The Magazine ofthe EAA Antique/ClassicDivision, May 1990

STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

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o
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by Espie HButch" Joyce
These deadlines seem to come closer
each month. It seems that no sooner am
I through with one column than another
is needed. It really makes me appreciate
how difficult it must be for our editorial
staff to put together a complete
magazine every 30 days. Sometime
when you have a spare moment you
might like to drop Mark and the gang a
note of appreciation. This kind of cor-
respondence is a great morale booster.
Sun'n Fun
I was able to spend a few days at the
EAA Sun 'n Fun fly-in this year. They
really had a great turn-out of people and
airplanes. Antique/ Classic Division
Chapter One did an outstanding job of
managing the AlC area. This chapter is
a good example of how the system can
work outside of EAA Headquarters.
There are also a number of A/C mem-
bers from all around the United States
who volunteer to help Chapter One
during Sun ' n Fun,just as they do during
the Oshkosh Convention.
EAA Oshkosh '90
Along this line, I look forward to
welcoming each one of you to EAA
Oshkosh '90. We expect to have an
2 MAY 1990
exceptionally good time this year.
We'll have more on upcoming events in
next month's issue.
White XS
The death of an airport is a subject
that has been on my mind for some time
and I would like to relate my experience
to you. My father started flying in 1936
and soon came to love both aviation and
aviation people. After World War II he
bought a farm outside of our small
North Carolina community where he
built a grass strip airport in 1946. Later
he built a house on this farm and we
moved there in 1948 when I was four
years old. I was born into aviation and
grew up the same way. A man named
Charles Bailey opened a combination
body shop and fixed base operation on
our airport around 1948.
Aviation in our community came
alive during the next couple of years.
Almost everyone was learning to fly . A
Gullwing Stinson was used for charter
work and instruction was given in J-3
and J-5 Cubs.
My dad opened a Studebaker dealer-
ship in 1949. We also had a tire recap-
ping shop and a welding shop in the
same building located next to our run-
way. Well, you can see the trend. The
town was getting closer.
We took on a Massey-Ferguson
dealership in 1950 (it was just Ferguson
back then). That same year, Charles
Bailey was killed in an airshow while
flying an airplane he had built. He
called it, "The Thing" and it had a 12-
foot wingspan.
Interest in the airport hit bottom from
that time until 1953/'54 when once
again the airport became a weekend
gathering place for locals. The field
was never again run as a fixed base
business, but was more like a social club
with everyone looking after each other.
We had fuel, but it was a self-service
honor system and the arrangement
worked great. My father passed away
in 1967. I was 23 years old and con-
tinued to operate the airport.
Then it happened, our first accident.
This accident took the life of an eight-
year-old bystander off of the airport
property. During the next several years,
the lawsuits flew . Finally, the one
against the airport was dropped, but we
had paid a lot of money defending our-
selves. Town was getting closer. A
new high school was being built on one
approach end and a senior citizen's cen-
ter was going up on the other end. We
were now within the city's corporate
limits. My mind was made up. I didn't
want to own this airport any longer be-
cause the liabilities were too great. To
make a long story short, I sold the
property to a manufacturing concern
some seven years ago. They have al-
lowed "Mayo Airport" to remain open
since then, but the word came today.
The white Xs go up next Monday. Al-
though I am not located on this airport,
I am sad that it will finally be closed. I
grew up there, I came to love aviation
and aviation people there. The
memories cannot be bulldozed away.
They will live with me forever.
Grass Airports like thi s one are be-
coming a rarity, so let ' s respect them
and treat them safely. Let's all pull
together in the same direction for the
good of aviation. Join us and have it all!

PUBLICATION STAFF
PUBLISHER
Tom Poberezny
VICE-PRESIDENT
MARKETING&COMMUNICATIONS
DickMatt
EDITOR
MarkPhelps
MANAGING EDITOR
GoldaCox
ART DIRECTOR
MikeDrucks
ADVERnSING
MaryJones
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
NormanPetersen DickCavin
FEATURE WRITERS
GeorgeA Hardie,Jr. DennisParks
EDITORIAl ASSISTANT
IsabelleWiske
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS
JimKoepnlck CarlSchuppel
JeffIsom
EMANTIQUE/CLASSIC
DIVISION, INC.
OFFICERS
President VicePresident
Espie"Butch"Joyce ArthurR. Morgan
604HighwaySI. 3744North51stBlvd.
Madison.NC27025 Milwaukee. WI 53216
919/427-0216 414/442-3631
Secretary Treasurer
GeorgeS.York E.E. "Buck"Hilbert
181 SlobodaAve. P.O.Box424
Mansfield.OH44906 Union.IL 60180
419/529-4378 815/923-4591
DIRECTORS
RobertC "Bob"Brauer JohnS.Copeland
9345S. Hoyne 9JoanneDrive
Chicago.IL 60620 Westborough.MA01581
312m9-2105 508/366-7245
PhilipCoulson WilliamA Eickhoff
28415SpringbrookDr 41515thAve.. N.E.
Lawton.MI49065 St.Petersburg.FL 33704
616/624-6490 813/823-2339
CharlesHarri s StanGomoll
3933SouthPeoria 104290thLane.NE
POBox904038 Minneapolis.MN55434
Tulsa.OK74105 6121784-1172
9181742-7311
Robert D."Bob" Lumley
DaleA Gustafson 1265South124th St.
7724ShadyHill Drive Brookfield.WI 53005
Indianapolis.IN 46278 4141782-2633
317/293-4430
StevenC Nesse
GeneMorris
2009HighlandAve.
115CSteveCourt.R.R.2
AlbertLea.MN56007
Roanoke.TX76262
507/373-1674
817/491-9110
5.H. OWes"Schmid
2359LefeberAvenue
Wauwatosa.WI53213
414m1-1545
DIRECTOR EMERITUS
S.J. Wittman
7200 S.E.85th Lane
Ocala.FL 32672
904/245-7768
ADVISORS
JohnBerendt GeneChase
7645EchoPointRd. 2159CarltonRd.
CannonFalls.MN55009 Oshkosh.WI 54904
507/263-2414 414/231-5002
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2448LoughLane 479Highway65
Hartford.WI53027 Roberts.WI 54023
414/673-5885 715/425-2455
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P.O.Box328
HaNard.IL 60033
815/943-7205
MAY1990 Vol. 18, No.5
Copyright 1990bytheEAAAntiquel ClassicDivision.Inc. All rightsreserved.
Contents
2 StraightandLevellbyEspie"Butch"Joyce
4 LetterstotheEditor
5 AIC NewslbyMarkPhelps
7 Members'ProjectslbyNormPetersen
Page10
8 Sun'nFuninPhotoslbyMarkPhelps
10 VintageLiteraturelbyDennisParks
12 Calendar
13 DoYouKnowMe?lbyB.J .Shoup
16 DutchTreatlbyWaltervanTilborg
Page16
22 RoughRiverlbyRonFerrara
26 ChapterCapsuleslbyBobBrauer
28 PassItToBuck/byE.E. "Buck"Hilbert
30 VintageTrader
34 MysteryPlanelbyGeorgeHardie,Jr.
Page22
FRONTCOVER...RudyKrens'StearmanaloftovertheDutchlowlands.
(Photo byBen Ullings)
REAR COVER...Ken Hyde getsa propfromCharlier<ulp.
(Photo byJimKoepnick)
Thewords EM.ULTRALIGHT.FLYWITH THE FIRSTTEAM.SPORTAVIATION. am1Mk>gos01 EXPERIMENTALAIRCRAFTASSOCIATIONINC.. EMINTERNA
TIONAL CONVENTION. EM ANTIOUE/CLASSIC DIVISION INC. INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB INC.WARBIRDS OF AMERICA INC .. are regist"ed
trademar1<s.THE EMSKY SHOPPE am k>gos 01 1M EM AVIATION FOUNDATION INC.am EMULTRALIGHT CONVENTION are trademar1<s 01 1M above
associations am!heiruseby atrf person olheithan 1Mabove associations is stfdIylXohiJited.
E<ilorial Policy:Readers are encouraged 10 submit slories am JlI'OO!1ap/lS.Policy opirjons expressed in ar1icIes are solely !hoseof 1M au1hors.Responsilility for
aroJr8CI n res1S enti'eIy with1M_or.Material should be sent10:E<ilor.The VINTAGE AIRPLANE.WIttmM Regional Airport 3000 Poberezny Ad..
cm<osh.WI 54903-3086.Phone:4141426-4800.
TheVINTAGE AIRPlANE(ISSN0091-6943) published amowned by EMAntique/ClassicDivision.Inc.01 1MExperimental AircrahAssociation.Inc.am
is published at WrtIman Rogional Airport.3000 Poberezny Ad.. Oshkosh.WI 54903-3086.Second Poslage al Oshkosh. WI 54901 amaddrtional
offices.MerrbershipraleslorEMAntiqueJClassic Division.nco are$18.00lorcurrenl EMmerrberslor 12 monIh periodofwhich $12.00 islor1Mpublication
01 The VINTAGE AIRPlANE. Membershipisopen10 allwho are in aviation.
ADVERTISING- AntiqueiCIassicDivisoodoesrotguaranteeorendorseanylXodt.doff"edIhrOl.9houradvertisil'9.Weinvrteconstructivecriticismamwelcome
atrfreportofinferiormerchandise obtainedIhrOl.9h our advertisil'9soIhalcorrectivemeasurescan be laken.
POSTMASTER:Send address changes 10 EM Inc. P.O.Box 3086. Oshkosh. WI54903-3086.
Derby do
Dear Mark,
Yesterday, we recei ved the March
issues you were so kind to send. We
very much appreciate your thoughtful-
ness . GREAT!' I almost had a "hissy
fit" I was so excited to see the fine
article Glenn Buffington wrote and the
gorgeous front and back covers. Once
again your picture displays and cover
were perfect. I know Dub, Sue, Eric.
Bill and all the gang involved in the
flight are as pleased and excited over
the recognition in your magazine as
Mom would be. I called Dub Yar-
brough last night to share the excite-
ment and he hadn't received his March
issue yet - so I described it to him .
A million thanks again for remember-
ing us.
Jim and Pat (Thaden) Webb
Leonardtown, Maryland
False Ford Funk
Gents ,
It's always a pleasure to get VIN-
TAGE AIRPLANE because just about
everything else is junk mail, most avi-
ation magazi nes included . I was very
interested in reading about Joe Funk's
experience with Ford conversions
(Vintage Literature, January). How-
ever, I am obliged to call your attention
to the fact that the Funk airplane shown
is not of the Ford B genre. It is a post-
war model, I think with an 85-hp Con-
tinental.
In reference to the Northrop Avion
EX-I (Mystery Plane, January): No
mention was made of the fact that the
4 MAY 1990
original landing gear was retractable.
It collapsed on the first landing (high
speed taxi run) at Muroc and was re-
placed by a rigid tripod gear. The top
photo on page 39 shows fixed , the bot-
tom photo retractable .
I was very sorry to hear of the pass-
ing of John Hatz, with whom I spoke
at Rockford and Oshkosh on numerous
occasions.
Cordially,
John Underwood
Glendale, California
Air King fling
Dear Mark,
I received my VINTAGE AIRPLANE
today and want to compliment you on
the fine re-write of the Air King mate-
rial (March) . You did a superb job of
re-arranging, adding to and subtracting
from the original manuscript. I was
glad you consulted with Jack Romkey
on the project as he knows everything
there is to know concerning the Air
King.
