Va vol 39 no 10 oct 2011 by EAA Vintage Aircraft Association

OCTOBER 2011

A I R P L A N E Vol. 39, No. 10

2011

SEPTEMBER

CONTENTS 2

Straight & Level Chapters by Geoff Robison

News

AirVenture 2011 by H. G. Frautschy

12 The ‘New’ Funk on the Field From basket case to Reserve Grand Champion by Sparky Barnes Sargent

20 The Douglas World Cruiser That Crashed In Alaska Interesting aviation artifacts on display at the Alaska Aviation Museum by Irven F. Palmer Jr.

Light Plane Heritage The Spartan C-2 by Bob Whittier

The Vintage Instructor Buying an airplane and letting emotion control the decision by Steve Krog, CFI

The Vintage Mechanic NACA engine cowling and Fred Weick, Part 3 by Robert G. Lock

Mystery Plane by H.G. Frautschy

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plane in the late 1930s that continues to have a strong, loyal following. This is Sean Soare’s first-ever aircraft restoration, and it’s a beauty. Read more about it in Sparky Barnes Sargent’s article beginning on page 12. Photo by Carolyn Sweet. BACK COVER: Engineer/pilot Fred Weick was one of aviation’s greatest treasures, most often remembered for his Ercoupe design. As a researcher at NACA, he and a few of his colleagues at the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory built the Weick W-1 in 1934 to explore the use of aeronautical advances such as special airfoils and a tricycle landing gear in an aircraft intended to make flying safer. Many of the W-1’s innovations would be incorporated into the Ercoupe’s design. His research on cowling configurations is part of this month’s installment of The Vintage Mechanic, starting on page 32. NACA/NASA photo.

For missing or replacement magazines, or any other membership-related questions, please call EAA Member Services at 800- JOIN-EAA (564-6322).

FRONT COVER: The Funk Brothers created a remarkably efficient, fun-to-fly high-wing mono-

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1

STRAIGHT & LEVEL Geoff Robison EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VAA

Chapters

e’ve been enjoying some exceptional weather here in the Midwest in recent weeks. A few days of jacket weather, mixed in with some exceedingly warm days, has been the norm, along with some occasional wet weather generated by the recent hurricane season. I’m fortunate to be a longtime member of two local EAA chapters: EAA Chapter 2 was chartered on October 1, 1956, and EAA Vintage Chapter 37 was chartered in late 2003. Both typically join together and cohost various events throughout the flying season. The two chapters have experienced great success this year in attracting many of our local youths to our various Young Eagles events, typically conducted at Smith Field (SMD) in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and at the DeKalb County Airport (GWB) in Auburn, Indiana. We have jointly managed to fly literally hundreds of Young Eagles throughout the 2011 flying season. Both chapters also recently joined forces and successfully hosted the EAA B-17 Tour in Auburn. A good time was had by all, and a safe and enjoyable event was conducted for the benefit of many local communities throughout northeast Indiana. We were truly blessed on this tour of the B-17 at Auburn to host a small luncheon for five former B-17 crewmen who served with the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II either in England with the 8th Air Force or in Italy with the 15th Air Force. Many thanks to the local airport authorities for their unprecedented support of all of our local joint

2 OCTOBER 2011

events, and also to the many chapter volunteers who always graciously give their time and aviation fuel to support these important initiatives. I recently visited Cincinnati Municipal Airport (LUK), Ohio, affectionately known to many of our members as Lunken Field, or to many aviators as “Sunken Lunken.” As a volunteer with the EAA B-17 Program, I’ve had the opportunity to visit Lunken Field on several occasions over the years. I’ve long been an admirer of historic buildings such as courthouses and government buildings, and I have a special weakness for historically significant airport structures that typically date back to the 1920s. During this visit, I took the time and made an effort to take a long look into the historical significance of the original terminal building at Lunken Field. Kudos to the local government representatives of the city of Cincinnati who have continuously supported the upkeep and maintenance of this significant art deco facility. Constructed in 1936 to 1937, it was modeled after the city’s Union Terminal railroad station. Sadly enough, the all-new Lunken Airport Terminal fell victim to record flooding the same year it was completed. Many of the art deco murals were removed from the building, and because this all occurred during the Great Depression years, there wasn’t a lot of money available to refurbish the facility to its original state. So the murals were never reinstalled in the facility. The building was flooded on several other occasions until 1964, when the city constructed floodwalls to better protect the airfield. Lunken

Field was home to the Aeronautical Corporation of America (Aeronca) when manufacturing began there in 1929. Today, there’s a beautifully restored C-3 and a pair of art deco murals hanging in the lobby of the old terminal building. Interestingly enough, the C-3 Master sold for $1,800 back then, and if you wanted a door on the left side of the aircraft, it would cost you an additional $15. The All Metal Aircraft manufacturing facility was started up in 1928 at Lunken Field, where it built the Flamingo. The Flamingo was one of the most sophisticated aircraft of its time, a monoplane capable of carrying up to seven people and powered by a 700-hp radial engine. It even had a “stand-up” potty option. There remains only one of its type left in existence today, and you’ll have to visit the Ciudad Bolivar Airport in Venezuela to see it. In 1937, the company became a casualty of the Great Depression, and after the great flood inundated the airport, Aeronca moved to higher ground in Middletown, Ohio, that same year. Over the many years of operations at Lunken Field, the place has been visited by many aviation legends, including Howard Hughes, Jimmy Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Wiley Post, and even Neil Armstrong. So, if you find yourself in the great city of Cincinnati near Lunken Field anytime soon, be sure to take the time to visit this historically significant facility. You’ll be happy you did!

VAA NEWS FAA Re-Registrations Moving Right Along With about a third of the FAA’s civil aviation re-registration process complete, the Civil Aviation Certification Branch reports that things are going better than expected thanks to more aircraft owners performing their re-registrations online rather than through the mail, according to Walter Binkley, branch manager. “It’s been remarkably successful thus far,” he said, noting that more people are re-registering online than had been anticipated, and the work is being done along with the branch’s regular workload. “We’re in pretty good shape.” Online filers can expect a 10-business-day turnaround, he said. Those owners who choose to use the mail are having their registrations back in five to six weeks, which includes a week’s mailing time each to and from the branch. Actual turnaround once received is about 16 working days. Binkley strongly advised those who can to use the online option on the agency’s registration website at www. faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_ certification/aircraft_registry/ Since August 25, 2011, aircraft owners with more than one aircraft to register can now do so. This was a sought-after ability by the branch from the program’s outset, Binkley said, but only became available when systems were completed to accommodate it last month. The online re-registration web page now accepts as many as 25 reregistration actions in one session. This includes accepting payment of the multiple re-registration fees in one online credit card transaction. Only aircraft required to be registered within their designated calendar window can be re-registered during a multiple aircraft online transaction. Binkley provides the following suggestions to ensure a smooth re-

registration process: • If your address needs to be updated, do so now before your scheduled re-registration time. Update your address at this website: www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/ aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/ change_of_address/ Or you can do so by writing the FAA and supplying them the following information: •Identity of the aircraft by NNumber •Manufacturer name •Model designation •Serial number •New mailing address •Signature of the registered owner. Show the signer’s title and type or print the name of the signer with the signature. If the new address is a Post Office box, you must also include your street address or physical location. If necessary, provide directions or a map for locating your residence or place of business. Send that change of address information to:

FAA Aircraft Registration Branch AFS-750 P.O. Box 25504 Oklahoma City, OK 73125-0504 You can also fax the information to their office by dialing (405) 954-3548. •Follow the schedule. Don’t submit your re-registration early, or it will be returned. Apply early in the cycle to ensure you have enough time in case you make an error in the application. • Fill out the application carefully. If using the mail, look at what is in the system and copy exactly. • Sign your application in ink and provide a printed example as well where indicated. • If you miss your window, you will be required to re-register using Form 8085-1. • Don’t forget to include the $5 registration fee. •If you have a question, consult the FAQs—it will most likely be answered there. If you have a specific question not included in the FAQs, e-mail it to faa.aircraft.registration@ FAA.gov.

Stearman Formation Training Weekend in Oshkosh A b o u t a dozen Boeing Stearman World Wa r I I t r a i n ers, along with more than 20 pilots, were in Oshkosh August 26-28 for a formation training clinic based at the EAA Aviation Center. Planes and pilots began to arrive on Thursday, with a pair of twohour training sessions (one morning, one afternoon) planned for both Friday and Saturday. Each day included a bonus session from 5 to 8 p.m., along with one on Sunday morning. Training was based at Wittman Regional Airport and EAA’s Pioneer Airport. Pilots received instruction and training to improve their skills and enhance their aviation experiences. EAA participants included President/CEO Rod Hightower and Vice President of Industry and Regulatory Affairs Sean Elliott.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

AirVenture

H.G. FRAUTSCHY

4 OCTOBER 2011

2011

The area surrounding the VAA Red Barn and wayfinding tower was packed with people enjoying the Saturday night air show, one of the weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most popular events. Thousands of spectators lifted their cellphones as Neil Diamondâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s America was played, and they continued holding them up as Steve Oliver performed in his Pepsi FireDancer de Havilland Chipmunk. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

ith generally outstanding weather, the VAA welcomed more than 800 showplanes to its area during this past summer’s EAA AirVenture 2011. With the Centennial of Naval Aviation and of the U.S. air mail, there was plenty to see. A trio of Lockheed 12s came to celebrate the 75th anniversary of that record-setting twin. A new sound-deadening room to host the VAA metal-shaping demonstrations proved to be a popular addition to the Vintage Hangar. The new room, constructed by VAA volunteers, was in addition to the work they did this past spring to create an air mail shack to replicate the type of building that might have been present on so many air mail stops along the way as the mail was flown all over the United States. So sit back and think about the enjoyable time you may have spent here in Oshkosh in late July; if you weren’t here, you can enjoy these shots of just a few of the highlights in the Vintage area. We’ll have more in the coming months.

