VA-Vol-5-No-1-Jan-1977 by EAA Vintage Aircraft Association

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Restorers $11

Corner

.J. R. NIELANCER .JR. This is the month of the big one down south. It is the month that "yo'all" are invited to "unfreeze your bird" and go down to the Sun 'n Fun Fly-I n at Lakeland, Florida, from the 17th through the 23rd. This year marks the 3rd annual event, and the Sun 'n Fun is getting bigger and better each year. From a begi n ning three years ago, when it was a large regional fly-in spread over a long weekend, it has now become what its backers boast to be a "Mid-Winter Oshkosh", complete with a leased and beautifully prepared fly-in site, a full week's program including forums, workshops, aerial demonstrations, commercial sales, an aviation novelty market, and an aircraft parts flea market. Add to this a corn roast on the field every evening and an awards ban quet at Lakeland's beautiful new convention complex, and you have a great week ahead of you. ' If mama and the kids aren't quite as enthusiastic about airplanes as you are, there are 25 famous Florida attractions close by, including Disney World, Circus World, Cypress Gardens, Sea World and Busch Gardens. You may want to visit the J FK Space Center and the Piper Navajo aircraft factory yourself. The Sun 'n Fun is the result of a regional cooperative effort, backed by the SESAC (Southeastern Sport Avia tion Council) EAA chapters, under the directorship of Bill Ehlen, with the Tampa and Lakeland area chapters

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being the nucleus, and the Florida Sport Aviation Antiqu e and Classic Association, the EAA Antique/ Classic Division's Florida Chapter, presided over by Pres ident Ed Escallon. The Sun 'n Fun corporation itself is under the direction of President Len McGinty. Len is ably assisted by a long list of officers and chairmen, including John Shinn, E. M. Avery, Betty Jones, Graham Gates, Billy Henderson, Rocky Sawyer, Duffy Thompson, and many, many more. If you are wondering about accommodations, there are 18 motels and two camp grounds in the Lake land area, plus camping facilities at the fly-in site for tents, motor homes and travel trailers. There are many more hotels and motels within a few miles of Lakeland. Special events at the Sun 'n Fun will include the display of the completely restored Laird Super Solution, with Matty Laird on hand to answer your questions, and the "Gathering of Eagles" (those who flew before 1935). Your EAA Antique/Classic Division willI be holding its winter Board of Directors meeting at Lakeland , on Thursday, the 20th. So if you'd like to sample some of that famous southern hospitality, "yo'all" come to the 'F Sun nun.

and to get it to you soo ner. Our goal is for you to receive it during the first week of the month. We shall not be satisfied until we accom plish this. Our other goal is to double our Division membership. This we cannot do alone. We need your support and help. Please use the memb ership applications, which we have been sending to you with the magazine, to sign up your friends who are interested in the Antiques and Classics. You will be the greatest beneficiary of our increased membership. In closing, I would like to thank all of the officers, directors, advisors, convention chairmen, co-chairmen and volunteers, and particularly your Editor of The Vintage Airplane, AI Kelch, who helped to make my job so much easier and more enjoyable, and I would like to thank each of you members for all of your efforts on behalf of the Division. We have a great organization, and, with the help of each one of you, we shall make it even greater.

r-----,------------------. EDI~OR S. N.OTE . "

With this Issue we. start a new ~ear. With this Issue ~e also have a new ~nnter, ~raphlcs of Cedar?urg WIS. They are a convenient 5 minutes from the Vintage of f'Ice. We we Icome t hem to our f'Ie Id 0 f activity. .. A great It has been just one year since your Board of Direc word of thanks is extended to Ray Scholler and the tors elected me to fill the unexpired term of president of gang at Times Publishing for their fine work, they have your Division. Many wonderful things have happened to expertly printed Vintage since its inception. We have increased the base page content to 24 pages me during this past year, including your demonstration of confidence by electing me to a full term as President from 20. Many of last years issues were large r when we last August. I shall certainly do my best to live up to had the material. We will continue to add pages as we gain members and materi al. Should anyone have sent in your expectations. As I reflect back over the year, I see that, while we an article that is now not published please contact me as have accomplished much in many respects, we have a doubl e check that it was not lost in transit. Happy fallen short of a-couple of our goals. We have just taken New Year and good flying. AI Kelch new steps to speed up the publication of this magazine

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE

ANTIQUE / CLASSIC DIVISION of THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Editorial Staff Editor AI Kelch

JANUARY 1977

Associate Editor Edward D. Williams 713 Eastman Dr. Mt. Prospect , Illinois 60056

The Restore's Corner .... _. _.. _..... . ... .. . . ....... . . .... ..... . ...1

Cessna .. _. . .. _.. . . _.... _... . , . .............. .... _.. . ....... . . 3

1976 Ryan Reunion ..... . ....... .. .. . ____ . . ... .. . _.. _.... ___ . ... _7

Gee Bee Airplanes _. __ .. _... _... ___ . _....... _.. _. _... . _. .. .. .....8

Vintage Album. __ . .. _. _. _. , . __ . __ _.... .. . .. , ___ . _. _. _..........11

Bellanca __ .... _. _. ____ ... , _. ____ . __ ..... _....... __ .... . . .. _. _.13

Shannon Air Museum. _.. _. _. _.. .. ___ . ________ . _____ . _____ . _. ___ .17

Associateeditorswill be identified in the table of con足

tents on articles they send in and repeated on the

ar ticl e if they have written it. Associate editorships

will be ass igned to those who qualify (5 articles in

any calendar year).

Directors

OFFICERS PRESIDENT

J,R. NIELANDER, JR.

P.O_ BOX 2464

FT_ LAUDERDALE, FL 33303 0

VICE-PRESIDENT

JACK WINTHROP

RT_l,BOXlll

ALLEN, TX 75002

SECRETARY

RICHARD WAGNER

P_O_ BOX 181

LYONS, WI 53148

TREASURER

E,E_ "BUCK" HILBERT

8102 LEECH RD_

UNION, IL 60180

THE VINTAGE A IRPLANE is owned Hales Corners. Wisconsin 53 130. ~ 53130 and Milwaukee PoSt Office at $14.00 per 12 month period of is open to all who are interested in avia .

NUMBER 1

Assistant Editor Lois Kelch

Associate Editor Robert G. Elliot! 1227 Oakwood Ave. Daytona Beach, Florida 32014

ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC

DIVISION

VOLUME 5

Claude l. Gray, J r. 9635 Sylvia Avenue Northridge" California 91324

AI Kelch

7018 W. Bonniwell Road

Mequon, Wisconsin 53092

James B. Horne 3840 Coronat ion Road Eagan, Minnesota 55122

Bo x 1525 Lumberton, North Carolina 28358

George E. Stubbs Box 113 Brownsburg, Indiana 46112

M. C. "Kelly" Viets

RR1,Box151

Stillwell , Kansas 66085

William J. Ehlen Route 8, Box 506 T ampa, Florida 33618

Morton Lester P.O . Bo x 3747 Martinsville. Virginia 24112

Evande r M. Britt

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION MEMBERSHIP o NON-EAA o

Advisors W. Brade Thomas, Jr. 301 Dodson Mill Road Pilot Mountain, North Carolina 27041

7724 Shady Hill Drive Indianapo lis. IN 46274

Robert A. White 1207 Falcon Drive Orlando, Florida 32803

Santa Rosa, CA 95401

Mau nce "Sonny" Clavel Box 98 Wauchula, F L 33875

Minneapolis, MN 55434

Dale A. Gustafson

MEMBER - $34_00_ Includes one year membership in the EM Antique/Classic Division, 12 monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE; one year membership in the Experimental Aircraft Associa足 tion , 12 monthly issues of SPORT AVIATION and separate membership cards. NON-EAA MEMBER - $20_00_ Includes one year membership in the EM Antique/Classic Division, 12 monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE; c;ne year membership in the Experimental Aircraft Associa足 tion and separate membership cards. SPORT AVIATION not included. EAA MEMBER - $14.00_ Includes one year membership in the EM Antique/Classic Division, 12 monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE and membership card. (Applicant must be current EM member and must give EM membership number.

