VA-Vol-35-No-8-Aug-2007

GEOFF ROBISO N PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Volunteers and speaking up

The big show is now only days away, and I am busy preparing myself to be gone from the office for an extended period of time. In fact I will be in Oshkosh for a total of 19 days on this trip. Our annual July Vintage Aircraft Association (VAA) work party is set for the weekend ofjuly 13-15 this year. It amazes me each year the number of individuals who will travel hundreds of miles to engage themselves in the always-extensive efforts to prepare the grounds at Wittman Field for each EM AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The VM will typically schedule at least three different volunteer work weekends, and we will see dozens of individuals arrive solely for the purpose of volunteering their personal time to prepare the Vintage area of the convention grounds. That 's not to mention the dozens of folks who will arrive as early as April and actually stay right through AirVenture, volunteering their time performing a myriad of duties. As you can imagine, a fair amount of these folks are retired and find this sort of volunteering rewarding. EAA has been so successful in upholding our founder's long-standing goal of maintaining the EAA grounds to an extremely high standard, due in large part to the efforts of all these fine individuals who give thousands of hours of volunteer time. One great story I have told many members time and again, and I'll share it with you. It occurred in Camp Scholler during last year's event. As many of you know, the 2006 event was the first year that Ford Motor Company and Eclipse Aviation sponsored movie night in the campground. The owner of the company who operates this

outdoor theater was reportedly shocked and amazed when the movie ended and the hundreds of happy campers got up to leave. Typically the owner hires several individuals to do cleanup of the theater area at the end of each evening. His amazement was based on the fact that when everyone left, typical to EM's high standards, there was virtually no trash or debris left behind for his crew to clean up. In a normal evening, his crew would work several hours policing the area of all the trash. This gentleman has been providing this outdoor theater service for many years and had never witnessed a phenomenon of this sort in all that time. That certainly speaks volumes about our fellow members and your strong support of EM's high standards of quality and cleanliness. The issue of user fees for general aviation continues to be big news in most all of the aviation publications. Are you getting the feeling, as I am, that the virtual camel has now successfully managed to get its very large nose under the tent flap by imposing a number of new and more expensive user fees? If the ATA and FAA win, user fees are certain to impact all of us. Want specifics? These fees include additional gas taxes and paperwork fees that will increase what you and I will pay to fly. Even the no-radio winged machinery we like to fly around the patch will be impacted; the justification for these fees are all wrapped in the flag of "fairness." We should all be concerned, and we should continue to voice our opposition to our elected officials. Some pilots would say these new fees are small and mostly insignificant increases in the overall big picture of what the costs will eventually become

for us to stay airborne. However, based on the volume and extensiveness of the rhetoric we continue to hear from the airlines and the current administration, I strongly suspect that we are beginning to see only a small portion of what is likely to be a large iceberg that is being developed inside the beltway. Do we really want to see a fee-based system based on a European model? Look what it's done to limit civilian aviation on that side of the Atlantic! The airlines are determined to shift as much of the expense of the system to as many of the hobbyist, non-revenue aviators as they possibly can. What can we "little guys" do? What should our reaction be , and how can we be as effective as possible in combating these burdensome changes? The best approach I can recommend is for us all to remain vocal. In fact, at this point we need to do even more by turning up the volume and continuing to inform our representatives that these changes are overly burdensome and expensive. Yes, I would agree that a number of our representatives have really done a good job of supporting general aviation. So let's encourage them to do even more. My other recommendation to each of you is to continue to support the voices of advocacy through your continued membership to the EAA and the Vintage Aircraft Association. Please remember, we truly are better together, acting in unison to maintain our rights to freely access the system, as unrestricted as safety allows. Let's all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation. Remember, we are better together. Join us and have it all.

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VOL. 35, No.8

2007

AUGUST

CONTENTS I Fe

Straight & Level Volunteers and speaking up by Geoff Robison

2

News

5

Lockheed 12A

The Whittlesey family's 68-year-old limo

by Budd Davisson

10

The Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In

Look what's growing in California's Central Valley

by H.G. Frautschy

15

What Our Members Are Restoring

18

Woolaroc

The Winner of the 1929 Dole Race

by Ed Phillips

25

Getting Your A&P Rating

Part II - Long-in-the-tooth A&P students

by Dave Clark

30

Pass It to Buck

Change in the air

by Buck Hilbert

34

The Vintage Instructor

"There are two emergency exits on this PA-12 aircraft ..."

by Doug Stewart

36

Mystery Plane by H.G. Frautschy

38

Calendar

39

Classified Ads

COVERS FRONT COVER & BACK COVER: The winner of the Grand Champion Antique Lindy at EM AirVenture Oshkosh 2006, Grand Champion Antique at the Sun 'n Fun Fly-In and the winner of the Paul E. Garber Trophy at the National Aviation Heritage Invitational in Reno in 2006, this is Les Whittlesey's Lockheed 12E Electra Junior, restored to perfection and used by the family as the

u~imate

in personal transportation . Front cover photo by Bonnie Kratz.

Back cover by EM volunteer photographer Phil High.

STAFF

EAA Publisher Director of EAA Publications Executive Director/Editor Executive Assistant Managing Editor News Editor Photography Advertising Coordinator Classified Ad Coordinator Copy Editor Director of Advertising

Tom Poberezny David Hipschman H.G. Frautschy Jillian Rooker

Kathleen Witman

Ric Reynolds

Jim Koepnick Bonnie Kratz Sue Anderson Daphene VanHullum Colleen Walsh Katrina Bradshaw

Display Advertising Representatives: Northeast: Allen Murray Phone 856-229-7180, FAX 856-229-7258, e-mail: allellmllrray@milldsprillg.com Southeast: Chester Baumgartner Phone 727-532-4640, FAX 727-532-4630, e-mail: cballllllll @milldsprillg.com Central: Todd Reese Phone 800-444-9932, FAX 816-741-6458, e-mail: todd@Spc-mag.com Mountain & Pacific: John Gibson Phone 916-784-9593, e-mail: johllgibsoll@Spc-mag.com Europe: Willi Tacke Phone +498969340213, FAX +498969340214, e-mail: wi1li@{lyillg-pages.com

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

VAA Board Expands Contemporary Judging Category The VM Contemporary judging cat­ egory has been expanded to include aircraft built up to December 31, 1970, from December 31,1967. This change, made by the EM Vintage Aircraft Asso­ ciation's board of directors, gives EM and VM members who have restored many of the capable personal aircraft of the late 1960s an opportunity to par­ ticipate in EAA's world-class judging program. This distinction also allows those aircraft to be insured through VAA's aircraft insurance program, ad­ ministered by AUA Inc. Effective starting with this year's EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007, the VAA's internationally recognized judging categories are: - Antique: Aircraft built prior to September I , 1945 - Classic: September I, 1945 - De­ cember 31, 1955 - Contemporary: January I, 1956­ December 31, 1970

Rim Roller Pete Gorman of Lake Worth, Flor­ ida, wrote to us looking for someone who could form a unique tire rim. Pete's building a Fokker D-VII replica and needed to make a pair of 23- by 2.75-inch rims. As so often happens, as soon as he wrote us, he found someone with the adjustable rim­ forming machine he needed, and he wanted to let the rest of the member­ ship know of his find. The company is AutoComponenti in Brookville, Ohio; call 937-884-5142 or visit www. AutoComponenti.com.

Bristol Jupiter Engine David Saunders called from Hun­ gary to ask if we could get the word out concerning a need for an engine for a Gloster Gamecock restoration. He's in need of a Bristol Jupiter, either a 6 or 7. He's also looking for a Klimov M-105PF or M-I07. Both are needed for current restorations. Contact D. Saunders (Accountable Manager), Leg­ 2

AUGUST 2007

EAA Chapter 10 Makes VAA Friends of the Red Bam Donation Vintage Aircraft Association Chapter 10, Tulsa, has been a Friends of the Red Barn (FORB) contributor since its origin, always contributing at the top level each year of the program 's existence. This year the chapter is a Diamond Plus contributor. For more information on the VAA FORB program, please visit http://VintageAircraft.org/programs/redbarn.html or call 920-426-6110. The chapter is actively involved with all sport aviation activities in the Tulsa area. It is a co-sponsor of the Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In, www. TulsaFlyln.com, as well as strong volunteer supporters of the Biplane Expo. The chapter has co-hosted the EAA B-17 Aluminum Overcast for all of its Tulsa tour stops as well as the Ford Tri-Motor in 2006, and it will host the Tri-Motor on its 2007 tour on September 13-16, 2007. The Tulsa EAA chapters are unique in that they are all Chapter 1O-in addition to VAA Chapter 10, the other Tulsa chapters include EAA Chapter 10, lAC Chapter 10, Ultralight Chapter 10, and Warbird Squadron 10.

endary Aircraft Kft, Gyor-Per Airport, 9099 Per, Hungary. Cell phone: +36­ 20/9188009, Phone: +3696547038, Fax: +3696547039 . E-mail: info@War­ bird.hu. Skype: Legendaryl940.

New Handheld Computers to Aid Aircraft Judging This year's AirVenture aircraft judg­ ing process has received a major up­ grade ... and a new technical sponsor. EM member John Craparo, a senior vice president with Hewlett-Packard (H-P), mentioned his willingness to help EAA in any way possible during conversations with EAA's development department and EM President Tom Po­ berezny. Craparo was able to introduce Jeff Kaufman, EAA's director of busi­ ness development, to the right folks at

H-P, which resulted in EM receiving a considerable discount from H-P on the purchase of 150 of the company's iPaq handheld computers. After volunteer Rob Reece pro­ grams the units, EAA aircraft judges will use them to enter the scores of each judged aircraft beginning this year at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. "Since the inception of EM's com­ puterized registration program, we've used handheld computers in this ap­ plication with varying levels of suc­ cess," said H.G. Frautschy, executive director of EM's Vintage Aircraft As­ sociation, who oversaw the processes within EAA headquarters to purchase new units. "We're very grateful for H­ P's generosity of and their willingness to make these new units available to

us. The new units will streamline the judging process, and take what is al­ ready the world standard for aircraft judging to even greater heights." H-P is also now the new technol­ ogy sponsor of the EAA Aircraft Judg­ ing Program. AeroShell Flight Jacket is the official sponsor of the judging.

EAA's New Video Player is one for all

Comet Model News DVD I'd bet that the vast majority of our members started out in aviation by build ing models when they were young. Before World Wa r II , the Comet Model Airplane & Supply Company was one of the most prolific, churni ng out thousands of kits sold by more than 6 ,000 dealers worldwide. There were not too many million dollar businesses built during the depths of the Great Depression , but Comet was one that made it big. Bill Bibich kow and Sam Goldenberg began their business in the back of Bi ll's fath er' s tailor shop on the near west side of Chicago. They made a profit from the very beginning, with innovative designs that flew well and could be constructed by youngsters of nearly all ages. One of the 300 employees who worked for Comet during t hose heady days was Eddie Kapitanoff, who served as the company 's We st Co ast salesman. In addition to being an effective salesman, Edd ie had a hobby that served to preserve Comet's history; he was an avid photographer, skilled with both a still camera and movie film. This treasure trove of mate­ rial , dormant in the fam ily collection for many years, served as the basis for Nancy Kapitanoff's short documentary, The Comet Model News, now available on DVD. Ms. Kapitanoff is the daughter of Eddie and his wife , Comet 's former bookkeeper. Using the information from the compa ny newsletters that Nancy's mother saved , Nancy has skillfully woven t he stills and movie footage shot by both her father and Bill Bibich kow (includ­ ing Kapitanoff's rare color footage of Carl Goldberg flying his Zipper dur­ ing his national tour in the mid-1930s) into a fun look back at an amazing time in aviation. The Comet Model News is a fasc inating glimpse into a business that helped create a legion of aviation enthusiasts who continue to keep aviation alive. In addition, there 's a bonus 12-mi nute silent black­ and-wh ite film of 13-year-old Walter Eckart building a Comet lO-cent kit of a Stinson and flying it in a park after he's done building. Great fun! The winner of the Best Short Film Documentary award at the Winn ipeg International Film Festival in 2006, The Comet Model News is available for $19.95 plus shipping and handling from Hannan 's Runway, www.HRun­ way.com, or mail an SASE to Hannan 's Runway, P.O. Box 210, Magalia , CA

95954. You can also call 530-873-6421 to order a copy. Please be con­ siderate of the time; it's in the western time zone.

Perhaps you were one of the thou­ sands of members who attended EAA AirVenture, or you missed it this year, and you want to see what you missed. Whichever the case, we invite you to visit the EAA AirVenture web­ site at your earliest convenience and check out the new video player there. Hosted by a company called Brightcove and sponsored by Micro­ soft and RotorWay, it's available 24/7. The player allows aviation enthusi­ asts around the world to experience AirVenture wherever and whenever they want. One of its features allows viewers to also be producers; EAA members can upload their own videos, providing a potentially endless variety of per­ spectives on the world of flight, and naturally, we're expecting a lot of sub­ missions from this year's AirVenture. The first user submission arrived just a few days after the player was made available online at www.AirVenture.org. U.S. Air Force Maj . Paul "Max" Moga, an F-22 pilot who is slated to fly one of the advanced fighter aircraft at Os­ hkosh this year, posted a five-minute clip showing a recent air show demon­ stration of the airplane. "That in itself shows how great this new web tool can be," said Adam Smith, EAA vice president of out­ reach. "We announced the new web player in mid-June, and less than a week later one of the scheduled par­ ticipants posted his own preview video to the AirVenture site. How cool is that?" Check out the daily content posted during the convention, including Air­ Venture news updates and highlights, historical flashbacks, interviews, hu­ man-interest stories, forums and pre­ sentations, air show performances, VINTAGE AIRPLANE

3

Reach for the Sky At EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007, a Learn to Fly Center staffed by EAA and the National Association of Flight Instructors provides inspiration and in­ formation for those who desire to learn to fly but haven't yet realized their dream. As part of that outreach, EAA produced a new publication, Reach for the Sky, which explains the process of learning to fly. The new piece also includes a guide to ali of the available special light-sport aircraft. Reach for the Sky is also now available in PDF format to download from www.EAA.org so you can share a copy with your friends who might be interested in learning to fly. Avia­ tion newcomers are faced with the potentially intimidating jargon of fly­ ing, airport fences, and the attitude of exclusivity exhibited by some pilots. Reach for the Sky is EAA's effort to remove these and other barriers and invite more people into the community of flight EAAers share.

and more. Post-convention, EAA will start integrating the player into all its websites, including new videos as well as content from the massive multi­ media treasure trove created over the organization's 54-year history. "This is more than the simple ad­ dition of a new feature; this is an ex­ citing new dimension in how EAA shares valuable knowledge and in­ formation among our community of aviation enthusiasts," said EAA Presi­ dent Tom Poberezny. "Our members 4

AUGUST 2007

and the public are seeking richer and more immediate multimedia content delivered via the Internet." Other features : The Brightcove player has a built-in syndication com­ ponent, allowing any EAA member or chapter to host the video player on a website, blog, or other web-based medium. Other enhanced features include an RSS (really simple syndi­ cation) feed, sharing content with friends via e-mail, and imbedding individual clips into your own blogs and websites. It's available right now. All you need is a broadband Internet connec­ tion and the Macromedia Flash player installed on your computer. Log on and tune in at www.AirVenture.arg!

