Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A I R P L A N E
Vol. 38, No. 2
2010
FEBRUARY
CONTENTS
IFC Straight & Level
Freedom and EAA
by Geoff Robison
News
16
Dear Jenny . . .
A fellow never forgets his first love
by Bill Larmore
19
16
Part II
by Robert G. Lock
26
28
32
34
Mystery Plane
STAFF
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Director of EAA Publications
Executive Director/Editor
Production/Special Project
Photography
by H.G. Frautschy
36
39
Classified Ads
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Classified Ad Coordinator
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H.G. Frautschy
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Lesley Poberezny
Colleen Walsh
Katrina Bradshaw
COVERS
FRONT COVER: Some of the rarest of antique biplanes around today are those
built by the E.M. Laird Airplane Company. World famous in their day, few were built
in quantity, meaning that even fewer sur vived the ensuing decades. This beautiful example of a Laird LC-1B-300 was restored by Larr y Howard. Read Sparky
Barnes Sargents ar ticle on its restoration beginning on page 6. EAA photo by Mike
Steineke; Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.
BACK COVER: Hats in the Ring, by noted ar tist James Dietz, depicts the Nieupor t
28 biplanes of the Hat in the Ring 94th Aero Squadron in 1918. This detail of
the painting (the original is significantly wider; if this is widescreen, Dietzs painting
is Cinemascope!) also shows a Packard staff car. The painting is oil on canvas. It
was finished in time for the Automobile Fine Ar tists of America show at the Pebble
Beach Concors dElegance in 2009. No prints are available of the ar twork. For more
information on the ar twork of Jim Dietz, visit www.jamesdietz.com.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1
VAA NEWS
Nominat
ions
C A L L F OR V I N TA G E A I R C R A F T A S S O C I AT IO N
To nominate someone is easy. It just takes a little time and a little reminiscing on your part.
s 4HINK OF A PERSON THINK OF HIS OR HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO VINTAGE AVIATION
s 7RITE THOSE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE VARIOUS CATEGORIES OF THE NOMINATION FORM
s 7RITE A SIMPLE LETTER HIGHLIGHTING THESE ATTRIBUTES AND CONTRIBUTIONS -AKE COPIES OF
NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE ARTICLES THAT MAY SUBSTANTIATE YOUR VIEW
s )F YOU CAN HAVE ANOTHER PERSON COMPLETE A FORM OR WRITE A LETTER ABOUT THIS PERSON
CONlRMING WHY THE PERSON IS A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR INDUCTION
Mail nominating materials to: 6!! (ALL OF &AME
%!! 6INTAGE !IRCRAFT !SSOCIATION
0/ "OX
/SHKOSH 7)
Remember, your contemporary may be a candidate; nominate someone today!
&IND THE NOMINATION FORM AT www.VintageAircraft.org OR CALL THE 6!! OFlCE FOR A COPY
OR ON YOUR OWN SHEET OF PAPER SIMPLY INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
s $ATE SUBMITTED
s .AME OF PERSON NOMINATED
s !DDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER OF NOMINEE
s %
MAIL ADDRESS OF NOMINEE
s $ATE OF BIRTH OF NOMINEE )F DECEASED DATE OF DEATH
s .AME AND RELATIONSHIP OF NOMINEES CLOSEST LIVING RELATIVE
s !DDRESS AND PHONE OF NOMINEES CLOSEST LIVING RELATIVE
s 6!! AND %!! NUMBER IF KNOWN .OMINEE MUST HAVE BEEN OR IS A 6!! MEMBER
s 4IME SPAN DATES OF THE NOMINEES CONTRIBUTIONS TO VINTAGE AVIATION
-UST BE BETWEEN TO PRESENT DAY
s !REAS OF CONTRIBUTIONS TO AVIATION
s $ESCRIBE THE EVENTS OR NATURE OF ACTIVITIES THE NOMINEE HAS UNDERTAKEN IN AVIATION TO
BE WORTHY OF INDUCTION INTO THE 6!! (ALL OF &AME
s $ESCRIBE ACHIEVEMENTS THE NOMINEE HAS MADE IN OTHER RELATED lELDS IN AVIATION
s (AS THE NOMINEE ALREADY BEEN HONORED FOR HIS OR HER INVOLVEMENT IN AVIATION ANDOR THE
CONTRIBUTION YOU ARE STATING IN THIS PETITION )F YES PLEASE EXPLAIN THE NATURE OF THE
HONOR ANDOR AWARD THE NOMINEE HAS RECEIVED
s !NY ADDITIONAL SUPPORTING INFORMATION
s 3UBMITTERS ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER PLUS E
MAIL ADDRESS
s )NCLUDE ANY SUPPORTING MATERIAL WITH YOUR PETITION
continued on page 36
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
4 FEBRUARY 2010
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
The thoroughbred
of the airways
BY
6 FEBRUARY 2010
A Thoroughbreds History
First of all, lets place this Laird in
its appropriate contextthere were
Larry Howards
Lovely
Laird
MIKE STEINEKE
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
The Laird, after conversion to a sprayer in 1952. Extensive modifications were made to the rudder, fin, and
cockpits, and a Lycoming R-680 had been installed in
place of the Wright.
