VP-Vol-2-No-1-Jan-1974

(Photo by Ted Kaston)

THE PRESIDENT'S PAGE

By E. E. "Buck" Hilbert

President, Antique-Classic Division

RESOLVE

A new year begins with new years resolutions. Our resolutions all combine to say that your president, officers, editor and staff will continue our very best efforts in your behalf. We promise to do our best to further improve the Division, the organization, the services, to fatten The Vintage Airplane with items of specific and general interest, cooperate with the brother Di足 visions, fan more cow-pastures with prop wash and put more fun into our hobby.

It's not enough for us alone to make these resolutions because any same old bunch has a way of wearing out their same old ideas until they bore people. You can write about and talk about "your" airplane until you become repetitious. Belabor a subject until you deafen those few listeners you have left. I've monopolized The Vintage Airplane to where people were call足 ing it Buck's Aero Digest - jokingly, of course (?). But it indicated new and different subjects are due.

Jack Cox, your Editor, is putting more effort and doing a far better job than we have the right to expect. It's because he is doing it virtually solo that we can't expect him to keep on for足 ever. Surely you must have a project-' or an airplane subject you can contribute for publication.

Jot down an outline, an idea, a rumor, a joke, or a clue as to the whereabouts of an old airplane, or about a character, an operator, maintenance tip, an experience. Send it to us. We'll edit and print it. We'll be happy to.

Get happy, too, about spreading your Division. Organize a chapter, plan a fly-in, an activity.

Involve the girls. Hangar fly if you can't get Av-gas. Swap lies over pot luck lunches. Share your views, get your gripes out in the open. Do some wOLk to make it fun. Make us work.

Try it, you'll like it!

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WILLARD F. SCI.:tMt 4027 ROCKY RIVER DR. NO. 2 ­ ~LEV.ELAND.. OHIO 44135 (Photo by Ted Koston)

VOLUME 2 -

JANUARY 1974

NUMBER 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS

One Man's Bellanca . . . Jack Cox .. .. .. ... ...... . ..... .. .. . ..... .. ... .. ...... . .......... . . . .. 4 Rebirth of a "Jenny" . . . George Hardie .. ........... ..... . ... ............. . .. . .. . .... ... .. ... 13 Golden Oldie of the Month - The Star Cavalier ... .. . .... .... . ... . . .. .. ... .. . .. '" . ' " . .. ... .. .17 Around the Antique-Classic World ....... .. ........ .. ... .. ... . ..... ........... . ...... .... ... . .. 19

ON THE COVER •.. Bellanca Cruisair Photo by Jack Cox

BACK COVER ••• Fairchild 24 s Photo by Ted Koston

HOW TO JOIN THE ANTIQUE-CLASSIC DIVISION Membership in the EAA Antique-Classic Division is open to all EAA members who have a special interest in the older aircraft that are a proud part of our aviation heritage. Membership in the Antique­ Classic Division is $10.00 per year which entitles one to 12 issues of The Vintage Airplane published monthly at EAA Headquarters. Each member will also receive a special Antique-Classic membership card plus one additional card for one's spouse or other designated family member.

Membership in EAA is $15.00 per year which includes 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION. All mem­ bership correspondence should be addressed to: EAA, Box 229, Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130.

EDITORIAL STAFF Publisher ­ Paul H. Poberezny Assistant Ed itor ­ Gene Chase

Ed itor ­ Jack Cox Assistant Editor - Golda Cox

ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC DIVISION OFFICERS PRESIDENT ­ E. E HILBERT 8102 LEECH RD .

UNION . ILLINOIS 60180

VICE PRESIDENT J. R NIELANDER . JR .

P O. BOX 2464 FT . LAUDERDALE . FLA .

SECRETARY RICHARD WAGNER BOX 181 LYONS . WIS . 53148

TREASURER NICK REZI CH 4213 CENTERVILLE RD .

ROCKFORD . ILL. 61102

33303

DIVISION EXECUTIVE SECRETARY DOROTHY CHASE , EAA HEADQUARTERS THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE is owned exclusively by Ant ique Classic Aircraft. Inc. and is published monthly at Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130. Second Class Permit pending at Hales Corne rs Post Office. Hal es Corners. Wisconsin 53130. Membership rates for Antique Classic Aircraft, Inc. are $10.00 per 12 month period of which $7.00 is lor the subscription to THE VIN TAGE AIRPLANE . All Antique Classic Aircraft, Inc. members are required to be members of th e parent organization, the Experi mental Ai rc raft Assoc iation. Membership is open t o all who are interested in aVI.ation,

Postmaster: Send Form 3579 to Antique Classic Aircraft, Inc., Box 229, Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130 Copyright

~

1974 Ant ique Classic Aircraft, In c. All Rights Reserved

3

By Jack Cox

( Photo by Jack Cox)

The Bellanca 14-13 Cruisair. This aircraft is the subject of the story below. It was owned by the author from 1967 to 1969. It is now owned by Bryan Jones and B. R. Hyman of Greensboro, N. C.

When I learned to fly in 1956 there were two airplanes I had a burning desire to own ... a Luscombe 8A and a Bellanca Cruisair. Fortunately, I was destined to own an excellent example of each during the 1960s. Both lived up to all my expectations and I su ppose the highest personal compliment I could pay them is to state that out of the seven aircraft I have owned, those two are the only ones I would buy back if I could afford to own three airplanes (I like my present one, also).

My love affair with the Bellanca dated back a long time . The first Cruisair I ever saw was a brand new red and white one that was purchased shortly after World War II by a local aviator who based it at my hometown airport back in Asheboro, North Carolina. What a marvel that Bel­ lanca was to my grade school eyes! The only low wing retractable on a field otherwise populated with Cubs, Cruisers, Champs, T-Crafts, a Stearman, a Cessna 140 and a rag-tag BT-13, the sleek lines of the Cruisair easily made it the prestige airplane of the lot. And fast ! . . . well, someday I just had to have one of those' .

"Someday" turned out to be exactly 20 years later ­ the fall of 1967. N-74230 became the very proud possession of my wife and I, bu t only after the bittersweet experience of having to trade in my beloved Luscombe in order to afford the Bellanca.

N-74230 was a 1946 Bellanca 14-13 that had been con­ verted to the later model smaller outboard stabilizer fins and had a couple of gyro instruments added to the panel­ wind driven - otherwise, it was just about as it had left the factory in New Castle, Delaware two decades before.

There would be later " dash" versions - 14-13-2, 14-13-3, etc. - that would have such refinements as outside bag­ gage doors, wider stabilizers, increased power, etc., but little oJ' 230 was a "straight" 14-13. The baggage compart­ ment was a canvas sling accessible by pulling the back of 4

the rear seat forward . Other than for stowing my tie downs, it was never used the entire time I owned the plane. Being "stock" also meant it had a hand crank gear retracting mechanism and a free castoring tail wheel - just like a rubber tired bed castor and about as useful in a crosswind.

