Va vol 45 no 6 nov dec 2017 by EAA Vintage Aircraft Association

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Vintage Airplane STAFF

RAISE THE BAR? F-150 IS THE BAR.

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

Message From the President

Miles ahead of the competition and pulling away, the new 2018 F-150 continues to innovate. We’re talking best-in-class* capability and more tech than NASA. The Ford F-150. It doesn’t just raise the bar. It is the bar. FORD.COM

SUSAN DUSENBURY VAA PRESIDENT

INTRODUCING THE NE W 2018 FORD F-150

ADVERTISING: Vice President of Business Development Dave Chaimson. . . . . . . . . . dchaimson@eaa.org

T:10.5”

As you read this, the flying season for 2017 is for all practical reasons behind us. I did spend a few days last week camping with friends at the Triple Tree Fly-In, where as usual a real smorgasbord of airplanes was in attendance. Things that took to the sky ranged anywhere from a powered hang glider to a Curtiss C-46, with everything in between. I was happy to see two of VAA’s past Gold Lindy winners in attendance and camping for several days. Dave and Jeanne Allen were there from Colorado in their 1934 Waco YKC, and Marlin Horst was there from Pennsylvania flying his 1929 Fairchild Model 71. Let me just say that a good time was had by all at Triple Tree 2017! My guess is that there are a few of you who may have been living under a rock with no outside contacts and have never heard of Triple Tree. So, I will give the briefest of descriptions of this aviation paradise. The Triple Tree Aerodrome consists of 440 acres of pristine national parklike environs, with a putting-green smooth runway that is 7,000 feet long and 400 feet wide. It is located in upstate South Carolina, about 10 flying miles south of Spartanburg. Triple Tree holds events throughout the year, including its annual September fly-in. There is no town nearby, so there are no hotels unless you make the trek to Spartanburg or Greenville. You can bring your motor home or your tent — your choice. I’ve managed a pretty comfortable lifestyle at Triple Tree over the years (this was the 11th annual fly-in) with a really big tent, inflatable mattress, bed linens from home, a bedside table, lights, and much more! Remember, I have a Cessna 180 to haul my stuff down to the fly-in. Being a native South Carolinian, I could not be prouder of what Triple Tree founder and fellow VAA member Pat Hartness and his cadre of dedicated and talented volunteers have accomplished at Triple Tree. It is grassroots flying at its finest and absolutely defines true southern hospitality. It is now post Oshkosh and Triple Tree, and I am back to the drawing board, so to speak, working and thinking of ways to make our already great organization even better after having received some really good and useful ideas from our board members and from our members at large. I really do appreciate the input. I have started working on site organization and improvements, which is probably one of the more difficult projects in an area that needs some changes. I know that all cannot B:10.75”

S:9.5”

*When properly configured. Class is Full-Size Pickups under 8,500 lbs. GVWR based on Ford segmentation. Antenna removed from vehicle. Try to avoid water higher than the bottom of the hubs and proceed slowly. Refer to your owner’s manual for detailed information regarding driving through water.

VAA Executive Administrator. . Hannah Hupfer 920-426-6110. . . . . . . . . . . hhupfer@eaa.org Art Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . Olivia Phillip Trabbold

VAA is the fun place to be!

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.

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Busha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jbusha@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

We apologize to these award winner that did not get published in the September/October issue of Vintage Airplane. Reserve Grand Champion Silver Lindy N8664D 1958 Piper PA-22-160 Mark Wyant Dallas, TX Grand Champion Customized Gold Lindy N4270 1959 Bucker Jungmann C.A.S.A. 1.131 Edwin & Kyle Campbell Hookstown, PA Grand Champion Gold Lindy 1955 Cessna 172 Dennis Ozment Quincy, IL

continued on page 7

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Vol. 45, No. 6

CONTENTS VAA Volunteer Spotlight

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

2017 VAA Volunteers of the Year

Time to Spare? Go by Air!

Airline travel today is not the grand adventure it once was by Kurt Adams

When a Man Has a Vision

Jim Moss, 2017 VAA Hall of Fame inductee by Budd Davisson

Cruising the Vintage Line

Sparky’s 2017 AirVenture notebook by Sparky Barnes Sargent

Hey...

COLUMNS 1

Message From the President VAA is the fun place to be! Susan Dusenbury

8 How to? Inspect and test aircraft fabric Robert G. Lock

COVERS FRONT COVER: Photo by David K. Witty BACK COVER: Cubs Galore! Airventure 2017 honored the 80th Anniversary of the Piper Cub. Photo by Connor Madison

10 Good Old Days 58 The Vintage Mechanic Teaching a nation how to fly Robert G. Lock 63 VAA New Members 64 Vintage Trader

Is that Norm’s cub? by Jay T. Meidl

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

ANY COMMENTS?

Send your thoughts to the Vintage Editor at: jbusha@ eaa.org For missing or replacement magazines, or any other membership-related questions, please call EAA Member Services at 800-JOIN-EAA (564-6322).

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

www.vintageaircraft.org

Friends of the

RED BARN

A Special Thanks We thank our Friends of the Red Barn supporters for their generous investment in the futureof VAA. Diamond Plus Robert Charles Charlie Harris Swift Museum Foundation Inc. Wes Schmid Robert Wagner Diamond Ron and Jon Apfelbaum Jerry and Linda Brown John Carr Charles W. Harris Foundation Arthur H. Kudner, JR Fund Paul Kyle Donald Lange Richard and Sue Packer Leonard Wesier Michael Wotherspoon Platinum James Hamilton Navion X (Chris Gardner) Ronald Tarrson Gold American Navion Society, LTD (Gary Rankin) Gerald Cox Amy Crozier Dru Dunwoody James Gorman Jim Hannemann AJ Hugo Joseph Leverone Presley Melton Tim and April Nathan Bill and Saundra Pancake Terry Ross Mark Smokovitz The UPS Foundation U.S. Venture James Zazas

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Silver Raymond Bottom Dave and Wanda Clark Donald Coleman John Cronin Jr International Cessna 195 Club John Kephart Larry Nelson Yon Perras Timothy Raupp The International Cessna 170 Association Dwayne Trovillion Robert Tyler Bronze Plus Dennis Beecher Sydney Cohen Fairchild Club (Mike and Penny Kelly) Roger Florkiewicz Criss Lamoncha Barry Leslie Matt Roberts Jeffrey Shafer David Smith David Stoddard Dean Stoker Adolph Svec The American Waco Club Thomas Vukonich Robert Wagner Jan Wolfe Bronze David Allen Lloyd Austin Lowell Baker Phil and Pat Blake Robert Busch Steve Buss George Chaffey Robert DeMunck

Timothy Devine Robert Epting Arthur Green Terry Griffin Mike Hance Michael Harrington Ian Harvie Will Hussey Archie and Sue James John-Michael Lee James Lockwood Thomas Lymburn Ken Mercer Gene Morris OX5 Aviation Pioneers Tim and Liz Popp Robert Porter Ron Price Jerry Riesz John Rothrock Bob Siegfried, II Carson Thompson Carl and Pat Tortorige Eric Whyte Daniel Wood Brian Wynkoop Loyal Supporter Charles Burtch Bruce Denney Michael Edwards Walter Kahn Peter Karalus Kelch Aviation Museum Richard Kempf John Mahany John O’callaghan Charles Pearcy Alan Thiel Constantine Vlahakis Duane Wething Michael Williams

VAA Volunteer Spotlight 2017 VAA Volunteers of the Year

Congratulations to Marcos Valdez and Suzy Danielson, Volunteers of the Year for Vintage Flightline! Marcos “Taco Loco” Valdez is from Fort Worth, Texas. His first year at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, his Luscombe was the first plane on the burn line. He asked how to volunteer, promptly jumped in with both feet, and hasn’t looked back! Marcos Valdez Suzy Danielson Marcos has volunteered 17 of the past 19 years. A captain uptique and uniqueness of all of the amazing aircraft, grade and hangar-building are the only things but after about three years you have seen it all — that have prevented him from attending. Marcos although I still see unique things every year. The is also a great recruiter for AirVenture! His wife, people I see every year become friends that I see Natacha, has attended for 11 years, and the couple outside of Oshkosh.” has been joined by his mom, dad, two cousins, If you are wondering what you might get out of and Natacha’s mom. volunteering, Marcos encourages you to come on Asked about his favorite memory, Marcos re- out! “You get to see the cool stuff, scooter around sponds, “We make amazing memories every and see amazing aircraft, and build relationships single year. It’s hard to pick one favorite. The op- that will last a lifetime.” portunity to feed our fellow volunteers through Suzy “Suzifer” Danielson of Denver has volthe Valdez Fajita Feed brings so much joy to my unteered with Vintage for the past 15 years. She family as we share our culture with our friends at missed AirVenture only twice, while traveling to AirVenture. It’s a lot of work, but my family and I the large desert regions of Iraq and Afghanistan, love this.” where she flies her Blackhawk. Thank you, Suzy, He adds, “When we have challenging experi- for your service! ences, we have amazing opportunities to really Her first year at AirVenture, Suzy came to work pull together. I work with an awesome team — es- with her dad. Taking a break to walk around the pecially Tall Tom, who is like a brother to me, and grounds, she ran into some volunteers who enSuzy, who is like a sister. I also appreciate greet- couraged her to try it out. Suzy liked the airplanes ing friends I see every year — not only fellow vol- in Vintage, so she chose us! Her energy and profesunteers, but our guests. We build relationships sionalism, along with the energy she brings to the over the years.” flightline, encourage other volunteers to join us … As for what keeps him coming back, Marcos ex- and they keep coming back. When you watch Suzy plains, “Everyone comes to Oshkosh for the mys- work, it’s obvious that the people and relationwww.vintageaircraft.org

ships are what bring her back. When asked about her favorite memory from AirVenture, Suzy replies, “It is everybody getting together. We have our Magoo get-together where we talk about our day, sharing the things that have taken place and the planes and pilots we have seen. We enjoy our time together and the other fun rituals around our area. Mornings at Oshkosh start with the yodeler and our stretchhula at camp.” Reflecting on memorable experiences, Suzy says it is more of a combination of this year and simi-

lar years past, like Sploshkosh. Demonstrating exceptional teamwork in challenging circumstances, all of our volunteers worked together to creatively pack in and move aircraft to get as many on the field as possible, living up to our motto, “We never close.” Suzy enthusiastically recommends volunteering with Vintage. “Volunteering at Vintage is hard work, but you create long-lasting friendships and interact with our incredible Vintage pilots,” she says. “It is an experience you will never forget. At Vintage, you are no longer just a volunteer; you are part of a family.”

Congratulations to Alex Gluhushkin and Erich Roider, Behind-the-Scene Volunteers of the Year Alex “Spike” Gluhushkin first attended AirVenture as a 7-yearo l d , thank s t o his pa re nts, Wendy and Sergei Gluhushkin. His first year as a Vintage volunteer was 1999, and in 2010 he was promoted to vice chairman. In 2017 Alex celebrated Erich Roider Alex Gluhushkin his 18th consecutive year volunteering with Vintage Airfield to computer operations and helped out Earl craft Association. Nicholas with everyday odd jobs, and slowly “When I was a little over 7 years old, my parents showed my strengths in other areas, designing brought me to Oshkosh and exposed me to the signs, fixing computers, setting up networks, world of AirVenture,” said Alex. “Over the years I making ID badges, and eventually creating the gained interest in the organization and wanted to nametags each year for our hundreds of amazhelp out where a young kid could, so I began vol- ing Vintage volunteers. We then added video unteering at KidVenture in 2001, helping repair interviews with pilots who had just flown in, as control-line models and assisting wherever I was well as segments for Interview Circle, which reneeded. While watching the show one day, I met quired numerous hours of editing and producmy longtime friend Mike Carlson, who introduced tion time. Moving forward we had a vision to me to Vintage. I then shadowed him for a year, install video screens and push fresh content to learning the ropes and how to marshal aircraft. them around the whole Vintage area, providWhen I was of age and old enough to ride a scooter ing attendees with up-to-date schedules, events, on the flightline, I did the training, hopped on a and news of what’s happening in Vintage. This bike, and began to take to the field every day park- was a major task we tackled this year and hope ing planes. There was always something to do and to expand on in years to come. somewhere to help out. “There’s something very special about Oshkosh “As time passed, I found myself interested in and the people you only get to see once a year. Over the computer side of things. I went from the the years I’ve made many friends, whom I still to 6

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this day camp with for the week, and we pick up right where we left off each year, continuing the tradition and making memories.” Erich Roider shares his story: “First off, I am not a pilot. I have an issue with the third dimension — altitude — but have been interested in flight since I was in grade school. One weekend my family went to this airplane museum in Hales Corners, Wisconsin — the Experimental Aircraft Association Museum — and I was hooked. In high school I was a member of EAA and Warbirds. (I know, but I was young and foolish at that time, and most warbirds are vintage aircraft anyway.) “I have been a member of Vintage Aircraft Association for about 20 years. I started volunteering when my soon-to-be father-in-law, Bob ‘Lumper’ Lumley, invited me to Oshkosh for a Saturday work party in 1998. “I have been married to my wife, Michelle, for 19 years and have a stepdaughter, Noelle. “Since the spring of 1998, I have worked on most of the buildings on the Vintage grounds … the Red Barn store, Tall Pines, Op Shack, the Vintage Hangar, the Vintage Library, the Volunteer and Membership kiosks, and the Video Shack, assisting with carpentry and electrical work. “The last couple of years during the fly-in, I have been video recording Vintage in Review with Ray and Judy Johnson and also doing video interviews on the field. Part of this job is to provide a copy of the interviews to the pilots after the interview. Many of the pilots are surprised to get a DVD copy of the interview within an hour or two after Vintage in Review ends. Ray Johnson was also surprised that this was able to be done. Once again my father-in-law volunteered/ drafted me for this job, and I have had a great time doing it. “During the convention we also take my father-in-law’s Model A Ford out onto the field and do what he calls a ‘biscuit run,’ handing warm biscuits to unsuspecting conventiongoers. It is great to see the looks on their faces and thank them for attending and possibly get an interview. “Most people will say that they volunteer because the organization is great or because the planes are cool, but in reality it all boils down to the people. The people are what make the organization great and are the reason I keep coming back to volunteer.”

