vintage airplane - mar 2002

8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Mar 2002

1/44


2/44

VOL. 30, No. 3

STRAIGHT LEVELlButchj

oyce

2

VAA NEWS/H .G. Frautschy

4 MYSTERY PLANE/H.G.Frautschy

6

CAN I

JUST MAKE MINE EXPERIMENTAL?

joe Norris

8

LITTLE BIG PLANE/ArtRink

1

THIRTY-THREE AND A HALF HOURS

/john

M

Mill

er

/Gil sHe

nd

erson

12 IT FLEW TOO

WELL?/HankPalmer

14

IT S A STEARMAN ISN'T

IT?

Budd

Davisson

20

22

TYPE CLUB NOTES

24

CALENDAR

26

NEW

MEMBERS

27 CLASSIFIED ADS

30

VAA

MERCHANDISE

MARCH 2002

SPORT PILOT NEWLETTER

ENCLOSED WITH

THIS

ISSUE

III

WWW VINTAGEAIRCRAFT ORG

http:///reader/full/WWW.VINTAGEAIRCRAFT.ORGhttp:///reader/full/WWW.VINTAGEAIRCRAFT.ORG


3/44

5

e

L

Y ESP

I

BUTCH

JOYCE

PRESIDENT, VINTAGE ASSOCIATION

Sun

n

Fun Reflections

In March some early flowers start

blooming

her

e in

North

Carolina.

March

also

means

it s time for

Norma and me to begin getting

ready

to attend the

Sun n Fun

EAA

Fly-In at Lakeland, Florida. This year

will be different. One of

my

favorite

parts

about this great event is the

friends you get to see. I have always

e

njoyed

the

repeated

visits during

the

week with my good

friend

Leonard McGinty.

This

year that

will

not

be possi

ble . Leonard passed away early last

month

after

having

a

heart

attack.

He was

traveling to

Martinsville,

Virginia,

to pick up an airplane to

re

build,

a

project

he

and

his

son

were

to

do together. Leonard was

always a wonderful southern gentle

man, a great promoter of aviation, a

strong supporter of

the

EAA

,

and

one of the original founders of what

is now

the

Sun

n

Fun organization.

People say

that

you remember the

bad times

and not

the good ones

well, this will

not

be

the

case with

Leonard, as I only

had good

times

with him.

Thanks, Leonard. Our

condolences

to his wife, Lena, and

most folks, the event is a sure sign

that

spring

is

just around

the

corner.

Just as I mentioned that the flowers

were starting to bloom here, the

weatherman

informed everyone

that tonight the temperature would

be

down to

15 degrees,

with

snow

forecast

in

the mountains of North

Carolina. I never look for really de

pendable weather until after Easter.

Sun n Fun will be the first fly-in

where our new added group of air

craft will be judged. Remember,

we ve

now added those aircraft

manufactured in 1966 to the

Con

temporary

judging category. Ray

Olcott,

who s in charge

of the vin

tage area parking at Sun n Fun, is

aware of this change,

and

will be

welcoming thes

e

new

aircraft. Ray

has been a longtime

supporter

of

the

vintage aircraft movement.

A

number of years ago he and I served

on the EAA

Antique/Classic Board

of Directors together. He and his

wife,

Jo

were key volunteers at

EAA

AirVenture for many years.

Ray now serves as a director for

Sun n Fun,

and

Ray

and

Jo are key

volunteers for Sun n Fun.

Their

piloting

skills, to o . I

ve

set

up

the

time

frame for

my annual

inspec

tion

of the Baron

and

the Luscombe

to be completed during the month

of

January. Then

I schedule an in

strument

proficiency

checkride

in

late February. I understand there are

all kinds of skill levels in

our

pilot

community.

We all need to take our

responsibility to the public seriously,

and

I d like

to

extend my

thanks

to

each of you in advance for your cau

tion in

that regard.

Dust off your

aircraft

and

head to Florida to have

some fun in the sun at Sun n Fun; I

plan

on being

there

to

enjoy the

time with you.

You ll have

plenty

to see and do,

plus it will be a prime spot to get up

to speed

on the FAA s

proposed rules

regarding the certification of aircraft

and airmen for

the operation

of

light-sport

aircraft.

EAA

views this

NPRM as one

of the most important

initiatives presented within the past

decade, and it s asked us to include,


4/44

V

N WS

COMPILED

BY H.G. FRAUTSCHY

EAA s

SP R T

O

ST.

LOU S

REPLICA

IN NATIONAL SPOT

LIGHT

FOR LINDBERGH

FLIGHT 75TH

ANNIVERSARY

EAA s

replica of Charles

Lind

bergh's

Spirit

of

St Louis

will be

in

the

national

spotlight

this spring

during this

year's

commemora

tion

of

the

75th anniversary of

his historic

solo

flight from New

York

to

Paris. In

May 2002 EAA

's

replica airplane

will be part

of

The Lindbergh Foundation's na

tional schedule of events that

celebrate the

1927

flight that

captured

the

world's imagina

tion.

On

May 10-11,

the

airplane

will

be

in

St. Louis, Missouri,

to

re-create

the

arrival of

the

origi

nal

airplane in that city from

Ryan Aircraft

Company in

San

Diego, California.

I t

will

then

fly

to New York City to

participate

in

re-enactment

festivities on May

18-20,

marking

the

75th

anniver

sary

of Lindbergh's departure

from New York's Roosevelt Field

en route to Europe.

At the same

time, a real-time

re-creation

of Lindbergh's 33-1/2

hour

flight will be

takin

g place at

the EAA AirVenture Museum in

Oshkosh, using

the

museum's

Operation

Aviation flight simula

tors. This re-enactment will begin

on

May 20

and

operate

continu

ously through

the

night and

into

the

evening

of

May

21, 75 years

air travel.

EAA's

commemoration of

Lindbergh's flight, supported

by

a

grant from the

Ryan

Founda

tion,

begins May 4-5

with the

opening of

the

EAA AirVenture

Museum's Pioneer

Airport.

The

Spirit

of St

Louis

replica

will be

used for flying

demonstrations

as

well

as

historical presentations

on the ground.

Following its appearances at St.

Louis and New

York, the

Spirit

replica

will stop at the U.

S.

Air

Force Museum

in

Dayton,

Ohio

(May 25-26),

before returning to

Oshkosh

for

EAA s

Family Flight

and Balloon Festival June

1-2.

The

aircraft will then travel

to

West Bend,

Wisconsin Gune

14-

16); a St.

Louis air

show

(July

4-7); EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

2002 (July

23-29); Lindbergh's

boyhood home in Little Falls,

Minnesota

(A

ugust

9-11);

and the

Kansas City, Missouri, Aviation

Expo (August 17).

At the same

time,

more special

activities are scheduled at the

EAA

AirVenture Museum. Those

include

a special

screening of the

film

The Spirit

o f st.

Louis

starring

Jimmy

Stewart

(May

20)

and

a

Spirit of St Louis ground-school

session

(Oc tober 11-l3). Other

activities

will

be announced

as

they are finalized.

The

EAA Aviation Foundation

FRONT

COVER: Well,

I'm

pretty

sure I saw a Stearman ..Dave

and

Peggy Bates earned a Champion

Customized Bronze Lindy

at EAA

AirVenture Oshkosh 2001 for their

beautifully customized Boeing

Stearman.

EAA photo

by Jim

Koep-

nick, shot with a Canon EOSIn

equipped with an 80-200

mm

lens

on

100

ASA Fuji

slide

film. EAA

Cessna 210

photo

plane flown by

Bruce Moore.

BACK

COVER: They made

only

26

of them,

and

this was

one

of only

three

flying

in 1994 when

EAA

photographer Jim

Koepnick cap

tured this 1964

Champion

Lancer

restored

by

Bob Herman.

In

tended to

be a light, inexpensive

twin-engine training airplane,

the

Lancer is

powered by

a

pair

of

100-hp

0-200 Continental

en

gines

driving

fixed-pitch props.

Certainly,

each of

EAA s

judging

categories

has its

own

brand

of

rare,

unique

airplanes.

