VA-Vol-25-No-1-Jan-1997

EDITORIAL STAFF Publisher

Tom Poberezny

January 1997

Vol. 25, No.1

CONTENTS

Editor

Henry G. Frautschy

1 Straight & Level Espie "Butch" Joyce

Managing Editor

Golda Cox

2 AlC News/H.G. Frautschy

Art Director

Mike Drucks

3 Aeromail

Computer Graphic Specialists

Olivia L. Phillip Jennifer Larsen

Mary Premeau

4 AlC Volunteers/Trisha Dorlac 7 Robert Davis' Contemporary 310­ Norm Petersen

Associate Editor

Norm Petersen

Feature Writer

Dennis Parks

8 The Child And The Plane/ William Whiting 9 The Dating MachinelBob Higgins

Page 9

12 Trimotor C-3?/ Norm Petersen

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION, INC, OFFICERS

19 Fancy Pants PA-H/ H.G. Frautschy and Norm Petersen

22 What Our Members Are RestoringiNorm Petersen Page 13

26 Pass It To Buck! E.E. "Buck" Hilbert

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

30 Welcome New Members/ Calendar

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

31 Vintage Trader/Membership Information

Page 19 FRONT COVER ... Janeen and Dennis Kochan swing their newly restored Clipped-Wing Cub across the shore of one of the many lakes surrounding the Winter Haven. FL region of central Florida. The Reed Clipped-Wing conversion of the Cub has been a popular modification of the airplane for over 30 years. EM photo by Jim Koepnick. Shot with a Canon EOS-l n equipped with an 80-200mm lens. 1/250 sec. @ ilIon 100 ASA slide film. Cessna 210 photo plane fiown by Bruce Moore.

*

President Espie "Butch" Joyce P.O. Box 35584 Greensboro. NC 27425 910/393-0344 Secretary Steve Nesse 2009 Highland Ave. Alberl Lea. MN 5t/.XJ7 507/373-1674

Vice-President George Daubner 2448 Lough Lane Hartford. WI 53027

414/673-5885

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

DIRECTORS

28 Mystery Plane/ H.G. Frautschy

•• •

Staff Photographers LeeAnn Abrams Jim Koepnick Ken Lichtenburg Advertising/Editorial Assistant

Isabelle Wiske

13 Clipped - Wing Cubs/ H.G . Frautschy

24 Oshkosh-If We Could Do It! Lynn Pinson

Edltor-in-Chief

Jack Cox

BACK COVER ... Here's the other Clipped-Wing Cub at Sun 'n Fun '96. restored and flown by Scott Gross and his friend Bill Hadden. along with Scott's brother Steve. Trimmed as a regular Cub. you need to check out the shorter wings before you realize this is no ordinary Cub. EAA photo by Jim Koepnick. Shot with a Canon EOS-l n equipped with an 80­ 200mm lens. 1/60 sec . @f200n l00ASA slide film. Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.

Copyright © 1997 by the EAA Antique/Classic Division Inc. All rights reserved. VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Antique/Classic Division. Inc. of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EAA Aviation Center. 3000 POberezny Rd.• P.O. Box 3086. Oshkosh. Wisconsin 54903-3086. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh. Wisconsin 54901 and at add"ional mailing offices. The membership rate for EAA AntiquelClassic Division. Inc. is $27.00 for current EAA members for 12 month period of which $15.00 0; for lhe publication of VINTAGE AIRPLAiNE. Membership is open to all who are interested in aviation. POSTMASTER: Send address changes 10 EAA Antique/Classic Division. Inc.• P.O. Box 3086. Oshkosh. WI 54903-3086. FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow alleast two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surlace mail. ADVERTISING - Antique/Classic Division does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained lhrough our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken. EDITORIAL POLICY: Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibilny for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. No renumeration 0; 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 DIVISION, INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB, WARBIRDS OF AMERICA are ® registered trademarns. THE EAA SKY SHOPPE and logos of the EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION and EAA ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION are trademarns of the above associations and their use by any person other than the above association is strictly prohib"ed.

Gene Morris 115C Steve Court. R.R. 2 Roanoke. TX 76262 817/491·9110 Robert C. "Bob" Brauer 9345 S. Hoyne Chicago. IL 60620 3121779-2105

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

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

Dale A. Gustafson 7724 Shady Hill Dr. Indianapolis. IN 46278 317/293-4430

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

Robert Uckteig 1708 Bay Oaks Dr. Albert Lea. MN 5t/.XJ7 507/373-2922 Dean Richardson 6701 Colony Dr. Madison, WI 53717 608/833-1291 S.H. "Wes" Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa. WI 53213 414/771-1545

6

Jeannie Hill P.O. Box 328 Harvard. IL 60033 815/943-7205 Roberl D. "Bob" Lumley 1265 South 124th St. Brookfield. WI 53005 414/782-2633

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

George York

181 Sioboca Av.

Mansfield. OH 44906

419/529-4378

DIRECTOR EMERITUS E.E. "Buck" Hilbert P.O. Box 424 Union. IL601SO 815/923-4591

ADVISORS Steve Krog 930 Tara HL E Hartford. WI 53027 414/966-7627

Roger Gomoll 3238 Vicorio Sf. N St Paul. MN 55126 612/484-2303

STRAIGHT & LEVEL

by Espie "Butch" Joyce

With the beginning of 1997, we're just a short distance from the year 2000. We can look back just a few to all the years with a seven in them - 07, 17,27,37,47, 57,67,77,87. When looking at these dates, you and I might think of one major event that happened during that time. I was around in 1947, but I do not remember much, as I was only three at the time. I can recall that my father owned a new Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser. When he would put the Cruiser back into the T-hangar located in our back yard, I would walk on the tire holding onto the strut. One day I fell off of the tire and the airplane ran over me! When mother got through with Dad, he felt a lot worse than I did - it hardly scratched me! Let's see, 1957 was the year that I was beginning to date girls and was getting into muscle cars. My father had just bought a brand new Piper Tri-Pacer, our first nose gear airplane. When he brought it home, he and Mom were in a hurry to leave for a dinner with some friends, so he entrusted me to put his brand new Tri-Pacer away in the T -hangar. I got the tow bar out, something I had never seen before, and hooked it up. So we wouldn't damage anything on the airplane, we carefully lined everything up before we began and with the help of some of my football buddies we proceeded to push the airplane back into the hangar. Well, the hangar was built when we had only taildraggers. That tall tail of the Tri-Pacer was higher than the top of the T-hangar doorway. Crunch! The rudder hit the front beam of the hangar, bending the rudder and knocking off the rotating beacon perched on top of the rudder. As you might have already guessed, I caught "H- L" over this - we had never owned a rotating beacon before. It was a good thing I did not do anything to our new Narco VHT-3 radio! While cleaning out some old papers lately, I came across some paperwork that is related to this Tri-Pacer. In a 1957 Carolina Aero Club membership directory is an article entitled "How To Live With Control Towers." Here's the first paragraph. "There are only about 180 airport control towers operated by the CAA in the United States. Many nonprofessional pilots actually fear these towers and everything they stand for, and go out of their way to land at small, outlying airports just to avoid trying to cope with that terrifYing monster, the Control Tower. " The article does go on to try and educate pilots how to cope with their perceived problem. It was quite enlightening. Also, I found my Dad's insurance policy he carried on this Tri-Pacer in the late 1950's. He had $300,000.00 of liability with $25,000.00 of passenger coverage. The year's premium for this was $635.00. On another policy he had $13,000.00 worth of all-risk hull coverage. Here's the amazing part about that transaction - the premium for one year for the hull coverage was $1,200.00! Some things have gotten better in aviation. I would go on to fly this Tri-Pacer, N7006B, for more than 1,000 hours before it was sold.

The next ten years would see the most aircraft ever manufactured and put into service. 1967 would find me as a member of the U. S. Army in the Special Forces "Green Berets." I lost my Father that year and the Tri-Pacer was sold. It wasn't a great year so there's not much more that I want to say about that time period. By 1977 I had two great daughters, a business that was going great, a Beech D-35, and I had discovered how much fun it is to be a volunteer at Oshkosh for the EAA. 1987 - I moved up to a Beech Baron B-55, and was on the EAA Antique/Classic Board of Directors. I'd made a lot of new great friends working as an EAA volunteer. 1997 finds me writing another "Straight & Level" article for your VINTAGE AIRPLANE and president of the EAA Antique/Classic Division, a duty that I really love. Throughout the year EAA and all of the EAA Divisions 足 Antique/Classic, Warbirds of America and the International Aerobatic Club - will be recognizing the volunteers' efforts. Tom Poberezny, in his December Homebuilder's Comer" in Sport Aviation, wrote a letter to the Division presidents concerning this recognition effort He wrote: "As you know, throughout 1997, a major emphasis will be placed upon recognizing and thanking the thousands of volunteers who, essentially, have made EAA what it is today. The celebration ofEAA volunteerism will be a major theme at 'Oshkosh '97,' as well as Sun 'n Fun. Details and plans will be forthcoming. " Should any of you Antique/Classic members have any volunteer stories or photos, we would like to hear from you as soon as you can, so other members can learn about the help that you and your friends give to the AlC Division. Trisha Dorlac is authoring a series of articles underscoring the efforts put forth by the volunteer corps at EAA Oshkosh. And of course, she's doing it as a volunteer! Volunteerism is not confmed to that effort at Oshkosh, but is found throughout the year by individuals helping the EAA movement. If you're wondering how, remember the individuals who help with the Young Eagles program, and the local Chapter officers and members. The Officers and Directors of your Antique/Classic Division would like for you to know that your Division has over 10,000 members. We feel your magazine VINTAGE AIRPLANE is the best that it has ever been, and that your volunteer help is more important ever. This year, your Antique/Classic Division will be looking at replacing the tents now used for the Type Club Headquarters and the A/ C Workshop with a more permanent structure. News of what we are doing along this line will be forthcoming after your Board of Directors meeting in February at Oshkosh. One of the greatest things that you can do for your Antique/Classic Division is to speak about the Division with your friends in aviation. Let them know what your Division has to offer, and lend them a copy of Vintage Airplane. Let's all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation. Remember we are ... better together. Join us and have it all. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1

A/C NEWS compiled by H.C. Frautschy ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB By the time you read this, the newest web page on the EAA's site on the Internet will be devoted to the EAA Antique/Clas­ sic Division . For now, you can reach the page by going to EAA's s ite at www.eaa.org and selecting "Specialty Groups" on the main page. We plan on of­ fering direct access in the near future, as our domain name is logged and registered. So what will you find on the AlC Web page? Explanations concerning the mis­ sion of the AIC Division, and AlC activi­ ties at EAA Oshkosh and Sun 'n Fun (in­ cluding the Awards List) . The text from the EAA Judging Manual concerning the definition of Antique, Classic and Contem­ porary aircraft is included. A section is devoted to an explanation of the division magazine, Vintage Airplane is also in­ cluded, and a page detailing the various AlC programs is on line as well. A full list of current Antiquel Classic Chapters is listed. The importance of the various Type Clubs and A IC volunteers is also high­ lighted. As you can imagine, a web page is a moving target, subject to revision at the re­ quest of those who use it. If you don't see something on the EAA AntiquelClassic Web Site you'd like to have available, let us know. You can send us a message via the home page by using the "Type" radio button. We don't yet have direct access on our desktop Mac to the messages (they come to us via Sneaker Net when they are dropped in our IN basket) but we'll be there in the future. We can send you a message back via e-mail. The only thing we ask is patience. E-mail messages don't receive any higher priority than those sent via the mail or a fax, and so others may be in front of you as we work through your me ssage s. We endeavor to get to your question as fast as possible , but if exten­ sive research is needed, it can take a bit of time. Also , if you send a message and would rather it not be considered for publi­ cation as a " Letter to the Editor" in Vin­ tage Airplane, please note that in your text. Let us know what you think, and we'll continue to see the AIC site on the World Wide Web evolve. N-NUMBERS AND YOUR AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE As noted in this month ' s edition of Sport Aviation 's Hotline, when you change 2 JANUARY 1997

Those clever folks on the Antique/ Classic flight line are always up for a bit of fun. One of the wags parking airplanes waaaaaay down on the south end of the field (often refe r red to as "North Fond du Lac") added this "Row In­ finity" marker after row 150. It can be a bit of a bus ride up north from your air­ plane, but it's still better than driving to the Convention! Fortunately, through the diligent ef­ forts of the EAA Maintenance staff, the south end areas are becoming smoother and more hospitable as the years go by. Those of us who recall the area just east of the Ultralight area 15 or 20 years ago will remember when it wasn't exactly a garden spot either, but attention focused on the area did get in good condition.

your N-number on your airplane, you must have the Airworthiness Certificate for your airplane reissued. Failure to do so could result in an uncomfortable situation should your airplane be checked by an FAA In­ spector. Remember there can be one and only one difference between the certificate and the actual number painted on your air­ plane. Per FAR 45 .22, it is permissible to add the "c" (or "R," etc.) to the registra­ tion number applied to the airplane if it was originally registered with the prefix added to the N-number, i.e. NC 12345. The "c" will not appear on your Airwor­ thiness Certificate. Just be sure the rest of the number does! You can get the neces­ sary forms from your local FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). FCC REFUNDS Did you apply for a radio station li­ censee from the FCC after July 17, 1994? If you did, you could be due a partial re­ fund from the FCC. Send your licensee with the word "Refund" written on it to FCC Aircraft Refund, 1270 Fairfield Rd., Gettysburg, PA 17325-7245. You'll be sent a partial refund, depending on how close your application was mailed to the change in licensee requirements that was made by the FCC.

