STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

by Espie "Butch" Joyce

First I would like to welcome all of
our members attending EAA Oshkosh
'89. This year should prove exciting
for all . During this week of excite-
ment, take a break and come sit on our
porch at Antique/Classic Headquar-
ters.
We are moving our operation and
parking area farther to the south on
Wittman Field to accommodate more
Antique and Classic aircraft . We will
have a tram system beginning this year
for all of you who find this walk dif-
ficult. There is also a tour transport
system that travels throughout the An-
tique/Classic area available at no
charge. Board the tram at Antique/
Classich Headquarters, hoewever, be-
cause once the tour starts no one can
get on or off the wagon. On your tour
there will be a guide to describe differ-
ent aircraft and to answer questions
you may have.
Unoccupied lawn chairs continue to
be a problem in our area. They block
access to the taxiways and can be
blown into aircraft by propwash. We
are providing starage areas this year
for you to store your chairs when you
aren't using them. Please take advan-
tage of this service. Also, a label with
your name on it on your chair would
be a good idea.
A number of Antique/Classic mem-
bers use our area of the Convention
grounds and have a good time doing
so . There also are a good number of
people who use our area and are not
members of the division. If you should
meet one of our non-members this
year, welcome them to our area, then
ask them to join up. I'm sure that a
number of these people have just never
thought of joining our group.
It's just incredible to me that our en-
tire area of the Convention is run
strictly by volunteer labor. This year,
why not go to our volunteer booth and
offer to help for a couple hours with
some duty? This small amount of effort
will make you feel more a part of
your Convention. It also will help you
to have more of an appreciation of the
scope of the Oshkosh operation.
Be sure to check by the Antique/
Classic headquarters to see what is
happening daily. I'll be in and out of
headquarters. Please stop by and let me
know your feelings and thoughts for
the improvement of your Division.
Also please enjoy yourself in the An-
tique/Classic area.
More than any time in aviation we
all need to stand with one united voice.
Let's all pull together in one direction
for the good of aviation. Join us and
have it all!
2 AUGUST 1989
PUBLICATION STAFF
PUBLISHER
Tom Poberezny
ViCE-PRESIDENT
MARKETING &COMMUNICATIONS
DickMan
EDITOR
MarkPhelps
ART DIRECTOR
MikeDrucks
ADVERnSING
MaryJones
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
NormanPetersen DickCavin
FEAruRE WRITERS
GeorgeA Hardie,Jr. DennisParks
EDITORIAl. ASSISTANT
IsabelleWiske
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS
JimKoepnlck CartSchuppel
JeffIsom
EAAANTIQUE/CLASSIC
DIVISION, INC.
OFFICERS
President VicePresident
Esple"Butch"Joyce ArthurR.Morgan
Box46B 3744North51stBlvd.
Madison,NC27025 Milwaukee,WI53216
919/427-0216 414/442-3631
Secretary Treasurer
GeorgeS. York E.E. "Buck"Hilbert
181SlobodaAve. P.O.Box424
Mansfield,OH44906 Union,IL60180
419/529-4378 815/923-4591
DIRECTORS
RobertC."Bob"Brauer JohnS. Copeland
9345S.Hoyne 9JoonneDrive
Chicago,IL60620 Westborough,MA01581
312/779-2105 508/366-7245
PhilipCoulson WilliamA Eickhoff
28415SpringbrookDr. 41515thAve., N.E.
Lawton,MI49065 st.Petersburg,FL33704
616/624-6490 813/823-2339
ChartesHarris StanGomoll
3933SouthPearia 104290thLane,NE
P.O.Box904038 Minneapolis,MN55434
Tulsa,OK74105 6121784-1172
9181742-7311
RobertD. "Bob"Lumley
DaleA Gustafson N104W20387
7724ShadyHillDrive WillowCreekRd.
Indianapolis,IN46278 Colgate,WI53107
317/293-4430 414/255-6832
GeneMorris StevenC.Nesse
115CSteveCourt,R.R. 2 2009HighlandAve.
Roonoke,TX76262 AlbertLea,MN56007
817/491-9110 507/373-1674
DanielNeuman s.H. OWes"Schmid
1521BerneCircleW. 2359LefeberAvenue
Minneapolis,MN55421 Wauwatosa,WI53213
612/571-0893 4141771-1545
DIRECTOR EMERITUS
s.J.Winman
7200S.E. 85th Lane
Ocala,FL 32672
904/245-7768
ADVISORS
JohnBerendt GeneChase
7645EchoPointRd. 2159CarltonRd.
ConnonFalls,MN55009 Oshkosh,WI54903
507/263-2414 4141231-5002
GeorgeDaubner JohnA Fogerty
2448 Lough Lane RR2,Box70
Hartford,WI 53027 Roberts,WI54023
4141673-5885 715/425-2455
PeterHawks JeannieHIli
SkyWayBid.. Suite204 P.O.Box32B
655SkyWay .
Harvard,IL60033
SonCarlosAirport 815/943-7205
SonCarlos,CA94070
415/591-7191
AUGUST1989 Vol. 17, No" 8
Copyright OJ 1989bythe EAAAntique/Classic Division,Inc. All rights reserved.
Contents
2 StraightandLevel/byEspie"Butch"Joyce
4 VintageLiterature/byDennisParks
6 VintageSeaplanes/byNormPetersen
8 TullahomawardBound/byRonFerrara
12 "Recubbery"ProjectlbyNormPetersen
18 Cat'sMeow/byMarkPhelps
25 PassItToBuck/byE.E. "Buck"Hilbert
26 ADayInTheLife/
byRampTrampChamp(withEdlockHart)
Page12
28 APairofParasols/byNormPetersen
30 ChapterChronicIes/byBobBrauer
31 VintageTrader
35 MysteryPlane/byGeorgeHardie,Jr.
Page18
FRONT COVER ...Before its re-coverjob,NormPetersen's 90-hpJ-3
Cubon1320 EDO floots atBrennand Seaplane Base, Oshkosh,Wis-
consin.Former Editor ofVINTAGE AIRPLANE GeneChase is the pilot
in the front seat giving a liquid lift to EAA Air Adventure Museum
Director, Carl SWickley. Even with theoldGradeA cottonfabric,the
Cublooks like a winnerinthisawardwinning photobyBrettClowes
ofAustralia.
REAR COVER...After its fuselagewasre-covered andbeforebeing
fined with its summer floots, Norm's Cubgetssometimeonwheels
amongthespringdandelionsonEAA's PioneerAirport,Oshkosh,Wis-
consin. (Photo byJeffIsom)
ThewordsEMULTlIAlIGHT,FLYWITH TIiE FIRSTTEAM, SPORTAVIATION,an:llhelogosofEXPERIMENTALAIRCRAFTASSOCIATION INC., EMINTERNA
TIONAL CONVENTION, EM ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION INC., INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB INC., WARBIRDS OF AMERICA INC. ,are registered
1rademaI1<s. TIiE EM SKY SHOPPE and logos of lhe EM AVIATION FOUNDATION INC. and EM ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION are IrademaI1<s of lhe above
associationsandtheiruse by8Irf per.;on oIher111M lhe above associaIions ~ strictlyprohilited.
EdIo!iaI Policy:Readers are encouraged III stbTitsIOries and ~ Policy opiOOns expressed narticles are solely !hose of lhe au1hor.l. Responsilility for
8tJJJ8Cfnreporti1g rests entieIywith lhe cooIJiJuIOr.Material should bemill: Ecfu,TheVINTAGE AIRPLANE, WIIImM RegionalAiIport, 3000 Poberezny Rd.,
0sIi<0sh, WI 54903-3086. Ptoone: 414142&4800.
TheVINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN0091-1>9(3) ispublishedandownedexclJsivelybyEMAntiqUE>Oassic Division, Inc.oflhe E>qJerimentai AicIaftAssociation,Inc. and
ispublished monIhly at Wittman Regional AiIport, 3000 Poberezny Rd., Oshkosh,WI 54903-3086.SecordClass Pootage paid at 0sIi<0sh, WI 54901 and 00di00naI
mailing oIIices. ~ ratesfor EMArO;jueICIassicDivision,i1c. we$18.00for cooentEMrreniJersfor 12 monIh periodof..tlich$12.00 islorlhepoJlficaIion
ofTheVINTAGE AIRPLANE. Merrbership isopen10all wOO are interestedin aviation.
ADVERT1SfNG - Amque/CIassic Division does nof ~ orerdorse8Irf productoffered It"too.q1 our advertising. We invite oonstrucIive criticism and 'M3Icome
8Irf reportofi"/eriormerchMdiseobIainedthrotqlouradvertising sothaicooecIive measu-es can beIaken.
POSTMASTER:Send addresschanges10 EMAmque/CIassic Division, Inc.,WIIImM RegionalAiIport, Oshkosh, WI 549J3.3086.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE3
The July installment of "Vintage
Literature" examined the development
of streamlining during the decade of
the Great Depression, when the
streamlined form took hold of the
imagination of the public as well as
aircraft and auto engineers. Streamlin-
ing lessons were also being applied to
homebuilt aircraft and how-to-do-it ar-
ticles appeared in the likes of Modern
Mechanix and Popular Flying.
During 1931, Modern Mechanix
published an article by F.E. Nagle on
streamlining called "Streamline Your
Lightplane for Greater Speed." This
article was later reprinted in the 1932
Flying Manual. The author stated that
if the methods of airplane streamlining
described in his article were followed,
lightplane owners could increase the
speed of their airplanes from 25 to 30
percent. The following are extracts
from Nagle's article:
"Let us suppose that you have a
Iightplane which will hit around 80
mph full throttle. How would you like
to have this same ship make the same
speed at three-quarters throttle?
There's no magic about it - it's sim-
ply a question of streamlining which
can be done easily and cheaply.
"For streamlining materials, you
will need some thick dope - real thick
stuff, just like fish glue - some scrim
or cheesecloth, pine sawdust, some
regular airplane fabric, also some reg-
ular dope and lacquer or paint. The
total cost of these materials for a plane
in the Pietenpol Air Camper class is
around $12.00.
"Now for the actual job. If you think
it's a tough one, dismiss your fears.
