APRIL 2004

VOL. 32, No.4

VAA NEWS/H.G . Frautschy

AEROMAIL

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE . ..

AN EDITORIAL BY EAA'S FOUNDER/Paul H. Poberezny

" FLIGHT OF THREE, CLEARED TO LAND"

TO EAA AIRVENTURE VIA OPEN COCKPITS/Sue Packer

THE VINTAGE INSTRUCTOR

ARE YOU READY FOR A NEW FLYING SEASON?
Doug Stewart

10

PERSISTENCE
DICK AND PATSY JACKSON'S SIKORSKY s-39
H.G. Frautschy

18

C-180: AT THE BEGINNING

RED AND MARILYN'S OLDEST 180
Budd Davisson

22

A TRIBUTE TO COLE PALEN AND HIS

FRIEND GORDON BAINBRIDGE
THE EARLY DAYS AT THE AERODROME
Ev Cassagneres

26

MYSTERY PLANE/H. G. Frautschy

27

NEW MEMBERS

28

PASS IT TO BUCK
WHAT IF?/Buck Hilbert

29

CALENDAR

30

CLASSIFED ADS

EAA PUBLICATIONS

Publisher
Editor-in-Chief
Executive Editor
News Editor
Photography Staff
Production Manager
Advertising Sales
Advertising/Editorial Assistant
Copy Editing

TOM POBEREZNY
scon SPANGLER
MIKE DIFRISCO
RIC REYNOLDS
JIM KOEPNICK
JULIE RUSSO
LOY HICKMAN
913-2686646
ISABELLE WISKE
COLLEEN WALSH
KATHLEEN WITMAN

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Executive Director, Editor

VAA Administrative Assistant
Contributing Editors

HENRY G. FRAUTSCHY
THERESA BOOKS
BUDD DAVISSON
DOUG STEWART
JOHN MILLER

Front Cover: Dick Jackson has worked off and on for 40 years to complete
the restoration of what has become the world 's oldest flying Sikorsky aircraft,
the only flying Sikorsky S-39 "Amphibion ." EAA photo by LeeAnn Abrams, shot
with a Canon EOS-ln. EAA Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore.

Back Cover:

In keeping with our "oldest of their type flying " theme, this is
Red Hamilton and Marilyn Bose 's Cessna 180, Serial No. 30002, the oldest
Cessna 180 flying . EAA photo by LeeAnn Abrams, shot with a Canon EOS
In . EAA photo plane flown by Walt Dorlac .

TBcL

EL

ESPIE "BUTCH" JOYCE

PRESIDENT, VINTAGE ASSOCIATION

Knocking the rust off

ere in the Carolinas it's be
ginning to sound and smell
like spring. Through the
window next to my computer, I
can see and hear the robins, and a
few flowers are beginning to peek
out of the ground.
Lots of things are growing, in
cluding my schedule. I've been
able to make a lot of headway on
my Luscombe project before the
schedule gremlins got control of
me. I have everything cleaned up
and ready for the paint gun. I've
mounted the new instrument
panel on a jig outside of the air
frame, and I've wired it to my
handy Radio Shack power supply.
Everything seems to be function
ing perfectly. I can't wait to finish,
but I' ll have to hold off for just
about a month.
I have been spending the last
week or so getting the motor
home ready to go to Lakeland,
Florida, to attend the Sun 'n Fun
EAA Fly-In. Norma and I will
spend almost two weeks at the
event; I'll be doing volunteer work
for the Vintage Aircraft Associa
tion, and Norma will be at work
with the Aviation Unlimited
Agency's display booth.
Since we spend this amount of
time at Sun 'n Fun, and almost
three weeks at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh, we have found that a
motor home is the best way for us
to travel. Once we get back from
Sun 'n Fun, we are home for a little
more than a week, and then we
will be off to Oshkosh for the VAA
and EAA board meetings. That will
last for about five days. We will
leave directly from Oshkosh for

