Va vol 40 no 7 jul 2012

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july 2012

Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Piper Aircraft, with additional support provided by Univair!

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A I R P L A N E Vol. 40, No. 7

2012

J U LY

CONTENTS 2

Straight and Level AirVenture—Where has the time gone?

by Geoff Robison

3 News 7 Mike Araldi’s ‘Flying Diary’ An alluring Waco AGC-8

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

14 The Origin Of The Cub Happy 75th Anniversary to the Piper Cub!

by Clyde Smith Jr.

7

JIM KOEPNICK

19 Light Plane Heritage The Radial Engine Story

by Bob Whittier

26 The Hunter Brothers, Part 2 A flying family from Sparta, Illinois

by Robert H. Hayes

30

The Vintage Mechanic Cantilever and Semicantilever Wings

by Robert G. Lock

33 34

Chapter Locator The Vintage Instructor Wind, takeoff, and traffic patterns, Part 2

by Steve Krog, CFI

36

Mystery Plane

by H.G. Frautschy

39

Classifieds

14

JIM KOEPNICK

STAFF

EAA Publisher Director of EAA Publications Executive Director/Editor Business Manager Senior Art Director

Rod Hightower J. Mac McClellan H.G. Frautschy Kathleen Witman Olivia P. Trabbold

Advertising: Manager/Domestic, Sue Anderson Tel: 920-426-6127 Email: sanderson@eaa.org Fax: 920-426-4828 Independent Business Relationship Representative, Larry Phillip Tel: 920-410-2916 Email: lphillip@eaa.org Classified Advertising Coordinator, Molly Nevens Tel: 920-426-4887 Email: classads@eaa.org

COVERS FRONT COVER: Mike Araldi’s long restoration of his Waco AGC-8 had it’s ups and downs. Now he gets to enjoy the results of his efforts as he flies the magnificent cabin Waco. VAA photo by Jim Koepnick Photography.

VAA, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903 For missing or replacement magazines, or any other membership-related questions, please call EAA Member Services at 800- JOIN-EAA (564-6322).

BACK COVER: The EAA Archives have a variety of interesting artifacts, including this water-slide decal of the Piper Cub Dealer artwork.

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STRAIGHT & LEVEL Geoff Robison EAA #268346, VAA #12606 president, VAA

AirVenture—Where has the time gone?

T

he time has come! By the time you receive this month’s edition of Vintage Airplane magazine, a large number of the VAA volunteers will already be on the EAA grounds of AirVenture Oshkosh, frantically working toward the opening day.

We have lots of challenges to meet for this year’s event. As I informed you earlier, your Vintage Aircraft Association has taken on all of the responsibilities related to the daily operation of the EAA Aeromart at AirVenture this year. Then, we are hosting the dozens and dozens of Piper Cubs that are scheduled to arrive for the 75th anniversary celebration of the venerable Piper Cub. Where will we park them all? Don’t worry, we have a plan!

And what a show it’s shaping up to be. We have experienced a strong response from a large number of Vintage members as well as non-members who are planning to attend. So, be sure to go to www.

AirVenture.org and check it all out.

The EAA staff has again managed to put together another exceptional lineup of performers and events for this year’s event, and the air show promises to be significantly different than previous years. Even us big kids are sure to get a huge charge out of the ever popular, always enhanced, night air show on Saturday with all the pyrotechnics and airplane noise.

Again, the membership will enjoy a number of new programs and attractions throughout the Vintage area of responsibility during the convention. Attendance is yet

again looking good, as pre-sale (discounted) tickets are selling at a fast pace. For all you campers planning to attend AirVenture again this year, you will likely want to stop by the VAA Red Barn and take advantage of

Even us big kids ar e sure to get a huge charge out of the ever popular , always enhanced, night air show on Saturday with all the pyrotechnics and airplane noise. the VAA charging station for all your personal electronic devices. This is now the third year of operation for this service, which is provided to all attendees of AirVenture 2012. All we ask is a donation for whatever you feel the service is worth. Just stop by the old VAA Volunteer Center building on the northwest corner of the Red Barn and drop off your cellphones, laptops, and any other personal electronic devices that need recharging and we will take care of the rest. (Don’t forget to bring along the charger for the device, too!)

Speaking of the Red Barn, Bob Lumley’s merchandise committee

and VAA administrative assistant Theresa Books have been hard at work throughout this spring getting the VAA retail merchandise store up and ready for AirVenture. Their much appreciated hard work will again be thoroughly enjoyed by our members who come by the store each year to shop the ever-changing lineup of VAA shirts, caps, and all kinds of various aviation-related products. Be sure to stop by and visit with us at the Red Barn store again this year.

Credit Where Credit Is Due Many of you are very aware of my long-term involvement in the EAA’s B-17 program. This is a program that I have always touted as one of EAA’s premier outreach programs. This program has touched so many people who either served in World War II, or those who had relatives who served and were lost, or simply those individuals we so fondly refer to as “the greatest generation.” So many of these fine folks were scheduled to come fly with us in Denver, Colorado, during the second week of June 2012, but fate stepped in and dealt the program a serious setback when a completely unforecasted hailstorm struck the Centennial Airport where our grand lady was parked on the ramp.

When we arrived at the airport the following morning it was like a huge kick in the guts! It was a truly sad day for EAA to have to experience such a harsh reality of the risks we face every day on the road with this program.

But then, amazing things quickly began to happen. Word came to us continued on page 39

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VAA NEWS To help members who fl y in to understand the layout of the convention area administered by the VAA, we’ve pr epared this simplified map. As you can see, Cub camping star ts at Row 74 on the east side of the main nor th/ south road (Wittman Road), with the areas to the nor th of that line set up to handle display-only vintage aircraft. That’s why you may see open areas as you taxi south to your camping location. Pilots who arrive early for a camping spot on the west side of the r oad will begin camping star ting in approximately Row 61; our Flightline Safety staf f may have to adjust the exact r ow number depending on demand for antique parking and antique camping spots.

Once you arrive, you’ll need to r egister your aircraft and/or campsite. In addition to r oving registration vehicles, ther e is one main Showplane Registration building, located just south of the V AA Red Bar n (see map). The EAA convention campgr ounds are private campgrounds and ar e not open to non-EAA members. Each campsite must be r egistered by a cur rent EAA member .

Another immediate benefi t of VAA membership is your fr ee VAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012 Par ticipant Plaque, which you can pick up in the r ear of the Red Bar n.

EAA and VAA memberships ar e available at both Showplane Registration and the membership booth located under the V AA Welcome Arch, northeast of the Red Bar n at the cor ner of Wittman Road and V ern Avenue as well as inside the Red Bar n, near the information desk.

What’s in the Vintage Hangar?

Monday through Friday you’ll find your favorite airplane type clubs, ready to talk Cub or Funk or Stinson or Waco, and a host of others. Come in and visit. The metal-shaping workshops are in the sound-proof room on the south side of the hangar. And your friendly A&P-IA, Joe Norris, will be sharing his knowledge of things you can do to maintain your airplane. He’ll be in the front of the hangar, in the Paul’s Workshop area, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. each weekday and Saturday morning.

Find Your Favorite Presentations and Workshops Online With hundreds of the world’s leading aviation authorities giving close to 1,000 individual presentations at nearly 45 locations spread throughout the AirVenture grounds, finding out who is pre-

senting, where, and when can be, in a word, challenging. The EAA AirVenture Oshkosh website has an online tool that can make this task simple when you use the integrated AirVenture schedule.

Located at www.AirVenture.org under “Attractions” and then under “Activities, Presentations & Workshops,” the database includes all the venues, subjects and topics, presenters, and events from not only Forums and Workshops, but also Warbirds in Review, KidVenture, Museum Speakers Showcase, Authors Corner, Theater in the Woods, special “at the aircraft” presentations on Phillips 66 Plaza, and more.

If it’s scheduled, you’ll find it here.

In addition, the web schedule is updated on a daily basis to reflect any changes or additions that might occur at the last minute. You can even create your own itinerary of various events of interest. You can save or

print it out for future reference.

A quick link to this new schedule is www.AirVenture.org/schedule.

Grass Runways and Fuel Also on our VAA website, we publish a list created by VAA member Kris Kortokrax.

Kris flies a variety of old biplanes that are more pleasant to fly when they are flown from grass strips, and he and his buddies from Shelbyville, Illinois, do their best to keep the old biplanes happy (and keep tire wear to a minimum) by flying cross-country from grass strip to grass strip. Finding fuel facilities can be a challenge these days, and Kris has distilled this airport information to be useful for likeminded grass-runway-preferring pilots. This data is in the process of being updated; we recommend calling ahead to confirm fuel availability and hours of operation.

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Our thanks to Kris for sharing his list. Let us know if you find it useful!

VAA’s Portable Electronics Charging Station Do your rechargeable personal electronics such as your cell phone or computer go dead before AirVenture’s over? VAA has the solution to your problem!

Immediately west of the VAA Red Barn we will be providing the ability to revitalize those indispensable cell phones, computers, iPods, etc. Turn off your item and bring it and its 120 VAC charger to our charging station.

Leave it with the attendant—we’ll give you a claim check. Bring back the claim check in a few hours and receive your equipment all charged up and ready to go. VAA and its volunteers are providing this service to EAA members for whatever donation you feel is appropriate.

Breakfast and a Briefing The VAA Tall Pines Café will be in operation again this year with an expanded schedule prior to convention, and fly-in-style pancake and egg breakfasts during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Starting on Friday morning, July 20, and continuing through Sunday, July 22, the VAA Tall Pines Café will be open for breakfast (6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.) and dinner (4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.). Starting Monday, July 23, only breakfast will be served at the Tall Pines Café (6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.) through Saturday, July 28. Just to the north, a flight service station (FSS) trailer will be located near the café. At the trailer you’ll be able to check the weather for your flight and obtain a full briefing from FSS specialists without having to trek up to the FAA Building near the control tower.

We’ll see you there each morning for “breakfast and a briefing.”

Are You a Friend of the VAA Red Barn?

If so, be sure to check in at the information desk at the VAA Red Barn. There we’ll issue you a special

name badge. We can also point out the location for the Ford TriMotor rides. If you have any questions, feel free to ask for Theresa Books, the VAA administrative assistant. If you need to reach her in advance of your arrival, call her at EAA Headquarters, 920-426-6110.

Our thanks to each of you who have contributed to the VAA Friends of the Red Barn 2012 campaign.

We’ll have the list of contributors on a large poster at the Red Barn during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, as well as in the October edition of Vintage Airplane. We also update the total listing on the Internet in October.

sometimes nothing works better than a hand-scribbled note!

VAA Picnic and Cubs 2 Oshkosh Dinner

VAA Red Barn Store

Join us for the annual VAA picnic, which will be a joint event with the Cubs 2 Oshkosh dinner. It will be held Wednesday, July 25, at the EAA Nature Center. Tickets will be available for sale at the VAA Red Barn and in advance at the Hartford, Wisconsin, airport during the Cub celebration activities hosted by the Cub Club. Tickets must be purchased in advance so we know how much food to order. The delicious meal will be served from 5:30 p.m. until approximately 8 p.m; this year, to accommodate an increased demand, there will be two seatings for the meal. If you need transportation, trams will begin leaving the VAA Red Barn around 5 p.m. and will make return trips after the picnic. Type clubs may also hold their annual banquets during the picnic.

Call Jeannie Hill (815-245-4464), and she will reserve seating so your type club can sit together.

VAA Message Center If you would like to leave a message for people you know who frequent the VAA Red Barn, stop by the information desk. You can write them a message in our “notebook on a string,” and we’ll post their name on the marker board so they’ll know there’s a message waiting for them. Sure, cellular phones and walkie-talkies are great, but

Shawano Fly-Out The annual fly-out to Shawano is Saturday, July 28. The sign-up sheet will be at the desk at the VAA Red Barn, and the briefing will be at 7 a.m., the morning of the fly-out.

The community of Shawano, approximately an hour north of Oshkosh (as the Cub flies), puts forth a lot of effort to sponsor this event. Shawano’s residents do a great job of hosting us, and we hope you’ll help us thank Shawano by joining us on the flight.

The VAA Red Barn Store, chockfull of VAA logo merchandise and other great gear, will be open all week long, Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Early-bird arrivals can shop on the pre-convention weekend as well, during limited hours.

VAA Volunteer Opportunities Are you an ace pancake flipper?

If you’re not one yet, we can help!

The VAA Tall Pines Café is looking for volunteers who can help provide a hearty breakfast to all the hungry campers on the south end of Wittman Field. If you could lend a hand for a morning or two, we’d appreciate it.

If that’s not your cup of tea, feel free to check with the VAA Volunteer Center, located just to the northeast of the VAA Red Barn. The volunteers who operate the booth will be happy to tell you when your help is needed each day. It doesn’t matter if it’s just for a few hours or for a few days—we’d love to have your helping hands! There is no need for you to contact us ahead of time; you can talk with us when you arrive.

VAA To Operate EAA Aeromart VAA members now have another opportunity to support their organization while at the same time clearing the clutter from their hangars.

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Aeromart, the world’s largest aircraft parts swap, will now be administered and run by the volunteers of the Vintage Aircraft Association.

This great venue allows you to turn old parts into cash, with the added satisfaction that you have helped other EAA members complete their restorations or projects. Aeromart is located in a great spot right next to the northeast corner of Camp Scholler—making it easier for campers to transport their parts to the tent for consignment sale. Simply bring over the parts you wish to sell when you arrive and register. Just pay a $1 per sales tag fee to Aeromart, and we’ll sell the part for you. Twelve percent of the sale supports EAA and its Vintage Aircraft Association. Before you leave EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, stop by to pick up any unsold items, then a check for your sale (minus the 12 percent commission and 5 percent sales tax) will be mailed to you. It’s that easy! For more information about selling items, visit www.Aeromart.webs.com. If you are interested in volunteering at Aeromart, contact the Aeromart chairman by e-mail at aeromart.volunteers@gmail.com.

VAA Judging Categories and Awards The VAA’s internationally recognized judging categories are: • Antique: Aircraft built prior to September 1, 1945 • Classic: September 1, 1945 to December 31, 1955 • Contemporary: January 1, 1956 to December 31, 1970 Any aircraft built within those years is eligible to park in the Showplane parking and camping areas. If you wish to have your aircraft judged, let the volunteer know when you register your aircraft and camping area. If you want your aircraft to be judged by VAA volunteer judges, you need to be a current Vintage Aircraft Association member. VAA contributes a significant portion of the costs related to the EAA awards that are presented to the award

winners. Judging closes at noon on Friday, July 27. The Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday evening, July 30 at 6 p.m. in the Vintage Hangar just south of the VAA Red Barn.

Designated Smoking Areas Near Flightline Smoking on the flightline at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is prohibited because it’s a hazard to all aircraft.

There are several designated smoking areas with butt cans along the flightline, well away from aircraft and refueling operations.

Designated smoking areas will be south of the ultralight runway; near the Hangar Café; near the Warbirds area (northeast corner of Audrey Lane and Eide Avenue); the Wearhouse fl agpole area; the shade pavilion north of the control tower; and near the Ultralight Barn. Locations will be indicated on EAA’s free convention grounds map. The admission wristband also instructs visitors that smoking is allowed only in designated smoking areas.

More on the Web Visit www.AirVenture.org for more information on EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012.

EAA AirVenture Is Almost Here . . .

Are You Ready?

Just a few short weeks from now, many of you will make the annual pilgrimage to Oshkosh for EAA AirVenture 2012. Are you ready?

Here are several handy online tools on the AirVenture website that can help you take care of any last-minute concerns.

Visit www.AirVenture.org and find out what you need to know about The World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration.

Admission, Parking, Hours www.AirVenture.org/planning/ admission.html

Find or Share a Ride to Oshkosh www.AirVenture.org/rideshare

CLYDE SMITH JR.

