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STRAIGHT AND LEVEUButch]oyce

VAA NEWS

THE FOKKER C.III Pete Bowers

FLIGHT TO COLUMBINE! Pat Quinn

10 VAA HALL OF FAME INTRODUCES JACK COX


12 TWIN TAIL TROPHY WINNERI Budd Davisson
18 TYPE CLUB NOTESI HG. Frautschy
22 WHAT OUR MEMEBERS ARE RESTORINGI

H G. Frautschy
24

MYSTERY PLANE! HG. Frautschy

26 PASS IT TO BUCK! Buck Hilbert


27 WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
29 CALENDAR/CLASSIFIEDS

www.vintageaircraft.org
Puhlisher

TOM POBEREZNY

Editor-ill-Orief

scon SPANGLER

Executive Director, Editor

HENRY G. FRAUTSCHY

VAA A dmillistrative A ssistant

THERESA BOOKS

Ex ecutive E ditor

MIKE DIFRISCO

COlltributillg Editors

JOHN UNDERWOOD
BUDD DAVISSON

A rtIPhoto Layout

BETH BLANCK

Photography Staff

JIM KOEPNICK
LEEANN ABRAMS
MARK SCHAIBLE

Advertising/Editorial Assis/Qllt

ISABELLE WISKE

THE COVERS
Front Cover ... Mike Greenblatt's family enjoys flying their aeronautical equivalent of a
Chevy Suburban, their restored Beech 0-18. It was awarded the Reserve Grand Champion
Classic trophy during EM AirVenture 2000. EM photo by Mark Schaible, shot with a
Canon EOS1n equipped with an 80-200mm lens on 100 ASA Fuji slide film. EM Cessna
210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.
Back Cover ... Cliff Amrhein, 2850 Ridge Road, Harrison, Michigan 48625, painted
"See OC-3" using watercolors on art board. He dug into his personal archive of reference
photos for afew pictures taken at LAX in the early 1950s for this view. His love for the
OC-3 spans many years, and is rooted in the fact that the OC-3 entered commercial
service the same year Cliff was born -1935. Cliff's painting was presented with an
"Honorable Mention" ribbon during the 2000 Sport Aviation Art Competition

SEE PAGE 31 FOR FURTHER VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INFORMATION

ST AIGHT & LEV EL

by ESPIE "BUTCH" JOYCE


PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Another year has


come and gone with re
markable speed for me.
From an operational
standpoint, this past
year has produced some terrific changes in your Vintage
Airplane Association. During the year 2000 we welcomed
H.G. to his new status as the Vintage Aircraft Association's
Executive Director. H.G. has been the Editor of your Vin
tage Airplane magazine since 1990 and has, by default,
been doing a lot of the legwork for the VAA on his own
time. Much of that work, (and more!) now comes under
his duties as Executive Director. As part of the executive
staff at EAA Headquarters he now attends manager's com
mittee meetings that relate to your VAA and adds our
voice to matters that concern all of us. It also pleases us to
announce that during the past month Theresa Books
came on board as part-time assistant to the VAA Executive
Director and to help on the administrative side of our op
eration. This move will enable your Association to be
much better informed and up to speed with those things
that affect your aviation interests.
We welcome your input regarding the types of pro
grams and benefits you think the VAA should offer the
membership-feel free to drop us a line at vintage@eaa.org
or at EAA, Vintage Aircraft Association, PO Box 3086,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.
We also elected to expand the Contemporary category
to include those aircraft that were manufactured up
through December 31,1965. These aircraft were also
judged for the first time this past year during EAA AirVen
ture in Oshkosh. The VAA is now offering a number of
benefits to the membership; in addition to Vintage Air
plane magazine, we give you access one of the best group
aircraft insurance programs in existence, an active and
growing web site at www.vintageaircraft.org, and our VAA
chapter network has grown to some 23 very active chap
ters. And we're not stopping there! With your input, we'll
continue to improve your association.
The Vintage area of the AirVenture grounds continues
to be improved each year, a direct result of the dedication
of a number of volunteers who work each weekend before
and after the Convention. Many of these projects are
funded from your VAA treasury.
As a group we have become more involved in working
with the FAA to educate their people regarding a common
sense approach to the operation and maintenance of our vin
tage aircraft. It often can be a big job as new people come
into the FAA, but being proactive will payoff in the long run.

The Vintage Aircraft Association has always operated at


the near break-even point. It is very costly to change a
dues structure on an annual basis because of the changes
that have to be made to promotional materials, renewal
notices, and other printed matter. Therefore we generally
structure the dues charges so they will even out over a six
year period. Six years ago we had a dues increase of $9,
from $18.00 to $27.00. As we put ourselves on the posi
tive side of the ledger, we were able to put funds in our
treasury to pay for improvements in the magazine,
changes to our AirVenture facilities, and add programs
such as our safety forums during AirVenture. By carefully
watching our spending we've been able to stave off a dues
increase, even as postage, printing, and inflation in gen
eral has nibbled away at our narrow margin. For several
years we have broken even, but to avoid putting ourselves
in a difficult position financially, it is now time for us to
once again increase the dues.
After a productive discussion at our fall Board meeting,
our Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the
Treasurer, has voted to approve an increase in the annual
VAA dues to $36.00 per year. Once again, that's an in
crease of $9 per year.
We have appointed one of the VAA Board advisors to
serve out the unexpired term of our late director, Dobbie
Lickteig. David Bennett lives on the West Coast and has
been very conscientious about attending meetings in
Oshkosh at his own expense. Welcome to the Board, Dave!
We have several nominations for individuals who wish to
be appointed as advisors to the Board. The Board will vote
on these nominations during our Spring Board meeting on
March 30, 2001. At this meeting, we also will have our fi
nal recommendation from the Hall of Fame committee for
our inductees in the VAA Hall of Fame during 200l.
HG informed me today that the final ruling has come
down from the FAA regarding the spar inspection for
American Champion/Aeronca airplanes that are equipped
with wooden spars. This inspection will surely generate
plenty of additional comments and articles. The gist of
the AD can be read on the next page.
Old Man Winter has settled on North Carolina and
everything is tucked away in the hanger waiting for win
ter work. I have to annual the Baron and Luscombe this
month so I had better get busy. My best wishes to you all
in the coming year-lets all work to make it one of the
safest yet!
To that end, lets all pull in the same direction for the
good of aviation. Remember we are better together. Join
us and have it all!
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

VAANEWS

2000-25-02 American Champion


Aircraft Company (ACAC): Amend
ment 39-12036; Docket No.
98-CE-121-AD; Supersedes AD 98-05
04, Amendment 39-10365.
(a) What airplanes are affected by
this AD? This AD applies to the fol
lowing airplane models, all serial
numbers, certificated in any cate
gory, that are equipped with wood
wing spars:
(1) Group 1 airplanes: ACAC Models
7AC, 7ACA, S7 AC, 7BCM (L-16A),
7CCM (L-16B), S7CCM, 7DC, S7DC,
7EC, S7EC, 7FC, 7JC, 11AC, SllAC,
l1BC, Sl1BC, l1CC, and Sl1CC air
planes that have not been modified to

incorporate an engine with greater


than 90 horsepower.
(2) Group 2 airplanes: ACAC Models
7ECA, 7GC, 7GCA, 7GCAA, 7GCB ,
7GCBA, 7GCBC, 7HC, 7KC, 7KCAB,
8GCBC, and 8KCAB airplanes; and
any of the airplane models referenced
in paragraph (a)(l) of this AD that
have been modified to incorporate an
engine with greater than 90 horse
power.
(b) Who must comply with this
AD? Anyone who wishes to operate
any of the above airplanes must com
ply with this AD.
(c) What problem does this AD ad
dress? The actions specified by this
AD are intended to detect and repair
or replace damaged wood wing spars.
Continued operation with such

Action

Compliance TIme

Procedures

(1) Inspection Requirements:Inspect (detoiled visual) the err


tire length of the front and rear wood wing spars for
cracks, compression cracks, longitudinal cracks through
the boltholes or nail holes, or loose or missing rib nails.
We will refer to these conditions as damage throughout
the rest of this section.
(2) Additional Inspection Requirements:If, after January 19,
2001 (the effective day of this AD), any airplane is in
valved in an accident/incident that involves wing
damage (e.g., wing surface deformations such as abra
sions, gouges, scratches, or dents, etc.), accomplish the
inspection required in poragraph (d) (1) of this AD.
(3) Replacement Requirements: If any damage is found dur
ing any inspection required by this AD, repair or replace
the wood spor.
(4) Reporting Requirements: If any damage is found during
any inspection required by this AD, submit aMalfunction
or Defect Report (M or D), FAA Form 8010-4, to the
FAA.
(j) Include the airplane model and serial number, the extent
of the damage (location and type), and the number of to
tol hours timeirrservice (TIS) on the damaged wing.
(ij) You may submit Mor Dreports electronicol~ by accessing
the FAA AFS-600 web page at http://www.mmac.jc
cbi.gov/afs/afs600 [This is the new location:
http://afs600.faa.gov'/'j]. Because you will lose ac'
cess to the report once you electronically submit it, we
recommend that you print two copies prior to submitting
the report and forward one to the Chicago ACO and keep
the other for your records.
(iij) The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved
the information collection requirements contained in this
regulation under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduc
tion Act of 1980 (14 U.s.c. 3501 et seq.). The OMB
assigned this approval Control Number 212(}{)056.

Initially inspect at the first annual inspection that occurs 30


calendar days or more after January 19, 2001 (the effec
tive date of this AD), whichever occurs later.

compiled by H.G. Frautschy


AMERICAN CHAMPION/ AERONCA
FINAL SPAR AD
Just as this issue was going to press,
the FAA issued the final version of
Airworthiness Directive AD 2000-25
02, which will become effective
January 19, 2001. The new AD super
sedes AD 98-05-04. For the entire text,
as published in the December 18,
2000, edition of the Federal Register,
please go to EAA's website at
www.eaa.org for a news story that in
cludes a link to the VAA website and
a PDF copy of the AD. Included in
that document is the FAA's discussion
of the various comments received in

'1.

JANUARY Luul

response to the original AD . Here 's


the final version of the AD:

Prior to further flight after each aCCident/incident that in


volved wing damage.

Prior to further flight after the inspection where the damage


is found.
Within 10 days after the inspection where the damage was
found or within 10 days after January 19, 2001 (the ef
fective date of this AD), whichever occurs later.

Accomplish in accordance with the instructions in ACAC Service


Letter No. 406, Revision A, doted May 6, 1998. This service bu~
letin specifies as on FAAapproved inspection option using a
higlHntenSily flexible light (e.g."Bend-Ai.ighr'). Aregular flash
light must not be used for this portion of the inspection .
Alternative FMilpproved inspection options are listed in this ser
vice bulletin. (for actions 1&2)

In accordance with Advisory Circular (AO 43.13-1 B, Accept


able Methods, Techniques, and Practices, or other data that
is FAAilPProved for wing spar repair or replacement.
Mail the information to: FAA, Chicago Aircraft Certification
Office (ACO), Attention: Docket No. 98{E-12J.AD, 2300
E. Devon Avenue, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018; facsimile:
(847) 294-7834. You may also file electronically as dis
cussed in this AD.

Group 1 Airplanes

cracks and damage could progress to


an in-flight structural failure of the
wing with consequent loss of control
of the airplane.
(d) What actions must be accom
plished on all Group 1 airplanes to
address this problem? For any Group 1
airplane as referenced in paragraph
(a)(l) of this AD, the following must
be accomplished to address the prob
lem: (see chart on page 2).
(e) What actions must be accom
plished on all Group 2 airplanes to
address this problem? For any Group 2
airplane as referenced in paragraph
(a)(2) of this AD, the following must
be accomplished to address the prob
lem: (see chart below).

