VP-Vol-2-No-3-Mar-1974

WILLARD F. SCHMITT

402.7 ROCKY RIVER DR. NO. ~2

~U:V~L.ANO.. OHIO 44135

(Photo by Ted Ka ston)

THE PRESIDENT'S PAGE

By E. E. "Buck" Hilbert

President, Antique-Classic Division

SPIN, LOOP AND ROLL ... MORE INFORMATION As announced in the last issue, we will participate in the lAC Division invitational Spin, Loop and Roll Contest. A few details on the judging criteria: Altitude and size of the box in which to complete the maneuvers will be thoroughly explained later, but as for right now, minimum altitude is 1500 AG, maximum 3500 AG. Position for beginning the sequence - in relation to the judges; s pin to the side, loop in.. front of them, and the roll to the opposite of starting side. We'll be judged on a scale of 0 to 10. 10 is perfect. Coefficient of difficulty for spin (1 turn) 10. Loop 10, roll 10, and positioning 10. This doesn't sound too hard for us amateurs .

I'm kinda lookin' forward to it. Hope there are some enthusiasts out there who feel the same way.

WHO WILL MIND THE STORE? This year the Antique-Classic Division will take on some added responsibility during the Convention. We are going to need bodies, some dedicated ones to show up three or four days ahead of time and get the place ready to go. Our judges will take care of themselves.

We will have expanded categories this year, with a little more attention and priority attached to originality. But we need all sorts of other types to help out. Security for one. Maintenance men, too, and the ever present wing runners and airplane parkers. I also hope we can take over our own Antique and Classic registration duties, so we need people to hack away at that too.

A new wrinkle this year will be the display and flights of a selected few museum aircraft. We need ground crews, talking guides, security and interested parties to oversee this facet of the opera tion. This represents a real step forward insofar as the Museum Founda足 tion is coming out of the shadows and actually participating in the Convention activities this year. We, the Division, will do all we can to effectively display these aircraft and items from the museum . We'd like everyone to be aware of the Museum, the largest privately owned collection of aircraft in the world. The only way we can do it is to display them , get them out there for the people to see.

So let's get out there early, I'll be there, and I'll be there after most of you have gone home.

See you then . . .

2

PlA~f

VOLUME 2 -

(Photo by Ted Koston)

MARCH 1974

NUMBER 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS

You'll Never G et It Done, G eorge . .. George Stubbs . ......... . ..... . . .. . .. . . . .. .. .......... .4 Reminiscing With Big Nick .. . ....... ... . . . . ...... . ... ....... WILl-ARDE ' SCHMf . . ... .. . . . . .9 General Skyfarer . .. Jack Cox .. .. . . . .... .. ... . .. .... . ·4oe7 'ROCKY RiVER: . ... ... .. .. . . . . . . .11 1912 Bellanca ...... . . ... . .. . .. . .. . . .......... . .. . . . .. .. . . . ·:CL~Q.i r::)Hlg:,t:3~. :i!-~.· · .·· .13 the Flynal Fall Fly-In . .. Buck Hilbert .. .. . . ..... . ... .. . .... . .. . ­..- .-. "' .. . .,........... . '......... .14 More Touroplane Goodies .. ........ . . . . . . .. .. . .. . ... . ... . ..... . . . . .. ..... . ...... . .. .... ... .. . .16 Around The Antique-Classic World .. . .. . . . . . . .... . .. . ........ .. ....... . ........ . . ...... . . .. ...18 BACK COVER •.. Tiger Moth!

Photo by Ted Koston

ON THE COVER ••• George Stubb s' beautiful Gu/lwing.

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 GAR W . WILLIAMS , JR . g S 135 AERO DR ., RT. 1 NAPERVILLE , ILL . 60540

33303

DIVISION EXECUTIVE SECRETARY DOR OTHY CHASE , EAA HEADQUARTERS THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE is owned exclusively by Ant ique Classic Airc ra ft . In c. and is pu bl is hed mo nthly at Hales Corners, Wisco nsi n 53 130. Seco nd Class Pe rmit pen d ing at Hales Corn ers Pos t O ff ice. Hates Corne rs . Wisconsin 53 130. Mem be rship rates f o r Ant iq ue C laSSIC Aircraft , In c. are $ 10.00 per 12 mo nth period of wh ich $7.00 is fo r the sub sc ri ption t o THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE . All Antiq ue C lassic Ai rcra ft . Inc . me mbers are req ui red t o be members of the parent organ izati o n. th e Experimental Ai rcraft Assoc iati on . Membership is open to all who are interested in aVI,ation.

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

~

1974 Antique Classic Airc raft, Inc. All Rights Reserved

3

(Photo by Ted Koston)

"YOU'LL NEVER GET IT DONE, GEORGE!" George E. Stubbs (EAA 41870, Ale 17)

Stubbs Aviation Services, Inc .

Speedway Airport, Griswald Rd.

R. R. 18, Box 127

Indianapolis, Ind . 46234

The love and admiration for a type of antique airplane sometimes originates long before the actual acquisition, as was the case with Stinson Reliant SR-10G , NC-21135足 Reserve Grand Champion Award win ner at Oshkosh 1973 Fly-In. During my hi gh sc hool years in the middle 30's, I had built many models of Stinsons from the SM8A up to the 9 and 10 Gullwings. As a matter of fact, I built models for 4

pay in order to help finance some of my high school ex足 penses .

But it wasn ' t until the year of 1939 that I had the oppor足 tunity to fly in one of th ese fine airplanes. I met Colonel Roscoe Turner on e afternoon at Weir Cook Airport in Indianapolis, bought a ticket for -a sigh t-seeing ride in his SR-9, an d he let me fly it from the right side. This created two desires in my life: first, I wanted to fly; and second,

I wanted to own a Gullwing Stinson. The Air Force helped on the first desire, by teaching me to fly during World War II. It took over 30 years for the second .