Roger J. Sherron

446-C Las Casitas

Stan Gomoll 104290th Lane, N.E.

usively by Antique Classic Aircraft, Inc . ana is published monthly at Postage paid at Hales Corners Post Office, Hales Corners, Wisconsin . Wisconsin 53201. Membership rates for Antique Class Aircraft, Inc. 0.00 is for the publication of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Membersh ip

ON THE COVER

Cessna 79SA formerly owned by Bob Wilson see story page 3.

PICTURE BOX (Back Cover)

Factory picture of Cessna 790 showing crosswind landing con足 formation.

By Bob Wilson Rt. 3 Box 2758 Ocala, FL. 32670 (All Photos Courtesy of the Author) One of the best ot the Classic airplanes today is the Cessna 195. Here's a nice big, comfortab le, all metal bird that hauls five people in comfort with 120 Ibs. of bag gage, and over five hours fuel range. It has great perform ance, even today with a good 160 mph cruise at about 14 GPH, depending on engine installation, which stil l puts out a reasonable 12 MPG. Now if you're obsessed with fuel costs, have no use for radial engines and tail wheels scare you, then a 195 is not your bag, and you'd better stay with your Mooney. Some of us older folks like round engines that sound like a real airplane should sound, and don't mind the poor visibility on the ground. Taxiing is similar to any radial engine taildragger, and requires some S-turns to see where you're going. If you've ever driven your car with the hood up, you'll get the idea. It has great visibil ity in flight, and a good solid feel like a bigger airplane. It has good slow flight performance, slips nicely, and does beautiful wheel landings. 3 point landings are a breeze, as long as you pay attention. Over the years, the 195 has acquired a reputation for ground looping it does not deserve. I would like to defend the old girl once and for all, by stating that a 195 does not ground loop. However, a pilot will occasionally allow it to ground loop. It takes a firm hand and two active feet to control it on the ground. It is no better or worse than a Stearman, AT-6, or similar round engine tail dragger. It is completely predictable and controllable in the hands of a competent pilot. You want to be sure you have good brakes and stay alert until it is parked. Once you have accepted that fact, it is a real pleasure to fly. The original 195 development started about 1945 with the experimental P-780, which was sort of a cross between an Airmaster and 195 with metal wings and tail, but fabric covered fuselage. The engine was the 245 HP Jacobs, cowl and propeller from the Cessna multi engined trainer UC78 "Bamboo Bomber". Total pro duction of the 190/195 series was 1,085, of wh ich 204 were 190's with the 240 HP Continental Engine. All 195 's had 7 cyl inder "Shakey Jake" engines of various sizes. Like many older airplanes, some were modified with different engines, such as the 330 HP Jacobs, 450 P & W, and would you believe even a 6 cyl. opposed.

Cessna 795A, formerly owned by the author, with a "Shakey jake".

Above. Experimental P780, 5 place with 245 HP "jake". Left. A full house Cessna 790 panel looks very impres足 sive even ifyou don 'f need it. The most recent, and probably the best 195 engine is the R-755-S Jacobs that puts out 350 HP through an Airesearch Turbocharger. The beauty of this "Jake" is that it's a new production engine from Jacobs-Page of Yukon, Oklahoma and is the same size and displacement as the original Jacobs. It fits the same cowling and en足 gine mount, with only a few extra pounds additional weight. The only clue to look at a Turbo Powered 195 is the exhaust stacks coming out the side, rather than the single pipe at the lower left. Now we have an airplane that will true out over 200 MPH at 20,000' for under $20,000 and that's a pretty hard combination to beat. The blue book price for a 195 today shows about $7,000 to $16,000, although you'll see a few jewels in Trade-A-Plane up to $20,000. If you own a 195 you'll probably want to join a club

Above. A brand new Cessna 790 leaves the factory for its first home.

Left. The only thing I can say good about this Flat 6 conversion is that the workmanship was outstanding. to share your needs with others. They put out a News足 letter, have social events and fly-ins. Contact Eastern 195 Association, 25575 Butternut Ridge Road, North Olmsted, Ohio 44070, and The International 195 Club, P.O. Box 737, Merced, California 95340. The Cessna factory has few 195 parts left, but between the 195 clubs and people like John Van Sant of Erwinna, Penna., and a copy of Trade-A-Plane, you can find most enything you'll ever need. Every year the price of 190/195's are going up, but are still an excellent buy for the guy that needs a 5 place fam ily airplane with good performance. You also have a handsome classic machine you can be proud to take to the local fly-in and dazzle all the tricycle drivers. After all, you must be something special to fly such a bear; with a round engine and a tail wheel.

1976

R11'AN REUNION

By:

Chris Matthews 204 Rodonoran Dr. Santa Clara, CA. 95057

Paso Robles, California - - - - - The sixth annual gath ering of West Coast Ryans, their owners, their restorers, and their fans was a fabulous success ...thanks to Mike Sullivan, Julie Walter, the John Gokchoff family, Mike Wing, Archie Dean, and many other Southern Califor nians who put it together. Northern Californians congregated at Hollister on Fri day June 18 and took off for what may well be their favorite weekend of the flying season. One pass over the town announced their 'arrival' and, by the time everyone was tied down at the airport, a total of 23 Ryans were in attendance. The most dramatic entrance scene was stol en by Milo Tichack's dog 'Prince' who popped up out of the front cockpit (on command)! In addition to twenty PT-22's, one STM, one SCW, and one NR-1, six visiting aircraft joined in, one of which brought Ole Fahlin who built most of the propellers there. An 'Honorary Ryan' sign was taped on Don Carter's Bucker J ungmeister because he had one of his Ryans there, too. Norris Norsigian flew his beautiful Stearman, as guest of Alan 'Shiny Ryan' Buchner. Long Beach was well represent ed: Don Burkett in a PT-22, Elton Burkett, Elsie and son in a PT-19, Wanda and Ted Brownell in a Cessna 195, and, Dan Redden in a Stinson 108. Friday evening's program was strictly hangar flying over barbecued hamburgers and a keg of beer. Buddy rides and hot and cold engine starting contests led Sat urday's events. Next, the ladies judged the formation flying contest - four groups of four made three passes: diamond, echelon and trail, won by Bill Ahern, Bob Laughlin, Ray Schutte and Mike Sullivan. Ray Schutte also won the "Loop, Spin and Roll" contest. Prior to that contest, Bill Richards (winner of the Best Overall Ryan trophy) had a glorious moment: Vance Parker, newest Ryan owner and former Blue Angel, asked Bill, "How do yOU roll one of these things?"

A discouraging crosswind on the small runway and a busy air tanker force working from the main runway almost cancelled the rest of the contests. But the airport manager, Division of Forestry, and all interested parties worked out -a safe operation. Winners in the competition were Bill Mette - Short Field Takeoff, Bill Allen and Bob Laughlin - Flour Bombing, Alan Buchner - Spot Landing. Participation and performance points total gave Bill Mette the Best Overall Contestant trophy. The city of Paso Robles presented red, wh ite and blue rosettes to all present at the Saturday night banquet. John Gokchoff captured the Best Hangar Flyer trophy. Oldest Rayn (belonging to one owner) was won by Bob Yates, for 31 years of TLC. In an interview at the Watsonville Fly-In, Bob was asked if he loved his air plane more than his wife, to which he replied, "Well, I love my wife, but I had the airplane first!" The Oldest Unmodified Ryan trophy was awarded to Fred Homan's Serial Number 1001 . Best Dressed Pilot and Co-Pilot were Mike Sullivan and Julie Walter, who wore bright red, white and blue jumpsuits of unmistakably bicentennial motif. Dave Masters' STM was the Best Overall Civilian Marked Ryan. Best Overall Military Marked Ryan was Ron Chapel's and Jim Firanzi's PT-22. Furthest Distance Flown went to Bob Laughlin and Bill Allen of San Diego...they are partners, and Bill had been getting ready to solo for awhile. So, he received a Ryan pin for soloing in a Ryan and had to earn it Sun day mor ning. Audrey Schutte received honorable mention for soloing the family Ryan, and flying husband Ray to Paso Robles. Other loyal pilots and co-pilots attending were Ellen and Jay Hayes, Jack Olson, Mae and Pete Stru m (and daughters Jeannie and Margaret), Rose and Dick Burgess, Frank Corbit, Stan Jorgensen, Don Carter's daughter Kim, Fred Homan's son Larry, John Gokchoff's wife Joan and son Chris, Bill Ahern's friend Rose, Don Burkett's friend June, and Bob Yates' daughter Chris Matthews. Ryan restorers George Boreham, Norm Justice, and Janice and Rick Loomis came, too. An early Ryan factory film, home movies of prior Reunions and a few other fly-ins, interspersed with talk of upcoming flying events and invitations, followed the awards. In the company of others who share a love of the old airplanes and flyi ng by the seat of your pants, one feels assured: This era isn't past!!