Message From the President continued from page 1

be done in one year, and I also know that it can never be totally perfect. However, that thought will not stop us from working toward the perfect plan. Our planning for EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2018 has begun and, of course, is in the very earliest of stages. So far, we have scheduled the celebration of the milestone anniversaries of two iconic airplanes: the Swift and the Hatz biplane. I am really looking forward to an interesting and meaningful convention next year. On another front, our very able volunteers have scheduled a work party for the weekend of October 6-8. They will be making any needed repairs to buildings and equipment and organizing and placing equipment into storage until next spring. I never cease to be amazed by our extremely capable and dedicated family of volunteers. They are at the very heart of this organization. I usually fly up to Oshkosh for these work parties but will be unable this time due to the Vintage Chapter 3 fly-in that is being held in Camden, South Carolina, that same weekend. I have been attending these fly-ins since I was 18 years old and they were being held in Gastonia, North Carolina, which was near Winthrop University where I was a student at the time. We usually enjoy beautiful fall weather at Camden (except for the year of the “1,000 Year Rain” — so named by then S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley! We drove our four-wheel-drive vehicles that year!) Anyway, Camden is a historic venue for our event, having served as a Stearman training base during World War II. Current VAA Chapter 3 member Bob Coolbaugh’s father received his primary flight training in Stearmans at Camden. Needless to say, we usually have a pretty good turnout in the Stearman department! Two weeks following the fly-in, Camden Vintage Chapter 3 holds its last event of the season. I call it the “Last Hurrah!” VAA member and friend Jim Wilson named it “Big Food Day!” and that name stuck. It’s a covered dish (I’m thinking food here — not your wife or girlfriend!) fly-in luncheon held at Dusenbury Field in late October. So, over the next month or so I will be mowing, trimming trees, bulldozing out the hangar and house, and cooking my signature dish: South Carolina Low-Country Gumbo. In closing, let me say that this organization is nowhere near its full potential. With all of us working together we can do what needs to be done and have fun doing it. Remember, the Vintage Aircraft Association is the fun place to be. www.vintageaircraft.org

How to? ROBERT G. LOCK

Inspect and test aircraft fabric Testing of aircraft fabric dates back to the Grade A TSO C-15 and TSO C-14 days, and the standard for these fabrics must be met by even the most modern synthetic fabric processes on the market today. TSO C-15 (Technical Standard Order) is a woven cotton fabric that must pull test 80 pounds per inch when new. TSO C-14 fabric was an intermediate grade of cotton fabric specifically designed for light low-powered aircraft â&#x20AC;&#x201D; this cloth must pull test 65 pounds per inch when new. The deterioration point for these fabrics is 70 percent of original strength new; therefore, TSO C-15 can deteriorate to 56 pounds per inch, and TSO C-14 can deteriorate to 46 pounds per inch. Those standards are in play when testing any type of fabric covering. So how is fabric tested? The most ac-

curate test is a pull test done under controlled conditions in a laboratory. The lab report will give the specific pull test strength when the fabric fails. The most widely used is a field test using a Maule fabric tester. If the fabric is still good, the Maule tester will not punch a hole in the fabric. The older tester was called a Seyboth, and it punctured the fabric to give a reading on its colored bands around the tester. The colors were red, yellow, first, second and third green. The Seyboth tester is most likely not in use anymore as the Maule has replaced it. Aircraft with wing loadings greater than 7 pounds per square foot and VNE speeds (velocity never exceed) greater than 160 mph are mandated to use fabrics that meet the TSO C-15 standardâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;therefore the deteriorated condition would be 56

Illustration 1 8

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Illustration 2

pounds per inch. Aircraft with wing loadings less than 7 pounds per square foot and VNE speeds less than 160 mph may use the lighter TSO C-14 fabric as a standard, thus the deteriorated strength would be 46 pounds per inch. Therefore, when testing fabric, the VNE and wing loading must be known so the correct deteriorated strength can be determined. Illustration 1 shows an old fabric tensile test from my original Aeronca Champ. The airplane was covered partly with Grade A cotton fabric and partly with Ceconite synthetic fabric. It was painted white with black and red trim, the black and red not good colors for the older fabric processes. In order to have a pull test done, one must cut large holes in the top fabric surfaces so that the pull test sample measures 1 inch by 6 inches in size. Most owners will not stand for a mechanic to cut holes in their fabric, so here is where the Maule fabric tester comes in handy. Note that the tester has a slightly rounded blunt end. That is the part that contacts the fabric surface. As one pushes down against spring pressure, the approximate tensile strength is read on the scale in pounds per inch. When testing any fabric that must meet the TSO C-15 standard, push down until you read 60 pounds, then stop. For an aircraft that must meet the TSOC-14 standard, push down until you read 50 pounds, then stop. Fabric should always be tested on the top surfaces in the darkest color because fabric will deteriorate most when painted a dark color and exposed to UV radiation from the sun. The question that always pops up when discussing fabric testing is when to do it. If I know the airplane, I do not test annually, specifically if the aircraft is covered in a synthetic process. I do, however, place a strong flashlight inside the fabric to check if any light is

transmitted through the finish. If I see light, then I will check fabric tensile strength. If there is no sign of light coming through the finish, I check the finish for cracks, and upon finding none I consider the fabric airworthy. If there are cracks in the finish exposing raw fabric weave, I notify the owner that something must be done to repair those cracks. Sometimes cracks are bad enough that the entire aircraft must be re-covered. Ray Stits did some very interesting experiments; the results can be had by looking in the back of the Poly-Fiber Procedure Manual. If you have never read this data, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth the time to gain knowledge of fabric deterioration. Grade A and Dacron fabric when exposed to ultraviolet light from the sun deteriorates in an alarming rate, thus if cracks expose fabric weave, I consider that as the weakest point of the covering and judge its airworthiness accordingly. The Maule tester is available commercially but is not cheap. However, it is the only method available to field test aircraft fabric covering for airworthiness.

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

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? e r a p S o t e m Ti ! r i A y b o G assengers in behind the p

The pilot sits . open cockpit

The pilot, two Belgien passengers and Uncle Carl before their adventurous travel.

Airline travel today is not the grand adventure it once was

a re c o n s t a n t l y hearing how bad air travel is these days — everything from complaints about narrow, uncomfortable seats to crabby flight attendants and lousy food. Not to mention getting dragged off an overbooked flight by armed security. Very few travelers these days regard an airline trip as a grand adventure; rather it’s an ordeal

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by Kurt Adams to be endured. And what seems to be lost in the equation is the amazing fact that air travel today is safer than it has ever been, and despite some minor discomforts we are consistently delivered to our destinations with remarkable efficiency and reliability. But things were very different in the fall of 1921 when my Uncle Carl, an adventurous young businessman who was learning

the family hat-manufacturing business, found he needed to get to London quickly while he was traveling in Paris. So rather than take the plodding channel ferry and train, he decided to try flying there on a fledgling air service called Cie des Messageries Aeriennes, a predecessor of today’s Air France. Uncle Carl lived to be 98 and had an incredibly sharp memory for things that

had occurred decades earlier, and this particular event stuck in his memory. That’s not at all surprising, as we will see. With the invincible spirit of a 21-year-old on the loose in Europe, he eschewed the conventional and opted instead for the new adventure of air travel. It would be fun and so much faster! After booking the flight in Paris the day before, Carl headed to the airport. Carl arrived at Le Bourget Airfield early in the morning to begin his journey. The day was bright, cool, and clear. Near the airport fence sat a large single-engine bi-

plane with a huge wooden propeller. It was a converted World War I Breguet bomber that had been adapted to commercial passenger travel. In the passenger cabin, the four seats were wicker chairs — comfortable, but curiously unattached to the floor. The pilot sat out in an open cockpit above and behind the passenger cabin, and behind the top wing. The cockpit instruments included a compass, altimeter, and airspeed indicator, and a strip map detailing the route to be flown. The passenger load was quite good for this flight, as two Belgian travelers joined Carl and the trio was greeted by their pilot, a rather short but dapper Frenchman in a leather helmet and goggles. If the pilot was apprehensive, he didn’t reveal it, and also saw no need to reveal that he was completely unfamiliar with this route. The takeoff was uneventful, and in the clear morning air the pilot circled the city to give the passengers a magnificent view of the Eiffel Tower before heading for the channel and London. All was well for a time, but as they approached the coast, clouds appeared and the pilot descended beneath them to see his way. The clouds dropped lower, and soon the plane was flying at treetop level through what had become a thickening sea fog. Despite his inexperience as an air traveler, Carl sensed that all was not well, but he was nonetheless somewhat shocked and surprised when the pilot shouted to his passengers that he was lost and intended to land on the beach! Luckily the sand was hard-packed and smooth, and the first stop on this nonstop flight to London was uneventful. Our pilot, now somewhat cha-

grinned and eager to find out their location, trudged up the beach to a nearby farmhouse, shortly to return with the good news that Boulogne was not far and that there was a real airfield there that he would attempt to find. Despite the poor flying weather, off they went from the French beach. A short time later, they landed safely at a small sod airfield outside Boulogne. With an uncharacteristic display of prudence, our pilot decided he’d had enough for one day. The passengers were in complete agreement, and they found a small nearby inn where they could spend the night before trying again the next day. That evening over dinner, our somewhat sheepish pilot admitted that he had just recently been assigned the Paris-to-London route and, in fact, this trip was his first flight to London from anywhere. Never mind that. The next morning was bright and clear and, undaunted, our travelers returned to the little airport to give it another try, and soon all was well as they winged across the channel. With any luck, they would make London in about an hour. But luck seemed in short supply, and before too long Uncle Carl again sensed that things might not be going well. Rather than holding a steady course, the pilot was making a lot of turns, and before too long he admitted to his passengers that, despite the clear weather, he was once again lost. By this stage of the journey, the pilot and his passengers had been through a lot together and a new level of candor pervaded. Now our pilot felt safe enough to admit his concerns and asked if any of the passengers could determine, based on the locations of landmarks, where they were, and www.vintageaircraft.org

The plane on the French beach.

The passengers had to stay a night in a French inn.

if they did know, could they figure how to get to London? Uncle Carl advised, “Just keep heading northwest and you should start to see it.” Good advice, no doubt, but a more pressing concern presented itself when the pilot announced that their fuel situation was becoming critical. Now a little more worried, Carl shouted to the pilot, “Go back to the beach and land,” recalling their smooth landing on the French beach. The pilot seemed to like this idea, and they reversed course and headed back toward the channel. But the British beach is not quite like the French beach. It is not sandy and smooth but 14

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rather covered with coarse, loose pebbles. As the Breguet touched down, the narrow tires sank in, the tail flipped up, and the plane lurched to a stop tipped up on its nose. Inside the cabin the passengers in their wicker seats were piled up in a heap in front, shaken but uninjured. The pilot, also unhurt, climbed out of his open cockpit, but since the cabin door was in the rear, the passengers were trapped inside. Meanwhile, coast guardsmen at the nearby Dover Station had witnessed the crash landing and came running to provide assistance. In short order, they lashed a rope to the tail and righted the craft.

Finally, our exasperated passengers were able to disembark — on yet another beach. But now it was clear that the airborne portion of their journey was over: The wooden propeller was shattered beyond repair. Without recourse, the group, including our now-dejected pilot, hiked down the beach to the nearest town on the rail line, where they boarded the train for the delightfully uneventful remainder of the trip to London. As my uncle recounted this story, he recalled it with amazing clarity and sharp details more than 70 years after the event. I am struck not only by the amazing story itself but also by the attitude with which he regarded his adventure: It was simply that — a grand adventure and a marvelous story. Not a hint of irritation or outrage over incompetence. My uncle recalled that on the train ride to London, he felt concern and empathy for the chagrinned and agitated pilot who now had to explain his misadventure to his awaiting superiors. Whatever happened to that pilot? Did he get fired or perhaps go on to a distinguished career with Air France? As for Uncle Carl, after a successful business career, he and his wife lived out their years on a farm in New Jersey. And they went everywhere on airplanes. And whatever happened to the traveler who still sees a glimmer of adventure in air travel? There was a time when it wasn’t quite so ho-hum, and it is easy to forget the remarkable progress that has been made in the world of modern air travel, and air travelers today have rightly come to expect absolutely uneventful flights. But there was a time when there was perhaps more to gripe about than narrow seats.

