VA-Vol-6-No-5-May-1978 by EAA Vintage Aircraft Association

THE RESTORER'S CORNER By J. R. Nielander, Jr.

CONVENTION MANPOWER (AND WOMAN POWER) Convention planning becomes a very real and time comsuming part of the lives of all of your Division convention chairmen and co-chairmen about now each spring. They are all very busy determining what their committees will need in the way of manpower and equipment, as well as finalizing their operating plans for the convention. Over the years they have been able to improve their services with the addition of more and better equipment, as well as with a yearly increase in the number of you members who have volunteered to help on the various Division convention committees. This year the improvement in the equipment situation will be manifested primarily in more wheels and better communications for both your Division parking com mittee and your Division secur ity committee . What both of these committees now need are more vol unteers to man the many positions which each com mittee must operate. As an example, your Division parking committee operates four three-hour shifts per day between 7:00 A.M. and 9:00 P.M. with a two hour break at air show time. There are ten posts to be manned, so this works out to 320 three-hour shifts during the eight convention days. In addition, the Division parking committee finds it necessary to be set up and operating two days before the convention starts, so this adds about 40 more three-hour shifts making a total of 360 for the Division parking commit tee over a ten day period. Your Division security com mittee will be operating four posts during the day and two at night resulting in a total of 24 three-hour shifts per day, or 192 three-hour shifts during the course

of the convention. Your Division headquarters barn requires four volunteers operating four three-hour shifts per day , or a total of 128 shifts during the convention. Your Division will again this year be operating a booth in the commercial display building, and it re quires two persons on duty for two three-and-one half-hour shifts per day, or a total of 32 shifts during the convention. In cidently, the booth will be equipped with a new show-and-tell picture and sound projector which will present our Division story to all who pass by. Graham Gates of Lakeland,Florida, has put together this most interesting presentation . By totaling the above shift requirements, we see that the four largest Division committees (parking, security, headquarters and display booth) require 712 shifts for full operation. If each volunteer would work two of these shifts during the convention, we would need 356 volunteers to provide the smooth and efficient service which our members expect and deserve. Last year we reached our all time high of convention volunteers, and it was 170 including the chairmen and co-chairmen. This is just a little less than half of what we need so that each volunteer can work a little and enjoy a lot. The above mentioned committees, while they are the ones requiring the greatest number of volunteers to help them to do their jobs successfully, are only a small part of the total number of Antique/Classic Divi sion convention committees. Elsewhere in this issue is printed a complete list of the Division convention committees along with the names and addresses of their chairmen and co-chairmen. Please pick out a com

mittee (or committees) on which you would like to serve and drop a note to the chairman volunteering your services. He ' ll be most happy to hear from you , and you will find that you will really enjoy being a " member of the team". If you can't plan far enough in advance to be sure that you are going to be able to attend the convention this year, there will still be plenty of opportunities for you to volunteer your services when you arrive. A Divi sion convention manpower committee under the chair manship of Vice-President Jack Winthrop will be in operation at the Antique/Classic Division convention headquarters barn. This is the little red barn with the yellow windsock located about a half mile south of the airport control tower. Drop by the barn and let Jack, or one of his committeemen, sign you up to serve on the committee of your choice. The manpower com mittee will be happy to help you make that choice if you are undecided, and they will be able to assist you in scheduling your volunteer periods so that there will be no conflict with any forums, workshops, etc., which you might want to attend. Your officers and chairmen look forward to the pleasure of meeting you and work ing with you . Please don ' t disappoint them .

CONVENTION EQUIPMENT Your Division's forums committee is still in need of various items of projection equipment for use in the Division forums tent during the convention. These items include a 40 x 40 projection screen , a 16mm sound movie projector , an opaque projector, and a 35mm slide projector. Your Division parking committee can also use additonal mini-bikes, motor scooters or trail bikes. This equipment need not be new or be the latest models. It just must be in good working con dition . It can be contributed to the Air Museum Founda tion for use by the Division and thus qualify as a charitable deduction. Or, with reference to the ve hicles, if you could lend yours to the parking com mittee for the convention period , this, too, would be a great help.

MEMBERSHIP CONTEST Our membership contest is progressing, and we have had a few winners so far. There is still plenty of time for every member to win a pair of goggles and a helmet, as well as to take a crack at the big prize of a five year free membership in the Division. You will help your Division to better serve you by providing you with a bigger and better magazine and by increasing member services when you help to increase the Divi sion membership.

The VINTAGEAI!1PLANE

Editorial Staff

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC

DIVISION INC.

of THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION P.O. Box 229, Hales Corners, WI 53130

Publisher Paul H. Poberezny (Dick Stouffer photo)

Don Stretch's Ercoupe 4 15-0.

Editor David Gustafson

Associate Editors: H. Glenn Buffington, Robert G. Elliott, AI Kelch , Edward D . Williams Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Associate Editorships are assigned to those writers who submit five or more articles .which are published in THE VINTAGE AIR足 PLANE during the current year. Associates receive a bound volume of THE VINTAGE AIR足 PLANE and a free one-year membership in the Di vision for their efforts. POLICY-Opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor.

'ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION OFFICERS PRESIDENT J. R. NIELANDER, JR. P.O. BOX 2464 FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33303 VICE揃PRESIDENT JACK WINTHROP RT. 1, BOX 111 ALLEN, TX 75002 SECRETARY W. BRAD THOMAS, JR. 301 DODSON MILL ROAD PILOT MOUNTAIN, NC 27041 TREASURER E. E. "BUCK" HILBERT 8102 LEECH RD. UNION, IL 60180

Directors Wi ll iam I . Eh le n Ro ute 6 Box 506 Tampa , Florida 33616

A I Ke lch 7016 W. Bo nn iwell Road Mequo n , Wisco nsi n 53092

Cla ude l. Gray, I r. %35 Sylvia Avenue Nort hridge, Ca li fo rn ia 91324

Box 3747 Martinsville, Vi rginia 24112

Dale A. Gusta fson 7n4 Shady Hill D rive In dianapolis, In'd iana 46274

Arth u r R. Morgan 3744 N. 51st Bou levard M il wa ukee, W isconsin 53216

Richard W agner P.O . Box 161

M. C. "Kelly" Viets RR 1 Box 151 St il well, Ka nsas 66065

MAY 1978

VOLUME 6

NUMBER 5

TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cover Photo by David Gustafson: Dick King's Sopwith Pup on the field at Old Rhinebeck .)

The Restorer's Corner by J. R. Nielander, Jr. . . . . ... .. . ... ... . . ... . . . . .. 210-170 ?Whazzat? by Bill lusk . .. .. . . . . .. .. . ... . . ...... . . . . .... . ...... The MU.seum That Flies by David Gustafson . . . . . ... . . .... .... .. . ... .. .. Vintage Album .... ........... . . . .. . .. . . ..... ... ...... . . . .. . ... . ...... Building The Fuselage of a Replica SESA by Neil M. Thomas . . . .......... Bill Chomo Reports: Pickling Engines . . . . .. . .. . ... .. . . .. . ..... . ... . ... . Restoration Tips: San Diego Jenny by Chri s Sorensen ....... . . ....... . .. " Whistling In The Rigging" by David Gustafson . ... .. .. . . .. . ....... . ....

2 4 6 14

Mo rt on W. lester

lyons, Wisconsi n 53148 Advisors

Stan Gomoll 1042 90t h Lane, NE

Rona ld Fritz 1969 Wi lson , NW Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504

Min neapolis, Min nesota 55434

John R. Turgyan l S30 Kuser Road Trenton , New Jersey 06619

Robert E. Kessel 445 Oakridge Drive Roches ter, New York 1461 7

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION MEMBERSHIP o NON-EAA MEMBER - $20.00. Includes on e yea r membe rship in the EAA Antiqu e/ Class ic Divi si on , 12 mo nthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE ; one year m em 足 bership in the Exp erim ental Aircraft Ass ociati o n and separate m embership ca rd s. SPORT AVIATION m agazin e not included.

EAA MEMBER - $14.00. Includes one year m embership in th e EAA. A ntique/Classic Divi sio n , 12 m o nthly iss ues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLA NE A ND MEMBERSHIP CARD . (Appli ca n.t mu st be current EM m ember an d mu st give EAA m em bershi p num ber .)

Robert A. White Box 704 Zellwood , Florida 32796

THE VINTAGE AIR PLANE is owned exclusively by EAA Antique/Classic Division , Inc. , and is published mont hly at Hales Corners. Wisconsin 53130. Second class Postage paid at Hales Corners Post Ottice, Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130. and additional mailing ottices. Membership rates tor EAA Antique/ Classic Division . Inc.. are $14.00 per 12 month period o t which $10.00 is tor the publication ot THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE . Membership is open to all who are interested in aviation.

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(reprinted from THE 770 NEWS)

By Bill Lusk

Box 396

Port Arthur, Texa s

(773-982-9472)

Put a Continental 10-360 in a 170? That's crazy! 210 hp with a constant speed prop? Outrageous! It'll burn too much fuel! It's too heavy! It'~ too . .. Well, we went ahead and did it anyway! Here are the bumps and bruises of the story. In the past few years, I had taken a real shine to M. H. Smith's Lycoming conversion in his 170. I had taken a ride several times in them and I had gotten some Iiteratu re from a conversion shop in Kansas . Wishful thinking? Maybe , but I knew the old 145 would have to be replaced or overhauled sometime soon and the increased performance made good sense. I was rounding up some parts for a Franklin over at 12th Street Airpark in Moore, Oklahoma one Saturday a little over a year ago . I was talking to Larry Good about airplanes and engines as one usually does at an airport, when Larry told me about this 10-360 Continental that they had come up with. He was talking about what a performer it would make out of the 170. He felt that it would fit under the same cowl and not change the looks of the 170 since the dimensions were almost the same as the 145. Even the dry weight was very close to that of the 145. Well , I went on my way . I wasn ' t ready to change engines and besides, that's something other guys do fi rst. I couldn't get it out of my mind . 210 hp! Finally, later that spring, I contacted Larry Good and Terry Reddout. They are two of the partners in the adventures of Reclyn Aircraft. I asked if they were really serious about wanting the STC on the 210 in the 170. They were. So I asked them to put together a guesstimate of what we were getting into. They came back with their guess and since we knew where there was an engine, T-41 engine mount, McCauley prop and a governor, we decided to give it a try, working on a relaxed time schedule. Reclyn Aircraft was working on a Piper Brave with STC Engineering which needed to be finished first. These changes were to install a 1350 hp Jacobs engine and Big Slats on the leading edges. This project was to be ready for the FAA to fly in September, so we figured we would start on mine in August between the FAA testing of the Brave. I bought the parts, engine, etc., and the engine was pulled from 77V so the conversion could begin. The FAA took more time than anticipated, and it was really about the first of the year before the 170 got much attention. The engine fit in the cowling with a little minor modification to the cowling. This is to clear the mount for the Big, Soft, Dynafocal mounts. This

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First engin e run - 3-6-77.

