vintage airplane - feb 1988

8/12/2019 Vintage Airplane - Feb 1988

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STRAIGHT ND LEVEL

by Bob LickteigThrough this February issue of THEVINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine, I

would like to report on the status of yourEAA Antique/Classic Division and theevents with which we were involved in19871987 will be remembered as the yearthe press attacked the airlines. Ofcourse, they made it look like all theproblems were generated by generalaviation. Congress, the press, FAA,DOT OMB and the traveling public allwere pointing fingers at one or mo resegments of aviation. It reminded me ofa Ch inese firedrill - everyone runninghelter skelter. So far, few constructivechanges have been made.Lest we forget, 1987 was the year theFAA announced its 40-point proposal ,super TCA's and other alarming restrictions that were planned. Through theefforts of EAA 's Headquarters staff, theEAA divisions and all EAA members, Iam pleased to report that sufficientcomments were generated so thatthese new restrictions are still in theplann ing stage.I dislike starting a Division report bydetailing the problems that may affectour type of flying, but that's the way it

The State of the EAA Antique/Classic Divisionshowed up in THE VINTAGEAIRPLANE recently when it becamenecessary to use two pages to list thenames of our new members. Thanksand welcome aboard to all our newmembers. We will continue to launchadditional new recruiting programs for1988.In 1987 our association with the various aircraft Type Clubs was expanded,and our enlarged Type Club Headquarters tent at EAA Oshkosh '87 was againoverflowing with Type Clubs participating. A recent national aviation publication listed 64 organized Type Clubs, 47of which qualify under the EAA Antique/Classic Division criteria. This alliancewill be expanded in 1988 along with additional Type Club reports that will bepublished in our magazine.In 1987 the EAAlAvemco connectionwas established. Regardless of whatyou may have heard in the past, Avemco is interested in insuring Antique/Classic aircraft. From the comments Ihave heard to date, Avemco has comeup with very realistic coverage andreasonable rates. This relationship willbe continued in 1988.This past year our Antique/ClassicChapters have complied with and operated within the guidelines establishedby EAA Headquarters. I look forward toall of our Chapters flourishing and supporting the grass roots of sport aviationat the local level. We wi ll continue oureffort to establish additional new Chapters throughout 1988.In 1987 our Antique/Classic library oftechnical material received additional

old Red Barn - now officially calledEAA Antique/Classic Headquarters was a beehive of activities throughoutthe week. The addition of our VolunteerCenter building gave all of ourhardworking volunteers a place to relaxand enjoy a cool drink during their shortbreaks from the hectic pace throughoutthe day. All of our group events, thenumber of Antique/Classic aircraft re-gistered, the Type Clubs, the actionaround our Interview Circle, the homecoming o previous Antique/Classicchampions and the anniJal Antique/Classic Parade of Flight all made for anexciting and interesting Convention. AtEAA Oshkosh '88 you can expect moreof the same plus additional activitiesnow in the planning stage.In 1987 we witnessed a recordnumber of new restorations arrive atOshkosh and other EAA fly-ins. This increase was due to our devoted individual members and the encouragement and information they receive fromthe Type Clubs. We look for this to continue throughout the New Year.I must again congratulate our editorialstaff for our excellent monthly magazine- THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE. I hopewe all realize that this is the only international publication devoted strictly toAntique/Classic aircraft and our relatedinterests.The EAA Antique/Classic Divisionhas attained the leadership in organizations representing our era of aviation .We do not take leadership lightly as withit comes the responsibility to EAA headquarters, to our membership and to the


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PUBLICATION STAFFPUBLISHERTom Poberezny

VICE-PRESIDENTMARKETING & COMMUNICATIONSDick MattCREATIVE ART DIRECTORMike Drucks

MANAGING EDITOR/ADVERTISINGMary JonesASSOCIATE EDITORSNorman PetersenDick CavinFEATURE WRITERSGeorge A. Hardie, Jr.Dennis Parks

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTCarol KroneSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Jim KoepnickCarl SchuppelJeff Isom

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISION, INC.OFFICERSPresident Vice PresidentR. J. Lickteig M.C. "Kelly" Viets

1718 Lakewood RI. 2, Box 128Albert Lea, MN 56007 Lyndon, KS 66451507/373-2922 913/828-3518Secretary TreasurerRonald Fritz E.E. "Buck" Hilbert15401 Sparta Avenue P.O. Box 145Kent City , MI49330 Union, IL 60180616/678-5012 815/923-4591

DIRECTORSJohn S. Copeland Philip Coulson

9 Joanne Drive 28415 Springbrook Dr.Westborough, MA01581 Lawlon, MI49065617/366-7245 616/624-6490William A. Eickhoff Stan Gomoll41515th Ave., N.E. 104290th Lane, NESI. Petersburg, FL 33704 Minneapolis, MN 55434813/823-2339 6121784-1172Dale A. Gustafson Espie M. Joyce, Jr .7724 Shady Hill Drive Box 468Indianapolis, IN 46278 Madison, NC 27025317/293-4430 919/427-0216Arthur R. Morgan Gene Morris3744 North 51st Blvd. 115C Steve Court, R.R. 2Milwaukee, WI 53216 Roanoke,TX 76262414/442-3631 817/491-9110Daniel Neuman Ray Olcott1521 Berne Circle W. 104 BainbridgeMinneapolis, MN 55421 Nokomis, FL 342756121571-0893 813/488-8791

T l ~

FEBRUARY 1988 Vol. 16, No.2Copyright "'1988 by the EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contents . ~ . :2 Straight and Level/by Bob Lickteig ," ,....~ 'i . I4 AlC News /by Norm Petersen ~ z . : 5 Vintage Literature/by Dennis Parks6 Northwest Airways Stinson Flies I -:-.'Again/by Norm Petersen9 Members' Projects/by Norm Petersen "I,'0 Time Capsule/by Jack Cox , .Page 612 Aeronca C-21by Dale Wolford

~ .-' ,/ I_4',' I , } ~I 1 ; ,Il

15 Type Club Activities/by Norm Petersen16 Owen Stlegelmeier's 1948 Meyers145, SIN 203/by Owen Stiegelmeier18 Stinson SR-5 on Edo Floats iby Norm Persen and Don Nelson I, .s;; .22 Welcome New Members23 Mystery Plane/by George A. Hardie, Jr.24 Wilderness Adventure/by Monica Talo - ~ , , , - ~ , , , , , = , . ~Page 1226 Vintage Seaplanes/by Norm Petersen26 Calendar of Events27 Letters to the Editor29 Vintage Trader

FRONT COVER . . . Painted in original colors of Northwest Airways,Inc" the beautiful black and gold Stinson "Jr.-S", NC443G, restored by Page 24Captain Dan Neuman (EAA 871 , N 325) is photographed over thewinter landscape of Minnesota.(Photo courtesy of Northwest Airlines, Inc.)BACK COVER .. . A winter scene from 50 years ago! This rare phototaken by the Janesville Daily Gazette (Janesville, Wisconsin) showshigh school student (11th grade) Pat Packard (EAA 5926) (yes, folks,the same gentleman who designs EAA Air Adventure Museumexhibits!) checking the cable and bungee cord attachment on a Heathwooden ski installation on an early J-3 Cub owned by the JanesvilleFlying Service. The man on the rear cable is Fred Meacham, a localfarmer. (Photo courtesy Art Hodge Estate)


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Compiled by Norm Petersen

NOMINATIONS FOR ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION OFFICERS ANDDIRECTORSIn accordance with the EAA Antique/Classic Division's bylaws, the terms ofsix Directors, the President and Secretary will expire at the Division 's AnnualBusiness Meeting at Oshkosh, Wisconsin on Friday, August 5, 1988.Nominations for any elective office(including the six elective Directors, thePresident and Secretary) can only bemade on official nomination formswhich may be obtained from EAA Headquarters (contact Mrs. Carol Blake).Each nomination form must containa minimum of ten (10) signatures ofEAA Antique/Classic Division members in good standing, together withtheir membership number and expiration date. The nominating petitionshall contain a brief resume of the

nominee's experience and background and shall be accompanied by arecent photo. To be eligible for nomination, a candidate must be a member ingood standing.Nominating petitions must be submitted to the Chairman of the NominatingCommittee, c/o EAA Headquarters , nolater than the end of the sixth monthprior to the annual business meeting(February 29) . Voting instructions andthe official ballot will be published in theJune 1988 issue of THE VINTAGEAIRPLANE

