vintage airplane - aug 2006

8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Aug 2006

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A

U G

U

5 T

NE

VOL.

34, NO.8

2006

CONTENTS

1

Straight & Level

by Geoff Robison

2

VAA News

4

Wing Dolly

Keeping it off the floor and easy to work on

by Donald D. Watt Sr.

6 Restoration Corner

Inspection

and

storage

by

E.E.

Buck Hilbert

8 A 1947 Global Flyer The City

of

the ngels

First Iightplane

to

fly

around the

world

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

6

Member Stories-Highlighting Individuals

Harold

G.

Scheck

by Robert

G.

Kroll

1 8 Five-One Foxtrot

Dean Richardson's Grand

Champion Contemporary

by H.G. Frautschy

26

What

Our Members Are Restoring

28 The

Vintage Instructor

Gettin

old

by Doug Stewart

3

Shock Cords

Know

when

to change

them

by H.G. Frautschy

34

Pass

I t to

Buck

One

more turn on turnbuckles

ST FF

E Publisher Tom

Poberezny

E Editor·in·Chief

Scott

Spangler


3/44

G OFF RO ISON

PRESIDENT VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

AirVenture s coming

This month's column is being writ

ten from the

grounds

of EAA Air

Venture Oshkosh.

We

are

now

at the

starting gate for AirVenture 2006, and

the gun is about to go off. For those

of

you who

were in attendance, I

trust you had a great adventure.

As

most of you are likely already

aware, we start

planning

for

next

year's event the day after AirVenture

closes.

So

please, while the memo

ries are fresh in your mind, let us

know what your thoughts are about

improving

upon

the Vintage Aircraft

Association side of the world's great

est aviation extravaganza. Although

we routinely get a good number of

positive comments mixed in with a

small number of real concerns, we

really want to hear all of the good,

the bad, and the ugly.

The adage

"We can't fix it if we don't know

it's broken" really holds true here at

VAA.

If

you are so inclined to share

your thoughts with us, please feel

free to contact us via e-mail at n-

tage@eaa org or my personal e-mail

vention efforts with monetary

do

nations

to

the

VAA

Friends of the

Red Barn fund-rai sing initiative. The

most amazing dynamic of this pro

gram has been the number of sus

taining donors.

. . . special thanks

and

recognition to

those valued

members who are

supporting our V

convention efforts

with

monetary

donations to

the

V

Friends of

the

Red Barn

to

supporting

the

various initiatives

and programs of the VAA during each

year's AirVenture. Thanks, folks

Speaking of friends, a dynamic that

continues

to amaze me each year is

the

many friendships renewed

and

the

new

friendships

forged

at

Air

Venture. This really is the best part

of

the

adventure for me. Aviation,

for me at least, is to be credited (my

wife sometimes says blamed ) for

all these interesting and oftentimes

long-term friendships I have accu

mulated

through my now 24

years

of affiliation with the EAA.

When

it comes to friends, avia

tion is a lot like

an

ice cream churn.

It just keeps turning out a wonder

ful concoction known as friend

ships. The longer you stay at it, the

better the concoction.

Let me give you a recent example

of what I'm talking about. A couple

of weeks ago

on

a Saturday morn

ing, I was sitting in the hangar with

the door open when I heard the dis

tinct sou nd of

an

old Kinner. When

mailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/Chief7025@ao/.comhttp:///reader/full/Chief7025@ao/.comhttp:///reader/full/Chief7025@ao/.commailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/Chief7025@ao/.com


4/44

EAA

Voices

Objections to

Proposed Renewable

Fuel

Legislation

Two

bills

submitted in the U.S.

Congress Wednesday, July 12, would

amend the

Clean

Air Act to require

all gasoline sold for use in

motor

ve

hicles to contain 10 percent renewable

fuel by

the

year 2010. These days re

newable fuel means ethanol,

and

EAA

and

other organizations

contend

that

would

create a dilemma for aircraft

owners

and

operators,

as avgas and

auto fuel used by certain aircraft own

ers would

fall

under the legislation.

Separate

studies

by EAA, Cessna,

and the FAA

have

proven

that

eth

anol-blended

fuels are

harmful

to

recreational and general

aviation

aircraft

and their

fuel

system

com

ponents (rubber

lines, fuel

pumps,

rubber seals, and fuel tanks) . Vapor

lock

is

also a critical flight safety issue

caused by

the

use of ethanol-blended

auto fuel in aircraft engines.

In separate letters to Rep. Ralph

M.

Hall (R-Texas), chairman,

Subcom

mittee

on Energy

and

Air

Quality,

and

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma),

chairman,

Senate

Environment

and

Public Works

Committee, EAA

Pres

ident

Tom

Poberezny made it

clear

that

such a

move would

be

harmful

to aviation.

Despite several

attempts

by

EAA

and

others, ethanol-blended gasoline,

all grades, has not

been

able to meet

the

FAA

flight safety fuel certification

standards,

he

wrote. II As a result,

the

operators to receive non-blended fuels.

Gas station operators

and

gasoline dis

tributors are

not

encouraged to provide

non-renewable blended fuel to

the

end

exempted users.

EAA

recommends

two

modifica

tions

to

the bills, which

mirror

rec

ommendations made to individual

states that have considered renewable

fuel mandates: Exempt unleaded pre

mium

grade gasoline with an anti

knock index number

of

91

or

greater

from the fuel mandate, and exempt

all grades

of

aviation gasoline (i.e.,

avgas) from the

requirements

of the

10 percent renewable fuel

mandate.

EAA further recommends the ex

emptions

remain

in place

until the

Department of Transportation can

document

that the industry-chosen

renewable fuel

is

safe to operate in the

engines

and

fuel systems

in

all modes

of transportation, recreational vehi

cles, aircraft,

and

other equipment.

EAA s

Auto

Fuel Alcohol

Test

Kit

With more

states

welcoming

and

even

mandating ethanol in motor fu-

els for

automobiles, EAA

is helping

pilots

who

use

auto

fuel

in their

air

planes

stay safe with a

new alcohol

test kit available

through EAA.

For more

than

30 years, EAA s auto

fuel

supplemental

type certificates

(STCs) for a variety

of manufactured

aircraft have saved aircraft

own

ers money

by allowing them

to use

unleaded auto

fuel.

Such

fuel

with

out ethanol

is safe

and

effective for

lows a

pilot or

aircraft maintenance

technician to

make

preventive

tests

on

auto

fuel, even before fuel is pur

chased for

an

aircraft. Simply pour wa

ter

and

then

auto

fuel

in the

included

test tube,

and

shake it to mix

the

con

tents. When the

mixture

has settled

within five to 10 minutes, a gauge on

the

test

tube

indicates whether

the

water

level

has

risen. An increase

in

the amount of water on the

gauge

indicates that alcohol is present in

the

fuel. The gauge will also indicate

the percentage of alcohol.

EAA s

test

method is simpler than

the

previous

remedies, as much less fuel is used to

make a determination .

EAA s

auto

fuel

test kit

is a

nec

essary

tool

for

every auto

fuel STC

holder, and

it's just

$15,

including

shipping via

U.S.

Postal Service Prior

ity Mail. The kit includes

padded

in

sulation for the test tube, so you can

keep it

in

your aircraft

without

wor

rying

about

breakage.

The

test

kit is

easy to use

and

will last

as

long as

the

glass does.

