STRAIGHT &LEVEL

~
~
~
~
byEspie"Butch" Joyce
This past year for the Antique/Classic
Division of the EAA has been a very
successful year. Your Antique/Classic
Division membership now stands at ap-
proximately 7300 individuals and or-
ganizations.
1991 found a number of your Of-
ficers, Directors, Advisors and mem-
bers more directly involved with EAA
activities. Our participation with the
Pioneer Airport was very rewarding for
a number of our members. We enlarged
the Antique/Classic Headquarters
building on the Convention grounds at
Oshkosh and a large portion of this was
accomplished with volunteers. Your
A/C Division recognized the need to
include a new category of aircraft into
our group, those airplanes manufac-
tured between 1956 and 1960. January
1, 1992 was the official recognition date
for these aircraft and to all Contem-
porary Aircraft owners we heartily say,
welcome aboard! I have received a
number of letters from individuals
thanking the Division for taking this
step. This year we will be parking these
aircraft in our show plane area for the
first time.
We look forward to having you in our
area. We will not be judging this class
of aircraft this year, but will be judging
them at the 1993 Convention. I would
2 JANUARY 1992
like to encourage these people to start
working on getting their aircraft up to
show plane quality.
Another major accomplishment by
your Division for the membership is
your group insurance program. This
was achieved through the efforts of
EAA Headquarters, the Antique/Clas-
sic Division, ADA, Inc. and the Home
Insurance Company. (I got it right this
time, Tim.) This program is tailored for
our kind of flying and airplanes. It will
also make your flying more affordable.
All of your officers and directors are
glad to have been of service to you this
past year. Should anyone have any
comments for the di vision, please do not
hesitate to call or write me.
Mr. John Fogerty, who has been an
Advisor to the Board of Directors, has
decided to retire from that post. I would
like to thank John for his past services
and look forward to seeing him at EAA
Oshkosh '92.
While talking to our Editor, H.O.
Frautschy on the phone the other day, I
felt that the following matter was very
important, so this month, I'd like to
give a bit of space to H.O., to explain a
recent development between the EAA,
FAA and the lightplane industry that is
important to all of us who fly .
In what may prove to be one of the
most important initiatives EAA has
ever been a part of, the FAA and EAA
in conjunction with lightplane industry
leaders, have been working on a new
procedure within the existing FARs
that will begin to make it possible to
economically produce a two-place
trainer in the United States again. An
article detailing the the Small Aircraft
Certification Compliance Program,
written by Jack Cox, was published in
last month's SPORT A VIA TION, and a
follow-up article will be published in
the January magazine. Why is this
issue important to the owner ofa Clas-
sic, Contemporary or Antique
airplane? It boils down to one simple
fact ofthe marketplace. Without a new
aircraft manufacturing base to supply
parts to, the cost per unit for replace-
ment parts like brakes, tires,
propellers, engines, even nuts and
bolts, will continue to escalate, to the
point where the manufacture of the
parts may cease altogether as the price
goes out of sight. Without ne w
airplanes to support, our vintage
airplanes will become even harder to
maintain. It is hard enough tofind rare,
out of production airframe parts, but
can you imagine how difficult it would
be to keep your fa vorite flying machine
in the air if you cannot find a replace-
ment prop, or some other item that today
is widely available, albeit expensive.
One of the areas that can benefit the
vintage airplane owner is the use of
these new materials and parts under an
Supplemental Type Certificate (STC).
New engine installations, interior
materials, even seat belts, for example,
may be more easily generated by some-
one holding an STC if the per unit cost
can be held down, due to an increased
volume of sales to the lightplane
manufacturers. One ofthe highlights of
this program has been the FAA 's will-
ingness and enthusiasm for this effort,
right up to highest levels, and th e
cooperation given to the team by many
of the lightplane industry leaders. J
urge you all to review Jack Cox's ar-
ticles concerning this very important
issue. As Tom Poberezny explained
recently, "Without trainers, there can
be no new pilots. Eventually, civilian
aviation as we know it will cease to
exist. No threat could be more serious,
and no solution more desperatel y
needed. .. - H.G. Frautschy
Thanks, H.O., and I agree this issue
is critical to the survival of general avia-
tion.
Well, here we are at the start of
another year. It is not too early to start
thinking about Sun 'n Fun 1992. We
will have more on this in a future issue.
As a final note, Jack McCarthy is
Chairman of our A/C Photo Contest at
the Oshkosh convention. Jack dropped
me a note the other day asking me to
remind those who entered the contest to
submit their entry ASAP. Send them to
Jack McCarthy, 14132 South Keeler,
Crestwood, IL 60445; phone 708/371-
1290. Thanks, Jack.
Let's all pull in the same direction for
the good of aviation. Remember, we are
better together. Join us and have it all! '"
PUBLISHER
Tom Poberezny
VI CEPRESIDENT
PUBLICATION STAFF
MARKETING &COMMUNICATIONS
DickMott
EDITOR
HenryG.Frautschy
MANAGINGEDITOR
GoldaCox
ARTDIRECTOR
MikeDrucks
ADVERTISING
MaryJones
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
NormanPetersen DickCavin
FEATUREWRITERS
GeorgeA.Hardie,Jr. DennisParks
EDITORIALASSISTANT
IsabelleWiske
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS
JimKoepnick CariSchuppel
DonnaBushman MikeSteineke
EAAANTIQUE/CLASSIC
DIVISION,INC.
OFFICERS
President VicePresident
Espie " Butch" Joyce ArthurR.Morgan
604 HighwaySt. 3744North51stBlvd.
Madison.NC27025 Milwaukee.WI 53216
919/427"()216 414/4423631
Secretory Treasurer
stevenC.Nesse E.E."Buck" Hilbert
2009HighlandAve. P.O.Box424
AlbertLeo.MN56007 Union.IL60180
507/3731674 815/9234591
DIRECTORS
JohnBerendt RobertC. "Bob" Brauer
7645EchoPointRd. 9345S. Hoyne
ConnonFalls. MN5fiXff Chicago.IL60620
507/2632414 312/7792105
GeneChase JohnS.Copeland
2159CarltonRd. P.O. Box 1035
Oshkosh.WI54904 Westborough.MAOI581
414/2315002 508/8361911
PhilipCoulson GeorgeDaubner
28415SpringbrookDr. 2448LoughLone
Lawton.MI 49065 Hartford.WI 53027
616/624-6490 414/6735885
CharlesHarris StanGomoll
3933SouthPeoria 104290thLone.NE
P.O.Box904038 Minneapolis.MN55434
Tulsa.OK74105 612/7841172
918/7427311
DaleA.Gustafson JeannieHill
7724 ShadyHill Drive P.O. Box328
Indianapolis.IN 46278 HaNord.IL60033
317/2934430 815/9437205
Robertlickteig RobertD." Bob" Lumley
1708BoyOaksDrive 1265South 124thSt.
AlbertLeo.MN56007 Brookfield.WI 53005
507/3732922 414/7822633
GeneMorris GeorgeS.York
115CSteveCourt.R.R.2 181 SlobodaAve.
Roanoke.TX 76262 Mansfield.OH 44906
817/4919110 419/5294378
S.H." Wes" Schmid
2359LefeberAvenue
Wauwatosa.WI 53213
414/7711545
DIRECTOR EMERITUS
S.J.Wittman
7200S.E. 85thLone
Ocala.FL 32672
904/2457768
ADVISORS
JimmyRollison
823CarrionCircle
Winters. CA956941665
916/7954334
DeanRichardson GeoffRobison
6701 ColonyDrive 1521 E. MacGregorDr.
Madison.WI 53717 NewHoven.IN 46774
608/8331291 219/4934724
January 1992 Vol. 20, No.1
Copyright 1992bytheEAAAntique/ClassicDivision, Inc. All rights reserved.
Contents
2 Straight & Level/by Espie "Butch" Joyce
4 Aer omail
5 AIC News
6 Vintage Literaturefby Dennis Parks
10 Flagship Of The Navion Fleetl
by H.G. Frautschy
14 Child Of The Fiftiesfby Nino Lama
18 Rudy Eskra's Stearmanfby Rudy Eskra
24 What Our Members Are Restoring!
Norm Petersen
26 Pass ItTo Buck/by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert
28 Calendar
29 Welcome New Members
30 Vintage Trader
32 Myster y Plane
Page 18
FRONT COVER ...Lorry Woodfin collected two trophies in as
manyweeks this postsummer with his sleek 1949 Ryan Navi on.
nicknamed 'Woodybird". Larry's airplane was awarded the
AmericanNevionSocietys"FlagshipOtTheNevionFleet"trophy.
and a week later it was awarded on 'Outstanding In Type.
Navion"ewordatEAAOshkosh'91.PhotobyCerlSchuppel.shot
witha CanonEOSl withon80200lens.I/SOOth secatf5.6 using
Kodachrome64. Cessna 182photoplaneflown byBuck Hilbert.
BACK COVER ..."Chino Clipper" is the title ofthis acrylic on
canvaspointingbyEMmemberJohnPaulJones.JohnPaulwas
awardedon"Excellence"ribbonforhisworkbythejudgesofthe
1991 Sport Aviation ArtContest. He can becontactedat :800
CessnaDrive.EI Paso.TX 79925.915/7515021.
~ ' . ~ . I ~ ',:~
'j . ~
,'1 ... ...
.. '.f .fl
The words EM.ULTRALIGHT, FLYWITH THE FIRSTTEAM, SPORTAVIATION, and thelogos01 EXPERIMENTALAIRCRAFTASSOCIATION INC.,
EMINTERNATIONALCONVENTION,EMANTIQUEJCLASSICDIVISION INC.,INTERNATIONALAEROBATICCLUBINC"WARBIRDSOFAMERICA
INC. are registeredtrademarks. THE EMSKYSHOPPE and logos01 the EMAVIATION FOUNDATION INC. and EMULTRALIGHTCONVENTION
are trademarks01 the aboveassociationsand theirusebyanypersonotherthan theaboveassociationsisstrictlyp<ohiMed.
Editorial Policy: Readers are encouraged to submitstories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors.
Responsibilitylor accuracy inrepor1ing restsentirelywith the contributor. Material should be sentto: Editor, The VINTAGE AIRPLANE, P.O. Box3086,
Oshkosh,WI 54903-3086.Phone:4 I4/426-4800.
The VINTAGE AIRPLANE (SSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by EMAntique/Classic o;vision, Inc. 01 the Experimental Aircraft
Association,Inc.andispublishedmonthlyatEMAviationCenter,P.O.Box3086,Oshkosh,WI 54903-3086.SecondClassPostagepaidatOshkosh,WI
54901 andadditionalmailingoffices.The membershipratelorEMAntique/Classico;vision,lnc.is $20.00forcurrentEMmembersfor12monthperiod
01 which $12.00isfor the putJication01 TheVINTAGEAIRPLANE. Membershipisopento all whoare interestedinaviation.
ADVERTISING- Antique/ClassicDivisiondoesnotguaranteeorendorseanyproductofferedthroughouradvertising.Weinviteconstructivecriticismand
welcome anyreportofinteriormerchandiseobtainedthroughour advertisingso thatCOfrectivemeasurescan be taken.
POSTMASTER:SendaddresschangestoEMAntique/Classico;vision,Inc. P.O. Box3086,Oshkosh,WI 54903-3086.
VINTAGEAIRPLANE3
MAIL
u
>-
~
r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ - - - - - - ~ ~ ~ - - - - ~ - - ~ ~ ~ _ 5
Here are a couple more shots of the Waco 10 that used to belong to Terry Marsh's
grandfather.
Dear Editor,
As I was looking through my Novem-
ber 1991 copy ofVINT AGE AIRPLANE,
I came upon the pictures on page 21 of
the 1928 Waco 10 NC6513. It brought
tears to my eyes as the bird in the bam
was on my family's farm in Weirton,
West Virginia. It resided there my
whole life until I sold it to a group of
gentlemen who were able to restore it.
The Waco 10 was my grandfather'S,
Lawrence Gullette. The Waco was
landed in the comfield across from the
main house, just before Thanksgiving,
1935. It snowed that night so he moved
the plane to a corn crib where it stayed
until the late 1940s. My grandfather
found some kids playing on it, so he
moved the plane to the inside of the barn.
In 1979, when my grandfather passed
away, my grandmother titled the
airplane to me. My grandfather was a
licensed inspector since 1927, and had
already helped me restore a 1947 Piper
PA-II. We both had the intention to
restore the Waco 10, but as time marched
on, it took my grandfather away, I went
through a divorce, remarried, bought a
new home and a new son was soon to be
on the way, so in 1985 I decided to sell
the bird.
I don't think I could have sold the plane
to a better group of people. The care and
love they put into the rebuild of the plane
makes my heart feel good. I am sure my
grandfather is smiling, as he watches
NC6513 bore new holes in the sky.
Marv Easter has already promised a
ride in the airplane for my Mother and
myself. We had made several trips over
to watch as the plane was being reas-
sembled, and my Mother shared her
memories with Marv of her early flight
training in the Waco 10.
Please find enclosed $6.00 for three
more copies of the November issue of
VINTAGE AIRPLANE for a keepsake
for my family .
Sincerely,
Terry L. Marsh
(EAA 256794, A/C 9676) ....
4 JANUARY 1992
is
o
.c
a.
NEWCATEGORYFOR
"HINTSFOR
HOMEBUILDERS"
Occasionally here in the pages of
VINTAGE AIRPLANE, we include
one of the winners in SPORT
AVIATION's "Hints for Home-
builders" colullUl. Now, thanks to the
generosityoftheJohnFlukeCompany,
the world's largest manufacturer of
digital voltmeters, monthly prize win-
ners will have the choice of entering
theirsuggestionsforconsiderationasan
electrical innovation or device, or a
mechanicaldevice. Mechanicalawards
willcontinueto besponsoredby Snap-
on tools. Forelectrical prizes,a Fluke
model23-2Multimeterwithholsterwill
beawarded. AGrandprizewillalsobe
awarded each year at Oshkosh for the
best electronic hint during the last 12
months.
Send both your mechanical and
electronic hints to: EAA Hints For
Homebuilders, Att : Golda Cox, EAA
Aviation Center, P.O.Box 3086, Osh-
kosh, WI 54903-3086. Pleasespecify
whether your hint is intended for the
Snap-onmechanicalcompetitionorthe
JohnFlukeelectroniccompetition.Nor-
mally,oneawardis givenpermonth.
EAAREFERENCEGUIDE
Member John Bergeson, known to
many forhisoutstandingworkwiththe
CubClub,continuesto offerhis Refer-
ence Guide to EAA Publications. A
handyguidetoallEAAperiodicals,the
basic volume covers the years 1953 -
1989, and costs $18.00. Supplements
for 1990 and 1991 are $3.00 each.
ThesepricesareU.S. funds, postpaidat
thebookrate,totheU.S. andCanada.
If you need additional information,
contact John B. Bergeson, 6438 W.
Millbrook Road, Remus, MI 49340,
phone 517/561-2393. John has copies
ofall EAA periodicals,andwillmakea
copy ofany articl e for .30 per page,
witha$5 minimumorder.
compiledbyH.G. Frautschy
TAILWHEELINSTRUCTORS
Everyone who owns a tailwheel
airplane knows the value of a good
tailwheel instructor. Thanks to a note
placedinSPORTAVIATIONandEAA
EXPERIMENTER, wenow havea'ist
ofover 60 names oftailwheel instruc-
tors all overthecountry, and the list is
growingeveryday. Ifyouareinterested
in tailwheel instruction, contact EAA
Information Services, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh,WI54903-3086for acopyof
thelist.
