vintage airplane - feb 1982

8/12/2019 Vintage Airplane - Feb 1982

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STR IGHT ND LEVEL

The bitter winter cold arrived with a bang in earlyJanuary and not only stopped motorists but schools,businesses and commercial air travel in many areas ofthe country . Those of us in the process of restorationsdo have something to accomplish if we have an available working area that can be heated , and those without heat will just have to wait until spring arrives .Even with a heated working area you must be carefulof sudden changes in temperatures when moving yourprojects around.

We well remember a few years back when SteveWittman was heading to Florida for the Sun 'N FunConvention when it was being held in January. t wasquite cold outside and when Steve rolled his Tailwind out of the heated hangar and into the suddentemperature change, he was amazed to watch his wind

shield disintegrate before his eyes . The extreme immediate temperature change was too much for the synthetic material. Eager to get into the warmer climates,Steve merely pushed the aircraft back into his shop,brought out Old Faithful and away he went.

Our antiques pretty well remain dormant duringthe winter months if we reside anywhere but the sunnySouthwest or the deep south . Now is the time to beginthe routine maintenance of these aircraft and havethem ready for spring. Many of our classics are equippedto fly comfortably in the winter months, but we cautionyou to be careful of possible icing conditions and tomonitor the operational temperatures of your engines.

Restoration projects have always fascinated us whenvisiting with the restorer and observing the work inprogress. Having a D17R Staggerwing under restoration , Division Advisor Butch Joyce and yours trulywere invited to Aurora, Illinois on our re turn fromOshkosh after attending the fall Board meetings . Dr.Bernard Yocke A/C 60), Vice President of the Staggerwing Club, took us to his house where we viewed therestoration of the oldest Model D Staggerwing, SIN147, manufactured in the spring of 1937 . Beginningwith a basket case, Bernard has done a fantastic jobwith his restoration . The quality of workmanship andexpertise exemplifies the dedication of a quality restoration . The EAA Antique/Classic Division is proud tohave Bernard Yocke and the many other dedicatedrestorers who actively pursue their favorite hobby

By Brad ThomasPresident

Antique/Classic Division

son , now designated a national monument . The only

methods of travel to Fort Jefferson are by boat or seaplane , and naturally with our love of flying and minimum time available, we chose the seaplane. DepartingKey West in a Cessna 206 floatplane we toured theroute at an altitude of about 500 feet, enjoying thesights along the way. Returning a t an altitude of 2500feet we admired the Key West area and its historicalsights , fishing vessels and charter boats .

Having attended every Sun 'N Fun Fly-In at Lakeland , Florida, we always look forward to the trip southfor this annual affair. The dates this year are March14-20, and we again count the days before departure.Those of us who have attended previously are awareof this excellent event. Those who have never attendedshould consider a wonderful vacation to include Sun 'NFu n . A relaxed fly-in and the accessibility of many ofFlorida's tourist attractions are a definite asset whenconsidering driving, camping or flying to Lakeland.

e see many of our Division members during Sun 'NFun and we would like to see those of you who havenot attended before.

t is noted with pride and enthusiasm that SenatorBarry Goldwater has accepted the Chairmanship of theNational Steering Committee of the EAA AviationFoundation Capital Campaign . Interesting backgroundinformation on Senator Goldwater was presented inthe December issue of SPORT AVIATION His interestand involvement in aviation is outstanding. An individual who has always exhibited a determined and pro


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PUBLICATION OF THE ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION, INC.OF THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION, INC.

P.O. BOX 229, HALES CORNERS, WI 53130COPYRIGHT 1982 E M ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION, INC., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

FEBRUARY 1982 VOLUME 10 NUMBER 2

OFFICERSPresident Vice-President

W. Brad Thomas, Jr. Jack C . Winthrop301 Dodson Mill Road Route 1 Box 111

Pilot Mountain, NC 27041 Allen,TX

75002919/368-2875 Home 214 /727-5649919/368-2291 Office

secretary TreasurerM. C Kelly Viets E E Buck Hilbert7745 W. 183rd St. P.O. Box 145Stilwell, KS 66085 Union , IL 60180

913 /681-2303 Home 815 /923-4591913 /782-6720 Office

DIRECTORSRonald Fritz Morton W. Lester

15401 Sparta Avenue P .O. Box 3747Kent City , MI 49330 Martinsville . VA 24112

616 /678 5012 703 /632 4839

Claude L. Gray. Jr. Arthur R. Morgan9635 Sylvia Avenue 3744 North 51st Blvd .

Northridge. CA 91324 Milwaukee . WI 53216213 /349 1338 414 /442-3631

Dale A. Gustafson John R. Turgyan7724 Shady Hill Drive 1530 Kuser RoadIndianapolis . IN 46274 Trenton , NJ 08619

317 /293 4430 609 /585 2747

AI Kelch S . J . Wittman66 W. 622 N. Madison Avenue Box 2672

Cedarburg , WI 53012 Oshkosh , WI 5490 1414 /377 5886 414 /235 1265

Robert E. Kesel George S . York455 Oakridge Drive 181 Sloboda Ave .

Rochester , NY 14617 Mansfield , OH 44906716 /342 3170 419 /529 4378

ADVISORSEd Burns Stan Gomoll Gene Morris1550 Mt. Prospect Road 1042 90th Lane , NE 27 Chandelle Drive

Des Plaines , IL 60018 Minneapolis , MN 55434 Hampshire , IL 601403121298-7811 6121784-1172 3121683-3199

John S . Copeland Espie M. Joyce , Jr. S . H. " Wes " Schmid9 Joanne Drive Box 468 2359 Lefeber Road

Westborough, MA 01581 Madison , NC 27025 Wauwatosa, WI 53213617/366-7245 919 /427-0216 414 /771-1545

FRONT COVER Robert H . Van Vran BACK COVER The original Northken A/ C 2201) , 2025 Twin Sisters Rd . rop Flying Wing w ith 90 hp MenascoSuisun , CA 94585 owns this beautiful is on the left in its tractor configuraN3N . N45042 , SI N 2582 . In 1980 he flew tion . The Northrop Alpha on the right

this plane to the East Coast and back ,is most likely the prototype (A.T.C.

including a stop at Oshkosh '81 where #381 issued 1122-30) . Photo takenthe N3N received a Special Warbird in April 1930 at the Burbank Airport ,Award. California.

