Vintage1 janfeb2016

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

•Seabees at AV 2015 •AirVenture 2015 Photos

Vintage Airplane

Straight & Level

2016 Ford F-150: The FuTure oF Tough

STAFF

EAA Publisher/Chairman of the Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack J. Pelton

GEOFF ROBISON

VAA PRESIDENT, EAA Lifetime 268346, VAA Lifetime 12606

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jim Busha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jbusha@eaa.org

®

The 2016 F-150 is the toughest, smartest and most capable F-150 ever and it’s now the only full-size, light-duty truck to earn the government’s highest 5-star crash rating1.

This F-150 is the first and only truck in its class2 with a body and bed made from high-strength, military-grade, aluminum alloys, eliminating up to 700 pounds of weight. This means greater acceleration and pulling power than ever before. Combined with the high-strength steel frame, the F-150 is more than a star…it’s 5 stars.

The F-150 power of choice offers four engines, including the 2.7L EcoBoost with best in class fuel economy , plus an impressive 8,500 lbs. of maximum towing and 2,210 lbs. of maximum payload, when properly equipped. ®

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Ford F-Series – the best-selling truck, 38 years running!

1 2

Government 5-Star Safety Ratings are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s New Car Assessment Program (www.safercar.gov).

Class is Full-Size Pickups under 8,500 lbs. GVWR based on Ford segmentation. 3 19 city/26 hwy/22 combined mpg EPA-estimated fuel economy rating.

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 about this exclusive opportunity for EAA members to save on a new Ford vehicle, please visit www.eaa.org/ford.

VAA Executive Administrator. . Erin Brueggen 920-426-6110. . . . . . . . . . . ebrueggen@eaa.org

2015—A year to remember!

Art Director. . . . . . . . . . . . . Livy Trabbold

Merry Christmas and happy new year to all our members!

The year of 2015 has proven to be a year of numerous critical decisions by our board of directors that will greatly enhance the future experiences of our Vintage members who attend AirVenture each year. It was just a few years ago that I bemoaned our financial situation in this column as being at a level where we needed to seriously address where we were with our struggling finances, and it was time to take some serious action to address this dire development and implement some real cost-cutting policies. The VAA board of directors immediately began the process with some very difficult changes in the manner in which we managed our association on a daily basis. Then, with the onset of new leadership some three years ago within the EAA officers and directors ranks, the virtually all new senior leadership team of EAA stepped up and assisted the EAA divisions with a duffel bag full of process changes that have resulted in a huge impact on our ability to better manage our bottom line and get back to the business of investing in our membership. The magazine is likely the biggest change and improvement we have ever offered the membership. We continue to hear accolades from the membership about the quality, content, layout, and enhanced feature articles within Vintage Airplane magazine.

Most amazingly, we hear from members from all over the globe about this premier aviation publication, and I will remind all of our members here that this success is a direct product of the amazing efforts of staff and team members of the publications department of the EAA. We can never sufficiently thank them for their pride and hard work in creating this amazing publication for us.

As a good example of the enhancements we have invested in on the convention site in Oshkosh, we really must remind everyone of the all new Bill & Myrt Rose Memorial Park in front of the VAA Red Barn. You have to see it to really appreciate the results of this amazing enhancement, most of which was financed with Rose family funds. We are forever indebted to you, Myrt!

I must also remark here that this effort was managed and executed on by many key EAA staff from the maintenance department and our EAA development staff. This project would have never been executed upon without their support and leadership.

I recently attended the fall board meetings in Oshkosh, and all of the meetings were very successful. The big news of course was Jack Pelton’s decision to accept the EAA board’s request that he take on the position

ADVERTISING: Vice President of Business Development Dave Chaimson. . . . . . . . . . dchaimson@eaa.org Advertising Manager Sue Anderson. . . . . . . . . . . sanderson@eaa.org VAA, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903 Website: www.vintageaircraft.org Email: Vintageaircraft@eaa.org

VISIT www.vintageaircraft.org for the latest in information and news and for the electronic newsletter:

Vintage AirMail

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION Current EAA members may join the Vintage Aircraft Association and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an additional $45/year.

EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine and one-year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association are available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included). (Add $7 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.

Membership Service PO Box 3086 Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM—6:00 PM CST Join/Renew 800-564-6322 membership@eaa.org EAA AirVenture Oshkosh www.eaa.org/airventure 888-322-4636

continued on page 63

www.vintageaircraft.org

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Vol. 44, No. 1

CONTENTS

45 Years

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

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In the blink of an eye Kyle P. White

Vintage 2015

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Picture Memory from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015

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Invasion of the Seabees

Celebrating 70 years of a vintage seaplane Pete Muntean

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Around the Pylons

American race planes, speediest of all, 1923-1925, Part 2 Michael Gough

COLUMNS 1

Straight and Level 2015—A year to remember!

Geoff Robison

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Ask the AME Skin cancer John Patterson, M.D., AME

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News/Air Mail

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Good Old Days

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The Vintage Mechanic Evolution of aircraft instruments— Part 4 Robert G. Lock

63 VAA New Members 64 Vintage Trader

10 How to?

Install aircraft bolts

Robert G. Lock

COVERS FRONT COVER: Jim Koepnick zooms in on a polished Seabee.

BACK COVER: Celebrating the Ercoupe at EAA Oshkosh. Photo by Andy Steineke.

For missing or replacement magazines, or any other membershiprelated questions, please call EAA Member Services at 800-JOIN-EAA (564-6322).

ANY COMMENTS?

Send your thoughts to the Vintage Editor at: jbusha@eaa.org BRADY LANE

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www.vintageaircraft.org

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2016

Vintage Red Barn

CONTRIBUTION LEVELS ↓ DIAMOND PLUS $1,500 & higher DIAMOND $1,000 - $1,499 PLATINUM $750 - $999 GOLD $500 - $749 SILVER $250 - $499 BRONZE PLUS $150 - $249 BRONZE $100 - $149 LOYAL SUPPORTER $99 and under

1973, the lone remnant of a long-dormant farm became the Antique/Classic headquarters.

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1974, the first remodel of the Red Barn was begun under the leadership of the first Antique/Classic president, E.E. Buck Hilbert (blue jump suit).

Through a generous gift from Myrt Rose ,the Red Barn HQ plaza was upgraded and expanded.

STEVE CUKIERSKI

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2 people, full week 2 people, full week 2 people, full week 1 person, full week

Tri-Motor OR Two Tickets Close Helicopter to VAA Picnic Auto Parking Ride Certificate 2 tickets

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2 tickets

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1 ticket

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Special Two Air Show Weekly Seating Wristbands

Full week 2 people, 2 people, full week full week Full week 2 people, 1 day 2 days

1 ticket

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Please stand tall and join with us in Friends of the Red Barn; you will be forever proud and happy that you did.

Charlie Harris, Director Emeritus EAA Life Member 96978, VAA Life Member 2158

2016

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By the 1976 EAA Convention, the Antique/Classic area was thriving.

Through member donations and volunteer labor, the Vintage Store was expanded and the Vintage Hangar was built in 2009.

Two Passes Breakfast at Tall Pines to VAA Volunteer Café Party

We hope each Vintage member realizes what a treasure we have in our own facility to serve all of us each summer, and also know that it is member-created and member-maintained, principally through our Friends. Vintage is privileged to provide some very neat thank yous when you become a Friend in return for your contribution. It is a win-win for all.

Vintage is the very finest such organization in the world.

We attract visitors from all over the world to the Red Barn and our newly expanded Vintage airplane area each summer.

We have grown from one lone abandoned barn to an entire complex replicating a small country airport. With your help, every year we will provide more enhanced hospitality for all.

Red Barn photo history compiled by Phil Blake, VAA #8808

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The Friends of the Red Barn program is our only annual fundraiser to support the VAA members, volunteers, and Vintage hospitality at Oshkosh. The VAA Red Barn is the centerpiece, the central gathering place for virtually all Vintage members during EAA Oshkosh each year. The Red Barn is where we meet our friends, get our questions answered, sit on the front porch to rest a bit, drink lemonade, and thoroughly enjoy our aviation friends and the spectacular events of the day. We never meet a stranger at the Red Barn; everyone is on cloud nine just to be enjoying being in a place we so thoroughly enjoy and, appreciate.

But, the Red Barn as we know it today did not just happen. In 20002001, Vintage found itself attempting to provide a proper, acceptable facility to meet, greet, and accommodate its members. The Red Barn was old.

We had used it since 1973 and it was used long before that as a real barn.