1992EAAADULTAIRACADEMY
The 1992 session ofthe EAA Adult
AirAcademyisscheduledforFebruary
24-29,1992attheEAAAviationCenter
in Oshkosh. Thisyear'sthemeisBasic
Aircraft Maintenance, Building and
Restoration Skills . The $650.00
registration fee provides accommoda-
tions, lunches, a banquet, supplies and
materials.
For more information, and registra-
tion materials, contacttheEAAEduca-
tionOffice,414/426-4888orwriteEAA
EducationOffice,EAAAviationFoun-
dation, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI
54903-3086.
STEVEPFISTER
In the November 1990 issue of
VINTAGEAIRPLANE,wehadanews
item related to the donation of
BeechcraftStaggerwingSerialNo.1by
Steve Pfister to the Staggerwing
Museum. On Wednesday, October
2nd, 1991, Steve passed away at his
home in Santa Paula after a prolonged
illness. Steve'seffortsandenthusiasm
related to the Staggerwings is being
memorialized during the restoration of
Serial No. 1 by the Staggerwing
Museum in Tullahoma, Tennessee.
Steve'stimeonEarth wasshort(hewas
only34at hispassing),buthisspiritand
attitude will continue to touch those
who knew him within theStaggerwing
community. Our condolences to
Steve'swifeStacyanddaughterSara,as
wellas hismany friends.
Serial No. 1 Beechcratt Staggerwing is
now nearing the completion of its restora-
tion in member Jim Younkin's shop.
AIC PHOTOCONTEST
Jack McCarthy, A/C Photo Contest
Chariman,hasaskedmetoremindallof
you whosignedup forthecontestatthe
Red Bamduring EAA OSHKOSH '91
to get your contest submissions in as
soon as possible. As ofearly Decem-
ber, only two packages had been
receivedbyJack,aresponsebehindthat
oflastyear. Judgingforthecontestwill
take place in February. Please send in
yourcontestsubmissionsrightawayto:
A/CPhotoContest
c/oJackMcCarthy
14132SouthKeeler
Crestwood,IL 60445
ZIPGLITCH
IfyoutriedtosendaSASEtomehere
at HQ for the Salvage Dealer Info Re-
quest,andyouusedtheaddresslistedin
Buck's colullUl, you most likely got
yourletterbackwith thenotation "Un-
deliverable, no such Zip code". Sorry
about that. Here is the correct address
andZipcode:
H.G. Frautschy,Editor
EAAAviationCenter
P.O.Box3086
Oshkosh,WI54903-3086
Send your request again, and this
time, just send a Self Addressed En-
velope- I'll pickup thepostage. ......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

by ()ennis Varks
IA.A Library/Archives
()irect()r
Jackie Cochran's new Seversky racer is shown having its compass compensated at Floyd Bennett Field prior to leaving for the West
Coast.
THE NATIONAL AIR RACES
THE GOLDEN AGE (Pt. 12)
END OF AN ERA
The 1939 National Air Races were
scheduled for September 2-4 in
Cleveland again under the tutelage of
the Henderson brothers, Clifford and
Philip. The advertisement for the races
that appeared in the August 15, 1939
issue of SPORTSMAN PILOT
promised "A cavalcade of aeronautical
progress - Everything from pulse-
throbbing high speed classics to quiet,
yet daring, aerobatic exhibitions -
Concentrated into three days of intense
activity - amid pomp and spendor -
parade and pagentry."
No doubt there was a lot of pagentry
in 1939. There were great demonstra-
tions by military flyers including the
27th Pursuit Squadron from Selfridge
Field and the "Fighting Four," the U. S.
Navy fighter squadron from the aircraft
carrier RANGER. Sunday of the show
also saw the arrival of the huge Boeing
XB-15 bomber.
There were many aerobatic perfor-
mances including Mike Murphy in his
upside-down airplane, Leonard Peter-
6 JANUARY 1992
son and Beverly Howard. The pagentry
also included mass parachute jumps -
"Count 'em" - and cavalcade of
American commercial aircraft.
As for "Aeronautical progress,"
there were no new racers for 1939.
With a few exceptions, most of the
racers at Cleveland were the same that
flew the previous two years. Also, the
technology of production aircraft was
surpassing that of the racers with all
metal construction, retractable landing
gear, flaps and variable pitch
propellers.
Though for a decade the Thompson
racers had been the fastest aircraft in the
United States, now production U. S.
fighters were faster than the racers.
Also, the Bendix competition had be-
come an arena for production aircraft.
In 1939 there may have been "pulse-
throbbing high speed classics." But,
unfortunately, in 1939 there were only
two such closed course races for the
public to see. The Greve Trophy race
scheduled for Sunday, 3 September, and
the Thompson scheduled for Monday,
Labor Day, which was postponed by
weather till Tuesday. All of the stock
type races had been eliminated by 1936
and the lower displacement races were
last run in 1937.
Besides the lack of races, money and
new aircraft, the National Air Races
faced a worse crisis in 1939. On Sep-
tember 1, the last day of practice before
the event began, Poland was invaded
when the war clouds gathering in
Europe erupted into a true storm that
would overshadow all civilian aviation
activities in the United States for the
next six years.
THE PILOTS TALK
In 1939, three pilots gave their stories
of air racing to POPULAR A VIA TION.
These were, "Air Racing is Hell" in
September by Roscoe Turner; ''I'm
Through With Closed Course Racing"
in October by Earl Ortman; and "Stop
Picking On Us Racers" by Art Chester
in December.
Roscoe Turner' s article about win-
ning the 1938 Thompson Trophy was
similar to the article he had written in
the November, 1938 issue of AIR
TRAILS which was recounted in the
last installment of this series.
EARL ORTMAN
Earl Ortman, in his article, tells of his
decision to quit racing and become an
airline pilot, "Now - to get back to the
original idea of this yam: Why did I quit
this tremendously fascinating and al-
legedly profitable business of closed
course racing for the salary and uniform
of a first officer for Canadian Colonial
Airways?
"Comes a time, as the storybooks say,
in every young man's life, when
security looks attractive. I have made a
lot of money; I've spent more. Prize
money at air races looks big when it is
in the catalog and probably you have
envied the winner of the Bendix or
Thompson for the big purse he took
home. But listen to one who knows.
"The biggest purse I ever won in one
day's racing was $14,000. Quite a
sizable sum for a few minutes' work,
you say? Well, yes, but consider the
initial cost of the ship I flew - a mere
matter of $50,000. To this, for this par-
ticular race, I added $7,500 cash for
preparation. Now, how much did I get
out of that $14,000?
"As first officer for Canadian
Colonial I can see a definite future for
myself in the industry I love. My ex-
perience as a racing pilot has made me,
if anything, more conservative and less
inclined to gamble and take unneces-
sary chances. When I flew my own ship
I went over it carefully for flaws in the
works; as a pilot for a great airline, this
is done for me. I'm satisfied to take the
word of the competent mechanics of the
line. I never took anybody's word but
my own.
'Tm not alone in deciding to become
an airline pilot. Harold Neumann, one-
time Thompson Trophy winner, beat me
to it by several years when he joined
TWA. Shortly after that, Roger Don
Rae joined the same outfit, and young
Bob Buck who, although he wasn't a
race pilot was a nationally known record
flyer, decided he, too, would sit in the
ri ght-hand seat of a transport cockpit.
"Even the respl endent Roscoe has be-
come a businessman - a vice president
in charge of something or other for
Porterfield planes. He's going to race
agai n, of course, but he's building up to
a future."
"My interests in experimentation will
never cease. I'll always be interested in
new aviation developments. My en-
gineering training and an inquisitive
mind make that imperative. But my
guinea pig days are over. Myoid Mar-
Art Chester and his mechanic, Lynn Coffold seem pleased with the Goon's prop-
pects.
coux-Bromberg racer, bless it, will be
on the starting line at the 1939 Nationals
in Cleveland and I honestly think it will
win the Thompson this year. But my
interests will be purely platonic. I'll be
in the cockpit in spirit, helping whoever
flies it with my subconscious support.
"But me - if I 'm not in the
grandstand, I'll be somewhere between
Newark and Montreal in the right-hand
seat of a Canadian Colonial Airways
DC-3. "
Ortman's announcement of this
retirement from air racing was prema-
ture as he did take his place in the cock-
pit of the Marcoux-Bromberg and
placed third in the Thompson Race.
ART CHESTER
In his article, Art Chester discussed
the antagonism towards air racing.
"First of all, why all this antagonism
towards air racing? Is it true that the
CAA looks with disfavor on racing? If
so, why? We race pilots try hard to stay
within the CAA rules and, to my
knowledge, there have been no flagrant
or intentional violations of these rules.
There has not been a si ngle spectator
hurt by a civilian racing plane in years
of racing.
"Why are the commercial interests in
aviation bucking racing? We are told
that the manufacturers, and especially
the airlines, would like to see air races
abolished, apparently because of the un-
favorable effect a crash in full view of
the public would have on their business.
"It is my contention that the public is
not so unthinking as to let a racing plane
crash scare it out of flying the airlines.
If seeing big headlines and pictures in
the papers of an airliner splattered
against a mountain top does not scare
the layman from flying, the lines have
nothing to fear from racing, even if all
the race ships pile up in front of the
grandstands.
"Why must air racing just ify its exist-
ence by contributing something to com-
mercial aviation? Why can it not be
conducted as an attraction or amuse-
ment, the same as horse racing, speed-
boat, auto or yacht racing? Many
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
19th ANNUAL
WORLD'S PREMIER
AIR CLASSIC
AcavalcadeofaeronauticaJ proqreSl Presentinq in
dramaticf4lllhion ...rythinq hom pu1se-throbbinq hiqh
.peed classiCi to quiet. yet darlnq acrobatic exhibi.
tions .Con<:ellt1'4te<i into thre. day. of Inten..
actinty..amid pomp ADd splendor ... parade and
paqea.ntry...drama4D.d qaiety...Featurinqtb.3QO.
mil.ThOIttptOD. Trophy Race, annual hiqb .peed, la.nd
pla.ne cluaic01 theworld. ..The BendixTrophyRace.

international 2OO.mU. closedcouts. freefor-all , ..
Service p.uticipatiOD .Man parachute jump.inq.
Thrillinq ltunt flyinq . ..andeveryconceivable phase
of ariation.
Here, as at no other time Of place, the nation', fore-
::!
m.inimum of
$85,000
CASH PRIZES
BY All Ml4NS PURCHAS! YOUR nCJ(rn IN ADVANn fOR A
BmtR(HOlnOf mrs. AllSfATS INDIVIDUAUYRfS[RVID.
For dco:.Und tkke1: In(OT1TUI(ion wrlre Of wire
Olford W. Hcndcoon. Man_tina: Oirr.;'Cor. Nadon.\ Air Raca..
Uruoo. Bu.ildiJ\l. C1cvd.nd. OMo.
'" III, N.. lfo....' Affo".. ,uit Auoll .. tlo...
H.ld ....du .,.Iu 01 till ,.d""ciOl\ Auo"'"""q1I' l"I'..... llo....I,.
.AMERICA'SGREATEH SPORTS EVENT
thousandsofdollarsarespent in build-
ing yachts, for instance, to competein
annual yacht races and, although I fail
to see where it contributes anything to
cornmerical navigation or is ofpublic
benefit, it is lookeduponasa perfectly
goodandsensiblesport- which it is.
"Air racing is certainly more spec-
tacular and thrilling and, with ever in-
creasingspeedsobtainedandwithmore
ships competing, it will be even more
so. If racing ship owners and pilots
were not so harassed, there would be
more of them, competition would be
keenerandtheracesbetter."
BENDIXTROPHY
All the entries for the 1939 Bendix
hadbeenentrantsthepreviousyearand
8JANUARY1992
thanks to the rule that Bendix racers
couldn't compete in the Thompson,
none of the privately produced racers
suchastheMarcoux-Brombergwerein
the Bendix. All ofthe aircraftentered
in 1939 were factory production
aircraft.
Racing were: a Beech D-17W,pilot
Max Constant; another Staggerwing
flownbyWilliamMaycock;theBellan-
ca 28-92 Trimotor flown by Arthur
Bussy;aLockheedOrionflownbyPaul
Mantz; a Seversky SEV-S2 flown by
FrankFullerandanotherflown byJac-
quelineCochran;and,finally,aSpartan
7Wflown by ArleneDavis.
Departure was from the Union Air
Terminal at Burbank on September 2.
Frank Fuller was the first away at 3
A.M.,his goal to becomethe first two-
timewinner. Weatherwasmarginalall
thatearly morningbutall got awayex-
ceptforJackieCochranwhodeclinedto
takeoffintothe800footceiling.
WithCochranoutitwouldbeaclose
raceforsecondplaceasnooneexpected
to best Frank Fuller in the Seversky.
Fullerdidarrive first at Clevelandafter
a fuel stop in Goodland, Kansas for an
elapsed time of 7 hours 14 minutes,
knocking 40 minutes off his 1937
record. ThiswasgoodforanewBendix
recordspeedof282.1 mph.
Second place went to Bussy's
trimotored Bellanca which nosed out
Mantz's Orion by eight minutes. Max
ConstantcameinfourthinCochran'sStag-
gerwing Beech. Arlene Davis finished
fifth, but was disqualified for the $2,500
bonus for being the fLrSt woman finisher
becauseherpassengerintheSpartan,Dale
Meyers,wasalicensedpilot.
Fuller,flyingonto Bendix,NewJer-
sey, seta new transcontinental Bendix
Racerecordof8hours58minutes8.46
seconds,averaging273 milesperhour.
GREVETROPHYRACE
In what Cy Caldwell called "the ir-
reducible minimum of racing," three
daysatCleveland - Saturday,Sunday
andMonday- sawonlyonepilotinone
airplane finish one closed course race.
ThatracewastheGreveTrophyRaceon
Sunday as on Monday the Thompson
was calledoffbecauseofweather.
Though there were no new aircraft
entered in the Greve, there were some
exciting aircraft: Art Chester's
"Goon,"LeVier's"Firecracker"andthe
all metal Crosby racer, all powered by
six-cylinder C-65 Menasco engines.
With a few exceptions, the Menascos
werethe only engines in the 550cubic
inch class that had finished any Greve
Racessincetheirinception in 1934,the
major exception being Michael
Detroyat's Renault in 1936. The
Menasco engine powered aircraft had
seen a constant increase in speed since
the 213 mph finish by Roy Minor in
1934. In 1938LeVierinthe"Firecrack-
er"ran aspeedof250.886mph.
Five racers were at the starting line
forthe1939Greve. GeorgeByarsinthe
Keith Rider"Eight Ball"failed to start;
LeeWilliams in the Brown B-2stalled
atthescatteringplylon,spunin andwas
killed in the crash. Tony LeVierin the
"Firecracker" led for 11 laps but was
forced out by enginetroubleand Harry
Crosby, unable to retract his landing
gear,wasflaggedoutafter13laps. That
left Art Chester in his "Goon" to fly
alone for the rest ofthe race. The loss
of competition didn't slow him down
and he continued on and set a new
record of263.390mph.
THOMPSONTROPHY
There wereseven Thompson entries
for the start ofthe 1939 race: Roscoe
Turner, last year's winner, in his
RoscoeTurner'sTwin RowWasp-poweredTurner-Laird Special.
"Meteor," Earl Ortman in the Marcoux-
Bromberg (nee Rider R-3), Steve Wittman
in "Bonzo," Art Chester in the "Goon,"
Harry Crosby in his all metal CR-4, and
the, ancient by racing standards, 1932
Wedell Williams of Joe Mackey owned
by Roscoe Turner.
