VA-Vol-24-No-5-May-1996

EDITORIAL STAFF

Vol. 24, No.5

May 1996

CONTENTS

1 Straight & Level/

Espie "Butch" Joyce

2 AlC NewslH.G. Frautschy 4 AlC 25th Anniversary/

Gene Chase

10 The DeVilbiss OMX Spray Gun/G. Braatz

Page 4

12 Calendar 13 Roland LaFont's G rumman Mallard/ Norm Petersen

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION, INC.

OFFICERS

16 Prototype Monocoupe 90A 18 Fairchild 221H.G . Frautschy 21 Welcome New Members 22 A Precautionary Landing/

Page 13

Fred Ludtke

President Espie 'Butch' Joyce P,O, Box 35584 Greensboro. NC 27425 910/ 393-0344 Secretary Steve Nesse 2009 Highland Ave, Albert Lea. MN 56007 507/373-1674

Vice-President

George Daubner

2448 Lough Lane

Hartford. WI 53027

414/ 673-5885

Treasurer

E.E, ' Buck' Hilbert

P,O, Box 424

Union. IL 60180

815/923-4591

DIRECTORS

24 Mystery Plane/H .G . Frautschy 26 Pass it to Buck! E .E. "Buck" Hilbert

28 What Our Members are RestoringiNorm Petersen

30 Vintage Trader

Publisher

Tom Poberezny

Vice-President

Marketing & Communications

Dick Matt

Edltor-in-Chief

Jack Cox

Editor

Henry G, Frautschy

Managing Editor

Golda Cox

Art Director

Mike Drucks

Assistant Art Director

Sara A Otto

Computer Graphic Specialists

Olivia L Phillip Jennifer Larsen

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

Page 18 FRONT COVER, , , Water and a Grumman amphibian - what a great combination, This particular Mallard. one of only 32 still registered. is owned and flown by Roland LaFont of Albuquerque. NM, EAA photo by Mike Steineke. shot with a Canon EOS-ln equipped with an 80-200 mm lens, 1/250 sec at flO on 100 ASA slide film, Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore, BACK COVER, , . Back home again in Idaho. this Travel Air 6CO) had been in the Staggerwing Museum in Tullahoma. TN for a number of years until being sold to a partnership in Idaho, This p re tty early evening shot was taken by Jim Oltersdarf of Salmon. 10, For more on the Travel Air and Jim's photography. please see A/C News on page 2,

Copyright © 1996 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 for 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 ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months fOf delivery of VINTAGE AIRPlANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail. ADVERTISING - Antique/Classic Division does not guarantee Of endQfSe any product offered through the advertiSing, We inv~e constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferiOf merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken, EDITORIAL POUCY: Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors, Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely w~h the contributor, No renumeration is made. Material should be sent to: Ed~or, VINTAGE AIRPlANE, P,O. Box 3086. Oshkosh. WI 54903-3086, Phone 414/426-4800, The words EAA, ULTRALIGHT, FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM, SPORT AVIATION and the logos of EAA, EAA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, EAA ANTIQUE/ClASSIC DMSlON, INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB, WARBIRDS OF AMERICA are ® registered trademarks, THE EAA SKY SHOPPE and logos of the EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION and EAA ULTRAUGHT CONVENTION are trademarks of the above associations and their use by any person other than the above association is strictly prohib~ed,

Robert C, "Bob" Brauer

John Berendt 9345 S. Hoyne

7645 Echo Point Rd. Cannon Falls. MN 55009 Chicago. IL 60620

507/263-2414 312/779-2105

John S. Copeland Gene Chase 2159 Carlton Rd. 28-3 Williamsbur8 Ct. Shrewsbury. MA 1545 Oshkosh. WI 54904 414/231-5002 508/ 842-7867 Phil Coulson Stan Gomoll 28415 Springbrook Dr. 1042 90th Lane. NE Lawton. MI 49065 Minneapolis. MN 55434 616/ 624-6490 612/ 784-1172 Cho~es Harris Jeannie Hill P,O, Box 328 7215 East 46th St, Tulsa. OK 74145 Harvard. IL 60033 918/622-8400 815/943-7205 Robert D. "Bob" Lumley Dale A. Gustafson 7724 Shady Hill Dr. 1265 South 124thSt. Brookfield. Wi 53005 Indianapolis. IN 46278 317/ 293-4430 414/ 782-2633 Robert Uckteig Gene Morris 1708 Bay Oaks Dr, 11SC Steve Court. R,R, 2 Albert Lea. MN 56007 Roanoke. TX 76262 507/373-2922 817/491 -9110 Geoff Robison George York

1521 E. MacGregor Dr. 181 SiobodaAv.

New Haven . IN 46774 Mansfield. OH 44906

419/529-4378

219/493-4724 S.H. OWes" Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa. WI 53213 414/771-1545

DIRECTOR EMERITUS S.J. WlHman 1904- 1995

ADVISORS Joe Dickey 55 Oakey Av, Lawrenceburg. IN 47025 812/537-9354 Steve Krog 930 Tara HL E Hartford. WI 53027 414/966-7627

Roger Gomoll

3238 Vicario St, N

Sf Paul. MN 55126

612/484-2303

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

STRAIGHT & LEVEL

by Espie "Butch" Joyce

I'm writin g this article whil e a t the 1996 EAA Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-in in Lakeland, Florida. It is Friday, the next to the last day of the eve nt. From an attend ance standpoint, this fly-in has conti nued to grow. Jane Kimball is in cha rge of aircraft regis­ tration at the Antique/Classic Headquarters, hosted by A/C Chapter 1. She estimated that on the open­ ing day (Sunday) she had registered close to 370 air­ craft in the Antique/Classic area . We' ll be gettin g official numbers later in the month. There were a number of past Sun 'n Fun Grand Champion aircraft brought back to the fly-in . They were displayed along the main taxiway in A/C Row 1. It made for an impressive sight whe n the other ai rcraft taxied by or fl y-in attendees walked down the showplane line. After the first weekend passed by, there were a numbe r of very nice aircraft that showed up to be judged. The judging of aircraft was completed earlier th a n in years past - noon on Thursday, in time for th e awards to be presented that night. The Antique Grand Champion award went to Clay Smith of Ath e ns , Georgia to his PT-17 Stea r­ man . An interesting note also is that Clay Smith also won R ese rv e Grand C ha mpion with hi s L-6; how ' s th a t for a 1-2 punch! Th e Cla ss ic Grand C ha mpion went to Du a ne Huff of Lawre ncevi ll e , Georgia for his Aeronca llAC Chief. The Contem­ porary category had a n outstanding aircraft belong­ ing to Wayne Strader of Ardmore, Oklahoma a nice looking Cessna 180. One of the most outstanding aircraft on the field was a replica of the "Z" mode l Gee Bee th a t had just been completed by Kevi n Kimball and J eff Eicher. T he workmanship and a tte ntion to detai l was out of this world. This ai rcraft could not be yet be judged because it was so new. It has not been flown as of yet, so it was not eligible. I look forward

to seeing this airplane at Oshkosh with it's restric­ tion flown off. The flybys of the Golden Age of air racing air­ craft has become one of the most crowd pleasing events at Sun ' n Fun a nd Oshkosh. The crowd just stops in their tracks to watch the Mr. Mulligan , vari­ ous Gee Bees, etc. put on demonstration "races;" it gives you goose bumps to see these aircraft fly by looking just as they might have on a labor day week­ e nd back in the 1930's. On a sa d note , Charlie Hillard , lon g-tim e a ir show performer, lost his life in a landing accident in his newly rebuilt Sea Fury. His crowd pleasing per­ form ance and his friendship will be missed in the fu­ ture. Our condolences to his family and friends. Th e re were a numb e r of your Antique/Classic board membe rs and advisors in attendance at Sun ' n Fun; we were able to talk some about Division mat­ te rs. The next Antique/Class ic board meeting will be in Oshkosh May 10, 1996. We will be finalizing plans for the Oshkosh Convention at this meeting. We will also be discussing other items of business for the Division. Your Division has been granted by the IRS corporation status of 501(c)3 which will be of be nefit to the volunteers who help us each year. The officers and directors of your Antique/Classic Division will continue to improve o ur service to the membe rship in the future. Your monthly magazine, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, has continued to improve a nd we will be working to improve it eve n more. Should you have any noteworthy news, information , o r articles, pl ease se nd th e m to us so that we can sha re these items with the rest of the members. This is our 25th year of existence as an EAA divi­ sio n, so le t 's ma ke it a good one . Ask a fr iend to join us. Let 's all pull in the same direction for the good of aviatio n . R emember we are better to­ gether. Join us and have it all! VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1

A/CNEWS compiled by H.C. Frautschy ABOUT THAT REAR COVER ... Photographer Jim Oltersdorf, Salmon, ID specializes in dramatic aviation, ex­ treme and high-risk photography in the western U.S. This past fall/winter, he captured the this Travel Air 6000 over the Continental Divide near Salmon. This particular Travel Air was restored by Pete Covington and Morton Lester, af­ ter purchasing it from Ernie Webb, who had purchased it from Dolph Overton 's Wings and Wheels Museum collection in Santee, Sc. After flying for a while, Mor­ ton placed the Travel Air on loan to the Staggerwing Foundation, who displayed it in the Staggerwing Museum in Tulla­ homa, TN. This past fall, Morton sold the Travel Air to a partnership comprised of four people - Mike and Leslee Dorris, Salmon, 10; Jim Eldredge, McCall, 10 and Dick Waite, Twin Falls, 10. Only later , after acquiring the air­ plane, did the group learn that it had in fact been used in Idaho after being built in 1928. The Bradley Mining Co., who operated the Stibnite Mine near Yellow Pine , ID, used the airplane until 1943. Then, Johnson Flying Service in McCall, ID used the airplane until 1965, often be­ ing used to deliver smokejumpers to fire scenes in the northern Rocky mountains. Jim Oltersdorf took a series of pho­ tographs of the Travel Air 6000 from Mike Dorris' Cessna 206. If you're inter­ ested in Jim's services, he can be reached at 2081756-6705, or write him at Rt. 1, Box 197, Salmon, ID 83467. Our thanks to Jim and the folks at McCall Air Taxi Service, Inc . for making these pho­ tographs possible.

EAA STAFF CHANGES Dick Matt (EAA 18259) has retired from the position of Vice President, Mar­ keting and Communications. Dick headed EAA's Marketing and Communi­ cations department which includes the Editorial, Photo, Video , Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations functions for the past 14 years. During that time, the department has grown into what is generally acknowledged as among the finest within the aviation community. Our thanks to Dick for his guidance over the years and our best wishes to Dick and his wife, Yvonne. Sean Elliot, former Flight Training 2 MAY 1996

BOEING 100 INSTRUMENT PANEL Philip Kraus, the craftsman who heads up Vintage Aero , Rt. 22, West­ port, NY 12993 sent up this photo of an instrument panel he has filled out and finished for Roy Rehm's restoration of Kermit Weeks' Boeing 100, which was damaged in Hurricane Andrew. Given Ker­ mit's direction that the panel be reproduced to show its configuration when the air­ plane was delivered from the factory, the original Boeing data plate has been recre­ ated in bas-relief aluminum, and a number of components have been recreated to build an "as new" Pioneer instrument panel from 1929. Philip is working on an article about inclinometers for Vintage Airplane, which I'm sure will prove to be of great interest. Look for it later this year. Manager at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach , FL has joined EAA as the full time executive di­ rector of the National Association of Flight Instructors, an affiliate of EAA. He hold Commercial and Flight Instruc­ tor certificates and various ratings, and has logged more than 2,500 hours of flight instruction . An FAA Designated Pilot Examiner and A&P mechanic, Sean has a BS in Aeronautical Science from E-R and an Associate degree in Aircraft Mainte­ nance Technology. Like many of us, Sean started his aviation career in modeling, and is a past national C/L Stunt cham­ pion. Sean and his wife Cindy, along with their two sons will reside in the Oshkosh area.

AIC HALL OF FAME The Antique/Classic Division is solicit­ ing nominations for induction to the A/C Hall of Fame in 1997. If you wish to nom­ inate a deserving individual into this se­ lect group, please communicate your rec­ ommendations with the candidate's credentials and background to Nomina­ tions Chairman and A/C Board member Charles Harris, P.O. Box 470350, Tulsa, OK 74147-0350.

WW I EVENT The Great War Aeroplane Associa­ tion, 145. E 14th St., Indianapolis , IN 46202,317/636-4891 (ET, weekdays) has announced that the Air Force Museum in Dayton , OH is planning, with the cooper­ ation of the Air Force, to stage a two-day gala at the A.F. museum the weekend of July 20-21, the same dates as the Dayton Interna tional Airshow. Own ers of replica WW I aircraft all scales of R/C

mode l period aircraft or restored Great War aircraft, either static of flying , are encouraged to attend. Since the event will be held on U.S. Government prop­ erty, there are a number of forms to be filled out, and all the paperwork is to be in the Air Force 's hands at least 30 days prior to the event. If you plan on attend­ ing with you airplane, you must contact Fred Jungclaus at the above address to make the arrangements. It certainly sounds like fun!

STINSON BRUNCH During EAA OSHKOSH '96, the Stin­ son Club is going to try something differ­ ent this year - a brunch instead of a din­ ner. It will be held at Butch's Anchor Inn, 225 W. 20th St., Oshkosh, WI at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, August 2. Place your reservations (the cost is $9.96, including the tip) at the Type Club tent near An­ tique/Classic HQ. For more info, contact John W. Zewiske, 414/382-5299 (days) or 414/643-7445 (evenings).

