MARCH 2003

VOL. 31 , No. 3

VAA NEWS / H. G. Frau tsch y

JOHN MILLER RECALLS

MY TRANSPORT LICENSE TEST/Jo hn Miller

MYSTERY PLANE
IN SEARCH OF THE NORGE
TELLER, ALASKA'S CLAIM TO FAME
Irven

F. Palmer

10 TYPE CLUB NOTES

THE TECHNICAL CORNER
Ro b ert G. Lock

13 THE VINTAGE INSTRUCTOR

ASSUMPTIONS
D o u g Stewart

14 WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING

16 BOB DALZELL'S GERONIMO

Budd Davisso n

21 PASS IT TO BUCK
22 CALENDAR
27 NEW MEMBERS
28 CLASSIFIED ADS
30 VAA MERCHANDISE

Publisher
EditorinChief
Executive Editor
News Editor
Photography Staff
Advertising Coordinator
Advertising/Editorial Assistant
Copy Editing
VIN T AGE A Uf_PLAtlll;,

Executive Director, Edito r

VAA Administrative Assistant
Contributing Editors
Graphic Designer

TOM POBEREZNY
scon SPANGLER
MIKE DIFRISCO
RIC REYNOLDS
JIM KOEPNICK
LEEANN ABRAMS
TRISHA LUNDQUIST
JULIE RUSSO
ISABELLE WISKE
COLLEEN WALSH
KATHLEEN WITMAN
-~

----I

HENRY G. FRAUTSCHY
THERESA BOOKS
JOHN UNDERWOOD
BUDD DAVISSON
OLIVIA L. PHILLIP

FRONT COVER: "Geronimo!" isn't just for yelling when you jump out the door with
your parachute , it's the name of a very successful series of modifications to the
venerable Piper Apache. This is an great example flown by Bob Dalzell and his son
Nicholas for EAA photographer Jim Koepnick. EAA Cessna 210 photo plane flown
by Bruce Moore .
BACK COVER: "Ground School " is the title of the 2002 Sport Aviation Art Compe
tition Merit ribbon winning watercolor by artist Randall Mytar of Sherman Oaks,
California. He 's painted and drawn professionall y as an architectural designer and
illustrator for the past 32 yea rs, but he's also an avowed airplane enthusiast.
He wrote: "The love of aviation knows no limits when it comes to a person's
age or type of aircraft or spacecraft; it's also a love affair that can be passed
from father to son and daughter, as captured in this painting." You can reach
Randall at 818-7897719.

STRAIGHT

Be

EVEL

BY ESPIE "BUTCH" JOYCE

PRESIDENT, VINTAGE ASSOCIATION

Alittle perspective
Each of us in various parts of the
United States has to deal with some
form of adverse weather. Here in the
southeastern United States, it's ice.
During this year, the power compa
nies have gotten really good at
restoring the electrical grid in the
southeast, with all the practice
Mother Nature has given them.
Ice storms can be really devastat
ing, and we had a whopper of an ice
storm this past week. It turned off
the lights and furnaces of more than
250,000 people for three to six days,
and created some very real hard
ships for many people. What's
heartening is how people jump in
and help each other out during
times like this. It reminds me a lot of
aviation, where we often see groups
of folks pitch in and help out with a
common goal in mind.
Even though the drooping
branches were glistening with en
crusted ice just a few days ago, we've
already had a temperature of 60F,
and the calendar tells me we're just
a few weeks short of Sun 'n Fun. I'm
ready! How about you? Norma and I
are looking forward to standing in
the Florida sunshine and enjoying
seeing our many friends from down
there and across the United States
and abroad. The headquarters for
Vintage activities during Sun 'n Fun
is the clubhouse for VAA Chapter 1.
Just about any time of the day you
will find a group of Vintage friends
relaxing on the front porch of the
Chapter's clubhouse. When you ar
rive, you can register your airplane,
help a friend join VAA, and then en
joy some popcorn and lemonade.
The Chapter 1 folks do a great job of
making everyone feel at home.
Just to the west of that building is
the type club tent. It's a great place
to stop and chat with people who

really know your airplane or to find

out about one you want to buy.
It's going to be a spectacular start
to EAA's Countdown to Kitty Hawk,
which is sponsored by Ford Motor
Company. The beautiful reproduc
tion Wright Flyer built by Ken Hyde's
Wright Experience will be shown
publicly for the first time, and you
really have to see it to appreciate not
only the great craftsmanship of Ken
and his crew's work, but also the
work of the Wright brothers.
The cost of fuel has been a subject
for some pilots, and there are those
who are certain that it will impact the
attendance at aviation events across
the nation. In some parts of the coun
try, avgas is at or just below $3.00 per
gallon. That can be a pretty bitter pill
to swallow when it comes time to pull
out the credit card or checkbook and
pay the bill. Still, perhaps some per
spective might help. While I was
coming of age in the late 1950s, I was
pumping a good deal of avgas at our
airport. I was flying, too, so I was
painfully aware of how much it cost.
At that time the 80 octane in our
tanks was selling for 60 cents a gallon.
At that pOint in time, the average Joe
was taking home a weekly paycheck
of $50 for 40 hours of work, for a base
pay rate of $1.25 per hour. If you do
the math, that gallon of avgas was 48
percent of one hour's pay.
Let's apply the same logic to to
day's current situation. If a person's
taking home $24,950 per year, or $12
per hour (and I dare say that most
who are considering flying are mak
ing substantially more per hour), and
we compare $3 per gallon as a per
centage of the hourly rate, it works
out to be about 20 percent of one
hour's wages. In other words, when it
comes to the hourly cost of fuel for
flying, it's cheaper today than it was

in 1958. I'm sure there are plenty of

opinions about this particular aspect
of flying. There seem to be so many
things that demand a dollar or more
from us now than there was back
then, that for many, it becomes a mat
ter of priorities.
Enjoying local fly-ins is a great way
to enjoy this spring and summer's ac
tivities. One example is the VAA
Chapter 3 event that takes place the
first full weekend in May. Folks will
start flying in on Friday, May 2. We'll
have old movies for everyone to enjoy
that night, and then the fly-in will be
in full swing on Saturday. We'll park
about 200 airplanes on the airport in
Burlington, North Carolina. Old
friends will see one another, and new
friendships will start as folks give
buddy rides and hang out around
their airplanes. There's no air show,
but the fly-by pattern is usually plenty
busy. Judging of aircraft begins after
lunch, and the awards are given out at
the awards banquet Saturday night.
Our speaker this year will be Dolph
Overton, a Korean War ace, who will
speak about his experiences during
this "police action." Sure seemed like a
war to those who were there! It should
be an entertaining evening, with
plenty of good food.
If you'd like more information
about the fly-in, contact Eileen Wil
son at 843/753-7138 or e-mail her at

eiwilson@homeexpressway.net.
Let's all pull together in the same
direction for the good of aviation.
Remember, we are better together.
Join us and have it all.
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

A NEWS
Field Approval Process
EAA and VAA continue to ac
tively work with the FAA Small
Aircraft Directorate office to ensure
the confusion regarding Form 337
Field Approvals is resolved as soon
as possible. We continue to hear
from members who are unable to
get a local FSDO approval on a 337,
regardless of whether or not it is
based on a previously approved
337. Under the new system the
FSDO is to contact an FAA engineer
who will then review your package.
A properly filled out 337 with a
copy of a previously filled out 337
forwarded to an FAA ACO (Aircraft
Certification Office) is all that is
needed. An engineer in the ACO of
fice will review your paperwork and
then return it to the FSDO with a
sign-off.
The policy is being reworked into a
single "Revision 16" document,
which should clarify the issue, but
members are encouraged to go to the
manager of their local FSDO if they're
told a 337 cannot be approved. If the
FSDO manager is unable to clarify the
procedure for the inspector, please
contact EAA Government programs
at govt@eaa.org or 920-426-6522.

Wrigbt Flyer Sim Makes First 'Fligbt'

Before it welcomes thousands
of would-be Orvilles and Wilburs,
the Wright Flyer simulator made
its first flights in January in its
birthplace, the restoration center
of the EAA AirVenture Museum.
Powered by Microsoft Flight Sim
ulator software and built by the
restoration center staff, the simu
lator is an integral part of EAA's
Countdown to Kitty Hawk tour
ing pavilion, presented by the
Ford Motor Company.
With hand and hip controls, the
simulator is configured just like
the 1903 Flyer. The pilot lies prone
on the lower wing, with hips in a
cradle that controls the wing warp
ing and rudder, right hand on the
throttle, and left hand on the ele2

MARCH 2003

COMPJLED BY RJC REYNOLDS AND HG FRAUTSCHY

vator. Th ese simulator controls are

an e la b o ra t e joys ti c k, said Mi
crosoft Fli g ht Simulato r's Bruce
Williams after m aking several test
fligh ts and a few last adjustments.
The Flyer is includ ed in th e n ew
Microsoft Flight Simulator: A Century
of Flight, w hi ch w ill be in stores
th is July.
Th e Wright Flyer simulator will
only be ava ilable at EAA's Co unt
down to Kitty Hawk. (For complete
tour in fo rmation, visit www. count
downtokittyhaw k. com.) " What 's
u n iq ue abo ut EAA-a nd we h ave
part n erships with a number of or
ganizat ions i n th e w o rld of
aviat ion," Willi am s said, "is that
EAA is t he only o n e with access to
aircraft, the skills, and the people to
re-create this sort of experience."

Bellanca-Champion Club
Announces Its Fly-In Schedule
Sun 'n Fun 2003 April 2-8: We'll
be at the Vintage Aircraft Type
Club Tent d u ri n g th e eve nt ,
manned by Club represe nt a ti ves
and vo lu nteers welco min g, assist
ing, and c h a tt i n g with o u r
members, g u ests, an d visi t o r s.
Items of interes t an d som e of our
publications will be on display.
Two presentatio ns are scheduled
on Thursday, April 3: At 12:00 p.m.
we present Aeron ca legend and au
thor Charlie Lash er, wh o will speak
on Aero n cas (a lso a ppli es t o
Citabrias) in Forum Tent 2. At 1:00
p.m. in Foru m Tent 2, Cl ub Tech
nica l Ad v isor To m Witm e r o f
Witmer's Aircraft Service will speak
on t he Be ll a n ca a n d C h a mpi o n
li nes of a ircraft. Technical qu es
tions are we lco me from the fl oor
at both presentations.

EAA's Timeless Voices at Sun 'n Fun

Aviation history is more than arti
facts; it's about the people who make
the artifacts significant. The EM Air
Venture Museum is preserving these
stories through Timeless Voices of
Aviation, and www.timelessvoices.org
tells how to videotape the story of
anyone involved in aviation's first
century and share it with future gen
erations. Besides all the deta i ls
about how to participate, it includes
selected videotaped inter views al
ready conducted.
Timeless Voices headquarters will
be in the "Greatest Aviators " section
of EAA ' s Countdown to Kitty Hawk
pavilion. If you have a story to tell, you
can schedule a Sun 'n Fun interview by
contacting Mary McKeown at 920-426
6880 or timelessvoices@eaa.org.
Forum : Learn how to set up and
conduct a Timeless Voices interview at
" EAA's Timeless Voices of Aviation
How To Get Involved," on Thursday,
April 3, at 1 p.m. in Sun 'n Fun Forum
Tent 4. Visitors can also meet project
staff and pick up project kits.
CURTISS-WRIGHT PROP DECALS

Fe ll o w VAA m emb er Sylva in

Melancon is looking for a pair of
decals for his 104-inch-long Cur
tis s-Wright metal prop. It was
made in 1937, and h e's been told
it wa s used on a Canadian Pacific
Airwa ys airplane in th e e arl y
1940s, but h e wa s unable to sup
ply u s with any furth er detail s. If
th e d ecal is unavailabl e, even a
cop y of th e artwork would b e
h e lpful. You can e-m ail him at
Sm elancon @airtran sat.co m or
phon e in Canada at 4 50 -4 76
1011, ext. 2428.

EAA AirVenture Workshops Seek Volunteers

Homebuilding is at the core of the Experimental Aircraft Association, and EM
AirVenture Oshkosh 's hands-on workshops provide a great way for beginners to
get started. EM is looking for volunteers to introduce people to these skills. If
you have expertise in working with compOSites, sheet metal, woodworking, weld
ing, or fabric covering , we have just the spot for you. Contact Workshop
Chairman Willard Jeffreys at willardcjeff@aol.com or 256-446-5668.