(Photo by Ted Koston) (Roy Russell Photo Collection)

TABLE OF CONTENTSStraight and Level by Brad Th omas 2AlC News . . . mpil ed by G ene Cha s e 4Kids and a Vagabond by G en e Chas e 5Driggs Skylark Rover Engine

by Bill Mead owcroft 7Building the Lincoln Biplane- Part 1 . . . . . 10When Pilots Were Pilots by B ob Mixon 16Members Projects . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . 16Calendar of Events . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . 17Letters to Editor . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 17Mystery Plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17


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~ wU o mp il l by e n e hase

WINGS ND WHEELS S LE

Everyone in the aviation world must have knownabout the sale of this tremendous collection of aircraftand automobiles with all the advance publicity i t received. Handled by Christie's, an international auction

firm, the big day was December 6, 1981 in Orlando, FL.The sale was attended by 400 registered bidders andabout 600 observers .

The following list of aircraft which were availablefor purchase at the auction was provided by Christie's,while the sale amounts were furnished by one of theobservers. The final purchase prices were 10% abovethose shown below, which covered Christie's fee. Insome cases the bidding did not reach the posted minimum and the planes were not sold.

Aeronca C-3 . . .. . . . $12,500Arrow F Sport . . . . . . . . . . . 7 ,000American Eagle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,800American Eaglet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,000Beech Staggerwing B17C .. . . . 42,000 (Not Sold)Boeing 247-D . . . . . . . 65,000 (Not Sold)Breese Penguin (1917) . . . . . . .Bucker-Jungmann E-3B . . . . 19,000 (Not Sold)Caudron C-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,000Commandaire . . . . . . . . . 48,000Curtiss

IN-4D . . . . . . . . .. . . 80,000Curtiss 1912 (Reproduction) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,000Curtiss Robin . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,000Curtiss-Wright CW-1 . . . . . . . . . 16 ,000Curtiss-Wright Travel Air 12-Q . . . 17,000 (Not Sold)de Havilland DH-4M . . . . . 80,000Deperdussin (1911) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42,000Fairchild PT-19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,500 (Not Sold)Fairchild 24R . . . . . . . . . . 9,500 (Not Sold)Farman Shorthorn MF-11 . . . . . . . 55,000Fleet Model 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,000Fokker D-VII . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 ,000Fokker DR-1 (Repro) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Not Sold)Fokker DR-l (Repro) . 12,000 (Not Sold)Ford 4-AT Trimotor . . . . 325,000 (Not Sold)Hang Glider (Rigid) . . . . . . . .Heath Super Parasol . . .. . . . . . . .. . 3,200 (Not Sold)Heinkel He 111K . . . . . . . 100,000

Stinson V-77 . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 18,000Thomas-Morse Scou t 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,000

Travel Air 6000 . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100,000Waco 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22,000Waco 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 20,000Wright Model B (Repro) . . . . . . .. . 4,500Wright (1902) (Repro) . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,300Wright (1903) (Repro) . . . . . . . . 3,500

The Sopwith Camel, Travel Air 6000 and CurtissIN-4D Jenny were purchased by Richard N. Holbertfor a new aircraft museum in Arkansas. An aeronautical museum in Brazil acquired the Caudron C-3 and the

Nieuport II reproduction.The Early Birds , a foundation in the Netherlands,bought the Fokker D- VII. This particular plane oncebelonged to Howard Hughes and was used in his 1927classic film Hell' s Angels and again in 1937 in MenWith Wings .

The National Aeronautical Collection in the NationalMuseum of Science and Technology in Canada acquiredthe Farman Shorthorn and Douglas L . Champlin (EAA62048) bought the Pfalz D-XII for his Champlin Fighter

Museum in Mesa, Arizona . The only other known examples of the Pfalz D-XII are in the Australian Air Museum,the French Musee de I'Air, and the National Air andSpace Museum in Washington, DC.

The San Diego Museum of Air acquired the SpadXIII and the Deperdussin . A private collector, Mr.Palumbo from England successfully bid on the Commandaire while Jack Rose (EAA 55976) from Spokane,Washington bought the only known surviving exampleof the de Havilland DH-4M outside museums . The basket case 1918 Nieuport 28 went to a buyer in England .

Buyers also bid on 27 antique automobiles at thesale, including a 1934 Packard five passenger SportPhaeton which fetched $350,000, a world record auction price for any American car . t was acquired byBob Adams of Union Grove, Wisconsin.

A high price was also realized for a 1930 five passenger red Duesenberg with a black leather top, thatwent for $110,000 to Martin Gordon of Dunedin , Florida .

The Wings and Wheels Museum was establishedfour years ago when two not-for-profit organizations anda private collector pooled their resources to form oneof the largest collections of classic aircraft and vintage automobiles in the world. In a hangar leased fromthe Orlando International Airport, the museum displayed the cars and planes supplemented by exhibitions of photographs, prints, and models as well asfilms tracing the history of transportation between twoW ld W i l h i l d b i bl


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1CidslindWIS

Anne and Fred Howard and their Piper PA-17 Vagabond C-FWCD, SIN 17-75.

