Va vol 39 no5 may 2011 by EAA Vintage Aircraft Association

MAY 2011

Ashley Hall Menlo Park, California ■ Lifelong aviation history buff ■ First flight at 4yrs in a Frontier Airlines CV-580 in 1966 and hooked ever since ■ Enjoy participating in the local vintage aviation community as much as a busy professional life and parenthood allow

Ashley Hall and his seven year old son Aidan enjoy flying their 1947 Luscombe 8E out of Fraizier Lake Airpark in beautiful Northern California. Ashley’s Luscombe is a Moody Larsen 150hp Lycoming conversion and was once owned by Ross Funk an original Luscombe employee. I’ve owned my Luscombe for 11 years now and have been with AUA all the way. Their friendly service, responsiveness and excellent rates have made me a loyal customer and I would recommend them to anyone.

Thanks AUA !

—Ashley Hall

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

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M A Y

A I R P L A N E Vol. 39, No. 5

2011

CONTENTS 2

Straight & Level Getting ready for another great AirVenture by Geoff Robison

News

N44VY and See the World! Bob Coolbaugh’s Curtiss Model D Pusher helps commemorate the 100th anniversary of naval aviation by Gilles Auliard

Noorduyn Norseman Canada’s unsung blue-collar worker by Budd Davisson

The EAA’s H-10 Pheasant Retail price of $2,895 by Jim Busha and H.G. Frautschy

My Friend Frank Rezich, Part VIII Fun on the National Air Tour with Frank by Robert G. Lock

Light Plane Heritage

Prest Baby Pursuit by George Hardie, Jr.

STAFF

The Vintage Mechanic

EAA Publisher Director of EAA Publications Executive Director/Editor Production/Special Project Photography Copy Editor Senior Art Director EAA Chairman of the Board

Vibrations, Part 2 by Robert G. Lock

The Vintage Instructor Overcoming self-doubt by Steve Krog, CFI

Mystery Plane by H.G. Frautschy

Classified Ads

COVERS

FRONT COVER: Naval aviator Bob Coolbaugh started on this project a few years ago, excited by the prospect of celebrating the 100th anniversar y of U.S. Navy aviation. Coolbaugh’s Curtiss Pusher replica is one of the highlights of the official celebrations taking place during 2011, and it will be at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011. Read more about it in Gilles Auliard’s article starting on page 6. BACK COVER: When EAA headquarters moved to Oshkosh, an early addition to the museum grounds was the construction of Pioneer Airport, a grass strip where some of the great airplanes of yesterday could be displayed and flown. One of the first aircraft flown from the field was this Pheasant H-10, a local product built in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Read more about this OX-5-powered biplane starting on page 18. EAA photo by Jim Koepnick.

Rod Hightower Mary Jones H.G. Frautschy Kathleen Witman Jim Koepnick Colleen Walsh Olivia P. Trabbold Tom Poberezny

Publication Advertising: Manager/Domestic, Sue Anderson Tel: 920-426-6127 Email: sanderson@eaa.org Fax: 920-426-4828 Senior Business Relations Mgr, Trevor Janz Tel: 920-426-6809 Email: tjanz@eaa.org Manager/European-Asian, Willi Tacke Phone: +49(0)1716980871 Email: willi@flying-pages.com Fax: +49(0)8841 / 496012

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1

STRAIGHT & LEVEL GEOFF ROBISON PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Getting ready for another great AirVenture! As most of you have heard, Mother Nature swung a big stick at the Sun ’n Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Florida, on March 31. The news coverage, the videos, and the many pictures that were sent out to aviators all over the world were disturbing to see. My heart goes out to our partners in Lakeland, and we are all so fortunate that no one lost their life during this tragic event. The resiliency of the staff and volunteers was remarkable; by the next day, the field was still a bit soggy, but the damage had been cleaned up, and they were ready for action. With so much devastation surrounding them, they were able to reopen the show the next day. This will hopefully prove to be a once-in-a-lifetime event for Sun ’n Fun and its guests, and we wish them all good fortune with their future fly-ins. As I write this column, I have just returned from another sojourn to the mecca of aviation: Oshkosh. Although the gas prices were a bit steeper this month, the enjoyment always easily overrides the expense involved. The occasion this month was the first of three planned VAA volunteer work weekends for 2011. A great time was had by all. In a very short time period, 32 volunteers accomplished an amazing amount of work. This all-volunteer force, including six VAA officers/directors, tackled three major projects, investing a total of 614 hours of hard work in one weekend. The first project was to construct an 18-by-38-foot workshop area with a 10-foot-high ceiling. This area will be used to operate our metalworking shop inside the Vintage Hangar. The construction design included double-walled, double-insulated exterior

2 MAY 2011

walls, with heavy insulation in the ceiling between all of the stringers. This project will be a welcome addition to the hangar for the type club representatives who have patiently endured the noise of the metalworking operations over the past two years. Amazingly, our volunteers completed this project over a twoday period and well under budget. The second project was the Air Mail Station we are building to be used as part of the EAA’s celebration of the U.S. Air Mail’s 100th anniversary at AirVenture 2011. This “portable” 16-by-16-foot building is also being constructed by our VAA volunteers. The goal here is to construct a building that appears to have survived from the 1920s. This building, along with a large number of vintage air mail aircraft from this era, will be a must-see display during your visit to AirVenture 2011. Come on by and send an old postcard to a friend or family member! We plan on flying the mail with a vintage biplane as part of this program. The third project was an upgrade to the north side of our Red Barn, typically referred to as the Vintage Hospitality/Guest Relations area. This area has been long overdue for a nice sprucing up. We have long needed to upgrade some of the electrical issues and storage issues in this area as well. The chairwoman of this area, longtime VAA director Jeannie Hill, is very excited with the progress made in her area this past weekend. New paint on the interior walls along with an upgrade to the wall decorations are on her list as well. Many thanks are offered to each and every volunteer who stepped up

this weekend, and I sincerely hope you all enjoyed the accommodations, the fellowship, and the fine meals that were prepared by your fellow volunteers. Feel free to join us at a future volunteer work party in Oshkosh. The next two work parties are scheduled for May 13, 14, and 15, and for June 10, 11, and 12. Call Michael Blombach, the chairman of our maintenance committee, with any questions; his phone number is 260-433-5101. I was also fortunate to spend some time at Paul Poberezny’s “Aeroplane Factory” this same weekend. As mentioned in a previous column, Paul is busy constructing a new/old Baby Ace in the shop these days. This project is coming along nicely with assistance from his able volunteers. This weekend saw the project land on its feet as the main gear attach points were welded onto the airframe, and the gear legs were attached and “bungeed up.” Looking good, Paul! By the way, many thanks to you and Audrey, Mike and Audra Hoy, and Adam and Janet Smith for your attendance at our Saturday evening meal at the old farmhouse. Your talk with the vintage volunteers was very inspirational, as well as complementary to our organization, and it was very well-received by our group. VAA is about participation: Be a member! Be a volunteer! Be there! Do yourself a favor and ask a friend to join up with us. Let’s all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation. Remember, we are better together. Join us and have it all.

VAA NEWS What Was That Little Monoplane? On the back cover of the March issue of Vintage Airplane, we left it to you to identify the small drawing on the left side of the artwork. Any many of you wrote or called to do just that—and each of you agreed with one another! It’s the Alexander Flyabout D-2, a twoplace, side-by-side airplane powered by a Szekely 45. You can read all about it in Joe Juptner’s U.S. Civil Aircraft Series; it is Approved Type Certificate 449, issued September 5, 1931. Check Volume 5, page 143.

• Sending in the re-registration when it’s not their turn. “We won’t take applications out of cycle,” Binkley said. If you receive a final notice even though you have already submitted re-registration materials, don’t worry; the FAA wants to give aircraft owners every opportunity to re-register in the event of procrastination, materials lost in the mail, or other reasons, Binkley said. If you submit your re-registra-

tion and it has not been processed by the prescribed final notice date, you’ll automatically receive a final notice. The FAA also sends a third notice when an aircraft’s registration expires, giving owners a final opportunity to get their materials in and save their N numbers. Call 866-762-9434 (toll free) or 405-954-3131 with any questions or concerns. Or go to www.Sport Aviation.org to fill out an online form for fastest response.

Mistakes That Can Derail Your Re-Registration The FAA’s aircraft re-registration initiative that began on November 1, 2010, is going about as expected, according to Walter Binkley, manager of aircraft registry in Oklahoma City. That is to say, it’s going fairly well— with more people than expected using online registration instead of mailing the paper form. Re-registering online is much more efficient, resulting in a one-week turnaround as opposed to the six to eight weeks for filling out and mailing in the form, then waiting for hard copies to wind their way through the queue. There are some mistakes the branch is seeing that can derail a registration; these include: • Failure to print or type name. • Making an alteration to the text and whiting out or obscuring something on the form—the only acceptable way to alter text is to line through and correct. • Including the appropriate fee. • Checking both “info correct” and “changes made” boxes or leaving both unchecked—one of the boxes must be checked.

Curtiss Model MF Flying Boat Now on Display Back in April 2010, I was quoted in a news story on www.EAA. org as saying, “It was interesting to see a rare, museum-quality aircraft from the 1910-1920 era auctioned; there are only five Curtiss F boats left, and we can only hope that the buyer will allow this amazing seaplane to be displayed so the public can enjoy it.” It seems my wish has come true. One of the trustees of the museum, Eric Driver, was kind enough to drop us a note and advise us that the Curtiss MF flying boat sold at auction by Bonhams is now on display in its new home, the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, Blenheim, New Zealand. For more on the museum, you can visit its website at www.Omaka.org.nz.

—H.G. Frautschy VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

ready been planned. Learn more at www.LearnToFly.org.

Get Ready for ‘Super Saturday’

Win a Skycatcher Enter the 2011 EAA Share the Spirit Sweepstakes for your chance to win a Cessna 162 Skycatcher with fuel for the year cour tesy of Shell Aviation, along with other great prizes. Ever y donation to the EAA Sweepstakes directly supports EAA programs like Young Eagles, which allow members to share the spirit of aviation among fellow enthusiasts and the next generation of aviators. For more information, visit www. AirVenture.org/sweepstakes.

