vintage airplane - sep 1989

8/12/2019 Vintage Airplane - Sep 1989

1/36


2/36

STR IGHT ND LEVEL

by Espie Butch Joyce

Those of us who had the privilegeof attending EAA Oshkosh '89 willhave the memory of seeing no fewerthan six Jennies. A number of peopleexpressed their delight in seeing thoseaircraft flying. Several older pilots toldme even though they had been aroundquite a few years, they had never seena Jenny fly.I wish to express my personal thanksto the owners and pilots who broughttheir Jennies to Oshkosh . A specialthanks goes to Ken Hyde who organized this gathering. We should alsorecognize the organizational work ofTom Poberezny for his securing transportation and sponsorship for these aircraft. Tom, with the help of Bill Turnerand Allied Van Lines , and Tom Daviswho obtained sponsorship from anumber of airlines pulled all this together and made it work.Everyone enjoyed the Russians'visit. This was a unique occurance andthe topic of constant conversation.With the Antique/Classic Headquartersbeing so near, we were a good placefor these people to visit. We had anumber of good meetings and conversation exchanges. I just hope the Rus

sians will carry home the good will weat the A/C Division attempted to convey to them .All of the Antique/Classic area is operated by volunteers. Never cou ld Ihave asked for a better group ofpeople. It would be impossible to thankeveryone individually but all of you dida superb job .I wish to express special thanks toArt Morgan and the group at A/C Parking. They were called on again andagain to perform on short notice andnever were we disappointed. KateMorgan and Ruth Coulson workedtheir hearts out at A/C Headquarters.Charlie Harris did a superior job withthe Interview Circle . The judgesworked constantly and, as always, dida great job . Bob Brauer had a goodresponse at his Membership and Chapter Booth. Bob s wife, Phyllis compiled and published a daily newsletteron activities in the Antique/Classicarea of the Convention. So manyworked so hard to make all gosmoothly.On a personal note, this was the firstyear for my daughters, Wendy andSarah to attend the Convention. Sarahis 2 and I asked her to write down herimpressions of EAA Oshkosh ' 89:

"My first impression of Oshkoshwas that I couldn't believe that therewere that many airplanes in one place .What I liked most was the Piedm ontDC-3, SR-71, the Russian airplanesand the Qantas 747. Everyone was sonice. They told me to look ali wantedand stopped to explain things to me.The airshows were fantastic. Theexhibit buildings and the Fly-marketwere places I enjoyed visiting. espent but one afternoon at the museum,there was so much to see and so littletime. loved it all - the planes, thepeople and the great fun ofbeing there.I am already working on my dad to letme come back next year so that I cansee and do everything "

The happening that we have just participated in, as always, takes us backto our love of aviation . I m glad tohave been part of EAA Oshkosh '89.I am back at work now, and maybeI can get some rest and get ready forour Board meeting in November. Iwould like to have your impressionsand suggestions to take to this meeting .We grow better when we all pull in thesame direction for the good of aviation.Join us and have it all .

2 SEPTEMBER 989


3/36

PUBLICATION STAFFPUBLISHERTom Poberezny

VICE -PRESIDENTMARKETING & COMMUNICATIONSDick Matt

EDITORMark PhelpsART DIRECTORMike DrucksADVlERTISINGMary Jones

ASSOCIATE EDITORSNorman Petersen Dick CavinFEATURE WRITERSGeorge A Hardie, Jr. Dennis Parks

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTIsabelle Wiske

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERSJim Koepnick Carl SchuppelJeff IsomEAA ANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISION, INC.OFFICERS

President Vice PresidentEspie "Butch" Joyce Arthur R. MorganBox 468 3744 North 51st Blvd.Madison, NC 27025 Milwaukee, Wi 53216919/427 0216 414/442 3631Secretary Treasurer

George S. York E.E. "Buck" Hilbert181 Sloboda Ave. P.O. Box 424Mansfield, OH 44906 Union, IL 60180419/529 4378 815/923 4591

DIRECTORSRobert C. "Bob" Brauer John S. Copeland

9345 S. Hoyne 9 Joanne DriveChicago, IL 60620 Westborough, MA 01:)81312m9 2105 508/366 7245

Philip Coulson William A Eickhoff28415 Springbrook Dr. 41515th Ave., N.E.Lawton, M149065 S!. Petersburg, FL 33704616/624 6490 813/823 2339Charles HarriS Stan Gomoll3933 South Peoria 1042 90th Lane, NE

P.0. Box 904038 Minneapolis, MN 55434Tulsa, OK 74105 6121784 11729181742 7311

Rober! D. "Bob" LumleyDale A Gustafson N104 W203877724 Shady Hill Drive Willow Creek Rd.Indianapolis, IN 46278 Colgate, 'WI 53017317/293 4430 414/255 6832Gene Morris Steven C. Nesse115C Steve Court, R.R. 2 2009 Highland Ave.Roanoke,1X 76262 Albert Lea, MN 56007817/491 9110 507/373 1674

Daniel Neuman 5.H. "Wes" Schmid1521 Berne Circle W. 2359 Lefeber AvenueMinneapolis, MN 55421 Wauwatosa, WI 53213612/571-0893 414m1 1545DIRECTOR EMERITUS

5.J. Wittman7200 S.E. 85th LaneOcala. FL 32672

904/245 7768ADVISORS

John Berendt Gene Chase7645 Echo Point Rd. 2159 Carlton Rd.Cannon Falls, MN 55009 Oshkosh, Wi 54903507/263 2414 414/231 5002

George Daubner John A Fogerty2448 Lough Lane RR2,Box70Hartford, WI 53027 Roberts, WI 54023414/673 5885 715/425 2455

Jeannie HillP.O. Box 328Harvard, IL 60033815/943 7205

SEPTEMBER 1989. Vol. 17, No.9Copyright ' 1989 by the EAA AntiquelClassic Division, Inc. All rights reserved.

Contents2 Straight and Level/by Espie "Butch" Joyce4 M News/compiled by Mark Phelps6 EAA Oshkosh '89/photos by Mark Phelps

10 Time Capsule/by Mark Phelps12 Vintage Literature/by Dennis Parks14 Taildragonlby Mark Phelps20 Deer Pasture Fly-Inlby Dick Cavin

Page 6

9

24 Seabird Sonata/by Norm Petersen Page 1429 Pass It To Bucklby E.E. "Buck" Hilbert

30 Vintage Trader35 Mystery Planelby George Hardie, Jf.

Page 24

FRONT COVIER The sun finally sets on EAA Oshkosh '89, and theDouglas Historical Foundation's rare DC -2. (Photo by Mark Phelps)

REAR COVIER . From the EAA Archives, LibrarylArchives Director,Dennis Parks uncovered one of Karl Orfs catalogs of pilot supplies.The colorized photo features the likeness of Ort himself, resplendantin helmet and Willsonite Navy flying goggles, $12.47 a pair in 1937.

The words EM UL TRALlGKT, FLY WITH THE FIRSTTEAM, SPORT AVIATION, ao:Ithe logos 1 EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INC. , EAA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, EM ANTIOUE/CLASSIC DIVISION INC ., INTERNATIONAL AlEROBATIC CLUB INC., WAIRBIRDS OF AMERICA INC, are registeredtrademar1


4/36

Compiled by Mark PhelpsEAA Oshkosh 89The Convention is now history . Thisyear presented a random sample ofweather ranging from damp and chilly(the vendors sold a lot of jackets andsweatshirts) to a reprise of some of theheat left over from 1988. More important than the weather here in Oshkoshwas the circle of nasty stuff surrounding northeast Wisconsin. Many EastCoast aircraft owners got as close as

Indiana and Illinois only to park theiraircraft and continue on via airline orrental car. We can only guess at howmany turned back and never got to theFly-in at all .For all of that, the numbers of antiques registered was up from last year- 137 from 135 . Classics suffered asetback from 818 in 1988 to 583 thisyear. What may have been lacking inquantity was more than made up inquality . The Grand Champions in bothantique and classic categories were apair of real jewels. Bill Halverson'sGrand Champion Antique Staggerwingwas a sight to behold and CharlesHoover's Grand Champion Classic 85hp Swift was a rare example of thatairplane with its original powerplant.

Award WinnersThe following are the award winnersin the Antique/Classic Division forEAA Oshkosh '89:ntique A wards

Grand Champion William Halverson,Bloomington, Minnesota. 1947 BeechStaggerwing.Reserve Grand Champion Fred G.Nelson, Glen Ellyn, Illinois. 1943Stearman fYf 17.Contemporary Age, 1933-1945Champion William Quincy, Columbia,Missouri. 1947 Staggerwing.Runner-up Doug Combs/Linda Gamble, Incline Village, Nevada. 1934

Luscombe Phantom.Outstanding Closed-cockpit Monoplane Steve Givens, Anderson, Indiana. 1940 Culver Cadet.

Outstanding Open-cockpit MonoplaneBill Rose, Barrington, Illinois. 1941Ryan STM .Outstanding Closed-cockpit BiplaneBob Hathaway, Hollywood, California. 1935 Waco CUC-I .Outstanding Open-Cockpit BiplaneRed River Tiger Moth Group,Wakefield, Quebec. 1941 deHavillandTiger Moth.Silver Age, 1928 - 1932Champion R.W . Kaplan, Owatonna,Minnesota. 1929 Curtiss Robin J-\.Runner-up Bill Watson, Tulsa, Oklahoma. 1928 Kreider Reisner KR-31.Outstanding Open-cockpit BiplaneVernon Dallman, Jr., Esparto, California. 1932 Curtiss-Wright BI4B.

Golden Age, 1918 - 1927Champion Ray Folsom, Lomiat,California. 1918 Curtiss JN4D Jenny .Pioneer Age, Prior to 1918Champion Chester Peek , Norman, Oklahoma. 1917 Curtiss JN4D Jenny.

Runner-up Wally Olson, Vancouver,Washington . 1917 Curtiss JN4DJenny.Outstanding Skeeter Carlson,Spokane, Washington . 1917 CurtissJN4 Canuck.World War II Military Trainer

Champion Ken Volk, Fort Worth,Texas . 1943 Boeing A 75N I.Runner-up William L Johnson, Oakbrook, Illinois. 1943 Stearman N2S-3.Outstanding Ed Midgely, Geneva, Illinois. 1943 Stearman N2S-3.Transport CategoryChampion Stinson Enterprises,Neenah, Wisconsin. 1931 StinsonSM6000.Runner-up Bill Rose, Barrington, Il

linois. 1944 Grumman Goose B-100.Outstanding Douglas Historical Foundation, Long Beach, California. 1935Douglas DC-2.

Customized AircraftChampion Jim Kramer, BoyntonBeach, Florida. 1942 Cessna T-50.Runner-up Tom Flock, Rockville , Indiana. 1940 Waco UPF-7.Outstanding Bob Poor, Greencastle,Indiana. 1941 Waco UPF-7.Replica AircraftChampion Vernon Dallman, Jr., Esparto, California. Beachey Little

Looper.Runner-up Don Rushton, Edmonton ,Alberta. Sopwith Camel.Unique AircraftJim Younkin, Springdale, Arkansas .Younkin Special, Goliath .Classic A wards

Grand Champion Charles Hoover,St. Paul, Minnesota. Swift GC-IA .Reserve Grand Champion ClydeBarton, Angleton, Texas . LuscombeIIA .