8 FEBRUARY 2010
fortunately it was wrecked on its arrival, says Larry, but after it was
rebuilt, it served for the United States
Army as a coastal patrol and target
tug off the coast of California.
In 1946, the Laird flew to Long
Beach with another owner and
was converted to a crop duster. A
hopper, venturi, and agitator were
installed, and all of the controls
were taken out and BT-13 controls
were put into it, says Larry, along
with a BT-13 tail wheel. It served as
a duster in southern California for
several years.
Then in 1952, the Laird was converted to a sprayer. A metal tank and
sprayer bars, along with a Lycoming R-680-13, were installed, and
the biplane worked in the California valley and Arizona for several
yearsup through 1957. By the late
1950s, the thoroughbred was retired to a dusters yard in Woodlake,
California, says Larry. It was discovered as a derelict behind a hangar there by local Dick Edmiston. He
rescued it in 1984 and spent years
trying to get it restored.
Owner/Restorer
Enter Larry, a dentist (now retired) from Greenacres, Washington. He heard about the aircraft
from a patient. We were talking
about airplanes, and he said, I
know a guy who has a Lairdand
that started about a five-year com-
m
munication
with Mr. Edmiston,
who owned the Laird but didnt
w
want to sell it.
w
Backing up just a bit, Larr y
sshares how he became interested
iin aviation. Ive dreamed of flyiing airplanes since I was a teenager, he recalls, smiling. In those
a
days Mechanicx Illustrated had cards
d
you could tear out and send in to
y
get a brochure about Cessnas and
g
Beechcraft and whatnot. EventuB
ally I bought the very aircraft that
a
I was dreaming aboutmy first
airplane was a 1957 straight-tail
a
Cessna 182, and then I had a V-tail
C
Bonanza. Thankfully, I got to know
B
Addison Pemberton [a neighborA
iing antiquer] who infected me with
tthe old-airplane disease. And before you know it, I was trying to
explain to my wife why I needed
to buy a wrecked Great Lakes in
Guatemala. I brought it back to the
United States and restored it from
the frame up.
It was during that time that he
began talking with Dick, and in November 2001, after completing the
Great Lakes, he bought the Laird.
Chuckling, he reflects, I kind of
went to grad school in the restoration game, straight from the grade
school of a Great Lakes to the Laird,
and I loved learning the skills involved. I live at Sky Meadows Airpark, and my hangar and shop is
just 100 feet from the house. I
dont like television, so I work in
my shop every evening, and it was
a fun project. It is very rewarding
Research
A good portion of those hours
were invested in research. In his
quest for drawings, he traveled to
the Smithsonian and the FAA office
in Chicago, but departed emptyhanded. He did collect some drawings when he communicated with
Matty Laird Jr. in Carson City. He
also spoke with a 90-year-old Laird
owner in Canada: Mr. Edmiston
had actually collected quite a few,
and he had communicated with
the Colby family, as well, says
STEVE SCHULTE
The folding windscreen for the front cockpit can easily be installed
or removed.