Las Vegas to attend the AlA (Avia

tion Insurance Association)
convention for five days. We're
home for three or four days, and
then we move on to the VAA Chap
ter 3 Fly-In, which will take place
at the Burlington, North Carolina,
airport. This fly-in is only about 4S
miles from the house. It's a great
time, and we're able to enjoy it
with our local friends.
So I guess the old paint gun will
have to stay on the workbench for
a month or so. Sometimes the
things you enjoy the most are
those you have to wait for!
This April issue lands in your
mailbox about the same time
many of you will be brushing off
the dust and pushing the airplane
out of the hangar for the first time
in many months. Before you strap
in and head off into the blue, I'd
ask you to stop and think for just
a moment.
First, do a thorough preflight
inspection. Look over the airplane
as though you were flying it for
the first time, and didn't know
any of its past history. Pull an in
spection plate off and peek inside
with a flashlight. You'd be sur
prised where some critters can get
to in an airplane's structure. Look
in the wing at the inter-rib lacing.
Does it show signs of being
chewed on? If it does, keep look
ing. The nest is in there
somewhere. If you're uncomfort
able pulling off the inspection
plates and looking inside, ask a
friend who's an airframe and pow
erplant (A&P) mechanic to help
you. Most would be pleased to see
an owner/operator who has that

much interest in the mechanical

condition of his or her airplane .
Every year we have a rash of in
surance losses called in right after
the first nice weekend in the
country. An engine failure or a pi
lot's rusty aviation skills are
usually to blame.
It's a shame, but sometimes
these losses mean not only a dam
age claim to property, but also a
claim due to the injury of a loved
one. Knock off your personal cob
webs with a few laps with a flight
instructor in the back or on your
right side. Springtime is a great
time to schedule your flight re
view. If you live in an area that
doesn ' t have a flight instructor
current in the type of airplane
you fly, then be careful and make
a couple of solo flights before tak
ing up your buddies. For those
first "post-winter" flights, pick
your days carefully. Windy condi
tions you would have easily
handled in the fall may prove to
be too much for your rusty feet in
the spring. Take it easy, and you'll
have your airplane to enjoy for
the entire season, instead of sit
ting by the runway and watching
everyone else have fun!
Let's all be careful out there
and pull in the right direction for
the good of aviation. Remember,
we are better together. Join us and
have it all.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

VAA
SBA Solicits EAA on Air Tour
NPRM Information
The controversial FAA National
Air Tour Safety Standards notice of
proposed rulemaking (NPRM) was
the subject of a recent meeting with
the Small Business Administration
(SBA) in Washington, D.C. EAA Vice
President of Government Affairs
Doug Macnair was among those
who presented to SBA the hardships
the proposed regulations would im
pose on many small aviation
enterprises.
SBA officials wanted to know how
many Part 91 operators the NPRM
would affect; how it would affect
their revenue; and what it would
cost them to meet the proposed re
quirements. EAA showed SBA how
the rule would affect airfields, flight
schools, and charitable organiza
tions, and it presented alternatives
that would allow the FAA to achieve
its regulatory goals while reducing
the burden on small businesses.
EAA, which has submitted its fi
nal comments to the FAA, feels the
NPRM imposes restrictive require
ments on the air tour industry that
are unnecessary and not supported
by the data. Worse, the rule reaches
beyond the air tour industry and
adds new requirements for flight
schools that conduct casual sight
seeing flights, Single-ship sightseeing
operations, and operations that pro
vide rides in vintage and historically
significant aircraft.
If implemented, the NPRM would
likely force hundreds of operators
out of business and ground histori
cally significant aircraft because they
couldn't feasibly comply with the
new requirements. The NPRM also
would increase the requirements for
pilots and sponsoring organizations
engaging in charitable airlifts and
community fundraising flight
events. EAA calls on FAA to with
draw the proposed rule and develop
a new proposal that incorporates the
comments and concerns of the oper
ators and public.
2

APRIL 2004

"There is little supporting data to

justify the proposed wide-sweeping
changes," said Earl Lawrence, EAA
vice president of industry and regu
latory affairs. For example, the
NPRM would require a 1920s-era air
plane operating at a nontowered
Midwestern airport to comply with
the same operational and adminis
trative requirements as a helicopter
constructed under current require
ments and operated in continuous
service over the Grand Canyon.
"That indicates that the authors did
n't follow past regulatory practice of
producing regulations that are re
sponsive to the wide variety of
aircraft and operations conducted in
the United States."
FAA extended the official com
ment period to April 19, 2004, to
solicit more input from the air
tour industry and other aviation
organizations.