FAA Issues Young Eagles' Exclusion to Air Tour Rule Requirements The FAA delivered on a promise made earlier in the year by issuing an amendment to the National Air Tour Safety Standards rule to specifically ex­ clude EAA Young Eagles flights from the rule's tighter requirements. As originally written, the rule would have adversely affected the Young Eagles program by limiting what aircraft could be used, as well as placing additional restrictions on pilot qualifications and frequency of Young Eagles activities. Of course, EAA already received the exclusion in February in the form of a letter from FAA headquarters to EAA President Tom Poberezny. That letter stated that the rule "does not apply to Young Eagles flights where the pilot does not receive compensation." The amendment was issued June 7, just two days before EAA's Inter­ national Young Eagles Day. It states, "During development of the Na­ tional Air Tour Safety Standards final rule, we believed that the Experimen­ tal Aircraft Association (EAA) used its FAA-issued exemptions for all flights conducted under its Young Eagles program. Since publication of the fi­ nal rule, however, we have learned that EAA uses its exemptions only for those few Young Eagles flights that are flown for compensation or hire. We therefore clarify that the fi­

nal rule applies to only Young Eagles flights that are flown for compensa­ tion or hire, but the rule does not ap­ ply to other Young Eagles flights ."

Good 01' Days: Pioneer Airport EAA Pioneer Airport's annual liv­ ing aviation history event, Good 01' Days, is August 18-19, bringing the excitement and adventure of avia­ tion's golden age back to life. Good 01' Days features a family activity center where kids will have the opportunity to play games that were popular back in the day. A va­ riety of vintage vehicles on display add to the experience, and attendees will have a chance to ride around the EAA grounds in a Vintage, pre­ WWll vehicle. Other activities in­ clude a time capsule opening, pie eating and Charleston dance con­ tests, and special flightline displays and tours . Pioneer staff and volun­ teers will be dressed in period cos­ tume, adding even more flavor to the event. Of course, visitors can also take an airplane ride in one of EAA's fleet of Pioneer aircraft, including the 1929 Ford Tri-Motor, 1929 Travel Air bi­ plane, 1927 Swallow biplane, and several Young Eagles airplanes. Ad­ mission to EAA members is always free, and Good 01' Days is included with regular museum admission for nonmembers.

Whodunit? Murder and intrigue abound at Pio­ neer Airport ... can you solve the crime? Take part in an all-new caper as EAA's Aviation Murder Mystery Din­ ner returns August 17-18 in concert with the Good 01' Days weekend. The plot: During the buffet dinner, a new artifact is dedicated at Pioneer Museum-a rare Quetzalcoatl-and a team of archeologists is anxious to hand over the precious piece to the museum. But the rare piece may never make it into the collection . .. Tickets, including dinner and the mystery, are $30 for EAA members and $35 for nonmembers. Make your reservations at www.AirVentureMuseum. arg or call 920-426-6880.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

5

The cabin's outstanding appointments extend to the cock­ pit. The center console includes a nifty cover duplicating the look of the old autopilot, which covers the modem radios when the aircraft is on display. and I took both Wacos across the U.S. and barnstormed a bunch of Waco fly­ ins and also made it to Oshkosh, where the ZPF won a Bronze Lindy. We called the trip '2001, A Biplane Odyssey.' The only thing better than flying across the U.S. in a couple of biplanes is having your dad fly one of them." This is a man who isn't afraid to ven­ ture out in his old airplanes, feeling that, if they are properly maintained and were mechanically 100 percent at the beginning, there's no reason they shouldn't rival a modern airplane for both utility and reliability. Plus, they have the added benefit of providing much classier transportation. "I had always admired the polished 12A owned by Sandy and Kent Blan­ kenburg, but it wasn't until '96, when I saw serial number 1277 at the Stagger­ wing Fly-In at Bill Allen's on Gillespie Field in San Diego, that I saw them in a different light. Little did I know that I would own the airplane someday. I really liked the lines of the airplane, as it was from that classic era of aviation's Golden Age. I put the thought of own­ ing one day in the back of my mind and that where it stayed for several years, as I was in the middle of the restoration of the ZPF-7. "In 2002 my dad called and told me there was a Lockheed 12A for sale in Trade-A Plane. I contacted the owner, and sure enough it was the same ship I had seen in San Diego. It seemed that the owner had passed away, and his 6

AUGUST 2007

The stately cabin of the Whittlesey Lockheed is perfectly ap­ pointed for long-distance cruising.

wife was very reluctant in putting the plane up for sale. We started e-mailing back and forth about the plane, and I finally made an offer that was rejected. I e-mailed my best and final offer from work before the Thanksgiving holiday and left for the long weekend. I came back into work and checked my e-mail and to find out that she had accepted my last offer. When I told my wife, I reassured her that this was not a proj­ ect, that we had bought a flyer that just needed a little work. She still periodi­ cally reminds me of that conversation, even though she really loves what we did with the airplane." The Lockheed 12A is an interesting airplane, if nothing else, because it has a massive identity problem: Far too many people mistake it for a Twin Beech, which is frustrating for Lockheed own­ ers because, to their eye, the long lines and sleek, chopped-windshield look of the nose sets the airplane entirely apart from the more common Beech. "We get asked all the time if she is a Twin Beech," says Whittlesey, "and we say, 'No, that's her ugly stepsister.'" Although the two airplanes first flew only a little over a year apart, the 12A was designed much earlier and a casual examination of its systems shows that it is much more of an antique than the Beech. Still, in its day, the airplane was nothing short of phenomenal. The specific airplane Whittlesey had purchased, SIN 1277, was built in 1939 and the next year was taken over by the

Treasury Department to become part of a Lend-Lease package headed for Eng­ land. She became part of the RAF and for the balance of the war did utility and liaison duties before being discharged in 1945. Rumor has it that even Winston Churchill rode in her. For the next 17 years she passed through a number of hands before be­ coming part of a short-haul airline in France being operated by a Monsieur Chapeau. This was 1962, and for the next 20 years Monsieur Chapeau con­ tinued flying 1277 all over Europe. He would probably still be doing it, but as he coasted past his 78th birthday the French government took an increas­ ingly dim view of him continuing to act as chief pilot. It would be nice to know more about characters such as Monsieur Chapeau because he wasn't about to sit on the ground while other people flew his airplanes. So he unceremoniously shut down the airline and retired. A noted French aviation enthusi­ ast bought all the assets of the airline, which included not only SI N 1277, but at least two other Lockheed 12As as well. Shortly thereafter, SI N 1277 moved to Greenville, Maine, where Lou Hilton continued to campaign for her at air shows. Incidentally, she didn't come over in the hold of a ship. They simply strapped three 55-gallon drums to the floor in the fuselage and flew over. After all, she is an airplane. After several years, Hilton needed some extensive work done on the air­

plane and it was sent to Florida. In the process, he decided to sell the airplane, and it was bought by Dave Swanson, who had the work finished. If you've been reading closely, you'll note that from 1939 until Whittlesey purchased her in 2002-a period of 63 years! there were no significant dor­ mant periods in the airplane's life. It spent little or no time tied down, col­ lecting bird droppings . In fact, for the majority of its life SIN 1277 has been a working airplane. This might be some kind of record. When Whittlesey was sitting at his computer in sunny Southern Califor­ nia negotiating the purchase, it was the dead of winter everywhere else in the country. Especially in New Hampshire, where the airplane was based. This caused a problem Whittlesey hadn't re­ ally conSidered, as it would be one of the worst winters in years. "Part of the deal was to have the air­ plane receive an annual. When we ce­ mented the deal, it started snowing in New Hampshire and did not stop until spring. There was so much snow on top of the hangar, the roof sagged and the door would not open. You could not get the airplane out to complete an an­ nual, and so there she sat until the fol­ lowing spring. "I could not go out and get her, so a family friend, 'Captain Kirk' Mcquown, a good stick (he soloed 14 planes on his 16 th birthday), and my dad flew back to pick her up. When they were flying the airplane home, they began to get an inkling of how tired the old girl was, and when we started poking into her in­ nards, we really weren't left any choice. Every machine wears out, and after 63 continuous years of use, that's exactly what was happening to this one." When they pulled the wings off and started what they knew was going to be a long process, one of the goals was to convert it back to civilian transport configuration from the C-40, the mili­ tary configuration it had carried for so many years. More than that, Whittle­ sey wanted to make it as period-correct as he could and still have it be a viable piece of transportation and not a mu­ seum piece. As is always the case, when you start

One unique aspect of the retractable landing gear is the factory addition of a pair of mud guards installed on the gear. In the interest of maintainabil· ity, Whittlesey installed Twin Beech tires, wheels and brakes to replace the nearly impossible to find air wheels and original brakes. working with an aluminum airframe that is more than six decades old, an interesting process takes place. First, you think that most of the aluminum is still flyable, so you'll replace only the panels that have corrosion or are re­ ally beat up. So, you replace one. In­ stantly the perfection of the new panel brings out previously unnoticed im­ perfections in the surrounding panels. Although Whittlesey didn't say so in so many words, the fact that he wanted to polish the airplane and quickly found so many more zits on it than he could live with led to a progressive re-skin­ ning that included both outer wing panels, all the flight controls, and 80 percent of the fuselage. "When we were doing the skinning, in the interest of originality, we used the peculiar brazier head rivets Lockheed used," Whittlesey says. "We scoured the country for them and because they were so old, they were really hard to rivet. So we looked up how to properly heat treat them to make them soft and then kept them in the freezer until we were ready to use them, as they would get hard

The nose features a forward baggage compartment, but you'll need a ladder to access it. again if left on the bench." One interesting little side note sur­ faced during the re-skinning process: They found flak damage from WWII in the left wing. It was the result of the airplane being hit by friendly fire over Belgium. "Since we had the airplane on stands and completely apart, we pulled the landing gear and rebuilt and X-rayed every bit of it. We also had brand new screw jacks machin ed, since the old ones were getting pretty tired. We went through everything and replaced all the electrical wiring, fuel system, and all the control cables. Eighty percent of the pulleys had stopped turning and VINTAGE AIRPLANE

7

were being sawed through by (Left to right) Neil Whittlesey (Les' father), the cables." Jim Heinemann, project manager; ··Captain A sticking poin t for Lock­ Kirk" Me Quown, flight Instnldor and c0­ heed 12A owners is the main median; Lindy Whittlesey, (14); Les; his wife gear tires; they aren't easily Susan; Steve Dotson, aircraft Allie available, if at all. The originals Whittlesey (12); and Dave w.anr.an_ were smooth doughnut types craft restorer. and are no longer available. "I didn't want to modify any­ thing, but the tires and brakes just weren't going to work on a long-term basis. While I love the look, the old-style tires and brakes are impossible to come by, and the last thing r wanted to worry about were odd tires and ancient brakes. So, we just bit the bullet and went with Twin Beech tires, wheels, and brakes. They aren't original, but r can service them and don't have to worry about them." Totally remanufacturing (not restoring) an airplane like a Lock­ delivered over a 100 airplanes for Mc­ heed 12A isn't something you take on Donnell Douglas and Boeing, so he had solo, and Whittlesey recognized that. As plenty of experience in managing com­ much as he would have liked to be able plex airplanes. We started this in '03 to say, "I did it all myself," regardless of and flew three years later. I could prob­ his abilities in the workshop, that just ably calculate how many hours we put wasn't practical. into it, but r really don't want to know. liMy crew and r set up a little opera­ r know it's in the tens of thousands, and tion on Chino they called 'The Lock­ that's close enough. All I know for sure heed Stinkworks,' and the slogan was is that it was a lot. Everyone asks, 'How 'Where airplanes are restored to udder much money do you have in the air­ perfection.' This is in reference to the plane?' and r say, 'It is in the 2s .. . 'Too dairies that surround the airport and much!'" One of the major problems in a proj­ can usually be smelled. They even had an cartoon character dairy cow drawn ect like this is where you draw the line up like the Lockheed skunk. as to what should be done. The short li My brother-in-law, Jim Heinemann, answer is, you don't. Since the airplane took over as project manager, coordi­ is such a piece of history and so visually nating the various subcontractors we arresting, you really can't look at some­ had working on the airplane. He had thing and say, "That's good enough." 8

AUGUST 2007

In the decades prior to World War II, the Sportsman Pilots Association cre­ ated crests for use by the members on their aircraft. Whittlesey decided that in the same spirit, he'd create one for his family. The "W" is seN·explanatory, and the "LS" stand for Les and Susan, his wife. The "LA" stands for their daughters, Lindy and Allison. Lindy is named for Charles Lindbergh, and Al­ lison for the great World War II fighter engine of the same name. liThe cowlings on the airplane were perfectly usable, but when you're look­ ing at a round motored airplane, what's the first thing that catches your eye? The motors, right? So the cowlings had to be redone, which opened an entire can of worms because you don't just go to your local scrap yard and come up with a set of Lockheed 12A cowlings. They were a very specific shape, and the only way we were going to get them was by building our own. We teamed up with Yanks Air Museum at Chino, which owns a C-40, the only military version flying. Along with three other owners, we made a die and stretched formed blanks for five ship sets of cowls. Of course, once you have the skins you have to add all the internal structure, which, with Yanks, we built enough parts for two airplanes. We are really glad we did them, and these will last way longer than the 63 years the first ones did." Airplanes and big cars of the 1930s shared a very distinct feel to their interi­ ors. Whether it was Packard or Cadillac, Lockheed or Stinson, they all had an

overstuffed, limousine feel to them, and to do the Lockheed's interior any other way would be cheating on the experi­ ence of flying in the airplane. "The original floor boards were ply­ wood sandwiches with balsa cores, which, of course, don't carry much of a fire rating, so we opted to go to alu­ minum skins on a balsa core in those areas for safety reasons. But for the up­ holstery and headliner we went strictly 1930s. We used original factory photos for the location of changes in materials. The headliner is the old mohair style, while the sidewalls have a wooden belt strip, like wainscoting, running around the interior under the windows with leather up to that. All the fabric was purchased from an antique auto inte­ rior company, and then we had it fire­ proofed. Yanks had a complete set of plans, and we used those to rebuild all the seats, which are all different at each location, so not one is the same. The plans were invaluable, as we even cop­ ied where the welt cords went on the seats. We even put the hat netting back in, as everyone wore hats back then." Being a mini-airliner, the 12A had a toilet, and that's a story of its own. "Considering how old the airplane is and how many owners had worked it, it was pretty amazing to find it still had the original toilet. While on the surface it was a little primitive, it was pretty ad­ vanced, with spring-loaded doors and a vent attached to the back to suck out any fumes . The bathroom even had an ashtray, which I found amazing, since the airplanes had the option to have two 50-gallon fuel tanks installed be­ hind the pilots for longer range. Smok­ ing can be hazardous to your health, especially when you are smoking next to fuel. " "When we got the airplane, the door handles were off of a recreational vehi­ cle of some sort and obviously weren't right. However, we also had original ads and photos so we could tell what the original door handles looked like. So, I took my pictures with me to the Pomona Antique Auto Swap Meet and started walking up and down the rows. Two hours later, 10 and behold, I found two new old-stock handles still in their original bags."