Reportedly pumping out 2,000 horse-
power, Turner's Meteor was the class of
the act and if Roscoe didn't miss a
pylon, a continual problem, he should
have had an easy victory. Earl Ortman,
as stated above from his article in
POPULAR A VIA nON, believed the
Marcoux Bromberg could win and with
an all-up weight 1,500 pounds less than
Turner's, that was a possibility. The
"Firecracker" had shown great potential
in 1938 having won the Greve at a speed
of over 250 miles per hour.
Steve Wittman won the race to the
scatter pylon and was still in the lead at
the end of the first lap with Mackey's
Wedell Williams incredibly in second
place. However, Tony LeVier was
burning up the field and took over the
lead on the fifth lap, Roscoe having cut
Roscoe polishes one of the pylons on his
way to an unprecedented third win of
the Thompson Trophy race.
a pylon again but for the last time.
Having reflown the pylon, Roscoe
put on an amazing show reeling in the
other competitors one by one at speeds
of over 300 mph until taking over the
lead in the ninth lap. His lap speeds
dropped a little after that, but by the end
of the race he had managed to lap
everyone again. Roscoe Turner had
won the Thompson for the third and last
time.
END OFAN ERA
More than the start of the war in
Europe cast a pall over the National Air
Races that led to the end of the Golden
Age. Many announcements at
Cleveland also put the stamp on the end
of an age. Roscoe Turner announced
his retirement, Earl Ortman announced
his retirement from racing to become an
airline pilot, and after 12 years of effi-
cient management, Clifford and Philip
Henderson, the driving forces behind
the National Air Races, announced their
retirement.
Cy Caldwell in the October, 1939
issue of AERO DIGEST stated that the
races had lost their meaning. "In past
years the National Air Races have un-
doubtedly performed a valuable func-
tion; they were truly "the proving
ground of aviation." The production of
such ships as the Gee Bees and Mystery
S Travel Air, for instance, showed our
(Continued on page 28)
Roscoe recieves the Thompson Trophy from Fred Crawford for the last time-Roscoe
would immediately announce his retirement from air racing after his third win of
the Thompson.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
by H.G. Frautschy
Type club members are, as a rule,
enthusiastic proponents of their respec-
tive aircraft, and amopg the most ener-
getic are those who call themselves
"Navioneers". The American Navion
Society (ANS) is one of the oldest Type
Clubs in existence today, and within
their ranks are some individuals who
have become experts at modifying older
aircraft. The Navion is one classic that
with' at least a few
Larry Woodfin of Jarrettsville,
Marylandis one of the nthusiasticANS
members who travelled to Appleton,
Wisconsin the week prior to the EAA
Convention this past summer. 79
N a vions and their owners arrived to take
part in the American Navion Society
Annual Fly-In. Enjoying each other's
'c;(IlmplitlJ.y and flying Navions kept the
an ice
arrival. WiththedistancebetweenOsh-
k<$h only18miles,asthe
fustaircraftwerelandingatOshkosh,a
NA,vit'ln!ll. were waiting for
slot at Appleton. The
"Navioneers"whomadethetriptoOsh-
kosh from Appleton. His Navion,
N222LW, was on its first trip to the
Midwest since it bad been totally res-
toredovera4yearpel'iod. Larry fomid
his homefield;the quit;. He hac.L
runoutofgas. An
on
Navjonwas

mass,in-trailflightdowntoEAAOSH-
KOSH'91. DonShoemaker,Co-Chair-
man >Uhis year's Navion Fly-'n,said
"it wasa lot offun - the weather was
great, so we just slipped right on in."
Donwasquitecomplementaryconcern-
ing thejobthe Oshkosh contollers did
briefingand tben handlingthegroup's
coordinationbetweenthetwofacilities
wasoutstanding,according
Once the Navions had arrived, they
wer.<: all parkedin e samesectionof
the south end of the Antique/Classic
aircraftcampingarea. Forloversofthe
marque,it wasasighttosee.
Larry Woodfm was one of the 49
theairplaneinPittstown,New Jersey.
Thepreviousownerhadbeenworking
on the big Ryan for a year, when he
passed away only 3 days prior to it's
maiden flight. The airplane then be-
cameaburdenupontheownerswidow,
and her son, an airline pilot, had no
desireforthebighulk,sohecounselled
his mother to sell it. Larry, dealing
throughtheownersson,struckadealto
purchase the Navion. He was pleased
withtheplanesstructure,havingdeter-
minedthatitwasoneof the"straightest"
Navions that he had seen since his
search began. Larry tnivelled to New
Jersey to close the deal. Whenhear-
rived, and the paperwork was to be
signed,thewidowsimplycouldn'tbear
to part with the airplane, andsoLarry
went home empty-handed. The
widow'sson,however,contactedLarry
again,and told him that thedealcould
beclosed. So,LarryheadeduptoNew
Jersey to retrieve the languishing
Navion,onlytohavethesamecourseof
actionrepeatagain. Larry
patientlywenthomeempty
handedonemoretime. This
wouldhappentwomoretimes!
Therewasoneadditionalitem
thataddedtotheanxietyof
thesituation- theairport
thattheairplaneresided
on wasscheduled
tobeclosed,
andtheland
usedfor
partofan
Interstate
highway.
Finally,
with4days
tospare,thedeal wasclosed,
the aircraft preflighted, and-Larry
headed for home in what hefelt wasa
basically airworthy airplane that still
had quitea few items to befixed orat
leastcleanedup,beforeamajorrestora-
tion would commence. As fate would
haveit,hedidnothavetheluxuryofa
fewextrahourstoaquainthimselfwith
theNavionafterhegotithome: After.
arrivingoverhislocalarea, PQJl-.o
. tbiQl a;kit fHf new
prize. He was iickiedto e......... 'f"'II
had been fortunate enough to buy the
airplane,andhe wasenjoyinghimself.
Thenthebubbleburst. Onshortfmalto
Navions, Navions, everywhere Navions! 49 Navions of one type or another came to EAA Oshkosh '91 from the American Navion
Society Convention in Appleton, Wisconsin. A few others arrived, swelling the total on the ground in this photo to 56.
bell on the fuel pump stopped dinging
far too early. The pump registered only
20 gallons, and the fuel was at the top of
the filler neck. Something was dread-
fully wrong here! The normal fuel
capacity was twice that amount. An
investigation into the problem revealed
the reason. The Navion had not been
flown for 7 years prior to Larry's pur-
chase, having gone down in a forced
landing. At that time, it was surmised,
the fuel vent system had been plugged,
so that as fuel was being drawn out of
the fuel tanks by the engine driven
pump, the tanks were collapsing. The
fix for the fuel system problem was
simple - the wing must come off! Right
then and there, the serious restoration of
the Navion began in ernest. The entire
airframe would come under close
scrutiny, as Larry wanted the safest pos-
sible airplane he could restore. His
thoughts on the effort required to restore
an airplane could apply to anyone: "The
devotion you put into them, obviously
you deprive a lot of family respon-
sibilities to do this, and a lot of grass
cutting on Saturday to come up with one
of this caliber, but it has been worth it,
Compare the Navion in
the photos with these two
views from the 1947
Aircraft Yearbook. You
can readily see the chan-
ges from the mod work
done through the years.
it's been a very nice airplane, a very safe
airplane, and I think that's what we like
about it." Larry has two teenage
daughters, Erin and Tara, and his wife
Debbie as cabinmates in the limousine-
sized cockpit of the Navion. "It will
carry literally anything that you can get
into it and with three females at home,
that's usually what happens! They want
to bring everything but the kitchen
sink!"
With his family his primary pas-
sengers, Larry wanted an airplane that
was as safe as he could reasonably ex-
pect it to be. He likes the rugged build
of the Navion, (after all, it was designed
by the same folks at North American
Aviation who brought us the P-51) and
the reputation the plane has for being
very strong. Aerodynamics seems to
always be a series of forces in com-
promise, and the Navion is no excep-
tion. All that strength comes at a cost.
With a maximum gross weight of 2,750
pounds, the Navion is not the fastest
retractable 225 hp airplane around. The
"Woodybird II", as Larry has named the
Navion, will cruise at a reasonable 132
knots while burning about 12 gallons of
A vgas per hour.
A little history on the Navion: First
concei ved in the fertile mind of "Dutch"
Kindelberger at North American A via-
tion, the NA-143 was to be North
American's entry into the what was ex-
pected to be the booming post-war
civilian aviation market. When the first
production NA-145 Navions hit the
ramps in 1946, they were touted in ads
as having been manufactured by the
"Creators of P-51 Mustang . . . and
Advanced Army and Navy Aircraft".
Hoping to capitalize on name recogni-
tion by the military pilots who flew in
combat, the Navion would remain in
production at North American until
April 15, 1947. With 280 of the 1,109
produced still unsold, the manufactur-
ing rights to the Navion were sold to
Ryan Aeronautical in San Diego,
California. They produced the airplane
from 1948 until 1951, manufacturing
1,265 Navions before shutting down the
line. Later versions of the plane were
the D, E and F models, essentially
remanufactured Navions with revised
engine installations. In the 1960's and
'70's, a version of the airplane known
as the "Rangemaster"
appeared. Sporting
a full cabin instead
of the bubble slid-
ing canopy, the
Rangemaster looks
markedly different
than its older brother.
Fewer than 300 of the
12 JANUARY 1992
o
u
With just a bit of a crosswind, Larry, with his brother Jerry flying co-pilot, breaks ground with the immaculate "Woodybird II" from
runway 18 at Oshkosh.
Rangemasters have ever been built.
Many have noted that the Meyers 200
bears a passing resemblance to the Ran-
gem aster. The type certificate for the
Navion is now owned by the American
Navion Society.
The "Woodybird" is one of the
aircraft produced by Ryan in 1949.
Like most of its breathern, Larry's
Navion boasts a logbook full of
modifications, including a new one-
piece windshield that features a sleeker
profile. The windows have been
changed, also. The side windows fea-
ture a sleek flush mounting, and the side
windows are expanded in area, as well
as being one piece. It really allows su-
perb visibility out of the cockpit. The
other modifications include the "Palo
Alto Tail", a revision to the incidence of
the horizontal tail. The Navion
originally had excessive incidence that
caused too much drag during cruise
flight. Aileron balance kits have been
added, removing the "goose egg" bal-
ances from the ailerons and replacing
them with an internal balance. One of
the most
noticeable
changes to
anyone who had seen the Navion
when it was new is the revised cowling
on the Woodybird. The first Navions
sported a rather ineffective updraft
cooling system, with a prominent
"chin" grille below the prop. Many
early Navion owners would not have
their engines reach TBO because of
high oil temperatures. Most of these
have now been changed to the standard
pressure cowl seen on this Navion.
About the only modification that he has
not been able to add is an outside bag-
gage door. Unless you own the paper-
work for one of these doors, they simply
are not available. The latest addition to
the airframe Larry plans is the addition
of a rear step, to make it a bit easier to
climb into the cabin.
The paint and trim on Larry's Ryan is
Alumigrip, selected for its durability
and high gloss shine. All of the paint and
the prep work was done by a profes-
sional painter. One of the most striking
aspects of the "Woodybird II" is the
painted-to-match propeller. When he
returned from Oshkosh one
year, Larry
was all set to paint the prop black, with
yellow tips, just like many of the War-
birds he had seen. His wife Debbie
nixed that idea though. She talked him
into doing something different. The
idea came from the Lopresti Swiftfury
project, which features a color scheme
that includes a single color for all parts
of the airframe. Maintaining a prop
painted like this is an ongoing effort.
Touching up the paint is a once a month
maintenance item, but Larry it quite
pleased with the way it looks, "It does
add a lot of character to the aircraft." he
noted. The "Woodybird" emblem on
the side of the fuselage also adds a bit of
whimsy to the sleek 4-placer. A neigh-
bor, Neil Kavanaugh, is a professional
painter who is known around the
country for his work in gold leaf, and
well known for his artwork gracing a
few yachts. In exchange for an "Osh-
kosh" hat, Neil applied the
"Woodybird" to each side of the
fuselage.
The interior was d,pne in the third year
of the restoration. A local shop that
specializes in
Ferrari's was
interested in
tackling the job, and Larry let
(Continued on Page 23)
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
ChildOfTheFifties
A year and a half ago, after earning
my private ticket, I decided I wanted to
own a plane. After discussing the idea
with my precious wife, she said, "Well,
O.K., so long as it doesn't cost any-
thing." To many people, that would
have been the end of the whole thing.
But a newly licensed pilot is a
dangerous thing! I began to think. I
looked around the house
for anything that I could
sell, barter or otherwise
convert into a plane.
Then, I saw it. The boat
on a trailer out in the
yard. What good was it
anyway? It was winter!
So I placed an ad in
Trade-a-Plane. It ran
like this: "HAVE
BOAT, NEED PLANE.
WANT TO SWAP?"
Quite frankly, I was
completely open to just
about anything. When
the deal was done, my
boat was on its way to
Missouri and I had a
1958 Straight Tail
Cessna 172. It was a
14 JANUARY 1992
by Nino Lama, Ale #12423
curious craft. Being new in the world of have to go back to the fifties.
aviation, I had never seen a 172 that So let's go back to a special time in
looked like that. I had trained in a plane history. Even though we may say we
called a Cessna 172, but it bore no remember those years, our memories
resemblance to my new acquisition. tend to fade. Here's a memory jogger;
As it turns out, what I had gotten in we'll start with those people who
barter was something really special. It flavored life for us - Marilyn Monroe,
was my child of the fifties. To best Willie Mays, "Ike", James Dean, Joe
understand why it's so special, we really McCarthy, General MacArthur,
Richard Nixon, VICE
President, and Elvis.
Elvis was a firey 19 year
old when he recorded his
first song. He made it big
with his ducktail haircut
and perpetual sneer. If
you're not back in the fif-
ties with me yet, remem-
ber these: Hound Dog,
All Shook Up, Don't Be
Cruel and Burning Love.
They were all on the
album "Heartbreak
Hotel," released in 1956.
In 1958, Elvis married
Priscilla Beaulieu and
was drafted into the
Army.
If Elvis wasn't your
thing, then maybe you'll
5 GREAT CESSNAS-THE COMPLETE
AIR FLEET FOR :gVERY BUSINESS NEED
fast, 4place business airplane. Top seller
In over 150 m.p.h. class. New "hush
flight" features-Hone striping. Agreat
"float plane," too. $12,950 I.o.b. Wichita.
lowest priced airplane. New
G interiors, new two tone striping, for '56.
Proved by over 5,000 owners-cruises
over 120 m.p.h. $8,295 f.o.b. Wichita.
. Greatest singleengine business plane.
landOMatic landing gear. Performance
of airplanes costing much more. "Hush
flight" cabin. $13,750 f.o.b. Wichita.
With landOMatic landing gear. Ideal
for businessmen who want to learn to
fly themselves. You simply drive it. Over
. 120 m.p.h. cruising. $8,750 fii.'D.Wrchita.
"Tomorrow's Twin Today" years
ahead in design, engineering. Safety
proved by performance of more than 300
now in regular use. $54,950 f.o.b. Wichita.
fLYING-May 1956
remember Patti Page and Peggy Lee,
"The Music Man," West Side Story or
Mack The Knife. The Top Hits of the
Fifties read like this: 1950 - Good-
night Irene; 1951 - Tennessee Waltz;
1952 - Cry; 1953 - Song From the
Moulin Rouge; 1954 - Little Things
Mean Alot; 1955 - Rock Around the
Clock; 1956 - Don't Be Cruel; 1957
- Tammy; 1958 - Vol are and 1959-
Mack The Knife.
