VA-Vol-23-No-2-Feb-1995

EDITORIAL STAFF

February 1995

Vol. 23, No.2

CONTENTS

Managing Editor

Golda Cox

Art Director

Mike Drucks

Computer Graphic Specialists

Sara Hansen

Olivia L. Phillip Jennifer Larsen

1 Straight & Level/

Espie "B utch" Joyce

2 AlC News/Compiled by H.G. Fra utschy 4 Aeromail 5 From the Archives/ H.G. Fra utschy and Dennis Parks

Page 11

8 Members Projects/Norm Peterse n 11 Contemporary Custom Class II Winner 1959 Cessna 180B/No rm Petersen

Advertising

Mary Jones

Associate Editor

Norm Petersen

Feature Writers

George Hardie, Jr. Dennis Parks

Staff Photographers

Jim Koepnick Mike Steineke

Carl Schuppel Donna Bushman

Editorial Assistant

Isabelle Wiske

EAA ANTIQUE/ CLASSIC DIVISION, INC" OFFICERS

13 Staggerwing Hospitality/ H .G. Fra utschy

16 Frank Warren's Thompson Trophy Paintings

Publisher

Tom Poberezny

Vice-President,

Marketing and Communications

Dick Matt

Editor-in -Chief

Jack Cox

Editor

Henry G . Frautschy

Page 13

18 Jimmy Rollison's Laird Speedwing/Norm Peterse n

Presidenl Espie "Butc h" Joyce P.O. Box 1001 Madison. NC 27025 910/573-3843

Vice-President Arthur Morgan W211 N1l863 Hililop Dr. Germantown. WI 53022 414/628-2724

Secretory Steve Nesse 2009 Highland Ave. Albert Lea. MN 56007 507/373-1674

Treasurer

E.E. "Buck" Hilbert

P.O. Box 424

Union.IL 60180

815/923-4591

DIRECTORS

25 Mystery Airplane/George H ardie 27 Pass it to Buck!

E.E. " Buck" Hilbert

28 Welcome New Members 29 Calendar Page 18

30 Vintage Trader

FRONT COVER . . . Jimmy Rollison. Vocaville. CA rolls his Laird Solution into a turn for his portrait during EAA OSHKOSH '95. EAA photo by Jim Koepnick. shot with a Canon EOS-l equipped with an 80-200mm /f2.8 lens. 1/250 sec. at f 6.3 on Kodak Ektachrome Lumiere 100 film . Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore. BACK COVER ... Doug Weiler's 1959 Cessna 180B was picked as the Contemporary Custom Class II winner at EAA OSHKOSH '94. EAA photo by Jim Koepnick. shot with a Canon EOS-l equipped with an 8O-200mm / f2 .8 lens. 1/ 250 sec . at f 7.1 on Kodak Ektachrome Lumiere 100 film. Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.•

Copyright © 1995 by the EAA Antique/Classic Division Inc. All rights reserved. VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Antique/Classic Division. Inc. of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviation Center. 3000 Poberezny Rd.• P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086. Second Class Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices. The membership rate lor EM Antique/Classic DiviSion, Inc. is $27.00 for current EM members for 12 month period of which $15.00 is for the publication of VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Membership is open to all who are interested in aviation. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EM Antique/Classic Division, Inc., P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. FOREIGN AND APO AiDDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via suriace mail. ADVERTISING - Antique/Classic Division does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising. We invite constnuctive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken. EDiTORIAiL POLICY: Readers are encouraged to submtl stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. No renumeration is made. Material should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 4141426-4800. The words EAA, ULTRALIGHT, FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM, SPORT AVIATION and the logos of EAA, EAA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION, INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB, WARBIRDS OF AMERICA are ® registered trademarKs. THE EM SKY SHOPPE and logos of the EM AVIATION FOUNDATION and EM ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION are trademarks of the above associations and their use by any person other than the above association is strictly prohibited.

John Berendll 7645 Echo Point Rd. Cannon Falls. MN 55009 507/263-2414

Robert C. "Bob" Brauer

9345 S. Hoyne

Chicago.IL 60620

312/779-2105

Gene Chose 2159 Carlton Rd. Oshkosh. WI 54904 414/231-5002

John S. Copeland 28-3 Williamsburg Ct. Shrewsbury. MA 01545 508/842-7867

Phil Coulson 28415 Springbrook Dr. Lawton. MI 49065 616/624-6490

George Daubner

2448 Lough Lone

Hartford. WI 53027

414/673-5885

Charles Harris 7215 East 46th St. Tulsa. OK 74145 918/622-8400

Stan Gomoll 1042 90th Lone. NE Minneapolis. MN 55434 612/784-1172

Dale A. Gustafson 7724 Shady Hill Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46278 317/293-4430 Robert Uckteig 1708 Bay Oaks Dr. Albert Lea, MN 56007 507/373-2922 Gene Morris 115C Steve Court. R.R. 2 Roanoke. TX 76262 817/491-9110

Jeannie Hill

P.O. Box 328

Harvard. IL 60033

815/943-7205 ROberi D. "Bob" Lumley 1265 South 124th St. Brookfield. WI 53005 414/782-2633 George York

181 Sloboda Av.

Mansfield, OH 44906

419/529-4378

S.H. OWes" Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa. WI 53213 414/771 - 1545

DIRECTOR EMERITUS S.J. Willmon

7200 S.E. 85th Lane

Ocala. FL 32672

904/245-7768

ADVISORS Joe Dickey 55 Oakey Av. Lawrenceburg. IN 47025 812/537-9354

Jimmy Rollison

640 Alamo Dr.

Vacaville. CA 95688

707/451-0411

Dean Richardson 6701 Colony Dr. Madison . WI 53717 608/833-1291

Geoff Robison 1521 E. MacGregor Dr. New Hoven. IN 46774 219/493-4724

STRAIGHT & LEVEL

by Espie "Butch" Joyce

The calendar pages seem to be zip­ ping by as fast as can be - in only 45 to 60 days the 1995 fly-in season will be in full swing! Everyone agrees that the annual kickoff eve nt is the EAA Sun 'n Fun fly-in held in Lakeland, Florida in April each year. Over 25 years, this fly-in has grown from a small local fly­ in to a great week-long event. If you have attended Sun 'n Fun you under­ stand what I'm talking about. If you haven't yet had a chance to spend a week in the spring in Florida for the fly-in you owe it to yourself to check it out. Credit needs to be given to Billy Henderson , the spark plug for this fly­ in for many years. Also special credit needs to be given to Adair Henderson, Billy's wife. Adair has given support above the call of duty to help make this event what it is today . The dates for Sun ' n Fun '95 are April 9 through the 15th. If you need more informa­ tion , call 813/644-2431. Your Antique/Classic Division offi­ cers and directors are holding your February '95 Board of Directors meet­ ing in Lakeland, Florida this year. Some of the activities will be held at

the soon-to-be-opened "Fa ntasy of Flight" complex that Kermit Weeks is building at Polk City, Florida, some 15 miles from Lakeland. I visited this site a little over a year ago. At that time Kermit had a 6000 foot by 300 foot sod runway installed , as well as several buildings. There also is a large lake adjoining this property that Kermit says is large enough to operate his Short Sunderland flying boat. Being located on Interstate 4 between Or­ lando and Tampa should make this quite an aviation attraction for tourists. [ will give you an updated report on this, hopefully in March. As I was growing up in Madison , North Carolina, my father had an air­ port there from the mid 1940s. Myas­ sociation with the airport and aviation has afforded me the great fortune to be friends with a great many people in­ volved in founding aviation businesses. One of these individuals is Mr. Tom Davis. Tom is the founder of Pied­ mont Airlines which was headquar­ tered in Winston Salem, North Car­ olina before it merged with USAir. Tom also is a member of EAA's Presi­ dent's Council.

On January 28, 1995 it was my plea­ sure to be present with a number of other people to witness the 60th an­ niversary of Tom's first solo flight. That day, Tom once again soloed the same E-2 Cub that he soloed the first time. Afterwards, there was a recep­ tion that gave everyone a chance to visit. Tom really has some interesting tales about his first starting out in avia­ tion at "Camel City Flying Service," with him landing in farmers' cow pas­ tures trying to sell Stinson lOAs and the like. That's a long way from own­ ing a number of Boeing 767s! Your Antique/Classic Division has started an aggressive membership campaign. Throughout the year we will be direct mailing an invitation to all EAA members inviting them to join your Antique/ Classic Division. Some people have already received this mailer; those who have not will in the future. Do your part for the Antique/Clas­ sic Division, ask a friend to join us. Let's all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation. Remember we are better together. Join us and have it all. ...

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1

compiled by H.G. Frautschy

DUES INCREASE As detailed in the pres ident 's notes contained in December's A /C News, a dues increase of $7 was voted on and ap­ proved during the last A/C Board of Di­ rectors meeting. Effective February 1, 1995, the dues for membership in the An­ tique/C lassic Division of EAA became $27. As mentioned before, increased costs for providing services for each mem­ ber, particularly postage and paper costs for the magazine, are expected to rise sub­ sta ntially - indeed, a rise in paper costs has already taken place , with further in­ creases expected as the paper industry tries to make up lost ground for depressed paper prices during the past few years.

AM WEATHER CANCELED Popular with aviators and other profes­ sionals who rely on accurate weather fore­ casting, the Public Broadcasting System's ea rly morning program "A M We ather" has been given the ax by Maryland Public Television, producers of the program . The program is to be replaced by a morn­ ing business show. AM Weather 's last broadcast was February 3, 1995. If you'd care to write, your comments can be ad­ dressed to: Raymond K. K. Ho, President Maryland Public Television 11676 Owings Mills Blvd. Owings Mills, MD 21117

they are on display in the Air Racing Gallery's trophy cases.

GOLDEN AGE AIR RACERS RETURN TO OSHKOSH Why start the above mentioned paint­ ings now? Well, due to popular demand, the celebration of the Golden Age of Air Racing at EAA OSHKOSH will have a second edition. 1995's EAA Convention and Fly-In will feature a display of air rac­ ers that should be quite a sight, including a number of airplanes that are being com­ pleted within the next few months. We' ll have a list of airplanes expected to be at the Convention later in the year as plans firm up, but be sure and mark your calen­ dars - you sure don ' t want to miss this one!

CLIFF ROBERTSON

WORK EXPERIENCE '95

Just a reminder that applications for participants in the Cliff Robertson Work Experience program at EAA are due by April 1, 1995. Two participants are to be selected. They are to be aged 16 or 17 , and one youthful mentor/CFI will also be picked to work with the teens during the summer of 1995. A package of information and applica­ tion materials can be secured from the Education Office at the address below.

EAA AIR ACADEMY '95 CENTERSPREAD PAINTINGS To kick off our celebration of the Golden Age of Air Racing, starting with this month 's issue, and continuing into the July edition, we will present two of Frank Warren 's paintings of the airplanes of the pre-war Thompson Trophy races . Each year is depicted in an individual painting, with each aircraft that flew in the race shown in its racing colors . The airplanes that dominated the races are placed in the foreground, while the airplanes that com­ peted to lower places fill out the back­ ground. Many readers will remember Mr. Warren as the artist who portrayed a fic­ tional formation of WWI airplanes and movie replicas flown by Hollywood's greatest stunt pi lots of the '20s and '30s. H was featured on the back cover of the February 1993 issue of Vintage Airplane. Frank has graciously loaned the entire se­ lection of the Thompson Trophy series to the EAA Air Adventure Museum, where 2 FEBRUARY 1995

The EAA Air Academy for youth age 15-17 will be presented from July 15 through 31, 1995. Applications will be considered in the order received. Inter­ ested youth, parents, members and Chap­ ters are urged to secure further informa­ tion about the twelfth annual Air Academy by contacting the EAA Educa­ tion Office, P.O. Box 3065, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3065 or by calling 414/426-4888.