EAA ADULT AIR ACADEMY You still have time to register for the EAA Adult Air Academy . This year's class, Basic Aircraft Maintenance, Build­ ing and Restoration Skills, promises to be one of the best offered. This one week session is offered February 16-22, 1997. Your $800 registration fee covers alllodg­ ing, food , local tra nsportation, plus all classroom materials. Don't delay! For further information, contact the EAA Education Office by call­ ing 414/426-6815 or write to the EAA Ed­ ucation Office at P.O. Box 3065, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3065. SWIFT PRODUCTION? Stuart Horn and his company, Bravo Victor, Inc . (which is doing business as Aviat Aircraft, Inc. of Afton , WY) have entered into an agreement with The Inter­ national Swift Association that will allow Aviat to produce the Swift on a production line using the original tooling. It is ex­ pected that the airplane will be built using many of the existing certified modifica­ tions such as the bubble canopy and larger engines. Also, Aviat will produce parts for the Swift that will be available to those who currently fly and maintain their Swifts, Classic aircraft built in the 1940's. Mr. Hom's company is currently build­ ing the Pitts Special and the Husky, along with the Chisten Eagle. Hom acquired the company in late 1995, and has seen its gross receipts exceed 9 million dollars dur­ ing the first three quarters of his steward­ ship. They see the addition of the Swift to their product line as a logical extension into a specialty market with which they are familiar, tailwheel aircraft that appeal to a small segment of general aviation on a worldwide basis. Congratulations to Char­ lie Nelson and the Swift Association for coming to an agreement with the company that will help ensure the longevity of their favorite airplane. G. DALE BEACH Our condolences to the family of G. Dale Beech, founder of the Funk Aircraft Association. Dale passed away November 16, 1996. He is survived by his wife Inez, son Andrew and daughter Glenda, as well as his three grandchildren and two great grand children. Dale was also the author of "Its A Funk," the book that detailed the history of the airplane he loved so much, as well as highlighting the lives of the Funk brothers. Know as the "Flying Cow­ boy," Dale brought his fiddle wherever he went. He'll be missed by many people both in and out of aviation. ..

VINTAGE

AeroMail

Luscombe Door Flying DearH.G., I read Mr. Walter Best's letter in the November 1996 issue of Vintage Airplane with much interest. ·His comments about maneuvering a Luscombe without rudder control merits further discussion. The Luscombe Model 8, by its design nature and center of gravity location will turn OPPOSITE the direction a door is opened in flight, regardless of airspeed. That is, open the left door, the nose swings right; open the right door, the nose swings left. To verify the "door open in flight" han­ dling characteristics, I tried a series of sim­ ple in-flight tests in my venerable Lus­ combe 8A. When I opened my left door, the nose of the airplane swung right. When I opened my right door, the Luscombe yawed left. Each airplane has its own peculiar char­ acteristic(s) when a door is opened in flight. For the lightplane owner, this knowledge might save a life in the event of control failure. I hope this information clarifies Mr. Walter Best's letter. Warmest Regards, JimZazas Luscombe NC45504 Carthage, NC

Jim and Walter are correct. When edit­ ing Walter's letter, I swapped the door ef­ fects, giving the impression that Walt's let­ ter was in error. Not so! Walt wrote it properly, but I didn't get it down on paper correctly. My apologies. Not only can the knowledge ofan air­ plane 's handling with a door open be use­ ful for controlling the airplane, it can also prevent a panic response when a door in­ advertently pops open. Knowingjust how far to door will open (or how little it really will go without more force being applied) can help keep the pilot flying the airplane, instead ofworrying about closing the door. ­ HGF Pheasant Traveler Info Dear Mr. Frautschy, In one of your articles you stated that in going through Steve Wittman's hangar you had found some long tapered pieces of wood . I think they were spars left over from when the Pheasant Traveler was built in 1929 or '30. Did you find any other information on

that airplane? Steve said that he had worked on them when they were built, and test flew them. I owned the one that had the four cylin­ der inline air-cooled Cirrus Hermes engine in it. It was a fast one to fly at that time, but I liked it. It also had a very different type oflanding gear. I have a small model of the one I had; if you would like to see it, let me know. Les Deltgen (AIC 14853)

Les stopped by EAA HQ here in Oshkosh, and showed us his neat solid model . The spars we found in Steve's hangar seemed to be the right conjiguration for the Traveler, but they were nearly two feet shorter than the span listed for the Pheasant Traveler. In the EAA film archives exists a videotape copy ofa black and white jilm showing a air race staged during thejirst annual Wisconsin air show in 1930. In it, a Pheas­ ant Traveler is seen racing around the py­ lons. Although he is not directly shown, it is believed that Steve is racing the Traveler at this race. Did he have a "clip wing" version, hence the shorter spars? Without more evidence, it is difficult to say. - HGF News from the 'Lil Indian DearH.G., Gerry Martin came to me two months ago and asked if we could fly 84 kids from a group called "The Young Astronauts" for the Young Eagles program. I checked with Rucker Tibbs, the owner/operator of New London Airport (I.D. W-90) and he said "go for it." The first try was rained out! The second was scheduled Sunday, Octo­ ber 27, 1996. We had ten pilots with 21 seats in aircraft from Cubs, 7-AC, C-150s, C-I72s and twin Aztec (five seats); so 21 divided by 84 equals four trips each air­ craft; that wouldn't keep us busy all day so we added a Cub Scout group and my Sun­ day school kids which added 18 kids and six adults! Rucker let us flag off the ramp to keep the kids away from active aircraft and gave us the use of a C-150 for ground school, which Tom Muye did a fantastic job of! We divided the folks into two groups: one from 9-12 and one from 1-3 (giving pilots a one hour lunch).

These two photos show Les Delton, of Menasha, WI and his model of the Pheasant Traveler he owned at one time. Les sent us the shot of his full size airplane, taken when he used to keep it at the old Appleton Air­ port, which used to be on the northeast corner of the city.

We had eight ground members doing paper­ work, loading and unloading, parking air­ craft, etc. h turned out that the "84 number" was children and parents! So our end results by 3 p.m. was 67 Young Eagles and 42 parents! Some of the kids were so excited we did 18 "second rides" and finished up at 5:30 p.m. for a total of 126 rides! You'll notice that under "EAA Chapter or Affiliate Organization," I've listed "W­ 90" (New London Airport; I figured since most of us are EAA, Antique/Classic mem­ bers and based at New London and Rucker was generous enough to let us use his air­ port all day, plus free gas, two of his C­ 150s, plus fly (his J-4 too!), ... I would list his airport as the "affiliate organization." We would like to thank you for giving us a program that put so many smiles on so many faces! Thanks,

Cheryl Best

The enjoyment offlying a Young Eagle is matched only by the excitement these

young people feel when they get to fly in a light airplane for the very first time . Thanks for writing, Cheryl, and keep on flying the youngsters - we 've passed the 25 percent mark, but that just means we need to redouble our efforts - the end of2003 is only 6 short years away! - HGF .. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

OLUNTEERS ON THE FLIGHT LINE by

Patricia liTrish" Dorlac

Safely guiding the many AlC planes that come to visit the EAA Convention is No.1 priority to the many Flight Line Safety volunteers.

This series of articles is dedicated to the men and women in the Antique/Clas­ sic division, without whom EAA Oshkosh as we know it would simply not exist . These volunteers not only will­ ingly, but cheerfully, offer countless hours of their time every summer, and it ' s usually their hard earned vacation! These articles are to recognize the awe­ some commitment so many offer every year and also to remind others that any time they would be willing to offer is al­ ways enthusiastically welcomed! FLIGHT LINE OPERATIONS Working on the flight line has ap­ pealed to me since my younger days in the Civil Air Patrol, when I worked with A-7s. I loved the roar of the engines, checking out the intakes and just being around the planes. Once a year I again have the opportunity to immerse myself in the joy of flight ... on the ground. In our 4 JANUARY 1997

area of the Antique/Classic Division, we are challenged with the awesome responsi­ bility of parking hundreds of airplanes in a very short pe­ riod of time. We control the flight line from row 55 to row 150 and beyond, an area often referred to as " infin­ ity." When you check the odometer on one of the Honda scooters, it is nearly two miles in length. To en­ sure the safety of every air­ plane, pilot and onlooker, each plane is escorted by a From right to left, AI Supensky, Charlie Kaminski and biker or foot escort - some­ Randy Hytry pause fo r a moment in the shade of the times both. Over 100 volun­ AlC Point shack. teers were trained this year to work these positions. the ability to escort the airplanes on and We put 50-100 miles a day on our off the field, braving conditions such as bikes. Fortunately, we have our own in­ unpredictable weather which can change ternal bike repairman, Dyle Wilson, who the field conditions from smooth and dry keeps them going! Our bikers possess to wet and very muddy. Our bikers are

As each plane taxis in , they're picked up by one of the bikers, who will di­ rect them to a parking spot in the Antique/Clas­ sic area of the Co nven­ tion grounds.

Dave Thomas (holding the sign) and Russ El­ lis are just a couple of the many volunteers who work A/e Point, at the south end of of the taxiway paralleling runway 18/36.

expert at picking out the safest route to bring the airplanes to their destination . They are able to guide these beautiful ~ L-_ _ _ _ _ _ _--'-''''''_ _ machines around crowds of people who are busy admi ring all the other aircraft Melinda Pickering escorts Paul Workman taxing in his wife Pam's custom Aeronca and may not notice the newest arrival. If Champ on their way to the AlC camping area. you are a tricyc le pi lot, th is may not identify ing and direc ting the pl anes to activities at Oshkosh. They have to be, seem like the amazing feat it is. Many of their next destination. Some of our point s ince many peop le m istake their booth our planes are tail draggers and there is managers inc lude: Don Straughn, Bob for an information booth . All of these no room for the zig zag that allows these Majka, Mike Costa, K athy McGurran, wonderful people take the time to either pilots to see better on the ground. When Randy Hytry a nd Denny Gr u izenga. answer questions or find out the answers. I say that these bikers have a great re­ Each year they return to teach the rest of T hey probably know the tram and bus sponsibility, I am not exaggerating. They us all they know. schedu les by heart! This year we wel­ really are the eyes for the pilot. These comed the husband wife team of Joe and Our crossing guards are the best! escorts are very talented! Some of our They are challenged with the responsibil­ Jenna Ware, who put in many hours. expert bikers include : Dan and Linda ity of stopp ing crowds who are not al­ Much of our operation is managed Bedzoldt, Orlo Ellison, Charlie Kamin­ ways aware of oncoming propellers and from our "OPS shack," where aircraft ski, Reinhardt Kuntz, Dave Thomas, and being the extra set of eyes for the pilots registration can be cross-referenced and Cheryl and Bruce Rosander. and biker escorts. Some of the most ded­ all volunteers check in to be assigned Each arrival is met by one of our Point icated workers return to this position an­ their shift positions. Smooth operations managers, who have years of experience nually and are very well versed on the are guaranteed here thanks to Phillip VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

Blake (vo luntee r si n ce 196 4) , Steve Whelan, Dyle Wilson and several others. Crowd control is probably one of the best jobs for the money. Included in the benefits package are free food and drink (THANK YOU OPERATION THIRST!!!) and an awesome view of the airs how. These marvelous volunteers brave the heat, rain or cold to ensure the safety of the crowd and planes. They do their best to remind the crowd of the basic rules and are capable of keeping them behind the burn line with a single steely eyed glance, (although a smi le and gen­ tle reminder are usually all that is needed.) Although it is not possible to include all the folks who work with us, we want everyone of you to know how appreci­ ated you are. Every job is made easier by each person who pitches in to help make Oshkosh the truly grand event that ... we love. Thanks!

It isn ' t all sunburns and smelly exhaust out there on the flight­ line. Sally Ryan (left) hosts many volunteers as a volunteer herself. Orlo Ellison stops by "Sally's Woods" for a smile and a drink of something cool.

Okay, so you might get just a bit sun­ burned on the flight line. After a long, satisfying day vol­ unteering, Evan, Kathy, Mike Trish and Randy, along with Walt in front, relax before retir­ ing for the evening.