It was tired and not in keeping with EAA and Vintage standards in terms of condition and acceptability. Vintage had no money to improve it; our dues were pitifully small and completely insufficient to assist in any way.

We had to remedy an unacceptable situation. . .and we did. We created the Friends of the Red Barn program in 2001. We kicked off our first campaign in early 2002. Our goal was to interest a small number of dedicated Vintage members to financially support the physical improvement of the Red Barn and, far more important, upgrade and support it to the point where it became an inviting, pleasant place to meet, greet, relax, and simply enjoy the magic and magnificence that is Oshkosh each summer.

The Friends of the Red Barn has become a wonderfully successful support program for Vintage members and guests during the convention. 2016 will be its 15th year, and you will be amazed to know that the majority of the Barn’s loyal supporters have been a part of the group since the very first year. Vintage is extremely proud of this dedicated group of members. Their names are listed annually at the Barn and in the pages of Vintage Airplane. These donors have made the Red Barn and its gracious hospitality what you enjoy today. . .and we are just beginning.

The Barn is upwards of 80-90 years old. Every year it receives countless physical and cosmetic upgrades, but like many of us, one of these days soon the old girl is going to have to undergo big time reconstruction. When that day comes The Friends of the Red Barn will be there to do our part.

A “6-pack” Special Access to Donor Appreciation FORB Air-Conditioned of Cold Bottled Badge Volunteer Certificate Water!

Center

STEVE MOYER

Photo story of the historic

TM

Name: _______________________________________________________________ EAA #:_______________ VAA #:______________

Address:_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

City: ________________________________________________________________ State:________________ ZIP:________________

Choose your level of participation: o Diamond Plus ($1,500 or more) o Diamond ($1,000-$1,499) o Platinum ($750-$999) o Gold ($500-$749) o Silver ($250-$499) o Bronze Plus ($150-$249) o Bronze ($100-$149) o Loyal Supporter ($99 or less) Badge Information

Phone:_______________________________________________________________ E-mail:____________________________________

o Payment enclosed (Make checks payable to Vintage Aircraft Association)

(for Bronze Level and above)

o Yes, prepare my name badge to read: _________________________________ (Please print name)

o Please charge my credit card for the amount of: $ Credit Card Number: Expiration Date: Signature:

o No, I do not need a badge this year.

Certificates o Yes, I would like a certificate. oNo,Idonotneedacertificateforthisyear.

Vintage Aircraft Association | 3000 Poberezny Rd., Oshkosh, WI 54902 | 920.426.6110 | EAAVintage.org TheVintageAircraftAssociationisanon-profiteducationalorganizationunderIRS501c3rules.UnderFederalLaw,thedeductionfromFederalIncometaxforcharitablecontributionsislimitedtotheamountbywhichanymoney(andthe valueofanypropertyotherthanmoney)contributedexceedsthevalueofthegoodsorservicesprovidedinexchangeforthecontribution.AnappropriatereceiptacknowledgingyourgiftwillbesenttoyouforIRSgiftreportingreasons.

www.vintageaircraft.org

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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

Nominations Nominate your favorite vintage aviator for the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association Hall of Fame. A great honor could be bestowed upon that man or woman working next to you on your airplane, sitting next to you in the chapter meeting, or walking next to you 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 citizen of any country and may be living or deceased; his or her involvement in vintage aviation must have occurred between 1950 and

the present day. His or her contribution can be in the areas of flying, design, mechanical or aerodynamic developments, administration, writing, some other vital and relevant field, or any combination of fields that support aviation. The person you nominate must be or have been a member of the Vintage Aircraft Association or the Antique/Classic Division of EAA, and preference is given to those whose actions have 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.

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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WORLD’S GREATEST AVIATION CELEBRATION ®

JULY 25-31

BUY NOW AND SAVE! Visit EAA.org/Tickets

Ask the AME

News

JOHN PATTERSON, M.D., AME

Letters to the editor

Skin cancer S.P. writes, “I have been diagnosed with melanoma. How will this affect my FAA medical?”

Basal cell, squamous cell, and melanoma cancers are named from the skin cell from which they arise and are part of the integumentary system, one of the largest organ systems in the body and affords the first protection of the body from the elements.

Basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers are frequently discussed together because they have similar risk factors and are unlikely to metastasize or spread to distant sites in the body. Consequently, if they are completely excised and treated, the aviation medical examiner (AME) can issue the medical if otherwise qualified.

Melanoma, on the other hand, can be much more aggressive and spread to other parts of the body primarily through the lymphatic system. Again if totally excised and the depth of invasion into the surface of the skin is less than 0.75 mm, the AME can issue the medical certificate. However, if the melanoma is a highly aggressive cell type or the depth of invasion is greater than 0.75 mm, the AME will have to defer to the FAA for special issuance.

The FAA will require additional testing to prove that there is no further spread of the disease. Because melanoma is a tumor that can spread to the brain and potentially cause a seizure if it has spread, the FAA will require a yearly MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of the brain. These exams are typically not covered under insurance and can cost $1,500 to $2,000 per exam. The occurrence of an isolated brain metastasis with no other significant findings on physical exam is extremely rare and anecdotal at best. My oncology (cancer specialist) colleagues are amazed at this requirement since it has no clinical basis other than the theoretical case.

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Hopefully the FAA will review some of its more costly mandates with regard to special issuance.

Risk factors for all skin cancer appear to be increased exposure to sun in the form of ultraviolet radiation. Other risk factors are fair or light skin, exposure to chemicals such as arsenic (some well water and pesticides) and tars, areas of chronic skin irritation, and a weakened immune system such as in individuals with a transplanted organ or undergoing chronic steroid treatment for arthritis or pulmonary disease.

Treatment for all skin cancers is almost always some kind of excision with clear margins. During Mohs surgery (microscopically controlled surgery), only thin layers of skin and tumor are removed until no tumor is identified in the specimen. This surgery can have the advantage of less disfigurement to the patient and improved cosmetic result.

Prevention is the mainstay in treatment, as is limiting exposure to the harmful effects of the sun and limiting exposure to chemicals that predispose to skin cancer. This is why physicians preach about the liberal use of sunscreen. Sunscreens have an SPF (sun protection factor) value and the higher the better. The limitation in these numbers is that they are derived from a test that measures protection against sunburn and not protection against other forms of ultraviolet radiation that may be more important in the development of skin cancers. Consequently it is unlikely to find an SPF value of greater than 50, and a designation of 50-plus may not afford any greater protection.

In summary, for most skin cancers, if excised completely, the AME can issue the medical at the initial visit. It is important that the airman bring the pathology report and any status report from the dermatologist or surgeon for review. Melanoma can also be approved if the depth of invasion is less than 0.75 mm, but will require special issuance if deeper.

Air Mail

The Vintage Aircraft Association is seeking donated old and/or used books with an aviation theme for the AirVenture Vintage Book Store.

All proceeds from the sale of books will be used to enhance the Vintage experience during AirVenture and to provide a conduit for out-of-print aviation history books and technical manuals for our members and guests.

The Vintage Aircraft Association is a nonprofit educational organization under IRS Code 501(c)(3).

All donations are tax-deductible.

Books can be sent to the following address: Vintage Aircraft Association, 3000 Poberezny Rd., PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Attn.: Erin Brueggen/Vintage Bookstore.

Dear Jim, After I sent you an e-mail this morning, I got to thinking about what I wrote and what Maughan actually did. For me to say “1923” as I did in the draft or “1922” as I did in the e-mail would be wrong.

What it should say is a little longer, but if you can, I’d appreciate your using this for the caption on page 56 in the November/December issue: “Lt. Russell Maughan, winner of 1922 Pulitzer and the Curtiss R-6 racer he flew to victory in the Pulitzer and to the absolute world speed record, 237 mph, on March 29, 1923. He held the record until November 4 of that year when Navy Lt. “Al” Williams flew a Curtiss R2C-1 at 267 mph.”

I think I got it right this time.

Mike

FEBRUARY 27, 2016. SAVE THE DATE. The Vintage Board of Directors voted to hold a winter board meeting in the Atlanta, Georgia area. This meeting will be followed by an open Vintage Town Hall Meeting, where VAA members and board members can share ideas and get to know each other better.

Our special guest at the Town Hall will be Jack Pelton, EAA board chairman and recently named EAA CEO. Vintage board member Ron Alexander will be hosting these February 27 meetings at Peach State Aerodrome (GA2) near Atlanta (roughly an hour south of ATL). More details will be released on our website and in a special edition of the Vintage AirMail e-newsletter. All Vintage members are invited to attend. www.vintageaircraft.org

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How to?

