42 minute read
Straight and Level
STRAIGHT & LEVEL
Geoff Robison EAA #268346, VAA #12606 president, VAA
Legislation and other highlights
Pilot’s Bill of Rights Signed Into Law
Excellent news was recently announced regarding the Pilot’s Bill of Rights legislation. This very exciting legislation was unanimously passed in the Senate in late June and was then passed in the House of Representatives in late July of this year. Then on August 3 the president signed the legislation into law, providing us all with many new rights designed to put us on a level playing field with any FAA enforcement actions. This proved be a real bipartisan effort by our Congress, which is no small task with any legislation being considered inside the Beltway these days. Special recognition is in order to Sens. James Inhofe of Oklahoma and Mark Begich of Alaska who sponsored this legislation in the Senate as well as Reps. Sam Graves of Missouri and Dan Lipinski of Illinois who sponsored the legislation in the House of Representatives. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to these gentlemen. This legislation guarantees pilots under investigation by the FAA expanded protection against enforcement actions via access to investigative reports and to air traffic control and flight service recordings, and it also requires the FAA to provide us the evidence it is using against us as the basis of its enforcement action at least 30 days in advance of any action on its part. Having access to all available information, including FAA data, is critical for pilots who find themselves under investigation or whose certificates may be in jeopardy. This bill also establishes an advisory committee to analyze the notice to airmen (NOTAM) procedures, 2 SEPTEMBER 2012
as well as a committee to review medical certifications.
The bill also now allows pilots the ability to appeal any FAA decisions for enforcement action in our federal courts. Furthermore, the NTSB is empowered with greater oversight in reviewing FAA enforcement actions. This well-written and comprehensive bill puts us all as pilots in a much better position to challenge these enforcement actions. This may well be the best news to positively impact the GA community in more than a decade, but we all need to stay diligent in our personal efforts to avoid the potential for enforcement action in the first place.
It is also important here to again recognize the efforts of the EAA and AOPA, who helped compile the legal issues and enforcement procedure background that led to the final bill that now provides us all this important protection of our pilot’s rights, and our freedom of flight.
Hometown Young Eagles Coordinators Recognized Nationally! Phillips 66 Aviation Leadership Award
Congratulations to David and Laramie Resler for being awarded the 2012 Phillips 66 Aviation Leadership Award! This award appropriately recognizes their hard work as Young Eagles coordinators for EAA Chapter 2 and Vintage Chapter 37 as well as their dedication to the program outside of our normal rallies. David and Laramie received their award at the annual Young Eagles Awards Dinner in Oshkosh on Wednesday, July 25. We sincerely thank them for all the effort put forth to introduce
kids to aviation and in making sure our Young Eagles rallies are safe and enjoyable for everyone.
The personal efforts of these two YE coordinators is greatly appreciated by the local chapters of EAA/VAA in the Fort Wayne, Indiana, area. Their efforts allowed the local chapters to host four local teens’ attendance at the EAA Air Academy in Oshkosh in 2012.
Oshkosh 2012 proved to be one of the safest events ever, and I am especially excited to report that all venues of the VAA area of responsibility experienced excellent results. I am particularly excited to report that the Aeromart consignment area at AirVenture was very successful in its inaugural year of being operated by the Vintage Aircraft Association. Aeromart takes in aircraft parts for sale during the fly-in, with the proceeds being split between the seller, VAA, and EAA. The area exceeded its revenue and volunteer goals well beyond expectations for 2012, as it was ably handled by Chairman Paul Kyle, Co-chairman Warren Baier, and key volunteers Matt Krinn and Brad Hartz. Many thanks to the dozens of volunteers who came to help us through our first year of operations. Special thanks to those volunteers from EAA Chapter 252 who stuck with us and showed us the ropes on the operation of this great membership benefit. Your assistance was certainly key to this success.
As always, please do us all the favor of inviting a friend to join the VAA, and help keep us the strong association we have all enjoyed for so many years.
VAA NEWS
MT-Propeller puts ground adjustable propellers back into production after nearly 70 years
During EAA AirVenture 2012, MTPropeller announced the availability of its new 5400-Series of 2-blade ground adjustable aluminum propellers for vintage aircraft. The new propellers are new versions of the ground adjustable propellers made by the famous Standard Steel Propeller Company (later Hamilton Standard) manufactured from 1925 through 1945. This type of propeller, used primarily on vintage aircraft, has been out of production for decades, making the propellers scarce.
Gerd Muehlbauer, president of MT-Propeller, said, “While MTPropeller is known for what may be considered more ‘modern’ propeller designs, we recognized the important role we could play in keeping vintage aircraft flying and safe. We are pleased to offer these new ground adjustable blades and completely new hubs.”
The newly produced and certificated propellers are typically used on radial engines of up to 450 h.p. at 2,300 r.p.m. and in diameters of between 7 and 10 feet. There are three different blade model designations: 1C1, A1C1 and A11C1, each available in different lengths. The blades mate with one of two newly manufactured steel propeller hubs: models 5404 and 5406 (SAE 20 & SAE 30 spline).