Find AirVenture Housing on New Website The Oshkosh Convention & Vi s i t o r s B u r e a u m a k e s i t e a s ier to find Oshkosh lodging offgrounds through the new website www.VisitOshkosh.com. Search through listings of hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, resorts, cottages, cabins, campgrounds, and dormitories with their availability, searchable within a database through a variety of criteria. The new website also provides an extensive list of private homes and rooms that are available for rent by area homeowners during AirVenture. Private homes and rooms provide an affordable lodging option with several price point and amenity options, most within close proximity to the AirVenture grounds. A l s o c h e c k t h e FA Q s e c t i o n of www.VisitOshkosh.com for answers to questions about accommodations during AirVenture, or call the Oshkosh Convention

4 MAY 2011

& Vi s i t o r s B u r e a u t o l l - f r e e a t 877-303-9200.

Saturday, July 30, should be one for the ages at AirVenture 2011, with numerous special events and attractions scheduled from dawn to dark. From the 6 a.m. mass hot air balloon launch in the Ultralight area to the day-ending Night Air Show, one would be hard-pressed to find a single day filled with as many outstanding attractions. Between the balloons and the booms, activities include the Runway 5K run/walk throughout the AirVenture grounds; the expanded Warbird Spectacular air show; the nightly movie at the EAA Fly-In Theater presented by Ford Motor Company and supported by Hamilton Watches; and a concert at Theater in the Woods by country singer/pilot Aaron Tippin. The Night Air Show and DaherSocata Fireworks & Wall of Fire drew tens of thousands to the flightline in 2010, and this year’s festivities are set to start at 8:30 p.m.

International Learn to Fly Day International Learn to Fly Day is May 21, 2011. It is an aviation communitywide effort helping people of all ages take that first step to discover the fun, freedom, and accomplishment of flight. EAA and numerous other aviation organizations and businesses are again joining together to organize introductory flights, seminars, open houses at airports and flight schools, and other activities. A primary focus of this year’s event is to offer introductory fl ights to adults who have always wanted to discover flight. EAA views these introductory flights for adults as a key step toward establishing a year-round adult version of its popular Young Eagles program, which has offered free flights to more than 1.6 million young people since 1992. More than 80 events have al-

Sportsman Pilot Back Issues Available For a limited time, back issues of Jack and Golda Cox’s Sportsman Pilot magazine will be available for purchase. While some issues have very limited availability, most of the magazine’s printed editions are available. Priced at $3.50 each ($5.00 outside the United States), they can be ordered by writing to Sportsman Pilot, P.O. Box 400, Asheboro, NC 27204-0400. You can view a list of back issues on its website at www.SportsmanPilot.com.

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

Join the

N44V Y and See the World!

n November 14, 1910, Eugene B. Ely, a pilot with the Curtiss Aerial Exhibition Te a m , c o a x e d h i s Curtiss Pusher off the deck of the cruiser USS Birmingham (CL-2)— which had been specially modified for the occasion—while it lay at anchor off Hampton Roads, Virginia. On January 18, 1911, in San Francisco Bay, Ely raised the bar a few notches and landed on the armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania, later taking off from the same platform, de facto signing the birth cer-

6 MAY 2011

tificate of U.S. naval aviation. Eugene Burton Ely was born in Williamsburg, Iowa, on October 21,1879, and raised in nearby Davenport. He attended and graduated from Iowa State University in 1904. Following graduation, he moved to San Francisco, California, where he was active in the early days of the sales and racing of automobiles. Relocating in Portland, Oregon, in early 1910, Ely worked as a mechanic for E. Henry Wemme, a local auto dealer. Soon after, Wemme purchased one of Glenn Curtiss’ first pushers powered by a four-

cylinder engine and acquired the franchise for the Pacific Northwest. Wemme had no idea how to fly the contraption, so Ely volunteered to fly it for him. Ely didn’t do well initially, crashing it on his first “flight”; to his credit, Ely offered to buy the wreck. Within a few months, he had repaired the airplane and taught himself to fly. In June 1910, he participated in a display in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and met Glenn Curtiss, who hired him for his barnstorming exhibition team. In October 1910, Capt. Wash-

Bob Coolbaugh’s

Curtiss Model D Pusher helps commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Naval Aviation

by Gilles Auliard GILLES AULIARD

. . .Original construction methods were followed and original material used when possible. The bamboo used in the construction was tracked down to the original importer in New Jersey. . .. With Bob Coolbaugh in the pilot’s seat, the Curtiss Pusher cruises in the pattern at New Market Airport. These pictures were taken from Andrew King’s Taylorcraft, with an outside temperature barely above freezing and a surface wind at 6 to 8 mph. Normally, such light wind conditions would not be much of a factor, but the Pusher has proven to be a handful in all but the lightest breezes.

November, 1910, Norfolk Navy Yard–the US Navy hoists a company Curtiss Pusher aboard the USS Birmingham. The takeoff platform, angled downward at a 5 degree angle, had been build on the foredeck of the scout cruiser with the express purpose of demonstrating aircraft operations were possible from a ship. No expectation of a landing was part of this activity. The project, initiated by Captain Washington I. Chambers, was paid for by a wealthy aviation enthusiast, John B. Ryan, was endorsed by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Beekman Winthrop. Glen Curtiss made the same pusher he’d used the previous spring, the Albany Flyer, available for use. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

U.S. NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER

November 14, 1910--With the weather conditions deteriorating, Ely gave the signal at 3:16 pm for release of the Curtiss Pusher. With the Curtiss 50 hp engine roaring, it rolled down the 57 foot ramp. With barely enough speed to get airborne, Ely and the Pusher dipped below the bow just after takeoff, and continued to the surface of the water of Hampton Roads, Virginia. With no forward speed from the ship (you can see it’s at anchor) to add some airspeed to the biplane’s takeoff effort, the flight nearly ended with a splashdown. As it was, the wheels and prop of the Pusher touched the water. The prop cracked, necessitating a quick landing on nearby Willoughby Spit. Still, the experiment was deemed a success, and preparations were made across the United States for both a takeoff and a landing from a warship.

January 18, 1911—Success! Ely guides the Pusher over the downturned end of the 120x30 foot “runway” built above the deck of the armored cruiser Pennsylvania. The arresting system of hooks attached to the Pusher’s landing gear, coupled with a set of ropes strung across the deck, with sandbags attached at each end, quickly brought the biplane to a stop.

Eugune Ely prepares for takeoff from the 120-foot temporary platform built above the aft deck of the USS Pennsylvania, anchored in San Francisco harbor. The large crowd on board was mirrored by the thousands lining the bayfront to witness the earlier landing and now take off. Sailors from various merchant sailing vessels stood on the yardarms of their ships to get a glimpse of the action. All hail the intrepid pilot! Eugene Ely is hosted on the shoulders of US Army personnel after returning to shore following his successful landing and takeoff from the cruiser Pennsylvania. Sadly, Ely would not live to see 1912. He died on October 19, 1911 in the crash of a Curtiss Pusher during a flight exposition in Macon, Georgia. 8 MAY 2011

ington A. Chambers, who was responsible for aviation matters at the Navy department, traveled to Belmont Park, New York, to meet with pioneer aviators at the International Air Meet and inspect their machines. During discussions with Ely, he was quite impressed with Ely’s technical knowledge. Less than a month later, Chambers attended another air meet near Baltimore, Maryland, and again met

with Ely. Upon hearing the captain’s idea of a ship landing, Ely immediately embraced the concept. In less than two weeks’ time, the project took shape. At the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, a wooden platform was quickly constructed over the foredeck of the scout cruiser USS Birmingham. Designed by naval constructor William McEntree and paid for by wealthy aviation enthusiast John

GILLES AULIARD

This Curtiss at rest in its grass environment. The boxkite-like structure of the Pusher is held together by no less than 130 pieces of wire. Narry Ryan, the structure provided a 57-foot-long takeoff run for Ely’s biplane. Shortly before noon, on November 14, 1910, the USS Birmingham steamed down the Elizabeth River toward Hampton Roads, where the flight was to take place. However, the weather was dreadful, marginally improving by mid-afternoon. Ely, warming up his engine and checking its controls, waited impatiently during the lengthy process of the ship raising anchor. Noting the visibility was again deteriorat-

ing, he decided on an immediate attempt, even though the ship was stationary. At 3:16, he gunned the engine, gave the release signal, rolled down the ramp, and was airborne—almost. The Curtiss briefly touched the water, and the propeller started vibrating heavily. Ely had to touch down at nearby Willoughby Spit after a five-minute, 2-1/2- mile flight. Even though the flight did not fully reach its goals, it was viewed as a major achievement and received widespread publicity. Soon after, Capt. Chambers pro-

This is the most important instrument in the Curtiss, and the only one installed the original biplane: a piece of yarn, a simple and very effective yaw indicator. Even today, Yaw strings are often used on gliders.

posed that Ely try to land his plane onboard ship. The aviator offered to make an attempt in January 1911, in San Francisco, California, where he would be participating in yet another air meet. T h e P a c i f i c F l e e t ’s a r m o r e d cruiser Pennsylvania was chosen, and the Mare Island Naval Shipyard constructed a temporar y wooden platform over the aft deck and the gun turret. Ely and others devised a method of stopping the planes within the platform’s 120-by-30-foot dimensions. A series of ropes, with sand-

A very odd--but authentic--detail is the use of horse blanket security pins to hold the elevator in place. Its neutral incidence can be changed on the ground by sliding the fitting up or down on a vertical post, with the pins securing the mount. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

GILLES AULIARD

Bob is coming for a low and slow pass over New Market airport’s runway. Flying the Pusher requires its pilot to keep a good grip on the wheel at all times. Nobody knows what the airplane will do if you let go of the wheel.

In addition to civilian aviators, Model Ds were purchased by the U.S. Army and Navy as airborne observation platforms.

