Professional Documents
Culture Documents
By Brad Thornas
Last month we advised you of the change of
command in the Division, quoted our PURPOSE we
intend to follow, described the objectives of our
monthly publication The VINTAGE AIRPLANE, and in-
troduced your new President. The vacated position of
Secretary of the Division has been filled by a highly
qualified Director, M. C. "Kelly" Viets, who assumed
his new duties following our Board meeting of Feb-
ruary 9, 1979.
Each of your Officers, Directors, and Advisors has
been active in the EM AIRSPACE ACTION program.
Personal contacts were made to the Presidents and
newsletter editors of the many type clubs, stressing
the importance of voicing each members' written
comments to the FM and his Congressmen. The re-
sponse was overwhelming. Meetings were called for
ANY person interested in the effects of the FAA
proposals - and not only pilots, but fixed base
operators, their line crews, mechanics, corporate re-
lated personnel , and interested United States Con-
gressmen attended, were given the facts and then re-
quested to take individual action relative to the issue.
Newsletter editors forwarded emergency bulletins or
published the facts in a current issue. Every member
of EAA, the Antique/Classic Division, the International
Aerobatic Club, the Warbirds of America, and mem-
bers of chapters who mayor may not belong to EAA
or one of its Divisions has been contacted and pro-
vided with the facts in the FAA proposals. WE have
responded. The WE concept has been exploited, dis-
cussed, cursed , and used as a means for personal
gain , whether it be a political move to " gather in the
flock", or just an honest person giving credit to
another where due. This time WE have joined in one
common cause to voice our individual opinions about
the bureaucratic move of a politically appointed indi-
vidual who seeks to satisfy the request of his
superiors in "the interest of safety" and is apparently
unwilling to listen to the thousands of constituents af-
fected by his proposals. Regardless of the final out-
come, our hats are off to you - an individual who
believes in a cause and then supports the issue with
personal contact in writing - not by a petition of
signatures - but by individual expressions of the
thoughts and feelings within yourself.
WE are a unique group of professionals, airline
pilots, mechanics, wives, industrialists, accountants,
painters, lawyers, politicians, doctors, writers , photo-
graphers, teen-agers, retirees and enthusiasts who
have a common interest in aviation whether he or she
be a restorer, builder, owner, pilot, admirer, or mod-
eller. WE are those who look forward to the after-
noon, the weekend of fun and pleasure when the
pilot brings out his Antique, Classic, Aerobatic, or
Warbird machine and then admires it, flies it, works
on it, polishes it, or just sits in it and smiles for the
photographers or answers the questions of interested
parties.
WE are that unique group of volunteers who be-
lieve in a cause, support it wholeheartedly, and then
gather collectively to enjoy and pursue our aviation
hobbies at local fly-ins, regional meets, and the
" daddy-of-them-all ", the annual International Con-
vention . You may be only an antique buff, who con-
siders a homebuilder "way-out"; or a sheet metal
radical who considers fabric and dope just something
to put a finger through; or a gyro flyer who adores
only the feel of total freedom in the air movement;
or the Pitts driver who considers straight and level fly-
ing "for the birds"; or the Warbird pilot who feels
the tremendous power surge " that nothing can com-
pare with" . WE are all this, and more.
In order to function effectively, WE must re-
member that as active members of the Antique/
Classic Division of EAA, WE are a segment of the knit-
ted group of persons who collectively represent sport
aviation in its entirety. Our individual interest, admit-
tedly, may favor a special interest group of the parent
EM; but without the assistance, expertise, staff, and
services provided by EAA, we could not survive,
much less publish our outstanding magazine The
VI NTAGE AIRPLANE.
The great success experienced each year during
the International Convention at Oshkosh is due en-
tirely to our volunteers who offer themselves each
year for hours of work (and fun) to promote and
make ou r part of the Convention a strong attraction.
WE are a part of EAA, yes, even a part of the War-
birds and the lAC, and the combined effort of these
special interest groups jells not only in the annual
Convention, but unites to support our outstanding
museum and effectively promote sport aviation.
Let us not forget that the fellowship of the aviation
enthusiast, the builder, the pilot, the restorer, the
mechanic is the WE that brings to each of us the en-
joyment , pleasures, and satisfaction that we pursue
and desire.
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Editorial
Staff
Publisher
Paul H. Poberezny
(ChrisSorensen Photo) Editor
Bill Barber rolls his 450 hp Stearman in an air show. D d G t f Ph D
aVI usa son, ..