A spacious front cockpit seats twonote the fuel tank below the panel.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
MIKE STEINEKE
LC-1B-300
According to the late aviation historian Joseph Juptner, this model
Laird was cleaned up aerodynamically by the addition of a low-drag
cowl, and its lower wing roots were
neatly faired into the fuselageplus
it had the advantage of 30 extra
horses. With an upper wingspan of
34 feet and a lower span of 30 feet,
this thoroughbred measures 23 feet
9 inches from tip to tail. It came
equipped with a Pioneer instrument
panel, an Eclipse hand inertia starter,
and a Hamilton-Standard groundadjustable propeller. Its landing gear
was the split-axle type with rubber
shock cords for smoother landings,
Goodrich tires, and Bendix brakes.
Today, as powered by a 300-hp
Wright J-6-9, the Laird has an empty
weight of 1,958 pounds, a gross
weight of 3,022 pounds, and a useful
load of 1,064 pounds.
12 FEBRUARY 2010
Fuselage
The Lairds fuselage isnt made
from steel, as one might think. The
tubing that composes the complex
framework is all aluminum. The
tubing fits into steel clusters at
each station, explains Larry, and
the longerons slide through these
weldmentswhile the vertical and
horizontal tubes just nest in. There
is one bolt that bolts through the
longeron, to locate the longeron
fore and aft, but thats the only
bolting. Then there are tie rods
at each station in all directions
they go crosswise through the center of the station, and the sides,
bottom, and top all have cross tie
rods in them. There are up to 12
tie rods per station, with at least
60 tie rods in the whole fuselage.
Its very much like the construction of World War I airplanes that
were built out of wood, with steel
stations and tie cables. So the construction was difficult, especially
since those stations had corroded
after being a duster for years.
Larry built the adjustable aluminum seat for the rear cockpit by taking measurements from an original
one that he was able to locate. One
Larry Howard
Empennage
Wings
Surprisingly, most of the wing
hardware, along with the original
flying and landing wires, survived
those long years of neglect. That
was a big help, he comments.
The wings are built of spruce with
truss construction ribs. The cap
strips are all routed, and the center
webs are reinforced plywood with
diagonal reinforcing strips. There
are two very healthy spruce spars,
so each wing is very strong, and the
ailerons are built of wood, as well.
All the wood construction is new,
of course, which is not surprising
Wright
Since Larry lives in Washington,
where mountains loom large on
the horizon, he decided to go with
a later version of the Wright Whirlwind, instead of the older snap
cap engine. Radial mechanic
Al Holloway of California overhauled the Wright J-6-9 R975-11.
This one is a sacrificial oiler engine, so it has pressure lubrication
to the valves on the top half of the
engine and gravity lubrication to
the ones on the bottom. Its a very
nice, clean-running engineit does
not leak very much at all, he says,
adding, John Swander of Missouri
built the cowling ring for it.
Finishing Touches
Meticulous with his restoration,
Larry took the time to include
several nice yet subtle finishing touches for his rare Laird. For
one, he installed a brass trim plate
along the top edge of the front
cockpit, which has LAIRD neatly
engraved on its top, polished surface. Brass buckles and latches fasten the front cockpit and baggage
compartment (there are two) covers, and a three-piece folding windscreen for the front cockpit can be
quickly installed or removed with
brass thumbscrews.
But perhaps the crown jewels
of these extra details are the navigation lights. Originally, the Laird
was equipped with Pioneer lights,
which could be ordered through
the Nicholas-Beazley catalog of
the day. Ive only seen them on
two other airplanes, and I couldnt
locate any, explains Larry, so
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
NC10402s first flight was in September 2008, and Larry logged about
20 hours before winter set in. This
past spring, it returned to the sky.
Weve put about 120 hours on the
airplane this year already, he says.
