Va vol 46 no 2 mar apr 2018 by EAA Vintage Aircraft Association

MARCH/APRIL 2018

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Vintage Airplane STAFF

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

Message From the President

SUSAN DUSENBURY VAA PRESIDENT

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Busha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jbusha@eaa.org VAA Executive Administrator. Jan Johnson 920-426-6110. . . . . . . . . . jjohnson@eaa.org Art Director. . . . . . . . . . . . Olivia Phillip Trabbold ADVERTISING: Vice President of Business Development Dave Chaimson. . . . . . . . . dchaimson@eaa.org Advertising Manager Sue Anderson. . . . . . . . . . sanderson@eaa.org

Remembering one of Vintage’s stalwarts As most of you know by now, the Vintage Aircraft Association lost one of its most stalwart and talented supporters last November when Charles W. “Charlie” Harris went west. Just what did Charlie Harris mean to aviation? I could write a book on this, but in the briefest of all descriptions I’ll just say this. Charlie began flying at the age of 16 while still in high school. Flying was a passion that continued throughout his entire lifetime. Charlie owned and flew many pristine airplanes over the years and, at one time, owned as many as 14 airworthy airplanes. But there is much, much more to Charlie’s story. Let me just say that Charlie was “in” when it came to aviation. Not only did he fly airplanes and join aviation-based organizations, he also founded and/or was a very active participant in them. Charlie was co-founder and chairman of the National Biplane Association from 1986 until its conclusion in 2009. Charlie also chaired the Tulsa Regional Fly-In for 30 years. Charlie served in many different capacities for the Oshkoshbased Vintage Aircraft Association, serving on our national board of directors as treasurer, chairman of the executive committee, and chairman of the hall of fame selection committee. After retiring from our board in 1988 Charlie, as director emeritus, was still very heavily involved penning many of our letters to the membership as well as writing other important communication articles. For me, as the newly elected president of VAA in 2017, Charlie’s counsel was invaluable. Charlie received many distinguished honors in his life, including (but not limited to) induction into the Oklahoma Aviation and Space Hall of Fame and the EAA Vintage Hall of Fame. But to Charlie, his crowning achievement, and some of his greatest treasures, were the friends that he made throughout his life. Charlie once said that he “considered himself to be one of the most continued on page 6

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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.)

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

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Vol. 46, No. 2

CONTENTS Charlie W. Harris

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Memories of a Vintage mentor, friend and steward

Homecoming Celebration The Cessna 195 turns 70 by Jim Busha

Fruitful Flying

The flying farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family Champ by Sparky Barnes Sargent

The Gathering of a Little-Known Clan Twin Bonanzas at AirVenture 2017 by Budd Davisson

For the Fun of It!

Applying the Midas touch to a 1965 Alon A2 Aircoupe by Sparky Barnes Sargent

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COLUMNS 1

Message From the President Remembering one of Vintage’s stalwarts Susan Dusenbury

6 VAA News 8 How to? Tram a wing Robert G. Lock 10 Good Old Days 60 The Vintage Mechanic Troubleshooting techniques - learning the system Robert G. Lock 64 VAA New Members

COVERS FRONT COVER: A pair of shinny CE195’s cruise over the Kansas countryside celebrating 70 years of the type. Photo by Jim Busha. BACK COVER: Jim Younkin and Charlie in front of Jim’s Mr Mulligan. Photo by Bonnie Kratz.

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).

www.vintageaircraft.org

CONNOR MADISON

Friends of the

RED BARN

2018

In the fall of 2001, two of the Vintage Aircraft Association’s most effective officers created a program with the goal of having dedicated members support improvements to the Red Barn and all that the Red Barn represents. These two individuals were then- president Butch Joyce and VAA treasurer Charlie Harris. The idea behind the program not only included physical improvements to the Red Barn, but also offered a means to support and expand VAA’s programs for members and their guests during the EAA convention. Over the years the Friends of the Red Barn has enjoyed a high level of success, which has allowed us to make much-needed structural repairs to the Red Barn itself while developing and expanding programs for our guests at Vintage Village. As our flagship building, the Red Barn has served us well as a meeting place where old friends meet to renew their friendship and as a gathering place where you are certain to make new friends. The Red Barn is the home to Vintage hospitality and now houses an area depicting the very interesting history of the Red Barn. New to the Red Barn in 2018 will be a tribute to our Hall of Fame inductees and to those individuals who were so instrumental in the founding and early success of our organization. Interestingly, a large majority of the Red Barn’s supporters have been involved since the very first year of the Friends of the Red Barn program. Vintage is extremely proud of these dedicated members and supporters. They are at the very foundation of what we are working towards in the vintage aircraft movement. These donors are directly responsible for the Friends of the Red Barn’s success and for making the Red Barn the focal point of Vintage Village, with all of the gracious hospitality that the Red Barn is so famous for. We are very proud of the fact that this VAA treasure — the Red Barn — was member created and is member maintained, principally through our Friends of the Red Barn fundraiser program. Our Vintage area has over the years grown from one dilapidated and abandoned barn into an entire village filled with interesting and fun places to visit. And yet, there is much, much more to be done. With your help, every year we will provide our members and guests with an ever more broadened fun-filled and interesting experience. All of the supporters’ names are listed annually at the Red Barn and in the pages of Vintage Airplane magazine. Please stand tall and join us in Friends of the Red Barn. You will be forever proud and happy that you did. Susan Dusenbury, President Vintage Aircraft Association

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Nominat ions

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

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

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

To nominate someone is easy. It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part. •Think of a person; think of his or her contributions to vintage aviation. •Write those contributions in the various categories of the nomination form. •Write a simple letter highlighting these attributes and contributions. Make copies of newspaper or magazine articles that may substantiate your view. •If at all possible, have another individual (or more) complete a form or write a letter about this person, confirming why the person is a good candidate for induction. We would like to take this opportunity to mention that if you have nominated someone for the VAA Hall of Fame, nominations for the honor are kept on file for three years, after which the nomination must be resubmitted. Mail nominating materials to: VAA Hall of Fame, c/o Jan Johnson VAA PO Box 3086 Oshkosh, WI 54903 E-mail: jjohnson@eaa.org Find the nomination form at www.VintageAircraft.org, or call the VAA office for a copy (920-426-6110), or on your own sheet of paper, simply include the following information: •Date submitted. •Name of person nominated. •Address and phone number of nominee. •E-mail address of nominee. •Date of birth of nominee. If deceased, date of death. •Name and relationship of nominee’s closest living relative. •Address and phone of nominee’s closest living relative. •VAA and EAA number, if known. (Nominee must have been or is a VAA member.) •Time span (dates) of the nominee’s contributions to vintage aviation. (Must be between 1950 to present day.) •Area(s) of contributions to aviation. •Describe the event(s) or nature of activities the nominee has undertaken in aviation to be worthy of induction into the VAA Hall of Fame. •Describe achievements the nominee has made in other related fields in aviation. •Has the nominee already been honored for his or her involvement in aviation and/or the contribution you are stating in this petition? If yes, please explain the nature of the honor and/or award the nominee has received. •Any additional supporting information. •Submitter’s address and phone number, plus e-mail address. •Include any supporting material with your petition.

www.vintageaircraft.org

Message From the President

VAA News

continued from page 1

fortunate men who has ever lived,” and that’s completely understandable. Charlie lived his dream. In recognition of Charlie’s exemplary life and selfless dedication to aviation, and to vintage aviation in particular, your Vintage Aircraft Association officers and board of directors have unanimously chosen to dedicate Vintage Park in Charlie’s memory. Vintage Park will be renamed the Vintage Charles W. Harris Memorial Park at a ceremony during AirVenture 2018. The dedication will take place on Monday, July 23, at 11:45 a.m. If all of you remember, this park is located on the western part of the Vintage area immediately behind and west of both the Vintage Hangar and the Vintage Red Barn. It’s not to be confused with the Bill & Myrt Rose Memorial Park, which is located to the east of these buildings. On another note, I am always happy to hear what our members are thinking with regard to VAA. On Monday, July 23, from 8 to 9 a.m. your officers and directors will be hosting a town hall meeting in the Vintage Hangar. This is your opportunity to express your thoughts and our opportunity to hear them. This is also your opportunity to enjoy some of our famous Tall Pines Café doughnuts with coffee. We look forward to seeing you there. 6

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AirVenture 2018 Events — Mark Your Calendars

Another exciting year is being planned for the Vintage area at AirVenture 2018. Check the list below to find many exciting activities you will want to put on your day’s schedule. •Vintage milestone anniversaries: Cessna 170, Swift, Hatz Biplane, Cessna 175. •100th anniversary of the WWI Aircraft encampment. •Travel Air Barnstormers Tour Planes. •Dedication of the “Vintage Charles W. Harris Memorial Park,” Monday, July 23, 11:45 a.m. Followed by annual Ice Cream Social. •VAA Town Hall Meeting. Meet and talk to the VAA officers and directors over coffee and doughnuts. Monday, July 23, 8-9:00 a.m. Vintage Day, VAA Fundraiser, Wednesday, July 25, 11:30 a.m-1:30p.m. • Hot dogs and apple pie served at the Vintage Tall Pines Café. •Vintage Bookstore. Many “new” old books. Open Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Vintage Red Barn. Enjoy lemonade and popcorn on the hospitality • side, and visit the information desk and VAA history display. •Vintage in Review at Interview Circle. Bill and Myrt Rose Park. Monday through Friday 11:00 a.m.-noon. Followed by OX-5 engine run. •Tall Pines Café will be open for breakfast and lunch on Saturday, July 21, and Sunday, July 22, prior to Monday’s AirVenture opening day. Starting Monday, July 23, the Tall Pines Café will be open for • breakfast from 6:30 a.m.–9:30 a.m. •Annual Business Meeting. Wednesday, July 25, 5:00 p.m. at the Vintage Tall Pines Café immediately followed by the Annual Vintage Picnic at 6:00 p.m.

Barnstormers near! Barnstormers far! Barnstormers from the past! Barnstormers of the future! The American Barnstormers Tour cannot wait to see you all this summer! Tour dates are now confirmed for the three-week event leading up to 2018 EAA AirVenture. Whether you chose to join in the fun for a day, for a flight from venue to venue, or for longer, we invite our Vintage friends to be a part of this historical display of Travel Air biplanes. Drive in or fly in to enjoy a static environment, featuring a Travel Air D-4-D (or 2), a Travel Air 4000, a Travel Air D-4000, a Travel Air E-4000, and a Curtiss Wright Travel Air B-14-B. Rides are available in a Travel Air E-4000 (or two), a Travel Air 4000 (or two), and a Travel Air B-4000, weather permitting. Each tour stop also provides aerial demonstrations, educational opportunities, weekend activities for families, community camaraderie, and fellowship among vintage followers. Folks who fly Beechcraft, Cessna, Stearman, and Travel Air biplanes from Golden, Silver and Classic age are all encouraged to fly in to place their beautiful planes on display as well, and become a part of the spirit of this glamorous era in our aviation roots. July 5-7, 2018

Jefferson City, MO KJEF

CTAF 125.6

July 8-10, 2018

Ames, IA

KAMW

122.7

July 12-14, 2018 Watertown, SD

KATY

123.05

July 15-17, 2018

Brainerd, MN

KBRD

122.7

July 19-21, 2018 Eau Claire, WI

KEAU

CTAF 118.575

The goal of the tour is to extend fellowship, to bridge a gap between the modern day and aviation history, to allow folks immersive flight experiences in the biplanes, to draw communities to their local airports, to tell the story of the modern day barnstormers through documentary filming efforts, and to act as ambassadors to the vintage aviation community. This tour is blessed by the support of our national sponsors, including: Concorde Battery, Phillips 66, Poly Fiber, Aircraft Spruce and Specialty, Desser Tire, David Clark, Gulf Coast Avionics, Hooker Harness and the Beechcraft Heritage Museum. Jill Manka Waldo Wright’s Flying Service www.waldowrights.com jill@waldowrights.com 863-873-1339

If you wish to join up for our group arrival into 2018 AirVenture, please arrive into KEAU Chippewa Valley Regional Airport by 9 a.m.: July 22, 2018

Group Arrival EAA AirVenture

KOSH (see NOTAM)

www.vintageaircraft.org

How to? ROBERT G. LOCK

Tram a wing Tramming a wing is essentially squaring wing bays. It is accomplished by alternating the loosening and tightening of internal brace wires called drag and anti-drag wires. It should always be done when constructing new wings and should be

checked when re-covering existing wings. It is not a difficult job and requires a set of trammel points. Trammel points are simply a length of spruce stock that measures about 1/4 inch by 3/4 inch by 38 inches (or whatever length needed to diagonally bridge the bay). I tram on the bottom side of the wing and start at the root. Small indentations are placed in the spar at the junction of a point where spar centerline intersects with the compression member. A bay is a complete structural component of the wing consisting of the front and rear spar and two compression members. The wires diagonally brace this bay. Most small aircraft wings will have four bays â&#x20AC;&#x201D; smaller wings could have three bays, and larger wings could have more than four bays. Snug the wires but do not tighten to final tension. Set the points to bridge diagonally across the bay in one direction, and then move the trammel 8

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points to bridge the diagonal in the opposite direction. Loosen and tighten brace wires until both points are the same length. Proceed to the next bay and do the same thing, proceeding outboard until all bays have been trammed. Then return to the root and check the tram. You will probably have to make a small adjustment and then proceed outboard to the tip bay. Return to the root and check bays again. Chances are good that you will not have to make adjustments. Now it is time to check and set wire tensions. If you have a wire tensiometer, set the wires to between 350 and 450 pounds for most small wings. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a tensiometer, tighten the wires until they make a good bass sound. Do not over-tighten the brace wires. Note: Always tighten each wire the same amount so as not to distort the tram that has been set. Tighten each wire the same amount until proper tension has been reached. After the wing has been trammed, the ribs may be glued in place (if it is wood) or nailed in place (if the ribs are of aluminum). The wing on the facing page is from a Hatz biplane that I had just repaired. A new aluminum leading edge is being installed and nailed in place. At left, the Hatz wing is completely assembled and ready to cover with fabric. In this photograph, the compression members and brace wires are plainly visible. This wing has three bays.

www.vintageaircraft.org

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

MARCH/APRIL 2018

www.vintageaircraft.org

Gone West Charlie W. Harris Director Emeritus

Memories of a Vintage mentor, friend, and steward Charlie Harris Memories

It was an e-mail message that I had hoped I would never receive; Charlie Harris had passed away. How could this be? He was a mentor, friend, and visionary and was one of the very first people to call me when I became editor of Vintage Airplane more than five years ago. Charlie said he just wanted a “few minutes of my time.” I could tell right away during that first conversation that he was feeling me out, trying to figure out if this “dumb cop” could even write or tell the difference between an OX-5 and a Wright engine. I have to be honest, I was a detective lieutenant at the time, and I had interrogated hundreds and hundreds of felons in my 30-year career; I thought I was pretty good at it. But that first conversation with Charlie made me sweat! He, along with another aviation mentor of mine, Paul Poberezny, were more than aviation icons to me; they were men who were revered as experts in the field, and could spit out the types of airplanes they flew or the correct model numbers and dashes faster than a runaway prop.

