J. “Then it gets enough through the wells that it can draw the fuel up to the height that it needs to get to, so it’ll start— and then I pull it through with the choke on. When you get it set up just right, it fires off and does wonderful. The whole thing’s a process, so I’m still figuring that out, too.”
Up in the Air Venerable OX-5 Fortunately, D.J. had an OX-5 engine core to start with—even if it did have three loose wrist pins and only two cylinders. “So I had to find some cylinders and make my own guides and seats—but to me, that’s the normal fun part of it,” says D.J. “Those engine castings are very porous and difficult to weld, but I got it in the oven and annealed it and got everything lined up and tight, with new bearings for the crankshaft. The
D.J. is pleased with the KR-31’s performance, especially since he anticipated that it might be rather sluggish on takeoff and climb-out. “It’s wonderful, better than I expected! It took off the ground a lot quicker than I thought it would. It rolled down the runway, and in a couple of hundred feet it was in the air,” he says happily. “It runs great and has a fuel burn of 7 gph at 1400 rpm, which I think is fabulous. It is a little heavy on the aile-
rons, but that’s the way they were. [The cockpit] isn’t real comfortable, but there’s lots of room in there, and I wanted it to be how it used to be, because that’s part of it.” Flying behind an OX-5 in an open-cockpit biplane is an experience with which few pilots are intimately acquainted. D.J. has cultivated his own philosophy about flying the KR-31. “I don’t know airspeeds; I fly everything by feel. I don’t look at altimeters or tachs, and I don’t have a GPS. I just look at the little map and figure it out— that’s part of the process,” he declares. “You can punch a waypoint in a GPS and go—but if you’re not looking outside, why are you flying? In the Kreider-Reisner, you’re looking through the radiator when you’re flying, and then looking off to either side to see if all of your cylinders are firing. The separate exhaust stacks on that aren’t original, because I learned from one of the old-timers that if you have the straight stacks, you can see which cylinder is having issues.”
On the Ground The first flight after restoration went pretty well . . . until the third landing. The KR-31’s original swiveling tailskid, along with its straight-axle gear, exerted combined torsional forces to create a bit of havoc during that ill-fated landing. The first hop around the patch was successful, so D.J. landed and his father climbed in the front cockpit. That circuit went smoothly, as well. After his father climbed out, D.J. just couldn’t resist going around one more time. “During the landing, the wheels started to give way, and the skid swiveled and continued to let me go around. I saw it coming and shut the engine and fuel off real quick,” describes D.J., reliving the experience. “Then I started hearing spokes break, ‘twang, twang, twang!’ And then boom—it dropped down to the ground. When the spokes gave way, the wheel broke in half, and that piece made a wonderful ski—
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
“You can punch a waypoint in a GPS and go—but if you’re not looking outside, why are you flying?” —D.J. Short D.J. Short taxies the 1930 KR-31. it didn’t dig in. It didn’t break a gear leg, thank heaven. I got out and had a look—there was no fire, and everything else looked okay. I cussed at myself a couple of times, then put my hand underneath the wing—no mud, no grass, so woohoo! I’m good to go.” Understandably, D.J. decided some changes were in order. He installed a Cleveland disc brake system, modifying it a bit, and installed bellcranks (interconnected with the rudder cables) to allow the tailskid to be steered. “The rudder bar pivots back and forth— there are no rudder pedals—and as I run out of rudder, it pulls the tailskid to the side to keep it straight, and then it also starts applying the brake just a little bit,” explains D.J. “It took six months to find a good clincher-bead wheel, and I also had some better spokes made. The original spokes and nipples were nickel-plated brass with cut threads and were very soft, so I had a friend make stainless steel spokes and nipples with rolled threads—they’re a lot better now.”
Inspiration D.J.’s personal inspiration and ensuing commitment to restore the Kreider-Reisner stemmed from his admiration of one particular aviator he met early on in his aviation career. “A hero of mine was Bill Watson; he had an OX-5 KreiderReisner [1928 KR-31, NC7780] that
10 APRIL 2010
he flew—he was the nicest guy in the world, and I just wanted to be like him. Not because I knew him that well, but it was just what I perceived when I saw him—how he acted, how he behaved, and how he treated everybody. I was still young when I was watching him, and he’d fly the KreiderReisner to fly-ins and haul rides in that thing all day long with a smile on his face. I can’t imagine how many people’s lives were altered because he gave them that ride. And unfortunately, we were at Bartlesville when they had the midair—he was killed and we saw it off the end of the runway,” says D.J. in a refl ective tone. “So that set me to thinking, ‘Well, he’s gone now…maybe I need to work a little harder to be like him,’ so I dropped some of my attitude. Then this Kreider-Reisner came up for sale. I decided to buy it and restore it in memory of Bill, and to remind myself to lighten up a little bit and be more like Bill. That’s how I came to get the airplane; that’s the underlying cause.” For D.J. there has been a direct and fulfilling parallel of simultaneously working on the KR-31 and working on himself—his attitude and outlook, that is. He continually pushes himself to grow by seeking new challenges—whether aviationrelated or not. “I’m a battalion chief for my fire district, and I’m also a medic—that’s fun for me,” he says and smiles. “I like helping
people when they’re at their worst. I enjoy doing that; it’s my monotony breaker.” Through these experiences, he wants to be a positive role model within his family and his community. His wife, Margie, is supportive of his endeavors, and their young sons, 5-year-old Warner, 3-year-old Lambert, and 1-year-old Velie, are already showing an interest in aviation. “I don’t push them,” says D.J. “They just come and ask me to go flying in the 40-horse Cub. As for their names, there is a Monocoupe theme there, but we just liked the names because they all have history behind them, and I just don’t want to follow the norm.” The Challenger is perhaps the most aptly named of D.J.’s personal projects because the element of restoration that is most satisfying to him is not the end result. “It’s the process,” he explains. “You think of a project as a complex thing, but an airplane’s a bridge—you build one piece, build another piece…and as long as all the pieces are together and properly in their place, you have a strong bridge. That’s what I love doing; that’s the fun part.” NC10290 received several awards during the Antique Airplane Association’s national fly-in in September 2009. It was selected as the Antique Pre-1936 Grand Champion and received the Fairchild Club’s Open Cockpit Award as well as the Lyle Hoselton Memorial Award for “best workmanship by owner.”
My Friend
Albert Vollmecke Part 4 BY
verything Albert Vollmecke had to say was important, and I did not want to miss a word. So I purchased a voice-activated cassette tape recorder to capture every detail of his career during our talks. On one particular visit with Albert and wife, Maja (pronounced My-ya), in Silver Spring, Maryland, I placed the recorder on a coffee table to capture our conversation. Al left the room, and Maja asked what that black box was on her coffee table. I explained this device was recording the conversation between the three of us. “Oh,” Maja said. “You don’t want to hear my voice; you just want to listen to Albert. I’ll keep quiet.” I assured her that the input she had was equally important. When Albert returned to his chair we began the conversation again. Before long, Maja had forgotten about the recording device and continued with her timely comments. Then there was a memorable ride with Albert to a local German restaurant in the Silver Spring area where he lived. Maja had passed away, and Al lived alone in his townhouse. At the age of 90, Al still navigated his car around the area. Al drove to a little place where we had a marvelous German dinner complete with
E
ROBERT G. LOCK
beer. Then back at his place we had a small taste of Frangelico liquor, which he served in small German glasses on a beautiful silver tray. He was priceless, and it was such a pleasure to be in his company. He kept current on local and world issues. He liked to discuss whatever was in Time or Newsweek magazine. One topic that stands out is a discussion we had on the legalization of drugs, such as marijuana. He was still a thinker of great magnitude. When Albert visited me in 1982 to see the plane he had created 53 years previous, he flew from Monterey, California, to Reedley, California, in a Beechcraft Bonanza. He commented how nice the “instrument board” was designed. When the Bonanza entered into the long, flat central San Joaquin Valley, he spotted the aqueduct that moves water from Northern California to the southern part of the state. It is a long and straight concrete canal directly adjacent to Interstate 5, a major northsouth highway. He looked to the left and right, finally asking, “What is that long, straight line down there?” I explained what he was seeing, and he said, “I have never seen anything that long and that straight before in my life.” When we landed at the Reedley airport, I suggested
lunch, but Albert declined, saying he wanted to go immediately to see the Command-Aire. He was excited to see his airplane once again. On November 18, 1978, Albert Vollmecke and I, the owner of a 1929 Command-Aire, were united and were to form a friendship that would
Alber t and Maja Vollmecke outside of their townhouse in Silver Spring, Mar yland. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
From Popular Aviation, March 1929, this full-page ad- September 1982, the master designer and one of his vertisement from Command-Aire Inc. touting the talent original wings from the Command-Aire 5C3, NC997E. of Albert Vollmecke. The fuselage can be seen in the background. last until Al’s death on June 9, 1994. The friendship had many memorable events even though I lived on the West Coast and he on the East Coast. One such event took place on October 26, 1982, when we undertook a search of the Federal Records Storage Facility in Suitland, Maryland, for Vollmecke’s Command-Aire approved type certificate (ATC) drawings. His first copy ATC drawings were not to be found, but other data did turn up. He was disappointed as was I, but we pressed on with the restoration project. Knowing Al Vollmecke and his family was a pleasure and an honor for me. Al saw pre-World War I aviation; Charles Lindbergh fly nonstop solo from Long Island, New York, to Paris, France, in 1927; astronauts land on the moon; and the development of the space shuttle. He not only saw it all, but also was a part of the development of aviation. He was a brilliant but humble man. To have him as a consultant of an airplane he had designed in 1929 was a great experience for me. Albert A. Vollmecke is remembered as an American hero and a giant in the world of aviation.
