STRAIGHT & LEVEU

Espie "Butch" Joyce

2 AlC NEWS
4 AEROMAIL
5 THIRTY FIVE YEARS AT THE OUTER MARKER!
Dutch Redfield
9 FLYING THE BLERIOT/Sam Burgess
13 A VINTAGE AIRVENTURElH.G. Frautschy
21 PASS IT TO BUCK!
E.E. "Buck" Hilbert
22 C.G. WOES/Don Wood
24 MYSTERY PLANE!
H.e. Frautschy
27 CALENDAR
29 WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Publisher
Editor-ill-Orief
Editor
Managing Editor
Contributing Editor
Computer Graplric Specialists
Plrotograplry Staff
AdvertisillglEditorial Assistallt
TOM POBEREZNY
JACK COX
HENRY G. FRAUTSCHY
GOLDA COX
JOHN UNDERWOOD
BETH BLANCK
JIM KOEPNICK
LEEANN ABRAMS
MARK SCHAIBLE
ISABELLE WISKE
SEE PAGE 30 FOR FURTHER VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INFORMATION
LEVEL
by ESPIE "BUTCH" JOYCE
PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAR ASSOCIATION
This past weekend our local chapter held a special Young
Eagles day. We spent the day giving airplane rides to a group
of special people. There was a continuous stream of smiles
from a large group of disadvantaged kids. We also flew some
50 individuals who are normally confined to wheelchairs.
The EAA Young Eagles program is set up to introduce young
individuals to flying in hopes that they will continue to have a
growing interest in aviation. Be they aircraft owners, pilots,
promoters of aviation or simply someone who understands
the enjoyment of flight, the experience will be remembered
for a lifetime. Working with these people each year gives us a
great feeling.
Like many of you, during the fall of the year I tty to take in
all of the local fly-in activities before the weather turns un-
friendly and the days shorten and get too cold for easy, fun
flying. Here in North Carolina we can generally count on
good flying weather up to the month of January. (Sure, rub it
in - November is the month here in Wisconsin, and then only
ifwe 're lucky! - HGF.)
Quite a few fly-in activities take place each weekend in the
fall. We have had to work around a couple of hurricanes this
year, but it has not been too bad in the Piedmont area. The
only problem I am having this year is that my annual inspec-
tion on the Baron and the Luscombe both have come due in
September. Here I am, working on these two airplanes, and
all of my friends are taking in all of the weekend fun! Next
year I'll plan to do these inspections in December so I can be
out there with everyone else. Of course, if I go down for in-
spection in December, I might miss the Vintage Weekend at
the Ocean Reef Club, which is located just north of Key
Largo, FL. If you have not been to this gathering, put it on
your calendar - the date this year is Dec. 3-5. Call 305-367-
5874 for more information. If you attend, you'll view
beautiful wooden boats, old cars, and old airplanes. This is all
done in a great setting, with great weather and a great host.
Check it out.
The old clock hands just keeps moving and things con-
tinue to change. What prompts such a thought? First of all, I
look at myself in the mirror while shaving each morning, and
I have noticed some changes over the years! Also, my flying
style has become more straight and level. One big change
will have occurred by the time you read this "Straight &
Level" - Jack and Golda Cox will have retired from EAA. It
has been my pleasure to have known Jack and Golda since
the late ' 60s, when they where writing the newsletter for our
Antique chapter and keeping their aircraft at Air Harbor in
Greensboro. We had a very active antique group, and as in-
terest continued to grow, one of our members, Dolph
Overton, put his dream of building a aircraft museum into ac-
tion. The Wings and Wheels Museum was built
(remembering that location is everything in business), where
the new interstate highways 1-95 and 1-26 crossed each other
in South Carolina. He also built a nice sod runway beside the
museum so the public could buy a ride in the Ford Tri-motor.
What a neat idea! Also, all of the public was welcome to land
and visit the museum as well. Within walking distance, there
was a nice motel. Jack and Golda went to work for Dolph,
running the museum and grounds. We even had some of our
fly-ins at this wonderful location.
Then, Jack and Golda left South Carolina for a new job in
Hales Comers, WI to work for a man named Paul and the
EAA. There have been a number of people who have come
and gone with EAA over the years, but Jack and Golda have
been there all of the time. How great it must have been to
have enjoyed associating with all of those great people who
have been part of the EAA's growth. A great deal ofthat pos-
itive growth is because of the dedication that Jack and Golda
gave to EAA's flagship publication Sport Aviation as well as
to all of the division publications, such as your Vintage Air-
plane. (Jack edited Vintage in the very beginning, in addition
to his Sport Aviation responsibilities.) During the years the
Coxes had the managerial responsibility for the Editorial de-
partment, they have been the people who trained new people
who have come to work as writers and editors for EAA. One
the measures of a manager is how often the employee
turnover occurs. For Jack and Golda, the number is very low
indeed. I personally would like to thank Jack and Golda for
their contribution to the growth of EAA, EAA publications,
and for their friendship over the years. Jack and Golda's re-
tirement is a benefit for us here in the Southeast, since their
long-range plan is to move back to North Carolina. I and the
rest of my fellow antiquers will get to see them more often at
local events.
Do not forget this time of the year is a great time for you to
ask a friend to join the Vintage Aircraft Association so they
too can enjoy the fellowship of being a member. Let's all pull
in the same direction for the good of aviation. Remember we
are better together - join us and have it all!! .....
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1
VAANEWS
compiled by H.G. Frautschy
PUP INDUCTED IN NATIONAL
HALL OF FAME
Paul Poberezny, Founder and Chair-
man of the Board of the Experimental
Aircraft Association (EAA), has joined
a select group of aviators as he was in-
ducted into the National Aviation Hall
THE COVERS
FRONT COVER . . . This dramatic shot
of the Museum of Flight's Boeing 247 was
taken during EAA AirVenture '99 by EAA's
Photo department manager and ace photogra-
pher, Mark Schaible. He shot it on Fuji film
using aCanon EOS1 nequipped with an 80 -
200 mm zoom lens. EAA Cessna 210 photo
plane flown by Bruce Moore.
BACK COVER . .. "Race to Tampa" is
this month's artwork from the 1999 edition of
the Sport Aviation Art Competition. Skillfully
painted by John Sarsfield, 6541 St. Vrain Rd.,
Longmont, CO 80503, it depicts the first
scheduled ai rline service on New Year's Day,
1914.The company's single passenger Benoist
flying boat carried 1,200 people, one at atime,
charging $5 for the 20 mile trip across the bay
from St. Petersburg to Tampa. The fledgling
airline eventually closed at the end of the 1914
tourist season. It was an important beginning.
John Sarsfield is aretired Air Force flyer
and self-taught artist. He has adegree in aero-
nautical engineering and aglider pilot license.
His work deals more with the experience of
flight than with the details of the particular air-
craft , although accuracy and realism are of
prime importance to him.
"I want people to understand the signifi-
cance of aviation.Our lives have been changed
immeasurably by the ability to see the world
from an aerial perspect ive, often in subtle
ways. The ability to experience cloudscapes as
three dimensional objects and see landscapes
from unfami liar vantage points changes our
outlook on life. I want to introduce this per-
spective to the earthbound viewer and attempt
to capture it for the flyers to enjoy in their
hours on the ground. "
2 OCTOBER 1999
of Fame in Day-
ton, Ohio. The
induction took
place during a
black-tie dinner at
the Dayton Con-
vention Center on
Saturday, July 24.
Poberezny,
who founded EAA
with 35 other avi-
ation enthusiasts
in January 1953, was inducted with
renowned aviatrix Louise Thaden and
test pilot Fitz Fulton. That increased
the number of Hall of Fame members to
166 individuals and 20 groups. The
National Aviation Hall of Fame was
chartered by Congress in 1964 and is
dedicated to honoring individuals who
have uniquely contributed to America's
rich legacy of aviation.
"It gives me a warm feeling to be
inducted with my heroes and people I
look up to," Poberezny said. "The
biggest honor would be privileged
enough to serve so many people in
aviation."
Bob Hoover, the combat pilot, test
pi lot and air show performer who was
inducted to the Hall of Fame in 1988,
presented Poberezny.
Poberezny and his wife Audrey op-
erated the fledg ling EAA from the
basement of their suburban Milwaukee
home for a decade as interest in the or-
ganization and homebuilt aircraft
increased. He served as EAA President
until 1989, when he was named Chair-
man of t he Board and retired from
active day-to-day administration.
Over more than 60 years in aviation,
Poberezny has flown nearly 400 differ-
ent types of airplanes . His career
includes nearly 30 years of distin-
guished military service as well as the
creation of 15 separate aircraft designs.
"You look at EAA today and see it's
one of the most influential bodies of
aviation that's impacting much of the
legislation that has to do with aviation
today, as well as bringing new pilots
into aviation," said Ron Kaplan, devel-
opment director for the National
Aviation Hall of Fame.
This year's other inductees also have
legendary aviation credentials. Thaden,
only the fifth female to be enshrined,
was recognized posthumously for her
record-setting accomplishments during
the 1920s and 1930s. Fulton flew the
first Mach 2 bomber, the B-58, and the
Mach 3 XB-70, as well as the Boeing
747 used in air launches of the proto-
types space shuttle.
The Hall of Fame also recogni zed
the A VG "Flying Tigers," American
volunteers who fought for the Chinese
against Japanese forces prior to the at-
tack on Pearl Harbor.
EAA BEGINS WEEKEND FALL
COLOR FLIGHTS FROM PIO-
NEER AIRPORT
Visitors to the EAA AirVenture Mu-
seum have a unique opportunity to view
Wisconsin's spectacular and romantic
fall colors by air in vintage aircraft fly-
ing from the museum's Pioneer Airport.
Passengers this year will experience
20- to 30-minute flights , which are
scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays
through Oct. 24 (weather permitting).
Flights in a vintage 1937 Stinson Re-
liant cabin-class airplane are available
for $60 per person or $100 per couple.
Flights in EAA' s 1929 Ford Tri-Motor
(beginning Oct. 9) are $45 each. All
tickets include admission to the EAA
AirVenture Museum, one of the world' s
fillest aviation museums.
The flights will "chase the colors"
across the state as they make their an-
nual brilliant appearance. Tours in late
September and early October head north
from Oshkosh. As the color patterns
move south through October, flights
will take a more southerly route.
The color tours are part of this fall's
schedule at the EAA AirVenture Mu-
seum, which is open seven days a week,
and the museum's Pioneer Airport ,
which is open weekends through Octo-
ber. Pioneer Airport features more than
40 airplanes from the early days of avi-
ation and is included with regular ad-
mission to the EAA AirVenture
Museum. Several other aircraft will be
available for local flights based at Pio-
neer Airport.
For more information regarding the
fall color flights or reservations, call
the Museum at 920.426.4886. The
EAA AirVenture Museum is located
just off Highway 41 at the Highway 44
exit in Oshkosh and is open to the pub-
lic year-round.