Tax iing in aft er first fl ight 4277V - 2 70 hp 10-360-0 - 4- 76-77.

modification to the cowling is very hard to see in the finished product. On the second of April, 4277V exercised her wings for the first time with the new rubberband. The take-off was normal to the bystanders , being held down in order to feel for any unexpected reactions. Power for take-off was 2200 rpm and about 20 " Hg Manifold pressure. " The roll was about 800 ft. At 3600' MSL, with an OAT of 26° F, a 65% power run was made for 30 minutes to stabilize the engine . Average airspeed was 135 mph lAS. She handled like a gentle lady. Oil cylinder head temperatures ran cool ; a little too cool, actually . The fuel injection system needed readjustment and the fuel pump pressures needed trimming . She had exceeded all expectations in level flight , cruise power operation s and Terry and Larry could hardly wait to call me in New Orleans. That sure did make me want to be there with them . By May, they had 10 hours on the engine , working out the bugs usually found in new engines, and were trying to get ready for some serious performance testing for the FAA. But with May came more Piper Brave work and a slow down on the 170. Late in May I got a little time off and Pat and I took off for Oklahoma City to see and play . BOY, was that fun! Until this time I had not seen the new engine installation , except for photos and tele phone conversations. On a pretty warm day, in the high 70's , I put just over four hours on 77V, with take-offs, landings, a little cross-country and a little playing . It burned 27. 3 gallons of 100lL. I really don ' t think it will be much of a gas-hog after all. Terry took some time off to get 77V dressed for the Denton , Texas Antique Airplane Fly-In , the second weekend in June. Thi s time was spent arranging the battery location (origin ally it was installed behind the baggage compartment, but weight and balance rechecks allowed it to remain on the firewall), cor rect some electrical wiring, finalize the forward fuse lage bracing , rein stalling the interior and repaint the cowling. Terry was looking forward to the Fly-In to RELAX, get away from the Brave , have some fun and show off the 170. Well , a few problems came to the Fly-In along with the 170. The first was a major static system leak. Most of the day Saturday was spent trying to find and correct the leak. It wasn ' t stopped . It wanted to leak and it did! Second, it was discovered that the bum-head rivets on the static port are essential to the calibration of the airspeed system. These had been inadvertently replaced with flush rivets when the static port had been removed

and replaced to install the fuselage skin bracing . Later we found from an instrument shop, that the airspeed indicator had begun to slip to a slower and slower reading . All this added up to a 20 to 25 mph error in the airspeed system, keeping us from showing the 135 to 140 mph lAS cruise to people at the Fly-In . . Even as it was, I was proud as punch. Back to Oklahoma City and the Slats. Reclyn lost most of the month of July due to shipping delays on the new engine control cables (it has been fly ing on a set of borrowed cables from a Beech - Stag , that is), Terry's business trip to England and various other supplier oriented delays . Now, the meanest task of all , the piles of drawings, engineering reports , FAA approvals and flight testing. The months of Augu st and September promise to be very, very bu sy on the .170. The program appears to be in the final stages and progressing well . If you desire any detailed information on the pro gram, contact Terry Reddout at RECl YN AIRCRAFT, P. O . Box 486 , Newcastle, Oklahoma 73065 or phone 405-392-4424. (Terry recently wrote Th e Vintage A irplane: As a progress report, we are happy to be past the winter snow and back on the road to certification. Drawings are nearly complete and ready for FAA's scrutiny. The aircraft is 99% read y for the FAA Flight Tests . We envision certification during the month of April and plan to make the conversions available to Cess na 170 owner s. Information sheets and brochure s are in the proces s of compo sition and printing and will be available soon for anyone interested .)

1978 Fly-In Dates and Locations For Florida Sport Aviation Antique and Classic Association AlC Chapter 1 May 20-21 - Zellwood, Hangar Banquet!

June 17·18 - River Ranch, Banquet!

July 15·16 - Venice, Beach Fireside Cook-out!

August 19·20 - St. Augustine, Covered Dish Supper!

October 14·15 - Thomasville, Georgia, Hangar Ban·

quet! November 18·19 -

Stuart, Banquet!

by David Gustafson, Editor

(Photos by the Author)

The old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Rhinebeck, New York offers visitors a double dip treat. Cole Palen , curator of the Aerodrome, has assembled an excel lent collection of authentic and replica pre-1920 air craft. He 's stacked them up in a couple of barns and several hangars that line hi s roller coaster run way. That runway is another part of the treat be cause he now u ses it on Saturdays and Sundays, from mid-May through October, to show off his collection. The fun begins at 2:30 on both days, when Cole is joined by a crew of 30 ham actors/pilots who stage a looney battle that wou ld embarass the Three Stooges. Anyone who's seen it would likely agree that there's more corn on Cole's 100 acre converted farm than in the entire State of Iowa. For most people, the stars of the show are the airplanes. Every performance features at least one genuine World War One airplane, along with a dozen replicas that feature original instruments and engines. The real item when I watched the show last Oc tober, was a Jenny IN-4H. It was the first act, and in many ways the most exciting, especially for someone who had never seen a Jenny in the air before. The old plane rolled down the runway, bouncing over stones and grass clods , and finally groaned into the air with a cloud of burnt castor oil burbling behind it. That cloud drifted over the audience and brought back memories of past days with U-control models. Cole Palen was flying the Jenny which climbed out so slowly that it produced smiles and a bit of ten sion . The speed was underwhelming. Response to the controls was obviously an unhurried affair . It was aviation in slow motion. Cole climbed a couple thou sand feet and tossed out a long plastic streamer (barnstormers used to use toilet paper) which he then cut in three places with his prop. After a few extra passes over the run way , Cole was on final. It set down like a Helio. Too quickly, it seemed , the Jenny was idling on the ground, but the thrill of having touched history in that way lingered for hours. Then the madness cranked up. Slowly and er ratically, some kind of weird plot evolves on the ground mixing cartoon characters like Madame Fifi , the Black Baron , Trudy Truelove , and Sir Percy Good-

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Th e A vro 504K po w e red by a 110 hp Le Rhone rotary. fellow. Tanks and armored cars roll across the field, while machine guns pop con stantly. Pretty soon, Percy Goodfellow takes to the air in an Avro 504 K. Percy starts bombing runs with cardboard bombs that whistle on descent, explode with a bang on impact, and spray black powder over a six to eight foot circle . Not long after that, he 's joined in the air by a Sopwith Dolphin, a Pup, and a Camel. Soon a Curtiss Fledgling is making passes, behind a Great Lakes. Meanwhile , back at the sausage factory, the Baron ties Trudy Truelove to a beer barrel and runs around the field while all the kids scream with de light. Finally, all eyes turn to the south ·as the Fokker Triplane is propped and run-up. With a hop , skip , and a hard bounce , it takes off to do battle with the Pup and the Avro 504. Guess who wins? It all ends with a flurry of fireworks and the reuniting of the liberated (?) Trudy and the gallant Percy.

Originally , Cole started the shows with simple fly-bys and narrative accounts about the history and performance of the aircraft. These were presented for aviation purists once a month in the early sixties, and often there were more people flying than watch ing. To fill the gaps between take-offs , landings, and passes , Cole began introducing a " ground show". It makes Hogan 's Heroes look like Shakespeare, but it really went over big with the kids ; hence a mass audience developed. Of course , even today ; the people who are there strictly to see history in the air, get a lot of opportunity to burn up film while listen ing to an excellent accounting of where the planes are from and why . Before and after the air show, it's possible to tour the museum buildings. What you'll encounter is not quite like anything you ' ll run into anywhere else . Most of the planes are roped off, but the wings and props of a nu mbe r of them stick out into the

aisles and force detours. Scattered among the planes are various aircraft engines, old cars, antique out board motors, and flea market stuff. It's a crazy arrangement, but somehow you wind up with the feel ing that you've stumbled into one of those old barns that dreams are made of . . . A lot of the planes are identified and described on p laques. The history of the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome is fairly simple in that it centers on the love of one man for antiques. Cole Palen became aware of an antique collection at Roosevelt Field in 1947. A year later he started wheeling for a deal. There was no sale at that time, but in 1951 he got a chance to blow the total savings he'd accumulated as a buck Private. He picked up six originals that the Smithsonian had ignored and stored them in a barn and his father's chicken coops. For four years they all sat in dark ness, until, in 1955, Cole pulled out the Spad XIII, tested the fabric (it was green), and flew it. He painted it up and started going off to air shows. That provided him with a few extra dollars so he began to restore another of the relic planes. In 1958 he bought a farm that hadn't been plowed since 1940. After paying a local bulldozer pilot a thousand dollars for a thousand feet of rugged runway, Cole flew in his Spad, a Fleet Finch, a C-3 and then he trucked in the Avro 504 K, a Nieuport 28, a Sopwith Snipe, a Bleriot Model 11, and a Fokker D-VII. Since that time, he's bought, swapped and rebuilt a lot of originals. In the last few years , Cole has spent his winters at Del Ray Beach, Florida where he constructs the replicas he uses, fitting them with antique engines and parts where he can find them. He's up to a total of fifty airplanes now; twelve of them are flown on Saturdays, twelve others get airborne on Sundays. For the past two years, Cole's Thespians have played to audiences which add up annually to 75,000 people. It's the kind of event that's worth a trip , even a long one.

Sopwith Camel which was built by Dick D ay in 1970 and is powered by an 80 LeRhone.

THE COLLECTION A year ago, Leonard Opdycke published the first complete annotated list of aircraft in Cole Palen's collection at the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome . Since there's no guide book at the Museum, Leonard's list would be most helpful to someone planning a visit this summer. In any ca se, it's filled with some fascinating historical footnotes, and appears here exactly as featured in World War I Aeroplanes .

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Th e Red Baron goes down in flames . . . w ell, alm os t an yw a y. It 's a realistic dogfight, compl ete with gun fire.

