STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

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by Espie "Butch" Joyce
As I have told everyone in the past,
fall is one of my favorite times of year
to fly . It brings good weather and the
changing of the leaves. Here in the foot
hills of the Appalachian Mountains, we
are starting to enjoy this colorful season.
For the entire month of September,
though, North Carolina has gone
without rain. The goldenrods are
blooming and with the dust of the dry
weather I have come up with a terrible
head cold. This condition has detracted
somewhat from the joys of flying.
Taking medication for my condition
has allowed my friends to be the ones to
haul me around in their airplanes. This
past Saturday was a good example as I
arrived at my hangar to find my good
friend and past president of the Anti-
que/Classic Division, Brad Thomas.
Brad told me he had come by to see if I
would accompany him to a local fly-in
just south of Mocksville, North
Carolina. I agreed only after his as-
surance that he would also bring me
home.
Brad flew along at no more than
2,000 feet so my ears would survive the
trip. We arrived at a small, 2,200-foot
strip known as "Tara". This grass air-
port is owned by Novaro Nichols, a
USAir pilot. He and his wife were run-
ning around trying to park aircraft with
the help of a number of good friends.
This Saturday we had about 115
aircraft. It was not an EAA gathering
per se, but most present were EAA
members. The Tara get-together start ed
with just a few friends gathering, but has
grown over the years by word of mouth
to a looked-forward-to event. Thanks to
Novaro and all for a good time. We
look forward to next year. Good luck.
After asking if anyone would volun-
teer for the Chairmanship of the Anti-
que/Classic Parade of Flight, Steve
Nesse has volunteered for this duty.
Steve has been a hard worker for us in
the past and I am sure he will do a good
job for your division with thi s new
responsibility in the future. Former
Chairman, Phil Coulson will be assist-
ing Steve this year for a smooth transi -
tion.
Your Vice-President, Art Morgan
and I have been working with Head-
quarters almost every day with the
placement of a new communications
center south of the big concrete taxiway.
I have mentioned in the past that con-
vention activities are moving south.
The Antique/Classic Headquarters in
years past was reall y in the sticks when
it came to convention activities, but
times have changed thi s. Art and I are
looking at a less populated area to park
the Antique aircraft to better protect
them. I'll be able to give you a more
detailed report on thi s mailer after our
November Board Meeting . If any
members have it ems they would like
addressed at our boa rd meet ing, pl ease
let me know by lell er or telephone.
I am happy to report that the Anti -
que/Cl assic membership continues to
grow. Also, our renewal rate is the
highest percentage of all the EAA
divisions. Your publication, VINTAGE
AIRPLANE has continued to improve.
We still have room for more improve-
ment, however, and other members love
to read about your personal experiences.
So please write us about them in let ter
or article form.
Thi s year, with world events and
rising energy costs, will be a trying one
for all of us. We, as a group, need to
stick together and be ever vigilant to
protect our freedom in the sky. En-
courage each of your fellow pilots to be
safety conscious. Also, you need to ask
a friend to join the EAA Antique/Clas-
sic Division.
Let' s all pull together in one direction
for the good of aviation. Joi n us and
have it all.
2 OCTOBER 1990
PUBLICATION STAFF
PUBLISHER
Tom Poberezny
VICE-PRESIDENT
MARKETING&COMMUNICATIONS
DickMalt
cDITOR
OCTOBER 1990 Vol. 18, No. 10
MarkPhelps
MANAGINGEDITOR
GoldaCox
ARTDIRECTOR
MikeDrucks
ADVERTISING
MaryJones
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
NormanPetersen DickCavin
FEATURE WRITERS
GeorgeA Hardie,Jr_ DennisParks
EDITORIALASSISTANT
IsabelleWiske
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS
JimKoepnlck CarlSchuppel
MikeSteineke
EAAANTIQUE/CLASSIC
DIVISION,INC_
OFFICERS
President Vice-President
Espie" Butch"Joyce ArthurR.Morgan
604 HighwaySt. 3744North51stBlvd.
Madison,NC27025 Mi!waukee,WI 53216
919/427-0216 414/442-3631
Secretary Treasurer
GeorgeS. York E.E. " Buck" Hilbert
181 SlobodaAve. P.O. Box424
Mansfield,OH44906 Union.IL60180
419/529-4378 815/923-4591
DIRECTORS
JohnBerendt RobertC. "Bob"Brauer
7645EchoPointRd. 9345S. Hoyne
CannonFoils, MN55009 Chicago.IL 60620
507/263-2414 312/779-2105
GeneChase JohnS.Copeland
2159CarltonRd. 9JoanneDrive
Oshkosh,WI 54904 Westborough.MA01581
414/231-5002 508/366-7245
PhilipCoulson GeorgeDaubner
28415SpringbrookDr. 2448 LoughLane
Lawton.MI49065 Hartford,WI53027
616/624-6490 414/673-5885
CharlesHarris stanGomoll
3933SouthPeoria 104290thLane.NE
P.O. Box904038 Minneapolis.MN55434
Tusla. OK 74105 612/784-1172
918/742-7311
DaleA. Gustafson JeannieHill
7724ShadyHill Drive P.O. Box328
Indianapolis,IN46278 Harvard, IL 60033
317/293-4430 815/943-7205
RobertLickteig RobertD."Bob" Lumley
1708BayOaksDrive 1265South 124thSt.
AlbertLea, MN56007 Brookfield,WI 53005
50713732922 414/782-2633
GeneMorris Steven C.Nesse
115CSteveCourt,R.R.2 2009Higl11tmdAve.
Roanoke,TX 76262 AlbertLea, MN56007
817/491-9110 507/373-1674
S.H. "Wes" Schmid
2359LefeberAvenue
Wauwatosa.WI 53213
414/771-1545
DIRECTOR EMERITUS
S.J. Wittman
7200S.E. 85th Lane
Ocala,FL 32672
904/245-7768
ADVISORS
JohnA Fogerty Dea,Richardson
479Highway65 6701 ColonyDrive
Roberts,WI 54023 Madisen,WI53717
715/425-2455 608/8331291
Copyright 1990bythe EAAAntique/ClassicDivision, Inc. All rights reserved.
Contents
2 Straight & Levellby Espie "Butch" Joyce
4 AIC News/compiled by Mark Phelps
6 Members' Projectslby Norm Petersen
7 Flagship Navionlby Vic Giotto
8 Vintage Literaturelby Dennis Parks
13 Vintage Seaplaneslby Norm Petersen
14 Lindbergh's Resting Placelby Dave Millikan
16 Great Escapelby Ron Ferrara
17 Oshkosh Judginglby Phyllis Brauer
18 Grand Champion Antique/by Mark Phelps
21 Grand Champion Classic/by Norm Petersen
Page18
24 Interesting Memberlby George Daubner
25 Wanderlust Strikes Againlby Andrew King
30 DC-3 on "Boats"lby Jeannie Hill
33 Pass ItTo Bucklby E. E. "Buck" Hilbert
35 Vintage Trader
38 Mystery Planelby George Hardie, Jf.
Page21
FRONT COVER ... EAA Oshkosh's Grand Champion Classic Cessna
195 with owner, Tom Hull in command. Photo byJim Koepnickand
photoplaneflown byColin Soucy.
REAR COVER...GrandChampionAntiqueStearmanflownbyowner.
Fred Nelson.PhotobyCarlSchuppelandphotoplaneflownbyDaryl
Lenz.
ThewordsEM,ULTRALIGHT,FLYWITHTHEFIRSTTEAM,SPORTAVIATION,andthelogos01 EXPERIMENTALAIRCRAFTASSOCIATION INC.,EM
INTERNATIONALCONVENTION, EMANTlOUE/CLASSIC DIVISION INC.,INTERNATIONALAEROBATICCLUBINC.,WARBIRDSOFAMERICAINC.,
are registered trademarl<s. THE EMSKY SHOPPE and logos 01 the EMAVIATION FOUNDATION INC. and EMULTRALIGHT CONVENTION are
trademarks01 theaboveassociationsand theirusebyanypersonotherthan theaboveassociationsisstrictlyprohibited.
EditonalPolicy:ReadersareencouragedtosubimitstonesandphotographS.Policyopinionsexpressedinarticlesaresolelythose01 the authors.Responsibility
loraocuracy in reporting rests entirelywith thecontributor. MateriaJ should be sent to: Editor, TheVINTAGE AIRPLANE, Wittman RegionaJ Airport, 3000
PobereznyRd.,Oshkosh,WI 54903-3086. Phone:414/4264800.
TheVINTAGEAIRPLANE(SSN0091-6943) ispublishedandownedexclusivelybyEAAAntique/ClassicDivision,Inc.01theExperimentalAircraftAssociation,
Inc.andispublishedmonthly RegionalAirport,3000PobereznyRd.,Oshkosh,WI54903-3086.SecondClassPostagepaidatOshkosh,WI54901
and additional mailing offices. MemberShip rateslorEMAntique/Classic Division, Inc. are $18.00lorcurrent EMmembersfor 12month period of which
Sf2.00islorthepubtication01 TheVINTAGEAIRPLANE. Membershipiscpen'0 all whoareinterestedinaviation.
ADVERTISING -Antique/ClassicDivision doesnotguaranteeorendorse anyproductofferedtf1rough ouradvertising.We inviteconstructivecnticismand
welcomeanyreportofInferiormerchandiseobtained throughouradvertisingsothatcorrectivemeasurescanbetaken.
POSTMASTER:Sendaddresschangesto EMAntique/Classic Division, Inc.P.O. Box3086,Oshkosh,WI 54903-3086.
VINTAGEAIRPLANE3
Compiled by Mark Phelps
EAA AIR ACADEMY
1990 ADULT SESSIONS
There is still time to register for the
November Adult Air Academy Ses-
sions. Each five day session offers the
opportunity to experience an inside
vi ew of EAA and the EAA Aviati on
Center, make new aviation fri ends and
gain knowledge of the skills needed to
build and rest ore aircraft. The schedule
for the rest of '90 and a brief descripti on
of each session follows:
Novembe r 5- 9/Aircraft Fr a bric
Covering - The Superflite Process
Nove mber 12- 16/Aircraft Fabric
Covering -The Stits Process
Participants should plan to arrive the
day before and depart the day aft er the
program dates above. The Registrati on
fee for each session is $650 whi ch in-
cludes program, accommodations ,
lunches, banquet and ground transpor-
tati on in Oshkosh. The EAA Air
Academy is a program of the EAA
Aviation Foundation, registrati on is
open to all. For more informati on or to
pre-register, pl ease contact the Educa-
ti on Office at EAA Headquarters (414)
416-4888.
FLY IN VISITS TO THE EAA
AIR ADVENTURE MUSEUM
Fall will offer some beautiful flying
days before Old Man Winter returns to
the northern states. Consider the EAA
AIR ADVENTURE MUSEUM in Osh-
kosh, Wisconsin for one of your fall sky
sojourns. When you fly into Wittman
Regi onal Airport , Museum staff will
provide ground transportation to and
from your plane without charge. The
EAA Museum is an ideal destination for
all aviation enthusiasts. Open Monday
through Saturday from 8:30 AM to 5:00
PM and on Sunday from 11 :00 AM to
5:00 PM for your enjoyment , the
Museum offers something for everyone
- of all ages - and aviati on int erests.
For more informati on call (414) 426-
4800. We look forward to greeting and
sharing the EAA AIR ADVENTURE
MUSEUM with you.