AIRCRAFT YEARBOOK 3-VJEWS
I'm sure glad somebody did this!
For many years the Aircraft Yearbook
has been a great source of information
on aviation and many of our favorite
airplanes. Included in the annual books
were dimensioned three-view draw-
ings. Many of these drawings , the
work of Harry Pack, have been col-
lected in one volume entitled Aircraft
Year Book 3- View Drawings - 1903-
1946. Compiled and published by
EAA and V AA member John W. Mac-
Donald, there are over 275 pages of
material displaying 936 three-views.
The drawings are reduced to 72 percent
of their original size, and then four dif-
ferent aircraft are printed on each page.
Each is placed in the book alphabeti-
cally by manufacturer, and a handy
reference index is included in the front
of the book, with a set of aircraft speci-
fication sheets included in the back for
the years 1932 through 1941.
For many of his fellow modelers and
full -size aircraft enthusiasts, the Year
Books have been a handy source of in-
formation. Now John's made it even
easier for those of us who do not have a
local library source or a personal col-
lection of these volumes to access these
three-views. You can order the book by
writing to John at:
John W. McDonald, PO Box 23,
Windom, KS 6749l.The cost is $35
plus $4 shipping (a total of $39), over-
seas add $8 to the cost of the book for
shipping ($43, U.S. funds). For interna-
tional orders, funds must be drawn on a
U.S. bank only, or an International
Money order is also acceptable.
As an aside, we were pleased to hear
that many of the original ink-on-linen
original drawings of Mr. Pack still ex-
ist, and are now part of the collection of
one of our favorite model aviation au-
thors , Bill Hannan. Bill tells us that
Harry Pack was a very young man when
he did some of the earliest drawings.
We understand that Mr. Pack is still
very much with us, and we look for-
ward to hearing more about him.
Aircraft Year Book 3-View Drawings-
1903-1946. is also available from Han-
nan 's Runway, PO Box 210, Magalia,
CA 95954, 1-530/873-6421 or on the
web at: http://www. hrunway.com.
Check with them regarding their
rates for shipping and handling.
ILLINOIS A VIA nON HISTORY
Another noteworthy self-published
work is EAA and V AA member Jim
Haynes' effort, Shadow of Wings - An
Aviation History of West CentralIlli-
nois, 1910-1945, Vol. 1. Jim brings to
life the history of aviation in this
hotbed of aeronautical achievement,
including the foray into aviation by the
Velie Motor Company in Moline, IL.
Well over 100 people helped Jim in
various ways, from giving their per-
sonal te st imony, adding photos or
pointing him in the proper direction
for more information. William T.
Larkins, noted aviation historian and
the founder the the American Aviation
Historical Society (AAHS), helped Jim
by reviewing the manuscript for histori-
cal accuracy. The book is available
from Jim at a cost of $18, plus $3 for
shipping. To order Shadow of Wings -
An Aviation History of West Central
Illinois, 1910-1945, Vol. 1, drop a note
to Jim Haynes, 21 Sunset Ln., Bushnell,
IL 61422. He's working on Vol. II
(1946-2000) right now, and hopes to
have it completed sometime next year.
JACK
For nearly a decade , I've been
blessed. Each day at work, as I sit down
to compose Vintage Airplane, just over
the wall has been one of the steadiest,
most consistent men I' ve ever known-
Jack Cox, EAA's Editor in Chief. Al-
ways there with a gentle guiding
thought , he ' d offer an opinion only
when asked, and then, drawing on hi s
over three decades of experience with
.----_ _ =-__---, EAAers, he'd sug-
gest something
you knew in your
heart was right on
the money.
After nearly 30
years on EAA's
staff, Jack and his
wife, Golda, are
retiring. If! may,
I'd like to tell you
what that means. I'm not a big fan of
generalities, but this one fits, so I'll use
it. No one I've ever met has the depth
of knowledge of recreational aviation
that Jack Cox enjoys. He really does
eat, sleep and breathe this stuff, and his
passion for old airplanes is just as high.
He can justifiably be proud of the
fact that hi s "trial balloon" of an EAA
sponsored set ofjudging guidelines for
older, factory built airplanes has grown
to become EAA's largest special inter-
est group, the Vintage Aircraft
Association. Jack and Golda staked out
the first parking area, wrote up the
judging guidelines, designed the Divi-
sion's first logo (remember the triangle
with the Wright flyer?) and made sure
the new Antique/Classic Division was
covered in Sport Aviation. It's been
climbing flight ever since!
GOLDA
You can't speak
of Jack without ....-------...,
thinking of Golda
as well. They're
bread and butter,
peanut butter and
jelly, EAA and
Poberezny - you
always put the
two together.
Golda has had
plenty of impact
on my work here at EAA as well, help-
ing me with my goofy grammar
mistakes, gently cajoling me when I
wasn't writing my best, and often being
a steadying influence when my aviation
enthusiasm was threatening to push me
a bit too far off course. Her sharp busi -
ness sense and intuition for what EAA
members wanted and needed in their
magazines has been an invaluable re-
source.
So to Jack and Golda Cox, thank
you for...
... reminding us to use sunscreen,
...its and it's,
... homemade peanut butter andjelly
on homemade bread,
...the latest updates on your family
back home,
...andfinally, helping us write to the
hearts ofEAAers.
I hope Tspeak for all of us who are
V AA members as I write, "Thanks for
all you've done for EAA and the Divi-
sion. Enjoy retirement, and we'll see
you at the fly-in."
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
VISITING DOUG
Reading John Underwood' s article
on Doug Corrigan in the latest issue of
YINTAGE AIRPLANE, reminded me
of an experience I also had with the
flyer back in May 1968. It was a most
pleasant experience.
The Ryan Aeronautical Company
had flown me to San Diego, to spend
three weeks doing research on the his-
tory of the company. The trip involved
my finding and interviewing many of
the people who worked at the firm in
the early days, especially 1926 and on.
Many of these people had worked on
the Spirit of St. Louis (NYP).
It was a wonderful experience to
meet these individuals, spending time
with my many questions, and taking
their pictures. Doug Corrigan was one
of these people who had worked on the
NYP during its construction.
At first he was a bit elusive and I had
to make several telephone calls to his
home on Flower Avenue in Santa Ana.
I finally told him one morning that I
would stop sometime later that after-
noon and take my chances that he would
be home. So I did.
I wore my summer business suit,
with white shirt and tie, as I always did
when calling on special people. I no
sooner drove into his driveway when he
came out the front door to greet me. He
was of course suspicious at first , but
when I showed him my extensive photo
album of all kinds of Ryan airplane pic-
tures, all 8 x 10 black and white
glossies, and my master list of serial
and registration numbers, etc., he was
impressed. Even more so when I elabo-
rated on my work, including details of
the various airplanes . It seemed to
please him that I had grown up as a
poor kid and went the tough route to
learning to fly. I said I had respected
his life and how he learned to fly too,
and he said we were talking on the same
level, so to speak.
He had keen memory, and when I
asked some difficult questions he came
through extremely well , and when I
later checked on some of this informa-
4 OCTOBER 1999
tion, his accuracy was confirmed.
After about an hour of hangar flying
in his driveway, he fmally said, "Would
you like to see the Robin?" Boy, what a
question. I said I would, and we went
out back to a large bam, through a small
door, and all the way through the build-
ing, passing a couple of old cars and
other fascinating ' things' along the way.
We got to the airplane and he proceeded
to open a set of doors so there would be
enough light for me to take some pic-
tures. He picked up a rough
piece of wood nearby and placed
it in front of the landing gear.
Carved into the wood were
"Wrong Way Corrigan's $900
'Crate,' 1929 Curtiss Robin
Flown (by mistake) New York
to Dublin, Ireland, 1938." He
said he pulled the prop through
about once a month and it was
just about due. I asked ifI could
do that for him and he agreed
and I did it for several revolu-
tions . The compression was
excellent I might add, and I think
after looking the airplane over, it
might have flown alright, if
given the chance.
I asked if I could sit in the
cockpit and he said that would
be ok, but he was quite con-
cerned about my clean clothes
and I told him one does not get
a chance like this every day
and that is what cleaners are
for. So in I went and sat there
as he proudly explained the
workings of the airplane. I
never questioned him about the
trip to Ireland, but compli-
mented him on the feat, saying
I was halfIrish and would loved
to have had the chance to do
the very same thing. Then he
stood in front of the airplane
for me to take his picture,
which I thought was nice of
him, and I cherish these few
pictures I took that day.
Corrigan was easy to talk to
and fun to be with. It was not
long after that his son, who looked just
like him at that same age, was killed in
an airplane crash. I met him briefly
when he came out of the house to run
some errands. What a shame. Doug I
think had a rather difficult life, but he
was one of us and loved to fly.
He shall be missed.
Ev Cassagneres
YAA 13785
Cheshire, Connecticut

I ears
att
Outer Marker
ATribute to the Biplane, andhis First F-2.
I
f thus far in these ramblings there
has perhaps been detected a nostal-
gia for, an affinity for, a love for the
biplane-the open cockpit, the magnifi-
cent radial engine, the large disc'd
propeller, the control stick between the
knees - I am pleased.
Over a 45 year span of wonderful
flying it has been my good fortune to
have flown many different airplanes
and let there be no doubt that nothing
can even come close to matching joyful
flight with the open biplane.
The enclosed cabin airman of today
in his position of control sits forward of
the lifting foils-on some airplanes, so
far forward that he is unable to see the
wing tips when looking out the cock-
pit's tightly sealed windows. Today's
airman's very important framing of the
sky consists only of a short rounded
cowl, dropping away from him to a
stubby nose, and some angled wind-
shield brace members very close to his
face. He is completely insulated from
important cues of flight by his glassed-
in box-like riveted enclosure. The cues
fed him for control, and the plane's re-
sponses to his guidance, are relayed to
him by round tubing, and piping, and
circuit boards, and fuse protected red
and black colored wires.
Then, on the other hand, there is the
biplane's grasping, unrelenting low
speed lift capability. Its stubby sturdi-
ness, and staggered and dihedraled
airfoils, and interplane bracing struts,
and flat bracing wires, all combine to
produce beauty and grace and func-
tionalness that the high-tailed
tri-cycled cabin monoplane of today
can never match, despite its much
faster speeds, high lift trailing edge
flaps, draft-free cabins, and fast turn-
ing stubby, snarling propellers.
Sophisticated instrumentation was
not a necessity for the open biplane air-
man to direct the airflows and
trajectories of flight. With goggles
down and helmeted head in the
airstreams, he maneuvered in and out of
tiny fields, sensing the feathered edges
of flight by feels, by sight, by a cross
flow on his cheeks, or a soft buffet on
his helmet, the changing tones of
whistling brace wires. All of these pro-
viding himthe cues of flight, informing
him, without having to refer inside to
instruments, of the performance of his
airfoils. With no more to work with -
did the barnstormer operate from every
kind of pasture, or hay lot, or hillside -
with strewn rocks, and ditches, and
dead furrows, and fences, and trees, and
crosswinds, and tail winds.