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Those “few minutes” turned into many and then more than an hour. Little did I realize that I would have many more conversations with “General Custer” as he frequently referred to himself, warning me about incoming arrows and the “smoke signals” he would send me. When we didn’t talk on the phone, Charlie sent weekly letters or books with Post-it notes inside, all of which I have squirreled away in several hiding spots. They serve as reminders to me, souvenirs of the wonderful relationship I had with him. Although I was such a small fish in the aviation pond, Charlie always made me feel like I was an equal. No one will ever fill his shoes, or be able to take a jumbled set of random letters and turn them into aviation poetry like Charlie could. I hope he forgives me for asking other friends, admirers, and associates to share their personal thoughts of such a great man. You see, Charlie liked to fly well under the radar. He was never afraid to praise others, but was quick to deflect admiration when it flowed his way. I’ll have to take my chances, duck when he fires the volley of arrows at me, and

hope he understands how much we will all miss him. Blue skies and tailwinds, my friend. —Jim Busha EAA Director of Publications Editor’s note: Betsey Kersey was known as Charlie’s right hand for the last 53 years and has some thoughts she would like to share. — JB Charlie was my best friend and was one of the most wellrounded individuals I have ever known. He had some serious health challenges over the last 20 years but always dealt with them, and other adversities in life, with humor and grace. We are not here today because Charlie Harris died — we are here because he lived. He had a wonderful, exemplary life full of family, friends, adventures, some adversity, and ever-present grace. We have all read the official obituary with statements and facts of Charlie’s life, but there was much more to his life than the listed facts. He was born and raised in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, in an era

when Pawhuska was, as Charlie referred to it, the crown jewel of Osage County. From his recollections of his childhood, it was more idyllic than any of us can imagine. He had only the fondest of memories of his home life, his friends and classmates, and especially his participation in athletics. Charlie was also a wonderful vocalist and participated in many vocal contests. He recounted a regional contest in which he, with his 13-year-old tenor voice, presented “Danny Boy” with tears streaming down his face. He won that contest, naturally! For years Charlie has sung invitations to dinners and other events, including the time he would arrive to pick you up — using military time. Charlie joined the Navy as a 17-year-old and went into active service in August 1945. He loved to say that when the Japanese heard he had joined, they immediately surrendered! Following his military service he attended the University of Tulsa and graduated in January 1950 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. He made many friends during his time at UT, some of whom became close and lifelong. Charlie joined Commercial Credit Company in February 1950 and moved quickly through the ranks. He was transferred from Tulsa to Springfield, Missouri, and then on to Kansas City as part of its management team. He often talked about early career financial stresses with a wife and small child and felt he was most fortunate when, in July 1955, he made what he felt was one of the best decisions of his life when he left Commercial Credit and joined Paul L. Sisk and Joe S. Eaton in their startup automobile installment finance or-

ganization: Security Investment Company. The business grew and over the years evolved into Transportation Leasing Company, which became one of the largest independent vehicle and aircraft financing, leasing, rental, and mobility vehicle operations in the Southwest. Through the years Charlie developed a keen sense of business, and many people came to him seeking business advice — he was always willing to share his thoughts and opinions. When Charlie and his wife, Maggie, returned to Tulsa in 1955 they became active in various social and benevolent groups. Charlie was always extremely proud and supportive of Maggie’s activities and functions. They had a very wide circle of friends and enjoyed spending time with all of them. Charlie and his son Hank both loved basketball and in the evenings they would spend hours shooting hoops. They also enjoyed IndyCar racing and would host annual Indy 500 parties to watch the race with friends. During the late ’60s, they even ventured into go-kart racing. Ultimately, Charlie’s true lifelong passion was aviation. He soloed in a Cub as a 16-year-old and flew during high school and college. During his late 20s and 30s, flying had to take a back seat to family and career responsibilities, but in the 1970s he was able to get back to his true love of flying. He acquired a Pitts S-2A and eventually a Pitts S-1S and was able to fly some exhibition aerobatics at a few regional events on a fly-for-fun basis — he loved the aerobatics. About this time Charlie also became infected with a really serious disease — Luscombe Lust! In an attempt to

cure it, over a number of years he acquired and restored to showclass levels five Luscombes. It was not a cure! In the 1970s Charlie volunteered to serve on the Tulsa Regional Fly-In organizational committee and ended up serving as the senior co-chairman of that event from 1982 until 2014, a period of 32 years. Then, in 1987 he and Mary Jones co-founded the National Biplane Association, and until 2009 he served as the chairman of the association and the nationally known fly-in event, the Biplane Expo, which was held annually in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. O u t o f t h e s e t wo av i a t i o n events, and serving as a director of the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Charlie developed lasting friendships from across the country. He always said the best part of the fly-ins was actually not the airplanes — it was the people! He loved and cherished the friendships he developed. All of us who knew and loved Charlie know that he loved to talk! But in addition to loving to talk, he loved to write. He was never happier than when he had a pen and a legal pad in his hand. For more than 30 years he was the editor of the monthly newsletter published by the local Vintage Aircraft Association Chapter 10. People from across the nation became members of the local chapter just so they could get Charlie’s newsletter, which generally included sections on his favorite subjects: World War II aviation and naval history. His intellectual curiosity was constant, and his insights were unique, accurate, and generally included some witty quip. Additionally, Charlie planned for almost every contingency. I www.vintageaircraft.org

think this talent was due to his learning to fly at age 16. Consequently, he created and implemented a plan for the continuation of his business with the same group of employees and professionals he had trained for years. Charlie considered himself one of the luckiest people to ever live. He felt he had lived a charmed life and that he was blessed beyond words. He thanked God for those blessings every day. Charlie left each of us with many fond memories. He was a devoted friend and family man. He was opinionated, honest, and a true gentleman. Again, we are all here today not because Charlie died, but because he lived and during that lifetime he in some way touched the lives of all of us. To our friend Charlie, may your soul have wings! —Betsey Kersey It is hard to put into words Charlie’s contribution to aviation. Although his primary interest was vintage aircraft, he loved all aviation and history. Not long ago he 14

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and I spoke about our country and the apparent down slide of honor and patriotism. We agreed to hope this is temporary, but frankly I am concerned. Charlie was a patriot, a hard worker, and I am happy to have had his friendship. I pray he has a good flight. Bill Harrison Past President EAA Warbirds of America Our ebullient “Howard Hughes” brought smiles and added to our knowledge on a daily basis. In our eyes, he was another Bob Hoover. So many happy memories to hold fast. I kept most of his letters, and had a gem not long ago. He had a lengthy and noble life. —Larry & Ilse Harmacinski

I was saddened to hear that Charlie had passed away. I have never met him, but through conversations with Dan Knutson about Charlie, I feel a deep admiration and respect for who he was. I was a subscriber of his chapter newsletter, and read and enjoyed his historical and patriotic articles, and passed them on to friends. What an amazing talent he had — it will be sorely missed. I send my deep condolences to Charlie’s family. —Duane Esse We went over to Tulsa for Charlie’s service. It was very well done, as Charlie would have insisted. The five-ship T-6 missing man formation was emotional and fitting except it should have been biplanes. Our association with

Charlie dates back to June 1987 when a couple with two young boys in an old junk Ford pickup camper, towing a junk glider trailer, just happened to stop by Bartlesville for the first Biplane Expo. We were on our way to pick up a Waco 10 basket case and had seen the tiny advert in Trade-APlane for the biplane fly-in. Charlie made us feel like it was really important that we make it back every year. We loved going to that event — looked forward to it all year, every year, while working away on a biplane that we hoped to get there with someday. Charlie considered himself to be the most fortunate of men. While it’s true that Charlie enjoyed an idyllic Oklahoma upbringing that included early biplane rides standing up in the front cockpit so he could see over the cowling, it is also true that he made most of his life’s good fortune. From a late World War II enlistment into the Navy right out of high school, to his business education and subsequent successes, to his aviation exploits and advocacies too numerous to list, he earned it all. Charlie was successful in every

Jim Moss and Charlie.

sense of the word. But of his all his many talents and strengths, one attribute stands out above the rest. Charlie made everyone feel special. We’ve joked that it took us more than 20 years of Biplane Expos to realize that we were nothing out of the ordinary. Charlie just made us feel special, as he did for everyone else. His enthusiasm was infectious. It was impossible to be in Charlie’s presence and not be inspired. Charlie had a gift, and he was truly a gift to all of us. Godspeed, Charlie Harris. —Dave and Jeanne Allen

Charlie came into Jim’s and my life in 1996 when we took the MG2 to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Charlie and Jim Moss instantly connected over their mutual passion for vintage aircraft, their similar taste in books, their stellar athletic and military careers, and, of course, over their quick wits! They grew to have a deep admiration for one another and a lifetime friendship. My relationship with Charlie grew more slowly and became a beautiful and deep friendship as well. Jim called Charlie “Sir Charles Harris,” while I called Charlie “The Other Woman,” bewww.vintageaircraft.org

cause for two weeks every late summer, he would steal Jim away from me to attend the Bartlesville air show and other parts unknown. Being a proper southern gentleman, Charlie would blush when I would address him in that way, but eventually he came to like his title, and when he phoned, if I happened to answer, he would say, “Hi, Judy, this is the other woman.” After Jim passed away four years ago, Charlie became my personal aviation confidante and shared with me his invaluable advice and encouragement. The things that I will always remember and treasure about Charlie are his incredible love of people, his generosity of time and talent to the community of aviation, his gift of being a true and enduring friend, and his use of Post-it notes! I’ll miss you Charlie — there will never be another like you! —Judy Moss Charlie was one of those people who come around, if we are lucky, maybe once in our lifetime. As for myself, I know my life is much richer and fuller for having known Charlie. A “chance” meeting in the Vintage area during AirVenture led to 16

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many hours and years of conversations, letters, e-mails, and book recommendations. During an early phone conversation, Charlie shared a book recommendation with me. Several days later the book showed up in the mail. After reading it, I sent the book back, which triggered a phone call from Charlie saying, “Good Lord, why in the world did you send this book back to me? From now on, keep them.” Over the years we exchanged a number of books with each other. Each one I have kept in a special place on my bookshelf. Friends of the Red Barn, Char-

lie’s painstakingly crafted VAA 10 newsletters (a touch of humor and information), his “Lest We Forget!” e-mails — all priceless and will be missed. But most of all I will miss Charlie’s friendship, generously sharing his outlook and wisdom on life, business, aviation, and significant historical events. I will forever cherish these memories and try to emulate him to the extent I am able to. He left big shoes to fill. B l u e s k i e s a n d t a i l w i n d s, Charlie. I believe you are in good hands. —Mark Kolesar

I can’t honestly say when I first met Charlie. He was just always “there.” He was a part of the aviation we both loved and a part of my life. It has been at least 40 years. We only saw each other at fly-ins, but, as the internet took over, we would drop each other a note now and then to ask a question, make a comment, or pass along a compliment on this or that piece of writing. He had a way with words and a way with people. As I’m writing this, I have to admit to being shocked that he was 90 when he passed. I couldn’t believe that. Still can’t. I would have guessed him at high 70s. His personality, passion, and energy in everything he did wasn’t that of a normal nonagenarian. But, then, he wasn’t normal. He was Charlie. And that’s what made him special to us all. —Budd Davisson I was just one of many, many folks whom Charlie took into his fold as aviator enthusiasts. He was an amazing guy who promoted aviation and its role in keeping America free more than anyone I know. Because of him, I became an active member of EAA here in Tulsa for more than

12 years until our chapter finally closed this past year when no one was willing to even try to replace Charlie’s magnetic leadership. I own a 1930 Model A Ford and had read in the Tulsa paper that EAA was giving rides in its Ford Tri-Motor. I thought it would make a nice photo if I could get a picture of my car with the plane. I called the airport and was told that I needed to speak with Charlie Harris. I left my name and phone number, and darn if he didn’t call me back later and invite me out. He met me at the gate and rode with me out onto the flightline where I parked next to the Tri-Motor and got my photo! During our conversation, he learned I was a retired military pilot and invited me to join the Vintage chapter in Tulsa. Few people could ever say no to the engaging Charlie Harris, and we enjoyed almost 12 years of a very interesting friendship. I had flown the A-4 and AV-8A in the Marines and the A-10 in the Air Force but had little time in general aviation aircraft. But everyone was made to feel welcome in his group as long as they enjoyed any aspect of aviation and being a patriot of our great United States. What I enjoyed the most about

Charlie was that he consistently praised achievements and accomplishments of others on their successes in aviation while never tooting his own horn. He himself had numerous success stories but he never focused on them but on what others had done. He was quite a guy who will be greatly missed here in Tulsa and in the entire aviation community. —Ken Brust To the Welch family, Charlie seemed to possess many of the finest human attributes all rolled into one incredible person. He was as well read as anyone I have ever met. Few historians have ever commanded the facts coupled with the big picture perspective that he had. He could tell you what the lessons learned from conflict should be to avoid repeating history. Few have ever been his equal. His mental curiosity drove him to learn and to mentor throughout his life. Jackie and I are very grateful to have been referred to as his friends. We really got to know him when he hosted our first EAA Ford TriMotor tour stop in Tulsa. When he picked us up at the airline terminal for our second Tri-Motor event he told us that he needed www.vintageaircraft.org

