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VAA NEWS
4

TYPE CLUB NOTES EXTRA! H.G. Frautschy

REMEMBERING ANNE! John Underwood

AIR MAIL FOR SMALL TOWNS/ Earl Stahl

14 UNKNOWN TAYLORCRAFT/ H.G. Frautchy

19 WHAT IF?/ Steve Johnson
24 MYSTERY PLANE
25 PASS IT TO BUCK/ Buck Hilbert
27 NEW MEMBERS
28 CALENDAR
30 CLASSIFIEDS

www.vintageaircraft.org
Publisher

TOM POBEREZNY

Editor-i,,-Chie!

scon SPANGLER

Executive Director, Editor

HENRY G. FRAUTSCHY

VAA Administrative Assistant

THERESA BOOKS

Executive Editor

MIKE DIFRISCO

Contributing Editors

JOHN UNDERWOOD
BUDD DAVISSON

Art/Photo Layout

BETH BLANCK

Photography Staff

JIM KOEPNICK
LEEANN ABRAMS
MARK SCHAIBLE

AdvertisillglEditorial Assistalll

ISABELLE WISKE

ON THE COVERS
Front Cover .. . Dick Roe was looking for something in a Classic airplane,
and he found it in his rare Taylorcraft 15A. The 15A has four seats and
cruises at a stately 105 mph behind a Continental C-145 engine. EM photo
by Mark Schaible, shot with a Canon EOS1 n equipped with an 80-200 mm
lens on 100 ASA Fuji slide film . EM Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce
Moore.
Back Cover ... EM Master Artist William Marsalko, 3717 Addington Ct. ,
Fairview Park, Ohio 44126 painted his tribute to "Eddy's No.1 ." He writes:
Nieuport N.28 C-1 . In combat with the German Albatros, Fokker Triplanes
and Pfalz O.III's, the '28 could hold its own. Capt. Rickenbacker, Maj.
Lufbery and Capt. Meissner were a few Americans who flew the '28 with the
94th Pursuit Squadron.

SEE PAGE 31 FOR FURTHER VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INFORMATION

VAA NEWS

compiled by H.G. Frautschy

Because of the inclusion of the exten

sive Cessna landing gear news item,
VAA President Butch Joyce's column,
"Straight & Level," will not be included
in the April issue.
GOVERNMENT SERVICES
One of our greatest challenges as
an organization is keeping abreast of
the constantly changing govern
mental scene. One of the benefits of
VAA membership is our organiza
tion's access to EAA's Government
Services office, headed by Earl
Lawrence. Their mission is: "To pre
serve the freedom of flight, and to
reduce regulatory barriers regarding
the affordability and access to mem
bers' participation in recreational
aviation.
To that end, in addition to speak
ing with EAA and VAA members on
a daily basis, the Government Ser
vices staff meets regularly with EAA
President Tom Poberezny to confirm
the department's goals. This year,
one of their four major goals relates
to aging aircraft. The personnel from
EAA's Government Services office
serves on the Aging Aircraft Ad Hoc
Committee and participates in the
FAA review process for ADs (EAA,
AOPA, and affected type clubs are
consulted prior to the FAA writing
the ADs).
The Government Services staff is
actively gauging feedback on their ef
fectiveness in dealing with issues of
concern and have been expanding
their attention to include rotorcraft.
They've also been actively working
on the concepts of owner mainte
nance for vintage aircraft.
EAA and the Vintage Aircraft Asso
ciation's goal is to ensure that owners
of aging aircraft continue to have the
support and services needed to main
tain their recreational aircraft and to
prevent the establishment of rules or
regulations that would restrict or
make impractical the recreational use
II

of older aircraft no matter what cate

gory they may operate under (e.g.,
experimental exhibition, amateur
built, or standard category).
There may be times when it seems
that little is being done to further the
causes we all hold so dear, and we
may not always "win," but I can as
sure you these folks are among the
hardest working in the EAA family.
This VAA News page is filled with is
sues being worked on by the
Government Services staff.

VACUUM PUMP MEETING

There are a numbe r of members
who fly IFR with their well-equipped
vintage airplanes. In an EAA-facili
tat e d m eet ing , hosted by Ea rl
Lawrence, attendees at a sp ecia l
meeting in Kansas City on March 5
concluded that more n ee ds to be
done to heighte n safety and aware
ness relating to pn e umatic gyro
syste m failure s in IFR general avia
tion aircraft. Seve ral aircraft
manufacturers, including Mooney
Aircraft, Twin Commander Aircraft,
Cessna, and New Piper, as well as the
American Bonanza Society and Swift
Museum Foundation were r epre
sented. Also prese nt were officials
from the FAA, AOPA, and Parker
Hannifin's Airborne Division.
The group will look into design
ing a study project involving private
pilots to test the effectiven ess of pi
lots using partial panel and various
types of backup systems in a simula
tor. Data from this study may hold
th e key in measuring the effective
ness of backup systems for IFR flying
and/or a highly visible warning sys
tem that alerts pilots of a pneumatic
system failure.
EAA maintains that this is an ag
ing aircraft iss ue since aircraft
manufacturers have installed redun
dant systems in new aircraft since
1986, using backup pneumatic sys
tems or e lectrical sys t e ms plus

warning systems that activate in the

event of a primary system failure.
Parker Hannifin's Airborne Division
is concerned that FAA regulations for
older aircraft are not sufficient in this
area.
Airborne's position is clear, ac
cording to John Hruska, general
manager. He referred to the 1986
Safety Warning Service Letter No. 31
that was recently updated and mailed
to piston single- and twin-engine air
craft owners (Vac u um/Pressure
Gyroscopic Flight Instrument Power
System). It includes strongly worded
statements including, "A backup
pneumatic power source for air-dri
ven gyros, or a backup electric
attitude gyro instrument, must be in
stalled in all aircraft which fly IFR,"
and" Any inoperative air pump or
other component of the gyro system,
and any inoperative backup system
or component, must be replaced
prior to the next flight.
Hruska announced that Airborne
will no longer sell air pumps "for
older aircraft that do not meet our
Safety Warning Service Letter No.
31," meaning those aircraft without
installed backup pneumatic or elec
tric flight indicator systems.
Owners of aircraft deemed ineligi
ble by Airborne 's requirements will
likely buy from other manufacturers
like Rapco or Sigma Tek. Champion
also recently announced its inte n
tions to enter the market.
For more information on the dan
ge r of pn e umatic system fai lu res,
visit the FAA website at www.faa .gov/
avr/news/silent.htm and rea d "The
Silent Emergency."
II

AEROMATIC PROPELLER
MAY BE GROUNDED
The Federal Aviation Administra
tion has not yet issued an
Airworthiness Directive on Aero
matic propeller models and all
Flopttorp (formally Beach Roby) proVINTAGE AIRPLANE 1

pellers fitted with FA200 Flopttorp

blades. The FAA is exploring the
need for an Airworthiness Directive
(AD) on all in the wake of an Aero
matic propeller failure in April 2000.
The current type certificate holder
Tarver Propeller has issued a service
bulletin, No. 2000-001, requiring the
repetitive inspection of the propeller
blades for looseness . If an AD were
issued, the propeller would be effec
tively grounded due to the lack of
replacement parts. Tarver is in the
process of obtaining a production
certificate but is still working with
the FAA to comply with all agency
requirements. Until the production
certificate is issued to Tarver Pro
peller, there will not be any
replacement parts for the propellers
currently in service.
For updates, check in periodically
at EAA's website: www.eaa.org. You
can also e-mail Jay Turnberg, the
FAA aerospace engineer who is work
ing on this issue, at jay.turnberg@
faa.gov or call him at 781/238-7116.
CESSNA FLAT SPRING STEEL
LANDING GEAR
Just as this issue was going to
press, the NTSB sent a Safety Recom
mendation
letter
to
FAA
administrator Jane Garvey asking
the FAA to take action on what they
perceive as a problem with the flat
spring steel main landing gear used
on many high-wing Cessna 170,180,
185,190 and 195 aircraft. Here's the
full text of the letter (minus an illus
tration of the Cessna 180 main
landing gear):

National Transportation
Safety Board
Washington, D.C. 20594
Safety Recommendation
Date: March 16, 2001
In reply refer to: A-01-01 and -02
Honorable Jane F. Garvey
Administrator,
Federal Aviation Administration
Washington, D.C. 20591
In this letter, the National Trans
portation Safety Board recommends
that the Federal Aviation Adminis2

APRIL 2001

tration (FAA) take action to address a

safety issue concerning corrosion
and fatigue cracking of main land
ing gear (MLG) spring struts on
Cessna 170, 180, 185, 190, and 195
series airplanes. The recommenda
tions were prompted by the Safety
Board's investigation of a September
14, 1999, accident involving a
Cessna 185, N85LC, near Delta Junc
tion, Alaska. This letter summarizes
the Board's rationale for issuing
these recommendations.
On September 14, 1999, a Cessna
185, N85LC, operated by Tamarack
Air Ltd., Fairbanks, Alaska, sustained
substantial damage while landing at
a remote dirt airstrip near Delta
Junction, Alaska. Near the end of the
landing roll, the left MLG collapsed
and dug into the ground, causing
the airplane to nose over. The pilot
and one passenger suffered minor
injuries; the remaining passenger
was uninjured. The flight was an on
demand passenger flight operating
under 14 Code of Federal Regula
tions (CFR) Part 135. At the time of
the accident, the airplane was 24
years old and had accumulated 5,892
flight hours.
Cessna 170, 180, 185, 190, and
195 series airplanes are tail wheel
equipped with MLG that have a
tapered, spring-steel cantilever strut
supporting each main wheel. The
spring-steel cantilever strut is made
from chromium-vanadium steel,
which is heat treated and shot
peened for added fatigue resistance,
and is attached to the fuselage
bracket and clamp by bolts at the
upper end. The lower end of the
spring strut has four holes through
which the axle is bolted.
The Safety Board's post accident
examination of the Cessna 185 re
vea led the left MLG spring strut
had fractured above the left wheel
axle through the upper two axle
bolt holes. Further examination of
the fractured spring strut at the
Board's Materials Laboratory re
vealed corrosion pitting had caused
fatigue cracks to emanate from two
regions on the interior surface of

the forward upper axle bolt hole.

A review of Safety Board records 1
indicated that from 1984 to the pre
sent, 16 of the approximately
76,000 Cessna 170,180,185,190,
and 195 series airplanes in service
(including the accident airplane)
had experienced MLG spring strut
fatigue failures;2 at the time of the
failure, the average age of these air
planes was approximately 15 years.
Five of the 16 failures occurred at
the upper end of the spring strut;
fatigue typically initiated from fret
ting and corrosion pitting near the
fuselage attachment clamp area.
Eleven of the 16 failures occurred at
the lower end of the spring strut; fa
tig u e typically initiated from
corrosion pitting in and around the
ax le bolt holes. In addition, a re
view of the FAA's Service Difficulty
Reports (SDR) data indicated that
from 1974 to the present, at least
nine other reports exist of cracked
or failed MLG spring struts on
Cessna 170, 180, and 185 series air
planes) Because previous reviews
of SDR data have revealed the SDR
system frequently underreports ser
vice failures, it is likely that other
unreported MLG spring strut fail
ures have occurred.
Inspections of the MLG spring
strut are required by 14 CFR Part
43 and recommended in th e
Cessna Aircraft service manual. Ac
cording to 14 CFR Part 43,
airplanes must undergo an annual
inspection in accordance with th e
inspection plan in Appendix D of
Part 43, which requires a general
visual inspection of the MLG com
ponents. In addition, the Cessna
Aircraft service manual recom
mends inspecting the MLG spring
strut every 50 hours of service and
provides general instructions to in
spect the movable and metal parts
of th e MLG for cracks and corro
sion. However, 14 CFR Part 43 and
the Cessna Aircraft service manual
do not specifically require or rec
ommend a detailed inspection of
the MLG spring strut near the fuse
lage attachment clamp area and

axle assembly area for corrosion

and cracks, removal of the MLG
spring strut to expose the fuselage
attachment clamp area and axle as
sembly area, or the use of
nondestructive inspection (NOl)
techniques. The Safety Board notes
that a d etailed inspection of the
MLG spring strut near the fuselage
attachment clamp area and the
axle as se mbl y area for corrosion
a nd cracks can only be accom
plished if the spring strut is
removed from the fuselage and the
axle is removed from th e spring
strut.
Despite the inspection s required
by 14 CF R Part 43 and recom
mend ed in the Cessna Aircraft
service manual, MLG spring strut
failures continue to occur. Visual
inspections have not prevented all
spring strut failures and do not ade
quately detect the relatively small
fatigue cracks before failure occurs.
The lack of a requirement for de
tailed inspection s of the MLG
spring strut fus e lage attachment
clamp area and axle assembly area
allows airplanes with corrosion and
cracks in the spring strut to experi
enc e fatigue failures. An initial
inspection, involving the removal
of the MLG spring strut and the use
of NDI techniques to examine the
spring strut, should aid in the de
tection of fatigue cracks that cannot
be identified through visual inspec
tions, th e reby re ducing the
possibility of an incident or acci
dent. The Safety Board notes that
initial inspections, although benefi
cial, might not be enough to
monitor whether corrosion and
cracks are developing in the spring
struts . Rep etitive inspections per
formed at ap propriate intervals 4
should further reduce the possibil
ity of fatigue failure incidents or
accidents.
Therefore, th e Na tional Trans
portation Safety Board recommends
that the Federal Aviation Adminis
tration:
Issue an airworthiness directive
to req uire an initial inspection of