Class 1/ - 100 to 150 hpRobert Gehring, Rubicon, Wisconsin .Piper PA-I2 .Class III - 150 hp and aboveJim Rollison, Vacaville, California.Cessna 180.Custom Class A - up t 100 hpGary Winter, Pipestone, Minnesota.Piper Vagabond PA-15.Custom Class B - 100 to 150 hpHenry Geissler, Webster, Minnesota.Piper J-3 Clipwing Cub.Custom Class C - 150 hp and above.Daryl Dressler, St. Paul, Minnesota.Swift GCIBOutstanding Workmanship Award,Custom.J. Dawson Ransome, New Hope,Pennsylvania. Piper PA-18.

Best in ClassAeronca - over 100 hp Charles Hanson, Dundee, Illinois . Aeronca 15AC.Aeronca - under 100 hp Don Shilling,Texarkana, Texas. Aeronca Champ.

4 SEPTEMBER 989


5/36

Beechcraft Dave Slovacheck, Colgate,Wisconsin . Bonanza C-35 . C LEND R OF EVENTSCessna 120-140 Michael Shaver,Bridgeton, Missouri . Cessna 140.Cessna 170-180 Hartwig , Rueckl andSlomski , Menasha, Wisconsin . Cessna170A.Cessna 190-195 Paul Dougherty andPaul Dougherty, Jr. , Warrenton,Pennsylvania. Cessna 195.Ercoupe Scott Olson, Lake Elmo,Minnesota.Navion Ralph Abercrombie, Tulsa ,Oklahoma.Piper 1-3 Jim Lefevre, Howard , Wi sconsin.Piper others) P.W. Steiner, San Francisco, California. PA-20.Stinson Tom and Lorraine Zedaker,Las Vegas, Nevada. Stinson 108-2 .Swift Jon W. Breese, Omaha, Nebraska. Swift GC-IB.Taylorcraft John McDonald, Windom,Kansas. BC-12D-1.Funk Dan Towers, Dover, Delaware .Limited Production James Sorensen,Ceres, California. Republic RC-3 .Luscombe Jim Rushing and OwenBruce, Allen, Texas. Luscombe 8E.

Peter Hawks 1934 - 1989t is with deep regret that we reportthe passing o Antique/Classic Division Advisor , Peter Hawks, who died

o cancer on July 21, one week beforehis 65th birthday . Peter's efforts on behalf o the division will be sorelymissed. We offer condolences to hisfamily .

August 31-September 1 - Coffeyville, Kansas. Funk Aircraft Owners Association Reunion. Contact RayPahls , President. Tel. 316/943-6920.September 1 5 - Bartlesv ille , Oklahoma. National Antique AirplaneAssociation Fly-In at Frank PhillipsField. Contact Robert L. Taylor at 515/938-2773.September 6-10 - Galesburg, Illinois. 18th Annual Stearman Fly-In.Contact Tom Lowe at 815/459-6873.September 9 - Chico, California.Chico Airshow and Celebration, ChicoMunicipal Airport. Contact Dino Corbin at 916/342-0141 or HaroldSchooler at 916/891 -4214 .September 9-10 - Shirley , Long Island , New York . 26th Annual AntiqueAirplane Club o Greater New YorkFly-In. Brookhaven Airport . Raindate, September 16-17 . Contact JohnSchlie at 516/957-9145 .September 15-17 - Jacksonville, Illinois . Fifth Annual Byron SmithMemorial Stinson Fly-In and Reunion .Contact Loran Nordgren at 815/4699100.September 21-24 - Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Aircraft Restoration andTechnology Seminar, EAA Air Adventure Museum. The Smithsonian Institution lecture and seminar programpresents a series o media programs,lectures and hands-on programs. Pre

registration and a seminar fee required.Contact EAA Education office at 414/426-4800.September 22 - 23 - Tahlequah, Oklahoma (50 miles ESE, Tulsa). 32ndAnnual Tulsa Fly-in, Tahlequah Airport. Contact Charlie Harris, 3933 S.Peoria, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74135. Tel.9181742-7311.also: In conjunction: 9th AnnualBucker Fly-in. Contact Frank Price,817/853-2008.September 30 - October 1 - Bingham, Maine. 20th Annual GadaboutGaddis Fly-in, Gadabout Gaddis Airport, Bingham, Maine. Call 207/6725527 or 672-4135.September 30 - October 1 Lexington, Tennessee. 5th AnnualTennessee Taildraggers AssociationFly-in. Call 901/968-2864 eves.October 5-8 - Pauls Valley, Oklahoma. International Cessna 120-140Association Fly-In Convention. Fiftymiles south o Oklahoma City on 1-35 .Fly-Outs, games and fun for all. Closeto motels and shopping mall. Excellentcamping facilities on field. ContactBud Sutton at 405/392-5608.October 7-8 - Sussex, New Jersey.Quad-chapter fly-in, Sussex Airport .Sponsored by EAA Chapters, 238, 73,891 and EAA Antique/Classic Chapter7. Contact Bill Tuchler, 2011797-3835or Konrad Kundig, 2011361-8789 .

Book ReviewSKYWARD SKYWARD: WHY FLYERS FLY byRussell Munson , with an introductionby Richard Bach. 208 Pages, 162 colorphotographs. Howell Press, 700 HarrisStreet Suite B, Charlottesville, Virginia 22901. $45.00.Pilots who wish they could allowtheir non-believer friends to experiencethe wonder that draws us to aviationcan thank Russell Munson . In this topquality coffee-table book, he weaves atapestry o aviation that includes notonly the people and the machines, but

also the way we feel about flying .Munson's work as a photographer is

Magazine. He also provided the phototfor Richard Bach's bestseller,lonathan Livingston Seagull. InBach's introduction to Skyward hequalifies Munson as a photographer,and a writer, who understands thepoetry o aviation and speaks to it withhis work. This includes not only pictures and stories o airplanes, but alsodynamic images o people, be theypilots , passengers or simply awestruck observers. The aircraft rangefrom antiques to cutting-edge, corporate jets but the common thread is thelove o flight that all pilots know. Skyward will help us share it with ourwell-known to readers o FLYING friends. - Mark Phelps

VINTAGE AIRPLANE


6/36

ROMJENNIES TO JETS

Photos y Mark Phelps

Jennies on the move eing towed from overnight shelter in hangars to the Antique flightline.6 SEPTEMBER 1989


7/36

Skeeter Carlson flies his ultra-rare Curtiss IN 4 Canuck, a Canadian built Jenny.

Ray Brooks, World War I ace with six victories describes some of his early experiences with Jennies.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7


8/36

Wingwalkers are standard equ ipment witha Jenny.

ill Schlapman s Taylorcraft attracts ayouthful shade-worshipper.

ub scouts?8 SEPTEMBER 1989


9/36

The American Eagle during the Antique/Classic Parade of Flight. Owner, Gene Morris.

usan Dusenbury gets a motorscooter escort t the Interview Circle.VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9


10/36

The Time CaR.sule byMarkPhelpsMARTIN B lOBThe Martin B-IOB was the standard Armybomb r until replaced by the Boeing B-17Flying Fortress in the late 1930s. The Martin was the second all-metal, twin-enginemonoplane in the Army's bomber inventoryafter the Boeing B-9, and the first to incorporate internal bomb stowage and an enclosedfront gun turret. When 8 B-IOs were orderedon January 17 1933 at a cost of$2,440,000,the bomber was faster than any U.S. fighterin service. With R-1820-19 engines, the Martin had a top speed of 207 mph at 6,000 feet.When the Army wrested the coastal defenceresponsibility from the Navy, B-lOs and B-12sa B-1O with 775-hp R-1690-11 engines) werefitted with floats and auxiliary fuel tanks forthe mission. (Radtke Photo #759)

RYAN C lThe Foursome as the C-I was informallycalled, was Ryan s representative in the attempt to lure the businessman and family-fliermarket. Smaller than the more famousBrouhgam, the C-I was also faster and moresprightly on the controls. Inside, the smallercabin was nevertheless more luxuriously appointed with deep automobile sears andmatching headliner. Developed in 1930, onlythree C-I s were built, one of which was converted to the C-2 with a Packard diesel engine.Another C-I, perhaps the one shown here, waslater fitted with auxiliary fuel tanks andlaunched from Nova Scotia in August 1939reportedly headed for Palestine. It was neverseen again. (Radtke Photo #847)

10 SEPTEM ER 1989


11/36

WACO TAPER WINGStarting in lace 1929 with the transcontinentalNew York to Los Angeles ir derby, the WacoCTO Taperwing ran up a succession of credentials that made it one of the most excitingand romantic airplanes of the era. At a timewhen exhibit flying and ir racing capturedthe public's imagination the Waco took centerstage. Wacos placed 2-5-6 t the ClevelandAil' Derby, second in the Australian pursuitrace (with Art Davis at the controls) and firstin the same event for women, piloted byGladys O'Do nnell. Fearless Freddie Lund wasthe first to complete an outside loop in a production airplane, his Waco Taperwing and leda team of three Taperwings to top civilian aerobatic team honors. The list goes on throughthe early I930s. The Taperwing was the shipto fly if you meant to go fast and win races.The example shown here has had its N strutsreplaced by I struts in an apparent allempt totweak more speed from the airframe. (RadtkePhoto /0 1 9)

DOUGLAS DC 2

The exploits of the "Do uglas Commercial"series are legend. The airplane changed theface of ir transportation in the United Statesand the world. TWA was the first on the bandwagon t a time when each new aircraft typewas eclipsing its predecessor by leaps andbounds. The DC-I, prototype of the DC-2,left the vaunted Boeing 247 an impressiveairplane in its own right, far behind. The mostimpressive feat of the DC-I was its flight fromWinslow, Arizona (elev. 4 256 feet) to Albuquerque, New Mexico across the 7,243-footContinental Divide. The flighc was performedon one engine On February 18 1934 the DCI flew from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey in 13 hours, four minutes, besting the previous airliner record by more than five hours.While the Boeing 247 had sec the format withits all-metal, monocoque construction, theDouglas transport carried che theme to its fullest potential, capturing the confidence of theairline flying public. (Radtke Photo 421)

A 12 page illustrated catalog of the over 1,000 negatives in the Radtke Collection is now available from the EAA Foundation ArChives for3.00 postpaid. Write: EAA Aviation Foundation Library, P.O. Box 3065, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3065 or call1-80Q-843-3612.VINTAGE AIRPLANE


12/36

------ -

V I ~ T A ( 3 ~ L I T ~ I 2 A T U I 2 ~Used Aircraft Guides

Who among us hasn't had the urgeto buy a used airplane? Today, thereare at least a dozen publications dedicated to airplane advertising . The standard is Trade-A -Plane published inCrossville, Tennessee since 1937. Butwhat did buyers use as a source in the1920s and '30s? Among the forums forused planes were the classified ad sections in the large-circulation aviationmagazines such as AERIAL AGE andAERO DIGEST. The following selections examine the used airplane and engine listings in these publications from1919 to 1937.AERIAL AGE1915

AERIAL AGE classified advertisingbegan in the April 19, 1915 issue witha half-page classified section. It contained three ads for used equipment.One was for a Curtiss plane.