Chris Matthews and her father, Bob Yates

Left to Right. Bill Allen, julie Walters, Bob Laughlin, Mike Sullivan Dave Master's STM Ryan.

AIAP.. A,,6

By: Robert H. Granville, R.F.D. No.4 Box J 76 Skowhegan, ME. 04976 (Photos courtesy of the Author)

Helping to build an airplane was probably a long way from my mind back in the summer of 1928. I was a young man, working at any job I could find in my home town of Madison, N.H . On July 4th, 1926, I had taken a ride in an OX-5 powered Waco at North Conway. Other than that ship, I had hardly seen an airplane fly. The pilot was P. H. Spencer who has since become a famous designer of amphibians, his latest being the Spencer Air Car. My eldest brother Zantford , usually called "Grannie" was ru nning Granville Air Service at old East Boston Airport. He had hired Spencer to bring his ship to New Hamp shire and hop passengers over the holiday week end. Spencer had all the passengers he could haul. I was able to help out some and I enjoyed it very much. Look ing back over fifty years, I realize I was hooked for life. In 1928, Grannie's repair business was rapidly expanding and he needed more help. About September 1st I received a telegram , offering me fifty cents per hour to work for him and I could hardly wait to go. The following Sunday, I headed my 1921 Studebaker touring car south and arrived at Grannie's home in Malden, Mass. before dark . I started work the next morning. Grannie had left Madison at a very early age and by 1920 or '21, he was running h is own garage in Arlington, Mass. He also had the Chevrolet Agency and sold 490's and F.B.'s although he wasn't of age yet. He was a nat ural born designer and mechanic and was always building something new or making improvements on other designs. One such was his new type front springs, which was a great improvement over the factory springs on the 490 models. Another item was his cone clutch oiler. The clutch could be oiled by turning a pet cock on the dash with the engine running. There were many others and business was very good, but his constant dream was to get into aviation. Around 1922 or '23, Grannie added my oldest brother Tom to his one man garage staff. Tom learned very fast and after a year or so, he found himself in complete charge. Grannie went to East Boston and got a mechanics job with Boston Airport Corporation. By this time he had a family to support, but with the garage profit too, he managed to take part of his pay in flying time. Solo came in less than five hours, and with ten additional hours, he had his private license. Grannie was never one to take orders from others for very long, so he now left the company and set up his

own competitive repair business on the same field. At first, his shop was a 10'x20' room built on a large white truck chassis. It was equipped to handle all sorts of field work and had its own power source. This was a large generator powered by the truck motor. Next he built a truck out of a 1923 Cadillac. This could go anywhere and carried a full component of tools, welding equip ment, etc. It had wing racks and if the airplane couldn't be repaired enough to fly back to Boston, the wings and tail could be removed and the ship towed back. Of course, it was necessary that the landing gear be whole in order to do so. Before I joined him, Grannie had a couple of ex cellent mechanics and that spring he had also taken on my two younger brothers Mark and Ed. Mark was about 17, and Ed about 16. Grannie was making a top notch welder out of Ed, and Mark was to become our expert engine installation and repair man. Now we were all together, the five Granville Brothers. Also, prior to my coming, Grannie had rented most of the first floor of the Engel Cone shoe factory. Th is was on the corner of Porter and Orleans St., and not far from the field . Here he could handle major repair and overhaul jobs, and that fall it was overflowing. East Boston Airport was small and made of Boston's accumulation of coal ashes dumped in the marsh. Skyways Inc. and Boston Airport Corporation had most of the airplanes, but there were also several private sh ips. Ships kept in repair and flying by Granville Air Service were Skyway's Stearmens, K-Rs etc. and some private ones, A Buhl Air Sedan, Waco's, Travel Airs etc. Pilots on the field that I remember best were Charlie Emerson, Jack Langley, Tom Croce, Wiley Apte, Fred Ames, the Kenyons and Harold Moon. Of course there were others, also students, like Dannie Dugan who ferried some of the big ones across the Atlantic during World War II. This was all heaven to me, but my first job was to man the desk at our shop, and take care of nearly a years neglected bookkeeping. There was a state income tax to deal with on the first of the year. I also learned to do the buying, and run the stock room which was getting to be the one place in New England where one could buy all kinds of airplane materials. Part of my time was spent working on OX-5cylinders for a while. We traded a lot of them, both new and second hand. My job was to grind in new intake and exhaust valves and install new guides and

springs. These were oiled up well and carried on our shelves ready to slide on. As I remember it, our exchange price was about $12.00 each. One big job we had on the floor that fall, was the building of a two place biplane amphibian for a branch of Skyways called Skyways Synd icate. Their engineers were designing it right in our office. These were three young graduate aeronautical engineers, fresh from col lege, and with me, there were four guys working in one office all named Robert and called Bob. They were Hall, Ayer & Dexter. Later, in Springfield they all worked for Gee Bee on the early Gee Bee sh ips. The amphibian was designed around a Velie M-5 en gine which was hoped to be about 80 Hp. When the rating came out it was around 45. This would never do, so the design had to be changed to install a Warner Scarab. Although the ship was more than 50% complete, this made a huge delay and we never did finish it. However it was completed by others, and flown a year or so later. Also on the floor, were seven crackups to rebuild and we were assured of a busy winter. These were three American Eagles, a Whirlwind Woodson, an Argo and the other two were Wacos. Grannie now had a fine crew and an excellent reputa tion. He had even been lucky enough to handle the "Friendship" job in 1927. This was the Fokker Tri Motor which Bill Stultz flew to Europe with Amelia Earhart. I didn't see it, but I think Grannie painted it yellow and orange, and also installed the pontoons on it, at the water edge of the field. He had been dreaming about his own ship and now decided the time was ripe to build it, so he started mak ing a few drawings. A conference was called, and a deci sion was made. Grannie would design the airplane. Any of the boys who were interested could participate in the construction without pay. We would build it, evenings and Sundays, with no interference with regular work. The brothers all agreed to this, and there were one or two others. One was AI Axtman, Grannie's oldest employee, and right hand man. AI also put up a $500.00 loan to purchase the surplus Velie M-5 from Skyways. I do not have a 3 view drawing of the original sh ip as none was ever made, but do have one of the Model P, which followed it and was similar in most respects. Grannie felt he could improve on many things he had not been happy with on other ships, and he started his design as follows.

Grannie lifts Genet powered Gee Bee £-1 from Conn. River for its first flight on pontoons Summer of 1929.