GUGGENHEIM FELLOWSHI PS
Through the support of the Guggen-
heim Foundation, the National Air and
Space Museum sponsors a one year resi-
dent fellowship for scholars int erested
in hi storical and scientific research re-
lated to aviation and space.
ELIGIBILITY: The Fellowshio is
open to predoctoral and postdoctoral
a ppli cants . Predoc toral appli cant s
should have compl eted preliminary
course work and examinations and be
engaged in di ssert ation resea rch.
Postdoctora I applicants preferabl y
should have received their Ph.D. within
the past seven years.
AWARD: Predoctoral s tipe nd
$ 13,000; Postdoctoral stipend $21 ,000.
CONTACT: Guggenheim Fell ow-
shi p, National Air and Space Museum,
Interpretive Programs-3356B, 6th & In-
dependence A venue S.W., Washington,
DC 20560; Attn : Cheryl Bauer,
202/357-1529.
DEADLINES : Applicati on and
Proposal s by: January 15. Notification
by: April 15. Beginning Dates: Be-
tween Jul y 1 and October 1.
A. Verville Fellowship
The National Air and Space Museum
has established the A. Vervill e Fell ow-
shi p in honor of Alfred V. Vervill e, a
noted avi ati on designer. This is a com-
petitive nine to twelve month fell ow-
ship intended for the analysis of major
trends, developments and accomplish-
ments in the history of aviation or space
studies.
ELIGIBILITY: The Fellowship is
open to all interested candidates with
demonstrated skill s in research and
writing. An advanced degree in history,
engineering or related fi elds is NOT a
requirement.
AWARD: 12-month fellowship,
$26,000.
CONTACT: A. Verville Fellowship,
Nati onal Air and Space Museum, Inter-
pretive Programs-3356B, 6th & Inde-
pendence Avenue S.W., Washington,
DC 20560; Attn : Cheryl Bauer,
202/357- 1529.
DEADLINES: Applicati on and
Proposals by: January 15. Notificati on
by: April 15. Beginning Dates: Be-
tween Jul y 1 and October 1.
For information concerning other
Smithsoni an Institution opportunities,
pl ease cOl1l act: Office of Fell owships
and Grants, Suite 7300 - L 'Enfant Plaza,
Smithsoni an Instituti on, Washington,
DC 20560; 202/287-3271.
EAA OSHKOSH '90 AWARDS
ANTIQUE AWARDS:
Grand Champion - 1943 Stearman
PT-17 (N63624). Fred Nelson, Gl en
Ellyn, Illinois.
Reserve Grand Champion - 1941
Monocoupe 90AL (N38922) . Bud
Dake, St. Loui s, Missouri .
Silver Age Champi on - 1929 Waco
10 ASO (NC768R). Tom Colli er,
Jonesboro, Georgia.
Runne r-up - 1930 Waco RNF
(NCI29Y). Gene Lehman, Dayton,
Ohi o.
Contemporary Age Champi on -
1938 Taylorcraft (N21239). R.A. Hat-
fi eld, Meridian, Ohi o.
Rurmer-up - 1934 Luscombe Phan-
tom (N272Y) . P. Douglas Combs, In-
cline Village, Nevada.
Outstanding Open-Cockpit Biplane
- 1940 Meyers OTW (NC26460).
David C. Lau, Oconomowoc, Wiscon-
SIn.
Outstanding Closed-Cockpit Bipl ane
- 1936 Waco ZPF-6 (NCI7470). Phil
Dacy, Harvard, Illinois.
Out s ta nding Ope n- Co ckpit
Mo nop la ne - 1941 Ryan STM
(NCI7343) . Bill Rose, Barrington, Il -
linois.
Out s t a nding Cl osed - Cockpit
Mon o pl a ne - 1941 Ta ylorcra ft
(NC29654) . Lowell Baker, Effingham,
Illinois.
WORLD WAR II
TRAINER/LIAISON AIRCRAFT
Champion - 1943 Stearman N2S-4
(N4561N) - Stubbs, Schreier, Dunlap,
Henderson, North Carolina.
Rurmer-up - 1943 Stearman A 75-
Nl (N60M) - Ken Volk, Rhome,
Texas.
CUSTOMIZED AIRCRAFT
Champion - 1946 Fairchild F-24
(NC81222) . Martin Propst, Jackson-
vill e, Florida.
Runner-up - 1943 Howard DGA-
15P (N35RH). Robert Helmchen,
Hampshire, Illinois.
Outst anding - 1943 St ea rman
(N45747) . Carl Hays, San Di ego,
Cali forni a.
4 OCTOBER 1990
TRANSPORTCATEGORY
Champion - 1938 Lockheed 12A
(N99K). Kent Blankenburg, San Luis
Obispo,Califomia.
REPLICA ANTIQUEAIRCRAFT
Champion - Wedell Williams "44"
(NR278V). Jim Clevenger, Black
Mountain,North Carolina.
Runner-up - Beachey "Little
Looper" (N288QB). VemDallman,E,
Sparta,Califomia.
UNIQUEANTIQUEAIRCRAFT-
1945 Spartan 12 (NX21962). William
C. Kyle, Winston-Salem, North
Carolina.
CLASSICAWARDS:
Grand Champion - Cessna 195
(N1504D). Tom Hull, Hollywood,
Maryland.
Reserve Grand Champion -
Beechcraft Bonanza C-35 (N2017D).
Sam James/Dave Slovachek, Colgate,
Wisconsin.
ClassI(0-80hp) - AeroncaChamp
(NC81455). Richard Lyon/FredPrice,
Thawville,Illinois.
ClassII(81-150hp) - PiperClipper
(N5526H). Charlie Hillard, Fort
Worth,Texas.
Class III (151 hp - up) - Stinson
108-2 (N9354K). Jim Weymouth,
Westland,Michigan.
Custom Class A (0-80 hp) -
Taylorcraft NC96440). Donald
Claude,Dekalb,Illinois.
Custom Class B (81-150 hp) - Er-
coupe (N93841). John Wright, Jr.,
Springfield,Illinois.
Custom Class C (150 hp - up) -
Stinson 108 (NC108WW). Harry
Whiting, Higden,Arkansas.
Best Aeronca Champ - NC81520
- GeneSigle,PoncaCity,Oklahoma.
Best Beechcraft - N5186C - Don
andGeorgeneMcDonough,PalosHilis,
Illinois.
BestBellanca- N86845 - Warren
Kronierger,OakPark,Illinois.
BestCessna 120/140- N9405A -
JackCronin,Denver,Colorado.
BestCessna 170/180 - N2681D -
MikeWilley,EdenPrairie,Minnesota.
BestCessna 190/195 - N195PD -
Paul Dougherty, Warrington, Pennsyl-
vama.
Best Ercoupe - N2701H - Scott
Olson,LakeElmo,Minnesota.
Best Luscombe - N2038K - Jim
Rushing/OwenBruce,Allen,Texas.
BestNavion- NC4242K- Ronald
Judy,Gate,Oklahoma.
BestPiperJ-3 - NC3426N - John
Bramscn,Chicago,Illinois.
Best Piper (other) - PA-12
(NC98979) - Bob McBride, Jr., Aus-
tin,Texas.
Best Stinson - N400C - Tom and
LoraineZedaker,LasVegas,Nevada.
BestSwift - N80966 - MarkHol-
liday,LakeElmo,Minnesota.
Best Taylorcraft - NC44493 -
John McDonald,Windom,Kansas.
Limited Production - Funk
(NC1613N) - Dan Stoor, Savage,
Minnesota.
Most Unusual - Grumman Al-
batross (N888AC) - Mike Arthor,
Scottsdale,Arizona.
Reserve Grand Champion Antique winners, Bud and Connie
Dake.
Reserve Grand Champion Classic winners, Sam James and David
Siovachek.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
byNf)r-m Veter-sen
A closeup of Roy Redman's Luscombe 8A reveals the Federal With its engine wrapped in a warm nose blanket, Roy Redman's
SC-1 skis rigged to the Luscombe gear with the coverings re- pretty Luscombe 8A. N45646, SIN 2173, waits on skis for its owner
moved. Roy's biggest wish in the wintertime in Minnesota is for to come out of the house and go flying! The scene is on Cannon
more snow! Lake near Faribault, MN, Roy's home town.
This very pretty DeHaviliand Tiger Moth DH82C, N18840, SIN 1317, was recently restored by Wayne
Edsall (EM 182214, NC 7085) of Bozeman, Montana. Obtained from Betty Cook in Maryland in 1987,
the 1941 Tiger Moth was U-Hauled to Bozeman and restored, the first flight being made on April 30,
1989. It is hangared with another Tiger Moth (N5050C) and a Model 9 Fleet.
6 OCTOBER 1990
Adecade ago, N4969K, among other
neglected Navions, was not anywhere
close to being recognized or considered
for a nomination as "PRIDE OF THE
FLEET."
Vic Giotto, of Giotto's Aircraft Inte-
riors of San Jose, California, is the
proud owner of N4969K. He found her
in Davis, California - a model A225
that took many parts from another
Navion to rebuild her. After about 10
years of work by physicians in the
laboratory, with the help and guidance
of Bob Holberg of Davis Air Repair, a
heart transplant was performed and the
model A was transformed into a model
B with the aid of a beef-up kit. Plans
and drawings from a Rangemaster were
used to redesign the engine compart-
ment to conform to certification of a
new powerplant - a 285-hp 10 520 B
heavy case engine along with a three-
blade prop.
Also installed was an IFR instrument
panel, all new wiring, rocker switches,
3 way strobe system, Vernier controls,
toe brakes, headliner with movable air
vents and spot lites, new upholstery, tip
tanks and a four-color Imron paint
scheme consisting of red, maroon,
orange and white.
by Vic Giotto
All of this was accomplished in spite
of some setbacks bent on doing her in,
such as: a wheels-up landing which
merely scrapped the bottom and dinged
the prop - with no engine or crankshaft
damage; and a car (Mercedes yet)
driven by a woman under the influence
of alcohol, which smashed through the
locked hangar in San Jose and damaged
the elevator and left wing section of
N4969K. No fire or personal injury
resulted, f;)rtunately. This event could
have been a tragic end for all concerned
including Navion N4969K.
After recuperating from major
surgery, and in spite of all these
mishaps, she flys proudly as Flagship of
1988 - leaving in her wake, - unfor-
getable memories of happy times,
places, events and most of all, good
friends who also have a similar admira-
tion for their very own Navion.
The interior with its full panel looks as good as the exterior.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

FIRST ISSUES - AERIAL AGE
In the EAA Aviation Foundation's
Boeing Aeronautical Library, there are
over 630 different aviation magazines
with the oldest dating back to 1908.
Among these various titles there are a
large number of first issues of these
magazines. These initial issues can be
very interesting for they usually have an
editorial statement as to their purpose
and the editors' view of the state of
aviation at that place in time. In addi-
tion, the first issue gives a time capsule
of what was considered important to the
world of flight at the time the publica-
tion began. This is the second in a series
in which these first issues are inves-
tigated. This month the subject is
AERIAL AGE.
AERIAL AGE was the only weekly
by ()ennis [)a.-Io
Lib.-a,-y / .An:hives
()i.-ect().-
American aviation publication to sur-
vive beyond the First World War. It
was published from March, 1915
through July, 1923 by the Aerial Age
Company of New York. The founding
editor was H. Chadwick Hunter who
was followed by G. Douglas Wardrop.