BUCK S

VACATION

Our resident sage, Buck Hilbert,

certainly has earned his

editorial

stripes over the years, and this year

he took an extended vacation during

the winter months. His column will

be on hiatus for this issue, but don t

worry-I m

sure he ll have plenty to

say

when he gets back


5/44

ment the history of EAA

for

future gen

erations.

We are

looking

for artifacts re

lating to

EAA and EAA

fly-in

conventions, in particular those prior

to 1980, said Curator of Collections

Ron Twellman. Items from

the

very

early days of EAA (1953-1970) are

especially sought, including EAA-re

lated souvenirs, clothing hats,

jackets, T-shirts, sweatshirts), and

convention-related ephemera (pins,

patches, decals, posters).

Items not needed include EAA

maga

zines/programs (unless yo u have some

of the earliest mimeographed xp ri-

menters from 1953)

and trophies/plaques

awarded to fly-in participants.

Because

we

cannot guarantee the return

of unso

licited items and are not looking for

loaned

items, please

check with

Ron be

fore sending anything to EAA. You can

reach him at

920/426-5917

or via e-mail

at

rtwellman@eaa org

FLYING COMMERCIAL

TO AIRVENTURE

Special airfare discounts are now

available

for

EAA

members and others

who plan to

attend EAA

AirVenture

Oshkosh 2002. The 50th annual avia

tion gathering

will be

held July

23-29

at

Wittman Regional

Airport

in Oshkosh.

EAA AirVenture discounts are

ava il

able

from the folJowing airlines

(be

sure

to

refer

to the proper

file

numb

er

when

requesting the discounts):

American

(800/433-1790): 5 percent

off published fares; 60 days in advance

is

10 percent

off

during travel from July

10

to August

7;

arrival cities are Green

Northwest (800/328-1111): 5 percent

off published fares; 60

days

in advance

is 10

percent off during travel from July

10 to August 8; arrival cities are Apple

ton, Green

Bay,

and Milwaukee; File

No

.

NYQSS

United (800/521-4041): 5 percent off

published

fares; 60

days in advance

is

10

percent off during travel from July

13

to August

6;

arrival cities are

Oshkosh, Appleton, Milwaukee, Green

Bay, and Chicago:

File No. 501ZR

SO

H VE

YOU GOT

THE RIGHT

STUFF

EAA s

Pioneer Airport

is

seeking

qualified tailwheel pilots to volunteer

one weekend a month from May to

October, or several days

during

the

E

SPORT

PILOT NEWSLETTER

Bound in the center

of

this month s

magazine is a special

informational

newsletter created and published by

EAA.

The newsletter, the cost of which has

been covered by

EAA,

will help you under-

stand the many

facets

of the FAA's

proposed rules regarding the certification

of aircraft

and

airmen for the operation of

light-sport

aircraft. While

intended

to

cover the operation of some homebuilt

and newly certificated aircraft that meet

the specifications of the proposed rule,

sections of this proposed rule will allow a

portion of the current fleet of antique and

classic aircraft to be operated under

these

new

rules.

For

those of us who fly these types of

aircraft,

and

who operate under Part 91,

be sure to look at

page

7 of the newslet

ter and read the

short chapter that

discusses the minor changes to other

week. Adjacent to the

EAA

Aviation

Center in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Pioneer

Airport re-creates the golden

age

of

avi

ation with period hangars clustered

around a

grass

strip, and the pilots

will

be Hying classic

vintage aircraft

like

the

Travel Air

E-4000 and

Waco YKS-7.

To be considered pilots must hold

a commercial pilot certificate and

sec

ond-class

medical , have

extensive

tailwheel experience, and meet EAA s

minimum

flight experience require

ments.

Flight

time

minimums

and

volunteer duties are posted on EAA s

website at

www eaa org

fyou·r in-

terested,

send

your resume

to

EAA

Flight Operations, Attn: Pioneer Pilot

Screening, 1145 W. 20th Ave.,

Oshkosh,

WI

54902.

medical condition, or are taking medica

tion or receiving treatment for a medical

condition, that would prevent them from

having a safe flight.

After the newsletter was printed, but

just prior to going to press with this issue

of Vintage Airplane,

we

found an error on

page

4

in

the paragraph related to operat

ing a light-sport aircraft certificated

in

a

category not listed on your private pilot

certificate (powered

parachute and

weight-shift

contrOl). That paragraph

should read:

If you want to fly a light-sport aircraft

of a different category/class,

you

must

receive and log ground and flight training

from a sport pilot instructor, and then

complete a proficiency check adminis

tered by a different instructor. Following

the successful completion of the profi

ciency check, the second instructor will

mailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.eaa.orgmailto:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.eaa.org


6/44

: YST RY

PL E

BY H .G . R UTS

C H Y

While certainly not unknown,

the December Mystery Plane isn t

one you see on the

antique

fly-in

circuit, at least not yet. Here's our

first letter:

The

December

Mystery Plane

would appear to be

an

Alexander Ea-

glerock

Combo-Wing with

a 90-hp

OX-5

or

100-hp OXX-6 engine. The

Alexander Film Company

got

into

the

aircraft business

when

it formed

Alexander Aircraft in Denver in April

1925. The Eaglerock, designed by

Daniel

Noonan and

assisted by

Al-

bert Mooney,

appeared

in August

1925. About 455 OX-powered Eagle

rocks were built by 1928

when

the

company moved to Colorado

Springs.

Further aircraft

appeared

with Whirlwind, Salmson, Hispano,

Siemens, and Comet engines.

Alexander went under in 1931.

The Eaglerock was the first OX-5

powered lightplane to receive a type

certificate. The Combo-Wing was cer

tificated as ATC No.7 in April 1927.

Thanks for

the

fun. Just

out

of

cu

riosity, how

many

Eaglerocks still

exist?

Tomas H. Lymburn

Princeton, Minnesota

According to the FAA s electronic

database available

at

www.land

ings.com,

only

two Long-

Wings

are

registered, with the last registration

activity

in the

mid-J980s.

Three

Combo- Wings are registered, and one

of

them

is

in the collection

of

the Mu

seum

of

Flight in Seattle, Washington.

The other two are registered to private

owners,

and

we expect

that

at

least

one will be flying in the upper Mid

west. As sometimes happens with old

type certificates, the airplanes in the

F

database don t list Alexander as

the manufacturer, but rather the last

holder

of

the type certificate, Aircraft

Mechanics Inc.

I realize I m

more

than late in

identifying

the

Mystery Plane.

That

trick with the

door

edges

is

clever I

couldn t

believe

that

I would find a

combination wing

Eaglerock in

a

Mystery column. Doesn't everybody

recognize that?

But then I thought maybe it could

be only me I m old enough-and

maybe we have mostly young read

ers. That one a combination

wing-was

pretty early and

was

probably

manufactured

in Engle

wood,

Colorado,

before the tragic

fire. The original design avoided the

odd

slant of

the struts by

having

a

few additional feet on

the

lower

wing.

And beginning with the

Model A it was changed to incorpo

rate a center section,

and both

wings

on each side were the same length.

Through

the

1920s I was growing

up

in Fort Collins, Colorado,

and

was able to

visit

the fields around

Denver and

Colorado Springs. Go

ahead-ask me about an Eaglerock. I

http://www.land/http:///reader/full/ings.comhttp:///reader/full/ings.comhttp:///reader/full/ings.comhttp://www.land/http:///reader/full/ings.com


7/44

T H I S M O N T H S M y S -

TERY

P L A N E

COME S

TO

US

VI THE

COLLECTION

O F J A M E S

M A R T I N

O F

SOUTH BEND,

INDIANA.

have pictures of most models.

R.H.

Osborne (Dick)

Colorado Springs, Colorado

I recently published a book,

Wings

North: Wausau s Aviation History,

which includes information relating to

Alexander Eaglerocks

in

Wisconsin.