The test kit can be ordered from

EAA

by calling

920-426-4843 or e-

mailing

DWalker@eaa org

FAA Offers SAIB

Subscription Service

Now

anyone can

be notified in

stantly via e-mail

when

the FAA

issues a special

airworthiness

infor

mation

bulletin

(SAlB). Visit

www

FAA .gov/aircraft/safety/alerts/SAIB

click on

Subscribe

to

this page,

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


5/44

in

the

late 1990s in an effort to head safety concerns with their aircraft.

off what

the

recreational/general avi Aircraft owners can help avoid fu-

ation community often perceived as

ture ADs by addressing the issues high

the unnecessary issuance of ADs. By

lighted in

SAlEs

that affect their aircraft.

subscribing to the

FAA s SAIB

page, Because of this, and for our own safety,

owners of certificated aircraft are en

EAA and VAA

encourage members

to

sured ins tant notification of potential subscribe to this

FAA

service.

Late Summer

Is for Pioneer Airport

Two growing events at EAA AirVenture Museum's Pioneer Airport are ap

proaching, one that harkens back to aviation s golden

age

and the other, a dual

celebration of flight

and

ground-based transportation.

E

Wings and Wheels

Cars and motorcycles join Pioneer s pristine airplanes for

this

popular late

summer event September 9. Cars and motorcycles of all makes, models, and

years are welcome.

EAA

will also have several airplanes from its collection along

the flightline,

and

photo opportunities will

be

available with these airplanes right

next to the

runway.

Flights

in

one of EAA s vintage Pioneer-based aircraft will also be available,

and kids ages 8-17 can take a free Young Eagles

flight in

aircraft operating

throughout the day.

Registration for cars/cycles is

10

and runs from 8 to

11

a.m. Museum

ad

mission is included for all occupants of the vehicle. (This is a non-judging, just

for-fun show.)

To register, call 920-426-6880 or

e-mail

Museum@eaa orgfor more information.

Relive Aviation s Good

01

Days

EAA Young Eagles

to Soar

Higher

Thanks

to

ConocoPhillips

ConocoPhillips,

which

has sup

ported

the EAA

Young Eagles pro

gram

for

more

than a

decade,

will

provide even more assistance over

the

next

five years, allowing the

program

to expand

Young Eagles

flight activities. The added support

will

enhance the curriculum of

EAA's

web-delivered aerosciences

program; augment

the

offerings

of

EAA's

accredited residential

avia

tion-learning camp in Oshkosh;

offer

more scholarships to

provide

young people with flight train

ing, higher education, and

career

opportunities; and develop addi

tional programs.

Since

the

Young Eagles

program's

inception in

1992,

EAA-member

pilots have

provided first-flight ex

periences to 1.25 million

youth

ages 8

to

17.

Throughout the

year,

EAA s 1,000

local

chapters

conduct

Young Eagles

flight

rallies,

and in

dividual EAA

members regularly fly

Young Eagles.

EAA's

Young

Eagles

and

other

youth-oriented

programs impart

solid values, motivate

achievement

,

and make the study of math,

sci

ence,

and

geography

fun,

said Jim

Mulva,

chairman

and CEO of Cono

coPhillips. ConocoPhillips

is

com

mitted

to

exposing young people

to

these types of engaging and fulfill

ing educational opportunities while

experiencing the

thrill

of flight.

The

EAA

Young Eagles

program

is made possible through the efforts


6/44

eeping it off the floor and easy to worko

Y DONALD

D WATT

SR.

I

have enjoyed being a member of your organiza-

friend mentioned he needed

something

to support his

tion and reading Vintage Airplane When I rebuilt my wings. I sketched out the dolly and he made one.

Stearman I designed a dolly for the wings and center

He gave it to the chapter when he no longer needed

section.

It

was made of wood was inexpensive

and

it

I

lent mine

to

another

member who

was

rebuilding

required a minimum of welding. t a chapter meeting a

a Taylorcraft.

5/16

lock bolt

(Jf

-

/ L - bolts fro

~ ~ T t ~ ~ k ~

~ w leg long

3/4XS

bolt

than top


7/44

industrial

casters

I have enclosed a drawing with my remarks about the

construction. I'm

no

draftsman. Maybe you have someone

who can improve on the drawing. (We sure do. Tom Chipley

did

a

great job for us, in the

same

vein

as

the IIWordless

Work

shop drawings from Popular

Mechanics.-Ed.)

The

Stearman

Restorers Association published the

drawings in their magazine in 1996, and they have given

permission for you to publish them in Vintage

Airplane.

A

chapter could easily make the dolly in a day.

I was tired of asking my wife or a neighbor to help me

move a wing in and out of my garage and turn it over on

the sawhorses. The diagram shows my solution.

The support for the large wheels (mine came from a fer

tilizer

spreader-use

whatever you can get your hands on)

is two 2-by-4s, each 4 feet long. I bolted them

together

adding

and

drilled

a

9/

16

inch

hole

to

tightly

clamp

the 5/8-inch

axles (use whatever

axle size works

for

your wheels).

Then

I dril led

through the top 2

by-4 into

the axle

and drove a

nail to

secure

the

axle. A

hole for a

cotter

pin

was drilled

to

hold

each wheel

in

place.

The top 2-by-4 has a

cutout

for the 4-by

4 vertical

support,

which

is braced as

shown.

(We d sug

gest power-driven

deck

screws with pilot holes

drilled

for

adding the

l-by-4 bracing.-Ed.)

The padded cradle

supports the leading

edge of the wing

and

is not attached to the

the washers on the L-shaped rods. On two of the large wash

ers, drill a hole for a nail so that when the units are lined up

on the 2-by-4 support, a nail through the washer will main

tain alignment.

(We

didn t

show

that

on

the

drawing.-Ed.)

I installed the longer of the L bolts on the bottom so

the forward spar can be started first. The spacing of the

L bolts is for a Stearman and will have to be adjusted for

planes with different dimensions between the spars. Anut

is installed finger-tight on

one

of the L bolts to secure

the spar

in

place. The movable support swivels on a 3/4

foot-by-8-inch bolt with a pipe nipple installed for spac

ing to clear the end of the L bolts.

At

the

upper section of

the

4-by-4, drill a 3/8-inch hole

through

the 4-by-4

support

for a long 5/16-inch bolt to

lock the support in

the

vertical position. You

don't

lock i t

in the horizontal position-the wingtip is held in place by

a sawhorse or two.

The vertical position is great for rib

stitching

and lay

ing

on the

rib tapes.

A friend rebuilt a Cub Cruiser. He used the dolly for

another covering purpose.

He

removed the

L

bolts

and

bolted

the

front

of the fuselage to

the

swivel 2-inch-by

4-inch, supported the rear, and turned the fuselage as

he

shrank

the fabric and applied

the

dope.

Here's my list

of

parts. You

can

adjust

your

list by the

size you need for your dolly.

Remember, the

long rail

should not

extend

all the way to the wingtip; three-quar

ters

of

the way out is

about

right.

1-Z x 4 x 12'

board-main

beam

1_1 x 4 x 8'

board-side

brace for 4 x 4 x 4

1-1 x 4 x 12'

board-end

brace, plus saddle wood

1-2 x 4 x 10'

board-axle

support, caster support

1_2 x 4 x 44 - long support for wing

1_4 x 4 x 4' board

1-5/16 x 8 hex head bolt-lock

bolt

1-3/4

x 8 hex head bolt-pivot bolt

4-3/4 flat washers

6-3/8 flat washers

2_6 shelf brackets (not shown-use to brace 4 x 4

post if needed)

1-1 dia. x 1-1/2 pipe nipple


8/44

Current Editor's Note: This issue of Vintage irplane contains one of a series of

nine

articles pertaining

to

the res

toration of antique and

classic airplanes. Directors

of

the then-named

Antique/Classic Division

of

EAA

originally

wrote

them

in

the

mid-1980s,

but

they are still relevant for today's v intage aircraft enthusiasts.

Our

members have

years of experience

and

a tremendous amount

of

talent; however, it's likely everyone will learn

something new

from

each article. Please let us hear from you; write to

H.G.

Frautschy, Editor, Vintage Airplane,

P.O.