There is, however, one error in the
story and looking over my original
manuscript I can't take the responsibil-
ity for it. The Dole Air King was not
a monoplane. It was basically the same
airplane except that it was fattened up
to provide space for fuel tanks (not
enough, evidently). Incidentally, Steve
Lacy did get off the ground with the
Dole Air King from Roosevelt Field ,
Long Island in the New York to
Spokane, Washington race a month
after the Dole race . That is quite a story
in itself. Jack has all the newspaper
stories on it.
Again, thanks for taking the time to
salute old Shukri. He deserved it after
what happened.
Sincerely,
Jim Haynes
Bushnell. Illinoi s
Jack Romkey has several scrapbooks
full of his father's memorabilia from
which we hope to have more in the
future.- Ed
Split personality
Dear Mr. Phelps,
I own a Bellanca 7 ACA Champion
(N9165L) built in October 1971 but
later converted to a Continental A-65-8
engine from an Aeronca 7 AC. Does
my plane qualify as a Classic (replica)
under EAA-A/C rules?
Rowland L. Hall
Northfield , Illinois
Unfortunately not . Ask the fellow who
had 1955 wings on a 1956 Tri-Pacer.
When he tried to park in the Classic
area at Oshkosh, that "mean old" Art
Morgan told him he could leave his
wings there, but would have to taxi the
fuselage down to transient parking -
or so the legend goes. - Ed.
Classic appetite
Dear Editor,
I'd like to renew my membership to
the AIC Division. Please find my en-
closed check. Just a note of interest
and observation. I'd like to see more
input and articles on the Classic section
of our association. Antiques are great
and I love 'em. We have to appreciate
them and the people able to put time
and money in them to preserve them.
Classics, as we term them, fit into a
different and larger segment of avia-
tion. There are a bunch of them! We
fly them. We use them daily as their
availability can make the difference
between a passive aviation enthusiast
and an active aviator. We need active
aviators. Classic owners need the sup-
port of others who are rebuilding and
restoring birds that just sit on airports
around all of us . I see Cubs , Champs,
Tri-Pacers, T-Crafts , Cessna120s ,
140s, 170s, early model l72s and
others that look like they would like a
new lease to fly. Again, I say the an-
tiques are great. If r could afford the
lUXury I would own one, but the far
greater number of Classics out there
should tell us that these are the planes
thatarepartofmoreofourlives. Many
of us would like to see this "half' of
the AlC Division promoted more by
articles in VINTAGE AIRPLANE.
When we think back, probably the
most enjoyable flight we ever made
was in aclassic,becausethatwaswhat
was available.
Tom Wadsworth
Roswell, New Mexico
Door man
Dear Editor,
OurEAAChapter54is currentlyre-
building an early I940s vintage
Taylorcraft L-2B.We are havingdiffi-
culty locatingdrawingsto fabricate the
dooranddoorframe assemblies.Ifyou
could help us out in this matter we
would be most appreciative. You may
contact me either by phone (614/422-
2202); FAX (612/422-2940); ordirect
mail at 1543 North Oxford Street, St.
Paul, Minnesota 55117.
Sincerely,
Kevin Sislo
St. Paul, Minnesota
Marchon
Dear Mark,
A few observations and comments
ontheMarchissueseemtobe inorder.
In "Aero Mail" on page 4 there is a
letter from Harry Gann about the
Northrop"Gamma."When we havean
authority such as Mr. Gann writing
about early Douglas and Northrop his-
tory, then we'll never be in trouble
about the facts ofour heritage.
Then in 'TimeCapsule" on page 8,
the upper left hand photo caption
states, "this photo is late 1920s vin-
tage." Sorry to be a thorn about this,
but that picture was taken at the 1939
National Air Races in Cleveland,
Ohio. In the background there is aline
of trees. These were located in the
city's Metropolitan Park on the west-
ern boundaryofthe airport. In front of
the trees is a white band at ground
level. The band is the perimeterchain-
link fence. During the races, the fence
was covered by white canvas with the
SOHIO (Standard Oil of Ohio) logo
spaced out aboutevery 50 to 100feet.
If mymemory isn'tfaulty, thatCurtiss
Pusherwas flown in acomedy routine
by the greatCanadianpilot, DickGra-
nere while his son Dick, Jr. flew a
Bleriot.
Next is the Air King article (page
14). You mention Claude Flagg' s as-
sociation and the part he played in that
organization on page 15 and again on
page 19. He was a fine gentleman and
our good neighbor and friend. I am
sure that his many friends applaud the
fact that he is still remembered with
high regard. Thank you!
Lastly, let's look at the lowerphoto
on page 27 (1929 Air Derby). Some
readers might like to know that Mrs.
Henderson was widely recognized for
her talent as silent screen star, Marion
Marsh before she and Cliffwere mar-
ried. As she is such a refined lady,
she'd nevertell you that. So it's up to
us to toot a hom for her. Dub Yar-
brough deserves a great deal ofcredit
for his relentlesssearch for that partof
aviation history and then spending the
time and money to restore the Travel
Air. The crowning achievement was
the re-creation of its moment in his-
tory. I regret missing that magic mo-
ment - seeing Susan Dusenbury in
flight. Thanks to Mr. Buffington we
can at least read about the facts.
I hope that you and all the good
people at Headquarters are well.
Thanks for a very interesting issue.
Cordially,
Ted Businger
(EAA 93833, AlC 233)
Evening Shade, Arkansas
C)ews
Compiled by
MarkPhelps
Thank you, Dan Neuman
Afterservingon the Antique/Classic
Division Board of Directors for five
years, Dan Neuman has resigned. Dan
started in aviation as a teenager work-
ing in the Stinsonfactory in Michigan.
He became a corporate pilot and flew
aSikorskyS-38 flying boatlaterflying
for Northwest Airlines from which he
has since retired. Dan has restored a
number ofantique aircraft including a
Siemens Waco that now hangs in the
terminal building at Wold-Chamber-
lain Field (Minneapolis-St. Paul Inter-
national), a Buhl Pup and one ofthe
Jennies(nowownedbyKermitWeeks)
that flew at EAA Oshkosh '89. EAA
President Tom Poberezny said, "We
thank Dan for his dedication and sup-
port as a Director of the Antique/
Classic Division and his service as an
advisor before that. Dan will continue
to be active in EAAand the division's
activities in the future."
D.B. Cooper 727 retired
In 1971, D.B. Cooper jumped into
world-famous anonymity (an approp-
riate oxymoron) after commandeering
a Boeing 727 and demanded $200,000
in $20 bills and four parachutes (he
threatened to force a crewmember to
jump with him in one ofthe chutes to
ensure that they weren't boobytrap-
ped). After he baled out of the rear
door of the Boeing on a flight from
Seattle, Washington to Portland, Ore-
gon, no trace ofCooperorthe money
has ever been found. Now, the 727
from whichhejumpedhasbeenretired
and will be dismantled for parts in
Greenwood, Mississippi.
MERFl'slaw
In the story "Culver Cum Laude"
(January)theMidEastRegionalFly-In
(MERFI) was incorrectlyreferredto as
the "Murfee" fly-in in Marion, Ohio.
How that happened I'll never know.
-Ed.
Dole Air King
In the story on Glenn Romkey,
Shukri Tannus and the "Air King"
(February)it wasincorrectlystatedthat
the National Airways System entrant
in the Dole race was a monoplane. It
was in fact a biplane, a modified ver-
sion ofthe "AirKing" widened to ac-
commodate the additional fuel tanks.
Thanks to Jim Haynes for writing and
flagging the error.
ACatIII Funk?
The following message came from
Phil Vogt ofWestSt. Paul, Minnesota
to the Funk Aircraft Owners Associa-
tion's newsletter, the "Funk Flyer."
"Someyears ago, a local Funk pilot
- I seem to have forgotten his name
- tookoffoneveryearlymorningthat
hadheavypatchesofgroundfog incer-
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
tain areas. Hisgastank wasnot full so
he headed for a nearby small airport
that had 80-octane fuel. As he drew
near, he found only about 100 feet of
runwaypeekingoutfrom thedensefog
that covered all else. The temptation
was just too much . With a mean
chuckle, he chopped power and came
around to make a very cautious slow
approach to this openend. He touched
down softly and immediately rolled
into the fog . Visibility ahead wasonly
10 to 15 feet butthe markersgoing by
hi s left window helped him to stay on
the runwayand roll to asafestop.Now
for full effect , he flipped on hi s poor
little nav light s and began to feel hi s
wayin averyslowtaxitowardsthegas
pump.
" He stopped and shut down the en-
gine. Stepping nonchalantl y out in
front of several shocked pilots who
stood in the fog with their mouths
hanging open down to about their
knees, he calml y began to pump gas
intohi sairplane .Anolder ,highl y-skil -
led local pilot stepped forward and
asked, ' How in the hell did you do
that ?'
"The unknown pilot , keeping a
straight face with some difficulty re-
plied, ' You mean you've fl own all
these years and still don' t know how
to land in fog?'"
Travel Air
The EAA Aviation Foundation's
Travel Air E4000 is undergoing some
work in preparation for its return to
flying status. Tracy Johnson is cur-
rently adding tape to the lower wings
and the upperwings are next to be co-
vered in Stits. The fuselage fabric is
still punching strong and the Wright
J-6 engine was given a top overhaul
withinthe lastthreeyears. Tracyhopes
theTravel Airwillbeflyingsometime
this summer.
EAA SUN
'NFUN 1990
AWARD WINNERS
Antique Classic
AJRCIWT NNUMBER OWNER(S VADDRESS AJRCIWT NNUMBER OWNER(SVADDRESS
GRAND CHAMPION Luscombe Phantom N27'l:1 DougCombs &linda Gamble, GRAND CHAMPION C14OA N9633A Jock Shahan. 5353 Antelope
Box 6613, Incline V1l1age, tw Lane,Stone Mountain. GA
89450 30087
RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION Spartan Exec N47W No,Canaan Aviation, BEST RESTORED UP TO 100HP Aeronca7AC NC82650 Xen Motsinger, 955 Gabriel Rd.
No,Canaan,CT 06018 Cayce,SC 27033
GOLDEN AGE 1927 Eortler WacoGXE N4453Y John Stilley, P,O, Box 1808, BEST RESTORED 101165HP Belkmco NC27284 Bill Scott,5650 Stigall Rd.
Cape Canaveral. fL32920 KernefSllille,NC 27284
SILVER AGE 1928-1932 New Standard D25 NC930V John E. Thomson,604 Camellia BEST CUSTOM 101165HP 108 N9338K Mike Meyers.3806 Towanda
Ave. Ellenton,fL34222 Rd. Alexandria. VA 22303
CONTEMPORARY AGE fairchild24R NC77695 Jomes Coolbaugh, 205 N, BEST CUSTOM OVER 165HP Swift N80555 ScottAnderson.2781 NE 7tIh St.
19331945 Sheridan Ave. Deland.fl32720 Pompona,fL
BEST CUSTOM 8oeingA75 N302DR Homer Mobile,AI. BEST OF TYPE C195 N195MV Joseph Rowe Jr. 776 Nortolk
BESTlW{lt ERA Cessna T50 AT178 N69072 Jomes Kramer,11275 'Mngfoot Pine Ln. VeroBeach. fL32963
Dr. Boynton Beach. fL33437 BEST OF TYPE C17OA N1773D Bob Inscoe,2031 Santa
BEST B1PlANE WacoQCf2 N11440 John p, Mortin & Jimmy Ray, Rd. Orlanda,fl 32806
6719 KingsmoorWay, Miami BEST OF TYPE Luscombe8A N45504 James B, RI, 3, Box 389
fL 33014 Cartihage,NC 28327
BEST MONOPlANE Howard DGA 15P NC22423 fred J, Kirk. 2888 NE 26th St" lADtES CHOICE C170 N2592D Warner Sweet. p,O, Box 307,
ft.Lauderclale,fl33305 Wakefield. Rt 02880
BEST OPEN COCKPIT Ryan PT22 N59418 Larry W.Lee,3036 Wallace OUTSTANDINGAJRCIWT Aeronca 15AC N1459H Richard folsom 635 Coral Dr.