. SUN 'N FUN 1988A very hearty 'welcome" is extended

Florida on April 10-16, 1988. (The Fly-inhas been moved from March to April inhopes of improving the weather.)Much planning and thought has goneinto the special needs of antique andclassic airplane owners and as alwaysthe Antique/Classic headquarters building will be the center of "Southern hospitality. The Florida Sport Aviation Antique and Classic Association (EAA NChapter No . 1) has even added a fewconveniences to make your stay moreenjoyable.During the Convention, a grass runway will be available for use by antiqueand classic airplanes. Special procedures for arrival and departure are re-quired. Contact Sun 'n Fun , P. O. Box6750, Lakeland, Florida 33807 (813/644-2431) .You will be able to register yourairplane, pick up judging forms, showplane wings (one pair per owner) and"DO NOT TOUCH" information cards allin one place. Pioneer ParticipantPlaques will also be given to all attending aircraft dating 1936 and older. PastGrand Champion aircraft will be givena special place to park, and owners willreceive special identification.Please make your motel reservationsas soon as possible as accommodations are somewhat limited. N evening activities are planned again this year- check with N Headquarters personnel for information.Your Antique/Classic Coordinator isRod Spanier, 6502 Jamestown Avenue,Lakeland, FL 33801 . For assistance,write or call him at 813/665-5572.ROOM RESERVATIONS FOR ANTIQUE/CLASSIC MEMBERS ONLY

Rooms are available from Friday,April 8th through Sunday, April 17th atthe Holiday Inn Central in Lakeland.Room rate per night is $44.94 for singleor double. One night deposit per formis required. Please complete the reservation form shown below as accuratelyas possible and mail with your depositof $44.94 per room prior to April 1,1988. Make your check payable to the

town Avenue, Lakeland , Florida 33801 ,813/665-5572.NEW ADDRESS FOR INTERNATIONAL 170 ASSOCIATION

The International Cessna 170 As-sociation has a new address and phonenumber - P. O. Box 1667, Lebanon ,MO 65536, phone 417/532-4847.SEEN WHILE BROWSING NEWSLETTERS

The following rather clever ad wasplaced in the EAA Chapter 10 Newsletter: For sale - Pietenpol with Ford "A"engine. Experience 1930's flying onregular gasoline at J. C. Whitney prices.Contact LeRoy at 918 .From the Bucker Club Newsletter Bad news comes in twos - pain andsuffering, hunger and thirst, fear andtrembling, and parts and laborMELBA BEARD, 1907-1987

Well-known antique airplane en-thusiast Melba Beard of Scottsdale ,Arizona died on November 14, 1987 inFresno, California. Melba learned to flyat Long Beach, California in 1929 fromAI Ebrite in an OX-5 International. Aftergaining her rating, her soon-to-be husband, William Beard, bought her aWarner-powered Bird (NC324N) andgave it to her for a wedding present.They flew this airplane on their honeymoon. Among the credits Melba won inthis plane were the Amelia EarhartTrophy in 1935 and the Women'sAmatuer Aerobatic Trophy the sameyear. At one time, the Bird wasloaned to the University of California forwind tunnel testing of control systems.The plane was sold in 1941 when Melbaand Bill moved to Arizona. In the mid50 's, she bought a "Bird" on the eastcoast and flew it across the nation to itsnew home in Arizona.Melba was an active AAA memberand was devoted to the "Bird" aircraft ,having owned several different onesand was in constant attendance at WestCoast fly-ins for the past 35 years. Con


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by Dennis ParksEAA Aviation FoundationLibrary/Archives Directorl ipstreatnSLIPST REAM --T he stream 01 air driven alt by th e propell er.

VOL. 6 MARCH No3PUBLISHED BY THE SLIPSTREAM PUBLISHING COMPANY

401 Beckel Bldg., Dayton, OhioEntered as second-class matter August 20, 1923, at the P ost Office at Dayton, Ohio, under the Act of M arch 3, 1879

SU BSC RIPT ION RAT ESOne Year, U. S., 2.00 ; Canada, 2.25; Foreign , 3.00. Postage Prepaid.

FRU) F. MA RSHALL, EditorCONTENTS Page

Cartoon _ __ _ _____ _ __ __ ____ ___ _ _ ____ __ ____ __ _ __ _ ___ ____ ___ _ ____ _ __ _ _ ____ ___ _ __ 8Is Dayton Loosing Confidence in Aviat ion? _________________________________ I)The Awaken ing of Commericial Aviation _____________________________________ 13Work on New Dayton Air Post Starts Soon ________________________________ 15Making Flying Safe. By H . A. Brllno) ____________________________________ 17The Curtiss Carrier Pigeon Airplane ________________________________________ 21How the Fairfield Air Depot was Retained. By Morris D. R icr) ___________ 23McCook Fie ld Accompl ishments of Past Year. ___________________________ ________________________________ By Major J F Cllrr),. Command ing Oflicc r ) 27Concerning 1925 Air Mee ts _______________________________ __ ________________ 33Misce llaneous Air News __ _____ ___ _____ _ ____ __ _ _ ___ ____ __ ___ _ _ ____ ___ _ _ _ __ __ _ 3440

Published from 1919 to 1928SLIPSTREAM seems to be an anomalyamong surviving aviation magazines. Inthe mid to late 1920's according to re-co rds , SLIPSTREAM's circulation wasthe highest among aviation magazines.Its circulation almost surpassed bothAERO DIGEST and AVIATION combined. It had a circulation in 1925 of9,000 copies per issue compared to7,000 for AERO DIGEST and 3,000 forAVIATION

But where are they now? There aremany copies of its competitors on themarket and in libraries, but few issuesof SLIPSTREAMseem to be out there.The M Aviation Foundation 's Boeing Aeronautical Library has but onecopy - February 1925. That copy is

done in 1924-25 by Ivan Driggs, ofDriggs Dart fame, titled The LightPlane.This was a five-part series coveringthe history, theoretical and practical design of lightplanes. This series was laterreprinted by NACA as TechnicalMemorandum Nos. 311 and 326.Containing 40 pages in the February1925 issue it was about the same sizeas the weekly published AVIA TlON andsmaller than the monthly publishedERO DIGEST All of the contents ofthe issue dealt with aviation in theUnited States.There were six full-page ads in theissue. They were from JohnsonAirplane and Supply Company, Curtiss,Dayton Wire Wheel Company, Stout

funds. It was estimated that the cost ofmoving and new construction would exceed four million dollars.The February issue had an articlecovering accomplishments at McCookField for the previous year.During 1924 more than 25 new experimental airplanes of various typeswere built by the industry for test at thedivision. Only one type of airplane, anobservation type, was designed andconstructed by the division. This projectwas carried on for the purpose ofexemplifying certain new ideas in design and metal construction for use asa basis in judging future developmentof a similar type.The most remarkable advance inairplane development during the yearhas been in performance, particularlyas typified in the exceptional high speedand maneuvering of the Boeing andCurtiss pursuits, both of wh ich havebeen placed in production. No other na-tion has anything comparable withthem.Production has been directed principally toward the rehabilitation of the present standard observation plane, theDH-4B. Many of these airplanes arebeing entirely rebuilt to incorporatemetal fuselage and improved equipment.The drop-forged aluminum alloy propeller has come into favor, due to themarked increase in performance resulting from its use. Its adaptability is excellent in that the same propeller can beused on different airplanes ranging in

(Continued on Page 8)

ANNOUNCINGTH

New Travel Airplane


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NORTHWEST AIRWAYS"STINSON FLIES AGAIN

Dan Neuman's Stinson Junior "S" Recreates History

The airplane that graces the cover ofthis month's magazine, a Stinson Junior"S, is most unique in that it is paintedin the exact colors of a similar Stinsonused by Northwest Airways, Inc.,forerunner of Northwest Airlines , tocarry mail and passengers betweenMinneapolis and Chicago in 1930-31 .The man behind this beautiful restoration is Captain Daniel F. Neuman(EAA 871 , AlC 325) , retired NorthwestAirlines pilot and dedicated antiquer,who lives at 1521 Berne Circle West,Minneapolis, MN 55421. His base of operations for his extensive antiqueairplane work is Anoka County Airporton the north side of Minneapolis and

y Norm Petersengoes under the name of Midwest Aviation.Having grown up in Detroit in the''teens and twenties," young DanNeuman soloed in an OX-5 poweredKR-34 in 1931. He later worked at theStinson factory at Wayne, Michigan,gaining a rare insight and knowledgefor working on Stinson airplanes todayDan earned his A&P rating in highschool over 50 years ago and he alsohas the coveted Inspection Authorization (IA).The history of our cover airplane,Stinson Junior "S," NC443G, SIN 8069begins in 1931 when it was sold new tothe Kansas Pipeline and Gas Company .