And if you have never been near a
long-bladed alloyed propeller turned
slowly by an idling radial, you have
missed some of the most delightful
sounds of aviation. A slow rhythmic
whish, whish, whish, whish, whish -
like the rhythmic beat of a swan's wings
by Holland IIDutch" Redfield
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
My Waco QCF-2, powered by a 165 hp Continental. That's not me in the coveralls - on the left is Art Cornelius, a photographer for the
Syracuse Herald, and Ernie Hannam, the pilot when my airplane was chartered so Art could photograph spring flooding for the newspaper.
in flight - the mountain loon's
wings beating the air with power and
rhythm as he circles a glass-surfaced
misty mountain lake, circling and cir-
cling, slowly climbing 'til enough
height for tree skimming flight to his
feeding grounds.
And the big radial forcing the idling
propeller blades to dissolve into a
fanned disc of invisible, powerful
thrust. Driven into this disc by the
stubby splined prop shaft disappearing
into the gray circular aluminum front
case. Bolted around this case with geo-
metric precision, five, seven, or nine
round cylinders, their cycling, stroking
impulses causing the crank inside and
the shaft to revolve-the cylinders'
blistering heat dissipated by thin
closely-spaced encircling black cooling
fins. What a thing of geometric perfec-
tion, in grays, and blacks and chromes,
perched on the nose of a lovely biplane.
What testimony to the machinist's craft,
the designer's pencil.
At age 19 an unforeseen windfall
came my way in the form of a small in-
heritance. Besides my given name
resulting in the nickname "Dutch," it
6 OCTOBER 1999
Andifyou have never
been neara long-bladed
alloyedpropellerturned
slowlybyan idling
radial, you have missed
some ofthe most
delightful sounds
ofaviation.
also happened to name me after a fa-
vorite cousin of my mother's. It was
when the cousin's father passed away
that I learned of a $2,500 inheritance.
The very next day I had a deposit on
my very own Waco F-2.
Harry Ward was familiar with the
airplane, which was located at Buffalo,
New York, where Hall), had learned to
fly. The price was $2,500, but this also
included a set ofEdo pontoons that per-
mitted operations as a seaplane.
Knowing absolutely nothing about sea-
planes, I questioned the wisdom of
including the floats in the purchase;
however it was Hal1)"s suggestion that
I buy the airplane with the floats, try it,
and if things didn't work out I could al-
ways sell the float gear and at a good
profit. This was probably the best ad-
vice of my life, and the beginning of
many such from Harry who was later to
become a very dear friend.
Barb and I drove up to Buffalo and
as a couple of 19-year-old kids walked
into the office of Buffalo Aeronautical
Corporation one late November day.
This firm was a long-established and
successful upstate operator and there
was a large Waco Aircraft sign with the
Waco wings logo painted on the side of
the hangar. It was a blustery cold day
and the field was white from an early
snow. Doc Marsden, Buffalo Aeronau-
tical's Manager, sat behind a desk that
overlooked the bleak fall scene, chomp-
ing on a dead cigar. He glowered at me
and slowly raised one eyebrow when I
informed him that I wished to look at
the F-2 that they had for sale.
We were unenthusiastically shown to
the hangar and quickly left alone as the
northwest wind outside rattled and
shook the hangar doors and creaked the
roofing. We walked around the air-
plane which was packed in tightly
among many others, thumped the fab-
ric , pulled the propeller through
slowly listening at the exhaust for
possible blowing valves, and looked
her over carefully and thoroughly. It
was in beautiful condition. I stepped
onto the lower wing walkway and
eased myself into the leather cush-
ioned rear cockpit and moved the
controls. I had to have it!
We returned to the warm office and I
asked if I could fly it. It was agreed that
I could, but with an apparent skepticism
that I really meant business. Leo Chase,
the company's other pil ot, had the dual
controls put in the front cockpit by one
of their mechanics, while an immersion
heater placed in the tank warmed the
heavy engine oil. When warm, we
pushed her outside. How easily she
rolled! Leo eased into the wide front
cockpit with his helmet, goggles and a
warm flying jacket.
Being accustomed to the Waco F and
Waco's very different braking system, I
was able to taxi without problems be-
tween the plowed snow banks, then
took off into a fresh wind. The climb
performance and general handling was
a delight and truly spectacular. The 165
hp Continental engine, installed in prac-
tically the same airframe as the "F," had
55 more horsepower then the Warner
behind which I had been flying and it
made a lot of difference.
We remained in the airport pattern
and shot a few landings. I was shiver-
ing from the cold in my light jacket and
I had no helmet or goggles, but I was
ecstatic as we taxied back to the hangar.
Stomping the snow from our feet,
Leo preceded me into the warm office.
I didn't wait to warm up, or for anyone
to ask me. I said, "I like the airplane.
I'll take it!" I had to have that airplane;
I was afraid I would lose it in haggled
at the price.
In a few weeks, I had a certified
check for the balance in hand and went
back to get it. Now alone in the F-2 I
taxied out and after seeing the steady
green light pointed from the Buffalo
control tower, took off, climbed steeply
My glorious Waco, made possible by a small
inheritance t hat came my way at age 19.
and banked for home. Established on-
course, the four tracks of the New York
Central mainline were a little to my left.
As the airplane leveled off and picked
up speed, I eased over toward them.
Heading east along the tracks I looped
the F-2 every few miles and most of the
way home. The airplane looped effort-
lessly from level flight with her light
load, not requiring a preceding dive as
with the Waco F.
What performance on this wintry
day. It was cold and clear, but this time
I was warm in my borrowed sheepskin
flying suit, winter helmet, and sheep-
skin boots and gloves as I accustomed
looked back over the faired fuselage
turtle-back at the fast receding hangars
and my waving friends near the gas
pump. Such performance! It was ex-
ceptional for the day and all of us knew
it. It would be exceptional perfor-
mance today.
As I taxied her toward her new home
a small gathering and Harry waited for
me. I was a very proud guy as they ex-
amined and thumped the wings of my
beautiful black and silver airplane.
Jimmy Walsh was among them and said
nothing about the buzz job.
Barb and I returned to Buffalo in an-
other few weeks to pick up the float
Pilot's (Commercial) license, it would
be necessary to fly 90 hours in the next
five months, but it was in the dead of
winter and I had no money.
So, now any work that I did on any-
one else's airplane was arranged for at a
sufficient fee for me to buy a few gal-
lons ofgasoline. In exchange for hangar
rent, I helped in Harry's back workshop
and anyone who would buy me five gal-
lons had the airplane rolled out for an
airplane ride that lasted as long as the
fuel lasted. There can be no doubt that I
established some kind of a world's
record for the most hours of flying with
the gas gauges bouncing on the bottom.
Ired
fuselage turtle-back atthe fast receding hangars andmy waving
friends near the gas pump. Such performance!
myself to her new feels and vibrations
and engine smells and sounds. They
were all nice and I savored them.
As we neared Rochester I eased the
Waco south of the city, then swung
back to pick up the railroad tracks again
on the other side. Far off the north I
could see the shore of Lake Ontario par-
alleling my flight. A lovely picture
framed by the staggered upper and
lower wings, and struts and wires. Slip-
ping from beneath the lower wing
panels was the heavily traveled Erie
Canal. Off my right wing the magnifi-
cent Finger Lakes and below the New
York Central tracks leading me east-
ward. Another 30 minutes, then over
the ringed engine cowl and between the
upper cylinders, I could see in the dis-
tance Cross Lake and further ahead the
snow-covered airport at Syracuse, a
short distance from the railroad tracks.
I wasn't sure if Jimmy Walsh, the
airport manager, might object if I were
to buzz the field with my new airplane,
but I had long ago decided to do so any-
way and nosed over into a long, shallow,
speed-increasing dive. As we skimmed
by Ward's hangar I pulled up in a steep
full-powered gently banked climbing
tum that felt like it could go on forever.
As we climbed I turned my head and
8 OCTOBER 1999
gear. A cross-frame was made of 2 x 4s
and bolted to the car's front and rear
bumpers, then the two floats were laid
and lashed lengthwise above the top of
the car, a 1931 Chevy coupe.
By the time our racks were assem-
bled, the floats loaded and tied down, it
had been a long day. We ended up dri-
ving eastward in the dark with a slight
navigation problem because the frame's
forward cross-members passed directly
in front of each of the headlights, and
we were barely able to see the road.
However, we slowly followed the road
edges and centerline in what dim glow
the headlights produced and though a
long tiresome ride there were several
pleasant roadside diner coffee and ham-
burger stops.
The next morning we lifted the
floats down and placed them on the
hangar floor alongside the Waco.
Everything was there now and it was
all mine. But I wasn't sure I knew
what to do with it because though I
now had an airplane that I could fly as
often as I pleased, I had no income and
my $2,500 was gone.
My plan was to place the airplane on
its float gear in the spring and barn-
storm it all summer. To acquire the
required flight hours for my Transport
"Nuts to the pilot!!" Who would say
such a thing, let alone, shout it? Well,
in the hangar, we used to, and regularly.
The back shop for several months
had been doing a fabric recovering job
on one of the biplanes. During its re-
assembly, I was on a stepladder and
supporting the tip of an upper wing
panel as the attachment bolts for the
interplane struts that locked the upper
and wings together were being driven
in place.
In those days it was accepted and ex-
pected good practice for these bolts to
be driven in place with their heads out-
ward so that the pilot from his cockpit
position would then have in view the
wing attachment bolts threaded end,
and their nuts and cotter pins. He could
thus at all times in flight be comforted,
by a glance, that the wing structure was
at least bolted in place and the wings
not likely to fall off because of a nut
backing off and a bolt falling out.
On this day, as always occurred at
this stage of an airplane's reassembly,
as the hammer rhythmically clanged the
wing bolts in place, a never failing ritu-
alistic accompanying chant by all those
present, or perhaps in a distant comer,
could be heard chorusing in the echoing
hangar, "Nuts to the pilot!!"
interview witn Roger conoucteo
ru
ger Freeman is one of the world's
most enthusiastic experts on the
Pioneer era of aviation. He became
interested in vintage aircraft while
elping his father Ernie rebuild a
Thomas Morse Scout, complete with a
rotary engine, that Roger still flies to-
day. Formally educated on aircraft by
the Northrup Institute, he heads up Vin-
tage Aviation Services in Marion, TX
after a tour flying DC-8's. Aircraft such
as a Jenny, Bleriot, Bristol Boxkite,
Fokker, Pietenpol, Meyers, Rearwin,
Waco, Tiger Moth, and a Bucker are
just some of Roger's restorations and
construction projects. His dream of cre-
ating his own museum is making great
strides on some property east of Seguin
where hangars will be built to house his
vintage aircraft and a museum with ar-
tifacts covering the years before the
1940s.