Bob Coolbaugh relaxes after another successful flight.

Andrew is getting ready for a flight in the Pusher. 10 MAY 2011

bags at each end, would be stretched across the temporary deck and held above it by boards laid along its length. Hooks were attached to the landing gear to catch the ropes, and the weight of the sandbags would bring the machine to a rapid halt. Shortly before 11 a.m. on the morning of January 18, 1911, Ely took off from Tanforan Racetrack to reach the Pennsylvania, anchored, in full view of the crowds, off the San Francisco waterfront. On final, Ely responded quickly to the unexpected updraft that caught his lightly loaded plane, dove, and the hooks snagged the arresting gear about halfway up the ramp’s length. The Curtiss pulled the ropes and sandbags and came to a smooth stop. After posing for photographs, Ely remounted his machine, and, an hour after the world’s first shipboard airplane landing, made the second successful takeoff from a ship. Capt. Pond, commanding officer of the USS Pennsylvania, sent

a favorable report to the Navy department, and the Navy started the slow process of bringing flying machines into its force structure. One day later Lt. Theodore G. Ellyson began the flight training that would make him the U.S. Navy’s first aviator. Ely’s triumph was short-lived, as later that year, on October 19, 1911, while flying during a meet in Macon, Georgia, his plane crashed and he was killed. Opening with an all-out bash in San Diego in February 2011, the U.S. Navy began the celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviation (CONA) in style, with no less than 32 CONA Tier 1 Events. These air shows throughout America will pay tribute to the aircraft and airmen who contributed to this first century of flight. One of the folks participating in the events is longtime airplane restorer and now replica builder Bob Coolbaugh of Manassas, Virginia. Coolbaugh retraces his involvement in the project:

GILLES AULIARD

“About three years ago, the Navy announced that they were looking for ideas and propositions in relation with the Centennial of Naval Aviation that they were planning. “I started talking with some of the Navy people involved in this, and we were kicking ideas around. There were no Curtiss Pusher of the type used by Ely to land on the Pennsylvania left, so I offered to build an as-exact-as-possible—with flight safety in mind—replica of the plane that Ely flew on January 18, 1911. I knew I could do it.” The Curtiss Model D Pusher was a biplane fitted with a wheeled tricycle landing gear. Early examples of the machine were built in a canard configuration, with elevators mounted on struts at the front of the aircraft, in addition to a horizontal stabilizer at the rear. Later, the elevators were incorporated in the tail unit and the canard arrangement was dispensed with, resulting in what became known as the Curtiss Headless Pusher. Directional control (yaw) of the airplane was accomplished by turning on the control column left and right. Fore and aft movements of

the column controlled climb and descent with the elevator, and roll control was achieved by leaning left and right against a shoulder yoke that actuated the mid-strut mounted ailerons. By mid-1911, Curtiss Pushers were pretty much standardized and being manufactured in what could be considered production quantities. Curtiss began to use specific designations in its advertising. In addition to civilian aviators, Model Ds were purchased by the U.S. Army and Navy as airborne observation platforms. A number of them were exported to foreign militaries as well, including the Russian navy. Coolbaugh is a bold Navy man, as he explains: “I got bit by the flying bug quite early in life. “My dad was a fighter pilot during World War II. When I was a little kid, my father worked at the local airport, so, he would babysit me there. Consequently, I grew up in the middle of those old airplanes, which, actually, were new at the time; [airplanes] such as Cubs, Aeroncas, Stinsons, and the like. “When I was old enough, I chose

to join the Navy. This choice was mainly because I wanted to fly off the deck of aircraft carriers. I was lucky enough to do it and spent 21 years with the Navy: 10 years in active duty and 11 years in the Reserves. “The active-duty years were even more exciting, adventure-filled than I could have imagined. Flying on and off aircraft carriers is the most exhilarating sensation. However, it is a young’s man game, with some downsides, the biggest one being that you are never home. “So, after a while, I looked at the airlines as a career move and left the Navy, flying for 27 years with what is now Continental, soon to be United. “Over 20 years ago, I got involved with Andrew King and some other antique airplane guys. I finally had enough money to buy the bits and pieces of a 1930 Monocoupe that was owned by Bud Gurney, the longtime friend and partner of Lindbergh. “This led to me running the Monocoupe Club for 12 years, and started my involvement in a hobby that I have been pursuing full time since I retired.” Starting from the plans drawn by

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

Charles Schultz [no, not the Schulz of Snoopy fame—HGF], which were supposedly taken from original blueprints, Coolbaugh built, from the ground up, a replica of the Curtiss version that undertook the first carrier landing. However, concessions to modernity had to be implemented, as the airplane will be operating in a cross-country modern environment and, occasionally, will have to land at towered airports. The first, and most important, concession to functionality is the six-cylinder Continental 125-hp engine, ensuring safe and reliable operation. With the inherent stability issues with the aircraft’s design, one cannot afford to worry about engine performance. Other add-ons are disc brakes, a radio and transponder, and a starter. However, original construction methods were followed and original material used when possible. The bamboo used in the construction was tracked down to the original importer in New Jersey who supplied the Glenn Curtiss Factory in Hammondsport, New York, in 1910. Helped and advised in his task by Andrew King, well known in the antique airplane world, Coolbaugh built some 90 percent of the project

12 MAY 2011

over long and tedious working days in his Shenandoah Valley workshop. Art Wilder, the project leader for the Hudson Flyer replica built by a team of volunteers at the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, New York, proved an invaluable resource in researching original Curtiss practices and procedures. Vet Thomas of Hilton, New York, builder of the Curtiss Pusher replica now hanging at the Greater Rochester International Airport, used his computer-aided design and computer-aided machining (CAD/ CAM) program to water-jet cut the plate metal parts. As with any project, many friends freely donated their time and talents to help push the project to completion. Registered as N44VY, the Pusher flew for the first time on October 8, 2010. The early test-flight program, in the hands of Coolbaugh and King, revealed insufficient engine cooling as well as an endemic lack of control. With its 37-foot wingspan and an empty weight of 970 pounds, the airplane has a wing loading of 4 pounds per square foot—about half the wing loading of a Piper J-3, making it very sensitive to any kind of turbulence. At this point, Bob was ready to throw in the towel:

“After the first 12 flights, six of which were mine, I was ready to put the thing up on a pylon at the entrance of the airport.” A “crash” program to alleviate these problems was designed, with incremental improvements continuing to this day. The result was a plane that flew like a 100-year-old plane, but was controllable enough to depart for Chambers Field, Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia, where the Curtiss participated in the November 12 ceremonies commemorating Eugene Ely’s takeoff from the deck of the USS Birmingham. The Curtiss is scheduled to participate in a number of events across the United States, including the New York Fleet Week/Jones Beach Air Show in May, Thunder Over Michigan in July, EAA AirVenture 2011 in late July, NAS Patuxent River in September, and NAS Oceana in September, while other events are still in the planning stage. Unfortunately, the U.S. Navy has not approved a request to recreate Ely’s arrested landing by allowing Coolbaugh or King to land on a modern flattop. That one event would close the loop on 100 years of naval aviation, and two of the most daring pilots I know are primed and ready!

Noorduyn Norseman Canada’s unsung blue-collar worker BY

oorduyn Norseman? W h a t , y o u s a y ? Yo u can’t bring the airplane to mind? Don’t feel bad. There’s a high probability the majority of people reading this can’t either. That’s interesting considering that more than 900 were built. And, although the majority was military, a large number never left the continent. Generally, when that many of a type are built,

BUDD DAVISSON

the survivors are numerous enough that their public profile is fairly high. Not so the Norseman. Why? Simple: They got used up. They were working airplanes, and the kind of work they did wore them out. Yes, although the Canadian-built Norseman was designed and built to be a backcountry utility bird, of the more than 900 built, 749 wound up wearing khaki as UC64As for the U.S. Army Air Forces

(USAAF) during WWII. They did hack duty everywhere they went, carrying everything and everyone who needed a ride from base to base. An ambulance Norseman was supposedly the first Allied airplane to land in Normandy after Dday. Not that many were shot at, so most survived the war. As soon as the war was over and they’d been cashiered out as surplus, it was as if the Earth’s tectonic plates abruptly

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

The size of the Norseman isn’t readily apparent in the photos until you see it resting in the grass during EAA AirVenture next to a Beech 18. The Pratt & Whitney R-1340 with 600 horses requires the massive 3-blade prop to absorb all the torque generated by the engine and convert it to working thrust. tilted and stateside Norseman by the hundreds automatically slid north, where a blue-collar airplane was highly appreciated and immediately put to work. What kind of work you may ask? Hey, it’s Canada, so it was hard work. The airplane’s specific mission in life was clearly evident in the way the early development of the airplane progressed: The prototype was first flown on floats, then skis; then finally it was put on wheels.