VICTOR SPEZIA A long time vintage aircraft enthusi­ ast, recently passed away - Victor Spezia. Known to many in northern California as a cropduster, Victor also was a pilot who loved old airplanes. He saved a rare Dou­ glas Dolphin from the scrapyard when he bought it surplus after WW II. After re­ building it at the Palo Alto airport , he would take it out to the Sacramento river on weekends and hop rides with it. T his same Dolphin is now owned and flown by Dolph Overton, who had it briefly at Sun ' n Fun '95. A pilot of n early 50 years, Victor will be missed by his many friends. Our thanks to his friend Ken Krohncke for sending us a note about Mr. Spezia ....

SUN 'N FUN '96 ANTI UE/ClASSIC AWARDS

ANTIQUE AWARDS

OUTSTANDING AIRCRAFT

(1945 and Earlier)

Beech D-17S Staggerwing N4HX Layton Humphrey Dallas, TX

GRAND CHAMPION Stearman PT-17 N6975S E. Clay Smith Athens, GA

RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION Interstate L-6 N47093 E. Clay Smith Athens, GA

SILVER AGE 1933-1945 Travel Air 4000 NC9917 . Bill Plecenik Erwinna, PA

BEST WW II ERA

CONTEMPORARY AGE Piper J-3 N38755 AI Smith Valdosta, GA

BEST BI-PLANE Beech G-17S Staggerwing N8589A Fred Kirk Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Swift N78168 Joe Ranson Athens, TN

TRANSPORT Douglas DC-3 N44V USAir - Winston Salem, NC

CLASSIC AWARDS (7946 to 7955) GRAND CHAMPION ClASSIC Aeronca 11 AC Chief NC3420E Duane Huff Lawrenceville, GA

RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION - ClASSIC - Not awarded 足

Stearman PT-17 N1270V Jim Ratliff Conyers, GA

OUTSTANDING ClASSICS

GRAND CHAMPION 足 CUSTOM ClASSIC Aeronca llAC Chief NC 333MR Pete and Mark Rowe Midlothian, TX

BEST RESTORED

Cessna 120 N76458 Leon Seale Lakeland, FL Luscombe 8E N2423K Hal Darley Griffin, GA Aeronca 7AC N83512 David W. Folks Chickamauga, GA Piper J-3 N737N Mike and Ruth Rigby Cape Coral, FL Mooney M-18C N4122 Ted L. Teach Dayton,OH

CONTEMPORARY AWARDS (1956 to 7960)

Below 100 HP Aeronca 7AC Champ NC2335M Ted Roman Roswell, GA

BEST CUSTOM Beech Bonanza N5337E Don Gaynor Englewood, FL

101-165 HP

BEST MONOPLANE Culver Cadet N37838 Joe Deruytter Lake Placid, FL

Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser N9969A Cody Owen Anderson, SC

BEST TWIN Piper Apache - N4373P Charles Gunderson Austin, TX

Over 165 HP

BEST OPEN COCKPIT Stearman PT- 17 N75761 Fred and Kitsy Vyfvinkel New Smyrna Beach, FL

BEST CABIN Fairchild 24 N1595 W .B. Albert Ocala, FL

Cessna 195 N2JP John Preiss College Station, TX

BEST CUSTOM ClASSIC Below 100 HP Aeronca 7DC Champ N1797E David W. Bruce Dunwoody, GA

OUTSTANDING AIRCRAFT

101-165 HP

Stearman 4D NC774H Ron and Carol Rex Ocala, FL

Stinson 108-3 N400C Tom and Lorraine Zedaker Las Vegas, NV

OUTSTANDING AIRCRAFT

Over 165 HP

Stearman PT-17 N65648 Martin T. Lange Elkridge, MD

Navion N418K Craig Levedon New Carlisle, OH

MOST ORIGINAL Bellanca 14-19-2 N7653G Lane Bush Bainbridge, GA

OUTSTANDING CONTEMPORARY AIRCRAFT Cessna 180 N9776B Wayne Strader Ardmore, OK Piper PA-22 Tri-Pacer N4307A Gerald Davidson/Ray Allison Woodbridge, VA Champion 7FC Tri-Champ N7534B Steven Button Indianapolis, IN VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

fAA Antique/Classic Division

25th Anniversary PART II by Gene Chase Since many of our current members may not be aware of the extraordinary efforts that went into the formation of

the largest of fAA's Divisions, we're pleased to present a 25th Anniversary reprint of the history of the

fAA Antique/Classic Division as first published in the July 1985 edition of the magazine. for the next several

months leading up to the fAA Convention, we'll print a section of this history, and then in the August 1996 issue

we will conclude the series with a retrospective covering the last 10 years. - H.C. frautsch y

meeting would be held during Oshkosh '72 to elect officers and directors for the 1972­ 73 pe riod and conduct other Division busi­ ness. That meeting did not take place, but one was scheduled for later in the year.

OSHKOSH '72 The old cliche " Bigger an d better tha n ever, " described t he 20t h An nu a l EAA Fly-In Convention on July 30-A ugust 5 in spite of some of the worst summer weather experienced in the Midwest in ma ny years. The weather at Oshkosh was good with only one overnight rain, but the surround ­ ing areas were hard hit. Sti ll , the tota l show plane count was up to 929. The Grand Cha mpion A ntiq ue was a 1929 Waco ATO Taperwing , NC719E owne d by Gordon Bourland , Jr. of Fort Worth, Texas. The Reserve Grand Champion Antique was a Howard DGA-15P, NC95462 owned by John R. Turgyan, Wrightstown, NJ. The Gra nd Champion Classic was a newly restored 1945 Piper J-3 Cub owned by David G. Hamilton of Portland, IN. Th e re was no Reserve G rand C ha m­ pion Classic named in 1972. Oshkosh ' 72 was a livi ng history book for air transport fans . Flying in were a Ford Tri-Motor , Boei ng 247 , two Lock­ heed 12As, J unkers Ju. 52, a pre-WW II Beech 18, a Stinson Tri-Motor, two Dou­ glas DC-3s and a privately owned Martin 404. Bill Turne r fl ew his Ed Marquart-built replica 1934 Brown B-2, " Miss Los Ange­ les" race r all the way from California. The sight of this faithful reproduction thrilled a lot of viewers who had never seen that class of plane in real life. Unfortunately it would be next year before the Antique/ Classic judging system began recognizing replicas of vintage aircraft , so the Brown B-2 received no award. Howeve r, Bill and his plane were featured on the front cover of the November 1972 issue of Sport Avia­ tion. The Chai rman of th e Antique/Classic Division Activities at Oshkosh ' 72 was President of the Division , David Jameson 4 MAY 1996

ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING ­ NOVEMBER 18, 1972

E.E. "Buck" Hilbert, Union IL, served as Antique/Classic Division President from November, 1972 through December 1975.

of Oshkos h , WI. V ice -Pres id ent J. R . Nie lander of Fort Lauderd a le, FL was Chairman of Classic Aircraft activities. The Antique judging team consisted of Chairman, Evander Britt, Lumberton, NC; C. W. " Pete" Covington, Martinsville , V A; Gene Chase, Tulsa, OK; "Dusty" Rhodes, Denver, CO; and Ed Sanders, Ft. Worth, TX. The Judging Committee for Classics in­ cluded Co-chairmen Jim Gorman , Mans­ field , OH and Morton Lester, Martinsville, V A . They we re assisted by Warren Hall , Burlington, NC; John Engles, Liberty, NC; and Bill Sauter, Santa Fe, NM. Chairman of the Antique and Classic Awa rds Committee was Evander Britt , Lumberton, NC and the Chairman of the Parking Committee was Ed Wegner, Ply­ mouth, WI. It had been announced earlier that a

T his meeting was held at EAA H ead­ qu arters wit h P aul Poberezny mak ing the opening address. He described the goals of t he Di vis io n wit hin EAA an d explained t he reasons D ave Jameson wou ld not be runnin g fo r re-electio n as President. Mr. Jameso n spoke briefly, thanking the mem­ bers for their past cooperation and giving words of encouragement on supporting the new president. A discussion was held regardi ng the for­ mation of chapters a nd the organizational be nefits wh ich would ens ue. J ack Cox ex­ plained that a chapter numbering system wo ul d be desirable as it wo ul d provide EAA Headqu arters staff a simple and ef­ fective means of identification. Jack also expressed strong feelings that in the near fu ture an individual publication directed specifically to the Antique a nd Classic member would be a most effective means of communication. Type clubs could use the pages of this publication to get out their information and it could serve as an informational source on special problems associated primarily with the Antique/ Classic Division . The additional expense for such a publi­ cation was discuss ed and Morton Lester made a motion providin g for an annual dues of $10 for membership in th e Divi­ sion. The motion was seconded and a vote on the issue carried unanimously. (The an­ nual du e s for EAA were $15.00 at that time.) It was also agreed to have decals made, reproducing the Antique/Classic Division

emblem which was designed by Jack Cox. Dick Wagner offered to prepare the decals and have them available in the near future. After a lunch break, the election of Of­ ficers an d Board of Directors was held. As chairmen of the elect ion committee, Evand er Britt co nducted thi s portion of the meeting. Elected for the 1972-73 term were: President - E. E. "Buck" Hilbert, Union, IL Vice-President - J. R. Nielander, Fort Lauderdale, FL Secretary - Dick Wagner, Lyons, WI Treasurer - Nick Rezich, Rockford, IL It was decided the present Directors be retained and the members in attendance at the meeting be added to the existing Board. (The names of the Directors were not listed in the minutes of this meeting.)

THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE The first issue of THE VINTAGE A IRPLANE , Volume 1, Number 1, was dated December 1972 and edited by Jack Cox, Editor-in-Chief of EAA 's SPORT AVIATION. It was 12 pages in length and printed on EAA's in-house offset press. Featured on the front cover wa s a 1962 photo of the completely assembled frame­ work, ready fo r cover, of Herb Harkcom's 1927 Fairchild FC-2 NC3569, SIN 35. Herb lived in Inola, OK at the time and after fly­ ing it for six years, donated it to the EAA Aviation Museum in 1969. (Ed . Note: This same Fairchild is currently on display in the EAA Air Adventure Museum in Oshkosh. ­ HGF.) This premier issue contained an editor­ ial by Paul Poberezny, who expressed his pleasure with the sincerity shown by those who attended the November 18th business meeting. He also re-stated the purpose of

the Antique/Classic Division , which was then one year old. Buck Hilbert, in his first editorial, wel­ comed members to the Division and ex­ plained what the $10.00 membership fee would provide. He also outlined the future plans for the organization. Other articles included the minutes of th e Novem ber 18th business mee ting, a " Washington Report " by Dave Scott, and "Ryan Reflections" by Bill J. Hodges. Last but not least, Jack Cox wrote, "This is the first issue of THE VINTAGE AIR­ PLANE, a name chosen to cover all older planes and it is just the beginning .. . This house organ of the Antique/Classic Divi­ sion of EAA will , lik e SPO RT A VIA­ TION, will become a high quality publica­ tion ... Our goal, quite simply, is to produce th e very bes t magazine for antique and classic airplanes. "

Th e second issue of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE was dated January 1973 and was 16 pages in length . Golda Cox (Mrs. J ac k Cox) was li sted on the magazine's masthead as Assistant Editor and Bonnie Poberezny was listed as Division Execu­ tive Secretary. VINTAGE was (and still is) printed by Times Printing Company in Random Lake, WI as is SPORT AVIATION. The maga­ (Above) Left to Right: Dusty Rhodes, Evan­ der Britt and Ray Brandly award the Oshkosh '72 Grand Champion Antique Tro­ phy to Gordon Bourland for his Waco ATO Taperwing, NC7195. (Below) There's nothing more classic than a classic J -3! This pretty little bird won Grand Champion Classic honors at Oshkosh '72 for owner David G. Hamilton of Portland, IN.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

"This is the first issue of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE, a name chosen to cover all older planes and it is just the beginning ... Our goal, quite simply, is to produce the very best magazine for antique and classic airplanes." zine was printed on "slick" paper with no color and it contained photos and selected type styles. In his early editorials, President Buck Hilbert described the Division membership numbering system, the forthcoming indi­ vidual stationary and illustrated brochures, and he praised EAA Headquarters for its strong support of not only the Antique/Classic Division, but the Warbirds and International Aerobatic Club as well. He described the upcoming 1973 Con­ vention at Oshkosh as "the first full blown adventure for the Antique/Classic Divi­ sion ." EAA would provide the parking area, fencing and a tent, but no more. The Division would have to provide its own manpower for parking, registration, secu­ rity, membership promotion , activities, programs, judging, and a myriad of other details. Buck asked for "eight or ten volun­ teers to show up four or five days in ad­ vance of the Convention to act as nail ben­ ders, electricians jack of all trades and organizers." This was the beginning of a fledgling group of volunteers that would grow into the huge force of dedicated and well-organized volunteers which exists to­ day. On the weekend of January 19-21 , 1973 EAA President Paul Poberezny and offi­ cers of the Antique/Classic Division at­ tended the organizational meeting of a new Florida group which was to become the first chapter of the Division. The combina­ tion meeting and fly-in was hosted by Oshkosh ' 73 Grand Champion Classic Ae ronca 7ACI7CCM , CF-JUU , owned by Doug Moo re of Or angeville , Ontario , Canada.