Circle, Affanta,GA 30339 Nokomis. fl34275
BEST CABIN HowordDGA N66294 florida Airmoffve Inc. 2633 OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT Piper J.3 N3244N Joan Peters. 2336 Ookleaf Ln.
Lantana Rd"Lantana,fl33462 Kissimmee,fl34744
OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT WacoUPf7 N32158 Tom flock p,O, Box 166,US 41 N, OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT PiperJ.3 N87881 'Mheeier, 4410 Camino
Rockvi lle, IN 47872 Real, Sarasota, fL34433
OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT WacoUPf7 N29328 Steve Brown. 6050 Clinton Rd" OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT Stinson N389C Butch Walsh, RR1, Box 306A
Terre Haute, IN 47805 Arrington. VA 22922
OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT WacoUPf7 N29943 Dole Cunningham. RR 1. OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT Super Cub NC1038A Dawson Ransome,8m Sf
Box 489,Rockville, IN 47872 72nd Ave. Leeward Ai r Ranch,
OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT N8471 Bob Hedgecock, RI, 3, Box 324, Ocola. fl32671
Bomesville, GA 30204
OUTSTANDING AJRCIWT Stearman N5592L Jerry Stadtmiller,5500 NW
21 Terr,20H, ft. Lauderclale,
fl33309
Sun 'n Fun Grand Champion Antique. Sun 'n Fun Grand Champion Classic.
6 MAY 1990
MEMBERS'PROJECTS
byNormPetersen
This deHaviliand Tiger Moth, PH-III, SIN Nl-
917, was built by the Morris Motor Com-
pany in England in 1943, being placed in
an RAF training squadron. In 1948, it saw
service at RAF Cranwell, using numbers
FAF-K and FEI-D. Placed on the civilian
market in 1954, it sold for 81 pounds! In
1955, it was sold to a priest in Germany who used it to cover his remote parishioners under the registration of D-EDEM. In the 1960s,
it pulled gliders at Golnhauser along with advertising signs. By the 1970s, it fell into disuse and was stored until 1978 when it was sold
in Holland. The second Dutch owner lovingly restored the old biplane by 1983 and flew it some 50 hours over the next six years.
On December 16, 1989, a young Dutch pilot named Marien van Schie bought the Tiger Moth and is now in the process of learning
to fly a biplane taildragger. On the first flight, the engine quit at 200 feet! However, Marien reports, "The plane feels fantastic, it is
aerobatic, but is hard to land or start with a strong cross wind. However, flying in the air towards the sunset with the exciting sound
of the engine, is an experience hard to forget. I cannot imagine that I will ever sell the plane."
Marien van Schie poses in front of his deHaviliand Tiger Moth, PH-III, based at lelystad,
Holland.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
'90
Phocos by
Mark Phelps
When Don Luscombe designed the Model 8 he made the firewall round in case
those "new" flat engines didn't work out. John Korlovich decided to see how the
airplane could have looked with a Ken Royce engine.
Ed Sweeney and his Aerocar in their natural habitat - surrounded by admirers.
8 MAY 1990
Larry Lee and son,
Darius apply elbow
grease to their blind-
ing PT-22.
Not all the beauties were on the flight line. This shiny Luscombe turned up in the
camping area.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
AVIATION STUDY - 1930
The Curtis Publishing Company had
given editorial support to aviation in the
pages of its magazines since 1920. Its main
publication, SATURDAY EVENING POST,
had presented more than 66 articles and
stories about aviation between 1920 and
1930. Authors for these articles included
William B. Stout, ' Five Falacies of Avia-
tion"; Brig. General William Mitchell ,
"Aircraft Dominate Seacraft"; and Juan de
la Cierva, "A New Way to Fly." Curtis
publishing also covered aviation in its other
publications, LADIES HOME JOURNAL
and THE COUNTRY GENTLEMAN.
The advertising department of Curtis
Publishing Company did a survey of avia-
tion in 1929. The department decided that
collecting current statistics would be futile
because of the rapid change in the industry.
It seemed clear to them that whatever con-
tribution they might be able to make to avi-
ation would need to take the form of a study
of the underlying trends and the special re-
quirements of the industry.
To this end, in July, 1929, Curtis bought
a new Ford 4-AT Tri-Motor
with which to tour the United
States and gather data. This
Ford, serial number 62, regis-
tered as NC-8400, was powered
by three 300-hp Wright J-6 en-
gines. The plane was fitted as
a flying office and the company
hired Lieutenant A. W. "Jake"
Gorton of the US Navy as the
pilot. Jake Gorton was a three
year veteran of the Navy's rac-
ing team and was the first pilot
to hook a Vought UO-I on the
airship LOS ANGELES.
THE TOUR
From July II , 1929 to Janu-
ary 15, 1930, with representa-
tives of the Commercial Re-
search Division, the Curtis Ford
flew 207 hours and covered
about 20,387 miles. During the
tour the representatives of Cur-
tis interviewed leading manu-
facturers, distributors, airport
managers and other leaders in
aviation. Also, in order to as-
certain the attitudes of owners
and prospective owners of air-
planes, they sent out two mail
questionnaires. One question-
naire was sent to all listed own-
ers of aircraft and the second to
students enrolled in aviation
schools.
At the time of the study there
were 12,363 civil aircraft in the
10 MAY 1990
LIb.-a 0 '/
m.-ed().-
United States and 9,973 pilots . During
1929 the aircraft industry produced 3,542
civil aircraft.
The results of the study were presented
in a book called: THE AVIATION INDUS-
TRY, A STUDY OF UNDERLYING
TRENDS which was published in 1930.
Comments from the book follow.
POTENTIAL MARKET
"We have confidence that the aviation
industry will develop into a large and sound
industry . This confidence is based on two
facts. First, the idea of air travel is sound.
Air travel is certainly the quickest, we be-
lieve can be made the most comfortable
and, ultimately , we think probably will be
the least expensive method of long-distance
travel.
"Second, the industry in all its phases is
manned by young men with enthusiasm and
with faith in the future of the industry. En-
thusiastic service appears to be more true
of aviation than of any other form of trans-
portation .
" We believe a day will come when over
the main airways connecting large cities,
frequent planes with capacity for 20 or
more passengers will pass on regular
schedules well loaded with passengers,
mail and express."
They also stated that the smaller cities
will be serviced with smaller planes acting
as feeders for the larger lines.
PRIVATELY OWNED PLANES
The editors believed that the number of
individuals using privately owned planes
for sport and for business would steadily
increase. " Many men find a joy and exhil-
aration in flying. Those who own planes
find much possible in week-end trips for
pleasure and in quick trips to distant points
for business appointments which otherwise
would not be practicable.
"We believe that even under present con-
ditions there will be a steady growth of the
market for individually owned planes, but
so long as the price of planes remains near
the 1929 level and the cost of
learning to tly is several
hundred dollars , the market for
individually owned planes for
pleasure purposes is limited."
CRASH OF 1929
The book stated that 1930
would prove to be a crucial year
for aviation. Before the stock
market crash, the thrill the pub-
lic received from Lindbergh 's
tlight had been converted into
an enthusiastic woting for avia-
tion . Cities had appropriated
large sums for airports, the
public had invested in aircraft
company stocks, people gathered
at airports for holiday after-
20.381 MILES FLOWN IN 201 HOURS
noons and paid admission to air
ROUTE OF THE CURTIS PLANE IN AVIATION STUDY
meets .
JULY n, 1929-JANUARY 15, 1930
After the crash, when the
winter season of 1929-1930
came on, production slowed
down and it looked like few
manufacturers or transport com-
panies could show profits . The
editors asked "How real is the
aviation industry'1"
They answered: "We are not
disturbed by winter gloom. In
ever year of the earlier period
of the automobile industry
came despondency at times ap-
proaching despair. But as the
days began to lengthen , hopes
began to rise and by spring the
industry was once more in full
PREFERENCE OF OWNERS
COMMERCIAL AND COMBINED
NUMBER OF PLACES OBIN OR OPEN
TYPE OF PLANE TYPE OF WINGS
HOI/! Many Hour] UJtd Annually?
A majority usc the plane less than 300 hours annually.
Non-
Commercial
p"
uot Commercia l
p"
u"
] SO hours or less . 202 37.6 80 12.3
151- 300 hours 221 41.2 252 388
301 - 500 hOllrs 64 11.9 177 27 .3
501 - 800 hours 30 56 93 14 .4
801 - 1200 hours . 19 3.5 32 49
Over 1200 hours I .2 15 2.3
Total
537 100.0 649 100.0
Owners in the lower income group usc their planes less than those in rhe
higher income group.
In What Year Did You uarn to Fly?
A substantial majority of non-commercial owners and more than 45 per
cent of commercial owners have learned to fly in the past three years.
p" p"
Noo-Commcrcial un! Commercial un!
1927-1929 . 321 57 .0 233 45 .5
1924- 1926 . 95 16.9 108 21.1
1920-1923 . 52 9.2 69 13 5
1914- 1919 . 82 14.6 96 18.7
Before 1914
13 2.3 6 1.2
Total 563 ]00.0 512 100.0
swing. A similar period of gloom is likely
to be an annual affair in the aviation indus-
try and the present gloom in no way dis-
courages us . There is, however , one di s-
quieting thought. Public enthusiasm has not
been convened into personal flying. To
maintain popular interest we believe this
must be done. Hence , 1930 seems to us a
crucial year, for we doubt whether popular
interest in aviation - willingness to pay
taxes for airpons and to forego dividends
on investment - can be long continued
unless it is shown that the general public
will take to flying ."
RACING
The authors of the book felt that though
air racing and stunt flying was imponant in
the initial stages of the aviation industry to
show what the product could do, it was
now a time when such activities would ren-
der diminishing returns.
"People know what airplanes are like,
they know that they can cross the continent
in hours instead of in days, they know that
the ocean has been crossed by a plane, they
have pretty well exhausted their thrill out
of watching dare-devil feats; they will still
pay admission to see more dare-devil feats ,
but these do about as much good to aviation
as the crash of railroad engines at the fair
grounds did for rai I passenger traffic. "
QUESTIONNAIRES
The results of the questionnaires that
were sent out to the aircraft owners and
aviation students were presented in the
book's appendices. The first question re-
poned was "What would you consider ideal
for your purpose if you could have a plane
built just to suit you?"
The average plane from the answers
would be a three or four place cabin land-
plane, monoplane, with dual controls and
a single 150 to 300 horsepower engine,
having a cruise speed of 95 to 100 mil es
per hour.
Miscellaneous facts concerning airplane
owners from the survey showed that 79 per-
cent of the non-commercial pilots owned
their own plane. As for hours flown by
non-commercial pilots , 37.6 percent flew
less than 150 hours per year but 41.2 per-
cent flew from 151 to 300 hours. Over 87
percent of the commercial pilots flew over
151 hours per year.
Most of the pilots answering the ques-
tionnaire were recent pilots, with 45.5 per-
cent having learned to fly between 1927
and 1929. From 1920 to 1926,34.6 percent
of the pilots had learned to fly and 18 .7
percent had learned to fly during World
War I. Of the non-commercial pilots, 42 .7
percent used planes for pleasure only and
10.2 percent for business only. Of the com-
mercial pilots 49.9 percent used planes
only for commercial use.
FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
The book concluded, "Many difficulties
have been encountered, but out of these
difficulties there will emerge a great and
powerful industry, sound and stable, effi-
cient in manufacturing, and with its mer-
chandising methods safely founded on the
firm rock of national advertising." (Re-
member the book was written by the adver-
tising department of a large magazine pub-
lishing company.)
FORD 4-AT-62 NC-S400
Thi s Curtis Ford was not only active on
the company's tour but after leaving service
with Curtis it went through eight different
owners before being destroyed in 1953.
According to FAA records compiled by
Richard Allen, the Ford was sold in July
1931 to Arthur Kunder of New York City.
The title changed hands to the Dispatch
Corporation, also of New York City , in
July 1933. (Mr. Kunder was listed as Sec-
retary-Treasurer of the company.)
The next owner was a Mr. C. M. Ewan ,
also of New York City, who received title
in February 1936. Four months later it was
sold to Manitowoc Air Service of Man-
itowoc, Wisconsin. In October it went to
Holland Bryan of Paducah, Kentucky .
In 1937 it was owned first by Keith Can-
tine of Detroit , and the next year by Mary
Cantine of Akron, Ohio. It was sold to its
last owner, the Johnson Flying Service of
Missoula, Montana, in March of 1941 . The
plane was not licensed until June of 1946
and was active after that till it crashed in
August of 1953. According to William
T . Larkins in his book THE FORD
STORY, the Ford was being used by the
Johnson Flying Service for Spruce Bud-
worm spray work near Boulder, Colorado
when it ran into a static cable strung above
a powerline. The cable broke and a piece
of it was caught in the tail surfaces. As the
plane was coming in for an emergency
landing, the cable caught on a powerline
pole, tearing the tail surfaces from the
Ford, bringing it in on its nose, completely
destroying the plane and killing the crew.
It appears that this Ford had to be one
of the most active of those produced, start-
ing out its career with over 20,000 miles
in 1929-30 and continuing in service, ex-
cept for the war, till J953.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
May 4-6 - Burlington, North Carolina.
Burlington Airport. Sponsored by Antique/
Classic Chapter 3. Contact Ray Bottom,
c/o Antique Airways, 103 Powhatan Park-
way, Hampton, Virginia 23661. Tel. 804/
722-5056.
May 5-6 - Winchester, Virginia. Win-
chester Regional EAA Spring Fly-in. Win-
chester Airport. Sponsored by EAA Chap-
ter IR6. Contact George Lutz, Tel. 703/
256-nn
May6- Rockford, Illinoi s. EAAChapter
22 Annual Fly-i n Breakfast. Mark Clark's
Courtesy Aircraft. Greater Rockford Air-
port. 7:00 am to noon. ATIS 126.7. Con-
tact Wall ace Hunt. 815/332-4708.
May 12-13 - Reading, Pennsylvania.
Readi ng Aerofest atReading Regional Air-
port. Contact Paul R. Doelp, R.D. 9, Box
94 16, Reading, Pennsylvania 19605-9606.
Tel 215/372-4666.
May 19-20- Hampton, New Hampshire.
Fourteenth Annual Aviati on Flea Market.
Hampton Airfield , Hampton, New Hamp-
shire. Anything aviation related okay. No
fees' Camping on airfield. Contact Mike
Hart , Hampton Airfiel d, Route US I .
N0I1h Hampton, New Hampshire. Tel.
603/964-6749.
May 20 - Benton Harbor, Michigan.
Fourth Annual EAA Chapter 585 Dawn
Patrol Breakfast/Lunch. Includes boat and
classic car show. Ross Field, Benton Har-
bor. Michi gan. Contact AI Todd, PO Box
61, Stevensville, Mi chigan 49127. Tel.
616/429-2929.
May 25-27 - Atchinson Kansas. Kansas
City Area Chapter. AAA Fl y- in at Amelia
Earhart Memorial Airport. Contact Lynn
WendL 7509Conser, Overland Park, Kan-
sas 66204. Tel. 913/642-5906.
May26-27- Vidalia, Louisi ana. Ferriday
Fly-in sponsored by EAA Chapter 912.
Concordia Parish Airport. Contact Jerry
Stallings, Rte . I , Box 19D, Ferriday,
Louisiana 71334-9709.3181757-2103.
May 25-27 - Watsonville, California.
26th Annual Antique Fly-In. Tel. 408/496-
9559.
May 25-27 - Carlsbad, California (near
San Diego). 4th AnnualTwin Bonanza As-
sociation Convention, Olympic Resort
Hotel & Spa. Contact Twin Bonanza As-
soc iation , 19684 Lakeshore Drive, Three
Rivers, M149093; PhoneorFAX 616/279-
2540.
June 1-2 - Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Bi-
plane Expo '90, the National Biplane As-
sociation' s Fourth Annual Convention and
Exposition. Frank Phillips Field, Bartles-
ville, Oklahoma. Freeto membersofNBA.
For membership information, contact
Charles Harris, NBA, Hangar 5,4-J Avia-
tion , Jones- Riverside Airport, Tul sa, Ok-
12 MAY 1990
lahoma. Tel. 918/299-2532.
June 1-3 - Merced, California. 33rd
Merced West Coast Antique Fly-in.
Merced Municipal Airport. Contact
Merced Pilots Association, PO Box 2312,
Merced, California 95344 orcall Dick Es-
cola at 209/358-6707.
June 3 - Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania
Skyhaven Airport. Fly-In Breakfast.
8:00am-2:00pm. Contact Steve Gay,
Skyhaven Airport, Tel. 717/836-4800 or
717/836-3884.
June8-10- Middletown, Ohio. Fifth Na-
ti onal Aeronca Convention. Aeronca fac-
tory. Includes factory tour and visit to
USAF Museum. Contact Jim Thompson,
President, National Aeronca Association,
PO Box 2219,TerreHaute,Indiana47802.
Tel. 812/232-1491.
June 9 - Newport News, Virginia. 18th
Annual Colonial Fly-in. Sponsored by
EAA Chapter 156at the Patrick Henry Air-
port. Contact Chet Sprague, 8 Sinclair
Road , Hampton , Virgini a 23669. Tel 804/
723-3904.
June10- Aurora, IllinoisMunicipal Air-
port. EAA Chapter 579 Fly-In/Drive-In
Breakfast & Airport/FBO Open House:
7:30am-Noon . Contact Alan Shackleto,
Tel. 708/466-4193 or Bob Rieser , Airport
Manager. Tel. 708/466-7000.
June16-17- Coldwater , Michigan. Sixth
Annual Fairchild Reunion, Branch County
Memorial Field. Contact Mike Kelly, 22
Coldwater Drive , Coldwater, Michigan
49036. Tel. 517/278-7654.
June 22-24 - Pauls Valley , Oklahoma.
GreaterOklahomaCity AAA ChapterFly-
in. ContactDick Darnell, 100ParkAvenue
Building, Suite 604, Oklahoma City, Ok-
lahoma 73102. Tel. 405/236-5635.
June 23-24 - Orange , Massachusetts .
14th Annual New England EAA Fly-in.
Orange Airport. Contact James O' Connell
at 413/498-2266.
June 23-24 - Longview, Texas Gregg
County Airport. Wings Over East Texas
Annual Air Show. Contact Robert Perry,
Rt. 2, Box 159BA, Kilgore , TX 75662.
Tel. 214/984-7521.
June28 - July I - Mount Vernon, Ohio.
31st AnnualWacoReunion.WynkoopAir-
port. Contact National Waco Club, 700
Hill Avenue, Hamilton, Ohio 45015. Tel
513/868-0084.
July 7-8 - Emmetsburg, Iowa. Second
Annual Aeronca Champ Fly-in and fly-in
breakfast. Emmetsburg Airport . Contact
Keith Harnden , Box 285, Emmetsburg,
Iowa 50536. Tel 712/852-3810.
July 13-15- Simsbury Connecticut. 2nd
Annual Northeast Stearman Fly-in at
Simsbury Airport . ContactJim Kippen, II
Crestwood Street, Simsbury, Connecticut
06070. Tel. 203/651-0328.
July 14-15 - lola, Wisconsin. Airport
breakfast and Old Car Show. Central
County Airport, lola, Wisconsin. Call414/
596-3530.
July14-15- Delaware,OhioAirport ,just
nort hofColumbusARSA.9thannual EAA
Chapter9 Fly-In. Food, camping & more.
ContactArtTenEyk,6141363-6443 orAlan
Harding 614/442-0024.
July20-21 - Collingwood, Ontario. Sec-
ond Annual Gathering ofClassic Aircraft
sponsored byCollingwoodClassic Aircraft
Foundation. Collingwood Airport (NY3).
Contact Doug Murray, 5 Plater Street.
R. R.No.3,Collingwood,Ontario,Canada
L9Y 3Z2. Tel. 705/445-5433.
July 20-21 - Coffeyville, Kansas. Funk
Aircraft Owners Association Reunion.
Contact Ray Pahls , 454 S. Summitlawn,
Wichita. Kansas 67209. Tel. 316/943-
6920.
July27-August2- Oshkosh,Wisconsin.
38th Annual EAA Fly-in Convention,
"EAA Oshkosh '90." Wittman Regional
Airport, Oshkosh Wisconsin. Contact
EAA, EAA Aviation Center, Oshkosh ,
Wisconsin 54903-3086. Tel. 414/426-
4800.
August 19 - Brookfield, Wisconsin. 5th
Annual Ice Cream Social sponsored by
EAA Antique/ClassicChapter 11 at Capitol
Drive Airport. Contact George Meade,
5514 N. Navajo Avenue, Glendale, Wis-
consin 53217. Tel. 414/962-2428.
August24-26- Sussex,NewJersey. 18th
Annual Sussex Air Show. Sussex Airport.
Call 20I/875-7337 or 702-9719.
September8 - Chico, California. Chico
Antique Airshow. Chico Airport. Contact
Chico Antique Airshow Committee, 6 St.
HelensLane ,Chico, California95926. Tel
916/342-3730.
September 15-16 - Rock Falls, Illinois.
Fourth Annual North Central EAA "Old
Fashioned" Fly-in. Pancake breakfastSun-
day. Contact Dave Christansenat 815/625-
6556.
October 6-7 - Sussex, New Jersey Air-
port. Fly-In sponsored by EAA A/CChap-
ter 7 and EAA Chapters 238, 73 and 891.
Info: Bill Tuchler , 2011797-3835; Konrad
Kundig, 201/361-8789/ FAX 2011361-
5760;orPaul Steiger,Sussex Airport, 2011
702-9719.
October13-14- Hickory, NorthCarolina
Municipal Airport. EAA Chapter 731 5th
Annual Fly-In. Contact Norman Rainwa-
ter , 1415 Linwood Place, Lenoir, NC
28645 ; evenings 704/578-1919, or Lynn
Crowell, 113 Auld FarmRoad, Lenoir, NC
28645, 7041754-2723.
"DO YOU
KNO ME?"
The Resurrection of a Piper /-4 Cub Coupe
byPiperNC24829
withhelp typingfrom
I am a1-4CubCoupe, serial No.
B.J. Shoup
4-742. My birth date August 31,
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
1939. For a few years after that I flew
with the birds. I performed well ,
everyone said, until that fateful day
when the wind blew a terrific gale and
turned me on my back. My wings were
damaged and so my lonesome days
began. I sat in a series of hangars, gar-
ages and barns. Sometimes parts of me
were left out in the elements. I was
sold four times in less than 20 years.