Cessna 170, 180, 185, 190, and 195

series airplane main landing gear
spring struts, involving the removal
of the spring struts from the fuse
lag e attachm ent clamp and axle
assembly and the use of nonde
structive inspection techniques to
exa mine the upper and lower ends
of the spring struts for corrosion
and cracks, at the next 100-hour or
annual inspection, whichever oc
curs first . (A-Ol-Ol)
Issue an airworthiness directive
to require repetitive inspections of
Cessna 170, 180, 185, 190, and 195
series airplane main landing gear
spring struts, involving the removal
of the spring struts from the fuse
lage attachm ent clamp and axle
assembly and the us e of nonde
structive inspection techniques to
examine the upper and lower ends
of the spring struts for corrosion
and cracks, at appropriate intervals.
(A-01-02)
Vice Chairman HALL5 and Mem
bers BLACK and CA RMODY
concurred in these recommenda
tions. Members HAMMERSCHMIDT
and GOGLIA did not concur.
Original signed by: Carol]. Ca r
mody, Acting Chairman
Footnotes:

1. Th e Safety Board contacted

Cessna regarding MLG spring stmt fa
tigue failures, but Cess na had no
record ofsuch failures.
2 . Eleven of th e 16 failures oc
curred from 1993 to 1999.
3. The Safety Board notes that
Cessna tail wheel-equipped airplanes
and Cessna nose wheel-equipped air
planes have MLG spring struts similar
in design. However, a review ofBoard
reco rds indicated that from 1984 to
th e prese nt, only 5 of the approxi
mately 118,000 Cess na nos e
wheel-equipped airplan es in service
have experienced MLG spring strut fa
tigue failures. In addition, a review of
the FAA's SDR data indica ted that
from 1972 to th e present, no reports
exist of cracked or failed MLG spring
struts in Cessna nose wheel-equipped
airplanes. On the basis of this review,
the Board notes that the fatigue failure

rate of MLG spring struts in Cessna

nose wheel-equipped airplanes is sig
nificantly lower than that in Cessna
tail wheel-equipped airplanes; there
fore, the Board is only addressing
spring strut fatigue failures in Cessna
tail wheel-equipped airplanes in this
letter. However, the Board will monitor
the spring strut fatigue failure rate in
Cessna nose wheel-equipped airplanes
to assess whether additional safety rec
ommendations are necessary.
4. Appropriate intervals would al
low ea rly evidence of corrosion and
fatigue cracks in MLG spring stmts to
be detected before a failure occurs. The
Safety Board notes that the Cessna
Aircraft Company Model 100 Series
Continued Airworthiness Program con
tain s an in spection of the MLG
outboard spring supports of Cess na
180 and 185 series airplanes that in
volves removing the MLG spring struts
from the airplane every 1,000 hours or
every 3 years.
5. Vice Chairman Hall was serving
as the Safety Board's Acting Chairman
at the time of his concurrence.
You can obtain a PDF electronic
copy of this lette r on the NTSB's
website at www.ntsb.gov/recs/

letters/2001/A 01_01 _02.pdf

As we were going to press, we had
not been notified of the FAA's inten
tions, but we are certain an
Airworthiness Concern Sheet will be
issued, similar to the one just issued
regarding Piper lift strut attachment
fittings. You can read about that is
sue starting on page 4.
For continued updates on the
Cessna landing gear issue, please
visit EAA's website at www.eaa.org.
TULSA FLY-IN AND BIPLANE EXPO
The 15th annual Biplane Expo
and Convention at Bartlesville, Ok
lahoma , originally scheduled for
June 1-2 has been rescheduled be
cause of delayed taxiway con
struction at the Bartlesville airport.
It will now take place in conjunc
tion with the Tulsa Regional Fly-In,
September 21-22. Please see the Fly
In Ca lendar on page 28 for more
information.
....
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

tra

YPE CLUB

by H.G. Frautschy

The FAA's Airworthiness Concern Sheet program, and the Piper lift strut A CS.

Over the past year the FAA, EAA, issued with 30-, 60-, and 90-day the failure, due to undetected corro
and other aviation organizations comment periods. It's nearly impos sion, of a lift strut fitting on a Piper
have agreed to a program using the sible to get an item with a 30-day PA-18. The NTSB fe lt the issue war
resources of the many active vintage comment period to you via the mag ranted an AD; the FAA has
aircraft type clubs. Called the Air azine, so the web is our best resource maintained that it is a maintenance
worthiness Concern Sheet (ACS), it is when confronted with a short fuse. related issue and should be dealt
issued by the FAA when they desire You'll probab ly also hear from the with by the production of a manda
input from the aviation community appropriate type club, if yo u 're a tory manufacturer's service bulletin,
affected by any proposed action . To member.
complete with inspection procedures
clarify, the issuance of an Airworthi
Recently, the FAA issued an Air to adequately inspect the forward
ness Concern Sheet does not worthiness Concern Sheet regarding side of the forward u pper lift strut
necessarily mean an Airworthiness the upper lift strut fittings on all fitting.
Directive (AD) will be issued. The Piper high -wing aircraft. The 30-day
The NTSB does not concur with
process is used to gather information comment period closed just before the FAA's assessment and has asked
that could influence the content of you rece ived this magazine, with that the agency again review the
an AD for whatever action may be comments and recommendations by possibility of issuing an AD. In this
needed .
the various type cl ubs solicited di case, the Airworthiness Concern
As the program matures, we plan rectly by the FAA.
Sheet program now gives the FAA a
on presenting each ACS affecting
The NTSB has asked the FAA to re tool to gather information that can
vintage airplanes on our website at view their decision not to issue an be used to formulate a plan of action
www.vintageaircraft.org. We'll post Airworthiness Directive concerning that will satisfy both the NTSB and
them as soon as they are
received. With each type
club receiving this no
tice directly from the
FWD LIFT STRUT
FAA and with our web
ATTACH FlmNG
postings, we'll all be able
to respond to the situa
tion in a timely manner.
Checking
in
at
www.vintageairaaftorg
on a regular basis will
give you a chance to see
the ACS almost as soon
FILLER BLOCK
as we do, giving you
time to add your opin
ion to the FAA's folder
FWD
"~(I
00
on a particular item, par
ticularly those with
~INBD

short comment periods.

..... ~Typically, the sheets are

.....

'~'~ tt"s~.~~

4 APRIL 2001

The forward wing strut attachment fittings on all high-wing Piper aircraft are the subject of an Airworthiness Concern Sheet recently issued by
the FAA, as well as the subject of a mandatory Service Bulletin, No.1 044, issued July 27, 2000, by The New Piper Aircraft, Inc. The PA-18 wing
structure is shown in this view, with the other aircraft being nearly identical.

owners/operators of high-wing Piper

airplanes. After all, the New Piper
Corporation is not in the business of
building high-wing, fabric-covered
aircraft any longer, and the best ex
perts in this area are most likely the
active restorers who rebuild these
aircraft on a regular basis . They're
the ones who can address practical
inspection methods and intervals.
To summarize, it is the NTSB's
contention that the forward lift strut
is susceptible to undetected corro
sion due to the manner in which the
wings are constructed and covered.
Both the fabric covering and leading
edge skin obscure the forward por
tion of the fitting. Also , since the
vast majority of fabric-covered air
planes are now covered with Dacron
fabric, the interval between inspec
tions of areas hidden by the fabric
has been lengthened substantially.
In this particular case, the Super Cub
was re-covered in 1967 and had a to

tal of 21 years and 761 hours since

the re-cover job. All that time, it
would have been impossible to accu
rately determine the condition of
the forward side of the fitting. Any
inspection of the forward portion of
the fitting above the covered area
would require some form of aircraft
modification that would include re
moving a portion of the leading
edge skin and installing some form
of inspection plate or patch.
The notification method is the
source of debate between the NTSB
and FAA. The FAA believes a
mandatory service bulletin would
be appropriate given the relative
rareness of the failure of this part
(one non-fatal in-flight failure, less
than 10 Service Difficulty Reports
reporting corrosion on the fitting).
This in no way minimizes the po
tential for a failure such as this to
be a fatal accident. A mandatory
service bulletin is exactly that, with

no leeway.
For this particular ACS we don't
have the electronic versions of each
of the FAA's enclosures (this entire
program is still in the process of ma
turing), but you can access the
NTSB's website for the narrative for
the accident report. Go to
www.ntsb.gov/aviation/Accident.htm.
click on "Use a Query Form," and
enter this NTSB accident number:
MIA98LA226. If you have comments
or questions regarding this mainte
nance issue, contact FAA engineer
William O. Herderich at the FAA's
Atlanta Aircraft Certification Office,
ACE-Il7A, 1895 Phoenix Blvd., Suite
450, Atlanta, GA 30349; phone:
770/703-6082; fax: 770/703 -6979.
You can also e-mail him at
william.o.herderich@(aa.gov.
As mentioned, the normal com
ment period for this Airworthiness
Concern Sheet just ended, but a
quick reply couldn't hurt!
....
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

feme
A remembrance ofAnne Morrow Lindbergh, 1906-2001
by John Underwood
ne could not begin to do
Anne Morrow Lindbergh jus
tice in a few words. She was
too remarkable a woman for that. In
deed, she was unique. At various
times over two decades she became
the most envied, the most pitied, and
the most hated woman in America,
according to her biographers.
Anne Spencer Morrow was born
June 22,1906. Her father, banker
Dwight W. Morrow, was a U.S. sena
tor and diplomat. Shy and retiring by
nature, Anne inherited her mother's
love of poetry and fine literature. She
became the author of thirteen vol
umes, most of which becam e
bestsellers.
Anne was an English major at
Smith College when she traveled to
Mexico City to be with her family
during Christmas 1927. Her father
was then the ambassador to Mexico,
and Charles Lindbergh, on a good
will tour south of the border, was
the Morrows' houseguest for the
holiday week.
So tongue-tied was Anne in Lind
bergh 's company that she hardly
spoke. Her elder sister, Elizabeth, the
outgoing one, seemed to have caught
the Lone Eagle's eye. In truth, being
with Anne was a welcome respite for
Lindbergh, who was ill at ease as a
conversationalist in mixed company.
When they did talk, it was mostly
about flying. Anne was fascinated.
Lindbergh had never dated a girl
in his life before meeting Anne.
Painfully shy, he had always gone
out of his way to avoid socializing

APRIL

2001

with single women his own age. With

Anne it was different. The chemistry
was right, and they both knew it.
Two years later they were married.
Lindbergh had started teaching
Anne to fly on their first date in a
rented Gipsy Moth. Over a period of
time he gave h er more lessons in a
Curtiss Fledgling, a Fleet, and an
Aeromarine-Klemm. Anne qualified
for her private pilot's certificate,
#20169, in her own Bird BK in 1930.
She was also the first woman in the
United States to qualify as a sailplane
pilot. She remained active as a pilot
until the onset of World War II.
By the time the Lindberghs made
their survey flight to the Orient,
Anne was sufficiently seasoned to co
pilot their Lockheed Sirius. That
flight, which ended prematurely in
China when the Sirius capsized on
the flood-swollen Yangtze River, was
the subject of her first book, North to
the Orient.
Whereas Anne had been envied by
women everywhere for what seemed
a storybook romance and marriage,
her life took a tragic turn in 1931
when the Lindbergh's first child was
kidnapped and killed. Overnight
Anne became the most pitied woman
on the planet. It was a singularly cal
lous crime, and the case kept the
couple under public scrutiny for sev
eral agonizing years. Ultimately it led
to their self-imposed exile, first in
England, then in France.
Charles Lindbergh's years in Eu
rope convinced him that a war with
Germany would destroy Europe. He

had seen Germany's industrial might

firsthand and had flown their latest
aircraft, which he believed were supe
rior to anything available anywhere
else in the world. The upshot of this
was his isolationist stance. Lindbergh
became a spokesman for non-inter
vention in a European war that began
in September 1939.
Anne supported her husband 's
views, which seemed pro-German to
many, and tried to explain them in a
small volume titled The Wave of the
Future, which argued against U.S. in
volvement in WWII. It was perceived
to be a pro-Nazi polemic and served
to fuel the growing anti-Lindbergh
sentiment. Anne was crushed by the
widespread denunciations and didn't
write again for 15 years.
Charles rendered valuable war ser
vice as a test pilot and technical
advisor, ultimately restoring the
Lindbergh name to a place of honor.
Anne, in the meantime, devoted her
self to raising a growing family, two
girls and three boys, almost entirely
on her own. In her spare moments
she began writing again.
Gift From the Sea, published in
1955, was perhaps Anne's most en
during success and restored her to the
ranks of the country's most beloved
authors. That was followed by her di
aries, five volumes, encompassing the
years 1922 to 1944.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh had out
lived her husband by more than a
quarter of a century when she passed
away on February 7 at her home in
Passumpsic, Vermont. She was 94 . ....