Charlie, Paul Poberezny, Wes Schmidt, and Phil Coulson.

to first give us the weather report and forecast. Jackie still chuckles about this. He said, “Folks, the skies will likely have a couple of clouds and the wind is expected to reach two with occasional gusts to three.” Vintage Charlie. We cherish the banter that we had with him over the years. He was quick-witted and downright engaging — a true gentleman. We never heard him share an off-color joke or a negative comment about another person. He loved airplanes and enjoyed an encyclopedic memory of not just the planes but the designers and personalities that molded WWII aviation as well as general aviation. Charlie’s Chapter 10 newsletters are legendary. I know that I am not alone in saying that I put everything aside to read them. Like his close friend Paul Poberezny, Charlie loved people who loved airplanes. He would take the measure of one’s interest and then go out of his way to share information that would help you in your search for knowledge. We were the recipients of several different books over the years, which showed up unsolicited and always accompanied by wonderful handwritten notes. He opened my eyes to a different perspective 18

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on Charles Lindbergh. He sent me a nonfiction account of the development of one of the greatest WWII fighting aircraft. What an honor to be on the receiving end of his graciousness. After I was elected to the EAA board, I had a couple conversations with Charlie to reassure him that there would be a measure of continuity, and that the vision of the EAAers of his generation would not be lost. Charlie provided me with solid advice and encouragement while being quick to point out the pitfalls where future generations of EAA could stub their toes. He loved EAA and Vintage. I’m going to close with some words to try to capture who and what Charlie was to the Welches. Thoughtful, witty, engaging, articulate, lover of people, humble, intelligent, wise, natural leader, quick to make lasting friends, veteran, savvy, a twinkle in his eye, mentor, terrific pilot, charming, genuine, lover of airplanes, student of history, loyal, and a classic, special gentleman. Charlie left a lasting mark — a legacy. He made a profound difference while he was here. How fortunate for those of us in aviation who were blessed to have

our paths intersect. Our friend, enjoy those well-deserved eternal wings. Godspeed. —Cody Welch EAA Board of Directors Member Chair, EAA Ford Tri-Motor I first meet Charlie in 1980 when my friend Dave Long introduced us. As time went on, my friendship with Charlie continued to grow. In 2008 Charlie interviewed my wife, Saundra, and I and, as always, wanted to share the achievements of others with the aviation community. Charlie was very instrumental in my selection for induction into the 2008 Vintage Hall of Fame. There are so many words that I could use to describe Charlie — humble, a gentlemen’s gentleman, kind, caring, and the list goes on and on. My personal assessment is this: No one ever left his presence without having felt the warmth and acceptance of his friendship. Bill Pancake For Charlie, it really was about the people. He was a true inspiration to all of us in the Vintage Aircraft Association. —Ray Johnson Vintage in Review

I grew up in Tulsa where my family was active in vintage aviation circles. In the spring of 1988, we were well aware of the first National Biplane Fly-In, to be held in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Charlie was the chairman of the event and had grand dreams of making this an annual biplane festival. I was skeptical about his lofty dreams. Sure, everyone loves old biplanes, but it takes a lot of dedication to travel any great distance in one. I assumed it would be a fairly local event. I arrived on Friday, flying my dad’s J-3. While on downwind, I was shocked to see the number of planes in the parking area. Dozens of them! Where did all of these planes come from? Obviously, the event was a smashing success. At the Saturday night banquet, the “longest distance” trophy went to a couple flying a Starduster Too, from Georgia. Georgia? Yes, from Georgia to little old Bartlesville for a weekend fly-in. Yes, Charlie was right; this was going to be a great annual festival. In the years that followed, the “longest distance” trophy was occasionally awarded to international travelers. The biplane events in Bartlesville are now just a memory, but Charlie Harris was the driving force behind them all. —Brad Howerton I met Charlie 20-25 years ago at the fly-in in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. I was always impressed by his knowledge of aircraft and the friendly competition between the Luscombe group and the Aeronca group. Also, the several visits he helped arrange to have the B-17 visit the Tulsa area. He always made sure our WWII veterans got special attention at these visits. Charlie was a true grassroots aviation person; he

could influence anyone to enjoy aviation and the role aviation has played in the history of the United States. —Tom Egbert I first met Charlie in September 1988 when he came on board with the then Antique Classic Division (now the Vintage Aircraft Division). I soon found out we shared a passion for biplanes, his for Pitts, mine for Wacos. Also, Charlie had co-founded the National Biplane Association in 1986; later I would become a cofounder in the American Waco Club in 1993. As the membership of these clubs grew, Charlie and I shared many happy times together at EAA and our fly-ins discussing our goals for the future of the fly-ins. I will never forget the day I got a phone call from Char-

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lie about the 50-year reunion of the 1949 National Air Races pilots, the last of the Cleveland Air Races. He said, “Phil, we have got to go since we both were there in 1949.” Although we did not meet until years later to go, we did have a great three days. So, Charlie, low and slow old friend. —Phil Coulson VAA Director Emeritus Tulsa, Oklahoma, always had all of the elements of a strong sport aviation community: lots of good flying days every year, several grass strip residence fields, some talented builders and restorers, two EAA chapters, and two popular annual fly-ins. What it did not have, originally, was someone to coalesce and coordinate these elements to make sport aviation even more rewarding. So, for more than 25 years,

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Charlie Harris stepped in and provided it, skillfully. Charlie owned several planes and flew often, but he was also a great organizer. He formed the VAA chapter and served as its president for several of the formative years. He also established the National Biplane Association, and persuaded the executives of Phillips Petroleum Corp. to let the biplane headquarters be built on the Bartlesville Municipal Airport (which Phillips controlled), and also for the biplane and joint EAA chapters to hold their large annual fly-ins there. Charlie was EAA to the core, and I suspect he even wore EAA pajamas to bed. He worked tirelessly to round up volunteer line workers and ensure good press coverage when the B-17 and the Tri-Motor came to town. He was friends with aviation people all over the country, and could get exceptional speakers for club meetings and awards dinners. Through his skill at this, I have been able to meet several of my heroes, including Robin Olds, Bud Anderson, and Dick Rutan. Charlie wrote the newsletter for the local Vintage Aircraft Association chapter, and people from farflung cities joined the chapter just to get the newsletter. In addition to 20

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the local flying news, the letter contained coverage of aviation historical events that some of the younger members did not know about and that many of we old ones had forgotten. Charlie was a very knowledgeable historian and writer, and could make the past seem important to the present. Charlie was partial to Luscombes and at one time owned three spotless flying ones and a couple of hulks awaiting restoration. This was my introduction to him, since I had owned and operated a 1948 8F from 1965 to 2010. Occasionally, going to a fly-in, I would form up on him. For a non-military trained pilot, he flew a good lead. He was also an aerobatic pilot, flew air shows, and owned both a single-seat and a two-seat Pitts. So, Charlie Harris was a pilot, a historian, a prolific writer, a promoter, an organizer, a friend to all, and a big EAA booster. We all miss him and realize more and more what he meant to us personally and to the aviation scene. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Arnol Sellars Charlie Harris was one of the finest individuals that I ever had the privilege to work with. Charlie hosted the EAA B-17 tour more than 10 times during my tenure

scheduling the tour. A call every spring was made and the ball was rolling. Charlie had a template for a B-17 tour stop. The airport, FBO, the weather, Charlie had it all arranged. Charlie had a fantastic relationship with the Tulsa media. On press day, we always had veterans to fly. Charlie loved the B-17 and the crew that flew it. It was his mission to make sure the veterans knew that press day was their day. He was on the ramp from the time we arrived until we departed for our next stop. No detail left unattended, Charlie had the grace of a conductor working his band. I also had the privilege of working with Charlie on the VAA board of directors for almost 25 years. Again, his business sense and attention to detail served VAA well. Charlie served as the VAA treasurer for many years. He also managed the Vintage Interview Circle effort at AirVenture for many years as the primary moderator for many interviews. I think that what I admired most about Charlie was his humanity. He shared himself with all of us, making everyone whose life he touched a better person. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;George Daubner Vintage Aircraft Association Director

Homecoming Celebration The Cessna 195 turns 70 Article and photos by Jim Busha

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The stage at Stearman Field (1K1) was set, the late summer weather was near perfect, the invitations had long since been mailed, and the grass strip that parallels the hard surface runway had been mowed one last time. All that the co-hosts, Rose and Jack Pelton and Marvin Huckins, waited for was the invited guests. The attendees would be 40-plus beautifully maintained Cessna 195 Businessliners returning home to the “air capital of the world,” Wichita, Kansas, to celebrate the 70th anniversary of their type. From its inception, the aircraft was billed as a five-place “luxury liner.” The Cessna 190/195 was designed and built as a high-performance, executive-type, personal airplane with unparalleled comfort. The all-metal, high-wing Cessna 190/195s were powered by either a 240-hp Continental (190 model) or a 300-hp Jacobs (195 model). One of the unique features of the 190/195 is the hinged engine mount that permits access to the rear of the engine by simply removing two bolts and swinging the engine out at an angle. The luxurious interiors were upholstered with long-wearing woolen two-tone fabrics and “NoSag” springs to ensure form-fitting comfort for pilot and passengers. According to Cessna, the instrument panel is fully shock mounted, of adequate size, and scientifically laid out; for night flying, fluorescent light is provided. Unequaled in appeal “You would need, we feel, and utility, the Cessna a certain amount of 190/195 caught the eye perversity in your of many original buyers nature to want to own with its beauty, comfort, a 195. That, or maybe a and performance. It’s the strong nostalgia for the same reason that, more bad old days, the days than 70 years later, these when a pilot was still old round-engine super- some kindof superman.” stars continue to entice — Flying magazine, and excite the next generOctober 1966 ation of owners and pilots. 24

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Marvin Huckins Based at a small grass strip in the shadow of Wichita called Eck Field, Marvin Huckins admits that as a third-generation pilot, especially flying a Cessna 195, aviation was kind of in his blood. “I didn’t pick my passion, my passion picked me,” Marvin said. “My grandfather flew B-17s and then a variety of other aircraft here in Wichita, in the early ’60s until he had passed away. Then my father had carried on that tradition, working at flight tests for Cessna, Beech, and Learjet back in the early days. I actually grew up in a Cessna 195 … so the radial engine was kind of in my blood a little bit. He would buy them back in the ’70s and then he would fix them up because they were derelict airplanes back then. Most people let them sit outside at the tiedowns, so he would generally find them, purchase them

and clean them up, and then resell them. … Some people see it as, ‘Oh well, you’re so cool,’ or they see something about that or ‘You’re kind of a big shot because you’re on a radial engine.’ I saw it as something nostalgic, and even as a kid sitting in there it’s like that passion ran deep enough that I was like, ‘Someday I’m going to own and fly one.’ I just kept following and chasing that dream, that passion in time to get there. So it’s an attention-getter sometimes. I don’t care about the attention piece of it, but it is an attention-getter when you go places; it brings people out of FBOs or out of their hangars to come and see something like this. “ Fo r m e, I u s e d t o ow n a Cessna 190, and I sold it recently and it went over to Hamburg, Germany, so it’s flying in Germany now. Then I purchased a Cessna 195 LC126 C version, which is a military CE195 version aircraft. I’ve been restoring it. I got the paint stripped off of it and recently learned that it was a U.S. Army aircraft with the number 17007, so underneath the wing it had a 007 so it’s a double-o-seven plane. I can’t wait to get it back into the air. “As for the Cessna 195 anniversary and 195 Club gathering, I feel more like a worker bee and am more comfortable in that role, not as part of a Cessna 195 Club co-host. Thank God I had Rose Pelton here because she’s been kind of the backbone to this whole 47th annual convention here at Stearman Field — we couldn’t have done this without her. We have been blessed with great weather, great-looking airplanes, but best of all we gather as friends, stewards, and caretakers of these old treasures. It really doesn’t get any better than that.”