6 MAY 1996

Florida President James McClanahan and his group of enthusiastic members. In ad­ dition to Paul, also attending were EAA Museum Vice President Dave Jameson of Oshkosh , WI; Antique/Classic Division President Buck Hilbert of Union, IL; Vice­ President J. R. Nielander, Jr. of Ft. Laud­ erdale, FL; and Secretary Dick Wagner of Lyons, WI. In March , 1973 Gene and Dorothy Chase moved from Tulsa , OK to Hales Corners to join the EAA staff. That month's issue of THE VINTAGE AIR­ PLANE listed the editorial staff as follows : Publisher - Paul H. Poberezny, Editor ­ Jack Cox, Assistant Editors Gene Chase and Golda Cox . Dorothy Chase replaced Bonnie as Division Executive Secretary. Although not listed in the first three issues, Paul was , in fact , the Publisher and has served in that capacity to this day (1985).

PREPARI NG FOR OSHKOSH '73 After only three years of use , the Oshkosh Fly-In site had nearly reached its limit. Auto parking had been a particular problem. At its April, 1973 meeting the EAA Board of Directors authorized Paul Poberezny to purchase the 56 acre tract of land just south of the control tower. The acquisition of this parcel, used in 1972 for EAA auto parking and antique aircraft parking, would insure future growth in an orderly fashion. This parcel of privately owned land had been leased by EAA for fly-in weeks on a year-to-year basis and had it been sold to outside interests not willing to make the land available for fly-in use, the Oshkosh site would have been severely limited. In

1973 EAA also leased the land across the street to the west for use as non-EAA parking, and the wooded area (Ollie's Woods) to the south of the antique air­ plane parking area to be made into a park complete with picnic tables and outdoor grills. Just two months before the Convention the rainy weather was causing many set­ backs at the Oshkosh site and almost no volunteer help had made the scene. Buck Hilbert was telling Antique and Classic members to be sure and bring tie-downs. Classic pilots were reminded again to pre­ register their aircraft. The July 1973 issue ofTHE VINTAGE AIRPLANE sported some color for the first time. The front and back covers had blue borders and selected areas on the in­ side pages were also dressed in blue. The magazine had grown to 20 pages with this issue. In President Buck's July editorial he de­ scribed the storm that hit the Burlington , WI Airport during an EAA Fly-In, damag­ ing twelve airplanes , including Dale Glenn's 1930 Ford Tri-Motor, NC8407 on June 16, 1973. Through the generosity of some EAA members the damaged Ford was acquired from the insurance company for the EAA Aviation Museum. A "Save the Ford" fund drive would be started soon and Buck urged Antique/Classic members to contribute money, parts, or whatever was needed to get the big bird back into the air.

(Ed. Note - You can now see this same re­ stored Ford 4-AT on display at EAA's Pioneer Airport, and buy a ticket for a ride on the old airliner on weekends during the summer fly­ ing season . - HGF).

OSHKOSH ' 73 " Greater than ever!" exclaimed Divi­ sion President Buck Hilbert in describing the 21st Annual EAA Fly-In Convention. 168 antique and 422 Classic aircraft winged their way to Oshkosh to participate. Total show planes numbered 1,120 and as re­ ported by FAA Controllers at Wittman Field for the week of July 29 through Au­ gust 4,1973 , 58 ,440 aircraft movements were reported. This compared with 43,869 movements in the previous year. Overall Chairman of Antique/Classic Activities was Buck Hilbert. In charge of aircraft parking were: Antiques - Gar Williams and Jim Brewer; Classics - Ed Wegner. Awards Chairmen were : An­ tiques - Evander Britt; Classics - J . R. Nielander and George York. Antique Aircraft Judges were: Evander Britt - Chairman, Doug Rounds , Ed Sanders, Kelly Viets, Pete Covington , and Dusty Rhodes. Classic Aircraft Judges were: Co-Chair­ men Jim Gorman and Morton Lester, as­ sisting were George York , Buck Hilbert, John Engles, John Shearer, John Parish,

and Dub Yarbrough. The premier awards as determined by the judges were: ANTIQUE Grand Champion - 1929 Alexander Ea­ glerock A-2, NC6601, owned by Reagan Ormand and Jack Brouse, Arlington, TX. Reserve Grand Champion - Stinson SR­ 10, NC21135, George Stubbs, Indianapolis, IN. CLASSIC: Grand Champion -1946 Aeronca 7 A C converted to a 7CCM, CF-JUU owned by Doug and Lois Moore of Orangeville, On­ tario, Canada. Reserve Grand Champion - None awarded. REPLICA: Champion - Great Lakes, N6669, Bill Duncan, Spokane, W A. Considering that 1973 was just the sec­ ond year the Antique/Classic Division managed the full spectrum of its activities at Oshkosh from aircraft parking, to judg­ ing, awards, forums, security, etc., etc. , Di­ vision President Hilbert was pleased that things went well. He observed that every­ one seemed to have a good time, but in planning for Oshkosh '74 they had their work cut out for them. Buck specifically noted the Classics award categories must be expanded as there were many deserving planes in atten­ dance and the number of awards too lim­ ited . The forums were well accepted and attendance was excellent, but there was need for expansion. He called upon the

Type Clubs for assistance in this area. EAA President Paul Poberezny ex­ pressed his pleasure with the many chair­ men, co-chairmen and volunteers whose ef­ forts were responsible for Oshkosh '73 running so smoothly. He especially noted the "47 biplanes approaching from the southeast, and some fifty Cessna 170s given clearance to land ," all carried out with safety, courtesy and cooperation. Renowned news commentator Paul Harvey was in attendance and addressed Convention goers during one evening pro­ gram. Earlier that day he enjoyed taking a close look at the Grand Champion Alexan­ der Eaglerock. Also at Oshkosh '73 was actor Cliff Robertson, whose real love is airplanes . He graciously signed autographs as he in­ conspicuously attempted to be one of the guys. Immediately after the Convention , Buck Hilbert approached Paul Poberezny regarding the possible utilization of an ex­ isting farm building on the Antique/Classic site as a Division Headquarters. Paul gave him the green light and plans to accomplish this would be finalized later. In October, 1973, Paul Poberezny rep­ resented EAA at a meeting in Washington, DC of the Consultative Planning Confer­ ence Energy Outlook for Aviation. The subject discussed was the the fuel crisis and its effect on general aviation. In addition to fuel quantity shortages, some refiners announced plans to discontinue the pro­ duction of 80 octane avgas. EAA agreed

with the FAA that auto gas should not be used in the absence of avgas.

1974 - A BLEAK OUTLOOK? The picture in 1974 was not rosy for sport aviation enthusiasts. July 1 was the deadline for the installation of Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs) in ALL air­ craft. New aircraft, including homebuilts, had been required to carry ELT's since January 1,1972. (Later, some exemptions were allowed, but not for most antique and classic aircraft.) It was feared the fuel crisis would ad­ versely affect attendance at fly-ins, includ­ ing Oshkosh '74. Because many FBOs and gas stations throughout the country would not be open on Sundays, the EAA Board of Directors changed the dates from the previously announced Sunday through Sat­ urday to Wednesday, July 31 through Tues­ day, August 6. Although the FAA Ad­ ministrator later rescinded his request that FBO's suspend Sunday sales, the revised dates for the 1974 EAA Convention would remain the same. Auto gas would still be unavailable on Sundays. In January 1974 Nick Rezich resigned as Treasurer of the Antique/Classic Division and the Board of Directors selected Gar Williams of Naperville, IL to replace him. Nick was praised for his tireless efforts on behalf of the Division and he would con­ tinue to write for THE VINTAGE AIR­ PLANE. His "Reminiscing with Big Nick" articles were all-time favorites. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

"The Red Barn was barely completed in time and as soon as the last of the shavings was swept away, the gals took over. Edna Viets, Dorothy Hilbert, Nancy Hall, Pauline and Liz Winthrop and others really pitched in." THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE grew to 24 pages with the June, 1974 issue. Previ­ ous issues had been 20 pages in length . Buck proudly noted the improvement in content and quality and credited it to the contributors beginning to make their mark." He stated the magazine was doing its job in pulling all Antique/Classic mem­ bers closer together.

THE RED BARN On Saturday, March 16, 1974 the Offi­ cers and Directors of the Antique/Classic Division met at EAA Headquarters in Hales Corners, WI. President Buck Hilbert welcomed Vice­ President 1. R. Nielander, Secretary, Dick Wagner; Treasurer, Gar Williams; and Di­ rectors Claude Gray, Jim Horne, Morton Lester, George Stubbs, Kelly Viets, and Jack Winthrop. Directors AI Kelch and Aviation Greats at Oshkosh '75. Front row, left to right: Jack Rose, Karl White, Ole Fahlin, Bob Granville, Clayton Bruckner, Matty Laird, Russ Brinkley, C.G. Taylor, Fred Weick, Bill Ong, Grace Harris, Bernie Pietenpol. Back row, left to right: Roger Don Rae , Fish Salmon, Eldon Cessna, Howard Morey, Tony LeVier, Steve Wittman, Martin Jensen, Ed Granville, T. Claude Ryan, Jim Church and Vernon Payne. Missing when this photo was taken were Art Davis, Woody Edmondson, Eddie Fisher, Ray Hegy, Mike Murphy, Harold Neumann, Bill Sweet, Blanche Noyes, Tom Towie, Sinnie Sinclair, Len Povey, Edna Gardner Whyte and Elrey Jeppesen.

8 MAY 1996

Evander Britt were unable to attend. Among the items of business was a dis­ cussion on converting the aforementioned farm building on the Antique/Classic por­ tion of the Oshkosh Fly-In site into a pleas­ ant, rustic-style permanent headquarters for the Division. E dn a Viets volunteered to head up the staff for this headquarters building, later affectionately known as the "Red Barn." Prior to Oshkosh '74 the An­ tique/Classic Headquarters during the Convention was a tent. In the spring Buck started work on the remodeling, delayed somew hat by th e need to recover from knee surgery and by wet, cold weather. Work progressed steadi ly but it soon became obvious that completion of the work b y Fly-In time would require a H erculean effort. When school was out he pressed his family into service and th en recruited the early Fly-In arrivals. The last of the interior paneling was nailed into place just before the first day of Oshkosh '74. We don't have th e names of all those who helped, but mem­ bers owe each of them a debt of gratitude.

OSHKOSH '74 Two of the most visible improvements in the Antique/Classic area at Oshkosh '74 were the new Headquarters Building (Red Barn) and the moving of the Classic park­ ing area to the area south of Ollie's Woods (where Show Plane Camping is now). The Antiques continued to park in the expanse between the FAA Control Tower and Ol­ lie's Woods.

The Red Barn was barely completed in time and as soon as the last of the shavings was swept away, the gals took over. Edna Viets, Dorothy Hilbert, Nancy Hall, Pauline and Liz Winthrop and others really pitched in. They signed up new members, took renewa ls, sold back issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE (a hot item, inci­ dentally) so ld decals and patches and served as an information booth until their voices cracked. Vice-President J. R. Nielander had a full slate of speakers for the forums cover­ ing many of the older aircraft types. Gen­ eral Chairman for Antique/Classic Activi­ ties was Buck Hilbert. Gar Williams was in charge of Antique and Classic aircraft parking. Evander Britt hand led the An­ tique awards and J . R . Nielander took charge of the classic awards. Among the highlights on the flight line was the national debut of Dale Crites' just completed 1911 Curtiss Pusher restoration with an OX-5 engine. Many Antique/Clas­ sic members were thrilled to meet one of the all-time aviation greats, Mr. T. Claude Ryan, who was being escorted at the Con­ vention by Dave Jameson, the Division's first President. Also, George Williams of the Rearwi n Type Club had Ken Rearwin as his special guest. Another famous per­ sonage appearing in the forums area was Fred Weick, designer of the Ercoupe, and credited with enough other contributions to aviation to more than fill the pages of th is magazi ne. The worry about low attendance was un fo unded as never in the 22-year history of EAA had there been such a jump for­ ward in the size of its Fly-In Convention from one year to the next. The number of show planes increased a fu ll 20 percent over the previous year, to 1,345. This included 173 Antiques and 512

Classics. Part of the increase in the num­ ber of Classic planes was attributed to the change in the description of the category to include those aircraft manufactured through 1955 rather than 1950. The top aircraft awards were: ANTIQUE: Grand Ch a mpion - F a irchild 24R , NC77661 , Tom Leonhardt, Dick Buck and Jud Gudehous of Rockingham, CT. Reserve Grand Champion - Rearwin Sportster, NC20723, Alfred Nagle and Ken Gatzke, Montello, WI. CLASSIC: Grand Champion - Swift GC-1B , N2459B, Edmund Gorny, Livermore, CA. Reserve Grand Champion - Piper J-3 Cub, NC42621 , David Hamilton , Ander­ son, IN. REPLICA: Champion - 1911 Curtiss Pusher , N1911D Dale Crites, Waukesha, WI. As the Annual EAA Convention grew in size, so did the number of volunteers needed . The efforts of these dedicated members are typified by Antique/Classic member Ernie Moser, manager and FBO of the St. Augustine, FL Airport who came early and stayed late, spending an incredi­ ble 130 hours on a tractor helping to keep the grass mowed on the huge Fly-In site. It's members like Ernie who make the EAA movement work.