VAA's "Friends of The Red Barn"

VAA 2003 Co nvention Fu nd Raising Program
The Vintage Aircraft Association is a major partici
pant in the World's Largest Ann ual Sport Aviation
Event - EAA AirVenture Oshkosh! The Vintage Divi
sion hosts and parks over 2,000 vintage airplanes each
year from the Red Barn area of Wittman Field south to
the perimeter of the airport.
The financial su pport for the various activities in
connection with the weeklong event in t he VAA Red
Barn area has been principally derived from the Vin
tage Aircraft Association's genera l income fu nd.
Starting in 2002, the Vintage Board elected to more
properly underwrite the annual Vintage Red Barn area
Convention activities from a year ly special conven
tion support fund. This effort is the VAA's "Friends of
the Red Barn" program.
This fundraising program is an annual affair, begin
ning each year on July 1 and end ing June 30 of the
following year. This year's campaign is well underway,
with contributions already arriving here at VAA HQ.
Our thanks to those of you who have already sent in
your 2003 contributions.
You can join in as well. There will be three levels of
gifts and gift recognition:
Vintage Gold Level - $600.00 and above gift
Vintage Silver Level - $300.00 gift
Vintage Bronze Level - $100.00 gift
Each contribution at one of these leve ls en t itles
you to a Certificate of Appreciation from the Division.
Your name will be listed as a contributor in Vintage

Airplane magazine, and on a special display at the VAA

Red Barn. You will also be presented with a special
name badge recognizing your level of participation.
During AirVenture, you'll have access to the Red Bam
Volunteer Center, a nice place to cool off.
Gold Level contributors will also receive a pair of
certificates each good for a flight on their choice of
EAA's Ford Trimotor or New Standard Biplane, re
deemable during AirVenture or during the summe r
flying season at Pioneer Airport. Silver Level contribu
tors will receive one certificate for a flight on their
choice of one of the two planes.
This is a grand opportunity for all Vintage members
to join together as key financial supporters of the Vin
tage Division . It will be a truly rewarding experience
for each of us as individuals to be part of supporting
the finest gathering of Antique, Classic, and Contem
porary airplanes in the world.
Won 't you please join those of us who recognize th e
tremendously valuable key role the Vintage Aircraft Asso
ciation has played in preserving the great grass roots and
general aviation airplanes of the last 100 years? Your
participation in EAA's Vintage Aircraft Association
Friends of the VAA Red Barn will help insure the very
finest in AirVenture Oshkosh Vintage Red Barn programs
For those of you who wish to contribute, we've
included a copy of the contribution form . Feel free
to copy it and mail it to VAA headquarters with
your donation. Thank you.

- --~--- - ----- - --- - - - --------- - ----------- - ---- - ----- - -- -- -- ---- - - - -- - - - ---- ------- - ------------ - --- - - - -----

2003 VAA Friends of the Red Barn

Name______________________________________________ EAA#_______________VAA # ______________
Address,___________________________________________________________________________________
City/Sta te/Zip,______________________________________________________________________________
Phon e_____________________________________ E-Mail _________________________________________
Please choose your level of participation:
_

Vintage Gold Level Friend - $600.00

Vintage Silver Level Friend - $300.00

Vintage Bronze Level Friend - $100.00

o Paym e nt Enclo sed

o Please C harge my credit card (below)

C redit Card Number _____________________ Expiration Date ___________

Signature______________________________

Mail your contribution to:

EAA
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOC.
PO Box 3086
OSHKOSH , WI 54903-3086

*00 you or your spouse work for a matching gift co mpan y? If so, thi s gift may qu ali fy for a matching do na tion. Please as k your Human Re

sources department for the appropriate form.

Name o f Compa n y __________________________

The Vintage Aircraft Associati on is a non-profit educa tional organi zation under IRS SOI c3 rul es. Under Federal Law, the dedu ction from Federal In

come tax for charitable contributions is limited to the amount by which any money (and the value of any p ro perty other than money) contributed

exceeds the va lue of the goods or services provided in exchange for the contribution. An appropriate receipt acknowledging your gift will be se nt to

you for IRS gift reporting reasons.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

pleasant en
countErsthro.ugh the 1930s
with George Ream, the early
Department of Commerce in
spector at old Roosevelt Field.
He was quite a character, and I
had many contacts with him,
especially when getting planes
inspeCted, which in those days
was done by a Department of
Commerce inspector. The first
time was in early 1928 when I
flew to Roosevelt to take the
test for my transport license,
equivalent to today's commer
cial certificate. This was to be
my first pilot license under the
new 1927 regulations.
I had an early morning ap
pOintment for the test and took
off from Poughkeepsie's old air
port (long gone now) in my OX-S
powered IN-4 Canuck in beauti
ful calm weather. The direct
course took me across Long Is
land Sound, qUite a broad area.
Over the water I encountered
some rather rough clear air tur
bulence, and then the airplane
seemed to stand almost still in
an extremely strong head wind,
the weather still clear. The waves
on the water showed white caps
blown by a very strong south
wind. I reduced altitude to get a
little less head wind and finally
arrived over Roosevelt. When I
got directly over the field at
about 500 feet and reduced
power a little, the airplane stood
fully stationary in the strong but
smooth wind. All I had to do to
land was throttle back a Ii ttle
more to make a perfectly vertical
4

MARCH 2003

descent and landing, after

I had to hold the power on and
the tail up to prevent having the
plane rolled over by the wind.
Several men came out and held
the wingtips so that I could turn
the plane to a crosswind position
to keep it from being blown
away. A Jenny does not have
brakes, and the way to "lock" the
controls is to put a tightened seat
belt over the stick. The rudder re
mains free.
George Ream, whom I had

"'\'ou 'mean

to tell me

that you

came here

in this wind

expecting

to take a

flight test?"

never met up to that U(Jlt;,1~

out of the little office and
"You mean to tell me that you
came here in this wind expecting
to take a flight test?" When I af
firmed that I did, that I had an
appointment, and that there was
NO wind at Poughkeepsie, he
said, "Okay, we'll go," and he got
aboard. With the help of the men
holding the wings, we turned
into the wind and lifted off.
There was no interphone, so no
communication between us, and
:no airspeed indicator. I just made
a few 45-degree turns and did the
required spins with the wind
drifting us clear across the field
each time. Then I made another
vertical descent and, knowing
that the landing had to be made
within 200 feet after crossing the
fence, landed about one fuselage
length windward of it at zero
ground speed. The men on the
ground held the wings again.
George said, "That's enough.
Come into the office." He made
out the transport license, and I
had a good tail wind across the
water and made it home in
record time.
That's how simple it was in
those days, no written exam,
just a few oral questions. The li
cense number issued was 5945,
and it is now on my ATP certifi
cate. Today, I would not even
think of flying across Long Is
land Sound behind an old OX-5
90-hp engine!
.......

BY

A few of our mem bers were able

to identify the pretty cabin biplane
that served as our December Mys
tery Plane. Here's one answer:
"The December Mystery Plane is
the one and only Mode l E Cabin
Bird that was bu il t . It was built in
1931, and had experimental registra
tion number X8SSW. It was built by
the Bird Aircraft Corp. in Glendale,
Long Island, New York. This com
pany was the successor to the
Br u nner- Winkle Aircraft Corp. ,
wh ich originally designed and mar
keted the Bird line of biplanes.
"The Cabin Bird was int rod uced
to the public at the 1931 National
Aircraft Show that was held at De
troit City Airport in Detroit ,
Michigan, on April 11 to 19,1931. It
was a hit at the sh ow. The plane was
powered with a 12S-hp Kinner BS
engine, was described as a five-place
plane with capability for big pay
loads, and was advertised at a price
of $4,995.

H.G.

FRAUTSCHY

DECEMBER'S
MYSTERY PLANE

Our thanks to Dick and Jeannie Hill, who shared this photo from their collec
tion of Bird Aircraft Co. materials. This version is not retouched, unlike the
December issue 's photo. You can see they added a square window in the
cabin during the retouching, along with a D window. The actual registration
number is also shown in this version of the shot. There are a few more de
tails coming to light concerning the Bird Model E, which will be included in
the forthcoming book, History of the Bird Aircraft by Richard C. Hill.

"The Cabin Bird had a very short

life. It was an entrant in the 1931 Na
tional Air Tour competition for the
Edsel B. Ford Reliability Trophy (com
monly known as the Ford Air Tour).
On July 4, 1931, the Ford Air Tour de
parted Dearborn, Michigan. The

THIS MONTH' S MVSTERV PLANE COMES FROM THE

COLLECTION OF ALFRED FOX JR. OF GRAV , LOUISIANA.

SEND YOUR ANSWER TO : EAA , VIN

TAGE AIRPLANE , P.O. Box 3086 ,
OSHKOSH, WI 54903 -3086 . YOUR AN
SWER NEEDS TO BE IN NO LATER THAN
APRIL 15, 2003 , FOR INCLUSION IN THE
JUNE 2003 ISSUE OF VINTAGE AIRPLANE.
YOU CAN ALSO SEND YOUR RESPONSE

VIA E-MAIL. SEND YOUR ANSWER TO vin

tage@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.

Cabin Bird was flown by Leonard Flo

from Dearborn. The tour spent the
first night in Le Roy, New York. On
July 5, the tour went to Binghamton,
New York. On July 6, the Cabin Bird
suffered an engine failure near Ceres,
New York (on the New York/Pennsyl
vania border about 20 miles east of
Bradford, Pennsylvania). This resulted
in the Cabin Bird being out of the
tour for good.
"Although Bird Aircraft Corp. ad
vertised the Cabin Bird until late in
1931, I cannot find any indication of
further activity. The Bird Aircraft
Corp. went out of business in late
1932."-Lynn Towns, Holt, Michigan
Other answers were received
from: Jack Erickson, State College,
Pennsylvania; Robert Thomas,
Clyde, Michigan; Joel Fairfax, Madi
son, Connecticut; Ralph Roberts,
Saginaw, Michigan; John Rowles, Be
midji, Minnesota ; Russ Brown,
Lyndhurst, Ohio; Thomas Lymburn,
Princeton, Minnesota.
.....
V INTAGE AIRPLANE

The semi-rigid dirigible Norge as it

appeared just prior to its arrival at
the Artic Circle.

In Search of the

Norge

Teller, Alaska's Claim to Fame

IRVEN

F. PALMER

As a member of the EAA Vintage

Aircraft Association I tried for years
to keep my airplane in its original
configuration. My reasoning was
simple. Since Cessna's design team
worked for years developing its four
place, economical-to-operate,
all -metal, easy-to-fly, low-mainte
nance, good-performance personal
transportation aircraft, why should I
try to change anything? Living in
Alaska, though , did require a few
modifications, such as steel axles to
safely use skis in the winter.
I purchased N342SC in 1975. It
had rolled out of the Wichita factory

in 1954; a beautiful Cessna 170B, Se

rial No. 26471, that had
incorporated all of the refinements
to the original 170 design.
The original Continental 145-hp
engine had been replaced back in
1967 with a new Continental 0
300A 145-hp engine. I had acquired
the aircraft with about 250 hours on
that engine, and I put another 1,400
hours on it before I decided to have
it overhauled or replaced. The time
between overhau ls (TBO) was listed
as l,SOO hours, but I decided to do
something before things started to
go bad.

My Cessna 180, Charlie, just before my departure. All

this camping and survival gear had to fit inside the
cabin. Although it only weighed 160 pounds , it was
rather bulky.
6

MARCH 2003

The Norge as it deflates after arriv

ing in Teller, Alaska, at 7:30 a.m. on
May 14, 1926.

I looked at various options. A few

people I knew owned Cessna 170s.
One had replaced his engine with a
160-hp Lycoming, another with a
lS0-hp Lycoming, and still another
with a new lS0-hp Continental with
fuel injection. All of these conver
sions gave their owners a little
higher cruise speed and better take
off performance , while the gross
weight and useful load remained
nearly the same. The downside was
that all of those engines burned a lot
more fuel. So unless an auxiliary fuel
tank is installed, which usually de
creases the baggage area, the range
goes down as the fuel cost increases
as you arrive at your destination a
little sooner.
In addition, the installation of
these engines requires major and
costly changes to the airplane. For
instance, an auxiliary fuel tank, new

Teller, Alaska , the landing spot for the first transpolar

flight.

engine mounts, relocation of the

battery, alteration of the engine
cowling, installation of propeller
controls, purchase of a constant
speed prop, installation of manifold
pressure gauge, and more. All of
these things cost money, and the re
sult is only a marginal increase in
performance at certain weight and
balance configurations.
So, I made the decision to keep
my Continental 0-300A and have it
overhauled. After this work was
done by Alaskan Aircraft Engines in
Anchorage, Alaska, and after the
break-in period, I wanted to go on a
long trip to see how the airplane
performed with its new engine.
During the 27 years I have owned
N3428C I have flown it to nearly all
parts of Alaska, either on work as
signments or on fun trips that have
included hunting, fishing, and
prospecting. The one area of the
state that I had not ventured into
was the extreme northwestern part,
so I began planning a trip to tryout
my new engine.
Nearly all of us have been on
many of the so-called $100 ham
burger outings, where we fly out to
some destination for lunch and re
turn home the same day. It's just an
excuse to go fly on a pretty day. Up
here in Alaska many of our destina
tions are hundreds of miles apart,
and overnight camp-outs are com
monly associated with weekend trips.
This is especially true in the winter,
where the small number of daylight
hours makes planning critical.
One village in northwest Alaska
has held my interest for quite some
time as a destination I needed to
visit. That village is Teller, Alaska, lo
cated about 55 miles northwest of
Nome. Since I know that all of you
members of Vintage Aircraft Associa
tion enjoy vintage and classic aircraft
and the history of early aviation, or
you probably wouldn't even be read
ing this magazine, you can appreciate
my interest in Teller, Alaska, which
has a unique aviation history.
You see, this little Eskimo village
of Teller, situated near Port Clarence

on the Bering Sea gained national staked their claim to reaching the
recognition in aviation circles back North Pole by air on May 9, 1926.
in 1926 as the landing site of the The first flight to the North Pole
very first transpolar flight from Eu would not be theirs to grasp, but the
rope to Alaska by the dirigible Norge. crew of the Norge would be the first
The Norwegian ex
plorer Roald Amundsen
wanted to be the first to
fly to the North Pole and
then on to Alaska. He
and Lincoln Ellsworth, a
wealthy pilot and ex
plorer, tried in it 1925
using a pair of Dornier
Wal seaplanes, but failed
in the attempt and had
to return to their base.
Deciding that a dirigible
was more likely to suc
ceed on such a flight,
Ten-year-old Janelle Menadelook stands by the con
Amundsen made a spe
crete block that used to serve as the monument at
cial purchase deal with
the spot where the Norge landed. A bronze plaque
the Italian government,
which was approved used to be mounted on the base, but it has been
missing for some time.
by Mussolini on two
conditions: that
the Italian Col.
Umberto Nobile,
designer of the air
ship, be appOinted
commander, with
five other Italians
forming a part of
the crew, and that
Italy would repur
chase the ship,
then called N-l, if
it survived the ex
pedition in good Later, the bronze plaque used to be on display here at
condition.
the Teller Trading Co. store, but it's no longer there.
Later, Ellsworth
eventually contributed more than to attempt a transpolar flight. Like
$100,000 to the enterprise, covering most dirigibles, the Norge was large,
nearly one third of the cost. The as the following statistics show:
deal was made, and the airship was
stripped and renamed the Norge Length: .. . . . .. . . 348 feet
and flown to Spitsbergen, a Norwe Height: .. . . . .. . . 79 feet
gian-held island, in preparation for Power: .... . .. . . Three 230-hp engines
the transpolar flight. There was com Maximum speed: .. 71 mph
petition when they got to Load, including crew, fuel, and ballast:
Spitsbergen. Cmdr. Richard By rd
. . ....... . . ... 11 tons
and his crew arrived April 29, with Hydrogen gas: . . .. 670,980 cubic feet
their Fokker tri-motor, the Josephine
Ford, tied down fast to the deck of
With Amundsen in command of
the steamer Chantier. Byrd and his the expedition and with Nobile at the
pilot, Floyd Bennett, took off and helm, and carrying a crew of eight
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

The Norge's landing spot is now oc

cupied by fishing boats , a snow
machine, and a dog sled.