Box 3086, Oshkosh,

WI 54903-3086,

or

e-maiJ VintageAircra [email protected].

HGF

Inspection and storage

Inspection ranges from that casual

walk-around that first got you inter

ested in this project at the beginning

to a complete disassembly and maybe

the use of special tools and procedures.

Since we've already seen the previous

articles on the walk-around, and we've

now toted it home or to a place where

we can work on it or store it, we'll pick

up the series from there.

Paperwork

Paperwork.

Keep

it orderly and in a

safe place

Hopefully the logs check out and the

paperwork and airworthiness directive

AD)

notes are in order. Start a

file

and

keep records of what and how you went

about inspecting each part, and make

notes on

what

you found and how it

should be redone.

If it's a current airframe for

which

erection and maintenance manuals are

on hand or available, you have it made.

If it's an antique or a one-of-a-kind and

there

is

little or no existing information

BY

E.E.

BUCK

HILBERT

EAA 21 le

5

may be an everyday routine item to

someone running a shop. A few words

from a knowledgeable individual may

make a little

hump

out of a mountain

ous problem.

If there is

a type club for

your

air

plane, apply immediately for member

ship. The concentration of knowledge

as

well

as

a source for scarce parts will re

pay your investment many times over.

Don't focus too tightly on details in

all the photographs you take. You'll be

amazed at how helpful an overall

piC

ture can be when reassembly time comes.

Problems of location, position, routing,

attachment methods, etc. don't occur to

you before disassembly, and they can be

come a senseless jigsaw puzzle when reas

sembly time comes, perhaps years later.

This is when a picture truly becomes

worth the proverbial thousand words.

Manuals

EAA

has

how

-

to

publications that

cover almost everything related to air

craft. A complete listing of these publi

Supt. of Documents

DOT

Publications Section

M-4431 Washington,

D.C.

20590

Ask

for

FAA

Advisory Circular check

list AC 00-2 at the GADO. There is a

wide range

of information

available

here, and the price is right Even better,

now you can download many of the ad

visory circulars right to your computer.

If you want to save them, burn them to

a CD and keep it handy.

Get Help

Regarding the inspection and storage

of your project, I must tell you that spe

cialized experience and skills may have

to come into the picture. At this point

I can't do much more than try to guide

you. The actual inspection and the proce

dure you follow are up to you . If you re

motely suspect you need help to evaluate

something, get a mechanic with an in

spection authorization IA) to assist you.

Factors

to onsider

Weather

is

an

important

consider

mailto:VintageAircra([email protected]:VintageAircra([email protected]


9/44

vious accidents.

The scratches and dents

resulting

from everyday use are usually appar

ent, as are pop rivet repairs, stop drilled

holes, tool marks, etc. Note and record

all

of

these marks of

routine

mainte-

nance to keep the airplane flying.

You

can decide later

how

much attention

they will require.

What to Do

ith

ll These

Pieces

Realistically, before you get to this

point

you should already know where

you are going to store

the

parts. You

should have an overall plan dependent

on what type of storage

is

available,

when you plan

to begin

work, what

your shop facility is like, and how much

time you have to devote to the project.

We

've already said a

few

words about

weather and its effects.

Temperature

changes

promote condensation

and

that, added to the contaminants in the

air,

causes electrolysis. That means cor

rosion, rust, and in drastic cases severe

and sometimes irreversible damage.

I recently visited a friend I

hadn t

seen

in years.

Fred had acquired a Cessna 120

about

18

years ago. His idea was to

fix

up the ground loop damage it had sus

tained, and

then

he'd have

an

airplane

to y and share with his wife and kids.

In the meantime, the kids grew up and

left home. The wife and he have gained

so much weight

there is

no way they

could even get into a Cessna 120 much

less get it off the ground.

But the horror part of

this

story

is

that

corroded mass of

aluminum

junk

sitting in the corner of the horse corral

that vaguely resembles a Cessna 120.

The

engine compartment is

still cov

living. A job transfer, lack of time and

money, and finally loss of interest were

all contributory factors.

I

can

relate

other

examples, too I

know where there

is

a Stinson

V-77

and

a

Stearman duster at n

airport in

similar condition. And

the man

who

owns the V-77 has three Stinson 108s in

his garage and backyard. The one in the

garage only needs final assembly; that'll

never happen He now has a heart con

dition, and one day all this stuff will be

carried off to the dump.

So

many times

we have seen this happen. The precau

tions weren't taken to properly store the

airframe and its components in a safe

and dry place.

Where

do

we put it? Garage? Base

ment? Attic? Hangar or loft? If you have

a choice, pick the driest, highest place

you can find and then prepare racks and

supports to hold the parts in a safe and

secure manner so as to preserve them.

The wings can be stored flat against the

wall up high on brackets with the lead

ing edges down. Or they can be racked

on

"H" frames and hung from the rafters

or joists. I find this to be the best

way.

The wings for my Swallow projec t

back I did back in the 1970s" all four of

them, were stored up high this way in a

commercial trucking garage. They sur

vived more than 40 years to be used again

with only minor repairs and, of course, a

re-cover. This method gets them up and

away from the mice and the destruction

they cause. The tail feathers also can be

stored in the same manner.

The

fuselage presents

more of

a

problem. With the engine and gear at

tached, it takes up a lot of room. It can

take up more than one stall in a two-car

have 11 Stearman bare bones fuselages

stored here at the farm. They're stacked

four high against the far wall with the

tail feathers, gas tanks, landing gears,

wheels, and all kinds of stuff wedged

and

stuffed

in between and around.

This was

to

be

temporary and

a favor

to a friend almost four years ago. Ev

erything

is

high and dry and subject

to minimum

weather conditions. We

used

some planning

when we stored

the

stuff, and as a result we can still

get vehicles in and out. There

is

even

room for a Hummer Ultralight, a motor

home, and some other stuff.

Hard and fast rules are

hard

to dic

tate. I can t stress one thing enough-

don t cover an aircraft or its parts with

wool blankets or tarps that capture and

hold moisture. Dust covers are nice, but

in this case, it's sometimes better to just

leave components in the open

air.

Hang the prop horizontally from the

hub.

Don t

stand it in a corner Engine

and steel parts are best protected in a

dry atmosphere with a light coating of

grease or oil. Frequent checks should

be made

to

assure no rusting

is

occur

ring. Spray can

technology

has given

preservation a break. LPS-3 in an aero

sol container provides

an

easily applied

protective film good

for

at least a couple

of years of normal storage. An engine

with several hundred hours on it will

withstand

storage much better

than

a

zero-timer. For any kind of storage, long

or short, get out the book and follow

the manufacturer's recommendations.

Don t

expect to

run

an

engine

im

mediately after a long period of storage.

It at least will need some tender loving

care

and

maybe

even a top overhaul


10/44


11/44

Cliff Evans left) and

George

Truman

right) with

the PA-12

Super Cruiser

at

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania,

when

they picked

up their

aircraft

from

Piper Aircraft Corp. and

before

the

McCauley

metal prop was installed). he City of the ngels

had previously been used

in

the

Piper

Taxicub service.

George

Truman

left)

and Cliff Evans right) with he

City


12/44

Restorer

David

Liebegott and

owner

Harry Mutter

with

he City o the ngels

at

Pl

ant C

ity Flor

ida

in April

2006.

late summer 1947, they had prepared

themselves to become the first pilots

to circumnavigate the globe, crossing

both

the Atlantic

and

Pacific oceans in

aircraft with 100-hp engines.

The Flight

Truman

and

Evans departed Teter

boro, New Jersey, on August 9 1947

with little more than small change jin

gling

in

their pockets

and an

Esso Gas

credit

card. Truman

launched

first,

and the

two soon lost sight

and

radio

contact with each

other

on their first

leg

and

landed at Presque Isle, Maine.