We sat down recently and discussed
the work he 's done with the Bleriot
replica you see in the associated pho-
tographs. First a few words of wisdom
from a wise old movie pilot:
"It is hard to put into words readily
explainable to the modern day pilot
how perfectly awfitl it really is to fly the
Bleriot and what a great admiration I
have for the pilots whose raw courage
often outstripped their piloting skills
and knowledge. "
- Frank Tallman, "Flying The Old
Planes."
Q - Did this slow down your enthu-
siasm for building a Bleriot from
scratch?
A - When I first read this descrip-
tion of flying the Bleriot in Frank
Tallman's book "Flying the Old
Planes," I was sure that Frank was flex-
ing his great showmanship. No way
would my Bleriot be anything like that.
It was built very carefully, exactly to
the plans; it had a more powerful en-
gine so that should make it better, I
thought. What a surprise I was in for!
Q - What type of vintage aircraft do
you plan for your museum?
A - In my dream of having an early
aviation museum, it has always been
understood that we would need to have
certain airplanes representing that won-
der era of the real pioneers . Of those I
have always known that I would need a
Curtiss Pusher and, of course, a Bleriot.
We have all read about the great feats
of "Those Magnificent Men In Their
Flying Machines" and marveled at their
flashy showmanship and poise. Pilots
haven 't changed much since. With
many hours of airline and vintage air-
craft flying, this training has helped in
flying a wing-warping design.
Q - How did you get started in the
vintage aircraft business?
A - In 1991 I decided it was time to
put my dreams into action. I had been
running my business, Vintage Aviation
Services, for some time then and had
completed a few good replicas , but I
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
First flight at Zuehl airport, Marion,TX in 1998. The high
angle of attack of the wing is evident in this shot . Plenty of
decalage between the stabilizer and wing!
The original design of the "tail skid" was changed when it
was found to be unmanageable on the ground.
A more practical skid was installed with increased steering
and braking.
With no ailerons, the long span of the warping wing was
necessary to control the lateral movement of this ancient
design.
10 OCTOBER 1999
wanted to get my collection growing. I
wanted to start gathering the aircraft
needed for my dream museum. As I was
pretty well swamped with the work that I
already had in the shop, I made a deal
with my good friend and fellow builder
Julius Junge to start on a Bleriot proj ect
that would be for us.
We researched until we found a good
set of plans on this type and discussed
what variations we might need to make
on the machine. I located a suitable pow-
erplant, and started lining up material.
We were now on the way to having our
first true pioneer aeroplane.
Julius, working at his shop at Canon
Field, diligently started making all of the pieces. We decided to go
with the 1909 channel-crossing configuration, except for the eleva-
tor. Frank Tallman had once told me that the later style was much
better. The rest of the aircraft would be as close as possible to the
original. Slowly, as the wood shavings started piling up as Julius
crafted all the parts and pieces, an aeroplane began to appear from a
stack of lumber. In all Julius spent about a year building the Bleriot,
and in 1996 I picked up the completed airframe, minus the engine
and covering.
Q - What other projects did you have under construction?
A - Fortunately or unfortunately a new project moved into my
business shop and slowed down the progress on the B1eriot. It was a
replica of the 1910 Farman Boxkite (see the November 1997 issue
of Vintage Airplane for more on the Boxkite replica), which I
thought was a fitting hangar mate to the Bleriot. Since we were un-
der such a time restraint on the Farman, the Bleriot now had to take
a back seat. It was so interesting having two examples of pioneer
aeroplanes in the shop at one time. I often wondered how the two
designers took such a different approach at accomplishing the same
goal. I could not help but wonder what it was going to be like to fly
each of them. I would soon find out!
Q - What was the test flight like?
A - The Farman rolled out of the shop on August 6, 1997 ready
to make its first test hops. Contrary to popular belief, you do not just
jump into one of these old crates and head off into the wild blue
yonder on the first attempt. You first start by taxi test. First slow,
and then a little faster. How is it going to handle on the ground?
Thi s is very important to know before you fly it. Next comes the
first hop. How is it going to feel flying, and landing? After a long
series of short runs you finally work up to the big one .. . when you
take it around the field. Once you leave the safety of the runway,
you are truly on your own. One way or another you have got to land,
hopefull y in one piece.
The Farman was quite a surprise to me. After a few minor scares
I realized that this really wasn't too bad. After a number of flights I
was getting my nerve up to the point of giving flying demonstra-
tions. After a time I was beginning to believe that I really was right,
and there wasn't much to these old birds.
With the Farman finally delivered to its new home in Hong
Kong, it was time to get back to the Bleriot. I was able to make all
of the mounts for the Continental GPU engine, and have a beautiful
prop carved by my friend Ted Hendrickson. We finally completed
the cover job, and we were rapidly running out of excuses not to fly.
Once again we started with the taxi phase, and it did not take long
to see that this was not going to be as easy as the Farman. It took a
lot of power to get the Bleriot started, and once moving it acceler-
atedmuch faster. Therudder, whichis
very small,didnottake effectuntilthe
speedrose, so groundcontrol wasgo-
ingto be tricky. I startedslowand
beganspeedingup a littleata time.
Suddenly,justas I was completing
whatIthoughtwasaverysuccessful
highspeedtaxi, thingsstartedgoing
awry. AsI pulledthepoweroffto de-
celerate,I beganto turn. Therudder
did nothaveanyeffectsince it didnot
have theblastofthepropeller. I was
now in the midstofa full-fledged
ground loop, andIwasjusta passen-
ger. Beforewefinally cameto a full
stop, therightwingbeganto rise, and
nowI was draggingthe left. Onthe
Bleriotthisseemsprettydrastic since
thewingtipsare reallyprettyfar off
the ground. ThereI was, completely
stopped with the left wing on the
ground,andtherightstickingway up
in the air. Theenginewasstillticking
along, and graduallythe planefell
backonto its gear. It'sis notsupposed
to do this!
Q- How did you correct for this de-
sign deficiency?
A- AftermuchheadscratchingI
decidedthetailskidwasto blamesince
itdidnotnecessarilyalwaysgobackto
centerafterbangingontheground. A
few moretaxi tests revealedthatal-
thoughmy repairdid seemto help, it
did notsolvethe problem. Getting
startedwasnotaproblem; it was slow-
ing downthatate my lunch! NextI
wentafterthe landinggear.
The Bleriothas a very ingenious
trailing linklandinggearthatalso
swivelswithanyside load.Ononeof
the nexthigh-speed taxitests I was
slowingdownand, Wham! I was back
intotheground loopmode.Itstartedan
uncontrollabletumto therightandthe
wingwasdraggingagain. Suddenly
therewasa loudcrunch, and I was
stopped. Thistime it didnotrightit-
self. Theleftwheel had sustainedsuch
a side loadthatit neatlytuckeditself
underand collapsed(seephoto).Back
to thedrawingboard,andI hadnot
beenan inchofftheground!
Q- Did this setback dampen your
plans to complete the project?
A- Withthe landinggearall re-
built, I was ready to continue. We
greatly limitedthe travel ofthe swivel-
inggear, andthis seemedto tame the
groundloop part. Nowwe werework-
inguptothe high-speedtaxi s, andI
wantedto liftitofftheground. Iwould
getthe tail up, and
accelerateasfastas I
thought it should
need(I had no air-
speedindicator),and
carefullyeased the
controlstickback.
Nothing!Allitdid
was slow down. It
had no indications
that it wantedtofly
at all. Now what?
Several attempts
endedwiththe same
results. I had a
ground hog on my
hands andI did not high drag was source of several aborted takeoffs until it was
learned to raise the tail high to decrease drag.
knowwhy.
Q - Was there someone you could
go to for advice who had a similar ex-
perience?
A - It wasatthistimethatI needed
to consulttheexperts.Iplacedacall to
the OldRhinebeckAerodrome in up-
stateNewYork.I first talkedto John
Barker,awalkingencyclopediaofold
aeroplane information. Hehadbeen
ColePalen'sright-handman. Here-
ferred me to their"chief' Bleriotpilot,
Carl Ericson, whowas ableto briefme
onsomeofthefinerpointsin flying the
Bleriot.Firsthe saidthatyou neededto
getthe tail wayup ontakeoff,much
higherthanyoufeel you should.Next
whenyouthinkit is goingas fast as it
willgo,yougivethesticka pull and
force it into the air. Therestwasele-
mentary. Hangon fordearlife andfly
it backontotheground. Sureenough,
he wasright. Neverunderestimatethe
valueofexperience!
Q- Did this solve the problem?
A- UsingEric'sadviceImanaged
to coaxthe Bleriotintotheair. It really
didnot wantto be there,andneither
did1. Imadeseveral runs upanddown
the runway,sometimesgettingupto
about20 feet in altitude.It seemedso
strangethatIwouldcomebackthink-
ingIhadsetsomealtitude record,only
to find Iwas merely 10 to 15 feet high.
One suchrun Iwascruisingalongfat ,
dumbandhappy(sheerterror)when I
noticedthatthe endofthe runwaywas
comingup, andI didnotwantto go
aroundyet. So Imerelypulledbackon
Roger Freeman shows off the ancient design of the undercarriage, which was somewhat sus-
pect. The swiveling action of the design was modified to reduce ground loops and the subse-
quent damage that resulted from too much side force and not enough structure to handle
such a side load.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
the power and felt the bottom begin-
ning to fall out from beneath me. I was
dropping so I was trying to break the
descent with the elevator. Next, the
right wing began to drop so I tried to
correct with left stick. Crash! I was on
the ground and I bet the airplane did
not move ten feet from impact. Not a
good day at all.
Q - What was the total damage to
the Bleriot?
A - Close examination disclosed
several broken wires in the fuselage,
and a smashed tail skid and collapsed
landing gear (again!). After discussing
the episode one more time with Eric, I
learned the errors in my ways. The Ble-
riot wing design had been a direct
attempt to imitate the shape and func-
tion of a bird' s wing, minus the
flapping . The airfoil with its distinct
undercamber and hooked nose is very
much from our feathered friends.
The means for lateral control is also
from this same source, and uses what
they call wing warping instead of
ailerons . Somehow, the birds seem to
do just fine with all of this, but man is
just not exactly up to the task. First we
find that the strange airfoil is also very
high drag. I needed to raise the tail as
high as possible to flatten out the wing.
With this done the aircraft could accel-
erate just enough to overcome the drag.
The wing warping, I had already
noticed, was at best not very effective.
It would raise a wing if you had time
to wait. I also noticed that I had the
stick buried in the upper left-hand cor-
ner of the cockpit while in flight. Now
people ask why you do not notice these
things when you are flying?
When you are flying something that
is just barely holding on anyway, you
tend to move things wherever they
seem to do you the most good. Often
you have no idea where the stick is rel-
ative to center while your mind is
occupied with other things. What I did
on this last flight was first to reduce
power on a high drag machine, which
was barely flying anyway. Next, as the
wing began to drop, I corrected with
the stick and what I did not realize was
that when I moved the stick to the left,
it was in fact increasing the angle of at-
tack on the right wing.