Anyone who can pat some sawdust
around a piece of tubing can do a good
job. Mix sawdust with some of your
thick dope until the mixture feels like
raw hamburger. Coat the part you are
streamlining with some thick dope and
let it stand a few minutes. Then apply
the sawdust mixture around the part
by ()ennis Vaf"ks
and pat it into streamline shape.
"Now get your scissors and cut a
piece of cheesecloth to fit around the
job, and dope it well into the sawdust
part. Let this dry, and later on dope it
until it is smooth.
"If your ship is a big plane or a low-
wing job, the wing caQ be streamlined
into the fuselage quite easily. For this
job, you will need some thick cheese-
cloth and several strips of muslin about
two inches wide. The cheesecloth is
cut to fit and doped on the edges to the
fuselage and wing so that it assumes a
good streamline form. Then dope on
the muslin strips so the cheesecloth
will assume a curved shape.
"After this has been fixed to your
satisfaction, cut out some airplane fab-
ric and cover the whole thing."
The author went on to state that the
same process could be used to stream-
line the fin and stabilizer into the fuse-
lage. His illustrations also showed how
the landing gear could be done. He also
discussed bold heads, wheel pants and
struts.
To prove his point of the benefits,
he stated that a Moth so treated in-
creased its top speed to 130 mph from
93 mph. The 1932 Flying Manual has
recently been reprinted by the EAA
A viation Foundation and is available
as stock No. 21-14170 for $5 .90 in-
cluding shipping and handling.
In the January 1938 issue of Popular
A viation there appeared an article by
Raoul J. Hoffman entitled "Streamline
Your Airplane." During the later half
of the 1930s, Hoffman had written a
series of articles on aircraft design with
the amateur builder in mind. Hoffman
was a chief engineer for the Laird
Company and also designed the second
version of the Arup flying-wing air-
craft . In his series of articles for Popu-
lar A viation he did two on streamlin-
ing. The following is extracted from
his January 1938 article which covered
ways of fairing over struts and gear
legs:
"Streamlining or fairing is defined as
a ways and means of reducing parasite
resistance of parts exposed to the flow
of air. This reduction will naturally be
effected by having the molecules of the
air passing the object without changing
their relative position, without creating
turbulency.
"This smooth flow of air may be ac-
complished by shaping he whole unit
for minimum resistance by adding ma-
terial to form the best shape, by adding
guide vanes, by reducing interference
between parts, by concealing or re-
tracting the unit within the structure
without lowering the safety factor of
the airplane.
"For the sake of simplicity, the air
flow is assumed to be two-dimensional
though it is always three-dimensional.
It may be undisturbed (Iaminary) or
disturbed (turbulent) depending on the
object and speed.
"Fig. 1 shows the air passing a
sphere, a streamline body and an air-
Streamlining techniques for the IIghtplane
by F.E. Nagle from the 1932 FLYING MANUAL
published by MODERN MECHANIX.
4 AUGUST 1989
foil. By close investigation it is noticed
that for a certain distance (Fig. 2) the
air clings to the surface of the airfoil,
this layer of still air, about 111 ,000 of
an inch thick at average speed , is called
the boundary layer; at a point (the
transition point) it breaks away from
the surface and becomes turbulent.
"Both airflows, the laminary and the
turbulent are a function of size and
speed. The surface texture will affect
the resistance only if the grain of the
finish is larger than the thickness of
the boundary layer.
"The diagram in Fig. 3 shows that
at low speed the resistance is the same,
but that at high speed the difference is
so great that only a highly polished sur-
face will give satisfactory results.
From this may be deducted that all en-
tering sections (nose) of an
aerodynamic unit shall be made as
smooth as possible so as to have the
turbulency delayed as far as practical,
for the closer the transition point is to
the trailing edge the lower will be the
drag.
"Turbulency may be decreased or
increased by placing two objects close
to each other by the effect called 'inter-
ference.' Two wires or cables placed
one after another reduce the total resis-
tance; filling the space (Fig. 4) with a
wood strip, the resistance is reduced to
113 of the resistance of a single wire.
"The wing-fuselage interference
may be explained by the interference
of the effecti ve air flow; a small fillet
will reduce the created turbulency. The
interference of the lift strut is kept low
by having he width of the strut smaller
than the distance to the surface of the
wing; very often a braced narrow strut,
a jury strut must be used to conform to
this design; the same basic idea is em-
ployed in the construction of the can-
tilever landing gear shown in Fig. 5.
"Figure 6 shows the general outlines
of a streamline body, of a strut and of
an airfoil. The airfoil is of interest, for
the distance over the upper surface is
nearly the same as past the lower sur-
face. Thus both airstreams will meet at
the same instant causing a minimum of
turbulency. "
Hoffman continued in the article to
discuss streamli ning struts, using
vanes to guide airflow, and cowling
engines for reduced drag . He ends the
piece with a reference to the flying-
wing concept.
"With utmost streamlining the final
outcome will be an all-wing airplane
consisting of one airfoil, landing gear
retracted, engine concealed and every
space within utilized for payload."
I::J
CI:

.JURY
3TAUT
>

,-
11

WIN Iii
______--_=---
4
"
"

Streamline Your Airplane by Raoul J. Hoffman 1932 FLYING MANUAL published by MODERN MECHANIX.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
VINTAGE SEAPLANES
by Norm Petersen --------------
BEECHCRAFT SD17S AND SD17R SEAPLANES
Take-off Time, Fully Loaded, 18 Seconds, into a 10 mph Wind
A 1938 Beech company brochure, recently donated to the EM library, features these two photos of a Beechcraft SD17S on Edo
Wa-4665 floats. The aircraft shown Is NC18566, SIN 168, pawered with P Be W R-985 'Wasp" rated at 400hp. Note seaplane ventral fin
below tall and seaplane grommets visible on lower trailing edges of the wings. The SD17R model featured the Wright R-975 engine
of 420hp.
6 AUGUST 1989
From the EM Archives comes this photo of a Bellanca CH-300 (sometimes referred to as the Bowlegged Bellanca) powered with a
982 cu. in. Packard diesel engine of 225 hp. The floats are Edo K-4650. Note the streamlined struts, the oval cabin window and the
wind-driven generator on the belly. Do any of the readers have any knowledge as to the identity of the two people in the photo?
Somewhere In Alabama, U. S. Army Air Forces Uaison Pilot Training, WW-II (25th Uaison Squadron, Fifth Air Force, Sgt. Pilot). This photo
of a Stinson L-5 mounted on Edo 44-2425 floats was sent in by Bob O'Hara of Box 1438, Georgetown, CA 95634.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
Down the One - a loak at some of the participants.
TULLAHOMAWARD
BOUND
For a few days in the fall of the year, C-17R. The army variant, the UC43
the citizens of the small town of Tul- Traveler, and the Navy, GB 1, 2 were
byRonFerrara
lahoma, Tennessee are treated to an so successful that the military not only
airborne symphony of sight and sound. purchased almost 400 but comman-
The sweet song of large round engines
with famous names such as Wright,
Jacobs and Pratt & Whitney echo
through the sleepy hills and valleys.
These great engines power the equally
famous aircraft designed and built by
one Walter Beech. Travel Airs and
Staggerwings crowd the sky as they
once did in times gone by. The occasion
is the annual Staggerwingffravel Air
International convention sponsored by
the National Staggerwing Club and the
Staggerwing Museum Foundation, Inc.
This is a time for special folks in
special airplanes to come together to
continue the tradition begun so many
years ago. Most fly Staggerwings, the
8 AUGUST 1989
airplane that began life in 1932 and
earned a place in aviation history for
outstanding performance and good
looks. Designed by Ted WeBs to the
specifications of Walter Beech, the
Staggerwing was produced in a
number of variants culminating in the
five place G-17 s in the years after
World War II. Due largely to its out-
standing performance, the aircraft
found a ready market both as a civilian
and a military workhorse. Indeed the
performance was such that in 1936
Louise Thaden was able to capture the
Bendix Trophy race in a factory stock
deered a number of civilian planes dur-
ing the war. While early versions were
powered by Jacobs and Wright en-
gines, the design standardized as the
now famous DI7s with the Pratt &
Whitney Wasp Junior or 985 cubic
inch engine. This engine produced 450
take-off horsepower and its power and
reliability were two reasons why more
than 470 examples of this version were
produced. With performance figures of
202 mph cruising speed, 212 mph
maximum speed and a service ceiling
in excess of 20,000 feet, it surpassed
virtually all production aircraft of its
time and today rivals many aircraft
produced almost a half a century later.
A classic profile.
~ h e ~ ~ h
,,' J ~
fSeec
cAircraj! COmpmtlJ
WICHITA. KANSAS
N911 to Baton Rouge, a G17S be-
longing to Red Holloway.
N44G - a G17S owned by John
Parish of Tullahoma, TN.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
-- .. --- - -
Interior of the Travel Air 6000-wicker seats and wooden wheels.
Using the Armstrong starter on a 1929
E4000 Travel Air.
On display In the museum a Travel Air 6000.
10 AUGUST 1989
A quick goodbye until next year - ready
to head back to Wisconsin with the 1929
Travel Air E4000.
Tullahoma is the Mecca for
Staggerwing and Travel Air
aficionados due to the Staggerwing
Museum . Located on the airport, the
museum is the repository for all the
remaining paperwork on both the
Staggerwing and the various Travel
Air models produced during Walter
Beech's career. Donated by Olive Ann
Beech and the Beechcraft Corporation,
this is probably the most complete col-
lection of factory information in exis-
tence for any antique aircraft. In addi-
tion there are some absolutely beautiful
examples of both types, one Stagger-
wing in the process of total restoration,
and inumerable photographs, letters
and newspaper articles having to do
with the planes and the people who flew
them. Also on display is the Beech
factory design prototype of the retrac-
tion system used on the Staggerwing.
1988' s pilgrimage of proud owners
took place during the week of October
12-17 and consisted of 29 Stagger-
wings and one Travel Air 4000, one D 18
and a number of non-Beech designs
such as Howard DGAI5s , Spartan
Executives, a Waco and a Culver
Cadet. The aircraft came from the four
comers of the land and the ages of the
participants ranged from three-year-old
Jeanna York (a passenger in Grandpa's
D 17S) to an elderly couple making a
leisurely tour of the southeast.