(f) Can I comply with this AD in


any other way?
(1) You may use an alternative
method of compliance or adjust the
compliance time if: (i) Your alterna
tive method of compliance provides
an equivalent level of safety; and (U)
The Manager, Chicago Aircraft Certifi
cation Office, approves your
alternative. Submit your request
through an FAA Principal Mainte
nance Inspector, who may add
comments and then send it to the
Manager.
(2) ACAC Service Letter 406, Revi
sion A, and ACAC Service Letter 417,
Revision C, both dated May 6, 1998,
specify additional inspection and in

stallation alternatives over that in


cluded in the original issue of these
service letters. All inspection and in
stallation alternatives presented in
these service letters are acceptable for
accomplishing the applicable actions
of this AD.
(3) Alternative methods of compli
ance approved in accordance with AD
98-05-04, which is superseded by this
AD, are approved as alternative meth
ods of compliance with this AD.
Note: This AD applies to each air
plane identified in paragraph (a) of
this AD, regardless of whether it has

Action

Compliance TIme

Procedures

(1) Inspection Requirements: Inspect (detailed visuol) the


en~re length of the front and

rear wood wing spars for


cracks, compression cracks, longitudinal cracks through
the boltholes or nail holes, or loose or missing rib noils.
We will refer to these conditions as damage throughout
the rest of this section.
(2) Additional Inspection Requirements: If, after January
19,2001 (the effective date of this AD), any airplane
is involved in an accident/incident that involves wing
damage (e.g., wing surface deformations such as abra
sions, gouges, scratches, or dents, etc.), accomplish the
inspection required in paragraph (e)(l) of this AD.

(1)

Ini~ally inspect at the first annual inspernon that occurs 30


colendar days or more after January 19, 2001 (the effec
tive date of this AD), or within the next 13 calendar
months after Jonuory 19, 2001 (the effec~ve date of this
AD), whichever occurs later. Repe@vely inspect thereafter
at intervals not to exceed 500 hours timein-service (TIS)
or 12 colendar months, whichever occurs first.

- continued on page 2S

Accomplish in accordance with the instructions in American


Champion Aircraft Corporation (ACAC) Service letter No.
406, Revision A, dated May 6, 1998. This service bulletin
specifies an FAAilpproved inspection option using ahiglrin
tensity flexible light (e.g ., "Bend-A-light"). Aregular
Aashlight must not be used far this portion of the inspection.
Alternative FAAilpproved inspection options are listed inthis
service bulletin (for Actions 1&2)

(2) Prior to further flight after each accident/incident that


involved wing damage.

(3) Replacement Requirements: If ony damage is found


during any inspection required by this AD, repair or ra
place the wood spar.

(3) Prior to further flight after the inspection where the


damage is found.

In accordance with AdviSOry Circular (AO 43.131 B, Accept


able Methods, Techniques, and Practices, or other data that
is FAAilpproved for wing spar repair or replacement.

(4) Reporting Requirement: If any damage is found during


any inspection required by this AD, submit aMalfunction
or Defect Report (M or D), FAA Form 80104, to the
FAA.

(4) Within 10 days after the inspection where the damage


was found or within 10 days after Jonuary 19, 2001
(the effective date of this AD), whichever occurs later.

Mail the information to: FAA, Chicago Aircraft Certification


Office (ACO), Attention: Docket No. 98{E12l-AD, 2300
E. Devon Avenue, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018; facsimile:
(847) 2947834. You may also file electronically os dis
cussed in this AD.

(j) Include the airplane model and serial number, the extent

of the damage (iocation ond type), and the number of


total TIS on the damaged wing.
(ii) You may submit Mor Dreports electronically by access
ing the FAA AFS600 web page at http://
www.mmac.jccbi.gov/afs/ afs600 [This is the new lo
cation : http://afs600.faa.gov./l. Becouse you will
lose access to the report once you electronically submit
it, we recommend printing two copies prior to submitting
the report ond forward one to the Chicago ACO and keep
the other for your records.
(iii) The Office of Monagement and Budget (OMB) opproved
the informotion collection requirements contained in this
regulation under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduc
tion Act of 1980 (14 U.s.c. 3501 et seq.). The OMB
assigned this approval Control Number 212(}{)056.

Group 2 Airplanes
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

he September Mystery fuselage and tail with a ply


Plane is a Dutch Fokker wood-covered wooden canti
F. VII, specifically cln lever wing. The powerplant
47S9, and the first of only five for H-NACC was a 360-hp
F. VIIs built. Its first flight was British Rolls-Royce Eagle V-12
water-cooled engine, but the
on April II, 1924.
The design was a develop equivalent British Napier Lion
ment of the earlier and comm and French Gnome-rhone
ercially successful EIII single-en Jupiter were offered as alter
gine transport . The F. VII was natives.
H-NACC became famous for
designed to the requirements of
the Dutch airline KLM for a completing the 1S,OOO-kilome
larger eight-passenger, two-crew, ter (7 , 200 mile) flight from
single-engine cabin monoplane. Amsterdam to Batavia in the
It was designed by Walter Netherlands East Indies. For
Rethel, who departed somewhat this, the plane was sold to the
from traditional Fokker details Netherlands Indies Flying Expe
developed over previous years dition, and takeoff was on
by Rhienhold Platz. Rethel did October 3, 1924. Two days later
retain the basic Platz/Fokker the plane was down in Bulgaria
structure of a welded steel tube after the engine failed from loss

of water. The plane was dam


aged in the landing. The repairs
were easy, but the ruined en
gine was a problem; the backers
of the expedition had no money
to buy another engine. A Dutch
magazine came to the rescue by
raising funds from its readers
for a replacement. The flight
continued on November 2, and
H-NACC reached Batavia on
November 4, receiving a won
derful welcome.

by Pete Bowers
4 JANUARY

2001

'ft'!.

. 1t

'.

",}

This view of the third F.VIIA, un 4901,


emphasizes the new wingtip shape and
revised landing gear of the F.VIIA. In 1928
many of the international registration let
ters were changed; Holland got PH in place
of H, so HNACT became PH-ACT. It was
destroyed during the initial bombing of
Holland on May 10,1940.

The original F. VII design had


plenty of room for growth. Although
only five F.VIIs were built, the fol
lowing F.VIIA and F.VIIB models
made air transportation history .
They were the most widely built
transports of their time and could al
most be regarded as the DC-3 of the
late 1920s.
On the F.VIIA, the 60-foot-ll
inch wingspan of the F.VII was
changed to 64 feet 2 inches, and the
horn-balanced ailerons were now
inset inboard of the tips. The fuse
lage and tail remained the same,
but the complex landing gear was
greatly simplified by running the
shock-absorber strut straight up to

Fokker not only added his name to the standard white rectangles on his Ford Tour F.VIIA/3M,
but he also added it to the leading edges of the wing. Here the tri-motor is being evaluated
by the u.s. Army Air Service at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio.

the front wing spar. Forty F.VllAs


were built, with options for seven
different engines. Rethel had devel
oped removable and interchange
able motor mounts, so it was easy
to switch to a different engine in
the same plane.

A real breakthrough came when


the second F.VIIA was quickly modi
fied at Tony Fokker's request. He
wanted to enter the 1925 Ford Relia
bility Tour to be held in the United
States from September 28 through
October 4, 1925, over a distance of
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

This view of H-NACC shows the origi nal F.VII horn-balanced ailerons and the complex
landing gear struts. Theletter H in the registration did not mean Holland; H was
assigned t o Haiti, Holland, Hu ngary, and Siam . For Hu ngary, the first letter after the
dash was M, for Magyar Repu blic; for Holland, it was N for Netherlands. The following
three letters were the ind ividua l aircraft registration, starting with the block AAA.