I was already next to a stall and
now I increased the angle and com-
pleted the stall on the right wing. Say
good night, I was going down! By now
I was beginning to look at Frank's
1 2 OCTOBER 1999
words a little differ-
ently. Maybe there
was something to this.
I had been lulled by
the Farman into
thinking that this old
stuff was a piece of
cake. The Bleriot is a
whole different ball-
game.
Q - And y ou still
continued with your
desire to tame this an-
tique replica?
A - We rebuilt the
wreck, and it was time
for the next flying les-
son. I continued to
make a number of
runs down the run-
way. I made a few
little rigging adjust-
ments that brought the
stick back to center in
flight. I now had to
move onto the next
big hurdle. I needed to
take the ship around
the field and really see
what it was like in the
air. I finally got up the
nerve to take it
around. I cannot ex-
plain the thought
process that goes
through one's mind as
you make the decision
that this will be it.
You ' re up, and
Before covering. the "open cockpit" does not offer much in the
way of creature comforts. The spun aluminum tank and beautiful-
Iy crafted control wheel are on display is this shot.
Typical 1910 wing and fuselage construction. Woodworkers in
those days adapted to plying their trade on aircraft. with excel-
lent craftsmanship the result.
everything seems to be going well. It is
climbing, so let's do it. As soon as you
make the first turn, things look a lot
different. You are now committed. Ei-
ther go around, or put down in the
farmer ' s field. Full power seems just a
bit on the weak side and you keep push-
ing on the throttle just to make sure. Be
careful on the bank, since this is your
weakest control. Skid around the tum.
It does not look graceful, but the wings
stay where you want them. I make a
full circuit of the field, and things seem
sort of under control. The engine is
running fine, with rated rpm and good
oil temp. I think I will go around again.
As I level off on the second down-
wind leg, I decide that maybe I should
check the power and see if it will fly on
reduced power. I carefully ease the
throttle back just a bit, and immediately
the controls feel like I am hanging onto
a sponge. Full power, and I am back
where I was before.
I am at approximately 200 feet alti-
tude which is much too high to fall and
much too low to recover. I think things
are just fine at full power. As I skid
around onto my final approach I start a
descent still under power. I feel the
wind in my face picking up so now I
reduce power just a bit, not too much.
As I approach the ground, I only
slightly pull back on the stick just to
break the descent, and suddenly I feel
the wheels rolling on the ground .
Amazing! I pull the power and I gently
come to a stop.
I had to remember that I needed to
turn off the engine. My body finally
started to relax and I could feel my
sphincter muscles releasing their death
grip on the seat. There, I was a real
Bleriot pilot! Nothing to it!
Since then I have made many other
- continued on page 27
Mark Schaible
6rand
Champion
Antique
Our EAA AirVenture '99 Grand
Champion Antique is this extraordinary
Lockheed 12A restored by the Perras
brothers, Uwanna and Yon. Much of the
airplane was reskinned during the
ground-up restoration, which took over
10 years to complete.
Jim Koepnick Jim Koepnick
At the top of the Bronze Age awards list is the resurrection of Freddie Ludtke's
"Spirit of Dynamite" rebuilt by William Smith of Franklin, PA.
Mark Godfrey
(Above) The Bronze Age Runner Up shows us
just how close the judging can be. This Stinson
SR-SE Reliant was first owned by actress/author
Ruth Chatterton, and it now belongs to Dr. Paul
Sensor, Hampton, IA who had it restored by
Rodney Roy of Roy Aero in Hampton.
(Left) Our WW II era Champion is Greg Herrick's
Interstate Cadet.
14 OCTOBER 1999
x
i
.2
E
We were blessed with multiple Howards this year, and two of
~ ~ ~
the prettiest DGA-15' s around were award winners. These
two were picked as the Champion Custom Antique (right)
owned by Roland Rippon, Rockford, IL and the Reserve Grand
Champion Antique belonging to Ed Moore, Mystic, CT
(above).
Mark Schaible
Multi-engine airplanes were everywhere this year, and the Transport Category
Runner-Up is the Museum of Flight' s Boeing 247, painted in the livery of its launch
customer, United Air Lines.
H.G. Frautschy
H. G. Frautschy
Glowing beautifully in the late evening sun, this
Menasco-powered Great Lakes biplane owned by
Cameron Saure's was flown to Oshkosh from
Reynolds, ND.
The WW II Military Trainer/Liaison category is always a pop-
ular category, and this year's Champion is Dan White's
Boeing N2S-3.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
Oh my, who ever thought we'd actually see this in the air
again? Greg Herrick and the talented folks at HO aircraft
in Anoka, MN have brought the Kreutzer K-5 Air Coach
back to life after it nearly turned to dust in the
Southwest. The Transport Category Champion, it is pow-
ered by a trio of Kinners turning fixed pitch wood props,
and three, count 'em, three Heywood Air starters for the
engines. Wow!
It's always nice to see Past Champions return, and this year we ..______________________iiiiiiii_iiii
had a bumper crop. Our thanks to each of the 18 top award
winners who brought their airplanes back for all to enjoy.
Parked in special locations along the paved road that runs
north/south through the AirVenture grounds, fly-in attendees
could get a close-up look at what it takes to be a VAA
Champion. This Waco QCF was flown in by M.H. Havelaar of
Arl ington, TX and his son Rusty.
Rounding out our list of " Airplanes you never expected to
see again" was this Fokker Universal, flown from Calgary,
Alberta, Canada by Clark Seaborn. It was the"Judge's
Choice" award winner.
Mark Schaible
Piper Vagabonds are so cute, you just gotta love them.
L. Gale Perkins sure does, as his took home the Reserve
Grand Champion Classic Lindy trophy.
16 OCTOBER 1999
From Jackson, MI, a hotbed of
vintage airplane restorations,
comes John Knight and his
Taylorcraft BC-12D, chosen as
the Best Taylorcraft.
Team
(Above) For sheer "WOW" factor, airshow pilot Jimmy Franklin' s
Waco UPF-7 has it all, and when that jet engine slung under-
neath powered the airplane straight up, all you could do was
stand and stare. What a sight. What a sound!
(Left) The Luscombe line up as hosted by the Don Luscombe
Aviation History Foundation showed off the "Win Me" airplane,
and the turbine-powered 8E, recognized with a "Most Unique"
Classic trophy.
Cessna 140s have played a number of roles throughout their lifetime,
and this model, known as the "Patroller, " was useful for looking at
pipelines or power lines. This very nice example was flown to
AirVenture by Bob Schindler, Sandy, UT.
VI NTAGE AIRPLANE 17
6randChampion
Contemporary
Beech 18s havehadalotoflavishattentionpaidto
them,as evidencedbythegoodlookingexamples
we'veseen recently.The EAAAirVenture'99Grand
ChampionContemporaryisthissharp 1960Beech G1
ownedandflownbyJamesWarrenofCastle Rock, co.
Kudostohimforasecuresetoftiedownsaswell!
Workhorsesofthepastarebecoming prizedpossessions, andthisDeHavilland
(Canada) DHC-2 Mk.1 Beaverwasrecognizedforitsexcellentrestoration.
CongratulationstoStephenJohnson, Redmond,WAonhisBeaver'sselectionasthe
"BestLimited Production"trophywinner.
H.G. Frautschy
SteveStringerkeptvisitorsspellboundas he
explainedtheprocessofclay modelingand
othermetalshapingconcepts. Histalkswere
filledwithhumorandachancetotryithands
on.TheVAAworkshoptent,locatedjust
southofVAAheadquarters,has becomeone
ofthemostpopularplacestovisitinourarea.
6randChampion Claui(
OurGrandChampionClassicwas restoredand is flown
by ButchWalsh, Arrington,VA. It'sa1947Stinson 108-3,
poweredbyaFranklinengine.
18 OCTOBER 1999
John Kennedy, Martinsville, IN is flanked by his sons, Chris
(left) and Tom (right) as they sit in front of their deep,
dark green Ryan Navion. It took three years to restore,
including the sumptuous tan interior. It was selected as the
Best Class II (151 hp and up) award winner.
You don't see too many of these, a four-place
Taylorcraft Model 15A registered to Richard Roe of
Fairfax, VA. Only a dozen of the slightly over 30 built
remain on the FAA registration records.
H.G. Frautschy
The Mullicoupe cowl points the way towards the
VAA Headquarters, which now features a nifty neon
sign highlighting the new VAA logo. Be sure and
stop by for a visit!
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
He's baaack! The last time we
saw Torquil Norman, he flew
his twin-engined DeHavilland
Dragonfly from England. This
time, Torquil decided to use
only one Gypsy engine for his
trip from England, flying this
DeHaviliand DH.85. Leopard
Moth "across the pond."
Always a delightful man to
meet, members enjoyed visit-
ing with Torquil while the air-
plane was display in front of ...5___......."'.
VAA headquarters.
Mark Godfrey
20 OCTOBER 1999
Mark Godfrey
Marc Krier, nephew of famed
airshow pilot Harold Krier, has
restored his famous uncle's Piper
Clipped-Wing Cub and dedicated
it to his uncle's memory.
Leslie Hilbert
This aerial view looking to the northeast gives you an
idea of the depth and breadth of the EAA AirVenture
grounds. The unused area to the right of center was
vacant until the excessive rainwater had drained or
evaporated away. During the week of EAA AirVenture,
nearly ten percent of the entire General Aviation fleet
in the United States will visit the event! .....
PASSIT TO BUCK
Dear Buck,
The NC-number on John McEnaney's
Cub Coupe (Orlando, Florida) in the latest
issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE sort of
jumped off the page and "grabbed" me
when I saw it. It's the subject of an inter-
esting bit of trivia and 1'd like to ask if
you'd please pass this letter on to him as I
do not have his address whereas you can
probably get it from your EAA files. A
stamped envelope is enclosed.
NC21599 (being Hanford Eckman's
fu-st prototype, of course) was the subject
of a plan drawn by a man named McCul-
lough for Flying Aces in 1939. It was
drawing # 1 06 and somewhere around here
I have a picture of a completed model
made from those drawings with NC21599
on it. It would be interesting to have a
copy of this drawing to display with the J-
4 at air shows. About eight years ago, this
drawing was available from Golden Age
Reproductions, P. O. Box 1685, Andover,
MA 01810. They also had some complete
kits of some other models at the time, but
don't know if the McCullough J-4 was
ever put out in kit form. It was the stan-
dard stick-and-tissue flying scale model.
It had a span of28 inches.
Comet also put out a stick-and-tissue
kit ofNC21599 in the forties; it was kit
No. 3206 and had a span of25 inches. I
built one of these when I was a kid back
then and had occasion to build another
one after they reintroduced them about
25 years ago. I still have the remnants
of the plans and it has the big numbers
NC21599 printed on them. I was sort of
under the impression that the Comet
model resembled a J-5 more than a J-4,
but could be wrong about this because
it's been so long and my remaining plan
sheet is incomplete.