Wardrop remained editor till the publi-
cation ceased. The contributing editor
was Harry Woodhouse who was also
editor of FLYING, the Aero Club of
America's publication which was ab-
sorbed by AERIAL AGE in 1921.
The first issue of March 21, 1915
announced that the publication was
taking the place of AERO & HYDRO
as "The American aeronautical week-
ly." AERO & HYDRO had ceased in
November 19 14. AERI AL AGE
boasted of an initial subscription list of
10,000 and listed among its first sub-
scribers Katherine Stinson and Capt.
Thomas Baldwin. The first issue had 24
pages but by June 1st it was up to 46
pages.
There were some introductory
remarks by Henry Woodhouse, Manag-
ing Editor of FLYING, entitled "The
Wonderful Prospects of American
Aeronautics." "The prospects of
American aeronautics are world-wide
and wonderful and new developments
take place constantly which open new
prospects. For instance, after this ar-
Burgess-Dunne Seaplane
8 OCTOBER 1990
- ----------
--- ---
1 9 I
_, AREA
U
..c
I 0
--'-------
TABLE OF CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LEADING AMERICAN AEROPLANES
-------;-,--,--------
MAKE
Burges,..
Dunne P. B
Christofferson
T. B
Curti..T. B
HeinrichT. B
HuntingtonT.B
Gallaudet T:B
GallaudetT. B
Martin T. B
Mayo T. B
Thoma.. T. B
Wright P. B
I SPAN _
-,
W I
<fl TOP
-,- --
2 146'-2'
2 148'-0'
2 I 40'-0'
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
35'-0'
36'-0'
34'-0"
30'-0'
40'-0"
39'-11"
31i'-0"
32'-0'
_
BOT_
46'-2'
34'-0'
30'-0'
24'-0'
36'-0'
34'-0'
30'-0'
40'-0'
I i
I r CHASSIS
41 BOO\'
..J (;
---'--
,
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20'-0' Nacelle . 2skids
Lateral I' MOT 0 R
Con trol _______ -,__-,-______
,
----,.
Flaps ISalmson
A.leron. Hall-Scott
Ailerons Curtiss
Aileron. Gyro
Aileron. IGyro
Small Gyro I Flaps
Small
Flap. , Gnome
Curtissor
Aileron. lIall-Scott
Ailerons Gyro
Au9lro-
Aileron. Daimler
Warping IWright
Type
9cy!.
Radial
8cylV
8cylV
9cy!.
Rotary
7cy!.
Rotary
7 cy!.
Rotary
14 cy!.
Rotary
8cyl V
8cyl V
7 cy!.
Rotary
6cy!.
Verticle
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Verticle
H. P.
130
100
90-100
110
80
90
100
90- 100
100
90
90
flO
Bore IStroke
---,---
4 j" 51'
5" 5"
41' I 6"
4I'
41"
4\'
4'
5
41"
4j'
4j'
51'
6
41'
5'
5 II
6"
5\"
4I'
I
Fuel
Cap
41 hrs.
41 hr.
4 hr.
4\h...
5 h...
4 hr.
4 hI'S.
5to8
hrs.
5hrs.
5 hr.
4 h...
6'-0' 6'-0'
6'-0' 6'-0'
6'-0' 6'-0"
5'-0' ,5'-6'
5'-0' 16' _0'
0'-0'
6'-0" 6'-6'
5'-0' 6'-6'
550'Q.ft.
350'Q. ft.
300sq.ft.
352.q.ft.
350.q.ft.
300sq.ft .
400sq.ft.
39'-11'6'-0" 5'-10" 455sq.ft.
36'-0" 5'-0' 5'-0' 360.q.ft.
32'-0" 6'-0' 6'-0" i 350SQ. ft.
I i
127'-0'
i
' 26'-4"
i24,_0"
i
26'-0"
25'-0'
25'-0'
Fuselage 3wheel.
2wheels
Fuselage 2skids
2wheel.
Fuselage 2skids
2wheel.
Fuselage I skid
Mahogany
Fuselage 2wheel.
Mahogany
Fuselage 2 wheel.
2largewheel.
2auxilarywho
2skid.
26'-0" 'Fu.elage
29'-4' Fuselage 2wheel.
2skid.
26'-0' Fu.elage 2wheel.
Fuselage 2skid.
26' -0 motorin 2wheel.
front
I
Nol yellesled. T. bipla"e. P. H- Pusher bipla ne.
ticle had been written word was
received thatthe Navy Departmenthas
ordered the Naval Militia throughout
the country to organizeaviation corps,
the Navy Department to provide two
aeroplanes and spare parts to each
division, which means about one-
hundred aeroplanes to be employed in
thisplanalone.
"Whilethemost immediateandsub-
sta ntial demand is for military
aeroplanes, thatdoesnotby any means
constitutethemostsubstantialprospect
ofthe American aeronautical industry.
Aeronauticsisfast becomingrelated to
every line of human endeavor, and is
abouttoextendfromthemilitaryperiod
intotheperiodofaerialnavigation,asa
popular sport and for utilitarian pur-
poses."
Along the lines of aviation as a
popularsporttheeditorhadsomecom-
mentson waterflyng - "Water-flying
promises to become popular this sum-
Martin MilitaryTractor
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
mer. A number of prominent sportsmen
have ordered, and others are planning to
order, flying boats and hydroaeroplanes
for the coming season. This is not
surprising. Faster than any water or
land craft, the airboat carries its pas-
sengers over the water or on the surface
of the water and can cut across promon-
tories and soar over land and even
mountains to reach other bodies of
water. It does these things easily at a
speed from 50 to 80 miles an hour."
FEATURES
There were three short features in the
first edition of the magazine. One by N.
MacCoull was entitled "American
Aeronautical Engines," one by Walter
H. Phipps was called "Latest American
Military Type Aeroplanes" and the
other was about Katherine Stinson.
AIRCRAFT - The article on
American military airplanes gave praise
for the efforts in this area which is in
contrast to the opinions at the end of the
First World War. - "Considering the
substantial crop of latest American
aeroplanes one cannot doubt that the
Thomas Military Tractor
Sturtevant Motor
10 OCTOBER 1990
American aeroplane constructors are
ready to meet any demand for machines
for sport, military and general purposes,
and to deliver as efficient machines as
can be had anywhere."
Eleven new military aircraft were
listed, all of which were two-seat
biplanes. Five of the aircraft were
powered by rotary engines, one by a
radial, two by in-lines and three by V-
8s. Horsepower ranged from 60 to 130.
As the First World War had been in
progress for over seven months, it is
interesting to note that none of these
military machines had any armament.
ENGINES - The feature on
American aeronautical engines dis-
cussed the difficulties of development.
- "The aeroplane engine presents
some of the most difficult problems
known in mechanical engineering. The
automobile engine has presented in-
numerable difficulties to the designer
and though the best engineering brains
in the country have been concentrated
011 these problems for several years,
there is still possible an enormous
development. It seems as though the
greater the progress, the greater the pos-
sibilities that are revealed for still fur-
ther progress."
There was included a table which
listed details of engines from a dozen
American manufacturers. Most of the
engines were water cooled and of these
about half were V8s. The other half
were in line and ranged from four to six
cylinders. Of the 31 engines listed, only
nine were air-cooled and most of these
were rotary engines.
KATHERINE STINSON - It was
reported that Miss Stinson had been
flying at San Antonio and devoting con-
siderable time to promoting interest in
aviation in the schools. Every student
of the San Antonio schools had been
receiving instruction, some by actual
rides in the air. The feature also
reported that her younger sister, Mar-
jorie, had recently obtained her pilot's
license and that her two brothers were
being instructed in aviation and ex-
pected to have their licenses soon.
COLUMNS
AERIAL AGE also has two regular
Katherine Stinson with young student.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
- ---
American Aeronautical Engines
CYLINDERS
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260
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0
305Comp,
columns, One was about model avia-
ti oncalled"ModelNews"andtheother
was a humorous approach to aviation
news call ed"Aeronitis,"
AERONITIS This column con-
tained quips and quotes either new or
reprintedfromothersources, Onestory
in the first issue goes: "An aviator,
whoseclaimtotheappelationwasbased
onhisabilitytofly hismachinerounda
big field on a calm evening, had been
taken by a get-rich-quick promoter to
fill an engagement in aSouthern town,
Theflying fi eld was the usual ball park
withthebackfenceGi'Opped, Theflyer
gotoutinfineshapeastheweatherwas
good, but on returning he couldn' t hit
the hole in the fence and came overit.
Hiswheelstouchedfirstatthedi amond
andransmashintothecomer. Theends
of the wings meeting the converging
fences at the comer arrested in their
breakagethemomentumofthemachine
beforetheseatwasimpurgedagainstthe
fence. The aviator, dazed, was being
assisted by an elderly native in the
operation of extracting splinters from
himself,whenthelattermadeinpuzzled
tones the following inquirey: 'Say,
pardner,howdoyestopthatdamthing
whenyouain'tgotnofence?'"
12 OCTOBER 1990
Therestoftheeditorialcontentofthe
issueconsistedofshortreportsonavia-
tionnewsathomeandoverseas,
SCRAPTHEM "Thereareabout
one-hundredmotorsin thiscountrybe-
tween three and five years old,
American and foreign, that should be
scrapped, They are a danger to the
aviators and a reflection to up-to-date
aeronautics, ScrapThem!"
FRENCH AEROPLANES
"Duringthesesixmonths(sincethestart
ofthe war) the aerial squadrons made
about 10,000 reconnoitering flights,
corresponding to more than 18,000
hoursofflight. Theseflights represent
a covered of 1,080,000
kilometers, or, in other words, twenty-
five timesaroundtheworld."
PASSENGER CARRYING AT
HEMPSTEAD - "Judging from the
numberofpassengerswhowerecarried
forflightsattheHempsteadPlainsavia-
tion field on March 13th, it looks as if
flying is destined to become quite the
popular fad this season. On Saturday
twenty-fiveflightsweremadewhenMr,
Henry Woodhouse entertained a party
from theAeroClubofAmerica."
ARMYTRACTORS "EightCur-
tisstractorsandextramotors,theflying
equipment of a squadron, have been
ordered for the U, S, Army aviation
section, The machines are to be
equipped with 90 hp, Curtiss motors,"
(ThisprobablyreferstotheArmyorder
for CurtissIN-2s.)
ADVERTISEMENTS
The state ofthe aviation industry in
1915isreflectedintheamountof adver-
tisinginthefustissueof AERIALAGE,
Ofthe24pagesoftheissue,eightpages
were of advertising, Curtiss had two
full pages of ads, one for the Curtiss
FlyingBoatandoneforCurtissmotors.