1,900 miles. Reliability of the air

~~~~:r~;;u:~et~::t~!el:~tnr~li:~l~
part of the airplane was the engine.
By using three engines in an F.VIIA,
the plane could keep going if one
engine failed.
The F.VIIA was easily converted to
a tri-motor by removing the 4S0-hp
Bristol Jupiter radial engine from the
nose, replacing it with a 200-hp
American Wright J-4, and adding
two more J-4s directly over the
wheels in nacelles under each wing.
Fokker's flamboyant ways and the
performance of h is tri-motor, now
deSignated F.VIIA/3M, dominated
the tour and turned it into the
Fokker PubliCity Tour.
The U.S. Army and Navy tested
the F. VIlA/3M and had Fokker's
American factory, Atlantic Aircraft,
build minor variants.
Sixteen more F.VIlA/3Ms were
built in Holland, with several being
6 JANUARY

2001

FOKKER F.VII H-NACC SPECIFICATIONS:

POWERPLANT ROLLS-ROYCE EAGLE IX 360HP

WINGSPAN

70 FEET, 1 INCH

LENGTH

44 FEET, 3 INCHES

WING AREA

770.7 SO. FEET

EMPTY WEIGHT

4,301 POUNDS

GROSS WEIGHT

7,161 POUNDS

HIGH SPEED

94.39 MPH

CRUISE SPEED

84.3 MPH

CEILING

14,7000 FEET

Edsel Ford, Henry Ford's son, bought the first


F.vIlAl3M for commander Byrd's 1926 Arctic
Expedition. It was repainted, but it remained a
Fokker billboard. Josephine Ford was Edsel Ford's
daughter. The BA-1 meant Byrd Arctic No. 1. (No.2
was a Curtiss Oriole biplane.) The Josephine Ford is
now on display in the Ford Museum in Dearborn,
Michigan .

ex ported to the United States. The real


breakthrough came with the F.VIIB/3M,
which increased the wingspan to 71 feet 2
inches and increased the power. Fokker
built 74 F.VIIB/3Ms; 13 were built by
Plage & Laskiewicz in Poland, 13 in Eng
land by Avro, 18 in Czechoslovakia by
Avia, 27 in Belgium by SABCA, and three
in Italy by Romeo.
......

The first F.VIIA, dn 4899, had a 420-hp Liberty


engine and was shipped to the United States.
Since Fokker used large white rectangles to back
up aircraft registrations, and the United States
did not have registration at the time, Fokker took
advantage of the blank space to create a verita
ble Fokker billboard . This one justified Fokker's
choice of a tri-motor; engine failure forced it
down while en route to the Ford Tour.
The big seller of the F.VII line, with 115 built, was
the long-wing F.VIIB/3M . The B-wing is easy to
spot by the flat section of the trailing edge from
the nacelles inward to the fuselage. This one, for
Swissair, has 330-hp Wright J-6-9 engines. The
Swiss had their own unique registration system.
CH on the rudder, under the right wingtip, and
above the left, stood for Confederation
Helvetique, and the aircraft registration was in
simple numerical sequence. Switzerland changed
to HB and three letters in 1934.

Flight to Col~!!!!!!:';!~

By Pat Quinn
olumbine is a name made in
famous by a senseless act that
stunned our nation. Before
Columbine was a high school, I be
lieve it was partly a small airport
serving the Denver area to the
northeast.
In the early 1960's, I was a young
pilot, full of spit and vinegar, who
thought I had this pilot game pretty
much figured out. On a December
day my oldest brother , Jay, ap
proached me with the idea of
ferrying a friend's eighty-five horse
power Luscombe 8E from our home
airport in San Fernando, California,
to Denver. Chuck, the owner, had
been transferred to that city where
he worked as a pilot for a major air
line. I immediately agreed, never
giving the winter weather the slight
est consideration. I was a Southern
California kid and the weather and
temperatures were more or less the
same everywhere. Right?
In my mind it all looked so easy.
With 32 gallons of gasoline and a 6
gallon per hour burn, range was not
a problem. I devised a chart system
for the cramped confines of the Lus
combe's cockpit. I taped strips of
WAC charts together and rolled
them onto cardboard paper towel
rollers. When finished, I had two
very long charts. One ran from Cali
fornia to Las Vegas, New Mexico,
and the other depicted the east side
of the Rocky Mountains to north of
Denver. I thought it should be an
easy flight.
Planned departure day was
January 5th. This particular winter
was a very cold one and I knew it so
r packed some winter clothes be
hind the seat and departed San
Fernando at 4:00 a.m. Because it
was still dark at this time of the
morning, r brought along a flash

JANUARY 2001

light to read the maps and to assist


in reading the poorly lit instrument
panel. Ignorance is bliss, they say,
but with the trusty Narco Super
homer coffee grinder nav-com, what
was there to fear?
The first leg of the flight was
quite good with a long and spectac
ular winter sunrise to keep me
entertained as it turned from a
deep red glowing on dark gray
clouds to flame orange. It was a
good omen, I thought.
My first fuel stop was planned to
be at Kingman, Arizona. Arriving
there early in the morning I waited
for the FBO to open, only to learn
that they were out of fuel. They sug
gested that I fly to Grand Canyon
Caverns, fifty miles to the northeast.
Grand Canyon Caverns, also
know as Dinosaur Caverns, east of
Peach Springs, Arizona, was along
the main highway, Route 66. The
dirt runway ran close to and between
the houses in the settlement. After
landing, you taxied up to the high
way gas station and fueled on one of
the islands next to the automobiles.
The only other time I've seen that is
along the Alcan Highway in Canada
and Alaska.
Departing Grand Canyon Cav
erns, I was now well north of my
original course so I decided to fly to
th e north of Humphreys Peak. At
12,633 feet it is the highest point in
Arizona. The highway was on the
south side of the mountain where it
runs southeast from Flagstaff to
Holbrook, northeast to Gallup, New
Mexico, then southeast again to Al
buquerque. I decided to forget the
highway navaid and fly direct to
Santa Fe. On the north side of the
mountain the terrain turned to a
blanket of snow from a recent se
vere winter snow. Not to worry, I

still had my trusty Superhomer with


a reliable VOR.
About this point in the flight, I
was a little bored, so I decided to do
some housecleaning in the cockpit.
If you remember that flashlight I
mentioned in the beginning for the
story, it wou ld almost prove to be
my downfall. I decided to put it into
the map case at the right side of the
instrument panel and just below the
compass. If that wasn't bad enough,
it was a metal one with a big magnet
at the on/off switch. A few minutes
later, my nav signal started to fade as
I moved further east of the Peach
Springs VOR. For some reason I was
unable to pick up the next station.
Not to worry, I still had my strip
map. All I had to do was fly my com
pass heading over the snow-covered
desert mesas and pick out a land
mark now and then.
It seemed that every thing was go
ing along great. The landmarks that I
thought I was identifying visually
proved to me that [ had a decent tail
wind. I remember going over a
mountain pass and easily identifying
the road through the pass with a
transmitter tower and an airstrip at
the crest. I really was enjoying the
sight of snow-covered Indian lands.
Several hours later I spotted the air
port at Santa Fe, or so I thought . It
was southwest of town but strangely
the town looked so small. As I got
closer I realized that something was
not quite right. r had been to Santa
Fe's airport before and this was not
what I had remembered.
I went ahead and landed, then
taxied up to the gas pump near a
small FBO/line shack. I walked inside
and looked at the very large area
map that covered the entire wall of
the shack. Usually you can identify
the place where you are by the dirty

"ICING BOOTS"

area that radiates out from a spot on


the map. I looked all over Arizona
and New Mexico. No dirty marks. I
even looked into Colorado. Still no
dirty marks. I asked the not-too
friendly lady behind the counter,
"What town is this?"
"Blanding," came a curt reply.
Again I searched the chart for
Blanding in Arizona and New Mex
ico. No luck. I did not want to appear
stupid to this lady but I had no
choice. I asked her "Just what state is
this anyway?" Eyeing me up and
down she stated, "Why Utah, of
course." Too late now to appear
suave so I simply said, "I just missed
the whole state of New Mexico"
which brought a great laugh to the
once dour lady. I joined in, laughing
at my own stupidity.
The lady, as it turned out, was the
wife of the FBO owner and was a lit
tle miffed at her husband for taking
a charter flight and leaving her to
mind the store. She introduced me
to a charter pilot/flight instructor
who had just landed. If my memory
serves me right, his name was Hal.
Hal agreed to look over my plan and
see if he could figure why I was
nearly 45 degrees off course. Hal
soon found the flashlight and helped
me plot a new course on charts r
purchased from the FBO lady.
I blasted off with a new feeling of
assurance. I called Flight Service to
tell them of my change of plans;

they just could not understand that I


was in Utah when I shou ld have
been in New Mexico! My ego would
not let me broadcast that I had been
lost and did not know it. I decided to
land at Cortez, Colorado, and phone
Flight Service to mask my embarrass
ment. By the time I did that, it was
getting pretty late in the day. If I had
any chance of making it across the
Rockies I would have to hustle. Be
cause of my northern route, I had to
climb the Luscombe to 11,500 feet
to clear the mountains in the vicin
ity of Alamosa, Co lorado, which it
did with ease. That little Luscombe
performed great and I really loved to
fly it. That is a love affair that con
tinues to this day.
I was freezing co ld, the coldest I
have ever been in my life, due to the
leaky doors and window and an out
side air temperature of 42 degrees
below zero on the OAT gauge. I could
not get to all the cold weather gear
that I brought along because it was
behind the seat and inaccessible. I
had pulled on the cabin heat but un
known to me the outside air cable
and the cabin heat cables had been
switched. I was so cold that I did not
know it.
With the very last light of the day
I crested the Rockies and started
down to Pueblo, Colorado, the near
est city of any size. After landing and
tying down I got a cab to the Holi
day Inn. My room had two queen

size beds so I took all of the blankets


from the unused bed, including the
sheets, mattress pad and spread, and
put them on my bed. It was no use. I
was still so cold that I could not
sleep. I finally decided to take a
shower. The steam from that hot
shower thawed me out. I know it
sounds crazy but I think I now know
what a frozen steak must feel like
when being thawed out.
The next day I was up and at
'em bright and early. I fl~w up the
east side of the Rockies/a nd really
enjoyed the beautiful deep snow
covering the entire route on a
bright and sunny day. It was the
first time that I had seen snow like
that and it truly looked like a win
ter wonderland.
My brother had told me to deliver
the airplane to "Jeffco," which is Jef
ferson County Airport northwest of
Denver near Golden. When I had
landed at Jefferson County, I called
Chuck, the owner, who told me that
the plans had changed. I was now to
deliver it back south to Columbine
where he would be waiting. So I
mounted up again and taxied out
through the pools of water from the
snow melting in the sun.
I took off without a care and
headed south. I enjoyed the sights of
Denver and looking at Stapleton Air

--continued on page 32
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

ack Cox was born in Seagrove,


North Carolina in January of
1934 .. the same year such air
aft as the DC-2, Ryan ST, D-145
Monocoupe and the Luscombe Phan
tom were introduced.
His first airplane ride was prenatal,
so he claims to have literally been
hooked on aviation from the mo
ment of birth. The first airplane ride
he recalls was in a Ford Trimotor at
Asheboro, NC, in the late 1930s.
Other rides would follow regularly
over the years and would include a
lot of unlogged stick time.
After graduating from college and
beginning a teaching career, he im
mediately began blowing most of his
paychecks on flight instruction and
soloed in a J-3 Cub in May of 1956 at
Greensboro, NC.
Following a tour of active duty in
the U. S. Navy, Jack returned to the
teaching profession ... and met
Golda in the summer of 1958. They
were married that December, which
Jack says is the best thing that has
happened to him in this life.
Jack and Golda bought their first
airplane, aJ-3 Cub, in the early 1960s
and it would be followed by a succes
sion of lightplanes, including a
Champ, Luscombe 8A and a Bellanca
Cruisair. Joining what is now the

10 JANUARY 2001

Vintage Aircraft Association's Chap


ter 3, they became active participants
in its activities, with Jack becoming
the newsletter editor in June of 1966.
It was through their efforts on the
newsletter that Jack and Golda came
to the attention of Paul Poberezny,
and soon they began being drawn
into EAA activities. They received an
EAA award for their newsletter, An