While flying with Colonel Turn er, I found him to be the most interesting man I had ever talked to, and from that time on, I made a p est of myself in order to talk to him about flying and the Stinson airplanes. We became very good friends, and after WWII, the Colonel fou nded Turner Airlines and I became his lead mec hanic. In 1947 he sold the last of his Gullwings, and seeing the new owner clinlb in and flyaway was like losing an old friend .

The determination to own a Gullwing increased over the years, but it wasn't until 1969 that I had my opportun­ ity. My good friend, Bob Younkin , ad vertised an SR-I0 for sale in Fayetteville, Arkansas. A twin engine familiariza­ tion ride with our Chief Pilot was incorpora ted into a trip to Fayetteville for ins pection . Bob and I walked over to the bar n where NC-21135 was stored. This was th e moment­ and after a quick -exa minatio n, Bob Younkin had a d eposit on thi s airplane, minus engine.

A month later Steve Brow n, one of our mechanics, and I made a pilgrimage to Fayetteville with a trailer com­ plete with come-alongs, chains, cables, ropes, s pare tire and enthusiasm. We arrived at Fayetteville at ten o'clock in the morning and, much to our dismay, realized this bird was much too big for a 26 x 8 foot trailer. We loaded the fuselage and wings - to the disappointment of many of th e chickens who had adopted this airplane as their home ­ and trudged back to Indianapolis, and unloaded said mass of tubing, wood, and fabric into a hangar. Two da ys later we made another trip and picked up the tail surfaces, landing gear and many extra parts that Bob threw in to tr y and give us a complete airplane.

Many people surveyed our pile of SR-I0 with th e comment, "You'll never get it done", but when one ad­ mires this airplane as long as I did, comments of this type only increase your determina tion . Being an A&E and AI doesn't hurt the chances of thi s type of restoration, either.

From the beginning, all of us who were going to work on the restoration were in complete agreement that this would be a true restoration - back as nearly as possible to the exact configuration when new - no plastics, no synthetic or miracle fabrics - just leather, wool, linen and butyra te dope.

In January of 1970 th e fuselage was brought in, sand­ blasted, and we made a thorough examination and esti ­ mate of what it was going to take to restore this section of the airplane.

We replaced every bit of wood on the fuselage, all of the floorboards, wiring, cables, pulleys, and started the monumental task of building it back together. The land­ ing gear was removed, magna fluxed, and found to have many cracks. The process necessary to repair these hea t­ treated members is somewhat involved. The member h as to be normalized, welded in the cracked areas, remagna­ fluxed, re-heat-treated, and magnaflu xed agai n to make sure that no new cracks appeared during the h ea t-trea ting process.

By May of that year, the FAA Ins pector, w ho was also a Stinson pilot sai d, " If you've got the money, you can cover it."

A call to Cooper Aviation and the ordering of an envel­ ope of Irish Linen for a Stinson SR-I0 resulted in silence on the other end of the phone, and finally, "What the hell is an SR-lO?" However, our good friends at Cooper came up with a very satisfactory envelope, and we installed it in June of 1970.

WrlLARO 11'. SO ~

402'1 ROCKY RIVK" OR. NO- :2.;:

~£LANOA OHIO 44 135

(Photo by George Stubbs)

This was George 's first look at NC21135 ... Fayette­ ville, Arkansas - 1969.

Our plan was to bring everything up to silver, a nd just prior to assembl y we would put on the remaining 25 coats o f Butyrate dope and hand rub to final finish . All metal ahead of th e door was replaced with 24ST .032 Alclad aluminum .

The wiring consisted of 400 ft. of insulated electrical wiring for th e landing lights, navigation lig hts, instrument panel, genera tor, starter, and oth er circuits. The instru­ me nts were take n out and turn ed over to an instrument overhaul shop to restore th em to th eir original configur­ a tion. This brought abo ut an exclamation of, "My good man, yo u mus t be wealthy", which is the overs tatement of the year. After six months of hunting parts, the direction­ al gyro, gyro horizon, rate of climb, and altimeter were certified. Thank the Lord that th ere are still people who take pride in doing work on old airplanes.

We had originally agreed that the interior would be ex­

(Photo by George Stubbs)

New covering and wiring complete at this point.

5

actly as the original, and hunted the Indianapolis area over for enough red leather to accomplish that part of the restoration. We finally came upon a gentleman who re­ stores antique cars in the area of Brazil, Indiana, who agreed to reupholster the aircraft if I would bring the parts to him. We were fortunate enough to have all of the old panels to use as patterns, and he worked from them. If you think the price of beef is high, you should try to buy the leather that covers it. I think we bought 3 cows, but only got the v';rapping. The only problem with going this route is that the keeper of the checkbook sometimes says, "Hold it- we can't afford that this month", and this some­ times slows down the restoration to a snail's pace. After a long search, we located headliner material, identical to the original - 100% wool - in Cincinnati, and my wife proceeded to make the headliner on her trusty Singer.

About this time, we decided we had better be thinking of a powerplant and propeller, and purchased an army surplus R680-13 with 111 hours on it. We proceeded to dis­ assemble it, cleaned and inspected it, and decided upon a complete major, even though it had very low time. I would like to state to anyone interested in military engines, that in many cases, time, money, and many times much grief can be saved by tearing the engine down and rebuilding it to civilian standards, as was the case with this engine.

I would recommend that all the work be done by a certi­ fied shop or at least someone who knows what they are doing, especially in the building of the power case of a radial engine.

With our engine "0" timed, we hung it on the airplane in May of 1971 and traded space for fuselage and the wings.

During the reconditioning of the wings, the tanks were removed, steam cleaned, checked for leaks under pres­ sure, and then sloshed with a seam sealing compound just in case. Tanks were then reinstalled, new cables installed, flap vacuum cylinder rebuilt, landing light mechanism removed, cleaned, parts replaced and reinstalled, and nav­ igation lights rebuilt. By November we were again ready for the FAA to inspect and bless the gigantic wings con­ nected with this beast. One note, as I mentioned, I am an AI, however, if the airplane does not have a permanent airworthiness certificate issued, it is necessary for the FAA to inspect the structure before fabric is applied. The cut­ off date for the permanent certification was March, 1956.