After some 12 years, it was sold to WaIter Shedel of Greeley, Colorado in1943. From there, the Stinson was soldto Blaine S. Osburn of Sanish, N.D. in1948. Ten years later, the Junior "S"was sold to veteran EAAer and notedantiquer Charlie Klessig of Galesburg,North Dakota.Charlie modified the airplane for cropspraying and used the Stinson for suchpurposes in 1960 and '61 . He then restored the Stinson to normal categoryand added a tow hook for towing gliders. (This tow hook is still installed andoperable today )In 1975, Dan Neuman purchased theStinson from Charlie Klessig and flew it


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Side view of the Stinson unior "S" shows the Northwest Airways, Inc. logo, the airmail contract number (A.M.9) and the familiarStinson logo on the fin. Auto in the background (1942 Ford) is part of the CAF display.to Minneapolis to rebuild. The registration was NC12162, the original factorynumber from 1931 . With the full blessing of the public relations departmentof Northwest Airlines, the Stinson wouldbe restored in the colors of NC443H, anoriginal Stinson SM-2AB of Northwest.As the N number was unavailable (itwas on a Cessna 320), the numberNC443G was chosen.

The Stinson was completely dismantled and the basic airframe proved to bein excellent shape. With every1hingcleaned and inspected, the rebuildbegan. Dan recovered the entireairplane with Grade A cotton , his specialty. The build-up was done with nitrate

and butyrate dope with the final colorsdone in automotive enamel. The original Stinson black and gold colorscheme was spiced up with the colorfulNorthwest Airways logo and the U.S.Mail emblems on the fuselage and wings.Even the wheel hubcaps are done inwhite with a blue border and a red center as per original.The engine, a Lycoming R-680, waspretty tired when Dan bought theairplane so after flying it for a short time,a newly overhauled Lycoming R-680B4D of 225 hp was installed. It was anengine that Dan had overhauled andhad "just laying around" The Hamiltonground adjustable prop was polished

and installed with the red, white andblue tips for good visibility.With an empty weight of 2172 Ibs .and a gross weight of 3265 Ibs ., theJunior "S" has a useful load of 1093 Ibs .and can carry four adults in luxuriouscomfort. The wings span 42 ft , 1 inch,so you need a bit more than a 40 ft .door on your hangar Fuel capacity is51 gallons and at 13 .8 gph cruise, thenormal range is abut 3 1 2 hours or 350miles (at 100 mph). And you probablywon't meet your twin on the parkingramp as there are only 12 Junior "S"aircraft on the FAA register, and this isthe only one in Northwest Airways livery


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On the wide open plains of North Dakota, Capt. Dan Neumanruns up the Stinson Junior S at Charlie Klessig's field on theday he purchased the aircraft in November, 1975. Note originalN number, N12162, on the side of the fuselage and the speedring cowling which Dan still has but is not installed.

The restored Stinson Junior S is taxied out for takeoff onSeptember 24, 1983, res pendent in its Northwest Airways, Inc.colors. Main gear tires are 8:50 x 10.Dan has flown the Stinson to numerous aviation functions including the 50thand 60th anniversary celebrations ofNorthwest Airlines. In addition, Dan's son,Capt. Dan Neuman, Jr. has a WACO"ASO" biplane decked out in NorthwestAirways colors that has participated inmany of the same celebrations.In May, 1987 Dan flew the Stinson to

his old home town of Detroit in connection with tile inaugural flight of Northwest Airlines' Detroit-Tokyo Boeing 747service. The beautifully printed programfor the inauguration says about the aircraft on display: "A Stinson 'Junior', purchased by Northwest in 1930, is on display adjacent to the Boeing 747 christ

ened The City of Detroit.' Designed andbuilt by Eddie Stinson, the Stinson'Junior' carried three passengers andhad a range of 600 miles . As one ofNorthwest's first aircraft, the Detroitmade single engine plane ferried passengers and mail between MinneapolisSt. Paul and Chicago, with intermediatestops in LaCrosse and Milwaukee."Dan Neuman, having worked on Stinsons at the factory in 1938, admits tohaving a soft spot in his heart for theserugged aircraft and at present is busilyengaged in the total restoration of aStinson SR-10"Gullwing." You can restassured it will be another masterpiecein the same league as the Stinson

Junior S , the Curtiss IN-4 "Jenny" onthe EAA Air Adventure Museum floor,the Buhl LA-1 "Pup" hanging from theEAA Museum ceiling, the WACO 10(Siemens Halske powered) hanging inthe Minneapolis Airport Terminal Building and a couple of upcoming restorations.To say that Dan Neuman is a dedicated antique airplane enthusiast wouldbe the understatement of the year Wefeel he should be in line for a "secondwind" award, the kind given to retireeswho take up a full-time occupation in anew field which they happen to enjoyThis is Dan Neuman, a gentleman inevery sense of the word. e

It can be seen in examining this issue is it that you offer most of the credit to theV I ~ T A C ~ L I T ~ ~ A T U ~ ~ of SLIPSTREAM that at this time the Stout design?(Continued from Page 5) military and air mail service were the "The WACO has a great appeal andspeeds from 90 to 140 mph by merely major markets for aircraft. is greatly admired by those who arechanging the blade setting." Among the letters to the editor was looking for the practical, but the StoutBesides covering activities at one headed, "Noted Member of New Air Pullman only strikes them as a whiteMcCook, an article, "The Awakening of Firms Sends Editor Cordial Letter." This elephant (and is less graceful in appearCommercial Aviation" covered some of was a letter from Alfred Verville an ance)."the recent civil activities. nouncing the establishment of a new Among the annoucements given was"Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Com aircraft plant in Detroit. I will attempt to a display ad for the "New Travel"pany, Inc., a firm which has never di get you information for a story about our airplane by Travel Air of Wichita andverted much attention to the commer company in the near future. We have the news that ''The Lawson firm recentlycial demand announce that they will not definitely decided just what plane secured Walter H. Barling, designer ofsoon come out with a light plane using we will build at this time . the famous Barling Bomber, as Chiefan OX standard motor. In addition to Another letter berated the relative Engineer. Mr. Barling accompaniedthis they have just offered for approval coverage given the new Stout and the Alfred Lawson to Dayton, where, in anthe new 'Carrier Pigeon' ship popularly new Waco cabin (ModeI8?). I am very interview with a representative ofdesignated as the first 'Aerial Truck,' much enjoying SLIPSTREAM . . . But I SLIPSTREAM it was disclosed that the


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EMBER S PRO ECTSby Norm Petersen

1943 Cessna T-50, N60453, S N 5199, owned by Otto F. Stender (EAA 295383), RR #1, Box 193, Walcott, IA 52n3 He reports the T-50is covered with Ceconite and has the standard 245 Jacobs engines with zero-time Hamilton Standard props. The aircraft is based atOtto's 2600' airstrip W-NW of Davenport, IA.