EAA Works to Preserve

Ethanol Labels
Working with the Wisconsin
Ethanol Producers , EAA recently
helped craft a compromise bill that
gas stations will continue to identify
gasoline that contains ethanol. The
original bill would have removed
this requirement, unless the pump
dispensed reformulated gasoline at
an airport for use as aircraft fuel.
EAA, which holds a series of supple
mental type certificates (STCs) that
allow aircraft owners to use auto fu
els, argued that clear ethanol
labeling was needed with automo
tive gasoline for flight safety reasons.
"All current automotive gasoline
STCs specifically exclude any gaso
line that contains ethanol," said Earl
Lawrence, EAA vice president of in
dustry and regulatory affairs. "Most
auto fuel used in aircraft is pur
chased at a local service station, not
at an airport. And most auto fuel
users purchase their gas from only
one station, a station that they learn
from experience provides a safe fuel
for their aircraft. Under the original

proposed legislation, stations could

switch to an ethanol blend gasoline
without informing consumers, in
cluding aircraft users."
EAA's proposed compromise lan
guage: "A retail dealer of petroleum
products shall post in a conspicuous
place and in a conspicuous manner
on or near the entrance to the filling
station, garage, or other place where
the petroleum products are being of
fered for sale a notice stating, for
each device that dispenses petro
leum products, whether the device
dispenses a gasoline-ethanol fuel
blend and the grade of the petro
leum product being dispensed."
Multiple issues with gasoline oxy
genated with ethanol in aircraft use
include vapor lock and material
compatibility issues.

No Appointment Necessary
Medical Assistance has a new shin
gle on the EAA Members Only home
page at http://members. eaa .org/home.
Easily recognizable and easy to navi
gate, the site is home to up-to-date
information on airman medical certi
fication, the EAA Aeromedical
Advisory program, and EAA Pilot Ad
vocates. There are also useful resource
links, articles, and downloadable FAA
forms to help resolve a medical issue
and keep you flying.

EAA Members Have Year-Round

Free Museum Admission
Starting March I, 2004, EAA
members gained free admission to
the world-class EAA AirVenture Mu
seum by simply showing their EAA
membership card. The new year
round admission policy "thanks
EAA members for their support in
making our world-class museum
possible," said Museum Director
Adam Smith. "It also encourages
members to bring family and friends
to enjoy the facility more often."
EAAers visiting their museum re
ceive a special sticker that identifies
them as members. Nonmembers can
join EAA at the museum admissions

Get Your EAA AirVenture Planning Guide

The EAA AirVenture Planning Guide will help you arrange your visit to
Oshkosh from July 27 to August 2. Now available on the EAA AirVenture
website at www.airventure.org, you'll find useful information about the many
lodging options, handicapped services, driving directions, commercial flight
information, vehicle rental, ground transportation services, and more. View
online or print the four-page PDF file and you'll be well on your way to map
ping your EAA AirVenture adventure!

HOMEBUILT CAMPING
Many VAA members who have interests in the homebuilt area are aware that
the parking areas for custom-built aircraft have been expanded In recent
years. Starting with EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2004, the pilots of custom
built aircraft who prefer to camp with their airplanes will have a new
location. The southwestern corner of the custom-built parking area (just to
the north of the Fly Market) has been designated as homebuilt camping.
Showers and other facilities are being readied for this shift in camping areas.
For the VAA, it means that some additional parking areas will open up. If
you've ever thought about camping with your vintage airplane, plan to spend
a week with your fellow vintage aviators at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2004!