The aircraft were all spotless and it
was painfully obvious to even the most
casual observer that these folks bor-
dered on the fanatical in their pride and
devotion to these planes. No flyspeck
of grease or oil was permitted to mar
the hand rubbed finishes before or after
a flight, and these planes did fly. It
was also more than obvious that touch-
ing by a stranger was not to be looked
upon kindly. This was a close-knit
group of very dedicated people who
shared a special bond centering on an
airplane born more than 50 years ago.
These pilots , as pilots everywhere
are prone to do, were not averse to
bragging about their personal planes
and their extra special performance.
One particular story stands out as told
by a pilot from a large southwestern
state. "As we passed that King Air
climbing through 10,000 feet we heard
him call center and tell them he had
just been overtaken and passed by a
biplane. Center informed him that it
was probably just another Beech
Staggerwing inbound to Tullahoma."
Whether or not the story is exactly ac-
curate (would a Staggerwing pilot
stretch the truth?) , no one can debate
the outstanding performance or the
classic good looks of this design .
For anyone interested in Travel Airs
or Staggerwings, the museum at Tul-
lahoma is a must visit. It operates
under the auspices of the Staggerwing
Club and is open on weekends except
during December, January and Feb-
ruary. There is a nominal $2.00 admis-
sion charge. Weekday visits and spec-
ial tours can be arranged with a phone
call to Mattie Shultz at 615/455-3594
or 615/455-1974. The museum can
also be contacted by writing in care of
The Staggerwing Museum, Post Office
Box 556, Tullahoma, Tennessee
37388. The museum and its resources
can be valuable to any serious restora-
tion effort because of the documents,
including original blueprints, kept there.
The facility and the personnel involved
are dedicated to the preservation of these
classic aircraft and if the attendance at
this year' s event is any indication, they
are tremendously successful.
A D17S undergoing a complete restoration at the Staggerwlng museum.
Three-year-old Jeanna York ready to board grandpa's D17S for the trip back to
Columbiana, Ohio.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
"RECUBBERY"
PROJECT
byNorm Petersen
In which a PiperJ-3
sheds its Grade A cotton
feathersfor a new coat
ofyellowfabric.
The time was early November,
1987, and I had stopped at Brennand
Aviation in Neenah, Wisconsin to fly
my J-3 Cub home after annual inspec-
tion (Home, being a small grass land-
ing strip called Earl's International,
some four miles away) .
Jack Wojahn, Brennand's chief
mechanic for over 25 years , gave me
some good news and some bad news .
On the good news, he said, "We man-
aged to save the old girl for another
year." On the bad news, he said , "IfI
were you , I would start accumulating
some recovering supplies. The Grade
A on your fuselage is on its last time
around - don't make any quick pull-
ups!"
A"SmilingJack" WojahngetsreadytolightupthetorchandrebuildthefuselageofN10XS.Old"birdcage"waslaterremovedand
a newonewelded in its place."ItneededHelpl"
12 AUGUST 1989
!
il!
!!'
.!!'
If.

c
Some 55 hours were flown on the
Cub during the year including skis ,
wheels, floats and finally wheels again
in October of 1988. With the license
expiring on November 30th, prepara-
tions were under way for the rebuild.
On December 10th, a group of volun-
teers disassembled the wings from the
fuselage and wheeled it into Earl
Grunska's (EAA 940) warm shop next
to his garage. The "helpers" seemed to
appear out of nowhere! Meanwhile,
the hangar had a funny look about it -
a wing and struts hanging from each
side with no fuselage in between.
With George Rotter (EAA 54992)
and E ~ r Grunska leading the way , the
teardown began in earnest. The engine
was removed , complete with propeller
and then the interior was taken apart ,
piecemeal. With all instruments, con-
trols, seats etc. removed, things started
looking bare. The first eye-opening
discovery came when George removed
the fuel line from the left cabin wall
(the Cub has an 18 gallon wing tank).
The fuel line had been rubbing on a
piece of fuselage tubing and a flat spot
had been worn in the aluminum. Just
to check the wearspot, I touched it with
the point of a knife blade - it went right
through! Paper thin! It was obvious I
had beel. within days of a forced land-
ing without fuel.
The second revelation occurred
when we stripped the fabric off the rud-
der. At some time or other, someone
had added about one square foot of
area to the bottom of the rudder by
welding on an additional perimeter
tube some three inches outside of the
normal tube! No mention of this was
found in the logs. (No wonder the Cub
handled so well on floats with excellent
rudder control!) Jack Wojahn sawed
and ground the excess tubing back to
normal size.
Removing the fabric from the right
landing gear revealed five welded
patches on the tubing. In short, I was
flying more patch than landing gear!
However, the old landing gear was
reused as it had been converted to inch-
and-a-halfaxles for use with TriPacer
wheels and brakes (6:00 x 6) . The
brake shoes were in near perfect condi-
tion and the wheel bearings checked
out fine .
It was only four or five days before
George and Earl had all the fabric re-
moved, all bolts and screws taken out
and the airplane was a pile of parts and
a bare fuselage . The tail surfaces were
also stripped and checked for cracks
and warpage. A short day and a half
The first piece of covering is applied to the inside of the cobin roof. George Is coochlng
Tom Hren in the fine art of sticking down the fabric with a modeler's Iron. Note new metal
baggage comportment - twice as large as before.
With the fuselage on its side, Gene Chase works on the interior fabric while "sitting"
through the side window. We are looking up through the bottom of the fuselage.
at Leonard Manson's Custom
Sandblasting near Larsen, Wisconsin
and the steel tubing was squeaky clean.
Leonard had done numerous airplane
fuselages before so he was familar with
the tender nature of thin-wall aircraft
tubing. Total cost , $150 for a first class
job.
The fuselage and related tail feathers
were then taken to Bill Brennand's
shop in Neenah for his ace mechanic ,
Jack Wojahn, to run his 01 ' eagle eye
up & down the tubing . Jack has that
inate ability to find the weak spots,
cracks, bends, missing parts and just
about anything else that isn't up to
snuff! Over 25 years of experience
have "matured" his eye into one of the
very best.
The years during which old N 10XS
was used as a crop sprayer were pain-
fully evident in that several tubes in
the fuselage were bent, the entire tail-
post leaned to the left and the entire
"birdcage" section above the cabin was
more braze than steel. The Cub had
obviously been on its back more than
once! An entire new birdcage was or-
dered from Wag-Aero and two pieces
of tubing were located for replacement
of a chunk of longeron and an angular
brace. A pleasant surprise was discov-
ered in the process: somone had re-
placed both lower longerons with 3/4
x .049 heavy wall tubing at some pre-
vious time. They were in perfect shape
inside and out and the heavy wall is
worth its weight in gold for float work
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

f.


George Rotter carefully pulls a section of three inch tape along a lower longeron before
brushing it down with Poly-Brush. Note copper tube coming out of floor which handles
water rudder lifting cable on floats.
View from above shows interior floorboards, front seat, controls and header tank in-
stalled. Much of the plumbing and control work was finished in the cabin wall before
cover was applied.
where pounding waves put some wild
loadings into the longerons!
Included in the new birdcage was
provision for a skylight, a lUXUry we
didn't have before the rebuild. A sec-
ond improvement was an enlarged bag-
gage compartment, supported by a
welded tubular frame and completely
lined with aluminum. When finished,
George Rotter stood his 180 lb . frame
on the floor of the compartment and
jumped up and down with vigor! We
felt this was equal to a 9G test - 20
pounds times nine equals 180 pounds
- and it stood the test in grand style.
(Bill Brennand did the 337 form on
14 AUGUST 1989
this one and the final OK was signed
by the FAA) .
Other amenities included new slides
for the lefthand cabin window (from
Wag-Aero), new "oilite" bushings in
the landing gear fittings, elevator
hinges and rudder hinges to tighten up
the rather loose joints. A hoisting ring
for lifting the Cub up in the air for float
installation and removal was installed
on the front cabane, just behind the
windshield. The empty Cub balances
perfectly at this point. By removing six
small screws, I am ready to hoist on
the ring - strictly class!
A glider tow-hook has been installed
on the Cub for years. The old release
cable kinda' flopped around loose in
the fuselage . We welded a small steel
tube around the tail post to run the cable
through and then installed teflon cable
guides up to the cabin floor. (Works
like a charm .) New teflon cable guides
were also installed for all other fuse-
lage cables.
As Jack would complete a section of
fuselage and okay it, George would
paint the section with two-part epoxy
primer. This accomplished two objec-
tives: the rusting of the steel was
stopped and Jack would have to weld
furiously to keep ahead of George!
Have you ever seen a welder with his
dark goggles on, sparks flying - with
his left elbow painted epoxy green?
In just over a week, the entire fuse-
lage, landing gear and tail feathers
were all epoxy primed and Jack
Wojahn uttered those famous words,
"It should be good for another 20
years!" The entire structure was then
returned to Earl Grunska' s heated
workshop for covering.
On a Piper Cub, the inside of the
cabin is the first part of the covering
process and it wasn ' t long before fabric
began to appear on the tubing. And
just like flies to honey, numerous
"airplane folk" stopped in to view the
project. George Rotter is a master at
showing how easy it is to cover an
airplane. In no time, he would have
the visitors pitching in - and having
fun! Besides getting the job done ,
many doughnuts and cookies plus gal-
lons of coffee were consumed!
All covering was done in Stits D-l 03
fabric using the Poly-Brush, Poly-
Spray and Poly-Dope finish. The fab-
ric is glued on the structure with Poly-
Tak cement and in just a few minutes,
preliminary shrinking of the fabric can
begin with a flat iron. A small model-
ers iron, about three inches long and
just over an inch wide, is handy for
sharp comers and tight places. In some
cases, a heat gun will pull in the fabric
just the correct amount. Practice makes
perfect.
Using Earl Grunska's rotating
mount for the front of the fuselage, the
entire airplane could be rotated from
side to side for most advantageous pos-
itioning. It wasn't long before the in-
terior was covered, as Gene Chase sat
in the center of the cabin (on its side)
and carefully fitted the fabric to all the
comers and tubes. Gene is a model
airplane builder of considerable experi-
ence and has the patience to do a really
neat job. Once the fabric was in place
in the cabin , the new floorboards were
installed followed by the rudder pedals
and the brake pedals. About this time,
I discovered that some wise guy had
painted one brake pedal green and the
other one red! These guys are always
giving me a bad time about being color
blind!
