finding of old aircraft that can be restored. Additionally, all type club newsletters previously sent to AI Kelch shou Id now be sent to Dave Gustafson at EAA Head quarters. Dave does plan to devote space to type club news which is of general interest to the membership if appropriate and sufficient information is forthcoming. Dave would also like to expand the magazine's fly-in coverage, but this can only be accomplished if fly-in chairmen will assign photographers and writers from their own organizations to the task of providing the material for the magazine. Also, due to the lead time necessary for publishing the magazine, articles must be received within two weeks after the fly-in so that they're still reasonably current when pu blished. For those of you who have a story to tell and have some interesting pictures of your old bird, but are hesi tating because you are not sure of how to write for publication, please just reread my column in either the February, 1976, issue or the March, 1977, issue of this magazine for a short course in magazine writing. It's really very easy. If I can do it, you can do it too.
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THE RESTORER'S -CORNER by J. R. NIELANDER, JR. It is with great pleasure that we welcome our new editor of THE VINTAGE AI RPLAN E, David Gustafson, who takes over with this issue from our very dedicated Di rector, AI Kelch, and his lovely wife, Lois. AI and Lois, who originally accepted the editorship for one year back in January, 1976, had expressed their desire to be relieved of their edito rial duties with the completion of the December, 1977, issue. However, due to the fact that Dave was not going to be available until January, 1978, plus the lead time required to put the magazine together, they agreed to edit the January and February, 1978, issues. Again we want to sincerely thank AI and Lois for a great job beautifully done. Thus it is that with thi s March issue we welcome Dave to our organization and wish him every success in his endeavors. Dave has exciti ng plans for the improvement of our magazine, and he anticipates a greater d iversifi cation of the type of articles to be published. His immediate need is for more articles on classic resto· rations. He can also use artic les on antique restorations as well as arti cles telling about the hunting down and
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CHAPTER NEWS The active people in our Florida Chapter have come up with an idea that we think is worth passing on: ANNOUNCING THE
"TEN FOR TWELVE" CLUB
We proudly and gratefully list below all present members of The "TEN FOR TWEL VE n Club . These members have all generously pledged $10 a month for 12 months toward the LAIRD SUPER SOLUTION Restoration Project. Bob Strahlmann Betty Jones Leonard McGinty, Jr. Floyd McKahan Bob White John Parish Donna Bartlett Allan Wise Ken Davis Toni Guay E. A. Crosby Jim Swaney
Merl Jenkins Morris Bennett
Bill Ehlen Elsie Laird
Evelyn White Ralph Loos
Paul and Audrey Poberezny
If you're interested in joining, write to Florida Sport Aviation Antique/Classic Association, Box 5292, Lakeland, FL 33803
CALENDAR April 16
Grand Prairie, Texas - Annual Fly-In sponsored by EAA Chapter 34. Contact George C. Sims, 817/292-4233 or 292-3798.
May 5-7
O1ino, California - 4th Annual Southern California Regional Fly-In. Sponsored by EAA Chapters 1, 7, 11, 92, 96, 448 and 494. Contact Gene Vickery, 1115 S. Sierra Vista Ave., Alhambra, CA 91801 213/289-8944.
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May 26-29 Harvard, Illinois - Monocoupe Fly-In. Dacy Airport. Held in conjunction with Ryan Fly-In. Contact Willard Benedict, 129 Cedar St., Wayland, MI 49348.
~97B
June 3-4
General Motors Wildcat Test Pilot and Ground Crew reunion. Contact Dick Foote, P.O. Box 57, Willimantic, CT 06226 (Phone 203/423-2584) or Dan Hanrahan, 470 Elmore Ave., Elizabeth, NJ 07208 (Phone 201/254-4481) . Names and addresses appreciated .
June 2-4
The Annual Fly-In of the Greater Kansas City Chapter, Antique Airplane Associa tion will be held at Amelia Earhart Memorial Airport, Atchison, Kansas. Contact Dick Shane, 8315 Floyd, Over land Park, KS 66212 - 913/648-3139 or Kermit Hoffmeier, 103 N.W. 64th Ter race, Gladstone, MO 64118 816/436-3459.
1'12s 1!1NTASEA/fJPIJlNE
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
Editorial Staff Editor David Gustafson
ANTIQUE / CLASSIC DIVISION of THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIA TlON
P.o. Box 229, Hales Corners, Wis. 53730 Copyright "' 1978 EAA Antique/ Classic Division , In c., All Ri ghts Reserved.
MARCH 1978
VOLUME 6'
NUMBER 3
, Robert G. Elliott, AI Kelch, Edward D. Williams to submit stories and photographs. Associate Editor to those writers who submit five or more articles which are VINTAGE AIRPLANE during the current year. Associates THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE and a free one-year for their efforts. POLICY -Op inions expressed in the authors . Responsibility for accuracy in report-
Directors
PRESfDINT
J_R. NIELANDER. JR". P.O. BOX 2484 ' I FT. LAUOEROALE,FL 33303
YlCE.......QJWT
JACK WINTHROP f{T. 1.SOX 111 ALLEN, TX76002
I
~t.Y W. &AII'D THOMAs,JR.
301 OODSON MtLL 8Q~O
PILOt MOUNTAIN. NC 27041
TREASURER
E.E. "BUCJ("HII.BERT 8102 LeeCH RD. UNtON.'lL80180 THe VI"'TAGI! A1 ....l.A"'E I. _hIv .. _ pom.... WI Co........ ~In \53130. ..... I..... OliO .,4.00 _ 12 month
,lMmtMnh...
i'I _
•• oil who
Will iam J. Ehlen Route 8 Box 506 Tampa. Flo rida 33618
Mequon, Wisconsin 53092
Claude L. Gray, Jr. 9635 Sylvia Ave nue Northridge, California 91324
Morton W. Lester Box 3747 Martinsville, Virginia 241 12
Dale A Gustafso n 7724 Shady Hill Drive Indianapolis, Ind iana 46274
Arthur R. Morgan
513 North 91 st Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226
Ri chard Wagner P. O. Box 181 Lyons, Wisconsin 53 148
M. C. "Kelly" Vie ts RR 1 Box 151
Stilwell, Kansas 66085
AI Kelch 7018 W. Bonniwell Road
Advisors Ronald fritz 1989 Wilson, NW Grand Rapids, Mich iga n 49504 Roger J. Sherron 446-C Las Casitas Santa Rosa, California 95401
Stan Go moll 1042 90th Lane, NE Minneapolis, Minnesota 55434
(Cover ph oto by Chris Sorense n: Frank Delmar's Fleet) The Restorer 's Corner, by J. R. Nielander .... .. ... . .... . . .... . .. . .. .. 1 An Extraordinary Fl eet, by David Gustafso n . .. . . _..... . .. ...... . .. .. 3 Cessna Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6 J2 times 8, by Bob Zedekar .......... . ........ . .... _ . .. ..... _.... 7 Better Than New, by Dorr Carpenter . . . . .... _..... . .... .. . .. _ . _.... 9 Vintage Album, by H. F. S. Wadman . ... . .... . . . .. . ............. _.. 11
Norseman Affair, by Byron (Fred) Fredericksen ....... . ... . ........ . . 13
Restoration Tips: Aluminum Surfaces, by David Gustafson . . .. ......... 19
Whistling in the Rigging, by Tom Poberezny .. .. ...... ... . ... .. ...... 20
Letters . . . - . . - .......................... . .. . _ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 20
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION MEMBERSHIP ONON-EM MEMBER - $20.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/ Classic Division, 12 monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE; one year mem bership in the Experimental Aircraft Association and separate membership cards. SPORT AVIATION magazine not included. OEAA MEMBER - $14.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic Division, 12 monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE and membership card. (Applicant must be current EAA member and must give EAA membership number.)
Robert E. Kessel
445 Oakridge Drive
Rochester , New York 14617
Robert A. White
1207 Falco n Drive
Orlando, Florida 32803
exct u sive l y
by
EAA An t ique/ C l assic, D ivision , I nc ., and is pub l ished
1 30. Second class P os tage pa id a t Ha les Corne rs P ost Office, H a les mailing o ff ices . Membe rship ra tes fo r EAA Antique / Classic D ivision,
whic h $ 1 0 .00 i s f o r I he publica t ion o f T H E V INT AGE A IR PLANE.
in av i a t ion.
