Va vol 44 no 5 sep oct 2016 by EAA Vintage Aircraft Association

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

A35 V-tail

Bonanza

•Temco Luscombe •Curtiss-Wright Travel Air •St. Louis Robin

Vintage Airplane

Straight & Level

STAFF

EAA Publisher/Chairman of the Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack J. Pelton

GEOFF ROBISON

VAA PRESIDENT, EAA Lifetime 268346, VAA Lifetime 12606

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Busha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jbusha@eaa.org VAA Executive Administrator. . Hannah Hupfer 920-426-6110. . . . . . . . . . . hhupfer@eaa.org

Now Preparing for AirVenture 2017!

Thank You for Another Fantastic Year! 2016 was an incredible year at EAA AirVenture. The strong partnership between Ford Motor Company and EAA spans more than a decade and continues to benefit those attending this amazing week-long event. We were delighted to support 2016 AirVenture with a variety of exciting experiences: • A fantastic opening night concert performance by alternative-rock band, Third Eye Blind • Amazing classic-rock music from Journey Unauthorized, the incredible Journey Tribute Band • Blockbuster films including The Martian, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and more at the nightly Fly-In Theater; with famed presenters such as Harrison Ford attending • Donating the one-of-a-kind Ford “Ole Yeller” Mustang, which raised $295,000 for EAA’s youth education programs • Showcasing performance innovation, production vehicles and state-of-the-art technology at the Ford Hangar • Offering an additional $750 EAA member incentive toward the purchase or lease of a new Ford or Lincoln vehicle through January 3, 2017 • Providing family-friendly experiences, offering something special for everyone Thank you for sharing the excitement with us. We look forward to seeing you again in 2017 at The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration! The Privilege of Partnership EAA members are eligible for special pricing on Ford Motor Company vehicles through Ford’s Partner Recognition Program. To learn more about this exclusive opportunity for EAA members to save on a new Ford or Lincoln vehicle, please visit www.eaa.org/ford.

Art Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . Livy Trabbold

I am writing this column on July 17, just one week before the world’s largest aviation event gets started in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. This week has long been one of my favorite times of the year because I am on the field finishing up the last-minute minutiae that puts the finishing touches to all of the planning and preparations we have worked so hard on over the past year. Yes, we virtually start the necessary planning for next year’s event the moment we return home from Oshkosh! We are forever tossing around ideas before, during, and after the event. For example, few people seem to be aware that the venerable Piper Cub will celebrate its 80th birthday during Oshkosh 2017. The 2012 Cubs to Oshkosh 75th anniversary proved to be a very popular event, and a lot of fun was had by the owners as well as the membership who were here to witness the yellow sea of Piper Cubs on the field at Oshkosh. I feel certain that we can at least duplicate the 2012 event, but announcing it now will give all of our Cub owners an entire year to plan their trek to Oshkosh 2017. So be sure to share this news with all of the vintage Cub owners you know, and help us start the buzz! Please remember that the officers and directors of your organization are always interested in hearing from you, the membership. We have received a great deal of input throughout the past year from members who have forwarded us really good ideas on how to enhance the convention experience. So, whether it’s ideas, accolades, or concerns, please feel free to communicate your thoughts to us. The best place to do that is on our website at EAAVintage.org, then click on “Contact Us.” On Friday, July 15, President Obama signed the 2016 FAA funding extension bill into law. As many of you are already aware, this is a huge game-changer for a large number of our EAA/VAA members. This bill also included language that will provide extensive relief to those of us who have long been required to have a third-class medical certificate to operate our vintage aircraft every two years. This bill will virtually eliminate the need for a third-class medical for most of us if you have previously held a third-class medical since July 2006. Pilots will be required to see their family physician once every four years and must also complete an online aeromedical questionnaire every two years to stay in compliance with the FAA. This all equates to a huge relief for many of our members and fellow pilots, especially those who live with certain medical conditions that

Graphic Designer. . . . . . . . Amanda Million ADVERTISING: Vice President of Business Development Dave Chaimson. . . . . . . . . . dchaimson@eaa.org Advertising Manager Sue Anderson. . . . . . . . . . . sanderson@eaa.org VAA, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903 Website: www.vintageaircraft.org Email: Vintageaircraft@eaa.org

VISIT www.vintageaircraft.org for the latest in information and news and for the electronic newsletter:

Vintage AirMail

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION Current EAA members may join the Vintage Aircraft Association and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an additional $45/year. EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine and one-year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association are available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included). (Add $7 for International Postage.)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submit your remittance with a check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars. Add required Foreign Postage amount for each membership. Membership Service PO Box 3086 Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM—6:00 PM CST Join/Renew 800-564-6322 membership@eaa.org EAA AirVenture Oshkosh www.eaa.org/airventure 888-322-4636

continued on page 63

www.vintageaircraft.org

Vol. 44, No. 5

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

CONTENTS

John Deere Green Never Looked so Good Ken Lapp’s north-of-the-border V-tail Budd Davisson and Ken Lapp

A Temco Luscombe

Award-winning ‘authentic garage restoration’ Sparky Barnes Sargent

Chicken Coop Biplane

The Al Kelch Curtiss-Wright Travel Air Model 12-W Budd Davisson

The St. Louis Robin, Making History Again!

COLUMNS 14 Good Old Days

Straight & Level Now preparing for AirVenture 2017! Geoff Robison

VA News

58 The Vintage Mechanic Evolution of Aircraft Insstruments Robert G. Lock

VA AirVenture Awards

63 VAA New Members

Ask the AME What’s new in the FAA airman medical process: foibles and pitfalls John Patterson, M.D., AME

64 Vintage Trader

12 How to? Maintaining spark plugs Robert G. Lock

An enduring endeavor, spanning generations and cultures Sparky Barnes Sargent

COVERS

ERIN BRUEGGEN

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

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

ANY COMMENTS?

Send your thoughts to the Vintage Editor at: jbusha@ eaa.org

FRONT COVER: Ken Lapp’s A35 Bonanza photographed by Darin LaCrone. BACK COVER: Volunteers at the 2016 EAA AirVenture Vintage area. Photo by Steve Moyer. www.vintageaircraft.org

VA News

Charles W. Harris

Nominat ions

DIRECTOR EMERITUS

C A L L F OR V I N TA G E A I R C R A F T A S S O C I AT ION

Aviation, EAA, and Vintage Aircraft lose an icon in the passing of Buck Hilbert At the last moment before the publishing deadline of this September/October issue of Vintage Airplane, we learned of the death on Wednesday, August 3, 2016, of Elroy E. “Buck” Hilbert of Union, Illinois, at 91 years of age. Buck has Gone West after a lifetime of being deeply immersed in aviation from his earliest youthful days as a line boy at the old Chicago Elmhurst Airport, where he soloed an Aeronca LA Chief at 16, which was quickly followed by a thrilling solo in Jack Rose’s tiny 40-horse open-cockpit Parrakeet biplane. Following Buck’s military aviation career during World War II and Korea, Buck joined United Airlines in 1952 and flew a full airline career in DC-3s, Convairs, Viscounts, DC-6s, DC-7s, 707s, 727s, and concluded his United cockpit career in DC-8s; he retired from United in 1989. When EAA President Paul Poberezny began to form the EAA Antique/Classic Division, now Vintage, in 1971, he invited Buck to be the first president, Buck accepted, and the rest is history. Buck was exactly the right man, at exactly the right place, at exactly the right time. Today Vintage is the finest, Be part of a showcase tribute to Buck. Share your memory of Buck by sending a short note to the editor of Vintage Airplane at jbusha@eaa.org. 4

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Nominate your favorite vintage aviator for the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Hall of Fame. A great honor could be bestowed upon that man or woman working next to you on your airplane, sitting next to you in the chapter meeting, or walking next to you at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Think about the people in your circle of aviation friends: the mechanic, historian, photographer, or pilot who has shared innumerable tips with you and with many others. They could be the next VAA Hall of Fame inductee—but only if they are nominated. The person you nominate can be a citizen of any country and may be living or deceased; his or her involvement in vintage aviation must have occurred between 1950 and

the present day. His or her contribution can be in the areas of flying, design, mechanical or aerodynamic developments, administration, writing, some other vital and relevant field, or any combination of fields that support aviation. The person you nominate must be or have been a member of the Vintage Aircraft Association or the Antique/Classic Division of EAA, and preference is given to those whose actions have contributed to the VAA in some way, perhaps as a volunteer, a restorer who shares his expertise with others, a writer, a photographer, or a pilot sharing stories, preserving aviation history, and encouraging new pilots and enthusiasts.

To nominate someone is easy. It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part. • Think of a person; think of his or her contributions to vintage aviation. • Write those contributions in the various categories of the nomination form. • Write a simple letter highlighting these attributes and contributions. Make copies of newspaper or magazine articles that may substantiate your view. • If at all possible, have another individual (or more) complete a form or write a letter about this person, confirming why the person is a good candidate for induction.

Buck near a Swallow U.S. Air Mail plane

largest and most successful vintage airplane association in the world. Buck’s EAA number is 21 Lifetime, his Vintage number is 5 Lifetime, his Warbird number is 2928, and his IAC number is 8262. Vintage Airplane will more appropriately cover Buck’s life in far more depth in the November/December 2016 issue. EAA and Vintage Aircraft extend their heartfelt condolences to the Hilbert family and to Buck’s countless aviation friends and associates. America, aviation, EAA, and Vintage Aircraft have lost a giant from our midst. May he rest in peace. Thank you Buck, for your leadership and friendship. A memorial service for Buck will take place Saturday, October 1, 2016, at 4 p.m., at the Poplar

We would like to take this opportunity to mention that if you have nominated someone for the VAA Hall of Fame; nominations for the honor are kept on file for 3 years, after which the nomination must be resubmitted. Mail nominating materials to: VAA Hall of Fame, c/o Charles W. Harris, Transportation Leasing Corp. PO Box 470350 Tulsa, OK 74147 E-mail: cwh@hvsu.com Remember, your “contemporary” may be a candidate; nominate someone today!

Buck and Dorothy Hilbert

Grove Vintage Wings and Wheels Museum (C77), with light refreshments served afterwards and concluding with a sunset tribute flight. The address for the museum is 5151 Orth Road, Suite A-1, Poplar Grove, IL.

Find the nomination form at www.VintageAircraft.org, or call the VAA office for a copy (920-426-6110), or on your own sheet of paper, simply include the following information: • Date submitted. • Name of person nominated. • Address and phone number of nominee. • E-mail address of nominee. • Date of birth of nominee. If deceased, date of death. • Name and relationship of nominee’s closest living relative. • Address and phone of nominee’s closest living relative. • VAA and EAA number, if known. (Nominee must have been or is a VAA member.) • Time span (dates) of the nominee’s contributions to vintage aviation. (Must be between 1950 to present day.) • Area(s) of contributions to aviation. • Describe the event(s) or nature of activities the nominee has undertaken in aviation to be worthy of induction into the VAA Hall of Fame. • Describe achievements the nominee has made in other related fields in aviation. • Has the nominee already been honored for his or her involvement in aviation and/or the contribution you are stating in this petition? If yes, please explain the nature of the honor and/or award the nominee has received. • Any additional supporting information. • Submitter’s address and phone number, plus e-mail address. • Include any supporting material with your petition.

www.vintageaircraft.org

VA AirVenture Awards

CONTEMPORARY Outstanding Stinson THOMAS JANSSEN, N9275K, 1947, UNIVERSAL STINSON 108-2 Outstanding Swift JIM JONES, N157TC, 1946, GLOBE GC-1B Outstanding Taylorcraft RYAN NEWELL, N23JW, 1953, TAYLORCRAFT 15A

ANTIQUE World War II Military Trainer/Liason Aircraft Runner Up JOHN PARISH, N44JP, 1941, BOEING A75N1(PT17) World War II Era Outstanding Closed Cockpit Monoplane JEFF POSCHWATTA, N37400, 1942, INTERSTATE S-1A-65F World War II Era Runner Up, GREG ANDERS, N37266, 1941, INTERSTATE S-1A Bronze Age Outstanding Closed Cockpit Monoplane ALVIN MUSSER, N26868, 1940, PIPER J3C-65

World War II Era (1942-1945) Champion FRANK WINKLER, N79158, 1943, STINSON VULTEE V-77 Bronze Age (1937-1941) Champion THOMAS HARTNESS, N13PH, 1937, SPARTAN 7W Silver Age (1928-1936) Champion JOHN MACHAMER, N158Y, 1930, DAVIS D-1-K Antique Reserve Grand Champion DAVID SMITH, N233EB, 1938, BEECH E17B Antique Grand Champion TED TEACH, N14985, 1936, RYAN ST/STA

Best Continuously Maintained JOHN RENWICK, N2431B, 1950, TEMCO SWIFT GC-1B Preservation RICHARD PREISER, NC6364M, 1948, STINSON 108-3 Custom Class A (0-80 hp) BRIAN LOWE, N1197K, 1946, LUSCOMBE 8A Custom Class B (81-150 hp) JEFF TOURT, N3600V, 1947, CESSNA 140 Custom Class C (151-235 hp) JIM BECKER, N3352B, 1954, PIPER PA-18A

Outstanding Beech Single Engine MARK GARY, N32GF, 1965, BEECH S35 Outstanding Beech Multi-Engine GARY TERWILLIGER, N80TB, 1963, BEECH D50E Outstanding Bellanca SCOTT JOHNSON, N470CM, 1959, DOWNER BELLANCA 1419-3 Outstanding Cessna Multi Engine PHILIP PRESTON, N3266X, 1967, CESSNA 310L Outstanding Piper PA-18 Super Cub JAKE THACKER, N3286Z, 1959, PIPER PA-18 Outstanding Piper PA-24 Comanche KELLY KOBER, N9144P, 1966, PIPER PA-24-260 Outstanding Piper PA-28 Cherokee MIKE JOHNSON, N703TK, 1968, PIPER PA-28-180 Outstanding Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche FRANK DORRIN, N833DF, 1965, PIPER PA-30 Preservation Award DENNIS BEECHER, N5549Z, 1962, PIPER PA-22-108

CLASSIC

Custom Class D (236 - up hp) WALT FANTI, N512SH, 1947, NORTH AMERICAN NAVION

Silver Age Outstanding Closed Cockpit Monoplane WARREN WRIGHT, N688E, 1929, BELLANCA CH300 PACEMAKER