When Whittlesey did the instru­ ment panel on his family liner, he had another of those "how original do I go?" decisions to make. He wanted to fly this airplane as if it were a modern twin, which meant including items that didn't exist in 1938. "We really wanted to keep to the orig­ inality of the time period of the aircraft while also including avionics that were provided for greater utility and safety. One of the team, Dave Waterman, took out the entire control console and in­ strument panel and completely rebuilt them. We reinstalled all the old instru­ ments, even down to the clock. To make things as original as possible, Dave even made a cover from the old 1939 autopi­ lot that we could place over the modern radios when we went to air shows. This way we could have a functional panel and keep it looking original. "It is amazing how small today's avi­ onics are compared to the old ones. Where the original autopilot was, we were able to fit a Garmin GPS 480, an MX-20 with satellite weather, a Mode S transponder, a SL-40 second radio, and the audio panel with marker beacon." As the restoration progressed, Whittle­ sey began to think about re-registering it because it carried a personalized N num­ ber applied by a former owner, Hilton. "The airplane came out of the fac­ tory December 27, 1939, registered as NC18900. A quick search showed that number was now on a Ryan SCW and the owner wasn't going to give it up. I didn't want the personalized license plate look, so I searched the FAA web­ site for available N numbers and came up with 18906, as it would layout the same size and be as close to the original number as possible. " Being a stickler for authenticity is the goal of any restoration, but it does have its downsides. "By the time we were done, Michelle Gruenburg, the painter, hated me. It took us seven tries to get the logos and stripes right. We were down to counting rivets on old photos and advertisements. But I wanted her exactly like she came from the factory, so it was important." Every project has some part that dogs the builder right to the end. In the case of the Whittlesey L-12A, it was the wingtips.

"Steve Dotson and Lefty McGluck­ ian, two very good sheet metal men at Chino, worked on those wingtips right up to the first flight. I think the paint on the bottom of the wingtip was even still tacky when they were put on. That is one thing we don't want to ever have to do again, and I think the guys would agree with me." The Whittlesey family is now enjoy­ ing their aerial limo. The trip back from Oshkosh was the first trip the family had made in the plane, as she had only seven hours on her when she left Chino for her first air show at Oshkosh. The whole family participated on the return trip back, with Susan, his wife, and his girls, Lindy (14) and Allison (12)-yes, they were named after Charles Lind­ bergh and the Allison engine helping from the copilot seat in flying her back. In fact, all of the kids' stick time has been in either the Wacos or the Lock­ heed. Since then, SN/1277 has won the prestigious Paul E. Garber Trophy at the National Aviation Heritage Invitational at the Reno Air Races. Still, as perfect as the airplane ap­ pears, is there anything that Whittlesey still feels isn't complete? "I'm still looking for an original lens that the red warning light on the nose used," he says. "I had to make one out of acrylic and it looks right, but it isn't right. I have the Lockheed part number for the lens, which is cast glass, but still haven't come up with one. Also, the air­ plane originally came with hat clips for the interior, like on the back of chairs at old diners. We would love to get some of those. And lastly, an original sales brochure, and flight and maintenance manuals. I have copies of those, but having originals would be great." The concept was to build a safe, com­ fortable piece of transportation that Whittlesey felt good entrusting his fam­ ily to and, judging from the amount of flight time they've already put on the airplane, it looks as if he succeeded. "People always ask, 'After all that work and how rare the airplane is, are you afraid to fly her?' My answer," says Whittlesey, "is that you don't hang art in a closet, so you need to fly these air­ planes and get them out there so every­ ........ one can enjoy seeing them." VINTAGE AIRPLANE

9

The Golden West

EAA

I Fly-In

Dan Schurph of Placerville, California, has owned his Aeronca Sedan since the early 1970s. Equipped with a seaplane door on the left side and supplemental type certificated metal fuel tanks, he's hoping it will go to a family interested in a classic airplane, as he has it up for sale. It won the Champion Classic trophy. The best of the bunch in the antique category is Jerry Impellezzeri's masterful restoration of a Travel Air E-4000. We'll have an article on this outstanding restoration in a future issue of Vintage Airplane. It was the winner of the Antique Grand Champion of the Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In.

Mike Melvill and his wife, Sally, flew up in their Rutan Long-EZ for the day so Mike could be the speaker for the Saturday evening dinner. His talk about the work at Scaled Com足 posites and on the SpaceShipOne program (no, Mike couldn't fill us in on SpaceShipTwo-we tried!) had the audience spellbound. He was gracious, as always, doing his best to sign members' programs until he had to depart the airport for their return trip to Mojave, where he and Sally had to get back to work!

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

11

The newest of the EAA regional

by the mountains to the west, the valley

fly-ins has moved around abit in

seems to have perpetual VFR weather. As

the Central Valley of California, an

I'm aconfirmed northern Midwesterner,

area known as one of the most

the dry summer weather is abit of cui­

fertile vegetable- and fruit-

ture shock for me, but it's easy to get

growing regions of the United

used to. I always enjoy atrip out west

States. The weather and hos­

to visit with members and friends who

pitality is conducive to the

I don't see nearly enough, and to mar­

growth of Fly-Ins, too, if the

vel at their fantastic restorations. Our

Golden West fly-in is any in­

thanks to members Rand Siegfried, Kent

dication. The event seems to

and Sandy Blankenburg, Paul Price, and

have found agreat home in

Golden West President John Gibson for

Marysville, asmall city near

their hospitality and help during our all­

the state capital of Sacra­

too-brief visit to the "Golden West." The

mento. Insulated from the

11th Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In is

Pacific maritime climate

scheduled for June 6-8, 2008.

The Champion Antique award winner, from Napa, California, was Frank Russo's Piper J-3 Cub. 12

AUGUST 2007

These four family members were just a few of the thou足 sands of people who passed through the gates of the Golden West Fly-In_

The older Aeronca-styIe oleo landing gear is a clue that this is an early Champion Citabria_ It was flown to the Golden West Fly-In by Don Johnston of Davis, California, and took home the Contemporary Champion award.

The Reserve Grand Champion Clas足 sic of the Golden West was Brett Scheidel's Cessna 195.

Top dog in the Classic cat足 egory, the winner of the Grand Champion trophy was Howard McGinnis' Cessna 120. He's from Watsonville, California.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

13

Ben Mueck and his family gather next to Ben's re­ cently completed restoration of this rare Curtiss­ Wright Travel Air Speedwing. Ben's had the project for more than 35 years. H was originally owned by Casey Lambert in St. Louis. Last year at the Reno National Championship Air Races, EAA Founder Paul Poberezny presented Ben with a photo of the plane taken when Lambert owned it. Lambert and Poberezny became friends when Lambert retired to the north woods of Wisconsin, and Lambert buiH a Baby Ace on floats that now resides in the EAA Air­ Venture Museum. The photo helped Mueck finalize his restoration's details. The Mueck family's CoW Speedwing won the Antique Reserve Grand Cham­ pion trophy.

Willie Turner, son of the late restorer/air­ craft replica builder Bill Turner, serves the Golden West as air boss. For his day job, Willie is the vice president of operations of the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Cartos, California, in the Bay area. For more info on the museum, visit www.Hiller.org.

14

AUGUST 2007

ARIZONA STEARMAN

Jack Pollack picked up his Stea­ rman project in Seattle, Washington, in February 2000. It's a 1941 PTl3­ B, serial number 75-873. The project had been kicked around for many years and was, as he puts it, "in a mil­ lion pieces in boxes." The last time it flew was in 1968. Shortly after starting work on 099, he made contact with Ken Wilson, a Stearman historian, and asked him to trace the history of this aircraft. Its first assignment in the military

was in March 1941 at Hemet Field. It bounced around California until July 1945. Its last assignment was at Thunderbird Field II, now Scottsdale Airport. Interestingly, that was Jack's home base at the time he bought the project. In another odd coincidence, the airplane was sold from the mil­ itary to Leland Hayward and John Connelly. John Connelly is the fa­ ther of Scott Connelly, a friend of Jack's! Scott is a former Stearman owner, now flying a Cessna 180 out

of Carefree, Arizona. Jack would like to thank EAA for its invaluable help in this restora­ tion project. He also extends a special thanks to Tom Weidlich for his help and guidance. After almost seven years and more than 3,500 hours work, Jack's Stear­ man flew for the first time in almost 40 years, on November 30, 2006. The Stearman flew perfectly. Jack Pollack, EAA 328199 Scottsdale, Arizona VINTAGE AIRPLANE

15

MISSOURI CHAMPION

This Champion 7FC (L-16 replica) was one of the last "greenhouse" models built by Champion in 1963. Don Miles did a complete restoration with new wood, glass, and Poly-Fiber fabric. It was finished in AN yellow as an L-16. This aircraft was an instrument trainer and has a full gyro panel. Dave says it now has a zero-time Con­

tinental C90-12F and a new Sensenich propeller and Airtex interior. Don extends his thanks to G&J Aircraft in Boonville, Missouri, for providing rebuilding advice and inspections. Donald Miles, EAA 161653 Columbia, Missouri

BRAZIL LUSCOMBE

16 AUGUST 2007

Here's what Joao Moura of Santa Catarina, Brazil, wrote con­ cerning his Luscombe: "I bought my project in March 2003. After hours and hours of pleasure working in the recovery, making a new instru­ ment panel and new paint (by myself) My Dream has already come true. '''My Dream is a 1946 Luscombe Silvaire 8E with C-85 12F (experimental). My Garmin Pilot III already shows I've accu­ mulated a total of 16,000 miles flown among the states of the south of Brazil. lilt is an incommensurable plea­ sure to fly this beautiful airplane." Joao Moura EAA 625755 Santa Catarina, Brazil

KENTUCKY CUB

to the note sent in by Steve Trutschel, this NEW HAMPSHIRE CubAccording was ready for the scrap yard. Seven years went into bringing this 1940 Cub back to life. As you can see in this shot, the short field performance with just 90 hp is unbe­ PIPER· TRI-PACER lievable, with a takeoff run shorter than 200 feet. When Complete with a functional Piper autoflight system, this is David Adams' Piper Tri-Pacer, which he restored with the help of EAA Chapter 51, with additional help from Steve Grant for the re-cover and Gene Rebielo for the engine overhaul and certification. This shot was taken after the first flight on May 5, 2006. The restoration was done in a garage in Dighton, Massa­ chusetts. Dave has owned this airplane for 35 years and wouldn 't recommend taking that long to restore an air­ plane. It took so long because of all those wonderful inter­ ruptions in life: kids, family, work, and flying and keeping another aircraft. He's certainly happy he stuck with it! David Adams EM 230967 West Ossipee, New Hampshire

you add Super Cub controls, trim system, baggage com­ partment, 26-inch tundra tires, balanced elevators, PA-ll front seat, wing tanks, and the vortex generators, you have the original recipe for the yellow "smiley face." Steve thanks Susan Bell, who helped push him through the tough times and who would dig right into the nastiest jobs. He also expresses many thanks to Cub Stewart of Red Stewart Airfield (40I) for the use of his time, buildings, tools, and knowledge of the little Piper Cubs. Also thanks to Cathy Stewart for the extremely nice fabric work on this Cub. Steve says, "Without the help of these very close friends, I would never have finished this delightful little airplane." Steve Trutschel EAA 0387707 Alexandria, Kentucky

WISCONSIN CHAMP

David Meyer, who hails from the north woods of Wisconsin in Merrill, Wisconsin, restored this Aeronca Champ, which is powered by an 85-hp Continental en­ gine. New parts include wood, spars, struts, leading edges and cowling, and a snazzy Airtex interior. Done in the Stits Poly-Fiber process, the airplane actually belongs to David's son, ]eremie. David's other son, Jody, helped with the covering tapes and installing all those PK screws in

the wings and tail surfaces. The color scheme mimics one published on the cover of Sport Aviation in 1996, but in Cub Yellow and Juneau White. Dave thanks Darrell Kahn for his technical support, and A&P/IA Al Hatz. David Meyer EAA 347287 Merrill, Wisconsin VINTAGE AIRPLANE

17

The winner of the 1929 Dole race ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY ED PHILLIPS

$25 OOO' 1

:~lft;:~e:c~ his pipe and

• thought about

all that money. Relaxing in his office at the Travel Air fac­ tory, he had heavy responsibilities on his shoulders. He had been president of Travel Air since February 1927, after Clyde Cessna departed the company. And now he faced a serious decision: James Dole had put up $25,000 for the first-place winner to fly nonstop from California to Hawaii, and Travel Air was getting inquiries from pilots who wanted an airplane to make the flight. But who should get an airplane? It was May, and 17 orders had been tendered for Dole racers. Yet, Beech and the board of directors at Travel Air hadn't decided who to build for. It wasn't the first time such orders had been received. Back in March Travel Air had refused three orders to build a large, transatlantic airplane for passenger service between New York and Paris! Ever since Lindbergh's flight, it seemed everyone was infected with "aviation fever." REPRINTED FROM

18

AUGUST 2007

Now Dole had offered another tidy sum of money for someone to make the Pacific crossing to Hawaii. Beech really couldn't see how the company could afford to interrupt cur­ rent production to construct special racing ships for the Dole contest. But it was very tempting, indeed. If a Travel Air won, there would be terrific publiCity. But if a Travel Air lost ... Beech decided to give it more thought. Hawaii was just a tiny speck amid the vast reaches of the Pacific Ocean. An error of a few degrees in navigation could spell disaster, making the pilot miss the islands altogether. Meetings were held discussing the situation. Travel Air's board of directors authorized Beech to build two machines for the Dole race and keep the production line rolling at the same time. That was a most important pOint, because Travel Air was still located in its West Douglas factory, where there was very little space for construction of two special ships. The solution was a new factory, and Travel Air was slated to move into the facility in June 1927. The company had been busy producing the Models B, BW, and BH, along with the Model 5000 monoplane for National Air Transport (NAT)

Vintage Airplane JUNE

1983

Lead: The new Woolaroc as it appeared in November 1928, ready to assault the transcontinental speed record. The cock­ pit was in center fuselage, making visibility nearly impossible. APratt & Whitney radial of 400 hp is installed, and fuel tanks totaling 600 gallons capacity inhabit folWard fuselage.