Because they were "different" and fast and somewhat rare - only about 400 Cruisairs were built - these little speedsters have generated a lot of aviation-type folklore down through the years, some of it without basis of fact as anyone who has owned one can tell you . It is a great airplane - but has its shortcomings and a liberal share of idiosyncrasies, which seem to further endear it to the tightly knit clan of Bellanca owners. Cruisairs are so thinly spread around the country that a lot of pilots have never had the opportunity to inspect one, so let's take a close look at myoid bird - from nose to tail.

If you had ordered a new Cruisair from the factory , you had a choice of two propellers - a wooden fixed pitch or a Koppers F-200 Aeromatic. The Aeromatic was a rather ingenious propeller that changed pitch automatically in re­ sponse to the load, angle of attack, and atmospheric var­ iables that acted upon it in different flight regimes. In good condition and properly lubricated - and below 7,000 or 8,000 feet - it worked well, giving a snappy climb and a smooth cruise. 230 had an Aeromatic that had just been overhauled by Univair, the present owners of the rights to the prop, that included two new blades. The blades, in­ cidentally, have to be bought in matched, balanced pairs to insure a properly functioning prop . . . and they are expensive. The nice, rounded spinner from Airtex in Morris­ ville, Pennsylvania fit perfectly and ran true ... but with­ out a front supporting plate, soon cracked out in the rear backing plate, necessitating purchase of a new back plate and spinner, because they, too, are a matched, balanced set! The F-200 has an AD note which requires an inspection

of the fluid level in the prop hub every 25 hours . This, however, is an insignificant item as it requires nothing more than a small Allen wrench and an occasional drop or two of Aeromatic Prop Fluid, available from Univair.

If you want to get into an all night argument on what kind of oil to run in the Aeromatic, just get two or three old­ time owners and get them going on the subject. I used the approved stuff and never had any problems.

Right behind the prop sat that big hunk of metal that is one of the most controversial parts of a Cruisair ­ the Franklin engine. It's either the best or the worst air­ craft engine ever, depending on which aviation "expert" you happen to strike up a conversation with - usually someone who has never flown behind one more than twice. Some will tell you it is a smooth running, economical engine and others will rave and rant about how hot it runs, how and why it came by the reputation of being a "Leaker" - oil, that is - and how you can't remove the plugs with­ out stripping out helicoils ... not to mention the profanity that will result from their memories of trying to remove and install the lower plugs. And then, there's the old chestnut about the "light cases." Some of this is fact , some fiction.

It is true that the lower plugs are hard to get to and if you allow a mechanic not familiar with Franklins to install a set of plugs, you could be in trouble. Continentals and Lycomings use 18mm plugs while the Franklin 6A4-150- B3 uses a smaller 14mm sparker that takes considerably less torque ... put 'em in to the torque values normally used on Continentals and Lycomings and you can be certain you will have stripped helicoils at your next annual.

The older Franklin engines got their somewhat shady reputation in the late Forties - for reasons that shouldn't have been. The first batch of about 350 6A4-150-B3s were sent ou t for installation on Stinsons and Bellancas ­ mostly Stinsons - with defective cylinders. Franklin offered replacement cylinders for $25 each and no further problems were experienced once the cracked ones were replaced - although the damage was done as far as repu­

tation was concerned. An ironic historical footnote is the fact that the early Continental C-145s had a similar prob­ lem, but for some reason now dimmed by the passage of time, this has long since been forgotten while Franklin still lives with th e sins of its youth.

The worst rap Franklin ever lived with was the over­ heating bit. In late 1945 and early 1946 every lightplane manufacturer was rushing frantically into production to cash in on the expected post war boom in general aviation.

Their biggest headache was getting parts and materials ­ the result being that many substitute war surplus compon­ ents were used until the wartime economy made the trans­ ition to peacetime production. One substitute item was a surplus oil temperature gauge installed in most early Stinsons and Bellancas. These were calibrated in Centi­ grade increments up to only 100 degrees - O.K. for most aircraft engines, but the close tolerance, hotter running Franklins had an oil temp redline of 110 degrees (C). The first long, near gross climbout on a hot day brought the needle right up to the gauge's 100 degree limit . . . or off the gauge! This sent panicked owners to their nearest shop to see what was wrong with their new engines ... and brought one of the sorrier aspects of human nature to the surface, to the everlasting sorrow of Franklin.

When World War II ended, thousands of aircraft mechanics were abruptly plopped back into civilian life. Many ... too many, as it turned out . . . tried to set up shops at the scores of little airports that sprang up during the heady days of 1946 and 1947 before the lightplane bubble burst in 1948. Some unscrupulous practices were common as these men found their businesses folding along with the lightplane market. In their last gasp attempts to stay sol­ vent, many saw the Franklin owners as sheep to be fleeced .

Knowing the engines were supposed to run hotter than Continentals and Lycomings and that the gauges did not read high enough, they nevertheless told owners that they had fried a head (or two, or three) and that the only sol­ (Photo by Jack Cox)

N74230 in 1967.

5

•

utlOn was a new set! This may have kept the wolf from the door for a few additional months for some, but it sent a great many Franklin owners away muttering under their breath .. . usually about how they would never own one of those blankety-blank Franklin engines again.

The 150 horse Franklin in my Bellanca had about 80 hours since a very complete major when I bought the plane. All six cylinders had been replaced along with fac­ tory pushrods, bearings, etc., etc. - about all that remain­ ed of the old engine was the case. All accessories had been overhauled, also. I put some 250 hours on the air­ plane over a two year period before I sold it, and during that time, the engine ran beautifully, it never leaked oil, got about 6 to 7 hours on a quart, started easily hot or cold and averaged about 10 gallons per hour at 75% power (where I always run it). Other than oil changes ever 20 hours and annual inspections, the only maintenance the Franklin ever needed was the replacement of one ignition lead wire.

I don' t know what else one could ask of an engine.

The Cruisair was built using materials and methods that Bellanca has always used - steel tube fuselage and all wood wings . The fuselage was a perfect example of the engineering approach of Giuseppe Bellanca . .. and I might as well stop right here and say that one of the great joys of owning a Bellanca product is that you become a part of the Bellanca legend, the Bellanca mystique - which entitles you to refer to the designer of your plane by his first name and to unrestricted retelling of "Giuseppe antecdotes. " Now, where was I? Oh yes, the Cruisair fuse­ lage shape. An oft-told "Giuseppe" tale is how he designed every major airframe component so that it lifted its own weight in flight. The huge airfoil shaped struts on the old high wing Pacemakers and Skyrockets are presented as evidence of this claim. The entire Cruisair fuselage is, in profile, an airfoil. The curved, flat upper surface alleg­ edly creates quite a bit of lift. It also is a perfect example of the Bellanca philosophy regarding streamlining. The front of the airplane, up to the windshield, is rounded, but from there on back to the tail, the fuselage is slab­ sided and angUlar. According to Giuseppe, you streamlined only that part that needed it, and the remainder was built in the simplest and lightest (and, therefore, the least ex­ pensive) method. This causes the Cruisair to look long and sleek from some angles - in profile, for instance - and boxy from others.

This changing from a rounded cross section at the' windshield to a rectangular section aft also caused the for­ ward visibility to be restricted somewhat due to the pinch­ ing in of the tube structure from bottom to the top of the forward cabin.