"I had a difficult time getting my leg outof the cockpit' writes Dr. Ed Garber, Jr.(EAA 38078, AlC 162) of 1641 Owen Drive,Fayetteville, NC 28304, in response to thepicture of Chuck in Parasol" on the backcover of VINTAGE. "He is in a HeathSuper Parasol and appears to be happy,"says Dr. Garber. This photo shows me inmy V Model Heath with a Continental A40.Dr. Garber's orig inal Heath Super Parasolis now In the Virginia Aviation Museum inRichmond.

Kevin T. Kennelly (EAA 163680, AlC 9050)


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When introduced in 1934, the 9-place Northrop Delta was a very advanced airplane. Its all-metal, multi-cellular, stressed skin construct ionpioneered by Jack Northrop on his earlier Alpha was state of the art and features included electric flaps, electric starter, hydraulicbrakes, controllable propeller, the latest radio equipment, nav and landing lights - all as standard equipment. Powered with a 735 hpWright Cyclone, the Delta had an advertised top speed of 219 mph and a 75% cruise of 200 mph at 8000 feet. The performance came ata price, however - 37,500 1934 dollars, which in buying power is the equivalent of nearly half a million 1988 dollars. Seven Delta 1-Dswere built, two of which were for a Swedish airline. The rest were purchased by U.S. oil companies and wealthy individuals for highspeed transportation. The Delta pictured here is NC14267, Serial Number 42. Does anyone know who it belonged to and whatultimately happened to it? Just one Northrop Delta remains on FAA's books today - NC13777 (Ser. No. 28), which is registered to RichardM Davis of Shawnee Mission, KS Radtke Collection 818

The manufacturers of the larger, more expensive Iightplanes would have had a tough time making it through the Great Depression hadit not been for the oil companies such as Kendall Refining which owned this 1934 Stinson SR-5. NC13868 apparently bought thefarm somewhere along the way because that N number is on a Cessna 172M today. Radtke Collection 940


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AERONCA C-2

Story and photos y Dale WolfordEAA 10957, Ale 836)443 TR 1500, R 2Ashland, OH 44805The Aeronca story has been toldnumerous times and was covered in detail by Paul Matt in his historical aviationalbums. Aeronca's C-2 airplane was thefirst production light plane in the UnitedStates. The detailed story of how an informal partnership of three young menin Dayton grew into a company whichproduced thousands of airplanes is alsocovered in Jay Spencer's book Aeronca

C 2: The Story o the Flying Bath TubMy interest in Aeronca C-2/C-3airplanes goes back to early boyhood.I can clearly recall that one time on aweekly shopping trip, my father stoppedthe car alongside a sod field which wasthe forerunner of Mansfield Lahm Air

instruction from veteran pilots ten yearstheir senior, who built up flying time andratings in these early Aeroncas.In 1977 I purchased a 1935 AeroncaC-3 Fatback that had been convertedto a Collegian open cockpit. Theairplane had been converted to a Continental 65 and was licensed experimental. I bought the airplane from RonBoice in Farmington, New Mexico. Theone week spent in barnstorming thatairplane back to Ohio was truly a timewarp experience. It was a real funairplane, though. With the more powerful engine I was able to share the experience, giving rides to a lot of friendsaged from six to seventy-six. Also, withthe more reliable engine I never hadany bad experiences. Bad momentsspent in any particular airplane arenot particularly conducive to fond memories I have nothing but good onesof that C-3. When I parted with her, I

fire-damaged C-3 Master fuselageand rotted right wing that came with thedeal were not even good reference material. Three of the engines were 26horsepower E-107s which would reallymake nice wall decorations. One engine, an E113-C had promise.We looked at this pile of parts for twoyears and finally concluded there wasonly one honorable way out. We wouldpretend this was just what we alwayswanted and go ahead and restore orbuild it. So this is the story of how aninformal partnership of three older men,helped by many others, preserved whatthree young men in Dayton had started.The paperwork that came with thepile covered C-2 (S.N. A-66) N10300.The N number had been allowed tolapse so we didn't even have a goodnumber. It now graces the side of aCessna 150 in the Indianapolis area.


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lowed outboard by four bays of doublepiano wire bracing, both top and bottomof the spars. The bracing is made upfrom piano wire by forming eyelets oneach end. These are secured by soldering wire sleeves over the shank of eacheye . Right out of the Wright brothershomebuilding manual There are literally hundreds of aluminum clampplates, threaded rods, and fittings. Sixteen turnbuckles in each panel maketrammeling very interesting. To assurethat the project qualified as a restoration, we did use three old fittings. Everything else is new. Our only deviationfrom the original was substitution of 16plywood rib gussets for electric insulating fish paper.I have discussed this Aeronca wingwith other C-2C-3 restorers. We suspect that the wing was a design evolution from Roche's glider experiments atMcCook Field in 1923. The McCookGL-2 glider used wings from a IN-4Jenny Biplane. When Roche designedthe pre-C-2 prototype for power, heprobably combined the proven Jennywing bracing with the then-modernClark Y" airfoil.The secret to flying on low power isa high aspect ratio lightly loaded wing.The double internal bracing gave thetorsional stiffness needed for a thin, externally wire-braced monoplane. Whenthey built the prototype, production andlabor costs weren't a consideration . I'llbet they looked at that wing with regretlater after it was approved and in production. Even if labor rates were only30 cents per hour, the fact they couldsell the airplane for $1245 and still stayin business is just short of unbelievable.The E113C engine was built up forus by Bernie Hogan in Hamilton, Ohio.He converted the engine to a Bendiximpulse magneto for easier starting andreliability. This has been done beforeon C-3s and we did not give it anythought. Later when we tried getting themagneto into the narrower C-2 enginemount, we had a real problem. This wasone of the down times. We finally got itin, but if we ever have to any work onthe mag, the engine will have to comeout.

Part of the crew involved in the restoration included (from left) Jim Gorman, BurrellSparks, Jerry Shasky, Jay Markel and Elmer Wilson. Note origina l Aeronca logo on fin.

certainly looked rugged enough for a700 lb . airplane. Upon closer inspectionthe ball bearings could be replaced withbronze bushings for the 1 axle. A callto the manufacturer in Dayton turnedup the fact that A long time ago wefurnished wheels of that type toAeronca." By chance we turned up theprobable source for the original C-2 wirewheels. Wire wheels were discontinuedon the C-2. Most C-2s, including thisone, were converted to a wide tripodgear in the field .We admittedly had reservationsabout using these wheels. During therebuild, knowing and well-intentionedold-timers warned that they were weakand would fold in a ground loop. This isprobably true. However, after watching

the gear in action during tail-up, highspeed taxi runs on sod; the wheelstrength is reassuring. They are reallystronger than they first appear. We willcontinue to treat them with respect bydoing our best to avoid dropping it in orallowing a ground swing to develop.The C-2 was not priced with an airspeed as standard. Factory brochureslisted both Pitot and Johnson vane typeas options. Not wanting to place fouryears work in the slightest jeopardy, Ikept looking for a light weight solution.At Oshkosh I discovered a small ul-tralight Venturi-type airspeed made by"Winter" in Germany. It is a beautiful littie instrument. We mounted it with astrap clamp to the top longeron in aninconspicuous location. The Venturi it-


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self is mounted on top of the cabaneout of the prop wash.In flight it turns out that sight andsound are more than adequate indicators of what is going on in the airspeed department. As it turned out, noone on their first flight is using theairspeed. Due to a recent discovery weare going to leave the Venturi on forauthenticity. We were surprised whenwe came across a clear photo of thethree original builders with their 1926prototype. There on top of the cabanethey had installed a Venturi of almostidentical size to the one I picked up atOshkosh.This C-2 left the factory at CincinnatiLunken on June 26 , 1930. The firstowner was a J. D. Rodeheaver inJacksonville, Florida. Rodeheaver waswith Tropical Airways who were statedistributors for Waco, Fairchild andAeronca airplanes. Harold Culp purchased the airplane in 1932 for $350from Tropical Airways. We have a photoof Culp in the airplane taken in 1934.From FAA records the airplane passedthrough several owners in NortheastFlorida between 1935 and 1945. Theairplane was damaged in 1941 in St.Augustine and then stored throughoutthe war. Harold Culp purchased the remains in 1948 and ultimately sold it to

Brian Van-Wagnen in 1969.After we bought the airplane I attempted to contact Mr. Culp by writing to several previous addresses. I shouldn'thave given up when I did. In a chanceconversation with Bob Rust, a C-2 re storer in Fayetteville, Georgia, he gaveme Harold's current address. He saidHarold was still active but currently interested in antique automobiles. My letter was answered by his daughter whosaid he died suddenly in December,1986. She could not add anythingfurther to the background story. Hopefully, someone reading this accountmay be able to add details to fill in themissing spaces.Burrell Sparks (EAA 2753) , our Chapter 148 president, made the first flighton September 29th at Mansfeld LahmAirport. Burrell elected to use hard surface rather than sod. The only problemswere a forward pressure required on thestick and ineffective "Wells Lamont"leather glove brakes. Due to the narrowtread and free swivel tailwheel it is almost impossible to make a downwindturn to clear the runway. In crosswndconditions you soon learn to make anytaxi turns upwind to initiate the swing.With all the area of the slab-sided fuselage, you could earn your seaplane rating on dry land.