Walter Beech, Bill Snook, Horace Weihmiller, and the board of directors perused the Dole race situation. The only type of airplane suitable for the modifications necessary for the race was the Model 5000 monoplane. This design was originally drawn up for competition and a production contract at the request of NAT in October 1926. in the West Douglas plant, but the new factory would greatly Clyde Cessna had designed, financed, and built his own reduce problems associated with normal production. monoplane, completely free of Travel Air control, in March Fifty men labored long hours to build Travel Air airplanes, 1926. Walter Beech liked it. Lloyd Stearman and Cessna rede­ and Beech knew that few could be spared for any special proj­ signed it to meet NAT requirements in the fall of 1926. ects. He consulted with factory manager Bill Snook. From By December NAT had flown the prototype and issued Snook's viewpoint, it would be possible to build two ships for a production contract to Travel Air for eight ships on Janu­ the race, but they would have to be built in the new factory. ary 7, 1927. Seats for four passengers in a heated cabin with By June everything was settled. The four NAT monoplanes wicker chairs was not too bad for those days! Even the large would be finished in the downtown facility, the Dole rac­ cabin windows could be slid open and closed for environ­ ers would be built out at the East Central location. Men and mental comfort. But the cabin would not house seats and windows for the equipment began the move in June, and the production line was hardly interrupted in the process. By June 30 the new fac­ Dole racers. Instead, large fuel tanks would inhabit the area, with a navigator's station provided farther aft if necessary. tory was humming with activity. Travel Air engineers handled the changes required to make the Model 5000 into a long­ distance flyer. Weihmiller was chief engineer, assisted but Herb Rawdon, Walter Burnham, and C.B. Bennett. Finally, on June 18, 1927, Travel Air con­ tracted for the first of two Dole race airplanes. A tall, handsome young man by the name of Art Goebel signed his name on the order and discussed modification with Beech and the engineers. Goebel had been flying mostly in California, where he worked for National Pictures, Inc. He was well-liked and respected as both a pilot and a bUSinessman, and these two points were well-taken by the board of directors of Travel Air. They interviewed and Travel Air's first product was the Model A, an example shown here being questioned Mr. Goebel for five days before flown by Walter Beech in the summer of 1925. This model firmly estab­ deciding to let him sign. Goebel had flown lished Travel Air's reputation as a builder of high-quality, dependable com­ other ships in California but came to Wichita mercial airplanes.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

19

because he wanted a Travel Air. A $5,000 deposit was placed on the airplane and work began immediately. Hot on Goebel's heels were Al Henley and Benny Griffin,

Wright J-5CA of 200 hp powered the Woolaroc across the Pacific to Hawaii. The engine shown here is the original powerplant. Note the pressure grease fittings on the rocker box assemblies. These were special fittings that, once grease was injected into the box cavity, would keep pres­ sure feeding the lubricant to the valve mechanism. These units were considered standard equipment for any long-dis­ tance flight. Lindbergh also had them on his Wright radial. The "sunken" exhaust ring shown here was developed by Travel Air engineers and was used only on the Woolaroc. Magnetos are hidden behind bumps forward of cylinders.

View of the cockpit showing instrument panel, stick, and throttle quadrant details. Mannequin of Art Goebel is sit­ ting in the cockpit. 20 AUGUST 2007

who ordered their ship on June 28 after surviving the same scrutiny from the board of directors. Their $5,000 deposit was placed and the factory began work on Dole racer #2. Soon after these orders were placed, the original Travel Air Model 5000, sold to Pacific Air Transport in 1927, was about to take off for Hawaii piloted by its new owner, Ear­ nest Smith. Walter Beech was aware of this attempt and wrote a letter to Smith recommending he allow Travel Air to suitably mod­ ify the ship for such a flight, but Smith refused. Smith and his navigator Carter had to turn back not long after they took off from Oakland's new airport because of a broken wind de­ flector. A second attempt was successful on July 14-15, 1927. Smith had a new navigator named Emery Bronte, and they were the first commercial pilots flying a commercial airplane to reach Hawaii. The Army had beaten them, though. Mait­ land and Hegenberger flew their Atlantic C-2 from Oakland to Wheeler Field on June 28-29 to become the first airmen to fly that route. As July drenched Wichita in typical Kansas heat, Frank Phillips of the Phillips Petroleum Company entered the Dole race picture. He decided to sponsor both Goebel and Henley in the race, partly because of promotion for a gasoline named "Nu-Aviation." But Frank Phillips also cared about aviation. His cash en­ abled Art Goebel and Griffin to enter the race as their finan­ cial backers did not have all the necessary funds. Because of Phillips' help, Goebel named his ship the Woolaroc, a word meaning woods, lakes and rocks, the topographical features of the Phillips ranch in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. The Woolaroc was ready for test flight by August 2. Clar­ ence Clark, Travel Air's chief test pilot, made the uneventful hop. Weighing in at 2,200 pounds empty, the Woolaroc was well-dressed for the rave in her colors of Travel Air blue fu­ selage and orange wings. Wingspan was 52 feet and power came from a Wright Whirlwind of 200 hp. Wing and fuselage tanks carried 425 gallons of fuel, the fuselage units being spe­ cially made for this purpose. Travel Air workers rushed to get the Woolaroc completed as the date of the race, August 17, was not far away. Goebel accepted the airplane, paid the balance of the $18,000 price tag, and took off for Bartlesville. He visited with Frank Phillips and then departed for California on August 6. The flight to California was very important. Fuel con­ sumption and engine break-in were paramount concerns for Goebel. He double-checked everything. All went well and he arrived at Oakland on August 9, ready to go. Walter Beech departed Travel Air Field on August 7 to fly out and supervise servicing and handling of both the Woolaroc and the Oklahoma, as Griffin and Henley's ship had been named. Phillips had a cache of "Nu-Aviation" fuel wait­ ing at Oakland for both airplanes. The Woolaroc was equipped with a Pioneer earth induc­ tor compass, drift indicator, and a radio taken from Earnest Smith's Travel Air. All Goebel lacked was a naVigator. The race officials highly recommended a navigator, especially one qualified in celestial/marine navigation. Few pilots in 1927

With mannequin removed, more can seen. the stabilizer trim wheel on left cockpit sidewall, mounted at left of pilot seat. Fuel lines from tank to selector assem­ bly, pulleys for control surfaces are also visible. were experts at both, so the idea was a wise one. D. W. Tomlinson, a lieutenant in the Navy, knew someone Goebel could depend on for his navigator: Lieutenant Wil­ liam V. Davis. Goebel and Davis already knew each other, so the team was formed and the race date closed in. Brice Goldsborough and]. D. Peace of the Pioneer Instrument Company were on hand to check equipment. The Woolaroc compasses were calibrated and the earth in­ ductor unit checked. Accuracy of these components across 2,500 miles of open ocean was well appreciated by all 15 entrants, and Goldsborough and Peace were busy men prior to take-off day. On August 8, all pilots drew take-off slots. Goebel ended up number 7. Benny Griffin was number one in the Okla­ homa. On race day, August 16, 1927, both the Woolaroc and Oklahoma took off safely and were on their way. The Okla­ homa returned to Oakland after only one hour en route and was out of the race due to an overheating engine. Now Travel Air and Phillips Petroleum were down to one airplane and two airmen, winging their way toward Hawaii. The Woolaroc was doing fine. Davis was able to receive signals from the Army's San Francisco-Maui radio range, installed for the Maitland-Hegenberger flight. Celestial sightings were also taken along the route, with Davis opening the hatch on the upper fuselage for sextant reading. The hatch also had a windscreen built into it so that slipstream buffeting would not affect the sightings. Up front, Art Goebel was flying the Great Circle routes given to him by Davis. This information and other data were transmitted between the two men via a pull-string pulley ar­ rangement. The Woolaroc was level at 4,000 feet for the early portion of the flight, holding a heading of 250 degrees. As the blue/orange monoplane progressed westward it was slowly engulfed by the Pacific darkness. They were in­ deed alone. Davis now took sightings on Polaris and transmitted Morse

code position reports to passing ships. By midnight Goebel had climbed the Woolaroc to 6,000 feet atop a stratus layer of clouds. They held to course and waited anxiously for the dawn to greet them. Only then could they check their drift from the night wind. When sufficient daylight existed, Davis and Goebel dropped smoke bombs to check drift. As an aid, Travel Air workers had painted angular drift lines on the Woolaroc's horizontal stabilizer. Calculations showed a groundspeed of nearly 100 mph, with the predicted northeast winds aloft helping them out. A course change was made to 230 degrees for the final hours into Wheeler Field. The wind was shifting to the east and southeast, so Goebel held the new course despite his dis­ agreement with Davis over the heading change. Hours went by. The Wright droned on perfectly. Both men were getting tired but felt good. Then Goebel noticed what seemed to be a "cloud" on the distant horizon. But it didn't move as they got closer. "Mauil" thought Goebel. It was MauL Soon the "Woolaroc" flew past Diamond Head, met there by a Boeing PW-9 pursuit ship from Wheeler Field. As Goebel and Davis watched, the Boeing pilot nestled in tight forma­ tion with the Woolaroc. He held up one finger and was grin­ ning from ear to ear! They were first! Goebel flew inland and landed at Wheeler Field 26 hours, r-------------------------­

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

21

Right fuselage view, looking forward. Notice that entry door no longer has large window as original door did. Close-up view of throttle quadrant on left cockpit sidewall. Three levers are throttle (top), spark advance/retard (cen­ ter), and mixture (bottom).

Art Goebel seated in the revised cockpit of the Woolaroc transcontinental speed ship. Full instrumentation, including Pioneer earth inductor compass, was installed on panel. The two windows shown here were the only means of out­ side vision and were enlarged after first flight. Top speed of ship was 160 mph, but cruise was a disappointing 135 mph, not fast enough for a new record attempt. 17 minutes and 33 seconds after takeoff. It was a victory well­ earned and Goebel had much thanks for his navigator, Bill Davis. Both men were honored during their short stay in the islands. The Woolaroc was disassembled and shipped to the states aboard the steamship Monoa. In October, Goebel and the Woolaroc flew into Wichita and received a hero's welcome. Walter Beech commented that 22