The project to bring these propellers back into production was started nearly ten years ago by Greg Herrick, President of the Aviation Foundation of America, Inc. According to Her rick, “We recognized the importance of finding someone to put these pro pellers back into production as the supply of used blades, some over 80 years old, began to dwindle. We are grateful to MT-Propeller for making this possible. Having newly manu continued on page 37 CALL FOR VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION Nominations
Nominate your favorite vintage aviator for the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Hall of Fame. A great honor could be bestowed upon that man or woman working next to you on your airplane, sitting next to you in the chapter meeting, or walking next to you at EAA Air Venture Oshkosh. Think about the people in your circle of aviation friends: the mechanic, historian, photographer, or pilot who has shared innumerable tips with you and with many others. They could be the next VAA Hall of Fame inductee—but only if they are nominated.
The person you nominate can be a citizen of any country and may be living or deceased; his or her involvement in vintage aviation must have occurred between 1950 and the present day. His or her contribution can be in the areas of flying, design, mechanical or aerodynamic developments, administration, writing, some other vital and relevant field, or any combination of fields that support aviation. The person you nominate must be or have been a member of the Vintage Aircraft Association or the Antique/Classic Division of EAA, and preference is given to those whose actions have contributed to the VAA in some way, perhaps as a volunteer, a restorer who shares his expertise with others, a writer, a photographer, or a pilot sharing stories, preserving aviation history, and encouraging new pilots and enthusiasts.
To nominate someone is easy. It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part. •Think of a person; think of his or her contributions to vintage aviation. •Write those contributions in the various categories of the nomination form. •Write a simple letter highlighting these attributes and contributions. Make copies of newspaper or magazine articles that may substantiate your view. •If at all possible, have another individual (or more) complete a form or write a letter about this person, confirming why the person is a good candidate for induction.
This year’s induction ceremony will be held near the end of October. We’ll have follow-up information once the date has been finalized.
We would like to take this opportunity to mention that if you have nominated someone for the VAA Hall of Fame; nominations for the honor are kept on file for 3 years, after which the nomination must be resubmitted. Mail nominating materials to: VAA Hall of Fame, c/o Charles W. Harris, Transportation Leasing Corp. PO Box 470350 Tulsa, OK 74147 E-mail: cwh@hvsu.com Remember, your “contemporary” may be a candidate; nominate someone today! Find the nomination form at www.VintageAircraft.org, or call the VAA office for a copy (920-426-6110), or on your own sheet of paper, simply include the following information: • Date submitted. • Name of person nominated. • Address and phone number of nominee. • E-mail address of nominee. • Date of birth of nominee. If deceased, date of death. • Name and relationship of nominee’s closest living relative. • Address and phone of nominee’s closest living relative. • VAA and EAA number, if known. (Nominee must have been or is a VAA member.) • Time span (dates) of the nominee’s contributions to vintage aviation. (Must be between 1950 to present day.) • Area(s) of contributions to aviation. • Describe the event(s) or nature of activities the nominee has undertaken in aviation to be worthy of induction into the VAA Hall of Fame. • Describe achievements the nominee has made in other related fields in aviation. • Has the nominee already been honored for his or her involvement in aviation and/or the contribution you are stating in this petition? If yes, please explain the nature of the honor and/or award the nominee has received. • Any additional supporting information. • Submitter’s address and phone number, plus e-mail address. • Include any supporting material with your petition.
A New Chapter
by H.G. Frautsc
y
“Change,” they say, is inevitable. “Change, or die,” others espouse. Change means regrowth, rebirth, a new door opening. All of those clichés have some grain of truth to them, and even into the life of a guy whose career is focused on a group of airplanes from the past, change must come.
This will be the 263rd issue of Vintage Airplane I’ve been privileged to edit, and it will be my last as editor and executive director of the VAA. For the October issue, I’ll be passing the figurative editor’s red pencil to my Oshkosh hangar neighbor and fellow Aeronca pilot, Jim Busha. Jim, who serves the local community as a law enforcement officer, has been an active writer and contributor for Sport Aviation, Flight Journal, and Vintage Airplane, and he’s been the editor of Warbirds for the past few years. So the editor’s job moves full circle, as my time at EAA started as the editor of both Vintage Airplane and associate editor of Warbirds way back 22 years ago, in 1990. My best wishes to him and our great stable of contributing writers for the next edition of Vintage Airplane.
In looking back over the 22 years I’ve spent at EAA HQ, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The satisfaction in knowing that every day I came to work, I made a member’s day a bit better by helping them dig up a tidbit of information or history. For all my 4 SEPTEMBER 2012
time here I’ve had folks come up to me, especially during convention, and tell me they thought I had the best job in the world. And you know what? They were right! It’s been great fun being able to go to work each day anticipating that just about every time you contact someone, it’s to give them the gift of knowledge, to share a photo or some information they really want. So to each of you who called, wrote, e-mailed, or stopped by, thank you for being an enthusiastic EAA and VAA member. You all made this job the greatest for a guy like me.