Stepping up on the right wing to enter the cabin put another spartan Bellanca touch at hand, literally. The hand hold is simply a section of the top fuselage longeron left uncovered so you can grab it and swing up onto the wing!

Opening the tiny and somewhat flimsy metal door and peering into the cabin, one is impressed with the, shall we say COZY (?) interior. The rear seat is a bench type and if you are about 5'6" or so, you will have just adequate head room . . . any taller and your noggin is in the head­ liner. Leg room is not bad for average sized persons.

The front seat has a bench bottom and two quaint little folding seat backs that are oval shaped on their top side.

The seat has two positions - adjustable by removing bolts and moving the whole seat in line with the other set of bolt holes. At 5'9", I needed the forward set of holes.

Getting into the pilot's seat was easy for me - reach in and grab one of the windshield tubes, swing in and over into the left seat. I did notice that some of my heftier friends had a little more trouble. Once seated, the Cruisair

6

was quite comfortable and visibility was good except over the middle of the quite rounded instrument panel. While taxiing, I had to occasionally grab one of those windshield tubes (handy jewels, they were) and hoist myself up so as to catch a peek over the nose.

The pre-war Cruisairs, the 14-9s and 14-12s, had dual stick controls, but the post war 14-13s had dual wheel controls. Somewhere along the line, the old kidney shaped pilot's wheel on my bird had been replaced with a Downer ram's horn . The right side had the old wheel, so I had one for authenticitY and one for comfort and flying ease ­ never could locate another Downer wheel.

74230 was equipped with a Narco Mark II and a newer Mark III, both of which worked well ... separately, but well. In 1946, no one, not even Guiseppe, could foresee the future demands that would be made on today's air­ craft electrical systems, so my bird was stuck with the factory installed 12 amp generator (!). 230 had an electric turn and bank, a Grimes retractable landing light installed in the belly, the two radios and, of course, position lights.

I used one radio at a time ... and everything went off when the Grimes came on!

The wheel control, rudder pedals with toe brakes, throttle and overhead trim handle were pretty conven­ tional, but some other cabin controls were . . . well, rather eccentric. The flap .handle, for example, is mounted on the floor so far up under the instrument panel that I had to duck my head completely out of the line of sight of the windshield to reach it. The handle had a small lever on top that had to be lifted to release the handle for move­ ment and lowered again to lock it into the new position.

Until one becomes accustomed to it, this is a very awkward series of motions, but it works. The flaps, incidentally, had three positions - the last, a drag-only 46°. When left out exposed to the wind, the flaps must be extended to their full 46° or else they will bang and flap in the breeze, resulting in structural damage. They are spring loaded in only one direction.

The fuel cut-off/tank selection system was also a dilly.

When you wanted to change tanks, you reached down be­ tween your legs, feeling along under the seat and down the main spar carry-through until you came to the simple, two position valve. With the valve arm in the straight up position you were on the right wing tank (20 gallons) and with it turned fo a left, horizontal position, you were on the left, 20 gallon wing tank. Sounds simple enough . . . until you learn that about an inch or so below the tank selector was an identical valve with the identical two positions for "fuel on" and "fuel off". It goes without saying that there have been a few "out of fuel" forced landings with Cruisairs that actually had lots of 80 octane left ... includ­ ing a former owner of 74230 who glided six miles and made it safely to an airport. I was told about this before I ever flew the bird solo and I ALWAYS felt for the first valve, then the lower one and back up to the top one before switching tanks. All my landings were by choice.

Just to the right of the fuel valves was the Cruisair's foremost conversational piece, the gear retraction crank.

You've heard all the jokes about Cruisair pilots ... how you can tell 'em by their ' heavily muscled right arm, etc., so we'll skip that. The crank is connected by bicycle chains to long screw jacks that slowly, tortuously pull the gear legs straight back and upward into the wing wheel wells . 32 turns, would you believe?? Actually, you can crank in some 36 to 38 turns, but you are wasting time and energy. Not tbo long after I bought 230, it had to be jacked up for r'eplacement of the oleo retracting cables and in running the gear up and down the mechanic and I discovered that 32 turns brought it as far up as it would

go and the extra 5 or so turns merely put a lot of tension on the system. The mechanical advantage you have in this screw jack system is incredible. If you make up the 1116 in. oleo retracting cables too short and attempt to retract the gear, these steel cables are snapped like cotton twine!

I've been told that if a Cruisair is bellied in, you can actu­ ally lift the airplane by cranking the gear down . Fortunate­ ly, I never had the occasion to try that! The gear warning system consisted of a light on the panel and, no kidding, a door bell that were actuated anytime the bird was throt­ tled below 1700 rpms with the gear in the retracted posi­ tion. These worked off micro switches attached to the gear legs. A mechanical back up gear warning device was a little metal tab that was attached to the gear leg and ex­ tended out through the upper surface of the left wing.

It had two color bands painted on it showing green when the gear was down and extending upward to expose red when the gear was up. Somehow, I trusted this direct linkage, mechanical device more than I did the electrics

Moving on back to the tail section, there was nothing unusual except, perhaps the little outboard plywood stabil­ izer fins. The story is that these assisted in spin recovery during certification, but I think their most memorable contribution has been to earn the Cruisair the moniker "Cardboard Constellation." The tail wheel has a solid rub­ ber tire and the fork is the lower end of an oleo that fits inside the tailpost of the fuselage. Cruisair pilots are very careful where they taxi because the tailwheel fork assem­ bly is heat treated and if you drop it into a chuckhole, you're going to hear some awfully expensive noises!

And now ... he-e-e-e-eres that famous Bellanca wing!

I don't think the wing of any lightplane in existence has ever had as much written about it as the Bellanca wing .

I'll just add to all the good things that are said about its flight characteristics by steadfastly maintaining their un­ varnished truth. The wing is all wood-spruce spars and ribs and covered with mahogany plywood. The surface received a layer of fabric to provide a base for the final rivetless,

(Photo by Jack Cox)

- even though it was only telling me that the left gem was working .

In the summer and with lots of good old clean axle grease coating the screw jacks, the gear cranked up and down easily enough. But the first cold day in the fall you attempted to raise the gear .. . boy, what a chore! The procedure then was to land, change into old clothes, get a little can of gasoline and an old toothbrush and clean the jack screws completely ... a horribly messy job! ... and then recoat them with a mixture of light machine oil and powered graphite . . . an even messier job, not to mention the greasy black streaks that blew back on your flaps the rest of the winter! But at least it made the gear easy to work during cold weather ... I should say, made it POSSIBLE to work the gear, because there was just no turning the crank with summer grease congealed on the jack screws by the cold to the consistency of moderately hardened concrete!

The Cruisair at its worst -showing the spraddle-/eg gear.

People used to ask the author if his gear was damaged!

See the text for the story on why the gear is splayed out as it is.

seamless finish. In addition to providing magnificent flight manners, the wooden wing provided my aviation friends with endless opportunity for such old jokes as, "If the termites ever stop holding hands, you'll lose a wing!"

"Cox doesn't dare fly through rain, 'cause his wings will warp" .. . ad infinitum. The best one, however, was the day I walked up to the plane and saw a business card stuck in the door. It belonged to the local Orkin Man and had a note scrawled on the back saying, "I will be available tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. to do your annual."