The Laird maneuvers nicely on
the ground, thanks to its steerable
tail wheel and BT-13 brakes. Accelerating down the runway on its 30 x 5
wheels (made by Dick Fisher of California), the biplane begins levitating
skyward at 80 mph. Its a very spirited aircraft on takeoff, says Larry,
smiling. It climbs out somewhat
over 1,600 feet per minute, and the
takeoff run is very short. Its got a
very skinny wing with a little undercamber on the bottom of the
wings, and I was real concerned that
it would have a lot of adverse yaw
and be a snappy staller. Well, it is a
snappy staller, but it has very little
adverse yaw once its in the air. Its
a very fast airplane and cruises between 125 to 135 mph at 1950 rpm.
Were burning between 16 and 17
gph, and it carries 74 gallons total,
with 53 in the main tank (located
in the front cockpit) and 23 in the
wing center section tank. So its got
long legs and has about three and a
half hours duration.
In flight, the Laird has very nice
control harmony. Its fairly neutral
in pitch, so it will hold pitch without a struggle, but its not nearly
as pitch stable as a modern airplane. But in smooth air, you can
fly it hands-off for a long time, he
says. Landing is a little more of a
challenge. It sits a little high on the
14 FEBRUARY 2010
STEVE SCHULTE
Bernhard Rouschal,
ATP, Lufthansa German Airlines
Despite being a foreigner, spending money on AirportProperty in the US was the easy part. Finding some
good insurance for my experimental planes was a bit
more of a challenge. But then somebody recommended
the friendly folks at AUA and it became an easy
and flawless cooperation instantly. Thanks.
Bernhard Rouschal
AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved. To become a member of VAA call 800-843-3612.
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Fly with the pros fly with AUA Inc.
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Dear Jenny
A fellow never forgets his first love
BY
16 FEBRUARY 2010
BILL LARMORE
show, but also for the entire Saturday. That included a double-feature
Western later that afternoon in the
old Rialto (Rathole) theater in Ottumwa; Bob Steele in one show,
Col. Tim McCoy in the other one,
followed by a great serial segment
of Don Winslow of the Navy. I
was to give up all of that, plus a
huge hamburger at the Canteen
Lunch later, to pay for the wonder
of my first flight!
A leather-jacketed, hairlinemustached, glossy-booted hero
with helmet and goggles hanging
around his neck was posed like
Tarzan by the Jenny. I discovered
later from Ole Oleson, the airport
manager, that the pilot was really a
skinny balding old WWI vet with a
scraggy scattering of mangy lip hair
he called a mustache. And that he
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
JUST A REMINDER...
You can buy your tickets online now and save time and money.
Go to www.airventure.org/tickets
and get to the fun fasterand cheaper.
J U LY 2 6 A U G U S T 1
My Friend
Albert Vollmecke
Part 2
BY
nother idea
that Albert Vollmecke brought
to CommandAire from Germany was the
formation here in the United
States of glider clubs to teach
young boys how to fly an airplane. The program had been so
successful in Germany that Albert
reasoned, why not here? He undertook a project to design a small
primary glider that CommandAire could market to glider clubs
that would spring up across the
United States.
Application was made (see Figure 1) to the Aeronautics Branch
of the Department of Commerce
December 19, 1927, just after Albert Vollmecke became employed
with Arkansas Aircraft Company.
The stated purpose of the airplane was experimental. Later
he intended there would be production of the gliders for sale to
organizations such as Boy Scouts
of America and community glider
ROBERT G. LOCK
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
Figure 2
Figure 1
20 FEBRUARY 2010
Figure 3
Figure 4
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
Figure 5
Depression that gripped the country starting with the stock market
crash in 1929 was about to take its
toll on many small airplane-manufacturing companies. In Albert
Vollmeckes brief four-plus years
with Command-Aire, the company received 14 approved type
certificates (ATC) that resulted in
the construction of 116 aircraft
powered by the Curtiss OX-5 engines. The company built approximately 184 aircraft of all types;
a respectable record for only four
years of operation.