Outstanding Aeronca Champ EMILY NOACK, N2416E, 1946, AERONCA 7AC

Best Customized Runner Up WILLIAM MILLS, N4969K, 1949, RYAN NAVION

Silver Age Outstanding Closed Cockpit Biplane DAVID PARSONS, N14010, 1934, WACO UKC

Outstanding Cessna 120/140 DANE PRUITT, N76207, 1946, CESSNA 120

Class II (81 - 150 hp) PAUL APPLEGATE, NC8841K, 1947, STINSON 108-1

Silver Age Runner Up JOHN J COURNOYER, N1244G, 1932, WACO UBF

Outstanding Cessna 170/180 DAVID BURCH, N3124D, 1955, CESSNA 180

Class III (151 - 235 hp) PAUL GAGNON, CFGAG, 1950, PIPER PA-20

Replica Aircraft Champion PAUL DOUGHERTY, N454LR, 1918, FOKKER DRI

Outstanding Cessna 170/180 EUGENE MOREMAN, N2584C, 1954, CESSNA 170B

Class IV (236 - up hp) RUSSELL ALIS, N9373A, 1949, CESSNA 195

World War II Military Trainer/Liason Aircraft Champion WALTER OMIECINSKI, N37219, 1941, INTERSTATE S-1A

Outstanding Cessna 190/195 WILLIAM SALOGA, N195WS, 1952, CESSNA 195B

Champion Customized Classic MICHAEL MORTON, N540SC, 1950, DEHAVILLAND DHC-1B-2

Outstanding Customized GLENN CRUZ AND RICHARD SULLIVAN, N63BA, 1963, PIPER PA-28-180

Transport Category Champion ROBERT S. RANDAZZO, N33611, 1945, DOUGLAS DC3C

Outstanding Piper J-3 JAMES HOGG, N6786H, 1946, PIPER J3C-65

Reserve Grand Champion RICHARDAND ELAINE HARRIS, NC2350N, 1947, CESSNA 140

Reserve Grand Champion Customized DAVID SMITH, N492C, 1959, MEYERS INDUSTRIES INC 200A

Customized Aircraft Champion KEITH KOCOUREK, N985V, 1943, STINSON VULTEE V-77

Outstanding Piper Other CHRIS TUMILOWICZ, N70550, 1946, Piper J3C-65

Grand Champion RICHARD PREISER, NC6365M, 1948, STINSON 108

Grand Champion Customized JAN LEE, N6557Q, 1965, ALON A2

Bronze Age Runner Up BENJAMIN REDMAN, N81E, 1936, STINSON SR-8B

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Class I Single Engine (0 - 160 hp) PETER BURNIE, CFUXQ, 1966, PIPER PA-18-150 Class II Single Engine (161 - 230 hp) VICTOR SOBRADO, N4948D, 1958, CESSNA 182A Class III Single Engine (231 - up hp) MARK ZEILER, N7920P, 1962, PIPER PA-24-250 Dean Richardson Memorial Award STEPHANIE ALLEN, N78797, 1969, CESSNA 172K

www.vintageaircraft.org

Ask the AME John Patterson, M.D., AME

What’s new in the FAA airman medical process: foibles and pitfalls

more for the first-class physical, and for those over age 35; for example, an electrocardiogram (EKG) will be required, again more expense. It may be an oversimplification, but the first-class medical is for airline pilots, and second-class is for commercial pilots (those flying cargo or for hire). The thirdclass medical is appropriate for the student and recreational, sport, or typical private pilot no matter if the pilot is multiengine- or instrument-rated.

If the form has not been opened by the AME

As I am preparing for an “Ask the AME” forum at Oshkosh this year, I thought I would digress from some of the technical and medical jargon necessary in past articles and concentrate on some of the common errors that occur in the FAA MedXpress applications. I will cover some of the new things in the process and recommendations for navigating the process. First and foremost, when scheduling the appointment for the medical examination, if there have been changes in your medications, any hospitalizations, new medical diagnoses, or surgical procedures in the time since your last exam, please let the office know in advance. These may have some impact on the medical. If it is a new appointment, we always ask for a list of medications as these are a common “surprise” at the visit. Many commonly used medications and some over-the-counter meds have side effects, such as sedation (Zyrtec and Benedryl, just to name a couple) that are either not allowed for flying or require a “no-fly” time period for the medications to get out of the system. Secondly, print the application form as you have filled it out. This is for two reasons. One, it has the confirmation number on it that is required for the AME to import it and fill out the rest of the exam. Second, the AME can look at your form in advance without opening it up on the computer. If there are some potential medical issues, these can be addressed in advance. Once the exam is opened on the computer by the AME there is no going back. It is an official visit and will be submitted even if the airman decides not to continue the exam. If the form has not been opened by the AME within 60 days of the airman’s application, the form will dis8

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

appear and information will have to be resubmitted. Of course, if there was a mistake or problem on the original submission, this can be corrected on the subsequent one. I still have some airmen who have trouble with a computer submission of the form. Fortunately, computers are here to stay, and you cannot submit a paper copy any more. It really is the same form that we have been filling out for years, just on computer. Simply go to https://MedXPress.FAA. gov; you will need to put in your e-mail address and password if you already have an account. Of course no one remembers their password, so it can be recovered and then you can proceed. The rules have changed regarding student pilots. Now the student pilot not only has to apply for the medical as above, but also must apply through a separate website and process for the student license. I am sure this entails a background check into the airman for terrorism issues. We are still feeling the aftereffects of 9/11/2001! The student pilot must complete an application through the Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (IACRA) website or can submit an FAA Form 8710-1 to a flight standards district office (FSDO), an FAA-designated pilot examiner, an airman certification representative associated with a Part 141 flight school, or a certificated flight instructor. Is it any wonder that we have fewer and fewer young people learning to fly! Most first-timers also want a first-class medical. They don’t want to be third-class. However, this is unnecessary and may cost more, so most AMEs change this to a third-class medical, and it is no problem to do so. Many senior AMEs charge

within 60 days of the airman’s application, the form will disappear and information will have to be resubmitted. The question on the medical form that most pilots have the most trouble with is the “near vision contact” question. Most airmen if nearsighted and wearing contacts at some point mark this question yes. In reality, the FAA is referring to the use of one near-vision contact in one eye and a distantvision contact in the other eye to avoid the use of bifocals. This has been a common practice for some ophthalmologists to prescribe. However, it takes some time to feel comfortable with this arrangement and can affect the airman’s depth perception. This contact arrangement has been implicated in some incidents in the airline industry, and the FAA does not allow it. Also new on the physical exam is the sleep apnea initiative. There was such an outcry against a mandatory sleep study for anyone with a body mass index (BMI) over 40 that modifications have been made. Now the airman will not have any indication about BMI on the application. A calculation of BMI will be made on the physical exam by the

AME, however. This is a calculation based on the airman’s height and weight. Any individual is considered morbidly obese if the BMI is over 40 or 100 pounds over an airman’s ideal body weight. Sleep apnea has been associated with the development of hypertension, heart attack, and stroke. Poor sleep at night contributes to sleepiness during the day and increased risk of work-related and driving accidents. So currently it is the AME’s responsibility to categorize airmen into several categories based on their BMI and physical exam. These categories include no risk, medium risk, and high risk for untested airmen and another category for those airmen already tested and on treatment. Those airmen already diagnosed with sleep apnea will have to submit proof of compliance with treatment to continue with certification by the FAA. For those not having been tested, none will be denied a medical on the basis of the categorization, but I suspect anyone with a BMI over 40 will get a letter from the FAA “requesting” further testing. Another change in the last several years has been the addition of conditions AMEs can issue (CACI). Previously these are medical conditions that would have required FAA evaluation. There are strict criteria that must be met with each condition, but if they are met, the AME can issue the medical without sending more information to the FAA. The 16 conditions that have CACI criteria are arthritis, asthma, bladder cancer, chronic kidney disease, colitis, glaucoma, hepatitis C, hypertension, hypothyroidism, migraine and chronic headaches, mitral valve repair, prediabetes, prostate cancer, renal cancer, retained kidney stones, and testicular cancer. Many of these topics have been discussed in previous articles. Again this is why it is important to discuss with AMEs or their office any new diagnosis or condition. Certainly a new airman to the office should include a list of medications and medical conditions before the first visit so as to streamline the visit and make for a successful outcome. That is, leaving with your medical certificate! Also as I write this article, excitement is building over the potential for third-class medical reform to actually become reality. It is clear that the regulatory process is out of hand in terms of expense and bureaucratic nonsense. See above! Even if the bill is passed and signed, the FAA will have one year to implement it, and what it will look like eventually is still a question mark. So keep your fingers crossed. It is going to be an interesting year. www.vintageaircraft.org

Friends of the

RED BARN

VAA members like you are passionate about your affiliation with vintage aviation, and it shows. You’re the most loyal of all EAA members, renewing your VAA membership each and every year at a rate higher than any other group within the EAA family. We appreciate your dedication! Each year we give you another opportunity to strengthen your bond with the VAA by inviting you to become a Friend of the Red Barn. This special opportunity helps VAA put together all the components that make the Vintage area of EAA AirVenture a unique and exciting part of the World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration. This special fund was established to cover a significant portion of the VAA’s expenses related to serving VAA members during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, so that no dues money is used to support the convention activities. This is a great opportunity for Vintage members to join together as key financial supporters of the Vintage division. It’s a rewarding experience for each of us as individuals to be a part of supporting the finest gathering of Antique, Classic, and Contemporary airplanes in the world. At whatever level is comfortable for you, won’t you please join those of us who recognize the tremendously valuable key role the Vintage Aircraft Association has played in preserving the irreplaceable grassroots and general aviation airplanes of the last 100 years? Your participation in EAA’s Vintage Aircraft Association Friends of the Red Barn will help ensure the very finest in EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Vintage programs. To participate in this year’s campaign, fill out the donation form by visiting our website at www.VintageAircraft.org/programs/redbarn.html to make an online contribution. Or fill out the form on the right and mail to FAA FORB, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. And to each and every one of you who has already contributed, or is about to, a heartfelt “thank you” from the officers, directors, staff, and volunteers of the Vintage Aircraft Association!

Two Passes Breakfast at Tall Pines to VAA Volunteer Café Party

2 people, full week 2 people, full week 2 people, full week 1 person, full week

Tri-Motor OR Two Tickets Close Helicopter to VAA Picnic Auto Parking Ride Certificate 2 tickets

2 tickets

1 ticket

Special Two Air Show Weekly Seating Wristbands

Full week 2 people, 2 people, full week full week Full week 2 people, 1 day 2 days

1 ticket

STEVE MOYE R

CONTRIBUTION LEVELS ↓ DIAMOND PLUS $1,500 & higher DIAMOND $1,000 - $1,499 PLATINUM $750 - $999 GOLD $500 - $749 SILVER $250 - $499 BRONZE PLUS $150 - $249 BRONZE $100 - $149 LOYAL SUPPORTER $99 and under

A “6-pack” Special Access to Donor Appreciation FORB Air-Conditioned of Cold Bottled Badge Volunteer Certificate Water! Center

2016

Name: _______________________________________________________________ EAA #:_______________ VAA #:______________

Address:__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

City: _________________________________________________________________ State:________________ ZIP:________________

Choose your level of participation: o Diamond Plus ($1,500 or more) o Diamond ($1,000-$1,499) o Platinum ($750-$999) o Gold ($500-$749) o Silver ($250-$499) o Bronze Plus ($150-$249) o Bronze ($100-$149) o Loyal Supporter ($99 or less) Badge Information

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o Payment enclosed (Make checks payable to Vintage Aircraft Association)

(for Bronze Level and above)

o Yes, prepare my name badge to read: _________________________________ (Please print name)

o Please charge my credit card for the amount of: $ Credit Card Number: Expiration Date: Signature:

o No, I do not need a badge this year. Certificates o Yes, I would like a certificate. o No, I do not need a certificate for this year.

Vintage Aircraft Association | 3000 Poberezny Rd., Oshkosh, WI 54902 | 920.426.6110 | EAAVintage.org The Vintage Aircraft Association is a non-profit educational organization under IRS 501c3 rules. Under Federal Law, the deduction from Federal Income tax for charitable contributions is limited to the amount by which any money (and the value of any property other than money) contributed exceeds the value of the goods or services provided in exchange for the contribution. An appropriate receipt acknowledging your gift will be sent to you for IRS gift reporting reasons.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

www.vintageaircraft.org

How to? ROBERT G. LOCK

Maintaining spark plugs Spark plugs play an important part in the smooth operation of an engine. They come in shielded or the older unshielded types, but all have the same job— ignite the fuel/air charge furnished by the carburetor or fuel-injection unit. Older radial engines were designed for 73 octane fuel that was used back in the ’20s. When a higher-octane fuel was needed, 80/87 octane was developed and dyed red for identification purposes. All the older engines ran great on this blend, but it was discontinued several years ago in favor of 100LL, the so-called savior for aircraft engines. However, 100LL (the LL stood for low lead) contained about four times the lead content as 80/87, but then additives we call aromatics were added that caused spark plug fouling in older low-compression engines. Thus the need for regular spark plug maintenance. The engine OEM (original equipment manufacturer) determines what spark plugs are approved for a particular model. Early unshielded spark plugs such as Champion C-26 plugs had 18 mm threads, as did all other spark plugs for most models. The only 14 mm threads I came in contact with were those used in Franklin engines, mostly in Bell 47 helicopters. How12

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

ever, Franklin engines installed in fixed-wing aircraft still use the 14 mm plug. Figure 1 is a schematic showing the unshielded plug on the left and the shielded plug on the right. The firing end of the plug can have two electrodes or be the massive electrode (four-electrode) type. It is the electrodes that are gapped to the OEM’s recommendations, which is usually around 0.016 inch. Opposed engine spark plug wear is the greatest on the bottom of the cylinders because they run hotter. Therefore, reversing the plugs from top to bottom at regular intervals will even out the wear and there-

Figure 1

fore make the plugs last longer. Beside reversing the plugs, they should be advanced to the next cylinder to fire. The same is true for radial engines. On radial engines the rear plugs wear faster than the front plugs because they run hotter. They will also be the ones that will foul out first. Spark plug fouling is caused by a buildup of oil deposits or chemicals from the fuel during the ignition process. Lower plugs in radial engines will normally oil foul because of oil draining into the lower cylinders. Much of the time that oil will be burned out during the first few minutes of operation, but chemical fouling will normally mean identifying the plug(s), removing, and cleaning. To prevent chemical fouling (we call them “clinkers”) I do regular maintenance by rotating the plugs every even oil change, or 50 hours. If the airplane is not flown 50 hours per year, then the plugs should be rotated on the annual no matter how much time the engine has incurred. When removing the plugs, mark “front” and “rear” on a paper and record the numbers 1-7 or 1-9. As the plugs are removed, lay them below your numbers so you know what cylinder they were removed from and whether they are from the front or rear bank. If they need to be cleaned, by all means blast them with glass beads

or plastic media. I don’t usually clean my plugs because my maintenance program usually takes care of the cleaning. Next, check the gap using a wire gauge and tighten the gap if needed. Figure 2 shows the proper method to set the gap of a spark plug using a wire gauge. Figure 3 shows a carbon-fouled spark plug. This platinum wire plug shows the wires are ground while the center electrode carries high current from the magneto. If anything bridges the gap, it will cause high current to immediately go to ground, and the plug will not fire. Locating a fouled spark plug is easy—just run the engine on the magneto firing the bad plug long enough to cool that plug and get the other plugs hot. Shut down the engine and locate the cool plug. That is the one that is not working. In most single-row radial engines, the LEFT magneto fires the REAR plugs, and the RIGHT magneto fires the FRONT plugs. So, if the engine misfires on the LEFT magneto, the problem plug is in the REAR bank. One fouled spark plug causes an rpm drop of about 250 rpm, and the drop is immediate. It is always recommended that new copper gaskets be installed or the gaskets be annealed before installing spark plugs. I always put anti-seize compound on the threads and torque the plugs to 300-360 inchpounds. That I always do! Over the years of operating Continental and Wright engines, I find that proper maintenance of spark plugs will give me 600-700 hours of reliable service. And the swapping of plugs from front to rear, plus moving the lower plugs to the top cylinders, will automatically keep the plugs clean, even using 100LL. It is worth the effort.