Half-page ads were taken by six com-
panies. TheseincludedSturtevantfora
motor,Burgessforaseaplane,Gyrofor
a rotary motor, Martin for its tractor
biplaneand Huntingtonfor its biplane,
Otheritemsadvertisedincluded instru-
ments, flyingsuits,radiatorsandmodel
airplanes, There was also a classified
section which listedused airplanesand
equipment for sale, In this issue there
wasa1913Curtissflyingboatanda220
hpAnzani motorforsale,
During its first year AERIAL AGE
published632pagesofup-to-dateinfor-
mation on the emerging aviation in-
dustryintheUnitedStates.
by Norm Petersen
This photo of a Keystone-Loening K-84 Commuter was taken at the Oakland, California Airport by noted
author, Peter Bowers, in June of 1941. Powered with a Wright J6-9 of 300 hp, the four-place Cummuter
saw extensive service in the early 1930's as a working amphibian with some forty examples built. A
useful load of 1220 Ibs. combined with a 90 mph cruise speed, made the $16,800 price tag viable in
1930. This particular aircraft, NC10248, SIN 324, was built at the approximate mid-production pOint.
Dripping water on the ramp after a short flight from San Francisco is this Loening "Air Yacht" C2H
amphibian, used in the early 1930's for the Oakland-San Francisco ferry runs. Capable of hauling eight
passengers, the 525 hp 'Wasp" engined Air Yachts gave six-minute service, dock to dock. This photo
came from an old glass negative in Peter Bower's collection. Note the skid used instead of a tailwheel
and the decals on the Hamilton propeller.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
LINDBERGH'S
RESTING PLACE
by Dave Millikan
HAWAII - warm, wet, dry, lush and
a pretty vacation spot. I never thought
of going to Hawaii until my son got a
duty station in Japan. So off to the
bookstores for several tourlguide books.
Only after skimming several did I real-
ize that Lindbergh's grave was on Maui .
In 1989 we did two islands (Kauai &
Hawaii) and didn't make it to MauL In
'90 we had a chance to visit our Far East
family again and their choice was Maui
and Oahu. Another check of the books
showed that the Hana area was sorta off
the beaten path and a neat place to go.
Hana is a small town on the East side of
MauL Lindbergh's grave is about 10
miles beyond Hana but the getting there
is something else. The tour books
describe the trip to Hana so I'll leave it
at a three hour trip to go 51 miles -
decent pavement but maybe 500 curves
and pretty country. Route 31 beyond
Hana deteriorates to more curves, nar-
14 OCTOBER 1990
row road and a few steep slopes at the
road edge. Many visitors drive it daily
through a semi-wet forest to reach
Oh'eo Gulch (also known as the Seven
For nine miles beyond Lindbergh's gravesite, the road continues, unpaved and "off limits
to rental cars" whatever that means.
The author at the gravesite.
Sacred Pools). More than one tourist now had to do it again to return to
has looked at a few waterfalls and a civilization. The Seven Pools is in the
couple of small pools and wondered early stages of development by the Na-
why they spent half a day for this and tional Park Service and has few
amemtles other than rest rooms (no
water) and some control of the hiking
trails. The park has a gorgeous seacoast
with huge rocks and frothy waves
within a five minute walk from the park-
ing lot.
On to the Palapala Hoomau Church
and Lindbergh. Continue on Route 31
the same direction that got you to the
park and note the sign "leaving the
Seven Pools Park." The church road is
0.9 miles ahead from this sign. About
half way there pass a small church on
the right and several dwellings on the
left marked "Kapu" (keep out). Route
31 here is not paved but is compacted
dirt and stone and useable. Approach-
ing .9 miles is a pasture on the left about
500 ft. square. At the far end of the
pasture is a water tank and a road to the
left with a metal cattle gate which is
open. You're there. Drive down the
short rough road and tum left into the
church parking lot (room for several
dozen cars). The church is open and has
a guest book. Lindbergh's grave is at
the east end of the small cemetery next
to the church as shown in the
photographs.
It's worth the trip and you can almost
hear the Ryan's Wright Whirlwind and
the Lockheed's Allisons droning over-
head just above the broken clouds.
When I returned from Hawaii with
photos, most everyone wanted to know
how Lindbergh got to Hana. I had to
check a biography to find out.
Lindbergh did many pioneering flights
for Pan Am in the 1930s and was later
on the Pan Am board. Also on the board
was Sam Pryor who owned several
thousand acres in the Hana area. Sam
Pryor sold some acreage to the
Lindberghs and they built a home there.
Actually this took place in their later
years and Lindbergh did not get to spend
extensive time there before he died of
lymphatic cancer. Many remember the
kidnapping but a lot of us have forgotten
that the Lindberghs went on to raise five
other children. Those who fly can easi-
ly relate to the fascinating trips they
took in the Lockheed Sirius floatplane.
Many do not realize he flew a few com-
bat missions in the South Pacific as a
tech rep (A story in itself - 50 missions
and 179 combat hours. A few in Cor-
sairs and most in P-38s. One Japanese
plane downed) or that he almost died in
his first parachute jump in Kansas in
1925.
c.A.L. is a legend worth remember-
ing .
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
IIEAT ESCAPE
by Ron Ferrara
Atsix a.m. the sun was at war with
wispy remnants of ground fog. I was
barely alert as I rolled open the hangar
door. With the door fully open the blue
and white Taylorcraft looked anxious to
be set free. This vintage airplane was
my personal vehicle for time travel back
to 1938. As a mechanic and flight in-
structor in today's complex world of
HSIs, loran and digital electronics, I was
looking forward to the next hour or so
in the much simpler world embodied in
this airplane. A well maintained 52-
year-old aircraft gives meaning to the
adage, "quality need have no fear of
time."
The 1938 BL65 Taylorcraft was con-
verted to a BC65 by installation of a
Continental engine at some point in the
distant past. The tail wheel was an im-
mediate indication of age. So was the
instrument panel. It had a large faced
tachometer that indicated backwards (or
is it the modem ones that indicate back-
wards?), with an oil temperature and
pressure gauge built into the face. The
instrumentation was completed by the
mandatory altimeter and airspeed in-
dicator. Nothing fancy. Nothing un-
necessary . No radios, gyros or
electronics to mar the simplicity. Each
instrument provided the information
necessary for flight. I thought about
how strange this unadorned panel
would appear to many of my students.
Most were totally unfamiliar with this
austerity, this innocence. They were
trained to the world of master switches,
warning lights and radio checks. Un-
doubtedly this airplane would seem un-
natural to them.
The starting procedure itself is
foreign to the modem aviator. The idea
of tying the tail of an airplane to a fence
and spinning the prop by hand brings a
smile to modem faces, except insurance
company representatives and some
FBOs. While introducing one of my
students the joys of flying antique and
classic airplanes a few days earlier, 1
was turning the prop through while
priming the engine. The student, in all
seriousness, asked, "Why don't you just
tum it through with the starter?" My
16 OCTOBER 1990
reply was, "I am!"
Slowly a look of understanding ap-
peared on his young face, followed by a
large smile. "I don't know if 1 am ready
to fly in this thing or not," he said, only
half in jest. The procedure of using S
turns to see in front of the airplane and
an abbreviated run-up were also revela-
tions to the future airline pilot.
One of the joys of flying this type of
airplane is that if you pay attention it
actually communicates with you. The
special sound of the 65-hp. Continental
clawing its way into the sky, the smell
of the hot engine during a climb, and the
loping of the engine in a glide, a sound
that always reminds me of a freight
train, all combine to tell the pilot what
is happening. The lack of radios and
electronics increases the tendency of the
pilot to look out the windows for traffic
rather than relying on position reports.
Large barn door size ailerons quickly
teach the pilot about the proper use of
rudder. The airplane is light and boun-
cy, responding to every changing air
current. The long wingspan, without
flaps, exhorts the pilot to perfect the
maneuver of the side slip. With a land-
ing speed of 35 mph and mechanical
heel brakes, this airplane is a gentle
teacher.
The takeoff on this cool morning was
uneventful and the rate of climb some-
what better than normal. The escape to
the past had begun. Leveling off about
1,000 feet agl I headed away from the
sleeping city. Once over the open
country I picked up Interstate 24 head-
ing south. Off the right wing was a
loaded 18-wheeler challenging me to a
race. I accepted the challenge and
closed in. 1 was indicating 85 mph with
a groundspeed somewhat less and he
was pulling away. We rounded a bend
and I closed the gap a bit. It was close
but I finally took him on the hills to the
south. Rocking the wings as 1 turned
back north 1 caught the flash of head-
lights and the wave of an arm out the
open window. 1 had to believe that he
enjoyed this little diversion as much as
I.
Descending gently over the city I
could see Murfreesboro, Tennessee's
junior version of gridlock developing.
More and more cars were appearing,
filled with folks in a hurry to get some-
where. As 1 lazily passed overhead,
smoke from a nearby fire indicated that
there had been a shift in the wind. This
necessitated flying over the airport to
check for traffic, although it was still too
early for most students to be out. What
a pity, they missed some of the best
flying of the day.
As 1 cut the power to idle and entered
a glide, that freight train sound again
reminded me of how different this type
of flying was. Clearing the engine on
base leg, 1 set up for a full stall landing,
slipping slightly in order to make the
first taxiway. The landing was "a little
rough" and 1 was surprised and disap-
pointed until I realized 1 had violated
one of the cardinal rules of taildragger
flying. I had failed to hold the yoke all
the way back and the tail wheel was not
firmly on the ground. This poor perfor-
mance required another attempt. When
I applied full power, the notorious
hesitation which seems to be inherent to
the Stromberg carburetor told me that I
had pushed the throttle too fast. 1
circled back around the pattern to
another landing which, as the yoke was
now firmly back, was much more ac-
ceptable. After refueling, I attempted to
find someone to give me a prop. Unfor-
tunately, I was back in the modern
world of liability insurance. I finally
did persuade someone to sit in the cock-
pit and hold the brakes without consult-
ing their lawyer, as I propped the engine
myself. As I taxied back to the hangar
I was a little saddened thinking about
how much the world of aviation had
changed over the years. The sense of
excitement and adventure has been
replaced, to a large extent, by the
modern concept of monetary return.
Many students don ' t really seem to
enjoy flying for itself, but are attracted
by the salaries they believe pilots earn.
The joy and commitment that I remem-
ber seem to be less prevalent in many of
today's students. I fly alone most morn-
ings in spite of a standing invitation for
anyone to join me.
I guess 1 am just a low-tech pilot
trapped in a high-tech world and I oc-
casionally like to escape to a simpler
time. I am lucky enough to have a time
machine available to me that allows me
that escape, at least for a little while, in
the cool, clear, early Tennessee morn-
ings .
IT HAS TO FLY
A report on aircraft judging at
EAA Oshkosh by Phyllis Brauer
"It has to fly." That is a prime re-
quirement of all antique and classic
Grand Champions, explained Dale Gus-
tafson, antique judge chairman.
"Yes, and it has to be factory fresh,"
added George York, classic judge chair-
man. "That means as original as pos-
sible," he said. "When these planes left
the factory, they had certain paint
schemes and wheel pants which must be
present now."
As a matter of fact, the authenticity
must extend to the same types of nuts
and bolts used in the original construc-
tion. All features, major as well as
minor, must conform to the original
manufacture.
"Of course, we have to make al -
lowances for radios and other safety
equipment to comply with FAA regula-
tions," said Dale. "We also allow for
the owner's utilization of the aircraft."
To qualify for Grand Championjudg-
ing an aircraft must be flown to or at
Oshkosh and must be licensed, but not
every plane that comes to the conven-
tion is judged. When an antique or clas-
sic airplane is registered, the owner may
indicate that the plane is to be judged.
But no matter how much time and effort
a pilot has devoted to his plane, it is all
for naught if it is not registered by 11:59
a.m. on Wednesday.