Page 3
Page 7
Page 73
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Cowling." That 's all very curious since Frank can't find any evidence of even a single "standard Fleet 16F." (Can you?) After the ob li gatory test hops, the plane was sold to the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in San Di ego with the marks NC20699. It was, and is today , 28 feet wide at top and bottom wing, 22' 3 ~ " long in flight and 7' 10" high. The records show that Consolidated refered to the airplane as a 16F. In April, 1939, Consolidated sold the plane for a buck "and other considerations" to the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation of Long Isl and City, New York. Shortly thereafter, Brewster applied for Registra足 tion and a Commercial Certificate and the form revealed the plane had 82 hours on it. Three months later, application was made for an Experimental certificate. The form curiously classified the machine as a "New Airplane". What made it "new" in the eyes of Brewster, who now called it a B-1 (where have I heard that before?) and gave it the number NX20699, was the swap to a Warner 165 horsepower engine. They also installed a single gas tank, capable of holding 33 u .S. gallons, and completely refurbished the plan e. Brewster published the following specs on the aircraft in 1939: 28' Span 22' 11" Length 8' 0.5" Height 202 sq. ft. Wing area Power load ing 11.8 Ibs./hp. Wing loading 9.7 Ibs ./sq . ft. Empty Wt. 1,227 pounds Useful load 723 pounds 1,950 pounds Gross Wt.
by: David Gustafson, Editor "You're right, it's not a stock Fleet. It's a unique Fleet . . . in many ways." That's how Frank Del mar answered a nit-picker last summer who thought he had grounds for complaining that Frank's restoration didn't deserve the trophies he was sweeping up . Frank had done his homework, however, and usually carries a note足 book with xerox copies of over a hundred pages of documentation, tracing the evolution of his special bird. Actually, the lion's share of credit for art work and craftsmanship currently in Frank's Fleet belongs to Walt Scheibe, who took it on as h is 36th complete restoration project, but more about that later.
HISTORY
In the beginn ing . .. the Fleet Aircraft Company of Canada filed an Aeroplane Inspection Release Certificate in 1939. The plane was given serial number FAL 262 and classified as a Fleet 16F. It had a Warner Super Scarab Series 50 Engine that developed 145 horsepower at 2050 rpm . The airscrew was a Curtiss metal fixed pitch job with an eight-foot diameter. There was an upper wing tank that held 20 imperial gallons and a belly tank held 23 more. A factory mod record states "This aircraft departs from the standard Fleet 16F in the fol足 lowing respect: Fork Fixed Tail Wheel, Oil Tank, Engine
The plane was given serial number 1 and Brewster got a license for flight tests . With the Warner 165, they came up with the following performance goodies: 122 mph Maximum speed 105 mph Cruising speed 52 mph Land ing speed 14,000 feet Service ceiling 900 ft./m in. Rate of cl imb 350 miles Range There were two "optional" engines; the Ranger 6-440B-2 which developed 175 hp. at 2,450 rpm or the Kinner R-5 which cranked up 160 hp at 1,975 rpm. Testing began early in 1940, but apparently didn't
Above: Walt Scheibe applies dope to the freshly recover ed fuselage. (Photo by Frank Delmar)
lead to any kind of impressive results in the military marketplace. Probably in an effort to secure some gov ernment funding, the Brewster Corporation sold the Fleet as a 16F, serial number 1, to the Penguin Flying Club (i.e., a dummy corporation) for five bucks. Itwas sold without an engine, but it now had anew, detach able Motor Mount. If you think it's getting confusing, you'd better get your compass out. The Penguin Flying Club filed for registration and described the aircraft as a Brewster Fleet 10. They had installed a 125 horsepower Kinner B5, a Hamilton adjustable prop, and "47 pounds of ballast forward of Firewall." Then an inspection report in 1943 notes that the "fuselage was altered to conform to original print." This meant it would conform to ATC No. 374. George Hamill, a CAA inspector maintained the Fleet while it was with Penguin. Max Goldstein became the owner in 1946, which commenced hand-changing ex ercises between a long list of private owners. In the process, someone added a Hawoodie Air Starter, some one else took it off; someone changed to a Curtiss prop, then it went back to a Hamilton; and the engine changed from a B5 to a B5R (sound familiar?). At one point the aircraft was sold for $475. The buyer put down $300 and never got around to laying down the balance. Fi nally it came into the hands of Jack Mozian who put seven hours on it in seven years. It was tail heavy and badly out of trim. Frank Delmar bought it from Jack in 1972 and the work started on it shortly after that.
THE RESTORATION As Frank researched the plane, one obvious question emerged: what do you restore it to? It was a Fleet 16F in the beginning ..., well, sort of. Then it was a Brew ster B-1, then a Consolidated Fleet 10, then 10F for awhile, then 10 again. The decision was made to rebuild it as a Brewster Fleet lOw ith a 125 horsepower Kinner B5 and a hand carved Fahl in prop. The plane was moved into Walt Scheibe's shop and broken down into a gazillion parts. All the metal parts were stripped. The wings were denuded and in the process they discovered nests from some rodent stow aways. In the past, fabric and dope dummys had tight ented the rag to the point that it pulled in the trail ing edge and puckered the aft tips of all the ribs: "We had to work on every si ngle rib and com pletely replace the ai lerons," notes Walt. "All the trailing edges were replac ed, then the round head rivets in the leading edges were swapped for flush rivets." Old sheet metal was discarded for new, a kinked push-pull rod went, the cabanes were replaced along with one of the gear struts. The instrument panel was restored to its original pattern and was fitted with vintage instruments. In the three years and 1,200 hours that Walt spent on the project, he also did a total overhaul on the Kinner, including building a new oil tank (the old one had rusted out around the top), and replacing all the old copper oil lines with modern flex lines. Deviations from the original specs were kept at a minimum. Stainless flying wires were installed in the interest of safety, the sticks were chrome plated in the
Above: Stretching new fabric over the Fleet's lower wing. All internal parts are painted. (Photo by Frank Delmar) Below: The Fleet's ready for a tow to Providence Air port where it will be rigged and test flown. (Photo by Frank Delmar)
A picture of Frank Delmar's Fleet in 7939. It was called a Brewster Fleet B-7 at the time and had a Warn er "Super Scarab" 765. Note the speed cowl and rear view mirror.
4
serviced thousands of airplanes over the years. The planes he's rebuilt from basket cases, or wrecks, include an Arrow Sport, Kitty Hawk, KR-31, OX Robin, AW Cessna, 5 )-3's, Luscomb 8A and TF, Aeronca C-3, two Taylorcrafts, PT-19 and 26, Wildcat (only started), Beech Queen Air, three Bonanzas, three Commanches, three Cherokees, three Cessna 140's, a 172, four Tri pacers and Frank Delmar's unique Fleet 10. That adds up to 36, pi us a wealth of knowledge that a lot of people wish they could match. And Walt's really good about sharing it. HONORS Finished and airworthy again in the spring of 1977, the Fleet was ready for dress parade, and Frank was eager to show it off. Later, he'd admit he really wasn't aware of what a fabulous job the rebuild amounted to, until he started dropping in on some fly-ins while enroute to California. It didn't take long to become convinced he had a winner. Last summer he flew 11,000 . miles, logging 129 hours and during that time he picked up 17 trophies, including 4 Grand Champion Awards. He couldn't make Oshkosh last summer, but he's planning on more long trips in '78, and you can be sure he'll be at Oshkosh this summer. It's worth waiting for .•
What goes through a man's mind when he taxis such an exquisite antique past a row of modern look-alikes? (Photo by Paul Mezaro) interest of cosmetics, and the original 8.50 x 10 tires were put aside in favor of 6.50 x 10's. The nose dish, of course, is anything but standard. Brewster had redesigned the engine mount and when they were finished with it, the plane had a swivel mount. With the Penguin Club's new Kinner B5, an exhaust ring was secured right behind the prop. The modified mount and exhaust ring are a unique feature on N20699. (The engine on it today is a B5R, or rear exhaust, but Walt left the ring on for the appearance of originality as well as for ballast.) Walt covered the fuselage and wings with Grade A and Frank, who put another 800 hours into the project, reports they "screwed it down with 780 Y<t-inch screws." Walt then laid on 6 coats clear, 2 coats aluminum, and 6 coats of pigmented, non-tuatening butyrate dope. Walt reassembled the Fleet at Green Airport and paid close attention to the rigging. Frank reported that the first time he had flown the Fleet (before rebuilding) he discovered that "the only way I could hold it level was
5
with nearly full left aileron and hard right rudder". "Handling was beautiful," Frank said of the first flight at Green. His warm smile and sparkling eyes endorsed his sincerety. Walt had rigged it right and had also brought the c.g. forward over 4," placing it within the envelope so for the first time in its history, the Fleet balanced. The aircraft now cruises at 85 mph with 1,700 rpm at sea level. Stall occurs at 47 mph, but only with an idle engine. Walt's observations of Frank's piloting led him to say "Frank doesn't fly that plane, he wears it." F rank ought to have the right touch with over 27 ,000 hours of flying time. He's a retired Allegheny Captain and a former FBO, with forty years of piloting. Walt Scheibe goes back fifty years to his first airplane ride. He nearly ripped his britches crawling in behind the pilot's seat in a C-2. He had to grow a bit before he could pick up his ticket, however. Then he salted some years as an FBO and has worked in nearly all phases of aviation. For many years he's run Rhode Island Airways, Incorporated at 58 Bunker Street in Warwick, RI. Walt's
Having fun out over the Atlantic. (Photo provided by Frank Delmar)
EAA MUSEUM NEEDS The following items are needed to carryon the pro grams of the EAA Air Museum Foundation. If you can help, please contact Gene Chase, Museum Director, at EAA Headquarters, Telephone 414/425-4860. Dona tions to the Museum are tax deductible.