Flying the C-2 comes as natural asriding a bicycle. With power the tai lcomes up immediately and there isplenty of rudder control. I never used arudder bar before, but this is no problemeither. There is so much rudder authority that very little rudder is requ ired . Itlevitates off in about 200 feet and thentakes forever to get to the end of a 7,000foot runway. The next impressions inorder are: Gee, it 's nOisy What a spectacular view Where did that oil on myleft shoulder come from?To onlookers, the C-2 appears to bereluctant to return to earth . Due toground effect, it just doesn't want to settle that last foot. When it does, it seemsyou are just moving at a fast jog.To date, five people have flown it.With only one exception, no one elsetook the time to look at the airspeed ontheir first flight. For the one who did , itwas inoperative when a spider webblocked the Venturi.We are already laying plans for fly-insnext summer. The next Aeronca Fly-Inat Middletown, Ohio on June 10-12 is amust. We are also hoping that it's nottoo windy for the "Parade of Flight" atOshkosh '88. We would surely like tosee the Oshkosh crowd from thepanoramic perch of the C-2, as she fliesslowly toward Baslers.


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I ~ y p lu ActivitiesCompiled by Norm Petersen

ERCOUPE OWNERS CLUBThe newsletter of the Ercoupe Owners Club is called "Coupe Capers" andis edited by Skip Carden. The currentissue is Volume 16, No 6One member writes that he has flown415-C 85 hp Ercoupes for over some700 hours on auto fuel including flightsto 14,000 feet and at 102 degrees F.He has never, repeat never, had theleast indication of fuel feeding problemsor any engine problems with that kindof flying.He says, "If you people continue toblame every difficulty you have on autofuel , then you're going to see the daywhen big daddy, FAA, will step in andagain put us all back on aviation fuel(thus doubling our fuel cost) for nosound reason at all. They are just waiting for enough of these complaints, thenyou will ruin it for us aiL "The member goes on to explain theaircraft fuel pump used in Ercoupes waspumping auto fuel for years before theywere put in aircraft . "So the pump hadyears of proven dependability before wegot it. Perhaps the cam that drives yourpump could be worn so badly that youare not getting full stroke on your pumplever."Perhaps you should check your fuelline routing to be sure it is as your service manual calls for. There are literallyhundreds of us out there who use autofuel without problems so find your problem somewhere else. Then you can fly,

VINT GE S ILPL NE SSOCI -TION

The quarterly publication of the Vintage Sailplane Association, Inc. , the"Bungee Cord", is edited by Jan Scottof Lovettsville, Virginia and is presentlyin its 13th year The group specializesin gliders and sailplanes of years agoand has picked up quite a following,especially in recent years.The 1987 winter issue of "BungeeCord" contains a unique history of Alexander Schleicher and his Germansailplane factory. Born in 1901 in Poppenhausen , Germany, Schleicherbegan his sailplane career in 1926 withhis first "Hols der Tuefel" which competed for the first time in 1927. Fromthis humble beginning, the Schleicherfirm grew over the years with many different and improved sailplanes. TheWW II years merely accelerated thebuilding of sailplanes as they were usedextensively in training the Germanpilots.Following the war, aircraft buildingwas not allowed until 1951 when theSchleicher firm once again went into

N TION L W CO CLUBA National Waco Club member, 84-year-old Ray Vaughn, is hoping to re-create some history in a replica airplanehe has been patiently building over thepast eight years. Using a few printedspecifications, some photos and a goodmemory, Ray is re-creating a biplaneknown as the WACO Model 4, bu ilt in1921 by Clayton Brukner and Elwood"Sam" Junkin at the Weaver AircraftCompany of Lorain, Ohio. This was thefirst passenger-carrying biplane built bythe founders of WACO and was designed to carry three passengers in thefront cockpit and the pilot in the rearcockpit.Ray 's project is powered by a 60year-old Curtiss OX-5 engine of 90 hpturning a 50-year-old propeller. The restof the replica is new and built by thesame methods and with the same typeof materials used in the original WACOModel 4. The 28-foot wings and the tailassembly are aircraft-doped linen overwood ribs and spars. The fuselage iswood framed and covered with plywoodand much of the wire rigging is handwrapped and soldered, as are controllines.To date, the basic airframe is complete and covered and the wings andtail surfaces have been assembled tothe fuselage. The OX-5 engine hasbeen mounted and the landing gear hasbeen installed. If everything works outas planned, the WACO Model 4 should


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eVEJ2 eStLEBEirnElEt 1

1948 MEYERS 145 SIN 203Story and photos by Owen Stiegelmeier(EAA 65885, Ale 580)P. O. Box 804Berea, OH 44017Before starting the history of this aircraft, I think proper credit should begiven to "Pard" Beaumont Divers, whowas the actual craftsman who built theaircraft from scratch and, as mostcraftsmen do, did a great deal of "handson " innovative work to get it to prototypecondition. "Pard" still operates Tecumseh Aviation in the old Meyers plant atAI Meyers Field in Tecumseh , Michigan.He is truly "one of the good guys .In the same league would be Meyers

Company test pilot Ray Betzoldt (EAA173524) whose delicate ''touch '' helpedto fine tune the 145 model to where itis a delight to fly.My aircraft, N34360, SN 203, startedits illustrious career as the last of threesuccessive prototypes, each usingparts from the preceding one! SN 2 1was the first and was powered with a125 hp engine. It was a bad design andled to the redesigned SN 202, with better lines and more strength, but stillpowered with the 125 hp engine.The story as I remember it is that AIMeyers was out doing a spin test at10,000 feet one day. He got into a flatspin and couldn t recover, so he pulledthe handle for the spin chute to deploy .The handle turned out to be the wrongone and he jettisoned the door instead!For what reason I don 't know, he thenbailed out and never deployed the spinchute.The empty aircraft spun in from approximately 10,000 feet and was extensively damaged. But to attest to thestrength of the basic design, the centersection cabin section and starboard

"01' Joe Kool himself, Owen Stiegelmeier pauses for his picture after fueling theMeyers 145 at the hometown pump. Open door is one of two that hinge forward forentrance. Small N number looks especially nice on this aircraft.through an I.RAN . that turned it into aduplicate of the last 145 - SN 222. Hethen sold it as the 200's were started indesign and AI needed cash and time forthe new model.SN 203 then went through a succession of owners and eventually ended upin the hands of Curly Broyles in Tullahoma, Tennessee. He flew the pantsoff it and everyone in northern Tennessee knew Curly and his Meyers. As a

way of testing its value, Curly put it upfor sale at a ridiculously high price andTom Sigmond from Palo Alto, CAbought it before Curly knew what happened! Curly later remarked he hadmade a big mistake in letting the 145 go.Tom Sigmond spent a great deal oftime and money getting a one-timeS.T.C. to repower the aircraft with aContinental 10-360 of 210 hp. Tom's re-ward was an outstanding performer with