ANTIQUE (THROUGH AUG 1945) AWARDS Antique Grand Champion—Gold Lindy David Marco, Atlantic Beach, Florida 1938 Lockheed 12A, NC18097

Antique Reserve Grand Champion—Silver Lindy Timothy Talen, Springfield, Oregon, and Eric Rearwin, San Pablo, California 1936 Rearwin 6000 Speedster, N15865

Bronze Age (1937-1941) Champion—Bronze Lindy Ben Redman, Faribault, Minnesota 1941 Waco UPF-7, N32133

World War II Era (1942-1945) Champion—Bronze Lindy Paul Fries, Buffalo Grove, Illinois 1943 Boeing B75N1, N347KF

Silver Age (1928-1936) Champion—Bronze Lindy Joseph Santana, Waynesboro, Virginia 1928 Travel Air 4000, N5427

World War II Military Trainer/Liaison Aircraft Champion—Bronze Lindy Arthur Goodwin, San Diego, California 1943 Beech D17S, N368

Customized Aircraft Champion—Bronze Lindy J. Young, Hudson, Wisconsin 1940 Piper J-3C-65, N32562 Mike Williams, Fayetteville, Georgia 1928 Stearman C3-B, N6496

Silver Age (1928-1936) Outstanding Open-Cockpit Biplane Mike Berger, Washington Island, Wisconsin 1933 Waco UBF, NC13074

Bronze Age Outstanding Closed-Cockpit Monoplane Ed Kale, Matthews, North Carolina 1941 Aeronca 65-CA, NC33708

Customized Aircraft Runner-Up Keith Kocourek, Wausau, Wisconsin 1940 Waco YPF-7, N5ZP

STEVE MOYER

Silver Age (1928-1936) Runner-Up

Andrew King sits for a spell in the Curtiss Pusher constructed by Bob Coolbaugh of Manassas, Virginia. Andrew and Bob trade off legs as the Curtiss has been flown regularly cross-country to take part in the Centennial of Naval Aviation celebrations across the country.

Mike Williams rolls one on as he lands his 1928 Stearman C3-B on the turf to the south of Runway 18/36. We are in the process of improving a grass strip on the south end of Wittman Field that can be used by aircraft that are grass-dependant. We’ll have more to say on this project in the near future.

H.G. FRAUTSCHY

6 OCTOBER 2011

Ercoupe aficionados will recognize the general outlines of the follow-up version of the venerable low-wing personal plane, but the tail is all Mooney. This is the Mooney M10 of Patrick Flaherty, who hails from Cincinnati, Ohio. It was selected as the Reserve Grand Champion Classic airplane by our volunteer judges.

TYSON RININGER

CLASSIC (1945-1955) AWARDS Grand Champion—Gold Lindy

Outstanding Cessna 170/180—Small Plaque

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

William Thacker, Chenoa, Illinois 1955 Cessna 180, N4750B

Reserve Grand Champion—Silver Lindy

Outstanding 190/195—Small Plaque

Sydney Cohen, Wausau, Wisconsin 1946 Ercoupe 415-D, N94196

Coyle Schwab, St. Charles, Illinois 1948 Cessna 195, N3457V

Class I (0-80 hp)—Bronze Lindy

Outstanding Stinson—Small Plaque

Ryan Johnson, Dodgeville, Wisconsin 1946 Taylorcraft BC12-D, N44034

Jeff Bales, Greendale, Wisconsin 1946 Stinson 108-1, N97344

Class II (81-150 hp)—Bronze Lindy

Outstanding Ercoupe—Small Plaque

Patrick Phillips, London, Ontario, Canada 1949 Cessna 170A, CF-LWF

Doug Hurd, Cincinnati, Ohio 1946 Ercoupe 415-C, N94606

Class III (151-235 hp)—Bronze Lindy

Outstanding Piper Other—Small Plaque

John Startz, Houston, Texas 1947 Beech 35, N3088V

Gene Endsley, Des Moines, Washington 1955 Piper PA-22-150, N8112P

Class IV (236+ hp)—Bronze Lindy

Custom Class A (0-80 hp)—Small Plaque

Scott Pingel, Mineral Point, Missouri 1954 Cessna 195B, N2193C

Mike Sarsfield, Buford, Georgia 1955 Mooney M-18C 55, N4189

Best Custom—Bronze Lindy

Custom Class B (81-150 hp)—Small Plaque

Nelson Sundby, Stoughton, Wisconsin 1954 Cessna 170B, N1864C

David Meyer, Merrill, Wisconsin 1949 Piper PA-16, N5626H

Best Custom Runner Up—Large Plaque

Custom Class C (151-235 hp)—Small Plaque

David C. Barker, Lumberton, North Carolina 1949 Temco GC-1B, N22GW

Marvin Homsley, Holland, Ohio 1946 Globe GC-1B, N61PK

Outstanding Aeronca Chief—Small Plaque

Custom Class D (236+ hp)—Small Plaque

Michael Barbee, Delaware, Ohio 1947 Aeronca 11BC, N3660E

Jerry Shull, Carmel Valley, California 1950 Cessna 195A, N369JJ

Outstanding Beech—Small Plaque

Preservation Award—Small Plaque

Rosemary Leone, Sugar Grove, Illinois 1949 Beech A35, N8511A

George Greiman, Garner, Iowa 1950 Beech B35, N5186C

Outstanding Cessna 120/140—Small Plaque Scott Ross, Rockford, Illinois 1946 Cessna 120, N3128N

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

STEVE CUKIERSKI

Rosemary Leone of Sugar Grove, Illinois, took home the Outstanding Beech award for her highly polished 1949 Beech A35.

PHIL HIGH

Ryan Johnson of Dodgeville, Wisconsin, did some outstanding work on this new restoration of a snappy-looking Taylorcraft. It took home the Class I (0-80 hp) Bronze Lindy.

H.G. FRAUTSCHY

A tired but happy Bob Coolbaugh greets the well-wishers lining the taxiway as he makes his way to ConocoPhillips Plaza after landing his Curtiss Pusher. Bob’s Curtiss was one of the centerpieces of the Centennial of Naval Aviation celebration.

STEVE MOYER

The VAA Judging Corps stands at the ready with their banner-sized birthday greeting for longtime VAA judge Frank Bass, who didn’t make it to this year’s fly-in. 8 OCTOBER 2011

CONTEMPORARY (1956-1970) AWARDS Grand Champion—Gold Lindy David Smither, Aubrey, Texas 1966 Cessna 310K, N3845X

Reserve Grand Champion—Silver Lindy Patrick Flaherty, Cincinnati, Ohio 1970 Mooney M10, N505T

Outstanding Customized—Bronze Lindy Florian & Cynthia Kapp, Lagrange, Kentucky 1960 Piper PA-23-160, N99AJ

Class I Single Engine (0-160 hp)—Bronze Lindy Dale Berger, Nazareth, Pennsylvania 1957 Piper PA-22-150, N87NM

Class II Single Engine (161-230 hp)—Bronze Lindy Robert Stegman, St. Peters, Missouri 1966 Cessna 182J, N3457F

Class III Single Engine (231+ hp)—Bronze Lindy

H.G. FRAUTSCHY

Joe Santana sets his Travel Air 4000 up in the flare as he prepares to land on the turf. Both the Travel Air and the Stearman were on hand for the air mail centennial display.

Kevin Mayer, Lima, Ohio 1958 Beech J35, N76J

Custom Multi-Engine—Bronze Lindy Alan Bassman, Fort Washington, Pennsylvania 1968 Piper PA-30, N68AH

Dean Richardson Memorial Award—Bronze Lindy Dennis Beecher, Martinsburg, Pennsylvania 1962 Piper PA-22-108, N5549Z

Outstanding Beech Single Engine—Outstanding In Type James Plettner, Cincinnati, Ohio 1967 Beech V35, N87565

Outstanding Beech Multi-Engine—Outstanding In Type Kerry McCauley, Coon Rapids, Minnesota 1960 Beech 65, N800EQ

Outstanding Cessna 150—Outstanding In Type Joseph Smokovitz, Tecumseh, Michigan 1962 Cessna 150B, N7393X

Outstanding Cessna 170/172/175—Outstanding In Type Joseph Schies, Pine Grove, Pennsylvania 1963 Cessna 172D, N2646U

STEVE MOYER

As it enters the pattern high to the east of Wittman Field, EAA’s Ford Tri-Motor glides past the skywriting handiwork of Susan and Steve Oliver.