ROBERT G. LOCK

Install aircraft bolts AN bolts come in diameters from 3/16 inch and up, their diameters increasing in 1/16-inch increments. In most antique and small general aviation type aircraft, the largest bolt diameter you will find is 1/2 inch. The bolts come in drilled and undrilled shanks and should be properly used. Drilled bolts are for installing a castle nut that requires they be safetied with either a cotter pin or safety wire. Undrilled bolts require the use of locking nuts, either fiber or steel collars. Their lengths are in 1/8-inch increments—the correct coding can be found in reference material; the one I use is called the Standard Aircraft Handbook, compiled by Stuart Leavell and Stanley Bungay.

The first rule to know is that drilled shank bolts of 3/16-inch and 1/4-inch diameter cannot be used with locking nuts. However, bolt diameters greater than 1/4 inch may be used with locking nuts. This rule is because when these small diameter bolts are drilled, there is not much material left in that area, and a locking nut can shear off the end of the bolt. I’ve seen it happen, particularly on 3/16-inch diameter bolts.

The unthreaded portion of the bolt shank is called the grip and is intended to be the approximate thickness of the material to be fastened. Another rule of the industry is that a maximum of three washers be used to compensate for bolt length—and one washer is always placed under the nut to prevent gouging of the surface when the nut is torqued. If you know the length of the grip, then it is easy to figure out the correct bolt length. Lengths may vary slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer. Length variation is +0.046 inch and -015 inch. The bolt end is chamfered for easy insertion into the hole, the chamfer angle being 45 degrees. Note that there is a round area just 10

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under the bolt head that is 1/64-inch thick so the hexagon head will not contact structure surface.

All bolt heads are marked for identification by the manufacturer to assure proper usage. The specific marking that identifies a 2330

heat-treated nickel steel bolt is a cross or asterisk. Although markings deviate between manufacturers, you will always see these two types of identification markings on bolt heads.

AN23

Use no other bolt head markings as a substitute.

Stainless steel bolts have a raised dash, and aluminum bolts have a recessed dash on the head.

For torque values, consult AC 43.13-1B. Torque values are important, especially when tightening bolts on wood structure, as one can crush wood fibers with increased torque. A good rule of thumb for tightening castle nuts on bolts is hand tight plus one or two castellations, then safety with a cotter pin or safety wire. Locking nuts should not be used where bolts are subject to rotation; instead use castle nuts with a cotter pin safety. Bolts subject to rotation are in shear application; therefore, do not overtorque.

While standard steel aircraft bolts may be used in both tension and shear applications, clevis bolts are shear fasteners and are used in that application only. The shear bolt code begins with AN21; however, these are rarely used. The most common is AN23, the 3 indicating 3/16 inch diameter and increases up, AN24 being 1/4 inch in diameter, etc.

Clevis bolts come in both drilled and undrilled threads and are intended for a shear nut, either AN320 castle or AN364 fiber lock nut, to be used.

Note the shear area just above the threads. When these type fasteners are installed, the castle nut should be finger tight and, after cotter pin installation, should be able to be rotated with just a little friction on the fastener. The same is true when a fiber locknut is used. Installations should have a shear washer under the nut and a shear washer under the head if possible. Do not substitute AN bolts in place of shear bolts. Clevis bolts are intended to be used in structure where no tension is applied by the fastener. Note that the threads are short compared to the AN bolt, thus they will only accept a shear type nut. The same rule applies on these bolts that applies to AN bolts—do not use a fiber or steel locking nut on drilled shank bolts.

Clevis bolt installations are common in cable systems that have forked ends and in control systems where the load is shear only. Keep in mind that they have no torque and, when grasped with the fingers, can be rotated freely. This information is also useful when inspecting aircraft.

If you see a clevis bolt, make sure you can turn it.

AN24

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Tall Pines – The Final Phase: As you plan for AirVenture 2016, consider a contribution to the final phase – our permanent dining pavilion fund.

Members helping members.

This is the spirit of Vintage.

www.vintageaircraft.org

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Good Old Days

P A R C S OK O B

From pages of what was . . .

Take a quick look through history by enjoying images pulled from publications past.

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www.vintageaircraft.org

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s d A d e fi i lass

C

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www.vintageaircraft.org

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45 Years In the blink of an eye

by Kyle P. White,

A

s pilots, we all have our favorite stories and favor ite airplanes. Some of us love to share our stories and experiences to anyone willing to listen, while others prefer to listen quietly to those around them. Carl Grim-

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EAA 10933934

mett falls into the latter category.

Those who know Carl know he’s not one to boast about the vast array of different aircraft he’s flown, owned, or how long he’s been in aviation. However, these same people know that aviation is in this man’s blood. He’s had many experiences in aviation, many of

which most of us would kill to have had, but the story below is virtually unheard of. It may not be full of suspense or teach you something to use in flight someday, but it is a confirmation of what general aviation means to Carl, and all of us fighting to keep GA alive for future generations.

Carl, EAA 80236, turned 61 on August 15, 2015. I asked him that morning what he had planned for his birthday. He said he’d “probably just go hang out at the airport,” 3GV. In reality, what he did was so much more than just “hang out.” He pulled N1466N, serial number 23000, a 1947 J-3 Cub

out of our hangar and went flying.

He flew it alone. He flew it with his daughter, and then his son. He flew it with one of his grandsons.

And when he was done, he put it back in the hangar and said it had been a good day. I realize aviators all over the country do things like this all the time. But this was dif-

ferent. That J-3 Cub is the exact plane Carl had soloed 45 years earlier, on August 15, 1970. I’m sure it had been on his mind leading up to his birthday, but he never mentioned it. And when the day was done he had shared it with his children and grandson!

Carl’s father, Jerry Grimmett, brought home N1466N in 1967 from Corning, Iowa, to Independence, Missouri. At the time, Carl was 13 years old and remembers thinking, “ Wow! I can’t believe we bought an airplane that is so old!” “The Cub” became part of the family that year. Jerry watched his son learn how to f ly in it, spending his weekly allowance on gas. One day Jerry overheard Carl telling people how easy the Cub was to fly, “If you ever feel like it is getting away from you, just add power and pull back. It’ll fly.” When Jerry heard this, he decided it was time to show his son complete control of the Cub. They went out and did high-speed and low-speed taxis in crosswinds, up and down the runway, until Carl had firm control of the plane and wouldn’t “just add power and pull up.”

Carl and “The Cub” have been together since he was 13 and she was 20, and they have created www.vintageaircraft.org

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countless memories for a lot of people over the years. It is now 48 years later, “The Cub” is still in the family, and not going anywhere anytime soon. Four generations of Grimmetts have had the privilege to enjoy her company. I remember the first time I soloed her

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at Jerry’s farm, Friends Field on the Kansas City Sectional. I was a nervous wreck! I couldn’t believe that the family plane was being turned over to my freshly tailwheel endorsed feet. But Carl, being the laid-back flight instructor he is, espoused great confidence in

the fact that I was soloing on the grass, so “I probably couldn’t tear her up too bad.”

In January 2015, we had an impromptu hangar party to celebrate an unexpected 55 degree day in Kansas City in the dead of winter.

In the hangar was “The Cub,” and in

the crowd was Phil Schmidt. Phil is a private pilot who loves to paint airplanes with a story. When he learned of N1466N’s story, he couldn’t help but snap a few pictures of two of Carl’s grandsons playing in the hangar next to her. Just a few days later, I saw a beautiful work in progress starring “The Cub” and the two boys playing in front of her. The finished product is amazing and now hangs in Jerry’s house, as a constant reminder of all the wonderful memories that “old plane” has given Jerry, Carl, and his entire family. Maybe, if we are lucky, Carl’s oldest grandson will solo “The Cub” on his 16th birthday in 2018. After all, there are still many, many memories to be had.

Carl, being Carl, wouldn’t want this commentary to be about him, so when he reads it, I’ll reiterate that it is actually about his 48-year-old sister, N1466N. But it is also about making memories. It is about remembering to inspire the next generation of aviators. It is about sharing our passion for aviation with those around us, and reminding ourselves what made us fall in love with aviation in the first place.

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Vintage 2015 Picture Memory from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015

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JAY BECKMAN

MIKE ANDERSON

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ANDREW ZABACK

TEAM HUSAR

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Mryt Rose presents a replica 1903 Wright Flyer wing rib to EAA CEO Jack Pelton for his support and guidance to the Vintage Aircraft Association.

