VA-Vol-8-No-4-April-1980 by EAA Vintage Aircraft Association

STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

• With 1980 w e begin a new d eca de of anxiety, su s p e nse, intrigu e, politi ca l events, world crises , infl a tion and sport aviation. Where are we h ea d ed? Wh at are our proj ections and how will we acco mplish our objectives? Of course we do not attempt to b e a prophet, but we can pl an and adjust to the man y face ts that will affect our sport aviation for the n ex t ten yea rs. Let us look first at th e area t er med gen eral aviation that includ es the activiti es of sport aviation. Corporate flying has continued to grow through n ecessity and has its own status. As airline deregulation b ega n, many co rporate exec utiv es found th e mselv es unabl e to trav el via airlines to many of th e cities previously served. Granted , the formation of new f ee der lin es has taken up so me of this slack, but mor e often th an not, the schedules ar e not compatible with thos e of th e busy executive. Th e singl e engine and light twin busin ess aircraft th e n enters th e pictur e. Many are located at hub air port s in the fringe areas of our larger citi es, whil e others are based at man y smaller airports and run by a fixed base operation consisting of from one em ploy ee up through several. Many of th ese airports ar e home base for sport aviation enthusia sts, privat e airc raft as w ell as some corporate operations. With out th em , ba si ca lly w e could not exist or operat e effectively; but look what is fa c ing th ese faciliti es today . Fu el is b eco ming l ess and less available in man y areas. The pri ce s are climbing upward by lea ps and bounds, resulting in student pilot starts b ec omin g few er in numb er. It is not a pr etty pictur e we are painting but th e probl e m s will be so lved. We Ameri cans have always solved our ba sic probl em s with ex perti se and th e drive and knowl edge to formulate and plan an approach that is effectiv e. First, we have to hav e fu el . Without it we do not fly, whether it be for business or pleasur e. Thi s i s a h ard fact that apparently many do not want to ac cept. With no fuel th ere is no reason to manufa ctur e n ew aircraft, n o n ee d for FAA personnel to be em ployed to operate our co mpli ca ted air traffi c control

•

• system, and so on down th e lin e. It is d o ubtful th at th ese circum stances would actually come to pas s but th ey could if w e do not t ak e affirmative action at once. Paul Pob e rez ny has accepted th e chairmanship of th e General Aviation En ergy Co uncil (d e tail s in th e Mar ch '80 issu e of SPORT AVIA TlON) . Th e need for such a group i s obviou s and th ey are meeting fr e qu entl y and objectively to formul ate an approach to th e fu el probl ems whi ch apparently are of little co n cern to many. Without fu el w e do not oper ate our air craft and it has becom e obvious to many that a single all purpose fu el must be dev e lop ed which will b e compatible with ALL engines wh ether th ey be auto mobil e, tru ck, aircraft o r whatev er. Ther e is no doubt that within th e '1980 d eca de a single fuel will be d evel oped for all u sers of gasoline. As we know , EAA had previously tak e n th e initi a tiv e by running its own t es ts by u sing auto gas in ce r tain types of aircraft. The results were p os itive. Th e EAA Air Mus eum Foundation h as b ee n granted fund s along with m atching funds from th e Air c raft Owners and Pilots Association Foundati o n to b eg in res ea rch toward adapting auto fu el to aircraft use . This proj ec t ha s been started and th e res ult s will b e forthcoming at th e completion of th e t es t. Th e initiativ e has b ee n tak en by our EAA and w e should be pr o ud to b e a part of it. EAA and its Divisions are not only a group of h o mebuilders for hobby flyin g, but rath er a clos ely knit group of dedicated enthu sia sts who see th e im med iat e need s of general aviation and are taking th e initi ativ e to d evelop and pursue ac tively, not only th e cause but th e so lution . With th e cos t and availability of fu el being a promi nent factor th at governs our spor t flyin g habit s, we mu st co nsid er the effective us e of our available fly ing tim e for th e next few years. Sp ec ifi ca ll y, our an tiqu e and classic aircraft are a basic category of sp o rt fl yin g. Our class ics ca n generall y be u sed more often and frequently for tran sportation , wh er eas most of our antiques are limit ed to shorter travel distances. Of co urse, o n e of o ur prim ary purposes is to be able to fly our aircraft to ily-in s in th e area where we

bas e our aircraft. Undoubtedly, if the cos ts and non availability o f fuel co ntinues to ri se, w e may ev e n tuall y be able to plan o nl y to attend our annual Int er national Convention at Os hkosh. In order t o m ak e o ur EAA Fly-Ins su ccessf ul , co nsid ering thes e co ndition s, w e for esee th e value o f EAA Regional Fly-In s, an exam pl e being th e creation in 1979 o f th e fir st Region al EAA Fly-In at Tullahoma, Tennessee. An import ant part of our Divi sion 's purpos e is th e restor ation and maint enance of antiqu e and classic aircraft. What a thrill we had during Oshkosh '79 when we first saw th e Stinson M odel A Trimotor of G en e Coppock, and th e replica s such as Jim Youn kin 's Travel Air Myst ery Ship, and the G ee Bee Mod el Z of Bill Turn er. In th e near future th e Laird Super Solution, b eing co mpl e ted by th e EAA Air Museum Found ation will be ready. Many other pr o j ec ts are in res toration shops throughout th e U .S.A. and oth er countries. During th e n ex t t en yea r s it is apparent that if coming generations are to see and enjoy th e antique aircraft of y es t er day, w e restor ers will hav e to con tinu e the ambitious construction of repli cas of th ese fabulous ea rl y aircraft. Only a few originals rem ain , mostly in mu se ums and many of th ese are not service able nor permitt ed to be ex hibit ed or flown at special events. Th e grea t desires and ambition s typical of some of our members, are the driving forces whi ch res ult in th e crea tion of th ese rep li cas for all to enjoy. Our prediction is that many of o ur early type aircraft will appea r in th e replica ca tego ry during th e '80's. Eve n th o u g h we h ave painted a rath e r dej ec t ed picture for th e '80's, we firmly believe th at th e ambi tion and desire, dedi ca tion a nd expertise among EAA 'e r s and in particular our Antique/C lass ic Divi sion membership, will co ntinu e to prop el u s toward our goa ls.

Editorial Staff

Tt1~ VI~TAt3~ AIl?VLA~~ OFFICIAL MAGAZINE

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC

DIVISION INC.

Publisher

Paul H. Poberezny

Editor

Gene R. Chase (Photo by Ted Kos ton)

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 PLANE during the current year. Associates receive a bound volume of THE VINTAGE AIR PLANE and a free one-year membership in the Division for their efforts. POLICY-Opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. Directors ' W. BRAD THOMAS, JR. 301 DODSON MILL ROAD PILOT MOUNTAIN, NC 27041 919/368-2875 Home 919/368-2291 Office

VICE-PRESIDENT JACK C. WINTHROP ROUTE 1, BOX 111 AllEN, TX 75002 2141727-5649 '

SECRETARY M. C. "KEllY" VIETS 7745 W . 183RD ST. STilWEll, KS 66085 913/681-2303 Home 913/782-6720 Office

Morton W. Lester P.O, Box 3747 Martinsville, VA 2411 2

Dale A. Gustafson 7724 Shady Hill Drive Indianapo li s, IN 46274

VOLUME 8

NUMBER 4

(On Th e Cover . .. Phil Coulson flies his Waco INF over th e Michiga n cou ntryside.)

Associate Editors: H. Glenn Buffington, Edward D. Williams, Byron (Fred) Fredericksen, Lionel Salisbury

Claude L. Gray, Jr. 9635 Sylvia Avenue Northridge, CA 91324

APRIL 1980

Si Meek's replica Star Cavalier in the traffic pattern at , Osh kosh '79 .

PRESIDENT

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

Arthur R. Morgan 3744 North 51st Blvd. Milwaukee, WI 53216

Ri chard H. Wagner P.O. Box 181 Lyons, WI 531 48

(On The Back Cover . . . Rare and beautiful Curtiss A-22 Falcon owned by Richard Durand, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photo by Ted Koston.)

TABLE OF CONTENTS Straight and Level by Brad Thomas .. .. ..... . .. , . , , , , . , , .. , .. . .. .. ..... . .. .• , , . , .. A/C Hot line by Gene Chase , ... ......... ... ... . . . ... , . . " .. ,"",............ . . The Restoration Of Waco INF, NC644Y by Thomas A. Gray, Ph.D .. ...... .. , .. ,.".. Matty laird Honored By Embry-Riddle by Robert G. Elliott . .. . ...... . . . . . , .. , , . , . " Claude Flagg, Pilot/Engineer by Ted Businger ... . .. , . . .. , .. ,', . " .. .. ....... " .. ,. The Roy Russell Collection by George Hardie, Jr. , ......... .. .... .. "."'., .. , . ... Who Brings The Royal Mail? by lionel Salisbury .. . . . . . .... .. , . , , . , , . , .. ........... How To Build The "longster" by les long. , . , , , , . , , , , . .... . .... ... . ... . . ..... , , " Borden ' s Aeroplane Posters From The 1930's by lionel Salisbury , .. " .. . . ...... . ... letters .... . ... .. ... .. ... ... ........ , , , . , , , , . , .. , .................... , .. , . , , '. , .. Calendar Of Events .. , , , ..... . , . . . . .... . . ...... .. .. , . , , . , .. .. .. .. .. . .. . .. . .... ..

John R. Turgyan 1530 Ku ser Roa d Trenton, NJ 08619

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION MEMBERSHIP o NON-EAA

MEMBER - $22.00. 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 .

AI Kelch 66 W. 622 N. Madi son Avenue Ceda rburg, WI 53012

Advisors

John S. Copeland 9 Joa nn e Drive Westborough, MA 01581

Stan Gomoll 1042 90th Lan e, NE MinneaD..Qlj~1 MN 55434

Gen e Morris 27 Cha ndelle Drive H ampshire , IL 60140

Ronald Fritz 1989 Wil son , NW Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Robert E. Kesel 455 Oakridge Drive Rochester, NY 14617

George S. York 181 Sloboda Ave. Mansfield, OH 44 906

EAA 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.)

TREASURER E. E. " BUCK" HILBERT P.O. BOX 145 UNION, IL 60180 815/923-4205

THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is owned exclusively by EAA Antique/Classic Division , Inc. , and is published monthly at Hales Corners , Wisconsin 53130. Second class Postage paid at Hales Corners Post Office, Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130, and additional mailing offices. Membership rates for EAA Antique/Classic Division , Inc" are $14.00 per 12 month period of which $10.00 is for the publication of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Membership is open to ali who are interested in aviation.