Special Memories of Albert Vollmecke I am including a few special stories that happened after I met Albert Vollmecke. Many of these stories are not documented by pho-
12 APRIL 2010
This was the fuselage assembly in late 1988, just four months before the 1989 Sun ’n Fun Fly-In. Completion of the airplane was impossible, so it was packed aboard a trailer and hauled 2,700 miles to Lakeland, Florida, to be with Albert. tographs or tape recordings, but rather from my memory. When I was restoring my Command-Aire, work progressed painfully slow because I had a family to raise and there never seemed to be money left over to spend on the airplane. Therefore many of the parts and supplies were scrounged or traded. The project had started in 1978, the year I met Al, and progressed into 1989. Albert wrote me a letter and asked when the air-
plane would be finished, because he wasn’t getting any younger. We talked about taking it to Sun ’n Fun in Lakeland, Florida, in 1989. He indicated that he would be attending and that I should have the ship there so he could be with it. Joe Araldi was constructing a replica Little Rocket racer, and it would be at the show, so I tried hard to make the schedule. However, it was just impossible to finish the ship, get it certificated, and fly it there. Know-
ing this I called Al and told him my story, and he said he’d send me some money to get that airplane there. So I designed a trailer big enough to house the airplane and planned to haul it there during my spring break at college. When Albert arrived by car from Orlando International Airport, he saw the Command-Aire together for the first time. He was elated. In the foreground is a silver wingtip belonging to Joe Araldi’s replica Little Rocket racer. We’ll have more on this in the next installment. So both Command-Aire ships were displayed next to each other, making it easy for Al to spend time with the ships. He and I sat next to 997E engaging in conversation, when a small group would gather near the Little Rocket. He would say, “Well, I think I’ll go over and talk to those ‘birds’ and see what they are interested in.” He used the term “birds” to identify people who he would engage in conversation, but he was interested in conversation that leaned only to the technical side; he didn’t want to just carry on a meaningless chitchat. The OX-5ers sent a representative down to the Command-Aire because they heard Al was in the area. They offered a golf cart to transport him to their building, but he declined. He said he could walk that far and would be down later. We walked to the building, and when he entered it was like a god from the past had returned. He was besieged with old-timers wanting autographs and a conversation with him. He lasted about an hour, announced he was tired, and we returned to the Command-Aire to sit and rest. He was interested in the latest innovations of sport aviation displayed at Sun ’n Fun, particularly the “instrument boards.” “My, how they have changed,” he said. Al stayed at a Holiday Inn in Lakeland; I would pick him up in the mornings and drop him off in the evenings. If he were not too tired we would have dinner together at the Inn. One evening he came to Joe Araldi’s cabin at the
14 APRIL 2010
A special piece of artwork for a special friend. Green Swamp Aerodrome for dinner. I was cooking chicken on the barbecue, and he came over to ask, “Bob, what are you cooking?” I explained what I was doing, and he said he had never seen this done before. The chicken was very good, as were all the fixings that went with it. From that time on, whenever he would call the first thing he would say is, “Bob, are you cooking?” It was our special inside joke. Joe arranged with a friend in the videotape world to come and tape Albert around his Little Rocket. When they were finished they offered to tape me conducting an interview with Al. It was a very improvised deal, but it turned out well. It is the only live interview I have of Al and me, and it was done about where he is standing in the above photograph, only we are sitting on chairs. I had been tr ying to restore NC997E for some time, and each of my airframe and powerplant classes at Reedley College were well aware of the project. In my 1988-1989 airframe class was a young lady by the name of Ellen Wickersham who did exquisite leaded glass work. She offered to build a leaded glass Command-Aire for me, which of course
I accepted, except it would go to the designer, Albert Vollmecke, instead of me. She was elated and shortly produced a superior work of art that I carried to Sun ’n Fun. During Al’s visit I presented the glass CommandAire to him, and he was thrilled. In his letter dated April 14, 1989, Al writes, “I bet you had a nice sleep and you have fully recovered. I had an enjoyable flight home. Perfect weather, cruising at 37,000 feet. Everybody here loves the nice glass Command-Aire you gave me. Please tell the young lady how much it is being admired. Thanks again. I am attaching a small check –please accept it! You did a bang-up job which I appreciate and I do not need the money. I trust that it helps a little. Best Regards to all of you. Al Vollmecke” Al told me over the phone that he hand-carried that glass Command-Aire on his lap so nothing would happen to it. He absolutely loved it. It hung just inside the front door of his townhouse, and the sun would shine through the window and illuminate it brilliantly in the mornings. He said he would just sit in his chair and admire it. The Command-Aire was just on the other side of the room from his favorite chair.
Light Plane Heritage published in EAA Experimenter December 1989
THE 1924 MUMMERT SPORTPLANE by Jack McRae EAA 93
In June 1924, Harvey Mummert had completed and was flying the third of his homebuilt airplanes at Roosevelt Field, Long Island. It was to become the most successful of the three. The 1924 Sportplane was quite different from his earlier efforts, which had featured streamlined wood monocoque fuselage construction, and was apparently designed more for structural simplicity and good pilot visibility. It was an airplane of unusual design for 1924—a cantilever low-wing type, of all-wood construction, with a wide-tread landing gear. The fuselage was of a rectangular cross section with plywood covering. No stabilizer was used, as the fuselage extended aft full-width to a horizontal knife-edge. A single-piece “flying tail” elevator was installed, with a conventional fin and rudder. The thick cantilever wood wing used the Curtiss 35B airfoil at the root, tapering to a much thinner section at the tip, and it had had an area of 135 square feet. The wingspan was 26 feet; the gross weight of the
aircraft was 550 pounds. It was powered with an 18hp, 74-cubic-inch Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine that gave the airplane a top speed of about 60 mph. The Sportplane was first flown with a direct drive to the propeller, but was soon changed to a chain-drive reduction gear to improve the takeoff. In 1923 and 1924 the English lightplane races had received much publicity and aroused interest in lowpowered airplanes. At the Dayton Air Meet held in October 1924, the first lightplane races of national scope were held in this country. There were three events open to airplanes with engines of less than 80 cubic inches of displacement, and Mummert entered his Sportplane in all three events. The first event was a 25-mile race for the Dayton Daily News Trophy, which was won by Jimmie John-
Lead photo: The Mummert Sportplane waits on the line at the 1924 National Air Races in Dayton, Ohio. Note the unusual wheel chock device.
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
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
This profile shot was also taken at the 1924 National Air Races. It emphasizes the sturdy landing gear system and high tires.
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son flying the Driggs Johnson DJ-1 monoplane. Mummert was forced out of the race after two laps due to engine failure. The second lightplane race, 50 miles for “speed and efficiency,” was won by Mummert; however, he again had a forced landing due to a broken valve spring. Mummert replaced his valve spring with one taken from a motorcycle owned by George Edwards, who had ridden it all the way from New York City to see the races. Mummert was then able to take off again and finish the race in first place with an average speed of 38 mph. All the other airplanes were still on the ground due to either engine trouble or excessively rough air. The third event was a 140-mile cross-country race for the Ricken- A close-up of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine installation showbacker Trophy, which was won by ing the chain drive to the propeller. E. Dormoy in his Flying Bathtub. Mummert was consistent in having engine trouble, which again forced him to withdraw about 20 miles from the start. The 1925 National Air Races were held at Mitchell Field, Long Island, and again Mummert entered his Sportplane in the three lightplane events. He had removed the chain drive to the propeller, which had given him trouble the previous year, and had added an engine cowling. However, the direct-drive propeller was considerably less efficient, and he was unable to place in any of the races. All three lightplane races were won by the Bristol Cherub-powered Powell racer. After the 1925 National Air Races, Mummert advertised the Sportplane for sale for $850 complete, or $750 less The Mummert Sportplane with the Anzani engine installed by Homer engine. It was sold in 1927 to Homer Goodier. This photo was taken at the Amboy Airport near Syracuse, New W. Goodier, an engineer from Sol- York, in 1930. vay, New York. Goodier spent about two years overhauling and rebuilding the ship and in- titude of about 300 feet and was totally demolished. In late 1924 Mummert left the Curtiss company on stalled a six-cylinder Anzani engine. The airplane was taken to the Amboy Airport near Syracuse, New York, Long Island and became chief engineer for the Aerial after receiving the identification number 520K and be- Service Corporation in Hammondsport, New York. ing registered as the Mummert Sportplane serial num- This company later became Mercury Aircraft Inc., and ber 3. Goodier had learned to fly during World War I Mummert remained there, responsible for a number of but had not flown since the war. He was checked out at interesting airplane designs, until his death in 1939. the Amboy Airport and eventually took the Mummert References: Aviation magazine, October 13, 1924, Sportplane to his brother’s farm near Sauquoit, New York, where he flew it for some time. On the evening and October 27, 1924, Aircraft Year Book, 1925 and of August 6, 1930, while flying from the farm field, 1926. Thanks to Owen Billman for research on the Goodier was killed when the ship spun in from an al- Goodier modifications to the Sportplane.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
TECHNICAL
Tidbits
FAA issues SAIB on circuit breakers few years ago, the FAA’s Small Aircraft Directorate and Wichita State University undertook a study concerning aging aircraft and how various systems and components deteriorated over time. Barry Ballenger of the Small Airplane Directorate was actively involved in the study and briefed us last year about one of the interesting things that came to light during this effort. While disassembling and inspecting an older aircraft, the group came to the realization that circuit breakers were prone to failure if they were not regularly exercised. Testing of the circuit breakers removed from a well-used Cessna 421 showed that some failed to trip properly when initially tested. When they were manually cycled (pulled out and then reset), some began to trip at the proper amperage. Many of the breakers regained proper function just by simply being manually cycled a number of times. At the very least, each resettable circuit breaker should be cycled a few times during the aircraft’s annual inspection. This type of inspection will be part of the new ASTM specification concerning aircraft wiring, ASTM F39. In a similar vein, the FAA has recently published SAIB CE-1011R1, dated January 14, 2010. It gives both maintenance and operational personnel guidance concerning tripped circuit breakers, aging wiring, and system maintenance. Recognizing that many pilot handbooks for older aircraft (indeed, if a handbook even exists) don’t have procedures for resetting circuit breakers, the SAIB also gives recommended procedures for dealing with the electrical component. You can download a copy of the
A
18 APRIL 2010
SAIB from the FAA Regulatory and Guidance Library at http://Rgl.FAA. gov. Just click on the Special Airworthiness Information Bulletins link on the right side of the page and you can enter the number above to download a PDF of the document.