(Above) Taken at the start of the Lockheed Sirius' shakedown flight in April 1930, Anne accompanied her husband as they set an unofficial
transcontinental record of 14 hours, 45 minutes. Anne became quite proficient at sending and receiving Morse code. Left to right in the photo
are: Carl Squire, Lockheed sales manager; Hugh White, assistant to Squire; Charles Lindbergh, Anne Lindbergh and designer Jerry Vultee.
(Below) Anne looks intently down the hill as her husband stands next to the wing of the Bowlus sailplane she would solo in 1929. The flight
would last six minutes, a quite respectable performance from a bungee launch.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

be) ~rl 1:St?\hl

{'wi Ivra of 1h cc

8 APRIL 2001

~rr1Wo

__________________________

PERMANENT PICKUP ROUTES

ESTABLISHED

Under the plan for permanent

routes, the Civil Aeronautics Board
(CAB) would be the contracting
agency rather than the Post Office
Department. Routes would be ex
panded from two to five, serving all
of the original destinations as well as
over SO more. Radiating a total of
1,380 miles from the Pittsburgh hub,
two routes would be to Huntington,
West Virginia, with others being to
Jamestown, New York; Williamsport,
Pennsylvania; and Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. Communities in six
states with populations of 800 to
120,000 thus would be served.
Despite the one year demonstrated
success of the trailing grapple pickup
system, it became increasingly evi
dent that a further improved method
was necessary. Under the existing
means, holding optimum altitude in
heavy turbulence was difficult, some
times resulting in a miss at capturing
the horizontally stretched transfer
rope. A miss of an inch required a
circle to try again. Further, in bumpy
air, the 8-pound grapple would some
times swing laterally to collide with
the wooden markers atop the poles,
damaging them or even breaking the
cable.
NEW PICKUP SYSTEM DEVELOPED

Work on an entirely new system

had been in progress at All Ameri
can's experimental shop at
Wilmington, Delaware, so, in agree
ment with the CAB, service to new
destinations would be delayed until
planes were provided with new
equipment and totally different
ground facilities were in place. The
Stinsons would be fitted with re
tractable IS-1/2-foot long, 2-inch
diameter ash booms to be positioned
for pickup at a 4S-degree angle with
a single prong hook at the lower end

(Graphic 4). A completely new con

cept, a compact mechanism
consisting of reel, brake, and electric
motor, wou ld be mounted at the
hatch on the floor of the aircraft.
Forty feet of 3/8-inch diameter nylon
rope connected reel and hook.
Ground stations would, likewise,
be much different. Gone would be
the tall, husky steel poles. In their
place would be portable, small-diam
eter aluminum tubes tipped by short
lengths of bamboo. Set upright in
ground receptacles, they would be 20
feet tall, which would later be re
duced to 12 feet, and 20 feet apart.
Small orange canvas triangles with
wire hitch pins would hold aloft a
loop of 3/8-inch diameter nylon
rope attached to the delivery con
tainer situated on the ground
between the poles.
The 28-inch tall delivery contain
ers remained unchanged. To protect
the contents, each had a thick fiber
dome and a vulcanized rubber skirt
as well as an internal canvas bag
with a closure strap.
Patent records credit Stuart Plum
mer as the inventor of this radically
changed system, which enabled pi
lots to approach pickup stations with
greater accuracy and higher speeds .
With the incoming delivery trailing
above and behind the extended
hook, the pilot would release the
rope with bag about 200 feet before
reaching the upright poles. Once the
boom contacted the nylon transfer
rope, causing it to pull free, the rope
would slide down the boom to disen
gage the hook. Under the strain of
lifting and accelerating the outgoing
load, the nylon ropes stretched; con
currently, rope briefly played out
from the reel while an automatic
brake smoothly stopped the unwind.
Once the flight mechanic assured
there was no fouling, an electric mo
tor was activated to draw the

container close; the last short dis

tance to bring the bag through the
hatch was by hand. Using nylon
rope in this process was critical since
under stress of pickup the nylon
elongated somewhat without rapid
recoil. That rope stretch, reel un
wind, and smooth braking so
effectively dissipated energy and
strain that capturing a load was
barely felt by the flight crew.
Within months all the Stinsons
were fitted with the new equipment.
Then, because of higher allowable
pickup speeds, schedules, terminal
to-terminal, were shortened. The
allowable total weight of regular and
express mail to be placed in the bag
was increased to SO pounds. Flight
crews as well as station attendants
found this new system to be a vast
improvement.
CAB PROPOSES WEATHER
RESTRICTIONS

Once under CAB administration

of the contract, some flight rules
were imposed. A minimum ceiling of
500 feet and 1 mile of visibility as
viewed from the cockpit was to be
observed. En route, if atmospheric
conditions became worse and pilots
had to pull up on instruments to re
turn to base, that action had to be
justified with a letter of explanation.
By "liberal/l interpretation of ob
served weather, pilots found it
unnecessary to write many letters.
Decades later Captain Lloyd Sant
myer reflected, ''If we had followed
those rules, we would have been
bankrupt in one year./I In plying
their routes, there were countless in
stances when crews pushed the limits
of "contact flying" to get their jobs
done.
DR. LYTLE S. ADAMS DEPARTS

During its first year, All American

had notable success in fulfilling its
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

As shown in these two pictures, the new pickup system, with a retractable
boom made of ash and a single hook, underwent development testing at
Wilmington, Delaware, during the summer of 1940.
As the Stinson approached the pickup point, the arriving load was
released .
With the messenger standing by near his car, the Stinson was caught by
the photographer just as the hook began to pull the nylon rope free of the
poles. And in a fraction of a second, the 28-inch tall delivery container was
pulled off the ground and reeled into the cabin.
Airways photos via Earl Stahl

u.s.

primary mission of hauling mail.

But, there was increasing tension be
tween the two top officials.
Visionary, inventor, and promoter
Dr. Lytle Adams and pragmatic,
wealthy Richard duPont wer e in
creasingly at odds. Adams was
terribly offended, for example, when
he was excluded from participation
during two upgrades of pickup appa
ratus. DuPont excluded him because
he felt Adams would not be open to
ideas for major changes to the equip
ment and methods he had evolved
over many years. To allay further dif
ficulties, a financial settlement was
agreed upon so Adams would fade
10 APRil 2001

from the aerial deliv

ery-pickup scene.
When one looks back, it is obvi
ous that expansion of the system was
at a most favorable time. The Great
Depression was slowly fading while
World War II was ignited in Europe.
Soon we would be involved. Prod
ucts from th e region being served
were in escalating demand. With
time, some routes had sufficient vol
umes of regular and express mail to
make two round trips a day neces
sary. One manufacturer of aircraft
parts at the sma ll town of Cory,
Pennsylvania, had such quantity of
urgently required product going out

that multiple pickups were neces

sary . On one occasion pilot Dave
Patterson and flight mechanic Ralph
Monaco had to make 33 successive
pickups to get the whole load on
board before they could wing on to
the next station.
Observing the success of this
feeder service, other regions became
interested . All American considered
creating another network for the
Northeast. In fact, Richard duPont's
vision was to carry passengers along
with the regular and express mail. A
competitor wanted to establish seven

routes in the Midwest using AAA

type equipment. When the United
States entered the war in December
1941, all considerations for such ex
pansions were put on hold.
PRESIDENT duPONT RESIGNS

Our involvement in World War II

had a mounting impact on All Amer
ican Aviation. Early on duPont
demonstrated glider pickups to high
ranking Air Corps personnel
using AAA's Stinson SR-10F,
Wasp-powered, research and
development craft. Chief pilot
Norm Rintoul and other AAA
personnel soon joined the mil
itary to help develop the
capability to pick up humans
as well as troop- and cargo-car
rying gliders. Before long
duPont resigned as All Ameri
can president to head the Air
Corps expanding glider pro
gram. Unfortunately, within
five months he would lose his
life, along with five others, in
the crash of a new cargo glider.
Upon duPont's departure,
Halsey R. Bazley, former vice
preSident, became acting presi
dent. A seasoned pilot, he was
also an effective administrator.
His elevation to the top posi
tion was favorably viewed by
flight crews and ground per
sonnel alike.
With the military's vora
cious demands for personnel,
equipment, and supplies, most
private industries encountered
tightened staffing and mainte
nance
and
equipment
replacement problems. With
its fleet of as many as 16 Stin
sons operating over rough
terrain, often in foul, turbulent
weather, few, if any, carriers
had greater requirements for

superior maintenance achievement.

Planes were aging; parts were becom
ing scarce. At the Pittsburgh
maintenance shop, there were more
than 50 technicians: about 20 A&E
mechanics, an equal number of ap
prentices, and the rest inspectors
and supervisors. Different levels of
maintenance were carried out at 15,
60, 120, and 450 hours; major over
hauls were scheduled at 4,500 hours.

Of necessity, most maintenance was

done at night, starting as soon as
planes completed the late-day tours.
Queried decades later, pilots had
only words of praise and admiration
for the maintenance crews.
For several of the early years, an
impediment to most efficient opera
tions was an inability to
communicate with messengers at
pickup stations. So, appropriate ra-

The redesigned ground station equip

ment. A pair of 20-foot aluminum/
bamboo poles, held upright by a pair
of ground receptacles, was soon
shortened to 12 feet. The nylon rope
was held at pickup height by wire
clips on orange-colored canvas flags.
u.s. Airways photo via Earl Stahl

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

(Top) The new pickup apparatus was also mounted

next to a hatch in the floor of the Stinson. The un it
was made with a frame, a reel (including 40 feet of
nylon rope), a brake to decelerate the rope's
unwinding, and a motor to drive the winch to reel
the mai lbag up to the hatch. u.s. Airways photo
via Earl Stahl

dio receivers were installed in mes

sengers' cars. This enabled the base
radio station to relay information
about schedule deviations or,
sometimes, to request a note be
placed in the outgoing bag when
the plane's radio reception was in
adequate. The radios also enabled
pilots to call stations about multi
ple deliveries or rare overflights
when local weather was un flyable.
Throughout the war years there
was a steady growth of AAA's on
the-fly delivery services. During
fiscal year 1945, 1,370,826 miles
were flown, almost a million
pounds of mail carried, and 75,787
pickups made. A comparison of
miles scheduled as opposed to
miles actually flown showed 95.8
percent completion in that year.
(At the outset of the venture, the
Post Office Department hoped for
70 percent completion!)