Early Aircraft of th e Collection : 1909 Bleriot XI : sI n 56 on original nameplate; N60094. Donated to Cole Palen by Bill Champlin of La conia, N.H. in about 1955, who had it from Pro fessor H . H. Coburn, who had observed this air plane in a junkyard as a boy, while bicycling back and forth to work each day. He finally pro cured it and stored it all those years. The story was that it had crashed at an Air Meet in Saugus, Massachusetts. When received, the aircraft was less engine and approximately 25% complete. New wings, stabilizer and elevator were built. It has original rudder, front third and rear third of fuselage. The aircraft flew straights at Stormville Airport in 1956 and is powered with a 35 hp Anzani " Y" type engine. It has been doing short grass-cutting hops ever since. Maximum altitude, so far, is 60 feet. This is the oldest aeroplane flying here . Santos-Dum ont Demoiselle: reproduction a/c, pre sently in pieces; built by Palen at the same time as the 1910 Curtis Pusher; powered by a 72 hp McCulloch drone engine. Santos -D um ont D em oiselle: reproduction a/ c, N6551; built by Ray Honey in 1968, built from drawings and photos of Earl Adkisson's Demoiselle ; steel tube fuselage, ailerons instead of wing warping, 65 hp Continental. Voisin: sI n 1, N38933; built at Tinek Reliable Rope Company , Easton, Pennsylvania . Norvin Rinek contracted with Voisin for the U. S. Manufacturing rights for the early (no aileron) Voisin. This is the prototype aeroplane, built by U. S. labor under the direction of French mechanics sent over by Voisin . The metal parts were brought from France by these mechanics. The wood and fabric are American. Publicity and sales efforts were con ducted under the names of both Rinek and Easton aeroplane companies. None were sold because this no aileron ship could not compete with Wright and Curtiss. It hung in the rafters of Rinek Reliable Rope Company in Easton for over 60 years before Palen procured it. He also acquired one of the original 50 hp Rinek water-cooled V-8 engines that Norvin designed for it. 15 of the engines were reputed to have flown, both in a Pennsylvania cornfield and at Hempstead, Long Island, it would only have been in straightaway flight. The aircraft was restored in Florida during the winter of 1973 and is now on display at the Museum .

1910 Curtiss Pusher Model 0: This aircraft copy was originally built in 1957 and crashed . It was re stored again in 1975 in Florida. It is powered with a 45 hp Rausenberger engine. The engine was advertised in TRADE-A-PLANE and acquired by Cole Palen about 1959 ~ It turned out to be the first engine built by L. E. Rausenberger, a pioneer engine manufacturer, who had a hand in the building of many famous engines. He was 22 years old at the time he designed and built this engine in 1910. This V-8 overhead valve engine was installed in the Curtiss Pusher. Hanriot: reproduction al c, si n 11, N8449. This air craft was built in the winter of 1974 from draw ings and details appearing in FLIGHT, and in books on aeroplane construction of the period. The con trols are similar to the original, with right stick controlling elevator by fore-and-aft movements , left stick controlling wing warp by left-and-right movements. The coupe button on the left stick can kill the engine for speed control. Engine: 50 hp Franklin #1250. Short 5-29: reproduction al c , si n 2, N4275. In 1970 Cole Palen acquired from the Shuttleworth Collection an original 60 hp ENV, Type F, Series 1, Ser. No.4 Engine manufactured by Motor Syndi cate , Ltd . It was found in a coach-house tavern in England buried at the bottom of a pile of rubbish in 1964. The engine found its way into the hands of an aero enthusiast, who restored it, researched it aryd found it to be the same French-built ENV engine that Cecil Grace had removed from his ill fated Short airplane . The history of this engine in spired Cole Palen to build a Short S-29 in which he could reinstall this historic original engine. After considerable research, in 1971 he started building from Short drawings , and sketches and photographs found in British magazines of the period , such as Flight and Aero. Since 1973, this aircraft has been flying in a very limited fashion from one end of the runway to the other at the Aerodrome . Passat Ornithopter: reproduction al c, built at White Waltham for MAGNIFICENT MEN with 16 hp Douglas motorcycle engine powering rear wheels and cranking the flapping rear wings, replaced with industrial gas engine. Bleriot XI: si n unknown, original a/c. Procured from the son of Irwin Bergdoll about 1962 or 1963. The airplane was owned by Irwin Bergdoll, one of the first purchasers of a Wright Flyer. It had been stored in the barn adjoining the

summer house on the old Bergdoll Estate in Bromall, Pa . The wings had been laid flat in the barn loft where they had been collecting ap proximately 60 years of pigeon droppings. The air plane was procured through the aid of the son of the Bergdoll's family chauffeur, Seth Pancose, who was an antique automobile enthusiast. The aircraft was almost complete, but less engine. It had brittle wood and rusted metal. The air plane was reported to have been an original French-built machine, perhaps never flown in this country. The ash spars were routed by chisel ing. It has been restored to displayable condition, but never flown. It hung from the ceiling in the American display at EXPO 67 World's Fair in Canada. ~~

Another o ri ginal in the collection: Cole 's Jenny JN4H .. . a piece of history that touches everyone lu c ky enough to watch it fly .

The Pup bores down the field, past the speaker's with a steady purr and a cloud of castor smoke.

1911 Breguet: This biplane, very incomplete, is the only one of its kind left. The wings are hanging in one of the hangars: wood ribs, tubular steel spar. Thomas Pusher, Model B: This is the only example extant; it is incomplete. Powered with an OX5 engine. Bleriot XI: original al c built by the American Aero plane Supply House, Hempstead, L1, NY (their catalog was reprinted in WWI AERO #57, 58, 60, and l ists this al c as "Cross-County Type"), si n 3856, N99923. The last owner, and we think the last pilot , was James P. McGrath of Mt. Kisco, New York. The airplane met with a minor accident and was stored in 1915 in a barn at his sister's farm near Boston . The barn caught fire in 1963. The Fire Department came to put out the fire and on inspecting the barn found the slightly singed Bleriot. It was acquired by the Marine Corps Museum, Quantico, Virginia in 1964 . It was later acquired by Cole Palen through trading the second Curtiss D (below). In the winter of 1975-76, it was restored by Old Rhinebeck Aero drome for their 1976 season. Stamped on the front spar was the following: BLERIOT MONOPLANES . SPECIAL OFFER. We are prepared to supply during THIS MONTH ONLY for all orders placed with us on or before Aug. 31, 1911 THE SAME TYPE MONO PLANE AS USED BY WILLIE HAUPT. Complete with 50 hp RQberts Engine, for $3,000. For full particulars apply AMERICAN AEROPLANE SUP PLY HOUSE. Tel. 427 Hempstead - Hempstead, N.Y. 9

The aircraft is entirely original except for six pieces of wood spliced in and, of course, new fabric. The airplane was entirely complete with a 1911 French electric tachometer and even the seat cushion. The original pre-Monosupape 70 hp Gnome has , so fqr, been trouble-free. The long range belly tank is not being used. The fuse lage tank has sufficient capacity for normal use. The tail skid and rear section of the fuselage were discolored (some char), probably caused when the plane was stored upside down with the skid close to the burning roof. We dated the time the aircraft was put in storage by a wadded news paper, dated Nov. 1915, which was st uffed in the hollow crankshaft of the engine to keep out dirt, etc. In the crash of the Bleriot, the body was broken in half just after the cockpit. Four new sections of longeron s had to be spliced in, aver aging 4 ft. in length each. The bottom horizontal landing gear strut was replaced. Both wheels were replaced but we haVE: one of the original damaged wheels. Another original 70 hp Gnome propeller was installed. Unfortunately, we do not have the original nameplate which was kept by Mr. McGrath in 1964 when he sold the aircraft to the Marine Corps . We welcome any additional history of the airplane. On its three hops at Ham mondsport, N.Y., it flew about ten minutes at about 500 ft. altitude. It is now being flown only in straight flights about 20 ft. in the air at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome to show the public it can still fly. It is very controllable and flies like a Piper Cub, whatever that is. Curtiss 0 Pusher: reproduction alc, sin 1976, 168014. It was built in Florida the winter of 1976 and is powered with an original 80 hp Hall Scott engine. It has the original Curtiss controls. The shoulder yoke controls the ailerons when the pilot leans. The wheel rotation controls the rudder. Wheel fore and aft controls both forward and rear eleva tors . Right pedal is the throttle, center pedal is

One of the later airplanes· in the collection , an origin al Great Lakes which left th e factory with a Cirru s Hi Drive Engin e.

the front wheel friction brake. Left pedal is the emergency "claw" brake. It flew in a very lim ited fashion all during the 1976 season at the Aerodrome. An identical machine wa's built at the same time to be exchanged for the American built Bleriot XI at the Marine Corps Museum. The second Pusher is registered N1975MC.

1912 Thomas Pusher, Model E: original alc, sin un known, N4720G. The Thomas Pusher Model E was manufactured in 1912. This airplane was found in a barn in Central New York by Owen Billman . It had been owned by pioneer pilot, Earl Frits. Much of this airplane was spare parts. The wing panels h ad been used by the farmer to cover his tomato plants to protect them from the frost, so they were pretty well used up. Owen Billman gave the remains of the airplane to Cole Palen as a gift, and Palen filled in the many

missing links in the restoration after visiting with W. T. Thomas, the original designer and builder , in Daytona Beach , Fla., in 1964. It is powered with a Curtis OX-5 engine and over a period of two years was flown considerably. It was last flown in 1966 and is now retired to the Museum.

1913 Oeperdussin: reproduction alc, sin 11, N8448. In 1974 Cole and Rita went to France, where they spent long days photographing, measuring and making drawings of the aircraft in the Musee de L'Air. That winter the Deperdussin racer in the Musee was copied, in Florida. It is a copy of the model that held both the world land and sea plane speed records in 1913. With its 160 hp Gnome rotar y, it tops about 130 mph. Slow and high speed taxi tests have been made, but the air craft has not yet been flown.