Ron Shoup located me in Llano.
Texas. bought me and returned to one
of the airfields where I had sat for sev-
eral years with no one wanting me .
Ron started to study my problems and
analyze my needs. The project seemed
impossible, but Ron's friend, Jim, an A-
I. agreed to work with him to restore me .
First I had some ribs that could not
be repaired, but the men found enough
serviceable ones elsewhere. Sandblast-
ing the metal parts came next. Then all
the metal was treated with a rust retar-
dant and primed with epoxy .
Scouring and scavenging, Ron lo-
cated an unused, original J-4 boot
cowl. After a quick phone call it was
on its way to Texas. I began to think
Ron was serious about getting me into
the air. He talked some strange modern
language including words such as
loran. intercom, transponder, CHT,
EGT, and others. A radio in an
airplane! What will they think of next?
Then BJ, the Mrs. put in a request, "I
want a starter! I don't want to prop the
plane."
Wings were fit and new cables were
made . Rudder and elevator cables were
fit and all were swaged with Jim 's
Nicopress tool. The trim line was made
with two pulleys and the line doubled
forward and back. After much sweat
and a few words, the crank on the roof
of the cockpit turned perfectly.
I now have a new red headliner with
two zippers installed. One is to access
the trim-tab crank and the other is lo-
cated over the storage deck for access
to the rear fuselage.
My stabilizers and elevators are of
stainless steel. That makes me special
Ron says. He even found some stain-
less steel exhaust pipes and a muffler
for me and my C-85 engine. While try-
ing to locate a tailwheel for a J-4, Ron
talked to Andy Palmer in Mississippi
who had another J-4 . Ron and BJ made
a trip to 01' Mi ss and a few days later
here came the other J-4. Andy and his
Mrs. delivered the J-4A-l 083 on a tri-
axle, 20-foot trailer.
Stits envelopes, Poly Brush and
tapes had been purchased by one of
my previous owners so the next six
months were spent in covering. This
included hours of tying , taping, spray-
ing, sanding, fussing and fuming. The
Stits process became very expensive.
A friend calls Poly Brush "bubble
gum" and that is just how it acts. It
even looks like it - pink! There were
a few of those words spoken again.
My landing gear was in good condi-
tion but brakes were difficult to come
by as heel brakes are not common. BJ
wanted toe brakes but Ron said, "NO!
NO! I want it as original as I can make
it , and you got your starter." Of course
Jim agrees with Ron.
One of my doors had broken in two
pieces and the other was badly
crunched. They had to be welded and
new aluminum was used to replace the
old bent up cover. Both sliding win-
dows were replaced.
My seats. hard and heavy, were re-
placed with comfortable uphol stery.
My floorboards, cracked and rotten.
were replaced with mil-spec aircraft
mahogany plywood then covered with
red carpet. Windows were installed in
the baggage deck area.
Original instruments were another
concern but 1 now have a Cub oil pres-
sure and temperature gauge and a tach
that operates clockwise to go with my
C-8S. They are both cream-colored
and, would you believe it , they came
14 MAY 1990
out of an old box stored in aT-hangar
just a few feet away! When Ron saw
them , he started jumping up and down
as if he had struck gold. He laughed
and just about cried at the same time .
He was almost afraid to ask the price .
Then came the best part - FREE! ! !
All my other instruments are standard .
There is a loran on the lower right side
of my panel, a radio and intercom on
the left with push-to-talk switches on
the top of both sticks.
The cost of the restoration has been
tabulated on B1' s computer. Every nut
and bolt has been tallied. Perhaps more
was spent than was necessary but how
often do you find a "new" boot cowl
that is 50 years old?
On August 12, 1989 my new engine
had it s first run up. Everything was
A-OK so back to the hangar we went
for the mounting of my wings. My first
flight was the Sunday before my birth-
day. Jim flew th(; test flight, then took
Ron up . Ron kept his promise and had
me in the sky before I turned 50. Ron 's
second goal was to check out and fly
me to the Kerrville , Texas Fly-in for
1989. Well I was in the first row where
everyone could see me. WE MADE
IT!!! !
There seem to be several Coupes of
my vintage around. Ron joined the Cub
Club and gets frequent news reports.
One day he read that a research person
/I AFTER THREE
OR FOUR CALLS
HE LOCATED
THE CUB IN
PORT LAVACA"
was looking for a particular plane in
Texas that was built in 1939 and, ac-
cording to records, was owned by the
same person all of its lifetime. Ron was
into the phone network , pronto. After
three or four calls he located the Cub
in Port Lavaca. Richard Tanner had
bought J-4A , 4-735 as it came off the
assembly line 50 years ago and it is
still flying . We are just seven serial
numbers apart, so we were being
finished the same week in Lock Haven,
Pennsylvania. J-4, 4-735 was used as
a camera platform for a whooping
crane research program in south Texas.
Another fellow also has a J-4 based on
the same landing strip. Just as Ron
began to work on me he read about
another J-4 in Ozona, Texas and made
a trip to see it. Joe Boy Pierce and his
wife, Sammy, have two J-4s . They use
them to fly fences on their ranch.
There's a J-4 from Bangs, Texas that
is coming to Austin to be restored and
one in the Fort Worth area. There is
another being restored in Rockdale,
just a few miles away. At the Kerrville
fly-in we located two more , a J-4E in
Harlingen, Texas and J-4A in Hous-
ton , both flying. That's seven of II
known to be flying in central, north
and south Texas. That 's a great rep-
resentation for a small family totaling
1,250 originals .
WHO ELSE IS OUT THERE? ? ?
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
Field Elevation, -13 feet.
Rudy Krens
at EAA Sun'n Fun '89
16 MAY 1990
N ear the city of Lelystad, Holland a
diverse group of pilots fly some unique
airplanes-starting at 13 feet below sea level.
by
Walter van Tilborg
EDITOR'S NOTE... We are indebled
10 Rudy Krens (EAA 334248) for en-
couraging his good friend, Walter van
Tilborg (EAA 92129) to submit this ar-
ticle on the very active group of antique
airplane enthusiasts based at Lelystad
Airport in Holland . .. Norm Petersen,
Associate Editor
L elystad airport is located some 30
nautical miles north eas t of
Amsterdam's Schipol Airport and south
of the city of Lelystad, Holland. The
airport is built in the Flevopolder which
is one of several polders claimed from
the Ijsselmeer (formerly Zuiderzee).
The airport is the fastest growing
general aviat ion field in Holland with
nearly 100,000 aircraft movements an-
nually. This is not too bad for an airport
without runway or approach lights, thus
limiting operations to sunri se through
sunset. Present plans call for lighting
install ations to be made by 1991.
The airport is home base for a variety
of commercial companies and non-
profit organizations. Ag pl anes operate
from the same runway as student pilots
in training with the three flying schools
on the airport. Ultralight aircraft have
their own grass strip and gliders occupy
the grass st rip just north of the main
runway. This makes Lel ystad the only
field in Holland with so many categories
of users. Good pilot discipline is the
secret as the field is totally uncontrolled.
(This is equivalent to some 12,000
small er airports in the U. S... Ed.)
Non-profi t organizat ions at Lel ystad
include the NVAV, which is the Dutch
Amateur Aircraft Builders Association
(EAA Chapter 664); the Early Birds
Association, a group of proud owners of
such aircraft as a Tiger Moth, a Gipsy
Moth, a 1929 Fleet Moclel 2, a Bucker
Jungmeister and Jungmann, two Fokker
Triplanes under restoration ancl many
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
111::;.........____....:...-_____-,-"...-,___--,---..,......,....,....--------------'
N1858 PlentenpolAlrcamper :I:

',;...

.><
'-_ ......;i2iloii_...c...... ......
N82AMTigerMoth
PH-COR

U


-===""-""-"--___
18MAY 1990
more in the pipeline. In addition, the
V.M.L. (initialsfor the FlyingMuseum
Lelystad) have a hangar housing some
15aircraftwhichareavailableforview-
ingby thepublic.
Alloftheseaircraftarekeptin flying
condition and include a 1941 Klemm
KL-35D, Stearman PT-13D, de-
Havilland Dove and Chipmunk and
severalhomebuiltaircraftsuchasVP-l,
PottierP-80S(aFrenchall-metalsingle
seater) and a U.S. registered Smith
Miniplane. Also in the hangar is an
original design homebuilt by Cor
Dijkman Dulkes called the Dijkman
Dijkhastar and registered PH-COR.
This particular airplane was the very
first homebuilt to receive an airworthi-
ness certificate in Holland in 1976and
is the secondeffortofthe builder. The
original project by Dulkes was an "il-
legal"aircraftandonlyflewonce- but
the proof that it flew was enough to
convince the authorities that aircraft
could be designed and built by
amateurs. Cor Dijkman Dulkes is now
building his third aircraft of all-wood
construction featuring retractable land-
inggearthistime.
Four Fokker S-ll "Instructor"
two/ three-seater trainer aircraft form
the demonstration team called"Fokker
Four." TheS-llwasaproductofFok-
ker Aircraft and the prototype of this
basictrainerfirst flew in 1947. Produc-
tion took pl ace in Holland, Ital y and
Brazil witha total of365 aircraft built.
In addition, 50 S-12 derivatives with
tricyclegearwerebuilt in Brazil. Hol-
land, Israel , Italy, Brazil,Paraguay and
Bolivia all used this military trainer.
Most S-11 and S-12 aircraft had been
withdrawn from use by the late 1960's
and many were acquired by private
owners.
Oneoftheaircraftpresentlyflyingin
themusumgroupisaStearmanPT-13D
withU.S. registration N68987,SIN 75-
5053. This beauty is owned by IBM
executive,RudyKrens,andit arrivedin
Holland in 1989. It is perhaps the
"lowest flying Stearman in the world"
as Lelystad's elevation is a minus 13
feet! Rudy's association with Stear-
mansbegansomeyearsearlierwhenhe
purchased a 450 Stearman. However,
theR-985engineturnedouttoberather
expensive to feed as fuel prices are
about double those in the U.S. When
Rudyhadachancetomakeagooddeal
with Phil Dacy Aviation of Harvard,
Illinois, he took the opportunity and
bought a brand new 220 Continental-
powered Stearman and the 450-hp
machine was sold to a gentleman in
Belgium where the aircraft is part of a
growing collection of oldies at Kortrijk
Airport.
N68987 was originally built in 1942
and was given its civil registration in the
early 1950's. The aircraft in present
form is the very professional work of
Pete Jones and his people at Air Repair,
Inc. of Cleveland, Mississippi . Buying
a Stearman is one thing, but getting it
over to Europe is another! Flying is out
of the question so you must hire the
services of a professional for disas-
r::
o
sembly, crating and loading into a sea
E
"0
container.
~
,.
The task of putting the Stearman
r::
"
together once in Holland, was put on the
shoulders of Richard van As, a former
KLM mechanic and builder of a Benson
B-8M gyrocopter and owner of an ex-
Dutch Air Force PA-18-135 Super
Cub. Richard had previous experience
in 1987 when he and the author traveled
to the USA to buy a Cessna 172. Be-
cause the 172 had survived Richard's
treatment and now flies the Dutch skies,
Rudy Krens had courage enough to ac-
cept the challenge to go and get the
Stearman himself.
Plans were made, rejected, changed
and finally accepted and airline reserva-
tions were made in April 1989 for
Richard and myself to fly to Memphis,
c
o
Tennessee. Rudy was already in the US
E
and met us in Memphis where we rented
"0
o
a car and drove to Cleveland, Mississip-
~
C
.Y.
pi . The next morning, we drove from "
the motel to the airport and Rudy had his
very first look at N68987. Sitting on the
ramp in the morning sun, the newly
rebuilt Stearman looked beautiful!