Of course, during 22 years, a number of wonderful folks have come and gone. To recall everyone is impossible, but a few stand out in the VAA family. I’ve been blessed with working with and being friends with so many neat people who are no longer with us. Jack Cox, the man who saw my potential in 1990 and took a chance on a budding writer who really loved old airplanes. Espie “Butch” Joyce, VAA’s president for the first decade I was at EAA, a great mentor and friend who helped me understand the meaning of the term “southern gentleman.” And the late VAA director and volunteer Dean Richardson of Madison, Wisconsin, who taught me more about being a manager and a leader than any one man, and who’s abiding friendship is something I’ll always treasure and remember. There isn’t a day, five years later, that I don’t miss him. They’re all gone now, but I’m eternally grateful for the help they gave me during my time at EAA.
I have to say a few words about two men who made this career choice possible: Paul and Tom Poberezny. Paul, who has been a lifelong friend and “Grandpa Paul” to our two children, had just retired as president only a little while before I arrived. Already a friend thanks to an opportunity to volunteer at EAA’s Pioneer Airport when we moved to Wisconsin in 1988, his kind guidance and suggestions throughout the years have been invaluable to the VAA. He still has the same welcoming, all-inclusive attitude and understanding that all of us in aviation want to have a place to call our own, and for many of us, it’s EAA. His coming to that realization back in the early 1950s made all of this possible.
His son, Tom, also deserves our thanks and praise; the building we enjoy as the museum and EAA headquarters offices were constructed under his watchful engineer’s eye, and as the convention and EAA programs grew, he did his best to remind us to “keep our eye on the ball” and work to meet the members’ expectations. So to both Tom and Paul, my deepest, heartfelt thanks for a job well done while I was privileged to work with you.
Twenty-two years here at EAA headquarters has seen a lot of
change in the editorial world. When I began in October of 1990, after becoming a part of the editorial team that was composed of Jack and Golda Cox, Mary Jones, Norm Petersen, and Isabelle Wiske, we were creating our words on a set of Macintosh Classic computers, and sending those words via a 56k dial-up modem to our printer in Random Lake, Wisconsin. The printer would typeset the words into columns and then fax the text back to us for rough layout using copiers and a waxer to create pasteups of each page. We’d send the great slides of airplanes shot by Jim Koepnick and others to the printer for scanning on the mysterious “drum scanner.” Nowadays, we send the final words and digital photos to our ace in-house art director, Livy Trabbold, who creates the pages for Vintage Airplane and then sends a high-resolution PDF right to the printer, who then creates a printing plate. Before you know it, the magazines are rolling off the press. Simply amazing!
Livy has laid out our magazine longer than anyone has, and we all owe her our thanks for making the magazine a pleasure to read and view. Colleen Walsh, my “secret weapon” of a copy editor, makes sure my commas and apostrophes are all in the right spot, even if I didn’t originally put them there. A tip of the old flying cap to you both as you continue to serve the EAA and VAA membership!
The ability to communicate with members today is far easier than typing a letter, licking a stamp and putting it into the mail, and that change has also brought with it different expectations as to how those communications should happen, and how often. As VAA moves on to address those realities, I’m confident that the board, officers, and volunteers who help make this the most popular of the special interest groups within EAA will continue to evolve, and we’ll all be better for it. All I ask is that you have patience with both them and the staff. If you ever have a chance to serve on a nonprofit’s board of directors, I hope you are as lucky as I; Geoff Robison and the VAA board has been a joy to work with and I enjoy many friendships within that group. I wish them all well!
Each change takes time, and the best way to make it great is to contribute! Write up your local fly-in or send the editor a short piece on a technical tip or local aviator or airplane that you think could be of interest to other VAAers. And don’t just call to tell him about it, write it up! Don’t worry about how; just do it, to paraphrase a sportswear manufacturer. I’ll tell you right now, nothing makes an editor smile like a mailbox full of contributions of useful information that he can use. After all, this is your magazine, so helping him is helping us all.
To the many EAA staffers who have been so great to work with over the past two decades, I can only say how much I really have enjoyed our work together. It hasn’t always been fun (the days and weeks following 9/11 in particular were challenging and nerve-racking as we came to grips with the reality that aviation wouldn’t ever be the same), but the outcome has, far more often than not, been something I’m proud to hang my name upon. My best wishes to Rod and the new crew at EAA, as they work to adjust the organization to a new reality as sport aviation in the United States and around the world continues to evolve.