Figure 2

Figure 3 www.vintageaircraft.org

Good Old Days

P A R C S K O O B

From pages of what was . . . Take a quick look through history by enjoying images pulled from publications past.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

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Ken Lappâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s north-of-the-border V-tail Budd Davisson and Ken Lapp

There is a distinct tendency for all of us to forget what airplanes are for. We focus on the nuts, the bolts, and the nostalgia and too often let the experiences they give us drift into the background. In the case of Ken Lapp of Rocky View, Alberta, Canada, as much as he loves his 1949 A35 Bonanza, it is the doors it has opened for him, the friends it has drawn in, and the places it has taken him that he remembers most.

John Deere Green Never Looked so 16

GOOD

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

DARIN LACRONE

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JEFFREY D. HETLER PHOTOS

C-FKVI drew crowds wherever it was parked at AirVenture ‘15.

In the Beginning There Was the Luscombe

“My dad was a steam engineer for a coal company, then a mixed cattle/grain farmer in southeast Saskatchewan, and was part of the rural steam-to-gas transition. However, it was my uncles who got me into aviation. Both were pilots during World War II. The net result was that aviation set its hooks into me while I was literally still a child. “My vintage aircraft interest came from old Avro Ansons that were sold in my area in the late ’40s for $25 each with cut-off wings. They were used for chicken coops, and many had the control columns and the instrument panels still in them. We kids fought many an air battle and never lost a one! Because of these airplanes and my uncles, I knew of the dedication and efforts of World War II, and it had an effect on me.” Ken knew after receiving his first paycheck from his first job that the funds were earmarked for only one

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thing: purchasing flight training! “In 1959 my parents helped me purchase a Luscombe 8A, CF-LSA. I told my friends the code represented ‘Lapp’s Safe Airplane’! I regularly flew 150 miles to my folks’ farm and landed in their fields. I was beginning my second year in aircraft maintenance at college, and we converted the Luscombe to an 8E with flaps. What a joy to fly! I would start down the runway, pull the flap lever, and be 50 feet in the air in a flash! That was an enjoyable time!” The Luscombe was followed by something much more sophisticated and demanding. “In 1964 I was the lead partner in the restoration of a Bellanca 1314-3. The fuselage was restored without the covering. We covered and doped it, installed a rebuilt Franklin engine, and flew it for some 500 hours. It was a great airplane, but the Franklin had a carbice problem. We sold it, and it is still flying today.”

Finally There Was the Bonanza: C-FKVI (Known to Its Friends as KVI)

Ken says, “At one point I took five business trips to Winnipeg, Manitoba, in a two-year span. Every time there, I saw an A35 Bonanza sitting in the same spot. It looked sad, white with faded red trim, flat nose tire, deflated nose oleo, and flat right main. All five times that I saw it, I left a business card in the door. Next time I’d return and the card would be gone, so I knew the owner had gotten my messages. “I had just about given up when, about a year later, I got a call during supper that was very short and to the point. A voice I didn’t know said, ‘I own a fishing lodge that just burned down, and I have a Bonanza that I don’t want.’ My response, ‘How much?’ He came back, ‘$5,000.’ “ That was it! So in 1970, an amazing 46 years ago, I became the proud owner of C-FKVI, a 1949 A35

Everything wears out eventually, and the old 185 hp finally gave up the ghost to be replaced with a 205 and matching propeller.

Ken Lapp

Bonanza, and we’re still together.” Although his newly purchased, V-tailed cutie had been basically abandoned for several years, it took ver y little to get it ready for its 800-mile ferry flight from Winnipeg to Calgary. Ken reports that they installed new plugs and

two new tires, changed the oil, and did a gear-retraction test. Then Ken, who had never flown a Bonanza, logged some dual time getting checked out and headed for home. He reports the flight was totally uneventful. No problems of any kind. It’s important to remember that in 1970, KVI was just a used airplane. Not a vintage one, so modifying it wasn’t the mechanical sin it would be today. Ken reports that the original owner had made a

number of mods, which included adding the rear window, which extends over the hatrack and eliminates the rear blind spot. The interior gained high-backed seats and a sloped instrument panel. So there wasn’t much for Ken to change except for adding a King radio and Mode C transponder and upgrading to retractable, three-point seat belts. One major mod done to the airplane has been used by Ken on numerous occasions. He says, “At some time before I www.vintageaircraft.org

The low sun angle shows the sleek lines not normally associated with a tractor color.

DARIN LACRONE

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

purchased KVI, an owner had installed Brittain tip tanks, which carry 20 U.S. [16.6 imperial] gallons each. This had an unexpected beneficial effect on the airplane’s stability. This airplane, compared to an A35 without tip tanks, has only minor rear seat wobble in bad weather. It’s much more stable. The tip tanks and original tanks give a combined total of 80 U.S. [66 imperial] gallons, which is far more than my bladder capacity.” Although KVI has been totally reliable as transportation, sometimes it met situations that resulted in mechanical unpleasantries. JEFFREY D. HETLER PHOTOS As Ken explains it, “In the spring of 1974 there was a wet-clay, snowcovered runway at the new airpark CYN4. It was the first f light of the year, with my spouse and two neighbors onboard. On takeoff I realized the clay wasn’t going to let me get off in the space allowed, so I aborted. The wet clay and snow had little to no braking. We slid off the end of the runway, collapsed the right main, and finished the rollout using the right tip tank in place of a wheel. A dustup arose between KVI and two frozen wooden fence posts, and the fence won the argument, which resulted in a search for a new/used right wing. This The airplane was never put down for a complete restoration but was kept turned out not to be a problem, flying while the interior and panel were rehabbed piece-meal. and surprisingly, the tip tank received no damage.” him first choice if the aircraft was ceived the engine through CanaThe wing episode prompted a re- ever for sale.” dian Customs, well packed and paint of the airplane the next year. Eventually, everything wears delivered direct to our airpark He used Endura epoxy in John Deere out, and this includes airplane personal hangar. We installed it paint color. That’s the paint it is still engines. “In 2010, the Continen- and the Hartzell diaphragm HCwearing today, four years later. tal 185-hp engine was unable to 12X20-7 prop. After 7.13 hours He says, “The overall scheme generate enough oil pressure on of flight, and two days before the came from nine pencil colorings a hot day to set the Hartzell HC- 1,200-mile flight to the 2011 Oswe put together, and it won first 12X20-7 prop into full fine,” Ken hkosh AirVenture, we changed the choice. The John Deere green at- says. “Time to change it out to a newly installed oil filter. When tracted attention, and John Deere 225-hp engine. I found a reason- cut open, it contained aluminum, Co. would have been interested if able conversion from a well-known bronze, and a handful of oil absorthe airplane was not so old! A U.S. ‘E’ series Bonanza builder in south- bent normally used on floors! This John Deere dealer and Bonanza ern California and put in an order. was a very bad sign, and closer inowner made me promise to give “A reasonable time later, we re- spection showed that the engine www.vintageaircraft.org

JEFFREY D. HETLER PHOTOS

Does this look like 1949 to you?

It’s easy to identify a Bonanza from this angle.

was completely ruined, including the case. The engine rebuilder contributed the failure to inaccurate adjustments to the Hartzell diaphragm prop. A used case, rebuilt cylinders, new oil-recovery pumps, and many other parts were required at our cost. A Hartzell HC-A2V204A1 constant-speed prop was installed, and KVI returned to the air with a 160-mph cruise.”

Oshkosh Bound, and the Unusual Adventures Begin

As is befitting the Bonanza breed, Ken, his family, and his 22

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friends have taken a lot of interesting and educational flights in KVI, but one he took last year stands out above the rest. He says, “One of the best times of our flying life began on July 18, 2015, at 6 a.m. A 1949 A35 Bonanza based at Indus/Winters Aire Park [CFY4] near Calgary was poised to leave VFR for Oshkosh AirVenture 2015. A massive highpressure front covered eastern Alberta, all of Saskatchewan, northern Montana, and North Dakota. We left with two nervous passengers — Stephane Guevremont, a

well-known aviation historian, and Jim Dennis — at 12 noon. On takeoff, our border crossing at Estevan CYEN was IFR but was projected to return to VFR by arrival time. On this leg, our elderly, 160-mph A35 Bonanza was whizzing along at 208 mph! That was impressive! “The landing at Estevan CYEN was a challenge because of a 35mph, 70-degree crosswind on a Bonanza V-tail that does not like crosswinds. Even with full right rudder, the nose was still 15 degrees off runway heading! At 50 feet we were preparing to divert to our alter nate when a wind gust kicked KVI around straight, and we made an almost perfect, smooth landing. It was probably the best. . .and luckiest. . .in my 57 years of flying! My nervous passengers became believers, and I could do no wrong for the rest of the trip! The only glitch was that U.S. Customs’ Geiger counter gave a ‘bad guy’ warning when pointed at KVI. Uh-oh! Customs asked if this antique aircraft had original instruments, and the answer was yes. So KVI’s radium instrument faces almost got us pegged as nuclear smugglers. Fortunately, the customs guys obviously had been through this before, so they just waved us through. “The next morning, en route to Oshkosh, we rode the south end of that storm at over 200 mph! It was wonderful! KVI had been to OSH five times before, but this time a strange thing happened over Ripon. ATC asked the ‘green, V-tailed Bonanza’ for a wing waggle! This is traditionally asked for over Fisk, but we complied. Halfway to Fisk, ATC asked again for the green, V-tailed Bonanza to wing waggle, which is very unusual. However, we complied the second time! Then over Fisk, for the third time ATC asked that the

Baby ‘B’ Is Born

Ken Lapp relates an unusual major happening in his ownership of C-FKVI. In 1998 there was a spectacular personal aviation event involving my wife, Liz. It goes like this. Liz says, “I like to think I’m at the top of my husband’s list. Realistically, I know sometimes I have to share the spotlight with the other love in his life, his A35 Bonanza!” Liz was scrambling to come up with a unique wedding gift for me. She thought about surprising me with a scale model of KVI. She talked with my longtime friends Doug and Lynn MacMillan. Doug took the project on, even though he was starting to build a new house and lives 350 miles away. Finally, in October, eight months after our wedding, it was completed. Doug started with a commercially available kit, which has an 81-inch wingspan, which makes it a one-fifth-scale size. He did many modifications to the kit so that it matched KVI exactly. These included the addition of the tip tanks, a detailed interior, an instrument panel, call letters in 3-D, a window, and U.S. border-crossing stickers. Liz fabricated curtains and seat covers, and it had retractable gear, flaps, a real engine, and original paint with exact paint colors taken from KVI’s ELT cover, which over the winter I didn’t notice was missing. The recorded time to build this model was 336 hours in 11 months—a major effort by Doug and a significant accommodation by his wife, Lynn. Now it’s the regular meeting of the Stampede City Radio Control Model Club, and at the end of the meeting, Liz walks in and is offered the mic, saying, “Eight months ago Ken and I were married.” (I wondered what she was about to say, and did my modeling buddies really want to hear it?) Liz called me to the front and asked me to face away from the group.

Ken holds the surprise wedding gift from his wife.

She said, “Ken, I wanted to give you something unique as a wedding gift, and while it’s somewhat after the fact, I’m sure you will like it. Now if you would turn around, your gift has arrived!” During all this, the model was quietly carried into the room. I was overwhelmed and speechless! I fumbled with some words of appreciation. The true comprehension of the project and how it came about surfaced during the examination. It was an exact, classic, scale flying C-FKVI. The comment was, “Honey, I shrunk the Bonanza!” Liz says, “I truly experienced that warm and fuzzy feeling you get when you know you have really caught your spouse in a special surprise event!” The model has become affectionately known as “Baby B.” When we flew KVI to Oshkosh in 2001 and were the ABS (American Bonanza Society) showplane, the model was displayed on its wing. There were many, many envious spectators!