(Left) The business end of the 1S-1/2-foot long ash

boom was tipped with this beautifully machined
hook. The shaft and tip were displaced to the side
to enable the hook to slide in a track in the back of
the boom. Photo by AI Cleave
~A-IR~PI-~-U-P-W-IT-H~EN-E-R-~~A-B-W-R-B-IN-G~R-O-~-/-R-EE-L~(I-9-41--4-9-)~~~~~~~~~~~~~

STINSON SR-IOC

12

APRIL

2001

ACCIDENTS OCCUR

With the frequently marginal

weather and, possibly, because
newly employed flight crews had
lesser experience than the first
hires, some accidents were likely to
occur. On a February day in near
zero-zero conditions with sleet and
snow,QP~inFo~erThomasa~

tempted to return to the

Williamsport terminal, but he
had to put down at a nearer field
where the wheels broke through
crust-coated deep snow, causing
the Stinson to flip on its back.
Months later captain Thomas
Bryan attempted to cross the
2,100-foot South Mountain. He
climbed into the overcast sky
and reached the far side of the
range, but unexpectedly strong
head winds slowed ground speed.
Still in the clouds, he let down ,
hitting scrub trees , brush, and
rocks. He and his flight mechanic
were painfully injured. Wander
ing down the mountain in fog
and rain, after eight hours they

AIR

PICKUP

BEECHCRAFT

e'

WITH
DI8C.::r

PASSENGER

FACILITIES

(1946-47)

(CAAAIAGE OF PAYING PASSENGEAS NEVEA APPAOVED)

-4"
PICKUP SPEEDS

~--

ENAOUTE

140-155 mph

DEMONSTRATED -

200+ mph

GRAPHIC 5

came upon a hunter's cabin . Next

day a rescue team found them. Some
time later the same mechanic, Victor
Gasbarro, was on another trip; his
pilot was following a small river to
ward the next station. They collided
with wires strung across the narrow
valley; luckily the plane was not
grounded, so they were able to re
turn to base.
A more serious event occurred in
the summer of 1944. Flying down
the Ohio River Valley, the Stinson
approached a station serving three
nearby communities. After exchang
ing incoming and outgoing bags ,
captain Lindemuth pulled up into
fog, only to clip the tops of trees
along a hillside. In the crash the
plane's structures were mangled and
commenced to burn. The pilot was
briefly trapped amongst the wreck
age, but despite a broken leg and
fractured ankles he was able to pull
free. Flight mechanic, Ralph Monaco
was thrown clear, receiving a badly
injured hip. Both recovered.
Then, after having completed
over three-and-one-half million

miles of flight, All American had its

first fatal accident. At State College,
Pennsylvania, the rope on the out
going container broke, leaving the
bag on the ground. With the severed
rope trailing on the pickup hook, it
was reeled in. Knowing it was needed
for a second try, the pilot circled to
drop the rope. In a tightening left
turn, the flight mechanic observed
the airspeed decay from 85 to SO
mph. The plane nosed down and
cras hed among trees. Pilot Wilson
Scott lost his life; crewman Robert
Taylor was hurt but recovered.
Soon after that tragedy, a recently
hired pilot snagged the outgoing
rope and bag on the Stinson's land
in g gear where it hung . In a steep
turn preparing to land for removal
of the burden, the plane stalled and
nosed in. Pilot Albert Holstrum per
ished; flight mechanic Cecil Linger
was painfully injured, but survived.
PEACE ON HORIZON

Looking toward the end of the

war, acting president Hal Bazley re
vived the idea of carrying paying

passengers on pickup routes. Seeking

to reach that goal, an order for sev
era l of the well-proven twin-engine
Beechcraft D18s was placed. Instead
of the 4S0-hp P&W Wasps installed
on most of the previously produced
Beech Twins, two Wright-Continen
tal R9A, S2S-hp engines would
power the AAAs. Pickup equipment
would be situated in the forward
cabin, and accommodations for four
passengers would be at the back
(Graphic 5). Although CAB had still
not approved carrying paying pas
sengers, the feeling within All
American was that taking along in
vited, non-paying passengers could
conclusively prove the viability of
the concept.
Around the same time a remanu
factured, military surplus Noorduyn
UC-64A was ordered. Originally de
signed for far north bush flying, that
larger, faster, rugged, 4S0-hp Wasp
powered plane was viewed as a
possible ideal replacement for the
aging, weary Stinson fleet.

To be concluded in the May Issue of

Vintage Airplane.
.....
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

It's fun to walk around Oshkosh testing Jour knowledge.

There are alwaJs bound to be some airplanes Jou've never
seen before. The Kreutzer Tri-motor and Fokker Universal fell
into that (ategory for most people. But, then Jou'd exped
that. However, lots of old-time observers were mught un
aware when Di(k Roe and his four-pla(e TaJloruafl15A
taxied in. The most universal (omment made bJ those who
stumbled a(ross the airplane was, uTaJloruafl didn't make
afour-pla(e airplane-did theJ!"

by Budd Davisson

aerial photography by Mark Schaible, ground photos by Reiley NuH

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

The obvious answer was, appar

ently they did, because there it sat.
Dick Roe calls himself the Taylor
craft club's four-place guru, which,
as he points out, isn't hard because
so few of the airplanes were made
and so few still exist.
Roe came to own his airplane as
part of a long-delayed entry into avi
ation. Roe recently retired after 32
years with the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric
Administration
(NOAA), the last 20 or so in manage
ment. "For 12 years I was a practicing
marine biologist in Mississippi super
vising fisheries. That was fun. Being
in management wasn't fun."
At the end of his long govern
ment stint, he was manager of
Marine Fisheries.
He started flying in 1991, but "I
should have started back in 1952,
when the bug first bit me. It's one of
those things I've always regretted
not doing, so one day I looked
around and said, 'If I don't do it
soon, it's not going to get done."'

16 APRIL 2001

Born in Hackettstown, New Jer

sey, he explains that he discovered
girls and cars, and they diverted him
from getting into flying when he
should have. When he finally did
get started, it was in a Tomahawk at
Beverly Municipal Airport outside of
Boston.
"From the very beginning I
wanted to fly taildragger airplanes,
but couldn't do it until after I had
my license because no one gave pri
mary instruction in them. So, I went
over to Hampton, New Hampshire,
where I checked out in a Cub. That's
when I knew I'd really started fly
ing."
Dick said he knew he wanted to
fly a particular type of aircraft, specif
ically a classic-those "almost
antique" airplanes. He wanted to do
as much traveling as he could, which
ruled out the more serious antiques
and pointed him at the classics,
which combine old age with modern
utility. He also knew he had to have
a four-place airplane, if nothing else

for the baggage room.

"I was actually looking for a 108
Stinson," he says. "I looked quite a
while but was having a terrible time
finding a good one. Everyone I
looked at had something I didn't
like."
He had been working with a local
mechanic in looking for an airplane,
and one day the mechanic said,
"Why don't you think about a four
place Taylorcraft?"
Roe's reaction was typical of most:
"Taylorcraft? Taylorcraft didn't make
any four-place airplanes."
The mechanic then proceeded to
take him down to a hangar and on
opening the door said something
like, "Surprise!" And there sat the
first Taylorcraft 15A Dick Roe had
ever seen. To make things more in
teresting, his mechanic knew of
another one in Ohio that had just
been rebuilt and might be for sale.
"I went out to Ohio to look at the
airplane and eventually bought it. It
had been rebuilt by Bob Cash, who

The engine-turned instrument panel inset contains the engine gauges, and the leather
wrapped control wheels add to the comfort of a long cross-country trip.

Dick Roe

had bought it from someone who

had found it in Alaska. It wasn't an
Oshkosh award-winning restoration,
but it was a solid airplane, and that's
all I was looking fOL/I
According to Roe, the four-place
series (Taylorcraft built two types of
four-place airplanes; more on that in
a minute) was designed in 1943
1944, and supposedly old e.G.
himself had a hand in it. The proto
type, dubbed the TOllrist, flew in
1945 in preparation for the big avia
tion boom that fi zz led. That
prototype was powered with a 125
hp, 0-290 Lycoming, which wasn't
up to the task of hauling the big air
plane around.
The Taylorcraft company found
itself in deep trouble (along with the
rest of the industry) and was sold to
Ben Morrow, who got the prototype
15A as part of the deal. He moved
the factory and sometime around
1950 or 1951 had a 150-hp Franklin
put in the prototype. That proved to
be a tremendolls boost to its perfor
mance, and that engine is what is
listed on the airplane's original type
certificate. At the same time he re
portedly had e.G. come in and make
improvements on the airplane.
The factory began to think seri
ously about producing the airplane,
but then they had some concerns
about Franklin's viability as a manuVINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

(top) The aft fuselage lines of the

Taylorcraft lSA might remind you of a much
larger airplane, the Howard DGA or perhaps
the Fleet Canuck.
(bottom) The six-cylinder, 14S-hp
Continental C-14S-2 resides under the cowl
of the Taylorcraft, giving it a lOS mph cruise
speed. A pair of Consolidair hydro-formed
aluminum wheel pants dresses up the land
ing gear. The four-place Taylorcraft also fea
tures three doors, one each for the pilot and
co-pilot and the third for the passengers
seated in the aft cabin.

facturing com pany and decided to

change the engine again. This time
they went with a 145-hp Continen
tal C-145-2 (NOT 0-300 Roe points
out).
Roe says one of the more frustrat
ing things about researching the
airplane is that the factory never did
keep very good records, and what
records there were have, for the most
part, disappeared . However, some
time around 1954, the factory did a
marketing research survey in which
they toured the country visiting
dealers with the 15A. They received a
strong, positive response, so in 1953
they committed to producing the
airplane.
"It's hard to tell for sure, but they
were only building the airplanes one
at a time, and it's possible they were
building them to order," Roe says.
They built a total of 24 15As, and
of that total, Dick says 14 are still
listed on the registry, with four that
fly and six that could fly. He says
18 APRIL

2001

there are two listed in Brazil and one

in New Zealand.
In 1954 Taylorcraft started an
other series of four-place airplanes
that was obviously based on the 15A
but moved well ahead into serious
airplane territory. These planes were
designated F-20s. Taylorcraft re
placed the engine of the 15A with an
early 0-470 of 205- to 215-hp and
hung a constant-speed prop on the
front. The tail was subtly revised,
and the landing gear was changed
from bungees to a hydraulic shock
system. The big change, however,
came in the covering. Rather than
using fabric, rigid fiberglass shells
were constructed for the fuselage,
and the wings were sheeted with
thick layers of pre-laid-up fiberglass .
The fuselage and vertical tail were
covered with a two-piece shell that
was split, model airplane style, at the
top and bottom where it was joined
with a line of rivets. Since fiberglass
was in its infancy, the shells were

thick and heavy, and the perfor

mance of the airplane suffered
accordingly. Roe says there wer e
more F-20s built than F-15As, and
most have had the fiberglass re
moved and replaced with the
conventional fabric covering.
Roe's F-15A has slotted flaps that
move down in lO-degree increments
to 30 degrees, but they aren't used
for takeoff. He says his airplane lifts
off at 55 to 60 mph and " ... the climb
is pathetic. Maybe 300 to 400 fpm."
"It'll cruise at 105 mph at 8-1/2
gallons per hour and 2350 rpm. Since
I'm in no hurry, that's plenty fast
enough."
He says it's an easy airplane to
land. "I generally get one notch of
flaps out on base and another on fi
nal, then decide at the last minute
whether to use the last one. I fly
short final at 70 mph, and it settles
on at about 60 mph. It actually stalls
at around 38 mph, so if I want, I can
put it on really slowly, but it's such a
pussycat it's not necessary. If there's
much crosswind, it handles a lot like
a Stinson in that it really could use
more rudder."
Having flown the airplane quite a
bit, he says he likes it, but one of the
most enjoyable aspects is standing
around the airplane at a fly-in. "Peo
ple are constantly looking at the
Taylorcraft logo on the tail. Then
they notice the back door, and they
walk up and peek in. Then they say,
'Taylorcraft didn't make a four-place.'
All I do is point at the airplane and
grin."
In a world full of experts who
think they've seen everything, it
must be fun to show up with some
thing that gets their attention. ......

t so happens: acute pangs of

withdrawal and frustration

have me drowning my sor

rows in liquid refreshment these

days-my "D" is grounded a few

weeks for its annual inspection.

My wife hates my being around at

these times; I appear listless and
seemingly without purpose.