However, this kit was again repro-
duced by Penn Valley Hobby Center at
837 W. Main St. , Lansdale, PA 19446.
At Christmas time of this past year, it
was on the list of discontinued kits
which meant that some were still in
stock at that time (and probably still
are). I think the price was $8.88. Their
phone number is 215/855-1268.
I always notice NC-numbers. While
Hey, look what H.G. found at the Golden West EM Regional Fly-In - a Helton Lark 95. This broth-
er to my Lark is registered to George Fry of Grizzly Flats, CA. Pretty!
byE.E. "Buck"Hilbert
EAA #21VAA #5
P.O. Box 424,Union, IL60180
going through copies of some of the old
model airplane plans you can see an
Aeronca Low-wing NC 15734. My C-3
was NC15733 so it was probably built
around the same time that the first L-type
was being flown.
I am coming out with a new kit of my
own of the Cessna that can be built as a
120 or 140 (rag wing). It fits together neat
and looks just like the real McCoy but I
have yet to do the instruction sheets. The
printer did a lousy job on it and I might de-
cide to do one of the sheets over before
letting it out.
For an update of the Aeronca Champ
kit, I received a nice copy of one of the
1946 factory photos from John Houser.
My photo of a completed model made
from the kit happens to be taken from al-
most the exact same angle, so it will be
an interesting comparison to show both
on the new cover sheet. John Houser is
sure a good friend; he has always been of
great help since back in the days when I
had my C-3.
Saw your friend Woody over the week-
end. I went flying Saturday evening and
he said he was coming back to the airport
afterward, but he never did show so I did-
n't get to talk to him very long.
That' s all for now. Again, I hope that
Mr. McEnaney will be pleased to know (if
he does not already) that his NC2l599 was
featured in at least two model plans that I
know of. Scientific Models also put out a
J-4 kit many years ago, too, but am not
sure what NC number was on it.
Best wishes,
Bob Kaelin, VAA 23340
Riverhead, NY
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
T
he subject airplane in this true
story is one 1946 Aeronca 7 AC
"Champion." The airplane owners
are the "N82320 Flying Club," consisting
of Frank Hientzelman, Paul Baumgarte,
Ed Santucci, my nephew Len Polhemus
and myself, Don Wood. At the time, our
unnamed flying club was looking for an
Aeronca. We found it at Bennington,
Vermont airport during January, 1970.
This was the only Aeronca we had found
within our general area. Len and I drove
to Bennington to inspect the plane. It was
well worn. But, what the heck, it was li-
censed and flying and we wanted a 7 AC
so bad we could taste it. We bought it at
the asking price of$I,500. Now, how do
we get it home? I was not current, and
Len did not yet know how to fly!
The following weekend a good friend
of mine, Orin Stacy, flew Ed Santucci
and I to Bennington in Orins' sharp
Cessna 170. Ed was current. After the en-
gine preheat application the engine was
started and Ed headed southwest for
Poughkeepsie, New York. We had our
bird and our club had a name, the
"N82320 Flying Club."
Now, this is not a story about the cle-
vis ear that was broken off the lower
front control stick yoke, on which there is
an "AD" to finger tighten the castle nut
and cotter pin it on the clevis bolt.
Nor about the long acorn type nut
which held the fuel line to the gascolator
elbow, which had a hacksaw cut in it
lengthwise.
Also, certainly not about the in-flight
engine failure at 1,500 feet altitude, when
a connecting rod nut backed off the con-
necting rod bolt and allowed the bearing
cap to open 3/16 of an inch, bending the
second bolt.
Or how this incident necessitated a
moist underwear landing at Sky Acres
airport at Millbrook, NY which was
about five miles from our initial excite-
ment scene.
And not about, when the next day,
Easter Sunday, I pulled the number one
jug off the engine and the rod nut was
laying in the bottom of the engine case
with no apparent cotter key or cotter key
parts to be found.
No, I am not going to go into a big
dissertation about the aforementioned.
But so as not to leave you hanging as to
how the sawn fuel line nut and the bro-
ken control stick yoke clevis ear were
found; when the Aeronca was annualled
during September of 1970 by the local
legendary old-time A&P, Joe Phillipowitz,
the word was that the plane needed com-
plete recovering. The club members and
myself accomplished this. We renewed
everything from the 4130 tubes out. Ce-
conite covers, stainless cables, upholstery,
dash, glass and new wood. I added
Aeronca style fiberglass pants and a
Stits spinner with AN yellow for the ba-
sic color and insignia red trim . It was
pretty. Good old Joe Phillipowitz super-
vised everything.
This was all done prior to the engine
failure as it was still meeting specs and
running good.
Now the rest of the story. One week-
end at the beginning of August my newly
widowed favorite aunt, two cousins and
one cousin's husband came from New
Jersey to spend a Saturday night with my
wife Cookie and 1. We all partied on the
rear lawn until darkness and finally re-
treated to our respective bedrooms.
About 10 p.m. a thunderstorm rolled in.
It rained hard, with lightning dancing
around for about an hour. Then it just
rained hard and finally settled down to a
steady deluge.
Sunday morning dawned hazy, humid
and hot. After an early breakfast, I, trying
to be the perfect host, stated that I be-
longed to the N82320 Flying Club and
asked, "Who would like to go for an air-
plane ride?" My cousin Dougie allowed
that he would, as he had never been in an
airplane before, and who could he trust
any more than his older cousin? This
pumped me up and off we went to the
Dutchess County Airport, about two
miles from my home, where the Aeronca
was tied down.
I pretlighted the "Airknocker" and got
Dougie' s 5' 11",230 Ibs. strapped in the
rear seat, had him hold the brakes and the
stick back.
"Don't, Do not touch the throttle!"
I spun the prop and placed my 6'3",
235 lb. frame in the front seat. By then
the ground haze had burned off, but it
was plenty hot and humid. As I exercised
the controls, I got more than normal wa-
ter from the drain grommets in the left
aileron. I held it down with the stick until
it stopped dripping.
( "Humm, we did get some rain last
night, I thought. ")
I added throttle to the Continental to
get moving in the soft sod. It took more
throttle than usual, but with Dougie in the
back seat this was not surprising. With
both of us heavyweights loaded in and
hot, humid weather, I expected a fairly
sluggish flight. Once on the pavement we
rolled easily to runway 6. After the mag,
heat and static check, I cleared the traffic
pattern (no tower in operation at this
time) swung onto the runway and poured
on the coal, all 65 horses. Allowing for
Dougie in the rear seat and a very slight
north cross breeze, we accelerated as
well as I expected.
With the elevator trim in neutral and a
longer than normal three point run, I
started to ease the stick forward. Heavy
resistance to forward stick was felt.
"Doug ie, take your hands off the stick."
"I don't have my hands on the stick."
This is beginning to get interested.
Still full throttle, with a slight wander-
ing from side to side. I'm an old Aeonca
pilot and I never did swerve these planes,
even on concrete runways. Two more os-
cillations and the swerves have now got
me concerned.
(Good grief, that Dougie is heavy.)
Full nose down trim is necessary to
get the tail up, with hard forward pres-
sure on the stick, and the swerves get
worse even though I am not over control-
ling, or at least I do not believe I am. The
airspeed is nudging 50 mph. I cannot
shut it down as I know that I will lose
what little ground control that I have left.
Without the prop blast across the rudder,
I could only imagine what might happen.
With the side-loaded tires complain-
ing, I released just enough forward
pressure on the stick to become air-
borne, but immediately have to add
more forward pressure to keep the nose
from rising too high. I am now flying in
ground effect, but at least I now have di-
rectional control.
( "Hold it down Donald, get some
more airspeed. " I thought to myself)
At the end of the 5,000 foot runway I
had approximately 100 feet of altitude.
My mind's really racing now.
(How about a shallow 180 degree
turn and attempt an airport landing?
This thing does not want to fly. No, no, if
you are going to lose it, lose it going
straight ahead just like your instructor
had always told you.)
I had seen the result of an emergency
180 degree turn on takeoff by a Cessna
140 pilot. It was not pretty.
Full throttle, full nose down trim, for-
ward stick pressure, and we're slowly
gaining some altitude. At 300 feet alti-
tude I made a slow, shallow turn to the
north and into the prevailing breeze. Still
full everything, and slowly, very slowly
-Continued on page 32
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Hoo boy, did we get a bucketful of re-
sponses on our July Mystery, a trainer
designed by the late Gordon Israel. Let's
get right into the mailbag, since we were
also blessed with a bunch of photos.
"The July Mystery Plane is about the
only one I've ever known, and that's only
because my partner and I own three of
them! Howard Aircraft produced a total
of 60 airframes. Designedfor the CPT
and certified with a number ofKinner
and Warner engines, it was developed
too late to get the high volume con-
tracts that Fairchild and Ryan did. The
only complete aircraft we know of is in
a museum in Fayetteville, AR. That air-
plane was actually used in the CPT
program at that field.
It's a Model 18, otherwise called a
DGA-125 Howard.
Tom Peterson
Rockton, IL
Howard Aircraft and Storm Door Co.
And a note from another owner:
Regarding the July Mystery Plane,
imagine my surprise when I recognized
the it as not only a Howard DGA-18K,
but myoId DGA-18K, N39672! And to
cap that though, the photo in my collec-
tion is almost identical to the photo in
the article. Talk about a coincidence.
The airplane was tied down at Day-
ton Municipal airport when my partner,
Charley Clayton and I bought the air-
plane in April 1955. As a sign of the
times, we paid $125 for it, and the air-
plane was still in license. Plus, the
owner threw in a seat pack parachute
in the deal.
As relatively low-time pilots we were
a little leery ofsoloing the Howard, since
we had been told numerous horror sto-
ries ofhow the airplane was unstable, a
24 OCTOBER 1999
tion Co., a large thunderstorm came up. I
heard this loud rumbling noise on the roof
that sounded like a herd ofhorses stam-
peding. Running to the hangar door, we
saw hail stones the size ofice cubes on the
ramp, big ice cubes! I thought, "Oh boy,
my aircraft is outside!" I heard later that
the company's twin Beech had severe hail
dents in its wing and fuselage skins.
The old Howard was parked at the end
ofthe ramp. As I drove up to the tiedown, it
didn't look too bad, then as I rounded the
wing, Disaster!
The fuselage fabric was shredded and
by H.G. Frautschy
hail stones had actually punctured a cou-
widowmaker, that would snap roll ifyou
got it too slow.
Charley got to fly it first since he had
more time than me. Then I flew it. It was
a good, stable aircraft for the kind offly-
ing we were doing, but we always
watched our airspeed.
We kept the Howard for a year and flew
it about 50 hours. Then one Saturday as I
was working for the Southern Ohio Avia-
ple ofplaces through the wood wing skins,
and dented the wood skin in several spots.
Well, what to do?
We recovered the fuselage top with
Grade A fabric, and patched the holes in
the wood skins. As the license was still in
effect, we flew it for a while, then sold the
Howard to a pilot in Cincinnati for $350.
That's the last I ever saw ofthe Howard
DGA-18K, N3972.