Vollmecke detailed to me the
story of his design of a larger and
more powerful Little Rocket
type aircraft that featured a retractable landing gear. The design
was for a pursuit-type ship for the
U.S. government, and his compilation of sketches was presented
for review. However, the company ceased operations before
any negotiations could be completed for a prototype ship.
In one interview with Albert
Vollmecke I asked what it was
like in the last few weeks of
Command-Aire as an employee
and well-known designer. First
he indicated that the president, Bob Snowden Jr., had his
hands in several business entities in 1930, primarily his large
farming operation, the frozen
food business, and other interests. No matter how bad things
got for the general public, they
all needed to eat, which meant
Snowden would have an income
from his agricultural interests.
However, there would be little
22 FEBRUARY 2010
Figure 6
In several
countries, before a
person is permitted
to train to fly an
airplane he must
be a glider pilot.
Flying a glider is
much safer for the
beginner than flying
an airplane, as the
glider very rarely
gets over 25 feet
from the ground.
money available in the market to
purchase such an extravagance
as an airplane. Therefore he paid
little attention to the floundering Command-Aire Incorporated.
In the last days, Vollmecke said
he took all his ATC drawings and
locked them in the large safe
Figure 7
Figure 8
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
nautics Bulletin No. 7-H (see Figure 5), signed by Daniel C. Roper,
Secretary of Commerce, on September 23, 1935. The document
became effective January 1, 1936.
In this document there appear
several drawings of steel tube repairs and of splices to wood wing
spars and ribs. It is most likely in
Aeronautics Bulletin No. 7-H that
Vollmecke and his committee designed the repairs. The drawings
are very similar to those found
in Civil Aeronautics Manual (CAM)
18 and FAA Advisor y Circular
43.13-1B.
Aeronautics bulletins appeared in 1927 beginning with
No. 7, Airworthiness Requirements
for Aircraft. This document was
needed to comply with government regulations regarding
ATCs. Aeronautics Bulletin 7 was
amended to AB-7A September 1,
1934. Aeronautics Bulletin No. 7-H
is significant because it was the
fi rst document to address alterations and repairs to certificated
aircraft. Prior to AB-7H there was
no documented repair procedure
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24 FEBRUARY 2010
AIRPLANE APRONS
Adult and youth aprons with
various airplanes images
flying through the skies
are useful and fun
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Adult 5265450900000
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THE
MUMMERT
1923
SPORTPLANE
by Jack McRae
EAA 93
Editors Note: The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history. Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this series, we plan on publishing those
LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members. Enjoy!HGF
26 FEBRUARY 2010
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
Vintage
Mechanic
THE
BY ROBERT G. LOCK
Figure 1
Wire pointer shown fastened to No. 5 rocker box on
Wright R-760 engine. Its a quick and simple way to verify
prop pitch.
28 FEBRUARY 2010
Figure 2
The pointer is made using a length of 3/32-inch diameter
welding rod with 1/4-inch inside diameter loop formed
on one end.
to an approved type certifi cate (ATC) to match engine propeller shaft sizes.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
be necessary to remove so much material that the propeller becomes unbalanced. This condition must be
watched for and be corrected.
(Editors Note: Be careful when choosing abrasive cloth.
Sometimes the term crocus cloth is used generically when
referring to abrasive cloth, but it originally was an iron
oxide product. Crocus cloth made
using iron oxide is appropriate for
use only on steel propeller blades
and should not be used on aluminum blades. The iron oxide abrasive particles used to create crocus
cloth will induce dissimilar metal
corrosion if used on aluminum.
If its necessary to use abrasive
cloth when dressing out a pit on
an aluminum blade, use mineralbased abrasives such as emery
cloth.HGF)
Vibration: The question of
vibration in the powerplant,
propeller and mounting is a
very important one. There are,
of course, a number of possible causes of vibration. One of
the most obvious causes is the
static unbalance of the propeller and that can be controlled
by inspection. The dynamic
unbalance of the propeller
can be controlled within fairly
close limits by checking the
face alignment or track of the
blades at a number of stations.
An aerodynamic unbalance
of the propeller may be caused,
as is well known, by unequal
angle setting of the two blades.