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Owen's pretty daughter, Amie, poses in front of the 145 at its home field, ColumbusStation Airport, just southwest of Cleveland. Airplane looks fast", just standing still!

the thrill of flying a P-51 at Piper Arrowcosts. He did a most professional job inthe installation with no corners cut sothat the powerplant looks like a factorydesigned installation.I bought the ship from Tom when hegot the bug for a bigger and bettermachine. He bought a Meyers 2000 butstill misses his old 145! I flew theairplane from 1979 to 1985 with a lot ofgood memories and then had her completely rebuilt from the ground up byGriffing Flying Service in Sandusky,Ohio. They did an outstanding job,doing such things as sandblasting all ofthe chromoly tubing and then sloshingwith oil, sealing and priming with epoxyprimer and finally, a polyurethane finishcoat. The tubing finish looks better thanmost modern aircraft exteriors. A lot ofstructured skin with attendant fastenerswas also replaced. The Meyers wasthen painted by Dave Hall of West PennAircraft in Wheelir)g, West Virginia.The aircraft now flies like a jewel. Itis one of those kind of airplanes thatjust feels good to be controlling.The only bad habit it has is the stiffdie set spring loaded landing gear. Oiland a bypass orifice were designed intoit, but never really functioned the waythey should, so landing is a process ofgetting tangent to the earth at the leastpossible angle and getting all the flyingdone before the wheels touch! If youare lucky, no bounce will ensue and yousmile from ear to ear when you pull upto the pumps! The biggest thrill of all isto take off at 2800 rpm continuous, getthe gear up and climb at a high angleuntil you are out of sight. It really feelsgood!The following is a brief summary onthe machine as best as I can recollect:

SIN 203 - last prototype and firstproductionN34360Total built - 20 - SIN 203222Total left flying - 12Total remaining - 17First production built SIN 2031N34360Last production built SIN 222N34379Last built - experimental version with


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1935 Stinson SR-5E mounted on EClo 38-3430 floats is shown about 1954 with originalU.S. registration, N14154. Note ADF loop antenna on cabin roof.

ST NSON SR-SEon

E O FLOATSby Norm Petersen Photos courtesy Don Nelson1655 Boblett StreetBlaine, Washington 98230

A small , four-line ad in Trade A Planelisting a 1935 Stinson SR-5E on floatscaught this author's attention and led tothis very neat picture story on the overhaul of a rare airplane. The FAA registeronly lists three Stinson SR-5E as beingactive.This particular SR-5E began life in


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The fuselage with metal covering on the forward half, is strippedOctober, 1982, the Stinson SR SE was landed on the grass at the and readied or the new paint job. Fabric tested good, so it wasBlaine, WA airport and transported to the hangar by a forklift. not replaced.

Mounted on a clever wheeled dolly, the fuselage is painted and the many small parts are added before final assembly. Round cowlingwithout bumps is used with 300 hp engine and is not original. Paint scheme is tastefully done.


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STINSONSR-SE

N141WC in the U.S. (The original uN"number of NC14154 was not available.)The Stinson was disassembled ,cleaned and repainted with automotiveenamel. The white overall scheme wasaccented with metallic brown trim anddark metallic brown pinstripe. The overall scheme is very becoming , especiallywith the small numbers on the rudder.The floats were carefully checkedand the only problem found was a corroded spreader bar. A new one wassecured from Edo (along with a bill for$1 ,ODD ) and installed. The floats werecleaned and painted silver and mated Early Sunday morning, the Stinson is transported on a flatbed trailer right past city hallNote the sign says, No Trucks - it doesn't say, No Airplanes"

Mounted on a launching dolly, the Stinson Is run up to check the Lycoming and make sure all is ready for launching. Don Nelson'sson mans the fire extinguisher.


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Carefully tied to the dock, the refurbished Stinson with new N number, N141WC, isreadied for flight. Beside company logo (Robbins & Nelson Construction) and Stinsonlogo, nickname of "Monster Pigeon" is added to the fin.

once again with the 1935 airplane .With the large plane and floats allgleaming in their new coats of paint, theaircraft was placed sideways on a lowboy trailer and carefully hauled to thewater's edge. The engine was checkedand before long the pretty water birdwas once again ready for flight.Don reports the "old girl" flies verynicely and can haul a good load if thereis a good chunk of water from which totake off. (It's no Super Cub on take off )The dual water rudders are quite effective in all but the toughest crosswinds.The large, flat side of the fuselagemakes downwind turns difficult at times,but this is something you learn to livewith. The engine is a 300 hp R-680Lycoming that's STC'd and with a controllable propeller, there is adequatepower for floats.Just think,. Don admits to five fly-infishing trips to Canada in 1987 Someguys have all the fun

With the flaps in the first position, the SR-5E climbs on the step and gets ready to lift into the air. Float pilots enjoy finding the "sweetspot where the minimum drag of the floats meets the maximum lift of the wing and the airplane lifts from the water. A "delicate touchon the controls is a real asset at this point


22/32


23/32

yGeorge A. Hardie, Jr.

This standard type biplane of theearly 1920s was offered by a manufacturer still prominent in the aviation industry today. The photo is from the EAAcollection , date and location unknown.Answers will be published in the May ,1988 issue of THE VINTAGEAIRPLANE Deadline for that issue isMarch 10 , 1988.The Mystery Plane in the November,1987 issue of THE VINTAGE AIR-PLANE is a Harper. Harold E. McFetrich of Salem, Ohio writes:"The Harper was built by Jack Harperat Five Points Airport where they weremanufactured in a former dance halllroller rink turned factory. I used to flyinto this North-South strip in myAeronca C-3 and talk to Mr. Harperwhen he was working on a later modelwhich was also full cantilever but hadside-by-side seating for two persons. Atleast one of his aircraft was Salmsonpowered."

to 1967 in pretty bad shape. I did havesome photos and letters which I hadcollected over the years. These weredonated to the Bedford Historical Society, which are the only information theyhave acquired on the Harper AircraftCompany.Richard E. Gates of Sheboygan, Wis-consin writes:"Jack Harper moved from town totown in Ohio, settling at one time in Bedford, another in Elyria, trying to findbacking and , of course , money. Anamusing incident occurred when hewas at Elyria. At that time he had rentedan abandoned factory next to the NewYork Central tracks and coal dock offAbbey Road. There was a cinder drivebetween the tracks and the buildingwhich he used for a take off and landingstrip. He started to give flight instructionand also had a ground school. This wasto help make money to build Harperairplanes.

rated with bunting and Japanese lanterns all stretched overhead on cables.Late one evening a group of the Harperpeople who had been visiting the localtavern drinking large quantities of 'rootbeer' decided to start the Szekely en-gine and make a bit of noise in thesleeping town. As you might haveguessed, the airplane being a 'tai l dragger' was at just the right angle for thepusher prop blast to blow most of thebunting and lanterns all over the downtown area, making a real mess. We donot recall what happened to the Harperoutfit from that time on .Foster Lane in his book titled, LogBook relates his experiences as testpilot for the Harper Company. He confirms the "quick fix" made to the Szekelythree cylinder engine. Lane was to be-come the sales manager for the company, to receive a commission on eachplane sold as soon as the businessmaterialized. His book, still available, is


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WILDERNESSADVENTURE

Story and photos courtesyMonica Talo(EAA 110842)68 Cambridge StreetThompson, ManitobaCanada R8N OH2

Being born and raised north of theArctic Circle in the mining city of Kiruna,Sweden, my husband, Sven Talo (EAA110842), didn't think it was such a bigtransition to move to Thompson , Manitoba, Canada in 1972. However, theblack flies and mosquitoes were just asbloodthirsty as ever! You also learn toleave mittens and warm jackets handythroughout the summer, especially inJune when we still occasionally getsnow.The vast wilderness that surroundsthe city of Kiruna, Sweden and the cityof Thompson, Manitoba is a wonderfulasset to adventuresome people wholive in both places. Please remember,north of the Arctic Circle there is onlyone hour of daylight in the middle ofwinter. On the other hand, in summer,the sun never sets completely! The winters in Manitoba are not as cold, butapart from that, things are much thesame as Sweden.When my husband Sven announcedin 1973 that he wanted to earn his pilot'slicense, it didn't come as a completesurprise , as he was an aircraft engineer(mechanic) in the Swedish Air Forceduring his military service and then latertook up gliding.A few weeks later, he thought it wouldbe a good idea to take the training inhis own airplane. So before long, wewere looking for a trainer - a Cessna