Ashley Susan Atkinson Ha i l i n g f ro m Fo r t Wo r t h , Texas, Ashley Susan Atkinson literally grew up in the back seat of a Cessna 195, well before she even learned how to walk. “At six months old, my dad, Pat Atkinson, brought me out to the airport in my car seat and put me in the back of the family Cessna 195,” Ashley said. “He had me ready to go, and he had me hooked. So growing up from there, it was daddy-daughter weekends at the airport. I remember doing homework sitting in the back seat or going on a family weekend somewhere, or I’d be up in the front with him trying to fly. I think the love of flying was just always there. I always enjoyed going to the airport with him. My grandfather flew in the war and my dad’s just a hobbyist, but at 16, I expressed interest in learning to fly, and he said, ‘Great. We’ll get you in a tailwheel airplane.’ So he bought a J-3 Cub, and I first soloed in the J-3 and have flown all over the country in that little airplane. … Currently, I am an in-

structor SIC, and I fly with our clients as a contract pilot and I also work at FlightSafety [International] when they don’t have a training partner. I’m in the Falcon 20 and the Falcon 900 EX. “But the real fun in flying is in the Cessna 195s. Our family is on our third 195. My dad likes to say that you buy a new car model every time you purchase, and he started with a ’47, he bought a ’49, and now he’s got a ’54 model. Stepping from a Falcon to a 195 there is a little bit of difference. I like to joke that they’re both in the vintage world, and I kind of went to the vintage jet world with the Falcon 220. But the Cessna 195 is a great airplane: It handles really well. It’s like a big bus. It will take you and your family and all your things anywhere, and it’s a very stable platform. It’s a great vintage airplane. It’s got kind of a look and feel that’s different than today’s aircraft, but it’s one that we definitely all love. … This Cessna 195 group, we’re a very different group, but we all love our Cessna 195s. It is definitely our 195 family, is what we call it.” www.vintageaircraft.org

TYSON RININGER

Jack J. and Rose Pelton Jack Pelton refers to his wife, Rose, as the “brains and beauty” in his life. Rose was not only the co-host of the Cessna 195 Club’s 47th annual fly-in, but more importantly, according to Jack, Rose unselfishly allows Jack to pursue his aviation passions. “Without the love and understanding of a supportive spouse, there would be no way I could immerse myself in aviation,” said Jack, who is EAA CEO and chairman of the board. “Rose is a pilot herself and knows a lot about the business end and fun side of aviation and is so organized with everything she touches that she runs circles around me. I have learned just to step back, stay out of her way, and watch the magic happen. This year’s convention for the 190/195 Club is a unique milestone in that they’re coming home to Wichita, where the airplanes were built, for the 70th anniversary of what was a very successful product in the 26

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Cessna product line. We are a very unique family of owners who really have a strong bond and strong community. We have them coming into Stearman Field and visiting the home of the airplane’s beginning, so this has really been a lot of fun. I’ve had my 195 since 2006, and you look down the road of the guys who were really active in the club that were the pioneers, got us all educated on the airplanes, how to fly them, how to maintain them. … A lot of them have either gone west or retired and are no longer involved in aviation. And it’s fun to see those planes and a new crop of people seeing the same kind of responsibility we have as 195 owners to help the rest of them along their journey with airplane ownership. “My 195 has a really unique history that’s personal to me. It was the second to last [195] built, and it was owned by Duane Wallace who was Clyde Cessna’s nephew that ran Cessna Aircraft

as the CEO and chairman from back in the ’30s and ’40s all the way up until 1975 when he retired. The airplane was his labor of love. He passed away in the ’80s, and it sat in the [Mid-America Air Museum in Liberal] for about 17 years. His widow, Velma Wallace, who Rose and I became very good friends with, wanted to get rid of his collection. She was heading into her 90s and wanted to make sure it went to a good home. … We bought it and got it back into good flying condition, and so it has a great personal heritage to it, with Duane and my relationship of being at Cessna and then also for the Cessna company it has a great relationship of kind of maintaining that legacy and history of a really strong aviation company. “You know, you feel when you own an airplane like this, there’s an enormous responsibility, as I keep telling my family. … This airplane probably will not get passed on to them in that it needs to go either back to Cessna or to a museum or somewhere, so you’re very careful with it. You want to keep it original; you want to take good care of it. You know everywhere you go that people who know about Duane and the airplane, they’re also looking at you to make sure that you’re maintaining his legacy. So that’s a responsibility that I truly enjoy. But the one thing it has that probably more so, at least in my humble opinion, [than] all the Cessna products, when you land somewhere, you get even people in the control tower saying, ‘Wow, that’s a beautiful airplane. What is that?’ If they don’t know. It’s certainly an attention-getter with its kind of art deco style to it. There is nothing prettier out there than a Cessna 195.”

www.vintageaircraft.org

Aubie Pearman Don’t let the title of International Cessna 195 Club chairman and president fool you. Let me be the first to warn you — that jumbled set of letters attached to this mountain of a man with a youthful head of hair, southern drawl, and infectious smile belongs to the one and only, and thank God there’s only one, Aubie Pearman, who can speak anything aviation, and can lure you into the Cessna 195 world faster than a cat on a razor blade. “Well, now I have to be honest with you, the Cessna 195 Club is a very interesting group that is unlike any other that I know of or associated with. Or should I say, those that allow me to associate with them,” Aubie said tongue in cheek. “I’ve been flying since 1988 and got involved through a friend of my father. Aviation has been a gateway for me ever since I took that first ride in a Piper Cub. Funny how things come full circle because my teenage son now has that same Cub as a project airplane. “Probably the most powerful part of the 195 is its look, because 70 years after it was built … you still have men and women who 28

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in all facets of their life are methodical, they’re deliberate, and everything that they do in their life follows a measured path, but this airplane has the ability to draw them in and plant a hook on them that will make them cast all of their reserve or deliberateness or ... it’ll make them throw all of their inhibitions to the side, and they say, ‘I’ve got to have it now. I want it now!’ “I’ve never seen an airplane that’ll do that, and I’ve seen that story play out time and time again, sometimes not to their benefit, depending on the … airplane, I’m sure. When I bought my first Cessna 195, I had done quite a bit of research and had good guidance, so I knew what I was getting into. Since that time I have owned several of them and several of my nonairplane friends, after seeing the old airplanes, say, ‘You pilots are just all about the noise.’ But it’s more than that. It’s the noise, it’s the smell, and it’s the feel. It’s like the Beaumont Hotel where we all went on our fly-out. I mean, it’s a little bit like reliving the glory of yesterday. And all of that happens in the blink of an eye when you’re at the controls of a Cessna 195.”

Darren Butcher Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, Darren Butcher and his lovely wife, Teja, exemplify how the Cessna 190/195 community is really about family and sharing the love of these old airplanes. “I believe the Cessna 195 is a hobbyist airplane,” Darren said. “[It’s] an airplane that you have to take care of versus one that’s turnkey. It’s not a point A to point B type airplane. It makes you build character with the airplane by working on it. You kind of get a passion for it. It’s also an airplane that you’re going to bring a lot of communication between other pilots. They come up and talk to you and, I think, if you flew a regular Cirrus or a Bonanza, you wouldn’t get … the camaraderie with the group of pilots that you will see. “I got involved from a friend that had a 195. … I wanted an antique airplane that I could travel with and still carry the family around and still have somewhat of a decent IFR platform. When I first went and looked at the airplane, I looked at approximately 13 airplanes before I bought one. I had cash in hand, ready to buy, was looking hard for them. This

airplane in the ’70s was kind of the red-haired stepchild, and they got pushed to the back of the line, pushed outside on the grass, and not taken care of. This was during the heyday of the Bonanza age and the tricycle gear, and the whole conventional gear … kind of fell off the wayside. So a lot of them that were for sale were hangar queens … the passion wasn’t with the owner. “I looked at several of them. Then it started becoming, ‘Do I just go ahead and restore one?’ I had a gentleman call me in Chicago that says come look at mine. It needs to be finished. It needs some stuff done to it. It had a new engine on it, and it had new paint. I got up there, and I saw the military [scheme] … I wasn’t interested in the military when he sent me pictures. After I got up there and looked at the airplane and saw how it … really looked, it was authentic … not just somebody wanting to be a warbird lookalike. This is the Cessna version of the LC126. It’s also famous known as the 195 Businessliner. The military purchased these and used them for light cargo and search and rescue. “This particular one had military history and was in the service for about four to five years. It was built in ’52. This is a C model. It’s called the LC126 C, which … was the light cargo … and the C stands for … a big cargo pod that they used in the stretcher versions. It has a larger cargo door. I purchased it from a United Airlines guy that was restoring it. It was crashed. They’re well-known for … their ground loop characteristics. The gearbox was tore up. They re-skinned the entire fuselage and purchased some wings later on down the road. It was about a 10-year project. During the process he either A, got burned out with it or B, ran out of money. It’s usually one of the two or maybe both. “I purchased the airplane, finished it up with some details that I … like. One, the wheelpants were never military versions, but they’re very authentic to the 195 that I personally like. I’m just putting my personal touches on it. I did a full modern-day panel, which gives me the accessibility to travel in the airplane and be IFR equipped. I don’t necessarily fly high IFR, but it allows me to do some longer cross-countries. It’s a beautiful flying cross-country airplane. I would not give it a high ranking for the IFR characteristics of it. It’s got a very straight wing so the roll and pitch are not uniform with the two. Going from a Cirrus, Columbia, or a Bonanza, it’s not as stable as I would like it. It [takes] a real IFR pilot to … fly it. Autopilot is a good feature to have in the airplane.

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“Everybody tries to nickname their airplanes, and the warbird community also has their nicknames. I have a little 7-year-old girl. She’s blue-eyed and blonde hair, and we’ve been calling her Sassy since she’s been little. I’ve got 1,000 hours in this airplane 30

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alone; it definitely wants to talk to you and lets you know who’s boss. As I’m turning off the runaway and my feet were working hard, I said, ‘This thing is sassy.’ The wife said, ‘That kind of sticks,’ and so therefore we made a little stencil, and we put Sassy

on the side of it. “As a pilot, I consider my airplane a family member, and that sounds weird to a nonpilot person, but anybody that has a passion and love for the Cessna 190/195s realizes that they are part of the family.”

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The flying farmer’s family Champ by Sparky Barnes Sargent

Thomas Anderson of Tennessee could have been the poster boy for the Aeronca Aircraft Corporation in the late 1940s, if they’d only known about him. But the locals in the small community of Cloverport did know and heralded him as their very own flying farmer on the cover of the 34

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August 8, 1948, issue of Tennessean Magazine. Thomas embodied the company’s advertising for the Champ: “Aeronca Ups Farm Income! Case histories show how flying farmers cover wider territories — Supervise more acreage — Thus increasing farm production and earnings!”

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Thomas and Martha Anderson were married in 1938 and started what was to become a successful 325-acre farming operation near Toone, Tennessee. In 1941, they were selected from a large pool of applicants and formally

Thomas and Martha Anderson with their Champ and farm truck in front of their home.

Thomas made the cover of The Nashville Tennessean Magazine in 1948. (Original cover photo by Don Cravens.)

Flying honored for their achievements with a prize of $500 and a silverplated water pitcher. The award was presented during the Plant to Prosper banquet at Peabody Hotel in Memphis. Heartened by the recognition, and with an eye to future prosperity, the Andersons continued with their cotton and seed crops to tide them over until their apple and peach orchards

began bearing fruit. Ultimately, Thomas reasoned, the fruit business justified his acquisition of a new 1946 Aeronca 7AC Champ. He had been longing, perhaps not so secretly, to have his own airplane and was able to convince Martha that it would expedite business matters. By that time, the Andersons already had a daughter, Carolyn,

and in March 1946, they welcomed a son, Tom Jr. That summer, Thomas and Martha bought NC83757, and thus began a lifelong saga — for the airplane, the farm, and the family. Both the fruit farm and the Champ have stayed in the Anderson family for decades. Young Tommy grew into a strapping young man with a yen for flying, and he — like his older sister, mother, and cousin — learned to fly in the family Champ. The Anderson flying farmer history is still treasured by local county historians. “We were honored that a photo of my parents, with their Champ and Anderson Fruit Farms truck in front of their farmhouse, was selected for a Hardeman County history book a few years ago,” Tom said in his genteel southern accent.

Back in the ’40s

Interestingly, the Champ came out of the factory at Middletown, Ohio, with a small anomaly that was noted on an Aeronca engineering deviation form. The www.vintageaircraft.org

amp. , and the Ch n ly ro Ca r, te their daugh artha with M d n a s a Thom Below: The Ch plane – no amp was a working te the bush el in the she d behind th baskets e airplane .

Thomas prepares to fly some bushel baskets of fruit to his roadside market. 36

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oversize hole in the left-hand rear fuselage wing attachment fitting was resolved by installing and welding a square tube liner in place, which was then drilled and reamed to the correct size. The statement of conformity noted the deviation, and was signed by chief engineer Ray Hermes on May 17, 1946. A stamp in the engine log shows that the A65-8 was manufactured by Continental Motors at its plant in Detroit, Michigan. P i l o t H . J. Ro s i n g m a d e a 30-minute flight that day in May and stamped the logbook “Flight Test O.K.” W.K. Norman then made a five-hour ferry flight on May 21, and two more flights the next day, likely delivering it to Tennessee. The application for an airworthiness certificate was made by Franklin N. Knapp, dba Knapp Sales & Service, at Outlaw Field in Clarksville, Tennessee. A few days later, it was purchased by J.F. Hassell and H.E. Patrick of Clifton. As the story goes, soon thereafter the Aeronca 7AC Champ was flown over to the farm pasture, where Thomas bought it on the spot. Thomas had already started his flying lessons (on a rather sporadic basis) in December 1944, flying a Piper J-3 Cub (NC29082) at Jackson, Tennessee. After logging a total of six hours, he soloed the Cub on January 10, 1946. He had about 26 hours under his belt when he bought the Aeronca and began flying it on a regular basis from his home in Cloverport that summer. “My mother also learned to fly,” Tom said. “She soloed the Champ and flew with my father, but she never did get her [certificate]. They kept the airplane in an open-front storage shed on the farm. They mounted a windsock on the shed, using an old Model

A spindle and hub so the sock would swivel easily in the wind.” The Andersons flew the Champ from an improvised 1,300-foot pasture strip (with trees at one end) situated behind their neatas-a-pin white farmhouse.

Fruitful Flying

Thomas logged many flights to nearby Whiteville and Jackson, and spent many hours flying over his orchards as well, which were divided between Cloverport and Whiteville. Just to give a feel for the size of Anderson Fruit Farms’ yield from their 60 orchard acres in the late 1940s, they harvested around 10,000 bushels of Turley Winesap, Golden Delicious, and Red Delicious apples in autumn, and around 3,000 bushels (or more) of Golden Jubilee, J.H. Hale, and Elberta peaches in the spring. He established a roadside market on Highway 64 for local fruit sales and built it to match his farmhouse with its four white columns. The market was only 15 miles, by air, from the orchard. Keeping the market stocked with inventory was an easy and pleasant task. Time and time again, Thomas loaded up bushel baskets of fresh peaches and apples and flew them to the market in the Champ ( just imagine the fragrant, fruity scent in the cabin!). Since telephones were few and far between, a large square of roofing material on the nearby landing field (pasture) signaled the market’s need for a day’s supply of fruit. Two squares indicated a two-day supply, and the absence of a square meant they had enough fresh fruit on hand.

