EDITORIALSTAFF

Publisher
April1996 Vol.24,No.4
TomPaberezny
Vice-President
Marketing&Communications
DickMatt
Editor-in"Chief
JackCox
Editor
HenryG.Frautschy
ManagingEditor
GoldaCox
ArtDirector
MikeDrucks
AssistantArtDirector
SaraA.Otto
ComputerGraphicSpeCialists
OliviaL. Phillip JenniferLarsen
Advertising
Mary Jones
AssociateEditor
NormPetersen
FeatureWriters
GeorgeHardie,Jr. DennisParks
StaffPhotographers
JimKoepnick MikeSteineke
CarlSchuppel DonnaBushman
EditorialASSistant
IsabelleWiske
EAAANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISION, INC.
OFFICERS
President Vice-President
Espie"Butch'Joyce GeorgeDaubner
P.O.Box35584 2448loughLane
Greensiooro.NC27425 Hart1ord.WI 53027
910/393-D344 414/673-5885
Secretary Treasurer
SteveNesse E.E.'Buck'Hilbert
2009HighlandAve. P.O.Box424
AlbertLea,MN5tlXJ7 Union,IL60180
507/373-1674 815/923-4591
DIRECTORS
JohnBerendt RobertC."Bob'Blauer
7645EchoPointRd. 9345S.Hoyne
CannonFalls. MN55009 Chicago.IL60620
507/263-2414 312/779-2105
GeneChase JohnS.Copeland
2159CarttonRd. 28-3WilliamsburgCt.
Oshkosh.WI54904 Shrewsbury,MA01545
414/231-5002 fIJ8/842-7867
Phil Coulson stanGomoIt
28415SpringbrookDr. 104290thLane.NE
Lawfon.MI49065 Minneapolis,MN55434
616/624-6490 612/784-1172
ChartesHarris JeannieHilt
7215East46thSt . P.O.60x328
Tulsa,OK 74145 Harvard.IL60033
918/622-8400 815/943-7205
DaleA.Gustafson RobertD.-Bob"Lumley
7724ShadyHillDr. 1265South 124thSt.
Indianapolis,IN 46278 Brookfield,WI 53005
317/293-4430 414/ 782-2633
RobertUckteig GeneMorris
1708BayOaksDr. 115CSteveCourt.R.R.2
AlbertLea,MN5tlXJ7 Roanoke.TX 76262
507/373-2922 817/491-9110
GeoffRobison GeorgeYork
1521 E.MacGregorDr. 181 SlobodaAv.
NewHaven.IN 46774 Mansfield.OH 44906
219/493-4724 419/529-4378
S.H.OWes"Schmid
2359LefeberAvenue
Wauwatosa,WI53213
414/771-1545
DIRECTOR EMERITUS
S.J. Willman
1904-1995
ADVISORS
JoeDickey RogerGomoll
55OokeyAv. 3238VicariaSf.N
Lawrenceburg.IN 47025 St Paul,MN55126
812/537-9354 612/484-2303
SteveKrog DeanRichardson
930TaraHLE 6701 ColonyDr.
Hart1ord.WI 53027 Madison,WI 53717
414/966-7627 608/833-1291
CONTENTS
1 Straight& Level/
Espie"Butch"Joyce
2 AlCNews/H. G. Frautschy
4 AlC25thAnniversary/
GeneChase
10 JustPuttheWingson
andFly/KeithRima
11 FirstSolo/Glynn Dennis
12 GeneChase'sDavisD-l-W/
NormPetersen
18 AnArmyKaydet-
WWIIStearman/
H.G.Frautschy
21 WhatOurMembers
areRestoring/NormPetersen
Page 15
Page 12
23 PassittoBuck/
E.E."Buck"Hilbert
24 AlCTidbits/BradHindall
26 MysteryPlane/H.G.Frautschy
28 WelcomeNewMembers
29 VintageTrader
31 Calendar
Page 18
FRONT COVER. . TheBoeingStearmanModel75.giventhename"Kaydet "bythe
factory. is more commonlyreferred to simply asa "Stearman: Thisoutstanding
example. restored byGidTownsendandownedandflownbyTerry Crawford.both
ofOcala.FL. isa multiple awardwinner. EAA photo byMike Steineke. shot with a
CanonEOS-1n equippedwitha 80-200 mmlens. 1/250sec.@ f8 on 100 ASA slide
film. Cessna210photoplaneflownbyBruceMoore.
BACK COVER ...RetiredVintage Airplane edrtorandall around goodguyGene
Chase.Oshkosh.WI flies hisnewlyrestored a v ~ D-1-WduringEAAOshkosh '95with
Kate Tiffanyin thefrontcockpit. Kate hasflownin threeDavisairplanesnowflying -
herfatherJacks. RoyWicker'sandnowGene'sD- 1W. EAAphotobyMikeSteineke.
shotwithaCanonEOS-Inequippedwitha 80-200mmlens. 1/125sec. @ fl1 on100
ASAslidefilm. Cessna210photoplaneflownbyBruceMoore.
Copyright 1996 bytheEAAAntique/ClassicDivision Inc. All rightsreserved.
VINTAGEAIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EMAntique/Classic Division. Inc. of the Experimental
Aircraft Association and is published monthlyat EMAviation Center. 3000 Poberezny Rd. P.O. Box 3086,Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086.
Second Class Postage paid at Oshkosh,Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices. The merrbership ratefor EMAntique/Classic
Division,Inc.is$27.00forcurrent EMmerrberslor12monthperiodofwhich$15.00 isforthepublicationofVINTAGE AIRPLANE. Membership
isopentoallwhoareinterestedinaviation.
POSTMASTER:Send address changes to EMAntique/Classic Division, Inc.,P.O. Box 3086,Oshkosh,WI 54903-3086. FOREIGN AND APO
ADDRESSES- PleaseallowatleasttwomonthsfordeliveryofVINTAGEAIRPLANEtoloreignandAPOaddressesviasurlacemail.
ADVERTISING - Antique/Classic Division doesnotguarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising.We inviteconstructive
criticismandwelcomeanyreportofinferiormerchandiseobtainedthroughouradvertisingsothatcorrectivemeasurescan betaken.
EDITORIALPOLICY:Readers are encouraged to submrt storiesand photographs. Policyopinionsexpressed in articlesaresolelythoseofthe
authors. Responsibilityforaccuracyin reportingrestsentirelywiththecontributor.Norenumeration ismade.
Materialshould besentto:Editor, VINTAGEAIRPLANE,P.O. Box3086, Oshkosh,WI 54903-3086. Phone414/426-4800.
The words EAA, ULTRALIGHT, FLY WITHTHE FIRSTTEAM,SPORT AVIATION and the logos of EAA, EAA INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTION,EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION,INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB,WARBIRDS OF AMERICA are registered
trademarks.THE EAA SKYSHOPPE and logosofthe EAAAVIATION FOUNDATION and EAAULTRAliGHTCONVIENTION aretrademarks
oftheaboveassociationsandtheirusebyanypersonotherthantheaboveassociationisstrictlyprohibrted.
STRAIGHT & LEVEL
In last month's Straight &
Level, I invited anyone wish-
ing to form an Antique/Clas-
sic Chapter to feel free to
contact Bob Brauer, A/C Di-
vision Director and Chapter
Chairman at 3121779-2105, the EAA Chapter office in Oshkosh
at 414/426-4800 or myself. Bob Mackey heads up the Chapter
office and has a very good staff assisting him in this effort.
We're pleased to welcome a new Chapter, located in New
Iberia, Louisiana. Located south of Lafayette, A/C Chapter
30's president is Roland J. Denison; his contact phone number
is 318/365-3047.
All of the people who help in the formation of a new Chap-
ter will always be known as the charter members. Number
30' s charter members are Roland J. Denison, Gordon S.
Brown, R. O. Lassalle, III, Richard L. Denison and Margaret
G. Denison. As time progresses, these people will feel hon-
ored to have had the vision to get this group together. Con-
gratulations!
Speaking of charter members, A/C Director Bob Lickteig,
A/C 25th Anniversary Chairman, phone 507/373-2922, is
putting together exciting 25th Anniversary activities that will
be taking place throughout the year with some very special
ones occuring during this year's EAA Convention at Oshkosh.
Board member E.E. "Buck" Hilbert is contacting each of the
charter members to invite them to take part in this year's Con-
vention celebration. This group of very active antiquers met in
1971 and formed the Antique/Classic Division of the EAA.
The detailed history of your Division will be published in VIN-
TAGE AIRPLANE starting this month on page 4.
One aspect of the Division's history is that these charter
members felt that by forming your Division, a good many An-
tique enthusiasts (now also Classic and Contemporary) needed
a membership oriented organization they could call home.
Also, by operating under the umbrella of the EAA, it would
have the support needed to provide those services promised,
such as your monthly magazine, VINTAGE AIRPLANE.
With the guidance of Paul Poberezny (A/C #1), Tom
Poberezny, EAA staff, your past and present Directors, Advi-
sors, Officers and dedicated volunteers, we are proud to cele-
brate our 25th year of service. Another important item to our
success is the constructive input from the membership, which
we encourage and discuss at each Board meeting, held once a
quarter.
For a number of you who have been around for some time,
you understand how your A/C Division is operated. For those
of you who may be new to our group, I'll outline our organiza-
tion. The overall operation of your Division is carried out by
your Board of Directors and Officers, who have a Board meet-
ing every three months. At these meetings, Division policies
and items of concern are discussed, with solutions to these
items either concluded or carried forward to the next Board
meeting. Individuals and committees are tasked with present-
ing solutions to the challenges that are presented, and then a
by Espie "Butch" Joyce
policy is voted on by the entire board. Policies established by
the Board of Directors are administered on a daily basis by
your Officers.
There are a number of Directors who are directed by the
Board to be in charge of special areas of interest. For example,
aircraft maintenance issues are being handled by Buck Hilbert,
with specific direction from the board to contact those mem-
bers and organizations who may be affected by these concerns.
Each Board meeting we are given a report by Buck on his ac-
tivities for review and comments.
Your Director's next Board meeting will be held at Oshkosh
on May 10, 1996. On Saturday May 11, following this Board
meeting, we will hold a work day at the A/C Convention site.
Director Bob Lumley (phone 4141782-2633) will be in charge of
this operation, so bring your tools and work clothes and join us
for a day of work and fun.
Many of you will be reading this just before the EAA Sun 'n
Fun Fly-In gets underway, so I'd like to pass along some infor-
mation on the Antique/Classic activities during the week. For
parking information, Mr. Ray Olcott is the Sun 'n Fun Chair-
man. Should you need to talk to Ray in advance of your ar-
rival, you can call and leave a message for him at 941/644-243l.
EAA Antique/Classic Chapter #1 (FSAACA - Florida Sport
Aviation Antique and Classic Association) operates the An-
tique/Classic/Contemporary Headquarters at Sun 'n Fun.
Their building is located near the intersection of Foxtrot and
Sun 'n Fun taxiways, just east of the Media building. Theyof-
fer some of the best in southern hospitality and are open to
serve you daily from 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. during the fly-in.
If you have a friend along who wishes to join the Division, Jane
Kimball and her volunteers will be happy to sign them up!
Antique/Classic Chapter 1 invites you to come visit and sit
on their porch and have it all. They put on a catfish dinner on
Tuesday evening for all to enjoy, but buy your tickets early as it
sells out fast. There's a History of Flight fly-by at noon on
Tuesday; should you want to be part of this parade in the air,
you will also need to check in early. See y'all in April at Lake-
land.
Next month I will start outlining what your Division will be
doing for you during the EAA Oshkosh '96 Convention. One
of the new activities I'm excited about is the A/C flying safety
seminar that will be held during the '96 Convention. At this
time, it looks as though there will be one session on Saturday
and the second on Monday; more on this as we get it together.
The Type Club tent, under the command of Joe and Julie
Dickey, Type Club Chairmen, will be expanded to over 4,000
square feet to accommodate the clubs that want to participate
in this activity at the Convention. The input that your Division
has been receiving from the type clubs has just been great and
we are thankful for their help.
My thanks to the membership for your great support of your
EAA Antique/Classic Division, and with your future support
we will be able to continue to do good things. Let's all pull in
the same direction for the good of aviation. Remember we are
better together. Join us and have it all! ...
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1
A/C NEWS
compiled by H.G. Frautschy
PHILLIPS 66 OFFERS EXPANDED
YOUNG EAGLES FUEL REBATES
For the third consecutive year, the
Phillips 66 Company is offering $1.00 per
gallon rebates on Phillips fuel purchases
used for flights in the EAA Aviation Foun-
dation Young Eagles Program. Purchases
made using a Phillips 66 credit card be-
tween April 15 through October 15,1996 at
Phillips 66 fixed base operators (FBOs)
are eligible for the rebate.
"This is a unique program in the indus-
try," said EAA Aviation Foundation Pres-
ident Tom Poberezny. "We deeply appre-
ciate Phillips 66's expanded interest in
Young Eagles and the future of aviation.
Through this program, volunteer Young
Eagle pilots can save money while opening
up the world of flight for a new genera-
tion. We hope others follow the leader-
ship role Phillips 66 has taken for avia-
tion's future."
After a fuel purchase with a Phillips 66
credit card, the fuel receipts or copies of
those receipts must then be mailed to Pam
Crawford at Phillips 66 Company, 6C-11
"FIRST OVER THE DITCH"
Last month's edition of Vin-
tage Airplane feature d Mel
Brown's painting, "First Over the Ditch." Somehow we managed to miss adding a
paragraph or two explaining the painting in more depth. Here's what Mel wrote re-
garding his painting:
"Depicted is a Dehavilland DH-4 piloted by Lt. Ralph O. Searle on February 24,
1919 over the Grand Canyon. This was the first documented overflight of the
'ditch,' as it has long been known by the locals.
"Lt. Searle was the leader of a flight of DH-4s from Ellington field, TX near
Houston on a 'Gulf to Pacific Expedition.' This journey was begun and completed
out of Kingman, AZ. The expedition itself took the four Dehavillands from Texas
to California by way of the border route already in use by the Border Patrol of the
U.S. Army and then they returned by a more northerly route. This expedition was
made for survey and publicity purposes and was one of many made by the early Air
Service aimed at the American public for recruiting and support of the newest
branch of the U.S. Military."
You can contact artist Mel Brown at 8415 Red Willow Dr., Austin, TX 78736.
Adams Building, Bartlesville, OK 74004,
no later than October 31,1996. The fuel
rebate is issued only through Phillips 66,
not individual FBOs. The rebates are not
available for purchases of auto or jet fuel,
or other brands purchased with Phillips 66
credi t cards.
Participating pilots are also asked to
ED PACKARD RECEIVES AAHS AWARD
For many members who started out in aviation
building stick and tissue, rubber powered models,
the name Cleveland Model and Supply will evoke
strong memories. E. T. Packard, the founder of the
world-renowned model concern, was recently pre-
sented with the American Aviation Historical Soci-
ety's "IN RECOGNITION" award as " A VIA-
TION'S GREAT RECRUITER." Packard, who
celebrated his 90th birthday this past January,
started his first "company" at 13 years of age in
1919, when he built eight twin pusher airplanes of
his own design and sold them wholesale to three
dealers for $1.75 each.
By 1927, as the country was going airplane crazy
after Lindbergh' s epic flight across the Atlantic, Ed
Packard started the company that would introduce modeling to millions of young
men and women over the following decades. Countless numbers of these young-
sters continued careers in aviation as pilots and mechanics, inspired by their model-
ing successes with Cleveland model kits. Using well drawn plans and relying on
light balsa instead of pine to build the structures, the Cleveland model designs have
long been acknowledged as the leaders in the modeling field.
Now retired, E. T. Packard, "Aviation's Best Friend," remains president of the
firm, which still continues to sell copies of all the plans drawn for Cleveland Model
& Supply. If you would like a current illustrated catalog, send $2.00 to Cleveland
Model Supply, 9800B Detroit Av. , Cleveland, OH 44102.
A book detailing E. T. Packard's life and career in miniature aviation will be
published later this year. Look for news regarding the release of "Cleveland's
Packard - Aviation's Great Recruiter" later this year.
verify their use of fuel purchases by writ-
ing and signing a statement confirming the
fuel was used in support of the Young Ea-
gles Program. That signed statement must
be submitted with the rebate request.
The rebate program was initiated by
A/C Division Board member Charlie Har-
ris. In 1994, he introduced the Young Ea-
gles Program to Phillips 66 and urged cor-
porate support for the effort. Jill Bogan,
Phillips 66 Aviation Manager, confirmed
the company's commitment to the pro-
gram this year.
"We were eager to help because we un-
derstand that these types of programs will
benefit the aviation industry in the long
run," Bogan said. "EAA hopes to provide
a meaningful flight experience to a million
young people by the year 2003. If this
prompts even a small percentage of that
million to become pilots, we are helping to
ensure the health of aviation into the next
century. "
Phillips 66 credit cards may be applied
for over the phone by calling 1-800/00-
APPLY (362-7759) during business hours
Monday through Friday (COT).