While the Pentagon under Charles E.
Wilson was undergoing the greatest
build up of power in all history and the
nation was in the grips of the peak of the
Cold War, the kids wore Davy Crocket
hats and bought 30 million hula-hoops.
The large cabin of the four-place Cessna allows room for a well equipped panel.
It was the fifties that saw us become a
nation of surburbanites. Barbecues and
the cocktail circuit were our escape.
Some of us built bomb shelters. We
fought in Korea. We watched Bogie
and Bacall, Lucy and Ricky, George
and Gracie, Sid and Imogene, Kukla and
Ollie and Jack Parr.
In 1958 and 1959, AlaskaandHawaii
became our 49th and 50th States.
Texans just had to cope with being the
SECOND largest state in the Union.
The Russians launched Sputnik, and
then followed with a satellite "manned"
with a dog. It was the 1950s that saw a
brave black woman refuse to give up her
seat on a bus in Montgomery to a white
man. Her arrest sparked the young and
vibrant Martin Luther King into peace-
ful protest that changed us forever.
If you were there but don't remember
any of this, then you must have been a
"Beat. " The coffeehouses oozed with
smoke and poetry to the sound of finger
snapping and bongos. Slow blues,
protest songs and Depression ballads
were "cool."
It was the era of cocktail circuits,
baby-sitters and back yard barbecues.
Cars were big, powerful and made of
plenty of metal. Kitchens were jammed
with chrome appliances and decorated
in lots of bright reds, yellows and blues.
Bicycles were sturdy with wide tires and
built-in headlights.
That was the Fifties.
The world of aviation was pretty ex-
citing back then. There were a lot of
"thinkers and dreamers." In the fifties,
a dreamer wasn't just someone who
thought that ten more knots or a little
more range would be nice. Moulton B.
Taylor of Longview, Washington was a
1950's dreamer. He builtthe AEROCAR.
It was licensed in 1957. He envisioned
one in every garage. A subcompact car
pulling a small trailer that made up the
conversion of the auto to a comfortable
family airplane. That's thinking! Piper
aircraft built and tested a twin engine
Tri-Pacer. It had two engines on one
shaft, turning a four-bladed propeller.
VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing)
aircraft were seen as the future for
military aircraft. It was a propeller
driven plane that landed squarely on its
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
II
Now!
MET.COAIRE
Presents
The New
(Lett) Prior to the introduction of the "straight Tail" 172, Met-Co-Aire offered this
nosewheel conversion of the standard Cessna 170. Nino's 172 sports the redesigned
CESSNA 170
TRICYCLE GEAR
Look al Ihis
MODERN 170
Note excellent visibility. the beauti-
ful lines. Engineered anddesigned
to increase the utility and beauty
of your Cessna. A conversion that
enhancestheappearanceandvalue
of your airplane. Fully steerable
with rudder pedals. assuring safe.
quick stops with positive ground
controlatalltimes.
.Complete kit. furnished with all necessary
assemblies and hardware for simple easy
Installation.
OTHER MET-CO-AIRE
CONVERSIONS
Tricycle Gear Conversion for the Cessna 180
will beavailablein the nearfuture
Fuselages for Stinson & Piper
Metal Wings: Cessna-Stinson-Ercoupe
Auxiliary Fuel Systems
South American Distributor
Clearwater Flying Co.-Clearwater. Florida
Write Met-Co-Aire today for full
details. or see your nearest dealerl
UP TO 100%
FINANCING AVAILABLE
+Met-Co-Aire
Municipal Airport. Fullerton. California
LAmbert 56521
16 JANUARY 1992
fin and rudder of the "true" 172.
tail with the nose pointed straight up.
That'sdreaming!
Aviation was advancing. Lockheed
built the first prop-jet airliner. The
DouglasRB 66 twinenginejetreached
the magic Mach 1. In the more mun-
dane vein, a man named Piper was
president of Piper Aircraft. Richard
Nixon'sbrother-in-law,TomRyan,was
a flight instructor and taught some of
Hollywood's best to fly. The four en-
gine Super Constellation airliner ruled
thesky. Theycost$2millioneach. Air
fare from New York City to Los An-
geles was $160 round-trip. The
Mooney Mark20 hitthe market.
Thefiftiesgaveusalot. Whodoesn't
getathrill at thesightofacandyapple
red '56 Corvette, orajet black '57 T-
Bird? And Rockand Roll, born ofthe
fifties; the more it changes,the more it
staysthesame!
Sonow, letmetell aboutmy "Child
oftheFifties." Ibelieveittobeoneof
the finest aircraft ever designed; the
StraightTailCessna 172. Trulybornof
the fifties, it'sroomy, comfortableand
madeofplenty ofmetal. I'mgoing to
tell you about this aeroplane from the
prospectiveoftheera. In 1955,Dwane
L. Wallace studied the plane and test
flew it.
"TheBusinessmenhavedemandeda
low cost, easily handled plane to fly
themselves. Cessnahasrespondedwith
atricyclegearmodel." Althoughthere
may have been such a demand made,
it'salsolikelythatCessnawasrespond-
ing to the competition of the
marketplace. The Tri-Pacer with its
tricycle gear was sweeping the market
andgivingtheCessna 170taildraggera
runfor itsmoney. TheTri-Paceradsof
the time showed a young woman
dressed fonnally at the helmandspoke
of"flyingease,roomandcomfort." In
1957, even the guppy shaped Champ
was fitted with a nosewheel and
renamedtheTri-Traveler.
Thegoalwastosellthepubliconthe
"ease offlight." The landing gear on
the Straight Tail 172 was called
"LAND-O-MATIC" landing gear.
Theadsofthetimesaidthatallthepilot
needed to do to land was drive the
airplane down and it landed itself!
(AndtothinkItookall those lessons!)
Whenthe 172 was introducedin 1955,
it wasmeanttosupplementthepopular
Cessna 170. Cessna said at the time
that there was no intention to replace
the 170, but rather to offer the
businessmanan easierto fly and more
comfortable airplane. By 1955 there
were5,000 170sflying. Themanufac-
tureralsostatedthatthe 172 was nota
reworked170,butatotallynewdesign.
Thestriking feature ofthe 172 is with
no doubt, the prominent Straight Tail.
Engineersfoundthatwiththeraisingof
the tail with tricycle landing gear, a
bigger tail and rudder provided better
taxi, takeoffand landing performance.
The newly introduced 172 boasted
some special features including a low
centerofgravity, resilient spring steel
mainlandinggear,andthesamesturdy
nosewheel as the big brother Cessna
310. The controls were not intercon-
nected and provided steering with the
rudderorindependentbrakes,steerable
nosewheelorcombinationofthethree.
Magazine advertisements said, "You
driveit likeacar!"
With it's "Land-O Matic" landing gear, and roomy cabin, the early 172 was the precursor of what would become the most popular
light plane of all time.
C. L. Hamilton did the "check ride"
for Flying magazine in November
1955. He calls the cockpit roomy,
lower and level as compared to the 170.
Since dual controls were sold only as
an option, the test plane had only left
hand controls. That made the cockpit
seem huge. Taxiing the 172 was a
revelation with the same feel and
visibility as the Aero Commander.
Hamilton wrote, "About the only
chance for ground damage when taxi-
ing the 172 would be dropping the
nosewheel into a hole." In the air, the
172 showed the same pleasant charac-
teristics of the proven 170 . . . except
that the 172 is more stable. - You can
slow down until the needle stops in-
dicating, and she just goes on, slow and
steady." The landing approach differs
from the 170 as the 172 uses a very
steep nose down approach. Hamilton
wrote: "With full 40 degrees on the
paralift flaps, overshoot slightly, dump
the flaps, touch down with brakes on .
. . and you're in someone's back yard.
We did it in 250 feet down and stopped.
In an emergency, it no doubt could be
development was th e Met-Co-Aire
Company's conversion of the 170 to
tricycle landing gear (see copy of 1955
ad). Despite the statements of Cessna
and the conversion by Met-Co-Aire, the
170 was doomed to be replaced by the
easy to fly 172. If you fly a 172 that has
a back window and swept tail, don't
think you've experienced the classic
172 that changed the look and feel of
light plane flight. You've only ex-
perienced a distant relative. The 172 of
the fifties is not the same aeroplane as
the modern version. Upon entering the
Classic 172, one is immediately im-
pressed with the incredible visibility
both overhead through the huge
windscreen and forward over the cowl-
ing that does a great disappearing act
down to the spinner. The pilot and com-
panion sit very high in the cockpit, adding
to the feeling of openness and spacious-
ness. The engine seems to run smoother
than the contemporary version, and it
does. It is, afterall, a small six cylinder
engine compared to the larger four
banger in the modern 172. One of the
greatest joys of flying the Classic comes
the floor between pilot and copilot. The
bar clicks upward as the enormous
para lift flaps drop from 10 to 40
degrees. On your first flight, it seems
like you've just moved half the wing
when you apply flaps. In the air, she's
stable as a rock, and trims easily for
hands-off flight. You won't set any
speed records but you can count a solid
104 miles per hour burning about six
gallons per hour. And oh, what a view!
There's a new type club called the
STRAIGHT TAIL CESSNA CLUB. It
was founded by my good friend and
Straight Tail owner, Ernie Colbert. I've
recently been honored with the title of
President. The club currently has about
100 members, and is growing fast.
Each member shares a great love for the
Classic Straight Tail Cessna and knows
that with change, improvement does not
necessarily follow. I hope you've en-
joyed this article. The next time you see
one of the Straight Tail Cessna's taxi by
on its "Land-O-Matic" landing gear,
think of Elvis, Bogie and me .
Thanks to Richard VanEmerick, my
good friend, for the classic Flying
done in less than that." when it's time to lower the flaps. Flaps magazines used in this article .
An interesting contemporary are controlled by a great Johnson rod on
.....
RudyEskra'sStearman
by RudyEskra
ANTIQUE/CLASSICGRAND
CHAMPION
MIDEASTERNREGION1990
So much has been written about the
Stearman, its characteristics and res-
toration, that it sometimes seems that
everythingthatneededtobesaidabout
ithasbeensaid.Undaunted,Antique/Clas-
sic owners all like to tell their own
stories. Thisis mine.
Thisparticularexamplewasbuiltfor
the Air Force in October 1944, thus
beingoneofthelastproducedofagreat
series. In theensuingyearssinceit was
manufactured, it has only been flown
about2300hours. Iacquireditin 1979.
It was in very goodcondition then and
tothebestIcandetermine,italwayshas
been. Rather than the owner, I look
upon myselfas a temporary custodian
or caretaker, and very fortunate to be
that. Ihopethatwhenit goestothenext
owneritwill bein betterconditionthan
whenIgotit,andthatthenextguyscan
keepit goingfor manyyearstocome.
It'sequippedwiththe225hpLycom-
ing,which,withitsninecylindersbiting
them off clean, sounds and runs
1 B JANUARY 1991
smootherthansomeoftheotherengines
withwhich Stearmanwereequipped.
In 1989,my friends and Istrippedit
downcompletely,andreplacedorrefur-
bishedeverythingwe thoughtcouldbe
improved. Wesparednoexpense,as a
wholedrawerfullofreceiptsandavery
patient wife will attest to. Theengine
was completely overhauled with
cylinders chromed back to standard,
newpistons,rings,valveguides,valves,
bearings. The works. Ofcourse, all
partsweremagnafluxed intheprocess.
Wefound thewingwoodworkinex-
cellent condition, and justa few small
corrosionpointsonthefuselagetubing.
After refinishing the structure, we in-
stalled some new fuselage stringers
(birdcage)whichpresumablyhadbeen
brokenwhentheairplanewaspushedon
its sides. These aluminum stringers
tend to precipitation harden and grow
brittlewithage.
Werecoveredallsurfaceswithheavy
dutyCeconite. Thefinalfinishafterthe
butyrateprocessonthefuselage,center
wingsectionandfinswastwopartRan-
thanepolyurethane. Thebluetrimwas
DuPontImron. However,weusedRan-
dolphbutyratedopeexclusively onthe
wings,asidefromthetrim. Ourreason-
ing for doing this was because the
polyurethanehas lesstendencytostain
undertheonslaughtof engineemissions
thandopeandwithitsglossysurface,is
apleasuretowipedown.
Gasoline dye, for example, can
penetrate dopes and lacquer finishes
clear down to the fabric. Since the
wings are out away from this con-
tamination but subject to more hangar
rash and might need occasional touch-
ingup,wefeltthatdopemightbeeasier
totouchup thanthe urethane.
Therehas certainlybeena lot ofex-
cellent information written about
recovering and restoring Stearman
aircraft, and probably done by people
farmoreversedintheartthanI. Igota
lot of tips from reading and hearing
them. Some ofthe really good ideas
camenotfromtheprofessionalmanuals
butfromnonprofessionalrestorers. We
diddosomeofthethingswhichwehad
developedonourownandfeltimproved
thequalityofthejobsomewhat. Many
ofthemareminorbutperhapsthereally
first-class jobs are a collection offine
details. They have not been exhaustive-
ly tested in the laboratory but they
worked for us. To the extent they are of
interest, I'll pass them along here.
Paints tend to grow more brittle with
age and will crack from vibration where
fabric stretches over sharp edges. Even
though this plane was over 45 years old
and must have been recovered several
times, we were surprised to find a lot of
sharp edges on many of the wood parts
that come in contact with the fabric.
These were sanded to a small radius.
Ceconite reinforcing tape was applied
on top of the fabric very liberally
wherever the fabric laid over any edges
and highly stressed skin locations, far
more than on the original. This required
a lot more painting and sanding between
coats to hide the tape, but in the end I
think we have a finish which is far more
resistant to cracking.
Aircraft material suppliers may
recommend that you buy some of their
"duct" tape to cover any seams in
aluminum parts, such as on leading
edges. Apparently masking tape was
used in these places in the original
process and we preferred that since the
"duct" tape is too thick and protrudes
through the finished fabric.
In order to provide a smoother sur-
face over the aluminum D-section lead-
ing edges on the wings, we first covered
and heat shrunk an extra layer of fabric
over them. This tended to bridge over
the seams and dimpled areas before in-
stalling the fmallayer of Ceconite.
All the experts will tell you to brush
on the first coat of fabric primer, such as
Dacproof or whatever process you're
using. This may be right but you can
often sand about 15 or 20 coats before
the brush marks disappear. I believe the
reasoning is that brushing the stuff
(which I suspect is really nitrate dope
with a dye) will help you get it down
into the fabric so it interlocks with the
fibers. That's important because it al-
most must depend upon a mechanical
bond to get it to stick to the dacron. We
found we could get full penetration by
spraying, so we sprayed and were satis-
fied with the result. It is important not
to oversaturate the fabric, of course,
since it will drip onto the opposite
fabric, and these drops are very hard to
hide.
If you ever scrape or chip a doped
finish, you invariably find that the
separation occurred at either the top or
bottom interface of the silver dope coat.
less adhesion and a lower tensile
strength than clear dope, since the
aluminum particles are really impurities
in the dope. For this reason we kept the
aluminum coats down to the minimum
required to pass the light bulb opacity
test, thus providing the radiation shield
for ultraviolet light. About two coats of
silver seem to accomplish this. The rest
of the many coats before the color was
applied were clear butyrate, which
seems to stay more strong and pliable
throughout its life. It's not as easy to
sand as the silver, but I suppose that's
another testimonial to its physical
properties over that of the silver.