CESSNA PROFILES From the photo files of EAA
Top: Cessna 720 . .. by Dick Stouffer. Center: Cessna 770B . .. by Ted Kaston. Bottom: Cessna 765 ... by Ted Kaston.
• 25 ton hydraulic press • Porta-power or body jack set (4 ton) • Cherry G-704 power riveter Air operated automotive bumper jack • Automotive analyzer (Sun Machine) • Banding tool for straps W', %" and 1" wide • Cylinder base wrenches for 65 through 0-200 Conti nental engines • Cylinder base wrenches for 0-235 through 0-360 Lycoming engines (Hex and Allen head) • Cylinder base wrenches for Continental R-670 and Lycoming R-680 • Crankcase and crank for a Lycoming 0-235 through 0-360. Any condition - for display only. High pressure cleaner (700 psi, 115 v.) • Aircraft tug • Engine slings for R-1820 and V-1650 • Air compressor - 5 hp. or more • Prop (or blades) for BT-13 (R-985) or AT-6 (R-1340) • Belt sander • Floor sander • Sheet metal brake • Small band saw • Paint spray booth • Paint storage cabinets • Electric metal shear • Borescope • Old aviation books • Old photographs • Old blueprints • Old scrapbooks
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"".
J"a CUB TIIBS 8
By: Bob Zedekar (EAA 709778) 3300 Moorewood Court Sacramento, CA 95827 (Photos provided by the author) Airplanes have always fascinated me but, with WW II, college, being gainfully employed and being married, air足 planes always seemed to come second. Accordingly, I never logged more than 16 hours. As a 26 year employee with United Airlines' sales department I have been priv足 ilaged to fly to all corners of the earth - but that's not really flying. My only claim to fame in flying machines is that I have restored one, and, since I work for United, I like to think of myself as a poor man's Buck Hilbert! As you already know, it's a very simple matter to restore an antique. All you have to do is: 1. find one hanging in a barn, 2. have the owner sell it, 3. have the funds to buy it, 4. have space,. proper tools, know-how and more funds. Since I had only vague ideas that such axioms existed, I succeeded in restoring a 1936 J-2
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Taylor Cub. Looking back, I guess the antique syndrome manifest足 ed itself in the mid 50's when I was working in our Seattle sales office. One of my chohorts, Jack Mitchell, was a real antique afficianado - he could tell you how many AN3-11 bolts were used in a Viele Monocoupe. Anyway, Jack and I got to taking in the Watsonville and Merced Airshows and the antique affliction hit. In 1964 United transfered me to Sacramento and I soon found a new circle of antiquers. In the Spring of '68 I made up my mind to ignore all of the stories of "there ain't no more to be found" and started out on a concerted effort to locate a rebuild project. Surprisingly, I traced down several stored antiques within a 100 mile radius. But, like some old girlfriends, they were either too expensive or too big to handle! Then, one fine day, I was bird -dogging Lind's Field south of Sacramento. To the umpteeth person I asked, "know of any antiques in any of these hangars?" This time the response was, "Yeah. Tom Murphy, the A & P,
has some kind of a hulk in that hangar across the strip. And Tom must be there because his car is parked out足 side." I thanked the kind man and proceeded to find Tom. The subject hulk turned out to be a fuselage, tail feathers, gear, 3 lift struts, a rusty looking A-40 and 2 right wings that had been last used as battering rams. The nameplate confirmed Tom's contention that it was a jen-u-wine J-2. It read: TAYLOR AIRCRAFT CO., BRADFORD, PA: MODEL J-2; SERIAL 886; DATE OF MFG. Oct. 7, 1936; MOTOR CONT A-40-4. Tom said he would reluctantly sell this assemblage of parts because he was getting married and could use some extra cash for his honeymoon. I hated to take advantage of Tom's plight but we settled on a price. The next day I went down in a pickup to retrieve the purchase. When we pulled into our driveway it looked like a scene from Sanford & Son! Har-de-har-har No.1: "It's going to take at least a year to ge t this bird back into the air." If som eone had even suggested eight years I would have quit right then.
Bob Whittier's 1966 articles in Sport Aviation, "The Forty Horse power Cubs," were extremely valuable in putt ing No. 886 back into original co nfiguration and color schemes. Bob Thompson (Mr. A-40) from Dayton sent me a lot of welcome advice regarding the engine. And the FAA boys from OKC said that I could have the origina l N number back· 17220. My son, Steve, and I soon learned that our meager box of hand too ls wouldn 't get the job done. Th en two turn of events go t the project off dead center. One was when I signed up for eve ning classes at Sacramento City Colleges' School of Aeronautics and the other is when I teamed up with John Peck in renting an old block build ing in the neighborhood. John (EAA 026985) is an ex Air Force fly-boy with an A & P ticket. He was co mpl eting a Starduster project and starting on a J-5 rebuild. John is a Rembra ndt with an acety lene torch. If he has a fault it would be that he so metimes forgets to remove hi s fingers from the back side of a piece of 2024 T3 while he sends the drill
through the frontside! One pleasant surprise came when the engine was opened up - she was as clean as a hound's tooth inside and met all tolerances from the table of fits. After a valve grind, new rod bearings, new rings, new gaskets and a paint job the Mighty Forty ran and looked like the day it left Muskegon. Making new cowling and the %-inch sled that the seats ride on was a bugger - patterns didn't mean a thing. Then, too, the wings were time consuming (remember I had two right wings to start with). Every rib, wire and bolt needed attention. After one of the right wings was back in order I simply made a new left wing by heading the spars back in the opposite direction and making a mirror image - with new wood. • All instruments are original .. . all 4! Swede Johnson sold me an original tach and altimeter. He also sold me a beautiful new Fahlin prop. Since Wag-Aero was not selling the old vane type airspeed indicators at the time I made one from a pattern. After listening to some lengthy arguments on Stits vs. Grade A, I decided that Stits would be easier for an amateur . By si mpl y reading a book and using a heat gun I think the cover job looks great. "Meanwhile, back at the ranch . .. " 8 years later, June 3, 1976 to be exact, the local GADO sent out a representative to give the "OUT HOUSE MOUSE" a new birth certificate. Don Horto n dropped into Borges Field early the next morning to test hop. Unless you have actually experienced the feeling of seeing your labor of love leave the gro und th ere is no real way to describe it. It certainly drai ns all emotions in one short moment. The pl an was to leave immediately for the Merced Antique Sh ow. Two hours and six courtesy hops later, Dan Shively and I took off and headed south . We were hardl y out of sight when we noticed the oil pressure and temp need les had started to r;reep toward the red line.
