STRAIGHT AND
by Bob Lickteig President Antique/Classic Division
World of Flight - Oshkosh '85 is scheduled for July 26 to August 2. This is one day earlier than normal, so the July issue of our Antique/Classic magazine THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE will also be our Convention issue. This will be a special issue, and will include the 15-year history and highlights of your EAA Antique/Classic Division. Our Headquarter's editorial staff consisting
of Dick Matt, Jack Cox, Gene Chase and Mary Jones are working overtime to bring you this historical review. I know how important this issue will be to your collection of VINTAGE magazines. I suggest you pick up an extra copy or two at the Antique/Classic Headquar ters during our Convention. With this major project in good hands, we can also announce the Antique/ Classic events that are planned for Oshkosh '85. The regular activities will be the Antique/Classic Fly Out, Picnic, Hall of Fame Reunion, Antique and Classic Awards, Parade of Flight, Inter view Circle, Educational Forums, Type Club Headquarters Tent and Conven tion Photo Contest. In addition, we hope to sponsor a riverboat dinner cruise and will conduct our first week-long Antique/ Classic workshop. We are also initiating an annual program to present each re gistered aircraft owner or pilot a Par ticipant's Recognition Plaque. Our riverboat cruise is tentatively scheduled for Monday evening, July 29th, and will include refreshments, dinner and a scenic boat trip on the Fox River. The participant's wall plaque will be presented to each registered aircraft owner or pilot and will include a color
LEVEL
photograph of the aircraft parked at Oshkosh - a lifetime remembrance. The Antique/Classic workshop will give each member an opportunity for hands-on experience in dope and fabric and aircraft woodworking . Your Antique/Classic Division has a full week of scheduled activities, with something for every member and guest. No, sorry to say we cannot lay claim to the Concorde visit as an Antique/ Classic exclusive, however we do know everyone will enjoy seeing this super bird. Complete details of these events will be published in the June issue of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Watch for it and make plans to be part of this interesting, informative and exciting week. It's going to be a great Convention. Make the Antique/Classic area your headquarters for Oshkosh '85. Wel come aboard - join us and you have it all.
Photo by Jack McCarthy
EAA Antique/Classic Division Headquarters at Oshkosh '84. The Type Club Tent is on the left. 2 MAY 1985
PUBLICATION STAFF PUBLISHER
Paul H. Poberezny
DIRECTOR,
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
Dick Matt
EDITOR
Gene R. Chase
MAY 1985 • Vol. 13, No.5
CREATIVE ART DIRECTOR
Mike Drucks
Copyright
©
1985 by the EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc. All rights reserved .
MANAGING EDITOR/ADVERTISING
Mary Jones
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Norman Petersen
FEATURE WRITERS
George A. Hardie, Jr.
Dennis Parks
Contents 2 4
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
DIVISION, INC.
OFFICERS
President R. J. Lickteig 1620 Bay Oaks Drive Albert Lea, MN 56007 507/373-2922
Vice President Roy Redman Rt. 3, Box 208 Faribault, MN 55021 507-334-5922
Secretary Ronald Fritz 15401 Sparta Avenue Kent City, MI 49330 616/678-5012
Treasurer E. E. " Buck" Hilbert P.O. Box 145 Union, IL 60180 815/923-4591
5
6 8 10 11
12 17 18
DIRECTORS John S. Copeland 9 Joanne Drive Westborough , MA 01581 617/366-7245
Stan Gomoll 1042 90th Lane, NE Minneapolis, MN 55434 612/784-1172
Dale A. Gustafson 7724 Shady Hill Drive Indianapolis, IN 46274 317/293-4430
Espie M. Joyce, Jr. Box 468 Madison, NC 27025 919/427-0216
Morton W. Lester P.O. Box 3747 Martinsville, VA 24112 703/632-4839
Arthur R. Morgan 3744 North 51st Blvd. Milwaukee, WI 53216 414/442-3631
Daniel Neuman 1521 Berne Circle W. Minneapolis, MN 55421 612/571-0893
Ray Olcott
1500 Kings Way
Nokomis, FL 33555
813/485-8139
21 22 24
Gene Morris 15C Steve Court, R.R. 2 Roanoke, TX 76262 817/491-9110 S. J. Wittman Box 2672 Oshkosh , Wl54901 414/235-1265
John R. Turgyan Box 229, R.F.D. 2 Wrightstown , NJ 08562 6091758-2910
George S. York 181 Sloboda Ave. Mansfield, OH 44906 419/529-4378
ADVISORS Timothy V. Bowers 729 - 2nd St. Woodland, CA 95695 916/666-1875
Phillip Coulson 28415 Springbrook Dr. Lawton, MI 49065 616/624-6490
S. H. " Wes" Schmid 2359 Lefeber Road Wauwatosa, WI 53213 414/771-1545 W. S. "Jerry" Wallin 29804 - 179 PI. SE Kent, WA 98031 206/631-9644
Gar Williams Nine South 135 Aero Drive Naperville, IL 60540 3121355-9416
26 27
Straight and Level by Bob Lickteig A/CNews by Gene Chase Calendar of Events Rare Ryan Returns Home by Gene Chase Low Time Cessna 180 Classic by Norm Petersen Mystery Plane by George A. Hardie, Jr. One-on One Campaign AI Menasco, Aviation Pioneer, Part" by Chet Wellman Type Club Activities by Gene Chase Spartan Aircraft Production by George E. Goodhead, Jr. Vintage Literature by Dennis Parks Hay Meadow Ski Fly-In by Norm Petersen Hamilton Metalplanes on Floats by Gene Chase Letters to the Editor The Vintage Trader
Page 6
Page 8
Page 12 FRONT COVER ... Bill Allen flies his rare 1940 Ryan STM S2, N466WA, SIN 466 over La Jolla, California in December, 1983. Front seat passenger is Carl Hays. See story on page 6. (Photo by Chris Woods) BACK COVER .. _DeHaviliand DHC-2 Mk. I Beaver, N9300Z, SIN 1400, owned by Tyee Airlines of Ketchikan, Alaska. This tranquil Alaska scene was photographed by Roy G. Cagle (EAA 15401 , NC 1691), 9096 Minor Court, Juneau, AK 99801 . The words EM, ULTRALIGHT, FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM, SPORT AVIATION , and the logos of EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INC., EAA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION INC., INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB INC. , WARBIRDS OF AMERICA INC. , are registered trademarks. THE EAA SKY SHOPPE and logos of the EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION INC. and EAA ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION are trademarks of the above associations and their use by any person other than the above associations is strictly prohibited. Editorial Policy: Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are soley those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. Material should be sent to : Gene R. Chase, Editor, The VINTAGE AIRPLANE, Wittman Airfield , Oshkosh, WI 54903-2591. Phone: 414/426-4800. The VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091 -6943) is published and owned exclusively by EM Antique/Classic Division, Inc. of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. and is published monthly at Wittman Airfield , Oshkosh, WI 54903 2591. Second Class Postage paid at Oshkosh, WI 54901 and additional mailing offices. Membership rates for EM Antique/Classic Division , Inc. are $18.00 for current EM members for 12 month period of which $12 .00 is for the publication of The VINTAGE AIRPLANE . Membership is open to all who are interested in aviation. ADVERTISING - Antique/Classic Division does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through our advertis ing. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken. Postmaster: Send address changes to EM Antique/Classic Division, Inc., Wittman Airfield, Oshkosh, WI 54903-2591 . VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
substantial cost. After customs clearance, another flight plan must be filed to Oshkosh . If you require specific details, write to EAA Headquarters. WEST COAST AIRLIFT TO OSHKOSH '85
Compiled by Gene Chase CANADIANS TO OSHKOSH '85 All Canadians flying their aircraft to EAA Oshkosh '85 (July 26-August 2) or the lAC International Aerobatic Competitions at Fond du Lac (August 5-10) must comply with the provisions of Federal Aviation Regulations. Please follow the instructions below to obtain your Special Flight Authorization. CANADIAN EAA MEMBERS FL YING AMATEUR-BUlL TI UL TRAUGHTI WARBIRD AIRCRAFT TO OSHKOSH
It is necessary to comply with Federal Avi ation Regulations, Section 91 .28 in regard to Special Flight Authorization for Canadian registered amateur-built, ultralight and war bird aircraft. Due to the large number of Canadian EAAers attending, the FAA has ar ranged to issue a Special Flight Authoriza tion to EAA, which will authorize operation of amateur-built, ultralight or warbird aircraft within the United States from the Canadian border to Oshkosh and return by the most direct route. Members desiring to fly amateur-built, ul tralight or warbird aircraft to Oshkosh will be required to complete an application form . Upon receipt of the completed form a copy of the Special Flight Authorization must be in the aircraft at all times when the aircraft is operated within the United States. Please write to : Oshkosh Canadian Coordinator, EAA Headquarters, Wittman Airfield, Osh kosh, WI 54903-2591 for application forms and detailed instructions. Please note: Com pleted application forms must be received by EAA Headquarters NO LATER THAN JULY 8, 1985. CANADIAN NON-EAA MEMBERS FL YING AMATEUR-BUlL TI UL TRAUGHTIWARBIRD AIRCRAFT TO OSHKOSH
Please do not write to EAA Headquarters. Address your request to : Richard L. Porter, Manager, Flight Standards District Office No. 61, General Mitchell Field, Milwaukee, WI 53207 STANDARD CATEGORY CERTIFI CATED AIRCRAFT (CERTIFICA TlON OF AIRWORTHINESS):
A special United States Flight Authoriza tion is not required providing your aircraft has correct and current Canadian documenta tion. However, you must file a United States Flight Plan to point of entry and clear cus toms on arrival. Please note customs clear ance is not available at Oshkosh without
4 MAY 1985
The third annual "Flight of the Eagles", an airlift from either Los Angeles or Oakland, California to Oshkosh '85 is scheduled for July 26 to August 1. The complete price for the 7 day/6 night package is only $419 and includes : 1. RIT jet (United Airlines) from Los Angeles or Oakland direct to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 2. RIT in-flight meal service. 3. RIT motor coach to lodging and Con vention. 4. Convention lodging, transfers, taxes. 5. Paid admission to the EAA Aviation Center-Museum. 6. Pre-flight party admission at depar ture points. 7. Convention cap and commemorative patch . 8. $10.00 goes to EAA Aviation Foun dation for each tour sold . Only 100 seats have been reserved out of both locations and no more will be available at the current rates. The tour is sponsored by Dr. Gerry Curtiss (EAA 98908) . He will be the tour director and can be reached for details at 216 Ridge Ter race Lane, Montebello, CA 90640, phone 818/915-8664 or 213/722-3142. REFERENCE GUIDE FOR EAA PUBLICATIONS John Bergeson now has his fine reference guide for 1984 EAA publications available at $5.00 which includes SPORT A VIA TlON, THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE, UL TRAUGHT AND THE UGHT PLANE, and SPORT AER OBA TICS. This latest guide includes the years 1980 through 1984 in one easy-to-use volume. This latest guide follows those he did for the previous years : 1953 through '59, 1960 through '69, 1970 through '74 and 1975 through '79. Each volume is $5.00 or all for $20.00. The guides are logically organized and make it easy to locate information from EAA magazines. If you locate information but don't have the magazines, he will make copies of the needed article for 25 cents per page ($3.00 minimum charge). We use his Guides in every Department at EAA Head quarters and find them indispensable. Order from John Bergeson, 6438 W. Millbrook Road, Remus, MI 49340. AD PROPOSAL FOR MARVEL SCHEBlER CARBS The FAA has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) requesting an Air Worthiness Directive against Marvel Sche bier Carburetors (now produced by Facet Enterprises, Inc.).
The proposed AD concerns the replace ment of composite construction floats with brass pontoon floats . The FAA contends that the composite float can become saturated with gasoline over a period of time causing flooding, engine stoppage, and other fuel metering problems. The FAA cites 132 re ports of carburetor flooding over the past five years. TEFLON TAPE CAUSES VACUUM PUMP FAilURES There are several reports of vacuum pump failures caused by particles of teflon pipe thread tape being ingested by the pumps. Particles of tape have also been found inside gyro instruments. The use of plumbers thread tape to seal threads on aircraft vacuum system fittings should be avoided . OSHKOSH '85 ANTIQUE/ClASSIC FlYOUT A popular activity for AntiquelClassic members at Oshkosh '84 was the fly-out to Wautoma, Wisconsin for coffee and rolls, fly ing games and lunch. (See story on pp. 16 18 of the November 1984 issue of THE VIN TAGE AIRPLANE.) Fly-out Chairman Bob Lumley reports that Wautoma City Councilman Russ Nero has extended an invitation to the group to return this year. The city will provide refreshments and they expect a good turn-out of local citi zens. The airport has a full-time FBO now and camping is available for those traveling to and from the Convention. The '85 Fly-out date is Monday, July 29, with a rain date set for Tuesday. More details will be forthcoming . Volunteers are needed to make this activ ity a success. Anyone wishing to help is asked to contact Bob Lumley, W158 N11 070 Legend Avenue, Germantown, WI 53022, phone 414/546-2525 (office); or 414/255 6832 residence.
SUN 'N FUN '85 The 11 th Annual EAA Sun 'n Fun Fly In hosted 113,930 people from March 17-23 including 141 overseas guests from 21 countries. Grand champion awards included: ANTIQUE Butler Blackhawk, N299N, LeRoy H. Brown, Zellwood, FL. CLASSIC - Cessna 170B, N4414B, Glenn and Kathy Dee, Michigan City, IN. REPLICA Great Lakes 2T1 A, N1 FF, Gerald & Barb Fidler, Alva, FL. A more detailed -account of the Fly-In and other award winners will appear in the next issue of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE.