When a Man Has a Vision Jim Moss, 2017 VAA Hall of Fame inductee by Budd Davisson The late Jim Moss, the inveterate creator of fantastic flying machines, is being inducted (deservedly so) into the Vintage Aircraft Association Hall of Fame. And no, this isn’t going to be his obituary. This is a road map, of sorts, in which we chronicle how a truly dedicated and unique airplane guy conducted his life. By studying it the rest of us can, at the very least, see what it takes to live life to the fullest and make it worthwhile. More important, by delving into the man behind the airplanes, we gain an appreciation for the artist within who drove every one of his projects.

Creativity: A Moss Requirement

We should probably define “live life to the fullest,” because it is go-

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ing mean different things to different folks. To Jim, it appeared that the definition hinged on leaving no white space in your life. To always be doing something, almost all of which, in Jim’s case, had a level of creativity involved in it. This is evidenced by the fact that he saw things in every airplane he built or restored that needed to be done in a more pleasing manner. So, rather than be inhibited by the normal rules of restoration or replication, in which every detail is ordained by what has gone before, he saw each project as one of creation, not restoration or replication. The artist within would accept nothing less, and each project benefitted from that. “Jim was a brilliant artist,” Jim’s wife, Judy, says. “He could draw extremely fast and accu-

rately (you never wanted to play Pictionary with him). Through his school years, his four years in the Marine Corps where he flew Skyraiders, and on into his career with Northwest Airlines, Jim was the person who was called upon when there was an artistic project to be done. He did many

cartoons for NW Airlines’ pilots newsletter. Jim later started painting with watercolor using an extremely realistic style. His paintings look like photographs! Then at approximately age 55, he began sculpting with wax, and those sculptures eventually were turned into bronze through the lost wax process. Because Jim had been a polo player for years and his artistic eye admired both the human form and the equine form, the subject of four of Jim’s five bronze sculptures is polo ponies and players. Again, Jim’s style had Norman Rockwell realism, and his work has been in juried art shows and art galleries across the country.” Given the above, it’s easy to imagine how he saw the airplanes he built and restored. They were just another canvas, another medium, through which his creativity could be brought into play. Airplanes, however, underlay their beauty and art with intense technology, and their performance and safety depends on executing that

technology precisely, with little or no creativity involved. The laws of physics rule, so there is little room for approximation. “Jim understood that his beloved airplanes had an unforgiving side, but he was a definite perfectionist with everything he touched and gave 110 percent to everything he did,” Judy says. “He spent an enormous amount of time researching and learning all the techniques his projects required.”

It would appear that his drive to learn, coupled with his urge to create, were behind some of the aeronautical processes in his airplanes, such as learning to shape aluminum into compound forms. For example, his artistic eye imagined fairings on his Vedeneyevpowered Great Lakes where none had existed before, and his talented hands built them. In fact, his choice of what project to take on could easily have been influenced by the combination of his artistic eye, his obvious obsession with creating, and his love of vintage airplanes. For years, Jim’s love for aerobatics had him performing as a headliner at air shows up and down the West Coast in a Ryan STA. When his employer gave him a choice of flying for the company or flying for air shows, his life as a performer came to an end. However, his love of aerobatics didn’t. At the time, he was closing in on retiring from the airlines and decided he’d start exercising his creativity in his hanwww.vintageaircraft.org

eyes on the Taylorcraft because it was quickly eclipsed by another Jim Moss semi-creation that became legend as soon as the public laid eyes on it: the MG-2.

gar/workshop. The first project was what is probably the most detailed clipped-wing T-craft aviation has ever seen. However, few outside of Washington ever laid

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MG-2: In the Running for Prettiest Biplane

Yes, the MG-2 is a vintage airplane — of sorts. It was a 1938 one-off, homebuilt, 145-hp Warner-powered baby biplane (20foot span), and was an air show

favorite until World War II put air shows out of business. It was disassembled and put in a hangar, and it changed hands probably a dozen times until a hangar fire made it nearly worthless. The wood wings were gone as were all of the aluminum panels and the engine. All that was left was a rusty, scorched tubing fuselage sitting on its landing gear. And that’s what Jim Moss bought. Initially, he was going to restore it. In fact, he got a set of MG-3 wings from the original designer. The deeper he got into it, however, the more the word “restore” was redefined. In fact, his artist-within sensibilities kicked in, and he began to see the MG-2 in a slightly different light. He said, “I let my artist’s mind run wild and started to create the ‘Smilin’ Jack’ biplane I had been drawing and dreaming about for 60 years.” For one thing, having cut his teeth on Skyraiders, Jim liked performance. He much preferred sticking the 165-hp Warner ahead of the firewall rather than the 145-hp. Then, as the airplane came together and he figured out how to form aluminum, the lines began to smooth out in very subtle ways. The vertical tail was enlarged because of the higher horsepower, and the headrest flowed right into it. The windshield took on a faceted racer look that Jim said was patterned after a Tiffany lamp. It flowed directly into the back of the single-cabane strut in a very clever, natural-appearing way. The cowling was tight enough that it needed the hand-formed cowl bumps for clearance and was slightly tapered toward the front, which visually worked with the big spinner. The interior set the standard for quiet elegance with formed aluminum panels painted the

same color as the upholstery. The airplane brought the house down at EAA Oshkosh 1997, where it won Antique CustomBuilt Champion along with bushels of trophies everywhere it was shown. Jim has been quoted as saying that it took him so long to build airplanes because he liked just sitting in a chair and looking at them. When he finished the MG-2, he said, “I love to fly it, and I really love to look at it!”

Enter the Super Solution

Besides having an artistic bend, Jim was also apparently fearless when it came to jumping into big projects involving what some would think were high-risk airplanes. The hyper-aggressive looking 1931 Laird Super Solution racer is an airplane that most pilots would question their ability to fly. Jim knew that if one pilot could fly it, he probably could too, even if though that one pilot was Jimmy Doolittle. In an interview with longtime

EAA Sport Aviation editor Jack Cox, Jim said, “My wife, Judy, and I were so pleased with the reception we received at Oshkosh with the MG-2 that we decided to build another airplane. The problem, however, was what to build. I’m primarily interested in round-engine, open-cockpit biplanes, but they are either factory-builts or one-of-a-kind homebuilts, and with the MG-2, I thought I had already built the prettiest one of those. “While we were at Oshkosh with the MG -2, we toured the EAA AirVenture Museum, and when we saw the Super Solution replica, we knew we had to build one. That was the inspiration for my next project. I would have been interested in the Super Solution, as it was originally built, with the same little squared-up vertical tail and Starduster-like headrest that the previous year’s Laird Solution had. After Jimmy Doolittle and Matty Laird made the first few flights in the Super Solution, they found that it

needed more vertical tail. The beautifully curved new tail Laird built and the way the headrest was faired into it is what made the airplane the gorgeous thing it is. That’s what attracted me to it. We started on it in 1997.” It’s one thing to take a scorched fuselage and a set of wings and build a dream airplane around them, as with the MG-2. However, it is something entirely different to start with nothing but photos and magazine drawings and build an airplane that the public thoroughly recognizes, so it has to be right. That was the Super Solution. EAA’s static display version gave Jim a visual model to follow, but the structural details needed to make a flying airplane were sometimes lacking. Jim was pretty much on his own. Actually, he wasn’t on his own. The Seattle area, where he lived, is saturated with aviation knowledge, expertise, and enthusiasm, so volunteer workers appeared out of the woodwork when the word of this project began to circulate. One of Jim’s easily seen traits was the ability to infuse others with his enthusiasm for a project and make them part of it. And he was always quick to lavish praise on the loyal group of friends who helped him create his dreams. In doing the Super Solution, he recognized that the original limited design goals of the airplane (go fast, no niceties) wouldn’t necessarily match his own goals. He wanted to be able to fly the airplane anywhere in the country and function well in today’s environment. That meant paved runways and controlled airports. Such things were a rarity in 1931, when the airplane was designed. The abundant grass runways meant its ground handling wasn’t that important because grass www.vintageaircraft.org

makes every airplane land easier. He said, “We were interested in retaining the visual aspects of it, maintaining the exact configuration, but under the skin incorporating the things that would allow us to fly and maintain it much like a modern airplane.” This on an airplane that didn’t even have a windshield because it had zero forward visibility! In true Jim Moss fashion, when it was finished, he found it to be almost exactly what he wanted it to be: an airplane that cruised well over 200 mph indicated airspeed and was comfortable enough to take almost anywhere. So, he did. It made its first flying appearance at AirVenture 2002, where it engaged in mock races with Jim Younkin’s Mister Mulligan.

The Story Gets Complicated: The Starduster and the Great Lakes

The Jim Moss story gets hard to follow when it is realized that Jim usually wasn’t working on only one airplane at a time. This makes it difficult to tell the Jim Moss story via a chronological airplane-to-airplane path. For instance, back before the MG-2 (or maybe after, maybe during), Jim picked up a Starduster Too project and did his thing to it. Then, after starting his final and by far largest project, the Gee Bee Q.E.D., a Great Lakes became a Great Great Lakes when Jim turned his creative/aerobatic/ performance-seeking mind to it. The Q.E.D. project was enormous physically, intellectually, and every other way. And it appears that Jim got to the point in it that he needed a break, so he chose to rebuild a Great Lakes into something that was barely recognizable as a Great Lakes.

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Let’s face it, the Great Lakes is a terrific airplane but is hardly exotic. It is “your granddad’s biplane.” It is antique-looking and anything but svelte. Plus, the usual Lakes is underpowered. Jim the artist decided to fix its lack of svelte. Jim the pilot/builder took care of the underpowered problem (and then some!). Having a well-known love for round-engine biplanes, Jim cured the power problem in grand style: After re-engineering the fuselage, a 280-hp Russian Vedeneyev AN-14P was bolted up front. Then, after crafting an exquisite cowling with perfectly symmetrical cowling louvers in a ring around the cowling dishpan, he laid out the lines from there with his artist eye fully engaged. The Jim Moss Lakes might be the epitome of the streamliner’s craft. Everywhere on the airplane, at every intersection, a carefully formed and fitted fairing strives to cheat the wind. The windshields have that faceted, laid-back, 1930s racer look he used on the MG-2, and the signature Jim Moss headrest to fin streamlining completes the image. The overall effect is that the airplane’s Great Lakes heritage is difficult to see. And, with all that power, it is definitely not your granddad’s biplane.

And Then Came Q.E.D. II

Quod erat demonstrandum translates as “what was to be demonstrated,” or basically “here’s your answer.” It is familiar to anyone who has taken any kind of advanced mathematics in any field as the final sign-off to having proved a theorem. It’s also the name of the Gee Bee that wasn’t actually a Gee Bee. (It was built by some of the same folks but after the Granville Brothers folded) It was supposed to be a two-place cross-country runner for wealthy sportsman pilots. So, when it was

finally built by the follow-on company, it was aimed at cross-country racing such as the MacRobertson Trophy race from London to Melbourne, Australia, and the American transcontinental Bendix race. The original engine was a P&W R-1690 Hornet, and it carried 480 gallons of gas. After Jim found rudimentary drawings of the wing and fuselage layouts (no details), he was once again on his own. Inasmuch as the Hornet engine was a very low production engine and only a few still exist, Jim substituted a late series Wright R-1820 for the Hornet. It weighed 200 pounds more but was the right diameter. It had 1,425 hp, and the weight was offset by cutting the 480-gallon fuel capacity in half. To absorb the horsepower, a threeblade DC-3 was cut down to replace the two-blade as on the original. The airplane was like a magnet in the way it attracted even more volunteer labor than the Laird had. In fact, there were so many and Jim considered them to be so important to the project that he had all of their names engraved on a plaque, which is mounted in plain sight on the fuselage. After two years of researching and planning, Jim pulled the trigger in 2002 and the group started cutting metal and wood. “Right from the beginning, Jim had a firm image of this airplane in his mind, and it would be white with the Gee Bee red scallops, even though most of its life it had origi-

nally been a cream color with only a little trim,” Judy says. “He also had me design and make a Q.E.D. II logo decal for the tail. He knew it wasn’t historically correct, but for him that design symbolized the complete vision of the airplane that he carried in his mind throughout the project.” The airplane was a serious design and fabrication project, and as the fuselage and wings took shape, everyone working on it realized that this was not going to be a small airplane. In fact, it was pretty big. The canopy rails were well above the head of the average man. Just getting into it presented a challenge, part of which Jim solved by incorporating a retractable step from an A-7 Corsair II — not very vintage, but it solved a problem. Then, Jim made the airplane slightly larger when he made the center section 2 feet wider to increase the width of the gear. After 10 very intense years of work, with the airplane painted and in the finishing stages, Jim was dealt a cruel blow that his creativity and unbelievable drive could do little about: He was diagnosed with

rapidly advancing cancer. “Jim never gave up on or lost interest in the Q.E.D.,” Judy says. “In fact, that’s what kept him alive for two and a half years after his diagnosis. But after chemo, radiation, and finally an operation, he became too weak to work on the airplane. It was his passion to see it completed, so he started losing hope and became despondent. Then one of the lead volunteers, Ron Robertson, gave him a letter at Christmas that read, “We the undersigned are dedicated to seeing that this project gets completed.” At least six of the volunteers signed. “It was the best gift he ever received,” Judy says. “The letter came at just the right time. It picked up his spirits, and he was engaged again and back to eight, 10 hours a day in the hangar.” When the airplane was ready for taxi testing, Judy arranged for a taxi party. They had all of the volunteers and their families at the hangar and brought out Jim, who was really sick. “The airplane was fully completed, and he sat in his lounge chair and got to see it taxi

including getting the tail wheel up,” Judy says. “He was so excited that night. He was just ecstatic.” Two weeks later, Jim died. Two weeks after that, the Q.E.D. flew for the first time. Then Judy and the crew carried on with what they knew Jim would have wanted to be done: The airplane was flown to AirVenture and spent the week on display in front of the Red Barn. And Jim made the trip: A small leather bag attached to the compass in the back seat contained his ashes. And this is how you make a life worth living. Q.E.D.