FOR SALE-CURTISS AEROPLANEBtst offer over '500.00 takeo my Curtis. TypeAeraglane, equipped with 60 II. P., II cylinderKirk am Motor. All In load "ylnl condition;crated lor exhibition work an d Include. 4 extraaectlons and motor part.. Machine wu flown byEUlene Godet, aeason 1913.Addre. . , G. W. ZEIGINp, O. BOl607 Monroe, La.Bank Reference

There was also an ad for a used Anzani engine and a Curtiss flying boat.1919

By September 22, 1919 the c1ass-ified section was still just a half pagebut there were now 10 ads for usedequipment including Canadian CurtissIN trainers, a Wright flying boat anda Gnome-powered biplane.

_.. -CURTISS IN 4. For 1 t price th .t I.ria ht . Nt'arly new, perfect condition, ready for(iIlJ. Addr. . . Box 389, c!o Aeri.1 Ar', 280A adlson Ave ., New York City.FOR SALE: Canadian J.N. tralnlnf, plan.complete, with Curtis .. OX 5 motor. lane isbrand nrw. Motor bas run rew hours and

f u a r a n t ~ f i same as new. This plane cost7.000."'_ First draft for $4,QOO.00 takes it.Addre," '{otrar Bros., Vancouver, B. C.,Can ad

by ()ennls VarksIA4. L lb.-ao'/An::hlves()I.-ed().

FOR SALE-Two panen .er Biplane, 38 ft.wings, all surfaces newly covered . 7 cylinderGnome motor. Guaranteed to be in fine flyingcondition. Price $1,500. Addre. . C. II . Ruth erford, First and C Sts., San Diego, Calif.

NEW L-W-F complete, for ..Ie. Thl. waa( ~ o v e r n m e n t machin e, oever flown. Now inwarehouse. Price is right. Addres. Box 388,cia Aerial Age. 280 Madison Ave., New YorkCity.

1923By January 1923, the classified section had grown to full page and therewere more than 40 ads for used aircraftand engines. Included were Anzani,Hisso and Liberty motors . Aircraft included a Curtiss Seagull with 20 hours,a three-place Laird Swallow with only12 hours for $1,850 and a 220-hpSPAD Scout for $400.

FOR SALE-Modd A Hispano ISO H. P.$ 2 ~ O . O O , 220 II . P . geared lIispano ~ ' l O . O o .OX5 Curti . . $t2500 . All finc condition.Curtiss M. F. boat with model A lIispano$87500. L W. F. tractor less power $Joo.oo.Nels J. Nelson, 513 East St., New Dritain,Conn.FOR SALE-Followln. aeroplan.. ready toAy; ThomasMorse Scout (new) OX5 motor,$600 .00. French Spad Scout, 220 II.P. Hisp.noulotor (new) $400.00. Hiendrick Scout OX5motor, $800.00. Standard J -, (new) OX6 motor,11000.00. E. J . Bond, 609 Main St ., IIouston, Tex.WANTED-Three new Standards ready forOX5's, F. O. B. storage point, price must beri.ht . Also o o d pilot wishes position. Ardie

~ f t l l e r 632 . Main St., Benton, III.FOR SALE-New M. F. f 1 ~ n . boat, 3 nater ,,..ith nelV 100 H .P. ox 6 motor installed,ship completely tuned up and TradAfor flight0 0 . Address Box 685, c/o erial Age,942 Grand Central Terminal, New YorkCity.FOR SALE-M -F boat, nown 100 honn.Cut for four passengers-absolutely perfectcondition. Extra brand new Curtis. OXX6motor. Spare tail group, struts, wires, r.ro.pellero, etc . Will demonstrnte at any t me.Price $1500.00 J. M. Corbett, 35 Central Sq.,Somerville, Mass.FOR SALE-New Au.tr lan Daimler 250II. 1'. motor with magnetos ancl carhuretors$500 .00. Also new Austrian Hero 250 H. P .motor with mags. and carburetors $400.00. O.W. Pearson, Jr., Troy, Ohio.'SOO.OO.JN4 plane worth ,1200.00. Willtrade for good car or seaplane. ArthurCaron, 47 Bremer St., Manchester, N. H.

PROPELLERS-New OX5 Flottorp copper tipp, lIispano, Liberty, Curtis. Navy, etc.Single $10.00 each. Lots of 25 $4 .00 each.Parachute $50.00. Moore, 60 Richfield Ave.,Buffalo, New York.JN4D In .ood nyln. condition $650 .00. Willttach purchaser to fly. Erie Smiley,Seward, Nebr.STANDARD NEW MOTOR delivered 1100mil . . free $700.00. Jennies new $850.00.Wilde', Airplane Co., Charlottesville, Va.CURTISS SEAGULL-Equipped with C-6motor, used about twenty hours; mechanicallyrerfect; looks like new. Price reasonable.nquire Owner, 1308 Marine Trust Bldll.,Buffalo, N. Y.

The CANUCKa good plane at a right price

Every th ing forCanucks, JN4s and OX5 MotoraParts for Avros and Sopwith planes

Se rvice the best-Prices the best balancedWrite lor IiJt . or Jpeci/y your r equirement .

ERICSON AIRCRAFT LIMITED120 King E, Toronto, CanadaAERO DIGEST1922

AERO DIGEST began its "Buyers Directory" in October 1922. It had threeads for used equipment. Included wasa Curtiss MF flying boat without engine for $675.

FOR SALEN.w ' .F . FI,i .. Boat wilk o,,1 . ..,i ._ ' 1175.

8 0. 2. Aeronauli(;al Oi,e.1342 M.di A" . N._ Y Ci ly

ANS4LDO MODEL A_ 300 CSi . I A I.I T I Fl '7 .000.Addrell 80. 3. Aeronauti(;a l Oi,e.t ,

342 M. d l. . . . A . N Y ... .

1925By May 1925, there were four pages

in the "Buyers Directory" with 42 ads.Engines included Gnomes , LeRhones,Hissos and OX5s. Aircraft includedJennies, Canucks, Standards andThomas Morse Scouts.Logan's Bargains

, , . . lAH[S ' cl .. . r . ~ . _ "' MGTOIIS. iii .... ox, willi ".1Cllt l l., J J ' ~ D .. 111 _ IIlt5 1 .. ' OX)( 137'. N .,. 0 ." IS'. N J - I SlIo OU ,,, ... r.,. no . Nt .. lSi Jl h tIO$'.. ... II, Hh .... . tn .IU,,,,,, u HUO .. ,"a. .. . u. N Cll t11 11,.1M ' IH ' IN.D Too.. . us . . VIOl .1" 1300. N", I . I f t . y .(:''''' '' . 110'0 .d . , . CI,,,,'od , r ty 0 .......... ... 111'0. ".111'0........ J -I s ........ II , ... . H.... 1 . I 1 t ~ . I I t77 .S0. 21 .. ...Jo.,.IIU. 11011., ... u n . 11J1 to... OJU M.lor. S ~ O O MOTOR PAIITS . l ul Uhll lot .'1"" n",... " . . . . I nt,h, , : ,d nco C.1IOU",,"U lI t . $0


13/36

1932 1937By December 1932 there were fourpages of used bargains. The variety ofaircraft had increased from 1925.There were now Kinner Birds , GreatLakes, Fleets, Robins, Eaglerocks andWacos.

By 1937 the whole base of the usedplane market had changed. More than20,000 aircraft had been produced inthe previous 10 years and the Depression had seen a lot of aircraft changinghands .

BIRD 100 h.p., Kinner, latest type, total lime210 hours. Just top overhauled . Heywoodstarter, rate of climb, bank & turn, :air speed :: dock. CO t $43)0 to reproduce, neverdamaged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ZZS8MONOSPORT, Warner. offered and olwaysflown by original pnrcha er. 700 hours totalon h ip' motor h ,., s 125 honrs since factoryo,erh.u{. Ship rebuilt and recovered 1931.1 op .peed HO m .p.h. rants. ring. apeclal inItruments; never crashed .. .. . . '1751Used Planes

and EnginesFOR SALE : Monocoupe. Velie 85; thirty footwing, long oleo type gear, 300 bours, never cracked,always hangared. A bargain at $500 . Aljoe &:Stevens. Midwest, Wyoming.FOR SALE: Curtiss-Wright Jr ., licensed to August, 1933. New model Szellely motor, oversizeairwheels , compass; perfect condition. Owner desires larger ship. Price $510 . Municipal Airport,Montgomery, Alabema...

The used aircraft listings coveredeight pages and there were so manyentries that they were now listed in theclassified ads by make and model.There were 50 manufacturers listed inthe c1assifieds . The make that had thelargest number for sale was Stinsonwith 24 listed. Next was Monocoupewith 15 listed.

We have availablE I1 e llhip you arelnterellled in. Write 1111 for dellcriptionand pricell.THE WALZ CORPORATION

PHILADELPHIAOlnu'3rd Inlf Wutmorellnd

D A R G A I N " ,SPECIAL : Fairchild 2Z, Cirrus 95 hor.epower;Ucensed to May. 1933, NC 11'79. Two place, dualbrakes, w i r ~ for lights . In excellentondition. Wonderful for studenls. Price $1,175.F. J. Kirk, South LaneasteT, Massachusetts.

OX PARKS P - l: One year since major; Just reli.censed. Hartzell prop; turns UOO on . round. Extrainstruments, wired for night Oyin.: $1,495 . LeeSpruill, 3928 Manheim Road, Kansas City, Mo.

RYAN BI: Wright JS. ISO hours a ncecomplete major overhaul. Speed ring,lights. Rare .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . l,%5tWACO F: Kinner B S, 125 h.p. 15 hourssince top overhaul. Speed ring, m('talfront ro;; 10.1'. e n Kine. 07 hour s to ta l thne . l l i l . a n d engine , e ~ t r u heD v )lU1UJillg g ~ u r , rad io . . . . . . . . . 7:)00B-17-Il--:S PCLB. 'Vr lg lo t 450 h.p. en g in e .Fe,Y to ta l hour s ; eq u ip p ed 'wUh rudio , g ) ' ro , Kol1:tnulDa l t ime te r , nluuy ex t rUN s soo

; ' o ~ : ' ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ' . ~ .. . ~ ~ ~ ~ . . . ~ : p : ~ . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ : . ~ . e . r . f ~ ~ ~ ,18002 4 7 'K- I0 PCLM , tw o 5:10 Io.p. WlI .p . . . ' V r l t e fo r Deta i l ..lOO--Wus l . C enJ;::llle. Gyro, Ritchie COlllpa.tJlII,ruffin. n , n n ,' ("xtrns. Pl"rtt"ct .. ., nd l t lon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . O SOOC O N D O R S (3). Jtlodel T-32; S G R Cy c l o n e F- 2 en 000giues. SblplI In excel lent condi t ion , ench . . 20,- 2--14 PCI,III; t\Vo 820 lo.p.Cyclone. . 'V r i t e fo r D etn l l .DOLPHIN. ' l ' ,vo 'Vn sp J r . 300 h .p. engi l les . R n