This isn’t an airplane you get in, it’s one you have to board! The step plate on top of the landing gear leg gives you the ability to clamber aboard. 14 MAY 2011

The low survival rate of Norsemans (about 25 still exist or about one in 36) is explained in the numerous obituaries: “. . . ran ashore where it was destroyed by fire. All survived. Total time was 6,782 hours,” “. . . slewed, hit trees on an island . . . sank…no injuries, total time was 9,225 hours,” and “. . . light freezing rain caused engine failure due to carb icing, crashed in bush. No injuries. Total time was 8,932 hours.” And on and on the list goes. They were nothing more than tools, and they died with their boots on terrain and in territory well known to be hostile to both

man and airplane. The life they lived was hard and could end in a myriad of ways, all of them violent. No Norseman died from neglect or for want of work. The foregoing is why you don’t see many Norsemans, especially in the lower 48, so when Dennis Mockford, from Strathmore, Alberta, pulled CF-LZO up alongside a Twin Beech (which it dwarfed, by the way) at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in 2010, it was obvious we were looking at a survivor, which turned out to be true of both plane and pilot. “I was born in Edmonton,” Den-

Plenty of room for a planeload of camping buddies and their gear. Out in the bush, it’s often a long way to a fuel cache, so the aft fuel tank gives the Norseman longer legs.

nis says, “and as soon as I turned 16, I joined the RCAF reserves, where I first polished Twin Beeches. I later received training in navigation and flew in 418 Squadron. I was then hired by an airline as a navigator, with one of my first trips being Vancouver to Düsseldorf, Germany, and back in three days, which was 43 hours of flight time. “Then it was into C-130 Hercules. That was a hard job because we were going all over the world, and I was gone 270 days of the year to places you normally wouldn’t want to go. For instance, we departed Lagos, Nigeria, just before the airport was bombed. But, this was long before inertial navigation and such, and I was good at shooting the stars, so I always had work as a navigator.” “I finally got around to getting my pilot’s license,” he says, “with little hope of flying for the airlines I was navigating for. Fortunately, one day I happened to run into the VP of operations for Pacific Western Airlines, my old employer, and he had heard about a flight I had made from Vancouver to Sydney, Nova Scotia, in my Cessna 120 and back, which is a very long trip for such an airplane. He told me to come in the next day. I spent a month fly-

ing an Apache, getting my multiengine and IFR check. Soon, I was second officer on a Lockheed Electra. I think I had about 450 hours at the time.” As Dennis worked his way up into the left seat of 737s, his future looked bright until he was in a serious car accident in 1991. “Basically, my body took a real beating, but not as much as my brain,” he says, “I was having short-term memory losses, and I was grounded for five and a half years. It was a real struggle trying to get back because most of the doctors I went to just relied on what the last one said. So I wasn’t getting anywhere. Finally, I found a doctor in Los Angeles who would actually test me and see if I had progressed or not. He worked with me, and eventually I tested good enough to get back into the airlines, where I had a good career until I retired just a few years ago.” “Throughout my career, I would continually think back to the first time I saw a Norseman. It was 1964 and I was just a kid, but I knew what I liked. As I got older, I kept thinking about that first image. I had never even been in the cockpit, but I loved everything about it. Then, as I was retiring, I started do-

The view from the left seat. The center console throttle/prop/mixture quadrant and 3/4-circle control wheel reinforce the perception that this a nononsense working airplane, even if today it gets to not work quite as hard.

ing a little adventure flying, including being part of a search looking for an A-20 that was lost during the war. I was just beginning to work my way back into little airplanes when I started hearing people talk about the 100th anniversary of flight in Canada, so my brother, Greg, and I started thinking about some sort of commemorative flight. The Norseman seemed like the perfect airplane for that kind of trip.” The Norseman is a big airplane; plus, by the time Dennis started looking for one, they were almost all at the end of their working careers, so they weren’t likely to be hangared. And, if they weren’t either working for a living or someone’s pampered pet, they weren’t being cared for, and the famous Canadian winters did their best to cause the airplane to deteriorate. The fuselages are steel tube, and the wings are all wood, both being materials that really don’t like cold, damp weather. Plus, he wanted a flying airplane because he didn’t have time before the air tour started to restore an airplane that’s the size of the average small house. “I fi nally found one at Selkirk, Manitoba. Although, it had been parked for four years, prior to that it had been a fully restored airplane, so, although it had been sitting, it was actually in excellent condition. All I did was go through it and freshen up everything that needed it. “One goal was to keep it as old as possible and still have it be usable. So, yes, it has a GPS, but it’s an early 1990s model, and this is true of about everything else in the airplane. Also, we did the inside of the fuselage with diamond-plate aluminum up to the bottom of the windows. That protects the fabric, and I worry a lot less about loading things in the airplane. “The engine is a Pratt & Whitney R-1340 with 600 horses and a three-blade prop. You usually see the three-blade props on geared 1340s, but this one isn’t geared.” The history of a specific airplane

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

Norseman History Rober t Noorduyn was a designer for Fokker who left and designed the Norseman in 19341935. He and his partner, Walter Clayton, began producing the airplane in 1935, and it was wellaccepted by the bush aviation community. However, by 1940, only 23 airplanes had been delivered. WWII obviously changed the demand for the airplane greatly. After the war, surplus UC-64As were plentiful, and Noorduyn found its own products to be its biggest competition and the company just couldn’t keep the doors open. The tooling and rights were purchased by Canadian Car and Foundry, which produced another 51 aircraft. It designed a new version, the Mk. VII, with a bigger engine and all-metal airframe, but it never went into production. In 1953 the tooling and assets were sold back to a group headed by Bob, but he passed away in 1959. Although the company produced three new Mk. Vs in 1959, that was the end of Norseman production. Today, parts and support for the airplane are provided by Gord Huges of Ignace, Ontario, who has the drawings and jigs as well as a sizable supply of parts.

is sometimes difficult to nail down, but Dennis knew most of his airplane’s history, some of which worked right into the plans he had for making the air tour. “It was built in 1944 for the USAAF as a Mk. VI. So, it has lots of gas. Fifty gallons in each wing, and a variety of belly and aux tanks that bring the total up to 233 gallons. This includes the 36-gallon rear fuselage tank that is hard to find, but we found one.”

16 MAY 2011

Dennis Mockford’s Norseman is one of about 25 still flying (that’s a survival rate of 1 in 36 airframes built). The airplanes were almost exclusively hardworking bush planes, which tends to use airplanes up. One of the primary reasons the Army bought so many of the airplanes and fitted them out with big tanks is because in 1938, when it looked as if a lot of airplanes were going to be built in the United States and ferried to Europe, they assigned Col. Bernt Balchen (as in winner of the Distinguished Flying Cross and, among a lifetime of achievements, the chief pilot of the Byrd Antarctic Expedition in 1929, flying a Ford Tri-Motor over the South Pole) the task of surveying a ferry route and setting up support along the way. He was asked what airplane he needed for the task, and he said the Norseman was best suited. Prior to that, the Army had tested the airplane but few orders were forthcoming. Much of the success of the airplane can be attributed to Col. Balchen’s endorsement of it and subsequent use of it to fly long distances during the survey missions. And it really can stay up for a long time. Dennis says, “If I bring the power back and loaf along at 100 mph, which burns about 20 gallons per hour, I have over 10 hours of endurance, and it doesn’t really seem to care how much you’re carrying. Its empty weight is right around 4,400 pounds and the useful is

3,000 pounds, so we can carry a lot of people or stuff. “The air tour, which was in 2009, was truly a memorable experience and had a lot of high points. My brother, Greg, and I were going to do the planned entire circumnavigation of Canada, including the high arctic to Alert, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of flight in Canada. We started from Red Lake [the Norseman Capital of the World] May 26, going east. Greg could not continue past Sudbury, Ontario, for medical reasons, and a friend came aboard CF-LZO for a time. In Labrador I found that fuel was no longer available in Alert, and fog surrounded Labrador and Quebec for 15 days. The flight was then diverted west through central north Canada to the west coast and back to Red Lake for the annual Norseman Floatplane Festival, as we had promised. CF-LZO had flown 100 hours at 100 mph, over two months, and had completed a coast-to-coast round-trip flight. “There were lots of high points on the trip, including little Pelee Island, the southernmost point in Canada. “When I landed at Sudbury, Ontario, I called my mom, who had her first flight in a biplane off the ice there in 1937. That was very cool.”

Although there are only a couple dozen surviving Norseman, with fewer than 20 of them reportedly in Canada, the Norseman, nonetheless, is recognized throughout Canada as one of the more important transportation links in the nation’s history. In recognition of that, beginning in 1992, the town of Red Lake, Ontario, began hosting an annual Norseman Festival, during which the airplane is the centerpiece in a weeklong happening that blends the airplane into all manner of cultural and musical events. “We made it again this year, and about half of the flyable Norsemans in Canada showed up. It’s an event that gets the entire town involved and is a lot of fun.” In looking at the airplane from the outside, it’s hard to guess how it would fly, but the assumption is generally that it’s a demanding airplane, which Dennis says is definitely not the case. Dennis says, “When I got back into general aviation, I first flew a Champ; then I flew a Maule. Transitioning into the Norseman was really easy. In fact, it flies easier than the Maule. I come down final at 80 mph, which is just a little fast, and generally do a wheel landing because it bounces too easily in a threepoint landing. It stalls under 60 miles per hour and the flaps help. In addition, the ailerons come down 15 degrees when the flaps go to full deflection. That really doesn’t help that much, and it slows the roll response at full flaps, so most operators have removed the aileron-flap connections. “The tail wheel is full swivel, with no steering, but the rudder is very effective, even at slow speed, which is good because the brakes aren’t the best. In fact, turning it in grass can be something of a chore, and you have to plan ahead. “When it’s on wheels, the military put 30 pounds of weight in the back to make up for the fact that the R-1340 is so much heavier than the 420-hp Wright R-975-E3 it was originally designed for. Even so the weight and balance isn’t quite right, and it’s a little nose heavy, so it actually lands better with some load in it. On floats, it’s well balanced. The straight floats are big Edo 55-7170As, but, even so, the airplane needs no ventral fin when they are installed. It has plenty of tail.” “After Oshkosh this year, I flew -LZO to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where I saw the remains of the first Norseman, CF-AYO, at the Canadian Bushplane museum. Then I overflew the site of its crash in 1953 in Ontario and on November 14 overflew the St. Lawrence River at Montreal, where it did its first flight, on floats, 75 years ago. The -LZO also flew to a number of fly-ins, including those at the Canadian Aviation and Space Museum at Rockcliffe/Ottawa, Ontario, and the first annual EAA fly-in at Gatineau, Quebec.” It was really a kick seeing Dennis’ airplane at Oshkosh, and it’s nice to know that one of the old ones is still out there poking its nose into obscure locations and living the life for which it was designed.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

The EAA’s

H-10 Pheasant Retail price of $2,895 BY JIM

18 MAY 2011

BUSHA AND H.G. FRAUTSCHY

built nine aircraft by the time the approved type certificate, number 36, was issued on April 1, 1928. A young air race pilot from Wisconsin named Steve Wittman bought one of the H-10 biplanes. In September 1928, Steve flew it during a transcontinental race from Roosevelt Field in Long Island, New York, to Los Angeles, California. His total time aloft was 34 hours, 33 minutes, 10 seconds, earning him a 12th-place finish. Steve flew his Pheasant back home to Fond

JIM KOEPNICK

last monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s issue of Vintage Airplane, we featured an article about a local east-central Wisconsin aviator, Ray Goss, who at one time had owned a Pheasant biplane. When Ray bought his used H-10 Pheasant in the mid-1930s for $250, the Pheasant Aircraft Company was already flat broke and out of business. Incorporated on June 27, 1927, in Memphis, Missouri, the Pheasant Aircraft Company

Restored to airworthy condition in the early 1980s, the H-10 was flown from the newly built Pioneer Airport by United Air Lines Captain Verne Jobst.