EAA AIR ADVENTURE

WEEKEND

As detailed in last month's A/C News, the EAA Air Adventure Museum has created a unique way for EAAers and their families to experience the museum 's Pioneer Airport. With just a littl e ad­ vance publicity , the weekend packages are quickly filling up. Here 's what the weekend offers: Saturday night accommodations for

two at a local motel. A VIP museum pass and " insiders" tour of the EAA Air Adventure Museum and the Weeks Flight Research Center. Weather permitting, a flight in four unique and different aircraft: An open cockpit biplane A cabin class antique monoplane A classic Bell 47 helicopter EAA's magnificent 1929 Ford Tri-Mo­ tor. Best of all, your flight in the Ford also includes time in the co-pilot'S seat! The cost is only $295 per person, or $495 per couple. Weekends are filling fast , so place your reservations as soon as possible. Call the EAA Flight depart­ ment at 414/426-4886 for information, and please remember that flying is subject to cancellation and/or change due to weather (including excessive wind!) or other fac­ tors.

FAA MEDICALS Considering the average age of EAAers (47) and the importance in their lives of sustaining a current FAA medical , it 's not surprising that the NPRM con­ cerning revising the medical guidelines for certification. Outlined in the December issue of Sport Aviation (page 14), the re­ vision has far reaching ramifications for all who fly aircraft requiring a medical. Also , the FAA has published an NPRM, Docket No. 26493, " Policy con­ cerning the special issuance of medical certificates to diabetic airman applicants." The FAA is considering a policy change concerning individuals with diabetes mel­ litus who apply for airman medical certifi­ cates. Under the current FAA regula­ tions, an established diagnosis of diabetes mellitus that requires insulin or any other hypoglycemic drug for control disqualifies an individual from medical certification. The FAA may change that current policy to allow certain individuals who are in­ sulin-dependent to be issued medical cer­ tificates. All comments regarding this proposed policy change must be received by the FAA by March 29,1995. To obtain a copy of the proposal, contact Dennis P. McEachen , FAA 202/493-4075; fax 202/267-5399. The address for your com­ ments is: Federal Aviation Administration Office of the Chief Council, Attn: Docket 26493 800 Independence Av. S.W. Washington, DC 20591

FLIGHT ADVISORS As of the end of 1994, EAA has re­ ceived more than 300 Flight Advisor ap­ plications. Over 200 of the applications have been approved , laying the ground­ work for what can be a significant factor in improving the safety re cord of sport aviation.

Th e Fli ght Advisor prog ram has re ­ ceived additi onal fin a nci al support from Lycoming and Murphy Aircraft Manufac­ turin g, Ltd . This new patronage adds to th e commitme nt made by A VEM CO to support the Flight Advisors program. For more info rm ation, contact EAA Info rma­ tion Se rvices at 414/426-4821.

CESSNA FUEL REQUIREMENTS A s ma ny o f yo u now know, Cess na is in the process of setting up th e producti on line for single e ngine piston powe red air­ cra ft aga in . (Th e new fac to ry will be in Inde pe nd e nce , KS .) At a rece nt ASTM co nfe re nce a tt e nd e d by EAA ' s Harr y Zeisloft and staff membe r Earl Lawrence, Cess na made the announcement that they will not produce aircraft with fuel require­ me nts hig he r th a n 82 octane. A s o ne o f the prime move rs in the form ation of this new specification fu el based on autom o­ tiv e raw stock, Cessna has informed Ly­ coming and Continental of th eir require­ ments. Th e bas ic fu e l wo uld be tran spo rt e d throu gh th e la rge r a utomoti ve gaso line distributio n system to a distribution ce n­ te r equipped with a fu el testing lab. The fuel could th en be tested at a distributio n center, certified to meet specifications and the n sold as the new grade 82 UL aviation fu el. The new fu el specification would al­ low fo r the use of MTBE and/or ETBE as octane enha nce rs, but would limit alcohol to extremely low fr actions of one perce nt. Until th e new specification is approved , productio n pl ans for th e new fu el are un­ known. The new specification has been submit­ ted to th e A TSM fo r final a pprova l, ex­ pected to co me durin g th e co min g yea r. The only downfall of the new specification is th a t aircraft curre ntly requiring 80 oc­ tane will need an amended or suppleme n­ tal typ e ce rtifi ca te to us e this fu e l. The exact de tails on ho w this will be wo rk ed out are still being discussed. EAA ' s r esea r c h on th e e ff ec ts o f MTBE a nd ETBE continu es with th e E AA Aviation Fo unda tion 's Cess na 150. We'll have more to re port on this issue in next month 's NC News.

BERGESON REFERENCE

GUIDES

J o hn Be rgeso n h as b ee n bu sy o ve r th e re in Re mus, MI compiling his yea rly upd a tes into a 5 yea r compilation refe r­ e ncin g a ll co pi es o f EAA p e ri o di ca ls . Cove rin g th e yea rs 1990-1994, th e guid e comple me nts th e refere nce put togeth e r by J o hn cove rin g 1953- 1989. Th e cos ts are: Bas ic Volume 1953-1989 .. . $22 Basic Volume 1990-1994 . . . $10 A complete set is $30. All p ay me nt is to b e in U .S. fund s,

VISA a nd Maste rCard acce pted . Pos t­ paid (book rate) to the USA and Canada. Oth e r co untri es add $6 p e r ite m a b ove ($12 for both volumes.) Send yo ur orde r to Jo hn B. Bergeso n, 6438 W . Millbro o k , R e mu s, MI 4934 0­ 9625, 51 7/561-2393. Jo hn also has co pies of all the pe riodicals and will make a copy from any iss ue for 35¢ pe r page. ($5 mini­ mum orde r)

NASM COLLECTION ADDITION Da n H age ndorn , T ea m Leade r in th e Archi ves di vision of th e Nati onal Air a nd Space muse um wrote to advise us all that th e Lo uise McPhe trid ge Th ade n Collec­ tion (Acession No. XXXX-0006) has bee n processed and is now ope n to researche rs. Mrs. Th ade n was a fo und e r a nd cha r­ t e r me mb e r of th e ' 99s a nd th e fir s t woman , along with he r naviga to r Blanche No yes, to win th e Be ndix Tro phy race. She also se t nume rous e ndura nce, speed and altitud e records durin g he r av ia ti o n ca reer, and in he r la te r yea rs, she was an e nthusias tic supporte r of th e Stagge rwin g Muse um Foundation in Tullahoma, T N. The Th ade n co ll ection a t th e NA SM co nsis ts o f photog raphs, newsclippings and correspondence documenting her avi­ a ti o n ca ree r, and an exce lle nt findin g aid compiled by NASM staffe r Kare n White­ hair is available. If you ' d like to conduct resea rch with the collectio n, an appointme nt is needed ­ given the somewhat limited facilities avail­ able at th e NASM. Appointments e nsure yo u will be abl e to vi e w yo ur requ es ted collecti on whe n you wish, rath e r th an be­ in g to ld th a t th e re was no roo m in th e a rchives for you th at da y. Th e staff also requ es ts th at you limit th e numbe r o f re­ qu es ts to o ne p e r mo nth a nd no mo re tha n five subj ects or aircraft pe r lette r. In th a t way th ey ca n se rve as wid e a n audi­ ence as possible. You may make your reques ts fo r info r­ ma ti o n o r an appointme nt via mail , tele­ pho ne or Fax, as well as E- Mail. The address is: Na ti onal Air and Space Museum Archives Division - Mail Code 322 Washington , DC 20560 Phone 202/357-3133 Fax 202/786-2835 E- M a il addr ess : NA S MAR C H @ SIVM .SI.E DU .

WILLIS "BILL" CHOMO E AA first paid e mployee, Willis " Bill " Chomo passed away D ecembe r 24, 1994. Bill served in th e Wisco nsin Air Natio nal Gua rd , 128th R efu eling Wing with EA A Fo und er and Chiarma n of th e Board Paul P o b e re zn y . Bill was hir e d t o wo rk a t EAA , se rving as th e dir ecto r o f mainte­ na nce a nd aircraft res tora tio n during part o f hi s ne arly 30 yea rs as a n EAA e m ­

ployee. H e was th e project ma na ge r o n ma ny of th e a irc r af t built in th e EAA Fo undati o n sho ps, incl udin g th e sin gle a nd two pl ace A cro Spo rts, Po be r Pixie a nd th e firs t Spirit of St. Lo uis re plica. For 15 yea rs, he was th e chairma n of th e outdoo r workshops during the EAA Con­ ve ntio ns. More recently, Bill wo rked on a varie ty of aircraft projects, le nding his ex­ pe rtise to th ose who wished to learn from his experie nce. Our co ndole nces to hi s fri ends and family, including his daughter­ in-l aw C a th y , a c urr e nt me mb e r o f th e EA A H eadquart ers office staff.

FRANK, CAROLYN AND

SCOTT RYDER Fr a nk , Ca ro lyn a nd Sco tt R yd e r of Arab , AL were kill e d in th e cras h of Frank's Pipe r Malibu near the Rochester, MN airport o n December 22, 1994. Frank and Ca rolyn we re bringing Scott home af­ te r successful surge ry to re move a beni gn tumor on his pituita ry gland , a nd had just depart ed fo r ho me o n a n IFR fli ght pl a n into a 600 ft. o ve rcas t wh e n th e Malibu was seen to e nte r a ri ght turn a nd disa p­ p ea r from th e FAA ' s r a d a r sc r ee n . It crashed in a steep nose down attitude in a fi eld a little less th a n two miles north of the Roch ester, MN airport. As of the sec­ o nd wee k o f J a nu a ry , n o pr e limin a ry cause has bee n es ta bli shed as a possible expla natio n fo r th e cras h, a nd it remains under investigatio n. Scott Ryd e r, age 33 , was th e editor of " The First Wa rpl a nes ," th e magaz in e of the orga niza ti on start ed ea rl y last year to give a commo n banne r fo r a wide range of WW I era av iati o n e nthusiasts to rally un­ de r. Scott managed a remarkable attitude fo r someone wh ose life was filled with po­ te ntially life- threate ning health problems during the las t year, and his loss as he saw the e nd of this particula r struggle is partic­ ularly poignant. Frank and Carolyn Ryde r we re a co u­ ple who I rarely saw apart - sure, they may have bee n at opposite parts of the airpo rt , but they were partne rs in the truest sense, ri ght down to th eir decisio n ea rli er in th e yea r to sell the company he fo und ed, Ry­ de r Inte rn a ti o nal. H e was a n in ve nt o r, and his firm was set up to deve lop prod­ ucts and the n sell them to industry for pro­ ductio n. Fra nk and Carolyn the n planned o n devoting their e ne rgies full time to the La ke Gunt e rsv ill e Fighte r Re plica mu­ se um th ey fo und ed a nd to th e move me nt that had just begun to expa nd. His zeal for aviation knew few bo und aries, and his loss leaves a tre me nd o us void in a segme nt of sport aviati o n th at he enj oyed seeing grow in acce pt a nce a nd e nthusias m. Fra nk is survived by three othe r so ns fro m a previ­ o us ma rri age - Clint , T odd and Brand o n. Our dee pes t sympa thi es are ex te nd ed to the Ryde r's family a nd their many fri e nds ... around the world. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