Outstanding Cessna 310—Outstanding In Type Douglas Parrott, Roundup, Montana 1958 Cessna 310B, N5418A

Outstanding Piper PA-24 Comanche—Outstanding In Type Av Shiloh, Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania 1970 Piper PA-24-260, N9400P

Outstanding Piper PA-28 Cherokee—Outstanding In Type Corey Hall, Versailles, Missouri 1964 Piper PA-28-180, N7967W

Outstanding Limited Production—Outstanding In Type Gerald Gippner, Olathe, Kansas 1959 Silvaire Luscombe 8F, N9942C

Best Continuously Maintained—Outstanding In Type Keith Arnao, Hainesport, New Jersey 1968 Piper PA-28-140, N5700F

Preservation Award—Outstanding in Type Roger Florkiewicz, Schererville, Indiana 1968 Piper PA-28R-180, N65KF

H.G. FRAUTSCHY

Modern re-creations of two of aviation’s most historic aircraft. On the left is the Curtiss Pusher built by Bob Coolbaugh, created to reproduce the first aircraft to fly from a ship. The Curtiss replicates the biplane flown by Eugene Ely during his demonstrations for the Navy in 1911. On the right is the Bleriot (Queen) monoplane reproduction built and flown by EAA volunteers and staff. Powered by an original Anzani “fan” threecylinder engine, it has briefly hopped at EAA’s Pioneer Airport. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

PHIL HIGH

This very nice restoration of a 1950 Bellanca 14-19 Cruisemaster is now registered to Ron Hansen of Platte City, Missouri. The wood-winged tube-and-fabric speedster received its beautiful color scheme over a decade ago when it was owned by Chuck Davis in California, and further TLC was lavished upon it by Jonathan Baron in Washington state. It features a custom color scheme with a stylized modern Bellanca logo on the tail.

TYSON RININGER

This interesting color scheme was spotted on a Taylorcraft BL-65 brought to the fly-in by Michael Zidziunas, Florida. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have more on this jaunty little high-winger in a future issue of Vintage Airplane. 10 OCTOBER 2011

STEVE CUKIERSKI

One of aviation’s most modeled airplanes, this newly restored Rearwin 6000 Speedster belonging to Eric Rearwin, and restored by Springfield, Oregon’s own Tim Talen, was a highlight in the antique area and in front of the Red Barn. It will be the subject of an upcoming feature article in Vintage Airplane. The restoration earned a Silver Lindy as the Reserve Grand Champion Antique. Just out of a fresh restoration at Candler Field near Atlanta, Georgia, is Ron Alexander’s 1928 Stearman C3-B mailplane, flown to the convention by the head honcho of Lee Bottom Flying Field, Rich Davidson. It was one of the air mail aircraft featured in the 100th Anniversary of Air Mail display.

STEVE CUKIERSKI

CHRIS MILLER

The centennial of air mail in the United States was commemorated with this display on the north end of the VAA flightline. Counterclockwise from the lower left, we have the Bleriot (Queen) monoplane reproduction constructed by EAA volunteers and staff, the EAA AirVenture museum’s Pitcairn PA-7 Super Mailwing, and EAA’s Fairchild FC-2W. Behind the Fairchild is the Golden Wings Museum’s Stinson SM-6000 TriMotor. Continuing the circle is the museum’s Swallow biplane, Joe Santana’s Travel Air 4000, Mike Williams’ Stearman C3-B, and Ron Alexander’s Stearman C3-B. The air mail shack at the center, featuring an authentic metal roof, was constructed this past spring by volunteers from the VAA. Inside, visitors could mail a special postcard and view air mail-related artifacts and photos. An added bonus artifact to the display was an authentic Ford Model A mail truck, supplied to us by Model A collector Al Downs of Oak Creek, Wisconsin. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

New’ Funk

The ‘

From basket case to Reserve Grand Champion BY

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

Sean with his Silver Lindy and his newly restored Funk B85C. 12 OCTOBER 2011

on the Field

Two

award-winning Funk B85Cs taxied in to the South 40 at EAA AirVenture during the summer of 2010, nearly one behind the other, much to the pleasant surprise of their pilots.

CAROLYN SWEET

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

This O-200 spins a Sensenich propeller. SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

They simply aren’t used to seeing another Funk when they arrive at an airport, since there aren’t a great number flying these days. John Maxfield’s 1948 Funk was already part of his family before he was a year old in 1958 (a Vintage article on NC1654N was published in 1995). The “new” Funk on the field belonged to 39-year-old Sean Soare of Loves Park, Illinois. NC81142 (s/n 272 ) and was manufactured in June 1946 as a B85C model, though Sean installed a 100-hp Continental O-200 while bringing the airplane back to life. Sean is a third-generation flyer.

14 OCTOBER 2011

His grandfather, Art Soare, taught Sean’s father, Malcolm, to fly in a Champ at age 16. Malcolm, in turn, restored a J-3 Cub and then taught his son Sean to fly in the Cub at age 16. Years later, being quite naturally drawn to the vintage and antique airplanes, Sean learned of the basket case Funk while perusing classified ads on the Barnstormers Inc. website. Immediately smitten, he felt that the Funk would be a unique airplane to own, since there aren’t too many flying these days. He’d been seeking a project, and this one was located conveniently enough in southern Illinois, just a few hundred miles from his home. “I thought it’d be exciting to restore it,” shares Sean, with a friendly smile. “It’s my first aircraft restoration and I did it all— with some help and guidance, of course. I grew up around aviation, and my dad also restored a Beech Staggerwing, so I learned a lot just watching him as a kid.”

Funk Aircraft Twin brothers Joe and Howard Funk were natives of Akron, Ohio, and first flexed their aeronautical wings by building gliders in the early 1930s. By the late 1930s, Akron Aircraft Company was formed, and the brothers had designed and built an airplane. It was powered

first by a small Székely radial, then by a modified, inverted Ford Model B automobile engine. Production of the Funk B started in 1939 under ATC 715 and continued into 1940. By the end of the year, the 75-hp Lycoming replaced the Ford engine, and the Funk Model B75L was born. The following year, the brothers moved to Coffeyville, Kansas, where they established Funk Aircraft Company and continued manufacturing the Model B and B75L. Their aircraft production ceased in 1942 due to World War II, but began again in 1946 with the Funk F2B (B85C). Similarly to many other light airplane manufacturers, the post-war declining private aircraft market grounded the Funk brothers’ aeronautical endeavors in 1948. All told, it’s estimated that fewer than 400 Funks were produced. Post-war company advertising promoted three core features of the Funk B: “Quality, safety, [and] completeness.” Powered by the 85-hp Continental, the Funk had a cruising speed of 100 mph, and with 20 gallons of fuel, a range of around 350 miles. “Carefree flight in supreme safety” was promised by virtue of the following: “… no stalls at lower-than-normal flying speeds; landings at speeds as low as 37 mph unaffected by gusty winds; no accidental spins…. On the ground,

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT PHOTOS

The two-tone instrument panel and the tall control column—in this instance, the right-hand portion of the yoke control has been temporarily removed to allow for passenger comfort.

The Funk sports a pair of original wheelpants. Sometime in the 1960s the main gear was converted to Cleveland wheels and brakes.

Close-up view of the wingtip navigation light.

For ease of entry, the Funk brothers designed the door so it swings wide open—all the way in front of the front wing strut. too, Funk is safe due to its low center of gravity. That means no more runway troubles, for Funk hugs the ground through fast turns and cross-winds.” This docile two-place airplane could take off in 350 feet, had an 800-fpm rate of climb, and touched down softly at 37mph on its 72inch tread main gear, cushioned by oleo-spring shocks. Visibility was enhanced by a one-piece Lucite® acrylic resin windshield. Advertising verbiage describes the sturdy Funk B as having “standard equipment [including a] starter and generator, illuminated instrument panel and dome light, landing lights, radio, and wheel pants,” and

an “exceptionally low noise level in [the] cabin. It’s spin and stall resistant, yet maneuverable . . . See it! Fly it! And Compare! Then you’ll agree it’s one of the safest planes in the air today.” The Funk was constructed as a basic tube-and-fabric airplane, and its steel tube fuselage was faired to a full-bodied shape with wooden formers and stringers. Its wings were built of wood ribs and spars, while the tail section was built of steel tubing. The B85C measured 20 feet and 1 inch long, with a wingspan of 35 feet. It weighed 890 pounds empty, and had a useful load of 460 pounds. According to aviation historian and author Jo-

The door handle is from a 1936 Ford. seph Juptner, the deluxe version of the B85C was equipped with hydraulic brakes (as opposed to the standard mechanical brakes), and was called the “Customaire.” [U.S. Civil Aircraft, Vol. 8]

Tackling the Restoration Sean, a physician’s assistant whose flexible schedule facilitates his aviation activities, realized

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

COURTESY SEAN SOARE COURTESY SEAN SOARE

Father and son, working on the fuselage.

CAROLYN SWEET

when he went to look at NC81142 that it truly was a basket case. It was much like assessing a patient who didn’t look or feel well, and who couldn’t communicate all the details of his plight. “It was pretty rough,” he recalls, shaking his head and chuckling. “It was in pieces, and various critters were living in it. It was just a pretty sad airplane. I got a lot of looks from other drivers as I was going down the highway with it loaded on the trailer.” Fortunately, Sean had a hangar in which to perform his healing work on the Funk. But since this was his first restoration, he had to fully equip himself to handle a wide range of restoration tasks. He also had to determine just what

16 OCTOBER 2011

Sean’s parents, Malcolm and Roberta Soare, provided helping hands during the restoration.

type of supplies he needed to have on hand to keep the project moving forward—including fabric, coatings, hardware, cables, and wood for stringers and formers. One of the first steps was simply removing the old fabric from the airframe and cleaning and inspecting it. “I picked two large garbage bags of critter stuff out of the wings; it was amazing,” explains Sean. “Then I took it all the way down to the bare tubing. I put epoxy primer on the steel components, rebuilt all the wood parts, and made new aluminum leading edges for the wings. So essentially, it’s an all-new airplane. Another important aspect of the project was devoting time to researching Funk history and exam-

ining copies of factory drawings, as well as talking with knowledgeable individuals. Overall, Sean compares the restoration process to building a large model airplane. “It’s a little bit more involved than a model, so I just tackled one thing at a time. Over the course of three and a half years, it slowly came together. I tried to make the airplane as original as possible—but I found out that there was a lot of variation that the Funk brothers did with the aircraft coming out of the factory. They were very resourceful and bought a lot of inexpensive surplus items after the war—like the federal yellow paint, which was used on a lot of trainers during the war.” When it came time to do the in-