1975 - ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION'S 5TH YEAR Early in the year EAA President Paul Poberezny asked all EAA members to write to their elected officials in Washing­ ton to express concern over the exorbitant federal use taxes. The government planned to raise some $78 to $88 million to "par­ tially recover the costs of airway services which are used by general aviation, and the certifying and licensing of airmen, aircraft and aircraft equipment." It was felt by many that these changes would have a dev­ astating effect on the future of sport/gen­ eral aviation. In April Buck announced that members would not be able to camp with their an­ tique and classic aircraft at Oshkosh as in the past. This was due to complaints from other members of the clutter, open fires, cooking and general disarray in an area in­ tended for aircraft display. The opening of the new campground across the road to the west would "make this new requirement a little easier to take and the facilities would be much more convenient." Pre-registration for classics at Oshkosh would be required once again and because of the limited parking area at the Fly-In site, members were asked to register "dis­ play quality classics only." Other classics would park in the transient aircraft parking area. Buck Hilbert described a "display quality" aircraft as "one that the owner takes considerable pride in and wants oth­

ers to see and enjoy as much as he does . He is proud of it, he takes very good care of it, and it looks it." In April, Antique/Classic President Buck Hilbert and lAC Division President Verne Jobst attended meetings in Wash­ ington , DC with FAA top echelon. The meetings were arranged by Charlie Schuck, FAA Coordinator, for the purpose of get­ ting acquainted. Among those they met were the Acting Administrator, Jimmie Dow, the new Assistant Administrator for General Aviation, Allan Landolt, the FAA Medical Chief, the Chief of Flight Stan­ dards and the Editor of the FAA Aviation News. Buck and Verne left the meeting with a real sense of direction and were pleased to learn the men they met were also interested in sport aviation. At the April 12, 1975 Board meeting, the Directors voted unanimously to accept the Judging Rules drawn up by the Judging Standards Committee, composed of Gar Williams, Dick Wagner and Al Kelch. The intention was that the rules would be used at fly-ins throughout the country. In May, 1975, it was announced that in cooperation with EAA, the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum and famed designer E . M. "Matty" Laird, the Florida Sport Aviation Antique and Clas­ sic Association would restore the 1931 Laird Super Solution racer. Spearheaded by FSMCA President, Ed Escallon, the plane would be restored to flying condition then put on display in the EAA Air Mu­ seum. (Ed. Note: It remains on display in the

Air Racing Gallery of the EAA Air Adventure Museum. -HGF)

OSHKOSH '75 There were many highlights of the 23rd Annual EAA Convention, July 29 through August 4, 1975, but none greater than the "Greats of Aviation Day." This group of 36 men and women were the guests of EAA and were recognized for their signifi­ cant contributions to the development of aviation prior to WW II. They were given tours of the entire Fly­ In, presented to the members in several stage appearances and generally given the celebrity treatment they so richly deserved. Oshkosh '75 broke every record but two. Those were showplanes down to 1338 compared with last year's 1345 and total aircraft movements down 67,314 as com­ pared to 701128 in 1974. Ironically, however, these two bell­ wethers of EAA Fly-In success were down slightly because the overall operation was so huge . Due to a portion of last year's Classic parking area being taken to estab­ lish a showplane campsite, Classic pre-reg­ istrations had to be restricted to pre-1951 aircraft about half way through the process, so great were the numbers of owners of these popular post-war aircraft wanting a show line spot.

The more recent Classics were on the airport, parked in the itinerant area. And because the fly-by pattern in recent years had become very close to the saturation point, a schedule of fly-by times, based on aircraft speeds was imposed. This resulted in a much safer operation, but naturally cut down on total aircraft movements. The top awards were: ANTIQUE: Grand Champion - 1928 American Ea­ gle, NC731O, Ed Wegner, Plymouth, WI. Reserve Grand Champion - Rearwin Sportster, NC20723, Alfred Nagel and Ken Gatzke, Montello, WI. CLASSIC: Grand Champion - Stinson 108-2, N971J, Jim Mankins, Corona, CA. Reserve Grand Champion - Swift GC1 B, N2459B , Edmond Gorney, Livermore, CA. REPLICA: Best WW I - SE-5A, N9841, A. Mangos, Williamsport, P A. Antique/Classic Chairman at the Con­ vention was Buck Hilbert, and Cochairman was J. R. Nielander. Chairman of An­ tique/Classic parking was Kelly Viets, with Jack Winthrop and Gar Williams as Co­ chairmen. A wards chairmen were Antique - Evander Britt and Classic - Morton Lester. The Antique Judging Committee was Evander Britt - Chairman; Dusty Rhodes, Paul Hopkins, Al Kelch, Doug Rounds, Pete Covington, Dale Gustafson and Claude Gray. Morton Lester and Jim Gorman were Co-chairmen of the Classic Judging Com­ mittee, assisted by Brad Thomas, Roger Jennings, Dale Wolford, Duffy Thompson, John Engles, John Womack, Swanson Poer, George York, John Parish, Maurice Clavel, John Turgyan and Dub Yarbrough. During the Board of Directors Meeting at the Convention on August 4, 1975 the election resu l ts were announced. Re­ elected were incumbents: J. R. Nielander, Vice-President; Gar Williams, Treasurer; and Directors Jim Horne, Morton Lester, Claude Gray and George Stubbs. Personal notes of thanks were extended by President Buck Hilbert to the Judging Committee for their development of the new Judging Standards; J R. Nielander for his extensive and far reaching efforts to make the Convention a success; and also to the volunteer workers for their participa­ tion and help in making the Antique/Clas­ sic part of the 1975 Convention the success it was. A special thanks was given to the Parking Committee Chairman Kelly Viets and to Jack Winthop. On October 11,1 975 Paul Poberezny was presented with the Lawrence P. Sharples Award by the Aircraft Owners and Pilot's Association. This annual award is intended to "recognize and in­ spire unselfish contributions to general aviation." .. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

ITW DeVilbiss Refinishing Products supplied us with this article describing their new spraying system using the DeVilbiss OMX gun. With the advent of a variety of "new" paint application technologies, tak­ ing a closer look may help members who are in the market for a spray system make their decision.

The DeVilbiss

OMX Spray Gun

by George Braatz VP of Public Relations, Hart Associates The complete restoration of a 1957 Piper Tri-Pacer (PA-22-150), using a newly designed paint spray gun, resulted in a savings in time and money - and an award-winning appearance. The Tri-Pacer, owned by Wally Ro­ jem (EAA 321065) of Lambertville, MI, and restored by Ken Schneider (EAA 155489) of Toledo, OH captured the Contemporary class "Outstanding in Type" award for the PA-22 category at EAA OSHKOSH '95. Prior to the restoration , the 38 year old plane was described as "deplorable" by Schneider. But after more than 1,000 hours of work over a 5 month period, the vintage aircraft was touted as " better than new. " Also assisting in the project was Mark Charpie (EAA 482289), fleet market manager for ITW DeVilbiss Refinishing Products, who provided a newly designed DeVilbiss OMX spray gun for the pro­ ject. The e ffort was partly a labor of love and partly an artistic restoration chal­ lenge. Rojem is employed as an electri­ cian for Toledo Edison, and Schneider is a pilot for Northwest Airlines. The work began on November 1, 1994 with the aircraft being totally disassem­ bled, " including every last screw and bolt," Schneider said. When everything was removed from the tubular skeleton of the fuselage , it was evident just how much rust and corrosion were present. "Old planes , such as this Tri-Pacer, seldom received adequate protection for long-lastin g service ," Schneider ex­ plained. The next step was to sandblast the Piper skeleton, which allowed the restor­ ers to see exactly where rust existed . 10 MAY 1996

Significant corrosion was found, result­ ing in the replacement of about 30 feet of metal tubing in the frame. The old , rusted sections were cut out and the new ones welded into place. Most of the replacement was required on the lower sections of the longerons, because moisture naturally gravitates to the bottom and produces the most rust there. Schneider and Rojem built a tempo­ rary spray paint booth with 2x4s and plastic, including a ventilation fan. The entire aircraft frame was painted with Dupont Color Epoxy Primer. Then two medium coats of Dupont Imron ® paint were applied . The color black was selected primarily because it is one of the least expensive colors and the color was immaterial because it would be com­ pletely covered later. It was during these early operations that Schneider realized some of the ad­ vantages of the DeVilbiss OMX gravity­ feed spray gun. The OMX can paint upside down , without losing fluid flow or leaking through vents, which would occur with traditional paint guns. This meant that all portions of the tubular frame could be painted at one time, Schneider said. With normal guns, the entire fuselage would have to be rotated severa l times so all surfaces could be covered. Time for drying is required between each movement of the frame. "I never moved the frame during the painting of the Tri-Pacer," he added. DeVilbiss' Charpie explained that the new OMX gun can spray in any attitude, including upside down, because of a sealed, disposable liner system. It has no vents to leak and the gun can be cleaned

with on ly one to two ounces of cleaning solvent. After the pre-sewn fabric envelopes were positioned on the various parts of the plane's ske leton, glued and shrunk into place, reinforcing tapes were ap­ plied, the fabric was stitched to the ribs and the stitches were covered with sur­ face tape. A total of 11 different coats of filler dop e were applied to the fabric covering, often with sanding performed between each coat. The multiple coats of dope saturate the fabric, providing a protective surface, while not being too heavy to totally cover the weave in the fabric and give it too slick an appearance . " This was built to be a usable air­ plane- not just a show piece," Schneider said. " If the fabric's paint coating is too thick, cracks may develop during normal flying. By making sure some of the weave is still observable, we are more confident the fabric will maintain the needed elasticity, without cracks showing up in the paint. " These coverings of dope also form the foundation that will bond to the final paint application. Sanding between each coat helps to reinforce the bonding capa­ bility for the next coat, but also to smooth the edges where reinforcing and cornering tapes were placed. New cables, floorboards and elec­ tronic equipment were also installed into the restored aircraft. Two finishing coats of white paint were sprayed onto the Piper's surface. Then, using Dupont fine-line finishing tape, the updated paint scheme of a blue and red design were added, Schneider said. "There was a tremendous savings in quantity of paint used with the new DeV­

ilbiss OMX gun," he said. " It only took three-fou rths of a gallon of paint to cover the whole fuselage, where it would no r­ mally require two gallons. I only needed two quarts to complete the frame, in­ stead of one and a half gallons. "When yo u are talking about more than $100 per gallon for some of the paint, the dollar savings are substantial," the restorer said. "You can almost pay for the cost of the paint spray gun with the savings from painting one airplane." Charpie explained that the paint sav­ ings are due to the low air velocity exit­ ing the air cap and the patented DeVi l­ biss adjustable control valve that allows the painter to dial in the correct amou nt of material required for the pat­ tern size selected. A special "low flow" air cap is also provided to permit the OMX to operate on only a 2 hp air compressor, more readily found in the shop of an EAA Antique/Classic member. The finished product was partic­ ularly satisfying to owner Rojem and restorer Schneider, but even more inspiring when it caught the eye of EAA judges at Oshkosh. The completely restored 1957 Tri-Pacer, with its sporty red, white and blue design, will again make a visit to Oshkosh in 1996. For more information on the DeVil­ biss OMX system, call Mark Charpie , DeVilbiss Refinishing Products at 419/891-8129. ...

(Above) Prior to restoration, the Tri-Pacer displayed a deplorable exterior. (Left) Rust and corrosion were rampant un­ der the Tri-Pacer's skin before restorat ion. (Below) The fuselage begins to take shape w ith fabric stitched and glued in place, and surface tapes applied. The tubular struc­ ture was painted with black Dupont Imron® prior to fabric application.

(Below) Award-winning appear­ ance of 1957 Tri-Pacer following restoration.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

DA - Muskoka Air Fair. Snowbirds, Oscar Boesch and others. Aviation trade show. For info or booth space, call Lizann Flatt, 705/687-1620. JUNE 2 - DE KALB, IL - DeKalb-Taylor Municipa l Airport. EAA Chapter 241 Breakfast, 7 a.m. - noon. For info call jack Bennett, 815/756-7712. JUNE 7-8 - MERCED, CA - 39th Merced West The following list of coming events is fur­ Coast Antique Fly-In. For info contact Merced nished to our readers as a matter of infor­ Pilots Association, P.O. Box 2312, Merced, mation only and does not constitute CA 95344, or Virginia Morford, 209/383­

Fly-In Calendar

approval, sponsorship, involvement, con­ 4632. trol or direction of any event (fly-in, semi­ JUNE 7-9 - DENTON, TX - Texas Chapter nars, fly market, etc.) listed. Please send Antique Airplane Association's 34th Annual the information to fAA, All: Golda Cox, Fly-In at Den ton Municipal Airport (DTO). P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

For info call jim Austin 817/429-5385, Penny Information should be received four

Richards 817/482-6175 or john Wh atl ey months prior to the event date.