The only person in town with handwriting that bad was a certain Mooney owning doctor . . . the same one who was always offering me a tongue depressor to do a spar splice.

7

Now that you have learned far more than you ever wanted to know about the mechanics of a Cruisair, let's get aboard and go out and terrorize the local Chero­ kee and Musketeer population.

A walk around inspection includes the usual check­ points to determine if everything is full, firmly attached and/or pointing in the proper direction. I don't care how many times you walk around a Cruisair, you never get over noticing the spraddle-legged gear. Legend has it that the prototype 14-9 had a perfectly straight wing and after the initial test flight, the pilot complained to Giusep­ pe that his creation wasn't holding too much in the sta­ bility department, in fact, it would just as soon do knife edge flight as straight and level. Giuseppe is alleged to have pondered this for a moment, after which he decreed that 41/2 degrees of dihedral be cranked into the wings .

The landing gear was left unchanged, resulting in the splayed out stance the 14-9 and all its conventional geared progeny would assume from that time onward.

Back into the left seat, you reach across and close the cabin door, being careful to also lock the overhead latch that holds the part of the door that extends well into the cabin roof. The door is not too sturdy and is prone to leaking air if not carefully sealed around the edges.

Mine required an extra latch at the bottom rear to stop an annoying whistle while airborne.

To start the Franklin, you first reach down on the floor and start wobbling the wobble pump . . . three or four pounds of fuel pressure is adequate. The master switch and starter are identical toggle switches at the bottom edge of the panel. It helps to know which is which.

Mags to "Both", master on and flip on the starter.

The Franklin roars to life and is impressive in its six cylin­ der smoothness and its throaty baritone exhaust . . . not loud, just "meaner" sounding than 150 horsepower. Add power and begin to taxi - steering with the toe brakes.

Remember, there is no connection whatever between the tail wheel and the rudder pedals. The Cruisair wants to go straight ahead and is very easy to taxi except in a gusty, hard crosswind. Then you have to ride the brakes pretty hard, and they soon heat up and start slipping, and . .. it's decision time: (A) You decide the wind is simply too strong, so you taxi back to the ramp and live to fly another day, or (B) you bite the bullet, forge onward and hope that the wind gods will be taking a break when its time to land .

Your run-up to check the mags is done at 1500 rpm and on Franklins a 200 rpm drop is O.K. - a fact that raises a few eyebrows on pilots used to other engines. A full power check is out ofthe question, for the Hayes expander­ tube brakes are just plain inadequate to the task. It doesn ' t matter that they are in perfect mechanical condi­ tion - they are too small for a 1250 pound (empty) airplane.

O .K., yank on two notches of flap (20°), set the trim, check the controls for freedom, look for traffic and give her the needle. The bird accelerates rapidly with one or two aboard . .. and rather slowly near gross. You have the option of making a three point take off or getting the tail up - the Cruisair is eager to fly either way. Directional control is easy, even in a crosswind. Once you open the throttle, you have rudder control and that is all you need to keep it heading straight.

Once off at about 60 mph indicated, lower the nose slightly and let the airspeed build up to 85, then start a climb that maintains 85 - the most efficient climb speed.

Then, take a deep breath, lean forward, firmly grasp the gear handle and start cranking . . . down, forward, up, back and down again - just the opposite of the way you

8

think it ought to go!

Crank. Crank! 7, 8, 9 . . . Crank! .. . 12, 13, 14 ...

Crank! Never mind the flaps and wide open throttle ­ you can't hurt that Franklin. Crank! . . . 18, 19, 20 . . .

Crank! Lift that barge, tote that bale! . . . 24, 25, 26 . . .

Crank. Crank! Snatch a quick look ahead and around on the upstroke. Crank! ... 28, 29, 30, 31, 32. Home!

After sitting back for a few seconds to catch your breath, you go back to the task of managing your machine.

Slowly retract the flaps to the first notch and bring the power back to 2500 rpms for climb. If it is cool and you are lightly loaded, you will be climbing at 1000 fpm or slightly better - around 700 to 850 at gross.

When you reach your intended cruise altitude, level off, bring the power back to 2450 (75%), clean up the flaps and trim for about 140 indicated. 74230 would zip along all day at this setting, consuming about 10 gallons per hour. If you were above 3,000 feet you could start leaning and lower the fuel consumption some, but not much unless you really came back on the power. I like to go fast, so I always took the higher fuel consumption along with my top end cruise speed. The Franklin loves it.

Although I regularly humiliated the local Cherokees, Musketeers, Stinsons, older Navions, 172s, etc., the fastest thing about my Cruisair was the airspeed indicator. It seemed to be quite accurate on the low end, but lied like a dog on the top side. It indicated 140-142 at cruise power (2450 rpm), but late evening groundspeed checks over measured courses and formation flying with several mod­ ern aircraft proved it was actually doing around 133-135 mph. (Don;t talk to me about true airspeeds - all I'm in­ terested in are grou ndspeeds.)

On cross country flights, 1 flight planned for 120 mph block-to-block and except in unusual wind conditions, us­ ually made it on the nose. Most of my "unusual wind con­ ditions" were headwinds, naturally, but on a couple of oc­ casions I got lucky. Once 1 had a groundspeed of 175 mph on a short cross country from Charlotte, N. C. to Asheboro. All-in-all, not bad for 150 horsepower and a 20 year old airplane.

Once airborne, the Cruisair is truly in its element. I have been privileged to fly over 60 different types of light aircraft in my relatively brief flying career, and for me, nothing touches the Cruisair for just plain all-round good flying manners in the air. It is strictly an aileron airplane as soon as the wheels break the surly bonds of runway friction. Put your feet on the floor, you don't need them.

Rack the bird over and around in a very steep turn and watch the ball move just slightly as the turn is started, then move back to its center position as, feet on the floor, you turn and turn. First time Bellanca pilots can't believe it.

A lot has been written about the present day Bellanca Viking ailerons ... how light they are to the touch, how crisp in their response. My first ride in a Viking was during the time I owned the Cruisair and I thought its ailerons were heavy! Heavy, that is, until as we were slowing for landing, we went through the Cruisair's cruise speed range where the Viking's ailerons felt just about the same. The extra 60 Or 70 mph of speed of the Viking firmed up the feel of its ailerons as compared to the 135 mph Cruisair. (l was still greatly impressed with the Vik­ ing, however.)

Stalls in the Cruisair are a joke. Come back on the pow­ er, slowly come back on the wheel until it is to the rear stop ... and wait. On 74230 the speed would gradually bleed back to 45 indicated, at which point-the nose would sag a little, allowing the speed to build up again to 50 mph. Then the nose would rise until 45 was reached and the same sequence would begin. As long as you kept the

\

(Photo by Jack Cox)

baH centered , the darn thing would sit there all afternoon just nodding up and down between 45 and 50, never drop­ ping a wing, shaking or anything else. Of course, a fairly good sink rate would be building up while you were in ­ dulging in such fun and games. Also, if it was gusty andlor if you allowed the ball to get very far out, the bird would gently slide off on a wing - but all you had to do was release back pressure and it was flying again. At no time during all this did you ever lose aileron control.