ADDITIONAL AUTO FUEL STCs Harry leisloft, Director of Engineer ing, EAA Aviation Foundation, reports the organization has just received STC approval for the use of auto fuel in the Lycoming 0-235 and 0-290 engines. For details contact: STC-EAA Aviation Foundation, Wittman Airfield , Oshkosh, WI 54903-3065 . EAAlALLISON GAS TURBINE EN· GINE SCHOLARSHIPS OFFERED Allison Gas Turbine Division of Gen eral Motors Corp. has offered two five year scholarships to be awarded through the EAA Aviation Foundation . Recipients of these scholarships· for a
full Bachelor of Science Degree in mechanical or electrical engineering will be cooperative students at the prestigi ous AMI Engineering and Management Institute in Flint, Michigan. As cooperative students, sponsored by the Allison Gas Turbine Division, re cipients will alternate 12 weeks of study on campus with 12 weeks of work ex perience (with pay) at the Allison facilities in Indianapolis, IN . These are unique opportunities for a quality en gineering education and work experi ence while enjoying many benefits of employment by General Motors. Chapter officers and members as well as all EAA members at large are urged to seek applicants for these addi
tions to the EAA Scholarship Program. EAA membership is not required to apply for these or any of the EAA Schol arships. Young men and women interested in pursuing careers in engineering through these scholarships, scheduled for awarding at Oshkosh '85, are urged to immediately call or write Chuck Lar sen, Education Director, EAA Aviation Foundation, Wittman Airfield, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3065.•
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
We would like to list your aviation event in our calendar. Please send information to the Editor, The VINTAGE AIRPLANE, Wittman Airfield, Oshkosh, WI 54903-2591. Information must be received at least two months in advance of the issue in which it will appear. MAY 18 - HAMPTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE - 9th Annual Aviation Flea Market (rain date Sunday. May 19). Fly-in. drive-in. bring your junk! Buyers and sellers welcome. No Fees. Any thing aviation related okay. Food available from 11 :00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Contact 603/964-6749 - days or 6031964-8833. MAY 18-19-CHINO. CALIFORNIA-5th Annual "Planes of Fame" Air Display - "Victory through Airpower" with Warbirds. Pappy Boyington. world's only flying Zero fighter. Contact 714/ 597-3722. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. MAY 24-26 - ATCHISON, KANSAS - Greater Kansas City Area 19th Annual Antique Fly-In at Amelia Earhart Memorial Airport. Contact Fly-In Chairman Lynn Wendl. 8902 Pflumm. Lenexa, KS 66215, 913/888-7544. MAY 24-26 - WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA Annual Antique Fly-In. Contact Watsonville Chamber of Commerce. MAY 3o-JUNE 2 - FREDERICK. MARYLAND Cessna 150-152 National Fly-In. Contact Skip Carden. P.O. Box 15288. Durham. NC 27704. phone 919/471-9492. JUNE 5-10 - TULLAHOMA. TENNESSEE 1985 Staggerwing Convention at Parish Aero drome. For information contact the Stagger wing Museum. P.O. Box 550, Tullahoma. TN 37388. phone 6151455-1974. JUNE 7-9 - MERCED, CALIFORNIA - 28th An nual Merced West Coast Antique Fly-In. Merced Municipal Airport. Contact Gail McCul lough. 2091722-3145. JUNE 22 - OSAGE CITY, KANSAS - Sport Avi ation Day and Pancake Breakfast sponsored by EM Chapter 313. Contact Dan Walters, 913/828-3579 or Kelly Viets, 913/828-3518 , R. R. 2, Box 128. Lyndon. Kansas 66451 . JUNE 28-30 - DAYTON. OHIO - Luscombe Assn. National Fly-In at Moraine Airpark. Con
tact Ralph Orndorf, 1749 W. Stroop Road. Ket tering. OH 45439. JUNE 29-30 - ORANGE. MASSACHUSETTS Annual New England regional fly-in sponsored by EM Chapter 726. Awards for best antiques and best classics. Antique steam and gas en gine show. flea market. food. Contact Jim O'Connell. 413/549-3800. JUNE 29-30 - KALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN - 1985 Michigan International Air Show High on Kalamazoo at Kalamazoo County Airport. Aer ial events and daily airshow featuring Canadian Snowbirds. French Connection and Leo Loudenslager. Contact High on Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County Airport, Kalamazoo. MI 49002. 616/385-8177. JULY 2-4 - CARLSBAD. NEW MEXICO - 1985 National Ercoupe Fly-In. Contact Skip Cardin. Box 15058, Durham. NC 27704. Phone 9191 471-9492. JULY 4-6 - BLAKESBURG, IOWA - Aeronca Fly-In at Antique Airfield . Awards. forums, fly out Aeronca party and slide show. Contact The Aeronca Club, 1432 28th Court. Kenosha. WI 53140.414/552-9014. JULY 5-7 - ALLIANCE. OHIO nnual Taylor craft Fly-In/Reunion at Barber Airport. three miles north of Alliance. Contact Bruce M. "Bar ney" Bixler. 12809 Greenbower. N.E.. Alliance, OH 44601. JULY 5-7 - MINDEN. NEBRASKA - 9th Annual National Stinson Club Fly-In. Make reserva tions at the Pioneer Motel in Minden. phone 308/832-2750. For information on the Fly-In contact Doug Shannon. P. O. Box 12864, Dal las, TX 75225. JULY 7 - ALBERT LEA, MINNESOTA - EM Antique/Classic Chapter 13 2nd Annual Fly-In breakfast and many other activities. including sky diving. Contact Air Albert Lea. 5071373 0608. JULY 18-21 - VANDALIA. OHIO - Dayton Inter national Air Show & Trade Exposition. Daylon International Airport. Vandalia. OH. Contact George Wedekind. Jr.. Room 214, Terminal Building. Daylon International Airport. Van dalia. OH 45377, 513/898-5901.
JULY 22-26 - BLAKESBURG. IOWA - 17th An nual International Cessna 170 Association Convention. Contact F. O. Kline. 602/567 4588. JULY 26 - AUGUST 2 - OSHKOSH. WISCONSIN - 33rd Annual EM Fly-In and Convention. Make your plans now to attend the World's Greatest Aviation Event. Contact EM. Wittman Airfield. Oshkosh. WI 54903-2591 . AUGUST 2-4 - COFFEYVILLE, KANSAS - Funk Fly-In. Fly-bys. contests. homebuilts, antiques. Contact Ray Pahls. 454 S. Summillawn. Wichita. KS 67209. AUGUST 18 - WEEDSPORT. NEW YORK EM Chapter 486 Airshow - Whitford's Airport. Pancake Breakfast. refreshments. Contact Jack Briggs. 315/699-2946. AUGUST 25 - MICHIGAN CITY. INDIANA - 4th Annual Michigan City Aviators Fly-In, Drive-In Pancake Breakfast and Airshow. Antiques. Classics, Warbirds. Ultralights. Homebuilts on display. Door prizes and much more. Contact Marge Edson, P.O. Box 2092. Michigan City. IN 46360, 2191785-2103. SEPTEMBER 4-8 - GALESBURG. ILLINOIS National Stearman Fly-In. Contact Tom Lowe, 823 Kingston Lane. Crystal Lake. IL 60014. SEPTEMBER 6-8 - GIG HARBOR, WASHING TON - Puget Sound Antique Airplane Club's 5th Annual Fly-In at Tacoma Narrows Airport. Antique/Classic judging and awards. Contact Lloyd Tuckness, 29528 - 179th Place. SE, Kent. WA 98031 , phone 206/631-7454. SEPTEMBER 7-8 - MARION. OHIO - Annual Mid-Eastern Regional EM Fly-In at Marion Municipal Airport. Contact Lou Lindeman. after 5 p.m. 513/849-9455. SEPTEMBER 7-8 - SUSSEX, NEW JERSEY EAA Chapters 73 and 238 Tri-Chapter Fly-In with AntiquelClassic Chapter 7. Food. camp ing. Saturday night entertainment. Aviation vendors welcome. Contact Vearl Lack. 201 / 584-9553 or Anne Fennimore, 201 /584-4154 (after 6 p.m .). OCTOBER 11-13 CAMDEN. SOUTH CAROLINA - EM Chapter 3 Fall Fly-In. Con tact Henry or Pat Miller. 919/548-9293.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
An interesting in-flight shot of N466WA by photographer Chris Woods.
Rare Ryan Returns Home
by Gene Chase After an absence of 40 years a Ryan STM-S2 arrived back in San Diego, California on a ship, the same way it departed in 1940 when it was shipped by the Ryan Aeronautical Co. to the Dutch East Indies. It was one of 108 aircraft ordered by the Dutch during the buildup of Japanese troops around Java. The Dutch used the planes to train their pilots before sending them off to England to continue the fight against the Axis powers. All but 34 of the Ryans were destroyed or captured by the Japanese, with the surviving aircraft being loaded ori a boat for Australia, where they were flown on a limited basis by officers of the Royal Australian Air Force. After WW II the Ryans were declared surplus and acquired by civilian pilots in Australia. SIN 466 had at least two such owners before being acquired by Bill Allen (EAA 193107, AlC 9195) of San Diego. It was through Australian Jeff Trap足 pett that Allen, owner of a Ryan PT-22 and a Stearman PT-13D found his STM-S2. 6 MAY 1985
Several years ago, Trappett, a squadron leader flying F-111 s with the RAAF was on a military mission in the United States and he contacted Allen about some P-51 parts. During their conversation , Allen learned that Trap足 pet1 owned two STM-S2s. Trappett wanted a Stearman and Allen wanted an STM so they agreed on a trade. When Jeff returned to Au足 stralia, Allen didn 't hear from him for quite a long time and he feared the deal was off. Suddenly an import permit came for the Stearman and the way was cleared for the trade.
This was the first Stearman to go to Australia and it has become a popular attraction there. Jeff flies it to many air shows in the country. Through Trappett, Allen learned some of the history behind his aircraft. His Ryan contains components of two aircraft. The fuselage with a data plate are from serial number 466 and the wings are from number 475. Allen's Ryan displays the original side number S-30. Jeff Trappett bought the STM from Les Barnes, an ex-airline pilot. Barnes had quit his job with the airline and went
Photo courtesy 01 the San Diego Aerospace Museum -
Ryan Library
Ryan STMs lined up for inspection in Java circa 1941. All three of the STMs now in the U.S. are in this photo, including Bill Allen's S-30, Pat Friedman's S-21 and Bill Rose's S-22. Patricia Friedman (EAA 63840) and Bill Rose (EAA 159635, AlC 6612) both live in the Chicago area.
_
mo·"
Les Barnes and Ryan STM S-30, SIN 466, in Australia. Les was the first civilian owner of this aircraft. Its Australian registration was VH-AGR.
to work for a new company which later failed . Having fallen on hard times, Barnes was forced to sell the Ryan. Trappett and a friend traveled to the middle of New South Wales to pick up the plane which was stored in a barn. When they opened the doors they found the STM covered with cobwebs and bird droppings and looking very for lorn. Beneath the mess, the black fuse lage, red fairings and yellow wings barely were visible. After hiking out for water and spend ing two days scrubbing the airplane, they decided to see if the engine would start. After changing the oil and putting in gas, the 150 hp Menasco started right up. Trappett flew it back to Melbourne that day and experienced some excite· ment when he hit some turbulence and a strip of fabric departed one wing. Back in Melbourne, he restored the STM in his spare time. When Bill Allen received the plane in 1980 he elected to tear it down and re store it to its original condition from the ground up. The most enjoyable hours during the restoration were when sev eral of the old Ryan employees, and even Mr. T. Claude Ryan himself would show up to check on the progress. They were all very excited when word got out that an STM was "back home". Some of the Dutch pilots who flew them during the war also showed up. It brought back a lot of fond memories for them. Assisting Bill with the restoration were Carl Hays, Sam Jeromine, Bob Laughlin, Bob McDonald, Marshall Smith, Dave Smith and the Kelly Brothers. All wiring, pulleys, cables and the seat belts were replaced. The fabric surfaces were recovered with Stits Polyfiber. Ole Fahlin made a new pro· peller for it and Bob Yates custom built the spinner.
Work on the wings alone took more than 500 hours and everyone who worked on them wrote his name inside, what he did and the date. Bill even found some Ryan inspection stickers and placed them inside the plane as the work was completed. The Ryan was finished in the original Dutch colors, silver with orange markings. Be cause the STM-S2 was never type cer tificated in the U.S., it is licensed in the experimental exhibition category with registration number N466WA. Finally after 1500 hours of work over a three year period , the Ryan was ready
to fly. Don Carter made the test flight for Bill and all went well. Bill Allen's great interest in Ryan air craft, the history of the company and its role in aviation training has been heightened by his becoming friends with many ex-Ryan people, including: William P. "Doc" Sloan, one of three pilots who delivered STMs to Honduras; Walter K. Balch, director of technical training and maintenance, Joe Hecker who rigged all the STM-S2s before shipment to Java; W.T. "Bill" Im menschuh, director of the X-13 Vertijet program and currently President of the San Diego Aerospace Museum. Im menschuh's first job with Ryan was lay ing out the Dutch markings on the STM S2s. Another friend is John H. Russell , the third American instructor sent to Java to train Dutch pilots; and before he died, T. Claude Ryan who enjoyed coming to Allen's hangar and seeing both the PT 22 and STM. Bill keeps these two Ryans plus a Stearman PT-17 and Great Lakes 2T 1A in his hangar at Montgomery Field, north of San Diego. He considers it a real privilege to own and fly the rare Ryan STM. He believes only ten exist in the world with three of those being in the U.S. What a rare treat it would be to see those three STMs parked wing tip to wing tip at Oshkosh one day. Editor's Note: Willis M. "Bill" Allen, Jr., lives at 7868 Lookout Drive, La Jola, CA 92037. He currently serves on the Board of the San Diego Aerospace Museum Hall of Fame. •
~----~--~~~~~--~
sO ~:I::~::( ~·:~:e:::~:a~;~·;~i:::;:~i::~ :a~ planes "'cre primal),. basic, advanced and blind flying (uin· ers all wrapped up in one. Students wemdirectly from Ryan "primary" trainers to multi-engine equipment, When the Japs sleuck. the~ already overworked trainen were pressed intO incet-island IYoHrol service and the transporting of per sonnel, suollegic materials and medical supplies. Ho'" heroically the Dutch proved that R ya n Builds Well!
Ryan Aeronautical Co. ad in an early forties magazine.
TODA Y I ~ exlre....... <kln1nJ. of war ~", prov;Ilg I~ qualify of Rpn IHpbn(,l. manifolds and mljor ",b.us('~bhes TOMORROW. ~It('n rhls s:I~ quJoty ... ill be bOlllr infO R),. n produCTS for 1 frienJly ~Ofld. look fox ~ondroos reo :IU.hs~ Remember. in puce :I.S in ~1f. Ryan Builds W('ll ItYAN AElONAUTlCAL COMPANY, S-
..,........t_.
A,,",
OI .n .. ....."Y
,..~.". AI""
DMtt. (..".....--.......... i _I
".:",........
s.to-.........r........
b ........' .... ~~
Airtnfl
s,...-'"
w.