The similarity ofthe two Howard photos
is quite remarkable, as they were taken by
OctoberMysteryPlane
Our October Mystery Plane is one of the newer acquisitions by our EAA
Aviation Foundation Library. Originally on an American Airman postcard
made in 1960, the image of the round-fuselaged biplane also shows a
Jenny in the background. Send your answers to: EM Vintage Airplane,
P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Answers need to be in no
later than November 25, 1999 to be included in our January 2000 issue.
If you prefer you can e-mail your answers to vintage@eaa.org
Be certain to include both your name and the address in the body of the copy
and put "(Month) Mystery Plane" in the subject line.
DGA-125HOWARD
This shot from Scotty Markland is nearly identical to the shot we
used for our July Mystery Plane, sent to us by Brian Baker.
Bowers Collection
This factory publicity shot was taken at Chicago
Aeronautical School. The NACA cowl was added for this
shot.
The July Mystery Plane is the relatively rare 1941 Howard DGA-18K, also
known as the DGA-160, with 160 hp Kinner R-5 engine. It was an upgrade of
the DGA-125W (DGA-125) which was powered with a 125 hp Warner "Scarab"
engine. Historically, the DGA-18 is most significant in being an early example
of the then-CAA having the good sense to allow two different engines for one
basic airframe on the same approved type certificate (ATC).
The DGA-18 pair was designed to sell to the Civilian Pilot Training Program,
but was not built in quantity. The Warner model was intended as a primary
trainer and the Kinner model as a basic trainer. AT( A-739 was awarded to the
DGA-18W on March 19,1941, and the DGA-18K was added to the same certifi-
cate on April 17, 1942. - Pete Bowers, Seattle, WA
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
Jim Rezich Collection
Ralph Nortell sent us these shots of a pair of
Howard DGA-18's, NC31643, SIN 643 and
NC31620, SIN 620 taken at Swan Lake air-
port in Portland, OR in 1941.
two different photographers at different
times ofthe year, yet they are nearly identi-
cal. Your photo looks like it was taken in
the fall of1954, with grass and weeds
showing. Mine was taken in the spring of
1955, with bare, hard ground showing. The
Stinson Reliant in both photos had to be in
its permanent tie down space. Why wasn't
it flying any ofthese two days? There's an-
other story there some place! 1n my photo
its number isNC4572.
You could argue that 2photos ofany
given aircraft taken by different photogra-
phers with identical results isnot that
unusual, but how many ofthem show up 45
years later as the feature of the Mystery
Plane?
Thanks!
R.W."Scotty"Markland
Dayton,OH
26 OCTOBER 1999
Howard test pilot Walt Dieber in the prototype Model 18 at Chicago Municipal Airport.
Power was a 125hp Warner.
Jim Rezich Collection
A shot during engine runs, Frank Rezich at propeller, his brother Nick by the left wingtip.
LanyKnechtel, Seattle,W Aaddsthis:
Powered by a Kinner R-5 160 hp dual
ignition radial engine the DGA-18K had a
maximum speed of120 mph, and cruised at
109 mph using 75 percent power. En-
durance was 3-3-112 hours. Rate ofclimb
the first minute after takeofJ was 900 fpm,
with a service ceiling of14,000 ft. Climb to
5,000 ft. took 6-112 minutes. TakeofJrun
was 725 feet and landing speed was 57
mph. Cruising range was 300 miles.
Othercorrectanswerswerereceived
from:
Don Capasso,Haddonfield,NJ; Frank
K. Goebel,Joliet,IL; HaroldC. Graves,
Des Moines,IA; FrankAbar, Livonia,MI;
BenBowman,Cornwall,PA; Wallace
(Dip)Davis,Marengo,IL; F. C. "Chub"
Trainor, SantaPaula,CA; JackErickson,
StateCollege,PA; RobertE. Nelson,Bis-
marck, ND; MaxE.Hartley, Ukiah,CA;
GlennC. Humann,Everett,W A; EmilCas-
sanello,HuntingtonStation,NY; Kaz
Grevera, Sunnyvale,CA; DavidSchober,
Volga,WV; Joseph G. Handelman, An-
napolis,MD; BillMette,Campbell,CA;
DickGregersen, Pocatello,10;H.Glenn
Buffington,Baldwin,LA; James Rogers,
Lynchburg,VA; George W.Mojonnier,
Yelm, WA; RockyFarano, Gilroy,CA; H.
RayTyson,Ashland,VA; OwenBruce,
Richardson, TX; Charles F. Schultz;
Louisville,KY; 1. R. Temple,Granger, IN,
Tom Woodburn, Glen Allen, VAand
RalphNortell, Spokane,WA. ......
-Bleriot, continued from page 12
flights in the Bleriot, all successful and
without further damage. I have tried
to think of the proper way to explain
my feelings while flying the Bleriot,
and I guess the best way is to say it
is almost like being lifted off the
ground while fl yi ng a kite. You im-
mediately realize that you depend on
both the kite and the string. If either
decides to let you down the results
will be the same.
Q - Was all this worth the effort?
A - Now that you are undoubtedly
questioning my sanity for even flying
Fly-In
Calendar
The fo llowing list ofcoming events is furnished
to our readers as a matter ofinformation only
and does not cons tillite approval, sponsorship,
involvement, control or direction ofany event
(fly-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed. Please
send the information to EAA, Att: Golda Cox,
P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. In-
formation shollid be receivedfOllr months prior
to the event date.
OCTOBER 6-10 - TULLAHOMA, TN - "Beech
Party. .. Staggerwing, Twin Beech 18 and Beech
owner/enthusiasts. Sponsored by the Staggerwing
Beech Museum. Info: 931/455-1974.
OCTOBER 9 - HAMPTON, NH - 9th Annual EAA
Vintage Aircraft Assn. Chaper 15 Pumpkin Patch
Pancake Fly-In/RafJIe Drawing. Rain
date 10th. Info: 603/539-7/68.
OCTOBER 7-10 - MESA, AZ- Copperstate EAA
Regional Fly-In at Williams Gateway Airport.
Contact: Bob Hasson, 302/ 770/6420.
OCTOBER 8-10 - EVERGREEN, AL -9th Annual
South East Regional EAA Fly-In (SERFl) . Air-
show, car show. ULiLightplane operations area.
Fly-Market, workshops, FAA Wings Program. Sat.
evening awards banquet with guest speaker. Camp-
ing on field. Info: 334/578-1707.
OCTOBER 9-10 -FRANKLIN, VA - Franklin Air-
port. 29th Annual EAA Chapter 339 fly-in. For
more information, contact Walt Ohlrich at
757/486-5192.
OCTOBER 14-16 -ABILENE, TX -Southwest EAA
Regional Fly-In, Abilene Regional Airport (AB1).
Info: 1-800/727-7704.
such a crazy machine, I will tell you
why I think it is important that we
keep these old crates flying . I hon-
estl y believe that with great care and
precaution these aircraft can be safely
flown within a controlled environ-
ment. I also b eli eve that it is
tremendously important that our fu -
ture generations have the opportunity
to see some of this primitive technol-
ogy in action to fully appreciate what
it took to get us where we are today. It
seems hard to associate the feelings I
have tried to express whi le dining
comfortably somewhere over the Pa-
cific on a IS-hour nonstop flight from
Los Angeles to Hong Kong delivering
the Farman Boxkite. I wonder what
the next movie will be or should I just
take a nap?
Modern day flight as a passenger
can show us just how far we moved
over a century of flight, and the fact
that jet aircraft flight for a commercial
passenger was happening only SO years
after the first passenger flights during
the opening years of the 20th century
was nothing short of amazing. Con-
gratulations to Roger Freeman and the
folks who help him at Vintage A via-
tion Services in Marion, TX for helping
keep the pioneering soul of aviation
alive and well. - H.G. Frautschy .......
Backlight stays on until you turn it
PAYS FOR ITSELF AS YOU USE IT
Pick up ATIS and get clearance
before the Hobbs starts running!
NEW! BUILT-IN SIDE TONE
Includes headset interface &PTT jack
LOUD, CRISP AUDIO
An audio cuts through high cabin noise
SIMPLE TO OPERATE
ICOM's single knob tuning - instant
frequency selection even in turbulent conditions
50 userprogrammable memory channels
Instant access to 121 .5 MHz
RUGGED ERGONOMIC DESIGN
One-piece die-cast aluminum chassis
with asuper-tough polycarbonate casing
ALL AT AVERY REASONABLE PRICE!
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
VINTAGEMERCHANDISE
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TonyHoltham............ .. ............. .. .............
.............Eumundi,Queensland,Australia
EduardoDienstmannBica.................. .....
...... ..... ..... .. ......... .. ....PortoAlegre,Brazil
Ricardo Rech........ .. CaxiasdoSui,Brazil
JohnBailey... .... ..... .... .... ..Dublin,Ireland
FabioPettinari.......... .. ......Macerata,Italy
ShujiSaitoh.......J(jtaKu, Sapporo,Japan
WilliamCessna.. .... ... ... ......... ....APO,AE
RobertPiatt... ......... ........ ...... . Palmer,AK
MikeAtkinson......... ..........Chandler,AZ
WilliamF. Baley........ .. ......Tulelake,CA
WalterG. Boeck.......RanchMurieta,CA
BertieK. Duffy... ...........StudioCity,CA
DonHamiel...... .. ........ .....SanDiego,CA
DouglasCharlesMaclellan.......... ...... ......
........... ................ ...... ..PlayaDelRey,CA
AndyMadans.... ...ManhattanBeach,CA
RodmanSmith.................SanDiego,CA
KennethStickney... ............Glendale,CA
EdwardR. Wamock... ..CanogaPark,CA
JeffreyWilson....................Fulierton,CA
WilliamO. Joseph...... ............ . Eagle, CO
BarbaraA.Johnson.. .. ...Woodbridge,CT
DuaneBrown............ ..... ...Claymunt,DE
ThomasE. Schroer..... ... Wilmington,DE
RobertA. Berman..... ...... ... ..... .... ...... .. .....