The

Hall

Aircraft Corp., Wausau, was

the Eaglerock distributor for all

of

Wis-

consin in the late

1920s,

and I have

numerous photographs

of

their Eagle-

rocks at Wausau Among

my

collection,

but not

in

the book, is a photo taken

on

April

13, 1928

,

of

a group

of

Chrysler

Corp. executives next

to an

Eaglerock

in

exactly the same location,

in

front

of

the very same hangar as in your photo

(left). Mark Hubbard, president of Hall

M A R C H MYSTERY

P L A N E

SEND

YOUR

ANSWER TO:

EAA

VINTAGE

AIRPLANE

, P.O. Box 3086 ,

OSHKOSH

, WI

54903-3086 .

YOUR

ANSWER NEEDS

TO

BE

IN NO

lATER

THAN

APRil

10 FOR IN-

CLUSION IN THE JUNE 2002 ISSUE OF

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

.

You

CAN

ALSO SEND

YOUR RESPONSE

The best reference for Eaglerock

history

is

The Alexander Eaglerock:

A History of

the lexander

A ircraft

Company,

written by Col.

John

A.

deVries

and

published

by

Wolf

gang Publishing, Colorado Springs,

Colorado, in 1985. There have

been

other

articles and mentions

in several books. The

Eaglerock

can be

found in

Vol. 1 of Juptner s

U . Civil Aircraft.

The combo-wing

Eaglerock received ATC 7, and the

long-wing

is

ATC

8. Later

models

can

be found listed

under

ATCs

57,

58,59, 139,141, and 190. The No

vember

1973

issue of EAA Sport

Aviation contains

an

article enti

tled,

An

Alexander

What?

by

Jack Cox.

VIA E-MAil . SEND YOUR ANSWER

TO

vintage@eaa org .

BE SURE TO INCLUDE

BOTH

YOUR NAME

AND ADDRESS (ESPECIAllY YOUR CITY AND

STATE )

IN

THE

BODY

OF YOUR

NOTE

AND

PUT

(

MONTH)

MYSTERY

PLANE"

IN THE

SUBJECT LINE

The original wing configuration, or

long-Wing, used 18-foot wing pan

els, and because of the 2-foot width

of the fuselage at the lower wing at

tach point, the overall span for the

lower wing

was 38 feet,

while

the

upper span was 36 feet. This pro

vided an excess

amount

of lift, so

the lower wing panels were reduced

to 16 feet. The A model was intro

duced in 1928 and featured a 6-foot

center

section in

the upper wing,

with the 16-foot outer wing panels

then

used for

both

upper

and

lower

wings. It

could accommodate

two

people

in

the

front cockpit if you

were willing to be friendly enough.

So technically it can be identified as

a three-place airplane.

mailto:[email protected]


8/44

O

a

regular

basis here at

EAA headquart

ers, mem

bers ask us if

there

is

any

advantage to converting

their airplane to

the

experimental

category. Many

aircraft

owners

have

the idea

that

they will save

money if they switch their factory

built aircraft from standard

category to experimental. This no

tion no doubt stems from the fact

that they see owners of

homebuilt

aircraft

doing

their own mainte

nance, repairs, and inspections or

using more

modern auto-engine

aircraft. This

is the

certificate un

der

which

homebuilt aircraft are

operated. There

are

several

other

purposes

for which

an

experi

mental airworthiness certificate

can

be issued.

These include re

search and

development,

crew

training, exhibition, air racing,

market survey, and others. Each

purpose has its

own

unique char

acteristics and limitations.

In truth, there is little benefit to

changing from standard to experi

mental category. Here's why. Since

the

aircraft

is

factory-built

and

It's not

certificated

within

one of

the

other

experimental purposes.

The

least restrictive of

the

available

purposes

would be

exhibition,

but this purpose still places signif

icant restrictions on

the

use of

the aircraft.

FAA

Order 8130.2D outlines the

procedures for cert ificating aircraft

and

related products,

and

it

con

tains the definition and limitations

of various certification categories.

Section 8 covers operation of air

craft under

the

experimental

purpose of exhibition and air rac


9/44

E"1'eri-menta.l?

movie or television

productions.

You'll

notice that

recreational

and cross-country

flying

are not

mentioned.

Experimental/exhibition cate

gory

is

further broken down

into

four groups,

identified

by

Roman

numerals I through IV. Aircraft

that

were formerly certificated in

standard category fall into Group

IV.

Group

IV

aircraft will be issued

operating limitations that

include

the

following:

The proficiency area

is limited

to non-stop flight

that

begins and

to

an exhibition that is not

listed

in your program letter. Any flight

that is

not

to,

from,

or

at one of

these exhibitions

is

a proficiency

flight

and

must be

conducted

only

from

your home

field,

and

you can land on

ly

at your home

field-no $100 hamburger

trips

for pleasure.

Only FAA-certificated mechan

ics with appropriate

ratings

as

authorized by FAR 43.3 may per

form inspections required

by

these

operating limitations.

Unlike the

amateur-built

cate

JOE NORRIS

E

AVIATION INFORMATION SERVI

CES

mechanic

do the required main

tenance,

or

supervise you

while

you

do the

maintenance,

on

your

aircraft, just like

when

it was in

standard category.

As

you can see, the experimen

tal /exhibit ion category places

significant restrictions on the op

eration of the

aircraft, which in

turn limits the utility of the air

craft

while

offering

little if any

opportunity

for

cost savings.

These

limitations

also

signifi

cantly reduce

the

market value

of

the aircraft should the owner ever


10/44

LITTLE BIG

PLANE

The Rearwin Cloudster

only

looks big in photos

T

HE CLOUDSTER WAS

THE LAST OF

A

SERIES

OF LITTLE ROUND EN

GINE

AIRPLANES DESIGNED BY

REARWIN AIRPLANES. THE

CAA

DES-

IGNATED THE

ORIGINAL

1939

CLOUDSTER

AS

AN

8125.

THIS

ENTRY

INTO THE MARKET WAS REARWIN S

ATTEMPT

TO

PROVIDE NEW SIDE-BY

SIDE

SEATING. A FIVE-CYLINDER KEN

ROYCE

ENGINE THAT DEVELOPED

90

HP AT

2250 RPM

POWERED

THE

8125 . ONLY ONE

WAS PRODUCED

In 1940 Rearwin changed the

engine

to

a

seven-cylinder

radial

and with

that

came a new designa

tion: 8135. A seven-cylinder Ken

Royce

engine

that

produced

120

hp at 2225 rpm powered the 8135

ART R INK

t - - - - . - z · - - - - - -1

r -

o -

.u , · · 1

Rearwin Cloudster

A two to three-place private owner plane with a choice

of Ken

Royce

engines from 90-120 h.p. Aircraft

Yearbook 1941


11/44

Art Rink refinished his

194

Rearwin Cloudster in chocolate brown, in mem

ory of Smilin' Jack Mosley

nd

his real-life airplane, NC2600.

entering

and

exiting

the

rear seat.

My Cloudster, NC25545, was a

flying

airplane in December

1999.

Since I

didn t

have a

hangar at

the

time, I decided to buy some

time

by

having

work done to

the exterior.

One thing led to

another,

so over a

period of 12

months

I had the wood

in both wings repaired

where

needed.

I

also had new leading

edges, pulleys, cables, and electrical

wiring installed at

the

same tim

e

Following that, over the next six

months,

both the

wings and ailerons

were covered in Ceconite 102

and

finished using Randolph's STC The

fuselage was rejuvenated,

and

all the

metal parts were stripped and

painted with

Randolph products.

The propeller

was

sent back

to

Sensenich for a complete overhaul.

John

Talmage,

the

previous owner,

had rebuilt the engine, firewall, inte-

riof,

and instrument

panel,

so I

didn t

have to rework those items.

The 8135 Cloudster cruises at 120

mph at 2050 rpm using 7 gallons of

fuel per hour. Since all

the

control

cables have ball bearing pulleys, the

airplane is a real joy to

fly

The flight

controls are sensitive to light pres-

sure. On

the

ground the

forward

visibility

is

limited, but the steerable

tail wheel makes it easy to do S-

turns while taxiing. The brakes are

mechanical with

bron

ze plates,

and

they

work very well. The

airplane

has an empty

weight

of approxi-

mately 1,200 pounds and

a gross

weight of 1,900 pounds. The fuel

tanks hold

34 gallons

and

are fed


12/44

Thirty-Three and a Half Hours

A little anecdote of 1927

JOHN M. MILLER

cal

en , - - = i i i i i ~ ~

n Q t e G FIQwa d n the

I

n

May 1927

I

was

a mecha

neering student at

P-ratt

In titute of

Technology in Brookl 11, w York,

about to graduate. I had done some y

ing

before that, starting in 1923 when I

soloed

a

IN-4

on

my

18th birthday

dur

ing my fourth year of high school. I

spent the summer of

1924

hopping pas

sengers. This was

long

before

there

were

any regulations, so it was without a

pi

lot certificate.