My deepest thanks to my assistant, Theresa Books, who has held down the desk just outside of my office during most my time as the VAA executive director. If you’re really lucky in business, you’ll have someone just like her working as part of your team. She likes to do many of the things I’m not especially gifted at, and we often find ourselves thinking the same thing about a particular subject, even when we’re not even in the same building. Her cheerful attitude and genuine love of her fellow VAA members has made it a joy to come to work and hear, as Norm Petersen used to say, “her smiling voice.” She will continue to serve the VAA membership in a redefined role after my departure.
And finally, a huge thank you to my family; my wife, Brenda, who shares a love of these great old airplanes and who, like me, looks forward to restoring our Aeronca Super Chief, and to our kids, Alden and Jenny, who both literally grew up at EAA, having been a toddler and a baby when I began here. They are both now young adults who have a deep and abiding love of aviation, and that’s due in large part to the extended family of VAAers who helped us raise these two great people. They have long had to tolerate the absence of their husband and father for nearly two months out of the year (Brenda and Kristen Burton used to refer to themselves as “Oshkosh widows” during that time), and I was fortunate that they all embraced the EAA world, each volunteering in their own areas as the years have gone by.
So as this chapter in my story comes to a close, please know that I greatly appreciate all the kind words and thoughts you’ve sent my way during the past two months, and I look forward to seeing many of you around the convention grounds and other fly-ins during the coming years. And who knows, perhaps our airways will cross again. Until then, keep renewing your membership, as I will, and recruit a few new members along the way. Nothing keeps an organization more viable than new blood, so ask friends to join us, and they’ll find out what we already know—this is the best kind of flying there is. Let’s keep it going!
See ya around the pattern!
A Cure for the Ancient Engine
Blues:
I could have had a V-8 instead
by Budd Davisson
Let’s say you have a wonderfully useful airplane, but every time you open the cowling, all you see in there is a boat anchor—a rusty, expensive, unreliable boat anchor. However, sitting right outside of your hangar door is a nice, new Chevy. Every time you open the Chevy’s hood you see a shiny, state-of-the-art, totally reliable V-8. It’s about the same size and weight as your present engine. So, you do the obvious: you substitute the Chevy for the boat anchor, and trundle off over the horizon.
Where that kind of mechanical magic used to be a near impossibility, the FAA has recently made it much easier to do, by putting the aircraft into the Experimental Exhibition category. Where that used to limit the utility of the aircraft somewhat, that is no longer the case. Ask Brian Robinson of Lindsay, Ontario, and Buzz Hale of Incline Village,
PHIL HIGH Don’t let the polished exterior fool you. C-FILM is no hangar queen, as the scuffed side panel can attest. In addition to the swing-up doors on each side, the nose features a hatch that opens up on one side, allowing the crew to step onto the beach without getting their feet wet.
PHIL HIGH Moving the hinges to the top of the door and adding pneumatic springs creates a pair of flip-up doors that give the Bee’s pilot and passengers unparalleled access to the beach or lake. On land, a short ladder can be very helpful.
Brian Robinson, of Robinson V-8 Power, has created a solid, economical solution to the problem of engine replacement in the Seabee. 8 SEPTEMBER 2012
PHIL HIGH Nevada. They’d love to tell you how well this has been working for them.
Seabees have been part of the Robinson family for a long time. In fact, Brian’s father had one. He says, “He sold the Seabee when I was two years old, but it imprinted itself on my memories and, as I got older, I developed a burning desire to own one. After all, I live where an amphibian of any kind makes a huge amount of sense, and the Seabee makes more sense than most. It’s affordable, strong, has lots of room, and is easy to take off and land. It is, however, an airplane in search of a bigger motor.”
Brian scratched his Seabee itch when he talked his dad into buying a derelict airframe (there are apparently lots of them, for reasons we’ll discuss in a minute) in 1969 and got
KOEPNICKPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
it flying a year later.
He says, “As soon as we bought the Seabee, my dad immediately started telling me horror stories about the Franklin engine. In fact, he said that at one point he had over 30 unserviceable cylinders laying around because the Franklin ate them like popcorn.”
The 6-cylinder, 500-cubic inch, Franklin Aircooled Motors 6A8-215- B9F is apparently no one’s favorite engine. No one’s! This is especially true of Seabee owners, because it’s a classic case of too much airplane and not enough motor. To compound the lack of power (215 hp), the engine is famed for its lack of reliability and being difficult to support.
Buzz says, “It should be noted, however, that there are always those who want to keep everything origi
PHIL HIGH Buzz Hale’s Canadian-registered Bee (now certified in the US as Experimental-Exhibition, and registered as N300TB) is more like a high-end aerial RV, capable of taking Buzz and his wife, Jannette, anywhere they want to go, and in sumptuous comfort. Their version of the conversion is dubbed the “ThunderBee.”
nal, and, as a result, put up with the limitations. Any of the Franklins still flying that I am aware of have been extensively modified with unapproved parts. There have been no new Franklin engine parts built since 1950, so anyone who claims his engine is 100 percent original is kidding themselves. AC 23-27 allows substitution of parts that are no longer available, but does not allow you to substitute the engine. You can fly a Franklin with over 50 percent untested substituted parts, modified cylinders, etc.”