By Gene Chas e

Photos Courtesy of Fr ed and nne HowardExcept as Noted )

Gene Chase Photo)

On July 8, 1981 two Canadian schoolteachers loaded their traveling and camping gear into their 1948Piper PA-17 Vagabond and departed Prince George,British Columbia. They were starting a 13 day, 2,000mile sightseeing trip which would terminate at Oshkosh, WI and the 1981 EAA Convention. There wereonly a couple of other planes in the show plal1e camping area at Oshkosh when they arrived , tied down theiraircraft and set up their tent.

Fred and Anne Howard arrived 11 days early a tWittman Field to learn about Oshkosh firsthand. Thefirst day they reconnoitered the area, the second daythey began to meet people and on the third day theybecame volunteers and worked during the entire Con

vention. As Fred (EAA 176229) said, That's whatmakes the Convention; the fact we can get involved,take a responsible part and contribute to the successof the event. I know when we come back next time,we'll arrive a week early and stay until the last day . Anne added, We are completely overwhelmed. Thepeople are super and EAA is doing a fantastic job.

Fred and Anne are pretty special people themselves

When the Howards bought the Vagabond it hadn'tbeen flown for four years and was in very roughshape . After dismantling, the fuselage weld clusterswere sandblasted and the tubing scraped to removethe old primer. They found some corrosion and had toreplace some tubing , then applied an epoxy primer tothe frame . The rest of the restoration project was typical and when it came time to cover the aircraft theydecided on the Stits process.

The Continental A-65-8 was sent to a commercialengine overhaul shop where it was majored . This wasa costly and traumatic experience because the billcame to a much higher figure than they had anticipated. They since learned they were grossly over

charged for that service and they will never again return to that particular shop for engine work.

During the school year, September to June, about200 students are exposed to Fred's aeronautical program . Each class numbers 24 and they receive morethan hands-on experience with aircraft construction /restoration. Fred also teaches them courses in materials testing metal and welding fabrication aircraft in


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Many young hands accomplished the restoration of thisPiper Vagabond under supervision of instructor Fred Howard.

heavy dependence on aircraft in the area where he andAnne live .

Fred has high praise for the administrators in hisschool district who are quite progressive and who findit important to spend money on education. He initiallyreceived outstanding support from one of the professors a t the University of British Columbia whom hebecame acquainted with through another project ofhis the restoration of a 1928 Ford Model A pickuptruck. This professor volunteered support through theschool board district to the personnel in charge ofcurriculum who came out to inspect the project. Therehad been some irritation by a few department headswith regards to plant maintenance and liability, butin the end these problems were resolved and Fred received a 100% endorsement of his program.

Fred and Anne both believe the aviation exposurereceived by the students is most valid . It s not onlyan important part of our heritage and tradition butalso our future I think EAA is on the right track by

sentative who is supervlsmg the construction of aCvjetkovic CA-65.

The Howards are both licensed pilots . An n e has aCanadian private while Fred holds a Canadian commercial with a seaplane endorsement. He used to fl ycommercially up and down the west coast flying char

ters and scheds to the logging camps . It s not surpris-ing that these two met through their mutual love offlying, however it wasn t at an airport. That event oc-curred when friends introduced them while both wereworking at Sears before getting into the teaching profession.

Some of the fuselage tubing had to be replaced because ofcorrosion as shown above.

Both are extremely proud of their Vagabond andthe fact that many young folks share in the accomplishment of the restoration. Another reason they are proudof the plane is when it left the Piper plant on August 5,1948 it carried U.S . registration number NC4672H andwas flown by none other than William T. Piper , J r .

Piper took the plane on a demonstration tour to theWestern states including Idaho , Utah, Oregon and Washington. The aircraft and engine logs bear his signa-ture attesting to flights from August 5 through September 21, 1948 totalling 96 hours and 5 minutes andcarrying 174 passengers.

By Convention time the Howards hadn t had a chanceto do any passenger hopping in the PA-17 because therestoration was completed just in time to receive a testflight permit on July 3 , the final day of school and theC of A was issued on July 8, the day they headed southto Vancouver then east to Oshkosh .

Fred and Anne were looking forward to getting backto Prince George , where as Fred put it, A keen groupof students was waiting for their chance to fly in thebeautiful yellow Vagabond which they helped to makeairworthy.


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ROVER NGIN

t . . . . e . . . ,

By Bill Meadowc roft(EAA 3052)

1812 Grov ed al eJackson , MI49203

The 75 hp Rover powered Driggs Skylark was thesecond of two biplane types produced by the DriggsAircraft Company of Lansing Michigan between 1927

and 1933 . The Rover Skylark was the product of twooutstanding engineers Ivan Driggs the aerodynamicist and Harold Morehouse the engine designer. Anoutstanding airplane for its time the Skylark is littleknown today doomed by an introduction almost concurrent with the beginning of the great depression.

The Driggs Aircraft Company roots were in theautomobile industry. During the twenties the automoguls perceived the airborne flivver as a threat because the airplane could bypass the then inadequateroad system. Both Ford and General Motors made majorinvestments in the aircraft industry during these years.

Lansing Michigan a t this time was the location oftwo major auto producers - Oldsmobile and REO and ahost of automobile suppliers. t was not unusual therefore that when Ivan Driggs wanted to start his ownairplane company he came home to Lansing.

Ivan Driggs was an orphan raised by an aunt and

Smi thsonian Photo)A Rover powered Skylark with the robin 's beak cowl. Thiswas the third airplane built. Those elegant white stripes werebrush painted by Grant Kettles who also served as test pilot.A World War I Camel ace, he learned the art of hand stripingat Packard.

The Army Air Corps had a Dart constructed at c-Cook Field with an aluminum wing. This airplane wasused to test fullspan leading edge wing slots.

A modernized homebuilt Dart built by Jack McRaeafter World War II was one of the airplanes which attended the very first EAA Convention at Curtiss WrightAirport Milwaukee Wisconsin in 1953. Jack also published an excellent article about the Dart in SPORTA VIATION during the fifties .