tique Airways, in 1967, and Jack
received an EAA President's Award in
1968 for his promotion of vintage
aircraft. In 1968 he was made a mem
ber of the EAA's antique airplane
judging committee at Rockford, and
the following year, 1969, he served
as chairman of that committee. In
that capacity, he led the first effort to
formalize judging standards and set
up permanent vintage aircraft judg
ing categories for EAA.
In January of 1969 Jack and Golda
moved to Santee, South Carolina, to
join the staff of the newly created
Wings and Wheels transportation
museum. During that year Jack re
searched and wrote the histories of
the museum aircraft, which included
two Ford Trimotors, designed the
museum layout and signage, wrote
the tour scripts, designed the mu
seum logo and coordinated and
publicized museum fly-ins and spe

cial events. That fall his presentation


book on Wings and Wheels won an
award presented by the South Car
olina Department of Tourism.
Late in 1969 Paul Poberezny in
vited Jack and Golda to join the EAA
staff at Hales Corners, Wisconsin,
and they came to work there early in
January of 1970. Among his new du
ties, Jack was charged with the task
of formalizing and widening the
scope of EAA's vintage aircraft activ

- continued on page 2S

(Top) Jack learned to fly in


a Piper Cub, just like this
one photographed by
longtime EAA photogra
pher Ted Koston. (Middle
Left) Jack and Golda Cox,
now married over 42
years. (Middle Right) Jack
in the left seat of the Piper
Comanche (Far Right) he
and Golda have flown for
over 25 years. It's the sev
enth airplane they've
owned. (Left) Jack
receives the award as
Company Honor Man in
Naval boot camp.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

Reserve Grand Champion Classic is


this early model Beech 013.
12 JANUARY 2001

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

Chevy Suburban? Marriage?


Yes, those are the two compo
nents most often mentioned
when Mike Greenblatt of Midland,
Georgia, is asked why he decided to re
store the 1953 D18S Twin Beech that
won him the coveted Reserve Grand
Champion Classic award at EAA Air
Venture 2000.
"I had gotten married and soon
found I had a 3-month-old baby as well
as a 5-year-old. The support equipment

they required, coupled with my wife's


baggage, just wouldn't fit in our Stag
gerwing very well." The Staggerwing
was his first antique restoration project
and won Best Closed Biplane in 1992.
"A friend had a Twin Beech, and he
took us for a trip, and the first thing
my wife said was, 'This is just like a
big Suburban!' and the search for our
own Twin Beech started right there,"
he says.
Mike, a paper distributor from the

This beautiful overhead shot of the Beechcraft by EAA photographer Mark Schaible clearly
shows the outward cant of the Pratt & Whitney R-985 engines.

Atlanta area, has been around air


planes his entire life. "My dad owned a
number of airplanes, like Debonairs
and such, and I started flying when I
was 15 and got my certificate on my
17th birthday."
His company airplane is a Beech
Duke, but he got the antique bug in
1991. He started on the antique trail
by restoring a Staggerwing, but the
trail soon led to the Twin Beech.
"I did a lot of looking around and
educating myself because there are so
many Twin Beeches out there . How
ever, I had a particular kind in mind."
As a breed, the Twin Beech has prob
ably been worked harder and in more
ways than almost any other single air
plane type, except the DC-3. The net
result is that the quality of available
airplanes varies from clapped-out,
20,000-hour freighters that have spent
their lives hauling whatever would fit
through the door off of rock-strewn re
mote
strips
to
pristine,
corporate-equipped airplanes that
haven't sat outside for a single night .
Mike was looking for one of the latter,
but in a specific configuration.
"I was looking for a corporate air
plane, but not one of the later, high
cabin machines. Granted, the high
cabin makes it a more practical air
plane, but it sort of ruins the 'antiquey'
look. At least I think so," he says.
Mike Greenblatt

14 JANUARY

2001

(Left) After getting a quote from an


interior shop, Mike and his friends,
Steve Berends and Steve Huntley,
chose to do the work themselves.
(Below)The excellent interior work
extends to the cockpit, with the
instrument panel expertly rebuilt
and refinished by Butch Card at
Stetson Aviation in Kenedy, Texas.
He even had the panel's markings
silk-screened and then clear-coated.
(Inset) Butch spent hours restoring
the control wheel emblems, includ
ing carefully repainting the interior
of the clear plastic pieces.

There are lots of the later 018s that


have retained their corporate appoint
ment s, but th e ear li er small cabin
airplanes often hit on hard times once
technology passed th em by. Eventu
a lly, many had to give up their
business suits in favor of work clothes
to earn their keep. So, finding exactly
what he was looking for wasn't easy.
In Mike's case, however, technology
came to his rescue.
"I was looking on the Internet, one
Saturday mornin g, just as this low
ca bin airplane was li sted. I made a
phone ca ll, set up an appointment to
look at it immediately, and bought it, "
he remembers.
The airplane was a lm ost exactly
what he was looking for in terms of
airframe condition, age, and configura
tion. li lt on ly had 6,000 hours total
time on it, and the previous owner had
just installed a pair of COVington over
hauled eng in es . Th ey only had 250
hours on them. The interior and cock
pit hadn't been modified, and the only
modifi cations to the airframe were an
air-stair door and a wraparound wind
sh ield . It had warbird paint, but that
was easily fixed.
The airp lane h ad been purchased
new in 1953 by Ohio Oil Company,
who opera ted it until the very ear ly
1970s. When it was sold, it went
through a number of private own ers,
II

all of whom valued the airplane for its


originality and kept it in a hangar. At
some poi nt in th e lat e '50s or ea rl y
' 60s, the oil compa n y replaced th e
oval cabin door with th e much more
convenien t, drop-down Airstair door.
The wraparo und wind shie ld , which
elimin ates the vision obscuring wind
shield frames, a nd the tall tail wheel
were insta lled at about the same time.
Also, alth ough the airplane had been
well cared for, it was still over 45 yea rs
old and h ad never been fully restored.
Mike took the airp lane to Butch
Card at Stetson Av iation in Ken edy,
Texas, and charged him with not only
going through the airplane a nd m ak

ing it new, but also returning it to its


original configuration .
To replace th e replacement wrap
around windshield and to modify the
modified door back to unmodified sta
tus (got that ?) req uir ed co min g up
with significant portions of a stock
Twin Beech fuselage. Fortunately, the
Twin Beech community has Dave WarVINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

Family "Suburban" or executive transport? Take your pick; the


Beech D18 can handle both with ease-just ask the Greenblatts!

16 JANUARY

200 1

ren and South West Aero in Owasso,


Oklahoma, to help it out. "Dave is the
Twin Beech guru and has what is prob
ably the most complete supply of parts
around," explains Mike.
When a wraparound windshield is
put on a Twin Beech, the modification
removes not only all the frames , but
also most of the rails, which held the
original glass. So, Butch had to find
the right parts and manufacture what
he couldn't find to go back to the mul
tifaceted windshield the airplane had
when new. This involved grafting on
the required sheet metal and framing
from another, less fortunate, airplane.
Reinstalling an oval passenger door
turned out to be easier than the wind
shield because the door is mounted in
the middle of a sheet metal panel,
which is relatively easy to replace.
Once an oval door and its surrounding
framework and partial bulkheads were
procured, it was a straightforward pro
cedure to drm out the panels holding
the offending door and install the new
unit. When the Airstair door was re
moved , several ribs and minor
bulkheads were removed as well, but
South West Aero had the necessary
parts, and Butch put them in place.
"Butch did a huge amount of stuff
you don't think about when you visu
alize restoring an airplane that actually
looks and flies fairly well," Mike says.
"As an example, the pulleys in the
control system were practically worn
out. Even though the airplane is low
time , by Twin Beech standards, the
pulleys were still 4S years old and had
seen 6,000 hours of flying . They all
had to go. There was a lot of stuff in
the airplane that fell into the same cat
egory. I knew I was going to be
carrying my family in this airplane, so
I wanted everything made right. "
The cockpit area hadn't been modi
fied except where necessary to install
radios, and even that was done in a
professional manner. However, over
the years much of the original paint
had been painted over in varying col
ors until the cockpit was far from the
original appearance Mike wanted. "We
stripped out everything in the cockpit
and brought it back up to new, origi

nal condition. Most of the instruments


were reused, and the panel was painted
the original satin black.
"['m especially impressed with the
detail work Butch did in putting the
right markings back on the sub panels
and the overhead panels. He silk
screened the placard on, then shot
matching satin clear coat over it for
protection," Mike says.
"Butch really worked his magic on
the throttle quadrants, but the Beech
emblem in the middle of each yoke is
where he really showed what kind of
detailed artistry he could do."
The emblem in the middle of the
yokes was the Beech 18 logo, heavily
etched into a metal background and
then covered by a formed , plastic
cover. "Butch created new covers and
did an unreal job in filling the etched
words with paint and making it all
look original," Mike noted."
Butch Card received the airplane
in May of 1999 and returned it to
Mike only eight months later, the fol
lowing December.
"When we got the airplane back,"
Mike remembers , lithe interior was
completely stripped out. My original
plan was to have a professional inte

rior shop do it in leather and Ultra


suede, but we decided to do it
ourselves."
Asked why he decided to tackle a
job like putting the interior in a small
airliner, and he just grins and says, "[
decided to do it myself when [ got the
price quotes back."
Since this was going to be the fam
ily transportation, Mike not only
wanted the airplane to appear original,
but it also had to be comfortable. With
the cabin stripped to the bare alu
minum, he started the long road back
by applying "radiant insulation , " a
foil-faced form of bubble wrap, to the
entire fuselage. This would keep the
cold out and the heat in. Then, the
normal sound-deadening insulation
was put over that. The result is a cabin
that is as quiet as possible, considering
it has R-98Ss for neighbors.
They did the headliner in Ultra
suede and the seats in leather,
although they knew the original
seats probably had fabric inserts in
the middle.
liMy airplane was missing the
small, side-mounted table, so we
looked around until we found one for
a pattern . The pattern table was wal

nut that had been painted white, so


we just made one in walnut and fin
ished it with clear. We did the same
thing with all the walnut trim around
the windows."
Mike put in a lot of long evenings
with his two friends, Steve Berends
and Steve Huntley, at his side. They
did all the work in Mike's own hangar.
Today he looks at the interior with a
lot of pride and says, li lt's one of those
things you're glad you did, but I'll
never do it again."
In .the best tradition of Oshkosh
champions , the airplane was only
finished the Tuesday before AirVen
ture started. By the time it showed
up at Wittman Field, it had a little
more than 12 hours on it since com
ing out of Stetson ' s shop in Texas
and going to Georgia and then
Oshkosh. In between there had been
some serious personality changes to
this old pelican.
A few folks have said [ could have
had a terrific Baron for half the energy
[ expended on the D18. And I suppose
[ could have. But, I like antique air
planes. Besides, I like pulling up to the
gas pumps in an airplane that makes
me proud."
.......
II

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

2001 Vintage Aircraft Assoication

TYPE CLUB LIST


This list of Type Clubs should be
the most accurate compilation we've
ever published. For th e p ast four
years, we have sent each Type Club a
postage paid postcard confirming
their listing.
If you have changes related to
your Type Club list, drop a note in
the mail detailing with your listing
exactly as it will appear in the maga
zine (use the format you see on these
pa ge s) . Send your not e to: An
tique/Classic Type Clubs, P.O. Box
3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, or
E-mail it to vintage@ eaa.org.
The Type Club list is also available