1915 RAF FE8: reproduction al c, sin 300, N17501. This aircraft was built in 1973 in accordance with Royal Aircraft Factory drawings, powered by an original BO hp LeRhone rotary engine, with a four bladed propeller . It has been flying regularly at the Aerodrome since 1973. 1917 Albatross OVa: reproduction al c, N12156. This air craft was built from scratch in Florida the winter of 1972. While visiting the Smithsonian's Storage Facility at Silver Hill, Cole Palen saw their stripped down original Albatross OVa and then and there decided this was the opportune time to build one . He spent th ree days there taking all measurements, making sketches and templates and taking pic tures . He also gathered whatever drawings, data and photos the Smithsonian had available. As soon as he arrived in Florida that year the Alba

tross was started . Since no 160-1BO hp Mercedes engine was available, a 120 hp Mercedes was in stalled, with provisions for the engine mount to take the proper engine, should one turn up. It was finished in the spring of 1975, and after much testing , flew a total of about 5 hours in October of that year before our season ended. We planned to fly it every Sunday during the 1976 season, but in checking out the aircraft for our first show found the Mercedes had a broken crankshaft. It was an airworthy aircraft shot down all season. Avro 504K: reproduction alc, si n HAC 1, N2939: Built by Hampshire Aeroplane Company, Camber ley, Surrey, UK. The Avro arrived at Old Rhine beck Aerodrome on June 6, 1971. It had been built in 1966 under the supervision of Vivian Bellamy for Mirisch Productions , Inc. to be used in a film entitled THE BELLS OF HELL GO TING-A LING, DEATH WHERE IS THY STING-A-L1NG-A LING? The movie was never made. Cole bought

the aircraft and shipped it to the US. The ship ping crate is now a building in the show set at the Aerodrome. The plane has been flying regu larly at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome since May 15, 1972. It is powered with an original 110 hp Le Rhone rotary engine; the fuselage is all wood with glued ply gussets. Fokker Dr.l: reproduction alc, sin 322, N3221. This aircraft was built in 1967 using Redfern drawings and drawings made by the British from a captured Dr.1 in 191B. It is powered with a 100 hp Gnome engine. It has been flying every Sunday in our air shows during the season since it was completed in 1967. Fokker Dr.I: \ reproduction al c N ? Built by Norman Hortman and flown and crashed several times by him, before being sold to Palen. Lightly built; 125 hp Kinner engine. Presently being re built. Sopwith Dolphin: reproduction al e. It was begun by Andy Keith in May 1976, from Hawker-Sidde ley drawings. It will be powered with an Hispano Suiza engine, and is being built exactly like the original. Nieuport 28: original alc, sin 195BE, N4123A. Acquired by US Navy, then appeared in the Balboa junkyard , then acquired and rebuilt by Paramount Studios, then by Paul Mantz in 1940, then by Palen on 24 February 195B. When Palen swapped a Jen ny for it, it had "Paramount #6" painted on the 160 Gnome crankcase. (Paramount had had 6 N2B's) . It has the Navy modification of steel tube horizontal tail. It flew at Old Rhinebeck and in some movies between 1960-1969: Fokker D.VII original alc, N1040B. This started out as a Fokker built C.I, powered by a BMW. A brand stamp on the wing spar indicates it was built in Schwerin, Germany. It must have been one of the 60 C.ls Anthony Fokker smuggled out. Apparently , Fairchild Aerial Surveys owned the plane at some time. Bert Acosta came into oos-

The Fokker Or.1 reproduction has a 100 hp Gnome Engine.

session of it. A repair on the upper wing car ries the signature of Bert and his son, Bertrand. Acosta used the planes in air shows. Ronald Obmeyer, of Hempstead, LI bought the plane and flew it in 1931 . He stored it in a friend's old general store in Massachusetts. Sometime during the ensuing years the fuselage was rolled to the junkyard, but the wings, hanging overhead, were perfectly preserved and ignored. Cole Palen bought the wings, struts, tail group, ailerons and other loose parts in 1957. He built a new D.VII fuselage and modified the wings to D.VII dimensions . He installed an original Mercedes C3 engine (160-180 hpj. The plane flew air shows and exhibitions for 11 consecutive years before it was retired because of deteriorating fabric. It now is on static display in the Museum , awaiting an overhaul. Aeromarine 398: original alc from Roosevelt Field, acquired in excellent condition . Burned up by an accidentally-thrown cigarette while being trucked to the site for the photographing of a cigarette advertisement, in 1966. Pigeon-Fraser Albree Scout: original alc. This is the first Pursuit aircraft contracted for by the U . S. Three were built , one for static test to destruction. The second hammerheaded on its first take-off, burned and killed the pilot. One scorched wing from number 2 was installed on number 3, which is the one at Old Rhinebeck . This airframe was retained by the manufacturer, the Pigeon Hollow Spar Company , when the government can celled the contract. It hung in the factory rafters until procured by Cole on November 15, 1961. This plane has no movable elevators: the fuselage is hinged aft of the cockpit to only go up. With its aft CG of no down elevator it can not fly . The aircraft has been overhauled to like new condition and is on static display in the Museum. 1918 SPAD 13: original alc , si n 1924-E , N2030A . This airplane was flown into Roosevelt Field in 1930 by Col. Benjamin Kelsey. He never returned for the plane, and communications from Roosevelt Field to him returned unanswered with no hint as to his whereabouts. After a period of time, Roosevelt Field took the plane over for hangar rent due, and it was then placed in the Roose velt Field Museum. The only military marking on the plane at any time during its known history is the inscription " Lt. Strickland " on the left side 12

A n o rig in al Ble riot XI with a 70 hp G nome; it's dis creetl y limited to straight fligh ts d o wn th e runway. of the cockpit cowl. From very obvious clues the plane was force-landed at Roosevelt Field or ferried there for repairs which were never com pleted. At the time Roosevelt Field acquired the plane , some parts were m i ssing, such as the radiator, cowls , exhaust stacks and propeller . It is obvious that it had been taken apart for engine change or repairs , and the above mentioned parts had been lost or stored elsewhere . In 1955, it was decided that a minimum of time and expense could put it into operable condition , and res toration was commenced . The long-awaited engine repairs were made , missing part s were either made or obtained and in October 1956 the plane, basically in the same condition as it had been when last flown in 1930, again took to the air . It is powered with a 180 hp Hispano-Suiza, Model E engine; only the cowl is not authentic. Curtiss ,N4H: original alc, si n 3919, N3918. On January 30 , 1957, Cole Palen received by rail 19 pieces of a wrecked airplane from C. W. Adams , Jr. , Winter Haven , Florida . The aircraft had been advertised as a Standard J-l but turned out to be an engine-less Hisso Jenny IN-4H. There is no previous history of this aircraft. Over the years , some of the missing original parts (wings , radiator , etc.) turned up, along with a 150 hp Hispano Suiza Model A engine which was purchased from the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia , Pa. Res toration began in 1967, and the aircraft was built up from original parts and sections of several Jenny aircraft. It has been fl ying regularly at the Aerodrome since 1969.

Siemens-Schuckert D.III: reproduction alc, N1918G . This copy of one of Germany' s last and fastest WWI fighters was built in Florida during the winter of 1969: No geared Siemens-Halske rotary was available, so a 16 hp Gnome was installed. The aircraft has been taxied, but not flown. It is presently on static display in the Museum . Thomas-Morse S48: original alc, the only-B extant, sin 153 , N74W. This aircraft was test-flown in Ithaca, New York by Tex Marshall, who has also seen it fly at Old Rhinebeck. It was acquire{j by Rolland Jack in Hortonville , Wisconsin , and then sold to Dwight Woodard in October 1952 for $500 (the stab came from Ray Watkins in Bellefontaine, Ohio). It was loaned to the Wright Patterson AFB Museum for about 8 years, then acquired from the Woodard estate by Palen in May 1973 , who refurbished it and its engine, and has been flying it ever since. Sopwith Snipe 7FI: original alc , si n unknown, N8737R . Early in 1927 Reginald Denny, film actor and ex-RAF pilot, bought thi s Snipe as one of a group of three. These were to be imported to the US for a flying film . The three machine s were flown to Hamble where AVRO disassembled and crated them. No details are known until Jimm y Romberger bou g ht hi s from Clarenc e Chamberlin . In 1930, he soloed this $75 Snip e after four hours of instruction in a Waco 9. It was in the Roosevelt Field collection from 1932 1951 , when Cole Palen acquired the aircraft in the Roo sevelt Field bid in good , unre stored con dition . It had , it is believed, its original fabric. A complete overhaul was made. An engine-start ing problem was resolved when the castor oil and fuel lines were interchanged to their correct fit tin gs on the engine. It flew in the Old Rhinebeck show from 1962 through 1966 with a 130 hp Clergot engine . The aircraft was crashed , and later rebuilt by Gordon Bainbridge. It is currentl y in new condition , on display in the Museum , with a 230 hp BR-2 Bentley rotary en gine . Standard '-1: original alc, exi sts only in pieces .

Early Aircraft based at the Aerodrome, not belonging to it: Sopwith Camel: reproduction ale, sIn DS200, N8343. Built by D ick Day in 1970, it is his second Camel. The first had a 160 Gnome, this one an 80 LeRhone. It flies regularly in the show. Sopwith Pup: reproduction ale, N5139. Built by Dick King i n December 1968; steel tube fuselage, 80 hp LeRhone. It flies regularly in the show. RAF BE2c: reproduction ale, fuselage only (steel tube), Hisso engine, building by Dick King.

..."

Later Aircraft of the Collection: DH Puss Moth Aeromarine Klemm Bird CK Fairchild 24 Raabkatzenstein Primary Glider Aeronca C-3 Curtiss-Wright Jr. Fleet Model16B Great Lakes Monocoupe 1929 Monocoupe 1932 Piper J2 Spartan C3 Waco 10 Davis D1-W Curtiss Fledgling Dickson Primary Glider (reproduction)

(Photos by Cole Palen)

Photos of the Sopwith Dolphin under constru ct ion in Florida, 1976- 1977.

Vintag

*The EAA

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

This Curtiss Robin started with South ern Air Transport (now American Air lines) in 1929 and saw additional .serv ice as an executive aircraft and a trainer.

A look at some of the airplanes in your EAA Museum.

(Chris Sorensen Photo)

Bob Puryear donated this DeHavilland Rapide, which is c

As time and donations permit, this Jen ny is being restored to flight line con dition.

/ (C hris Sorensen Photo)

Detail shot of the Sf5A, on loan from the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian In st itute.

14 Front view of 1912 Bates Monoplane restored by fAA. A three cylinder Szekley engine is temporaril

Album

(Chris Sorensen Photo)

The Luscombe Phantom, bea utifu l to look at, but horrible to land (short coupled). That's a Monoco upe 90 on the left.

ion Museum *

re a lot more, by th e way . . . have you seen them all yet?