Flight line volunteers Philip Blake and Patty "Trish" Dorlac admire Kath McGurran's "Flight Line Volunteer of the Year" award presented to her during the 1996 Convention. 6 JANUARY 1997

Robert Davis'

Contemporary

by

Norm Petersen

P hoto by Paul Boyer,

a professional photographer

from Port Townsend, W A.

This really sharp looking 1959 Cessna 310C, N666T, SIN 35925, is owned by Robert B. Davis (Captain, United Air Lines, Ret.) (EAA 5219 19) of Port Townsend, WA. He says, "After a one year restoration effort, the 3 10 is provid­ ing fast (200+), comfortable, reliable and enjoyable flying experiences." After owning a 1946 Globe Swift and having twin-engine time in U. S. Air Force TB-25's and SA-16's, plus United Convair 340's, Robert bought N666T in January 1994. Robert's son, John W. Davis, is an MEL CFI II, so he volun­ teered to properly check out his "old man" in proper light

twin driving. The local maintenance chief at Townsend Airways, Jef­ ferson County Airport, Pat Paden, A & P and AI, was the man in charge of the project and did a fabulous job accord­ ing to Robert. The entire airplane was brought up to 1995 standards, both mechanically and asethically. It is obvious from the photo that somebody really knew what they were doing. Of262 Model C's produced, 155 remain on the FAA reg­ ister today. A grand total of all 310 models brings the regis­ ... ter total to 3276.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

THE CHILD

AndThePLANE

by William R. Whiting

(Ale 19331) The Whiting family's Stinson 108, which now excites the two youngest Whitings, Jenilynn (left) and Bridgett.

The spring day was fresh, and stirring inside myself as though a tonic full of excitement. My senses went wild with a longing to be flying with the birds riding the air currents. I drove to Crystal air­ port with my two daughters, Bridgett, nine and Jenilynn, six, who were looking forward to seeing our family plane - she'd been in storage during the harsh winter months in Minnesota. As I gazed at the old girl I recalled my wife, Buddy, had thought the plane's name should be something fitting - "The Mistress!" was her suggestion. I thought back to a time yet still alive in my memories. The sun shone bright (it does usually in memories) of a crisp winter after­ noon on a frozen lake. My Dad and uncle working on trying to start an Enya .09 powering a Carl Goldberg Mambo free flight plane. The engine was cold so with the help of the car's hot ex­ haust pipe, a heavy prime of fuel, and the batteries buried deep in­ side my Uncle Bill's layers of clothes next to his hide (this of course being before Thinsulate®) the engine came to life! The plane soared on a low arching circle, the clear yellow silk wings glistening against the sparkling snow. All this grandeur came to an abrupt halt, for as the plane kept coming around the circle it was not gaining any altitude, and my Uncle's DeSoto Fireflight was more or less in the circle. To be exact the left hub cap was in the Mambo's flight path! It survived the sudden stop, and for many years the old model flew and flew and became the cornerstone of my love of flight. The memories are good of those times ... I' m brought out of my trance by a Bellanca Viking coming to life a few hangars down. I started to clean the faithful plane with my daughters, who are equally excited to be getting on with it so we can go flying. Both of them are already making memories of flight, the people attrib­ uted to it, and those magnificent planes of then and now. Once again my mind wanders back to earlier times when I was their age. The aircraft was a Nesmith Cougar, N93140. We built the plane, and I polished and flew with my Dad. On a crisp Minnesota winter day we went flying to the lake. There was my uncle ice fishing be­ low and the plane seemed to be nearly that of the model airplane of years gone by, boxy in shape and yellow. We circled, waggled our wings and since we were getting cold, we headed for our home field, Flying Cloud airport. Then came the day we shared our hangar with a stately aircraft of vintage heritage - a Stinson 108. I remembered it smelled as old as it looked! Dad had our little Cougar snuggled in under one of her wings. Wow, is she BIG, that Stinson! A while later the old lady left our hangar and Cougar found a new home in California. Dad was looking for that lady that touched our lives briefly some­ time earlier. He did manage to find her at a now closed airport south of MinneapoJis called Southport. Half buried in snow, we disassembled her to give her life again. The work was hard and long and not being too up there in years, the time it took to rebuild it seemed to be an eternity! Dad was patient in the learning process for both my brother Harry and myself. Our participation was essential, for our small hand and size could hold that nut in inaccessible places. The "Readdy Heater" warmed the garage while at the same time the kerosene fumes stung our eyes, but it did manage to keep things bearable, while out-

a JANUARY 1997

side the wind howled and frost formed around the garage door seams. Two years ago it was my turn as I spent the winter months in the hangar with my daughter, Bridgett, diligently working the "Readdy Heater" as before, our eyes burning, as we worked get­ ting the lady ready for competition at Oshkosh, Wisconsin. By spring she was cleaned and readied for flight and I realized the im­ portance of the child and the plane. My daughters were sharing in the hard and important work of holding that nut! We talked about this item and that and what functions they performed and then let our imaginations carry us aloft during break times. The bond of adults, planes and children is extraordinarily strong. As Jeni yells "Dad, I got her looking good!", I come out of my trance from atop the ladder, where I had been cleaning the wing. I look down at my two precious girls, and remember when I and my brothers, Harry and Fran, and our baby sister, were once the children helping care for this lady. My little sister, who in the be­ ginning was in charge of entertainment and later became a first rate mechanic, has a lot in common with my girls. The future does shine bright, and not just in memories of a time gone by. The child and the plane shall endure the hardships as the child in each of us older kids did, remembering the memories of aircraft and fantasies ... and how we embellished in their grandeur.

The

Dating Machine

by Bob Higgins

I suppose there have been enough wellresearched nuts-and-bolts articles written about the Piper Vagabond, so I decided to offer a look at that old girl from a different perspective. Recollections of my first contacts with the PA-15 date back to July of 1948, the same month she received Civil Aeronau­ tics Authority approval. That string of memorable events began just five days af­ ter the same government agency had is­ sued me a private license. I was just six months shy of graduation from high school, but I didn't even have a driver's license yet. Schools and car dealers hadn't begun to sponsor driver education, and Dad saw no reason to teach me. In fact, my parents had only recently learned about my secret life as an aviator. I first sighted the shiny figure of NC4340H from the seat of my fire engine red Cushman motor scooter. The cute yellow bird wasn't tied down on the flight line next to the six fairly new J-3 Cubs I'd flown . It stood parked in front of the

FBO, ready to take War­ ren Oliver' s first Vagabond rental customer into a cloudless sky from the sandy grass airfield located about six miles southwest of downtown South Bend, Indiana. I could hardly wait to see how she handled. Excitement mounted as I conducted the walk-around accompanied by a flight instructor. The plane looked and smelled as great as any aircraft fresh from the fac­ tory. Since the PA-15 had only one set of controls, my check-out consisted of a few words of advice. "Bob, you'll have to wiggle your toes a lot with this short girl," Bruce warned . "She has a strong ten­ dency to sashay all over the place during the takeoff and landing rolls." The usual small crowd of Chain '0' Lakes airport's hangar fliers assembled behind a rickety three foot fence to watch the sod field's youngest aviator's attempt to tame a tigress . The torque of her Ly­ coming engine allowed her to wander

some during the first few takeoffs, but I soon got wise to her tricks. The Vagabond became a refined and well-behaved lady once her wheels left the ground. I could relax and concentrate on her other features while I flew the pat­ tern. In level flight at 600 feet on down­ wind leg, she provided an outstanding view over the nose, and she accelerated to a thrilling 90 mph, a record speed for me. In my mind's eye, I could picture some awe-struck girl sitting beside me on the Vagabond's cozy cushioned seat. It was covered with a washable fabric in my fa­ vorite color which matched the cabin's deep blue interior finish . Thirty minutes and several takeoffs and landings later, it was love at first flight. After the final, smooth, three point landing, I taxied in to face the inevitable questions. I told everyone that as far as I was concerned, the need to keep tabs on the latest Piper ' s high-spirited nature merely added to her charm. I surmised that the Vagabond and I had made each other look good because the airport crowd VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

heaped accolades on both of us. Since the runways were so close, I enjoyed the thrill of being a spectator with a splendid vantage point as the second Vagabond pilot made the circuits around the pattern that also qualified him to carry passengers. I was still filled with ob­ vious enthusiasm when 1 re­ ported for work that after­ noon at a local tennis shoe factory. I shared details of my good fortune with a coworker, and news about that momentous flight spread quickly among the assemblers on the produc­ tion line. Among them was a shy girl near my age, a minister's daughter. The older women guarded her and had made it known that 1 should leave the girl alone. Since Betty seemed com­ fortable with their ultima­ tum, I honored their wishes. Besides, 1 had my eyes on Nancy, a younger girl I'd met recently while attending a fellow pilot's church. Ironically, the preacher's daughter broke the ice that evening. She slipped away from her protectors when the dinner whistle blew, rushed to my work station out of breath, and startled me with the news that her father was an earthbound airplane buff whose flying activities consisted of noth­ ing except dreams inspired by reading magazines. "Did you really fly a brand new airplane today?" she asked. "Yes, I did, Betty," I replied. "Really?" she persisted. "Are you telling the truth?" I reached in a trouser pocket and pulled out the re­ ceipt that proved I had paid a $3.00 rental fee for a 30 minute solo flight in a PA­ lS that day. She wanted to show it to her father, so I gave it to her. During our shift the following day, Betty- at her father's request-invited me to visit him in the parsonage. I gladly jumped at the chance to possibly convert a minister's fantasies into the real thing. The armchair aviator ushered me into his study and closed the door. For a cou­ ple of hours we had a great time compar­ 10 JANUARY 1997

ing what he had read about the three mod­ els of Pipers I'd flown with what I'd learned through actual experiences. He knew enough to ask intelligent questions and wanted to hear about the 50 minute check ride that had netted me a private li­ cense, especially the thrilling details about the required, two turn, precision tailspins. "Have you looped the J-3?" he asked,

leaning forward. "Of course," I replied. "I learned that maneuver from more experienced pilots at the airport. You're not a Cub pilot un­ til you've learned to do a loop without getting sand in your eyes." Obviously intrigued, he decided to go up with me. He agreed to pay the legal limit-half the cost of a one hour flight in the Vagabond, and he would provide the

auto transportation to and from the aiIlX)lt. I got a big kick out of Betty' s father as he raved about our "magic carpet." Keep­ ing our destination a secret seemed to en­ hance his obvious enjoyment. Since I knew the route and flew IFR (I follow railways), I didn't need to consult a sec­ tional chart or the Vagabond's sole navi­ gational instrument, a magnetic compass. I simply picked up the Grand Trunk (Canadian National) railway tracks just south of the airport and followed them to our destination. It was fun to watch my elated passenger ' s reactions to the scenery, prominent landmarks, readings on the altimeter and airspeed indicator, and the increased speed during descent as I maneuvered to enter the traffic pattern at a suburban Chicago airfield . His eyes widened as we came close enough to en­ ter a downwind leg. I anticipated his ex­ citement at viewing the huge ramp cov­ ered with row after row of small airplanes. The Vagabond didn't have a radio. I found a break in the traffic flow and eased into it behind another plane. After land­ ing, we cleared the runway and followed a jeep to a parking space. After that, I was content to follow my passenger while he examined many makes and models of aircraft he'd only seen in photos. Many were in mint condition. The good reverend could hardly con­ tain his joy as we mixed with some Piper owners and engaged them in some great hangar flying. After a light lunch, I prac­ tically had to pry the preacher away from that place. We departed to the west and made a sweep­ ing turn to the north to enjoy the Vagabond's outstanding over the nose view of Chicago's Loop. That did it. He was so elated that he agreed to allow his daughter to take a one hour ride at his expense. Under the circumstances, I didn't mind having the girl's father drive Betty and me to and from the airport a few days later. I got to log more time at a cut rate. Besides, I'd never tire ofviewing the scenery on the way to Ben­ ton Harbor via the Warren Dunes and the shoreline of Lake Michigan, especially sitting beside a demonstrative girl thrilled with her first flight. Betty's reaction to that bird's-eye view of southwestern Michigan amused and pleased me. The experience loosened her shy tongue dramatically. She was sti ll talkative over lunch. I had to laugh and agree with my elated passenger when she claimed that nothing could beat the taste of a hamburger, fries and a malt eaten af­ ter a hop in a clipped wing marvel. Another reward from taking that flight­ date of sorts came at work the next day. Betty ' s glowing report about the Vagabond, its pilot, and the thrill of fly­ ing astonished her self-appointed

guardians. I listened with glee. Circum­ venting those older ladies had pleased me as much as finding my way around a dan­ gerous thunderstorm. I accomp lished the latter feat when my future wife and I made our first Vagabond flight, a trip in which I formed my fondest memories associated with that wonderful dating machine. The general aura of romance associ­ ated with flying intensified when it came to carrying girls in a Vagabond. It had a profound psychological effect on them. For one thing, the lack of a control stick on the passenger side allowed them to wear typical apparel of that era : skirt, blouse, bobbysox and saddle shoes. Nancy had begun to make articles of clothing several years earlier when she had tackled sewing projects with the Campfire Girls . What we considered a sport plane inspired her to buy some cloth that matched the Vagabond's interior. The airport crowd dubbed us a "cute couple" as

