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j 8eason's Greetin8sj

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./f;f;k 0racA&
2 DECEMBER 1991
December 1991 Vol. 19, No, 12
PUBLICATION STAFF
PUBLISHER
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EDITOR
HenryG.Frautschy
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Copyright 1991 bythe EAAAntique/Cl assicDivi sion, Inc.All rights reseNed.
Contents
2 Season's Greetings
4 Aeromail
5 Vintage Literature/by Dennis Parks
10 The Complete Story of Parks Aircraft,
Inc./by Terry Bowden
13 Harold Armstrong' s Pitcairn PA-4/
by H.G. Frautschy .. .., .. '. I
....",JJj -;
18 It's A Bonanza!/by Norm Petersen
11)'" .. ..
, " .fIIIII"""
I .,.
21 Bob Everts' Aeronca Chief/
by H.G. Frautschy
Page 13
23 Pass It To Buck/by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert
24 Vintage Seaplanes/by Norm Petersen
29 CalendarJWeIcome New Members
30 Vintage Trader
32 Mystery Plane/by George Hardie
FRONT COVER.. .TheBeechcraft" Bird" stripeonthesideadds
a classy link to the past heritage of this 1952 C-35 Bonanza
belonging toSam JamesandDavidSiovachek.Thep ristineearly
Bonanzawasnamedthe 1991GrandChampionClassic during
EM Oshkosh '91. Photo byCarl Schuppel.shotwith a Canon
EOS- 1withon80-200lens. l/SOOthsec.atf5.6usingKodachrome
64.Cessna 182photoplane flown byGene Chose.
BACK COVER . ..The sole remaining Pitcairn PA-4 Fleetwi ng II.
powered bya "millerized" Curtiss OX-5. is flown byHarold and
BobArmst rongofRawlings,MD.Thisoutstandingrestorationwas
named Grand Champion Antique during EAA Oshkosh ' 91,
PhotobyJimKoepnick,shot withCanonEOS- 1with80-200lens.
l/SOOth sec. atf5.6 using Kodachrome 64. Cherokee 6 photo
planeflownbyBuckHilbert.
Page 10
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are of!heaboveassociationsand!heirusebyanypersonotherthan!heaboveassociationsisstrictfyprohibited.
Editorial Policy:Readersareenoouraged to submit stOfies and photographs.Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors.
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Oshkosh,WI54903-3086.Phone: 414/426-4BOO.
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VINTAGEAIRPLANE3
EARLYRACINGNOTES
DearMr. Frautschy,
ForthepastsixmonthsDelmisParks
has been reviewing the National Air
Races in VINTAGEAIRPLANE. The
literatureofthat time is fairly silenton
theyears1927and1928,whichaffected
Mr. Parksefforts.
Cliff Henderson related the follow-
ing, but I can't recall the conversation
verbatim, so it has to be the way it is
recalled. With the termination of the
Pulitzer contests, aviation events
gradually declined. Rock bottom was
reached at the 1927 N.A.R. (National
Air Races) in Spokane, Washington,
when the organizers and backers were
bankruptedby thescantyturnout.
Forthe1928event,Cliffgarneredthe
title of Operations Manager, and
selected the site for Los Angeles' new
airport, which alienated many of his
friends, many of whom were airport
ownersoroperators.
The first fourdaysofthe 1928 races
atMinesFieldwereasmuchafinancial
flop as they had been in Spokane the
previous year. Disaster struck on the
fourthdaywhenArmyLt. J.J.Williams
(of"TheThreeMusketeers") flew into
the ground and was killed. Just by
chance, Charles Lindbergh was in the
area and volunteered to take Lt. Wil-
liams place. When this news was
released to the public, a virtual stam-
pede ensued at the airport for the final
daysoftheNational AirRaces.
With the 1929 races being held in
Cleveland,C.A.L.balancedtheaccount
by flying with the Army pilots. Again,
a monstrous crowd filed through the
turnstilestosee"everybody'shero" . As
far as Cliffwasconcerned,thisoneac-
tionsalvagedtheN.A.R.andmadethem
thesuccessthattheywerethrough 1939.
Now try to imagine what the
American aviation scene would have
been if Cliffhad failed in 1928. The
greatpilots,anddesignersandbuilders,
would scarcely have developed,
without C.A.L.'s participation at that
critical juncture. The next time some-
4 DECEMBER 1991
bodysays"Thereisnosuchthingasthe
indispensable man", just think about
this.
Cordially,
TedBusinger(A/C 2333)
EveningShade,Arkansas
STEVENSANDMACREADY
DearMr. Frautschy,
Bob Whitmoyer's October article
aboutthefirstcropdusterflightsisinfor-
mativeand interesting, yet it overlooks
later substantial achievements by two
participants. John A. Macready, the
dusterpilot,washalfofthecrewonthe
first transcontinentalflightonMay2-3,
1923. In 1921 he had set an altitude
record of34,508 feet. Macready sur-
passedthatin 1924,thenagainin 1926
whenhereached38,704feet.
A.W. Stevens, who flew the photo
plane accompanying Macready's
duster,achievedevengreaterheightsof
success. Forstarters,in 1922heestab-
lished a record parachute jump from
24,200 feet. In May, 1924, he and
Macready togetherflew to 31,540feet.
Stevenssetotheraltituderecordsduring
the 1920sand '30s,buthisultimatefeat
came in November, 1935 when, with
Orvil Anderson in the National
Geographic/AirCorpsstratospherebal-
loon "ExplorerII", they roseto 72,395
feet. Truly a remarkable accomplish-
ment forthatday.
Both Macready and Stevens were
twice awarded the Mackay Trophy,
given to Air Force personnel for the
year's outstanding achievement.
Stevenswas also an authorityon aerial
photography, having helped develop
thattechnologyduringWorldWarI.
Sincerely,
EdwardPeek (A/C 3225)
Louisville,Kentucky
GREATLAKESTAILS
DearH.G.,
During our visit last week, George
Hardie asked me to write you a short
note relative to the Great Lakes article
by Bill Madden contained in the Sep-
temberissue.
We most certainly go along with
Bill'srationale,butwouldliketomake
thefollowingcomments:
A long time ago, we read the com-
ments by the pilot who flew the
"Straight Wing" version to the Detroit
Showing. Heindicatedthatheplanned
to go "islandjumping"overLake Erie
from Cleveland to Detroit. However,
theplanewassotailheavyanddifficult
toflythathedecidedtogothelandroute
to Toledo, Ohio, then follow the old
TelegraphRoadto Detroit.
Withthatknowledgewedecidedthat
as an engineer, we might do several
thingsto remedythesituation.
The first thing that would come to
mindwouldbetosweepbacktheupper
wing. Thiswould, however, bequitea
project. The nexteasierpossiblesolu-
tionwouldbetoalterthehorizontaltail
surfaces. Firstincreasetheirspan,next
revisethe incidenceofthesurface,and
as a last resort go to an airfoil section
making a lifting tail group, which was
fairly popularatthattime.
We also feel the aircraft shown on
photos 1312and 1316wasa"company
hack" wherein many ideas were tried.
Onewouldnotethe"Airwheels"which
appearednottobestandardonproduc-
tionmodels(seesideview). Alsoonthe
side view note the difference in the
stringer configuration aft of the rear
cockpit(sideviewandrearphoto1316).
Thisdifference is alsoshown on the
twoversionsofthemodelby Cleveland
ModelandSupplyCompany. It mustbe
remembered that H.C. Richardson was
with Great Lakes, then later with
Cleveland Model as their V.P. ofEn-
gineering,mostcertainlytakingagreat
deal of Great Lakes information with
him.
Muchofthisprobably couldbecon-
firmed by Ed Packard of Cleveland
Modelfame,astheirfirst majorkit was
the GreatLakesTrainer.
BestRegards,
RichardGates(A/C 611)
SheboyganFalls,WI


THENATIONALAIRRACES
THEGOLDENAGE(Pt.11)
1938
Fewer and fewer races for fewer
planeswasthetrendoftheNationalAir
Races in 1938. In 1937 there were 12
racing events spread over four days.
For1938therewerethreeracesinthree
days. Theracesfor thelowerdisplace-
mentclasseshadbeendroppedfor lack
ofentrants. Forexample,the397cubic
inchclasshadonlyfourentriesin 1937.
However, to help stir interest up for
1938, the prize monies were doubled
with a $25,000 purse for the Greve
Trophy, $30,000 for the Bendix Race
and$45,000fortheThompsonfree-for-
all. The largest numberofentrieswas
for the Bendix, with 11 pilots in the
running. The Greve pull ed seven
entries and the Thompson nine. In an
efforttospreadthemoneyaroundthere
wasaruleschangefor 1938thataircraft
entered in the Bendix could not also
compete in the Thompson. This was
probablybroughtaboutby thefact that
in 1937 threeoftheBendixplanesalso
placed in the Thompson - the two
SeverskysandtheMarcoux-Bromberg.
The 1938 National Air Races were
runSeptember3-5inClevelandwiththe
Henderson brothers, Clifford and Phil-
lip again running the show. Andquite
ashowitwaswithover80eventsinthe
threedays. Amongtheairshow pilots
were Hanna Reitsch, the German
women'schampion gliderpilot, Count
Otto Hagenburg, European aerobatic
champion, Harold Johnson tossing his
FordTri-Motorabouttheskyandmany
militarydisplays.
THEEIGHTHGREAT
AIR-EPIC
BLAZINGTHETRAILOF
TRAVEL-SAFETY!
"Again, for the eighth consecutive
year, aviationpreparestoresetitsfron-
tiersofachievement! AgainAmerica's
top-flightpilotscontestfortheguerdon
and glory symbolized by the Bendix
Trophy - champion's reward in the
annual Bendix Transcontinental Free-
for-all TrophyRace.
by Uennis
Libr-arr/ Ar-chives Uir-ect()r-
Frank Hawk's "Times Flies" rebuilt as the Military HM-l.
"Not theprize, butwhat it proves,is
important. Forthisyear,asseventimes
before, this famous race will forecast
new and vital advances in commercial
aviation. Morespeed,assurance,com-
fort, safety - all inevitably pointing
toward more mental rel axation aloft,
hence more confidence in the mind of
thetravelingpublic."
The above is from an advertisement
by Bendix in the 1938 race program.
For1938Bendixofferedatotalpurseof
$30,000 with $9,000 going to first
place. An additional $5,000 was of-
feredtothepilot,whoafterfinishingthe
race in ClevelandcontinuedontoBen-
dix Airport, Bendix, New Jersey, and
established a new transcontinental
speedrecord.
The race had two new rules for the
year: blind flying instruments and
radios were required for planes, and
pilotshadtobeinstrumentrated. Also,
it was ruled that planes entered in the
Bendix could not participate in the
Thompson, although the pilots could
themselvesfly bothcontests.
There were 11 entries for the 1938
Bendix Race from Burbank,California
to Cleveland, Ohio. There were three
Beech D-17Ss, a Bell anca 28-92 Tri-
Motor,theGranvilleQED,aLockheed
Orion, a Northrop Gamma, two
SeverskySEV-S2s,aSpartanExecutive
and the Wedell -Williams 92 now
knownastheUtican.