I)

A treatise on takeoffprocedures for the Beech Staggerwing

and other retractable-gear aircraft.

by Steve Johnson

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

ne of my time-killing exer
cises during this hiatus,
though, is to play the game
of "What if...?"-pondering various
scenarios one could inadvertently
find oneself in with the airplane, sce
narios that call for some immediate
action to save all aboard and/or the
airplane. It can be a sobering process,
and it's one I recommend for the
armchair, not just when taking the
runway when a quick review of in
flight immediate action items is
always called for.
If you land your Staggerwing with
the gear anywhere but fully extended
or fully retracted, you are going to
tear the guts out of the gear system
as well as adjacent major compo
nents. We're talking here of parts
and components for which there are
few or no spares-you break 'em,
you make 'em.
Once you move the gear handle
from "down" to "up" and it begins
its funny dance as cog teeth ratchet
by a pawl, you cannot arbitrarily
move the gear handle back
down until the gear has
fully cycled up . To do so
is to guarantee, at best,
stripping either the cog

teeth on the main gear crossbar

spindle or the lock pawl that holds
the gear up and down or, at worst,
jamming the entire mechanism so it
will neither retract further nor ex
tend, electrically or mechanically.
These operating mistakes are ab
solutely to be avoided unless you
have very deep pockets and even
deeper patience with the fresh ma
jor rebuild that would necessarily
fo llow.
With these inherent system
"faults" in mind, I think you can see
that the criterion for when to retract
the gear must be based on TIME
time to get the gear fully retracted
for a belly landing or, even more de
sirable, time to fully retract and then
fully extend the gear for a landing,
you hope, on the airport grounds.
The retract mechanism on my "0"
takes 14 seconds to go from full
down to full up and 12 seconds to
fully extend again. So from the mo
ment I move the gear handle out of
the" down" position after liftoff, I
need a minimum of 26 seconds of
flight prior to contacting the ground
again to be fully protected
from any subsequent

(Opening photo) The large wheel wells of

the Beech Staggerwing contribute a great
amount of drag to the airframe when the
gear is exten ded . You can see the landing
light installation t ucked up in the rear of
the wheel well.

bending of the airplane.

Twenty-six seconds is a long time.
Of course, just 14 seconds would al
Iowa belly landing, but there are
inherent heartbreaking conse
quences of that, the worst of which
is to belly onto concrete or asphalt
and scrape off the sump drains from
the lower wing and belly tanks,
which, with the inevitable shower of
sparks amidst now free-Bowing fuel,
subsequently fries you and/or your
precious airplane. So to make any
plan that calls just for a belly landing
is not an option for me. Nor can I
simply opt to leave the gear alone for
26 seconds into the flight for the ob
vious reason that with the engine
dead, my rate of de-

Steve
Johnson's

Cubs, an
Aeronca Champ, and a Stinson SR
10 Gullwingl, Steve knewhe was buying a
project. It hadn't flown in the previous two years,
Canal so he spent three months getting it airworthy, figur
Zone . Sur ing he'dfly it for ayear until the next annual came
piused out of the military at due. Then it would be ripe for a complete restora
by H.G.Frautschy
war's end, it waspart of the family for seven previ tion. That year stretched into four, with an annual
each year putting the airworthy but not quite-so
Some old airplanes become a part of the fam ous pilots before Steve bought it in 1984 from pretty Beech back in the air.
ily, like a comfortable house or even a loyal pet. Doug Koeppen of Sanger, Texas. Doug had owned
Finally, Steve faced facts and kept the airplane
SteveJohnson's 1943 Beech Staggerwing is a lot the Staggerwing since 1973, and he had flown on the ground for a complete teardown, inspection,
likethat. He's had it for over 15 years and enjoys it most of the time put on the airplane since 1943. and restoration. Staggerwings have been knownto
Still, when first purchased by Steve, it had less than
more and more each time he fliesit.
occasionally humble even the most prolificrestor
Steve's Beech started out itsflying career in the 1,500 hours total time on the airplane!
ers,
because of both their size and complexity, but
Nostranger to restorations (he had done six
Navy. Based in Corpus Christi, Texas, it spent the
he
w
as not intimidated by the project. Still, there
war years performing courier dutyin the Panama other restorations in the past, including acouple of

Staggerwing

20 APRIL 2001

scent is going t o be a great deal

higher than my initial climb rate. For
one thing, the exposed gear well pro
duces an incredible amount of drag,
and with no power and already at an
airspeed slower than the best power
off glide speed for the airplane, the
inevitable "brick" descent results.
If my power-off descent with the
gear out averages 1,500 fpm and I
need 26 seconds to fully cycle the
gear, plus a few seconds of "pucker
power" (i.e., the time it takes to rec
ognize the problem and initiate
action), that means I cannot safely
retract the gear until I'm at least 750
feet AGL (30 seconds at 1,500 fpm
descent rate). Not only are 26 sec
onds a long time, but 750 feet AGL is
a long way up to keep the gear ex
tended, and a little silly looking.
Ah, dear friends, take heart. There
is another way to retract the gear at
an earlier time and still keep all your

Steve Johnson, Staggerwing owner

eggs safely in a basket. On our circuit

breaker panels, we all have a circuit
breaker labeled "landing gear mo
tor." Pulling this circuit breaker
disables the gear's electric motor,
and the gear stops retracting. In fact,
on my airplane there is a built-in dy
namic brake so that with power loss
to the motor, it stops very quickly.
With the motor stopped, I can then
move the gear handle opposite to
where it is without consequence and

(Left) Steve was pleasantly surprised by a

visit during Sun 'n Fun '98 by former owner
Doug Koeppen, who joined him during the
flight for our photos. Doug flew NC1785 for
a number of years after purchasing the air
plane in 1973. He sold it to Steve in 1984.

wos 0 lot to occomplish, ond ofter doing neorly 011

of the teordown ond some of the restorotion work,
he reolized thot if he wonted the oirplone done be
fore he retired os 0 pilotfor Americon Airlines, he'd
need some help.
Steve turned to Mike Stonko of Gemco Aviotion
Services in Youngstown, Ohio. Mike ond his crock
group of mechonics hove done 0 number of oword
winning restorotions of vor ious models of
Beechcroft's beoutiful biplone, so Steve felt he put
the completion of the project in good honds. The
completion of this oirplone would be Gemco's sev
enth Stoggerwing rebuild.
The toto Itime on the project wos nine yeors,
but Mike certoinly didn't use up 011 of thot! The first
post-restorotion flight of the oirplone took ploce in
1997, ond Steve promptly flewit to the EM Con
vention thot following summer, os well os the Sun
'n Fun EAA fly-In during the spring of 1998. Thot
tripto Sun 'n Fun wos one thot hod no return to

work pressures ossocioted withit. Steve hod retired

from Americon just two weeksbefore.
Steve's long been blessed with 0 wife who not
only likes oviotion, but olso enjoysflying on 0 reg
ulor bosis with her husbond. Ruth ond Steve
expected they would be using the restored Stogger
wing to go ploces during their retirement yeors.
Thot drove their desire to include 0 modern instru
ment ponel with 011 the
omenities in the Stogger
wing's cockpit. The stondord
duol communications rodios
ore ougmented by 0 ponel-

mounted Bendix-King GPS ond 0 Ryon TCAD system

coupled with 0 Stormscope. An HIS ond modern ot
titude gyro help round out the Johnson's IFR ponel.
Bosed out of the Monroe County field in Bloom
ington, Indiono, the Johnsons ore en joying the
benefitsof the time they ond Mike Stonko's Gemco
Aviotion Servicesput into moking certoin thot one
more Beechuoft Stoggerwing stoys inthe oir.

Standing proud ly on the

f light line, the
Beechcraft Staggerwing
has elicited admiring
glances f rom pi lots on
the ramp since the first
model was first intro
duced in 1932.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

(Top) Little touches like this recessed fuel filler cap

help keep the Beechcraft a sleek machine once the
gear is tucked up in the whee l wells.
(Left) Another view of the wheel well shows the
ingenious retractable landing gear of the
Staggerwing, one of the first commercial produc
tion airplanes so equipped.

22

APRIL

2001

Interior details such as the hinged storage box mounted in the door were painstakingly crafted.

reinstate the circuit breaker, and now

the gear is extending without the
need to first fully retract it. Thus, the
absolute maximum time I need on
any takeoff to get a retracting gear
fully where I want it (i.e., down) is 12
seconds. At an average descent rate,
power off, of 1,500 fpm, that allows
me to start retracting the gear at
something lower than 300 feet AGL
(remember, I need 12 seconds to ex
tend a fully retracted gear; any
less-required travel of the gear in its
extend cycle takes less time and less

After doing much of the disassembly and beginning the restoration, Steve realized that he
wouldn't get the project done in time for his retirement, so he enlisted the talents of Gemco
Aviation Services to help him complete the airplane. Gemco did much of the work, including
the Ceconite covering, which is finished off with a fine metal-flake Sherwin-Williams paint.

altitude) . Since I doubt my having

complete presence of mind to ac
complish everything "unpuckered"
with an engine failure at very low al
titude, I simply choose to begin the
retraction on every takeoff at 300
feet AGL or above.
I have painted that circuit breaker
red on my airplane, and , addition
ally, on every takeoff before moving
the gear handle up, I purposely sight
it so I'm ready to go for it should
that be necessary. But what's more
comforting, I have a plan, thought
out and reviewed beforehand to
avoid a situation that otherwise
brings on only swear words and a
sinking feeling (literally!) that I'm up
a creek without a paddle. Now I have
a timely idea of what to do, except
wait for some kind of controlled im
pact. Whether or not you agree to
accept the idea of fooling with a cir
cuit breaker in a low-altitude
emergency, I at least hope this arti
cle stimulates your own armchair
thoughts as to what you would do
in this and any number of other
sudden, safety-threatening events
that could occur while flying our
beloved Staggerwings [or any other
retractable-gear airplane-Ed]. We
need to share our procedures and
techniques as owners/pilots if to
gether we are to protect and
preserve every example of this mar
velous airplane.
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

by H.G. Frautschy

This month's Mystery Plane is a

rare one from the collection of air
plane photos supplied by Ralph
Nortel!. It's a Lloyd Phillips photo.
Send your answer to: EAA, Vin
tage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh, VVIS4903 -3086. Your an
swer needs to be in no later than
May 5 for inclusion in the July issue
of Vintage Airplane. Beca u se of
changes in the Vintage Airplane pro
duction schedule, we have to move
the due date back a bit over the next
couple of months.
You can also send your response
via e-mail. Send your answer to

vintage@eaa.org.
Be sure to include both your name
and address (especially your city and
state!) in the body of your note and
put "(Month) Mystery Plane" in the
subject line.
It's always nice to hear from a
new person added to the ranks of
Mystery Plane participants. This
24 APRIL 2001

month we welcome Dave McIlva ine

of VVadsworth, Ohio, who sent us
this response regarding the January
Mystery Plane.

The January MystelY Plane featured

in Vintage Airplane is the Starwing.
Phil Goembel at the Massillon Aero
Corporation in Massillon, Ohio, built it
in 1927/28.
It was first flown Ju ly 22, 1928, by

Phil Goembel. It had a 70-hp LeBlond

radial engine (serial number 1). Specifi
cations are:
Overall length: 23 feet; wingspan: 29
feet; height: 6 feet, 6-3/4 inches; weight:
749 pounds; cruising speed: 95 mph;
high speed: 105 mph; landing speed: 35
mph.
The picture was taken at Noble Field
in Massillon, Oh io, around 1928. The
wooden prop from the original airplane
is at the Mass illon Museum in Massil
lon, Ohio.
The origina l airp lane crashed in
1929 in Buffalo, New York . The pieces
were shipped back to Ohio, and another
plane was made. When the Aero Corpo
ration co ll apsed, Goembel took
possession of the Starwing in lieu of
wages owed him. He flew it to his farm
near Creston, Ohio. What happened to
it after that is somewhat of a mystery.
It is known that he flew it back and
forth between Creston and Chippewa
Lake many times for severa l years.
Sometime later he crashed the second
Starwing somewhere in No rthwestern
Ohio.
It is known that Goembel donated
the 218-pound LeB lond engine to a
high school or university in the Medina,
Ohio, area. The above information was
taken from the publication They
Wa lked On Wings: A History of Early
Stark County Aviation by Robert L. Bur
well, published by Saracen Publications,
1988.
Other correct answers were re
ceived from Ralph Norteli, Spokane,
VVashington, and Marty Eisenmann,
.....
Alta Lorna, California.