214/517-1981. MAY 17-19 - COLUMBIA, CA - 20th Annual Gathering of Luscombes. Aircraft judging, spot landing and flour bombing contests, and the 4th Annual Great Luscombe Clock Race. For info, contact Doug Clough, 360/893-6623 or Art Moxley, 206/630-1086. MAY 18 - HUN TSVILLE, AL - Moontown airport. EAA Chapter 190 Fl y-In and airshow. Call 205/498-3454 for information. MAY 18-19 - HAMPTON, NH - Hampton Airfield. 20th ann ual Aviation Flea Market. Fly-In, Drive-In, camping on field. No fees. No rain date. Anything aviation related OK. Food available. For info, call 603/964-6749. MAY 19 - WARWICK, NY - W arwick Aerodrome. EAA Chapter 501 annual Fly-In 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Unicom 123.0. Food and trophies, registration for judging closes at 2 p.m. Call Harry Barker at 201/838-7485 for more information. MAY 24-25 - ATCHISON, KS - Amelia Earhart Memorial Airport. 30th annual Fly-In, hosted by the Kansas City Chapter of the AAA. For info call or write: Gerry Gippner, Fly-In Chairman, 14810 W. 159th St., Olathe, KS 66061, 913/764-8512 or Lee Crites, 14325 W. 89th St., Lenexa, KS 66245, 913/888-0596. MAY 25-26 - DECATUR, AL - EAA Chapter 941 and DAAS sponsored Fly-In and Fly market, Antique, Classic hom eb uilts and more . Everyone is welcome, great food and shuttle available. For info call 205/355-5770 or 830­ 4460. MAY 25-27 - PARKERSBURG, WV - 1st Annual Mid-Ohio Valley Stearman Fly-In. For info call Dan or jim Ramsey, 304/464-4450. MAY 26 - ZANESVILLE, OH - EAA Chapter 425 Annual Fly-In, Drive-In Breakfast. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sandwiches, etc from noon 'till closing. Riverside Airport. Contact Don Wahl, 614/454-0003. MAY 31-jUNE 1 - BARTLESVILLE, OK - Frank Philipps Field. BIPLANE EXPO '96. 10th Annual National Bip lane Convention and exposition. Biplanes and NBA members free; all others pay admission. Contacts: Charles Harris, Chairman, 918/622-8400 or Virgil Gaede, Expo director, 918/336-3976. JUNE 1 - FOWLERVILLE, MI - Maple Grove air­ port EAA Chapter 1056 Fly-In, aerobatic demos, lunch, pilot events, rides, hog roast, camping. Call Ron at 517/223-3233. JUNE 1-2 - ELKHART, IN - EAA Chapter 132 Pancake Breakfast and Elkhart Airshow. Call

616/699-5237. JUNE 1-2 -GRAVENHURST, ONTARIO, CANA­

12 MAY 1996

JUNE 8-9 - COLDWATER, MI - Fairchild Fly-In at Branch Co. Memorial Airport. Contact: Mike Kelly 517/278-2654. JUNE 9 - GA YLORD, MI-EAA Chapter 1095 pancake breakfast. 517/732-7377. JUNE 9 - TOWANDA, PA - Towanda airport (N27) Fly-In Breakfast - all you can eat. Eggs, sausage, pancakes, 100% pure maple syrup. 7 a.m. -1 p.m. JUNE 13-16 - ST. LOUIS, MO - Creve Coeur Airport. Am erican Waco Clu b Fly-In. Contacts: john Halterman, 314/434-4856 or Phil Coulson, 616/624-6490. JUNE 14-16 - CAMARILL O, CA - 16th annua l Fathers Day Fly-In, hosted by EAA Chapter 723 and the CAF. Homebuilts, Warbirds, Antiques, Cl assics, Pancake breakfast . Contact: 805/985-4058. JUNE 15 - ANDOVER, Nj - O lde Fashioned Fly­ In, sponsored by EAA Antique/Classic Chapter 7. Aeroflex-Andover Airport, 12 N. Olde birds, good eats. 20 1/786-5682 or 361-0875. Rain Date: june 16. JUNE 15 - 16 - RUTLAND, VT - 5th Ann ual Taildragger Rendezvous. EAA Chapter 968, pancake breakfast 8- 11 a.m. (Free to the first 25 PICs). Prizes in all categories. For info call 802/492-3647. JUNE 16 - LACROSSE, WI - Fathers Day Fly/Drive-In breakfast. 0700- 1200. $4 each, PI C is free . Displays, music, aerobati cs. Check NOTAMS. 608/781-527 1. JUNE 16 - REDDING, CA - EAA Chaper 157 Fathers Day Fly-In. Contacts: Bruce Taylor, 916/275-6456 or A rm al Owens, 916/2 43­

4382. JUNE 21-23 - COLUMBIA, CA - 21st An nual Southwest Stinson Club Fly-In and Camp out. Call 510/686-3812 for info. JUNE 23 - ZANESVILLE, OH - EAA Chapter 425 Air Awareness Day, Fly-In, Drive-In Breakfast. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Come enjoy the planes on dis­ play and good fellowship. Riverside Airport. Contact Don Wahl, 614/454-0003. JUNE 23 - NILES, MI - j erry Tyler Memorial Airport (3 TR). EAA Chapter 865 Fly-In break­ fast, 6:30 - Noon. Call Ralph Ballard for info:

616/684-1726. JUNE 25-27 - LAKE TEXOMA, OK - (F31) Short Wing Piper Club 's annual convention. For info call 817/491-9529 or 275-1082. JUNE 27-30 - MT. VERNON, OH - 37th Annual Nation al Waco Reunion Fly-In . 513/868­ 0084. JUNE 29-30 - LONGMONT, CO - 18th Annua l EAA Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In - home­ builts, antiques, Classics, ultralights, warbirds.

no admission for fly-ins. Friday arrivals wel­ come. For info call Bill Marcy, 303/798-6086 or the airport manager 303/651-8431. JUNE 29-30 - GAINESVILLE, GA - 28th Annual Cracker Fly-In, sponsored by EAA Chapter 61/. Homebuilts, antiques, warbirds. judging in nine categories. Pancake breakfast Sat. and Sunday. For info call: Mick Hudson, 770/531­ 0291 or Bob Savage 770/718-1966. JUNE 30-jUlY 5 - LAKE GUNTERSVILLE, AL ­ 28th annua l convention of the International Cessna 170 Association. Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge. 205/571-5440. Contact Harley Pickett, 205/640-4785. jUl Y 7 - MICHIGAN CITY, IN - (MGC) EAA Chapter 966 Fly-In/Drive-In pancake break­ fast. Call 219/325-0133. JULY 12-14 - LOMPOC, CA - 12th Annual Piper Cub Fly-In. After 5 pm, call Bruce Fall at 805/733-1914 or Monte Finley 805/733-4413. jUlY 23 - ZANESVILLE, OH - EM Chapter 425 Annual Pancake Day at Parr Airport. 8 a.m. ­ 5 p.m. Oshkosh bound pilots encouraged to fly-in, ea t and refuel. Contact Don Wahl, 614/454-0003 . JULY 26-27 - COFFEYVILL E, KS - Funk Aircraft Owners Assoc. Reunion. Contact: Gene Ventress, 10215 S. Monticello, Lenexa, KS

66227. JULY 26-28 - RED LAKE, ONTARIO, CANADA­ Norseman Float Plane Festival. For more info, contact the Festival Committee at 807/727­ 2809. JULY 27-29 - KEOKUK, IA - Sixth World Wide ga thering of L-Birds, then en masse up to Wisconsin for EAA great OSHKOSH '96 on August 1. Contact Irv Linder, 319/524-6378. AUGUST 1-7 - OSHKOSH, WI - 44th Annual

fAA Fly-In and Sport Aviation Convention. Wittman Regional Airport. Contact John Burton, fAA, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. 414/426-4800. AUGUST 3 - ELLSWORTH, KS - EAA Chapter 1127 Fly-In breakfast (Oshkosh stop-over) and Cowtown Day. Call Dale Weinhold, 913­ 472-4021(w) or -4309 (h) for info. AUGUST 18 - BROOKFIELD, WI - Capital Airport. EAA NC Chapter 11 Vintage Aircraft Display and Ice Cream Social, Noon - 5 pm. Midwest Antique Airplane Club meeting as well. For info call Capital Airport at 414/781­ 9550. AUGUST 27-29 - YOUNGSTOWN, OH ­ BARTLESVILLE, OK AND EL CAJON, CA Staggerwing Beech Commemorative Tour. Call William Thaden, 207/439-1161 for info. AUGUST 30-31 - HA YWARD, CA - EAA Antique/Classic Chapter 29 Fourth Annual Antique Fly-In and Airshow. Free Early Bird Dinner to all display aircraft on Friday. This is a northern California points event. Contact Bud Field at 510/455-2300. AUGUST 30 - SEPT. 1 - PROSSER, WA - EAA Chapter 391 25th Anniversary Fly-In at Prosser airport. Ca ll Cormac Thompson for info: 509/786-1034 . AUGUST 31 - MARION, IN - Sixth Annual Fly­ In/Cruise-In breakfast sponsored by the Marion High school Band Boosters. Antiques, Classics, homebuilts, and Antique. classic and custom cars welcomed. For information, con­ tact Ray johnson at 317/664-2588. SEPT 1 - ZANESVILLE, OH - Riverside Airport. fAA Chapter 425 Labor Day Weekend Fly-In, Drive-In Breakfast . 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sandwiches, etc. from noon to closing.

Roland LaFont's

Grum

Malia

by

Norm Petersen

One of the prettiest amphibians to park on the line at EAA Oshkosh '95 was a 1947 Grumman G-73 Mallard, N2954, SIN J-14, that completely defied it's 48 years of exis­ tence. Owned by Roland LaFont (EAA 498645) of Albuquerque, NM, the big twin­ engined amphibian has enjoyed the bene­ fits of corporate ownership most of its life plus a great deal of TLC by all of its own­ ers. Completed at Grumman 's Bethpage , Long Island , NY , plant on January 21 , 1947, the ten place (plus two pilots) am­ phibian was owned by Howard Hughes and Hansa Jet before being acquired by Preci­ sion Valve Corp, Yonkers, NY, who owned the Mallard for 26 years. The next owner was Walkers Cay Air Terminal , Inc. of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, who proceeded to expend about $250,000 refurbishing the big twin, including a large amount of anti-corrosion treatment, newly majored engines and props and a host of other improvements. In 1993, Walkers traded the Mallard for a Turbine Mallard owned by Freeport-Mc­ Moran , Inc. of New Orleans. Roland La­ Font purchased the Mallard from Freeport­ McMoran and promptly flew it to Ardmore, OK, home of Higgins Interiors,

(Above) Climbing out smartly in the morning sun, the pretty Mallard gives us a look at two nicely cowled P & W R-1340 engines and props. The high tailfin and rudder were necessary for stability in this Gor­ don Israel designed amphibian. (Inset) The man of the hour, Roland LaFont, who brought the pretty Mallard all the way to Oshkosh from Albu­ querque, New Mexico, to attend his first EAA convention. He admits he was quite surprised at the huge size of the EAA gathering. (Left) The very graceful 66-foot wing employs a NACA 23000 series airfoil that tapers from a 23022 at the root to a 23012 at the wingtip. The tail surfaces are all cantilever in design. The overwing exhaust helps to quiet the cabin of the big twin.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

who installed a new interior after improv­ ing the soundproofing of the large cabin. The res ult was an airplane that is really pleasant to fly because it is so quiet. In ad­ dition, the entire airplane was stripped, the alumin um etched, the hull sealed and the entire airplane was repainted with Jet Glo polyurethane. The co lors are creamy white, deep red and dark blue trim. The pictures speak for themselves as to the quality of the paint scheme. At the same time, the old 105,000 BTU heater was removed and a new 55,000 BTU heater from a Cessna 421 was installed un­ der an STC. Roland reports the combina­ tion of the new heater, the excellent insula­

(Above) Extremely clean en­ gine cowl houses a P & W R­ 1340 engine of 600 hp swinging a full feathering Hamilton Stan­ dard propeller with brightly pol­ ished blades and spinner. (Right) This is the forward pas­ senger compartment that holds five people in pure luxury, in­ cluding fans by the ceiling and individual air vents above each seat.