The success of the Dart made Ivan Driggs a leading authority on light plane design in the eyes of investors so that when he returned to Lansing lookingfor backing he found a willing group of listeners including Hugo Lundburg President of Michigan ScrewCompany and Harry Harper President of Motor WheelCompany. Another interested party was Dick ScottGeneral Manager of REO Motor Car Company . Riding


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the economic boom of the twenties, this adventurousgroup formed Driggs Aircraft Company in Februaryof 1927.

Unfortunately the airplane Driggs designed wasnot a marketing success. Called the Dart II, it sharedfew of the Dart I virtues. Weighing only 380 poundsempty , the Dart was unique in that the front cockpitwas ahead of the leading edge of the larger upper wing,while the rear cockpit was behind the trailing edge.A sesquiplane, the wing area was distributed 100 squarefeet on the upper wing and 40 square feet on the lower ,tied together y a Warner Truss of streamlined tubing .A 3-cylinder 40 hp Anzani gave the Dart II a powerloading of 18.5 pound s per horsepower .

The unusual seating arrangement dictated an abnormal amount of fuselage area foreward of the C.G.,which contributed to poor spin recovery characteristics ,with the result that the Dart II ATC was eventuallyrevoked . About 10 Darts were built, surprisingly onesurvives - the property of Pappy Spinks (EAA 38828)of Oak Grove, Texas. Pappy s airplane, powered by aSalmson, attended the 1969 EAA Convention a t Rockford,IL.

Even before the Dart II stability problem surfaced,it became obvious to Driggs that a replacement had tobe found for the Anzani engine, which suffered notonly from reliability problems in flight, but from un

certain delivery from the manufacturer. Located in astate where most of the world s 4-cycle engines wereproduced, Driggs found the Anzani si t uation intolerable.

The man he contacted was Harold Morehouse, nowin the 1980 s regarded as one of the giants of l ightplane engine design . Morehouse engines had rescuedDriggs before. When the Heath-Henderson engine inthe original Dart I proved unreliable , Morehouse designed a two-cylinder engine which provided the powerfor most of its subsequent victories.

Morehouse was particularly qualified to design theneeded engine. From 1919 until 1925 he had workedas Assistant to Sam Heron at McCook Field, Dayton,Ohio on the development of new engine concepts . Thisteam made two major contributions to aviation . In 1923they solved the problems of oil distribution and successfully ran a Liberty engine inverted, enabling ahigher thrust line with consequently shorter landinggear legs and lower weight .

With this solved, the team tackled the problem ofair-cooling large cylinders. After much hard work anda lot of burned pistons , the McCook team successfully

A Driggs Dart II powered by an Anzani. The natty lookinggentleman is Ted Lundberg who is as much a sport todayas he was then.

ran a 12-cylinder inverted, aircooled Liberty engine.Soon after, Morehouse was hired by Wright Aeronautical to help develop their illustrious line of aircooledradials.

The opportunity to develop his own engine broughtMorehouse to Lansing in answer to Driggs call. Driggseuphoric backers organized Michigan Aero-Engine Com

pany, once Morehouse assured them he could build a50 hp , 4-cylinder, in-line, air-cooled engine for the DartII. This was a significant, but little known event inaeronautical history. Once the Morehouse engine, nowcalled the Rover, was introduced, no upright air-cooledairplane engine was ever again designed.

The first Rover was everything the Lansing backersexpected. Although designed for 50 hp, on the McCookField dynamometer it developed a maximum of 60 hpwith a weight of 210 pounds . Flight tests in the Dart

II did not prove so successful however. The extra powermade the airplane a real performer, but only aggravated the Dart II s yaw stability problem.

Much of the test flying of the first Rover in theDart II , along with the initial flight of the Skylark,was performed by one of America s great pilots - GrantKettles . A World War I Sopwith Camel Ace with fiveballoons to his credit, he would later become ChiefPilot for Ford Motor Company. This author owes a greatdebt of gratitude to Grant Kettles, who took me for myfirst airplane ride and served as a role model for mycorporate flying career.


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When it becam e apparent the Driggs Dart II was nota marketing success, Ivan Driggs went back to fundamentals, designing a superb conventional tandem openbiplane. The new biplane however, weighed 878 poundsempty , compared to 380 pounds for the Dart II, therefore necessitating a larger engine .

Morehouse responded immediately producing a 267

cubic inch powerplant with aluminum heads on individual iron cylinders. Weighing 240 pounds, the newRover yielded 75 horsepower at 1975 rpm. ATC 37 wasgranted on January 4, 1930, opening the door for outside sales which were immediately forthcoming .

Most spectacular of the outside sales was to WilliamStout, for the Stout Skycar . The Rover powered the original; however, the Skycar soon grew heavier than theRover's 75 hp capability.

Fairchild was a major buyer for their model 22. Al

Menasco also bought one , which he examined carefullybefore introducing a very similar engine which, withtongue-in-cheek, he named The Pirate . Ted Lundberg, son of Hugo Lundberg, told me that Menasco wasthe only buyer who ever paid the full list price for aRover .

The Skylark was also an engineering success. Initially flown on April 9, 1929 by Grant Kettles, it wasalmost too easy to fly. On a calm warm evening duringthe early thirties, my uncle Bill Meadowcroft soloed aSkylark after only three hours of dual. Bob McComb,

A later Cirrus powered Skylark NC11328 SIN 3017 with thefully enclosed cowl and airwheels.

probably the most experienced Skylark pilot still alive ,extolls the virtues of the light controls and nimblehandling - the result of aluminum push-pull tubesfor both ailerons and elevators. Joe Pfeiffer flew aSkylark in air shows, for which he had a parachutejumper stand on the wing at the N-strut and pull theripcord 400 feet above the ground. The nearly fullspan frise-type ailerons enabled this lateral controlpower .