Are these pieces of the Norge? I

don 't know, but if they are, they are
a sad reminder of a once large air
ship that weigh ed ton s and made
history when it landed at this small
Eskimo village.

Norwegians, one American, one

Swede, and six Italians, the Norge
lifted off of Spitsbergen, Norway, at
Kings Bay on May II, 1926, and
headed for the North Pole, with a
planned destination of Nome, Alaska.
Navigation was difficult in those
days before LORAN and GPS, as a
magnetic compass is not reliable at
high latitudes. Perhaps celestial navi
gation was the key to their success.
After an exhausting three-day flight,
and with the airship heavy with ice
and difficult to control in a brisk
wind, Amundsen and Nobile decided
to land at the sma ll Eskimo village of
Teller rather than the target destina
tion of Nome. Thus, Teller was
destined to become famous in early
aviation circles. The transpolar flight
had covered 3,180 miles and had
taken 70 hours, 40 minutes, giving
th e airship an average groundspeed
of 45 mph.
Th e flight was not without con
trov e rsy. Lat e r, signs of a strong
8

MARCH 2003

disagreement between Amundsen

and Nobile became known, particu
larly after President Coolidge and
Italian dictator Benito Mussolini
feted Nobile as a great hero. Amund
sen had felt that credit for the
planning and execution of the flight
belonged to him, Ell sworth, and his
crew, and that Nob il e had been no
more than a hired pilot and engi
neer. No sign of this rift appears in
the book First Crossing of the Polar
Sea by Amundsen a n d Ellsworth,
published by Doubleday, Doran &
Co. in 1928. Yet in his other book,
My Life as an Explorer, he spent
nearly 100 pages discrediting Nobile.
Still, inJune 1928, Amundsen chose
honor above his hard fee lin gs and
joined a rescue operation to retrieve
Nobile and the crew of the airship
Italia. After departing Tromso in a
search plane, Amundsen was never
heard from again. He and his plane's
crew disappeared without a trace.
Nobile, after a tumultuous career
punctuated by persecution by the
Italian Fascists, immigrated to the
United States, where he died in 1978.
After landing in Telier, the crew de
cided not to proceed any farther even
though a big celebration awaited in
Nome . The unceleb rated crew set
about dismantling the airship. Nobile
wanted the engines returned to Italy,
so they were crated and shipped out.
The rest of the airship was also taken
apart, but here the differing accounts
become confusing.
Some old-timers had stories about
vi ll agers carting off pieces of th e
Norge. Was the Norge fabric used for
wall coverings or insulation, was
some of the aluminum frame made
into tools, and were other pieces of
the airship u sed in other ways? If
this is the case, then the whole air
ship was not returned to Ital y. I
don't know if Italy repurchased the
dismantled pieces or even if any
pieces except the engines ever got
back to Italy.
Teller seemed like a great destina
tion to give my new engine a
workout, so I decided to fly up there
and talk to any folks who may have

remembered or been told about the

Norge. I wanted to get my hands on
a piece of the airship or at least stand
where the historic flight had landed.
On September 20, 2002, I got a
good weather report on local news,
and Duat.com confirmed a nice,
sunny high-pressure weather win
dow of abo ut five days. I sorted all
my camping and surviva l gear and
loaded N3428C, Char lie, and took
off at 10:47 a .m. From my home
base at Sold ot na, Alaska, I climbed
steadily westward, crossing Cook In
let and the Alaska Range throu gh
Rainy Pass at 6,500 feet with a good
tail wind and a groundspeed of 125
mph . Mount McKinley and the
other peaks, partially covered with
new snow, provided spectacu lar
scenery. I landed at McGrath and
again at Unalakleet t o gas up and
found fuel cost $3.45 per gallon, so I
had an instant clue that this trip was
going to cost me. I continued flying
to the north and northeast around
Norton Sound. My groundspeed
dropped to abo ut 60 mph as I
bucked about a 30-knot easterly
flow. Once aro und the Sound, I
could then run west again, and the
groundspeed picked up to 115 mph.
I flew on into Nome, arriving at 6:25
p.m. I gassed up at th e Bering Air
terminal and pitched my tent beside
the airplane for the night.
The next morning I awoke to a
24F temperature and lots of frost on
the tent and the airplane. I turned
Charlie around so its tail pOinted east
and exposed the top surface of the
wing and tail surfaces to the rising
sun. I had a bite of breakfast, and by
the time I had repacked the sleeping
bag and tent, the sun had melted all
the frost off the wing and tail. I was
off the ground by 10:20 a.m. and 50
minutes later overflew Teller to view
the spot where Norge had landed. Of
course in May 1926, the water in Port
Clarence and the adjacent lagoon
would have still been frozen. I landed
at the Teller Airport, which must be
at least 2 or 3 miles from the village. I
was contemplating my long walk
into town when a pickup truck pulled

I wa lk ed around
the vi llage, knocked
on a few doors, and
t a lk ed to a lot of
people. Most of th e
youn g people I met
had never h eard of
the Norge, and those
that had only knew
about the concrete
block over b y the
The author inside of an Eskimo sod house in Point beac h that used to
Hope, Alaska. This may very well be one of the last be th e monum ent.
surviving sod houses in all of Alaska. The interior One middl e-aged
framework is made with bowhead whalebones. It is man said he remem
amazing what we pilots can see on our journeys bered people talking
about the Norge,
around this amazing state.
and that there used
to a stop. I told the driver that I'd like to be pieces in the local landfill. Since
a rid e to the vi ll age, and he said,
there has been 76 years of junk piled
"Hop in." On the drive into town I on top of anything put there in 1926,
told him my mission. He told me it seemed hopeless to me that th ere
that there aren't any really o ld peo would be anythin g vis ibl e. Another
ple in the village that wou ld have man sa id his uncl e had some odd
pieces of alu minum in his shop tha t
seen the Norge, that the on ly person
who did see it that he knew abo ut might have come from the Norge. We
was living in Seattle, and her name went to a small shed used as a work
was Ethyl Vogen. It is rumored the shop, and he rummaged around and
Mrs. Vogen made a bl o u se from a fo und a co upl e o f pi eces, and said
piece of the Norge's rubberized silk there a re more but h e didn ' t know
gasbag. She wou ld be in her 90s if where. I looked at the pieces and took
a photo . I h el d th em in my hand . I
she was still alive.
could not tell what they were. Since I
My new friend drove me to town,
and we stopped near the beach. He had never seen any part of a dirigible,
pOinted to a large block of concrete. I couldn 't know if they were a part of
That is all that's left of th e monu the puzzle. My search for the No rge
m e nt to commemorate th e Norge ended right there with a couple pieces
landing, h e sa id . He told me it used of scrap aluminum .
Since I had come so far, it seemed
to occupy a prominent place on the
beach, but was pushed out of the like a go lden opportunity to see the
way to make a better tie-up spot for
most remote part of northwest Alaska.
villagers' fishing boats. He pOinted So I flew across the Seward Peninsula
to a spot on the concrete and to ld to Ko tzebue, Kivalina, the Red Dog
me there used to be a bronze plaque Mine (the largest lea d /z inc min e in
o n it that told of the transpolar the wo rld ), and o n to Po int Hop e.
flight. The plaque had been removed The highlight of th e region was my
a nd placed on a storefront along visit to one of th e last remaining Es
Main Street. I took a photo of the kimo sod houses, which had its wall
concrete monument with Janelle and roo f stru cture made from the
Menadelook, 10 years old, standing bones of countless bowhead wha les.
I took a different ro ute returning
next to it. I photographed th e o ld
sto re on Main Street, too, but the h o m e. From Kotzeb u e I fl e w to
plaque was missing, and no o ne Husila, and en ro ute to Galena I flew
seemed to know where it was. Ethyl ove r the spectacu lar Nogahabara
Vogen's house was also pointed o ut sa nd dunes, a Pleistocen e geo logic
to me, but it was vacant.
formation that is con tinually being

blown across th e forest ed terrain .

From Ga lena it was on to Nenana,
th en so uth through the Alaska
Range , o nc e again v ia th e aptly
nam ed Windy Pass, and on south
through Anchorage to my hom e
base at Soldotna. My G PS and LO
RAN proved extremely valuabl e
during those long flights over forest
and hills, where the sameness made
picking out promine nt landmark
checkpoints extremely difficult. The
entire trip was flown VFR so I could
en joy the scenery.
Aviation in Alaska is the lifeblood
of the sta te. With so few roads to
supply towns and villages with es
sential it e ms needed to condu ct
daily living, airplanes are essential.
Most sites I landed at on this trip are
way too small for commercial airlin
ers. Small private plan es and loca l
fixed-based operators keep these vil
lages supplied, and th eir citizens in
contact with the outside world.
I flew on this trip alone in my small
airplane and saw things that the earth
bound or commercial airline traveler
will never see. My new engine ran per
fectly. Charlie and I flew over some of
Alaska's, ma yb e the world's, m os t
beautiful vistas. My trip cost me nine
tim es a $1 00 a hamburge r, but the
memories of my search for the Norge,
the surprise of the ancient sod houses,
and the warmth of the Northern hos
pitality were well worth the expense.
For your interested readers I offer the
followin g numbers:
Food and supplies: . .. ... .... . ... $65
Film and processing: .. ...... . ... $54
Hotel room in Kotzebue: ... .... .. $166
Gasoline: ...... ....... .. . . ... $624
Total: .... . .. . . .. . . .... ... . .. $909
Total flying hours: . . .... 26.9 in five days
Total miles flown: ..... . .. . . . .. 1,920
Total fuel used: . ... . .. ... . 203 gallons
Average fuel cost: . . ... $3.10 per gallon
Average fuel consumption:
. . . . .. ..... .. . . 7.58 gallons per hour
Average miles per gallon: .. .. .... . 9.41
Average power setting: . ..... 60 percent
Average cost per flying hour (fuel ): . $23.19
~
VINTAGE AIRPLAN E

ES

~~

The Technical Corner

ROBERT

The Travel Air Log,

the newsletter of the

Travel Air Restorers Association.