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PHIL HIGH

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CONNIE CLARK

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BRADY LANE

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Invasion of the

Seabees

An amphibious invasion is hatching in the vintage aircraft parking area of the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015 grounds. This flight has all the hallmarks of a military mission. The briefing is regimented, the pilots are skilled, and there is an intense sense of purpose: to show off the past, present, and future of the Republic RC-3 Seabee. While not a well-known warbird (it did serve in a few foreign militaries and the CIA), it is a quirky yet lovable seaplane that was originally intended to corner a supposed boom in the postwar 44

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general aviation airplane marketplace but was, instead, orphaned— a money-losing marketing belly-flop. Decades later, it’s found a tight-knit adoptive family.

Lined up on a taxiway, pilots mount a formation of 13 of the bulbous all-metal machines, start their wing-mounted pusher engines in synchrony (of which at least four different types can be heard), and taxi on the Seabee’s spindly retractable landing gear to Runway 36 right at Wittman Regional Airport.

The presence of just one of these

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CRAIG VANDER KOLK

Celebrating 70 years of a vintage seaplane

by Pete Muntean

seaplanes is known to grab attention, so word of this formation splashing into Lake Winnebago corralled a crowd of hundreds.

“It’s a swarm of ’bees!” exclaims pilot Pete Norman over the radio, as he dives into a gap in the Oshkosh oaks on short final into the EAA Seaplane Base. Spectators on shore are well aware, on this 70th anniversary of its first flight, that there’s never been a celebration like this for the rare Republic Seabee. And, it’s all thanks to the fanatic corps of pilots who keep them flying.

I’m riding in the back seat with Norman, who is at the controls of his 2011 Grand Champion-winning Seabee painted in a U.S. Navy scheme, inspired by the T-45 Goshawk trainer that he helped develop as an aerospace engineer.

Highly modified with an all-glass cockpit, rakish upturned winglets, and a V-8 Corvette engine turning a four-blade composite MT reversible propeller, this is a far cry from the early Seabees designed by Percival Spencer.

The son of the inventor of the Civil War’s famed repeating rifle, www.vintageaircraft.org

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ian.” The first prototype he produced in 1937, as co-founder of the Spencer/Larsen Aircraft Corp., required a complete redesign, so he left the company to start work on the Seabee’s wood tube and fabric forerunner, the two-seat Spencer Air Car.

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World War II restrictions on civilian flying caused him to sideline the design until late 1943, when he sold plans for the Air Car to Republic Aviation Corp. of Long Island, New York. Retaining Spence as a test pilot and consultant, Republic added two more seats and made the design all metal, in the style of the company’s successful wartime fighter, the P-47 Thunderbolt. In fact, early RC-1 models were marketed as the Thunderbolt Amphibian, a short-lived moniker that earns a chuckle from Seabee owners of today.

Spence flew the first production RC-3 Seabee on December 1, 1945.

First customer deliveries were made in June 1946 with a price tag of $3,995 (the equivalent of $50,000 in 2015). “The first 175 were made by hand,” says Steve Mestler, president of the International Republic Seabee Owners Club. “The tooling was six or eight months delayed.

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17-year-old “Spence” (he hated to be called Percival) made his first solo flight on Hartford’s Connecticut River in 1914 in the Curtiss seaplane he had just restored himself. After taking several seaplaneflying jobs, he became infatuated with designing the “ideal amphib-

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JIM KOEPNICK

Can you imagine making that from hand? You can see what the fuselage looks like,” says Steve.

As an attempt to increase sales, Republic focused on keeping production costs low. Seabees required fewer than 500 par ts, significantly lower than landlubbing designs of the day. Each wing was constructed with only three ribs and three spars, thanks to a corrugated metal design that provided strength while demanding fewer man-hours. But another price hike to $4,995 quickly followed as Republic lost money on the labor-intensive art deco design combined with lower-than-anticipated demand from its worldwide dealer network. “Still they weren’t selling so they raised the price to $6,995,” says Steve. That’s where the price remained until production ended in October 1947, just 22 months after they started rolling off the assembly line. In all, Republic produced about 1,060 Seabees.

“How many are left today is anybody’s guess,” says Steve, who purchased a 1947 model after becoming infatuated with the design as a kid when he saw it on the Jungle Jim TV series of the 1950s.

Today, about 250 Seabees are on the FAA Registry. “I would guess worldwide there’s maybe only 150 flying and probably three times that many sitting in a hangar.”

“The problem with the Seabee was that it was given a bad start with a bad engine,” says Norman.

Most were mothballed thanks to the Seabee’s factory stock 215-hp, 6-cylinder, 500-cubic-inch, Franklin 6A8-215- B9F engine. Franklins suffered so badly from cooling and design problems that most lasted less than 600 hours before requiring an overhaul. “It severely handicapped the airplane,” says Norman.

“The Seabee started life as a fantastic water plane plagued with a ter-

ribly underpowered and unreliable engine. A lot of the Seabees were parked within the first few hundred hours of operation.”

The Seabee’s Franklin engine incorporates a long tail shaft extension, making it difficult for the Franklin to be replaced with just

any engine. “The design negated the retrofit of most other aircraft engines to be used because of the limited center of gravity range,” says Norman. Many Seabee owners have swapped out the Franklin for the 260-hp Lycoming GO-480 known as a Daubenspeck conver-

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sion. A few have also been modified with Continentals. Recently the biggest engine buzz is around a conversion using more modern V-8 General Motors Corvette engines, now the heir apparent and one that could keep the Seabee afloat for another 70 years.

“It’s really the only solution for keeping the Seabee alive,” says Norman. His Seabee is powered by an LS7 V-8 designed for Lemans Corvettes to produce high horsepower with endurance. “It is a beefy engine incorporating a forged steel crankshaft, six bolt main caps, Titanium rods and intake valves, and Inconel exhaust valves,” says Norman. In his Seabee, the LS7 engine is de-rated down to 350 hp for structural, safety, and reliability reasons. “The 350 hp is used for only 30 seconds at takeoff power for a 1,800-feet-per-minute climb rate,” says Norman. On a 9,000foot density altitude day at Nor-

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That was perfectly fine with Norman, who settled on a V-8 conversion for his experimental Seabee project. “I hadn’t heard the name Seabee since I was a kid,” says Norman, who first saw them growing up on a lake in upstate New York. “Twenty years later, my hangar neighbor bought a couple Seabee carcasses and built the Tahoe Special Grand Champion Seabee, also with a V-8. Helping him build it, I caught the bug and decided to up the bar and build my own super version.”

Norman’s own Seabee restoration became a family affair. With his son, Ian, at his side, they salvaged the parts of more than five Seabees and an airframe from a boneyard in the Mojave Desert. “ We tore ever ything apart. We modified, reinforced, and redesigned many items in the airplane,” he says. Ian, then in high school, learned 3-D CAD software and played a part in redesigning many of the Seabee mechanical systems into the modern age. “We worked together well as father and son, and engineer to future engineer,” says Norman.

Ian went on to Carnegie Mellon University and then on to work for SpaceX, as a structures engineer

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JIM KOEPNICK

man’s home base near Lake Tahoe, he says it uses a mere 700 feet of water distance for a 15-second takeoff. Norman can cruIse at 100 knots burning 12 gallons per hour.

“This was properly engineered,” says Norman, acknowledging that automotive engines in airplanes haven’t had the best reputation.

“The tech has gotten to where all the problems have been addressed.

The engine conversion was done by a real engineer and real math.”

Canadian engineer Brian Robinson designed the conversion used in Norman’s Seabee. He’s conver ted about a dozen others including his own. “With the Franklin, the performance envelope was very limited,” says Brian, adding that Franklins rarely produced 215 hp as advertised. “If you take the same airframe weight and nearly double the horsepower, it all goes into the performance.”

Brian says he can successfully take four adults and five hours of fuel in his Seabee, an LS3 conversion producing 450 hp at 2,400 propeller rpm. “I’ve cut my operating costs in half,” which, along with the perks of automotive heating and air conditioning, is Brian’s strongest selling point, considering his V-8 conversion costs more than $50,000. “In 2,500 hours of flying, I’ve paid for the cost of the conversion in savings,” he says.

“We provide the whole thing as a kit you can install yourself, or we can install it in your Seabee.

It’s a very straightforward system.