At the time, a number of pilots were

making preparations at

Roosevelt Field

and Curtiss Field on Long Island to

compete

for

the Orteig

Prize

of $25,000

for th e first nonstop flight between

New

York and Paris. I sometimes went

out

to

Mineola, Long Island, to watch

the preparations, often cutting classes .

On one day I

was

standing beside a

friend, Howard Stark, who lived

at

Pawling, New York,

near

my

home

here in PoughkeepSie. We were watch

ing Lindbergh

and

his plane.

Lindbergh had flown from San Diego a

day or so before, with only one stop,

at

St. Louis, and was getting ready for his

flight to

Paris.

Howard

was

the first person to

fly

successfully in the

fog

while using the

then-new "turn indicator."

He

had

dis

covered the proper way in which to

use

the

instrument

and

to recover

from the deadly out-of-control spiral

phie a copy of whi

he

purchased by ma il and ad used to

teach himself to fly in

the

fog using

Howard's method. Howard had already

mentioned to

me

that

he

had sold the

pamphlet

to

Lindbergh

by

mail, but he

was

a very shy person and had

not

in

troduced himself to Lindbergh. I did

not join in the conversation

for

I

was

a

very junior member of the aviation

scene at the time. We both had looked

into the cockpit of the Ryan airplane

and

seen

the

turn

indicator on the

panel. In addition, we saw a Pioneer

Earth Inductor Compass, powered by a

little anemometer on the

top

of the

fuselage. Those two instruments were

on the cutting edge of technology at

the time and certainly made the

fa

mous flight possible.

As

far

as

I know,

all

the other airplanes that

were

being

prepared for the trans-Atlantic flight

had turn

indicators

but

I doubt

whether the other pilots were really

proficient in their use. Howard, too,

was doubtful about their proficiency.

I

was

again at the field the day

be

fore Lindbergh took off and heard the

rumors

that

he planned to do so

the

next morning,

so

I stayed up

all

night

in the lobby of the Garden City Hotel,

waiting

for

the event. On that murky

morning, I watched the takeoff and

was

t>reparations

but had

missed

its

takeoff.

rk ors

y lplane

had

also

crashe burned, attempting takeoff

with a too-heavy

fuel load

.

Later, when the Lindbergh welcom

ing parade

was

held on 5th Avenue, I

sat on a ninth-floor windowsill with

my feet hanging out, at 507 5th Av

enue, the office of

my

aunt who had a

little employment agency for office

girls. It was

a perfect grandstand

seat for

the huge parade.

In

1930

I

was

flying professionally

at

Teterboro Airport.

At

that

tim

e,

the

Lindberghs kept their Lockheed Sirius

in the Bendix hangar at Teterboro. I

used to help Lindbergh push

it

in and

out of the hangar when he and his

wife

went on various flights. I

did

not really

get acquainted with him because I did

not wish to be another pushy person.

There were

plenty

of those already.

However, he voluntarily gave

me

an 8

by 10

autographed photo of himself,

which I

still

have and highly prize .

On March 23, 1992, I was in Wash

ington, D.C., visiting the National Air

and Space Museum. The Spirit of

St.

Louis Ryan airplane had been lowered

from its

usual place, hanging

from

the

ceiling, and the Smithsonian techni

cians were in the process of cleaning

it.

They were evidently being very careful

to

avoid wiping off the now ancient and


13/44

gle static discharge can be disastrous

Over the past year I have been

restoring

a Cassu t t lIM

sport

racer

that

had

formerly belonged to Pete

Myers of Oak Lawn, Illinois. The fuse

lage was covered with Ceconite fabric

and four coats

of

nitrate dope; all the

finishing tapes, reinforcement

patches, inspection rings, and gussets

had

been installed.

The project

was

ready for

butyrate

.

Although the

air

frame was not being covered with the

vinyl-based,

less

flammable Poly

Fiber process, I was following many

of the excellent suggestions

and

tech

niques

outlined in

Ron Alexander's

aircraft builder and

the

EAA/Poly

Fiber

Aircraft

Fabric

Covering

instructional video. This included

wearing latex rubber gloves for chem

ica l

protection

while

wiping down

the fabric surface

with

a prep

solvent

prior to spraying. After wiping several

square feet, the shop towel

was

recharged with solvent. At this time I

had a gallon can of solvent in my left

hand

and a clean, solvent- laden shop

towe

l in my

right

hand. (Editor's

Note:

See

my comments

at

the end of

this article regarding shop towels.)

s

my gloved right

hand holding

the shop towel

approached the

air

craft, a static discharge snapped

from

GILES HENDERSON

garage caught fire. The

entire

cover

ing

of

fabric burned in less than two

minutes

.

By the tim

e I reali zed that

my solvent-saturated g loves

had

caught

fire, I

had

accrued

some

sec

ond-degree burns. The outcome could

have been considerab

ly worse.

My

burns are now hea led,

and

the

little

airplane is now re-covered and in

the

paint shop.

1 1 d

Several precautions had been taken

to avoid flame

and

electrical ignition

sources. Although procedure manuals

caution us of

the hazards of static

electricity caused by sanding or spray

ing a

fabric surface, over the past

decades I had

become

complacent

about

this danger.

This accident

oc

curred on a warm, blue-sky

October

day with exceptionally low

humidity

.

In retrospect, it seems likely

that

the

friction of

the l

atex rubber

glove on

the surface

of

the polyester fabric was

the primary source

of

static charging,

no

t

unlike

the

static charge

created

on th e surface of a rubber balloon

whi le rubb ing it

on

a piece of fur or

synthetic fabric.

Static electricity is

dissipated by co

rona ionization

in

a humid

atmosphere

. But under low humidity

chips and circuit

components

subject

to static damage.

Ground

the fabric surface

and

its

attaching structure, if it's metal.

Given

that

epoxy

primers

are

not

electrical

conductors,

I am not co nfi

dent that

grounding

an

epoxy-primed

airframe is

an

effective means of dis

charging static

electriCity from

the

fabric surface since the primer cannot

provide a

conducting

pathway be

tween

the fabric and th e

airframe.

Static charge accumulates on the sur

face

of

th e smallest radius

of

a curved

surface. Thus, static wicks located on

the

trailing edge of a

wing or control

surface diSSipate electricity

from

an

airborne aircraft by corona discharge.

Perhaps

a grounded copper foil

clamped to the trailing edge

of

a wing

or

control

surface

would

be equally

effective in the

shop.

In a similar

manner,

grounding the metal leading

edge

of

a

wing

panel or the metal tur

tledec k or aluminum stringers of a

fuselage, which are in direct contact

with

the

fabric,

may

also be effective.

t

would

be instructive to

evaluate

these techniques

with an

electroscope

to measure static

charges

before and

after these

grounding methods

.

Neutralize electric potential differ

ences.


14/44

You

never know ow potenti l customer will re c

t!

T

he first job I

had

after I got

out

of the Navy in 1945 was

as

an

instructor

using

Piper

Cub seaplanes. An old

and

dear

friend, Jimmy,

who was operat

ing

seaplanes at St. Petersburg

Beach hired

me.

I had instructed

a

couple of

years in Navy primary

school

before going to the Pacific

fleet. I worked at the seaplane

base

for

a

couple

of years,

and

then

left

for a better

job

flying

airfreight.

Wh

en I left the

seaplane

opera

tion , the owner owed me some

mon

ey that he

didn't have,

so he

HANK PALMER

usually flew. Even

with

its faults,

he was still giving

instruction

in

that

plane

when

he

gave it

to

me.

plane

base I

saw y Cub on the

downwind

leg, about 2,000 feet

high

,

throttle

wide

open and

still

climbing.