2012 VAA Hall of Fame Inductee Longtime Piper restoration expert Clyde Smith Jr. has been selected as the 2012 VAA Hall of Fame inductee. The induction ceremony will take place the evening of Thursday, November 15, 2012. His expertise with regard to the restoration and maintenance of the fabric-covered series of Piper aircraft is second to none. Smith’s willingness to share his expertise is legendary; since the 1970s he’s hosted forums at the Sun ’n Fun fly-in and the EAA fly-in in Oshkosh, and for nearly two decades he’s conducted a series of how-to seminars around the country, teaching people what to look for when restoring a Piper and the skills necessary to recover an airplane. Clyde was one of the people instrumental in the creation of the yearly event that is now the Mecca for Cub enthusiasts, Sentimental Journey to Cub Haven flyin which takes place every June.

An outstanding restorer, Clyde and his restorations have won top awards at Sentimental Journey, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, and Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In & Expo, among others.

We’ll have more on Clyde Smith Jr. in a future issue of Vintage Airplane; in the meantime, join us in congratulating him as this year’s honoree of the VAA Hall of Fame.

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Site Map www.AirVenture.org/planning/ schedules_maps.html

Where to Stay www.AirVenture.org/planning/ where_to_stay.html

AirVenture NOTAM www.AirVenture.org/flying

Alternate Airports and Waypoints www.AirVenture.org/flying/ alternate_airports.html

Get Your EAA AirVenture 2012 NOTAM Booklet With only a few days to go until this year’s EAA AirVenture, if you’re flying here to Oshkosh, you can download copies of the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012 Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) directly from the Internet at www.AirVenture.org/flying.

The NOTAM contains the special flight procedures in effect for Wittman Regional Airport and alternate airports from 6 a.m. CDT on Friday, July 20, to 11:59 p.m. CDT on Monday, July 30, 2012. Please note a change extending the NOTAM effective time into Monday morning, and there are changes to some of the VFR arrival procedures from last year’s NOTAM. All pilots who fly into the event are expected to know the special flight procedures prior to arrival. EAA AirVenture Oshkosh runs from July 23 through July 29. For additional EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2012 information, including advance ticketing purchases, visit www.AirVenture.org.

Call for VAA Hall of Fame Nominations To the right is our information for nominations for VAA’s Hall of Fame, which is presented each year during a special dinner. This year’s dinner will be held Thursday, November 15.

We would like to take this opportunity to mention that if you have nominated someone for the VAA Hall of Fame; nominations for the honor are kept on file for three years, after which the nomination must be resubmitted.

Nominat ions

C A L L F OR V I N TA G E A I R C R A F T A S S O C I AT ION

Nominate your favorite vintage aviator for the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association H all of Fame. A great honor could be besto wed upon that man or woman wor king next to y ou on your airplane, sitting next to you in the chapter meeting, or walking next to y ou at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Think about the people in your circle of aviation friends: the mechanic, historian, photographer, or pilot who has shared innumerable tips with you and with many others. They could be the next VAA Hall of Fame inductee—but only if they are nominated.

The person you nominate can be a citiz en of any country and may be living or deceased; his or her involvement in vintage aviation must

have occurred between 1950 and the pr esent day. His or her contribution can be in the areas of flying, design, mechanical or aer odynamic developments, administration, writing, some other vital and relevant field, or any combination of fields that support aviation. The person you nominate must be or hav e been a member of the Vintage Aircraft Association or the Antique/Classic Division of EAA, and pr eference is given to those whose actions hav e contributed to the VAA in some way , perhaps as a volunteer, a restorer who shares his expertise with others, a writer, a photographer, or a pilot sharing stories, preserving aviation history, and encouraging new pilots and enthusiasts.

To nominate someone is easy. It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part.

•Think of a person; think of his or her contributions to vintage aviation.

•Write those contributions in the various categories of the nomination form.

•Write a simple letter highlighting these attributes and contributions. Make copies of newspaper or magazine articles that may substantiate your view.

•If at all possible, have another individual (or more) complete a form or write a letter about this person, confirming why the person is a good candidate for induction.

This year’s induction ceremony will be held near the end of October. We’ll have follow-up information once the date has been finalized.

We would like to take this opportunity to mention that if you have nominated someone for the VAA Hall of Fame; nominations for the honor are kept on file for 3 years, after which the nomination must be resubmitted.

Mail nominating materials to: VAA Hall of Fame, c/o Charles W. Harris, Transportation Leasing Corp.

PO Box 470350 Tulsa, OK 74147 E-mail: cwh@hvsu.com Remember, your “contemporary” may be a candidate; nominate someone today!

Find the nomination form at www.VintageAircraft.org, or call the VAA office for a copy (920-426-6110), or on your own sheet of paper, simply include the following information: • Date submitted.

• Name of person nominated.

• Address and phone number of nominee.

• E-mail address of nominee.

• Date of birth of nominee. If deceased, date of death.

• Name and relationship of nominee’s closest living relative.

• Address and phone of nominee’s closest living relative.

• VAA and EAA number, if known. (Nominee must have been or is a VAA member.)

• Time span (dates) of the nominee’s contributions to vintage aviation.

(Must be between 1950 to present day.)

• Area(s) of contributions to aviation.

• Describe the event(s) or nature of activities the nominee has undertaken in aviation to be worthy of induction into the VAA Hall of Fame.

• Describe achievements the nominee has made in other related fields in aviation.

• Has the nominee already been honored for his or her involvement in aviation and/or the contribution you are stating in this petition? If yes, please explain the nature of the honor and/or award the nominee has received.

• Any additional supporting information.

• Submitter’s address and phone number, plus e-mail address.

• Include any supporting material with your petition.

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Mike Araldi’s Antique

‘Flying Diary’ An alluring Waco AGC-8

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

M

ike Araldi is a thirdgeneration antiquer and pilot. He’s embraced old airplanes since he was a teenager, restoring or reviving nearly all of the ones he’s owned. Araldi started with a Luscombe 8A when he was 16, and then a 1929 Inland Sport two years later. By 19, he

was flying as a commercial pilot.

He honed a variety of aviationrelated skills throughout his years of corporate flying, interspersing half a dozen type ratings (including Lear Jet) and a private helicopter rating with numerous restoration projects, including an awardwinning Meyers 200D and a Lockheed 12—and most recently,

JIM KOEPNICK

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his 1931 Great Lakes Special 2T1E and 1938 Custom Cabin Waco AGC-8.

The Waco (NC 2312, serial number 5063) was selected as Reserve Grand Champion – Antique at Sun ’n Fun International Fly-In & Expo this spring, aptly reflecting the fact that Araldi’s love for antiques hasn’t waned from his early days. “My brother and father and I just loved old airplanes,” smiles Araldi, explaining “in high school, my brother had an Aeronca C-3, and I had an Inland Sport. When I was a senior in high school I bought Stampe biplanes out of France and Belgium, and brought them over here to rebuild. My dad and I learned a lot of wood working and fabric-covering skills together. It was my dream growing up to have my own airport and rebuild airplanes. I’ve been here at Greenswamp Aerodrome, just north of Lakeland, Florida, since 1979. We carved it out of the woods, and I’ve had several other airplanes, including a Waco YMF-5, a 1937 VKS-7, and a 1932 UEC.”

AGC-8 Araldi acquired the AGC-8 from Clark and Anna Pester, who owned the grand-old cabin biplane for about two decades—longer than anyone in its history. “They were delightful people,” recalls Araldi, “and the airplane was just sitting up in Hamilton, Ohio. It was in pretty rough shape; it had started making metal due to an engine bearing failure, so they pretty much parked it. I bought it in December 1997 with the idea that it was a project for my dad and I to work on together. We started on it, but then kind of stopped. I lost my father in 2003, and I really didn’t start working on the project full time until June 2010.”

The months flipped by on Araldi’s calendar, marked in terms of man-hours invested in the project—7,000 of them—until August 2011. That’s when he taxied the grand-old gal to the end of the airstrip and paused, treasuring that momentous feeling that hands-on restorers/pilots know intimately,

then pushed the throttle to the firewall. The custom cabin Waco thundered down the 3,000-foot grass strip, abandoning terra firma and climbing above the trees at the end of the aerodrome. Home again!

NC-2312 Only 17 AGC-8s were originally manufactured, and just four are listed on the registry today.

Aviation historian and author Joseph Juptner, describing the 1938 custom cabin Wacos in U.S. Civil Aircraft, writes that they “had that subtle tailored look that reflected mechanical simplicity but with that certain glow of elegance; most certainly a nice combination of fashion and function.”

Powered by a 330-hp Jacobs L-6 engine turning a Hamilton Standard 2B20-209 controllable speed propeller, NC-2312 was originally equipped with two 47-½ gallon fuel tanks. As stated on its “license authorization,” the airplane had an empty weight of

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dozen private owners began, culminating with Araldi.

Araldi shares that NC 2312 served as “an instrument trainer for both TW&A and Beard’s Flying Service,” and that he has recently “met people who flew it back in the 1940s. One gentleman, Lon Cooper, flew the airplane back in 1942 and took his checkride in it; he showed me his logbook entry.”

JIM KOEPNICK

Mike Araldi

JIM KOEPNICK

2,585 pounds and a gross weight of 3,800. Its maximum payload was 560 pounds with 45 gallons of fuel, or 260 pounds with the full 95 gallons. The biplane’s upper wing spans 34 feet, 9 inches, and its lower wing 24 feet, 6 inches. It stands tall at 8 feet, 7 inches, and measures 27 feet, 7 inches from nose to tail.

According to Waco’s “Airplane Equipment and History Record” (document courtesy Andy Heins of the National Waco Club), NC 2312 flew away from the factory in Troy, Ohio, all decked out with “Berry Gunmetal grey fuselage and wings, trimmed with an insignia blue funnel stripe edged in 3/8˝ Fokker red.” TWA was painted on the vertical stabilizer in red, with a neat black outline around the letters. This five-place custom cabin biplane’s extra equipment included three 1-½ minute flares, a Y-type control column, an electric heated pitot tube, an engine ring cowl, and a tailwheel lock.

Restoration

JIM KOEPNICK

According to the aircraft records, it was sold on September 20, 1938, to Transcontinental & Western Air Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri, a n d d e l i v e r e d t w o d a y s l a t e r.

Unfortunately, it endured perhaps a bit more than its share of mishaps during TW&A’s ownership, as evidenced by the replacement parts (wings, spar, fin, rudder, landing gear center brace struts, etc.) that Waco shipped to them. Despite that, a total of 773:09 flying hours were recorded by October 1, 1940.

TW&A sold NC-2312 to Vultee Aircraft Inc. in Nashville, Tennessee, in February 1941; two months later, it was sold to Franklin N. Knapp at Outlaw Airport in Clarksville, Tennessee. Knapp sold it to John Otis Beard (Beard’s Flying Service) of St. Petersberg, Florida, in November 1941. In mid-1943, Beard sold the biplane to Southern Airways Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia. Then in March 1945, the Waco went to Southern Air Services of Memphis, Tennessee.

A year later, its lengthy chain of a

This AGC-8 had been patched and repaired numerous times through the years, but it entered its first complete restoration under Araldi’s guiding and experienced hands. He turned to fellow members of the National Waco Club and the Antique Airplane Association for technical knowledge and resources, as well as a certain gentleman in Louisiana. “David Tyndall owns the sister ship (NC 2329, S/N 5062, a 1938 EGC-8) to mine, and he had done a lot of research and was an enormous help to me.”

The main challenge Araldi experienced with this Waco’s restoration was “the sheer size of it! It takes five people to turn a wing over; the upper wing panels probably weigh close to 300 pounds,” he chuckles, adding “and they had 1,500 man-hours in them. My neighbor, John McCloy, is a master woodworker and did all the work on the upper wings. The airplane has brand-new spars and ribs, the fuselage tubing has been replaced as needed, and attachment fittings have been repaired. I learned how to do all the sheet metal work, and I did a lot of the sheet metal, welding, and woodwork myself— though of course, it takes an army of people to finish a project like this.

There are so many family members, friends, and vendors that contribute in so many ways.”

Rib stitching was just one of the time-consuming aspects of the fabric installation. “It was like rib stitching a barge!” laughs Araldi, “I had my pilot-daughter Morgan help me some, but it was pretty much a one-man show.”

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PHOTOS COURTESY MIKE ARALDI

Poly-Fiber fabric is being installed over the r estor ed fuselage frame.

Installation of the new wing tank.

Rear view of the fuselage in Poly-Spray phase.

The AGC-8 was the first airplane that Araldi covered using the PolyFiber Aircraft Coatings system. “I was always the dope and fabric guy, and I’ve become a convert,” he laughs good-naturedly, adding “the only advice I can give is to follow the directions in the manual. Don’t try to change a thing—just absolutely follow it to the letter. If you don’t, it will end up being a mess.

We built a little paint booth here at the airport, that the Waco would barely fit in, and I used an HVLP system to spray the coatings, finishing with a top coat of Aerothane Polar Grey, with Santa Fe Red, and yellow pinstripe trim.”

Another restoration task entailed refurbishing and installing the old flare rack, which is hidden inside the fuselage. “The original decals and inspection stamps were still all over the rack,” explains Araldi, “so I preserved that history but decided

NC 2312 during r estoration.

Ron Baumgar tner helped thr oughout the r estoration.

not to install the cans through the fabric with their aluminum caps on the outside of the fuselage.”

Metal wheelpants were original to this Waco, and that facet of the project consumed about a month’s time. First, Araldi contacted D&D Classic in Ohio. “They made a reverse saddle and sent us the two halves, then we put them together and cut and fit them, along with all the fairings around the gear.

I’ve got a planishing hammer and an English wheel, and we formed some of the fairings ourselves,” he elaborates, adding, “We also made the cheek cowls under the pilot’s window, and the inspection access doors. The windshield frame is about 70 percent original, but we made the rest. And we also built new fuel tanks. And I went to school to learn how to form the more complicated compound curves for the cowling.”

Horsepower Radial Engines, LTD in Guthrie, Oklahoma, overhauled the Jacobs L-6, and an ADC oil filter system was installed at that time, as well as a Jasco alternator. “Steve and Caleb Curry are good people and suggested their fuel injection system for the engine. The L-6 is a good engine, but it’s one that can’t be abused. You really have to stay on top of it and keep the valves adjusted and mind your cylinder head temperatures. The advantage of the fuel injection is more horsepower, and being able to keep the cylinder head temperatures close together,” reflects Araldi, “so I’ll probably do that at some point. But so far, I’ve flown it for about 38 hours, and I’m very pleased with it.”

Interior Attention to the interior detail of the cabin is evident with just a

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sweeping glance—the burl walnut finish on the instrument panel, the handsome wool headliner, the carpet-lined baggage compartment, the Ford ashtrays in the door panels, and the luxurious leather and broadcloth upholstery (with memory-foam cushioned seats).

“I got the styling from an original brochure; there wasn’t much left of the original interior in the airplane when I got it,” he explains, laughing and adding, “Someone had used velvets and shag carpet for the interior back in the 1970s!

We had Mike Duncan of Duncan Interiors here in Lakeland do the carpets and upholstery.”

Araldi decided not to use the homemade instrument panel and modern instruments that came with the Waco when he bought it.

So he journeyed back to the hangar in Ohio, where he discovered the original instrument panel, with some of the original instruments still in it (which he had overhauled

by Instrument Pro in California).

He also discovered TW&A’s original fleet number plate with “231” stamped on it. Since he wanted to keep the original panel intact, he says he “built a box that fits vertically between the front seats for the transponder, encoder, and transceiver. I can pull four screws and easily stow it when I don’t need it.”