You just have to be comfortable that you will need to re-license the airplane in a different category,” says Brian. The conversion requires that the builder relinquish the normal FAA certification for a Seabee and work together with the FAA to license the new project aircraft into the experimental exhibition category.

involved in the design of systems on the Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket, the commercial replacement for the space shuttle program. Norman’s Seabee went on to Oshkosh 2011, where he won the Grand Champion Gold Lindy trophy. “It was awesome,” says Norman. “It was my first time at AirVenture, we won the top award, and my son became a rocket scientist.” Norman’s Seabee has four exterior-mounted cameras to be used while taxiing, air conditioning and gull-wing doors, which can www.vintageaircraft.org

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remain open while maneuvering on the water using reverse propeller thrust. Remember, there are no brakes in a seaplane—unless you’re flying a Seabee.

While water taxiing into the Seaplane Base, Norman pops the plane into reverse and stops almost on a dime to pick up a buoy as a dozen

other Seabees are being moored in the EAA Seaplane Base lagoon.

Water taxiing in behind Norman is Edgar “ET” Tello, a boisterous Puerto Rican, bent on spreading the seaplane’s unique wonder. Today, he’ll take more than a dozen kids on rides in his in his white, red, blue, and yellow 1947 Seabee

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powered by a GO-480.

“The Seabee is so different that I usually have a lineup,” says Edgar, a United Airlines captain who lives in North Carolina. “I don’t get a break. I can’t look at a kid and say, ‘Sorry, can’t go now.’” Edgar says those who ride in the Seabee almost instantly fall in love. “You can land and take off on land, go to your buddy’s lake house, then pull up behind his house and back up like a boat. It’s very unique. Besides the fact that it has great visibility, it’s very comfortable and very safe if you fly it right.”

While Edgar says Seabees have good qualities in the air and on the water, its worst comes out when pilots put the stilt-like landing gear down for a runway landing. “The hardest thing is how to handle her on the ground on takeoff and landing. If you’re not on your toes from the very first second, it will bite you big time,” says Edgar. With

a narrow wheel base and the tail wheel mounted 3 feet ahead of the end of the tail, the airplane ground loops easily. Edgar says he has at least three times.

That’s why Seabee pilots look out for each other. Mentoring is crucial, says Edgar, an instructor who gives Seabee checkouts regularly, including overseas students. “Seabee pilots are tight,” he says. Pilots usually get together in small groups and attend seaplane splash-ins.

“We have three or four Seabee get-togethers a year. I wouldn’t call it an organized thing,” says Steve, who’s based in South Carolina near Edgar. “We meet in the southeast here and get together and fly around.”

The International Republic Seabee Owners Club hosts a website of vast information to keep the airplane flying—from information on STCs to an online marketplace for used parts and even used airplanes. www.vintageaircraft.org

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“The whole reason is to keep these things going,” says Steve, who also manages the website that was started by a fellow Seabee owner who eventually struggled to handle the upkeep. “I don’t make any money at all. I just do it because I love it. I don’t know any other airplane like it. It’s a labor of love,” he says.

Information is key or else Seabee owners would be operating in the dark when it comes to maintenance and support. Republic went out of business in 1965. “You can’t find two that are even close because of all the modifications that have been done,” says Steve. “There are no two Seabees that are alike.”

“We’ve taken the Seabee platform as far as we can take it,” says Brian. “Our personal Seabee has over 50 modifications on it.” That’s why he is engineering a new, Seabeeinspired design. The Horizon X-3 amphibian is a twinengine hybrid built on the lessons learned developing the Seabee mods. “We started with a clean sheet design with all of the best features of the Seabee,” he says. “We then incorporated many new innovations to make the Horizon one of the most versatile, easy to fly, and safe airplanes available. For example, we developed a landing gear that won’t flip the airplane on its back if it is accidently left down in a water landing,” a feature tested with a quarterscale model. “We also made the airplane a tricycle landing gear so it will have impeccable ground handling—the No. 1 complaint of most Seabee owners. Now we just need somebody to fund our prototype.”

Until then, the Seabee fanatics are staying committed to the original “perfect amphibian.”

“We Seabee owners have to keep it going,” says Edgar.

As 13 examples from all corners of North America float in the EAA Seaplane Base lagoon, it’s clear that 70 years have taken a toll on the Seabee, but it can’t kill pilots’ pride, as unique as the airplane they fly.

top of the fuselage and the center of the windshield to create a narrow stream of high-speed air that could flay the leather from a pilot’s flying helmet (photo 4).

The Wright F2Ws (photo 5), biplane racers that much more resembled the Curtiss racers than the Wright NW-1 sesquiplane of 1922 (photo 6), were expected to challenge the R2Cs. New 680-hp Wright engines gave the F2Ws a 170-hp advantage over the R2Cs, but the Wright engines hauled around heavier racers (F2W, 2,858 pounds; R2C, 2,113 pounds; and see photo 6 for relative sizes).

Around the Pylons

American race planes, speediest of all, 1923-1925 Part 2

Photo 2: Army R-3 (as it appeared in the 1924 Pulitzer).

by Michael Gough In part one of this two-part series, I discussed the first three Pulitzer races (1920, ’21, and ’22) and their role in bringing world record speeds to the United States. This article focuses on the 1923, ’24, and ’25 Pulitzers. The year 1923 was a triumph: record speeds and record attendance for the race. But 1924 brought death and disappointment. In 1925, a new speed record that did not reach expectations was dismissed as “discouraging.”

There was nothing discouraging, when, two weeks later, the winning racer in the 1925 Pulitzer, mounted on floats, flew to first place in the internationally famous, prestigious, and important Schneider Trophy Race for seaplanes. That triumph, coupled with two Pulitzer racers on floats having taken first and second in the 1923 Schneider, and Pulitzer seaplane racers world speed records in 1923 and ’25, brought international attention to U.S. high-speed aviation. American high-speed aviation was better than any other. Despite these accomplishments and promises, a simple announcement signaled the end of the Pulitzers in 1926, and they disappeared without fanfare.

The 1923 Pulitzer, St. Louis, Missouri

At the beginning of 1923, the U.S. Army was ahead in the intense rivalry with the Navy for Pulitzer wins.

An Army racer had won in 1920, a Curtiss racer built for the Navy won in 1921, and Army1 R-6s (photo 1),

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Curtiss biplanes, flew away with first and second in 1922: Army, 2; Navy, 1. The Navy had funds to purchase four new racers: two from Curtiss and two from Wright in 1923. The Army soldiered on with upgrades of its Verville (or Verville-Sperry) R-3s (photo 2) and R-6s (photo 1). All the Navy racers were expected to speed past them.

Photo 3: Curtiss R2C and pilot, Navy Lt. Alford (“Al”) Williams, winners of 1923 Pulitzer.

attached wings reduced air resistance and increased speed as did the wing radiators, made of corrugated brass plates that formed the wing airfoils and created no additional drag than the wings themselves.

Not visible from the outside, the R2Cs’ new 507-hp Curtiss D-12A (V-12) engines churned out about 50 more horsepower than the D-12s that had powered the R-6s a year earlier. An unintended consequence of Curtiss designs was the funneling of air over the

Photo 5: Three sailors starting a Wright F2W. Whoever they were, the man in the hat and the men at the wingtips evidently had only to watch. The striations of the surface radiators are visible on the bottoms of the wings.

Photo 6: Curtiss R2Cs, race numbers 9 and 10, and Wright F2Ws, race numbers 7 and 8. The bulkier F2Ws appear to loom over the R2Cs.

Photo 1: Curtiss R-6 prepared for the 1924 Pulitzer (before the race number was painted on).

The R2Cs (photo 3) that Curtiss built for the Navy had an important structural change from the company’s previous racers. The R2Cs’ upper wings were not mounted on struts or a pylon that held the upper wing above the fuselage (see photo 1), but bolted directly to the fuselage (see photo 3). The fuselage-

Photo 4: General Mason Patrick congratulates “Al” Williams after his victory in the 1923 Pulitzer as Lt. Maitland looks on. Note the flayed helmet.

Photo 7: Wright F2W, with Orville Wright, and Marine Lt. Lawton “Sandy” Sanderson, F2W pilot in 1923 Pulitzer. www.vintageaircraft.org 55

The Curtiss R2Cs trounced the Wright F2Ws in the Pulitzer race that highlighted the three-day-long National Air Race in St. Louis, attended by 500,000 spectators, the largest crowd ever to attend a U.S. air meet. Navy Lt. Alford “Al” Williams, flying by himself in Heat 2 of the three-heat Pulitzer, sped around the 200-km course at 244 mph. In the headto-head R2C-F2W race in Heat 3, Navy Lt. Harold Brow in an R2C ran away from Navy Lt. Steven Calloway’s F2W, finishing at 242 mph, 12 mph faster than Calloway’s. In Heat 1, Marine Lt. “Sandy” Sanderson (photo 7) flew his F2W to 230.1 mph, 0.1 mph faster than Calloway’s.