'....Mrl.. C-II. '-
_ 1<.', _
~v_ AI<.,.fa
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
Low Time
Rear quarter view clearly illustrates the bright polish job on this 1955 airplane. Note two VOR antennas on wing and Grimes strobe on top of fin.
Story and Photos by Norm Petersen Moving slowly along the lines of classic airplanes at Oshkosh '84 brought many pleasant memories as each airplane seemed to tell its own story. Suddenly my pulse quickened as I spotted a Cessna 180 that ran shivers up my spine. The beautiful maroon paint job was set off by polished aluminum that glistened like chrome. The paint design was unmistakeably 1955! Cessna 180, N4698B, SIN 31596, was delivered to its first owner in the small western Montana town of Polson in 1955. For 25 years the airplane was maintained by Johnson Flying Service of Missoula, MT - yes, the same com pany with the Ford Tri-Motors and Travel Air 6000 machines used for haul ing smoke jumpers. The owner flew it less and less over the years. In fact, from 1970 to 1980 the Cessna logged only 10 hours! Keeping an eye on this operation was a veterinarian in Missoula named Dr. Robert Crossley, (EAA 223092, AlC 8352) 1605 Stephens, Missoula, MT 59801. Dr. Crossley had flown as a crewman in WW II and had taken up flying in 1953. His wife was a cousin to the wife of the Cessna 180 owner! As the usage of the Cessna declined each year, the doctor would approach the 8 MAY 1985
owner about selling - "to keep it in the fami ly". In 1980, Dr. Crossley's efforts paid off when the owner decided to sell for medical reasons. The Cessna was pur chased with 310 hours total time , com plete with original logs, owners manual and the original low frequency radios.
Thrown in with the deal was a pair of Federal hydraulic wheel-skis! The first item on the improvement list was a new windshield as the old one was yellowed and crazed. A Scott tail wheel replaced the original hard rubber unit and a Brackett air filter was instal led on the carb intake.
Bright finish on door reveals scroll-like "One-Eighty", exactly as done at the factory. Swing out windows were standard on 180 models. Note fuel tank vent above cabin.
Useful load Fuel onboard Flaps manual Cruise Speed Engine Cont. Horsepower Fuel Oil
Looking like it just rolled out of the Cessna factory, the beautiful 1955 "180" is really enhanced by the brand new factory wheel pants. Paint job is authentic.
A full compliment of King radios was added to upgrade the avionics from 1955 status. Included were dual King KX-170B's plus KT-75 Glideslope Re ceiver and KI-209 Loc/Glideslope Indi cator. In addition, a King KR-86-ADF with a KMA20-04 Audio Amp/Marker Beacon was added. A King KT-76A Transponder was installed along with a new Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) . Once the avionics were ready for cross country work, the Cessna was flown to Troutdale, Oregon for a new coat of Imron paint on the trim at the AAR facility. By now, the 180 was really looking sharp, especially with the aluminum polished to a bright shine. In 1984, new Cleveland wheels and brakes were installed along with a pair of brand new factory wheel pants which Cessna had just turned out on a special run , using the old factory jigs and dies from thirty years ago. A Grimes strobe was installed on the top of the fin and a portable Puritan oxygen system added for high altitude work. Dr. Crossley brought N4698B to Osh kosh '84 with his two sons as passen gers. One of his boys is an Air Force pilot so he helped along the way! Al though they were only able to stay for three days, it did give us a chance to enjoy looking at what must be one of the lowest time 180s in the world . The tach showed 380 hours at Oshkosh! (It now shows 390 hours as of April 1, 1985.) Although he has a float rating, Dr. Crossley feels he would prefer to keep the 180 as a land plane. He feels fortu nate to hangar his beauty for $25 a month at St. Ignatius, just a few miles north of Missoula. A dust cover fits over the entire airplane to help keep the beautiful finish from deteriorating. Once a year, Dr. Crossley takes the 180 is for its annual inspection at Minuteman Aviation in Missoula, the company that bought out Johnson Fly ing Service. In other words, all mainte nance on N4698B has been ac complished by the same people at the same firm for 30 years. How is that for continuity!
The specifications for Dr. Crossley's 1955 Cessna 180 are as follows : Wing Span Empty weight Gross weight
36' 1,480Ibs. 2,550Ibs.
1,070Ibs. 60 gals. (58 useable) 20 0 - 30 0 - 400 150 mph 0-470-J 225 80 octane 12 qts.
The original Cessna 180 Owners Manual from 1955 has some very fine words in the introduction. "Congratula tions . .. You are now the owner of a truly outstanding airplane. The Cessna 180 has been engineered to give you the ultimate in performance, flying com fort and economy for business or plea sure. Every fine possession is worth caring for and this is especially true of your Cessna 180." Dr. Robert Crossley, we salute you for preserving a beautiful piece of 1955 aviation! •
With the big 0-470 Continental 225 hp engine ticking over, Dr. Robert Crossley taxies his pride and joy past the rows of classics at Oshkosh '84. Co-pilot is Robert Crossley, Jr.
Worms eye view from head on shows large spinner and MacCauley constant-speed propeller. New Brackett air filter is mounted on carb intake. Note clean belly! VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
'y' 'P .r:.. t· t.'. .l"~' .. '.:. :.:. .:'.
: : :. ../ .· :;.;.. :.: :~I··Y tn · ·· · ..ft· ·:r; · ········.· E ···. ·,'·..:·.:,·;·.:::::../ . .. ·.· · . ..:·.· .
) .)~". ....•
'
:::~
.'
i') .> .. • ~
This month 's Mystery Plane is from the post·World War II era and probably is not a mystery to many of our experts. It is evidently from the 1950s period when many manufacturers were seek· ing the perfect design to appeal to the expected burgeoning demand in the pri vate plane market. The photo was sub mitted by Robert F. Pauley of Farmin gton Hills, Michigan. Location and date are unknown. Answers will be published in the August 1985 issue of THE VIN TAGE AIRPLANE. Deadline for that issue is June 15, 1985. The Mystery Plane for February 1985 was identified by a number of our read ers as the Ryan M-1. Charley Hayes of Park Forest, Illinois wrote : "This is one of several versions of the Ryan M-1 . The M-1 first flew on Febur ary 14, 1926. It was powered with a vari ety of engines, including the Curtiss OX-5, Hisso 150, Hisso 180, Wright Whirlwind J-4E, Super Rhone 120, Hisso 200, Ryan-Siemens 125 and Menasco-Salmson 250 water cooled radial. Several M·1 's were used as mail planes on the West Coast and one M-1 10 MAY 1985
~"
';: .:"
t
'
.;:.~') '... ....
.":::4 '> '
:i1·
by George A. Hardie, Jr.
was converted to a five-place cabin plane with the 200 Hisso E and called the 'Bluebird'." Although the airplane in the photo ap pears to be an M-1, it actually is a designed by William "Cruizair", Waterhouse and built in Los Angeles at the same time as the M-1 . It can be identified by comparing the magazine photo with one shown on page 25 in the book The Spirit of Ryan by Ev Cassag neres. Note the difference in the mount ing of the tail skid from that of the M-1 , and the cowl does not have the swirled finish featured on Ryan M-1's. Only three of the Cruizairs were built, while Ryan's M-1 became a successful de sign which was the basis for one of the airplanes, most famous of all Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis". Claude Ryan had hired Waterhouse to do the engineering for his M-1 de sign, original with Ryan and later patented by him. Waterhouse was building one of his own while working
M:.
".
E····;·····
."';::":~.:...: . .... ~
for Ryan , and when Ryan discovered this, he quickly finished the M-1 with the help of Hawley Bowlus and captured the market for his new design. Details of this story can be found in Cassag nere's book and also in Ryan, The Av iator by William Wagner. Answers were submitted by Jim Bor den, Burnsville, MN and Doug Rounds of Zebulon, GA, (both of whom correctly identified it as the "Cruizair"); Kirk Ullman, Orchard Lake, MI ; H. Glenn Buffington, San Diego, CA: R.H. Brooks, Canyon Lake, TX; Ted Businger, Willow Springs, MO; Norman S. Orloff, San Antonio, TX; and C. L. Scott, Renton, WA..
OneOnOne --Campaign
Charles T. McBath, Naperville, IL Charles soloed in 1939 in a 37 hp Taylor Cub. He flew P-47s during WW II and flew for American Airlines for 33 years. Gar Williams, Naperville, IL
J. Francis Pagels, Bayport, NY Tom Hutchins, Huntington Station, NY
The early results of the One-on-One Campaign for new Antique/Classic Divi sion members are in. Listed below is the new member's name, a comment (if provided on the membership applica tion), and the name of the recruiter. W. B. Dasher, Macon, GA William B. Camp, Warner Robbins, GA Bob Dolsen, Middlefield, OH Bob is 65 years old and has loved planes since age 9. He was with NACA during WW II doing engine testing. Charles E. Hedge, Bedford, OH Leo Drozdowski, Grand Blanc, MI Leo is very knowledgeable about WW II aircraft Theodore Travis, Flushing, MI Melvin D. Folkerts, Rudd, IA Ron Demaray, Rockford, IA John Giordano, Cedar Rapids, IA John and Raymond are building a Sonerai ilL and they frequently fly to gether in Raymond 's 1949 Piper Clip per. John has a special appreciation for antique and classic airplanes. Raymond A. Walsh, Marion, IA Duane Golding, Sheboygan Falls, WI Charles Bell, Sheboygan, WI
Uwanna Perras, Redwood City, CA Uwanna is doing a complete rebuild of a Beechcraft D17S Staggerwing with his brother Yon Perras. Peter Hawks, San Carlos, CA
Robert Holtorf, Mankato, MN Robert is President of EAA Chapter 642. Floyd Backstrom, Mankato, MN Dianne Lynne Johnson, Dallas, TX Dianne is E.M.'s daughter and she is interested in antique and lighter than air aircraft. E. M.Johnson, Jr., Dallas, TX Ellsworth R. Jorgenson, Annandale, MN Ellsworth and his 2 brothers built a Stits SA-11 homebuilt and are currently working on the restoration of Stan Gomoll's Stinson V77. Stan Gomoll, Minneapolis, MN Harry E. Jorgenson, New Bright, MN He built a Stits Playmate, N30J and is restoring a Stinson V77. Stan Gomoll, Minneapolis, MN John W. Jorgenson, Minneapolis,
MN
John is a partner in a Stits Playmate,
N30J and is assisting in the restoration
of a Stinson V77.
Stan Gomoll, Minneapolis, MN
Roger Gomoll, Minneapolis, MN Roger owns a 1946 Taylorcraft BC-12D and is a classical musical announcer for Minnesota Public Radio. Stan Gomoll, Minneapolis, MN
John Krueger, Redlands, CA John is a 7,000 hour commercial pilot and owns a C-150, C-210, Starduster Too and an AT-6 . He is President of EM Chapter 845. Ben Giebeler, San Bernadino, CA
Richard Gretz, Naperville, IL Gene Popma, Naperville,lL
Bruce W. LeRoy, Madison, WI Stanely Mockrud, Madison, WI
Everett Gunter, Ft. Worth, TX Everett's interest in antique aircraft goes back 20 years and he has a real knowledge of some of the old aircraft. Ned Kensinger, Joshua, TX
Neil R. Lewis, Canton, IL Neil received his private pilot certificate on 1/6/85 and is interested in restoring an antique or classic aircraft. Don Barth, Pekin, IL
Richard J. Halldorson, Cavalier, NO Elmer (unable to read last name. No address or membership number given).
Mike Melfa, Miami, FL Mike's 3rd airplane is a Global powered psuedo Aeronca C-2 which he says flies better than the original. Ray Fow, Miami, FL
Phillip N. Hocker, Juneau, AK Phillip is a great aviation enthusiast. He has a commercial license with land, sea, and instrument ratings and flies his Cessna 180 over 200 hours yearly. Roy G. Cagle, Juneau, AK
Jun Morris, Toledo, OH
Jun is restoring a 1940 BC-12 Taylor
craft.
K.F. Kreutzfeld, Waterville, OH
Gerard R. Peterson, Rochester, NH Gerard is a very active member of EAA Chapter 225. He is interested in classic aircraft. Jack E. Denison, Rochester, NH Betty I. Roman, Sunrise, FL Betty is very interested in flying. She is a student pilot and hopes to get her license soon. Hal McGovern, Miami, FL Jack Romkey, Burlington, IA Jack is restoring an OX-5 powered Air King (National Airways Co., Lomax, IL). Robert J. Ziegler, Nauvoo, IL John H. Rudy, Sand Springs, OK John is a Ford dealer, owns a C-172 and is building a Pietenpol with a Ford Escort engine. George E. Goodhead, Jr. , Tulsa, OK Fred Scholz, Naperville, IL Gar Williams, Naperville, IL Robert A. Stoinoff, Jr., Harrison, OH Robert owns a 1954 C-170B and is re storing a Stearman PT-17 to Army specifications. Arthur J . Parks, Cincinnati, OH Peter B. Strombom, Evansville, IN Peter is restoring a Fairchild 24R. Stan Gomoll, Minneapolis, MN Arnold R. Stymest, Keene, NH Arnold is Director of Aeronautics (Mas sachusetts). He has over 9,000 hours, commercial license with CFII, CFIA, ASMELS, AGI and IGA ratings. He owns a 1948 Stinson 108-3 Station Wagon and a C-182C. Bob Lickteig, Albert Lea, MN Edward C. Tobin, Bolingbrook, IL Gar Williams, Naperville, IL Mark Wiese, Blooming Praire, MN John D. Lafferty, Austin, MN Capt. Robert A. Wittke, Hilton Head Island, SC Robert is a retired TWA Boeing 747 captain. David H. Scott, Washington, DC VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
AL Menasco Aviation Pioneer . • • Part II (of two parts)
by Chet Wellman (Photos courtesy of AI Menasco, except as noted) As AI said , he had been tinkering With , repairing, rebuilding and building engines all his life, as he was fascinated by them at an early age. After the disas trous experience with the French Salmson engines, as mentioned in his speech, AI determined that he would build his own engines stronger and bet ter than any others. Future events proved that AI would succeed in this de sire. AI says that inverted engines were not invented by him. He points out the Europeans had inverted several en gines and the Army Air Corps, under the command of Col. Dargue, was plan ning a South American good will tour in Loening amphibians and had ordered the Allison Machine Shop in In dianapolis, Indiana to invert some Lib erty engines. This was done so the pilot could see out over the engine and also to get proper clearance for the props. Thus started the Allison Engine Com pany, now known as Allison Gas Tur bine Engine Mfrs., a very fine company still located in Indianapolis. In 1929, AI 's friend Jack Northrop, who was experimenting with the flying wing concept, convinced AI of the ad vantages of an in-line, inverted engine. AI readily agreed and commenced work on the design . The aircraft was almost finished and Jack wrote both the Cirrus and De Havilland companies in England asking if they had considered an in verted design of their engines. The re plies were both negative, and the De Havilland reply was quite emphatic. To expedite the aircraft tests, AI de cided to invert one of the Cirrus engines until he could produce one of his own models in the 90-95 hp range required . The Cirrus inversion served its purpose to expedite various ground tests with the Northrop Flying Wing until the first Menasco A-4 was finished and installed 12 MAY 1985
AI Menasco in early day flying togs.