PHI LLI PS 66 SPONSORS EAA'S
YOUNG EAGLES
AVIATION CAMPS
In addition to their support of the
Young Eagles Program through their fuel
rebate program, Phillips 66 has joined with
the EAA Aviation Foundation to offer 12-
14 year olds a summer opportunity to dis-
cover more about the world of flight in a
fun setting.
The Young Eagles Aviation Camps will
be held on June 29-July 4 and July 6-11.
2 APRIL 1996
Introduced in 1995, the Young Eagles
A viation Camps include hands-on activi-
ties in aviation skills, discussion of flying
history and lore, plus field trips to a num-
ber of aviation facilities. Instructors will
include knowledgeable staff members and
aviation celebrities. Special activities such
as orientation flights and other EAA Avi-
ation Center programs may also be in-
cluded. Specific activities will include
aeromodeling; model rockets; construc-
tion of airplane parts and demonstrations
of skydiving and ultralight flight.
"The Young Eagles Camps are a fun
way to build young people's interest in fly-
ing," said Jill Bogan, Phillips 66 Aviation
Manager. "Phillips 66 sees these camps as
another way to cultivate the next genera-
tion of aviators."
For more information and registration
material, write or call: Young Eagles Avi-
ation Camps, EAA Aviation Foundation
Education Office, P.O . Box 3065,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 414/426-
6815 or Fax at 414/426-6560.
OTHER SUMMER EAA
YOUTH ACTIVITIES
The EAA grounds are going to be a
busy place this summer, with a full range
of youth activities slated. The EAA Air
Academy Ground School (July 13-21) of-
fers 15-17 year olds a chance to study
aeronautic principles a and prepare to
take the FAA written Private Pilot written
exam.
The EAA Air Academy (July 21-Au-
gust 4) continues the exciting summer avi-
ation experience for 15-17-year-olds
started in 1984. The Air Academy is an
intensive look inside the world of flight
and concludes during the annual EAA
Convention.
The Cliff Robertson Airport Work Ex-
perience Program offers a six-week sum-
mer work experience (June 29-August
11) at EAA for two young people, as well
as for a flight instructor/mentor. The pro-
gram gives the young people a chance to
work in an airport setting while obtaining
flight instruction. The instructor/mentor,
meanwhile, has the opportunity to further
develop instructional skills in an aviation-
rich environment.
For more information and applications
on any of these programs, please contact
EAA Aviation Foundation's Education
Office at the above address.
JOIN NAFI AND YOU COULD
WIN A TRIP TO EAA OSHKOSH
As a paid up member of the National
Association of Flight Instructors NAFI, an
affiliate of the EAA, you'd be eligible to
win an trip to EAA OSHKOSH '96.
Memberships must be current by June 1,
1996 to be eligible for the contest. Lodg-
ing, transportation within the continental
United States and admission for two to
the Convention are all provided. The win-
ner will also have an opportunity to be in-
volved behind-the-scenes at EAA
OSHKOSH and attend special events dur-
ing the Convention. "NAFI has created a
unique opportunity to learn and partic-
ipate at EAA OSHKOSH '96," said EAA
President Tom Poberezny. "We welcome
all NAFI members to participate in this
drawing and this year's Fly-In. We invite
them to look at EAA OSHKOSH as their
Convention too."
One name will be will be drawn from
current members on June 1, 1996. The
winner and one guest will be eligible for
the prizes, and no substitutions for the
prize is allowed.
For more information on NAFI mem-
bership, call 1-800/843-3612. NAFI was
founded in 1967 to eliminate disparities
among flight instructors operating without
a peer support structure. It affiliated with
EAA in May of 1995.
STEVENS AVIATION FUElS
YOUNG EAGLES PROGRAM
Stevens Aviation, Greenville, SC, has
launched a program in support of the
EAA Aviation Foundation's Young Ea-
gles Program, with all proceeds to be pre-
sented at the 1996 EAA Convention
Chairman Kurt Herwald has announced.
The current program ends in July 1996.
Each time a customer takes on fuel at any
of the six Stevens locations, they will
have an opportunity to contribute to the
Young Eagles Program by donating the
cost of an extra gallon of fuel until the
goal of $50,000 is met. Stevens will match
each donation gallon for gallon with all
proceeds going directly to the Young Ea-
gles.
Stevens Aviation specializes in main-
tenance and technical services on diverse
types of aircraft. The company has six
aircraft service facilities across the United
States. For more information, call
Stevens Aviation at 1-800/879-6000. ....
STAGGERWING BEECH COMMEMORATIVETOUR
Louise Thaden, the pioneer aviatrix who frequently bested
her friend Amelia Earhart in air racing, will be honored Au-
gust 27-29 by a cross country air tour. The tour is being flown
to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Louise's win in the
1936 Bendix Trophy Race - the first time this prestigious race
had been open to female competition. She won the race pilot-
ing a Beech Staggerwing with copilot Blanche Noyes. Louise
and Blanche walked away not only with the first prize money,
but also with an additional purse of $2,500 "consolation" prize
for the fastest woman pilot. The men who organized the race,
knowing that a woman couldn't actually win the race, hadn't
counted on the ladies' prowess and the Beechcraft Stagger-
wing they flew to victory.
Endorsed by the Staggerwing Museum Foundation and
Staggerwing Club, the flight will include approximately 35
Staggerwing aircraft and 15 invited guest aircraft. Louise
Thaden's granddaughter, Terry, will be one of the tour pilots,
flying with Christine St. Onge.
This celebration of aviation history will begin August 27 at
the Youngstown Elser Metro Airport in Ohio. The planes will
fly to the Frank Phillips Airfield in Bartlesville, OK with a
small contingent stopping briefly at the Louise Thaden Air-
field in Bentonville, AR - Louise' s hometown. The flight will
continue on August 28 and 29 to Gillespie Airfield in El Ca-
jon, CA, near San Diego. A few of the Tour aircraft will make
Wichita, KS the morning of Wednesday, August 28.
Beechcraft was the manufacturer and sponsor of Louise' s win-
ning C-17R Staggerwing and the fueling stop for the two
women during the 1936 Bendix Trophy Race. Festivities are
planned for each of the stops, and there is no limit on public
attendance during the aircraft stops at Elser Metro,
Bartlesville, and Gillespie Field.
There will be an open house at Youngstown Elser Metro
Airport on Saturday, August 24, and Sunday, August 25, cele-
brating the 50th anniversary of the airport. In Bartlesville
there will be a static display of historical aircraft, including a
Lockheed 12, and a replica of "Mister Mulligan" which was
flown in both the 1935 and 1936 Bendix Trophy Race. Also
on display at this stop will be Curtiss Robin NR82H, which
was the refueling airplane for Louise Thaden and Frances
Marsalis' world record endurance flight in 1932. At Gillespie
Field in California there will
be a static display including
the restored Travel Air
D4000 Speedwing Louise
flew in the 1929 Women's Na-
tional Air Race, and a replica
of the DH88 Comet " Gros-
venor House" which won the
1934 MacRobertson Race
from England to Australia.
For additional informa-
tion contact Bill Thaden, 207-
439-1161.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
fAA Antique/Classic Division
25thAnniversary
by Gene Chase
Sincemanyof ourcurrentmembersmaynotbeawareoftheextraordinaryeffortsthatwentintothe formation of
thelargestoffAA'sDivisions, we'repleasedtopresenta 25thAnniversaryreprintofthehistoryofthe
fAA Antique/ClassicDivisionas first publishedin theJuly 1985editionofthemagazine. For thenextseveral
monthsleadinguptothe fAA Convention, we'llprinta sectionofthishistory,andthenintheAugust1996issue
wewillconcludetheserieswitharetrospectivecoveringthelast 10 years. - H.G. Frautschy
PLANTING THE SEED
Back in the sixties, when EAA was still
pretty much a one man operation , the
need became ever greater for more assis-
tance in running the annual Conventions.
EAA Founder and President, Paul H.
Poberezny, conceived the idea of special
interest groups within the organization, to
be formed basically as volunteer groups to
help at the Conventions. These would be
members whose primary interests in-
volved warbird aircraft, aerobatic flight
and antique aircraft.
Soon the Warbirds of America (a pre-
viously organized group of warbird enthu-
siasts) and the International Aerobatic
Club were on board ... and before long a
group of antiquers would be.
During the 1969 EAA Convention at
Rockford, Illinois, a group of members
were discussing the value of having a sep-
arate parking area for the types of planes
they loved most - the antiques. The con-
cept of "classic" aircraft would come later.
This group included Bill and Troy
Dodd, Lake Zurich, IL; Bob Heuer Maple
Park, IL; Buck Hilbert, Union, IL, Lee
Parsons , Carrollton , OH; and Charlie
Sheets, Solon, IA. There may have been
one or two others, but fading memories do
not recall their names. While discussing
this parking idea, the thought occurred
that this special int erest group within the
Experimental Aircraft Association could
actually handle, among other things, the
parking of older airplanes at the annual
Convention. This small but enthusiastic
group would evolve into the Antique/Clas-
sic Division of EAA as we know it today.
But first , major changes were on the
horizon as outlined by President Paul
Poberezny in his "Homebuilder's Corner"
in the January, 1970 issue of SPORT A VI-
ATION. He stated: "We will begin this
year with a new challenge, that of relocat-
4APRIL1996
DaveJameson,Oshkosh,Wisconsin-
EAAAntique/ ClassicDivision' s
firstpresident .
ing our Annual Convention site. By now
each member has received the four-page
Convention bulletin announcing the move
to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, some 123 miles
from Rockford.
Moving a large event such as ours is
not an easy task and those of us who are
directly involved in its operation are well
aware of the great effort that is facing us.
Ifthere had been a reasonable solution
other than a move , which would have
been in the best interest of the member-
ship, your Board of Directors would have
accepted it. However, with such issues as
follows to be considered, the Board be-
lieved both for future expansion and dol-
lar investment, a new site be obtained for
1970 and future years.
"These items presented by the Rock-
ford Airport were of sincere concern, such
as: no further expansion or improvement
should be considered by EAA because of
airport expansion plans. The probable
rental of land in the campsite area to a
commercial concern; a year-to-year agree-
ment of airport facilities; a choice that if
there was camping on the airport grounds
the evening aerobatic program would not
be permitted, and if aerobatics were held,
no camping would be permitted.
" Itwas suggested that EAA rent from
the airport, areas such as the campsite,
EAA aircraft tie downs and display at a
rate comparable to commercial properties
rented to others by the airport. Included
in the rental would be services that EAA
has, in the past, provided or paid for and
obtained at a much lower figure than
could be purchased by the airport. With
this arrangement , the annual convention
fee of the members would then have been
increased substantially.
"The limited area for future expansion
of the home built and antique parking area
was of concern and due to a proposed new
terminal building at the N.W. corner of
the airport, plans call for future closing of
the NW-SE runway which was used exten-
sively for fly-bys."
With the definite move of the Annual
EAA Convention from Rockford to
Oshkosh having been announced , the
group asked President Paul if they could
have their own parking area at Wittman
Field during the 1970 Convention. Paul
said they could, but they would have to or-
ganize and manage the parking of the an-
tiques themselves.
The group gladly accepted this new re-
sponsibility and when the winter snow had
melted, antiquers and their wives joined
similar groups of homebuilders and war-
birds in preparing the grounds for the up-
coming 18th Annual EAA International
Convention Fly-In, scheduled for August
1-7.
The antiquers were beginning to orga-
nize, and following the precedent set at
previous conventions, a judging commit-
tee was named. At Oshkosh '70 this group
was officially called the"Judges and
A wards Committee, Antique Aircraft Di-
vision. " It consisted of Gene Chase, Tulsa,
Oklahoma - Chairman; Evander Britt ,
Lumberton , North Carolina; Dusty
Rhodes, Santa Fe, New Mexico; Ed
Sanders, Ft. Worth , Texas; and Harold
Maloy, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
OSHKOSH '70
Despite the geographic move of the
Convention, the 1970 event exceeded ex-
pectations. The Grand Champion Antique
was the Lockheed Vega, NRI05W owned
by David Jameson, Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Dave restored the all -wood Vega in the
same colors as Wiley Post's famous "Win-
nie Mae."
The Reserve Grand Champion An-
tique award went to a Stearman PT-17,
NllBY, in military colors, owned by Dr.
Berne Yocke, Aurora, Illinois. There was
no Grand Champion Classic award at
Oshkosh '70.
In those early years, a single chairman
was in charge of all "Show Plane Park-
ing," then called "Display Aircraft." The
Chairman at Oshkosh '70 was Herb Cun-
ningham from Scarborough, Ontario,
Canada.
Glorious weather prevailed and the
show plane total count was 607 including
249 antique, classic, and "special" aircraft
as reported in the October, 1970 issue of
SPORT AVIATION. Note the use of the
word classic - this is significant, because at
that time there was no definition for a
"classic" aircraft judging category, nor
separate awards for so-called classic air-
craft. But that would soon change.
JACK COX'S TRIAL BAllOON
In that same October, 1970 issue of
SPORT AVIATION was a two-page arti-
cle by Jack Cox, Assistant Editor , who
with his wife Golda, had been on the EAA
staff since January of that year. Jack's ar-
ticle was entitled "The Classic Airplane"
and was described as being a "trial bal-
loon - a device to test public reaction to
some new idea. "
Basically, Jack proposed to occasion-
ally devote a couple of pages in SPORT
AVIATION to planes that were built af-
ter January 1, 1946 and were at least 20
years old. In 1970 that would have in-
cluded 1946 through 1950, and each year
thereafter, a new year would be added.
Jack further stated, "What EAA pro-
poses is the formation of an informal co-
ordinating unit having as its purpose the
publicizing of existing 'type club' activi-
ties, encouraging and assisting in the es-
tablishment of new type clubs and, proba-
bly most important, making the 'over' 20
classic airplanes a legitimate class recog-
nized at all fly-ins, eligible to park in the
display areas and to receive trophies and
awards.
"The space in SPORT AVIATION
would be used for profiles on the aircraft
of the period; reprints of flight tests writ-
ten when the planes were new; evalua-
tions of the same birds today; articles on
restorations by the bankrupt, sore backed
heroes themselves; company histories; re-
ports on outstanding flights of classic air-
planes - modifications and maintenance
tips; sources of hard-to-get parts ; and
much more."
In his article Jack praised the type
clubs and listed the nine he was aware of.
He was emphatic in stating, "It should be
clearly understood here that this is not
definitely NOT! an attempt by the EAA
to take over any existing club or even
make it an affiliate such as the lAC or the
Warbirds. "
The primary purpose was to legitimize
a new classification of older aircraft, thus
getting a larger group of aviation enthusi-
asts in on the fun of strictly "sport" avia-
tion. And during the Annual Convention,
EAA would reserve space at Oshkosh for
the type clubs to park their own classic
planes with their own volunteers. Further,
EAA would publicize on the Classic Air-
plane pages (in SPORT AVIATION) the
existing type clubs and their activities.
Jack continued, "Now about the name
'Classic.' Yes, I'm perfectly aware that
the term is already used as a subclassifica-
tion in antique airplane judging - including
the EAA's which I devised myself. I am
further aware that the term ' Neo-classic'
(meaning 'new classic') is often used to
denote aircraft of the late 1940's. I don' t
like the term with its built in contradiction
- what is 'new' about a 20-year-old air-
plane? In my opinion, there is a beauti-
fully simple way to end once and for all
the wild names, confusion, and frustration
The Red Barn and an Antique Grand
Champion, two rallying points for An-
tique/Classic members. This OX-5 pow-
ered Alexander Eaglerock was named
Grand Champion Antique at Oshkosh
'73. The Red Barn, shown here as it orig-
inally looked, would not become the
Convention Headquarters for the An-
tique/Classic Division until 1974.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
inherent with the classification of old air-
planes as it is now done."
If the response to all this was great
enough, a for mal classic awards system
would be formulated and appropriate tro-
phies and awards would be ready for pre-
sentation at Oshkosh '7l.
l ack closed hi s art icl e by asking the
readers to respond with their ideas, pro or
con, and if they supported the concept to
send in pictures, articles, personal experi-
ences, etc., which could be used in SPORT
AVIATION. Several articles were sub-
mitted and published in subsequent issues
of the magazine.
THE CLASSIC AIRPLANE
The response to l ack's " tri al balloon
ar ticl e" was hi ghly favorabl e and in the
J a nu ary, 1971 issue of SPORT AVIA-
TION he wrote the first of a series of arti-
cl es called "The Classic Airpl ane."
LOOKING AHEAD TO
OSHKOSH '71
In the " Hotline from Headquarters"
section of the May, 1971 issue of SPORT
A VIATION, the following announcement
appeared: "The Ercoupe Club, comprised
of owners and pilots of this classic ai rcraft
will conduct their national convention in
conjuncti on with the 1971 EAA Conven-
Dave Jameson's Lockheed Vega,
NR105W, was the Grand Champion
Antique at Oshkosh '70, the first year a
special parking arrangement was
developed tor Antiques and Classic.