Ours carried an airworthiness certificate dated 1954.

In applying the 40 acres of fabric on each wing, great care was used in securing the edges of fabric and reinforc­ ing tape. You people who have recovered a fabric airplane and had to rib stitch it, know what I mean when you have a "rib-stitching party." The wing of the Stinson has a 8 ft. chord, and is 18 ft. long with a rib every foot, in some places 14" thick, and rib stitching required 1" apart in the slipstream. Many of our friends were by now caught up in our enthusiasm, and volunteered to help rib stitch.

You can tell a true friend or friends when they will stand up - 4 on each side of a wing - and help guide that damned 18" needle from top to bottom - bottom to top ­ trying to miss the cables and the wiring with the rib lacing, with the only reward a bunch of perforated fingers and chord-cut hands. Our banker and his wife were some of the volunteers who spent much time in this fashion.

Then 2 miles of 2" pinked tape was installed over the rib lacing, all aileron slots, flap slots, inspection rings, drain grommets, and all other necessary goodies were installed.

We were then ready to start building the finish.

By March of 1972 both wings were brought up to silver and hung in the ceiling of the hangar awaiting final coat.

Tail surfaces, flaps and ailerons came next. Again, all structures were bead blasted, inspected and chromated

6

and covered with Grade A fabric. Every surface of the air­ craft received 5 coats of clear butyrate dope, 10 coats of aluminum dope, sanded between coats, and 25 coats of blue bu tyrate dope, plus 5 to 6 coats of Simonize after final rubbing out. Since the control surfaces were the last to be covered, we went ahead and finished them out, put­ ting on the color pigmented dope up to finish.

From June of 1972 until September of '72, the Fuselage got the finish coats and installation of instruments, interior, new brakes, new wheels, new tires and wheel fairings.

At this point, we decided it would be time to contact American Airlines, to get permission to use the American Airlines emblem on the airplane, since it was one of their original fleet of survey planes. I would like to add that this airplane was never used as a passenger carrying airplane, but was used to familiarize crew members with the various runways, taxiways, operation~, etc., of different cities where American operated.

The American Airlines Manager in this area, Mr. S. P. Fay, is a personal friend of mine and was a great help in securing permission from American to use the emblem.

As you can imagine, when you write to American Airlines today and tell them that you have an airplane that used to belong to them in 1938, and that you would like to restore the airplane to this configuration - you can't find anyone who even knows anything about the airplanes in 1938.

We did get permission to use the emblem, and the fuselage was completed by December of 1972.

Again we traded fuselage for wing space and the wings were brought up to the final coats, numbers painted on, and then came February 15, 1973, the glorious day of hang­ ing the wings. There's nothing like having a wing hoisted into place with 3 helpers and nobody knows where the bolts are. The poor guy on the wing tip - which was me ­ suffers a few minutes in agony while someone else is trying to insert the line-up punch, and everyone else is looking for the wing bolts. The wing weighs almost 300 lbs.

Having survived this crisis, we proceeded to rig the air­ plane, which really isn't too hard on a Stinson. The lift struts are non-adjustable, so that's it. When the bolts are in - it's finished. The adjusting of the balance cable and aileron cables com pleted the job of rigging. The elevators and rudders are very simple and are as easy to rig as a J-3 Cub. In March we installed a new propeller, spinner, and a remanufactured ring cowl and hit the starter. Nothing happened other than the prop spun through many times.

One day was spent in finding out that the mags were timed wrong, and on the third day, the Lycoming was ticking over just like a $200 chronograph. Four hours of run-in time, a day and a half of tying up lines, operating controls, checking out the generator, all electrical systems, and we were ready to test hop.

At this time, we awakened to the fact that we had removed many pounds of surplus material such as flares, camera mount, several antique radios, and before I could sign this aircraft off as airworthy, it would have to be weighed, and a new weight and balance computed. Since our hangar isn't high enough to jack the tail up to level flight condition, we had to wait for a calm day and weigh the airplane outside. On the original weight and balance, the airplane weighed 2825 lbs. dry, and our newly com­ pleted bird weighed in at 2705 lbs. or 120 lbs. lighter than the original, and the CG came out perfect. The FAA gave us a new airworthiness certificate, log books were brought up to date and 337's completed. As the old saying goes, "When the FAA paperwork weighs as much as the airplane, it's airworthy." Now we were ready for the test hop.

May 5th - We had taxied the airplane 25 miles arou nd the airport and Dale Gustafson, a friend of mine who is an Allegheny captain, and previously owned a V-77, just happened to drop by the airport for a cup of coffee. Gus was hustled into the right seat of NC-21135 before he kne w what happened. My total time in a Stinson Gullwing was something like 5 hours back in 1939 and 1940 in the right seat. After a good run-up check, Gus was satisfied with the airplane and he decided I should fly it.

The runway at Speedway Airport is 3000 ft. long, and by the time we were 1/3 of the way down the runway, this beautiful airplane was airborne and climbed like a home­ sick angel. Anyone who has restored an aircraft of this kind certainly knows the feeling connected with the first test hop after a complete restoration. The airplane flew hands off, stalled very cleanly - I was completely satis­ fied with the performance of my Gullwing. After 33 years, I had finally realized a dream.

So far I have indicated that I restored this airplane alone, but that is not the case as no one person could possibly complete a job of this magnitude. Among the many friends who helped us were two outstanding mech­ anics - one, Mr. Charles L. Desterbecque, who I have worked with for many years and who is known in the state as one of the best fabric men in the business. We both worked for Colonel Turner during the years of Turner Airlines, and later Lake Central Airlines. "Dusty" is a true craftsman, and a painstaking mechanic. Were it not for him, the finish wouldn't be what it is on NC-21135 . Many times he has torn off a section of fabric that looked O .K.

to me, but no t to him, and I thank Mr. Desterbecque for his perfection.