JIM KOEPNICK

H.G. FRAUTSCHY

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

JIM BUSHA

The Pheasant at its permanent home at Pioneer Airport. It’s one of only two known to exist.

du Lac, Wisconsin, and convinced a local businessman, Tom Meiklejohn, to buy the company. Tom did so, and Steve became the company’s chief test pilot. Seven of the H-10s (the entire inventory) were flown by Steve to their new home in Fond du Lac, where a flyaway retail price of $2,895 was placed upon them. Manufacturing new Pheasants soon began in earnest as the airplanes rolled out of the factory. The good times seemed endless as 21 more H-10 Pheasants were produced, with more planned to roll out the factory doors at the original Fond

20 MAY 2011

du Lac airport, located just south of the south shore of Lake Winnebago, now the site of the University of Wisconsin, Fond du Lac. Like so many other biplanes of the post-WWI era, the H-10 Pheasant was designed and built as an improvement over the Curtiss Jenny. The H-10 had a 32-foot-6inch upper wingspan and a 29foot lower wingspan. It was 23 feet 6 inches in length and stood 9 feet high. The Pheasant’s empty weight was 1,350 pounds, with a gross weight of 2,026 pounds. It was powered by a liquid-cooled Curtiss OX-5 engine, the same en-

JIM BUSHA

H.G. FRAUTSCHY

The instrument panel of the Pheasant. There are no instruments in the forward cockpit.

JIM KOEPNICK

With Captain Jobst at the controls, the H-10 Pheasant soars over the west side of Wittman Field in Oshkosh in June 1989.

H.G. FRAUTSCHY

Like so many other biplanes of the post-World War I era, the H-10 Pheasant was designed and built as an improvement over the Curtiss Jenny.

The OX-5 engine of the EAA’s Pheasant H-10 is often used for handpropping demonstrations during the association’s Good Ol’ Days events at Pioneer Airpor t. Longtime employee Bauken Noack prepares the engine prior to starting on a cool August afternoon in 2009.

gine as the Jenny used, which developed 90 hp at 1400 rpm. The H-10’s maximum speed was 100 mph with a ceiling of 15,000 feet and a range of 400 miles, carrying a 38-gallon fuel tank. To the builders of the airplane, there was no end in sight for the H-10’s prosperity and predicted long life. That was until a black day in October 1929, when the United States economy began to turn upside down as the stock market crashed. With the country in full-blown financial chaos during 1930, the Pheasant Aircraft Company, like so many others, fell victim to the Great Depression as it deepened in the months and years following the stock market crash. By 1931, the company was well on its way to bankruptcy, and by 1934, the com-

pany ceased to exist. A grand total of 30 H-10s were built. Only two are known to exist. One of these biplanes, NC151N, is preserved for viewing in the Wittman Hangar at EAA’s Pioneer Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The H-10 last tasted flight in mid-1989, when it was flown during the early days of Pioneer Airport. The biplane’s OX-5 engine has been run on occasion for special occasions, and the biplane has been displayed outdoors during special events at the field. Its long nose, which houses an OX-5 engine, is usually pointed toward the Wittman Hangar’s door, basking in the afternoon sun, facing the grass strip as it waits patiently to become airborne, looking just as it would have during the golden age of flight.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

My Friend

Frank Rezich Part VIIIâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Fun on the National Air Tour With Frank BY

ROBERT G. LOCK

PHOTOS COURTESY OF REZICH FAMILY COLLECTION

Wherever Frank travels, there is always somebody he knows or somebody who knows him. That was never more apparent than at the 2003 National Air Tour (NAT). There, Frank was in his element, surrounded by aviators young and old, all admiring his rich aviation background. Frank and his daughter, Kathy, flew much of the trip with me, but there were times that Frank tended to his mechanic duties. His white coveralls carried the Travel Air and Wright engine logos. He wore them as he performed the dance he perfected to the rhythm of the Wright Whirlwind at idle. He would stand at the right wingtip and move to the loping sounds of the idling engine. At fi rst people didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what he was doing, but as I watched the crowd

22 MAY 2011

from the rear cockpit, they caught on and were pointing at Frank doing his dance. It was hilarious! I watched others imitate what Frank was doing as they waited in line to get a ride in an open-cockpit biplane. I recall one leg of the jour-

Above: Frank and Kathy on one of the legs of the National Air Tour. Frank had his trusty sectional charts and would follow the course, pointing out interesting landmarks to Kathy. There were a few times when Kathy would help my wife, Sandy, drive the van from point to point, but she would really rather be flying. Right: With aviation running in her blood, daughter Kathy takes a turn fueling at a stop in Atchison, Kansas, home to Amelia Earhart.

ney when the trusty Wright beg a n r u n n i n g a l i t t l e r o u g h l y. I thought it could be carburetor ice, but the heat didn’t seem to make it run any better, so we shot a precautionary landing at a small airfield along the route and checked things out. Frank and I checked over the engine and could fi nd nothing apparent that would cause some roughness, so we headed out and never had the problem again. We deduced it was a good load of carburetor ice and pressed on with the trip. Jim Rezich writes, “The Stinson Tri-Motor owned by Greg Herrick was once owned by Bluebird Air Service and flown on Midway Airport by both Nick and Frank as copilots.” Frank knew every airplane and every pilot on the trip. He knew the history of nearly all the ships. He was a walking and talking encyclopedia of aviation history. We spent some time at the small terminal building going through Earhart memorabilia. And, true to character, Frank knew there was a very rare Northrop Delta stored in a hangar at the end of the ramp. He insisted we be allowed in to see the airplane, to which the young caretaker finally agreed and opened the hangar door. I later asked Frank how he knew that airplane was there and he said, “Oh, I know where there are quite a few still stored, but this is probably the most rare.” When the weather soured in Maryland, Greg Herrick chartered two buses, and we drove to the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport. Greg arranged for a special tour for the pilots and crew of the new museum, which was not open to the public yet. Frank got to see the Travel Air D4D Pepsi Skywriter proudly displayed in the gallery. Frank had spent many hours maintaining and repairing that airplane. Later in the morning the buses took us to the National Air and Space Museum on the mall in Washington,

Frank and Kathy with some very famous airplanes in the background. Thank you, Greg Herrick and your crew, for all you did for us on that great NAT.

The smoke-writing Travel Air, NC434N, owned Andy Stinis from New York. Stinis obtained the first contract with Pepsi Cola for advertising in the sky using a smoke-writing airplane in 1932.

In his San Miguel shop, Frank specialized in building and repairing Travel Air wings; here a new wing is being assembled in his special fixture. The fixture assured that new lower wings would fit onto the fuselage fittings. You can also see a set of Travel Air wings stored overhead in the rafters. Jim Rezich writes, “The wings are from Frank’s Travel Air NC9946H. The number lapsed after the war, and when Mike got it re-registered he had to add the ‘H’ to it.” VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

Frank, wearing a Travel Air cap and white mechanic’s coveralls, perfects his dance, which we named “The Wright Shuffle.” At age 80, Frank could keep up with the best of them.

Frank at age 19. The second shot— (right, page 15) at Willow Run, Michigan, was taken in the shadow of the old Ford plant that turned out so

A study of Frank and his cigar in the rear seat of NC606K.

Taken on the 2003 National Air Tour at Wichita, Kansas. Frank entertains the crowd as the NAT airplanes prepare to arrive. D.C. Frank had never been there before, so he and Kathy wanted to explore all the displays. Earlier in our series, Frank recalled how he picked up converted B-24s in Memphis, Tennessee, to ferry to Florida and eventually to North Africa. Designated C-109 by the AAF, they were the tanker version of the B-24. He was back at

24 MAY 2011

the Willow Run factory in Michigan for the start of the 2003 National Air Tour, as you can see him prep the Wright prior to our departure in 2003. For many years, Frank kept the Pepsi Skywriter flying. NC434N was powered by a Wright R-760-E2 developing 350 hp, ideal for highaltitude smoke writing. Frank re-

called, “When my brother Mike saw this airplane and its performance he decided to get a model D4D, and that is when he purchased NC606K with a 350-hp Wright R-760-E2 engine. I did several major repairs on the airplane over the years that Pepsi owned NC434N.” Frank has had a marvelous career in aviation, beginning at a very young age. And he is not finished yet, as his two Travel Airs await his touch. Frank Rezich is a cherished friend. Now enjoy some more photographs of this grand old man of aviation.

many B-24s during WWII, as Frank pulls the Wright through prior to starting as we kicked off the 2003 National Air Tour.

Frank never passed an opportunity to fly in another air tour ship. He flies right seat with John Mohr in Greg Herrick’s Stinson tri-motor.

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Light Plane Heritage published in EAA Experimenter May 1991

PREST BABY PURSUIT BY

he Prest Baby Pursuit was a neat, single-place sportplane with great eye appeal when it appeared in the days when Waco and Travel Air

GEORGE HARDIE, JR.

biplanes were common. A description of the airplane was given in the April 1930 issue of Aero Digest: “The design of the Prest Baby Pursuit, a semi-cantilever mono-

plane produced in Arlington, California by Prest Airplane and Motors, incorporates an unusual arrangement of the fuselage. To permit fastening the wing directly to the top corner of the fuselage, just above the level of the pilot’s eyes, resulting in the minimum obstruction to vision, the fuselage is turned up on edge. The pilot has normal vision forward, downward and above. In the construction of the fuselage, major stresses are distributed to the entire structure directly from the attached fittings. The plane is powered with a Szekely SR-3 40-horsepower engine. “The wing is semi-cantilever, with solid and laminated spruce beams of full-length pieces, with no splices in the one-piece wing.