Testing of the circuit breakers removed from a well-used Cessna 421 showed that some failed to trip properly when initially tested. This SAIB covers such a wide range of aircraft that we’re presenting it in its entirety. Here’s the FAA’s text:
Introduction This revised Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) advises pilots, owners, maintenance personnel, and operators of an airworthiness concern on all 14 CFR, part 23/Civil Air Regulations (CAR 3) airplanes. It gives best practices regarding tripped circuit breakers (C/B), inspection and maintenance of systems, and aging wires. There is a potential hazard when resetting an opened circuit breaker. This revision is based on public comments that were adopted. At this time, this airworthiness concern is not considered an un-
safe condition that would warrant an airworthiness directive action under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR), part 39.
Background On a flight in the accident airplane, the day before an accident, a pilot had a weather radar failure and a burning smell in the airplane. In response, the pilot turned off the weather radar and manually pulled the related circuit breaker. The burning smell went away according to the pilot’s entry in the airplane’s maintenance discrepancy binder. The pilot continued the flight with the circuit breaker pulled for another hour. The next day it is likely the pilots reset the weather radar C/B, restoring power to the weather radar system wiring. This is consistent with routine or the “Before Starting Engines” checklist. Then 10 minutes after takeoff, they announced a problem and crashed about 2 minutes later. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the most likely failure was from the weather radar and its associated wiring, which would be possible only if that crew reset the weather radar circuit breaker. Current guidance for part 25, Transport Airplanes in AC 25-16, Electrical Fault and Fire Prevention and Protection that has been accepted for small airplanes, is to recommend that no pilot should reset any circuit breaker more than once. In the accident airplane, we do not know if the circuit breaker tripped on the last flight, but if it did, it was after an uncontrollable fire was started.
Recommendations We recommend that all airplane owners and operators do
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the following: The rules, either CAR 3 § 3.691 or 14 CFR § 23.1357, require the C/Bs that are essential for safety in flight be located and marked so they can be reset in flight. The rules do not require segregation of nonessential C/Bs. This SAIB references the most current “best practices” for circuit breakers, the electrical system, and aging wiring. It is important to note that many older aircraft may have little or no guidance on resetting policy in their airplane flight manuals. 1. Mark those essential for safety in flight. 2. “Essential” C/Bs should be reset in flight no more than once, and only if the affected system and equipment is needed for the operational environment. a. after at least 1 minute; b. if there is no remaining smoke or “burning smell.” 3. Do not reset any non-essential C/Bs in flight. 4. Revise the preflight checklist to delete “Circuit breakers–In” if applicable and insert: “Check circuit breakers and if a circuit breaker is not set, do not reset the circuit breaker if there is a related maintenance malfunction.” Essential for Safety in Flight C/Bs For a Day VFR-Only approved airplane, there may be no essential functions that require electrical power. However, it may be necessary to supply power for certain communication capacities. For other types of operating approvals, consider the following for providing power. Assuming operations under IFR conditions for 14 CFR part 91 or part 135 operations, consider the following systems as essential for safety: 1. Any electrical loads unique for the airplane characteristics and needed for continued safe flight and landing for the intended operations. 2. If needed to comply with 14 CFR § 23.1323 and 23.1325, one airspeed indicator with a heated pitot tube and an altimeter with either a
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This SAIB references the most current “best practices” for circuit breakers, the electrical system, and aging wiring. heated static pressure source or an alternate static pressure source. 3. The magnetic compass and any display necessary for continued safe flight and landing that is sufficiently illuminated for night operation. 4. One navigation system installation appropriate to the ground facilities. 5. One communication installation system. 6. One gyroscopic pitch and bank indicator. 7. Any display for the powerplant parameter necessary for continued safe flight and landing.
The following items should be reviewed by pilots during initial and recurrent training and flight reviews: 1. Review the circuit breaker reset policy in Advisory Circular (AC) 120-80, In-Flight Fires. 2 . A t r i p p e d c i rc u i t b r e a k e r should not be reset in flight unless doing so is consistent with explicit procedures specified in an approved operating manual or airplane flight manual, or unless, in the judgment of the pilot in command, resetting the breaker is necessary for safe completion of the flight. 3. While on the ground, avoid resetting circuit breakers without first exploring reasons for them “tripping” in the first place, unless instructed by the maintenance manual. 4. Review the indications of hidden fires and the importance of not arbitrarily resetting circuit breakers. 5. Review the actions required by 14 CFR § 91.213 dealing with inoperative instruments and equipment. 6. Include this SAIB in initial and recurrent training and flight reviews. The following items should be reviewed by maintenance personnel: 1. Conduct an electrical load analysis or make electrical measurements that account for all electrical loads in probable combinations when installing additional electrical devices. 2. Review standard wiring practices including, but not limited to, wire size, splicing, routing/clamping issues, loop bend radius, and terminal condition. 3. Replace wires that show evidence of damage due to chafing, fraying, contamination, moisture, dirt, cracks, overheating, or are crushed or kinked.
For Further Information Contact Leslie B. Taylor, Aerospace Engineer, Federal Aviation Administration, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust Street, Room 3 0 1 , K a n s a s C i t y, M O 6 4 1 0 6 ; phone: 816-329-4134; fax: 816329-4090; e-mail: leslie.b.taylor@ faa.gov.