Original photo is captioned: Tokyo, 1916. Menasco, Oliver, Wild.
for flight tests . These were to be held at Muroc Dry Lake, California, now Ed wards Air Force Base. After the ground tests the plane was returned to the new Northrop hangar in Burbank. At this time Northop turned their full attention to the production of the Alpha. This plane was an improved Air Mail design which became the leader in its field , both as a mail carrier and as a passenger design. The flying wing de velopment was put in a corner of the hangar to be continued when time per mitted . AI produced five of the Menasco A-4 engines which were installed in various aircraft before tooling up for production of the 95 hp engine with improvements which were also incorporated in later engines such as the six cylinder B6 model. The A-4 engines were named "Pirate" and the first such engine is now on dis play in the Dallas office of Menasco, Inc. The horsepower then was in creased to 95 and the first of this model is on display in the Smithsonian 's Na tional Air and Space Museum. The suc cess of this engine necessitated moving from AI 's garage to a small factory on McKinley Avenue in Los Angeles. His work force increased to 30 people. From the outset, Menasco Motors tested their engines at 125% of rated power for 100 hours. AI also pioneered high pressure super-charging of aircraft engines, using manifold pressures double those of other engines. This, together with the inverted designs, small frontal area and large propellers are usually cited as the reasons behind AI 's ability to get higher performance from an engine with a small displacement. AI purchased all new manufacturing tools and machines and in a short while assembled the finest and most com plete machine shop west of Chicago. This equipment later played an impor tant part in the transition of the company from an engine manufacturer to the world's foremost maker of landing gears. The Menasco engine became an immediate success and AI 's shop was soon self-contained , making all parts in house, including the gears. His only competition in later years was Fairchild , and Sherman Fairchild became a lifelong friend . Menasco engines were never intended for racing , but because of their ruggedness, reliability, power, and inverted configuration , race pilots found them perfect for race planes. The fact that AI used ball bearings instead of bronze bearings wherever possible, also gave his engines an edge for rac ing. He learned this friction saving trick from the German engine designer Maybach. AI says that he had always been a free soul , under no restraints and able to do what he wanted - like a pirate.
So he named his engines "Pirate", "Swashbuckler", "Freebooter", "Corsair" and the C6S-4 "Buccaneer" (super charged) , which AI says was his finest engine. Bill Boeing was on the Menasco Board and AI says he carried the com pany during the Depression. Howe\(er, in 1937, as with most other companies , things were not good with Menasco. The company was still making a few very few - aircraft engines and had taken to making small counter top washing machines, jacks, security val ves, etc. In 1938, AI had a disagreement with the Board as to the direction the com pany would take and left the company , but remained the company's largest shareholder. Shortly thereafter, the Air Force asked the Menasco Company to build landing gears, largely because of their complete machine shop and skil led workers . That contract brought with it unlimited financing . Because of the war, business exploded and Menasco became the largest manufacturer of landing gears and remains so today , in cluding gears for the space shuttles. Next time you fly commercially, chances are you will take off and land on Menasco-built landing gears. Menasco engines enjoy an enviable record as racing engines. In 1933 and 1934, these engines won three times as many races in the U.S. as all other engines combined . The greatest number of victories won by a single airplane was powered by a Menasco B6S engine. This model, the Buc caneer, was the result of six years of development work. It was sold as a commercial engine, but the racers soon took it to heart. In 1937, Menasco en gines took both the Greve Trophy Race (550 cu. in.) and the Thompson Trophy Race, the 200-mile unlimited against 1,800 cu . in. racers. While Menasco-powered planes were single engine design, there were a few twin engine designs, including the American Gyro Crusader, and at least one trimotor, the 1930 Ogden. Inciden tally, the American Gyro Crusader was the November 1984 Mystery Plane in THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE. The plane was designed by Tom Shelton who au thored a detailed report of it in the July 1964 issue of SPORT A VIA TlON. The ship was powered by two C4S Menas cos giving excellent performance. Tom Shelton still lives in Burbank, California. After leaving the Company, AI could not remain idle for long so he opened a Ford auto dealership in Culver City, California with great success until the second World War, when he received a commission as a Major in the U.S. Gov ernment Materiel Command. AI was stationed in Detroit for much of World War II, assigned to the produc tion of large military aircraft manufac
tured and assembled by the nation 's major auto makers as part of the war effort. He returned to Los Angeles in 1945 and opened a new Ford dealer ship . AI remembers that among his best customers were actors, directors and producers from the motion picture in dustry and that some of the great movie stars were among his close personal friends. Clark Gable visited AI 's ran ch on several occasions. In the middle 1950s, AI decided to get out of the auto business and into the wine business. So he sold his deal ership on contract and purchased a ranch and vineyard in the beautiful Napa Valley , north of San Francisco. This engaged him for many years. He recently sold the vineyard , retaining over an acre on which his residence is located. He lives there today with his lovely wife , Julie, who is a talented and devoted golfer and has headed several women 's golf associations. Julie took a very active part in Ronald Reagan 's campaign and election as Governor of California and to two terms as President of the United States. She has received special commendation for her efforts. Julie and AI make a good team and she tends to keep AI on an even track. AI is always thinking of new projects to do because, at heart, he is still the kid who skipped school to see the air meets in Los Angeles. AI Menasco, at 88, is as energetic as a man of 50. He has a keen mind and is interested in everything . He is en gaged in creating a small museum in a remodeled barn behind his and Julie's cozy residence in St. Helena, California. AI has boxes of photos and memorabilia of the old days. Many photos are al ready on the walls and AI has an in teresting story for each of them . AI is extremely proud of his part in the evolution of the aircraft industry. One notes when conversing with him, that his recall of each event is immediate and accurate. His friendship with aircraft pioneers such as Donald Doug las, Bill Boeing, Lindbergh , Doolittle, Haizlip, Claude Ryan and almost every early "Aviation Great" is clearly remembered . One feels that the events he describes so vividly could have happened yester day. It has been over 70 years and AI has moved from bicycles and models to motorcycles, to home-made race cars, to stick and wire, open pusher Wright flyers and from biplanes to the moon and space shuttles. AND, ALBERT SID NEY MENASCO, THE PIONEER WHO WAS THERE TO EXPERIENCE IT AND ACTUALLY BE A FORCE IN THE BIRTH OF IT ALL IS STILL HERE TO TELL IT LIKE IT WAS. Following is the conclusion of AI Menasco 's story as told in his own words in a speech he made on January VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
29, 1969 to the Menasco Manufacturing Company's California Division Manage ment Club . . . . C. W. "It took me from Monday morning until Wednesday to arrive in San Fran cisco , closing out my shop and every thing in Los Angeles, arriving in San Francisco on the S. S. Yale or Harvard, I forget which , that cost ten bucks from San Pedro to San Francisco. "That started an association that lasted a long time . We went to Japan first - but I am getting ahead of my story - we started to build the cars and planes in a shop in San Francisco We never finished them because the boat schedule caught up with us and I spent the last hectic days and nights without sleep making a catalog of all the parts and materials and checking them aboard ship. "We took off for Japan March 4, 1916 as scheduled on the Chiyo Maru - a big liner for the Pacific of 22,000 tons. Down in the engine room they had a machine shop, including a lathe, drill press and shapero I did not see much of the Pacific because for 17 days I was down there machining the unfinished parts. "We had differentials on the jack shafts with chain drive to the rear wheels, somewhat of a reverse from the new front wheel drives on the cars today. The steering gear, hubs and axles for the cars and parts for the airplanes were all semi-finished - inci dentally we had rack and pinion steer ing which is so highly touted today for sports cars. I did most of the finish machine work in the engine room of the Chiyo Maru. I wish you could have seen the equipment. I can still remember it all today. "When we arrived in Japan, every thing was semi-finished . We had a big team of six racing car drivers, including myself and an organization of 23 mem bers assembled in Japan, including ad vance men, photographers, etc. It took six weeks in Tokyo before we had 3 cars and one airplane ready for the first show at Aoyama Parade Grounds at T6kyo. 225,000 paid admission to the parade grounds, and I am sure that most of the 5 or 6 million other residents of Tokyo at least saw Art in the sky. And from then on, he was taken into the hearts of the Japanese. "He was a little guy - 5'6" - about the stature of most Japanese and was always pleasant and even tempered he just clicked with them - that was all. We made a tour over most of Japan. I stayed in Tokyo most of the time after we were well organized and built up the second airplane and finished the eight cars . "With our new Curtiss 90 hp eight cy linder engines and other improvements the aircraft performance enabled Art to fly from fields that were impossible be 14 MAY 1985
fore. We would arrive at a field with coolies pulling five crates which con tained the airplane. We assembled it ready to fly in an hour and a half. From the time he landed, it was back in the crates in 45 minutes. "Our controls were the same as today, except we used the wheel to con trol the rudder with ailerons controlled with the feet. We used an altimeter the size of a pocket watch strapped around the pilot's leg and a tachometer alongside the seat. That was the in strumentation. A ground wire from the magneto to a switch on the wheel and a foot throttle on the aileron bar were the engine controls. The ground wire was disconnected from the magneto in disassembly. "At the show in Sapporo, the ground wire was installed badly, causing it to short on take off. Attempting to avoid a landing among spectators, Art crashed and was severely injured and we had to ship home, washing out the tour. Fi nancially we came out about even stephen by the time we returned to San Francisco. "Art's injuries, including his left leg broken in three places, required his being sent to a hospital in Chicago, while I stayed in San Francisco and re built the equipment. We returned to Japan six months later a little bit smar ter. "We did not take a big crew, just Art and myself, his mother and one Japanese assistant. Japanese promot ers had contacted us meanwhile and money was deposited in the banks at Yokohama before dates were assigned by our Japanese manager in Tokyo. "We were booked ahead into Korea, Manchuria, China, Formosa and the Phillippines besides returning to all the cities of Japan. There was not an end in sight - Singapore and beyond. Our lowest fee for the smaller towns was 5,000 yen - $2,500 for two flights the larger cities were negotiated upon gate receipts and the money was rolling in. "We had two sets of equipment which we could grasshopper over each other - our Tokyo office lined them up so that we averaged as many as five differ ent cities a week. When the United States declared war, we decided to come home and join the army. "Art took time out to give me some very expensive flying lessons, cancel ling about five dates to do so. We laid over at Niigata on the west coast of Japan. We used the home stretch of a mile race track there for take offs and landings and simulated landings on a beach nearby until I had 180 minutes of instruction, which Art deemed sufficient. "I had previously had acrobatic les sons being one of the very few who learned to loop before the art of taking off and landing. We had our last show
in Shanghai, where we had a good field enabling me to solo, and I was consid ered a full -fledged aviator. "We arrived back in San Francisco in November, both volunteering for the Aviation branch of the Signal Corps. They turned me down because of my bad ears - maybe they were right be cause my hearing is still bad - and sent Art back to the new Langley Field, Vir ginia as a test pilot. "I joined the Canadian Royal Flying Corps in Vancouver after being turned down by the Navy. At Toronto the R.F.C. was adopting United States pro cedures, so again I was grounded and I finally wound up at Langley Field also, where I was put in charge of engine testing and instruction for the Signal Corps as an aeronautical engineer with a civil service salary of $1 ,800 a year - that that was a great thing - I was an engineer. "My work embraced some correc tions to the Hispano-Suiza engines then being built as the choice for a fighter program, which led me to joining the builders - the Wright-Martin Company who was the licensee in the United States. Wright-Martin later became the present Curtiss-Wright Co. who built the Wright J-5 engine that Lindbergh flew the Atlantic with . "I decided to come home after the war - we had trained 18,000 pilots in Jen nies and you could buy a surplus Jenny for $350.00 Pilots were a dime a dozen, giving passenger rides for $5.00 from cow pastures all over the country. "I took a job as a machinist in a shop on West Pico St. for 60 cents an hour. Art stayed on and the infant Air Mail was born. He flew the mail. From the shop in Los Angeles I graduated to seI ling machine tools, then started my own shop building air compressors. "One of my early pals in racing, Karl Weber invented a glass grinding machine and I joined his company, the Weber Showcase Co. The automobile business began building the closed cars and we could hardly build the glass machines fast enough for Detroit and we were in the chips again. "Art was still flying the mail. He had scattered most of the money from Japan around Texas in oil well drilling. He had also bought 250 war surplus French Salmson engines which our goverment had received from France after the war - quite possibly the most we ever received from France of a repa rations nature. The engine was known as the Liberty of France - a very ad vanced engine for its time, a 9 cylinder radial water cooled type of 230 hp. "He planned to start an aircraft factory while flying the mail and build a sky-writ ing airplane. He was still inventing things and was going to corner the sky writing business. He had improved the war surplus DH mail ships with several
of his devices. It was still the U.S. Air mail Service - not yet a private carrier. "The government asked for bids to re place old DH's. The Curtiss and Doug las companies responded with two pro totypes for evaluation. Douglas submit ted an adaptation of its round-the-world cruiser, carrying 1,000 Ibs. of mail in a front cockpit, with the pilot in the rear open cockpit. Curtiss submitted a new model called the Carrier Pigeon, of bas ically the same type - both biplanes. But the Carrier Pigeon was an ungainly looking ship by comparison and had a very high cowling forward that lessened forward visibility. "Douglas appeared to be favored ; all the pilots tested both at Cleveland. Art was a friend of Curtiss and wanted to see the Pigeon get a fair trial. He said that he did not want to just fly it around the field, but take it on his regular night run to Chicago under actual weather conditions . He was at that time very in terested in bad weather flying and de veloping aids during his trips. "He took the Carrier Pigeon on his run to Chicago that day and encoun tered bad weather for the return trip. I was in New York and had planned to meet him in Washington the following day to visit the patent office. Ten inches of snow fell on New York that night and Art was out in the Carrier Pigeon. "He bored through safely to Bryan, Ohio and decided to land at the emergency field there to replenish his fuel in case of necessary circling over Cleveland later. He broke through at Bryan okay but in circling a farm to get his bearings he struck a lone tree that was about 40 feet above all else and that is where he finished. "I went down to Ft. Wayne to his fun eral. They erected a statue on the golf course there where he taught himself to fly. It is a beautiful statue - a shaft of granite 40 feet high, with an 8 foot sym bolic figure of a man with wings out stretched in bronze on top. "In helping his mother and father to settle his estate we found that his prin cipal asset was the 250 Salmsons in a warehouse at Dayton . Civil aviation was beginning to stir so I tried to peddle these engines to some of the emerging companies, but none of them seemed to have much money. "I finally shipped the engines to California and started to convert them to American standards to make enough to take care of Mrs. Smith and Art's father who was failing rapidly. That was mistake. We increased the horsepower to 260 by making a few improvements, but the engine started throwing parts such as valves , springs and other pieces. "Lindbergh flew the ocean while we were doing this and all hell broke loose. Everyone wanted to get into the aircraft business. They would buy engines,
they'd buy anything remotely connected to the aircraft business. You could sell stock in any company that even suggested an affiliation . For example, there was a small railroad in Florida called Seaboard Airlines. To the amazement of stockholders and man agement, their stock zoomed to as tronomical figures overnight. No one stopped to question that it was a railroad. "I had unlimited opportunities to sell the engines, except about that time the government established an Aeronautics Bureau through the Department of Commerce to create some regulations for the exploding industry. "It became necessary to license air craft properly, also to set speCifications for safety, among which were tests to prove airworthiness. Engines were re quired to pass certain tests to obtain an airworthiness certificate. ''The whole concept was proper and well done. But I was stuck with the Salmsons unless I could get them cer tified . To do this we had to operate an engine at full throttle for 50 hours at the Bureau of Standards in Washington , DC - within a range of temperatures and fuel consumption figures and other safety factors. "We made five trips and in the last attempt we ran 49 hours and 27 min utes before the last piece of the French engine blew which was the crankcase, as we had replaced about everything else by that time. "By this time we had assembled a good crew and had a good shop, so I said 'I'm back in the engine business, but I am going to build my own engines.' "That was the start of the Menasco Manufacturing Company. "We called it Menasco Motors. Jack Northrop, also a young man at that time but already with impressive credits, was responsible for my decision to build an inverted type engine. He convinced me that all previous types were not built for the utmost aerodynamic efficiency, but
to obtain the best power-weight ratio. The Wright Whirlwind J-5 wh ich Lindbergh had used was supreme, they could sell more than they could build, a nine cylinder radial. Of the 140 some types by as many companies then ap plying for certification, 90 percent were radials, of large frontal area. "Jack said, 'The inverted engine of small frontal area, with the crankshaft above gives a higher center of thrust, plus more propeller clearance, which in turn allows for a shorter landing gear a better aerodynamic situation all around.' "Other advantages of streamlining, lower center of gravity, accessibility were apparent. Jack was anxious to build a small prototype flying wing and this type of engine fit in his plans. The design also included a retractable land ing gear and other innovations. "We had the most complete machine shop within the aviation fraternity then . Douglas, Lockheed, Ryan and others were primarily airplane builders, lacking much in the way of metal working machine tools. "As a result, we were able to execute the more difficult machined parts for them . So we built the first retractable landing gear for Northrop, of Jack's de sign. It was what we termed a 'piece of jewelry' then . I don't think you even have the tools in the plant today to do the job - we practically had to hand tool the whole thing out. "That was the first retractable landing gear built in the industry to my knowl edge. It worked fine in tests at Burbank, but in crosswind testing at Muroc Dry Lake (now Edwards Air Force Base) it was troublesome. Jack wanted to get on with the testing of the airplane itself so we finished with a fixed gear to prove several of the other new features of the first flying wing. Eddie Bellande did the flying - who has just retired as Chairman of the Board of the Garrett Corporation, incidentally.