WiththeSeversky'swinningin1937,
they were the class act in 1938 with
JacquelineCochranandFrankFulleras
thepilots. PaulMantzwasalsoastrong
contender flying Lockheed Orion
equipped with a 750 hp Wright
Cyclone.
Ten planes departed Burbank for
Cleveland, Bernarr McFadden having
an accident in his Northrop Gamma
prior to the race. In addition to the
above,MaxConstant,RossHadleyand
Robert Perlich left in Beechcraft Stag-
gerwings,LeeGehlbachintheWedell-
Williams, George Armistead in the
QED,JohnHinchleyin theSpartanand
FrankCordovaintheBellancatrimotor.
Fourpilotswereforcedoutalongthe
way: LeeGehlbachin theWedell-Wil-
liams, BobPerlich in his Staggerwing,
FrankCordova in theBellancaandAr-
misteadintheQED.
JackieCochranwonin herSeversky
SEV with an average speed of249.74
mph, the second highest speed since
1932. Second was last year's winner.
FrankFullerat238mph,down20mph
from thepreviousyear. ThirdwasPaul
Mantz in the Lockheed Orion. All six
finishers reported instrument weather
conditionsfor theentire2,043 milesof
the race. Jackie Cochran, after a 15
minutegasstopatCleveland,continued
ontoBendix,NewJerseytoestablisha
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
The Light Airplane Developers F-15, powered with a Pobjoy. Probably the most heavily used racer in Bendix and Thompson
Flown by Walter McClain.
new women's west-east transcontinen-
tal record of 242.1 mph.
GREVE TROPHY
The 1938 running of the Greve
Trophy was on a Sunday, September 4.
The race was an international free-for-
all, men pilots only, open to engines of
549 cubic inch displacement or less.
The distance was 200 miles, 20 laps of
the 10 miles course. The purse offered
was $25,000 donated by the Cleveland
Pneumatic Tool Company, Louis W.
Greve president.
This was the fifth running of the com-
petition and for 1938 there were seven
entrants. These were: the Bushey-Mc-
Grew Special (old Rider R-l) , Chamber
Chambermaid, Chester Goon, Crosby
CR-4, Rider R-4 Firecracker, Rider R-5
Jackrabbit and the new Rider R-6 Eight
Ball.
All were powered by six-cylinder
Menaso engines except the Bushey-Mc-
Grew which had a four-cylinder Menas-
co. The Chester Goon, the Rider Eight
Ball and the Crosby CR-4 were new for
1938. The Crosby was the only all
metal aircraft racing in the Greve. The
Eight Ball was conventional construc-
tion and the Goon was of all wood con-
racing, the old Wedell-Williams 92 had been around since 1932.
struction, a change for Chester.
The race saw thrilling competition
between Tony LeVier in his 1936
Firecracker and Art Chester in his new
Goon, both of them leading the other
contestants by a wide margin. leVier
won with an average speed of 250.9
mph beating the 1937 speed by more
than eight miles per hour. Art Chester
finished second closely behind leVier
at a speed of 250.4 miles per hour.
MODEL AIRPLANE NEWS
provided the greatest coverage of the
1938 races in their December 1938 issue
in the article, "Aviation's Dare-Devil
Scientists." The article was spread over
six pages and included the best photo
coverage of the event with 28 photos of
race and air show aircraft. The follow-
ing is their view on three of the Greve
racers.
FIRECRACKER
"Tony leVier, bespeckled Angeleno,
emerged as King of the Closed Course
Racers this year with a startling 250.885
mph average over the two hundred mile
grind of the Greve Trophy Race. Why
did he win? What scientific problems
did he solve that baffled the other five
planes in the race? His ship, the
Schoenfeldt Firecracker, is a fairly con-
ventional low wing monoplane of steel
tubing construction, fabric covered with
a tiny retractable landing gear. But
Tony leVier spent months of constant
mathematical research on his ship. He
designed and tested five propellers
before he found the most efficient
model. He has designed two oil coolers.
He set to work on the Menasco C6S4
supercharged engine and wrought
several radical changes that only a hand-
ful of trusted workmen know."
GOON
"A nose behind him was Art Chester,
no stranger to any follower of air racing
and a real dare-devil scientist. The
things he's done in airplane and motor
design are now accepted practice and
this year he was back with even more
startling innovations.
"This time he brought a completely
new ship, the 'Goon,' to Cleveland. Art
watched, with sinking heart, as Michael
Detroyat roared by him in the 1936 Air
Races in Los Angeles. And he watched
especially the performance of the new
Ratier two-pitch propller. He resolved
to have one and it has taken nearly a year
to cut all the red tape spun out by the
The Rider R-1 was now known as the Bushey-McGrew. Earl ortman finished second to Turner in the Marcoux-Bromberg
Rider R-3.
6 DECEMBER
Pearson-Williams Curtiss V-12 powered Mr. Smoothie flown by The new Rider R-6 Eight Ball flown by Joe Jacobson.
lee Williams.
French goverment to obtain it. It ar-
rived, but more complications had to be
ironed out; more problems to be solved!
The propeller rotated clockwise instead
of counter-clockwise as all American
motors do.
"Dishearted? No sir! Art set to work
on his Menasco and changed the direc-
tion of rotation! That, feJlows, is real
aviation achievement. Further new
ideas was the use of a symmetrical air-
foil and changes in incidence at two
points: 20 inches out from the fuselage
and at the wing-tips."
EIGHT BALL
"Joe Jacobson of Kansas City flew
one of the most beautifully designed
ships at the Races, the Keith Rider
'Eight Ball,' into third place. This ship,
tested by Roger Don Rae, who no longer
flies in competition due to his airline
employment, features a hydraulically
retracting landing gear, trailing edge
flaps and hydraulic brakes. It was built
by the Story-Gawley Company, famous
propeller designers, and looked every
inch a winner. "
THOMPSON TROPHY
For 1938 some of the rules for the
Thompson Trophy Race were changed.
The contest committee was worried
about the takeover of the race by
military aircraft such as the Severskys
that finished 4th and 6th in the 1937
Thompson plus winning the 1937 Ben-
dix. The committee hoped to keep the
series open for grassroots operations
and homebuilt aircraft.
The new rules limited engine dis-
placement to 1,830 cubic inches. The
number of entries were also limited to
15 and the minimum speed in qualifica-
tion to 225 miles per hour. Also, no
aircraft entered in the Bendix could race
in the Thompson. This in hopes of
spreading the prize money around fur-
ther.
Nine aircraft were entered for the
1938 race. These were the Chester
Goon, Crosby CR-4, Laird-Turner
Pesco Special, Marcoux-Bromberg,
Military: HM-l, Pearson-Williams Mr.
Smoothie, Rider R-6 Eight Ball,
Wedell-Williams 57 and the Wittman
Bonzo. The Chester Goon and the Pear-
son-Williams were the only new
aircraft.
Art Chester who had worked with Al
Menasco believed his design was the
ideal Menasco powered racer. Its con-
struction was conventional with a fabric
covered steel-tube fuselage and a
plywood covered wooden wing. Mr.
Smoothie, as was Wittman's Bonzo,
was built behind a Curtiss V-12 engine.
Its fuselage was also of steel-tube but
aluminum covered. The wing was of
spruce spars and aluminum ribs with
aluminum covering.
Four of the aircraft had Pratt & Whit-
ney radial engines. The Turner and
HM-1 having Twin Wasps, the Mar-
coux-Bromberg a Twin-Wasp Jr. and
the Wedell-Williams a Hornet. Bonzo
and Mr. Smoothie had Curtiss V-12's
and the remaining aircraft, six cylinder
Menasco engines.
For 1938 the race distance was in-
creased to 300 miles, ten laps around the
four pylon ten-mile course. The dis-
tance was to encourage more practical
airplanes.
ROSCOE'S VICTORY
In the October 1928 issue of AERO
DIGEST Cy Caldwell reported on the
races in his article, "Three Days in a
Daze at the Air Races." The following
were his views on Roscoe Turner's vic-
tory in the Thompson.
"Well, sir, doggone my tough old
Jacqueline Cochran's Bendix winning Seversky racer. Art Chester's Goon placed second in the Greve.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
The all metal Crosby CR-4 flown by Harry Crosby. The Seversky flown by Frank Fuller to second in the Bendix.
hide and thick skull! Here it's taken me
about fifteen years to learn why I never
came in first when I used to race - at a
hundred hair-raising and blood curdling
miles an hour - against such now su-
perannuated speed demons of the old
days as Casey Jones, Jim Ray, Walter
Beech and Walter Lees. The best I ever
came in was third. One race a cynical
reporter wrote, 'Cy Caldwell fought
stubbornly for last place and won it.'
" It was Roscoe Turner who gave me
the key to my early failures in the racing
game. Dragged to the announcers stand
by admiring hordes after he won the
Thompson Trophy on Labor Day, the
Great Roscoe magnanimously gave the
world his secret formula for winning. 'I
knew I'd win the Thompson,' he said,
'because just before the race two old
ladies came up with a prayer book for
me to autograph. That's what brought
me luck. The plane, the engine, every-
thing worked perfectly.'
"Now that the secret is out, however,
Roscoe must expect competition. Next
year we may see all of the racing pilots
followed by flocks of little old ladies
armed with prayer books and fountain
pens."
for me. My Pesco Special, the plane I
was counting on, had been in winter
storage in the hangar of the Queen City
Flying Service at the Lunken Airport,
Cincinnati.
"Bunny Hinsch, president of the
Sportsman Pilot Association of
America, and his partner, Larry
Schmidlap, were of great assistance to
me in getting the kinks out of her in
preparation for flying across country to
the Pacific Coast. On the coast my
mechanic, Don Young, was already
working on my other racing ship, the
Wedell-Williams Special, the ship in
which I finished second in the
Thompson Trophy two years ago and
set a transcontinental east-to-west
record in 1933.
"I had secured the services of Lt. Joe
Mackey, former Army pilot, to fly my
other ship. We flew across the con-
tinent at leisurely stages and arrived in
Cleveland on August 5th. The follow-
ing days were entirely devoted to get-
ting those two planes in the most perfect
condition possible.
'Then came the day of the qualifying
trials. We had to make two laps of the
ten-mile rectangular course. I had the
old ship well opened up during these
two laps, and qualified at the average
speed of 281.25 miles per hour, the
fastest time, gi ving me the pole position.
Lt. Mackey qualified at 261.438 miles
per hour, giving him third position and
Earl Ortman qualified at 270.473.
"For three days preceding the race, I
flew with my friend Bill Smart of
Detroit in his Waco cabin plane. We
spent about an hour each evening be-
tween seven and eight cruising leisurely
around and around the ten-mile course,
fixing in my mind every landmark
which would readily enable me to pick
up the pylons.
"You know, when you are tearing
around a ten-mile course which in-
cludes four right-angle turns in a few
seconds over two minutes, you don' t
have much time for casual observation.
I firmly believe that this preliminary
work was of great help in enabling me
to come through this year.
"I took my ship off the ground this
year with fifty-five more gallons of
gasoline on board than I had ever had in
it before a takeoff, making 220 gallons
in alL This gave
me a few anxious
moments before
the start, but the
ship handled the
job perfectly and
took the increased
load in its stride.