It may also be caused by improper template fit of the two blades, resulting in different characteristics for the airfoil, and this feature
is carefully controlled by inspection at the Hamilton
Standard plant.
Hamilton Standards book continues: Unequal
amount of stiffness in the two blades may also cause vibration, as the blades will deflect by unequal amounts.
In Hamilton Standard Propellers, this condition will
not be found, as the material is carefully tested to ensure uniformity of structure and hardness.
There are, of course, possibilities of vibration coming from the engine, even assuming good distribution,
ignition and timing. One of these is the uneven torque
reaction due to the gas pressure. A second source of vibration comes from improper balance of the reciprocating parts.
However, vibration frequently occurs at certain
speeds, and is comparatively small in amount at other
speeds. This is often the result of the period of vibration of some of the parts coinciding with the rate of
engine impulses or with the rate of revolution. It can
sometimes be eliminated by changes in the mounting
of the engine or by changes in propeller design.
Climb and/or cruise performance of the airplane
is in direct relationship to propeller pitch. There are climb
props and cruise props.
Climb props allow the engine
to develop maximum rpm at
full throttle, thus achieving
maximum rate-of-climb. Quoting from the manual, For example, it may be desired to get
out of a small field even at the
expense of the speed of the airplane. In this case the propeller should be set at a low pitch,
allowing the engine to turn-up
fast on take-off. The plane will
then get off the ground in a
short distance.
On the other hand, it may
be desirable to economize
on fuel. For this, the pitch of
the propeller should be set at
a high angle and the engine
held down to a low rpm at full
throttle. This setting will give
the greatest economy of fuel,
or, in other words, the most
miles per gallon.
The Hamilton Standard
manual further states, Adjustment of Pitch for High Speed:
For racing or any other type of
flying in which high speed is
important, an intermediate setting between these two will be found the most desirable. In determining the best setting (or the prop) for
speed, the pilot should try several pitch settings, flying
level and at full throttle with each setting. A reading of
the airspeed meter should be taken during each test.
The setting which gives the greatest speed is, of course,
the one most suitable for that particular airplane.
Before I leave this interesting little manual, there is
one more bit of information I found fascinating. The
manual says, Shoulders on Blade Ends: The shoulders
on the blade ends are so designated that the shearing strength and the crushing strength are equal and,
though nearly so, are not quite as great as the tensile
strength of the smallest section of the blade end. Tensile tests on these blade ends show that they fail at
320,000 lbs. load for the No. 1 size. This corresponds to
a factor of safety of approximately 5 for our standard
10 ft. propeller when turning at 1800 rpm.
The propeller is
mounted on the
engine or on a
suitable mandrel,
and the blades are
swung through an arc of
180 degrees.
Both blades should
pass through exactly
the same path,
and the amount by
which they fail to do so
is the error in track.
30 FEBRUARY 2010
logy,
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
Vintage
Instructor
THE
32 FEBRUARY 2010
hes in a hurry!
Entering the traffic pattern using
the normal 45-degree approach,
you turn to 110 degrees, apply
carburetor heat at the runway
midpoint, make your initial
power reduction to 1200 rpm,
and establish your 90-mph glide
attitude. While completing the
pre-landing checklist assuring the
fuel selector is on the proper tank,
making trim adjustments, and
securing maps and other loose items
lying on the seat, you momentarily
lose sight of the slower airplane in
front of you. It takes a few seconds,
but the airplane is finally located.
Man, he sure is taking his time,
you think! Youll need to extend
your downwind leg just a bit to give
him more time for his approach.
Now where is that twin behind you?
Finally, the slow airplane is on
final approach. Youre wingtip to
wingtip, he on final and you on
downwind, so the turn to base can
be initiated. As you establish your
bank angle for the turn, things dont
seem quite right. But no problem.
Youve landed this beautiful old
bird many times before.
Gosh, that slow plane in front of
you is sure taking his sweet time.
To compensate, you roll out of
your base turn a few degrees early
and add 100 rpm. That should
provide a few seconds more time
and better spacing. Things still
dont seem quite right. You have
no worries, though.