AUGUST 2007

when Goebel ordered his airplane in June, he didn't even specify any colors! Goebel had put everything in the care of Travel Air. From August to October, the Woolaroc flew more than 10,000 miles attending tour stops in celebration of the Dole win. When she returned to Travel Air in October, it was time for a complete re-cover and overhaul. And it was time for a sec­ ond chance at glory. Art Goebel had a plan for the endurance record, using the Woolaroc. He instructed Travel Air to install 525-gallon fuel tanks, strip all excess weight from the Dole race configuration, and beef up the landing gear to handle the higher gross weight. But Goebel had company. Griffin brought the Oklahoma back to Travel Air for the same modification for the same pur­ pose. He and Goebel discussed making a two-airplane endur­ ance attempt, but the idea was scuttled later. Goebel intended to use Wichita for the attempted flight . The grass runway at Travel Air Field was not long enough at 2,500 feet to safely take off with all that fuel, so preparations were made to use the California section south of the Travel Air factory. A one-mile-long runway was prepared, but after the modi­ fications were done to both airplanes, both pilots began to have second thoughts about basing the attempts at Wichita. Perhaps it was the small purse of $7,500 offered for the event, or the fact that only $5,000 had really been raised by late fall when the flights were to be made. Goebel also complained that Wichita's field elevation of about 1,400 feet above sea level would hamper climb performance of the Woolaroc and that longer span wings needed to be built. But there was no money, time, or justi­ fication for them . About this time news was received that cities in Texas and Florida were offering much higher sums of money for pilots to make their endurance flights there, and this ended both Goebel and Griffin's interest in a Wichita endurance flight. After consultation with Phillips, Goebel decided to retire the Woolaroc. Clarence Clark flew the ship down to Arkansas City, Kansas, for long-term storage in February 1928. But Goebel returned to claim his airplane in August. He

planned to fly the ship to Los Angeles, where it would be on display while Goebel would be winging his way across the U.S. in a Lockheed Vega, attempting to set a cross-country speed record. It was a nice bit of publicity work indeed. Pete Hill and Goebel flew to Arkansas City but couldn't get the Wright started. The magnetos were dead. Another set was installed and the Woolaroe was soon off for Los Angeles. On August 20, Goebel set a record from Los Angeles to New York in 18 hours, 58 minutes. He averaged 150 mph. Goebel began serious consideration of an east-west trip in the upcoming months. But there was no Vega for such a flight .. . the only ship readily available was the Woolaroc. Phillips wanted more publicity out of the Travel Air, and he discussed the idea of using the Woolaroe for the east-west speed dash. Goebel knew it wasn't designed for pure speed, but maybe Beech and Travel Air could do something about that. Beech listened along with Herb Rawdon, Walter Burnham, and other workmen who would be involved in modifications to the airplane. They didn't like what they heard. Goebel pro­ posed removing the cupola, gutting the front cockpit, and fairing it over for less drag. The pilot would sit in the aft com­ partment, where side vision out of two windows would suffice for flight viSibility. The engineers immediately discounted that idea. They told Goebel the airplane would be so "blind" with that 52-foot wing obstructing nearly all forward vision that it would be unsafe to fly. But Goebel insisted, after some heated discussion with Travel Air personnel, that he could handle the airplane just fine and he wanted the change made. Beech agreed to all the modifications and the Woolaroe dis­ appeared inside the Travel Air factory. Deadline for all work was November 20, the night Goebel wanted to make the flight west, using the full moon as an aid to navigation. The front cockpit was dismantled and the area faired over. Additional fuel tanks were installed there, bringing the total fuel capacity to 600 gallons. A new instrument panel was in­ stalled in the aft compartment, where Davis had sat during the Dole race. All new flight instrumentation was included, with full capability for "blind" flying in use at the time. A special seat arrangement had to be worked out for Goe­ bel. He would be able to raise or lower his seat as required to see through an opening cut in the upper fuselage. This was to be used during takeoff and landing. The original entry door was retained on the right side. The Wright "Whirwind" was removed and a Pratt & Whit­ ney (P&W) Wasp of 400 hp installed, complete with "bayo­ net" exhaust stacks. The extra fuel capacity would be needed for the big, thirsty P&W. Despite hard work, the Woolaroe couldn't be completed prior to November 20, but was done by November 24. Goe­ bel inspected the ship and approved all the changes. Even the landing gear drag had been reduced by changing the overall area and profile of the gear struts. The mild-mannered Woolaroe had been transformed into a slicked-up speedster, but how fast was it? It was time to find out. Clarence Clark told Goebel that he had better be careful on takeoff .. .it looked pretty nasty to see out of the aft cockpit.

But Goebel wasn't worried. He got in, fired up the radial, and performed some preflight checks. The stacks of the Pratt & Whitney engine were barking loudly as it idled and then ran up, whipping the chilly Kansas air. Ready for takeoff, Goebel lined up, fed in the throttle, and experienced a rapid acceleration as the Woolaroe gathered speed. But he couldn't see! He was making the takeoff without raising the seat, relying only on the side windows for visibility. Goebel just looked outside as best as he could and kept on going! Once airborne everything was normal. But visibility was very poor at best from his aft perch in the Travel Air. Beech took off in a J-5 Model 4000 biplane and tried to catch up with the Woolaroe. He just couldn't keep up with Goebel. A full-throttle speed check disclosed an indicated airspeed of 160 mph! Not bad, but not good enough for a cross-country attempt, and Goebel was discouraged. He needed to average more than 160 mph to better the existing record, but the Woolaroe wouldn't be able to make that kind of speed and he knew it. Throttling back to cruise rpm of 1,900 yielded a paltry 135 mph . There was no use continuing the flight. Performance was just not good enough. Art Goebel hadn't bargained for what happened next. As he approached for landing, he could barely see the runway area. Judging the flare was tough, and the ship hit hard, bounced, and Goebel had to feed in bursts of power to keep her flying. Then the ship hit again, bounced, hit, bounced, and finally came to a controlled stop. Goebel got out of the airplane and started looking for rr====i=::=7:;;;;;:~===============::;--:-­

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he came in for landing without the ben­ efit of landing lights. The Woolaroc touched down safely but then hit an unseen ditch that caused the ship to lurch to a stop, her main landing gear damaged, her pilot a lit­ tle upset. Goebel decided to repair the airplane and return to Wichita. Even he now agreed it was just too unsafe for flight . After a few days making repairs, he took off for Travel Air. But the Woolaroc had one more scare in store for her pilot. The NAT airplanes were larger than Model 5000 prototype, and most were Flying in a foggy mist, seeing ahead was powered with newer Wright J-5 series engines of 225-230 hp. Cabin was impossible. Nearing the west side of St. heated and featured sliding side windows for inflight ventilation. A vomit Louis a tall water tower flashed by the side tube was standard equipment... visible under fuselage. window, barely clearing the wing. Goebel just kept flying, thinking how close that one was and wondering why he modified a docile machine into one that almost killed him! The Woolaroc landed at Travel Air Field on December 1, and Goebel told Walter Beech and Frank Phillips he could not safely fly the ship and it should be retired permanently. Beech and Phillips agreed com­ pletely with Goebel. Located on the Phillips ranch, the museum would be a permanent leg­ acy to Travel Air and the feats of the Woolaroc Art Goebel and William Da­ vis, as well as the many men who de­ signed and built the ship. It was decided to return the The Woolaroc was the 11111 Model 5000 built, and posed here are some of the men who Woolaroc to its original configu­ designed, built, and flew her to victol}'. (L-R) Howard Baccus, Walter Burnham, Herbert Rawdon, William Hauselman, "Pinky" Gromes, Ted Cochran, Art Goebel, Ralph Morton, ration of the Dole race, and this work was carried out under the Harold Brooks, Horace Weihmiller, and Clarence Clark. Photo taken prior to Dole race. able workmanship of Carl and Guy Note wind drift eye-cup and sight wires on cockpit door, Pioneer magnetic compass di­ Winstead, two of Wichita's early rectly behind windscreen. aviation personalities. It was re­ Walter Beech. He told Beech that the windows needed to be painted Travel Air blue and orange and flown on a 15­ enlarged for better visibility and that the airplane was a bit day "farewell tour" by Goebel. Phillips had received over tough to fly from the aft cockpit. Workers were put on the job 400 requests for such a tour, and Goebel consented to quickly. They built the openings larger and lowered the seat make the flights. more. That was all they could do, as Goebel wanted to take The Woolaroc was unlicensed for the tour and was placed off that day for New York. in the museum in August 1929. The license for NX869 was Another test flight was made, and Goebel found the larger permanently retired on November 16, 1929. windows were some improvement. His handling of the air­ Editor's note: Since this article was written, the Woolaroc has plane was better, and he felt more confident it was flyable. been restored and is now on display in it's own "airplane room" He left Wichita late in the afternoon and pointed the within the Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve, located 12 reborn Woolaroc east, toward St. Louis. Arriving after dark, miles south-southwest of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. www.woola­ Goebel couldn't locate his primary airport, so he went look­ roc.org, or call 800-636-0307 for hours and information. ing for any airport he could find. The sooner he got the airplane on the ground, the better. He had only made a Should any readers wish to inquire of the Frank Phillips Foun­ few landings with it during the day and landing it at night dation and Museum for more information on the Wooiaroc, the would be a chore indeed. following address is provided: Frank Phillips Foundation, Inc., He finally found an airport. Letting down cautiously, Woolaroc, Route 3, Bartlesville, OK 74003. ...... 24

AUGUST 2007

Getting Your A&P Rating

Part II - Long-in-the-tooth A&P students

BY DAVE CLARK

Vincennes University Avi­ ation Technology Center (A&P school) in Indianapo­ lis is the home of a number of "senior" A&P students. A state law allows Indiana re­ tirees 60 and older to attend this state-supported school tuition-free. Yes, that's right, FREE. This is made possible through the Indiana Senior Scholarship Program. This is the tale of four seniors' wish-a longtime goal for some, a more recent one for others-to earn an A&P certificate. All four are pilots and EAA and/or VAA mem­ bers who wanted to know more about the planes they fly. As a kid, I think I built almost every kind of model airplane in the known world. But Mr. Piper's Cub was the first real plane I ever flew, back in 1958. Forty fun-filled hours later in the Cub, I had my Single-engine land pilot's certificate. In 1969, I bought a 1946 Aeronca Chief (NC-9726E) for $1,450. It was even in flying condition! In about 1971, I thought I would recover the Chief and put it into original colors. It would take about five to six months-or so I thought! Make that two years! At first it seemed I was better suited to chemistry, test tubes, and pharmacology than to aircraft res­ toration, but years of working on old cars helped some. Mike Girdley, A&P/ lA, helped me with the work and made sure everything was done correctly. While waiting to fly in the Parade of Flight at EAA AirVenture 1985, Gene Chase, then the editor of Vintage Airplane, took a beautiful photo of my Chief and put it on the

cover of the magazine in December 1985. In 1985 I was "recruited" by Dale (Gus) Gustafson to help judge an­ tique aircraft at Oshkosh and I have been judging every year since then. My family and I attended the EAA fly-in two times in Rockford and since then I have missed only two of the events at Oshkosh, both times for business reasons. 1995 brought a tornado to our lit­ tle Indiana airport that the weather bureau called "straight-line winds." Right! Twenty airplanes were totally destroyed and the huge hangar was about 200 yards removed to a corn­ field. The Chief was rolled up in a blue-and-yellow ball with its wheels pointing skyward! It was enough to make a grown man cry. Meanwhile, I bought a Piper Tri­ Pacer in partnership with Paul Vogel, who is also featured in this article. A guy has to have something to fly! About four years ago, restoration on the Chief began to show some progress. In 2001, my retirement gave me time to take a welding class at the A&P school in Indianapolis. Mike

Gehrich, the department head, said that I could, but it was not given until the next semester. He then handed me a brochure which contained all of the classes offered in the A&P school and asked if there were any other classes that might be of interest. I picked the sheet metal class, and I was hooked! The classroom work and the labs were excellent and made me want more! I got along famously with all of my "much younger" classmates and seemed to fit right in. The FAR class was put out of the way next. By the time the fall classes started, I had signed up for all of the airframe classes and I thought I would get the airframe certification and leave it at that. After the" A" was in my back pocket, I missed the classes and the interaction with professors and stu­ dents, so I enrolled for the second year. Now it was time to take all of the powerplant classes. Two semes­ ters later the pretesting, FAA written tests, orals and two days of practicals were out of the way and I was a real A&P. It makes the owner-assisted an­ nuals a lot more fun! After graduation, Mr. Gehrich asked me to do the substitute teach­ ing at Vincennes University Aviation Technology Center and I have been having a ball teaching several differ­ ent classes. Tutoring two young stu­ dents two times a week in the A&P classes has been my latest project. If everything goes well, the Aeronca Chief (late of the tornado) should be flying by the fall of this year. The VINTAGE AIRPLANE

25

EAA members all, in the back row we have Joe Kokes, A&P·IA, Tim LeBaron, A&P·IA and Gary Zeller, A&P·IA. The students in front are Dave Clark and Paul Vogel

right aileron of the Chief was de­ stroyed and I decided to "make one" with this shiny new A&P certificate. It is under construction at the time of this writing and is looking good! The Chief's fuselage welding repairs were done by A&P/IA Mike Girdley. During the past two years, I over­ hauled the Continental A-65-8, the two magnetos, the carburetor, and many other pieces and parts. The in­ struments were sent out to Keystone Instruments in Lock Haven, Pennsyl­ vania, and they look fantastic. The wood-grain instrument panel was hand-painted by Hot Brush in Bird City, Kansas, and looks beautiful. Tail feathers are covered with Ceconite 102 through nitrate with Randolph Dope to follow. The rest of the cover­ ing is waiting for better weather. Before I started the A&P classes, and having worked on several of my other planes, I thought I knew a fair amount about small airplanes, but I didn't realize how much I didn't know! In summary, I can't say enough about how helpful and encouraging all of the professors are. The equip­ ment and aircraft are outstanding and the instruction was excellent! I never expected to be able to work on such a variety of aircraft-which included a Boeing 737 as part of my class work. Since earning my A&P, I take on each restoring task with a totally new en­ thusiasm and excitement! I would recommend the A&P school at Vin­ cennes University to anyone-no, make that everyone! Go get an A&P. To 26

AUGUST 2007

quote a famous tiger, "It's grrreat." Dave Clark (EAA 71411, VAA 9581) is a retired pharmacist, professional speaker, and associ­ ation management executive. He is also a member ofEAA Chapter 1311. Dave uses his new expertise to teach new A&P students, and to work on his Aeronca Chief. A few of Dave's fellow A&P stu­ dents weigh in on the benefits of earning an airframe & powerplant mechanic's certificate:

John C. Broyles My retirement from Delta Air Lines as a customer service agent became official in November 2000. Today I work part-time as a handyman and attend Vincennes University Aviation Technology Center pursuing and A&P certificate. At the age of 13, I got my first ride in an airplane when my dad's cousin landed a pretty yellow Cub at the family farm just west of Indianapolis. One day, when I was 21, my Uncle Sam said "I need you boy," and off I went to training as a Huey mechanic. After a tour in Vietnam, I returned to Indiana, took up flying, and earned a private pilot certificate. As so often happens, I got married, started a family, and a familiar story unfolded. There was not enough money left over for flying! However, the desire was always there to own and fly my own Ercoupe or Champ. Retirement began a new era in my life. One day, while looking at the In­

diana Community College Network website, I read about the Indiana Se­ nior Scholarship Program. Since Vin­ cennes University's A&P school was only 15 minutes from our home, bells went off in my head! I debated. Should I go back to flying and rent an airplane once or twice a month, or should I earn an A&P certificate and put off flying for a while? I decided to earn the A&P certificate and I am really glad I did! I am having a great time learning the vast array of skills necessary to graduate from the uni­ versity and earn an A&P certificate. By the time you read this, I will have earned my A&P. I never realized it would be so enjoyable to go back to school! Being around the much younger folks makes you actually feel younger yourself. The professors at Vin­ cennes University are terrific and have been very helpful and patient. I would recommend going back to college and earning an A&P to anyone, but espe­ cially to any retired person who has an interest in airplanes. Go do it! John C. Broyles, EAA 135502, is an A&P a n d a gra duate of Vin­ cennes University in Indianapo­ lis and a member ofEAA Chap ter 1311.