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From almost any angle it’s difficult to imagine that this is a 1949 airplane. The 20-gallon tip tanks and rear window were added before Ken Lapp bought the airplane, which give it a very “modern” feel.

green, V-tailed Bonanza do a wing waggle. Well, this time we gave them a huge wing waggle. ATC replied with, ‘Nice wing waggle, green, V-tailed Bonanza.’ Ver y strange! But it got stranger! “We landed on Runway 27 and were guided to Vintage parking in Row 176, which is in the northern outskirts of Fond du Lac! We were parked next to a red C-185 we had been following, and guess what? The third airplane that had parked just ahead of us was also a green, V-tailed Bonanza! Out of 12,000 aircraft, what are the odds of two green, V-tailed Bonanzas arriving one airplane apart? 24

“AirVenture 2015 was excellent! Well done, EAA, and also American Bonanza Society. The ABS had another green, V-tailed Bonanza, N10RR Green Hornet, that was the justified star of their show. We were invited by a John Deere farmer to be in the Vintage ring in front of the Red Barn. Then I was asked if we ‘could stay Saturday and do another live interview and aerial photo shoot. Are you interested?’ The answer was not immediate! My thoughts were: It was going to be a busy airport, with many of the 12,000 aircraft homebound, lots of air show activities, and I was going to have to do formation flying!

I phoned my wife, Liz, in Calgary, and she replied, ‘Ken, give your head a shake! A little old Bonanza from Canada featured in one of the best light-aircraft magazines in North America! Do it if you can!’ Then the answer was ‘yes!’ “KVI was moved from in front of the Red Barn through a massive air show viewer line just before the Saturday air show started at 1. It was parked on the grass directly next to the show runway right next to the air show secured area for parked military jet aircraft. What a fantastic five-hour view and audio sensation! Most of the air-show traffic turned left over Runway 18

DARIN LACRONE

Vital Stats on a Much-Loved ’49 A35 Bonanza Empty weight: 1,832 pounds and maximum takeoff weight of 2,650 pounds Gross weight: 2,650 pounds Useful load: With tips full (80 U.S. [66.6 imperial] gallons), useful is 338 pounds. With stock tanks (40 U.S. [33.3 imperial] gallons), the useful load is 578 pounds.

Takeoff length: Full power, gross weight, 3,450 feet altitude, and 70 degrees Fahrenheit takes 1,500 feet. Landing: Full flaps, 1800 rpm, 90 mph on final, round out, main gear touchdown on grass, roll out, and not even a cup of coffee on the console will be spilled!

Touchdown: 70 mph Stall: Clean, 70 mph; gear and flaps down, 60 mph Minimum runway length required: Zero wind, max load, good approaches, and 2,600 feet Cruise: 165 mph at 24 squared Fuel burn: 155 mph, 23 squared, 13 U.S. (11 imperial) gallons per hour Top speed: 170 mph (estimated) Wish-I-had-done-it item: An autopilot would be useful

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 www.vintageaircraft.org

PHOTOS COURTESY KEN LAPP

Pre-restoration photos.

at about 500 feet altitude above us. I wish everyone could have been there to hear it. Those engines are something else! “At 6 o’clock the show was over, and the takeoff rush was on. We were designated ‘photo shoot 1’ and were off in good time to do a 30-minute hold at 2,300 feet over Lake Poygan and Lake Butte des Morts channel. “ The photo shoot was an exciting experience — 360-degree right turns with KVI outside and mostly higher than the photo ship, with a sky background. The photo ship was a Cessna 210 with cameras peering out the open back window. They were very persis26

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tent: ‘Do not be taking pictures of us when we are taking pictures of you!’ Then they crossed over to my other side, and we had a real good, up-close look at that 210 belly! “Then another set of 360-degree turns with us mostly lower than the photo ship and with a lake as background. There had to be an ideal picture somewhere in all the frames they shot, with the sun and KVI in exactly the right spot! “Ever y movie ends with the showplane making a nice, gentle descending turn off to the left a nd d i s a p p e a r i n g. T h e h e ad ing was set, and the countdown started with this comment: ‘Re-

member, just like we told you in the briefing.’ That was the best and most fun left-hand descent I have ever made! “Back to Oshkosh, we had to be on the ground before the 8 o’clock night-show airport closure. It was 7:50 p.m., with a slow high-wing making us No. 2! We wondered if we would land at Oshkosh or be diverted to Green Bay! The highwing finally got down, and ATC gave us landing clearance. On short final, the tower asked for our destination, and we answered, ‘Vintage.’ There was no immediate reply, then it was, ‘Okay, turn ASAP to Taxiway 13 and follow the flagmen.’ We taxied between 20,000 visitors on the right, and the show night fliers on the left for the full length of 18/36. Several ‘hurry up’ signals were made! “It’s well worth staying up for the night air show. We saw spectacular wingtip fireworks, ground fireworks displays, and the final ‘wall of fire.’ In later conversation, it came out that the night show was delayed four minutes while this tractor-green, V-tail Bonanza taxied through to the Vintage area at the far end of the show runway. Oops! “On the last day of the show, Sunday, July 26, another storm was on its way to Oshkosh, but we were on our way to Minot, North Dakota. Thank you, storm: The 160-mph Bonanza was up to 200 mph! The weather was spoiling us with all this speed!” Ken sums his trip up by saying, “Our total Oshkosh adventure 2015 absolutely could not have been more perfect. Thanks to all the people who donated their time and effort to such a great event. All pilots need to have at least one trip to Oshkosh as part of their flying history! They will talk about it forever!”

Temco Luscombe Award-winning‘authentic garage restoration’

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

Did you know that an early Luscombe was used in a record-setting flight?

“Herbert Stark recently made 30 parachute jumps in one day—a world’s record—from an all-metal Luscombe at Calexico, California.… A Luscombe was used for the record because of its rapid take-off and climb and slow landing speed.… Private owners have found these faster, better-looking airplanes more suitable for every purpose.” —Luscombe ad, Popular Aviation, June 1941 ERIN BRUEGGEN

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O n the f lig htline or in the sky, N815B virtually glows. The 66-year-old Luscombe, dressed in salient orange, beckons with a siren call of its own for observers to enjoy a closer look at its sleek, classic lines. And that makes its caretaker and pilot, Jim Strong, glow with happiness.

Models and More

Jim became intrigued with aviation at just 5 years old, when he and his father would go to the local Buffalo airport and lie in the grass, watching Lockheed Electras, DC6s, and Vickers Viscounts take off and land. “My dad’s friend gave me a ride in his Cherokee, and I thought it was really cool,” Jim recalls. “At age 7, my dad started me building balsa wood model airplane kits. We built control line models and flew them in the backyard. That was great fun! At age 13, Dad and I built our first radio-control model together, and joined the new radio-controlled club in the area. I became the club’s test pilot six months after we got in the club, because we were the first ones to have a plane be able to stay in the air. So the old-timers would come to me and say, ‘Hey

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PHOTOS COURTESY JIM AND AMY STRONG

Amy with the Luscombe in 2004, one week prior to nose-over.

Luscombe in soybean field after engine out, noseover landing on October 1, 2004.

kid, check this model plane out, and tell me how it f lies.’ I f lew most everybody’s models!” Jim took a couple of flying lessons just before he graduated from high school in May 1973, and soloed in June at age 18. “I was flying up to three times a week, and got my private license on December 28—within seven months of taking my first lesson,” Jim says. “It cost roughly $800 to get my ticket back then. I got married in 1990 and had a hiatus from flying until my divorce in 2000. I started flying again and realized that renting aircraft was costprohibitive, so I started looking for an airplane to buy.”

Wings of His Own

Around that time, Jim serendipitously learned that Chuck Szafarczyk, a fellow member of the volunteer Getzville Fire Company, was a pilot and A&P/IA. Chuck also owned an Aeronca L-16A, which was hangared at Buffalo-Lancaster Airport, and after enjoying a flight together one day, Chuck introduced Jim to Larry Erb, who was a longtime owner of a 1950 Luscombe 8F. “I didn’t know what a Luscombe was, and Larry told me a little bit

about it,” Jim says. “I asked him if it was for sale, but he didn’t want to part with it. I asked Larry again six months later, and he sold it to me. It was very nicely done in a similar orange with brown stripes; it just needed a little sprucing up.” And so it was that Jim became the sixth owner of N815B in June 2004. It happened to be one of the few Luscombes manufactured in 1950.

Metal Flying Machine

Jim’s Model 8F has an all-metal monocoque fuselage and semicantilever all-metal wings and tail group. A 12.5-gallon fuel tank is in each wing, and the cozy cabin has dual stick controls. Jim has good visibility over the nose, as well as through the overhead skylight. Luscombe’s installation of the Silflex cantilever landing gear assembly moved the location of the main landing gear wheels 2 inches forward, and oil-spring shocks cushion ground operations. Aviation historian Joseph Juptner gave the Model 8F this colorful description: “The ‘Luscombe,’ whether on the ground or in the air, looked dainty and very feminine, but she was strong as an ox and sly as a fox.”

The damaged windshield.

The Temco-Luscombe Connection

Hitting upon hard financial times in the postwar years, Luscombe filed for bankruptcy in 1949 and ceased production. In February 1950, the Texas Engineering and Manufacturing Company (Temco) bought the Luscombe assets and assumed operation of the Luscombe manufacturing plant. Later that year, limited production of the Model 8F began. Around that time, Temco was awarded lucrative military contracts, and Model 8F production lasted only a short time. In Luscombe’s Golden Age, John C. Swick wrote, “The TemcoLuscombe, entering production in September, was essentially an early 1948 Model 8F, equipped with flaps and utilizing a bronze trim. Temco made one small change in the landing gear step.” Detailing the manufacturing provenance of Jim’s particular Luscombe, Jack Cox wrote, “During that four months [in 1950], just 22 8Fs were produced—nine in September, three in October, nine in November, and only one in December. Jim Strong’s 8F was one of the nine built in September, which makes it a pretty rare airplane.” Two other things make N815B

The fairings for the flap pushrods were crushed.

(serial No. 6745) a bit unusual. It still has its original engine, along with a mechanical pull-type starter system for the Continental C9012F. To date, the total time for both airframe and engine is 3,366 hours.

Chain of Owners

Though it’s only had six owners in 66 years, N815B has experienced several tumultuous events throughout the years. It would almost seem as though it had a yen for the sort of gymnastics that any pilot would be chagrined to see—the dreaded nose-over onto its back. This Luscombe 8F De Luxe was purchased in October 1958 by Howard J. Travis of Big Rapids, Michigan. N815B experienced its first

A 6-inch rock went through the left wheel pant during the 2to 3-mph rollout, causing the Luscombe’s back flip.

1950 Luscombe 8F

Manufactured under ATC 694 Wingspan: . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 feet Wing chord: . . . . . . . . . 50 inches Wing area:. . . . . . 140 square feet Airfoil:. . . . . . . . . . . . . NACA 4412 Length: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 feet Height: . . . . . . . . . 6 feet 3 inches Tread: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 inches Empty weight:. . . . . . . 810 pounds Useful load: . . . . . . . 590 pounds Payload:. . . . . . . . . . . 267 pounds Gross weight: . . . . . 1,400 pounds

Engine: . . . . . . . . . . . . . C90-12F Fuel:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 gallons Oil: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 quarts Max speed:. . . . . . . . . . . 125 mph Cruising speed:. . . . . . . . 115 mph Landing speed:. . . . . . . . . . 40 mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (with flaps) Climb at sea level:. . . . . . 900 fpm Service ceiling: . . . . . . 17,000 feet Cruising range: . . . . . . . 490 miles Baggage capacity: . . . . . 75 pounds

Derived from Juptner’s U.S. Civil Aircraft and ATC 694

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ERIN BRUEGGEN

nose-over during the taxi-fromlanding phase of operation on February 28, 1965, in Muskegon, Michigan. By June 1965, the necessary structural repairs were completed and the Luscombe was sold to Elwon and Eleanor Conarton of Lansing, Michigan. They kept the Luscombe until September 1976, when George Strickland of Lansing bought it. He sold it two years later to J.Q. Kerkhoff of Lafayette, Indiana. Laurence Erb of Buffalo, New York, became the Luscombe’s fifth caretaker in June 1982. “Larry had the panel upgraded with King avionics, and then he had Moody Larsen put in a new interior, install heel brakes on the right side, and put wheelpants on the airplane,” Jim says. “After Larry got it back in 1984, it went on its back when he took somebody with him, and they got on the binders while rolling out from land-

JIM BUSHA PHOTOS

A look inside the engine compartment.

ing. The airplane went over in a big hurry.” (Moody Larsen of Michigan acquired the type certificate and tooling in 1964, and became wellknown for his Luscombe repairs, upgrades, and STC conversions.) Jim logged 68 hours in his Luscombe within just three and a half months of buying it. Then he had what turned out to be an unexpectedly short flight on October 1. “I was taking a lunch flight with Amy, my girlfriend, now wife, and the engine went to idle 10 minutes after takeoff with full fuel,” Jim says. “I thought the throttle cable had broken, but I found out later it was a carburetor malfunction. The engine was running, but wasn’t making any power. We both pointed to a soybean field and decided that’s where we’re going. Amy, who was a student pilot, had

“Record-Breaking speed…just one of Luscombe’s advantages!… Edward J. Walz of Camden, New Jersey, streaked over a 100-kilometer closed course at 118.746 miles per hour in an all-metal LUSCOMBE on January 30th at Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, N.Y. This speed set a new national record for light airplanes.…Performance is but one superior quality of this most modern airplane. Compare its streamlined beauty, strength of construction and long life with any airplane....” —Luscombe ad, Aero Digest SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Jim bought the airplane back from the insurance company in late December and transported it from the Lancaster airport to his garage in Williamsville, New York. “I told everybody I’d have the Luscombe in the air in six months, and they all laughed,” he says. “So I proceeded to do an ‘authentic garage restoration,’ and it took 2,800 hours over a five-year period. The farther I got into it, the more time it took to make things right. I’d been building model airplanes all my life at that point and winning awards with them, and I worked on the Luscombe the same way.”

Nose-Over, Take Three

Did you know that an early-model stock Luscombe set a speed record?

Restoration Begins

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The instrument panel.

were basically okay, and there was no fire. “I told her I’d pop my seat belt, go around, and help her out,” Jim says. “I rolled out on the wing, stepped on it, and went around to open her door. I was getting down on my knees to cradle her and just before I got my arms under her, she popped her seat belt and crashed down on her head.”That resulted in a concussion, and Amy was flown by emergency medical transport to the local county hospital. She was released a couple of hours later, and Jim returned to the soybean field. “The FAA was already there, and I showed them my paperwork,” Jim says. “They said, ‘Well, you did what you had to do. It’s an incident, not an accident.’ So that was my one and only experience with the FAA—a nice bunch of guys.”