Associate Editors: H. Glenn Buffington, Edward D. Williams, Byron
(Fred) Fredericksen
Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Associate Editorships are assigned
to those writers who submit five or more articles which are published in THE VINTAGE AIR-
PLANE during the current year. Associates receive a bound volume of THE VINTAGE AIR-
PLANE and a free one-year membership in the Division for their effort s. POLICY-Opinions
expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting
rest sentirely with the contributor.
Directors
PRESIDENT
Claude L. Gray,Jr. AI Kelch
9635 SylviaAvenue 66 W. 622 N.Madison Avenue
W. BRAD THOMAS, JR.
301 DODSON MILL ROAD
Northridge, CA 91324 Cedarburg,WI 53092
2131349"1338 414/377-5886 Home
PILOTMOUNTAIN, NC27041
919/368-2875 Home Dale A. Gustafson MortonW. Lester
919/368-2291 Office 7724 Shady Hill Drive P.O.Box 3747
Indianapolis, IN46274 Martinsville, VA 24112
VICEPRESIDENT
3171293-4430 703/632-4839'Home
JACK C. WINTHROP
7031638-8783 Office
ROUTE 1, BOX111 Richard H. Wagner
ALLEN, TX 75002 P.O. Box 181 ArthurR. Morgan
2141727-5649' Lyons, WI 53148 3744 North 51st Blvd.
4141763-2017 Home Milwaukee,WI 53216
SECRETARY
414/763-9588 Office 414/442-3631
M.C. "KELLY" VIETS
7745 W. 183RD ST. John S. Copeland Dan Neuman
Advisors
9' Joanne Drive 1521Berne Circle West
Robert E. Kesel
STILWELL, KS 66085
Westborough, MA01581 Minneapoli s, MN55421
913/681-2303 Home 455Oakridge Drive
617/36&-7245 61 21571 0893
913/681-2622 Office Rochester, NY14617
Ronald Fritz John R. Turgyan
71 61342-3170 Home
1989' Wilson, NW 1530 Kuser Road
TREASURER 716/325 2000, Ext.
Grand Rapids, MI 49504 Trenton, NJ 08619'
E. E. "BUCK" HILBERT 23250/23320 Office
61 61453-7525 609/585- 2747
P.O. BOX 145
Stan Gomoll Gene Morri s Robert A. Whit e
UNION, IL 60180 1042 90th Lane, NE 27 Chandelle Drive P.O. Box 704
815/923-4205
Minneapolis,MN55434 Hampshire, IL 60140 Zellwood, FL 32798
61 217841172 31216833199 ' 305/88&-3180
THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is .:>wned exclusively by EAA Antique/Classic Division. Inc.,
and is published monthly at Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130. class Postage paid at Hales
Corners Posl Office, Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130, and additional mailing offices. Membership
rates for EMAnt ique/Classic Division, Inc., are $14.00 per 12 month period of which $10,00 is for the
publicalion ofTHE VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Membershipis open toall who are interested in avi at ion.
OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
DIVISION INC.
ofTHE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 229, Hales Corners, WI 53130
CopyrightO1979 EAAAntique/Classic Division,Inc., All Rights Reserved.
APRIL 1979 VOLUME 7 NUMBER 4
The Cover ...Travel Air 4000 bel onging to Gene Morrisof Hampshire, Ill inois.
(Photo byTed Koston) ,
TABLE OFCONTENTS
Straightand Level by Brad Thomas .................................... 2
Oshkosh, HalfThe Fun Is GettingThere by Karyl B. Herman ........,... 4
The Rebuilding OfA Grand Champion Classic by Elymus "AI"Nase...... 10
Vintage Album . ........ . . ....... .. . . . ..... . ........ . . . . ... . .. . .. . .. .. 14
The Longest Flight 1931 byJohn L. Polando ................... . .... . ... 16
Borden'sAeroplane Posters From The 1930's by Lionel Salisbury ......... 18
Model Your FavoriteAntique! byBob Whittier ......................... 20
Completed Antique/ Classic Aircraft.,.........,........................ 23
Antique/ ClassicAircraft UnderRestoration ... ... ...... . .... .. . ...... . . 23
Letters To The Editor ................................................. 24
Calendarof Events ...................................................25
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION MEMBERSHIP
oNON-EAA MEMBER - $20.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/
Classic Division, 12 monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE; one year memo
bership in the Experimental Aircraft Association and separate membership cards.
SPORT AVIATION magazine notincluded.
oEAA MEMBER - $14.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic
Division, 12 monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE AND MEMBERSHIP CARD.
(Applicant must becurrent EAA memberand must give EAA membership number. )
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