Jack Cox conceived not only the CLASSIC category name
but also the first subdivisions for judging purposes.
tion and Fly-In, and an area for these air-
craft will be set aside for them. "
In the following month 's " Hotline"
column, the new parking plan for classic
airplanes was outlined: "This' year a t
Oshkosh a new parking area wi ll be des-
ignated for Classic airpl anes - those air-
craft produced between lanuary 1, 1946
and December 31,1950. Warbirds will be
parked at the north end of runway 18-36,
the same as last year; homebuilts and an-
tiques (aircraft produced prior to lanu-
ary 1, 1942, and some wartime planes
such as Staggerwings, Howards, etc.) im-
mediately in front of the control tower -
again, the same as last year. To the south
of this group will be the Classic airplane
parking area.
" Signs will be e rect ed to designate
' type' rows such as Ae ronca, Ercoupe,
Mooney ' Mit e,' Luscombe, St inson,
Swift , Pipe r , Cessna 170, e t c. so that
' birds of a fea the r ' ca n park together
and, hopefull y, get some type club activ-
ity started within their respective groups.
" Due to the large numbe r of Classic
airplanes (1946-1950) and the difficulty
of identifying a nd diffe re ntiating be-
tween a ' 41 and a ' 46 Luscombe, for ex-
ample, we are assigning parking spots for
these aircraft BY PREVIOUS REGIS-
TRATION ONLY. If you plan to fly a
1946-50 era airpl ane to Oshkosh a nd
wish to park it in the Class ic a irplane
area, you must write Class ic Airplane
Parking, Experimental Aircraft Associa-
tion, Box 229, Hales Corners, WI 53130
prior to the Conve nti on a nd ide ntify
your plane by year and make (1946 Tay-
lorcraft , for instance). You will receive
by return mail a diagram of the field and
a small disc to attach to your windshield
so that Oshkosh ground personnel will
be able to identify you and direct you to
the proper area. OTHERWISE YOUR
AIRPLANE WILL BE SENT TO THE
ITI NERANT PARKING AREA.
"Planes of this era which are not pre-
registered wi ll be able to move from the
itinerant parking to the Classic airplane
area only afte r the owner registers hi s
plane at the EAA aircraft registration
booth and is given an identification disc.
" Parking of the 1946-50 aircraft has al-
ways been a problem at past Conventions,
and this new sys tem is both an effort to
solve the problem and to recognize a new
class of olde r aircraft , those Classic air-
planes which have been restored with the
same ' te nde r loving care' as older an-
tiques, thereby providing more enj oyment
and participation in the Fly- In for greater
numbers of members."
Classic airplanes were now being rec-
ognized as members of the sport avi ation
frat ernity and type clubs were getting na-
tional recogni tion through EAA's SPORT
AVIATION magazine. In the lul y, 1971
Hotline the Staggerwing Club announced
its Annual Meet in g would be held a t
Oshkosh '71 and a specia l display row
would be set up. Also, the Mooney Mite
owners , the Aeronca Club and the
Mooney Mite Owners type clubs would be
there in full force.
Another "classic airplane" article by
lack Cox appeared in that July iss ue .
Thi s one proudly announced, "This Au-
gust for th e fir st time, the Classic Air-
pl ane, those aircraft produced between
l anuary 1,1946 and December 31,1950,
will be fully recognized at an EAA Fly-In
Conventi on. Classics will have their own
parking area a nd will have their own
awards. "
The classic pla ne parking area a nd
preregistrati on procedures were further
descr ibed as were the new orange and
white checkerboard EAA traffic control
" towe rs. " These towers would be
manned by volunt eer ground traffic di-
rectors who would "aim you toward the
classic parking area. "
l ack Cox conceived not on ly the
CLASSIC category name but also the first
subdivisions for judging purposes. In lul y,
1971 he wrote: " Due to the great variety
of aircraft involved, it has been decided to
subdivide classics as follows: Class I, be-
low 100 hp; Class II, 100-165 hp; Class III,
over 165 hp. " Also listed were several air-
craft examples for each class.
l ack' s article on the subj ect concluded
with, "Since this is the first year for the
Classic Airplane category we wi ll be play-
ing everything ' by ear' and expect to learn
a lot. Improvements wi ll be made as in-
terest is shown and experi ence is gained.
Your comments and suggestions are wel-
comed."
6 APRIL 1996
OSHKOSH '71
The 19th Annual EAA Convention
was held August 1-7. A total of 828 show-
planes were registered, an increase of
25% from the previous year. The new
Classic Airplane category accounted for
288 registrations.
Harold Johnston of Pueblo, Colorado
won the Grand Champion Antique award
with his Vultee V-1A Special , NC16099.
It was built in 1936 for millionaire pub-
lisher William Randolph Hearst on a no-
expense-spared basis. Power was a 1,000
hp Wright R-1820 with a 3-bladed pro-
peller.
The Reserve Grand Champion An-
tique award went to Charles Klessig of
Galesburg, North Dakota for his 1917
Standard J-1, N9477. This stately old bi-
plane was powered with a Curtiss OXX-6
engine.
The very first to be named Grand
Champion Classic was the one and only
1946 Spartan 12, a tricycle geared devel-
opment of the Model 7W " Executive. "
Ed Wegner of Plymouth, Wisconsin re-
stored this rare aircraft after acquiring it
from George Goodhead, Tulsa, Okla-
homa, who acquired it through the efforts
of Col. Maxwell Balfour, an executive of
Spartan Aircraft Company in Tulsa.
There was no Reserve Grand Cham-
pion Classic in 1971.
The judging of the Classics was accom-
plished by the Antique Judging Commit-
tee chaired by Evander Britt of Lumber-
ton, North Carolina. He was ably assisted
by H. N. "Dusty" Rhodes of Santa Fe,
New Mexico; Harold Maloy, Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma; Ed Sanders, Ft. Worth,
Texas; Johnny Livingston, Pompano
Beach, Florida; and Stan Dzik of Milwau-
kee, Wisconsin.
Jack Cox of EAA Headquarters was in
charge of Antique Aircraft Awards. A
committee responsible for "Homebuilt
and Antique Aircraft" was chaired by
Herb Cunningham of Scarborough, On-
tario, Canada with Co-Chairman Ed Weg-
ner, Carl Koeling and Bob Puryear.
Generally, things went well in the An-
tique and Classic areas at Oshkosh '71 ,
but the parking by preregistration system
would have to be modified. Also, the An-
tique Judging Committee was worked to
death attempting fo look at nearly 500 an-
tique and classic aircraft. It was agreed
that a separate judging committee for
Classics should be formed for 1972.
Immediately after the Convention work
was started on the '72 Fly-ln. The Classic
parking area was plowed, smoothed and
seeded. By October a good stand of fall
grass was up. Other work consisted of fill-
ing, installation of additional culverts, etc.
to generally improve the grounds.
In his SPORT AVIATION editorials
Oshkosh '71 - Center stage. Antique
parking is at bottom of photo with a few
overflow homebuilts, and Wittman
Tower is at left center. Across the road
south of the Tower is a corn field - The
field is now dominated by the large Con-
vention taxiway and display ramp.
after the Convention, Paul paid tribute to
the many volunteers who worked long
hours before and during the event. He
stated, "The 42,000 flight operations for
the week is something at which to mar-
vel-I 0,000 more than last year and ap-
proximately 25,000 more than O' Hare
Field usually reports as the world's busiest
airport during a week long period. This
could not have been possible depending
upon radio control alone or without the
cooperation of both the FAA and the pi-
lots. Tolerance and respect for each other
as well as excellent airmanship contribute
to this safe record .. .
" Enthusiasm and favorable personal
comments have been received from EAA
members/owners of Classic Airplanes
(1946-1950) - they have, at long last , been
recognized and feel th ey have a home
within their own organization - e xtra
voices to lend weight to the future of
EAA/Sport Aviation at the Chapter , lo-
cal, state and Federal government level. "
ANTIOUE AND CLASSIC DIVISION
OF EAA UNDER CONSIDERATION
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
"A meeting was held ... to consider the formation of an
Antique and Classic group within the fAA for our
members whose interests lie in this area of sport aviation.
The headline above preceded the fol-
lowing three paragraphs on page 17 of the
" Hot Line" section of the October, 1971
issue of SPORT AVIATION.
" Since the beginning of the EAA ,
many members have had a great interest
in antique and classic aircraft. Actually,
the typical EAA member has a wide range
of interests within the aviation field-
many own antiques or classics and are also
building a homebuilt . Members with a
homebuilt as their "fun" plane and a clas-
sic such as a Cessna 170 for instance as
their "family" plane, are much more com-
mon than most realize.
"Since the first EAA Fly-In in 1953, all
types of aircraft have been welcome, and
antiques have been eligible for awards all
along. This follows the EAA's avowed
policy that the use of an aircraft types it as
a ' sport' plane-not age, method of manu-
facture or other criteria. But though this
is the policy, it is recognized that most of
EAA Headquarters ' time is spent with
homebuilt activities and that our annual
Convention at Oshkosh is centered
around the homebuilt aircraft and the
homebuilder. Most of us feel this is just as
it should be; however, this is not to say
that in addition to the present policies and
activities more cannot be done in other ar-
The first Grand Champion Classic,
named at Oshkosh ' 71 - Ed Wegner's
1946 Spartan 12, NC21962.
eas. For instance, in addit ion to home-
building forums at Oshkosh, new ones can
be held on subjects of interest to owners
of antique and classic airplanes, etc.
"With the foregoing in mind, a group
of interested EAA members will be meet-
ing this fall at Headquarters to discuss the
formation of an Antique!/Classic Divison
of the EAA. The purpose will be to pro-
vide direction and leadership so that a
larger number of aviat ion enthusiasts will
be able to enjoy EAA activities to an even
greater extent than ever before."
FIRST ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC
MEETING
As reported on page 5 of the " Hot
Line" section of the December, 1971 issue
of SPORT AVIATION, " A meeting was
held Saturday, November 6 at Hales Cor-
ners to consider the formation of an An-
tique and Classic group within the EAA
for our members whose interests li e in this
area of sport aviation.
16 men from around the nation at-
tended and a great deal of discussion and
planning was done - generally, regarding
the antique and classic classification sys-
tem, aims and goals of the proposed orga-
nization, plans to improve the antique and
classic phases of our fly-in Convent ion at
Oshkosh, and the select ion of a slate of
provisional officers and directors.
"Some modification of EAA' s classifi-
ciation of antique and classic aircraft was
approved and will henceforth become the
official policy of EAA at the national
level and should be adopted by Chapters
for their own fly-ins. They are as follows:
"Antique Aircraft: Any aircraft of any
nation produced before January 1,1946
with the following exceptions:
1) All Beechcraft Model 17s, Fairchild
24s a nd Monocoupes (any model) pro-
duced after December 31 , 1945 will be
classified with the prewar models as An-
tiques.
2) Any 1946 model year aircraft that
came off the production lines in the last
months of 1945 will be considered Clas-
sics.
3) Any military aircraft produced be-
fore January 1, 1946 and not eligible for
"Warbird" classification under the current
rules of the "Warbirds of America" Divi-
sion of EAA, will be considered Antiques.
Also, if an owner of a military aircraft
does not belong to the Warbirds of Amer-
ica and/or does not choose to have his air-
craft judged as a Warbird, he has the op-
tion of requesting the judges to consider
his plane an Antique. It will be the re-
sponsibility of the aircraft owner to make
this intention known.
"Classic Aircraft: Any aircraft of any
nation produced between December 31,
1945 and January 1, 1951 (with the addi-
tion of a few 1946 models that actually
came off the production lines in late 1945
as mentioned under ' Antique Aircraft') .
The decision of the group was to limit the
Classics to the 1946-50 era for the time be-
ing, rather than having the 20th year from
the present as the end of this classifica-
tion. At some future time a new classifica-
8 APRIL 1996
tion for later aircraft could be formulated.
"A large Board of Directors was se-
lected so as to obtain representation from
all parts of the nation and to ens ure a
good number at each board meeti ng.
EAA Antique Chapters 316 and 395 will
have representation on this Board.
"Officers and Board members will
serve in their provisional capacity until
the 1972 EAA Fly-In at which time a for-
mal election will be held. The immediate
work for the group will be to prepare An-
tique and Classic activities for Oshkosh
and create an organizational structure.
All inquiries concerning the activities of
the group should be addressed to the Pres-
ident, Dave Jameson, 4322 Bellhaven,
Oshkosh, WI 54901. "
CAPT. EDDIE RICKENBACKER
SPEAKS
"During the Antique and Classic meet-
ing, the group was honored with the ap-
pearance by Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker
who, along with other Eastern Air Lines
officials, was touring the EAA Air Mu-
seum. Accompanied by President Paul
Poberezny, Capt. Rickenbacker inspected
the restoration area, offices and the main
aircraft display area. In a short talk to the
vintage aircraft enthusiasts, Rickenbacker
stated he was favorab ly impressed with
the immaculate condition of the buildings
and displays and considered EAAers to
be one of America's last outposts of indi-
vidualism and an important reservoir of
technical and mechanical skills that made
American aviation great.
"Still robust and ramrod straight, Capt.
Eddie made his entrance amid a standing
ovation, his famed wide-brimmed felt hat
firmly in hand-a rare and inspiring
glimpse of an aviation imortal."
Those few paragraphs described the
first meeting of the newly formed EAA
Antique/Classic Division on November 6,
1971.
SECOND ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
MEETING
The second meeting of the Division
took place at EAA Headquarters at Hales
Corners on Saturday, February 26,1972.
Approximately 30 persons were in atten-
dance from all around the nation and the
first order of business was the announce-
ment that the Division was legally incor-
porated.
Major decisions made during the first
meeting included an agreement that , ini-
tially, no separate dues structure would be
applied to members of the Antique/Clas-
sic Division. An Antique/Classic mem-
bership card would be issued, on request ,
to all EAA members who wished to be
identified with the Division. Special de-
cals and patches would also be forthcom-
ing.
A great deal of time was devoted to the
matter of judging. Evander Britt of Lum-
berton, North Carolina was reaffirmed as
chief judge of Antique aircraft at Oshkosh,
Officers Elected at First Antique/Classic Meeting:
President-Dave Jameson, Oshkosh,WI
Vice President-J. R. Nielander, Jr.,Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Secretary-Dick Wagner, Lyons, WI
Treasurer-Bill Dodd, Lake Zurich,IL
Directors
Richard P. Austin, Greensboro, NC
Tony Blackstone, Enid, OK
Ray Brandly, Dayton, OH
Ron Fritz, Grand Rapids, MI
James c. Gorman, Mansfield, OH
John C. Luebke, Naperville, IL
Vince Mariani, Findlay, OH
John Perry, Scottsbluff, NE
H. N. "Dusty" Rhodes, Sante Fe, NM
George E. Stubbs, Indi anapoli s, IN
Landis West, Scottsbluff, NE
George S. York, Mansfield, OH
Richard Baxter, Seattle, WA
Peter Bowers, Seattle, WA
Evander Britt, Lumberton, NC
Wayne Fredline, Grand Rapids, MI
Ken Hyde, Warrenton, VA
Harold Maloy, Oklahoma City, OK
Lee Parsons, Carrollton, OH
Nick Rezich, Rockford, IL
Robert Ring, East Kingston, NH
Ed Wegner, Plymouth, WI
Dr. Bernard Yocke, Aurora, IL
Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker chats with
President Paul Poberezny during a visit
to the EAA Museum in November, 1971.
Capt. Rickenbacker, then President of
Eastern Air Lines, also addressed the
first meeting of the Antique/Classic
Division during his visit.
and it was decided that a second set of
judges would be selected for Classic air-
craft due to the large number of aircraft
involved. A rating form for judges was to
be looked into and categories formulated
and published in SPORT A VIAnON
prior to the Oshkosh '72 Convention.
Finally the work of vastly improving
the program at Oshkosh for Antiques and
Classics came under consideration. Com-
mittees were formed to plan forums, fly-
out activities, parking, etc., and chairmen
were appointed to start the ball rolling.
This meeting was deemed the first step
in making Oshkosh '72 a great fly-in for
owners and admirers of Antique and Clas-
sic aircraft. Among the chairmen named
for the various aircraft categories for the
' 72 Convention were Antiques , Dave
Jameson and Classics, Dick Wagner.
As was done the previous year, prereg-
istration of classic aircraft attending
Oshkosh was required.
Among the details worked out during
the pre-Oshkosh '72 planning sessions
were that Classic airplanes would be
judged by a team co-chaired by Jim Gor-
man of Mansfield, OH and Morton Lester
of Martinsville, VA. Also, rules were
changed to disallow a previous Oshkosh
Grand Champion Award winner in the
Antique and Classic categories to receive
that honor again at Oshkosh.
Nest Month, Gene Chase documents the
first half of the 19705, and the creation of
the magazine you knw enjoy, Vintage Air-
plane.