Our inspector insisted that all rib
stitching knots must be exposed as in the
original, rather than pulled under the
skin as in Staggerwing Beech process.
We located, aligned and perforated all
the rib stitch holes with chalk lines
snapped uniformly spaced across the
length of the wing. Of course these
knots were located on the bottom of the
bottom wing and on top of the top wing.
The result is a nice uniform appearance
like lines of rivets, when sighted from
the end of the wing.
Some like to make pie shaped slits in
the tape to take away excess material
where it wraps around the wing and fm
tips. There's almost no way of hiding
these cutouts under the finish, so we
didn't use that method. Instead, we heat
shrunk the uncemented tape edges
down after first cementing the tape on
the ridge line of the bend only. The tape
edges were then cemented after they lay
nice and snug on the surface. This is not
an original idea with us but the superior
results make it worth mentioning.
Some experts, though not all, recom-
mend that when taping, both the tape
and the fabric surface to which it is
applied be first painted with cement. If
this method is used, air bubbles are
trapped under the wet tape and very hard
to remove. We had better luck by ap-
plying a very wet coat of cement to the
fabric only, and leaving the tape dry so
that the air can be forced up through it.
Then a thirmed coat of cement can be
applied to saturate the tape after it's
down smooth.
Some cements as they come out of the
can tend to dry rapidly or "rope" as you
spread them. One old-time airplane
maker suggested we mix the cement
with 30 percent nitrate dope and 30 per-
cent nitrate thinner. This not only
eliminated that problem but also
seemed to make the cement stick better.
We used a hot knife to cut all the
fabric in order to produce a clean, sealed
edge without the annoying ragged
threads. To do this, we hammered and
ground the copper tip of a forty watt
soldering iron to a knife edge. On
another iron, we rounded off the copper
tip to a spherical radius and used it to hot
pierce fabric drain holes, after the
"lifesaver" reinforcements were ce-
mented in place. I haven't heard if
anyone else uses this method but it real-
ly works slick, leaving a high strength
fused ring on the hole perimeter. The
stiff plastic life saver reinforcements
that are available commercially often
curl or warp somewhat due to the
shrinkage of the cement. I believe that
reinforcements punched out of leather
stay flatter and more flexible while still
strengthing the edge of the drain hole.
We're convinced that silver dope has Rudy's pretty white with blue trim Stearman runs up on the ramp.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
At the points where the rudder cables
exit through the fuselage fabric we heat
formed little vee-shaped plastic fairings
to cover these points. This produced a
nice streamlined effect, I think, after
covering them with another patch of
fabric and ftnishing.
When patches of fabric are needed,
such as those used to cover the inspec-
tion rings, we found a way to make the
fabric patch much more manageable.
We stretched a piece of fabric over the
open end of a small wooden box. This
was given the fabric prime coat, shrunk
with an iron and the required patches cut
from it. These stay nice and flat when
they're cut and cemented in place.
Removing old paint from the cowling
and other aluminum parts is no fun at all.
In scraping it off you stand the chance
of scraping through the grey anodized
surface also. I gathered all of the
painted aluminum pieces and took them
to a furniture stripper who dipped and
cleaned the whole works for $60, which
I considered money well spent. These
were sprayed lightly with two part
Dupont Varprime primer, which I'm
convinced is better than the old zinc
chromate originally used.
The finish resulting with the Ran-
thane polyurethane is superb, and in this
particular project at least, seemed to be
even more glossy than the Irnron we
used on the leading edge trim. During
the work, we had a lot of good consult-
ations and help over the phone with the
Randolph people. We were also able to
get a very good gloss in the white
butyrate dope by keeping the wings flat
and horizontal while spraying and float-
ing on a lot of dope. The final coat was
thinned out more to give a good gloss.
Although we have no proof, we suspect
also that excessive thinning of the other
coats of butyrate reduces the finished
strength of the dope. And this was also
the opinion of an old-timer who used to
do fabric at the Naval aircraft factory .
We used 3M tapes for the finish color
stripes, in 3/4 inch and one inch widths.
This seems to have excellent adherence
in service, yet can be lifted off and
retaped during the application, in places
where you didn't get it quite right the
first time. There is a thin, transparent
membrane of protective tape on top of
it which must be removed after installa-
tion, since this will yellow with age and
will bake on permanently if it spends
any time in the sun. It's hard enough to
peel off when it's new.
Taking a tip from the automobile
20 JANUARY 1991
The neat and tidy installation of the battery box and relay control panel mounted
ott of the firewall.
body guys, we used nothing but 3M
masking tape also, as some of the cheap
brands can really give you trouble,
either not sticking or sticking too hard.
When taping over new paint, we first
pressed the sticky side of the tape onto
our work clothes to reduce the pos-
sibility of damaging the fresh surface
with too much adhesion.
One other problem can give you fits
on a Stearman if you're not careful.
When installing the bird cages
(stringers) on the fuselage tubing struc-
ture, it's a good idea to temporarily in-
stall the cowling and tail cone fairing in
order to properly position the stringer
assembly, fore and aft. Finding out that
the cowling doesn't fit after the fabric is
finished could really spoil your day.
It's always amazing to see vinyl
material used around the cockpit coam-
ings of some real prize winners. I found
that nice glossy pieces of kid leather can
be bought rather cheaply at places like
Tandy Leather, providing an authen-
ticity that can be spotted a long way off.
For the coaming padding, rather than
layers of felt as used originally, I tried
some foam pipe insulation, which is
conveniently pre-slit, fits nicely and
after lacing the leather with rawhide,
seems to do a better job.
During one of the routine magna flux
inspections of the McCauley steel prop,
one tiny bit of corrosion at the blade hub
fillet officially ended its flying career.
Although this was a devastating
development, I reflected that pulling the
prop and delivering it for inspection to
a prop shop 80 mil es away - this every
100 hours - was a nuisance. And I
never could get through the hundred
Rudy Eskra and his prize winning stearman at the Mideastern Regional Fly-In in Marion, Ohio.
hour period without one protractor read-
justment of the blade angles, since both
the centrifugal and aerodynamic forces
tend to move the blades toward low
pitch. I decided to try a new Sensenich
wood prop. I was pleased to find that
this yellow birch club is about 30
pounds lighter, produces markedly less
noise and vibration, and seemed to
result in no degradation in performance.
I believe that there were three pitches
available. I selected the middle one and
I think I guessed right for operating in
the low level elevation in the Great
Lakes area.
In reading about prop flight test com-
parisons, I'm always a little suspicious
of conclusions drawn from airspeed
data derived from a few test runs, given
all the variables in atmospheric condi-
tions, instrument and observer error, so
I didn't bother trying to get too technical
about it. For what it's worth, my friend
with a constant speed Hamilton on a 300
hp Stearman flys formation with me
occasionally and seemed impressed
with the airspeed of the lower-powered
plane.
When disassembling the wings, we
backed all flying and landing wires off
exactly four turns. This permits reas-
sembly to its previous condition,
whatever that was. However, we
decided to go through the rerigging pro-
cedure anyway. In doing this we fol-
lowed the Air Force maintenance and
erection instructions - all 11 pages.
Dihedral and incidence boards were
made up from the drawings and all
dimensions and angles brought into
tolerance. Here again it's my feeling
that the plane is quite stable and per-
forms well.
My airplane was absolutely standard
when I got it, except for the usual re-
placement of the Bendix brake master
cylinders. I didn't mind hand cranking
the inertia starter, but there is no really
safe and legal way to do that when going
J
out for a solo flight, as many have found
to their horror. There must be a
qualified pilot or mechanic at the con-
trols when you're out there turning the
crank. I therefore decided to install an
electrical system.
Designing the electrical system,
which incorporated a new alternator and
rebuilt Bendix starter, was the easiest
part of the job. Gathering all the
documentation for application of all the
components and obtaining FAA ap-
proval took a great deal of time and
effort. Since I do aerobatics I wanted a
battery case and system which could
withstand nine g. 'So None seemed
available so I designed and built a sub-
stantial aluminum case with a separate
battery hold down assembly built in.
The Gil 35 battery manifold vent is con-
nected to a bicarbonate of soda bottle
with a clear plastic hose, then down
inside the landing strut fairing and over-
board.
There seems to be a tendency for the
brakes to grab, which can give the rear
pilot a quick lift up about five feet in the
air on first application. A lot of this low
level aerobatics can be prevented by
applying only one brake at a time, but
the grabbing tendency can still be quite
annoying. To combat this, I filed a
chamfer about 1 1/4 inches by about 20
degrees from the leading edge of the
primary shoe. This is the top of the front
shoe which provides the servo forces on
the secondary shoe. Brake operation is
effective yet smooth. Of course the
brake lining must be kept free of oil and
moisture, and if they do get soaked, it's
best to replace the friction material.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
The stainless steel exhaust manifold
on the Lycoming 680 is also a challenge
to ftnish. I suspect chrome plate would
tum blue in places. I went through
about ftve different high temperature
silver paints, and the best one I've found
is VHT 1200 degree paint made by
Sperex Corporation in Gardena,
California. But nothing lasts forever on
that hot surface.
If you have ever had a King KX145
NA V -COM radio, you'll probably
agree it's not a technological miracle.
When mine is working I get complaints
from approach control that the transmis-
sion is weak and garbled when heading
inbound at eight or more miles out. I
noted that this improved if I turned and
pointed the aircraft tail toward the air-
port. This led me to believe that the
engine and other metal parts ahead of
the antenna were blocking the antenna
signal. I decided to move the antenna,
which was mounted over the aluminum
baggage compartment aft of the rear
cockpit, to a position above the center
wing tank, using the large aluminum gas
tank as a ground plane. The antenna
was mounted on an aluminum bracket
attached to the center square tube brace
above the tank. A short bonding strap
was connected to the tank filler neck,
providing a good ground. With the an-
tenna in this position, we have had no
further complaints from the tower from
the same distances out.
In addition to an Omni in the
transceiver, I bought a portable Loran
which is small enough to carry in a coat
pocket. This has not been entirely
trouble free either, but the Ray Jefferson
Company people have been very help-
ful. Although I don't do a lot of cross-
country, it has given me some very
accurate guidance. It is basically a
marine unit derivative and cost about
$300. Although it provides ground
speed and other data, I find the heading
and DME are just about all I need, and
often direct me right towards the exact
center of the destination airport.
In routine operation of a Stearman,
there are two things which I regard as
being just as critical as fuel and engine
oil. One is keeping those big soft main
tires properly inflated, and the other is
to make sure the tail wheel steering as-
sembly is in good working order. These
are very important for stability and con-
trol during roll-out, which I'll discuss
later. Tail wheel lock mechanism
22 JANUARY 1991
should snap in place smartly, and the tail
wheel steering cables must be snug.
The tail wheel tire pressure needs a lot
of attention also, but for a different
reason. It carries a heavy load for its
size and if it's run underinflated, you're
looking at tire fabric in a very short
time.
There are at least three brands of tires
available for the Stearman. One has a
tread made up of rectangular blocks,
another has concentric rings or grooves
and the third is the classic Goodyear
diamond tread. I found the block tread
was good for about 500 landings on
concrete, the grooved would do about
700. From a vintage appearance
standpoint, I prefer the diamond tread, a
pair of which I bought from Wilkerson
Tire in Crewe, West Virginia. These
Goodyear tires are produced in Sao
Paulo, Brazil where the molds were ap-
parently moved to a number of years
ago.
In doing this restoration, I found it a
very enjoyable experience. I got a
tremendous amount of help from people
like Glenn Gibbs of Stony Ridge, Ohio,
who has become a very skillful fabric
man, and indeed many of his ideas are
included here; and from Frank Leffel
who did much of the spraying; and Tony
Eskra who sanded his share of it. Herb
Wilford, Chief, Aircraft Maintenance at
Dana Corp., was one expert who made
sure we stayed in line, technically.
Looking after a half dozen jet aircraft,
Herb runs a very efficient operation
with immaculate hangars and shops.
There were many others, of course,
and we spent a lot of enjoyable winter
evenings working together and banter-
ing back and forth. It was a great escape
from the demands of a corporate
management position, and I slept most
soundly during that period.
I think the only real frustration, aside
from the staggering prices, was waiting
for delivery of parts and purchased ser-
vices. Delivery date promises were al-
most routinely ignored, thus running the
total project time over one year. Ap-
parently keeping promises has gone the
way of the 45 rpm record in this country.
There are a few lessons which may
seem obvious but I feel are worth restat-
ing. First of all, the investment in both
time and money is extremely high, so
it's worth doing right and this includes
buying the best material available.
In the course of the work, one can ftnd
a host of opportunities to take a shortcut
and save some time or material. In
general these temptations are best
avoided. When the job is finished and
it's almost good enough, no one will
probably know the difference, except
you, every time you look at that bird. If
you're anything like me, you'll always
see enough defects no matter how care-
ful you were. I remind myself if it's not
quite right, tear it up and do it over
again. I've never regretted doing that.
If! may add a few observations to the
myriad of information that has been
written about the Boeing Stearman. I
have owned it now for 12 years and I
still get a great thrill flying it. Some say
it's heavy on the controls but 1 don't
agree. Solid, yes, but not heavy. If you
properly coordinate rudder and aileron,
stick pressures seem quite normal. It is
very forgiving I think, with a good
balance between responsiveness and
sensitivity. In short, it's a real pussy cat
in the air. Though it has a slow roll rate,
it loops beautifully, spins easily but
quits at the precise moment when
you've had enough. Strength - it's
like a Sherman tank. Its solid feel
derives from the lack of control-induced
deflection, owing to the truss biplane
structure, the use of control rods rather
than cables and the basic rigidity of the
tubular steel fuselage.
Land.ing and roll-out is a little dif-
ferent, with the task of keeping things in
hand left entirely up to the pilot. If ever
there was a machine that's dynamically
unstable in roll-out, this must be it.
Response rate must be swift and instinc-
tive, so a bit of concentration is helpful.
Over the years I've logged 1,430 land-
ings in this machine. Some of them
would measure 5.8 on the Richter scale.
As I said, it's a rugged beast, so the only
damage was to my ego.
A round, carrier type approach seems
best, but you'd better have a softer im-
pact than the F-14 does, or you'll
bounce 20 feet in the air. If it's done just
right, those big balloon tires come into
play, and nothing can match the soft,
quiet touchdown of a Stearman. Most
of the time it seems to land itself perfect-
ly, leading one to believe there's really
nothing to it. OK, but I think Gordon
Baxter, our foremost Stearman spokes-
man, had it right: when it's on the
ground you can't trust it unless it's tied
to something.
The E225 series Continental is enclosed in a very clean instal- N22LW features this smart looking panel with padded "ram-
lation. The baffling is anodized! horn" yokes.
(Continued from Page 13)
them have at it. The reclining seats are
from the Rangemaster version of the
Navion produced in the early 1960's.
The Woodfins are very pleased with the
results. The instrument panel and the
overheard Osborne panel have been
finished off in a very professional man-
ner. The panel is meant for strictly VFR
flying, but is very well equipped, with a
loran and nav-com pair. All the instru-
ments in the plane are brand new. To
have as safe an airplane as he desired,
Larry felt it was necessary to replace all
the instruments, since some were 40
years old.
"For all intents and purposes, the
aircraft is a new, 'old' airplane. There's
nothing, not a hose or fitting that has not
been replaced or gone over," he
remarked.
Power for the "Woodybird II" is an
E225 series Continental, built up of new
parts, including the crankshaft. It was
also carefully balanced throughout its
assembly.
The sign and "Woodybird" emblem were
both painted by Larry's neighbor, Neil
Kavanaugh. Each emblem took 1/2 an
hour for him to paint, freehand!
