-::..:::::...- ...-...

" Z! I .
Restorer's
Corner
$y NIELAI\EJER .JR.
Once again we come to the end of a year with the
Christmas Season and holiday spirit marking the
termination of the old and the beginning ofthe new. It
is the time for reflection on our past achievements (or
lack thereof) and for looking ahead and making our
plans for the future. Your Antique/Classic Division has
achieved some noteworthy milestones this year,
although the ultimate goals are still in the future. Our
membership roster is at an all time high, with a 40%
growth over the past two years, but it is still only one
half of what we need to be able to provide you, the
members, with a larger magazine, as well as to provide
the additional member services desired. In addition, we
would like to expand our Division's part of the EAA
Convention at Oshkosh so that you can have even great-
er enjoyment and satisfaction when you attend. This
year marked an all time high both in the numbers of
antique and classic aircraft displayed and the numberof
volunteers who helped with Convention duties. How-
ever, we can accommodate more display aircraft at
Oshkosh,and we need many more convention volunteers
to provide the many convention services to which your
Division has committed itself.
The end of this year also marks the end ofan era for
your magazine, THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Two years
ago Director AI Kelch agreed to take on the editorship
ofTHE VINTAGE AIRPLANE for a period ofoneyear.
Since that time, AI and his wife, Lois, have been
.....

Si'O ,...tII........;,
completely and totally involved in its production. AI set
aside one complete room which contained only manu-
scripts, layouts and photographs for the publication. His
desk was typical of the proverbial editor, being piled
high with stories and photos. The first year slipped by,
and, since we were unable tofind a replacement, AI and
Lois agreed tocontinue. However, with this issue, AI and
Lois bid farewell to their literary endeavors. They have
asked to be relieved of their editorial duties, and the
Board of Directors has accep.ted their resignations. Of
course AI will continue to serve as a Director of the
Division On behalf of the Officers, Directors, Advisors
and each and every member ofthe EAA Antique/Classic
Division, we want to extend our thanks and sincere
appreciation to AI and Lois for the wonderful job which
they have done, and we look forward to seeing more of
AI's beautiful restorations on the flight line now that he
will have time to complete them.
Starting with the January 1978 issue, we shall wel-
come David Gustafson as the editor of THE VINTAGE
AI RPLANE. Dave has written many articles for SPORT
AVIATION, his latest being "Dave McKGntie's Home-
buiIt Great Lakes" in the October 1977 issue. We are
sure that you will continue to enjoy your magaLine
under Dave's editorship.
Your Division Officers, Directors and Advisors wish
to extend to you and your families their most sincere
best wishes for a very Merry Christmas, a most joyous
Holiday Season, and a very Happy New Year. May 1978
be the year that we are all able to enjoy the sight of
many newly restored rare birds again taking to the air .
Editor's Note:
The two years that Lois and I have spent on the
magaLine is an experience that we both value very
highly. The new friends, the insight to what goes on in
the Division allover the country,and the notesofappre-
clation for the end result, which is our only remunera-
tion, have been most rewarding. For those of you who
have been contributors, we thank you immensely and a
special thanks goes to Bob Elliott, Ed Williams and
Glenn Buffington, our three Associate Editors, who have
pulled us out of a hole so many times when the cup-
board was bare ofarticles.
Our new editor, Dave Gustafson, is going to notonly
need your support, but an increased effort is necessary,
since the magazine is increasing in pages steadily. The
most seriously needed support is thatofthe membership
themselves. We are including two membership blanks in
each issue, and the alarming thing is that for the last six
months we have received only two completed blanks a
month in return.
I reinstate my original plea, and that is for each
member to get one new member a year. We sincerely
need this to even continue as a Division. If you appre-
ciate the efforts that are being put forth by all your
officers, directors and editors, it is important that you
spend a little time to acquaint new members with our
efforts.
For those of you who have sent articles into the
magaLine, everything is catalogued and filed. As soon as
Lois and I have time, we will inventory the total and
each ofyou will receive a letter statingthe dispensation
ofyourarticle.
We both will continue to help in any way possible as
our complete dedication is to the drawing togetherofall
of the antique and classic restorers into one big happy
family. Great benefits can be had by all of us in
maintaining the I' ight"to fly in a free airspace.Organiza-
tion on this principal is a must, and EAA has done so
much for all of us in saving our rights and the future
battles wi ll be the bigger ones. Helpto join in the effort
and we will allprofit from it.
AI Kelch
ANTIQUE ANDCLASSIC
DIVISION
OFFICERS
PRESIDENT
J.R. NIELANDER,JR.
P.O.BOX 2464
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL33303
VICEPRESIDENT
JACKWINTHROP
RT. 1, BOX 111
ALLEN,TX75002
SECRETARY
RICHARDWAGNER
P.O.BOX 181
LYONS,WI 53148
TREASURER
E. E."BUCK"HILBERT
8102 LEECH RD.
UNION,IL60180
Editorial
Staff
Editor Assistant Editor
AI Kelch Lois Kelch
Associate Editor AssociateEditor
Robert G. Elliott Edward D.Williams
1227Oakwood Ave. 713 Eas tman Dr.
Daytona Beach. Fl orida32014 Mt. Prospect , Illinoi s60056
Associa te Editors will be identi fied in the table ofcon
tentson articles they send in and repeated on thearticle
if they have written i t. As<ociate Edi t orships wil l be
assigned to those who quali fy (5 arti cles in any ca lendar
year).
Directors
Willi am J.Ehlen EvanderM. Br ill
Route 8Box 506 Box 1525
Tampa, Florida 336 18 Lumberton, North Caroli na 28358
CI,lude L. Gray, Jr. AI Kelch
9635 Sylvia Avenue 7018W.Bonniwell Road
Northridge,Cali fornia 91324 Mequon, Wi sconsin53092
Dale A. Gustafson MorlOn W.Lester
7724 Shady Hi ll Drive Box 3747
Indianapolis, Indiana 46274 M,lItinsville, Virginia 241 12
W. Brad Thorn,lS, Jf. M.e."Kell y"Viets
301 Dodson Mill Road RR 1,Box 151
Pilot Mount ain, North Carolina 27041 Stilwell, Kansas 66085
Advisors
Ar thur R.Morgan Stan Gomoll
513North 91 st Street 1042 90th Lane, N.E.