The next day, they flew

on

to Goose

Bay Labrador, where they

encoun

tered a weather delay. They

landed

at Bluie West One Greenland on

August 12,

where

they were further

delayed when they became ill with

influenza.

On

August 24, they arrived

at Meeks Field in Reykjavik, Iceland,

and on

August 28,

they

landed at

Cairo, Egypt.

On

September 11, they

flew 808 miles from Farouk Field

in

Cairo

to

Baghdad, Iraq. Then

i t

was

on to Dhahran

Saudi Arabia,

where

they

were detained for six

days by

authorities. They arrived in Karachi,

Pakistan, on September 19,

and when

they arrived in Jodhpur India,

they

were treated as guests

at

the mahara

jah s palace.

They reached the halfway point

in

their

flight

around the

world in seven

weeks time, when they flew from Cal

cutta, India, over

the

Burmese jungles

and

arrived

in

Rangoon. Next, they

flew over

the

rugged mountain bor

der from Burma into Bangkok, Siam,

and then on to Hanoi, Indochina. On

September

29, they arrived in Hong

Kong, where

they

were delayed by

typhoons until October

5.

Later, Tru

man and Evans found it necessary to

land

in Amoy, China-an unplanned

s top-due to

80-mph head

winds.

When

Bill

Piper Sr.

turned the

planes

over

to the

pilots,

he couldn t help

but question them

as

to why

they

w nted to make a

fool trip like

this.

cort for

the

Super Cruisers during

the

flight-one

out of]apan and the

other

one

out of the Aleutians. On October

31,

Truman and

Evans departed for

Adak Island, escorted

once

again

by

a B-17,

along

with a Navy PBY Cata

lina. On November 2 they arrived

at

Fort Randall in Cold

Bay

Alaska,

and

they reached Anchorage

on

Novem

ber 4. Snowstorms and

strong

winds

delayed

them

until

November

II .

Days later,

the

pair finally

made

it to

Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

The

day

before Thanksgiving, they

departed

Lethbridge

to fly about

1,200 miles

nonstop

to Los Angeles,

California-rolling

their

wheels

on

mainland America once more. Since

Piper had dealers all across the coun

try, Truman

and

Evans

made

stops

at

Phoenix

Arizona; El Paso, Texas;


13/44

David Liebegott, restorer, and Hall} Mutter, owner, have flown legs of the

original

route o

Truman

and Evans world flight

in Canada and

the

United States.

arting Ways

The glory of Truman

and

Evans

global flight soon faded, and the two

men pursued diverging pathways.

v-

ans left his family and went to China

to fly for Maj. Gen . Chennault s air

line in support of Chinese national

ists; he passed away in 1975. Truman

became a military flight

instructor

and passed

away

on January 28,

1986-the same day the space shuttle

Challenger exploded.

The

pair of PA-12s also parted

ways, but unlike mere mortals, air-

The

right

side o

the fuselage

bears

the

names of

all the

cities where Truman

and

Evans

landed

on their world flight.


14/44

Truman s name is

painted on the door.

1952. Ray Allison and

John

Cornish

bought

it

in 1958, and

the

PA-12

stayed in Virginia with

them for years, slowly

fading into

a

closed

chapter

of

aviation his

tory. Apparently

this

historical

airplane

lan

guished for decades,

and eventually its reg

istration certificate was

revoked

in 1971 be

cause

the

FAA hadn t

received the required

aircraft

registra t ion

form. When Allison

and Cornish restored

the airplane

to

air

worthy

status

in

1991,

The City

of

the Angels is

equipped for

VFR flight today

as opposed to its

IFR

world-flight

configuration.

Mutter, a self-described Pennsylvania

country

boy, started building and

fly-

ing model planes

when he

was 10

and

was hooked

on

aviation by the time

he

was a teen. He and his classmates

hiked 6 miles from their school to New

Hanover Airport to see the airplanes.

Before

he

left the airport, he d had his

first airplane ride, in a

J 3

Cub, for the

mighty sum of

one

dollar.

He

learned

to fly through a Civil Air Patrol squad

ron scholarship at Layfield Airport near

his hometown of Boyertown, Pennsyl

vania, and soloed a Cub on May 22,

1946. He earned his private certificate

in

August 24, 1947-just about

two

weeks

after

Truman

and

Evans

em

barked on

their

global

flight adventure.

The

years rolled

by

and


15/44

Mutter

donated this his-

toric

Super Cruiser to

the

Piper

Aviation

Museum

during

the

Sentimental

Journey fly in this summer.

surprised Mutter with the news that

he owned

The City

of

the

ng

e

s

and

wanted

it

to

be preserved

in

a mu

seum , similar to its sister ship, The

City

of

Washington

By January 1997, Mutter

had

pur

chased The

City

of the

n-

gels and was developing

a strategy to restore

the

Super Cruiser to its post

world-flight

appear

ance (but not its entire

original configura

tion) by appealing to

various companies

and

individuals

for

support. After all,

that

was

how

Tru

man and

Evans

had acquired

the

airplanes and

equipment

explains

Mutter

, "is

not

to ask for

money-you

ask

for components."

Mutter also knew

the project

would require a talented individual

to complete the labor-intensive res

toration , and

he had

just

the

man in

mind.

He had

met

David Liebegott,

owner

of Classic Magic Aviation in

Duncansville, Pennsylvania, at a pre

vious Sentimental Journey fly-in

and

listened closely when Liebegott, who

had completed several re storations,

commented,

Some day

I'm going

to make a name for myself by restor

ing a famous airplane. " Mutter tele

phoned him

as

soon

as

he bought the

historical PA-12 and said, "Dave,

do

you remember

what

you said? Well, I

have the airplane for you "

Liebegott was true to his word,

and ended

up volunteering

1,500

man-hours of his

time

and

talents

to restore that airplane to museum

going to do it right, or I'm not going

to do

it.'

That

was fine

with

him, so

we took it apart

and

made the neces

sary repairs, and put a new nosebowl

and boot cowl on it. I covered it with

Ceconite 102 and used the Randolph

nitrate-butyrate dope system."

The airframe restoration progressed

pretty smoothly, but they were in for

another disappointment

when the

engine was inspected. "My

lA

, Russ

Vicars, pulled the jugs off and found

out

they

were

pitted

on the inside,"

says Liebegott, "so I called Harry

and said, 'By the way, we're going to

spend $5,200 of your money on new

cylinders and a

carburetor.' Harry

called

Lycoming

,

but

they

were

on

strike

at

that time, and he couldn't

get

through-so

we

went

ahead and

bought the parts we needed."

Mutter shares an interesting side

note about the original engine, ex


16/44

cities where the twosome landed, as

well as The City

of

the Angels

on

each

side of

the

nose.

If

you closely examine the flags and

insignia, you might wonder just

how

Liebegott painted

them

in such accu

rate detail. The answer starts with Mut

ter's visit to the Smithsonian National

Air & Space Museum, where the origi

nal fabric panel from

The City

of

Wash-

ington

was preserved. They pulled the

fabric out for me, and I had a view

graph with a l/2-inch grid scale that I

photographed each flag with, and that

it's signed by Truman, not Evans. I

asked if I could have a copy

of

it, and

she ended

up

sending me the original

logbook. The Smithsonian has been

most generous

with

me. I found some

interesting things

in it, too-such

as the receipt for overnight airplane

parking in Baghdad and the Calcutta

health certificate releasing Truman

and his airplane to leave Calcutta.

Full ircle

Liebegott test flew

The City

of

the

ngels

on May

13, 1998, and four

Truman and Evans

landed.

We flew

from Van Nuys, California, to Teter

boro, New

jersey,

in

1999, and

by

now we have about 350 hours

on

the

airplane. We've also been to Oshkosh

and

Sun

'n Fun with it. We've had

our fun with it, haven't we, Dave?