Unlike most light ships of that period, this ship would First it was to be a two place, side by side biplane with a lot of stagger, and using a Clark Y wing curve. have 26"x5" Bendix brakes, operated individually from Power plant would be the Velie. Landing gear, with the rudder pedals and together when stick was pulled all seven inch oleo travel would have universal joints at all the way back. attachment points. This would save the fuselage tubes in One of the best features of this ship was the horizon case of landing gear wash out. It would also have a swiv tal dual control sticks. These came back from under the eling hard rubber tail wheel. With welded steel tube fu instrument panel and turned down about five inches for selage and spruce and mahogany wings, it would be very a hand grip. In and out motion gave you elevator control strong, yet light. Tail group would be something entirely and moving right and left gave aileron control Iike any different than others, thick streamline sections made other stick. However, two people could sit on the fine mostly of one quarter inch tubing and brazed. leather cushions with nothing in the way. Even a lap Another feature was to be interchangeability. Top robe could be used in cold weather. and bottom wings were identical with full length ai Some time in December 1928, work got underway in lerons. Bottom set to be used as flaps. (Flaps in 1928?) the construction of Gee Bee Model E-1. Gee Bee stands Left and right stabilizer could be interchanged as could for Granville Brothers. We would work our regular nine rudder with left or right elevator. Stabilizer would have a hour day, go to town for food and then work until 10 vernier control from the cockpit. Fin could be adjusted P.M. on the ship. Most of the steel tubing used was S.A.E. 1020 and was purchased locally. We had Sitka on the ground only.

spruce in stock, also 1/16" mahogany plywood, so we used it for the wings. Money was found by Grannie to buy a wood propeller, some S.A.E. 4130 tubing for the landing gear, Dartmouthtex fabric, and a set of Stewart Hartshorn tierods, landing and flying wires. Dope and thinner was in good supply. Ed, who was getting real sharp with the Smith torch, did the welding and with our good crew, the work progressed quite rapidly. Grannie found time to make some drawings during the day. As I was not one of the regular mechanics, I could often spend some time at either wood working or cover and doping also. Sundays were busy days at the airport in summer, but in winter we could spend most of our time on the ship. Tom, who ran the garage all week, was also with us on Sundays. About May 1st, all assemblies were finished and the fuselage landing gear, engine and tail surfaces were all together, and it was ready to go to the field. Colors were bright red and silver, with scalloping on wings and fu selage, which later became very familiar on all Gee Bees. The cowling was burnished with a cork and valve grind ing compound about the same as was done on the Amer ican Eagles. A Gee Bee trade mark designed by Grannie and used on all our aircraft, was on both sides of the rudder plus the license number Mass. 31-3086. It looked very nice. On the 2nd evening of May, we were ready to move out, but the weather was very bad. A wild storm was in progress, with gusts of wind and sudden down pours. Grannie had hoped to make the first flight at daybreak to avoid spectators. We waited until after midnight. There was no improvement, but we took the ship over to the field anyway. Between blasts of wind and rain, we got the wings on and rigged, still hoping for a break in the weather at daylight. Grannie ran over to the watch man 's tower to get a parachute which had been promised him. However, it was locked up, and he came back emp ty handed. It was now almost daylight, but no better weather. Grannie decided to run up the engine and try a little taxiing, so he pulled on his hel met and goggles, and Mark pulled the prop for him. Apparently, he had made up his mind to fly it regard less of the weather or lack of parachute. Before we re alized what he was up too, the Velie came up to full throttle, and he was off the ground and gone into the darkness. We could hear the engine for a few seconds

Genet powered Gee Bee £-7 at Boston Airport early 7929

after he disappeared toward Revere. The moment of truth had arrived, and we were scared stiff. Still blowing and raining and not yet showing day light, his chances looked pretty slim, at least to me. In perhaps fifteen minutes, we heard him coming in, although we couldn't see him. He set it down just as a fresh deluge hit, but our crew was on his wing tips as soon as he hit the field. With plenty of man power, we soon had it behind the hanger and tied down. Grannie was a very happy young man on that morn ing of May 3, 1929, as were we all. With no technical training, little flying experience, but a lot of common sense, he had designed, built and flown a brand new type of aircraft. He had also flown it under the worst cond i tions imaginable, and won. Weather conditions did not improve all day long, and no other airplane got off the field. Even the airline Fords did not come in or go out. As soon as the weather cleared, Grannie made several more short fl ights. He was satisfied with the way it han dled, but felt that more power was needed . However he was now ready to try a flight with a load. Looking around for a light weight, he decided I was it. (120 Ibs. in those days) We got off O.K. so it was my luck to receive the first ride in a Gee Bee. It was also my good fortune on May 30, 1930, to be the first person to have a first solo flight in this same airplane. However, at that

time, it was powered by a 125 HP. Chevrolet 0-4, which gave it grand performance. As time went on, our biplane plans were redesigned to meet federal specifications, and it was put into small production at Springfield, Mass. E-1 was used to exper iment with various engines and was flown with an Armstrong-Siddley Genet, Kinner K-5, upright Cirrus, and an inverted Chevrolet 0-4. It was also flown on Edo floats, and skiis which were Grannie's own design. In fact it flew around New England until 1938 or '39, when all state licensing was discontinued. As it could not be li censed under existing rules, it was finally scrapped some where in Vermont. What a shame. Little did we realize, that rainy night in 1929, that our little Model E would be followed by the Kinner powered P series, then the high performance Gee Bee Sportsters, the 200 M.P.H. Senior Sportsters, the 300 M.P.H. Super Sportsters, and finally ships which did not carry the Gee Bee trademark, such as the "O.E.D." of 1934, the "Moonship" and also Frank Hawks' "Time Flies" and the "MAC". These last two ships both had high speeds of 375 M.P.H. However, each of these is another story, stories including days of triumph and happiness, days of extreme saddness, days of near hunger, but always deep pride in design and workmanship. These standards were never lowered on any Gee Bee aircraft.

Vintage Men and Their

_ ..=-r-

THE GRANVILLE BROT

Dear Mr. Kelch : As per your note of 10/6/76, I am enclosing an article which I hope you will find of general interest. If th is article seems to be of interest to the gang, I will try to get out one on the Gee Bee Sportsters. Gee Bee Model P, New 'fork Aviation Show, 7929.

Album

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~achines ~-i;S

AND THEI R GEE BEE

I have just received my first copy of Vintage Airplane and enjoy it very much. A friend has loaned me several older copies however. Yours truly, Bob Granville Kinner K-5 powered Gee Bee £-7 Springfield Airport - Christmas Day

7929.

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BELLANCA

Part IV 1938-1950

By: john Mc C. Morgan, (EAA No. 836947) Summit A viation Inc. Middletown, Delaware 79709. Part I was in Vintage issue April 7974, Part /I was in October 7974, Part /II was in December 7974. (Photos courtesy of the Author) My first memories go back to 1938 when G. M. Bellanca talked of building a smaller airplane for the private owner. My brother and I were Stinson dis足 tributors and his company, Air Service Inc., had been since 1930. We knew Stinson was building a three place small airplane and we became concerned with what G. M. might think of the competition right on his airport from

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One of the last known pictures of G.M. Bellanca beside either a Cruis足 master or earlier model. Probable date - The early '50's. a company which was a tenant of his. He used to tease us about making us drop Stinson, but problems with his Junior, as the first Cruisair was called, soon put an end to the heckling. The Stinson 105 of course was out and in big production in the summer of 1939. A picture accompanies this article showing the first 14-9 Junior, While plans called for a retracting gear, it first flew "stiff legged" with a 90 HP Le Blond Engine. The cab in door did not have the fuselage cut-out that production models incorporated. This was not done until the late Bert "Fish" Hassell took it to the Chicago Show, probably before certification. I am sure. prior to approval, as the first aircraft was lost in test flights killing the pilot. More about that later. The aircraft was so difficult to get in and out of, that "Fish" said it was dubbed "The Photographic Bellanca" because of the comments the men made as ladies got in and out of the aircraft. Dates are hazy after al most forty years, so I have just checked CAA and FAA Specs to get precise ones. The 14-9, first of the long series, dates back to an August 24, 1939 approval. This approval came after a long period of testing lasting probably more than a year. The aircraft had progressed well and the CAA had passed the airplane with few problems - that is almost. If I recall correctly, it was all but done when GM wanted a higher do not exceed speed and Cecil Hoffman, the Bellanca test pilot for a good many years, went to altitude one afternoon

to run this dive. My brother and I, across the field from the factory, got a phone call that an aircraft, believed to be the 14-9, had crashed across the Delaware River in New Jersey. We jumped in a Stinson Reliant - a 1938 SR10 Gull Wing - and flew the few minutes to a strip and then were driven a mile or so to the scene. Sure enough, there it was. It had hit quite flat, barely nose down and was relatively intact although badly damaged. This wing, unlike all built later, was fabric covered. Only the leading edge was plywood. Fabric had stripped from the wing, and the tips were sort of shredded, as if flutter there or in the ailerons had been the problem. Cecil had been fatally injured, but I well remember that he was still seated in the pilot's seat looking only as if he had been terribly bruised. Some later conjecture thought the flutter had caused such violent stick oscillations, that he was almost beaten to death. At this point, after careful study, it was decided to cover the cantilever wing with plywood. While the lost airplane had passed all spin tests, even for the CAA, this new plywood covered wing model did not want to recov足 er per CAA requirements. By this time Holger Hoiriis, who flew the Bellanca Liberty to Denmark in 1931, was the pilot. He seemed to spin it every day for months with no success. Airflow was changed around the engine