Repairs, AHerations,
Maintenance, Preventive
Maintenance
We begin this column with a dis
cussion about maintenance, repairs,
and alterations for the antique air
plane. Let's proceed from the owner's
standpoint and talk briefly about pre
ventive maintenance. Federal Aviation
Regulation (FAR) 43 Appendix A(c)
describes preventive maintenance as
that maintenance that can be accom
plished by the owner, provided it does
not involve complex assembly opera
tions. We will cover just a few; if
you're interested consult the FAR.
First, the owner can make minor
fabric repairs consisting of bonding a
patch to small holes. The FAR does
not allow patching large holes or do
ing any kind of rib lacing. Also
included is making sheet metal repairs
to secondary structures, such as the
cowling, fairings, and the like. It does
not authorize repairs to primary struc
tures. The owner can repaint the
aircraft, but not balanced control sur
faces. The owner can replace tires and
tubes, replenish fluid in shock struts
and brake cylinders, and replace up
holstery. The owner can replace shock
absorbers, pack wheel bearings, and
lubricate components as long as no
disassembly is required. The owner
can replace seat belts, replace light
bulbs in landing and navigation
lights, and replace and service the bat
tery. As far as the engine is concerned,
the owner can change oil; inspect oil
and fuel screens; replace, clean, and
10

MARCH 2003

G. LOCK

gap spark plugs; and replace hoses in

fuel and oil systems (excluding hy
draulic system). Please note that this
is only a partial listing.
If the airplane is operated for hire,
then the work needs to be supervised
by an A&P (airframe and powerplant)
mechanic who needs to make an ap
propriate entry in the logbook.
I'd like to briefly discuss the certifi
cation of A&P mechanics and why
there is a shortage of qualified people.
When I began instructing in the A&P
program at Reedley College in 1967,
the local FAA mandated that we teach
students how to make a five-tuck wo
ven cable splice, splice a wood wing
spar, and weld a cluster out of steel
tubing. The FAA's reasoning was that
many modified Stearman agricultural
aircraft were located in the valley and
therefore all mechanics should have
these skills. Eventually these skills be
came even more outdated and were
dropped in the level of importance.
Skill levels are dete rmined by the
FAA and appear in FAR Part 147. There
are now 44 subject areas that all stu
dents for the A&P certificate must be
exposed to, and there are three levels
of exposure. Levell means to be lec
tured, look at pictures, and maybe
touch the item. Level 2 means to have
some knowledge that can be repeated.
Level 3 means that an extensive
knowledge of the su b ject must be
taught. Wood, fabric covering, gas
welding, the radial engine, and many
other subjects that relate directly to
the old airplanes are now Levell.
Therefore, most entry level, or low-ex
perience, mechanics do not have the
skills necessary to inspect, maintain,
and repair older aircraft. Owners must
either have an experienced me-

chanic/inspector supervise their work

and sign off such work in logbooks, or
they must have an experienced per
son do the work. These experienced
wood, fabric, stee l tube welders, and
radia l engine fo lks are becoming
harder and harder to locate . The
Travel Air Restorers Association has
several experienced mechanics and
inspectors within its ranks. But there
never seems enough to go around.
To compound t he problem of me
chanic shortage, general aviation A&P
mechanics must endure very low
wages to stay in the business. And
fixed-base operators don't like to hire
newly certificated mechanics because
they don't have experience and must
be trained. It's a vicious cycle; it was
when I started teaching in 1967, and
it still is now. Where are we going to
find experienced young mechanics to
maintain the fleet of aging airplanes?
I'm still looking for that answer!
Before I get too far off the subject of
repairs, alterations, and preventive
maintenance, we shou ld look at the
above issues now. Let me state that an
A&P mechanic can perform and return
to service minor repairs, minor alter
ations, and maintenance, including
100-hour inspections. An A&P me
chanic cannot approve major repairs,
major alterations, and annual inspec
tions. An A&P holding an inspection
authorization (JA) can approve the
above; however, the only major alter
ations that can be approved by the IA
are those listed in FAA Advisory Circu
lar (AC) 43-13-2A and some
supplemental type certificates (STC).
But this major alteration issue is good
for another column devoted to this
one subject at a future date.
A simple definition of a major re

pair is a repair to the aircraft struc

ture that returns the airplane to
conform with its approved type cer
tificate (ATC), or in rare cases its
Group 2 approval.
A simple definition of a major al
teration is something done to the
structure that moves the airplane out
side of its ATC or Group 2 approval.
Let me list just a few major repairs,
as specified by FAR 43 Appendix A(a).
Splicing of structural members-such
as spar splices and steel tube splices
large repairs to stressed sheet metal
components, and the replacement of
fabric (origina l type only). And there
are many more.
Now, here is a very brief list of ma
jor alterations, as specified by FAR 43
Appendix (b). Electrical system instal
lations in non-electrical airplanes,
radio installations, battery insta lla
tions, and replacing of synthetic fabric
on surfaces originally approved for
Grade A cotton fabric. Again, there are
many more to list. But, some major
alterations can be approved by an
A&P who also holds an IA.
Other major alterations cannot be
approved by the A&PIIA. A few of
these alterations are engine and/or
prop changes, changes in wheels and
brakes, changes in tail wheel installa
tions, changes in fuel system (addition
or subtraction of fuel tanks), installa
tion of an entire electrical system
including battery and charging sys
tem, and alteration of wing and/or
control surface shape.
So what happens (with the FAA)
when a person buys an airplane that
had been converted to a crop
duster/sprayer and wants to return it
to "stock" configuration? That's al
ways a good one to analyze . The
A&P/IA can remove modifications to
structure and replace components
originally used in the airplane-and
can ret u rn it to service. However,
when all work has been completed,
the FAA must do a conformity inspec
tion to determine if the airplane
conforms to its type certificate (TC),
and then it will issue a new standard
airworthiness certificate. The old air
worthiness certificate was in the

restricted category and is no longer

valid. The point here is that the me
chanic is modifying existing structure
back to standard, not the opposite.
Thus far, in my career as an aircraft
mechanic, I've been through six dif
ferent FAA conformity inspections,
the most difficult being on the 1929
Command-Aire because there were no
drawings . Fortunately for the Travel
Air folks, Phil Wyles has a large collec
tion of drawings for the purpose of
keeping t h ese airp lanes airworthy.
And that is an important factor for fu
ture dealings with the FAA. More on
that later.

THERE ARE NOW

44 SUBJECT AREAS

THAT ALL STUDENTS

FOR THE A&P

CERTIFICATE MUST BE

EXPOSED TO ,

AND THERE ARE

THREE LEVELS

OF EXPOSURE .

Factory draWings continue to be an

important item for aging aircraft.
Drawings are needed when the owner
finds it necessary to replace a primary
structural component, such as wings,
control surfaces, fuselage, and landing
gear, among others.
How were drawings originally sub
mitted to the aeronautics branch of
the U.S. Department of Commerce, or
later the Civil Aeronautics Adminis
tration (CAA)? The answer lies in
Aeronautics Bulletin 7 A dated July
1929. Paragraph 4-PROCEDURE fol
lowed by department. "The drawings,
which the manufacturer is required to
furnish in duplicate, are checked for
conformity." After the airplane is ap
proved for manufacture, "One set of
drawings is impressed with the seal of
the Department of Commerce and re
turned to the manufacturer to be used
in the construction of his airplanes.
The other set is placed in the depart

ment's files." It is the location of and

access to the second set of drawings
that is controversia l. Some drawings
have been released, either hard copy
or microfiche, while some are still in
storage. And many drawings were de
stroyed. Such was the case for the
Command-Aire.
Where were (are) the drawings
stored?
Originally they were stored in
Washington, D.C., in the depart
ment's files. As the drawing files grew
and more aircraft received the coveted
ATC, the drawing files were relocated
to the old torpedo factory building at
Suitland, Maryland. As the files con
tinued to grow, the FAA re located
drawings to the District Office (D.O.)
nearest to where the airp lane was
manufactured. Some drawings were
lost during transfer, and some were
destroyed at the D.O. But, many draw
ings are still being stored at the Federal
Records Center in Maryland. I have
perused boxes and boxes of original
blueprint drawings stored there for
years! /t's absolutely amazing what is
there. But no one knows exactly what
is in each of the boxes. I have a brief
transcript of what I saw in 1982, but
it's a drop in the bucket of what is ac
tually there. Perhaps this could be
another future column for liThe Tech
nical Corner."
So draWings are an important item
when it comes to repairing a struc
ture or fabricating new. What if you
want to make a new wing structure
and no drawings are available. Aha!
The wall has been set, and it is a l
most impossible to obtain draWings
from the FAA, although it is the care
taker of all ATC drawings.
I will say that wood structures are
probably the easiest to reproduce
from original parts, because aircraft
q uality wood" is still "aircraft q uality
wood ." Major differences will be in
the type of adhesive used to manufac
ture the part. However, the
manufacture of metallic parts pro
vides another challenge. What type of
aluminum is it, was it heat treated or
not, and what type of heat treatment
did it receive? The same is true with
II

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

11

steel tube structure. Was it originally

SAE 1020, SAE 1025, or SAE 4130?
What type of filler rod was originally
used, was the structure heat treated,
and if it was heat treat, what specifica
tions were followed and what was the
final tensile strength of the material?
My point here again is that drawings
are most valuable when reproducing
parts. Without them it can be very
difficult. And these needed drawings
are sometimes impossible to obtain or
have been destroyed . If the drawings
are not available and the owner needs
to fabricate a primary structural part
for his/her own airplane, then my
question is-where is the middle
ground? And how can we keep this
airplane airworthy?
Alterations are necessary to make
an aircraft safe; one doesn't want to
build problems that came with the
airplane in 1929 back into a restora
tion completed in 2001. What are
some common alterations that one
finds when dealing with older air
craft? The first that jumps out at me
is an engine change. Say from an OX
5 or Wright J-5 to a Continental
W-670 or Lycoming R-680, as is com
monly found in many Travel Air
airplanes. Originally, these conver
sions were done with field approval
from the CAA. Try doing a complete
engine change without any type of
approved data in today's world. It's
near impossible. To remove a Wright
R-600 Challenger engine of 185 hp
and install a Wright R-760 engine of
240 hp, I had to do a one-time STC! It
involved 1-1 /2 years, much paper
work, and rapidly increased the gray

hair on my head. But 1 finally pre

vailed and have a one-time STC
approval for NC997E only. I cannot
do another installation, but I can use
my original Form 337 as substantiat
ing evidence that th e installation
might be field approved again. The
use of previously approved Form 337s
can be another topiC for "The Techni
cal Co rner" at a future date. Perhaps

ALTERATIONS ARE

NECESSARY TO MAKE

AN AIRCRAFT SAFE;

ONE DOESN 'T WANT

TO BUILD PROBLEMS

THAT CAME WITH THE

AIRPLANE IN 1929

BACK INTO A

RESTORATION

COMPLETED IN 2001.

when the waters are a little less

"muddy." There are many changes
occurring within the FAA at this time,
and the field approval process hap
pens to be one. So we'll just have to
wait and see what happens.
Supplemental type certificates
(STC) are just what the term indicates.
A major alteration of the original type
certificate (TC). Obtaining an STC
takes time, money, and the " know
how" to get it through the system.
When I was working on my one-time
STC for the Command-Aire, there

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were FAA folks who didn 't know ex

actly what a Command-Aire was!
They knew what a MOD DC-lO was,
or a Boeing 727. In other words, these
engineers primarily were assigned ma
jor modifications to very large
transport category aircraft. That's part
of the problem! I finally had to hire a
designated airworthiness representa
tive (DAR) to help get the STC
application off dead center. All I can
say that it was a nightmare! But I, with
the help of my DAR, finally prevailed.
And the Command-Aire was licensed
standard (NC) in 1989 and has been
flying ever since.
Lastly, I'd like to say a few words
about maint e nance. I know I am
preaching to the choir, but continu
ous maintenance will keep the older
airplane in airworthy condition.
Many owners are not certificated me
chanics, but it is extremely important
to be able to diagnose a problem, or
be able to thoroughly describe what
the problem is to get it repaired. As I
stated earlier, many new mechanics
don't have a clue about the older air
planes. I have instructed my son, Rob,
who operates a 1929 New Standard 0
25 biplane, how to time a magneto
and how to check and reset idle mix
ture or speed-things that can or will
go wrong with a radial engine. Now,
Rob cannot do any of these mainte
nance items because he operates the
airplane commerCially. But, he can de
scribe a problem, diagnose how to fix
it, and if it's a magneto, describe how
to time it to the engine. It's kind of
like when I ferried his Fairchild PT-26
from Kentucky to California, and the
tail wheel went flat out on the plains
of Nebraska. The yo ung A&P had
never seen a tail wheel like this, so I
said, "You jack up the tail, I'll disas
semble the wheel, you fix the tube, I'll
reassemble the wheel, and you rein
stall it." I did most of the work, and it
cost about $45 as I recall, but he was
happy, and I was on my way.
Constant maintenance by a me
chanic and preventive maintenance
by the owner will keep our old air
planes airworthy. Let's fix it before it
breaks and be safe!
......

I ,oJJ- ASSOcI..-'Q.. q,.

-------------------------------------------------

Assutnptions

DOUG STEWART

NAFI MASTER INSTRUCTOR

It was one of those fall days that

we all dream about. The azure sky
yielded unlimited visibility. The air
was as smooth as glass. Not a ripple.
The cool temperatures and high
pressure had every airplane perform
ing as if the engine had just had a
major overhaul. This was the quin
tessential CAVU (ceiling and
visibility unlimited) day. What a day
for our local Chapter's fall fly-in
breakfast. This would be the day
that we obliterated all previous
records for attendance.
The light breezes favored landing
to the south, meaning that all air
craft would have an unobstructed
approach. They wouldn't have to do
that gnarly approach to the north,
slipping down over the tall trees at
the south end of the runway that
prevented a low approach. Nor would
they have to float and float . . . and
float, as the runway, sloping down
hill, dropped out beneath them,
while correcting for a choppy cross
wind and wind shear that the trees
on the west side of the runway al
ways crea t ed when the wind was
from the northwest. Landings today
should be a piece of cake.
Although we had experienced a
fair amount of rain prior to this day,
the runway turf was dry and firm .
The only areas that were still a little
soft were way off to the side. Areas
that would be used only for parking
aircraft ... if we had a big turnout .
And as the day's weather was shap
ing up, it appeared as if we might
have a better than average turnout. I
was nervous.
"Little did I know ... " (as Lloyd
Bridges used to say on Sea Hunt [a bit
of vintage TV there]) when I volun
teered, as the Chapter safety officer,

to coordinate the parking and man

the multicom frequency that we
would smash all previous records for
our breakfast fly-ins. In prior fly-ins,
the typical aircraft attendance rarely
exceeded 40 planes, and the job I vol
unteered for was easily handled by
one person, with some occasional as
sistance. This time we ended up with
more than 80 airplanes flying in. Not
on ly would we be running out of eggs
and bacon and pancake mix, but we
would also be running out of parking
spaces for all the aircraft.

Landings today

should be a

piece of cake .

Little did I

know . ..