And last year,

the two men

shared

yet another significant milestone when

they attended the National Aviation

Heritage Invitational at Dayton, where

The City

of

the Angels

won the

presti

gious Paul E Garber Trophy 2005, East

ern Region Winner for Best Classic.


17/44


18/44

I

f residents

of

Hasbrouck

Heights, New Jersey, looked to

the east in 1924 they might see,

200 feet below, a large expanse

of

clear, flat land that was Teterboro

Airport. Still

in

its relative infancy,

i t

was bursting with the vigor of eager

young

men

who

were bathing in

the

excitement the adventure and the

glow of

opportunity that

energized

the

place. This former marshland was

already a waypoint and destinat ion for

many early pioneers of aviation and

hosted such personalities as Clarence

arold G Scheck

EAA 9921, VAA 75)

Y

ROBERT G.

KROLL


19/44

Left: Scheck expertise restoring

Fairchild

22s

is well

-

known. Here

s

his

restoration

of

a 22

powered

with

a Warner engine.

It s

currently

registered

t Lee Pearson of

Plymouth,

Massachusetts.

HIS PURCHASE

OF TWO PROPELLERS

THAT

HAD

BEEN

ADVERTISED

BY

CLARENCE CHAMBERLIN

IN

TRADE A PLANE

SPARKED A

FRIENDSHIP WITH HIS

LONGTIME HERO.

Like any airport kid, Scheck's

presence was accepted by

the

pilots

and mechanics, which engendered

an undying enthusiasm and curiosity

about airplanes and engines that

have persisted to this day. So it was

not surprising that when his teacher

assigned the class to write what they

would like to be

when

grown up, 12

year-old Scheck wrote this poem

as

to

why he would like to be a pilot.

I want to be a pilot

For

I love

the

whistling breeze.

And the roar of the turning motor,

As we soar o er the trees.

I want to be a pilot

And

fly

all about

Without a map or highway

Clarence (white jacket) and Harold

(second

right) in

front of a Menasco-powered Fairchild restored by Harold.

The

other men in the

photo are not

identified.

reputation for diligently

serving

the needs of

fixed base operators and

the

burgeoning antique

aircraft restoration

movement.

His purchase

of two

propellers tha t h d

been advertised by

Clarence Chamberlin

in

Trade A P lane

sparked a friendship

with his long t ime

hero

.

Chamberlin

was

particularly impressed

with Scheck s restoration Scheck pulls the prop through on

his Menasco

of a Fairchild 22. powered

Fairchild 22.

By 1951, Scheck had

earned his private pilot certificate

with

Ed Gorski, who had taken over

Lincoln Park Airport

in

New Jersey.

He

went on

to add a seaplane and

multiengine land and sea rating at

North American Aviation on

the

Hackensack

River

in

Little

Ferry

,

New Jersey. It was there that Scheck

and gained an airframe and engine

rating. He

has

owned or restored

more

than 35 antique aircraft: one of

which, a Fairchild 24, was donated to

the

EAA

AirVenture Museum.

Along

with Chuck

Hohler, a pilot

of Eastern

Air

Lines,

Scheck was

the

founder

of the

Paramus

Flying


20/44


21/44

covered, metal-structured wings.

s it evolved, the 170 developed a

more angular profile,

with

squared

off all-metal wings. By 1953,

the

de

sign saw a

major jump,

as the core

of the 170 design was morphed into

the

Cessna 180, a 225-hp workhorse.

While

the

170B continued

in

produc

tion until the tri-gear 172 usurped it

in 1956,

the

180 and its cousin the

185 were part of

the

Cessna product

line

into the

1980s.

The

180 design saw the basic 170

structure revised with a set of squared

off tail surfaces

and

a triangular dorsal

fin, along with a trimmable stabilizer

and reshaped windows. The biggest

change was engineering

the

new en

gine installation, which saw

the

180 s


22/44

skis, on floats,

or

on wheels, the 180

seems to have a lot of check marks in

the

can do it

column

.

Dean Richardson of Madison, Wis

consin, is a longtime VAA volunteer

and the chairman of VAA Classic

judging.

He

's no

stranger

to Cessna

aircraft. Along with a few

other

air

planes,

he s owned and

restored

award-winning copies

of the

170

and

a 1952

Air

Force LC-126-C (the mili

tary version of the Cessna 195),

both

of which were award winners at

EAA

Oshkosh. The stone original 1952

170B took

home the

Best

of

Type

that experience he

didn t

stop, moving on to a Cessna

T 41

, restored to its original

military configuration.

This time , he

set

out

to

do it

right, all the way

down to the original mili

tary radios and locking

inertia

reel shoulder

har

nesses. I t won

the Best

Liaison Airplane

in

the

Warbirds area

in

1989 and

a Silver Wrench Award

(the Gold Wrench that

year went

to an

Avro


23/44

Above: The instru-

ment

panel

of the

180 now features

a Gannin avionics

stack

but

is oth-

erwise original.

Patience

and

persistence

payoff for Dean Richard-

son as he

was

able to track down a pair of pristine

original

Cessna

wheelpants after 51F

had

won the

Grand Champion

Contemporary

Lindy

at EAA AirVen-

ture Oshkosh 2005. After liberating

them

from

their

original Cessna

packaging

Dean polished

the

pair

and installed

them

with little modification needed

Left:

This extra

bit of

5/16 inch

wide plastic/

chrome trim

avail-

able

at automo-

tive

stores helps

detail the edges

of

the wheelpants.

The doorframes and

sill

plates

were

are carefully reshot with

the

proper

paint

color. The

seat

cushions are

original leather seating that was

or-

dered

when

the

airplane was new with

a

bronze and tawny

mist color

scheme.

It

was part

of the deluxe

interior op-

tion package.

POint, Texas. Bill Ambrosich has been

a

pilot

for most of his ranching life,

and the

180 was certainly a great tool

for working a pair of ranches in Colo

rado

and

Texas. But he felt

he

needed

to go back to a different airplane, so

he was willing to part with his 180.

Bill and Dean came to an agree

ment on the airplane over the phone,


24/44

rolling nearly all of the trip, since a

moderately packed cloud deck kept

us under the cumuli for most of the

flight.

We

routinely saw groundspeeds

of well over 175 knots, which neither

one of us were used to, having flown

airplanes with true airspeeds around

100

mph

or so We zoomed home to

Madison with one fuel stop in Leba

non Missouri. The leading edge of

the cold front was well into central

Wisconsin

by the time we

reached

the

Quad Cities near Moline, Illinois,

and by checking the weather ahead of

our projected course, we were able to

work our way

north

to the state line,

at which

point the Madison

airport

reported

conditions that varied be

tween marginal

VFR

and

IFR. A call

to the Madison tower slipped us into

the airspace as the airport was report

ing marginal

VFR

conditions,

and

we

landed with a total elapsed time of 4.7

hours (including a fuel stop of about

35-40 minutes), averaging 170 knots

over the ground. f we'd tried to make

the

same trip in

an

airliner, from Den

ton to Madison, we'd have

taken a lot longer

Once

home

Dean

started to make his list

of

areas where

the

already

nice-looking and well-kept

Cessna could look

even


25/44

(and are the ones you see in the air

to-air photos on these pages),

but

they did not come with the airplane

from the factory.

The

instrument

panel

and the

preserved interior were among the

features that tilted this

airplane in

Dean's favor. It had all the original

instruments, including

the

direc

tional and attitude gyros, along with

the

original radios. One more factor

working for Dean was the airplane's

paperwork.

Each

of

the

previous

owners had kept all of the paperwork

for the airplane, including the Cessna

purchase

agreement equipment

list

from

when the

airplane was first de

livered

to

a pipeline company. Most

likely it was used as its executive

/em

ployee transport

to

operations in

the

field. The airplane shows very little

utility

work wear,

even

though it's

spent a good portion

of

its lif

etime

working

for pipeline and machine

shop companies.