As we head back toward the airport, let the nose down and build up some speed - don't worry too much, the red line is 216 and it takes some pretty hairy full power dives to get near that speed. The Cruisair is not that clean.

Entering the pattern, the first item of business is to plan your approach so as to have time to lower the gear.

In a crowded pattern, this can get exciting, but it has one advantage - it's awfully hard to forget to put the gear down when you are dreading all that effort! I always tried to enter the downwind leg early enough to crank those 32 turns and slow down to the 86 mph flap speed. Even after you' come back on the power, the Cruisair is hard to slow down. It gets down to around 100 mph and seems to want to just scoot along at that speed even with further pow er reduction - but get the gear coming out in the breeze and the speed starts coming down. There is an 18 to 20 mph difference at cruise with the rather dirty gear down.

Turning base and final and slowing down to around 70 to 75, you begin to feel that fabulous Bellanca B airfoil working for you. The Cruisair is as solid as a rock and control is excellent. I always waited until I had the runway made before pulling that last notch of flap - to 46°.

This really puts on the brakes and steepens the glide path somewhat - but not by Cessna standards. Then it happens.

The windshield of the Cruisair is mounted in an unusual manner. Most airplanes have a metal lip into which the windshield fits - both in the same geometric plane.

The bottom edge of the Cruisair windshield, however, is bent outward so that it lies flat when in place on the air­

This is the first Cruisair the author ever saw - as a 12 year old in 1946. Years later it taxied up and parked beside the author's 14-13. N-74232 is owned by B. R. Yelverton of Fremont, N. C.

plane. This results in a band of distortion about 1/2 in . wide across the entire base of the windshield. You wouldn't believ e what it looks like the first time you flare! Sud­ denly, the runway becomes a blur - sometimes you see four runways! All you have to do, of course, is sit up erect and look over the distortion line - and, brother, you do it in a 'hurry the first time. I got a chuckle out of the advice the previous owner gave me: "The first time you try to land it at night and see four rows of runway lights, be sure to land between the two middle ones." He was right.

Continuing your flare, you settle in three point at about 50 mph - maybe less. The roll out is easy with no tenden­ cy to do anything other than roll straight ahead. It is just as easy to wheel land ... in fact the Cruisair is about the easiest taildragger to land I ever experienced.

Now, friends, the previous paragraph applies IF winds are calm or are straight down the runway. Crank a good stiff crosswind into the equation, however, and you have a Bellanca of a different stripe. The owner's manual says, "Critical crosswind velocity beyond which take-off and landing become dangerous is approximately 20 mph." I can't agree fully with that. .. I never had any problem on take off. Just open the throttle and get the prop blast hitting the rudder and you're in full control. Landing is something else.

The Cruisair has such good low speed control that you can fly it down to touchdown in a pretty stiff crosswind - considerably more than 20 mph. The problem comes when you start slowing down and begin to lose rudder control and have to depend solely on the brakes for di­ rectional control. They just can't hack it. The plane will begin to weathervane into the wind and "full opposite everything" simply won't hold it straight. Get on the pow­ er, fly it ou t and find yourself a runway into the wind.

9

Even if yo u get the bird down in a bad crosswind, you may have trouble getting to the ramp. I have taxied back down a runway making one 360 0 after another to stay on th e pavement. Exciting.

So, there you are ... myoid Bellanca , warts and all.

I have emphasized the critical aspects more than those that are favorable, but, remember, I loved that little bird. All its little quirks vanish like the last snowflakes of spring when weighed against the plane's good points.

Also, bear in mind that I have been describing my exper­ iences in one airplane only, N74230. This necessarily must

take into consideration my own shortcomings as a pilot as well as those of my particular airplane. For instance, my only real criticisms of the Cruisair are the lack of adequate brakes, th e need for a steerable tailwheel and a generator with a greater output. There are disc brake kits, steerable tailwheel setups and, of course, a wide range of generators that can be installed. I just had too much fun flying the plane to stop long enough to have th ese things done. The men who bought 74230 from me, incidentally, installed a steerable tail wheel and say it helps treme ndous­ ly in crosswind landings.

A LITTLE BELLANCA LORE

lowing New Castle, Delaware-built Bellancas are still ac­ tive:

14-9 ... . ..... . .................. .. ... 12

14-12 .................... ... .......... 1

14-12F3 .. ........... .. ... .... ......... 4

14-13 ....... .. ...................... 100

14-13-2 .. ... ........................ 180

14-13-3 ....... .......... .. ... . ....... 25

14-19 ................................. 5

14-19-2 ....... ... .. . ...... . ......... . . 6

14-19-3 ............................... 4

14-19-3A .................... . .. ...... 28

There never were many New Castle Bellancas - that is, Bellancas built by Guiseppe Bellanca's small company in Delaware. All the old high wing Bellancas - the Pace­ makers, Skyrockets, etc. built during the 205 and 30s were virtually hand built by today's production standards. The low wing Bellanca, that through quite an evolutionary process lives today as the Bellanca Viking, was designed in the late 19305. It started life as a light 2-3 place job with a radial engine (see pictures) and it is a real tribute to the basic design that so much "stretchability" was in­ herent in its steel tube fuselage and wooden wing.

During the Korean War period Mr. Bellanca sold the rights to the 14-19 series. Most 14-19s and all the tri­ gear Bellancas were built in Minnesota by Downer and the present Bellanca company. As far as we can tell, the fol­ (EAA Photo)

This is what the low wing Bellanca looked like in the beginning. This isa 1940 Ken Royce powered 14-9, owned

by Val Banes of Monett, Missouri.

TOTAL ............................. 365

So as you can see, the world of Bellanca owners is a small one, indeed. In the beginning, I mentioned the first Cruisair I ever saw, a red and white 14-13 at Asheboro in 1946-47. That airplane was soon sold and I never heard of

WAltARD F. SCHMITT

':02.7 ROCKY R1VER DR. NO. 2~

C·L-EVEL.AND, OHIO 44138

it again. Twenty years later, I owned 74230 ... and one Sunday afternoon my wife and I landed at the airport at Chapel Hill, N. C. Just behind us landed another 14-13.

It taxied right up and parked beside my bird. The first thing I noticed was that its N-number was N74232 _ just two digits away from mine. Most amazing, however, was the discovery that this was the same Bellanca that was at Asheboro in 1946 - the one that had inspired my ambi­ tion to own a Cruisair in the first place! Wonder what I would have thought, a 12 year old kid drooling over that Bellanca, if someone had told me that years later I would own the plane that was just two places up the production line fronl the red and white one?

A brief rundow~ on the New Castle-built low wing Bellancas is as follows: Mode/14-9 - Introduced in 1939. ATC No. 716. Two to three place. Powered by a 90 hp. Ken Royce 5F radial engine. Cruise 115. Empty weight, 943 pounds. Wing load­ ing, 10.5 pounds/sq. ft. 12 left - many converted to op­ posed engines.

Mode/ 14-12 - Basically same airframe as 14-9. Pow­ ered by 120 hp. Franklin 6AC-264. Empty weight 1195.