Editor’s Note: The Light Plane Heritage series in EAA’s Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history. Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this series, we plan on publishing those LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members. Enjoy!—HGF

26 MAY 2011

Specifications Span

29 feet

Chord

49 inches

Wing area

92 square feet

Length

17 feet, 11 inches

Weight, fully equipped

475 pounds

Useful load

225 pounds

Weight loaded

700 pounds

High speed

90 mph

Stalling speed

40 mph

Climb, first minute 700 feet

This spruce is known as Split-Rite and is marketed by the Aircraft Lumber Corporation of St. Paul, Minnesota. The fuselage is covered with A&N Nashawena fabric. The wing is covered with Flightex. “Internal drag struts are of chrome-molybdenum steel tubing, welded into a truss and bolted

to the beams. The drag bracing is double and is of round MacWhyte tie rods with Safe Lock fittings. Chrome-molybdenum is used throughout in the construction, including sheet fittings and tubing. The fuel tanks are of aluminum, pickled and vibration-tested according to Navy specifications. The

landing gear is fitted with Gruss Air Struts. A Consolidated instrument panel is provided. “The ailerons are controlled by means of cables within the wing and a push-pull tube to the wing from the torque tube. The wing may be removed without loosening the cables or pulleys, one pin being pulled to disconnect the ailerons. The wing is designed to be removed by two men in approximately ten minutes. “The ailerons extend the full length of the trailing edge and have a chord of 4-1/4 inches, their total area being 6.5 square feet. “The entire ship is constructed in a jig, and all of the parts are interchangeable with equivalent parts. The construction of the fuselage facilitates manufacture in jigs, and it is designed to come from the jig in alignment so that the landing gear, wings and other parts may be fastened without fitting or forcing.” In 1937, EAA member Ernie Fillinger purchased his Prest for $100. He decided to replace the unreliable Szekely with a Lawrance threecylinder, which he overhauled himself. After flying the airplane to West Coast events near where he lived, he sold the airplane in 1960 and built a modified version using a 90-hp Franklin for power. Its present status is unknown. Another Prest was still extant in 1961, owned by Bruce Keathley of Edwards, California.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

Vintage Mechanic

THE

BY ROBERT G. LOCK

Vibrations, Part 2 With few exceptions, vibrations in older, fixedwing aircraft are generated by the engine and prop. In the early days of construction, the engines were inadequately shock-mounted. As a result, many engine problems could be traced to extreme vibration. Many early radial engine installations featured a hard engine mount (without shock mountings) with only a thick leather washer located between the engine and mount. Illustration 1 is the original Command-Aire factory engine mount ring for a Curtiss Challenger R-600 radial. A six-cylinder engine, it had extreme vibration problems, yet there are no shock mounts anywhere. The mount is welded to the fuselage frame. The only shock mounts were 1/4-inch-thick leather washers between engine and mount ring. No wonder there were severe airframe and engine vibrations!

When rubber shock mounts were finally used, they provided a means of changing the periods of vibration so that the various nodes fell either above or below the operating frequency of the engine. Perhaps one of the best (for its time) engine shock mounts was used on the Boeing Stearman PT-13/17 series aircraft to mount the Continental R-670 or Lycoming R-680 radial engines. Illustration 2 shows details of simple rubber shock mounts between engine and mount. Vibration damping was good, and this type of mounting was used for aircraft up to 600 hp by enlarging the rubber shock absorbers.

Illustration 2 Illustration 1 28 MAY 2011

Compare the Command-Aire 5C3 factory engine mount in Illustration 1 with the modified shock

mount version in my Command-Aire 5C3, as shown in Illustration 3. A Lycoming R-680 shock mount ring from a Boeing PT-13 will fi t the Wright R-760 by moving the two lower shock mounts slightly. With this component installed, I could use Boeing Stearman shock mounts, which could be purchased new from Dusters & Sprayers Supply. It proved to be a much better installation, by providing damping of vibrations from the Wright and its Hamilton Standard propeller.

Illustration 3 There will always be airframe vibrations, but the old designers did little to compensate; one just had to get used to the shaking. Most instrument boards in old biplanes were not shock-mounted. Instead, they were firmly attached to the structure. By the mid-

1930s and beyond, designers began to shock-mount the instrument panels. J.M. Lord began to manufacture shock mounts for aircraft use. Its small mounts were double-mounted behind the instrument panel to provide a means to dampen airframe vibrations from being transmitted to the instruments. The new dampers are called elastomeric, because of the material used and the method of dampening vibrations. Illustration 4 shows the typical shock-mounting of an instrument board in the late 1930s. As individual 2-1/4-inch, 3-1/8-inch, and 5-1/4-inch instruments were developed in the 1930s, the need for vibration damping became apparent for proper operation because of the weight of all those instruments. All early instruments needed some vibration to operate correctly, but rigid mounting proved to be too much for the instruments to take. Shock-equipped engine mounts became a big deal when all the World War II surplus Boeing Stearman aircraft were sold in 1946. Originally converted to crop dusters using stock powerplant installations, these sturdy ships were converted to engines of 300600 hp to carry heavier loads of dust and spray. At fi rst, engine mounts were hand-fabricated by the modifi er. For the Pratt & Whitney 450-hp conversion, BT-13 engine mounts were cut so the mount rings and attach fittings to the fuselage could be salvaged and reused. To save weight, the mounts were shortened and the engine was placed as close to the firewall as possible, only leaving enough space to mount a starter and a 50-amp generator. Except for the rubber shock pads on the ring (similar to the Continental and Lycoming pads shown in Illustration 1 but larger in size), this was the only vibration-damping mechanism provided. A company in Salinas, California, by the name of Serv Aero Engineering began to manufacture a better shock mount in the early 1950s. Floyd Perry was the owner of the company, and it eventually STCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d many different engine mounts. Note the heavy dampers at the mount-ring and their shorter length to accommodate the higher weight of the Pratt & Whitney R-985 engine as shown in Illustration 5.

Illustration 4 VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

Illustration 5 There are other vibrations introduced into the airframe that are not caused by the engine or propeller. One such vibration is tail wheel “shimmy.” All full-swiveling steerable tail wheels have an anti-shimmy device built into the unit. Perhaps one of the best and most reliable tail wheels is found on the Boeing PT-13/17 biplane. It is well-designed and very rugged. Tail wheel shimmy can introduce vibrations into the airframe structure by simply being out of alignment. To check for proper alignment, jack the aft fuselage so the tail wheel is off the ground. Check the rudder pedals for neutral position, and ascertain if the tail wheel is tracking straight. If not, adjust the turnbuckles to align the rudder pedal neutral with straight tracking of the tail wheel. While the tail wheel is off the ground, make sure there is positive steering when the rudder is moved left and right. The tail wheel should closely follow the movement of the tail wheel. If it does not, troubleshoot and fix the problem. Illustration 6 shows one of the best tail wheels ever designed, the unit for the Boeing PT-13/17.

Illustration 6 30 MAY 2011

There are times when this type of tail wheel will shimmy even when it tracks correctly. See the large spring on top of the steering arm? The purpose of this spring is to apply pressure to the steering arm as it seats on the thrust plate. The spring controls the force required to cause the fork to “kick out” into full swivel operation. Other airframe vibrations that may be introduced by engine, propeller, or aerodynamic buffeting may be caused by landing gear doors, which are not properly rigged in a retractable gear airplane. The landing gear should be tested every 100 hours of operation or during the annual inspection. The airplane is placed on jacks and the gear doors (if installed) are disconnected and wired into the full open condition. Then the gear is actuated to the full up position where rigging is checked. The final step is to reconnect the gear doors and complete another retraction check, this time to make sure the doors are completely closed. This should eliminate low-frequency vibrations caused by improperly rigged landing gear doors. Loose or misaligned flying and landing wires can cause undue high-frequency, low-amplitude in-flight vibrations. Most old biplanes do not have rigging manuals or information regarding wire tensions. If that is the case, then I refer to wire tensions given in the Boeing PT-13/17 rigging manual and use this data as a guide to wire tension for a specific aircraft. It’s important to recognize that the Stearman is a very stout aircraft, and wire tensions may be higher than for a ship built in the 1920s and 1930s. If a wire is not streamlined it will vibrate; at times the frequency will be so great that the wire will blur, and if the amplitude increases, the vibration can be felt in the flight controls and eventually the structure. A person standing on the ground will hear a whistle sound emanating from the vibrating wire: the longer the wire, the lower the pitch, and the shorter the wire, the higher the pitch. It is important to pay attention to details when rigging a biplane, and certainly the streamlining of wires is very important. When I rigged my Command-Aire, there was no factory data provided that described the precise procedure, particularly the streamline wire tensions. I set the tension at what I thought would be acceptable, based on my experience with the Stearman and other biplanes. I immediately noticed that when rear-flying wire tension was increased, it tended to bow the upper wing trailing edge. I experimented with wire tensions until I got the wires just right, so the landing wire would not loosen in flight. I measured the wire tensions, and they were close to those of the Boeing PT-13/17 rigging manual, but somewhat looser. As it turns out, tightening the front-flying wires will slightly loosen the rear-flying wires. Once the ship has been rigged, adjusting flying wire tension equally front and rear, left and right, will keep the ship in rig, but that procedure will tighten both the flying and landing wires. I have no problem using this Stearman data and ap-

Illustration 7 plying it to another type of airplane, realizing that tensions will be a little looser because few early-production biplanes had the structural strength of the PT-17. Illustration 7 shows my Command-Aire in flight. There are myriad vibrations that can occur on an

aircraft while in flight. Maintenance personnel must be able to identify the problem and attempt to cure the cause. Understanding vibrationsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the cause, effect, and corrective actionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;is an important skill all mechanics must learn. Experience here is the best teacher.