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a chart on her lap, and said, ‘You’ve got power lines and railroad tracks at the approach end of your field.’ Wow, she was keeping her composure! So I turned final and 50 feet off the ground I shut the mags off, and the prop stopped horizontally. We touched down, and during the slow rollout, a 6-inch rock went up against the left tire and through the bottom of the fiberglass wheelpant. That caused us to go up onto the nose and left wingtip. We balanced there for a second or two and then completed the flip-over, and ended up hanging by our seat belts.” Both Jim and Amy bumped their knees on the panel and hit their heads on the cabin roof, but they

Several folks helped, in one way or another, throughout those years. “The local Luscombe guru, Carl Perry, answered lots of questions for me, and turned out to be a great friend,” Jim shares. “The Luscombe Association newsletter has handy-dandy tips. My friend and now IA, Chuck, watched over all my work and signed off what I did. “My wife, Amy, was my best bucking buddy during this project,” Jim says, smiling. “She got her hand in places where you wouldn’t believe to buck some rivets. She did a great job, and she was very instrumental with the project. I appreciate all her hard work helping me, and her support.”

Repair, Replace

As a retired steamfitter journeyman, Jim was accustomed to working with tools, though sheet metal work was not his specialty. “I bought some tools including a rivet gun, shear, and brake, and taught myself how to use them,” he says, “so it was just another set of tools to get acclimated to, and it went okay with a little practice.” www.vintageaircraft.org

8F Flying

Adopting a hands-on learning technique, Jim tackled a small component first. He reskinned the top of the horizontal stabilizer, since he wanted to eliminate an inspection panel that was installed there. “That was my first riveting experience, with Amy’s help,” Jim explains. “I used the original skin for a template, and it went back together and the airplane flies straight and true. I also made four of the six leading edges on the wing, and replaced the wingtips. The door panels didn’t follow the rivet line on the door opening, so I made them look more presentable with new skins, and I replaced the cowling doors because they had reinforcement patches on them.” But that wasn’t all; Jim made many more airframe replacements and repairs. He replaced the vertical stabilizer and both landing gear legs, which he got from Team Luscombe in Chandler, Arizona, and all the glass. He exchanged the left strut with a used one and repaired the rudder, and he made new fairings for the mechanical flap actuator pushrods on top of each wing, along with all new wing fairings. “Sometimes I’d make a part three times before I was happy with it,” 36

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Jim says. “That’s how crazy I am!” Not surprisingly, Jim declares that he won’t fly the Luscombe without shoulder harnesses. He installed BAS inertia reel shoulder harness/lap belts. He replaced the headliner and removed an inch of foam thickness from the seats to get a little more leg and head room. As for the interior panels and upholstery, Jim says, “It was still pristine, so I did nothing but clean it up, after getting the battery acid off the whole inside of the airplane.”

Engine and Prop

Soon after removing the engine from the airframe and having it inspected, Jim learned the crankshaft had been red-tagged. “There was a crack behind the flange on the crank, and I think that happened when it flipped over in 1984,” Jim says, “so I had the C90-12F engine rebuilt with an O-200 crank. The original Delco starter and generator are still on the engine. I also installed a spin-on oil filter adapter.” (Additionally, in 2012, Jim installed ECi TITAN steel bore cylinders.) The Marvel-Schebler carburetor was rebuilt by Mattituck (with special attention to the accelerator pump discharge nozzle and the

COURTESY JIM AND AMY STRONG

JIM BUSHA

Amy and Jim Strong.

float bowl, which were the culprits of the off-airport landing). The McCauley CM7150 KlipTip propeller was straightened and repolished by a shop in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Exterior Finish

Jim sanded off most of the old paint, leaving a minimal amount intact, with the exception of the cabin area, which he stripped down to bare metal. He used self-etching primer on that area as well as the new Alclad skins. Fortunately, he had a friend with a collision shop with a downdraft paint booth, so he took the airframe components there to receive their Imron finish coat of 1972 Mack Truck Orange. When it came time to paint the Ford Beige trim, Jim spent many hours meticulously laying out the fuselage stripes and cowling design. To keep the paint shiny and bright through the years, he simply washes and waxes it once a year.

N815B took to the air on August 1, 2009 (minus its interior/upholstery)—four years and 10 months after its nose-over in the soybean field. If you wonder why Jim invested all the time and resources restoring his Temco Luscombe, the partial answer is that he enjoyed the challenge of the restoration process. But first and foremost, he loves the way the Luscombe flies. He likes being able to cruise at 107 mph while burning only 5.2 gph, which gives him a four-hour crosscountry range. And he gets a real kick out of each and every takeoff. “It’s amazing—it’s like a threepoint takeoff; you just hold the stick back as you lift off, then release it, and you levitate,” Jim says. “It’s not a nasty airplane, but it’s got a nasty reputation, apparently from people who got bit by them. You just have to use your feet; that’s all there is to it. I’m flying the pattern at 75 mph, over the numbers at 65 mph, and at 49 mph we’re on the ground—I full-stall land it exclusively. It has flaps with 10-, 20-, and 30-degree detents, and 30 degrees of flaps will bring that thing down like a brick.” The Luscombe has a steerable Scott 3200 tail wheel, and the main gear are 600-by-6, with Goodyear mechanical puck brakes. “The brakes work beautifully,” Jim says. “You just have to understand how to adjust them, and if you don’t want to go upside down, you have to be dainty!”

room floor with a bunch of charts,” Jim says. “He was navigator and did a great job. I got an Outstanding Classic Airplane Award plaque in 2010, and he flew it down there with me again in 2014.”

Awards and Rewards

Since that first award, Jim and Amy have compiled a presentation book of restoration photos, which travels with the Luscombe to various fly-ins. They’ve received several awards now, including Classic Custom Class B at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013 and Grand Champion Custom Classic at Sun ’n Fun 2015. So far, perhaps the most surprising award came from a Piper aircraft fly-in: Best Custom Classic at Sentimental Journey 2013. For her part, Amy says she is proud of the work and dedication Jim put into restoring the Luscombe. “It brings him so much joy,

and I love all the well-deserved compliments he gets on its restoration when we take it to different airstrips/shows,” Amy says. “I love flying with Jim in the Luscombe, but I…prefer to fly when there are clear skies and very little wind!” Perhaps most rewarding for Jim are the 350 hours he has logged since he completed the restoration. “It’s no hangar queen,” Jim says, laughing. “But after every flight, I use Turtle Wax spray and wipe the leading edges of the struts, wings, gear legs, and tail clean. That way, you got that wow factor every time you open the hangar!” And who knows? There just may be another award-winning “authentic garage restoration” in Jim’s future. He is slowly working on the Aeronca L-16A (N2390Y, which he acquired from Chuck) in his garage in Buffalo, when he’s not at his winter residence in North Fort Myers, Florida.

Most Memorable Flight

In early 2010, N815B was complete. To celebrate the momentous occasion and to stretch the Luscombe’s legs, Jim decided to fly it from Buffalo to Sun ’n Fun in Lakeland, Florida. He asked his hangar neighbor, Lonny Laska, to accompany him on the southern sojourn. “Lonny laid the trip out on his living www.vintageaircraft.org

Chicken Coop Biplane

The Al Kelch Curtiss-Wright Travel Air Model 12-W 38

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by Budd Davisson www.vintageaircraft.org

Larry and I went looking for Molitor’s old airplane and found it exactly where Ray had left it: stuffed into the end of the chicken coop with the tail sticking out. Almost everyone dreams of finding an airplane in a barn. If that’s you, imagine the following scene in your mind: First, picture a chicken coop. As with all chicken coops it seems, this one is tired-looking. Abandoned actually. It has been well over 30 years since a chicken has called this particular, badly damaged structure home. In fact, if a little time is taken to check beneath and around the junk that now inhabits the smallish building, the bones and feathers of some seriously deceased chickens can be found scattered around the floor. Now, picture yourself standing

outside one end of the coop; what do you see? How about the tail of an airplane protruding from the collapsed remains of a wall? Age and the elements have combined to reduce the fabric covering to tatters, so the rusted bones of the tail are clearly visible as if it is a poorly dressed skeleton. Fired up because we’ve actually found an airplane in a barn (okay so it’s a chicken coop. . .just go with us on this!), we try to get inside the building the same way the airplane did. The engine and nose went in through a window-like opening that had been covered with chicken

DENNIS BIELA

Try to imagine what this cockpit looked like after sitting totally abandoned for 30 years. Al tried for originality in everything he restored. 40

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wire, so they survived the impact quite nicely. The wings, however, lost their argument with the building’s walls, so we find our progress blocked by their badly fractured remains. It looks as if the airplane actually plowed through the end of the building, and the four wing panels (it appears to be a biplane) were traumatically amputated and the walls folded them back along the fuselage, thoroughly crushing them in the process. We check the cockpit and are relieved: no bones! But then, we knew there wouldn’t be any because the pilot who had forcibly parked the airplane amongst the chickens 30 years earlier is the one who told us where to find it. Now flash ahead 40 years or so and we’re walking down the rows of airplanes in the antique area during AirVenture 2015 and we come upon a trim, personal-sized biplane. It’s not too big, not too small. We’re coming up behind it and recognize the shape of the tail, but this time

DENNIS BIELA

it’s attached to an airplane, not a chicken coop. The sign says that it’s a Travel Air 12-W, and amazingly, it’s the same airplane, alive and well and standing proud among the antiques and classics. Between the dead engine that caused the crash, the dead chickens that were the result of the crash, and AirVenture 2015, the figures of the late EAA antique/vintage pioneer Al Kelch and his wife, Lois, loom large in a lot of different areas, including the rescue and resurrection of Travel Air 12-W NC412W. The airplane was on display at AirVenture 2015 to represent the Kelch legacy and the museum, for which the Kelch foundation is raising funds. Al Kelch was, by any standards, a unique individual. He was part entrepreneur, part inventor, part aviation enthusiast, and all artist. He saw art in everything, especially mechanical things and old, unique airplanes. In them, he saw the beauty of the mechanics mixed with the aesthetic attributes of a

Now try to imagine a badly damaged chicken coop with only this tail visible at one end.

mechanism that gives access to the third dimension. The 12-W is just one of many antique airplanes that were brought back to life during Al’s 86 years. Born in 1918, he often talked about his Uncle Percy, who jumpstarted the young Kelch’s love affair with f light. Even at a very young age, he gloried in his easy access to what lay above everyone else in their small town, as seen from the front seat of his uncle’s Jenny. He also loved that the town’s professionals, such as doctors and lawyers, paid his uncle $5 for a 10-minute airplane ride, an experience Al got for free almost any time he wanted. Al was a third-generation entrepreneur and pioneer. His maternal grandfather moved to Kansas Territory in the 1880s and homesteaded. Al’s mother was born into the pioneer life in a sod dugout house, which gave her the strength of character she so often demonstrated in raising Al. This stood Al in good

stead for the life he was about to develop for himself and Lois. Alfred Sr., his father, was the epitome of the self-motivated entrepreneur. From ordering their house through a Sears catalog and building it himself, to establishing a multistate grain-threshing operation, to installing the Lake View, Iowa, water system, and erecting and maintaining the water tower, Al Sr. didn’t let the fact that he never even finished grade school slow him down. He set a powerful example for Al Jr., who used the virtues his father demonstrated throughout his life. In addition to an entrepreneurial spirit, the Kelch clan possessed an above-average willingness to get their hands dirty, solving mechanical issues that either stumped others or never occurred to them. Al is quoted as having said, “The dump was the most wonderful place when I was a kid. Nothing was hauled away to the smelters.” The result was that Al and his friends built www.vintageaircraft.org

“Normally, biplanes of that era wouldn’t exactly be called graceful, or quick. … The 12-W, however, has fairly light, enjoyable controls. And it reacts better than you’d expect, considering what it is and when it was designed.” – Greg Heckman

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

whatever caught their fancy. In fact, they built a Model T from scrap. Al not only put all of those traits to good use, but had yet another ability that wasn’t normally combined with the ability to pound nails or design water systems: From an early age he demonstrated an interest in, and an ability in, art. In fact, his first few years in the workaday world were with one of the larger national advertising agencies. At the end of that period, his left-brain tendencies brought him back to the world of nuts and bolts. He launched his own mechanical design and production business building machines that manufactured products for a wide variety of companies including Buick, AllisChalmers, General Electric, American Motors, and many others. Then he had an epiphany. Rather than build machines that make profitable products for other companies, Al realized he could put his inventive mind to work for himself. With that change in direction, the A.H. Kelch Company really took off. Among other things, Al designed manufacturing processes that allowed him to build huge plastic structures such as fast-food playground equipment. He has said: “Every single fast food chain you go by, you can think of me. Every last piece of the slide, the big Ronald McDonald statue, and the ‘Big Boy’ hamburger thing are mine. I came up with a way of making gigantic aluminum castings for the molds, and that really made us successful.” As his company began to show a profit, Al saw his fondest dream in the process of coming true: He could afford his own vintage airplane. The first, in 1960, was a 1939 J-3 Cub, for which he paid the princely sum of $200. Not only was the Cub the first of 16 vintage/antique air planes he would own, but it was the first he

would restore. It is worth noting that when it was said that Al would restore an airplane, it meant that Al would actually restore the airplane himself. Yes, he had a helping hand when needed, but whether it was ribstitching or shaping aluminum panels, Al was satisfying two needs at the same time: He “needed” to be doing things with his hands, and he “needed” to get whatever he was working on into the air. The concept of flight was always egging him on. It is worth noting that while his manufacturing business was exploding and he was spending immense amounts of time restoring airplanes, he also found time to spread the vintage airplane word to others. He lobbied EAA to make the fledgling Vintage Aircraft Association an official division of the EAA, and took over the editorship and production of Vintage Airplane magazine. Obviously, his artistic urges needed other forms of expression. At the beginning, he was even financially support-

ing the magazine. As if that wasn’t enough, he co-wrote the rules for the judging of antique/vintage aircraft at Oshkosh. Eventually, Al had so many airplanes that he essentially had his own museum (it also included antique cars and boats) at Brodhead, Wisconsin, where he was based. But they were spread out in an informal fashion, in a number of hangars, which was not to his liking. As his time left on Earth began to count down, he and Lois put together a trust to care for and fund

their collection. When they died, the entire collection was placed into the Alfred and Lois Kelch Charitable Trust. In 2012, trustees formed the Alfred & Lois Kelch Aviation Museum as an IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit cor poration. Taking a serious step toward realizing the Kelches’ dream of a museum, in April 2015 the aviation museum purchased 2.5 acres adjoining the Brodhead Airport that has two hangars, private access, and established utilities. This came with an agreement

Al and his long-time wife, Lois, were central to the formation of the Vintage Airplane division of the EAA and edited the magazine for years. www.vintageaircraft.org

In an age when biplanes tended to be big, the size of Stearmans or larger, the Model 12 was noticeably smaller and was a favorite of sportsman pilots because of its spritely handling. When found in the chicken coop, the airplane was mostly complete but badly damaged. 44

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

with the airport that access to the airport was guaranteed. One of the notable aircraft in the Kelch collection is Curtiss-Wright Travel Air Model 12-W NC412W, also known as the “chicken coop biplane.” The breed was marketed as the Travel Air Model 12, and it mounted a number of different engines. A slight variant on the design was the Model 16, which was exactly the same airplane but the for ward fuselage was widened enough to make the front cockpit two-place, side-by-side. A total of approximately 63 of both designs were produced, but only about a dozen were the two-place Model 12. At some point in the early ’80s Al decided he needed another Travel Air 12. Needed may be the wrong word, but wanted is absolutely accurate. He already had a Gypsy-powered 12-Q, but the Warner-powered 12-W was attractive to him and, with that engine, would be more flyable. The airplane had an excellent reputation as a good handling airplane and was good-looking besides, so he put out the word that he was looking for a 12-W. One of the people who heard he was looking for one was well-known antique restorer Forrest Lovley of Jordan, Minnesota, who just happened to know of a 12-W that he was certain was available, assuming it was still where it was last seen by the pilot, Ray Molitor. Forrest said, “Ray was a local guy, but we knew nothing about his Model 12-W adventure until Ray told Larry Frost and me about it at a flight breakfast 30 years later. It seems that sometime in the early ’50s, he ran it out of gas and landed short of the field he was heading for, crashing into a chicken coop. The farmer wanted $100 for the damage and the dead chickens, so Ray said he could keep the wreck because he didn’t have the hundred bucks.