All You
Haveto Do
Is putthe
Wings
On...
by Keith Rima
"All you have to so is put the wings
on." That's what I was told by the person
who responded to my ad. I was wanting
to trade my homebuilt Kitfox for a certi -
fied airplane. He was wanting to trade
his Pacer. We talked about our planes,
the good points and the negatives. I
spent some time researching what people
had to say about the Pacer and decided it
would be a good aircraft for me.
After talking with the Pacer owner
and gat hering all the information I could
from different sources, it seemed like a
fair tr ade. One of the things that at-
tracted me the most was the fact that I
wouldn' t have anot her huge project on
my hands. The owner of the Pacer made
it CLEAR that all the paperwork was in
order, the engine (ori gi nal 125 hp with
only 950 hours) was in good shape, and
the plane had bee n recovered a nd
painted recently. It still needed the wings
attached since the recover job, but all the
pieces were sitting together in a hangar
and I was ASSURED all was in good
shape. (You're getting the picture, huh?)
Well , I thought thi s sounded like a
good deal and we made a verbal agree-
ment over the phone. And I began say-
ing NO to all the calls that began coming
in for the Kitfox.
As the story continues, we set a date
to pick up the Pacer. My friend and me-
chanic Ralph Goulds (IA) and I drove
the short di stance of 1600 mil es to make
this plane trade. Since both of us were
on ti ght schedul es, we decided to drive
straight through, with Kitfox in tow, shar-
ing the drive and sleep time between Col-
orado and Kentucky. What a great time
to get caught up on each others lives-
and talk about the benefits of flying over
driving.
Finally, 32 hours lat er , as once again
the day turned to ni ght , we reached our
destination. Feeling a bit on the ex -
10 APRIL 1996
hausted side, we unloaded the Kitfox and
loaded the Pacer. In the blackness of the
Kentucky night the Pacer didn' t look too
bad-and Ralph gave the engine a brief
inspecti on.
Keeping to our schedul e, we were off
a nd headed west. As dayli ght ap-
proached somewhe re in Arkansas, we
SA W what we had. Being the friends
that we are, we kept telling each other
that ever ything was ok, reminding one
a nother of how hones t thi s ex- Pacer
owner looked.
As always, it was great to get home
to Colorado, a nd afte r catching up on
some sleep, we headed to our hangar to,
very simply, just put the wings on! HA!
The cl oser we looked, the more
the Short Wing Piper Club and began to
receive the newsletter. The people were
great , very helpful and actuall y liked to
talk about the Short Wings. After read-
ing an article by Richard Collins about
hi s " love affair " with a Pace r, I became
hopeful that thi s proj ect was not a loss af-
ter all.
Day after day, month after month, my
good friends who put in countless hours
with me, Ke n Fox, Ralph Goulds, Jim
McCooey, Larry Bartlett a nd Di ck
Woodson, as well as my new found Short
Wing friends, beca me as exc ited as I
about thi s PROJECT. We were equall y
thrilled when the day for takeoff at last
arrived.
we found a nd the more di scour-
It still needed the wings attached since
aged I became. The " put th e
the recover job, but all the pieces were
wings on " airplane ins t a ntl y
turned into a MAJOR PROJECT!
sitting together in a hangar and I was
I was not thrilled , Ralph was not
ASSURED all was in good shape.
thrilled, my family was not
(You're getting the picture, huh?)
thrilled!
To make this long story shorter,
we worked from September through July
rebuilding the 0-290D 125 hp, replaced
the magnetos, put in a new exhaust sys-
tem, generator, gas and oil lines. We re-
placed and/or overhauled most of the in-
st rument panel , repaired the wing ribs ,
fuel tanks, tail wheel, tires, brakes and
struts.
It seemed that from the prop to the
tail , EVERYTHING needed replacing.
Hey, it' s only money and time! All the
while I kept asking mys elf a number of
ques tions, two of which were: WHAT
HAVE I DONE? and WILL THIS BE
WORTH IT ALL?
Although none of my airport buddies
had flown a Pacer, they all assured me it
would be OK and to just hang in there.
What are fri ends for anyway?
In the meantime, I was introduced to
After all the miles, hours, months and
money, 7740K raised her t ai l and li fted
off in almost no time at all. She climbed
at 500 fpm steadily at a constant airspeed
and rpm. She flew so smooth and wings
level, as if she was as glad to be back in
the air as I was to have her there. It was
almost as if she was sayi ng "It was worth
it all!" I discovered that Richard Collins'
love for the Pacer had transferred to an-
other pilot. She is a G REAT airpl a ne
and a real joy to fly.
I want to thank my friends , SWPC, the
EAA, and the Piper Owners Society for
all their help . I'm looking forward to
meeting some of the SWPC in the Col-
orado chapter in the days ahead.
So, all in all, it has been worth it- but
I will NEVER believe anyone who
says, "Just put the wings on and fly! " ...
MyFirst
Solo
by Glynn Dennis
Like most of us who fly I began my
training and worked toward the big
event-MY FIRST SOLO. From the
beginning, training was a combination of
many things. Evening reading and study
was followed by dreams of the next day' s
flight. Morning brought anticipation of
what my instructor might have in store
for me this time and finally, the real fun,
being airborne and trying not to be too
far behind the plane.
That first solo came and went , bring-
ing with it a new level of confidence and
great pride. Little did I know that there
would continue to be first solos through-
out my training and beyond. These con-
tinuing first solos came in more complex
aircraft, with the Civil Air Patrol and in
tail wheel airplanes.
This is where my story really begins -
TAILDRAGGERS - Citabrias, J-3 Cubs
and Luscombes. I found my true enjoy-
ment came not from power, speed and a
tall stack of avionics but in the pure joy of
a flight in one of these old-timers. They
had personality, history and a story to tell ,
if we'll only listen.
These stories can be of long
ago, when pilots flew from one
place to another by ground ref-
erences and painted towers on
the edge of towns, rather than
following the needle of a VOR.
On one day the story might be
of a ten year old's first flight
and the view of his own house
from this wonderful new per-
spective. On another day the
story could uncover clues of
how and where turbulence can
hide. These stories can indeed
be serious and we should al-
ways be listening carefully.
After renting from the local
FBO for some time, everything
pointed to owning my own
plane. The decision about what
to buy was easy. A Luscombe.
Almost a year later my search
led me to a pristine 1947 Lus-
combe 8-E. All the paperwork com-
pleted it was time to fly. A knowledge-
able instructor was found and training in
preparation for my first solo began -
again.
After a thorough checkout in my new
airplane, the instructor shook my hand
and said, "Go have some fun." It's now
Saturday morning, the sky is clear, the
wind is calm, and IT IS PERFECT! As I
taxi out, the Luscombe begins to talk to
me, "Not too much rudder. " "Don' t be
in such a hurry, careful with the brakes."
The coaxing is subtle at first , then more
clearly and finally I begin to listen. The
sounds are wonderful (I think. "What
was that noise? Does the oil pressure
seem low?") No, of course not , I'm just
nervous, this being my first solo.
Run up complete and ready for take-
off. Add power slowly, keep the nose
straight, let the tail fly and we ' re off.
This is how it was meant to be, effortless,
graceful, thrilling and the smi le on my
face cannot be controlled. (What was
that noise?) My plan was to go to our 10-
cal practice area south of the airport and
get acquainted. I'll start with some gen-
t le turns, then some slow f1igh t and
maybe over to a grass strip for some soft
field work. (Does the oil pressure seem
low?) This old-timer is talking to me,
telling me stories, but I'm not really lis-
tening. Suddenly it spoke to me in un-
mistakable tones. Harsh noise. Strong
vibration. High oi l temperature. No oil
pressure. Loss of rpm. The mind races.
What's happened? Is this it? Is this how
it ends? No! Remember all the training,
all the check-outs, all the instruction,
FLY THE PLANE!
There is something very wrong but
the plane still flies , the engine still makes
power, although not much, and there are
important things to do. Establish best
glide speed, apply carb heat, switch
tanks, check the mags, call the tower,
I 've been monitoring their frequency,
FLY THE PLANE. While all these
events do create an extreme sense of
awareness, not to mention about 98%
adrenaline in my blood stream, time
seems to slow. Surprisingly there is no
fear, no panic, just important things to
do. You hear your instructor's voice.
You feel a sense of unreal calm in the
knowledge that you know what to do,
above all else FLY THE PLANE!
Safely on the ground, details can be
sorted out and reasons can be estab-
lished. But while we are in the air, never
forget to listen to what our planes are
trying to tell us, it could be important.
Glynn Dennis' engine had suffered a
broken crankshaft, but his calm reaction to
the engine failure meant that a successful
forced landing was made. As he recalled,
flying the airplane first as the task at hand
may very well mean you will have time later
to figure out the reasons why. - H.G.
Frautschy ....
VINTAGEAIRPLANE11
Gene Chase's
1933
DavisD-I-W
by Norm Petersen
A happy Gene and Dorothy Chase pose
by the Davis upon completion of the first
flight from Brennand's to Wittman Field
on March 16, 1995.
The Davis in these two photos, supplied
to Gene by John Underwood, and be-
lieved to have been taken at the 1935
National Air Races by Bill Yeager, might
look a bit familiar - it's the same Davis
shown in Joseph Juptner's "U.S. Civil
Aircraft" in the description of A.T.C. 317
and is Gene Chase's Davis D-1-W (at
that time, it was a 0-1-85 [0-1-66]). Gene
used these photos to layout the color
scheme when the parasol monoplane
was restored.
It was nearly forty years ago that the
seed for this story was planted in the fer-
tile mind of Gene Ralph Chase (EAA
10522, AI C 300) who resides in Oshkosh,
WI , with his lovely wife (and excellent
cook), Dorothy. The scene was Tulsa,
OK, in the late 1950's and the airplane
was a Davis V-3 monoplane that had been
acquired by a neophyte pilot named Encel
Klier.
Being an active CFI, Gene accepted
the job of teaching Encel how to fly the
Davis . It was during those lessons that
Gene began to admire the delicate, finger-
tip controls of the Davis. It handl ed so
easily, one only had to think "turn" and it
did it. Slowly, the undeniable urge to own
one of these beautiful flying airplanes be-
came a part of Gene Chase's li fe - if onl y
the opportunity would present itself.
In the late 1960's, Gene spotted the un-
12 APRIL 1996
mistakable lines of a Davis at the
EAA Fly-In at Rockford, IL.
Moving closer, he me t the
owner , Dale Crites, of Wauke-
sha , WI , and examined the air-
plane from nose to tail. It was a
Davis D-1-W, NC13546, SIN304,
all dolled up in a yellow and
black paint scheme , complete
with scallops, and the power-
plant was a big 499 cubic inch
Warner Scarab of 145 hp. Dale Crites
could easily see the look of desire in
Gene's eyes which would add a necessary
tiny ingredient nearly fifteen years later.
During the intervening years, Dale
Crites took exce ll ent care of the Davis
and flew it an average of just 5.65 hours
per year. Eventually, the Davis came up
for sa le in 1983 and the first person to
look at it was veteran antiquer Al Kelch
(EAA 33767, AIC 700) of nearby Mequon,
WI. Just to be sure he would fit in the
rather close rear cockpit, Al proceeded to
work his full size adult frame into the seat.
He immediately realized the Davis was a
tight fit , however, when it came time to
get out of the airplane - he couldn't! It
took the combined efforts of five grown
men to finally ext ract Al Kelch from the
Davis. It's not that Al is a really big fel-
low - he ' s rather average in height and
weight - but that the Davis is that small!
Needless to say, the deal was off and
Dale Crites remembered how Gene Chase
had longingly looked at the Davis in Rock-
ford years ago. During a meeting of the
OX-5 Club in early 1983, Gene sat next to
Dale Crites and inquired about the Davis.
Dale mentioned he was planning to sell
the parasol and Gene ' s ears perked up.
Before long, negotiations were proceeding
and eve ntually a deal was struck. On
April 29, 1983, Gene and Dorothy became
the owners of Davis D-I-W, NC13546.
The airplane had been built on 11-22-33 as
a Davis 0-1-85 with an 85 hp LeBlond en-
gine , however, in the lat e 1950's, Bob
Huggins of Waukesha, WI, converted the
Davis to a D-I-W configuration by the in-
stallation of the 145 Warner engine and
propeller from a Fairchild 24W. The air-
plane had a total time of 868.5 hours on
the ai rframe when Gene bought it. (It has
964 hours total time now.)
The next day, the sod runway at Capi-
tal Drive Airport was solid enough to fly.
Before getting in, Gene checked the Davis
over carefully. When satisfied that all was
ready, he confidently placed his left foot
in the stirrup and swung his right foot into
the cockpit - well almost - hi s foot hit the
fuselage about hal f way up the side with a
resounding thump and the gathered crowd
had a good laugh. As Gene says, " I sud-
denly realized I had gotten a bit ol der
along with the airplane!"
Following the required three takeoffs
and landings, I was invited to be the first
passenger with Gene, so I devised a sys-
tem for large folks to enter the tiny front
cockpit. By crawling through the cockpit
and putting one's shoulders out the other
side, one could work his legs into the
lower cockpit and slide down into the seat.
It worked! A total of five rides were given
that day and the smile on Gene Chase's
face told the story like none other. It was
the beginning of a beautiful love affair.
On November 7, 1983, with every piece
of clothing he could put on or get into,
Gene ferried the Davis to its new home at
Wittman Field in Oshkosh, WI. The tem-
perature was 20 degrees. Along with the
airplane, Dale Crites had included a card-
board box of "stuff" that Gene might
need in the future. Gene carefully put the
box aside without looking into it.
During the next eight years, the Davis
was flown every summer as Gene attended
many Wisconsin fly-ins with the throb of
the Warner becoming a familiar sound all
over the stale. Being of sufficient heft to
start the big Warner by hand-propping, I
was often invited to go along with Gene
on many of the flights. (Eventually, I
picked up the nickname "Eclipse" be-
cause of the hand-propping.)
By 1991, the years were beginning to
show on the Davis, the old cotton and
linen fabric was getting tired (most was
over 30 years old) and the Warner was be-
ginning to show signs of get ting tire d,
having last been majored in 1959. It was
time.
The call for help was soon answered as
Gene' s many friends began to dismantle
the Davis into many pieces, ready for re-
building. The fuselage (on the gear) was
moved to Earl Grunska's heated work-
shop north of Oshkosh, the wings were
put in racks to be used at the next EAA
Adult Air Academy in February. The
Warner engi ne was loaded into the back
of Ted Travis' International Scout and
hauled to his shop in Cheboygan, MI.
About this time, the "good luck charm"
of Gene Chase began to work. Ted Travis
called and said the main master thrust
bearing of the Warner had a groove worn
nearly 1/8 inch deep and would probably
have failed within the next ten hours!
Gene swallowed the lump in his throat
and suddenly remembered the box of
" stuff" that Dale Crites had given him
with the airplane. He dug it out and
spread the contents on the table. Included
were seven new intake valves, seven new
exhaust valves and a brand new main mas-
ter thrust bearing. With these critical
items on hand, Ted was able to complete
the meticulous major overhaul of the
Warner engine and return it to Oshkosh
looking for all the world like a finished di-
amond.
Again the "good luck charm" rattled as
word came through that the estate of the
late Ken Williams of Portage, WI, had an
Eclipse Y -150 starter for sale with an an-
gle drive to fit a Warner 145. A phone call
to Shirley Williams (a lovely lady who is
held in high esteem by the Wisconsin an-
tique airplane group) allowed Gene to ne-
got iate a sale favorable to both parties
and before long, the starter arrived, ready
for installation.
Meanwhile, the fuse lage was stripped
down to bare tubing and, along with the
tail feathers, was brought to Leonard
Manson's shop for sand blasting. Only
three small welds were required before
the epoxy primer was appli ed. One on the
elevator tip, one cabane fitti ng was start-
ing to crack and one short piece of tubing
in the aft fuselage had to be replaced.
Once this was completed, everything was
epoxy primed and the long road back to a
flyable airplane began.
At the same time, the wings (with their
unusual gull wing shape) were uncovered
in the Adult Air Academy class, carefully
saving all the old fabric for the correct
placing of reinforcements and inspection
covers. Everyone were fascinated by the
unique structure in the wings, hidden by
fabric all these years and in the left wing, a
huge mouse nest was uncovered that signi-
fied a long-term residency at some time in
the past. (It was removed.) The class ap-
preciated the opportunity to uncover a set
of wings and examine the construction of
This overhead view against the green
background gives us a good planform
look at Gene' s Davis. The double-ta-
pered wing, the center section fuel tank
and Grimes navigation lights on wings
and tail are all visible.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
a 1933 vintage airplane. About this time,
veteran antiquer Don McMakin (EAA
6220, AIC 3396) of Rockton, IL, volun-
teered to overhaul the wings and get them
ready for cover. Always fascinated by the
Davis wing, Don relished the chance to go
through them. During the overhaul, Don
replaced the left wing rear spar and one
aileron spar before returning the wings
and ailerons to Oshkosh, ready for cover.
It is conservatively estimated by Gene
that Don' s work advanced the Davis re-
build by quite a few months.