Wing loading 11.7 pounds/sq. ft. Stick control as in 14-9.

3-4 place. 5 left, several updated to 150 Franklin.

Model 14-13 - Cruisair Sr. Four place, powered with 150 hp. Franklin 6A4-15D-BC. Wheel control. Airframe still basically same as previous models. Identifying feature is

oval shaped stabilizer fin whereas 14-9 and 14-12 had kidney shaped fins. 14-13-2 and 14-13-3 had improvements such as outside baggage door, wider stabilizer and small fins. Empty weight approximately 1200 pounds. Wing load­ ing 13.00 pounds/sq. ft. ATC No. 773.

Mode/ 14-19 - The first major redesign of the 14 series. Powered by a 190 hp. Lycoming 043SA. Called the Cruisemaster. Much faster - and heavier - than Cruis­ air. 1525 pounds empty. Change from manual flaps and gear retraction to hydraulic system. Beefed up airframe ­ redesigned wing with fewer ribs and 1/8 inch plywood skin. Hydraulic prop. Would indicate 170 mph. The rights to the 14-19 were sold in the middle 50s. The 14-9, 12 and 13 rights apparently still belong to the Bellanca family.

Giuseppe Bellanca died on December 26, 1960 in New York City. His son, August, is presently involved with the development of an all plastic, high performance personal plane.

BELLANCA CLUB There is a national Bellanca Club that prints a month­ ly newsletter, The Bellanca Pilot. This group welcomes owners of all models of Bellancas and enthusuasts of this great line of lightplanes. For further information, contact: The Bellanca Pilot, P. O. Box 9185, Santa Rosa, California 95405.

(Photo by Jack Cox)

A 1941 14-12F-3 now being restored by Kelly Viets of Stilwell. Kansas. Kelly is also the leader of the Ercoupe clan.

(Ph o to by Jack Cox)

Above . A 14-19 Cruisemaster owned by Richard Belush of Holton , Indiana .

(Pho to by Jack Cox)

Below. The 14-19-2 Cru isemaster owned by Big Jim Peale of Warner Robins, Ga. , EAA Designee extraordinaire!

This is the so-called " 230 Bellanca ", the speedster that made a shambles of the Powder Puff Derby a few years ago . Perhaps the most desirable of all the conventional gear Bellancas .

( Photo By L ee Fray)

The Curtiss "Jenny" project on display in the EAA Air Education Museum . Bob Ladd checks the fit of the fin .

REBIRTH OF A "JENNY" ...

By George Hardie

"Jenny Was No Lad y" asserts Jac k Lincke, who re­ cently published a book with that title. According to Lincke "she was cantanke rous and unpredictable a nd , by today's standards, a hybrid, a frea k. But s he fl ew ." In spite of thi s dubiou s re puta tion th e Curtiss IN -4 " Jenn y" beca me one o f the best known airplan es in America n aviatio n history, exce pting the orig inal Wri ght " Flyer" a nd Lind­ berg h's " Spirit o f St. Lo uis."

The IN-4 m odel w as the fo urth d esig n in th e IN series . The desig n originated wh e n th e bes t fea tures of two earlier Curtiss models, the J a nd the N, we re com­ bined into a new model, th e IN . What was m ore natural than th e nickna me " Je nny" for this ne w d esig n, and the nam e stuck. The gen eology of the early Curtiss aircra ft which evolved into the IN-4 series is too complica ted for explanatio n h ere. Fo r those who wis h to d elve fur ­

the r, refere nce is made to Pro fil e No. 37 on th e IN-4

by Peter M. Bo w ers, a nd Volum e 3 of U. S. Milita ry Air­ craft by Robert Casari .

Of aU the " Je nny" seri es - from IN to IN-6H - th e m os t numerou s produ ced was the IN-4D model. A total o f 1404 were built by the Curti ss compan y, a nd ano the r 1260 by fiv e oth er compa ni es under contract. An additi o nal 680 were built by the Canadia n Curtiss Co. - these w ere kno wn as IN-4C an - " Canuck" and diffe red from the Am erica n Curtiss IN-4D mainl y in h aving ailero ns on bo th upper a nd lower wings and a rudd er of different shape.

The IN-4 a nd IN-6 series w ere used as primary trainers in World War 1. M any famou s pilots got their ba ptis m o f flig ht in a "Jenny" , bo th during and after th e w ar.

Th e fam e of the " Je nny" ma y be said to be du e more to its pos t- war achievem e nts than its military use. Wh e n w ar­ s urplus s toc ks w ere mad e availa ble to civilia ns, bra nd new "Jennies" w ere sold comple te, s till in original cra tes, fo r as littl e as $250.00 . Hundreds of war-trained pilo ts - and oth ers - s na pped up these bargains and set out ac ross the cou ntry o n barns to rming to urs, flying a t fairs, passe n­ ger ho pping o ut of farm fields, and any other fl ying jobs

13

(Photo By Dick Stouffer)

The unrestored Curtiss OX -5 engine. Note the original nameplate ahead of the right bank of cylinders.

that opportunity offered. Inevitably, these haphazard op­ erations led to disasters and finally in 1928 the " Jenny" was outlawed as unsafe to fly. Many were stored in barns to await the .day when the own er could modernize the craft to meet the new standards. That's where EAA's "Jenny" was found.

The origin of the Curtiss IN-4D "Jenny" presently being restored by the EAA Air Education Museum is obscure.

The airplane was donated by Mr. and Mrs. Foster Hanna­ ford, Sr. of Winnetka, Ill, as a memorial to their son, Foster Hannaford, Jr. in November, 1972. That the aircraft had been stored for many years in a barn loft can be as­ certained by the accumulation of dust and droppings , plus the dis tinctive "old barn" odor. Wh at its previous history is, or even where it was discovered, is not known at this time.

Upon acquiring the aircraft the first step was to in ­ ventory the parts to determine what was missing. Then Bill Hodges, Assistant Director of the Museum, sent out letters to all known sources who might supply the miss­ ing parts, or know of other sources. The result of this effort is detailed in a separate list included with this article. Some parts are sti ll needed, as indicated in the list. But the fact that so much help has been offered is a tribute to the many generous EAA members who have cooperated to make this possible.

14

President Paul Poberezny decreed at the outset that the airplane would be restored to an airworthy condition in as near its original s tate as possible. Robert Ladd, who has had considerable experience in resoration work, took over the project in January, 1973. His first task was to restore the fuselage structure. The quality of his work is evident in the series of photos shown here.

Progress has been steady, although a t times interrupted for various reasons. Typical of th e problems encountered was th e building of a new rudder and fin. This aircraft had the wooden type of construction of the tail surfaces and the only detail drawings on h and show the metal version. Using details from the draWing shown in Model Airplane News draw n by Joe Nieto from dimensions taken from an original in Indiana by Bergen Hardesty, Bob Ladd was able to cons truct a duplicate structure. But the p rob­ lem of fastening the fin was elu sive. After much search, a rigging drawing was loca ted from which it was possible to d educe the probable type of fastening used. Thus a reasonable duplication of the original method was arrived at and work could continu e.