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4fe

TRUST FUND INCREASES A QUARTER BILLION DOllARS IN ONE MONTH

Il()T LI~~

In December, 1979, the Airport and Airways Trust Fund grew $243.7 million, bringing the fund total to $4.78 billion at year's end . Expenses during December were $85.1 million; includin g $59.3 million in air port grants, $18.4 million in facilities and equip m ent, and $7.4 million for research and development. FAA Administrator Langhorne Bond recently admitted to Congress that the great difference between fund in come and Administration spe nding is creating a dis trust between FAA and user groups.

by Gene Chase

AVIATION FUEL SUPPLIES As menti o ned in recent r epo rts, th e fire and ex plosion at the Phillip s Petroleum Refinery at Borger, Texas has seriously di srupt ed the supply of aviation gasoline. Th e middle and southwest stat es ar e par ticularly affected. It will take about 6 month s to ge t the refinery back in full produ ction so gasoline sto cks will be parti cularly low during th e h eight of the recrea tional flying season, spring and ea rl y summer.

GASOHOL One of the arguments used against increased use of gasohol is that it takes mor e energy to prod uce a gallon of alcohol than the alcohol will give out when it is consumed. The customary method of prod ucing alcohol is to prepare a mash and then distill th e ma sh to get alcohol. Both processes requir e heat . At the Ames Laboratory at Iowa State University two scientists have claimed a breakthrough in the economic production of alcohol. Inst ead of a seco nd distillation process the alcohol is extracted from th e mash without heat by absorbing th e alcohol with a silica based substance . Th e alcohol can then be re~ moved from the silica and the latter recycled for addi tional us e . The developers of this process claim that alcohol ca n be produ ced at greatly reduced cos ts. If these claims are accurate this could be a big boost for mor e gasohol production within th e reasonably near future .

Mr. RObert StrOhecker

817 Campbell Drive

Grand Forks, NO 58201

January 30, 1980

Dear Mr. StrOhecker:

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keith I. Blythe

ATTENTION ALL SQUARE TAIL MODEL 8 LUSCOMBE OWNERS Previous word about th e AD calling for th e in spection and possibl e replacem ent of th e front fin attach fitting implied that only the round tail mod el s wer e affected. THIS IS NOT SO. Read th e following letter sent to us by Rob ert Strohecker, EAA # 59403: 4

Chief, Eng;nee';ng 'nd M'nUf'elu,;ng Branch FAA - SOuthern Region

Atlanta, GA 30320

8Hlorutl0. 01 Phil and Ruth Coulson reliving Sport Aviation of th e '3 0s.

Even in its noseless state, with its engine spread out over several workbenches, the old biplane in the repair hangar at Marks Field in Lawton, Michigan looked good. It had the unmistakable look of dis tinction that good design and quality construction gi~e any machine . Even to the people who had not seen biplanes before (except those that masqueraded in films as Spads and Sopwith Camels of World War I fame) the plane communicated something of its iden tity as a "classic" aircraft. To those well-versed in aviation history the lean design of the biplane being overhauled in Harold Owens' shop was unmistakably a Waco , the name that dominated the world of flying for a quarter of a century. It set standards of design and workmanship against which all other aircraft were judged . Few ob servers would have been able to identify the model, and to grasp the final significance of the three-place open-cockpit ship bearing NC644Y. When Phil Coul son, EAA #71350, AI C #572, of Lawton , Michigan dropped in one day in 1965 to visit his friend Harold and saw the plane, he instantly knew what it was and what it meant in the history of American aviation. The five-cylinder Kinner with its five-ported star-swirl shaped front collector ring propped up against a bench

Stor y and Ph o tos

b y Th om as A. Gray, Ph.D.

75 6 '12 Word en Street

Kalamazoo, MI 49004

told him that the ship was an INF model, one of a very few still around in flying condition. And right then Phil knew that it was the plane that he had always wanted to own. "That ' s mine," he thought, "but I can't buy it now." There before his eyes at last was a tangible form to fit the images that had flown through his night and day dreams for twenty years . Ever since his young boyhood, when his father would identify any aircraft passing over their farm as a "Waco", Phil had wanted to fly and own a Waco. Fueling his desire through his early boyhood and teenage years were the 1j10urs he spent after school and on weekends, hanging around the local airports, a fascinated spectator for every activity , including his brother's flight lessons. The climax to those years of anticipation came at last in 1946 when he had his first flight, in a Fairchild PT-23, with a veteran pilot-mechanic named Horace Sackett.

After that, with the first thrill of flight still tingling in the seat of his pants ,. Phil became an inveterate " airport bum ", absorbing the lore of aircraft , of fly ing, and of Waco airplanes. It was at the air show put on by Art Davis at the local airport one day in 1948 that Phil remembers mak ing his first positive identification of a Waco . In the show, Davis was flying a Waco ATO Taperwing , noted then, and now, as the first production plane in the United States capable of performing an outside loop. More fuel for young Philip's dreams. Every day he was becoming more expert at dis tinguishing among various makes and models of air planes . But for Phil, the term " airplane" and Waco were still synonymous. He had wanted to fly for a long time, but now that wasn't all. Now he knew that he wanted to fly one of those strong , fast, highly maneuverable and graceful biplanes like Art Davis ' Waco . Sixteen years were to pass before he could come close to realizing his dream , but in 1962 Phil was at last able to start a foundation for it by beginning fly ing lessons. The next year he soloed in a Piper )-5. But the soon-mastered )-5's, and the Taylorcraft and the Piper Tri-Pacer , into which he subsequently put 5

early morning flighl, Ruth gu ards th e th rottle w hile Phil swings the prop \'), _ /'

many hours aloft, wer e only way- station s to the Waco goal. And that ex plains both Phil 's excitement over findin g NC644Y at Marks Fi eld and hi s di sappointm ent and frustration at th e owner's refu sa l to se ll it then. But h e had at lea st manag ed to me et th e owner, Bob Beller, of Marshall , Michig an. Ov er th e n ex t three years, Phil kept tra ck of N C644Y through th e grapevine. And he put in mor e hard work toward s th e dream of owning the Waco. So that when, in 1969, h e hea rd th at Bob Bell er had put the plane up for sale, Phil wa s ready to talk to him with mo ney in hi s han d. O n a clear fall day h e fl ew with Owen Marks and Har o ld Owen in Marks' Tri-Pa cer to Marshall , came to term s with Mr. Bell er; and, with Harold o bservin g from the rear coc kpit , Phil fl ew hi s Waco ho m e through a beautiful September af tern oo n to Marks Field in Lawt o n. The 125 h o rses of th e 38-y ea r-old Kinn er engin e thrumm ed alo ng thr o ugh the cl ear li ght of a beautiful autumn afternoo n reli ab ly and respo nsively . The trip was uneventful except for the landing , in which Phil, co mpl etely unfamiliar with th e rap id d ece lera tion o f biplanes, dropp ed h er in when he still had about ten feet of altitud e. Flyable th e o ld ship ce rtainl y was; th ou gh it was also far from ce rtifi abl e in h er present co ndition. It was an ex tr aord in ary find , far indeed from so m e of th e " basket cases " th at so m an y antiqu e buffs h ave to start with. Th e airframe would have to be co m pletely recov ered. Th at was obvious. N o n e of th e fabri c would pass punch tes tin g. But eve n with nea rl y fo rt y years o f use in sever al different climat es and despite hav in g bee n stored for ten years, 1949 to 1959, in a vaca nt chi cke n hou se, NC644Y seem ed remarkably well-preserved. Res tor a tion , Phil th ought , would be a relatively simple mat

ter of applyin g n ew fabric and refinishing it - some thin g that h e could do at home in his garage. But afte r r emo vin g the wings, puttin g the ship und er cove r in the gar age , and strippin g off th e fab ri c, Phil discovered th at making th e Waco airworth y would be a co nsiderabl y bigger and longer job than he h ad anticipated. Ch ecki ng ov er th e stripped air frame, he had found rust damage in the rudder post ; and further close insp ec tion and punch tes ting of th e lo w er longero ns at one-inch int ervals rev ea led addi tion al rust damage in th e tubin g . Though , lik e every o th er Waco ever pr od u ced, thi s INF had und ergo ne th e usual factory ru stpr oofing in which all tubing had had ho t lins eed oil run through it after it was welded, th e yea rs of use and stor age in various climates, and occasional expos ure to the elements, had give n rust a head start o n th e airframe. Much of th e original tub ing would hav e to b e cut out and repla ced and that wou ld r equ ir e both sp ec ial equ ipment and exp ert welding skill s. But in the meantime, Phil did what h e co u ld in the ga ra ge, so that b y 1972 he had in hi s sp are hours man aged to di sasse mbl e the airplane completely and strip its fini sh down to th e bar e metal, a necessa ry first step for major airfr am e repa irs. With th e INF res toration proj ect mushr oo ming int o some thing a lot bigg er than hi s ga rag e could co n tain and demanding th e high es t m ec hani ca l skills, Phil began con sultin g with Hor ace Sackett, a pilot , m echani c, aircraft designer and builder. H e was also the man who had given Phil hi s first plan e ride ba c k in '1946. H av in g serv ed as a flight-line crew chi ef in th e U.S. Army Air Corps , and th en as a full time air craft m echani c afte r leav in g th e military at th e end of W o rld War II , Sackett had gained a rep ut ation as one of th e region's b es t and most re li ab le air c raf t m echani cs. Sin ce 1949 he had opera ted a repair shop

beside hi s 1300 foot airs trip near Brandywine Lake in Gob l es, Michigan. If so m ethin g ve ry fi ne an d va lu ab l e needs repair, yo u look for an eq u all y fi ne repairman. So, when Phil had accomp li shed as mu ch of the work as h e could by him sel f at h ome, he l oaded th e Waco's strip ped fuselage , wings , eng i ne, land in g gear and oth er loos e parts o nto a trailer and towed them over to Sacke tt ' s shop for th e next phase of the restora tion project. Waco I NF NC644Y , that h ad h e ld to geth er so well for so long, w as temporarily, a n ea r basket case as it waited for repair and reassem bl y. After Sackett cut o ut all th e ru st d amage d seg m ents o f th e lo ngeron s and w eld ed in replacements, he and Phil went on to re new th e wo od formers o f th e fuselage, and res toring th e wing rib curvatur e that had been warped by fabric shrinkage. They in stalled new coc kpit cowling s; m ade new windshields from original W aco patterns; and faired in th e land ing gear struts. Insp ection of th e gear had revea led that th e axles were deeply burl ed by th eir orig inal straight roller-bea rings , so the INF got a new set of ax les as well. Fro m th e Fall of 1972, when NC644Y went into th e shop , Phil worked on it virtually eve ryon e of th e thre e day weekends that hi s job then p ermitt ed. Phil wa s fortunat e in ano ther w ay. His wif e, Ruth , had been from th e first, ex tr e m ely tolerant of th e tim e and spirit that h e put into thi s seco nd lov e of hi s. She was also gr ea t at forgiving the hou sehold space that th e plane monop o liz ed during the first month s of th e rebuild. So, i n ad dition to the direct h elp of Hora ce and ot her friends, Phil could count on enormou s in direct h elp fr o m Ruth . Th ou gh H orace suffered an o nslaught of arthritis, and had to devote so me att e ntion to other in sp ection work or repair jobs , h e was able to work on the Waco almost co ntinu o u sly . After he had fini sh ed the re pairs to the airframe, he was always pres ent in th e role of chi ef sup erv is o r, g uidin g spirit and in sp ec tor. In th e Fall of 1974 , th e Wa co was cl ea rly showin g th e h o urs that had been ex pend ed on it. Its Kinn er 125 had had a major overhaul in 1964 , and was pre sumabl y in good shap e. Th e final coa t of dop e on th e n ew fabric sig naled co mpl eti o n of the work. Sitting th ere in th e shop, th e INF look ed as if it had ju st flown i n from th e factory . A few days later , wh en they fired up th e Kinn er , it ca ught promptly and revved smoo thl y. After a las t se ri es o f m eticul o u s inspections, H o r ace sig n ed th e ship o ff, officially certifyin g it airworthy. Th ere it was. The dream at la st. Tangible and fly able . Nothing left to do , but go prove how tan gibl e