Bringing Home the Gold: The Moss Trophies

MG-2 • 1966 Grand Champion — Northwest Regional EAA Fly-In • 1997 Antique Custom-Built Champion — EAA Oshkosh • 1998 Most Unusual Restored Antique — Northwest Antique Airplane Club Fly-In Laird Super Solution • 2001 Champion Custom-Built — Plans-Built — Northwest Regional EAA Fly-In • 2002 Antique Replica Champion — EAA AirVenture Oshkosh • 2002 Reserve Grand Champion, Experimental Biplane — National Biplane Association Biplane Expo, Bartlesville, Oklahoma Moss Great Lakes Special • 2008 Reserve Grand Champion Custom-Built — Classic – Arlington Fly-In • 2009 Grand Champion Experimental Biplane — National Biplane Association — Biplane Expo, Bartlesville, Oklahoma Moss Q.E.D. II • 2014 Master Achievement Award — EAA AirVenture Oshkosh • 2015 Grand Champion Plans-Built — Arlington Fly-In Honors • Jim Moss aircraft featured on approximately 18 magazine covers. • Numerous articles on his restorations and re-creations. • Clipped-wing Taylorcraft chosen to be ARF RC model kit. • Super Solution chosen by Hallmark to be its Christmas 2005 Keepsake Ornament. www.vintageaircraft.org

Cruising the Vintage Line Sparky’s 2017 AirVenture notebook Article and photos by Sparky Barnes Sargent How delightful to have the opportunity to cruise the flightline this summer! Lush, green fields provided a perfect palette for a radiant display of brilliantly colored airplanes. The weather was wonderful, and so were the pilots who shared their interesting airplane tales. My excursions ranged from the Vintage Red Barn to the deep south, where soldierly rows of cornstalks guarded numerous vintage, classic, and contemporary airplanes. And on the evening I visited the EAA Seaplane Base, Pipers, Cessnas, a Beaver, a Seabee, and many more aircraft floated serenely at anchor in Lake Winnebago’s protected cove. Strolling along the shore, I noticed an attractively engraved monument that paid silent tribute to those who founded the base in 1949. It read, “Dedicated with heartfelt appreciation of the founders Bill Brennand and Al Ziebell.” The azure Wisconsin skies may have helped boost the number of vintage airplanes in attendance; the official count was 1,162 (up by 12 percent), including 79 seaplanes at the Seaplane Base. Mass arrivals on Saturday included Piper Cherokees, Beechcraft Bonanzas, and Cessnas. Piper Cubs celebrated the aircraft’s 80th anniversary with a mass arrival of 43 early Sunday, and the International Cessna 195 Club marked the 70th anniversary of the 190/195s. Other noteworthy showings on the flightline included seven Beechcraft Staggerwings, 10 Howard DGA-15Ps, and 10 Helio Couriers. There were also some rare gems tied down hither and yon, and numerous models that have become far more familiar by virtue of their popularity and longevity. Whether an award winner or everyday flyer, it’s a safe bet that every airplane is someone’s sweetheart! So c’mon, let’s go cruise the flightline!

1941 Boeing A75N1 (PT-17) Stearman Pilots MaDonna and Merrill McMahan of Wausau, Wisconsin, were relaxing one afternoon by Miss Muffet, their patrioticthemed Stearman. “It was built in Wichita and started out serving down at Thunderbird Field in Arizona,” says MaDonna. “It served as a trainer through the whole war and was sold in 1946 as part of the Military Surplus Act. Since then, it’s been a duster, privately owned, and later flown on an air show/ barnstormer circuit by a dentist. Back in 1979, the couple took flying lessons together, after MaDonna told her husband that she had always wanted to fly. “I soloed in a Cessna 150, and then we bought the Stearman in 1982,” recalls MaDonna. “It took about 13 hours each to get checked out in it, and one set of tires! Landings were the most challenging because the Stearman has narrow gear, and it’s topheavy and notoriously famous for ground looping if you don’t have it straight down the runway.” There are four spiders on the Stearman in keeping with the Miss Muffet theme. “That was Merrill’s idea,” she explains. “When I was a kid and in trouble, my father would say ‘Miss Muffet!’ And when we were going together, Merrill was in submarine service in the Navy and named one of the engines Miss Muffet. When we restored the Stearman, he said it should have a name, too.” The couple worked on the restoration from 1999 until 2007, 22

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1946 Piper J-3C-65 Cub Veteran Joe Harrelson flew in to Wittman Regional Airport with Brenda, his bride of 51 years, in the mass arrival of Cubs from Hartford. “That was the one caveat I had about driving up while he flew,” says Brenda. “I had to fly in to Oshkosh with him!” At 73, Joe says he “grew up in aviation; I was awash in it! My dad had an airplane on our farm and a grass strip. I soloed a J-3 when I was 17, and then my dad bought an Aeronca Champ. To get my required 20 hours of dual, I would fly the Champ out of our pasture to an airport about 20 miles away, where I hired an instructor to go fly with me, then I’d fly back to the pasture.” Sharing more about his aviation background, Joe says, “My father was a B-17 mechanic in Europe during World War II, and after the war he worked with Eastern Airlines as a mechanic. I went to Vietnam for a year and flew UH-1 Hueys. I was in the 155th Assault Helicopter Company, and we supported the 25th Army Division, which was a Vietnamese army division, and we’d take them out and insert them in landing zones to look around for bad guys. In the process, I was awarded 26 Air Medals and got the Distinguished Flying Cross twice — it was a pretty exciting time.” Long afterward, Joe wanted to get back to grassroots aviation. “My dad lived south of Atlanta, and a neighbor of his had this Cub that hadn’t flown for about 10 years,” says Joe. “I made the owner an offer, and we bought it about 10 years ago. John Calvert and I trucked it down to Savannah, and it took about two months to clean it up and put it back together. I flew it about a year and decided it was so ragged we needed to do something with it. So we carried it out to Alan Brakefield in Washington, Oklahoma, and

he re-covered it.” While the Cub was being worked on, research on its serial number revealed some of its history. After jumping through many hoops, Joe was finally able to register his Cub with its correct year of manufacture, 1946, and its original registration number, NC7403H. Joe has put 114 hours on the Cub since its restoration. It has a 10-gallon wing tank in addition to the 12-gallon main tank. “The 85-hp engine burns 5 gph, so I have about four hours’ total,” says Joe. “We left home in Georgia on Monday and got to Hartford on Thursday, where we met up with the Cubs 2 Oshkosh 80th anniversary celebration. Sunday morning we were number 14 of 43 Cubs lined up for takeoff. We had a flagman and took off at 20-second intervals. We flew in trail; I could see one airplane in front of me. The lead airplane led us to Oshkosh, and we alternated landings on runways right and left 36. It’s our third time at Oshkosh, and the first time to ever fly in.”

1946 Taylorcraft BC12-D

after having first restored a 1946 J-3 Cub. If you see NC53040 on the flightline, you’ll notice a pair of teddy bears enjoying cockpit time. “Good friends of ours gave us the teddy bears for Christmas after we finished the restoration,” says MaDonna. “We brought them to Oshkosh the next year, so they’ve been coming here for 10 years. It’s been fun; one fellow in particular brought his granddaughter over, and Merrill took the bears out of the airplane so that her grandfather could take a picture of her with them. Now the girl has grown up, but the fellow still comes by every year and takes a picture of the bears in the airplane and sends it to her!”

There was something ineffable about this Taylorcraft that beckoned me. As I stopped to take a photograph of NC5111M, a young flightline volunteer suddenly appeared on a scooter and happily began telling me the airplane’s provenance. “It was actually in a barn south of here on a grass strip,” shared 19-yearold Noah Reid. “It was tattered and hadn’t seen light in a few years, and the owner said he wasn’t going to restore it. He gave it to our nonprofit group — 88CHARLIES — which is based in Palmyra, Wisconsin. Our group is independent of any school or EAA chapter; we get our name from the airport identifier — 88C. So we brought this Taylorcraft down to Palmyra, and it took us about three years to restore. We totally re-covered the wings, the fuselage, and put a 75-hp engine on it in place of the original 65. Since we’re using it as a trainer for our group, we added brakes on the passenger side. This is the first year to have it at Oshkosh. One of our other members, Joe Liederbach, just got his license a few weeks ago, and he flew the Taylorcraft up here on Thursday. For every 20

hours of work we do on any restoration, we get an hour of flight time. I’ve been in the program for a few years now, and I’ve soloed and am working on my license.” The Taylorcraft’s fabriccovered gear leg bears a note of special thanks to the Alfred & Lois Kelch Charitable Trust, Standard Process, and Wag-Aero. www.vintageaircraft.org

1950 Cessna 195B Around 50 Cessna 190/195s gathered at AirVenture to celebrate the aircraft’s 70th anniversary, and one in particular triggered fond memories for Les Sargent of Tennessee. When Les discovered N9885A on the flightline, he asked a young man sitting under the wing whether he owned the airplane. Peter Lindsay replied, “No, my father owns it.” Les reached out to shake his hand, saying, “Well, my father used to own it!” Owner John Lindsay of Freeport, Pennsylvania, strolled over to join the conversation, saying, “I had a thing for 195s ever since I started flying 49 years ago, and it came to a point in my life where I thought if I don’t do it now, I’m never going to do it. So I started looking for a 195, and this is actually the fifth one that I went and looked at. It had things the other ones didn’t have — primarily, it had all its records. Every piece of paper for this airplane still exists of every major thing that’s ever been done to it, and that was a major plus for me because it adds to the value and the history of the airplane. It’s had 13 owners and a long, useful life, with almost 7,000 hours on it. I’ve had it for 15 years, and every part of this airplane has been gone over since I’ve had it.” Interestingly, N9885A is a longtime attendee at AirVenture. John has flown it to Oshkosh 12 years, and his son, Peter, has accompanied him six of those years. Les recalls that his late father, Keith Sargent, owned the airplane from 1966 to 1972. “We flew it to Rockford in 1967, ’68, and ’69, and then to Wittman field in 1970 and ’71,” says Keith. “One year, we camped in the North 40 and we had an army surplus tent that blew away in a windstorm — so Dad slept in the backseat and I slept in the copilot’s seat! Back then, the airplane was green and white with a black, 12-inch-high N number on the fuselage. Dad put about 550 hours on it and got his instrument rating in it. When he was on an IFR flight plan, he would have his low-altitude charts out and was busy talking to center or approach, so I was his autopilot, holding heading and altitude.”

1947 Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser Mary Build flew N4433M, a highly modified Super Cruiser that she bought in 2015, on a solo IFR journey from her home in Naples, Maine, to Wittman Regional Airport. She was invited to

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1947 Aeronca 11AC Chief

L-R: Les Sargent, John Lindsay, and John’s son, Peter.

Keith Sargent and N9885A in the North 40 at Wittman field in 1970; note the army surplus tent under the wing.

Ray Johnson is quite gregarious, and it’s easy to see that he’s in his element during AirVenture. If you’ve attended the Vintage in Review sessions at the Interview Circle on Rose Plaza, you’ve likely seen Ray in action. He orchestrates and conducts interviews with numerous pilots about their airplanes and flying experiences throughout the week of AirVenture. “We’ve been doing this eight years, and the wonderful thing about doing this is that I love people! So they give me a job talking to people all the time,” he says, smiling. “The airplanes are great, but it’s really about the people behind them, and that’s what I love the most about it. We sometimes hear about somebody that’s coming to AirVenture, but we don’t like to prearrange it. We like to get up here and find the people — that’s the best. This year we’ve featured Ann Pellegreno, Mary Build, and many others — these ladies and the men that fly these airplanes are just incredible. We rotate airplanes through the Vintage in Review schedule; our program starts at 11 a.m. Monday through Friday. We do three airplanes a day, plus we do engine runs, which are very popular. Every year we have a variety of engine runs. This year we have a 100-year-old OX-5 engine that we run every day at 11 a.m., and we also have two 1944 drone engines, which were used to power radio-controlled airplanes for target practice in World War II.”

Ray has been the caretaker for his award-winning (AirVenture Classic Grand Champion 1996) Chief since 1980. He bases NC3469E near his home in Marion, Indiana, and recently had a C85-12F (with electric starter) installed by Bill Pancake, who developed an STC for the conversion.