A couple of love struck, high­ school students squeezed into the blue confines of a cozy Vagabond cockpit would hardly think oftheir surroundings as "austere." Wefeft privileged as we roared aloft in our private compartment, leaving the we boarded the P A-IS wearing a shirt and a blouse cut from the same fabric. After takeoff on an especially hot and humid day, we headed south-southeast and climbed above the haze to the cooler air at 3500 feet. Our destination­ Rochester, Indiana- lay ahead . During my boyhood, I'd gone there many times for picnics and swimming with my par­ ents, sisters and other relatives. That's where I'd met Phyllis Onstott, a local girl I dated via the buses that ran through Rochester to the state capitol. A couple of love struck, high-school students squeezed into the blue confines of a cozy Vagabond cockpit would hardly think of their surroundings as "austere." We felt privileged as we roared aloft in our private compartment, leaving the world behind. Using pilotage and dead reckoning, we flew a direct course until we spotted Rochester. Then we made a wide circle over the small resort town and Lake Man­ itou for a leisurely entry into the traffic pattern. Along the way we enjoyed an unprecedented view of the familiar castle­ like courthouse downtown, the many cot­ tages and resorts along the lake shore, and the general lay of flat farmland spread be­ fore us in squares like a patch quilt. Nancy and I created quite a stir as we taxied up to the flight line and deplaned from a novel aircraft wearing youthful

smiles and matching outfits. A couple cameras clicked while we fielded ques­ tions about ourselves and our yellow bird. Eventually we walked to what I con­ sidered a major attraction , the Airport Grill. It featured a juke box, the kind of food teens prefer, a fine view of the lake, and a congenial group of local people and vacationers from near and far. It was easy to spot newcomers in that eating place; they would attempt to pick up a nickel that was firmly attached to the floor. While we ate and talked, airplane buffs hanging around on the flight line had am­ ple time to inspect the Vagabond under the watchful eye s of Helen House Out­ celt, the lady who ran the airport. During those Vagabond days, we could arrange to pay for only the time aloft as long as we got the plane back in time for its next appointment. That day, however, the sudden approach of an isolated air mass thunderstorm cut our stay short. Our takeoff to the southwest afforded us a fuzzy view of a dark haze shrouded men­ ace that promised a bumpy ride if we got too close. Once we got high enough to maneu­ ver, I entered a gentle tum away from the storm until it was slightly behind our left wing tip. Mother Nature ' s "No Trespass­ ing" sign (increased turbulence) suddenly sent us to a more northerly heading. By the time we reached the clear cool air above the haze, we were far enough from the storm to safely turn to a direct homebound course and level flight at 4500 feet. However, we first made a brief detour to the west, a heading that afforded us a marvelous but eerie view of the awe­ some black roll cloud unleashing its fury on Rochester. Above the storm we could see the beautiful white towering cumu­ lonimbus cloud capped with an anvil. With a tail wind pushing our ground­ speed to more than two miles per minute, we reached the South Bend area with time to spare . Reluctant to return to earth, I stayed high, made a rapid descent, and used a slip on final approach. We watched the next couple take to the sky , added our adventure to the other hangar flying tales of the afternoon, and took an early evening meal in the small airport restaurant. We finished the meal with a special treat - a slice of genuine butterscotch pie. We topped off that won­ derful day with a motor scooter ride to Nancy's house at dusk and an hour or more on a porch swing. I never lost my appreciation for the Vagabond's important contribution to my happiness as I evolved from a grassroots flier of small tail draggers to a pilot of much larger planes with nosewheels and multiple jet engines . Over the next five decades I never misse d a chance to fly any of the beloved Pipers from the days of youth. ... VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

Tri-Motor

Aeronca C-3?

by Norm Petersen \

I f you think you are seeing double (or triple) with your eyeballs, don't be dismayed. This par­ ticular airplane is indeed, a tri-motor Aeronca C-3 that was put together in the late 1940's by Howard Libersky of Ma­ son City, Iowa and now of Okeechobee, FL. De­ signed to be "something different" at airshows, the basic Aeronca C-3 was modified with a 65 hp Continental in the nose pulling a Lewis pro­ peller (you can see the Lewis logos on the prop) . In addition, Howard hung two 16.8 cu . in . two-stroke en­ gines from the Radio­ plane OQ-2A drone un­ der the wings that were attached by special mounts. The drone en­ gines had contra-rotating propellers (note the different blade angles on the small props) and could be throttled from the cockpit. Howard says the most difficult item was hand propping the drone engines as the two propellers were so close that you could only lay your fingers on the front face of the blade to pull the en­ gine through. If you put your hand over the edge of the front prop and pulled the engine through, the rear prop would come from the other direction and hit your fingers hard! To add a bit of safety around crowds, Howard added a set of Piper Cub wheels and brakes along with 8:00 X 4 tires and tubes. He then installed brake pedals below the rudder pedals on the cabin floor. With all that power at hand, the airplane could easily have gotten away without brakes - especially among airshow crowds! Normal takeoff was about 30 feet, however, at times, Howard says he was off the ground in 25 feet or even less with a little headwind to help the takeoff. It was quite a performer and the crowds really liked the little tri-motor. The airplane was pictured in FL YINO magazine in 1948. In 1952, with the airshow business suspended by the CAA 12 JANUARY 1997

because of a fatal crowd accident in Colorado, Howard removed the two outboard engines and sold the single-engined Aeronca C­ 3 to a farmer living near Charles City, IA. With no hangar, the farmer tied the C-3 out in his field . During the summer a storm came along and totally wiped out the Aeronca, creating a rather sad ending to this story. In the summer of 1954, I walked into Howard's shop at Wor­ thington, Minnesota, looked around and spotted his welding cart. I remarked that his was the first welding cart I had ever seen with Rose Parrakeet wheels on it. Howard looked at me kind of quizzically and said, "You are the very first person to ever walk in here and identify those wheels. How do you know about Rose Parrakeet wheels?" I remarked as to how they had a certain dia­ mond shape to them and to the best of my knowledge, were the only plane to use them. Together, we had quite a chuckle over the wheels which had indeed come from a wrecked Rose Parra­ keet. Howard Libersky passed his 83rd birthday on November 29th and still repairs aircraft magnetos on a daily basis to keep himself ~~~~~

.

A Different

Short Wing Piper

by H.G. Frautschy "A trim ship is not only a joy to the owner, bit is also appreciated by the fly-in and non-jIying public alike. " -Earl C. Reed, Zenda, KS Earl Reed wrote those words years ago in the introduction to his STC. After look­ ing at the shorter wings on the Piper Clip­ per and the other "Short-Wing Pipers," Earl looked at the J-3 and probably thought "Why not?" He put together a modification to the Piper J-3C-65 and -75 that shortened the wings a total of 80 inches. With each wing relieved of 40 inches, the J-3C was a little faster, a bit lighter in weight, and was eas­

ier to handle in windy conditions . With a little sweat equity and only a minimal amount of extra hardware , the change wasn't horribly expensive, either. Earl Reed's change to the wooden sparred J-3 has remained popular to this day. Wag-Aero who has sold copies of the STC for over 20 years, still sells the draw­ ings, spar reinforcements and STC paper­ work to a number of "wing cl ippers" each year. The main reason it has become a popu­ lar modification to the Cub over the years is simply the added maneuverability the shorter wings give. The snappier roll char­ acteristics (the regular ailerons are used)

appealed to the beginning aerobatic pilot, or to those who just wanted something just a bit less sedate than a regular Cub. Be­ sides, it looks, well, racier! What's it take t<;> make a Clipped-Wing Cub, a 13 Reed? This article isn't intended to detail the complete procedure, so don't head off the hangar with your trusty Stan­ ley saw in hand, but the basics include tak­ ing the wings off and peeling back the fab­ ric . Earl wrote his procedure with the thought that it was possible to do it without completely recovering the wing, but most are done while a complete restoration is made to the airplane . The first bay drag/anti-drag wires are loosened and reVINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

The Clipped-Wing Cub, Piper Clipper and Meyers 200 all share floor space in the Kochan 's hangar in central Florida.

moved, the No.2 Compression

strut is taken out, and the lead­

ing edge metal, root ribs and

false ribs are removed. That

leaves over 40 inches of the

spa rs exposed at their root.

Measure twice and cut once

with a saw, varnish the ex­

posed ends of the spar and get

ready to start installing hard­

ware. The compression strut

in the old No. 2 position is re­

moved, replaced with the orig­

inal root compression tube in­

stalled in its place. The spars

are drilled using a hand brace

and bit and the fittings and ribs

reinstalled. The spars have to

be reinforced at the strut fit­

tings with a vertical channel ,

added to compensate for ec­

centric strut loads (the wing

struts will no longer line up

precisely with the fittings in­

stalled on the spar). The wings

is then trammeled and recov­

ered. That's not all there is too the modifi­

cation though.

A new set of wing struts is built up. All four struts use the larger "front strut" tub­ ing. The forward struts can be made up us­ ing the original forward struts, provided they pass inspection for corrosion. The struts are shortened at the top end, and the new tube welded in the upper end has a thicker wall thickness. The strut fitting on the fuselage has to be headed and bent up­ wards to match the new strut mounting an­ gie . While the wing dihedral remains the same, the shortened struts assume a more acute angle, so the fitting must be modified. Finally, because of the new strut geome­ try, the cockpit door must be modified with a small cut out on the top of the lower door, or it will not clear the strut when it is folded down. You can see how a seemingly easy change can get a bit more involved. Finally, when all of the structural work is done, the fabric is installed or repaired. None of it is 14 JANUARY 1997

i"

~

E

=;

Dennis and Janeen Kochan, Winter Haven, FL

As an anniversary present last year, Janeen commissioned aviation artist Sam Lyons, 4600 Kings Crossing Dr., Kennesaw, GA 30144 to render this pretty artwork of the restored Cub resting in front of the bam it was found in. Janeen had the artwork, entitled "Treasures," on display with the airplane during Sun 'n Fun '96.

especially difficult, and care taken during the changes can result in and very good looking airplane. All of the required changes are spelled out in the STC pack足 age. That racy look I spoke of earlier has in足 spired some wild color schemes over the years. Thinking back, you'll remember the blue and white sunburst on Hazel Sig's Clipped-Wing, and the many others that have shown up as mounts for basic class aerobatic pilots at lAC contests. The modi足 fied airplane has brought out the fun side in restorers. A couple of restorers who fit that de-

Keeping it light is the secret of its success. A stock panel with nothing additional keeps the fun in this sport airplane.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

(Above) The shorter wings of the Reed Clipped-Wing conversion are readily apparent in this shot of this J-3C re store d by Scott Gross and his brother, Steve Gross along with their A&P friend, Bill Hadden.

scription are Airborne Express DC-8 Cap­ tain Janeen Kochan, of Winter Haven, FL and her husband Dennis, a Captain and in­ structor pilot for Piedmont (now USAir, soon to be US Airways) . The also own a beautiful Meyers 200 and a Piper Clipper. They keep both in a hangar located in the back of their home site bordering the Win­ ter Haven Airport. Without too much diffi­ culty they had room for another airplane, so when the opportunity presented itself, they took advantage of the situation. A few years ago a friend of a Janneen' s mechanic mentioned he knew of a Cub in a barn not too far from the Wilmington, OH base of Airborne Express . Sure enough, there really was a Cub in a barn in central Ohio! It had just been covered, and was available, so she made an offer right away. It didn't take too long and the J3F-65 was in a moving van and headed to Florida. 16 JANUARY 1997

Already a clipped wing conversion, the Kochen's Cub had only a few owners in its past. A man from St. Louis bought it new from the factory, delivered with a 65 horse Franklin engine. Later, it would have a 75 hp Continental installed. Not long after it was delivered to St. Louis, a fellow run­ ning a flight school in Oshkosh, WI was searching for another Cub, so he bought it. Steve Wittman used the it to train students in the Civilian Pilot Training Program until 1944, when it was sold to Russell McNeil of Lakeville, IL. Russell owned the air­ plane until it was sold to the Kochans in September of 1993. Since it had been the airplane he spent almost all of his time in, Russell agreed to release the airplane as long as he could retain the N-number. Long before it was purchased by the two airline pilots, it was given the Reed Clipped-Wing conversion. Disassembled

in 1974, the Cub got its Continental engine somewhere along the line as well. It didn't fly again until 1996, this time with the new registration number N12190, the Kochen's wedding anniversary date in December. They put the airplane together using their new A& P mechanic's licenses. Janeen in­ dicated she'll sit for the Inspection Autho­ rization test as soon as she qualifies. The number three woman at Airborne in seniority (behind Dana Folks and Susan Dusenbury), Janeen doesn't stand still too long. An athletic person, she enjoys run­ ning and lifting weights, and her boundless energy level is quite apparent when you meet. Far from nervous, she enjoys the confidence of doing what she enjoys, and is good at what ever she takes on, which can fall in a wide range of interests. In addition to her aviation and athletic pursuits, she also enjoys playing her baby grand piano.