After a warm reception from the Air
Repair people, we toured the facility
including the wing rebuild shop in near-
by Leland, Mississippi. What a joy to
see this "old-fashioned" work being ex-
pertly done by young people.
Phil Dacy, Jr. had meanwhile flown
down from Illinois in his Twin Beech to
finalize the paper work on the Stearman
and as part of the agreement, it was
decided to have a ferry pilot from Air
Repair fly N68987 to Montgomery
County Airport at Conroe, Texas, just
r::
o north of Houston. This was done for
E
"0
two reasons; it was near the port of
~
Houston for shipment and Richard had
.Y.
r::
crated the Cessna 172 from this airport.
x
"
In addition, I had flown from this airport
~ ______~ __~ ~ __~ ~ ____~ ______________~ __~ ~ ~ __~ ~
~ ____~ ________~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ________~ ______~
N168G 0 H Gipsy Moth
N131 EB Coso-built Jungmann
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
This Piper Twin Comanche was once owned and flown by the legless RAF fighter pilot. Sir Douglas Bader.
in 1987 while earning my private pilot
license and last, but not least, it is the
home of Gary Hudson and his firm,
General Aviation Services, plus Gary's
lovely wife and the most important item
- Gary's toolbox! Gary Hudson is an
aClive member of the Big Thicket
Squadron of the Confederate Air Force,
based at the airport.
With plans all arranged, we drove
back to Memphis and Richard con-
tinued on to Indiana where he was to
disassemble a Smith Minipl ane which
had been purchased by one of our EAA
members in Holland. Meanwhile, Rudy
and I continued on to Tampa, Florida
and enjoyed a few wonderful days
resulting from our secret and sinister
timing - Sun ' n Fun '89! It was
Rudy's first trip and my second visit to
this beautiful spring fly-in and we care-
fully avoided the mention of warm and
enjoyable weather when Richard called
on the phone from Indiana and told of
the ice and snow!
Rudy went on to Hartford, Connec-
20 MAY 1990
ticut on business while I flew to Hous-
ton to join Richard and began disman-
tling the Stearman. With the invaluable
help of Gary Hudson and his crew plus
my brother, Jan who lives in Houston,
the Stearman was taken apart, piece by
piece. It was surely a strange feeling to
take apart an aircrafl that had just under
10 hours on the recording tach since
" new." The only snag experienced was
that the forklift used in 1987 to load the
Cessna 172 wa s no longer at
Montgomery County airport. As usual,
Richard provided the solution. He
simply walked over to the National
Guard depot at the field, explained the
situation and returned with a National
Guard crew and a mobile crane! (And
all for free!)
The 40 foot container had room for
the Stearman and many other goodies.
These were all loaded inside including
a complete Lancair kit by Neico Avia-
tion for one of the NYA Y/ EAA Chapter
664 members in Holland. When every-
thing was finished, the container was
shipped out of Houston, arnvmg at
Lelystad airport in May 1989. The
Stearman was assembled and test flown
for the third "first flight" on May 27th.
(See VINTAGE AIRPLANE March,
1990, page 7). N68987 is now the eye-
catcher in the Flying Museum Lelystad
hangar.
But thi s is not the end of the story.
The hangar in which the Flying
Museum collection is housed is too
small and has no room for additional
aircraft. Add to that the ever increasing
costs for hangarage - so - the owners put
their heads together and afler a slow
start, plans are now finalized and our
"own" hangar should be ready towards
mid-1990. With space for 25 to 28
aircraft, the hangar will be operated by
a non-profit organization named "De
fionier Hangaar" - PH being the inter-
national code for Dutch registered civil
aircraft.
Participants in the project are owners
of aircraft, the Fokker Four demonstra-
tion team, their sponsor, the Dutch Dove
AssociationandtheNVAV /EAAChap-
ter 664. The FlyingMuseum Lelystad
will occupy the ground floor ofthe of-
fice partbutwill notownthe hangaror
any ofthe aircraft. Thelatteraremade
available for viewing by their
owners.Also in the hangar will be the
"Aviators Wall," an initiative of Max
van Oort, a retired KLM captain. We
hope that this wall will ultimately hold
small metal plaqueswith the names of
all persons who ever obtained a civil
pilot's license in Holland. Plaques al-
ready installedincludethe nameofHis
Royal Highness, Prince Bernardofthe
Netherlands.
Aircraft that can usually befound at
Lelystad airport are listed below and
visitors to the Early Birds or Pionier
Hangaarcollectionsarewelcome. It is
advised, however, to call one of the
following numbers prior to coming to
the field. Weekdays are the best for
visiting.
Call in Holland: 03200-53443 or
03202-699or01899-11206
Aviators' Wall.
Someof
LELYSTAD'S AIRCRAFT
CASA(Bucker) N131EB N/A Noorduyn PH-KLU
Jungmann AT-16ND
Cessna 185 N61826 PiaggioP-149D D-EEGDand
DH Gipsy Moth N168G(with D-EERP
fake reg. Pietenpol N1848
VH-AFN)
Aircamper
DH Tiger Moth N82AM
PiperPA
160Twin PH-COM(ex.
DH TigerMoth ZS-DLK(reg.
Comanche
DouglasBader
in SouthAfrica)
aircraft)
DH Dove N531WB
PiperPA-18-95 PH-VCY
(Devon)
(formerRAF
PottierP-80S PH-JML
aircraft)
(WinnieMae-
DHCChipmunk G-BDET
builderWil
Dijkman PH-COR
Dijkhastar
Post)
FleetModel2 NC724V
ScheibeSF-23 D-ELFEand
FokkerS-ll PH-ACG,
Sperling
D-ENZE
Instructor
PH-AFS,
Smith N788
PH-HOG,
Miniplane
(WB-4)
PH-HOK,
Stearman N68987
PH-HOL
PT-13D
Klemm KL-35D D-ECCI
StolpStarduster G-KEEN (ex
Too N800RE)
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
ENROUTE TO ...
ROUGHRIVER,
KENTUCKY ...
. . . IN A RYAN PT-22. WORLDWARII TRAINEES
NEVERHADIT SO GOOD.
by RonFerrara
22 MAY 1990
Agatheringofplastic- everykind ofEZ known toman.
Icould hardly believe my ears when
Ted Beckwith called and suggested
that we, "Jump in the PT-22 and fly
up to Rough River, Kentucky for lunch
tomorrow." Suddenly it was a new
day. I had to dig out my leather helmet
and goggles and plan the route on my
sectional chart . When my wife heard
the words, "airplane," "cross-coun-
try," and "Kinner" she let out a sigh
and shook her head, knowing that our
leaking sink would have to drip for
another week. "Meet me at about 10:00
in the morning," Ted said and hung
up. Oh boy!
I was up at dawn the next day to
check the weather - cool for central
Tennessee with clear skies and calm
winds. It was a PT-22 day if ever there
was one. Ted is a 20-year Delta captain
and an avid antiquer who has owned,
over the years, a Monocoupe 110, a
Stinson Junior, a Fairchild 24 and pre-
sently flies the Ryan. He also is work-
ing on a Cessna C-34, has a Warner-
powered Great Lakes under construc-
tion and an Aeronca K waiting in the
wings. The PT-22 was supposed to be
an interim airplane, but so far all offers
Ted has received have been categori-
cally refused . everything was ready. About 8:45 I
Woody Woodward and his wife began to wonder where everyone else
Anne were going along on the flight in was and why they were waiting until
their newly completed Bucker lung- the last minute to get this show on the
mann. Needless to say, I arrived a little road. At 9: 15 Ted pulled in and opened
early, about 8:30, just to make sure the hangar doors whereupon he beheld
Traditional Beckwithtigertail waves overtheTennessee countryside.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
a vision of the complete aviator. "A the Ryan and [ were becoming more
little early, aren't you? Love the out- and more anxious to get going. I was
fit. "
haunted by the nagging fear that some-
We pushed the Ryan out into the still one would change the plan and the trip
chill morning air and Ted began his would be postponed at the last minute.
routine. The preflight of this antique My fears proved groundless as Ted
tends to be a little different from that climbed into the rear cockpit at exactly
of a more modern airplane. [n addition 10:00. "Gets kind of loud up there.
to the normal checks such as oil and You may want to use these," he yell ed
fuel quantity, the
prop must be ro-
tated through to
check for hydraulic
lock in the lower
cylinders of the
Kinner. [ climbed
into the fron t cock-
pit and Ted showed
me the magneto
switch, fuel shut-
off and other con-
trol s. "Pump the
throttle a couple
of times, start it
on the left mag
and switch to both
after it starts," he
instructed. One pull
on the wooden prop
and the Kinner came
to life as if it. too
had been wonder-
ing what the de-
lay was all about.
As [ sat in the cock-
pit wanning the oil
[ li stened to the en-
gine purring like
a kitten and the
smile on my face
just kept getting
bigger. My first
impression of the
inside of the Ryan
was that this was
a very stout air-
plane. It was very
substantial with large
aluminum sections
held together by
large aluminum riv-
ets. It is unusual
to see an aircraft
so obviously built
to withstand severe
loads and student mistakes.
Just as the oil reached operating tem-
perature Woody and Ann in their beau-
tiful brown and tan Bucker touched
down on the grass and rolled to a stop.
Crouched in the cockpits, the two were
more than a little chilled from the early
morning flight. As they talked with Ted
about altitude, route and the like, both
24 MAY 1990
"I like your airplanes beHer," said the aHendant at Rough River.
Ted Beckwith and the Ryan.
as he handed me a set of earplugs.
absentmindedly put them in my pocket
with every intention of using them
once airborne. Soon we were climbing
into the cold crystal sky. All thoughts
of earplugs dissipated when [ heard the
symphony of the short-stacked Kinner,
more sensuous than Ravel's Bolero .
This was great! Sticking my head out
into the slipstream to see around the
exposed cylinders [ could see every-
thing' This was flying at its best. My
feet were cold, my nose was running
and the wind blew my helmet off and
wrapped it around my neck . My gog-
gles wound up covering my chin. [ was
a natural, made for this kind of flying ,
even though [ suspect Ted was having
second thoughts
about his demented
passenger.
We levelled off
at about. 1,500 feet
heading north. It
is difficult to ex-
plain how different
it is watching the
landscape pass be-
low from an open
cockpit. I actually
felt like [ could
reach out and touch
the occasional cloud
along our route. The
grass looked greener.
the fall colors brighter,
and the sky bluer
than [ had ever ex-
perienced. To me
there is nothing Illore
rewarding than fab-
ric wings, a round
engine, and an air-
speed indicator that
reads in miles per
hour rather than
knots. I was ex-
periencing an era
in which I have al-
ways feIt at home.
We had escaped
the tensions of the
high-tech world
below . It was as if
we were in a time
warp as I looked
over my shoulder
and saw the sil-
houette of the Bucker
in loose fornlation.
We were cruis-
ing about 90 mph .
Out of habit more
casionally looked down at the oil pres-
sure gauge, rock steady at 80 psi. Ac-
tually the oil pressure was one of the
few instruments available to look at in
the front cockpit. [ must admit that the
constant oil pressure was comforting
considering all the hangar tales one
hears about the reliability of old radial
engines. The Kinner seemed out to
prove that these tales were slanderous.
It never missed a beat throughout the
entire trip.