JUDGING STANDARDS
If you 're planning on attending EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, and you'd like to have
your aircraft judged during the convention, we'd suggest reviewing the latest
copy of the Official EAA Judging Standards Manual, available online at
www.vlntageaircraft.org.Click on the link at the top of the page that reads
"How Do I Show My Plane?" There is also a pair of associated articles on
the judging process highlighted on that same web page. Even if you've re
viewed the pages in the past, there have been some changes to the rules, so
you may want to take a quick glance at the new document.

counter, and current members can

purchase $10 family memberships that
extend the free admission benefit to
their immediate family members.
The average cost of membership in
a comparable facility exceeds $50. But
for just $40 (or $50 for a family), EAA
offers unlimited admissions to a world
class museum, plus all the other
benefits of EAA membership like a
magazine subscription, discounts on
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, and more.
The previous policy provided members
with one free admission voucher each
year. (Those vouchers already distrib
uted are valid through the end of the
year 2004.)

Biplane Expo
The 18 th Annual Biplane Expo, the
largest gathering of biplanes by variety
in the world, will be he ld at Frank
Phillips Field, Bartlesville, Oklahoma,

on June 4-5,2004.
This nat ional event, he ld in
Bartlesvill e since 1987, has attracted
bip lanes from all over the Northern
Hemisphere. The event is normally at
tended by 3,000-4,000 people and
450-500 airplanes, of which approxi
mately 100-140 are biplanes. All of the
biplanes are flown to Bartlesville.
This year the Biplane Expo's guest
of honor will be Greg Herrick of New
Brighton, Minnesota, who conceived,
organized, and led the National Air
Tour 2003, which was a re-enactment
of the Ford Air Tours of 1925-1931 and
which was done in celebration of 100
years of powered flight. The National
Air Tour 2003 consisted of more than
25 aircraft of late '20s vintage flying in
a group to more than 25 cities to illus
trate to the American public the
progress made in aviation since the
early days of aerial transportation.

Herrick, a recognized aviation histo

rian, an avid antique aircraft collector,
and an aviation publisher, gained na
tional recognition in September 2003
with his re-creation of the National Air
Tours of approximately 75 years ago
when aerial passenger service was in its
infancy.
In honoring Herrick's attendance, the
Expo will additionally invite and host a
number of the antique airplanes of the
National Air Tour 2003 and recognize
the pilots and crews who flew the air
craft on tour during September 2003.
The event is open to the public at
Frank Phillips AirfieldField, Bartlesville,
Oklahoma, on June 4-5. Gate admis
sion is $3.00 for adults and $1.00 for
children on Friday, June 4, and $5.00
for adults and $3.00 for children on
Saturday, June 5. The public will have
close access to the pilots and aircraft.
For information, contact Charles W.
Harris at 918-622-8400 or www.biplane

expo.com.

EAA SportAir Workshop

Schedule Online
If you want to learn how to build
an airplane, an EAA SportAir Work
shop should be in your plans. Held
on weekends at locations through
out the country, the one-, two-, or
three-day workshops are available
to EAA members at a discount. A
comp lete schedule for the remain
der of 2004 is now available on

www.sportair.com.
Untold numbers of home
builders got their start at the
workshops, and many of them
have later told EAA that building
an airplane was the most satisfying
and rewarding adventure of their
lives. EAA SportAir Workshops Di
rector Charlie Becker reports brisk
reservation activity for 2004. "Our
TIG welding courses are full usually
a month in advance, so EAA
SportAir is offering two more
courses this fall. We have a solid
curriculum for each class plus the
best instructors available."
For more information, visit
www.sportair.com or call 800-967
5746.
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