Photo courtesy of Wes Schmid
Rudy Kling and his Menasco-powered Folkerts SK-3 racing aircraft in which he won both the Greve and Thompson trophies in 1937. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
"That was at least a partial success for the first retractable gear - designed by Northrop and built by Menasco. So at long last, we come back here to where you are building landing gear. "I must tell you one more landing gear story then button this up. We had 'grown' into air racing. We were quite successful, in fact that's being too mod est. During that era, we won four times as many races as all other engine com panies combined. But we never built a racing engine. These were stock ap proved type engines. I must digress to explain this . After five failures with the French engine, I made up my mind that when I built my own engine and put my name on it that there would be no fail ures at the Bureau of Standards 50 hour tests. "No engine was submitted by us for testing thereafter that could not run 100 hours at 125% full throttle. I did not even bother to attend the tests in Washing ton . We got seven approved type certifi cates in a row - no other manufacturer had ever submitted to seven successive tests successfully. "We did it by diligence and determina tion to give the customer more than he asked for. Throughout the Burbank plant today I saw a lot of your work and it was beautiful. I am really proud to have my name on the door again. "I promised one more anecdote about the second landing gear we were in volved in. A group of San Francisco flyers and sportsmen decided to build an airplane to compete in the National Air Races at Cleveland . They backed a young designer by the name of Keith Rider who produced an outstanding airplane - all metal, cantilever low wing, using our first supercharged en gine and a retractable landing gear. "We had appeared for the first time at a National Air Race scene in Chicago in 1930. Now it was 1931 and the San Francisco people became so enthused when they saw their entry develop that they decided to build two of them . We arrived at Cleveland and created quite an impression . They were beautiful to see, they looked like the modern fighter of today. The slender nose of the in-line engine, the short un braced low wing in gleaming aluminum was quite some thing. We were in a small cubic inch class, our largest engine was only 544 cubic inches and we had no aspirations to win the big Thompson Trophy race , which was unlimited with engines as high as, 1,800 inches. But we did bite off the 1,000 inch class, we thought we could do well in that. "There were 50,000 people in the grandstand as the race started. Planes were lined up abreast in what was called a racehorse start. If the wind was from the wrong direction, they took off opposite to the counter-clockwise direc tion of the course, cirCling a scattering 16 MAY 1985
pylon before entering the first lap on the proper course. "I was in a grandstand as a guest of some prominent people instead of my usual place at the starting line. "The flag was dropped and all the planes started. Right in front on the in side pole comes this Miss San Fran cisco. It hopped off the ground and was in the air - level with the eye in the grandstand while the others were still lumbering along down there on the field and as it passed the grandstand the wheels disappeared, the landing gear came up and went out of sight. Nobody had ever seen that happen except to a bird. "The grandstand came undone. He was down around that scattering pylon and back on the 10 miles course and out of sight before some of the other guys were barely airborne. "That was the first sight of the retract able landing gear to this big audience at the National Air Races . In those days it was a 1~-day meet - the Olympics of the air. Everything was done to dis play aircraft. The Army, Navy, Marine Corps and foreign governments partic pated. Many new types of aircraft were displayed and demonstrated each year. "It was a great show. It was done by myoid friend and high school pal, Cliff Henderson who had the genius of P.T. Barnum in my book. He alternated be tween Los Angeles and Cleveland for the 12 years of popularity, shortened at the end to four days. Menasco engines dominated most events and finally in 1937 we succeeded the ultimate victory of winning the Thompson Trophy race, the unlimited against engines of as high as 1,800 cubic inches displacement with our model C6S-4 engine, making the fastest time in the last lap of any American machine in the history of the event.
"This boy, Rudy Kling , did the job as an embryo pilot. I believe at the time he only had about 300 hours in the air and that was our ultimate success. It went on as you know to the great things that are going on today. "The eventual change from aircraft engines to landing gears seems a fitting thing, because I've described how land ing gear was also part of the history of aircraft development by some great guys, and now Menasco is known for landing gear. In 1969 AI and Julie were invited back to Japan to celebrate the 53rd Anniver sary of Art Smith and AI's tours of Japan in 1916 and 1917. Their hosts were the Mikimoto Pearl Company located on an island off the coast of Japan. It was on this island that Art and AI had demon strated their aircraft in 1917. The Japanese treated them royally, wined and dined them and they appeared on television. AI was presented with a handsome album made up of some of the photos the Japanese had taken in 1917. AI and Julie also played golf with the President of the company and another officer. (Julie won!) AI's brother Milton was seven years older than AI and was the one who took him in during his turbulent younger days. He also saw that AI went back to school. In 1912-13 at Milton 's urging, AI took evening classes at Polytech in Los Angeles in Machine Shop and Engines. Milton later became a well known artist, especially in England and Kentucky for his landscapes and horse pictures. His use of color and shadow was outstand ing. While in Kentucky he was commis sioned to paint most of the famous thoroughbreds of his day. Milton died in 1978 a famous and respected artist. •
Photo courtesy of Wes SChmid'
A Menasco engine being installed in the Floyd-Bean racer in 1939.
,I ~ype ClubActivities
CompIled by Gt'nt' ( 'hast'
Bruce M. Bixler, II, President of the Taylorcraft Owner's Club reports the group has over 500 members and is growing. Dues are $10.00 per year which includes a quarterly newsletter, "The Taylorcrafter". Bruce edits the newsletter which includes some history, some technical information, upcoming events and a classified ad section . Dorothy Feris, President and Owner of Taylorcraft Aviation Corp., offers some advice that may be of help to own ers of pre-war Taylorcraft A and B Mod els. The oil temperature gauge is actu ally a water temperature unit used by the automotive industry in 1936 Chev rolets, Plymouths and 1937 Kenworth, Peterbuilt and Mack trucks. Any antique car magazine would probably provide sources for them . The Annual Taylorcraft Fly-In/Reun ion will be the weekend of July 5-7 this year at Barber Airport, three miles north of Alliance, Ohio. For information on the Fly-In and/or the Taylorcraft Owners Club, contact Bruce M. Bixler II , President, 12809 Greenbower N.E., Alliance, OH 44601.
May 24-26 - Annual Southern Stear man Fly-In, Pensacola, Florida. Dates and location not firm at this time . Contact Ellis Davis, P.O. Box 2007. Pensacola, FL 32503. July 12-14 - Ohio Stearman Fly-In, Allen County Airport, Lima, Ohio. Contact Jim Zimmerman, 1190 South Thayer Road , Lima, OH 45806. August 3-4 - Northwest Stearman Fly In, Cottage Grove, Oregon. Contact Tom Cochrane, 85431 Doane Road , Eugene, OR 97402. Phone 503/687 8830. September 4-8 - National Stearman Fly-In, Galesburg, Illinois. Contact Tom Lowe, 823 Kingston Lane, Crystal Lake, IL 60014, or Ted McCullough, 2310 Monmouth Blvd. , Galesburg, IL 61401 . For information about the Stearman Restorers Association contact Tom Lowe at the above address.
Another highly organized Type Club is the Short Wing Piper Club. This group has chapters throughout the country and is promoting the formation of others. Chapters currently oerating or in the process of being formed are:
The Stearman Restorers Association is one of the oldest of the currently operating Type Clubs. Founded in 1963 by Don Williams with the encourage ment of Lloyd Stearman, it boasts an active membership today of over 1,400 members. This well-organized group publishes a fine 24 to 28 page quarterly newsletter called the "Outfit". The newsletter, which more resembles a magazine, is well worth the annual $10.00 member ship fee. In addition to the Annual National Stearman Fly-In members of the Stear man Restorers Association can partici pate in regional fly-ins. Those events scheduled for 1985 are:
1) New England (Massachusetts)
2) Mid Atlantic (Maryland)
3) Florida
4) Indiana-Ohio
5) Michigan
6) Wisconsin (North Central)
7) Missouri Valley (Iowa)
8) Mid-America (Missouri)
9) Southwest (North Texas)
10) Nebraska
11) Southern California
12) Golden Gate (Northern California)
13) Rag Wing Pipers (Washington)
14) Arizona
15) Illinois
16) Western Canada (British Columbia)
For information on contacting the above chapters or forming new ones, contact Robert Fuller, President and National Chapter Director, 245 Nassau
Street, Princeton, NJ 08540. Robert Fuller can also be contacted for infor mation on the Short Wing Piper Club.
The 1985 National Funk Fly-In is scheduled for August 2-4 at Coffeyville, Kansas. The dates were juggled some this year so those who wish can spend a week at Oshkosh '85, then come to Coffeyville. There will the usual round of games and contests, the Friday night get-to gether and the Saturday night banquet. Antiques and homebuilts are invited. Trophies wil be presented at the ban quet. For information on the fly-in or the Funk Aircraft Owners Association con tact Ray Pahls, President, 454 Summit lawn, Wichita, KS 67209.
The Seventeenth Annual Convention of the International Cessna 170 Associ ation will be July 21-26, 1985 at Antique Airfield , Blakesburg, Iowa. The schedule of events is: SUN, JULY 21 - Pre-registration MON, JULY 22 - Registration, set up tent. Surprise tour. No host party. TUES, JULY 23 - Fly-out to Amana. Board meeting . WED ., JULY 24 - Airport Day. Breakfast in Blakesburg, 170 Forum, lunch at airport, proficiency flying, BBQ at airport, party, movie. THURS., JULY 25 - Fly-out, lunch in Keosauqua. Annual business meeting. FRI., JULY 26 - Fly-out to Pella, Dutch town , lunch, Strawtown Awards Banquet. For information, contact F.O. Kling , 602/567 -4588 . • VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Spartan 7W-P in Chinese markings on the ramp at Spartan 's Hangar No.2 at Tulsa Municipal Airport.
Spartan 7W-P with cowling removed in Spartan Hangar No. 2.
SPARTAN AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION
(Photos by Author, except as noted)
The 7W-P, disassembled for shipment, about to be placed in the large wooden box shown beyond the plane.
by George E. Goodhead, Jr.