In short order, the entire bottom of
the fuselage was covered from front to
back and the fuselage was placed up-
right, ready for control cables and trim
system. A new assembly on the
jackscrew was needed as the old one
had a well-worn thread. Some $80 sent
to Univair took care of the problem!
About this time, the fuel valve refused
to tum and no amount of persuasion
would budge it. A weekend visit to
Stan Gomoll's hangar in North Min-
neapolis just happened to produce a
new valve! Thank you, Stan, for com-
ing to the rescue. George insisted on a
pressure check of the fuel system be-
fore covering was applied. As he sus-
pected, a leak was discovered and it
was promptly cured. Good thinking,
George.
A carefully marked "blanket"" was
draped over the fuselage to cover the
top and both sides. When all pins and
marks were in place, it was taken to
Jack Wojahn for sewing. (One seam
down the "spine" and up the fin .) Re-
turing the envelope to Earl's shop, we
turned it inside out (to put the sewing
on the inside), only to discover the
door opening was now on the wrong
side! With a bit of "hocus-pocus" and
by moving a few seams, the door was
finally on the correct side and we were
back in business. All stringers, which
Earl happened to have in his attic, were
carefully sanded smooth and varnished
before installation. The fabric en-
velope was then positioned in place
and glued down with Poly-Tak. A bit
of work with the iron and things were
starting to look good! Every so often,
Jack Wojahn would stop in to inspect
the project , to make sure we hadn't
pulled his nice welding job out of line
with too much fabric tension. Good A
& P mechanics are always a mite sus-
picious, you know!
The old boot cowl was in sad shape
and looked like it had survived the
Civil War. I was able to obtain a new
one from Wag-Aero without the cus-
tomary fuel tank hole on the top side.
With a wing tank only, (18 gals .),
there is no fuselage tank - hence, no
filler neck is necessary. The smooth
George makes a trial fit of the new DOOt cowl (without fuel tank hole). With a bit of fitting,
the new cowl came out very nice looking.
With one rear window in place (it was too stubbom to remove!) the fuselage is hauled
to EM's paint shop for sliver and yellow coats. Note planks used for wheeling it onto truck.
boot cowl looks very chic!
I sent the instrument panel and throt-
tle covers to a friend in Minnesota to
have a black crinkle finish applied. Just
as he had done on my EAA Biplane
panel in 1965 and Starduster Too
panels in 1975, Orval Kohn once again
came through with a professional job.
While all this was taking place, we
covered the tail feathers , landing gear
and lower door. Again, seaplane grom-
mets were installed on all surfaces for
seaplane use. Once everything was
properly taped, a coat of Poly-Brush
was applied, a light sanding next and
a second coat of Brush. The floor ,
seats, controls etc . were all masked off
and the entire works was taken over to
Tracy Johnson for spraying.
Through diligent and persistent hard
work, Tracy has become the resident
expert on fabric covering at EAA in
just a few short years. Working even-
ings, she sprayed the tail feathers, first
with Poly-Spray and after sanding the
surfaces smooth, sprayed the final
color coats of Cub yellow. Very
shortly , we could see a problem! The
Lock Haven Yellow did not match the
color of the wings! I immediately sent
a sample of the old fabric to Ray Stits
in California. He called me on the
phone with the information that the
sample was Randolph AN Yellow. In
no time, Ray had mixed a batch of the
correct color in Poly-Tone and sent it
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
George Rotter drills another screw hole In wing fairing as Earl Grunska fastens the
tallwheel springs In place. The hoisting ring Is just visible behind the top of the windshield.
With all parts masked off, Jack Wojahn lays on a nice coat of black Poly-Dope down
the side of the fuselage.
out. Lo, and behold, it matched per-
fectly! (Thank you, Ray Stits) There
are apparently some six different
shades of Cub Yellow, depending on
what each rebuilder thinks is correct.
Perhaps Clyde Smith, Jr. could shed
some light on this subject.
Over the weekend, Tracy sprayed
the fuselage and a group of us spent
Saturday afternoon, sanding the Poly-
Spray with #320 grit wet sandpaper.
(It's amazing how the water cleans the
crud out of the sandpaper!) The final
color coats were sprayed on Sunday
and believe me, we had a yellow Cub!
Tracy's skill with the paint gun is quite
remarkable and the results were out-
standing. It was a pleasure to gather all
the parts and pieces back at Earl's shop
for final installation of instruments and
details before final assembly.
16 AUGUST 1989
A new windshield was ordered and
new glass for the side windows was
purchased at a local glass store. I chose
to use 1/8 inch acrylic for the side win-
dows rather than Lexan, as acrylic
seems to be better optically. All win-
dows were cut out on Earl's bandsaw
and then smoothed with a file and fine
sandpaper for final fitting . It is funny
how new glass all around makes the
restoration look better!
Earl Grunska became the man of the
hour when he worked the numerous
dents out of the engine cowling with a
soft mallet. Again, patience is a golden
virtue. He and George then completed
numerous patches and reinforcements
before the cowl was ready for painting.
Even the engine mount was cleaned
and painted before being reassembled
to the engine with new mounting rub-
bers. The new boot cowl had been fit-
ted and worked into place and after
being painted, was installed perma-
nently and the engine was mounted on
the nose of the airplane . Next to be
connected were all the lines, hoses ,
wires and control hook-ups - often re-
fered to as "spaghetti".
The nicely refinished instrument
panel was installed along with the pre-
vious instruments . I did have a Mach
meter from a jet fighter that Jens Toft
had given me in Denmark in 1986.
However, I decided to have the Piper
Cub bear logo silk screened on the face
of the instrument to make it look like
it belongs on a Cub! It registers from
.5 Mach to over 1.0 Mach - about 350
mph to over 750 mph - just what every
Cub needs!
A particularly nice job on the
windshield installation was ac-
complished with George Rotter leading
the operation. The new windshield was
quite compatible with the new birdcage
and the finished product , with all fair-
ings in place, looked factory new.
Meanwhile, Earl and Will Schaick
were busy with the side glass. A new
piano hinge was used to support the
upper half of the door - a marked im-
provement over the old hinges as the
door does not flop all over when up
against the wing in flight.
The new oversize baggage compart-
ment, complete with new plywood
floor, carpeting and thin plywood
cover, looked sanitary when finished ,
however, it did cause some trouble .
Access to the rear seat sling nut plates
was very minimal and George spent
considerable time (and a few choice
words) getting the tube clamps riveted
together so the nut plates would line
up to accept the seat mounting bolts.
In like manner, the rear float attach
fittings were installed on the tube clus-
ters below the baggage compartment.
Again, much nail biting, turning &
twisting and reference to the morality
of some of my ancestors seemed to
help! Eventually, all 12 mounting bolts
were in place and tightened and the
fittings were painted to match the
airplane!
The tail feathers, which had been
finished so nicely by Tracy Johnson,
were installed with the necessary brace
wires and gradually tightened to
"square" with the fuselage. The
stabilizer trim system worked like a
charm, the cockpit handle rotating on
a new shaft that Earl had built from an
AN bolt. Even the position indicator
moved back and forth as required!
Such luxury!
Once the tail wheel was hooked up
to the new rudder arm furnished by
Chuck Larsen, the entire fuselage was
taken over to Brennand Aviation for
final assembly and Annual Inspection.
The wings and struts were hauled on
the second and third loads and assem-
bly began soon after, under the super-
vision of old "Eagle Eye", Jack
Wojahn. The landplane prop was in-
stalled and a compression check was
run on the engine while the rest of the
crew was installing wings and struts
along with assorted cable hook-ups and
fuel lines. Even the new skylight was
carefully installed with a bit of silicon
sealant to make it rainproof. Mean-
while, Earl had taken the two seat cov-
ers to a neighbor who had a heavy duty
sewing machine. She stitched up the
seams that needed help and in no time ,
the covers were installed in the Cub ,
good as new!
A diagram of the proper "Lightning
Stripe" placement was obtained from
an old SPORT A VIA TION magazine
and Earl got out his trusty ruler and
began measuring. With careful atten-
tion to detail and with George helping
with his good eye, the masking tape
was applied to the outline of the "bolt".
Paintproof paper was used to mask off
the rest of the fuselage and when all
was ready, Jack Wojahn loaded his
trusty spray gun with black Poly-Tone
(left over from the Stinson trimotor)
and commenced spraying the stripe -
in front of about 15 onlookers! The
spray job itself was expertly done, the
hard part was all the free advice from
the gathering of coffee drinkers , gen-
eral riff-raff and other types of ne'er
do wells!!
When all the masking tape was
pulled off, the Cub was starting to look
like a genuine Lock Haven product.
All the various placards were posted
where necessary and Jack worked his
way down the sheet of Annual Inspec-
tion check-offs. Bill Brennand was not
completely sold on the location of the
CG as shown in the logbook , so the
Cub was carefully positioned on top of
three scales and leveled with the upper
longeron. The empty weight registered
798 Ibs. and the computed CG came
out some three inches forward of the
logbook placement! This was perfect
as far as Bill was concerned and would
be ideal on floats as well. This particu-
lar Cub is a front-seat-solo machine as
the fuel is in the wing and not in the
nose of the fuselage . This moves the
CG rearward as in a PA-II and makes
it a front seat solo. In like manner, the
mag switch is on the instrument panel
as well as the carb heat control. The
fuel valve is located on the cabin wall
next to the pilot 's left knee, just as a
PA-ll Cub Special.
In due time, the paperwork was
finished and the time had come to fly
the Cub home to Earl's International.
Just as Earl brought me over to Bren-
nand's to fly it home, a fierce storm
came up and we decided to leave well
enough alone! Two days later, George
cranked up the 90-hp Continental and
flew it over to Earl's. He reported it
flew very well, however, the smile on
his face told the story. It was obvious
he was pleased with the result of five
months of (hard) work!
Needless to say, I was quite anxious
to fly the Cub, and about two days
later, the foul weather had passed and
I had a chance to take "her" for a spin.
First , I noticed the entire airplane was
much tighter and didn't shake, rattle
and roll in the joints! It felt like a new
Cub - a real tribute to the many people
who helped on the five-month rebuild.