An option in the size of wheels, 24 x 4 or 8 .50 x 10

The Driggs Dart I powered by a Bristol Cherub. This airplane was burned on orders of Hugo Lundberg Sr. after theCherub quit on take-off depositing Grant Kettles in a wheatfield.

ditionally, the automotive backers , increasingly concerned over their own businesses, could offer little additional financing.

During March of 1932, with no orders on the books,production of Harold Morehouse's little masterpiecewas terminated, never to receive the fame it deserved ,and in November of 1933 the Regal Skylark followed.

PROLOGUE

A total of 80 to 90 Rovers and 21 Skylarks werebuilt , of which I have been able to locate one engine and

determine the fate of six airplanes.X592E - The prototype, which my uncl e soloed inthree hours, is now the property of my good friend EdMarquart of Riverside, California . t is disassembledbut in excellent condition.

N11301 - The seventeenth built , is owned by JosephPollyak of Sonoma, California. This airplane has amodified vertical tail surface and no center section trailing edge cutout for cockpit entry. Joseph is in the process of restoring the airplane to original. Powered bya Cirrus , this airplane last flew as recently as 1974.

N542 - Was destroyed in 1958 after an accidentat Columbus, Ohio .

N11328 - Was destroyed a t Harbor Beach, Michigan in the late 1940 's.

N11196 - Was parted out in the 1950's. I have therusted-out fuselage for this airplane.

One airplane still owned by Driggs, was destroyedin a hangar fire in 1929 or 1930 .

The airplanes were built in two groups of ten, theprototype , X592E being built separately. The hangarfire accounts for a total of 20 airplanes registered,although 21 were built. Sixteen Skylarks were flyingjust prior to World War II, which may indicate thatthe remaining 15, which I have been unable to find,are currently housed in the proverbial farmer's barnwaiting to be found by some enterprising antique buff .


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. ~n this drawing the

general appearance of the Lincolnsportplane is accllrately shown whenpowered with a 35 hp Anxan .i.

Building the LINCOLNBIPLANEPerforming in the same fashion as a modern commercial ship this time-tried lightplane design is theeditors' answer t the requests of readers who havewanted a hot performing one-place sport biplane .

from the EAA repr int of the 1930 Flying and GliderManualPART I

This article takes up the general layout and constructionalfeatures of the Lincoln StandardSportplane, a biplane of diminutive proportions which has beenon the market as a knocked-downset of construction parts for several years. The makers, The Lincoln Standard Airplane Co. ofLincoln, Nebr., have sold severalhundred sets of parts, and thewriter has seen and personallyh lSpected the ship built to these

back of it the designing experience of the firm which built thefamous Lincoln Standard wartime planes. Powered with thenew Henderson 35 hp F-headair-cooled four-cylinder motor,the ship would have between 70to 80 mph speed, would fly a useful load of about 225 lbs . andhave a ceiling of about 8,000 ft.With the three-cylinder 35 hpAnzani, which swings a big prop

presuppose some knowledge ofaircraft construction on the partof the builder.

However, any bright lad whohas access to the experience of alicensed pilot can build this planewith the occasional help he isable to receive from the pilot ,and the completed ship will besafe and reliable in the extremeif the plans are followed to thedot. For those who wish blueprints a five dollar bill sent to


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The Lincoln Sport built by

. ~ 2 0

Fred Trump sports an Anzani engine.

-IiI

Ph o t o b y Fred Trum p

I 'a CABLE

NO 9 HARD WIRE TOSTEP HERE ON LOWER STA . S-CABLE FORWARDREAR SPAR TO ENTER


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, t aF US E L AGE F ITTING NO 2

N R[AR STR\Jl SOCX [TAS

SEMB LED SA M( A , ) ,.,. O tR C O 12 c " REQ D ~

fJThe details of someof the fittings areherewith shown togive a good idea ofthe staltnchness ofthe little ship. TheItse of sheet steel isplainly noted.

In general the layout of theship is interesting .

Here are the main characteristics:

Span, f t . 20Wing section U .S.A. 27Length o a 16 ft

M a nual with this installmentsome of the drawings for the de-tails are included, together withthe plan layout. This will enablethe reader to get a good fundamental idea of the ship . Eachsucceeding article gathers up theremarks and details of what hasgone before until with the lastthe re ader ha s the full set ofplans .

I t will be seen that the gaugeused in the fittings of this shipis re adily obtainable at the ordinary tinsmith's or blacksmith'sshop . The fitting s for the mostpart are very simple and aremade of cold rolled sheet steel.When working these in the vise,the proper method is to cut themto shape, drill them and then dothe bending. There are someholes , of course , which would bebest to work into the bent shapeand then drill so that the holesfor bolts are in line ,

You can see from the wash inthe front of this article that thesize and general layout of theLincoln Sportplane are diminutive and conventional. The plandrawing as shown in the blueprint gi ves , to scale as far as layout is concern ed and the location of the parts, the overheadlayout. The fuselage is of woodand wir e construction , with 7/8by 7/8 longerons t r ussed withnumber 14 wire . Forward thetrussing is the usual Va flexiblewire . The fuselage tapers bothin plan and form , and instead ofthe usual vertical tail post, thepost is horizontal. This makesfor finer streamlining and a shipwhich resists the torsional effectsof rough handling a little better.

The fuselage longerons are

trued up. It is faired with padsalong the struts and small stripsof spruce running along the pads.

Now in this installment you willnotice a drawing which showsthe peculiar and clever interplanestrut which is a Lincoln feature.Not only is it aerodynamicallygood, but because it is a solidpiece , with the 11/2 deg . decalagebuilt in , the ship requires practically no truing other than thetightening of the flying and landing wires. This strut, two ofwhich are required, is made upof spruce as the drawings indicate, and before gluing all theparts are carefully fitted andsanded . Use Curtis cold waterglue for this strut, clamping withthe well known type of shopclamp until the job is good anddry, after about a week 's setting.