(EAA 3603, AlC 5176)
6326 E. 4th Street
Tulsa, OK 74112
To some, the exact number of Spar tan aircraft manufactured from the first Model 7X powered with the Jacobs L-5 to the Model 12 with the P&W "Wasp Jr." has been a mystery. Following is a breakdown of the units manufactured by the Spartan Aircraft Company, Inc. at Tulsa, Oklahoma from 1935 to 1946: 1-Model. 7X, SI N 0 34 - Model 7W, SI N 1 through 34 1 - Model 7W-P, SI N P-1 1 - Model 8W, SIN 8W-1 1..: Model 12W, SI N 12-1 38 Total 18 MAY 1985
Photo from the early 1940s Popular Aviation/Flying magazine showing the Spartan 7W-P nosed over in a Chinese river.
Of the above models, the Federal Air craft Register dated 5-5-84 listed 20 Model 7Ws and one Model 12. Type Certificates were issued only to the Models 7W (A.T.C. 628 issued 2-15-37) and 7W-P (A.T.C. 646 issued 6-28-37). Spartan built only one Model 7W-P. Its date of manufacture was 9-14-36. It was built as a photographic plane and the extensive modification to the fuse lage center section to accommodate the camera equipment, required a new type certificate. The Spartan 7W-P was finished in Chinese markings, crated and shipped to China. Its fate is unknown. Spartan 7W, NC17605, SI N 7W-10 was one of only two "Executives" that came off the assembly line with a com
plete paint job. This ship was painted a bright red with the full Spartan logo painted down the side of the fuselage in cream . This is the same ship that Ar lene Davis flew to fifth place in the 1939 Bendix race with an average speed of 196.489 mph. At a later date photographs of this same airplane appeared with a gunner appearing through the top of the cabin with a machine gun, and a gunsight protruding from the windshield. The plane also carried two .30 caliber fixed guns in the engine cowl , and 6 bombs mounted under each wing. (See page .164, Juptner U.S. Civil Aircraft, Vol. 7.) This ship was never built in this config uration. A close examination of the photo will show that it is re-touched ,
Spartan Aircraft Photo
The one and only Spartan 8W "Zeus" , SIN 8W-1 in Mexican markings. Date of manufacture was 8-14-37. This 2-place aircraft was licensed Experimental and carried NX17612 registration number. A hoped-for government contract did not materialize and plane was scrapped.
Spartan 7W Executive, SIN 7W-19 was manufactured on 5-8-39 for the King of Iraq. Note the King 's crest on vertical fin. Regis足 tration is YI-SOF. This plane was last known to be in England in 1941 .
Spartan Aircraft Photo
U.S. Air Force photo courtesy of Lt. Gen. Ken Tallman, USAF, Ret.
YI-S05 with an eagle and the words, " Eagle of Iraq" painted in gold on the red trim on the cowling.
NC17633, SIN 7W-21 in military colors as a UC-71 during WW II. Plane is now owned by Colgate W. Darden, III of Cayce, SC.
Spartan Aircraft Photo
Model7W, NC17605, SIN 7W-10, manufactured 11-5-37 was the first of only two "Executives" to leave the factory with full paint. This is the one Arlene Davis flew in the 1939 Bendix Trophy Race. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
probably by the Spartan Engineering Department. The most beautiful Spartan ever built was for the King of Iraq. It was SI N 7W 19, with Iraqi registration YI-SOF. The interior was upholstered in red antique velour trimmed 'in gold . The King's crest was placed on the fin and wing tips. The plane was trimmed with a red and gold stripe. A gold eagle was painted on the engine cowl , thus the ship was called "Eagle of Iraq". The young king was kil led in an automobile accident just be fore the plane arrived in Iraq. During World War II, sixteen Spartan 7W Executives were acquired by the Air Force and designated UC-71 trans ports. One of these, Spartan 7W, SIN 7W-21 , NC17633 bui lt 7-29-39 was pur
to Cuba trying to obtain a military con tract. On return from this trip, the Mexi can markings were removed and a U.S. Military contract was applied for in com petition with the AT-6 and others. This contract did not materialize. The ship at a later date was disassembled and scrapped. A story of the Spartan 7W Executive complete with a list of all aircraft built, date of manufacture, serial numbers, engine numbers and a list of owners from the time of manufacture to the year 1978 can be obtained from the Amer ican Aviation Historical Society, 2333 Otis Street, Santa Ana, California 92704. The article was published in their Summer 1980, Volume 25, Number 2 issue of the AAHS Journal..
chased by the USAAF in March of 1942 and assigned number 42-38367. At the end of WW II , the UC-71 s were sold back to civilian owners. As of this date, 42-38367 was again assigned N17633 and is owned by Colgate W. Darden III (EAA 14846, AlC 1023) at Cayce, S.C. A two-place tandem-seater was built in August 1937, called the 8W "Zeus". The model 8W Zeus was built using major components of the 7W Executive around a new fuselage center section, and was powered by a 550 hp P&W Wasp S3H-1 engine. It came off the Spartan assembly line with Mexican markings on the wing tips and rudder. Spartan assigned it SI N 8W-1 with U.S. registration NX17612. It is reported that this ship was flown to Mexico as well as
TEMPORARY REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE - CIVIL AERONAUTICS AUTHORITY Rtt:!'~:.~:·~~;;;;~:;:;~ UNITED STATES OF AM ER ICA
,'
In th......... ft.
I
DEPARTMEN T OF COMMERCE BUR,AU OF AIR COMMERCE
-ivy. UNLICENSED AIRCnAFT
.HlFICATION MARK ASSIGNMENT
11-13984
DESCRIPTION OF AIRCRAFT Mod,1
SPARTAN 7X
Sf! ru,l No.
0
4 PCLIII En,in,
.JACOBS
SPARTAN AIRCRAFT COMPANY INC BOX 2649 TULSA OKLAHOMA
Unless SOODe r
susp~ed
or
~vok~ ,
this Ilssilnment expire!!
~. (I ." A;i,t.'D"u',' Me. c..""""
F.. ,,"
The only other 7W with full paint before leaving the factory was NC17615, SIN 7W-14. Colors were cream with hunter green trim and a thin orange pin stripe.
I.
NOV 15
~rm.
1,9?fJ
~\'Il I)U ,
I
NOTE._"" proyl.!"... "I thl Air C"mm.rH R,.... l.U~ •••, ....d... part "I the b.r.1.4.
r~·tIU'"
285 HP
I . • Ih"J ~ lovL.-)
bt..."j
A temporary registration certificate for the prototype Spartan Executive, Model 7X, N-13984, SIN O. The date of manufacture of this plane was 3-7-35. Its Certificate of Airworthiness was cancelled on 11-15-39 and not renewed.
Spartan Aircraft Photo
Spartan factory assembly line in 1937. Plane in foreground is Model 7W, NC17613, SIN 7W-12. Next is the Model 8W, NX17612, SIN 8W-1 followed by Model 7W, NC17614, SIN 7W-13. 20 MAY 1985
MODEL
E NEWS
VI~TA(3~ LIT~~ATU~~
by Dennis Parks
MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS, 1929 Model airplanes were the first pow ered aircraft to fly, though it may be wrong to call them model airplanes, for there were no airplanes to model. Actu ally the big man-carrying airplanes were scaled up copies of the model airplanes, so they might be considered model aircraft. The first engine-driven model airplane to fly was John Stringfellow's steam powered 10' monoplane of 1848. Having proven that he could build a powered aircraft and lacking any recog nition for this achievement, Stringfellow went back to running his lace factory. A more direct ancestor of today's model airplanes was Alponse Penaud's small aircraft. These were the first model aircraft to be powered by twisted rubber bands and were successfully flown from 1874. Penaud died a few years later before getting a chance at lasting fame, but the heritage of his rub ber powered aircraft endures to this day. In 1896 Samuel Langley, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution flew a large tandem winged model aircraft. This was a 26 lb. twin-screw 1-112 hp. steam powered model of 13' wingspan. It eventually flew over a mile course in a little over a minute. With his successful flights, Langley demonstrated that man ned powered flight was possible and proceeded to scale up his model aircraft to man carrying size. Powered by a 50 hp radial engine two attempts were made to launch the craft from a house boat. Both ended in failure, the second nine days before the Wright Brothers first powered flight. The Wright's epic flight transposed model building from an experimental
tool into a dynamic hobby. With the ad vent of full sized aircraft which once copied the small, now the small aircraft would copy the full scale aircraft and the hobby of model aviation was born. The first literature devoted to model aviation enthusiasts was in books. The first I can verify was The Theory and Practice of Model Aeroplaning by Val entine Johnston, London , 1910. The oldest in the EAA Library is Model Bal loons and Flying Machines by J. H. Ale xander, London , 1911 . In the preface to this book the author held that "both in struction and amusement can be ob tained from the making and flying of models." He hoped the knowledge de rived from model flights would tend to develop talent and foster a love for the science of aviation. The book had five sheets of working drawings. These in cluded plans for Farman, Voisin, Wright and Bleriot aircraft. Model aeroplane supply catalogs made an early appearance, with catalogs from Ideal and White available in 1912. The White catalog had 20 pages and provided materials, plans and kits for the modeler. A three-foot Bleriot model was available for $3.00 Though some general aviation jour nals carried modeling sections and plans, such as Popular Aviation and Air Trails with plans by Paul Lindberg, Will iam Winter and Joe Ott, Model Airplane News was the first to devote itself to aeronautical modeling . First appearing in July, 1929, Model Airplane News is the oldest continu ously published modeling magazine for the aviation enthusiast. The founder of the magazine was George Johnson. His first editorial page was dedicated to the young modelers of America. It was
stated that as "building of model airplanes has become Young America's favorite pastime" that would suffice as the inspiration for any publication but that there was "a more significant mes sage. " That was that model building "is a primary education in one of the great growing industries of the world ." The most influential editor was prob ably Charles Hampson Grant who shepherded the staff of MAN . from 1933 to July 1943. Grant was an avia tion graduate of MIT, an "Early Bird", and the author of the large book study Model Airplane Design and Theory of Flight. This book was an outgrowth of his series of articles on the aerodynamics of the model airplane. Another regular feature in the thirties was the series of how-to articles of (Continued on Page 28)
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
..
I, Aerial view of the Fly-In by Dan Bull shows 20 of the planes that flew in. Landing strip runs from left to right across top of picture.
Hay Meadow Ski Plane Fly-In
by Norm Petersen Photos by Dan Bull If ever the term "risky business" was applied to a particular endeavor, it would apply to those few hardy souls who plan a ski plane fly-in months in advance! There are so many variables - anyone of which can upset the plan ning (Le. - applecart). On Saturday, February 9, 1985, ev erything came together for EAA Chap ter 640 of Merrill, Wisconsin and one of the most successful ski plane fly-ins was enjoyed by over 50 hardy souls at John Hatz's (EAA 3990, NC 2983) Hay Meadow Airport near Gleason, Wiscon sin. The picture-perfect setting of this rural 2,200 foot landing strip surrounded by forests and hay fields is a sight to behold for the true "grassroots" flyer. And to have a soft, white powdery snowfall arrive to cover the previous ac cumulation just in time for the fly-in somebody really delivered the goods! Ye olde editor almost missed the whole show. I had arranged to fly with Chuck Andreas (EM 97349 ,NC 7492) and his 115 hp Citabria on Federal skis. 22 MAY 1985
However, the night before, he called with the sad news that the runway at Bill Brennand's airport was scraped so clean we couldn't take off on skis! (With my transportation down the tubes, I now suspected the weather would turn nice and a dandy fly-in was in the offing. Murphy's Law was in full operation!) Early Saturday morning, I was greeted by the sun's rays as the day dawned bright and cold with the temper
ature just above zero. To find out if any body else might be flying up to Gleason, I drove out to Earl Grunska's (EAA 940, NC 565) farm , just south of Neenah, Wisconsin. His J-3 Cub was in the hangar with the skis mounted - ready to go. However, Earl was nursing a sore left elbow due to a flare-up of arthritis. After listening to my sad tale of woe about not going in the Citabria, he suggested I take his Cub and fly up to
Ye Olde Editor winds up the J-3 Cub for takeoff at Hay Meadow. Note loose cables on skis and tight bungee cord with ice-cutter cable on lower end.
The Patriarch of Hay Meadow, John Hatz, holds the window as Norm Petersen fits himself and many pounds of clothing into the rear seat of the CUb.
Gleason! (Maybe my "dauber down" expression had something to do with it.) Before long, we had the J-3 pushed out of the hangar and the 65 hp Conti nental warming up. Earl had installed winter covers on the intake tubes and the oil sump. In addition, he had one of Wag-Aero's Artic Heaters installed on the left side of the engine to help heat the cabin . In approximately 20 minutes the engine oil temperature was off the peg and I had climbed into the rear seat with nearly all the warm clothes I owned on my back! It is really amazing how much (bulk) will fit in the back seat of a Cub! Earl held the left wing back as I added power and swung towards the snow co vered landing strip. Gone was the rum ble of the wheels. Skis slide so grace fully over the snow. I swung a wide arc at the far end of the strip, checking the mags as I did so. As the nose lined up with the runway, I added full power and lifted the tail. In just a few feet, the Cub lifted into the cold air and I was on my way to Hay Meadow.
A slight tailwind helped the 76 mph cruise speed of the Cub as I covered the 90 miles in 1 hour and 5 minutes. The outside temperature was 15 de grees above by now, yet inside the Cub, I was comfortably warm and enjoyed the extremely smooth winter air. Circl ing Hay Meadow Airport, I could see a few people were stirring, but I was still the first arrival on skis.
John Hatz's runway was in perfect shape for such an event with the six inch snow and no wind to blow it into drifts. The sun was peeking in and out of the thin overcast as the planes began to arrive, one after another. Arriving from the farthest distance was Marv Vandenheuval (EM 258422) from Milwaukee's Capitol Airport in his newly restored Taylorcraft L-2 on 1500 Federal skis. Obviously the coldest pilot award would go to Merrill McMahan who flew in from Wausau in his open cockpit Stearman! The final total showed 18 planes on skis plus 5 planes on wheels for one of the finest turnouts ever recorded . Again , the secret was the ideal winter weather combined with perfect snow conditions. The large heated shop was a wel come respite from the cold as John Hatz's wife, Berdina, assembled a tasty meal of hot chili with all the trimmings. Gallons of hot coffee helped warm the thirsty pilots and others of Chapter 640 who drove out to the Fly-In . Following the delicious meal, a short business meeting was held with Chapter Vice President Merrill McMahan presiding. It was easy to see on the smiling faces that this was a group of ski plane en thusiasts. And with hosts like John and Berdina Hatz, along with their sons Clif ford and Allan who maintain one of the .