1 : ~ ~ ~ . l ~ ~ r . r 1 . 1 ~ r ~ ~ ~ ~ : . I ~ . ~ ~ . d . .e . ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I .. ~ ~ . t . ~ ~ ~ ~ . I ~ 3:S,oOOPOLD. cen t e r section.. Conle t enarlne.CO"er ing fe,Y " ,ontl ls o ld . Exce l len t condi t ion . . " . " . . 850I{R-21 2I 'OI ,B. K i n n e r K-:I e",ouras in ce l Iu l jo r . Ship r ecen t ly ref inished, selui-ulr\\ 'heelM, 122:Sz.:..:.2 j"Oi,B. K i ' ; ' ; ~ ~ K ~ ~ ~ ; , g l ~ ~ ~ S j , I ~ j ; ' ~ t

r eco v ered nnd engine n l n J o r ~ d . Exce l len t condi t ion . . . . 1000M O n E L 2- - 2 POLB. I O nner KB-5 "nglne , w i t h 408hour s sillee I l e ' v . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12:S0S U P E R _ U N I V E R S A I ,- 7 PCI ,H. W a H p C en g in e .Sill. equlpl .ed as t r e lgh te r ; has rndlo, m a n y e:xtrDa. . . . 21:i05 - A - D - 1 4 PCLal . 3 Waap s . 420 b.p. Engines IDnJored,PCLiti: i i ' ~ ; ' ; ' t . : i ~ h p ,';Gi';';:is b o u n 8:100Blnee sh ip nnd engine o v erh n u l . Exce l len t condi t ion . . . 27 SOA MIL ' rO N H-4 5 - -8 PCI.M . WnHp B ~ n g i l l e , 84 hour s s ln eeagency over boul. Ship equl l .ped OM f re igh te r , boaradio , nlDny ext r na . . . . . . . . 27:S0E L E C T R A - 1 0 PCLIII, tw o 420 h.p. SB W . u p. lr ' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wri te f or Detnl laL O C K H E E D E L E C T R A , Model 1 0 - E - 2 W a a p S 3 H l englne81 300 totl1l bODrea Rutomat lc p i lo t , conl t tnn t apeedpropel lera, W este r n E lec t r i c 2- ,vny rad io , etc . Pr ice on r equea t

L t . " b . l : i ~ ~ U V G A 7 peL IU . WUt lp SD en g in e , control lablel . ropel ler . Ship und e , , : , l l l ~ co.ul.letel) uver hauled ,Sl .erry h l ~ t r u n l e n h h rndlo . Per f ec t . 8:S00L O C l i l i B E D V E G A - 7 PCI.31 . 4,750 gruK ... 'Vn ap 0 -1 en g in e ,Sl .er ry Inst ru l I lel lt s , rndlo . Ship o \ 'e r hnuled . . . . . . . 6000LOCIOIBEU V E G A - : I P C L ~ I . W a s p J r . 4()() " .p . engine ,10:1 blo ,ver , 0:1 COnllJressloD. S.err) ' IUl itruJ1lentlt. Shipnnd e n g l n ~ coul l . le .el ) overbuulet l ; In I .er tect condi t ion 8000NOIl ' r l i l lOP G A M ~ I A . N o w bel l lg co m p le t e ly r eb u i l t . S lml-Inr to " 'hlp uNed In b r e n k l n g trnJllllcontluentol recordM.A \ 'ul luble lellis c n g l n e nnd l . r o l u l l e r Wri te for DetaUaPILGll lA1 FIU' : IGII ' I 'BI1-Cyclune F-1 , 715 Io.p. engi l le , C O I I t r o l l ab le l . i tch 1.rOIJeJler; t tbip D O \ V bei l lg COnllJletelyr eco v ered , l i n m ~ DS ne 'v 'V r l t e tor Detai l .SI KOn SI { Y S - : lS- -Jus t o v erh n u led ' V r l t e fo r D etn l l .SII{OR SI{ Y S-311--Fnlr cOlldltlon . . . . . . . . . . 'V r i t e for D eta i l .S ' I 'BAIUIAN 4 -E 3 PO I .D. V n ~ p SC 450 h.p. en g in e , 100huur , . ",Inee ",uJor . ~ ( u n 7 extrulI . . . . 2800STEAIUIAN C - 3 - B - 3 P O L B . W r i g h t .1-5 ena-In". Ship a n den. ,due I .er tect condi t ion , ,vl th nlOIlY ex t r n . . . . . . 12:sGSTINSON A' , , - lO PCLIII; th r ee 240 h .p . LTc o m l n g s .Wri te fo r D eta i l .STINSON SR-5 A- -4 PCLlIl . I ,y co m ln g 245 h .p. el lg lne, 109hourM Idnce a g e n c y over haul . I nc ludes 2 p a r n c b u t eS T I ~ ~ ~ t ~ o ~ ~ ' ~ ~ ~ ~ r . r ~ ~ : 2 r 1 ~ l r ~ I \ ; , x : : ' ~ e ~ n ~ ~ : J : : : ~ t ; : ' : c " ~ ~ I I ; ' C . . 37(50Shll. a n d e n g i n e good condi t lun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27MTAYI , OR CUD J - : : - : : POLIII. Cont inent , ,1 A-40 en&"lne. 130bourM totnl tlllle . . . . . . . . . . 1300T R A V E l . A IR S P O R T S a I A N - 3 POI,B. W r i g h t J - 8 2110 h .p .en g in e . A II nell ' cO"erlng1 engine nlnJored. 1 ~ l k e De,.,.. 3:SOOT R A V E l , A I R D-40011--3 POI,D. ' V r l g h t .1-5 engine 14711'VACO C.lC--4 PCI,D . 'V r lgh t . , "-7 E en g in e . 200 h o u ntotnl ..... Ip Dncl en",lne t lnle. W e ~ t l , o r t receiver , ext r aa . . 4 ~ 0 0WA C O F - O - 3 PO .D. Jn co b a 2::5 h.I" 80 h o u ra to ta l t im " .Rndlo , "pecln l In. j t rument. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 7 ~ OW A C O R N F - ' V n r n e r 125 h.p. en" , ln" . Exce l len t eondl t loD 1700WA C O K N F - 3 POI,B. K l n a e r K-5 . 30 h o u n . I nee . h l p a n dengine overhoub: . Radio , Mteeroble tu lhvheel , ex t ra In -a ' r ument l t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1830

Merchandise Quoted Subject to Prior Sale and Change Without Notice

SRANDCENTRALAIRTERMINAL CHAS. H. B BB GLENDALE CALIFORNIAIn the East: Hangar No.7 Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn N. Y.VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13


14/36

((Getting from the ramp to the runwayis just the beginning o the adventure.))

by Mark Phelps4 SEPTEMBER 989


15/36

Young pilots old airplanesAll right. You people who grew upwith tailwheels can be smug about this .Heel-braking, S-tums, sticking and

throttling may come as second natureto you, but for an increasing numberof pilots these are foreign skills. Besides, modem airplanes have morethan just nosewheels. Docile airfoils,inboard stall strips and wing washoutare some of the improvements thathave made flying easier for later generations of aviators .

Still, younger pilots become infatuated with older airplanes . For themit s a matter of living aviation s greathistory, hands-on . Many of today s antiquers became involved because theairplanes are the ones that gave themtheir first taste of flight years ago. Forthe next generation of antiquers, how

ever, the appeal is not a personal memory, but a sense of preserving and reliving history. The goal is a noble oneand pursuing it should be encouraged,but sometimes those who do are illequipped to handle the equipment.Some historically valuable airplaneshave been tragically damaged or lost.It s important for the next generationto keep the antiques flying, but it s alsoimportant for those passing on theairplanes to pass on the skills that gowith yesterday s technology.As a nosewheel-trained pilot whohas been taught to manage a cockpit,I enlisted the aid of former VINT GE

IRPL NE editor, Gene Chase to introduce me to the skills involved indragging my tail. Besides havingnearly 300 different aircraft types represented in his logbook, Gene owns a

Taylor E-2 Cub and a Davis 0-1-Wwhich he keeps here at Oshkosh. Heflies them as much as he can, usuallywith the front seat occupied by someone having their first ride in an antiqueairplane. Gene s skill as a pilot is oneof those things that is taken for grantedtoday and will become a legend in thefuture. His patience as an instructor isa virtue I experienced first-hand.

We chose the EAA Aviation Foundation s Wag Aero Cuby for my indoctrination. It s a little heavy and theContinental A-65 is a little tired, but Ifound the airplane to be fun to fly anda good teacher. Gene and I started witha thorough preflight.

PreflightI had to force myself to rememberwhat it was like to preflight a Bonanza

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5


16/36

or even my simple little GrummanAA I-B as we walked around the Cuby.No cowl flaps, position lights, antennas, flap tracks, gear struts or squatswitches - not even a static port. Instead, I found some new hardware tocheck. Gene grabbed the ends of bothfront and rear spars t the wingtip andshook vigorously, "You can set up justthe right kind of oscillation that if awood spar is broken or cracked youcan hear it when you do this," he said.We followed along the back side of thewing checking aileron hinges andbellcranks, invisible on most modemairplanes, and checked all the strut attach fittings for loose or missing cotterpins. We examined the fabric of thefuselage for wrinkles that could indicate tubing bent from a hard landing.The brakes and tires looked good. Thelanding gear needed to be checked forstill more cotter pins and possible benttubing and, while we were on ourknees under the belly, we checked foroil streaks - a good practice with anyairplane. Back at the tail, we thrum 6 SEPTEMBER 989

med the bracing wires to see if theywere all at about the same tension andchecked the turnbuckles for security.A loose turnbuckle," Gene said,"could cause the wire to come looseand initiate flutter, which would be

bad." Gene has a way with understatement.Then we checked the demon tailwheel itself, in this case a Maule unit.The chains and springs of the steeringmechanism were secure. The hard-rubber tire looked good, with no signs ofthe wire core coming loose from thesolid rubber coating . The bearings atthe axle were solid. No play. With atire and wheel as small as this and handling such a large part of the criticalworkload, even a small imperfectioncan be magnified into a real problem.Buck Hilbert later told me, The tailwheel may be only 33 percent of thelanding gear, but it constitutes 90 percent of your control. Be good to it andmake sure everything is in goodshape." Lastly, we checked the attachbolt of the tail wheel spring. Shearing

one of these on rollout could make taxiing a real drag.The engine compartment offered nosurprises. The Continental A 65 is arefinement of the A-40 one of theearly horizontally opposed engines thatrevolutionized light planes. Updraftcarburetion , dual-ignition reliabilityand all that power What more couldthe modem pilot of the 1930s ask for?Except that someone had forgotten toput half the cowling on. I checked thewood prop for splinters just as I checkfor nicks and cuts on my metal propand Gene and I clambered in like twoshipwrecked sailors flopping into alifeboat.Gene offered me the choice of frontor rear seat for our experiment and Ichose the rear. I wanted to experiencethe blind attitude of a taildragger in itspurest form, and that's exactly what]got. I also learned that you shouldn ' twear clunky shoes when trying to flywith heel brakes. My vibram, hikingtread heels got hung up on the brakepedals more than once , not to mention


17/36

the tight fit of my feet between thefront seat and the sides of the fuselage.Other than that, though, the rudderpedals worked well, providing goodcommunication between the steerabletai lwheel and the soles of my feet( ... connected to the leg-bone, connected to the hip-bone , etc .). Geneprimed the engine until it wa s goodand "squishy" and EAA' s Director ofAircraft Maintenance, Daryl Lenzspun the prop a few times to get theo il unglued . With the switch on andthrottle cracked, Daryl twisted the propthrough again and this time the Continental awoke with a quiet mutteringvoice.