Every now and then he

would push the nose down,

but

then

it came right back up again.

(He was holding back

on

the stick,

as he

had

to do

in the other

Cub.)

He turned on final

approach,

over

shot Boca

Ciega

Bay, and had to

go

around.

This

time

he

was

even

higher

on

downwind, but

he

man

aged to get it

down

about

two

miles

north

of the

base. It

must

have

taken

him half an hour to

taxi back to the

ramp. He

was


15/44


16/44


17/44

t has been said

that

subtlety

is

wasted

on

the unwashed

masses.

That may

be the case in

most of the world, but definitely not at

EAA Air-

Venture Oshkosh 2001. Yes at times the masses

were unwashed,

but

they still picked up

on

the

subtleties that made the Bates' Model

7S

Stear

man ... just a little different.

It's Peggy Bates who is most likely

to carryon

about

the

family's relationship with

the

airplane,

...

it's always

been

there

and

is part of the fam

ily, she says.

Logically she d feel that way since Dave met

the Stearman about the same time he met Peggy

although

the

Stearman wasn t at Uncle Miltie's

Disco, and Peggy

was.

Dave is

now the ground

fleet

manager

for a

major airline, where he spends his days worrying

about keeping thousands of tugs, fuel trucks, and

their ilk ready to service aircraft. It wasn t that

long ago, however, that he was squinting down

1,120 feet of pavement, waiting to edge his com


18/44

With John Turgyan

performing

the

piloting

honors, Peggy

Bates

rides along in

the Stearman

she and

her

husband,

Dave, restored.

first big date,

as

she calls it,

with

her future husband was to go look at

his Stearman

project.

At least she

was

forewarned.

Dave was

in

his early 20s in the

1970s when he found he just could

n't live without an

airplane,

even

though he hadn't even started to

learn to fly yet. One of

his

close

friends was

John

Hatz, of Hatz bi

haven't noticed. So

we

started look

ing at other biplanes, and that's

when I discovered how much I liked

Stearmans even though

I'd

never

even flown in one.

By then

it was

1978

and

Stear

mans

were definitely on the way

out

as crop dusters because

the

newer monoplanes

and

big Ag-Cats

were putting more

and

more of


19/44

Light

Sport

Aircraft

Hello Fellow

Aviation nthusiasts

Welcome

to the

third issue of

the f

Sport Pilot

newsletter

.

In

it

you ll learn

the

deta ils of

what

FAA is

proposing

to help

recreational

aviation enter

its next

great

phase. In the fourth

issue,

we

will provide

EAA s

evaluation

of the

proposal. It

will be

available in

April

in

EAA s publications and

on EAA's

websites

at

www eaa org

and

www sportpilot org

Some

in

aviation

will see the sport pilot

certificate and new light-sport aircraft cat

egory

as

a

·coming of

age

for the ultra

light community.

Others will

see it

as a

renaissance in pilot

certification and

air

craft

ownership

that reflects the heights of

aviation in the

1930s and 1940s, when

simpler pilot training, proficiency, and

maintenance requirements matched the

simplici

ty

of flying sought (and

the

simplic

ity of many forms of recreational flying to

day).

Still others will see it as anew growth

area of airborne sports

opportunities that

will be as

access

ible as other leisure activi

ties

in

a

new

economy

and

society.

EAA believes

that

the sport

pilot/light

sport aircraft

notice

of proposed rulemak

ing (NPRM) isall of these things. Th ispro-

posal should create

an

opportunity for

increased

fl

i

ght act

ivity

and aircraft owner

Federal Register Publishes

Sport

Pilot NPRM

O

February 5,2002, the

summarizes

the

NPRM. To read

Federal Regis ter

published

the

proposal itself, you can

down

the FAA s

sport pilot load

a copy from EAA s sport pilot

notice of proposed

rulemaking

website

at www.sportpilot.org.To

(NPRM),

which

is officially get

a

printed (hardcopy)

NPRM,

titled, Ce rtification of Aircraft

call

the

FAA

at

202/267-9680

and

and

Airmen for the Operation of request a copy using

the

docket

Light-Sport Aircraft.

Publication

number: FAA-2001-11133. The

officially opened th

e

90-day next

i

ss

ue

of the EAA Sport

Pilot

comment period, which

will

end

newsle

tter

will

contain

EAA s

on May

6,

2002. detailed

analYSiS,

comments,

and

This EAA

Sport

Pilot newsletter suggestions

on the

NPRM.

Five

Ways

This

NPRM Affects

You

THE SPORT PILOT

NPRM

IS

A

COMPREHENSIVE PROPOS L TH T

ENCOMP SSES

THREE

new rules: a new

pilot

certificate (sport pilot), a new aircraft category

(light-sport aircraft),

and

new

maint

e

nance

procedures. To make it easier

to understand

,

we've

individually summarized its

components:

pilot certi

fication ,

instructor

certification, aircraft certification,

maintenance

certifi

cation,

and

changes to

other

regulations .

The NPRM does not change Federal Aviation Regulation FAR Part 103

ultralight

rules

in any

way,

and

it

do

es

not

change

th

e

existing amateur

built experimental aircraft rul es

or the

requirements for

the

repairman

certificate for

this

aircraft category.

When

reading

the summaries (and

NPRM itself), pay close

attention to

words like

do do not and will and

will

not because

they

are

important

to understanding

the

subject being addressed.

http:///reader/full/www.eaa.orghttp:///reader/full/www.sportpilot.orghttp://www.sportpilot.org.to/http:///reader/full/www.eaa.orghttp:///reader/full/www.sportpilot.orghttp://www.sportpilot.org.to/


20/44

first check the EAA and

FAA

web-

sites' frequently asked questions

(FAQs) at www sportpilot.org and

www.faa.

govlavrlafsl

sportpilot/faq.cfm

If

don

't find

an

answer to your

question, contact EAA s Aviation

Information Services at 920/426

4821 or e-mail:

infoserv@eaa

org.

This NPRM has the potential to

significantly increase people's

access to recreational aviation

because it reduces

the

time

and

money

it takes

to

earn a pilot cer

tificate while maintaining

an

; . ; : :

a.;.

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; ;

l ;.;.f

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;; ;;;.;. .

; ;

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e = c..=rtun i Y: to desi

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-,

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;J"';"1t

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;...o J = = ,build,

Pilot

Certification

WH

AT IT TAKES TO ENJOY SPORT

PILOT

privileges depends on

whether

you

have any previous flying experi

ence. To avoid confusion, we'll

summarize the sport pilot privileges

and limitations, and then address

the

requirements for newcomers

and

those with previous experi

ence.

Sport pilot's eligibility require

ments apply to everyone.

You

must

increases the opportunities to

become an aircraft owner.

This NPRM is innovative because

F

advisory circulars

and

accepted

industry standards replace some

regulatory requirements. Making

new rules takes time; providing the

necessary

information through

ad

visory circulars allows the FAA and

industry

to devise

and

institute

the

details quickly and effectively, en

suring safety

and

efficiency.

For example,

the

new light-sport

aircraft category gives manufacturers

Airplane (single-engine only)

Glider

Lighter-than-air (balloon

and

airship)

Rotorcraft (gyro plane only)

Powered parachute

Weight-shift controlled (trikes)

Sport pilots can fly cross-coun

try, and

they

can share their oper

ating expenses with their passenger

(they can carry only one at a time).

With training

and

a logbook

endorsement

sport pilots can

fly

in

Class

B,

C,

and

D airspace. They

cannot fly for compensation or

hire, at night,

in

Class-A airspace,

or above 10,000 feet mean sea

level. [Section 71,

73]

Medical Certificate Options

To fly powered aircraft, sport pilots

and

sell completed aircraft

that

meet

industry consensus standards of con

struction, inspection,

and

safety, not

expensive type

and

production cer

tificate requirements. These consen

sus standards have

not

yet been writ

ten, so they are not in the NPRM.