You will notice from the planview that there is a 4 in. dowelrunning through the wing ribs .This is to steady the ribs andkeep them from vibrating be-tween spars .

Note the respective directionsof the grain in the struts.

With the fuselage done and the

struts made, according to theseand subsequent details, the landing gear struts can be made .


13/20

These are of steel tubing and canbe worked as shown in the longvertical blueprint, which gives allthe details of the parts for thelanding gear, short of the w h e ~ l sand shock cord, which can be Il lstalled by anybody. These wheels,by the way, can be purchasedfrom the Lincoln Standard people.

Near the ends of the tubes triangular cuts are taken as shown,using the hacksaw. The ends arebent together and are oxy-acetylene welded .

The wing ribs are built asshown, to the standard U.S.A. 27wing curve. This comes on a further sheet of the plans, as doesthe wing curve, and shows theordinates to use for the curve.The drawing shown with the relative sizes of the woods used,

gives a clear idea of the type ofwing rib used . This is the old,time-tried, strong method ofmaking them out of solid woodand lightening them a little. Suchribs are as heavy as those usedin the Jennies and Standards ofwartime days, and are far stronger in proportion to the loads

which will be imposed upon them,so there is little to worry abouton this score.

The wing ribs are built bymaking a master template, and

The wing ribs, built to the o r d i n t ~ sof the U ~ A27 section given in theplans in this series on the construction , of the Lmcoln Sportpl ane are of theconventional solid wood type.

then tacking together all thethickness of wood for one wing,which is 6 thicknesses in the upper wing and 8 in the lowerwing. The lighten holes are alldrilled through what will appearto be a solid block of wood, andthen light cuts are taken wherethe spars come. This will markthe spar hole both on the topside and the bottom side, but onfour points i the cuts are properly made, and then the capstrips can be put on. This is thebest way to make them and willrequire no jig. The little 1-16 in.tabs are put alongside the sparholes where the down rod goesthrough, and the rib when givena coat of varnish or two afterhaving been sanded, will be readyto slip on over the spar.

The plans for an airplane seemto be so incoherent until they are The anchor plate for the flying wires

is placed under the vertical and horiFred Trump ready to go in zontal strut socket.


14/20

-. 'E I ~~ : - 2 - I ~

, - -1..., c I 3'm . 10

~ T f S E ~

~ 11ftI

U S A 2 7 WING SEC TIO N fORLIN COLN STANDARD SPO RT PLANESRRUCE BASSWOOD OR WHITE PINEDED UC T > 32 rROM O ~ J T S I O

DIME S IONS f O R WEB PAT1[ '

~' .. - ~ ~

--" II 1 1 ~ ~ ~_ ___ _ _ ~ o

The better way to make the wing ribs is to cut one to shape as taken from theordinates, makin9 a template which can be tacked over a gr o u p of ribs so theymay be cut to one uniform size.

all together in one spot, that it isextremely hard to run a how -to-build in split up fashion. How-ever, several details are run inhere which must be consideredin the building of the ship, andthe cutlines will classify them forthe subsequent part of the story.Until next time then, gang, make

yourselves familiar with the details here presented, getting aclear conception of them, so thatnext part they will fit into thescheme of things.

As regards motors for all thelight planes which have beenpublished in odern Mechanicsmuch may be said. There are sev-

SIDE VIEw END V I [ W SHEAD FOR 8OTl't:)W [NO or I STRUT

2 RE OD SPRuce

eral types of motors from whichthe builder may make his choice- V-twin , two-cylinder opposed,etc.

The use of the motorcycle V-twin is not particularly commendable as this writer sees it.When you stop to consider thatthe average V-twin motorcycle

engine develops under ideal conditions on a test stand but 25 hp,and that for but short periods , itis unreasonable to ask these little motors to develop more than15-20 hp under ideal flying conditions . For one thing , the valvesare shielded from the air streamin most designs . The fa ct that

SIDE VIEWH[ A D fOR TOP [ND o r I S T ~ L l T

2 ReaD P ~ u C [

they run hot is also well known.Then, turning up rather high, thepropeller efficiency is cut about10 percent. As the best of props

rarely deliver better than 75 percent efficiency, it can be seenthat the best the propeller candeliver to pull the ship around isabout 12 hp. The motorcycle mo-tors are a bit light for anythingsave the lightest of ships, such asthe Irwin Meteorplane . The Lincoln Sportplane is considerably

stouter and needs a stronger mo-tor . The Heath , the Russel , andthe Lincoln will not fly well withthe V-twin motorcycle types.

The light engine which is available to everybody is the Henderson. The new Hendersons deliverabout 35 hp with their new valvearrangement as presented in the

1929 model motorcycles , and withthe Heath base , which allows alot of oil for cooling the motorin conjunction with its lubricating functions , it will make a verygood light airplane motor. As remarked in the December, 1928,issue of odern Mechanics andin the Flying Manual publishedby this magazine , the motor canvery easily be converted with theaddition of a thrust on the endof the crankcase housing and theshaft for coupling the crankshaftto the prop hub . The Hendersonwill give the light planes published in this series the same performance as most of the OX5 commercial planes , being loadedabout the same weight per horsepower .

As to the Lawrence engine, itis not recommended. The motorwas built as a hurried wartimedesign with a single throw crank,


15/20

Full dimensions for landing g e r metal parts .

LAN DING G EAR VEE 'sREQ D t ~ I ~ c,,, TuBE

TOP END Of' REAR TO P END O F FR ONTLANDING GEAR STR UT LA N DING GE AR S T R ~ . n

l' ~b ~ 6~ I ~ ,

lOiJ&- ~ ~ / / /,01 I ., t I r- 0 -.. .."1 0 , 1 2 n ~ ~I _ .J _ ~ H O C KABSORB[R

N n o TO L .