.. ... .. ... .. .. .. .... .....PalmBeachGardens,FL
EvanB.Demusz.. ....PortSaintLucie,FL
ArchieMcLachlen.... .......CapeCoral,FL
RobertB.Nissley.. .NewPortRichey,FL
CliveE. Roberson..........PalmBeach,FL
StevenE. Simmons...... ...........Destin,FL
LuisR. Verdiales...... .......J(jssimmee,FL
KennethRiver................ .. ...Newnan,GA
RickA. Sandstrom.. .....CedarRapids,IA
JamesG.Schilling.. ..... .......Dubuque,IA
RandySmith..... ... ...............Pinehurst,ID
PhilipB. Bartnicki....DownersGrove,IL
RobertH. Bennett...... ... ... ..... .....Joliet,IL
AlbertG.Biliskis..... ...... ... . VillaPark,IL
KarlBreehne.....................Greenville,IL
MarshallD. Brown...... .......Princeton,IL
Brent1. Higgins..... ........ ...... .. Tuscola,IL JosephS.Callewaert.....Wilmington,OH
MicheleWillis.... ................Yorkville,IL EarleL. Olson......................Medina,OH
James1. Baird........ ...........Valparaiso,IN TerryFoumier...... ..... ..... .... ......Bend,OR
SteveR. Patton... .. ...........Noblesville,IN MacE. Purvis,Jr. .. .... ........ ...... . Mars,PA
DonaldW. Lea.. ...............Hammond,LA CharlesBevitt.. ....... ....... ... . RockHill,SC
TheodoreDourdeville..........Marion,MA MelvinMarquette.. .. ......... .. ...Bristol,TN
LouCosimano...........Davidsonville,MD DavidF.Lyons, Sr. ...........Eliasville,TX
ChesterOrlowski......RochesterHills,MI RymerH.Smith...... ...... ...BigSandy,TX
GenePurvis........ .... ............Ellisville,MS EdwardDullaghan.... .. .. Chesapeake, VA
LawrenceW. Fink...............Clayton,NC FrankLouisA. Isbell....Chesterfield, VA
RobertC. Potter............. .. .......Sussex,NJ BruceA. Martin..... .... ....... .. ..Draper,VA
GeorgeWagner... ................ .Flanders,NJ Co1mMeaney.....................Ashbum,VA
IanBaren......... ..... ... ...........Katonah,NY JoeEdardBorzynski.. .....Franksville,WI
KevinB.Costello.... .......OysterBay,NY EvanDoering... ...................Baraboo,WI
JerryA. McCurdy......... ....Liverpool,NY StephenJ. Groth.... ....... .......Viroqua,WI
GeorgeH. PalmerWashingtonMills,NY TimHowlett......... .............Merrimac,WI
WalterBailey............. ... ...Cincinnati,OH JamesM. Jordan........ ......Dodgeville,WI
JimBeisner.......... ....... ..............Troy,OH BrianR.Young......... .... ............Lodi,WI
VINtAGE TRADER
~ ?
Something to buy, sell or trade?
An inexpensive ad in the Vintage Trader may be just the answer to obtaining that elusive part.
.50 per word, $8.00 minimum charge. Send your ad and payment to: Vintage Trader, EAA Avia-
tion Gel/ter, P. O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, or fax your ad and your credit card
number to 920/426-4828. Ads must be received by the 20th ofthe month for insertion in the issue
the second month following (e.g., October 20th for the December issue.)
MISCELLANEOUS
BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod bearings, main bearings, camshaft bearings, master rods,
valves. Call us Toll Free 1/800/233-6934, e-mail ramremfg@aol.com Web site http://www.
ramengine.com VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS, N. 604 FREYA ST., SPOKANE, WA 99202.
FREE CATALOG: Aviation books and videos. How to, building and restoration tips, historic, fly-
ing and entertainment titles. Call for a free catalog. EAA, 1-800-843-3612.
Newsletters for Arctic/Interstate (6 Back issues/$9.00), Beaver/Otter (3/$5.00), Norseman
(16/$21.00). $16.50/4 issues. Free sample: write, call, fax. ALL credit cards accepted. Dave
Neumeister, Publisher, 5630 South Washington, Lansing, MI 48911-4999. 800/594-4634,
517/882-8433. Fax: 800/596-8341, 517/882-8341 .
BROWNBACKTIGER/Anzani 90hp, need info and spare parts for this 6 cylinder twin row radial.
Ralph Graham, St. Paul, MN (651)452-3629, e-mail : GevonG@aol.com
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
VINTAGE
AIRCRAFT
Services Directory_
Enjoy the many benefits ofBAA and the
BAA Vintage Aircraft Association
EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, OshkoshWI 54903-3086
Phone(920)426-4800 Fax(920)426-4873
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ASSOCIATION
OFFICERS
President VicePresident
Espie 'Butch'Joyce GeorgeDaubner
P,O, Box35584 2448 LoughLane
Greensboro,NC27425 Hartford,WI 53027
336/393-0344 414/673-5885
email:windsock@aol.com
e-mail:antlque2@aol.com
Treasurer
Secretary
ChanesW. Harris
SteveNesse
7215East46thSt,
2009HighlandAve,
Tulsa, OK 74145
AlbertLea,MN56007
918/622-8400
507/373-1674
cwh@hvsu,com
DIRECTORS
RobertC, ' Bob' Brauer SieveKrog
9345S, Hoyne 1002HeatherLn,
Chicago,IL50620 Hartford,WI 53027
7731779-2105 414/96&-7627
e-mail:photopllot@aoI.com e-mail:sskrog@aol.com
JohnBerendt
7645EchoPointRd. RobertLickteig
CannonFalls, MN55009 1708BoyOcksDr,
507/263-2414 AlbertLeo,MN56007
507/373-2922
JohnS.Copeland
1 ADeaconStreet RobertD. 'Bob' Lumley
Northborough,MA01532 1265South 124thSl.
508/393-4775 Brooklield,WI 53005
e-mail: 414/782-2633
copeland1 @juno,com e-mail:
lumper@execpc,com
PhilCoulson
28415SpringbrookDr,
Lawton,M149065 GeneMorris
616/624-6490 5936steveCourt
Rooncke,TX 76262
RogerGomoll 817/491-9110
321-1/2S, Broadway#3 e-mail:nD3copt@ftash.net
Rochester,MN55904
507288-2810
DeanRichardson
rgomoll@heritagehalls,org
6701 ColonyDr,
Madison,WI53717
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608/833-1291
7724ShadyHill Dr,
dar@resprod.com
Indianapolis,IN 46278
317/293-4430
Geo"Robison
JeannieHill
1521 E, MacGregorDr,
P,O, Box328
NewHoven.IN46774
Harvard,IL50033
219/493-4724
815/943-7205
e-mail:chief7025@aoI.com
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2359LefeberAvenue
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414/771-1545
shschmid@execpc,com
DIRECTORS
EMERITUS
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Union,IL60180
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email:buck7oc@mc.net
ADVISORS
David BenneH AlanShackleton
11741 WallRd. P.O, Box656
GrassValley.CA95949 SugarGrove.IL60554-0656
530/268-1585 630/466-4193
ontlquer@inreoch.com 103346,1772@compcoerve,com
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VINTAGEAIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) IPM 1482602 is published and owned exclusively by the EMVintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EMAviation Center, 3000
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30 OCTOBER 1999
Gr
Ken and Beverly Hyde with Cliff Robertson' during the filming ofEAA 's "Young Eagles."
KenHyde
Warrenton VA
Founded antique
aircraft restoration firm,
Virginia Aviation Co.,
in 1965
American Airlines pilot -
1965 to 1997
Co-founderof
The Wright Experiment
AUAis

approved.
Tobecomea
member of the
Vintage Aircraft
Association call
800-843-3612
"Whetheritis flying theJennyto
Oshkosh with Charlie Kulp orfilming
EAA' s" Young Eagles" with Cliff
Robertson,AUAhasalwaysbeen there
forus.Thanks AUA!"
- Ken &BeverlyHyde
The above photograph does not represent an
endorsement byCliff Robertson ofAUA, Inc.
The bestis affordable.
GiveAUAacall - it's FREE!
800-727-3823
Fly with the pros.. .fly with AUA Inc.
AUA's Exclusive EAA
Vintage Aircraft Assoc.
Insurance Program
Lowerliability nd hull premiums
Medicalpaym nts included
Fleetdiscounts ormultipleaircraft
carrying III risk coverages
Nohand-propp\ng exclusion
Noagepenal
arts endorsements
Discountsforclaim-free renewals
carrying II risk coverages
Remember,
We'reBetterTogether'
AVIATION UNLIMITED AGENCY
- CG Woes Continuedfrom page 23
nearing600feet. Dougiesays,"Boy,
whataview,thisthingreallygoes."
"Yea,"Ireply, " it'sgreat."I fly a
widedownwindlegat800 feet. I have
hadsomeprettybigloadsin therearseat
on hot days - maybe not as big as
Dougie, butithas neveraffectedthe
controloftheAeronca.
(Wait a minute, Donald, you don ' f
suppose that you have a load of water in
the tail do you; how could it be? You
checked the drain grommet at the bottom
ofthe vertical stabilizer post in the filse-
lage a while back. Well, ifthis is the case
let 's try to nose down and dump it out
through the inspection plates in the belly.
It can 't hurt to get the center ofgravity
further forward anyway.)
1havethenosedownasbestIcanwith
thestickagainsttheforward stop,andcan
onlyget70mphonbasewithheavythrot-
tle. Imakeashallowlefttumonto fmal at
400feetandIamnowcontrollingthe de-
sentoftheairplanewiththe throttleat
cruisepower(2,150rpm) makingslight
correctionsin thestickforwardmodeto
keepthe tail from fallingoutfrom under
us. As1flew itontotherunwaytherewas
no flare outbecausewewerein "super
flare"positionall duringthe fmalleg.
1havereadthatawingwillnotflyat
morethana 17degreeangleofattack,but
1wouldswearthatwhenthetail wheel
touchedthe runwaytheAeroncawas an-
gledat30degreesandthenpitchedup to
45 degrees.1thoughtweweregoingover
backwardsdueto theentirebottomofthe
wingbeingexposedto groundeffectand
the prevailingwindaddedtoourforward
speed.1stillhad full forwardstick, butto
no avail.Thetailwheelwasrollingonthe
runway. Thenosestoppedrisingand
starteddownwithincreasingspeed,meet-
ingthepavementwithajarringslam.
(Thankyouoilandspringoleos.)1slowly
taxiedto ourtiedownspotandasked
Dougieto getmycamerafrom thecarso
that1couldtakehispicturebytheplane.
1thentookasmallpieceofweedand
pusheditintothedraingrommetatthe
bottomrearpostofthefuselage. Water
drainedforaboutfive secondsbefore it
cloggedup.1didthisagainandagain,
withthe sameresults. Finally,1tooka
small screwdriverfrom theAeroncadoor
pocketandmadea two inchslitin the
fabricjustaheadofthedraingrommet.
Waterpouredoutandcontinuedtofor a
while! It seemed like five gallons
egressed;itcouldhavebeenmoreorless.
Dougiecamebackwiththecamera
and1tookhis picturebytheplane.He
keeptellingme whatagreatrideitwas.
1finallytoldhim,"Idon'tthinkwe
willgetanotherride like it."
Thefollowing evening1sewedand
dopedapatchoverthetwo inchsplit,and
dopedonabunchofdraingrommetson
thebellyofthe fuselage.Then1cutout
thesmallholeinthe middleofeachof
them.Joe signeditoff. Whenwe laterre-
coveredtheAeronca1placedatleastten
seaplanegrommetsinstrategiclocations
alongthe bottomofthefuselage.
Whatdid1learnaboutflying from
that?
A. Raincanbejustas dangerous as
frost,iceorsnow.
B. Clearall,repeatall, draingrommets
beforeflying.
C.TheAeronca7ACChampisone
heckofaforgivingairplane! .....
Ufr
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