MAIL

D ea r Editor, 1 rea d with great inte rest th e le tt e r from Bill Ri ed esel carried in th e Aero M ail column in th e Octobe r issue. He m e ntioned so m e familiar conditions which prevailed in th e av iat ion indus­ try in the la t e thirti es, s uch as pay check size - I can recall building Navy H e lldivers and H a wk 75's at Curtiss­ Wright in Buffalo for the prince ly s um of 50 cents per hour. Thi s was in ' 37, '38 a nd '39! They hadn ' t hea rd of the minimum wage at that time. After having re built three D a rts, I know where he is coming from when h e talks about m a king th e holes in th e win g line up with the ones in th e fuse­ lage. It's pretty hard to ge t the nuts on the bo lt s so m e tim es afte r banging the m in! I co uldn ' t le t pass his comment re­ gar din g th e " 0 " window s in Allen J o hnso n 's D a rt. In fa irness to Allen I mus t say that the windows were sta n­ dard on the first five airplanes, actu a lly four as numbe r one was o ri ginall y a n open cockpit. I h ave pictur es of N18064, sin 2; N18065, sin 3; N18066, sin 4 a nd N20401, sin 5 a ll take n ea rly o n , some in th e factory a nd all h ave the " 0" windows. It is my unde rstand­ ing that th e parts for th ese a irpl a n es were made at Mo nocoupe but assem­ bled at Columbus. Appare ntly Culver opted to di sco ntinu e th e m in s ub se­ qu e nt productio n. Bill's m e ntion a bout the clip-wing D art with the big Warn er also trig­ gered a nos t a lgia trip. In 1946 I h a d the opportunit y to fly that bird when R ay Applegate, who was building th e post-war D a rt , made a n unsch ed ul e d stop at o ur FBO in Buffalo with e n ­ gine problems on 20912. After th e re­ pairs were mad e I got to test fl y the D a rt a nd was certainly impressed with its performance. It wasn't until yea rs later that I realized they weren't a ll like that! I a m presentl y building a replica of th at airplane exce pt with a n 10-360 in­ stead of th e W a rn er. W a lter Maple in Chatswo rth , CA is also buildin g a r ep li ca but hi s will h ave th e 165 Wa rn er a nd will be a truer re plica . 4 FEBRUARY 1995

Bill, thanks for trigge ring the me mo ry trip. Sincerely, Lloyd D . Washburn Port Clinton, OH

Editor's note: In addition to his replica project, Lloyd is the president of the Culver Dart Club, and an acknowledged expert re­ lated to things "aeronautica Culver." His expertise on the aircraft contributed greatly to the article on Allen Johnson's Dart pub­ lished in the July 1994 issue of Vintage Air­ plane. - HGF To the EAA a nd Antique/Classic Di­ vision members, For as long as I can remember since my c hildhood , I have ma intain ed a vir­ tu allove affa ir with th e airplane you see be low. The C urtiss mode l 68 Hawk III re prese nts a lot to me , not th e least of which are he r spectacular lines a nd ge n­ e ral a ppeara nce. Just as the P-6E H a wk motivate d Ralph Ros a nick , th e H a wk III motiv ates m y dr ea m s. And th a t dream is basically simpl e, but I reckon that translating th e dream to reality will be a whole lot more diffi cult - to build a r e plic a of th e H a wk III a nd fly it to OSHKOSH! Who knows, ma ybe eve n myoid buddy Tommy W alke r will fly it too . How m a n y re plicas are flown by th e sa me pilots who fl ew the originals back in 1937? Tommy was 80 on Novembe r 18, a nd

he's still fl yi ng. Me, I'm not eve n a pilot (yet). I ' m just a life lon g a irpl ane nut , and a halfway dece nt av iation art ist and hi s tory buff. Hopefull y, by lo ok ing at this picture, yo u can see why. Therefore, what I would like to as k is this: If you have a ny information regard­ ing plans , manuals, sche ma tics, or eve n yo ur own me mories of the H awk In, I'd like to hear from you. Drop me a line at my address, o r gi ve me a call anytime af­ te r 8 p.m. Eastern time. I joined the An­ tiqu e/Classic Division last February, for I figured if a nyon e could he lp me trans­ late a dream into reality, the EAA would be it. Only time will tell. Thanks again, Pete r Ma rshall 41 Howe St. Apt. #1 New Have n, CT 06511 203/733-3268 To who it may concern, I'm trying to ga th e r information about a WW II German aircraft called the Fieseler St orc h. The m od e l I'm int e r­ es ted in is the Fi-156. It was built by the Morain e-Sa ulni e r Co mp a n y at th e Puteaux factory. Some were also built in Mraz, Czechoslovakia. Eventually I would like to build o ne that was as close to th e o riginal as possi­ ble. I'm writing your organi zatio n to see jf you mi ght have a ny in fo rmati o n on this particular aircraft or any suggestions on whe re I mi ght obtain plans or specifi­ ca tions. Absolutely a ny inform a tion will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Don E. Kunk el 16533 Old Glenn Hwy. C hugiak, AK 99567 907/696-8749

We've sent information on Ladislao Paz­ many's 3/4 scale replica Storch project, but if anyone can help Don, contact him in Alaska. ...

Curtiss Hawk III

FROM THE ARCHIVES . . .

Mail Planes of National Air Transport in the 1930s

by Dennis Parks

(Above) National's Douglas M3, SIN 314, registered C-7163, after being re-engined with a 525 hp Hornet. (Below) liberty powered Douglas M3 Mailplane SIN 624, registered C-1060. The Douglas Mailplane series was a civilian development of their very successful Army observation plane, the 0-2 series. The first production version of the mailplane, the M -2, was ordered by Western Air Express, which began operations w ith them in 1926. NAT was the largest user of M -3s and M-4s, acquiring 18 of the airplanes for use on their Chicago-New York route. They continued using the Douglas mailplanes until October 1930. The M-4 could carry 1,000 pounds of mail at a speed of 110 mph.

F r o m the co ll ec ti o n of R ober t G rospitch, a fo rmer dispatcher with U nited in Chicago, comes a gro up of photographs taken during 1930 of air mail operations of NAT, Na tio na l A ir Tra nspo rt. Na ti onal A ir T ra nsp o rt was th e br a in c hild of Cleme nt Keys, a fo rmer WALL ST REET J OUR NA L financial edito r, who became involved as a promoter of aviation corpo­ rati o ns. Hi s fi rst avi atio n success was in gaining control of Curtiss in 1916. In 1925 he fo rm ed North A merica n Avia tio n fo r the express purpose of providing orga niza­ tio n and fi na ncing for his av iatio n e nte r­ prises. NAT was incorporated in May of 1925 to gain cont rol of the air mail ro ute linking C hicago and New Yor k. In November, NAT wo n t he co n tract for the C hicago­ Dallas ro ute. Service started on this route in May 1926 with a fleet of ten Curtiss Car­ rier Pigeons. In Apri l 1927 , NAT was awarded th e C hi cago-New York route. Se rvice bega n in September with existing Carrier Pigeons b ut these were replaced quickly by 18 D oug las Mailplanes pur­ chased from the Post Office Department. Eight Travel Air 5000s were also used on the route. In 1930 NAT was purchased by United Air Lines.

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

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(Below and right) Curtiss Carrier Pigeon serial num­ ber G-2,registered NC-311 N being loaded. This photo was one of the many used as the basis for drawings done by illustrator/author Edward Shen­ ton in the book "Couriers of the Clouds" published in 1930 and again in 1937.

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(Below left) Pitcairn PA-5 Mailplane Serial Number 25 built in 1928, NAT Number 49. Pitcairn was one of the few commercial air­ craft companies that built aircraft specifically for air mail service. The PA-5 Mailwing was primarily for service on the New York­ Atlanta run. The Mailwing carried from 500-600 pounds of mail at a speed of 105 mph. (Below right) Curtiss Carrier Pigeon II Mailplane, serial number G-2, with a Curtiss Conqueror engine. The first one was the Cur­ tiss entry in the 1925 Post Office competition for a single-seat mail plane to be powered by a Liberty engine. NAT purchased their first one from the Post Office and had 10 others built. Three new ones were constructed in 1929 as the Carrier Pigeon II, and used a geared 600 hp Conqueror engine with a useful load of over 2,000 pounds and a cruising speed of 123 mph.

6 FEBRUARY 1995

(Above)The photo shows the amazing clear-span NAT hangar at Chicago dur­ ing 1930. Inside are three Boeing Model 95 Mailplanes, NC-425E, NC-412E, NC­ 397E. Boeing constructed 25 Model 95 Mailplanes during 1929. Twenty went to Boeing Air Transport, one to NAT, and four to Western Air Express. With air­ mail carriers emerging as passenger op­ erations using aircraft such as the Ford Trimotor that carried passengers plus mail, the Boeing 95 was one of last air­ craft special-built just to carry mail. The 95 had a useful load of over 2,600 pounds and a cruising speed of 120 mph. (Left) This view is a good example of the hustle and bustle that accompanies the loading of a mailplane. The aircraft is a Douglas M4 with a Liberty Engine. How about the 5 cent air mail postage sign on the mail truck! (Below) Aerial View of Douglas M4 Mailplane, NAT No. 45. Note the covered front cockpit, large lights under lower wing and very tall radio antenna.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

WHAT OUR. MEMBERS ARE RESTORING

by Norm Petersen

ATHOL-ORANGE AERO CLUB

Athol- Orange Aero Club An extremely rare type of flying club is represented by this photo of the Athol­ Orange Aero Club, Inc. of Athol, Mas­ sachusetts. Located in the northlcentral part of the state , midway between the communities of Athol and Orange, MA, the 45 member flying club is most unique in its equipment and its longevity. Pic­ tured in front of one of th e club ' s hangars are the club's three tailwheel aircraft , a 1941 Taylorcraft BL-65, N33999, SI N 2851 ; a 1949 Piper PA-16

Clipper, N5972H, SIN 16-596; and a 1946 Aeronca Champ , N83563 , SI N 7 AC­ 2241. Note the original paint schemes. In addition , the club has a Cessna 150 and a 172 for those who enjoy nose­ wheels. The Athol-Orange Aero Club was founded way back in 1937, starting with a 40 hp 1-2 C ub and about nine members . One of the founding mem­ bers, 85-year-old Erwin "Stocky" Stock­ well (EAA 12215) is still going great guns today and back in 1946, flew the

club 's new Aeronca Champ home from the factory! The Piper Clippe r has been owned by the club since 1950 and the Taylorcraft was donated to the club by member Charles Frenier (EAA 38673) who had owned it for many, many years. Two of the club members are A&P me­ chanics and another is a CFI who gives members their BFR's. The club has two hangars with one heated and featuring a second floor lounge and meeting room overlooking the airport.