On

i t were listed

the

pOinted spinner, the deluxe

interior

with green/brown leather seats, and

the

exter

ior

courtesy lights in

the

wings. I t seemed to have just about

every option you could buy, with

the

exception of a heated pitot tube.

The more Dean looked,

the

better

he felt about the project, and he real

ized that if he really hit it hard, he

could have a show-quality Cessna by

the time

the

summer fly-in season ar

rived. The

exterior

paint was good,

if a bit worn

and

faded, but a strong

polish job brightened

i t

up

consider

ably. He spent time working on

the

interior, having a

new headliner

in

stalled

by

Eric Paradise

(then

of Wis

consin

Aviation, now

in

Reedsburg,

Wisconsin)

that

closely

matched

the

original

and

installing a set of much

needed shoulder harnesses.

He also worked diligently

to

repair

the

plastic side panels using a plastic

welding kit he picked

up

at his local

hardware store. After

the

plastic heat

welding repair was

done, to prevent

cracking

again Dean

backed up the

repair with a

thin

leather patch at

tached with contact

cement

to the

back side

of

the repaired panel. He

has found that this works very well

over a long period of time.

Once

they were repainted, along

with

the

small metal trim around the

windows

and doorsills, the repairs

became invisible. The leather seats

needed a cleanup but were in other

wise excellent

condition.

The origi

nal tinted windshield didn't need too

much

work, but quite a bit of time was

spent

detailing the engine, and Wis

consin Aviation helped

out

with a new

a radio package with a Garmin suite of

navigation/communication radios.

A few

of

the instruments were

overhauled

and

re-installed, helping

boost

the

personal score

Dean had

given

the

airplane. He figured

when

he bought it

the

interior was about

a 6 out

of

10, and the exterior a 7

or

8. With the

exception of

an ad

ditional

logo

on

the tail,

and the

af

termarket wheelpants,

nothing else

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26/44

on the

airplane would result in major

deduction

points. The radio installa

tion would

not

result in a deduction,

nor

would

the

newer brakes

(a

safety

item)

or

the strobe lights (another

safety addit ion).

A

bit

of skin work did need

to

be

done

on the

flight

control

surfaces .

While

not

terrible, it was pretty obvi

ous that

at

one

point the

airplane

had

gotten caught outdoors during a hail

storm. Dean had

the

ailerons, tops of

the elevators, and

horizontal

tail re

skinned by a shop in Louisiana.

Having done all that, he left the air

plane home when he came to Oshkosh

for AirVenture, unsure

whether

he

should bring it for judging. After all,

he'd been involved in Classic airplane

judging

for many years, and

even

though he wasn't involved in

Con

temporary judging, he

didn't

want to

put anyone in a difficult position.

Once he started showing

other

VAAers

photos of his new project, ev

eryone

encouraged him,

both

Con

temporary judges and others, to go

to Madison and get the airplane so it

runway and maintenance

rash. He'd

paid particular

attention

to

the

little

areas

that

always seem to show wear,

such

as

the door

side

panels, the

doorframe and

door sill plates,

and

the door

seals,

which

needed to be

replaced.

All

were neatly touched up,

and

the

rest of

the

airplane showed

great attention

to

detail and

was

original

in its configuration.

Three

days later, at

the awards ceremony

in EAA s Theater in the Woods, Dean

was stunned

to

hear

that

he'd won

the Grand

Champion Contemporary

Lindy for

EAA

AirVenture 200S.

After

being recognized hands

down as

the

most original Cessna 180

at

EAA AirVenture 200S, you'd

have

thought it

might

be time to relax. But

I know Dean pretty well and knew

that would never happen.

"I never leave well enough alone,

since I love working

on

airplanes, so I

kept

wanting to

get everything origi

nal," he said .

The next item

on

his list?

Original Cessna wheel pants.

Dean placed a few ads in some of

A deal was struck,

and

a few days

later the delivery man dropped

off

the

boxes marked "Cessna Aircraft,"

and

Dean

very

carefully op e ned

them, gently pulling the

staples.

As

he

folded back

the

box

tops,

it

was

like

Christmas and the

discovery of

King Tut's

tomb

all rolled

into one

.

There, peeking

out

from

the

packing

foam

and

blue plastic wrapping, was

a pair of never-installed Cessna fac

tory

wheel pants, along

with the

bits

and

pieces for installation .

For days

he

carefully removed

the

plastic wrap, which over the years

had

deteriorated and

was

stuck more firmly

to

the

aluminum

than

was intended. A

bit of solvent

t

loosen

the

light adhe

sive on

the

plastic film did

the

trick,

and he was the proud papa of a pair of

perfect pantaloons for his Cessna.

There was

one minor

difference in

the

pants

as manufactured and

their

installation on the

1966 180H-the

Cleveland double-puck brake caliper

on

the later model was in front of

the

landing gear,

and

these pants were set

up for the smaller

Goodyear

brakes

on the back.

By swapping

sides

and

axles (and keeping

the

shims in place

for the proper toe-in) the pants were

a

near

perfect fit, with

hardly

any

trimming needed for fitting.

One more detail, after polishing,

was added to

the pants

. Dean has

never cared for the rather unfinished

look of the very edge on the bottom

of

the

Cessna

wheelpants,

but

he

spotted something at

an automotive

store

that

he

knew

would solve the

problem. It was a chrome-plated plas

tic trim section (see photo)

that

has


27/44

Bob Gibbs an Ramsey

elpre

, OH

• GIBBS Ratings: Commercial,

Instrument,

Flight

Instructor

• RAMSEY Ratings :

Commercia/

Single

Engine

,

Multi-engine

,

Instrument

• Owners :

1943 Stinson Reliant

V-77

AT-19

1943 Stearman N-252 N67454

AUA

is

my insurance company because they are dependable.

hen I cali, a courteous and knowledgeable person answers

the phone and expedites the matter.

Sob Gibbs

IN MEMORY

O

D N

RAMSEY


28/44

REARWIN SKYRANGER

Duane

Wething, of Detroit Lakes, ley,

Minnesota. Jim

has

owned the and

repainting including

a

Stits

Minnesota just sent us this photo Skyranger for almost 30 years, and Poly-Fiber cover job, were done by

of a 1942 Rearwin Skyranger. Duane it was in storage for 20 years after

the

restorer

who

also

added

new

just completed the restoration last it was damaged in a windstorm. A glass and a

neatly

duplicated origi

fall for owner Jim Bortnem of Haw-

complete

strip-down

inspection nal-style interior.

1948

LUSCOMBE

Doug Kingsley of Parker,

Colorado owned this beau

tiful Luscombe when it was

restored,

and

John Greiner of


29/44

1963

BEECHCR FT MUSKETEER

23

The

contemporary

owners

are really going to

town

with

some of

their

aircraft

and

owner Keith Greene of Alma,

Arkansas, has really got some

thing fine to fly and show off.

His '63 Musketeer, N8748M,

serial number M-536, was a

training airplane until Keith's

purchase

in

2004. Keith cred

its

Bill

Gray of Gray's Aviation

with

help

dismantling

and

rebuilding the

airframe. Bill

Gray's son, Don, who owns a paint

shop

across the airport

from Bill's Aviation, was responsible for executing the sharp

reproduction of

the

Beechcraft color scheme. Keith also cred

its the crew at Mena Aircraft Interiors for their help on the in

terior work. He'd also like to

thank

all the

other

friends and

associates who helped

him

with his Beech.

send your photos to:

Vintage Aircraft Association

What Our Members Are Restoring, P O . Box 3086

Oshkosh,

WI

54903-3086

CESSNA

195


30/44

BY

DOUG EWART

Gee

. . .

nice-looking

airplane

you've got there,

Doug. What

year

is it? I was asked the

other

day as

I

stood

atop a ladder, filling up the

tanks of my Super Cruiser at

the

self

serve fuel pump at the Columbia

County Airport. It's a '47 I replied

as I wriggled my

nose

to adjust my

bifocal glasses so

that

I could see the

meter on the

pump . It's four years

younger

than

I am, I continued

as

I

carefully climbed down, making sure

to

not

miss any rungs

on

the ladder.