Remember,

the

sport pilot

NPRM

is a proposal, and you are encour

aged to submit thoughtful sugges

tions about how FAA can improve

it (see How to Comment ). To link

this

summary with the

NPRM,

we've included

the

applicable sec

tion numbers.

(and student sport pilots) must

hold either a

current

and valid U.S.

driver's license

or

an FAA medical

certificate and comply wi th all list

ed restrictions, such

as

must

wear

glasses or contacts. Pilots who fly

gliders

and

balloons do not need

any form of medical certification.

[Section IS, 17]

All

pilots must adhere to

FAR

61.53, Prohibition

on

Operations

During Medical Deficiency,

which

prohibits pilots from flying as pilot

in command

whenever

they know

or have reason to know of any

medical

condition, or

are taking

medication or receiving treatment

for a medical

condition,

that

would prevent

them

from having a

safe flight.

http:///reader/full/www.sportpilot.orghttp:///reader/full/www.sportpilot.orghttp:///reader/full/www.sportpilot.orghttp://www.faa.govlavrlafslsportpilot/faq.cfmhttp://www.faa.govlavrlafslsportpilot/faq.cfmhttp://www.faa.govlavrlafslsportpilot/faq.cfmhttp://www.faa.govlavrlafslsportpilot/faq.cfmhttp://www.faa.govlavrlafslsportpilot/faq.cfmmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:///reader/full/www.sportpilot.orghttp://www.faa.govlavrlafslsportpilot/faq.cfmmailto:[email protected]


21/44

New lo

ts

To earn a sport pilot certificate peo

ple without any piloting experience

must meet

the

age

and

language

requirements and get the required

training.

Student Pilot

Certificate-You

need a student certificate, and the

minimum

age

is

16 for a powered

aircraft

and

14 for gliders

and

bal

loons. f you have a valid driver s

license or medical certificate you

may obtain a student certificate from

an FAA

Flight Standards District

Office FSDO) or a deSignated pilot

examiner DPE). [Section 31, 33]

Sport

Pilot

Training-To

earn a

sport pilot certificate, students

must get the reqUired ground and

flight training for the

type of

air

craft they want to fly (airplane,

trike, powered parachute, etc.) and

pass a knowledge test and a practi

cal test.

The knowledge test assesses your

knowledge of such required subjects

as navigation, weather, decision

making,

and

regulations,

and

you

acquire this knowledge through a

home-study course or a ground

school. [Section 51] The practical

test is your checkride, where you

demonstrate your

flying ability to a

deSignated pilot examiner by flying

the

maneuvers called for

in

the

F

practical test standards.

Required pilot skills

depend

on

the type of aircraft you want to fly,

but they include everything neces

of cross-country

training

and

a solo

cross-country

flight.

Sport pilots

learning to fly a

glider must

have

at

least 10 hours

of

training, with two

hours

of

solo flight

time.

f

glider stu

dents have at least

20

hours

of

pow

ered airplane expe

rience, they can

add a glider rating

with a

minimum

of

three hours

of

training, to include

at least one hour of

solo flight. [Section

55]

Unlike other F

pilot certificates,

the sport p ilot cer

tificate will

not

list

the

aircraft cate

gory and classes you re rated to

fly.

Your

pilot logbook

will record this

information

through the endorse

ments

of

the instructors and exam

iners who trained and tested you.

[Section 61] .

To fly a new category of aircraft

you

must

acquire

the

required

knowledge, training, and experi

ence

from a qualified instructor. To

earn

the

logbook

endorsement that

allows you to fly

the

new category,

when

you finish

training

you must

demonstrate

your proficiency to an

private pilots (or higher) have dif

ferent ways to

enjoy

sport pilot

privileges because

their

experience

counts. The

avenues

are different

for ultralight fliers and those

who

hold an F pilot certificate, so

we ll address

them

separately to

avoid confusion.

FAA Certificated Pilots-Private

pilots or higher with a current

medical certificate

and

flight review

can fly

any

light-sport aircraft in

the

categories and classes for

which

they are rated.

Private pilots

or

higher who


22/44

sport pilot privileges must have

either a valid driver s license or FAA

medical certificate, and get a flight

review.

You

can take the flight

review in

the

sport-pilot eligible air

craft you

want

to

fly,

and this ful

fills

the

requirement for

the

make

and-model endorsement. [Section

15, 91, 193]

If you

want

to fly a light-sport

aircraft category not on your pri

vate pilot certificate, like a powered

parachute, you

must

meet

the

same

training and

testing requirements

for these aircraft as pilots with no

you will receive a sport pUot certifi

cate. [Section 91]

Ultralight Pilots The NPRM

does not change FAR Part 103.

Ultralight

pilots

who

want

a

sport

pilot

certificate must be at least

17 years old, have

either

a valid

driver s license or FAA medical

certificate,

and

pass the required

knowledge and practical tests.

[Section 93]

f you re an ultralight pilot regis

tered

with

an

FAA-recognized ultra

light pilot registration program

(EAA,

USUA, ASC), your logged

l2ri r eX)2erience, and in this c a e _

-

i ,ght time will fulfill or

count

Instructor

Certification

TH

E SUCCESS OF

THE

E

W PILOT ERTIFI-

cate hinges on

the

creation and

activation

of

sport pilot instructors

(SPls)

and

designated sport pilot

examiners

(SPEs).

To teach in pow

ered aircraft, sport pilot instructors

must be at least 18 years old, have

either a valid driver s license

or

cur

rience

requirements

and pass a

practical test in the category in

which

they want

to

teach,

Airplane

and weight shift air

craft require at least 150 hours of

pilot time that includes 100 hours

pilot in command (PIC) in powered

aircraft, 50 hours in

the

desired cate

gory, 25 hours cross-country, 10

hours cross-country in category, and

15

hours

as PIC

in a sport-pilot eligi

toward sport pilot requirements for

the same aircraft category.

For their ultralight experience to

count, registered ultralight pilots

must apply for a sport pilot certifi

cate

within

24

months

from

the

effective date

of the

final rule and

present a notarized copy of their

ultralight pilot records from the

FAA-recognized program.

f you are not a registered ultralight

pilot, and you

do

not register

within

the

24-month grace period, you

receive no

credit for your previous

experience

and

must meet all the

training and x ~ r i e n e requirements.

hours, to include 100 powered PIC,

50 gyroplane, 10 cross-country, 3

gyroplane cross-country,

and

15

PIC

in a sport pilot-eligible gyroplane.

Glider

requires 25 glider PIC,

100 glider flights, and 15 PIC

flights in a sport pilot-eligible glid

er; or 100 powered pilot time, 20

glider flights, and 15

prc

flights in

a sport pilot-eligible glider.

Balloon

requires 35

prc,

to


23/44

CFls need

not

show

any

further

proficiency for sport pilot teach ing

privileges in

the

categories and

classes listed on their instructor cer

tificate. They

must

log five

hours

PIC in the make and model light

sport aircraft

they

will teach in and

have a logbook endorsement stat

ing their proficiency in

that

make

and model.

To

teach in a category they're

not rated for, such

as

powered para

chute

or weight-shift, CF Is must

meet the applicable aeronautical

training

and

experience require

ments and logbook endorsements.

[Section 151]

Re gis

te r

ed ultralight instr uctors

have 36 months from

the

date of

the

sport pilot fina l rule's effective

date to apply

th

ei r experience to a

sport pilot

in

structor certificate.

hey

must hold

at least a sport pilot

or rivate ilot certificate be 18

Aircraft

Certification

years old, have either a valid dri

ver's license or current FAA medical

certificate,

and

pass

the

sport pi lot

knowledge and practica l tests.

When

ultralight instructors

apply for an

SP

I certificate they

must

present

a

notarized copy of

their ultralight pilot records from

an

FAA-recognized

ultralight

pro

gram (EAA, USUA,

ASC).

If these

documents are in order,

ultralight

instructors do not

need

to meet

the SPI's

aeronautical knowledge

and flight proficiency require

ments. They must take the FO

test if they have not already

passed the FAA or

an

FAA-recog

nized fundamenta ls of

instruct

i

on

test

Ultralight in structors m u

st

meet m inimum c

at

egory-specific

flight time

requir

em ents,

but

they

do not

ne

ed

to me

et th e PIC,

time-in-aircraft ; : : : : : ; : e l o

craft (special-LSA) and experimen

tal light-sport aircraft (experimen

tal-LSA).