John and Debbie Baugh's J-3 Cub Purchased from Mike Butler (EAA 126172, A /C 9070) of Oshkosh, WI , this 19461-3 Piper Cub, N98674 , SIN 18804,

was flown to its new home in Nashville, TN , by John and Debbie Baugh (EAA 64463, A l e 1180) who we r e totally amazed at the beautiful landscape they observed on the way, having previously made th e trip num e rous times in th e family P-51 Mustang or T-34! The Cub has since becom e a family treasure and you can see the beautiful detail in the in­ terior and on the engine as the airplan e has been steadily upgraded since pur­ chase. At present, John reports the Cub is down for a tot a l recover, so before long , we will see a bright and shining new 1-3 on the line. Meanwhile, John bought Debbie a Super Cub with electric start so she can keep up with her many, many Young Eagle rides involving kids in the Nashville area. 8 FEBRUARY 1995

Stinson 108-1 from 45 years ago! This handsome young man is R alph Mosling (EAA 192429) of Oshkosh , WI, pho足 tographed in 1949 sta nding by the compa ny owned Stinson 108-1 Voyager at the Oshkosh Airport. His father was one of the founder 's of Oshkosh Truck Corp. and the Stinson was used in th e business for a number of years . Note the wooden Sensenich propelle r, the mi足 carta radio mast for the low-freque ncy wire antenna above the cabin and the fuel caps on the wings with their forward facing tubul ar vents. The original factory paint scheme was overall red with a cream colored stripe. Ralph says he has many fond memories of flying this Stinson back in " the good old days." He has been a longtime volunteer for EAA and is a strong booster for the organization, especially with hi s many business contacts around th e world.

Jerry Guyer's Luscombe 8A A really happy and contented owner of Luscombe 8A, N77807, SIN 3534 , is Jerry Guye r (EAA 370085, A /C 20476) of Olathe, Kansas. He purchased the airplane in June of 1993 and has flown it about 300 hours in the last year and a half, including trips to Kitty Hawk , NC; Bar H arbor, ME, Warrenton , VA , and EAA Oshkosh! Cruising along at 100 mph (solo), Jerry is amazed whenever he stops for fuel - someone always comes up to relate their Lus足 combe story or expe rie nce. At one stop, a 76-year-old man approached with a cane and explained how a windstorm flipped his Luscombe. Jerry took him for a most enjoyable ride a nd the "old timer" just bubbled with e nthusiasm. Jerry uses a Valcom 760 for communications, however, navigation is by map and compass. The ae rial photo was taken as the Luscombe cruised over the level lands of Kansas. ....

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

1959

CESSNA

by Norm Petersen

1808 (Top) Pulling in close to the photo plane, we can see Tony Dockendorf grinning from the right seat as Howard Bell watches (closely) from the rear seat as Doug Weiler handles the controls. (Above) The 470 cubic inch Continental en 足 gine drives a constant-speed Hartzell pro足 peller to provide the excellent performance of a 180. A farmer friend in Minnesota used to say about his 180, "When you grab a handful of throttle, by God - somethin' happens!" (Left) A happy Doug Weiler poses in front of his award-winning Cessna 180B, realizing he has come a long way since his first ride in an Ercoupe at the tender age of five years.

10 FEBRUARY 1995

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~~t-------------------------------------------------------------~ ~ (Above) Over the fluffy clouds, the Cessna 180B comes into its own as the pas­ sengers keep a close eye on Bruce Moore's photo plane. The tires on Doug's plane are 7:00 X 6, 6-ply and the metal hubcaps came from Aircraft Spruce & Specialty.

(Left) The tapered spring steel landing gear, patented by Steve Wittman, leads down to the McCauley wheels and powerful disc brakes, a vital necessity in handling a Cessna 180 on the ground, especially in strong winds. Way back in 1959, the Cessna Aircraft Co mpany was busy building smaller air­ planes (which they have not do ne in re­ cent years) and amo ng their substantia l prod uction t hat year were 306 Cessna 180B models powered with a Continental 0 -470K engines of 230 hp. A popular air­ plane, especially among utility type users, the 180B has been red uced over the years to a remaining 101 a ircraft o n the FAA register. Numerous others are located around the world doing yeoman service . The register total lists 2933 of all the vari­ ous Cessna 180 models remaining. One of the 101 is N5128E, SIN 50428 , a 1959 model that is owned by Douglas Weiler (EAA 68701) of Hudson , WI, who flew the 180B to EAA Oshkosh '94 with two passengers who are fellow employees at Northwest Airlines in Minneapolis. Neither passenger , Tony Dockendorf (EAA 452542) nor Howard Bell, had at­ tended an Oshkosh Fly-In before. To say they were wide-eyed would be the under­ statement of the year! Doug's beautiful 180B caught the AlC judges eye during its stay in Oshkosh and when the shouting was over, the neatly done airplane had wo n the Custom Class II Award in the Contemporary category. Exciting as it may be, it was not Doug Weiler's first award at Oshkosh. In 1979, his Cessna 140A, N5389C, SIN 15522, reg­ istered to Doug and his wife, Jean, ran off

with the Outs tanding In Type award for the Cessna 120/140 class. Doug Weiler was smitten with the avi­ ation bug when he had his first ride in an Ercoupe at the age of five. In 1965 he soloed a 90 hp 7EC Champ and then went on to earn his Commercial and CFI tick­ ets. A four-year stint in the Air Force was followed by 12 years as a corporate pilot in Ohio, flying a Merlin III, a King Air, a Westwind , a King Air 100 and a Saber­ liner, plus a few more assorted types. All of this considerable and varied back­ ground earned him a Ground Instructor's job at Northwest Airlines. In recent weeks, he was selected by Northwest to go "on line" and will be flying a Boeing 727 by the time you read this (and a happier or more excited pilot you will not find, anywhere!). On the personal side , Doug has owned two Vagabonds, two Citabrias, a Cessna 170, a Cessna 140A , a Champ and the Cessna 180B. His lovely wife, Jean, is also a pilot and their two boys, Craig, age 12 and Dale, age 10, are showing a notice­ able " aviation bent " just like their par­ ents. The 180B was purchased in 1985 in Richmond , VA, where it had served for many years as an aerial photographer 's platform with a special camera hole in the belly of the aircraft. The photographer would sit in the baggage compartment and

work the huge aerial camera mounted in the floor in fro nt of him while the pilot at­ tended his duties from the front seat. Be­ cause of this type of work, the Cessna had received excellent maintenance over the many years and had usually been hangared. One item the seller agreed to was to have the Hartzell propeller yellow tagged before delivery. Doug says this item alone cost the seller about $2800 before the job was completed. A new cowling helped to clean up the front end of the airplane while inside, Doug built a new instrument panel to up­ grade the capabilities and also re-wire the entire panel and electrical system. A new interior was next on the agenda. When the old headliner was removed , several dead mice were found that when ex­ punged, really helped to clean up the odor in the cabin! Extra soundproofing was added before the new interior was in­ stalled to quiet the cabin in flight. In ad­ dition , a new back seat was installed , the photo opening in the belly was covered over and the interior paint was all redone. New glass all around helped to brighten up the cabin and improve visibility over the old glazing. Externally , all new bolts were in­ stalled in the tail section and a new Scott 3400 tailwheel was installed to assist the pilot in severe crosswinds - when he needs VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

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(Top) Cruising over the Wis­ consin countrys i de with the sun illuminating the pretty paint scheme is Doug Weiler's award -winning Cessna 1808, N5128E. (Left) Custom panel built by Doug Weiler features a shock­ mounted gyro panel on the left, engine instruments in the cen­ ter with radios above and t o the right. A really neat and well thought out touch are the small, non-skid strips fastened on the lower rudder pedals.

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Patiently waiting to go roaring off into the blue sky, the Cessna 1808 cuts a pretty picture as it sits in the green Wisconsin grass. Many pilots enjoy the "look" of a tail­ dragger as it rests on the ground - ready to go. 12 FEBRUARY 1995

all t he help he can get! Shortly after this work was comp leted, Do ug was flying o ne day when he saw t he ammeter peg itself on the disc harge side. The genera­ tor had gone to " melt down" and the s u rge of e lectricity took about $2000 wort h of e lectronics with it. Biting his upper lip , Doug invested in a new 50­ amp a lternator and started fixing each item in order. Thankfully , the problem has never returned. Eventuall y the old paint job had to go, so the Cessna was flown to Aero Services in Springfie ld, IL, where the award-win­ ning paint scheme was put on with Alumi­ gripTM paint. Doug says he sent about five pages of instructions along to the shop , however, the paint job came out perfect in spite of all his "help." With a 1035 lb. useful load, the 180B trucks along at 131 kts. at a setting of 21 inches and 2300 rpm and burning about 11 gph. It is possible to slow down to 115 kts. and with proper leaning, cruise along at 8 gph which puts maximum range at nearly e ight hours with 65 gallons on board. For a family of four, like Doug, Jean and their two sons, the 180 is the perfect airplane. It gets off well, hauls a nice load and is comfortable to fly over considerable dista nces. Throw in the op­ tions of a uto fuel , skis and floats , the 180 becomes a most desirable airplane. And the n to top it off, it wi ll even bring home a Custom Class II Award in the Contem­ porary bracket. A hearty "Congrat ula­ tio ns" to D oug and Jean Weiler of Hud­ son, W isconsin . ...

Text and photos by H.C. Frautschy

(Top) If you ever wondered what the puffs of smoke looked like as they left the exhaust stack, here you go! Richard "Bud" Fuchs, of St. Louis, MO, is a CFI in addition to his airshow work with his 0-175 Staggerwing. Bud gave a special talk, "Flying the Staggerwing," in addition to his flight and proficiency checks offered at the Convention. (Above) An old, antique aviator (aka Bill Allen of San Diego, CAl tried to gladhand his way into a few more airplane parts from Staggerwing Mu­ seum Foundation president John Parish.

ospitality

L e 1994 Staggerwing Convention, held in Tulla­ homa, TN, was a wonderful experience for antique airplane folks who love the Staggerwing and its rel­ atives, the Travel Air and Twin Beech, not to men­ tion their invited guests, the Howards, Twin Bonan­ zas and Spartans. While the weather was not cooperative during the beginning of the convention, it cleared nicely for the weekend, and our generous hosts , the John Parish family, made SUre that all who were interested were made to feel welcome. The highlight of the weekend was the dedication of the new Beech Center, linking the Eddie Ross Restoration Center with the Thaden Office and Li­ brary as well as the main museum building and the Olive Ann Beech Chapel. During the Saturday evening banquet, Margie Lindemer and the Lindemer family accepted the 1994 Staggerwing Merit Award posthumously for Lewis "Bud" Lindemer, who was lost to the family and his fellow Staggerwingers on July 4,1994. Bob Hoff, last year's recipient presented the award with honor and kindness. While saddened by their loss, the Lindemer family was comforted by the thoughts expressed to them by their fellow Staggerwing en­ thusiasts. Lindy had been selected prior to his death to receive the Merit award for his outstanding con­ tribution to the Staggerwing Club and the Founda­ tion of his time, talent, resources and especially his "let's do it" attitude. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

(Above) The new Beech Center at the Staggerwing Museum in Tulla足 homa, TN honors the memory and accomplishments of both Olive and Walter Beech, and it showcases the restored Staggerwing SIN 1 rescued from an upstate New York farm field by the late Steve Pfister. (Below) SIN 1 as it now rests in the Beech Center. The inset pictures show an unusual feature of this Stag足 gerwing, something that production models didn't have - a split rudder to act as an air brake. Staggerwing Museum Foundation president John Parish shows off the rudder in the deployed position.