Resources: Airplane Maintenance, 1940. Hubert G. Lesley, Maintenance Engineer Eastern Airline (Illustration 2) Erection and Maintenance Instructions for Model N2S Airplanes, 1941, compiled by Stearman Aircraft, a Division of Boeing Airplane Company, Wichita, Kansas (Illustration 1) Elements of Technical Aeronautics, 1942. N.A.C. staff, New York Aeronautics Council Inc. Airplane Design Manual, 1958. Frederick K. Teichmann Dusters & Sprayers Supply catalog, 1969-1970. Hugh Wilson and Bob Chambers

Have a comment or question for Bob Lock, the Vintage Mechanic? Drop us an e-mail at vintageair craft@eaa.org, or you can mail your question to Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903. VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31

Vintage Instructor THE

BY Steve Krog, CFI

Overcoming self-doubt Arising early for another day of work, you hear the weather forecast in the background indicating it will be a beautiful day to go flying after work. While driving to work you scan the sky and note that it is perfect for flying, but then you think about the last flight you made. Throughout the workday your mind wanders, and you think you’d much rather be flying than sitting in an endless meeting chaired by the boss with a monotone delivery. And again you think about that last flight. Finally, the workday comes to an end. You want to go flying before heading home. The breeze is light and the sky bright blue. But on the way to the airport you begin thinking about your last flight and the “spectacular” landing you made. You forgot to set up for a crosswind landing and nearly ran your beautifully restored airplane off the runway and into the deep drainage ditch alongside the pavement. “When will the FAA ever decide that drainage ditches next to a runway can be airplane eaters?” you wonder. Your palms were sweaty then and your stomach knotted seemingly into your throat as you nervously taxied back to the hangar that day. You were thankful that no harm was done to your airplane, but your ego was severely bruised and confidence seriously shaken. “What did I do wrong on that landing?” you’ve asked yourself a hundred times since that flight. You’ve played it over and over in your mind to the point where you’re now fixated on it every time you even think of going flying. You’ve even dreamt about it. Approaching the airport, your palms begin to sweat just thinking about that landing, and a knot begins to grow in your stomach. What began as a thought of exhilaration and flying your treasured airplane has now become one of self-doubt. Excuses for not flying today occupy your mind. The wind looks a little too strong, and there seems to be some crosswind. Your self-doubt grows. Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day to fly, you think. After spending an hour thoroughly overlooking your airplane at the hangar, you check the windsock

32 MAY 2011

one more time and come to the conclusion that it is just a bit too windy. Self-doubt has caused your stomach to become one big acid pit in need of a whole roll of Tums. You slowly close the hangar doors; then you hop in your car for the 30-minute drive home. Defeated! Once on the road home, you begin mentally kicking yourself for not flying today. After all, the weather was nearly ideal. Now, rather than having a nervous feeling about flying, you’re down on yourself for not flying. Then you tell yourself with confidence that tomorrow you’ll definitely go flying! If you’ve read this far, ask yourself, honestly and candidly, can you identify with this scenario? How many pleasure flights have you denied yourself because you lost your self-confidence due to something that had occurred during a recent flight? Anyone who has experienced flight has also experienced times of self-doubt or loss of confidence. Over the four-plus decades that I’ve been flying and teaching flight instruction, I’ve encountered this situation personally, and I’ve had many others share similar experiences with me. How one goes about dealing with a loss of confidence can mean the difference between enjoying many future pleasure-filled hours of flight or walking away from a hobby that previously brought you great joy. I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I can share some methods I’ve employed in dealing with a loss of confidence—either my own or those of a student or fellow pilot.

Incident Fixation The bad landing you made can easily become foremost on your mind. The more time “wasted” on reliving the landing, the more obsessed you become by it, leading to even more self-doubt. Admit to yourself that you made a bad landing, and then tell yourself you’ll do a lot better on your next flight. Think positively. You know how to make crosswind landings.

Recall Positive Flight Experience You love to fly, right? Think about a good take-

off and the pleasure or satisfaction you feel when flying. What an exhilarating experience it is to see the earth drop away as you climb out of the traffic pattern. You’re in total control. Remember giving a friend, grandchild, or relative his or her first ride in a small airplane? At first they were a bit apprehensive and asked a lot of questions. But your enthusiasm and confidence put them at ease. Once in the air, you explained how to control the airplane and let them do a bit of flying. Out of the corner of your eye you could observe their look of awe. Seeing the world from a thousand feet is one of the most memorable experiences a novice will ever experience. Are you going to let a bad landing deny you of these experiences?

Do Some Hangar Flying Don’t be afraid to talk to some of the folks at the airport and share your experience. If these individuals have done any amount of fl ying, they have all had experiences similar to yours. Sometimes their responses might be a bit beyond belief (hangar flying is like telling fishing stories), but you will glean some good advice if you cut through the exaggerated tales. While at the airport on a day when there is activity, find a shaded area, set up your lawn chair, and observe some takeoffs and landings. You will soon pick up on the approach techniques other pilots are demonstrating, right or wrong, and be able to apply what you’ve learned to your next flight. This activity is a great morale- and confidence-booster.

Fly With a Friend Another technique I’ve found to help build confidence is to make a flight with an experienced pilot/ friend. Observe how he or she handles crosswind takeoffs and landings. Observation can be a great teaching method.

Fly With an Instructor You Trust Most instructors I know will jump at a chance to share their love of fl ight or fl y a different airplane. Over the years past, I’ve been asked numerous times to fly with different pilots, young and old. Some are just a bit rusty from not having done any recent flying, while others recognized a flaw in their piloting skills and were in search of some advice. Usually it takes no more than three to six landings to diagnose the problem and re-establish a safe fl ight practice. I’m always personally amazed at how an individual

can go from self-doubt to self-confidence in a matter of those three to six landings.

Schedule a Flight in Good Conditions “If you fall off your horse, the best thing to do is get back on and ride.” How many times have you heard that line repeated in your lifetime? Remember when you first learned how to ride a bicycle? One fall didn’t keep you from trying it again. The same can be said for flying. A bad landing experience can certainly shake one’s confidence. All of us have been there at one time or another. As a longtime flight instructor, I’ve often advised individuals who have come to me for flying advice. My suggestion is to pick the next good-flying light-breeze day and go for a flight. There’s nothing better to build your confidence than going for and completing a pleasant flight. Then try two or three landings. If it was a crosswind landing that shook your confidence, try a few crosswind landings when there is a light crosswind. Continue rebuilding your level of confidence by trying crosswind landings on a breezier day. If there is a turf runway near where you are located, try some crosswind landings there. Confidence increases as your skill level increases. I’ve often taken students and even experienced pilots for a flight on gusty, windy days. When I’ve suggested doing so, the reply is usually, “I’d never go flying on a day like to today.” That may be so, but what about those days when you departed in the calm early morning for a breakfast flight only to return home finding the wind to be 10-20 mph—and it’s a crosswind! We’ll try several crosswind landings in these conditions. They may not be perfect and pretty, but they’ll be safe. At flight’s conclusion you may be sweating in places you haven’t sweated since your early flighttraining days. However, your skill level and confidence will be greatly enhanced. You still may not go for a flight on days like that, but you’ll know that you could if you had to and you would be safe! Practicing flight any time improves your skill level, and on days that are less than ideal it enhances those skills—building confidence and erasing self-doubt.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33

by H.G. FRAUTSCHY

MYSTERY PLANE This month’s Mystery Plane is a real slow-pitch softball—plenty of you should get this one. Doug Fortune suggested it. Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to be in no later than June 10 for inclusion in the August 2011 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 plus your city and state in the body of your note and put “(Month) Mystery Plane” in the subject line.

FEBRUARY’S MYSTERY ANSWER he February Mystery Plane was sent to us by the folks who head up that great aviation website 1000AircraftPhotos.com. It’s part of their Peter Carbin collection. Ron Dupas and Johan Visschedijk have a wonderful online collection of aviation photos, and they shared a few of them with us. Their website is located at http://1000AircraftPhotos.com. I said in February that the airplane was of foreign manufacture—in fact, it was built by our neighbors to the north, across the Canadian border. We love hearing from you, and we got plenty of answers for this.

One answer comes to us from Thomas Lymburn of Princeton, Minnesota. Here’s an edited version of his note:

34 MAY 2011

Shown here on skis and in the other photo on Edo floats, CF-EIM was the last remaining flying Husky until it sank. It was later salvaged and placed on display at the Canadian Museum of Flight and Transportation in Langley, British Columbia. “The aircraft in the February 2011 Mystery Plane column is the Fairchild (Canada) F-11 Husky, registered CFEIM (s/n 3) during the time it was operated by Diversified Mining Interests.

“The Canadian branch of Fairchild began in 1922 as Fairchild Aerial Surveys Ltd. In 1945, it started design of a new bushplane that it called the F-11 Husky.