As of this date much remains to be done. All wing panels must be entirely re-worked, a ted ious undertaking.

The missing right aileron must be co nstr ucted, using the left one as a reverse pattern. All rigging wires must be replaced and all wi ng fittings restored to original condi­ tion or new ones made. A major task is the complete re­ building of the Curtiss OX-S en gine. This is a genuine Curtiss, not the Willys Motors version built under contract during the war. Each step of the restoration requires care­ ful and thorough preparation if th e work is to meet th e high s tandards demanded by President Poberezny. This takes time and consequ en tl y no special schedule has been set. But whe n the project is completed, this Curtiss IN-4D "Jenny" will be a n authentic example of this famous airplane.

All of thi s wou ld not be possible with ou t some very important people. These are listed under the " List of Do ­ nors" who have made financia l contributions to the Cur­ tiss Jenny Fund to provide the money to carry out the restoration work. Their gen erous assistance is making pos ­ sible the additio n of thi s very significant air plane to the growing coll ection of hi s toric aircraft in the EAA Air Edu­ cation Musuem. Young generations will be able to see for th emselves a full-si ze example of one of America's most famo us aircraft. Continuing contributi ons to the fund will assure completion of the proj ect to the highest stand­ ards. Your donation will help.

List of Donors of Missing Parts

Vertical Fin - Built and donated by Ken Hyde, Vir­ ginia Aviation Co ., Warrenton , Va .

Rudder: - Built in the EAA Air Education Museum shops by Robert Ladd.

Landing Gear Axle: - Original axle, hub cap and wing attach pin loaned for duplication by Robert McDaniels, Naperville, III .

Hub Caps & Wing Attach Pins - Duplicated and do­ nated by James Green , Pensacola, Fla. Tires and Tubes - Purchased from Universal Tire Co., Elizabethtown , Pa .

Center Section - Two donated by Bill Roberts and Jack Faith, Grand Prairie, Tex .

Wing Strut - To be supplied by Marion McClure, Bloomington , III .

Flying and Landing Wire Fittings - To be supplied by Bill Roberts, Grand Prairie , Tex. Radiator - To be supplied by Young Radiator Co. , Racine, Wis .

· Airworthy Prope/ler - Built and donated by Ole Fah­ Itn , Sunnyvale, Calif.

Blueprints - Loaned by Andy Anderson, Mansfield, Mo .: Loaned by Air Force Museum, Dayton , Ohio ; Do­ nated by Gordon Codding, Lawndale, Calif. ; Microfilm loaned by Robert McDaniels, Naperville, /II .

Photos - Donated by Mrs. Pat Friedman , Highland pa~k, III.; Donated by Museum of SCience and Industry, Chicago , III .; Donated by Ken Hyde ,- Warrenton , Va .

List of Sources - Leonard Opdyke, World War I Aero­ planes, Poughkeepsie , N. Y.; Paul Knepper, Macungie , Pa .

List of Donors to the Curtiss Jenny Fund James Wilson , Jr. , Lake Geneva , Wis .

The Lester Corporation , Martinsville, Va .

Diane Kline , Clarendon Hills, fII. (I n memory of Neal Kline) Roy Lain, Wrightwood , California Richard Wagner, Lyons, Wisconsin Kermit Weeks , Miami, Florida

Bob Ladd (left) and Char­ lie Smith of the EAA shop' staff plan the restoration of the fuselage turtle deck.

CharlieworkedonJennies early in his career.

(Photo B y Lee Fray)

Bob Ladd starts the restoration of the fuselage turtle deck.

~

BEFORE

and AFTER

,

(PhotQ by Ted Kaston)

1928 Star Cavalier owned by Forrest Lovley of Apple Valley, Minnesota.

Golden Oldie Of The Month

THE STAR CAVALIER The amazing late '20s sales success of the Velie Mon­ ocoupe spurred a great number of competing designs ­ all hoping to grab off their share of the "Lindbergh Boom" market. The fact that Lucky Lindy had made his New York to Paris flight in a high wing, closed cabin job broke down a great deal of the pilot prejudice of the date for anything other than an open cockpit, tandem air­ plane. A virtual wave of little two to four place cabin planes resulted. One was the Star Cavalier, an offering of the Star Aircraft Company of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Most of the officers and directors of Star were also directors of the Phillips Petroleum Company of Bartlesville, a fact that was subtly used to imply tinancial solvency for the new con­ cern. Unfortunately, this did not make a great deal of dif­ ference, for after the stock market crash in 1929 plunged the country into the Great Depression, finding solvent cus­ tomers was the REAL problem.

Following is the initial nationwide publicity release on the Star Cavalier- it appeared in the October 27, 1928 issue of Aviatio n magazine.

Production on the "Cavalier" cabin monoplane is to be started in the near future by the Star Aircraft Co., Bar­ tlesville, Okla. The Cavalier is a two place, externally braced, high wing type of conventional design and is powered with a five cylinder Velie engine developing 45 hp at 1750 rpm. It is intended primarily to be used for business and pleasure by private owners.

The plane was designed by E. A. Riggs, chief engineer of the company, and " Billy" Parker, vice-president and gen­ eral manager. Successful test flights were held last August and showed the plane to have a maximum speed of 105 mph, a cruising speed of 87 mph and a landing speed of 38 mph. the rate of climb is 800 £pm ., and the service ceiling 12,000 ft. During the tests, the plane took off in calm air in 200 ft. and landed under the same conditions in 150 ft. It attained an altitude of 6,500 ft. in 10 mins . The plane has a wing span of 31 ft . 6 in., and overall height of 6 ft. 3 in. and an overall length of 19 ft. 8 in. Its weight with engine and fully equipped, is 740 lbs. The useful load is 575 lbs.

17

GOLDEN OLDIE OF THE MONTH No departure from standard practice is found in the general construction of the Cavalier. The fuselage and tail group are welded chrome molybdenum steel tubing and the wing structure is of wood. Both are fabric covered.

Routed one piece spruce spars are used with ample fillets at all fitting stations and spruce truss ribs with plywood gussets are employed in the wing construction. Round Macwhyte tie rods are used in the internal bracing. The wing is divided into two panels set at a slight dihedral angle. The spars are connected by heavy gauge tubes across the top of the fuselage. These tubes are provided with strong lip fittings to receive the spar ends. They lie completely above the longerons and are rigidly attached by welding. Two 13 gal. gasoline tanks are built into the wing roots and the drag stresses in the bays containing the tanks are carried into the fuselage through diagonal grained plywood panels secured to the front and rear spars and to strong box ribs at the ends of the bays.

A heavy tubular diagonal cross truss in the upper bay of the fuselage takes the drag stresses and at the same time serves as one of the units of a cantilever arrange­ ment which eliminates the necessity of cross bracing in the cabin. A similar unit is used in the lower trussing of the fuselage . Particular attention has been given to the design of the lower fuselage trussing, and the cross tubes are of ample diameter and gauge. This is especially true of the front tube, which is subjected to high compression loads.