He wanted the panel itself to look like burl walnut, so he learned yet another new skill—how to successfully apply a faux paint finish that looks like wood. He went to a one-day class offered by Grain-It Technologies Inc. of Winter Haven and learned the proper techniques— then purchased the do-it-yourself kit. “It’s really neat,” he says enthusiastically. “You paint a base coat on it, and then you have different types of patterns that you pick up with a roller, and you just roll it on. I did a base coat of the tan walnut, and then I rolled the cutout design with black paint and went over the panel.

The instrument openings and window trim are also done that way—I learned a lot!”

Woodgraining on Metal

BY H.G. F RAUTSCHY For a number of years the late Bennie Estes of JIM KOEPNICK Florida offered his woodgraining on metal ser vices to air craft, boat, and automotive r estor ers. Bennie had purchased the actual printing plates and other tools fr om the original user—his former employer, the National Cash Register Company in Dayton, Ohio. Some members will remember that one of the most outstanding featur es of Densil Williams’ Aer onca Super Chief r estoration done some years ago was the per fect instr ument panel, which was done by Bennie using the exact plate patter n (Zebrawood) and paints/ woodgrain compounds to match. Now you can do it yourself, thanks to a company which has followed in his footsteps. Evan of Grain-It T echnologies points out on their website that ther e were many people involved in the pr ocess when it was being done in a factor y setting, and only minimal training was needed to get them up to snuf f so they could do the work in a fast-paced pr oduction environment. Now, you can buy a kit to do the pr ocess yourself. It looks like a gr eat skill to lear n and have fun with as you cr eate your own woodgrained metal piece. Y ou can r each them at: Grain-It Technologies Inc., 334 Commer ce Cour t, Winter Haven, FL 33880, 863-299-4494, www.Woodgraining.com

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JIM KOEPNICK

buy and sell them from all over the world—and they just weren’t in the antique airplane mode,” says Araldi, elaborating, “Then finally I found Al Kimball at the local FSDO, and he walked me through and got all my paperwork done for me. He was just phenomenal; he knew exactly what to do.”

Araldi readily shares that he did enjoy full-time help throughout the project from Ron Baumgartner— who also helped him on other projects. “In a 16-month period, we restored the Waco, recovered the 1930 Great Lakes, my daughter’s 1939 Taylorcraft, and I’m just about ready to fly a 100 percent brandnew (kit) Swick Clip T!” he explains breathlessly. But they did get a chance to catch their breath—just a bit—as they waited on the paperwork for the Waco.

Paper Obstacle The last restoration-related hurdle for Araldi was locating an FAA employee or representative who was familiar with antique airplanes in order to obtain approval and an airworthiness certificate. “It took about two months—I was so frustrated, because I tried to work with a couple of DARs and they didn’t really understand old airplanes. They were very polite and professional, but they were doing work on corporate jets coming back and forth from Europe—which I have done a lot of, because I used to

Airborne Araldi was thrilled to complete the AGC-8’s ground-up restoration and ecstatic to start flying it. He’s found that it burns about 19 gph and indicates 145 mph at about 65 percent power. When coming in for a landing, he brings it across the fence at 75 to 80 mph. “Flying the Waco Cabin is fabulous!” he says. “My UEC Waco flew very well, as did the VKF7, which was very heavy and didn’t perform as well as I thought it would, but the AGC-8 really surprised me— the ailerons and pitch are relatively light, the rudder is surprisingly very sensitive in the air, and so far it has no bad tendencies on pavement. I’ve three-pointed and wheel-landed it, and it doesn’t seem to know the difference one way or the other. It’s an ox; it’s a big old airplane, and I expected it to be a handful, but it’s actually an absolute delight to fly!”

The Waco seems to give its own unique voice to its pleasure to be flying again; Araldi has noticed something akin to a delicate “whistle” as it slows below 80 mph. “It’s funny—you don’t even have to look at the airspeed,” he

says, “you can trim it up, fly the airplane, put the flaps down, and as soon as it’s at about 78 mph indicated, you’ll hear a very distinct sound.”

Araldi’s ‘Flying Diary’ Now that the AGC-8 has found its home, it will likely stay there for years to come. Araldi simply plans to enjoy flying it (along with the rest of his fleet). In a way, he feels like NC 2312 was a grand finale, of sorts. Laughing, he explains, “I would never do another one—it was just so consuming. But…I loved it! I enjoyed every segment of it tremendously because it was an adventure. I never got in a hurry and very rarely got frustrated. It’s kind of cool, because when I walk around it now— like when I wipe it down or people are looking at it—I look at certain areas of the airplane, and it’s literally a living, flying diary. I mean, I can remember when I did the tail, when I built the boot for the tail wheel, when I did this or that. It’s just like reading a diary—and I can even remember the smells and the feeling of sanding my fingerprints off and rib stitching—just everything!”

There’s one other aspect of the restoration that Araldi particularly relished, and that was the very first flight. He reflects, “That’s an experience you cannot explain to somebody. When you spend years and money you have and money you don’t have and everything else… when you sit out there at the end of that runway and light that thing off, it’s the most amazing feeling. It’s just incredible!” Indeed, it is.

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The Origin Of The Cub ROGER PEPERELL COLLECTION

Happy 75th Anniversary to the Piper Cub!

B

ack in the mid-1920s, when aviation was still very much in its infancy, two brothers from Rochester, New York, were busy investing their talents in what would become a famous spot in the history of aviation. Born to a father who was a machinist, sons Gilbert and Gordon Taylor rebuilt and modified a surplus Curtiss JN-4 aircraft that Gilbert had purchased and learned to fly. Gilbert then taught brother Gordon to fly the aircraft, and the brothers started a barnstorming business.

In 1927, the brothers combined their resources and went into the aircraft manufacturing business with their first airplane, known as the A2 Chummy. This was a two-seat, sideby-side (chummy) conventional gear monoplane with an open cockpit and parasol wing configuration. The first model was completed in early 1928.

In April of 1928, a second refined model was built to participate in the Detroit aviation exhibition.

Sadly, disaster struck the family business during the show as this aircraft crashed and killed Gordon. Gilbert vowed to stay in aviation and continued to build some airplanes.

With some building experience and

BY

CLYDE SMITH JR

knowledge under his belt, he decided to design a production model similar to the A2. This new model would be called the B2 Chummy. With production in mind and the realization that the Rochester facility was insufficient for the plan, a move to a better location was decided.

In November 1928, just before winter set in, a move was made to the small northwestern Pennsylvania town of Bradford. In earlier times Bradford had been an oil-rich town, but some of the wells were drying up; a new business was welcomed with enthusiasm and open arms.

One of the investors was an oil businessman by the name of William Thomas Piper. He also joined the board of directors of the new company, the Taylor Brothers Aircraft Corporation. In 1929 Gilbert Taylor decided to enter an international safe airplane competition and reworked a Model B2 Chummy, calling it the C2 Chummy. By 1930 the company was in financial trouble. The stock market crash of 1929 had taken its toll on many manufacturing companies, and Taylor Brothers was no exception; the Chummy models were quite expensive for flight schools

and the general public. To keep remaining factory workers busy, Taylor designed a single-seat glider known as the D1 model.

William Piper had a vision and wasn’t known as a quitter. He had an understanding of the knowledge and experience of Gilbert Taylor, and along with his own business success, he talked Taylor into designing a simple, low-powered, two-seat training aircraft using some leftover parts and ideas from the glider and the Chummy models. This aircraft was finished in August of 1930 as the first Model E-2, registration NC10547 and serial number 11.

The aircraft was a high-wing monoplane with two-place tandem seating, and it had a conventional landing gear. When this aircraft was built, a famous mark in the history of aviation was made, but it would be a little while before anyone realized it. Un-

Lead Photo: The ver y fi rst Cub, after being re-engined with the Fr ench Salmson D9. While a jewel of an engine, it’s high cost and lack of spar e parts in the USA kept the T aylor Aircraft Company looking for a suitable powerplant for their lightplane.

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ROGER PEPERELL COLLECTION

fortunately, there were no available powerplants for the size and light weight of this aircraft, or at least none that were affordable and able to be mass produced. During the search, a company from Pottstown, Pennsylvania, known as the Light Manufacturing and Foundry Company, made it known that they would like to have a chance at trying a small, two-cylinder, 24-hp engine in the Taylor E-2 model.

An engine and sales engineer George Kirkendall were sent to Bradford, so the Taylor firm could install and subsequently fly the new aircraft model. On September 12, 1930, Kirkendall managed to barely get the aircraft airborne for a very short distance, but it did fly.

This engine was known as the Brownbach Tiger Kitten, and to this day it isn’t really known whether George Kirkendall or Taylor Aircraft employee Gilbert Hadrel made the association and suggested that if the engine was the Tiger Kitten, the airplane it was installed on should be called a Cub. Thus one of the most famous and recognizable names in the history of general aviation was born. A point of interest is the fact that the Light Manufacturing also made a six-cylinder radial engine of 90 hp known as the Brownbach C-400 Tiger. This of course was too much power and weight for the little E-2. Though George Kirkendall passed away many years ago, this writer can remember him at EAA Oshkosh, Sentimental Journey, and Sun ’n Fun, with his distinguished handlebar mustache and worn-out cap that said it very plainly: “Number One Cub Pilot.” He really was. To most people who saw and talked with him, he was just another old man; maybe somewhat of a dreamer, maybe just wanting some attention, but he was famous in a special way.

With the failure of the Tiger Kitten installation, the door was wide open for any small lightweight engine of around 40 hp. A French-made Salmson D-9, nine-cylinder radial engine of 40 hp, was obtained and installed in serial number 11. The aircraft made its first successful flight on September 23, 1930. The aircraft flew well and the power was quite sufficient.

The ver y fi rst J-3 still spor ted the r ounded, unbalanced tail of the J-2, but NX16792 is the ver y fi rst J-3.

One of the earliest E-2 Cubs on display during the fi rst years of the EAA Fly-in in Oshkosh was this unique T aylor E-2 Cub. Restor ed by Dick Hill, then a pilot for Nor th Central Airlines, it was completed in July of 1971.

The Cub is serial number 34, having been built by the factor y in Bradfor d, Pennsylvania June 1, 1933. The color is all silver .

But from a production standpoint the engine was too expensive, and it was built using metric dimensions and hardware, a rarity in the United States in 1930. Parts and service would also have been a problem. So the project was delayed and the search continued for another powerplant. Continental Motors of Detroit, Michigan, developed a “flat” four-cylinder opposed engine in November of 1930. The Taylor Company purchased one to try, and installed it on the very next aircraft, E-2 Cub serial number 12, registration NC10594, manufactured on March 31, 1931.

This would have been the first aircraft to utilize this powerplant, and despite growing pains and some quality control issues with early engines, this engine was chosen as the standard powerplant, and production of the E-2 Cub resumed with serial number 13. Of importance is the fact that E-2 serial number 12 still exists and now hangs from the ceiling of the terminal building at the Vero Beach,

Florida Municipal Airport. The aircraft was lovingly restored in 1988 by Gordon Fisher, a contractor from western New York State. Stewart Millar, owner of Piper Aircraft Corporation at that time, and Fisher made a deal, and a brand-new PA-18 Super Cub, built in Vero Beach, was traded for the E-2. The E-2 was flown by Millar one time and then was used for public relations work for several years at aviation trade shows. This famous aircraft thankfully escaped total destruction in a hurricane that hit the factory complex, but was saved and now is preserved at the airport terminal.

Continuing with the genealogy of the Cub, the next model manufactured by Taylor was the F-2. This model utilized an Aeromarine AR40, three-cylinder radial engine of 40 hp. Production began in January of 1934. Taylor also designed an engine of his own. This was an opposed, four-cylinder engine of 40 hp.

This would have been used in the G-2 Cub. Only one was built in February

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The Linco Flying Aces team featur ed such well-known pilots as Mike Murphy. In the years sur rounding World War II, people fl ocked to airshows, and Cubs wer e often used for novelty per formances such as taking of f and landing fr om a platfor m. of 1935. The next Cub would be the H-2. This model utilized a Szekely SR3-35 three-cylinder radial engine of 35 hp. This model was approved in May of 1935, and again, only one was built. All these models used virtually the same airframe as the original E-2, but the model differences were basically the engine installations. The last E-2 was built in February of 1936.

The E-2 was the first Cub model to be mass produced. A total of 348 were built during the years 1931 to 1936.

During the latter half of 1935, things were happening in the engi-

neering department. A young engineering graduate came aboard by the name of Walter Jamouneau. He was so interested in the business that he agreed to work for free for some time.

About the same time that Piper realized that product improvements were necessary to stay competitive in the business, Jamouneau had some interesting ideas to improve the E-2 model.

Piper had granted Jamouneau permission to exercise some of his ideas on an experimental J-2 during a period when Gilbert Taylor was at home ill. Upon Taylor’s return to

EAA ARCHIVES EAA ARCHIVES

This optimistic factor y photo depicts a far mer loading up his Cub with sacks of “Dair y Feed”. Still, it highlights the fact that the Cub has, for over 75 years, often ser ved as the handy way to use a Cub to per form work, or as a gr eat light airplane for quick jaunts into town fr om far-fl ung ranches and far m strips.

work, and finding out that his original design work had been modified, Taylor clashed with Piper. From the beginning, the business relationship between Taylor and Piper had never been the smoothest. In December of 1935, the situation came to the point where Piper bought Gilbert Taylor’s shares of the company, and Taylor packed up and left the company.

Soon after, however, he started another company in Butler, Pennsylvania, known as the Taylor Young Aircraft Co. He designed a two-seat, side-by-side, high-wing airplane for the lightplane market. Back at Bradford, the new model that had created all the ill feelings and instigated the breakup was now free for new chief design engineer Walter Jamouneau to do with as he and Piper desired. This new model was still known as a Cub, but the model designation was the J-2. The changes amounted to such items as a wider-stance landing gear with redesigned shock struts and a new wing design with rounded tips, still using the non-Friese type ailerons. The new shape of the horizontal tail surfaces was a change, along with the revisions to the rudder and vertical stabilizer. The upper cabin “birdcage” superstructure was faired in to the aft fuselage turtledeck superstructure, creating a closed cabin configuration. Changes were also implemented on the engine cowling, windshield, cabin interior, and engine installation. The first production J-2 was built in mid-December of 1935, and thus the second model of the famous Cub family went into mass production.

Things were going quite well in early 1937, with the exception that the good-to-have problem of room for expansion was becoming an issue.

The demand for airplanes was outgrowing the available room that was needed for production.

Unfortunately, during the night shift hours of March 16, 1937, a fire started in the paint shop, and the factory was totally destroyed. Only 15 airplanes were saved. Very limited production was continued a couple days later, but it was realized that

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what was left of the facility in Bradford could never be sufficient enough for the planned large-scale production. So a search for a new location and better facility was begun. After consideration of some locations, in June an abandoned silk mill factory in the small central Pennsylvania town of Lock Haven was chosen. This new facility of 100,000 square feet was next to a railroad yard, and it was virtually already on an airport. The move was made, and the J-2 went back into full mass production in July of 1937, still under the Taylor Aircraft Corporation name. After the major move and with Gilbert Taylor gone, a decision was made to change the name of the company to the Piper Aircraft Corporation. This name change became effective November 1, 1937. No airplanes were built that day, but one was built on November 2. The aircraft was J-2 serial number 1937, with a registration number of NC20137.

This aircraft is attributed as being the first Piper Cub, and it is now on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the National Air and Space Museum. The last J-2 was built in May of 1938, after 1,158 were produced under the two different company names.