Milwaukee,Wi sconsin 53226 Minneapoli s,Minnesot a55434
Roger J. Sherron Robert E. Kesel
446C Las Casi tas 455 Oakr idge Drive
Santa Rosa,California95401 Rochester,New York 146 17
Robert A. White
1207 FalconDrive
Orl ando, Florida32803
THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE is owned exclusively by Antique Classic Ai rcraft, I nc. and is publ ished monthly at
Hal es Corners, Wisconsin 53130. Secondjclass Postage paid at Hales Cor ners POSt Office, Hales Corners,Wisconsin
53130, and additional mailing offices. Membership rates for Antique Classic Aircra ft , Inc.at $14.00per 12mont h
period of which $10.00 is for the publication of THE VINTAGE AI RPLANE. Membership is open to all who are
interested inaviation.
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
ANTIQUE / CLASSIC
DIVISION
of
THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
P.O, Box 229Hales Corners, Wis, 53130
DECEMBER1977 VOLUME 5 NUMBER12
Restorel"sCorner ,..".,.. ....... ..,....,... . . . . . . .,. ...,...,., 1
Orville Hi ckman, Aircraft Designer . . .... ..,... .... . .." .. .. .." . .,. 3
TRANSCON. Ed Wil liams,... . .. . ... ...... . .... . ..... . ... ., . ,... ., 10
Vintage ......,.............,.........,.........,. 11
Carl Swanson, Restorer .. ...... . .. . . ...". ,...,.. . ... ... ..,...,' 13
Sopwith Camel .... ... .. .. ......... . .....,. .... .... ... .. ...... 14
Otto Graserand Hi sGnome Jenny . , .,. ,"',. .,"' ,..., . ,...,...., 21
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION MEMBERSHIP
oNONEAA MEMaER - $34,00. Incl udes one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic Division. 12
monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE; one year membership in the Experimental Aircraft Associa-
tion, 12 monthly issues ofSPORT AVIATION and separate membership cards.
oNON-EAA MEMBER - $20.00. Includes one year membership i n the EAA Antique/Classic Division , 12
monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE; c,ne year membership in the Experimental Aircraft Associa-
tion and separate membership cards.SPORT AVIATION nolincluded.
oEAA MEMBER - $14.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic Division, 12 monthly
issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE and membershi p card . (Applieant must be current EAA member and
must give EAA membershipnumber.
PICTURE BOX
ONTHE COVER (Back Cover)
To 01/ Merry Christmas
a good night to 0/1
Photo by Dick Bayley Photo by Dick Bay ley
Copyright 1977 AntiqueClassic Aircraft , Inc. All Rights Reserved.
2
__ o_-- -
(0hviQQe
AIRCRAfT
DESIGNER
By: AI Kelch, Editor
Orville Hickman, a farm boy from the area betwee n
Rodium and Steward, Kansas, hiked himself up by his
bootstraps, as the sayi ng went in those days, left th e
farm and accumulated quite a few laurels for himself in
the aircraft design field. He has been credited with de-
signing 16 airplanes. The ruts of his activity were not cut
deep enough to stand the trodding of time, and with a
year and a half effort, only the main airplanes that he
designed, became evident.
This story started with the presence of a Pheasant
airplane being located in the State of Wisconsin. Being
such a rare airplane, many of us were interested in ac-
quiring and restoring it. After many years of lying fal-
low, EAA acquired the airplane for its museum. It has
been restored to original condition, and stands as a hand-
some exhibit in the museum .
.AIRKING
PHEASANT
.STARLING
This event was my first contact with an airplane that
was designed by Orville Hi ckman, however, I was not
aware of who had designed it at that time. At a later
date whil e doing some hangar flying to pass the time on
a cold winter day, Bill Koelling, a visitor from Kansas,
spoke of the Air King, an airplane that was a complete
stranger to me. He mentioned havi ng a beautiful printed
brochure by the company that built the airplane, called
Nat ional Airways Systems, of Lomax, Illinois. He very
kindly offered the brochure to use in the magazine. A
letter that accompanied the brochure stated that Orvill e
Hick man had desi gned the airplane, and had also de-
signed the Pheasant and possibly the Star ling. My curi-
osi ty was great ly aroused and I started on a research
program. I wrote Bill Koelling, who offered to start the
prooject by locating Orvill e Hickman' s widow, and getting
what he could from her. His trip to see her proved suc-
cessful enough to get the proj ect started. Her memories
gave us an outline of his life to start from. Most of his
material had been lost, through negli gence, at the time
that Orvill e had died. She came up with three excellent
pictures - one each of the Air King, Ph easant, and Star-
ling. I then contacted Art Morgan, who spent some time
with George Hardie in his fabulous collection, and they
ca me up with many references in earl y magazines, from
which thi s art icle is composed.
The stor y, though fragment ary, gives an incite to one
of our earo ly designers, whose woroks Me (0 be appreci-
ated, but wer'e never' lucky enough to (r'avel on the har-d
road to success. The era through which Orville's life was
spent in design was a rough road, including the stock
market crash, and the complete coll apse of the aircraft
indu stry for a period of time.
Orville's next stop from the farm was to attend
Ottawa University in 1920, one of the few schools that
obviously had an aeronautical engineer ing course. After
leaving school, one of his first jobs was with Loening
Engineering, makers of the Loening Amphibian Air-
planes. This part of his career also is lost, and from what
we have, the assumption is he was an und er ling in the
Engineering Dept. Probab ly thi s was one of the first
br'icks to be mortared into the structure of his career,
forming a good foundation .
Hi s next job was in the Engineering Dept. of th e
Swallow Aircraft Company, which would be a second
solid brick in that foundation. He was now rubbing el-
bows with the original greats of aviation. In Matt y
Lair'd' s company, the likes of Ll oyd Stearman and
Walter Beech were to be found in the shop. Forever
seeki ng a way up the ladder, Orvill e answered an adver-
ti se ment run by a group of businessmen from Lomax,
Illinoi s who had formed a company cal led National Air-
ways Systems, and were putting together the engineering
team to design an airplane. The contact Mr . Hickman
had was a man named Tanner, whose principal business
was reported to be an iron works. It was through thi s
association that the Air King was bom. The fact that
Orville now had established a flare for design is evident
in some of the features, which he instigated on this air-
plane. It was fairly large airpl ane for its time, being a 33'
span, with a 26' length, 300 sq. f1. of wing area and a
empty weight of 1,095 Ibs., the useful load being 850
Ib s. these are quite hand some figures for this era, con-
side rin g that an OX 5 engine was pulling it around. The
lightness ca n be accounted for by Orville's use of Duralu-
min, which is stated in advertisements as "having the
strength of steel with only 1/3 the weight". The design of
th e tail gro up used Duralumin throughout, and the total
tail assem bly empennage weigh ed only 30 Ib s. He had
al ready graduated to using a trust tube fuselage with no
wires and was quite daring by using aluminum tube for
all str ut s and landing gear, the two being faired to shape
in streamline form by bal sa wood wrapped and doped
3

-=-=
.