The second and youngest man on the project was Stephen Brown, who was only 18 years old at the time we started . His experience on this type of airplane was limit­ ed to stories I had told him and pictures of the airplane that he had seen, but today this man is a qualified mech­ anic and an expert on SR-I0's, aircraft and engine, as he has helped solve many of the problems that we have had.

His youth and enthusiasm many times inspired the rest of us to keep going when things just didn't go right. Steve or Dusty occupies the right seat many times on trips to fly-ins with NC-21135.

There are not enough words to describe the satisfac­ tion and pride of restoring, flying, and owning a project of this kind. We have made many fly-ins with the plane, and have won many trophies, including the Reserve Grand Champion at Oshkosh, but the greatest thrill of all was attending the Oshkosh Fly-In and having thousands of people come by and compliment you on a fine job and a fine airplane. To me, this is worth all the busted knuck­ les, all the dope on your hands, the grease under your fingernails, and the frustrations connected with this type of project, and I would like to thank the EAA for providing the place for me to exhibit my airplane .

In the past year, I have had many people ask me, " George, what are you going to restore next?" - and my stock answer is, "My checking account."

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

7

(Photo by Ted Koston )

Panel of NC 21135.

(Photo Courtesy of Geo rge Stubbs)

George , left , rece ives the AAA Northern Califor足 nia Chapter Choice award at Oshkosh .

8

WILLARD F. SCHf/1J1

4027 ROCKY RIV E R DR

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....... vELAoND, OHI O 441 35

EVERYBODY knows Big Nick ... even scores who have never laid eyes on the Great One. They' d recognize him in the blackest pit of hell ... all he'd have to do is give' em a couple of leather-tonsiled blasts like, "Believe-you-me, ladies and gentlemen, you are about to witness a spectacular aerial feat by the Champion­ [" of-Champions, the Showman-of-Showmen .

When he's not working (ha!) in the front office of the King Air, Nick is home slaving on a new Travel Air for this summer's flying season. He says he needs an N-3-N engine mount and oil tank - it's O .K. if the mount is moderatel y damaged; all he needs is the ring for his Wright. And for you parts scroungers, Big Nick has a pair of metal wheel pants for a Stinson SR that he might trade you for the above mentioned N-3-N parts, or whatever . .- . or he just might sell 'em to you if you cross his palm with a sufficient number of coins of the realm .

That couldn't be any­ one BUT Big Nick Rez­ ich, the basso profundo of the air show announc­ ing world. His sonorous Big Nick also opines tones call the faithful to that so many of you Trav­ toe the air show line each el Air fiends have been evening at Oshkosh for writing and calling him the all-star air show ... for pearls of wisdom on during which he regales breathing new life into them with the kind of worn out frames (AIR derring-do banter that is frames, that is - Nick as much a flashback to hasn't taken up faith the 20s and 30s as are bi­ healing or acupuncture planes, smoke oil, gog­ . . . yet!) that he might les and scarves. as well start a "Travel On occasion Big Nick Air Club" for the ex­ gives up his microphone, change of information ambles down to his Trav­ and data . Those of you el Air and blasts off to do who are interested can a little trick flying him­ contact him as follows: self, trailing the most in­ Nick Rezich credible geyser of white smoke you ever saw.

4213 Centerville Rd. Apart from Oshkosh, Rockford, Ill. 61102 In addition to Travel Big Nick spends the re­ maining 51 weeks of the Air info, you are going year herding a King Air to get some great con­ versation (your nickel around the country for a please!) and darn funny Rockford, Illinois firm . , , , , Nobody knows when he letters. lf you are at started flying 'cause Wil­ Oshkosh this summer, . bur and Orville have long Nick is also going to , , since gone to their re­ hold a forum on Travel Airs ... don' t miss that! wards ... and no one else remembers. We do know Further, if you want a ; that Nick was there when ,, tremendous after dinner the Doolitties, Turners, speaker, contact Big .­ Wittmans and Klings Nick at the address were thundering around above. How could you go the pylons at Cleveland wrong with subjects (Photo by Dick Stouffer) and that he kept the like, "Yo Yo Rolls - New Or Old?" .. . "Aeroba­ DGAs running smoothly tics - Yesterday and To­ down the production line day" ... and "I Call 'EM for Benny Howard.

As I See 'Em'''?

In between?? Only the Good Lord knows ... but you One last thing - everyone of you readers of THE can bet it involved airplanes. We recently received a pack­ VINTAGE AIRPLANE get in touch with Big Nick and tell age of pictures from Big Nick and some words of wisdom him you want him to continue to contribute to this rag, that from him concerning their origin ... with the result that you want more pictures, more stories, more everything .. now we also know he was off gallivanting in the sun during the winter of 1940-41 - on the Miami Air Tour.

- Jack Cox, Editor

REMINISCING WITH

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BIG NICK

BIG NICK ...

(Continued from Preceding Pa.ge)

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(Ph o to by Nick Rezichj

Dr. Niebersaur, chief engineer of the Monocoupe factory at Orlando .

The Monocoupe factory in Orlando, Florida in early 1941 .

Monocoupe had been forced to vacate its factory in St. Louis and had been lured to Orlando by glowing promises of a factory site by the Chamber of Commerce. Eleven carloads of factory equipment and 50 families arrived in March of 1940 ­ to find the Chamber's plans had flopped!

This hangar was finally procured and production was re­ sumed on a small scale. The company was later sold and moved to Melbourne where it finally turned belly-up in the early '50s.

BIG NICK'S MYSTERY PLANE OK, antiquers, now here's a REAL mystery plane. ~15552 is the number for those of you who have those old owner's lists from the 30s. This is what Nick Rezich has to say about it: " I took this picture in 1937 at Chicago Midway Airport, The fellow was from Tennessee. He came into Air Associates and bought a whole load of tubing which he strapped to the outside and took offfor home. Note the hand operated flaps and the navigation light wires running along the outside. The basic parts came from a Fleet."

As Nick says, there's a lot of Fleet here - the landing gear, wing, Kinner engine and likely as not the basic structure of the fuselage. How about that T-Tail (in 1937) - and somebody tell us what that slot is running nearly the full length of the bottom of the wing .