During my duel
with Ortman
around the first
few laps neither
one of us opened
up his motor to the
fullest extent. We
were still carrying
a full load of
gasoline, and
ROSCOE'S
STORY
In the Novem-
ber 1938 issue of
AIR TRAILS,
Roscoe Turner
told his story of
victory in the
Thompson Race
under the title
"We Win The
Thompson!"
"The following
months were cer-
tainly busy ones
Robert Hadley's
Beechcratt Staggerwing.
8 DECEMBER
The Marcoux-Bromberg Rider R-5 "Jackrabbit" flown by Earl The Delgado Trade School Flash. Though not sucessful at the
Ortman in the Greve. This racer is currently on display at the EAA races, it would set a closed course speed record of 227.027 mph
Air Adventure Museum. in 1938.
Racer after seHing a record of
283.261 mph in 1938.
Roscoe Turner taxis in the Pesco
when you are whirling a ship around the
pylons at 300 miles an hour a heavily
loaded ship is a great disadvantage.
"The start was straight down the field
past the grandstands and made a race for
all airplanes to get off the ground and
safely around the first pylon. I managed
to lift my ship off a moment behind
Ortman in his Marcoux-Bromberg.
Earl had a lighter load to lift than I did,
and beat me into the first turn by a short
distance.
"I imagine the lead changed a dozen
times during the first part of the race.
However, after rounding the sixth lap
and going into the back stretch, 1 pulled
my choke to get a little leaner mixture
into the carburetor. It was a successful
move, as I immediately picked up about
ten miles per hour and with that I had
the necessary speed to pass Ortman, not
meeting up again with him until the
twenty-ninth lap.
"On that lap, coming into the stretch
in front of the grandstand, I finally suc-
ceeded in lapping Ortman. I knew this
assured me of a ten-mile lead, and if I
avoided cutting my pylons and the old
motor continued to tick as sweetly as
she had been doing during the past hour,
1 was in. When I got the checkered flag
as 1 completed the thirtieth lap, 1 went
around the course again just for luck and
the sheer joy of it.
"Now that I had accomplished what 1
had planned for so long, the next thing
to do was to get the old bus safely down
on the ground. She hit the ground O.K.,
then started to bump as I hit some rough
spots while rolling at about 95 miles per
hour and hopped off the ground several
times, but 1 finally managed to hold her
and level her off. In taxiing up to the
winner ' s enclosure I was a greatly
thrilled and happy person.
"Jackie Cochran and Mr. Crawford
grasped my hand. The next minutes
were too crowded to attempt a descrip-
tion, but you can understand how 1 felt
after having set a new world's record at
283. 149 mph, beating the previous
record of 264.261 made by Michael
Detroyat of France at Los Angeles in
1936, and being the only one to have
won this classic for the second time."
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
TheCompleteStoryof:
J ~ R ~ S ~
A i R ~ R A
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Many early
publications produced some rather
confusing reports about the history
of the Parks airplanes. This has led
to the publication of some erroneous
information in later years. It is the
intent of this article to clear up some
of the details of Parks Aircraft, Inc.
It is hoped that this article will
generate futher interest and cause
further clarification of Parks histori-
cal data.
The city of Saint Louis, Missouri saw
quite a bit of growth in aviation during
the late 1920s, as did many other cities
across America. One year in particular,
1928, the midwest metropolis ex-
perienced great advancements in
aircraft manufacturing. The success of
the "Robin" design of Curtiss-
Robertson Manufacturing Company
and of the "Ryan" monoplane of the
Ryan-Mahoney Aircraft Company in-
spired local investors to look toward the
aviation market. With a flourishing
economy and a booming aviation in-
dustry, aircraft manufacturing had
much appeal to the insightful investor
and businessman. This specifically
caught the attention of Oliver Lafayette
Parks.
Though not blessed with great
wealth, O. L. Parks was the shrewdest
of shrewd businessmen. He was a
visionary dreamer with a special gift of
salesmanship. His ability to sell an idea
to an investor and tum it into a success-
ful reality was marveled at by all who
10 DECEMBER 1991
'210 ./1 { S SOU P.I 5LDC---
JT.IOll/s.
1928- 1935
byTerry L. Bowden
knew him, and by the city of Saint
Louis, who had watched his one man
flying school blossom into a thriving
college of the air. In slightly more than
one year, Parks Air College had ex-
panded to an enrollment of more than
700 students and it had established its
own airport, which provided Saint
Louis with its best equipped flying field,
located in East Saint Louis, Illinois. It
is not surprising, therefore, that when
Parks suggested an idea for an aircraft
manufacturing company to Russell and
Fred Gardner of the local Gardner
Motor Car Company, the brothers lis-
tened.
An announcement by the Saint Louis
Dai ly Globe -De mac rat on September 7,
1928 marked the beginning of an or-
ganization which was to give competi-
tion to cross-town makers of the
"Ryan," the "Robin" and the "Cardinal"
(of Saint Louis Car Company).
Founded by the Gardner Motor Car
Company, the new enterprise was a
reported $2 million venture. With the
initial announcement of the new firm
coming in the absence of Gardner Com-
pany President, Russell E. Gardner, the
exact details of the company's inten-
tions were unclear. Reports were
sketchy and speculative. First reported
as "Sunbeam Aircraft Company," the
formal announcement in mid-October
esta blished "Parks Aircraft Incor-
porated" as the official name of the
Saint Louis manufacturer. The com-
pany, along with Parks Air College, was
affiliated under Parks Air Lines, Incor-
porated.
Planning to enter the transport
monoplane market, Gardner immedi-
ately brought in Amos o. Payne, a noted
designer from Swallow Aircraft in
Wichita, Kansas. Work began at Parks
Airport on a 4-place monoplane of ap-
proximately 200 hp. The airplane was
to have a high-lift, high-wing arrange-
ment lending itself toward short takeoff
ability, large cargo capacity and low
landing speeds. The plane was ex-
pected to have a cruising speed of more
than 100 mph.
The company was incorporated in
mid-October under the laws of
Delaware with $2 million capital. Of-
ficers were named as follows: Chair-
man of the Board, Russell E. Gardner
(pres. Gardner Motor Car Co.); Presi-
dent, Harry P. Mammen (pres. Parks Air
Lines, Inc.); Vice President and General
Manager, o. L. Parks (vice pres. Parks
Air Lines, Inc.); Executive Vice Presi-
dent, Fred W. Gardner (vice pres.
Gardner Motor Car Co.). Other board
members named were Olvier A. Ander-
son (prominent Saint Louis broker) and
Thomas Reyburn (an officer of Gardner
Motor Car Co.). Amos O. Payne was
named Chief Engineer and would be
assisted by Richard F. Hardin (former
naval officer and designer) .
Construction of a modem factory, to
cost $175,000, was started at the Parks
Airport in East Saint Louis, Illinois
during October, 1928. The 101 foot by
580 foot building was to include a two
story section to house the design offices
and drafting room. In addition, a
$65,000 dope and paint building would
Parks Airport - November, 1928. The flight line includes Travel Air biplanes used in the
training of Parks Air College students. Located just south of East St. Louis in Cahokia,
Illinois, the 113 acre airfield was also home to Parks Aircraft, Inc. Construction had just
begun on the factory building, which today serves as base for the A&P classes held at
the college.
The Parks Aircraft Factory (looking north) during the production of P- l's. Forty-seven
P-l's were built. Peak production was in September, 1929.
be erected adjacent to the factory. direction of R. F. Hardin. The Arrow
As the foundation and brick work for was issued an experimental license (X-
the factory were getting underway, the 329E) in the last week of December,
first of two new cabin planes was near- 1928. By February, 1929, officials
ing completion. Powered by the 9- reported the Arrow to have exceeded
cylinder Wright J-5 Whirlwind, the expectations in a rigorous program of
Parks "Arrow" was constructed by flight testing. A takeoff roll of 66 feet
Parks Air College students under the from a muddy field was recorded by
Test Pilot Edgar C. Schmid who was
flying the plane daily. The Arrow was
seemingly on its way to success. A
second monoplane was reported near
completion by mid-February and was
planned for further development.
By March of 1929, work on the fac -
tory was finished and the announcement
came of a new line of Parks biplanes.
The new open cockpit biplanes would
be known as models P-1 and P-2. The
emergence of the Parks biplane design
came quickly. It was, in fact, a design
which had already been tested and
thoroughly proven by another manufac-
turer. (The practice of copying designs
from other makers had become com-
monplace by 1929.) It was actually a
student, one Charles J. Ritsch, who can
be credited with the creation of the first
P-l. It was he who, because of his artis-
tic nature, was assigned to go and paint
the Parks insignia on the tail of one new
Kreider-Reisner C-2 "Challenger"
biplane (C-7877) as it landed on the
Parks field. It was about this same time
that the Kreider-Reisner Corporation in
Hagerstown, Maryland sold out to the
Fairchild Aviation Corporation in Far-
mingdale, New York. Fairchild con-
tinued producing its own version of the
design as the KR-31. Kreider-Reisner
stopped producing the C-2, but con-
tinued making other planes at
Hagerstown under the parent Fairchild
Corporation.
By the end of April, 1929, Parks
Aircraft was working on four models of
planes for production. The P-1 (C-
7877) was developing quite nicely. The
P-2 was an effort to remodel the P-l
with a more powerful radial engine. An
experimental license (X-8386) was as-
signed by the Department of Commerce
for the P-2. The Arrow (X-329E) was
redesignated as the P-3. Another ex-
perimental license (X8385) was issued
in the week of May 4, 1929 for a second
P-3. And in the same week, experimen-
tal certification (X-8384) was issued for
a new model P-4. One example of each
of the four models was displayed by
Parks officials at the Spring 1929
Detroit Aircraft Exhibition.
But the development of the Parks
monoplanes was soon discontinued. In
fact, the completion of the second P-3
(X-8385) was probably never achieved.
If so, documentation of this plane has
not yet surfaced. Photos of the com-
pleted P-3 "Arrow" (X-329E) and one
of the completed P-4 (X-8384) are
provided here in this article. These two
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
obscure monoplanes soon disappeared.
The Parks company turned toward the
development of the biplane designs.
Only speculation can establish a reason
for the abandonment of the monoplane
projects. It is likely that the weakening
of the summer's economy prompted
company planners to go with the
biplanes, which promised lower costs
for full development.
Four more Kreider-Reisner C-2's
were purchased by Parks to aid in the
development of the Parks P-l biplane.
One of these was completely dis-
mantled for use as jig patterns and for
structural testing. Modifications were
made to the others as the factory
prepared for production. From April
until July, production was slow as the
company worked toward "type cer-
tification." The plane that eventually
emerged as the P-l was barely distin-
guishable from its C-2 ancestor. The
most noticeable change was the reloca-
tion of the radiator from its position at
the top of the fuselage, in front of the
forward cockpit, to a location just ahead
of the "spreader bar" landing gear un-
derneath the fuselage. Also, the P- l
was fitted with a Parks modified OX-5
engine called the "Parks Super OX-5"
and with a special shock absorbing tail
skid. On July 23, 1929, the Parks com-
pany was awarded Approved Type Cer-
tificate No. 179 for the P-l design.