Three 14-19 Cruismasters in front of the author's hangar at Bellanca Field, New Castle, Delaware. (Pro足 bablyabout 1953-54) G.M. Bellanca with a happy customer (anybody know who it is?) With a 14-19 Cruismaster. Early 1950's.

A one of a kind experimental trainer built for a Wright Field Air Corps competition. The Fairchild PT-79 of course won. It was Franklin powered and is still owned by August Bellanca. Was damaged in a fire and has not been repaired. Last known flight was 7947 or '42. Wings were right off the Cruisair.

cowling, the wing root and all other thinking was done with no success. Finally the large fins were added on the outboard ends of the stabilizers and the up elevator restricted mechanically when the landing gear had been retracted. They then ended up with an al most spin proof aircraft, and it went into production. I have checked my log book, thinking I flew it before approval, but the only entry I could find was May 5, 1940 - nine years to the day after my solo flight on the same airport. Believe it or not, but in December of 1940, approval was received from the CAA for the 14-9L - the same aircraft with a different engine, this time, the unheard of Lenape 95HP. This approval was run for a Statesville, N. C. gent who planned to run an intrastate airline with three of them. They were built, went to Statesville, and I have no further recollection of their success, or lack of

it. I do remember the engine presented many problems, but the purchaser wanted the additional 5 HP, and I think a lighter engine. Just prior to Pearl Harbor, a big change was made, and the Cruisair became a pretty good machine. It had always - from the start - had beautiful flight char acteristics. However, as was the Stinson, it was un derpowered, especially with a full gross load of 1750 Ibs. which included three people. The Franklin 120 became available and was approved in December 1940. The en trance by the USA into the War brought things to a halt, and Bellanca went into war work. Of course, the largest number built of one model, was the 14-13 series started after the war, and incorporating the new Franklin 150 HP engine. This was approved in September, 1946, and the plant went full bore,overflow

ing the airport with unsold aircraft. Production was either stopped or slowed way down at that point, Bellanca then bought some facilities or rented same at Cape May County Airport in New Jersey, and in order to make the Cruisair more saleable, it was decided to set up a mod center there and install outside baggage compart ments, repaint exteriors which had been exposed to the weather in outside storage at Bellanca Field, and add equipment to customers' specs. For months, my brother Dick and I, plus Jack Keaveney, factory test pilot, shuttled the airplanes back and forth the fifty-sever, miles to Cape May. It was a great sport, but in our exuberance, it is a wonder we did not become a cropper. The route was all over swamp and the edge of the Del aware River, and further south the Delaware Bay. I very seldom remember any of us being over 50' in a rag tag

formation or race, to see who could get there first and get landed while cutting the other out of the pattern. When it was all over, we had lucked out and had fun besides. Of course 1946 saw the advent of the Bonanza and the much less successful Navion. The Bonanza, while priced somewhat higher than the Bellanca, but still at the present day values, a ridiculous $7,000, give or take a few bucks, cut drastically into demands for the Cruisair. In 1949, Bellanca flew th is aircraft with 190 HP Lycoming, and it was approved as the model 14-19 in September. Several years later, G. M. Bellanca went out of the airplane business - selling the Cruisair rights to a company that has been known as Northern, Downer and currently the old name - Bellanca Aircraft Corporation. As we all know, the nosewheel was added and different powerplants and turbocharging became a part of the latest models. I t is not known, the changes in structure of fuselage and wing, which were required to bring the gross weight in 1960 to 3,200 Ibs. from the 1,750 Ibs. of 1939. To the writer's knowledge, there was precious little change in the wing, once the plywood was added in 1938 or 1939. I t is a shame after al most forty years, that drain holes on a wing were either not installed or became clogged, allowing a spar to rot and cause an inflight fail足 ure. Other than thunderstorm induced failures, I know of none other. One last thought. All of you readers who can go back to having flown the 75HP Stinson 105 in 1939, will remember their take-off performance, or rather their lack of same. That summer our company, Air Service, I nco across the field from the Bellanca factory, had been most successful in selling the little Stinson - much to Bellanca's chagrin. Probably through a challenge by us, or the factory, we ran some take-off tests with these two aircraft competing - the Junior as it was know then, and Stinson 105. I remember well, as I flew the Stinson, the Junior jumped out in front with its 90HP, but the Stinson was in the air sooner after a shorter run. Of course the climb and speed were no contest. CAA and FAA approval dates and other information are listed on right: I hope none of the loyal Cruisair owners pick this article apart too badly. An effort has been made to be factual, but as mentioned too many times already, the years do take their toll of one's memory.

MODEL

YEAR

14-9

1939

14-9L 14-12F-3 14-13 14-19 14-19-2 14-19-3 14-19-3A 17-30 17-31TC

1940 1941 1946 1949 1957 1959 1963 1966 1969

17-31

1969

ENGINE HORSEPOWER Rearwin LeBlond or Ken Royce 90 HP Lenape Brave 95 HP Franklin 120 HP Franklin 150 HP lycoming 190 Continental 230 HP Continental 260 Continental 260 HP Continental 300 HP lycoming Turbo 290 HP Lycoming 290 HP

WEIGHT 1750 1750 1900 2100 2600 2700 2700 3000 3000 3000(3200 with Kit) 3000

Above. Another view of the early Cruisair mod足 ified with large span stabilizer, small fins and outside baggage compartment. The latter fea足 ture avoided much wrestling of luggage in and out over the seats, a feature still used today. The overall appearance has taken on a clean look, accentuated by the simple paint job. Below. One of the later basic models of the 14-13 about 1948. The baggage compartment had been added along with larger span stabilizer and smaller fins plus a steerable tai/wheel. The overall finish, upholstery and neat simple eli足 gance of the Bellanca, is reminiscent of the fine automobiles of the era.

Ifredricksburg

Virginia

ON DISPLA Y

Standard E-7

7976 Spad VII

Pitcairn Mailwing

Travel Air 2000

Curtiss Robin

Aeronca C-2

}-3 Cub

and other aviation memorabilia

Robin and Piticain at Shannon in March 76

1足

By P. B. Sullivan

Rt. 3, Box 466-D

Fredricksburg, VA 22407

(Photos Courtesy of the Author)

Fredericksburg, Virginia is a pleasant small city of some 17,000, situated on the Rappahannock River and saturated with history. Although not as widely known as Williamsburg, Fredericksburg claims to be America's most historic city, with any number of famous sons sent to Washington in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Sadly, it was also in the bloody center of at least five key battles of the Civil War in which there were combined casualties of 100,000. Now Sidney L. Shannon Jr., a Fredericksburg busi足 nessman and aviation enthusiast has put the city on the map for historians of aviation with the opening last summer of his Shannon Air Museum. The museum, located at Shannon Airport on state Rt. 2 about a mile south of the city, houses the eight gems in Shannon's collection, including: A World War I Stand足 ard E-1 fighter, a 1916 Spad VII, a 1927 TravelAir 2000, a 1929 Curtiss Robin , a 1932 Aeronca C-2, a 1927 Pitcairn PA-5 Mailwing, a 1938 Stinson SR-10G (Gull wing) and a 1945 Piper J-3 Cub.