Vintage Mechanic
THE
BY ROBERT G. LOCK
Continental W-670 main bearing failures Part I I started to do an annual inspection of my Stearman biplane, after the airplane sat in the hangar for more than two years while I was flying in central Florida. I found more metal in the sump in my Continental W-670-6A engine than in any other engine I’ve inspected in my entire career. It turned out to be pieces of the cage assembly for the rear main ball bearing; some of the fragments were 1-1/2 inches long! So, right up front, let me give a tip to all you pilots who fly behind the Continental 220. Fashion a hook out of 1/16-inch-diameter welding rod, and use it to pull any foreign material out of the sump. These large fragments did not come out when the oil drained; I stuck my finger in the sump opening and felt them. I used some 0.040-inch stainless steel safety wire to fish them out. The main oil screen had very few small fragments of carbon, but nothing out of the ordinary. There was no trace of bearing cage fragments in the main oil screen. When removing the cylinders, however, the number 5 cylinder was difficult to remove. There was a substantial amount of very small aluminum fragments lodged around the skirt of the cylinder, which forms the power case sump. This could be the aft bearing cage spinning against the aluminum case. So the failure of a rear main ball bearing becomes this month’s subject. I sent a mostly complete
“lower end” of an engine to Al Holloway in California. Al’s business is Holloway Engineering, and he specializes in the overhaul of radial engines. He is FAA Repair Station OHYR527L, located at Gansner Field Airport in Quincy, California. When I picked the engine up he was preparing a freshly overhauled Wright R-760-A (“greaser”) to be placed on the engine stand for a five-hour run-in. The engine was beautiful. Al and his staff are craftsmen of the highest quality. I wanted to discuss main bearing failures with Al to get his take on the subject. I was always under the impression that the cause of most bearing failures is operating the engine with a Hamilton Standard 5404 prop installed. My assumption turned out to be false because Al reports he has replaced rear main bearings on engines that used all different types of props, including wood. Al has an FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) that allows replacing the original front, rear main, and thrust ball bearings with roller bearings. That should cure the problem of main bearing failure. Obviously the Continental 670 engines were initially under-designed in the rear main bearing area. I also spoke with Don Sanders of Sanders Airmotive in Mustang, Oklahoma, and he showed me a new original factory main ball bearing that was magnetized! Just think of what a magnetic bearing could attract in the way of steel fragments
carried by the oil. Don places every bearing in his demagnetizer on the magnaflux machine in his shop before installing. Let me list the details of my engine installation and operation leading up to the failure of the bearing. This particular engine was installed in the airplane in 1992 and was zero hours since major overhaul (SMOH), with a total time estimated to be 1,725 hours. A Hamilton Standard 5404 prop with 4350F blades was initially installed. That prop was operated a total of 218 hours. Due to oil leaks and paint chipping from all cylinders, I did a top overhaul at 211 hours SMOH and then installed a McCauley 41D5926 steel propeller at 218 hours to replace the Hamilton Standard. The McCauley had operated a total of 234 hours when I discovered the failure of the rear main bearing. Therefore the engine had a total time of 452 hours SMOH. The engine logbook is vague about the bearings, only stating that a new front main roller bearing and thrust ball bearing were installed. There is no mention of the rear main ball bearing. It could be an error in the logbook, or perhaps there was no replacement of the rear main bearing. Incidentally, the engine never had a generator or alternator installed. So Al’s conclusion (and I agree) is that the Continental W-670 main bearings are under-designed for crankshaft loads. It’s inter-
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
esting to note here that the later W-670-23 engine (which drove a 20 spline constant-speed prop and produced 240 hp) used roller-type main bearings, so obviously the factory considered possible heavier crankshaft loads on that particular engine and made the conversion at the time of manufacture. I have listened to several folks in the industry who have told me they can get only 400-500 hours before the rear main bearing begins to fail. So, obviously this is a problem that needs constant attention during
22 APRIL 2010
oil changes. Check the sump using the hook previously described for any metal that may have fallen and lodged there. The bearing cage starts to fail first; fragments are from 1/8 inch to over 1 inch in length and 1/8 inch to Ÿ inch wide. These fragments will fall into the sump at its aft mounting point (the power case), thus bypassing the main oil screen. So you probably won’t find any fragments in the screen, only the sump. I do not intend, at this time, to
tear down the lower end of this engine to determine exactly how the rear main bearing appears . . . maybe at a later date. The last time I flew this airplane the engine performance was normal. So, hopefully, the bearing assembly is still intact and only the cage holding the ball bearings in place has failed. There are several theories as to exactly why this bearing fails, but I believe the primary issues are crankshaft loads and vibration. The issue of vibration is critical; a sevencylinder radial engine has a lot of shaking going on during operation. A seven-cylinder engine has power lag, indicating that there is a time lag between cylinder firings. A ninecylinder engine has power overlap, which indicates that a cylinder is always firing; therefore it runs smoother. The R-680 Lycoming is the smoothestrunning radial I ever flew behind. The two-cylinder Aeronca E-113 and the three-cylinder Jacobs were the roughest running. Perhaps a brief discussion of vibrations would be appropriate here. Things that rotate cause vibrations; to remove or reduce vibrations, rotating things need to be balanced. The more accurately rotating parts are balanced, the smoother they operate. The older radial engines were not well-balanced. Some engines had crankshaft dampers, others did not. Vibrations are oscillatory movements above and below a mid- or neutral point, much like AC electrical current. There are three basic types of vibrations: normal, sympathetic, and harmonic. Normal vibrations are caused
by rotating parts of the engine and propeller, and they are always there; balancing will help reduce the amplitude of these vibrations. Sympathetic vibrations are caused by one part making another part vibrate, usually with direct contact between the parts. A propeller that is out of track or out of balance will cause the entire powerplant to vibrate, and that vibration will be transferred into the airframe. Harmonic vibrations are caused by harmonization of several vibrations, thus creating a highly pitched and dangerous vibration. Harmonic vibrations can cause structural failure over a period of time. In some cases an aircraft tachometer is marked with a yellow arc with an accompanying placard to not operate the engine for extended periods in this yellow arc. This is due to a harmonic vibration. A cycle is a complete vibratory movement above and below the mid- or neutral point. The time required to complete a cycle is called a period. A cycle is also called “hertz.” The frequency is the rate of occurrence of the vibration. So we could have vibration caused by the engine operating at 1800 revolutions per minute (rpm). The crankshaft runs at 1800 rpm and the prop runs at 1800 rpm (this would give 30 beats per second). The generator may be operating at 3600 rpm, etc. You get the point here. The amplitude is the intensity of the vibration. It is actually the distance from one extreme of an oscillation to the mid- or neutral point. Vibrations are classified as low, medium, high, and very high frequency. It depends on the rpm of the vibrating part. Helicopters have many rotating parts, and so they are subjected to a variety of vibrations during operation. Low-frequency vibrations are normally related to the main rotor, which may turn 290-500 rpm, depending on the aircraft type and model. Medium frequency vibrations are generally main rotor hub rocking or a loose component
(door, skid, etc.). High-frequency vibrations are normally the tail rotor, which turns at a high rpm. Very high-frequency vibrations may be harmonic in nature; a combination of several frequencies of vibrations combined into a troubling and dangerous situation. The major sources for vibration in old airplanes are the engine and propeller. With some care, vibration can be lowered but not eliminated by careful balancing. A
propeller out of balance will cause a vibration at prop rpm. I have had great luck with wooden propellers by balancing with extra coats of varnish on the light blade. One way to “field check” your wood prop is to wrap a 1-inch-wide piece of aluminum tape around one tip of the prop, then run the engine. If the vibration got worse you have the wrong blade; remove the tape and place it on the opposite blade. The vibra-
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
tion should lessen. You have found the right blade. You can keep adding or subtracting small amounts of tape until the vibration is gone. Then remove the tape and start spraying varnish until the prop is balanced. It’s a slow process, but it works. If a ship with a wood propeller sits outside and there is any small opening in the varnish covering the prop, moisture will enter and cause the out-of-balance condition. If a propeller is out of track, an abnormal vibration will result. I have had great luck reducing vibrations caused by the prop by working to obtain the exact same pitch in both blades of a ground-adjustable Hamilton Standard propeller. The original factory manual indicates that the blades should be within one-tenth of a degree of each other for smooth operation. And they are right on! The best way to field-set prop pitch is with a prop protractor, checking blade angle at the 36inch or 42-inch station, whichever is appropriate for the propeller. One problem I have with old propellers is they have no operational history. It is not unusual to have Hamilton Standard aluminum propeller blades manufactured as early as 1929 that are still in use. You as the owner or mechanic have virtually no idea if the blades were ever damaged and straightened, if they had minor repairs made at some time in their life, if the blades were shortened, or who did the work.
24 APRIL 2010
An overhauled prop indicates the blades meet manufacturer’s specifications dimensionally for length, width, thickness, and profile. All overhauled props must be balanced both spanwise and chordwise, and blade pitch angles set
My assumption turned out to be false because Al reports he has replaced rear main bearings on engines that used all different types of props, including wood. for the desired engine static rpm. Spanwise balance places the prop in a balance stand in the horizontal position. Weight is added to the butt end of the light blade until the prop balances (this is for groundadjustable and constant-speed or two-position props). When spanwise balance is achieved the propeller is placed in the vertical position to check for
chordwise balance. The clamps of a ground-adjustable propeller are moved to change weight distribution, which affects chordwise balance. There is a limit to the positioning of the clamps toward the trailing edge of the prop blades. This is beyond my expertise because this type of work is done at the prop shop. A case can be made that the more severe the vibrations from the engine, the more serious the load is on the crankshaft. And with the Continental W-670 engine, that is a substantial contributing factor to the failure of the ball bearing. So one of my secrets to reducing engine vibration is to closely set the pitch angle of a ground-adjustable propeller and pay attention to propeller spanwise and chordwise balance. I have found that vibration will cause the carburetor-mounting elbow on the Wright R-760 engine to loosen over time. That could be critical because if it creates a gap between the carburetor/engine mounting, a loss of manifold pressure will occur, thus causing a loss (either complete or partial) of engine power. So during my preflight of the airplane I always shake the carburetor air box to feel for any looseness. During oil changes I always try to move all engine accessories to check for security of attachment. I have found loose magnetos and starter and generator/alternators that were not secured, a fault caused by vibration.
Much of the vibration of older radial engines comes from the firing of the cylinders. One can work on the prop blade pitch (if it is ground adjustable) and the balance if it is wood. Some vibrations can be reduced while other vibrations will always be there. Many single-row radial engines have two-piece crankshafts. Figure 1 shows the two-piece crankshaft on the Continental W-670 engine. Upon assembly it is most important to align the crank properly so the counterweights are in precise alignment. Reducing vibrations will add to engine/prop and accessory life. To reduce crankshaft loads operate the engine at an rpm where the least amount of vibration is felt in the airframe. Every little bit helps! Figure 1 is extracted from an old Continental R-670-4 parts manual and illustrates the complete crankshaft assembly. Item R-166 is the rear main ball bearing, item R-164 is the front main ball bearing, and item R-126 is the thrust ball bearing. Item R-169, the thrust nut, which can be seen on the engine crankshaft by looking directly behind the propeller spacer and thrust bearing cover plate. If this were a W-670-23 crankshaft these main bearings would be of the roller type. Based on the following old AAF technical order (TO) shown in Figure 2, Continental had ball bearing problems from the beginning and furnished heavier bearing components that were installed on overhaul and subsequent engine production. While this old TO is outdated, it provides an interesting insight into the Continental ball bearing problems we still have today. Note the issue date of June 4, 1943, and application to the -4 and -5 engines, which correspond to civilian W-670-6A and -6N engines. However, note that this bulletin applies to only the front main and thrust ball bearings and not the rear main ball bearing. My point here is only to inform that these engines have had a history of ball bearing failures in the past and an attempt was made by the factory early to correct the problem. Also note that the front main and thrust bearings carry the same part numbers. Let me complete this first part of Continental W-670 main ball bearing problems with some final thoughts. First, the installation of roller bearings in these engines requires a supplemental type certificate, which would be noted in the logbook upon overhaul. There should also be a copy of the STC in the overhaul paperwork that would provide updated inspection procedures and recommended overhaul life of the engine. Also, there was no mandatory replacement of the ball bearings by the factory overhaul manual, just an “on condition” inspection of the parts by the overhauling person or facility. So, if ball bearings are still in your engine, keep a close eye for fragments in the oil sump. If the ship is flying, a sudden rise in oil temperature accompanied by a change in vibration and a possible lowering of oil pressure may be experienced. Land immediately!