As Gene was busy rebuilding the fuse-
lage in his garage, the good luck charm
once again rattled when Charley Pettit of
Hesperia, CA, called with the news that
he had made a special tool to fabricate
new steel (hat section) fuselage stringers
for the Davis he was restoring and was
calling all Davis owners to find out if any-
one else needed stringers. Gene immedi-
ately ordered a set which, when installed
on the fuselage, really took the sag out of
the previous stringers and made the Davis
look like a new airplane that hadn't been
"rode hard and put away wet."
A gleaming new set of streamlined
Macwhyte wires were orderedfrom Nick
d' Apuzzo in Ambler, P A, for the tail brac-
14 APRIL 1996
ing and the center section rolling wires,
which are of round section. Gene says
the best part is that each wire was ab-
solutely perfect when installed - right
down to the correct number of threads
and even the cotter keys.
Most of the sheet metal on the fuselage
was skillfully replaced by Jim Courtney.
He also fabricated a new 24" headrest and
wing center section trailing edge. Both of
these items had been modified during a
previous restoration. Bauken Noack
formed a new stainless steel firewall, com-
plete with foot wells for the rudder pedal
action in the front cockpit.
A new canvas baggage compartment
was sewn together by AI Putzer of
Oshkosh using the old one for a pattern.
The new one features a special corner-to-
corner zipper that gives direct access to
the sealed battery that is located beneath
the baggage compartment.
While returning from Sun 'n Fun '92,
Gene and Dorothy stopped at Dr. Roy
Wicker's place at Quitman , GA, and
loaded one of his specially made fiberglass
bump cowls and a set of fiberglass wheel-
pants into their van and brought them to
Oshkosh for the Davis rebuild. Dr.
Wicker had done a remarkable job of
restoring his Davis D-1-W and in the
process had made an extra set of wheel-
pants and a bump cowl - which fit Gene' s
needs to a "T."
Once the new floorboards were in-
stalled in the fuselage and the restored
Consolidated instrument panel was put in,
the fuselage began to take on the shape of
a genuine Davis. All the controls were
carefully installed (to maintain that beau-
tiful Davis control feel) and the new
stringers were positioned along the fuse-
lage. They are mounted on original ply-
wood standoffs from 1933 except for two
that were replaced. In addition, provi-
sions for shoulder harnesses were built
into the framework to provide an extra
measure of safety. (These were seldom in-
stalled in 1933!)
To facilitate the covering process and
final assembly of the Davis, the frame-
work was moved to Chuck Andreas' shop
on the Brennand Airport near Neenah,
WI. Starting with the wings and tail feath-
ers, Stits P-103 fabric was installed with
Poly-Tak cement and carefully shrunk
with an iron. Although the previous cov-
ering job on the Davis wings had used
screws for fastening the fabric to the ribs,
Gene decided to use the original rib stitch-
(Above) Rear cockpit photo shows Con-
solidated instrument panel with gold out-
line, tachometer on the right, with large
brass ignition switch on the left. The tiny
compass is located just behind the
crossed center section rolling wires.
Note the fine leather work along the cock-
pit edges.
(Right) With the second run of the engine
on February 28, 1995, the Davis rests in
the snow in front of Chuck Andreas'
hangar, minus its bump cowl. This spin-
ner eventually fractured and has been re-
placed by a similar spinner from Ken
Cook's 90 hp Champ on floats known as
"Goose."
(Above) Sign painter, Jesse Harvey, poses
with some of his handiwork, the finished
rudder and fin of Davis NC13546.
(Left) Against the placid blue waters of
Lake Winnebago, the Davis cuts a very
pretty line in the afternoon sunshine. This
is sport flying at its very best.
(Right) Gene lines up a brand new metal
stringer that fits along the side of the
Davis fuselage prior to moving the fuse-
lage from his garage for covering. Note
the plywood standoffs under the stringer
at each station.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
(Above) Jim Courtney did much of the
metalwork in his shop in Menasha. Jim
has an excellent "touch" with metal and
can make anything he puts his mind to.
(Below) Don McMakin gets ready to
load one of the Davis wings on his sta-
tion wagon to transport it to his shop in
Rockton, IL. Original leading edges on
both wings were in such good shape
that they were not replaced.
(Top) Coming directly at you at about 115 mph is
Gene Chase and his Davis D-1-W with a young
Katy Tiffany in the front cockpit.
(Above) This beautiful detail shot shows the
unique mounting system of the large wheel pants,
which are fastened to a substantial aluminum
mounting bracket by eight bolts. Also visible is
the cable operated brake.
(Right) All together, now - lift! The freshly ma-
jored Warner engine is lifted from Ted Travis' In-
ternational Scout by Chuck Larsen, Ted Travis,
Gene Chase and the author. The mighty effort
worked fine and the engine was lowered onto its
mount.
16APRIL 1996
(Above) A proud and happy Gene Chase
stands by his 1933 Davis D-1-W after
winning the Outstanding Open Cockpit
Monoplane Award (Bronze Age) at EAA
Oshkosh '95. Note the Fairchild logo on
the prop.
ing method as used at the factory. With
Scott Stenerson helping, Gene carefully
rib stitched both wings and tail surfaces
before applying the pinked tapes and get-
ting ready for final finishing.
After careful study of various chips of
paint from the Davis, Gene was able to
match the original color (via EAA library
color charts) to Waco Vermilion with ma-
roon trim. These colors were ordered
from Stits in Polytone and Aerothane
enamel and after the wings and tail sur-
faces had been Poly-Brushed and Poly-
Sprayed (silver), the final coats of Vermil-
ion were put on by Scott. Once the wings
were completed, they were moved back to
Gene's hangar for the next procedure -
painting the large numbers. In addition,
the rudder and fin were readied for final
maroon trim and si lver outline painting.
Meanwhile , a great deal of work had
been completed on the fuselage and it was
moved from Gene's garage to Chuck An-
dreas' hangar for covering along with the
installati on of a "jewel " of a new Warner
engine, fresh out of Ted Travis' engine
shop. With everybody pitching in, the
fuselage was soon covered and the many
tapes installed, each one following th e
new stringers exactly. Before long, the
Poly-brush had been put on followed by
Poly-spray and the wet sanding was com-
menced for that super smooth finish.
The steady hand of Scott Stenerso n
was called upon for the final coats of
bright red vermilion on the fuselage and
progress was starting to show. Numerous
smaller parts and pieces were also painted
red including the landing gear. As assem-
bly started, the Davis was looking good,
especially as it sat on the landing gear and
new Maule tailwheel. (Gene had formerly
used a Scott 3200 tailwheel , but opted for
a small er Maule this time around.)
The engine hoist in Chuck' s shop li fted
the big Warner into position and the en-
gine and mount were bolted to the Davis
firewall. Once this was accomplished,
Bob McLaughlin, a longtime EAA volun-
teer, commenced to wire up the entire
electrica l system on the Davis including
the new Y -150 starter on the engine. (The
old original factory wiring had been re-
moved during the teardown.) Meanwhile,
the wing center sect ion was installed on
the cabane struts and work was started on
the install ation of the wheel pants and the
bump cowl.
A talented Jacki e Kossic was called in
to do the leather coaming around the
cockpits and her nimble fingers soon had
the job completed. Meanwhile, the wing
struts had been oiled internally and
painted externally, so the wings were
brought out to Chuck's shop and installed
on the Davis. With the tail feathers in-
stall ed, the pretty red parasol was looking
like it wanted to fly. But more work was
ahead.
The maroon striping down the side of
the fuselage and the decorative striping on
the wheel pants had to be masked off and
carefully sprayed by Scott. The bump
cowling was also carefully masked and
sprayed for its trim scheme which would
eventually include the silver pinstripe
alongside the maroon.
About this time , Ted and Sharon
Travis came through Oshkosh and Ted
was able to go over the entire engine in-
stallation with Chuck Andreas, checking
each item as they went along. In addi-
tion, they checked the magneto timing
one last time before bolting on the large
wooden propeller with the Fairchild 10-
gos on it. Sharon Travis had sewn a new
set of seat covers for the Davis seats that
really brightened the cockpits when they
were installed. On February 23, 1995,
the Davis was rolled out of the shop into
the bright li ght of day - WOW - what a
pretty airplane! During the next couple
of days, final checks were made, the oil
tank was filled , fuel was added to the
fuel tank and oil pressure was brought
up in the engi ne for pre-oiling. On Feb-
ruary 27,1995, the Davis was once again
rolled out into the snow and Gene
crawled into the rear cockpit. With
everyone watching, Gene fired up the
Warner and it came to life after 3-112
years of idleness. It sounded great, the
seven cylinders purring away like an air-
plane is supposed to sound.
By March 16, the temperature had
warmed up enough for Gene to make the
first flight and deliver the airplane to
Chuck's hangar at Wittman Field in
Oshkosh. With a chance of snow plugging
up the wheelpants, they were removed for
the flight, however, everything went well
as Gene fired up the Warner (my, but that
electric starter is nice!) and taxied over to
the runway at Brennand's and after mak-
ing a last minute check, firewalled the
throttle and the Davis took to the air like
it meant business.
Gene was quite surprised at the
"smooth feel " that had been retained in
the restoration, the beautiful balance in
the Warner engine and the "git and go"
that the airpla ne exhibited in the air.
The long, hard years of steady work and
expense had been well worth it. The
feeling of accomplishment that goes
along with such a major effort is hard to
imagine, however, other restorers who
have gone through it can describe the
feeling in detail. It is like none other.
Gene and Dorothy would like to extend
a very special word of thanks to all of
the many, many folks who helped in so
many ways during the 3-1/2 year re-
build.
Perhaps the icing on the cake was dis-
playing the Davis at EAA Oshkosh '95
and answering the hundreds of questions
from the many onlookers. In the line-up
with two other Davis airplanes, the re-
views were excellent. The crowning
achievement came at the awards banquet
when 01' NC13546 was called for the Out-
standing Open Cockpit Monoplane
Award in the Bronze Age category (1933 -
1941). No one was more excited than
Gene and Dorothy Chase, who accepted
the award with grace and dignity - and just
a few butterflies.
To a man who has flown 324 different
kinds of airplanes according to hi s log-
book and has been an active CFI for over
fifty years, we can only add a well-earned
"Congratulations " on a labor of love.
And Gene, don' t forget to slow down and
wave as you go by my J-3 Cub! ...
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
AnArmy
Kaydet
Terry Crawford's
WW IIStearman
by H.G. Frautschy
Multiple award winner. The words
conjure up the image of a super-plane,
one able to leap over the judges in a sin-
gle bound while dazzling all who look
upon it. The reality of it is a bit easier on
the eyes. Sometimes, the airplane is a
comfortable antique that just doesn't
seem to age. Terry Crawford, (EAA
90690, A/C 20879) of Ocala, FL has one
of these winners. His PT-17 Boeing
Stearman " Kaydet" has been quietly
winning top awards at a number of the
fly-ins he has attended. Sun
' n Fun '95 saw its selection
as the Grand Champion An-
tique, and the previous year
it was picked as the WW II
Era Antique Champion dur-
ing EAA OSHKOSH ' 94.
In 1993, it was awarded the
Antique WW II Military
Trainer/Li aison Champion
trophy.
A major portion of the
cr edit on this restoration
goes to Gid Townsend of
Ocala , FL. A well known
restorer and mechanic in central Florida,
Gid has been a friend and fellow aviator
to Terry for a number of years. By 1978,
Terry had Gid looking for a good Stear-
man project to restore, and a few times
they thought they were on the right track.
In the mid-70' s, Stearman projects were
a bit more plentiful than they are today,
and the two men were being a bit picky.
They wanted a fuselage that had not
been modified as a cropduster,
and a pretty complete project,
(Left) The original equipment fire ex-
tinguisher, now inert, is mounted in
the original location, an is accessable
by both the pilot or ground personnel.
(Right) The first cockpit many a
fighter, bomber or transport bound
student spent his first hours in during
WW II. Terry's kept it as original as he
can, with the modern additions of a
transponder and communications ra-
dio, and neatly engraved plastic panel
placards.
18 APRIL 1996
(Left) The single leg, hydraulically
shock absorbed landing gear on
the the A75 Boeing Stearman se-
ries of trainers was built to take
it, and students certainly gave the
gear a workout. The straight
panel lines and clean engine in-
stallation pay homage to the
wonderful retoration work done
by Gid Townsend of Ocala, FL.
with all or most of the pi eces in
the same basket.
About the time t he search be-
came more serious, in the spring
of '79, there was to be a large auc-
tion held in West Helena, AR. A
collection of Stearman parts and
pi eces gathered by E. E. Te rry
was be ing sold . Gid a nd Terry
came home with a couple of "kits"
to built a Stearman. They also
bought a complete airpl ane that
at th e time looked like quite a
buy - it had all the right pieces in the cor-
rect places, and it looked like a Stearman
ought. Even the fuselage was intact ,
having never been modifi ed for a large
duster ho pper. It had been used as a
duster, but it had a " Mississippi Valley
hopper," which fit nea tl y between the
longerons. As soon as it was haul ed
back down to Florida, restorat ion began.
The fuselage baskets were restored and
replaced, and it was sitting on its landing
gear, ready for the next step when fate
intervened for a few years.
During a visit to Stearman Mecca, the
Galesburg Stearman fly-in held each fall
in Illinois , Terry ran int o two fellows
who had also been to the sa me auction
the previous spring, and had bought a
Stearman they now had fl ying. A deal
was struck for a fl ying Stearman. The
cos t ? $6,500! Boy, it reall y does not
seem like the late 1970's was that long
ago ...
A flyin g Stearman for $6,500 - what
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
deal. It wasn't pretty, and it sure needed
work, but it was flying. Gid flew it home,
and told Terry he would not get back in
the airplane again until it had some work
done on it. The last hundred miles, he
looked at every single cow pasture as a
probable landing site. The airplane had
been modified with the installation of a
Jacobs radial that was now in desperate
need of an overhaul. Terry and Gid did
what amounted to a a short list rebuild,
with a remanufactured 220 hp Continen-
tal installed, and a good annual inspec-
tion and repaint added.
The flying Stearman was just that, a
flyer. Nothing fancy, but it got Terry in
the air. There was only one problem
with that - since he didn't need the first
project completed to have a flying air-
plane, it dropped further and further
from the top of Terry's priority list. Busi-
ness and family obligations filled his
time, but after a number of years, it be-
came obvious that if the first project was
not done, and the flying Stearman didn't
20 APRIL 1996
(Above) Utalitarian, but still one of the
nicest looking training biplanes ever built,
the PT-17 is very much in demand today.
(Right) Terry Crawford, Ocala, FL, the
proud owner of this PT-17 Boeing Stear-
man.
make it through a future annual, Terry
would be without a Stearman to fly.
It was time to get serious about get-
ting the airplane done. Gid was given
the task, and like so many of his past
projects, he did a masterful job. The
wings were reconstructed, and then
mated to the fuselage, which had been fi-
nally completed. The airplane was cov-
ered with Ceconite and finished with
Randolph finishes, dope on the fabric
and enamel on the sheet metal.
Terry Crawford is a native Floridian,
in a state where there are few who can
trace their local family history well back
into the early 1800's. His ancestors came
to the Ocala area in the 1820s and '30s,
so his ties to the local scenery run
deep. Although he didn't know
whether or not his airplane had
ever been used by anybody locally,
it was no wonder that he chose to
finish his new Stearman PT-17 in
the colors used by a Ocala flight
school for U.S. Army primary train-
ing during WW II. Greenville Avi-
ation took delivery of a batch of 25
Stearmans in January of '42, and
they continued to receive Stear-
mans until they were up to about
125 airplanes. As a tribute to this
local bit of history, Terry wrote to
Stearman historian Ken Wilson,
who researched his particular air-
plane, intending to give him a full
rundown on its whereabouts during
the last half century. Ken also does
full kits for the various stencils that
were used on the Stearman Kay-
dets, and when he wrote Terry a
note back, he had stunning news -
his Stearman had indeed been used
by somebody locally - Greenville
Flight School!
It turned out that the stencil re-
quested by Terry reflecting its as-
signment to the local flight school
was not just a tribute, but an histor-
ical fact. Local flyers who were
flight instructors with Greenville
remember a time at the beginning
of the War when they were woe-
fully short of airplanes, and they've
also expressed their appreciation
for the markings on Terry's Stear-
man, a tribute to all of those who
passed through her cockpit on their
way to defend freedom. ...
PASS db
BUCK
by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert
EAA #21 NC #5
P.O. Box 424, Union, IL 60180
Sometime back I ' d writt en a littl e bit
about pilot owner maintenance and what we
can do to our airplanes under FAR 91 Ap-
pendix "A." I'd like to expound a little on
wheels and bearings.
The bearings in your main gea r and tail
wheel do a lot for you. We know from expe-
rience that airplanes aren't in the same cate-
gory as motor vehicles. Yet we sometimes
have to do considerable taxiing, often times
great distances. I' m reminded of places like
Kennedy Airport in New York and Hon-
olulu International. I don' t think we have
that same probl em, but back in the "old "
days when I was a DC-8 driver, we had spe-
cial precautions we had to take if we were
forced to taxi long distances to the runway.