14 FEBRUARY 1995

(Above and left) James and Shirley Bohlander of Marengo, IL flew their E-17B, SIN 198 to the Staggerwing Convention. They're flying to the satisfying breakfast put on by EAA Chapter 699 at Winchester, TN. Jim, a retired airline pilot, was a smooth and attentive formation pilot. This was the first appearance at a Staggerwing Convention by this par足 ticular Staggerwing. (Below right) Christine and Paul St. Onge came to the convention in her bright blue C-17B.

(Above) E.C. " Dub" Yarbrough ' s Travel Air frames the Staggerwing line in front of the Staggerwing Museum. In the background you can see skydivers as they end their jumps at the Tullahoma airport. Excellent cooper足 ation by the jumpers and the Staggerwing fly-in meant there were no traffic conflicts, and the convention crowd was treated to the sight of multiple jumper for足 mations above the airport as they jumped from a DC-3.

(Continued on page 23) VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

1930

THOMPSON TROPHY by Frank Warren The winners:

#77 Charles "Speed" Holman - Laird Solution 201.9 mph

#35 James Hazlip - Travel Air Mystery "S"

199.8 mph

#37 Ben Howard - Howard Special "Ike"

162.8 mph

Others in the race:

#83 Paul Adams - Travel Air Speedwing #92 Bvrett Williams - Wedell Williams

#28 Frank Hawks - Travel Air Mystery "S" #27 Capt. Arthur Page - modified Curtiss 3 16 FEBRUARY 1995

1929

THOMPSON CUP by Frank Warren The winners: #31 Doug Davis - Travel Air Model R 194.90 mph #80 Lt. R. G. Breene - Curtiss XP-3A 186.84 mph # Roscoe Turner - Lockheed Vega 163.80 mph

Others in the race: #210 Lt. II Clark - Curtiss F6C-3 #33 I.M. McConaughey - Travel Air Bll-D #71 H.S. Myhres - Simplex #30 CD. Boyer - Cessna Airmaster

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

LAIRD "

by Norm Petersen (Top) You can almost feel the power im足 pulses of the 450 Pratt as Jimmy brings the Laird in close to the photo plane. One has to look close to be absolutely sure it isn't "Speed" Holman in the cockpit. (Above left) This is 1929 all over again! Note the unusual rudder pedals with the inboard extensions for wheel brakes. The pilot slides his foot inward when brakes are needed and presses on the rudder bar extension. The button on the right of the instrument panel is the starter - real class for 1929! (Left) The business offices of the sleek Laird complete with " period" instruments in the rear cockpit and mahogany instru足 ment panels. Note the tiny door for enter足 ing the two-place front cockpit. 18 FEBRUARY 1995

T

he voice on the phone was in­ quisitive, " Where could I find a ha nga r for a month or two during EAA O shkosh ?" It was fun t o talk aga in with a re a l, a irpl a n e­ lovin ' guy fro m Ca liforni a. But wh y did he need a hangar for so long? In sho rt order, the exciting answers came to light - Jimmy Rollison (E AA 181914, A /C 9884) of Vacaville, CA , wa s brin ging hi s long awaite d Lai rd "Speedwing," NC4442, SIN 203 , to the big EAA a ffa ir in O shkosh! A close fri e nd of min e, with a distinct weak­ ness for biplanes, agreed to give up his hangar fo r those po rtions of July a nd August necessa ry to house the La ird durin g it s s t ay in O s hko s h , so th e fri e nd wa s put in touch with Jimm y a nd a rr a nge m e nts we r e comple t e d . The wait began. Meanwhile, the stork was making a second delive ry to the Rollison house­ hold in the fo rm of young J a mes Rus­ sell R o lliso n, na me d for his gra ndfa­ th e r , a nd b y introducin g a fe w co mplic a ti o n s (as yo un gs t e r s are known to do) , he managed to ho ld up the O shk os h de pa rture of th e Laird fo r seve r a l w ee ks. Jimm y's wife, Mary Ann , was busy with the ir 4-year­ o ld dau ghte r , J a ne, a nd the ir new ly arri ved so n, so Jimmy's close fri e nd , B a rr y W e ll s (E AA 3 919 99, A /C 17765) was e lecte d to th e once-in -a­ life time trea t of fl ying front seat in a L a ird Sp eedwin g from C a lifornia to O shkosh. Early in the mo rning of July 26, the Laird was packed full of all the neces­ sary goodi es th at two me n need fo r a te n d ay tri p a nd th e bi g P &W R -985 e ngin e was fir e d up. T a k eoff was at 7 a. m. a nd the twosome, with Jimmy in the rear cockpit a nd B a rry pac ke d in th e fr o nt cockpit , a nd every conce ivable s p ace a r o und him fill e d with a b o u t 120 lbs. of stu ff, h ea d e d northeast a lo ng Inte rsta te 80 at 160 mph - trul y a unique cruis­ ing speed fo r an o pe n cock­ pit bi p la n e - but th a t 's what Ma tty La ird designed into the Speedwing. Most legs we re abo ut two ho urs in le ng th , as Jimm y says th e wind a nd no ise ge t prett y seve re beyond th a t. Besides, the "old bod" needs a chance to stre tch a nd r es t aft e r flyin g that lo ng. The a irpla ne is quite stable but a bit heavy o n the controls, much like a n N3N bipl a ne. Th e front contro l stick ha d bee n re moved for th e trip (more roo m for stuff) so Jimmy had to do all the fl ying from the rear cockpit. Barry We lls expla ined , "Each sto p w o uld r ea ll y brin g out th e lo c a ls ! Th ey wa nt e d t o know wh a t kind of a irplan e it was, ne ve r having see n a

L a ird b efore. Howe ve r , a t O gd e n , Utah , a n e ld e rl y m a n , n ea rl y 8 0 , walked up and immediately ide ntified th e a irpl a n e a nd told a b o ut fl y in g th e m m a ny years ago! H e o ffe re d a wea lth o f in form a tion o n La ird a ir­ pl a n es a nd Jimm y a nd I li st e ne d in ­ te ntly to hi s e ve ry wo rd - afr a id we mig ht mi ss som e thin g !" B a rry sa id the entire trip felt a lmost like a " time­ war p " - making a 1929 trip in 1994 ­ a n ex pe rie nce like he ha d ne ve r ha d before or since. Th e o ve rni ght stop was m a d e a t Cheyenne, WY, whe re the two travel­ e rs a nd th e ir airpl a ne we re m a d e t o feel comple te ly we lco me. The service w as so exce ption a l, th ey s t o pp e d ove rni g ht o n th e r e turn tr ip a t th e same place ! The nex t mo rnin g, they we re off and running earl y with a stop at Kearney, NE for fu el, fo llowing the " co ncre te compass" calle d Inte rsta te 80. Th e ne xt stop was a t Olin ( Ol e ) P as h 's bea utiful air port at H a rl a n, Iowa, easily located by the R e­ publi c F -84 m o unt e d o n a co n c r e t e p ylo n! Aga in ,

th ey w e r e tr e at e d lik e r oy alt y a nd made it a po int to re me mbe r to stop fo r fuel on the return trip. Th e fin a l fli g ht for d ay N o.2 was into Ma dison , WI , whe re the duo e n­ joyed a beautiful we lcom e and sta yed over to e nte r th e busy O shkosh pa t ­ t e rn ea rl y th e n ex t mornin g (wi se move). Needless to say, the arrival in O shkosh of the first eve r Laird Speed­ win g cre at e d quit e a se nsa tion and Jimmy Rollison and Barry Wells were as busy as o ne-a rm e d pa pe r hange rs trying to a nswe r a ll the questions tha t we re offe red by the multitudes. Many inte rvie ws includin g so me (o n ca m­ e ra ) in front o f th.e A ntiqu e/C lassic R ed Barn we re co nducted to learn the fascin ating histo ry of a 1929 Laird bi­ pl a ne th a t fl e w fo r th e ver y fi rst tim e in February of 1993! How could th is be? It seems th at in the tough times of the ea rl y 1930's de pressio n , E. M " Ma tt y" L a ird had built two Sp ee dwin g a irpl a nes a nd w as w e ll int o th e thi r d a ir fr a m e wh e n th e fin a n c ia l r o p e got too sho rt a nd he close d his C hicago

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

(Left) Beautiful view of the famous "double cowl" designed by Matty Laird. Note four flying wires and two landing wires in wing truss, a sign of a rugged airplane. Aluminum "javelin" stops wires from vibrating. (Below) In 1929, a fast airplane re足 quired a large engine and a small airframe. Please note that the Speedwing has plenty of both! Very sanitary engine and prop installation caught the judges attention.

20 FEBRUARY 1995

fa cto ry. T he a irfra m e was cra te d u p a nd s to r e d fo r a s p e ll b efore be in g sold fo r $450 (plus $145 fo r crati ng) to Bud Powell in 1940. It passed th rough sever a l ha nds before e nding up in the ha nds of no ted a ntiquer J oe Era le on Lo ng Isla nd , NY . It was at this junc足 ture that Jimmy Ro llison's fa ther , Ji m R o llison , lea rn e d of th e Speedwi ng's ex iste nce a nd whil e fl yin g for T W A , Jim visite d J oe Era le a nd purch ased th e c r a t es of S p ee dwin g p a r ts for $1000 plus a 450 P&W e ngine for an足 oth e r $700. Mu ch to hi s future cha足 grin , Jim declined to purchase ano ther of Joe's offe rs: th e single pl ace La ird So lutio n fo r $750! The crates of Speedwing parts we re de livered to the R o llison househo ld in V acav ill e, CA, w h e r e th e yo un g Jimm y Rolli so n wo uld use th e m for