Rather than ruin a fresh engine Dan put her down on a ranch - finis Merced 1976. Lesson No.1 001: S.A.E. 30 oil is okay for break-in and short once-around-the-patch hops but it needs heavier stuff for sustained flight on a warm day. NCl7220 wound up with 31 hours in the summer of '76. She's back in the barn for the winter getting purtied-up for Watsonville and Merced. Or, who knows, I might even enter the little beauty in a good blimp race if they'll give me a reaso nable handicap! •
1JETTER GfHAN
Right: Ryan STA No. 728 with a Menasco C-4. Built in 7935. (From EAA photo file)
~EW• •• By: Dorr B. Carpenter (EAA 277 24L) 225 Saunders Road Lake Forest, I L 60045 An old aircraft or antique, even when gone over and rebuilt to the best standards, is never "better than new." Any plane is only as good as its weakest component; like a chain, it is only as strong as its poorest link. The state ment often heard at fly-ins is "that plane is rebuilt better'n new!" On the surface, the fabric job or paint may look better than factory work, but this is only su perfi c ia I. In reality there are many places where an old aircraft can be very tired. Unfortunately, these weaknesses are not always readily apparent and can go undetected through repeated annual inspections. A few obvious examples are crystalized metal parts, rust inside steel tubing, and glue joints no longer holding in wooden structures covered with fabric. This situation was brought home forcibly to me a few years ago in an incident in which no accident occured, but could have very easily. An old Ryan STM that I brought back from Australia was being demonstrated to a prospective customer. The plane was unusually solid and in "good" condition in spite of its 30 years service. That is to say, it looked good; it had a low time engine (35 hours since new), and new fabric and paint on an airframe totaling only 350 hours over the years. The prospective buyer sat back on the first flight around the field and followed through on the controls to get the feel of the plane. These Ryans have a fairly high sink rate with the engine at idle and two pilots on board. When it was h is turn, it became necessary to add power
9
Above: Ryan STM-S2 N8746 in 7970. (Photo provided by Dorr as he over-estimated the glide angle of the approach for his landing. Again, the second time we came in too low over the corn field. I have a great respect for what a corn field can do to an aircraft, and I was not too happy about these low power-on approaches over corn. Once more power was needed and chopped when the thresh old was made. The landing seemed normal, but when the plane slowed down, I could see something was wrong. The throttle quadrant was moving, but the engine was not responding! What if we had needed one more shot of power to make the field? After the Menasco was shut down, the trouble was ascertained to be a broken push-pull rod. It had snapped where it passed behind the gas tank and was out of sight
of any inspection. The point is that on closer scrutiny, the condition of the aluminum rod on the outside seemed good, but had corroded from the inside. The situation was th is: at the time the plane was manufactured and the rod assembled, a bug had crawled inside the aluminum rod and died. The resulting chemical action of his remains over the years had caused the failure. I hope never to hear the "better than new" statement again, and I am sincerely glad to see the antique aircraft removed from the strain of acrobatic competion that they were subjected to in the middle 1960's. Old air planes should be handled and maintained only with gentle care and respect .•
Modifying a Certified Aircraft By: jim Peale 577 Ashby Way Warner Robins, GA 37093 (Note: reprinted from The Slipstream, EAA Chapter 38 Newsletter) When you own one of the Antique or Classic aircraft, many times a modification becomes necessary to up grade the aircraft for safety or improve its performance. One of the problems I've always had with the Bellanca was poor brakes. Going into short strips was a problem if you had to really get on the brakes. The original equip ment brakes would heat up and fade if you laid on them. I wanted to upgrade the brakes and put on new modern brakes, both for safety and also due to replacement parts being cheaper and readily availab le. We'll use th is as an exa mple of the proper "legal" way to get new equip ment in sta ll ed on "Certified Aircraft" when no supple mental type certificate exists. Well, here goes . .. First, you get an A&P mechanic to install it. He then fills out an FAA form 337 complete with sketches, pictures of the modification, and mails it to the local FAA GADO office. They'll look at the data presented to check to see that it doesn't degrade the aircraft perform ance or compromise safety. If there's any doubt, they send it to FAA Engineering for their review and approval. Once the FAA has approved the 337, they send it back to the ow ner or mechanic. The local A& I then comes out to inspect the aircraft to see that th e new equipment was installed per sketches, drawings, etc. After he signs the 337, it goes to Okl ahoma City to be
recorded with the aircraft file. Here's what I really did ... First I bought some brake kits that were built for a Cessna 180, same weight class as the Bellanca. I removed the old brakes and fitted the new brakes on the old axles. The old axles were the same size so that saved some work. The brake attaching plate had to have two new bolt holes drilled in it to match the existing plate on the Bellanca. With the new brake hooked up, it was time to retract the gear and check for interference. The new brake puck hit the retract links upon retraction, so go back to step 1 and turn the brake puck to the forward side of the wheel. Retract the gear again, th is time no interference. Now for the taxi test. Boy, they really do work. Now for the paperwork. I filled out a 337, carried it up to the GADO office in Atlanta along with a drawing of the modification, pictures and data showing where it was approved for the Cessna 180. Well, the GADO inspector wanted it checked by Engineering because he had no experience with brakes installed on the forward side of the wheels. I drove across town to the Engineering office to meet with the Engineer and after he gave it a quick look, he said OK; then back across Atlanta to get the GADO inspector signature , then home. May I suggest that if you want to modify your Antique or Classic aircraft you get with an A& I first, then talk it over with the GADO Inspector before you start into the project. They may know of a good reason why it won't work . •
Back - Issues available: THE VINTAGE AI RPLANE
1973 - March, April, May, June, July, August, Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. 1974- All 12 1975 - Jan . thru June, July /A ug., Sept./Oct., and Nov./Dec. 1976 -
10, all BUTJuneandJuly
1977 - All 12 Cost: $1.00 each ppd with the exception of the July '77 "Spirit" issue @ $1.25. Write: Experimental Aircraft Association Box 229 Hales Corners, WI 53730
Vintag
Men and Theil
Some of E. Photographs by: H. S. F. AIRNIE Postbus HOLLA
Above: Morane Saulnier MS.377 is a very famous French parasol-wing trainer with radial engine. Still in use at some airfields as a glider-tug. Built in the thirties. This was at Luneville. Below: Erla SA was recently restored and based at the airfield of Birrfeld in Switzerland. This one (c/n.74) was built in 7934; and is of German origin.
Above: Bucker 737 "Jimgmann". This one was built in S from the famous BU. 733 "J ungmeister" in having two seaL these Swiss ones have a Continental boxer engine.
Below: Taylorcraft Plus D. Another oldie is this Taylorer, Cote.
Album
tage Machines
s's finest m WTTERDAM 3004 GA Rotterdam-Airport
Above: Klemm L.25-R 15 is a very old German prewar design; still owned by Mr. Kramer at Luxembourg-Findal airport and in excellent condition.
'and with the Swiss Dornier works at Altenrhein. It differs 71al Jungmanns have an engin e with hanging cylinders, but
Above: DH.82A "Tiger Moth" is in fact G-APCU and was painted in its original RA F markings for the film "A Bridge Too Far". Based at Gilze-Rijen Air Force Base in Holland.
m World War II. It can be seen here at Nyon-Gland a la
Below: De Havilland DH 82A, one of the b est preserved Tiger Moths in EUrope and seen here at Bern Belp. It has a bright red and white colour scheme.