Eastwood Herin As most of you know, achiev­ ing your dream in aviation can mean many different things, and we are for­ tunate to have choices. However, when the dream eventually becomes the ca­ reer, the career seems to take us away from the basics that led us to the dream in the first place. I knew that when re­ tirement from line flying was finally forced upon me, "not flying" some­ thing would be out of the question. En­ ter the PT-17 Boeing Stearman. Returning to the beginning sud­ denly takes on a whole new meaning. A little over 12 years ago while a re­ serve captain at my airline's New York base, I began to collect everything I could about the noble Stearman bi­ plane. The souped-up version with a Pratt & Whitney 450 engine was my first airplane ride. Memories of slow rolls into the sunset over freshly drenched Indiana farmland will al­

John Broyles and Eastwood Herin, now A & P mechanics,

in the small engine overhaul class at Vincennes University in Indianapolis.

ways linger in my Technicolor brain. However, since acquiring one in fly­ ing condition is not possible on the average aviator's paycheck, I began what is called "delusion planning." That's when the average Indiana trac­ tor mechanic thinks he has enough smarts to put together an antique air­ plane from a basket of parts. Smarts and parts are the only two items flying in formation with that planning program. It takes e-d-j-i-k­ a-s-h-u-n! Speaking with experienced Stearman rebuilders, I met many who started out with enthusiasm but soon tired of the time and expense of track­ ing down parts all over the country­ side to fill the voids in their "basket." Most of the success stories came from individuals who started with at least a complete carcass and, most nota­ bly, these were the smart ones who took the time, at some point in their aviation career, to obtain the A&P mechanic's certificate . That means SCHOOL at age 60! I already had the desire, but there was also some fear factor. The money thing was no small consideration ei­ ther. The school where I started soon lost its original airline ownership to a technical-oriented school conglomer­ ate that doubled the tuition. I made some serious inquiries and found a better option in a local two-year col­ lege, Vincennes University. During the application process, I was pleasantly surprised that Indi­ ana, my state of residence, encour-

Paul Vogel, with over 14,500 hours of flying, earned his

A&P after retirement.

ages senior retirees over the age of 60 to return for vocational and degree­ oriented retraining with a substantial assistance incentive of fully paid tu­ ition. I have found that this program is offered in some other states, so if you are thinking about expanding your ability to maintain your own or someone else's aircraft, check out the continuing education departments in your state. One major regret is that more good might have come from obtain­ ing the license at a younger age. Once you are actively employed in avia­ tion, there is virtually no way to at­ tend the FAA-approved curriculum, and the only way to do it then is to gain the actual experience working with a A&P/IA, logging 30 months of apprentice experience in order to qualify for the written and practical exam. (See Kathie Ernst's article in the July issue of Vintage Airplane for more information on earning your A&P in that way.) Take the opportu­ nities when you have them. No matter where you are in life, if you love airplanes and the people involved, the A&P certificate might be your ticket to either remaining in aviation or simply expanding your horizons. I've started a new dream, and that Technicolor brain still sees a barrel-roll into the sunset. This time I'll be at the controls, with the pride of building my own! Dream BIG! Eastwood Herin is retired Continental Airlines captain

and an A&P student at Vin­ cennes University.

Paul Vogel, A&P After more than 50 years and more than 14,500 hours of flight time, I could not separate myself from the ex­ citing field of aviation. Having spent lots of hours listening to the hum of engines, I was always amazed that they performed so faithfully during all kinds of weather and at altitudes where the temperatures were more than 80 degrees colder than the ground below. I would watch the glow of the turbo­ chargers under the cowling hour after hour during night flights and marvel at how dependable they were. With most of the passengers asleep and all the gauges, dials, needles, lights, and instruments telling me that all was well, it was very relaXing, though a bit boring at times. Still, it was the way you would want it to be. Then, when turboprops and jets came along, and flights would pen­ etrate precipitation that was so heavy you could hardly see the wingtips, you could depend on the fire to keep burning with no added igni­ tion. Flameouts were so rare that it was hardly considered. Some of the helicopters I flew did, however, have problems with flameouts in heavy snow. Installing instant relight kits took care of that and the pilots never knew there was a flameout unless they checked the cycle count that would register one more engine cyVINTAGE AIRPLANE

27

cleo Improvements never cease. After my days of flying for oth­ ers, I wanted to know more about these flying machines that never stop evolving into ever-more-excit­ ing means of travel. I had attended many factory train­ ing seminars and classes for flight crews to familiarize them with the latest and best aircraft we were flying. It was, however, a cursory, quick cov­ erage of the systems that would be at my disposal to make the flight safe and enjoyable. There was still a sense that I wanted to know more of what was going on "under the hood. " When I discovered that the Vin­ cennes University A&P program was in my own backyard, and was shown all of the planes I would be able to work on, I couldn't resist giving it a try. With both recip and turbine en­ gines there to be taken apart, put back together, and finally taken to the test cell for the moment of truth, you can see that it doesn't get much more ex­ citing than that. Although you never leave Mother Earth, there are a lot of anxious moments before that engine bursts into life. Thankfully, the all­ knowing instructors were always close

at hand with a lot of patience for the neophyte would-be mechanics. Being a senior citizen among a bunch of college-age young folks may seem a bit awkward at first. But that only lasts until the first lab assign­ ment; then everyone is in the same boat, checking ADs, verifying compli­ ance with type certificate data sheets, searching through maintenance manuals, microfiche, computers, ad­ visory circulars, etc. Working closely with the next generation has been a rewarding experience and it gives me a feeling of encouragement for the future of aviation. On occasion I couldn't help but tell a few "hangar stories" that most seemed to enjoy, and some said they benefited from my experience. Just like way back in my college days, there were those brainy few who had all the answers and were always helpful to me on some of the fuzzy parts. Overall, it was a great experience. Now that I have completed my training for the A&P certificate, and passing the oral and practical exams, I'm going to have to find something else to do in the field of aviation. After shopping the market for the

right kit, and making arrangements to clean out the garage to have a place to work on a project, I have begun build­ ing a Son ex. Now I feel a bit more comfortable in doing it "A&P" right. If you have ever considered taking such training, I would highly recommend you take a look at what Vincennes University has to offer. If you're not in Indiana, check out your state techni­ calor vocational schools. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did! Paul Vogel, EAA 412992, is a retired Indiana State Police chief pilot and was a professional cor­ porate and charter pilot. He has owned several small GA aircraft and has attended Vintage work parties as weU as many EAA Air-­ Venture Oshkosh fly-ins. He is a member ofEAA Chapter 1311. Since this article was written, Tom Chapman, also an EAA and Chapter 131 member, has also earned an A & P thought the seniors program. Tom is a retired physics teacher and now teaches physics at Vincennes Univer­ sity A & P school.

Vincennes University website: http://www.vinu .edu

rAiLW~eeL5

DAVE BROWN C 2007

www.tailwheels.com

BY BUCK HILBERT

Change in the air A few issues back I had written a bit about flying becoming too compli­ cated . This article has fostered ques­ tions from some of the membership. Questions like, You flew a restored open-cockpit Varney Airlines Swallow (Varney later merged into United Air­ lines); what was it like? How does it compare with the later airliners like the DC-3 through the transition to jets? Good questions. And it gave me food for thought. The open-cockpit Swallow was the typical biplane of the late '20s. Not too stable, four ailerons that gener­ ated a lot of adverse yaw, and it just wouldn't fly hands-off. It would wan­ der all over the sky, and it kept you on the edge of the seat all the time. It was work even though it was exhila­ rating and sometimes fun . I didn't get to fly the de Havilland DH-4 or the Curtiss Carrier Pigeon, with the 400-horse Liberty engines, but the sheer size of them probably made them even more difficult to handle. I'll have to ask those fellows in St. Louis who just restored one at Creve Coeur Airport. Looking at the book the airmail pioneers published back in the 1950s, and seeing the number of nose-overs and damage as the result of forced landings and weather problems, I'm happy to have missed that era. In my opinion, those pilots were real heroes. They flew those unstable, unreliable airplanes and in the worst possible weather conditions with no navigation aids. They did it with no blind-flying in­ struments, and yet they completed 30 AUGUST 2007

their schedules better than 90 percent of the time. I did get a chance to fly the later twin-engine airplanes, like the Lock­ heed 10 and the Boeing 247. I found them to be just great for stability and handling. They do require attention in ground handling. That rudder be­ comes an important factor in keeping it going straight down the runway!

The DC·3 had

about reached the

end of its big airline

career when I began

flying it...

The experience flying the military Twin Beech AT-lIs, C-45s, and B-17s carried over when I went with United Airlines. I had already learned about using the engines to help in taxiing, and becoming proficient in han­ dling engine-out problems was of extreme importance. The DC-3 had about reached the end of its big airline career when I be­ gan flying it, although it remained in service on the less populous routes for many years after competition in the busier markets gave way to the bigger and more efficient types. Moderniza­ tion was taking place. The Convair 240s and 340s were much more effi­ cient, carried more people, and were

pressurized for passenger comfort. I did like the DC-3. It was stable, good for short-field operations, reli­ able, and actually almost indestruc­ tible. It was somewhat limited, being unpressurized. Most of our flying was done at minimum en route altitudes, in visual flight rules, and never above 10,000 feet. We became intimately ac­ quainted with the terrain and towns along the routes, avoided thunder­ storms, if at all possible, and made many radio range and automatic direction finder approaches when we had to. There were times when we sometimes traversed the same weather front three times in one day. We earned our pay. Passenger comfort was always a problem. Very little heat in the win­ tertime, sweltering in the summer, along with plenty of noise, vibration, and sometimes turbulence made the trip very interesting. Flying was still an adventure, and people really had a sense of accomplishment when they got there. The Convair series of airliners were the biggest change. Pressurized, and now able to climb to much higher altitudes, they were equipped with weather detection radar and with modern instrumentation and naviga­ tion equipment so we could go high or low as the situation called for. They had nose-wheel steering that eased ground handling, autopilots for easy straight-and-Ievel flight between sta­ tions, and even a PA system to keep the passengers informed, rather than notes passed back down the aisles.

Plus they had air conditioning. It was the capsule and asked him how it In squeezing every bit of power a great improvement as far as passen­ went, it's been reported that he said, out of an old technology, using the ger comfort was concerned. "Another 500 feet and I'd have been exhaust gases to drive turbos that The simplicity of the DC-3 was "on top!" generated about 700 added horse­ all but forgotten. The systems that The DC-6 and especially the DC­ power, they were real powerhouses. provided the convenience and com­ 6B model were my favorite. I firmly But pushing them to the limits also fort were becoming complicated; believe they were the turning point in made for high maintenance. The ex­ airline flying was becoming a bit air transportation. They and the Lock­ tra horsepower gave us more speed, heed Constellations were the forerun­ consumed great quantities of oil, and more professional. I almost left out another Douglas ners of what followed. The last of the made engine synchronization diffi­ product. The DC-4. Also unpressur­ prop jobs were the four-engine turbo­ cult. New York to Los Angeles in less ized, heavy on the controls, and ex­ compound-powered DC-7s. The joke then eight hours now became a real­ tremely reliable, it was the airplane here was that it was "the best three­ ity. It was also now possible to do a that, now looking back, was the be­ engine airplane ever built." Chicago-West Coast turnaround in ginning of the movement to "coach" , - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ­ transportation. The "red eye" era had arrived. The systems and flying were much like the DC-3, except now we had two more engines and carried a much heavier load of people and/or cargo. It had a much longer range; the passengers still sweltered and froze, and since it wasn't pressurized, most of the flying was done below 10,000 feet. The DC-4s did yeoman duty as mil­ itary and civilian airliners and freight haulers. They were the saviors in the Berlin Airlift saga and proved them­ ~--------------------------selves again and again even through the Korean War days hauling cargo and troops all over the world. Enter the DC-6. The first to "dis­ cover" the DC-6 and its almost im­ mediate follower, the DC-6B was the entertainer Bob Hope. Even before the airline introduced them into daily schedules, Hope used the early models right off the Douglas assem­ bly lines for his usa tours. Now we had all the systems the Convairs had, but with four-engine reliability and a greater payload capa­ bility for cargo and passengers, with range and speeds now approaching EnjOy the New, Expanded Illustrated

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less then eight hours, and because of the increased performance, the pilot's working conditions began to change. More on that later. The DC-7 had a 55-gallon oil tank for each engine, needed not only for lube and stuff, but also for cooling. With all the heat being generated producing the higher power, you can guess it did use oil. Lots of it. Stan­ dard procedure was to shut down the engine when the oil quantity dropped to 15 gallons, the minimum for operation. Air Sea Rescue was fre­ quently called out on the long Ha­ waiian Islands flights both going and coming from the mainland, so the standards were changed. Run the en­ gine until the oil pressure began to fluctuate, and then shut down. An­ other technique was to shut down at 15 gallons and then restart for the approach and landing. The actual flying of these airplanes was about the same. Despite the in­ creases in speed and horsepower and modern systems, through sight, sound, and feel (seat of the pants) they all handled about the same. The DC-7 took a little more manhandling, and a bit of preplanning for approach and landing, but they were all pretty much the same. United did not or­ der any of the new turbo props then available. The thinking was they were only an interim and would soon be outmoded by the jets. Enter the jet age. Boeing led the parade. With Douglas falling behind in the delivery of the DC-8, United broke a long tradition of loyalty and purchased the hot rod short-range ver­ sion of the 707 for the ChicagO-West Coast markets. The passengers now had what they had long awaited. United also bought the French­ built Sud Caravelle for the short-haul market. Then along came the Boe­ ing 727. Now the pilot's life began to change. All the systems-electrical, hydraulic, pressurization, and engine operation-became much more com­ plicated. The actual flying changed as well. All that seat-of-the-pants experi­ ence went out the window, and flying by the numbers and using the gauges became the norm. 32

AUGUST 2007

No more just pulling off the power and landing. The old days were gone. Precision flying was it. Engine operation changed; now you took advantage of the increased drag while maintaining higher power. The acceleration time from idle to full

The DC·8 was the

last of the real

pilot airplanes.