Massillon Aero Corporation Starwing

PASS

IT TO

BU C K

by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert

EAA #21 VAA #5
P.O. Box 424, Union, IL 60180

Preheaters, oil temps and

"see and avoid"
Let's start off with a couple more
notes on oil temperature and pre
heaters:
Dear Buck:

I must compliment you on your fine

articles regarding preheaters and oil oper
ating temperatures. I am planning to use
your articles to convince the Feds that us
Stinson owners who have installed Nia
gra oil coolers as replacements for the
original Harrisons need to have some
method of regulating oil temperature. In
case you are not aware of the problem,
Harrison quit manufacturing oil coolers
for the Franklin engine many years ago.
Over time the coolers have deteriorated
to the point that they are no longer re
pairable. The original Harrison coolers
had an external thermostat that mixed
the hot engine oil with cooled, bypass oil
to maintain an oil temperature of 180F.
This arrangement meant that during the
winter months the oil cooler acted like a
dead spot in the line and a collector of
acid, water, and sludge. The replacement
Niagra cooler has the same cooling ca
pacity but is a full-flaw-through cooler
without a regulator valve. The fact that
the cooler is full-flaw-through solves the
sludge and water buildup problem; how
ever, when the OA T gets below around
30F, the engine oil temperature does not
exceed 100F, which is not good. I have
talked to owners who have told me of
chipping ice out ofthe oil drain hole dur
ing the winter. The original STC should
have included a temperature-regulating
feature, but somehow it was overlooked
by the engineering office and the design
ers.
I have just invested about $12,000 to
zero time my engine, and there is no way
that I am going to run my engine at the

temperatures that I have talked about. I

have invented a cockpit adjustable gate,
which works on an air-mass-flow princi
pal that allows me to dial in the precise
oil temperature that I want. The interest
ing feature of this device is that it has
one moving part, has no mechanisms in
the oil system (i.e. , it is passive), and is
self-regulating once the ratio of power
output from the engine to mass flow of
air through the cooler is established, so
that very little adjustment is required
during the course ofa day.
I have tested this device on homebuilt
airplanes through their altitude range
from 1,000 feetAGL and at speeds from
100 knots to 160 knots and through the
temperature range of -1SOF to 106 F,
with the [oil?] temperature never exceed
ing 190F on the hottest days . I want to
install this device on my Stinson, but 1
feel that 1 have about as good a chance
as a snowball in hell to get the Feds to
buy into it. My ultimate goal would be to
publish the drawings and materials list
so that other Stinson owners could use it.
I would like to approach the Feds with
your two articles and some test data and
see if they might agree to a test program
or whatever and ultimately an STC.
Thank you and keep up the good writ
ing.
L.F. Wojdac

hold what should appear!

Well, seeing you wanted some input,
here it is for what it is worth. All the en
gines mentioned were well maintained
and flown regularly (at leas t once a
week). 1 must state here that I have not
found this condition on an engine with a
Tanis heater where the cylinders and
case are heated. In my opinion, the pan
heater, if turned on two or three hours
before flight, would probably cause no
problem. If you want to leave it on all
winter, you had better fly every day and
get the engine up to temperature or make
a call to your friendly engine builder.
Ron Unertl
Note: The engine discussed below
was a first-run factory engine. A cylin
der was pulled beca use of
compression loss . The cam damage
and rust was found on inspection .
The engine was still running fine and
gave no indication of its dangero us
condition.
Jim,

Your engine was disassembled at ap

proximately 700 hours because of
Dear Buck,
cylinder compression loss and worn-out
If 1 remember correctly, you had an cam lobes. Th e cylinder was found to
article on pan heaters and rusted engines have a broken ring. This may have been
a few issues back in Vintage Airplane. caused by rings that did not have the
At the time 1 tried looking for a short proper gap. One other cylinder showed
note I wrote to a atstomer. Well, I could signs ofhigh heat buildup, as you could
n't find it at the time. Today my wife count the fins by the heat marks on the
was cleaning up my files, and 10 and be inside of the cylinder bore. This cylinRichland, Washington

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

25

der's top compression ring was checked in

the clean part of the bore and found to
have less gap than factory minimum.
The camshaft was beyond grinding mini
mums, and all the lifter bodies, except
three, were badly galled and pitted.
There was a lot ofrust in the engine.
The crankshaft was pitted, and the gear
would not pass inspection because ofrust
pits on three teeth. Other gears had rust,
but cleaned up okay. The rocker covers
could not be reused as the interior plating
on the top side had corroded and the bare
steel was rusting and flaking. The cam
and lifters more than likely went out be
cause of moisture and acid buildup on
the cam, which caused rust pits.
[ have found this rusting condition in
the last three Lycoming engines I have re
built. All three were equipped with oil
tank heaters. It is my opinion that these
heaters were left on for more than the
normal three hours or so that it takes to
warm the oil before flight. Thus, the
heated oil caused moisture to form on the
cold metal parts, where it builds up. The
engine block and working parts get warm
enough to evaporate the moisture so it
clings to the parts where the acidic water
can do its thing." This would probably
account for the three pitted teeth on the
crank gear. They were probably in the up
position when the heater was left on for a
considerable time. The cylinders were
also heavily pitted on the top ofthe bores.
The crank was pitted and had to be
ground.
In winter flying, the engine may not
come up to 180F, which is about the
temperature that the oil will boil off ab
sorbed moisture, so the engine actually
builds up more moisture in the oil in win
ter fIying. If you warm up a pan of water
and place a cool cover on it, the cover will
pick up the moisture. I think the same
thing happens in these engines over an
extended time of heating with the pad.
This is the only scenario [ can come up
with for the amount ofrust and con-osion
found in your otherwise well-maintained,
clean lOa-hour Lycoming 0-320.
If

Ron Unertl, A&P Mechanic

I think we've certainly given a lot
of thought on keeping the oil warm.
Keeping it warm is important, but
26

APRIL 2001

equal attention needs to be paid to

keeping moisture out of the mix!

On to my thoughts this month ...

I just finished looking at an acci
dent report. An F-16 creamed a Cessna
172. This was back in November down
near Sarasota, Florida. Both aircraft
were destroyed. You can imagine
what the C-l72 must have looked
like ... a bug on the windshield comes
to mind. The F-16 pilot survived with
minor injuries by ejecting.
Typically, the Air Force identified
two causes for the accident: Failure of
"see and be seen" and ATC did NOT
notify the Cessna of the traffic con
flict. My comment at first reading was
something like, how can a wingman
fIying formation off his leader be ex
pected to see and avoid? His entire
attention is on his leader. He keeps his
position by visual reference to stay in
the "slot!" There's no other way!
The report goes on to state that a
critical combination of avionic anom
alies, procedural errors, and individual
mistakes were the cause. How right
they are. It was a real snafu caused by
complete reliance on avionics that
must have been programmed erro
neously to begin with. The F-16s were
11 miles out of their bOX-intruding
on both the Tampa Class B airspace
and then the Sarasota Class C air
space. There was no communication
with either controlling facility. Their
data was wrong, wrong, WRONG!
The Cessna never had a chance. By
the time the controllers saw the im
pending conflict it was too late. It was
all over. So what can we do about all
this? Unfortunately, nothing will help
that poor Cessna pilot; his worries are
over. It's us that I'm worried about.
Whenever I venture near a MOA or
a Military Warning or a Restricted
Area, I feel like I'm starting to cross a
busy street . I may be in a properly
marked crosswalk and the sign over
there on the post says something like,
"The pedestrian in the crosswalk has
the right of way," but I'm still the
leeriest walker you ever saw.
I' m the same way around these
MOAs. Take a look at your sectional.

They are clearly defined with pretty

blue and magenta lines, and in the
margin are explanations as to their
depth and width. Some of them are
effective from 150 feet above ground
level up to 15,000 or 16,000 feet.
Now, I ask, where do they begin? Is
that wall portrayed on the map from
the lowest altitude to the highest?
How does the operator get into his
airspace? Does he come in from the
top down? Does he enter at the bot
tom? When the exercise is over, where
does he exit?
My point is, as I started out to say, I
may be in the crosswalk, but if that
guy doesn't see me or I don't see him,
then we have all the makings of a per
sonal catastrophe! If he's under radar
surveillance and taking directions
from a military controller, he is on a
frequency I cannot receive and there
fore unknown to me. He doesn't exist
at all if I'm in my Fleet or Champ
with no electric and no radio.
This is what we can do about
it...We'd better be right there with
our noses up, looking in all directions
at once and staying well clear of the
operations area. If we have a passen
ger or passengers, they better be
looking, too . And, we sure should
look at the NOTAMs and ask FSS
about the area before we ever depart
ask them if it is "HOT" and to notify
the controlling facility that our route
of flight is somewhere near.
Pay close attention to the "special"
notifications, too. In Central Wiscon
sin we have an Army National Guard
summer camp, and this year they are
conducting night-vision, low-altitude
cross-country maneuvers. I won 't go
into great detail about it, but wearing
those night-vision goggles results in
tunnel vision. Here we are at night,
and this guy can only see through a
tunnel. If your light happens to be at
the end of that tunnel, you might be
okay, but if you're just outside his pe
ripheral scope ... watch out!
Like our President Butch Joyce says,
"Together we ' re better." Let's take
every precaution to stay that way.
Over to you, t'( ~t(ck.. ~

NEW MEMBERS

Yang Kuo-Shan ....... .... .... ... .......... ..

Paul Gearen ......... .Jacksonville, FL

Douglas Reid .. .... Thomasville, NC

.. ..... ............. Toayuan City, Taiwan

Fabio Labrada .. ........ Palm City, FL

Shawn Johnson ......... ... Omaha, NE

Hans-joerg Berg Buende, Gennany

A. William McGraw ... .................. .

Keri-Ann Price .... Portsmouth, NH

David W. Friday .. .... ....... .... ............ .

...... .... ........... .Fernadina Beach, FL

Frank Mazza ............ Bridgeton, NJ

.................... Riyadh, Saudia Arabia

Paul 1. Schiebler ...... ....Arcadia, FL

Keith Allen Courson ................. .... .

Luke Bowman ............................... .

Byron C. Starr .... ... . Edgewater, FL

.... ........... ............. .... Las Vegas, NY

... ..... .... .... Picton, Ontario, Canada

Earl Webb ..... .Saint Augustine, FL

William 1. Holland ...... Bergen, NY

Ian McQueen ... ............. ..... ............ .

Ken Taylor .... Stone Mountain, GA

Kenneth R. BalL ... .... ..Sidney, OH

.. ...... Ailsa Craig, Ontario, Canada

Donn Sensor ........ .... ....Clinton, IA

Chris Hollinger .......... Fairfield, OH

Emanuele Sironi ..... .......... ...... .. .... .

Holbrook Maslen ..... .. .. ... Boise, ID

Mark A. Mastrangelo ... ......... .. ... ... ..

...... ... .. ... ... .. ...Nova Milanese, Italy

Edward C. McKeown ......... .... ... ... .

... ...... .. ..... ... ....... ......... .Mentor, OH

Michael Lee ............ Fairbanks, AK

................ ........... ..... Barrington, IL

Mark Homp .......... Ponca City, OK

Billy 1. Singleton .. ...... Thorsby, AL

Michael T. Gray ... .Indianapolis, IN

David C. Kelly ..... ... Redmond, OR

Ivan Mc Laws ......... .. ...Payson, AZ

David Jones .......... Terre Haute, IN

Jack Cutler ... .. .....Wyomissing, PA

Perry S. Neal .............. Phoenix, AZ

Ronald Scott Blum ....Goddard, KS

Barton Glass ............. .Reading, PA

Stephen Thompson .. Scottsdale, AZ

David Mueller. .. ...... ..... Verona, KY

Thomas H. Sullivan ..... ............... .. ..

Pauline Atilano .......... Ontario, CA

W. Jeff York ..... .. .....Lexingon, KY

... .... ............ ... ........ Little River, SC

Michael K. Brasier ................ .. ... ...

Gary Spiller .............. .. .... ... .. .... ...... .

Robert Burr ... ..... .. ...... Franklin, TN

... ... ... .. .. .. ... ........ Palm Springs, CA

...... ..... ...... ...........Baton Rouge, LA

Mike E. Hale ...... ..Georgetown, TX

Paul Clary ........ ...... San Rafael , CA

William S. Hunt... ... ... ..... .. ............. .

Nick Leonard ........ Pipe Creek, TX

.......... .......... .... .. Winchendon, MA

James Lindsey ....... ...Amarillo, TX

Dick Hersman .. ...... ..Riverside, CA

Charles Lohrniller ......Sharon, MA

Mark Payne ...... ......Lewisville, TX

Charlie Miller.. .. .. Morgan Hill, CA

Buck Carlton ..... .. .. .California, MD

Gordon B. Richardson .. ... .. ...... ... ....

JeffPearson.. .... Anaheim Hills, CA

Russell Guibord .......... Bristol, ME

......... ........ ..... ............ Caldwell, TX

James Sands .... .. .. yucca Valley, CA

William Appleberry .... Warren, MI

P. A. Smith ...... .. ........... .Dallas, TX

Ronald M. Wilcox ..Lancaster, CA

James C. Russell .......... Pontica, MI

Kenneth G. Sorenson ..... ... .. ... .. .... .. .