TaxiingGetting from the ramp to the end ofthe runway and vice versa is an afterthought with most modern airplanes.With a taildragger , it ' s the beginningof the adventure. First, you realize thatwhere you can t see is just where thenose will be in a few seconds, so goslow and S-turn to look out the sidewindows, one after the other. Thisteaches you to stay ahead of theairplane a bit. Just as well. It alsoteaches you to work with your legs andcoordinate with throttle. I was used toone throttle setting for taxiing onsmooth , level taxiways , but with a taildragger on an uneven grass strip, I hadto gun it to get uphill and over dale ,

Heel brakes can be tricky

his is the uby we used for the experimentwhile anticipating rolling downhill byreducing the rpms, lest I get going toofast Meanwhile, I concentrated onpositioning the controls to meet thequartering winds. To keep the taildown and the wings level on theground, you have to remember to holdthe stick accordingly . An easy way toremember - "dive away" from a quartering tailwind, "climb into" a quartering headwind. For example, with atailwind from the right rear, push thestick forward and to the left. Headwindfrom the left front ? Pull the stick backand to the left. This keeps the qu artering tailwind from picking up the tailorthe wing and, with a quartering headwind, spoils the lift to the upwind wingand forces the tail down.I remembered to maneuver near theend of the runway so that I could faceinto the wind , yet see the traffic patternat the same time. After run-up with thestick held tightly back in my belly (andmy arms getting tired), I was ready fortake-off.

Take-offGene told me to take a good look atthe horizon and memorize where it intersected the window from where I satin the three-point attitude. That turnedout to be one of the most important tipsI ve heard concerning flying a taildragger. I should have taken a Polaroidphoto of where the horizon cut throughthe window and pulled it out later for

reference when it was time to land .After lining up on the runway heading , I eased the power to the stops. Bythe way , I had no trouble adjusting toa left-hand throttle quadrant and right-hand stick after years of control-wheelcenter-throttle flying. The arrangementmakes perfect sense. Controlling theairplane with my feet was natural andI noticed that the rudder controlquickly transitioned from slow andsloppy to quick and sensitive as Ibrought the tail up. After a few joltsand bounces on the rough runway wewere airborne. The Cuby ceased to bea taildragger and became just anairplane.Here's a brief list of some checklistitems I did not have to comply with onclimb-out: Retract landing gear; adjustcowl flaps; reduce to climb power; adjust mixture; retract take-off flaps;change frequency and contact departure control; and finally , replacechecklist in door pocket. Instead, I wasfree to keep a lookout for emergencylanding sites should the mighty Continental quit and listen to Gene vainlyreminding me to feed in enough rightrudder to keep the airplane pointedstraight. This was my most profoundproblem with the Cuby and one thatGene politely assures me is chronicwith all modern-era pilots . I remembermy instructors telling me how I couldf l the slip and skid in the Cessna 150through the seat of my pants . I thought

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17


18/36

there was something wrong with methen, but I've talked with enough pilotssince who share my conviction. Modern airplanes fly so well without rudderapplication that you could fly a normalflight with your feet on the floor andnot tell the difference. Not so with ataildragger.Gene helped me steer the airplanetoward Earl Grunska's grass strip onthe north side of town. n between, Igot to sample open-window flyingabove green farmland. This brand offlying makes you feel more involvedwith the earth you're flying over. Having nothing but air between you andthe people, cars, trees and clouds addsa dimension that is missing in a cabinairplane, similar to the difference between riding a motorcycle and drivinga car. Just as I was thinking about hownice it is to fly this way, Gene put meto work. After a few gentle turns, wegot into steeper banks and stalls. Theairplane was easy to control and recovered from the stalls without effort .While I was concentrating on my turns,they came off reasonably well. On myclearing turns prior to stall exercise,however, when my mind was elsewhere, my feet fell lazy again and theball slipped and sloshed all over theplace.Then Gene pulled Dirty TrickNumber 3 from the Nasty InstructorManual (U.S. Gov't. Publication No.348692-B5) and reduced the power tosimulate a forced landing . I picked alikely field and congratulated myself

8 SEPTEMBER 989

on having selected a nice green onefacing into the wind (someone wasburning brush and I spotted thesmoke). Gene pointed out that we werewell within gliding distance of an airport, complete with hangars andwindsock and suggested that I amendmy plan accordingly. I had concentrated only on what was ahead of meand neglected looking out the side windows, or I would have seen the airportless than a mile off my left wing. Eggfaced, I turned toward the airport .Then we both saw another aircraftusing the opposite runway so it wasback toward the field that I had chosen,although Gene clued me to some pasture-pilot lore. I had selected a lushgreen field planted with beans thatwould have put us over on our back asthe stalks grabbed the landing gear. Amowed hayfield is the best to land inand alfalfa or corn is second best,"said Gene, "but dark green beanfieldsare not so good. You can tell the difference from pretty high up if youwatch the way the vegetation waves.Alfalfa flows in the wind while thelarge leaves of beans look different. Afreshly mown field looks yellow orgold . Try to find one of those if youcan."I cut my landing pattern toward ahayfield parallel to the beanfield andset up a high approach. Widening thelegs of the pattern, I was still high onfinal so I pushed opposite rudder andbanked into a slip. The Cuby camedown like a mortar round and leveled

nicely at treetop height before Genegave me my power back again andsaid, "Good job You would havemade that one okay."andingBefore I got a chance to feel smugabout my "emergency" landing, wewere coming up on Earl's strip and Iwould have to confront a real landing

on an actual runway . Gene offered tomake the first approach and landingand I felt relieved . After he slid ontothe grass like a piece of paper onto adesktop I started to worry again . Eventhough I had followed through on thecontrols, I didn't seem to have the feelfor this type of landing and when therunway disappeared behind the nose, Ifelt as though I couldn' t possibly maintain control. I did have the advantageof seeing how a proper approachshould be flown to Earl's and I havealways felt that a good approach makesfor a good landing. I pulled the carbheat on downwind and throttled all theway back abeam the approach end ofthe runway. The glide speed of 65 mphyielded a sink rate of about 500 fpmwhich worked out great for getting tothe end of the runway . The rest was upto me.I would have given a lot for thatPolaroid shot about now as I slid downon final between two telephone poles("The wires in between are buried,"said Gene). Instinctively I kept thenose low right down to the runway andthen flared, and flared, and flared


19/36

some more. Whump, whump and wewere down - then we were downagain - and once more. At Gene'surging, I held the stick tightly back,forcing the tailwheel onto the ground.Despite the bounces, the Cuby wasslow enough that it tracked straightwith little help from me. Before longwe had slowed to taxiing speed and Iturned around to do it all over again.

We made several landings at Earl'sstrip and some of my mistakes wereinteresting. Others were just dumb. Inoticed that the minute I ceased to concentrate on rudder coordination, myfeet went numb again . Gene pointedout that better rudder work would yielda snappier climb rate on take-off and,sure enough, when I centered the ballthe airplane gained more altitude in thepattern. t was a fairly hot day and Iflew my crosswind leg above a darkroad to ride some rising air. Genenoticed the trick and nodded his approval . He also noted after my secondlanding that the rudder pedals felt sthough I was pressing too hard . Justrelax and land the airplane, he said onshort final for the third landing. I tooka deep breath and, sure enough, theairplane seemed to relax a little, too. Iremembered a trick an old instructortaught me to avoid fixation on final .He had me wiggle the rudder pedals abit, shaking the airplane's tail as wedescended toward the runway . t gavea sense of control and diminished thatfeeling of riding on a rail down tothe threshold.I was beginning to feel more comfortable about flaring the airplane

enough that the horizon disappeared.Even though I couldn't see any better,I felt less out-of-control. I crosschecked my mental Polaroid picture ofthe horizon through the window eachtime I taxied and compared it withwhat I saw in the landing flare. It wasbeginning to become familiar. Set upthe three-point attitude at about 30 or40 feet in the air and just hold it totouchdown, Gene said. Holding theattitude required constantly increasingback-pressure on the stick with a corresponding increase in drag and lowerspeed. The idea was to get the airplaneto stall about three inches above therunway surface. It's a skill that requires practice .Gene said, You can land anosewheel airplane in several attitudesand it will work out fine, but with ataildragger you have to find the threepoint attitude and hold it. As speeddiminishes, the controls lose their effectiveness - first the ailerons, thenthe elevator and finally the rudder.That's why the rudder is the most important control at slow airspeeds,either in the stall configuration or onlanding.

t ,sounds good when all this goesinto words, but most Antique/ClassicDivision members, and a lot of otherpilots have read most of this before.What I learned from actually flying ataildragger was how to develop theskills required for safe operation. Booklearning goes to a given point and fromthere it'sup to the student to practicethe skills and let them mature . Duringthis exercise, I was reminded of my

feelings of frustration and anxiety during primary and advanced training.While trying to comply with the instructor's directions, there was alsosome of my own trial and error involved in the learning process. I hadto strike a balance between expandingmy learning envelope and maintaininga safe operation. I couldn't expect todo it all perfectly the first time, andmy instructor had to be patient and letme make my own mistakes without actually breaking the airplane or therules. That s where Gene's patiencepaid its dividends. If it were possibleto teach virtue, patience would be onthe list of required learning for flightinstructors.My personal conclusions about theexperiment center around the sense ofsatisfaction I felt with what I learnedabout flying tailwheel airplanes. tmade me a better pilot and I knew it.The next time I flew my own airplane,I was sharper and more attuned to theforces acting on it, even if modem design features minimized their negativeeffects. In short, I have become awareof the multitude of sins my airplanehas been covering up for me all theseyears.The little time I had with the taildragger did not give me the confidenceto fly one without further check-out. Ididn t get to experience the thrill ofcrosswind conditions and we onlytouched on wheel landings. If nothingelse, my experience gave me insightinto how much I didn t know. Evenolder airplanes afford some traps overand above those I found with the Cuby.Biplanes and larger cabin jobs sometimes had little or no dihedral and whenthe high-lift wings run out of lift, theygive up the ghost entirely, sometimeswith exciting results. My experiencedid teach me, however, that it doesn'ttake a super pilot to handle thesemachines. The skills can be masteredwith prudent practice and a wellthought out approach. Tailwheelairplanes do not require greater skills,only different ones and if you thinkback to your training days you'll remember the bittersweet experience ofacquiring new skills. The people whoget in trouble are those who feel thatexpertise in newer, complex airplanesbegets safe operation of older, moreprimitive types. Yes, the tailwheel canbite you, but if you approach it withcaution, it can improve your conventional flying and open the doors of his

he mom nt of truth rises up to m t you tory VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19


20/362 SEPTEM ER 1989


21/36

Story and Photosby ick Cavin

nless you are a Texan, you probably wouldn't know that the bluebonnetis the Texas state flower. You alsowouldn't know that in springtime thepicturesque hill country of centralTexas is literally alive with waves ofthese gorgeous blue and white flowersmajestically swaying in the springbreezes .