IFAR

21, Section 186, 191]

To earn them, aircraft

must

meet

these requirements:

Maximum gross takeoff

weight: 1,232

pounds or

less

Lighter-than-air

maximum

gross weight: 660 pounds

or

less

Maximum stall speed-land

ing

configuration

(V

so): 39 knots

or less

Maximum

sta ll

speed-with

out

using lift-enhancement devices

(Vs1): 44 knots

or

less

cross-country

flight time require

ments. [Section 153]

Groun d ins tr uctors with basic

or advanced ratings can provide

ground

instruction

to

sport

pilots

without further training. [Section

213,215]

Design ated sp o

rt

p ilot ex am

iners (SPEs) wi

ll

be the individu

als who

endorse

the logbooks of

new sport

pilots

and

SP Is. Initially

the FAA will draw SPEs from the

ranks

of the

current

and

qualified

ultralight flight instructor examin

ers who belong

to

an FAA-recog

nized ultra li

ght

organization (EAA,

ASC,

USUA).

Current

FAA deSignated pilot

exam

iners with experience

in

sport

pilot-eligible aircraft will have an

op

por tu nity to extend their autho

r

ity in acc

ord

ance with

FA

R Part 183

and other FAA guidelines not yet

th iness certificate applies only to

new

factory-built, ready-to-fly air

craft

designed

and

produced to

industry consensus standards,

which have not yet been written.

Sport pilots

can rent

and train in

special-LSA, and owners must fo l

low prescribed maintenance

requirements

(see Maintenance

Certification ).

The

experiment l

light-sport air

craft category encompasses a n um

ber

of

existing aircraft and new

LSA

kits. Sport pilots can fly experimen

tal-LSA for recreation and

non


24/44

requirements similar to amateur

built experimental aircraft.

Existing aircraft that qualify for

the experimental-LSA certificate

include ultralight trainers and vehi

cles that do not meet

the

ultralight

weight, fuel,

and

speed require

ments in

FAR

Part 103. Owners

of

these aircraft will have 24

months

Maintenance

Certification

THE NPRM

BRE KS

NEW GROUND Y

outlining light-sport aircraft LSA)

maintenance and inspection

requirements in FAR Part 91

and

in

the individual aircraft's operating

limitations instead of FAR Part 43,

which regulates the maintenance

on

other aircraft.

With the appropriate repairman

certificat

es an

d training, sport

pilots will be able to maintain

and/or inspect experimental and

special light-sport aircraft depend

ing on the cer

ti

ficate type and

the

manufacturer's maintenance

instructions. Accompanying these

from the final rule's effective date

to apply

for and

36 months to

obtain an

experimentaI-LSA air

worthiness certificate.

The NPRM stipulates

that

ultra

light trainers registered with an

FAA-approved program EAA,

USUA,

ASC) may be used for

com

en

sated for hire

fli

ht rainin

for

up

to 36

months

after

the

final

rule takes effect.

New experimental-LSA kits need

not meet th e amateur-built experi

mental

aircraft's

5

I-percent rule,

but kit

LSA

must be designed

and

produced

in

accordance with (yet

to-be-defined) industry consensus

standard.

demonstrate

the

skills necessary to

assess the airworthiness of a light

sport aircraft.

Tasks

they cou ld perform would

be listed in

the

operating limita

tions and manufacturer's mainte

nance instructions. Repairmen

would require additional approved

Maintenance Requirements

Special

and

experimental

LSA

have

their

own

maintenance require

ments. In addition to the appropri

ately certificated repairmen,

FAA

certificated airframe and power

plant mechanics and FAA-approved

repair stations can maintain and


25/44

remedy safety issues with safety-of

flight notices. Owners must comply

wi

th

and correct any manufacturer

specified safety-of-flight issue .

In

th

e

pream

ble

th

e

FAA

said

owners could perform preventive

maintenance on their special-LSA,

but EAA cannot find the regulatory

basis for this in

the

NPRM. The FAA

Check Out

the

Sport Pilot

Website

Continuous

updates

regarding

in th e aircraft operating limitations.

EAA will include this point in its

comments on th e NPRM.

Experimental light-sport aircraft

can be maintained by

the

owner

according to the requirements

annual condition inspection. When

owners apply for their experimental

LSA airworthiness certificates, they

must give the inspector a copy of the

manufacturer's maintenance

and

inspection instructions and require

spelled out in

the

aircraft's operating ments. It's likely

that

the aircraft

limitations. Owners will need a operating limitations will require

repairman certificate with an inspec

owners

to

follow these instructions

tion

rating to r o r m

the

reguired

and

reguirements.

First,

th

e defini

tion

of

"cross-country"

will include the sport-pilot distances for

the respective aircraft categories.

Second, like sport pilots, recreational

pi lots will be able to fly in Class B C, and


26/44

owto Comment

o

the NPRM

T

he FAA will accept com

ments on the Certification

of Aircraft and Airmen for

the Operation of Light-Sport

Aircraft

NPRM FAA-2001-11133,

until

May

6 2002. Given the com

plexity of

this

NPRM, the FAA

anticipates a

significant number of

comments, and the FAA must read

When you write your com

ments.. .

Be reasonable and rational.

Avoid emotional or unsupported

statements

.

Identify the NPRM section

you are commenting on.

Be factual and

suggest

changes and/ or improvements.

link

to the

online

form and make

your

comments. EAA will

convey

these

comments directly

to

the

Docket Office. You may also submit

comments

through

the

Docket

website

at http

dms dot gov

You can also submit comments

by

mail, but

remember

that postal

service in

Washington,

D.C., has

http:///reader/full/http://dms.dot.govhttp:///reader/full/http://dms.dot.govhttp:///reader/full/http://dms.dot.govhttp:///reader/full/http://dms.dot.govhttp:///reader/full/http://dms.dot.govhttp:///reader/full/http://dms.dot.govhttp:///reader/full/http://dms.dot.gov


27/44

taken less than two days.

Two days came

and went. Then

three. Pretty soon, he had been gone a

week,

and

we

hadn

' t heard a

word.

The

Bates family with their Sky Rod Stearman . Dave and Peggy have watched

their three children David John and Anne grow as the Stearman was bui lt

up over a 16-year period.

hopper where the front seat should

hav

e

been. When Stearmans

were

converted into

dusters/sprayers,

owners removed

anything

having to

do

with the

front pas

senger

(stick, seats,

instrument panel, and

more) to make

the

hopper

as large as practical. Tradi

tionally

,

they

removed a

number

of

pieces

of tubing

as

well. This

wouldn't

be a

problem

except that by

the

time most Stear

mans were retired, lots of chemicals

had been spilled

into the

front pit

area

while the hopper

was being

filled . This meant

that

most hard

working Stearmans

had

a fair amount

of

corrosion

in

the front pit

area.

Dave's airplane was

no

exception. The

front pit reqUired a lot of clean up,

and

a

bunch of

tubing had to be re

placed. Then he had to find all of

the

right aeronautical goodies, for exam

the

bearings, re-covering

the

wings,

and making everything right took

over three years. I don't think I knew


28/44

The cockpit was crafted

to

maintain

the vintage feel

of

a Stearman with

out

details and doodads

that

would

be distracting.

how big a

project it was

when I

started,

he

grins.

The original engine

had

only 400

hours on it,

but

Dave says, It wasn't

very pretty, so I spent a lot of time de

tailing it. It ran great, however.

time, his future mate.

The scene

at Uncle Miltie's disco

happened the same year Dave bought

the

Stearman,

and the

very fact

that

Peggy showed interest in

the

by-then

disassembled Stearman indicated

what the future held

for

the two

of

them.

She

hung in there with him

during the rebuilding process and was

one of Dave's first passengers after he

checked out in it The lithe co-restorer

installed many fittings and bolts.