Gerald L. Vincent ........Cortez, CO

Stanley N. Kittelson ...... ...... .... ....... .

.... ............ ...... .. .. .... .... Houston, TX

Richard R. LaQuerre ..Enfield, CT

................. ...... ......... Litchfield, MN

Danny S. Sorensen ..Bountiful, UT

Joseph K. Larrimore .. ..Milton, DE

Kenneth L. Aigiere Columbia, MO

Jack Chapman ....... .Great Falls, VA

Bryce Bock .. ... ......... .. .................. ..

Floyd E. Shewmake .... Granby, MO

Ted Klapka ......Fairfax Station, VA

................New Smyrna Beach, FL

Paul S. Cash ... ....... Morganton, NC

Nelson G. Purinton ...... Bristol, VT

William De Vries ... .... ...... ....... ....... .

Harold Norton ......Bladendoro, NC

Frederick Lundeen .... Olympia, WA

...... ........... ... ....Boynton Beach, FL

Larry Peoples ... ....... Louisburg, NC

Neil Whittlesey ........ ... .. .Kent, WA

Leslie Day ................ La Mesa, CA

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

27

Fly- In Calendar
The following list ofcoming events is furnished to our readers as a matter ofinformation only and does not constitute approval, sponsorship, involvement,
control or direction ofany event (fly-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed. Please send the information to EAA, All: Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Information should be receivedfour months prior to the event date.
MA Y 4-5 - Beall/ort, NC - Annual Spring EAA Fly-In,
sponsored by VAA Ch. 3. Awards. Friday seafood
cookollt and early bird gathering. Info: 919/225
0713.

Warwick Aerodrome (N72). 10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Unicom advisOly Fequency 123.0. Food available,
trophies will be awarded. Registration for judging
closes at 2:00 p.m. Info: Michael 212-620-0398.

MAY 4-6 - Shelbyville. IL - "Mayday" Antique Fly-In.

She/~y County Airport. BreaAfast Sat. & Sun. morn
ings. Lunch available. Pig roast Sat. night. Two
grass rU/lways. One asphalt runway for training
wheel equipped airplanes. Info: 217/774-41 11

MA Y 20 - RomeoliIIe, IL (L 0 7) - EAA Ch. 15 Fly-In

Breakfast, 7 a.m.- Noon. Lewis Romeoville Airport.
IlIfo: Frank 815/436-6153.

MA Y 5 - Wiscasset, ME - Katahdin Wings 99s host

Maine Poker Rull. Info: Ann at 207-882-5475.

MAY 25-26 - Atchison, KS - 35th Allllual Greater

Kansas City Area Fly-In, Amelia Earhart Memorial
Airport. Friday night potluck dinner for registered
guests. Saturday catered Awards Banquet. Accom
modations avail. ill town, camping on the field Sat.
concessions avail. Info: Stephen 816/223-2799,
9m03@ponyexpress.net, or leffjsullens@kc.rr. com

JUNE 10 - Sugar Grove, IL (KARR) - 17th Annual

Aurora AirExpo sponsored by Fox Valley Sport
Aviation Assoc.- EAA Ch. 579 and Aurora Munici
pal Airport. Antique, Classic, Homebuilt, and
Warbird aircraft static displayljlight demos. Pan
cake breakfast 7 a.m.-noon. Lunch served Noon-3
p.m. Free breakfast for pilots j/ying in with a full
airplane. Fuel discount forj/ight demo pilots. Free
parking and admission. Info: Alan 630/466-4579.

MA Y 26 - Zanesville. OH (Riverside Airport) - EAA

Ch. 425 Annual Memorial Day Pancake Breakfast
Fly-In/Drive-I", 8 a.m.-2 p.m. (Rain date May 27.)
Lunch items, airplane rides after II a.m. Info:
720/454-0003

JUNE 16 - LaGrange, OH - EAA Ch. 255's 7th AIl

Ilual Fly-In/Drive-In Pancake Breakfast, 8 a.m.-I
p.m. Harlan Airfield (92D) Info: Dale 440/355
6491.1

JUNE 1-2 - Merced, CA - 44th Merced West Coast

Antique Fly-In, Merced Airport. Info: Virginia or
Ed 209/383-4632

JUNE 21-25 - Terrell, TX - 2000 Ercoupe National

Convention. Everyone welcome. Info: 972/524
1601.

MA Y 12 - Kenn ewick, WA - EAA Ch. 391 Fly-In

Breakfast at Vista Field Info: 509/735-1664.

JUNE 3 - DeKalb, IL (DKB) - 37th Annual EAA Ch.

241 Fly-In/Drive-In Breakfast, 7 a.m. -Noon. Info:
Ed 815/895-3888.

JUNE 23-24 - Longmont, CO - Rocky Mountain EAA

Fly-In.

May I2-I3-Green Sea, SC-Green Sea Ai/port and

Myrtle Beach EAA Chapter 1167 Fly-In Air Festi
val. 843/756-1497, shirshaw@Sccoast.net..

JUNE 3 - St. Ignace, MI Airport - EAA Ch. 560 An

nual Fly-ln/Drive In Steak Out, Noon- 4 p.m. Public
welcome. Info: 23//627-6409 or 231-238-0914.

MAY 18-20 - Coillmbia, CA - 25th Annual Gathering

ofLuscombes 2001. Aircraftjudging, spot landing
andj/our bombing competitions. and the 9th An
nual Great Luscombe Clock Race. Info:
360/893-5303 or 253/630-1086.

JUNE 3 - Russell, KS - Prairiesta Fly-In, Russell Mu

nicipal Airport. Chuckwagon Breakfast, Military
Static Displays, Walker Air Base Reunion, Antique
Cars and Tractors, Ralliesnake Show. EAA Ch.
1214, Fuel 100LL available on field, RSL 16/34,
4402 x 75 nmway paved, Unicom 122.7. Info: Rus
sell 785/483-6008

MA Y 6 - Santa Paula. CA - Piper Cub Fly-In, in con

junction with Santa Paula Airport First Sunday of
the Month Fly-In. Info: 805/525-7081.
MA Y 6 - Rockford, IL - EAA Ch. 22 Fly-In/Drive-In
Breakfast, Greater Rockford Ailport, Courtesy Air
craft Hangar. Info: 815/397-4995.
MA Y 6 - Dayton, OH - EAA Ch. 48, 38th Annual Fun
day Sunday Fly-In Breakfast. Moraine Air Park.
Fly market, awards, lunch, vendors and milch more.
Sal. night free camping with things to see and do.
Many antiques on the field. Info: 937/29 1-1225 or
937/859-8967.
MA Y 12 - Rock Hill, SC - Wings & Wheels Day Fly
In/Drive-In. Lunch available. Info: 803/329-4454

MAY 19-20 - Wine/rester, VA - EAA Ch. 186 Spring

Fly-In. Winchester Regional Airport (OK V) from 8
a.m.- 5p.m. Pancake breakfastS-II a.m. Stalic dis
play ofaircraft; airplane and helicopter rides,
demos. aircraft judging, children 's play area, and
more. COl/cessions, souvenirs. goodfood Info: Ms.
Tangy
Mooney
7031780-6329
or
EAA 186@netscape.net.
MA Y 19-20 - Hampton, NH - Hampton Ailfield Fly
Market. Info: 603/964-6749.
MAY 20 - Niles, MI - VAA Ch. 35 Hog Roast Lun
cheon, Niles Ailport (3 TR). Info: 616/683-9642 or
bobjackson@triton.net.
MAY 20 - Wanvick, NY - EAA Ch. 501 Annual Fly-In,

MA Y 25-27 - Watsonville, CA - EAA Ch. 119 's 37th

Annual Fly-In & Air Show. Info: 83//763-5600.

JUNE 8-9 - Akron, Oll - Funk Aircraft Owners Assoc.

2nd Ever Reunion and Fly- In, Akron-Fulton Air
port. Info: 302/674-5350.
JUNE 8-1 0 - Gaill esville, TX Municipal Airport
(GLE) - Texas Ch., Antique Airplane Assoc. 40th
Annual Fly-In. Info: Jim 8/7/ 429-5385, Don
817/636-0966, or Janet 81 7/421-7702.
JUNE 9 - Elba Mllllicipal Airport, AL (141) - Ch. 351
hosts Fly-In, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Fly market,food, early
arrivals we/come, Fee transportation to local mo
tels, under wing camping permitted, restroom
available in terminal, Young Eagles. No raill date.
GPS Coordillates: 31-24-59N 86-05-33W. Info:
Mike 3341897-1137.

JUNE 9-Salisbury, NC - Rowan Co. Airport (RUQ)

Boys & Toys All Day Airport Fun Day. Breakfast at
7:30, Young Eaglesj/igius, aircraji, car, camper,
boat, motorcycle static displays. Goodfood all day.
New Cessna 2001 display. Fun for all ages. Info:
336/752-2574 or lebrown@infoave.net.
JUNE 9-10 - Petersburg-Dill widdie, VA - Virginia
State EAA Fly-In.

J UNE 23-24 - Walworth . WI - 5th Annual Bigfoot

(7V3) Fly- In Breakfast. (0700-1300) Aerobatic
demo,j/y-by, rides. Info: 815/385-5645.
JUNE 23 - Zanesville, OH (Riverside Airport) - EAA
Ch. 425 Pancake Breakfast Fly-In/Drive-In. 8
a.m.-2 p.m. (Rain date June 24.) Lunch items and
airplane rides ajier II a.m. Info: DOll 740/454
0003.
JULY 7-8 - Hampton, NH - 5th Annual Hampton Air
field Biplane Fly-In. Info: 603/964-6749.
JULY 11-15 -Arling/ol', WA - Northwest EAA Fly-ln.
J UL Y 17-20 - Keokuk, IA - Joint Liaison & Light
Trainer Formation Coalition Annual Formation
Clinic at Keokuk Municipal Airport. Ground School
starts at 8:30 a.m withj/ight training tofollow. All
Liaison-type aircraft and Primary Train ers wel
come. Anythingfrom an L-Ithru OV-I, PT-3 timt
whatever. ILPA Fly-In immediatelyfollowing clinic.
Info: 715/369-9769
J ULY 21 - Wausau, WI - Wausau Downtown Air
port's 3rd Annual SwingDing/Dinner and Dance.
Info: 715/848-6000 or website wwwjlywausall.com
or e-mail j/yacub@dwave.net.
JULY 22 - Zanesl'iIle, OH (parr Airport) - EAA Ch.
425 Annual Pre-Oshkosh Fly-In/Drive-In Pancake

Breakfast, 8 a.m.- 2 p.m. Lunch items and airplane

rides after 11 a.m. Info: Don 740/454-0003.

Breakfast, Moraine Airpark. Info: 937/291-1225 or

937/859-8967.

JULY 22 - Burlington, WI - 9th Annual Group Er

coupe Flight Into AirVenture. Wheels up at 12:00
noon. Everyone welcome to join. Info: 715/842
7814

AUGUST 24-26 - Coffeyville, KS - Flink Aircraft

Owners Assoc. 24th Annual Reunion and Fly-In
Coffeyville Municipal Airport. Info: Gerald
302/674-5250.

JULY 24-30 - Oshkosh, WI - AirVellture Oshkosh

2001, Wittman Airport. IlIfo: 9201426-4800,
www.airventure.org.

AUGUST 31- SEPTEMBER 2 - Prosser, WA - EAA

Ch. 391 's 18th Annual Labor Day Weekend Prosser
Fly-ln. Info: 509/735-1664.

JULY 27 - Oshkosh, W/ - Stinson Lunch, Oshkosh,

11:30 a.m. meet at the Vintage Red Bam for afree,
short bus ride to Golf Celltral Restaurant. Pay on
your own at the restaurant. Sign up in Type Tent or
call 630/904-6964.