AIR-KnNG
The Air King was advertised as a 4place, having a wide bulky fuselage, The lower wing was longer than the top,
giving it a odd look. With no stagger it probably had an upside down look to those who first saw it.
with cloth. It sported an oleo type landing gear, having
done away with the shock cord system, with the purpose
of defeating parasite drag. The tail skid had been
modernized to a leaf spring from wood and shock cord.
The result was an airplane that they counted as having
quick take-offs and fast climb and very slow landings,
The Air King progressed through sever'al models, the
next being a model 27, headlined as a "light commercial
four place biplane with an OX 5 engine, The publicity
states that r'Ccent addition to the light commercial plane
has been entered by National Airways System as the Air
King Four Place. An entirely new under carriage, but
one taking a step backwar' ds, was the split axle type with
shock cords, no doubt a price oriented substitute. For
the heavier loads they also deserted the aluminum tail
surfaces for those of tubular steel. The stagger was in-
creased to 16", increasing stability and the range of
vision. Better climb and lower landing speeds are touted
as features of this new model 27. They are now offering
the airplane with a Hisso or Wright Whirlwind at addi-
tional cost. Cockpits are deluxe, being finished with
leather and provided with full length windshields, a Hart-
ze ll propeller being provided with a spinner' fitting into
the str'eamlining of the engine, inspection doors having
been added for easy access to cdl"buretor/ and other
parts. The radiator was maintained as a honeycomb radi-
ator located just below the upper wing. The wings now
have graduated to spruce box spars with ash ribs, the ribs
being placed quite close in increment of 9" apart near the
fuselage . The airplane struts have dropped the aluminum
and gone to steel tube of a streamline form, and upda t-
ing to the N type strut eliminating all incidents bracing
wires. An innovation were small windows in the lower
wing to permit inspection of the aileron controls on nor-
mal preflight walk arounds. This plus a lever controlled
stabilizer trim adjustment were its principal improve-
ment features.
An interesting advancement was the use of push-pull
tubes for the ailerons as a safety measure. It was pointed
4
out that by this method the ailerons work independent
of each ot her, giving control should one aileron fail. It is
stated that control of the plane is possible with either
the right or the left hand pair of ai lerons working. The
upper and the lower wings are identical on each side and
are interchangable. Since there is no center se(:tion, the
lower wings are longer, due to the width of the fuselage.
It is interesting to note that the name of the plane
was obtained by a remark made by a casual observer
during intial trials, the remark was made to the test
pilot. On landing, the observer stated that "certainly the
grace with which the machine went through its maneu-
vers made it King of the Air". The name was reversed
and Air King was thus adapted.
The records are incomplete, but through the maga-
zines, we have traced the improvements in models of the
Air King through four stages, which we have illustrated
in th is artic le.
The next model that we could find was a Wright
Whirlwind model carrying a J5 and was called the big
brother of the Air King. The first of this model was built
up specially to take part in a Dole race as the "City of
Peoria". It was stated that this ship created a great inter-
est when flown to the Pacific Coast and supposedly
created somewhat of a sensation at the Oakland Airport.
As will be seen in the illustration, it was a large boxy
fuselage, with an extremely large vertical stabil iter and
rudder. The wing area is now 342 S4uJre feet, using the
N.A.C.A.M.-12 wing section. Natural progression of the
Air King was towards the completely enclosed passenger
plane, and how far the effort went is questionable. They
did, however, make at least a prototype which was ad-
vertised in late November of 1928 called "The Air King
MonoA". We were unable to locate any specifications on
it, but it ~ obvious from the picture that it is very simi-
lar to the Ryan and other airplanes of this era. It was
supposedly plushly upholstered, finished inside with the
luxuries of an automobile in both site and comfort, in-
cluding roll-up windows. They stress in their
advertisements that there is ample space for arms and
legs and easy access through four doors. It is not appar-
ent why the airplane failed or what happened to the
5
Star/bIg.4ircra It
The Starling was a very good looking design with sharp lines. The top half of fuselage was dark blue and the bottom a lightblue-green.
company . The history is not clear, but it is reported that
Orville moved on to Memphis, Missouri, where he de-
signed the Pheasant airplane.
The A.T.e. number for the airpl ane was 36, granted
in 1928. From the sli ck appearance of the Ph easa nt, it
is obvious that Orvi ll e's engineering instincts are more
sharpely honed in the classic lines of the air pl ane.
Unfortunately the airpl ane was born at the wrong
time, and enjoyed a very brief history.Through advert ise-
ments the name beca me well known, but there were very
few airpl anes to follow up the good pUblicity.
To quote U.S . Civil Aircraft "memory can sti ll recall
vividly how we were so thoroughly impressed with our
first good look at a Pheasant biplane. It s lines were
catchy and its performance was impressive in the numer-
ous flights that after noon. Pilots who were for tunate
enough to fly it that day were very enthusiasti c.
One of its dist inctive fea tures was placing the radiator
in the nose of the airpl ane in a neatl y designed cowl that
reminded one of the classic automobiles of the day ,
hav ing numerous louvers on the side to provide for
ample airflow out of the engine compartment. The land-
ing gear was a long legged affair giving the airplane quite
a dapper attitude when sitting on the ground. Eleven
Pheasants were built in 1927 by the Pheasa nt Company,
managed by Lee R. Briggs who also operated a local
airport and flying sc hool just ouside of Memphi s,
Missouri. Orville' s boss Lee Briggs was reported killed in
a test flight short ly thereafter.
In one of Bill Koellings in terviews with Orvi ll e's wife,
the following quote appears "Things were going pretty
good until the main financial backer, Lee Briggs was
killed in an air pl ane accident. He and his students fell
out of an airplane they were flying." Mrs. Hickman
stated the "they were a little careless and didn't fasten
their seat belts." The main financial backer and manager
gone, the company was obviously in dire trouble with no
means of continuing.
One of the di stribut ors of the Pheasant working in
Wi sco nsin, was Steve Wittman. Lee Briggs' attorney,
knowing Steve' s familiarity with the airplane, called on
him to help. (A phone ca ll to Steve revealed a littl e side
6
light on the story at this point. He stated that he went
down to give assistance, and was asked to take over the
company. It was obvious to him it was a hopeless situ-
ation, due to the lack of financing at this time. He of
fered his help, and evidently returned several times to
give the attorney a hand in the management of Mr.