(Dick Stouffer Photo)

Dale Crites' 1911 Curtiss Pusher. Note the shoulderbars for aileron control . That's a Velie Monocoupe in the back- '\ ... ground. .- _ _ ._11

y being restored at the Flight Research Center in Burlington.

(Chris Sorensen Photo)

Activity in the Foundation's Res足 toration Facility currently includes this Waco UPF-7 (left) and serial number 1 Travel Air 1000 (which has been converted to a 2000).

(Lee Fray Photo)

eft several years ago and recently acquired by the led unlil a more appropriate engine may be found .

BUILDING THE

FUSELAGE OF

A REPLICA SE5A

By Neil M. Thomas

2512 Arthur Kill Road

Staten Island, New York 10309

(Photos by Ray Pignato)

Having mastered the art of aeroplane "driving" some years ago (does one ever?), I looked to more involvement in aeroplanes than the usual hangar flying and tall tales. Time and money did not per mit me the luxury of searching out new distance destinations to which I could fly. I realized a cer tain ennui was setting in. So instead of " hangar flying" in the pilot's lounge, I drifted to the repair shop at the local airport and watched as planes were being recovered and repaired. Construction interested me as much as flying and as I came to learn more and heard of EAA, I felt that this was the real direction of enduring challenge for me. No offense meant to those extraordinary pilots who can go through 100 miles of zero weather and hit the runway head-on , first time, every time. That proficiency escapes me and I envy and respect their perfection. I like many of the old things in this world, yet recognize the convenience and comfort of much that is new. The "new" world of flying is, for me, enhanced in the "old " of the fundamental panel, the basic aeroplane. As I watched each plane being repaired, my interest in them kept going more to the older types. I was about back to the early twenties interest-wise that is - when I first encountered the

EAA . Having been a model builder of World War I pursuit planes, an avid reader of "G-8 and His Bat tle Aces", " The Eagle and The Hawk" , "Dawn Pa trol ", etc., I knew then that I wanted to build a full size World War I aeroplane. I started immediately and dreamed of flying it in a year or two. Well, that was in 1965 and now, twelve years later, I am writing an article on the difficulties of building a replica fuselage of an SE5A. I can't tell you how to build the rest ; I haven't done it yet! Why an SE5A? Because: 1. I did not know how to weld, so I thought the steel -tubed Fokker DVII was too difficult and wood framed SE5A easier. 2. Original motors were readily available and, at the time, relatively inexpensive. (Six cylinder Mercedes were neither available nor inexpen sive .) 3. The pronounced dihedral of the SE5A assured stability. 4. It is the only plane of World War I (that I know of) with inflight tail plane adjustment for trim . 5. It could out-drive a Fokker and not come apart (though I never intend to prove this premise) . 6. It shared with the Fokker DVII the best reason of all to build a replica; it was, and is a good looking aeroplane. Had I known the inordinate length of time it would take to make the countless fittings in a SE5A fuse lage (over eight dozen in the lower forward half alone), I would have devoted one-third the amount of time to the fuselage of a DVII and become an

expert aircraft welder in the bargain. If you're going to build a true replica of an SESA - DO THE FUSELAGE FIRST. If you can get through that, the rest is a snap I think??? At the time I was building the forward lower half of the fuselage (the part with the 8 dozen fittings), I was also working two jobs , refurbishing a large colonial house, and rebuilding a two story 20' x 30' barn-hangar-workshop. Hence, I spent approximately 5 to 6 years on the forward section alone. Yet, from March '75 to April '76, I finished the rear half of the fuselage, the tail plane adjusting gear and housing, added the turtle deck; made, fitted and installed the adapted instruments to the instrument panel, com pleted the carlins (s keletal 'ribs') for the cockpit area, and aligned the fuselage from the engine mount to tail post. That's a pretty good comparative idea of the work involved in the forward section of the fuselage as compared to the rear half. Like everyone else, I enjoy assembling parts and " building" the aeroplane . I don 't like the drudgery of hacksawing and hammering pieces to shape. But, like Christmas dinner, days are spent in the preparatory drudgery, and the assembly, like Christmas dinner, is over in an hour. Now, at this point, I'm glad I "hung-in-there" but I would not want to do it again. If you want to play, you can build tailskids, fins, rudders, and even wings. If, however, you can't see it th rough with the fuselage you 've spent a great deal of time, however enjoyable, making things that won't get you into the air. But it is in this area that I stumbled and was obliged to make a very basic decision. Was I going

Detail o f the landing gea r cross brace fittin g. That wood ought to be mounted over a fireplace.

...,

The landin g gea r's in place, and you can get som e idea of the yea rs it took to get there .

The in strum ent panel looks old enough to be new.

to manufacture the plane I wanted to build or was I going to assemble it? The law requires that we construct at least 51% of the aeroplane. It readily recognizes that we need not cast our own engine parts, or make altimeters, wheels, control cable or "draw" high tensile flying wires. Yet, the wanting to fly my own creation impatiently pushes me to sub let certain jobs, as the law allows, so as to finish this rather extraordinary project sooner. Contravening this "wanting" is the knowledge that I could then no longer say "1 build the entire aeroplane". No one expects the homebuilder to design and manufacture his own engine, wheels, instruments, radios, etc., but wings, fuselages, landing gears and the like are sup posed to be within the realm of our abilities. It is the difference between saying "1 had the aero plane built" and "1 built the aeroplane"; the latter position being diminished by that percentage of the aeroplane one has had built elsewhere. I have dimin ished my own project some small percentage by having the gas tank built by another because I don't want to make it of fiber-glass and I do not have the machinery to form metal to the required smooth curves and folds of an SE5A tank. Trying, however wrong, to hold to the total construction position, has undoubtedly caused my project to be extended by years. If you will permit yourself to accept the help and skills of others you can get an exact replica SE5A project down to 2 to 4 years. Each homebuilder must decide for himself where he will draw the line short of the 51%. No one can decide for him. Nor can one fault him for the posi tion he takes since a homebuilt aeroplane, even at the minimum of 51%, makes him an unusual and accomplished person. As all restorers and builders know, one must view his (or her) project as a series of little jobs, each one a challenge and accomplishment in itself. To view each part only as a miniscule part of the whole would probably make many of us give up at the magnitude of our undertaking. Some instruments are vintage American and are shrouded and/or bezeled to resemble British pieces. The tachometer, altimeter, hand pump, and compass are originals; the airspeed indicator is American antique. I could not find "petrol" or air selector valves so I was obliged to make them. While some photos available show another compass of British manufacture, there are pictures in Cross and Cockade, Aero Publishers, Inc., etc., showing the type I have i nstalled in use during World War I in SE5A's. The panel is complete but for the reversed 18

bubble (not ball) type inclinometer which I have yet to make. I've tried to be as historically accu rate as possible to create a museum piece - but I am not a total purist. I won't use castor oil in the engine (too expensive); nor cover the aeroplane with cotton (doesn't last); nor use mild steel for fittings and "hammer the bolt ends over as shown" (too risky). And, I shall not carry the Lewis or Vickers guns when I fly, for safety'S sake, as well as anti-theft - if I come down unexpectedly and must leave the plane. I realize that such changes reduce the value of an exhibit in a museum because some minor construction techniques are not "the way it was". On the other hand, to see a World War I aeroplane that "actually flew" within the years of the viewer's lifetime has an offsetting advantage that I feel outweighs minor technical errors. The number 5348 is an accurate number for 22 hp French geared Hispano-Suiza powered SE5A's. This lot of SE's was built by ·Martinsyde in Woking, Eng land. Here I took another liberty. The back cover of Aero Publishers shows a name plate on the panel of an SE5A but since Martinsyde did design and build their own aircraft, I thought someone might say, " Oh, it's a Martinsyde". For this reason, the name plate reads instead "Royal Aircraft Estab., Farn borough, Hants., England Ser. No. N5348." While "N" is not a correct letter for SE5A's, it appears to be in vogue with FAA; in fact, they;re quite sticky and insistent about our using it. Nieuport builders do luck-out. I am in the business of repairing automobile ra diators and manufacture one-of-a-kind specialty items for aeroplanes and autos. It only follows then that I'll manufacture my own SE5A radiator - unless someone out there has one in his hip pocket that he's forgotten all about! That project should be very inte resting and, I'm afraid, lengthy and expensive. Do not think of a replica as a cheap way to get into the air; it most certainly is not! A conventional homebuilt design may be cheaper than a commercial type aircraft and it certainly gives the builder that extra sense of pride and accomplishment that does not come from a store bought airplane. Replicas, however, have the additional financial curse of re quiring rebuilt antique motors, the outright manu fact ure of parts no longer available, and the collection of historical and/or authentic items where possible. The latter is great fun but can be expensive. With that in mind, I plan to make this SE5A representative of the type rather than follow one

particular aircraft. It will probably be marked with the white band of the 56th Squadron, RAF. While cockpit identification is not historically ac curate, one side will be lettered with the name of Major James Thomas Byford McCudden; perhaps not the highest scoring British ace but certainly one of the most sensitive, mature, and philosophical. On the other side will be lettered Lt. George A . Vaughn, Jr., formerly of the 84th Squadron, RAF, who is the third-ranking American ace of World War I; a real gentleman and pleasure to meet. I. am happy to say that he is alive and well on Staten Island, New York. Both men were great pilots of SE5A's. How much longer? Well, there are wings, tail surfaces, radiator, oil and gas tanks, center section with water and gas tanks in the leading edge, flooring and controls in the cockpit area, cowlings and baf fles - golly, I' m afraid to estimate. Five years if I'm lucky. On the whole, I' m glad I selected the SE5A but equally happy that what's behind me is done. I could not have come even this far without the constant encouragement of many friends who urged me on when many times I wanted to give up. Not the least of these are, of course, Wg. CMDR. N. H. F. Unwin (RAF, Ret'd) and Col. George A Vaughn (USAF, Ret'd .)

The SE5A offers a lengthy experience in playing around with fittings, wire and wood.

An Interview With Bill Choma,

f AA Director of Ma in tenance and Restoration

VINTAGE AIRPLANE: When does an engine need to be pickled?