SEPTEMBER / - Zanesville, OH (Riverside Airport)

- EAA Ch. 425 Annual Labor Day Weekend Fly
In/Drive-In, 8 a.m.- 2p.m. Lunch items and ai/plane
rides after 11 a.m. Info: Don 740/454-0003

JUNE 30-Prosser, WA - EAA Ch. 391 Fly-In Break

fast. Info: 509/735-1664.
AUGUST 5 - Queen City, MO - 14th Annual Water
melon Fly-In, Applegate Airport. Info:
660-766-2644.
AUGUST 10-12-Snohomish, WA - 19th Annual West
Coast Travel Air Reunion. Harvey Field (S43).
Largest Travel Air gathering for 2001. Local air
tOllr, memorabilia auction and more. Info: Larson
425/334-24 I3 or Rezich 805/467-3669.
AUGUST 11- Cadillac, MI - EAA Ch. 678 Fly
In/Drive-In Breakfast, Wexford County Airport
(CAD), 7:30 a.m.- 11:00 a.m. Info: 213/779-81 I3.
AUGUST 19-Daytoll, OH - EAA Ch. 48 Pancake

SEPTEMBER / - Marioll, IN (MZZ) - 11th Annual

Fly-In Cruise-In, Marion Municipal Ai/port. Pan
cake Breakfast. All types ofaircraft, plus antique,
classic and custom vehicles. Info: 765/664-2588 or
rayjohnson@bpsinet.com.

Info: Nick or Suzette, 630/904-6964.

SEPTEMBER 21-22 - Abilene, TX - Southwest EAA
Fly-In
SEPTEMBER 2/-22 - Bartlesville, OK - Frank Phillips
Field. 45th Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In. Vin
tage. warbirds, ultralights, experimentals. Info:
Charlie
Harris
918/622-8400
or
www.tlllmjlyin.com.
SEPTEMBER 21-22 - Bartlesville, OK - Frank Phillips
Field. 15th Annual Biplane Expo. World's largest
gathering ofbiplanes, in conjunction with Tulsa Re
gional Fly-In this year only. Info: Charlie Harris
918/622-8400 or www.biplaneexpo.com.
OCTOBER 5-7 - Evergreen, AL - 11th Annual SOllth
East Regional EAA Fly-In. On field campground,
showersJood,jlying &fim. Info: www.serfi.org.

SEPTEMBER 2 - Mondovi, WI - 15th

Annual Fly-In, Log Cabin Airport.
Info: 715/287-4205.
SEPTEMBER 7-9 -Sacramellto, CA
Golden West EAA Fly-In.
SEPTEMBER 7-9 - Marion, OH - Mid
Eastern EAA Fly-In.
SEPTEMBER 14-/6 - Watertown, WI
(R YV) - 17th Annual Byron Smith
Memorial Midwest Stinson Reunion.

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Something to buy,
sell or trade?
Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words, 180
words maximum, wilh boldface lead-in on first line.
Classified Display Ads: One column wide (2.167
inches) by I, 2, or 3 inches high at $20 per inch.
Black and while only, and no frequency discounts.
Advertising Closing Dates: 10th ofsecond month
prior to desired issue date (i.e. , JanuQ/y 10 is the
closing date for the March issue). VAA reserves the
right to reject any advertising in conflict with its
policies. Rates cover one insertion per issue.
Classified ads are not accepted via phone. Payment
must accompany order. Word ads may be sent via
fox (920/426-4828) or e-mail (elassads@eaa.org)
using credit card payment (VISA or MasterCard).
[nelude name on card, complete address, type of
card, card number, and expiration date. Make
checks payable to EAA . Address advertising corre
spondence 10 EAA Publications Classified Ad
Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WT 54903-3086.

WANTED - 1950's era McCulloch radial two-cycle

engines (aircraft), also known as Umbaugh autogy
ro engines. Radial design with even number of
cylinders. Complete engines or crankcase, and
misc. parts. Send info, or picture if possible, to
Joe Hicks, P. O. Box 159, Fisherville, KY 40023.
502-649-5833

Antiques, Warbirds, General Aviation

304-466-1724 Fax 304-466-0802

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German WW1 Lozenge print fabric

Fabri( tapes: straight, pinked and early Ameri(an pinked

Waxed linen lacing (ord

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tel: 8027730686 lox: 802786-2129 website:www.ovdoth.(om

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Dates and web sites to assist in
planning your trip to EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh and the many EAA Regional
Fly-Ins throughout the US.

WANTED - Aviation magazines from 1920s, '30s &

'405, "Air News" or similar types, single magazines
or sets. Mail info or call, J. D. Hicks, P.O. Box 159,
Fisherville, KY 40023. 502-649-5833.
Airplane T-Shirts

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www.airplanetshirts.com

1-800-645-7739

Private cabin, water sports, fishing, Baker's Valley

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Wanted : 3 cylinder radial, Lenape, Szekely,
Jacobs, etc. Also HSGA blade 11 C1 (4350), 360
457-0377, evenings 360-452-3096.

To Order Cal l:

1-800-843-3612
(Outside US & Canada 920-426-5912)

Send your order by mail to :

EAA Mail Orders

PO Box 3086
WI 54903-3086

- ,

Oshkosh,

Major credit cards accepted. WI residen ts add 5% sales

tax. Shipping and handling not included.

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Membershi~ Services Directo!y_

VINTAGE

Enjoy the many benefits ofBAA and the

AIRCRAFT
BAA
Vintage Aircraft Association
ASSOCIATION
EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

OFFICERS
VlcePresldent

President
Espie 'Butch' Joyce
P,O, Box 35584
Greensboro. NC 27425
336/393-0344
windsock@aol.com

2448 Lough Lane

Hartford. WI 53027

262/673-5885
antlque2@aol.com

Secretary
Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave,
Albert Lea. MN 5I:JJJ7
507/3731674

Chanes W. Horns
7215 East 46th SI.
Tulsa. OK 74147
918/622-8400

George Doubner

Treasurer

cwh@hv5u.com

DIRECTORS
David Benne"

Jeannie Hili

P,O.80x328

Harvard. IL 60033

815/943-7205

P,O, 80x 1188

Roseville. CA 95678
530/268-1585
antiquer@inreach.com

dinghao@owc.net

Robert C. ' Bob' Brauer

9345 S. Hoyne
Chicago. IL 60620
773/779-2105
photopilot@aol.com

Steve Krog
1002 Heather Ln.
Hartford. WI 53027
262/966-7627
sskrag@aol,conn

John Berendt
7645 Echo Point Rd.
Cannon Falls. MN 55009

507/263-2414
fchld@rconnecl.com

Robert D. ' Bob' Lumley

1265 South 124th SI.

Brookfield. WI 53005
262/782-2633

John S. Copeland
1A Deacon Street
Northborough. MA 01532
508/393-4775
copelondl@juno,com
Phil Coulson
28415 Springbrook Dr.
Lawlon. M149065
616/624-6490
rCQuIsonS16@cs.com
RagerGamoll
321-1/2 S, Broadway #3
Rochester. MN 55904
507/288-2810

rgomall@hotmail.com

Dale A. Gustafson
7724 Shady Hills Dr,
Indianapolis. IN 46278
317/293-4430

EAA and Division Membership Services

800-843-3612 FAX 920-426-6761
Monday- Friday CST)
(8:00 AM -7:00 PM
New/ renew memberships: EAA, Divisions
(Vintage Aircraft Association, lAC, Warbi rdsl.
National Associa tion of Flight Instructors
(NAFl)

Address changes
Merchandise sales
Gift m emberships

Programs and Activities

EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directo ry
. " . . ... . , . , . , . " . , . " . , ... " . 732-885-6711
Auto Fuel STCs . . , .. .... , . ..... 920-426-4843
Build / restore information ...... 920-426-4821
Chapters: locating/ organizing .. 920-426-4876
Education ... , .. . ............ .. 920-426-6815
EAA Air Academy
EAA Scholarships

Flight Advisors in formation ... . . 920-426-6522

Fligh t Instructor inform ation . .. 920-426-6801
Flying Start Program ....... 920-426-6847
Library Services/ Research ... , . , 920-426-4848
Medical Questions., .. . , .... , ., 920-426-4821
Technical Counselors ... . . , . , .. 920-426-4821
Young Eagles .. ... .. . ... , . , .... 920-426-4831
Benefits
Aircraft Financing (Textron) . . . .. 800-851-1367
AVA . , . " " ... ... .. . .. . " . . ... 800-727 -3823
AVEM CO " . .. .. " . . .... . " . . . 800-638-8440
Term Life and Accidental . .. . . ,. 800-241-6103
Death Insurance (Harvey Watt & Company)
Editorial
Submitting article/ photo; advertising information
920-426-4825 ... ..... FAX 920-426-4828

EAA Aviation Foundation

Artifact Donations. , . , ... ... , . . 920-426-4877
Financial Support , . .. , . . .. , . ,. 800-236-1025

lumper@execpc.com

Gene Morris
5936 Steve Court
Roanoke. TX 76262
817/491-9110
n03capt@flash.net
Dean Richardson
1429 Kings Lynn Rd
Stoughton. WI 53589
608/877-8485
dar@apriloire.com

Geoff Robison
1521 E. MacGregor Dr,
New Haven. IN 46774
219/493-4724
chief7025@aol,conn
S.H. "Wes" Schmid
2359 Lefeber Avenue
Wauwatosa. WI 53213
414/771-1545
shschmid@gdlnet.cam

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

Gene Chase
2159 Canton Rd,
Oshkosh. WI 54904
920/231-5002

Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Site: http://www.eaa.org and http://www.airventure.org E-Mail: vintage @eaa.org

E,E. ' Buck' Hilbert

P.O, Box 424
Union. IL 60180
815/923-4591
buck7ac@mc,net

ADVISOR
Alan Shackleton

P,O,80x656

Sugar Grove. IL 60554-D656

630/466-4193

103346,1772@compuse!V9,com

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association,
Inc. is $40 for one year, including 12 issues of SPORT
AVIATION. Family membership is available for an addi
tional $10 annually. Junior Membership (under 19
years of age) is available at $23 annually, All major
credit cards accepted for membership. (Add $16 for

Foreign Postage.)

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Current EAA members may join the Vintage Aircraft
Associaton and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE maga
zine for an additional $36 per year.
EM Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine
and one year membership in the EM Vintage Air
craft Assoc iation is available for $46 per year
(SPORT AVIATION magazine not included). (Add

$7 for Foreign Postage.)

lAC
Current EM members may join the International
Aerobatic Club, Inc, Division and receive SPORT
AEROBATICS magaz ine for an additio nal $40
per year.
EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBATICS magazine
and one year membership in the lAC Division is

available for $50 per year (SPORT AVIATION mag

azine not included) . (Add $10 for Foreign

Postage.)

WARBIRDS
Current EAA members may join the EAA Warbirds of
America Division and receive WARBIRDS magazine
for an additional $35 per year.
EM Membership, WARBIRDS magazine and one
yea r membership in the Warbirds Divis ion
is available for $45 per year (SPORT AVIATION
magazine not included ). (Add $7 for Foreign

Postage.)

EAA EXPERIMENTER

Current EAA members may receive EAA

EXPERIMENTER magazine for an additional $20

per year.

EAA Membership and EAA EXPERIMENTER mag

az ine is avai lable for $30 per year (SPORT

AVIATION magazine not included).(Add $8 for For

eign Postage,)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS
Please submit your remittance with a check or
draft drawn on a United States bank payable in
Un ited States dollars . Add required Foreig n
Postage amount for each membership.

Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions.
Copyright 2001 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association
All rights reserved,
VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) IPM 1482602 is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviation Center. 3000
Poberezny Rd" P.O, Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086, Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EM Vinlage Aircraft Association,
P.O, 80x 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to toreign and APO addresses via surtace mail, ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft
Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can
be taken, EDITORIAl POLICY: Readers are encouraged to subm. stories and photographs, Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely lhose of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor. No
renumeration ~ made. Material should be sent to: Edilor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, Phone 920/426-4800,
The words EAA, ULTRALIGHT, FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM, SPORT AVIATION, FOR THE LOVE OF FLYING and the logos of EAA, EAA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION, INTERNA
TIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB, WARBIRDS OF AMERICA are registered Irademarks, THE EAA SKY SHOPPE and logos ot the EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION, EAA ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION and EAA AirVe"ture are trade
marks of the above associations and their use by any person other than the above association is strictly prohibited.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

31

Douglas Conciatu
Sterling Heights, MI

Master CFI-IAG

Aviation Safety

Counselor

Flying for over 32 years

First 5010 flight in 1969

at the age of 16

AUAis

Douglas Conciatu has owned his 1950 Aeronca TEC Chomp since 1991. The plane was one of the last light
airplanes to come off the Middletown, Ohio assembly line.

"I went from one company to another

looking for one that would meet my

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Insurance Program

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Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft

carrying all risk coverages

No age penalty

look forAUA

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Association call

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Medical payments included

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No component parts endorsements

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Remember,

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AVIATION UNLlMlnO AGENCY