“Shortly after he told us that story, I heard Al was looking for just such an airplane, so Larry and I went looking for Molitor’s old airplane and found it exactly where Ray had left it: stuffed into the end of the chicken coop with the tail sticking out. Not a thing had changed since the day it crashed. The old farmer was still alive and still wanted his $100, so we paid him the money. “The fuselage wasn’t hurt too badly, but the best part was that the gear was still good,” Forrest continued. “The wings were all smashed and full of bird droppings, but the fittings, aluminum castings, and wires were good, and the tail was good. We removed the bolts that held the lower wings on. . .what was left of them. . .and took the thing apart. The struts were junk, but the 110 Warner was a source for parts for both Larry and me for a few years.

Mostly it was left stuck in the coop because it wasn’t worth fixing. At that point in time, when it was still flyable, it was maybe worth $100$200. It was in really bad shape, but I guess Al was able to save more than we had originally thought. “Interestingly, Ray went on to build a hangar out in the country with a grass strip next to it, on which he built a steel-framed hangar, where he eventually kept a T-6 and a 195. Others came along and wanted to buy land from him, so he started a residential airpark, which is where I live. His original hangar is now where I keep airplanes and is where my house is located.“Since Al was in the plastics business,” Forrest added, “we agreed to trade him the airplane for a bunch of orange traffic cones to give to the Antique Airplane Association. Fortunately, I knew where Ray Molitor lived in retirement, so I tracked

www.vintageaircraft.org

op Sh ! ow N

The trustees of the Alfred and Lois Kelch Aviation Museum are conducting a drive to raise funds for the construction of a new building on the Brodhead, WI airport that will display all of the Kelch airplanes including two Travel Air Model 12s, this Warner-powered 12-W and a Gypsy-powered 12-Q.

him down and got a bill of sale signed for Al to transfer the title, which made the whole thing legal.” Even a corpse in a chicken coop has to have the right paperwork to be legal. Museum curator Pat Weeden and pilot/museum director Greg Heckman brought the airplane to AirVenture 2015 to get the word out about the museum funding drive. They also had some insights into the airplane and Al Kelch’s efforts on it. Among other things, Pat said, “Even though the airplane has a factory data plate, so much of it has been replaced that it is as much a reproduction as an original airplane. Although the fuselage is original, every piece of aluminum has been replaced. And the wings are almost totally scratchbuilt. I know they saved most of the fittings, but virtually all of the wood 46

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

is new. That’s a lot of spars and ribs. For that reason and the ability to let Al do his own maintenance, they chose to license it in the experimental category.” Greg said, “The airplane is surprisingly nice to fly. The ailerons are especially surprising. Normally, biplanes of that era wouldn’t exactly be called graceful, or quick. In fact, many of them would be considered dogs by today’s standards. The 12W, however, has fairly light, enjoyable controls. And it reacts better than you’d expect, considering what it is and when it was designed.” The original designer, Herb Rawdon, who was behind many iconic airplanes of the period, including the Travel Air Mystery Ship, would be pleased to hear that evaluation. Also, he said, “Al didn’t want the original 110-hp Warner that was on it because this is too much airplane for such a little motor. So, Al put a

165-hp Warner Scarab on it, complete with electric start. This not only gives it lots more performance but makes flying it much more convenient. You can’t always find someone qualified to prop an airplane. “With that power and a gross of 1,800 pounds, it gets off the ground in 500-600 feet. That’s pretty good performance. And it’s a joy to land. That long stroke, soft landing gear makes every touchdown look and feel as if you know what you’re doing.” So, the spirits of Al and Lois Kelch live on in the collection they built and the museum their foundation is building. If you want to become part of the $1 million capital campaign to construct a new museum building at Brodhead Airport, contact Pat Weeden at the Kelch Aviation Museum at 608-897-1175 or visit www.KelchMuseum.org.

Show Your Vintage Aircraft Association Pride We’ve got what you need to deck out your home, workshop, or hangar!

EAA.org/ShopVintage | 800-564-6322

The St. Louis Robin, Making History Again! An enduring endeavor, spanning generations and cultures The Erale father and son team completed their awardwinning restoration of the St. Louis Robin in 1976.

Sparky Barnes Sargent GILLES AULIARD

The St. Louis Robin 1 began its life as a crowd-pleaser during the golden age of aviation. Eightyseven years later, it still is. Remarkably, this Robin is recording another feat of endurance—that of still being airworthy well into its golden years. But this story isn’t merely about a test ship that set a historical endurance record and survived the ages. It’s also the story of fathers and sons who share a passion for 48

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antique airplanes, of the early days of aviation in America and Costa Rica, and of an indubitable spirit of mutual respect and intrigue that, in this particular case, unites generations and cultures spanning decades and miles.

Record-Setting Flight First, let’s retrace the singular history of the St. Louis Robin 1, beginning with its first magnificent entry in the logbook of its life.

Back in 1929, this Robin C-1 (NR59H, serial No. 428) rolled out of the Curtiss-Robertson Airplane Manufacturing Co. in St. Louis, Missouri. The three-place monoplane had a welded steel tubing fuselage, and its wings had a Curtiss C-72 airfoil with spruce spars and stamped Alclad ribs. The airframe and balsa-wood wing strut fairings were covered with fabric. Robins offered great visibility and reliability, and were popular for business,

pleasure, and training. Even though it was built as an endurance test ship, NR59H was fairly stock, with just a few exceptions. A 126-gallon fuel tank had been installed in lieu of passenger seats, and an opening for refueling purposes was located in the top of the fuselage just aft of the wings. Four-inch-wide catwalks extended from the landing gear legs to the engine for twice-daily in-flight engine inspection and maintenance

(including magneto and sparkplug adjustments). A pneumatic mattress was located atop the fuel tank so the pilots could take turns catching a few winks. The Robin’s air-cooled Curtiss Challenger R-600 engine was built by Curtiss Aeroplane & Motor Co. Inc. of Buffalo, New York, and generated a distinctive sound with its six cylinders, which were “staggered to operate on a two-throw crankshaft, and developed 176 hp at 1,800 rev-

olutions per minute” (The Aircraft Yearbook for 1930, Volume 12). As brightly colored as a butterfly with its yellow wings and orange fuselage, the Robin taxied to the runway on July 13, 1929. CurtissRobertson pilots Dale “Red” Jackson and Forest “Obie” O’Brine took off from Lambert Field on a flight that was promoted only to “. . .test the capabilities of a newly perfected Curtiss [Challenger] engine” and not as an endurance flight (The Airwww.vintageaircraft.org

COURTESY TERRY BOWDEN

Postal cover commemorating the 1929 endurance flight.

craft Yearbook for 1930, Volume 12). But as the hours stretched into days and another Challenger Robin (NR81H) repeatedly sidled into position to refuel the St. Louis Robin 1, public interest was piqued by newspaper accounts. The refueling crew (pilot C. Ray Wassall and P.V. “Shorty” Chaffee) transferred gas through a 35-foot-long, 2-inch-diameter rubber hose to the thirsty Robin. They also lowered various other supplies (food, candy, smokes, encouraging notes, and oil) to Jackson and O’Brine via metal containers suspended on a rope. All told, the flight required 50

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The Erales to the Rescue It took a talented father and son team from Long Island, New York, to come to the Robin’s rescue. Joe Erale Sr. wasn’t a pilot, but he

loved restoring old airplanes with the help of his son, Joe “Joe Joe” Erale Jr. They bought the longneglected Robin in 1967 and spent nearly a decade bringing it back to life. They completed their topnotch restoration in 1976, and the Robin once again was in its famous St. Louis Robin 1 colors. The Erales and their pilot friend Bill Garvey put around 120 hours into the Robin and its freshly overhauled R-600 Curtiss Challenger engine, flying it cross-country to Blakesburg, Iowa, in 1977 (Sweepstakes Antique); Oshkosh, Wisconsin (1978 Grand Champion Antique); and St. Louis (to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the endurance flight). The Erales kept the St. Louis Robin in longterm static display status from 1984 until 2014.

Another Challenger Robin E A A / VA A m e m b e r Te r r y Bowden grew up around his father’s Robin at his family’s Deer Pasture Air field in L ampasas, Texas. NR82H acquired the nickname Texas Lady, and Terry appreciated the mystique of its rare Challenger engine. (John Bowden’s Curtiss Robin C-1 has its own historical significance; it was the refueling ship, with “2” painted on its fuselage, for the Missouri Robin [NR78H]. And when Nick Mamer and Art Walker flew the 1929 Spokane Sun-God Buhl CA-6 Sesquiplane over Roosevelt Field in New York during its nonstop flight from Spokane to New York and back, NR82H served as the Texaco refueling ship.) So a few years ago, it seemed fitting that Terry was the one to take the reins of Jim Haynes’ print newsletter The Robin’s Nest. Terry decided to take advantage of social media for the newsletter, so he created a Robin blog (Barnstmr.blogspot.com).

1929 Robin C-1

Manufactured Under ATC 143

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

73 contacts between the two Robins. Forty-eight of those contacts were for refueling purposes; 3,500 gallons of gasoline and 158 gallons of oil were used during the flight. After 17-1/2 days aloft, the St. Louis Robin landed to resounding cheers from thousands of spectators in the early evening of July 30. Jackson and O’Brine had established a new endurance record of 420 hours, 21 minutes, and 30 seconds. Obviously, the Challenger engine had passed its test. The pilots were rewarded well for their performance; they remained on the company payroll during the flight and additionally had earned more than $31,000 (which included $25,000 from the Curtiss-Robertson Co.). After many celebrations, Jackson and O’Brine once again took off in the Robin—this time to tour the country. The two fliers would surpass their own record in the Greater St. Louis Robin (NR783M) in 1930. The St. Louis Robin was purchased later by Gulf Oil, and a new Challenger engine was installed. It was flown on a promotional tour across the country in 1930. From 1932 until 1951, the Robin was displayed at the Franklin Institute and Roosevelt Field before it was purchased and allowed to languish another 15 years (see “Curtiss Robin” by Dave Gustafson, The Vintage Airplane, October 1978).

After 30 years of being idle, the Challenger engine was awakened in 2014.

Then one serendipitous day, Terry received a phone call from Costa Rica. “Not only did the Costa Ricans find my blog, they also found my website for my side business of Vintage DER consultant work [Certified Aeronautical Products LLC],” shares Terry. “They wanted to find and buy a Challenger Robin.”

Espíritu Tico There’s a unique and historically significant connection between Costa Rica and Challenger Robins—albeit little known until now—and it has to do, in part, with a mother’s quest for a better life for her son. “Don Román Macaya Lahmann was born in San José, Costa Rica, in 1903. His mother took him to the United States to be educated, and he grew up in the San Francisco area,” shares Terry. “He learned to fly and went through transport pilot training.” Perhaps influenced by the widespread acclaim of the Robin’s endurance capabilities, Román Macaya purchased a Challenger-powered Curtiss Robin C-1 (NC911K) in 1933. It was christened Espíritu Tico (Costa Rican Spirit) by the small Costa Rican community in the San Francisco area. In September, he started the arduous cross-country journey to his homeland from Oakland, California. Macaya arrived in San José in early October and received a hero’s welcome. “The Robin was the first of many airplanes that Macaya eventually used to deliver mail and supplies across the mountainous country. He created his own airline, which included Curtiss Kingbirds, Stinson and Ford tri-motors, and Travel Air 6000s,” says Terry. “He established airplanes as a viable mode of transportation, which changed commerce and the way of life in the country. Macaya really was the father of aviation in Costa Rica.” Fast-forward 81 years to 2014, when Román Ma-

Wingspan:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 feet Wing area:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224 feet Length: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 feet 1 inch Height: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 feet Tread: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 feet Empty weight: . . . . . . . . . . . 1,638 pounds Useful load:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 962 pounds Payload:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454 pounds Gross weight:. . . . . . . . . . . . 2,600 pounds Engine: . . . . . . . . . . . . . Curtiss-Challenger rated 185 hp at 1800 rpm Fuel:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 gallons Oil: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 gallons High speed: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 mph Cruising speed:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 mph Landing speed:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 mph Climb at sea level:. . . . . . . . . . . . 640 fpm Service ceiling:. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,700 feet Cruising range:. . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 miles Price at factory:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,995 Derived from company advertising

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GILLES AULIARD

A six-cylinder Challenger engine powers this historic Robin. Note the outrigger gear legs.

caya Lahmann’s son, Carlos Macaya Ortiz, decided it was time to create a living tribute to his father’s legacy of aviation.