Brian further explains, “There were approximately 1,000 Seabees built by Republic in 1946/47. However, by the early 1950s, Franklin decided to stop supporting the engine. Then they went bankrupt (the type certificate and production of the engine moved overseas, to Poland). Since that day, Seabee owners have been flying with essentially orphaned engines. And not a very good engine, at that. They have terrible cylinder problems because they have too much metal in the wrong places and, when they cool and
PHIL HIGH
The Bee’s water rudder is neatly tucked under the swept-up section of the aft hull. When the landing gear is retracted for water operations, the tailwheel pivots 90 degrees to keep it out of the way.
KOEPNICKPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
C-FILM and C-FOME cruise along the marshlands on the west end of lake Butte des Morts, showing that the outstanding design of Percival Spenser, as interpreted by Republic Aviation in the immediate postwar years, is a more than viable aircraft.
shrink, they crack. For that reason, good, original cylinders are getting very, very hard to find. A lot of Seabees have essentially been grounded simply because the engines are so hard to keep running or the owners are unwilling to fly them because of their lack of reliability.
“No one knows what the official TBO of the engine is because the Canadian DOT could find no documentation of it, so apparently Franklin never published it. However, a 1,200- hour Franklin is considered to be very high-time. Further, few of these engines make it to 1,200 hours with all of the original cylinders. Because the Seabee is so dependent on having all 215 horses available, the airplanes are approaching being unsafe to fly, because the engines are so likely to get sick without warning. You have to inspect and maintain them carefully. The reason we had so many unserviceable jugs sitting around is because we were continually changing cylinders . . . they rarely lasted 300 hours.
As if the engines weren’t a big enough problem, the special pusher propellers are equally problematic.
“The original props have been AD’d to death,” Brian says, “and blades have become very difficult to locate in airworthy condition because of water erosion—nearly impossible in fact. This forces people to buy new blades from Hartzell —a waste of money on an old-generation propeller.”
“It’s a shame that the engine is grounding so many of the airplanes because the Seabee really is an amazing airframe. When Republic started building them, they had just finished building Thunderbolts and such for World War II, so they were really set up to build metal airplanes. If they had been a smaller company, the Seabee probably wouldn’t have been designed the way it was. Many of its skins are heavy-sheet that is hydroformed into shape with the corrugations, giving them strength and making them part of the structure. Those kinds of processes required large machinery that the average light aircraft plant didn’t have. For that reason, it’s a very strong airplane. Also, because the heavy skins carry so much of the load, the Seabee doesn’t have nearly as many parts as a normal airplane. The wings, for instance, have almost no ribs because the corrugated skins hold their shape. The corrugations also act as drains so water doesn’t pool inside and the alloy used is practically impervious to fresh water.”
The Seabee is designed with several roles in mind and it would perform them all much better with more power.
Brian says, “A normal Franklin Seabee weighs around 2,300 pounds empty—the actual weight depends on how it has been fitted out—and grosses 3,150, but, with its large cabin, it’s really easy to overload it because the power is so marginal. Even though it’s underpowered, however, it’s still a terrific airplane, just as it is. It’s a little hard to decide whether it’s a boat that flies or an airplane that floats, because it is so good on the water. In terms of handling, it’s one of the more forgiving amphibians to land. And with the size of the cabin and the way the doors are designed, it’s the perfect airplane to load up with your fishing gear and drop into your favorite lake.”
The solutions for a lot of life’s problems are put in motion by a single event that galvanizes someone into action. In the case of the Chevy Seabee, it was a flight that Brian took with his daughter.
He remembers, “We were flying along when the engine began to lose power. It needed all six cylinders to fly and at least one, maybe more, were dropping off-line, and we were coming down whether we wanted to or not. Fortunately, there was a farm field within reach and the landing was fairly eventful. However, the airplane hadn’t stopped rolling before I looked over at my daughter and made up my mind that something had to be done about the Seabee engine situation. I loved the airplane, but I loved my family too. So I started looking for a solution.” How Can This Be Done?
According to the current FAA Order 8130.2G, the Experimental-Exhibition category is available for this type of project under Paragraph 4110 C as a Group 2 Aircraft, which includes virtually all civil aircraft under 12,500 pounds.
The process is fairly straightforward: The project parts must first be de-registered from the FAA registry. Written permission needs to be obtained from your local FSDO office to remove any data plates from the project aircraft. Then the project can be recertified as an experimental-exhibition project. This frees you up from the restrictions that normally apply to modifying a certified airplane. Even better, the area operating restrictions that formerly applied to all Experimental-Exhibition aircraft were updated in 2010 (effective April 2011). The current 8130.2G Guidance for ExperimentalExhibition has removed the limited proficiency area for Group 2 aircraft. The proficiency is now considered to be the entire Continental US. However an annual program letter must be kept updated with your local FSDO listing any public events that you will be exhibiting the aircraft at. All other flights are considered proficiency flights, which includes all aspects of the normal operation of the aircraft. Suddenly solving the boat anchor engine problem is much easier.