By: Byron (Fred) Fredericksen 3240 W. Breezewood Lane Neenah, WI 54956 (Photos by the author) "You gotta have big feet, eh?" After hearing this choice bit of information I thanked Dan Springer and hung up the phone. Danny 's an FBO in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and is qualified in many of the "bush planes" used in the Canadian North country. Of particular in terest to me at that time was his knowledge of the Noorduyn Norseman. Danny advised me of the take-off, climb and cruise power settings, amount of fuel burned per hour, as well as flap settings for take-off and landing. The information was to prove invaluable. A friend, Richard Scribner, of Pontiac, Michigan, had purchased a Norseman on floats which was located on a reservoir near Rock Hill, South Carolina. It needed to be
13
The author and Norseman taking a five at the Island Airport Bridge, Knoxville, KY. ferried to the Brennand seaplane base on Lake Win nebago, near Oshkosh , Wisconsin, where it was to be disassembled and taken to the Brennand Airport for recover and other maintenance. It was already the season where Wisconsin lakes freeze over and since I had been unsuccessful in locating anyone with a 'pontoon permit' who was also qualified in a Norseman, I decided lowed myself th is trip. Years ago I'd had the chance to sit in a Norseman. The closest I'd come to flying that type was one take-off and land ing in an Otter on wheels, and two more in a Beech 18. At the time, my partner, Chuck Andreas, and I owned a Cessna 180 on floats. We also flew Gull Winged Stinsons and Stearmans; however, it never hurts to listen to the kind of experience that my friend Danny was willing to
share. This Norseman had previousl y been operated in South America so who knew what language was on the instruments. I was sure the radio equipment was nil . I had the log books but my Spanish is limited to "Tequila". Currently there are several Canadian and U.S. Flying Services operatirig Norsemen today as people and cargo haulers. The Norseman was design ed by ex Fokker Chief Engineer, Robert Noorduyn and almost 1,000 were built in his Montreal Plant beginning in 1934. The one I flew was built in 1941. Most were des ignated UC-64S for the U.S . Air Force and saw duty in several countries during WW II. This old bird was capable, dependable and big. I'm sure they will take their place in aviation history along with the huge Bellancas, Fairchilds and Stinsons that operated in the bush country all over the world for the past fo ur decades. I remember watching Norsemans pounding in and lifting out of the lake at Wawa, Ontario on Tuesdays and Thursdays back in the 1950's before Highway 17 was wrapped around Lake Superior. You either flew back then or took the train to go shopping in the Soo, and those planes were twenty years old at that time. And the loads they would carry! I once saw a disassembled caterpi li ar un loaded from a Norseman along with some passengers and some loaded 55 gallon drums. Getting back to "my" Norsem an, I thought about the problems and equipment that would be involved in this adventure. Since I'd already had some experience in buy ing and picking up airplanes I was wary of the phrase "it's all gased and ready; all you have to do is get in it and go ... " The only thing I was sure of before seeing the plane was that I would not find any flat tires on it. I made a check list of items I might need, including cash, credit cards, maps, life jackets, rope, more rope, float pump, gun boots, sack of tools, cloth tape, chamois, and a helper. I called a pilot-buddy, Bill Olson, of Neenah and asked, "how would you like an expense-paid trip down South to help me man -handle this big float plane? Be back in a day." He agreed and Delta brought us and our gear to Charlotte the next day. We rented a car, picked up the ferry permit from FAA and drove another twenty miles into South Caroli na to see what this airplane looked like before dark. It took some searching through the woods and hills but once we found the reservoir it was not difficult to find that big yellow airplane . The Norseman was practically
out of the water and it looked huge. Apparently, there was a dam somewhere in this water system and someone had rece ntly turned a valve. So here sat the better part of four tons of hulk on 'two huge floats which were stuck in the mud. To add to our delight the thing was parked in a cove facing directly at a boat house not more than eighty feet away. This meant the airplane would have to be turned ninety degrees to the right before it could go forward in open water. At that point we didn't think about how we were going to rotate it in the mud. Perhaps the water level would be raised in the reservoir the next day or so? I removed my boots, climbed up the ladders and cowl and walked over the wing spars inspecting the fabric for cracks, etc. The wings looked okay, the fuselage had been converted to metal, but we did wrap some 'high speed' cloth tape around the ver tical fin wh(;!re we found some cracks in the covering. Next, I found the oil filler and checked its level. We 'd brought oil, three gallons filled it to the neck. Then the fuel was checked. Th e wings held 120 gallons and belly tanks took forty-five and seventy-five. I was glad it had some fuel as gas would have to be trucked in. We ran all the quick drains we could find. We checked all the float compartments for water, the float fittings and rear door hinges for tightness; the engine for bird nests and the rear outside baggage for snakes. I hate snakes. I found a survival carton of dehydrated food with a Spanish label, one 'Brzilia' kerosene lantern and a machete in a sheath. I did not reach into any other dark corners. The only thing left now was to start her up and listen to her run. Only then did I think about a fire extinguish er. I like to have one when starting round engines. A good backfire and a carb fire could ruin what was left of our day. I carefully slipped into the left front seat (which was a board) and located the primer and electric energizer switch for the inertia starter, along with the boast pump. After a half do ze n strokes on the primer we each got on a float and turned the three-bladed prop through a dozen times and I went back to the captain's chair. I hit the master, boost energizer, mags and every thing else that looked important. Then I realized there would be no fire here today . Things were really taking shape now. Bill wanted to know how I knew the battery was dead. I didn't answer. I was saving my strength for the crank which I inserted through the access door in the cowl so I could hand crank the inertia. I guess the crank was on board for sentimental reasons. King Kong could not have turned
that crank. We found the huge twenty-four volt battery under the co-pilot's seat, got the tool sack and removed same. We took the battery back to an FBO at Charlotte, who was just closing for the night and checked in at a motel and then the bar. It started to rai n. "Good," I thought, "maybe the water level will come up at the lake." The next morning we retrieved the charged-up bat tery and borrowed a fire extinguisher; then got soaked loading these items in the car . . . the rain had not ceased. Back at the Norseman site everything was the same; high and stuck on the beach. We installed the battery, got all the switches, valves and levers where they should be and had the 1340 running a few minutes later. It ran smooth, sounded good, showed normal readings, had two mags and a working propeller. I strut the thing down. Since we were nice and wet already, we waded in the water up over our boots and tried to move or turn the airplane. Mind you, the floats are big and heavy, but they can be damaged easily by pushing or lifting with the tree limbs we were using. We left the scene and went to a nearby tavern to seek help. Nobody around but the innkeeper and she didn't want to accompany us. Back to the airplane .... I got to thinking about all the power that P&W had. Soon, Bill took a position behind and under the fuselage with a rope around a tree and the right front float. That
one seemed to have a little buoyancy. I got things run ning and warmed up. I was about to learn something about a Norseman that would interest Springer. That item is to never never have the pilot entrance door open one hundred eighty degrees against the engine cowl while adding power with one's upper torso out the door open ing so he can peer aft. What happens is that about the time the prop goes through roughly twenty inches of manifold pressure the door comes flying shut as if Her cules was slamming it closed never to come open again! I don't know if this crushing blow on my right elbow caused it or not, but right after that I thought I heard hollering from my assistant. I shut down and climbed out nursing my elbow. I walked back to Bill who was now sitting in the lake, mumbling something like : "why don't you come along down South and we will fly this nice big airplane back?" While looking for Bill's hat we did notice the airplane had moved a few inches. Not too bad for a day's work. The only thing to do was keep trying. We again attempted to dig some mud from around the floats with some boards. We checked the ropes and kept the same set-up, this time tying the right front tight to a tree ninety degrees to it with Bill to take up the slack from in between the two. I again started up, closed the door, and eventually she came off the mud and onto the water. The battery was beginning to weaken from all the starts
Fuselage was converted to metal sometime during 7960's.