BILL CHOMO: An engine need s to be pickled if it is going to be out of service for a period longer than 60 days. Thi s, of cour se, isn ' t a hard fact, but if you can ' t run the engine or pull it through by hand , two month s is about maximum that you would want an engine to sit. You 'd find that there is probably light pittin g and ru st at 60 days.

If the en g ine is pulled for overhaul , the proper process would then be to run the engine with pick足 lin g oil in it; after shutdown spray the top cylinders before it is removed from the aircraft. Once it' s off th e aircraft, unless you can put it on a test stand , you can ' t really protect the bottom portion of the eng i ne . The way to get the preservative oil com足 pletely di stributed throughout the engine is to run it and get it hot (up to operating temperature) . Many times this is not possible. If you buy an en足 gine that has been off for a considerable period of time and i t' s still in operatin g condition , in other

word s, it i sn ' t a run-out engine , you ' re probably going to have to do some type of preventative or restoration maintenance on it. VA: So , if you ' re in the proce ss of rebuilding an airplane , and you ' re not able to have a regular program of pulling the engine through, then you should give serious thought to pickling that engine . BC: Most definitely. VA: What types of materials do you need to pickle an engine?

Be: There are various engine storage oil s available . They all have to conform to a military spec number. The reference mil itary spec number is MIL-L21260. This type which come s under a variety of brand names is usable on all engines . They have to be within very close tolerance to what military calls out for formulation in order to have a military spec number. VA: Is this the only kind of material that you would need to pickle an engine?

Be: This is the only thing you use, other than me chanical plugs to plug off ports where air and moi s ture can get in . VA: What is the process of using thi s c ,l?

Be: For maximum protection , the standard engine oil is drained and you replace it with thi s engine storage oil in sufficient quantity to be able to run the engine . The amount varies with the engine. It would be what ever is the safe operating level of oil. VA: So , if you normally run with 4 quarts of oil, you would drain that and insert 4 quarts of engine storage oil.

Be: Yes . You'd start the engine , run at low RPM for about 10 mi:lutes to bring the engine up to operat ing temperature. Then, ju st before you shut the en gine down you inject a half-pint of the oil through the carburetor intake. This can be accompli shed by using a pressure pump type oil can. Squirt it right into the intake while the engine is runnin g. Shut the engine down, remove the spark plugs and inject a half-pint, perferably sprayed , into the top of each cylinder through the spark plug hole . Drain the gas from the carburetor and squirt another dose of pickle sauce right into the carburetor . (Ga solin e will form a jelly-like substance if it's left in the carburetor over an extended period of time . Thi s oil , of course , will not.) You then plug all port s to the engine . This includes intake. If the carburetor i s going to stay on the engine, put a plate over the carburetor and secure the exhaust stacks (either plug them or pull them off and put plates over the exhau st ports). VA: What's a good way to plug exhau st stacks?

Be: The best way, of course, is to go to Jhe en gine manufacturer and get storage plates. They are nylon plates with o-rings on them and they completely seal the engine off. You can make your own plates out of aluminum. Another way that we use here at the Museum i s to insert polyethylene film between the exhaust

stack flange and the cylinder head, also between the carburetor and the intake . We additionally plug the breather along with any ports in the engine that are open such as accessory case holes . We fill any pipe fittings that are on the accessories. After the engine is completely plugged up , we normally in stall desiccator spark plugs . These are plastic spark plugs that contain a cry stal which readily absorbs moisture . These are available through many sources. They are a must in engine storage . They absorb moisture and change color at the same time. They are also available for the accessory section with its various pipe threads. There's another method if the engine cannot be run. It is not anywhere near as effective as running the engine , but it is better than doing nothing at all. You simply drain all of the fuel and oil from the engine and, preferably with a pressure type sprayer, coat the inside through the accessory case opening, the oil drain hole, and into each spark plug hole . The oil would have to be heated first . We set it in a pan of hot water. Then, you would follow the same procedure on plugging all of the holes and putting the moi sture absorbent spark plugs and crank ca se plugs in . VA: Is it a good idea to use thi s process with an an tique engine where you don 't know what condition the engine is in when you buy it? It might be run out , but it might be some time before you can tear it down .

Be: Definitely. Probabl y more damage happen s internally to engines from corrosion and rust than any other problem . VA: Will this process stop rust?

Be: It will inhibit it and prevent further formulation of it. VA: If you weren ' t going to use an engin e storage oil and you were going to try and turn the prop through on the engine during the process of rebuilding your airplane - how often should you be pullin g the prop th rough?

Be: Minimum : once per week . There is a new fl yer that has just come out from Lycomin g which says that it i s much better to pull the propeller throu gh by hand, than it is to do ground runs on an engine on an aircraft that is not being flown . They claim that with short ground runs , you can never get the engine prop erly warmed as you can in flight. The engine oil has to be warmed above 165 degrees F. in order to drive out the moisture that has accumulated in the case.

If you let the engine run on the ground long enough, you ' re going to do more damage from hot spots in the cylinders than the corrosion is doing. So , they say that you are better off , if the aircraft isn ' t being flown often enough or if it isn ' t being flown at all, to pull it through by hand and to change oil much more often than normal. VA: In other words, if you put an airplane in a garage for the winter and you don ' t have access to it to turn it over at least once a week , you should give seri ous consideration to pickling the engine?

Be: Definitely. VA: Would this process of applying engine storage oil vary with the age of an engine or with a type of an engine?

Be: Same process in all case s. It is basically the process used by engine manufacturers with new engines. They are put on the test stand for a test run-up and the very last thing that they do before they ship you a brand new engine is run in the pickling oil. Then they put all of the plugs in it and put it in a box . The only thin g that they do extra is that they enclose the engine in a polyethylene bag , which is an added way of keeping moisture from getting at the engine . VA: Is there any special step that needs to be taken in pickling accessories?

Be: Not really . The only things that might be a real problem are the carburetor and fuel pump . It is a good idea with a fuel pump to spray a small quantity of storage oil in . Gasoline in a fuel pump will evap orate and the parts w ill be absolutely clean and dry. There again, they are subject to corrosion like the en gine. Inject a small amount and it will be fine . Later , when it' s time, the first little slu g of gas through there will mix with the oil and it will be cleaned back out. Same thin g with the carburetor. VA: How do you un-pickle an engine?

Be: Un-pickling an engine is a lot simpler than pick ling it! I normally pull the spark plugs and drain any exce ss to prevent a hydraulic lock . If you have a large enough quantity of oil on top of the. pi ston, your pi ston cannot compress that liquid and you could do serious damage to the engine. The spark plugs mu st be pulled and the engine pulled through to make sure that any excess oil would be drained out . The spark plugs, of course , must be cleaned in gas oline because they won ' t fire with that much oil on them . After you re-install the spark plugs, start the

engine and run it for the 10 minute period, shut it down and drain the pickling oil. I do recommend a very short time to the next oil change, however. Some thing close to 20 hours, because you will have some pickling oil mixed in . VA: When you start it up after it has been pickled with this oil, can you expect a lot of smoke? BC: Yes, you definitely will have a lot of smoke. VA: Are there any special problems that might occur in pickling or un-pickling that you should look out for? BC: Nothing other than the engine storage oil being too thick to spray. Some manufacturers recommend mixing the engine storage oil with 10-weight regular automotive oil. I would prefer to heat the material up so that it's easy to spray in , rather than mixing it. With mixing , it ' s a little thin then and tends to run off quite easily . So if the engine sits upright or inverted for any period of time , certain areas will just drain away. Then, you might be looking again at a corrosion problem. I prefer to use it full strength.

may result in hot spots in the cylinders, Qr 'baked and deteriorated ignition harness, and brittle oil seals . causing oil leaks. If the engine can't be flown , then merely pull it through by hand, or briefly turn' the engine with the starter to coat the critical parts with oil. If the engine is flown infrequently, the oil should be changed at least every 25 hours to elim inate the water and acids.

AVCO LYCOMING "FL YER" FREQUENCY OF FLIGHT AND ITS EFFECT ON THE ENGINE We have firm evidence that engines not flown fre quently may not achieve the normal expected over haul life. Engines flown only occasionally deteriorate much more rapidly than those which fly consistently. In view of this, Lycoming accompanies its listed over haul life in Service Instruction No. 1009 for all models with the statement that the engines must be flown at least 15 hours per month. Pilots have asked What really happens to an engine when it's flown only one or two times per month? An aircraft en gine flown this infrequently tends to accumulate rust and corrosion internally. Some operators are running the engine s on the ground in an attempt to prevent rust between infrequent flights. This may harm rather than help the engine if the oil tem perature is not brought up to approximately 165°F, because water and acids from combustion will ac cumulate in the engine oil. The one best way to get oil temperature to 165°F is fly the aircraft, for during flight the oil gets hot enough to vaporize the water and most of the acids and eliminate them from the oil. If the engine is merely ground run, the water accumulated in the oil will gradually turn to acid, which is also undesirable. Prolonged ground running in an attempt to bring oil temperature up is not recommended because ~f ir:'adequate cooling which

ENGINE STARTING SUGGESTIONS Extra precautions should be taken when starting high performance engines in cold weather, after changing oil, or after the engine has not flown with in a week. On the initial start, CLOSELY observe engine oil pressure . If oil pressure does not rise to minimum idling range within 30 seconds after start, shut the engine down and investigate. 1. Damage to crankshaft bearings is possible if oil pressure is not within minimums as des cribed above, and potential engine failure can result. 2. Cold, fast starts also result in badly scuffed piston skirts and rings and scored cylinder walls with ultimately broken piston rings and mal functioning engines. 3. Complete engine preheating is required at am bient temperatures of plus 10°F and below , be cause below this temperature oil is like tar. 4 . After start, do not exceed 1200 RPM in the idle range initially until oil pressure is defi nitely within minimums. (Photo by Dick Stouffe r)

Thi s is th e bac k side o f th e G nom e ro tar y. Th e fl at

disc mounts rigidl y to th e fu se lage allowin g th e case, c ylinders and p ro p to sp in freely.