North of the Canadian border, there never has been a problem with those kinds of mods because the Canadian DOT has an easy solution: license the airplane as an Owner Maintained aircraft. The only problem is that the U.S. won’t allow owner-maintained aircraft to cross into the U.S. We don’t have an explanation for the differences, but the ongoing successes folks are having with Chevy-powered Seabees clearly demonstrate that there are viable ways to save aircraft that are powered by boat anchor motors.
PHIL HIGH
The V-8 engine fits beautifully within the stock Seabee cowling, maintaining the classic looks of the airplane. The engine extension and the Morse chain drive enclosed in the housing are nearly identical in dimensions as the original Franklin installation. Even the radiator for the GM V-8 fits within the cowling!
When Brian looked around for solutions, he found the Lycoming GO-480 was a certified replacement, but that was as ancient as the Franklin and burned even more gas. There was at least one 0-540 converted Seabee, but that must have been done on a field approval and because he never found the paperwork for the STC. Then the obvious solution popped up.
“We were sitting around having a beer,” he says, “and my dad said, ‘You know what you really need in the air plane is a 350 Chevy,’ and that one comment got me thinking. I talked to Fred Geschwender, who had made a name for himself in converting V-8s for airplane use and had sold quite a few of his reduction units.”
Through the 70s and into the 80s, Fred Geschwender and his work with aviation V-8s was wellrespected. In fact, a number of crop duster aircraft were converted to his 351 Ford V-8s and had good success with them while operating in a harsh environment.
Brian says, “Fred suggested I get an LS-1 Chevy Corvette engine. It was all aluminum and Fred convinced me to fight the urge to modify the engine. He said I should capitalize on all the testing and design work that Chevrolet had put into the engine and run it dead stock including the factory installed electronic ignition. He also convinced me that with me being a mechanical engineer, I could, and should, design my own reduction unit. I was skeptical but started down that path anyway.
“I looked at every combination available. Gears and belts and eventually settled on Morse Hi-Vo chains, with an oil spray bar for lubrication, which is exactly what Fred had used. Hi-Vo chains are similar to a timing chain on a car, only much bigger. They are one of the lowest-friction, easiest to build and maintain, ways to transmit power.
“To get the CG right and get the prop back where it’s supposed to be, I needed to design a fairly long-nosed reduction housing. Fortunately, I have a lot of friends that are great mechanics or engineers and, with their help, I came up with a unit that is loosely patterned after what was on the Franklin originally, which gave no problems. I connected it to the engine through a splined adapter and the balanced, manual transmission automotive flywheel.
“Initially, I worked with a 1.68 reduction ratio, but now run a 1.98:1 because by using four blades, as with the MT prop, the diameter can be quite a bit smaller, which reduces water erosion and lets me turn the V-8 to a higher rpm on takeoff for more power and not worry about tip speeds. I looked at Hartzells but they were heavier and none were reversible like the MT was.
When Brian initially started measuring and weighing everything, he realized that the engine, complete with the reduction unit and radia tor, would fit nicely inside the original cowling and was almost the same weight as the Franklin. The radiator would tuck behind the original cowl ing grillwork so the classic lines of the airplane wouldn’t change at all. In fact, he could mount the engine on a new 4130 steel structure that not only mounted the engine via six points, rather than four, but eliminated the wing-to-wing flexing of the original mounting system, which significantly reduced the airframe maintenance.
When he finished the conversion on his own airplane and flew it for the first time, he realized that the basic
—Buzz Hale
airplane had been even better than he thought it was: The infirmities of the Franklin had been camouflaging some of the airplane’s true capabilities.
“With the 84-inch three-blade to keep the prop in an efficient rpm range, on takeoff we were turning 4,400 rpm with the LS-1 for 2,600 rpm on the prop. However, with the smaller, 78-inch four-blade, we could get 5,200 rpm on the engine so we were making much more horsepower. Regardless, the LS-1 makes 320 hp for takeoff, which gives spectacular improvements. Where a stock ‘Bee takes forever to get off the water, 30-40 seconds at most weights, we’re off in less than half that and the rate of climb is doubled. It’s hard to believe it’s the same airplane.
“Since our original conversion to our own airplane, we’ve made a bunch of other changes that include using an LS-7, that is a dry sump racing en gine available straight from Chevrolet’s Racing Division. It is rated at 500 hp, but we can’t use that at takeoff. However, it is still delivering 350 hp at 10,000 feet and that’s where the drag of this old slug comes down. If you’re willing to burn the fuel, it’ll cruise at 147 mph TAS up there. Down low, it’s still a 115-mph airplane, but you can do that with only 170 hp, so the fuel burn is only about 10 gph. If you’re looking for a fast airplane, you only have to glance at a Seabee to know you need to look elsewhere.”