10

Golden Oldie Of The Month

WILLARD F. SCHMITT

40~7 ROCKY RtVER OR. NO. ~~ .CI..,EVELANO, OHIO 4413

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(fAA Photo)

Dug out of our files at EAA Headquarters, this Skyfarer appears to be at a fly-in somewhere . . . Rock­ ford? Notice that the vertical tail surfaces are fixed fins. The plane was a true rudder-less aircraft.

THE GENERAL SKYFARER 8yJack Cox

The period immediately before World War II - 1940 and 1941 - is a sort of "lost era" as far as light planes are conc~rned. If you flip through the pages of the aviation magazines of that day - Popular Aviation (now Flying), Aero Digest, Aviation, etc. - you will find that the war in Europe dominated their pages. Aviation enthusiasts were getting their first detailed looks at Me. 109s, P-51s, Martin B-26s and the like, yet, if you look closely you will find a surprisingly active light plane industry.

The wet! known companies like Piper, Taylorcraft, Aeronca, Beech, etc., were cranking out airplanes as rapid­ ly as their assembly lines could handle the load and many were already turning to military sub-contracting. Some great airplanes were built in those two years before Pearl Harbor . . . the magnificent Waco "E"s, for instance.

Another interesting aspect of this "last fling" period before knuckling down to the deadly task of fighting a global war, is the number of new designs that were being developed . . . such as the Phillips 1-B, the Ross RS-1 , Swallow Model C, Long Model 100, the Bobcock LC-13-A (pictured elsewhere in this issue), the Doak DRD-1 , the Rich 1-X-2 (a two place, twin engine pusher p owered with two 75 h. p. geared Lycomings) and many more. Almost all these projects disappeared with the coming of the war as surely as if they had taken direct hits at Pearl Harbor .

One victim of the Big War was the General Skyfarer.

Sometimes described as a "high wing Ercoupe", the Sky­ farer was another attempt to design a spin-proof, "fool­ proof" airplane for amateur pilots. This was a popular

...­

program in the 1930s, stemming from the Guggenheim Safe Airplane Competition of 1929. The idea was that accidents happened to many pilots because they were inexperienced and/or did not fly regularly enough to re­ main proficient in standard aircraft; thus, the answer was an aircraft with flight characteristics so forgiving and which made such elementary demands upon the pilot for safe control that he was not likely to hurt himself. Sadly, this line of research died with World War II, also, and has never really been revived. Today, we stress pilot training and periodic up-dating ... which is O .K., but does not solve the problem of the lack of current flight experience.

At any rate, Professor Otto Koppen (later involved with the Helio Courier) of M.LT. designed and managed to produce a handful of Skyfarers before the debacle. Fol­ lowing is a description of the project taken from the June 1941 issue of AVIATION. "TAKE-OFF in less than 300 feet, landing run less than 100, spin-proof, aileron control in s talls and every turn a perfect one are a few of the outstanding characteristics of this new two passenger light plane. Built by the General Aircraft Corporation of Lowell, Mass., this unusual ship is designed for pure, two-control flight in that there are no rudders, but in their place fixed vertical fins that elim­ inate side slip.

With this simplified control almost any person can fam­ iliarize himself with the relation between the elevators and a ilerons in abou t 15 minutes flying time, and become practically an experienced pilot in handling this ship with­ 11

in two hours. Climbing into the ship one of the first things noticed is the lack of rudder controls, and the floor being bare except for the wheel brake near the pilot's right foot. The control wheel is conventional and embodies all of the control of the ship. With its tricycle landing gear, the visibility is excellent and is better than in most automobiles.

Preparing for take-off, the flaps are lowered to the 30 degree position by raising a lever, located between the side-by-side seats, to the first notch. For quicker take-offs from a short field the flap is lowered to the position norm­ ally used for landing (45 degrees). Using these flaps for take-off and during the first few minutes of flying gives the ship very good climbing ability. When once in the air the excellent flying characteristics of the ship are immed­ iately noticeable. With the control column pulled full back, and the plane in a power-on or power-off stall, a turn of the wheel to the right or left immediately has re­ sponse by tipping the ship. In making turns the pilot moves the control wheel to the right or left and has only to watch the position of the nose to make a level turn. The plane has been . designed so that the steepness of the turn is controlled by the ailerons, making precision turns very easy.

Coming in for a landing the pilot sets the flaps at the 45 degree position and with this he can descend at a very steep angle. The actual landing can be made with anyone of the three wheels touching first, as the position of the center of gravity tends to right the plane and bring the other two wheels in contact with the ground. Landings can be made directly on the nose wheel, which has been de­ signed to withstand the full weight of the ship. Once on the ground a very sudden stop can be made by applying the wheel brakes, nosing over being resisted by the nose wheel.

CONSTRUCTION

Named the "Skyfarer" the ship was designed by Prof.

Otto C. Koppen of the Massachusetts Institute of Technol­ ogy. Throughout it has been built for simple manufacture and easy maintenance work. The fuselage, outside of the engine mount and center truss which are welded steel tubing, is assembled by means of Elastic Stop Nuts, the longerons and cross braces being aluminum alloy channels.

(Aha! Jim Bede) Replacing a damaged brace can be done in the field by undoing the fastening nuts from inside of the plane and inserting a new member, the fabric covering being held away from the fuselage structure by four sheet.alurninum alloy fairing strips on each cor'1er.

The cabin seats two people with a luggage space behind the seats. A door is located on each side of the cabin with a foot step on the landing gear strut.

The landing gear is attached to the fuselage by means of three bolts which can be detached from the outside of the ship. A double acting shock absorber Oleo is used which has a travel of six inches. The nose wheel attaches to the firewall and has been built to be easily removable.

The engine mount uses vibration dampening mounts on top of which the engine "floats." The cowl is completely free from the engine and mount, allowing the engine to turn idle without moving the cowl. Power is supplied by a 75 horsepower geared Lycoming engine.