This

got me to thinking: You

know, it wasn't that many years ago

that climbing up

the

ladder was your

concern, what with your slight fear of

heights

a

condition that I've found I

share with many another pilot). Now

you're more concerned with coming

down

the

ladder and

the

possibility

that

you

might

trip

and

fall if you're

less

than

careful.

You

know, Stewart,

maybe

your

age

is

starting

to show.

You're overcoming your phobias,

and

Gettin'

ol

minds me of my mortality.

The old

adage about old pilots and bold pilots

takes

on

more significance with each

passing day. All

these

things,

and

more, are some of

the

positive aspects

that come with aging.

Say

again

becomes a

frequent phrase

in out

pilot/controller

vocabulary as

our hearing

times do, impact our flying in a nega

tive sense

as

we age.

Probably

the

first

thing

we

notice

starting

to

go

hang

on here, I'll

remember

what

it was

in

just a sec

ond oh, yeah, now I remember

is our

vision. It isn't long after we see

the

notation

on

our medical certifi

cate

stating

corrective lenses must

be carried in the cockpit

that

we

find we

actually

have to start wear

ing

them, rather than

just

stuffing

them

in

the

door

pocket.

Even be

fore I found that the seat wouldn't go

far enough back in a Mooney Ranger

for me to be able to read

the

gauges

without glasses, I was cognizant that I

would have to start reluctant ly wear

ing those half-lens reading glasses to

see the instruments.

Now I'm wearing bifocal glasses

that help me out not only with read

ing the

gauges,

but

also for distance

vision

as

well. Rather

than

having to

squint out through the

windshield to


31/44

minishes; it takes longer for the eyes

to adjust from near to far objects

and

vice versa;

the

muscles of

the

eyes be

come less responsive over time and

take longer to adjust to changes in

the environment

as well as

changes

when moving focal points between

near and far; and the eyes take longer

to adjust

to

dark because the weak

ened muscles of

the

eyes cause

the

eyes to dilate less quickly.

Vision

is

certainly

not

the only

thing to

be affected

by the aging

process. "Say again "

becomes

a

frequent phrase in

out

pilot/control

ler vocabulary

as our

hearing dimin

ishes. In most people a weakening of

the muscles

is

normal as they age. En-

durance is diminished. Oxygen

is not

used as efficiently, and

the

muscles

lose their elasticity. Awareness of im

pending risk

is

delayed. Eye

and

body

muscles react

more

slowly, resulting

in a delayed response time.

Space and distance are misjudged

more

frequently, and our reaction

time

slows.

Responding to factors

may require

more

time and space,

because correct actions require per

ception, evaluation, and motor

response (muscle) time. In fact, re

acting to a hazard may take twice

as

long for a pilot who has moved

into

middle age

(40-54)

and

up to four

times longer after age S or so.

l t is obvious how all

these

is

sues will affect

our

flight safety,

and

one might think

a pilot would

have

enough sense to be much more care

ful

and adjust

his personal

mini

mums

to

compensate

for the effects

of aging. But one of

the

insidious

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it

would

seem

that

it sure

would

be

wise for all of us older pilots to have

annual medical checkups and, espe

cially, annual eye checkups, includ

ing

checks for cataracts, glaucoma,

macular degeneration, diabetic reti

nopathy,

and other

eye

conditions

associated with aging.

Some

other

recommendations in

clude using cockpit resource manage

ment (CRM), especially passengers

to aid you in

the

job of "seeing

and

avoiding;" keeping your windshield

clean; adjusting your seat to maxi

mize

visibility

outside

th

e

cockpit,

using cushions if

the

seat

is not

ad

justable; avoiding tinted lenses at

night; wearing sunglasses

when

it is

bright out; and avoiding glasses

with

wide frames or heavy temples, being

sure the frames do

not inhibit

side

vision

or

create difficulty

in

seeing

the

entire field of vision.

Avoid being in a hurry, and

don t

let air traffic

control rush

you

(this

applies to all pilots regardless of age,

but especially

to the

older pilot).

ing. Go beyond a flight review

once

every 24 calendar months; go beyond

an annual Wings program. Do as the

airlines and air-taxi pilots do get

recurrent training every six months

It

is

sometimes difficult for me to

accept some of

the

shortcomings

the

aging process has inflicted

upon

me,

but

I am cognizant of

them and

have

factored them into my personal mini

mums,

not only when I am flying,

but

also in all the

other

wonderful

activities that I undertake. However,

I also know that the aging process is

not

all a

negative.

I

certainly

have

much more

patience,

compassion,

and-I think I can say-wisdom than

I did not too

many

years ago.

Aging

is

not

all bad. I

certainly

know this

when

I visit EAA AirVen

ture Oshkosh every year. For me, the

most

beautiful and awe-inspiring air

planes

that

fly

to this

aviation mecca

are all parked south of the Red Barn

To

all the wonderful Vintage pilots,

whether

you are

young

or old, may

you be blessed with blue skies and

http:///reader/full/www.acomwelding.comhttp:///reader/full/www.acomwelding.com


32/44

A

serviceable cord r

arly

on

in the history of avi

should have

a

ation it became clear that a

landing gear with some "give" smooth outer cover-

or shock absorption capabili- ing, with no bumps

ties was desirable. The early or

disruptions to

the

woven cover.

ThisBleriot

and other

pioneer aircraft used

one

looks good, but

thin tires set on wire-spoked wheels, and

age

and

repeated

while they were great for clearing the

landing

cycles have

humps and bumps of the local pasture,

they didn't soak up the bumps too well,

taken their toll.

so a second level of shock absorption

was added-rubber shock cording.

or decades, woven fabric-covered shock cord (often

ca

lled

bungee cord) was

the

most

common

of all shock absorbers.

In fact,

it

was so ubiquitous, used on so

many

different civil

ian and military aircraft, that it was even the subject of a mili-

No, it's not some new exotic


33/44

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34/44

This same cord

showed some signs of

abrasion

damage to

the

woven

covering

where

the

shock cord was in

constant

contact with the

landing

gear structure.

This

cord shows

obvious

signs of damage to the outer cover

ing

and to

the rubber

strands inside. The bumps

and breaks

in

the

covering

indicate

many

broken strands

of rubber

in

side

the

shock

cord.

This cord

must be replaced.

MIL C-5651D

Shock

Cord

Dating System

e

color

code repeats on

a

five year

cycle.

First color stripe

:

1997 Red

1998 B1ue

1999 Yellow

2000 B1ack

2001 Green

2OO2 Red

2003 8lue

Most

normal

humans

would not

be able

to

pull

on a 3/4-inch shock

cord and

be able

to

stretch it

but

this

cord

had

deteriorated

to

such

possible for

me to do so

tary speCification, MIL-C-S6S1D. It's still

commonly used in the military

and

for

civilian use. Double-covered shock cord

is

Type I; shock rings with a double

braided cover are Type II.

These cords are made with a core of

rubber threads and a layer of woven cot

ton cording to protect the easily dam

aged rubber. Shock cord used in aviation

applications has a pair of woven outer

layers. The actual diameter of the rub

ber strip bundle

is

not the only factor

that controls

how much

force

is

needed

to stretch a cord. Made of heavy cotton

thread, the woven cover serves another

not -so-

obvious

function it controls

the level of force required to stretch the

cord (the cord's "modulu

s )

. The tighter

the cover

is woven over the rubber strip,

the

greater

the

force required

to

elon

gate

the

cord. Manufacturers can also

vary the ratio

of

rubber strip

and the

cover yarn to control

the modulus

of

the

cord. That's why it's important to

keep the cover intact; i t

not only

pro

tects the rubber strip from

premature

exhaust residue. Keeping the outer cover

landing gear seem excessively soft?