Dale said that this deadline is ab-
solute because, "It's still a manual
operation although I am always trying
to think of shortcuts. In addition, Bob
Ladd, A wards Chairman, needs time to
get the plaques engraved.
During this past convention Dale and
his staff judged approximately 80
planes, and George and his assistants
evaluated nearly 400. George is a
charter judge who has been on the job
since 1971 while Dale started in 1975.
All the judges devote long hours each
day to deliberations, "And long nights,
too," interjected Faye, Dale's wife. "He
takes his work home with him to the
hotel."
After a plane wins Grand Champion,
it is no longer eligible for competition at
Oshkosh. "It has reached the pinnacle.
He's (the owner) won all the marbles,"
said Dale. The panel of judges for this
past convention was as follows :
ANTIQUE JUDGES
Chairman, Dale Gustafson; Co-
Chairman, Peter Covington; Gene
Chase, Gene Morris, Dave Clark, Dave
Morrow, Don Caleman, Bob Kitslaar,
Dave Anderson, Charlie Bell, Bob Wil-
son, Steve Dawson, Bill Johnson, Mike
Shaver and Faye Gustafson, secretary.
CLASSIC JUDGES
Chairman, George York; Co-Chair-
man, Paul Stephenson; Bob Hilbert,
Marvin Hoppenworth, Chuck Johan-
son, Terry Ladage, George LeMay,
Dean Richardson, John Womack, Frank
Moynahan, Jerry Gipner, Mike Ham-
mer and Jim Alford. Classic judges are
assisted by Deb Hauser and Jean
LeMay .
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
FULL CIRCLE
The story of a
Grand Champion Stearman
by Mark Phelps
I t takes a scrupulously correct airplane
to win Grand Champion honors at EAA
Oshkosh. Judging standards include
details as minute as correct hardware
fasteners, clamps and exact placement
of markings and placards. Sometimes,
the key that turns the judges' head can
be a seemingly innocent detail. Fred
Nelson says that his acquisition of an
authentic World War II vintage Stear-
man battery may have garnered him the
big prize this year after he had won
Reserve Grand Champion status for the
past two Conventions.
The battery was the icing on the cake
for Fred who has become an expert on
Stearman trivia over the eight years it
took to restore his airplane and the three
years he's had it flying. It started with
a complete set of factory blueprints that
showed how everything went together,
right down to which way the slotted
screws should be turned. Other details
on the blueprints included the correct
layout of the two instrument panels, the
routing of the pitot-static system,
specifics on the rigging, how the cockpit
coaming should go as well as the correct
placement of the gaskets on the
windshield frame. There were pieces of
molding on the outboard edge of the
wingwalk that Fred has never seen on
another Stearman but they show on the
blueprints so they appear on Fred's
airplane.
You have to look closely at the under-
sides of the wings, but there is a line of
grommet holes that run along the span
at about the mid-chord point. At first,
Fred thought they were drain-holes,
despite their location at a relatively high
point of the wing in the three-point at-
titude. Besides, there are matching
drain holes at the trailing edges of each
wing. Fred installed the grommet-holes
even though their purpose was a
mystery. They were on the blueprints
so they went on the airplane. Fabric
specialist, Ray Stits commented that he
knew he was looking at a serious Stear-
man restoration when he saw the holes,
although he could shed no light on their
purpose either. The answer came at
EAA Oshkosh '89 when Fred was dis-
cussing the holes with a judge, who also
couldn't shed any light on the mystery.
An anonymous World War II mechanic
stepped forward from the crowd and
18 OCTOBER 1990
told them that after a groundloop, of
which there were many, the mechanics
could test the wings by inserting a stiff
piece of wire, bent at the end, into the
wing through the grommet-hole and
strumming the bracing wires along the
span. Any discordant notes would
reveal a wrenched or twisted wing and
the need for further repairs. If the wing
sounded in proper tune, it was returned
to service without the need for uncover-
ing the wing to inspect it. With the
number of oopses encountered by Stear-
mans during cadet training, this feature
must have saved countless hours of
maintenance.
lilT WAS
A CLASSIC
BASKET
CASE"
Besides the details learned from the
blueprints, Fred liberally consulted the
Smithsonian Institution and Ken Wil-
son of the Stearman Association for in-
formation on the placement of
markings, stencils and colors. The
Stearman is covered with modem Stits
fabric but the nitrate and butyrate dope
are consistent with what would appear
on a 1943 Army Stearman. It doesn't
shine like today's urethane finishes, but
that would not be true to it's Army Air
Corps heritage.
Fred's Stearman was rolled out of the
Boeing factory in May 1943 and went
immediately to Fletcher Field in
Clarksdale, Mississippi. It spent about
1,500 hours bringing green cadets up to
speed on what makes an airplane fly.
After military service, it was surplused
to a banner-towing operation and
wended its circuitous way through some
15 documented owners to Fred's garage
in 1980. It was a classic basket case.
There was a facsimile of an engine, a
broken crankshaft and the rest of the
airplane in pieces less seats and instru-
ment panels.
Fred had stretched his budget to its
limits to buy the project so initial
progress was slow. He began scouring
the country for parts and pieces, build-
ing up an impressive inventory of
original Stearman treasure along the
way as he executed the sweat-work in
his spare time. His advice on how to
complete a project of this magnitude is
simple yet profound. "Complete one
project before moving on to the next. If
I had gone from one fun part of each
project to the next without completing
the boring parts, pretty soon I would
have ended up with nothing but boring
work to do." It's been said that an
airplane is completed when, one day,
the builder finds that he has simply run
out of things to do.
Fred is quick to point out that he was
not alone. Helpers included his son,
Fritz, PJ. VanReeth, Will Windmill,
and Cory Linnane. A special vote of
thanks goes out to George Reeves who
built the wings over two and a half
years. Other Stearman rebuilders ex-
press disbelief when Fred tells them
who did his wings. In his 70s, George
said that this set of Stearman wings
would be his last and there was no
shortage of bidders, his reputation is
that impressive. Fred believes that his
many trips to Dacy Aviation in Harvard,
Illinois where George had his shop con-
vinced the craftsman that his Stearman
was worthy of the wings.
Another contributor was Martha
Miles, a student at Wheaton College,
four blocks from Fred's house in Glen
Ellyn. She answered Fred's ad for a
housepainter when his Stearman work
started to supercede his ability to take
care of his home. In the course of her
housepainting, she saw the airplane in
the garage, thought it was a boat at first,
but soon began spending all her spare
time working on the Stearman. She is
now working toward a private pilot
license.
There were other visitors as well.
Fred puts them into two basic
categories. Many people remarked how
much fun the Stearman would be when
it was finished. He could see the
twinkle in their eyes and feel their sup-
port and optimism. These people in-
spired him to continue the project, but
he confesses that the ones who gave him
his real motivation were the ones who
politely told him that he should realize
he would never finish the airplane and
he'd better get used to the idea. "I deter-
mined that I would prove them wrong if
it was the last thing I did. Funny, none
of those people have shown up lately."
If they get around to Fred's garage
again, they'll find that he's added an
"Oshkosh Oscar" to his collection of
Stearman parts.
Fred Nelson and his Grand Champion Antique Stearman.
The aircraft would have its first duty assignment stenciled on the side. As aircraft
moved from base to base, they mayor may not have the new information sten-
The panel, mahogany foot plates and hickory
ciled on the fuselage depending on how much time the mechanics had avail-
control sticks are original Boeing parts and
able.
the battery is an authentic, functional 50-
year-old artifact.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
!
a.
:J

o
u
Stearman restorer Fred Nelson attired for aviating, Stearman style.
Even the hose clamps are original parts and the en-
gine compartment is spotless. Well, everything can't
be "the way it was."
20 OCTOBER 1990
Tom Hull's Cessna 195 in flight over Lake Winnebago.
Real metal wheel pants for a Cessna 195 don't grow on trees.
This is the authentic spinner around which the story is
based.
The Cessna's panel remains largely unspoiled, except for the modem tools of tootling through East Coast airspace.
The cabin Cessna was early competition for the Bonanza market but the big
round engine was no match for the economy of the more modern flat-six.
The cabin, though, is much more accommodating.
22 OCTOBER 1990
Tom Hull of Hollywood, Maryland. The airplane has
been in the family for two generations.
1990 GRAND
CHAMPION CLASSIC
Tom Hull' s 195 Cessna or
"Where is my spinner?"
by Norm Petersen
The scene was the annual EAA
gathering at Lakeland, Florida called
Sun 'n Fun and the time was April 1989.
The warm sunshine and pleasant condi-
tions were most welcome to a snowbird
from Wisconsin. In a stroke of pure
luck, I had been asked to fly co-pilot
with the father and son team of Steve
and Scott McLain in their highly
polished Navion from Waukesha, Wis-
consin to Lakeland. Following a
pleasant seven-hour flight, including an
overnight in Chattanooga, Tennessee,
we arrived in fine shape and immedi-
ately the next morning, I began to ex-
plore the Antique/Classic area.
Standing next to a sharp looking
Cessna 195 was a gentleman by the
name of Tom Hull, pilot and owner of
N1504D. In talking to Tom, it was ob-
vious that he knew Cessna aircraft and
what makes them tick. He explained
how the restoration came to pass when
he purchased the 195 from his father's
estate in 1979. The airplane had been in
the family since 1962 when his father,
a TWA Captain, bought the five-placer
at a sheriff's sale. Tom had flown in the
aircraft many times as a young child,
sitting in his father's lap and holding the
control wheel with his small fingers.
Some time later, Tom Hull soloed a
J-3 Cub on his 16th birthday (his father
was his instructor) and passed his
private license checkride on his 17th
birthday in a Cessna 170. After
graduating from high school, Tom en-
rolled in Parks Air College, Cahokia,
Illinois, where he earned a Bachelor of
Science degree in Aerospace Engineer-
ing. His friends still remember him as
the "Baron" of second floor, C-Block.
One of the interesting things I
remember at Sun 'n Fun '89 was in
going over the 195 with Tom, I com-
mented on the original pointed propeller
spinner on his airplane, one that is not
often seen on restored 195s. Tom ex-
plained how the front half of the spinner
was cracking and he was in a quandry
as to how to fix it. I calmly explained
that I had the front half of a 195 spinner
among my airplane "junque" back in
Wisconsin. Tom must have jumped two
feet in the air! When he came down, we
struck a deal that he could have the
spinner when I located it in my garage.
Would you believe I have so far been
unable to find the blasted spinner in all
my stuff?
It was given to me over 20 years ago
by a Flying Farmer by the name of Ben
Leinenweber in St. James, Minnesota,
who had owned a Cessna 190 at one
time. Ben always liked the Cessna 180,
182 and 190 because, "When you grab
a handfull of throttl e, by God, somethin'
happens!" For years, Benny would fly
fishing trips far into Canada in scud and
muck that was unfit for the ducks to fly
in. In the soup, he would often poke
along at 100 feet over the highway, with
the flaps down, trying to find the next
town. We all told him how dangerous
it was and one day, he would eat an
instrument panel for lunch. Not so.
One 4th of July morning, Benny went
out to cut the weeds around his gravel
pit on the farm. The tractor got too close
to the edge of the pit and Benny rolled
into the gravel pit, the tractor landing on
top of him. The loss was especially
tragic because Ben Leinenweber was a
mover and shaker who got things done
while everybody else was standing
around talking, and more than anything
else in the world, he loved to fly.