The wing is built up on a "D" section leading edge spar for the first 35 percent of the chord. On the back of this is a shear web made up of a sheet of aluminu m alloy with angles riveted on the ends. The section behind the spar is constructed of built up ribs with cloth covering.

12

At the rear of this section 'are attached the flaps . next to the fuselage and the ailerons outboard from these. The flaps and ailerons are made with a rounded nose of sheet aluminum alloy to which are attached built up ribs, the assembly being cloth covered. The fabric on the main sec­ tion of the wing is attach ed in a unique fashion by means of a piece of wire running along the top and bottom of the shear web, and can be done in a very short time.

The stabilizer is made like the "D" section of the wing, being constructed of aluminum alloy sheet covering. The elevators are made just like the ailerons and. are cloth covered. The vertical fins are built up of tubing with former ribs and are cloth covered.

One of the features of its easy main tenance is that all the parts of the plane have been numbered so that for replacements the owner has only to send the part number back to the factory. The specifications for the ship are as follows.

\ ,'-----------~+----------//

Outlines of the General "Skyfarer"

SPECIFICATIONS

Span ...... ... ... . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . ........ , . . . .. . . . .. . ..... .31 ft. 5 in.

Overall length . .. ....... .. . .......• . .................. .. ........22 ft.

Overall height ............. , .•........ . ..... ...•.. •. .......8 ft. 8 in.

Cruising speed (SOOO ft. ) ......... . .... . ...... .. . .. . . .. . ......92 mph

Landing speed . .. . ..... . . . . .. .... • ... .. . . • . ... .. . . • .... .40 mph min.

90 mph max.

Range ....... .. . .•..• . .... . . .. ...... .. ...•.............. ... .425 miles Horsepower . ... .. . . . ......... . ..... . .. ... • .. • ... . .. .75 hp Lycoming (geared)

Gross weight ... . .......... . . . ... .. .. .. . . . ... .. ... .. ..... ... 1350 lbs.

Weight Emp ty ....... . ... . .. . ....... • ..... .. .. . ..............890 lbs.

Baggage ................. . . .. ....... • .. . .... . . . • .... . . . .. . .. . .40 lbs.

Gasoline capaci ty . . .. ..... . .. . . ......• .. • ..... . ... . ...........20 gals .

Oil capacity ..... .... . .... • . .... . .. . .. . .... . . .. .................5 qts.

Win g area .. . .. . .... .. ... . .. . . . .. • .........................890 sq. ft.

Tail area . ...... .. ..... . . ..• .. . .. .. .. .. . . .........16.6 sq. ft. stabilizer

8.3 sq. ft. elevator 25 sq. ft. (total) fins Wing loading ..... ... .. ... .. ... ... ............... ......11.1 lb./sq. ft.

There are but two Skyfarers left on the FAA' s Civil Aircraft Register: N-29025, Serial Number 12 owned by Jack L. Wads­ worth, 264 W. Pamela Rd., Arcadia, California 91006.

N-29030, Serial Number 17 owned by Howard C. Cagle, 45 Sutton Way, Reno, Nevada 89502.

NC-29015 appeared in the 1941 magazines, so must have been the prototype or first production model. Does any­ one know how many were built? Do others still exist?

Who can add to the story of the plane?

You send it in and we'll print it.

(Photo Courtesy of Howard Levy)

When young Mike Murphy showed up at Oshkosh last summer with his 1912 Bellanca replica, some thought it was a joke, some never heard of a Bellanca built in 1912 ... and almost everyone doubted the " thing" would fly.

Well, sports fans , as you saw in the February issue

of Sport Aviation, Mike's creation does indeed fly . Now, we will prove to you that there WAS a 1912 Bellanca ... the picture above does that once and for all. Incidentally, that's Guiseppe Bellanca in the helment.

1974

'2 (Photo by Ted Kaston )

13

Wagon Wheel Airport, Rockton , Illinois, site of President Buck 's "Flynal Fall Fly-In ."

THE FLYNAL FALL FLY-IN ...

OR, AS U CCESS STORY THAT STARTED WITH TONGUE-IN-CHEEK

By Buck Hilbert (All Photos by Carl Rosauer)

O ne evening las t October Paul Zernec hel, then Pres足 ident of th e Rockfo rd, Ulinois Cha pter of AAA, and I got to talkin' about the possibili ty of one las t fl y-in be fore the lo ng IlIini -Wisconsin winter gro unded us. Wh y not?

What'd we h ave to lose, and besides today th e weath er w as jus t grea t - w hy wouldn' t it be that way in two weeks?

Between th e two of u s we ran our phone bill up to th e level of th e natio nal debt inviting any and all who would com e. Dick Wagn er liked th e idea and a pproached th e Wis足 co nsin Chapter w ith it. They agreed to come. We called all the individuals and chapter p eople we could think of and told th em to s pread th e word . We bugged th e women into getting some sort o f pot-luck picnic planned, a nd then we sa t back to see w hat would h a ppen.

Th e weath er coo perated as only October w eath er can a nd th e people ca me fro m all over. There were forty 足 three reg is tered - and may be a dozen more. Oh , they weren 't all A ntiques or Classics . There were even a couple of twin s and a Centurio n, bu t I'll say one thing, w hen we discovered we h ad a crowd of kids a nd p eopl e w ho had wandered over from Wago n Wh eel Lodge who had never ridden in an airplan e be fore, the mass airlift was on .

14

We co mmandeered an y a nd all ai rplan es and pilots w ho would volunteer to fl y, and we encouraged th e little old ladies, and some yo ung ones, too, to take a ride. We got a t least seven persons who h ad never been in an airplane before. W e fill ed the C ess na 21 0 w ith seven kids all a t once. Wagn er took all the girls w ho " dared " up in his Cub. Ralph Redm er took an older couple in the Ch erokee 180 who sat together holding hands in the back seat. It was th eir fir st airplan e ride a nd th e way they were cl ing足 ing to one another, you'd think they were sure it w as their last. The ha ppy sequel to this one w as w hen they returned they were just beaming. " We saw our home", the lad y said, " and the fall colors w ere jus t beautiful from up there." " Yeah, and every thing looks so cl ean and n eat from up there, too", said the old man.