Forty-seven P-l's were built by the
East Saint Louis factory. Evolutionary
changes to the P-l necessitated an
amendment to the original type certifi-
cate by November 1929. The later P-l's
came equipped with a "split axle" land-
ing gear. Some changes in construction
methods and in the engine specifica-
tions led to a weight increase and to
improved performance figures. The
colors of the early P-l 's, as recalled by
Mr. Ritsch, were light green (fuselage)
and pale orange (wings and tail).
"Some of the later ones were blue with
silver wings," recalls Stanford B.
Roper, who owned a P-l (NC915K)
from 1929 until 1934, and who worked
in the drafting department of Parks
Aircraft as a student in 1929. The fac-
tory price for a new P-l was $3,165.00.
A second biplane, the Parks model
P-2, was introduced concurrently with
the P-l in April, 1929. The P-2 was
powered with an Axelson radial engine
of 115 hp and followed the same basic
design of the P-l. The prototype P-2
(X-8386) was completed in the month
(Continued on Page 26)
12 DECEMBER 1991
Parks Air College airplane and engine mechanic students participated in the construc-
tion of two Parks monoplanes in the fall of 1928. This photo of the monoplanes ruggedly
constructed wing shows the highly cambered airfoil.
~
o
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The first Parks airplane, the "Arrow" (X-329E) was completed in December, 1928. The
4-place cabin monoplane was powered with a 220 hp Wright J-5 "Whirlwind" engine.
The Arrow was designed for carrying large payloads, for short takeoff runs and low
landing speeds.
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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ >
The 6-place Parks P-4 (X-8384) was powered with a 330 hp Wright J-6-9 engine.
Completed in May, 1929, the plane was photographed on May 30, 1929atthe Gardner
Air Races held at Parks Airport. The Parks company factory is visible behind the plane.
1991 Grand Champion Antique-
Harold Armstrong's
Pitcairn PA-4 Fleetwing II
by H.G. Frautschy
The November issue ofSPORT A VIA TION features a comprehensive article by
Jack Cox covering the history of Harold Armstrong's Pitcairn PA-4 Fleetwing.
Here in the pages of VINTAGE AIRPLANE, we'll give you afew construction tips
and a bit more history on the restoration that resulted in the first awarding of a
perfect score by the Antique Judges at EM Oshkosh '91, as well as the first time
one individual has won the Reserve Grand Champion Antique, Grand Champion
Antique and Grand Champion Classic awards for his restoration efforts, all
accomplished during the past decade.
One of the "quiet masters" of
airplane restoration has done it again.
You don't have to be an expert to ap-
preciate the workmanship excellence
that Harold Armstrong has put into his
latest effort, the sole remaining Pitcairn
PA-4 Fleetwing II. The careful work
done by this patient man from Rawl-
ings, Maryland was evident in the hand
wrapped and soldered control cables,
neatly placed drain grommets, and the
expertly tailored cockpit coaming.
7 years, and 4,300 man-hours, were
expended during the time it took for the
Pitcairn to be restored. But that short
amount of time is just a fraction of the
time it really took Harold Armstrong to
resurrect the PA-4. Before he had even
written his wife, Martha, to ask her to
fmd the Pitcairn, Harold had been col-
lecting antique airplane parts for his
Waco 10, and the pursuit of OX-5 parts
that would ultimately make it possible
to restore the P A -4 was to take the better
part of two decades. Scrounging for
parts would take him to an antique auto
swap meet in Hershey, PA, where he
paid $20 for a Bosch booster magneto,
picked out of a wagon full of old, dirty
magnetos. If you're an antiquer, old car
meets can be a great source for parts that
were adapted for use in aircraft, as well
as sources for replica fabrics and paint
for certain periods. The restoration of
the instruments turned up another
automotive adaptation - the Tasco fuel
gage was actually a unit made for Buick,
and had been modified with different
markings for the Pitcairn.
The reconstruction on the serial No.
5 PA-4 was a daunting task for even the
most avid antiquer, even one with as
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
much motivation as Harold
Annstrong, aided by his son,
Bob. Harold is quick to point
out that if it were not for quite
a number of fellow en-
thusiasts, the restoration
would simply not have been
possible. As is nonnally the
case in the restoration of any
airplane, there are many in-
dividuals who traded or sold
Harold parts that would com-
plete the restoration. Tops on
his list of contributors is Steve
Pitcairn (A/C 4080), the son of
Harold Pitcairn, whose com-
pany produced the PA-4 .
Steve generously provided the
company drawings that made
the construction of so much of
the aircraft possible. What
needed to be done, you ask?
Take a deep breath and read on.
The fuselage was missing
everything forward of the
firewall, (including the
firewall!), and had been
modified with a different (KR-
31) landing gear. The lower
longerons on the fuselage were
rusted out and split by water
freezing inside. Both lower
wings had to be constructed
from scratch, as the hardware
for the lower left wing was all
that remained, and the right
wing was unusable. A new
center section, cabane struts,
landing gear, engine mount,
radiator and mount, floor-
boards, front control assembly,
baggage compartment, wing
struts, seats, cockpit cowling,
headrest, engine nose bowl and
cowling, tail skid, and instru-
ment panel were the major
pieces that needed fabrication.
Attendant with all of that were
the little projects that are inter-
twined with the big picture,
such as control cable fabrica-
tion, beading the cowling
edges, and making a wooden
pattern for the nose bowl.
14 DECEMBER 1991
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'-H--'a'-ro-Id-A-rm ...s-t-ro-n.....;::g had to weld up a complete landing gear
for the PA-4, since previous owner "Torque" Landis had
substituted a KR-31 landing gear in the past.
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The light, rugged construction of the PA-4 is evident in this
photo of the aft fuselage.
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Harold hand-wrapped and soldered all the new cables he
made up for the PA-4.
Resurrection, not restora-
tion, seems to be the best word
to describe the work required
put the Pitcairn back in the
skies.
The nose bowl is quite a
piece of work. Made in two
sections, just like the original,
it was hammered out by John
Neel of Georgia Metal Shaping
in Griffin, GA. John made the
upper cowl out of three pieces,
welded together, and the lower
nosebowl was made out of four
pieces. None of the weldment
is visible on the exterior of the
nosebowl. Harold supplied a
wooden mold for the metal to
be fonned on, based on factory
drawings. Harold says it was
worth every penny he paid for
it, and that it is really "a work
of art".
All through the project,
Harold had one of the other
"quiet masters" looking over
his shoulder - Bill Pancake, of
Keyser, West Virginia is an
A&P with an AI who also has
a talent for making mechanical
devices look and work as
though they were brand new.
Bill lent his expertise and
machine shop skills to the res-
toration of the Pitcairn, as he
had before on the Annstrong's
Aeronca Champ (Grand
Champion at EAA Oshkosh
'83) and their Waco 10
(Reserve Grand Champion,
EAA Oshkosh '81). Newex-
haust manifolds for the OX-5
were made by Ken Hyde.
During the fabrication of the
sheet metal parts, the edges of
the panels were "beaded", a
process by which the edge is
rolled up around a steel wire.
The beading of an edge will
make the panel stiffer, while
making the edge less suscep-
tible to cracking due to vibra-
tion. During the early part of
this century, when sheet metal
1
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PITCAIRN AVIATION, INC.
PHILA DELPHIA, P ~
" FLEETWING" II-3-PLACE PASSENGER CARRIER
E;IIGI NE-C U RTI SS OXS
"Torque" landis and the PA-4, Serial No.5, prior to the landing gear modification. This
is the airplane restored by Harold Armstrong.
fabrication was more widespread for a
variety of purposes, beading was com-
monplace, and machines were available
to form the edge and locate the wire in
the fold. When it came time to do the
beading on the Pitcairn's cowling
pieces, Harold formed them all by hand.
He also did the edges of the seats the
same way. Bill Pancake, Harold's lA,
has a beading roller, but Harold says it
is tough to work with, and he gets better
results when he does it by hand. Here's
how he did it:
First, make sure your work surface is
clean of any items - one little rivet or
metal chip can cause a dimple or scratch
that can be tough to remove. Cover
your table with a cloth (an old flannel
sheet works great) to cushion the sheet
metal.
A backing board made of fir plywood
is cut to the curvature of the finished
product. The edge of that curve is then
rounded to an 1/8" radius.
Then, clamp another board on there
to hold it, and using a plastic hammer,
hand roll out the edge around a 90 de-
gree bend with the 1/8 inch radius.
Inside the beading is 1/8" hard wire.
That is preformed to match the curva-
ture. Then using a pair of small clamps
(Harold likes the small 2" parallel
clamps, one of which you see in the
photo) the wire is clamped up against
the vertical portion of the bend, holding
the wire in place.
To roll the edge, back up the wire
with a bucking bar, and roll the
aluminum on down around the wire.
Once you get it past the 180 degree
bend, work it down in there. He used a
variety of tools to push the aluminum in
tight to the wire, including a hand
seamer, a bucking bar and a flat tipped
sheet metal body hammer.
According to Harold, you will in-
evitably wind up with a ding or two in
the panel, which he worked out with a
hammer and dolly. The trick appears to
be patient, and to carefully form the
hard wire before clamping it to the
aluminum for forming. If the wire ex-
erts too much force against the soft
aluminum, the beading will crack
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
during use, once the vibration loads of
everyday use are applied.
The flat panels for the Pitcairn were
fabricated from commercial grade
aluminum Harold purchased from a
metal fabricator near his home. They
also had the metal spinning capability
and performed the spinning work to
form the wheel discs used on the PA-4.
After the disc blanks were spun, Harold
had to trim the edges and dimple the
holes for the hardware to hold the disc
to the wire wheels. How did he dimple
them? Simple - he just dug out a piece
of steel bar stock, chucked it in the lathe
and made a male and female set of dies
matching the shape he wanted. After
the pilot hole was drilled, he punched
the disc with the dies and, presto, one
completed and ready to paint wheel
disc! The flush door on the right side of
the cowling was also formed in a similar
manner. The door itself is completely
beaded along the outside, making it al-
most 3/16" thick. To form the recessed
portion of the door frame on the cowling
panel, Harold again made a wooden
form, with a base of plywood covered
by an overlay of marine grade
mahogany, rounded out to give the
radius. The recess has an inside flange
of about 5/8". After cutting out the hole
undersize, he clamped the panel down
to the wooden form. Using a flat rivet
set in his riveting gun, and regulating the
pressure from a light to a medium tap,
he just started tapping away with the
rivet gun and kept moving around the
radius, working the metal down into the
form. It's tough to tell the finished
product from a hydro-formed piece
produced by a large metal stamping
company.
When it finally came time to as-
semble the nose bowl and the cowling,
the note on the factory drawing said "Fit
on Assembly". With the folded edges
on all of the cowl pieces, (any straight
edge on the cowl is a simple folded
edge) the initial manufacture of the
pieces had to be exacting. Harold is
quite satisfied with the final fit - the
dimensions he worked out and all of the
prior check for fit during the panel
fabrication paid off in a very handsome
cowl.
All of the sheet metal work would
then be subjected to one of the toughest
tests one can imagine. Each would be
finished in black paint, one of the easiest
paints to see the smallest defect or rip-
ple. When the acrylic lacquer was
With the wooden form
clamped in place,
Harold bumps out the
recess for the cowl door
using a rivet gun and a
flat rivet set.