This 1978 Piper Super Cub on CAP 2000 floats was totally rebuilt in ten months andmuch of that time was spent waiting for parts! Note EAA sticker on cowl.

when I realized what aviation was doingto me! Out goes the furniture, in goesthe plywood, steel tubing and assortedparts and pieces. And all my spare timeis spent holding this, aligning that, sanding, painting and endless amounts oftime spent cleaning - since the roomhad wall-to-wall carpet! And if thatwasn't enough, the bills and freightcosts to the far north are enough to giveanyone gray hair!

siderable work. Sven would fly back andforth to work. Some eight months wentby and one day as he was landing underextremely windy conditions, a wind gustcaught the Taylorcraft and stood it onits nose for just an instant - before ittipped over on its back!Extensive damage was inflicted toour bird so we now had another projecton our hands. Again long hours wereapplied to the rebuild and when the T


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the Cub proved to be such a nice flyingairplane that we sold the Seabee instead.Floats and skis were purchased forthe Super Cub and we were now readyfor the wilderness - summer or winter.While all this was going on , the VariViggen had still not flown , although it wasjust about completed . With the intereston the wane, we decided to sell the project to another local pilot.About this time, we had the great fortune to acquire a permit to build a cabinat a beautiful trout lake 75 miles northof Thompson. The cabin was built andwe now had a lovely place to spend ourweekends - weather permitting Lastfall, a bear ripped off the door and halfof one wall before he ate all of oursupplies The door was repaired, onlyto discover a neat, round hole in it whenwe came up in the winter. This time itwas a wolverine . He (or she) finishedoff what the bear had missedThe door was once again repaired ,however when we arrived for the firsttime in the summer, the hole was thereagain Our previous visitor, the wolverine, had been back again . This timehe (or she) was really disturbed at notfinding anything to eat, so he settled fortoothpaste and soap, knocked over everything and broke most of the dishes .Perhaps we should just leave the dooropen for wildlife so they can feel properly welcomed.In January, 1986, Sven started to design again and we were back in the"building mode" again His ability as amechanical designer by trade is a definite asset. We call our new airplane a"Super Pacer. It started out as a PiperPA-20, however, the fuselage has beenwidened and stretched in length. It hasSuper Cub wings and large control surfaces. The engine is a Lycoming 10-360of 200 hp . which really makes it perform.

The empty weight is 1097 and thegross is 2550 for a useful load of 1450Ibs . The "Super Pacer" is mounted onCAP 2000 floats in summer andAirglass 3000 skis in the winter. Theairplane was finished in only sevenmonths and has proven to be an out

Working on fitting the wing strut s to the Super Pacer 200 outs ide our home. The aircraftwas completed in the driveway and then lifted on a flatbed and hauled to the river. Itwas test flown on floats and the rest of the test time was flown on skis.


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VINTAGE SEAPLANESby Norman Petersen

A pair of "Geese" over New Zealand. McKinnon Turbo Goose ZK-ERX and standardGoose DQ-FDQ (now ZK-ENY) flying over Mangere Bridge, Manukau Harbour, Auckland,New Zealand. These aircraft are part of Sea Bee Air's fleet of amphibious Grummansserving the Hauraki Gulf from Auckland.

This 1956 Champion 7FC, N9056B, SIN 7FC-144, is used for seaplane instruction andratings by Bill Mavencamp, Sr. and his three instructors at Wright Aero Service, Inc.,Box 240, Maple Lake, MN 55358. Mounted on Edo 88-1650 floats the Champ was converted to a 115 hp Lycoming by Wiley Hautala of Ely, MN. Besides Issuing over 150seaplane ratings to pilots from as far away as New York, th Mavencamp family (Bill,Sr. and Jr.) host the monthly meetings of EAA Chapter 878 at the Maple Lake Airport.

CALENDAR OF EVENTSFEBRUARY 1720 - BILLINGS, MONTANA Field, featuring a first-ever - Concours de Ele Golden Falcon Airpark, Grand Lake Vacation


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ettersT The i t o ~ . ~ ; ; ~ " j

Dear Mr . Chase,Thank you for the November 1987 issueof he Vintage Airplane and the excellentarticle regarding our 20th anniversary convention .We very much appreciate the time, effortand space that is devoted to numerous typeclub activities in your magazine.Again, thank you for your support.Most sincerely,Cliff R SonesAdministrator, America Bonanza SocietyP. O. Box 12888Wichita, KS 67277

Dear Gene,Many thanks for the complimentary copyof THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE September,1987, carrying our Club information in ''TypeClub Activities. "The issue, as usual, is one of your typicalmagnificent and informative publications .Congratulations.

Was particularly pleased to see the storyon pages 10-12 on Gipsy Moth DH60M, CFAD .In return, thought you might like to haveenclosed for your own files, as it carries ourCanadian Moth List and DH Types.Most cordially yours,R de Havilland "Ted" LeonardDirector, The De Havilland Moth Club ofCanada305 Old Homestead RoadKeswick, Ontario L4P 1E6

Dear Gene,After reading a couple of articles in theDecember 1987 issue of he VintageAirplane I started skimming the pictures andhad a very pleasant and surprising experience.I have a 1930 Waco RNF being very slowlyrefurbished; it gets sidetracked a lot in favorof other considerations. I have always liked

Wacos, and a picture of one will immediatelycatch my eye. As I was looking at the pictures of M. H. "Curly" Havelaar's QCF-2 on

page 7, I saw the picture of the three menstanding beside the airplane. My wife waswashing the dinner dishes at the time, and Isaid to her, "You know how I've alwaystalked about Freddie Lund that I used toknow so well back in 1930 and '31 till hisdeath - and always tried to describe him toyou? Well, here's a picture of a person thatlooks just like him!" Then I read the captionunder the picture and realized it was FreddieLund, so I could finally show my wife whathe looked like. It was really a great feelingto see his face again.Freddie used to base at the Omaha, Nebraska airport when he wasn't out flyingsomeplace, and I became a good friend ofhis, even though I was only 11 years old andhe was about 35.The first time I ever saw Freddie I wasriding my bicycle to the airport and had al-most reached it. I was at the airport winter,summer, spring, fall, fog, rain or snow - anytime I wasn't going to school or home sleeping. And on this day as I watched, herecomes this beautiful red, white and blueWaco Taperwing at about 25 feet above thetrees. It was in the traffic pattern and I

(Continued o Page 28)

Dear Norm,This Stinson, a 1947 108-2, was intendedas a parts plane for my KR 2 project.I found it in an old hangar ready to falldown four years ago. I kept it in my sightsuntil I purchased it in October of 1987.I was told by local pilots and mechanicsthat it was totaled. I found out differentlywhen my Dad and I started going through it.My Dad is a Stinson lover from way back, ashe used to own one when I was a kid .Surprisingly enough it is not going to needas much work as we thought. In 1978 it wastotally gone through with a top overhaul, newfabric, new interior and paint, too.