Brigg's affairs.} Things went steadily down hill, and
when Steve Wittman was approached by a local business
group from Fond du Lac, who had plans for designing
and building a single place airplane of a new design,
Steve advised them they would be better off buying a
going company, due to th e ex tensive costs of design,
development and type certification. He suggested that
the Pheasant Aircraft Company might be available. Ne
gotiations were obviously completed, and the Pheasant
Aircraft Company of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin was
formed. Steve Wittman became part of that organi-
zation. (That is another story which Steve has promised
us for some future date of publication).
To quote Orville Hickman in a 1929 art icle in Modern
Mechanic . "at present there arc disadvantages to the
profession of aircraft design ing. Once the engineering is
complete and a ship is put int o product ion, most com
Orville and his race plane.
panies are too small to continue hiring an engineer,
which makes for frequent job changes in the pro-
fession". This is obviously a cue for his next change, and
to quote Mrs. Hickman "after Mr. Briggs was killed, the
company did not last too much longer, and Orville went
to Minneapolis where he stayed until after World War
11." There was little information available as to who the
Starling Aircraft Co. was started by, but we found some
information in a copy of Aviation for 1928. The article
stated the Starling Aircraft Comapny was the second
aircraft company in Minneapolis going into quantit y pro-
duction, the first one being the Mohawk Pinto. In going
through the specifications for the Starling Aircraft Com-
pany's new product it is obvious Orvill e was merely con-
tinuing his line of effort rather than depart from a good
thing.
In the pictures we have published, both airplanes
being taken from approximately the same angle, it is
obvious that the Starling is merely a continuation and
refi nement of the Pheasa nt same frontal radi ator is
used, the fuselage has lost a little of its heft, and things
look a little more streamlined. The tail surfaces have
changed shape and character and there were mi nor re-
finements, such as chrome plating on all struts and ex-
ternal fittings to add some "pizzaz" to th e new plane. A
full length head rest was added, which enhances the ap-
pearance somewhat, and a two tone blue color scheme
adapted for the fuselage, the lower section being light
blue, and the upper dark blue, with silver wings and tail.
Having seen the Pheasant, it is obvious that the Starling
is a handsome machine. Going through th e specifications
of the two airplanes, there were very minor inch differ-
ences and the same design feature of using two air foils is
used in both airplanes. The Starling and the Pheasant
both using the aero marine section for the lower wing,
which is intended to contribute to the fast takeoff and
slow landing, while a Clark Y modified section is used
for the upper wing to give it better maneuverability in
high er top speed. I somehow think their wires got
crossed in this statement, since the Clark Y section can
hardly be considered a good air foil for top speed. The
aeromarine being better suited for speed. Construction
of both pl anes arc very si mil ar and straight forward
throughout, using conventional truss ribs, I"outed spars,
Duralumin lead ing edges on the wings, strea mlined wires,
with int eriors completely uphol stered in leather, as was
E

AllR--lKllNG
Like the later Staggerwing Beach first glance
tells you the plane is flying upside down.
The lower long wing looks strange.
Mr. Hichman, is an old hand in the
aviation engineering game, having
designed some 76 successful ships.
Above is the last of his efforts, the
Starling Imperial monoplane, a five
place Wright Whirlwind cabin ship.
To the right is shown the beauti-
fully engineered Starling OX5 com -
/' ;Y
--
,/
/.'-
/.,.;--'

...............,..'...... .-""....'" .--



,---------- ,'" /'
/
. -"/
Mr. Hickman, is shown below with the
last of his works done for the Starling
Aircraft Co. of which he is also Vice-



AllR-lKllNG
mercial biplane. Air King Mono Four has a resemblance to the Ryan.
8
Below, Model 27 Air King.
U. S. Department of Com-
........-:-:-;:-;-
merce Approved Type
icate No. 29.
/'
" Right, Big brother of the Air-K'flfl,.rl-_
'. 27. Identical to the Air-King en-
tered in the Dole Race.
Orville's previous method of customer appeal.
The airplane was officially test flown around June 4,
1928 and Gene Shank, the test pilot, flew it from the
Wold Chamberlin Airport and stated that it took. off
after a comparatively short run and climbed at about
800 ft. in the first minute. It was put through its tests in
serious fashion to simulate the most severe conditions.
He states that the Starling was perfectly controllable at
all times, and was very light on the controls. It is stated
that Orville Hickman was pleased that the airplane met
his design goals.
The following figures were submitted after the test
flights, and are actually so close that they are applicable
for both the Pheasant and the Starling. Minor differences
were top speed stated at 104 for the Starli ng, and 100
for the Pheasant, with a cruise range of 500 miles for the
Pheasant, and 400 for the Starling. In the figures there
was evidence of very minor fine tuning, such as minimal
changes in incidents and the lowering of dihedral, which
would of course increase the speed. The Starling has
picked up about 100 Ibs. in gross weight, with payload
remaining about constant.
The company evidently stayed in business and pro-
gressed long enough to have made a prototype of a
closed cabin plane, again following a ve'ry similar pattern
to the one of Pheasant Aircraft. Starling Imperial mono-
plane was a 5 place airplane, with four in the cabin and
the pilot up front, using the Wright J 5 engine. There is
very little information on this airplane or what happened
to it, but Bill Koelling in his research states through a
Minneapolis source that the same test pilot, Gene Shank,
who ran the Robindale Airport, said "the plane was
evidently not very long lived and was wrecked before
much testing was done". He reported that it struck a
snow drift at the side of the runway, and was de-
molished.
Another bit of information was offered to Bill by
Ken Moxlow regarding the method that they took pro-
motional pictures of the monoplane. He stated that they
set the airplane up on oil drums to get an in flight
appearance, loaded the plane with people who are wav-
ing from the windows, then strategically placed a couple
of airplanes in front and ran them up static in order to
create a wind, so that the people looked like they were
flying.
It is very probable that the monoplane wreck, coupled
with the depression, put the Starling Aircraft Co. out of
business. There was also some report of hard luck in that
a hangar burned.
Evidently Orville had some racing tendancies to satis-
fy. During the time at Minneapolis he built and raced a

monoplane. We were lucky enough to come across one
picture of the plane, with Orville standing beside it
during construction. This venture too was ill fated in
that it was wrecked in Kentucky in a forced landing on
the way to a race.
From this point on, there was very little information
on Orville's activities, except that he was a civilian pilot
instructor at Wold Chamberl in, during World War II.
After the war, Orville moved back to his home territory
at Stafford, Kansas where he ran the airport and was
very active in the c.A.P.
It is sad that Orville's efforts, as so many others, were
thwarted by wrong timing and the Great Depression,
causing them to lose all identity and their rightful place
in the history of aviation, being deemed too unimpor-
tant to keep track of.