Janeen started flying at the age of 27, after a demo ride in a Cessna 150 Aerobat. The demo came complete with loops and spins, and she so thoroughly enjoyed her­ self she decided upon a new career in avia­ tion. Later, after she became an instructor, she went back to that instructor and asked him why he gave her such a wild demo. "Fred, do you always do into flights like that?" she asked. "No Janeen, you just looked like the type." Flying checks at night, getting on every charter certificate in the state she could, flying whenever called upon helped put valuable experience in her logbook. She sold her cars, her house, her cat and her business to put herself through the neces­ sary flight schools and build up her time. Finally, with ratings in her pocket, she fired off her resume to Airborne. As a pi­ lot who enjoys training, she really likes flying for the air freight company, and her enthusiasm for aviation doesn't stop there. The hangarfull of airplanes is testimony to that, as is the Kochen's most recent addi­ tion - a single-place sailplane. Now about that color scheme. Bevo Howard had the only "factory built" Piper J-3C. Intended for airshow work, it had red, white and blue markings in what is

get jealous of each other! I hadn't seen a newly Clipped-Wing Cub at a fly-in in quite some time, but at Sun 'n Fun '96, there were two - the Kochen's, and a yellow Cub that for all the world looked like any other nicely restored airplane. When you stepped back and looked at the wings, you knew something special was afoot. Scott Gross of Mechanicsburg, V A along with his brother Steve, who hails from Louisville , KY and Bill Hadden of Richmond, VA restored their fun machine over a three year period. Scott is a corpo­ rate pilot, and while conversing with one of

Until you look at the shortened wings and the tell-tail cutout on the lower cockpit door, you'd never suspect this Cub had been modified with the Reed conversion.

now a familiar sunburst pattern . Red and white happen to be favorites of Janeen's, so both the Clipper and Meyers have simi­ lar color schemes . She and Dennis took a little ofBevo's scheme (the sunburst), a lit­ tle from the Clipper (the stripe on the side) added the checkerboard on the tail and made an airplane that just looks as though it's ready for some fun . Still equipped with th e A-75-8, it weighs just a bit over 700 Ibs. No starter or generator is on the -8 series of Conti­

nentals, but that helps keep it light. The Kochen ' s look forward to having a little fun with their new light aerobatic mount. By Christmas time, they had about 50 hours on the airplane. Ja­ neen says you have to be sure and p'ut on an equa l amount of time of all the airplanes, or they start to

Scott Gross and Bill Hadden VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

his bosses friends, the subject of airplanes came up . Imagine that! The friend men­ tioned that he had the first airplane he ever owned, a Cub whose wings had been clipped back in the 1950's by a man named Frank Sadler. The old story of selling the airplane, then looking for it again, buying it and intending to restore it was told again. It had been sitting untouched for over 20 years. Scott planted the seed with the now familiar "If you ever change your mind about selling, give me call!" To his sur­ prise, the call came later. "Do you still want that Cub?" "Sure!" January of '92 was the moving day for this basket case. Covered in cotton many years ago, it required a complete rebuild from the sandblasted frame on up. Unfor­ tunately, the engine had never been pick­ led, so it was completely rusted on the inte­ rior. A new set of Superior cylinders was obtained, along with a good crank and a new camshaft. Everything needed to be re­ placed on the Continental C-85 engine. A complete rebuild was done on the pair of Eiseman LA-4 magnetos, and they report that the engine runs beautifully with the Eisemans. Of course, the carburetors was also completely overhauled. The sheet metal was also pretty bad, so 18 JANUARY 1997

it too was replaced with new. Fortunately, the wings were in better condition. The spars passed inspection, as did most of the ribs. A few ribs were replaced. One of the surprising items was the tires. When the airplane was found in the barn, the tires were flat. Since they didn't look too bad, an air hose was applied to the valves and the tubes were inflated. To this day, they continue to hold air, and are installed on the airplane today . A set of sea led wing struts were welded up for the airplane by Wag-Aero, and most of the sheet metal came was also supplied by the company. Changes made the restorers include a left wing fuel tank, and thicker Plexiglas® in the side windows. They also got a field approval for an enlarged baggage compart­ ment, and added shoulder harnesses. The ELT is one of the new ACK units, remotely mounted in the aft fuselage with a control switch and indicator mounted up forward in the cockpit. A buried comm antenna is also mounted aft of the baggage compart­ ment. The airplane is covered in Poly-Fiber and finished in Polytone. The sheet metal is finished with Aerothane, with a flatten­ ing agent added to match the low gloss sheen of the Poly tone . It looks very trim and attractive.

This project got done again through the cooperative efforts of a trio of men. Each added their own talents to the whole, and finished with a great looking Cub. Scott is a CFI, so in trade for Bill Hadden's help as an A&P, Scott's giving Bill flight instruction in the Cub. He says it's a lot of fun to fly, and is happy with the way it handles: " .. with the full aileron she is really sweet to fly ­ they just bring the wings over so easily. It's real docile on the controls. A regular full Cub wing you push. On this, you are barely touching the controls and she just goes. It has a real nice roll rate, and cruises about 90 mph," Scott says. They have a neat little sportplane to fly and enjoy for many years to come. A few final notes about the Clipped Wing Conversion of the J-3 . As a converted light plane, it's not meant for hard snaps or pun­ ishing outside maneuvers, but for someone who, with the proper training, would like to enjoy smooth aerobatics on a Iightplane bud­ get, it could be just the airplane they need. Earl Reed had something to write on this subject at the end of his STC: "Final note . . . It should be borne in mind also, that this Mod is intended to put the Cub back in the class with other similar aircraft and in no way constitutes a ra ce ... plane ofharebrained hot rod. "

A well done restoration by the Cinquanta family and friends has given them a fitting tribute to their father, Frank, who bought the PA-11 in 1964 for $700.

By Daril E. Cinquanta,

Ale 21758

ecently I visited the place where I grew up, a plateau south of Boulder, Colorado overlook足 ing the city of Boulder and the Flatirons. Standing at the end of the once-extant 500 foot runway brought back memories of growing up at our restaurant, The Matter足 horn, which had its own private runway. My dad, Frank, and my Uncle Joe had been pilots all their life and had developed the love of flying while growing up in Erie, Pennsylvania. They also flew during WW II while in the Army Air Corps. When we arrived in Colorado, we found the perfect location for our restaurant, which sat on a hill overlooking the valley be足 low. The view was breathtaking. The restaurant was designed by my Uncle Joe and the three of us built it by hand. It was constructed out of rock and was in the style of a Swiss chalet.

A standard cream-faced Cub panel is supplemented when needed with a King KX-99 handheld comm radio, an external antenna and an intercom with headsets. A shielded ignition system keeps the electrical noise down to a minimum. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

The color scheme scallops add an air of raciness to the PA-11, accentuated by the cowled en足

gine of the J-3 derivative. If it could be seen, the restorers ei足

ther chromed, polished or painted it to perfection.

Even the propeller was polished, with fancy paint trim applied to the tips.

20 JANUARY 1997

The hangar was constructed at the far end sixties in order to be restored. Circum­ cable brackets and footstep, were chromed of the seven acres and the dirt runway that stances, unfortunately, dictated that she in order to add to its uniqueness. Various I was standing on as I reminisced ran di­ would sit in storage until restoration finally metal pieces, exhaust manifolds and ex­ agonally across the property. Very few was begun in 1993. At one point, the Civil haust were powder coated in flat and gloss pilots would attempt to land on such a Air Patrol stored the airplane for my dad, but black. This is very durable and looks great. short runway . Most would land on the strangely enough it disappeared. The CAP The cabin was carpeted by Airtex and plateau to the west which was a very had to send out search planes to fmd her but, we had a dash cover made. We have a long dirt runway . Once airborne you sure enough, she was ultimately found and hand held King KX-99 , an intercom and rescued. were 1,000 feet AGL. If you were drag­ has an external antenna . Headsets are a Restoration was commenced in 1993, must and the whole system works great. ging on takeoff, you could drop your nose and build airspeed soaring down but unfortunately my Dad was diagnosed The instrument panel looks wonderful with the valley. with prostate cancer and then lymphoma . a touch of nostalgia. Original cream faced instruments, in­ During the cluding a rate of 1960s, Joe and climb and a Frank had Wa­ 1949 inclinome­ cos, a Stearman, ter, were in­ Swifts and vari­ stalled. ous models of Pipers . Joe The C90-SF would restore was completely overhauled and them and sell fitted with a Mc­ them in his Cauley climb spare time. Some were jet prop which helps here in the Mile powered, such as the DH High City. An 0­ 200 oil tank was Hawker. Joe also installed. would hand The left side win­ craft many of dow was modi­ the parts him­ self. A number fied to open out on a sma ll hy­ of his airplanes draulic strut; this would appear really opens up over the years the cabin. Piper in various fly­ should have ing magazines. thought of this as He was well­ an option. known through­ The uphol­ out Colorado, Minnesota and Straight lines that are supposed to be straight are, and curved lines are smooth and accu­ stery is custom

and beefed up

Wisconsin. For rate, attesting to the excellent work done by the painter, Larry Pickerell. for us short Ital­ many years,

ians. The engine Joe , his wife

Kathy and daughter LeAnn lived in Min­ We tried to ha ve the airp lane restored in cowling is also custom, allowing room for nesota and had a private strip called time so that he could fly her one more time, the towering plugs. We had to search all "Hawks Haven." Joe is well-known in EAA but it was not meant to be . He loved to over the country for the RPM and oil tem­ visit our hangar and spend time there. We perature/pressure gauge. We finally lo­ circles and is presently building one of his bi­

know he would have approved of our cated them in Maine . The hardest thing to plane designs called the "Homet."

The PA-II was our Dad's personal air­ restoration of his plane and we truly feel he find was the spinner with front and back plates. This was not an original item . In­ plane and one of two which have remained will be in the back seat when we fl y. In restoring the Cub Special, we wanted stead, the PA-II came stock with a skull in the family. The second was the " Hor­ net" mentioned above. This Cub special is her to have a personality of her own. We cap. The sp inner was ultimately found in wanted her to be unique in Cub circles, es­ truly special and has an interesting history. the warehouse of forgotten parts at Duffs As was many of her ancestors, she was pecially since there are only 700 PA-II s Aircraft Salvage in Denver. It must have used as a crop-duster in 1945. In 1949 she sti ll in existence in this country. She was been one of the last ones in the country. The was fitted with skis and was flown to South covered in Ceconite 101 and painted in spinner and wheel pants make this lady a Randolph butyrate , Tennessee Red and show piece with a personality of her own. Dakota, and eventually relocated to Ne­ braska. In 1949 she again was used as a Daytona White. The paint scheme is an She gets a lot of attention wherever she crop-duster up until 1952 . My Dad pur­ old-fashioned scallop design similar to lands. It is amazing what you can do to chased the Cub for $700 in 1964 from a other Cubs of the Matterhorn era. The even customize a Cub. The PA-II will now be used for fun and paint was done by Larry Pickerell of Flying Nebraska farmer. for aerial surveillance in my private inves­ After arriving in Colorado, she was Colors out of Longmont, Colorado. The Cub has two IS gallon tanks, and I tigation busi ness, which I started in 1990 used to tow a banner in order to advertise our restaurant, The Matterhorn . She per­ wonder if we can make it to Oshkosh ' 96 after retiring as a detective from the Den­ formed this duty honorably up until 1967. with a tailwind without refueling? All of ver Police Department after 20 years of In fact, she delivered the first pizza by air the aluminum parts , propeller, muffs , service. My brother Matt will get his li­ from our restaurant to the Boulder Airport. screws, bolts, knobs and the Scott tail cense in the PA- II at the direction of our Uncle Joe, which was what our Dad wanted She also soloed a few students whom Joe wheel hubcaps were polished out with Red Baron. The tail brace wires, tiedowns and before he passed away . The PA-II is our taught the old-fashioned way. .. The PA-II was dismantled in the late numerous engine pieces, as well as bolts, memorial to our Dad. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

WHAT OUR. MEMBERS ARE RESTORING

-----------------------------------------------------------byNornm Petersen

Frank Bass' Kari-Keen Coupe This extremely rare 1929 Kari-Keen 90 Coupe, NC244K, SIN 211 , was the pride and joy of veteran antiquer, Frank Bass (EAA 132867, A /C 4434) of Moore, Montana. One of only four on the U.S . register, the pretty two-placer was flown east on several occa­ sions to Oshkosh and Blakesburg. Power is a five-cylinder 90 hp Lambert 266 cu. in. engine pulling a wooden propeller that nicely flows from the spinner into the cowling. The wing is one piece, all

wood, full cantilever, and is the handiwork of designer Swen Swan­ son. Frank, who is a walking encyclopedia on antique airplanes, re­ cently sold the Kari-Keen Coupe to a museum in Canada, so it is no longer on the U. S. Register. In its original green and orange paint scheme, the Kari-Keen was always a welcome sight at any fly-in . Getting to know its restorer, Frank Bass, an auctioneer by trade with a story for every occasion, is a treat in itself.