About two weeks later, one of the
Cub's former owners, Floyd Back-
strom of Mankato, Minnesota was in
Oshkosh doing EAA Volunteer work .
I invited him to fly 01' NIOXS from
Earl's grass strip. Floyd took off and
like a steel driver with a brand new
hammer, made music in the deep blue
evening sky. (I suppose you could call
it "Rhapsody in Blue") . After about 20
minutes, he landed on the soft grass
and taxied up . Turning off the engine,
he looked over at me from the front
seat of the Cub with that serious
"Swedish" look in his eyes and said,
"Norm, I'll give you all your money
back!".
If you've ever thought about re-cov-
ering your airplane, order "Fabric Cov-
ering with Ray Stits," a 120-minute
EAA video from the "How To" series.
To order, call 1-800-843-3612 (in Wis-
consin 1-800-236-4800).
The Cub is carefully leveled on three scales to do a weight and balance. The total of the scales was 798 Ibs.
A line was dropped from the leading edge of the wing to measure the moment arms to the wheel centers.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
THE GRUMMAN KITIEN
by Mark Phelps
Editor's note - EAA is endebted to Mort
Kelman (Lt. Col. USAF Ret.) for his con-
tribution ofphotos und data on the Grum-
man Kitten. Mort is a contributor to lead-
ing aviation and aerospace publications
as a photographer and journalist.
18 AUGUST 1989
ByJune 1943 , Leroy Grumman had
enough confidence in his litter of Navy
fighters to tum his attention to another
breed of cat. Although one reason for
the development of new designs G-63 ,
G-63A and G-72 was to experiment in
spot-welding aluminum, the aircraft
clearly addressed the post-war civilian
market as well. Designated the "Hep-
cat" and/or the "Kitten," it was two-
place, all-metal and sleek as could be .
_ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - : r ....>.- .... ;
Grummi!n'G-72; "Kltfen."
In fact, it resembled the Beech
Bonanza which became the standard to
meet for post-war production aircraft.
Only one G-63 was built and under-
went numerous tests including exten-
sive work on ducted wings . The later
prototype G-72 has been restored by
the Grumman Retiree Restoration
Group and sits in the Cradle of A via-
tion Museum at Mitchel Field on Long
Island, New York . Although the
Grumman lightplane never made it to
production, its story opens some in-
sight into what happens when a big-
time engineering concern turns its at-
tention to light aircraft.
According to Grumman report
number FT -72-0A by Kitten test pilot,
Franklin T. Kurt, the design goal of
the G-63 and the later G-72 was to
bring "big-ship" features to a light air-
craft with sufficient range, speed,
load, simplicity and toughness to suc-
ceed in the marketplace. The airplane
was powered with a Lycoming 0-290-
A engine of 125 hp with a Sensenich
wooden propeller. The G-63 had re-
tractable, conventional landing gear
and started with a 28-foot wingspan,
later extended to 32 feet. The G-72 had
retractable tricycle gear and originally
had two tail fins outside the slipstream.
It was later modified to a single-tail
configuration. The G-63 had split flaps
while the G-72 had slotted flaps.
The fuselages of both airplanes were
all-metal , semi-monocoque. Spot- cleanliness of the rivet-free airframe Years before, Leroy Grumman in-
welding was used wherever possible produced good performance. The fuse- vented the space-saving, wing-folding
- up to 70 percent on the G-63 and lage skins were of .032-inch aluminum mechanism for his Navy fighters while
60 percent on the G-72. Through the and the wing skins were .032-inch and toying with an eraser and a paper clip
development process as late as January .025-inch forward of the main spar and at his desk. The main spar of the little
1947, no problems were experienced .025 and .020 aft. Ribs were spaced G-63 was designed with a folding wing
with the attachment technique and the about every 12 to 14 inches . in mind with a skewed joint cut at the
center section, although the forged original airplane was hand-operated
hinges and pins were never made. With with a mechanical linkage to a lever in
the G-72, designers abandoned the the cockpit. The system was trouble-
folding wing concept and had straight some and two belly landings and one
cuts in the spars with the outer panel s one-wheel landing resulted although
bolted to the center section. no damage was sustained. The prob-
The retractable landing gear on the lem was with the latching mechanism
~
. . . ; ; ; . . ~ I
~
u
"2
o
:I:
which worked well on the ground but
failed when subjected to air loads and
acceleration forces . The system was
replaced with a hydraulic system al-
though the latches were still sensitive
to lack of lubrication and could stick
in the open position . The G-72 used an
S-shaped bar action to lock the gear in
both up and down positions rather than
latches . That solved the problem of the
Kitten's recalcitrant paws once and for
all . In the first 50 hour's flying with
the new system, the airplane never
failed to land on its feet.
The nose gear was free-castering
through 360 degrees and used a large,
low-pressure tire for shock absorption.
Steering was via the main gear brakes .
A simple brake-shoe material shimmy-
damper around the bottom of the oleo
controlled nosewheel vibrations. The
typical Grumman simplicity worked
fine and after an increase in the friction
setting at 50 hours - a simple adjust-
ment - the nosegear steering worked
to perfection.
A great deal of consideration was
given to the flight characteristics of the
Kitten . To a manufacturer of military
fighter aircraft, an airplane needs to be
responsive and quick on the controls,
often at the expense of stability. Grum-
man was sensitive to its bias along
these lines - perhaps overly sensitive.
Kurt's report shows that with a 28-foot
wingspan , the G-63 was "jumpy" and
"nervous" on the controls. These
characteristics are subjective and the
report goes on to admit that the
phugoid oscillations responded quite
normally to correction and returned to
trimmed attitude within 15 seconds.
Directional oscillations were similarly
docile.
A general aviation airplane, how-
ever, needed to be even more stable
than that and Grummanites agreed that
the Kitten, both in its G-63 and G-72
forms would have been better with a
longer tail to dampen oscillation and
provide more stability. It's interesting
that the report notes an annoying
amount of control friction that "should
be kept to a very minimum on a light
fast airplane." Roy LoPresti has ad-
dressed that concern on his new
Swiftfury with push-pulrrods and silk-
smooth bearings. The controls are so
easy to move that pilots sitting in the
airplane at Sun 'n Fun asked if the stick
was connected. A former Grumman
employee himself, LoPresti must have
been listening to his forebears.
The Kitten's wingspan was in-
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
Restored by the Grumman Retiree group. the G-72 prototype Kitten sits In the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Long Island. New York.
creased after 21 hours of testing to 32
feet from 28 feet for an increase of 13
square feet of area - about II percent.
No decrease in top speed was noted.
In the quest for greater stability. the
longer wings helped, providing added
inertia in yaw and thus less dutch roll
tendency. In addition, bungee trim
added control stiffness without friction
and contributed to stability. Changes
to the tail surfaces in quest of more
stability included more elevator chord,
more stabilizer chord, adverse elevator
tabs (moving against elevator displace-
ment), more stabilizer and elevator
span, four-inch increase in tail length
and adding more control-wheel motion
in ratio to control deflection. These at-
tempted improvements led to com-
ments ranging from "no change," to
"slightly better," and "best."
Dorsal and ventral fins did little for
directional stability and adding area to
the tail surfaces was a trade-off. More
rudder was better in cruise, but added
undue forces on take-off. The final
selection of fin and rudder had 20 per-
cent more area than those originally fit-
ted.
Stall-testing on the Kitten brought
additional puzzles, the solutions of
22 AUGUST 1989
which are educational for anyone in-
terested in the compromises of aircraft
design and testing . At first, the G-63
flew with a continual tail buffet that
was caused by the cabin doors as they
were sucked a half inch out into the
slipstream. The surface turbulence
stalled the wing to a foot out on the
leading edge and three feet out on the
trailing edge. Designers sealed the
door more effectively and the buffet
was eliminated. The stall remained ab-
rupt, however, which is all right in a
Navy fighter, perhaps, but for those of
us who needn't arrive on an aircraft
carrier in a controlled crash, a tamer
stall behavior is more appropriate.
At first, the open wheel-well doors
were suspect, but closing them pro-
vided no relief. Grumman next
examined the nose section and found
that at 14 degrees of pitch up - the
stall attitude - turbulence off of the
aircraft's "chin" atacked the wing lead-
ing edge resulting in the rough stall.
The subsequent change in nose-bowl
shape tamed the stall - as long as the
rudder was held in the centered posi-
tion. Nudge the rudder either way and
you had a nicely developed spin with
power off, and a real corkscrew with
power on, resulting in the loss of a lot
of altitude.
Experimentation began with the
wingtip airfoil sections. While slight
changes in wingtip airfoil helped out
on the G-63, it took the G-72 with its
4420 root airfoil and 4409 tip airfoil to
truly manage the spin tendency. Kurt's
report suggests that some washout (two
degrees) would have made it even bet-
ter. Grumman also experimented with
an elevator stop device to limit elevator
travel in order to eliminate the stall and
the possibility of a spin, in the manner
of Fred Weick's Ercoupe. With power
off the Kitten was fully domesticated
and the ailerons were effective well
down into the stall but with full power,
the elevator control remained strong
enough to stall and spin the airplane.
Some other techniques were em-
ployed to further tame the spin charac-
teristics of the Kitten. Leading edge
spoilers, often used on modem aircraft
and homebuilts to generate a wing root
stall prior to tip stall , were tried and
discarded. Also, the engine thrust line
was lowered two degrees, but its effect
on power-on stall behavior was mini-
mal so the engine was returned to hori-
zontal.
One effort to add to longitudinal sta-
bility on the G-72 led to real problems
in spin testing. To add weight to the
tail for stability, the battery was moved
to the tailcone and tests commenced.
Everything appeared to be fine until
the last, full-aft-CG tests were per-
formed. Self-recovery was lost and full
forward stick was required after four
turns. The test pilot reported that the
controls were going slack and the spin
was flattening when he managed to re-
cover. The battery was quickly moved
to the firewall .
The G-72 originally appeared with a
twin tail, the idea being to work toward
a two-control congfiguration like the
Ercoupe's. Placing the vertical sur-
faces outside the slipstream eliminates
the yaw generated when the swirling
air from the propeller strikes the left
side of the vertical tail, pushing the
nose to the left. The rudder is assigned
the job of offsetting this directional in-
stability. By moving the tail surfaces
outboard, one of the rudder's more
profound responsibilities is eliminated,
leaving room in the design for less rud-
der surface. The smaller rudder is then
linked to the ailerons to counter ad-
verse aileron yaw. As with any design,
changes in one area have a domino ef-
fect down the line. The down side of
the twin-tail design is an obvious in-
crease in drag .