Aviation Advocate

At 34, Thomas became not only an anomaly in his community as a flying farmer, but also a

Tom Anderson Jr. with his sister, Carolyn, and the Champ in 2017.

convincing advocate for general aviation. He felt that aerial operations saved him time, and were economical to boot. Tom shared several anecdotal stories. “Back then they didn’t have a telephone,” Tom said. “The closest one was 7 miles away at a little town called Toone, which was the mailing address they used, and Daddy would fly there to use the telephone to do wholesaling of his fruit. He would also fly to the Jackson airport to get parts for his farming equipment, and chemicals and other supplies. He’d have those things brought in to the airport by taxi cab, and load them into the airplane and fly back to our house.” Thomas was quoted in the Tennessean Magazine as saying, “Ninety percent of the people would like to fly, but they think they can’t afford a plane. Well, I can go to Nashville for $1.75, and you can’t drive a car that distance for that little.”

He also good-naturedly introduced many of his neighbors to the sky, giving them a bird’s-eye view of the farming neighborhood. On one occasion, he took a neighbor aloft to help search for his cows, which had been marooned by floodwaters. The man, who had been a staunch naysayer when it came to flying, changed his tune when they easily located the cattle. Even a local preacher found divine inspiration in the sky, thanks to Thomas’ presence in the community, and he not only learned to fly but also bought his own airplane so he could fly to nearby Mississippi and preach to his congregation there.

Buzzing Like a Bee

As one who loved the freedom of flying, Thomas enjoyed flying low to the ground on occasion. “My father loved to check on the pickers in the orchard from the air, and sometimes look for www.vintageaircraft.org

Tom, all grown up, in the Champ, 2017. Above: Young “Tommy” and his father in the Champ, circa 1950.

bushel baskets which had been left between the rows of trees,” Tom said shaking his head. “So he decided to fly the Aeronca and buzz the orchard one day, but he didn’t think about the fact that there was a power line that went right through the middle of the orchard. All of a sudden he caught the power line and luckily it broke, but when it did, it whipped around the left gear. He survived, but when he came back he said, ‘I felt like I was a bumble bee flying around with one of my legs tied on a string.’ All he could think to do was to give it full power and pull back on the stick, and then that cable snapped loose. He was able to land with it wrapped around the wheel. I’ve got a picture of me holding that cable, and I still have it hanging up in my hangar. It’s my reminder not to do any buzzing!”

Bumps, Bruises, and TLC

Speaking of incidents, the Champ was a working airplane, and as such, it had the seemingly inevitable bumps and bruises while on the job. Tom recalled the first such occasion.

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“My father finally admitted to me that he ground looped it in a pasture one time, rather than go through a fence,” he said. “That damaged the right wing, aileron, and the rudder. All of that was repaired with factory replacement parts in [July 1947].” Airworthiness records reveal another repair using factory replacement parts in August 1948, which included some extensive wing work and re-covering with Grade A fabric and 11 coats of dope. Then the original Sensenich 72C-42 wood prop (which Tom still has) was removed in late December 1960. A Sensenich M74CK46 metal prop was installed, which bumped the Champ’s empty weight up from 750 pounds to 761 pounds. The Champ had a bit more tender loving care in September 1970 when the old Grade A fabric was removed. The airframe was cleaned and inspected, and all the worn or damaged parts were replaced. The airplane was re-covered with Ceconite fabric, finished with dope, and the Plexiglas windows and windshield were replaced. Once again

in January 1987, the old Ceconite was removed, and the metal was cleaned and primed with Randolph epoxy prior to re-covering with the Stits Poly-Fiber process.

Flying Andersons

Tom’s sister, Carolyn, soloed the Champ in 1968, and passed her checkride in the family’s 1966 Cessna Skylane. Tom said that after Carolyn received her private certificate, she decided to fly the Aeronca on a solo adventure to Destin, Florida. In preparation for the cross-country flight, she bought all the sectional charts she thought she needed, opting not to buy one particular chart since she’d only be flying across a small section of it. She took off, flying with her finger on the chart and following her heading, until she reached the area of Monroeville, Alabama — precisely the area depicted on the chart she didn’t buy. The clouds were getting lower, so Carolyn kept descending — and then she couldn’t find landmarks to guide her. Without a radio, she felt her best option to figure out where she was, was to land at the only airport she saw. Doing so, she

This Aeronca has served the Anderson family well through the years.

walked confidently from the ramp into the airport office and asked for a local phonebook, never admitting to being lost. Seeing the name of the town on the cover, she was soon on her way again. Though Tom’s father wasn’t a flight instructor, Thomas naturally felt inclined to thoroughly acquaint his children with flying tips and techniques. “My father taught me to fly when I was about 15, and I learned to fly from the rear seat of the Aeronca,” Tom said. “I remember looking out the side, and my father would say things like, ‘Give it a little throttle, come back on the stick, push forward on the stick, now give it less throttle,’ and most importantly, he’d say, ‘Feel the stick, feel the stick!’ He also taught me how to put it in a spin and how to recover from a spin. Our strip was short and it had four pecan trees at the end of the field, so he taught me to sideslip the airplane when I landed so I could drop in right over those trees. He taught me to look outside and watch the attitude of the plane.” Tom also had formal flight instruction with an instructor at a nearby airport in Bolivar. But

he especially remembers the excitement of his first solo in the Champ. “One day my father said, ‘Okay, son, get in there and take it around!’ I got in the front seat — it was the first time I ever sat in the front seat — and I’ll never

forget how excited I was when I took off! Then I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve got to get it back on the ground!’ I made a pretty decent landing for my first one, and then I just took off again. Every day I couldn’t wait to go out and fly.

General Specifications for 1946 Aeronca 7AC Champ (Manufactured Under ATC 759)

Wingspan

35 feet, 1-3/4 inches

Wing area

170.22 square feet

Length

21 feet, 5-13/16 inches

Height (three-point)

7 feet

Empty weight

710 pounds

Useful load

510 pounds

Gross weight

1,220 pounds

Engine

Continental A65-8

Wing loading

7.2 pounds per square foot

Power loading

18.8 pounds per horsepower

Fuel

13 gallons

Top speed

100 mph

Cruise

90 mph

Landing speed

35 mph

Rate of climb

500 fpm

Cruising range

260 miles

Baggage capacity

20 pounds (when flying solo rear); 40 pounds (when flying solo front)

Derived from Specifications and Performance Data ATC No. 759. www.vintageaircraft.org

The Aeronca is like flying a glider to me; I was taught ‘seat of the pants’ style of flying, and that’s how I still fly.” In addition to his sister and mother, at least one more family member had the joy of soloing in NC83757 — Tom’s cousin, John V. Anderson Jr. Now 83, John recently visited with Tom and went out to the old hangar to pat the Champ on the nose and recall happy memories.

50th Birthdays

Tom and his wife, Barbara, decided to have a double 50th birthday celebration for Tom and the Champ in 1996. The threesome flew to the National Aeronca Convention in Middletown. Since Barbara wasn’t a pilot, Tom gave her a quick lesson on navigation so she could help along the way. “I taught her dead reckoning and pilotage, and gave her a stop watch and the charts,” he said. “I’d also gone to Radio Shack and bought some sound-activated radios and a little microphone.”

Barbara and Tom Anderson flew the Champ to the National Aeronca Convention in 1996 (unidentified man in middle).

Unfortunately, the Aeronca made so much noise that microphones activated constantly, and Tom and Barbara couldn’t hear each other talking. “I trashed them, and we got a Christmas paper cardboard wrapping tube,” Tom said. “I’d hold it 40

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up to my mouth to talk into it and she’d hold it to her ear, and vice versa. It worked great. Somewhere along the way, after a refueling stop, Barbara kept telling me to adjust my course, and I kept thinking, ‘Gosh, we may be totally lost, and I’m depending on her.’ So I asked her where she thought we were, and she told me the name of a town. I asked how she knew that, and she said, ‘There’s a railroad track down there.’ I thought, ‘Oh gosh, there are so many railroad tracks in the U.S., we’re going to be lost for sure.’ Then she told me she was certain because there was a highway that crossed the tracks, and a racetrack there as well. Sure enough, we saw the name of the town on a building’s flat roof, and we were right on course!”

Sipping Cider and Family Heritage

Like his father before him, Tom also farmed all his life right on the family farm at Cloverport. “We grew apples and peaches; then I strictly got into apples only,” Tom said. “We made apple cider until about five years ago. It was considered a gourmet apple cider because most companies use only the apples they can’t sell to make cider. We used top quality apples to make the cider with a consistent family recipe. We made about 13,000 to 15,000 gallons a year; we were just a small company.” After Thomas had flown his final flight west, Tom became the registered owner of the Champ in April 1992. “Daddy flew up until about two years before he died at age 72, and he also used to fly the Skylane we bought brand new in 1966 — but we sold that about five years ago,” he said. Tom doesn’t imagine he’ll eve r s e l l t h e C h a m p, w h i c h he’s kept hangared at the farm.

Tom admires a precise mo del of the family Ch amp.

“It’s been about 10 years since it was flown, so I’ve been calling [Aeronca guru] Bill Pancake recently about all the different things I’m doing to it to get it back in shape,” he said. “For example, I sent the Stromberg carburetor to Oklahoma and they completely rebuilt it, and a rebuilt primer has been installed. I also have new Slick mags to replace the old Bendix mags.” The family’s farm strip (TN37) has also been improved over the years. “The airstrip is currently 2,250 feet long and 60 feet wide, with good approaches. The pecan trees are gone from one end of the strip,” Tom said. “But it’s best to approach from the north.” Then, tenderly unfolding a timeworn yellowed paper, Tom smiled and said, “This is in my daddy’s handwriting; he gave $2,473.50 for NC83757 just a few months after I was born in 1946. I still have the shirttail from my first solo, and it’s time now to get the Champ flying again. I’d like for Barbara to learn to fly in it, and I have two grandchildren who love airplanes. Besides, I love preserving history — like these original brochures that my daddy first showed me, and the other old aircraft documents. I just hope I can leave it to somebody who will take care of it.” We hope so as well, Tom.

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The Gathering of a Twin Bonanzas at AirVenture 2017

You don’t even have to turn your head to know when a Beech Twin Bonanza is on takeoff. The straight exhausts on its geared, six-cylinder Lycomings barking through 6-inch augmentor tubes is a unique sound in aviation. It is a lovely kind of music that is seldom heard any more. That’s one of many reasons it pleased so many people to see no less than five Twin Bos on the field at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017. Many EAAers had never heard the sound nor seen the distinctive outline. A Beechcraft Model 50 Twin Bonanza is not a slightly modified Bonanza regardless of its misleading name. Yes, in theory, if you split a Bonanza lengthwise and add a foot or so down the middle you’d get an approximation of the Twin Bo, but that’s not the way airplanes are designed. 42

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Except for a few pieces here and there, like the windows and overwing door assembly, the two are essentially unrelated. Second, the big old bird may well be one of the least-known aircraft of Beechcraft’s entire history even though nearly 1,000 were built. Sources vary but production was approximately 779 civilian versions and 218 military versions as the L -23/U-8D Seminole. But the Twin Bo’s time in history was fairly short, and survivors have been relatively few. In truth, its success led to its own demise because the airframe gave birth to the Queen Air and then the King Air, which quickly dominated the Twin Bonanza’s market niche.

Elegant Survivors

“We estimate there are around 80-100 of the aircraft still flying

worldwide and another 50 or so that could be saved, if someone had the desire and resources to do so,” said Bill Schutzler, a Twin Bonanza owner based in Applegate, Michigan. “You don’t see many of them these days for a number of reasons. First, the Twin Bo is a big airplane, and hangar space becomes an issue. As do the costs. Parts are not hard to find — with the exception of crankshafts for the normally aspirated engines, there are lots of new old-stock parts, both civilian and military, to keep these airplanes alive — and with a little shopping around you can find some real bargains. “That having been said, the Twin Bonanza is the most underrated GA medium-size twin value in today’s market. There, I said it! It was affectionately known as ‘The box the Baron came in.’”

Little-Known Clan LYLE JANSMA

by Budd Davisson

Bill said engine overhauls are not much more difficult than other engines of similar size and horsepower, but the gearboxes increase the cost. “Unfortunately, many people who really don’t know what they are talking about when speaking poorly about geared engines … has had a big effect on their survival rate,” he said. “The engines scared people away from them. These geared engines are practically bulletproof if they are operated and maintained properly. The Twin Bonanza’s magnesium control surfaces can also be a problem, if corroded, which many are. All of the older Bonanzas, Barons, Travel Airs, Debonairs, and T-34 airplanes had magnesium flight controls. Most of these models have an option now for aluminum replacements. SRS in Minnesota is

working on getting approval for aluminum ailerons and elevators for the Twin Bonanza, but for now, magnesium replacements are terribly expensive.” Knowing all of the above, those who had their “T-Bones” at AirVenture were wildly enthusiastic about the airplanes.

What’s Better Than a Twin Bonanza? Two Twin Bonanzas!

“Just look at the thing; how could you not want one? When we were considering buying an airplane, we were walking around Oshkosh 2016 and spent some time in T-Bone alley,” said Brad Gardner, owner of a 1954 Beech B50, N633F. “Walking back from there, we happened on some Travel Airs and Twin Comanches. I pointed those out to my wife and said, ‘We should look at one of those. They make

more sense than a Twin Bo nanza.’ Her response was, ‘Yeah, but those are so boring.’ That was all I needed to hear. I had my marching orders. A couple months later, N633F appeared for sale, and we put the wheels in motion. The ‘cool factor’ had won us both over.” Of the five T-Bone owners at AirVenture 2017, about half have owned, or currently own, two or more Twin Bos. One of these owners was Chris White. “We recently sold N261B to pursue a ‘barn find’ D50E Twin Bonanza from Arizona,” he said. “This T-Bone has been owned by the same folks for the last 33 years, but they have not flown her since 2010. We got her in annual and just recently flew her nearly 1,700 nm back to Ohio! She flew great, and we’re looking forward to bringing her up to perfect!” www.vintageaircraft.org

Wes and Cynthia Norton, 1962 D-50E, are TwinBoaholics: They have three!

JACK FLEETWOOD PHOTOS

LYLE JANSMA PHOTOS

Bill Schutzler had his 1961D50E at AV17, but rescued another from Germany for restoration.

The original flight deck was a single, three-place bench seat. Boarding was via over-wing door. When separate front seats were introduced, the right seat slid left to align with a second set of rudders when the yoke was swung over.