AI

A
MMO

I read with great interest Mr. Hurry's

letter in the January issue of Vintage
Airplane. He proposed the use of Mar
vel Mystery Oil and a top oiler as a
method for getting the lead buildup
out of low compression engines.
Introduction of MMO into the in
duction system by a top oiler device is
exactly the application for which MMO
was originally intended. The purpose
was to remove the gum, tar, and sludge
buildups so common in the early days
of tetraethyllead and non-detergent
oils. Top oiler installations were com
mon in the '30s and '40s, and they
worked! Most drivers, however, just
dumped additives directly into the fuel
tank and hoped for results.
Installation of a top oiler on old
time auto engines is no big deal (you
can coast to the curb if things don't
work out), but it involves drilling the
intake manifold and adding tubes,
hoses, mounting brackets, etc. On an
aircraft it would involve all those
things and more. Most importantly, it
could change the fuel-air mixture if
the system is empty. This could result
in burning high dollar valves and per
haps an inconvenient forced landing.
I will admit that the use of FAA ap
proved products is pretty mundane
and experimenting is more fun. How
ever, keeping that irreplaceable
antique airplane of yours out of the
trees at the end of the strip is very im
portant . (We have lots of pilots, but
antique airplanes are getting scarce.)
IF YOU 'D LIKE TO DROP US A LINE ,

SEND YOUR LEITERS TO:

VINTAGE A IRPLANE

PO Box 3086

OSHKOSH , WI 54903-3086

OR EMAIL US AT vintage@eaa.org

APRIL

2004

There is an FAA-approved product

formulated specifically for helping our
low compression engines spit out the
excess lead that accumulates on valves,
etc. Its name is tricresyl phosphate. It
is marketed by Alcor as TCP. The stuff
is availab le at most pilot shops and
parts su ppli ers at a reasonable cost,
and it works!
I used TCP in a Jacobs L4MB en
gine for nearly 15 years with
excellent results. Prior to using TCP I
had t o freq u ently p ull jugs d u e to
lead buildu p on the va lve faces. Th e
use of TCP so lved the problem in
short order.
So, what's a mother to do?
We could build up an experimental
system to introduce an undetermined
amount of a "mystery" product into
our engine.
We could put a specified amount of
a known, tested, and FAA-approved
product in the fuel and go fly.
Fritz Mair
Keller, Texas

To clarify, adding any additional

equipment such as a top oiler would
have to be approved by the FAA. I agree
with Mr. Ma ir's statement about
TCP-it 's approved, and it works.
Why mess with success?
Mr. Hurry's letter was run primarily
to point out two things: first, his expe
rie nce with Marvel Mystery Oil not
always mixing well with fuel . We'd be
curious to know if any other members
have experienced that phenomenon .
Many members have used MMO for
years and are happy with the results,
and as another aviation magazine
mentioned in an article a few years
ago, there's always been plenty ofposi
tive comments about the use of the
additive.
Second, Mr. Hurry's mention of
"CAA approval" of a top oiler device
still intrigues us. No other member has
mentioned this CAA approval. Can
one of our more experienced members
help fill in the blanks on this?
-Editor

WRIGHT DAY SOLO

Our son , Elliott, turned 16 on December 15. I
was hired by a major airline as a pilot just six
months to the day before he was born. Natu
rally, while growing up he has spent many hours
flying with me and be ing around the aircraft
restorations we have had in the garage. Last
summer I began to "officially" teach him to fly.
With his birthday so close to the 100th an
niversary of flight, I suggested he might want to
wait a couple of days after his birthday and solo
on the 17th of December. He thought this would
be a good idea.
December 17 dawned with a high ove rcast
and light winds. We drove out to the small grass
strip where we keep our 1941 DL-65 Taylorcraft
(civilian vers ion of the tandem L-2). It was a chilly
December morning, and the air smelled like snow. We cranked up the old plane
and gave it time to warm up before we took it around t he patch a coup le of
times. Our last landing was at 10:30 a.m. We taxied back to the end of the strip
whe re we were happy to see his mom and sister stand ing wa it ing to see hi m
solo. Having signed his student pilot certificate , I stepped out of the Taylo r
craft, gave him a pat on the back, and closed the door. At 10:35 a. m. December
17, 2003, Elliott rolled down the runway and lifted off on his first solo flight! He
also became a fourth-generation pilot in the family.
Afte r two t akeoffs and landings snow began to fall , and using good j udgment
Ell iott t axied back to t he old hangar. Elliott 's first response as he laughed was,
"The t ail su re comes up quicker without you sitting back there, Dad."
The DL-65 Elliott had j ust soloed in came out of t he fa ctory on December
15, 1941, sharing the same birthday with Elliott-46 years earlier!
Jim Baker
Hudson , Ohio

The More Things Change...