HNL, for instance, was al most two mil es
from the gate to the "big" runway.
The bearings and brakes would get hot
from the long taxi and we had a cooling off
period to observe before we could actuall y
begin our takeoff run. Of course there was
temperature accountability to contend with,
too. JFK didn' t have the same temperature
problems that , say, LAX or LAS would
have. This is the extreme, though, and I' m
citing it only to give you an idea as to what
I'm leading up to.
What we' re looking for here is possible
bearing fai lures. Failures, other than mater-
ial fai lure, can be from a number of causes-
poor mounting, improper lubrication, lubri-
cation contamination ( most common) ,
and/or improper handling (r ead mai nt e-
nance), and maybe overh eat in g, like th e
above long taxi.
If we follow the airplane manual, it isn't
likely that mounting is a problem. If the
cups are properly pressed into the wheel re-
cesses, and the axle nuts are torqued up to
specs, and the cones properly seated, there
is little likelihood this will be a problem.
Lube breakdown manifests itself in sev-
eral ways. Discolored, flaky, or a caked ap-
pearance tells us the lube is DEAD! One of
the first signs of this problem is a noisy bear-
ing. It just isn't getting any lube! And if it
isn' t already too late to save the bearings, it
won't be long and you'll be faced with a wal-
let bruising you won't like at all. Anytime
you hear noise from that tail wheel, or any
wheel, don ' t tol erate it! It 's telling you it
has a problem. Do something about it!
Wh a t caused it? Heat, maybe. Does
your airplane sit out in the sun on a 95 day?
Or did it sit in a snowbank that melt ed and
wate r got to the bearings? He re's a good
example: Many of us up here in the frozen
north flying off skis don' t use tail wheel skis.
We use that tail wheel as a brake, dragging
it through the snow when we want to slow
down. When thaw time comes, the ice that
has jammed past the seals turns to water.
That sure doesn' t do the bearings any good!
Comes sp ring, the fir s t item on the
pilot/owner list is to get after that tail wheel
and shape it up!
Back to the lubricati on. Contaminati on
is the greatest problem in ca using bearing
failures. The culprit here could very well be
th at gr ease re t ainer you should have re-
placed the last time you serviced the wheels.
Gr it (dust), bra ke puck r esi du e, wat e r ,
sandy operat ing conditions-all these con-
tribute to breakdown of that grease retainer
and eventually contaminate the lubricant .
Other problems? How about too much
grease? This is a holdover from the old cov-
ered wagon days, when the axles and wheels
were wood. The more grease, the happi er
the wheels. Not so in today's world. Those
bearings only need the bearings packed, not
the whole cavity and the dust cap. Extra lu-
bricant attracts dust and dirt , adds to the
gr oss weight, and promotes cont amin a-
tion-especially in the tail wheel airplanes.
Too much grease sometimes results in a full
swivel rather than a steerable unit.
Not enough lube - the other extreme.
A lick and a promi se isn' t good. If you've
washed the bearings and then left some of
the solvent in them, then pack some new
grease into it and shove the bearing back
into service, the chances are you may have a
problem, because residual solvent will dilute
the grease. Then it'll run o r squeeze out,
and you have an undesirable situation again.
Using the wrong lubricant can accelerate
bearing problems, too. The other day I was
looking at a guy's airplane. Hey! I'm an IA
now, I can do that! This guy was getting his
airpla ne ready for the spring and summer
flying season. As I was looking around the
dirt floor hangar, setting on the workbench
(an old office desk) was a can of grease that
must have dat ed back to before the earth
cooled. The can was actually rusted and the
old red label said "Fibre Wheel and Axle
Grease." I asked him where he got it. " It 's
been around here for years. I guess the last
guy left it here." He went on to say that he
was going to use it. I pointed out the fact
that thi s st uff was for manure spreaders and
insisted he junk it, RIGHT NOW! Give the
can to the County Historical Society for pos-
terity and trek down to the auto parts store
and get some of that nice new high tempera-
ture wheel bearing stuff.
He did it! And I'm sure his wheel bear-
ings appreciated it ! Actually, he did too
cause he called me to tell me what beautiful
stuff that new grease was.
The fi nal countdown on this is take care
of those bearings by using the proper grease
in the proper way.
Work with clean tools in a clean area.
Remove all outside dirt before exposing the
bearings.
Handl e them with clean, dry hands.
Treat the bearings very carefully whether
they are new or used.
Use CLEAN solvents and flushing oils.
Lay them out on a clean paper and keep
them covered.
Use clean lint free rags for wiping.
Wrap them in oil proof paper if you're going
to store them for any length of time.
Clean the wheel and bearing recesses be-
fore installing or reinsta lling your bearings.
Keep your bearing lubri cants clean when
greas ing the bearings and cover the con-
tainers as when you're fini shed with them.
Use new sea ls, and lastly, pay attention to
what they are trying to te ll you if they're
making noises.
All thi s rhet o ric is goi ng to save your
bea rings and save you money so you can
spend it on more fl ying time!
I've r ambl ed on long enough; now it ' s
over to you.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
WHAT OURMEMBERS ARE RESTORING
--------------------------------- by Norm Petersen
Preston Watson's Aeronca "Bits & Pieces"
These photos of a totall y restored Aeronca CA-65 Super
Chief, NC33731, SIN CA13251, were sent in by longtime EAA
member, Preston K. Watson (EAA 91554, A/C 23537) of Zion,
IL. Nick named "Bits & Pieces," the 1941 Super Chief basket
case was purchased for $1 in 1991 - because it could literally be
put into a basket! After 4-112 years, 2500 hours (plus) and a list
of parts that would fill a small book, 01' NC33731 is back to "0"
time and flying again. The extent of Preston's efforts in rebuild-
ing this airplane are bordering on unbelieveable because of the
huge number of missing parts and severely dam-
aged components. The airplane was covered with
the Stits process and the majored A-65 Continen-
tal engine pulls a McCauley 1B90 74 X 47 metal
prop. To date, Preston has flown the Super Chief
about 15 hours and has enjoyed every minute.
Congratulations on a super restoration, Preston.
Norwegian L-18-C Cub
This photo of a very pretty Piper L-18-C was sent
in by Harald Sorensen of Skien, Norway, which is lo-
cated just southwest from Oslo. The Cub, registered
LN-NAV in Norway, featutes a 90 hp Continental
engine, metal prop, Scott 3200 tailwheel with a small
ski attached and a set of Federal A WB-1500 wheel
skis. Harald says the Cub belongs to his wife, Anna
Lise, a very lucky lady, indeed. In the background is
a Cessna 206, LN-BEU, that is mounted on a set of
Edo 3400 floats in the summertime. Harald is Gen-
eral Manager for Teddy Air, a feeder airline based
at Skien, flying two Embraer B-110 turboprop air-
craft. Check out the teddy bear sitting in the front
seat of the Cub.
Jim Wilcox's 1929 LeBlond "60"
A recent acquisition by James (Jim) Wilcox (EAA ) of Eau
Claire, WI, is a 1929 LeBlond "60" five cylinder aircraft engine.
Apparently the engine had been used on a windsled until coming
to an abrupt halt on a pressure ridge hidden by snow. The engine
was put in storage for 30 years until Jim came along. It features a
vintage tachometer of Elgin Watch Co. manufacture with a neat
fitting prop spinner made from a Twilite Headlamp assembly at-
tached to the substantial wooden propeller. Jim hopes to con-
struct an airplane that will allow him to one day fly into Oshkosh
behind the LeBlond. He is partial to biplanes. Any suggestions?
Jim's address is 3701 Robin Rd., Eau Claire, WI 54703. (FAX: 715-
839-9453)
22 APRIL 1996
Jerry McKnight's Piper J- 3 Cub
Patiently waiting for snow to fall is Jerry McK-
night's Piper J -3 Cub, NC921 92, SIN 16632,
mount ed on a set of Federal A1500 skis. Jerry
(EAA 75461, A /C 6864), who Jives in Johnstown,
Ohio, reports he had quite a time getting the skis
installed and prope rl y rigged for service, how-
ever, st ubborn tenacity finally won out. Fitted
with the standard Continental A-65 engine and a
Sensenich wooden prop, the Cub looks about as
stock as you can find and the yellow with bl ack
lightning stripe looks really sharp. A close look
at the folded door reveals EAA and
Antique/Classic stickers. (We hope the snow ar-
rived so Jerry could fly his handiwork!)
James Chatterley's Aeronca Champ
These photos of Aeronca Champ, N1151E,
SIN 7 AC-4707, were sent in by retired GM en-
gin eer James Cha tt e rl ey (EAA 477536) of
Washington, MI. An Aeronca Champ enthusi-
ast for many, many years, he stumbl ed onto this
one about 40 miles from home and bought it in
1994. It had a leaky fuel tank, which was read-
ily fixed, and the instrument panel needed to be
replaced because the old instruments had been
moved so many times they qualified for "frequent fl yer miles!" A
new set of engine baffles to help clean up the engine compartment
and a new set of wheelpants really helped the 1946 airpl ane. Metal
guru John Glover helped on the cowl work to make it look like new.
With a new spinner on the wooden propeller, the Champ looks like
a real winner and James says it is the most comfortable machine for
Sunday afternoon flying in all the world. Congrats to James on a
nice looking Champ.
Roy Skelton's Funk B-8SC
Sparkling in the Texas sunshine is a recentl y re-
stored Funk B-85C, NC81173, SIN 303, that is the
pride and joy of Roy Skelton (EAA 203577, A /C
25243) of Double Oak, Texas. The Funk had been
involved in an off airport landing and was pretty
badly broken up when Roy acquired the "proj ect. "
The wings were compl etely rebuilt with new ribs,
the fuselage was restored with some new metal and
the whol e airplane was covered in Stits and fin-
ished off in Aerothane Insignia White with Santa
Fe Red trim. A majored Continental 0-200, com-
plete with new prop and correct spinner, replaced
the C-85 as the four-year res toration was com-
pleted. The first flight was on November 20, 1995,
and Roy reports the pretty two-placer fli es very
nicely. He plans on retiring soon, so the Funk will
be seen at various fly-ins around the country in-
cluding Casa Grande, Coffeyvill e and Oshkosh.
(Ed. note: I saw the Funk at Casa Grande and it
was beautiful.) Congratulations are in order to
Roy Skelton for a really nice job of restoring hi s
Funk B-85e.
Working on a project of your own? Send your photos along with
a short story about your airplane to:
H.G. Frautschy, EM, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
Ale
Tidbits
compiled by H.C. Frautschy
BRAD'S
RESTORATION
TIDBITS -
PART II
Hereis aneasymethodtodetermine
polarityifastorage battery'stermi-
nalscan no longerberead. Attacha
wire to eachterminal and immerse
theendsin asmall amountofacidi-
fied water. Bubbleswill form around
thenegativewire.
A goodsubstitutefor "NeverSeize
Compound" is milk ofmagnesia; it
works almostas well and is more
readilyavailable.
Occasionallywhen gasketsare pur-
chased,particularlyiftheyhavebeen
on thesupplier'sshelffor a while,
theymay haveshrunkto thepoint
wheretheydon'tquitefit (this is par-
ticularlyaproblemwithcor k gas-
kets). A few minutes soaking in
warmwaterwill bringthem backto
originalsize. (Topreventcorrosion
ofthesurfacesthegasketcontacts,be
sureyou dryoutthegasketbeforein-
stalling.)
There are some basic rules that
shouldbefollowed whenstoringpa-
perandcorkgaskets. Ideallythey
should bekeptbetween60degrees
and85 degreesand30% to 50% hu-
midity. Itis also besttokeep them
sealedairtightin plasticwraporZi-
plocbag.
In a pinch,ifa bandsaworhand
heldjigsaw is notavailable,andyou
needtocuta curvein metal ,don't
forget yourhacksaw. Bygrinding
offpartofthebackedgeoftheblade
and grindinga bevelon the back
edgeawayfrom thedirection the
curveis tobecut, thejobcanstill be
completed.
An inexpensivestoragesystem for
subassembliesas theyareremoved
from yourplaneandafterrestoration
is to placethem in labeledandnum-
bered papersacks. Thesearethen
24 APRIL1996
tabulatedin a notebook for reassem-
bly.
Anexcellentproductfor removal of
very heavily encrusted rust, and
greasefor thatmatter,is sprayoven
cleaner. Itcomesin aerosolcansand
can bedirectedintohardtoreachar-
eas. As a word ofcaution, some
brandsmaynot"like"aluminum.
When reinstallingopen ballorroll
bearings,do not use a wood block.
Smallwoodslivers may mix with the
greaseandcausedamageorseizure.
A betterchoicewouldbea blockof
polyet hyleneorothersimilarplastic.
Iftimeis notafactorand the parts
aresma ll enough,a jarofkitchen
vinegarmakesa handyrust remover.
Aftertheitemshavebeendegreased,
placethem intothejarand returnin
afew days. Therustwill begoneand
thevinegaracid is mildenough notto
haveattackedthebasemetal.
Someearlyaircraftinstrumentshad
convexlensesovertheirfaces. These
areincreasinglydifficultto find ifthe
originalsarecrackedorbroken. A
good placetostartthesearchis a
shopthatspecializesin antiqueclock
andwatch repair. Theyprobablycan
orderthe necessarysizeorsomething
closethatcanbegrounddowntosize.
Thereareanynumberofcommercial
productsavailable to preventbattery
terminal corrosions but none is
"sweeter"than plaincornsyrup. Af-
tertheterminals havebeencleaned
anddried,paintthesyrupon andlet
itdryforanhourorso.
Occasionally,as an oddshapedrub-
berpartis needed for a bumperor
"insulator" and the original is
cracked,chippedorhardas a rock, a
replacementcanoftenbefabricated
from anygood "chunk"ofrubber.
(Atrucktire treadoffthe highway
maybejustright.) Itcan berough
cuttosize usingan oldhacksawblade
which hasbeensharpenedtoa knife
edge, leavingthebottomofthe teeth
alongthesharpenededge. Wateris
an excellentcoolantlubricantduring
thecutting. Thefinal finish andsiz-
ingcan becompletedwith agrinding
wheel.
Thebestpalettefor mixing"body
filler" forsmalldentrepairis window
glass. Itprovidesa flat surfacefor
mixing,andbyviewingthrough the
undersideyou can tell when thetwo
partsarecompletelyblended.
Whenashaftorunusual boltis cross
threadedorotherwise has thread
damageanda replacementis notim-
mediatelyavailable,a good method
ofrepairis availableeven ifa com-
mercial threadchaseris notavailable.
Simplytakeanutofthecorrectdiam-
eterand threadpitchandsawit in
half. Afterremovingtheburrs,place
thehalvesaround thesectionofthe
damagedshaftand inserttheassem-
bly in a vise. Unscrewtheshaftor
boltfrom nut. Itmaytakeseveral
passes to restorethe threads and
maybemorethanonesplitnut. Use
ofthreadcuttingoil alsowill helpthe
process.
Overtheyears,plasticlensesand
otherpartscanbecomewarped. One
methodofrepairis toheata panof
cleansandandsetthedeformedpart
in it. Whenitbecomessoft,reform it
tooriginalshape. Thesamepanof
sandcan be used toholdpartswhile
solderingorgluingpiecestogether.
Sometimeswoodgluejointswork
loose buttheassemblycannotbedis-
assembled. Oftenthejointcan be
regluedbyuse ofalarge hypodermic
needle available at most farm or
ranchsupplystores. Insertthe nee-
dleintoacrackordrill asmallholeto
get intothejointand fill thejoint
from theinsideout.
In manypartsofthecountry,weof-
tenhaveto putourwonderful air-
planesawayin thehangarfor a few
months every winter until good
weatherreturns. Occasionallymice
andotherrodentsalsocomein for
thewinter. Mothballsare usually
quiteeffectiverepellentsifplacedin
baggage,interiorand enginecom-
partments. However,thesmell re-
mainsforsometimeaftertheyarere-
movedin thespring. Bloodmealthat
can bepurchasedin mostnurseryand
gardenstoresworksjustaswell and
doesnotleavealastingodorwhenre-
moved.
Whenchangingoil on craftequipped
with externaldisposableoil filters,
puncturea holein the bottomofthe
filterwith an awl orice pick and al-
lowit to drain. Thisusually makes
fora much easiercleanupwhen fin-
ished.
Ifa nutandboltarerustedsolidand
heatseemsto betheonlysolution,
trythefollowing: heattheboltand/or
nutashotassafelypossible,remove
the heatsourceandapplycandlewax
to thehotpieces. Thewaxwill get
drawn intothethreadsandserveas a
lubricantfor looseningandremoval.