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT CAROLYN SWEET

Malcolm and Roberta Soare with their son, Sean, and his finished Funk. terior, Sean says that “Lorraine Morris of Poplar Grove [Illinois] helped me, and Bob Riffle was a big help in making the wool headliner and canvas seat hammock.” They decided upon soft gray upholstery, accented by maroon piping, which tastefully coordinates with the light gray control column, rudder pedals, and two-toned instrument panel. In the original instrument panel, there was an opening that puzzled Sean, and after some detective work, he discovered it was for an early-style radio receiver. Since he didn’t have the original unit, he fabricated the new panel minus that opening. A neatly varnished plywood floor has two polished stainless-steel scuff plates in front of the rudder pedals. A new skylight, windshield, and sliding windows completed the cabin area. After covering the airframe with Ceconite fabric, Sean quickly mastered the tedious skill of rib stitching. Then it was time to learn the art of successfully applying Randolph butyrate dope with a compressed air system, and hand rubbing it to a luminous sheen. Sean says he decided to install an O-200 in his Funk, “because 85-horse engines are harder to find parts for now. There’s a pull starter on the lefthand side of the instrument panel.” The project came without a set

CAROLYN SWEET PHOTOS

The late-day October sun lends a golden aura to this awardwinning Funk. NC81142 received the Classic Reserve Grand Champion-Silver Lindy during AirVenture 2010. of wheelpants, and Sean didn’t know where to find any. As it turns out, they nearly fell into his lap. “I really lucked out on the wheelpants,” he explains with a broad smile. “Shawn Miller, the gentleman that helped me with the cowling, had picked up an original set of wheelpants a couple of years ago at an auction. They had never been repainted, so they had the original paint on them. I used those same colors—maroon and yellow— for the airplane.”

Funk Features The Funk has several unique features, with perhaps the most striking one being its parallel wing struts, which provide unimpeded entry into the cabin for both pilot and passenger. Once ensconced in the cabin, occupants can’t help but notice the tall control column with a two-piece bar running across its top, to which the yokes are affixed. “The control yokes are reminiscent of old-style airliner yokes,” smiles Sean. “I temporarily removed one portion of it, just to make it more comfortable for my friend to fit in the right seat.” This Funk is equipped not only with navigation lights, but also

with a set of distinctive landing lights. Instead of being permanently mounted, these non-retractable units are plugged in to built-in “sockets” underneath each wing. “They look like Model T headlights hanging down below the wing,” chuckles Sean, “and it’s amazing that they actually stay there—they really create a lot of drag.” The Funk was equipped with a full-swivel tail wheel, which could be steered with the rudder when secured by its manually operated locking device. “The tail wheel locks directly to the rudder, and you can unlock it to move the airplane around. The only thing I would say, though, is that you can’t make sharp turns if it’s locked,” laughs Sean, elaborating, “so if you’re taxiing the airplane to a tight spot on the ramp, you have to physically get out of the cabin and go back and unhook the tail wheel.”

Funk Flying In 1947, a Funk Aircraft Co. ad jauntily proclaimed, “There’s fun in your future with the Funk F2B!” Whoever penned those words had no way of peering beyond the horizon of the 1940s into the fardistant future to predict the longevity of fun Funk flying. But those pilots who are fortunate enough to fly a Funk today still agree with that advertising slogan.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

Rear view of the Funk in the South 40 at AirVenture—note the other Funk to the left. “It takes off about 55 mph, cruises pretty fast around 110 mph, and it’s just a nice cross-country airplane,” says Sean. ”It really won’t stall; it sort of mushes and you can still do nice gradual turns with it. It’s very forgiving. My flight to Oshkosh was exciting. I’ve been here three times but this was the first time I’ve ever flown here. So I had a friend come up with me that helped me out a little bit. Interestingly enough, when I showed up there was another Funk two airplanes ahead of me—I had no idea another Funk would be here! That’s really unusual to have two together.” Budd Davisson, contributor to this magazine, relished the opportunity to fly a Funk back in 1990. In his pilot report, his final assessment of the airplane was this: “From a performance view, the Funk is a good, good flying airplane that will make its pilots into extremely good, well-coordinated, sensitive aviators. In that regard, the Funk makes a tremendously good training airplane and one I would highly recommend for anyone expecting to transition into something with higher-demand handling characteristics.”

Rewards and Awards NC81142 came with a historical treasure, of sorts. Its logbooks and paperwork are complete, all the way back to Howard Funk’s sig-

18 OCTOBER 2011

nature in the aircraft records. After the airplane left the factory in Coffeyville, Kansas, it spent most of its life in California. “A friend of mine in Poplar Grove, who also has a Funk, was over in the hangar one day looking at my airplane,” recounts Sean, adding, “he was saying it looked familiar, and then he remembered that he had looked at the airplane about 30 years or so ago, sitting on a ramp in California. He almost bought it then. I think it just sat for 25 years or more, and became a derelict.” But a derelict it is no longer. This Funk B75C has been reborn into a frequent flyer. “Every evening, I try to get out to the Poplar Grove airport—it has nice grass runways and it’s really fun out there, because a lot of vintage airplanes are based there. The last three and a half years, I was sitting on the ground, working on a project, while everybody else was flying. Now I have an airplane to fly—and it’s a neat airplane,” Sean says with a glow. Sean experienced several rewarding aspects of tackling his firsttime restoration. One was simply the joy associated with identifying and finishing the myriad tasks of healing a long-wounded airplane. Another was embracing the help provided by numerous individuals as he met each new challenge. “My local friends, Ted Steffens and Don-

nie Stine, as well as members of the Funk Aircraft Owners Association, helped me out a lot,” reflects Sean, “and Gerry Lewis of Delaware has the original factory drawings. He really helped me by donating a lot of parts to the project.” Overall, Sean’s favorite part of the process, he shares, was the fabric work. “I really enjoyed applying it to the whole airframe, and seeing what were once just separate parts and pieces coming together to start looking like an airplane again. I never realized the finished product would turn out so nicely!” Indeed, Sean’s completed Funk is certainly exceptional, and he has an AirVenture trophy to mark his success: the Classic (September 1945—1955) Reserve Grand Champion—Silver Lindy. By midOctober, Sean had logged 54 hours on his Funk since its first flight in May of 2010, and everywhere he’s flown NC81142, he’s been richly rewarded for his hard work by nice comments from admirers. If you’re wondering what this young man may be doing next (aside from being a Funk frequent flyer), well, he’s already working on his second restoration project. “As if I didn’t abuse myself enough working on the Funk,” he says with a grin. “I bought a 1937 Cabin Waco YKS, and I already have the fuselage ready for fabric!”

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The Douglas World Cruiser That Crashed in Alaska Interesting aviation artifacts on display at the Alaska Aviation Museum BY IRVEN

F. PALMER, JR.

COURTESY OF THE ALASKA AVIATION MUSEUM

THE ALASKA AVIATION MUSEUM Over the last 40 years or so I have made it a point to try to visit all of the aviation museums in the western United States and many in far-off locations. I lived in Alaska for more than 35 years and flew my small Cessna all over that vast state, including Port Moller and the mountains there, where the Douglas World Cruiser Seattle crashed, and I am fairly familiar with Alaskaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s aviation historical past. I have visited the Alaska Aviation Museum near Lake Hood in Anchorage, Alaska, many times and have donated several clas-

20 OCTOBER 2011

Seattle at Kanatak, Alaska, on the Alaska peninsula. This is probably the last photo taken of the Seattle before the crash.

THE AROUND-THE-WORLD FLIGHT In April of 1924 the U.S. Army Air Service tried to be the first to circle the globe by airplane. The Army commissioned the Douglas Aircraft Co. in Santa Monica, California, to build five aircraft, dubbed Douglas World Cruisers. These aircraft were large biplanes and would be equipped with the powerful Liberty 400hp engines. To feed these engines, the aircraft were equipped with huge fuel tanks that held 773 gallons. The fuel alone weighed more than 2 tons. Four of the planes would make the flight, with one for a spare. The logistics of such a flight in 1924 required much time, planning, and effort. Inquiries were made about facilities at all the proposed stops. Gasoline and engine oil

IRV PALMER

SPECIFICATIONS

Seattleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Liberty engine and other artifacts are on display at the Alaska Aviation Museum in Anchorage, Alaska. The items were recovered from the wreck site on the side of a mountain near Port Moller, Alaska, in the Aleutian Islands on April 30, 1924, with the crew surviving and walking out of the wilderness 10 days later. sical items to the museum, such as old wooden Jack Carr skis and old radio equipment. This museum contains many of the historical aircraft that were flown by the bush pilots who opened up Alaska to settlement and development. On a recent trip to Alaska I stopped by the museum again and took photos of the remains of Seattle, the Douglas World Cruiser that did not complete the around-the-world flight. The photos included herein are courtesy of the Alaska Aviation Museum. I have also seen Chicago at the Smithsonian and New Orleans at the Santa Monica airport in California. The April 2, 2010, Vintage Aircraft Online carried the story about Bob and Diane Dempster of Seattle, Washington, who are in the process of building a reproduction of a Douglas World Cruiser, Seattle II, and intend to fly it around the world. That is certainly a laudable undertaking and will bring renewed interest in aviation history to many people. I thought EAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vintage Aircraft Association readers might like to see some photos of the World Cruisers in Alaska and especially the remains of Seattle.