1940 Piper J-5A Cub Cruiser

N9885A when owned by Keith Sargent. reposition her airplane from the flightline to the Interview Circle on the Rose Plaza near the Vintage Hangar. During Vintage in Review, she bubbled over with contagious enthusiasm as she shared her aviation experience with others. “I learned to fly at 47, and I’m 72 now,” Mary says. “My airplane has been completely remodeled; it has 260 hours on the 180-hp Lycoming engine, fabric, and interior. Last week I had floats installed, and my test flight was three takeoffs and landings. A little adjustment was made, and then I flew to Oshkosh. I expected my flight to take two days, but on the second day I was thrashed around in the clouds for five hours, so I decided to wait until the morning to come into Oshkosh. I flew in on an instrument approach. Great trip! I wanted to stay on the field so I wouldn’t miss anything, rest in the afternoon, and be there for the night shows. However, I was in bed by 8 p.m. every night except on Saturday. That night the display was fantastic!” Mary flew home with the Classic Custom Class C — Small Plaque.

Volunteer Rick Hansen was glad to be at AirVenture with NC30773, of which he is one-third owner. “I’ve only been flying for about six years, and I like the feel of stick and rudder — I’m not used to a yoke!” says Rick. “I got my license in a glider with the Central Indiana Soaring Society at Alexandria Airport [I99]. This J-5 was at the field when the other owners were working on it. I was helping them out and just having fun. They said if I wanted to get my rating, they’d give me a deal on renting the plane. One of the other guys from the glider club was an instructor and gave me lessons for free, so I got my single-engine land rating in this J-5. Almost all my time is taildragger time. I have 95 hours in gliders, and I had enough taildragger time to become a tow pilot for the club two seasons ago. So now I’m towing gliders with a Piper PA25 Pawnee.” Rick says the J-5 holds 18 gallons of fuel in the main tank and 7 gallons in the header tank. “It burns between 5 and 6 gph while cruising at 75 mph,” explains Rick. “They overhauled the engine [C85/O-200 STC] and installed a new muffler, gascolator, wing tank, and windshield last year. I bought LED lights to put on it because it’s nonelectrical, hand prop to start.” Blending the old with the new, Rick uses an iPad with ForeFlight (with synthetic vision) for navigation, along with an

iPhone 7 as backup and an extra battery for each. “This is my fourth time at Oshkosh, and last year I flew my bucket list. I wanted to fly to Oshkosh by myself, which I did. I worked in the Vintage area parking airplanes for a few days, and then I flew to Faribault, Minnesota, and spent the night with some cousins. From there I flew to Fargo, North Dakota, and stayed with my daughter, son-in-law, and sister-in-law. Then I took my sisterin-law with me and flew to Ellendale, North Dakota, which is where I grew up. I put that in my logbook and flew back to Fargo and then back to Indiana, so I logged 32 hours flying a little over 2,000 miles. It’s fun to fly low and slow!” www.vintageaircraft.org

1941 Waco UPF-7

1948 Piper PA-15 Vagabond

Veteran Jeff Gaulrapp and a partner have had the Waco for about a year, and it’s his first vintage tailwheel airplane. He learned to fly in 1987 when he was 16. He soloed a Piper Cherokee 140 before he had his driver’s license and later instructed in the same airplane. “I was a Navy mechanic for about six years, so I have a soft spot for all things military, and I’m a sponsor of the Wounded Warrior Project,” says Jeff. “This Waco was a CPTP airplane in Milwaukee, and a lot of pilots trained in it — it flew 3,500 hours doing that.” Jeff has been coming to Oshkosh for 17 years, and owning a biplane has been his dream. “This was restored in 2010 by Rare Aircraft in Faribault, Minnesota,” says Jeff. “They do nice work; they’re artists up there! I’m the second owner since restoration, and we’ve put about 80 hours on it in the past year. Monty Throop was the instructor who transitioned me to tailwheel; he came up from Florida and trained me in the Waco. It took about seven hours and 80 landings — that’s what it’s all about. It’s a little hard to see out of the front around that 220-hp Continental W-670, but it’s easy to fly if you respect the aircraft and apply what you have been taught. It’s very light on the controls, with four ailerons and the wide gear. It cruises 100 mph, and I come

Julia Secker-Walker and her father are partners in NC4181H, their recently acquired Short Wing Piper. Julia soloed in a Cessna 150, earned her private in January, and in July, she and a friend flew the Vagabond to Wittman Regional Airport. “I found this Vagabond after I flew a clipped-wing Cub last summer,” shares Julia. “I was just looking around for a little taildragger, and I spoke to a gentleman in Georgia for months on end about selling his. He finally did and I flew down to Georgia with a good friend of mine who is a ferry pilot, and we checked it out and flew it up from Georgia to New Hampshire.” The PA-15 holds 12 gallons of fuel and is powered by a 65-hp Lycoming. “It takes off great and flies great, but it doesn’t like to climb with the cruise propeller we have on it right now. The propeller is on loan from a friend because the original climb prop was deemed nonairworthy by Sensenich when I sent it in for overhaul. I’m actively looking for a replacement wooden climb

in at 80 mph and flare between 75 and 70, and do a three-point landing. The plane holds 50 gallons, and it burned 12.1 gph at 1800 rpm coming up here. I was only the third arrival Friday at 7:30 a.m. and didn’t have to follow another plane in for landing.” He is currently a corporate pilot with about 10,000 hours. “I fly Embraer Phenom products for the Iowa 80 Truckstop in Walcott,” says Jeff. “Some people go hunting, fishing, or traveling, but flying is my hobby and passion! NC32133 flew home with the Antique Bronze Age Champion — Bronze Lindy.

1967 Piper Arrow Lifetime EAA members of more than 50 years, pilots Don and Ann Pellegreno are also Vintage and Warbird members. It took them six hours to fly N3895T from their home in Rhome, Texas, to Oshkosh. The Pellegrenos bought their Arrow in 2010 and have flown it regularly to destinations including Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa. They like the early model because it has a 30-foot wingspan rather than 36 and fits in the hangar with their other airplanes. “The Arrow is very economical and very nice to have,” shares Don. “We normally put about 100 hours on it a year. The best part is every Sunday we go for breakfast somewhere. I can take her for a cheap date because breakfast is cheaper than anything else! It has a fuel-injected 180-hp Lycoming, flies 150 mph, and burns about 9 gallons an hour. We normally fly about two-hour legs; it holds 50 gallons and we never let it get below 25. We’ve spent 55 years coming to EAA fly-ins, starting at Rockford in 1962, and have only missed four or five years. I like looking at the airplanes and feeling like I’m around a bunch of other airplane nuts!” This year marks a special milestone for Ann. “I’m celebrating the 50th anniversary of my world flight this week at Oshkosh with activities including a couple of live radio interviews, Vintage in Review, having an article by EAA staff writer Megan Esau in AirVenture Today, a forum with Judy Birchler of LadiesLoveTaildraggers, and a presentation during the American Waco Club banquet,” explains Ann. “A lot of people are too young to have known about the 1967 flight. There are two 26

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generations that have come along now, and I like to share the flight with them.” Don says he wasn’t fazed in the least while his wife flew around the world. “I had a nephew come stay with me, and we repainted the Smith Miniplane that Ann and I had built. I held onto the Lloyd’s of London insurance policy for the world flight. The Lockheed’s call sign was Rapid Rocket, and when Ann called me on the radio it was like she was in the next room talking to me! That HF radio single-sideband that Collins Radio loaned Ann and her crew was amazing technology for 1967. When she was nearing Howland Island, she made a broadcast from the Lockheed Electra to the Ninety-Nines’ national convention in Washington, D.C. I wonder if anyone has a recording of that; we’d love to have a copy.” Succinctly summing up the reasons they keep returning to Oshkosh, Ann shares, “We come back for the people, the airplanes, and the general excitement. There’s always something new to see, new people to meet, and old friends to greet.”

prop! I’d love to restore it; it probably needs to be re-covered in the next couple of years, and we’re deliberating between keeping the original engine or upgrading to something with a bit more performance. I love the taildragger, and I’m so happy to be here for my first Oshkosh!”

1958 Cessna 182A Victor and Sandra Sobrado of Norman, Oklahoma, were preparing a tasty croissant breakfast while camping with their plane. It’s the fourth year they’ve attended Oshkosh. “We’ve enjoyed the plane for 12 years!” says Victor. “Ten years ago, we had it painted in Ada, Oklahoma, and they did a super job. The engine work was done by P.Ponk Aviation, and they’re great people. It’s a Super Eagle 50 engine conversion. P.Ponk has an STC to take a Continental O-470 and put 520 cylinders on it and pump it up to 275 horses. We get about 130 mph cruise now, and it burns a little bit more fuel, but you get there quicker! If we’re 24 square, we’re getting probably 16 gallons. If we pull it back to 22 square, we can get it down to about 14. The plane holds 55 gallons in the wings and 17 in the rear tank.” With an eye to detail and a desire to retain aesthetic originality, Sandra shares, “We’ve just had the interior done by Angie Knight. It’s taken us about a year to have that completed because the fabric was re-milled and then dyed to the original colors, Sahara Gold with black trim, so that everything matches. The original

paint was still on the plane when we bought it, so we were able to match the color scheme of Cumberland Cream, Nairobi Black, and Allegheny Green. We have original paperwork, brochures, and photos, which aid us in restoring the plane to its original glory.” N4948D received the 2014 Outstanding Cessna 180-182-210 and a 2016 Contemporary Class II Single-Engine Bronze Lindy.

1954 Cessna 170B Back in August 2014, EAA ran an online story about Kyle Fosso of Anacortes, Washington, who was in the process of restoring N2771C, a 170B he bought when he was just 15 years old. The airplane hadn’t flown since 1972, when it crashed near Ketchikan. Kyle completed his seven-year restoration the week before AirVenture and flew his highly modified airplane to Oshkosh. The 170B was on display at the Spencer Aircraft booth and was awarded the Classic Champion Customized Classic — Bronze Lindy. Kyle and his girlfriend, Samantha Hagan, are planning to fly the airplane to every state and make a documentary to encourage the next generation in aviation. www.vintageaircraft.org

1937 Douglas DC-3

1948 Luscombe 8F

Several venerable DC-3s were at AirVenture this year. Pilot Sheila Mabbitt of Nashville, Tennessee, was with the American Airlines Flagship Detroit. NC17334, the oldest known DC-3 still flying, received the Antique Transport Category Champion — Bronze Lindy. Sharing how she became involved with the DC-3, Sheila says, “I flew DC-3s for a cargo company for several years, and while I was doing that I was a flight attendant for American. The Flagship Detroit Foundation was refurbishing the DC-3 at that time, and I was invited to become part of the organization. So I did, and I helped them get this airplane on the air show circuit the first couple of seasons. Since then, my career has changed from flight attendant to full-time pilot for one of the airlines, so I had to take some time off from the foundation. Now I finally have a good schedule and have my life back, so I’m happy to be here with the Detroit Flagship Foundation and help preserve the heritage of the DC-3!” Sheila especially enjoyed the DC-3 flight to Oshkosh from Shelbyville, Tennessee. “What’s not to like about the DC-3?” she asks. “I flew some of the stick time up here, and a couple of gentlemen, Blake Butler and Dave Buffington, made the coveted

Twenty-one-year-old William Morrison was born into an aviation family — and judging by the wide grin on his face, it’s clear he wouldn’t have it any other way. He and his father, Ron, were happy to log more hours together while flying to Oshkosh in their cream-and-teal Luscombe. NC1866B is all dressed up for classic comfort with leather interior and the Luscombe logo embroidered in the baggage area. Powered by a 90-hp Continental, it cruises at 115 mph and lands at 60 mph. William’s uncle, Mark, and Ron are pilots who restored and fly their late father’s 1938 Beech F17D Staggerwing (NC18781, Bill’s Dream), so William has grown up flying right seat in that grand antique. “My dad wanted me to have my flying lessons in a Luscombe so I could transition into the left seat of the Staggerwing, just as he did,” shares William. “Several years ago, I had 25 hours of flight instruction in NC1866B and was ready to solo, but then someone damaged the airplane, so my flight instruction ended up being delayed until we completed what turned into a three-year restoration.” William enjoyed working on the Luscombe alongside his father and uncle. He recalls that in high school he spent many happy hours at the airport, working on airplanes or cars. But his peers just didn’t understand his interest in flying. “Now as I’m getting older and studying mechanical engineering in college, I find that my peers can relate to the concept of flying, although they think

Pilots Sheila Mabbitt and Dave Buffington in the Flagship Detroit DC-3.

landing into Oshkosh. I feel so blessed that somebody from my generation and era gets to experience this and help continue the legacy of the DC-3.”