In 1960 the rear air stair door was introduced, and in 1961 the swing-over control yoke was replaced by separate yokes.

Or Three Twin Bonanzas

Wes Norton of Ashland, Oregon, approached the Twin Bonanza in a more businesslike manner and with a deeper avia44

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tion background than many. “Both of my parents and two of my brothers were pilots, and we flew everywhere,” he said. “We all flew for pleasure and passion.

Brad and Allison Gardner, 1954 BE50. Allison cast the deciding vote.

It was a love affair that continues to this day. My wife and I owned a ’64 Bonanza when she became pregnant with our first daughter, and I decided we’d move up to a twin for safety. I researched the safety record of light twins, and the Twin Bonanza, with its double floor and crunchable nose, had the best survival rating of any twin.” So, Wes and his wife found their first Twin Bonanza, a 1960 D50C model. “I rebuilt the engines on that one,” Wes said. “We now have a D50E that’s in my hangar, and I’m trying to find time to work on it, but we fly our current D50E almost constantly. In 2003, we did a complete restoration on the airplane, including engines, props, avionics, paint, and interior. Over the years we went on ski trips, we went on vacations in it. One of my daughters learned to fly in it. I use it for business. It is like the family Suburban and is an integral part of our life. My wife, Cynthia, loves it and gives me her full support on the projects, which is a good thing, as we will have three Twin Bonanzas here in the next few months.”

Getting a Second T-Bone the Hard Way

Bill is also a multi-T-Bone owner. He climbed the ladder into an airline seat, but a long string of vintage general avia-

Chris and Laura White have sold their 1957 D50 and are rebuilding a “barn find” Twin Bo.

tion airplanes, including Stinsons and a Cessna 195, followed him through his career. “I kept coming back to the Twin Bonanza because it could get me and my family from lower Michigan to Florida nonstop, had a high g-load allowance, and reasonable single-engine performance,” he said. “A longtime Twin Bonanza owner Sye Royce told me, ‘If you want to go fast, get a Baron, Duke, or Cessna 310, but if you want a plane that will do everything else well, get a Twin Bonanza.’ And he was right. The Twin Bonanza will haul the load and go the distance.” Bill said he had trouble finding someone to do inspections on the Twin Bo and decided to get certified as an A&P mechanic so he could do the work himself. He got his A&P certificate in 1998 and inspection authorization in 2005. “I had been flying my original Twin Bo, when, in 1998, a Twin Bonanza friend, Gregg Cadieux, kept telling me about a Twin Bo in Germany that he had been trying to sell and was at the point of parting it out,” Bill said. “I took a trip to Germany to do a little prebuy inspection. I decided it was too nice to part out and estimated that in three days I could have it in shape to ferry back to the U.S. It had been parked outside for about eight years, and I eventually found it needed the boots

Greg and Kim Spatz and their 1960 D50C with Excalibur modifications.

CRAIG VAN DER KOLK PHOTOS

Glass or steam gauges, the Twin Bonanza panel has acres of room to accommodate either.

removed, both ailerons, both elevators, two cylinders, one gearbox, one set of prop blade clamps, hoses, fuel pumps, vacuum pump, and all the radios, as they had already been sold but the

trays were still there. Fortunately, there was no corrosion as Twin Bonanzas came from the factory zinc chromated throughout.” Six trips, 30 days of work, many new parts, and an annual www.vintageaircraft.org

CHRIS MILLER

JACK FLEETWOOD

Modified and Utilized

inspection later, the Twin Bo was ready to fly to the United States in April 1999. “I hired a professional ferry pilot, and nine stops and 27 hours of flying later, N555BT was back at our home,” Bill said. “In 2012, I overhauled both engines myself other than the gearboxes, which Columbia Aircraft overhauled for me. It has been a flying project ever since. It was down for about a year with the engine overhauls and the instal46

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lation of the Bendix fuel injection, which was one of the best improvements that I made. It is the only naturally aspirated Twin Bonanza flying with that conversion. The fuel burn at cruise went from 26 gallons per hour to 20 gallons total fuel burn at 155 knots true airspeed. With the 180 total gallons that gives me a seven-hour fuel range with a 45-minute reserve. The typical Twin Bo has about a 1,650 [pound] useful load.”

Greg Spatz of Pompano Beach, Florida, had one of the more unusual Twin Bonanzas at AirVenture 2017 in that it featured some Excalibur modifications. In the 1950s-1960s, aircraft modifier extraordinaire Ed Swearingen saw the airframe as worthy of being upgraded both aerodynamically and structurally. Besides streamlining mods, he included an airstair door in the aft fuselage, which later Beech-produced TBones had as standard equipment. The full Excalibur conversion included replacing the airplane’s GO-480s with 400-hp, eight-cylinder Lycoming IO-720s. “I believe the mods on mine were done some time in the 1990s, but I’m not sure,” Greg said. “It has a sloped windshield, enclosed gear doors, and an extended nose. It also has the wingtip extensions, which improves single-engine performance and

CRAIG VAN DER KOLK

lowers stall speed.” Greg is unique among most Twin Bo owners in that he had known, and loved, the airplane almost since he first started learning to fly. “My first job out of flight school was teaching a construction company owner how to fly a Twin Bonanza in Michigan. So, I recognized what a great airplane it was,” he said. “Instructing in an airplane lets you really appreciate the limits of its performance. Twin Bonanzas fly better than most on one engine, and it is an affordable cabin class twin. Now, this aircraft is considered to be a vintage airplane, which makes it both useful and unique.” Greg said when he started looking for a personal airplane, he automatically thought of the Twin Bonanza. “It’s a joy to fly, climbs at 1,500 feet per minute, and is stable,” he said. “It’ll give a solid 160 knots at 28 gallons per hour. When I bought N811AC, the aircraft had old paint, interior, and radios. So, I upgraded all of that. I flew the aircraft for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary for three years in the Caribbean. That included 30 missions at 500-1,000 feet over the ocean, so it started to get corrosion from the salt air, which

forced me to strip and repaint the airplane again. Fortunately, most parts are fairly easy to get because of the military surplus, but you have to look around to get the best price.”

Liking Its Military Lineage

The Twin Bo is undeniably “different” when compared to

most light twins of the 1950s, but that difference was seen in varying ways by those who had their airplanes at AirVenture 2017. Chris, a police detective sergeant from Granville, Ohio, saw the airplane in a different light and found a variety of uses for it. “Because of my interest in military aviation, I loved the idea of owning a vintage plane that had served in both Korea and Vietnam,” he said. “It didn’t hurt that you just don’t see many of these around anymore. It brings people out wherever we go. Twin Bo owners like to say that you have to factor in 30 minutes before and after every flight for talking to admirers. Before buying one, I saw a YouTube video from the cockpit of a Twin Bonanza as it took off at night. Holy cow — that sound! The Twin Bo engine sound sealed the deal for me. It was like a World

www.vintageaircraft.org

CRAIG VAN DER KOLK PHOTOS

Most flying Twin Bonanzas now have three-blade, rather than the original two-blade, props.

The beefy gear is happy on unimproved runways, which was part of the original military mission.

The original Lycomings used were 435 cubic inches but were quickly upgraded to 480 cubic inches. All were geared.

The air-stair door replaced the Bonanza over-the-wing door in 1960. 48

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War II bomber to me.” In addition to family travel, Chris has made it a point to use the Twin Bo for Veterans Airlift Command flights. “Those flights are very rewarding,” he said. “The Twin Bonanza is perfect for those because they are so big, comfortable, and easy to get in and out of. I’ve flown probably a dozen VAC flights since 2010. One of my VAC flights was to transport the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945 — Hershel “Woody” Williams, U.S. Marine Corps. What an honor! Since then, I’ve become the GA coordinator for [the Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation], and fly him frequently around our region supporting his projects. Woody loves the Twin Bonanza.” Chris’ airplane, N261B (then N33JJ), spent some time abandoned on a mountaintop airport in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. “There’s even a Google Earth photo showing her sitting there,”

The seating space is huge. One of the variations even had a couch going fore and aft on the left side. The air-stair door split the seating into three pairs of seats with an aisle.

he said. “Gregg Cadieux from Schenectady, New York, who has restored a number of Twin Bos, deserves credit for the restoration, except for the paint scheme. He rescued her from the mountaintop, got her flying, fixed all the weak spots in the airframe (like the heavy-duty landing gear brackets, etc.), seriously cleaned up the panel, and redid the interior. He did a great job. “My wife, Laura, is very supportive. She enjoys the people we meet at fly-ins, and says my flying buddies and their families ‘are my friends, too!’ Awesome!”

in front of the center passenger who had their own set of rudder pedals but no instruments. The right seat was passenger only. In 1956, a rear seat option was made available that had a threepassenger couch down the left side wall with a single seat in front of it, thereby increasing the

passenger load to seven. Throughout the years, a wide variation of seating combinations was available, including two front seats separated by an aisle, but the “copilot’s” seat had to be slid sideways to the left to align with the second set of rudder pedals and the throw-over wheel.

Twin Bos Through the Years

During the Twin Bonanza’s roughly 11 years of production, it saw more than the usual number of upgrades and visible changes. Also, it had some seating arrangements that weren’t seen in most other airplanes.

Seating

As originally designed, the Model 50 Beechcraft seated its six passengers in two threeacross bench seats. This included the front seat having the pilot on the far left with a throw-over control wheel that, when swung over to its far-right position, was www.vintageaircraft.org

It’s a mini airliner with a very sexy sound. CHRIS MILLER

Cabin Access Changes

Until 1960, the cabin was entered via the same over-the-wing door assembly that the singleengine Bonanzas used. Then, that door was eliminated and a swing-down door, the air-stair door, was introduced. This was mounted behind the right wing and hinged down toward the ground with steps integrated into its inner surface, giving direct access to the back of the cabin. At that point, the seating became three pairs of seats separated by an aisle. The right front seat still had to be slid left to line up with the second set of rudder pedals and the throw-over wheel. In 1961, the instrument panel and control systems were redesigned to incorporate separate control yokes and rudders for both pilot positions, and the flight deck took on a true dualcontrol, modern arrangement. Combined with the air-stair door

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and aisle down the center of the cabin, the airplane became a true cabin-class twin.

Engines on the Move

The wonderful noise that Twin Bos make on takeoff all starts within the bowels of 480 cubicinch, six-cylinder Lycomings (except for the original 50 and B50 models, made until 1954, which used 435 cubic-inch Lycomings). The exhaust augmentors help with the tone and are designed to help suck cooling air through the nacelles. The rhythm all spectators enjoy, however, comes from the fact that they are geared, so the engines are turning higher rpm than the props. We’re so used to prop noise being the same rpm as the engine noise that that the sound is different. “I love the very distinctive sound of the engines on the Twin Bonanza, as do many others, with many positive comments on the

geared Lycomings,” Twin Bonanza owner Bill Schutzler said. “They have a gear ratio of 77-to120, so it is turning 3400 rpm on takeoff, but the prop is turning at 2182. In normal cruise the engines are turning 2600 rpm and the props only 1668 rpm, one of many reasons it is so quiet inside.” In the beginning, the GO 435s cranked out only 260 hp. After 1954, the new GO -480s were cranking out 275 hp, but by 1956, that was increased to 295. The next year, Lycoming introduced the fuel-injected, geared, super-charged IGSO 480 A1A6 that was putting out a whopping 340 hp, but it was available only on a limited number of aircraft with the 295 hp versions being more common. The original aircraft also used two-blade propellers, but a good percentage of the currently flying T-Bones have been modified to use three-blade units.

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For the Fun

MARCH/APRIL 2018

of It! Applying the Midas touch to a 1965 Alon A2 Aircoupe by Sparky Barnes Sargent

The ’Coupe Couple

Jan’s wife, Paula, whose enthusiasm for aviation brings a radiant glow to her countenance, was inspired to fly by her father. He was in the Air Force and then became a corporate pilot in Duluth, Minnesota. “My father had some small airplanes, and one was a white Ercoupe with burgundy wings,” she said. “It had Snoopy the Red Baron painted on the fuselage, and I loved to fly with him. I took ground school in high school, but it wasn’t until after Jan and I moved to Sandpoint that I decided to make time to take flying lessons. I got my private [pilot certificate] when I was 53.” Jan, with his contagious smile and upbeat personality, is president of EAA Chapter 1441 at Sandpoint. His father was a pilot, and Jan started flying in 1988. “I had a near-death experience years ago so I decided to set a new goal every year for something I wanted to do,” Jan said. “The first year I got my [pilot certificate], then I took up golf, then I got certified for scuba. … I flew for a number of years and then took a hiatus. About 12 years after

Paula and I got married, she said, ‘Isn’t it time for you to get current again?’ So I did!” Their ’Coupe affair started back in 2006, when they found two look-alike Aircoupes for sale by one owner in Lincoln, Illinois. Both airplanes were out of annual and rather neglected. “So I just bought one airplane initially,” Jan said with a chuckle. “And then Paula asked me, ‘Why didn’t you buy them both? Is there something wrong with

the other one?’ I said, ‘No, the A&P just checked out the 1966 model, N1018S, so that’s the one I bought.’” Without hesitation, Paula suggested that Jan also buy the other one so they’d have one to work on and one to fly. That made perfect sense to Jan — or so it seemed at the time — so he went ahead and bought the second one. That way, when they finished repainting one, they could repaint the other one, and they’d ultimately have

N6557Q was once an olive-drab ramp queen, until first-time restorer Jan Lee started applying his Midas touch to it. Nine years later, this 1965 Alon A2 Aircoupe shines like gold — just like the Grand Champion Gold Lindy winner that it is.

PHOTOS COURTESY JAN LEE

N6557Q was once an olive-drab ramp queen.

his and hers Aircoupes. Jan worked alongside the A&P in Illinois for six weeks performing a thorough annual on N1018S. “Winter weather was beginning to set in by that time so we pulled the wings and tail off N6557Q, and I trailered it home while our friend Larry Whitbeck flew N1018S — we arrived in North Idaho about the same time!” Jan said.