Photo 8: Army R-8, formerly a Navy R2C.

Williams and Brow finished first and second at 244 and 242 mph. Sanderson and Calloway came third and fourth at 230.1 and 230; the year-old R-6s, fifth and sixth. William’s R2C flew 38 mph faster than Army Lt. Maughan’s 206 mph in an R-6 a year earlier. A month after the 1923 Pulitzer, Williams set the world absolute speed record at 266.6 mph, 30 mph faster than the eight-month-old record held by Lt. Maughan in an R-6.

1924 Pulitzer, Dayton, Ohio

Dayton, Ohio, home of the Army’s Wilbur Wright Field, planned and prepared for a week of aviation competition in 1924, expecting it to compare with St. Louis’ resounding success in 1923. It was not to be.

The Army and Navy had no funds for new racers in 1924, and the Navy decided not to compete in the Pulitzer. Two competitions that had enhanced the 1922 and ’23 Pulitzers would be missing from the 1924 race. There would be no Curtiss-Wright competition; no new Wrights were built, and the Wright racers of 1922 and ’23 had been lost in crashes (no pilot was seriously injured). Without the Navy, there would be no Army-Navy competition.

The Army had only 2-year-old racers, Verville R-3s

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and Curtiss R-6s, presaging a slow Pulitzer. To provide more speed in the Pulitzer, the Navy sold the Army the slower of its Curtiss R2C racers for $1. The Army dubbed it the R-8 (photo 8) and prepared it for the Pulitzer. It did not race. On September 2, its pilot, Lt. Alex Peterson, dived it down from a few thousand feet to start a speed test—a common practice at the time. An interplane strut broke, the wings folded, and the plane fell. Without a parachute, Lt. Peterson was thrown or jumped from the plane and was dead when rescuers reached him.

Photo 10: Lt. Cyrus Bettis, winner of the 1925 Pultizer, stands in his Curtiss R3C, to be congratulated by Major T.G. Langier, commander of Mitchel Field.

Photo 9: The crater left by Capt. Skeel’s R-6 when it buried itself in soft, marshy soil at the start of the 1924 Pulitzer. Its size can be appreciated by comparison to the man standing in it.

With loss of the R-8, the Army had no “new” racer, only a single R-3 and two R-6s, powered by 507-hp Curtiss D-12As2, and swinging Army-built laminated wood propellers. Metal propellers were available, but the Army insisted on wooden props. The insistence led to tragedy.

Before about 50,000 spectators, including his wife, Capt. Burt Skeel climbed several thousand feet in his R-6 and dived down, gathering speed, to start the 1924 Pulitzer. Leveling out to cross the start line, the R-6 exploded. The most likely explanation is that the laminated wooden propeller de-laminated, and the unbalanced propeller tore the engine apart and the upper wing from the fuselage. The fuselage, with Skeel belted in the pilot’s seat, buried itself under more than 10 feet of soft soil near the start line (photo 9).

The Pulitzer went on after the disaster. Flying before stunned spectators, Lt. Harry Mills, in the R-3 (photo 2), posted the best time. The R-3, the only monoplane to win a Pulitzer, was also the only winning racer to fly more slowly than the previous year’s winner, 217 mph compared to 244 mph.

In all, 70,000 spectators attended one of another part of Dayton’s three-day National Air Race, far

short of the expected 250,000. Businesses, having paid for improvements and expansion in expectation of big crowds, lost money, as did the city, which had laid new streetcar tracks and improved roads leading to the airport.

The National Aeronautic Association (NAA), which had succeeded the Aero Club of America and sanctioned aviation competitions and certified records, tried to put a good face on 1924. The front page of its newspaper carried a large red headline, “Dayton’s Big Race Meet Scores Unusual Success.”

There was no speed record “success.” On page 6, it reported Skeel’s death, “Only One Sad Note in Successful Air Meet.” The NAA’s upbeat reporting probably fooled no one.

1925 Pulitzer, Mitchel Field, Garden City,

New YorkThe NAA decided to host the 1925 Pulitzer and National Air Race at Mitchel Field, site of the first Pulitzer. That location, only 30 miles from NAA headquarters in New York City, would facilitate NAA officials supervising the races and fending off the disappointments that had plagued the 1924 contests.

A great improvement over 1924 was the Army and Navy’s pooling funds to purchase three new racers and an airframe for static testing from Curtiss. As a result, new R3C racers flew in the 1925 Pulitzer rather than now-3-year-old hacks (R-3s and R-6s) that had flown in 1924. The new R3Cs, closely resembling the successful R2Cs of 1923, had more powerful engines but were roughly finished compared to the silky-smooth finish of previous Curtiss racers. Evidently, neither Curtiss nor the military officers who accepted the racers thought the extra effort necessary to obtain a smooth finish worthwhile, reflecting the attitude, perhaps, that racing success was no longer important.

On the positive side, the R3C’s new 565-hp V-1400 engines promised more speed. Even more encouraging, one of the V-1400 engines had churned out 619 hp in a bench test, and the nominal 565-hp rating was probably conservative.

The Navy, which had contributed the bulk of the purchase money, took two R3Cs, planning to fly one in the Pulitzer and both in the 1925 Schneider. The Army would fly its single R3C in both contests.

In an intensive effort to publicize the National Air Race, formations of Army planes flew over New York City. Lts. James “Jimmy” Doolittle and Cyrus “Cy” Bettis staged spectacular aerobatic flights, flying, at times, between the tall buildings, and at night, airplanes illuminated with electric lights dropped fireworks. Everyone in the city must have looked up at one time or another, and anyone with curiosity would have learned about the National Air Race.

Mother Nature graced opening day, Thursday, October 8, with bright blue skies, light winds, and fleecy clouds. But she was fickle. High winds canceled all but the first event on Friday. A snowstorm with 72mph blustery winds canceled Saturday’s events. Some Saturday events, including the Pulitzer, were rescheduled for Monday, October 12, Columbus Day, a holiday that favored better attendance than a normal work day.

The Pulitzer was Dull and Disappointing.

Lt. Pearson’s and Capt. Skeel’s deaths in diving starts had prompted the Army and Navy to eliminate such starts in races and time trials. Taking off first in the Pulitzer, Navy Lt. “Al” Williams, winner of the 1923 Pulitzer, quickly throttled up to full power, flew to the border of the airfield, and then thundered back, crossing the start line just as Bettis took off.

Bettis took his time before pursuing Williams. He babied his engine, slowly increased his speed until satisfied with the engine’s performance, and crossed the start line after Williams was well out of sight.

Spectators had no sense that a race was being flown.

Instead, it looked like two planes flying separate time trials. On the positive side, the pilots flew the entire race at altitudes of 300 feet or less, providing spectators close-up views of speeding airplanes. Alert spectators saw Bettis gain a little on Williams on every lap, but could not tell whether Bettis was flying faster and faster or Williams was flying slower. The answer came when timers posted the lap times on large billboards: Williams slowed on each successive lap. (Critics postulated that Williams had abused his engine by testing it too quickly at full power. Maybe.) www.vintageaircraft.org

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zer Race Won At 249-Mile Speed; Disappoints Fliers.”

Attendance, too, was disappointing. Twenty-five thousand attended the Pulitzer. An additional 10,000 attended on other days, bringing the total to 35,000, far less than the NAA’s planned-for 500,000.

International Victories, the 1923 and ’25 Schneider Trophy Races for Seaplanes

Photo 11: Lt. James “Jimmy” Doolittle and Curtiss R3C-2 (seaplane version of Curtiss R3C), winners of 1925 Schneider.

Photo 12: The Curtiss CR-3 that won the 1923 Schneider Trophy Race for Seaplanes, Cowes, England. The other CR-3 took second. (Photo courtesy Glenn H. Curtiss Museum.)

Completing his four laps, and evidently thinking he had won, Williams zoomed up to a thousand or so feet and pirouetted in a small celebration. Bettis landed with no fanfare but certain of victory because he had seen the gap between Williams and him whittled down over the four laps (photo 12).

Bettis finished at 249 mph; Williams at 242. The winning speed was barely 5 mph faster than Williams’ in 1923, well below Bettis’ predicted 270-plus mph. Williams’ speed was 2 mph slower than he had flown at St. Louis in 1923.

Williams’ post-race behavior left a bad taste.