1940 Piper J-4A Cub Coupe Surprisingly, there were two Cub Coupes on the field this year. Coupe production began in late 1938 and ceased by 1942. The Coupe had fancy metal trim strips on its nose, and the early models had wooden wing spars and exposed cylinder heads, while later models were fully cowled and had aluminum spars. Seventy-year-old Dan Fogle was with NC378GF when I cruised by, and he said he bought his J-4A as a basket case in June 2014. “There were 1,251 Coupes built, and approximately 300-plus are on the FAA registry,” says Dan. “We figure less than 100 are actually flying. The J-4 was more expensive than the J-3, and as far as I know, none of the J-4s had brakes on the right side, so teaching with it became a problem. It has unique landinggear legs, and the tailwheel is mounted in front of the rudder. This J-4A has a ‘round back’ rudder — the ’41 is flat. It took me about a year to restore this one, and the engine is a C85 stroker with electric start and alternator. The battery is hidden inside the plane, so it looks like the original hand start, and there is a radio up in the left side of the panel that’s hidden.” Dan first soloed a Piper Colt when he was 16, but he didn’t

1930 Stearman 4E Wm. Ben Scott is from Reno, Nevada, and his father purchased this 1930 Stearman 4E Speedmail when it was brandnew. The Speedmail was the 2003 Antique Grand Champion — Gold Lindy winner, and Ben flew it on the 2003 National Air Tour. NC663K received the 2017 Antique Continuously Maintained Aircraft — Small Plaque.

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L-R: William Morrison; his father, Ron; and Uncle Mark.

of RC airplanes instead of real ones,” he says, chuckling. NC1866B flew home to Geneva, Illinois, with the Classic Custom Class B — Small Plaque after AirVenture.

1941 Piper J-3C-65 It’s always a treat to see a Flitfire Cub! Rod McKenzie of New Fairfield, Connecticut, was the first to arrive at Hartford for the Cubs 2 Oshkosh gathering and mass arrival into Wittman Regional Airport. NC37916 won the 2017 Antique Reserve Grand Champion — Silver Lindy. obtain his private until he was in his early 40s. His Coupe’s home base is at Sky Acres Airport in New York. “It took me 12 hours to fly here,” he shares. “I’ve put about 165 hours on it. I always fly kids and all the neighbors, and seven of my eight grandchildren have had rides in it so far. It’s a sweet thing to fly!”

1949 Ryan Navion A Charles and Sue Stites of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, have owned their Navion since 1997 and frequently fly it to annual air shows, including AirVenture and SUN ’n FUN. An added bonus for the couple during Oshkosh is the opportunity to visit Sue’s family members, who live nearby. N4891K has undergone a progressive restoration through the years and has won several awards, including Best Navion at AirVenture 2001. In 2003, Charles was the national volunteer coordinator for the EAA’s 50 Flags to Kitty Hawk program, and as North Carolina flag bearer flew his Navion to deliver his home state’s flag to officials at First Flight Airport. In 2006, Charles founded Able Flight, a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to offer people with disabilities a unique way to challenge themselves through flight and aviation career training, and by doing so, to gain greater self-confidence and self-reliance.” Charles finds that flying his Navion crosscountry helps him promote Able Flight, as well as interview

scholarship applicants and meet with flight school personnel at Purdue University and Ohio State University. Charles and Sue host Able Flight’s annual Wings Pinning Ceremony during AirVenture, celebrating scholarship recipients who have successfully completed their flight training and earned their sport pilot certificates. This year, eight new pilots received their wings. www.vintageaircraft.org

Resting at anchor at the Seaplane Base is this de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver (N10349), registered to Marshall Aviation Services Inc. of Elkhart, Indiana.

Helios created a striking image on the flightline: (L-R) N62JA, a 1972 Helio H-295 owned by JAARS Inc. of Waxhaw, North Carolina. N4121D, a 1957 Helio H-391B registered to John Sessions of Kirbyville, Texas. Andrew Stolte of Spring Hill, Florida, received the Contemporary Most Unique — Outstanding in Type for N5383G, a 1967 Helio H-295/U10D on floats.

Lady Dee (N5273E) is a 1959 Cessna 180B owned by Ronald Daniels of Delton, Michigan.

N9987A is a 1950 Cessna 170A from Rockford, Minnesota.

Here’s another very rare gem! Passersby were doing a double take at this stately Porterfield with a VW Bus-style tent tucked under its wing. NC32412 is a 1940 LP-65 owned by Dave Reichard of Dayton, Ohio.

Shane Vande Voort flew his 1946 Aeronca 7AC Champ from his home in Pella, Iowa, to Oshkosh. NC82940 received the Classic Class I — Bronze Lindy.

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@juliemorgannn

The morning sun highlights vintage aircraft on display at Bill & Myrt Rose Memorial Park.

Fourteen years, three months, twenty-six days until she gets her driver’s license.

We all drive.

A brilliant reflection of yesteryear, this 1940 Lockheed 12A Electra Junior (NC2633) is owned by brothers Uwanna and Yon Perras of Morrisville, Vermont.

Dana Gibbs of Arlington, Texas, owns N2336B, a 1948 Temco GC-1B Swift powered by a 180-hp Lycoming. It was one of at least half a dozen Swifts at AirVenture.

Jeff Stanford of Saint Marys, Georgia, took home the Contemporary Class II Single-Engine — Bronze Lindy for N3982D, a 1957 Cessna 182A.

N5474F is a 1968 Alon A-2A Aircoupe registered to Patrick Raymond of Jerseyville, Illinois.

This 1932 Fairchild 22 C7B is powered by a 125-hp Menasco Pirate C4 and was flown in by college student and Vintage volunteer Luke Lachendro of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. NC13166 was the Antique Silver Age Runner-Up.

Greg Heckman and Patrick Weeden were on hand with this 1929 Stearman C3-B, which is powered by a 220-hp Wright J-5 Whirlwind. NC8811 is owned by the Alfred and Lois Kelch Aviation Museum of Brodhead, Wisconsin, and received the Antique Silver Age Outstanding Open-Cockpit Biplane — Small Plaque.

At first glance, it may look like an Ercoupe — but it isn’t! Little Tiger is a 1970 Mooney M10 Cadet registered to Patrick Flaherty of Cincinnati, Ohio. Fewer than 50 of these gems are on the FAA Registry; N505T was the 2011 Contemporary Reserve Grand Champion. N3259D is a 1955 Cessna 180 registered to Stacy and Ralph Lutes of Charlotte, North Carolina. 34

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Left: A happy smile in the sky over the field of Piper Cubs, with a Flitfire in the foreground. www.vintageaircraft.org

Reach for the Sky (N444BF) is a 1947 Lycoming-powered Stinson Vultee V-77 owned by Richard Epton of Barnesville, Georgia.

NC2091K was awarded the Antique Silver Age Champion — Bronze Lindy. This 1932 Waco UBF-2 is owned by John Cournoyer of Maryland Heights, Missouri.

Now here’s a rare gem — a 1935 Rearwin Sportster 7000 powered by a LeBlond radial! Ed Kling of St. Charles, Illinois, owns NC14486.

The grouping of six handsome Staggerwings was an impressive tribute to Beechcraft history. They were joined briefly midweek by an additional Staggerwing.

Just floating around … NC33587 is a 1945 Piper Cub registered to Joel McKinzie of Lake Crystal, Minnesota, and N35149 is a 1941 J-3 registered to Terence Loucks of Oscoda, Michigan.

Three Ryans drew many admirers during the week. (L-R) N51122 is a 1942 Ryan PT-22 powered by a 160-hp Kinner and owned by Steve Freeman of Bartlett, Tennessee. Gary Kozak of Downers Grove, Illinois, owns N8146, a 1940 Ryan STM-S2 with a 134-hp Menasco D4-87 engine. Ron Johnson of Rockford, Illinois, owns N49674, a 1941 PT-22 with a 160-hp Kinner R-55 engine.

This 1947 Republic RC-3 Seabee is registered to Edgar Tello of Long Island, North Carolina. 36

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There’s no mistaking the tall tail of a Howard — and there were 10 DGA-15Ps commanding a presence on the flightline this year. One was on the field early, and the others made a group arrival on Monday after enjoying the Howard Aircraft Foundation’s pre-Oshkosh gathering in Siren, Wisconsin. www.vintageaircraft.org

NC67423 is a 1944 Howard DGA-15P that flew in from California to join nine other Howards at AirVenture.

Precious Metal, Spirit of Gary is a 1938 Spartan Executive 7W with a 450-hp Pratt & Whitney. It belongs to Don Lindholm of Morning Sun, Iowa, and Dow Lindholm of Masury, Ohio. N17617 has been in the family since the early 1970s.

HB-IRJ is a 1940 Douglas DC-3 flown by Yannick Bovier, one of the Breitling DC-3 pilots. The Swiss-registered airplane is flying a world tour this year and was the Transport Category Runner-Up., Wisconsin, owns NC656N, a Wright-powered 1930 Waco CSO.

Roger Gomoll of North Oaks, Minnesota, owns this 1928 CurtissWright Travel Air 4000. NC6024 has a Lycoming R680 engine. Note the front exhaust collector.

N145C is a 1954 Piper PA-18-135 Super Cub owned by Mark Schmitt of Rockford, Michigan.

Justin Niemyjski of Franksville, Wisconsin, owns NC656N, a Wright-powered 1930 Waco CSO. 38

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Ed and Kyle Campbell of Hookstown, Pennsylvania, own this 1959 Bücker Jungmann C.A.S.A. 1.131, which is powered by a 180-hp Lycoming. N4270 received the Contemporary Grand Champion Customized — Gold Lindy.

N4331N was featured during Vintage in Review; it’s a 1947 Cessna 195 registered to Heidi K. Thomsen of Monee, Illinois.

N5233R is a 1946 Aeronca 7AC Champ registered to Franklin and Patricia Vranicar of Corona Del Mar, California. www.vintageaircraft.org

The Candler Field Express (N28AA) 1940 DC-3A is owned by Jim Sells of Peachtree City, Georgia. He brought two of the Candler Field Youth Aviation Program students with him to AirVenture this year, continuing a tradition started by the late Ron Alexander. N772S is a 1956 de Havilland DH-104 Dove 6A registered to Don Marcrum of Vestavia, Alabama.

N4612N joined other Staggerwings on the flightline one day; its Pratt & Whitney engine was made by Jacobs. Owned by Roy Carver of Davenport, Iowa, the 1944 Beech D17S was flown to AirVenture by his son, Andrew, and Gary Lewis.

Way down south, on the very last row, was this 1963 Beech 35-B33 Debonair, registered to Archangels Landing LLC of Dover, Delaware.

Bruce Bennett of Louisburg, Kansas, owns this 1946 Ercoupe 415-C.

Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an unusual paint scheme for a 1958 Bellanca 14-19-2 Cruisemaster! The airplane is registered to Icarus Flights LLC of Rising Fawn, Georgia.

This 1962 Beech 23 Musketeer was parked in the South 40. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s registered to Frederick W. Hannon Jr. of Punta Gorda, Florida.

Jim Clark of Chapman, Kansas, flew his 1939 Waco EGC-8 to AirVenture. It bears a 1939 United States Civil Aeronautics Authority emblem on the fuselage, consisting of a five-point compass rose with the CAA name in it, and wings and a shield with the Wright Flyer on it. 40

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David Burch of Flushing, Michigan, owns this 1955 Cessna 180, which is powered by a 225-hp O-470J. www.vintageaircraft.org

N500HP is a 1963 Dee Howard Co. Model 500, powered by two Pratt & Whitney R-2800s. It’s registered to TP Universal Exports International LLC of Eagan, Minnesota.

This 1950 Bellanca 14-19 Cruisemaster belongs to Doug Wilson of Delta, British Columbia, Canada. C-FEDW was the Classic Outstanding Bellanca.

Close-up view of the business end of N500HP.

C-FDMH is a 1946 Cessna 140 registered to Chris Winter of Ontario, Canada.

N28209 is a 1940 Piper J-4A owned by Timothy Shea of Pearland, Texas. This Cub Coupe received the Antique Customized Aircraft Outstanding — Small Plaque.

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Matt Von Ruden of Cashton, Wisconsin, owns this 1941 Taylorcraft (N36441), which has a 65-hp Continental. 42

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316-283-8000 • BandC.aero www.vintageaircraft.org

All told, 10 Helios were on the flightline. In the foreground is N6463V, a 1966 Helio H-295 registered to a corporation in Bolivar, Missouri.

N4760A is a 1956 Piper PA-22-150 Tri-Pacer belonging to Ruthie Walker and Ken Rizer of Marshalltown, Iowa.

NC5533H, a 1949 Piper PA-11 Cub Special, was meticulously restored by Don Wade of C&D Aviation, Helena, Alabama, and won the Classic Reserve Grand Champion — Silver Lindy.

The Classic Outstanding Cessna 180 — Small Plaque went to N3643C, a 1954 Cessna 180 Skywagon owned by Scott Thompson of Stoutsville, Ohio.

Grayson county, TX | nov. 2-5 cullman, al * | nov. 2-5 Murfreesboro, tn * | nov. 9-12

*Indicates Liberty Tri-Motor TOUR STOP

Visit flytheford.org or call 1-877-952-5395 to reserve your flight. N767DK is a Temco GC-1B Swift registered to Donald Abbott of Gallatin, Tennessee. 44

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www.vintageaircraft.org

This 1972 Lake LA-4-200 Buccaneer (N3RQ) is registered to Matthew Wagner of Canby, Minnesota.

A field of Cubs celebrating the aircraftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 80th anniversary!