As we approached Rough Ri ver a
white streak sped past the nose. The
odd shape quickly materialized into a
Long-EZ enroute to the same destina-
tion. Looking down at the airport re-
vealed a veritable plastic convention as
there was every kind
of EZ known to
man parked on the
ramp. We were defi-
nitely in the minor-
ity today. As Ted
cu t the power we
began an i mpres-
sive descent, al-
though the airspeed
remained stuck on
80. He had warned
me about a rather
high wing loading
that resulted in a
steep glide, but I
had not expected
this. I suppose that
this was a design
feat ure that made
the airplane suit-
able for training
pect were aimed at me . I ignored them .
Rough River State Park is a tribute
to Kentucky. It is one of a number of
state parks with airstrips on it or very
close by. The parks offer camping. res-
taurants and cabins at very reasonable
rates. It is a shame that more states
don ' t follow thi s example and make
airstrips a part of their parks, just as
front cockpi t and I didn ' t have a chart .
it was a test of my pilotage skills. I
was pleasantly surprised at how re -
sponsive thc aircraft was. truly a plea-
sure to fl y. The Bucker pulled up into
tight formation. lingercd for a few
miles. and with a beautiful aileron roll
departed to the west. We delayed over
Russellville . Kentucky to watch a Pitts
going through its
paces. complete with
smoke . What a d i f-
ferent perspect i ve
from which to watch
an airshow. Even-
tuall y we resumed
our journey to the
south and approached
the airpark and home.
Ted made another
textbook landing
and we shut down.
The music of the
Kinner remained
with us long after
the propeller came
to a stop. I de-
layed leaving the
cockpit. trying des-
perately to make
the moment last
the young pilots
Ryan PT-22 at the Beckwith hangar - note the tiger tail hanging from the left wing.
just a bit longer.
of World War II.
As we taxied in
we got a lot of
st range looks. We
parked nex t to a
lonely looking Stin-
son. closer to our
era. The EZs milled
around the pumps
looking like a swarm
of ali en insects all
beaks-down. feed-
ing in preparation
for departure. One
after another they
made low passes
and I must adm it
the i I' performance
was impressive. Two
different genera-
tions of aircraft were
sharing a point in
the space-time con-
tinuum. As we pulled the Ryan to the
pumps, the attendant looked from the de-
parting glass menagerie to the Ryan , then
to the Bucker and said. " I think I like
your airplanes better." I had to agree.
We amb led over to the lodge for a
very substanti al buffet lunch. There
were some uncalled for comments
abo ut "limited useful load" that I sus-
The Bucker - at home in the grass.
they do golf courses. The expense
would be offset by the addi ti onal use
that would be generated.
After waddling back to the planes
we were soon headed south. It was
now mid-afternoon and the sun re-
flected off the yel low wings. It was
wanner now and I was flying the last
leg. Since there was no compass in the
The traditional wip-
ing of the oil. well
known to those who
fly behind radial
engines. was soon
completed and the
hangar door secured.
This adventure was
over except in mem-
ory and in antici-
pation of the next
offer.
As I drove away
I thought about all
the people who fly
but have never ex-
perienced such a
flight. How much
they are missing'
I had a flight lesson
to give later that
day in a modern
airplane. Fortunately
for me the st udent was my son Matt.
preparing for his private ticket. He had
been exposed to Ryans , Cubs, Stinsons
and had hi s first Stearman ride at the
Tennessee Taildraggers fly-in a few
years ago. When he saw the helmet ,
goggles and the wild look in my eyes
he just sighed and shook his head. In
some ways he is a lot like hi s mother. .
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
CHAPTERCAPSULES
by Bob Brauer
left to right: Felix Sanchez, Francisco Halbriter, Abel Debock and Guido Jontza at Rodriguez, December 1989.
CHAPTER 12
BUENOS AIRES
ARGENTINA
"EAADivisionAntiguos
& Clasicos, Filial 12,
Argentina" This is how we
look in San Andres De Giles,
province of Buenos Aires,
Argentina, the locationofour
most distant chapter.
Thechapterwas formed in 1982
and received its AIC charter the
following year. According to Presi-
dent , Abel Debock of San
"Weformed the groupat that time be-
cause ourcountry was having a more
Pedro,
26 MAY 1990
comfortable econom-
ic situation than we
have now, and there
was a lot of interest
in restoring antique
aircraft." Even though
mar.y antique and
classic airplanes have
been sold abroad,
some to museums in
England, interest in
restoration is still
high . Abel empha-
sizes that, "There are
many planes to re-
store, many others
being worked on and
many flying." The
high costs involved
have not decreased
interest in restoration,
and the activities of
the chapter have cap-
tured the attention of
European enthusiasts.
Chapter meetings
are held the second
Sunday of each
month at the Airport
of San Andres de
Giles located about
55 miles from
Buenos Aires. There
the members ex-
change technical in-
formation, try to
solve problems of re-
storation and share
information about
EAA, the AlC Divi-
sion and Oshkosh.
There are currently
80 members who live
throughout Argentina
and the club keeps a
detailed record of
each aircraft owned
by the members.
There are several
restoration projects
currently under way. Chapter Vice
President, Guido Jontza of Olivos,
is restoring a Beech Staggerwing. Sec-
retary Pedro Gadda of Matheu, the
chapter's secretary, is working on a
Heath Parasol which Abel believes is
the oldest in existence. Treasurer Felix
Sanchez of Haedo is restoring both a
Fleet 2 and a Focke Wulf 44J. Carlos
Schmidt is reconstructing a 1926 West-
land Widgeon 3 equipped with a Cirrus
Mk2 engine. Abel reports that these
are only a few examples and that there
are many more .
Abel Debock's Rearwin Sporster.
"Gran Campeon Antigue" Bucker Jungmann at Rodriguez 1989.
V3 which he be-
lieves to be the old-
est example of this
kind of aircraft still
flying. Pedro Gadda
flies an Aeronca
7 AC Champ and a
Cessna 170A in ad-
dition to the Heath
and a Stinson Re-
li ant that he re-
stored. (Pedro must
live in his shop.)
Examples of planes
other members fly
are Focke Wulf 44J,
Bucker Jungmann,
Stearman, Fairchild
24, Fleet, Curtiss
E16, Waco and
a number of
J-3s , Aeroncas,
Luscombes, Stinson
108s, an Ercoupe,
PA-II, PA-12anda
Cessna 140.
AIC Chapter 12
holds its annual
business meeting
during the weekend
closest to September
21, the first day of
spring south of the
equator, at the Aero
Club Mercedes, Bue-
nos Aires. [n the
second weekend of
December, Chapter
12 works with
EAA Chapter 722
(Buenos Aires) and
Ultralight Chapter 23
(Esperanza) to orga-
nize the annual EAA
Argentina convention
in Rodriguez, Buenos
Aires. At this event,
each category of air-
craft is judged with
grand champion awards
Abel owns and tlies a 1938 Rear-
win Sportster 9000. His 18-year-
old son, Alex, who passed his tlight
test last September also tlies the plane .
Guido, now working on the Beech
Staggerwing, reconstructed and tlew a
1928 Curtiss Robin until he recently
sold it to the RAF Museum in England.
This aircraft was the 1986 Grand
Champion in Argentina and won the
Phoenix Prize given by the Federation
Aeronautique Internationale in Paris in
1987. Felix, in addition to his res-
toration projects, flies a 1928 Davis
presented similar to the procedure at
Oshkosh. [n addition, the chapter at-
tends events organized by the air force
of Argentina and by private clubs.
Abel has written aviation articles for
the magazine AERODEPORTES and
submitted photographs he took of our
convention activities when he and his
wife attended in 1986. Chapter 12 has
a great deal to be proud of. [n spite of
adverse economic times , Abel reports
their AIC Chapter is the best organized
and strongest aviation group in South
America.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
PASS IIIQ
--1]
An information exchange column with input from readers.
by Buck Hilbert
(EM 21, Ale 5)
P.O. Box 424
Union, IL 60180
More Fueling Around
A lot of interest has been generated
by the article on fueling with plastic
"jerry" cans . I've had calls and letters
from numerous people expressing con-
cern and giving instances of disastrous
experiences as a result of this type of
fueling.
Wade Lowry called in from
Lakeville, Minnesota and told me
about a Luscombe incident years ago.
A fellow stuck the spout in the wing
tank, laid the can on its side and let it
gurgle into the tank while he carried
on a conversation with Wade a short
distance away. Shortly they heard a
WHOOMP! and saw the wing and
airplane in flames . The Luscombe was
destroyed.
Art Morgan called this morning
from Milwaukee; you all know Art,
he's that mean man driving the cut-
back Volkswagen at Oshkosh who har-
rasses all the parking people and the
airplane drivers. Art has a Luscombe
and a Bellanca Cruisair. He had some
advice to offer on the subject and said
that Tony Bingelis had written an arti-
cle several years ago on grounding the
plastic cans. From Art's description, a
28 MAY 1990
roll of copper screening is placed in-
side the can and into the spout and the
grounding wire is attached to it. This
precludes any build-up of static elec-
tricity and effectively defuses an inhe-
rently dangerous situation.
Then I get a piece of mail today from
Phil Trusty of Murfreesboro, Tennes-
see Chapter 419, and it quotes National
Fire Protection Association standards
for, "Plastic Containers (Jerry Cans)
for petroleum products." They are
quite specific as to metal cans and
when they get to paragraph 3, they
blow it all away by saying: Jerry Cans
that are plastic - "non-conductive" -
(RE: NFPA 30) then there is no re-
quirement for bonding. Note that lab
tests found electro-static building up
on a non-conductive cans is not of suf-
ficient voltage to ignite a fuel air mix-
ture. If you are more comfortable using
a bond, then a simple wire between
any metal fitting (handle, lid, spout)
and the aircraft should be adequate as-
suming the bond line has adequate con-
tinuity.
I'm asking our Editor Mark Phelps
to print the entire letter and r want to
also call your attention to the last sen-
tence of the letter. It states, "Fueling
from small non-conductive jerry cans
is possible without bonding. Any other
fueling (metal drums, tanks, hydrant
carts) must observe the industry stan-
dards for grounding and bonding."
I'm also asking whether someone
out there has actual experience with
this situation and has words of advice
to pass on to the rest of us - someone
intimately acquainted with the research
done on these plastic Jerry cans, who
can give us the straight scoop. CAN
we or CAN'T we?
AIRCRAFT FUELING FROM
JERRY CANS
"In the February, 1990, "Pass It to
Buck," Lt. Col. Hilbert described a
common practice of fueling small air-
craft from service or "jerry" cans. His
experience prompted some questions
about grounding provisions for this
procedure.
"Fueling aircraft has long been rec-
ognized as inherently dangerous. A vi-
ation gasoline (Avgas), automotive
gasoline (auto gas) are both classed by
the National Fire Protection Associa-
tion as "flammable" meaning they
have a flash point below 100 degree F.
(37-8 degree C.). Turbine fuel is usu-
ally classed as "combustible" but may
also have a flash point close to 100
degree F. A static electric spark can
ignite these fuel vapors with explosive
results.
'This static spark results from the
difference in electric potential between
the aircraft and the fueling equipment.
By grounding the aircraft to earth and
grounding the servicing equipment
(truck, tank, drum), we achieve an ef-
fective zero charge and little difference
in the two potentials.
"The flow of fuel through pipes,
pumps and hoses can create a static
charge so we bond the aircraft and fuel-
ing equipment to each other to neut-
ralize any build up.