As with any company that produces products, changes for improvement are always underway. This was also true at the Piper Company. As early as late 1936 some ideas for improvements were tried on some J-2 aircraft. The next newer, improved model to enter the Cub family would be known as the J-3 Cub. The prototype of this new model was built October 8, 1937, with serial number 1999, registered NC16792. Production began in early December with serial number 2000, registered NC20000. The J-3 had its share of improvements over the previous models with increased gross weights, addition of balanced rudder, tail wheel and brakes, further cabin improvements, change of ailerons to the Friese type, and many choices of engine

JIM KOEPNICK PHOTOS

Cubs wer e so well known and popular in the years before the war that they wer e used as grand prizes in promotions by major corporations. This par ticular J-3C65, NC 37946, serial no. 6741, was built in 1941 and was given away to a lucky winner who was a listener of the “Wings of Destiny� radio pr ogram, sponsor ed by Brown and Williamson, a tobacco pr oducer. The contest awarded a Cub to someone ever y week for an entir e year. This beautiful example was r estor ed by Craig Bair of Grenville, South Dakota. For mor e on Craig’s r estoration, we’r e posted a copy of the ar ticle we published about it’s r estoration in the Januar y, 2005 issue of Vintage Airplane at www.vintageaircraft.org/featured/

The J-3 Cub has pr oven to be a versatile airplane, equally at home on wheels, skis or , quite often, on pontoons. It’s wing str ut location, coupled with the fold-down door, allows the pilot to pr op the engine for star ting while standing on the right  oat, right behind the prop. Jack Br own’s Seaplane Base in Winter Haven, Florida continues to use their Cubs, including this one  own by Jon Br own, cur rent proprietor of the base and son of founder , Jack Br own. manufacture and horsepower range.

The engine manufacturers were Continental Motors (J3-C), Franklin Division of Aircooled Motors (J3-F), Lycoming Division of AVCO (J3-L), and the Lenape (lena-pee) Papoose (J3-P, formerly Aeromarine). Horsepower ratings ranged from 40 to 65. By the time the J-3 went into production, general aviation was established, and Mr. Piper’s reputation was very strong, with his savvy sales and marketing techniques. The J-3 Cub was actually in production for 10 years after 14,125 were built. These

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were built at two manufacturing facilities: the main plant in Lock Haven and an assembly plant in Ponca City, Oklahoma, which was a former WWII training facility for British pilots. The last J-3 was built at the Lock Haven plant in November of 1946, and the last one built in Oklahoma was in March of 1947.

There were several notable variations of the J-3, each designed to fit customer needs. The J-3 was approved for skis and floats to satisfy the civilian market, and it saw some use in the military. It was adapted for the military field in many ways. The first of these would be the 0-59 model, first to be ordered in November of 1941. Next would be the L-4A, with a “greenhouse enclosure,” first ordered in February of 1942, followed by the L-4B, L-4H, and L-4J. All were utilized by the U.S. Army Air Forces. The U.S. Navy got into the act with the Model NE-1, and NE-2 which was a modified L-4J. The U.S. Army also expressed interest in a glider version of the Cub, and so Piper redesigned the Cub and made a three-place, tandem-seated training glider known as the TG-8 of which 253 were built in 1942 and 1943. All in all, there were over 22,000 total of the several variations of the J-3 built.

Truly the J-3 Cub is probably the most popular, most recognized, and most famous of any of the small airplanes ever built in the United States.

It is also the most supported aircraft of any of the obsolete antique and classic fleet. Much of this is attributed to the efforts of current parts manufacturing companies like Univair Aircraft Corporation and Wag Aero, along with some smaller companies.

Modern-day aircraft manufacturing companies like Cub Crafters Inc., Dakota Cub Aircraft Corporation, and American Legend Aircraft Corporation wouldn’t even be known if it weren’t for the Cub, truly a piece of American history.

Though 2012 is the birthday of the J-3 model, it was followed by two quite significant models and their military derivatives. In March 1947 a new revised version of the J-3 went into production in Lock Haven and

at the Ponca City plant. This new version of the Cub was known as the PA11 Cub Special. The model was the answer to all the additional competition Piper had after the war, when general aviation hit an all-time high in popularity. The J-3 had been in production for 10 years by that time, and the design was kind of “wearing on.”

So the Piper marketing and engineering team joined went together and worked over the old J-3. A new closed engine cowling was utilized, and new low-drag lift strut sections were used, along with new streamlined metal shock cord fairings. The fuel tank was moved from the forward cabin area to the left wing, and its capacity was enlarged from 12 to 18 gallons. The interior of the cabin was changed by adding a new instrument panel, installing metal side wall panels instead of doped fabric, changing both the pilot and passenger seat design, and now that the fuel was moved to the wing, the pilot would fly solo from the front seat. The paint scheme was changed to a blue and yellow design for the 1947 and ’48 models, and yellow and brown for 1949. A new Continental C90 engine was available from mid-1948 until the end of production in November of 1949. A total of 1,541 civilian PA-11s were built.

The military version of the PA-11 was known as the L-18B, of which 105 were built for the U.S. Army.

In late 1948 the U.S. Army approached Piper to design a liaison/ training aircraft, similar to the PA11 but with some modifications the Army wanted. Piper answered with the design of the model known as the PA-19 of which three were built as prototypes. The basic difference was the fact that the upper cabin structure was made rectangular, and the front tubing at the windshield opened upward into a “V.” The front spars were shortened and the previous spar tunnel was eliminated, with the result that forward visibility was greatly improved. A swing-out type engine mount was also implemented, and a “greenhouse” enclosure was also part of the design.

The military was very pleased

with the new model and began placing contract orders. The production models of this military airplane were known as the L-18C with a Continental C90, the L-21A with a Lycoming 0-290-D, and the L-21B with a Lycoming 0-290-D2 engine.

Piper soon realized that if the military was so interested in this new model that the company would try putting a civilian version on the market. Since the number 18 had just come available with the cancellation of a previous program, this new model would become the PA-18, and it would be called the Super Cub. What a very smart decision. With a Continental C90 engine inside the cowl, the PA-18 went into production in November of 1949. Shortly after, the Lycoming 0-235-C1 engine was added, creating the PA-18-105.

In 1951 the PA-18-125 was developed with a Lycoming 0-290-D, and in 1952 the PA-18-135, with a Lycoming 0-290-D2, came out. It wasn’t until the 1955 model year that the PA-18-150 was available with a Lycoming 0-320 engine. Piper also made a slightly modified agricultural version of the Super Cub with a model designation of PA-18A. As with all the Cub family, these aircraft were approved with skis and floats. The PA-18 went out of production in Lock Haven, when the last one was built in November of 1982 after 10,213 units were built during a remarkable 33 years of production.

The PA-18 went back into production at the Vero Beach, Florida, plant in 1988, after businessman Stewart Millar bought Piper and put the PA-18 back into production. A total of 113 aircraft were built there from 1988 to 1994. It’s interesting to note that in 2009 the PA-18 Super Cub celebrated its 60th anniversary.

Happy 75th Anniversary to the PIPER CUB! Clyde Smith Jr., known to Cub aficionados as the “Cub Doctor,” couldn’t help but come by his knowledge naturally; his father, Clyde Smith Sr., was one of Piper’s original employees and was equally admired for his knowledge of the Cub and willingness to share his expertise.

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Light Plane Heritage published in EAA Experimenter FEBRUARY 1994

THE RADIAL ENGINE STORY BY

BOB WHITTIER EAA 1235

In aviation museums and at flyins, air enthusiasts often see examples of the “radial” type of engine. These powerplants range in size from small ones developing under 100 hp to up to 3,000 hp for giants on warbirds.

Because manufacture of this type of powerplant tapered off significantly after World War II, modern aviation literature seldom says much about them. Yet, because an increasing number of younger persons see and hear them at air shows without understanding what they represent, it’s proper to devote an article to them.

They’re very much a part of aviation’s great heritage.

They’re called radials because their cylinders radiate out from central crankcases much like the spokes of a wheel radiate out from a hub. As far back as 1902 Charles M. Manly was working on a radial engine to power the Aerodrome flying machine built in 1903 by Professor Samuel P. Langley. Manly’s design was based on an earlier radial by Stephen M. Balzer and is often referred to as the Manly Balzer. It was a light, five-cylinder, water-cooled design which developed a creditable 52 hp at 950 rpm.

When the Aerodrome was launched from atop a houseboat on December 8, 1903, its wings promptly collapsed

and everything fell into the water.

When the Wrights flew at Kitty Hawk just nine days later, Langley’s dream of being the first to fly a powered aircraft ended. To show that the Aerodrome could have flown if the wings had not collapsed, in 1913 Glenn H. Curtiss rebuilt it—with some modifications—and successfully flew it.

Other radial engines were built before World War I, but seldom amounted to anything significant. However, it must be pointed out that in France, from 1908 onward Alessandro Anzani, Robert Esnault-Pelterie, and some others did manufacture what were called “fan” engines, for the reason that their

Left, Sperry Messenger was one of the small courier-observation planes to be powered with 60hp Lawrence radials in the early 1920s.

Right, 1916 Lawrence Model B featured “hairpin” valve springs.

Lower left, the Albert was one of many European lightplanes powered by the tiny Salmson AD-9 radial.

Right, despite having nine cylinders, the AD-9 was only 26 inches in diameter. Bore was only 2.8 inches. Produced 40 to 45 hp and appeared in the mid-1920s.

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

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Left, Manly radial engine powered Langley’s 1903 Aerodrome plane. Center, Water-cooling system of a Salmson engine. Right, Detroit-built 50-hp Albatross dates from 1910. Note wide fin spacing on cast semisteel cylinders.

cylinders fanned, or radiated, out from their crankcases. These differed from true radials in that all of their cylinders were positioned above a horizontal line. The reason for this is at the early stage of engine—and thus of piston ring—development, those designers feared that an excessive amount of crankcase oil would get into the firing chambers of cylinders located below the horizontal line.

These “fan” engines had from three to seven cylinders, and their firing orders were thus irregular. Their exhaust sounds were staccato, and their vibration was hard on lightly built airframes. They soon fell by the wayside.

At some point designers realized that, in well-made engines, oil would not get into the firing chambers of lower cylinders while the engines were running. One of the accompanying illustrations show a succeeding threecylinder Anzani of the true radial type, with cylinders positioned 120 degrees apart and thus giving equal

spacing between power strokes.

Cylinders arranged in rows call for long and therefore heavy crankshafts and crankcases. Manly, Anzani, and others recognized the weight-saving possibilities in radiating cylinders around a shorter and therefore lighter crankshaft and crankcase. Furthermore, such a layout would expose all of the cylinders equally to the vital flow of cooling air.

Because aluminum casting techniques of 80 years ago were primitive, it was hard for pioneer aero engine builders to make finned, air-cooled cylinder heads of this light metal.

That is why the rotary type of engine such as the Gnome and LeRhone came into being and were much used during World War I. The whirling of such engines’ crankcases and cylinders about fixed crankshafts put the hot, machined-steel cylinder heads into the region of maximum airflow.

By 1917 and 1918 engine designers had become quite aware of the

many shortcomings of rotary engines and started to experiment in earnest with fixed radials. These looked much like rotaries in that their cylinders radiated out from their crankcases.

But they differed markedly from rotaries in that their crankcases were attached firmly to the noses of fuselages and thus didn’t revolve. Instead, their crankshafts revolved within the crankcases, and the cylinders didn’t whirl like pinwheels.

This arrangement offered many advantages. Cleaner, lighter recirculating oil systems could be used. The messiness and fumes characteristic of castor oil lubrication in rotaries were eliminated. It was possible to install exhaust stacks or manifolds on fixed cylinders to make radial engines safer and more agreeable to fly. Real carburetors could be attached to crankcases so as to feed directly into intake ducting cast into crankcases. This afforded much more positive and tractable throttle control and made possible

Left, Anzani and others made “fan” type radials in early days. Center, seeking more power, 5- and even 7-cylinder fan engines were made. R.E.P. engine shown. But smoother running afforded by equal intervals between cylinder firings soon led to adoption of real radial configuration as in Anzani at right.

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Left, radial engine cams had varying number of lobes and turned at different speeds, depending on each engine’s design. Center, early magnetos had fixed magnets and rotating coils; adoption of fixed-coil, rotating-magnet design improved reliability. Right, text explains reason for use of “compensated timing” breaker pint cam shown here.

shorter, more direct and efficient and induction systems. While crankshafts and propellers still produced some gyroscopic effect, it was less than in the rotaries and led to better and safer aircraft control.

Radial engine cylinders and heads of that time were based on design and construction methods used in rotaries and had little or no cylinder head finning. So they were plagued by overheating problems. Rotary engine cylinders benefited from the combination of 1,200 rpm rotary motion plus aircraft forward speed, but radials had only the latter to supply cooling air.

Several radial makers, notably Salmson in France, used water cooling. The 260-hp model used on Salmson-built, World War I observation planes gave good service and helped call designers’ attention to the advantages of the radial layout.

In the case of in-line and vee-type engines, it’s simple enough to pump water from the radiator into the lower portions of cylinder water jackets, from

where it rises to the upper portions and then back to the radiator. If steam pockets form, they do so at the top and can easily vent back to the radiator.

But as can be seen in an accompanying drawing of a Salmson cooling system, plumbing a water-cooled radial is not simple. Cool water entering the lower cylinders gets progressively hotter as it rises to the upper ones.

Some piping systems contrived to overcome this problem were weirdly intricate. There is much flow restriction and potential for leakage. One small leak can soon put a liquid-cooling system out of commission, but aircooled engines never run out of air.

A vast amount of experimenting was done. One English designer tried plating the fins of steel air-cooled cylinders with copper, hoping that the conductivity of this metal would help pull heat out of the steel. But this didn’t work quite as hoped, because the heat still had to travel through the steel to get to the copper.

A major problem was how to take advantage of the light weight and

favorable heat conductivity of aluminum to make better air-cooled cylinder heads. This soft metal would obviously never make acceptable valve seats. Bristol “Jupiter” radials of the early 1920s had machined steel cylinders with integral but unfinned heads.

The overhead valves thus seated on durable steel. Finned cast-aluminum caps called “poultice heads” were then fitted over the steel cylinder heads to pull out the heat. This involved problems with achieving and maintaining the close fit necessary for effective heat transfer.

Much effort went into solving problems of various metals’ different expansion rates. A new alloy was developed to make lighter, more heatconductive aluminum pistons work in steel cylinders. Everyone who has worked on aircraft engines has seen the name “Lynite” cast into aluminum parts. This alloy was developed during the war to make possible the manufacture of adequately strong pistons by the more versatile and reliable permanent-mold process instead of

Radial engine connecting rods were attached to crankshafts in various ways. Left, some small engines employed curved pads on connecting rods that mated with main bearing. Clamp rings held things together.

Center, split master rod big ends allowed use of one-piece crankshafts. Right, big engines used singlepiece master rods slipped onto two-piece crankshafts. Lower right, counterweights were sometimes attached with undersize bolts to allow them to yield with power impulses and reduce crankshaft flexing.

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the old sand-casting one. The more rapid cooling of molten aluminum in permanent molds produced stronger and more uniform castings by developing a finer grain structure and more uniform dispersion of the copper used in the alloy.

The idea emerged that a compatible and suitably hard kind of bronze could make acceptable valve seats for aluminum heads. Various methods of installing such seats were experimented with, including threading and pinning the seats into place, machining the seats and cylinder recesses with slight “Keystone” taper to lock the seats in place, peening the seats into place, and chilling them in liquid nitrogen to shrink them for tight press fits. The final method of casting them in place called for much study and experimentation on the part of designers, draftsmen, metallurgists and foundry men.

It was common to design, make, and test several cylinder designs before getting one that cooled adequately and held up satisfactorily in service.

Many designers hesitated to try steel cylinders and aluminum heads, fearing that joints between two such dissimilar parts would bring on much trouble.