and flyable it was. Sackett's ink on the certificate was still very fresh on that October day that Phil had chose n for the test flight. H e h ad w anted to do it by him se lf, with just Horace there and nobody else. Phil 's brother had wanted to see th e test flight. Phil sa id , " No". Ruth wanted to b e there. Th e answer was , " No" . Ju st himself and the Wa co, with Horace observing, that was the way h e want ed it. But Phil should have broad cas t hi s preference , or made it a lot stronger, beca use wh en he arrived at th e strip on the day for the test , all those who either hadn 't h ea rd of his wish to do it so lo, or hadn ' t obeyed if th ey h ad h ea rd , had staged an impro mptu fly-in. Many of th e people were friend s who had had a hand in th e restoration. They' d lin ed their planes up in an aer o nauti ca l h o nor guard flanking both sides of the small lak es ide strip. Th e ir well-wishing presen ce brought good luck. The res tor ed ship 's performan ce in running up , take off, and climb-out was perfect. Th e on ly flaw was a slight win g h eaviness that b eca m e no ti cea bl e as Phil c ircl ed the strip , buzzed it , and touched down. Phil relat es that was hi s only anxiety. "So m e of th ese Waco's get a littl e owly on roll-out , and I was worried about making it straight into th e cor rid or crea t ed by th e planes parked up and d own th e runway," Phil r e m embe r s; but dropping in sof tl y and smoothl y proved no problem at all, and wh en h e climed down

from the coc kpit , it was nice to be able to shake hands with all hi s friends, and to pose with them for the n ews photographer. As soo n as they could , Phil and Hor ace rolled the Waco back into the shop to correct th e wing heavi n ess. By " wa shing out" th e l eft wing slightly, they easi ly eliminat ed th e problem , and Phil found him self with a highly responsive , yet stabl e aircraft that ca n b e flown " hands off" at pra cti ca lly any throttle settin g . By th e time they co mpl et ed th e ad ju stments and the re tes ting , the Mi chigan o p e n- coc kpit flying seaso n was endin g. It was Spring , 1975 before Phil could give Ruth her first flight in the rebuilt Waco. H e had tak en h er up just after h e'd brought the plane h o me from Marshall with its weathered fabric, but now, with th e original stre ngth and lin es res tored , and a g lossy n ew o rang e and blu e finish, the exci te m e nt of flying in a vintage ai rcraft was ren ewed and transformed for both of th em . Fly-ins, in which they had reg ularly participated ever sin ce Phil had obtained his li ce n se, also became a new kind of ex p eri ence . Th e early morning flights they'd made in the )-5, the Taylorcraft , and the Tri Pacer had always been mu ch mo r e th an ju st m er e tra verses of distance and now they took o n an eve n ri cher sign ifi ca n ce. These days, with Ruth manning the throt tle an<;l Phil swi n ging the lo n g m etal prop of th e Kin ner, they begin passage into anoth er time, where they enjoy a freedom not accessible to most of u s.

WACO INF , NC644Y FOOTNOTE Manufactured in the Sp rin g of 1931 (4116 131) in Troy, Ohio and bearing Waco Seria l 3382, NC644Y is one of onl y seven INF models now in existence, out of the original 46 turned out by the Waco Aircraft Company. Besides his own , Phil knows of two other INF 's currently licensed and flying; one in Texas and one in Canada. A third one, in Nebra ska , is now being restored. His knowledge of his own plane's history of owner ship is incomplete, but h e knows that the first owner was Paul Garde of 734 East 17th Street, San Francisco, Ca li fornia , who purchased the ship from Mayse Air Servi ce of Tucson , Arizona for $4,460.00. The second owner was Marshall A. Woos ter, of 504 South Bonnie Brae, Los Angeles; and th e third was Aircraft Assoc iates, In c., of Long Beach , California. Besides these the plane has had owners, all unknown to Phil in Ohio, West Vi rginia and Colo rado. For other Waco lovers, the fo llowing INF specifica tions may be of interest:

3-p la ce, open cockpit land biplane Power: Kinn er B5, 125 hp Top Speed: 105 mph C ru ise Speed: 90 mph Landing Speed : 41 mph Landing Run : 265 ft. (no braking) Climb: 950 ft., first minute Servi ce Ceiling : 14,000 ft. Fuel Co n sumption : 8 ga l . per h o ur Fuel Capacity : 32 gal. O il Capacity: 3 gal. Leng th, Overall: 20 ft. , 9Y2 in. H eig ht: 8 ft., 9 in. Span: 29 ft., 6 in. Landin g Gear Tread : 72 in. Empty Weight: 1167 Ib s. G ross Weight: 1938 Ib s. Pri ce : $4,450.00 Col or: Vermilion o r Insig nia Blue Silver wings and tail surfaces

Their 1931 Waco INF biplan e completel y res tored and in mint condition, owners Phil and Ruth Coulson enjoy an entirel y new dimension in sport flying.

MATTY LAIRD HONORED BY

EMBRY-RIDDLE

by Rob ert C. Elliott

EA A # 85145, A IC # 3296

1227 Oakwood Avenue

Day tona Beach, FL 32014

A ll Phot ographs Courtesy of Robert C. Elli ott,

Daytona Beach , Florida - FSAACA

At their December 15, 1979 com mencem ent exer足 cises, Embry-Riddle A eronautical University honored E. M . " Matty" Laird, EAA #10118 , for his pioneering work in the development of outstanding aircraft dur足 ing th e 1920's and 30's .

Matty was the second aviation pioneer to have his name inscribed on the " Eagles of Aviation " trophy, Max Conrad havi ng been the first. Before th e assembled graduating class and many friends from the Florida Sport Aviation, Antique and Classic Association , Matty was presented the trophy by Rob ert L. Han se n , Reg ional Manager of Eastern Airlines, Daytona Beach , Florida . Matty and Elsie w ere guests of Embry-Riddle be足 fore th e ceremony at th e beachsid e Presid e nt's resi足 dence in Ormond Beach. The perman ent trophy will remain at Embry-Riddle , whil e a smaller e ngraved copy now occupies a place of honor in the Laird home at Boca Raton, Florida.

Matty accepts th e applause of Hans en and th e graduates, mom ents after having been presented th e trophy.

FSAACA friends pose with the Laird's shortly after th e awards ceremony. Left to right are Ed Escallon, John and Judy Shinn , Pat Q uinn, Lyle Flagg, Robert L. Hansen, Matty and Elsi e Laird, Fred Quinn , Mrs. Frank Balcar, Billy Henderson, Betty Jo nes, Don a'nd Donn a Morris and Frank Balcar.

e \a.ude. 'ila. !Pilot ~'Illi

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, C. Claude Flagg, f AA 19904

(Photo from Ray Cocking Collection)

EDITOR'S NOTE: When author Ted Businger lived in California, before moving recently to Missouri, he had the opportunity to meet Mr. C. Claude Flagg and his wife, Dorothy. A close friendship developed and Ted was to learn that Claude Flagg had a colorful and noteworthy career in aviation. Flagg was one of those quiet achievers whose accomplishments have been partially documented over the years in various publi cations, but never summarized. The following account is the first installment of a two part documentary pre sented by Ted. - Gene Chase

The initial contact with Claude Flagg was intended solely to document the various racing planes he had built. As the discussion progressed it became evi dent that there was a great deal more to this man ' s list of accomplishments which had never been re corded, and should have been. Flagg had an "EAA attitude" in the late 1920's. Let us meet the gentleman, then proceed to his work . Claude was a small man in both stature and weight; a giant in mental process with a keen, per ceptive ability to get to the root of a problem with out fanfare . He was also very kind, and gentle to all of us who knew him. There were those who caused mental anguish by taking credit for his work , yet not once did he complain or even mention the fact . Friend, Ray Cocking said it best, " He could explain the most complicated theories so that even I could understand them." His introduction to flight came in 1920 with his entry into the U. S. Air Service with an assignment to McCook Field , Dayton , Ohio as part of the engine test section. He was in intimate contact with most of the pioneers of aviation, and working with all of the leading exponents of powerplant design. He was im pressed with the theories and reasoning used to 're solve the complex issues of that era . He made life

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b y Ted Businger (fAA 93 833, A IC 2333) Rt. 2, Bo x 2 70

Willow Springs, MO 65793

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long friends with Walter Barling and jimmy jamieson , two men we will hear about later . Late in 1923, Flagg was reassigned to Kelly Field, Texas for advanced flight training, completing his tour of military duty in 1926 as an instructor . The next eight years were difficult times for all aviation businesses. All employers in the industry were hard pressed to meet even the meager payrolls involved . Factory backlogs of two to twelve ships were all that existed . The best selling products were those made by Travel Air, Waco and Eaglerock, who had to compete with the glut of war surplus jennies, Can nucks and Standards. The lesser known builders had to lure potential customers away from the leaders by providing some feature or " gimmick" to catch the eye long enough to loosen the purse strings. The great Lindbergh boom soon fizzled out, aided in no small part by the great depression starting in November, 1929. Against this backdrop, Claude made his entry into the world of commercial aviation . In the year 1926, American Eagle, under the able direction of Ed Porterfield, was doing reasonably well and looking forward to improving its position in the aviation world. The Flagg family journeyed to Kansas City with high hopes, and Claude was doing his share of getting the Eagles out of their nest.