The tone for the excitement of

the day was set ea rly on, as a flight
of four biplanes arrived. The two
Tiger Moths, a Fleet, and a Waco
UPF-7 set up to land on Runway Ol.
As they were all NORDO (no radio)
aircraft, they had not heard me ad
vising Runway 19 to the Cessna 180
and the Cherokee behind him who
were now on the downwind for 19.
The Waco was first, landing straight
in, as the remainder of the forma
tion flew a "military break" and set
up to land in sequence.
As the 180 turned final he was set
up for a head-on with three biplanes.
I quickly advised a go-around to the
Cessna, which thankfully he immedi
ately initiated, fo ll owed in turn by

the Cherokee. By the time the Cessna

was back on fi nal for 19 all the re
maining biplanes were on the
ground, off the runway, and with en
gines shut down. Maple syrup would
soon be dripping off their ch ins.
This turned out to be the only ar
rival incident of the day. The only
problem now was getting airplanes
clear of the runway before the fol
lowing aircraft touched down. (Boy,
did I gain an inordinate amount of
respect for all those wonderful vol
unteers at Oshkosh who do this type
of thing routinely.) Luckily for me,
the airport's resident mechanic, and
his teenage sidekick, seeing my work
overload, quickly moved to the fore
to help me get aircraft moved to safe
parking spots.
As the morning wore on, things
settled into a routine. It was harried,
but it was a routine . Although not
every pilot followed instructions, we
were able to get them clear of the
runway and parked without inci
dent. The first to have syrup
dripping off his chin would soon be
the first to depart. Who would want
to spend such a glorious day ground
bound? So now, added to the mix of
the arrivals, would be departures.
As I directed a Swift to a parking
spot, I couldn't help but admire the
Fleet now taxiing to the proper run
way, its Kinner engine making that
wonderful noise that only a Kinner
can. There were three more planes
in the pattern. And in the back
gro und , the sound of the Kinner
running up . As the next plane
landed and was directed to parking,
the Fleet taxied into position, while
an Aerobat turned final. It would be
close ... but as long as the Fleet got
continued on page 26
VINTAG E AIRPLANE

13

WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE RESTORING

BY H.G. FRAUTSCHY

MILLER'S TRAVEL AIR

Jim Miller, of Spokane, Washington , believes he has
the oldest flying Travel Air in existence. Originally built as
an OX-5 powered Travel Air 2000, Jim has converted it to
a 220-hp Continental-powered Model 4000. The project
was not much more than a fuselage frame and a set of
new wings built by Brodhead, Wisconsin 's Kent McMakin
when Jim purchased it from Kent in 1997.
Jim says that restoring the airplane had a huge learn
ing curve, and that a few key people helped along the
way. Jack Lanning, Harmon Dickerson, and Addison Pem-

berton all lent their expertise. The cockpit has a set of

original 4-inch instruments , and under the cowling is an
original-looking custom exhaust system welded up by Ra
dial Exhaust Systems of Jumping Branch, West Virginia.
(See their ad on page 28.)
Jim named the airplane after his wife , Bernadine (he
says she must like him, because they're just past the
hand-holding stage!). Jim was thrilled when the Travel Air
won the Jesse Woods (Best Biplane) trophy at the 2002
Evergreen fly-in.

MONOSKI'S LINDY-WINNING STINSON

Michael Monoski and his father, Ed, of Kent, Connecticut ,
bought this 1947 Stinson Voyager two years ago. Michael is learn
ing to fly and to date has accumulated about 150 hours in
powered aircraft. Next summer he will be 16 years old and will be
able to fly the airplane by himself. Michael also flies gliders, and
last year, two days after his 14th birthday, he soloed a glider.
At the close of this past school year the Stinson was in a thou
sand pieces, and at times it did not look as though it would be
finished for Oshkosh. Michael worked every day in the shop on re
finishing parts and reassembly of the aircraft. Finally on July 24 ,
2002, the aircraft was finished, and he and his father took off from
North Canaan Airport in Connecticut and headed for Oshkosh.
For his efforts Michael brought home a Bronze Lindy award. At
this time Michael plans for a career in some aspect of aviation.
14

MARCH 2003

ORIGINAL WRIGHT ENGINE

R.W. "Scotty" Markland, the Technical Counselor for EAA
Chapter 961, dropped us a note to tell us about this remark
able project:
"In May 2002 the Aeroplane Works, who are mostly EAA mem
bers , ran up the Franklin Institute ' s original Wright engine , Serial
Number 57. This engine is from the original Wright B aircraft, SI N
13. The Wright Co. built it in 1911. The engine had been installed in
the aircraft that was flown by Grover Bergdoll , who was trained by
the Wright Co. Pilot/ owner Bergdoll was reported to have flown the
airplane on 748 flights, over 312 hours during a period of two years.
"The Aeroplane Works of New Carlisle , Ohio, is meticulously
restoring the Wr ight B airplane for the Franklin Institute of
Philadelphia. Interestingly, visitors who examine the details of
the structure and working parts of the engine all seem to have
the same comment: 'So that's how they did that! '
" Subsequently, EAA Chapter 610 members and others are
constructing an exact replica side-by-side with the original Wright
Model B. It will be powered by a modified Ford Model A engine and will have the control system revised to enable it to
be more flyable to modern standards. After limited flying, it will be donated to the Greene County Ohio Historical Mu
seum for display. "

SELIG'S BIG TAIL STINSON

From Nick and Suzette Selig, Naperville,
Illinois, we have this note:
"Here is our 1948 'big tail ' Stinson Flying
Station Wagon after a 3 -1 / 2-year-long
restoration. We used the more distinctive
1946 paint scheme and restored the instru
ment panel and interior to original , including
a faceplate from a 1948 Hallicrafter low-fre
quency radio to cover the modern
electronics while on the ground. We have
owned Five Mike since 1969. Our oldest
daughter soloed it on her 16th birthday, and
Sue and I have put over 2,500 of its 4,800
total hours on in the Chicago area, with
some long cross-countries thrown in, such
as our trip to Stinson Field in San Antonio,
Texas. We are also the Midwest regional
representatives for the International Stinson Club. We joined EAA in 1964 at the Rockford fly-in . I am the Technical
Counselor and Flight Advisor for EAA Chapter 15. We volunteer at the Stinson table in the VAA Type Club tent each year
during Oshkosh. "

Want to shoot your airplane like one of the pros? Here are a few tips:
1. Shoot your photos ea rly in th e morning or later in the day. Our

favorite times are during th e"golden hour" after sunrise or be

fore sunset. Avoid midday, as the harsh shadows of the noontime
sun can obscure details. Keep the sunlight on the nose and side
of the airplane. Facing the sun at about a 45-degree angle seems
to work well.
2. Clean the airplane. Even a coating of dust can make it look drab.
3. Put away any accessories such as fueling steps or ladders. Keep the
background clean. When you're shooting the airplane, avoid in
cluding other objects or peopl e. Be mindful o f background
landscape items such as airport antennae or control towers-in a
photo, they can appear to grow from your airplane. The same
holds true for people standing behind the airplane-your fus e
lage may sprout feet!
4. Keep the horizon level in the viewfinder.

5. Use a sepa rate shot if yo u wan t to highligh t people. If a per

so n is next to th e airplane, please don't sh ow him o r h er
lea ning on the prop.
6. Don't have the engi ne running and no one in the cockpit!
7. Take a numb er of photos, and se nd us a selec ti on of in-focus,
properly exposed slides or prints. Send them to:

EAA
Vintage Airplane
P.O. Box 3086
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086
If you want to send us a digital photo, e-mail us at villtage@eaa.org
for specific directions. A 300 dpi color shot at least 4 inches in size is
our standard for "What Our Members Are Restoring."
V INTAGE AI RPLAN E

15

more angular lines of the

WOIl1Imlo tell you this Is not

your grandfather's Piper

Apache!

a doctor. No, that's not

. He's actually an air
just happens to be a
his tastes run to the
" '~1I!'A''''' the bright and shiny.

in college, in what was

fortuitous events of
doctor who owned a
took a liking to him.
in exchange he'd let
had a Champ, which I
.a Jungmeister, a Great
an RNF Waco, and a
on it, it is amazing
airplanes, but what
a really wide range of
the beginning, so I
interest in normal
and the unusual right
~mtimllly gone to school
.,...,"'....... up going to med
.Clwlteld, I went to work
"""_U1J'llIJ'l> his partner
M)e!rfect match."
no need to own his
always had his doctor

friend's to fly, but, still, he wanted one he

could call his own, and he didn 't think small.
"My first airplane was a Staggerwing Beech,
but it was far from being a pristine airplane. It
had gone through a bunch of hands after sit
ting in a hangar for 17 years. In fact, a pilot in
Kodiak, Alaska bought it, stuck the wings back
on it, and took it to Alaska without rebuilding
. When I bought it, most of the fabric
still the original, and it was really getting
),at . So, once we got it home, we started to re
build it. "
It goes without saying that rebuilding a Stag
gerwing, especially one that went for long
periods of time with no TLC, isn't for the faint
of heart, and it isn't something that happens
quickly.
"It was obvious the Staggerwing was going
to be down for a long time, and I still needed
something to fly, so on a whim, I bought a 195
Cessna with a 300-hp Jake as a fill-in until the
Staggerwing was finished.
"I flew the Staggerwing for a couple of yea rs,
and then I had a h eart attack. I'm not certain
which scared me more, the danger to my health
or the thought that I might never fly again.
Fortunately, it was a mild one, and after jump
ing through all of the FAA's regulatory hoops I
got my medical back.
"By this time I had kids, and I thought I
needed to be more practical. As part of my
practical mode, I also thought I needed two en
gines, but still, I liked eclectic airplanes. I
needed something that was just a little differ
ent that didn't cost much to operate.
"It didn't take long to narrow the search
down to the Geronimo Apache, and now that
I've been flying the airplane for over five years,
every single thing I've seen about the airplane
just confirms that I made the right decision.
"For one thing, I really like the looks of the
airplane. A lot of people mistake it for an Aztec,
but then they keep looking at it because some
thing about it just isn't right for an Aztec. They
usually don't realize what the big difference is,
but it's the square tail that's the dead giveaway.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

17

The Geronimo is so heavily modified that it carries a new dataplate for the
complete conversion. Originally developed by Seguin Aviation , the 27 STCs
needed for the conversion are now held and marketed by Diamond Aire Avia
tion, Kalispell, Montana.

Geronimo

Apache Facts

Piper's first foray Into the light

twin field, via an acquisition from
Stinson, the Apache was a stubby lit
tle contradiction: on the one hand it
was the butt of endless jokes ("at
least the second engine carries you
to the scene of the accident," yuk,
yuk), while on the other, it undoubt
edly generated more multi-engine
ratings than any other civilian air
plane in history. From its serial
production in 1954 until ..well until
today, the Apache has lived through
decades of insults and proven its
worth as a trainer and sometimes
transportation over and over. Though
largely eclipsed in the training field
by Seminoles and Senecas, it's not
that unusual to see that sweet potato
shape out there still droning around
the pattern earning its keep.
In the days when the only two light
twins available were the Apache and

18

MARCH 2003

the C-310 (If you ignore surplus Bam

boo Bombers), the two usually
weren't mentioned in the same sen
tence because the only similarity was
the number of engines. Where the
Cessna
was
svelte and capa
ble of quickly
disappearing over
far horizons, the
Apache was none
of those. How
ever, the Apache
had traits the 310
couldn't touch. It
was the soul of
docility, a big, fat
puppy of an air
plane that always treated its pilots
right regardless of how numb- or ham
handed they might be. At the same
time it offered a cabin that had to be
flown to be believed. It was, and is,
huge! It's a true mini-airliner. A very
slow mini-airliner.
The Apache ' s big, comfortable
cabin was one reason it was so slow
it had lots of frontal area that wasn't
helped by a super blunt schnoz only a
mother could love. And then there
were those puny little 0-320s: 150 hp
a side just wasn't enough. Even when
they were upped to 160 hp in 1957
the performance increases were ma....
ginal and largely eaten up by an
increase in gross weight.
Okay, so what do we have here?
A big, substantial airframe with
high-quality low-speed handling
manners and a cabin that made
four passengers feel lost. Its neg

Bob Dalzell pulls a fuel sample from

the left engine nacelle.
atlves Included engines that were
too small, a nose that beat the air
Into submission rather than cleav
ing through it, and an airframe
that brought new meaning to the
word "dowdy" with drag protuber
ances and funky corners. It didn't
take a genius to know that those
were all fixable problems. If Piper
wasn't going to do It, then Seguin
Aviation In Seguin, Texas, would.
The power problem could be solved
several ways, by far the simplest be
ing to bolt a couple of 0-360s in place
of the 0320s. That however raised
the single engine speed to unaccept
able levels, so a big dorsal was added.
Drag, however, has a funny habit of
going up much faster than the speed
when power alone is added to an ai....
frame. So, the watermelon nose had
to be streamlined, which meant ex
tending it several feet and carefully
fairing it into the existing sheet
metal. Then the tail was reshaped to
give more rudder authority and help
the VMC (minimum control speed).
The wingtips, which were as blunt as
the rest of the airframe, were reo
placed with carefully shaped tip tanks
that doubled as Horner tips and con
tributed to the lowered drag. Uttle by
little, as Seguin developed the mods
and the supplemental type certifi
cates (STCs) to go with them, the
airplane took on a different appear
ance and an entirely new personality.
A dowdy little toad had been trans
formed into an airway warrior that
was deserving of the name bestowed
upon it, Geronimo.