Oh, Deer!

A previous owner had dubbed N 1 0 1 8 S D o u b l e Tro u b l e a n d N6557Q Twice as Nice — monikers that, oddly enough, would foreshadow the future of each Aircoupe. They put Paula’s plan in motion and started the process of stripping paint from N6557Q when they weren’t flying the 1966 ’Coupe. But Mother Nature abruptly disrupted their

54 MARCH/APRIL 2018

The rotisserie facilitated many tasks, including landing gear installation.

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT PHOTOS

A nifty homemade wheeled dolly doubles as a rotisserie for the stripping phase of the project.

Note the trailing link landing gear.

well-laid plans at dusk one midsummer day in 2008. Jan was performing touch-and-go landings in N1018S when, just after becoming airborne, the right wing struck a deer. The airplane veered right and hit the airport’s perimeter fence. Fortunately, Jan and Paula were able to walk away from the damaged Aircoupe (the deer wasn’t as fortunate). Naturally, they turned their full attention to the remaining ’Coupe, but before we share the rest of their story, here’s just a bit of history about Aircoupes.

Ercoupes and Aircoupes

Though Jan and Paula’s Alon Aircoupes were produced in the mid-1960s, the original aircraft design was developed in the late 1930s. Fred Weick, while working for The Engineering and Research Corporation (ERCO), designed the

two-place Ercoupe with safety and ease of operation in mind. The airplane featured a unique two-control system, with the control yoke simultaneously operating the rudders and ailerons in flight, as well as the steerable nose wheel during ground maneuvering. Thus, the Ercoupe didn’t need rudder pedals, and it was characteristically incapable of spinning. The ’Coupe acquired a lengthy manufacturing history but, for the sake of brevity, we’ll just highlight a portion. ERCO manufactured several Ercoupe models during the 1940s that were powered by the small Continentals ranging from 65 hp to 85 hp. Then, Forney Aircraft Company produced the F-l and F-1A Aircoupe in the late 1950s and early 1960s. These models were powered by the C-90 engine; other changes included the in-

COURTESY JAN LEE

The Continental from Ly-Con, still in its packing crate.

stallation of a bubble windshield and larger rear windows, as well as metal-skinned wings. In the mid-1960s, Alon Inc. manufactured the Alon A2 and A-2A Aircoupe with the C-90 engine. The Alon Aircoupe also featured a sliding canopy and a three-control system as standard or the optional two-control system. The sides of the cabin were lowered for ease of entry and exit, the instrument panel was revamped, and rams-horn control yokes were installed. According to Robert Beatty’s pilot report in the February 1965 issue of Flying magazine, Alon was founded by two former Beechcraft employees: John Allen and Lee Higdon. “They would gamble their careers, a couple of million dollars, and a syllable from each of their last names to produce the Alon Aircoupe,” Robert wrote. Finally, in the late 1960s Mooney Aircraft produced the twin-tail Aircoupe A-2A and then the M-10 Cadet, which was a single-tail version with rudder pedals.

Beyond a Paint Job

As Jan stripped paint from the airframe exterior, his mechanic, Chuck Luettgerodt (owner of Inland Aviation Specialties), be-

The Aircoupe’s clean engine room.

came a subtle taskmaster of sorts. “Chuck told me that the firewall was pretty dirty and that it was ‘only four bolts to take the engine mount off so you can clean it,’” Jan said. Those words became the catalyst for a complete restoration. Jan started delving into the everincreasing, tedious complexities of the project, methodically applying his Midas touch along the way. Chuck was there to prod him onward while Paula lent her helping hands and moral support. “Chuck designed and welded up a rotisserie to hold the fuselage, which was invaluable during the entire project,” Jan said. “Then he said, ‘You know, that interior is really dirty.’ And he handed me a quart can of solvent and a brush, saying, ‘You better start scrubbing the inside.’ I gave it at least 25 washings with solvent, aircraft stripper, and lacquer thinner to get all the adhesive coatings off the metal from former insulation and soundproofing installations. We power washed it in between each one of those scrubbings. Finally, we got it where it was absolutely bare aluminum and acid etched it. It looked brand new inside!” Then Jan spent three months

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

working on the wings and the horizontal stabilizer just to get shallow hail pockmarks out. After that, Jan said his local body shop spent five weeks making sure everything on the airplane was perfect. “They did a magnificent job,” he said.

Custom Mods

It became evident to Jan and Paula that “now was the time” to make any changes or upgrades, with appropriate FAA approvals, to the Aircoupe. “Some people do a restoration on an airplane, and they try to make it like it was originally,” Jan said. “We didn’t want to do that. We wanted it to have the features that we think a modern airplane should have. For example, we installed AmSafe shoulder harnesses, as well as an extended baggage compartment from our Mooney A-2A ‘parts plane.’ We wanted to replace the old Brittain autopilot, so Chuck worked through the FSDO and designed a simple conversion to the electronic S-TEC 30 two-axis autopilot with altitude hold. That required engineering for servo brackets and mounting, which Stevens Aerospace drew up for us.” Known problem areas on the www.vintageaircraft.org

airframe were also addressed. “Most Aircoupe cowlings are broken out around the fasteners because the original cowl doors were made from flat panels wrapped and riveted to a curved doubler,” Jan said. “So, we rolled the cowl doors and edges before riveting them to two doublers. We also put a doubler panel on the fuselage just aft of the canopy because some people like to push down on that area to pivot and reposition the airplane, and they tend to get dented right there. And we added a chromoly steel windshield reinforcement for safety in case the airplane ends up upside down.” A major modification was replacing the Aircoupe’s two 9-gallon wing tanks with two 15-gallon tanks and eliminating the original fuselage header tank. That timeconsuming task was no small feat. “It’s a Skyport STC; we had to cut the leading edge of the wing out and remove the first two inboard ribs,” Jan said. “And getting rid of the header tank freed up space be56

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hind the panel and allowed us to install a center stack of radios.”

Customized Panel

The instrument panel features a modern six-pack of instruments, along with an Electronics International digital volt/amp meter, oil pressure/temperature gauge, and tachometer. A full bank of circuit breakers is located on the right side of the panel. The switch bar was rearranged and has standard toggle switches. An S-TEC autopilot system works with an Avidyne ID540 GPS and nav/comm unit and a Garmin VOR/LOC/OBS indicator. “Chuck built an updated wiring harness system with master solenoids, junction blocks, and labeled all the wires,” Jan said. “We also replaced the old pull starter with a Sky-Tec starter, and used a Cessna-style master switch so we have an alternator master. When the aileron gust lock is inserted, it goes through the mag switch bracket and the control column, so you have to pull the gust lock

out before you can even get a mag key in the switch.” The mixture control used to be to the left of the throttle, and that created a bit of excitement when Jan first started flying the ’Coupe. “One of the instructors went up with me, and when I entered the pattern I pulled the carb heat on,” he said with a laugh. “When I pulled the throttle back, he said, ‘If you’re going to slow that engine down, you better pull the carb heat on!’ He reached over, grabbed the mixture control and pulled it out, and killed the engine. So we decided a standard layout would be better, with the carb heat to the left of the throttle, and mixture and primer to the right.” Ja n ha s a S ky G u a rd AD S B “out” with ADS-B “in,” along with an iFly 740 GPS with a modified AirGizmos docking station. “An aluminum pan was fabricated and attached to the AirGizmos bezel with a Ram mount ball pivot installed in the back of the pan,” Jan said. “This allows the iFly to be pulled from the docking

Alon A2 Aircoupe General Specifications Manufactured Under ATC A-787 Seats

Length

20 feet, 4 inches

Wingspan Height (tail) Tread

Empty weight Useful load

Gross weight Engine

Fuel Oil

Never exceed speed

Cruise, 75 percent power Economy cruise

Stall speed (power off) Landing speed Rate of climb

Service ceiling

Economy range

Baggage capacity

30 feet

6 feet, 3 inches 8 feet

930 pounds

520 pounds

1,450 pounds C-90-16F

24 gallons (9 each wing, 6 fuselage) 5 quarts

What Our Members Are Restoring

144 mph

Are you nearing completion of a restoration? Or is it done and you’re busy flying and showing it off? If so, we’d like to hear from you. Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source or a 4-by-6inch, 300-dpi digital photo. A JPG from your 2.5-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine. You can burn photos to a CD, or if you’re on a high-speed Internet connection, you can e-mail them along with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane. (If your e-mail program asks if you’d like to make the photos smaller, say no.) For more information, you can e-mail jbusha@eaa.org

124 mph 117 mph

52 mph 70 mph

640 fpm

17,300 feet 520 nm

75 pounds

Derived from company ads, owner Jan Lee, and ATC A-787.

station and articulated toward the pilot for a better viewing angle in flight.”

Fire and Fuel

Jan can’t help but smile when he talks about his Aircoupe’s C-90 engine, which he sent to Ly-Con Aircraft Engines. “They ported and polished the new Continental cylinder assemblies, assembled the engine, and ran it on the dynamometer prior to shipping it to us,” he said. “It kicks out significantly more power than the original 90 hp. New engine baffles were modified to fit the Aircoupe cowling, and others were custom made. We installed a McCauley propeller from AC Propeller of Seattle.” But sometimes all the bells and whistles and upgrades won’t prevent a critical problem from developing. “We found out the hard way that it’s important for a low-wing airplane to have a fuel selector valve with positions for left, right, and off,” Jan said. “On our first flight in 2015, our mechanic and I took the airplane up above the airport 4,500 feet, and the low pressure fuel light came on. The engine sputtered, the fuel pressure went to zero, and the left

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www.vintageaircraft.org

Removal of the header tank provided more space for instrumentation in the panel.

gauge read empty — but we’d just had a half tank of fuel in each tank a few minutes before. I pulled the throttle back and the engine kept running, so we descended to the airport. When we landed, the left gauge read half a tank. We couldn’t figure out what happened, so we filled both tanks full and went up again. This time, the fuel was just pouring out of the vented fuel cap on the right tank.” Jan said he later met with Bu r t Ru t a n a n d told him about the flight. “He explained that due to

Note the Aircoupe’s low-e window and canopy glass.

unequal pressure over each wing, you can’t pull from both tanks at the same time on a low-wing airplane, because one tank would pull fuel across from the other tank and cause the fuel to unport at the ‘T,’” Jan said. “He suggested that we simply replace the on/off fuel selector valve with a standard left/right/off valve. We opted for the new ceramic valve from Andair (approved in Cessna and Cirrus), and the FSDO agreed. That solved the problem! We owe a huge thanks to Burt, because we hadn’t figured out what to do about it.” As an added safety measure, Jan programmed the Avidyne to pop up with a message to switch tanks every 30 minutes. A fuel gauge was installed in the other tank as well, and when the panel lights are on, a cool blue LED light illuminates the fuel level indicator.

Finishing Touches

The Aircoupe sports a contemporary paint scheme in patriotic colors. “Craig Barnett at Scheme Designers designed the scheme,” Jan said. “Mike Umbaugh at Northwest Auto Body painted it using Sherwin Williams Acry Glo Concord Blue with metallic flake, Snow

White, and Ruby Red.” An elegant gold swirl provides an aesthetically pleasing accent to the scheme. “That little ribbon-like swirl on the rudder looks like a slalom track down a powder slope to me — and I love to snowboard, so that’s fitting,” Paula said with a smile. “Friends say it also looks like a ‘J,’ for Jan.” Beauty is more than skin deep on this Aircoupe. One glance inside the cabin makes you want to remove your shoes before stepping onto the seat and lowering your body into its pristine interior. Then there’s the irresistible urge to reach out and caress the beautifully upholstered glare shield, while slowly curling the fingers of your other hand around the leather-covered yoke. Jan used Airtex Interior products for the seats, carpet, and other fabric, which was sewn and installed by Allen Gibson. “Allen used French seams on the panel covers, and applied his custom artistry for the interior and bulkhead panels,” Jan said. “EWP Aircraft Service made the black leather yoke wraps. We also installed low-e window and canopy glass [low emissivity glass helps block ultraviolet and infrared light].”

Flying the ’Coupe

The Alon Aircoupe was touted in yesteryear’s marketing as, “the world’s most forgiving airplane.” Many pilots will tell you the Aircoupe is almost human because it understands, forgives, and corrects pilots’ errors so easily and quickly. Here’s what we mean: STALLS … almost impossible in an Aircoupe. As the speed decreases, the Aircoupe just descends faster, but in a normal flight attitude … complete control is maintained at all times. SPINS … unheard of in an Aircoupe. Aircoupe built its reputation on being inherently incapable of spinning. ROUGH LANDINGS … a rarity in an Aircoupe. Aircoupe’s particular lowwing design produces the softest, smoothest landing, of any airplane flying today. You can make a good one every time. Jan tends to agree, and simply

describes the ’Coupe as “the easiest airplane I’ve flown” due to the lightness of the controls. “The Aircoupe has trailing link landing gear, and it lands so easily and smoothly,” he said. “They made it so that anyone could get in one of these and drive it down on the runway. The original ones had interconnected controls, but I put rudder pedals in ours.”

The Midas Touch Wins the Gold

“Jan and I love to fly together; it’s so much fun to have two pilots because one’s doing radios and double-checking things while the other is flying,” Paula said. “Plus, Jan loves working on a project; it’s been amazing to see the Aircoupe evolve through the years.” Jan and Paula’s journey to Oshkosh revealed that the Midas touch was indeed making Twice

as Nice live up to its old name — and then some. Jan and Paula were thrilled during AirVenture 2016 when the judges hung the Vintage Award Winner tag on N6557Q’s prop. Their excitement rose during the awards ceremony when N6557Q was announced as the 2016 Contemporary (19561970) Grand Champion Customized Gold Lindy winner. “It was very humbling that they chose our Aircoupe for this award. It also somehow justified the time and expense of the last nine years. I’m 64, so I’m not sure I want to invest nine more years of my life doing another project! But I’d like to build a Bearhawk Patrol, so we’ll see,” Jan said laughing. “Right now, we have a Piper Comanche, Paula’s 1966 Cessna 182J, and our Aircoupe ‘sports car’ so we can go fast, go backcountry, or just go fly around!”