In time, Flagg sold Mr. Porterfield on the idea of producing a ship much smaller in siz e, with a lower horsepower engine . The design was completed and some assembly work had commenced by that day in May, 1927, when Charles Lindbergh made his epic flight. The spiralling backlog of orders due to this event , forced the shelving of this new project. It was to surface at a later date in modified form to be mar keted as the " Flyabout ". Another lifelong friendship evolved here between Flagg and the company test pilot , Danny Fowlie , a dynamo in the air and no slouch on the ground. At this time Flagg thought that he could produce a superior air c raft to those currently on the mar ket. He formed the Flaggship Company , in December, 1927, by the pr evailing method at that tim e of com pleting a design and then securing finan cial backing. This usually meant selling the machine (and aviation) to non-flying , but well-to-do people.

The prototype Flaggship was a three-place open biplane with a w elded tube fuselage with double spar wings . Wing span was 29' with a 60" chord, resulting in 290 sq . ft. of area . Length was 21 ' , empty weight 1135 Ibs., gross weight 1825 Ibs., power was a 90 hp Curtiss OX-5. Top speed 97 mph, landing speed ap proximately 40 mph. The upper wing teatured an aero marine 2-A airfoil, while the lower was a Clark " Y" . This mixed airfoil set-up gave the same results we now get with "wash-out". Everything should have been smooth sailing ex cept that the backers were in complete dissension over the marketing methods to be used. October , 1928 marked the end of Claude ' s contract period, so the plant was closed due to the old axiom of " too many cooks " . The one and only Flaggship was in Keokuk , Iowa as late as 1955. The Flagg family made a trek to Joliet, Illinois to start a new organization called LaSalle Aircraft Com

(Ph oto by Claude Flagg)

Th e prototype Fl aggs hip built in 7927 and powered with a Curtiss OX-5 .

pany . This time only two backers were soli cited, to preclude a repetition of the Flaggship fias co . This de sign was a high wing , closed cabin job with side-by side seating for two people and titled LaSalle Coupe . The powerplant could be either a 55 hp Velie , or a LeBlond. Five airframes were completed when astute Mr. Alexander , the group banker , noticed the signs of the country ' s impending financial crisis. The ships were hurriedly sold at a near cost figur e and the plant closed in October , 1929. One month later, the de pression began . The American Cirrus Derby was announced in late 1929, to promote the sale of American Cirrus en gines over the venerable and plentiful OX-5's and Hispano-Suiza ' s that were war surplus and could be bought for extremely low prices. The lengthy entry list was a formidable array of the most talented de signers and pilots on the American scene.

(Photo from loseph luptner Collection)

Cla ude Flagg's LaSa lle Coupe featured side by side sea t ing for two and choice of a Velie or LeB lond for power. Five of th ese machines w ere built in Joliet, Illinois.

Charles Snyder of Lockport, Illinois contracted with Flagg to build a mount that would primarily be a single-place sportster , but was also to be competi tive in the grueling derby. The race deadlin e posed a problem to the builder and many long days were re quired to be ready on time . The little speedster was painted light yellow and dubbed " Pretor en Parvo" (little leader) by Mr. Snyder. Fli ght tests were more than satisfying to both men. The sportster/ racer shared hangar space with a Waco, whos e owner was repainting his ship. A broken extension light started a fire that destroyed both the Waco and the hangar. "Little Lea der" wa s quickly pushed to safety, but was badly singed along the right side. The lengthy time for repair s eliminated th e ship from the Ci rrus race. Mr. Snyder , like many others, was in poor finan cial straits, so the ship wa s sold to Clyde Butz . Mr. Butz replaced th e Cirrus with a Menasco " Pirate". Th e inverted engine also allowed shorter landing gear legs. Butz used it as a sport plan e for many years, oc casionally racing her when the spirit moved him . The Flagg family 's next move was to Lomax , illi nois with Claude bei ng the fa ctory manag er for Or ville Hickman and his Air-King organization (see " Or ville Hickman " by AI Kelch in December, 1977 The VINTAGE A IRPLANE). A reas sociation with Jimmi e Jamie son, who was the company test pilot took so m e of th e sting out of the depression-shortened life of " Air King". Claude and Orville built a racer around the Cir ru s engine. Th e plane was acquired in th e sa le of Air King. It wa s flown by Dave Bi shop as th e Chilleen-

Fitton Special (see "Chicago 's Maverick Air Ra ce r " by Truman Weaver in SPORT AVIATION, September, 1976). A new job awa ited Flagg in Marshall , Mi ssouri , with th e Nicholas-B eaz ley Airplan e Company . Rus s Nicho las and Howard Beazley had formed this co mpany in 1919 to dispose of surplus aviation material. Th e pass in g of ten years had see n th em become th e nation 's largest aviation suppl y house . As this surplus material was dwindling it was n ecessa ry to turn to other sources of revenue if th e co mpany was to survive. Flagg's fri end , Walter Barling had precee ded him t o Missouri and was designing/developing a se ries of light planes that were a study in rugged simplicity. Barney Zimm e rl ey, the co mpan y test pilot , broke r eco rd s for di stance, altitude and efficiency with a Barling NB- 3. Let us tak e a short look at Mr. Barling through Flagg's eyes. Walt er was born and educated in England. During WW I h e ga ined acclaim for red es igning Cur tis s Flying Boat s to very eff i c ient patrol bombers. Later in that war his talent s were used in designing heavy bombers for th e R.A .F . This distin ction was duly noted by General Billy Mitchell who p erso nally saw to Walter 's employment at McCook Field . When the crit eria for this country's first heavy bomb er was drawn up , all manufacturers d ecl ined to bid, as thi s was beyond th eir ex p eri ence . Wait er 'S bid thus won the co ntract for building thi s goliath. The acceptan ce of the Barling Bomber by the U. S. Air Service wa s assured wh en th e plan e exceed ed all

sp ec ifi ed p erforman ce figur es by a substantial mar gin. Today's writ ers are fond o f jee ring at thi s particu lar aircraft with o ut checking th e facts. Cl aud e sa id , "Ba rling wa s th e grea test math em ati cian I eve r m et , and ju stifiabl y proud of the plan e th at put th e U. S. into th e heavy bomber field. " Ret urnin g to Fl agg, hi s off ic ial titl e was factory sup erintendent , but includ ed with th e job w as the ta sk of ground school instru ct o r for two h ou rs out of each ten hour work day. Ru ss Nicholas had tour ed Europe throu g h much of 1928, searching th e co ntin ent for n ew produ cts and id eas th at would bolster hi s orga nization at h ome. One i te m th at ga in ed his attention wa s th e Pobjoy rad ial e ngine , a 7-cylinder unit rat ed at 67.5 hp with 151 cubi c inch di spla ce ment. Thi s engin e was to have a m ark ed effect o'n th e American air racing scen e for yea rs. I t was t es ted in a variety of plan es by Barney Zimmerley . Engineer Tom Kirkup wa s impressed with th e Pob joy 's potential and offered to promote it by building a race r for the p o w erplant , thu s d e mon strating its sup eriority. Mr. Nicholas approved the id ea with one stipulation, no modification to the prototype eng in e. Tom mad e drawings while Ernie Landi s and Flagg fabricated and assembled the ra ce r . When thi s diminu tiv e craft was completed, it sported a 21' 9" wing span , wa s 12' 9" lon g, and weigh ed 355 Ibs. It was painted black and gold with th e nam e " PHANTOM I" emblazed o n its flanks. Friend Dann y Fowlie was brought in to t es t and race her at th e up co ming 1930 National Air Ra ces in Chicago . With the engine m o dification res triction imp ose d by Mr . Nicholas, plu s an acutely sen sitive co ntrol sys t em , the best Dann y could get wa s a third pl ace finish in th e 275 cu. in . eve nt. If the ship were to be a winner, so me alteration was requir ed . No matter who owned or flew thi s ship it wa s always re ferr ed to as th e " Nicholas-Beazl ey Pobjoy". Steve Wittm an was its next owner and h e brought th e racer to full bloom. A 23 in ch center sec tion was added to the fuselage, necess itated in part by Steve's greater height. Further t es ting showed a n eed for greater lateral sta bility so a fairing was added between th e turtledeck and fin. This solved the instability and th e porpoising that had pl ag u ed it earlier. Th e ship wa s co mpleted by painting it in the tradition al dark red u se d b y Mr. Wittman. Incid entally, this is th e only racer Steve flew regularl y th at h e did not d es ign and build himself. H e then entered her in th e American Legion Races co mpeting in th e 200 cubic in ch event, and ran away from the fi eld , at ju st over 120 mph . 11

The n ex t stop was New Orleans and the Pan-Pac ifi c Races in which Steve broke th e reco rd for pl an es of I ess than 441 Ib s., se tti n g a 137.57 mph mark that stood for many years. The next co mp etition wa s th e Nation al Air Races for 1934, bein g h eld in Cleveland . Th e res ult s we re th e sa m e, with Steve leadin g th e cla ss h o me at 129.44 mph. Mr. Wittman was, at thi s tim e, working to fini sh hi s mi ghty D-12 p owered " Bonzo" (now in th e EAA Mu seum at Franklin , Wis co nsin ) and three temp era足 mental ra cing plan es w as one too many, even for th e tal ent ed Steve W i ttm an . Per cy Ch aff ee be ca m e it s n ew own er , and he dominated the cla ss at th e 1935 Nationals, again h eld in Cleveland. Apparently thi s domin an ce kill ed the class as the 200 C.I.D. was dropp ed from th e schedule. Frank Allen wa s th e n ext owner with Henry Doug足 las doin g th e flying at th e 1936 Nati o nals, in Los An足 geles. Flagg recall ed see ing th e ship unatt e nd ed at thi s m ee t. We ca n only draw th e co nclu sion that th e owner was disenchanted with th e 375 cu bi c inch class, or possibly that en gi ne troubl e developed, as there was no evidence of its participation . Its wher eabouts for the next twelv e years are unknown. (To Be Co ntinu ed)

(Ph oto by Claude Flagg)

Flagg-Snyder Racer bui lt for th e Ameri can Cirrus D erby. Plan e wa s dubbed " Pretor en Parvo " . It later wa s badly burn ed in J hangar fire whi ch eliminat ed it from comp eti足 tion in th e Derby.

(Leo Kahn Photo.

Steve Willman in his Pobioy Sp ecia l , circa 7934, al Curtiss- Wright Airport, Milwaukee, Wi sconsin .

(Phillip-Yeager Ph olO)

Th e Butz Sp ec ial , form erly known as the Flagg-Snyder Ra cer. Ne w o wn er Cl yde Butz repla ced th e Cirru s with a M enasco " Pirat e" and in stalleel a shorter landing gear.

(Roy Ru ssell PhOlO)

Th e Nicholas- Beaz ley Pob;o y "Ph antom I" whi ch pla ced third in the 175 cu. in. event at th e 1930 N atio nal Air Ra ces . Pilot D ann y Fowli e is seated to left of plan e.