After what seems to be an
Whats so
unusual about
this? You deal
with this scenario
all the time at
your own airport.
How can this be
a problem?
Now, lets go back to the point of
the pattern entry and look at what
could have been done differently.
First, you had an approximate
15-mph quartering tailwind
from the right increasing your
ground speed significantly while
pushing you toward the runway.
A 5-degree crab angle to the right
and slightly less power would
correct the downwind leg. You
might even put your airplane
in a slow-flight configuration
extending the downwind leg by
5-10 seconds beyond the normal
no-traffic approach. Then you
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33
by H.G. FRAUTSCHY
MYSTERY PLANE
This months Mystery Plane comes to us via Wes Smith
of Springfield, Illinois.
34 FEBRUARY 2010
AERO CLASSIC
COLLECTOR SERIES
Vintage Tires
New USA Production
Show off your pride and joy with a
fresh set of Vintage Rubber. These
newly minted tires are FAA-TSOd
and speed rated to 120 MPH. Some
things are better left the way they
were, and in the 40s and 50s, these tires were perfectly in
tune to the exciting times in aviation.
Not only do these tires set your vintage plane apart from
the rest, but also look exceptional on all General Aviation
aircraft. Deep 8/32nd tread depth offers above average
tread life and UV treated rubber resists aging.
First impressions last a lifetime, so put these jewels on and
bring back the good times..
New General Aviation Sizes Available:
www.desser.com
VAA Bac
Backpacks
pac s
$24.95
$
24 9 5
Get back to school with these great backpacks
for all your supplies. Use as a traveling pack for
any of your away-from-home needs. Sturdy
material construction with the VAA logo.
Choose from two styles.
Grey PLU 5265130300000 Brown PLU 5265130200000
Or send to: EAA Mail Orders, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086
Limited supplies available.
*Shipping and handling NOT included. Major credit cards accepted. WI residents add 5% sales tax.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35
36 FEBRUARY 2010
What
Wh
hat O
Our
ur M
Members
embers Are Restoring
VINTAGE TRADER
S o m e t h i n g t o b u y, s e l l , o r t r a d e ?
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 of second month prior to desired issue date (i.e., January 10 is the closing date for the
March issue). VAA reserves the right to reject any advertising in conflict with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per issue.
Classified ads are not accepted via phone. Payment must accompany order. Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426-6845)
or e-mail (classads@eaa.org) using credit card payment (all cards accepted). 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.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.
MISCELLANEOUS
Flying wires available. 1994 pricing. Visit www.
flyingwires.com or call 800-517-9278.
AIRPLANE T-SHIRTS 150 different airplanes
available. WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR
AIRPLANE! www.airplanetshirts.com or call
1-800-645-7739. We also do Custom T-shirts
and Caps for Clubs.
w w w. a e r o l i s t . o r g , A v i a t i o n s L e a d i n g
Marketplace
SERVICES
Always Flying Aircraft Restoration, LLC:
Annual Inspections, Airframe recovering,
fabric repairs and complete restorations.
Wayne A. Forshey A&P & I.A. 740-472-1481
Ohio and bordering states
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 37
Go Wide.
Go Deep.
EXPERIMENTER
All homebuilding,
all the time.
Warbirds Brieng
Warbird owners, yers, and
enthusiasts debrief here.
VINTAGE
AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION
OFFICERS
President
Geoff Robison
1521 E. MacGregor Dr.
New Haven, IN 46774
260-493-4724
chief7025@aol.com
Vice-President
George Daubner
N57W34837 Pondview Ln
Oconomowoc, WI 53066
262-560-1949
gdaubner@eaa.org
Secretary
Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave.