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COURTESY OF THE ALASKA AVIATION MUSEUM

Above: New Orleans at Sitka Bay. It proved to be one of the two original (out of four) DWC aircraft that completed the around-the-world flight.

22 OCTOBER 2011

IRV PALMER

Left bottom: In this view you can see the 45-degree offset to the cylinders in the Liberty engine showing. The broken edges of the wooden propeller and the twisted brass leading edge show that the engine was developing power when it hit the mountain.

IRV PALMER

Left middle: Seattle’s Liberty engine and a portion of its forward fuselage showing the fuselage fuel tanks.

had to be available or shipped to those places. In addition, 14 sets of floats and 14 spare engines were shipped to various points around the world, “just in case.” The planners realized that undertaking such a mission involved risk and that success meant that spares should be available along the way. Very soon in the trip, this proved to be good thinking. The four planes were flown from

Santa Monica to Seattle for the final preparations for the flight. The four planes, named Seattle, New Orleans, Chicago, and Boston were led by Major Fredrick Martin. They left Seattle, Washington, on April 6, 1924, and they headed north, following a course from Seattle to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, to Sitka, Seward, Chignik, Dutch Harbor on Unalaska Island, Atka, and Attu, at the end of the Aleutian Islands. Things were going pretty well and the four planes landed at Sitka Bay and at Seward as planned. They left Seward and flew west of Kodiak Island en route to Chignik, but as they neared Mt. Eyak in the lower Shelikof Strait, about 50 miles west of Kodiak, a leaky crankcase caused Seattle to make an emergency landing. Hulls, a U.S. Coast Guard Cutter, located the aircraft and towed it to the village of Kanatak, where a Standard Oil Company drilling operation provided assistance. Maj. Martin, the pilot and leader, ordered the other aircraft waiting at Chignik to continue on to Dutch Harbor. It is unclear what kind of a repair was done on Seattle at Kanatak, but we do know the plane traveled only about 235 more miles southwest before crashing into a mountain near Port Moller during a snowstorm. On April 19, 1924, New Orleans, Chicago, and Boston escaped the Aleutian Island’s frequent strong winds and reduced visibility and made it to Dutch Harbor, where Boston was hoisted aboard S.S. Brookdale for an engine replacement and other repairs. Those spare parts were now paying off. After Boston’s engine replacement, the three planes departed for the remainder of the around-the-world attempt. We won’t try to cover all of the details here, but it is important to add that only two of the aircraft would complete the trip, New Orleans and Chicago. Boston was lost at sea in the North Atlantic, but the crew was rescued by the U.S. Navy. At this point the prototype DWC, now dubbed Boston II, was flown to Labrador by the Boston’s crew to join the remaining World Cruisers, and they continued west and landed at Sand Point in Seattle on the shores of Lake Washington on September 28, 1924, after 175 days. They had flown 371 flight hours and had gone 27,553 miles. That event surely started global aviation.

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THE LIBERTY AIRCRAFT ENGINE The photo I took of Seattle’s remains show the only parts of Seattle that can be viewed by the public. Many other twisted metal parts remain on that mountain near Port Moller on the Alaska Peninsula. The Liberty L-12 that powered Seattle was a water-cooled V-12 with cylinders set at 45 degrees to the crankshaft. The engine was rated at 400 hp and was designed for a high power-toweight ratio and for ease of mass production. It has a history that dates back to 1917 during World War I, where it was used in both aircraft and tanks. All of America’s major auto makers had contracts to build the engine, and more than 20,000 were manufactured.

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

Light Plane Heritage published in EAA Experimenter May 1992

THE SPARTAN C-2 ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY

BOB WHITTIER

EAA 1235 hen one attends a large fly-in or visits an aviation museum, there’s so much to see that it’s impossible to notice and remember everything. Later on when one thinks things over or reads up on a particular plane, what seemed to be superficial observations often come together to create a new and surprisingly clear insight on the significance of what one saw. Let’s explore the Spartan C-2 low-wing monoplane to demonstrate this. The first time a person

encounters this ship, he probably won’t know what to make of it. On one hand it appears to be a fairly conventional lightplane of the early 1930s, in that it has really weird features and has reasonably good proportions and lines. On the other hand it can seem to have acres of wingspan and area, possibly because its appreciable amount of dihedral puts so much wing in front of the viewer’s eyes. For its overall size, it appears to sit almost squattingly close to the ground, an outcome of the landing

Lead photo: Carefully restored by antique airplane enthusiasts in Oklahoma, this Spartan C-2 appeared at an EAA fly-in at Rockford, Illinois, years ago. Note rather cluttered structure in and around the landing gear, and how occupants sit a bit high in the cockpit. This 1931 model C-2 was powered by a Jacobs L-3, three-cylinder, 55-hp engine.

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

24 OCTOBER 2011

gear being short, which is dictated by its modest propeller diameter. Its side-by-side open cockpit seems a little large. The occupants sit a little high in it, especially if they are tall, creating the impression that people ride on it rather than in it. Also, as one’s eyes roam over the C-2 there is an impression that it’s held together with an endless number of streamlined tie rods. In fact, counting those on the landing and tail group, there are no fewer than 28 of them. Let’s briefly review Spartan history. The key figure was a gentleman named Willis C. Brown. At the age of 16 in 1912, he cobbled up an airplane. Later he flew with the Army. By 1924 he was a flying salesman operating out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was not very happy with the performance and reliability of the war-surplus planes and engines then in wide use. The famous Curtiss OX-5 engine, for example, had been designed for a 50-hour service life. The assumption was that student pilots would crash the planes using it before that time was up. In 1925 Brown and some kindred souls set out to design a better plane for serious business flying. It took the form of a three-seat, opencockpit biplane. Powered with a war-surplus Le Rhône rotary engine, it flew well, but the engine’s trustworthiness was on a par with that of a rattlesnake. At that time no smaller aero engines were being manufactured in the Unites States, but Brown’s group learned about and looked into the 125-hp, nine-cylinder radial engine manufactured in Germany by Siemens-Halske. By 1927 these engines were being imported into the United States. Factory test engines had run 150 hours at full throttle without breakdown, and overseas users were reporting 400 hours of good performance without even having to grind the valves. That appealed to the Brown group, so they installed one on their biplane and tried it out. The combination proved to

Streamlined tie rods meeting the top surfaces of Spartan C-2 wings caused less interference drag than steel tube struts of appreciably greater diameter would have.

be a winner, providing good performance and reliability. They named it the Spartan and formed a company to manufacture it, named Mid-Continent Aircraft Co. Production began in 1928 and almost 100 planes were built before labor troubles in Germany cut off the supply of Siemens engines. Czechoslovakian Walter engines of similar type and power were substituted briefly, but late in 1928 the Wright Aeronautical Corp. in New Jersey introduced new American radial engines. They offered five-, seven- and nine-cylinder models, producing 165, 225, and 300 hp respectively. By mid-1929 a refined model of the Spartan biplane was on the market, powered by the 165 hp Wright. Some months later a 225hp model also appeared. It was a real performer and sold well. The growing size and reputation of Mid-Continent’s manufacturing operation attracted the attention of a prominent and wealthy oil baron, William G. Skelly. In the fall of 1927 he bought the business and changed the name to Spartan Aircraft Co. A flying school was started to supplement the manufacturing business and, among other things, teach customers how to fly Spartan airplanes. A large, comfortable 4-seater cabin monoplane was added to the line. Then the stock market crash of 1929 devastated the aircraft indus-

try. For a while, people thought the Depression would be short-lived and some aircraft manufacturers sought to hang on until things got better by bringing out quickly designed, light, economical monoplanes. They realized that biplanes were too costly to build and sell at Depression-time prices. A simple, conventional monoplane has a total of four spruce spars in its right and left wing panels, where a biplane has eight. A biplane has many more wing ribs, four wing tip bows instead of two, and many more steel fittings calling for much careful hand-work. Another shortcoming of biplanes is that power is wasted in generating four rather than two wingtip vortices, caused by air spilling out from under the wing tips. Biplane wing assemblies tend to have low aspect ratios, which increase what engineers call “induced drag.” This refers to the invisible, but very much present, drag that results from the work done by a wing to develop lift. Spartan engineers visualized a light monoplane with a fairly high aspect ratio and therefore low-drag wing. With a wingspan of 40 feet and chord of 54 inches, the design they laid down had an aspect ratio of 8.8-to-1. The Aeronca C-3 had a ratio of 8.6-to-1 and the Taylor (later Piper) Cub had one of 6.6to-1. It would clearly require some thought to decide how to build

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

These three drawings show how tie rods were used on racing planes. The wing structure of the Spar tan C-2 was probably derived from these examples.

such a long, slim wing and give it adequate resistance to bending, twisting, and fluttering. Other American lightplanes of that time were of the parasol and high-wing types. But the Spartan C-2 was a low-wing design. At that time most racing planes were low-wings, and the notion spread among airplane lovers that somehow low-wings were simply faster than high-wings. But, of course, that could not be true, for there were also some biplane and highwing racers. Why did the people at Spartan decide on a low-wing? Well, there