Learning that Bettis had flown faster, he remained in his racer, turning aside his sister’s and friends’ urgings to congratulate Bettis. Finally he perfunctorily shook Bettis’ hand. Williams reaped accolades and accomplishments in the 1930s and ’40s, but “poor sport” haunted him.

The New York Times’ headline was succinct: “Pulit58

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American high-speed aviation shone much brighter two weeks later, on October 26, 1925. The Navy’s two R3C-2s (the designation for the seaplane version of the R3C) and the Army’s single R3C-2 were in Baltimore to fly in the Schneider Trophy Race for seaplanes.

Army Lt. James “Jimmy” Doolittle, Bettis’ backup pilot in the Pulitzer, flew the seven laps of a triangular 50-km course above Chesapeake Bay at the record-breaking speed of 233 mph, besting British and Italian competitors (neither Navy R3C-2 finished the Schneider because of engine problems). The next day, Doolittle set the absolute seaplane speed record at 248 mph (photo 11).

Doolittle’s was the second U.S. victory in the Schneiders. In 1923, the Navy had taken its two Curtiss CR-2s3 from storage, mounted them on twin floats, and converted them to “CR-3” seaplanes. The CR-3s flew 177 and 173 mph in the 1923 Schneider at Cowes, England, finishing first and second, 20 mph faster than the third-place British racer. The faster CR-3 set a new absolute speed record for seaplanes a few days later.

Under Schneider rules, following its 1923 victory, the United States was to host the 1924 Schneider, but when no foreign entry was ready, the United States postponed the race to 1925, won by Doolittle. In accordance with the rules, the United States hosted the 1926 Schneider. The U.S. Navy entered the racer that Bettis and Doolittle had flown in 1925. It placed second to a new Italian monoplane racer, monoplanes won all subsequent Schneiders (1927, ’29, and ’31), and no American racer entered the last three Schneiders. British racers won the 1927, ’29, and ’31 Schneiders. In 1931, amid great celebration, Britain took permanent possession of the Schneider Trophy, ending the Schneider races.

Nevertheless, the head-to-head victories in the Schneider Trophy Races in 1923 and ’25 demonstrated that American racers were, at the time, superior to the best that Europe could offer. Those wins in international competition did more to enhance U.S. aviation’s worldwide prestige than victories and record speeds in the strictly domestic Pulitzers.

1926, the End of the Pulitzers

Having, reportedly, tired of the Pulitzers, and surely alarmed by decreasing attendance, rising costs, and disappointing speeds, NAA officials decided to let the Pulitzers die. The public announcement was made in a three-sentence article in the September 1, 1926, New York Times: “No Pulitzer Race This Year…. A principle reason was the lack of entrants.” Surely a “lack of entrants” was a sufficient reason.

The Pulitzers ended in no blaze of glory. They ended in fatigue.

Pulitzer Legacies

The Pulitzers excelled in racing’s primary objective: They increased speeds. Winning speeds increased 93 mph, from 156 to 249 mph, a 60 percent increase. Pulitzer racers set world-record closedcourse speeds for landplanes in 1922, ’23, and ’25, and absolute (straight-line) speed records in 1922 and ’23. Pulitzer racers mounted on floats won the 1923 and ’25 Schneider races and set world records for seaplanes both years.

Excellent performances in air races were expected to bring commercial success to racer builders. They did for Curtiss, which dominated the races. The Curtiss R-6 racers of 1922, with changes to accommodate weapons and other modifications for service use, were the template for Army biplane pursuits for a decade. In the United States, Curtiss engines led to the Allisons that powered many Army World War II pursuits. In Europe, they were influential in designs of British Rolls-Royce and Italian Fiat engines.

After 1909 or ’10, foreign buyers had largely shunned American aviation products in favor of superior European products. That changed in 1925, when a British company purchased Curtiss V-12 engines— an event sufficiently newsworthy to be reported in The New York Times. Mr. C.R. Fairey, owner of the company, cited the Pulitzers as a critical factor in the development of the engines. U.S. propellers, parachutes, and other aviation products also found European buyers.

Remembrances and Relative Degrees of Obscurity

The Pulitzers are, in my judgment, the most important event in U.S. aviation between the end of WWI and Lindbergh’s 1927 flight. They brought aviation to the attention of millions, established the United States as a producer of the highestperforming engines and airplanes, and opened up

markets. How does it happen that the Pulitzers now reside in obscurity?

The great air races of the first third of the 20th century, the Gordon Bennetts (1909-1920) and the Schneiders (1913-1931) and the Pulitzers (19201925), are more forgotten than remembered. The Schneiders are best treated by history. There are a dozen books about the Schneiders; one about the Gordon Bennetts; one (mine) about the Pulitzers.

Books about the Schneiders focus on the Supermarine racers and Rolls-Royce engines that won the 1927, ’29, and ’31 Schneiders and led to the RollsRoyce-powered Supermarine Spitfires of WWII. The Schneiders ended in the triumph of Britain winning the trophy after 13 international races.

Nothing triumphant accompanied the last Pulitzer, marked by disappointing speed, poor attendance, and no inkling that it would be the last Pulitzer. Triumph produces better histories.

Although there was none at the end, the Pulitzer races had their triumphs, and the people who made them possible merit remembering and appreciation.

In these articles and the book The Pulitzer Air Races: American Aviation and Speed Supremacy, 1920-1925, I hope to lift the Pulitzers, a bit, from obscurity.

Endnotes

1. I use “Army,” “Air Service,” and “USAS” interchangeably to refer to the 1920s Army organization that was the forerunner of the U.S. Army Air Forces and, ultimately, the United States Air Force.

2. Standard Army pursuits participated in the 1924 and ’25 Pulitzers, but stood no chance against the racers. I have ignored them in this article.

3. Originally built as CRs for the 1921 Pulitzer, these airplanes were upgraded and flown as CR-2s in the 1922 Pulitzer (see Part 1).

Michael Gough As a 5- or 6-year-old, Michael Gough was fascinated by a model of a Supermarine S-4 (or S-5 or S-6, who can remember so long ago) racer.

After retiring, he followed that interest and began researching and writing about airplane racing in the first 30 years of the 20th Century. In 2013, McFarland Publishing Company published his book, The Pulitzer Air Races: American Aviation and Speed Supremacy, 1920-1925.

He and his wife live in Bethesda, Maryland. www.vintageaircraft.org

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The Vintage Mechanic ROBERT G. LOCK

Evolution of aircraft instruments Part 4 This edition of the evolution of aircraft instruments will put together all the individual pieces into a complete instrument panel and finish with the invention of the autopilot. Elmer Sperry (1860-1930) had earned a worldwide reputation for his development of the gyrocompass, which had been installed on more than 30 American warships. The Sperry Gyroscope Company was formed in 1910 by Elmer Sperry to develop and manufacture his marine gyrostabilizer, gyrocompass, and high-intensity searchlight. The Senior Sperry had invented gyro stabilization for Navy ships, the first gyro pilot for ship steering, and the first full-gun, battery-fire control system. In fact, Sperry had more than 350 patents to his credit and is considered the father of modern navigational technology.

Lawrence Sperry (Elmer’s second son) took a liking to airplanes. He developed a lightweight adaptation of the gyroscope that could be coupled to control surfaces to maintain the flight axes of an aircraft. Sperry hit upon the idea that if the three flight axes of an aircraft—yaw, pitch, and roll—could be harnessed to the stability of a gyroscope, a control system might be developed. Yaw represented lateral deviation from the course heading, pitch was the up-and-down divergence from level flight, and roll referred to lengthwise rotation around the longitudinal axis of the airplane.

The aircraft might wander through the flight axes without pilot input on the controls, but Sperry reasoned that a spinning gyroscope could maintain an airplane’s original orientation. The youthful 60

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inventor put it all together by linking the control surfaces with three gyroscopes, allowing flight corrections to be introduced based on the angle of deviation between the flight direction and the original gyroscopic settings.

An experienced pilot with more than 4,000 hours of flight time, fully trained to fly by instruments alone, Lawrence Sperry had no hesitation in taking off in any weather conditions. His personal aircraft was always fully equipped with instrumentation of his own design. He usually took off from Marlboro Road in front of his house in Brooklyn, New York, and flew to the factory on Long Island in his special Messenger aircraft, as depicted in Figures 1 and 2.

them. The Messenger was designed in 1920 at McCook Field to provide the Army with a light message carrier to replace motorcycles serving that function and to do the job far more quickly. Powered by a novel three-cylinder 64-hp Lawrence engine built on Long Island, the Messenger was designed as a practical single-place airplane intended to fly out of unimproved fields and from country roads.