The initial problems of directional
control on take-off run with the G-63
led to extensive experimentation with
rudder size and vertical stabilizer
offset. The airplane needed significant
rudder authority on take-off but next to
none below 75 percent power. Such a
wide range of rudder configuration was
a real dilemma until the engine was
canted three degrees to the left, and
the significant forces required on take-
off seemed to disappear. Even the G-
72 was converted to a single fin
airplane after the engine was canted.
Grumman found that with one degree
of fin offset and a fixed rudder tab,
even the slipstream effects at take-off
power were rendered negligible. The
Grumman report also cites the possibil-
ity of altering the alignment of the
main landing gear during the take-off
roll as a means of achieving directional
stability on the ground without resort-
ing to rudder deflection, although this
method was not tried on the Kitten.
The final configuration of the two-
control Kitten was a single fin with no
offset , rudder trail three degrees to the
right , and a fixed tab urging the rudder
to the right. Kurt ' s report cites one
cross-country trip made without the
trimming device and the airplane
slightly out of rig - one wing low .
The high wing tank emptied more
quickly than the other. The resulting
wing-heaviness made it impossible to
raise the wing and remain on course.
Grumman urged separate wing tank
shut-offs for all two-control airplanes
for this reason .
Another projection was to install a
device that would swivel the top of the
fin when the throttle was opened
beyond the 75-percent power setting.
Grumman determined that a two-con-
trol, personal aircraft need not be able
to fly at full power in level attitude.
Pilots of the modem Grumman
American line of light airplanes should
especially note one sentence of the
April 1947 report. "The free-swiveling
nose wheel steered easily by braking
the main wheels and is surely safer and
far simpler than a nose wheel re-
strained by steering controls." Twenty-
two years before the AA 1 Yankee
(later built as a Grumman product) ar-
rived on the scene with its controver-
On the plaque In front of Its display, the G-72 Is pictured in flight In Its twin-tail configuration.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
sial castering nose wheel, the decision
was already made at Grumman. In the
two-control version of the Kitten, a
single brake pedal applied hydraulic
pressure to be distributed between the
main wheels by the control wheel
through a two-way bleed valve. To
steer on the ground, step on the single
brake pedal and tum the wheel.
Cooling the Lycoming 0-290-A was
not a problem on either version of the
Kitten . The G-63 with its conventional
gear had side gill outlets for the cooling
air while the G-72 with its three-quar-
ters retracted nosewheel bled the cool-
ing air through the nose wheel well.
The baffling under the cowling of the
Lycoming presented no particular
problems, although a central baffle
was added to keep cooling air from pil-
ing up on one side due to propeller
slipstream effect. This was a normal
consideration for light aircraft, al-
though it may have been new to those
at Grumman used to working with ra-
dial engines roughly the size of Rhode
Island.
The Kitten was fitted with a variety
of Sensenich wooden propellers. The
best configuration seemed to be a 73-
inch diameter unit with 61-inch pitch.
This combination yielded 2,140 static
rpm at 29 inches manifold pressure;
2,250 rpm at 2,000 feet in cruise with
22 inches mp and 128 mph indicated
airspeed; and 2,640 rpm at 2,000 feet
with full throttle, 27.5 inches mp and
149 mph. Grumman engineers didn't
fly the Kitten with a controllable prop
as those available required either a
splined or a drilled shaft and the
Lycoming 0-290-A had a tapered
shaft. The report says, however, "A
controllable prop is urgently needed on
so clean an airplane and will be the
most effective means of reducing noise
level."
Just as pilots of modem Grumman
light planes can take interest in the
1947 report, so too can pilots of
today's Aerospatiale light airplanes
take notice of this section about cabin
doors, "To reduce cost, the G-72 doors
hinged at the top edge and lifted up.
This was awkward to use, dangerous
on pinching fingers and extremely
dangerous in the air. If a door should
become unlatched, it would open vio-
lently, probably be twisted off the ship,
with fair chance of knocking the fin
off. Doors should hinge at the front
edge, and be carefully designed against
sucking out and producing air leaks."
This conclusion is debatable, and the
24 AUGUST 1989
experience of one Cozy pilot refutes
the statement. His side-hinged canopy
unlatched in flight and floated at the
45-degree-open point until he was able
to get it closed again. The airplane flew
quite normally, he said, although he
and his wife and daughter confessed to
some erratic behavior of their own
while trying to get the lid closed. Still,
due consideration in door design is im-
portant.
The report concludes with some
cleaning up of data gleaned from test-
ing and projections on what may have
been tested had development con-
tinued. Power-operated landing gear
was deemed essential for such a slick,
fast airplane. The hand-operated, slot-
ted flaps on the G-72 would either have
"Grumman wisely
decidedto stick
with the U.S. Navy."
to have their hinges relocated for easier
movement of the manual lever, or
switched to a powered system. The im-
portance of low-friction controls was
re-emphasized. Among the unturned
stones in the test program were refine-
ments in ventilating, heating, sound-
proofing, side windows, wing-steps,
panel layout, fuel gauges and fuel-tank
vents.
The G-63 first flew on March 18,
1944 with test-pilot Kurt at the con-
trols. It was later modified to its
ducted-wing configuration as a test bed
aircraft. The G-72 followed on Feb-
ruary 4, 1946 with its first flight. The
G-63 was given registration number
NX 41808 and the G-72 was registered
NX 41858. The second Kitten was

c:
o
E
a;
:.:
t
o
- ::E
later donated to Renssaelaer Poly tech
Institute in New York and has since
been lovingly restored by retired
Grummanites for the Cradle of A via-
tion Museum near Grumman's
Bethpage headquarters on Long Island,
New York.
It's unclear exactly what caused
Grumman to discontinue development
of the Kitten. By 1947, it was obvious
that the great rush into general aviation
was a non-event. All those returning
pilots and crews would do their flying
in airliners, not personal airplanes. The
role of the personal airplane in Amer-
ican society would remain basically the
same as it was before the war, a recre-
ational vehicle for most pilots and a
business tool for the well-heeled. The
overwhelming expansion came with
the airlines, growing from little more
than air mail carriers with a few extra
seats to the corporate transporation
giants they are today .
Grumman wisely decided to stick
with the U.S. Navy as its best cus-
tomer, supplying the decks of our air-
craft carriers with the ferocious cats we
have come to know over the years
since World War II; the Bearcat, the
Panther, the Jaguar, the Cougar and
now the F-14 Tomcat. The Kitten re-
mains a curiosity, the "Great Grum-
man Ironworks'" representative of
hundreds of other prospective entrants
into the great post-war aviation boom
that never happened. Some of these
airplanes are fine examples of acceler-
ated wartime engineering turned to
civilian ideals. The test reports of the
Kitten show great promise of range,
speed, load, simplicity and toughness
- everything that Leroy Grumman
wanted. The airplane was right, but the
times were not.
PASS II 10
--1]
An information exchange column with input from readers.
by Buck Hilbert
(EAA 21, Ale 5)
P.o. Box 424
Union, IL 60180
Hi Buck,
Your column in VINTAGE
AIRPLANE is great! Try this one. We
have a situation that must have hap-
pened to somebody before. But first,
let me warn you that this is a people
rather than an airplane-only dilemma.
Remember now, Paul always says avi-
ation is more a people experience than
an airplane experience.
We're coming to the final six
months or so of the restoration of
Dad's 1948 Funk B-85-C. It happens
to be the airplane I soloed on my 16th
birthday and got my private license in
on my 17th. Not to mention the fact
that Dad bought it from Joe and How-
ard Funk when I was only 10 months
old. The Funk brothers flew it as the
last production airplane and their per-
sonal machine for 10 years. You might
say that history, sentiment and emotion
go deep with this family and airplane.
Now our problem, aside from the usual
hard to find parts and lack of time, is
that Dad wants to modify the heck out
of this already fine-flying airplane. He
was a Depression/Golden Age of A vi-
ation baby and went on to be an en-
gineer for 35 years. I believe the think-
ing back then was to modify airplanes
to make them go faster, slower, higher,
farther in more kinds of weather etc.
I should tell you, Buck, that we also
own a 1953 Cessna 195B for going far
and fast with friends. It is kept very
original for history's sake and we enjoy
parking it in the Antique/Classic park-
ing area every year.
I guess my question is how can we
convince Dad that this family member
(the airplane) doesn't need aux fuel
tanks, a full gyro panel and other speed
or sound mods. That it is going to give
us much flying enjoyment when we
complete it as "stock" as it would all
changed to act like something other
than a Funk. I fly jets for a living and
get plenty of "dials per mile." I'd like
my son to grow up knowing what it's
like "map in the lap." What do you
think?
Happy landings,
John Maxfield
Northville, Michigan
Anyone have any suggestions for
fohn?
Dear Mr. Hilbert,
I just read your column in the latest
VINTAGE AIRPLANE about Von WilI-
er's Fleet 7 and Lorraine Kivi's Com-
mandaire. I helped build the Comman-
daires from August 1, 1928 until Oc-
tober 1929. I have on file drawings and
information on these airplanes. I have
helped four different people get their
N number back on their planes. We
are starting work on a 1!4-size Com-
mandaire radio-control model which
should be flying some time next year.
Also for seven and a half years I was
the instructor in charge of overhaul at
Dallas Aviation School at Love Field
from December 1935 to July 1943. I
was one of two mechanics in the U.S.
to get Reet Model 2s and 7s by the
CPT secondary spin tests. A three-tum
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
spin either way with hands-off recov-
ery in a tum and a half with no back
pressure. Most of the time they would
recover within three quarters of a tum .
Joe Mackey, old time race pilot , was
the engineering inspector for CAA on
the first ones. This could make quite a
story.
Yours truly,
Edgar W. Seay, Sr.