Albert Lea, MN 56007
507-373-1674
stnes2009@live.com
DIRECTORS
Steve Bender
85 Brush Hill Road
Sherborn, MA 01770
508-653-7557
sst10@comcast.net
Jeannie Hill
P.O. Box 328
Harvard, IL 60033-0328
815-943-7205
David Bennett
375 Killdeer Ct
Lincoln, CA 95648
916-645-8370
antiquer@inreach.com
Jerry Brown
4605 Hickory Wood Row
Greenwood, IN 46143
317-422-9366
lbrown4906@aol.com
Dan Knutson
106 Tena Marie Circle
Lodi, WI 53555
608-592-7224
lodicub@charter.net
Dave Clark
635 Vestal Lane
Plainfield, IN 46168
317-839-4500
davecpd@att.net
Steve Krog
1002 Heather Ln.
Hartford, WI 53027
262-966-7627
sskrog@aol.com
John S. Copeland
1A Deacon Street
Northborough, MA 01532
508-393-4775
copeland1@juno.com
Phil Coulson
28415 Springbrook Dr.
Lawton, MI 49065
269-624-6490
rcoulson516@cs.com
Dale A. Gustafson
7724 Shady Hills Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46278
317-293-4430
dalefaye@msn.com
Robert C. Brauer
9345 S. Hoyne
Chicago, IL 60643
773-779-2105
photopilot@aol.com
Gene Chase
2159 Carlton Rd.
Oshkosh, WI 54904
920-231-5002
GRCHA@charter.net
Gene Morris
5936 Steve Court
Roanoke, TX 76262
817-491-9110
genemorris@charter.net
Ronald C. Fritz
15401 Sparta Ave.
Kent City, MI 49330
616-678-5012
rFritz@pathwaynet.com
John Turgyan
PO Box 219
New Egypt, NJ 08533
609-758-2910
jrturgyan4@aol.com
airventure@eaa.org
sportpilot@eaa.org
dwalker@eaa.or
airacademy@eaa.org
scholarships@eaa.org
tdeimer@eaa.org
slurvey@eaa.org
membership@eaa.org
membership@eaa.org
membership@eaa.org
vintage@eaa.org
tbooks@eaa.org
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is $40 for one year, including 12 issues
of SPORT AVIATION. Family membership is an additional $10 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.)
DIRECTORS
EMERITUS
TM
WARBIRDS
Current EAA members may join the EAA Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS
magazine for an additional $45 per year.
EAA Membership, WARBIRDS magazine and
one year membership in the Warbirds Division
is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION
magazine not included). (Add $7 for Foreign Postage.)
FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS
Please submit your remittance with a check
or draft drawn on a United States bank payable in
United States dollars. Add required Foreign Postage amount for each membership.
IAC
Current EAA members may join the International Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and
TM
Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions
Copyright 2010 by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association, All rights reserved.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750; ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EAA
Aviation Center, 3000 Poberezny Rd., PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086, e-mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org. Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association, which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane
magazine, is $36 per year for EAA members and $46 for non-EAA members. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to Vintage Airplane, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. PM 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS, Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. FOREIGN AND APO
ADDRESSES Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail. ADVERTISING Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or 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.
EDITORIAL POLICY: Members are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely
with the contributor. No remuneration is made. Material should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 920-426-4800.
EAA and EAA SPORT AVIATION, the EAA Logo and Aeronautica are registered trademarks, trademarks, and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks
and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
My dads 1946 415D Ercoupe project started out as a simple re-covering of the fabric wings. I volunteered to do the
work, thinking Id have it done in a couple months. (Doesnt
that sound familiar?Editor) Well, about 15 months later it
flew again. The wings were in worse shape inside than we
expected, so all new leading edges and several new wing ribs
needed installing.
It was my first re-covering job, but I had a great coachAP/
IA Bob McBride Jr.watching over my work. (Bob has three
EAA Lindy aircraft awards on his bookshelf). The covering is
made by Air-Tech Inc., and the paint is Aerothane Nevada
Silver. After obtaining a supplemental type certificate from
Skyport Services, we installed the shoulder harnesses. The
interior was repainted, new carpet and upholstery installed,
new wiring replaced the old, and I also added a landing
light. Lots of elbow grease went into polishing it out. The
40 FEBRUARY 2010
WE
SPEAK
CAR.
And Apparently Quite Well.