The Lawrence Sperry Aircraft Company of Farmingdale won a contract and ultimately built 42 Messengers. Lawrence Sperry founded his own aviation company on Long Island in 1917. Sperry lived in Garden City, and he kept the prototype Messenger for himself, using the road in front of his house as a runway.

Sperry used this plane as a demonstrator and, at one point, landed it on the plaza in front of the Capitol in Washington. In 1922, over Mitchell Field, Lawrence Sperry, using a Messenger, made the first experiments aimed at testing the feasibility of hooking on to an airship in flight. And in 1923 he entered a MesFigure 3 senger in the St. Louis Air Races, placing fourth. The This column on autopilot development should end Messenger was constructed entirely of wood, with the with advertising after the end of WWII. There were wings and tail fabric-covered. other manufacturers of autopilots, but Sperry was the first.

Figure 2

Figure 1

In the years following World War I, the U.S. Air Service designed a number of its own airplanes and then asked the aircraft industry to bid on building

On December 13, 1923, Sperry took off from Britain in his specially modified Messenger for a flight to Holland, undeterred by the fact that the Channel was fogbound. Somewhere en route, however, his luck ran out. Whether due to mechanical failure or inability to navigate over the Channel, he never reached his destination. The Sperry Messenger aircraft he had personally designed was eventually found in the water, and Sperry’s body was recovered on January 11, 1924.

Among Lawrence Sperry’s 23 patents are the automatic pilot, the turn-and-bank indicator, the seatpack parachute, and retractable landing gear. He was among the first to fly at night and regularly flew night www.vintageaircraft.org

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Figure 4 As they always say, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” as Figure 4 clearly illustrates. Reprinted from AIR NEWS and AIR TECH, September 1945.

Straight & Level continued from page 1

Figure 4

flights for the Army in 1916. He was one of the first to make parachute jumps for fun, and at the Dayton Air Show in 1918, he thrilled crowds with a bold parachute jump. One of his greatest achievements in the field of military aviation was the development of the aerial torpedo.

The 1930s saw the development of commercial autopilots, i.e., the Sperry autopilot and the Siemens autopilot. Elmer Sperry was a leading contributor, from his aircraft autopilots and auto stabilizers to the achievement of satisfactory flying qualities. He modified the gain according to the speed. In September 1947, a C-54 passed over the Atlantic with no human touching the controls from start until landing. The plane was controlled with Sperry’s A-12 autopilot.

When Dr. Sperry died in 1930, aviation lost one of its great contributors, who had successfully adapted his extraordinary technical genius to the great challenges of transportation. His attitude toward his achievements is best expressed in his own words: “Often after long periods of research, there have come great satisfactions, and life takes on a new and exalted aspect. This is living! These have been my times of reward!”

Figure 3 is copied from the September 1934 issue of WESTERN FLYING, a full-page advertisement from Sperry Gyroscope Company Inc., Brooklyn, New York. This was the beginning of autopilots for commercial aircraft.

Finally, there was jubilance when the war was over.

The men came home, some to continue in aviation and start flight schools, charter services, airlines, and many other aviation-associated careers. The picture in this advertisement says it all.

Figure 5 Reprinted from AIR NEWS and AIR TECH, September 1945.

of CEO of the EAA. Trust me, we could not have found an individual that is more qualified and committed to the EAA and the VAA mission. Jack’s leadership abilities are amazing, and I sincerely look forward to being able to continue working alongside him in our efforts to continuously improve the organization.

Your board of directors also approved the construction of the Tall Pines Pavilion.

This long ago planned capital project will be completed this coming spring. A large portion of the funding for this project has come to us from a huge number of very generous members. Although we are comfortable with the amount of funding currently available for this project, we plan to continue to accept donations to this much needed facility.

The Vintage board of directors also discussed the fact that we used to conduct what we referred to as the mid-winter board meeting each year. The board approved the concept of reinstating this meeting, and we will be taking this show on the road. It was also suggested and approved that this board meeting would be conducted in a town hall like setting where area members could come and participate in our discussions. This meeting will take place in Georgia on February 27. We are very pleased to also inform the membership that Jack Pelton has agreed to attend this exciting road show. More details are available in the formal announcement elsewhere in this magazine.

As always, please do us all the favor of inviting a friend to join the VAA, and help keep us the strong association we have all enjoyed for so many years.

New Members

TM

Alan Arrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Magnolia,TX Mark Belton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eugene,OR Linda Bowden. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Independence, IA Anthony Brooks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hartselle, AL Tim Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Woodruff, SC Bruno Camenzind. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steffisburg, Switzerland William Dier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Roseville, MN Timothy Doyle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elmhurst, IL Michael Harrington. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cedarburg, WI Garry Hendel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Toronto, ON Ralph Jackson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hillsboro, OH Jan Johnson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Portola Valley, CA Matthew Laseter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zephyrhills, FL Walker Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Searcy, AR Stephen Levine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cypress, TX Storm Miller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comox, BC Donna Perkins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sheridan, AR Dimmitt Perkins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sheridan, AR William Preston. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marietta, GA Mike Schwarzkopf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saint Peters, MO Jock Seelye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Everton, AR Dan Shumaker. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Livermore, CA Pete Tallarita. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Webster, MN Willard Van Wormer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leavenworth, KS Kyle White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lee’s Summit, MO Alan Wilson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Schaumburg, IL Michael Wotovitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lakewood, CO

Figure 5 62

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www.vintageaircraft.org

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Vintage Trader

Something to buy, sell, or trade?

Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words, 180 words maximum, with boldface lead-in on first line.

Classified Display Ads: One column wide (2.167 inches) by 1, 2, or 3 inches high at $20 per inch. Black and white only, and no frequency discounts.

Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (i.e., January 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per issue.

Classified ads are not accepted via phone. Payment must accompany order. Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail (classads@eaa.org) using credit card payment (all cards accepted). Include name on card, complete address, type of card, card number, and expiration date. Make checks payable to EAA. Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

AIRCRAFT

What Our Members 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 or a 4-by-6-inch, 300-dpi digital photo. A JPG from your 2.5-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fine. You can burn photos to a CD, or if you’re on a high-speed Internet connection, you can e-mail them along with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane. (If your e-mail program asks if you’d like to make the photos smaller, say no.)

For more information, you can also e-mail jbusha@eaa.org.

For sale: partially restored 1943 V-77 / AT19. Unflown and in covered storage for over 40 years. Photos upon request.

Price negotiable. Call 817-946-767 1, leave voice mail for “Jeff.”

WANTED

Fairchild 71 parts and drawings needed for Alaska Aviation Museum airworthy restoration. gdorman@me.com 907317-9382 Donate your factory built plane to leave a significant legacy! A charity that provides mission/medical services to remote areas of the world. 970-249-4341 www. samaritanaviation.com

VAA

Directory OFFICERS

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 stnes2009@live.com

Vice-President Dave Clark 635 Vestal Lane Plainfield, IN 46168 317-839-4500 davecpd@att.net

Treasurer Jerry Brown 4605 Hickory Wood Row Greenwood, IN 46143 317-422-9366 lbrown4906@aol.com

DIRECTORS Ron Alexander 118 Huff Daland Circle Griffin, GA 30223-6827 ronalexander@mindspring.com

Joe Norris 264 Old OR Rd. Oshkosh, WI 54902 pilotjoe@ntd.net 920-688-2977

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

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

Robert D. “Bob” Lumley 1265 South 124th St. Brookfield, WI 53005 262-782-2633 rlumley1@wi.rr.com

Susan Dusenbury 1374 Brook Cove Road Walnut Cove, NC 27052 336-591-3931 sr6sue@aol.com

ADVISORS John Hofmann 548 W James St Columbus, WI 53925 john@cubclub.org

Ray L. Johnson 347 South 500 East Marion, IN 46953 rayjohnson@indy.rr.com

Earl Nicholas 219 Woodland Rd Libertyville, IL 60048 eman46@gmail.com

DIRECTORS EMERITUS David Bennett antiquer@inreach.com

Charles W. Harris cwh@hvsu.com

Robert C. Brauer photopilot@aol.com

E.E. “Buck” Hilbert buck7ac@gmail.com

Gene Chase

Gene Morris genemorris@charter.net

Phil Coulson rcoulson516@cs.com Ronald C. Fritz itzfray@gmail.com

S.H. “Wes” Schmid shschmid@gmail.com John Turgyan jrturgyan4@aol.com

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