It is a shame that these small bits of history are lost,
as each thread helps to make up the whole cloth of
history. Do a good deed and save some history that is
around you then see that it gets into print for safe keeping.

9
By Ed Williams
(Associate Editor, EAA No. 57070)
77 3 Eastman Drive, Mt. Prosoect, III.
PhotosCourtesyofUnitedAirlines
This year the airline industry is celebrating the 50th
anniversary of transcontinental air service, and the dif-
ferences between coast-to-coast service 50 years ago and
today illustrates the great advances in aviation in that
time.
I t was on Sept. 1, 1927, that a Boeing 40A of Boeing
Air Transport and a Douglas M-4 of National Air Trans-
port linked up at Maywood Field, Chicago, giving trav-
elers the opportunity for the first time to go ocean-to-
ocean on scheduled airlines.
Boeing Air Transport (BAT) flew between San
Francisco and Chicago, starting on July 1, 1927 on Con-
tract Air Mail route 18. When National Air Transport
(NAT) got a Contract for Air Mail route 17 from the Post
Office De partment and began operating between
-<:
Lell: General Iliew of o c ~ p i l area showiny machine-
gun, right middle wing mounting to cabane strut, and
instrument installation. Compass, I wo mag switches,
watch, single needle airspeed and alt imeters are seen.
Fuel level gauge next 10 altimeter can also be seen.
Spade grip with firing button for machine gun is
readily discernible.
Below: 730 H.P. Rotary Clerget engine as cleaned up
and ready for installation on aircral"t. Engine was
received (rom England in original crating from 7979.
The engine log showed iust four hours running time
before being crated. Propeller shown is not of proper
siLe and dimension for this engine but is typical of
rotary engine propellers and \Vas set in place to check
out engine mOllements.
Vintag(
Mell alld The
For yedrs the stories were going around that there
was a fabled resto rer and builder of WW I planes in
Sycamore, III. who iud a bunch of elves working for him
turning out Sopwith Camels, Nieuports, Spads and the
like that just had to be made out of candy and ginger-
bread they were so wonderful. I never found time to
venture to his airport land and verify the rumor and was
not real sure he existed having never seen any of his
BLACK MARIA
(On the line and ready to fly)
Album
lfJgc
planes at the fly-ins I have attended over the years.
I finally met CARL SWANSON at Oshkosh '77 fly in,
he was for real, even if none of his works were on
display.
Di ck Stouffer suppli ed the pictorial proof which we
display in the article commencing on the following page.
AI Kelch
Above: Carl Swanson, in the cockpit, and Walt
Addems, go ova the Iflle points and techniques or
startillg rotary engines bdore they start the engine on
Black Maria for the !irst time since 7979.
Right: I nterior viC'w of cockpit showing instrumenta-
tion, mag switches, spade grip and firing hUllon lor
machine gun. Rudder Bar may be seen on the floor
forward of control column. Oil pereolaler may be sel!n
on left side 01 picture under the RPM
Below: Rear guarll'ring view of finished aircraft on Ihe
flight line. Aircraft ready lor delivery to Canadian Air
Museum.
Center section strut and upper wing panel
details. Wind driven air pump to pressurize
fuel tank on right strut. Oil tank above fuel
tank with filler nozzle built through oil tank
for fuel tank. Vickers machine gun mounted
on cowl top.
Carl Swanson, Sycamore, Illinois, completed the Billy
Bi shop N ieuport 17 in the Spring of 1964 for the Cana-
dian Air Museum of Ottawa, Canada. At the time, Mr.
Moul son expressed a desire for a Sopwith Triplane to be
flown at the Canadian Exposition and later to be housed
in the Canadian Museum. This was to be BLACK
MARIA for anoth er Canadian Ace, Co lli shaw.
Work was started on the Triplane and I first saw the
fuselage in an uncovered condition in December of 1964
where th e first pictures were taken of the construction
and other details. A rotary 130 HP. Clerget engine was
procured from England. The engine had been crated in
1919 and remained unopened until Carl opened it in his
shop. The original engine log showed that the engine had
been removed from an airframe and crated for later use.
Tota l time on the engine was about 4 hours actual run-
ning time. The engine was well protected in cosmoline
and was ind eed in good shape. Carl overhauled the
engine and it later ran on the first pull through of the
propeller.
The wings were constructed by October 1965, and I
aga in saw the airplane at this point. Details of construc-
tion were recorded with res pect to construction of the
wings and center section of the upper wing. I n Novem-
ber of 1965 the wings were trial rigged to the fuselage,
and pictures were taken. Measurements were made for
the rigging cables for flying and landing wires and drag
and anti-drag wires were fitted at this time.
In late February 1966, the Triplane was completed
and ready for the trial running of the engine. Walt Ad-
dams, a retired United Air Lines pilot with long exper i-
ence with engines, was present to help with the starting
of t he engine. Carl and Walt discussed clearances, toler-
ances, and techniques of running and operating the en-
gi ne. Walt gave the engine several t ugs and pulls whil e
the plane was sti ll in the hangar, listening for any un-
usual clanks, puffs, and hisses. Car l and Walt seemed
satisfied that t he engine was in good shape and I helped
wheel the airframe out to the flight line, where the tail
was tied to a good stout stake driven in the gcound. The
main gear and wheels were well chocked, and all was
ready for the first attempt. Carl climbed into the cockpit
while Walt and I primed the engine. I pulled the engi ne
through nine cylinders while Walt primed each cyli nder
wit h three sq ui rts from a pressure oi ler fi ll ed with fue l.
Walt pulled each intake valve open and squirted the fuel
inside. Wh en all was primed, Walt ca ll ed "Contact" and
gave one good pull through on the propeller, and the
engine start ed smoothly, acce lerat ing to about 1200
rpm, and ran as though there had not bee n 48 year-s
since the last t ime it had been run. My only regret in
getting pictures for posterity, was that I did not have a
tape recorder to record t he sounds of the engine starting
and procedures. The next time I wi ll have a comp lete set
of so und and pictures.
Above: Black Maria beiny chocked and blocked
prior to starting the engine for the first time
since 7979. Aircraft ready for delivery 10
Canadian Air Museum at this time.
Below: View of uncovered fuselage frame wor/?
in level attitude. Machine gun on floor will later
be installed on cowl.
13
SOPWITH CAMEL
By: Dick Stouffer LakeZurick, III.