They usually bloom in late March orearly April, about the time all thoseincurable aeronutz are about at the absolute limit of human endurance withthe repressed urge to commit aviation.Just the idea of a row of sport airplanesgracing an all-turf airstrip under thewarm spring sun is enough to bringthem out of the woodwork in droves.Such was the setting for the annual f y-in at Deer Pasture Airfield, near Lampasas, Texas, hosted by John andGlenna Bowden.

Ostensibly, John is a rancher, butsome of the regular attendees laughingly accuse John of raising herds ofairplanes and deer instead of cattle, andhe smiles slyly when the subject comesup. What he really does raise, though,is a beautifully manicured north-southturf runway, some 2,000 feet long, thatis relatively unobstructed except for afence at each end and a low grove ofthe ever-present mesquite trees on oneend.

John's rambling ranch house sitsatop a low hill alongside the north endof the runway, overlooking his mansized hangar/workshop that looks bigenough to almost house a DC-3. Onecomer of the hangar has a full-fledged

restaurant, complete with a lunchcounter, chairs and large picnic tables.Naturally, there is a barbecue pit thatlooks almost big enough to drive apick-up in. You can make a bet that noone goes hungry at one of these affairs.

Like a lot of scheduled springgatherings, the fly-in can be almost aspiritual experience when the sunshines and gentle breezes blow. Oftenthough, heavy spring rains play hobwith the best laid fly-in plans of miceand men. Such has been the case several times with the annual Bluebonnet Fly-In. In 1988, the 9th annual,they decided to quit trying to outguessthe weather and scheduled it for thefirst weekend in October, bluebonnetsor not. The 1989 date has also beel setfor the first weekend of October, whichis also a pleasant time in Central Texasafter the oppressive August and September heat has subsided.

In case your memory is slipping aclutch on the location of Lampasas, it'sa small city about an hour's drivenorthwest of Austin and maybe a halfhour drive north of the chain of thelakes on the Colorado River that passesthrough Austin. Deer Pasture Airfieldis south/southeast of Lampasas, abouthalfway between Lampas and Burnet.

Lampasas has a colorful history,going clear back to days under theMexican flag. It was deep in hostileComanche territory until nearly thetum of the century when it becamequite a boom town and was quite alarge commercial and livestock center,with several railroads intersecting

VINT GE IRPL NE 2


22/36

An Ercoupe n the grass.

A long In thetooth cabin Waco.

A 40 hp J 2 Cub with ts full complement of baggage22 SEPTEMBER 1989

there. At one time it was actively beingpromoted as the site of the new statecapital. Like many such cities, though,it's growth turned around the other wayuntil it stabilized around World War IItime. It now has begun a steady newgrowth, due probably to its location inthe heart of prosperous ranches and theinflux of tourists and vacationers enroute to the Highland Lakes.

Deer Pasture Airfield is 16 milesfrom the Lampasas VOR on the 19degree radial, making it relatively easyto find in a modem airplane. Fromthe air, though, it deceptively blendsinto the low rolling hills and densemesquite and cedars.

John and Glenna Bowden's namehas been well known in antique circlesfor quite a few years. A year or soback this idyllic front yard and playpen was host to a steady stream ofvisitors who stopped to see the honestto-goodness, gen-yew-wine 1910 Curtiss Pusher that had been stored in threeboxes for over 70 years in Decatur,Texas. John had bought it from a surviving family member after years ofdreaming of owning it. It is now onpermanent display in the Albuquerque,New Mexico air terminal.

The ceiling of the hangar held astripped down skeleton of a BeechStaggerwing at that time and a WacoCabin was well along towards restoration as well . Some of his past restorations were on hand out on the flightline when I visited him to do a storyon the Curtiss .

His Challenger-powered CurtissRobin C l (NC82H) has been a familiar sight at various midwest fly-ins forseveral years now, arrayed in its authentic blue and yellow paint scheme.He has also fielded an immaculateChampion 7EC and Cessna 172 on occasion.

When I arrived at the '88 clambakethe first thing I saw was John's WacoCabin thundering along over the runway, making a strafing run for theflight-line photo bugs, a pulse-stirringsight, indeed. By late morning the lowscud had burned off and soon afterlunch there was a long row parkedparallel to the airstrip and a second lineforming behind them.

All in all, there were 55 airplanesthat were signed in as well as another


23/36

five or six whose owners forgot to register. Nine of that total were homebuilts, with at least two of these (MackKardy 's Wittman Tailwind and JimFrench's T-18) being almost antiques,both close to their 25th birthday. Bothpilots, though, qualified as genuine antiques, hands down.

John told me that several times inthe past their fly-in had drawn 90 to100 airplanes. A few transients enrouteto San Antonio from Dallas just had todrop in for a while and step back intime to savor the flavor of a grass rootsgathering of airplanes from the halycondays. One hard and fast rule at suchevents is that anyone daring to push amike button down was automaticallysentenced to a firing squad, or given20 lashes with a wet noodle.

The event's popularity is in part dueto its being a non-competitive gathering of the clan. t would be unfair topoint out one airplane as being headand shoulders above the rest, as therewere so many superb restorationsthere. Some of the craftsmanship seenon display there is almost awe-inspiring, and you can only guess at the hundreds of hours of methodical andpainstaking labor of love that went intothe final product.

There were seven eX-"military"airplanes on display, including fourStearmans, an L-19, an L- 3, and aHoward DGA-P. As you might expect,there were a considerable number ofPipers there, ranging in age from aTaylor J-2 up through J-3s, PA-22s andPA-23s, and even a homebuilt J-3 .

Of course, Cessna was well represented, too, and we saw just aboutevery model in their line of singles,the 120, 140, 150, 170, 172, 182 and180. There were also six Luscombes,all very well restored, Models 8Athrough 8F.

There were a half dozen Aeroncaspresent, Chiefs and Champs, a coupleof Bonanzas, plus a Taylorcraft, an Ercoupe, a Tiger Moth, a Funk, a Navion, an S-2 Pitts, a Mooney M20E anda Commonwealth Sky Ranger. Otherhomebuilts included a Flybaby, a VP1 and a Hiperbipe. When the ownerof a Kitfox present took the cowlingoff for all to inspect the liquid-cooledRotax 532 engine (64 hp), it drew acrowd of the curious. Most of them

eronca L-3

he L-3 s cockpit.

had never seen a modem-day twocycle aircraft powerplant at close rangebefore.

All in all, the collection of pristinebirds on hand let the spectators stepback in time a half century, with somemodem day homebuilts rounding outthe picture. The few makes that weremissing this year have been there atpast fly-ins and will be there again .

Now if the idea of all these rare birdsparked together on a beautifully manicured turf strip, along with the idea ofhangar flying with those of similar persuasion, gets your corpuscles to tumbling over each other, take John and

Glenna Bowden's advice and come ondown in 1989 for the 10th annual DeerPasture Fly-In. You'll also get to seeJohn's Beech Staggerwing, as it isclose to flying again .

The 89 event is scheduled for October 6-8. There are nearby motelfacilities at Lampasas and Burnet, orif you prefer to camp, you can do soon the field and there are bath facilitiesavailable, too. If you need more details , call John at 512/556-6873. If youfly in, be careful Don't touch thosemikes

John Bowden's address is Rt. 2, Box137, Lampasas, Texas 76550

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23


24/36

~ l o r ~ ~ e t e r s e n

24 SEPTEM ER 989


25/36

1--- -- Thelines of a sleek nace lle standlike a beacon above the rows ofairplanes . The pi cture is reminiscent of TH FLEETWINGSZack Mosley 's "Smilin ' Jack" ca rtoon STAINLESS STEELstrip which featured the same sleek SEA BIRD AMPHIBIONnace lle on vari ous occasions. Today Model FSwe are at Sun ' N Fun Fly-In at Lake (M odel F6 tIS Flying Boat)land , Fl orida. As we walk towards thehighly vi sible nace lle , the pretty lines P R ~ E LIST -SPEC!FICAT!ONSof a Fl eetwings "Sea Bird" are di scovered beneath the round engine . The SHIPPING WEIGHTSclassic look of 193 8 runs chills up anddown th e spine.Designed and built in the o ld Keys \one pl ant in Bristo l, Pennsylvani a onthe shore of the Delaware Ri ver, theFleetwings "Sea Bird" was unique inthat Type 18-8 stainless steel was usedfor much of the entire airframe , he ldtogether by electric spot-welds. Asnoted in the factory brochure, spotwelds do not add weight to the structure, hence , they can be very close together.A total of five production model"Sea Birds" were built following asingle factory prototype . Our subject Ca Mes:LEETWINGST eleph one:irplane , NC19191, SIN 102, was the IN C O R P O R A T E D FI EETW INGSURISTO!. 867 ]jrU STOLsecond production airplane and to BRISTOL, PENNSYLVANIA (PeJll1a., U. S . A .)UNITED STATES OF AMERICAgether with the prototype NC16793, SIN I , owned by Channing Clark in DistributorsCalifornia, are the sole remammgexamples in the world still flying .The owner of NCI9191 is BlakeOliver (EAA3oo I 00) of DaytonaBeach , Florida. Blake is a retired TWA Pri(c List No. Z Oece mbe r, 1936.pilot with over 13 ,000 hours of flighttime plus years as a flight engineer.

FLEETWINGS SEA BIRD AMPHIBIONAIRPLANE P ERFORMANCE INSTRUMENTS GENERAL- Coo d nued POWBR PLANE ACCESSORI ES

TQop5prt 0. 01 C, I""".. . . . . . .s..v.nHull Mat .. . I .. . . S, ..nle .. .)10.1 ........" En" n.- V ,, , D..\V'' 'l St....:tvr. SIa,nl.-o, I T aol W .... . ''''Ulable: , ... u" " " f h & ' , ~W,n, Cowc m,,, F.brIC I .xaLw,rh"""rboh . F.... ,,,, 0.. .. . 1 0.. .... .. . . .. .. 404"Em""' ....... t 0 1 C l ~ Sr.,nk.. SI,,1 Enr,n . Ik>r . lI 'd ~ 0 1 5v," XS" GUA RANTEESE..,.,...n ..... Co"'''''11 . .... . . FabrIC : ~ . ; . , , ; n f ; ~ ~ ~ ; ; ; ' ~ ~ n S ; ~ ~ ~ : . : ~ ~ E n ~ , ... O"pI.acnnonl lUI" " III. I. ...U ,r-d. ' .....I n'' '"' wilhon J" ,Cmlrol S .of..:.. SIa,nlcu S, .. and Fabr,.. Ene_ k alW HP . 2. AII"""'lhI. , ........nt""' with,n J''''F"' ... . ComP'ou! bnd .nlen J S I I I fl) "1I 1: Bo.n (onl)')' Th i, ,. duces tho " 'vrh, b. 200 round


26/36

Entire tallwheel assembly retracts Into hull and paddle-shaped Patented retractable landing gear folds Into the side of the hull.water rudder takes over during water work. Note fancy engine Note how the wheelpant s open on top (and bOttom) 50 It cantumed finish.