The front office of Bob mini-airliner, neatly laid out with the latest in IFR in
strumentation, including a set of flight instruments for the co-pilot.
Today the STCs for the Geron
imo mods, 27 in all, rest with
Diamond Aire Aviation (la93 Air
port
Road,
Kalispell,
MT
59901,406/7525092, email:
geronimo@diamondaire.com, web
site: www.diamondaire.com).
Diamond Aire is run by CEO John
Talmage, who says, "We purchased
the tooling and STCs at auction in
1997. Prior to that, everything had
been in storage, and the conver
sions were unavailable for nearly
nine years. "
Talmage estimates 300 to 400
conversions were done by Seguin
prior to it selling the material.
One of the things John points
out is that the secret is as much in
the aerodynamics as the power.
"People think they are going to
hang 180 hp engines on it and im
mediately see the 25 mph increase
quoted in original Geronimo mate
rial, and that just isn't so. The
climb goes up, and the single
engine ceiling will be there,
but even with the new, longer
nose, the speed won't be. In
our tests we've found that
the really big drag areas
are the nacelles. I have a
Geronimo 180 with the old cowl
ings, and I 've seen 160 Apaches
with the new nacelles that are al
most as fast. "
Go to Diamond Aire 's website,
www.diamondaire.com. for a com
plete list of the mods that are
needed to turn a sweet potato
into a rocket ship.

I get asked about the airplane a lot. "

Bob's airplane is a "full" Geron
imo, which means all of the
modifications (mods) that can be
done , with the exc e ption of the
cowlings , have been done. The
Geronimo mods can be done in
stages (see sidebar), but whoever had
Bob's done went all the way, right
from the long nose to the squared
off wings and tail to n ew cowlings
with gear doors plus the 180 Ly
comings in place of the original
150/160 hp versions.
"I was looking for solid perform
ance and single engine costs with two
engines, and that's what I got. For
one thing, at a normal cruise setting
I'm burning 19-20 gallons per hour
total, and I can get it down from that
at altitude. It's not incredibly fast, but
its usually truing 178-180 miles per
hour, which isn't bad. I always flight
plan 150 knots, and I always
beat it.

"With
four people and all four tanks filled,
which total a 108 gallons, the air
plane has no problem at all climbing
1,200 feet per minute. The useful
load is 1,700 pounds, and it gets that

off the ground easily.

liThe airplane is a real gentleman
on one engine. Because of the big dor
sal fin, the Single-engine speed is
nearly down at stall, but it's really easy
to control at all times. Also, if you do
lose one, everything happens so
slowly that you have all day to figure
it out. Now that it has enough power
to fly well on one engine, I think it's
one of the safest light twins ever built.
In fact, its single engine ceiling is up
around 12,000 feet, which is impres
sive, considering that with the smaller
engines and none of the drag mods, it
had trouble just staying in the air with
one shut down.
"I flew one of the original airplanes
and then set mine up with a full copi
lot panel and arranged the engine
instruments across the top, which
makes it easy to fly from either seat.
"When it comes to smaller twin
engine airplanes, it's pretty hard to
find anything that has some 'charac
ter,' but the Geronimo has that. The
fact that the airp lane was the third
one built in 1957 and is 45 years old
doesn't even enter the conversation
when it comes to
discussing utility.
The airplane
couldn't of
fer more
utility or
have better han
dling characteristics if it was
built yesterday. So, no, I don't
plan on selling it."
That pretty well sums up Bob
Dalzell's feeling about the Geronimo
Apache, doesn't it?
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

19

This is the year to warm-up your passion for aviation in Lakeland, Florida at the 2003 SUN'nFUN Fly-ln.
Debuting at this year's Fly-In will be EMs "Countdown to Kitty Hawk" Pavilion featuring an accurate reproduction
of the 1903 Wright Flyer- built to flyabove the sands of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina this December
in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' historic flight.
Be part of this week-long "AeroExpo" starting Wednesday, April 2. Share experiences with thousands of aviation

enthusiasts from around the world. Thrill to the precision and skill of the world's best aerobatic pilots performing
st SUN 'NFUN

daily. Gain insight on the latest aviation products from 500 exhibitors. Review mile after mile of restored and revered
aircraft. Participate in one or more of 450 educational forums and hands-on workshops. Visit our permanent display
in the Florida Air Museum featuring the recent addition of the Howard Hughes Aviation Collection.
Visit the SUN'n FUN web site W\\l\vsun-n-ful1.org for complete information-review progran1 schedule, exhibitor
listing and lodging information -or call 1-863-644-2431.

I
,-/-".,.

' ..........

-:--i;...
Fly-In Dates: Wednesday, Apri l 2- Tuesday, April 8, 2003
location: SUN'n FUN Fly-In on Lakeland's Linder Regional
Airport, Lakeland, Florida, in Central Florida's Polk County
between Tampa and Orlando.

Where passions for aviation are renewed each spring.

........

PASS

CK

IT

BY E.E. " BUCK" HILBERT, EAA #21 VAA #5

P.O. Box 424,

UNION,

IL 60180

Think about it
As an old-time CFlI (certificated
flight instructor-instrument),
with a lot of the old basics in
grained in me, and with several
forced landings to think about,
landing an airplane when you ab
solutely have no choice has
become foremost in my mind over
the past several months.
I read the ads in publications,
and I read ads in our own publica
tions, for the latest technological
advancements-how this radio,
and this wing leveler, and this safe
flight indicator, and this oil filter,
and these anti-collision lights, and
this GPS, and all those other gadg
ets that take your mind and eyes
deeper into the cockpit supposedly
guarantee to make life easier and
safer for the average pilot. I read
how this power flow system will
increase the horsepower output,
how this add-on will bring you
safely to earth if your airplane falls
apart, and on and on.
I attend sessions, and they are
all very much the same-FAR re
views, safety lessons, how to use
the GPS, who can log what time,
sport pilot questions, avgas versus
autogas. Every subject in the world
except what I consider the basic
precepts in flying.
I read the accident reports
gear up, gear failure, loss of
control on takeoff and landings,
loss of electrical systems, taxi acci
dents, propping accidents. I read
articles about "why I'll never do
that again."
You can't look at an "airplane
for sale" ad without seeing all

the equipment in the panel and

on board. Total time on the air
frame, engine, and propeller
seem insignificant to the radios,
electronics, gadgets, and doo
dads advertised.
All this is building up to one
thing. How much good is this
stuff going to do you when that
engine quits?
When you're in the pattern, you
hear all this radio chatter: turning
downwind, turning base, turning
final, and on and on. En route it's
the same thing; people at local air
ports up and down the state are
chattering away. "What's your po
sition, Booger One, this is Cloud
Runner." "Oh, it's you Cloud Run
ner! I'm 11 and 1/3 miles on the
332 nd radial of whatchamacallit
VOR, where are you?" "Right off
your right wing, Booger. Try look
ing out the window!"
What I'm getting at is all these
devices that supposedly make fly
ing easier and safer seem to ignore
some of the basic facts of flight.
I'm talking abo ut emergency
procedures, and not the kinds that
cover radio and electric failure, hy
draulic failure, burned out light
bulbs, and deflated seat cushions .
I'm referring to real problems, like
what do you do when the engine
quits? Is that GPS, or the autopilot,
or that CO detector, or the inflat
able door seal going to help you?
Sure it is! Just like the guy sit
ting at the desk up at FAA
headquarters who is going to read
the report Monday morning and
try to hang you for violating the

FARs. No one is going to reach out,

take you by the hand, and tell you
what to do. It's all up to you and
you alone!
Do you prepare yourse lf before
every takeoff by rehearsing in
your mind what action you'll
take if that engine shells out on
takeoff? When is the last time
you practiced S-turns across a
road, or rectangle patterns, or
precision spot landings, or any
other basic head-out-of-the-cock
pit maneuvers?
Frankly, those maneuvers
should be an every day, every flight
exercise. The traffic pattern itself is
nothing but a rectangle pattern . S
turns flying a ground pattern
included. The four basics of flight
take place in the pattern-the
climb, the turn, straight and level,
and the glide. Ground reference all
the while to place yourself where
you want to be. This practice
should be ongoing and in prepara
tion for what could happen.
Learn your airplane. If it's only a
partial power failure, can you fly
with 1700 rpm? Will it stay in the
air? Will it ex tend your glide? Or
will you get trapped on that 7
mile-long final and come up short?
Next time yo u're out boring holes
in the blue, exp lore some of these
parameters. Get yourself an old
time instructor if you are in doubt
and think you may need one. Re
view those basics; they'll give you
more confidence in yourself and in
your airplane.
What is your best glide speed?
continued on page 28
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

21

16-18-Collllllbia, CA-Ga thering of

FLY-IN CALENDAR
MAYLuscombes
2003. Aircraft judging, spot

The fo llowing list of coming events is

furnished to our readers as a matter of
info rmation only and does not constitute
approval, sponsorship, involvement, con
trol or direction of any event (fly- in,
semina rs, fly market, etc.) listed. To
s ubmi t an even t , please log on to
www.eaa.org/events/events.asp. Only if In
ternet access is unavailable should you
send the information via mail to:, Att:

Vintage Ahplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh,

WI 54903-3086. Information should be re
ceived four months prior to the event date.
MARCH 7-9-Casa Grande, AZ-45th annual
Cactus Fly- In at Casa Grande Airport. Info:
wwwcactlls{lyil1.org/or call john Engle, 480
987-55 16 or Dave Sirota, 520-603-5440.
MARCH 12-13-Rom eoville, IL-29th Annual
Ge nera l Aviation Maintenance Seminar. At
Lewis Un iversity. Co-sponsored by the [lli
nois DOl: the FAA and the Professional
Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA).
MARCH 22-Fort Pierce, FL-EAA Ch. 908 Fly
[n Pancake Breakfast, Ft. Pierce [nt'[ Airport.
Info: Pau!, 772-464-0538 or 772-461-7175.
MARCH 20-23-Cil1cimwti, OH-14th Annual
[ntl Women in Aviation Conference. Info:
386-226 7996.
APRIL 2-8-Lakelal1d, FL-Sun 'n Fun EAA FJy
[no Info: 863644-2431, www.s!lI1-I1-fun.org.
APRIL 19-Fort Pierce, FL-EAA Ch. 908 F[y-[n
Pancake Breakfast, Ft. Pierce [nt'[ Airport.
Info: Paul, 772-464-0538 or 772-46 17175.
APRIL 19-20-Visalia, CA-Ch. 262 Fourth
Annual Spring Wing Thing and Visalia
Vintage Airshow. Info: 559-625-9889, e-mal
RV8TOR200@aol.com
APRIL 27-HalfMoon Bay, CA-13th Annua l Pa
cific Coast Dream Machines Show, Half Moon
Bay Airport. 10am-4pm. Admission $15 adults,
$5 (age 5-14 & 65+), free for kids age 4 and un
der. Parking included in price of admission.
Info: 650726-2328, www.miramarevents.colII.
APRIL 28-Half Moon Bay, CA-Pacific Coast
Dream Machines Fly-[n and Show. Half
Moon Bay Airport. 20 miles so uth of San
Francisco. IOam-4pm. Displays and
rides. Info: 650-726-2328, web:
www.nliranzarevents.conl.
MAY 4-Dayloll, OH-EAA Ch. 48 40th
Annual F[y-In, Moraine Air Park (1-73).
Info: Dennis 937-878-2647 or Mike 937
8598967, wwweaa48.org.
MAY 4-Rock(ord, IL-EAA Ch. 22 Flyln Driveln
Breakfast, Greater Rfd. Airport, Courtesy Aircraft
Hanger. Info: 815397-4995.
MAY 10- Toughkenamon, PA-EAA Ch. 240
29th annua l EAA Fly- In/Drive-In with
Pancake Breakfast & Lunch, 8am-2pm, at
New Garden Airport (N57). Workshops,
speakers, Young Eagles Fl ights. Free admis
sio n. Info: e-mai l EAA240.org.
MAY 100Sol10llla, CA-SchellvilleSonoma Va lley
Aeronautical Aviation Swap Meet. Antique/classic
aircraft on display. Info: 707-938-1465,
Iltlp:l/ wWw.lwpallet.net!-arbeall/ llsaall/s waplllJlI.
MAY 16-18-Kewanee, IL-Midwest Aeronca
Fest (and o ld fashioned taildragger) Fly-In,
Kewanee Municipal Airport KEZI. Info: 309
852-2594, e-mai l: jodydeb@imv.net.