When Tom Hull showed up at Osh-
kosh '90 with his pristine Cessna 195, I
immediately looked at his spinner -
only to find there were no cracks. He
explained that when I was unable to find
the extra spinner in my junk, he had a
new one "spun" by a professional
metalsmith (Spelled $$$$$$$). It
looked especially nice on the front of the
big Shakey Jake engine.
The overall amount of work put into
the eight-year effort of restoring the 195
to Concours condition was astounding,
however, a really close inspection
revealed the extent of refurbishing. No
detail was left untouched. Tom ' s
dedication was augmented by his per-
sonal comittment to honor the memory
of his late father, TWA captain Earle
Hull, whose 34-year airline career
spanned some 36,000 hours of flying.
Tom speaks of his father in a soft,
reverent tone of voice that makes you
wish for all the world that you had
known the gentleman personally. Such
a display of courtesy, admiration and
high esteem merely reinforces the belief
that Tom Hull is a person of excellent
character, following in his father's
footsteps.
The one redeeming discovery in the
195 rebuild was the absence of internal
corrosion, caused primarily by being
constantly in a hangar during its 39-year
lifespan. The only metal that needed
replacing were some belly skins and one
bulkhead that had been rearranged
during a couple of severe groundloops
somewhere in the murky history of the
airplane. Tom did most of this work
under the watchful eye of his friendly A
& P mechanic (with Inspection
Authorization). Originality was
matched, right down to the semi-flat
Brazier head rivets that Cessna used in
1951. Tom readily admits he became
quite adept at sheet metal work during
the rebuild. One advantage he had was
the Cessna came from the factory to the
state of West Virginia wearing an op-
tional cream & dark red paint scheme,
rather than the standard bare aluminum.
Hence, he knew the final paint job
would tend to hide any tiny imperfec-
tions and would require much less up-
keep.
Other items from the original factory
invoice included straight gear instead of
Goodyear crosswind gear, which al-
lowed the use of factory wheel pants
(originals) - a key item when it came to
presenting a really good-looking
Cessna 195. The two smaller photo
ports for the pilot and co-pilot plus the
large photo port in the middle of the
cabin floor were restored to factory
original condition. Even the factory
vacuum line to the large port (used for
pulling the film flat in the camera) was
restored to original condition.
A look at the original Cessna 195
factory brochure from 1951 reveals a
useful load of over 1,300 pounds. The
brochure also claims a baggage capacity
of "one-tenth of a ton". (My, how the
writers earned their pay!) Tom Hull
says, "As you work on a project, you
have a minds-eye view of what will
result. This one came out better.""
Although Tom Hull suspects the 195
will be withdrawn from active competi-
tion with the Grand Champion "Lindy"
on the shelf, he fully expects to keep it
flying about the country. He and his
wife, Kim also ha ve a Cessna 170A that
gets plenty of use. It is in need of a new
instrument panel, which Tom says will
be on the front burner. He is also look-
ing at the possibility of an open cockpit
biplane.
One fine day I am going to slip and
fall on that spinner in my garage after
looking for it this hard. I just hope I
don't hurt myself so badly that I can't
call Tom Hull on the phone and tell him
I found it. You will all hear the loud
noise when it happens!
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
tii there! I'dliketointroduceyouto
my friend Sally. I'veknown Sallyand
herhusband Brian for aboutfour years
now,andImustsay,it'sbeenan inter-
estingfouryears.
The Ryans (that's their last name)
hail from Minneapolis. Sally is a
teacher and author in the field ofOc-
cupational Health, and Brian is an en-
gineer. They aretheproudownersofa
1947RyanNavion,andareactivemem-
bers of the Navioneers. Brian is the
pilotinthefamily.
Sally and Brian have been making
theirannualtriptoOshkoshsince1970.
At first they sat back and enjoyed the
show with their two kids, but as the
years passed, Sally found herselfless a
spectatorandmoreavolunteer, butnot
in theusualway.
It all started with a glass ofwater,
24 OCTOBER 1990
SALLYRYAN
byGeorgeDaubner
thenlemonade,ahotdoghereandabrat
there, an aspirin, a Band-Aid - and
pretty soon Sally became a First and
Thirst Aid Station for volunteers.
Todayyoucanstopby withalmostany
problem, and Sally probably has a
remedy. Speaking ofstoppingby, you
rarely need an invite. Usually just a
smile and a handshake will get you in
the "camp door." After introductions,
you'reprettymuchonyourown,i.e. -
partofthefamily.
Youneverknowwhoyoumightmeet
at Sally's. They mightspeakRussian,
ortheirhome might beLondon. They
might fly the fastest airplanes in the
world, or the oldest, orthey might not
be pilots at all, but they're all people,
people with a story, and that's what
Sallyloves,gettingto know peopleand
makingthem feelathome.
Therewereamultitudeofpeoplesit-
ting around one Saturday night a few
yearsback,when Sally realized that no
one had had dinner, so she decided to
crank up the "OAKEN ALLEY GAL-
LEY" (that's where we're at, "Sally's
OakenAlley)andfeedeverybody. The
dinner was so well received that Saily
decidedtomakeitanannualevent. It's
appropriatelycalled"TheMealForThe
Multitudes." The event is an oppor-
tunity for oldfriends, and new friends,
to gettogetherandtelltheirwarstories
orjustreminisceaboutyearsgoneby.
Well, it's time to go. I hope you
enjoyed meeting my friend, Sally, and
ifyoufindyourselfintheneighborhood
nextOSHKOSH,juststopinat"Sally's
Oaken Alley" and sit a spell - the
welcomematisalwaysout.
r
WANDERLUST STRII<ES
AGAIN
CampingunderthewingsatCottonwoodAirport in Rockford, Illinois.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
As 1990 progressed through spring
and into summer my spirit of adventure,
never dormant, began calling more
loudly until it was impossible to ignore.
The antique airplane ferrying business
had been slow (almost nonexistent, ac-
tually) for over a year, and my move to
Miami to work for Kermit Weeks had
resulted in a further reduction of my
flying activities. Something had to be
done, and ideas started germinating in
my fertile mind.
Back in upstate New York my friend
Karl Erickson was talking seriously of
flying his Piper J-4 out to Brodhead,
Wisconsin for the annual Pietenpol fly-
in in July. Why not, I thought, fly up to
New York on the airlines and borrow
my dad's Luscombe for a couple of
weeks to go along with him? This
would also allow me to visit a number
of friends that I might not otherwise see
for months or more.
From these beginnings Lonnegan's
Flying Circus evolved. We decided to
"barnstorm" across the country at a
leisurely pace of less than 300 miles per
day, leaving plenty of time for hangar
searching, and hangar flying with
friends new and old along the way, and
byAndrewKing
we also tried to find others with
temperaments (and airplanes) to match
ours, if possible. We debated setting the
time of our travel between 1939 and
1940, a time after each of our aircraft
was designed. But we never did come
to a serious decision.
The cast of characters ended up being
myself, unofficial leader by virtue of my
greater experience and connections;
Karl, official leader, which meant that
he'd get to finally exercise the naviga-
tional skills which had basically lain
dormant as he'd flown only locally
during the eight years since he got his
license; Dave Gifford, who had a white
The Cub aloft after breaking out into clear weather near Canandaigua, New York.
and blue J-3 Cub that I'd flown back
from Ohio to Rhinebeck for him that
winter before moving south, he'd gone
on to get his Private Pilot's License just
a month before we left for Brodhead,
and he came to the rescue of Karl's
ailing J-4 by offering him the front seat
of the Cub. The two could then help
each other with the flying and navigat-
ing, and also split the fuel costs. Karl ,
Dave and I were all about the same age,
not tied yet to any of the things that
might forestall such an understaking.
I gained a passenger also, Wendell
Smith, a 17-year old who worked with
me in Miami doing things teenagers
should dream about like polishing P-51s
and riding in JemlYs and such. He
soloed just days before we left for New
York and was about to add a most un-
usual touch to his summer vacation.
Last but not least there was Ed Ham-
Replica of the first airplane to fly in Indiana, hanging in the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg
Museum.
26 OCTOBER 1990
merle, who had a few years on the rest
of us and a wealth of experience to add
to the outfit. He lived in central New
York State and was to join us at our first
stop with his blue and yellow
Taylorcraft L-2M. Of course the best
laid plans ...
I knew that it would be one of those
"vacations" where I'd be more tired at
the end than at the beginning, although
well worth it, and it certainly started that
way with our flight to Newark delayed
late at night and then a hectic weekend
at Rhinebeck and catching up with other
friends.
Our route was laid out to the north
and west down the Mohawk River Val -
ley to Durhamville, New York, where
we'd meet Ed for lunch, and then con-
tinue westward, eventually angling
down to Ohio. Objective for the first
day was Hopewell Airport near Canan-
daigua in the Finger Lakes region of
New York and our starting time was to
be 9:30 am Monday.
I'd made up some simple
"Lonnegan's Flying Circus" wings that
I handed out when we met just before
our official departure, Karl immediately
took to wearing his upside down, having
once had the experience of being in an
airplane that was in that position, but no
longer airborne ...
It was a most murky Monday morn-
ing, but we took off anyway, the Cub
dutifully in the lead with Wendell and
me wafting along behind in the Lus-
combe, throttled back to 1,700 rpm and
indicating somewhere less than 70 mph.
It wasn't much of a day for refreshing
one's navigational skills, and although
they'd started out fine Dave and Karl
landed after 20 minutes at Freehold,
with us right behind them, to ask me to
lead through what was left of the
Catskill Mountains. I agreed and once
more we were airborne into the hazy
windy morning, a wind that most amaz-
ingly was on our tail. The sun was
trying to shine into the picture by now,
but visibility was still barely three miles
in the haze. Fortunately Route 145 goes
the same way we were and, staying to
one side of the valley in case it suddenly
got worse and we had to turn around, we
made our way through the hills to the
Mohawk Valley, where Karl and Dave
took the lead again.
Almost two hours out of Rhinebeck
the Cub started circling Frankfort -High-
land Airport and I knew they wanted
fuel, though I didn't think that there was
any there, and besides the wind was
stretching out the windsock perpen-
dicular to the runway. I tried to signal
them to continue to the next airport but
they landed anyway, so we followed.
Sure enough, no gas. A look in the tank
of the J -3 showed more than enough fuel
to get another eight miles to Riverside
Airport in Utica, and we taxied out for
what turned out to be one of the more
exciting moments of the adventure.
That much of a crosswind is always
more than fun in a Luscombe but more
than that the wind was changing back
and forth some and must've swung be-
hind us a little as we took off. Itbecame
apparent at liftoff that our heavily
loaded airplane wasn't going to clear the
trees at the end of the runway, and it was
too late to stop. Fortunately there was
room to the left, into the wind, to use
A viation Rule # 12: If you can't go over
it go around it. This done we hopped
over to Riverside where the Cub got its
eagerly awaited 80 octane.
This was our third stop and we still
hadn't made it to our first planned stop,
another 20 miles distant, and never
would. The skies to the west were turn-
ing darker by the minute as we left
Riverside, me leading in the Luscombe
now, and less than a half-hour later we
were back there, having made the big
" 180" in the face of rain and low clouds,
much to the appreciation of my cohorts,
after getting within six or seven miles of
Durhamville.
A call to Ed disclosed that he hadn't
even been able to leave his strip in that
weather, so we told him our hoped-for
itinerary for that day and the next and he
promised to catch up when he could.