His aviation career really got its startin the U. S. Navy. If his name rings abell with some of you old timers, it'sbecause his father, the late E . B "Bud"Oliver (EAA 7911), owned and flewthe same "Sea Bird" for many years.Originally built in 1938 (The factoryprice was $18,500), Blake s Sea Birdwas used as a factory demonstratoruntil 1948 when it was sold to a doctoron Long Island, New York. After some50 hours of dual instruction, the doctorwas still not ready for solo, so he put

seal aga inst the hull when retracted. Streamlined wires have terminals Inside the hull with waterproof rubber fittings on the outside.

the airplane up for sale. Bud Olivernegotiated a deal to trade a Stinson 108Station Wagon and $3,500 cash for theSea Bird. Flying the amphibian homewas something else as the tired L-5Jacobs engine caused a forced landingat Washington's National AirportEventually, the Sea Bird wasbrought up to satisfactory conditionand Bud flew it to the EAA Conventionin Oshkosh in 1956. At that time it waspainted overall yellow with a bluenacelle with a yellow stripe. t was also

flown to the 1960 AAA Fly-In at Ottumwa, Iowa and the 1961 EAA Convention at Rockford, Illinois . Following these excursions, the Sea Bird wasparked in a hangar at Daytona Beachfor quite a few years. When Bud Oliverlost his life in the crash of a TaylorcraftBC-12D, the title to the Sea Birdpassed to his son, Blake.Taking an early retirement fromTWA, Blake began the long task ofrestoring the Sea Bird to its originalcondition . A new interior was in

26 SEPTEMBER 1989


27/36

stalled, painstakingly made from fabricalmost identical to the original. Allnew floorboards were crafted frommarine plywood and a new instrumentpanel, complete with modem avionicswas fabricated and installed. All o theold yellow paint was carefully removed and the metal was brought backto its original lustre.A 285-hp Jacobs L-6 engine o 915cubic inches (one o the largest nonsupercharged radials in existence)powers the Sea Bird using a HamiltonStandard constant-speed propeller. Theprop was sent to Dave Cash at U. S.Propeller in Vandenburg, Floridawhere it was overhauled and finishedin a satin anodized finish - a most attractive looking set o blades . GenuineHamilton-Standard decals were properly installed to finish the job. Blakesays you can easily spot reproductionHamilton-Standard decals - the company location, Windsor Locks, CT ismisspelledAccording to Blake, there is no shortage o power with the big L-6 Jacobsand constant-speed prop, however, heplans on a trip to the West Coast and onthe return, he will stop at Payson,Arizona for the installation o a factory-new 300-hp Jacobs R755-A2 engine. This new engine will be cowled

with a new Waco YMF-5 bump cowlas used on the new Classic Wacos builtin Lansing, Michigan. The bump cowlwill definitely return the Sea Bird toit's 1938 look and the new engineshould remove a few naggingheadaches In addition, the fuel bumshould drop from 7 gph to 4 .5 gph.The new engine will be about 150 lbs.lighter in weight, as well.

The wings on the Sea Bird were recovered in 1959 with Irish linen and6 coats o butyrate dope. They stilltest good today The tail feathers wereredone in Razorback some years ago.Blake feels this is a bit heavy and planson recovering the tail surfaces withStits HS90X, due to its lighter weight.Not one to tempt fate, Blake replaced the original Hayes expandertube brakes and wheels with a set oCleveland wheels and disc brakes, thesame size as used on the GrummanWidgeon. With a non-steerable, fullswivel tailwheel and a very high thrustline, the pilot needs all the help he canget during a cross-wind landing. Blakesays about 8 knots is the maximumcross-wind he cares to tangle with . Onengine run-up, about 1,500 rpm ismaximum before the airplane tips onits noseThe landing gear, which uses Ben-

Entrance to the Sea Bird s through thish tch on top of fuselage. Note foldingmet l steps on side of hull to reach entr-ance. Not too graceful, but adequate.

Blake Oliver explains the custom mooring ring built into the nose of the Sea Bird. It folds down when not in use.VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27


28/36

dix oleos, was built entirely by Fleetwings and carries Patent No . 2184260t folds into the fuselage for goodstreamlining and the wheelpants,which are horizontal when retracted,actually provide additonal lift in theair. A retractable landing light in theleft wing lowers of use. It features a200-Watt Grimes unit. Although thepitot tube is not original, Blake plansto replace it one day with an exact replica .Using Mother's Metal Polish on thestainless steel, Blake has managed todress up the 50-year-old airplane to

where it will really turn heads. Thestripes are painted blue as per originaland the bottom of the hull is done in aspecial two-part epoxy blue that willadhere to stainless steel. Blake reportsthe "stuff' cannot be sprayed and hasto be put on with a brushThe Sea Bird has excellent watercapabilities and comes off the step withease. t will make nice step turns atspeed and is completely controllable at

SEA BIRDSONATA

slow speeds, due to the water rudder.Perhaps the hardest part of a person'sfirst ride is watching the water go bythe window on takeoff Remember, ina hull-type flying boat , you are actuallydown in the water before takeoff. Thistakes some getting used te for first timeaviatorsWith a gross weight of 3,850 Ibs.and an empty weight of 2,600 pounds,the useful load is 1,250 pounds . Normalbaggage is 150 pounds and full fuel is70 gallons, enough for three and a halfhours at 130 mph. Blake reports afriend of his cruises right with him ina 200 hp Lake amphib .Back in his hangar, Blake has tailparts of SN 2 1 , which went into talltrees at Houghton , Michigan around1948. Number 203 and 204 crashed atFairbanks, Alaska and Alameda,California respectively . These remainsare owned by a man in Oregon whohopes to make a flyable Sea Bird fromthe remnants. Serial Number 205 , thelast one built, was flying a regular

passenger run from San Pedro to SantaCatalina Island when a rough-watertakeoff caused the bolts to shear on therear engine tripod. The engine fell forward and cut the two front peoplebadly. The Sea Bird was towed out tosea and sunk. This accident resulted inthe only AD ever issued on theFleetwings Sea Bird. The engine shearbolts require regular magafluxing.Each compartment in the hull has asmall 3 8 x 18 stainless steel plug witha wire loop soldered on top to allowremoval. This is for draining waterwhen parked on dry land. People whohave worked on the Sea Bird with itsrazor-sharp edges of stainless steelmaintain the drain holes in the hull areto let the blood run outBlake and his lovely wife , Ellie , aredyed-in-the-wool antiquers and enjoythe Sea Bird a great deal. We look forward to seeing them at future fly-insand perhaps, one day they will returnthe Sea Bird to Oshkosh and the bigEAA Fly-In

28 SEPTEMBER 989


29/36

IO1]n information exchange column with input from readers

by Buck HilbertEAA 21 le 5)P.o. Box 424Union I l 60180EAA Oshkosh 89

I m getting my batteries recharged .

d some vision problems - a cataractread let alone sit at the typewriof threw me for a loss . Finally,

I m ready to go again.Dorothy and I checked in here atof July and

of the volunteers - whatof friends they arese 30 or more dedicated EAAersin the world. The

I m.ersther - several from other countriesof

Well, my part in all this has been.'ve been very patient with me ,

of their displayof our dyed in the wool

antiquers hotly asked me why I wasworking on the Warbird section of themuseum when I was an antiquer . I hadto laugh because I appreciated his -prit de corps I explained to him thatthe quicker we completed the EagleHangar, the sooner we could get somereal airplanes on display in the mainmuseum. It s happened too . Witnessthe museum floor now graced with theErcoupe that Father Tom Rowland donated several years ago, the prototypeRyan SCW, the Aeronca C-3 Masterand several others. It s great to seethese airplanes out of storage and alsogreat to see the Warbirds with a placeof their own. I m really proud of whatour people have accomplished . TomPoberezny is the best He ' s a real inspiration to all the people who are working here. There's Pat Packard with hisgreat talent, Gordon Selke with hisdogged determination to GET THEJOB DONE, Bauken Noack with hisgenius for making things work, AndyCox with his beautiful silkscreeningand display titling and Betty Strehlowfor the beautiful flowers and landscaping. Hey, thanks to these people andso many others we ve got the mostbeautiful world class museum in the

universe. You can all be proud of itNow, all of a sudden, it seems, hereit is Convention time and there's toomuch happening . More people are arriving to help, airplanes are starting toarrive and I don t have enough time inthe day . The Jennies start to arrive andKen Hyde is bogged down by sloppyweather (Virginia is a long way awayby Jenny). "Buck, you take care of theJennies," orders Tom P. Well, I'll tellyou I couldn't have had a more choiceassignment. These guys are all special,as you all know. They may be modernday pioneers, but they are the salt ofthe earth . The eight-to-oners (eighthour's work to one hour's flying) gaveus the basis for the wonderful flyingmachines we have today If it weren'tfor these Jennies and the guys, andgals, who flew them, who knows ifwe d have anything flying today .Well, I really got my kicks whenafter a lot of assembling and riggingthe guys got to test fly . Chet Peek wasthe first off. He was very reluctant touse concrete for take-off but he did itanyway . Wally Olson followed, thenSkeeter Carlson and Bill Turner. [wishyou could meet all these guys. Wallyis the friendliest, easy-going guy,Skeeter, the eternal optimist, Chet always running for something and Billcramming his long frame into thecockpit and flying like a big pelican.

We finished up the test flights in therain, did our best to cover the Jenniesuntil it was over and then, thoroughlytired, dusty and starved (we d skippedlunch for the duration) we towed themachines back to the hangar and, at5:00 pm, decided to take the rest of theday off.Another place where credit shouldbe given - Daryl Lenz and his crewof mechanics and volunteers over therereally get it tossed in their Japs. Theystill handle the chore with the utmosttact. They get it all , our usual EAAFoundation airplanes, plus the aerobatic airshow types, and this year theyhave the Russian aerobatic machinesand technicians to cope with. Nexttime you run into Daryl or TedMossman, or Duane, John or Rich,take the time to say hello and pat themon the back .Well, I have to get back to work,but I just wanted to tell you ['11 see younext month and I'll have newlycharged batteries and be ready to go.Over to you,Buck

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29


30/36

Where The Sellersand Buyers Meet...25cper word,$5 .00 minimumcharge. Sendyourad toTheVintageTrader,EAAAviation Center

Oshkosh,WI 54903-2591.