22

MARCH 2003

landi ngs & more. Info: 5598882745. Web

www. /llscol1lbe-c1a.org.
MAY 18-Romeoville, IL-EAA Ch. 15 32nd
Ann ual Fly-In Breakfast, L.ewis University
Airport (LOT), 7am-Noon. Info: George
630-243-8213 .
MAY 18-Troy, OH- VAA Ch. ~6 Olel Fash
ioned Barbeque Flyln, WACO Field (I WF),
I lam-4pm,Young Eagle Flights. (Rain date
for Young Eagle tlights, june 22, Ipm4pm)
Info: 937335 1444, e-mail: dickandpatti0.aol.com.
or 9372941107, e-mai l navion@gelllair.colll.
MAY 16-26--Fayetleville, NC- Festival of Flight
2003. Info www.(eslivaloftligiIt.org.
MAY 24-Fort Pierce, FL-EAA Ch. 908 Fly-In
Pancake Breakfast, Ft. Pierce Int 'l Airport.
Info: Paul, 772-464-0538 or AI, 772-461-7175.
MAY 24-Zanesville, OH-EAA Ch. 425
Pancake Breakfast Fly-In/Drive- In, Riverside
Airport, 8am-2pm. Lunch also available .
Info: 740-454-0003.
MAY 2S-Portage, WI-EAA Ch. 371 Fly-In
Breakfast, 7am-noon. EAA Tri-motor rides.
Info: 608-742-3300.
MAY 31-JUNE I -Gree/leville, TN-EAA Ch.
1355 Annual Fly-In/Cruise-In. Vintage
Airplanes, cars, & warbirds. Info: 423-638-4925.
JUNE I -DcKalb, IL-39th Annual EAA Ch. 24 1
Fly-In Breakfast, (DKB). Info: 847-888-2919.
JUNE 6 -7-BartlesvilJe, OK- 17th Annual
Biplane Expo. Info: Charlie Harris 918-665
0755, Fax 918-665-0039,
www.biplal1eexpo.com.
JUNE 6-8-AJliance, OH-Mid-Eastern FU 'K
Aircraft O.A. Fly-In, Alliance-Barber Airport,
WI. Info: 216-382-4821.
JUNE 7-Danbllry, CT-EAA Ch. 130 Annua l
Fly-In, Municipal Airport (DXR) Awards for
various categories, food, aero flea-market
(bring stuff). Info: 203-799-1273.
JUNE 8-Rock Falls, IL-EAA Ch. 410 2 1st
Annual Fly-In/Drive-In Pancake Breakfast,
7am-noon, Whiteside County Airport (SQI)
Info: 815-622-3591.
JUNE 13-1S-Gail1esville, TX- Texas VAA Ch.
40th Annual Fly-In, Gainesville Municipal
Airpo rt (GLE). Info: 817-468-157 1
J UNE 14-1S-Toledo, OH-EAA Ch. 582 Fly-[n,
Metcalf Field (TDZ). Pull-A Plane contest, Young
Eagles, food, aircraft and auto displays. 9am
5plll. Info: john 4196660503 or mVlv.eaa582.org.
JUNE 14-1S-RIlt/a/1(I, VT-Bth Annual
Taild raggers Rendezvous Fly.ln Brea kfast,
Rutland State Airport. Info: 802235-2808,
vt(7yer@vennolltel.net.
JUNE IS-Gllent, NY-EAA Ch. 146 SUlllmer
Fly-In Pancake Breakfast, Klinekill Airport
(NYI), Route 21B. 8:30-noon. (Gas avail
able at Columbia County Airport, IBI.)
518-758-6355, web: www.caaI46.0I3.
JUNE 19-22-51. LOllis, MO--American Waco
Cl ub, Inc. Fly-In, Dauster Flying Field,
Creve Coeur. Info: Phil 269-624-6490. Web

AUGUST 22-23-Coffe)'ville, KS-Funk Aircraft

Owners Association 26th Annual Fly-In and
Reunion. Info: 3026745350.
AUGUST 29-31-Saranac Lake, NY-Centennial
of Flight Celebration Air Show.
www.sarallllclake.colll/a irport.slllJnl.
AUGUST 30-Zanesville, OH-EAA Ch. 425
Pancake Breakfast Fly-In/Drive-In, Riverside
Airport, 8am-2pm. Lunch also available.
Info: 740-454-0003.
SEPTEMBER 19-20-Bartlesville, OK-47th
Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In. Info: Charlie
Harris 918-665-0755, Fax 918-665-0039,
www.tlllsa{lyill.com.
SEPTEMBER 21 -Simsbllry, CT-Annua l Fly
In, Simsbury Airport (4BO), 8am-5pm. Info:
Wr/tllOlllas@snet.llet.
SEPTEMBER 27-28-Midland, TX-FinaCAF
AIRS HO 2003, Midland Int'l Airport. Info: 915
5631000, www.airsllO.org.
SEPTEMBER 28-GI1mt, NI'-EAA Ch. 146
Fall Fly-In Pancake Breakfast, KJinekill
Airport (NY!), Route 21 B. 8:30-noon. (Gas
available at Columbia County Airport,
1BI.) 518-758-6355, web: www.eaoI46.org.
OCTOBER 4 -S-Rlltlond, VT-13th Annual
l.eafpeepers Fly-In Breakfast, Rutland State
Airport. Info: 802235-2808,
v t{l yc rl1!'ven I/Un tel.llet.
OCTOBER lS-19-Tllllalwl/la, TN-Beech
Party 2003, sponsored by Staggerwing
Museum, Twin Beech 18 Society and Beech
Owners Group. Info: 931-455- 1974.

EAA FLY-IN SCHmULE 2003

Sun 'n Fun AA F1yln

April 28, Lakeland, FL (LAL)

www.slln-n-fun.org
AA Southwest Regional Fly-In

May 16-17, New Braunfels, TX (KBAl)

www.swrfiorg
Golden West AA Regional Fly-In

June 20-22, Marysville, CA (MYV)

www.goldellwesif/yin.org
Rocky Mountain AA Regional Fly-In

June 28-29, Longmont, CO (2V2)

www.rmrfiorg
Northwest AA Fly-In

July 9-13, Arlington, WA (AWO)

www.nweaa.org
AA AirVenture Oshkosh

july 29-August 4, Oshkosh, WI (OSH)

www.airventure.org
AA Mid-Eastern F1yln

August 22-24, Marion, OH (MNN)

440-352-1781
Virginia State AA Fly-In

September 20-21, Petersburg, VA (PTB)

www.vaeaa.org
AA East Coast F1yln

September 6-7, Toughkenamon, PA (N57)

www.eastcoastflyil1.org
AA Southeast Regional F1yln

October 35, Evergreen, At (GZH)

www.serfiorg
Copperstate AA Regional Fly-In
October 912, Phoenix, Al (A39)

\Vl",w.copperstate.org

www.l1lllericanwl1Coc/IIV. COIJl .

JUNE 21 -Zanesville, OH-EAA C h. 425

Pancake Breakfast Fly-In/ Orive-In, Riverside
Airport, 8- ll am. Hog Roast for lunch
11am-2pm. Info: 740-454-0003 .
JUN E 21 -2 2-Howell, MI-4th Annual Great
Lakes Fly-In, Livingston County Airport
(OXW). Hands-on worksho ps, seminars, and
more. Info: 517-223-3233, great/akes{lyin.org.
JUNE 22-Niles, MI-EAA Ch. 865 Annual Fly
In Breakfast, Tyler Memorial Airport (3TR),
7-noon at Ch. Hangar. Info: 269-684-0972.
E-mail: eaaclwpter865@rllsn.com.
JUNE 24-Green Sea, SC-EAA Ch. 1167
An nua l Spring Fling Fly-In and Pig Pick,
Green Sea Airport (S79). 843-280-69 18, e-'
mail: navilllls83@aol.colII.
JULY 19-Za/Jesvil/e, OH-EAA Ch. 425 Pancake
Breakfast F1yln/ Drive-ln, Parr Airport, 8am
2pm. Lunch also available. Info: 740454-0003.
AUGUST 100Qlleen City, MO- 15th Annual
Watermelon Fly-In & BBQ Applegate
Airport, 2pm-dark. Info: 660-766-2644.

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Key Venues in 2003

April 2-8 - Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In,
Lakeland, FL
june 13-16 - Ford Motor Company's 100th
Anniversary Celebration, Dearborn, MI
july 4-20 - Inventing Flight Celebration,
Dayton,O H
july 29-Aug. 4 - EAA AirVenture Oshkosh,
Oshkosh , WI
. August 23-September 2 - Museum of
Flight, Seattle, WA
December 13-17 - First Flight Centennial
Celebration, Kitty Hawk, NC

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23

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THE VINTAGE INSTRUCTOR continued from page 13

going immediately there would be
sufficient separation. The Aerobat
had already gone around once when
the preceding aircraft had not
cleared the runway quickly enough,
and was now on short final for the
second time. And the Fleet still sat
there. "What was he waiting for?" I
thought to myself.
And then, to the assembled on
lookers' horror, the Fleet commenced
its takeoff roll. As the Aerobat started
to flare, the separation between the
two aircraft reduced to 15 feet. We all
looked on aghast. The Fleet contin
ued to accelerate ... and the Aerobat
to decelerate .. . and the Fleet flew
out from beneath the Cessna, avert
ing disaster by literally 10 feet. As an
aviation safety counselor it would be
my duty to speak with both pilots.
The pilot of the Aerobat, a fairly
new-minted private pilot, said that he
"assumed" (we all know how to spell
ass-u-me) that the "biplane would

hold in position." (And we all know

the problem with assumption.) As he
continued his approach the Fleet dis
appeared beneath his nose. He said
he was totally surprised (I could well
imagine) as he saw the biplane rise in
front of him. My advice to h im was
that whenever there is any doubt
about the landing, the best course of
action is a go-around. It might mean
that you miss the last pancake served,
but yo u'll be alive to be first in line
for the burger.
The pilot of the Fleet has been fly
ing for years. Perhaps more years
than his Fleet has flown. He is a
high ly respected icon of knowledge
and experience, and rightfully so.
When I spoke with him the next day,
he had been unaware of the incident
until I told him. He was horrified and
mortified with what he had done . He
felt he had done a thorough scan of
the pattern. But perhaps a belly full of
pancakes and an eagerness to get in

the air created a dangerous compla

cency. After his run-up he had not
done a 360-degree turn on the ground
prior to taking the runway. And in a
biplan e the visibility is certainly re
stricted enoug h to mandate that
clearing turn on the ground. Further
more, having thousands of h ours in
one's logbook d oes not guarantee
protection from above. (Or below, for
that matter.)
We all learned a great deal that
day, two pilots in particular. It doesn't
matter if we are the only plane in the
pattern, or on arrival to OSH during
EAA AirVenture. The cockpit of an
aircraft has no room for complacency.
Nor can a pilot ever assume anything.
Obviously, the more crowded the air
space, the more important this
becomes, but it has relevance even if
we are operating alone at our own
private airstrip. Remembering this
and applying it whenever we are in
t he cockpit will go a long way in
changing us from being just a good
pilot ... to being a great pilot. ......

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26

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NEW MEMBERS

Danny Carroll ......... ... Newcastle NSW, Australia

Scott A Stamp ... .......... North Delta, BC, Canada

John B Bakker .. . .......... Sebringville, ON. Canada

Joseph Terry O'Dacre .. Rocky Mountain House, ON, Canada

Denis Lussier .......... .... ... Prevost, Po, Canada

Derek Doyle ................ Lucan, Dublin, Ireland

Khaled Alzeedi ........... Casablanca-Anfa, Morocco

Enold Johnsen ...... . . .... ...... . . Askim, Norway

Calixto Fortes . . ... ...... Sta. Cruz De Tenerife, Spain

Claudio Marin Garcia. . . . . . .. Ontigola Toledo, Spain

Ian Pentz ...... . . ... . .. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Bruce Ray ......................... Enterprise, AL

James D Atkinson ...................... Mena, AR

Homer GEllis ..................... Fort Smith, AR

Jack Cole .... ... .... . .......... Sun City West, AZ

Mark Hawkins ...... ... ... .. . .... Queen Creek, AZ

Shy Bourgeois .................... Santa Ynez, CA

Birch N Entriken ..................... Truckee, CA

Jerry D Finney . .......... .. ........ . Riverside, CA

Jerry D Finney ... ............ .. ..... Riverside, CA

Jaye L Matthews ..................... Ramona, CA

Richard McKay ............ Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

Darrell Meeks............... . ...... . Modesto, CA

Robert W Preiss .. .............. . . Palm Springs, CA

Stan Rutiz . ..... ........ .... ...... Templeton, CA

James S Spitzley ..................... Cambria, CA

James E Hocut. ................ Powder Springs, GA

Jay McClure .................... .. .. . Atlanta, GA

John Neely............ ... .. . ...... Savannah, GA

Richard Van Iderstyne ............. Jekyll Island, GA

Jack Else ........................ Cedar Rapids, IA

Dale E Standley ................. Council Bluffs, IA

Don M Simmonds ......... . . . .. . . .. Sand Point, ID

Ron Cates . ... . . .................... . . Tallula, IL

Bruce S Fine .. ...... .......... .... Northbrook, IL

James M Wissemes ................ Carol Stream, IL

John Anderson III ..................... Olathe, KS

Linda M Hanna .......... . ......... . . Gardner, KS

Ken Balch ......................... Ashland, MA

Michael Kramer ...................... Olney, MD

John Ness ..... . ..... ... .. . .... White Marsh, MD

Robert A Parrack ............... . ...... Elkton MD

o Dale Hey ......................... Stanton, MI

Kenneth E Davey ........ . ....... Lake Crystal, MN

Lenny Wollitz .. ....... ... . ......... Bemidji, MN

Lynn Larry Pitts . .. .. ..... .. . .. .... Webb City, MO

Cecil Austin .............. .. ........ Winona, MS

Roy Griffin . ....................... McComb, MS

David Heath .. ........ ...... ....... . Winona, MS

Mike Spalding ....................... Ahoski, NC

Alan Larter .......... . ......... .... Franklin, NH

George F Bigge ......... . .............. Elmer, NJ

Michael Harris . .. ............ . ........ Hazlet, NJ

Ken J House ..... . .. .. .. . ........... Cranford, NJ

Robert A Kite ........... .. .. .... Lawrenceville, NJ

Matthew Miller ..................... Manville, NJ

Jack Effron . .. .. .. ........ . ..... Poughkeepsie, NY

Eugene T Leavy ..... . .. .. ... . . . East Northport, NY

Frank A Van Skiver ................ Gloversville, NY

Clyde C Fox ............ .. . .. ..... Mansfield, OH

Ralph Goodman .. ..... ..... ... Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Thomas Inglin ..................... Hamilton, OH

William Mack ........ .. ........... Hamilton, OH

Dolivio Cetrangolo ......... . .. .. ... .. ... Ada, OK

Brad Mendenhall ................ . . Woodburn, OR

Terence J Connor. ................ West Chester, PA

James R Dugan ...... . . .............. Lansdale, PA

Gary G Hartle ........... .. ....... Greencastle, PA

Frank Lipovsek .................... South Park, PA

Joseph L Campbell ...... .. .............. Dale, TX

Ray LEnder ....... .. ............. San Marcos, TX

Dewey Magee .. . .......... . .. .. .... . Portland, TX

Scott Sackett ................... . . . .. .. Krum, TX

Robert Daniels ........... ... ....... .. Oakton, VA

Jimmy Mcwhorter ..................... Louisa, VA

Kristian Ljungkvist ..... .. .......... Burlington, VT

Gerald P Mahoney ...... .. ........... Sequim, WA

Todd A Mason . ................. ... Centralia, WA

Alfred L Schulz ..................... Spokane, WA

Richard E Studebaker . . .................. Bow, WA

Michael Zyskowski ..... .. ..... ..... Redmond, WA

Tom G Holz . . ...... . ............. West Bend, WI

Mark L Langenfeld ................... Madison, WI

Gene Seprish . . .. .. . ............... Waukesha, WI

Patrick R Walsh .................... Brookfield, WI

Jerry Nelsen .... ....... .......... . .. Dayton, WY

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

27

VINTAGE

TRADER

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Zanesville, Ohio 43701

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words, 180 words maximum, with bold
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Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426
4828) or e-mail (classads@eaa.org) using
credit card payment (all cards accepted) .
Include name on card, complete address,
type of card, card number, and expiration
date. Make checks payable to EAA. Address
advertising correspondence to EAA
Publications Classified Ad Manager, P.O.
Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.
BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod bearings,
main bearings, bushings, master rods, valves, pis
ton rings Call us Toll Free 1-800-233-6934, e-mail
ramremfg@aol.com Web site www.ramengine.com
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS, N. 604
FREYA ST., SPOKANE, WA 99202.