Dean Kronwall's Taylorcraft BC-12D This pretty 1946 Taylorcraft BC-12D, N61895 , SIN 6515, received its airworthi­ ness certificate on October 29, 1996, fol­ lowing a five and a half year restoration effort by its owner, Dean Kronwall (EAA 90889, A /C 20768) of Northbrook, llli­ nois. The test flight, the first for the T­ Craft in 46 years, was made by veteran Taylorcraft pilot, Don Claude (EAA 134336, A /C 17459) of nearby DeKalb, IL. The test flight was made on Novem­ ber 29, 1996, and Don reports everything worked to perfection. Note the tubular swing-out windows on this model and the original Taylorcraft hubcaps on the wheels. Congratulations are in order for Dean Kronwall for a magnificent job of bringing a Taylorcraft BC-12D back to life after 46 long years. 22 JANUARY 1997

James Donnell's Contemporary Cessna 172 This sharp looking 1959 Cessna 172 "s traight-t a il," N6331E, SIN- 46431, is the pride and joy of James W. Donnell (EAA 530423) of Winnsboro,Louisiana. Jim has been flying for 52 years and has always had a soft spot in his heart for th e stra ight tail Cessnas. While searching for an older straight tail 182, he stumbled into this 172 and bought it in 1991 . It was in dire need of some TLC . Since

then, he has upgraded the entire airplane, inside and out, installed a complete new interior, one piece windshield and re­ placed the former "droop tips" with these hi-performance wingtips . A new paint job in white and blue with black trim re­ ally sets the pretty four-placer off. With the list of improvements running over two pages in length, Jim has done just about everything to this airplane that is possible. He admits it draws many second looks at airports with many questions about it be­ ing for sale. He feels he has been blesssed as the owner and enjoys the airplane im­ mensely. Congratulations, Jim, on a really beautiful 172.

Jack Dueck's Luscombe 8-E Jack Dueck (EAA 337912) and hi s wife, Jean, of Whitehorse, Yukon Terri­ tory , Canada, restored this pretty Lus­ combe 8-E, CF-MNS, after finding it in a garage . The former owner had purchased the airplane with floats, used the floats on a different airplane and stored the Lus­ combe. When the Dueck 's hauled the Luscombe home, the restoration got un­ derway and the result is the beautiful pol­ ished Luscombe you see in the photo. Both restorers admit the total costs were a bit unreal, but the job itself took patience and hard work. After flying the neat two­ placer to Oshkosh, they have now em ­ barked on building an RV-4. The photo and story were submitted by Rem Walker (EAA 11640 , A /C 12982) of Regina, Sask., Canada.

Jeff Spencer's Commonwealth Sky Ranger 185 All dressed up in its original paint scheme of blue and cream is this 1946 Commonwealth Skyranger 185 , N93238, SIN 1743 . It's the pride andjoy of its re­ storer, Jeff Spencer (EAA 521337, A /C 26208) of Rushsylvania, Ohio . Jeff's fa­ ther, Carl Spencer, owned a 1940 Rearwin Skyranger when Jeff was 8-10 years of age and Jeff has wanted one ever si nce. Ironically, Carl's old airplane has been re­ stored and is based about twenty miles from Jeff's house! Powered with a Conti­ nental C85-12F engine, the Common­

wealth is being upgraded with new Cleve­ land brakes and other amenities as the budget allows. Note the fixed slots in the outboard section of the NACA 23012 wing and the original wheel covers. The

Skyranger is also approved on about six models of Federal skis. Presently there are 88 Commonwealth Skyranger 185's listed on the FAA register. Congrats to Jeff on a beautiful airplane. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

OSHKOSH-IF WE COULD DO IT, YOU CAN TOO

by Lynn R. Pinson, Ale 2343 There are times in your life when you need to say "NO!" to the naysayers and those who would steal your dreams. Establishing a goal and making it come to fruition makes the accomplishment all that much sweeter. Lynn Pinson and his friend Jerry confronted their fears and slayed a mental dragon. What mental dragon has you at bay? Perhaps be­ ginning or finishing that restoration project or planning that long cross country? Perhaps doing what you already know needs to be done is all that stands between you and the worthwhile attainment ofyour objective. - HGF Someone much smarter than I am once said that the moment of readiness is when the discomfort of the status quo finally ex­ ceeds the fear of change. After nine years that moment had come . For nine years, Jerry Hostick and I talked and dreamed about flying to Oshkosh for the annual EAA Fly-In and Convention. We talked about how we would take our time, fly when we wanted to fly, stop when we wanted to stop, and we especially wanted to fly up the Mis­ sissippi River, just flying and looking as we would make our way to the Mecca of avia­ tion, Oshkosh . But each year we got cold feet and backed out a couple of weeks before it started. We had heard so many stories about how many airplanes got there at the same time and how we might run into some­ body, or crash, or just anything - maybe everything - awful might happen to us or our airplanes. We would then suddenly get sick, or have to be somewhere else , or have to work that week. Until now. When I closed the hangar door that beau­ tiful summer Sunday morning after packing the 1947 Cessna 120 with the sleeping bag, the pork 'n beans, the crackers, the cheese crisps, the canteen, the hand-held radio, the borrowed GPS and two duffel bags of extra clothes, I wondered if I would ever come back and see that hangar again. It was Tom's fault. I told him in Febru­ ary about our dreams and how long Jerry and I had been talking about it . He came back with, "Well, we ' re going this year, no backing out cause I told Chuck I would be there this year with the Kitfox ." "Pinion, you ain't baclan ' out this time!" No way could Tom finish that Kitfox by July. He didn't even have the engine in it or the insides in it yet. But he did. He soloed it in May on Memorial Day weekend. So, Jerry in his Cessna ISO and me in the Cessna 120 took off from Frederick, Okla­ homa that Sunday morning and headed east to our first stop at Tenkiller Airpark in eastern OkJahoma where we were to meet Tom Yates in that brand new Kitfox. We were commit­ ted. The moment of readiness had come and gone. We were on our way to Oshkosh! We flew from Tenkiller to Jefferson City, Missouri, to Hannibal, MO, to Keokuk, Iowa, to Muscatine, lA, to Madison, Wis­ consin. We flew over some of the prettiest country I had ever seen. Our dream of fly­ ing up the Mississippi River became a real­ ity. We listened on 122.75 MHz. to other pi­ lots as they too were flying from all over the United States, all headed for Oshkosh. 24 JANUARY 1997

We landed at Morey Airport on the west side of Madison, WI late Tuesday evening in a light rain shower. The past three days we had flown in clear skies, in light rain and clouds, and actually did some scud running in southwest Missouri , but nothing really bad the whole trip. We checked into a motel and decided to have a nice dinner and then try to get a good night's rest before the much anticipated and dreaded arrival at Oshkosh. Wednesday morning, after several trips to the restroom, the engines were started, we took several deep breaths , and departed Morey. We headed to the rendezvous point of every VFR airplane in the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe-"Ripon." We felt as if we were flying over the English Channel to do war with the Germans . We were scared spit less because we just knew we were going to meet sudden death at any moment by colliding with all those other air­ planes that were going to be at Ripon. "Curses, Tom Yates, why did I let you talk me into this?" Then I saw a town and the water tower said "Ripon." I was there! Where was everyone else? Where were all those other 8,000 airplanes? There was Green Lake and Rush Lake and there were the railroad tracks, but only three or four airplanes were in sight. I saw the markers, then the strobes, then that much anticipated voice came over the radio and said, "Blue high wing taildrag­ ger, rock your wings!" I did, and the voice said, "Good rock blue taildragger, clear Fisk and proceed 070 degrees for landing on 36L, listen 126.6." I had no idea I could see Lake Winnebago ahead of me and also saw the hundreds , no, thousands of airplanes and things immediately in front of me. Oshkosh tower cleared me to land on 36L and as I turned final the whole thing lay in front of me. I was going to land at Oshkosh! I set up to land on the numbers, but the tower told me to extend and land long because there was another airplane landing behind me. It then occurred to me that there was probably another one coming over my top and going to land in front of me. Touchdown! 9:40 a .m. Not even a bounce! The eagle had landed! Tears welled up in my eyes, but that must not be because I needed to see. The emotion, the elation, the dream had come true . I had finally, really and truly, flown to Oshkosh! With a grin from ear to ear I turned off at the second taxiway. I was led to my parking space on row 83 by a fellow on a little red motor scooter and given a cordial welcome

by another fellow on a green "Gator." I got out of the little Cessna and looked around at the gorgeous day. The sun was shining, the airplanes were still landing, and the rows behind me were rapidly filling up with aircraft. I stared in disbelief. There was nowhere else in the whole wide world I had rather be at this moment! Well, we were at the Convention for three days, saw everything we could see, walked our legs off to the hips and still couldn't see it all. It was everything we had heard about, read about, and hoped it would be about. We saw Paul, Gene, Tom, Patti, Bobby, Julie, Chuck, Bud, Delmar, and many, many others. We saw bitty planes and big ones, almost 14,000 of them. We saw most of the 850,000 other people there besides us. The weather was perfect and there was not anything that disappointed us. Then it came time to go home. Early Sat­ urday morning we got up early, checked weather, and took off from Wittman Field at 7:30 a.m. in three mile visibility and low ceil­ ings. As I was climbing out I looked back through the right window of the 120 at that giant, sleepy airport that was just beginning to stir for the day ' s activities, still amazed that I had been there. I headed to Portage, Wiscon­ sin where I was to meet Jerry since he had to depart on the other runway, and then we con­ tinued the long trip back home. Tom and the Kitfox stayed another couple of days, leaving on Tuesday. We went back through Musca­ tine, then down to Kirksville and spent the night at Sedalia, Missouri. We then flew to Coffeyville, Kansas, Stillwater, Oklahoma, then finally Frederick Municipal appeared in sight about 3:30 Sunday afternoon. Our wel­ come committee was a very happy and re­ lieved wife Nancy and proud brother Keith who stayed home and worked so that we could make the trip. H was over. We had done it. The dream had come true and we could talk about it over and over for years to come. And we would! We would tell our two year old granddaughter Allie about it and hope that maybe she could fly the same little 120 there someday herself. We had been in the air nearly 22 hours for the whole trip and flown nearly 2,000 miles . No breakdowns , no crashes, no trouble. We were awfully tired, but not too tired to smile real big as we re­ membered the past 8 days of pure joy. "Scared to make the trip?" You bet we were! But we did it! As this is being written there is talk about next year. Nothing serious yet, but of course Tom hasn't called either. ...

~irdmen

The Monarch

The trouble \.lith flying lies not in the peril but the return to t arth. Yes, coming dO\.ln is much harder than spinning a Jenny or pulling off that four point roll.

A gold-\.Iinged giant arrests my eye soaring and stalking his sacred patch of sky.

Ask anyone of these old fello\.ls clustered near that yello\.ling box kite, perched on and around the machine as if it \.Iere some sturdy fence.

As a great touring czar my field he rumbles past, blue frame and patriotic fin holding our raptured gazes fast.

Inquire \.Ihat it's like to play God for a\.lhile, soaring high above patch\.lork pastures, fighting that dO\.ln\.lard pull.

Collective breath is held in check as he circles and touches dO\.ln. Mis loyal entourage forms to flank him, reveling in the smoke belched from his cro\.ln. This monarch holds court, good natured and god-like, regally surveying his domain. As admiring masses move to\.lard him,

spl0.5hes of color against the grassy plain. P-:>Iack blades of steel and those throaty cylinders contrast his bright, blinding sheen. Truly he is a splendid sight, this proud and mighty PT-1 7.

Discover \.Ihy they treat that plane like a lady, ho\.l they talk to her, feed her, doctor her on occasion. Mo\.l they kno\.l her mind like their o\.ln. \.Ihat do they see, climbing high enough to peer over the edge of the \.Iorld. miles of hazy indigo sloping gently a\.lay into space. Look at them, their leathery faces cracked and tanned as their jackets, their eyes

alight \.lith fire reliving the long day, hands t\.Jisting, turning, retelling an aerial ballet.