N500LN is a 1960 Howard 500 (Lockheed PV-1 Ventura) registered to TP Universal Exports International LLC of Eagan, Minnesota. 46

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www.vintageaircraft.org

Live your dreams. NC29654 received the Antique Bronze Age Outstanding Closed-Cockpit Monoplane — Small Plaque. Lowell Baker of Effingham, Illinois, owns this 1941 Taylorcraft BC12-65.

Join EAA today and make your dream of owning an aircraft a reality. EAA members get access to member-exclusive discounts on financing rates and loan fees for the purchase of aircraft or kits. Making your dream a reality starts here. Visit EAA.org/finance today.

There’s a story behind the “naked” gear leg and the crunched wheelpants on display beside NC43754. And inside the cabin, atop the glare shield, you’ll see a couple of ears of corn, still in the husk. The corn is a souvenir, of sorts, from the cornfield landing that Tim Newell of Ohio made during a flight of three ships to AirVenture. Accompanied by Neil Baughman in a 1940 Luscombe, Tim and his son, Ryan, were flying their 1953 Taylorcraft 15A Tourist (background of photo) and this 1946 Taylorcraft BC12-D when Tim experienced a loss of power. The unexpected landing slightly delayed Tim’s arrival at Wittman Regional Airport, but all’s well that ends well!

This 1954 Beech E35 Bonanza (N3326C) is registered to Herbert Saylor of Milford, Delaware.

N4270D is a Beech G35 Bonanza owned by Silas Kliewer of Ulm, Montana.

Finance Solutions Powered by a 165-hp Franklin, NC8408K is a 1946 Stinson 108-1 Voyager owned by Wooden Shoe Flying Service of Beloit, Wisconsin. 48

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Administered by National Aircraft Finance Company

Hey. . . Is that Norm’s Cub? If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a hundred times: “Norm’s Cub.” I know the last thing Vintage Airplane readers want is another article about Piper Cubs, but with the aviation community celebrating the 80th anniversary of the iconic J-3, I’ve procrastinated long enough. It’s time to tell the 50

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story of Norm’s Cub. Many of you may recall ol’ N10XS. It is one of the most recognized Cubs, having appeared in dozens of EAA publications, calendars, Christmas cards, brochures, flyers, video jacket covers, how-to videos, and even on EAA’s first official credit card over the

years. The striking head-on shot on snow skis that appeared on the cover of Midwest Flyer magazine is one of my favorites. Three members of EAA’s video team — Scott Guyette, Brian Goodrich, and I — were looking to purchase a J-3. One day, when in a conversation with Norm Petersen,

by J.T. Meidl who at the time was the editor of EAA’s Vintage Airplane magazine, Norm said, “Why don’t you guys just buy my Cub?” We couldn’t believe it. Norm, sell his beloved Cub? He was working on restoring a Piper PA-11 Cub Special, a model very similar to a J-3, and wanted the proceeds to help him finish it. The deal had a twist. The sale did not include his newly restored Continental C-90 engine.

Norm would lend us that engine for a year. It was up to us to care for the engine and find our own replacement. The sale would include a rigged-out pair of EDO 1320 floats from 1946 — the same year as the Cub — a pair of Federal snow skis, and a tail ski. The three of us would form Wittman Flying Service LLC in honor of Steve Wittman, the Oshkosh racing legend. The deal

was struck, the money changed hands, and we were the owner of a 1946 Piper Cub Special on floats, wheels, and skis. Norm’s Cub was built in Ponca City, Oklahoma, in 1946; the original number was N3675K. It spent most of its early life in the Mitchell and Parkston, South Dakota, area. During the late 1960s, it was converted and operated as a spray plane by Dan Greenlee, www.vintageaircraft.org

just south of Mankato, Minnesota. It was powered by a 90-hp Continental engine at the time. A Sorenson spray rig was in place as well as a belly fuselage tank. Extended ailerons were installed as well as wingtip slats, flat plates mounted vertical on the tips. N3675K was operated in the restricted category. Floyd Backstrom and his wife bought the airplane in early 1975. It was still powered by the 90hp Continental engine. Floyd switched it from the restricted category back to the original standard category. It was at this time that Floyd changed the N-number to N10XS: “One Old X Sprayer.” The next era was unique as well. N10XS became a towplane for a glider operation in

Minnesota. It was tasked with towing an E-33 Schweizer sailplane into the sky. Now two aircraft would need to share the 90 hp. That glider hook, back above the tail spring, would come in handy for years to come during hand propping and float operations. On May 27, 1985, N10XS was sold to Norman and Loretta Petersen, and it was off to Oshkosh where it would be operated on wheels, skis, and floats during the appropriate seasons. Norm once had told me that Floyd, who ran the glider operation, wanted to buy back 10XS at full price because the 150-hp Citabria he had bought to replace the Cub didn’t do as good a job. It seems the Cub jumped off the ground faster and that led to the glider getting off the runway quicker, too. Thankfully, Norm passed on that offer. Norm was very generous with his time and the time of the Cub while he owned i t . E a c h y e a r, EAA Air Academy kids would get introductory seaplane

and spray rails Note belly tank

Midwest Flyer cover, January 2005.

flights in the Cub. Dozens of kids got their first airplane rides in the J-3. 10XS was also available to several pilots in the Oshkosh area, including Gene Chase, former Navy commander. The airplane was always visible at pancake breakfasts, small fly-ins, and weekly gatherings. It was part of the reason it became so popular. Our gang of three bought the Cub, as stated, in September 1997 from Norm. At that time, it was rigged for floats. I had received my seaplane rating while filming EAA’s Wonderful World of Floats at Brown Seaplane Base in Florida, so I was good to go. Cmdr. Chase checked me out on floats. It was a gorgeous fall day

ops. for spraying cr

with the trees turning colors. I remember it well. I can’t tell you how lucky I felt to be flying with Gene in my own seaplane. The time came to make good on our side of the engine contract. We found a C90-14F from a local Super Cub. We conned the head of EAA aircraft maintenance, Daryl Lenz, into restoring the engine for us. We could help with the disassembly, cleaning, and painting, but when it came time for reassembly, Daryl wanted to be left alone so he could make sure he got it right. When he was finished, it included new cylinders, a rebuilt carburetor — you name it. This engine ran as smooth as a sewing machine. Later, I would have the hon-

orable task of spreading Daryl’s ashes from the very same Cub over his lake home in nearby Necedah, Wisconsin. He was killed in an automobile accident. I sure miss Da- JIM KOEPNICK ryl and his humor. Gonk! For the next 11 years, we would enjoy the Cub operating on floats, skis, and wheels. A lot of people asked, “How do you change over from floats to wheels?” There were two major ways we went about it.

Originally, we would land in a nearby grass strip next to the Vette Seaplane Base, hoist the aircraft using a derrick crane hooked to a pickup truck, remove the landing gear wheels, install the floats, and carefully and

JIM KOEPNICK

s on an The cub appear 52

EAA Christmas

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

card.

JIM KOEPNICK

Norm was alway s

ready to give a ride.

www.vintageaircraft.org

n to fly the Cub Norm was know

to church.

slowly set it in the lake. In the fall, we would reverse the procedure: float over to the derrick, lift it up, drag it to the grass, remove the floats, put the wheels on, and fly it off the grass back to Wittman Field. When I built my hangar at Wittman, I incorporated a truss capable of hoisting the Cub. Once hoisted, we were able to remove the wheels, install the floats, turn it sideways (this was key — shrinking our width from 36 feet to 25 feet), set it on the trailer, and drive it through town to a nearby boat launch with a police escort provided by then-Detective Jim Busha of the Oshkosh Police Department. Once at the launch,

Owner Floyd Backstrom.

we would back in the trailer and launch it like a boat. A few years back, Norm’s posse members redid the fuselage but neglected to do the wings. The wings were starting to show a little wear from sitting outside, so it was time to re-cover them. “Good Guy” Joe Schumacher and the Pioneer Airport crew stepped up and gave us a hand with pulling the wings one late fall Saturday. During the winter months, we would replace some ribs, create new wingtip bows, and install new leading and trailing edge metal. After learning to rib stitch, it was time to start the painting process. A new engine cowl was also fitted and installed. It was a

JT MEIDL

great way to spend the winter months. In late spring, a greatlooking Cub rolled out of the hangar and departed its winter Pioneer Airport home. That summer, the Cub was parked along Highway 41 in Oshkosh on its seaplane ramp. A longtime Vintage member chastised me for painting the wings white. “How could you do that to such a classic airplane!” he said. He was mad as heck at us. I let him vent and complain for a while, then watched him deflate when I told him the wings wore

JT MEIDL

Sitting on frozen wa ter at the author’s cottage .

ry 2007. article, Februa Sport Aviation 54 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Article in Vintage Ai rplane, March 1987 .

ge-over. Float chan

www.vintageaircraft.org

Owners Scott Guyette, Brian Goodrich, and JT Meidl.

Joe Schumacher advised the restoration.

Cub ad, September 1939.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

removable white wing covers. T h a n k s t o Ji m Ko e p n i c k , EAA’s former chief photographer, we were able to capture many beautiful pictures of this airplane in so many different situations. I have to admit that we had a little bit of a system. Jim would let me know when he was out on assignment, and the Cub crew would just happen to show up as well. Once Jim finished with his assigned project, he would move on to shooting our plane. That’s how we shot the skiplane shots with Scott Guyette. On another beautiful summer Saturday morning, Jim was able to capture an L-3 air-to-air for a magazine cover, a clippedwing Cub for a calendar shot, and our J-3 for the credit card shot. A very successful sortie! As the years passed, I bought Brian out of the partnership; eventually Scott bought my two-thirds. The plane now resides in nearby Ripon, Wisconsin. It’s well cared for by Scott and Kyle. The EDO floats, with all the rigging, sit nearby along with Federal skis. They have not been on the airplane since my last flight on floats in September 2008. My last flight in N10XS was Halloween 2008. Norm’s Cub has delivered hundreds of hours of sport flying and dozens and dozens of airplane rides to support the Air Academy, Young Eagles, and anyone else interested in flying for fun! I always felt this old spray plane and former glider tug would have been long forgotten. In the end, it’s the wonderful photos and videos that keep the memory of Norm’s Cub alive. God bless Norm … and his Cub.

The Vintage Mechanic

cadets. By the time it closed, 6,114 cadets graduated from the program. The school, during its peak period, generated a payroll of over $45,000 per month to nearly 500 employees.”

ROBERT G. LOCK

LAKELAND PUBLIC LIBRARY

Teaching a Nation How to Fly The Lon Cooper story: Part 6

Landing on a grass runway, looking over the Wright radial engine.

The above photo is what an aviator sees when trying to view the runway over a radial engine. Lon 58 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

and I have been very fortunate to have experienced this wonderful sight that few people get to see in today’s world. The sights, sounds, and smell of a radial engine are unique. While flight instructing at Lodwick, Lon Cooper logged 4,506 landings in the Boeing Stearman PT-13/PT-17 trainer. Most landings were at the auxiliary fields that were located around the main field in Lakeland, Florida. These strips were either grass or dirt — they were not paved. After the cadet soloed, the instructor would provide some dual instruction, then the student would go solo. It was not uncommon for a flight instructor to spend much of the day sitting on his parachute and rating takeoffs and landings on a sod or dirt strip, summer and winter. Here in Florida, temperatures can hover near 100 degrees with relative humidity above 70 percent, sometimes approaching 90 percent. It makes for very uncomfortable times, particularly out in the field. In the winter months, temperatures can drop below freezing, making open-cockpit flying brisk, to say the least. But these sturdy souls weathered all that because it was wartime and the job had to be done. Lodwick School of Aeronautics began in 1940 and closed on August 4, 1945. Upon closing, Lon recalled, “Lodwick was one of the eight original U.S. Army Civilian Contract Schools to provide primary training for combat pilots. During their five years of operation, a total of 69 contract schools provided training to 200,000 combat pilots. Lodwick was one of the last three schools to close, as the war was ending. I believe it to have been the best civilian contract school. The school was visited often by personnel from other schools to observe our activity with the objective of improving their operation. An enrollment of 8,825 trainees entered the school, which included 1,327 British

Cadets on Lodwick ramp.

Lon only has a few photogaphs of his time at Lodwick because they did not want personal cameras since it would be a distraction. Therefore, most all photos were taken by a hired photographer. The photo above, staged on the tarmac of Lodwick, depicts a group of cadets returning after a local flight with a Stearman taxiing close behind, something that probably was not tolerated on the flightline. Safety is the utmost concern in aviation — safe practices from flightline crew, instructors, and mechanics. Lon recalled, “We had a very good safety record at Lodwick. There was one fatality from a midair collision during my two years of instructing. We had our share of ground loops and damaged wingtips.”

COURTESY ROBERT LOCK

TOM ROUNDS

Flight instruction at Lodwick was a five to six days a week job, the instructor being responsible for five cadets. There were occasional breaks in training, most likely due to weather considerations. On one such weather day, Lon recalled, “A large squall line approached our area one afternoon. The wind was so strong that we flew the planes to the flightline at which point cadets would grab the handholds on the lower wingtips. As power was cut, more cadets would hold the tail down as we taxied in and tied down. That was the only time I have flown an airplane with people on the ground holding it in place.” Thunderstorms in Florida are common and can form rapidly. One day flying in an area of smooth air, we were returning to the airfield when there was an immediate temperature drop of several degrees with whitecaps on the lakes. The wind was blowing 25 to 35 mph when I landed, fortunately into the wind. So I know exactly what Lon was describing.