THE ROY RUSSELL COLLECTION The study of aviation history is a fascinating ex perience. To live again in fantasy those exciting ad venturous days when flying was a mystery to be ex plor ed brings a clearer understanding of the courage and sacrifice required of the pioneers. How fortunate we are that many had the foresight to record in photo graphs and writings the details of these early aircraft and their operation. Through them we can trace the development of ideas which led to the sophisticated craft of the present day. One such individual was the late Roy Russell of Palm City, California. Roy entered aviation as a line boy and general flunky at the Curtiss Aviation School in Miami, Florida in 1917 . For nearly 50 years he worked as a mechanic and craftsman in the industry, taking photos of whatever interested him as a hobby. After retiring from the Douglas Company in 1964, he con tinued to take photos at air shows and EAA events. The result is a collection of photo negatives which represents a slice of aviation history of rare value. Through the cooperation of Ted Businger, formerly of EAA Chapter 1, Riverside, California who are the custodians of the collection, we are privileged to pre sent these samples. In 1917 Roy Russell was an eager young lad of 15 when he got his job with the Curtiss Aviation School at Miami, Florida . He fueled seven jennies, cleaned the airplanes and worked in the shop as a helper . One of the students was Neta Snook, later to gain fame as Amelia Earhart's instructor. When the government took over the school for military training, Roy lost his job. His next move was to Long Island with his parents where the family got jobs at the Curtiss plant. Mom worked in the fabric covering department and Dad on the control cables and brace wires. Roy worked on final assembly of the twin-engined H-16 flying boats. While there the first of the NC boats for the Navy was completed and tested. Followi ng th e end of th e war, Roy had a two-month stint in barnstorming in Western New York with joe Bennett, whose plane was a surplus Standard trainer powered with a Curtiss OXX-6 of '100 hp. Roy's job was to follow joe from town to town in his Essex truck carrying tools, gas cans, etc., for maintenance of the airplane. Roy writes, "I wanted to try parachuting but joe wouldn't let me ." 14

b y Georg e Hardie, Jr. EAA # 500 EAA Hi storian

ALL PHOTOS FROM THE ROY RU SS ELL COLLECTION

Aft er a variety of jobs in various parts of the coun try, Roy joined a group with Joe York in Glendale, California in 1928 to build a biplane for passenger business. The venture was a modest success, but the plane had to be sold to pay the bills . Another venture with York in Aberdeen, Washington also ended in failure , so back to Glendale where he worked on the Golden Eagle airplane made famous by Bobbi Trout in an endurance flight. By this time, it becomes apparent that the life of an airplane tradesman in those days was that of a nomad, moving about to grasp the job opportunities wherever they arose. Roy spent 1929 with the Story Propeller Company in Glendale. Next he was with Northrop until June, 1930, working on the famous Alpha and Beta models. Back again at Northrop from March to August , 1931, when the company moved to Kansas leaving Roy behind. After a two-month job with Western Air Express recovering the plywood wings of their Fokker Tri-Motors , Roy moved over to Lockheed until he wa s laid off in December. Finally on February 1, 1932, Roy landed a job at Douglas Aircraft where he was to stay for 32 years. Assigned to th e experimental department because of his metal working experience, he worked on many famous prototypes, including the DC-1, DC-2, DST (which became the DC- 3), the DC-4E, experimental predecessor to the production DC-4. The high point in his career was the B-19 bomber, on which he was lead man on the fuselage section. From 1943 to 1945 Roy spent at the Chicago plant where DC-4' s were produced for the Army Air Force . After the war it was back to Santa Monica and a variety of jobs . A heart attack in 1957 brought a change in assignment to a desk job. Finally ill health forced his retirement on May 30, 1964. This brief biography of one of aviation ' s pioneers reveals the dedication and perseverance they brought to their jobs. Supported by devoted wives and fami lies , these are the men who created and advanced the aviation industry to its present position. The record of their work serves as an inspiration to all who are involved in aviation today . Our goal should be to collect and preserve this record for posterity .

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Roy Ru ss ell, lin e boy at the Curti ss Aviation School , Miami , Florida - 79 77.

Th e sh op crew a t th e Curtiss Aviation Sch ool, Miami - 197 7 .

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:-:s Hangars and office at the Curtiss Aviation School - 1917.

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Students, pilots and mechanics at the Curtiss Aviation School.

A Curtiss IN-4 train er at the Curtiss Aviation School - 1917.

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A beach party on Fill Island, Miami, Florida - 1918.

Pilot Ebrite and passengers in 1926.

a Hisso Jenny, Long Beach -

An unknown type at

a Long Island field - 1918.

Eddie Martin 's Hisso Jenny (4 place) at Santa Ana - 1926.

A Curtiss triplan e and Jen ny under tes t, Long Island - 1918.

Opal, Roy 's wife, and Martin's Jenny, Santa Ana - 1926.

Who Brings the Boyal

Who brings the Royal Mail? Well , W estern Canada Airway s uS,ed to, in the ea rly 1930's, and they brought it in <1:. l aird LCB 200. They also carried fr eight in th e Laird .' The freight charge was seventy ce nts a pound to ship a par ce l from Sev en Islands , in the Provid ence of Quebec, to the site of the Iron Ore Company de足 velopment. Cost on th e sa me rout e and di stance to足 day would be about $.20 a pound according to John

Dart, present owner of th e Laird CF-APY , which shows how aircraft capability has changed in fifty years. In February, 1931, Western Canada Airways pur足 chased four Laird LCB 200's from th e Laird factory in Chi cago , and put them into service to the west and north parts of Canada. They actually ordered five , but took d eliv ery of only four. Times w ere hard and they begged off deliv ery of th e fifth airplane.

Photos by Steve Sza rva s Brampton, O ntario Historic Photos from th e Collection of John Dart Woodstock, On tario

Mail •

W es tern Ca n ada Airways lat er b eca m e known as Ca nadian Airways, and in du e co urse, Ca nad ian Air ways wer e to becom e a part of Ca nad ian Pacific Air lin es , whi ch is now a worldwid e ai r se rvi ce. Unfortunat ely, tw o of th e Laird s sa w se rvi ce for o nl y a sh ort while. Air craft CF-AP Q and CF-APX were destroyed in a hangar fir e, shortl y after deliv ery. The

by Lion el Sa lisbury

Seven H arp er Road

Bramplon , On tario L6W 2 W.3

Ca nada

third is believ ed to be in a Winnip eg mu se um , and th e fourth, CF-APY is now und er res torati o n by its owner , Jo hn D art of Woodstock , Ontario. Why did Western Ca nada Airways sel ec t th e Laird air craf t? W as it sup erior d es ign? Was it gr ea ter capa bility in capa city and endurance? Possibly it was so me of th ese, but mostly it was th e fa ct that th e Laird

John Dart exam in es th e fram e of CF-APY in th e shop at his hom e in Woodstoc k, Ontario .

This a irc raf/ CF-A PW and its sister ship CF-A PX burn ed in Ca naela A irways.

h angar fire sh o rtl y after it was rec ei ved by Wes tern

ca m e equipped with Wright J- 5 engines. Western Canada had several J- 5's in stock and want ed to use th em. Th e ma chin es were ordered , ther efore, and W es tern 's engines wer e installed on the new air frames. The four machin es of Western Canada Airways were rec eived in early 1931. The aircraft which John Dart now owns, CF-APY, was certified as airworthy on th e 14th of Mar ch , 1931, and re ce ived Canadian airworthiness certificate #968. It flew in commercial servi ce until retirem ent in 1940, and was purcha sed b y Jo hn in 1943, just shortly after he had join ed Canadi an Pacifi c Airlin es as a pilot in March of that year. He ferri ed th e aircraft from Winnip eg, Manitoba to Hamil ton , Ontario for storage. 17

A group of Laird "Comm ercial " LC- 8s and "Sp eed w /I1 g"

LC-R s rea d y for d eliv er y, A shburn Fi eld, Chi cago , Illi足 nois, hom e of th e E. M . Laird Airplane Compan y.

John Dart has many hours of flying time to his credit. He learned to fly in 1939 in a J- 2 Cub , CF-AZL, at the London, Ontario Flying Club, which at that time operated out of the old London Airport, at Lambeth, Ontario. He joined Canadian Pacific Airlines in 1943 to fly what are now considered to be exotic ships, such as the Dragon Rapide, the Lockheed Lodestar, the Lockheed 14 and the Boeing 247. He retired in July, 1973 to his home in Woodstock, Ontario where he is very active in the Retired Division of the Canadian Airline Pilots Association. He still has his license in force, and flies regularly with the local flying club. John has also been interested in antique automobiles for many years and has a very respectable collection. This collection includes a 1956 Lincoln Premiere in mint condition. He also has under restoration a 1936 Cord, and a 1929 Duesenberg. If you were to examine the quality of the latter, you would understand why the ex足 pression "doozy" originated with that automobile. Some collectors, owners and admirers refer to them as Duesies or Duesys for short. The photos on this page were supplied to John Dart by E. M. " Matty" Laird and illustrate the Laird plant in Chicago in the early 1930's. The upper picture shows a group of Laird aircraft ready for delivery at Ashburn Field , Chicago, Illinois, the home of the E. M. Laird factory. Those craft fitted with the I struts between the upper and lower wing, as on the aircraft in the foreground, were called "Speedwings" and were deSignated LC-4' s. Some of the aircraft in the photo have standard struts, as does John's APY, and were deSignated LC-B's . Whether they were 200's or 300's depended on the horsepower ratings of the Wright engines supplied with the machine. The Laird factory is in the background . The second photo illustrates the inside of the Laird plant. In the foreground, from left to right are fuselages for the LCR ' s and LCB's in various stages of comple足 tion.

Most of these aircraft were supplied with Wright J-5 engines of 220 horsepower or J-6's or 330 horse power. A speed ring was optional equ ipm ent , and ac co rding to John Dart , was well worth th e ex p ens e, since it gave several knots of in creased airsp eed . Th e photo above showing CF-APY wa s tak en out side the Konni e Johannes so n h anga r for "v isiting ships " in 1943. By that tim e Canadian Airways had beco m e part of Canadian Pacifi c Airlines. M anag ement had d ecid ed to update its aircraft, and trad ed the Laird to Johann esson for a Stinson Reliant. Johannes son's ba se of operations was Winnipeg, Manitoba . The log book indicates that th e trad e took place on January 10, 1940. John Dart purchased the aircraft from Johannesso n in 1943 for th e sum of $950.00, sight un see n. H e sent along hi s box ca m era , complete with film, and asked that a picture be taken of th e craft so h e could see what he had purchased. Thi s is the photo that was return ed . H e to ok delivery on October 8 of that year. H oweve r , th ose were th e war yea rs, and gaso lin e for pl easure flying was simpl y not ava il ab l e. It was

poss ibl e to get gasoline and oil for ferry purposes though , so John took his new tr eas ure, and departed for eas ter n Ca nada. H e left Winnip eg o n October 8, and mad e stop s at Sioux Lookout, Armstrong, Kapus kas ing and N o rth Bay , Ontario. H e arriv ed at his des tination , Hamilton , Ontario on October 11. There the Laird was sto r ed for two years awaiting th e g rea t day when fuel would again be available. By 1945, it still looked as if it would be a while before fuel would b e ava ilab le, so th e ship was dismantled for stor age on May 12 of that year and ha s not been flown sin ce. Th e photo, upper right, shows th e fu se lag e as it is tod ay, in John Dart's shop in hi s h o m e in Wood stoc k , O ntario . Th e auto fend er and ax le that can be see n behind th e airframe b elongs to th e 1929 Duesen berg, also und er restoration. The photo to the right illustrates a Laird cas ting . The tubin g was a friction fit, sea led with spa r varnish, and fixed in place by th e diagonals. Th e wing detail sh ows th e sk in peeled back to reveal a rib and a diagonal brace.