\.lith eyes as big as the children on their shoulders they \.latch a craft shudder to

life and rumble acro.ss the \.Iide, grassy sea. A different breed they are, these s\.lorn foes of gravity, shuffling inside, the eyes in the backs of their heads looking lovingly over the rustic machine. Their thoughts are never far from its needs and their o\.ln: To fly, to paint on a brilliant blue canvas, there can be no greater aim.

Rumbling again, taxiing a\.lay thundering into the \.Iild blue, at his kingly feet I lay one request; There's not one among you \.Iho \.Iouldn't sprout \.ling if he could. Circling higher, next time your highne.ss, please take me \.lith you. higher, \.lith the sole purpose of staying aloft.

-Jef Reahard

-Jef Reahard

!"足

~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~==================~~ Jef Reahard, a twenty-one-year-old pilot from Williamson, GA, has been immersed in avi ation all hi s life. Along with his grandfather Jean Reahard, Jr. and his father, Chip, Jef and a few other friends have been restoring a Stearman. One of hi s other passions is writing, and he penned these two pieces we've selected. We hope you enjoy them, and we' re open to comments regarding this type of material in Vintage Airplane. Would you like to see a poem or prose such as thi s included in the pages o f V intage A irplane on a regular basis? Send your co mments to Editor, Vintage A irplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

PASSdh

BUCK by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert EAA #21 NC #5 P.O . Box 424, Un ion, IL 60 180

Here's a problem that I can't directly help this fellow with - maybe one of you can sup­ ply him with the needed part: Dear Mr. Hilbert, I own a Taylorcraft 15A, one the six still flying or flyable in the U.S. The T -Craft 15A and the Aeronca 15AC both use the C­ 145, have identical motor mounts, and may, ifmy eyes haven't deceived me, nearly the same cowl. As we readers ofYintage know, you own a 15AC and that leads me to you for help. My problem lies with the plug/cowl dis­ tance on the number six cylinder, which is too low to allow the use of a conventional s hielded plug and wiring. My 15A (N6653N) was restored in 1992 by a couple of ge ntlemen in Ohio from whom I pur­ chased it. Their solution to the plug problem was to install a Champion C-26 plug in num­ ber six with a strange , insul ate d wire cap which is like nothing I or anyone at our field has ever seen. It 's that plug cap that I'm try­ ing to locate (or some other reasonable solu­ tion to the height problem). The plug cap they installed came from a friend who is now deceased and no one knows where he got the part. The following sketch (above, right) gives you some idea of the design . It is la­ beled "Breeze 3202" with no other mark­ ings. It sort of looks like something from the automobile world, but I also wonder if it wasn't used in the forties and early fi fties be­ fore resistor aircraft plugs became common. The interior is lined with Bakelite which, in my case, is starting to deteriorate and is al­ lowing some leakage to ground. Thus my quest to locate another. I suppose one solu­ tion may be to have a blister put on the cowl but to me that's a last resort, since I want to keep this rare bird as original as possible, and I know the cowls of the 15A 's were not blistered in production. I put that in quotes since the 15A never really went into produc­ tion in the true sense of the word, and each of the six remaining intact has subtle differ­ ences from the others. But that 's another story. Any help you or your readers could pro­ vide in locating a replacement or coming up 26 JANUARY 1997

with a reasonable solution would be grate­ fully received. I ' m particularly keen in knowing how the problem, assuming it ex­ ists, is resolved in the Aeronca. Richard B. Roe 10141 Spring Lake Terrace Fairfax, Y A 22030 Dear Richard, H.G. happened to be at my house the day your letter arrived, and he offered to help an­ swer your question, since he recalled seeing a simi lar plug cap in Steve Wittman's "junk. box." Over to you, H. G. Richard 's Tay lorcraJt 15A is one good looking airplane. 1 last saw it at the MERFI

Fly-In aJew years ago. While the cowl does look similar to th e A eronca Sedan, they're not the same. Th e sedan nos e cowl is a Champ nose bowl with different cut outs and a large center hole Jor crankcase cooling. Since theJrontal cross section oJthe C-145 doesn 't appreciably vary Jrom its smaller 4 cylinder cousins, the same cowl could be used. Only the much longer wrap cowl sur­

rounding the engine is unique. Even with shielded plugs and harnesses, there is no problem with clearance in the Aeronca Sedan cowling - the engine has plenty oj room. The Taylorcraft 15A used a cowl from their production line. The spark plug shield you write about was manuJactured by the Breeze MJg. Co. Jor many years, with the majority oJthem produced in the lat e 1920 's through the 1930 'so The ad we've reproduced (opposite page, top) is from an Air Associates catalog Jrom the 1930's (we're unsure as to the ex­ act date - they didn 't mark them with a date). It show a cap similar to the one you've drawn, and I'm sure there were a number oj different styles. While shielded spark plugs eventually solved the problemJor most airplanes, they still were being used by many until the shielded plugs and harn esses came into widespread use. Unless you can determine whether your 15A was built using this spark plug shield, the question ojoriginality may not matter - it

BREEZE SPARK PLUG SHIELDS Th h ield fit right ov r your pre Dt park plu~s and radi . hi Id th m perfectly. They ar made In two siz and fit all stand aN:! :lircr:lft plugs. IZE No. 5-Fits all plug$ lip to 1%" I ngrh, such as the B. G. o. 4 , 4B. 1, 48·2, 4C, 58.2, Champion M ·3, Hurley· owruend No. 300 aDd 437, tc. SIZE o. 6--Fits :Ill p lu gs up to 2" length, such 5 th B. G. Model IX , t . Th pri includes th terminal nut and packing bur no ferrule for the spark plug wire. $J.50 o. 5 Brc zc Spark Pl ug Shield o. 6 Sr czc Spark Plu g Shi Id . $3.50 No. 3 140-3 u a Tennio . t Nu .. Each 20c N o. 3154- 2 Ex Ira Rub ber P ack il1g. Each 10c o. RS-I O Ferrul e for connectin g Packa rd bl e

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may not have had one installed when it came from the factory. Unless it came with a radio, it 's unlikely that th e shield was installed. As you mentioned, it was given to the restorers of your airplane by a now departed friend. Asfar as ignition noise is concerned, don 't forget to cast a critical eye on the P-leads that hook your mag switch to the magnetos - they 're n otorious for eminating lots of noise ifnot shielded properly, or grounded as well. Other­ wise, they act like nice long antennas, radiating RFfor your radio recieve. Keeping the antenna as far aft as possible is also a good idea. The top cap that J fou nd is not lined with Bakelite, but it certainly makes sense that it would be. What other solutions are available to Richard? Can any body else help us y oungfel­ lows out on th is neat little solution to an annoy­ ing problem? Ifyou can supply Richard with one ofthe Breeze Spark Plug Shields fee l free to drop him a line at the address listed above. - HGF The Fleet I O's Fahlin prop decid ed after, gos h knows how long , to delaminate. In a =Iuandary, I looked at an old Hamilton, and a Hamilton Standard that I've been sitting on for years and dec ided that ma ybe it was tim e to ,witch the Warner over to a metal prop. A closer inspection of the Hamilton was dis­ leartening. It was on loan to the Sun ' n Fun \1useum for several years and they had sent it Jut to a prop shop for overhaul. It was very ap­ Jarent on clo se in specti on, that it had been ~iven a lick and a promise, a polish job and had lome bogus decals installed , for di splay . I jon ' t think the shop ever expected it to be any­ :hing but a display. Since this particular propeller was NOS 'new old stock) when I sent it down to Lake­ 'and, I was reluctant to call it quits and relegate t to "display only" status. I called Verne Jobst .vho had the same prop for his Waco, and asked lim where he had sent hi s for overhaul. The JrOp is now up in the Minneapolis-St. Paul ;hop of Maxwell Propellers. They have Jromised me its return in about another month. My other metal prop is a Hamilton Standard ~ round adjustable that I had Whirlwind Pro­ Jellers overhaul last year. It came back so Jretty that I was reluctant to use it. Ever had hat happen? If it was dirty and beat up, well, naybe that would be all right, but this one

1 6c

shines like the proverbial G.!. belt buckle at a Saturday inspection. I put it on to test run the e ngine, got it all fmgerprinted and messy in the process, and had just finished repolishing it when in walks my buddy Mike Mogdans. I've written about Mike in this column before . He is the machinist who made the flying wire bullets for the Fleet. He always seems to be there when I need him and if there is a challenge to the project, man, he 's gonna whip it! He looked at the prop and said something like, "Gee! That loo ks nak ed! Shouldn't it have a dome or a spinner or something on it to hide the nut an d stuff?" I told him that there were little spinners on these props when they were new back in the late 1920s, but I hadn 't seen one in years. "What' d they look like?" he wanted to know. So we dragge d out an old Air Associates Catalogue, from who-knows-what year (late '20s maybe), and looked it up . There it was, the very same propeller and on the next page a chromium pl ated and polished nose cap to fit the Hamilton Standard hub! Guess what the price was? Two dollars and 25 cents! Mike was off and running. I could actually see the wheels going around in his head as he mentally worked out the deta il s. Next after­ noon he was in the shop with thread gauge, mi­ crometers, pencil, paper and machinist rule. He was bac k the nex t day with a s lug of aluminum to test his thread measurements (it fit!), and review hi s thoughts and do so me more sketches. I didn ' t see him for a couple days and then I heard his car in the driveway. He didn ' t even stop a t the hou s e, but went s traight to the hangar shop. After a couple of minutes I am­ bled out, and there was the fini shed product. It's beautiful! I asked him how difficult it was to make . " It wasn't too bad, after I got th e proper thread size and diameter. It only took seven or eight hours altogether!" I thought to myse lf, " What does a Master Machinist make these days ? Thirty maybe even 40 dollars an hour? Eight hours times 35 and then add the material cost? WOW! That original $2.25 price tag is as obso lete as the catalog. No wonder airplanes cost so much!" And so I've got a real show piece now, I'll

be the envy of the biplane line at Oshkosh or wherever, thanks to Mike Mogdans, Master Machinist, Academy of Mode l Aeronautics, and friend of old airplanes! Spinner For Hamilton Standa rd Prop It was necessary to make a mandrel dupli­ cating the prop hub. It served two purposes; to allow the proper fit on the threads, and the final tum, radius, and poli sh. First measure the 00 of th e thread s, front a nd ba ck. Then use a thread ga uge to find the numb er of threads . Then using the proper thread wires, measure over them . On Bucks is measured up as 2.683­ 2 .685, 16 T.I .P. , 2.715 " over 0.040 wires . I wanted the hub to screw on at least one inch, and then bottom on the Hub lock nut, and thi s nut is about 5/ 16" thick (.312). Then using a scale I measured the Hub nut over the points, and then measured the length sticking out and allowed clearance. Nex t I located a piece of scrap al uminum to use as the mandrel about 6 inches long. Face the back, and tum the excess stock off to 2.700" 00. Then tum it around in the lathe and indicate it to run true . Face and tum the small diameter. Next tum a step on to 1.700 00 .312 length, next tum the 00 of the threads to 2.684", 1-1/2 inches long. Next set lat he to cut threads at 16 per inc h, and start chas ing them. For final size use thread wires to c heck, and chase th em to 2 .715 ". You now have a duplicate to the prop hub. Spinner Next I located a piece of aluminum 3- 1/4" 00 by 4-1 /8" long. Chucki ng it in the lathe I faced off one end, and light cut the 00. Then turning it around I indicated it true, face, and light cut the 00 to match. Next I drilled a I­ 1/8 inch hole 2-5/ 8 DP . fro m th e point of the drill. Next I bored the small ID to 1.750", and 2. 187" deep . (Face the bottom of thi s hole.) Next I bored the minor ID of the thre ads to 2.610" ID, by 1.3 12" deep, and face this step. Now the fun part! Set up the internal threading tool to cut the threads at 16 threads per inch. When yo u get close to your final s ize start checking the th reads with your mandrel for fit. When yo u have th e proper fit , remove fro m lath e, and check it on the prop hub. If you made the mandre l right it will fit. Now find a piece of tubing that will go over the man drel. Chuck up the mandrel , and thread the spinner on the mandrel, and then back it off a few turns. Measure the distance from the face of the j aws to the spinner and cut the tubing to fit between them , and face the tubing true . Replace the mandrel and indicate it true . Place the tubing over th e mandre l. Screw the spinner on th e mandre l locking it against th e tubing. Now light cut the 00 of the spinner, and radius the nose of the spi nner pleas ing to your eye, and polish. Remove mandrel with tubing, and spin­ ner from lath e. Now remov e sp inner fro m mandrel, and place the spinner on the prop. Making Buck's spinner took about 7.8 hours. Michael Mogdrans Master Tool & Die Maker Woodstock, IL 60098 AMA 327518

f( Over to you,

~// I ~ ~"'~

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

by H.G. Frautschy This large flying boat from the WWI era is our January Mystery Plane , and it shouldn ' t be as difficult as our October bi足 plane. The photo comes from the Tex La足 Grone collection of the EAA Aviation Foun足 dation Boeing Aeronautical Library. Answers need to be in no later than Febmary 25, 1997 so that they can be included in the April, 1997 issue of Vintage Airplane. The October Mystery Plane must have been a real sturn per for almost everybody. (It already had us baffled here at EAA HQ.) Only one brave soul dared send in an answer - Charley Hayes of New Lenox , IL. He thought it might be a product of the Advance Aircraft Co., Troy, Ohio. A review of the Waco models before the Waco 10 shows that none of those aircraft match this airplane, but it was a good try. The only clue we have concerning this airplane is this: The picture was taken by a Philadelphia commercial photographer, R. Newell & Son of South 6th St. We don't know the year, nor do we know who the pilot is. We'll leave this one open, so if anybody else has any ideas as to the identity of this elephant-eared biplane powered by an OX engine, feel free to drop us a note. Send your Mystery Plane Answers to: Vintage Airplane Mystery Plane EAA P.O. Box 3086

Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086

28 JANUARY 1997

Gene Morris RoonokeTX

Began flying at age 15.