(Continued on Page 25)
Jim LeFevre, Oconto, WI flew in with his nicely painted Piper Pacer on 2000 Federals. Even the skis were painted to match the airplane! Overall scheme is Ivory with Brown and Orange trim.
Allan Hatz cranks up the prototype Hatz Biplane on skis for a trip around the patch. This not-too-Iarge two-place homebuilt really jumps with its 150 hp Lycoming.
Line-up of Aeronca Chief on skis, Stearman on wheels, Piper Super Cub on skis, Piper Pacer on skis and Piper J-4E Coupe on wheels. Such a variety. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
LANES ON FLOATS
This Hamilton H-47 Metalplane is mounted with Hamilton floats. Note the "M" strutting configuration in the front view.
by Gene Chase The article by Bob Monk, "A Teen ager in Panama" in the December 1984 issue of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE re sulted in some interesting responses. We decided to present them along with the appropriate photos, as an article. The following letters speak for them selves:
cept having a 24" section removed . This was used on Bellanca Pacemaker, Travel Air 6000B and Ryan B-5. Larger floats were available under special order and in the late thirties the numbered series with the characteristic shape still built today was begun.
pounds. This float was also used on the Fokker Super Universal, Fairchild 71 Travel Air A-6000A and the Wiley PosU Will Roger's ill-fated Lockheed Orion/ Explorer. The next smaller float was the K-4650 which was identical to the J-5300 ex-
Dear Mr. Chase, I enjoy the VINTAGE AIRPLANE reg ularly and find the articles useful. Of particular interest was the article on the Panama Hamiltons by Bob Monk. I have some knowledge of the Hamilton Metalplanes and also of seaplanes in general. I have some additions and cor rections. On page 14 of the December issue the caption referring to the front right view of the Hamilton on the beaching dolly is not correct. It clearly has EDO floats installed. The caption states that they are Hamilton floats. Quite correctly all of the other photos show Hamilton floats. To elaborate, the particular EDO model shown is the J-5300 which was the largest of the standard line of letter series built in the late twenties and early thirties. The shape is quite characteris tic and easily recognizable to the trained eye. The number 5300 refers, of course, to the displacement of one float in pounds of fresh water. The pair supplies 100% reserve buoyancy and would be used on aircraft weighing around 5300 24 MAY 1985
..
','
.,....
This photo was incorrectly captioned on page 14 of the December 1984 issue of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE. The floats are Edos, not Hamiltons, as pointed out by reader Anderson.
Drawing by Douglas E. Anderson in collaboration with Art Mills
Drawing of a Hamilton Metalplane H-47 of Ontario Provincial Air Service. Floats are YC-6400 by Edo.
In the photos, the different floats can be distinguished by the strutting ar rangement. The EDO's have a simple "N" configuration while the Hamiltons had the more complex "M" in the front view. Hamilton floats built by the aircraft manufacturer were not considered satisfactory and in many cases were re placed. I have included a copy of a drawing of Canadian Hamiltons I did in collab oration with Art Mills who measured the existing example which is based in St. Paul, Minnesota. The EDO J-5300 floats are not shown since the installa tion did not appear in Canada. There was, however, a larger EDO built under license in Canada and fitted to the Hamiltons of Ontario Provincial Air Ser vice. This was the YC-6400, one sub model in a series beginning with the Y 6075 used on Lindbergh's Sirius and culminating in the high production Yd 6470. There is much more I could say about floats. Perhaps it will make a good arti cle someday. Also referring to the Pheasant resto ration article on page 10. The EAA's Pheasant is not the only surviving example. The Western Development Museum at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada holds the fully restored H-10, G-CASR, CIN 121. The aircraft origi nally registered NC5411 was operated by Cherry Red Air Lines of Prince Al bert, Sasketchewan in the late 1920s and early 30s. I hope the above may be of interest. Sincerely, Doug Anderson Heart Lake Road R. R. 1 Inglewood, Ontario, Canada LON 1KO
Dear Mr. Monk, I was most interested in your story about Isthmian Airways in the De cember 1984 issue of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE. In the summer of 1931 I got a job as ordinary seaman on the SS "To loa" op erated by the United Fruit Company. We sailed from New York, stopped at Havanna and then went on to Cristobel in the Canal Zone. There I was given the day off as cargo was being un loaded. A fellow seaman and I discovered Isthmian Airways and bought a round trip ticket on the airline to Panama City and back. As I recall the cost was $5.00 each way. It was a very wonderful way to see the entire canal from low altitude. This was only my second ride in an airplane as my first ride was in a Fokker tri-motor at Hadley Field near New
HAY MEADOW SKI FLY-IN ... (Continued from Page 23)
finest "grass roots" facilities in all of Wis consin , the feeling of camaraderie and appreciation for all fabric-covered airplanes really hit home. Besides the Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser and Stearman being rebuilt in the shop, a short walk to the west hangar revealed John's OX-5 powered Waco 10 and a group of planes waiting their turn for rebuilding. Included were several J-3 Cubs, a Citabria, a Stinson 108, a PA-11 Cub Special and other as sorted flying machines and engines. (No wonder John's only complaint is, "There aren't enough hours in the day.") With the afternoon shadows begin ning to creep along the ground, it was
Brunswick, New Jersey in 1929. The Hamilton was my first ride in a seaplane and helped convince me that aviation would be my chief interest in life. Unfortunately I did not have a camera with me but your photos brought back memories of a very happy time . Cordially yours, David H. Scott (EM 12181, AlC 63) 3050 West Lane Keys, NW. Washington , DC 20007 •
time to head for home. John Hatz prop ped the 65 Continental and I taxied out for take off. A short run across the smooth snow and suddenly the Cub was flying - the transition from snow to air being undetectable. After circling the beautiful little airport with its multi colored airplanes parked in neat rows, I headed the Cub for Earl Grunska's airstrip. In 1 hour and 35 minutes I was back on the snow in front of Earl's hangar and together we slid the yellow bird back in its roost. What a splendid, fun machine! (Thank you, Earl!) A good hour-long soak in a tub of hot water finally got my body temperature back to normal and I rolled into bed, exhausted. This flying is hard work, you know!. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
Letters To Editor
Dear Bob, I just received my very first issue of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE (March,1985) and it is great! I am writing in regard to your "Straight and Level" column . I sometimes get to "sneak" into Day10n International Airport in the rear where I stand near the gate located a few feet from the runway . I stand there with my Dad at night and watch the DC-3s and Electras load up and take off and listen to the lonesome Pratt's chug off towards Cin cinnati . The oldest aircraft stationed at Day1on's Airport are the Electras and DC-3s . I did ac tually see a couple of Stearmans there, and boy are they pretty! Also, on page 23, the second picture of the Stearmans looks like "something out of World War II", like one of the training bases . The picture of you on page 2 with your Cub, if I'm not mistaken , looks just like the one my grandfather owned in the early 70s. He sold it due to the snow that covered it one winter, breaking the wings off. He also owned a Cessna 150. I wish I knew the year - but it was all silver and had tiger's teeth and eyes painted on both sides of the nose. One last thing I've got to tell you . A year ago I had a chance to ride in a black and
yellow Stearman. What an experience, it was so peaceful and the engine was music to my ears. I am only 17, and I hope to be a member forever. Thanks Mr. Cory Buntin (EAA 240374, AlC 9131) 624 Aullwood Road Day1on , OH 45414
Dear EAA, It's time the FAA stops dragging their feet on the approval of using auto fuel in aircraft. As an owner of a Stinson 108 with a 150 hp Franklin engine designed to use low octane avgas, I am concerned . I never had a problem until I was forced to use 100LL and then I nearly crashed due to lead fouling. The FAA always talks about safety - they should stick their heads inside a Franklin after it has burned 100LL. Ron L. Gordon
(EAA 223238)
Rt. 3, Box 292
Newport, NC 28570
Dear Mr. Chase, Having recently received the December 1984 issue of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE, I looked at the back cover and thought what a fine example of 1930s period photography it was . Everything about it, from the compos ition, the attractive aeroplanes, to the hazy, wintry-looking trees in the background , all pointed to its being the sort of classic period photo I like. Then I became suspicious. I'd heard of a Pioneer Airport at Oshkosh, although I didn't get a chance to visit it during my all too brief stay at the extravaganza last July, and refer ence to the caption revealed that it was, after all , a modern photograph. My congratula tions to Jack Cox for a superb illustration of what the Antique/Classic Divison is all about, and my reaction from an aviation photo grapher's point of view is one of envy, wish ing I'd taken that. Yours sincerely John King (EAA 228003, AlC 8502) 29 Fairclough Road Beach Haven, Auckland 10 New Zealand
For your viewing pleasure we are repeating the "classic" photo of the C8 Fairchild referred to by Mr. King.
)(
o
(,)
""co ..., C)
>
D
o (; .c Q.
26 MAY 1985
Where The Sellers and Buyers Meet...
251: per word, 20 word minimum. Send your ad to
The Vintage Trader, Wittman Airfield
Oshkosh, WI 54903-2591 .
AIRCRAFT: ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of unlimiled aerobatics. 23 sheets of clear, easy to follow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical draw ings, photos and exploded views . Complete parts and materials list. Full size wing drawings. Plans plus 139 page Builder's Manual - $60.00. Info Pack - $5.00. Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing $15.00. The Technique of Aircraft Building $10.00. Send check or money order to: ACRO SPORT, INC., Box 462, Hales Corners, WI 53130. 414/529-2609 . POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol- unlimited in low-cost pleasure flying. Big, roomy cockpit for the over six foot pilot. VW power insures hard to beat 3'12 gph at cruise setting. 15 large instruction sheets. Plans - $47.00. Info Pack - $5.00. Send check or money order to: ACRO SPORT, INC., Box 462. Hales Corners, WI 53130. 414/529-2609. ACRO II - The new 2-place aerobatic trainer and sport biplane. 20 pages of easy to follow, detailed plans. Complete with isometric drawings, photos, exploded views. Plans - $85.00. Info Pac $5.00. Send check or money order to: ACRO SPORT, INC., P.O. Box 462, Hales Corners , WI 53130.414/529-2609.
FAIRCHILD 24W46, 165 Warner. Three radios, strobes, nav and landing lights. Neil Fuller, 4701 West Wackerly Road. Midland, Michigan 48640, 517/835-3833. (5-2) 1939 Bellanca -14-12-3F, N28972, SIN 1042 rebuilt project. "0" time Franklin 150. Wings in very good to excellent condition - no spar problems. Priced to sell. D-FW area. phone 817/430-0475.
MISCELLANEOUS: BACK ISSUES . . . Back issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE (and other EAA Division publications) are available at $1.25 per issue. Send your list of issues desired along with payment to: Back Issues, EAA-Wittman Airfield, Oshkosh, WI 54903-2591 . Parts for sale: Tail feather parts for Curtiss Robin . Mags for Continental A-40 and 8-cylinder Bosh. Lawrence 2-cylinder engine parts - crank, rods, pistons, heads, front cover, carboetc. Call 507/387 7519 after 8:00 p.m. Pietenpol and Corben propellers. Famous "TROYER" pattern. Others for antiques and home builts. 4th. Street Aero, Box 53, Beloit, WI 53511. 608/362-3569. LUSCOMBE PIN - Silver plate on blue, for cap or lapel, $3.50 ppd. Ed Jordon, Box 6533V, Ft. Worth, TX 76115. (6-3)
WRIGHT J-5 Parts: Master rod, link rods, magna fluxed ok and a box of new miscellaneous parts. $500.00.581 /537-4945 evenings. (5-2) Selling Out - Lycoming 65 hp engine parts., ex cellent condition . Cylinder heads blasted clean, $12 each; Crankshafts, $200; Pistons & Connect ing Rod Assemblies, $15; Cont. A-40-4 Complete engine with Magneto, Carbo Hub, plugs, new stacks, new propeller 69 x 23, J-2 Cub motor mount. Only $900.00. Stamp please. Opalack, 1138 Industrial Pottstown, PA 19464. Original early '40s Air Force Sensenich wood pro peller. For ranger engine. Excellent condition. 4500.00 includes shipping. 86" dia. Call eves. Dave Wilke, 717/755-6229.
WANTED: WANTED : Information about a specimen of, or pieces of, Vega model NA-35 primary trainer. Doug Smith, EAA 173299, 155 Feather Lane , Santa Cruz, CA 95060. PIPER BATTERY BOX (5% x 5'/4 x 73/4) as used for battery powered navigation lights on Cub. Paul O'Donnell, 22242 24th Ave. S., F-44, Des Moines, Washington , 98188, 206/241-0855.
VINTAGE TRADER AD fORM
Send check or money order with copy to Vintage Trader - EAA, Wittman Airfield , Oshkosh , WI 54903-2591 .
Total Words _ _ __ Number of Issues to Run _ ________________ _ _ _ _ __ Total $,_ __ _ Signature _ _ __ _ __ _ _______________________ Address
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
VINTAGE LITERATURE ... (Continued from Page 21)
model airplane construction Edwin T. Hamilton called "Fundamentals of Model Airplane Building". This was very similar to today's one-page drawings of helpful hints. Robert C. Morrison had a feature "On the Frontiers of Aviation". This series provided information on new aircraft. Along with details of the aircraft, Morri son provided photos and detailed solid scale plans. The May, 1934 issue in cluded three-view drawings of the Lock heed 12 and Orion, the Davis D-1-W and detailed scale plans of the Electra. Other features included a series on aviation history by Allen R. Moulton, model building articles by Howard McEntee and studies of aeronautics and aerodynamics from Professor Ale xander Klemin. Once in a while a noted figure from the aviation industry had a presentation. In December, 1933 an ar ticle "The World 's Greatest Airline" was done by Donald Douglas. In case you hadn't guessed by now, it was on the DC-1. Fletcher Pratt, a well-published author, presented a series on airpower in the late 30s. Besides the feature articles, Model Airplane News was a bounteous source of drawings for the scale and built-up modeler. To those of us whose experi ence with the magazine began in the 50s, some of these names will be famil iar. These include Willis L. Nye, Hugh Butterfield, John E. Roe, Joseph Nieto and W. A. Wylam. Wylam's later em phasis on detail was evident in his first drawings in the 30s on WW I aircraft. Probably one of the most famous and far reaching set of plans was those pre sented in April and May, 1935 by Joseph Kovel of his KG2 gas powered model. The advent of miniature gas-en gine powered model planes can be traced in the pages of MAN. First ap pearing in a national meet in 1932 gas models had spread enough by 1935 to envoke the editorial "What Do Gas Models Mean to You?" The magazine believed the new development would reshape modeling for the better and gave it its full support. Mention must be made of the covers of MAN ., not only because they have had full color art work since the first issue in 1929, but also because for more than thirty years the covers were graced with paintings by Joe Kotula. He regularly provided covers from the 30s to the 60s and in July, 1979 did the 50th anniversary cover. Still active, Mr. Kotula had a letter to the editor in the February, 1985 issue. Model Airplane News was a delight to the modelers of the 30s, but those old issues can still provide great inspira tion and plans of unique aircraft for today's modelers and aviation en thusiasts. The EAA Library has a good collection from 1932. • 28 MAY 1985
THE JOURNA L OF THE EARLY AEROPLANE
SAMPLE ISSUE $4 ( 15 CRESCENT RD. POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.