AIRCRAFT:(2)C-3AeroncaRazorbacks,1931 and1934.Package includes extraengine andspares. Fuselage,wingsparsandextraprops.Museumquality!$30,000firm! Hisso 180-hpModel"E". 0SMOHwithpropandhubandstacks.Bestofferover$10 ,000.1936Porterfield 35-70, the lowest time Antique ever!Lessthan 200hrs.TTA&E.20 hoursonengine.$12,500.Notirekickers,collect calls orpenpals,please! E.E."Buck"Hilbert,P.O.Box424, Un ion,Illinois60180-0424.Piper PA22-108 Colt - 1962 remanufactured1988/basicairplane/ALPHA200. Asking$10,000/will consider "project" in trade. POB 2431, Oshkosh,WI54903-2431.(8-3)1940Culver Cadet- Disassembled,wingsrebuiltlikenew.Newnosebowl and brakes.OriginalA75Continental.$8,500.404/228-7818.(9-1)

1948PA-11-15- Restored inoriginalfactorycolors. 0SMOHC-90-8F, 1320floats,extendedbaggage, fish pole shelf (sleepon it), hoisting rings,newexhaust,McCauleyprop,wheels,850x6tiresand more. Appraised $25,000.00.Trade only forLA-4-2oo.Yours- or buymeone.RonOtto,AirSalvageofArkansas,501 /394-1022.(9-1)

PLANS:POBERPIXIE- VWpoweredparasol- unlimitedin low-costpleasureflying .Big, roomy cockpit fortheover six foot pilot. VWpower insures hardtobeat 12 gphatcruise setting .15largeinstructionsheets .Plans- $60.00.InfoPack- $5.00.Sendcheck ormoneyorder to: ACRO SPORT, INC.,Box462,HalesCorners,WI53130.414/529-2609.ACROSPORT- Singleplacebiplanecapableofunlimited aerobatics. 23 sheets of clear, easy tofollowplansincludesnearly100isometrical drawings, photosandexploded views.Completepartsand materials list. Full sizewing drawings. Plansplus 139 page Builder's Manual - $60.00. InfoPack- $5.00.SuperAcroSportWingDrawing$15.00. The Technique of Aircraft Building $12.00plus$2.50postage.Sendcheckormoney

Wanted - WACO UPF-7- f lyableorrestorableorbasketcaseorUPF-7parts.TomHurley, 8981 79Ave. North, Seminole, Florida 34647, 813/3936266nites. (9-3)We are rebuilding aStinson SM1-B.This isthesix-placeDetroiter1928monoplane . Interested inmajorcomponents,smallpartsand32x6wheels.Appreciateanyleads.DonaldFyock,R. D.2,AirportRoad,Johnstown,PA15904,phone814/5360091 evenings.(10-3)WANTED- LookingforaBourkeengineorinformationaboutsame.Contact:JayBlanchard,2411WalkerLane,SaltLakeCity ,UT84117,801 /2721071 .(9-1)MISCELLANEOUS:Super Cub PA18 fuselages repaired or rebuilt- in precisionmasterfixtures.Allmakes of tubeassemblies or fuselages repaired or fabricatednew.J.E.SoaresInc., 7093DryCreekRoad ,Be lgrade,Montana59714,406/388-6069,RepairStation065-21.(c/12-89)AVIATION JEWELRY, PATCHES; FREE GIFTWITH ORDER - WWI - present. Free catalog.Company of Eagles, 875A Island Drive, Suite322V,Alameda ,CA94501-0425.(9-3)Antique AlC Model Plans:"MeticulousDelineations" by Vern Clements EM 9297), 308 PaloAlto,Caldwell,10 83605.Catalog $3.00, refundable.(10-3)Airplane Hangars - Saveupto50percentArchStyle SteelBuildings. Factory clearance on 50 x40;50x50 ;60x60andothers .EX 50x40archesonly$3,620 .Universal Steel,1-800-548-6871 .(91)

E lRDIlENTUREMUSEUM.

Eighty full sIZe airc raftondisplay.See authentic1911 CurtiSS Pusher.areplica Spir itof st. LoUIS:sPOrt aircraftof the 20s.3Os. and405.'M>rldWarIand II aircraft.plusIhe advanceddeSignsandoutstanding workmanship of loday s homebu il t aircraft.See spectacularVistascapewide screenmov-ieIhatlilerally putsyouInthe cockpitof aP-51Mustang fighteror walkingthewing of anUPSidedawnbiplane.Somethinghereforewryone ewnaJunlOt'AViatorTheaterforyoungerguests.Uniquegiftshopottenngvideotapes. clothing,books.magazines.Jewelryandmuch more.Amerlca's finestsPOrt aViationmuseum.It'sexciting !OPEN 8:30 a.m.10 5:00 p.m.MondayIhru Saturday. :00 a.m.to5:00 p.m.Sunday_LocatedonWit1man Field .Oshkosh .Wis . just off Hwy 41 .GOingNarth exit Hwy 26 or 44 .SoutheXitHwy 44 .EAA AIR ADVENTURE MUSEUMM AviationCenler Oshkosh.WI 54903-3065Phone414-426-4800

order to: ACROSPORT, INC., Box 462, HalesCorners,WI 53130.414/529-2609.EAA AVIATIONOPPORTUNITIES WANTED:FOR YOUTH Wanted:CallairA2,A3orA4basketcaseorflying.HaroldBuck,Box868,Columbus,Georgia31902,404/322-1314.(7-2)

PARTICIPATE IN THESE SPECIALEAA ACTIVITIES DEVELOPEDEXCLUSIVELY FOR YOUNG PEOPlE!V EAA YOUTH MEMBERSHIPFull EAA Memberbenefitsfor only 18annually.V EAA PIIOJECT SCHOOLFUGHTBu ilding realairplanes inschoolsand youthgroups .V EAA SCHOlARSHIP PIIOGRAMProvidingsupportlorthoseseekingav iationrelatededucations.V EAA AIR ACADEMYAnintensivehonds--onsummeraviation experienceat thefAA AviationCenter inOshkosh.V EAA AIR ADVENTURE DAYSAone-day,hands-onaviation workshopfor youngpeoplepresentedatsites acrossthenationby EAAChaptersand clubs oftheAcademy ofModelAeronau tics.

EAA AirAcademy programs aresupported by the AVEMCOInsuronce Co.fOR INFORMATION CONTACT:Chuck Larsen,EducationDireck>rEAA AviationFoundofionWillmon Airfield E ~$hkO$h,W154903-3065Telephone{4141426-4800

C MLAJRPlANES BEFORE 194& en AlL WARBiRDS

- N-namher - Moiel -Owner- Date Built - Series ddress- MOlnubclurer - Serial # - Regis. DateMaster List in N -number ord er with cross-referenceind exes sorted by Make/Model/Series/Serial Num.

and Slale/City/Owner/Make/Model

M . ll chackor rnon. .crdar ttlrFLIGHTLINEPO Box 19047

$27pp800-842-1716VISA I MASTERCARDBalto., MD 21284 MONRY BACK GUARANTEE
http:///reader/full/25,000.00http:///reader/full/25,000.00http:///reader/full/25,000.00http:///reader/full/25,000.00


31/36

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

Custom quality at economical 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.Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors andstyles of materials: 3.00.

Q i r ' ~ R O D U C T S . INC.259 Lower Morrisville Rd., Dept. VAFallsington, PA 19054 (215) 295-4115Take the guesswork out of building!974 pages of practical, proven construction techniques for homebuilders

BY: TONY BINGELIS

EXCELLENT REFERENCESOURCE - MAKE GRE TGIFTS FOR THE NOV ICE OREXPERIENCED BUILDER -DON'T BUILD WITHOUTTHEM'

Information every builder needs, with all the right answers at one'sfingertips. Prepared by Tony Bingelis specifically for EAA andSPORT AVIATION, these publications are profusely illustrated withphotos, cutaway drawings and easy to understand descriptionsthat clearly resolve the most complicated problem. Invaluable material for anyone designing, building, restoring or maintaining sportaircraft. Order your copies today.SPORTPLANE BUiLDER _$17_95(Aircraft Construction Methods - 320 pages) SPECIAL OFF RFIREWALL FORWARD _____ .. 19.95 . ..order aU(Engine Installation Melhods - 304 pages) three for justSPORTPLANE CONSTRUCTION $52.97TECHNIQUES . ______ ______ ____ $20_95 Add $6 .95 postJgeand hand l ng (A Builder's Handbook - 350 pages) WI re-sldenlsadd 5% Stors. PAL, PAL-M PAL-N & SECAM also Available.

Very Smooth 1.7 oz. Patented Polvester Fabric Developed~ ~ ~: Especially for Aircraft Covering. * Poly-Fiber Manual with ~~ Detailed Instructions for Fabric Covering and Painting Aircraft :for Corrosion Control. * Latest Catalog and Distributor List.

~ STITS POLY FIBERAIRCRAFT COATINGS

P.O. Box 3084-V, Riverside, CA 92519: Phone (714) 684-4280"I";""""""""""""""""""""""

p.o. box 88madison, north carolina 27025(919) 427-0216

AWWAMEMBER

MEMBER

TANI( PAINTlNb AND REPA",NGSANDtLASTING. TANK LINUS AND COATINGSPREVENTIVE TANK MAINTENANCE INSPKTlON SERVICElAOOU SMHY EOUIPMENTRESERvOI' LINUS AND ROOfSDISMANTlING AND MOVING TANKSNEW . USED AND IECONDITIONEO TANKS

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31


32/36


33/36


34/3634 SEPTEM ER 989


35/36

by George Hardie Jr

Here's one for you raceplane experts. The late 1920s and through the1930s were the glory years in the history of air racing. The photo is fr9mthe EAA archives, date and locationunknown. Answers will be publishedin the December 1989 issue of VIN-TAGE AIRPLANE. Deadline for thatissue is October 10, 1989.The June Mystery Plane evidentlywas a mystery to many readers anddrew few responses. Casimir Greveraof Sunnyvale, California writes:

The Mystery Plane in the June 1989VINTAGE AIRPLANE is the X-IMahoney-Ryan Special or 'Doodlebug,' designed by Donald A. Hall,engineer on the 'Spirit of St. Louis.'Incorporating such advanced ideas asa flying 'stabilator,' no fixed tail surfaces and a gearshift control to changethe angle of incidence of the stabilator ,the X-I had a 90-hp Warner engine,was designed, built and test-flownwhile the Ryan B 1 Brougham was entering production and its teething problems were left unsolved.Test pilot Red Harrigan said afterhis first flight in the X-I that it was,'completely unrelated to any previousflying experience. ' First flown in SanDiego, California in September 1928,the X-I with a seven-cylinder, air-

cooled, radial IIO-hp Warner Scarabengine installed, was flown byLindbergh several times.Peter Bowers from Seattle, Wash

ington adds:The original powerplant was the83-hp, five-cylinder Siemens-HalskeSH-13 shown, but later tests used aIIO-hp Warner 'Scarab . ' The X-I wasintended to be a foolproof 'SafetyPlane' for the common man throughthe use of a highly unorthodox controlsystem. The span of the horizontal tail,which had no elevators, was increasedalmost to the point of becoming a tan

dem wing and was adjustable through

12 positions for different flight conditions. The rectangular wing had variedairfoil sections throughout its 27-footspan.To test his design over a wide rangeof center-of-gravity travel, Hall in-stalled a 50-pound traveling weight inthe fuselage . This was soon removed .The X-I demonstrated weird flyingcharacteristics that could not be overcome in several years of testing, so thedesign was finally abandoned.The X-I is sometimes confused withthe Doodlebug, an entirely separateproject built in Milwaukee, Wisconsinin 1929 as an entrant in theGuggenheim Safe Airplane Contest byJames S. McDonnell and Associates .References on the X-I can be found asfollows:RY N BROUGHAMS ND THEIRBUILDERS by William WagnerRYAN THE AVIATOR by WilliamWagnerRY N GUIDEBOOK by DOff B. Carpenter and Mitch Mayborn

The story on the McDonnell Doodlebug appeared in the February 1973issue of IR CLASSICS magazine.Other answers were received fromCharley Hayes of Park Forest, Illinois;and H. Glenn Buffington of I Dorado,Arkansas

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5


36/36

vintage airplane - sep 1989

Documents