Oftenwewanttogiveourplanesa
quickexteriorcleaningifithasbe-
comeslightlydirtyordustyaftera
dayatashoworfly-in. Dampclothes
work well buta bettersolution is a
mixtureofliquidcarwax andwater
in aspraybottle. Nomorethanahalf
tothree-quartersofaninch ofliquid
wax in thebottomofthebottlewith
the restfilled upwith waterwill do
the trick. Shakethemixturewell be-
fore sprayingandwipingoffwith a
softcleancloth. Notonlydoesit
clean,butitputsdown a thinwax
coatatthesametime.
Whenfabricatingorrepairingwood-
en parts,itoccasionallybecomesnec-
essarytoscrewintoanendgrainor
lapjoint. Thiscircumstancewillnot
producea strongsetforthescrew.
Onesolution is toadda hardwood
dowel atrightanglestothescrewby
drillinga hole thesizeofthe dowel
andgl uingitintotheendgrainpiece.
Drilla pilot holeand insertthescrew
lubricatedwith beeswaxorcandle
wax.
Lemonjuicethatis availablein nearly
anyfood storeis anexcell entgreasy
dirtremoverthatwill notharmpaint
orwoodfinish.
Tocleanvinyl upholstery,tryLava
handsoap. Itworkswondersandis
probablyin yourhangaranyway.
Ifyou haveto use asabersawtocut
brassorpaintedmetalsurfaces,put
ducttapealongeachsideofthecut.
Thetapewill preventscratches.
When using Permatex " Aviation
Form-A-Gasket"duringgasketinstal-
lation,it is almost impossibletokeep
someofit offyourhandsand tools.
Rubbingalcohol is anexcellentsol-
ventforcleanup.
When restoringwoodcomponents,
we maycomeacross somesevere
casesofrotin pieceswe need to pre-
servefor patterns. Itcanoftenbeal-
mostimpossible to removethese rot-
tenpieceswithoutthembreakingor
crumblingintoan unusableshape.
Onemet hod forsavingthe pattern
shapeisto saturatetherottenwood
with asolutionof15% turpentine,
85% boiledlinseedoil. Afterapply-
ingthemixture,letthewoodsetfor
twoorthreeweeksuntil completely
dry. Thewoodshouldfirmenoughto
withstandcarefuldisassembly.
Todrillaclock-springorotherbrittle
sheetmetal ,usea nail with the point
squaredoff. Usea hi gh drillspeed
andmelttheholethroughwith heat
and friction.
Todrill stainlesssteel,useacoolant
comprisedof12 partswaterandone
partEpsonsaltsandapplyliberally.
Thiswill savelotsofdrill bits.
A golfteecan oftenbeusedto plug
fuel and vacuumlines. Theirtape r
allowsthem tofit severalsizes and
they are inexpe nsive. (And they
comein brightcolorsthesedays!)
A good,te mporaryrepairofdam-
agedweatherstrippingcan bemade
by applyingclearsi liconecaulk tothe
damagedarea. PlaceSaranWrapor
othersimilarwrapperproductoverit
andclosethedoor. Come backthe
nextday,removethe wrapand be-
hold therepairedsection.
Itsometi mes becomesnecessaryto
performspraypainttouchupin a
clutteredorconfinedarea,where
usingmaskingtapeand paperca n
be a lmostimpossible. Theuseof
SaranWraporothersimilarproduct
oftenworkswonders. Itconforms
toweirdshapesandsticks to itself,
eliminatingthe needfor tape. How-
ever,beforeusingthe plasticwrap,
try the paint on a sampl e ofthe
wrap,assomepaintsmay"melt " the
plastic.
Brad Hindall (EAA347622, Ale
14860) isanaircraftandautomobilere-
storerfrom Sarasota, FL,who has col-
lected thesehintsand tips overtheyears
from varioussources. Members areen-
couraged to submitanytiporhintto the
editor,andwe'lldo ourbest to get them
published,so thatothers can benefit.
Sendyournotes to:
EAA
H.G. Frautschy
P.O. Box3086
Oshkosh,WI54903-3086
Ourthanks to Bradfor volunteeringhis
listofhints! ...
- - - - - T;;\4- CABLEFROM COCKPIT
~
I ~ SHACKLE
ALUMINUM PLATE
PHENOLICBLOCK--.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~
STEELRINGANDROPESECURED
TO POST, HANGER,ETC.
SPRING LOADEDSTEELPIN
CABLE CONTROLED TIEDOWN RELEASE
Here' sanotheroflimNeuman'sterrificdrawings. Thisonecanhelpifyou
haveanairplanethatrequiresan"ArmstrongStarter. " It'sasimplespring
loadedpinthatis mountedin conjunctionwith thetaiLwheel. Addyourown
cable pullfeatureupin thecockpit(I'dsuggestyou addawaytolockthepin
up,sotheringcanbesetinplace.)
BesureandcheckwithyourAIaboutaddingthis,butsinceyou' renottow-
inggliders,mostshouldn ' t havetoomuch a problemwith theinstallation.
Modifyitas youpleasetosuityourinstallationrequirements- thisdrawingis
notintendedtobeexact,butyougetyoustarted. Ifit keepsyourprideandjoy
fromwaltzingdownthetaxiwaywithyourunningafterit,I'mallforit!
VIINTAGEAIRPLANE25
by H.G. Frautschy
The April Mystery Plane comes to us courtesy of Peter
Bowers. This lightly built tandem twin amphibian has a bi-
plane tail. The engine installation is unusual as well, with
both mounted on the tubular pylon forward of the wing. Bet
it had some interesting pitching moments, eh?
Answers need to be in no later than May 25, 1996, for in-
clusion in the July issue.
The January Mystery Plane also proved to be
obscure, with only thr ee answers sent in.
Charley Hayes, New Lenox thought it might be
a Curtiss J with an N-9 rudder and fin. A good
try, with many similarities, but Pete Bowers of
Seattle W A and Sean Tavares, Andover, MA
provided correct answers. Here's Sean's letter:
"I would like to submit what 1 believe to be a
positive identification of the 'Mystery Plane' photo
that appears at the head of your column in the Janu-
ary 1996 issue of Vintage Airplane.
"The airplane in the 'Mystery Plane' photo
matches two photos of an airplane identified as a
'Thomas tractor biplane' with '90 hp Curtiss en-
gine' that appear on page 249 of 'Jane's Fighting
Aircraft of World War r (published by Military
26 APRIL 1996
Press, 1990).
"These photos show the aircraft in flight, and show an airplane
that matches the Mystery Plane in general outline; unstaggered
biplane with two-bay interplane struts, slight dihedral and inverse
tapered ailerons on both wings, two wheel landing gear with twin
anti-noseover skids; horizontal and vertical tail surfaces with
shapes reminiscent of the Curtiss Jenny.
"Further scrutiny shows the two photos and the Mystery Plane
to match in the following details:
a. Nearly semi-circular cut out in trailing edge of upper wing.
b. Center section struts are canted slightly inward at their up-
per ends.
c. Two control horns on each aileron. These are visible on the
lower ailerons in one of the Jane' s in-flight photos.
d. Similar louvers on engine cowl and exhaust pipe arrange-
ment. In one of the in-flight shots, the lower row of louvers can be
discerned, as can be the arrangement of the 4 short exhaust pipes.
e. Forward strut for landing gear joins the fuselage just aft of
the third cowl louver.
"The text in 'Jane's' gives particulars for a Thomas Military
Tractor, Type T2, having 80-90 hp. (Presumably the T-2 is the 90
hp type shown in the photographs.) The T-2 is described as being
developed for all around military work, including scouting, recon-
naissance, range spotting, and messenger service.
"Thedimensions oftheT-2 were:
Overall length,28 ft.;wingspan,36 ft.; wingchord andgap
between wings,5 ft,; wingarea, 350 sq. ft.. It is reported to have
weighed 1075 lbs, empty,and to have carriedapilotand observer,
fuelfor 4-112 hoursflying, andan additionalload of285 lbs,. for a
totaluseful load of897 lbs. Performancewasgiven as aspeed
range of38-82 mph,and aclimb of4000 ft in 10 minutes,with
800feetbeingachieved in thefirst minute.
"The 'Jane's' text states, 'In1915 thefirm supplied various
Tractor biplanes to the All ied governments.' More specifically,
'Fighter Aircraftofthe 1914-1918 War' (W.M. Lamberton & E.F.
Cheesman, Harleyford Publicationsand Aero Publishers, 1964,
section on ThomasMorse Scouts) reports that24 examples ofthe
T-2 weresuppliedto the British Admiraltyin 1915.
"The ThomasAircraftCompany becameThomas-Mors ein
1915, and later productsofthis company includethewellknown
S-4 series ofScouts . Onecan seeafew similarities betweenthe T-
2and the S-4's . Both used agreat numberofclosely spaced
stringersin theiraft turtledecks. TheearlyS-4's (up to S-4B) had
inversetapered ailerons,and thehorizontaltailsoftheS-4's, par-
ticularly theS-4C which had an elevator withstraight trailing
edge, borearesemblance to thatoftheT-2.
"IhopeIhave shedalittlelighton thisairplane."
Sincerely,
T.Sean Tavares
AICChapter 15
EAA507955, AIC25236
Andover,MA
Pete Bowers has this to add:
"TheJanuary Mystery Planeis theThomas T-2, builtlate in
1915 by theThomasBrothers Aviation Company. Thefirm was
initiallyin Bath, NYbutmovedto Ithaca, NYin December,
1915. TheprototypeT-2, built in Bath and poweredwitha90 hp
Austro-Daimlerengine, made itsfirstflightat Ithaca early in
1915. The24 production models bought by England as trainer
for theRoyalFlying Corps were powered with 90 hp American
Curtiss OX engines.
"Asshown by the photo,theT-2 was athoroughlyconven-
tionaldesignfor the time, withall -wood construction, long
wings with two bays ofstrutsandailerons on both wings, tan-
dem cockpitsfor two,andas was common on severalcontempo-
rary designs, skids projectingahead ofthewheels to prevent
nose-overs.
"TheT-2was designed by an Englishman - B. Douglas
Thomas (no relation) who had been brought to theU.S.in 1913
byGlenn Curtiss, who needed adesignerexperienced with trac-
tor types. Thomashad workedfor both Avroand Sopwith, well
known for their tractor modelsat thetime. While hewas with
Curtiss at Hammondsport, NYThomasdesigned the modelsJ
and N, which were later mergedto createthefamous JN 'Jenny'
line, and played amajor part in thedesign ofthetwin-engine
ModelHflyingboat that becamethe'America.'
"ThomasleftCurtiss andjoined theThomasBrothersat Bath,
whereheapplied his Curtissexperience to thedesign ofthe T-2.
Hedesignedall subsequentThomas(Thomas Morse after1916)
modelsexceptone. Probablyhis mostfamous singledesign is the
little80-100hpThomas Morse S-4,theTommy."
"Thomasdesigned severalhighlyunconventional planesin
theearly1920's, anddevelopedauniquesemi-monocoquefuse-
lage constructurefeaturing wrap-around corrugated sheet alu-
minum. Hislastdesign for Thomas-Morse was thethoroughly
conventional 0 -19 Armyobservation biplanethatfeatured his
wrap-aroundfuselage. WhenConsolidated absorbed Thomas-
Morse in 1929, Thomas was presidentand ChiefEngineer, and
moved with thefirm into theConsolidated plant in Buffalo,NY.
He retired in 1933. " ...
NORSEMAN
FLOATPLANE
FESTIVAL
July26.. 28, 1996& precedingdays
Also
Fun for all- Activities for the wholefamilyU
RED LAKE, ONTARIO CANADA
Formoreinformationcontact:
NorsemanCommittee
Box 131 Phone: (807)7272809
Red Lake, Ontario POV 2MO
CANADA Fax:(807)7273975
VINTAGE AI RPLANE 27
New
Members
MarkAccomazzo..... .... ... .. .. .. .CaveCreek, AZ
Tom Atwood.. ... ...........................Wilton,CT
JeffAustin....................... ... ............5alem, OR
David D. Baer......................Bloomington, IN
Paul S.Bartman.. .... ... ... ..... .. .... .......'Ocala, FL
David W.Beaver... .. ... ..............Richmond, TX
Julius Behling......... ...... ... ... ..... .....Beemer, NE
Josiah I. Bennett ............ .. ....... Englewood,CO
Christopher R. Blakeley.. .. .. ...... ..Lakeland,FL
WayneBrock... ... .... .. .... .......... Alpharetta, GA
Dan Brogan... ...... ........ ...... ..... .. .. StJoseph, MI
Jerry Brown...............................Pahrump, NV
Ken O. Brown.. .. ... .. ... ...... ........ . Redl ands,CA
Roger L. Brown...... .. ....... . MountVernon,MO
AnthonyW.Brunson......................Evans, GA
Crai gL. Carlson.... ... .... .. ...... ... .5cottsbluff, NE
SwithinChandlerMD...... ... Salt Lake City,UT
Stephen M. Chapman.. ....... .......... Boston,MA
Frank E. Churchill.. ... .... ...... .. . Middlebury, VT
JeffreyCokain... .....................Indianapolis, IN
Ri chard B. Conaway....... ........Henderson, TN
Gerardo B.Condo..... .. .. ....... ..........Miami, FL
Roger K. Crossman...... .... ........... . .5alome, AZ
David L. Cutigni....................Spencervill e, IN
William R. Dade ... .. ........ .. ..... .. ... ..Hil lside,NJ
John M. Damgard.... .. .. ..... ...Washington,DC
MikeDavenport
... ... ....... .... Langley, Briti shColumbia,Canada
Mi chaelDay...... ...... .......... .. ..... Newburn,NC
MargaretG.Denison ..............New Iberia, LA
Clark D. Derbyshire...... ..........FortWayne, IN
David Dixon................................Orlando, FL
James R. Dubois......... .. ... ... Somersworth, NH
Kenneth S. Eden..... .... .... .. ... .... .... .Sarasota, FL
Robert P. Egan ............. ... .... ............Dover, NJ
BurtC. Ellison...........................Plantation, FL
Kurt F. Elzer.... ..... ........ ..... ... .FortLupton, CO
Philip Evanger.... .. .. .. Eikvag, Farsund,Norway
Rick Evans......................... ... .. San Marcos, TX
PeterJ.Fahey
.......... ... ..Northcote, Auckland, NewZealand
RobertA. Finch...............................Sparta, NJ
Harrell Freeman...... .. ... ....... .. ......Metairie, LA
Mark P. Gagnier ... .. ............CoeurdAlene, ID
Evans Gauthier.........................McKinney,TX
GilbertGrau............. .. ........SpringValley, NY
MichaelA. Greenblatt............... . Midl and, GA
28APRIL1996
Lea Griffin... ..... ....... ... .. .. ... ..... ....Beaufort,NC
WilliamA. Griffin..... .. .... .. .........Warren,OH
Bill W. Grinstead ....... .. .... ..........Beckley, WV
Ruben D.Hardy.... ...... ........Jakarta, Indonesia
Charles Hauser.. ............ .......Coral Gables, FL
CharlesA. Haycock.... .. .............Marlboro, NJ
Steve Henry.... ..... .. ................ ..Columbus,GA
E.Norman Hernandez .... ..... ...... ..5eattle,WA
RodneyA. Hill............................Ashland, KY
Frederick N. Hodge...... ... .. .... ...... .Elmhurst,IL
James R.Hohenberger..............Northport,NY
RobertJ. Hribar.... .....................FlyCreek, NY
CharlesW. Hubbard...... .. ........Frederick,MD
MikeHutton
..... .....................Feltham, Middlesex, England
LeRoyW.Irvin... .. ...... ..... ..... ...... Lakeville,PA
RickJ. Jensen......... .............CedarSprings, MI
PhilJohnson........ .. ...... .. ...... ...Waterville,WA
Michael R. Johnston.... .....Bowling Green, KY
RandyJones.. ........... .. ..... .... ....... .... .Jasper,AL
Joseph R.Kaminskas...........WestChester, PA
Richard W. Kehrer.... ... ...... .... ..Waterford, MI
Newell A. Kelly.........................Leetonia, OH
Thurmon Kent,Jr... ... .....................Millen, GA
Charles H. Kimzey.....................Mc Lean,VA
Rex A. King... ... ....... .. ..... ... ..........Humble,TX
Kenneth C. Kurowski ...................Sarasota, FL
W. K. Lambertsen...... ... ....... .... ... Rawlins,WY
John R.Law......... ..... .... ....... ... ... Hayward, CA
John H.Leonard........................... ....York,ME
StephenJ.Lindberg..................'Olympia,WA
GaryLuft...................................... Lincoln,NE
Warren Lumpkins...... ... ... ..... .......Gilford,NH
BruceMacinnes... ................ .. ... .. ..5haron, CT
John D. Mack........ .. ..........Oconomowoc, WI
ChipMapoles... .. ... .... ........... .............Pace, FL
Tim L. Marlatt........ .... ..... ....... ... ... Golden, CO
GerryMasica..... ... ...... ... ........... .Sylvania,OH
RobertMastroianni.... ... ... .... .. ....Piermont, NY
WayneA. Mather..................... .....Sanford, FL
LauchlinG. McFadyen................Raeford,NC
James E. McMillan.................................... .. ....