16/20

,This section of he VINTAGE AIRPLANE is ded

icated to members an d their aircraft projects. e welcome photos a long with descriptions, and the proj ectsca n be ei t her completed or underway. Send material tothe editor at the address shown on page 3 of this issue.

C. F. McCombs (AiC 3032), 1241 Normandy Dr. Modesto, CA95351 owns this 1946 Taylorcraft BC-12D, N44239, SIN 10039 .He purchased it as a basket case and spent five years withthe restoration. Typically some fuselage tubing had to bereplaced as did both wing spars. It is covered with StitsPoly-Fiber and finished in authentic factory colors as deter-mined from bits of fabric, inspection covers and informationin a 1946 issue of WESTERN FLYING magazine. The planereceived the trophy for the Best Taylorcraft at the 1980 WestCoast Antique Fly-In at Merced, CA. The 8 x 10 color printsent in by Mr. McCombs will be displayed on the Antique/Classic Wall of the Museum.

Dear Gene:Enclosed are some photos of work I have been doing

on a Bellanca 14-13-2 . It s a complete rebuild including an engine change from a 150 hp Franklin to a Ly

coming 0-360 180 hp with a constant speed prop .It doesn 't seem possible that Oshkosh '82 is justaround the corner . Helen and I mi ss all our friendsand we often think of the good times we have at Oshkosh.

When I saw the layout of the new museum in theOctober 1981 issue of SPORT A VIATION I can tdescribe the feeling it gave me to know that along withmany others, I have contributed a small part of the newfacility.

I'm proud that EAA allows me to be a part of it all.Very truly yours,Wayne Pappy Brubaker(EAA 12260 )172 Governors Blvd.Capital ParkDover, DE 19901


17/20

LETTERS TO EDITOR

George Hardie, Jr.Historian, EAAP .O Box 229Hales Corners , WI 53130

Dear George:Sorry about the delay . I have been snowed under

ever since I reached home . As I probably told you, Ihave a 1930 two seater racing car which I race andrally and preparation of this has tied me up a little.Back into things now .

You wanted an update on the project. Right , so farwe have accomplished the following :

Crankshaft No . 1: Drilled and cut out - for interest'ssake, the drilling was equivalent to a 10 mm hole 31' 8"long This has been followed by rough machining andheat treating to 1650F. Some finish machining hasbeen done but we decided to just hold things until theC/cases are cast in case of minor discrepancies in thecastings .

Crankshaft No . 2: Blank planed up true and markedoff.

Timing Gears , large and small : Patterns made andgears cast. Cleaned up and machined. Gear teeth to becut.

Connecting Rod Ends: Patterns made and ends cast .Tube material purchased and cut; castings and unmachined tubing for one rod weigh 5 lb. 10 oz Will letyou know their finished weight . These are in the process of jigg ing and machining.

Water pump support rings : Patterns made and discscast in bronze .

Water jackets : Patterns and Core Box made . Having foundry problems - the foundry could producegood castings but surface finish was not satisfactory,

mainly due to the need to pour them pretty hot due totheir thin section. Alas, having to try another foundry.Crankcases: Pattern 90 % complete, core boxes for

mount feet , sump recess and ends made up . Internalsection core box commenced .

Water pump: Casing patterns started.Piston: Pattern and core box 60 % complete.On the airframe side, we are not as advanced but

a start has been made. Part of the problem is that Ihave sorted out the major dimensional situation and

drawn up the major items as assemblies, but of coursethe trick is that to get someone else to make something, you need more than verbal instructions and arough drawing. So drawings of most of the detail workstill remain to be done. I have done those of all thewing joint fittings and spar/uprignt joint fittings andthese are well advanced . Propellers are drawn up, but

I want to do those Propeller shafts and supports drawnup but not started ye t .

We managed to locate cotton fabric of the correcttype and grade in a very helpful mill in England andhave imported 205 metres of this . t is the same as thatused by Horace Short on the 6 Short/Wright Aircraftand as was used on the Wrights built in Germany.

As you know , we managed to locate some block chainfor the control wiring system in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. I am still trying to obtain new chain for thispurpose but will use the used lengths if necessary . So,if anyone knows who manufactures old fashioned blockchain with steel and not sintered blocks in a size Ipitch and 3/16 wide blocks, please let me know . I require four lengths 14 links long.

I obtained additional information at Wright StateUniversity and at the Franklin Institute and Libraryof Congress . I posted home about a four inch stack ofxerox material , so I will have some homework to dowhen I get it.

Best regards ,Bruce Winder266 Russley Rd.Christchurch 4NEW ZEALAND

MYSTERY PL NE

This month's mystery plane photo is from GeorgeHardie's collection. The biplane carries an experimentallicense, X864Y. We aren't certain of its identity but wedo have some theories. f one of you readers can makepositive identification, the answer will appear in theApril 1982 issue of he VINTAGE AIRPLANE

The December 1981 Mystery Plane was a Thaden

T-l , an 8-place al l metal cabin monoplane, with astressed-skin monocoque type fuselage, using corrugated duralumin. According to the 1929 Aircraft YearBook this was the beginning of the use of this type ofstructure in metal construction. The T-l was poweredby a P & W Wasp. t was to be produced in quantityby the Thaden Metal Aircraft Corporation of San Francisco, CA in 1929 but the T-l was never certificated.

The Thaden T-l was designed by Herert Von Thadenwho married Louise McPhetridge. Louise M. Thaden

set many records during her flying career, includingwinning the 1929 Transcontinental Derby and the 1936Bendix Trophy.

The Thaden T-l was correctly identified by DougRounds, Zebulon, GA; Skeeter Carlson, Spokane, W A;Mike Rezich, Chicago, IL; Charley Hayes, Park o r s ~ IL; John Morozowsky, Zanesville, OH.