Results of a violent ground loop.

Above, the results of a ground loop accident. The Stearman was a handful on the ground, especially in a crosswind. During primary flight training, there were usually crossing runways, or the field was square as to lessen the effects of a crosswind

landing on student pilots. The hydraulic brake system on a Stearman was adequate if it worked properly, but the single servo brake system tended to “grab,” which could make the ground loop worse. Lon recalled some of the events that border on the bad side of things: “I was told of a British student who had spun in and landed on a very large oak tree. He was unhurt. His rescuers reported his main concern was to get back to the field in time for supper.” And another safety story from Lon: “Instructor C.R. Knowles was a quiet man. He and his cadet were flying near Plant City when the crankshaft broke off, losing the propeller that fortunately missed the plane. He made a successful emergency landing in a small strawberry field, stopping with the engine between two pine trees at the end of the field. The plane was unhurt except for the missing propeller. Questioned concerning the event, he commented, in his slow, quiet manner, ‘That plane sure glides a long way with no prop drag.’ Asked if he used the brakes, which we never use because they grab sometimes, he said slowly, ‘You know, I think I had the brakes on just a little before we touched down.’ We all had a good laugh when he finished his story.” And now, another short story from Lon regarding safety at Lodwick in Lakeland: “One cadet made a forced landing because the tachometer stopped working and showed zero rpm.”

COURTESY ROBERT LOCK

Stock Stearman modified for crop dusting.

The above and following photographs are not taken from the Lodwick collection but rather are part of my collection. After the war, most Stearman aircraft sold as surplus were converted by pest control operators, and these photos show a stock Stearman modified with a dusting hopper. These photos offer graphic evidence of the strength of the design and how rugged the airplane really is. Why the wheels are missing is not known; they may have been inwww.vintageaircraft.org

stalled without a cotter pin safety on the retaining nuts, they may have been stolen, or they may have been removed by the owner. In this photo, note that the cabane struts supporting the upper wings are still intact.

COURTESY ROBERT LOCK

This accident is possibly the result of losing both wheels on takeoff.

COURTESY ROBERT LOCK

This could be the lucky pilot who walked away.

Above, this is possibly the pilot posing with the remains. Note the early spreader venturi between the landing gears. Obviously, the ship was Continental R-670-powered with a steel McCauley propeller. These photos no doubt date into the 1950s; there are no dates on the photographs. Just before the closing of the Lodwick School of Aeronautics, there was one last class for Lon. He recalled, “The last class was very special. Our military had established air superiority in the Pacific, and there was a declining need for pilots. Officers who had previously washed out of pilot training and continued into combat as bombardiers, navigators, and gunners were allowed to go back through flight training as they chose. No one was washed out this time. Everyone at Lodwick was pleased to experience firsthand the results of our training. These officers were a great group and shared many interesting stories. 60

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

“One of my students, a captain, was a navigator. He bailed out when his B-29 bomber was shot down over the South Pacific. Instructions were to open his parachute only after entering the clouds to avoid being shot while descending. After entering the clouds, he pulled the rip cord, his chute popped open, his descent slowed, and his feet touched the ground. He had landed on the top of a mountain on a Japanese-controlled island. He was found by friendly natives and smuggled out but could not reveal the details to protect his rescuers. “Another of my students was also a captain who flew as a navigator in combat and was eligible to receive additional flight pay if he could fly as a navigator. Permission was granted to use one of our planes and fly cross-country with me as the pilot and the captain as the navigator. The captain told me to fly anywhere I wanted, so I flew 60 miles to St. Petersburg and circled my father’s house. Dad was home and came out to see the low-flying airplane circling his house. He recognized that it was me and gathered my mother and the neighbors in the yard. I then flew over a nearby lake and performed an acrobatic air show for them. I then flew back over his house at 500 feet, and with the wing wave, headed back to Lakeland. It was a thrill for them and for me. My navigator got his flight pay.” Lodwick School of Aeronautics in Lakeland, Florida, was in operation from 1940 to 1945, and Lodwick Aviation Military Academy in Avon Park operated from October 2, 1941, to October 16, 1944. Lon’s first class was at Avon Park and his last was in Lakeland. Lon recalled his days with Albert Lodwick: “I was a flight instructor for Lodwick School of Aeronautics in Lakeland, Florida, from April 27, 1943, to August 4, 1945, logging 1,392 hours’ flight time and 4,506 landings. My first class of cadets was at Lodwick Military Aviation Academy in Avon Park after which I instructed at Lodwick School of Aeronautics until the school closed on August 4, 1945. When I started my first class in 1943, I was only 22 years old. I was the youngest flight instructor in the Lodwick operation.” Lon and Dot Cooper quietly returned to civilian life by moving back to nearby St. Petersburg where Lon took a position with Gulfshore Sports Store; he had worked there during high school and college. Lon was only 24 years old at this time and eager to make a living for his wife and children. Lon recalled, “In 1949, I joined my father in his wholesale radio parts business, Cooper Radio Company, eventually owning the business. I converted it to

Lodwick Aviation Military Academy, Avon Park, Florida.

home entertainment electronics. I sold the business and retired in 1982.” Lon told the story to me about the invention of the tape recorder. When it first came out, many older people were not interested in it because they didn’t know how to operate it. So Lon taught evening classes in a vacant room above his store to teach people how to use this new toy. It was very successful, and he sold many units to his students. Lon’s flying ended when Lodwick closed its doors, and without an instrument and a multiengine rating, flying jobs of the type he wanted were not available. However, he made a great contribution to the war effort by training future combat pilots at the young age of 22 years. Looking back at a most successful government-subsidized Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) gives pause for reflection. In today’s failing economy, the government has created “stimulus” programs and thrown money to companies that have failed with no apparent accountability. Robert Hinckley devised what we would now call a stimulus program to boost the sluggish general aviation industry. The federal government, through the Civil Aeronautics Administration, funded the CPTP. The government was spending $22 million tax dollars a year on vocational training programs, and Hinckley wanted to get aviation training into that system. July 1939 brought the first funding for the program along with various mandates (that we now call “strings”). Congress authorized $4 million

LAKELAND PUBLIC LIBRARY

and the CPTP began. The CAA reimbursed participating flight schools $270 to $290 for each student plus $6 per hour for flight time. It also paid the college or university $20 for each student enrolled in

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Right, Boeing Stearman PT-17s stored at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. 62

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

LAKELAND PUBLIC LIBRARY COURTESY ROBERT LOCK

Lines of Stearman biplanes on the ramp at Lodwick School of Aeronautics.

COURTESY ROBERT LOCK

A rare look at a Boeing Stearman military logbook when aircraft were to be stored and disposed.

Navy Stearman logbook shows aircraft being preserved for longtime storage.

HILL AEROSPACE MUSEUM

the program. The CAA standardized ground and flight training. It mandated that there be at least one airplane of at least 50 hp for each 10 students. But above all, it created accountability for those participating in the program, something that is lacking today. What this did was to create a market for small two-place low-powered training aircraft, and manufacturers created thousands of jobs to support the effort. Piper, Aeronca, Taylorcraft, Porterfield, Interstate, Waco, Meyers, and Howard all built new CAA-approved aircraft that would fill the need for training airplanes. From 1938 to 1948, approximately 45,000 new aircraft were built with Piper and their famous Cub leading the way. Robert Hinckleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s idea was truly a vision of what was to come. Just think, if the CPTP did not exist, there would have been no pool of qualified commercial/flight instructors available to teach military primary flight training as Lon Cooper did. In my view, Robert Hinckley is an American hero and was perhaps a large reason why the United States prevailed in World War II. Over 200,000 combat pilots were trained from 1940 until the war ended in 1945. With Randolph Field and Pensacola only able to produce about 500 combat pilots each per year, the United States would have been in great peril and may never have gained air superiority over Europe and the Pacific. We thank people such as Lon Cooper for their service to our country. And so I salute you, Mr. Lon Cooper, for a job well done. When the Lodwick School of Aeronautics and Lodwick Aviation Military Academy ceased operations, what happened to all the Boeing Stearman aircraft that were assigned to the fields? They were ferried to central locations and temporarily stored. In late 1945 after the war had ended, the Reconstruction Finance Corporation established five large storage, sales, and scrapping centers scattered throughout the country. These centers were in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Altus, Oklahoma; Kingman, Arizona; Ontario, California; and Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. A sixth storage facility was opened in Clinton, Oklahoma, for storing, selling, and scrapping Navy and Marine aircraft. From these sites, the smaller primary training aircraft were ferried to other sites to be sold in flyable condition. One such site was Hill Air Force Base (AFB) at Ogden, Utah. Here, Boeing PT-13s/PT-17s were stored by the hundreds and were sold for as little as $150 with a full

tank of fuel. Once purchased by a company or individual, the aircraft was ferried from the sales point to its new civilian home. Many of the Hill AFB Boeing Stearman aircraft came to the western states of California, Nevada, and Arizona to be converted into crop dusters. At Walnut Ridge, 4,871 fighter and bomber aircraft were purchased by the Texas Railway Company in September 1946 for $1,838,798.19 and were melted into ingots for shipping. At the peak of operation, Lodwick School of Aeronautics had over 200 PT-17 Stearman trainers at its home base. In Avon Park, there were another 135 to 155 aircraft. One day they all disappeared from their home bases to be sold as surplus to a civilian market. The photo at the top of the previous page shows lines of Boeing Stearman trainers assigned to Lodwick that eventually would be scrapped or sold surplus. Original military logs for Boeing Stearman are a rare find, but when an aircraft was sold surplus, the last military logbook came with the airplane. At left are images of a Navy N2S logbook when it was transferred from Naval Air Station Dallas, Texas, to NAS Clinton, Oklahoma, on August 22, 1945. The total flight time on the aircraft was 3,660.2 hours. The fate of this N2S is unknown â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it was either sold surplus or scrapped. When the time came for storage, Boeing Stearman aircraft were prepared and flown to a storage/surplus sale facility. Page 62 shows an image taken from an original Navy N2S logbook showing their paperwork. At left, Boeing Stearman PT-17s, now surplus, stored in a large hangar at Hill Air Force Base, Ogden, Utah, after the war ended.

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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.)

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.

Something to buy, sell, or trade? Amazon book: To Look Upward: One Flight Instructor’s Journey. A spiritual journey with challenges, accomplishment, and even abuse! Rob Mixon Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words, 180 words maximum, with boldface lead-in on first line. Classified Display Ads: One column wide (2.167 inches) by 1, 2, or 3 inches high at $20 per inch. Black and white only, and no frequency discounts. Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (i.e., January

10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per issue. Classified ads are not accepted via phone. Payment must accompany order. Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail (classads@eaa.org) using credit card payment (all cards accepted). Include name on card, complete address, type of card, card number, and expiration date. Make checks payable to EAA. Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750; ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published bi-monthly at EAA Aviation Center, 3000 Poberezny Rd., PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086, e-mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org. Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association, which includes 6 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine, is $45 per year for EAA members and $55 for non-EAA members. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54902 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Vintage Airplane, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. CPC #40612608. FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES—Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail. ADVERTISING — Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken. EDITORIAL POLICY: Members are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. No remuneration is made. Material should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 920-426-4800. EAA® and EAA SPORT AVIATION®, the EAA Logo® and Aeronautica™ are registered trademarks, trademarks, and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh www.eaa.org/airventure 888-322-4636

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS

Vintage Trader BOOKS

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

VAA

Directory OFFICERS President Susan Dusenbury 1374 Brook Cove Road Walnut Cove, NC 27052 336-591-3931 sr6sue@aol.com

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

Vice-President Tim Popp 60568 Springhaven Ct. Lawton, MI 49065 269-624-5036 tlpopp@frontier.com

Treasurer Jerry Brown 4605 Hickory Wood Row Greenwood, IN 46143 317-422-9366 lbrown4906@aol.com

DIRECTORS Dave Clark 635 Vestal Lane Plainfield, IN 46168 317-839-4500 davecpd@att.net George Daubner N57W34837 Pondview Ln Oconomowoc, WI 53066 262-560-1949 gdaubner@eaa.org Jon Goldenbaum PO Box 190 Warner Springs, CA 92086 jon@conaircraft.com John Hofmann 548 W James St Columbus, WI 53925 john@cubclub.org

Ray L. Johnson 347 South 500 East Marion, IN 46953 rayjohnson@indy.rr.com Robert D. “Bob” Lumley 1265 South 124th St. Brookfield, WI 53005 262-782-2633 rlumley1@wi.rr.com Earl Nicholas 219 Woodland Rd Libertyville, IL 60048 eman46@gmail.com Joe Norris 264 Old OR Rd. Oshkosh, WI 54902 pilotjoe@ntd.net 920-688-2977

DIRECTORS EMERITUS David Bennett antiquer@inreach.com

Charles W. Harris cwh@hvsu.com

Robert C. Brauer photopilot@aol.com

Gene Morris genemorris@charter.net

Phil Coulson rcoulson516@cs.com

S.H. “Wes” Schmid shschmid@gmail.com

Ronald C. Fritz itzfray@gmail.com

John Turgyan jrturgyan4@aol.com

Vintage is the fun place to be!