26 OCTOBER 2011

are some practical advantages to this type. It’s usually quite convenient to step up on a wing-root footwalk and then settle down into a cockpit unencumbered by overhead structure. Visibility ahead, upward, to the side, and to the rear is good to excellent. Although a low wing blocks the view downward in practical flying, there is seldom a need to look straight down. And the closer a wing is to the ground, the more it will benefit lift-wise from ground effect when taking off and landing. But it is a safe guess that the fundamental reason for choosing the

low-wing configuration was structural. To help you to understand this, let’s go back to the mid-1920s, when there was keen international competition in the famous Schneider Trophy races. Started in 1912 by the wealthy French industrialist Jacques Schneider, their purpose was to further the development of fast seaplanes. They didn’t have long, paved runways in those days, and flat, open stretches of water offered the takeoff and landing distances needed by faster aircraft. Until the mid-1920s racers built for this competition were biplanes. The truss-work of wing struts and streamlined tie rods provided the rigidity needed to stand the everincreasing stresses created by higher speeds. But biplanes inherently have more drag, and it increases rapidly with speed. In 1925 the British entered a cantilever-wing monoplane racer. The wing broke up in flight, presumably as a result of the phenomenon known as flutter. Hold a yardstick out the window of a car and notice how it will, with increasing speed, develop a rapid whipping, bending action. That’s flutter. It’s the result of a very complex interplay between air forces and structural flexibility. So Schneider Trophy monoplanes from then on stuck to externally braced wings. Front and rear spars trussed together with both internal and external tie rods created wings with the necessary torsional rigidity. Of course, the external ones were of streamline cross-section, a type developed during World War I. They’re made by passing round rods back and forth between rollers, into which have been cut suitable grooves. The rolling action also tends to improve tensile strength. A high-wing or mid-wing monoplane employing tie rod bracing requires some sort of overhead strut arrangement to anchor the inboard ends of the tie rods on the upper side of the wing. The overhead vee strut on the Aeronca C-3 and the

overhead pylon on the Buhl Bull Pup are typical examples. Such arrangements can be tolerated on slow utility aircraft but would create unacceptable drag on racers. Fractions of a second in speed can win or lose a hotly contested race. Reducing drag to an absolute minimum becomes critical. An accompanying drawing shows front views of these tie rodbraced racing monoplanes. At the top is a 1926 Italian Macchi/Schneider Trophy racer. In the center is a 1927 British de Havilland racer that was designed to compete in races for modestly powered landplanes. It attained 187 mph on 115 hp. At the bottom is a 1931 Gee Bee racer whose remarkably fat fuselage amounted basically to a well-streamlined nacelle behind the ship’s large-diameter radial engine. The common feature of these three planes is that the inboard ends of the upper-wing tie rods are attached to the tops of their fuselages, rather than to any kind of overhead and therefore projecting strut layout. By moving the wing down it is possible to do this, hence the low-wing racers. Other speedsters such as the Howards, WedellWilliamses, and Travel Air Mystery Ships were also of this design. Since these planes were much in the news and were well-known in the early 1930s, it is reasonable to assume that the idea of a tie rodbraced, low-wing monoplane occurred to the Spartan men. Because of their much smaller diameter compared to steel tube struts, they posed less frontal area. On a ship with a 40-foot wingspan, steel tube struts would have been long, and caused much drag. They would have to be of good diameter to resist compression loads, so would have been heavier. Their bulk would have created more turbulence where they met the wing’s surface. Ideas born in racing do indeed trickle down to more prosaic automobiles, boats, and airplanes. The

very handsome Ryan ST low-wing monoplane, so much admired by airplane lovers over the years, is another example of how designers of civilian aircraft picked up wing-bracing ideas born in the Schneider racers. Spartan designers probably also saw in tie rod-bracing a way to stabilize the C-2’s very long, narrow wing against twisting and fluttering while at the same time keeping weight and drag to a minimum. In those days biplanes were still popular, especially in the military, and production of streamlined tie rods was high. So cost would have been bearable. At today’s prices the idea of using 28 of these rods to truss together a homebuilt plane would be quickly rejected. A rod-braced, low-wing configuration having been decided upon, attention was turned to finding an engine. It is a reasonably accurate general rule that the weight of a complete airplane is closely tied to the weight of its engine. For exam-

ple, the four-seater Stinson SM-8 of 1930 was powered by the 215hp Lycoming engine weighing 514 pounds, and had an empty weight of 2,061 pounds. The four-seater Fairchild 24 of 1936 was powered by the 145-hp Warner engine weighing 303 pounds and had an empty weight of 1,685 pounds. The Piper PA-14 Family Cruiser of 1949 also carried four, was powered by the 108-hp Lycoming weighing around 260 pounds, and had an empty weight of 1,020 pounds. You can carry this on to an interesting study of today’s ultralights powered by much lighter engines. But to get back to the C-2, a very limited selection of small aircraft engines was available in the early 1930s. The two-cylinder Aeronca of 36 hp weighed 100 pounds. The four-cylinder Continental A-40 of 37 hp weighed 136 pounds. The three-cylinder Székely of 45 hp weighed 135 pounds. With its 40-foot span, the C-2 was a fairly large lightplane, and

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

The high-wing Aeronca C-3 and mid-wing Buhl Bull Pup had overhead structures to secure the upper-wing tie rods.

Spartan designers sensed that none of these engines had enough muscle. Jacobs Company of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, at that time fortunately came out with a threecylinder radial engine generally resembling the Székely but delivering 55 hp. It weighed 170 pounds. So the Spartan C-2 ended up with an empty weight of 731 pounds. Other lightplanes of its time mostly weighed less than 500 pounds, with the Aeronca C-3 tipping the scales at a mere 466 pounds. While reasonably clean for its type and time, the C-2’s very wide two-seater cockpit with a large windshield in front of it created a lot of drag. Steel tube loops around the fat Goodyear airwheel tires on the Goodyear airwheels probably created a lot of interference drag. Advertised cruising speed was 81 mph and rate of climb 750 feet per minute. People

28 OCTOBER 2011

who have flown C-2s tell us these figures certainly were optimistic. For the purpose of student training and weekend airport hopping, however, the ship had adequate enough performance. As anyone who has had a ride in the rear seat of a tandem-cockpit low-wing plane can testify, the wing can block out a lot of one’s view downward. That can bother passengers who want to enjoy the scenery. Putting pilot and passenger sideby-side in the C-2 gave both occupants the same and acceptably good view forward and downward. Because of changing relationships between the center of lift and the center of gravity as between level and climbing flight, lowwings can have problems with longitudinal stability. So putting the two occupants of the C-2 side-byside minimized center-of-gravity

changes as between dual and solo flight. The 54-inch chord of the C-2’s high aspect ratio wing kept the Clark Y airfoil’s center-of-pressure travel to modest proportions, again helping with longitudinal stability. The stabilizer was adjustable on the ground only, although later C-2s had a bungee trim arrangement rigged up to put adjustable trim pull on the control stick during long flights—the fuel tank was ahead of the center of gravity. Construction was entirely conventional for the early 1930s, with welded steel tubing fuselage and tail surfaces and spruce wing spars and ribs. Everything was fabric covered. One common color scheme was dark maroon fuselage and vertical tail with an orange-yellow color for the wing and horizontal tail. Wiggins Airways at Norwood, Massachusetts, had two with dark brown fuselages and medium-red wings and stabilizer. One of them was re-covered by a new owner and given a medium-blue fuselage and yellow wings. It was restored after World War II and given a black fuselage with orange wings. A removable coupe top was available as an extra. Aviation literature has too little to say about the advantages of convertible cockpits. Open ones are very enjoyable to ride in on hot summer days, but turn into torture boxes on cold winter days, due to windchill ef-

fect. On cross-country trips, pilots of open-cockpit planes need three hands—one for the control stick, one for other controls, and one to maintain a firm grasp on the navigational map. The three-cylinder Jacobs engine was a character. As far as the author knows, the C-2 was the only plane to use this engine, and since fewer than 20 Spartan C-2s were built, parts for it are as scarce as alligators in Siberia. Where other lightplanes had wooden propellers, the C-2’s were fitted with ground-adjustable, all-metal Hamilton Standard props. They looked like perfect miniatures of Hamilton Standard props used on many larger planes of that time. The valve rocker arms were exposed. Before self-adjusting hydraulic valve lifters appeared, and before better valve steels came along, rocker arm clearances had to be checked often and leaving everything in the open saved time. Air rushing around exposed valve stem ends probably helped to keep valve head temperatures under control. Exposed rocker arms and valve stems had to be greased and oiled often. The propeller slipstream then carried drops of oil and blobs of grease back onto the windshield and fuselage. Cylinder exhaust gas was ducted into a doughnut-shaped “collector ring,” and since the inlet ducts joined this at an angle, the gas went around and around within this ring. Since airflow washed over this ring constantly, it is reasonable to believe that exhaust gases were cooled and their volume reduced by the time they exited from the single exhaust outlet. That gave the engine a usefully muted exhaust. Radial engines fitted only with short, individual exhaust stacks emitted a steady and tiresome barking. The Great Depression forced Spartan to terminate airplane manufacture. It soldiered on by running the well-known Spartan School of Aeronautics. As the business climate slowly improved, it got back into airplane manufacture in 1937 with

Note the close resemblance of the Ryan ST’s wing bracing to that of racing planes of the early 1930s. This is the military version of the Ryan STA, known as the PT-20. It is identifiable by the outside stringers, the turnover pylon, and the lack of an “N” number. Power was either a 125, 134, or 150 hp Menasco engine. the very advanced, sleek, fast, allmetal Spartan Executive low-wing monoplane of cantilever type and fitted with a retractable landing gear. Some of these are still around and evoke sighs of ecstasy from airplane nuts who see examples at flyins or in museums. To summarize, it’s really sur-

prising how much one can learn about airplane design by studying any particular airplane carefully and asking oneself, “Why was it designed that way?” NOTE: Spartan C-2 NC 11908 is currently on display in the Tulsa Air and Space Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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Vintage Instructor THE