14 MAY 1996

tion and sound proofing, and first class in­ terior makes for a most comfortable air­ plane, even in the coldest of weather. With the Mallard shining like a jewe l, Roland took his 28-year-old son along on a trip around Alaska in the summer of 1994. They enjoyed a fanta.stic journey and vis­ ited many places they had read about plus stopping to see numerous friends in the 49th state. One of their friends had built a ramp in front of his place that allowed Roland to land the Mallard in the water and taxi up the ramp to dry land. He ad­ mits this is abo ut as deluxe as it can get. On the entire trip , the Mallard never missed a beat and really engendered Roland 's respect for the 1947 amphibian. Along with the airplane , Roland re­ ceived the entire logged history back to day one. The logs filled one huge box, just by themselves. One item that had been in­ stalled years back was a cuff on the wing that is supposed to aid the ability of the Mallard to fly in icing conditions. How­ ever, Roland is quick to add that the Mal­ lard is not a great airplane with a load of ice clinging to it and he will go out of his way to avoid ice. (Why tempt the devil?) Roland LaFont (the name is of French Canadian derivation) came by his aviation interest in an honest way. His father, Justin LaFont, was a Certified Flight Instructor at Sweetwater, Texas, during World War II,

teaching the WASP candidates how to fly. (The pioneering efforts of these instructors and the immeasurable impact of the female WASP pilots would only be fully recog­ nized many years later.) Roland's father taught him how to fly in a Fairchild PT-19 after the war and Roland made his solo flight at the tender age of 11, back in 1948. Sadly, Justin LaFont would pass away in 1989 and never have a chance to fly the magnificent Mallard with his son. Once out of high school, Roland en­ tered the U. S. Navy and spent four years in the submarine service. He was on board the diesel electric sub that made its way un­ der the ice pack at the North Pole in a test run prior to the nuclear-powered Nautilus making the same trip. Once out of service, Roland entered the U.S. Park Service concession business at Shenley, Arizona. This business has grown to where he now has lodges at Monument Valley, Utah and Lima Valley, Utah. Dur­ ing all this, his interest in aviation has con­ tinued. In 1987, he discovered in seaplanes and the itch was finally taken care of when he purchased a DeHavilland Beaver on Wipline amphibious floats. The Beaver had all the Kenmore mods and was a fine airplane to gain the skills necessary to fly an amphibian - and stay out of trouble . Roland admits he learned a great deal with the Beaver. When he bought the Mallard,

he figured he knew abo ut all there was to know about flying an amphibian - Wrong! During the past 115 hours of flying the Mallard all over the country and around Alaska, Roland admits he has learned more about amphibian flying than he ever knew before! Perhaps the best part is that he has managed to keep the big twin in perfect shape during all this "learning." One item he has developed is a dinghy that has a motor on the back which fits into the cabin by removing the rear three seats. Once the airplane is on the water, the dinghy is placed in the water and the boat engine is started. Pretty neat. The Mallard is a large airplane with a wingspan of 66 feet, eight inches; a length of 48 feet, four inches and a gross weight of 12,750Ibs. It is powered with two Pratt & Whitney R-1340 engines rated at 600 hp each and swinging three-bladed Hamilton Standard propellers . Normal cruise is about 180 mph with a top speed of about 215 mph. Normal fuel capacity is 380 gal­ lons which at 50 gallons per hour, gives a cruising range of up to 1900 miles, depend­ ing on load and cruising speed. The main designer on the Mallard was Gordon Is­ rael, who worked for Grumman from 1941 to about 1950. He also helped Benny Howard develop the "Mr. Mulligan."

Here is the "business office" of the Mal­ lard, complete with dual controls and overhead throttle, prop and mixture con­ trols. Note the window cranks on each wall panel. The small curtain below the right hand panel allows a person to move forward to the nose hatch compartment.

Roland LaFont says the Mallard is a most enjoyable and comfortable airplane for cross-country flights and is an especially fine handling airplane on the water. With true amphibious capabilities, the Mallard is obviously the best of all worlds for the sportsman pilot. A very special "thank you" is accorded Roland LaFont for bringing his beautiful Grumman Mallard to the EAA Oshkosh Fly-In and allowing us to photograph the airplane on the ground and in the air.

Ed. Note: Of the 59 Mallards built by Grumman, there are presently 30 pis­ ton-engined models and two turbine Mallard conversions remaining on the U. S. register. ... VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

Bob Fergus'

by H.C. Frautschy Photos by Jim Koepnick Breathes there an antiquer who, as a kid with cellulose glue on his fingers, didn't get all excited about building a model of the Fairchild 22? With all those struts, it could be a daunting task, but oh my, what a beauty when you fi足 nally finished it. That long, slender nose and a pair ofairwheels nestled into a set of beautiful wheel pants, and the characteristic Fairchild fin and rud足 der ended the fuselage in a graceful swoop. Just reading about it makes you want to pull out the Cleveland plans and start whittling balsa!

Trisha and Art Miller, Ocala, FL flew Bob Fergus' Fairchild to Sun 'n Fun '95. The restoration is nearly 20 years old, and yet is still good enough to have won a "Best Open Cockpit" Antique award at Sun 'n Fun '95. The aft cockpit instrument panel (the forward pit is de足 void of instruments) is still beautifully maintained, and has everything you need for day VFR flight.

18 MAY 1996

Bob Fergus (EAA 9717 , A/C 6713) Dublin , OH has been satisfying his de­ sire for one of these depression-era beauties since 1978, when he purchased a completely re-created Fairchild 22 C7D from Jim Dewey of Santa Paula , CA. Jim spent a number of years putting this particular Fairchild together from bits and pieces he had collected and built, replacing the Cirri us HI-Drive of the C-7B with a Menasco Pirate D-4. First built in 1934, it carries SIN 915, and while built originally as a 22 C7B , it is now a 22 C7D. Five of the " D" models are now registered with the FAA, al­ though one is listed as not having an en­ gine . While never built in large num­

bers , only 26 of the various Fairchild 22's still exist , and a number of those are not currently in flying condition - Of the 26, only 17 actually have engines listed in their registrations, so it's safe to assume there just a couple more than a dozen model 22's still flying. From one perspective, that's a shame, simply be­ cause so few pilots can share the joy of flying such a lovely airplane. Looking at it from the other side, I'm pleased there are still some flying. We were privileged to see Bob ' s Fairchild at Sun 'n Fun '95. It had been flown to the EAA gathering from Lee­ ward's Air Ranch in Ocala, FL by Art and Trisha Miller. Longtime residents

of " the Ranch ," they've been fortunate to be allowed to fly the Fairchild on oc­ casion. Art's a wealth of knowledge on the airplane, which has been a love of his as long as Bob's - it must be one of those airplanes that gets under your skin. Bob's Fairchild 22 really has not had a great deal of work done to it in the ensuing years, besides regular in­ spections. The 125 hp Menasco D-4 has been running well all these years (Okay , all together now - knock on wood!) , with the only "major" piece of work that needed to be done was the replacement of all the fuel and oil VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

hoses, done a as preventative measure. As Bob pointed out , the sun is the biggest enemy of an aircraft covering job and leather trim, so the little Fairchild has always been hangared ex­ cept when flying. The visits to fly-ins are the only time it has spent outside. In the hangar in Florida, a dehumidifier runs to keep the moisture down to an acceptable level. The covering, which is Ceconite finished with dope and then a final finish of Dupont Dulux® enamel has held up quite well, with a few "char­ acter" marks in the finish - a ringworm or two on the fuselage from inside im­ pacts and people leaning against the fuselage are the only noticeable defects in the 20 year old finish . Bob feels bad that he does not fly the airplane as often as he would li ke, but others around Leeward ' s fly the air­ plane . Since its restoration , the Fairchild has been flown just a little less than 200 hours, about 10 a year on aver­ age. Art says that it hand les quite easWith a 125 hp Menasco Pirate under the cowl, Bob Fergus' 1934 Fairchild 22 C-7D looks especially elegant on the flight line at Sun 'n Fun '95. In the early and mid 70's, Jim Dewey, Santa Paula, CA built the airplane up from a wreck. Bob bought the airplane in 1978, and has flown it ever since. 20 MAY 1996

ily , espousing the " flies like a bigger Cub" analogy that many of us use when describing an airplane that most An­ tique/Classic pilots would be able to fly well with a littl e dual und e r our seat­ belts. Without instruments in the front cockpit, Art says you quickly find out who is a pilot and who is an "instrument chaser." With ball bearings in the control sys­ tem (34 of 'em!) and balanced elevator and rudder, the feel of the Fairchild was just as nice as its bigger brother of later years, the model 24. A triangular "stall

strip" was mounted on the leading edge nearly full span, helping keep the stall more predictable. While never built in great quantity, the Fairchild 22 series remains one of the the most recognizable sportplanes of the Depression, inspiring many youngsters who created their own ver­ sions in miniature with kits by compa­ nies like Cleveland, Peerless and Megow's. Now that we're older, we can still marvel at the sleek lines and beauti­ ful fairings and struts that helped create ... the Fairchild mystique.

New Members

James R. Almand ........................Grand Prairie, TX

Dan C. Arnold ................................. Pomeroy, OH

Wayne Arny ..................................... Arlington, VA

Rick Balaz ...... ...........Burlington, Ontario, Canada

Richard H. Bartlett.. ............................... Sussex, Nj

William J. Basher ............ .......................Miami, FL

j. W. Bates ................................. Pickerington , OH

Evolut L. Bazzoli ..........................Philadelphia, PA

Bill Becker ........................................Foristell, MO

Jeffrey S. Benger ...................... ........ ..Littleton, CO

Eric G. Bengeyfield ...... ...................Townsend, DE

Kelly Benjamin ..................................... Alburg, VT

Thomas Berthe................................ Buriington, VT

John F. Binns .....................................5an jose, CA

Gwen Bloomingdale ................ Provincetown, MA

Francis M. Bonner..............................Houston, TX

Gregory Bracket

..........................Kitanakagusuku, Okinawa, japan

Ed R. Bridenbaugh ..............................Raleigh, NC

Charles K. Brown, jr .............. ,......... Greenville, TX

David G. Brown ...............................Rock Hill, SC

David M. Brown ............................St Charles, MO

Michael M. Brunka

.....................................Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Robert W. Buck.............................Lovettsville, VA

john Byrne ...................................Manchester, NH

Robert Dean Caliahan ...........Apache junction, AZ

Charles j. Cartledge ..................... Wadsworth, OH

Carla Castiglione ............................San Diego, CA

Stephen R. Chiarello .......... ,................. Hiliside, Nj

Terry Claassen .............................Washington, DC

john W. Clark .................. .................... Eagan, MN

George Coleates ........................ Canandaigua, NY

john C. Collins ................................... Newark, CA

Christopher Cook ...................................Slana, AK

Keith Cossairt ...............................Sacramento, CA

james E. Crews ...................................Lawton, OK

Paul j. Crotty ................................ Indianapolis, IN

Donald A. Cunningham ............... Middlefield, OH

Kenneth Dahn ......................,.......... Las Vegas, NV

Hugh E. Dalrymple ...............................Gretna, LA

joel K. Darbro ......................................Topeka, KS

john W. Davis ................ ,.......................jenks, OK

Lee B. Davis ..............................N. Little Rock, AR

Don G. Douglas ..........................Park Rapids, MN

Tom Duffy ............ .. ...................... Haddonfield, Nj

C. A. Dwinnell-Moore ................. Buena Vista, CO

Fred Marshall Eaton ...................... .woodland, CA

jerry A. Edgerton .......... .. .................... McLean, VA

David E. Elliott .......... ,.........Colorado Springs, CO

Charles P. Ernst ............................... Tinley Park, IL

jon W. Ewing ......................................... Miami, FL

Peter j. Farmer.................................Lancaster, MA

john David Fields, jf. .................... .5an Angelo, TX

L. Charles Firth ..................................Paladale, CA

Terrance C. Forbes .... ...... ...................Tequesta, FL

Larry C. Fountaine ...............Colorado Springs, CO

Elaine Friesen ............. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Robert Garnes .... ...... ................ Chambersburg, PA