This is the second aircraft that Larry
has restored. The first "Woodybird"
was completed in 1978. Much later, he
would sell the airplane during one of the
Conventions at Oshkosh. He has some
very interesting comments about that
sale, now that some time has elapsed.
"One of the things that happens when
you restore things is the way it con-
sumes you, and after it's over, you be-
come a slave to it. The first time around,
I had become a slave to the machine, and
I wanted out. I just didn't want to do it
anymore! Well, the smart thing to do is
to sit on the side and let that pass. Well,
somebody came along with a lot of
money and wanted it, and I sold it." he
recalled. "Two or three years later, all
of the sudden I realized that I didn't
have my airplane anymore, and I
wanted it back, so that started the search
for this one."
Larry has been a motors ports en-
thusiast since his pre-teen years, when he
tried to convince ills dad to buy him a' 4 7
Mercury convertible, complete with a
zebra skin interior. When his dad said,
"You can't drive it for another 4 years,
what are you going to do with it?" Larry
responded, "Dad, I'm gonna polish it!"
To pacify his young son's enthusiasm,
he allowed Larry to buy a go-cart. His
family was not rich by any stretch of the
imagination, but Larry's willingness to
work hard on his projects would allow
him to continue, and he would progress
into racing cars at the dragstrip, then
into sports cars, and finally into motor-
cycle racing. Larry and his wife Debbie
began to fly simply as an expedient way
to get to motorcycle races, since they
had a few friends within the racing com-
munity that were making the same trips
that they were, and did not have to con-
tend with a long arduous road trip. That
sparked the interest that has become a
wonderful way to travel. Motorcycles
are still an important part of his life.
One of his customers is a favorite of his
- Harley-Davidson. They use the nails
and pneumatic nail guns that Larry sells
for a living to assemble the crates the big
cycles are sillpped in. He is the proud
owner of an "Ultra", equipped with just
about everything you would ever want
on a motor vehicle, including cruise
control! He and Debbie plan to ride the
cruising motorcycle from Maryland to
Alaska on a long tour this coming sum-
mer. He has nothing but praise for the
reliability the Harley now has, and is
very pleased with both his sleek
machines - his Harley Ultra and his
Ryan Navion, "The Flagship of the
Navion Fleet". ...
If you would like more informa-
tion on the Navion, contact the:
American Navion Society
Box 1810 '
Lodi, CA 95241-1810
209/339-4213
The initial membersillp fee is $60,
and then $45 per year for annual
dues.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
()UI2
by veter-sen
DavisDI-K,N158Y,SIN 508
Purchased as a basket case in August,
1958, Jack Gretta (EAA 19255) of
Chester, CT, spent six years rebuilding
this Davis and installing a 125 hp Con-
tinental engine under a one-time STC.
In 1973, a friend(?) put the pretty
PiperJ-3C-65,N6114H,SIN 19275
These photos were sent in by Robert
T. (Bob) Hunt (EAA 165963, AIC 6123)
of Hackettstown, NJ, who has been busy
rebuilding this J-3 Cub along with
George Burns (EAA 221818, AIC
10000), also of Hackettstown. The
wood spar wings required new spars, all
new bolts, drag wires, leading edges and
attach fittings. The covering was done
in Stits HS-90X and Stits Aerothane.
24 JANUARY 1992
parasol into the trees and four more
years were required to return the Davis
to airworthy condition.
In 1991, another friend landed 01'
N508Y in the trees while towing Jack
Gretta in a Schweizer 1-19 glider. Jack
ended up in the trees also, and admits it
A majored C-85 engine was installed
along with a new Falcon wood prop
(built on the Ole Fahlin certificate). Bob
reports the engine started on the very
is a long way to the ground as a "pas-
senger". Itis expected the red and white
Davis will again be ready for flight in
1992.
This is the second Davis that Jack
Gretta has owned, having owned Davis
D1-K, N151Y, SIN 510, from 1947 to
1956. During those years, Jack rebuilt
the airplane once and changed the en-
gine from a Kinner 90 to a Kinner 165.
Jack belonged to EAA Chapter 1 in
Riverside, CA, way back in the early
fifties and joined EAA in the mid-sixties
while living at Cucamonga, CA. He has
been involved with Davis airplanes for
almost 46 years and we happily extend
to Jack "best wishes" for the next 46
years!
very first pull! The smooth 8.00 X 4 tires
that came with the project were in serv-
iceable condition and re-instalLed on the
completed airplane.
This is the third airplane Bob has
restored, the first two being a PA-12
Super Cruiser and a PA-22 TriPacer.
Not one to up and quit having fun, he is
now commencing the rebuild of a PA-ll
Cub Special!
1952 Cessna 170B,
N2650D, SIN 20802
This pristine 170B has been given the
total "TLC" treatment since being pur-
chased in 1988 by its owners, Ken and
Helen Cobb (EAA 182685), of Naples
Florida. A new paint job in Alumigrip
really improved the outside appearance,
right down to the original metal wheel-
pants. Inside, a new interior was in-
stalled, including new seat coverings,
and the panel was updated with all new
radios and complete instrument over-
haul. Under the cowling, the Continen-
tal 145 was majored to "zero" tolerance
with chromed cylinders. The original
propeller and spinner were polished to a
bright shine. As Ken says, "This project
started as a 'replace all rusty screws
with stainless screws' and grew into a
very nice looking restoration!"
The 170B has approximately 3100
hours on the airframe with no damage
history, heavy gear, Cleveland brakes
and original engine, prop and wheel-
pants. Although the pretty Cessna has
scored well at every fly-in to date, Ken
and Helen have yet to make the Oshkosh
Fly-In. We all hope they will be able to
make the flight from Florida to Wiscon-
sin in 1992 so we can get a close look at
N2650D. Congratulations to Ken and
Helen Cobb on a nice job of "replacing
rusty screws"! Your efforts show ex-
cellent results.
Cessna 140A, N5300C, SIN 15420
Purchased in 1966 by John Lucas
(EAA 370887) and Dave Emmett of
Emporium, PA, this particular 1950
Cessna 140A has been used for obtain-
ing STC approval for the installation of
a Continental 0-200 engine.
The 0-200 engine was purchased
from Lycoming in Williamsport, PA,
who were using the engine for test pur-
poses! Installed in N5300C, the first
Continental 0-200 STC was approved
Dec. 1, 1967, with revised approval
dates of March 12, 1980, July 2, 1980
and May 11, 1981. The first STC was
sold on 12-4-78 and John reports they
have been averaging about ten per year
since that time. Apparently the extra 10
to 15 horsepower makes the 140A per-
form remarkably well, which explains
the popularity of the STC.
John Lucas passed his 80th birthday
on July 23rd and has a new partner, John
Richard Lucas (his son) to carryon the
good work with the 0-200 Cessna
140A, N5300C. Long live the marque!
Taylorcraft DCO-65, C-FJLH
From the far north comes this photo
of a Taylorcraft DCO-65, C-FJLH,
owned by Floyd Stromstedt of Box 296,
Berwyn, Alberta, TOH OEO Canada. Lo-
cated in the northwest part of Alberta,
almost at the beginning of the A\can
highway, the DCO-65 is the only one in
the area, in fact, it's the only one
anybody in the area has seen! Floyd
enjoys flying the 65 hp tandem on
wheels, however, he is curious if anyone
has ever put a larger engine in a DCO-
65, such as a C-85, and if anyone has
heard of such an airplane being put on
floats? Any help would be appreciated.
Write Floyd at the above address. ...
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
Aninformationexchangecolumnwithinputfromreaders.
Dear Buck,
Ijust received the November issue of
VINTAGE AIRPLANE and the portion
of your column about Oshkosh being
too big hit me right in the eye. Let me
explain that I'm not the sort of person
who calls radio talk shows or writes to
newspapers. I'm more the sort who lis-
tens, reads and learns, but once in
awhile something makes my ears stand
up. Such was the feeling I got from your
column.
Let me give you a little background
on myself. I'm forty-four years old and
just celebrated the one year anniversary
of my Private Pilots' license. It took me
four years to earn my ticket because,
frankly, I cannot afford to fly. I bought
my 1946 Ercoupe 415C from Mr. Bob
Washburn of Burlington, Wisconsin.
Bob is a C.F.I. and I conned him into
free dual through solo as part of the deal.
That lovely old airplane taught me to
fly, something it and its brothers had
been doing for more years than I've
been alive. It will probably be the only
airplane I'll ever own and I'm not con-
cerned with any additional ratings.
I joined EAA in 1981 and shortly
thereafter became a Charter member of
EAA Chapter 790 in Barrington, Il-
linois. I knew very little about
airplanes, but ended up writing the
Chapter newsletter for four years. My
wife and I attended our first Oshkosh
Convention in 1983. We have gone to
Oshkosh ever year since. Oshkosh is
our vacation. We save all year, just as
you said. We hook up our used pop-up
and camp at Camp Scholler for the en-
tire week. It's the only vacation trip we
take.
Yes, Oshkosh is too big, but oh what
wonderful bigness!! In nine years I
haven't seen it all. I doubt if I'll ever
see it all. But the things I've seen and
the people I've met are treasures I'll
carry forever. Since we seldom get the
same campsite each year, we always
26JANUARY1992
meet new neighbors at Oshkosh. One
year I met a gentleman from Germany
who had made his first trip to the U.S.A.
just to attend Oshkosh. He was an
aircraft historian and pilot and we talked
until 4:00 a.m. At Oshkosh '91 I was
slogging to the showers about 7:30 a.m.
one morning. Along came a red VW
with Paul Poberezny at the wheel. It
was just he and I on that road. As he
passed, I said "Good morning, Paul."
He responded "Good morning." You
see, he is still a greeter.
Each year, I try to spend some time
helping out at the Ercoupe Owners Club
booth in the Type tent. I've heard the
comments, ''I'm not coming back."
"The lines are too long." "The prices
are too high." Then for every sourpuss,
along comes three or four super people
just bubbling with enthusiasm and
wonder. Sure the lines are long, but my
wife and I talk to the other people in
those lines while we wait. We've met
so many interesting people that way.
All of us are involved in small groups
throughout the year. Our work place,
church, social clubs, etc. And, face it,
in each of those groups are people we
don't really get along with. So, we
spend part of our time trying to avoid
contact with those people. Some of our
good times are dampened by the loud-
mouth, the know-it-all or the gossip
spreader. We don't have to deal with
that at Oshkosh. If, for instance, I didn't
agree with your attitude, I could attend
Oshkosh the rest of my life and never
have to cross your path. Oshkosh gives
me that choice. To flip the coin, the
bigness of Oshkosh has enabled me to
run across more aviation greats than I
would ever believe possible. As I stated
before, I'm one who listens and learns.
I've heard from or talked to Fred Weick,
Gordon Baxter, Bob Hoover, WWII
aces, pilots of Mustangs, jet fighters,
airliners, Reno racers, homebuilts,
antiques, classics and ultralights.
byBuckHilbert
(EAA21, Ale5)
P.O. Box424
Union,IL 60180
Living legends, the stuff I read and
dreamed of. The stuff I still read and
dream of!
I'll probably never fly to Oshkosh.
I'm low time and the traffic bothers me.
My Ercoupe is nice, but not show
quality. But I thank and admire the
people who do fly in. And, I don't ever
feel left out. I've found the words "Er-
coupe Owner," "Private Pilot," "EAA
member" and "I love airplanes" are my
ticket to the club.
At least one day each year, I find
myself out on the flight line alone. I
usually just meander the entire line. I
go to the Warbirds to hear and smell the
power and money. I try to think of those
metal monsters tamed by kids just out of
high-school and wonder if I'd have had
the guts to do what they did. Then I pass
through the Homebuilts and admire the
dedication of people who spend all
those hours building an airplane just
right. Next are the Antiques and Clas-
sics where I look at the planes I used to
build models of as a kid. I spend the
most time there . Last are the
Ultralights. At six foot five and 250
pounds, I'm too big for most of them,
but they fascinate me. So there I am, me
and about 500,000 others, but I'm all
alone in my thoughts and feelings.
One year, as I strolled alone, I
stopped at the point where Air Show
center used to be. The ground seems to
be higher there and as I turned I could
see the entire flight line. The sky was
blue and full of puffball cumulus. As I
gazed over the hundreds of planes and
thousands of people, a strange feeling
came over me. I started to smile and
said to myself, "Right here, right now,
there is no place on this earth that I
would rather be."
That is what the bigness of Oshkosh
means to me. That feeling wouldn't
have happened if I were looking at a
dozen planes and fifty people. That
feeling brings me back each year. It's
adventure. Find the old friends; who
will be the new friends? That's the chal-
lenge of Oshkosh for me.
I admire and applaud every volunteer
who makes Oshkosh what it is. I hope
sometime I can afford to take more time
off work and become a volunteer. I also
hope those who feel Oshkosh is too big
will look again. It's what you make of
it. Make the bigness a positive. You
know, in the years I've been attending,
I've never found time to attend one of
the workshops. I will, though. You can
count on it.
As I stated before, your article really
stirred something in me. I want to thank
you for your time and patience. If you
want to print any of my comments you
have my permission.
Thank you,
William L. Matuscak
EAA 184868, AlC 14735
TO: Buck Hilbert
Yes, the three EAAers do have a
point. But, they have forgotten how
fortunate they are relative to the EAA,
en toto. I'm 63, retired and haven't
flown a plane since 1949 (flew J-3s and
Stinson 108). I got involved in work,
family problems and part my own lazi-
ness, and then seeing most of our north-
ern Illinois airport fall to the developer's
hammer just as I was getting ready to get
my license. It just never happened.
When a plane flies overhead, I still
look up. I went to OSHKOSH '91 after
a 12 year hi atus. I go to local fly-ins,
including radio control models (lot of
EAAers in this). Belong to EAA Chap-
ter 81 here in Tucson. Belong to the
Puma Air and Space Museum and sup-
port the Arizona Aviation Historical
Society.
Because I now do not fly, nor am I in
the process of building or restoring, I am
not as fully accepted by the piloting
community as if I did. You can "sense"
this - and, because of and in spite of all
this, I'm one of those endowment
donors to the EAA for the reasons you
spelled out in your column. Just maybe
the endowment will someday help a
youngster or two fly and stay with it!
Maybe make a career in aviation, or if
nothing more, keep an active interest;
and, additionally, to support aviation!
So, remind the three EAAers, and
others of similar mind, that the day they
"go West," they'll have had many
hours and years of pleasurable flying,
something I will never have had - and
the EAA contributed to and helped
make it possible.
If the three really want to help
general and sport aviation, they should
get involved politically to stop and ex-
terminate an intrusive, socialistic-
liberal Congress. That is your enemy!
Keep at it, Buck,
Roy Feher
Maybe I'll get to meet you at OSH-
KOSH '92.
Roy,
You, my friend, are my kind of guy!
I was a lucky one! A combination of
being in the right place at the right time
gave me a wonderful life. I got to meet
some of the greats that were OUR
boyhood heroes. I got to FLY some of
the best equipment in the world -
military, civilian and airline - and best
of all, I meet people like you who feel
much the same way about EAA and all
it stands for.
Really, I wish I could tell the whole
world about it, but to say anything at all
to you, would be preaching to the choir!
Thanks a bunch, Roy, for your letter
and your support of EAA and the Foun-
dation, and YES, I'll see you at OSH-
KOSH '92. I'll be out there with the
EAA photo ships. Look me up there!
Over to you, Roy.