Textbooks rarely mention a major difference between in-line and radial engines. The big ends of the several connecting rods of in-line or vee-type engines run on their individual and adequately sized crankshaft journals, and so the power load is well spread out. But all the cylinders of a radial en-

gine feed their power strokes into the single main bearing installed in the big end of the master connecting rod.

Much work thus had to go into developing these comparatively small but heavily loaded bearings. The problem was complicated by the small amount of space available. Another point seldom noted in textbooks is that the problem was somewhat alleviated by lubricating oil pumped through hollow crankshafts. As it went into the crank journal it helped to cool the metal in that vital area, thus also helping the master rod bearing that ran on that journal.

Early aero engines generally used poured-in-place bearings of Babbitt metal. This is an alloy of tin, antimony, and copper named after its inventor, Isaac Babbitt, a 19th century machine manufacturer of Massachusetts. It was made in various alloying proportions to suit different needs.

Pouring and then reaming Babbitt bearings was slow work requiring accurate tools and skilled labor.

And it could not stand everincreasing radial engine master rod bearing pressures. For the master rod bearing of the 400-hp Wasp developed in the mid-1920s, Pratt & Whitney worked with bearing specialists to develop a steel-backed, lead-bronze one. A sophisticated bearing for the later Twin Wasp was made up of thin layers of different metals to achieve strength and durability. The final layer, which ran against the crank-

shaft journal, was of very thin lead. It worked well in the field but failed too often in engines being run on factory test beds. At first engineers thought it was caused by erosion of the lead.

Months of work finally led to the realization that it was caused by corrosion between dissimilar metals. It was realized that test bed conditions made lubricating oil become more acidic than it did in field service, and this caused corrosion between dissimilar metals.

Adding a minute amount of indium to the lead “fortified” it and solved the problem.

There were also crankshaft failures in the 1920s. Although radials seemed to pilots to be smooth running, something they could not see was happening.

Each piston’s power stroke sent an impulse into the crankshaft. These were instantly resisted by the inertia of the heavy counterbalance weights firmly bolted to the shafts, and the resulting torsional stresses in time caused crankshafts to snap. The idea was hit upon to attach the weights to the shafts with large but undersized bolts that would allow the weights to swing slightly against centrifugal force with each power impulse enough to soften these blows.

A cylinder of 3-inch bore by 3-inch stroke has a volume of 21.21 cubic inches while one of double the size, or 6 inches by 6 inches, has a volume of 169.68 cubic inches, which is eight times greater. Therefore the burning

Placing valves at an angle allows for larger diameter valves which aid the admission and discharge of gases quickly.

Left, early radials had little or no head finning and were plagued by cooling problems. Layout limited size of valve heads. Passageways had sharp bends.

Center, in addition to advantages explained under this drawing, cold air entering inlet valves impinged on and helped cool exhaust valve heads. Right, slanting the valves also permitted more finning in heads and use of longer stems and guides. Hollow valve stems contained sodium to aid cooling. “Tulip” shape of valve head was more streamlined. Note “volute” type spring.

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of a fuel charge in this larger one releases much more heat which has to be dissipated by the air-cooling fins.

The quest for more power from radial engines thus resulted in much effort to devise ways of casting ever more closely spaced and deeper cooling fins in aluminum cylinder heads.

For strength, Pratt & Whitney took to using forged cylinder heads. These came out of the forging process in the form of large shapes devoid of fins.

A specially designed gang saw then milled many closely spaced and deep fins into the forgings. The largest radials built in the 1950s had 150 times more fin area than did air-cooled engines of 1910.

However, a point can be reached where fins are so close together that they begin to radiate heat from one to another, and it becomes difficult to make air flow through the narrow and very deep spaces between them.

Not even the most elaborate baffling can help then. The laws of thermodynamics are inflexible, and it works out that because of cooling limitations, few aero engines have cylinder bores much over 6 inches. It’s true that big marine and stationary engines have larger cylinders, but they run at appreciably lower speeds than do aircraft engines.

That is why the quest for more power led designers to develop tworow and finally four-row radials. If you can’t make your cylinders bigger, then use more of them. The four-row, 3,000-hp radials had 28 cylinders.

When one looks at a cutaway specimen of one of these engines in a museum, one has to marvel at how large teams of engineers, draftsmen, toolmakers, and production workers ever managed to get so many parts to fit together in such a small space.

Many early aero engines had intake valves that opened automatically under the influence of atmospheric pressure working against quite light springs. This arrangement allowed power to drop off substantially with increasing altitude, so mechanically operated intake and exhaust valves became the accepted practice. Up until the late 1920s most engines’

valve mechanisms were out in the open. It took time to learn how to cast rocker arm shaft supports integral with cylinder heads. Bolt-on rocker arm supports were easier to cast separately—and often helped pull heat out of cylinder heads.

Rapid and prolonged pushrod and rocker arm forces often caused bolt-on supports to come loose while in flight.

However, the openness of the mechanism facilitated preflight inspection and frequent tappet adjustment work.

Air flowing rapidly past exposed valve stems and springs helped usefully to keep these parts from running too hot.

Most aero engines used and still use overhead valves, but a few had what are variously called side-valves, L-heads and flat-heads. Usually supplied with overhead valves, the 1930-period, Michigan-made Szekely three-cylinder radials could be fitted with L-head cylinders to reduce the cost and complexity of overhead valve setups. Because overhead valve tappets and pushrods were positioned behind the cylinders, the L-head cylinders had to have their valves located on the back sides of the cylinders where cooling airflow was poorer.

Also dating from the 1930 period, the seven-cylinder, 150-hp Californiabuilt McClatchie Panther used the L-head design but had the valves on the front sides of the cylinders for best cooling. Mechanical simplicity and reduced frontal area were advantages.

This engine is described in the September 1984 issue of the Vintage Airplane.

Some overhead-valve radials had pushrods located ahead of the cylinders, and some had them behind.

The smaller, simpler 220-hp Continentals have them behind, for example, while the similar Lycomings have them on front.

The reasons involve whether crankcase design favored location of valveoperating cams ahead of or behind the crankshaft. Larger radials having blowers, gear-driven superchargers, and many accessory drive pads on the rear sides of their crankcases thus had valve cams and pushrods on their forward sides. An advantage of pushrods to the rear was that the front sides of

cylinder heads and rocker arm housings could then be designed to coax maximum cooling advantage from the airflow.

Most radials had large, circular valve-operating cams which had a varying number of lobes and revolved at varying speeds, depending on their designs. The three-cylinder Szekely and five-cylinder Kinner engines had individual cams for each cylinder, much resembling the camshafts seen in today’s four-cycle lawnmower engines. How a particular engine was designed sometimes depended on the manufacturing facilities available to its maker.

Early aero engines often had “hairpin” type valve springs. These looked and worked much like the springs on common mousetraps. This design positioned the coils well away from cylinder head heat and lent itself to short and therefore compact and light valve stems. Then neater-looking “volute” springs became popular. They were made by winding flat strips of spring steel into cone-shaped spirals.

A straight coil spring made of round wire will compress just so far before closing up and therefore must be made long enough to avoid this from happening. Because of the “stepped” positioning of its spirals, a volute spring can be made short and compact and still not close up.

As wire metallurgy improved, the type of coil spring now standard came into general use. Partly for the sake of keeping an engine going fairly well should one valve spring break, it’s common to use two springs, one positioned inside the other. It’s also common to find that they are wound in opposite directions. This is to relieve the tendency of coil springs to apply side-pressure to valve stems. Other times it is to cope with spring “surging” problems. To handle the weight of the large valves in big, fast-running engines, three springs are often used.

Most early radials had the stems of their inlet and outlet valves parallel to one another, possibly a hangover from rotary practice. The resulting smallish combustion chambers thus limited the size of valve heads. Because

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A) Szekely radials came in both overhead-valve and flat-head models.

Latter shown here. B) A few radials such as this 12-hp Salmson of 1923 had downward-pointing master cylinders. C) 4-1/8-inch bore combined with short 3.75-inch stroke made 60- to 70-hp LeBlond compact; 33inch diameter. D) Long-stroke (4.25-inch bore x 5.25-inch stroke) 100-hp Kinner K-5 was 44 inches in diameter. E) König radial now manufactured in Germany is a 26-hp two-cycle radial intended for ultralights. Text explains advantages of radial configuration. F) Short, stiff, two-throw crankshaft of new German Zoche withstands diesel stresses.

of the way cylinders radiate out from the crankcase, there is plenty of space between their heads. This encouraged designers to slant the valve stems. The resulting dome-shaped combustion chambers had more wall space and allowed valve heads to be made usefully larger. The slanting also allowed valve stems and guides to be made longer and more durable without increasing overall engine diameter.

Much work went into the problem of keeping exhaust valve head temperatures within acceptable limits.

Stems were made hollow and partly filled with sodium, sometimes called “salt” by mechanics. Operating heat made it melt; valve action then made it slosh back and forth and carry heat from heads to stems and thus out through the valve guides. As radial engine design progressed, rocker arm lubrication by oil can and grease gun gave way to piping lubricating oil from one rocker arm housing to the next. This provided steady lubrication and helped carry away heat. As radials grew in size and power, adequate and reliable oil cooling radiators became of increasing importance.

Radial engines have an odd number of cylinders to make it possible to have a uniform, smooth-running firing order. A five-cylinder one will fire 1-35-2-4, and a seven-cylinder one 1-35-7-2-4-6. In addition to carrying the main bearing, the master connecting rod serves to control the movement of

the smaller, or articulated, ones.

Usual practice was to locate the master rod in the top or vertical cylinder and then arrange a sump for collecting oil in the space between the two lower-most cylinders for return to the recirculating pump. But if it’s variety you like, you’ll find it in the world of radial engines.

The 12-hp, three-cylinder French Salmson radial of 1923 had its vertical cylinder at the bottom, giving it a “Y” shape. We can only guess why.

This layout might have positioned the upper cylinders’ heads far enough outboard so that exhaust fumes and droplets of grease from the valve mechanisms would not fly back into the cockpit area.

The five- and seven-cylinder British Armstong-Siddeley “Mongoose” and “Genet Major” engines in the 100- to 150-hp range made in the late 1920s also had this master-cylinder-at-thebottom layout. A reasonable guess is that the designers thought some of these engines might power light, economical military trainers. They, therefore, put the master cylinders at the bottom so they would not be directly ahead of machine gun sights.

Presumably the skirts of the bottom-mounted master cylinders of these engines projected up inside the crankcases to form sumps for collecting used oil. A shortcoming of having the master cylinder and the master connecting rod running in it at

the bottom was that these vital parts could suffer serious damage in even a mild nosing-over landing mishap.

During periods of idleness, oil could seep into the combustion chambers of any radial’s lower cylinders. So it was standard practice for pilots or mechanics to rotate propellers by hand a number of times to blow excess oil out before starting up. If this was not done, when the first one of the lower cylinders fired, the resulting extremely high compression could blow that cylinder right off the engine.

The big end of any radial’s master rod, attached to the crankshaft journal, rotates in a perfect circle. But the inner ends of the several articulated rods attached to it rotate in slightly different paths because of the geometry involved. For this reason and to make all of a large radial’s cylinders fire at the same moment in regard to piston travel, it was common to fit magnetos with carefully designed breaker point cams having slight differences in the positioning of the several lobes. This was called “compensated timing.”

Some radials were timed so as to have a few to several degrees of difference between the time of breaker point openings in the dual magnetos.

This was done to control the flame front spread from each of the two sparkplugs. Flame fronts thus met at some point usefully away from the hot exhaust valve heads.

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Early magnetos were of the rotating coil type. The coil was built onto the drive shaft which connected a magneto to the engine. While the magnet surrounding the coils remained stationary, the coils themselves revolved rapidly. This subjected them to both centrifugal force loads and shock loads coming through the drive train; it did not help coil durability. During the 1920s magneto designers switched to the rotating magnet design, in which coils remained stationary and thus stood up better. This step added significantly to the reliability of all types of aero engines, including radials.

It was common for radial engine manufacturers to offer engines in different power ranges, all based on standard cylinders. In the 1920s, Salmson in France offered small lightplane engines with the buyer’s choice of three, five, seven, or nine cylinders. In the United States, the Wright J-6 engines, which replaced the J-5 type, offered the choice of five, seven, or nine cylinders.

As the number of cylinders increased, there appeared the problem of ensuring uniform mixture delivery to all of them. Thus, the Wright J-1 of the early 1920s had three carburetors.

Each fed into a manifold cast into the crankcase, which served three of the nine cylinders.

The later Wright J-5 had a single large carburetor which had three throats built into it. Some engines such as the Lycoming had a superchargerstyle impeller mounted in the intake system and running at crankshaft speed. While these offered no significant supercharging effect, by imparting a centrifugal action to incoming mixture they ensured equal distribution to all cylinders. Intake pipes on the P&W Wasp came out of a circular manifold cast into the crankcase at an angle so that intake impulses created a swirling action within the manifold.

Single-row radials were built with three, five, seven, and nine cylinders. When you read that a 1929 Curtiss Challenger had six cylinders, that means it was a two-row engine or basically one three-cylinder engine behind another.

Anzani even made a 20-cylinder ra-

dial consisting of four rows of five cylinders each.

When a three-cylinder radial of 40 or 50 hp was started, initial power impulses sent shudders down along the fuselage and rattled the tail feathers.

But at cruising speed, the “threes” were reasonably smooth. In the 1920s the Bristol firm in England manufactured what were probably the largest three-cylinder radials ever made— they produced 125 hp!

On the other hand, Salmson in France made a 40- to 45-hp radial that had no fewer than nine cylinders. It ran so smoothly that pilots took to calling it the “sewing machine” or “watch charm” engine. It was only 26 inches in diameter. A fair number were imported to the United States.

One was tried out on the first Taylor Cub but was too expensive for that class of airplane.

Radials proliferated in Europe during the 1920s and 1930s but got off to a slow start in the United States due to the large supply of cheap, war-surplus Curtiss OX-5 and Liberty engines. In 1916 one Charles L. Lawrence built a threecylinder, 35-hp radial, and over the next several years he developed it into various models producing up to 60 hp.

Lessons learned from making aircooled cylinders for them led in 1921 to his designing a nine-cylinder, 140hp radial for the Air Service. During the war a company named WrightMartin had built French HispanoSuiza engines under license and had a well-equipped factory at New Brunswick, New Jersey, whereas Lawrence had no factory. So he and Wright joined forces, developed the J-1 into the 200-hp J-4 and the 220-hp J-5.

These very reliable engines made history on the noses of the planes of Admiral Byrd, Charles A. Lindbergh, Clarence Chamberlin, Sir Hubert Wilkins, and others. The success of these flights made air-cooled radials the engines in the United States, and the resulting Wrights, Pratt & Whitneys, Warners, Kinners, Continentals, Lycomings, Jacobses, LeBlonds, Lamberts, and others are still with us. In case you wondered, the name “Lycoming” is derived from a Pennsylva-

nia Indian word meaning “a stream having a sandy or gravelly bottom.”

Over the years a great many makes of radial engines have been manufactured in every country having an aero engine industry. Jet engines appeared during World War II and quite rapidly replaced the huge and very complex radials that had been developed for large and fast aircraft. Airline passengers loved their smooth running.

Propeller tip speeds had grown into a major barricade in achieving higher piston-engine aircraft speeds.

In the field of small commercial and private aircraft, three things killed the radial. No matter how refined a radial’s cowling may be, the fact remains that its substantial frontal area is a drag producer. The fairly large-diameter propellers fitted to radials became more of a problem as the popularity of tricycle landing gears grew. And in taildraggers, over-the-nose visibility was so poor as to shock private pilots who had learned to fly in planes powered by horizontally opposed engines.

At a fly-in, get into the front seats of an Aeronca Champion and then of a Cessna C-38 or 195.