Chip Wilso n fl ew m y Aeronca C-3 alm ost continually with one kid a fter ano ther taking rides in a Really Old Airplane. I finally s pelled him so h e could get a bite to eat before Paul Zernechel fini s hed it all . Paul didn' t do much flying until after all the food was gon e, a nd then there was no holding him . H e fl ew the Chief after that, and so much that h e almos t w ent h om e in the d ark.

WILLARD F. SCHMITT /11027 ROCKY RIVER DR NO

I almost went home in the dark, too. Mr. Fleet doesn't like 100 octane gas we found out. I tried to take Jack Cox for a ride. Mr. Fleet got one good mouthful of that 100 proof stuff and wouldn't even poop. Talk abou t being em ­ barrassed. There was my big chance to impress the Grea t Jack Cox by giving him a ride in Mr. Fleet ... and Mr. Fleet wouldn't co-operate' I was a little peeved at first, but then the rumor of the situation hit me. Here was this individualism creepi ng ou t that I'm so fond of. Here was Mr. Fleet, just getting his way in a manner to illustrate that he does have an individual personality like NO AIR­ PLANE I have ever ow ned. I called him a HIM in more ways than one while cranking for better. than half an hour, but it was no go. Two minutes after Jack departed for home, He started almost by himself, and never missed a lick all the way home.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that these get- to­ gether fly-ins don't have to be big put-ons. It takes a

l o u r Fearless President : O.K., shut Him down an ' 1'1/ show ya how easy He starts. "

3

Fearless One : " Contact? Alright, betch"a a buck He goes on the first pull J"

~L

.

.

.22­

couple orYi~~ <t>61~alWta:I:$l ngements. It takes the ladies to make the picnic, and anyo ne who trul y loves to fly regardless of the type, age or airplane will come and will help if yo u ask them. We had a real good time. We depleted the RFD Chapter's coffee money a little, and we made a little work for the clean-up crew, but everyone went home just as happy and with a sense of accomplishment like yo u never saw. We even sold som e first-riders on airplanes, an d we may have made some friends who wand­ ered over to see what all th e fun was abo ut.

There were many people there I didn't mention - from Illinois, and also from Wisconsin. There were prizes, and there was a feeling of happy aba ndo n. As I landed along­ side the C-3 just at sunset back here at the Funny Farm, I just sat th ere in th e Fleet for a littl e while, marveling at how beautiful it can be, w hen people have something in common to share.

Fearless President: " Hold it while I get my knickers hitched up . . . O.K. . . . OFF AND CLOSED??"

Chagrined One: " WHATTA YA MEAN YOU ' THINK ' YA HAD TH' SWITCH ON?? THINK I DON' T KNOW A %J'J:j:& % CASE OF 'COCKPIT TROUBLE' WHEN I SEE IT?? CHEEZ!J"

15

2

4

ABOVE. Cheesecake , circa 1929. If you can tear ' yourself away from the Flappers , there are some interesting close-up details of the Touroplane visible.

-'

-

,"

LEFT. 'his is prpbably the most widely pub足 lishec;l picture of a Touroplane . Over Kan足 sas Gity . .

,.

MORE TOUROPLANE GOODIES

Folding wing of the Wallace Touroplane. Notice the unusual folding " center section. "

Las t mo nth we featured the Wallace Touroplane as our Golden Oldie o f Th e Month . A couple of pictures were included of the only known surviving Touro plane owned by Jim Fros t of Tulsa. H e has since mailed us some extrem ely rare company photos and a Wallace Aircra ft Company brochure. These are reproduced here for your en joyment and edifica tion.

Our thanks to Jim Fros t for h is willing ness to share these items with the res t of us and for risking sending th em through the mail. A comm endation is also du e our staff photogra pher, Lee Fray, for som e tremendous copy work. Several of these photos were yellowed with age - but Lee's d arkroom ge nius made them look like new agai n .

- Jack Cox Photocopy of a rare Touroplane brochu re.

Th e Sto ry of the

TOUROPLANE m Pictur es

INTERIOR VIEW Of TOU ROPt•." N I~

k G,.\R VIEW w lTH WI:'oJC$ FOu>fill.

S av e s..

H an ga r S pace

W INGS F. ,\ S" TO rot.D. II "l< lO""rr j t>/J",I sll,,, .... II "~$l r.r',,/;<l ~,.n 13 It . ";J~

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UEAl'TI F U LL " tj l'I·IQ I.STli:REI>, CO"I FORT ~\IH~I;;' HI!,' TED CAJUN .

J . ~....,.. ti •• sit/, .~ siJ.. u . n.f: ,.,,.,. :,.•• , lolJ ,'"t 'F" , JQ c • • It,

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17

Around The Antique/Classic World

Dear Sirs: Please enter my name ' in membership in the EAA Antique-Classic Division. Currently my brother and I have a 1941 Piper J-3 Cub and a Travel Air D-4000. Both are undergoing restoration and any information that you may be aware of to aid in the project (particularly the Travel Air) would be appreciated.

Thank you , Lt. Brian W. Dalton 98th General Hospital APO New York, N. Y. 09034

ANTIQUE INFO AVAILABLE Dear Sir: Enclosed is my check for membership in the Antique­ Classic Division of the EAA. The additional money is for any back issues you have in stock.

I have been involved in antique aircraft activities for many years and have files on most pre-war airplanes . I have index cards on those that were manufactured in small numbers. On the high production planes, I keep only manufacturing data, such as N- numbers and serial num­ bers.

I can supply owners of aircraft manufactured from 1929 through 1941 with dates of inspections and registered owners at the time of these inspections.

I am also involved with homebuilt activity - have an original design parasol, N-59320.

Sincerely, Kenneth W. Jerolaman (EAA 527) P.O. Box 532

Bernardsville, N. J. 07924

Dr. Mallory Harwell 's Continental 65 powered Aeronca C-3.