Hugo Goldfeld .................... Goiania, Goias, Brazil

Donald Wayne Goodman ....................Goode, VA

Robert P. Goodrich........... .. .........Newtown, CT

Norb Gregory ..............................Farmington , MN

Robert W. Hall .................................... Granger, IN

Randy R. Hammons ....................... Clear Lake, WI

Edward Harbur ............................South Salem, NY

james D. Hardie ........................ Heber Springs, AR

Gene Harl ........................................... .wilton, CA

james G. Hart

....................Ft. Nelson, British Columbia, Canada

Chuck Heberle ...............................Ewa Beach, HI

john R. Hensley ...........................Fort Collins, CO

Thomas Hesselgrave ............................Houma, LA

james P. Hidalgo ............................ Wimberley, TX

Allen D. Hoffman, Sf. ....................Cheboygan, MI

Gerald E. Holmes ............ ,........... Chattanooga, TN

Walter D. House ........ ,.. ...... ,............... Wichita, KS

Lloyd F. HuntLos .............................. Alamos, NM

james M. Hurdle .............. ,............. Fort Worth, TX

Lowwell j. Hurley ..................,.......... St james, MN

james R. Hurt ......................,................ Odessa, TX

Roland M. johnsen ...................... Georgetown, KY

Guy E. johnston ...................................... Peori a, IL

joe juptner .................................. Laguna Hills, CA

Armand A. Larocque .................... .... ..... Dover, DE

Hans Lauridsen ......................... Litchfield Park, AZ

Doug Laursen ........................................Chino, CA

Marc W. Leasa .......... ,........ ,........ Fond Du Lac, WI

Arthur M. Levine ............ ...... .. .......... Brooklyn, NY

jack M. Lewis ............ ,................ .....Savannah, GA

Sam Lew is ...........................................Elmhurst, IL

Kasey Lindsay ........................Redondo Beach, CA

Thomas V. Lord ..............................Show Low, AZ

Louie Lozoya .......... ,............................ Oakley, CA

james Luke ......................................Loveland, OH

Kim P. Lussier...................................Lebanon, NH

Thomas L. Miller ........ ,...... ... .........Clemmons, NC

David M. Macrae ..............................Princeton, Nj

Brian K. Maddison

................... .5anichton, British Columbia, Canada

Giuliano Marini ...... ................ Villa Dossolla, Italy

Giuliano Marini ..................... .villa Dossolla, Italy

Rick Howard Martin ....................... Las Vegas, NV

Sam j. McDowell ........................... .5tatesville, NC

james D. McLaine ...............................Clarion, PA

Ri chard B. Miholick ........................ Edmonds, WA

Bruce L. Miller ........................,............. Urbana, IL

Ralph W. Miller ............ ,.................Las Vegas, NV

Robert A. Miller .................................... Auburn, IL

Robert S. Miller ...... ........ ,......... Laurel Springs, NC

Ishii Minoru ..................................... .5endai, japan

Wayne A. Moody ........................Traverse City, MI

jerry Morgan ........................................ Valley, WA

Ted R. Morgan .................................Fairacres, NM

Sam Morrison .................., .................Lexington, IL

Michael L. Morton .................... Elizabethtown, PA

Gail E. Muller ................,................ Green Bay, WI

Albert C. Mullin ................................ Dayton, OH

Robert j. Munn, jr .............. ,.................. Clifton, VA

Thomas A. Murphy .......... ,.................. Hinsdale, IL

john T. Murray ............................... Ridgecrest, CA

james W. Myers .......................... Eden Prairi e, MN

David R. Nelson ...................... Glenwood City, WI

Robert C. Newman .............................. Taveres, FL

Lars-Gunnar Nilsson .............. Linkoeping, Sweden

Mike R. Novick ................................Chandler, AZ

Kevin O'Hara ............................ Schuyler Falls, NY

Sean O'Leary..................................Grass Lake, MI

David M. Olmstead ........................Plymouth, MN

Vernon D. Olson ............ .. .. ,................. Visalia, CA

David W. Onyon .................. ,....... Townshend, VT

Cyril Ostendorf ................................... Cypress, TX

Dames G. Owen ...............................Cordova, TN

Gregory james Parker .......... Whittington, Australia

Paul P. Patrick ........................................Mesa, AZ

john Miles Patterson ..........................Frankfort, KY

Don E. Pew ......................................Chandler, AZ

jesse B. Phelps ........ ,........................... Lineville, IA

Raul D. Pons .......... ,............... Canelones, Uruguay

Richard Porter ..................................... Casper, WY

Lutz P. Pritschow .................... Dexheim, Germany

Alex Pu cciariello .......... ,....................... Haskell, Nj

Harry M, Pyle ...................... ,.. ,........ ,Lady Lake, FL

Ronald T. Reid ................ ,.................. Oxnard, CA

Richard Reiley ........................ .......Anchorage, AK

Darwin Remboldt.. .................. .....Santa Maria, CA

Larry D. Ri ckabaugh ........................5. Laguna, CA

Don Robinson .................... .... ..New Braunfels, TX

john E. Robinson ................................jackson, MS

jim H. Robison ................................. Asheville, NC

Michael j. Rowe ...... ...... .... ......................APO, AP

Walter B. Rowe .. .. ...... ...........................Clovis, CA

Tom Rulffes............................. Newman Lake, WA

Harry Schoning.......................... ..Palm Desert, CA

Milbert F. Schott .................... ............Madison, WI

Wayne S. Scott ................Auckland, New Zealand

john A. Sherman .................... Sedro Woolley, WA

Robert W. II Siegfried ................Sowners Grove, IL

Perry j. Sisson ..................................Fort Myers, FL

Tom F. Skelly .................. ,.................... Livonia, MI

Rodney Slagle ................ .................Las Vegas, NV

Richard Smith ..............................Panama City, FL

Aaron Solsrud ................................... Hartland, WI

Tim C. Spencer ................................ Wakarusa, IN

Robert E. Suilivan ...................... Maple Grove, MN

Curtis N. Swanson ...............................Lawton, MI

Larry Dean Tammel ...........................Preston, MN

Eric Thompson .....................................Tempe, AZ

Doug La Tourette ...............................McLean, VA

Peter Truesdell .................. Glenwood Landing, NY

Robert W. Turner.................................Brooks, GA

Kathleen VanRooy ............. ,.............. Appleton, WI

Francisco Viliapun .............. ,............ Madrid, Spain

Ann-Marie Walko .......................... Springvale, ME

Larry Wallace.................. ,................... Corona, CA

Patrick R. Walsh ............................. Brookfield, WI

Edward Waterhouse .......................San Diego, CA

Thomas Lynn Waters ........ ,....................Terrell, TX

AI C. Weaver .............................Cochiti Lake, NM

Allan W. Wehman, jr .................... Summervile, SC

Thomas P. Weidlich ........................ Scottsdale, AZ

Robert West ...................................... Ballwin, MO

jim R. Wiens ....................................... Newton, KS

Richard O. Wikert .............................. Fremont, NE

David E. Williams ........ ..,................ Cynthiana, KY

Russell Williams ..............................Issaquah, WA

Mark Wolf ........................ ,............ Long Lake, MN

james S. Wolper ................................ Pocatello, 10

Phillip A. Wright.. ............................Morrison, CO

VINTAGE AIRPLAN E 21

A Precautionary

needed to reass ure myself. As I stepped down I saw that the left wheel pant was stained green by the alder tree saplings and blackberry vines that served as an ar­ resting gear. My walk around revealed that the lower cowling and venturi tube were also green streaked. The only per­ manent mark found was a scratch on the red painted stabilizer leading edge. The white crankcase was splattered with oil around the prop shaft. I pulled the prop through . The Warner groaned and re­ sisted my effort to turn it. I kn ew the crankshaft and master rod were burned out. What a loss! My thoughts of the scarcity of Warner

LANDING!

by Fred Ludtke (NC 13053) The landing was smoother than I planned but the underbrush arrested my roll-out. Since the radial engine blotted out my view of the remaining distance of the clearing, I braked hard, then released the right one to turn off to the left side of the strip. One minute before I was an ea­ gle polishing my air show program, then I became a grounded turkey with a burned out Warner engine. The figure that needed my attention was the Square Cuban Eight. It involved flying two centered vertical half rolls be­ tween two opposing square loops . The smoke line from my first vertical half roll lingered long enough to show me exactly where to place the second one. After completing the final square loop, I exited the maneuv e r with a horizont a l line . Then, satisfied with the difficult figure, I pulled five Gs up into a Hammerhead. Considerable concentration is required to execute a safe Hammerhead turn in a Monocoupe 110 Special. The Clip Wing must be parked motionless in a perfectly vertical position or it will roll off the top, risking an inverted spin. As I drove up the line, I held the bottom of my left wing perpendicular with the world while con­ trolling the torque with right rudder. When the airspeed registered zero I kicked left rudder. I hit the keyhole in the sky perfectly and the 'Coupe pivoted 180 degrees on its wing tip. I dove vertical down my up smoke line, and then THUD , a puff of smoke came over the cowling and instantly disappeared over the windshield. The prop ground to a stop. The speed was still too low to pull out. I turned off the smoke oil pump to prevent a fire and retarded the throttle, then pulled out of the dive. The increased speed caused the prop to windmill. "Whimper thud , whimper thud" was the terrible sound of the destroyed Warner engine. A glance inside revealed 2,000 feet altitude and zero oil pressure . The engine had seized, then the speed of the dive recovery had broken it loose. I was level at 2,000 feet heading south toward the Whidbey Island airport. Five miles of wooded hills and a high ridge sep­ arated me from home base. It's familiar 22 MAY 1996

runway and my hangar tempt e d me. Should I use the engine? Would it seize again? Would a splintering crash through the tall fir trees result? Precious seconds were wasted with these questions and thoughts. Decision time had passed. I had planned my aerobatic flight 2,000 feet above the uninhabited , forested por­ tion of the island that contained a private strip. The strip was somewhere to my left! So, left I turned, with eyeballs out looking for a cut through the trees. Long seconds passe d , then to my left a dark lin e ap­ peared in the trees. Continuing to glide east, I planned my pattern . The trees were too high to approach from the south. Everyone of the remaining thousand feet of alt itude were needed to glide aro und the strip to land from the north. To conserve altitud e, I turn ed left 45 degrees to cut the corner across the south end of the strip. Another 45 degree turn placed me on downwind. Damn! The trees have hidden the strip, I'm low! Was there any power remaining? Easing the throttle forward , the whimper-clunk-clunk sound became more rapid and pro­ nounced as the rpms increased and my sink rate was reduced. I estimated where the north e nd of the strip was and began my turn into the runway. Speed: 90, the interval between each loud clunking sound increased as the Warner offered up its last to save the Monocoupe. The clearing came into view with the left wing tip skim­ ming the tree tops. Speed: 80, the last clunk sou nd ed as the Aeromatic prop stopped in front of my face. I slipped vio­ lently with hard right rudder, then straigh tened ; stick a ll of the way back to drop it in. I wanted to land hard to dissipate en­ ergy, instead a light touchdown resulted. The underbrush thrashed against the wheel pants as it arrested my roll-out. I got on the brakes as hard as I dared, then released the right one to turn off to the left side of the strip. I clicked the mag and master switches off, then the fuel selector. Next I disconnected my five point harness and the secondary seat belt. Of course, I knew that the " Spirit of Dyn ami te " was all in one piece but I

parts and the impending financial loss from canceling several air shows upset my stomach. However the 'Coupe was safe and would fly again. The 23 foot wing didn't allow me much time for thought. There was only a minute between the time the engine clanked up at 2500 feet to when I parked the airplane. However, I did have time to reflect on this incident as I picked my way through the blackberry vines that protected the trail out to the county road. I recounted the decisions , some made years before this flight, that made this more like a precautionary landing rather than a forced landing.

First, I anticipated that engine failure can occur at any moment, so I selected a practice area that included an emergency landing strip. Second, my aerobatic alti­ tude exceeded the FAA's 1500 foot mini­ mum. Should that antique engine have seized in the vertical up line, I would have welcomed all 2500 feet to recover from an unplanned tail slide. Another decision was that I always made 180 degree, power­ off landings. This provided me with daily forced landing practice and made airspeed control and energy management a condi­ tioned response. Finally, the knowledge and execution of emergency procedures also helped save

the day. When that Warner clanked up, the needed altitude, the nearby emer­ gency strip, and the skill were all in place, ready to be utilized. I simply flew the air­ plane. I gained speed in the dive to pre­ vent stalling in the pullout and turned off the smoke oil to prevent a fire. Next, I closed the throttle to save the engine for the approach and planned the landing pat­ tern. I controlled airspeed and conserved energy, then used the last of the engine to make the field. Finally, I dropped it in with a full stall landing to reduce the land­ ing roll. All that was left to do was un­ strap the Clip Wing from my backside just as I have done a hundred times before ....

II'

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

The May Mystery Plane is quite a craft - plenty of rudders, struts and cables to satisfy even the most ardent ri gger! Your answers need to be in no later than June 25, 1996 for inclusion in the August issue. The Fe bruary Myste ry Plane s ure had a numbe r of folks thinking corrugated aluminum, but only one managed to hit the rivet on the head - Robert F. Pauley (EAA 1277), of Farming足 ton Hills, MI knew what he saw in the magazi ne:

''The Mystery Plane in the February issue of Vintage Airplane is the Ford/Stout Executive monoplane. This all-metal five sea t-design was built in April 1927 and was issued the CAB license No . X-1085 in August of that year. Powered by a 225 hp Wright J-5 engine, and with a gross weight of 3700 pounds, it was a very poor flying airplane due to an aft CG location . It was another of Bill Stout's design failures. In cidentally, the photo may have come fro m Wally Norman 's photo collection, but Wally did not take the photo . Proper photo credit should be given as "Ford Motor Co. photo 189-4652."

by H.G. Frautschy

24 MAY 1996

A number of readers thought this aircraft might be the Thaden T-2 , and wh ile similar, it is not the same airplane.

An added bonus from last month 's answer is this collec足 tion of Thomas-Morse T-2 pho足 tos, courtesy of Peter Bowers, Seattle, WA. We ra n out of space last month to run them all at one time, but we're happy to present them to you now.

(Above) Included in Peter's collection was this one shot of the Thomas-Morse 0-2, captioned in the 1919 edition of the Aircraft Yearbook as being the "Model 0-2 Two-Place Tractor with 135 H.P. Thomas En足 gine." (Right) The T -2 featured a pa i r of anti - turn over skids, to help save the pilot from embarrassment, and the need for the airplane's crew chief to replace the prop and/or engine in case of a nose over on landing.

(Above) A remarkable shot of a Thomas T -2, com足 plete with a leather cowling hold down strap and buckle, on landing approach. (Inset) Ailerons top and bottom, and a pair of wide cockpits make the T-2100k rather inviting. (Left) Another inflight shot, th is one highlighting the square, flat cowling over the engine. Only the top of the cowl appears to have a curve in it. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

PASSdio­

BUCK

by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert EAA #21 Ale #5 P.O. Box 424, Union, IL 60180

California was great, and I had a great time at Flabob especially during EAA Chapter One's Open House, and the 25th Anniversary of the Marquart Charger. As usual , Ray Stits was everywhere, filling in where needed, boosting the Fly Market inventory with some of his

stock of new , old airplane and engine parts, setting up the tent, the P. A. sys­ tem , and trying his best to assist Janice Johnson with all the arrangements. T here was only one Stits Playboy in attendance at the open house , much to Ray's dismay, but the turnout on Satur­ day was great! The weather cooperated with seven layers of severe clear condi­ tions with li ght and variable winds. This was a bit disconcerting to the SMOG pilots from the basin . Severa l of them were commiserating about see­ ing TOO much and being rea ll y con­ (Left) Who says you have to have brakes on the wheels? Here's a clever fellow who decided that a single lever would do the trick on his Pietenpol! (Below) Frank Brown's little Porterfield Collegiate looked great on the turf at Flabob.