18/20

CLASSIFIED ADSACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable of unlimited aerobatics . 23 sheets of clear, easy to follow plans,includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings , photos andexploded views. Complete parts and materials list . Fullsize wing drawings. Plans plus 88 page Builder's Manual- $60 .00. Info Pack - $4 .00. Super Acro Sport WingDrawing - $15 .00. Send check or money order to : ACROSPORT, INC., Box 462, Hales Corners, WI 53130 . 41 4 1425-4860 .

ACRO II - The new 2-place aerobatic trainer and sportbiplane . 20 pages of easy to follow , detailed plans . Complete with isometric drawings , photos, exploded views.Plans - $85.00 . Info Pack - $4 .00 . Send check or moneyorder to: ACRO SPORT, INC., P .O. Box 462, Hales Corners, WI 53130.414 / 425-4860.

POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimited inlow .cost pleasure flying . Big, roomy cockpit for the oversix foot pilot . VW power insures hard to beat 3V2 gph atcruise setting . 15 large instruction sheets . Plans - $45.00.Info Pack - $4 .00 . Send check or money order to: ACRO

C l a s s i ~owners!~ ( U f . t~ J u a

DRESS

IT UP , /JWITH A NEW,(/iIziea I N T E RIO R

All tems READY-MADE for E a ~ yDOIT YOURSELF INSTALLATION

Seat Upholstery - Wall PanelsHeadliners - Carpets - etc.

Ceconite Envelopes and Dopes

S e n d for FREE C a t a l o gFabric Selection Guide - $3.00

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SPORT, INC., Box 462, Hales Corners, WI 53130. 414 1425-4860 .WANTED: For my Curtiss Wright Junior restoration ,parts or pieces, any condition . 'Contact Gene Chase atEAA Headquarters , P .O. Box 229, Hales Corners, WI53130 . 414 / 425-4860 or 414 / 425-8851.1919 FARMAN SPORT - Small 2-place French biplane.Enough parts and papers to qualify as a restoration, notreplica. 60 hp Gnome-Rhone rotary engine. $9000 orbest offer . Send SASE and $2.00 for photo and inventory or call 918/542-6470 evenings. (Bob Anderson, Sta.#1, Box 15 , Miami, OK 74354.)

AVAILABLE BACK ISSUES1973 March through December1974 All Are Available1975 All Are Available1976 .- February through May, August through

December1977 All Are Available1978 January through March, August, October

through December1979 February through December

1980 January, March through July, Septemberthrough December

1981 All Are Available1982 January

Back issues are available from Headquarters for $1.25each, postpaid, except the July 1977 (Lindbergh Commemorative) issue, which is $1.50 postpaid.

MEMBERSHIP INFORM TION Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association, In c . is $25.00 for one year , $48.00 for 2 years

and $69 .00 for 3 years . All include 12 issues of Sport Aviation pe, year. Junior Membership under 9fAA years of age) is available at $15.00 annually. Family Membership is available for an additional $10.00annually .EAA M b $14 00 I l d ear b hi in EAA Antique Classic Division 12 thl


19/20

WORLDWAR1

WORlD \WI I AEROPI AIIES INC Is a tax-exanpt non-profit orqaniz,tion founded in 1961 to bring toqlthlr bui ldln . res toren.scall-llOCllllln. ancI histonans of pre-1919 aeroolanes; and to

FLYING ANDGLIDER MANUALS

1929 , 1930 , 19311932 , 1933

2.50 ea.SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO :

EAA Air Museum Foundation, Inc.Box 469 Hales Corners, WI 53130

All o w 4-6 Weeks For De liveryW isco nsin R eside nt s In c lud e 4% Sal es Ta x

malce availabl1 to. t h infonnetion about parts. drawings. wholeain: raf t . and 111 th l books ancI tec:hniques whic:h would be of uSIto

We worlt closlly with musel8S l ibr, r ies . collec:ton. d e s i ~ e nhistonans. supply-houses. bu i ld ln . pilots. and ather av,ationorqaniutions and journals. We are the only orqan,zation to011 1 solely witll the dlSiqn and construction of thesl machines.WI and pre-WI as WIll.

To t l l lsi ends WI publish our journ.l . WORLD \WI I AEROPLANESf lv i t 1 _ a y r for s ~ 800 tllroughout the wor l d. andconduct a substantial infonnetlon servlce by mal l and tll8jlhonl;WI IIIIlntaln an up-to-data f1le of both anginal and reproductlonal rcraf t all oyer th l world there are _700 of thl fo , . . r ands 900 of t i l l l l t t a r ~ .

Thl orqanl %ltlon h u Qllerated ~ tile begl nnl ng an va1untarycontributions for printlng. postage. telephoning. photography.fees; and WI 51 J1 back issues. xerox cop1 es of earl y a n:raf t andeng1ne lIIIUIua1s and worlting draw1n9S. and appropriate advertisin9Sallple isSUI 3.

1!) C R E S C E N T Re.. P o U G H K E E P S I E N Y 12 .& 01

THE VINTAGE AIRPLANEADVERTISING RATES

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Face Type : pe r word 45c . ALL CAPS: per word 50c (Minimumcharge 6.00 , (Rate covers one insertion one iss ue.)

COMM ISS IONS: Non- Commis s ionab le .

Jacket: Unlined Poplin jacket, features knit waistand cuffs . The gold and white braid trim on aTan body emphasizes the colors proudly d isplayed in the Antique /Classic logo .Sizes : X-small thru X-large

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Cap: Complete the look in this gold mesh hatwith contrasting blue bill, trimmed with a gold

braid . Your logo visibly displayed , makes thisadjustable cap a must.Sizes : M & L (adjustable rear band)

6.25 ppd


20/20

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vintage airplane - feb 1982

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