35/44

clean goes a long way toward keeping

the rubber from deteriorating. That's

why

on

a Cub or other similar landing

gear systems, leather or vinyl boots

are

used to cover the shock cords.

If

you've owned an airplane that is

equipped with shock cords as part of

the landing gear, you know how impor

tant it is to check the cords, to avoid a

letdown feeling when one of the cords

lets go with a sharp report. But what

do you look for? How do you know it's

time

for

a replacement? Do you use the

calendar, the appearance of the cord, or

the cord's date of manufacture?

The answer is all three While a cord

may look perfectly fine,

i f

it's been sit

ting unprotected on the shelf in a hot

hangar for years, odds are the rubber

strip inside has deteriorated to such

an extent

that

a few cycles of stretch

ing will create a lumpy, useless mess.

You ve probably seen what can happen

to a set of shock cords when an airplane

has been left sitting out in the open

for

years.

It

doesn't seem to take very long

for the landing gear to begin to splay

outwards, and before you know it, the

gear

is

near collapse.

Do

your best to

obtain

fresh shock

cords when it comes time to change out

a cord. Each outer layer of the woven

cord made to the exacting standards

re-

quired for the mil spec will contain a pair

(or sometimes a trio) of colored treads,

which indicate the date of manufacture.

The mil spec defines the meaning of the

colored yarn.

See

the chart included in

this article for details. The military re-

quires a shock cord or ring be packaged

and delivered no later than six months

Even

when the cords have been well

protected, the interior of the shock cords

will deteriorate over time and will need

replacement. Evidence of that wear is

most often seen in

the

form of surface

irregularities in the covering.

Bumps, tears, or other disruptions in

the smooth woven cover tell you some

thing's amiss under that cotton wrap. Is

there discoloration on the cover, indi

cating possible exposure to chemicals or

oil, or is it dirt and grime from a lifetime

of living

on

the belly of an airplane?

Take a look at the photos in this ar-

ticle. These shock cords had been in ser

vice for 14 years on an Aeronca Sedan.

A pair of rings is used on each side, for

a total of four shock cord rings. I'd no

ticed that the gear seemed rather soft

when

the

wings were rocked up and

down, and the gear seemed splayed out

more

than

normal. Also knowing that

the age of the cords was at least 14 years,

I made plans to change the cords during

the annual inspection. While one cord

looked pretty good, the other, manu

factured four years earlier (evidenced by

different color-code cords in the woven

covering) had obvious defects.

Once the decision has been made to

replace the cords, caution must be ex

ercised to prevent injury. These shock

cords can recoil with tremendous force

once stretched.

For the Piper Cub and its brethren, a

few

enterprising companies have made

special tools for stretching

and

install

ing the cords. In

other

cases, a special

tool

is

not needed, but do avoid the

use

of sharp or pointed tools to lever or pry

the shock rings in place. Disrupting the

continued from p ge

Home, Washington, which is near Se-

attle. Now, I'm not going to reveal a

lot of detail here in this column, be

cause there is a really neat story to be

told here, and I am hopeful that be

tween Sam and H.G.,

our

editor, you

will have the opportunity to read all

about this

great

adventure

Sam was

on when

he arrived at SMD in Fort

Wayne, Indiana.

But what I will reveal here is

that

Sam

had

just purchased his second

1929 Bird

in

the Long Island, New

York, area nearly six weeks earlier.

You

will likely learn

about

his first

Bird

in

the

future article.

So,

here was

60-year "Young Sam Dodge" (this is

how he

signs his e-mails) six weeks

into this adventure

of

get ting his Bird

home

to

Home, Washington,

from

Long Island, New York,

with

all of

25

hours of

tailwheel time

in

his

logbook, forging

his

way across

the

United States.

Now I have to tell you, this is one

interesting gentleman. Sam is a for

mer

Hollywood

producer who

left

the industry and

became

a stay-at

home

dad

for his two sons some 20

years ago. Sam ended up spending

the

whole July

Fourth

holiday with

us

at

SMD,

and

we

had

a

great

time

together. We assisted

him with

some

minor maintenance

items

on the

Bird

and

then sent

my

new friend

on

his way

to

finish his great adventure.


36/44

E E BUCK HILBERT

ne more turn on turnbuckles

Dear Buck,

Your recent article

on

turnbuckles

struck

another

nerve,

and

I just have

to relate

my

turnbuckle experience to

you;

nothing

like

yours-thank

God

When

I first

went

to

work in

the

maintenance shop at

AIRGO

in June

1944-a

couple

of

years

back-I had

presented myself to

the maintenance

chief,

Mr.

Ralph

Bleke, as

having

no

experience

but

a

strong

desire to

learn. Evidently he liked

that

because

he

hired me

The first

job

I

was assigned to

was helping

to

re-cover

the

wings

of

a

Stinson SR-9F, which

took several

weeks.

When that

was completed we

busied ourselves

with

other less de

manding jobs for a few days

before

tackling

another

big one.

Walter Trask was chief pilot for

the

MacMillan Feed Co at Decatur, Indi

ana,

and they

operated a Stinson

SR

8. This plane had a 260-hp Lycoming,

and

it was well maintained .

The plane was scheduled for a trip

to Florida the following day,

and

Walt

done

this before

With all

the

confidence

of

a 17

year-old

who

thought

he was

in

heaven,

I

approached the

task

with

great

gusto;

after

all,

i t couldn't

be

too tough or

I

wouldn't have

been

given

the

task.

After several

turns

I checked the

alignment again;

all

did

not seem

to

be as I

thought

it

should be.

You

may be familiar with this type

of

installation

. The split

line

was on

the

bottom of

the cowling. There

were

two brackets with turnbuck

les

that

pulled

the

cowling together.

One end was permanently attached

so that it could swing

down when the

turnbuckle was loosened. There were

aligning

pins to

keep the

cowling

to

be as I

thought i t should

be.

The

aligning pins

were

gradually

begin

ning to work into their assigned

holes,

but

the

horn-shaped tubes at

the

front of

the

cowling were

not

lin

ing up

the

way I

thought they

would,

or

should. I reasoned

that

if I contin

ued tightening the

turnbuckles

, the

cowling

would eventually snap

into

alignment. I guess

my

biggest mistake

was assuming

too

much.

Henceforth

I

continued tightening,

checking ev

ery few turns to see if

things were

going

as I

assumed

they would.

The

last time I checked it appeared

that

I

might

be right, since there was some

indication that

things were

begin

ning

to move.

Thinking to

myself that just a few

more turns should do

the

trick, I pro

ceeded to tighten. Suddenly there was

a horrible sound It was a ripping, tear

ing, crunching noise I shall never for

get

What

was

that

I began

to

search

for

the

source with considerable trepi

dation;

then

my eyes fell upon the

fixed bracket that held it to

the

cowl

me

fix

this tonight; the plane

is

leav


37/44

Aug. 12-1 3 Arlington, WA

• Fabric Covering • Sheet Metal Basics

• Electrical Systems & Avionics

• Introduction to Aircraft Building

Aug. 19-20

Indianapolis, IN

• Fabric Covering • Sheet Metal Basics

• Electrical Systems &Avionics

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Sept. 8-10

Griffin,GA

ing for Florida early in the morning."

Right after

that

I

went home

for

the

day,

wondering what the atmo

sphere would

be

tomorrow. Noth

ing

more

was said,

and

I

continued

with

AIRGO