The approved Edo float for the aircraft was the model 62-6560. Well regarded in some respects by those who flew it, the Husky was felt by most pilots to be underpowered when equipped with the original 450-hp P&W Wasp Jr. “A team led by J.A.T. Butler designed the Husky with an upswept rear fuselage for easy loading (especially of canoes); an undercarriage with interchangeable wheels, floats, or skis; interchangeable control surfaces; and fuel tanks in the fuselage for easy accessibility. The airplane was intended to be flown by a crew of two, with room for eight passengers or 1,800 pounds of cargo. “The F-11 has an all-metal structure with fabric-covered control surfaces and fabric on the wing surfaces. The prototype, CF-BQC, made its maiden flight on floats from the St. Lawrence River on 14 June 1946, powered by a 450-hp P&W Wasp Jr. The pilot was A.M. McKenzie. CF-BQC remained as a company demonstrator until 1947. The first production model, CF-EIL, was delivered to Nickel Belt Airways Ltd., Sudbury, [Ontario], in September 1946. A further six went to Nickel Belt, with others to the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Eight were still registered in Canada in 1963. Some are believed to have continued in operation into the 1980s. “In the end, only 12 were built due to the bankruptcy of Fairchild Industries Ltd., which had been created to manufacture prefab houses. These (with floats) sold for between $29,000 and $36,000 Canadian. Although well liked by pilots, the Husky was considered underpowered, and six aircraft were converted with the installation of a 550-hp Alvis Leonides radial. First flight with

this engine took place on 8 July 1956. This improved its rate of climb and cruising speed. The first aircraft converted (as an F-11-2) was the one in your picture, CF-EIM. It was modified with the Alvis and a three-blade prop by Vancouver Aircraft Sales. Conversions with a 625-hp Alvis, 600-hp P&W R-1340, and a 715-hp P&W (Canada) PT-6A turboprop were planned, but not made. “I found a website for Vazar Aerospace that is continuing technical development of the Husky as the Vazar Turbo Husky with a 750-hp turbine, possibly for reintroduction into production. The company currently does turbine conversions of the Otter and Beaver. Projected performance includes a 160-mph cruise and a 1,500 feet/minute rate of climb, with a 3,500-pound useful load. Their website detailing the project is www.Vazar. com/fairchild-husky-aircraft-project.html. “I’ve run across three huskies in my travels: C-GCYV at the Western Canada Aviation Museum in Winnipeg; CF-EIM (your photo) with the Canadian Museum of Flight and Transportation in Langley, British Columbia; and CF-EIR at the [Canadian] Bushplane Heritage Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Canada. “Molson and Taylor’s Canadian Aircraft Since 1909 (Putnam, 1982) and Kent Mitchell’s Fairchild Aircraft 1926-1987 are good starting sources for the Husky. It also gets some ink in Gena Szurovy’s Bushplanes (Zeneth, 2004). I recommend Robert

S. Grant’s Great Northern Bushplanes (Hancock House, 1997). Grant devotes an entire chapter to the Husky and notes that CF-EIM was the last airworthy example. Flown by North Coast Air Service of Prince Rupert, B.C., it sank and was salvaged by the Museum of Flight and Transportation, where I saw it in 1989. “As always, many thanks for giving me a chance to put to use my collection of dusty aviation books!” Other correct answers via e-mail were received from J.W. Whitehead, Cheyenne, Wyoming; Wes Smith, Springfield, Illinois; Don Berrier, Bartonville, Illinois; David Nixon, Portland, Oregon; Hillis Cunliffe, Millbrook, Alabama; Sam V. Smith, Arlington, Virginia; Wayne Muxlow, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Walter C. Dietrich, Hastings, Florida; Ken Videan, Aldershot, United Kingdom; Warren Kelley, Clarkson, Ontario, Canada; John Bruns, Orange, California; Jamie Patterson, Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada; Stanley B. Pickles, Tiverton, Ontario, Canada; Lars Gleitsmann, Alaska; Lynn Goyer, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada; Earl Space, Renton, Washington; Gerry Norberg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Larry Knechtel, Seattle, Washington; Jack Erickson, State College, Pennsylvania; Brian Patterson; and Toby Gursanscky, Clontarf, New South Wales, Australia. And via good old regular mail, we received correct answers from Harvey Alley, Grand Rapids, Michigan; Joe Tarafas, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Wayne Van Valkenburgh, Jasper, Georgia; Donald Sumrall, Sunrall, Mississippi; and Ev Cassagneres, Cheshire, Connecticut. Good job, gang! We were also pleased to hear from Renald Fortier of Ottawa, Canada, who serves as the curator of aviation history for the Canada Aviation and Space Museum. He pointed out there are a few photos of the airplane taken during the 1970s at this website: www.AvCanada.ca/forums2/viewtopic. php?f=54&t=46081&start=25. You can view the website for this Husky photo athttp://1000AircraftPhotos. com/contributions/10350.htm.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35

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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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Are you nearing earing completion of a restoration? Or is it done and yo you’re busy flying and showing it off? If so, we’d like to hear from you. Send us a 4-by-6inch print from a commercial source (no home printers, please—those prints just don’t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch, 300-dpi digital photo. A JPG from your 2.5-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine. You can burn photos to a CD, or if you’re on a high-speed Internet connection, you can e-mail them along with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane. (If your e-mail program asks if you’d like to make the photos smaller, say no.) For more tips on creating photos we can publish, visit VAA’s website at www.vintageaircraft.org. Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph? For more information, you can also e-mail us at vintageaircraft@eaa.org or call us at 920-426-4825.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 37

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION OFFICERS President Geoff Robison 1521 E. MacGregor Dr. New Haven, IN 46774 260-493-4724 chief7025@aol.com

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Secretary Steve Nesse 2009 Highland Ave. Albert Lea, MN 56007 507-373-1674 stnes2009@live.com

Treasurer Dan Knutson 106 Tena Marie Circle Lodi, WI 53555 608-592-7224 lodicub@charter.net

DIRECTORS

Steve Bender 85 Brush Hill Road Sherborn, MA 01770 508-653-7557 sst10@comcast.net

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

David Bennett 375 Killdeer Ct Lincoln, CA 95648 916-952-9449 antiquer@inreach.com

Jeannie Hill P.O. Box 328 Harvard, IL 60033-0328 815-943-7205

Jerry Brown 4605 Hickory Wood Row Greenwood, IN 46143 317-422-9366 lbrown4906@aol.com Dave Clark 635 Vestal Lane Plainfield, IN 46168 317-839-4500 davecpd@att.net John S. Copeland 1A Deacon Street Northborough, MA 01532 508-393-4775 copeland1@juno.com Phil Coulson 28415 Springbrook Dr. Lawton, MI 49065 269-624-6490 rcoulson516@cs.com

Espie “Butch” Joyce 704 N. Regional Rd. Greensboro, NC 27409 336-668-3650 windsock@aol.com Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln. Hartford, WI 53027 262-966-7627 sskrog@aol.com Robert D. “Bob” Lumley 1265 South 124th St. Brookfield, WI 53005 262-782-2633 lumper@execpc.com S.H. “Wes” Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa, WI 53213 414-771-1545 shschmid@gmail.com

DIRECTORS EMERITUS Robert C. Brauer 9345 S. Hoyne Chicago, IL 60643 773-779-2105 photopilot@aol.com

Charlie Harris PO Box 470350 Tulsa, OK 74147 918-622-8400 cwh@hvsu.com

Gene Chase 2159 Carlton Rd. Oshkosh, WI 54904 920-231-5002 GRCHA@charter.net

E.E. “Buck” Hilbert 8102 Leech Rd. Union, IL 60180 815-923-4591 buck7ac@gmail.com

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

Gene Morris 5936 Steve Court Roanoke, TX 76262 817-491-9110 genemorris@charter.net

John Turgyan PO Box 219 New Egypt, NJ 08533 609-758-2910 jrturgyan4@aol.com

Membership Services Directory Enjoy the many benefits of EAA and EAA’s Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone (920) 426-4800

Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Sites: www.vintageaircraft.org, www.airventure.org, www.eaa.org/memberbenefits E-Mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org

EAA and Division Membership Services (8:00 AM–6:00 PM Monday–Friday CST) membership@eaa.org 800-564-6322 FAX 920-426-4873 www.eaa.org/memberbenefits •New/renew memberships •Address changes •Merchandise sales •Gift memberships EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 888-322-4636 www.airventure.org Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232 www.sportpilot.org Programs and Activities Auto Fuel STCs 920-426-4843 EAA Air Academy 920-426-6880 www.airacademy.org EAA Scholarships 920-426-6823 Library Services/Research 920-426-4848 Benefits AUA Vintage Insurance Plan 800-727-3823 www.auaonline.com EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan 866-647-4322 www.eaa.org/memberbenefits EAA VISA Card 800-853-5576 ext. 8884 EAA Hertz Rent-A-Car Program 800-654-2200 www.eaa.org/hertz VAA Editorial/Executive Director 920-426-4825 www.vintageaircraft.org VAA Office 920-426-6110

airventure@eaa.org sportpilot@eaa.org stc@eaa.org airacademy@eaa.org scholarships@eaa.org slurvey@eaa.org

membership@eaa.org membership@eaa.org vintage@eaa.org tbooks@eaa.org

EAA Members Information Line 888-EAA-INFO (322-4636) Use this toll-free number for: information about AirVenture Oshkosh; aeromedical and technical aviation questions; chapters; and Young Eagles. Please have your membership number ready when calling. Office hours are 8:15 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Monday - Friday, CST)

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION EAA Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is $40 for one year, including 12 issues of SPORT AVIATION. Family membership is an additional $10 annually. All major credit cards accepted for membership. (Add $16 for International 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.

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION Current EAA members may join the Vintage Aircraft Association and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an additional $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 included). (Add $7 for International 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 magazine and one year membership in the Warbirds Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT OficAVIATION magazine not included). (Add $7 for International Postage.)

IAC

Current EAA members may join the International Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an additional $45 per year. EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBATICS magazine and one year membership in the IAC Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included). (Add $15 for Foreign Postage.)

Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions

Copyright ©2011 by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association, All rights reserved. VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750; ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EAA Aviation Center, 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 EAA members and $46 for non-EAA 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 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS, Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES — 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 POLICY: 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. EAA® and EAA SPORT AVIATION®, the EAA 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 strictly prohibited.

40 MAY 2011

Drive one.

2011 Ford F-150

More Powerful AND More Fuel Efficient

The Privilege of Partnership

From a two-door contractor’s work truck to a four-door highperformance off-road pickup, the Ford F-150 is available in 11 different models to meet virtually any buyer’s need. New for 2011 are three allnew engines that push fuel efficiency and power to the highest levels in the segment. But the F-150 doesn’t stop there. It offers excellent driving manners and performance, while offering important safety standard features that protect occupants as effectively as the truck can tow and haul. The best keeps getting better!

EAA members are eligible for special pricing on Ford Motor Company vehicles through Ford’s Partner Recognition Program. To learn more on this exclusive opportunity for EAA members to save on a new Ford vehicle, please visit www.eaa.org/ford.

VEHICLE PURCHASE PLAN