in the Division's web page at VAA's
Web site, which you can find at:
http:// www.vintageaircraft.org

World Beechcraft Society

William J. Robinson
500 S.E. Everett Mall Way, Ste. A7
Everett, WA 98208-8111
Phone: 425-267-9235
Fax: 425-355-6173
worldbeech@aol.com or
bill@Woridbeechcraft.com
www.worldbeechcraft.com
$30/yr

Robert Szego
P.O. Box 100
Coxsackie, NY 12051 -0100
Phone: 518-731 -6800
szegor@bellanca-championclub.com
www.bellanca-championclub.com
$33/yr-$59/2 yrs;foreign $41/1 yr-$68/2
Bird Airplane Club

Jeannie Hill
P.O. Box 328
Harvard, IL 60033-0328
Phone: 815-943-7205
postage donation

Flying Apache Association

Beech T34 Association

Charles H. Nogle
P.O. Box 925
Champoign, IL 61824-0925
Phone: 217-356-3063
Twin Beech 18 Society

Staggerwing Museum Foundation


P.O. Box 550
Tullahoma, TN 37388
Phone: 931 -455-1974
$40/yr
18 JANUARY 2001

Don and linda Brand


9087 Madrone Way
Redding, CA 96002
Phone: 530-221 -3732
$20/ yr
International Cessna 120/ 140 Association

Howdy McCann
2432 Pleasantville Road
Fallston, MD 21047
Phone: 410-877-7774
webmaster@cessna 120-140.com
www.cessna120-140.org
$15/yr
Cessna 150/152 Club

American Bonanza Society

John J. Lumley
6778 Skyline Drive
Delray Beach, FL 33446
Phone: 561 -499-1115
Fax:561-495-7311
Ayingapache@cs.com
$25/year

National Bucker-Jungmeister Club

Mrs. Frank Price


Rt 1, Box 419
Moody, TX 76557
Phone: 254-853-9067
Cessna 120/140 West Coast Club

Bellanca Champion Club

International Aeronca Association

Jim Thompson
806 Lockport Rd, P.o. Box 2219
Terre Haute, IN 47802-0219
812-232-1491
$25/ yr US;$35/ yr Canada;$45/ yr Foreign

Bucker Club

Chris Arvanites
16204 Rosemarie Lane
Lockport, IL 60441
Phone: 815-436-1011 May-Oct
Phone: 863-318-1231 Nov-Apr
$22/yr US & Canada; $27 foreign

Beechcraft-Staggerwing Club

Jim Gorman
P.O. Box 2599
Mansfield, OH 44906
Phone: 419-529-3822
MNG19SL@aol.com
$25/yr

Buzz Wagner
Box 3, 401 1st Street, E
Clark, SD 57225
Phone: 6055323862
Fax: 605532-1305
$20/yr
National Aeronca Association

221 No laSalle St, Ste 3117


Chicago, IL 60601
www.users.aol .com/BPANews

Nancy Johnson, Exec. Dir


P.O. Box 12888
Wichita, KS 67277
Phone: 316-945-1700
Fax: 316-945-1710
bonanza2@ix.netcom.com
www.bonanza.org
$45/yr

Royson Parsons
P.O. Box 1917
Atascadero, CA 93423-191 7
Phone: 805-461 -1958
Fax: 805-46 1-1035
membership@cessna150-152c1ub.com
www.cessna150-152c1ub.com
$25/ yr
The International Cessna 170 Associa tion

Twin Bonanza Association

Richard I. Ward
19684 Lakeshore Drive
Three Rivers, MI 49093
Phone/Fax: 616-279-2540
forward@net-link.net
www.lwinbonanza.com
$35/yr US & Canada;$45/yr foreign

Velvet Fackeldey
P.O. Box 1667
Lebanon, MO 65536
Phone/Fax: 417-532-4847
c170hq@lIion.org
www.cessna1 70.org
$35/ yr
Cessna 180/185 International Club

Classic Bonanza Association

Paul Whitesell
6355 Stinson Street
Plano, TX 75093
Phone: 972-380-5976
commreps@ematic.com
$16/yr

(ownership req)
Scott White
P.O. Box 639
Castlewood, VA 24224
Phone: 540-738-8134
Fax: 540-738-8136
$20/yr

Brodhead Pietenpal Association

Cessna - Eastern 190/ 195 Association

Donald Campbell

Cliff Crabs

25575 Butternut Ridge Rood


North Olmsted, OH 44070
Phone: 440-777-4025
ccrabs@aol.com or classic 195@aol.com
$15 initial, then as required
Cessna 195 International Club

Dwight M. Ewing
P.O. Box 737
Merced, CA 95344
Phone: 209-722-6283
Fax: 209-722-5124
ewing@elite.net
www.cessna 195.org
$25/ yr
Cessna Airmaster Club

9 So. 135 Aero Drive


Naperville, Il 60564
aerocraft@aol.com
International Bird Dog Assoc (l-19/0-1)

(Cessna)
c.l. Stance
13540 N 151 EAvenue
Collinsville, OK 74021 -5622
www.l-19BowWow.com
$25/ yr

Phone/ Fax: 212-620-0398


moth@sprintmail.com
$15

hatzguy@weebeastie.com
www.weebeastie.com/hatzcbl
$20/yr

Ercoupe Owners Club

Han Club

Carolyn T. Carden
7263 Schooners Ct SW, A-2
Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469-5644
Phone: 910-575-2758
coupecaper@aol.com
$25/yr

Robert l. Taylor
P.O. Box 127
Blakesburg, IA 52536
Phone: 641 -938-2773
Fax: 641-938-2084
aaaapmhq@pcsia.net
$15/yr

Ercoupe Owners Club - Wisconsin Wing

Judi Matuscak
6262 Brever Road
Burlington, WI 53105-89 15
Phone: 262-539-2495
jmatus@Wi .net
Fairchild Club

Interstate Club

John W. Berendt
7645 Echo Point Rood
Cannon Falls, MN 55009
Phone: 507-263-2414
fchld@rconnect.com
www.fairchildclub.com
$15/yr

Robert l. Taylor
P.O. Box 127
Blakesburg, IA 52536
Phone: 641 -938-2773
Fax: 641 -938-2084
aaaapmhq@pcsia.net
L-4 Grasshopper Wing

Fairchild Fan Club


Cessna Y-50/"Bamboo Bomber"

Jim Anderson
P.O. Box 269, Sunwood
Marine on St. Croix, MN 55047
Phone: 612-433-3024
Fax: 612-433-5691
jja@Wrmed.com
www.cessnat50.org
Contact club

Robert l. Taylor
P.O. Box 127
Blakesburg, IA 52536
Phone: 641-938-2773
Fax: 641 -938-2084
aaaapmhq@pcsia.net
$15/yr
International Fleet Club

Carl Petersen
636 lona Lane
Roseville MN 55113
champ@citabria.com
www.citabria.com

Sandy Brown
P.O. Box 511
Marlborough,
06447-0511
Phone: 860-267-6562
Fax: 860-267-4381
RyboY@ntplx.net
Contributions

Culver Aircraft Association

Funk Aircraft Owners Association

Dan Nicholson
723 Baker Drive
Tomball, TX 77375
Phone: 281-351-0114
dann@gie.com

Thad Shelnutt
2836 California Avenue
Carmichael, CA 95808
Phone: 916-971 -3452
pilotthad@aol.com
$12/yr

Citabria Owners Group

Great Lakes Club

Brent l. Tayler
P.O. Box 127
Blakesburg, IA 52536
$15/ yr

Culver Dart Club

Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association

Lloyd Washburn
2656 East Sand Rood
Point Clinton, OH 43452-2741

Greg Burnard
P.O. Box 774
Woodstock, ON N4S 8A2
CANADA
Phone: 519-842-9922
www.hangarline.com
$35/ yr

Culver PQ-14 Association

Ted Heineman
29621 Kensington Drive
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
Phone/Fax: 949-495-4540
DeHavilland Moth Club

Michael Maniatis
48 West 22nd Street
New York, NY 10010

Bill Collins
R.R. 2, Box 619
Gould, AR 71643-9714
Phone: 870-263-4668
$10 US,$15 Canada,$20 foreign
Continental Luscombe Association

Gordy & Connie Birse


29604 179th Place, SE
Kent, WA 98042-5732
Phone: 253-631-8478
Fax: 253-631-5114
wizard8E@msn.com
www.luscombe-cla .org
$15 US;$17.50 Canada; $25 foreign
Luscombe Association

Steve Krog
1002 Heather Lane
Hartford, WI 53027
Phone: 262-966-7627
Fax: 262-966-9627
sskrog@aoi.com
$25 US & Canada; $30 foreign
Maule Rocket Association (MRA)

Culver Club

Larry Low
60 Skywood Way
Woodside, CA 94062
650-851 -0204
$20/yr

Heath Parasol Club

William Schlapman
6431 Paulson Rood
Winneconne, WI 54986
Phone: 920-582-4454

David E. Neumeister
5630 S Washington
Lansing, MI 48911-4999
Phone: 517-882-8433 or 800-594-4634
Fax: 517-882-8341 or 800-596-8341
aircraftnews@Yahoo.com
$23 .50/ yr; $30.50/2 yrs
Monocoupe Club

Bob Coolbaugh
6154 River Forest Drive
Manassas, VA 20112-3076
Phone: 703-590-2375
monocoupe@earthlink.net
$15/yr

American Han Association

DouglasMacBeth
P.O. Box 7114
Grays Lake, IL 60030-7114
Phone: 847-223-7658
Fox: 847-543-1619

Mooney Aircraft Pilots Association

Lela Hughes
100 Sandau, Suite 200
SanAntonio, TX 78216
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

19

N3N Restorers Association

H. Ronold Kempko
2380 Rd 217
Cheyenne, YVY 82009
Phone: 307-638-2210
wyn3n@aol.com
$20/ yr
American Navion Society

Jerry Feather
P.O. Box 148
Grand Junction, CO 81502
Phone: 970-245-7459
$45/ yr

P.O. Box 127


Blakesburg, IA 52536
Phone: 641-938-2773
Fax: 641-938-2084
aaaopmhq@pcsia.net
$15

12809 Greenbower, NE
Aliiance, OH 44601
Phone: 330-823-9748
tocprez@Yahoo.com
www.taylorcraft.org
$12/ yr

International Ryan Club

Virginia/ Carolinas Taylorcraft


Owners Club

Bill Hodges
19 Stoneybrook Lane
Searcy, AR 72143-6129
Phone: 501-268-2620
recruit@csw.net
$20/yr$25 Canada & foreign

Navion Skies

Stearman Restorers Association

Raleigh Morrow
P.O. Box 2678
Lodi, CA 95241-2678
Phone/Fax: 209-367-9390
Navion l@inreach.com
www.navionskies.com
$30/yr

Jack Davis
1209 San Marino Avenue
San Marino, CA 91108
Phone: 626-792-0638
davco@stearman.net
www.stearman.net
$35

Piper Cherokee Pilots Association

Stinson Historical & Restoration


Society
Robert L. Taylor
P.O. Box 127
Blakesburg IA 52536
Phone: 641-938-2773
Fax: 641-938-2084
aaaapmhq@pcsia.net

P.O. Box 1996


Phone: Lutz, FL 33548
Phone: 813-948-3616
$32/US;$36 Canada/Mexico; $44 foreign
Super Cub Pilots Association

Jim Richmond
P.O. Box 9823
Yakima, WA 98909
Phone: 509-248-9491
answers@cubcrafters.com
www.cubcrafters.com
$25 US;$35 Canada;$40 foreign
Cub Club

Steve Krog
1002 Heather Lane
Hartford, WI 53027
Phone: 262-966-7627
Fax: 262-966-9627
sskrog@aol.com
$25 US & Canada;$30 foreign
International Comanche Society

Harley MeGatha
521 College Street
Centre, AL 35960
Phone: 256-927-5044
comanche@mail.tds.net
$35
Eleanor & Bob Mills

220 Main Street

Halstead, KS 67056

Phone: 316-835-3650

Fax: 316-835-3357

swpc@southwind.net

www.shortwing.org

$30 year

Jonesy Paul, President


14418 Skinner Road
Cypress, TX 77429-1627
Phone: 281-304-8836
Membership to:
George Alleman
1229 Rising Hill Road
Placerville, CA 95667
Phone/Fax: 530-622-4004
nscgeorge@directcon.net
$20 US & Canada; $25 foreign

Robert Taylor
P.O. Box 127
Blakesburg, IA 52536
Phone: 641-938-2773
Fax: 641-938-2084
aaaapmhq@pcsia.net
$15/yr
Travel Air Restorers Association

Jerry Impellezzeri
4925 Wilma Way
San Jose, CA 95124
Phone: 408-356-3407
$15/ yr
P.O. Box 550
Tullahoma, TN 37388
Phone: 931-455- 1974
$40/yr
American Waco Club

Phil Coulson
3546 Newhouse place
Greenwood, IN 46143
Phone: 616-624-6490
$25/yr; $30 foreign
National Waco Club

International Stinson Club

Leslie Purvis
811 E Dennett Avenue
Fresno, CA 93728-3318
Phone: 559-237-7051
stinson@aeromar.com
www.aeromar.com/swsc.html
$25/yr
Charlie Nelson
P.O. Box 644
Athens, TN 37371
Phone: 423-745-9547
swiftlychs@aol.com
www.napanet.net/-arbeou/ swift/
$30/yr
West Coast Swift Wing

Chuck Lebrecht
91 Hickory Loop
Ocala, FL 34472
Phone: 352-687-4859
$5/ yr

Gerry & Carol Hampton


3195 Bonanza Drive
Cameron Park, CA 95682
Phone: 530-676-7755
annie@calweb.com
www.napanet.net/-arbeou/swift/
$15/yr

Rearwin Club

Taylorcraft Owners Club

Robert L. Taylor

Bruce Bixler II

Porterfield Airplane Club

Travel Air Club

Travel Air/ Staggerwing Museum


National Stinson Club

Swift Association International


Short Wing Piper Club

Tom Pittman
Rt6, Box 189
Appomattox VA 24522
Phone: 804-352-5128
VQOC@juno.com
$10/ yr

Andy Heins
3744 Cleorview Road
Dayton, OH 45439
Phone: 937-866-6692
wacoaso@aol.com
$10/yr; $15 foreign
Western Waco Association

P.O. Box 706


Groveland, CA 95321
Phone: 209-962-6121
Rywaco@juno.com
$5/yr

MULTIPLE AIRCRAFT
ORGANIZATIONS
Arctic/Interstate Newsletter

David Neumeister
5630 S Washington
Lansing, MI 48911-4999
Phone: 517-882-8433 or 800-594-4634
Fax: 517-882-8341 or 800-596-8341
aircraftnews@Yahoa.com
$16.50/yr;$20.50/4 yrs
National Biplane Association

20 JANUARY 2001

Charles W. Harris
P.O. Box 470350

Tulsa. OK 74147-0350
Phone: 918-622-8400
Fax: 918-665-0039
cwh@hvsu.com
www.nationalbiplaneassociation.org
www.biplaneexpo.com
$25 single;$40 family;add $10 foreign

www.airrace.com
$20/yr US; $23/yr other
U.S. Air Racing Association

Jack Dianiska
26726 Henry Road
Bay Village, OH 44140
Phone: 440-871-3781

Cessna Owner Organization

P.O. Box 5000


lola, WI 54945
Phone: 888-MyCessna
Fax: 715-445-4053
Cessna@cessnaowner.org
www.cessnaowner.org
$42/yr

American Aviation Historical Society

Timothy Williams, President

2333 Otis Street

Santa Ana, CA 92704

714-549-4818 (Tuesday, 7-9 pm local)

Dues: $49 US and Canada;

$64 foreign (US Funds)

Replica Fighters Association

1528 South Koeller


Box 111
Oshkosh, WI 54901
www.replicafighters.org
Schweizer 1- 12 and 1-26 Association

Bob Hurni
516 EMeadow lane
Phoenix AI 85022
Phone: 602-993-8840
bhurni@aol.com
www.crosswinds.net/NSGS126
$15/yr

Seaplane Pilots Association

John Frank
3409 Corsair Circle
Santa Maria, CA 93456
Phone: 805-922-2580
Fax: 805-922-7249
cpa@cessna .org
www.cessna.org

Kathy Marsh
2120 Airport Rd, P.O. Box 9124
Wichita, KS 67277
Phone: 316-943-4234
Fax: 316-943-4235
$50/yr + chapter dues

Michael Volk, President


421 Aviation Way
Frederick, MD 21701
Phone: 1-888-SPA-8923 or
301-695-2083
Fax: 301-695-2375
spa@aopo.org
www.seaplanes.org

Cessna Pilots Association


Flying Farmers International

Meyers Aircraft Owners Association

Flying Octogenarians

Sentimental Journey to Cub Haven, Inc.

William E. Gaffney
24 Route 17K
Newburgh, NY 12550
Phone: 914-565-8005
postage fund donation

Erv Martin
P.O. Box 1055
Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495
Phone: 715-42 1-3763

North American Trainer Association

Flying Rotarians
203 Rubens Drive, Apt. A
Nokomis, Fl34275-4211
Phone: 941-966-6636
Fax: 941 -966-9141
surowka@illr.org
www.illr.org

E.J. "Doc"Conway
P.O. BoxJ-3
lock Haven, PA 17745-0496
Phone: 570-893-4200
Fax: 570-893-42 18
piper@cub.kcnet.org
$10/yr

International Fellowship of

(T-6, T-28, NA-64, NA-50, P-51 , B-25)


Kathy & Stoney Stonich
25801 NE Hiness Rd
Brush Prairie, WA 98606
Phone: 360-256-0066
Fax: 360-896-5398