Refurbishing the Robin In March 2014, Terry and Carlos went to Bayport Aerodrome in New York to meet Joe Erale Jr. and see the Robin. Terry first saw the Robin’s pristine restoration in 1977 when he was 13; he was amazed that Joe had kept it in such good condition after Joe Sr. had passed away. Carlos was also impressed, and made arrangements to buy it and hire Terry to do some refurbishing and modifications. Rather than 52

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fly behind the Challenger engine, which hadn’t run in 30 years, Terry’s friend Craig Gunder disassembled it, and another friend, Jared Calvert, hauled it in a moving van to Texas in May 2014. It was kismet, in a way, when Terr y discovered the serial number of his father’s Robin on one of the cowlings of the St. Louis Robin. Upon inspection, Terry found that “the fabric was in good shape, but mechanically it needed a lot of work. The oleo struts were severely rusted and pitted where the oil seals were, so our first big job was repairing and overhauling them. We also had to do a weld repair on a cracked casting, which is part of

Like Their Fathers Before Them Terry called upon his childhood friend Kelly Mahon of Washington to make the first flight in November 2014. “Kelly is one of the most active tailwheel antique pi-

Curtiss Robin for Business, Pleasure, Training. Used by newspapers to distribute papers, for commercial taxi and charter, sightseeing, and training services. “The Robin…is world-famed for its air-worthiness, durability, comfort and

CAROLYN CARR

efficiency.” — era advertising

Unloading the Robin from shipping a container at Carmonair Charter, Pavas Airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, on March 29, 2016.

“ I n s ta l l t h e C ha l l e ng e r E ng i n e i n Yo u r Ship — It Gives You: Smoothness: The ‘Challenger’s’ unique arrangement of six cylinders on a two-throw crankshaft provides more perfect dynamic balance than is obtainable with any single row radial type of engine. For this reason the ‘Challenger’ is

TERRY BOWDEN

the brake system. But the main job we were hired to do was to add an electrical system; the Costa Ricans initially planned to fly from Texas to Costa Rica that November.” Originally, the Robin had 28by-4 Bendix disc wheels with 10inch mechanical drum brakes. “Those are almost extinct today,” comments Terry, adding, “These wheels are fabricated by Dick Fisher.” The tail wheel is the nonswiveling type. Throughout the project, Terry had help from his father-in-law, Lon Carr, a talented parts fabricator, and IA friend Randall Green. Terry’s wife, Leann, refurbished the upholstery and many of the finer cosmetic details of the airplane. They all had day jobs, so they worked on the Robin in their spare time. On October 1, when they were almost ready to hang the wings, Randall noticed something suspicious on one of the cross tubes in the fuselage. “He took his pocketknife and poked it, and the blade went in. So we used a little ballpeen hammer and went around the whole airplane tapping to see what kind of sounds we heard, and we satisfied ourselves that this tube was the only one with severe rust,” recalls Terry. “So we brought in Craig Gunder from Gunder Restoration and Design of Red Lion, Pennsylvania, to do the TIG welding repairs. Carlos Macaya and his friends from Costa Rica arrived for the wing-hanging party in midOctober, and when we rolled the assembled airplane into the sunshine, it came alive!”

exceptionally smooth in operation.” — Curtiss Flying Service ad, 1929 Aviation

New caretakers for the Robin in Costa Rica.

lots I know, and a crop duster/A&P mechanic by trade,” says Terry. “His father, Bert, was the only person my father ever allowed to fly his Robin, so Kelly and I were operating under a drive that was fueled by the legacy of our fathers. In fact, a lot of what drove Joe Erale Jr. to continue caring for the Robin through the years was that he had restored it with his father.” Kelly successfully made the first flight in the Robin on November 14. The next day, guests visited the field to see and hear the Challenger Robin fly. Remarkably, some of the guests were descendants of Jackson and O’Brine, and they had the opportunity to experience their own history-making Robin flight. (See sidebar.) The flight to Costa Rica was postponed several times, but that allowed Terry and crew time to install navigation/position lights, a tail strobe, interior cabin/map lights, and even a Hobbs meter. Then they made a few local flights before putting the Challenger Robin to the test with a long cross-country trip. Terry says he “called Dave Mars, who had already flown the Robin locally, and he agreed to fly it to www.vintageaircraft.org

Wings That Span Generations

DAVID SCHOBER

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT PHOTOS

The St. Louis Robin is a 1929 record-setting endurance ship.

Pilot Dave Mars put the Robin to the test on a cross-country flight from Tick Hill Airfield in Texas to Antique Airfield in Iowa. Close-up of the mechanical brake system.

Blakesburg, Iowa, for the Antique Airplane Invitational Fly-In. So my wife and I flew our Taylorcraft, and Dave flew the Robin. Several of the Jackson and O’Brine descendants also attended.” While there, the Robin hopped many rides, and won the 2015 Antique Sweepstakes award. During the cross-country flight back to Texas, Dave and 54

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When the St. Louis Robin’s wheels rolled on terra firma after the July 1929 endurance flight, events were set in motion for a remarkable reunion between the fliers’ descendants and the St. Louis Robin itself. . .albeit nearly nine decades into the future. “One of the greatest joys we had while the St. Louis Robin was in our care was the opportunity to meet some of the descendants of Forest O’Brine and Dale Jackson,” shares Terry Bowden. “It is quite a thrill to me that one of the O’Brine family tracked the airplane down while researching her family ancestry. In July 2014, I got a call from Bill Garvey, who flew the Robin with the Erales in the 1970s and ’80s. He lives in Georgia, and he told me, ‘I have somebody here you may want to talk to; this lady, Pat Holoyda, is the granddaughter of Forest O’Brine!’ What’s even more amazing, just two weeks later I got a call from Clarine ‘Skipp’ Andresen, a Jackson descendant, after a totally separate ancestry search of her own. Both women were absolutely fascinated that they might have a chance to see the actual airplane their ancestors used to become famous way back, 86 years ago. We invited them to see the Robin at our family’s Tick Hill Airfield in Texas.” Descendants of Forest O’Brine who personally viewed the St. Louis Robin include granddaughters Pat Holoyda of Macon, Georgia; Terry Jackson of Denton, Texas; Sharon Quinn (and husband Bob) of Grafton, Wisconsin; and grandson Tim Doyle of Elmhurst, Illinois. Descendants of Dale Jackson who personally viewed the St. Louis Robin include great-nieces Clarine “Skipp” Andresen of Richardson, Texas, and Susan Jackson of Harrisburg, Oregon. Many of these descendants have also experienced the visceral thrill of their ancestral history coming alive when they enjoyed a flight in the Robin as well. And at least one, Tim Doyle, has been inspired to learn to fly and buy a vintage airplane to carry on the family legacy of aviation. the rings must be bad, since the engine was pumping oil into the cylinders, but a compression check indicated that the rings were good. “We then realized the oil leak was so bad, it was leaking oil onto the air screen, and oil was mixing with the intake air and fuel and being sucked into the cylinders. We discovered that the leak was related to an area where there was corrosion on the surface, so the gasket wasn’t sealing good, and the stud threads on the oil sump were loosened enough that it wouldn’t stay tight. We believe that problem is fixed now, but it’s important to understand that this is an engine that will probably take two or three hours of maintenance for every hour of flight.”

Modifications Terry diligently cleaned the spark plugs and greased the engine at every stop.

The Challenging Challenger There aren’t many people who have heard the peculiar song of the six-cylinder Challenger engine— and even fewer who are familiar with maintaining a Challenger. Parts, of course, are scarce. “It is a greaser engine, meaning that it

doesn’t have overhead oiling to the cylinder,” explains Terry, “and the book says to grease the Zerk fittings every three hours, but we decided to do it after every flight. We use Chevron grease that is a current replacement for the old Texaco Marfak grease. We also run it with Marvel Mystery Oil in the fuel, because of its ability to scavenge low lead.” At one point, it was thought that

Inevitable challenges were encountered when trying to preserve 1929 originality and implement modern technology. Radial Engines Ltd. of Guthrie, Oklahoma, converted the Robin’s Scintilla MN6 magnetos to a shielded style by incorporating later-style Bendix-Scintilla shrouds over the distributor blocks, installing new shielded harnesses and adding REM37BY spark plugs. In an effort to preserve the original instrument panel, Terry installed radios overhead in the skylight area. Likewise, he installed a small overhead panel between the front and rear entry doors, providing an inwww.vintageaircraft.org

Flying the St. Louis Robin

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

DAVID SCHOBER

Years ago, a tail wheel was installed; it utilizes the same shock-absorbing mechanism as the original tail skid.

a marching band, dancing carnival characters, and blessings by a priest. Additionally, Carlos’ cousin, Gloria Macaya, autographed copies of her beautifully illustrated

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

The late-day sun gilded a thunderhead in the distant blue sky, and Terry Bowden decided he’d just “start up, taxi the Robin, and see how it feels, because it had been 15 or more years since I’d flown Dad’s Robin. The airplane felt great, so I did a run-up and took off. I can’t describe the feeling I have when flying the Robin—everything about that airplane just screams vintage! That Challenger engine sounds like nothing else; it brought up lots of memories of my dad’s Robin. I took off, did a low pass, and then did some slow flight, turns, and stalls—the stall is a pretty hard break, but it’s not like a surprise.” “Sitting in the pilot’s seat of the Robin feels like you’re sitting on a John Deere tractor with your legs spread out,” Terry continued. “When your hand is on the stick in level flight, your arm is nearly fully extended. You have to lean your whole body forward to push the stick forward, and to make a turn you move the stick all the way over to your knee and wait. Then the Robin will start turning—the response of the ailerons is really slow, but it just flies beautifully even though it’s slow motion. “The Robin cruises around 95 mph. The Challenger engine is rated at 180 hp, but we don’t fly it that way. If we did, it’d vibrate itself to death! We cruise it about 1400 rpm, and we push it on takeoff—static rpm on the ground is about 1550, and then during climb-out it’ll work its way up to 1650 rpm. But then it starts showing signs of vibration, so you want to pull the throttle back. “It’s very similar to flying a Taylorcraft, because it floats. If you don’t have your speed slowed significantly coming over the fence, it wants to fly all the way down the runway. You have to bring it in on final around 55 to 60 mph, but slow it down to 50 over the fence and it’s ready when you haul back on the stick to settle to the runway. Otherwise you’re going to float. After my flight, I set up to land and bounced it pretty hard, so I poured the coals to it and went around. The second time my three-point landing turned out to be perfect.” With the late-day shadows softly turning to nightfall, Terry taxied to the hangar. As he silenced the Challenger’s song, he was enveloped by a sense of relief and euphoric satisfaction, and paused for several moments before leaving the pilot’s seat.

These metal canisters were used to transfer supplies to the endurance fliers in 1929; the Erales added the colorful graphics.

tercom system for all three people on board. “We added a little box that has two charging ports, so you can have a handheld GPS or other device,” explains Terry, “and we used a wind-driven alternator from Basic Aircraft Products, which is mounted on the left gear strut. We installed a modern sealed gel cell Odyssey battery on the firewall between the pilot’s rudder pedals.”

Endearing Cultural Connections Terry and crew disassembled the St. Louis Robin and shipped it to Costa Rica in March 2016. They traveled there to reassem-

ble it for owner Carlos Macaya Ortiz, who hosted a grand celebration to welcome the Challenger Robin into the country. “We came to realize in quite a dramatic fashion just how much the whole project was revered by many people,” reflects Terry. “Carlos Macaya succeeded in making this real for the Tico people. Having the Curtiss Robin there ‘in the flesh’ brings to life for them the legend of Román Macaya’s 1930s fledgling airline.” The celebration included a banquet-style dinner for more than 250 guests, a live jazz ensemble, a historical slide show on a Jumbotron display,

children’s book, Espiritu Tico. “ We fo u n d o u rs e l ve s o ve rwhelmed with emotion and very happy to have been a part of something that means so much to so

many people,” shares Terry. “I have to say there’s something about Curtiss Robins—they’ve provided spiritual connections in my life, and opportunities for me to meet people I would never have met, and do things I would never have done otherwise. So for me, getting hired to prepare this plane for airworthy status was both an honor and a thrill. Once again, this Robin has made an indelible mark on history.” Sadly, Carlos Macaya passed away on April 27, 2016. Though he did not get to see the Robin fly, he did accomplish his dream. According to Terry, plans are underway for the Robin to be flown and kept on display at a permanent hangar home at Pavas Airport in San Jose. The St. Louis Robin has nobly assumed the mantle of representing the legacy of Costa Rica’s pioneering aviator, Román Macaya Lahmann, well into the future.