Irving, Texas
Dear Buck,
I read your column each month in
VINTAGE AIRPLANE and must say I
enjoy it very much. We are in the busi-
ness of repairing Super Cub fuselages
and customers bring them in from all
over the United States. Sometimes, if
they are not properly padded and sec-
ured the transporting can do more dam-
age than the original accident. One of
the biggest reasons for damage is that
the padding has vibrated out from
under the fuselage before they get very
far down the road. The vibration can
cause bending or chafing of the tubing
causing an otherwise perfectly good
tube to have to be replaced. This prob-
lem could be eliminated by gluing the
padding to the trailer securely. Also,
when tying down if using a steel cable
come-along, slip a hose over the steel
cable to prevent it from cutting into the
tube. We recommend putting bolts in
wing and landing gear fittings and
using ropes or truck tarp straps at-
tached to these bolts to secure fuselage
to trailer. Of course all this is even
more important before the trip home
with the newly-repaired fuselage.
These are problems we see all the time
and thought they might be worth men-
tioning.
Sincerely
Jim Soares
Belgrade, Montana
Dear Mr. (Edlock) Hart,
This Sunday morning over coffee I
was, as I am wont to do, perusing my
mail ... unwanted and unsolicited ads
and sales presentations, week-old
newspapers and magazines when I
found your article in VINTAGE
AIRPLANE,"The RampTramp Champ
- to Merced - and fro" (May). It is
extremely unusual for me to be so
taken with an article that I write to the
author - in fact, this may be a first.
However, the fresh and unusual style
caught my eye and the enchanting
wordplay and sentence structure
brought smiles and chuckles enough so
that I read it a second and a third time,
too!
The purpose of this letter, then is to
urge you to continue a series of "fa-
mous flights" articles (or something
similar) to bring a note of humor to
VINTAGE AIRPLANE on a regualr
basis. What is so very obvious is that
you have an enormous amount of ex-
perience and in-depth knowledge. This
background allows you a richness and
depth even in humor that cannot fail to
impress and delight others in aviation
- particularly antiquers. From the rich
store of experience which you must
posess , I, for one, would like more
stories!
Rereading your article for a fourth
time I am intrigued to discover more
and more depth to the delightful word
surprises you bring the reader. Truly,
Mr. Hart, yours is a refreshing and ex-
traordinary genius and I earnestly sol-
icit future articles.
Sincerely,
L. Enwild Mann
Severance, New York
Okay, Mr. Mann. We agree that Ed-
lock's style is unique and his puckish
word-riddlesgiveusthechucklesalso.
Here's more. - Ed.
THE RAMPTRAMPCHAMP
a day in the life.
byRampTrampChamp
(with helpfrom Edlock Hart)
BudDavis wound my wooden prop,
the engine fired and I killed it. Four
more times I flooded, misfired and re-
fused to start. Couldn't this lovable old
guy see that lovable old me didn't want
to leave? Bud had rebuilt me from a
total wreck six years ago, with more
TLC than I'd seen since logging my
first flight in 1946. The shock of being
bought and sold before the ink on my
annual had dried was amplified by
leaving Flabob against my will, and if
you will, my religion. After all, Flabob
is the sacred sanctuary for tube-and-rag
airplanes like me.
Finally, filled with apprehension
26 AUGUST 1989
and 13 gallons of 80-octane, I taxied
gingerly down the rutted old ramp to-
ward take-off. All I knew for sure -
I was going to Gillespie in Sandy Ago.
That's control-tower country, where
spamcans, radios and acres of asphalt
are called "progress." Just the thought
of it made me backfire.
My new boss, Edlock Hart added to
my misery by being a total enigma.
What else can you call a guy who
swaps hard-earned cash for an airplane
he's never flown, taxied or even heard
run? He's got to be stupid, crazy or
clairvoyant and I'll bet every rev on
the first two. Wallowing along the
ramp, the way 7-ACs wallow in the
wind, I saw the sock aimed crossways
toward Corona. Flabob's famous
crosswind prevailed making either end
of the runway untenable. Well past the
middle, I assumed we'd aim at Mt.
Ribidoux, but no! We turned off the
taxiway, crossed the runway and wal-
lowed downwind in the gophur-gutted
grass to the weatherbeaten fence
separating Flabob from the rest of the
world. With hard left brake and a blast
of throttle, we pivoted into the wind.
The butterflies in my belly had
calmed down a little when my front-
seat enigma used forward stick while
taxiing downwind and more on the
pivot. His finding and using the forgot-
ten grass strip was at least reassuring.
Seasoned taildragger pilots prefer them
and tricycle types won't touch 'em.
I decided to cooperate and, with the
aid of that strong wind, impress him
on take-off. All 65 horses leaned into
the traces and strained. We galloped
forward fast and were airborne halfway
to the runway. Up like smoke in a
chimney, we passed through pattern al-
titude in less than a minute, turned tail
and headed for Ramona. Why Ramona
I already knew . Without radio I
couldn' t legally land at Gillespie so
we'd telephone the tower from
Ramona to arrange for a green light to
enter Gillespie's pattern. Cruising at
2, 100 rpm was easy on fuel and
smooth enough , but we were wary of
each other, yet. One take-off and flat
flight through CA YU isn't much of an
acquaintance. I noticed we held
enough altitude to keep flat spots in
sight all the way . I was just a little out
of rig , flying right wing low without
side pressure on the stick, something I
hoped he knew how to fix.
Ramona arrived an hour after take-
off, verifying our vascillating airspeed,
which averaged about 85 mph . The
gauge, not the engine was erratic.
Landing straight into the wind offered
no challenge , thank God . Worries
enough filled my gizzard without one
more . When we'd landed, taxied and
tied down I knew this guy could land ,
taxi and tie down and that's about all.
Still an enigma in my book. He took
an envelope from his shirt pocket and
poured its contents on top of my cowl-
ing. Stick-on letters, that's what.
Looking smug , he started peeling and
pasting along my cowling's hinge line.
My apprehension turned to anger as the
cheap, chintzy letters spelled out,
"R-A-M-P-T-R-A-M-P-C-H-A-M-P." I
swear, I'd have clubbed him with my
prop if he'd gotten close enough.
While he was gone to green the light
at Gillespie, I seethed in self-pity. I
knew my rain-stained faded gold paint
inspired the name, but couldn' t this
clod tell by now that there's no better
Champ this side of a concourse queen?
Didn' t he know that those spit and
shinola jobs are good for nothing else?
Was he actually as stupid as I feared
at Flabob?
Then I remembered he'd read my
rain-stained logbooks (all 18 of them)
and 13 form 337s, some signed by Art
Scholl. So all right already, I'm old
and patched and wrecked and rebuilt
and on my third engine. I simmered
down some, but how could he know
I'd never had a roof over my head?
Logbooks don't tell. The truth dimly
dawned, and THAT'S what hurt . No
matter how sound and solid, stout-
hearted and all that rot ,
"RampTrampChamp" tells the terrible
truth .
Back at Flabob I'd been too shook
up to notice the featherweight fiberglas
chocks he'd put under the seat. Now ,
phone call finished, he chocked my
wheels, unchained the earth and pulled
my prop through four blades. Then,
switch on, throttle cracked and no
prime, I fired on the first blade. No
point in playing games any more. The
lO-minute jaunt to Gillespie was une-
ventful , as it ought to be, but the sight
of enormous runways and spamcans
galore was intimidating. The only
grass I saw separated two parallel run-
ways , and God help you if the tower
ever sees you use it. Another monster
runway crossed the others, lined with
hangars from here to lunch.
Another smooth landing meant only
one thing: under ideal conditions with
miles of runway I might not get bent.
Taxiing between rows of tiedowns,
four deep, only made me homesick,
and a new note gigged my gizzard. I'd
probably own the only armstrong star-
ter on the airport. Not another ragwing
in sight unsettled me, too. I worried
why we went past ALL the tiedowns,
leaving the empty ones empty. Every
butterfly in my belly flapped full-bore
as we snaked between buildings and
hangars until we ran out of airport . At
the very last hangar, Edlock cut my
switch and pivoted 90 degrees.
In flat-footed amazement I watched
him open the doors wide to clear my
35-foot wingspan. Before I could see
much inside, he wheeled out a beauti-
ful steerable cart like nothing I'd ever
seen. My tail was picked up and posi-
tioned so my tailwheel slid into a slot
at level-flight height. Without a word
I was towed inside so smooth and easy
I wasn't sure any of this was real.
The hangar was neat, clean, sheet-
rocked and painted, had overhead
lights , benches and that's all I could
absorb at once.
After checking my oil, both crank-
case and my belly, and finding full in
one and none on the other, he smiled,
patted my prop, closed the doors and
left. Surrounded by sudden silence,
aloneness and darkness, my thoughts
were a maze of amazement. Mixed
emotions tumbled end-over-end until I
couldn't tell happy from sad. Why
would a guy bring a 7-AC to a place
like this? And his buy-before-fly
routine was weird. Could I learn to
LIKE living in a steel cocoon? Too
tired to grapple any more, I let go and
sank to sleep, knowing only one thing:
My next few days were bound to be
bewildering.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
IIAPAIROFPARASOLSII
Kermit Weeks acquires two between-the-wars
French monoplanes.
Qy' Norm Petersen
Morane Saulnier MS 230.
ThroUghout the history of aviation,
various planfonns of aircraft have been
employed by the aircraft designers.
Perhaps the biplane or even the triplane
is the easiest to identify. In like man-
ner, perhaps the Rutan-designed
canard types are considered the very
latest design. However, the beauty and
grace of the high-wing parasol has
been a favorite of pilots for many
years.
In the warm, sunny climes of
Miami , Florida, the Weeks Air
Museum, owned by Kennit Weeks
(EAA 52310), sports two rare parasols
that are worthy of mention . These are
the Dewoitine D-26 and the Morane-
Saulnier MS 230. Infonnation and
photos on these two parasols was col-
lected by Kent McMakin (EAA 74379,
Ale 708) and forwarded to EAA . For
this we are indebted to Kent, who is
one of Kennit Weeks' chief mechanics
and a master restorer in his own right.
Dewoltlne 0-26.
Although most EAA folks associate
28 AUGUST 1989
the Weeks Air Museum with warbirds
of the World War II era, they do, in
fact, maintain quite a collection of
World War I aircraft, both original and
replica, along with a few of the scarcer
between-the-wars types. Two of the
latter are the MS 230 and the 0-26.