Towards the end of the completion time for the Sop- struction and rebuilding of the aircraft, since it was
with Triplane, Carl received word from Mr. Moulson, of wanted also for the Exposition in Canada and would be
the Canadian Air Museum, that they had an original Sop- flown at that time.
with Camel 2F.1 that they would like to have restored I first saw the Camel in April of 1966. Carl had
for flight and in original configuration. Apparently the already stripped the fabric from the fuselage, and had
Camel had flown last in the late Forties or early Fifties, made an assessment of the work to be done. I wanted to
and was in sorry shape. I n addition, the cockpit area had photograph th is Camel in the condition that it was when
been butchered and was not right. I n the early Spring of received by Carl. Many of the joints would have to be
1966, a RAF C-130 Hercules arrived at Rockford airport reglued. Much of the wood needed to be replaced. The
to pick up the Triplane, and to leave the Camel for Carl cockpit area had to be rebuilt. The original small cockpit
to work on. He was given just one year for the recon- and characteristic hump had been enlarged, and the
Below: Side viewofRestoredSopwith Camel, 2F.7 byCar! Swanson. Allthepicturesin these2 articles
were takenbyDick Stouffertheauthorof thisarticle.
Above: This is agood view oftheconditionof
the aircraft as it was received by Carl. In this
picture Car! is beginning the disassembly ofthe
engine. There were a number of parts missing
from the engine and these had to be searched
outandreplaced.
hump removed. Many of the engine parts were missing
and would have to be replaced. Magnetos needed to be
reworked. Trailing edges of the wings looked like pieces
of moist spaghetti .
Fortunately the main structural members of the air-
frame were reusable. The wing spars were good. The
longerons in the fuselage were good, but fairing strips
and stringers and some formers would have to be re-
placed. Some wing ribs needed new cap strips and some
needed to be rebuilt. Trailing edges were also reworked.
The RNAS 2F.1 had a floation system in the aft
fuselage area behind the fuel tank. This was removed and
the plumbing for the inflation of the floatation bags was
also removed in the renovation of the airframe. There
!ii, .;"0+" was much work to be done.
Above: Fuselage of aircraftwith fabric stripped
offas Carl received the plane from the Cana-
dian Air Museum. This shows the condition of
the airframe prior to any restoration work
beingaccomplished on theplane. Car! Swanson
is seen here starting to disassemble the rotary
engine in his shop for rebuilding and majoring.
Engine was received with many missing parts
andpushrods.
By the end of November 1966, Carl had the fuselage
put back together with new wood where needed. I twas
true and ready for covering. The landing gear had lost its
rickety configuration and stood ready to do a proper job
of supporting the aircraft on the ground. The hump was
back in place and new plywood was installed on the
cockpit turtledeck forward. The airframe had a new fire-
wall. All in all, Carl had done a very remarkable job with
the restoration. A real taut ship was ready to go.
On February 3, 1967 the wings were on the covered
fuselage and rigged, but uncovered. Essentially the job
was complete except for covering and final rigging.
One thing of note about this 2F.1 is the fact that it is
a break apart fuselage at a station just aft of the cockpit.
There are four external turnbuckles and the ends of the
fuselage longerons are keyed to fit together at this point.
There are quick release fasteners to the rudder and eleva-
tor cables at this point such that the fuselage could be
readily broken down for shipboard storage or just as
quickly assembled for flight. There were special tie down
rings in the aft fuselage to aid in tie down on shipboard.
The fully restored and as factory built Camel was
Above: Close up of fuel control section of Above: General wide angle view ofentire air-
cockpit shoWing throttle, mixture, and fuel craft as it existed during this stage ofthe res-
valves as restored to factory specifications by toration process for the Canadian AirMuseum.
Car! Swanson for the Canadian Air Museum. The fuselage is leveled for rigging ofthe wings
Old andnew woodcan beseenherein fuselage that will be removed for covering before final
members and new plywood former and string- assemblyandchecking.
ersonoutsideoffuselage.
Below: Sopwith Camel 2F.7 restoration. Close up view ofrestored cockpit with original instruments
installed as from the factory. Spadegrip stick.and firing button for machinegunareseenas wellas thetwo
magneto switches on the lower leftportion ofthe instrument panel. The large silver like tube behindthe
spadegrip is theairintakemanifold for theengine.
15
Above: View along the right side of fuselage
just aft of roundel. External elevator horns and
the locking turnbuckle for the fuse/age juncture
can be seen here. The characteristic Hump is
seen well in this view.
ready by early May 1967. Almost one year to the day
that Carl received the delapidated airframe. I t was a very
business like machine that was rolled from the hangar
for pictures on that great day. Carl seemed justifiably
proud of his work, and well he might be. Certainly the
standards he had set for his previous projects had been
well carried out in this restoration. More than words call
tell, the pictures must and do tell the complete story of
all the hard work that was put into this airframe.
When last I visted Carl many years back, he had a
welded fuselage for a Fokker Triplane and was now in
the midst of a Sopwith Pup for a client, according to a
recent letter. Surely, there will be many more tales to
tell from the work shop at Sycamore Airport, Sycamore,

Above: Close up of engine section, center section and
landing gear details of completed project.
Upper Right: Restoration work by Carl Swanson, on
WW I Sop with Camel, 2F.7 for Canadian Air Mu-
seum. View shows ammunition cartridge pipe for
spent cartridges. Original motor mounts und truss.
This is the original condition as received by Carl
Swanson.
Lower Right: View along upper cowl of completed
restoration showing Vick ers machine gun and ring
and bead sight. Cables from upper Lewis gun enter
the cockpit and go to charging and firing handle lo-
cated under the crash pad of the cockpit.
Calendar of Events
January 23 - 29, '1978 - Sun 'N Fun Fly-In,
Lakeland, Florida
Oshkosh '78 - Jul y 29 - August 5, 1978 -
Oshkosh, Wi sconsin
Here's your chance, climb into this cockpit of a Boeing 40A at San Francisco check your two passengers and mail, give her the gun and
climb for your life to clear the mountains then make all the stops Oakland, Sacramento, Reno, Elk 0, Salt Lake City, Rock Springs,
Cheyenne, North Platte, Omaha, Des Moines, Iowa City and Chicago.lt's 22 hours later how do you feel?
(Continued from page 70)
Chicago and Hadley Field, New Brunswick, N.]., two
months later, transcontinental air service was born.
The service left a lot to be desired, however. The
combined routes of BAT and NAT served 17 cities, with
1 5 intermediate stops. The segment between San
Francisco and Chicago included scheduled stops at Oak-
land, Sacramento, Reno, Elko, Salt Lake City, Rock
Springs, Cheyenne, North Platte, Omaha, Des Moines
and Iowa City. The segment between Chicago and New
Brunswick included intermediate stops at Bryan (OH),
Cleveland and Bellefonte (PA).