Some people call radials “round engines.” This reminds me of the phrase “What goes around comes around.”

Radials still have appealing qualities to some designers. For whatever reasons, before it fell apart the old Soviet Union decided to concentrate its radial engine production in Poland.

Then Poland became an independent country and found itself in possession of a radial engine manufacturing facility producing PZL engines of Russian Vedeneyev origin. The PZL organization is the only company in the world still manufacturing traditional radial aircraft engines and is finding a market for them in the noses of Wilga STOL aircraft, Sukhoi aerobatic aircraft, and assorted agricultural and bush flying planes. (At the time of this writing; since then, the Rotec radial for experimental aircraft has been in production.—HGF) The König firm of Berlin, Germany, produces air-cooled engines for ultralight aircraft. Their 35-pound, 26-hp continued on the page 37

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Walter Hunter (in helmet and goggles) and his Travel Air 4000, NC 5241, which he purchased May 6, 1930 from Robertson Airplane Service. The other gentleman is Albert Hunter. The child, the son of Albert Hunter, is Herschel Hunter, who supplied many of the photos in this article.

The Hunter Brothers

PART

2

A flying family from Sparta, Illinois BY

ROBERT H. HAYES

PHOTOS COURTESY HERSCHEL HUNTER

T

he record-setting endurance flight proved profitable for the Hunter family. In addition to providing the gasoline and oil for the endurance flight, the Deep Rock Oil Company paid the Hunters an estimated $10,000. The Hunter brothers received more than $7,000 from the malt extract company that sponsored the radio broadcast made during their endurance flight. Their share of the gate receipts at Sky Harbor Airport amounted to more than $3,000. They also received numerous other gifts from various merchants in addition to the new Wright J-6 engine for City of Chicago.

On Saturday, July 19, 1930, the Hunter family departed St. Louis in their planes, City of Chicago, Big Ben, and a Travel Air 4000 that Walter purchased on May 6. They were headed west to Hollywood, California, to make a feature film.

Herbert Budd, a mechanic and stuntman with the Hunter Flying Circus, traveled to Hollywood with the Hunters. While in California, the Hunters stopped at Davis-Monthan Airfield in Tucson, Arizona, on July 20. After arriving in Hol-

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lywood, the Hunter brothers appeared on stage at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre each day for several weeks.

Having completed their movie contract and stage appearances in Hollywood, the Hunters returned to Sparta, making several stops and appearances on the way home. While en route, they learned that Jackson and O’Brine claimed that they had established a new endurance record.

The Hunters stopped at Lambert Field on their way to Sparta and extended their best wishes to the men.

The Hunters stated publicly that they would not attempt to make a world’s record flight in 1930. They did not wish to take notoriety from Jackson and O’Brine before they had an opportunity to cash in on their fame.

The Jackson–O’Brine claim resulted in a loss of between $100,000 and $200,000 to the Hunters. Contracts were in the works that would have paid that amount, had the Jackson–O’Brine flight been delayed several months.

A newsreel film of the Hunters’ endurance flight was shown in Sparta at the Grand Theatre on Friday, July 18, and Saturday, July 19, 1930. This was the first time the newsreel was shown outside the larger cities.

The Hunter brothers appeared at the Randolph County Fair in Sparta on September 24, 25, and 26, 1930. During these appearances, they demonstrated refueling City of Chicago from Big Ben and other work performed on the plane during the endurance flight.

That year, the Randolph County Fair became an “Air Fair” as many aviators from airports throughout the Midwest attended the celebration.

After the endurance flight, both John and Walter resumed their duties flying mail for Robertson Aircraft Corporation.

John and Kenneth Hunter flew to Washington, D.C., in Big Ben on February 4, 1931. They were invited to attend a banquet that evening as guests of the National Aeronautical Society.

At the banquet, they learned that they were still holders of the world’s flight endurance record.

The Jackson–O’Brine record claim of July and August 1930 was never

Refueling the the Stinson SM-1 Detroiter “City of Chicago” was a daunting, windswept task, but nothing compared to the walk on the external catwalk to perform engine maintenance! officially recognized because the formal report of the flight record was not made properly. A rumor was that the Jackson–O’Brine endurance plane made a secret landing for repairs one evening on a farm in St. Louis County.

On Sunday evening, May 17, 1931, the Hunter brothers dedicated their own flying field located on a farm along Route 13, six miles north of Sparta that was owned by Albert Hunter. An “Airplane Rodeo” was staged to celebrate the event. The rodeo featured a new stunt in which a man was picked from a horse and transferred to an airplane. Three of the planes owned by the Hunters were displayed: City of Chicago, Big Ben, and Old Hisso, the first plane the Hunter brothers purchased and learned to fly.

Walter Hunter, who was now a night mail pilot for Universal Airways, purchased a Travel Air racing plane that had been flown in the Cleveland

Air Races in 1929 by Doug Davis, an Atlanta, Georgia, Travel Air dealer.

The plane later won a race at Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Curtiss-Wright had purchased the plane in January 1930. On August 28, 1930, the wing and a landing gear were damaged in an accident in Des Moines, Iowa.

Walter purchased the racing plane, a Travel Air Mystery Ship, R614K, from Curtiss-Wright in June 1931.

Walter moved the racing plane to Curtiss-Steinberg airfield in East St. Louis, Illinois, where repairs and modifications were made. Two more fuel tanks were installed and the engine was replaced with a new CurtissWright radial engine rated at 600 hp.

A new, larger cowling was fabricated

by Travel Air engineers and installed around the larger engine.

Walter entered and flew the plane in the Bendix Transcontinental Air Race starting from Burbank, Califor-

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1936-The Keystone Patrician tri-motor airplane owned and flown by Kenneth Hunter. nia, but lost out to Jimmy Doolittle when the plane was forced down south of Terra Haute, Indiana. Walter continued with the plane to Cleveland, Ohio, where he entered the Thompson Trophy Race. After making some adjustments to the racing plane, on September 6 Walter took off in the plane to fly the racing course for familiarization.

As the plane lifted off, the engine sputtered, Walter switched to another fuel tank; suddenly flames shot back into the cockpit from the engine.

The plane was less than 400 feet in altitude. Walter bailed out, his parachute opening just as he reached the ground, landing about 20 feet from the crashed wreckage of his plane.

Walter suffered burns on his hands, neck, and face. The accident ended Walter’s participation in the 1931 Cleveland Air Races. John and Kenneth Hunter flew to Cleveland to watch Walter in the race, arriving just after the accident. An article in the February 1983 issue of Vintage Airplane magazine tells details about Walter Hunter and the Travel Air NR614K. A restored version of that airplane is now on display at the Beech Heritage Museum in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

Alfred Dunlap, a pilot with the Hunter Flying Circus was fatally injured on Sunday evening, October 18, 1931. The Hunter Flying Circus had presented a performance at Harnist Flying Field west of Belleville, Illinois, that afternoon, and was returning to Sparta. Alfred was flying a Curtiss-

Wright Junior, with a pusher prop, which was owned by the Hunters.

Kenneth Hunter was flying a new Ryan monoplane a short distance away and parallel to Alfred. Both planes were about 40 feet above the ground.

According to Kenneth, about two and one-half miles northwest of Freeburg, Alfred, while looking at Kenneth, flew into the top of a tree and crashed to the ground. Kenneth quickly landed nearby, damaging his plane’s propeller in the landing. Kenneth removed Alfred from the plane wreckage, and Alfred was then transported by ambulance to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Belleville. Alfred died later that evening from a fractured skull.

Herbert Budd of the Hunter Flying Circus was injured in a plane crash near Fulton, Missouri, en route to Alfred Dunlap’s funeral.

In June 1932, John Hunter won a contract to fly mail from New Orleans to Pilot Town, Louisiana. John purchased several amphibious planes to fly the mail. On Sunday, June 29, 1932, John, Walter, and Kenneth Hunter left Chester in three of the amphibious planes en route to New Orleans.

John was flying an Ireland N-1B Neptune powered by a 220-hp Curtiss Wright J-5 engine with a pusher propeller. Kenneth was flying an Eastman E-2 Sea Rover powered by a 185-hp Curtiss Challenger engine with a tractor propeller. They stopped at Rosedale, Mississippi, on the Mississippi River, for fuel. A storm came up, and they were forced to stay overnight in Rosedale.

About 6 o’clock on Monday morning, they prepared to resume their trip to New Orleans. After starting the engine on his plane, John climbed from the cockpit to untie the tail of the plane from the dock. He was struck in the head by the pusher propeller and fell into the river. John’s body was recovered from the river some time later.

John’s remains were prepared for burial and arrived back in Sparta on Tuesday afternoon. His body was taken to his mother’s home and remained there until after a short service at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday. The body was then moved next door to the First Presbyterian Church in Sparta where Rev. James Murdock conducted the funeral service at 2:30 p.m. John’s funeral was one of the largest funerals held to date in Sparta. John was 29.

Following the funeral, John was buried in Sparta’s Caledonia Cemetery.

The St. Louis Post Dispatch issue of August 10, 1932, carried a picture of Kenneth Hunter and the racing plane he planned to fly in the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio, on September 1. The plane had been designed

by Gordon Israel and built at Lambert Field by Israel and Hunter.

Kenneth crashed the racing plane on the trial flight at Lambert Field.

After the crash, Kenneth decided not to enter the 1932 National Air Races in Cleveland; however, three racing planes that Gordon Israel designed were introduced at the 1932 National Air Race, a Howard DGA-4 nicknamed Mike, a Howard DGA-4 called Ike, and Redhead, a plane built by Israel.

Jimmy Doolittle won the 1932 Thompson Trophy Race flying a Gee Bee R-1, averaging 252.6 mph. William Ong, flying the Howard DGA-4, Ike, placed seventh in the Thompson Trophy Race.

The June 28, 1935, edition of the New York Times carried an article reporting that the Key brothers of Meridian, Mississippi, surpassed the 553-hour, 41-1/2 minute world endurance record of the Hunter brothers.

Fred and Algene Key finally landed their Curtiss Robin airplane, named Ole Miss, on July 1, 1935, having been in the air for 653 hours and 34

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August 1946, was a Douglas minutes. Their airplane is DC-3. Kenneth continued flyfrequently displayed at the ing as chief corporate pilot for Smithsonian National Air Kerr-McGee for nearly 20 years. and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. The display inAt 6 a.m. on January 15, cludes a plaque that states 1974, the North American the Key brothers broke the Sabreliner, NA-265, Kenneth world endurance record preand his co-pilot, Jack Earnest viously held by the Hunter Gardner, were flying from brothers of Sparta, Illinois.

Corpus Christi, Texas, to the The September 18, 1936, Will Rogers Airport at Oklaedition of the Sparta News homa City, crashed while The Hunter family standing beside the endurance Plaindealer reported that making the final approach to plane, “City of Chicago”. From left are Albert, John, thousands of people from the airport. Both pilots were Irene, Kenneth and Walter. This picture was taken around the area were visiting killed and the plane was deafter the endurance flight was completed. a temporary flying field on a stroyed. The NTSB report tract of land on the Miller Burns farm January 1941, Kenneth Hunter gave on the accident cited fog and lack north of Sparta. The attraction was flight training to Army Air Corps ca- of crew rest as the most likely cause a Keystone Patrician tri-motor air- dets in Stearman PT-17s and Fairchild of the accident. Kenneth was 65 and plane owned and flown by Kenneth PT-19s at Curtiss-Steinberg airfield had 21,500 hours of flying time, with Hunter. Kenneth was carrying passen- in East St. Louis, Illinois. In February 2,000 hours in the Sabreliner. gers in the big plane for a dollar each. 1941, Kenneth started flying LockAn article in the May 12, 1974, The plane could haul 24 passengers. heed Hudson bombers from Cali- edition of the St. Louis Post Dispatch Kenneth reported that he had carried fornia to Canada for transfer to the started by quoting one hangar-boasting 5,000 passengers in this plane up to Royal Air Force in England. pilot to say that the most famous aviSeptember 18. Between May 25 and In early July 1941, Kenneth started ator he knew was Walter Hunter. WalNovember 11, 1936, Kenneth logged working for Lockheed at Burbank ter was the only aviator he knew who nearly 60 hours in the Patrician, haul- as a test pilot. He continued in this had performed on stage at Grauman’s ing passengers in numerous cities role throughout World War II. As a Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. through Illinois and Missouri. When test pilot, Kenneth flew Lockheed In July 1980, a lavish weekend celnot flying passengers, Kenneth con- P-38 fighters, Hudson bombers, PV-1 ebration was held at the Sparta airport, tinued to give flight instruction.

Ventura patrol planes, Lodestar trans- Hunter Field, to honor the 50-year In late 1936, Kenneth explored ports, and B-17 bombers as they came anniversary of the Hunter brothers’ that possibility that he and Albert off the assembly line. world record endurance flight. Walter Hunter might attempt another enIf deficiencies were identified, Hunter was the only Hunter brother durance flight record. By April 1937, a modifications were made on the who was able to attend the celebradecision was made not to attempt an- planes and they were reflown for tion. Walter retired from American Airother flight endurance record. evaluation. On October 18, 1945, the lines in March 1966 as the company’s Albert turned his attention to op- right engine on a Grumman F7F Ti- most senior jet captain. Walter lived in erating his farm and moving houses gercat twin-engine fighter Kenneth Town and Country, Missouri, until his and heavy equipment, flying only for was flying caught fire. Kenneth man- death at St. John Mercy Hospital in St. pleasure. On Tuesday, March 3, 1942, aged to land the plane and allow his Louis on Tuesday, October 18, 1983.

Albert was removing metal roofing passenger to exit the plane, but Ken- He was buried in the Cutler Cemetery. from an old steel castings plant near neth was burned exiting the cockpit.

Walter’s career followed the same Murphysboro, Illinois. His son HerAfter recovering from his injuries, path as many of the early mail pilots. schel was working beside him on the Kenneth left Lockheed and secured As larger planes became available, roof of the plant. Albert sat down on a job as chief corporate pilot for passengers were added to the mail a sheet of the metal roofing; it folded, Kerr-McGee Oil Company in Okla- flights. Eventually, passengers became causing him to fall through the roof to homa City, Oklahoma. The Kerr- to focus of the flights and mail bethe ground below, a distance of about McGee Corporation now owned the came secondary.

30 feet. When Herschel and others Deep Rock Oil Company that had When Bud Gurney was district reached Albert, he was alive. Albert provided the gasoline and oil for the flight manager for Robertson Airwas loaded onto the bed of a truck endurance flight. Robert S. Kerr was craft Corporation, Universal Air Lines and taken to a hospital. Albert died, governor of Oklahoma and later a absorbed Robertson. Gurney then by the time they reached the hospital, U.S. senator for Oklahoma. worked for Transcontinental Air Transfrom a broken neck. He was 45.

The first corporate plane that Ken- port until he signed on as a captain From November 1940 through neth flew for Kerr-McGee, starting in with United Airlines in 1932.

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Vintage Mechanic

THE

BY ROBERT G. LOCK

Cantilever and Semicantilever Wings ILLUSTRATIONS 1

Just as ther e are monocoque and semimonocoque fuselages, there are cantilever and semicantilever wings and tail assemblies. Cantilever wings ar e braced internally, and there is no exter nal bracing such as str uts or wires. Semicantilever str ucture needs exter nal bracing; therefore, str eamline str uts or wir es are provided.

Illustration 1 shows both cantilever and semicantilever

winged airplanes. Cantilever wings date back to their beginning with Hugo Junkers in 1915. Illustration 1 shows the ďŹ rst aircraft I ever r estor ed, a 1942 Fair child PT-19 with cantilever wings built entir ely of wood. The R yan NYP Spirit of St. Louis has semicantilever wings and is shown receiving attention to the right main wheel, no doubt during the post NYP ďŹ&#x201A; ight across the United States.