Visit flytheford.org or call 1-877-952-5395 to reserve your flight. www.vintageaircraft.org

The Vintage Mechanic ROBERT G. LOCK

Troubleshooting techniques—learning the system

he ability to effectively troubleshoot, diagnose, and repair problems is a gift from experience gained over the years of being an aircraft mechanic and always seeking the reason why the problem occurred in the first place. Over the years I have had the opportunity to meet many legendary pioneers, both mechanics and pilots. I was always interested in what had made them successful. One famous person I have known for many years is retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Chuck Yeager. Yeager will always say it was luck and being in the right place at the right time when he was flying the Bell XS-1. But there were other traits of the man who broke the sound barrier that set him above the rest. He learned each and every system on the revolutionary Bell experimental aircraft and thus knew how it functioned. On a camping trip several years ago into the high Sierra Nevada mountains of central California with his brother, Hal, I quickly learned why Chuck had been so successful. Chuck told me, “If you don’t know how it works and what it does, then how in the heck can you fix it?” Chuck would borrow a G35 Bonanza that belonged to a friend and fly it to various parts of the 60

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country. Being manufactured in 1956, the aircraft had an aluminum Beech electric constantspeed propeller that was factory installed. On one particular trip the prop would occasionally not stay in the constant speed mode of operation. After his return, I went to visit Chuck, and he described the problem in complete

detail. Then he took out the maintenance manual, turned to the appropriate page, and proceeded to describe exactly how the system worked and how to fix the problem by cleaning and filing the points in the relays. That is the secret of troubleshooting problems with airframe and powerplant components. Know

Figure 1: The magneto schematic diagram for a Continental W-670-6N radial engine.

Figure 2: A common magneto switch from before World War II.

how the system works, diagnose the problem in detail, look at the schematic (in this case), and fix the problem. Since this column deals with the older aircraft, we’ll use the small single-row air-cooled radial engine for discussion. My experience is primarily with Continental, Wright, Lycoming, and Pratt & Whitney engines and small bits with Warner, Kinner, and Jacobs engines. Years ago I even worked on a Jacobs L-3, a three-cylinder radial engine installed in a Spartan C2-60. However, the ignition systems are very similar, with the exception of a magneto battery system on the Jacobs. Now let’s look at a complete system to see how all the components fit together. The schematic diagram is copied from the operating and maintenance instructions for a Continental W-670-6N radial engine. It is a good example of what an entire ignition system looks like. In this case the magnetos are Bendix SF7, since these magnetos are approved for the W-670-6N. If Bendix-Scintilla magnetos were used, the engine would be a W-

670-6A. (See Figure 1.) A point made previously discussed knowing the system and how each component within the system works, which makes troubleshooting easier and the outcome to a problem quicker to reach. In the system schematic mentioned earlier, most engine installations have eliminated the booster coil while a few retain the manual advance/retard of the magnetos for starting purposes. When the lever in the cockpit was moved to the RETARD position on the quadrant, the breaker assembly was rotated on the cam for a specific number of degrees, which caused the breaker points to open later, or when the piston in the number 1 cylinder was approaching the top dead center position. When the engine started, the lever was moved to the ADVANCED position; that caused the breaker points to move opposite on the cam, thereby causing the spark to occur at the fully advanced position, which was 24-32 degrees before top dead center, depending on the type of engine. The control lever was set

at the fully advanced position for all normal flight operations. MAGNETO SWITCH: A rotary switch that either grounds or opens a circuit to each magneto. When the switch says OFF, both magnetos are grounded. (See Figure 2.) With the engine running at idle speed, turn the switch to the OFF position and the engine should quit. If it doesn’t you have a hot magneto. When the engine is running the switch reads BOTH. The ground circuit to each magneto is open. When you check the magnetos, moving the switch from BOTH to LEFT grounds the right magneto so only the left magneto will operate. Conversely, when the switch is placed to RIGHT, it grounds the left magneto so only the right magneto will operate. The switch is connected to the magnetos through a wire that is actually connected to the Primary coil. Thus we call these wires the “P” leads. Again it is these wires that open (ground) the magneto. HARNESS LEADS: In the schematic shown in Figure 1 note that the right magneto leads are www.vintageaircraft.org

Figure 3: This isometric drawing shows the components of a typical magneto. A magneto generates a high-tension spark using the principles of induction and requires no external power source.

Figure 4: The spark plug on the left is a non-shielded type, while to the right is a fully shielded plug.

cigarettes transfer spark from the leads to the spark plug. The opposite end of the lead is connected to the distributor block in the magneto. This installation is a “high-tension” system, meaning the high-intensity spark leaves the magneto, travels Figure 5: The reach and length of the center electrode through the harcombine to determine the relative temperature at ness to the spark which a spark plug operates. This illustration from plug, then jumps Advisory Circular AC 43-13-1B shows how heat is conthe gap in the plug ducted within the plug. to ignite the fuel/ connected to the front spark plugs, air charge in the and the left magneto leads are con- combustion chamber. nected to the rear spark plugs. The MAGNETO: A magneto is esfiring order of the magneto (for a sentially an engine-driven AC seven-cylinder engine) is 1-2-3-4- generator that uses a permanent 5-6-7. The engine firing order is magnet as a source of energy. It 1-3-5-7-2-4-6. Therefore, the only is a self-contained unit requirharness lead that is common is ing no external electrical source. the number 1 cylinder. The har- The magneto develops high voltness leads then are routed from the age that forces a spark to jump magneto to the engine thusly: 1-1, across the spark plug gap in each 2-3, 3-5, 4-7, 5-2, 6-4, 7-6. On the cylinder combustion chamber. ends of the harness leads are wire The magneto operation is timed spring coils called “cigarettes.” The to the engine so the spark occurs 62

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only when the piston is on the proper stroke at a specific number of crankshaft degrees before top dead center on the compression stroke. (See Figure 3.) When troubleshooting the ignition system, the problem could be any one of the components. Isolating the problem is achieved by the experience of a mechanic and the description of the problem in great detail by the pilot. We’ll discuss troubleshooting problems in the next installment of this column. Both Scintilla VMN and Bendix SF7 magnetos had a manual spark advance for easier starting of the engine. The breaker points were rotated to change the point where magneto firing occurred, thus retarding the spark closer to top dead center of piston travel. Scintilla manufactured an automatic advance magneto, the VMN-7DFA, the letter A indicating automatic advance. This system made for easier engine starting with no “kickback,” as the shaft in the static position was automatically retarded 12 degrees. When the engine was running, the spring-loaded shaft automatically advanced the spark to what the

engine manufacturer specified. When checking ignition timing it’s always a good idea to look at the dataplate on Scintilla magnetos to see if the automatic advance feature is installed in the unit. SPARK PLUGS: It is important to match the original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM) recommendation on spark plugs. This data can be found in the Engine Specification or Type Certificate Data Sheet published by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Do not substitute a plug type without specific approval, as there are several factors that determine precisely what part number spark plug is used. Basically there are two types of spark plugs, the unshielded and the shielded. The unshielded plug is rarely used because of radio interference; the shielded type is more desirable. However, it may be difficult to install shielded plugs with a magneto that was not manufactured for shielding. Another consideration is “reach,” which is the length of the threaded portion of the plug. (See Figure 5.) Also heat range is another factor. There are “hot” and “cold” plugs. The term “hot” indicates the plug does not conduct heat away as quickly as a “cold” plug, which rapidly conducts heat away from the plug. Consult FAA Advisory Circular 43.13-1B, Chapter 8, paragraphs 8-15, for more data on aircraft ignition systems. OEMs offer a chart showing approved plugs for specific engines. There will be more on the components in detail in our next edition when we troubleshoot the ignition system. The troubleshooting will be specific to single-row radial engines: the Wright R-760, Continental R-670, Pratt and Whitney R-985.

Figure 6: The Continental R-670-4 engine with Bendix SF7 magnetos and non-shielded spark plugs. Photo from Continental Motors Corporation’s “Operating and Maintenance Instructions” for the R-670-4 aircraft engine dated March 1941.

The Lycoming R-680 engines had a dual magneto, but the basic ignition system was the same as a Continental system. To adequately learn how to troubleshoot airframe and powerplant problems, in addition to learning the systems, one must be able to diagnose the symptoms. Inspection is most important; don’t be afraid to probe, push, pull, shake, and think out the problem. The days are over when you can pull up to a fixed base operator and have someone there troubleshoot a problem on

your 1929 airplane. Take it from me, the FAA has deleted or lowered knowledge levels for all older components and structures in the A&P technician training programs. Just go look at the mandated curriculum in Federal Aviation Regulations Part 147. So where does the knowledge and practical experience come from? From the older generation of mechanics. We must pass along our experience to those young A&Ps who desire to follow in our footsteps. Now is the time to show them the way. www.vintageaircraft.org

New Members Mike Austin . . . . . . . . . . . Long Beach, CA Dennis Ax. . . . . . . . . . . . . Terre Haute, IN Dillan Baker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Darden, TN Stan Beet. . . . . . . . . . . . . Bridgewater, NJ Nathan Bills. . . . . . . . . Overland Park, KS Gordon Bowers. . . . . . . . . Chesterfield, VA Jody Bowers. . . . . . . . . . . . Montclair, CA Jody Bowers. . . . . . . . . . . . Montclair, CA Robert Bridegam. . . . . . . . . . . Albion, IN Brock Butler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Omaha, AR Cameron Cashman. . . . . . . . Weston, MO Stephanie Chandler. . . . . . . . Madison, WI Robert Clement. . . . . . . . . Arizona City, AZ Michael Cornelissen. . . . . . . . . . . Tony, WI Jud Costlow . . . . . . . . . . . . Richmond, IN David Cothren. . . . . . . . . . . . Mustang, OK Katherine Darwin. . . . . . . . Montclair, CA David Dawson . . . . . . . . . Burlington, ON Mark Deaton. . . . . . . . . . . Gig Harbor, WA Matthew Diehl. . . . . . . . . . Kingston, WA Ray Dorsey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kenai, AK Justin Dunklee . . . . . . . . . . . . . Moab, UT Tom Dusin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cypress, TX Martin Frusti. . . . . . . . . . . . Goodyear, AZ Kyle Genther. . . . . . . . . . . . . Raleigh, NC John Good. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aurora, CO Vern Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ozark, AL Jack Hildreth . . . . . . . . . . Piney Flats, TN Richard Hilliard. . . . . . . . . . . Hayward, CA Jay Hooper. . . . . . . . West Terre Haute, IN Greg Karber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cypress, TX Dan Keen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . San Jose, CA JOSEPH KILLIE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brazil, IN Joseph Killue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brazil, IN TJ KIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tenafly, NJ Ronald kling. . . . . . . . Kimberling City, MO

Aaron Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marion, IN Alan Koharcheck. . . . . . . . . . . . . Ivins, UT Paul Krella. . . . . . . . . . . Poplar Grove, IL Gary Krick. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Debary, FL N.S.Gireesh Kumar . . . . . . . . . . Chennai, John Laughter. . . . . . Avondale Estates, GA Donald Loose. . . . . . . . . . . . Horsham, PA James McGarry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Troy, OH Robert McGoun. . . . . . . . . . Pensacola, FL Don Milner. . . . . . . . . . . . Terre Haute, IN Jamie Mitchell . . . . . . . . . . La Puente, CA Charles Monsell. . . . . . . . . . . . . Reading, Mike Mooney. . . . . . . . . . . . . Camas, WA Patrick Mormando. . . . . . . . . . Wichita, KS John Morris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Davie, FL Tom Murrell. . . . . . . . . . . . . Belleville, IL Esteban Nava. . . . . . . . . . Carmichical, CA Heather Penney . . . . . . . . Alexandria, VA John Rahe. . . . . . . . . . . Cape Carteret, NC Ross Rogers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Udall, KS Jackson Roper. . . . . . . . . . . . . Ogden, UT Emily Ross . . . . . . . . West Terre Haute, IN Paul Roy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Benton, KS David Salem. . . . . . . . . Overland Park,KS John Shettle Jr,. . . . . . . . St Petersburg, FL Gerald Skoog . . . . . . . . . . Greencastle, IN Bill Stavros. . . . . . . . . . . . . Greenville, RI Jim Stevens . . . . . . . . . . . . Carrollton, GA Donald Sullivan . . . . . . . . . . Vashon, WA E Jordan Tarver. . . . . . . . . . . Lakeland, FL Robert C Thuet . . . . . . . . . . . Newark, DE Dan Treakle . . . . . . . . . . . . Fairbanks, AK Tom Van Waardenburg. . . . . . Geismar, LA Laura Vo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sacramento, CA Karl Ward. . . . . . . . . Peterborough Cambs

Copyright © 2018 by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association. All rights reserved. VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750; ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published 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.

MARCH/APRIL 2018

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

Ray L. Johnson 347 South 500 East Marion, IN 46953 rayjohnson@indy.rr.com

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

Dan Knutson 106 Tena Marie Circle Lodi, WI 53555

Jon Goldenbaum PO Box 190 Warner Springs, CA 92086 jon@conaircraft.com

Robert D. “Bob” Lumley 1265 South 124th St. Brookfield, WI 53005 262-782-2633 rlumley1@wi.rr.com

John Hofmann 548 W James St Columbus, WI 53925 john@cubclub.org

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

ADVISORS Paul Kyle 1273 Troy Ct. Mason, OH 45040

Kevin McKenzie 40550 La Colima Rd Temecula, CA 92591

DIRECTORS EMERITUS David Bennett antiquer@inreach.com

Ronald C. Fritz itzfray@gmail.com

Robert C. Brauer photopilot@aol.com

Gene Morris genemorris@charter.net

Phil Coulson rcoulson516@cs.com

S.H. “Wes” Schmid shschmid@gmail.com

John Turgyan jrturgyan4@aol.com

ÂŠ 2016 Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc.

THE

N E W S TA N D A R D

ANTIQUE

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Charles W. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Charlieâ&#x20AC;? Harris (1927-2017) He dared to live his dream.