playing "Jungle Jim" and other kid' s if it were your own airplane," D a n be­ nal colors of black and gold (Matty games. Who would ever suspect that gan the formidable job. Laird 's trademark) were done in nearly forty years late r, the grown up Using an English wheel to form DuPont Centari acrylic enamel with a Jimmy Rollison would fly to the huge many of the compound aluminum flex agent added. The inte rior of the EAA Oshkosh '94 ga thering in the pane ls a nd employing a unique grease cockpit s was don e in black leather same Laird that was packed in th e gun rig that force s aluminum into the se wn by Dan Murray's wife, Linda. crates. The road to Oshkosh '94 proper shape, Dan was able to pro­ Again , attention to detail is evident would prove to be a long one. duce some very nice pieces that helped and one really gets a feeling of 1929 Numerous attempts at completing to maintain " th e look " that Matty when sitting in the airplane . the Spee dwing were started over the Laird was capable of designing. R e ­ By February of 1993, the long, long years but often the people doing the me mb e r that this airplane is a small, process of finally completing the Laird work would run up against the lack of high speed, biplane with a big 450 Speed wing had come to pass and Dan fa ctory drawings to make the neces­ Pratt e ngin e out front to make it go. Murray called Jimmy Rolli so n to sary parts to complete the airplane. A e rodynamic cleanliness is of the come to Santa Paula and get ready for One such attempt involved a number essence. the first flight. As Jimmy says, " It was of years of work by noted antiquer, Th e " doubl e cowl" wa s one of quite a day. I felt like a genuine Laird Forrest Lovley (EAA 19414 , A IC Matty Laird 's ideas that rea lly he lped factory test pilot - which I was! There 3136), whose shop is located just south in the drag depa rtme nt. The first cowl were no r ea l probl e ms on that first of Minneapolis, near Jorda n, MN. On handl es engine cooling air whil e th e flight. The a irpl a ne was nose heavy several occasions, this author was per­ second contain s all th e accesso ri es and there were little adjustments here mitted to examine the Laird closely as and oil tank that have bl ast tubes d i­ and there that would have to be made, it was b e ing work e d on in the shop. rected to them. All this "stuff" is out but th ey all see m e d insig nifica nt to The many , many clever de tails as de­ of the slipstream which reduces drag. me. I was flying The Laird! All those signed by Matty Laird were evident in In a ddition , the la rge, narrow Be ndix years, all the drea ms a nd frustrations, the structure as Forrest carefully ex­ wheels with the ir 12-inch mechanica l the memo ri es of Matty ... . I'll go to plained the project. To me, it was the brakes in side produce m inimal drag. my grave with no other feeling like I treat of a lifetime that ran shiv­ h ad that day . The fun m eter ers down my spine as I stood was really pegged that day." in total awe of Matty Laird 's Dan Murray mad e the sec­ The Laird was started in the early 1930's by bra inchild . Such impressions o nd flight in the Laird and are remembered fore ver. came up with a couple of ideas the crew in Matty Laird's factory, but Eventually, Jim Rolli so n for fine tunin g the airplane. wasn't completed until 1993 ... decided to se ll the Laird pro­ Considerable weight was j ec t , and although other avad d ed to the tai l to get rid of e nues were open, it was tough the no se heaviness and a llow to see the airplane in any other "It was quite a day. I felt like a genuine three-point lan dings. Both pi­ hands. The young Jimmy Rol­ lot s agree d the airplane was Laird factory test pilot - which I was!" lison, knowing what the Laird blessed with excess power­ just add "coal" and climb from meant to his father, went all out to acq ui re the project - and any attitud e - it rea ll y moves - Jimmy Rollison succeeded! The e ntire project out sma rtl y . Getting us ed to was trucked from Minnesota the brakes was a bit unusual as to California and the next sce­ Matty Laird had designed rud­ Fort un ate ly , the set of smoot h Un i­ der pedals with extensions inboard to nario began. Receiving a phone call one day versa l tires to fit the Bendix whe e ls slide your toe upon and push. Once from Matty Laird's grandson, Jimmy had been purchased years ear li e r the all-important "feel" is learned, the was asked if he was interested in some when they were still avai lable. Al­ brakes are quite effective. Directional old airpla ne blueprints that he had in­ though the Laird would n or m a ll y control is quite outsta nding with the herited. Later that same day, Jimmy have had a tailskid in stalled in 1929 rudder producing directional author­ was in Carson City, NV , goi ng over (all grass a nd dirt runways), a Scott ity right from the start. Like nearly all original factory blueprints that Matty 3200 tailwheel was installed for use on biplanes, the Laird is blind in the had drawn years ago, going all the hard surface runways and taxiways. three-point position, but it isn't way back to Wichita. Among the huge Although the BT-13 engine pur­ twitchy and mean - it tracks straight! collection of cotton vellums were the chased with the project many years Various trips were made in the Speedwing drawings - the key to com­ ago was avai labl e, it was held in re­ western part of the U.S. before the pleting the airplane. Here was the serve and another Pratt & Whitney R­ long trip to Oshkosh. On a ll occa­ missing link . 985 was majored and installed in the sions, the speedy biplane performed Not too long after this major find, airplane. It swings a Hamilton metal perfectly and came home with an Jimmie ran into Dan Murray (EAA propeller that was rescued from the award at nearly every fly-in including 199326, AIC 9377) , aircraft rebui lder office wall of a Ford Motor Co. execu­ Grand Champion at t he 1994 Cactus from Santa Paula , CA. After some tive by a friend of the Rollisons. Ap­ Fly-In . negotiations, a deal was st ruck for parently it had become surp lus when Meanwhile, on Tuesday night at Dan to fin ish the Speedwing and the it was replaced on the nose of a Ford Oshkosh '94, a s light miscue on the project (en masse) was delivered to Tri Motor by a three-bladed prop de­ timing of the awards program had his shop o n November 1991. Taking veloped by Ford und er license from both Jimmie Rollison and Barry Wells inventory, D an fo und h e had the H amilton . absent when the winner of the Out­ wings, tail surfaces, a seat, two I-struts Being so ld on the Blue Riv er Ce­ sta nding Open Cockpit Award for the (both for the same side!), the fuselage conite covering process, Dan Murray Silver Age bracket (1928 - 1932) was and most of the landing gear. With in­ covered th e e ntire a irplan e with this a nnounce d: 1929 Laird LC-RW300 , structions from Jimmy to " restore it as system up through final finish. The fi­ NC4442 , Jimmy Rollison , Vacavill e, VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

CA. Howeve r, all was no t lost as the bea utiful Lind y troph y was soo n d e ­ liv e re d to Jimm y for it s pr es ti gio us ride home in a ge nuin e La ird Speed­ wing. Le avin g O shkosh on W e dn e sday m o rnin g with a ll t h e ir n ecess iti es tucke d into the stre amlined a irfra me , the dynamic duo o f Rollison and Wells headed th e speedy bip lane southwest

from O shkosh, picked up Inte rst ate 80 a nd headed west with the first stop at O le P as h 's H a ri a n , I ow a a irport. Fr o m t h e r e , th e w es tbo u nd fli g ht sto pped at L exington , NE for fue l be­ fo re headi ng in to C heye nn e , WY for an we lcome overnight sto p. Fee ling a ce rta in kinship wit h and reve re nce for " Sp ee d " Ho lm a n a nd Jimm y Doolittl e , bot h form e r L a ird

A happy fam ily by their pride and joy. J immy and Mary Ann Rollison with their three­ yea r -old daughter, Jane, pose by the family chariot, the Laird Speedwing, NC4442,

SIN 203. 22 FEBRUARY 1995

r a cin g pilot s , it was easy for Jimm y and B a rr y to und e rst a nd h ow th ese form e r gr e ats could lik e such an a ir­ pl ane . Matty Laird 's genius was easy to u nd e rstand a s th e y s ped we st to ­ wards the setting sun. By eve ning, the L a ird wa s back in its h a ngar a t Nut Tree Airport , Vacaville, CA , and two ve ry tir e d ( but h a pp y) pil o t s we r e glad to be home . Th e trip to O shkosh had ta ke n 12 hours a nd thirty minutes and th e trip h o m e r e quire d thirt ee n hou rs with na ry a miss of a ny kind from the Pratt & Whitney e ngine. And the fa bulo us p e opl e th ey ha d m e t a lo n g th e way m a d e th e e ntire t r ip a n e xcitin g ad ­ ve nture - r ese rve d fo r th e ve ry, very fe w wh o ha d e xp er ie nce d th e vibra­ tio ns of a Laird Speed wing. Jimmy R ollison has fl own the air­ pl a n e a b o ut 160 h o ur s t o d a t e a n d looks fo rwa rd to ma ny mo re ho urs of pur e j oy with th e Sp ee dwin g. Hi s good frie nd , Barry We lls, has just fin­ is he d a 1943 L o ckh ee d " L o d es tar ", N6166 , whi ch used to be lo ng to actor Ca r y Gra nt. With its bi g W r ight R ­ 1820 e ngines of 1350 hp each , yo u will know when it arrives at E AA O shkosh '95 . H ave yo u eve r no ti ce d ho w th is bu s in ess ge t s m o r e exc it in g every yea r?

'*

(Above) The Staggerwing Museum in Tulla 足 homa, TN is full of interesting artifacts, includ足 ing numerous tools used to build Staggerwings. These are some of the tools built and used by Eldon " Bud " Penny who among other tasks , spliced the cables on the first 10 Staggerwings.

STAGGBKWING (Continued from page 15) (Above) The Travel Air Mystery Ship, NR 1313, is currently under restoration as resources per足 mit - here, you can see the right wing and prop prior to their restoration. (Left) Jim Gorman and Dub Yarbrough look on as Robert Parish accepts the 1994 Staggerwing "Young Eagle" award from Ron Morrison, who was last year's winner. (Below) Among other invited guests of the Staggerwing Museum Foundation during the Convention are Howard aircraft. This Howard DGA-15P is owned and flown by Clayton Graves of Santa Paula, California.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

(Above) Ron and Mark Morrison pilot the family's F-17D Stagger足 wing. First restored by their late father Bill, the airplane was al足 most completely destroyed in a hangar fire. The Morrisons then re足 stored the airplane in Bill's honor. (Left) Mary Lynn Beech Oliver, Jennifer Oliver Matson and Suzanne Beech Warner were on hand to attend the dedication of the new Beech Center at the Staggerwing Museum. Jennifer, one of Olive's grandchildren, and Mattie Schultz (not shown), the Museum Foun足 dation's executive Director, cut the ribbon to formally dedicate the Center. Mary Lynn and Suzanne are Olive Ann Beech's daughters.

The Staggen.uing Convention is open to all who enjoy the Staggerwing. To attend the Convention, Staggerwing Museum Foundation membership is required. Dues are $30 per year, and if you are passing anywhere close by, you owe yourself a visit to this world class facility . The mailing address is: StaggerwingMuseum Foundation, P.O. Box 550, Tullahoma, TN 37388. For directions or more information, you can call them at 615/455-1974. ....

24 FEBRUARY 1995

ysteryPane by George Hardie This moth's Mystery Plane should be a comparatively easy one. The license number is a give away! But there must be more interesting information on it, such as how many were built, etc. An­ swers will be published in the May 1995 issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Dead­ line for that issue is March 25, 1995. The November Mystery Plane was a mystery to many - only a few answers were recieved. J.F. Mead, Jr., Chairman of the Board, Mercury Aircraft, Inc., Hammondsport, NY writes: "The airplane is the Schroeder­ Wentworth safety ship designed by Major "Shorty" Schroeder to compete in the Guggenheim Trophy Event in 1929 and built by the Aerial Service Corporation of Hammondsport, New York . Note the unusual center fuse­ lage landing wheel and large variable wing camber in the side view picture. "I have been told this aircraft was successfully tested in Hammondsport; dismantled and shipped to Roosevelt Field, Long Island, where it was dam-

aged and withdrawn from competi­ tion. I do not know what happened to the aircraft as it was never returned to Hammondsport. Page 8 of the Octo­ ber 1992 Vintage Airplane shows a

side view of this aircraft equipped with a tail wheel and front landing gear. Where or when the picture was taken we do not know." John Underwood, Glendale, CA adds: "It's the Schroeder-Wentworth Mercury SWM, built by Mercury Air­ craft at Hammonsport, NY for the 1929 Guggenheim Safe Airplane Competition, in its original form. The central undercarriage and outriggers were replaced after taxi trials with a more conventional straight-axle land­ ing gear. This was a big airplane, the largest of all the entries, with a span of 57 feet and 480 square feet of wing area. It was 30 feet in length and had a 150 hp Comet. "Unique features were the full­ span variable camber capability, hy­ draulically articulated, and Schroeder's automatic, two-position propeller. Harvey Mummert had a hand in its conception and supervised its construction. Unfortunately, there

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

was no time for tes ting and the SWM was trucked to Mitchel Fie ld, Long Is足 land , to meet the deadli ne. " Schroed e r took it u p for a test hop o n 21 Nov e mber 1929 to try the variab le camber a nd ai lero n control, got into a spiral at 300 feet and nearly a ugered into the base hosp ital. T he

fact t h at he was not injured spoke w e ll for the craft's struct u ra l in足 tegrity. Howev e r , the SWM was damaged beyond repair and o u t of the ru nn ing. " R .W . " Shorty " Schroeder was an Early Bird (1910) and noted test pi lot, both in and out of the military . He is

perhaps best remembered for his high flying (1919) and pylon turns in the first Ford Trimotor at t h e National A ir Races. "

Oth er answers were received from Charl ey Haye s, New Lenox, IL and Robert Wynne, Mercer Island, WA. (Above and left) These two views of the Schroeder-Went足 worth safety ship show the full span variable camber wing. Unfortunately, the variable geometry wing did not prove to be successful in this case, as R.W. " Shorty" Schroeder spiraled in from 300 feet at Mitchel Field, Long Island, NY just before the trials were to begin for the Guggenheim Safe Airplane Competition.