natrainer@aol.com
www.natrainer.org
$45/yr US & Canada; $55/ yr foreign
Piper Owner Society

P.O. Box 5000


lola, WI 54945
Phone: 866-MYPIPER
Fax: 715-445-4053
piper@piperowner.org
www.piperowner.org
$42/yr

International Liaison Pilot

& Aircraft Association


Bill Stratton
1651 8 ledgestone
San Antonio, TX 78332-2406
Phone/Fax: 210-490-4572
www.centercomp.com/llPA/index.htm
$35/yr US; $40/yr foreign

P.O. Box 44208


Cincinnati,OH 45244
Phone: 800-554-1437
BGeier3680@aol.com
www.silverwings.org
$15/1styr, $10 renew
Vintage Sailplane Association

George Nuse
431 0 River Bottom Drive
Norcross, GA 30092
Phone: 770-446-5533
$15/yr

Luscombe Foundation

leonard Opdycke
15 Crescent Rd
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Phone: 845-473-3679
$30/yr US; $35/yr foreign

Box 63581
Phoenix, AI 85082
Phone: 480-917-0969
Fax: 480-917-4719
silvaire@luscombe.org
www.luscombe.org
$25/yr

ORGANIZATIONS

Piper Aviation Museum Foundation

WWl Aeroplanes, Inc.

Silver Wings Fraternity

International Wheelchair Aviators

P.O. Box 2799


Big Bear City, CA 92314
Phone: 909-585-9663
Fax: 909-585-7156
aero-haven@bigbear.com
The 99' s Women Pilots

National Air Racing Group

BeHy Sherman
1932 Mahan Avenue
Richland, WA 99352-2121
Phone: 509-946-5690
$15 US; $20 outside US

John R. Merinar
One Piper Way
lock Haven, PA 17745-0052
Phone: 570-748-8283
Fax: 570-893-8357
piper@cub.kcnet.org
www.kcnet.org/-piper
$30/yr

Society of Air Racing Historians

Herman Schaub
168 Marion lane
Berea, OH 44017
Phone: 440-234-2301
herman@airrace.com

National Association of Priest Pilots

Mel Hemann
127 Kaspend place
Cedar Falls, IA 5061 3- 1683

lu Hollander
Will Rogers Airport, Box 965
71 00 Terminal Drive
Oklahoma City, OK 73159
Phone:405-685-7969
$55/yr
Women in Aviation International

Dr. Peggy J. Baty-Chabrian


101 Corsair Drive
Daytona Beach, Fl 32114
Phone: 904-226-7996
Fax: 904-226-7998
www.wiai.org
$35/yr; $25/yr students
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

21

WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING

by H.G. Frautschy

STINSON 108-2

Judith Tweedie, San Jose, California sent us this nice photo and write-up concerning this gorgeous Stinson 108-2.
"Stinson N175C, basking in the setting sun. "Charlie" was stripped down to a bare frame with every nut, bolt,
screw, rivet, cable, wire and fastener removed and replaced. Originally intended to be just a fabric cover job, exten
sive surface corrosion caused a major revision in plans. The inside and outside of every metal surface, all ribs, etc.
were cleaned, acid etched, alodined and sprayed with epoxy primer. The metalized wings were returned to the origi
nal fabric covered configuration. It was a six-year odyssey that included Rich being diagnosed with terminal colon
cancer during the forth year of the project. Despite being given only three to six months to live, he survived over
two, long enough to finish it and fly to the 1999 Golden West EAA Fly-In. Rich passed away in March of 2000, just
months before Charlie won both Best Stinson and Lady's Choice awards during the annual Columbia Stinson Fly-In
in June 2000. Rich and I worked shoulder to shoulder on this, never giving up. Rich's workmanship was of artistic
quality and Charlie is his legacy to the flying community and especially to Stinson lovers everywhere./I

ERCOUPE

Don Macor of Duluth, Minnesota, sent us


this nice shot of his 1947 Ercou pe 415-D. It
has metalized wings and the stronger double
fork nose gear. Equipped with Cleveland
wheels and brakes and a 72x49 McCauley
propeller, it cruises at 110 mph while its Con
tinental C-85-12 is cranking out 2350 rpm.
22 JANUARY

2001

LUSCOMBE8A

Red Hamilton of Fort Bragg, Cali


fornia, purchased this former
"basket case" in 1999. But thanks to
his efforts, and with the help of
David Bowen of Willits, this 1940
8A Luscombe is back to its former
glory, if not a bit better! Red men
tions that new seat cushions made
with ConforFoam really make for
comfortable sitting in the cockpit.

FAIRCHILD 24

Pat Curry of Willmar, Minnesota,


has been working closely with John
Rice on John's beautiful Fairchild 24
W41A, equipped with a 16S hp Warner.
The bump cowl and wheel pants really
set the lines of this Golden Age cabin
monoplane. The various models of the
Fairchild 24 have long been among the
favorites of antique enthusiasts.

LUSCOMBE8C

Gregg Reynolds of Olympia,


Washington, is the happy owner of
this nice 1947 Luscombe 8C. He's
owned it for over 24 years, flying it
2,000 hours over the West and Mid
west. One of his favorite flights in
the 8C was a trip in 1980 from Palo
Alto, California, to EAA Oshkosh,
where he joined EAA. Improvements
over the years have included a wind
driven alternator, shoulder
harnesses, new paint trim, uphol
stery, an overhaul on a Continental
A-7S, and a full ~et of radios.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

23

January Mystery Plane

the fuselage.
"The latter was almost cylindrical
in shape and consisted of a body
work of tubes covered partly in fabric
and partly in a light alloy."
No mention was made of any
flights the De Lackner may have
made. Can anyone add to our knowl
edge on this one?
.......

SPECIFICATIONS

This month's mystery plane is


another oldie from the files of Pete
Bowers. It's a mystery to him as
well, so when one of you sends in a
verifiable answer, we will all know!
Pete's only clue is that it has a fa
miliar look to him, as though it's
related to something else that is
fairly well known ...

Send your answers to: EAA, Vin


tage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your an
swers need to be in no later than
February 20, 2001, for inclusion in
the April issue of Vintage Airplane.
You can also send your response
via e-mail. Send your answer to vin
tage@eaa.org.
Be sure to include both your
name and address in the body of
your note and put "(Month) Mys
tery Plane" in the subject line.
We didn't get any answers regard
ing the October mystery plane, or
more accurately, the mystery rotorcraft. It was the 1946 De Lackner
Clouduster tandem helicopter. Brief
descriptions were included in History of the Helicopter, a French book
written by Jean Boulet and translated
by Claude Dawson, and Paul Lamer
mont and Anthony Pirie's book,
Helicopters and Autogyros of the
World.
In the French book, Boulet wrote:
"Donald De Lackner, part designer of
the pre-World War II QED Racer, ini
tially designed a small two-seater
helicopter with rotors in tandem,
the [?J, still in the rotary-wing field,
went over to manufacturing the He
licector, a kind of flying motorcycle
designed by L.c. McCarthy."
24

JANUARY

2001

1946 CLOUDSTER
"This helicopter had two-bladed
rotors in tandem and the engine sit
uated at the end of the fuselage. The
engine drove the forward rotor by
means of a longitudinal shaft run

ning through the who le length of

Engine: 125-135 hp Lycoming


Rotor diameter:
24 feet (7.32 meters)
Weight fully loaded:
1,600 pounds (726 kilograms)
Cruising speed:
85 mph (137 kph)
Number of seats: 2

by H.G. Frautschy

De Lackner Clouduster

-Jack Cox from page 11


ity. Over th e n ext few years he
would manage the day-to-day Head
quarters work that led to the
formation of EAA's Antique/Classic
Division, including such tasks as de
signing the Division's first logo,
which featured the 1903 Wright
Flyer. He also founded and named
the Division's publication, The Vin
tage Airplane, and was its first editor.
During this same period, Jack
wrote an article for Sport Aviation
proposing a new classification and
judging category for factory aircraft
produced after January I, 1946.
Older aircraft would continue to be
classified as Antiques," but the new
category of post-war aircraft, which
at that time was the largest unaffili
ated entity in aviation, would be
called "Classics." With the concur
rence of EAA president Paul
Poberezny, the Classic category be
came a formal part of EAA's
structure and activity. The immedi
ate result was a doubling of
showplanes at local EAA fly-ins all
over the country, and for much of
the following 30 years, the Classic
category would be the largest of all
those represented at the annual EAA
Convention at Oshkosh.
Making a place in EAA for own
ers of Classic aircraft was a
significant factor in the spectacular
growth of the organization during
the 19 70s - growth that gave EAA
the size and resources to more effec
tively represent its members and to
be able to continue to grow during
the 1980s when the rest of general
aviation was in decline. The Classic
category also provided incentive for
owners to restore postwar aircraft
that might otherwise have been al
lowed to deteriorate and eventually
be junked - as happened to so
many pre-World War II aircraft.
Today, after nearly 30 years of
employment by EAA and his retire
ment last year, the creation of the
C lassic category remains, in his
mind, one of Jack's most significant
......
accomplishments.
1/

- News from page 3


been modified, altered, or repaired in
the area subject to the requirements of
this AD. For airplanes that have been
modified, altered, or repaired so that
the performance of the requirements of
this AD is affected, the owner/operator
must request approval for an alterna
tive method of compliance in
accordance with paragraph (f) of this
AD. The request should include an as
sessmen t of the effect of the
modification, alteration, or repair on
the unsafe condition addressed by this
AD; and, if you have not eliminated the
unsafe condition, specific actions you
propose to address it.
(g) Where can I get information
about any already-approved alternative
methods of compliance? Contact the
Chicago Aircraft Certification Office,
2300 E. Devon Avenue, Des Plaines, Illi
nois 60018; telephone: (817) 294-7697;
facsimile: (817) 294-7834.
(h) What if I need to fly the air
plane to another location to comply
with this AD? The FAA can issue a
special flight permit under 21.197
and 21.199 of the Federal Aviation
Regulations (14 CFR 21.197 and
21.199) to operate your airplane to a
location where you can accomplish
the requirements of this AD.
(i) Are any service bulletins incorpo
rated into this AD by reference? The
inspections required by this AD must
be done in accordance with American
Champion Aircraft Corporation
(ACAC), Service Letter 406, Revision A,
dated May 6, 1998. The Director of the
Federal Register approved this incorpo
ration by reference under 5 U.S.C.
552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. You can get
copies from the American Champion
Aircraft Corporation, P.O. Box 37,
32032 Washington Avenue, Highway
D, Rochester, Wisconsin 53167;
www.amerchampionaircraft.com.
You can look at copies at FAA, Central
Region, Office of the Regional Counsel,
901 Locust, Room 506, Kansas City,
Missouri, or at the Office of the Federal
Register, 800 North Capitol Street, NW,
Suite 700, Washington, D.C.
(j) Are other ADs affected by this ac

tion? This amendment supersedes AD


98-05-04, Amendment 39-10365.
(k) When does this amendment be
come effective? This amendment
becomes effective on January 19, 2001.
Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on
December 4, 2000.
Michael Gallagher, Manager, Small
Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certifica
tion Service.
[FR Doc. 00-31450 Filed 12-15-00;
8:45 a.m.]

As you can see, the major difference


between the superseded AD and the
one just issued is the separation of the
higher horsepower models from those
built many years ago, which are still
equipp ed with engines of 90 hp or
less. Both "Group One" and "Group
Two" airplanes are required to have
enough inspection holes in the wing
to allow inspection of the full length
of both spars. Both American Cham
pion Service letters, SL 407 A and 417C,
which are referenced in this AD, can
be downloaded from their website at:

www.amerchampionaircra{t.com/tech/
techmain.
Carefully read the comments, in
cluding those regarding th e
installation of inspection holes. The
actual need and placement of those
holes , including the two on top of
the wing, are left to the discretion of
your mechanic.
I'd also strongly recommend view
ing the inspection procedure detailed
on the Citabria Owners Group web
Site, www.citabria.com. Ca rl Petersen's
procedure, coupled with detailed
photos of actual compression frac
tures in wood, is an excellent source
of information . It details a practical
inspection method that can be used
to comply with this AD. Carl and his
online type club are to be com
mended for their work on this issue.
The late date and space constraints
do not allow us to go into more depth
discussing this AD in this issue, but
more details and inspection methods
are sure to follow. Be sure to check our
website at www.vintageaircraft.org for
the latest on this issue.
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

PASS

IT TO

BUCK

by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert


EAA # 21 VAA # 5
P.O. Box 424, Union, IL 60180

Control