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. R.OL.Fe::足

HOW TO BUILD THE

"LONGSTER"

b y Les Long

ED ITOR'S NOTE: In the '20's and '30's, the home足 building of "light planes" was popular because of the high cost of buying new or used factory machines. Things being relative, that reasoning is still valid today. Those "light planes" of fifty-some years ago were simple to build and easy to fly. With the spiral足 ling costs of buying and/or restoring antique planes today, building an aircraft like the Longster might be just the answer for some old plane buffs. Even by using modern materials and engines, and updating certain things such as adding brakes and a tailwhee l , acceptable copies of these antique light planes can be produced. Several different aircraft are featured in the EAA reproductions of the 1929 through 1933 Flying and Glider Manuals which are available at EAA Headquarters (see ad on page 22 ). The following article has been extracted from the 1931 Flying and Glider Manual and will be presented in 2 installments. - Gene Chase

PA RT I

Th e little ship described in this article is the re足 sult of no small amount of planning and hard work . My brother and I are the proprietors of a small radio factory, and during the past ten years have had a hank ering to experim ent with lightplanes. We finally

arranged to do this and we find it the most interesting hobby one could hope to have . Thi s Anzani Longs ler is the second ship built. The first on e flew very well , but had some irritating habits and wa s finally dismantled. In designing the Longs ler

much thought was given to planning a ship that would be easily , quickly and cheaply built. There are several details of construction that we believe will be of great help to sport plane builders, and which so far as we know ar e original with us.

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Here are the balance of the very unusual details of this most unusual little air plane . It should prove easy to bu i ld , and if carefully mad e will fly very well . Note the rudder control.

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COMPLETE PLANS fOR ASSEMBLY Of TAIL

As to p erf o rm an ce, th e pl an e h as g rea tl y exceed ed o ur h o p es. Its m easured sp eed over a fiv e-mil e co urse, f o u r tim es each w ay, is 91 mph , and th e landin g sp eed ap pears t o be about 32 mph . Th e take-o ff run in an o rdin ary stubbl e f ield is never ove r 150 fee t in still

air , and i n ove r 75 f lig hts it has never bo un ced tw o feet off th e g ro und in landin g. H owever , its stability is its m ain fea tur e. Th ree exp eri enced tes t pil o ts fl ew it and each o f th em pro no un ced it th e m os t stabl e shi p h e w as eve r in . To sh ow you ho w it be haves,

th e tes t pilot wh o fir st fl ew had never ev en see n it befo re. H e got in it , ran it up and down th e fi eld twi ce and th e n too k it off and fl ew compl etely o ut of sig ht b efor e brin gin g it bac k and landin g it. But li ste n to thi s - on its very next fli ght it w as tak en up b y a stud ent wh o had b ee n soloed at 1'12 hours, who had had but two h o urs in th e air in hi s life and who h adn ' t flown for a year . H e to ok it off , stayed up half an hour and land ed p erfectly and th en fl ew it nearl y every day fo r th e fo llowin g six w ee ks with o ut th e sli g htes t troubl e. After thr ee m o nth s of fl yin g it hasn ' t even a bu sted sho ck cord , alth o ug h it has had two fo r ce d landin gs. In looking aro und for a m o to r we d ecid ed o n th e 35 hp An zani b eca use they ar e fairly low pri ce d and easy to work on . Th e propell er wa s mad e by th e Sto rey Co mp an y, and i s 6 ft. d ia m eter by 4 f t. p i t ch . Th e m o to r requir es abo ut 2 3/.0 ga ll o ns of gas p er h o ur , whi ch m ean s abo ut 30 miles p er ga ll o n . In proceedin g with th e d escription w e are goin g to ass ume th at yo u have so m e kn owl ed ge o f li g ht pl ane buildin g . N o att empt will be mad e to go into minute d eta i ls. Ba ck issu es of th e Fl ying Manu al have had m any articl es that may be tu r ned to if in doubt. Thi s plan e w eig hs but 425 p o und s empty . and prac ti ca ll y any prov en sport pl ane m aterial or co nstru c ti o n will be sati sfacto ry. Wh e n yo u b eg in actu al co nstru ction o ur advi ce is th at you begin with th e ta il surfaces . By so do in g you will get an id ea of what th e w o rk is lik e and if you spoil an ythin g th er e isn ' t mu ch loss. N o te th e dr awin gs car efull y . The stabili ze r and e l evato r ar e pr acti cally id enti cal. All b eam s and bra ces are th e sa m e size sto ck , 3/.0 b y 1 in . airpl ane spru ce. Th e rib s are 3116 by 3/.0 spru ce. Th e trailin g and leading edges are all V. by 22 ga uge steel , eith er 1025 or chro m e m o lybde num . In makin g eith er part, layout th e two bea m s o n a level fl o or , m ark o ff th e rib p os iti o ns and put toge th er with 20 gao b y on e inch nail s and casei n glu e. Be sure th at it is all squ are and th en put in th e diago nal bra ces, usin g beveled bl oc ks at th e jo ints. Bring th e tip s o f th e rib s to geth er and nail and glu e. Bend th e stee l outlin e to shap e and fa sten it o n with 22 ga o t in o r co pp er str ap s at each rib and beam end . N ail th e strap s well and th en so ld er th em to th e tubin g. Th e hin ges are eye bolts, size 3116, whi ch may b e had of airpl ane suppl y ho uses su ch as th e H ea lth Air p lan e Co mp an y. U se large was h ers to keep th e b o lts fro m cuttin g into th e wo o d. Th e bl oc ks fo r th e bo lts i n th e stabili zer are simply pi eces of th e bea m stoc k g lu ed and nail ed o n. Th e ce nter rib o f th e elevato r takes th e co ntr o l h o rn an d is fill ed so lid w ith a pi ece

of beam stock as far back as the rear beam. Make up the horn as shown and bolt it securely, and coller or ri vet th e nu ts . Don't fai l to do this with every nut in the ship. Don ' t take chances. The tubing in th ese surfaces , as we ll as all tubing in the ship should be soused on the inside with hot linseed oil to rpevent rusting. Al l bolts should be zinc or cadmium plated aircraft bolts. Where the bolts go through the stabi lizer pieces of 3116 plywood are to be flued and nailed to raise the blocks to the level of the ribs . Give the completed frames a coat of good oil paint or spar varn ish and they are ready for covering. The rudder and fin are made exactly the same , ex cept that the leading edge of the fin is 5/16 by 20 gao tubing, reinforced and flattened at the bottom for the bol t hole. All bolts are \/4 in. except the two that hold the elevator horn , which are 3/16. When you get this far try your hand at covering. Use regular airplane fabric, or you can use the cloth known as "Pequot " muslin . Pu ll the cloth over the beams and stitch clear around the edges. Stitch the ribs with a qui lt stitch three inches apart with rib cord. Put on one coat of clear dope and then apply tape on al l edges and over the ribs. Put on a total of four coats of clear dope and two coats of any color you fancy of pigmented dope. The surfaces should now be drum tight and ready to go. You should now know whether you want to build an airplane or not. If so, the next thing will be the wings . We think you wil l be surprised at the ease with which they can be bui lt. This is mostly due to the novel rib construction . As you will note , the rib has many advantages. In the first place it can be made comp l ete in ten minutes, which is much less time . d I . h' I than require on the usua rib . Next, t ere IS on y one size stock to buy, \/4 by '/4 spru ce, an.d there is no waste as all scraps can be used for braCing. There are ma n y other advantages such as ease of repair and fitting in or re inforcement pieces where required. The rib is the regular Clark Y of 4V2 foot chord . ' and With the beams at 15 percent and 65 percent. Make up the comp lete set and save the jig for future use. This jig is simply a flat board with the rib out line drawn on it and with headless na ils driven around the outline to hold the strips. Steam the front end of the \/. by \14 strips and put in two at the top and two at the bottom . Separate each pair slightly so that the brac ing struts may be sl ipped between . Take a piece of stock and note where it is going to strike the cap str ips. Apply glue there and then slip it between and put one 1 in. 20 gao brad square through both halves

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So lid are t he spars of this little ship, and they need no rout ing. They are a tr ifle heav ier than the spars in the Heath Parasol, <lind pretty close to as heavy as the spars in a Wac~, ~hich are 12, unrou!ed. The aileron atta~hment method IS !lIustr-ated, and so. IS the ~eans .by which the dashboard IS attached. The ai lerons h mge directly on the rear spar' simplicity itself. ' of th e cap and the strut. This makes a self-gusseted joint that is very strong and light. Fill in th e whol e outlin e, leaving th e v.. in. width slots for the beams. Let the rough end s of th e bra cing pieces stick through until th e rib is compl eted and remov ed from the ji g, when they may be trimmed with a sharp knife or saw. Th e compl eted rib will weight 3 V2 oun ce s and you ar e going to enjoy making it. It just about solv es the wing pro blem.

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DRAGWIR~FlTT ING

AILERON & HORN DETAIL • . REQU,RED

FLYING AND GLI DER MANUALS 1929, 1930, 1931 1932, 1933, 1929-33 Miscellany

2.50 ea . or 6 for $12.50 SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO:

EAA Air Museum Foundation , Inc. Box 469 Hales Corners , WI 53130

Allow 4-6 Weeks For Delivery Wisconsin Residents Include 4% Sales Tax - '

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In the old days of aviat ion, the days wh ich savored of sportsmansh ip, one of the most popul.u types of plane was the little Nieuport 18 hp job which flew 60 mph. The Longster reta ins much of the old Nieuport. Mr. Long is to be congratulated on his des ign and the f ine article herewith.

TOP V IEW OF COMPLE T E PL A N E

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The proportions of this little ship show standard aeronautical monop la ne practice. Trend today is toward narrower ailerons with g reate r a,s pect ratio.