Fuel stop on lake at Kalamazoo, MI. so after dropping the water rudders I taxied around on the lake to charge it up and gain practice turning the thing. The rain had turned to mist in the late afternoon and a fog was setting in. I saw a beer sign on the far end of the lake and drove over to a dock on which stood this friendly looking fellow who announced he had been looking at that yellow airplane across there for a month and had promised himself a ride in it before it left his lake. I informed him "I never flew one of these before, do you still wish to go?" "Yup." When I said let's go he grinned, put on a life jacket, and soon we started down the lake. We were in a valley which had an enormous set
15
of power lines hanging over it. Somehow, over the terrif足 ic engine noise in the cabin plus the distraction of a two-hand flap crank and step position to reckon with, his shouting and motions managed to indicate the amount of open water out there and where the fog covered hills would start to rise in front of us. I looked out and down at the float wave as it came forward and though I couldn't feel it, we had to be on the step. I brought the big round wheel back and we came unstuck right under the power lines with lots of room ahead to turn around at the end of the valley. I figured I had used 2 miles to get off. At 500 feet we were at the cloud base. We made a few turns, cranked the flaps and ailerons down and landed back at my co足
pilot's place and tied to his dock for the night. As we relaxed at our new friend's bar, Bill asked him if he enjoyed his ride. He said "ya atta wear ear plugs in that thing." The rain had stopped by the next morning but it was extremely hazy as the car rental agency man drove us down to Rock Hill. Flight Service had said they had 3 miles with haze and it should improve this A.M. "Supposed to be good at 6,000," they said. The hills on either side of the lake were hidden in the murk as we taxied. I explained to Bill about how he should watch for boats during the take-off run and hold the prop lever full forward as the lock wouldn't hold. I cranked some flaps down and told Bill I'd talk to him again when
we throttled back after take-off. Once more it took me two miles to get it flying. At five hundred feet I came back to cruise settings and could see nothing out front but that huge cowl jumping around. You could only see straight down and even that was very hazy. I wanted to get above the layer of haze so we began to climb. At twenty-five hundred all I got was a glimpse of the ground now and then. I'd already lost our position on the map and knew there were better than 6,000-foot hills up north of Charlotte. So I brought the power back on the old bear and began S-turning, looking for that foolish river I'd lost. We had been in the air an hour now. It was raining again when I found a bridge, dam and river all at the same time. With both hands Bill got the flaps and ailerons down, while I made a step landing in a wide stretch of the river. We'd passed over some kind of a building near the dam so we turned around and taxied about a mile back to where it was and saw this figure drinking beer and waving us in. The floats hit the sandy bottom twenty feet from shore so we shut down, got a rope on the floats and walked through a foot of water to get there . Right about now I was wishing the airplane would go over the dam. Two and a half days were shot. After learning we were in Hickory, North Carolina, about 80 miles from where we had taken off we phoned the FSS . They said the weather was not going to break as fast as they'd forecast, but if we could get to Charles ton, West Virginia, we'd be in the clear and over the river. Going cross country in a seaplane is a real problem. Seaplane bases are scarce. I knew there was one that's man-made at Dayton, Ohio . I got the phone number from my trusty guide book and had a talk with the Dayton man. "How much of a water runway do you have?" "Four thousand feet." "Do you know what a Norseman is?" "No." He pointed out that he'd got his float rating in a Champ. He added that a Cessna 195 on floats had come in the other day "and he got out." He also mentioned there was this power line at one end, "however, it's marked with orange balls." Just what I'd expected, I thanked the man and hung up. We took on three hours of fuel and the nice young fellow with the beer (I wish I could remember his name) held us in the river current with a boat until I got the engine started. We took off in the haze once again know ing we would have to go through a 6,800 foot pass. At four thousand we were in clouds, couldn't see "a nything and with no radio and undependable gauges it was loud
and clear we should go back from whence we came. Pabst Blue Ribbon was there again and after helping us tie to the shore insisted we come with him to his home, meet his wife and family and have supper there. His home was a lovely little ranch type layout on the side of a lush green hill and we were glad to play guitar, sing and enjoy a swell meal of corn bread, blackeyed peas, ham and grits. Our host drove us back to a motel in town with one hand on the wheel, the other holding a beer... he had a beer in his hand the entire time I knew him . Said he would have his own marina some day and there would always be beer in the fridge. I thought to myself - three days gone - should have been home by now. The next morning the weather was really sour. Fog and rain. Bill then decided he should get back home to his business. He took a jet out of town and I went to the FSS and learned this weather pattern was going to remain stationary for at least one more day. Two days later I took off under a 6,000 foot broken layer. The boys at Flight Service had asked me to fly low across the airport so they could see this Norseman. After that I went to 9,500 feet and headed across the hills toward Kalamazoo, Michigan, where there is a seaplane base on a big lake. By flying north for an hour and thirty minutes I got a feel for the airplane. Then I became aware that there had been no holes down below for the past half-hour . I went to 10,000 feet where I could see for a hundred miles. Everything was solid at 7,000 feet and there was this oil that began to appear from an access door in the firewall. A little oil is one thing, but soon my feet were sliding in it as more and more came. The stuff began running out of the front office onto the rear cabin floor and it continued until I knew for sure that a couple gallons had gone by. Another 45 minutes elapsed with no holes in the clouds so I turned around to go back where I'd last seen some. I fully expected that engine to run out of oil and seize right there in front of me. It was difficult to watch anything but the oil pressure gauge. I really did condition my mind that I'd have to let down through the clouds over this country where everything stands on edge. If there was no water I simply had to land keeping the front end between the trees as the wings came off. If I'd had a parachute I'd have jumped out. I could tell the owner it went over the dam and disappeared at Hickory. I lit what I knew was my last cigarette when I suddenly saw this hole 3,000 feet
below. I'd been out three hours and fifteen minutes now. Since I knew the wing tanks had been almost full I should have another hour besides what was in the belly tanks. I saw another hole to the southwest, went to it, saw an airport below and let down, but no water. The map showed some water north of Knoxville so with my oily feet I steered that way and sure enough, I found water. I landed on this nice big lake half wishing it was too small to get back out of. I taxied to a sand beach, got the tool sack and removed all the engine cowling. J got a pail of gas from a drum stored on board and washed the oil out of the airplane. After the engine had cooled I poured ten gallons of gas on it as there was oil all over. I was going to clean the engine; fly it five minutes, land and find out where the oil was coming from. After soak ing it with gas I thought "here's another chance, it'd burn good now." While the engine was drying off I walked to a house a half mile away. I called the local airport and was inform ed their gas truck had no license tags. Knoxville, thirty miles south, was the closest place for aviation gas. I call ed the Beech dealer there at Island Airport and was informed that if I would land in the river and taxi west to the Island Bridge in back of the airport they would bring a gas truck and gas me from the bridge. However, the river was narrow there. I thought good, maybe a low tree branch would tear a wing off and I could jet home. I then called the Island Tower, told them of our plan and was advised to come along and watch for a light signal. Back at the lake I reinstalled the cowl, emptied my drum into the wings, pushed a stick into the oil filler neck - found some,and flew down to Knoxville. After that hop I thought I'd find out where the oil leak was . I got a green light, landed, heard someone shout (with a megaphone) that there is a three knot current. It was a pleasure to see someone come with a boat to tow me to the bridge after I got stuck in the trees. One fellow handed the hose down from the truck while others sat on the edge of the bridge pushing against the cowl with their feet to keep the prop from getting damaged. The airplane was as slippery as a greased hog as it really had gotten an oil bath. But I got the four tanks and extra drum filled without falling in the river. I now had 1,800 Ibs. of fuel. Only a very slight amount of oil had been lost on the last thirty mile flight. A stick showed a good amount of oil in the tank so I
16
figured the 23 ga llon s I had in it at the start was just too much. It just plain coughed out about three gallons as it heated and foamed up. Later I learned 16 gallons is plenty, but I never did find the dip stick. I paid the good people, got towed out into the main stream with tile boat and taxied down a mile for take足 off. I saw a green light from the tower and hoped that any boater tearing around the bend in the river from the south would have good brakes because I was going to be right at the corner at lift off. I got off and headed north, hoping to make Lake Michigan before dark; perhaps even Meigs at Chicago. An hour later Lexington went by, then Cincinnati and finally I was out of those blasted hills and a man can see where he is going. What I saw was lots of black in the north and Dayton had their lights on as I pounded on by. Midway between Dayton and Fort Wayne is a little town called Celma. Next to it is a large lake or flowage. It was raining now, getting dark, and a good south wind was at work. I could see white caps on the water as I circled low over the town and lake looking for wires. I saw this building with a beer and food sign and on whose roof was the word motel. Next to it was a sea wall and manmade breakwater. Just what old Fred ordered. I came in low and slow on the heels with everything back in my lap. This water was not deep and stumps could be anywhere, so I wanted to stop 'quick'. I did, turned, and headed for the breakwater openi ng with the wind push足 ing hard on my back. I watched the waves roll into the harbor, hitting against the concrete wall where I would have to go. I decided not to sail in backwards without an observer on the back end somewhere. Even at a very slow idle something as big as this air足 plane gets moving pretty good in a big wind. I shut down at the harbor entrance moving much faster than I would have liked . The big ox started to turn 180 degrees into the wind. I went to the rear of the cabin, grabbed the paddle and was out through the right rear door and onto a float in three seconds. I would have had as much success trying to paddle the Queen Mary. But suddenly some kind soul called out from the crowd that had gathered on the wall saying if I wanted some tires he had two in the trunJ< of his car. I said, "yes sir, get'em." Five people caught the tail as it came in over the wall. The tires appeared as the airplane swung parallel to the wall and the floats slammed against them. I was parked. My nerves were shot and I was tired from the day's events. I went to the cockpit, tied the yoke, and came back to the
17
rear door, intending to climb down with some rope when I slipped on the top rung of the oily ladder and landed on my right knee right on the edge of the concrete wall four feet below. The lights went out. As I started to come to I was aware of how good the cold wet concrete felt. Someone had put a jacket under my head. From somewhere came a thought "maybe my feet are not big enough for this airplane." I also reached down with my sore right arm and felt a big tear in my trousers. I discovered the same size tear in my right knee. I wanted to cry but instead I found myself listen足 ing to this voice saying "you can't land on this lake," and, "I would like to see yours and the airplane's papers." The voice's owner was wearing a cap and jacket with stars pinned on each. He then went to his car and picked up a radio mike. My leg was really hurting as I tried to help some folks tie the float struts to the wall. I don't believe the officer knew I had hurt myself until I came dragging over to his After rebuild and assembly a crane lowers airplane onto floats.