The 105-mile-an-hour Boeing 40A -- a new airplane --
flew the 1,846 miles in the western segment in 22 hours,
including time on the ground. The 110-mile an hour
Douglas M-4 -- a modified mail plane used by Post Office
Department pilots and then sold to NAT -- took 10)12
hours to fly the 731-mile eastern segment.
Airline passengers today who fly at 550 miles-an-hour
at 43,000 feet might find it difficult to put themselves in
the role of passengers in September, 1927. The pioneer
passengers were adventurous and hardy and flew in noisy
and uncomfortab Ie byplanes.
The modern air passenger flying coast to coast in a
Boeing 747, McDonnell Douglas DC-10 or Lockheed
L-1011 makes the trip in less than five hours nonstop
and has all the comforts found in a fine restaurant.
Passengers in 1927 flew in the cramp led two-person
cabin of the Boeing 40A and were treated to a box
lunch of one cheese sandwich, two ham sandwiches,
some shoestring potatoes and a thermos of coffee. The
lone passenger in the M-4 front cargo compartment got
nothing. In both cases, the pilot flew in an open cockpit
behind the passengers.
Because this was still the era when the mail and not
the passenger was ki ng, the passenger in the M-4 had to
sit atop mail bags and had to wear a flying suit over his
or her clothes and then wear a parachute. And the NAT
passenger bought his ticket with the understanding that
mail had priority and that he would go only if there was
room after the mail was put aboard.
The early airliners flew at 8,000 to 10,000 feet and
were at the mercy of the weather, which sometimes
made their passengers quite ill, indeed.
To top it off, the 1927 coast-to-coast passenger paid
$404 for his one-way ticket, compared to about half
that for the one-way, coach fare charged by the airlines
today. And the present cost can be as low as less than
one-third the 1927 fare if a discount fare is used.
But the 1927 air passenger had one important conso-
lation for the rigors of his travels. He still made the
coast-to-coast trip in 40 hours less than the fastest trans-
continental train of that time.
To operate its CAM No. 18, BAT put its new plane
into service. The Boeing 40A cost $24,500 from the
17
factory, and BAT used 24 of the 25 40As built. Manu-
factured by the Boeing Airplane Co. at Seattle, it was
given Approved Type Certificate No.2 and went into
service July 1, 1927.
The 40A was powered by a Pratt & Whitney Wasp A,
with 420 horsepower, giving it a top speed of 128 miles
an hour and a range of 560 miles. It carried a payload of
1,600 pounds, including the two passengers. The 40A
had a wingspan of 44'2" and a length of 33'3". It was a
fine plane, not only for that day but also for some years
to come, when it was given greater power and evolved
into the 40B-4, with a four-passenger cabin.
In 1928, the same BAT planes were given Pratt &
Whitney Hornet A engines, with 525 horsepower and
were re-designated Boeing 40B aircraft. Except for the
engines, the As and Bs were the same aircraft, and the
40Bs were given ATC No. 27 to reflect the modification.
The Boeing 40B-4, with ATC No. 183, was a follow-
on design and came off the assembly line in 1929.
The Douglas M-4 used by NAT was not a first line
aircraft. Built by the Douglas Co. of Santa Monica, it
originally came off the assembly line as the Army 0-2
and was re-manufactured as the M-2, costing $12,900. It
was further modified as the M-3 for Post Office Depart-
ment air mail operations. The department used the M-3
as a replacement for its aging, war surplus de Havilland
DH-4s.
NAT bought 18 of these surplus M-3 airplanes and,
after some modifications of its own, the company re-
designated them M-4s, although they actually were still
M-3s. (New M-4s ATC No.6 came off the assembly line
in mid-1927.) The plane was powered with a Liberty 12
engine, with 400 horsepower. It had a wingspan of 39'8"
and a length of 29'3". It carried a payload of 1,000
pounds at a top speed of 142 miles an hour at a maxi-
mum range of 700 miles.
Although NAT continued to operate the M-4 with the
Liberty engine, it did modify one of its 18 planes by
installing a 525 horse power Pratt & Whitney Hornet
engine, but it was not for regular scheduled purposes.
The fact that the continent was spanned from coast
to coast by air service drew little public attention in
1927. In a way, Col. Charles A. Lindbergh's historic New
York - Paris flight a few months before was partially re-
sponsible for this lack of interest because newpapers
were full of stories about other fliers trying to duplicate
or even exceed Lindbergh's three-month-old ach ieve-
men!..
Above: Douglas M-4, note the long tail pipe.
Passenger had to sit on top of the mail in hole
iust in front of pilots cockpit.
Below: This is eVidently a M-3 reworked to
M-4. Exhaust is on the right and dig that neat
silencer on the end. Would like to be in his
---
-- - ---...
-. -
--
~
-
-.-
~
, /
"
/
"-
"'
" /
~
Now the passenger is recognized as important and taken in out of the cold, but he still is the small part of the
load. Pilots are dispensible so they sit out in the cold rain and snow. The one door heading to the two seats
that are sandwiched between the two mail compartments is readily visable.
The New York Times of Sept. 2, 1927, did devote appeared over the Atlantic-shortly before his flight.
almost a column on page three to the transcontinental Sharing news accounts with Givon and 'Corbu were
linking, but headline news was dominated by more glam- two pairs of Canadian fliers who took off Sept. 1,1927,
orous aviation events. on "city to city" adventure. CA. (Duke) Schiller and
The lead story reported the ill-fated departure from Phil Wood left from Windsor. Ont., for Windsor, Eng"
Le Bourget Field of the Leon Givon and Pierre Corbu, but their Stinson monoplane was forced down in fog at St.
which marked the second French attempt to fly from Johns, Que. Lt. William V. Medcalf and Capt. Terrence
Paris to New York. The first by Nungesser and Coli who Tully, bound from London, Ont., to London, Eng., ran
posed a threat to Lindbergh's "first", until they dis- into a similiar problem and landed in a field ncar
Boeing 40 Models under construction. Strange Two passengers could be carried in snug cabin,
plane in center unidentified. more often mailbags rode in the seats.
'"
Caribou, Maine.
Three earlier flights also commanded considerable
space that day.
Concern was mounting for the safety of British pilots
Capt. Leslie Hamilton and Col. Frederick F. Minchin,
who had departed from London on August 31, 1927,
bound for Newfoundland and Ottawa. They had hoped
to make the first eastward crossing of the Atlantic. Also
in the Fokker monoplane "St. Raphael" was their 62-
year old financial backer, Princess Lowenstein-Wertheim,
who was the first woman to start a transatlantic flight.
The "St. Raphael" was last seen passing over Galway
Bay on the Irish coast.