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Electra. In World War II he flew the Hump in C-46 cargo aircraft for three years in a supply operation in which hundreds of planes were lost. Even after his retirement Merrill couldn't stay out of the cockpit. In 1966 he, Arthur Godfrey and two other pilots set 21 world records in a globe-circling flight in a Jet Commander. And it's only been about three years since he set a Palmdale-to-Miami mark ferrying Eastern's first Lockheed L-101l. Merrill's Fredericksburg headquarters is a new brick and steel museum measuring about 120 by 130 feet. In addition to the large display area there is a theater for movie and slide shows, two rooms for display of models and artifacts, a Iibrary and gift shop. In a corner of the immense display hall there is a replica of an early avia足 tion machine .shop, which Shannon calls a monument to the guys who kept those early planes in the air." Shannon acquired his Standard from a florist's shop in Dayton, where it had been used as a business advertisement. He likes to joke about snatching the E-1

Below. Travel Air 2000, OX-5 engine

Above. jack Moos flies the Pitcairn, 3/76 The condition of these aircraft is outstanding, and all but the Standard, of which but two remain, are occa足 sionally flown. Curator of the museum is Capt. H. T. "Dick" Merrill, who with more than 45,000 hours logged (and he didn't log any until the 1930's) is probably the world's most experienced pilot. He's a young 82, still holds all his licenses, even though he retired from Eastern Airlines at age 60. Merrill taught himself to fly in 1920 in a Jenny, way down in Mississippi. He barnstormed the next seven years, then took a job flying mail in a Fokker for St. Tamany Gulf Coast Airways on the New Orleans-Atlanta route. In 1928 he joined Pitcairn Aviation and flew the night mail from Richmond to New York. When Pitcairn became part of Eastern in 1932, Merrill flew Curtiss Condors and DC-2's on the New York-Miami run. He has dozens of records, "firsts" and awards, includ足 ing the Harmon Trophy for the first commercial two-way crossing of the Atlantic in 1937 in a Lockheed

from under the nose of the Air Force Museum (which nevertheless managed to find the only other one). The little machine has an 80 horsepower Le Rhone and can reach 103 miles per hour and 14,500 feet - or it could, if it were still flown, but due to its rarity it is grounded, the only plane in the collection that doesn't stretch its wings from time to time. Shannon acquired the E-1 in 1956 and spent eight years restoring it. It was his first antique, and he was hooked. The Spad is a masterpiece, purchased th is year from James Ricklefs of San Carlos, California, who spent three painstaking years rebuilding it, complete with 150 horse Hisso engine. It has been flown twice this year in Virginia by Jack Maas, who reports that it handles beau足 tifully. The plane, purchased by Ricklefs from J. B. Petty of Gastonia, N.C. in 1969, was one of 120 Spads originally built by a British firm under license from Societe Anonyme Pour L'Aviation Et Ses Derives (SPAD). Shannon's Pitcairn, with barking 200-horsepower Wright J-5, is finished in the markings of Eastern Air Transport, Inc., a forerunner of Eastern Airlines. This PA-5 is identical to the ones in which Shannon's father, Sidney Sr., and Dick Merrill flew the mails. Shannon Sr. later rose to become vice president of operations for Eastern Airlines, a position he held for many years.

The Shannon PA-5 is one of four of that model remaining, including one in the new National Air and Space Museum. It is believed to be the only one still flying and is licensed to haul 500 pounds of mail in the front compartment. The plane was originally purchased from Pitcairn Aircraft, Inc o of Bryn Athyn, Pa. by Colonial Western Airways, Inc. The aircraft has been flown cross-country in recent years, includ ing a trip to Ottumwa in 1972, and has garnered its share of show hardware. Yet it was bought from a dusting pilot as a basket case and totally rebuilt by Shannon's mechanic, Francis Clore. Flying alongside the Pitcairn today, it is easy to imag足 ine the early mail pilots, bundled against icy winds in the open cockpit, totally relying on the faithful Wright engine and on the ruggedness of the airframe to get in and out of unimproved strips. Navigation aids were non-existent, and at night the only light for landing was the two big ones outboard on the lower wings. The TravelAir 2000 is also a beauty, but has a dif足 ferent personality, one that says "come fly me" on sunny summer days. And it promises a great trip. Shannon acquired this aircraft in 1973 from Max Walton Above. 7932 Aeronca C2 "Razorback"

of Wichita, the original owner. It is silver and blue with Below. The}3 restored by Shannon Museum personnel. red upholstery, and its OX-5 mill swings a huge prop, curved like a scimitar. One look makes any enthusiast

wonder why they don't build planes like it anymore. Shannon has a clipping from the May 21, 1928 edi tion of The Free Lance-Star, the daily newspaper in Fredericksburg, telling about the arrival of his father's new TravelAir in the city. The article reports that the new plane "reached here yesterday afternoon from Wichita, Kansas. The ship is a biplane, powered with a Curtiss OX-5 ninety horsepower motor, and can carry two passengers in addition to the pilot.... The plane is known as the Travel Air and is one of several models now being made to sell at prices ranging from $3,000 to $3,500. It is capable of a high speed of about 100 miles an hour under full throttle and cruises at from 70 to 80 miles an hour. "The plane was flown here from the fac tory in Wichita, Kansas by Mr. Shannon (this was Sid's father, and a different aircraft from the one in the muse um) in fifteen hours' flying time. the air line distance from Wichita to Fredericksburg is about 1,200 miles." Douglas Corrigan earned his "Wrong-Way" nickname in a Robin similar to Shannon's orange and yellow ma chine . The three-place ship, with 165 horsepower Wright J-6 is in pristine shape, right down to its wicker seats, and still cruises at 95. Shannon has owned th is J-1 model Robin since 1955, and it underwent total restoration in 1969. Few planes have more personality than the little

Above. WWi E 7 Standard, found in a florist's shop in Dayton, Ohio. Below. 7929 Curtiss Robin

Aeronca C-2, with its 36-horse Aeronca twin power plant, open-air cockpit and parasol wing. The 700-pound plane cruised at 70, was pooped out at 85 and still sets down at 36 miles per hour. Shannon has owned it for many years, and it is regularly exercised, always pleasing the crowds at the annual summer fly-in and airshow at Shannon Airport. Last summer Shannon acquired a Gull-Wing Stinson SR-10G from George Stubbs of Indianapolis, who had restored it to immaculate condition with the markings of American Airlines. The five-place craft is powered by a 300 horsepower Lycoming radial; it has a 155 mile per hour maximum and a 130 mile per hour cruise. This particular aircraft was featured on the cover of the March, 1974 edition of The Vintage Airplane. The most recently built of Sidney Shannon's ma chines is a classic Piper J-3 Cub built in 1945. It is com plete in original Cub markings and the powerplant is, of course, the 65 horse Continental. It was thoroughly re novated in Fredericksburg by Shannon personnel. Sidney Shannon's museum is believed to be the only civil aviation museum in Virginia, and it is certainly an outstanding one. He foresees no immediate additions to the collection, but there is plenty of space available in the museum, and he is always on the lookout for in teresting aircraft and aeronautical memorabilia.

