by George Hard ie
In
the long history of airplane de sign, many neat little biplanes have ap peared . This one was considered by both the military and civilian markets but was passed over. The photo is from the EAA archives, date and location not given. Answers will be published in the March 1990 issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Deadline for that issue is January 10 , 1990. Jack McRae of Huntington Station , New York had the answer to the Mys tery Plane for September, 1989. He writes: "The September Mystery Plane is the Mercury S-I White Racer, registra tion X-13223, designed by Harvey Mummert in 1931 and built by Mer cury Aicraft, Inc . in Hammondsport, New York. " It was powered by a supercharged Cirrus engine of 110 hp and was flown by Mummert in the 1932 Chicago Air Races and in numerous local air shows in the 1930s . The airplane was unusual for its all-steel-tube geodetic construc tion and fully retractable landing gear. "In about 1956 it was sold to George Tatich of Endicott, New York who re covered it and installed a Cessna land ing gear. It was cracked up as the result of a ground loop , and a few years later
Jr.
showed up in Mt. Clemens , Michigan. Recently it has been reported that it will be returned to Hammondsport to be on exhibit in the Glenn CUI1iss Museum there.-' Chairman of the Board of Mercury Aircraft, J.F. Meade, Jr. writes:
'The September Mystery Plane is the Mercury S-\ built and owned by Mercury Aircraft in the 1934-1935 era. The plane was designed and flown by Harvey Mummert in races at Chicago , Detroit and Cleveland. The plane has recently been returned to Ham mondsport from Detroit, is in mint condition and will be on exhibit at the Glenn H. Curtiss Aircraft Museum in Hammondsport starting next spring. We sold this plane in 1949 and, of course, are very pleased to have it re turned after almost 40 years. The en closed photo was taken in September 1989." Other answers were received from Charley Hayes,Park Forest , IL; W. E. Doherty, Director, Glenn Cur tiss Museum, Hammondsport; Ed Tice, Bedford, TX; Emil Strasser, Hawthorne, CA; and Herbert deBruyn , Bellevue, WA . •
Mercury 5-1 VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35