Dear Buck,
While I am not a bona fide classic-er,
I have come to enjoy your column in
VINTAGE AIRPLANE. In fact , I real-
ly am a classic-er since my factory built
is a '57 172. I don '!think of it as a show
plane but just a family flivver, but I
recall many years ago when you and I
sharted time around the EAA Directors'
table and you once asked me,
"Wouldn't you like to have your 172
qualify as a show plane one day?" This
was back in your early efforts to ad-
vance the qualifying year for show
planes.
Your November column concerning
the size of Oshkosh - I guess we have
to roll with it. I started with EAA in
1964, which by today's standards,
makes me an old-timer I guess. Like my
172, I don't feel that way, I just am. At
least I can make the comparison with
what EAA has become.
Regardless of the size, what interests
me most about EAA is the involvement
that my entire family shares. Back in
1963 a friend loaned me some EAA
magazines (I'd never heard of EAA).
Mary and I traveled to Rockford as the
start of our vacation the next year, and I
joined up. Mary was carrying our first
child then, later to deliver our oldest
daughter. Now that daughter has her
own family, and though her husband
cares not about aviation, she has
brought them all to Oshkosh to "show
them what she grew up with." She
wants her sons to go with us (now
grandpa and grandma) in the future.
My son just received his private
license last month and has transitioned
to taildraggers, so he can be a "real
pilot." His Christmas request? An
EAA membership. I'm pretty proud!
My youngest daughter is studying en-
gineering at Iowa State and her dorm
room is under the final for the Ames
airport. In weather when the windows
are open it's hard for her to study. The
airplanes overhead remind her so much
of Oshkosh that her mind travels 400
miles away from the books to that air-
port by the lake, re-living the sights and
sounds. There is glider activity at the
Ames airport and her one desire some
spring afternoon is to try soundless
flight.
That's three out of three. Although
none will likely be in aviation for a
career, each has had their life shaped by
that one week each summer, and the
ongoing chapter activities. The goals
and ideals and wholesomeness which
surround our EAA is a great part of that
influence. As we get larger, I, too, have
noted the fringe elements in the
campground and on the flight line. I
hope it is a long time before these folks
have a significant impact on our or-
ganization, and it is up to the rest of us
to slow their impact, as much as we can,
and to preserve as much as we can for
our grandchildren and others.
New subject! Back in 1971, I sug-
gested to Paul that "someone" should
tape record the forums at Oshkosh. He
told me the idea had come up before but
that what was needed was a volunteer.
After kicking it around I borrowed a
tape recorder and stepped forward . My
first effort was at OSHKOSH '72. And
faster than kids grow up, I have been at
that for 20 years now. That's what Osh-
kosh has become for me, an effort to
preserve history. I'm pretty single-
minded about it and only yesterday did
it occur to me that on request I can
deliver voices from 20 years ago.
Words from some persons who are no
longer living.
The forums have expanded from 44
the first year to more than 300 now.
(Continued on Page 28)
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

That's how much Oshkosh has grown!
Each year I lose a few for one reason or
another, but I have learned to accept
that. And I am pleased to be able to help
out those folks to "hear it again," or for
the first time. The Antique/Classic
forums have been recorded since they
moved to the Forums Plaza in 1982. My
entire collection is nearing 2,000 titles.
I am enclosing a complete list for
your files and perhaps between you and
I we can help someone else. There may
be some information in my collection
which is the answer for someone asking
you for information.
From one old-timer to a longer old-
timer.
Dave Yeoman
Hi, Dave!
No wonder I missed you! There you
are down at the Forums tents soaking up
all the lore and gore, glory and grime,
while I'm at the end of the whip trying
to satisify our EAA photographers.
There ain't no justice. Bet the ones you
missed were 'cause you fell asleep after
doing Campground Security all night!
Really, Dave, I had no idea those
years back when you and I had time to
talk, that the EAA Convention would
reach the proportions it has. It has be-
come a panacea for many people - a
vacation, a vocation, a place to dream
about, to see, hear, listen and learn like
no otherplace in the WORLD!
But why am I telling this to you?
You've been around just as long as I
have, and you've done something I
could never accomplish. I'm going to
have H.G., our VINTAGE AIRPLANE
Editor, take your list of Forum Record-
ings and if he would, keep it availabl e
so that anyone who wants to have a tape
of a forum of his choice, can write or
cal1, and then he can refer them to you.
Dave, think you're the
GREATEST! Do you stil1 play guitar?
Over to you, Dave. ....

(Continued from Page 9)
Army Air Corps that their biplanes were
outclassed and out-of-date. Air races in
the past have helped to improve the
design of engines; and many other im-
portant advances must be credited to
them. But who can point to any real
advance in the past few years?"
The 1939 Thompson Trophy Race
marked the abrubt end to an exciting,
fascinating, progressive era in the his-
tory of aviation. Let the memory linger
on. Here's to you:
Doug Davis, Roscoe Turner, Charley
Holman, Jimmy Haizlip, Benny
Howard, Jimmy Doolittle, Lowell
Bayles, Jimmy Wedel1 , Lee Gehlbach,
Harold Neumann, Steve Wittman,
Roger Don Rae, Lee Miles, Marion Mc-
Keen, Harry Crosby, Rudy Kling, Earl
Ortman, Joe Mackey, Louise Thaden,
Jackie Cochran, Laura Ingalls, Frank
Ful1er, Paul Mantz, Lee Miles, Art
Chester, Tony LeVier and al1 the many,
many others.
GOLDEN AGE BOOK
The past year in Vintage Literature
we have taken a quick surface view of
the Golden Age of Air Racing which so
epitomized the rapid changes in
American aviation during the 1930s.
For those who wish to delve further into
the era, its pilots, aircraft and races,
there is a new edition of the EAA A via-
tion Foundation's book THE GOLDEN
AGE OF AIR RACING authored by S.
H. "Wes" Schmid and Truman C.
"Pappy" Weaver. Long time members
of the EAA may remember the two
volume set previously offered. This
new edition features additional new
material, as well as all of the previous
editions material.
Through their efforts and with the
help of Weaver's extensive air racing
photo collection, the era comes alive
with the people and events that turned
air racing into one of America's most
popular sports. It is a comprehensive
book of over 550 pages and includes
tables of air race finishes and a chart of
all of the Golden Age racers with
registration numbers and race numbers,
making it a valuable reference to tum to
time and again.
I consider this book a "must" for
anyone interested in this era . THE
GOLDEN AGE OF AIR RACING
costs $29.95 (plus $4.50 shipping/han-
dling). Orders can be placed by calling
EAA's toll free hotline, 1/800/843-
3612 (outside of the U. S. call 414/426-
4800). ....
The following list of coming events is furnished
to our readers as a matter of Information only
and does not constitute approval, sponsorship,
involvement, control or direction of any such
event. If you would like to have your aviation
event (fly-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed,
please send the information to EAA, Att: Golda
Cox, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 53093-3086.
Information should be received four months
prior to the event date.
April 5-11 Lakeland, FL - Annual
Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In. Make your
plans to join us for the warm weather!
for more information call 813/644-
2431.
May 23-24 - Decatur, AL (DCU)
EAA Chapter 941 and Decatur-Athens
Aero Service's fourth annual reunion
and fly-in. Homebuilts, Classics, Anti-
ques, Warbirds and all GA aircraft wel-
come. Balloon launch at dawn. Camp-
ing on field, hotel shuttle available.
Contact: Decatur-Athens Aero Service,
205/355-5770
June 7 - DeKalb, IL EAA Chapter
241 28th Annual Breakfast Fly-In. Info:
815/895-3888.
July 8-12 Arlington, W A
Northwest EAA Fly-In. Info: 206-435-
5857.
July 25 -26 New Berlin, IL - Flying
"S" Farm. Midwes t gathering of
Taylorcrafts. Contact: Al and Mary
Smith,217/478-2671.
July 31-Aug. 6 Oshkosh, \VI - 40th
Annual EAA Fly-In and Sport A vi ati oll
Convention. Wittman Regional Airport .
Contact John Burton, EAA Aviati on
Center, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086,
414/426-4800.
28 JANUARY 1992
WELCOME NEWMEMBERS
E. W. Albrecht Madison, MS
Gregory J. Anderson Oshkosh, WI
Peter Andrews Northridge, CA
Tony D. Andrews Sevenoaks,
Kent, England
Cesare Arcari Corgeno Va, Italy
Ted Bahl Fresno, CA
James R. Baker Colorado Springs, CO
James R. Barnett Niagara Falls,
Canada
Wayne Bausch Ames,IA
John R. Beal Faribault, MN
Carlo Berti Modena, Italy
Bob G. Berwick Las Vegas, NV
Harold Bish Hermann, MO
Frank W. Blundell Lock Haven, PA
Scott Boelman Rancho Santa Marga,
CA
Claude Brochu Prince, Cookshire,
Canada
W. J. Brockhouse
Prairie Village, KS
Wesley Brown Kailua Kona, HI
(Sponsor: Arthur F. Stockel)
Barry Burgoon Winter Haven, FL
Frank Cella Park Ridge, IL
Glen Childers Ada, OK
Bernard W. Clayton Wolfe City, TX
Chris Coios Haverhill, MA
Charles Cole Brookneal, V A
Steven E. Collins San Diego, CA
William H. Cone, Jr. San Diego, CA
Charles Conrad, Jr. Huntington
Beach, CA
John P. Coppolelli San Diego, CA
Milton Crookston Santa Barbara, CA
Robert Deleon Stafford, TX
Richard Delmas St. Louis, MO
Duane Dickson Belmont, CA
Chuck Doyle, Jr. Minnetonka, MN
Carl Driftmyer Port Clinton, OH
Patrick J. Driscoll Caldwell, ID
Harry Drover Ontario, Canada
Larry Eberst Delaware, OH
Bryon Engskow Pompano Beach, FL
Leighton B. Ferguson Peru, IN
Jeffrey H. Forrest Livonia, MI
Douglas Freeman Farmington, ME
Mary P. Gabriel West Wareham, MA
Charles H. Gaffeney Wilmington, DE
Victor Gaston Madrid, Spain
Scott A. Gifford Safford, AZ
Dean L. Gustavson
Salt Lake City, UT
Benjamin H. Hall, Jr. Tullahoma, TN
Sherman W. Hallowell, Jr. Carmel, ME
Aaron W. Hamel St. Charles, MO
William D. Hammond Littleton, MA
John J. Hart, Jr. Wichita, KS
James Hawks Beverly, MA
Paul A. Hayes Phoenix, AZ
Steven L. Hendrickson Everett, W A
William N. Hester Reidsville, NC
Bruce Hickle Crystal River, FL
Richard Hilsinger Westfield, NJ
T. C. Hoagland Port Orchard, WA
Richard Hoffman Sherman Oaks, CA
Rodolfo Hott Osorno, Chile
Jim W. Howard Mc Minnville, TN
Kenneth L. Howard Collinsville, OK
Ernest D. Howes
West Wareham, MA
John V. Hufford Lexington, KY
Joseph D. Jackson, Sr. Lockport,IL
Robert R. Johnson Brooklyn, WI
David J. Karl Carrollton, GA
Dale E. Kennedy Fairmont, WV
Scott Klein Farmington, UT
Tim H. Klohn Hudson, Canada
Larry Knechtel Seattle, WA
Brian Koldyk Saskatoon, Canada
George Kost Nome, AK
Lois D. Kowalski Englewood, CO
Joseph R. Kuth Duluth, MN
Rene Lafreniere Calgary, Canada
Don Lance Three Mile Bay, NY
Clyde A. Laughlin Seattle, W A
Bernard Leeward Chapel Hill, NC
George Leighton Seattle, W A
Michael Leighton Lantana, FL
James W. Lobb Waxahachie, TX
Clifton Lowe Cadiz, KY
Anthony Maiuro New Albany, IN
Marvin C. May Princeton, IL
Robert F. Melillo Great Barrington, MA
David A. Mihalic Mammoth Cave, KY
Dion H. Miller Shady Cove, OR
Douglas D. Miller Shreveport, LA
Jerry Miller Vulcan, MI
Price Miller Gig Harbor, W A
(Sponsor: John Holmberg)
Vern T. Miller Hillsboro, NC
William R. Miller Columbus,OH
Stephen Mitchell Castle Hill, Australia
Karen S. Monteith South Milwaukee,
WI
Jeff Moody San Gabriel, CA
Arthur M. Moose Mt. Pleasant, NC
Patrick E. Morency Edmonton, Canada
Kenneth D. Morris Plantsville, CT
Troy Naber York, NE
Steve R. Nagel Houston, TX
Harold G. Nelson Crawford, TX
Michael F. Niccum Coon Rapids, MN
Bobby Nichols Cove, AR
Douglas L. Orme Ft. Collins, CO
Bill Overcash Mocksville, NC
Marlin Parrot Warrensburg, MO
Laura A. Parzynsky Bloomfield, NJ
Robin a ~ s l e y Andover, KS
Nathaniel H. Perlman Oshkosh, WI
Roger Posthumus Round Rock, TX
Robert A. Powers Pound Ridge, NY
Paul R. Prentice Denton, TX
Frank Quigg Lions Bay, Canada
James G. Ratliff Conyers, GA
Burkhard Reinsch Germany
James R. Rettick Bloomington,IL
James J. Richardson Whittier, CA
George H. Richmond Endicott, NY
John T. Roscoe Albert Lea, MN
Robert J. Rosen New York, NY
Robert S. Ruffini Birmingham, MI
Charlie Rugg Mesa, AZ
Richard M. Ryan Yucaipa, CA
Glen T. Scott Arlington, TX
Robert A. Seemann Hamden, CT
Ronald Sharp Florence, Canada
William A. Sholar Richmond, TX
Dr. Jack Shuler Londonderry, NH
Vincent S. Simon Houston, TX
Paul R. Smith, Jr. Derry, NH
David D. Smith Arkansas City, KS
Glenn Spencer Charlestown, IN
E. Alan Springer Anchorage, AK
Gene W. Steele Freedom, PA
Randall J. Tait Breckenridge, TX
Lawrence A. Tavernini
Calumet, MI
Lawrence A. Terrigno Placentia, CA
Mark J. Tyoe Little Falls, NY
Paul H. Vellinga Mesa, AZ
Calvin Wagner Sarasota, FL
Robert Wagner West Milton, OH
(Sponsor: Ralph Orndorf)
Robert T. Warner Leesburg, VA
William E. Warren Parsonsburg, MD
Mark A. Westall Sanibel Island, FL
Gary S. Whittker Kingsport, TN
Peter A. Wickwire Townsend, GA
Carl J. Wilgosz Maple Heights, OH
Richard S. Wilkins
Port St. Lucie, FL
Robert H. Williams Weil Am Rhein,
Germany
Robert Wood Cocoa, FL
Bill Wright Saint Helena, CA
Paul L. Yount, Jr. Houston, TX
James L. Zale Elizabethtown, PA
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
Where The Sellers and Buyers Meet...
35C perword,$5.00minimumcharge.Sendyourad to
TheVintageTrader,EAAAviationCenter,P.O.Box3086,Oshkosh,WI 54903-3086.
MISCELLANEOUS:
CURTISSJN4-DMEMORABILIA- You can
now own memorabilia from the famous
"Jenny", as seen on "TREASURES FROM
THE PAST". We have posters, postcards,
videos, pins, airmail cachets, etc.We also
have R/C documentation exclusive to this
historicaircraft.Saleoftheseitemssupport
operating expense to keep this "Jenny"
flyingfortheaviation public.Weappreciate
yourhelp. Writeforyourfree price list. Vir-
giniaAviationCo.,RDv-8,Box294,Warren-
ton, VA22186. (C/5/92)
SUPERCUBPA-18FUSELAGES- New
manufacture, STC-PMA-d, 4130 chrome-
moly tubing throughout, also complete
fuselage repair. ROCKY MOUNTAIN
AIRFRAMEINC.(J.E. Soares,Pres.),7093
Dry Creek Rd., Belgrade, Montana. 406-
388-6069. FAX 406/388-0170. Repair sta-
tion No.QK5R148N.