BY Steve Krog, CFI

Buying an airplane and letting emotion control the decision everal months ago an early20s young man approached me, asking if I would teach him to fly in his own airplane. Before agreeing, I inquired as to what type and model of aircraft he owned. His reply was, “I don’t own it yet, but I’m traveling to the West Coast to look at one this weekend.” To protect the innocent, and in this case, the not-soinnocent, I won’t divulge the type and model here. It was a classic tailwheel aircraft powered by a Continental engine. I asked if he had done a prepurchase inspection, and he had not. Rather, he mentioned that a good friend who flew tailwheel airplanes was making the trip with him and would look it over. If the purchase was made, they would fly the plane back to Wisconsin. I strongly suggested he have a thorough prepurchase inspection done by someone who knows that type of aircraft. I even offered to help locate a reputable A&P/IA who could do the inspection. But he was quite self-assured that he and his friend would be able to handle everything. After all, the current owner had provided him with photocopies of the logbooks and at least a dozen photos of the airplane, and it sure looked good in the photos. Five days and 17 hours of flight time later, the two fellows arrived at Hartford with the “new” airplane. The next day we began flight training in the aircraft. The first problem encountered was with the pull-type starter—it wouldn’t engage. I pulled it through by hand and didn’t hear

30 OCTOBER 2011

any rubbing or grinding noise, so I started the engine by hand-propping. I suggested we have the local A&P look at it at flight’s completion, which the owner agreed to do. After starting and ensuring we had a good oil pressure indication, we began to taxi around on the airport ramp. I like to have students learn ground handling by doing some figure “8” maneuvers before taxiing to the runway. The

But he was quite self-assured that he and his friend would be able to handle everything. aircraft had what appeared to be a relatively new Scott 3200 tail wheel installed. While attempting to do the “8’s,” we found the tail wheel did not properly respond. Full rudder application, assisted by a lot of brake pressure, was required to get the airplane to turn as desired. I then suggested that we have the A&P check out the tail wheel, too. Following 15 minutes of taxi practice, we made our way to the runway. Flight systems were checked along with a magneto and carb heat check. All seemed to be normal. We aligned the aircraft with the runway centerline, established our diagonal line of sight, smoothly moved the throttle to full power, and began the takeoff. Once airborne the airplane would barely climb, and this was a 60º day

with a 10-mph breeze on our nose. I again suggested that we do some checking when we get back on the ground and find out which prop was installed. The new owner had been told it was a cruise prop and to not to be alarmed at the slow rate of climb. After reaching a safe altitude for conducting air work, I suggested we trim the airplane for level flight and run it at full power. This would tell us what indicated airspeed we were getting, as well as the maximum indicated rpms. Neither seemed to be correct. For this aircraft we should be seeing 115 mph and 2575 rpm, but we were only getting about 90 mph and 2350 rpm. I then suggested we include a GPS and an electronic tach checker on our next flight to determine accuracy of the airspeed indicator and tachometer. After completing the flight, we hangared the airplane and began a more thorough review of the logbooks. They indicated that the prop installed was a cruise prop. However, after the A&P removed the prop spinner skull cap, we found that the prop was a climb prop, not matching the logbook prop installation entry. The engine logbook entry also showed that the cylinder compression was good on all cylinders, but one was a little less than the other three. Further checking found that this cylinder had been less on the previous three compression checks. The next day’s flight included a GPS check along with a tachometer check. The airspeed indicator was correct but the tachometer read about 125 rpm slow.

It was time to put the plane in the shop and do some serious checking, as well as correct the pull-type starter and tail wheel. The A&P found the pull-type starter arm to be so badly worn that it couldn’t depress the starter solenoid button. Thankfully, he had a good used starter arm and replaced the worn arm. Now the pull-type starter would engage; one problem cured. Before inspecting the tail wheel, the A&P next used a borescope and looked inside the weak cylinder. After the inspection, he just shook his head and stated the cylinder had to come off, which he did. The finding was even worse than expected. Two rings were broken and one ring was completely missing. The cylinder wall was badly worn and the wrist pin caps had cut deep grooves in the cylinder wall. It was junk. Did the last owner forget to install one ring, or was it ground up and scattered throughout the entire engine? A short ground run followed by removing and inspecting the oil screen during a prepurchase inspection would probably have identified this problem! The oil screen was removed, but there was no sign of metal particles in the screen. So the mystery deepens. Was the missing ring ever installed? The A&P then recommended removing the other three cylinders for a close inspection. While waiting for the owner to give the okay, the A&P turned his attention to the tail wheel problem. Two problems came to his immediate attention. The Scott 3200 tail wheel was not approved on this aircraft without first installing a heavy-duty leaf tail spring. This modification had never been done. Further, the leaf tail spring was bent, preventing the tail wheel from proper travel and unlocking as it was meant to do. Either a new smaller tail wheel was in order, along with a new leaf spring, or the heavy-duty leaf tail spring assembly would need to be purchased and installed. Due to the potential for additional airframe stress the “new” tail wheel may have created, the A&P closely inspected the tail section of

this aluminum-frame aircraft. No stress cracks were found, but significant amounts of surface corrosion were discovered. It was not enough to yet make the aircraft unsafe, but it was enough so that the corrosion would need to be dealt with to prevent further deterioration. Again, this could easily have been spotted in a good prepurchase inspection. The owner agreed to have the A&P treat the corrosion as well as purchase the proper leaf tail wheel spring assembly to accommodate the Scott 3200 tail wheel. Following some discussion about the engine, it was agreed to pull the remaining three cylinders. Close inspection indicated that at one time the cylinder walls were rustcovered. The rust was scraped clean, but there was a lot of pitting found in the walls. These cylinders had approximately 800 hours’ time since new. A complete top overhaul was agreed upon, and the cylinders were sent to a nearby engine shop. Unfortunately, this new airplane owner/student pilot has learned and experienced a very expensive and valuable lesson. Lack of knowledge coupled with a strong emotional pull toward this particular airplane has caused him a great deal of additional incurred expense, extended downtime, and plenty of frustration. And much of this could have been prevented. Being directly involved with three different classic aircraft type clubs, I get calls almost daily from individuals about to buy an airplane. Here is what I suggest to them: • First, are they familiar with the type and model of aircraft they desire to purchase? If not, definitely obtain outside assistance before making the purchase. • Next, do your best to remove the emotional desire to purchase this airplane. This can be very difficult, but there are other aircraft of the exact make and model out there. Don’t get attached to the first one you think looks good. • Make arrangements for a prepurchase inspection. I can usu-

ally provide them with one or two names of individuals in their geographic area who could perform the inspection. I strongly recommend prepurchase inspections! • Conduct a title search. If buying an airplane out of your geographic area, this is a must. One does not want to find out, after money has been exchanged, that a lien has been filed and not satisfied on this airplane. It will prevent getting a clear title until the lien is satisfied. • Contact the FAA to obtain a CD containing all of the FAA recorded files on this airplane. This will usually take about 10 days. One may find these records do not coincide with the aircraft logbooks, especially if the logbooks have been “lost” and new logs have been created. • Contact an insurance company to get a quote on this type of aircraft. What do they require for flight time to obtain coverage? Costs can be significantly greater from one type of aircraft to another. Don’t be surprised after the purchase. • Locate a qualified instructor to assist with getting checked out in the airplane. If these questions and checklist items can be answered satisfactorily, and the aircraft is found to be both legal and mechanically sound, then by all means move forward with the purchase and begin enjoying the pleasure of general-aviation flight. Don’t do like my student did, and find out how expensive an aircraft can be after the initial purchase! To request a CD of the aircraft records from the FAA, visit its web page at: http://aircraft.faa.gov/e.gov/ND/ Or you can write to the FAA at: FAA Aircraft Registration Branch, AFS-750 P.O. Box 25504 Oklahoma City, OK 73125-0504 Phone: 866-762-9434 You can also find them on the Internet at www.faa.gov. The cost generally is $10 per CD; rarely is there more than one CD for the aircraft. The records have been scanned and saved as PDFs.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31

Vintage Mechanic

THE

BY ROBERT G. LOCK

NACA engine cowling and Fred Weick Part 3 Fred Weick (1899-1993) went on to an illustrious career in aviation, designing his own â&#x20AC;&#x153;safe airplane,â&#x20AC;? a flying machine that

would not stall or spin. On the back cover is a photo of this airplane in a wind tunnel at NACA Langley Reserch Center. Also pic-

tured in Illustration 1 and only one aircraft was ever built. In 1935 Weick started the Engineering Research Company (ERCO)

Illustration 1 NASA

32 OCTOBER 2011

Illustration 3

Illustration 2 and designed a two-place light airplane that became known as the Ercoupe. Illustration 2 shows a young Weick and his Ercoupe design. Of particular note is the wood twopitch propeller. Fred Weick was an

immensely talented man who possessed great knowledge from his research days at NACA. The Ercoupe design was one of the safest ships of the post-World War II era of aircraft. It was a two-control aircraft

with the ailerons and rudder controls being interconnected. In July 1949 Weick was at Texas A&M, where he designed the first aircraft specifically for aerial pesticide application, the AG-1. The

Illustration 4 VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33

Illustration 5 aircraft was somewhat similar to the Piper PA-25 Pawnee that Weick also designed. Illustration 3 shows the AG-1 with pilot Jones about to depart on a flight. In January 1957 Weick joined Piper Aircraft, Vero Beach, Florida, where he designed the PA-25 Pawnee and Pawnee Brave. He was also involved in the Piper PA28 “Cherokee” aircraft design. Illustration 4, a beautiful speed ring cowl installation on Clay Adams’ Travel Air 4000. The large spinner fairs into forward engine case, making for a very attractive nose section. This is the beauty of the Townend cowl and the NACA

speed ring cowl. Illustration 5, the Boeing XP-15 without any cowling. One can readily see how much drag is created by having no cowl over the engine. Illustration 6 shows the Boeing XP15 modified with a NACA speed ring installation. Just by studying these NASA photographs, one can see how a speed increase happens with this change. Adjusting the speed ring to the engine is critical. There is no data as to how much the engine expands when in operation; however, it appears to me that it could gain 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter. Case in point: when installing a

NASA

speed ring on an aircraft equipped with a Wright R-760 engine for the first time, the cowl was made to fit tight. When the engine had come up to operating temperature and after a few hours of flight, cracks formed in the lower section of the cowling, necessitating removal and repair. Subsequent installation of the cowling was made much looser when the engine was cold; it was possible to move the cowl slightly in its mounts. After the engine came up to temperature the cowling was tight. So if you have a Townend cowl or NACA speed ring, don’t adjust it too tightly or it will crack.