Th e b ea m s ar e se lected spru ce, Y. in . thi ck. The f ro nt o ne is 12 ft. 4 in . and th e rear o ne 12 f t. 2 i n . lo ng. Th ey are tape red at th e ou ter end fro m th e las t rib to a wi d th o f \12 in . and th e end s fitt ed to th e win g tip tubin g, whi ch is 12 by 20 ga o b ent as sh o wn . Th e bea m s are fi tt ed and beve led until th ey ju st fit th e slo ts in th e ri bs. Th e ri bs ' are th e n slipp ed o n and sp aced o n e fo ot apart. Before nailin g th em o n , th e d rag brac in g is to b e put in . Th e drag strut s ar e d o u bl ed, a 3/4 by 3;' strut b ein g pl aced at th e to ps and b ot to m s of th e sp ars and fas ten ed w ith 16 gaostee l ang les and scr ew s. Th e w ire pull s are p laced at th e ce nt er of th e sp ars, b etwee n th e drag strut s. A pi ece of J;' spr uce, 1'12 in. w id e and th e h eig h t of th e sp ar is p laced o n th e bac ks of th e sp ars and th e '/. b o lts th at h o ld th e pull s ar e run thr o u g h. Th e b loc ks ar e to keep th e spa rs fro m bu ck lin g. The pull s are th e u su al type, 16 gao b y 1 in . w ide stoc k . U se 12 gao hard w ir e f o r br acin g, w ith stan da rd turnbu c kl es . Tru e th e win g up accurately and fas ten th e rib s with g lu e and brad s. It will be no ted th at w h er e th e w ing strut s co m e, th e sp ars ar e rein fo rce d w ith Yr plywood pl ates th e f ull width of th e spars and 11 in. lo ng. Th e fl yin g strut b o lts are 5116 di am eter and go str aig ht thr o u gh th e center of th e spars. Pieces of oa k o r as h, no t shown , are pl aced o n top and bot to m of th e sp ars to tak e th e str ain off th e b o lts. These pieces are V. thi c k . Glu e and nail th ese p lates and cap pi eces securely. A t th e butts of th e b ea m s a pi ece of 1/16 plywood is g lu ed and nai led o n b o th sid es an d o n th ese th e wi ng att achm e nt plates ar e bo lt ed . Th e pl ates ar e simpl e p i eces of 13 ga o stee l. Th ey slip o ve r th e fu se lage strut s and bo lt to th e wood cr oss pi eces at th e f ro nt and rea r of th e coc kpi t. Th e nosepi ece , tr ailin g edge and ai l ero n pu l leys ar e all standard typ e. Th e nose rib s ar e m ad e i n th e rib ji g th e sam e as a rib , but stoppin g at th e r ea r of th e fr o nt sp ar . Th e end rib of th e w ing is ab o ut half as hi gh as th e o th ers, m ad e of V. pl yw ood with li ght enin g hol es. Th is is to give a neat slo p e to th e fabri c. Th e ail er o n s ar e mad e up ri g ht w ith th e w in g. I n m aki ng th e rib s fo u r o f th em fo r each w in g are m ad e with th e ve rti ca l strut that co m es ju st bac k o f th e rea r b ea m se t bac k V. in . Thi s all ow s fo r a space of 1 in . between rea r spar and ai ler o n aft er th e \I. in . th ic k fr o nt ail er o n spar is slipp ed in lik ewise to th e rea r of th e fin al verti ca l rib strut and g lu ed and nai led . T he rib th at sup po rt s th e co ntro l ho rn i s fill ed in w ith V. pl ywo od to w hi ch th e h o r n i s b o l ted . Th e h o rn is 16 gao sh eet cut as sh ow n . Hin ges are standa rd eye bo l t. Cove r and d o pe th e w in gs th e sa m e as th e ta il gr o u p, and th at's th at. (To Be Co ntinu ed )

BORDEN'S AEROPLANE POSTERS FROM THE 1930'S

by Li on(J/ Sa /i" b ury EAA # 1 14 523, !\IC # 3207 Seven H arp er Road Bramp lo n , Ontari o L6 W 2W3 Can aela

Article N umber 15, Pos ter N umber 1, Seri es N umb er 2 DOU G LAS SLEEPER

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" Beca us e of th e su ccess of its fift ee n pos ter se ri es of airplan e ph o tos, publi sh ed in 1936, b y th e To ro nt o offi ce of th e Borden Company , th e co mpany subse足 qu entl y brou ght out a second seri es of posters. Th ey w er e print ed in bla c k a nd whit e on stiff pap er , abo ut 19" x 11" in siz e , and w ere iss u ed fr ee

to p eop le wh o se nt in a p roo f o f purchase of o n e of th ei r pr odu cts. Alth o ugh th e second se ri es in cl ud ed ten p os ters, o nly fou r new p h o tos w er e iss u ed. Th e ba lan ce w e re r ep ea ts and renumb ered p h o tos fro m th e first seri es .

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Th e f irst n ew pos ter w as g ive n th e num be r o n e in th e new seri es and was li sted as th e D o ug las D ST " Sleepe r" . Th e sp ecifi ca ti o ns an d thr ee-vi ew are r ep ro du ce d fr o m th e back of th e pos ter .

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SPECIFICATIONS

Douglas Sleeper (Model DST)

Manufactured for Transport service by the Douglas Aircraft Company, Inc., Santa Monica, California .

SPECIFICATIONS: Wing span, 95 feet. Length overall, 65 feet. Height overall, 16 feet, 4 inches . Wing area, 987 square feet. Gross weight , 24,000 pounds. Pay load , 8250 pounds. Optional power plants, two G series Wright Cyclones or two Pratt & Whitney twin-row SBG Wasps . NEXT MO N TH - Th e Waco Model 0

PERFORMANCE: High speed, 212 to 219 miles per hour at 4300 feet. Landing speed, 65 miles per hour . Cruising speed, 181 to 184 miles per hour at 10,000 feet. Service ceil ing 19,900 feet to 23,300 feet. Absolute ceiling, 22,100 to 25,200 feet. Take off run, 1000 feet. Landing run, 950 feet. Cruising range at 10,000 feet, 2150 miles . Fuel capacity, 820 gallons .

The Douglas "Sleeper" is of all metal construc tion. The passenger cabin, divided into eight sec tions, four on each side of a wide aisle, measures 26 feet in length, seven feet eight inches wide and six feet six inches high. In each of the eight sections are deeply upholstered seats, 36 inches wide, facing each other , making up into a lower berth at night, while an upper berth, 32 inches wide is let down from the ceiling. Each passenger in both lower and upper berths is provided with individual window, ventila,tor, read ing light, call button and other conveniences. Air ducts in each compartment provide warm air, main taining a constant temperature of 70 degrees, even with outside air 20 degrees below zero. Behind the sleeper cabin are two comfortable dressing rooms with adjoining lavatories.

hEttERS

Dear Gene: Thanks for your publishing the story of my F-2 Waco in the November issue of SPORT AVIATION. One interesting fact not mentioned in the story was that the Continental Company purchased th e airplane (NX-11241) pretty much off of the drawing board with the specific intention of using it as the flying test bed for the new W-670 engine. As you might expect this really made a hot performing air plane somewhat spectacular in its day. Waco adver tised the ship to be able to take off and land within a 100 foot circle in the hands of a SKILLED pilot. The QCF was very light for this engine and pro duction models with the 210 hp W-670 wer e beefed up and incorporated a larger rudder and fin. The second QCF was lost in an emergency land ing in a cornfield and resulted in the third aircraft to become the first factory demonstrator. NX-11241 is plain jane and lacked the refinements that followed in the production of the series. Enclosed find a photo of a late F-2 (UBF) in full dress uniform - a truly beautiful aircraft indeed! Yes, I am busy on the restoration of three addi tional F-2s but do al so spend time on research on the history of this series Waco. If anyone of your readers may wish to share mem ories, photos, data or whatever , I wish to prepare a future story on the Waco F-2 for SPORT AVIATION. Kindest regards, M. H. "Curly" Havelaar EAA #47909, A I C #223 RR #1, Box 133A Rapid City, SD 57701

Dear Paul: I ' m finally getting around to writing concerning your editorial comments in The VI N TACI: A/RPLANI: about the relicensing of antiques. Needless to say, I'm all for it inasmuch as I finally hope to hav e one flying this year. It goes without say ing that the person who restor es an antique or some of the older classics knows more about the airplane than any of our current generation of A & Ps. And as Father Time has his inevitable way, it's getting hard e r and harder to find any of the old-timers who know anything about these old birds. A friend of mine with a Waco 10 got stabbed so badly on his first annual, paying th e shop while it learned about Wacos and OX5s, that from then on he took vacation and would only take it to a shop that would let him do the work on it under their super vision. So, for all practical purposes, he was doing pretty much what you propose. What with prices constantly going up like an over charged balloon, this would also b e one way w e who like old airplanes can afford to have them for at least a little while longer anyway. I would like to see the aircraft retain their standard airworthiness certificate, but would accept having it changed to an exper imental category for those who want to go that route, if that is the only way the Feds will accept the proposal. We are looking forward to your visit here on the 29th . See you then. Sincerely yours, Dick Walling EAA Century Club No. 20, A IC No. 353 1930 Stewart Road Muscatine, IA 52761 D ea r Paul: Recently I came across an articl e in the aviation column of a Newsweek circa 1941. Apparently two men, Mr. jam es I. Sorena and Mr. William H. Fletner came up with a design called the Hammer Head Prop, and claimed its d es ign cut down on vibration and was more efficient than a conventional blade. My question: Did the design have a direct con n ect ion with today's clipped prop tips, and if so, when was this modification impl eme nt ed? I hope this lett er finds you in good h ea lth . Sincerely, C. M. j. Menard 5 110 Sherbrooke Street West, Suite 9 Montreal, qu ebec H4A HI Canada

Fo r Sal e ACRO II PLANS The new 2-p la ce aerobatic trainer and spo rt bi plane . 20 pages of easy to follow, detailed plans. Com plete with isometric drawings, photos, exp loded views. Plans - $85.00. Info pack - $4.00. Send check or money order to: ACRO SPORT, INC., Box 462, Hales Corners, WI 53 130.414 /42 .')-4860. ENGINES 1930's Vintag e Franklin 4AC-1 50A 60 hp. No logs, no mags, no carb., one bad cy l. - rusted. Eve rything else in exce ll en t co ndition . Make offer or will trad e for, avionics or Rev illaster 2"100 or ??? Box 444, Mab ton, WA 98935 or 1- 509/894-4493, 2000Z - 2200Z week days only. Also have spr u ce kit for Coot A, Cheap.