Semicantilever wings can be pr oduced from wood or aluminum and can have fabric covering or str essed aluminum skin. Fabriccover ed wings will have either wood or aluminum internal str ucture; all ar e similar in design. Illustration 2 shows typical semicantilever wing assembly , a left lower wing from my Command-Air e.

ILLUSTRATION 2 30 JULY 2012

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Semicantilever wings date back to the earliest times of the airplane. In those days, brace cables wer e used in lar ge numbers to make a fl imsy str ucture rigid. Check out this photo of Gustav Tweer’s Grade-Eindecker monoplane in 1913. Look at all the brace wir es used to keep the wings and landing gear in place! No wonder these machines bar ely fl ew. Think of the drag! One can associate semicantilever wings with exter nal bracing that must be used to suppor t the wings. If the wing structure is cover ed with fabric, then brace wires will be installed inside the wings to brace the wing itself. Illustration 3 shows Tweer’s strange-looking monoplane. Tweer was an early stunt fl ier from Ger many, and he must have landed the machine inver ted!

ILLUSTRATION 3 Or at least he tried to land inver ted.

Illustration 4 (Right) shows the method of tramming a semicantilever wing assembly using a trammel. The drag/antidrag wir es are adjusted to make opposing points on the spars the same length, thus ensuring that each bay is squar e. If the str ucture is fabric covered, brace wir es inside the wing will hold spars rigid, but the wing will be quite fl exible in twist. T ramming is begun at the inboar d end of wing progressing outboar d to the tip. The wires ar e adjusted in length to bring the cross-measur ement of points equal. Then the wir es ar e tightened to a pr ecise tension. Thus, when the str ucture is cover ed with fabric, wash-in or washout in the wingtip can be easily adjusted. W ash-in is to increase angle of incidence at the tip, and washout is to take out angle of incidence at the tip. T o make the wing rigid, str eamlined steel or aluminum str uts or str eamlined wires ar e used.

When gluing the leading edge in place, it is mandatory to level both wing spars to make sure there is no twist in the wing. If this isn’t done, there could be a permanent twist in the wing that, when rigging takes place, could stress or crack glue joints.

ILLUSTRATION 4

1903: Samuel Pierpont Langley’s “Aerodrome” attempts to take off from a floating platform.

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Poly-Fiber has stuck around, too, about forty years worth.

With Poly-Fiber you’ll get a beautiful covering job that’ll VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31

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Some aircraft use semicantilever wings that ar e made of aluminum and have str essed aluminum skin riveted to the ribs and spars. Once the skin is riveted in place, the wing is rigid and wing twist cannot occur . Therefore, the wing washout at the tip must be rigged befor e the skin is riveted in place. Cessna uses such a wing in its 190/195 series, 140/150/152/170/172/175/1 80/185/205/206/207 and 210 series air craft. The Command-Aire lower wing shown in Illustration 2 uses a plywood-skinned leading edge and is r eferred to as a “D” section. This adds good rigidity to the wing but allows a small amount of twisting to rig in washout/wash-in to the wing during the rigging pr ocess. When gluing the leading edge in place, it is mandator y to level both wing spars to make sur e there is no twist in the wing. If this isn’t done, there could be a per manent twist in the wing that, when rigging takes place, could str ess or crack glue joints.

Cantilever wings (no exter nal bracing) ar e even mor e critical to constr uct/repair because the str essed skin not only sets washout at the tip but also the tram, too. It is necessar y to use a wing fi xture to set tram and washout before the skin is applied. The fi xture will set spar tram and wing twist by holding the spars in place while the stressed skin is riveted in place. A similar method is used when skinning a plywood-cover ed wood wing; the tram is adjusted and washout placed in the spars, then the bottom plywood skin is glued and pr essur e is applied by use of nailing strips. Illustration 5 details the use of nailing strips to apply pr essur e to a bond joint of str essed plywood leading edge on my Command-Air e wing. Nailing strips ar e cut from soft pine to a dimension of 1/8 inch x 1/2 inch, and common steel nails 3/8 inch to 1/2 inch ar e driven through the strips into the str ucture. After the adhesive has cur ed, the nailing strips ar e removed, the wood sanded and nail holes fi lled. Therefore, there are no nails holding pr essur e on the joints—the nailing strips do the work. Note that the lower skin goes on fi rst, so drain holes can be accurately drilled and sealing var nish can be applied to leave no por tion of the wood skin unprotected. The upper por tion of skin is masked and var nish applied between the ribs, spar , and leading edge. If any small par t of the wood is unpr otected, it is better that it be on the upper sur face rather than the lower sur face.

ILLUSTRATION 5

Illustration 6 (Left) shows a Lockheed V ega cantilever wing with plywood skin glued to the lower side. The use of nailing strips is impor tant because if nails wer e to be per manently driven thr ough the skin and into str ucture, they will begin to loosen when subjected to vibration, will be seen under fabric covering, and could eventually br eak through the fabric, allowing moistur e to enter . Not a good thing for a wood str ucture!

In this air craft the wing spars ar e one-piece spr uce, pr obably laminated because of their size. Built-up ribs with stringers ar e readily appar ent, as is the laminated wingtip bows. Attached to the wingtip bows ar e mounts for navigation lights that appear as handholds. Fuel tanks can be seen fi tted to the inboar d ends of each wing. The plywood skin is secur ed in place during adhesive cur e with nailing strips that ar e removed when glue has set. One can only conclude that this is a ver y beautiful wing design.

ILLUSTRATION 6 Illustration 7 (right) shows one of the earliest examples of a monocoque fuselage and a cantilever wing and tail on a ver y fast airplane, a Lockheed V ega owned by wealthy Los Angeles entr epreneur Earle C. Anthony. He owned a Packar d dealership and clear channel radio station KFI, which I listened to when gr owing up in the Los Angeles ar ea in the 1950s.

ILLUSTRATION 7

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VAA Chapters Visit the VAA chapter nearest you and get to know some great old-airplane enthusiasts! You don’t need to be a pilot to join in the fun, just have a love of the great airplanes of yesteryear.

CALIFORNIA

INDIANA

OHIO

Hayward, CA, VAA 29 Meeting: 2nd Thurs., 6:00 p.m.

Hayward Airport (HWD) Ex2, Hangar 13 Gary Oberti, President Phone: 510-357-8600 E-mail: info@vaa29.org Website: www.vaa29.org

Auburn, IN, VAA 37 Meeting: 4th Thurs., 7:00 p.m.

Auburn County Airport (kGWB) Gate 7—Hangar A Frederick Martin, President Phone: 260-244-7802 E-mail: fmartin@whitleynet.org Website: www.VAA37.org

Zanesville, OH, VAA 22 Meeting: 2nd Fri.; 6:30 p.m.

Perry County Airport John Morozowshy, President Phone: 740-453-6889 E-mail: charity4jesus@juno.com

CALIFORNIA

KANSAS

Sacramento, CA, VAA 25 Meeting: 2nd Sat., 9:00 a.m.

See chapter website for location.

Robert Opdalh, President Phone: 530-273-7348 E-mail: bopdahl@sbcglobal.net Website: www.Vin25.org

Overland Park, KS, VAA 16 Meeting: 2nd Fri., 7:30 p.m.

New Century Airport (K34) CAF Hangar, Kevin Pratt, President Phone: 913-541-1149 E-mail: kpratt@vaa16.com Website: www.VAA16.com

CAROLINAS, VIRGINIA Walnut Cove, NC, VAA 3 Meeting: Contact President Susan Dusenbury, President Phone: 336-591-3931 E-mail: sr6sue@aol.com www.VAA3.org Spring Vintage Fly-In Roxboro, NC Fall Vintage Fly-In Camden, SC

FLORIDA Lakeland, FL, VAA 1 Meeting: Contact President Kim Capozzi, President Phone: 352-475-9736 E-mail: mx180a@aol.com Website: www.FSAACA.com

ILLINOIS Lansing, IL, VAA 26 Meeting: Contact President Peter Bayer, President Phone: 630-922-3387 E-mail: c180bayer@yahoo.com

LOUISIANA New Iberia, LA, VAA 30 Meeting: 1st Sun., 9:00 a.m.

LeMaire Memorial Airport Hangar 4 Roland Denison, President Phone: 337-365-3047 E-mail: vaa30@cox.net

MINNESOTA Albert Lea, MN, VAA 13 Meeting: 2nd Thurs., 7:00 p.m.

Albert Lea Airport FBO Charles Sandager, President Phone: 507-377-9405 E-mail: sandager@usfamily.net

OHIO Delaware, OH, VAA 27 Meeting: 3rd Sat. 8-10AM, May thru Sept.

Delaware Municiple Airport (DLZ) Terminal Building Woody McIntire, President Phone: 740-362-7228 E-mail: wjmcintire@cs.com Website: www.EAAdlz.org

OKLAHOMA Tulsa, OK, VAA 10 Meeting: 4th Thurs., 7:00 PM Hardesty South Regional Library No meetings in July, Nov. & Dec. Joe Champagne, President Phone: 918-257-4688 Email: geeimjoe@yahoo.com

TEXAS Spring, TX, VAA 2 Meeting: 4th Sun., 2:00 PM David Wayne Hooks Airport (KDWH) Fred Ramin, President Phone: 281-255-4430 Email: fredramin@sbcglobal.net

WISCONSIN Brookfield, WI, VAA 11 Meeting: 1st Mon., 7:30 PM Capitol Drive Airport Office Don Hyra, President Phone: 262-251-1778 Email: phs1@wi.rr.com Want to Start a VAA Chapter?

It’s easy to start a VAA chapter. All you need to get started is five Vintage enthusiasts. Then contact the EAA Chapter Office at 920-426-6867 or chapters@ eaa.org to obtain an EAA Chapter Starter Kit. EAA has tools to help you get in touch with all your local Vintage members, and they’ll walk you through the process of starting a new chapter.

TO VIEW OTHER EAA CALENDAR EVENTS OR TO ADD YOUR EVENT TO THE EAA WEB CALENDAR GO TO http://www.eaa.org/ calendar/

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33

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Vintage Instructor THE

BY Steve Krog, CFI

Wind, takeoff, and traffic patterns Part 2 As stated previously, in Part 1, the example flight we are discussing begins with a takeoff on Runway 29 with a northwest crosswind of 12-15 knots. The information that follows begins with the left turn to the downwind leg of the traffic pattern.

Due to the crosswind, when making the climbing left turn onto the crosswind leg, we turned approximately 80 degrees, allowing for a wind correction or crab angle of about 10 degrees. The crab angle offsets the right-quartering wind, preventing the airplane from being moved southeastward toward the runway. There is also a tailwind component to consider, increasing the groundspeed, which will also push us southward away from the runway. Failure to take the tailwind into consideration at this time will more than likely push you beyond the point where you normally begin a turn to downwind, or when reaching the 45-degree angle from the centerline off the end of the departing runway.

After completing the turn to the crosswind leg, look back over your left shoulder to see where you are in relation to the end of the runway from which you departed. When you reach an approximate 45-degree angle from the runway centerline, begin your left turn onto the downwind leg of the traffic pattern. Again, be aware of the wind and its effect on your downwind ground track. In this example you will experience a combination of tailwind and crosswind from left to right, which will push you away from the runway.

When beginning the climbing left turn onto the downwind leg, consider the effects the wind will now have. Then think about the corrective action required to maintain a constant parallel flight path to the landing runway. In this situation we will have to turn about 110 degrees. We began the turn with a 10-degree crab angle to the right, and as we roll out we will now need an approximate 10-degree left crab angle, again offset-

ting the now left-quartering wind. Left unchecked, the wind would drift us away from the runway, as well as increase our groundspeed due to the tailwind component of the wind.

Once established in a level flight attitude on the downwind leg, take a good look at where the runway intersects the struts of a high-wing airplane, or the wing of a low-wing airplane. Note this in your mind and hereafter position your airplane similarly every time you’re on the downwind leg of any airport/runway on which you intend to land. Doing so will properly position you for making a good approach and landing.

Approaching the midpoint of the downwind leg, make your radio call stating your position and intentions, check your carb heat, complete your prelanding checklist, and think ahead of the airplane.

When abeam of the end of the runway on which you intend to land, make your initial power reduction, maintain proper descent nose attitude, and trim the nose up to hold this attitude with little or no input on the control stick or yoke. I like to do this, even on airplanes such as the J3 Cub, even though one can easily hold enough back pressure to maintain the proper descent attitude. I do this for two reasons when working with a student: first, the student may eventually be flying a bigger, heavier airplane, requiring the need for “Up” trim on landing, and second, should the pilot become distracted, the airplane will maintain the proper descent attitude.

How many times have you entered the traffic pattern at a pancake breakfast and found yourself as one of a dozen airplanes in the air? Your head is on a swivel watching for traffic. Every time you move your head, you make a pitch change without realizing it. Why not properly adjust the trim and significantly reduce the potential for rapid speed or descent changes or worse— a power-off or reduced-power stall?

How many times have you entered the traffic pattern at a pancake breakfast and found yourself as one of a dozen airplanes in the air?

Your head is on a swivel watching for traffic. Every time you move your head, you make a pitch change without realizing it.

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Headwind or Tailwind on Base Leg When reaching the approximate 45-degree angle off the approach end of the intended landing runway, initiate your descending left turn onto the base leg. When rolling out of the turn, remember that the wind is now a front quartering wind from the left. The turn onto the base leg will require an approximate 10-degree crab angle to the left and your groundspeed will be slightly slower than your indicated airspeed. Adjust power as required to maintain the desired rate of descent and airspeed, scan the area to your right for aircraft that may be making a long straight-in final approach, then plan and make your descending left turn onto the final approach leg. Keep in mind that you will be transitioning from a left-frontal crosswind to a right-frontal crosswind before initiating the turn onto final.

Crosswind on Final Approach Keep in mind as you make the turn onto final that the crosswind is now going to push you to the left of the runway centerline if a wind correction is not made.

By thinking ahead of the airplane, we can anticipate this by making the turn just a few degrees more shallow than normal and then roll out of the turn with an approximate 10-degree crab angle to the right. After returning to a wings-level attitude, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll easily be able to see if we need more or less crab angle to keep the airplane aligned with the runway centerline.

Crosswind approaches to land are taught using two different methods today: crab-angle or wing-down into the wind with opposite rudder application to keep the airplane on the centerline. Either method is satisfactory. However, I personally prefer using the crabangle method while on the final approach. It requires a bit less effort when making small corrections and the approach angle of descent is more stable.

I find that when using the wing-down and opposite-rudder method, the student has more difficulty recognizing altitude changes because he or she is continuously transitioning in and out of a slip while trying to hold the wing down and applying opposite rudder.

This method will then require power changes to compensate for this, causing an uneven descent as well as fluctuating airspeed.

When making a crosswind final approach, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll establish a crab angle to hold the track of the airplane on the runway centerline. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll also pick an aim point on the runway at least 100 or more feet beyond the runway end. Just because a runway has numbers painted on it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean you have to put the main wheels on it every time. Wind conditions, especially when the wind is a fluctuation crosswind, require more pilot effort to keep the airplane stable.

Continue the crab-angle approach until after crossing the numbers and at about 20-30 feet above the runway. Then apply the wing down into the wind and opposite rudder inputs, aligning the airplane with the

centerline. If you are still carrying a bit of power, bleed it off at this time and execute the crosswind landing.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to keep flying the airplane however, after touching down.

The vast majority of landing accidents, especially in tailwheel airplanes, occur after touching down. I guess pilots are so happy to be firmly on the ground after the crosswind approach and touchdown that they relax to pat themselves on the back. At that point the tailwheel airplane has a mind of its own and will weathervane into the wind and begin a short crosswind journey of its own, usually causing great embarrassment to the pilot and sometimes damage to the aircraft. A tailwheel airplane is like a well-trained but spirited horse.