Forming the rolled
edges on the cowling.
You can see the pre-
viously formed 90 de-
gree bend, as Harold
works the metal around
the hard steel wire. The
small parallel clamps
mentioned in the text
are just above the ham-
mer head.
The instrument panel,
including the Pitcairn
logo on the tach. The
hole on the lower left is
for the water temp
gauge.
These two grinning guys
are Bob and Harold
Armstrong just after
Harold's first ride in his
restored PA-4. What a
satisfying feeling!
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The Johnson Airspeed indicator adds to
the nostalgic air surrounding the Pitcairn.
With its " Millerized" valve train, the OX-5
on the PA-4 loped along dependably all
the way from Rawli ngs, MD to Oshkosh
without missing a beat.
State of the art for a rugged, dependable The use of strut -braced tail surfaces
landing gear shock absorber in 1927. would add to the rugged reputati on of
later Pitcairn airplanes.
rubbed out, the panels on Harold's
cowling probably looked better than the
original panels delivered on the PA-4.
The rest of the aircraft is covered in
Grade A cotton and finished in AN yel-
low and black Randolph butyrate dope,
again with just enough sanding to
smooth out the finish. As Harold
pointed out, many of the aircraft
produced on an assembly line in the '20s
and '30s were not finished with a a super
glossy finish, simply because no one
could afford the man-hours it would
take to produce such a job. One of the
interesting little highlights of the cover-
ing job was the use of a metal grommet
for drain grommets. The metal will not
curl up when exposed to the dope, and
is covered with a simple "dollar" patch
of Grade A fabric.
What could possibly follow this
project for Harold Armstrong and his
family and friends? Not another big
biplane, he says. He would like to do an
Aeronca C-3, since he has a good
Aeronca E-113 engine for it, or some
ot her small lightplane of the '30s.
Whatever it may be, you can be sure it
will something to behold. You'll want
to be here at Oshkosh to see that one!
Shortly after EAA Oshkosh,
Harold and the Pitcairn par-
ticipated in a reenactment ofthe
first airmail flight from Keyser,
wv. The airmail cargo for the
flight was a set of 300 special
postal covers, with a special
cancellationfeaturing the PA-4
and autographed by Harold. A
small number of these covers
are still available on a first
come, first serve basis. Send a
SASE to Jack Truetle, 47 St.
Could St., Keyser, WV 26726-
3109. The charge for each
cover is $3.00.
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
When I mention the fact that the
1991 Grand Champion Classic award
winner at EAA Oshkosh was actually
the result of a football injury, people
kind of snicker in wonderment. Then
they quickly remind me of the story
about my Uncle Lars, who was killed by
a weasel! (Yah - da train vas coming an'
he didn't hear da wheesel!)
The lead character in this scenario is
a man of Welsh-German descent named
Sam James (EAA 26216,NC 11583) of
Milwaukee, WI, who attended Carlton
College in Northfield, Minnesota as a
young, eager, football player. Suffering
a career-ending football injury, Sam
decided instead to take flying lessons
from the late Malcolm Manuel at nearby
Stanton airport. (Malcolm was a legend
in Minnesota aviation circles, an FBO
and instructor, whose positive approach
to flying will be felt for years to come
by his many, many students.)
Completing his first solo on October
23,1953, in Cessna 120, N1748V, Sam
James earned his Private ticket in March
of 1954. From this humble beginning,
Sam has recorded over 20,000 hours in
18 DECEMBER 1991
by Norm Petersen
Three of the "characters" involved in the
Grand Champion story: from leff; Sam
James, Brian Siovachek and Dave
Siovachek, each holding one of the three
major trophies won by the beautiful
Bonanza.
his logbook and is presently Ad-
ministrator of Pilot Proficiency Train-
ing for the American Bonanza Society
(ABS). It was in this capacity, while
finishing some bookwork at ABS head-
quarters in Wichita, KS, that Sam in-
nocently learned of Beechcraft
Bonanza, N2017D, SIN D3368, which
was almost derelict, sitting in a hangar
in New Lenox, IL,just 93.7 miles from
his front door in Milwaukee. The time
was September, 1986.
Please bear in mind that up to this
point, Sam James had never owned an
airplane! He was mostly intrigued by
this "elderly" Bonanza because it sat so
forlornly in the back of the hangar,
covered with a thick coating of dirt and
dust and smelled to high heaven of
! mouse nests. The thought crossed his
g. mind that perhaps the old v-tail bird
.s::;
ell could one day be restored to its original
'5
condition - a C-35 model, the very first
u
Bonanza with standard overall paint and
the only Bonanza to use the "Beechcraft
Bird" in the paint scheme.
The owner of N2017D for the 18
years of non-use was an engineer named
John Janush, who had moved west to
work at Boeing, leaving the Bonanza to
be annmiled by Herb Sorensen, an A &
P with AI. Herb had done the annuals
up through 1976, even though the plane
had not been flown, having been
relegated to the back of the hangar at the
New Lenox airport. It was Herb Soren-
sen who stumbled into the ABS office
to inquire what the ABS stood for and
then told of the derelict Bonanza that
needed help before it was dismantled for
parts!
In what has been described as the
most intense examination in history, the
musty old Beechcraft was subjected to
close scrutiny, inside and out, for a
period of weeks. Sam James and his
cohort, Gene Donor, even used a high
tech borescope to examine the inside of
the cylinders. Eventually, the aircraft
was pushed outside in November 1986
and the Continental E-225 engine was
fired up for the first time in 18 years! It
was then discovered that someone had
put an extra 10 quarts of oil in the engine
at some previous time. This had to be
extracted before the dipstick read the
proper amount. This "error" by some
poor soul had literally pickled the en-
gine for probably 18 years! (Again, the
fickle finger of fate had helped.)
A highly regarded Bonanza expert
named Ken Pierce was called in to have
a look at 01' N2017D. For two solid
hours, he meticulously pawed his way
through the airplane, while the prospec-
tive buyers nervously chewed their
fingernails. Suddenly he announced,
"t:
o
u
Detail ofthe immaculate nosegearwith its
scissors, mud scraper, static wick and
shimmy damper. Take a look at all those
caps on the grease fittings! Don't you wish
your airplane looked like this?
"We have a restorable airplane!" In
short order, negotiations commenced.
Although the two parties started out
$10,000 apart, both worked towards an
amicable meeting and on Valentine's
Day, February 14, 1987, a deal was
struck and Sam James and Gene Donor
were the new owners of N2017D. On
March 3rd, the Bonanza was carefully
ferried to Milwaukee's Timmerman
Field and the long road to center stage
at the" Theater in the Woods" began.
One of the really fme helpers in this
project was Norm Colvin, technical ex-
pert and answer man for the ABS in
Witchta, KS. Time and time again, the
restorers would be stumped, only to
have Norm come to the rescue. Even
the original factory invoice was located,
which indicated the Bonanza was
delivered to West Bend, WI from the
factory. Many small details were fer-
reted out which allowed the rebuilders
A 1951 factory option was this shaded
lettering on the wings and tail, expertly
done by Randy Effinger and his crew. Very
attractive.
to authenticate each detail to factory
original. This is the essence of a Grand
Champion Classic airplane.
The original Beechcraft electric
propeller was still on the airplane, com-
plete with original 88-inch metal blades
and spinner (without cracks). The
electric propeller system, which uses a
vacuum tube in its operation, was in
perfect working condition and only
needed cleaning. (This propeller has
not had an "AD" on it since new!)
American Propeller Service in Illinois
was selected to overhaul the prop and
completed the job for less than $700!
The final touch was the locating of three
original Beechcraft propeller logos, of
which two were installed on the prop
blades. Although the logos were only
$3.50 each, it took three years of hard
Nearly three years and hundreds of phone
calls were necessary to run down these
original Beechcraft propeller decals -
another point for the judges to scratch
their heads over.
work and phone calls to find them!
The Continental E-225 engine, which
had 600 hours since a major overhaul
many years ago, has proven to be in fine
shape mechanically and only needed an
exterior cleanup, bead blasting and
repainting to original colors. The mags
needed work due to accumulated AD
notes! It has been flown over 60 hours
to date and has performed well. Normal
cruise is 21/21 square which yields 160
mph at 9 to 10 gph. Fuel is carried in
two 20-gallon wing tanks and a 1O-gal-
Ion auxiliary tank in the rear of the
fuselage. Cold weather starting is aided
by an original electric primer that feeds
the front four cylinders on the engine.
The cabin is remarkedly quiet, due to
the use of insulation, provided by Gary
Buettner, throughout the walls, floors and
baggage compartment before the new in-
terior was installed. New upholstery,
done by Maury and Garnet Parkhill of
Menomonee Falls, WI, was compli-
mented by new shoulder harness and seat
belt combos for all seats. The original
headliner was retained along with the
windshield and the original sun visors.
Midway in the restoration, Gene
Donor sold his interest in the Bonanza
to Dave Slovachek of nearby Colgate,
WI, who continued the restoration
process with Sam James. Dave is a
sales manager for a Toyota dealership
and is also possessed of the qualities and
just plain stubborness required to see a
multi-year restoration through to com-
pletion. The hours and hours of dedi-
cated work, the sore muscles, the tired
eyes and late night snacks are all part of
the tenacity needed to complete such a
project. Winning the Best of Show
award in 1989 and the Reserve Grand
Champion award in 1990 merely served
to bolster the confidence and renew the
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
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The original "throw-over" control wheel is enhanced by the totally restored instrument
panel and refinished interior. You are looking at many hours of hard dedicated work
and quite a few $$$$.
vigor of Sam James and Dave
Slovachek. In addition, Dave' s son,
Brian,jumpedintothefrayatthetender
ageof12,andhasbeenagreathelp. (It
isamazinghowmuchtheseyoungsters
candoandhowmuchtheylearninsuch
ashorttimewhendoingsomethingthey
enjoy!)
RandyEffmgeratCentralAviationin
Watertown,WI,handledtherepainting
of the Bonanza with his crew taking
greatpainstoendupwithaperfectjob.
TheImronpaintschemewasdoneinthe
original yellow and blue and fmished
with four coats ofclear to give it that
beautiful shine. The numbers were
doneinafactoryoption"shadow"type
style and include the large wing num-
bers on the lower left and upper right
a;
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'
wing panels. The detail painting in
placeslikethegearwells,accesspanels
etc.reallycaughtthejudges'eyeatOsh-
kosh '91.
Incidentally, it's surprising how the
priceofa Bonanza wentupduring the
Korean War. From 1951 to theendof
1952,theadvertisedpricewas$12,990,
then $15,990,andfinally $18,990. Al-
though expensive at the time, these
priceslookreasonabletoday!
Theinstrumentpanel was refinished
inoriginalBengalTanbeforetheover-
hauled and repainted instruments were
reinstalled. Eventheoriginal31/8inch
accelerometerwasredoneandplacedin
its original panel cutout. A modem
avionics package was installed in the
lower left panel where it detracts very
littlefrom theoverallimpressionofthe
viewer. A"new"ADFcopper-cladan-
tenna was run from the wingtips to the
tail surfaces. The wire has to be
polishedeverysooftentokeepthecop-
pershiny.