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The Vintage Mechanic ROBERT G. LOCK

Evolution of Aircraft Instruments The Full Flight Laboratory During the 1920s when civil and military aviation were expanding, a catalyst was needed to foster advancements in safety technology of the airplane. Stepping forward was Daniel Guggenheim and his son, Harry. The Guggenheims were a wealthy family who made the bulk of their money from the mining industry. They believed they had an obligation to return to society some of the benefits they had reaped. So in 1924, Daniel, one of 11 children, and his wife, Florence, established the Daniel and Florence Guggenheim Foundation to promote a variety of charitable and benevolent causes. Daniel’s son, Harry, born in 1890, was intrigued with flying and served as a pilot during World War I. Daniel never learned to fly but became interested in the airplane for both military and civilian purposes. After the war, he was impressed by the postwar aeronautical work he saw in Europe, and the father-son team decided to put some of the family fortune into furthering aviation in the United States. Between 1925 and 1930, the family invested more than $2.6 million in a series of aviation-related programs. Two significant programs immediately come to mind. The first was funding the Full Flight Laboratory for the development of “blind flying,” and the second was the Safe Aircraft Competition. When WWI ended, there were many aviators looking for ways to make a living that included the airplane. Some became barnstormers; some stayed with military aviation, while others sought careers in the fledgling airlines and airmail routes. The airplane is always vulnerable to the weather since it operates in the troposphere where the weather is 58

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constantly changing. Seeing this as a potential problem to flying safety, the Guggenheim Fund created the Full Flight Laboratory in early 1929. The Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics was formally established on June 16, 1926. Its major goals related to aeronautical education, aeronautical research, the development of commercial aircraft and aircraft equipment, and the application of aircraft to a variety of economic and social activities. Its educational activities began in 1925 with a grant for the establishment of a school of aeronautical engineering at New York University. Over the next four years, the fund would make grants that established Guggenheim schools or research centers at the California Institute of Technology, Stanford University, the University of Michigan, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Washington, Georgia School (later Institute) of Technology, Harvard University, Syracuse University, Northwestern University, and the University of Akron. The Guggenheims convinced the noted aerodynamicist Theodore von Karman to immigrate to the United States to head the Guggenheim Aeronautical Laboratory at Caltech, located in Pasadena, California. The fund also sponsored educational aviation programs at the elementary and secondary levels and made a grant to the Library of Congress for an aeronautical research collection. The fund established the Full Flight Laboratory at Mitchell Field, Long Island, New York, to undertake blind-flying research. Representatives from the government and industry joined together to secretly design, develop, and test new instruments and radio beacons

that could be used to develop these new technologies for safe flight using only instruments for reference. Engineers and inventors worked with radio navigation experts from the Department of Commerce, Aeronautics Branch, and the Bureau of Standards. They also made use of advances in gyroscopic instrumentation primarily by Elmer Sperry Jr., inventor of the directional gyrocompass and the artificial horizon, and Paul Kollsman, developer of the precision sensitive altimeter. Pioneer Instrument Company, a leader in aircraft instruments, was there. From the very start, the secret experiments conducted by the Full Flight Lab were a real team effort. Lt. James Doolittle himself had been borrowed to head the project from the Army Air Corps, and he had also donated the services of Kelsey and Cpl. Jack Dalton, the chief mechanic. From MIT came the lab’s technical assistant, professor Bill Brown. Along the line, tireless efforts were made by the Bureau of Standards, the Army and Navy, Department of Commerce, Sperry Gyroscope Co., Pioneer Instrument Co., Taylor Instrument Co., Kollsman Instrument Co., Bell and Radio Frequency Laboratories, and the Radio Corporation of America. During the 10 months and three weeks preceding Doolittle’s feat, a series of unique blind flight navigational instruments and techniques had been researched, designed, tested, and refined. Among them: an artificial horizon, a directional gyro (shown in Figure 1), a more precise barometric altimeter (shown in Figure 2), and a short-range visual landing beam

system. These, in addition to the full complement of instruments already in common use, were placed into the rear cockpit of the NY-2, a proven military training craft selected for its extreme stability. Army Lt. James Doolittle, who held a doctorate in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, did the test flying, making more than 100 “blind” flights. On September 24, 1929, he made the first takeoff, flight, and landing without being able to see outside his cockpit, relying solely on the gyrocompass, artificial horizon, and precision altimeter; the plane’s standard instrument display; and radio navigation. Achieving this milestone meant that soon weather need not limit safe flying as much as it had.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 1

Instrument flying for all segments of the aviation industry would become routine within the next decade. Figure 3 shows Lt. Doolittle in the cockpit of Consolidated NY-2 Husky, preparing for another blind flight. It is amazing that the government and www.vintageaircraft.org

industry could work together so well to reach a goal. Objective: Design, build, and test instruments that could allow a pilot to take off, return, and land an airplane without seeing the ground. How can we do that? The answer is to assemble the brightest engineers and minds within the discipline, put them together in a facility, give them the objectives and the money, and turn them loose. That is what the Guggenheim Fund did in those days. In 10 months and three weeks, it achieved the goals set forth in the beginning. Doolittle made a successful flight—not one but many blind flights. It is a stunning achievement. Figure 4 shows the now famous Kollsman “bubble face” compass that adorned many an early instrument board. The compass had been widely used in maritime navigation aboard ships at sea in the middle of nowhere. Paul Kollsman adapted the compass to aircraft use, and these indicators appeared in many of the early aircraft of the 1920s. These instruments were continually improved and adapted to aircraft use, particularly in World War II. Besides the Full Flight Laboratory, the Guggenheim

Figure 4 60

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Figure 5

Fund provided incentive by sponsoring the Safe Aircraft Competition in 1927, offering a $100,000 prize and five $10,000 secondary awards for the safest aircraft that could be built. Twenty-seven airplanes entered the competition, but only two made it to the final stage and its stringent safety tests. The contest was finally won by the American Curtiss Tanager but only by a single point. Although the safety features it demonstrated were important, its real significance would lay in the effect it had on later short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft. Features demonstrated in the competition led to design and flight requirements for STOL aircraft long before it was recognized that any such need existed. Modern STOL aircraft, with their many high-lift devices, began as a result of the Guggenheim Safe Aircraft Competition. The contest also featured “stick” and “unstick” competition. “Unstick” meant the takeoff distance to clear a 50-foot obstacle, and “stick” meant how short an aircraft could land and come to a full stop. The “stick” portion of the contest meant that brakes had to be adapted to the aircraft, something that was not widely used in 1927 and 1928. The handsome aircraft in Figure 5 is NC998E, a Command-Aire 5C3 that was entered in the Guggenheim Safe Aircraft Competition. It finished the highest of stock factory ships but did not qualify because it could not fly down to 35 mph as required by the contest rules. Incidentally, the author owns this airplane, which is still in parts needing restoration. The pilot of this aircraft during competition was none other than J. Carroll Cone, who would eventually become director of the Bureau of Aeronautics. With the future of aviation looking bright, the beginning of air travel had made its presence known. Starting with the early airmail pilots, operators began carrying passengers to supplement mail contracts. In an effort to make cross-country flying safer, the Guggenheim Fund created a “Model Airway” between Los Angeles and San Francisco to demonstrate that a commercial passenger

service could be safe, dependable, and comfortable. Western Air Express operated a Fokker F-10 Super Trimotor, provided by the Figure 6 Guggenheim, beginning on May 26, 1928. Although not entirely profitable, these regularly scheduled flights between the two large cities became part of the Western Air Express regular service. Figure 6 is a copy of the WAL advertisement. The Guggenheim-funded experiment, besides using instruments developed for blind flying, also used two-way radio communication for weather and position reporting. The Model Airway experiment ended in June 1929. Over the period of one year, not a single weather-related accident occurred along the California route. The Weather Bureau took over weather reporting officially on July 1, 1929, and the service was expanded nationwide. Finally, perhaps a little-known event in aviation history provided by the Guggenheim Fund was the marking of rooftops across the country to assist in daytime navigation. Acting on the suggestion of Charles Lindbergh in 1928, 8,000 postmasters were contacted and encouraged to paint the name of their town in large letters on a high rooftop and also paint arrows pointing north and to the nearest airfield. The towns responded, and this simple but effective method for navigation helped disoriented pilots find their way in unfamiliar territory. The Guggenheim Fund ended February 1, 1930, having met all its goals. However, the Guggenheims still funded research, sponsoring the rocket research of Robert Goddard. It also created the Cornell-Guggenheim Aviation Safety Center at Cornell University in 1950 for the study of collision avoidance, crash fire protection, human factors, instrumentation error prevention, in-

Figure 7

flight explosion protection, and STOL applications. The Guggenheim Foundation was a huge contributor to early aviation safety and technology improvement and was responsible for the many advances made during the dawn of civil aviation in the United States. When WWII came along, there was a huge demand for all types of instruments for single- and multi-engine aircraft to support the war effort. Thanks to the groundwork laid by the Full Flight Laboratory’s experiments and technological advancement in reliability and precision, the needed instruments could be mass-produced in a short period of time. The Sperry Gyroscope Company led the way with gyroscopic instruments since they were a part of the original Full Flight Lab’s experiments. Sperry began producing not only gyro horizon and directional gyro indicators but also autopilots. Although Elmer Sperry died in 1930 and his son, Lawrence, in 1924, the Sperry company led the way with gyroscopes. However, there were other manufacturers of gyroscopic instruments. Figure 7 is a Sperry AN5736-1 WWII gyro horizon. The instrument operated on approximately 5.25 inches Hg suction from an engine-driven vacuum pump. Next in line was the directional gyro, a sort of mechanical compass. All gyros tend to “drift” some in flight, and this indicator was no different. It was necessary to reset the indicator every 15 minutes or so to the indication on the magnetic compass. www.vintageaircraft.org

Figure 8

Figure 9 Figure 10

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

Figure 8 is an early Sperry directional gyro and turn coordinator, Type A-5. When setting the compass card on the indicator to the magnetic compass, the knob at the 6 o’clock position is pushed in and rotated to turn the card to the compass heading. Then the knob is pulled to disengage the setting mechanism. Due to gyroscopic drift, the indicator had to be reset to compass heading about every 15 minutes of flight. Below in Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a Sperry vacuum system using a single vacuum pump and two 4-inch venturi standby vacuum sources. This system was most likely from an early Douglas DC-3 transport aircraft. Figure 9 shows the simple system. In this system, note there is a vacuum relief valve that is set to the highest amount of suction required, and that would be for the horizon at about 5 inches Hg suction. There is also a suction gauge, which is most likely the Bourdon tube type. A manual valve in the cockpit allows the pilot to select either normal or emergency operation of the vacuum system. The engine-driven vacuum pumps were manufactured by Pesco, Airborne, and others during this era. They were vane type pumps and were sealed by a small amount of engine oil; therefore, an air/oil separator was required. The air was drawn from the cockpit; through individual air filters (some installations had a main filter besides the individual indicator filters); around the gyros, thus spinning them at high rpm; through the regulator; through the selector valve; through the pump; through the air/oil separator; and finally overboard as pressure. The pump was capable of producing about 15 psi positive pressure, and if de-icer boots were installed, both vacuum and pressure were used to inflate or deflate the boots. Figure 10 depicts a Douglas DC-3 instrument panel. Though complicated when it first appeared, it now looks archaic when compared to modern panels. In the very center of the panel is the Sperry automatic pilot. Compare this panel with the one Lt. Doolittle had when he made the first blind flight in September 1929—an amazing advancement in just a few short years. Much thanks to Daniel Guggenheim, his son, Harry, and the money they invested for the safety of aviation.

Straight & Level

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typically require them to submit themselves to extensive and expensive medical testing every two years before their medical can be reissued. The rest of this story is all about the need to recognize our EAA governmental affairs committee members who are responsible for getting this ball to the goal line on our behalf. This important initiative started nearly five years ago, and I must tell you that this team, along with the leadership of Jack J. Pelton, never lost sight of the ball. They expended tons of energy on behalf of our recreational pilot community to make this happen. This is by far one of the most aggressive/progressive and common sense aviation-related pieces of legislation to emerge from the D.C. beltway in decades. The tactical efforts of this team were absolutely essential to its success. Congrats must also go out to Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Rep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri), and Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Indiana), who also worked tirelessly in the House and Senate to push this legislation through to a successful conclusion. Many thanks to everyone involved in this critical initiative. It’s also important to thank the vintage membership for their extremely generous support of the Vintage Aircraft Association’s Friends of the Red Barn fundraiser. More than 125 individuals graciously donated their hard-earned dollars in support of our association in the last 12 months. This past year has proven to be one of the most successful fundraisers in the history of the program. There is no way this organization could fund the many programs and facility enhancements we accomplished this past year without the success of the Friends of the Red Barn program. Your strong support of this initiative is sincerely appreciated. I hope many of you were able to attend this year’s event, and if you did, I’m sure you noticed and appreciated the many improvements to our facilities and programs that were accomplished this year. Join us and have it all! Share your passion for vintage aircraft at every opportunity! Thanks for being a member, and we hope to see you at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, July 24 through July 30, 2017. The adventure lives on!

New Members

William Adasiewicz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pike, CA Robert Alonso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Centereach, NY G Bardin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Granville, NY Paul Barnett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brookhaven, MS Earl Benedict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bangor, CA Harry Berquist . . . . . . . . . . . . . Newport News, VA Michael Bochnick . . . . . . . . . . . . Bonn, Germany Eric Brunner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . London, OH Rick Burkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wagener, SC Randall Campbell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Union, KY Peter Clark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sunbury, Australia William DeWeese . . . . . . . . . . . . . Haltom City, TX Dan Douglas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kalamazoo, MI Nick Foster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Madison, AL Alan Frazier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saint Charles, MO Kristofor Giber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Manvel, TX Justin Hagemeier . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nashville, TNJ ustin Hale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cheyenne, WY Roy Halladay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Odessa, FL Michael Hoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Millstadt, IL David Horan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Diana, TX Geoff King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bethany, CT William Kolovich . . . . . . . . . . . . Newton Falls, OH Carrol Kovacs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bradenton, FL Kathleen Kyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Honey Grove, TX John Kyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Winter Park, FL Ross LeCompte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Las Cruces, NM John Ledvina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Milwaukee, WI David Lunsford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bayfield, CO Gregory Markwardt . . . . . . . . . . . San Antonio, TX Terrence McKenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barrington, IL Herman Molenaar . . . . . Sassenheim, Netherlands James Navin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Burlington, WI Stephen Nemeth . . . . . Burnaby, British Colombia Kyle Orndoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kansas City, KS William Otto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conway, AR Chris Owen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Molt, MT Nicholai Pfannenstiel . . . . . . . . . . . . Brighton, CO Misho Protic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Orlando, FL Rodd Rickenbach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Denver, CO Danny Ritz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Union Bridge, MD Christopher Roberts . . . . Marlow, United Kingdom Stephen Sayre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Waxahachie, TX William Schmanski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erie, CO Krista Schufeldt . . . . . . . . . . . . . North Platte, NE Theodore Schuneman . . . . . . . Fairfax Station, VA Steve Singleton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hale, MO Wayne Spriggs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Witchita, KS Leonard Summer . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pleasanton, CA Brett Swartzendruber . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hesston, KS Victoria Swartzendruber . . . . . . . . . . Hesston, KS Emile Tabb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Finchville, KY Mike Tedhams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sumner, MI Michael Turley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Billings, MT Kevin Walker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Minnetonka, MN Steve Watson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leduc, Canada Glenwood Waugh . . . . . . . . . Fredericton, Canada Jones Webb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lawrenceville, GA Joe Weidner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alamogordo, NM Larry Wells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Crystal Springs, MS Stefan Werner . . . . . . . . . . Hallwangen, Germany Travis Yates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Canandaigua, NY Jeremy Young . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hood River, OR Brett Zachary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fort Wayne, IN James Zimmerman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Arvada, CO www.vintageaircraft.org

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