The captain and I

were always

contesting to see

who could make the

best approaches

and landings.

We explored all the

flight parameters, and

we loved it.

power made it imperative you keep the engine "spooled" up. We learned about speed brakes, spoilers, anti-skid brakes, and performance charts. Tem­ perature and humidity considerations had to be factored in as well. Speeds were now up in the 500­ mph range. This played havoc with working conditions. More time was spent on the ground waiting for un­ loading, cleaning, refueling, reload­ ing, and load planning than time spent in the air. Now the actual flying time was about one hour for every four hours on duty. For the pilot, it

used to be the other way around. V-speeds became the norm. No latitude was tolerated. Flying right on the numbers for takeoff, climb­ out, cruise approach , and landing was an absolute expectation. En­ gine-out procedures changed radi­ cally. And the swept wings changed the flight characteristics as well, ne­ cessitating new ways to enter hold­ ing patterns, adjusting to the greater speeds, and trying to stay ahead of the airplane. Since we "old guys " had all we could do to ignore our seat-of-the-pants experience, some had a bad time transitioning. There was little looking out the window. New instrumentation like proxim­ ity warning devices, flight guidance systems, inertial navigation systems, and the constant awareness of fuel conservation took a lot of thinking and doing. The actual flying was easier. The aircraft were at the peak of perfection. It was the operation, the way things were done, that changed. No more run-ups prior to takeoff; the airplanes had self-monitoring systems and un­ believable reliability. I still marvel at the versatility of being able to plan on being there and back and yet have the flexibility to detour around bad weather, going high and fast, and still make the schedule. After flying the Caravelle, which handled very much like a DC-3 with a couple of blow torches under the tail, and then the Boeing 727, which de­ manded the precision I talked about, the DC-8 was a real pleasure for this old man to fly. The Caravelle re­ minded me of the short-Wing Pipers. It flew very much like the Tri-Pacer our flying club had. Or so it seemed. On the other hand, the 727 didn't fly like an airplane at all. The Century series fighter pilots who flew with a g-suit, brain bucket, snot catcher, and big boots loved it. The seat-of-the­ pants old-timers made themselves sick trying to fly it like an airplane. I personally never had vertigo in my life until I flew the first 727. Every­ thing was by the numbers, and after flying a schedule for a couple of days, I couldn't wait to get back into my

little airplane, just to feel flying. The DC-8 was the last of the real pilot airplanes. Cable-operated con­ trols (power-assisted of course) , big and sturdy, and with the flight char­ acteristics of a big, overgrown Aeronca Champ. Responsive and dependable, it was a joy to fly. When I first checked out as copilot, we flew them like we always did. The captain and I were always contesting to see who could make the best approaches and land­ ings . We did power-off 360-degree overhead approaches. We explored all the flight parameters, and we loved it. It was a pilot's airplane. It could be hand-flown rather than coupled to the autopilot, and as I said, it flew like a Champ. What a great airplane. I did not transition to the DC-10 or the Boeing 747 before I retired in 1984. I never had the seniority or the inclination. I was too much in love with the DC-8, and that, fellow mem­ bers, are some of my thoughts. Over to you, t(

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33

BY DOUG STEWART

"There are two emergency exits on this PA·12 aircraft ..." "Do you want me to brief you as if you were a 'real' passenger?" is a question I am often asked by appli­ cants in the process of administering their private pilot practical test. "Well, I didn't know I was a fake passenger, and furthermore if I am going to be able to assess your skills at giving a good passenger briefing, I suppose that is something you will need to do" is how I want to reply but, realizing that might appear as a somewhat passive-aggressive re­ sponse and totally inappropriate to the situation, I bite my tongue and just respond: "Yes, please. " The vast majority of the appli­ cants I test then proceed to sup­ ply only the minimum amount of information to me , as required by the regulations, and the PTS (Practi­ cal Test Standards). That is to "brief occupants on the use of seat belts, shoulder harnesses, doors and safety equipment ." But is that all that re­ ally should be briefed? Aren 't there so many other things that should be included in our briefing to our pas­ sengers if we are to be truly respon­ sible pilots? Don't our passengers hav e the right to be apprised of the risk fac­ tors involved with flying? Shouldn't they be told how they could take an active part in contributing to the safety of the flight? Wouldn 't it be b etter if our passengers knew of the potential physiological problems th ey might encounter during the 34

AUGUST 2007

flight, so that if they did experience them, they would know how to deal with them? And the list goes on ... There are many things we could include in our passenger briefings . What you, the pilot in command (PIC), choose to include in that list is one of the many decisions you have to make. Some pilots fear that "telling too much" might frighten our passengers into not flying, while other pilots find that their passengers both appreciate and benefit from a thorough preflight briefing. Achiev­ ing the right balance is up to you . Here are some of the things I feel re­ sponsible pilots should include in their passenger briefing. Certainly at the top of the list is the proper use of the seat belt and shoulder harness as well as how to open the door. Have them try releas­ ing the seat belts and opening the door before you start the engine. If you have emergency exits in your airplane, point them out and demon­ strate how to open them. Remember, you, the PIC, might be incapacitated in an accident and unable to assist your passengers, so they need to know these things before you ever start the engine. If you have headsets and an inter­ com, show your passengers how to properly use them. If there are sepa­ rate volume and squelch controls for each station, they'll need to know how to adjust them. They also need to be informed that in the unlikely

event of an aCCident, they'll have to remove their headsets and clear their exit pathway of the wires, not only of the headset, but the power cords and antenna wires of a variety of handheld pieces of equipment that might be in their egress pathway. It can be difficult to expeditiously exit a burning aircraft when all those wires hobble one's ankles. The concept of a sterile cockpit is one that I introduce early on in my passenger briefing. It is extremely important that your passengers understand that their talking dur­ ing ground operations, takeoff and climb-out, approach and landing, and anytime you are operating in or near the airport area might have a serious impact on the safety of the flight. There have been impacts of aircraft with each other as a re­ sult of the distractions caused by a "motor-mou thed" passenger. Let's make sure our passengers don 't fit that description. On the other hand, your passen­ gers should be briefed on how they can assist in scanning for other air­ craft. Describe to them the tech­ niques you want them to use in pointing out aircraft they see (clock pOSition, high, low, same altitude, etc.), whether verbally or manually with their index finger. If your passengers are taking their first flight in an airplane and are unfamiliar with the controls, ensure tha t they are instructed to

keep their hands and feet clear of the yoke/stick and rudder pedals. I observed one instance when a pi­ lot could barely taxi his airplane be­ cause his passenger, unbeknownst to the pilot, had locked his feet un­ der the rudder pedals, preventing the pilot from being able to steer the airplane. Had the passenger been properly briefed, that situation would have never arisen. Luckily there was no bent metal as a result. Your passengers must also be made aware of the physiological effects of flying. I always make it a point to show my passengers where the sick sacks are before starting the engine. My experience has shown that if you point out the sack after your pas­ senger is already looking like that pea soup you had for lunch, he will undoubtedly need that handy con­ tainer, but rarely get to it in time. Re­ membering that it's the pilot who is supposed to clean up the airplane af­ ter the flight should have you point­ ing out those relief bags well ahead of time. Doing so might very well prevent their even being needed. Another area, somewhat related, is keeping your passengers comfort­ able. Be sure to point out in your briefing where the fresh air vents are as well as their proper opera­ tion. Also let your passengers know of your limited psychic abilities that they should let you know if they are too hot, or too cold, and that you have the ability to control their physical comfort to some extent. Keeping properly hydrated dur­ ing flight is important, so your pas­ sengers should be told of that. But just as important is the other side of good hydration. Suggest to your passengers that they should drain their own sumps while you drain the fuel sumps of the airplane. We are all aware of the bad decisions that have arisen as a result of exter­ nal pressures. The same could hap­ pen from internal pressures. If it is going to be a long flight and you have one of the many containers available for bodily relief on board, the time to describe the proper us­ age of such devices is yet again dur­

ing the passenger briefing. Believe me, I know how distracting it can be to give that description in flight, let alone demonstrate proper usage. Most of our vintage airplanes are not equipped with many, if any, an­ nunciator lights, or aural warning devices, but if you have any of these installed, it's best to brief your pas­ sengers about them. Remember that if it is your passenger's first flight, they might become very alarmed when they see some of the normal lights that we are used to seeing,

• • • I observed one instance

when a pilot could

barely taxi his

airplane because

his passenger,

unbeknownst to

the pilot, had locked

her feet under the

rudder pedals ...

and hear that stall warning sound­ ing as we grease it on. Let them know in advance and it becomes a non-issue. Hopefully everyone of us runs the I'M SAFE checklist on ourselves prior to each and every flight, but do you ask the same of your pas­ sengers? Shouldn't you be aware of any medical condition or illness they might have? I heard of a recent flight that ended in a double fatal­ ity when the passenger, who was a diabetic, went into a seizure and ended up disabling the airplane. Had the pilot been aware of the condi­ tion prior to flight, he might have ensured that proper medication was brought along in case it was needed. This, too, needs to be part of our pas­

senger briefing. Although none of us intends to intentionally park our airplane in a remote site, away from any and all help and aSSistance, yogurt some­ times happens and we end up there. If you are going to be flying over re­ mote areas, it becomes absolutely imperative that you brief your pas­ sengers about bringing along proper clothing and supplies in the event that the worst happens. I am sure you and your passengers do not want to be included in the tragiC stories of people surviving a crash only to die later of exposure. Your briefing, especially if you will be flying over remote areas, needs to include the location and use of emer­ gency equipment such as flares and/ or signal devices; emergency locator transmitters and/or personal locator beacons; emergency rations (if on board); the need to stay warm and dryas essential to survival; and the need to stay near the aircraft. Even though your flight might have been planned only as a short sightseeing flight, the possibility of being forced into parking your airplane on a re­ mote mountain peak could very well become the reality. Will your pas­ sengers be prepared if this becomes the case? As you can see, there are many things we might choose to include in a passenger briefing beyond just the belts and doors. In fact, a check­ list specifically for passenger brief­ ings might very well be in order. One source for help in creating that check­ list is the Aviators Model Code of Con­ duct available at www.SecureAv.com. What you, the PIC, decide to in­ clude in your own passenger briefing is your decision and your responsi­ bility. Just please be sure that when blue skies and tail winds beckon, your passengers are as prepared for the flight as you are.

Doug Stewart is the 2004 National CFI of the Year, a NAFI Master Instruc­ tor, and a designated pilot examiner. He operates DSFI Inc. (www.DSFlight. com), based at the Columbia County Airport (lBI). ....... VINTAGE AIRPLANE

35

BY H.G. FRAUTSCHY

THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM THE COLLECTION OF ED BEATTY OF RUSKIN , FLORIDA. THE AIRPLANE WAS BUILT IN INDIANA, BUT THE YEAR AND MAKE ARE UNKNOWN. WE'VE NOT DOCTORED THE PHOTO AT ALL, SO YOU HAVE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS WE HAVE. Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to be in no later than September 10 for inclusion in the November 2007 issue of Vintage Airplane. You can also send your response via e-mail. Send your answer to mysteryplane@ eaa.org. Be sure to include your name, city, and state in th e body of your note, and p ut "(Month) Mystery Plane" in the subject line.

MAY ' S MYSTERY ANSWER

No answers were received for the May Mystery Plane 36 AU G U ST 2007

Jerry Osborne Prescott Valley, AZ

• "Late bloomer" - started flying in 1990 with a Cessna 172 • Traded for current airplane, Beech J35 Bonanza, in 1995 • Private pilot's license, rated in SEL airplanes

• 1837 total hours

"I have enjoyed doing business with AUA because of their reasonable rates and personable service. I highly recommend them to

anyone."

- Jerry Osborne

Jerry and friend Diana Edwards in Punta Chivato, Mexico

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved. To become a member of VAA call 800·843·3612.

AUA's Exclusive EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Insurance Program Lower liability and hull premiums - Medical payments included - Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages No component PQ.rts endorsements

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The following list ofcoming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of information only and does not consti­ tute approval, sponsorship, involvement, control, or direction of any event (fly-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed. To submit an event, send the information via mail to: Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903­ 3086. Or e-mail the information to: vintageaircraft@eaa.org. Information should be received four months prior to the event date. August 4-Sunriver, OR-Sunriver Airport (S21)

AUGUST 25-Niles MI-Jerry Tyler Memorial.

SEPTEMBER 22·23- Winchester, VA-Winchester Regional Airport (KOKV) EM 186 Fall

16th Annual "Wings and Wheels " vintage

Airport (3TR) VAA Chapter 35 Annual Corn

planes and vintage cars 8:00am-4:00pm

& Sausage Roast Lunch served 11:00am

Ry-in Pancake breakfast 8 AM to 11

Free food, fuel discounts for exhibitors

to 3:00 pm. Rain date on Sunday, August.