The retractable entrance step was
rechromed along with the "Beechcraft
Bonanza" nameplates on each side of
thecowl. Asthese parts wereoriginal
chrome, they do not count against
originality. Final touches include an
originalgloveboxcover,a1952Bonan-
zaOwnersManualandnolessthantwo
towbars in the baggage compartment -
one ofwhich will not scratch the nose
gearwhenused.
It is always good to see where avid
restorershavetakenaratheroriginalap-
pearing airplane and slowly applied
much elbow grease, many dollars and
hundredsofhoursoftimetobringforth
a pristine airplane that will cause an
oldtimerto takeasecondlookwith that
tingeoflongingforthedaytheparticular
airplane was on the showroom floor.
Such is thecasewith SamJames, Gene
DonorandDaveSlovachek. Theyhave
gone the extra mile for three years in a
row and have worked their way up to
Grand Champion status. The beautiful
"Lindy" trophy is theirs to savor for
yearstocome. Theyhaveearnedit.
Please remember that ifSam James
hadn' tbeeninjuredinfootball,hemight
nothavetaken up flying, whichleadto
hispositionwiththeABS,whichleadto
the discovery of Beechcraft Bonanza,
N2017D, which lead to the beautiful
GrandChampionLindy! Istillsay the
wholethingwastheresultofafootball
injury- irregardlessofmyUncleLars!
....
B
WhathasaContinental0-200in the
nose and pops off the water like a
scaldedduck? AnAeroncaChiefwith
the Buzz Wagner 100 hp STC, that's
what! JustoverayearagoBobEverts
boughthisChiefonfloatsandflew itto
Winter Haven, Florida from the Bal-
timore,Marylandharbor. Heflew itfor
aboutamonth,andthenitwasflownto
Joe Hindall's place in Englewood,
Florida. (You may
recall that Joe and
his crew have res-
tored a couple of
aircraft that have
been featured in
VINTAGE
AIRPLANE, the
most recent ofwhich
was Dick Folsom's
Aeronca 15AC
Sedan in the Feb-
ruary issue.) About
fourmonthslaterthe
Chiefwasoutofthe
hangar, resplendent
in its yellow with
by H.G. Frautschy
orange trim. When Bob's Chief
originally came out of the factory in
Ohio, it was delivered as an llAC
Chief. At some point in its past, it
would be converted to an I1BC Chief
withanenginechangetotheContinen-
talC-85-8and theadditionofthe large
dorsal fin. Duringtherebuild,thecon-
version to a zero-time Continental 0-
200 engine was done per Buzz
Wagner'sSTCcoveringthechange. To
keep the empty weight down, neither
thestarternorthegeneratorisinstalled.
Bob is pleased with the engine; "It's
started every time on the first pull, so
we' reveryhappywiththat,"hesaid. A
fewothermodsweredoneontheplane,
the most noticeable ofwhich is the in-
stallationofaseaplanedoorontheright
side that is hinged on the upper edge,
andiscoveredcom-
pletely with clear
acrylic plastic. The
door was designed
by Joe Hindall, and
is really afirstclass
unit, with pneu-
matic hatch cylin-
derstoholdthedoor
intheopenposition.
One other modi-
fication caught my
eye- theinstallation
ofatowhookonthe
tail spring. A tow
hook? Without an
electrical system
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
Setting himself up in the seaplane base fly-by pattern, Bob A Joe Hindall creation, here is the very convenient seaplane
Everts rolls the Chief out of the turn. door on the right side of the Chief.
and a starter, if you want to start the
airplane by yourself, and there is no one
around to help, a tow hook is very
handy. Just loop a piece of rope through
the hook and a stationary object on the
shore or dock, leisurely start the engine,
hop inside through your convenient
seaplane door and, when you are good
and ready to depart, pull on the release
ring for the tow hook and you're off!
It's quite a bit easier and safer (and
easier on the prop and engine) than
using a blast of engine power to pull off
the beach.
The floats are a pair of Edo 1400's,
and have a color scheme complementing
the rest of the airplane. New nose
bumpers were made that really added to
the overall lines of the floats and made
them more shock resistant when impact-
ing the inevitably encountered rocks and
docks. The rounded top of a 1400 float
can be a bit treacherous with a little water
on it, but the addition of anti-skid tape to
the area where your bare feet are likely
to land improves the situation.
How does it perform? Bob was kind
enough to fly me around the pattern a
couple of times, and it certainly can
climb! The vertical speed indicator
seemed as though it were glued on 900
After starting, just reach
down and pull this ring to
release the towhook!
to 1000 fpm during each climb, while
indicating about 60 mph on the
airspeed. At 65 mph it would indicate
. 850 fpm. The top end airspeed will
increase about 10 mph, so most of what
you gain is in the climb portion. As with
most of the post-war light airplanes, you
would need to clean up all of the loca-
tions that have excessive interference
drag, such as the wing strut ends, and
landing gear fairings to pick up more
cruise speed. A close look at the Piper
PA-17 Clipper of Mitch Freitag (August
1991 issue of SPORT AVIATION) is a
good example of what can be done with
drag reduction on these classics.
With floats installed, this little Chief
will really go! Bob was grinning from
ear to ear, and so was I. This was FUN!
The Chief is Bob's first floatplane that
he has owned, and he is very pleased
with the job that Joe Hindall and his
shop did. It's easy to see why - the
perky Chief seems quite eager to launch
into the air at the slightest encourage-
ment. Have fun with it, Bob!
Getting up on the step, there sure is a lot
Bob Everts and his bare toes arrive at the seaplane base during Sun 'n Fun '91 .
of water flying about!
22 DECEMBER 1991
Aninformationexchangecolumnwithinputfromreaders.
This past month has been a real hum-
dinger. I attended the FAI (Federation
Aeronautique Internationale) Con-
ference in Berlin, Germany as a
delegate from NAA, the Aero Club of
America. There wasn't much time for
sightseeing, but I did spend several very
pleasant days with Walker Koppe (EAA
113268) in and around Frankfurt.
Walker is one of the Chapter 439 "G"
Men that you see at Oshkosh every year.
The Chapter puts on the "Schweinfest"
after working the Garbage Trucks all
day during the Convention. Walker is
retired Manager of Maintenance for Pan
Am's Frankfurt operations.
Walker escorted us around Frankfurt
with trips to the Wasserkuppe, several
flying fields (mostly glider), flew me
around a little in a Tri-Champ, and, in
general, provided us with a very enjoy-
able time.
We then departed Oberusal and drove
through the former "East" zone up
through Dassau where the famous JU52
was built and on into Berlin. Itwas a
real experience.
At the FAI Conference, it was a
pleasure to be there, to meet my
counterparts from Russia, China, Japan,
Holland, Poland, Italy, the Virgin Isles,
Australia, England, Ireland, Spain,
France and every other country. I was
readily accepted and sat in on working
sessions as well as the general meetings.
I watched and listened and learned. I
have a new appreciation of how much
these people must go through just to
spend a little time in the air. I hope to
be back again next year.
Back home, my desk was over-
loaded, my answering machine
swamped and, to make matters worse, I
came home with the worst upper
respiratory infection I can remember. I
coughed so much and so hard I was sore
everywhere. Blew a muscle in my back
and another in my abdomen. I had a
very bad time.
I've answered most of the letters and
returned a majority of the phone calls,
but I'm still way behind. I'll catch up,
though, after I get back from San Diego
and Santa Monica, CA. I'm going out
to visit with the famous "Glue Angels"
at Gillespie Field in SAN ... I may even
have time to visit the gang at the San
Diego Air Museum. We will see. I will
then hitch a ride up to the Santa Monica
Air Museum for the NAA awards
presentations the 6th of November. I'll
be back home just long enough to pick
up some clean clothes and then it's up
to OSH for the Wisconsin Dept. of
Aero's Flight Instructor Refresher. I'll
be bugging H.G., our Vintage Airplane
Editor, during each coffee break, 'cause
the sessions are right there in the EAA
A viation Center.
Meanwhile, in reading the various
newsletters, more and more space is
being devoted to the parts problems and
the modifications people are doing to
their airplanes. I can't emphasize this
enough, guys and gals, the type clubs
are your best source of information.
There isn't anything you want or can do
to your Antique or Classic that hasn' t
been done before! Save yourself some
heartaches and pocketbook distress by
asking around and taking advantage of
others experience before you jump into
an engine change or a mod that you feel
might better your performance or make
your airplane more to your liking.
Write the type club and let them steer
you clear of bogus parts and non-ap-
proved modifications. I read over and
byBuck Hilbert
(EAA21,AIC5)
P. O.Box 424
Union.IL 60180
over how Champs are not approved for
C-75s, and that some big engine instal-
lations in Navions are just not possible.
There are precedents like field ap-
provals, but as one Type Club Chairman
says, "When the FAA inspector is ten
years younger than the airplane he is
inspecting, you may have a problem!"
Maybe it's just a case where you will
have to educate hima little, but, remem-
ber, all he has are his spec sheets and if
your various parts and pieces of airplane
and equipment are not in the scope of
his spec sheets, you is in trouble, fella!
Also, in one of the recent newsletters
of the Cessna 150-152 Club, there was
a very complete list of aircraft salvage
and parts dealers. I'm going to say the
obvious, we are not bird dogging for any
of these businesses, but they just might
HAVE the part you need for your
airplane, parts like ORIGINAL gas-
colators, and other accessories. If you
would like a copy of that list, Skip Car-
den of the Cessna 150-152 Club has
kindly allowed us to reproduce the list.
If you would like a copy, please drop an
SASE in the mail. Send it to:
H.G. Frautschy, Editor
EAA Aviation Center
P.O. Box 3086
Oshkosh, WI 54952-3086
Please mark on the outside:
"Salvage Dealer Info Request"
Whether you have a Tiger Moth,
Stearman, 182, Piper, T-Craft or
whatever, there is experience and fellow
airplane owners out there. Take ad-
vantage of them - that's what they're
there for!
Over to you . .....
VINTAGEAIRPLANE23
by Norm Petersen
Barkley-Grow T8P-l
These pictures of a Barkley-Grow
T8P-1 on Edo 65-9225A floats were
taken at the Wall Street seaplane ramp
in New York on June 25, 1940, by Mr.
B. K. Patrick. They were submitted for
publication from the private collection
of Jim Barton (EAA 16807) of Osh-
kosh, WI.
Built in Detroit, MI during the 1937-
40 period as a contempory of the Lock-
heed Electra and the Twin Beech, the
Barkley-Grow featured a fixed landing
gear when on wheels, a feature enjoyed
by the Canadians for converting to skis
and floats. Most of the eleven models
built ended up in Canadian service
where they performed in an excellent
manner. It is believed one still exists to
this day, CF-BQM. Much of the
preliminary test flying was done in 1937
by Lee Gehlbach of GeeBee fame .
Serial #2 Barkley-Grow was sold to
Alex Papana, aerobatic ace of the 1937
National Air Races from Romania, who
attempted to fly it to his home country
without success under the registration
YR-AHA. Later it was sold to Peru
where it was registered OG-BBK and
flew as a working airplane for a consid-
erable time.