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
Vintage Instructor THE
BY Steve Krog, CFI
Hitting the mark: precision landings he days are getting longer, outside temps are creeping well above freezing, the snow is finally melting (for those of us in the northern climates), and the hangar doors at the local airport are beginning to open. Another new flying season is here! As the new season arrives and rekindles our love of flight, it also brings with it responsibility. Not only do we need to get our airplanes thoroughly prepped, but we also need to get ourselves prepped if we and our fellow pilots are to safely enjoy flying adventures during 2010. When ready to dust off the cobwebs and improve your flying skills, in preparation for a fun and safe flying season, give some thought to the different airports to which you intend to fly. Then plan for them by practicing simulated landings at either your airport or a nearby airport. If I’ve had an extended winterweather layoff, one of the exercises I like to do to get myself “tuned up” for safe flight is to practice what I call “precision landings.” No, they have nothing to do with instrument flight rules (IFR) related flying; it’s all about flying the airplane precisely while shooting for a landing on a specific spot. As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, after a flying layoff my first flight will consist of getting reacquainted with the airplane; medium and steep turns done with an emphasis on coordination and exact altitude control, followed by
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26 APRIL 2010
slow flight and a few power-off and power-on stalls, then a minute of Dutch rolls, and then returning to the traffic pattern for some work on precision landings. There are many aspects to precision landings. The more things that can be done right and with precision while in the traffic pattern, the fewer things that need correction or can go wrong on short final. Answer these questions of yourself as you read along. Upon entry into the traffic pattern are you at the exact traffic pattern altitude every time? Or is plus or minus 200 feet “good enough”? An additional 200 feet of altitude at midpoint downwind is barely noticeable until turning final. Then the 2,500foot runway on which you intend to land begins to look like the retired aircraft carrier Midway. When turning downwind, are you also flying the same horizontal distance or separation from the landing runway each time? This leg should track parallel to the landing runway with about 1/2- to 1-mile horizontal separation, depending upon size and speed of the aircraft you are flying. A J-3 Cub is quite comfortable with a 1/2-mile separation, but a Beech 18 is something quite different in speed, weight, and handling, so it does require a wider pattern. In my opinion, a good landing begins at the downwind midpoint. As a flight instructor spending a lot of time in the traffic pattern, I
can usually predetermine the quality of a student’s landing by where they’re at when at midpoint on downwind. Inaccuracies in altitude, speed control, and horizontal separation from the runway will usually make for a sloppy approach and landing. Once established on the downwind leg and with the prelanding checklist completed, it’s time for the next step in a “precision” landing. When abeam the numbers, reduce power and begin the descent. Trim is added, approach speed/nose attitude established, and when approximately 45 degrees off the approach end of the runway, initiate a shallow to medium bank turn to base leg. Note: It’s amazing to me, when giving biennial flight reviews, how many pilots are unfamiliar with the phrase “abeam the numbers.” They must all have taken the day off from flight school when it was defined. You are “abeam the numbers” when your left shoulder is horizontally aligned with the runway numbers (for left-hand traffic). Once established on base leg, there are three things to perform to continue toward a precision landing. Think ahead of the airplane by: • Checking for traffic that may be making a straight-in approach (at a nontowered airport). • Thinking about and checking your altitude—does it look or feel like you are too high or too low? A general rule of thumb under reasonably normal conditions is: If
you are 500 feet above ground level (AGL) at midpoint of the base leg, you’re where you want to be. • Planning and making the descending turn from base to final. (See the article in the February 2010 issue of Vintage Airplane.) No two flying days are ever the same. Temperature, surface winds, and density altitude will differ, causing you to make minor adjustments to achieve consistent precision landings. After making three or four landings and getting the feel of your airplane, it’s time to challenge yourself to improve your proficiency, which will in turn make you a better and safer pilot. Some of you reading this article might be saying, “But gas is $5 per gallon, and I know I can get my airplane on the ground. Why spend the extra money?” Let me explain via this example. Your airplane burns 10 gallons per hour and one extra hour in the traffic pattern will cost $50. At the moment $50 seems like a good chunk of change just to fly the pattern. But now put yourself in the airplane flying to your first pancake breakfast of the season. It’s a bit breezy, the destination runway is short, and there will be a lot of traffic in the pattern. Would you have rather spent $50 perfecting your landings back at home? Or are you prepared to make a spectacular, crowd-entertaining, tirescreeching, metal-scraping arrival at the breakfast? Your beautifully restored vintage airplane worth a thousand times more than one hour’s worth of fuel is being photographed and e-mailed to all corners of the world! Put it in perspective, a $50 upfront investment may save you $50,000 in repair bills. One of the exercises I like to perform to improve my skills is to practice reduced power approaches. Years ago when all the airports were grass and one could land in most any direction, full power-off approaches were quite common. Today, we have “improved” airports
with designated hard-surface runways, established traffic patterns, etc., so rather than performing complete power-off approaches, we use reduced-power approaches “for safety.” Here’s where you can safely challenge yourself, improve your skills, and have a lot of fun. To b e t t e r d e f i n e a r e d u c e d power approach for the purpose of practicing landings, reduce power abeam the numbers and continue reducing as required throughout the approach and landing. Here’s the challenge: You can reduce power in this exercise, but you cannot add power. Now obviously if you need to add power because you’ll wind up short of the runway, then add it. But do your best to hone your skills so you don’t have to add power—unless required for safety. If you have flaps, they may be added but not retracted when practicing—again, unless required for safety. This doesn’t mean you should fly a 7-mile 747 final. Fly a normal pattern. Pick a spot on the runway on which you intend to touch down. For example’s sake, use the numbers. Now look beyond the numbers—approximately the distance equal to two runway lights or two runway centerline stripes—and note that point. With this distance in mind, practice three or four reduced-power approaches and see if you can comfortably and safely get your airplane down in that distance. Speed and altitude judgment are critical in order to touch down within the runway parameters you’ve established. At 70 knots you are traveling 118 feet per second, and at 60 knots, 101 feet per second. If your approach speed is supposed to be 60 knots and you are at 70 or greater, and if it takes five seconds to dissipate the excess speed, you will have floated at least 500 feet down the runway, well beyond your desired point of touchdown. There is no hard and fast rule that applies, but generally for every 10 extra knots you carry
on final approach, you will use at least 500 feet of additional runway. Practicing three or four reducedpower spot landings at the conclusion of each pleasure flight will significantly improve one’s landing skills. Now go out and do the same when you have a light crosswind. Also, if your runway length permits, pick different spots or touchdown points down the runway. Then practice the reducedpower approach with the goal of touching down on the spot you’ve selected. This exercise will pay handsome rewards if flying to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Many vintage airplane owners like to fl y their airplanes to Oshkosh (OSH) for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. If you’ve not done it before, it can be a bit “nerve rattling,” but it’s a fun and worthwhile experience, provided you’ve prepared for it. One practice employed by the air traffic controllers at Oshkosh is to direct you to land long and not touch down until on or after the large colored dot painted on the runway. That’s no problem, you might say to yourself; the runway in use is 8,000 feet long. What’s there to worry about? Now visualize yourself in the OSH flight pattern. Keeping your head on a swivel, you see at least 15 airplanes in trail either ahead or parallel to you, all heading for either 36L or 36R. If there are 15 airplanes ahead of you, there are probably that many behind you that you cannot see. This certainly isn’t like landing at the old home airstrip! You’ve been directed to land long on or beyond the orange circle on 36L. Even though your palms are sweating, aren’t you glad you practiced midfield spot landings prior to arriving at OSH? Your landing was safe and uneventful, and your photo won’t be flashed worldwide for all to see! Now you can relax and enjoy the fly-in, knowing that you’re a better pilot thanks to your taking the time to enhance your flying skills.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
by H.G. FRAUTSCHY
MYSTERY PLANE This month’s Mystery Plane comes to us from my old modeling buddy, Dave Stott of Trumbull, Connecticut. We’ve seen a photo and an illustration of this unusual OX-5 powered buggy but have little information on it beyond the buider’s name.
Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to be in no later than May 15 for inclusion in
the July 2010 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.
JANUARY’S MYSTERY ANSWER We enjoy your suggestions for Mystery Planes—in fact, more than half of our subjects are sent to us by members, often via e-mail. Please remember that if you want to scan the photo for use in Mystery Plane, it must be at 300 dpi resolution or greater.