In 1981, Dave took

the

airplane to

its

first Oshkosh

still wearing

its

fiberglass fuselage skin. It

made

it

to

the

next

couple

of

Oshkosh

fly-ins,

but

1983

would

be its last

EAA

con

vention for more than 16 years. That

same year Dave was taking Peggy for

a

plane

ride,

and with no warning,

he

asked

her to marry him

over

the

intercom.

She said yes (obviously).

They got married (Dave buzzed

the

church in the you-know-what), set

up house, started a family,

and

began

the

long restoration/modification of

their

Stearman. It would grow along

with the

family, which eventually

numbered three children.

In

addition to the

16

years Dave and

Peggy

Bates spent restoring their Stear

man a number

of

well-known aviation

names also added their expertise to the

effort.

Jim

Younkin did the sheet metal

work

and Tom

Brown served as the AI

on

the

program-he

also covered the

airframe. When the biplane was com

pleted Forrest Lovely rigged it

an

effort

complemented upon by antiquer John

Turgyan who flew the Bates Sky

Rod

for

our air-to-air photographs.

some came from

the

guys we asked

to

help us.

At the

same

time

we had

to keep

the legalities

in

mind

be

cause any modification we did

would

have

to be run through the

FAA and

certified.

For

most of the

changes, we just

looked

around and

tried to get a feel

for

what

it is

that

makes particular

airplanes look

the

way they do,

and

we put

together

a list of

possible

changes.

Along the way,

each of

those who helped us

out

contributed

their own thoughts

on the

subject.

We

went to

Jim Younkin for most

of

the

sheet metal work, and he

thought

it

would be

a

good

idea

to

shrink

the

size of

the

firewall slightly.

Then

we

ran the

top

fuselage line

gradually uphill to the windshield

.

We

changed the

side stringers

to

get

rid of

the

typical

Stearman rounded

look

and flattened the shape out

to

came up

with

an

old-timey

slab

sided fuselage. Younkin carried

the

theme even

further

by making new

dishpan cowlings

that

flowed down

into

the engine

compartment.

Dave sold the original wings

and


29/44

and mounted a set of Younkin-made

Mr. Mulligan wheel pants. The

pants

hide a set

of

lO-inch wheels and tires

mounted on Ag-Cat axles.

The

engine

was running good,

but we

decided

it was time

to

do it

right, so we

had

Bob Younkin build

up a new engine

for

us, and I do

mean

new

, Dave says.

Everything

in the engine is new old stock (NOS),

except

for the crankshaft and the

nose case. We

hung

a Hydromatic

prop up front

and

made

a

dual

ex

haust system using

parts from a

French Broussard. The

spinner

blank

was made for us by Spindustries in

Lake

Geneva, Wisconsin.

As a duster, the airplane had been

in

the

restricted category. After

the

first semi-restoration, Dave got it put

into the

air

show/exhibition

cate

gory. What he wanted, however, was

to

get it

into the standard/aero

batic category. This task fell to Tom

Brown as

the

A.I.

to

get the paper

work

ironed out. To change

the

category, the airplane,

among other

things, had to have a Serv Aero mo

tor

mount

installed.

By

the

time

they got the airplane into

the

new

category,

they

had certificated 24 de

viations on

the

Serv Aero STC.

When

it

came time to

paint

the

airplane, Peggy a professional art di

rector,

applied

her graphics skill to

the paint scheme while

John Hatz

suggested

the

color

combination.

Blowing the paint on fell

to

John

Colton of Northfield, Minnesota,

and

Dave is quick to

point

out

that

the

paint

has not been buffed. What

Simple Control Lock

In the front

cockpit of

the Bates

' Stearman a clever control lock is

installed

on

the

cross

tube.

To

store

the

lock

and ensure

it doesn t

accidentally foul the controls, it is swung up under the instrument

panel and

secured in place using a quick-release

fastener.

(In this

case, a Pip pin is used.) A

thumbscrew could also be em-

ployed.

In either case,

the

method

to keep the lock out of the

way

must be positive and secure.

To

lock the controls the

screw

is

loosened, and the lock's cup is

flipped

over

the top

of

the

control

stick, immobilizing the stick. No

padded

blocks

to

scratch

the fin-

ish or clutter up the precious

baggage space, and no bungee

cords to snap

and

rap you on

the

knuckles.

You

may

wish to

paint the

pivot-

ing portion of the lock a bright,

contrasting color to make it

even

more

obvious

when it is in use.


30/44

WHAT OUR

MEMBERS

ARE

RESTORING

BY H G FRAUTSCHY

ERONC GRASSHOPPER

Don Gibson, El Paso, Texas, has just

completed the

restoration of this 1942 Aeronca

O-S8B-L3C

Defender. Don

says he started with a pile of scrap found in a barn in Akela

New Mexico, and that

it

flew hands-off in perfect trim on

its first flight. After upgrading the Aeronca with a

C8S

-12F

Continental engine, Don also installed a communications

radio, an encoder and transponder, and an additiona l 12

gallon wing tank. He covered the airplane using th e

Poly-Fiber system, and

is

very pleased with the results.

Don would like to thank retired Aeronca service engi

neer John Houser,

who

supplied

the

drawings for

the

restoration. He says that without John's help, the project

would have stalled out.

STINSON

108-1

t looks a

bit damp near Jasonville, Indiana

, but

Graydon Napier seems quite pleased with

the

two

and

one-half

year

restoration of

his

1946 Stinson.

Powered

by

a

lS0-hp

Franklin,

the total time on the airplane

in

this

photo was a remarkable

554.5

hours,

probably

the lowest-time

Stinson known.

t had been sitting

in

a hangar since 1966,

and

it first flew again

on

March

14, 2001. t even has an ancient Hallicrafters CA 2 ra

dio installed. Graydon wanted us to mention

his

gratitude

to Kelly, Marc, Nick, Nichole

Napier,

Bill

Humphrey, Tom Thomas, Jason

Fiscus,

and Shawn

Vanhorn for their help and support.


31/44

THER PY

Ken Harbison,

Las

Cruces, New Mexico, has

dubbed

his 450

hp

Stearman Th

e

rapy no

doubt

expressing the feeling many of us have

for

the time

we

spend with airplanes! Grounded for nearly 20 years,

N450KH

is

a bright red labor of love, according to its happy owner

and pilot.

SEND

Us A

PHOTO OF

YOUR

PROJECT

All

photographs must be sharp, with the main sub

ject in clear focus and properly exposed.

We

can t

fix

photos

that do

not meet those

two basic criteria.

f

your

photograph

has problems like this, we simply

can t

publish it . Here's

our

list of acceptable

photo

graph formats,

in

order of preference:

A 35

mm

slides

on

100

ASA

or lower film

B. 4-by-6-inch or larger prints from

35 mm

or larger

negatives

C

Digital photographs-The digital file directly

2.

Clean

the

airplane. Even a

coating

of

dust can

make it look drab.

3.

Put away any accessories such

as

fueling steps or

ladders. Keep

the background

clean.

When you re

shooting the airplane, avoid including other objects or

people.

Be

mindful

of background landscape items

such

as

airport antennae or control towers-in

a

photo, they can

appear

to

grow from your airplane.

The same holds true for people standing behind the

airplane-your

fuselage may sprout

feet


32/44

OTES

MAX

ON

VIKINGS:

Dope and fabric covered airplanes

M X

SCHUERMANN

This article first appeared

in Vol. 12, No. 1 of

B-C Contact

A

yone who

has

been

associated

with

an

airplane

that

contains

wood and

fabric

in

its

structure

knows the

importance

of keeping water from

en

tering

and remaining

inside that

structure.

Early

on,

Bellanca Viking owners learn

the importance of

keeping

the fabric/paint cover on

the airframe-and on the

wings

in

particular-in good condition. The fabric/paint cover is

the protective coating of

the

wood wing. Service Letter 87

A,

Wing Inspect ion, tells you to inspect the entire exterior

surface for

any

type of damage

that

would allow water

to

penetrate the fabric/paint barrier. The life of the wing will

be directly affected by the

condition

of its cover.

If

chips are

in the finish, they should be repaired.

If

dings penetrate the

fabric,

the

fabric should be patched. Some

of

these repairs

wil

vintage airplane - mar 2002

Documents