Then, after a ride to the Lota-Burger for
lunch, it was waiting time. We passed
the hours reading magazines and look-
ing around the hangars, and inducted the
first extra member into the LFC, a
woman named Sam who ran the FBO.
Since we weren' t pressed for time we
waited for several hours before taking to
the grey skies again. The ceiling had
indeed lifted some and visibility was
five to 10 miles in some directions as we
made our way south of Syracuse and
decided to forego our planned stop at
Weedsport to make it all the way to
Canandaigua.
The clouds were not so amicable to
this idea, however, and some 30 miles
from our destination they started spew-
ing rain and again threatening to sur-
round us. Throttled back with the Cub
on our tail I made the big "180" for the
second time that day, not the most en-
KermitWeeks' World War I lineupatTamiami Airport, Florida, with theAvro Tutor in the
foreground, SopwithTriplane,a Camel anda Jenny.
joyable experience but more than pru-
dent, and decided to land at Weedsport
after all.
This was a big, beautiful grass air-
port, though deserted at the time, but the
office was open and would've provided
more than suitable overnight accom-
modations for our weary crew.
Spirits in the Circus were pretty low
after all we'd been through already and
general concensus seemed to be to stay
there for the night, but after someone
showed up and we got fuel, and there
was plenty of light left, some persuad-
ing got everybody in the air again "for a
look" down the four-lane that followed
our course. First sight wasn't too en-
couraging and I almost turned back, but
we pressed on and then, just 10 miles
out, we broke the back of the front, into
gorgeous blue skies and sunshine. The
Cub went into a series of celebratory
wingovers and gyrations around us and
a few minutes later we settled onto the
tranquil grass of Hopewell Airport.
My friends the Moores were there,
The cockpitoftheAvro, completewith instructions.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
Dayne and Helen and their son Brian,
all high-time pilots and appreciative of
old airplanes and aviating, and of run-
ning the weather. The talk went on until
well after the sun went down and then
they graciously loaned us a beautiful
new car to drive to someplace to eat, not
quite befitting a band of barnstormers,
but they didn't have a Model T. We
were most grateful for the generosity.
Once our appetites were satisfied we
returned to the airport (somewhat of a
navigational exercise in itself at night),
and rolled our sleeping bags out under
the starry sky. Wendell was completely
unenthused about this at first, but by the
next morning had decided that sleeping
under the wing was great. This and
several other changes of opinion earned
him the nickname "180 Wendell," and
much was the good-natured ribbing he
was called on to endure as junior mem-
ber of the group.
We waited until 10 o'clock the next
morning before leaving Hopewell to see
if Ed would show up, but he didn' t, so
after inducting Mr. Moore into the LFC
we took off and headed for Bob Dart's
Airport in Mayville in westernmost
New York, hoping that the T -craft
would meet us there. The weather was
spectacular this morning, and we only
made two unplanned stops on this leg,
one at Geneseo to see a pair of B-17s,
and again at Gowanda for the Cub to get
gas so as to not push its endurance.
Wendell and I went on ahead from
Gowanda in case Ed was waiting for us
at Dart and it turned out that he had
landed there just five minutes before we
did. A few minutes later the Cub circled
and came in, and the Circus was com-
plete. Ed was given his wings and we
all walked into town for some
sandwiches. Then we set out for Ohio.
We had to thread our way through
some thunderstorms and rain near Erie,
Pennsylvania to a fuel stop at Ash-
tabula, Ohio, and then it was on through
some more gorgeous, clear skies past
Cleveland to our destination for Day 2,
Valley City. Our host for the night,
Mike Cuy, had been forewarned of our
arrival and met us in the air in his Champ
on the way in. He and his wife Debi
were most hospitable and not only took
us in for the night but even had a
cookout and small get-together in our
honor, easily earning their
"Lonnegan's" wings.
"Boy, I'd sure like to go with you
guys," Mike kept saying, and we sure
would've liked to have him along, but it
28 OCTOBER 1990
Lonnegan's Flying Circus, slightly out of focus, as usual. Left to Right: Ed, Karl, Dave, 180
Wendell and the author with the Luscombe.
wasn't to be this time through, and early
the next morning he drove us to the
airport and after our farewells and thank
yous we were airborne again into more
fantastic sunshine and smooth air.
We had two missions for the day, the
first being to visit the Auburn-Cord-
Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, In-
diana. A fuel stop was made at Bowling
Green, Ohio, and then the loose, three-
ship formation proceeded into Hoosier
skies to a landing at Auburn. The fellow
running the airport told us that the
museum might even come and get us,
saving us a three mile walk, and sure
enough a phone call brought a van out
that turned out to be driven by Museum
President, Don Aiken who also offered
us a ride back when we were ready .
More midwestern hospitality.
The A-C-D Museum was well worth
the visit and comes highly recom-
mended for both air and ground
travelers, great old cars and various
other exhibits that made for a most en-
joyable afternoon. Afterwards Mr.
Aiken drove us around town and
showed us E. L. Cord's old house, be-
hind which used to be the old airport and
terminal, now a farmer's field.
That stop was another highlight of the
trip, and after taking off we circled over
town a couple of times before heading
west towards our other objective for the
day. A fuel stop was made at Goshen
and then we set course for the magenta
oval on the chart west of South Bend
that marked the old Studebaker proving
grounds, where we'd been told that the
name "STUDEBAKER" was spelled
out in the trees next to the track. Sure
enough, as we approached there it was,
reading from south to north in the pines
on the northwest side, a relic from the
era of our aircraft.
We circled for a look and some pic-
tures and then hopped over to laPorte
for some fuel. From there Ed led the
gang on the last leg of the day to lans-
ing, Illinois, a long-established airport
south of Chicago that more importantly
is within a couple of miles of the home
of the Zander family, friends of mine
since my college days, so of course this
was as much a social visit as anything.
As always they were great hosts, giving
us all room and board for the night,
another most appreciated haven along
the way.
We were close to Wisconsin now and
right on schedule, so the next day was a
leisurely one, first stop 35 flying
minutes away at Naperville, at the home
and hangar of fellow antique airplane
enthusiasts Gar Williams and family .
The fellowship was fine there, daughter
Gail scooped us some frozen yogurt for
refreshment, nontraditional for
barnstormers but delicious, and Gar
loaned us his pickup truck to go down
the road to lunch. We also got a good
look at his various projects underway,
and just sat around the living room for
over an hour talking - what else?
We decided to do some passenger
swapping and on the next leg to Dacy
Airport in Harvard, Karl rode with me
while 180 Wendell went with Ed and
I
The final destination, Brodhead, Wisconsin and the Pietenpol Fly-in.
Dave was alone in the Cub. Wendell
made the mistake of falling asleep in the
Taylorcraft on this flight, his second
such airborne nap on the big adventure,
a fact we wouldn't let him forget.
His worries weren't over for the day,
though, as he decided he wanted to use
his new-found navigational skills to
lead the Circus to its next stop,
Pecatonica. We were full of fuel after a
nice stop at the pleasingly 1940-ish
Dacy Airport and had time to bum, so
to increase the challenge we paired
Wendell with new Private Pilot Dave in
the Cub, while Karl rode with Ed and I
went alone.
The Cub stayed on course for all of
the thirty-odd miles to the town made
famous by Richard Bach in his book
"Nothing By Chance," although the L-2
made the task easier by making the un-
authorized move of speeding ahead for
most of the way, and this may have been
critical since when they fmally came
back and rejoined the formation the Cub
flew right over Pecatonica and con-
tinued on. With some gesturing and
turning we got them turned around and
entered the pattern for the little strip
north of town. We wanted to see the
town Bach had written of, but apparent-
ly things have changed since then.
Don't go back there, Dick, unless you
want to hear a lot of grousing about
liability insurance. We hightailed it out
of there before the Cub even had a
chance to land.
A quick decision was made to fly
over to Cottonwood Airport on the west
side of Rockford, and this was a good
one, we were met there with much
friendliness. After pitching our tents
next to the airplanes we accepted an
offer of a ride down to a local resturant,
where Wendell was sentenced for fall-
ing asleep while airborne and for miss-
ing Pecatonica while awake. He had to
take all of our orders before the waitress
came and then give them all to her cor-
rectly.
We were all in a good mood that
evening, having thoroughly enjoyed the
last few days, and with only 25 miles to
go to our destination. There was still
even enough light left to go flying after
we walked back to the airport so Ed and
I swapped airplanes to each fly a new
type, and Karl took Wendell up in the
Cub.
Friday broke with an overcast and
haze all around. Wendell forgot to wear
his wings to breakfast and had to repeat
the sentence from the night before, and
about 10 o'clock we said good-bye to
the folks at CottonwQod and set off on
the last official leg of our journey. For
the fmal time the throttled-back Lus-
combe led the Cub and the T-craft over
the patchwork countryside, each with its
original crew. Soon the big grass run-
ways of Brodhead appeared in the haze
ahead and we closed up a little for a
formation pass overhead before separat-
ing to land.
Lonnegan's Flying Circus fit right in
at the Pietenpol Fly-in, a great little
meeting with no registration or trophies,
just good people and fun, a most suitable
destination for a 1940 flying circus.
think everybody in the group got at least
one ride in a Piet, Wendell got two, and
I got to fly one, courtesy Ted Davis, and
also got to fly Frank Pavliga's new Hatz
biplane.
Sunday afternoon we flew up the
Sugar River a few miles to the little
grass strip at Albany, just for someplace
to go, and Wendell got some dual in
both the Cub and the L-2. On the way
back to Brodhead I flew the Cub while
Karl and Dave zoomed around me in the
Luscombe and Wendell polished his
navigation with Ed in the Taylorcraft.
The skies were clearing now behind
a cold front, and the forecast was good
for the next morning when we would all
head our separate ways before returning
to New York. After another night in the
tents we were up before sunrise and in
the air by six o'clock, forming on the
Cub for one more minute of group
flight.
Circling back over the airport we
made another pass to salute our hosts,
then with some waving and wing-wag-
gling peeled off, and the summer of
1990/1940 was history for Lonnegan' s
Flying Circus.
There were plenty of adventures and
challenges awaiting each plane on the
different routes back, and we caught up
with each other at Rhinebeck on the
following Saturday to hear all of the
stories of derring-do.
It was an unforgettable experience
for the five of us, the long string of little
airports (over 20 just on the way out),
miscellaneous eateries with waitresses
of varying pulchritude, and different ac-
commodations all over the route. Old
friends were visited and new friends
made, people being of course what is
really important, and we stretched our
limits in flying and navigating, not to
mention appetite and cleanliness.
Wendell never did make the
parachute jump we kept telling him he
was going to have to make, but he keeps
asking me if we're taking the same route
next year. Next year? You can be sure
that when he gets to his cross-countries
he'll get more out of a sectional chart
than most student pilots. He was also
astonished at the friendliness of the
people we met along the way, generally
unlike Miami.
For me, I'm not sure if I've tem-
porarily satisfied my wanderlust or
reawakened it. Who's got an old, slow
airplane out there that they need flown
to California? Or from California . . . ?
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
DC-3 ON "BOATS"
- T
A Greenville, Maine Gooney Bird returns to water
flying in a big way.
Standing tall on ultra-rare Edo floats that displace29,400 pounds each.