.... .. .. ... .. ... .... ...... .............WestMelbourne,FL
Roger E. McVeety.......................... Edina, MN
James Melton..........................Homestead, FL
W. G.Moore.............. .................Lebanon, NJ
MarkMoran.................. .. ........Cheyenne, WY
Edward A. Mori.......... .................. Oakley,CA
James E.Moser,Jr... ... .. .. ...... ...... .... ...King, NC
FrankMurray..... ...... ....... .....Manchester,MO
Stephen G. Naymick...............Cambridge, WI
Thomas R.O'Donnell..........Massapequa,NY
Ralph Oberst........ ....... .... .................Boise,ID
E. G. Orsmond.. ...... ..Bethlehem,South Africa
Michael C. Palumbo...................Florence, SC
E. T.Petrie........ ..... ... ... .. ........Hiddenite,NC
MikePhill ips.............. ... ...........Jonesville, NC
George Rains....... .. .. .... ... .. ....... FortWorth,TX
Galen Rasmussen... .. .... .................Ouray, CO
Bert N.Reime............ ..... ... ... .....5t Loui s, MO
RodneyJ.Richardson................Believue,WA
C. Darrin Ries...... .. ...... .. .... ... .... .... .Garrett,IN
Ralph Riles................ .........Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Robert W.Riley.. ........................Lubbock,TX
Paul S. Roberts............. ..... ....... .......Tul sa, OK
Tia M. Robertson..... ... ... .... ... .. .Kennesaw,GA
HenryG.Rowe........... ................ . Mexico, NY
DelbertJ.Sams... ..........Milton-Freewater, OR
Edward C. Schaefer.............. .. ... .. Belleville,IL
John P. Seburn.................. .....Greencastle, PA
LawrenceC. Siersma, Jr.
......... .... .... ..... .... .... ..... ... Farmington Hill s, MI
Jared Smith....... ..... ... .... .... .... ....... .Seattle, WA
Alfred Snelgrove.... .. .. ........Fredericksburg,TX
Loui sSpink...... .... ..... .............. .5toughton,WI
Donald CSprankle.. .....................Corona, CA
James E.Steinbrink............... .. ..Parkville, MO
HughE.Stone........ ........... ........Scroggins, TX
Donald A.Sumrall. .... .... .. ....Bay St. Louis, MS
P. S.Swank.............. ... .... .... ...........FPO,APO
Robert S.Taylor.......... ................Ivoryton,CT
Douglas P. Theall.... ..... ...... .. .Mouse Bluff, LA
Robert S.Thomas........ ... ..... ...... Bell evue, OH
Wayne L. Thomas...................Searsmont, ME
PaulJ.Tidball...........................Troutdale, OR
GeneJ.Torncello..................Seira Madre,CA
John S. Triem...............................Margate, NJ
AnthonyTuriano............................ .Davie, FL
Michael Waldock... .. ................Brockport, NY
David D. Weise.... ........ ... ....... Franktown, CO
Leonord J.Wiegand..................Pittsburgh, PA
James C. Wood ..........................Belmont, MS
John G. Wood......... ...........WinterHaven, FL
WalterW. Wyckoff1I ................Nashville,TN
MEMBERSHIP
INFORMATION
EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft
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issuesofSPORTAVIATION.Familymembership
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AIRCRAFT
1909Antionette Replica - Complete except
lacks fabric covering. Structureredesigned to
FAA requirements. Two-place. Brochure
available. Marshall Wood 916/ 483-8055.
(2/97)
1947 Aeronca Super Chief - Completely
restored. IT1200,280 sincemajoron 85hp.
Phone815/ 894-3035or815/638-2663.
1948 Stinson 108-3 - Looks and flys like a
dream. Always hangared. Completely metal -
ized. IFR certified 7/95. Annual 1/96. Mid-
time engineLycoming 195hp. New Airtex inte-
rior. Loran/ digital radios/ heated pitot/ more.
$25,000. Bryce Iden,Evenings 614/577-1297,
Work614/486-7736. (5/96)
MISCELLANEOUS
SUPER CUB PA-18 FUSELAGES - New
manufacture, STC-PMA-d, 4130 chromolytub-
ing throughout, also complete fuselage repair.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN AIRFRAME INC.
(J. Soares, Pres.), 7093 Dry Creek Road,
Belgrade,Montana 59714,406/388-6069, FAX
406/388-0170. Repair station No.QK5R148N.
(2/97)
FREE CATALOG - Aviation books and
videos. How to, building and restoration tips,
historic,flying and entertainment titles. Call
forafreecatalog. EAA,1-800-843-3612.
Curtiss JN4-D Memorabilia - You can now
own memorabilia from the famous Curtiss
"Jenny," as seen on "TREASURES FROM THE
PAST." We have T-shirts, posters, postcards,
videos, pins, airmail cachets, etc. We also
have R/C documentation exclusive to this his-
toric aircraft . Sale of these items supports
operating expenses to keep this "Jenny" flying
for the aviation public. We appreciate your
help. Send SASEtoVirginiaAviation,P.O. Box
3365,Warrenton,VA22186. (12/96)
Ragwing Replicas - Ultralight legal
Aircamper, Heath, Pitts, Duster, Triplane.
Plans $52. Brochure $3. P. O. Box 39,
Townville,SC 29689. (3/97)
Wilson MK-1 Flying Goggles,fine condition
early 1930' s convex large lens type, $395.
Pioneer "Straightflite" horizontal 1930 com-
pass, good working condition, $260. WW I
RFC brass and porcelain magneto swtich, Air
Ministry marked, $150. 01' Jon Aldrich, PO
Box9, Big Oakflat,CA95321, 209/962-6121.
Original Brass Tip Spark Plugs C-26
Champion,new $19.00; military reconditioned
$7.50to$12.00. Tom,770/478-2310. (9/96)
Endless cables - 1/ 16" $80.00 PP. 3/ 32"
$90.00 PP. Specify length. George Grubich,
Box36, Buhl ,MN 55713,218/258-3313. (6/96)
FREEWORLDWIDE BOOKSEARCHforoutof
print books. ALSO, over 1,000 aeronaut ic
titles available. Send $2.00 for list, refundable
first order. Leatherstocking Bookscout , 738
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AccessoriesO/H.FullPartsInventory
CompleteExchangeEnginesFactoryLimitO/H's
.CylinderO/H's.PowerSectionsSub-Assemblies
THE WORLD'SLARGESTINVENTORY
ofW670PARTS!
Visa Me
VINTAGEAIRPLANE 29
6}f1c
Cfassics
Nitrate/ButyrateDopes
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Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and
styles of materials: $3.00.
INC.
259 Lower Morrisville Rd., Dept. VA
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Fly-In
Calendar
The following list of coming events is fur-
nished to our readers as a matter of infor-
mation only and does not constitute
approval, sponsorship, involvement, con-
trol or direction of any event (fly-in, semi-
nars, fl y market, etc.) listed. Please send
the information to fAA, Att: Golda Cox,
P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.
Information should be received four
months prior to the event date.
APRIL 11-12 - JACKSONVILLE, FL - Herlong
Field, L-Bird Fl y- In. Mass gaggle fly-off to
Sun 'n Fun on the 13th. For info call jon
Engle, 904/398-1595, or write him at 974
Waterman Rd. South, Jacksonvill e,
FL32207.
APRIL 13-14 - NACOGDOCHES, TX - East
Texas Airshow '96 WW II, A/e,
Experimentals, Aerobatics, Skydivers etc.,
Airporl Camping, Concessions, Nearby
MOlels (special rates). Contact Bob Dunn,
409/564-72 12.
APRIL 14-20- LAKELAND, FL - 22nd Annual
Sun ' n Fun EAA Fly-In and Convention.
813/644-2431.
APRIL 28 - HALF MOON BA Y, CA - Pacific
Coast Dream Machines Fly-In and Show, to
benefit the Coastside Adult Day Health
Center. For info call 415/726-2328.
MAY 5 - ROCKFORD, IL - EAA Chapter 22
Annual Fly-In/ Drive-In breakfast. Courtesy
Aircraft, Greater Rockford Airport. 7:00
a.m. - Noon. For info, call Wall y Hunt,
8 15/332-4708.
MAY 11 - KENNEWICK, WA - EAA Chapler
39 1 Fly-In breakfast at Vista Field; contact:
Bob Shaub, 509/735-1664.
MAY 12 - DAYTON, OH - 33rd annual EAA
Chapter 48 Funday Sunday Fly-In Airshow
Breakfast. Awards, fl ea market, displays,
and numerous antiques flying the airshow.
Info: 573/878-9832.
MAY 18-1 9 - HAMPTON, NH - Hampton
Airfield. 20th annual Aviation Flea Market.
Fly-In, Drive-In, camping on field. No fees.
No rain date. Anything aviation related
OK. Food avai l ab le. For info, ca ll
603/964-6749.
MAY 18 - HUNTSVILLE, AL - Moontown air-
port. EAA Chapter 190 Fly-In and airshow.
Call 205/498-3454 for information.
MAY 19 - WARWICK, NY - Warwi c k
Aerodrome. EAA Chapter 501 annual Fly-
In 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Unicom 123.0. Food
and trophies, registration for judging closes
at 2 p.m. Call Harry Barker at 201/838-
7485 for more information.
MAY24-25 - ATCHISON, Ks - Amelia Earhart
Memorial Airport. 30th annual Fl y-In, host-
ed by the Kansas City Chapter ofthe AAA.
For info call orwrite: Gerry Gippner, Fly-In
Chairman, 14810 W. 159th st. , Olathe, Ks
66061, 913/764-8512 orLee Crites, 14325
w. 89th St. , Lenexa, Ks 66245, 973/888-
0596.
MAY 25-26 - DECA TUR, AL - EAA Chapter
94 1 and DAAS sponsored Fly- In and Fly
market, Antique, Classic homebui l ts and
more. Everyone is wel come, great food
and shuttl e avai l ab l e. For info ca ll
205/355-5770 or830-4460.
MAY 26 - ZANESVILLE, OH - EAA Chapter
425 Annual Fl y- In, Dri ve- In Breakfast. 8
a. m. - 5 p.m. Sandwiches, etc from noon
' Iill closing. Riverside Airport. Contact
Don Wahl, 614/454-0003.
MAY 31- jUNE 1 - BARTLESVILLE, OK -
Frank Philipps Field. BIPLANE EXPO '96.
10th Annual National Biplane Convention
and exposition. Biplanes and NBA mem-
bers free; all others pay admission.
Con tacts: Charl es Harris, Chairman,
918/622-8400 or Virgi l Gaede, Expo direc-
tor, 918/336-3976.
MAY3-5 - ROANOKE RAPIDS, NC - Annual
Spri ng Fl y- In sponsor ed by EAA
Antique/Classic Chapter 3. All welcome,
major speaker, vintage aviation fi lms, tro-
phies in many categories. For info contact
Ray Bottom, Jr. , 804/873-3059.
MAY 17-19 - COLUMBIA, CA - 20th Annual
Gathering ofLuscombes. Aircraft judging,
spot landing and flour bombing contests,
and the 4th Annual Great Luscombe Clock
Race. For info, contact Doug Cl ough,
36 0/893-6623 orArt Moxley, 206/630-
1086.
JUNE 1 - FOWLERVILLE, MI - Maple Grove
airport EAA Chapter 1056 Fly-In, aerobatic
demos, l unch, pilot events, rides, hog roast,
camping. Call Ron at 517/223-3233.
JUNE 1-2 -GRAVENHURsT, ONTARI O,
CANADA - Muskoka Air Fair. Snowbirds,
Oscar Boesch and others. Aviation trade
show. For info orbooth space, call Lizann
Flatt, 705/687-1620.
JUNE 2 - DE KALB, I L - D eKalb- Taylor
Muni cipal Airport. EAA Chapl er 24 1
Breakfast, 7 a.m. - noon. For info call j ack
Bennett, 815/756-7712.
JUNE 7-8 - MERCED, CA - 391h Merced West
Coast Antique Fly-In. For info contact
Merced Pilots Association, P.o. Box 23 12,
M erced, CA 95344, or Virginia Morford,
209/383-4632.
JUNE 7-9 - DENTON, TX - Texas Chapter
Antique Airplane Association's 34th Annual
Fly-In at Denton Municipal Airport (0TO).
For info call jim Austin 8 17/ 429-5385,
Penny Ri chards 8 17/ 482-6175 or j ohn
Whatley 2 14/ 517- 198 1.
JUNE 8-9 - COLDWA TER, MI - Fairchild Fly-
In at Branch Co. Memori al Airport.
Contact: Mike Kelly 517/278-2654.
JUNE 9 - GAYLORD, MI EAA Chapter 1095
pancake breakfast. 517/732-7377.
JUNE 9 - TOWANDA, PA - Towanda airport
(N27) Fly-In Breakfast - all you can eat.
Eggs, sausage, pancakes, 100% pure maple
syrup. 7a.m. -1 p.m.
JUNE 13-16 - ST. LOUIS, MO- Creve Coeur
Airport. American Waco Club Fl y- In.
Contacts: John Halterman, 314/ 434-4856
orPhil Coulson, 616/624-6490.
JUNE 14-16 - CAMARILLO, CA - 16th annual
Fathers Day Fl y- In, hosted by EAA Chapter
723 and the CAF. Homebuilts, Warbirds,
Antiques, Classics, Panca ke breakfast.
Contact: 805/ 985-4058.
JUNE 15 - ANDOVER, Nj - O lde Fashioned
Fl y-In, sponsored by EAA Antique/Classic
Chapter 7. Aeroflex-Andover Airport, 12N.
O lde birds, good eats. 201/786-5682 or
361-0875. Rain Date: j une 16.
JUNE 15- 16 - RUTLAND, VT - 5th Annual
Ta ildragger Rendezvous. EAA Chapter
968, pancake breakfast 8-11 a.m. (Free to
the first 25 PICs). Prizes in all categories.
For info call 802/492-3647.
JUNE 16 - LACROSSE, WI - Fathers Day
Fl y/Drive- In breakfast . 0700-1200. $4
each, PIC is free. Displays, music, aerobat-
ics. Check NOTAMs. 608/781-5271.
JUNE 16 - REDDING, CA - EAA Chaper 157
Fathers Day Fl y-In. Contacts: Bruce Taylor,
916/275-6456 orArmal Owens, 916/243-
4382.
JUNE 23 - ZANESVILLE, OH - EAA Chapter
425 Air Awareness Day, Fly-In, Drive-In
Breakfast. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Come enjoy the
planes on display and good fellowship.
Riverside Airport. Contact Don Wahl,
614/454-0003.
JUNE 30-jULY5 - LAKE GUNTERSVILLE, AL
- 28th annual convention of the
International Cessna 170 Association. Lake
Guntersville State Park Lodge. 205/ 571-
5440. Contact Harl ey Pickett, 205/640-
4785.
JULY 23 - ZANESVILLE, OH - EAA Chapter
425 Annual Pancake Day at Parr Airport. 8
a.m. - 5 p.m. Oshkosh bound pilots
encouraged to fly-in, ea t and refuel.
Contact Don Wahl, 6 14/ 454-0003.
JULY 26-28 - RED LAKE, ONTARIO, CANA-
DA - Norseman Float Plane Festi val. For
more info, contact the Festival Committee
at 807/727-2809.
JULY 27-29 - KEOKUK, IA - Sixth World
Wide gathering ofL-Birds, then en masse
up to Wisconsin for EAA great OSHKOSH
' 96 on August 1. Contact Irv Linder,
3 19/524-6378.
AUGUST 1-7 - OSHKOSH, WI - 44th
Annual fAA Fl y- In and Sport Aviation
Convention. Wittman Regional Airport.
Contact John Burton, fAA, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. 414/ 426-4800.
AUGUST3- ELLSWORTH, Ks - EAA Chapter
1127 Fly-In breakfast (Oshkosh stop-over)
and Cowtown Day. Call Dale Weinhold,
913-472-4021 (w) or -4309 (h) for info.
AUGUST 30-3 1 - HA YWARD, CA - EAA
Antique/Classic Chapter 29 Fourth Annual
Antique Fl y- In and Airshow. Free Earl y
Bird Dinner to all display aircraft on Friday.
This is a northern California points event.
Contact Bud Field at 510/455-2300.
AUGUST 31 - MARION, IN - Sixth Annual
Fly-In/Cruise-In breakfast sponsored by the
Marion High school Band Boosters.
Antiques, Cl ass i cs, homebuilts, and
Antique. classic and cllstom cars wel-
comed. For information, contact Ray
johnson at 317/664-2588.
OCTOBER 4-6 - REDDING, CA - Benton
Fi el d. EAA Chaper 157 Oktoberfest.
Contacts: Bruce Taylor, 9 16/ 275-6456 or
Armal Owens, 916/243-4382.
OCTOBER 13 - TOWANDA, PA - Towanda
airport (N27) Fly-In Breakfast - all you can
eat. Eggs, sausage, pancakes, 100% pure
maple syrup. 7a. m. - 1p.m.
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