It will do whatever you tell it to do, but when given the chance, it will surprise you with some crazy antics if you allow it to do so.

I frequently tell students that a good landing begins with flying a good traffic pattern, establishing as many constants as possible throughout the pattern.

The more those things remain constants, the fewer things youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to fix when turning and flying the final approach.

Flying in light to moderate crosswind conditions should not cause a growing knot in your stomach.

Rather they should be a positive challenge and something that you are comfortable in doing. Practice perfects flying your airplane in crosswind conditions.

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35

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by H.G. FRAUTSCHY

MYSTERY PLANE This month’s Mystery Plane comes to us from the Cedric Galloway collection of the EAA Library.

Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to be in no later than August 10 for inclusion in the October 2012 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.

APRIL’S MYSTERY ANSWER The Travel Air 8000, one of only three produced with the four-cylinder radial Fair child-Caminez engine of 135 hp.

April’s Mystery Plane came to us from the Kinzinger collection of the EAA Library. Shot at the Willow Run airport in Michigan, it’s a pretty well-known airplane, but only three of this particular version were built. Here’s our fi rst answer, from one of our members who has been with us since the fi rst year of the Antique/Classic division, Lynn Towns of Holt, Michigan: The April Mystery Plane is a Travel Air Model 8000. Only three examples of this model Travel Air were ever built. The aircraft pictured was flown

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in the 1928 Ford Air Tour by J. Nelson Kelly. It finished in 13th out of 25 entries.

The Travel Air 8000 was powered with a unique fourcylinder radial Fairchild-Caminez engine of 135 hp. It was the only airplane to ever receive a type certificate using the Fairchild-Caminez engine. This engine design is called a cam engine, and ironically the designer was named Harold Caminez.

The Fairchild-Caminez engine had a large two-lobed cam, shaped similar to the number “8” mounted on the crankshaft. The pistons had roller followers that followed the cam shape. Each piston was connected to the pistons on either side with link rods to hold them against the cam. Since the cam had two lobes, the crankshaft only needed to make one revolution for every two piston cycles, so each cylinder had a power stroke for every revolution of the crankshaft. Thus, the engine ran at half the rpm of typical radial engines.

The Fairchild-Caminez engine was designed to reach maximum horsepower at 1,000 rpm and operate normally at a low rpm, so it was fitted with an unusually long 10foot wooden prop. The prop required the engine to be mounted high on the airframe to attain the necessary ground clearance for the airplane in takeoff position.

The Fairchild-Caminez engine had high torque variations due to massive moving parts and the fairly long interval between power strokes (low rpm). These vibrations caused the long wooden props to flex so much that they would crack and rip to pieces. The pictured Travel Air along with a Fairchild-Caminez-powered Waco that also participated in the 1928 Ford Air Tour went through a total of 13 propellers between them before completing the tour. The Fairchild-Caminez engine design was soon abandoned, and Fairchild offered refunds to all customers.

And from our newly minted pilot of EAA’s Ford TriMotor, USAir Captain Larry Harmacinski adds this: April’s Mystery Plane is an excellent selection from the archives mating a classic airframe to a rare and unusual engine. The photo is a magnet for gear—er, I mean, cam—heads everywhere. While the Number 3 was of help in identifying this particular ship, there is no hiding the Caminez-powered Travel Air 8000. This example carried its race number during the 1928 National Air Tour and was flown by J. Nelson Kelly, known as Nels Kelly. There were actually two Caminez-powered ships in the ’28 NAT, the other being a Waco 10 flown by M. Dan Beard who had the foresight to freight no less than 11 spare propellers strategically located along the tour route. The Caminez cruised at less than 1,000 rpm but nevertheless managed to vibrate so badly that props were cracking every few days, if not by the hour. The high thrust line can be noted, and it was indeed a result of the slow-turning Caminez thumping a reported 10-foot prop. A Caminez Kreider-Reisner also arrived at Ford Airport to begin the reliability tour, but with flying wires already loosened and a cracked propeller, it remained behind at Dearborn. The Travel Air and Waco continued on the next page

Light Plane Heritage continued fr om page 25

model is a three-cylinder, two-cycle redial. The radial configuration keeps weight down and affords equal flow of cooling air to each of the cylinders. The diameter of only 16 inches creates no drag or visibility problems on ultralight fuselages built high and wide enough to house a pilot. The cylinders are slightly staggered. The crankshaft has three throws, and rotating discs built into it divide the crankcase into separate compartments to provide the crankcase compression necessary for two-cycle operation. Power impulses coming 120 degrees apart provide smooth running.

A radial called the Sadler has been exhibited at air shows. Now undergoing testing and scheduled for 1995 manufacture are the Zoche 150 and 300-hp redials built in Munich, Germany. They are diesels, which can be a good thing in regions where aviation fuel may be scarce but diesel fuel is readily available. Their short and stiff two-throw crankshafts withstand diesel stresses. The radial configuration provides good air cooling. Being twocycle engines with no overhead valve gear, they offer good over-the-nose visibility.

Now that you’ve learned something about radial engines, you can understand, appreciate, and enjoy them all the better when you encounter them at fly-ins.

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finished the race with a decent showing, but it required all 11 props to do so! For those interested to see a Caminez, there are reportedly just two survivors, one being on display at the Al and Lois Kelch Aviation Museum at Brodhead, Wisconsin, which lives in its wood and glass display case, and according to family descendants, it’s actually the one that was in Sherman Fairchild’s office, where he kept it for his own amusement.

We’re not sure if it needed 11 or 13 props, but in either case, it clearly was an engine that didn’t live up to expectations!

Wes Smith offers up this write-up on the engine: The unique four-cylinder Fairchild-Caminez 447 radial (135 hp at 1,000 rpm; 120 hp at 960 rpm) was probably used on only seven or eight aircraft: The Boeing Model 81A (X 63E), two Waco GXEs (redesignated Waco Model 10: X 3132 and 4962), possibly two or three Travel Air Model 8000s (I found two registrations: 3562 and 5091), and the unbuilt Consolidated XPT-4 (it makes nine, if you count this aircraft and three 8000s). It was first tested on a modified Avro 504 on 12 April 1926, flown by Dick Depew at Farmingdale, New York, Long Island. The Franklin Institute at Philadelphia has this particular engine.

National Air and Space Museum has a later 447-D, with enclosed valve gear, that was acquired by the late Paul E. Garber, the first head of the National Air Museum. According to Juptner, only one Model 8000 was built. Aerofiles states there were as many as three. Paul R. Matt’s Historical Aviation Album XVII (Clapp, George H. Fairchild All Purpose Monoplanes, page 22) quotes Sherman Fairchild as saying that the only engine the Caminez couldn’t “shake the hell out of” was the Kreider-Reisner, which is why he selected the K-R for production under the Fairchild name. Juptner states on page 62 of U.S. Civil Aircraft Vol. 1 that a single, specially reinforced KreiderReisner C-2 Challenger (ATC No. 19, aka KR-31) was fitted with a Caminez. This solitary C-2 had ailerons on both wings, like the OX-5 variant.

Given the severe vibration, hard starting, high oil consumption, and cooling problems of the Caminez, it wasn’t long for this world and was soon recalled. Curiously, in the August 1926 issue of Popular Science (“Amazing New Motor Runs Without Crankshaft or Gears”), the author comments on how smoothly the engine ran. It was a valiant attempt to do away with a crankshaft, but it just had too many inherent problems.

Another was the noise. There is a June 1927 article in the New York Times which states that during a 52-hour test of the Caminez at Farmingdale, it was so noisy that the neighbors thought Admiral Byrd was making his transatlantic attempt. To be fair, the Caminez only failed its (separate) USN test run due to the inaccurate machining of some internal components.

The idea for the Caminez engine dates back to 1925 when Harold Caminez was serving with the engine design section of the engineering division at McCook Field.

The cycle of the air-cooled Caminez was unique (Caminez

received U.S. Patent No. 1,714,847 “Internal Combustion Engine” on 28 May 1929). Two opposite pistons were linked by connecting rods connected to the other two adjacent pistons, all pistons being linked in series. Thus, when the opposite piston moved “out,” the other two adjacent pistons moved “in.” This arrangement drove a “figure eight” (twin lobe) cam, with rollers on each lobe. This halved the necessary rpm to obtain a given horsepower; in effect, a propeller reduction system was inherent in the design, as each piston had two strokes per revolution. Hence, the propeller rpm was much lower and necessitated a propeller of much greater diameter, as is shown in the available photos of Caminez installations. Flight (Fairchild-Caminez Activities. September 22, 1928, page 1002) states that the Fairchild-Caminez Engine Corporation had already built a small four-cylinder 80-hp engine and a larger eightcylinder engine, both of which are stated to have flown.

These, of course, were different designs related to the 447.

At that time, the Fairchild Manufacturing Corp. is said to have just purchased the minority stock from Harold Caminez (chief engineer) and Leon Caminez. David Caminez (treasurer), along with Harold, resigned from the company when it was purchased by Fairchild.

Production Caminez 447s sold for $2,480 and consumed 7.5 gph (0.55 pound/hp/hour; oil consumption was 0.035 pound/hp/hour) at cruise power (900 rpm was cruise, max rpm was 1,050, and at this rpm, produced 140 hp). The bore of the 447-C was 5.625 inches, and the stroke was 4.5 inches. The dry weight was 350 pounds, without starter. The overall height was 36 inches, and the length was 35 inches. The Model 447-C utilized twin Scintilla magnetos, a single Stromberg carburetor, and an Eclipse starter. The single intake and exhaust valves in each head were operated by conventional pushrods, driven by an internal cam system. Crated for shipment, the Model 447-C weighed 775 pounds. (Aviation. Manufacturers’ Specifi cations on Engines Available for Commercial Use Compiled by Aviation. March 26, 1928, page 790).

Other correct answers were received from Mike Schulz, Norfolk, Nebraska; Joe Pribilo, Santee, California; Wayne Muxlow, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Tom Lymburn, Princeton, Minnesota.

We enjoy your suggestions for Mystery Plane—in fact, more than half of our subjects are sent to us by members, often via e-mail. Please remember that if you want to scan the photo for use in Mystery Plane, it must be at a resolution of 300 dpi or greater. You may send a lower-resolution version to us for our review, but the final version has to be at that level of detail or it will not print properly. Also, please let us know where the photo came from; we don’t want to willfully violate someone’s copyright.

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STRAIGHT & LEVEL continued from page 2 that thanks to work done in part by volunteers, EAA had a complete set of control surfaces prepped and covered and ready to head out to Denver from Oshkosh that same day.

In just a few short days with our volunteer mechanics, along with a couple of staff mechanics from the Weeks Hangar, Aluminum Overcast was flight-ready and back in the air.

But the true point to this observation is that this is yet again another great example of what EAA members are made of, and what we represent as an organization. The FAA ACO office in Des Plaines, Illinois, also gets a tip of the flight cap for its quick turnaround of the required paperwork.

We are an organization that is made up of individuals who will consistently come out of the woodwork and make things happen.

No one ever said, “This cannot be done.” Everyone said, “We can do this,” and it was done in just a few

short days. Many thanks to the Denver group of B-17 volunteers, the quick and always supportive leadership of EAA, the Wings Over the Rockies organization, and Signature Flight Support at Centennial Field for its critically important support during this event. You are all amazing individuals, and you make me proud to be a member of EAA.

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 overall good of aviation.

Remember, we are better together. Join us and have it all.

Come share the passion!

S e e y o u a t E A A A i r Ve n t u re Oshkosh—July 23 through July 29, 2012.

VINTAGE TRADER S o m e t h i n g t o b u y, sell, or trade?

Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 w o rd s , 1 8 0 w o rd s max i m u m , w i t h 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.

MISCELLANEOUS

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What W hat OOur ur M Members embers Are Restoring

Are you nearing completion of a restoration? Or is it done and you’re busy flying and showing it off? If so, we’d like to hear from you. Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no home printers, please—those prints just don’t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch, 300dpi 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?

There’s plenty more . . . and other goodies at www.vintageaircraft.org

For more information, you can also e-mail us at vintageaircraft@eaa.org or call us at 920-426-4825.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39

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VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION OFFICERS

Enjoy the many benefits of the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association

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

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

Vice-President George Daubner N57W34837 Pondview Ln Oconomowoc, WI 53066 262-560-1949 gdaubner@eaa.org

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

Steve Bender 85 Brush Hill Road Sherborn, MA 01770 508-653-7557 aaflagship@gmail.com David Bennett 375 Killdeer Ct Lincoln, CA 95648 916-952-9449 antiquer@inreach.com Jerry Brown 4605 Hickory Wood Row Greenwood, IN 46143 317-422-9366 lbrown4906@aol.com

Robert C. Brauer 9345 S. Hoyne Chicago, IL 60643 773-779-2105 photopilot@aol.com Gene Chase 8555 S. Lewis Ave., #32 Tulsa, OK 74137 918-298-3692

DIRECTORS

Dave Clark 635 Vestal Lane Plainfield, IN 46168 317-839-4500 davecpd@att.net Phil Coulson 28415 Springbrook Dr. Lawton, MI 49065 269-624-6490 rcoulson516@cs.com Dale A. Gustafson 7724 Shady Hills Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46278 317-293-4430 dalefaye@msn.com Jeannie Hill P.O. Box 328 Harvard, IL 60033-0328 920-426-6110

DIRECTORS EMERITUS

Steve Krog 1002 Heather Ln. Hartford, WI 53027 262-966-7627 sskrog@gmail.com Robert D. “Bob” Lumley 1265 South 124th St. Brookfield, WI 53005 262-782-2633 rlumley1@wi.rr.com S.H. “Wes” Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa, WI 53213 414-771-1545 shschmid@gmail.com

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

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

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

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

John Turgyan PO Box 219 New Egypt, NJ 08533 609-752-1944 jrturgyan4@aol.com Ron Alexander 118 Huff Daland Circle Griffin, GA 30223-6827 ronalexander@mindspring.com

ADVISORS

Joe Norris tailwheelpilot@hughes.net 920-688-2977

Membership Services Directory

Tim Popp 60568 Springhaven Ct. Lawton, MI 49065 269-624-5036 tlpopp@frontier.com

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

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Web Site: www.vintageaircraft.org E-Mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION Current EAA members may join the Vintage Aircraft Association and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an additional $42 per year.

EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $52 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included).

(Add $7 for International Postage.)

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.

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Copyright ©2012 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 549023-3086, e-mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org. Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association, which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane magazine, is $42 per year for EAA members and $52 for non-EAA members. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54902 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Vintage Airplane, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. CPC #40612608. 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 JULY 2012

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Come Visit Us

Ta k e F l i g h t w i t h F o r d a t A i r Ve n t u r e • Steve Miller Band Concert: Monday 7:00PM next to the Ford Hangar • Fly In Theater: Nightly Sunday – Saturday 8:30PM @ Camp Scholler • Great Escape : Ride the 5-story ferris wheel adjacent to the Ford Hangar • Fusion EcoBoost Launch: the extreme bungee launch

• Cruisin’ Legends: See classic Fords and happy owners on Knapp Street • Dyno Challenge: ¼ mile runs to win prizes @ Cruisin’ Legends • Model T Experience: Tour in a Model T @ Cruisin’ Legends • Free Stuff : Hats @ the Hangar; Canteens @ Cruisin' Legends!

• Da Blooze Bros. Live Concert: Saturday 6:30PM @ Ford Hangar • Red Tails Ford Mustang: One of a kind build for the Young Eagles benefit • Ford Autograph HQ: Autographs from living legends • Free Ice Cream: Nightly deliveries; watch for the Transit Connect

The Privilege of Partnership 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.

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