Although he didn’t start out wanting to be in the manufacturing business, Brian quickly realized that the V-8 concept could be the core of an on-going business and formed Robin son V8 Power (www.V8Seabee.com) in Lindsay, Ontario. (His website has an excellent section on the current FAA rules about certifying such a conver sion, and it’s not that difficult.)
Brian says, “As we got our feet wet, so to speak, and realized there were markets for this outside of the Seabees, we began building reduction units in different ratios and lengths for different applications, but we started with Seabees and that’s still our main focus. Even so, airplanes like Murphy Super Rebels and Cessna Skymasters are being converted.
Buzz Hale had one of the first Seabee conversions in the US and he says, “This is the greatest aircraft ever. It’s a camper, RV and a boat that flies and, with the new engine is so reliable it gives tremendous peace of mind. The airplane is addictive and makes you want to immediately go places with it.”
He continues, “As soon as we saw the V-8 conversion, we tracked down a derelict Seabee to convert and rebuild, but, since it was going to be a long-term project, we bought another V-8 ‘Bee to fly and are glad we did because it gives us a lot of ideas for the one we’re rebuilding. Among other things, we went to electric gear, in which a linear actuator replaces the hydraulic pump that took 27 strokes to get the gear up. Most folks in Canada convert ‘Bees to electric gear and I can see why.
“On our airplane, we’re going to a yacht-style, wood accented inte rior and have made it into a true flying boat. We’ve spent five years on it, making 57 modifications, and our passion has turned into a five-year ob session with every single nut and bolt.
“We’ve put 250 hours on our flying airplane, which is the equivalent of flying around the world and it has been nothing but an oil and gas airplane. Nothing has gone wrong. Because the GM engine computer is programmed with the export code for leaded fuel and uses no O2 sensors, we can run 100-octane, lowlead as well as premium unleaded mogas. Plus, we have heat and excellent air conditioning, which is great in the summer or year-round in Florida. The mufflers make it so quiet and it runs so smooth, you’d think you were flying a turbine. Or an electric motor. It’s amazing! What’s more amazing is that I know Brian has 2,100 hours on his own airplane with no problems. Think about that, 2,100 hours! I don’t know how much more proof someone needs that the V-8 conversion concept can work.
“The Experimental-Exhibition category the airplane has to be operated in the US scares a lot of folks, but it shouldn’t. It opens up a lot of opportunities.”
The aging of the general aviation fleet is an ongoing concern for pilots and the FAA alike: As engines get older and the supply of parts gets smaller, the safety/reliability of those engines becomes problematic and the question has to be asked, “Do we ground a portion of the fleet or do we leave traditional regulatory limitations behind and seek viable alternatives?” Given the massive number of well-proven automotive engines being produced, it only seems logical that, at some point, the FAA should begin to look at those as an alternate source of power. If they don’t, the general aviation fleet will continue to decrease simply because we’re stretching the limits of certified, but ancient, engines. It would seem that seeking alternative engine sources would be in the best interest of the FAA as well as that of the general aviation flying public. Plus, the ability to burn unleaded fuel is a great environmental bonus, as well as a significant reduction in operating cost.
As Brian Robinson, along with so many others, says, “As airplanes like the Seabee begin to age out, and engines get more difficult and expensive to rebuild and maintain, the automotive conversions begin to look better and better. Just about everything about them is attractive.”
It’s hard to disagree with that argument and it’s going to become increasingly difficult to ignore.
Andrew King, Soldier of Fortune of Antique Aviation
Adventure awaiting
article and p
otos by Gilles Auliard
“ I used to move at least 600 miles every even year. In 1986, I moved to upstate New York to work with John Barker, 1988 saw me in St. Louis, while 1990 took me to Florida to work with Kermit Weeks. 1992 was the year I went to Virginia to work on Ken Hyde’s Wright Flyers. I stayed there four years, and then California in 1996-1997.
“After this last episode, I decided to be my own man.” And so spoke Andrew King, pilot and restorer— amongst other things, as you will discover—who applied his fingerprints on some of the most important projects of the last 20 years.
He continued:
“You never know in advance when or what people will call upon you to fly for them. You have to keep an open mind and be ready at a moment’s notice. Being self14 SEPTEMBER 2012
employed is a major advantage.”
Nonetheless, the road to independence was a long one:
“I grew up not far from Old Rhinebeck. So, I was around antique airplanes since I was a little kid. I used to wash the airplanes, carry gas cans, stuff like that, until I was old enough to take my first flying lesson.
“I trained at Hampton Airfield, in New Hampshire. In 1978, it was one of the very few places you could learn on a Piper J-3. The flight school had three Cubs, three Champs, and two Cessna 170s.
“I soloed in the Cub a few months after my 16th birthday, before I learned to drive.