(Right) T he Schroeder -Wentworth saf ety ship in its original configu ra足 t ion, including outrigger style landing gear and 150 hp Comet engine. 26 FEBRUARY 1995

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B U CK by Buck Hilbert • EAA #21 • Ale #5 • P.O. Box 424 • Union, IL 60180

Dear Buck, I'm writing to you since I often read your column in Vintage Airplane and know you are receptive to correspond­ ing with "wannabee" restorers like me. I am a 400+ hour pilot, presently grounded since I moved to Toledo and sold my share in a P A28-R200 and have kids in college. I want an air­ plane so bad I can taste it, but I can't afford much right now.

I've been toying with the idea of restoring a nice old short wing Piper or similar, but i don't have an A&P li­ cense, and I'm befuddled by all the FAA rules about "lay" people work­ ing on certified airplanes. I am me­ chanically inclined, love working on machinery of all types, have an engi­ neering degree (and career), and know I could do justice to an aircraft restora­ tion project. I just don't know how to get around all the restrictions and road

blocks set up by the government. I suspect that other folks have ac­ complished beautiful aircraft restora­ tions without being government certi­ fied. My question is - How? Do I need to develop a friendship with an AI somewhere (don't know any around here yet) in order to do the work myself? Do I need to hire an AI to inspect my work at various steps in the process? If so, how are these steps defined? As you can tell, I'm totally ignorant of the requirements for a commoner to do a restoration job . If there is a way around all the red tape, I don ' t know about it. Can you help me un­ derstand in plain language what I need to do to get a legal restoration com­ pleted. Thanks for any response. SSAE enclosed. Sincerely, Daniel J. Shoop Maumee , OH

Hi Dan, Happy New Year! Didn't mean to de­ lay this reply, but the holidays and all ... There is no reason you couldn't do a restoration on an antique or classic air­ plane. Others have done it, and you can too. Don't be too concerned with the go v-

Dean and Jean Thomas, Liberty, SC sent along this photo and a "birth announcement" detailing the arrival of their "new" 1955 Champion 7EC, N29246, SIN 334. It has the standard Continental C-90 engine, and boasts a useful load of 570 Ibs. Congratula­ tions on your new arrival! VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

ernm ent. If you are abl e to ge t ac­ quainted through your local EAA Chap­ ter or from the local scene somewhere, with a friendly A&P or an fA, then you can work under their superv ision . Get yourself a copy of Adv isory Circular AC43. 13 (Acceptable M ethods, Tech­ niques, and Practices - Aircraft In spec­ tion and Repair) from the FAA and use that as a guide when you have a ques­ tion . Also, many of the manufacturers such as Poly Fiber and Cooper publish information/how-to booklets that are free for the asking. And don 't forget the excellent v ideos that EAA produ ces ­ the W elding, Covering with Ray Stits and others are all a bonanza of informa­ tion on how all of these processes work (S ee page 32 for ordering information) . The A &P or IA need only make an occa­ sional inspection as you progress or be there if you have a problem or question. I know there must be some more peo­ ple in the Toledo, OH area, I don 't have an up-to-date Chapter Directory, but if you call the EAA Chapter Office up in Oshkosh, 414/426-4876, they 'll give you the location of the nea res t EAA or A/C

Chapter, along with a local contact.

may wish to approach them about your project. The worst they can say is no, right?

Over to you, Buck

Dear Buck,

Certainly there must be many others out there like Dan who want to rebuild and airplane, and ha e the talent do so, but lack the guidance to get started. f sent the address of a mechanic I know in the general reg ion to Dan, but for many others out there in a similar situ­ ation, you may wish to try this in addi­ tion to the EAA Chapter route. If you know what type of airplane you 're in­ terested in, ie. a fabric co ered tai/­ dragger, or if you want som ething co ­ ered with sh eet m etal, ask around at your local airport - odd are there are on e or two A &P 's in your area who ha e become kno wn as "old airplane" mechanics. You 'll want someone fa­ miliar with th e typ e of airplane you want to rebuild - these days, A&P's are not taught ery much about steel tube, fabric co ered airplanes, so there are fe wer around wh o kn o w th e ty p e. Once you find o ut who th ey are, you

While in the process of acquiring an Aeronca C-3 Master, the lack of relia­ bility of th e magneto on the E-113 en­ gine was mentioned. Len Tanner mentioned that you had an STC to modify the mag to make it more re liable. I would most appre­ ciate any information regarding your modification. Thanks, Jim McCord Lansdale, P A

Happy New Year Jim! I don 't know whether to congratulate you or ki ck you, everybody knows that A eronca C-3s are worthless! Hah! If we can keep them believing that we can have them all to ourselves! I am enclosing the Dan Kindel Conver-

New Members

Willi am A. Aaberg Ga ry S. A ll en J ames C. A nderso n Ed Auker Chris R. Austin W. Do uglas Auxi er David A. Baird P. W. Benecke G reg Bo rde lon Do nn T. Borde n Joseph W. Braswell Gerald R. Brown Larry Buck Phillip G. Burgess Scott L. Burnett Ca rl E. Ca rr Heath er Casey Ca ry D. Conklin De nnis L. Cot a

28 JANUARY 1995

Sto ught o n, WI Las Vegas, NV Dunbar, WV Hardi n, MT Palm Coast, FL Batav ia, OH Salt Lake City, UT Ho ng Ko ng Ho usto n, TX Wellingto n, NV O akwood, G A Auro ra, NE Rural Retrea t, V A Fairfield , PA Wightwood, CA Rockfo rd , OH She rwood, AR Scoti a, NY Hains City, FL

Craig Craft Aberdee n, MS Wilbur D . Crawford Ka nsas Cit y, MO Ro bert W. D ave nport Vero Beach, FL Irl Davis G ig Harbor, W A Wadsworth , I L G erard J. Dederich Joel Di xo n Beve rly, OH Philip M. Dodderidge Bluemont , VA Dal Donn er Arlington , TX Michael Dubin Sa n Luis Obispo, CA Chill iwack, B.C. , Canada Eric F. Dyck Ea rl Ebe rly Portla nd , OR Fayetteville, GA L. Bea r E be rt Jo hn E. E ichma n Fort Way ne, IN Sal Fall avollita Miami , FL St ro ng, M E Randy Flagg Da n K. Fl aherty G ranite City, IL Ron ald E . France Brighton , MI Grosseto, Italy Paolo Gaggioli Igor G amarra Buena Park , CA

Belm ond , lA Ken G odse ll Cha rles Gra uer Wilson , KS Winchester, T N Bill y Da n G reeson Bell eville, IL Larry Greine r Judy Haight Madiso n, WI Jefferson, MD G eorge W. Hamm Gregg Hart Ede n Prairie, MN Arthur W. Heilmer Bloomington, MN Leroy V. He ndricks Larned. KS William C. H offman Somerse t, PA Kadoka, S O Marvis T. Hogen Ha rry Ho ugh A nchorage, AK Frank E. Howa rd Macon, GA T yrone , GA Fred Huey Jo hn W. Hughes Houston, TX Donald W. Hull Baton Ro uge, LA G. Roland J e nson Outl ook, Saskatchewan, Canada Cente rvill e, IN Harry W. J o nes Marvin K. J orda n Rensse laer, IN James R. Ka le E nte rpri se, A L Le roy J. Ke ilma n Billings, MT Vanco uver, WA Dua ne Ke nnedy Gadsden, AL J. P. King Bismarck, NO James R. Kn ight Scott A. Lie fe ld Palmdale, CA Willi am H . Lightsto ne Dallas, TX W. H . Lowther Lynn , MA Stow, MA Brooks Ma rqolie n Norman L. Massey Middleboro ugh, MA Norbert Ma urer Cincinnati ,O H Richard McDonald Subtle, KY Wayne McLaughlin Ft Wo rth , T X Richard Mc Lea n Ca nyo n Lake , T X Richard L. Me rkley Weyauwega, WI Poco no Pines, PA Jose ph N. Miller Maco n, GA Michae l H. Misinco A lan Do uglas Mo ler Wichita, KS Spring, T X Ma ry C. Mo rong Stephe n M. Murph y T ull amarine, Victo ri a, Australi a Patricia A. Moye r Yamh ill , OR Jerry Nelson Hillsbo ro, OR

sion that I have been running on my C3(s) for over thirty years. In all that time I have never had an ignition problem nor has anyone else that made the conversion. The only one that we so far as to sub­ mit a 337 on the installation was John Kuranz and I have included a copy for your perusal. John did not get an STC but a field approval for the entire airplane which included this modification as well as several others such as brakes and a tail­ wheel. He has been flying the airplane for abou t twelve years and again has had no problems. If you have trouble finding a magneto and the impulse, I may be able to help you . Meanwhile I, we, would appreciate info and pictures of your project so that we can maybe put you in Vintage Air­ plane. H.G. and I are always interested and so are our Antique/Classic members in what a guy does with his airplanes. Over to you Jim,

Chester M. Owenby Arden , NC Vincent Page Katy, TX Louisville, KY George Pascal Paul J. Patterson Pittsburgh, PA Auburn D. Pearman Tupelo, MS John M. Pinson Harker Heights, TX Tipton, OK Lynn R. Pinson Dave Puckrin St. Albert, Alberta, Canada Marshfield, WI Thomas Pue Cary, NC Eric Rappaport Mark Robertson 5eosauqua, IA Veradale, WA H. J. Robinson Layton, UT Mark Robinson West Ch icago, IL Arnold Roosa Edward H. Rosen Groton , CT Robere Salmons Berkeley, CA Ronald L. Sass Overland, MO Alamo, CA Craig Saxton Moelin, Switzerland Marius Schreiber E. R. Sessoms Hartsville, SC Rome,GA

Oscar M. Smith Ed Snell Tucson, AZ

Ch icago, IL

Richard Spiegel George W. Sprankle Cypress, TX

Highland, CA Phillip W. Stewart Silver City, NM Roland Stone Harry B. Sutton Brownsburg, IN Cincinnati,OH Robson Sweney Genoa, Italy Giambattista Tarditi Eastsound, W A Buck Taylor Russell B. Thompson Uniontown,OH Kingwood , TX

Mike Torbett Kent Travis Portland, OR

Melvin T. Treider Arlington, TX

David Warner Fort Pierce, FL Jim Wasson Oregon City, OR Clare D. Weidman Eagle Rock , V A John F. Wendel Lakeland, FL Sammie L. White Repton , AL New Windsor, NY Garry Williams Lauren M. Williams Petaluma, CA

WELCOME!

Fly-In -----------­ Calendar The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of illformation only alld does not COllstitllle approval, sponsorship, involvemellt, cOlltrol or direction of any evellt (/1y-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed Please send the information to EAA, Att: Golda Cox, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Informatioll should be receivedfour momhs prior to the evellt date.