"There are several government and
industry standards/guideli nes on air-
craft refueling . Most major airlines and
aircraft manufacturers go to great
lengths to provide procedures and in-
struction for refueling. These include:
- Air Transport Association of
America Specification No. 103
- National Air Transportation As-
sociation "Refueling and Quality Con-
trol Procedures"
- U.S.D.O .T .lF.A.A. Advisory Cir-
cular No. 150/5230-4
- U.S.D.O.D. Military Standard
1548B
- N.F.P.A. 407
"Specific standards for flammable liq-
uid containers include: NFP A 30
"Flammable Liquids" and ANSI!
ASTM D3435-80 "Plastic Containers
(Jerry Cans) for Petroleum Products"
"To address Lt. Col. Hilbert 's si tua-
tion, may I suggest:
I. Check the jerry cans for the Un-
derwriters Laboratory (UL) "li sting"
number. UL "lists" but does not "ap-
prove" which is done by Factory Man-
ual (FM) labs . The cans should be
listed/approved for storage of Class I
flammables. Typical features of
"safety" cans include self closing lid ,
heavy construction, clear labeling for
contents and a spark guard mesh screen
inside the filler spout.
2. If the cans are metal , then good
contact between the metal aircraft tank
openi ng and the can should provide
adequate bonding. Use of a funnel,
corrosion or oil/paint may cause
enough insulation that a bonding line
between the aircraft and the can should
be used.
3. If the jerry cans are plastic " ...
non-conductive .. . " (RE: NFPA 30),
there is no requirement for bonding.
Note that lab tests found electro-static
charge building up on non conductive
cans is not of sufficient voltage to ig-
nite afuellair mixture. If you are more
comfortable using a bond, then a sim-
pIe wire bond between any metal fit-
ting (handle, lid, spout) and the aircraft
should be adequate assuming the bond
line has good continuity.
"Lastly, there are the general pre-
cautions for aircraft fueling:
I. Away from ignition sources. Air-
craft radios and electricals turned off,
no smoking.
2. Fueling should be performed out-
side , so as not to threaten the hangar
and other aircraft which may also act
as ignition sources .
3. Use an effective fuel mat to pro-
tect the aircraft finish and de-ice boots.
"Fueling from small non-conductive
jerry cans is possible without bonding .
Any other fueling (metal drums , tanks ,
hydrant carts) must observe the indus-
try standards of grounding and bond-
ing."
Telephone log
Some interesting calls this past
month (February and March). John
Dooden from Tulsa, Oklahoma called.
We had a very interesting conversation
about his desire to locate and restore
or even scratch build a World War I
project. Anybody out there got a Spad
or a Fokker he wants to part with? Con-
tact John.
Phil Kraus from New York, building
an SE 5A in a Manhattan loft, no less,
is in bad need of a Hisso E propeller
hub. I wasn't able to help the man. He
IS YOUR MEDICAL
CERTIFICATE CURRENT, BUT
NOT VALID?
Reprinted from the FAA Flight Standards Communicator
We are all familiar with FAR 61 .23
and the validity periods of the various
medical certificates, i.e. the Third
Class Medical is valid for 24 months;
Second Class for 12 months; and the
First Class is good for six months.
However, how many pilots are familiar
with FAR 61.53? This regulation states
that. .. "No person may act as pilot in
command or in any other capacity as a
required pilot flight -crewmember
while he has a known medical defi-
ciency, or increase of a known medical
deficiency, that would make him un-
able to meet the requirements for hi s
current medical certificate." Just what
does thi s mean? Basically, if you know
that you have a medical condition
which would preclude you from pass-
ing your flight physical, then your
physical certificate is no longer valid
even if the expiration date is still a
long way away. Another way to say
this is that a current medical can very
well be a non-valid medical.
Quite often pilots are overheard
making a statement to the effect that,
"I need to get this medical problem
cleared up before my physical because
I know that I will never be able to pass
the exam in my present condition."
The main concern that you as a pilot
must be aware of is that if you should
operate an aircraft in your "present
condition" you may endanger yourself,
your passengers and your certificate.
had already been to all the sources I
recommended. Want to be a hero? Find
the man a prop hub!
Also, "Doc" Fowler checked in
from Spokane, Washington. Now here
is a guy who knows how to live. His
dental offices are on the Spokane Inter-
national Airport. He commutes from
his home about 30 miles away in his
Cabin Waco , parks it near the office
door and when hi s work is done he
flies right back home where he can
continue working on his other project,
a Marquart Charger. "Doc" has a
number of projects to his credit -
Bucker, Stearman , Waco. He's an lAC
enthusiast as well as Antique/Classic .
Nice hearing from you, "Doc!"
Craig Johnson, the full-time
mechanic for the Anchorage, Alaska
Civil Air Patrol and I had a long talk
about CAP activities in Alaska. They
have 34 airplanes - nine Beavers and
an assortment of Cessna 185s, 206s
and one lone Varga. They have a
number of float planes and have four
slips right on the Lake Hood base.
Now this Lake Hood seaplane base is
sort of like Chicago's O' Hare Field,
only on water. I, for one, have never
seen activity like they have there.
Airplanes of all sorts and descriptions
arriving and departing in droves. They
operate in and out, under and around
the International Airport traffic without
causing any conflicts that I know
about. Of course they do this routinely
so they are well aware of jet wash and
all the rest of the problems of sharing
space with the 747s and the other BIG
boys. We could all take lessons from
these pilots . Maybe we can encourage
an article or two about that style of
flying from them . How about it,
Bushies?
I've also heard from San Jose,
California. Curt Barnhart, who works
for Azure Technology, had some
words with me about the Azure Long
Ranger and how best to use it. I tried
it in my C-3 and it doesn ' t like flying
so low or so slow or the unshielded
ignition system. I guess I really hadn't
any reason to complain .
Word from Sun 'n Fun Ray Olcott,
former A/C Divi sion board member , is
that wife Jo, one of the nice ladies who
work at the Red Barn during EAA
Oshkosh, is recovering nicely after
open heart surgery. I'll be seeing her
when Dorothy and I get to Florida to
work Sun 'n Fun. Hope to see many
of you there. In the meanwhile, it's
Over to you .
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
Where The Sellers and Buyers Meet...
25 per word,$5.00 minimumcharge. Sendyouradto
TheVintageTrader, EAAAviationCenter
Oshkosh,WI 54903-2591.
AIRCRAFT:
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Package includesextra engine and spares.Fuse-
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1961 PiperPA-22-108"Colt"-150hoursSMOH
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Yes, a 1940 Stinson 10 - This fine old aircraft
$9,500.00 (Canadian) .Springhouse Aviation,Box
38, R.R. 1, Widgeon Drive, Williams Lake, B.C.
V2G 2Pl,604/392-2186. (9-5)
ENGINES:
Dynamic Antique Radial Engine Balancing -
Specializing in Warner 145, 165, 185 engines.
"Smooth out the vibration when rebuilding." 904/
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MISCELLANEOUS:
JN4-D Memorabilia - "Jenny Mail " collector
cachets, actually flown in Jenny to Day and Osh,
along with T-shirts, pins,posters,etc. Send SASE
for catalog/pricing. Virginia Aviation Co., R.D. 5,
Box 294,Warrenton,VA 22186. (c-5/90)
NEW EAA REFERENCE GUIDE - Now in one
volume! Covering all EAA journals 1953 through
1989. Newlyorganized,easiertoread. MUCH RE-
DUCED PRICE! Past purchasers:$7.50 USDplus
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"Meticulous Delineations" - Antique scale
model construction plans, or wall decor by Vern
Clements (NC 5989), 308 Palo Alto, Caldwell, 10
83605.Catalog/Info/News$3.00,refundable.(7-4)
CARD accepted. John B. Bergeson, 6438 W.
Millbrook Road, Remus, MI 49340. 517/561-2393.
Note:Have all journals. Will makecopy of any ar-
ticle(s) from any issue at 25 per page. ($3.00
minimum).
1910-1950OriginalPlaneandPilotItems- Buy
- sell- trade.44-pagecatalogover350itemsavail-
able, $5.00. Airmailed. John Aldrich, POB-706-
Airport,Groveland,CA95321,209/962-6121.(9-6)
Airplane Hangars - Save up to 50% on Arch
Style Steel Buildings. Factory clearance on 50 x
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CLASSIC AVIATION BOOK- "Crusader."Com-
prehensive 180-page look at 200 mph+ futuristic
early-1930s airplane, its young genius designer,
financial intrigue that scuttled production plans.
AVIATION'SVERSION OFTUCKER!300+ previ-
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AmeliaEarhartanddozensofrareaircraftdesigns.
Gorgeous full-page color illustrations and dustjac-
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limited edition with author's, designer's Signature
- FUTURE COLLECTORS ITEM? Special price
forEAAmembers:$68.50plus$5shipping.(Mass.
residentsaddsalestax.)Orsendfordetails$2.00.
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CHAMPSAND CHIEFS- Thebookfor7and 11
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MEMBERSHIP
INFORMATION
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33
by George Hardie Jr.
This month's Mystery Plane was
another victim of the Great Depression
years. The company was well known
in those Golden Years. The photo was
submitted by John Denny of
Springfield, Oregon. Answers will be
published in the August 1990 issue of
VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Deadline for
that issue is June 10th.
Readers of our companion magazine
EAA EXPERIMENTER had no diffi-
culty with the February Mystery Plane.
Inadvertently it was featured in the
"Lightplane Heritage" column in the
February issue. Nonetheless , we re-
ceived a number of correct answers.
Wayne Van Valkenburgh of Jasper,
Georgia writes:
"The February Mystery Plane is the
Meyers Midget. It was designed by
Charles Meyers and entered in the U.
S. Lightplane contest in 1926. Charlie
worked for the Great Lakes Co. and
designed the Great Lakes trainer, and
later worked for Waco and was largely
responsible for the Waco Taperwing.
He later went to work for Eastern Air-
lines and retired from Eastern in the
1950s."
John Underwood of Glendale,
California has sharp eyes . He writes:
"How can the Mystery Plane be a mys-
tery with the name clearly painted on
the side? Builder Charles W. Meyers
cracked it up on its first flight , which
34 MAY 1990
was in a Iightplane race at Philadelphia
in September 1926. The 32-hp Bristol
Cherub engine, borrowed from Lew
Reisner of Kreider-Reisner, Charlie' s
employer, quit on the 7th lap. This was
due to sabotage. Charlie said he found
two inches of mud in the fuel tank, and
a mechanic later told him who put it
there. The name is now an honored
one in the Aviation Hall of Fame.
"The Meyers Midget never flew
again - too badly damaged. Charlie
was so impressed by its brief perfor-
mance that he later scaled up the wing
cellule, which used the M6 airfoil, and
applied it to a Waco 10, the result
being the Waco Taperwing. Charlie
moved on to greater fame with Great
Lakes, joined Eastern Airlines in 1930
after placing third in the American Cir-
rus Derby."
Other answers were received from
Ron Davenport of Harper's Ferry,
West Virginia; Byron Calomiris of
Long Beach, California; Charley
Hayes of Park Forest, Illinois; Nathan
Rounds of Zebulon, Geogia; Casimier
Grevera of Sunnyvale , California;
Cedric Galloway of Hesperia, Califor-
nia; Bob Armstrong of Rawlings ,
Maryland .
And now a word about our Mystery
Plane column . One reader asks if we
print the names of all who answer. In-
deed we do, provided the letter is dated
on or before the deadline date. This is
not intended as a contest, although
there is an element of challenge here.
A review of past Mysteries will under-
line the value of the historical knowl-
edge that these columns have added to
our archives. During the years that I
have been editing the column, only
seven Mystery Planes were not iden-
tified. I feel we are making a signifi-
cant contribution to recording aviation
history.
Meyers Midget
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