The Morane 230 was built in 1931
in France as an elementary trainer for
the French military. A very rugged
machine , it is powered with a 250-hp,
nine-cylinder, Salmson 9Ab radial en-
gine which is equipped with an air star-
ter. It is considerd a rare type as only
a handful exist of the over 1,000 exam-
ples built during the 1930s along with
a small number produced after World
War II.
The famous French aerobatic and
race pilot , Michel Oetroyat, used an
MS 230 to perform the first "outside
loop" in France. In 1931, the first
French military formation aerobatic
team, the "Patrouille d'Etampes",
made its debut flying three Morane
230s .
This particular aircraft was used as
a back-up machine as the "latest Ger-
man fighter" in the movie "The Blue
Max" starring George Peppard . It is
now painted in the French Navy colors
of an aircraft as used in the Mediterra-
nean area.
Purchased by Kermit Weeks from
Stephen Grey in England, the Morane
was restored by Personal Plane Ser-
vices , High Wycombe, England.
With its wide landing gear and rather
heavy tail weight, the MS 230 displays
good flying and landing characteris-
tics, the final flare to land being quite
permanent with absolutely no bounce.
The nine-cylinder engine is quite
smooth and powerful, in spite of turn-
ing the "wrong way" for an American.
The only tricky part of flying the air-
craft is learning to interpret the French
instruments - especially if you don't
happen to read French!
Dewoitine D-26
In 1927, well-known French aircraft
designer, Emile Oewoitine, was forced
to close his factory in France, due to
lack of orders . He moved to Switzer-
land and continued designing. Based
on previous experience, he came up
with an interesting fighter, the 0-27.
It was powered by a 12-cylinder, 500-
hp, Hispano-Suiza engine and armed
with a single machine gun firing
through the propeller disc.
A trainer version of the higher pow-
ered 0-27 (designated the 0-26) was
then developed combining the 0-27
airframe with a license-built Wright
9Qa (R-975) of 300 hp. Other than en-
gines (and armament), both aircraft
were identical. The 0-26 saw service
with the Swiss Air Force from 1931 to
1948 when the 0-26s were relegated
to the Swiss glider clubs for use as
towplanes .
This 0-26 was imported to the U.S .
from England several years ago and
was acquired by Kermit Weeks in
1987. It is a rare aircraft in that only
two other 0-26s and one 0-27 are
known to exist, all in Switzerland.
While being restored in England, the
authenticity was reduced in that the
Wright 9Qa engine was replaced with
a 300-hp Jacobs engine swinging a
Hamilton-Standard 2B20 propeller and
enclosed in a former Cessna T-50
"Bamboo Bomber" cowling. In addi-
tion to very marginal brakes operated
by a "Johnson Bar" (just when you
need brakes, you need a third hand!),
the throttle operates backwards - you
pull back to increase power! Perhaps
this helps to explain why the previous
owner flopped the 0-26 on its back
while landing .
It is hoped that one day, an original
Hispano-Suiza V -12 engine can be in-
stalled with all appopriate parts and fit-
tings to convert the 0-26 to a full-
fledged 0-27 fighter. Time will tell!
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
C-AY"ER CHRONICLES
by Bob Lumley
Reading through the several issues
of our chapters' newsletters, I have
been impressed with the variety of avi-
ation subjects covered. On this occa-
sion, I would like to highlight some
activities of our Chapter 10 of Tulsa,
Oklahoma.
Through their newsletter, edited by
Charlie Harris, Chapter 10 is calling
for support of the Buffer Amendment
to 88-2. The chapter has encouraged
members to personally write to their
Congressmen, and to do anything to
bring to light the folly of the Veil Rule
of 88-2 and the zero tolerance conduct
of the FAA rule enforcement program.
In addition to these urging parag-
raphs are accounts of involvement in
local aviation community activities .
Besides chapter news and announce-
ments, the articles promote participa-
tion in nearby fly-ins. The activities of
all EAA and other aviation organiza-
tions also get publicized.
Each month the newsletter goes out
not only to chapter members, but also
to guests at past meetings and to the
local news media. This serves as a
great communication tool as well as an
effective recruiting device. What re-
sults is a public awareness of private
and sport aviation as well as a positive
local interest in community airports.
Chapter lO's involvement with avia-
tion began in 1979 when the group was
formed. Back then there were George
Goodhead, Sam Hockett, Charlie Har-
ris, Calvin Bass and Hurley Boehler
30 AUGUST 1989
who started the whole thing. Currently
30-40 attend meetings with people
drawn from EAA Chapter 10 and EAA
lAC Chapter 10. No doubt, a lucky 10
here!
Sponsorship of the annual Tulsa Fly-
In/Drive In at Tahlequah, Oklahoma is
one of the chapter's major activities.
The 32nd annual one scheduled for
September 23-24 is one of the oldest
annual fly-ins in the country. Members
also provide major support for the Na-
tional Biplane Association Exposition
in Bartlesville. After all, two of its
members, Mary Jones and Charlie
Harris co-founded the ABA in 1986.
Charlie credits much of the success
of their fly-ins to the openness with
which they are conducted and to the
hospitality extended to the public. For
instance several days before a Tulsa
fly-in, a "pre-event" is staged at the
airport with invitations describing the
event sent to area news media.
Through this coverage the public is in-
vited to the fly-in which is treated as
an open event. Since many antique and
classic aircraft enthusiasts attend these
fly-ins, a special effort is placed on
getting antique car buffs to come.
Chapter 10 members are equally ac-
tive in aircraft restoration. Barney
Peterson is building a replica Fokker
DVII, a project he painstakingly re-
searched as far away as Belgium as
well as the Smithsonian National Air
and Space Museum . As of May it was
approximately 60-to-70 per cent com-
pleted. Bob Rogan just completed a
beautiful restoration of a Spartan 7W
Executive. Bob's aircraft experience
goes back to 1936 when he first went
to work for Spartan where he built
Executives from 1937 to 1941.
When was the last time you saw a
Rose Parakeet? Well , David Lamb
started one from a basket case, "The
Irish Rose ," and is well along toward
completion of two new 0-200-powered
Rose Parakeets. Another member, Bob
Ware has 80 percent done on a total
rebuild of a Swift involving complete
reskinning with flush riveting, a heavy
reworking of wings and interior. Look
behind you Roy LoPresti!
Other aircraft owned by Chapter 10
members range from a J-3 to a 1925
Bird Biplane. Typical work done by
its members is shown by the Culver
Cadet on the cover of the July, 1987
issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE.
No matter what your chapter' s size,
a newsletter, long or short, is one of
the best ways to pat your members on
the back.
EM AlCChapter 10 members (I to r) Jerry
Springer, John Hudec and David Lamb
working on the wing of a rare Rose Para-
keet.
Bamey Peterson standing in front of his
shop with his Fokker DViI replica, sched-
uled to be finished early in 1991.
The Golden Age of Air Racing-Pre-1940
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Vol. 2 (No. 21-1445 1) .. $14.95
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EAA Aviation Center Oshkosh. WI 54903-3086
The LegendaryPre-war Races
The days of heroes-names such as Doolittle, Turner; Wedell.
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
CMLAlRPlANES BEFORE 1946 end All.WARBIRDS
Where The Sellers and Buyers Meet...
25f: per word, $5.00 minimumcharge. Send yourad to
TheVintageTrader, EAAAviationCenter
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AIRCRAFT:
(2)c-3 AeroncaRazorbacks, 1931 and 1934.Pack-
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Piper PA22-108 Colt - 1962 remanufactured
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1941 Culver LFACadet - Beautiful restoration,
hangared, IT1800, ITSMOH 118. $13,500.00.
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Wanted:CaliairA2,A3orA4basketcaseorflying.
Harold Buck, Box868,Columbus,Georgia31902,
404/322-1314. (7-2)
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We are rebuilding a Stinson SM1-B. This is the
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE33
by George Hardie Jr.
This month's Mystery Plane appears
to be a powered glider, as basic an i
airplane design one could ask for. The
photo is from the EAA archives, date
and location unknown. Answers will
be published in the November, 1989
issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE.
Deadline for that issue is September
10, 1989.
The Mystery Plane for May brought
some interesting responses . Bill Mad-
den of White Sands Missile Range,
New Mexico writes:
"The information I have indicates
that the plane is a Great Lakes 4T-l .
Your photo is from factory archives
and was taken at the Cleveland Aero-
nautical Exposition. Another photo of
the same di splay shows the number
852 on the wing and the aircraft sur-
rounded by no less than four small-tail
Great Lakes 2T-ls or lAs . The upper
right comer of this second photo has a
date that appears to be 4-25-29. Power
is given as two 115-hp Cirrus Hermes
engines which were supposedly later
replaced by two 300-hp Wright J-6s.
"Depending upon how one de-
ciphers the notes I have, there is an
indication that there might have been
three of these built . Will be interested
to learn if anyone confirms this. Since
the ship doesn ' t appear in Juptner' s
books, I assume it was never type cer-
tificated. "
Dick Gates of Sheboygan, Wi scon-
sin had a personal experience:
"The airplane is a Great Lakes and
it is posed at the Cleveland Public Au-
ditorium , as I recall . It was an aviation
show held at the same time as the 1929
Air Races . As I recall, it was designed
by James S. McDonnell , who in spite
of hi s good formal background, was
not too "swift" as a designer. How-
ever, it must be said he was a good
promoter and businessman in later
life."
Bill Ewerts of Sonoma, California,
adds:
"Being an owner and collector of
Great Lakes aircraft, I recognized your
entry as the brief and unsuccessful
Great Lakes twin amphibian. I have
several Great Lakes factory photos in-
cluding the one you printed. It was dis-
Great Lakes
4T1
played along with three model 2T-IAs
(one was hanging) at what must have
been an aviation show."
Bob Mosher of Royal Oak, Michi-
gan comments:
"I have a print of the same photo
which I acquired from Don Wigton.
The plane was powered with Cirrus en-
gines, later with Wright J-6-7
Whirlwinds. As far as I know, the
plane never flew . Don said a Mr.
Meyers told him ' It couldn't taxi , let
along fly' . It certainly looks capable of
flight , though ."
Other answers were received from
John C. Nordt , III, M.D. of South
Miami, Florida; Charley Hayes of Park
Forest, Illinois; Herbert G. deBruyn of
Bellevue, Washington; and H. Glenn
Buffington of EI Dorado, Arkansas .
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35