~ n engine !d isplay to get th e p lin this month 's Repo rt. Mercedes from th e M useum 's

Restoration Tips:

SAN DIEGO JENNY

A Photo Essay By Chris Sorensen 208 E. 32nd Street

New York City 70076

Walter Ballard, 82, is Supervisor of Restoration for the San Diego Aero-Space Museum . Mr. Ballard stands in front of a World War I Jenny . He and several other volun足 teer workers completed restoration of the machine only four months before it was destroyed in the San Diego Aero-Space Museum fire. The fire occurred approxi足 mately six hours after this photo was taken. Mr. Bal足 lard is holding one of two pairs of leaf springs from a a truck which he used to make the louvers on the en足 gine cowling. He would first clamp a pair of springs on each side of the louver area. Then he carefully chisled the long cut in the sheet metal, using the aftmost set of springs as a guide. Using a contoured block of wood and a mallet, he then pounded out the louver form. When the result was to his sa tis fac tion , he detached the aft set of springs and moved it forward leaving enough space for the next louver between the two pairs of springs, and repeated the chiseling and metal framing process . Mr . Ballard's career in aviation spans practically its entire history. He barnstormed in Jennys, flew for TWA when it was Transcontinental and Western Air, and American Airlines when it was American Airways, flew Trimotors in the South American bush, flew Liberators for the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific, and has generally had a most colorful life as a pilot. The day after the blaze destroyed the San Diego Aero-Space Museum and the Jenny, Ballard's reaction was one of sadness mixed with a tough stoicism. Distraught, he said h e felt as though he's lo st " his right leg," but later concluded with, "well, I'm going fishing."

On the bottom of the turtledeck under Mr. Ballard's wrist and on portions of the engine cowling are ridges called " beading". The beading was made in the metal by Mr. Ballard in the following manner. He first took a small block of hardwood and drilled a hole through its length. This hole was the diameter of a rod from an engine. He then sawed the block lengthwise and glued the rod into one of the channels. A nail pounded into each end and bent around allowed the block with the rod in it to be held firmly in a vise. The sheet metal was laid over the rod, and the other block with the channel laid over that. The top block was then struck with a mallet and the metal guided through the two blocks to form the beading. Not shown is an additional piece of wood that was nailed to the side of the block with the rod in it and used as a stop when the metal was slipped over the rod. (This is the Jenny Ballard and his colleagues restored for the San Diego Aero-Space Museum.)

"" I ~~-

The seat cushion on the jenny is identical on both sides. In order to make the buttons draw the upholstery down evenly on eac h side, Mr. Ballard did th e following. First he took a le ngth of string about six inches long and secured a button to the middle with a square knot. Then he tied a second square knot about an inch away from the first, as shown in the photo. He did exactly the same thin g to fourteen buttons, the number used on one side of the cushion. Next, he inserted the string through the upholstery with a needle in the proper posi足 tying another button on the oooosite side as he

progressed. Naturally, the second button could only go down as far as the second square knot, and since each pair of knots wa s evenly spaced, the result wa s even spacing all across the cushion.

Following a tradition of improvisation established by the barnstormers of yore, Walt Ballard fashioned this safety belt for the jenny from an old U.S. Mail bag.

The windscreen on the jenny was originally fitted to the fuselage with a piece of sheet metal formed at an angle and running all around the bottom edge of the screen. In lieu of this metal piece, which is not easy to form, Ballard elected to use the small metal tabs shown here.

Here Mr. Ballard demonstrates how he formed the pad足 ding around the rim of the cockp its . The foundation of the padding is made of washer drain hose slit along its length. The hose is surrounded by foam, its edges tucked into the slit in the hose. This in turn is covered by naugahyde upholstry which has its edges folded under and glued to provide a double thickness for the stitching of rawhide that secures the padding to th e fuselage. The original item was formed in a more tedious manner. It was alternately stuffed with horsehair and sewn to the cock足 pit edge a few inches at a time.

"Whistling In The Rigging" By David Gu stafson, Editor

Karl's stuff, all his notes and blueprints for the plane (several complete sets with all the mods and the reasons for tho se mods) . . . I had no use for them . . . I bu rned them . .. " That hu rts. And it' s painful to think about how often it's happened. Once gone , those pieces of hi story are forever out of our reach. Flames are terminal. Perhaps the members of our Antique/Classic Divi sion can help . A lot of times widows or children or the junk man inherit the books, notes, pictures and plans that document our achievements in aviation . Can you prevent it from being torched? Your EAA Mu seum is eager to collect and preserve nearly all kinds of aviation records. They maintain a library that ha s room to grow, and it's a library th at is used. Make plans to preserve your collection of aviation papers and books and snapshots. Please don ' t throw an y thing away by converting it to ga s and ash . And if you can prevent someone else who doesn 't know or under stand the value of paper hi story , we ' ll all profit. By the way, if you want to add to your Mu seum 's library or aircraft collection in your li fetime , your gifts are tax deductible . Write Gene Cha se at Head quarters for a copy of " Charitable Giving". You ' re the one who can assi st u s. This is on e time every litter bit helps .

It's time to respond to all the warm welcomes and offers of help that came with my new job: THANKS . Giving up a college teaching position in a theatre department to assu me editorial and executive res ponsibilities at EAA Headquarters is a bit of a shock, but it's the kind that creates a permanent smile. Jump shifting careers like this , in the middle of one's life, is almost as rare as it is exciting. AI Kelch did an excel lent job as editor of this publication and he has left a high standard to live up to. Naturally, whenever the guard changes, things aren 't quite the same anymore . So, Th e Vintage Air plane, which had become a refined hi storical journal is easing into a more varied format with hopes of presenting more articles on fly-ins , re storation pro jects, how-to-do-it tips , and classic s. Ala s, AI 's prob lem is now mine : the editor's file s are loaded w ith stories on vintage pilots, deSigners and builders , but nary a story about cla ssic airplanes. Surely someone out there has rebuilt or refurbished a clas sic, ha s had some un ique fun flyin g one that they'd be will ing to share with us?

CONVENTION COMMITTEES AND CHAIRMEN ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION Want to help at Oshkosh '781 These are the people to contact. ANTIQUE/CLASSIC CONVENTION MANAGEMENT Convention Chairman - J. R. Niela nd er , Jr ., Box 2464, Fo rt Lauderdale, Florida 33303 Convention Co-Chairman - Robert A. White, Box 704, Ze ll wood, Florida 32796 ANTIQUE/CLASSIC FORUMS Forums Chairman - William J. Ehlen , Ro ute 6, Box 506, Tampa, Florida 33616 Forums Co-Chairman - Allen D. Henn inger, 936 McKe llar Drive , Tullahoma, Tennessee 37386 ANTIQUE/CLASSIC PARKING & FLIGHT LINE SAFETY Parking Chairman - Arthur- R. Mo rga n, 3744 Nort h 51st Bo ul e vard, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53216 Parking Co-Chairman - Robert E. Kese l, 455 Oa krid ge Dri ve, Ro chester, New York 14617 ANTIQUE/CLASSIC JUDGING & AWARDS. Antique Awards Chairman & Chief Judge - Claude l. Gray, Jr. , 9635 Sylvia Avenue , Northridge , Cal ifo rni a 91 324 Classic Awards Chairman & Chief Judge - W. Brad Tho mas, Jr., 301 Do dson Mill Road, Pilot Mountain , North Carolina 27041 Clas.lc Awards Co-Chairman & Co-Chief Judge - Geo rge 5. Yo rk , 161 Sloboda Ave nue, Mansfield , O hio 44906 ANTIQUE/CLASSIC MANPOWER Manpower Chairman - Jac k C. Winthro p , Ro ute 1, Box 111 , Allen , Texas 75002 Manpower Co-Chairman - John S. Copeland , 9 Joann e Drive, Westboroug h, Massachusetts 01561 ANTIQUE/CLASSIC FLY-BY SCHEDULE COORDINATION Fly-By Schedule Chairman - Ro na ld Fritz , 1969 Wilson , NW , Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504 Fly-By Schedule Co-Chairman - Phi li p l. Co ulson , Rout e 2, Box 39B, Lawton , Michiga n 49065 ANTIQUE/CLASSIC HEADQUARTERS STAFF Headquarters Staff Chairman - Kate Mo rga n, 3744 No rth 51st Bou leva rd, Milwaukee , Wisco ns in 53216 Headquarters Staff Co-Chairman - Donn a Ba rtlett , Box 5156, Lake land , Florida 33603 ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DISPLAY BOOTH Display Booth Chairman - Ali cia Smi th , 7930 Biscayne Poi nt Circle, Miami Beach , Flo rida 33141 Display Booth Co-Chairman - Mary Mo rris, 27 Chandelle Drive , Ha mpshire, Illino is 60140 Display Booth Co-Chairman - Jackie Ho use , 3622 O ne Way Ci r cle, Apt. 394, Dallas , Texas 75234 ANTIQUE/CLASSIC PAVILION PROGRAM Pavilion Program Chairman - Da le A. Gu stafson , 7724 Shady Hill Drive , Indianapolis, India na 46274 ANTIQUE/CLASSIC SECURITY Security Chairman - George T. W ill iams , 115 Pauqu ette Street. Portage , Wiscon sin 53901 Security Co-Chairman - James H. Smit h , 7930 Biscayne Po int Ci rcle, Miami Beach, Flo rida 33141 ANTIQUE/CLASSIC PRESS COVERAGE Press Chairman - AI H. Kelc h , 7018 Wes t Bo n niwe ll Roa d , Mequo n, W isconsin 53092

SAVE OUR HISTORY

Several months ago, I was researching a story on the Crouch Bolas Dragonfly (wh ich will appear soon ) and wound up talking to the widow of a man who had been one of the chief deSigners on the project . As we talked I asked about photograph s, notebooks and blueprints. The woman generously con sented to loan her scrapbooks and then went on to say: "if you 'd only come three months earlier, I went through

(Photo by Chris Sorensen)

Sa n Diego M useum : As fa r as was known o n th e day

after th e fi re, not a single aircraft o r artifac t survived,

with th e so le exception of a sm all samp le of moon rock

stored in a fire-proof safe (Sa n Diego Aerospace Museum,

February 23, 7978).

Press Co-Chairman - Lois Kelch, 7016 Wes t Bo nn iwell Road , Mequ o n, Wisconsin 53092 Photo Airplane Pilot - Cha rl es E. Nelso n, Box 644 , At he ns, Tennessee 37303 ANTIQUE/CLASSIC PICNIC & PARTY Picnic & Party Chairman - Jo hn R. Turgya n, 1530 Ku ser Roa d , Trento n, New Jers ey 06619 ANTIQUE/CLASSIC BOOTH & BARN DECORATIONS Decoration Chairman - Stan Go mo ll , 1042 90th Lan e , N. E. , Minneapolis, Minn esota 55434 ANTIQUE/CLASSIC EQUIPMENT & SUPPLY Equipment & Supply Chairman - Arthur R. Mo rga n, 3744 No rth 51st Boulevard , Milwaukee, Wiscon si n 53216 Equipment & Supply Co-Chairman - Jo hn J. Ka las , 2603 South Superior Stree t, Milwa uk ee, Wisconsin 53207

Taylorcraft Clearing House Don Smith, EAA Designee, announces that he is setti ng himself up as the Taylorcraft Owner's Club of fical source of information on DC, DCO and L-2 series aircraft. If you drop a line listing wants, trades, or sales, Don will try to put you in touch with the right person. You can write Don at Route 1, Box 636, West Helena, Arkansas 72390.