“I soloed my father’s Tiger Moth at 17, and, before I turned 20, I was flying the Fokker triplane during Old Rhinebeck’s weekend shows. I participated in the 1981 to 1986 seasons, during which I also flew the Great Lakes, the Fleet and, sometimes, the Curtiss Jenny and the New Standard.”
Old Rhinebeck is probably the best school to learn how to fly tailwheel aircraft. Some of the airplanes of the collection being quite demanding, it gave Andrew a solid basis to deal with all types of antique airplanes, without mentioning a perceived legitimacy that opened a lot of doors.
While flying some fun airplanes in the summer, Andrew went to Parks Air College to complete an airplane and powerplant certificate. Hanging around Creve Coeur Airport, he met Bud Dake, who introduced him to some influential people in the antique world. Flying pretty much all of Bud’s airplanes, including his Clipwing Monocoupe, was an added bonus.
The synergy of those two elements started him in the business.
Following the same progression as others before him, he picked up a few delivery jobs around the country:
“My first cross-country in an antique airplane was bringing back a Stampe from Manistee, Michigan, to New York state for my father. I was 19, and it was an adventure. I flew in bad weather early during the trip, had carburetor icing, ending up in a forced landing on a private strip in Michigan, but managed to make it back home.
“After Old Rhinebeck, I moved to St. Louis to work on Frank Koerner’s Monocoupe. Al Stix and John Cournoyer would buy new airplanes and would send me off to pick them up.”
Andrew continued his training with Kermit Weeks:
“I did not like the Florida weather
much, but the job was great, and I flew some rare airplanes and got some neat rides, too, including in the Collings Foundation B-17 and B-24, Kermit’s Mosquito, his P-51 (a number of times), and [I] flew his very rare Stinson L-1.”
One day, John Halterman asked him if he wanted to go on an adventure. For Andrew, there was only one possible answer to such a question, and in short order, he was on his way to Alaska to pick up a Waco UPF-7 and bring it back to Creve Coeur.
The Waco had seen better days, being, according to him, the rattiest airplane he ever flew. However, it was still cruising at 100 mph and landing nicely, so it made the trip back in 36 flying hours without major incident and was a great flying experience.
Unfortunately, this dream job was cut short:
“When Hurricane Andrew came through, I figured that nothing much would go on with the airplanes during the cleanup, so I went back to my parents in New York. I usually did not have a job lined up when I was moving out, but the stars were lining up pretty fast.”
Hearing that Ken Hyde was looking for somebody, he went to Virginia to work for him in 1994, learning even more about the intricacies of antique airplanes from this notoriously demanding builder.
In 1996, he went to attend to Javier’s Arango’s collection of WWI airplanes in Paso Robles, California, and Javier let him fly the Nieuport 28, SE-5a, and Fokker D-VII during that period.
Since 1997, he has been juggling his own projects with flying other people’s airplanes, but priority has been given to the latter:
“I started working on the Ryan M-1 and completed it in 2001. It was a great airplane, and I went to Oshkosh with it. It probably is my proudest accomplishment.
“ F o r t h e l a s t f i v e y e a r s , I
have been trying to complete a Nieuport 28, powered by a 1918 160 CV Gnome rotary engine.
“Of the most recent memorable flying experiences, the Pitcairn Autogiro comes to mind. For the last three years I have gone to Oshkosh with different airplanes. In 2009, it was Jack Tiffany’s Pitcairn, in 2010, the Fokker D.VIII from the Vintage Aero Flying Museum (VAFM)—along with its Fokker Dr.1 and D.VII— and in 2011, Bob Coolbaugh’s Curtiss Pusher.
“I seem to be getting backwards in time, from 1932, to 1918, and finally 1911. To keep up with the trend I will have to take a dirigible to Oshkosh next year.
“I also recently had the opportunity to fly the oldest-flying Cessna from Poplar Grove, Illinois, to Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania, in about 10 flying hours.”
Even though these experiences would be the highlight of anybody’s logbook, Andrew’s activities are not limited to flying airplanes for his friends. He also has branched into TV commercials (General Electric, Ancestry.com), documentaries (Mission Dawn Patrol, Barnstorming, Breaking Through the Clouds), as well as fea
ture movies. You probably are not aware that some of the very little real flying taking place in Flyboys was Andrew’s stick work.
Even television has hosted him.
In an episode aired for the 100th anniversary of flight, he was a member of the U.S. team building a pioneer-era airplane in three days with only very basic materials collected on the scrap heap, and flew it in the show Junkyard Wars. Against a French and a British team, the United States came dead last, a verdict hotly contested by Andrew.
When asked about next year’s projects, he responded in these terms: “I hope the SPAD we are building for the VAFM will be finished in 2012, and I am look ing forward to displaying it at air shows.
“I also have another project that should come through, but it is still a secret.”
No matter what project Andrew is alluding to, you can be sure that it will be another stunner, as, for the people in the know, he is without doubt the number one soldier of for tune of antique aviation. VINTAGE AIRPLANE