28 APRIL 2010
You may send a lower-resolution version to us for our review, but the final version has to be at that level of detail or it will not print properly. Also, please let us know where the photo came from; we don’t want to willfully violate someone’s copyright.
ur January Mystery Plane was a snappy-looking parasol wing monoplane. Here’s our answer: The Mystery Plane in the January issue of Vintage Airplane is the oneof-a-kind Jackson O-2, registration number X12875. This plane was built
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by Clifford C. Jackson in Marysville, Michigan. Jackson had worked as an engineer for the Buhl Aircraft Company, also in Marysville, from 1927 until they closed in 1932. After Buhl Aircraft closed, Jackson built the O-2 as a training airplane. The O-2 had a 20foot, 8-inch long steel tube fuselage, and the wood wings had a wingspan of 31 feet, both with fabric covering. It had full-span ailerons, and as can clearly be seen in the photograph, it had Handley Page style slots on the leading edges of the wings. The O-2 was powered by a 125-hp Warner engine. The useful load was 525 pounds. The first flight was on January 23, 1933. Clifford Jackson later went to work for Stinson Aircraft. In 1941 the O-2 was sold to Meyers Aircraft Company in Tecumseh, Michigan. Meyers intended to put the O-2 into production, but that never materialized. The plane was eventually scrapped. On a related note, this Mystery Plane photo was taken in front of the main hangar at the Pontiac Municipal Airport in Pontiac, Michigan. Here is an interesting nighttime photo of this hangar full of period airplanes that was taken in approximately 1930. The Pontiac Municipal Airport was the first airport to receive an A-1-A rating from the U.S. Department of Commerce on February 11, 1930. Now called Oakland County International Airport (KPTK), the airport is currently the sixth-busiest general aviation airport in the United States. Lynn Towns, Holt, Michigan
COURTESY LYNN TOWNS OF PONTIAC AIRPORT
from Wesley R. Smith, Springfield, Illinois; Wayne Muxlow, Minneapolis,
Minnesota; and Jack Erickson, State College, Pennsylvania.
Dave Cleavinger of Livonia, Michigan, adds this: In the 1970s, Cliff Jackson retrieved what was left of his aircraft with thoughts of rebuilding it. Ultimately, he chose to construct an entirely different design. He died in 1992, and the fate of the O-2 is unknown. Other correct answers were received
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
MYSTERY PLANE EXTRA The Flying Dutchman Otto Szekely and his three-cylinder wonder BY
WES SMITH tto E. Szekely (pronounced “say-kai”) was born in Hungary (then, the Habsburg dual monarchy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) on June 17, 1889. He is said to have been educated in Europe at Budapest, Vienna, and Berlin. Szekely immigrated to the United States in 1910, and by the time of America’s entry into the Great War, he was living in Moline, Illinois (Rock Island County). His prewar and wartime activities are unclear, but by 1920 he was married to 37-year-old Marian H. Szekely. By this time, the Szekelys had two children, Elizabeth (age 6) and Marjorie (age 4). According to one source (Lombard, Gerald B. Szekely Aircraft and Engine Company. Skyways. No. 27, July 1993, pp 8-13), Szekely was employed by the Velie Motor Vehicle Company (1909-1916) and the Velie Motors Corp. (1916-1928) in Moline. Velie was originally a well-known carriage manufacturer, and its first automobile, built in 1909, was powered by a 30-35–-hp American and British Manufacturing Company (Bridgeport, Connecticut) fourcylinder engine. This same engine was advertised in several early American aviation periodicals and was used as the powerplant of various early American aeroplanes, notably Thomas Wesley Benoist’s first Curtiss-type built in 1910 (Aero. December 17, 1910, p 9). Velie was backed by the Deere & Company, and Velie automobiles were sold through John Deere dealers until 1915. From 1914, a series of four- and six-cylinder Velie autos were offered, and in 1917, Velie began using Con-
O From the 1930 Aircraft Yearbook
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to pay damages in a patent suit. When the senior Velie family members died in 1928, the company was incorporated into John Deere the next year. This engine was then turned over to a subsidiary and eventually evolved into the Lambert M-5. After working for Velie, Szekely became an engineering consultant and established a piston ring manufacturing business at Moline. He also worked with the Maytag Washing Machine Company, and his talents came to the attention of the VacA-Tap Washing Machine Company, a competitor to Maytag. In 1925, Szekely moved his piston ring business to Vac-A-Tap’s loGood-quality photos of the Flying Dutchcation in Holland, Michman are hard to come by. Here’s an adigan. When Vac-A-Tap vertisement from the August 1929 issue failed, Szekely stayed in of Aero Digest. Holland (Ottawa county), tinental engines. In 1918 Velie of- Michigan, and formed the Szefered a handsome four-seat sports car kely Aircraft and Engine Company. with wire wheels and in 1922 began On May 28, 1928, Aviation magato make its own six-cylinder engines, zine announced the new SR-3 (i.e., which were supplemented by Lycom- Sky Roamer three-cylinder) engine ing “straight-eights” in 1927. While (Vol. 24, No. 22. The Szekely SR-3 Velie ceased automobile produc- Air Cooled Engine, pp 1516, 1517, tion in 1928, the name was adopted 1551). This was predated by an arin 1916 as a suburb of Shreveport, ticle that appeared in the February Louisiana, because of the local pop- 1928 issue of Aero Digest (Vol.12, ularity of Velie cars. Of course, Ve- No. 2. Szekely Aero Engines, p 200). lie would also build the 60-hp Velie A more detailed account followed in five-cylinder radial that powered the the June 1928 issue of Aero Digest early Monocoupe designed by Clay- (Vol.12, No. 6. Szekely Sky-roamer, ton Folkerts and Donald Luscombe pp 970, 972). Early Szekely engines comprised (also of Moline). The Velie Bear borrowed heavily from the Detroit Air several types. The first three-cylinder Cat (but replaced the cylinder head radial was of under-head valve dewith an aluminum type). The De- sign (Smith, Herschel. Aircraft Piston troit Air Cat had been designed in Engines, p 157). This was followed 1927 by Glenn D. Angle (teamed by L-headed three-cylinder and fivewith Edward Vernon “Eddie” Ricken- cylinder radials (Rice, M.S. Guide to backer) for the Monocoupe. Unfortu- Pre-1930 Aircraft Engines, pp 49-50). nately, the company was dissatisfied There was also a two-cylinder design with the reliability of the engine and (SR-2. Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft delivery schedule. However, the Ve- 1930) and a seven-cylinder type (SRlie was such a close copy of the Air 7. Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft 1929) Cat that the company was forced of unknown configuration that were
probably never built. The initial SR-3 was an overhead valve (later an L-head), threecylinder, air-cooled radial of compact design. The bore was 4.125 inches, and the stroke was 4.75 inches, yielding a displacement of 190.4 cubic inches. “Slipper-type,” drop-forged, heat-treated connecting rods that floated on a bronze-backed babbitt-lined bearing were held together with aluminum bronze connecting rod lock rings that were held in place with four heat-treated nickel steel bolts. The piston end of each rod was bronze-bushed. The counterbalanced, single-piece crankshaft was drop-forged and machined and was made of S.A.E. 3140 nickel steel. It was 1-37/64 inches in diameter, and the connecting rod bearing was 1-7/16 inches by 2 inches. Crankshaft rotation was counterclockwise, viewed from the front of the engine. It was mounted on deepgroove radial ball bearings to absorb the thrust and radial loads. The compression ratio was 4.8:1, and the operating speed of 1500 rpm to 1800 rpm gave the SR-3 an output of 40 hp. (Aero Digest states that the original SR-3 produced “over 42 hp,” and states that it developed 40 hp at 1725 rpm, which was guaranteed at 1800 rpm.) The SR-3 weighed 117 pounds dry and 142 pounds complete. (Aero Digest states that the prototype weighed 153 pounds, but that production engines weighed 148 pounds. The SR-3 Models O and L weighed 135 pounds.) Lubrication was accomplished by a duplex geartype pump, with duraluminum teeth of special shape that were cast integrally with the aluminum (later, magnesium) front cover. The upper pump supplied pressurized oil to the crankshaft and bearings, via a duraluminum ring in front of the forward main bearing. The lower pump scavenged the excess oil. Oil pressure was normally 40-60 psi, with a recommended gauge pressure of 4-10 psi. The scavenged oil was delivered to a storage tank via a 3.8-inch line. Overall, the SR-3 was 29.5 inches in diameter. (The latter SR-3 Model O
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32 APRIL 2010
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had a diameter of 36 inches, and the SR-3 Model L had a diameter of 30 inches.) Oil consumption was 0.016 pounds/hp-hour, and the fuel consumption was 0.60 pounds/hp-hour. Ignition was supplied by dual Scintilla PN-3-D or Bosch FU 6/3 magnetos, and two B.G. plugs per cylinder (later, B.G. or Bosch plugs). The magnetos ran at 1.5 times the crankshaft speed. The cylinders were originally made of close-grained nickel iron (Aero Digest states that they were “chrome nickel gray iron”) but were later changed to a chrome molybdenum cast iron alloy on the SR-3 Models O and L, with integrally cast heads being replaced by bolt-on aluminum heads that were attached by six studs and nuts. The cylinders were attached to the crankcase by four studs and nuts, with the cylinder skirt extending 2.5 inches into the crankcase. Carburetion was originally supplied by a balanced Zenith 1.5-inch venturi carburetor. On the latter Models O and L, Stromberg NA-R3 or NA-S3 carburetors were used. The one-piece cast aluminum (magnesium alloy on the Models O and L) crankcase had a circular intake manifold molded integrally, with an opening for the carburetor at the bottom. The intake system also consisted of pipes and flexible tubing that ran between the manifold and cylinder inlet valve. The cam gears and tappet arms were assembled with the rear cast aluminum (later, magnesium) crankcase cover. The rear end of the crankshaft carried the timing gear that drove the three separate cam gears. An extension shaft that plugged into the crankshaft drove the magnetos through spur gears. It would appear that only a small number of Sky Roamer engines were produced, just enough to supply the limited number of Szekely Flying Dutchman monoplanes (the subject of December 2009’s “Mystery Plane”) and perhaps a few Williams monoplanes that were constructed in 1928 to 1929. The main production variants were the SR-3 Models O and L (ATC 70 and 53, respectively). The original SR-3s had the intake for the
The pilot standing next to the airplane isn’t identified, but his stature gives some clue as to the size of the Flying Dutchman.