Huge Norseman wing ready for new cover.
th is trip. As I flew by some of the tallest and newest buildings in the world on the Chicago lakefront I thought about the mud huts this old airplane probably cast its shadow on over the Amazon or wherever else it
Norseman owner, Richard Scribner, Pontiac, MI.
car with my bleeding leg. I opened the door, sat down and announced that "right now and in this order" I was going to that motel, right there, get a room, get my bloody wet clothes changed, get a doctor to sew up my knee, come back to th is restaurant, eat and then proceed to drink all the beer in the place. "And after that if you want to come and get me, I'll give up." Then I added, "if you would Ii ke to have an airplane you can have that yellow one, free!" He asked if I wished to go to a doctor. I told him I could manage okay. He said "I'll be back about 8 o'clock." During the next couple of hours I accomplished all the things I told the officer I would do. He showed up at 8:00 in the restaurant. I had brought in the airplane papers and ferry permit. For the first time in the twenty years I've had one, I was asked to produce my pilot's license and medical certificate. It turned out the officer was an ex-military pilot and knew about such things. Next I got a lecture about how dangerous it was to land on this lake with all the stumps out there. Furthermore the lake was restricted to seaplanes and I had violated that code. The city fathers had even called the police station to find out what was going on out there with that airplane. The officer was really a nice guy. After
hearing my adventures of the past few days and my promise to remove myself and that float plane in the morning come hell or low water he decided to forget the whole thing. I put my aching bones to bed. Four days now. At dawn there was no more than a 300 foot ceiling with rain. I untied the Norseman, kicked it with my left foot, checked the oil and quick drains, and dragged it to the mouth of the harbor. I tied it to a post there, started it and let it run for 20 minutes. It was cold out. It was too early for most folks to be up but I knew they would be soon, as I had to take off right over the town. I tried to hold back a grin . The floats of an airplane leave a track in the water for some time, same as a boat. I taxied way across the lake, dodging stumps. On the take-off run one can follow his track on the water which I did. I flew at 200 feet watch ing for towers and finally broke out in the clear right over the Goshen, Indiana Airport (all I needednow was to be reported for flying too low). Believe it or not the balance of the trip was made in good weather with no further problems as I pounded across the lower end of Lake Michigan right up to Meigs Field 50 feet off the water. I had to have some fun on
went. Two hours later we were on Lake Winnebago at Oshkosh. Four days enroute, fourteen hours flying time, and just under 500 gallons of fuel to fly a thousand mile trip! I didn't intend to tell a hairy story here. As it happen ed, I encountered bad weather. Being alone to man handle the airplane on the water did not help. I know the Norseman is not a big airplane to the transport pilot. It is an easy airplane to fly once you get it in the air and it would be fun to have up north where you can find seaplane bases made for equipment like this. i will probably never get a chance to fly one again. I have not checked, however, there may be as few as 30 or 40 of these models flying at this point in time. Aside from the DC-3's, Beech 18's and a handful of Lockheed 10's and 12's the Norseman is about the only other "antique" airplane operating commercially today. I wonder how many readers have even seen a Norseman on floats other than while on a Canadian or Alaskan hunting or fishing trip. This airplane could cease to exist in my time. It's a lot of airplane for the average antiquer to buy, rebuild and fly. My adventure took place in 1973. During '74 and '75 the airplane was disassembled, inspected and serviced. All fabric surfaces were recovered with Ceconite. The huge wood spars were sanded and varnished. Many parts were replaced: glass, instruments, cables, etc. The overall airplane was still in remarkably good condition after more than thirty years of service. The Edo 7170 floats were cleaned up and painted. The finish paint colors are red, white and yellow. Dick took the airplane over to a lake near Pontiac this past summer. For my part, I'll have to oe content now and then to look at the lantern, I removed from the baggage compartment, which is hanging in my home. I like to guess about all the places it and the Norseman visited. It is quite a seaplane . •
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Article and photos by:
David Gustafson, Editor
(Note: This will be the first in a series of Tips. If you've got any secret methods or tools for refurbishing aircraft materials please share them with us. Photos or diagrams will help a lot.)
7. Bud rubs in the 2025. .. . 3. 5wirllines are evident. .. .
Bud Labutski (548 W. Chestnut, Burlington, WI 53105) has pretty much traded in h is free time options to lead the restoration work on the EAA's B-25J. Bud's dedication, and that of his fellow volunteers, has co ntributed to the steady progress on the project and his experiments to restore the finish of the bomber have produced some glittering results . Granted, shining up the thick hide of a B-25J won't be a very common event in the Antique/Classic world , but the technique may work nicely on something made of thinner stuff, say a Swift for example. Naturally, you shou ldn't attempt any method on a large scale without some ex perimentation in a small remote area. Bud's process on the B-25 J started after he'd stripped off four to seven coats of paint. He was left with a dull surface of aluminum oxide, broken on ly by occasiona l islands of corrosion that were easily identified by .chromate primer which wouldn't come off. To penetrate the dullness, Bud starts with a lib eral hand ap plication of Dupont's 202S (orange) Lacquer Rubb ing Com pound . Th e paste is aggressively rubbed over the entire surface and into seams and the spaces between rivets. Let it dry thoroughly, then take an auto body buffer with a sheep's wool polishing disc and apply the disc at a sharp angle. Flatten the pad when passing down a row of rivets or a seam. Keep it moving or you'll burn the alu minum . It may be necessary to make a couple passes, but it won't take long to get some shiny results. Now buff again with a clean pad, make sure that all th e 202 is off, th en rub on 303S (orange) Machine Polishing Compound, which is a finer grit. Again, you'l l need two pads and several passes. The final pudding is number 101 S (whi te) Rubbin g Compound. Remove the first coat with your auto buffer and take off any sub seq uent coats with a twin disc buffer which will remove the swirl marks left from the larger discs. No, you will not have factory new surfaces, but if the skin wasn't deeply gouged in the first place, it'll look remark ably decent in the end. Ce rtai nly , everyone who's seeri the work on the B-25 J has been pleasantly surpri sed, including hard workers like Cletus Ehler, John Gadeikis, Jon Lawrence, Andy McClelland, Andy Gel ston, and Bill Pau I. •
2. And buffs the dried compound. ... 4. But someday soon . ...
EAA has received numerous requests fro m various organizations within the sport aviation community, asking for divisional status. Your EAA Board of Directors has given these requests serious consideration and have decided that expanding the number of divisions would not be possibl e at this time. Expansion would greatly tax our available manpower and would only serve to dilute the services that we are capable of providing. This situation will be reviewed again in th e future.
tAe YELLOW J-3 CUB
FIRST NATIONAL BANK Of ANYTOWN AnytOWf'l.