UPF-7, Beechcrafts, Rawdon R-1 s, Dal


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~ ~ E lC 3 1 L ~ Z E l

For theproducts.

pon/h& C I t M 1 tcrISIIII

Specials and Travelairs to mention a few.Letters To The EditoLcr:,B Dutch was killed in a Cessna Airmaster in

CLE N SHINE PROTECTdiscriminating Pilot and F.B.O.

who demand excellence in performanceRACE GLAZE Polish andSealant is EAA's choice. Easy To Use Reduces Drag" t 4lu h i....-a ,

t I I C I _ _ Removes Exhaust Stainsleo\Oot CAUTION Protect Leading Edge

(Continued from Page 27)

stopped and watched it till it was rolling onthe ground, and then I rode on to the hangar.Freddie had just gotten his Waco backfrom the factory after it had had a mishap (itlanded on top of an Eaglerock that was readyfor take off) . The pilot of the Eaglerock wasFred Height who flew with Clyde Ice, and thetwo airplanes ended up in a ball. Freddiehad taken his Waco back to the factory forrepairs.I have many precious memories of FreddieLund. Being around him was a privilege because he was a kind and caring person, always ready to answer the questions of a kidutterly smitten with flying and willing to doanything just to be around the airplanes.Watching him do aerobatics used to leaveme awestruck. He was so smooth Otherfriends of mine who flew with him said thatwhen he did a slow roll the nose of hisairplane performed flawlessly.Aerobatics were different in those days ofthe early '30s, you know; there were no inverted fuel systems yet , and in thoseairplanes Freddie was an unquestionedchampion. He was my idol in acrobatics, andI always compared al other acrobatic pilotsto him .Freddie did other things, too. I rememberhis hopping passengers at a little air showat Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1931 . For $5.00 hewould take off, climb to about 1,000 AGL, doa slow roll, make a turn and come back in

and land. He did this all day. Late that afternoon as we watched we saw something fallout of the airplane; it was his wallet. Wewatched it all the way to ground, notingwhere it went down, and then several of usscoured the impact area until we finally foundit and could return it to him intact.That same day, Freddie 's Waco lost theair out of one of its gear struts. There weremany cars around, of course, and they carried hand pumps, so we borrowed a pump,lifted up the wing and held it while someonepumped up the strut.Freddie's airplane had very large filletswhere the lower wings attached to the fuselage, and when he was hauling passengersthe ticket taker had to watch the passengers'feet to insure they didn't step on that filletwhen they climbed up to the cockpit.As well as being a friend and hero to me ,Freddie Lund was the first and best aerobaticpilot I ever knew , although some that I knewlater were very close. The next one I found ,who was both friend and pilot , was AlansonGregg "Dutch" Rawdon of Wichita, Kansas.Like Freddie, Dutch lived in airplanes dayand night. I knew Dutch from 1940 to 1942and I was flying by that time. Although Dutchhad no inverted system, same as Freddie,he could do just about anything in a standardContinental 50 J-3, and he taught me a lotabout how to perform the same maneuvers.Dutch flew all types of airplanes - Waco

1942. The thought at the time was that aprop blade had come off the wind-drivengenerator just outside the cabin and killed theperson doing the flying. Dutch presumablyhad been asleep in the right-hand seat, andcouldn 't wake up quickly enough to save theairplane after the pilot was killed by thegenerator prop. The airplane was heavilyloaded at the time and made a very steeppull-up, it went into a spin from which it neverrecovered . This was told to me by Herb Rawdon, Dutch's brother. I was around the Rawdon hangar in Wichita a great deal between1940 and 1948 and knew all three Rawdonbrothers .The next acrobatic pilot who touched myheart was Harold Krier when he was flyinghis Great Lakes. I really loved to watch himperform .The pilot who does my type of acrobaticflying now is one whom I have watched formany years and I would like to go to hisschool to ride with him just once. He isDuane Cole. His flying is smooth and precise, which is what I like in aerobatics. Anybody can manhandle an airplane, but it takesan artist to put it through precision pacesgently.

Sincerely,Robert P. Laible(EAA 219, N 401)5503 NW Fox Run DriveParkville, MO 64152816/587-8016


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Where The Sellers and Buyers Meet ...25e per word, 20 word minimum. Send your ad toThe Vintage Trader, Wi"man AirfieldOshkosh, WI 54903-2591.

AIRCRAFT:For sale: Parting out Piper Tri-Pacer N1725A.Metalized wings, fuselage, rudder, rear lift strut,msl parts; $950.00 takes all. James LaMalfa, 3390Carney Avenue, Marinette, WI 54143. (2-1)

1936 J-2 TAYLOR (PIPER) - Excellent condition.65 hp Cont. and 40 hp Cont. Also Piper J-5 basketcase complete less engine and additional set J-5paper work. Bob Schroeder, days 4141739-0137,evenings 4141766-5993 . (2-1)

Cessna 140 - original 1947 ragwing. RecentCeconite. C-90 - 100 SMOH. Flown regularly. Excellent but needs paint and interior. With new annual - $7,800 firm. Ohio, 4191734-3407. 2-1)

PLANS:POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol- unlimitedin low-cost pleasure flying. Big, roomy cockpit forthe over six foot pilOt. VW power insures hard tobeat 2 gph at cruise setting. 15 large instructionsheets. Plans - $60.00 . Info Pack - $5.00. Sendcheck or money order to : ACRO SPORT, INC.,Box 462, Hales Corners , WI 53130.414 /529-2609.

ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable ofunlimited aerobatics. 23 sheets of clear, easy tofollow plans includes nearly 100 isometrical drawings, photos and exploded views. Complete partsand materials list. Full size wing drawings. Plansplus 139 page Builder's Manual - $60.00. InfoPack - $5 .00 . Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing $15.00 . The Technique of Aircraft Building $10.00 plus $2.00 postage. Send check or moneyorder to: ACRO SPORT, INC., Box 462, HalesCorners, WI 53130. 414/529-2609.

MISCELLANEOUS:SWISS WATCH REPLICAS! - Wholesaler! Public Welcome! 100% satisfaction. Exchange guaranteed! Goldplated! Warranty! Good weight and

color! Fabulous Promotion and Gift item! PROMOTIONAL VALENTINE'S SPECIAL! Limited timeoffer! Order! Call! 404/963-3USA. 4-6)

WINDSOCKS - New design, 20 and 30 inch models, hand crafted. Made in USA. Guaranteed.FREE information. WINGS 'N WIND, 2364 BunkerHill Road, Mooresville, IN 46158. (4-3)

BRAND NEW Electric Starter Motors. ECLIPSE 24Volt for WARNER 125-145 Engines; Few left. Bestoffer. OPALACK, 1138 Industrial, Pottstown, PA19464. (2-1)

Have We Got A Part for You! 20 years accumulation of parts for all types of aircraft - antiques,classics , homebuilts, warbirds . Everything from thespinner to the tail wheel. Air Salvage of Arkansas,Rt. 1, Box 8007, Mena, AR 71953, phone 5 1 /3941022 or 5 1 /394-2342. 3-2/579111 )

WANTED:Wanted: Good Aeronca C2 or C3, any rebuildable(or flying) condition with or without engine. DennisAgin, 614/451-7587. Baskets okay. (2-1)

ATTENTION


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Fly high with aquality Classic interiorComplete interior assemblies for do-it-yourself installation.

Custom quali ty at econom ica l prices. Cushion upholstery sets Wall panel sets Headliners Carpet sets Baggage compartment sets

Firewall covers Seat slings Recover envelopes and dopes

Free catalog of complete product line.Fa bric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors andstyles of materials: $3.00.

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The fabulous times of Turner, Doolittle, Wedelland Wittman recreated as never before in this600-page two-volume series. Printed on high gradepaper with sharp, clear photo reproduction. Officialrace results 1927 through 1939 - more than 1,000photos - 3-view drawings - scores of articles aboutpeople and planes that recapture the glory, the drama,the excitement of air racing during the golden years.Vol. I (no. 21-14452) and Vol. II (no. 21-14451)are sold for $14.95 each, with postage charges of


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You ve borrowed a buddy s airplane to fly the family to a remote, grass landing strip for aweekend of camping. Theweather is warm and the greatoutdoors beckons. Life doesn tget much beUer.But what if your flight doesn tgo as planned? AVEMCO wantsyou to be a protected pilot. Be-fore you fly a borrowed, rentedor flying club airplane, callAVEMCO for the best aviationinsurance available.In most cases, the owner s insurance protects him, not you. fyou have n accident, it is probable that you will be sued andsuffer financial loss (attorney sfees, court costs, judgmentsand more). AVEMCO however,can help you protect yourselfagainst potential financial loss.Deal direct with AVEMCO. You llavoid time and confusion, whiletaking advantage of rates thatare among the most competitive


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vintage airplane - feb 1988

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