Carrying 6 to 8 passengers, the
Barkley-Grow would cruise at 204 mph
on wheels with its two P & W R-985
engines, yet the landing speed was only
65 mph, a feature well liked by float
operators. The Type Specifications list
a maximum cruise (red line) on floats as
193 mph. In addition, the specs. list the
weight of the floats at 1162 Ibs. with an
additional 42 Ibs. for the fittings! One
Barkley-Grow, NC18470, was used by
Admiral Byrd during his 1939-41 ex-
pedition to Antarctica.
In the background of the second pic-
ture can be seen the nose of a Grumman
J2F "Duck" parked just inside the han-
gar door. The third picture shows the
nose of a Bellanca Sky Rocket mounted
on a set of Edo Ya 6235 floats with two
mechanics on the ladder leaning against
the wing.
24 DECEMBER 1991
The photo of a Piper PA-12 seaplane
being used as a skiplane was sent in by
Steve Hartl (EAA 306105, AIC 12315)
of Neosho, WI. The pride and joy of
Willie Benzing (EAA 338795) also of
Neosho, the PA-12, N2958M, SIN 12-
1351, is mounted on a set of Edo 89-
2000 floats and features a 150 hp
Lycoming in the nose. Willie, who is
pictured by the nose of the airplane,
makes normal landings and takeoffs
using the floats as skis when the snow is
the proper depth (and softness!). The
process does save the rather large job of
changing over to wheels and skis, espe-
cially with a standard PA-12 which re-
quires replacing the internal bungee
cords on each changeover - a miserable,
knuckle-busting job at best!
A close inspection of the nose of the
Barkley-Grow reveals a "B-G" logo rest-
ing on a world globe, the symbol of
Barkley-Grow Aircraft Corporation.
An additional picture of the prototype
Barkley-Grow, NX18388, is shown on
wheels in front of the factory in 1937 to
show the fixed landing gear. This photo is
from the EAA archives.
Our thanks go out to Jim Barton for
allowing us to use these vintage seaplane
pictures.
This very pretty white & dark blue
Stinson 108-3, N6937M, SIN 108-4937,
mounted on Edo 2425 floats, was
photographed at the Brennand Seaplane
Base during EAA Oshkosh '91. Flown
by its owner, Bruce Dudley (EAA
347684) of Duluth, MN, the pristine
Stinson still has the original Franklin
165 engine and fixed pitch propeller.
Note the small venturi used to run a gyro
in the panel.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
(Continued from page 12)
of May. Its design featured a "split
axle" landing gear, single wing "frieze"
ailerons, increased fuel capacity and the
radial engine as a departure from the P-1
design. The P-2 was painted deep red
with silver wings. Type certification
(No. 200) for the P-2 came in August.
By that time, the Axelson engine had
been upgraded to 150 hp, making the
P-2 a real performer. The factory price
for the P-2 was $6,000.00. But this
seemingly "perfect" plane and engine
combination was not produced in large
numbers, for the Axelson lacked
reliability. Only seven were built
before the plane was recertified as the
P-2A "Speedster" with the popular
Wright J-6-5 engine (Type Certificate
No. 276). At least two of the original
P-2 's were modified at Parks to become
P-2A's.
It is interesting to note that both
Kreider-Reisner and Fairchild were
separately involved in development of
their own radial engine planes which
followed similar patterns as that of the
P-2. First into the game was Kreider-
Reisner with the C-3 (110 hp Warner),
and later the C-4 (130 hp Comet), the
C-4A (165 hp Curtiss Challenger), the
C-5 (another 110 hp Warner version)
and the more successful models known
as the C-4B and the C-4C (both with the
165 hp Wright J-6-5) . Fairchild's ver-
sion was known as the KR-34C, which
also used the Wright J-6-5 powerplant.
With three companies producing very
similar planes, one would easily be-
come confused in efforts to sort out their
differences, especially since no com-
pany ever produced any model in sig-
nificant quantities. This is further
complicated by the fact that three addi-
tional companies would later become
involved in the production of their own
examples of the same design.
The "crash" of the stock market in the
fall of 1929 brought sudden changes to
Parks Aircraft, Inc. and to Parks Air
College as the parent company, Parks
Air Lines was taken over by Detroit
Aircraft Corporation. Oliver Parks sud-
denly found his empire to have been
almost completely swallowed up by this
major aviation holding company.
The first Parks P- 1 was a converted Kreider-Reisner, model C-2. Initial conversion was
merely the erasure of the K-R emblem on the tail and the painting of the Parks insignia
in its place. Later developments of the P- 1 led to the relocation of the radiator to a
position under the fuselage. This photo was taken in April, 1929.
The Axelson powered P-2 was certified (ATC No. 200) in August, 1929. Only seven were
built. Equipped as a night training ship, this P-2 (C-9295) was used for more than seven
years by Parks Air College. Students in the Transport Pilot Course received 10 hours of
night solo flying time.
ATC No. 276 was issued in November, 1929 for the Parks P-2A. The 165 hp Wright J-6-5
engine was decidedly more reliable than the Axelson engine ofthe P-2. Six P-2A's were
built at Parks. Three of these were converted from the P-2.
26 DECEMBER 1991
A promotional photograph of the OX-5 powered Parks model P-I . This one is an early example, which used the straight axle landing
gear. Other features included a special shock absorbing tail skid, a Parks modified "Super OX-5", and an underneath mounting of
the coolant radiator.
The Parks P- I-Twas converted (under Group 2 approval) with
the liS hp "Tank" engine by the Milwaukee Parts Company in
1935.
An experimental P-I (X-SOl N) fitted with a Wright Gipsy air-
cooled powerplant. Little is known about this experimental
model. The wide split-axle landing gear was used in the later
production P- 1'so
Detroit Aircraft controlled many com-
panies, including: Lockheed Aircraft
Corp., Ryan Aircraft Corp., Eastman
Aircraft Corp., Blackburn Aircraft
Corp., Gliders, Incorporated, Marine
Aircraft Corp. and others. The school's
operations continued normally, while
the Detroit company went through some
reorganization. Meanwhile, Parks
Aircraft managed to assemble three P-
2A's in the Parks plant. Slowly, over
the next two years, Mr. Parks, with the
help of several close friends, was able to
buy "back" his famous Air College. But
he was unable to regain control of the
Aircraft Company. The fate of Parks
Aircraft was in new hands.
Production for the Parks P-2 was
moved to a Detroit, Michigan plant at
the end of 1930. This was a result of a
restructuring within Detroit Aircraft
which merged the Ryan and Parks com-
panies into one. Six more P-2A 's,
known as "Ryan Speedsters," were
manufactured before the demise of the
Detroit Aircraft Corporation in 1931.
No P-1's were produced under the
Detroit operations.
All remnants of the Parks Aircraft
Company were acquired from the
Detroit firm by a young designer named
Dean Hammond, from nearby Ann
Arbor, Michigan. Included in the sale
were various parts, most of the jig fix-
tures and all of the blueprints from the
models P-1, P-2 and P-2A. From this,
Hammond Aircraft Corporation began
in an effort to revive the P-1 design.
President and General Manger, Dean B.
Hammond, was assisted in his efforts by
Galey Alexander and Erwin F. Skoc-
dopole, technicians and pilots. The first
Hammond built plane was completed in
the week of June 25, 1932. Built from
original P-1 drawings, the new plane
was designated as the Parks P-1H. The
P-1H bore only slight resemblence to
the original P-l. The new plane used a
100 hp Kinner K-5 engi ne, had a
squared rudder shape, a tail wheel and
an improved split axle landing gear with
a 100 inch spread. Hammond renamed
the plane the "Hammond 100." Six of
these were built from June of 1932 to
early in 1935 on a Group 2 Approval
certification, which limited production.
Mr. Hammond closed his plant on North
Huron Street in Ypsilanti, Michigan and
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
moved to California in 1935.
Another firm obtained Group 2 Ap-
proval in June of 1935 to produce a
modified version of the Parks P-l. Mil-
waukee Parts Company, makers of the
"Tank" conversion for OX-5 engines,
modified a Parks built P-l with a new
Tank engine. The 115 hp air-cooled
engine was somewhat lighter and was a
bit more reliable than the WWI surplus
OX-5. The Group 2 Approval was ap-
plicable to any P-l (built under Type
Certificate No. 179), but it is doubtful
that more than one was changed to con-
form. The P-l T was the last descendent
in the rather tangled limbs of the Parks
Aircraft, Inc. family tree.
Parks biplanes have taken on a
variety of roles over the years. Though
originally advertised as the "Parks
trainers," very few actually were used as
such by Parks Air College, who favored
the rugged Travel Air biplanes. A few
Parks planes saw their way into the
hands of other training schools. Many
were purchased by businessmen for use
as personal ships. Others had colorful
and sometimes short histories in the
barnstorming business. A P-1 nick-
named "Ole Shazam" (NC91H) was
used by Emil Yankik and stunt man Ted
"Captain Marvel" DeLavergne in the
1930's "Spellbinders Air Shows." The
book "Biplane" is based on author
Richard Bach's experiences of touring
America in a Parks P-2A (NC499H).
Though never credited as an outstand-
ing performer, the Parks planes were
known as nimble and easy to handle by
the pilots who flew them.
Only a handful of Parks planes
remain today. "Ole Shazam" (now
NC91HA) was restored by Mr. Yandik
in 1969, but reportedly cracked up soon
afterwards. Rumors suggest that its
remains are stored in upstate New York.
Another P-l (NC964K) was restored by
Bob Douthitt in the early 1970s and still
flies in southern California. A P-2A
"Ryan Speedster" (NC499H, formerly
Richard Bach's) was beautiflly restored
in 1976 by Wayne Amelang. It is now
owned and flown by Glenn Johnson in
north Texas. A P-2 (NC965K, con-
verted in 1929 to P-2A) is rebuilt and
flying in Danbury, Connecticut. It is
owned by John Donnelly, III. The only
remaining P-IH (NC15771, Hammond
100) has recently been revived in
southern Michigan by Zachra Howard.
28 DECEMBER 1991
The four known remaining Parks aircraft. In the top photo, Wayne Ameland flies his Parks
P-2A "Ryan Speedster" over the Parks campus during 1983. The Parks company was
taken over late in 1929 by the Detroit Aircraft Company, who merged the Parks and
Ryan companies. This aircraft was constructed using materials stamped with East Sf.
Louis addresses. NC 499H was the Parks P-2 barnstormed in the midwest during the
1960's by author Richard Bach. Wayne restored the aircraft in 1976.
The Parks P-l H (Hammond 100) produced by the Hammond Aircraft Company of
Ypsilanti, MI. Six were built under Group 2 Approval from 1932 to 1935. This last remaining
Hammond (NC15771) has .ecently been revived by Zachra Howard.
Restored by Bob Douthitt in the early 1970's, this P- 1 (NC964K) still flies over southern
California. It is the only one known to be currently in flying condition.
"
Completed in 1984, this restored Parks P-2A is owned by John Donnelly and is flown
from its Danbury, CT base. The plane was restored by John, his father Jack, as well as
Paul Williams, John Barkal, and les lefferts, with support from many friends and John's
wife laura.
to join us for the wann weather! for
more information call 813/644-243l.
June 7 DeKalb, IL EAA Chapter
241 28th Annual Breakfast Fly-In.