Received commercial license before HS graduation and got out of school for his first American Eaglet Right from Benton It to Springfield MO. His Ihobby" turned into a coreer when he became a co-pilot for American Airlines in

March 1955.

"I've been retired for over seven years

AUA's Exclusive EAA Antique/Classic Division

now, but my wife Carol and I both

Insurance Program

continue to fly and maintain our little fleet.

Lo er liability and hull premiums

[Gene also has a 0 Model Bonanza and Carol

Medical payments included

owns a 1966 Aircoupe Alon .] AUA, Inc. has

Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages

AUAis

approved.

been my family's aircraft insurer for several

No age penalty

To become an

EAA Antique &

Classic Division

Member, call

No hand-propping exclusion

years and has given us exemplary service

No component parts endorsements

with claims while maintaining one of the

Discounts for claim-free renewals carrying all risk coverages

lowest premiums in the insurance industry."

- Gene Morris Remember,

We're Befter Together'

8~43-3612

800-727-3823

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AVIATION UNliMITED AGENCY

WELCOME

NEW MEMBERS

,. Aerospace Branch Library .... .......... .. .............. Little Rock, AR Bob Brack .. ..... ..Lee's Summit, MO Tim Bronson ...... ...... Pittsburgh, PA Christa L. Brown .... Oro Valley, AZ C. Alan Carter ..... ... ... Doug las, GA Richard Cinesi ... ........ Jefferson, WI Robbie Culver .. ..North Chicago, IL Clifford Edington ...Springfield, OR Lewis R. Fisher ... .Friendswood, TX Irby Ford .. .... .......... Pflugerville, TX Jerry L. Gecowets .. .. ... Urbana, OH Pat Greco ..... .... ......... San Jose, CA AI J. Gross ..... ..... ......lssaquah, WA Sam K. Harmon .. ..... Columbia, SC John E. Hell er .. .. .. .... Pasadena, CA Richard Hotchkiss .. ........ ... ..Calgary, Alberta, Canada Elvin W . Hurst .... ...Santa Rosa, CA

James Ilgenfritz 11. .. ..... ..Monroe, MI

Pau l Kinzie ... ... .... ... ... .. .... .Alva, OK

Kurt Kohler. .. ......... .. ..Hampton, VA

Howard H . Kron ...... ...... ........... .... .Montevideo, MN Patrick J. LaVigne ... ..Rochester, NY Jean Pierre Llech ....... Elbeuf, France Thurman F. Longcrier ....... .... ... .... ... ... ....... ... ...... .. .... ... .... ... Florence, AL Mark S. Lopac ..... .. .. ....Cokato, MN Larry Metzel ........ ... .....Garland, TX Atsuo Nishimura .. ..... Otsuk, Chyo, Kochi Ken, Japan Rolph C. Olsen .. ... ...San Diego, CA Ralph Parker ..... ... Wichita Falls, TX Andre Pelletier ... ........... ... ... .... Grand Junction, CO

Robert M. Percy ...... ..Patterson, NY

Richard J. Perrotti .... ...Melrose, MA

Don J. Pustina ..... .... ...... ............ ... Indianapolis, IN Barry Joseph Ramer .. .. ..... .... ...... ... ... Fox River Grove, IL

David Fritz Reins ........ .... Crewe, VA

R. W. Robertson .. .. ..... Roanoke, VA Michael F. Smith ... ... ..Leesburg, VA Ron Smith ... .... .......... ... Brawley, CA Timothy D. Smithen ...Belgrade, MT Robert J. Stewart .. ............... Erie, PA Karl R. Szczypta ... .... .. Naperville, IL James M. Thomas ... .. ..... .. ... ... ........ .... Watsonville, CA Robert B. Tyndall ........ .5myrna, GA Charles M. Vaughn ..... .Titusville, FL James J. Weber ... .Williamsville, NY William R. Woodall .... .. .Akron, OH Elmer D. Yost .... ... ... ....... .. .......... Greensboro, NC

Adult Air Come to for. a week of EAA's Adult Air Academy is where you de"el()D the know 1­ edge and skills needed to build or restore airplane. Gather specialized, halncl!~:::","" with other aviation enthusiasts for a wee on instruction tailored to your individual ' ities and interests.

Learn about . .. • welding • sheet metal fabrication • oodworking • composite construction • fabric covering • upholstery • aircraft engines Enrollment fee is S800 which includes all instr: ctio al materials as well as meals and lodging during your stay in Oshkosh

30 JANUARY 1997

Call

414·4~6·681~ for more information. Enrollment is limited­ call today!

MEMBERSHIP

INFORMATION

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

ANTIQUE/CLASSIC

Something to buy, sell or trade? An inexpensive ad 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 Aviation Center, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, or fax your ad and your credit card number to 414/426-4828. Ads must be received by the 20th of the month for insertion in the issue the second month following (e.g., October 20th for the December issue.)

AIRCRAFT

Current EAA members may join the Antique/ Classic Division and receive VINTAGE AIR­ 1941 Culver Cadet Project - Fuselage rebuilt, PLANE magazine for an additional $27 per year. wings recovered, Franklin 90, new propeller. EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE mag­ $15 ,0000BO. 860/974-3399. (1224) azine and one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic Division is available for $37 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included).

MISCELLANEOUS

lAC

SUPER CUB PA-18 FUSELAGES -

How to, building and restoration tips, historic, flying and entertainment titles. Call for a free catalog. EAA,1-800-843-3612.

Current EAA members may join the EAA Ragwing Replicas - Ultralight legal Aircamper, Waroirds of America Division and receive WAR­ Heath , Pitts, Duster, Triplane . Plans $52. BIRDS magazine for an additional $35 per year. Brochure $3. P. O . Box 39, Townville , SC EAA Membership, WARBIRDS magazine and 29689. (0400) one year membership in the Warbirds Division is available for $45 per year (SPORT AVIATION A Life in the Clouds - Quote from Gene Chase, magazine not included). "What a great book!" Lively memoirs about real

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 dol/ars . 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

WEB SITE http://www.eaa.org

E-MAIL Vintage @ eaa.org

PHONE (414) 426-4800

FAX (414) 426-4873

OFFICE HOURS:

8:15-5:00 mon.-fri.

1-800-843-3612

MEMBERSHIP DUES TO EAA AND

ITS DIVISIONS ARE NOT TAX

DEDUCTIBLE AS CHARITABLE

CONTRIBUTIONS.

For all pre-WW II aircraft - Hand woven or wrapped-and-soldered control and rigging cable ends, $20 per end. Endless loop trim cable , $150 . 300 Lycoming cowl , n ice , $1 ,000. 540/822-5125. (1550)

New man­

Current EAA members may join the Intemational ufacture, STC-PMA-d, 4130 chromoly tubing Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and receive SPORT throughout , also complete fuselage repair . ROCKY MOUNTAIN AIRFRAME INC. (J. Soares, AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $40 Pres.), 7093 Dry Creek Road, Belgrade, Montana per year. 59714 , 406/388-6069, FAX 406/388-0170 . EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBATICS maga­ Repair station No. QK5R148N. (0387) zine and one year membership in the lAC Division is available for $50 per year (SPORT FREE CATALOG - Aviation books and videos. AVIATION magazine not included).

WARBIRDS

FREE WORLDWIDE BOOKSEARCH for out of print books. ALSO, over 1,000 aeronautic titles available. Leatherstocking Bookscout, 738 Hillside Ave. , Lake Wales, FL 33853, 800/ 230­ 8071. (1272)

life flying experiences from first airplane ride to airline Captain . By John A. Anderson. 388 pages hard bound cover, $19.95 + $2.00 ship­ ping. IL residents add $1.45 for sales tax. Order from Jeanne Anderson , P. O. Bo x 1811 ., Woodstock, IL 60098. (1420) Midwest Randolph Distributor - All Randolph products and services, dopes, epoxies, paints. Call or write for product information and color chart . Brown Aero, B716 CTP, Unity, WI 54488, 715/223-4444. (1194)

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Own the Airplane of Your Dreams with EAA's®Aircraft Finance Program.

EAA's Aircraft Finance Program is designed to make it easier and more affordable to own an airp lane. The plan will finance not only homebuiits, antiques and ultralights - but most other airplanes as well. Skyhawks, Bonanzas, Aztecs, Citations - with no aircraft age limit. The EAA Aircraft Finance Program offers low down payments, loan mini­ mums of $ 10,000 and attractive rates with terms up to 15 years. We welcome partnerships, flight schools and flying clubs. Save money by refinancing your current airplane. EAA membership is included with every loan that's approved. We ' ll also automati­ cally renew and pay for your annual EAA dues for the length of the loan - on loans over $20,000. For more information on the EAA Aircraft Finance Program or to obtain a loan application call :

1·800·999·451 5 or fax 941·646·1671.

EAA®Aircraft Finance Program The EAA Aircraft Finan ce Program is administered by NAFCO, P.D. Box 6145, Lakeland, FL. 33807. 32 JANUARY 1997

"Fly-In Calendar The following list of coming events is fur­ nished to our readers as a matter of information only and does not constitute approval, sponsorship, involvement, control or direction of any event (fly-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed. Please send the information to fAA, Att: Golda Cox, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Information should be received four months prior to the event date. FEBRUARY 28 - March 2 - 39th Annua l Cactus Fly-In sponsored by Arizona Antique Aircraft Association at Casa Grande, AZ. Contact John Engle 602/830-9670. APRIL 6-12 - LAKELAND, FL - 23rd Annua l Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly- In and Convention. 813/644-2431. MAY 24 - DECATUR, AL - (KDCU) EAA Chapter 94 7 9th Annual Fly-In. Food, fun, aircraft j udging. For more information con­ tact Dick Todd, 205/97 7-4060 or 205/967­ 4540 (work). MAY 4 - DAYTON, OH - 34th Annual EAA Chapter 48 Fly-In Breakfast at Moraine Air Park. Lots of Antiques on the field. Contact Jennie Dyke at 573/878-9832. JUNE 6 - 7 - BARTlESVillE, OK - Frank Phillips Fie l d. 17 th A nnua l Nationa l Biplane Convention and Exposition. For info ca ll Charlie Harris, Chairman, 978/622­ 8400, Virgil Gaede, Expo Dire c tor, 978/336-3976. JUNE 15 - ANDERSON , IN - Anderson Municipa l Airport. EAA Chapter 226 Father's Day Fl y- In breakfast, 7 a.m. - 17 a.m. For info call Larry Rice, 377/649-8690. JUNE 26-29 - MT. VERNON , OH - 38 th Annual National Waco Reunion Fly-In. 513/868-0084. JULY 30-AUGUST 5 - OSHKOSH, WI - 45th Annual fAA Fly- In and Sport Aviation Convention. NOTf DA Y CHANGf - Now Wednesday through Tuesday. Wittman Regional Airport. Contact John Burton, fAA P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903­ 3086, 414/426-4800. SEPTEMBER 19-20 - BARTlESVILLE, OK ­ Frank Phill ips Field. 40th Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In. For info call Charlie Harris, 978/622-8400.

Continental EAA/SPORTAIR WORKSHOPS

Lvcoming Superior Air Parts

Champion Co-sponsored by EAA and Alexander Rapco SportAir, these Workshops offer week­ Gil Batteries end programs with a wide range of basic 3-M Products and advanced aircraft fabrication and Airborne restoration skills.

IF WE DON'T

HAVE IT WE'LL FIND IT

Alcor Brackett Cleveland Datcon Dow Corning GE Bulbs

Goodyear Tires Loctite McCreary Tires Michelin Tires Precision Carburetor Parts Randolph

• February 7-2 Griffin, GA • February 8-9 Phoenix, AZ Please contact SportAir for location information and registration . Ca ll1-BOO/967-5746, Fax 770/467-941 3.

Ask For Lynn or Rick

CALl.: 1.800.826.9252

Safety Wire Slick (Unison) Tempo Thermoid Universal Whelen