30 OCTOBER 1990
byJeannieHill
HaVing grown up in Oshkosh, my
first recollection of an airplane was a
DC-3. Several times a day North
Central Airlines' DC-3s would rumbl e
over my back yard on final to Runway
18. When I was four years old, I suc-
cessfully begged a ride out to what is
now Wittman Regional Airport to see
my first airplane up close and in focus.
In those days little girls weren' t sup-
posed to love airplanes but I can tell you
that seeing that DC-3 deeply affected
me. It was one of those "firsts" in life
you remember forever.
Though the DC-3 has always held a
The "bow" of one of the floats.
Much of the mounting hardware had to be fabricated from pictures and drawings.
Dick Hill looks up into the vacant wheelwell.
A pair of nosewheels, size - extra-large.
special place in my heart, I never gave
much thought to what one would look
like on floats. That is, not until my
flying buddy, Bob Lumley called from
a business trip to New Hampshire one
Friday to tell me he had found a
newspaper article with a picture of a
DC-3 on floats up in Greenville, Maine.
Now, Bob is not the kind of guy who
could let something like that go by
without investigating it first hand. He is
also the kind of guy who would suggest
that my husband, Dick and I fly nearly
1,000 miles to investigate it with him
because he knows we're crazy enough
to do it. Bob called at noon. We were
on the 5:00 pm non-stop from Mil-
waukee to Boston.
Bob picked us up at the airport and
we drove north a couple hours to
Manchester, New Hampshire and spent
the night. The next day we started the
long drive "down Maine" to Greenville.
(Travelling north to Maine is properly
called going "down Maine," an expres-
sion dating back to when early merchant
sailors rode downstream on the prevail-
ing Gulf Stream current to get there.
Only tourists go, "up to Maine." - Ed.)
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
This is how the wheel struts attach inside the wheelwells.
The mainwheel tire is visible in this picture.
Looking aft from under the nose of the DC-3.
32 OCTOBER 1990
Unfortunately the fog rolled injust after
we arrived in New England and stayed
all through the weekend. We didn't get
to view the best of the region's famous
scenery. We did, however, experience a
couple of local specialities, a minor car
accident and a lobster dinner. I liked the
lobster better.
After five hours of zero-zero driving
we finally made the correct left tum and
found Folsom Air Service. It's a busy
operation that currently flies several
aircraft on both wheels and floats. The
aircraft include Beavers, helicopters
and Cessnas. We were disappointed
that we didn't get to meet Dick Folsom
who founded the company in 1946 after
a tour with the USAAF as a mechanic.
We also missed his son, Max the driving
force behind the DC-3 project. Both
men were involved in the search for a
missing airplane that Max later found
about three miles from the airport.
We did find the DC-3 on floats, big-
ger than life. Or should I say it was on
boats. This particular DC-3, an ex-
military C-47, flew between England
and France with the 8th Air Force
during World War II. It was acquired
by Eastern Airlines after the war. East-
ern replaced the original Pratt & Whit-
ney engines with Wrights. In 1985,
Dick Folsom acquired the aircraft. The
floats, which he got in 1986 are one of
20 or 21 sets built by Edo in 1943. They
each have a displacement of 29,400
pounds. Only five aircraft were
originally commissioned with floats.
The Air Force operated them in exotic
places such as Alaska and New Guinea.
A previous owner of these floats
watched the destruction for scrap of 16
sets along with their hardware after the
war.
Matching the airplane to the floats
was a very complicated undertaking.
All the hardware and mounting brackets
had to be fabricated from the original
plans which were 01) microfilm. The
quality of the film was poor making
them difficult to read. Howard Tools,
Fall River Tool & Die, Edo and Folsom
Air Service built the parts. It took six
hours to hoist the DC-3 and install the
floats underneath. At the time of this
article, the hydraulics were installed and
operating. The Folsoms hoped to fly the
airplane to EAA Oshkosh '90 but time
did not permit the completion of the
project. But when they arrive in 1991 ,
Bob, Dick and I will be among the
crowd waiting at Brennand's Seaplane
base to welcome its largest visitor yet. .
PASS IT TO
--1]
An information exchange column with input from readers.
by Buc k Hilbert
(EAA 21, Ale 5)
P.O. Box 424
Union, IL 60180
A Book Review?
It isn't my forte, but I had to comment
on this well-done effort by Dorr B. Car-
penter called RYAN SPORT
TRAINER. Carpenter, some of you
will recall, has written several books;
three on Ryans and one on submarines
of the Japanese Imperial Navy. That
one was the by-product of research done
on submarine-carried observation
aircraft.
This volume will answer any and all
questions on PT-22 and STA airplanes.
It's a part of the "Aviation Heritage
Library Series" published by Sunshine
House, our friend Drina Welch Abel's
creation. The book gives the history
and design theory on these and other
Ryan airplanes, and even goes into
operating and maintenance techniques.
It's a must for the PT and STA owners
or those who've always wanted one.
Incidentally, the Ryan that is in the
rotunda at the San Diego Air and Space
Museum is one that Mr. Carpenter
rebuilt, a pristine example of his
workmanship on this and several others.
Dorr is also an expert on small canons,
two-handed broadswords, muzzle-load-
ing long rifles, and horses.
There are times when I wish I would
have taped some of Dorr's conversa-
tions about his adventures. He was, and
is, quite an adventurer. He is one of the
few people who traversed the Amazon
River all the way to its source, en-
countering all the hazards along the
way, including native headhunters, dis-
ease, captivity and escape. He was an
infantry lieutenant in Korea and had
first-hand experience with combat. He
learned to fly and got his private pilot
license in a PT-22, his commercial in the
STA and his multi-engine rating in a
DC-3.
As you can tell, I admire the man for
his accomplishments, knowledge and
efforts to preserve the Ryan story. Take
a look at the book RYAN SPORT
TRAINER and see if you don't find it
as interesting as I did.
Back Again for Some More?
EAA Oshkosh '90 came and went.
spent the entire month of July working
around our EAA Aviation Center, the
Air Adventure Museum and Pioneer
Airport prior to the Convention. EAA
Director of Education, Chuck Larsen let
me work with the Air Academy students
and I even flew some of the antique
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33
PASS IT TO
--1]
airplanes at Pioneer Airport. AND, get
this! EAA's Chaplain, Bill Barnhart,
pastor of the Fergus Chapel, even had
me stand in and conduct services one
Sunday when he was attending an im-
portant lecture on the West Coast. Now
ain't that one for the books?
Well, by the time the Convention
came I was ready to head for the hills. I
was overwhelmed by the crowds and the
activity. My duties included flying
photo missions in the EAA Foundation
T-6, my Cessna 182 and a leased
Cherokee Six. We used all those
airplanes and you'll see the results in the
pages of all our publications as the year
progresses. We used the T-6 mostly for
the warbirds, the Cessna for the antiques
and the Cherokee for everything in be-
tween. With the rear cargo door
removed, our photographers were able
to shoot out of a hole in the fuselage
about four feet long by three feet high.
Jim Koepnick (EAA Chief Photog-
rapher) and Jay Meidl (Manager of
Video Services) got some real good
. stuff. You'll be seeing it in pictures and
video.
Anyway, after it was all over, I was
just plain burned out. I had seen so
many airplanes, talked to so many
people and was so run down I was fried
to a crisp. Even a lO-day fishing trip to
Canada didn't help. I came home with
an abscessed tooth and about as low in
spirits as I could be. Even though I had
just bought Norm Petersen's old Star-
duster Too, I couldn't even muster the
ambition to fly the little beauty, so you
know I was down in the dumps. I just
34 OCTOBER 1990
moped around and didn't do nuthin' .
Well the letter writers must have felt
the same way. I got only a dribble of
mail, very little to do with airplanes. A
lot of people had things to say about the
myriad of rules and regulation changes
that we are continually being plagued
with, so that didn't help a bit. About this
IILITTLE BY
LITTLE
THE FUN
IS COMING
BACK"
time, too, the CAP started giving all
their senior members static about the
new anti-child molestation program.
We had to submit fingerprint cards and
a character attestment form to prove we
were not felons, miscreants, and/or
detrimental to young cadets in the Civil
Air Patrol. I flunked! Not once, but
twice my fingerprint card came back
from the FBI for some intrinsic reason
(blame it on the computer) and I was
ostracized from the CAP. Not really,
but I was placed on what they term
"Patron" status and forbidden contact
with cadet members, unable to par-
ticipate in any CAP activity, operate any
CAP equipment or fly CAP aircraft!
Now this, guys and gals, was the ul-
timate insult!
I wrote a letter, a HOT one for sure,
to the Commanding General of CAP
and told them where to go, where I
would be and they could take my Lt.
Col. title and ... well, I told them what
they could do with it. It may have
vented my spleen but it got me in even
warmer water because I didn't file my
protest through my Wing Commander,
Region and the rest of the military chan-
nels. After 26 years of involvement in
CAP, this is my reward? All this further
depressed my already depressed frame
of mind.
Well, to make the long explanation a
little longer, I am starting over. I went
to Blakesburg, Iowa for the AAA Con-
vention - only for one afternoon and
half the next day, but it was a start. Then
the next weekend I went to Brodhead,
Wisconsin, Pietenpol Haven! And this
past weekend to Rock Falls, Illinois, a
miniature aSH, and then to a local
Chapter fly-in/picnic yesterday. I rode
in number-one-son's Cessna 170A to
one, flew my Varga to BKB and flew
the Starduster to the picnic. Little by
little, the fun is coming back. I'm wait-
ing for my pictures to be processed and
then I'll be writing about some of the
airplanes and people. Meanwhile, Over
to you! .
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V)NTAGE AIRPLANE 37
by George Hardie, Jr.
This amphibian was produced by a
well-known aircraft company in the late
1920s. The designer became famous in
later years as the head of his own aircraft
company. The photo is from the Hardie
collection. Answers will be published
in the January, 1991 issue of VINTAGE
AIRPLANE. Deadline for that issue is
December 10.
The July Mystery Plane is a Pheasant
Traveler. Robert Wynne of Merrill Is-
land, Washington writes: "The airplane
pictured is a Pheasant Traveler. The
airplane was an experimental offshoot
of the organization building the
Pheasant Model H-lO biplane. As your
picture shows, the airplane was a very
clean design cabin monoplane with a
full cantilever wing. Of even greater
interest was the engine. It was a special
four-cylinder, in-line, air-cooled engine
built up of Ford Model A parts. They
were well ahead of the (Wiley) Post
Model A biplane! A total of three were
built and one was shown at the 1929
Detroit Aircraft Show. As far as I know,
none are in existence."
Les Deltgen of Appleton, Wisconsin
adds this: "The July Mystery is a
Pheasant Traveler. Only three were
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin in about 1930.
Steve Wittman had a big part in building
and test flying them. It was a single-
place, closed-cockpit plane with full
cantilever wing. Two of them were
powered with modified Model A en-
gines, the other one with a Cirrus Her-
mes. The Cirrus was a four-cylinder,
in-line, air-cooled engine of 90 hp. I
owned and flew the one with the Cirrus
in 1936-38. I flew from the old Out-
agamie County airport."
Other answers were received from
Charley Hayes of Park Forest, Illinois
and Edgar Hilke of Sun City West,
Arizona. The complete story of the
Traveler will be told in a future article
by Norm Petersen who will interview
Steve Wittman about it. Look for it in a
future issue!
built by the Pheasant Aircraft Co. in
The Pheasant Traveller.
38 OCTOBER 1990
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