Info: 815/895-3888.
April 5-11 Lakeland, FL- Annual July 8-12 Arlington, WA
Sun'nFunEAAAy-In.Makeyourplans NorthwestEAAAy-In. Info:206-435-
Possibly, the remains of other Parks
planes lie waiting to be resurrected for
a renewed chance to fly. As for Parks
Aircraft, Inc., it'sgone - but not for-
gotten.
My thanks to : Lori, Cheryl and
Sandy of the Parks Library/Archives
staff; Nita Browning, Parks Public
Relations; Zachra Howard; Bob
Douthitt; Charles Ritsch; Stan Roper;
June and Richard Kamm. Special
thanks to my wife, Laura.
(EditorsNote: Terrysuppliedanex-
tensivebibliographywithhisarticle. If
additional infonnationis neededby the
reader,pleasecontacttheEditorhereat
EAA Headquarters for a copy of the
bibliography.) ...
5857.
July 31-Aug. 6 Oshkosh, WI - 40th
AnnualEAAFly-InandSportAviation
Convention.WittmanRegionalAirport.
Contact John Burton, EAA Aviation
Center, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086,
414/426-4800. ...
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
MoreandmoreAntiqueandClassicenthusiastsaresigninguptojoinEAA'sAntique/ClassicDivision.Tohelpyousponsor
your friends and your neighbor at the airport, and earn gifts from the Division, use the tan insert included in this issue of
VINTAGEAIRPLANE. Youcanearn 1full yearofAntique/Classicmembershipby sponsoring3newmembers!
Herearethe latestadditions:
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JamesC.Patterson Houston,TX
(Sponsor: PeterFisk)
JackBeech NewYork,NY TimP.Harper Senoie,GA
JackPlanchak Cincinnati,OH
R. C. Biedebach Pasadena,CA TomHruska El Toro,CA
EugeneRamsey Chester,PA
ThomasBlair Rockville,MD CliffHyde Laporte,TX
DickR. Ridgway Bethel,AK
J.Rion Bourgeois Beaverton,OR FredH.Johnson Auburn,WA
GeorgeR.Ringer Bloomington,IN
J.R. Boyer Pittstown,NJ BenjaminC.Jones Cummaquid,MA
RichardA. Roberts Aoresville,TX
CliffordW.Burrell,Jr. Memphis,TN
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MarcelA. Seguin
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JohnKellog Cayton,NY
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BernardCoppock Franklin,OH
(Sponsor: RalphOrndorf)
ColinN. Lind SanFrancisco,CA ScottD.Stevens Corsicana,TX
FrankT.Cuden AlbertLea,MN
MalcolmAirplaneCo.Muskegon,MI RobertB. Swift,Jr. CherryHill,NJ
(Sponsor: RJ.Lickteig) RichardMaybery SunCity,AZ PaulJ.Thomas Edgewood,MD
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AIRCRAFT:
1957Cessna172-3415TT,1009SMOH,
Feb. annual. 720 Nav/Com. Transponder
w/ModeCEnc.AN 8insideandout. Asking
$15,000.919/355-7638.(12-2)
1929NewStandard- D-29-S project. In-
cludesfront halfof aluminumfuselage NC-
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pieces. Similar in structure to five-place 0-
25.$2,500.Willcrate.BrianCoughlin,4944
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315/682-8417.(12-1)
1960Cessna150StraightTail-4475TT,
576 SMOH. Two NavComs, AT 150
transponder, Jefferson loran, full face DG,
new altimeter, long range tanks. Plane is
mechanically excellent, but needs paint.
Call717/278-3215. (12-1)
MISCELLANEOUS:
CURTISS JN4-D MEMORABILIA- You can
nowownmemorabiliafromthefamous"Jenny",
asseenon"TREASURESFROMTHEPAST'.
We have posters, postcards, videos, pins,air-
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appreciateyourhelp.Writeforyourfreepricelist.
VirginiaAviationCo. ,RDv-8,Box294,Warren-
ton,VA22186.(C/5/92)
SUPERCUBPA-18FUSELAGES- New
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repair. ROCKY MOUNTAIN AIRFRAME INC.
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406/388-0170.Repairstation No.QK5R148N.
Parachutes - Toll Free 1-800-526-2822,
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manystylesinstock.ParachuteAssociates,
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08088,609/859-3397.(c/7/92)
Ifyoulovebiplanes- joinusandbeapart
of Biplanes Forever. Annual Convention,
quarterlynewsletters,museumforthcoming,
annual membershi p $25.00. National
BiplaneAssociation,Dept.VA,Jones-River-
side Airport, Tulsa, OK 74132. 918/299-
2532or918/742-7311.(12-3)
TOP SCALE ACCURACY RATED 1930'S
Aircraft Model Plans by Vern Clements,
EAA 9297, 308 Palo Alto, Caldwell , 10
83605.Catalog.$3.00.(12-3)
ANC-19 Bulletin - Wood Aircraft Inspec-
tion and Fabrication,1951 edition, nowavail -
able as reprint. Early aircraft Service Notes,
riggingdata,othertitlesavailable.SendSASE
for listing and prices. John W. Grega, 355
Grand Blvd., Bedford, OH 44146. (c-3/92)
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT AND ENGINES -
Out-of-print literature: history; restoration;
manuals;etc.Uniquelist of2,000+scarceitems,
$3.00. JOHN ROBY, 3703V Nassau, San
Diego,CA92115.(Established1960)(c-10/92)
C-26Champion Spark Plugs- Newand
reconditioned. New - $14.75, reconditioned -
$5.75to$9.75. EagleAir,2920Emerald Drive,
Jonesboro,GA30236,404/478-231O. (c-10/92)
Warner790020 Splinehub- Continental
20 spline hub nuts, one ring dip. Kinner 10
Splinehubnuts.ContinentalhubfitsA50/A75.
76AM6 Metal prop (airworthy) . W72GK48
Woodprop,85-90hp(airworthy).WWIImilitary
tie-down kit,complete.GypsyMajorprop hub
(newcondition).Funk Bprop hub, fits "E"en-
gine.WoodpropforFunk"B"(airworthy).Bruce
Sheaffer,717/627-4104. (12-1)
CurtissRobinPatches- AuthenticRobin
logo with orange, blue and yellow colors.
$5.00.Jim Haynes,21 SunsetLane, Bush-
nell, IL61422.(12-1)
Instruments for sale - 1920s, '30s, and
'40s,airspeed,tachs, turn and bank, com-
passes, 3-in-1 plus much more. Including
many rare instruments for that restoration.
Jerry,408/356-3407, evenings.(12-1)
PLANS:
Great Lakes Trainer GURU - Harvey
SwackwillhelpyoubuyorsellaGreatLakes
Trainer or a Baby Lakes. Welded parts for
Experimental 2T-1A's available.Write P.O.
Box228,Needham,MA02192orcallweek-
days10to5EST.617/444-5480.(c-10/92)
WANTED:
Wanted - J-3 Cub fuselage or complete
Cub in need of rebuild. Dick Brehm, P.O.
Box215, Lanesboro, MN 55949.(12-2)
Wanted- Manuals,drawingsandanyparts
forrestoring AeroncaC-2with E107Aengine
andC-3with E113engine.Young,11 Willow
Ct. ,Totowa,NJ07512,201/256-1342.(12-2)
Wanted- Stits PlaymateSA11-Alanding
gear and other Playmate parts. David W.
Mills, 426 Cherokee Lane, Jackson, MI
49202-3834,517/784-9623.(12-1)
Wanted - Information/plans/remains of
" National Bluebird," Built by National
AirplaneandMotorCompany,Billings,Mon-
tanain1935.Also,whereaboutsof"National
35" engine (Wright-Morehouse, two-
cylinderopposed) .Lastinpossessionoflate
Rod Nimmo in California.Planned restora-
tion/replica. John Schlaht, 2964 Hwy. 87
East, Billings, MT 59101. 406/245-7200.
(12-1)
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33
MYSTERYPLANE
by GeorgeHardie
This month's Mystery Plane comes
from deep in the archives of Jim
Haynes, Bushnell, Illinois. Answers
will be published in the March 1992
issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE.
Deadlinefor that issueis January 20th,
1991. (Editor's note: The 20th ofeach
month will now be the normal deadline
for the previous months Mystery Plane,
but send in your letters whenever you
are able - we'll always try to acknow-
ledge everybody who goes to the trouble
ofsending in an answer.)
The September Mystery Plane was
no mystery to racing fans. JeffShafer
of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin sent in a
detailedanswer:
"The Mystery Plane is the Heath
Cannonball Racer. According to "The
Golden Age ofAir Racing ", itwasbuilt
forthe1930Chicagoracesandflownby
Ed Heath. He took first in the 275 cu.
in. raceat 118 mph.
"The Cannonball was designed by
ClareLindstedt,aswastheBabyBullet.
It originally used a Heath 4-cylinder
engine that used a lot of Dodge auto
engineparts. It hadaprettygoodracing
career using this engine, which was in
the65-70hprange.
"In 1932, Ben Owen purchased the
aircraftandhaditmodifiedattheHeath
factory; mostmodswereengineeredby
CharlesMorris. TheHeathenginewas
replaced by a Martin D-333 inverted
4-cylinderof120hp.
"After the fuselage was shortened,
new landing gear having streamlined
tubeandfabric partswasinstalled. The
wings had one inboard bay removed
from eachwing,reducingthespan by 3
feet. The new cowling completely
enclosed the engine with a flush cock-
pit. Fuselage was painted black with
yellowwingsandhorizontaltail. Roger
DonRaewasselectedas the pilot.
"Itneverdidmuch goodafterall the
mods,beingoutclassedinthe500cu.in.
class. JustbeforeitsfirstraceatOmaha
in 1932, Roger was returning to the
Cannonball's home base at Niles,
Michigan when he ran out offuel. In
attemptingto makethe field, hecaught
34 DECEMBER 1991
a boundary fence and flipped theCan-
nonballover,causingalotofdamageto
thecowling,finandrudder,prop,wheel
pantsand landinggear. Only 48 hours
aftertheaccident,theracerwasreadyto
betestflown- after36hoursstraightby
theHeathfactory crew.
"It never placed better than third in
1932. Ben Owen then made further
modsbyputtinginaheadrestandrais-
ingthewindshield. Itsnewracenumber
was 102. Piloted by Clarence Mc-
Arthur in the 1933 Chicago American
races, it placed third and fourth in the
350 cu. in. races at 127 and 135 mph.
Afterthisitmusthavedisappearedinto
the back waters ofair racing for I can
findnomentionofit inanyresultsupto
thetimeit waswrittenoffin 1936."
Other answers were received from
Charley Hayes, Park Forest, Illinois;
Herb DeBruyn, Bellevue, Washington;
Lynn Towns, Brooklyn, Michigan;
JohnCarter,Bradenton,Florida;Marty
Eisenmann, Garrettsville, Ohio; H.G.
Buffington, El Dorado, Arkansas;
Pappy Weaver, New Baden, Illinois;
Francis Taylor, Woodward, Iowa;
CedricGalloway,Hesperia,California;
andD.W. Jackson,Toulon,Illinois......
Heath"Cannonball" racer.
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