AM both days . Aircraft judging, displays,

Judging at 1:00pm- Great prizes Info:

26th Donations of $5.00 for adults and

more. www.eaa186.org. Richard Largent:

Brian Lansburgh , Airport Mgr. (541) 593­

$3.00 for children under 12 Contact Len

4603 blansburgh@sunriver-resort.com

Jansen tripacerlen@yahoo.com

AUGUST 5-Queen City, MO-Applegate Airport

SEPTEMBER I -Marion, IN-Marion

snookflyer@Verizon .netor 540-868-2698

OCTOBER 5·7-Camden, SC-Kershaw County Airport (KCDN) . VAA Chapter 3

(15MO). 20th Annual Watermelon Ry-In &

Municipal Airport (MZZ). 17th Annual

Fall Fly-In . All classes welcome. BBQ

BBQ. 2pm 'til dark. Come and see grass roots

Fly-In Cruise-In. 7 :00am until 2 :00pm.

on field Fri. Evening. EAA judging all

aviation at it's best. Info: 660-766-2644

This annual event features antique,

classes Sat. Banquet Sat. Nite. Info:

classic, homebuilt, ultralight and

Jim Wilson 843-753-7138 or eiwilson@

AUGUST 5-Chetek, WI-Southworth Municipal airport (Y23). BBQ Fly-In .

warbird aircraft as well as vintage cars,

10:30am Warbird displays, antique and

trucks, motorcycles , and tractors. An

unique airplanes, antique & collector car

all-you-can-eat Pancake Breakfast is

displays, and raffles for airplane rides.

served, with all proceeds going to the

Procedes will be given to local charities.

local Marion High School Marching

homexpressway.net

OCTOBER 5-7-St. Louis, MO-Creve Coeur Airport (lHO) The Monocoupe Club Ry-In & Reunion www.monocoupe.com

OCTOBER 10·14-Tullahoma, TN-" Beech

Info: Chuck Harrison - Office 715-924­

Band . www.FlylnCruiseln .comlnfo: Ray

Birthday Party 2007" Staggerwing,

4501, Cell 715-456-8415, fixdent@

Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rjohnson@

Twin Beech 18, Bonanza , Baron,

chibardun.net; Tim Knutson - Home

715-237-2477, Cell 651-308-2839 , n3nknut@citizens-tel.net

AUGUST 17·19--McMinnville, OR-25th Annual

indy.rr.com

SEPTEMBER I -Zanesville , OH-Riverside Airport (OH36) EM Chapter 425 Pancake Breakfast 8:00 AM till 2:00 PM All you

West Coast Travel Air Reunion Come Celebrate

can eat pancakes, sausage and drink

the Rebirth of the Travel Air. Expected to be

$5.00 for adults $2.50 for children under

the largest gathering of Vintage Travel Airs

six. Lunch items served after 11:00PM

in recent times. Held in conjunction with the

Contact: Chuck Bruckelmeyer Phone:

Northwest Antique Airplane Club Event. Info:

(740) 454-7487

Bruce McElhoe 559-638-3746

AUGUST 18--Forest Lake , MN-(25D)-Airport Fly-in and Open House lOam - 4pm . 24­ hour gas and 24-hour grass: 3000-foot 31/ 13. Forest Lake Lions serve brats ,

Beech owners& enthusiasts. Info 931· 455-1974

2007 MAJOR

FLy-INS For details on EM Chapter fly·ins and other local avi­ ation events, visit www.eaa.orgfevents

SEPTEMBER 2-Mondovi, WI-21st Annual Log Cabin Airport Ry-In. Doug Ward, Owner/

EAA Mld-Eastem Regional Ry·ln

Operator, 715-287-4205. Lunch @ noon.

Mansfield Lahm Airport, Mansfield, OH August 25-26,2007

SEPTEMBER 8-Newark, Ohio-Newark­ Heath Airport (VTA) Annual Fly-In / Drive-

http://MERR.info

corn-on-the-cob and ice cream . 100LL is

In Breakfast " Pancakes and More , n

available John Schmidt EAA 250021 St.

Young Eagles Flights , Vintage Airplanes,

Paul , Minnesota 651 776 1717

Classic Cars , Tom McFadden 740-587­

Virginia Regional EAA Ry-In Dinwiddie County Airport (PTB), Petersburg, VA October 6-7, 2007

2312; email: EAA402@adelphia.net

www.VAEAA.org

AUGUST lS-l9-Long Island, NY- Bayport (23N) Annual Antique Aeroplane Ry-In Old

SEPTEMBER 9-Mt. Morris, IL-Ogle County

time movies, popcorn, pig roast, flour bomb

Airport (C55) EM Chapter 682 Fly-In

drop and spot landing contest with the days

Breakfast 7am-12pm For information call

ending in the in famous " Sheep Shagger Baa For more info www.MCGNY.orgor email Stuart Bain at Sbain@emediaofny.com

AUGUST 19-Brookfield, WI-Capitol Airport

Dr. Glen Orr 815-735-7268

SEPTEMBER 21·22-Bartlesville , OK-Frank Phillips Field (BVO). 51st Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In. Antiques, ClaSSiCS,

(02C). Ice Cream Social and vintage

Light Sport, Warbirds, Forum , Type

Aircraft Display, VAA Chapter 11. Dean

Clubs. Info: Charlie Harris 918-622­

London, 262-442-4622

8400 www.tu/saflyin .com

38

AUGUST 2007

EAA Southeast Regional Ry·ln Middleton Field Airport (GZH), Evergreen, AL October 12-14, 2007 www. SERR.org

Copperstate Regional EAA Ry-In Casa Grande (Arizona) Municipal Airport (CGZ) October 25-28, 2007 www.copperstate.org

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Classified Word Ads: $5 .50 per 10 words , 180 words maximum, with boldface lead·in on first line . Classified Display Ads : One column wide (2 .167 inches) by 1, 2 , or 3 inches high at $20 per inch. Black and white only, and no frequency discounts. Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (i.e., January 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per issue. Classified ads are not accepted via phone. Payment must accompany order. Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail (classads@eaa.org) using credit card payment (all cards accepted) . Include name on card, complete address, type of card, card number, and expiration date. Make checks payable to EAA. Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

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www.airplanetshirts.com

1-800·645·7739 Flying wires available. 1994 pricing. Visit www.f/yingwires.com or call

Aircraft Construction and Restoration, Russ Lassetter, Cleveland, GA. 706­

348-7514 Mahogany desktop models, caps, and shirts. Pratt & Whitney merchandise. All types of desktop models available, crop duster models and prints. Custom desktop models of your plane. E-mail for complete list and price. CRPDSTRS@ AOL.COM

800-517 -9278.

SERVICES

aviation issues.

Getting connected is easy:

Log on to www.eaa.org/email

and RII in the form

sell,

THERE'S JUST NOTHING LIKE IT

ON THE WEB!! www.airplanetshirts.com A Website with the Pilot in Mind (and those who love airplanes)

Always Flying Aircraft Restoration, LLC A&P I.A.: Annual, 100 hr. inspections. Wayne Forshey 740-472-1481 Ohio - statewide.

BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod bearings, main bearings, bushings, master rods, valves, piston rings. Call us Toll Free 1-800-233-6934, e-mail ramremfg@aol. com Website www.ramengine.com VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS, N. 604 FREYA ST., SPOKANE, WA 99202

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

39

Membershi~ Services VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT

ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND ASSOCIATION EAA's VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION OFFICERS Vice-President

President Geoff Robison 1521 E. MacGregor Dr. New Haven, IN 46774 260-493-4724 dJie{702S@aoJ.com

George Daubner

2448 Lough Lane Hartford, WI 53027 262-673-5885

vaaflyboy@tnstl.com

Secretary

Treasurer

Steve Nesse

Charles W. Harris 7215 East 46th St.

Tulsa, OK 74147

918-622-8400

cwh@hvsu.com

2009 Highland Ave. Albert Lea, MN 56007 507-373-1674 stnes@deskmeriia.com

DIRECTORS Steve Bender 85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn, MA 01770

508-653-7557

Jeannie Hill P.O. Box 328

Harvard, IL 60033-0328

815-943-7205

sst 1()@comcast.net

dinghao@owc.net

David Bennett 375 Killdeer Ct Lincoln, CA 95648 916-645-8370

Espie "Butch" joyce 704 N. Regional Rd. Greensboro, NC 27409 336-668-3650

antiquer@inreach.com

windsock@aoi.com

john Berendt

7645 Echo Point Rd.

cannon Falls, MN 55009

507-263-2414

11Ijbfchld@rc0l111ect.com

Steve Krog

lOO2 Heather Ln.

Hartford, WI 53027 262-966-7627 sskrog@aoi.com

Dave Clark 635 Vestal Lane Plainfield, IN 46168 317-839-4500

Robert D. "Bob" Lumley 1265 South 124th St. Brookfield, WI 53005 262-782-2633 illmper@execpc.com

davecpd@iquest,net

Gene Morris

john S. Copeland lA Deacon Street Northborough, MA 01532 508-393-4775 copeland I @jul1o.com

genemorris@charter.net

Phil Coulson 28415 Springbrook Dr. Lawton, MI 49065 269-624-6490

Dean Richardson 1429 Kings Lynn Rd Stoughton, WI 53589 608-877 -8485

rcoulson516@cs.com

da r@aprilaire.com

Dale A. Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46278 317 -293-4430

S.H. "Wes" Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa, WI 53213 414-771-1545

dalefayeCw,llSll.com

silschmid@milwpc.com

5936 Steve Court Roanoke, TX 76262 817-491-9110

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

Gene Chase 2159 carlton Rd. Oshkosh, WI 54904 920-231-5002

E.E. "Buck" Hilbert 8102 Leech Rd. Union, IL 60180 815-923-4591

GRCHA@clwrter.net

bllck7ac@dls.net

Ronald C. Fritz 15401 Sparta Ave. Kent City, MI 49330 616-678-5012

Directory

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EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

Phone (920) 426-4800

Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Sites: www.vintageaircra(t.org, www.airventure.org, www.eaa.org/memberbenefits

E-Mail: vintageaircra(t@eaa.org EAA and Division Membership Services Flying Start Program ............ 920-426-6847

800-843-3612 ............. FAX 920-426-6761 Library Services/Research ........ 920-426-4848

(8:00 AM-7:00 PM Medical Questions .............. 920-426-6112

Monday-Friday CSn Technical Counselors .. . .. __. ... 920-426-6864

. New/renew memberships: EAA, Divisions Young Eagles ... .. .. . ... . ... .. . 877-806-8902

(Vintage Aircraft Association, lAC, Warbirds), National Association of Flight Instructors Benefits (NAFI) AVA Vintage Insurance Plan ..... 800-727-3823 •Address changes EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan ..... 866-647-4322 •Merchandise sales

Term Life and Accidental ........ 800-241-6103 · Gift memberships

Death Insurance (Harvey Watt & Company) EAA Platinum VISA Card .. 800-853-5576 ext. 8884 Programs and Activities EAA Aircraft Financing Plan . . . . 866-808-6040 EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory EAA Enterprise Rent-A-Car Program ............. . ....... . . . ..... 732-885-6711 .. ..... . . . . . . . .. ... . . ... . . 877-GAI-ERAC

Auto Fuel STCs ......... . . . .... 920-426-4843 Editorial. . .. .................. 920-426-4825

Build/restore information ........ 920-426-4821 VAA Office ......... . ...... FAX 920-426-6865

Chapters: locating/organizing .... 920-426-4876 Education.... ... . . ..... .. . . ... 888-322-3229 • EAA Air Academy EAA Aviation Foundation • EAA Scholarships Artifact Donations ............ _920-426-4877 Flight Advisors information ...... 920-426-6864 Financial Support ...... .. ..... 800-236-1025 Flight Instructor information ..... 920-426-6801

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

EAA Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is $40 for one year, includ­ ing 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION. Family membership is an additional $10 annually. Junior Membership (under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually. All major credit cards accepted for membership. (Add $16 for Foreign Postage_)

EAA SPORT PILOT Current EAA members may add EAA SPORT PILOT magazine for an additional $20 per year. EAA Membership and EAA SPORT PILOT magazine is available for $40 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in­ cluded). (Add $16 for Foreign Postage.)

VINTAGE AIRCRAFf ASSOCIATION Current EAA members may join the Vintage Aircraft Association and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an ad­ ditional $36 per year. EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in­ cluded). (Add $7 for Foreign Postage.)

lAC

Current EAA members may join the International Aerobatic Club, Inc. Divi­ sion and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year. EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBAT­ ICS magazine and one year membership in the lAC Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included ). (Add $18 for Foreign Postage_)

WARBIRDS Current EAA members may join the EAA Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine for an additional $45 per year. EAA Membership, WARBIRDS maga­ zine and one year membership in the Warbirds Division is available for $55 per yea r (SPORT AVIATION magazine not in­ cluded). (Add $7 for Foreign Postage_)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS Please submit your remittance with a check or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in United States dollars. Add required Foreign Postage amount for each membership.

rFritz@pathwaYllet.com

Membership dues to EM and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions Copyright ©2007 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association, All rights reserved. VINTAGE AIRPlANE (USPS 062-750; ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published month~ at EM Avia­ tion Genter, 3000 Poberezny Rd., PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086, e-mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org. Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association, which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine, is $36 per year for EM members and $46 for non-EM members. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Vintage Airplane, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. PM 40032445 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to World Distribution Services, Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. e-mail: cpcreturns@Wdsmail.com. FOR­ EIGN AND APO AODRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail. ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken. EDITORIAL POUCY: Members are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. No remuneration is made. Material should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPlANE, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 920-426-4800. EM® and EM SPORT AVIATION®, the EM Logo® and Aeronautica'· are registered trademarks, trademarks, and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strict~ prohib~ed.

40

AUGUST 2007

~ ~a-!I!~~ition

X-PLAN VEHICLE PRICING

ENJOY THE PRIVilEGE OF PARTNERSHIP EAA Members considering the purchase or lease of a new Ford vehicle should be sure to take advantage of the Ford Partner Recognition Program. Your mem­ bership benefits quality you for X-Plan pricing, which could save you as much as $1,800 on a 2008 Ford Taurus Limited:

With $1,800 in savings on a new Ford Taurus limited, you could pay for: • Aviation Insurance • Annuallnspection • and your EAA Membership! * Based on comparison of 2008 Ford Taurus $28.070 MSRP versus $26.226 X-Plan price.

The all new Ford Taurus. Rated the Safest Full-Size Car in America. It's official. The all new 2008 Ford Taurus is rated the safest full-size car in America, based on NHTSA and IIHS crash tests. The Taurus earned perfect five-star safety ratings in four impact categories: driver, front passenger, front and rear side. What makes Taurus unique? It starts with the air bags. Six of them. Standard. Innovative SPACE Architecture™ not only enhances cabin safety in side impacts, it also helps give Taurus the roomiest interior of any full-size car in America. The all new 28-mpg, 263-horsepower Taurus. Check it out at your Ford Dealer or fordvehicles.com.

EXCLUSIVE PRICING, EXCEPTIONALLY SIMPLE!

Ford Motor Company, in association with EAA, is proud to offer members the opportunity to save on the purchase or lease of vehicles from Ford Motor Company's family of brands-Ford, lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Land Rover and Jaguar. Get your personal identification number (PIN) and learn about the great value of Partner RecognitionIX-Plan pricing from the EM website (www.eaa.org) by clicking on the EAA/Ford Program logo.You must be an EM Member for at least one year to be eligible.This offer is available to residents of the United States and Canada.

Certain restrictions apply. Available at participating dealers. Please refer to www.eaa.org or caIiSOO-S43-3612.

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