Parachutes - Toll Free 1-800-526-2822,
New&UsedParachutes.Wetaketrade-ins,
5-year repair or replacement warranty,
manystylesinstock.ParachuteAssociates,
Inc.,2LindaLane,SuiteA, Vincentown, NJ
08088,609/859-3397.(C/7/92)
ANC-19Bulletin- Wood AircraftInspec-
tion and Fabrication, 1951 edition, now
available as reprint. Earlyaircraft Service
Notes, rigging data, othertitles available.
SendSASEforlistingand prices.JohnW.
Grega, 355 Grand Blvd., Bedford, OH
44146. (c-3/92)
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT AND ENGINES -
Out-of-print literature: history; restoration;
manuals; etc. Unique list of 2,000+ scarce
items,$3.00.JOHNROBY,3703VNassau,
San Diego, CA 92115. (Established 1960)
(c-10/92)
C-26 Champion Spark Plugs- Newand
reconditioned. New - $14.75, reconditioned -
$5.75 to $9.75. Eagle Air, 2920 Emerald
Drive, Jonesboro, GA 30236, 404/478-
2310.(c-10/92)
GEE BEE R-2, MONOCOUPE 110 Spl.,
Hall "BULLDOG",topscalerated model
PLANS used by Replica Builders. Plus
others by Vern Clements, EAA 9297, 308
Palo Alto, Caldwell, 10 83605. Extensive
Catalog $3.00
NowAvailable- 30-inch x 5-inch Golden
Age smooth Aero Tyres and Custom Wire
Wheels finished. Authentic Irish Linen
Fabric Covering. Antique Instruments
evaluated,repaired orcompletelyrestored.
Vintage Aero, 518/962-2323. Send $3.00
forCatalogue. Rt. 22, Westport,NY12993.
PLANS:
Great Lakes Trainer Guru - Harvey
SwackwillhelpyoubuyorsellaGreatLakes
TraineroraBabyLakes.Theonlysourcefor
CORRECTED and UPDATED ORIGINAL
Great Lakesdrawings. Welded parts avail-
able.WritetoP.O. Box228, Needham, MA
02192orcalldays617/444-5480.(c-10/92)
AIRCRAFTOWNERSSAVEMONEY...FLYAUTOGAS
Ifyou use 80octaneavgasnow, you could be using lessexpensiveautogaswith an EMSTC.
GetyourSTCfrom EM- theorganizationthatpioneeredthefirstFAAapprovalforanalternative
to expensiveavgas.
CALLTODAY FOR MORE INFORMATION
414-426-4800
Orwrite: EAA-STC, EAAAviationCenter,Oshkosh,WI 54903-3065
Forfasterservice, haveyourairplane's"N"numberandserialnumber;yourengine'smake, model
and serial number; and yourcreditcard numberready.
30JANUARY1992
MEMBERSHIP
INFORMATION
EAA
Membership in the ExperimentalAircraft
Association, Inc. is $35.00 for one year,
including 12 issues of Sport Aviation.
Junior Membership (under 1 9 years of
age) is available at $20.00 annually.
Family membership is available for an
additional $10.00 annually. All major
credit cards accepted for membership
(FAX(414)426-4873.
ANTIQUE/CLASSICS
EAA Member - $20.00. Includes one
yearmembershipin EAA Antique-Classic
Division. 12 monthly issues of The
VintageAirplaneandmembershipcard.
ApplicantmustbeacurrentEAA member
andmustgiveEAA membershipnumber.
Non-EAA Member - $30.00. Includes
oneyearmembershipintheEAAAntique-
ClassicDivision. 12monthlyissuesofThe
VintageAirplane, one yearmembership
in the EAA and separate membership
cards. SportAviationQQ1 included.
lAC
MembershipintheInternationalAerobatic
Club, Inc. is $30.00 annually which in-
cludes12issuesofSportAerobatics.All
IACmembersarerequiredtobemembers
ofEAA.
WARBIRDS
Membership in the Warbirds ofAmerica,
Inc. is $30.00peryear, which includes a
subscription to Warbirds. Warbird mem-
bersarerequiredto bemembersofEAA.
EAAEXPERIMENTER
EAA membership and EAA EX-
PERIMENTER magazine is available for
$28.00peryear (SportAviation not in-
cluded). Current EAA members may
receiveEAAEXPERIMENTERfor$18.00
peryear.
FOREIGN
MEMBERSHIPS
Please submit your remittance with a
checkordraftdrawn on a United States
bankpayablein UnitedStatesdollars.
Make checks payable to EAA or the
division in which membership is
desired.AddressallletterstoEAAorthe
particular division at the following
address:
EAAAVIATlONCENTER
P_O. BOX3086
OSHKOSH, WI54903-3086
PHONE(414)426-4800
FAX(414)426-4828
OFFICEHOURS:
8:15-5:00MON.-FRI.
1-800-322-2412
STITSPOLY-FIBER
THE WORLD'S MOSTPOPULAR
AIRCRAFTCOVERING MATERIALS
HERE'S WHY! Proven Durability on Thousands of Aircraft
Worldwide Since 1965. FAA, STC & PMA for Over 680 Aircraft
Models. Superior Quality Coatings Developed Especially for
Polyester Fabric on Aircraft, NOT Relabeled Brittle Acrylic Poly-
urethaneAuto Enamel.Brittle WaterBorneHousePaint.or Modified
CelluloseOope. WillNotSupportCombustion. LightestCover-
IngApprovedUnderFAA,STC&PMA. MostEconomicalCovering
MaterialsConsidering ManyYears ofTrouble Free Service. Easy
Repairability. No False orMisleading Advertising Claims.
....
VIDEO TAPE AVAILABLE
FABRIC COVERING WITH RAY STITS Sponsored by EAA
Aviation Foundation. Before Making Expensive Mistakes, See This
Tape and LEARNHOW TO DOITRIGHTTHEFIRSTTIME. VHS or
Beta $39.95,Prepaid. Also Directfrom EAA (1-800-843-3612) PAL &
SECAMAvailable.
..........n ................................ ...........
WRITE OR PHONE FOR FREE Samples of High Strength, Low
Elongation, Smooth, Square Weave Polyester Fabric Styles Custom
Woven Exclusively forAircraft Covering. NOTCheap BoatSailcloth
Current Poly-Fiber Manual with De-
tailedInstructionsforFabricCoveringand
Painting Aircraft for Corrosion Control.
Catalogand DistributorList.
STITS POLY-FIBER
AIRCRAFT
P.O.Box3084-V,Riverside,CA92519-3084
Phone(714)684-4280,Fax(714)684-0518
TURBO ALTERNATOR
TYPE BPE -14
UPGRADEYOURNON-ELECTRICPLANE
FORTODA Y'SAIRSPACESAFETYNEEDS.
L.o;.-_Z--_______
Increasesafety
byinstallinga
BPE-14Turbo
Alternatorto
poweraradio,
strobe,nav.lights,
transponder,ed.
Fullyqualified
withSTC'sfor
manycommon
classics.
Callorwriteus
andwe'llsend
youthedetailson
theBPE-14Turbo
Alternator.The
hi-techdesignwindgenerator.
BASIC AIRCRAYf PRODUCTS,INC.
4474HickoryDrive,Evans,GA 30809
(404)863-4474
Flyhighwitha
qualityClassicinterior
Completeinteriorassembliesfordo-ityourselfinstallation.
Customqualityateconomicalprices.
Cushionupholsterysets
Wallpanelsets
Headliners
Carpetsets
Baggagecompartmentsets
Firewallcovers
Seatslings
Recoverenvelopesanddopes
Freecatalogofcompleteproductline.
Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and
stylesofmaterial s:$3.00.
INC.
259LowerMorrisvilleRd., Dept.VA
Fallsington,PA19054 (215)295-4115
p.O. box468
madison, north carolina 27025
(919) 427-0216
AWWA
MEMBER
leD
MEMBER
IANI( PAINTiNb AND REPAIRING
SANOIlASTING. TANK liNUS AND COATINGS
PREVENTivE TANK ...AINHNANCE INSPECTION SERVICE
LADOER SAfETY EQUIP"'ENI
DISMANTlING AND ...OVING TANKS
NEW. USED AND RECONDITIONED TANKS
VINTAGEAIRPLANE31
MYSTERYPLANE
by GeorgeHardie
This close-up view offers a few
details of this experimental aircraft
designed by a famous aviation pioneer
whose company became a leading
manufacturer. The photo is from the
EAA archives. Answers will be pub-
lished in the April issue ofVINTAGE
AIRPLANE; deadline for that issue is
February20th.
Wayne Van Valkenburgh, Jasper,
Georgiawrites:
"The crop duster mystery plane
shownintheOctober, 1991 issueisone
ofat least two, N31237 and N31238,
experimentalagaircraftbuiltbyCentral
Aircraft ofYakima, Washington. The
aircraftwascalled"TheAirTractor." It
wasdevelopedinacooperativeeffortof
Central Aircraft and Lamson Aircraft
CompanyofSeattle,Washington. The
companies combined to form Central
LamsonCorporation. The planes were
built in Central's hangar at Yakima.
The plane was successfully tyst flown
on December 10, 1953 at Yakima. It
flew well. It waspoweredbya450hp
32 JANUARY 1992
Pratt& Whitney. N31238 had a more FrancisW.TaylorofMissouri,Iowa
conventional type landing gear with a addsthis:
thirdstrutoneachsidethathadashock "Thewingpanels,flapsandailerons,
deviceonit." interplanestruts,andsometailsurfaces
Lamson AirTractor
The Lamson Air Tractor going through its paces, laying a swath during its testing.
" , y
. .
.: .. '
. ,
. .
. .
The uncovered aft fuselage of the Air Tractor is quite apparent in this shot.
The fuselage in this view has been covered with aluminum.
were interchangeable. The rear
fuselage was uncovered for inspection
and cleaning. Empty weight was 3200
pounds, loaded 5600 pounds, span 33
feet 7 inches, length 26 feet 5 inches,
height 10 feet 5 inches and wing area
350 square feet."
Scott E. Carson, Federal Way,
Washington had a close relationship
with the aircraft. He writes:
"The October Mystery Plane
stirred enough memories that 1 had to
drop you a note. As you have
probably heard from others, the plane
is the prototype Lamson Air Tractor.
What stirred so many memories for
me is the fact that the man in the
cockpit is H. D. (Kit) Carson, my
father . As a young boy of eight or
nine, 1 would often accompany him
from our home in the Seattle area to
Yakima where he worked as a test
pilot for Lamson. That meant skip-
ping school, but is also meant poking
around the shop all week long watch-
ing the airplane being built and
meeting people like Dick Baxter,
whose father operated Central
Aircraft and was instrumental in the
entire project. Other boyhood heroes
of those days included Mira Slovak
who flew crop dusters for Central.
"1 recall that the prototype was
quite tail heavy and that dad did not
really enjoy flying it. He said it was
work from the time you took off until
you had it parked on the ramp again.
The first prodoction variant was a
much different machine. 1 remember
the day of its first flight and, in fact,
still have the movie that was taken
that day. The chase plane was a
Cessna 170, and I recall from the
radio reports that they couldn't keep
up with the Air Tractor because of its
superior rate of climb. The company
failed financially before the machine
was certified, but the hulk of the # 1
Air Tractor still sits in a field at
Richardson Aircraft in Yakima.
"As a sideline, the plan was for this
to be the start of a whole line of
utility aircraft, all using the same
flying surfaces. 1 clearly recall a
Fleet 'Husky' fuselage in the Yakima
jigs at the Yakima factory, and from
models that dad still has, 1 assume it
was the basis for a biplane freight
hauler. It was a great looking
machine on floa ts, with a rear cargo
ramp, a la a C-130."
VINTAGEAIRPLANE33
,INC.
AviationUnderwritingAgency
P.o. Box 35289 Greensboro, NC 27425
BeCOllleA MetnberOfTheEAA
Antique/ClassicInsuranceProgralll!
BENEFITS INCLUDE:
CallToday!
Lower Uability & HullPremiums
Fleet Discounts
No Age Penalty
800-727-3823
No Hand Propping Exclusions
NotAnEAA
No Component Parts Endorsements
,., Antique/ClassicMember?
A+ Company with In-House Claims
callToJoin!
service 1-800-322-2412
Option to Repair Your Own Aircraft
See Us In Booth 166
APPROVED
DISCOVER EAAVIDEO
THE STEALTH REVEALED.
AVISITTO EAA OSHKOSH
AND BEYOND!
One of the first major public showings of the U.S. Air Force
F-117AStealth Fighter came during EMOSHKOSH '90.Now,
relive that historic moment and witness never-before-seen gov-
ernment footage of the Stealth in combat during the GulfWar!
Also features an exclusive interviewwith Capt. Rob Donaldson,
leadingF-117ApilotoftheGulfWar.NEWRELEASE!(30min.)
AEROCAR, GIVINGTHE
AUTOMOBILE ITS WINGS
Achronicleofthe40-yearhistoryoftheAEROCAR. Producedin
cooperation with designer/inventorMoulton B. "Molt"Taylor,this
videofeaturesraretestflightfootage,exclusive interviews,scale
models,drawings,significantphotographsandpressclippingsof
all four modelsofthe AEROCAR- the "roadable"airplane.
(35 min.)
NEWVIDEO!
EAAOSHKOSH '91
AVIATION
ATITS
BEST!
Experience this annual gathering
of the family offlight with theoffi-
cial 1991 EMFly-In Convention
video. Enjoy the tribute to the
1930sGolden Age of AirRacing,
the50thAnniversaryoftheFlying
Tigers and aspecial salutetothe
Allied air powerof Operation De-
sert Storm. Plus plenty of an-
tiques, classics, warbirds, the
latest in homebuilts, ultralights
and more! (60 min.)
$24.95*
GETTING
STARTED IN
AEROBATICS
FASCINATION WITH FLIGHT
Fromthequietbeautyofballooningtotheexcitementofaerobat-
ics,thisnewvideofromEM'saward-winningPaulHarveyAudio/
VideoCenterisafast-pacedoverviewofthemanydistinctfacets
ofsportaviation.IncludedinthisshowaresegmentsonBalloons,
Hang-Gliders, Ultralights, Antiques and Classics, Homebuilts,
Warbirds and more. (30 min.)
$24.95*
(AvailableIn November1991)
$39.95*
Hearfromsomeofthebest-known
namesinaerobaticsastheyrelate
theirexperiencesandsuggestions
forselectingtheproperinstructor,
training sequence,airplaneandmore.Ride along on an instruc-
tionalflight andgetafeeling forbasicaerobaticmaneuversfrom
both inside and outside the cockpit! A mustforanyone thinking
about pursuing aerobatic training or anyone with an interest in
aerobaticflight. (60 min.)
$29.95*
TOORDER ANY EAAVIDEO
Call 1-800-843-3612(OutsideU_S. 414/426-4800)
orwrite:EAAAviationFoundation, Dept. MO, P.O. Box3065, Oshkosh,WI 54903-3065
Majorcreditcardsaccepted_
AskaboutsavingmoneyoneverypurchasethroughtheEAAAirAdventureVideoClub.
plus$3 shippingandhandling. Wisconsinresidentsadd5% salestax.