26 MAY 1996

fused at how many landmarks they could see at the same time. I even over­ heard one pilot saying it was downright dangerous! One sma ll incident occurred at the height of the afternoon traffic. A Japanese student flying a Cessna 150 was overhead at about 7,000 feet when his engine suddenly quit! He spiraled down and although he miscalculated his base leg, was able to execute a reverse pattern and land downwind with very little interruption of the normal pattern. The FAA man, Jack Gentry, classified it as an incid ent and la ud ed the stu­ dent's hand ling of the situation . Jack and I checked out the Cessna and were unable to run the e ngine to determine the problem. It was definitely a "dead stick" landing. The evening dinner, awards' presen­ tations, and speeches were great! Ed

(Right) Another racer from the pre-war golden days, this is a replica of the Keith Rider R-4, known as the Schoenfeldt Firecracker. That's Stanley Rackleff standing next to his long-term project. The original R-4 is owned by the Planes of Fame Air Museum in Chino, CA. (Below) This pretty Curtiss Robin was brought to the EAA Chapter 1 Open House. Southern California, even with its complex airspace, is still a haven for antique airplane owner/pilots. They're all over the place!

(Below) Ed Marquart makes airplane noises as he sits in the cockpit of his project. The airplane? This is a Buhl CA-3C Sport Airsedan, SI N 28, which served as the prototype of this model Buhl. Built under ATC 46, it's the only Airsedan left on the FAA registry.

Marquart was asked to say a few words about the Charger since it was the 25th anniversary of it's design, and of course everyone groaned when he got up to speak, but it was a fine dissertation. We all love him! Our own Bob Mackey did a superb job. Since J oe Juptner was taken ill and had departed for home, I was unable to give him his Sport Avia­ tion Antique/Classic Hall of Fame tro­ phy. The trophy had been damaged in transit and is now being refurb ished at Oshkosh. It will be returned to Joe af­ ter the repairs are completed. The Northrop-Grumman B-2 pilots did a great presentat ion on the contro­ versial bomber and spent a good deal of time answering questions and auto­ graphing pictures. Bob Mackey came away with t he door prize of the year-a beautiful model of the B-2! He loves it when I'm jealous like this! All of us were somewhat dismayed when Sunday morning proved to be wet and windy. The rain started d uring the early a.m. hours with thunderstorms heralding the approaching front. I had wondered why the San Diego bunch hadn't shown up. It turned out they had experienced that same weather Saturday. Matter of fact, they had snow in the mountains above Ramona and a Cessna 172 trying to get through the pass didn 't make it with the loss of three lives and the airplane. It was still raining when I departed about noon for north Hollywood to look at the Valhalla Cemetery's Portal of Folded Wings memorial. I had been asked the by National Aeronautics As­ sociation to check out the memorial and

(Left) Some of the Stearman drivers think the old biplane can be a monster on landing, at least according to the sign on this Tasmanian Devil.

the cemetery. T he memoria l is being refurbis hed a nd a new memoria l wall added , and NAA was asked to partic­ ipate. After seeing who is interred in this memorial, and learning a little more about the place, I recommended NAA participate by sponsoring a memoria l plaque dedicated to the memory of the Wright Brothers. After all, Orville, who was the first president of the Aero Club of America - the president of the N AA and he personally signed the pilot li­ censes of everyone interred below the monument floor! We then drove on down to San Diego where it was like old home week. I got to visit with some of my fellow United Airlines retirees; see and touch our old Ryan STAin the Aerospace Museum; look at the almost completed Ford Tri­ Motor restoration; and see the progress on the SBD and F4F that were recov­ ered from Lake Michigan a while back. Had a chance, too , to visit Willis " Bill" and Claudia Allen's museum fa­ cility at Gillespie Field. In addition to some very significant airp lanes, they

have managed to accumulate a d isplay of memorabi lia that is second to none . They have old aviation movie posters, personal effects, uniforms, wings - you name it - and all of it in pristine condi­ tion , too! They are very hospitable hosts. Drop in and see this collection if you ever get the chance. I also attended the AAA Chapter 14 meeting at the Aerospace Museum Tuesday night. I said a few words about the Aviation Rules Committee work and the hopes I had that FAA would be a party to a looser owner/pilot mainte­ nance program involving the type clubs. I would have stayed and attended the Casa Grande Fly-In, but a close friend and fe llow aviator from my home town, Truman Fisher, had Gone West and I felt strongly that I had to attend the ser­ vices. Maybe next year. I've enclosed some of the shots I took while out on the "left coast." f(

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - by

DeKevin Thornton's Cessna 170A Cruising high above Lake Winnebago near Oshkosh is DeKevin Thornton (EAA 312254) of Marion, lA, in hi s Cessna 170A, N1702D, SIN 20145, with his you ng son, Spencer Charles Thornton , as co-pilot. This particular 170A was in­ volved in a mid-air collision at EAA Oshkosh '90 with a T-28 Trojan and came out with wing and fuselage damage , how­ ever, both pilots were able to land their airplanes. DeKevin

Norm Petersen

had the wing rebuilt in Minnesota, majored the Continental 145 hp engine and restored the pretty taildragger to flying condition. He has logged over 125 hours since completion of the rebuild . The 170A is named "Charlie" in memory of DeKevin's father, who died in 1994, and his young son, who shares his grandfather's name. Every year at Oshkosh, DeKevin contributes an entire week of his time (and sacri­ fices his tender body) in helping the EAA Photo Crew take hundreds of pictures at each EAA Convention.

John Thomas' Parks P-2A The photo of this rather rare Detroit Parks P-2A , NC956K, SIN 2981, was sent in by owner, John Thomas (EAA 421765, AIC 19900) of Bethlehem, CT. One of only two Detroit Parks P-2A aircraft re­ maining on the FAA regis ter, John's red and silver open cockpit biplane is powered with a Wright J6-5 engine of 165 hp, swinging a ground-adjustable Hamil­ ton Standard propeller. This airplane, previously owned by John Donnelly III (EAA 181547, A/C 6750) of South Salem, NY, was restored a few years back by the yo unger John Donnelly, his wife, Laura, and nu­ merous other folks who were completely unafraid of hard work (see story in December, 1991, VINTAGE AIRPLANE). The Parks is a three-place airplane and does a very respectable job with the 165 hp en­ gine. John Thomas purchased the airplane in the fall of 1995 and was able to log about fifteen hours in the biplane before cold weather and the "Winter of '96" set in. He is patiently waiting for warmer weather! 28 MAY 1996

Golden Oldie Contributed by Chuck Faber (EAA 135542, A/C 4591) of Brookfield, WI, this "oldtime" single seat para­ sol airplane was constructed by Charles Keen of Madi­ son, WI, about 1932. Powered with a four-cylinder Cir­ rus engine of about 65 hp, the "Keen" was sold to Howard Tubbs of Whitewater, WI , who soloed the air­ plane under the tutelage of Robert Huggins. Later, it was sold to Truman Waters of Whitewater, WI, who eventually sold it to Stanley Gurlock of Palmyra, WI. Stan sold the "Keen" to a gentleman from Sussex, WI, who eventually cracked it up on the railroad tracks in Sussex, according to Dean Crites. This photo was taken about 1935 by Dale Crites of Waukesha, WI. If any reader has more information on the "Keen" air­ plane, drop us a line at VINTAGE AIRPLANE.

Another Golden Oldie This photo of a Kreider-Reisner KR-21, N362N, SIN 1017, was sent in by longtime EAAer , Chuck Burtch (EAA 56205) of Phoenix , NY, who had obtained the photo from the owner (named Sheppard) who took the picture at Constantine, NY, back in the 1960's. Old records at EAA indicate the KR-21 was owned in 1964 by Lee Nemett of Minda, NY; in 1974 by Dolph Overton (EAA 61308) of Santee, SC, and the present owner is vet­ eran EAA member, James B. (Jim) Wilson (EAA 29605, NC 17495) of Cross, SC, who has promised to bring us an update on the neat, taper-winged biplane.

Mert Taylor's Rose Parakeet Replica Pictured on the soft grass of the Brodhead , WI, Airport is a beautiful Rose Parakeet, NC8971 U, SIN T-106, that is the pride and joy of veteran EAAer Mer­ wyn (Mert) Taylor (EAA 156, A/C 19462) of Whitewater, WI. Fond of the Para­ keet since he was a youngster, Mert decided to build one in his home shop begin­ ning in January, 1994. Mert used a one-piece upper wing with 3/4" and 5/8" spars along with two three-gallon wing tanks to augment the 11 gallon fuselage tank. With a Continental C-85 engine, he makes about 100 mph cruise at 4.5 gph for a range of over 3.5 hours. Finished in about 15 months, the Parakeet has proven to be a lively performer with an empty weight of only 610 lbs. Note the pretty paint­ ing on the fin of a parakeet and a rose and the overall nice workmanship on the entire airplane. A productive builder, this is Mert's seventh airplane he has con­ structed.

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MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA

Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is $35 for one year, including 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION. Family membership is aval1able for an additional $10 annually. Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $20 annually. All major credit cards accepted for membership.

Something to buy, sell or trade? An inexpensive ad in the Vintage Trader may be just the answer to obtaining that elusive part. .40¢ per word, $6.00 minimum charge. Send your ad and payment to: Vintage Trader, fAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC Aviation Center, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, or fax your ad Current EAA members may join the Antique/ and your credit card number to 4 14/426-4828. Ads must be received by Classic Division and receive VINTAGE AIR­ the 20th of the month for insertion in the issue the second month following PLANE magazine for an additional $27 per year. (e.g., October 20th for the December issue.)

EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE mag­ azine and one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic Division is available for $37 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included).

AIRCRAFT

lAC

1909 Antoinette Replica -

Complete except

lacks fabric covering . Structure redesigned to Current EM members may join the International FAA requirements. Two-place. Brochure avail­ Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and receive SPORT able. Marshall Wood 916/483-8055. (2/97) AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $35 per year. 1948 St inson 108-3 - Looks and flys like a EM Membership, SPORT AEROBATICS maga­ dream. Always hangared. Completely metal­ zine and one year membership in the lAC ized. IFR certified 7/95. Annual 1/ 96. Mid-time Division is available for $45 per year (SPORT engine Lycoming 195hp. New Airtex interior. AVIATION magazine not included). Loran / digital radios/heated pitot/more .

WARBIRDS

$25,000. Bryce Iden, Evenings 614/577-1297, Work 614/486-7736. (5/96)

Current EAA members may join the EAA Warbirds of America Division and receive WAR­ BIRDS magazine for an additional $30 per year. EAA Membership, WARBIRDS magazine and one year membership in the Warbirds Division is Babbit Bearing Service - Camshaft regrinding, available for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION cam followers reground, piston rings , piston magazine not included).

MISCELLANEOUS

EAA EXPERIMENTER Current EAA members may receive EAA EXPERIMENTER magazine for an additional $18 per year. EAA Membership and EAA EXPERIMENTER magazine is available for $28 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included).

FOREIGN

MEMBERSHIPS

Please submit your remittance with a check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars. Add $13 postage for SPORT AVIATION magazine and/or $6 postage for any of the other magazines.

EAA AVIATION CENTER P.O.BOX 3086 OSHKOSH, WI 54903-3086 PHONE (414) 426-4800 FAX (414) 426-4873 OFFICE HOURS: 8:15-5:00 MON.-FRI. 1-800-843-3612

pins , valves. For shipping instructions, call 1/ 800/233-6934. Jack H. Bunton , Machinist, Vintage Engine Machine Works, N. 604 Freya, Spokane, WA 99202. SUPER CUB PA-18 FUSELAGES - New manufacture, STC-PMA-d, 4130 chromoly tub­ ing throughout, also complete fuselage repair. ROCKY MOUNTAIN AIRFRAME INC . (J. Soares, Pres.), 7093 Dry Creek Road , Belgrade, Montana 59714 , 406/388-6069, FAX 406/388­ 0170. Repair station No. QK5R148N. (2/97) FREE CATALOG - Aviation books and videos. How to, building and restoration tips, historiC, flying and entertainment titles. Call for a free catalog. EAA, 1-800-843-3612.

Curtiss JN4- D Memorabilia - You can now own memorabilia from the famous Curtiss "Jenny," as seen on "TREASURES FROM THE PAST." We have T-shirts, posters, postcards, videos, pins, airmail cachets, etc. We also have RIC documentation exclusive to this historic air­ craft. Sale of these items supports operating expenses to keep this "Jenny" flying for the avi­ ation public. We appreciate your help. Send SASE to Virginia AViation , P.O. Box 3365 , Warrenton , VA 22186. (12/96) Ra gw ing Replicas Ultralight legal Aircamper, Heath, Pitts, Duster, Triplane. Plans $52. Brochure $3. P. O. Box 39, Townville, SC 29689. (3/97) Original Brass Tip Spark Plugs C-26 Champion , new $19.00; military reconditioned $7.50 to $12.00. Tom, 770/478-2310. (9/96) Endless cab les - 1/ 16 " $80.00 PP . 3/ 32 " $90.00 PP. Specify length. George Grubich, Box 36, Buhl, MN 55713, 218/258-3313. (6/96) FREE WORLDWIDE BOOKSEARCH for out of print books. ALSO, over 1,000 aeronautic titles available. Send $2 .00 for list, refundable first order. Leatherstocking Bookscout, 738 Hillside Ave., Lake Wales, FL 33853. 1/800/230-8071. (6/96) PARKS AIR COLLEG E - Parks graduate and owner of 1929 Parks P-2A (NC965K) seeks information on Parks Aircraft Corporation . Would welcome any photos or correspondence from anyone with any connection to Parks air­ planes; to be used in future book about same. John Thomas , 60 Robert Leather Road, Bethlehem, CT 06751,203/266-5787.

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