The wing struts are built up of a number of chrome molybdenum steel tubes of different diameters, welded at the ends, producing a streamline strut section. Nickel steel screw adjustment fittings are employed at the lower ends of the struts and the fuselage fittings are of chrome molybdenum steel. A single bolt through the spar takes the entire load at each fitting point and is so placed as to eliminate eccentric loading at these points. Another factor, which contributes to the elimination of eccentric loading, is the position of the struts in the same vertical plane as their respective spars. The shear bolts at both strut ends are of government specification nickel steel and are interchangeable.

Standard automobile practice is employed in the in­ terior finish of the cabin, which is upholstered in velour, and has accommodations for pilot and passenger seated side by side. Controls are brought to the left seat, which is intended for the use of the pilot. Good visibility is provided in all directions. Instruments include a tachometer, oil gauge, oil thermometer, and altimeter. A strainer and the shut-off valves for the gasoline line are placed within easy reach of the pilot. Dual controls may be installed when it is desired to use the plane for instruction. All un­ necessary parts have been eliminated from the control system. Ailerons are hinged at the top and are actuated by a push-pull rod attached at the bottom. The rod is operated from a bell crank just behind the rear wing spar.

18

Elevators are mounted on a single torque tube having a crank inside the vertical fin. Conventional horns and cables are used in the rudder control.

Landing gear is of the split axle type with a 5 ft. 6 in. tread. The tail skid consists of a steel leaf spring secured just below the tail post.

The Star Aircraft Co. is well financed . All but three of the officers and directors are also directors of the Phillips Petroleum Co. The Star Company is, however, a private enterprise with ample funds for unlimited expansion.

Specifications of the Cavalier as submitted by the manufacturer are as follows: Wing Span ... . .............. 31 ft. 6 in.

Overall length ...... .. ....... 19 ft. 8 in.

Overall height .......... ... . .. 6 ft. 3 in.

Chord . .. . .. ... . .. .. .. . .. . . . .. 5 ft. 1 in.

Wing area (including ailerons) . 157 sq. ft.

Aileron area . . ........... . .. 17.85 sq. ft.

Rudder area .. .. .. . ....... .. . 6.5 sq. ft.

Fin area . . . .. ... . ... ....... .. . 3.7 sq. ft.

Stabilizer area .. .. .. . ........ 12.8 sq. ft.

Elevator area .... .. ........ . .. 8.8 sq. ft.

Weight without engine . ... . ..... 476 lbs.

Weight with engine and equipment 740 lbs.

Useful load ...... . .. . ........... 575 lbs.

Wing loading .................. 8.31 lbs.

Power plant ............ . . ... . .. . 45 h p.

(Velie M-5, 5 cylinder air cooled) Fuel capacity ................... . 26 gal.

Oil capacity .... .. . . ....... . ...... 3 gal.

Propeller . .......... Hartzell or Hamilton Control ... .. ............. . ......... Stick Performance

Maximum speed ............... 105 mph Cruising speed . . ... . ...... . . .. .. 87 mph Landing speed ...... . ........... 38 mph Climb (full load) . ....... 800 ft. per min.

Climb in 10 min. . .............. 6500 ft.

Service ceiling ... ... . . ... ... ... 12,000 ft.

Fuel consumption . . ..... 6 gal. per hour Oil consumptioJl ..... 1.25 pints per hour Take off in dea\l calm within ..... 200 ft.

Land in dead calm within .. .. .... 150 ft.

The FAA lists four Star Cavaliers on their Registry today: Nl4860 owned by Forrest Lovley of Apple Valley, Minnesota (pictured above); N31N, a Cavalier D, owned by Van L. Hartman of Hayes, Kansas; N219E, a Cavalier E, owned by H. N. "Dusty" Rhodes of Denver, Colorado; and N350V, a Cavalier E, registered to the Greater Okla­ homa City Chapter of AAA, Mustang, Oklahoma.

N350V is a Chapter project and is slowly being restored to flying condition. The Oklahoma City Chapter has what was left of the old Star Aircraft Company.

Can anyone provide any more information on Cava­ liers and the Star Company?

AROUND THE ANTIQUE/

CLASSIC WORLD

Ralph Sawvell, 1846 Quail Hollow Rd., Dayton, Ohio

45459, telephone 513-434-8505, has an excellent Curtiss Reed No. 55511 prop (165 Warner) to sell or trade for an 8 8 ft., 20 spline Curtiss Reed No. 55501 (245) Jacobs, Con.).

He is about ready to fly his cabin Waco and lacks a propeller.

Rumor Has It, that there is an airplane (type unknown) on

top of a Mobile gas station at the corner of Higgens and Menard in Chicago l - Ted Swigon, Chicago, Ill.

Dear Paul Poberezny and Jack Cox ... Plus all the rest that are doing so well tJ:1e great job with our old airplane history that has to be done.

I am very grateful and appreciate the nice article that H. Glenn Bu ffington and you are responsible for. Have had many letters, messages and compliments of its interest.

Wishing you all the best for the Holidays and the New Year.

Respectfully yours, Edna Gardner Whyte, R. N. Aero-Valley Airport, Inc. Rt. 2, Box 15, Roanoke, Texas 76262

Gentlemen: Being a proud member of EAA for the past four years I wish to join the Antiqu e-Classic Division and continue to help promote sport flying. For this period of time I have been an active pilot and have attempted to fly as many of the great aircraft of the past as possible. Recently, I earned my A&P license and am emp loyed in an active mainten足 ance shop, working on everything from J-3's to DC-3's.

But, I must admit I enjoy working on the antiques the most, for example, a Fairchild PT-26 or a mint J-3. In the near future I hope to gain access to a number of antique aircraft which I discovered in the proverbial farmer's chicken coop.

Numbering eleven in all and comprising such types as: Curtiss Robin, Fairchild KR-34, Curtiss Junior, Aeronca C-3 and 7-AC, PT-19, UPF-7, Stinson 10-A and J-3- they rep足 resent some of the best.

I wi ll keep you informed of any progress.

Thank you and keep up the good work.

Respectfully, Gary Lampman 100 Glebe St. Johnstown, N. Y. 12095

Hi Buck, I am sending you a picture of my Taylorcraft for your files. I have twin boys - 15 years old. They can handle it pretty good. I hope they can solo the same day w hen they are sixteen.

The magazine is very good ... am waiting for the next one.

Robert N. Gibson 107 Park St. Point Marion, Pa. 15474

CALENDAR OF EVENTS JU NE 13-16 - TULLAHOMA, TENNESSEE - National Staggerwing Club Fly-ln. Contact w. C. "Dub" Yarbrough, Lannom Mfg. Co. , Box 500, Tullahoma, Tennessee 37388.

JULY 31 - AUGUST 6 - -OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN - NEW DATES 足 22nd Annual EAA International Ay-In Convention. Largest and best Antique and Classic gathering anywhere. Make your plans and res足 ervations early.

Back Issues Of The Vintage Airplane

Limited numbers of back issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE are available at .50c each. Copies still on hand at EAA Headquarters are: December 1972 - SOLD OUT January 1973 February 1973 - SOLD OUT March 1973 April 1973 - SOLD OUT May 1973 - SOLD OUT

June 1973

July 1973

August 1973

September 1973

October 1973

November 1973

December 1973

19

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