That's what flying is all
about...control. Until the Wrights
came up with a system to control
their flying machine, prior attempts
proved somewhat futile. People
jumped off high places, coasted
down sand hills, and tried all sorts of
ways to fly-only to crash because
they couldn't control flight.
Many years ago I nailed an orange
crate to my grandmother's ironing
board and launched off the barn roof
in an attempt to fly. Maybe, just
maybe, if I'd had a set of controls I
might have made history and joined
my hero, Charles Lindbergh, in flit
ting about the country. That effort
led to another attempt-to develop a
parachute! Again a failed attempt as
one corner of the bed sheet came un
tied, and I spent the next several
days in a foul, contemplative mood
while my hurts mended.
Seriously though, until French
aviation pioneer Robert Esnault-Pel
terie (R.E.P.) invented the joystick to
operate his aileron invention, there
were all sorts of attempts to build
control into pioneer flying machines.
Before the joystick and rudder bar,
most other methods were unnatural
and sometimes led to drastic failures
in trying to control flight.
The Wright Brothers' system
would be most difficult, if not im
pOSSible, for today's pilot to use.

The mere fact that they taught


themselves to fly with their system
still evokes wonder. Curtiss also
had his system, but neither his nor
the Wrights' was as natural in feel
ing or response as was Esnault
Pelterie's joystick.
Robert Esnault-Pelterie also had
other ideas and proved them, too.
His aviation accomplishments were
all prior to World War I. He was the
first to capitalize on the cantilever
wing. He also built a seven-cylinder
fan engine (read radial). He earned
the fourth pilot's license issued by
the French. His first joystick-con
trolled flights were in 1907. His
cantilever wing flights were in 1909.
He also pioneered steel tube and fab
ric construction. Esnault-Pelterie's
invention for control was adopted by
virtually all of the European aircraft
manufacturers, as was the cantilever
wing. Anthony Fokker proved that
with his triplane (the interplane
struts were just there for show!).
The war years precluded recogni
tion, or royalties, as aviation
developed rapidly and advances in
equipment, techniques, and control
were copied, sometimes from cap
tured war prizes. European and
American manufacturers capitalized
on Esnault-Pelterie's simple system,
and he derived no royalties or recog
nition until well after the "War to

End All Wars" ended and the Euro


pean courts finally recognized and
awarded his claims to royalties.
As an aside, R.E.P. became very
well known in his later years as one
of the pioneers in rocketry. His con
struction and demonstration of a
rocket engine fueled by liquid oxy
gen and gasoline was one of the
aeronautical highlights of 1931. (Pre
viously, he had used a mixture of oil
and tetranitromethane that proved
too dangerous-R.E.P. lost the ends
of the four fingers on his left hand in
an explOSion earlier that year!) The
company he started back in 1907
still exists and was one of the early
companies to make injection mold
ing a practical reality.
He never quit! He died in '57, but
not before his space exploration co
horts named a crater on the back
side of the moon after him. Did you
know that a lot of the stuff Von
Braun used was his? Or that he in
vented the guided missile way back
in the late '20s? That he established
an annual trophy that is still being
awarded for space exploration today?
That his airplanes were used as
bombers in the early days of WWI?
His list of accomplishments is fabu
lous. And to think I never heard of
him. Wow!
Another pioneer in aircraft con
trol was Deperdussin. He used a
wheel tied to a cable system to

IIN(; .TIP SKID

-continued on page 28
26

JANUARY

2001

NEW MEMBERS

Peter J. Thibodeau .... ..... .. .. .........

.... ... ..... ......... .Port Charlotte, FL

Tony John Timm ....................... .

........... .Burlington, ON, Canada

Joe W. Meek.............. Miami, FL

.................. North Mankato, MN

Jim McKay .......... ........ .... ........ . .

JeffB. Spann .. Panama City, FL

Phillip Henrikson .... ..Troy,MO

.......... .......... Laval, PQ, Canada

James H. Swasey . .Inverness, FL

Jonathan Morgan ...................... . .

Jacques Lordon ..... .Lee, France

James Verner. .... ... Plant City, FL

...................... ...... Charlotte, NC

Col J. Cloete ...... ...... ...... ........... .

Morton F. Woodworth ............... .

Tom Gulizia ............ Omaha, NE

Valhalla Pretoria, Republic of South Africa

.............. .............. Lake City, FL

Ed Nelson ............ Titusville, NJ

David Purcell ....... .Phoenix, AZ

Gerald Bateman .... Lewiston, ID

N. Bradley Fitzgerald ............... .

Matthew E. Arns ..... .Irvine, CA

Robert Breiling ........ Gurnee, IL

.................... Bosque Farms, NM

Donald T. Bayley ....................... .

Ronald Farver Creal Springs, IL

Clayton Stansell ....................... .

............................ Petaluma, CA
Arthur Green, Jr....................... . .

.......................... Los Lunas, NM

Gigi Brisson ... .......................... .


.... .. ........ ..... ..... Palos Heights, IL

Dennis Caldwell . .Kingston, NY

.......... .......... Berling Game, CA


Fred L. Shay .. ..Crystal Lake, IL

Gavin Giddings ...... Owego, NY

Grant E. Christensen ...... .......... . .


Russell G. Ryle ... ............ ... ....... .

Jim J. Tomaine ...... Endicott, NY

.. .... ....... .. ... ...... Santa Maria, CA


.............. .. ........ Bloomington, IN

Ruth Austin ... ......... Athens, OH

Russell Craig ............ ...... ..... ... ... .


Gary Bennett ............................. .

Donald Paolucci ......... .............. .

....... ............. Overland Park, KS

.................... Fairview Park, OH

John F. Durant.. ........ .... ............. .


Richard Cox ... ... Shreveport, LA

Joseph A. Kidd .... Silverton, OR

......... ................. Claremont, CA


Edward W. Phillips .............. ..... .

Keith Arnold ............ Easley, SC

... ..... .............. Lake Charles, LA

Raymond P Miller .. Taylors, SC

Roger Lacroix .. ... .Torrance, CA


Jerry W. Waller ........ Walker, LA

Michael M. Reamy .... Cuero, TX

Gregg S. Low ..... .Torrance, CA


Daniel Overholt.. ....................... .

Douglas Taylor.. ........ Dallas, TX

........ ............. .. .Cambridge, MA

Robert T. Richards ... ................ .

............ ........ Cameron Park, CA


Rob O'Dell ............ Arnold, MD

........................ ...... Ashburn, VA

Stanley T. Page ...... ...... ... ........ ...


Alan Koski ...... Lincolnville, ME

Edward Wehner .... Marshall, VA

........................ San Marcos, CA


David Cushway Big Rapids, MI

Daniel Looker ........................... .

Mark D. Gardner ....... .... .... ........ .


Adam Jacobs ....... ......... ............. .

...................... .. BeUingham, WA

............... .... .Moreno Valley, CA

Edgar G. Knox ... ....... Chico, CA

Miguel E. Nelson ...... .. ............. .

.. ........ .... .... ...... Westminster, CO

.. .... .... .. .. .. West Bloomfield, MI

Richard Sowle .... Spanaway, WA

Alex Cowie ..New Fairfield, CT


Daniel Schmidt ..Ann Arbor, MJ

David Sullivan ........................... .

David Blessing ............. ............ .


Mark Kirkman ... . Stillwater, MN

. ........... ............ Bellingham, WA

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

27

-BUCK from page 26

BUILDERS' WORKSHOP

Oshkosh, WI
January 2G-21, 2000

Robert Esnault-Pelterie was an early French


aviation pioneer who invented the modern
joystick control, among his many other
notable achievements.

"warp" the wings along with a rudder


bar. His system of control is the basis
for the wheel-controlled airplanes fly
ing today.
Now we have fly-by-wire control!
The stick or wheel isn't connected to
the controls anymore. All they do is
input to a computer what the pilot
would like to do . The computer then
digests the input information, and if
the demand is within the built-in
performance parameters, signals are
sent to the control servo, and we
have control. Those parameters pre
vent the operator from overstressing
the structures and himself or herself.
The computer is also tied in with
navigation systems, electronic coun
termeasure systems in the case of
combat aircraft, and can make the
machine practica lly foolproof.
This sort of takes the fun out of it,
and I can't help but wonder what Es
nault-Pelterie or Deperdussin wo uld
say if they could see what their con
trol systems have led to. Our antique
and classic airplanes may look old to
th e modern jet-type push -button
programmers of today, but I can just
imagine how Esnault-Pelterie and De
perdussin wou ld view our airplanes.
Would they enjoy the flight? You can
bet your bippy they would! Our kind
of flight is what they really wanted
all along, so let's enjoy ourselves and
think of those pioneers who made
the flight possible.
Over to you.
28

JANUARY

f(

2001

~t(d.

...

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Engine Installation
Fabric Covering
Sheet Metal Forming

$259 - $289
NON EAA MEMBERS $284 - $314

EAA MEMBERS

The Leader In Recreational Aviation

HANDS-ON
WELDING
WORKSHOPS
Griffin, Georgia
January 12-14 Be February 9-11, 2001
Spend 2 1/2 days at our Gas and T1G Welding Workshops.

GAS Welding

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Safety procedures for welding


Fundamentals of TIG Welding
How to select equipment
Equipment needed
How to weld steel plate and tubing
Safety issues
Techniques with variety of torches
Cutting and fitting tubing
Cutting and fitting tubing
Hands-on welding practice
Aluminum welding using gas torch
Practice welding steel, aluminum and stainless steel
Welding cast iron and other heavy metals

EAA MEMBERS

$289-- $349

NO_EMBERS

$314-$374

800-9675746

WORKSHOPS
~

" Under EAA's leadership

these workshops are

better than ever,"


Ron Alexander
workshop developer.

www.sportair.com
Call or log-<>n for our complete workshop calendar

'

~ "I

Air c ra f t Coatings

" Proud Sponsors of EAA SportAir Workshops"

TNE. GffLY ~n~


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Fly- In Calendar
The following list ofcoming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of
information only and does not constitute approval, sponsorship, involvement,
control or direction ofany event (fly-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) lisled.
Please send the information to EAA , Au: Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Information should be received four months prior
to the event date.
FEBR UA RY 11, ZOOI-Mondovi, WI-Ski Fly- In at Log Cabin Airport. Info:
715/287-4205.
MARCH 1-3, ZOO I- Kalispell, MT-Montana Aviation Conference at Cavanaugh 's
Outlaw Inn. Workshops, seminars, nationally recognized speakers, trade show.
Info: Montana Aeronautics Diy., 406/444-2506.
MARCH 2-4, 200I-Casa Grande, AZ-43rd Annual Cactus Fly-In at Casa Grande
Ailport, sponsored by the Arizona Antique Aircraft Association. Info: John Engle
480/987-55 16 or www.americallpilot.org/cactus.

AZRPLAffE.

Of course, if you plan to fJ~ it,


the easiest way is stiD Poly-Ylber.
~hy Poly-Fiber? Because for 30 years builders

"
have followed our easy steps and achieved safe,
truly superlative, long-lasting results. And Poly-Fiber
products are painstakingly manufactured and proven
over time. Our reader-friendly manual is almost like
having an instructor right there with you, and if you 'd
like some coaching, tJy one of our hands-on workshops.
There's also a step-by-step video, a kit for practicing
with Poly-Fiber, plus a web site full of information.

tv, NAV' ZT 'GV'''''D

MAY 6, 2001- Rockford, IIr-EAA Ch. 22 Fly-In/Drive-in Breakfast at Greater Rock


ford Airport, Courtesy Aircraft Hangar. Info: 815/397-4995.

800-362-3490

MA Y 6, 2001-Dayton. OH- EAA Ch. 48. 38th Annual FlInday Sunday Fly-In Break
fast. Fly market, awards, lunch, vendors and much more. Sat. night fee camping
with things to see and do. Lots ofantiques on thefieid. Moraine Air Park. Info:
937/291-1225 or 937/859-8967.

W'VW.polyfiber.c:om
e-mail: info@polyfiber.com
Aircraft Coatings

VINTAGE TRADER

Something to buy, sell or trade?


Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words. 180 words maximum, with boldface lead-in
on first line.
Classified Display Ads: One column wide (2.167 inches) by 1,2. or 3 inches high at
$20 per inch. Black and white only, and no frequency discounts.
Advertising Closing Dates: 10th ofsecond month prior to desired issue date (i.e..
January 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA reserves the right 10 reject
any advertising in conflict with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per issue.
Classified ads are IIOt accepted via phone. Payment must accompany order. Word ads
may be sent via fax (920/426-4828) or e-mail (c/assads@eaa.org) using credit card