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Ceconite Envelopes and Dopes Send $1.00 for Ca talog and Fabrics Se lection Guide

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259 - 15 Lower Morr isville Rd . Falls ing t on , Pa . 19054 ( 215 ) 295- 411 5

CALENDAR OF EVENTS APRIL 25-27 - BAY CITY, TE XAS - Hou ston Sport Aviation "Spr ing Fling " Fly- In , sp o n so r ed by An tiqu e/Classic Chapter 2. For furth er information, please co ntact: Ro cky H ow ard, .1262 Hu ckl eb e rry, H o usto n , TX 77056. Te lep hon e: 7'13/62 1- 2510. APRIL 26-27 - CH INO, CA LIF O RNIA - hth Annual So uth e rn Ca li fornia EAA Fly- In . For further in formation , pl ease co nt ac t : Ken Over ly, 7'14/h30 35 '13 or write Chino EAA Fly- In , 7000 Merrill Ave nu e, Chino , CA 91710. APRIL 27 - BARKSDALE, LOUI SIANA - Barksdale AFB is h os tin g an Open H o u se and Ai r Sh ow. For further information, pl ease con tac t : Lt . Co l. Larry L. Schu ler , or Major Thomas E. Flodstrom, Fly-In Project Officers, 2 CSG/OT, Bark sda le, AFB, LA 71110. Te le ph o n e : Lt. Co l. Schu ler 318/456- 4204, or Major Flodstom 318/456-3484. MAY 2-4 - BURLINGTON , NORTH CA RO LINA - Fly In . For further inform ati o n , please co nt ac t: Geneve McKiernan , 5301 Fin sb ur y Plac e, Ch ar l o tt e, NC 2821 '1. MAY 3-4 - MOREHEAD, KENTUCKY 1st Annua l Vintage & Class ic Fly- In , Rowa n Co unt y A irport. Sponsored b y Gateway Avia ti on Assoc iation. For f u r th er information , p lease con ta c t: Den Owen, Star Route, Box 95-A, Clearfield, KY 401 '11 . Tele phone: 606/783-3358. MAY 10-11 - MARTINSBUR G, PENNSYLVAN IA - Key sto n e Country Fly-In , sp o nso r ed by a Federation of Pennsylvania EAA Chapt e rs. Blair County Air port. For further inform ati o n , please co nt ac t: Paul Nuss , 1004 Fourth Avenue, lu niata , A lt oo na , PA '1660 1. Telephone: 814/943-1 '185. MAY 16-19 - WILLIAMSBUR G, V IRG IN IA - Eastern Cess na 190/195 Club Meeting. For further inform a ti o n , please co nta ct: Cliff Crab s, 25575 Butternut Rid ge Road , North Olmst ed , OH 44070. MAY 18 - LINCOLN , CA LI FO RNI A - Lin co ln A ir port. Fo r further info rm ati o n , p lease con ta c t: Ken H eid ge r , Manager, P.O. Box 426, Lincoln, CA 95648. MAY 31 - HOLLAND , MICH IGAN - Antique/Classic Ch apt er 8 is spon so rin g a "Sp rin g H ap p enin g" at th e Park Town ship Airport. For furth e r informa ti o n , pl ease contact: Ga ry Van Farowe, 1460 Ot tawa Beach Road , H ol land, MI 49413. Telephon e: 616/399-4623. JUNE 1 - DEKALB, ILLI NO IS - DeKalb Cou nt y Corn EAA Ch apt er 241 and MST Aviation co-s p o nso r th e Annual EAA Fl y-In , Dri ve-In , Breakfast at th e Munici pa l Airport, about 30 mil es SE of Ro c kford. For further info rmati o n , p lease co nt ac t: Marlin Cr own , 159 Thomas, Syca m o re, IL 60 178. Tel ephon e: 8151 875-6856.

JUNE 1 - OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND - Chapt er 532 is sp onso rin g th e annual Ocean Ci ty Fly-In and Antique Ca r Show. Ocean City Airport. For furth e r inform ati o n , pl ease contact: Bill M ac key, Chapt er 532 Pr es id e nt , 23 01 M eadow Driv e, Sa li sb ury, MD 21801. JUNE 6-8 - M ERCED, CALIFORNIA - 23 rd Annual M er ce d W es t Coast Antiqu e Fly-In , sp o nso red by th e M e r ced Pilots ' Asso ci ation. For furth e r in formati o n , pl ease co nta ct: M er ce d Pil o ts' Associa ti o n , P.O. Bo x 2313, Mer ced, CA 95340 . JUNE 7-8 - FLANDERS , NEW I ERSEY - 2nd Annua l Antiqu e/Cl ass ic Ch apt er 7 Fly- In . Flanders Vall ey Airport. For furth e r inform ation , please co nt ac t: Wa lt Ahlers, A /C Chapter 7 Pr es id ent , 60 Main 5. tr ee t , Fland e r s, NI 07836 . Te lep h o n e: 20 1/ 58 4 7983 . JUNE 7-14 - FORT WAYNE , INDIAN A - 3rd Annual ''70 Kn o tt e rs" Fly-Out and Goodwil l To ur spon sored by EAA Chapter 2. For furth er information, pleas e co nt ac t: Jo e Dickey, 5 1'1 Terr an ce Lk. Roa d , Co lumbu s, IN 47201. Teleph o ne: 8'12/342-6878 . JUNE 11-16 - TUL LA H OMA, TENNESSEE - 1980 Stag gerwin g r rrave l A ir Int e rn ati o nal Conven ti o n. Fo r furth er infor m ati o n , pl ease co nt act: Staggerwin g M use um Foundation , Box 'i50, Tullah o m a, TN 37388. JUN E 13-15 - DENTON , TEXAS - Texas Ch ap te r AAA So uth west Reg iona l Fly- In , at th e Municipal Air port. 25 miles N o f D/ FW Regiona l Airpor t , o ut sid e th e TCA. For furth er information , pl ease co nt ac t: l an e M cCrac k en , RR 4, Box IhB , Ro an oke, TX 7h2(,2. Te lephon e : 8 17/430-0163. JUN E 14-15 - FREDER I CKSBURG, V IR GI N IA - Antique Aircraf t Fl y- In Air Show, Shannon Airport. For furth er inf o rmation , please co nt ac t: Sidn ey L. Shan n o n , Ir. , clo Sh an non Airport , P. O. Box '109, Fr ed er icksb urg, VA 22401. JUNE 21-22 - ANSON IA, CONNECT ICU T - 2nd A n nu al PI PER VAGA BO N D FLY-IN. Anso ni a Air p or t , 80 oct. fuel. For further information, p lease co n ta c t: lim lenkin s, 569 Moose Hill Road, Monroe, CT 06468. Te lep ho n e: 203/26 1-5586. JUN E 27-29- HAMILTON , OHIO - 20 th A nnu al Wa co Reuni o n Fl y- In. For furth er inf o rm ati o n , pl ease co nt ac t : Ray Brandly, 7000 Hill Av e nu e, H amilton, O H 4 501 5. Tel ephone: 5 13/868-0084. JUNE 28-29 - ROMEOVILL E, ILLI NO IS - EAA Chap t er 'I S & Ilh are co-spon so ring th e 20th Annual Mid west Regio nal Air Show at th e Lewi s University Ai rpo rt. Th eme is " The Barnstorming Days o f Av ia ti o n ". H o pin g to h ave suffi cie nt antiqu e air craf t to stage a " parade of fli ght ". For further info rma ti o n , please co nt ac t : Frank Goebe l , Field Dir ec to r , Midwest Regio nal Air Sh ow, In c., P. O. Box 71. Loc kport. IL 60441.

JULY 3-6- BOWLING GRE EN, OHIO - Ercoup e Own ers Club Na ti o nal Fl y- In , W oo d Count y A irp o rt. For furth er inf o rm ation , please co nt ac t: Ca rl Hall , Bowlin g G r een Stat e University, School of Art , Division o f Design, Bowling Green, O H 43403. Te le phon e: 4'19/372 -2640. JULY 4-6 - GA IN ES VILL E, GEORG IA - Lith Annual "C ra c ker" Fly- In . AAA North Georgia C h ap t e r. For furth er info rmation , pl ease co nta ct: Jim Clark so n , 1649 Avo n Ave nu e, Tu c ker , GA 30084. JULY 4-6 - ALLIANCE , O HIO - Int ern ati ona l Tay lo r cr aft Ow n e r 's C lub Reunion at Barber Field. For further infor m ati o n , pl ease co nt ac t : Tay lo r craf t Own er 's Club , '128 09 Greenbower Road, A l li an ce, O H 4460'1. JULY 12 - TECUMSEH , MICH IGAN - M eyers O TW Reuni o n - Back t o Fac to ry. For f urth er in for m a tion , please co nt ac t: Dick Martin , Rt. 3, Aerodrome Road , G ree n Bay, WI 54301 or Harold Losser, 41 5 Eighth Str ee t Plac e, Des Moines, IA 50313 . JULY 13 - EASTON , PENNSYLVAN IA - 4th Annual Ae ron ca Fly- In , Eas to n Airport. For furth er infor mation, p lease co nt ac t: Jim Poll es, 2 151759-3713, ni g ht s and wee k en ds. JULY 19-20 - LEWISTOWN, MONTANA - 3rd A nnu al Montana Ch ap ter AAA Fl y- In at Beacon Sta r A n tiqu e A irfie ld . For f urth er in fo rm ation , pl ease co n t<le t : Frank Bas s, Star Rout e , Moor e, M T 59464. Telep h o ne: 406/538-76 16. AUGUST 2-9 - OS HKO SH , WISCONSIN - 28 th A n nual EAA Co nve nti o n and Sport Aviation Exh ibi ti o n - th e world' s lar ges t and mo st exc itin g av ia tion event. For further inform ation , pleas e co n tact: Ex p erim ental Aircraft Association (EAA), P. O . Box 229, H ales Cor n ers, WI ')3130. Telep ho ne : 4'141 4..!5-48('(). AUGUST 10-16 - FOND DU LAC, WISCONSIN - The In ternational Ac r oba ti c C lub 's annual aeroba ti c co mp etiti o n . Biggest fi eld anywh er e for an ae ro batic co nt es t p lu s grea tes t va ri ety of aerobat ic air cra ft. For furth er info rm ati o n , please co nt ac t: H erb Cox, Co nt es t Ch airm an , 11 12 Ta y lor Ave nu e, M t. Ve rn o n , IL 62864. AUGUST 17-30 - OS HKOSH , WISCONS IN - World Aeroba ti cs '80. For th e first tim e ever, th e U. S. will ho st th e World's Aerobatic Ch ampi o n ships . Fourt ee n co untri es will participate. Don't miss thi s hi stor ic even t. For furth er inform ation , pl ease co nt ac t: W or ld A er o b ati cs '80, P. O. Box 229, H ales Co rn er s, WI 53'130. Telephone: 414 /425-4 860. OCTOBER 1-5 - TULLAHOMA, TENNESSEE - 2nd Annu<ll EAA Na ti o nal Fall Fly-In. D o n ' t mis s thi s one . For furth e r information, pl ease co nt ac t : EAA Fall Fl y- In , P. O. Box n9, Hales Co rn ers , W I 53'13 0. Telephon e: 4'14 /4"!5- 4860.