) 12601
[EA~
J
~ ..................~
FLYING AND GLIDER MANUALS 1929 - 1930 - 1931 - 1932 - 1933
Price: $3.25 ea. ppd.
SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO:
EAA A VIATION FOUNDATION, INC.
WITTMAN AIRFIELD OSHKOSH, WI 54903-3065
Allow 4-6 Weeks for Delivery
Wisconsin Residents Include 5% Sales Tax
It's Exciting! It's for Everyone!
See this priceless coillection of rare. historically significant aircraft. all imaginatively displayed in the world's largest. most modern sport aviation museurn. Enjoy the many educational displays and audio-visual presentations. Stop by-here's something the entire family will enjoy. Just minutes away!
EA~
~ FOUNDATION l""~~ Wittman Airfield
414-426-4800
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3065
HOURS
8:30 to 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Saturday 11:00 am tD 5:00 p.m. Sundays
Closed Easter. Thanksgiving. Chr~tmas and New Years Day (Guided group tour
arrangements must be made t:'NO weeks
in advance).
CONVENIENT IDeATION The EM Aviation Center is located on
Wittman Field. Oshkosh. Wis. - just off Highway 41. Going North EXit Hwy. 26 or 44. GOing South Exit Hwy. 44 and follow signs. For fiy-ins - free bus from Basler Flight 5elVice.
MEMBERSHIP
INFORMATION
EAA
If your plane is on this list... You could be wasting money!
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is $25.00 for one year, $48.00 for 2 years and $69.00 for 3 years. All include 12 is sues of Sport Aviation per year. Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $15.00 an nually. Family Membership is avail As a result of able for an additional $10.00 development, annually.
Over 10,000 aircraft owners get more flying
for the dollar with EAA's AUTO FU EL STCs.
EAA's leadership in alternative fuels research and FAA has fully approved the use of unleaded auto gas for 317 different aircraft models and engine combina tions. Auto gas STCs (Supplemental Type Certificates) are avail ANTIQUE/CLASSIC EAA Member - $18.00. Includes able from the non-profit EAA Aviation Foundation at 50¢ per one year membership in EAA An engine horsepower: Example - 85 hp. Cessna 140-(50¢ x 85) = tique-Classic Division, 12 monthly $42.50_ (Non-EAA members add $15.00 surcharge to total). Send issues of The Vintage Airplane and membership card. Applicant must check with aircraft N number, aircraft and engine model and be a current EAA member and must serial numbers and EAA member number. give EAA membership number. Non-EAA Member - $28.00. In cludes one year membership in the AERONCA EAA Antique-Classic Divison, 12 Includmg Bellanca. Champion. Trytek. monthly issues of The Vintage Air Wagner. B & B plane, one year membership in the Aviation, Inc. EAA and separate membership 50-TC cards. Sport Aviation not incl!1ded. 65-TC IL-3J) 65-TAC IL-3E) YO·58 0-58B 50-58B 0-58A IL-3A) Membership in the International
7AC 7BCM IL-16A) Aerobatic Club, Inc. is $25.00 an
7CCM IL-16B) nually which includes 12 issues of
70C 7EC Sport Aerobatics_ All lAC members
7FC are required to be members of EAA.
7JC 7ECA S7AC S70C S7CCM S7EC Membership in the Warbirds of llAC llBC America, Inc. is $25.00 per year, llCC subscription to which includes Sl1AC Sl1BC Warbirds Newsletter. Warbird mem Sl1CC bers are required to be members of KCA 50-C EAA. 65-C 65-CA S-50-C S-65-CA 7GCA 7GCB Membership in the EAA Ultralight 7KC Assn. is $25.00 per year which in 7GCBA 7GCAA cludes the Light Plane World pub 7GCBC lication ($15.00 additional for Sport 15AC
lAC
WARBIRDS a
ULTRALIGHT
Avia tion magazine). For current EAA members only, $15.00, which includes Light Plane World publication.
FOREIGN
MEMBERSHIPS
Please submit your remittance with a check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars or an international postal money order similarly drawn.
AERO COMMANOER Including S. L Industries 100 ARCTIC AIRCRAFT CO o. INC _ S-IA BEECHCRAFT Including Bonanza 35. A-35 . B·35. C·35. 0-35. E-35. F-35. G-35. 35R CESSNA 120. 140. 140A 150 . 150A-H. 150J-M. AI50K-M 152.A·152 170 . 170A. B 172, 172A-E. 172F 1T-4IA). 172G. H. 1721. K. L. M 175. 175A. B. C. Pl720 177 180. 180A-H. 180J 182. 182A·P 305A IO-IA) 305B. 305 E (TO-IO. 0-1O.0-IF) 305C. 10-IE). 3050 IP-IG). 305F ERCOUPE Including AireD, Forney. A/on. Mooney 415C . 4150 . E. G. 415 -CO F-I. HA A-2. A-2A M-IO FUNK Including McClish B85C
GRUMMAN AMERICAN AA·5. AA ·5A AA·5B AA·I AA-IA AA-IB AA-IC LUSCOMBE 8. 8A. C. O. E. F. T-8F MOONEY M-18C M·18C55 M-18L M·18LA MORRISEY
~ PIPER J-3C·40 J-3C-50 J3C-50S J3C-65IL-4) J3C·65S J4 J4A J4A-S J4E IL-4F) J5A IL-4F) J-2 J-3 J5A-80 L-4A L- 4B INE-I) L-4H L-4J INE-2) PA-ll PAllS PA-17 PA-18 PA -19 E-2 PA-28-140 PA-28-150
PA·28·151 PA·22·150 PA·22S·150 •J3F-50. -50S. -60. ·605. -65. -65S •J31 . ·5. ·65. -65S PORTERFIELO Including Rankin. Northwest CP·55 CP-65 C5-65 TAYLOR CRAFT BC BC-65 BC12-65 IL-2H) BC12-0 BC120-85 BCI20-4-85 BCS BCS-65 BCS12·65 BCS-120 BCSI2·0-85 BCSI20-4-85 19 FI9 DC-65 IL-2. L-2C) OCO-65 IL-2A. B. M) BC12-01 BCS12-01 VARGA
2i5O 2150A 2180 'Nole: Only Ihose J3F and J3L models pre viously modified to use Teledyne Continental Motors engines are approved
Since 1980, over 2700 engineering flight test hours have been conducted by EAA in the Cessna 150, Cessna 182, Cessna 172, Piper Cherokee, Beechcraft Bonanza and Ercoupe. Additional aircraft were approved by FAA based on fuel system similarities. All approved aircraft are powered by 80 Octane Continental engines (not fuel injected) and Lycoming 0-320-A, C and E engines. STCs are only approved and sold for the enginelairframe combinations listed above. Complete, low cost, protection, including auto gas coverage, is available through EAA's approved insurance program. EAA's Auto Gas Airport Directory which lists over 300 FBOs that provide auto fuel service is now available at $3.00.
EAA LEADS TH E WAY
Join EAA - Be a part of the Aviation Association that is actively engaged in Make checks payable to EAA or the making flying safer, more enjoyable and more affordable for you_ Annual membership division in which membership is $25.00, includes monthly magazine SPORT AVIATION and many other benefits. Join desired. Address all letters to EAA today and get your STC at the special EAA member rate. or the particular division at the fol lowing address: Write Attention:
WITTMAN AIRFIELD STC - EAA Aviation Foundation
OSHKOSH, WI 54903-2591 Wittman Airfield PHONE (414) 426-4800 Oshkosh, WI 54903-3065 ~ FOUNDATION OFFICE HOURS: J!"'"~ TM 8:30-5:00 MON.-FRI.
EA~
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
STITS POLY-FIBER
e IS THE WORLD'S ONLY COMPLETE FABRIC COVERING SYSTEM APPROVED BY FAA UNDER MANUFACTURED UNDER AN FAA-PMA.
AN
STC
Classic owners! Interior looking shabby?
~
AND
e WILL NOT SUPPORT COMBUSTION. e WITH POLY-FIBER FINISHES, WILL NEVER RINGWORM, CHECK OR PEEL.
e IS THE LIGHTEST COVERING METHOD APPROVED UNDER
Finish it right with an Girtex interior
AN FAA-STC.
e IS THE MOST ECONOMICAL, CONSIDERING THE YEARS OF TROUBLE FREE SERVICE.
Complete interior assemblies for dO-it-yourself installation.
Custom Quality at economical prices . •
e SAMPLE OF OUR NEW HIGH STRENGTH, LIGHT WEIGHT, SMOOTH FABRIC STYLES, WOVEN GENERATION POLYESTER FILAMENT.
FROM
•
SECOND
e NEW 68 PAGE MANUAL #1, REVISION 13, WITH DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS FOR FABRIC COVERING, REFINISHING FABRIC SURFACES, AND PAINTING AIRCRAFT FOR CORROSION CONTROL.
e LATEST CATALOG AND DISTRIBUTOR LIST.
Cushion upholstery sets Wall panel sets • Headliners • Carpet sets • Baggage compartment sets • Firewall covers • Seat Slings • Recover envelopes and dopes
Free Catalog of complete product line. Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and styles of materials: $3.00.
etex
QI'
.,;r
products, inc. 259 Lower Morrisville Rd. , Dept. VA Fallsington, PA 19054 (215) 295-4115
-• I
VISA
ASP
The fabulous times of Tumer. Doolittle, Wedell and Wittman recreated as never before in this 6OO-page two-volume series. Printed on high grade paper with sharp, clear photo reproduction. Offical race results 1927 through 1939 - more than 1,000 photos-3-view drawings-scores of articles about people and planes that recapture the glory, the drama, the excitement of air racing during the golden years. Volume 1 and 2 @ $14.95 each - add $1.50 for postage and handling. Special both volumes $28.50 postage free. Send check or money order to: EAA Aviation Foundation, . Wittman Airfield, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3065.
30 MAY 1985
I
CUSTOM AMA'l'eUIl.-IJUILT AIRC S":RVfCE AND MAINTKl'
MANUA l.
AlRClUU'T BUILDING
rl.... · .~ R£t:o
"''0'" EXPERIMENTA L
AIRCRAFT A SSOCIATION
LER I
OK
BUV3 - GET 1 FREE... *
EAAProblem Solvers! The EAA Aviation Foundation has established an excellent library of manuals, technical publications, design aids and log books. We call them "the problem solvers". If you are a builder, restorer or enthusiast who is looking for answers . . . you'll find them here. To make a good deal even better . . . buy any three publications and get *SPORT AIRCRAFT YOU CAN BUILD OR BUY (a $6.50 value) absolutely free.
Basic Hand Tools, Va. I .... ... .... $ 3.65 Custom Aircraft Building Tips, Vol. 4 3.50 Powerplant Handbook - CAM 107 4.50 Aircraft Maintenance Manual 4.50 CAM 18 .................... The Sport Plane Builder .. 17.95 Wood Aircraft Building Techniques 7.95 Firewall Forward - Tony Bingelis 19.95 Aircraft Dope and Fabric .. 8.95 Refinishing Metal Aircraft ........... 4.95 Light Plane Prop Design , Selection , Maintenance .... .............. 4.95 How to Install and Finish Synthetic Aircraft Fabric ............ ... 4.95 Aircraft Weight and Balance 5.95 Sheet Metal Construction and Repair 5.95 Electronic and Radio Installation 5.95 Aircraft Bonded Structure ....... 3.95 Aircraft Reciprocating Engine .... 5.95 Aircraft Painting and Finishing ...... 5.95 Aircraft Fabric Covering ............ 4.95 Welding Guidelines ... ...... 8.95 Ignition and Electric Power Systems .. 5.95 The Custom Built Sport Aircraft Handbook ..................... 3.25 EAA Aircraft Show Judging Standards .. 1.00 Hangar Plans . . . . . . . . . . . ...... 5.00 Comprehensive Guide to Airfoil Section ...... . . ...... 19.95 Theory of Wing Sections ... . ..... 9 .00 Amateur-Built Aircraft Service & Maintenance Manual ... ........... 3.50 Ultralight Pilots Log ................ 1.75 Ultralight Engine & Aircraft Log .. . ... 1.75
EA~
Pilot Reports & Flight Testing . . ... 3.65 This is EAA ............... ... . ... 3.25 The World of Sport Aviation ........ 14.95 Aircraft of the EAA Museum ......... 2.00 EAA International Cookbook ......... 7.95 EAA Aircraft Placard & Passenger Warning Set (Stainless Steel) ...... .. 4.00 SPORT AVIATION First Magazine .... 2.00 Each additional Issues ........... 1.50 VINTAGE AIRPLANE, ULTRALIGHT and WARBIRD Back Issues. . . . . . .. 1.25 Techniques of Aircraft Building 10.00 EAA Amateur Log Book. . . . . . . . . . . .. 1.75 EAA Pilot Log Book ............ . .. 1.75 EAA Propeller Log Book ...... . ..... 1.75 EAA Engine Log Book ....... . ..... 1.75 Museum Guide Book ........ . ..... 8.75
U. S. or Foreign Postage for surface mail is $1 .00 for the first book and 50e for each addi tional book. Foreign Air Mail is possible if you write for details and list the books you want. Wisconsin residents - add 5% sales tax. Allow 4 - 6 weeks for delivery. While the supply lasts .. . prices in effect until June 30, 1985. EAA Aviation Foundation Wittman Airfield Oshkosh, WI 54903-3065