payment (VISA or MasterCard). Include name on card, complete address. type of
card, card number, and expiration date. Make checks payable to EAA. Address
advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classified Ad Manager. P.D. Box
3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

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 www.ramengine.com VINTAGE ENGINE MACHIN E WORKS. N. 604
FREYA ST. , SPOKANE, WA 99202.
AIRCRAFT FABRICS - Imported Unen, Certificated Cotton. Tapes - Straight and
pinked. For an $18-18" sample, send $10.00. Contact for price list. Vintage Aero
Fabrics, Ltd., 18 Joumey's End, Mendon, VT 05701 USA. Tel: 802/786-0705, Fax:
802/786-2129. E-mail: www.avcloth.com
Wanted: Prewar Aeronca Chief aft aluminum wing strut. Call 401-253-1978, or e
mail to msquick@msn.com

Fly high with a

quality Classic interior

Complete interior assemblies for do-it-yourself installation .


Custom quality at economical prices.

Cushion upholstery sets


Wall panel sets
Headliners
Carpet sets
Baggage compartment sets
Firewall covers
Seat slings
Recover envelopes and dopes
Free catalog of complete product line.
Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sam ple colors and
styles of materials : $3 .00 .

Qin~RODUCTS, INC.

259 Lower Morrisville Rd ., Dept. VA


Fallsington , PA 19054 (215) 295-4115
www.airtexinteriors .com

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

29

r
Georgia Bracey,
Matt Kenner,
Steve Smith and
John Wilkinson
Aurora,

IL

1948 Luscombe 8A

Steve Sm ith 's partnership owns a 1948 Luscombe 8A


and a 1994 Finney Acro Sport II .

1994 Finney Aero Sport /I


- 1994 Osh-Kosh Bronze
Lindy Winner

AUAis

~
approved.
To become a

"We are a partnership of four people


with varying levels of experience. AUA

was very accommodating when it came


to transitioning new tailwheel pilots.

lower liability and hull premiums

We've had our Luscombe insured with

Medical payments included

AUA for eight years, so when we

Fleet discounts fo r multiple aircraft


carrying all ri sk coverage s

purchased our Acro Sport AUA was our

member of the

first choice./I

Steve Smith and John Wilkinson

Association call

800-843-3612

No hand-pmpping exclu sion


No age penalty

- Georgia Bracey, Matt Kenner,

Vintage Aircraft

AUA's Exclusive EAA


Vintage Aircraft Assoc.
Insurance Program

The best is affordable.

Give AUA a call - it's FREE!

No component parts end orsements


Discounts for claim-free renewal s
carrying all ri sk coverage s

Remember,

We're Better Together'

800-727-3823
Fly with the pros.. .fly with AUA Inc.

AVIATION UNLIMITED AGENCY

Membershi~ Services Directo!y_


VINTAGE

Enjoy the many benefits ofBAA and the


AIRCRAFT
BAA
Vintage Aircraft Association
ASSOCIATION
EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

OFFICERS
President
'Butch" Joyce
P.O. Box 35584
Greensboro. NC 27425
336/393-0344
windsock@ool.com
Esp~

Secretary

Steve Nessa
'2S:I:R Highland Ave.
Albert Lea. MN 56007
507/373-1674

Vice- Presid ent

George Daubner
2448 Lough Lane

Hartford. WI 53027

262/673-5885
antique2@aol.com

Treasurer
Charles W. Harris
7215 East 46th 51.
Tulsa. OK 74145
918/622-8400
cwh@hvsu.com

DIRECTORS
David BenneH
P.O. Box 1188
Roseville. CA 95678
530/268-1585

Jeannie Hili
P.O. Box 328
Harvard. IL 60033
815/943-7205

antiquer@inreoch.com

dinghao@owc.net

Robert C_"Bob" Brauer


9345 S. Hoyne
Chk:ago. IL 60620
7731779-2105
photopiol@aC>.com

Sfeve Krog
1002 Heather Ln.
Hartford. WI 53027
262/96&7627
sskrag@aol.com

John Berendt

Robert D. "Bob' Lumley


1265 South 124th 51.

Brookfield. WI 53D05
262/782-2633

7645 Echo Point Rd.


Cannon Falls. MN 55009

507/263-2414
tchld@rconnecl.com

John S. Copeland
1A Deacon Street
Northborough. MA 01532
508/393-4775
copelandl@juno.com

RagerGomoll
321-1/25. Broadway #3
Rochester. MN 55904
5071288-2810

rgorol@hotmoil .com

Dale A. Gustafson
7724 Shady Hill Dr.
Indlanapol~. IN 46278
317/293-4430

Programs and Activities


EAA AirVen ture Fax- a n-Demand Directory
. . .. .. ...... .. . __. .. . .... . _... 732-885-6711
Auto Fuel STCs . _. .. .. . .. . .. . .. 920-426-4843
Bu ild / restore in formation . . . .. . 920-426-4821
Chapters: locating/ organizing .. 920-426-4876
Education ... . ......... . . . ... . . 920-426-6815
EAA Air Academy
EAA Scholarships

Gene Morris
5936 Steve Court
Roanoke. TX 76262
817/491-9110
n03capl@fiash.net
1429 Kings Lynn Rd
Stoughton. WI 53589
608/877-8485
dar@opriloire.com

Geoff Robison
1521 E. MacGregor Dr.
New Haven. IN 46774
219/493-4724
chief7025@ao1.com
S.H. "Wes" Schmid
2359 Lefeber Avenue
Wauwcrtosa. WI 53213
414/771-1545
shschmid@execpc.com

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

Gene Chase
2159 Carlton Rd.
Oshkosh. WI 54904
920/231-5002

EAA and Division Membership Services


800-843-3612 .. FAX 920-426-6761
(8:00 AM -7:00 PM
Monday- Friday CST )
New /r enew memberships: EAA, Divi sions
(Vin tage Aircraft Association, lAC, Warb i rdsl.
National Associat ion of Flight Inst ru ctors
(NAF!)
Address changes
Merchandise sales
Gift membersh ips

Fl igh t Advisors information . . ___920-426-6522


Flight Instructor in formation . _. 920-426-6801
Flying Start Program ....... 920-426-6847
Library Services/ Research . . .... 920-426-4848
Medical Questio ns ... . ...... . . . 920-426-4821
Techn ical Counselors . . . . _. _. _. 920-426-4821
You ng Eagl es . .. .. . . .. . . .. . . . . . 920-426-4831
Benefits
Aircra ft Financing (Textron) . .. _. 800-851-1367
AUA .. . . .. .. .. . .. . ... .... ... . . 800-727 -3823
AVEMCO . . ... . ... .. .... . _. . . . 800-638-8440
Term Life and Acciden tal . . . . _. . 800-241-6103
Death Insurance (Harvey Watt & Company)
Editorial
Submitting article/ photo; advertising information
920-426-4825 . FAX 920-426-4828
EAAAviation Foundation
Artifact Donations . . .. . . . . . . _.. 920-426-4877
Financi al Su pport .. . . . . . . . . . . 800-236-1025

lumper@execpc.com

Dean Richardson

Phil Coulson
28415 Sprlngbrook Dr.
Lawton. MI 49065
616/624-6490
rcouison516@cs.com

Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Site: http://www.eat/.org and http://www.airventure.org E-Mail: vintage @eat/.org

E.E. "Buck" Hilbert


P.O. Box 424
Union. IL 60180
815/923-4591
buck7ac@mc.net

ADVISOR
Alan Shackleton

P.O. Box 656

Sugar Grove. IL 60554-0656

630/466-4193

103346.I772@compuserve.com

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association,
Inc. is $40 for one year, including 12 issues of SPORT
AVIATION. Family membership is available for an addi
tional $1 0 annually. Junior Membership (under 19
years of age) is available at $23 annually. All major
credit cards accepted for membership. (Add $16 for

Foreign Postage.)

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION


Current EAA members may join the Vintage Aircraft
Associaton and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE maga
zine for an additional $27 per year.
EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE mag-azine
and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Air
craft As soc iat ion is availab le fo r $37 per year
(SPORT AVIATION magazine not inc luded). (Add

$7 for Foreign Postage.)

lAC
Current EAA members may joi n the Intern ational
Aerobatic Clu b, Inc. Division and receive SPORT
AEROBATICS mag azine for an add it ional $40
per year.
EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBATICS magazine
and one year membership in the lAC Division is

available for $50 per year (SPORT AVIATION mag


az ine not included). (Add $10 for Foreign

Postage.)

WARBIRDS
Current EAA members may join the EAA Warbirds of
America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine
for an additional $35 per year.
EAA Membership, WARBIRDS magazine and one
yea r me m bership in the Warb i rds Division
is available for $45 per year (SPORT AVIATION
m agazine not i nclud ed). (Add $7 for Foreign

Postage.)

EAA EXPERIMENTER

Current EAA memb ers may rece iv e EAA


EXPERIMENTER magazine for an additional $20
per year.
EAA Membership and EAA EXPERIMENTER mag
az i ne is avai lable for $30 pe r y ear (SPORT
AVIATION magazine not included).(Add $8 for For

eign Postage.)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS
Please submit your remittance w ith a check or
draft drawn on a United States ban k payable in
Un ited States dolla r s. Add required Foreign
Postage amount for each membership.

Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions.
Copyright 2001 by the EM \IIntage Aircraft Association
All rights reserved.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) IPM 1482602 is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vinlage Aircraft Associalion 01 the El<perimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Avialion Center. 3fJOO
Poberemy Rd. PO. Box 3088. Oshkosh. WlSCoosin 54903-3088. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh. Wiscoosin 54901 and at addITiooal maili"9 offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes 10 EM \IIntage Aircraft Associatioo.
PO. Box 3086. Oshkosh. WI 54903-3088. FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to loreign and APO addresses via surlace mail. ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft
Association does not guarantee Of' endorse any product offered through the advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can
be taken.EDrrORIAL POUCY: Readers are encooraged to submIT stories and photographs. Pc>icy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility lor acctXaCY in reporti"9 rests entirely with the contributor. No
reoumeratioo is made. Material should be senllo: EdITor. VINTAGE AIRPLANE, PO. Box 3088. Oshkosh. WI 54903-3088. Phone 920/42&-4800.
The words EM, ULTRALIGHT, FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM, SPORT AVIATION, FOR THE LOVE OF FLYING and the logos of EAA, EAA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION, INTERNA
TIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB, WARBIRDS OF AMERICA are registered trademarks. THE EAA SKY SHOPPE and logos of the EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION. EAA ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION and EAA AirVenture are trade
marks of the above associatioos and their use by any person other than the above association is strictly prohibited.

VINTAG E A IRPLANE

31

-Columbine from page 9


port, Denver's main airline terminal.
Although this was before classed air
space, I still gave it a wide berth.
Before long I spotted Columbine
Airport carved out of the snow. It
was a weekend with great flying
weather so there was a lot of activity
going on. I entered the pattern and
prepared to land. The runway was
carved out of the deep snow, proba
bly by a snow blower type of
apparatus. The snow was piled high
on either side of the narrow runway.
It seemed to be about six feet high at
that time, but memories do play
tricks on the mind. Anyway, it was
deep! I decided to show off a little
and do a nice wheel landing to im
press Chuck on how well I could fly
his plane. I could see him standing
near the end of the runway as I
passed by on final and touched
down ever so gracefully. Instantly,
the airplane lurched hard left then

32

JANUARY 2001

hard right . I thought I was going


right into each of those snow banks.
Too ignorant to know what was go
ing on, it took every bit of training I
had ever received to salvage that
landing. Sliding to a stop, I turned
around at the departure end of the
runway and taxied back down the
runway to the waiting owner, whom
I was sure was happy to finally get
this guy out of his plane before it
was wrecked. I shut it off in front of
the airport office.
After greeting me, Chuck checked
with the airport manager on where
he should tie it down . Surprisingly,
Chuck told me to move it to a par
ticular tie down spot down the line.
I got back in the Luscombe and fired
it up. It would not move. Even at
full throttle, it just would not move.
The wheels were now fro ze n solid.
This was caused by me foolishly
taxiing through the water puddles at
Jefferson County and then flying in
freezing weather. I had landed that

little Luscombe with frozen wheels


in the ditch of snow and survived!
I thought about that flight on the
airliner coming home and many
times through the years after. My
brother knew if I survived that trip,
it might humble me a bit and, hope
fully , make me a more thinking
pilot. It did!

About the author:


Pat Quinn is a retired Los Ange
les Fire Department helicopter
pilot. He served in that capacity for
thirty years. He grew up in South
ern California in a flying family.
His father, two brothers, wife and
son were pilots. He has owned 48
different aircraft including a Waco
YMF-S, a Bucker Jungmeister, two
T-6s, a Cessna 180, and a share in
a P-S1. He currently has a Bucker
Jungmann powered by a 180 horse
power Lycoming. His hangar is at
Santa Paula Airport northwest of
Los Angeles.
.....

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