Otto Szekely and his Flying Dutchman. cylinder head located on the rear side of the cylinder, and the exhaust located on the front side. On the Models O and L, these were moved to the rear side of the detachable aluminum head. Likewise, the spark plugs were relocated from the side of the cylinder to the head on the Models O and L. The cylinder fins were cast integrally into the cylinders, but no SR-3 variants ever had cooling fins on the dorsal side of the head between the plugs, as this was accepted practice by that point in time. The valves were set at a 45-degree angle and were of the “mushroom” type, made of Silchrome. Each valve was 1-13/16 inches in diameter and had a lift of 11/32 inch. The total gas flow area was 2.5 square inches per valve. Valve seats were made of bronze, screwed and shrunk into the head. Pistons of the SR-3 were aluminum and had two compression rings and one oil scraper ring at the base. The steel piston pin was held in place by soft aluminum plugs at each end,
which were allowed to float within the piston and connecting rod. The rings were 1/8-inch thick, and the piston skirt was solid. The unique triple valve train of the SR-3 consisted of three camshafts and gear assemblies that ran at one-half the crankshaft speed. There were two tappet arms and two tappets per cylinder. The single cam lobe on each camshaft operated both the intake and exhaust tappets. These in turn operated the hollow pushrods (with hardened ends) and actuated the valves. There was a minimum of change in this system between the original Sky Roamer and the latter O and L types, only the tappets being altered. Conventional valve springs and dropforged (bronze-bushed) rocker arms were used. Adjustment of the tappets was by a screw and lock nut on the rocker arm. An Alemite Zerk fitting was used to lubricate the rocker arm, but all other external parts required periodic manual oiling with
an oilcan. The engine was mounted to the airframe by six through bolts. These ran through the front case cover, main crankcase, rear cover, and mounting flange, locking everything together. In addition to the integrally cast provisions for the cams and valve gears, the rear case had external provisions for mounting the dual magnetos, oil pressure regulator, tachometer, and breathers. As the SR-3 evolved, some other features changed. The Models SR-3-O and SR-3-L of 1931 had slightly different horsepower ratings and compression ratios. The Model L developed 30 hp at 1750 rpm, and the Model O was rated at 45 hp, also at 1750 rpm. Aircraft that used the SR-3 series included the American Eagle Eaglet, Rearwin Junior 3000 and 3100, Alexander Flyabout D2, Lincoln Eaglet B-31, and Taylor H-2 Cub. However, the greatest numbers of SR-3s were used by the Curtiss-Wright Junior (280), and the Buhl LA-1 Bull Pup (100-plus). Introduced to the public a few months after the SR-3 engine was the Szekely Flying Dutchman, an attractive single-place, low-wing monoplane that was first displayed at the 200,000-square-foot pavilion in Mines Field during the 1928 Los Angeles National Air Races and Aeronautical Exposition (Boone, Andrew R. Inside the Exposition Building. Aviation. Vol.25, No.13. September 22, 1928, pp 932, 933, 962, 964, 966, 970, 972, 976, 978). It is difficult to tell much from the photo that appeared on page 972 of the article, and a full description of the Szekely Flying Dutchman did not appear until the following spring of 1929 (The “Flying Dutchman” - Single Place, Low Wing Monoplane Powered With 40 Hp SR-3 Engine Now Being Produced by Szekely Aircraft Corp. Aviation. March 2, 1929, pp 640-641). While beyond the scope of this article, the 1928 U.S. National Air Races was the first of these annual events that proved so central to American aviation from 1928 to 1939. Organized by Clifford Henderson, the 1928 exposition displayed
36 different types of aircraft, including a Hanriot HD.1 that was said to have been flown by Charles Nungesser during the Great War, and the Travel Air Woolaroc for which Goebel and Davis had recently won the Dole prize for their flight to Honolulu. In addition to the races that were held over the nine-day period (September 8-16), performances by the military included aerobatics by the USN Seahawks and the USAAC’s Three Musketeers. Unfortunately, Lt. J.J. Williams was killed when he suffered an engine failure at 200 feet. He was buried the next day, and Charles A. Lindbergh, who was present at the event, took over for Williams, having trained with the Three Musketeers at Rockwell Field several years beforehand. Just how the Flying Dutchman was displayed outside of the pavilion is not known; however, several photos exist (National Air and Space Museum laser videodisc 1, side B, frames 43,450-43,455) of one marked with the race num-
ber 11, registration NC9450. This aircraft has a checkerboard pattern painted on the cowl, vertical rudder, ailerons, and elevators. Interestingly, the final frame of the sequence shows the aircraft under the right wing of a Ford Tri-Motor. Just where and when the photos of NC9450 were taken is, unfortunately, unknown. The little Flying Dutchman displayed two types of vertical stabilizers and rudders. It is unclear which came first, but the more pointed design seems to have predated the more rounded shape shown in the 1929 Aviation article. The aircraft was of conventional design; however, the design was obviously intended to be an aerobatic airplane. The wing was a fully cantilevered design with box spars. The spar cap strips were spruce with mahogany plywood sides. The cap strips were tapered and spaced with spruce spacer blocks along the spar. The mahogany was two-ply with the grain being arranged at 90 degrees to each layer for added strength.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33
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NASM PHOTO
Wrap fittings of cold-rolled half-hard steel plate that were wrapped entirely around the spar and were attached with chrome nickel steel bolts that ran completely through the wing spar. The eight compression members were made of steel tube arranged as a Warren truss. The wing ribs were made of spruce and were also in the form of a Warren truss. Each rib was gusseted to the spar with plywood and was said to have been capable of withstanding a 350-pound load. Each rib was spaced at 10.5-inch intervals along the span of the wing. Steel tie rods of square cross section were used in place of wire drag braces. Each rod was insulated against vibration. The wingtips of the Flying Dutchman were of a patented welded steel tube frame. They were designed to give the wings a dihedral effect to promote lateral stability. Welded in a jig, the wingtips were designed to be exactly the same and to be capable of absorbing “hangar rash” from contact with other aircraft and hangar doors. A most noteworthy feature of the wings was their attachment to the fuselage. They completely encircled the spars and were designed for a safety factor in excess of 13! The fuselage of the Flying Dutchman consisted of welded mild steel tubing. All joints were placed in compression or shear and were arranged in the form of a Warren truss. The tubing was painted with red oxide primer for corrosion-proofing. The engine mount was made of steel tubing, welded to a cold-rolled steel plate. According to the 1929 Aviation article, four nickel steel bolts were used in “double shear” to attach the engine to the airframe. Streamlined, drag-reducing forms were placed fore and aft of the cockpit. These consisted of a series of steel arches welded to the frame that were designed to protect the pilot in the event of a nose-over. The headrest was heavily padded, and the interior of the cockpit was upholstered with weatherproof fabric. The pilot’s seat was made of cane and mounted at an easy angle to the
With the pilot in the cockpit, the moderate size of the Flying Dutchman is apparent. floor. The windscreen was made of a heavy celluloid, and the control stick had a rubber grip handle. The throttle had a ball attachment knob designed so as not to snag on a pilot’s clothing. Instruments were of the “Department of Commerce” type. Aft of the cockpit was a small baggage compartment. A first aid kit and fire extinguisher were included in the equipment. Aft of the metal firewall and in the upper part of the fuselage was a 10-gallon fuel tank made of terneplate, supported on padded steel mountings. In the lower part of the fuselage was a terneplate oil tank of 2.5 gallons. All piping that passed through the firewall was grommeted, and the electrical conduits were of the flexible “loom” type to prevent breakage from vibration. The engine aluminum cowling could easily be removed by use of “snap clamps.” The fabric covering for the airframe was cut to shape and sewed before being installed. It was attached by “hand stitching to tape wrapped on the longerons, and then taped.” The plane was then given five coats of “high-grade aircraft finish, hand dressed with pumice and varnished.” The colors used are not known, except that a dark color seemed to predominate. The landing gear was of the splitaxle type, the shock absorbers consisting of rubber rings to provide equal tension. The two axles were made of chrome molybdenum tubing, and the wire wheels were covered with fabric, doped and painted to match the color of the airplane. Tires used on the Flying Dutchman were of a specially made 24-inch by 3-inch design. The tail skid consisted of a steel leaf spring fitted with a steel shoe. All
control surfaces were made of jigwelded steel tubing, covered with fabric. The controls were operated by a conventional stick attached to cables. In the case of the ailerons, they ran to bellcranks that operated a pushrod connected to a control horn. Aluminum alloy rudder pedals operated the vertical rudder via cables. Panels at each wingtip allowed easy inspection of the internal aileron linkage, and the other controls were visible throughout their entire length. The span of the Flying Dutchman was 26 inches, and the chord was 4 feet 8 inches. The length was 18 feet and the height was 6 feet. The wing utilized a Gottingen 387 airfoil, and the total wing area (including ailerons) was 108 square feet. Wing loading was 7.3 pounds/square feet, and the power loading was 19.4 pounds/ hp. The aspect ratio was 6.5. The area of the ailerons was 14 square feet, and the vertical stabilizer and rudder had an area of 7 square feet (although this appears to have been for the more curved type). The horizontal stabilizers and elevators had an area of 20 square feet, the empty weight of the Flying Dutchman was 540 pounds, and the useful load was 215 pounds, giving a gross weight of 735 pounds. In this condition, the aircraft could take off in 75 to 100 feet and land in less than 300 feet at 25 mph. The VC was 75 mph, and the VMAX was 80 mph. Maximum ceiling of the Flying Dutchman was 12,000 feet. The fuel consumption of the SR-3 was 3.5 gallons/hour, giving an endurance of 2.86 hours. In a zero-wind condition (at cruise), this yields a range of about 214.5 miles. The propeller type fitted to the Flying Dutchman remains unknown to this author.