NASA

Illustration 6

34 OCTOBER 2011

by H.G. FRAUTSCHY

MYSTERY PLANE This month’s Mystery Plane comes to us from the collection of Dan Schumaker. Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to be in no later than November 20 for inclusion in the January 2012 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.

J U LY ’ S M Y S T E R Y A N S W E R

COURTESY BRUCE VORAN

The Velie engine–powered 1931 Ranger SP-2 was used later as a test bed for an unusual propeller/cowling rig in 1934. See the text for more details. e 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 a resolution of 300 dpi or greater. You may send a lower-resolution version to us for our review, but the final ver-

sion 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. The July Mystery Plane is from Bruce Voran, and it stumped everyone, as we didn’t get a single correct answer. It was the 1931 Ranger SP-2, powered by a Velie M-5 engine. Later, it was re-engined with

a 95-hp Cirrus, with its most prominent feature a large ring cowl encompassing a normal-sized propeller. The cowl also had internal vanes made to redirect the airflow through the ring, the intent being increased propeller efficiency. You can see the modified version in a photo from the Leo Opdyke collection on Aerofiles.com. Look for it under the Felio SP-2 listing.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35

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VINTAGE TRADER S o m e t h i n g t o b u y, sell, or trade? Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words, 180 words maximum, with boldface lead-in on first line. Classified Display Ads: One column wide (2.167 inches) by 1, 2, or 3 inches high at $20 per inch. Black and white only, and no frequency discounts. Adver tising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (i.e., Januar y 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA reser ves the right to reject any adver tising in conflict with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per issue. Classified ads are not accepted via phone. Payment must accompany order. Word ads may be sent via fax (920-4264828) 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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SERVICES Always Flying Aircraft Restoration, LLC: Annual Inspections, Airframe recovering, fabric repairs and complete restorations. Wayne A. Forshey A&P & I.A. 740-4721481 Ohio and bordering states.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 37

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STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION (Required by 39 U.S.C. 3685). 1. Title of Publication: Vintage Airplane 2. Publication No.:062-750. 3. Filing Date: 9/30/11. 4. Issue Frequency: Monthly. 5. No. of Issues Published Annually: 12. 6. Annual Subscription Price: $36.00 in U.S. 7. Known Office of Publication: EAA, 3000 Poberezny Road, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3806. Contact Person: Kathleen Witman, Telephone: 920-426-6156. 8. Headquarters or General Business Office of the Publisher: Same as above. 9. Publisher: Rod Hightower. EAA, 3000 Poberezny Road, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3806. Editor: H.G. Frautschy, EAA, 3000 Poberezny Road, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3806. Managing Editor: None. 10. Owner: Experimental Aircraft Association, 3000 Poberezny Road, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3806. 11. Known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding 1 percent or more of total amounts of bonds, mortgages or other securities: None. 12. Tax Status: Has Not Changed During Preceding 12 Months. 13. Publication Title: Vintage Airplane. 14. Issue date for circulation data below: September 2011. 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation (Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months/ No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date): a. Total No. of Copies Printed (7,372/7,104) b. Paid Circulation (By Mail and Outside the Mail): 1. Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser’s proof copies, and exchange copies) (6,010/6,158). 2. Mailed In-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541 (Include paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser’s proof copies, and exchange copies) (0/0). 3. Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS (373/397). 4. Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail Through the USPS (e.g., First-Class Mail) (176/182). c. Total Paid Distribution (Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and (4)) (6,559/6,737). d. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail): 1. Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541 (0/0). 2. Free or Nominal Rate In-County Copies Included on PS Form 3541 (0/0). 3. Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail) (50/50). 4. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail (Carriers or other means) (419/140). e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3), and (4) (469/190). f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e) (7,028/6,927). g. Copies not Distributed (See Instructions to Publishers #4 (page #3))(344/177). h. Total (Sum of 15f and g) (7,372/7,104). i. Percent Paid (15c divided by 15f times 100) (93.50%/97.26%). 16. Publication of Statement Ownership: Publication required. Will be printed in the October 2011 issue of this publication. 17. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalties). Executive Director/Editor: H.G. Frautschy, 10/3/11. PS Form 3526, September 2007

38 OCTOBER 2011

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

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

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

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

DIRECTORS

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

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

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

Jeannie Hill P.O. Box 328 Harvard, IL 60033-0328 920-426-6110

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

Espie “Butch” Joyce 704 N. Regional Rd. Greensboro, NC 27409 336-668-3650 windsock@aol.com Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln. Hartford, WI 53027 262-966-7627 sskrog@aol.com Robert D. “Bob” Lumley 1265 South 124th St. Brookfield, WI 53005 262-782-2633 rlumley1@wi.rr.com S.H. “Wes” Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa, WI 53213 414-771-1545 shschmid@gmail.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

John Turgyan PO Box 219 New Egypt, NJ 08533 609-752-1944 jrturgyan4@aol.com

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

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

Fax (920) 426-4873

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Copyright ©2011 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.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39

It’s a

Beautiful Thing... by S. Michelle Souder

don’t get to do crosscountries ver y often (my own fault), so when an opportunity to fly right seat to Tangier Island was offered, I was thrilled to take it. The flight began with some, “I don’t know. . .” clouds, thermals, and legal, but definitely hazy visibility. Over the mountains the air was chilly enough to close the vents and remember fall weather was imminent. Over flat ground the haze created optical illusions. I recalled a cross-country I had done to Shannon airport as a student and thinking that the visibility was considered VFR but wondered if the 3 miles meant straight down instead of forward. Somewhere near Lake Anna we encountered an ominous-looking stratus layer that proved to be a nonissue at our altitude. Plenty of white wispies floated above us along the route, working themselves toward giant cotton balls in the mid-day sky.

40 OCTOBER 2011

Navigation was my responsibility. Being the second in a flight of two gave me a chance to do a little brushing up on my pilotage before we came back on our own. Dual navigation (a sectional and a GPS) had its benefits. Though not dependent on the electronics it was nice to have it as confirmation of our location. Looking out the window I found runways and roads, looked at cornfields ready for harvest, and realized it seems much easier to navigate in the Valley with our prominent terrain and landmarks. We came to the shoreline—the island a faint outline in front of us. Funny how seeing land, even if it’s not within gliding distance, satisfies the psyche that all is well. Then the water—the magnificence of the colors captured my attention completely away from all the negative possibilities. The diamonds of sunlight danced on the variations of green in the water, the ribbons of sand glistening, boat plumes add-

ing white patterns to it all, and the smell of the salt water. A Seneca landing ahead of us seemed to glide in the air like a big gull, surrounded by beauty. We met aviation friends on the island for an incredible dinner. As we meandered through the tiny, golf cart—laden streets, we mused about what life must be like there, and how the landing fee probably didn’t go very far toward runway upkeep that far from the mainland. A stiff headwind lengthened the time getting home significantly. One finds out just what her personal endurance level is in a small airplane at that rate. Coming back across the mountains seemed like forever, but eventually the runway came into view. The hangar was a welcome sight after a long but wonderful day. It may not happen often, but the chance for a cross-country to a new place with good weather and good friends who like airplanes . . . it’s a beautiful thing.

Thank you for supporting the 2011 EAA Share the Spirit Sweepstakes Join us in thanking the 2011 Sweepstakes donors. Their support strengthens the EAA programs and activities that fuel the spirit of aviation, building a vibrant aviation community. Together, we are building the next generation of aviators. Share the Spirit! Pass on your passion for ﬂight! ...and congratulations to the winners of the 2011 EAA Share the Spirit Sweepstakes. Cessna 162 Skycatcher: David Henry, Oklahoma (EAA 166701) Coleman CTE184 Hybrid Trailer: Hal Rolfe, Nevada (EAA 721325) HotSeat FLIGHT SIM® GTX Extreme PC Bundle: Edward Collins, Illinois (EAA 5424431) Bose® 3-2-1® GSX Series III DVD Home Entertainment System: David McRae, North Carolina (EAA 175637) Canon EOS 50D Kit With Lens: Ronald Kooyenga, Arizona (EAA 604808) Hamilton Men’s Khaki Pilot Automatic 46mm Watch: John Gallo, Washington (EAA 9005382)

Watch for details in November on how to enter the 2012 EAA Share the Spirit Sweepstakes, and you could win a Piper Cub.

Cessna 162 Skycatcher and fuel for the year

2011 Coleman® CTE184 Hybrid Travel Trailer

FLIGHT SIM® GTX Extreme PC Bundle Bose® 3-2-1® GSX Series III DVD Home Entertainment System Canon EOS 50D Kit with Lens Men’s Khaki Pilot Automatic 46mm Watch