FEB. 18 - MINNEAPOLIS, MN - 1995 Minne sota Sport Aviation Conference. 612/296-8202. FEB. 25-26 - RIVERSIDE , CA - EAA Chapter 1 Open House. 909/686-1318. FEB. 18-19 - NASHVILLE, TN Alexander Aeroplane's Builders' Workshop. 1-800/831-2949. FEB. 25-26 - RIVERSIDE , CA - EAA Chapter 1 Open House. 909/686-1318. FEB. 26 - WARROAD , MN - Lions Skiplane Fly-In Breakfast. 218/386-1818. MARCH 3·5 - CASA GRANDE , AZ37th Annual Cactus Fly-In. 602/641-7467 MARCH 4 - ROCHESTER , WI - 3rd Annual Midw est Constructors Confer­ ence/Open Hous e . American Champion Aircraft Factory. 1-800/323-0611. MARCH 3-5 - CAS A GRANDE, AZ37th Annual Cactus Fly- In. 602/641-7467. MARCH 11 - PUNTA GORDA, FL­ EAA Chapter 565 Pancake Breakfast Fly-In. 813/575-6360. MARCH 11-12 - FT. PIERCE , FL - 7th Annual Delight of Flight Airshow/Fly- In . 407/461-0346. MARCH 11·12 - SAN ANTONIO , TX Alexander Aeroplane's Builders' Workshop. 1-800/831-2949. MARCH 16-18 - 1995 Wom e n in Avia­ tion Conference. 618/337-7575. MARCH 18·19 - DALLAS , TX Alexander Aeroplane's Builders' Workshop. 1-800/831-2949. MARCH 21-26 - AVALON, AUS­ TRALIA - AirShow DownUnder ' 95. 602/314-0290. APRIL 1 - TUSKEGEE , AL - EAA Chapter 998 3rd Annual Spring Fly-In. 2051749-0987. APRIL 8 - PUNTA GORDA, FL - EAA Chapter 565 Pancak e Breakfast Fly-ln. 813/575-6360. APRIL 8 - WINNSBORO , LA - EAA Chapter 836 Catfish Festival Fly- In . 318/4354711. APRIL 9-15 - LAKELAND, FL - 21st Annual Sun ' n Fun EAA Fly-In and Con­ vention. 813/644-2431. APRIL 22·23 - SPRINGFIELD, IL - 2nd Annual Charlie Wells Memorial Fly­ In/Drive-I n. 217/483-3201. APRIL 29 - OPELOUSAS , LA - EAA Chapter 529 Fly-In. Rain date 5/6. 318/9422254.

APRIL 29 - LEVELLAND , TX - EAA Chapter 19 Fly-In Breakfast. 8061797-1900. APRIL 29·30 - GRIFFIN, GA - Alexan­ der Aeroplane 's Builders ' Workshop. 1­ 800/831-2949. APRIL 30 - CUMBERLAND, MD ­ EAA Chapter 426 Fly-In Breakfast. 3011777­ 2951. APRIL 30 - HALF MOON BA Y, CA ­ Pacific Coast Dream Machines Fly-In. 415/726-2328. MA Y 5-7 - WOODLAND , CA - First Annual Gt. Valley Fly-In. 916/666-1751 , FAX 916/666-7071. MAY 6-7 - CLEVELAND, OH - 11 nd Annual Air Racing History Symposium. 216/255-8100. MA Y 6·7 - GEORGETOWN, TX - 9th Annual Fly-In/ Airshow. 512/869-1759. MAY 7 - Rockford , IL - EAA Chapter 22 annual fly-in breakfast at Mark Clark's Courtesy Aircraft , Greater Rockford Air­ port. Wallace Hunt 815/332-4708. MA Y 13 - PUNTA GORDA , FL - EAA Chapter 565 Pancake Breakfast Fly-In. 813/575-6360. MA Y 13 - VIDALIA, LA - EAA Chap­ ter 912 Spring Picnic/ Banquet. Rain date 5/20. 3181757-2103. MAY 13 - TOCCOA, GA - EAA Chap­ ter 1011 Parade of Planes. Fax 7061779-2302. MAY 19-21- PAULS VALLEY , OK­ Antique Airplane Fly-in. Contact Dick Fournier 405/258-1129 or Bob Kruse 405/691-6940. MA Y 20 - DAYTON, OH - Chapter 325 EAA Day/U.S. Air Force Museum. 216/382­ 0781. MA Y 20 - CRESTVIEW , FL - EAA Chapter 108 Pancake Breakfast. 904/862­ 2673. MA Y 20 - DAYTON, OH - EAA Chap­ ter 325. EAA day at the U.S. Air Force Mu­ seum. 216/382-0781. JULY 27 - AUGUST 2 - OSHKOSH , WI - 43rd Annual EAA Fly-In and Sport Aviation Convention. Wittman Reg ional Airport. Contact John Burton , EAA , P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh , WI 54903-3086, 414/426­ 4800. JULY 14-16 - RED LAKE, ONTARIO, CANADA - Diamond Jubilee Norseman Floatplane Festival. Events for both pilots and pedestrians. Contact the Norseman Fes­ tival Committee at 8071727-2809. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Fly high with a

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When it goes on display again, the Spruce Goose will be sporting tough new fabric control surfaces by Poly-Fiber. The AirVenture Museum people want them to last... and Poly-Fiber will . On the Goose, and on your airplane, too. Watch for announcements of future Poly-Fiber builder workshops. Find out how easy it really is to do it yourself. rh~ B~nchmark 01

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Catalogue and Credit Card Orders

HOTLINE 'lel (0234) 840122 or

FAX (0234) 841076 rr8FASTERBYFAX

MOVING?

IS THERE A NEW LOCATION IN YOUR IMMEDIATE FUTURE? Be sure that your membership ... and Vintage Airplane ... follows you. Let us know at least two months in advance of your move. Send your change of address (include membership number) to: VINTAGE AIRPLANE

P.O. Box 3086 OSHKOSH, WI 54903-3086

EAA SCHOLARSHIPS AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING PILOT AND MECHANIC

EAA

ATT: CHUCK LARSEN

EAA AVIATION CENTER

PO BOX 3086

OSHKOSH, WI 549OJ.3086

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35 per word, $5,00 minimum charge. Send your ad to

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Payment muat accompany ad. VISAIMaaterCard accepted.

MISCELLANEOUS: SUPER CUB PA·18 FUSELAGES - New manufacture, STC-PMA­ d, 4130 chrome-moly tubing throughout, also complete fuselage re­ pair. ROCKY MOUNTAIN AIRFRAME INC. (J. E. Soares, Pres.), 7093 Dry Creek Rd., Belgrade, Montana 59714. 406-388-6069. FAX 406/ 388-0170. Repair station No. QK5R148N.

(NEW) This & That about the Ercoupe, $14.00. Fly-About Adven­ tures & the Ercoupe, $17.95. Both books, $25.00. Fly-About, P.O. Box 51144, Denton, Texas 76206. (ufn)

Sitka Spruce Lumber - Oshkosh Home Bldg. Ctr, Inc. 414/235­ 0990. Oshkosh, Wisconsin. (c-6/95)

CURTISS JENNY MEMORABILIA - You can now own memora­ bilia from the famous "JENNY" which has starred in TREASURES FROM THE PAST, as well as the EAA videos, YOUNG EAGLES and IT'S GOTTA BE A JENNY. We have posters, post card, pins, T-shirts, airmail cachets, etc. We also have RIC documentation exclusive to this historic aircraft. Sales of these items support operating expenses to keep this "JENNY" flying for the aviation public. We appreciate your help. SASE for your free price list. Ken Hyde, 7099 Glenn Curtiss Lane, Warrenton, VA 22186. (12-2)

Rare Propeller Hub - 15 spline, 2-3/8 inch 10, 3-3/4-inch 00, 8 hole, 6-5/8 inch dia. bolt pattern, 6-inch prop. 708/985-9074. (2-4) Ultralight Aircraft - One year old in April 1995 and our monthly publication is still growing. Buy, sell trade, kit built, fixed wing, pow­ ered parachutes, rotor, sailplanes, trikes, balloons and more. Sto­ ries galore! Sample issue $3.00. Annual subscription $36.00. IN­ TRODUCTORY OFFER OF ONLY $24.00. Ultraflight Magazine, 12545 70th Street, Largo, FL 34643-3025. 2-1 FREE CATALOG - Aviation books and videos. How to, building and restoration tips, historic, flying and entertainment titles. Call for a free catalog, 1-800-843-3612. Wheel Pants - The most accurate replica wheel pants for antique and classics available on the market today. 100% satisfaction guar­ anteed. Available in primer gray gel coat. Harbor Ultra-Lite Products Co. , 1326 Batey Place, Harbor City, CA 90720, phone 310/326-5609 or FAX 310/530-2124. (ufn)

WANTED: Wanted - Tripod to stack a Cub or Champ, nose down in hangar. Plans or pictures acceptable. 6161739-7401.

tail high

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31

CUSTOM BUILT SPORT AIRCRAFT HANDBOOK

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Prepared by Paul Poberezny and S.H. "Wes" Schmid. A guide to construction standards for the amateur aircraft builder. Top­ ics include the definition of an amateur-built airplane, Federal requirements, FAA inspections, aircraft registration procedures, operating limitations, design construction and fabrication , con­ trol systems , electrical equipment and many other topics. 140 pages. $14.95*

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Prepared by Paul Poberezny and S.H. "Wes" Schmid. Funda­ mental welding techniques for the building and repair of sport aircraft. Includes an introduction to oxyacetylene welding, various techniques, tools, how to get good results, structural tubing repair, design considerations , how to bend tubing and more. 113 pages. $11.95* (Also see EAA's new "Welding " video on page 7!)

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Prepared by Paul Poberezny and S.H. "Wes" Schmid. Learn the basics of working with wood in aircraft applications. Chap­ ters include determining moisture content, characteristics, sizes and weights of standard plywoods, getting smooth cuts, aircraft type glues, wood and wings, jigs, clamps, sanding wood and many other topics. 136 pages. $11.95* r---------:"T'J~~::m

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FLYING AND GLIDER MANUALS: Reprints of the original Flying and Glider Manuals publ ished be­ tween 1929 and 1933 by Modern Mechanix and Inventors magazine

1929:

Flight lessons, building the Heath Super Parasol , Rus­ sell-Henderson Light Monoplane and an easy-to-build glider.

1930:

Plans for a Heath Baby Bullet, light plane metal floats, building the Northrop Glider and more.

1931:

Build the Longster, the Church Midwing, the Heath Sea­ plane Parasol and more.

\

CONTENTS"~

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BUILD and FLY THE SP OR TPLA H E AU TH ORIT Y O F AMERICA

1932:

Build the Pietenpol Air Camper, the Powell P-H Racer, the Penguin practice plane, plus building your own hangar.

1933:

Build the Gere Sport Biplane , Pietenpol floats, the Pietenpol Sky Scout and the Henderson Longster.

Valuable information for the builder or historian. Collect all five volumes! $6.95* each or $29.95* for all five. Save $5.00.

erage for the

WILLIS "8i11"

ALLEN, Jr. Son Diego Aerospace

Museum, 2nd VP

Board

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Fome, past President

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Foundation, President

Trovelair DMsion

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