A check of the available registration numbers for the Szekely Flying Dutchman indicates that as many as 16 may have been built. The first two were apparently registered 10027 (subject of the Vintage Airplane photo) and 10028. These are also listed as Szekely 4 and 26, respectively. NC8089-8091 are listed as Szekely 19-21. Seven others were registered as NC9450-9456 (Szekely 12-18). Three Flying Dutchmen are registered as 3088 (Flying Dutchman No. 7) and 9355 and 9356 (Flying Dutchmen Nos. 10 and 11). And finally, 120E (Flying Dutchman No. 5). Szekely’s subsequent activities now become somewhat less clear. The 1930 census shows that the Szekely family had grown to four children: Elizabeth, 16; Marjorie, 14; Mary Lee, 7; and Charles, 2-1/2. A Joanne Jansen, 24, is also listed as a member of the Szekely household at Holland, Michigan. The success of the developed SR-3 Models O and L was short-lived. The peak year for SR-3 production, 1931, was long after the Flying Dutchman had passed from the scene. The company filed for bankruptcy on March 9, 1932. Extant views of Szekely vary wildly. One account has him being too liberal with his spending, and another states that he was good to his employees, but that they were infrequently paid. Three engine types are listed for Szekely in the 1932 Aircraft Yearbook (3-35, 3-45, 3-55); however, the only other Szekely engine to actually be built was the five-cylinder, 315-cubic-inch SR-5 of 70 hp. The cost of developing this engine is what may have caused the company to fail. According to a newspaper account (New Firm to Produce Engines in Plant Here. The Holland Sentinel. June 17, 1936), the plant was still “semi-idle” in 1936. A year later in 1937, Szekely obtained a U.S. patent for a “variable ratio transmission.” Szekely’s activities during the Second World War are unknown to this author, but in 1951 he obtained two other U.S. patents: one for a three-wheel vehicle with all-wheel steering and one for a “rotary impact tool.” Otto Szekely passed away at Palm Beach, Florida, on November 4, 1971, at the age of 82. However, that isn’t the end of the story. The late (and legendary) Peter M. Bowers, while working for Boeing, had what he called a “nodding acquaintance” with the engineer in the next office. One day, Bowers noticed his surname and asked if he was related to Otto E. Szekely. The man not only corrected Mr. Bowers on the proper pronunciation of his Hungarian surname, he told him that Otto E. Szekely was his uncle. It is worth noting that there is a small group of Hungarian-speaking folk in eastern Transylvania (Carpathian Mountains—today, part of Romania) known as the Székely, that have their own flag and have recently been seeking a renewal to their autonomy. The history is rather complex, and at one time or another, the area has been either fully autonomous or has been part of the Austro-Hungarian (Habsburg) Empire, Hungary, or Romania. The name of the place—Székely land.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35
Type Club Notes Handy tip for drilling out rivets From the Luscombe Association Newsletter No. 202, 2009 BY
can’t remember the first time I watched someone drill out an airplane rivet, but it was decades ago. That shade-tree mechanic would drill down through the rivet head and into the shank of the rivet, until the drill would go through both the entire rivet and the pieces of metal the rivet was joining together. While this method was quick and effective, it usually had the undesirable result of enlarging the original hole. If any of the pieces were to be reused (and they usually were), the original-sized rivet would often then be undersized in that hole. Even as a kid, I remember thinking. “Isn’t there a better way?” Turns out, there is. Years ago, when I was doing some metal repairs on my Luscombe, I was being helped by an airframe and powerplant mechanic from a local airline who was a sheet metal specialist. He taught me that you don’t drill through anything. Instead, you partially drill into the rivet head, but only far enough to weaken the head, not remove it. You then hit the side of the rivet head with a hammer and small chisel and (hopefully) shear it off. The good news is you don’t damage any of the metal underneath the rivet. But there’s also bad news; it’s an inexact science. Because of either the force used when the rivet was originally driven or minor inconsistencies in the alloys that make up the rivets, similar rivets vary in hardness. Even after practice you will often find yourself with rivet heads that have too much material
I
36 APRIL 2010
GERRY SHEAHAN
remaining in the head to be sheared off easily. You then either mash the head sideways or have to re-drill… or both. Or, despite thinking you aren’t that far into the rivet head, you accidentally drill the head off and go into the metal underneath anyway. Oops.
“…that sharp bit was still really digging into the rivet head and throwing off a nice curly shaving.” T h e r e ’s m o r e b a d n e w s . U s ing this method, even when done properly, the shearing action will usually produce a burr in the rivet shank that remains. This burr makes separating the two pieces of
aluminum difficult and can still result in a slightly elongated hole. Those of you who have done lots of sheet metal work might be thinking, “Just buy the rivet removal tool from Aircraft Spruce” (or some similar aviation supplier). This tool comes with four differentsized drill bits and guides, and the theory is, it accurately drills the depth of the center of the rivet head, with no damage to the material underneath. According to Aircraft Spruce’s 2009-2010 catalog, this tool with the accessories costs $59.95, plus shipping. I don’t have one. But here’s the good news, and no person taught me this tip; my variable-speed DeWalt rechargeable drill taught me this one. A couple of weeks ago I was deriveting the horizontal stabilizer on a 1939 Model 8 Luscombe project I recently purchased. Interesting project—my dad used to own the airplane when I was a kid, and it’s the first airplane I remember riding in. Anyway, I was using the drilland-chisel method, and my battery pack was running low on charge. Even with the trigger pulled on full, the low charge allowed the drill to turn at only a snail’s pace. While it was a fluke, this turned out to really work in my favor. Something else was working in my favor I also didn’t consider. At Oshkosh this year I had purchased a short tube of 1/8-inch drill bits; I think there are 10 of them in the tube. They are about 3 inches long and double-ended—a bit at both ends. I knew I’d be doing a
lot of metal work on this project, and you can never have enough 1/8 bits, right? I assumed because they weren’t very expensive that they probably weren’t very good or wouldn’t last very long. Wrong! Drilling only aluminum, they wear like iron and are sharp as razors, which is also important to this drilling method. So, there I was almost done deriveting for the evening with a drill that is barely turning. But that sharp bit was still really digging into the rivet head and throwing off a nice curly shaving. I bore down a bit harder on the dying drill, and as I was watching, suddenly the rivet head spun and stuck to the drill bit. I pulled it away, and what remained was perfectly smooth and flat; there was no burr anywhere. I did it again, and again, and again with the same result. And the pieces of metal simply popped apart with no effort, no damage, and no elongated holes. I swapped out my dead battery pack for a recharged one and kept on going, but I changed my technique by bearing down a bit harder and drilling as slowly as possible, instead of the medium to high speed I had always been using. And the results were the same as when I was using the drill with the nearly dead battery. What is happening is, those sharp bits at a slow speed are digging into the rivet head and forcing it to fail in shear just before it gets to the metal underneath. Listening closely, I could actually hear the rivet shank snap as the rivet head started to turn. I haven’t used my chisel since. Try this instead of the drill-andchisel method: 1. Make sure you’re using a drill size equal to the shank of the rivet. 2. Establish the start of the hole with a couple of revolutions of the drill to make sure it’s in the center of the rivet. If not, make adjustments in the angle you are holding. You need to be in the center. 3. Drill as slowly as possible. 4. Bear down on the drill to make that sharp bit really dig
into the head. 5. Watch the rivet head, and when it turns, stop! You’re done! There might be experienced metalworkers who have been using this method for years, but I doubt it. A friend pointed out that it requires a variable speed drill capable of turning at a slow speed with good torque. Those types of drills haven’t been around that long. And if your rechargeable drill gives you the choice of “high speed” or
“high torque,” use the latter.
A Couple of Final Thoughts This method does not work on countersunk rivets. When done correctly, the remainder of the rivet head will be jammed on the end of the drill bit. It is very sharp; resist the temptation to remove it with your fingers. If you use a pliers instead, your thumb won’t have a series of small painful slices . . . like my thumb did.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 37
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Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words, 180 words maximum, with boldface lead-in on first line. Classified Display Ads: One column wide (2.167 inches) by 1, 2, or 3 inches high at $20 per inch. Black and white only, and no frequency discounts. Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (i.e., January 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA 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 (920-426-6845) 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 advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.
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J U LY 2 6 – A U G U S T 1
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President Geoff Robison 1521 E. MacGregor Dr. New Haven, IN 46774 260-493-4724 chief7025@aol.com
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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.
40 APRIL 2010