1.. I~rl"I'I~11SI

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Mr. Gustafson, The publication, The Vintage Airplane, sounds good to us . How can we get it? Here is more information on our "baby". 1950 PA 18 105 Special, Serial #18-107 We have the original weight and balance statement dated 3-30-50 signed by a Mr. Muckle (spelling may be wrong). Baby has the original Lycoming 0235-C1 engine and is a dream come true . While it's true many publications write about the Super Cub, they talk about new ones. Love to hear from you, Ron McDonald 2707 South 15th Tacoma, Washington 98405 206-272-8953

- then start over and win again

Here we are at home - Spanaway Airport - Tacoma, Washington . We may be at home but notice we are out and getting ready to go.

de YELLOW J·3 CU B CIUJIU••. P'tUI'T

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Calendar of Events

MAY 19'21 - HORN POINT, MARYLAND - Potomac Antique Aero Squadron Fly-In. Aerodrome built by Francis du Pont 2 miles west of Cambridge on Maryland's Eastern Shore. For in formation contact Bernie Funk, Office 301-952-4770. MAY 19'21 - HARVARD, ILLINOIS - 8th Annual Dacy Chapter Fly In of the Antique Airplane Association , Dacy Airport . Everyone is welcome. Friday night cookout for early arrivals. Saturday night banquet , Sunday afternoon air show. For more informa tion call 815/943-7518. MAY 26-28 - WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA - 14th Annual West Coast Antique Aircraft Fly-In and Air Show at Watsonville Air port. Co-sponsored by the Northern California Chapter, Antique Airplane Association and the Watsonville Chamber of Commerce. For information, contact: Earl W . Swaney, Publicity Director, 525 Saratoga Ave., No.3, Santa Clara, California 95050. 415/645-3709 (days); 408/296-5632 (evenings) . MAY 26-29 - HARVARD, ILLINOIS - Monocoupe Fly-In . Dacy Air port. Held in connection with Ryan Fly-In . Contact Willard Bene dict, 129 Cedar Street, Wayland, Michigan 49348. MAY 28 - TOUGHKENAMON, PENNSYLVANIA ~ A gathering of Moths, Garden Flying Field . Unicom 122.8, 80 octane. 215/268 8988. JUNE 2-4 - ATCHISON, KANSAS - The Annual Fly-In of the Greater Kansa s City Chapter, Antique Airplane Association will be held at Amelia Earhart Memorial Airport. Contact Dick Shane, 8315 Floyd, Overland Park, Kansas 66212. 913/648-3139 or Kermit Hoff meier, 103 N.W . 64th Terrace , Gladstone, Missouri 64118. 81 61 436-3459. JUNE 3-4 - GENERAL MOTORS WILDCAT TEST PILOT and Ground Crew reunion . Contact Dick Foote , P.O. Box 57 , Willimantic, Connecticut 06226 - 203/423-2584 or Dan Hanrahan , 470 Elmore Avenue , Elizabeth, New Jersey 07208 - 2011254-4481. Names and addresses appreciated . JUNE 9'11 - SPRINGFIELD, OHIO - 2nd Annual Spring EAA Mid Eastern Regional Fly- In (MERFI). Air Show, awards, on airport camping, static displays, etc. Please check NOTAMS . Contact Myrna Lewi s, 241 Bassett Drive, Springfield , Ohio 44506 . 5131 323-2424. JUNE 17-18 - FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA - Antique Aircraft Fly In , Shannon Airport. Air Show attractions : Bob Hoover, Bob Ru s sell and Duane Cole.

Don J. Rhode of Saddle Brook, New Jersey sent in this picture of a beautifully restored 1946 J- 3C Cub.

JUNE 21-26 - TULLAHOMA, TENNESSEE - Annual Staggerwingl Travel Air International Convention . Forum s, formation flying and fun . Contact John Parish, cl o Lannom Mfg. Co. , Tullahoma, Tennessee 38388. 615/455-0691. JULY 1-2 - GAINESVillE, GEORGIA - 11th Annual Cracker Fly-In at Lee-Gilmer Airport . Awards will be presented in all categories . Our banquet will be at the Gainesville Holiday Inn Saturday night, July 2. Len Povey has accepted an invitation to be guest speaker. Accommodations - Gainesville Holiday Inn and other local motels . Information : Jim Ealy, 3535 Childers Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075 , 404/993-4568. JULY 1-9 - BLAKESBURG, IOWA - Wright Brothers 75th Anniver sary Fly-In at the Antique Airfield. Includes World War II PT and liaison Plane Fly-In , July 1-3, Fairchild Club Fly-In and Unique Air plane Fly-In July 8-9. JULY 9 - EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA - 2nd Annual Aeronca Fly In, Easton Airport. 10 AM to 2: 30 PM , open to all types of Aeroncas . Rain date , Jul y 16. Contact Jim Polles, 215/759-3713 nights and weekends. JULY 14-16 - MINDEN, NEBRASKA - Second Annual National Stin son Club Fly-In . Pioneer Field near Harold Warp' s Pioneer Vil lage. BBQ Friday night for early arrivals. Saturday night banquet and awards. Scheduled events . Fly-In Chairman Bob Near, 2702 Butterfoot Lane, Hastings, Nebraska 68901. 402/463-9309. JULY 15-16 - LOCKPORT, IlliNOIS - Chapter 15 and 86 of the Chicago area EAA are now formulating plan s for their 18th Annual Fly- In and Air Show to be held at Lewi s University. In formation : Janice P. Fish, P.O. 411, Lemont, Illinois 60439: JULY 16 - DUNKIRK, NEW YORK - Annual Fly-In Breakfast sponsored by EAA Chapter 46 and Dunkirk Rotary. Free break fast to homebuilders, antique and warbird pilots. Trophies in all EAA classes . Spot landing CO)1test on arrival. Contact Charles Gallagher, 19 Shelby Drive, Buffalo, New York 14225. JULY 21-23 - COFFEYVILLE, KANSAS - Funk Fly-In . Funk owners pilots and friends invited. Fly-bys, factory and museum tours , banquet. Contact G. Dale Beach, 1621 Dreher Street, Sacramento, California 95814 or Joe c. Funk, 2409 Edgevale Drive, Coffey ville, Kansa s 67337. JULY 29 - AUGUST 5 - OSHKOSH , WISCONSIN - 26t h Annual EAA Fly-In. Plan now - it 's the greatest show on eart h. SEPTEMBER 22-24 - CAMDEN, SOUTH CAROLINA - Fall Fly-In sponsored by Antiquel Classic Chapter 3.

CLASSIFIED ADS

ADVERTISING CLOSING ,DATE: 10th OF THE MONTH PRIOR TO PUBLICATION DATE. (THAT I~: MARCH 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).

FAIRCHILD 24R46A ANTIQUE . Airframe 1000 hours. Two Ranger 6-440-C engines. 190 and Zero hours . Dacron, Paint, Upholstery, Airframe and Engines completely restored, C of A included. Similar Aircraft featured in SPORT AVIATION 1974. Write to: Dr. F. Laygonie, PO Box 3913 , Durban, South Africa. Telephone: 64646 (Bus) 60010 (Res). COMMONWEALTH SKYRANGER. FLY AN ANTIQUE ON 6 gph. ONLY ABOUT 400 BUILT. 2 pI. SBS cruise 90 on C-85. See Nov. 1977 SA for photo. "Second best one at Oshkosh 77" . Call 217-546-1162 after 5 PM for details. No collect. WHEEL PANTS for Piper J-3, PA-11 , PA-12. Exact copy of original. $60.00 pro Craig Elg, PO Box 715, Rhinelander, WI 54501. 715-369-3131. "SPENCE-AIR" - Complete antique restoration or custom building. Expert welding by A&P. Woodwork by Ruth; 25 yrs. experience. Specialists in dope & fabric. AM #1271; EAA #14457. PH . 916-243-3922. (no collect) 7890 Hwy 99 No., Anderson, CA 96007. ANTIQUE AERONAUTICAL MEMORABILIA FOR SALE! ORIG INAL 1915/1945 AIRPLANE AND PilOT ITEMS . FORTY PAGE LIST WITH YEAR'S REVISIONS AIR MAilED, $5.00. JON ALD RICH , POB 2123, NEWPORT BEACH, CA 92663. WANTED : Any information concerning the lincoln Sport Biplane produced in 'lincoln, Nebraska in the 1920's (pa rtial plans shown in the 1930 Flying and Glider Manual). Mr. Harry R. Owen, Box 304, Isanti, MN 55040 . Continental 85-12, 132 SMOH, removed in runnin g con dition for higher hp. $1750, FOB . 414-52 9~3420 after 5:00. Wisconsin .

Are you restoring a Classic?

CUSHION UPHOLSTERY SETS

UPHOLSTERED FOAM CUSHION SETS 11~

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WALL PANEL SETS • HEADLINERS· CARPETS Airtex interior upholstery items are all made up into complete assemblies, ready for you to install. Your choice of three fabric styles and twenty colors. Luxurious cut pile carpets in seven colors, wrinkle free Duraliner headliners, baggage compart ments, seat s lings and fire wall covers are also available for Classic planes.

RE-COVER ENVELOPES

Available for all Classics and some Antique model s , in Ceconite #101, #102 and cotton. Airtex makes the world's finest envelopes!

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INTERIOR

All Items Designed for Easy DO-IT-YOURSELF INSTALLATION

AIRCRAFT FINISHES

Nitrate & butyrate dope, enamel, tirethane, thinners, reducer, retarder and primers. Complete stock of re-covering supplies. Send $1 .00 for Catalog and Our

Fabrics Selection Guide

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DEPT " R", LOWER MORRISVILLE ROAD

FALLSINGTON , PA. 19054

(2 15) 295-4 11 5