AERONCA C-3 Dear Buck: r enjoyed reading about your C-3 . I have several parts of an Aeronca engine which, if you would be able to use, r will send to you as r have a 65 Continental on 14556 now. Also, I could not find the old Goodyear air wheels and had to convert my axle to Super Cub wheels and brakes and if you are still using the original axle, I will be glad to send those, also .

I thought your article about your C-3 was most inter­ esting and r certainly admire your perseverance.

With best regards, I am Sincerely, Mallory Harwell, M.D. 321 South Bellevue Memphis, Tenn. 38104

BELLANCA 14-19 Rudolph Timmerman's restored Stinson 10B-1.

STINSON 108-1 Dear Sirs: Enclosed you will find a photo of my latest project, 1947 Stinson 108-1, N-8403K. It is powered by a 165 h. p.

Franklin. It has just been rebuilt, including recovering with Razorback. The project was started in December of 1972 and was completed in January of 1974.

This is my second project, the first being a Taylorcraft N-96502.

Sincerely, Rudolph H. Timmerman (EAA 74771) 408 Maple Earlville. Ill. 60518 18

Dear Jack: I was pleasantly surprised upon receiving the February issue of The Vingage Airplane because it featured Bellan­ cas, but I must admit to momentary disbelief when I saw the picture of the 190 Bellanca N6597N which is the same registration number on my "190" - and then followed the realization it was mine.

The photo was excellent but 97N was caught at an em­ barrassing time without the side trim stripe completed on the cowling. It took some remembering to figure you must have taken the picture about six years ago. The location is in doubt - could it be Bluegrass Field in Lexington, Kentucky?

"97N" is my second Bellanca which I have owned since purchasing from Tom Noonan at Cincinnati's Lunken Field in 1964. My first Bellanca was 1948 Cruisair N74473 which I purchased after my first exposure to Bellanca flying in it. That aircraft now belongs to Larry Culbert (another

Bellanca enthusiast) of Merritt Island, Florida who pur­ chased it trom me in 1962.

I am no different from mos t Bellanca pilots in that I am continually impressed with the Bellanca's strength and flying capabilities especially when compared with current private aircraft designs 30 years newer.

I look forward to each issue of The Vintage Airplane but the February 1974 issue will no doubt be my favorite for some time.

Yours truly, Richard Belush (AC S24) 2331 Mayhew Dr. Indianapolis, Ind. 46227

(Editor's Note - The slide was taken in 1967 at Blue­ grass Field. My wife and I were a part of an Aztec load of antiquers on the way to the AAA Fly-In in Ottumwa, Iowa. I was looking for a Bellanca at that time, and was taking pictures of everyone I saw. Incomplete stripe, notwithstanding, I thought N6597N was a beauty! -Jack Cox)

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Dr. Stan Morell of Arlington, Texas and his Fokker DVII, N-11BS. Should be flying soon.

Calendar Of Events APRlL26-2I-LAKELAND. FLORIDA. LAKELAND MUNICIPAL AIRPOR:T - Fly-In sponsored by Florida Sport Aviation AntiqueIClassIC Chapter.

MAY 3-5 - BURLINGTON. NORTH CAROLINA - Annual Spring Fly-In of the Carolinas-Virginia EAAlAntique-Classic Chapter 395. Contact: Jim Oevenger, President, B(II( 1044, Black Mountain. N.C. 28711.

MAY3-5-HD..TON HEAD ISLAND. SOU1H CAROLINA-Annual Eastern 195 Oub Fly-In. Contact Dan Kindel. 560 Cody Pass. Cincinnati. Ohio 45215, for additional infonnation.

MAY 1. - HARVARD, D..LINOIS - Dacy Chapter AAA Fly-In. Dac:y Air­ port. Spot landing contest on initial landing. Contact: Tom Lowe, 823 Kingston Lane, Crystal Lske. lB. 60014.

MAY H-27 - GUERTSVILLE, KENTUCKY -International Swift AaIOda­ tion Anftl&ll Fly-In. Kentucky Oem 9fate Park. Contact: CharHe Nel­ son. P.O. Box 644, Alb.... T. .n. 37303.

Carl Swanson of Sycamore, Illinois, well known builder of World War I replica aircraft, is at it again - but with a difference. In the past, his aircraft (Sop with Pup, Sop­ with Traiplane , etc.) have been authentic to the "Nth" degree, but now he is building a S.I}.A.D. VII ~o be flo~n regularly . .. and with reliability . .The bir.d WIll lo?k lIke the real thing, but, as can be seen In the pIcture, WIll have a steel tube fuselage. It will have a "flat" engine, but you won't know it from outward appearance.

MAY 24-26 - HAMILTON. OHIO - Annuai National Waco F1y-~. Satur­ day night banquet featuring Clayton J. Brumer as speaal guest.

Contact: Ray Brandly. 2650 West Alex.-BeUbrook Rd., Dayton. Ohio

45459 .

JUNE 7-1 - DENTON, TEXAS - Texas ClIapter of Antique Airplane Association Annual Fly-In. Denton Munidpal Airport. Contact: Ed McCracken. 1044 Easy St. Grapevine. Texas 76ail.

JULY 8-7 - LA RUE. WISCONSIN (NEAR BARABOO) - 6th Annual Antique Transportation Meet. Antique Airplanes and Air Games, Steam Tnin Rides, Antique Car Games and HID Oimb. Swap Meet. Fun for the whole family . NO landing or parking facilities for modern air­ craft. Contact: Edward C. Wegner. 10 StaffOid St.. Plymouth. Wis. ~.

SB'1EM8ER 13-11 - GALESBURG. D..UNOIS - 3rd National Stearman Fly-In. Contact: Jim Leahy. 445 N. Whitesboro, Galesburg. D1. 61401 or Tom Lowe, 823 Kinpton Lane, Crystal Lake, 60014.

m.

Back Issues Of The Vintage Airplane

Limited numbers of back issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE are available at .SOc each. Copies still on hand at EAA Headquarters are: June 1973 July 1973

August 1973 September 1973

October 1973 November 1973

December 1973 January 1974 February 1974

19