My plan e, the one th at you owned, was a straight 2000 with the OX-S engine_ I have includ ed a picture of it that was taken about 1938 or so, some ten years after you owned it. It was still in original configuration at that time but was soon after converted to a Comet engine. When I got it, it had a Lycoming R-680, 300 hp. engine with it and it was apart with many parts missing. I have had so me luck assem足 bling parts but we have not yet begun serious restoration. Both my brother and I are dedicated to restoring these pl anes as close to original as possible. This includes the original instruments, paint schemes and engines, if possible. Once done, we intend to use them. We have located a Wright J-S engine that is somewhat incomplete but restorable , but have had no luck finding an OX-5 or OXX-6 engine for my plane. Th erefore, I will probabl y put the Lycoming back on unless I can find a Hi sso or Wrigh t j-4 or j-S . I would be most interested in your remembrances of this airplan e and that era around Los Angeles . Also, if yo u know where I can get some original parts, particularly engines and instruments, I could really use the information. Thank you again for the nice visit and I wish you success in your endeavors. Brian W. Dalton R. W. Bliss Army Hospital

Ft. Huachuca, Arizona 85613

Phon e (602) 458-3150

Editor's Note. The picture is of Leslie Miller's Travel Air, now owned by Brian W. Dalton. The following two letters refer to it, and are self-explanatory. AI Kelch

May 16,1976 Dear Mr. Miller: It was very nice to talk to you today. It is such a pleasure for me to talk to people wh o were active during the golden age of aviation and even more so in your case because you made such a co ntribution to bringing the airplane into its own. You asked about me. I am 28 years o ld and a Lieutenant in the Army Medical Department and am presently working at the Army hospital here at Ft. Huac huca. My hom e base is Dallas, Orego n where my brother is now. with all the airplanes. He is 26 and very much involved with antique airplanes. When we were growing up, th ere was a duster outfit in town that had four T ravelairs and we got to know and love them then. My first contact with aviation was when I was about 13 years old and I tried to buy one of th e Travelairs. Th e price was about 100 times what I could afford at the time so I had to defer the purchase. Over the past three years my brother and I have managed to buy two basket case planes plus the data pl ate and papers for a third. In addition we have a J-3 Cub that is flying now. My brother 's plane is a Travela ir 4000 that used to belong to Wilber May of the May Company department stores in Los Angeles. Of course, it was powered by a Wright J-5.

june 22, 1976 My dear young Friend, You can on ly imagine how delighted I am to receive from you your nice letter and your compli ments to my efforts in the past in connec足 tion with aviation. For an oldster, which I qualify for, since I am almost 80 years o ld now, it is very difficult to not at times live in the past and to possibly talk a little bit too much of th e past to the ex tent that the present laymen may misunderstand and consider such conversations as windy indulgence in self aggrandizement. Be th at as it may, to receive a nice letter from a young man who has such evident intense interest as you and you r brother have, in bringing to the present, the story of the past in aviation, I salute you for your effort and interest. It is of great interest to me also to have the log on what became of one of myoid ships. It is almost unbelieveable that this airplane is still in exista nce an d the photograph of it will be cherished as long as I live, and no doubt by my fam il y of three sons and a daughter, all of whom are flyers, including a number of my grand';Ons who are flyers. In the old days, I regarded the development of aviation as a prim e requisite in the safe-guarding of this nation, and even also o ther nations with the same value of freedom. It would seem boastful of me to say that back in th e old days I did envision the great a irl ine routes that lace th e United States and the world, and the development of tremendous airplanes and speeds. I felt the effort was well worth whil e in view of what we believed we were contributing to humanity. I am firmly of th e bel ief even today, that had we not developed speed of transportation between countries, and tremendous improvements in communications likewise in th e radio and TV, many conflagrations throughout the world might have otherwise developed into even more than the sad wars we have experienced . I believe that improved communica tions and improvement in travel, internationally, acquainted people throughout the world with each other to the extent th at some damper was put on wars even though

not completely so. We are more inclined to tal k things over now than to fight it out on the battlefield, an d as time goes on, within the scope of yo ur life time, I am quite sure peo ple of the world will eventuall y live with each other peacefully. God willing' The area of Los Angeles was th e seed bed largely of what has taken place to date in aviation. Back in the early 20's there were the Black Cats th at includ ed such peo pl e as Leo Thomic, Frank Clark, Earl jones, Reg in ald Denny and a number of others whose names escape me. These were th e Dare and Do boys who flew the airplanes in th e ear ly mov ies of aviation and probably some of th e best stunt flyers of tim es. In the mid 20's - Wally Ber ry, Ken May nard, Be n Lyons, Clarence Brow n, Ed Deering, Bu ck j o nes. Mo st movie peo ple lent their efforts and presence in behalf of avia tion , but become avid flying enthusiasts and pilots. As old as I am, I simply can't remember even Y. of the old gang. Otto Timm and Wally Timm's names come to mind as part of the Bl ack Cats era or thereabouts. You could look over the roster of av iation and find hundreds made their mark in the Los Angeles area. Walter Waterman. His name now occurs: as I canvas my memory I suppose I could go on and on picking up a new name each hour that I tri ed. Anyway, it was a great era. Myo id Travelair was one of a number I o wned and in which rests fond memories. I have been ask ed by the Antiqu e Classic Division of Experim ental Aircraft Association to conduct a Forum on the OX-S engine on Sunday, August 1, at 1 :00 p.m. in the Forum Tent u3 (south of the main gate and just north of Ollie's Woods) at Oshkosh , Wisconsin during th eir convention . So possibly you might be there and if you are, I would be hap py to meet you personally, as well as your brother, if yo u can make it. Regarding availability of OX-S parts, it has been 50 years now si nce I wa s manufacturing the Milleri zed improvem ents and everything has been scattered to the four winds that I had. I do know of a fellow by the name of johnny Lowe, on Ringling Blvd., in Saraso ta, Florida_ johnny is a real old timer and he did have a complete Millerized OX-S and quite a few parts. It seems to me he had a son-in-law who was an airp lane pilot, who may have come in possession of this engine. I don't know whether it could be pried lose from them or not. I know they prized it highly. Attending th e aircraft convention might be profitable to you in the line of learning of available parts. It would give you a cross section of the effort made by all of them in the procurement of old aircraft materials. Wish I cou ld help you more. As I write, I remember that Melba Beard out in Arizona somewhere had quite an intere st in OX-S parts procurement. Lt. Dalton, it has been nich to hear from you. I have written about as'much as I can remember at this time, and I look forward to hearing of your progress. With very king personal regards, I am Your Friend Leslie C. Miller P.O. Box 77

Warne, NC 28909

(704) 389-6695 Dear Mr. Nielander: I just want to let you know that yo ur editorial in the August issue of The Vintage Airplane just hit th e nail real square on the head. It looks to me as if the whole future of EAA, and more so, AAA, is tied up in this matter of something to build that will give the builder some real sa tisfaction and be a fine pl ane. Your list of possible planes is a good one. I have been harping on thi s idea for a long while without any success.

Wag-Ae ro has shown us that the Cuby is possib le. I have hoped that they would have a real su~ccss with this idea and be encouraged to go ahead with other pl anes. As you pointed out, there are a few planes of this type that have not been haul ed out of the barns. Now the big question is: how do we get this so rt of und ertaking activated? It see ms to me th at a good talk with Pau l ought to help out. May be an arti cle in SPORT AV IAT IO N req ues ting any informatio n as to where the se pl anes mdY be hiding would bring out somethi ng_ Perhaps the AAA wou ld also run so me sort of article on thi s. Now, the othe r way would be to find someo ne who ow ns one of th ese and to let some engineer use the plane to draw up a set of plans. I suppo se th ere might be leg,!! difficulti es about thi s, but probably th ey cou ld be ' resolved so mehow. May be there are other possible sources for a set of plan s. I don't know the answers, but I fee l very st rongly that we shou ld not let yo ur idea drop. It should be activated. Maybe another way would be to get some qualified engineer to de sig n a pl ane ALMOST like one in your lis t, but ju st enough different so th at it would be a new plane. Th en anyone who had strings o n th e original designs, that we couldn't cut, wou ld not have any strings on the new on e. Again, I say, I think your idea is a good one, and I sincere ly hope something will come of it. Yours truly, Howard Holman Way ne, Maine 04284 September 22, 1976 Howdy J. R.: Hey, man! I lik e yo ur Augu st, '76 editorial! Sallright, it is, and I hope you get people thinking and working along "Replica" lines. I assume you are aware th at: 1. R. G. Huggin s has put toget her plan s drawings for the Curtiss Wright Junior. 2. John Houser at Aero nca in Ohi o knows of a group of dedicated peopl e working on new drawings for th e Aeronca C-2 & C-3. 3. FAA Jamaica, NY has drawings for th e Taylor E-2 Cub. 4. EAA library has a complete se t of American Eaglet drawings. (Someone ought to "tell" the guy who is mark eting an "A mer ican Eaglet" Glider.) An Ameri ca n Eaglet, is almost completed (replica) at Sault Ste. Mari e, Ontario. 5. Drawin gs for various Moth & Avio n aircraft are avail ab le, of course, and one gu y is even offering Gipsy Major engines cer tified & converted to run upright - just great for the DH 60 Moth replica. 6. Bucher J UNGMANN draw ings should soon be availabl e from Mo ntreal, Qu ebec. I would love to see McClure or someone do drawings for that Wil ey Post - ( Ford " A" engine parts will be ava il ab le for years to come). Now if someone could get a small series of original radials back into production - eve n at a trickle - we'd really have so mething. Guess we are entitled to dream, eh? I've ofte n wondered abo ut th at Kl emm (Antique Treasure Hunting) o n th e junkpile in South America - wonder if it's still th ere? We don't have Pan Am or Braniff here - tried to get some contacts through DeHav iliand here, but no luck. If I had a contact I think I'd maybe try to get that Iii' 01 bird. An yway, "Cheers ",