"The Pride of Detroit," piloted by Americans Edward
F. Schlee and William S. Brock, was luckier, having just
landed at Constantinople. The stop in the Turkish city
came just five days aftel- they had left Newfoundland
bent on setting an around the wOI-ld speed record.
But Paul Redfern was less fortunate, as he had been
missing for seven days since taking off from Brunswick,
Ga., bound nonstop for Brazi I.
I n fact, for the next three weeks, the New York
Times devoted page one space to the various exploits of
these and other transoceanic aviators. And the coverage
continued through the fall as this phase of aviation con-
tinued to be of considerable interest to its readers.
The optimism of the young airline industry was re-
peated in NAT's company publication, the "Bulletin
Board ". Commenting on passenger service, in 1927 the
magaLine reported that:
Passenger service must have picl?ed up, the
Model 40 B-4 had two cabins and 4 seats.
"The recol-d sett les any question concerning the
reception of air passenge r service by the pUblic.
"A very sat isfactory phase of the passenger
business so far is that the people using the service,
instead of being celebrities seeki ng publicit y, have
a very definit e object in view in making trips by
air, namely, the saving of time."
Air freight also was seen to have a bri ght fut ure by
the company. Commenting in the same issu e, th e "Bulle-
tin Board" noted th at :
" Prospects for an exte nsive air express system
throughout the United States are exceed in gly
bright. .. judging from the heavy demand for sched-
ul es and rates."
The first express fli ght fro m Chicago to New York
carr ied the fo ll owing it ems li sted by the magazine:
"Radio loud speakers; clothes for New York ers,
tailored in Chi cago; Paris garte rs; news reels; X-ray
reflectors; machinery parts; advertising copy, cut s
and electrotypes; specialti es; railroad ti ckets; trade
journals and candi es.
In 1934, BAT and NAT combined with two other
pioneer airline compani es -- Varney Airlines and Pacific
Air Transport -- to form United Airlines, which se t last
month asid e to com memora te the 50 yea rs of transcon-
Loadingthe front mailcompartment, notethe
neat foldout platformthemanisstandingon.
tinental air service begu n by two of its predecessor com-
panies. Passe nge rs flyi ng coast to coast during the first
week in SePtember received a spec ial cer ti ficate attest ing
to their flight o n the 50th anni ve rsa ry of the inaugural.
As today, there were various views about aviat ion in
1 927, as ill ustra ted by two separa te events.
A speaker at an Eastern business conference in 1927,
predicted that "getting the airpl ane out of the country
and into th e cit y will bring success to commercial avi-
at ion in the countr y. " But on that same day, a resident
of a Boston suburb signed an in surance poli cy protecting
him aga in st falling airp lanes.
Loading the rear mail compartment, which is large enough
for the man to walk around in. Boeing built 24 ofthese
The40 B-4 wasalarge ship, theman working
40-A planes in six months to serve on the western route
on thelowerwinghadtoreach.
startingJuly 7, 7927.
"TT"GRASER
al?d
HisGl?()IVejel?l?Y
By: Ray Cocking
3468 Barnaby Ct.
Riverside, Calif. 92504
In 1910 Otto Graser of Riverside Calif, a native, and
the younger of two brothers, suddenly found himself the
first aviator in Riverside at the ripe old age of 15.
It all began Otto says, as a resuli of laziness. He and
his older brother, both in their teens, would work in
their father's field shocking hay and daydreaming and we
didn't like work.
But on one such occasion his brother came up with
an idea "LETS BUI LD A FLYING MACHINE".
That was all it took. After that the two arose early
every morning to work on a glider before going to
school.
When the craft was finished the brothers along with
their friends, carried it to the top of a hill just back of
where the Community hospital now stands.
Only one problem faced th is pioneer band --- - Who
was to have the honor of being the pilot?
Otto recalls they were all scared -- so just to be smart,
I volunteered --- I took a run planning to stop at the
edge, but I was over the edge before I knew it.
But it flew, I didn't know a thing about controlling it,
and was wondering if I'd get down in one piece.
But after flying about an eighth of a mile to the
corner of Fourteenth and Brockton, it hit and broke into
pieces.
It was several years later before Otto became actively
Otto Graser's Gnome jenny about 7928. Note upper wing has been clipped. Hangar has now
Otto Graser and wife HaLel, 7926.
been built on Arlinton Airport.
21
interested in flying. I n the meantime he served in the
army during World War I, and it was there that he fell in
love with the sound of a Gnome Rotary engine and
learned all the secrets of the famous rotary engines from
the French mechanics.
Later, after the war he worked for the Curtiss Air-
plane company at March Field (now March Air Force
Base) and by watch ing the pilots he learned to fl y h im-
self. This led to his buying a new surplus J .N.4D. but
Otto didn't think an OX-5 was going to give him the
performance he wanted --- so the logical engine was a
165 H.P. Gnome rotary. So back to Clarence Prest, (a
close friend, and owner of Prest Aviation Co.) where he
had purchased the Jenny, and bought a new 165 H. P.
Gnome to hang in the nose.
Around 1926 the finished product was ready to fly -
fly - and fly it did! she was a real performer.
With the lighter engine and more than double the
H.P. it lifted at a terrific rate, it would take off in about
two lengths of the airplane and had a top speed near one
hundred M.P.H.
One day three Consolidated P.T.-1 's dove down be-
side him to see what they were looking at and it was all
they could do to keep up with the Jenny.
Some years later in the middle of the depression Otto
sold the Gnome Jenny to Joe Mays, who flew it from
the Shandin Hills Airport in San Bernardino, Calif. for
about a year, then it was sold to Paul Mantz, the famous
movie stunt man for many years.
Paul Mantz, (chuckling) told me a couple ot years
before he died that he used the Gnome Jenny for one day
in a movie sequence and charged them $1500.00. When
they complained about the price Paul said "Well I've
been paying hangar rent for X number ot years".
hank Clark also flew it in a movie during the time
Otto still owned it.
To the best of my knowledge the wings were used on
a Curtiss pusher of Mantz's and the fuselage was stored
in the back lot till it was completely ruined.
I was fortunate enough to have a ride in the Gnome
Jenny and that rotary was the smoothest engine I've ever
sat behind. And to those who have never heard a Gnome
howling in the sky have just never lived ----I'll never for-
get that airplane and the beautiful sound.
Otto Graser still lives here in Riverside where he has
spent almost all of his life, and is st ill going strong at 83
years young.
Above: Paul Mantz's pusher at Burbank about Below: Gnome 765 H.P. installation in Curtis
7940, note the clipped upper wing, identical to j N4D, note narrow and higher landing gear, also
upper wing of Gnome jenny. prop driven air pump.
22