Antiques, Warbirds, Cropdusters

304-466-1752 Fax 304-466-0802
www.radialexhaustsystems.com

"The use of Dacron or similar modern mo1erials as a 5ubslilule for coHan is a

dead giveOWllv 10 Ihe knowing eve. TheV simplv do nollook righl on vinloge
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Museum, in his book Restoring Museum Aircraft.

VIIiTAGE. AE.RO fAP.>RIC;: LTD

'" PURVEYORS '"
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Pure cotton machine and hand sewing thread

Vinlage Aero Fabrics, ltd. 316 Creekwood Dr., Bardslown, KY 40004

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'Or~inal

28

Nieuport 28 reslared bv Vinlage Avialion Services'

MARCH 2003

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150 Different Airplanes Available

WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR AIRPLANE!

www.airplanetshirts.com
1-800-645-7739
THERE'S JUST NOTHING LIKE IT

ON THE WEB!!

www.aviation-giftshop_com
A Web Site With The Pilot In Mind
(and those who love airplanes)
For safe, reluctantly: Warner 145 & 165 engines. 1
each, new OH and low time. No tire kickers, please.
Two Curtiss Reed props to go with above engines.
1966 Helton Lark 95, Serial #8. Very rare, PO-8 cer
tified Target Drone derivative. Tri-gear Culver
Cadet. See Juptner's Vol. 8-170. Total time A&E
845 hrs. I just have too many toys and I'm not get
ting any younger. Find my name in the Officers &
Directors listing of Vintage and e-mail or call
evenings. E. E. "Buck" Hilbert
Flying wires available.

1994 pricing. Visit

www.f1yingwires.com or caIlSOO-517-9278.

Aviation Art favorites: WW-I, Golden Age, WW-II

to present. www.MotorArtWorks_com
For Sale - 1939 Spartan Executive, 3500TT,
10 SMOH. 214-354-6418_

PASS

IT
TO BUCK
continued from page 21
Where should the base leg be so
you can make the field power-off?
Why do they call it the base leg?
Because it's the base for a safe glide
to a landing. Every time you come
in to land it should be a firm fix
ture in your mind for making a
successful landing. It is also the
best base for accomplishing a safe
landing in the event that your en
gine quits. Using a base leg and
practicing gro u nd reference ma
neuvers to place yourself on that
base leg is the clue to accomplish
ing a safe landing.
If the plane has engine fail ure
on takeoff, the approved school
solution is to land straight ahead,
right? Sure, b u t what about ob
structions and such? Hey, a
4S-degree turn left or right is still
straight ahead. Even a 90-degree
turn-you can land crosswind;
I've seen it done! The main thing
here is you rehearse this in your
mind just before you tighten your
seat belt and open the throttle.
You have a plan; stick to it!
To make a ISO-degree turn
takes altitude. That's why the
downwind is flown at an alti
tude that allows you two
90-degree turns with a little
fudge factor for alignment after
completion of the turns. You
can't make it back to the field if
you haven't at least downwind
altitude! Think about it.
If you are at downwind pattern
altitude, then you have time and
space to do a ISO-degree turn_ But
anything less than that and you're
kidding yourself.
Practice those ground reference
maneuvers; get your head out of
the cockpit! Have a plan in mind
before you open the throttle, and
with that ... it's over to you.
K

((

~tJ.~

Membership Services Directo~

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT
ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND
THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATION

EAA Aviation Center , PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

OFFICERS
President

Vice-President

Espie 'Butch' joyce

P.O. Box 35584
Greensboro, NC 27425
336-668-3650
windsod'@aol.com

2448 Lough Lane

Hartford, WI 53027
262-673-5885
vaaflyboy@msn.com

Secretary

Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave.
Albert Lea, MN 56007
507-373-1674

stnes@deskmedia,com

George Daubner

Treasurer
Charles W. Harris
7215 East 46th St.
Tulsa, OK 74147
918-622-8400

cwh@hv5u.com

DIRECTORS
Steve Bender
815 Airport Road
Roanoke, TX 76262
817-491-4700

sstl00@worldnet.att.net

Dale A. Gustafson
7724 Shady Hills Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46278
317-293-4430
dalefaye@msn.com

antiquer@i nreach.com

Jeannie Hill
P.O. Box 328
Harvard, IL 60033
815-943-7205
dingh ao@owc.net

j ohn Berendt

7645 Echo Point Rd.

Cannon Falls, MN 55009

507-263-2414

fchJd@n:onnect.com

1002 Heather Ln.

Hartford, WI 53027

262-966-7627

sskrog@aol.com

Robert C. "Bob" Brauer

9345 S. Hoyne

Chicago, IL 60620

773-779-2105

photopllot@aol.com

Robert D. ' Bob" Lumley

1265 South 124th Sl.

Brookfield, WI 53005

262-782-2633

lumper@execpc.com

Dave Clark
635 Vestal Lane
Plainfield, IN 46168
317-839-4500
davecpd@iquesl.net

Gene Morris
5936 Steve Court
Roanoke, TX 76262
817-491-9 110
n03capt@flash.net

john S. Copeland

North'f~~~~~:4~~5 01532

Dean Richardson
1429 Kings Lynn Rd
Stoughton, WI 53589
608-877-8485

copelandl@juno.com

dar@apriJaiIe.com

Phil Coulson

28415 Springbrook Dr.

Lawton, MI 49065

616-624-6490

Geoff Robison

1521 E. MacGregor Dr.

New Haven, IN 46774

260-493-4724

chiefl025@aol.com

David Bennett

P.O. Sox 1188

Roseville, CA 95678

916-645-6926

IA Deacon Street

rcoulsonS l 6@cS.com
Roger Gomoll

8891 Airport Rd, Sox C2

Blaine, MN 55449

763-786-3342

pledgedrive@msncom

Steve Krog

S.H. " W es" Sclunid

2359 Lefeber Avenue
Wauwatosa, WI 53213
414-77 1-1545
shschmid@milwpc.com

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

Gene Chase
2159 Carlton Rd.
Oshkosh, WI 54904
920-23 1-5002

E.E. "Buck' Hilbert

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

ADVISOR
"

Alan Shackleton
P.O. Sox 656

Sugar Grove, 11 60554-0656

630-466-4193
103346.l772@Compuserve.com

Phone (920) 426-4800

Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Site: h ttp://www.eaa _org and http://www.airventure.org

EAA and Division Membership Services

800-843-3612 ............ FAX 920-426-6761
(8:00 AM-7:00 PM
Monday-Friday CSn
ew/ renew memberships: EAA, Divisions
(Vintage Aircraft Association, lAC, Warbirds),
National Association of Flight Instructors
(NAFI)

Address changes
Merchandise sales
Gift memberships

Programs and Activities

EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory
. ......... ... .. .. ......... 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

E-Ma il: vintage @ eaa.org

Flight Advisors information . ... 920-426-6522

Flight Instructor information .. _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
AUA . .. _. ..... _. ........ .. 800-727-3823
EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan . .. 866-647-4322
Term Life and Accidental . . .... 800-241 -6103
Death Insurance (Harvey Watt & Company)
Editorial ...... . . ..... ..... . 920-426-4825
.. _.................... FAX 920-426-4828
Submitting article/ photo
Advertising information
EAA Aviation Foundation
Artifact Donations _.......... 920-426-4877
Financial Support .......... 800-236-1025

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Associ
ation, Inc. is $40 for one year, induding 12 issues of
SPOR T AVIATION. Family membership is available
for an additional $10 annually. Junior Membership
(under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually.
All maj or 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 AIR
PLANE magazine for an additional $36 per year.
EAA Membership , VI NTAGE A IRPLANE
magaZine and one year membersh ip in the EAA
Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46
per year (SP OR T AVIATION magaZine not in
cluded). (A dd $7 for Foreign Postage_)

lAC
Current EAA members may join the Interna
tional Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and receive
SP OR T AEROBATICS m agaZine for an addi
tional $45 per year.
EAA Membership, SPOR T AER OBATICS
magaZine an d one year membership in the lAC
Division is available for $55 per year (SPOR T

AVIATION magaZine not included). (A dd $15

for Foreign Postage_)

WARBIRDS
Current EAA members may join the EAA War
birds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS
magazine for an additional $40 per year.
EAA Membership, WA RBIRDS magaZine
and one year membership in the Warbirds Divi
sion is available for $50 pe r year (SPORT
AVIATION magazine not included). (Add $7 for
Foreign Postage_)
_.

EAA EXPERIMENTER
Current EAA members may receive EAA
EXPERIMENTER magaZin e for an additional
$20 per year.
EAA Membership and EAA EXPERIMENTER
magaZine is available for $30 per yea,r (SPORT
AVIATION magazine not included). (A dd $8 for
Foreign Postage,)

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

Members hip dues to EAA and its divis ions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions.

Copyright 2003 by the EM Vinlage Aircraft Association

All rights reserved.
VINlAGEAIRPLANE OSSN 0091-6943) IPM 40032445 is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental pjrcraft Association and is published monlhly 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
Vintage Aircraft Association, P.O. Box 3088, Oshkosh. WI 54903-3086. Return Canadian issues to Station A, PO Box 54. Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months
for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via suriace mait. 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 submit stOlies and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in arlicles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the
contributor. No renumeration is made. Material should be sent to: Editor. VINlAGE AIRPLANE, P.O. Box 3088. Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 920/426-4800.
EAA~ and SPORT AVlATION~ , the EM Log~ and Aeronautica'" are registered trademarks, trademarks, and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks and service
marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association. Inc. is strictly prohibited.
The EM AVIATION FOUNDATION Logo is a trademark of the EM Aviation Foundation. Inc. The use of this trademark wilhout the permission of the EM Aviation Foundation. Inc. is strictly prohibited.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

29

ladies Denim

.,L::..a..;\1T"

This mediu.u.; ,,.,. '::.I~~'

shirt has the
on the back yoke.
SM
MD
LG
XL

V11183
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SM
LG

V00250
V00249

ORDER ONLINE:
Denim Apron

V 00403

$26.00

This denim apron goes well from the

cookout, to the.. kitchen, to the shop.
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$17.95
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ladies and Men's Stonewashed Denim Shirt

A classic for any season, this denim shirt is

great for art.aviation activities.
LADIES'
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This ladies' polo shirt

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ladies' Yellow Golf Shirt

This comfortable golf shirt is 100% cot

ton, machine washable. Tone on tone
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VI0130
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MARCH 2003

LG
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VI0132
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This golf shirt is 100% cotton with tone

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This plush jacket will show your USA

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TELEPHONE ORDER: 800-843-3612

FROM US AND CANADA (ALL OTHERS 920-426-5912)

MAIL ORDER: VINTAGE MERCHANDISE

PO BOX 3086
OSHKOSH, WI 54903-3086
ORDER ONLINE:

http://shop.eaa.org

-
~

FJagJacket

This jacket is a winner! 0 better

way to show your American .de.
MD
LG

VOO877
VOO878

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V00879
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This cast metal pin is about 3" wide.

A great way to show your VAP.. pride.

Travel Mug

VOO342

$12.95

This set of 4 clear glasses with etched

design is a classic way to display the
VAA logo.

Classic stainless steel mug with plastic

handle and cap. Standard base fits most
car cup holders.

Mini FanIFlashlight

V40242 ~

SALE $4.95
This clever gadget features both a fan
and a flashlight. Batteries included.

Small VAA Logo Pin

VOO258

$3.99

This small metal pin can be displayed

on your clothes, then easily removed.
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Blue/Gold Marbled Mug

V40240

$5.95

Enjoy your morning coffee with this

marbled coffee mug.

VAA Logo Decal

Shiny metallic VAA logo decals are

great in showing your VAA pride.
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so you can stick the decal on the
inside or outside of your window.

Flat VAA Patch

VOO257

$1.99

This VAA logo patch can be

ironed on your shirts, coats or
other accessories.

3-D VAA Patch

This 3-dimensional patch is well tailored and will

look great on your clothing and accessories.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

31

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ladies' Stone Micro Fiber Jacket

$64.95
This classy jacket for women is soft to the touch, water
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