Garth Elliot

2nd Line West

Meadowvale

Ontari o, Canada LOJ 1KO

September 14, 1976 Dear AI: Everything is back to normal more or less aro und Rhin ebeck after the Hammond sport Air Show. Curtiss "D" and Blerio t N have flown eac h weekend since in a steep lec hase, sli ghtl y co nd ensed from the o nes we did at H-spor t. Foxy is having quite a time with Bl eriot as he keeps taking it hi gher and higher eac h week, wea th er permitting. Each land in g he is more sur e about taking it around!. Was thumbing through a 1931 Air Tai ls look ing for an art icl e o n Hea th Parasol's for Herb Ei se n of the Aerodrome Staff and ran ac ross thi s ad for Eaglet's. Thought you might like it for your scrapbook or whateve r. I'm st ill tink ering on my '41 5-3, now up at Dick King' s barn, also still looking for Fleet pam es peciall y model II fuse lage, lower wing panels, logs, and rudd er, plu s much misc. Any leads app reciated. Pl ease say hi to Bu ck A. next t ime yo u see him for me - he has an ex tra fuselage doesn't he? I'm pl anning on going to Florida with Col e in December or when ever. I guess th e Do lphin is co ming pretty good as And y Keefe has se nt a few pi ctures up already. Also I'm looking around for so me type of a ircraft like th e Eaglet something differe nt that I could use in Cole's show. He wants the young types to start getting involved with fl yi ng th ere own machines for "pants races" or other ac ts. I'm espec iall y in terested in a crazy C-3 ac t, so I'm looking, would appreciate any lead s, thanks. If you ha ve any of those ex tra Antique and Classic mags I would appreciate some. Also who is the guy to se nd th e $ to for memberShip? Well good lu ck on whatever yo u are doing? E-2, Eaglet , Travelair or? As far as E-2 goes, I can get wings, ai lerons, engine, gear; do yo u have pl ans fo r fu selage?? any o th er parts? Thank s a bunch . See you in Fl orid a. Sincerely, Joh n Barker Octobe r 11, 1976 Dear Mr. Nielander: I am the proud ow ner of a Rearwin Sport ste r sin 656D, whi ch is fitted with Le Blonde K.R . 5 F. si n 1225. My problem is this: I am a pre maturely retired Aircraft engineer (hea lth reaso ns), with 37 years practical ex perience, (mos tl y on light aircraft). As I did no t have any data on thi s de lightful and rare aircraft, I took numerous photos of vital parts, etc., before di smantling the air frame into its various component s. All this happened seven years ago and after a spate of illnesses (including a heart problem th at lost me my pil ot's license) I find myse lf able to work again on Rearwin ZK-AKA. However, the photos taken by me have co mpletely disa ppeared. On top of thi s, o ur Departme nt of Civil Aviation has ti ghtened up on the overhauling of old aircraft. As a consequence, I am trying to loca te so meone in the USA who can put me in touch with anoth er Rearwin 9000KR owner, or a club of Rearwin owners, to enable me to find out modificat ions, repa ir sche mes, availabi lity of parts (if any) , da ta about both engin e and airframe, etc., etc. I have to start somewhe re and after ta lking to numerous av iat ion peop le, one of th e m came up with your nam e and address fro m the Experi mental Aircraft Association's maga zine, SPORT A VIA Tl ON, so if yo u coul d find your way clear to eith er pass this letter on or to send me the address of someone who could help me out, I wou ld be extre mely grateful. Your sincerely, Ivan T. Eas t 34 Ash leigh Crescent, Miramar Well ington, New Zea land

September 23, 1976 Dear Mr. Ni ela nder : Th ank you for the timely concern for th e REP LI CA AIC and their owner/builder/pilots. We have been the orphan fringe of the WARB IRDS and ANT IQUE/ CLASS IC Divi sion for a long time, but , at least, Antique/Cl ass ic made a move of recognition of a problem, which is a definite step towards a so lution. Nearly eleven years ago , at our formation, recommendations had been made for the members to join th e EAA; World War I Aeroplanes, und er Leo Opd ycke; Cross & Cockade Soc iety , as th e major organiza tion s that would profit the membership . I suggested that the Antique Airplane Association might a lso be of adva ntage . Rega rding th e latte" no matter how accurate a Replica of an air craft which eith er is rare or no lo nge r exists may be, th ere wa s no provi sion for the Rep lica aircra ft. For those few owners of Original WW I aircraft, AAA ca n be a useful group and might be benefi cial. Warbird s and Antiqu e/Cl assic Di visions were not operative at the start of our group, and while I joined both my self, fe lt that until the recent Vintage Airplane and th e Preside nt 's sharp insight, both would be more of the sa me in which we would serve their purposes more th an having a functional ro le of our own. Accordingly, I shall recommend future affiliation of our mem bership with A/ C Di vis ion, whi ch will be merel y a n extention si nce all the members shou ld already be EAA members in good sta ndin g. I should like to see the sa me thing happen with WARB IRDS, und er the EAA Bann er, in whic h regard they also co nsider the sca le ai rcraft, WW I and WW II, along with the full si Le repli cas, and will th en feel fre e to reco mm end that we support Warbirds fully in recogn itio n o f their supp ort of us. Obvio usly th e Repl ica Quilders will not be co mpetiti ve to the "Big Brothe rs ", Both Antique and /or Warbird, but co mplim ent each as a secon dary, ye t au ton omous point of interes t and , wh at is more, added noses as voters to add clou t as need ed. Hopefull y th e Warbird Di visio n might jo in th oughts with those you have just exp ressed and I have been trying to form so that we might eac h serve o ne another. Wonderful th ought , and I am ver y gra teful for it. Now to do what ever is needed to mak e it all jei. Sincerely yours, Stanley L. Morel "Der Zirk usMei ster" FLORID A CHAPTER LAU DITS Sept embe r 21, 1976 Dear Mr. Esca llon, Fl a. Chapt er Pres. From th e ve ry beginning yo ur associa tion ha s been deepl y involved and has contr ibuted greatly to thesuccess of Sun 'n Fun. Th e working fly -i n at our new site this pas t weekend was a magnificent demonstra ti on of the dedication to EAA's ai ms and goals possessed by yo ur members. As an officer of Sun 'n Fun I lack th e words to express th e dee p feeling of gratitude th at I have for the effort made here. As an EAA member I sa lute the FSAA&CA for it s signifi ca nt co ntribution s to Spo rt Avi ation in all its endeavors. As a member of th e FSAA&CA I am very proud to be o ne of you. Your organi zation has done much to bring EAA 'e rs toge th er and to giv e them directi o n and purpose. It is per so nall y a rew ardin g and sat is fyi ng expe ri ence to be a part of it. Sincerel y, Bill y M. Hend erso n, VP 502 Norfolk Circle Lake land , FL 33801