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PLANE CHECKS
By Tom Poberezny
Each year the Experimental Aircraft Association has grown, both in size and in stature. EAA has become the recognized and respected leader of the sport aviation community. An important part of the EAA growth has been its divisions .. . the Antique/Classic, Warbirds of America and the International Aerobatic Club. EAA Headquarters has worked closely with division leadership in providing the services necessary for sound growth . For example, EAA handles memberships, inquir ies and purchasing for the Antique/Classic Division. The expertise of our Headquarters staff allows your Board to concentrate on matters of policy as well as taking advan tage of the sources of supply we have developed over 25 years of experience . Dave Gustafson has been added to our staff so that each division has a direct contact at Headquarters who can work with them in solving problems. In additio n, Dave will be assuming the important position of Editor of the VINTAGE AIRPLANE Magazine. We are striv ing to provide and insure stability and planned growth for each division so that as leadership changes, continuity remains. Not only have the divisions provided tremendous sup port at the ann ual EAA convention, but they also work closely with EAA in dealing with gove rnment. Many times EAA has been asked by FAA to provide input concerning regulations and programs. Th e specialized expertise of the divisions allows us to provide accurate information on questions that relate to their area of interest. This self-policing approach is most important in our continuing efforts to protect our rights to fly . .. both safely and economically.
>... ~ SE, 7 ':
A NEW WAY TO IDENTIFY WITH " YOUR THING"
Regular bank checks emblazoned with a flying yellow J ·3 Cub I
Complete the order form , and write out your check . I\ow, get a
deposit slip from the same account, and clearly indicate any
changes or other notations as you wish it to appear on the checks.
(These two documents will furnish us all the data we need to make
your checks compatible with your bank's computer, and Amer.
Bank Ass'n specs .) On gift orders, send your check and mark his
check VOl D. Please allow 3 weeks for delivery.
Start Using Plane Checks Now!
Your old checks will always be good.
Park Ridge, III. 60068 Identity Check Co . Box 149·0 "Activate" my order for Plane Checks, starting No. _____
0300·$7.50 0 600·$12.75 0 900-$17.75 Dear Mr. Kelch, Plane C hec k.s are top part deposit slips and regis ters are .ncluded each order. Your October 1977 number is the finest. I have had __ Checkbook cover $.50 $ the pleasure of reading about the Old Johnson Mono o Yellow J -3 Cub plane. You appreciate fine mechanical work and know n PIPER Assortment o NORTH CENTRAL DC·9 n BeeCH Assortment o CONTINENTAL DC · l0 o Sundowner· o Cherokee· what you are writing about - too bad that all the [l V Bonanza· o HELICOPTER IBELLI D Arrow· Johnson family is dead . They never had proper recog rJ Baron[] P·5 1 MUSTANG tJ Seneca II· rl NATIONAL DC·l 0 U CURTISS JENNY' [] BREEZY' nition. o AMERICAN DC· l0
n CESSNA Assortment o TWA L-1011 U EASTERN L· l0ll
n Hawk· PSA 727 I witnessed most of the flights made at or near Terre [] WESTERN DC-l0
n 210 Centurion" fl BD·5 0 310· U MOONEY
Haute - but had nothing to do with the building of the [] PITTS SPECIAL' U UNITED DC· l0 plane - nor the motor used in it. ·Pl eo$e allow 10 extra days to process the5e checks. I married the sister of the Johnso n Brothers in 1910 All check backgrounds are blue (except J ·3 Cub) and moved to the country not far from where the 1911 Ship via 0 UPS (insured) 0 Parcel Post 0 WEST COAST add to 1913 flights were made. one dollar- we'll fly it! I was a good friend of Ross L. Smith (Smitty) and last Ship To : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ saw him in 1933 where he was a reporter on the Wash Address ington Post. City State Zip _ _ __ I hel ped the Broth ers start the Motor Wheel Company at South Bend and later the OB Motors - both Harry bound ~ one
In
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(continued nex t page)
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Johnson and I retired in 1935 and Harry was my closest neighbor here on the farm until his death. I do have a lot of old Johnson printed matter clip pings, magazines, photographs, slides, etc., so if you want to ask any questions about the early plane - that may not be too clear to you, just fire away and I will try my best to help you . Sihcere ly, Warren M. Conover Route 1 Box 108 Culver, IN 4651 1
(:LA§§I-=I~()
A()§ ADVERTISING CLOSING DATE: 10TH OF THE SEC OND MONTH PRIOR TO PUBLICATION DATE. (THAT IS: MARCl;f 10TH IS CLOSING DATE FOR MAY ISSUE) CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING RATE: Regular type per word 35c. Bold face type: per word 40c. ALL CAPS: per word 45c. (Minimum charge $5.00). (Rate covers one insertion one issue).
CASH WITH ORDER Address advertising correspO,ndence to ADVERTISING
MANAGER, THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE, Box 229,
Hales Corners, WI 53130.
Fairchild 77 Built in 7928 Dear Mr. Kelch, Make all checks or money orders payable to EXPER
Th ank you very mu ch for the coverage of the Johnson IMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION.
Dear Paul , Brothers aircraft in THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE. To de J-2 CUB 90% restored. New Piper cowlings, new
1936 I thought I would drop you a line and let you know vote an ent ire issue to one subject seems to me to be a ribs and spars, seats, tires, brakes. Plane is unassembled.
that I saw the Spirit of St. Louis on TV last week flying very good idea. Highest offer over $4,000. Bud Huff, 623 Western Ave
Shall prize it very much. One thing I miss is a cut over Chicago. You were doing the talk ing in the show. nue, Anehime, CA 90820
You mentioned in your letter that you will have a away drawing such as the one of the EAA Biplane in the 1965 copy of the Light Pl ane Guide published by Stinson SM8A for a chase plane. That brought ol d MOO N E Y M1 8 series service instruction manual.
Superio r Publications, 14 West Superior Street, Duluth memories back, I flew one of those high wing Stinson's a Includes aircraft specifications, equipment lists, rigging
lot in the 30's and 40's, but I don't remember for sure if information, parts list with drawings. $15.00 pd"stpaid.
2, MN , at that time. it was a SM8A or a 7 A. The man that owned it had a Flite-Comm Electronics, 3605 E. Spring Street, Long
Understand Headquarters has a copy of, OF MONO 450 hp Wright hung on the nose of it, but I guess it Beach, CA 90806
COUPES & MEN by Underwood . Enclosed please find check for $10.00 to cover purchase of copy of this originally came out with a 220 hp engine. The bush E RCOUPE 415-C service manual. Includes aircraft
pilots in these mountain areas hung big engi nes on those book. Whatever's left goes to the museum . spee ifi cations, equipment list, rigging information,
old airplanes to be able to operate in short and high Is there any information available on the Huntington inspection procedures, drawings and repair instructions.
H.12 - Motorcycle engined monoplane as published in altitude fie ld s. $15.00 postpaid. Flite-Comm Electronics, 3605 E.
I recall this Stinson was pretty nose heavy when you 1919 in aerial age mag? Th e article is by Wes Farmer. Spring Street, Long Beach, CA 90806
were flying it without a load . You didn't dare get on the Mr. Dwight Huntin gton was a draftsman during World AERONCAS - How to buy, rebuild, operate. Free
War I at the Curtiss Pl ant in Buffalo, New York (i n Light brakes very hard when landing. I am sending you a picture of a Fairchild "71" that I details, send stamped addressed envelope. Aeronca Club,
Plane Guide). 14100 Lake Candlewood Court, Miami Lakes, FL 33014
used to own when I was in the bush flying business. It was a 7-place, with the pilot sitting up front along MISe. FOR SALE
Sincerely, and with a stick, same as the B-1 Ryan was. The rudder pedals were located so your feet hung straight down Antique aircraft wind generator. Streamlined. British
Albert Neumann manufacture - $150.00. e. Seaborn, R.R. No.9, Calgary,
when flying it. I could haul up to a ton of freight in it. 1350 Davine Drive Alberta T2J 5G5.
Glendale Heights, IL 60137 COMPLETE SET OF THE VINTAGE AI RPLANE for
Sincerely , sale. Issue one to the present. John Eney, 115 S. 8th
Street, Quakerstown, PA 18951. Phone 215/441-2591
Tom Ki iskila days.
Box 352 Profin o, 10 83544
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Are you restoring a Classic?
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