An editorial by EAA's founder

PAUL
We have received several comments regard
ing our last issue of Vintage Airplane, and we
were pleased that they were favorable and that
we are able to continue to produce favorable re
sults. However, in organizations such as ours,
with our many and varied interests that range
from the homebuilt, antique, classic, contempo
rary, rotary wing and warbird aircraft, many
times we find it very difficult to gather the en
thusiasm for the overall movement, which is
necessary to ensure our total success.
We must assure that we have among us
both workers and a great deal of wisdom to
meet the challenges that face sport/general
aviation. In my many travels around the coun
try I am privileged to talk to many who are
involved in various phases of aviation. Across
my desk each day come letters expressing un
happiness with aviation, in one way or another.
How does one, in my position, meet these chal
lenges of attempting to reduce taxation, ward
off the continuing growth of restrictions on use
of airports or this vast ocean of air above us.
All too often one believes that he or she can
join an organization and that the dues will do
the rest. I must admit that I too at one time
believed this same thing, but it did not take
me long to learn that this is not the solution to
our problems . The solution is to develop a
strong, reputable, hard working force. One that
is not made up of ernotion, but is understand
ing and knowledgeable of the problems that
we all face-regardless of the type of aircraft
we fly. I am sure that in the last few years, for
example, many of you are concerned with the
inability to use your own public airport as was
possible in the past; that you cannot drive, in
many cases, to your hangar, or to load and un
load your airplane on the ramp; that you cannot
scale 1()' and 12foot fences in some areas to
get to the FAA Flight Service Station; that you
cannot use the lavatory in the terminal build
ing; that you cannot walk across some ramps
to request fuel for your airplane.
You have been concerned with the increas
ing number of control towers that spring up
across the country, and the inconveniences
quite often caused by them . You frequently
lash out blindly at the threeletter word as be
ing the cause of all our problems-FAA. It is
like saying Uncle Sam is bad. Within any or
gan ization or group and in our government,
there are many divisions, departments, and
chiefs who make decisions that affect our
lives. When a particular decision does have a
major effect on our life, would it not be best

H.

POBEREZNY

that we prepare ourselves knowledgewise, to

speak authoritatively on the particular sub
ject, whether it be TCAs, airport security,
possibly the need for better and improved
weather service, rather than to lash out at the
threeletter word and accomplish nothing, but
possibly lose the cooperation of many dedi
cated people in FAA?
True, there are those in FAA who perhaps
are not as qualified or have the enthusiasm
that one would expect. We too, in our organi
zation, have the same problem. It may be a
chapter president, an EAA member, or an offi
cer who at one time or another does not
represent the true spirit of what we are trying
to accomplish.
Oshkosh time is a good example of that
spirit. The great many FAA people who come
here to work-a working vacation for them as
well as for many EAA members-all serve the
multitude and quite often. Though tired and
exhausted , they are expected to perform per
fectly or respond patiently to an individual or
group of individuals who have recently arrived
and are fresh and enthusiastic.
At the present time we have three divisions
within EAA-the Warbirds, the International
Aerobatic Club, and the Vintage division. (We

have since added an affiliate organization, the

National Association of Flight Instructors
[NAFIJ.-Editor) The purpose in founding these
organizations, under the leadership and um
brella of EAA, was to gather within our
membership, those who had a particular inter
est in assisting EAA Headquarters by helping
at our annual convention in providing forums,
programs, parking assistance, judging, award
presentations , and many of the other tasks so
necessary to have a great event.
Th roughout the year, they shou Id aid head
quarters by instilling a spirit of cooperation in
the division members; and by providing leader
ship and identification for the group's specific
interests. All too often this responsibility falls
back on this office, and with the limited num
ber of hours in the day, I find that we too,
receive criticism for not being more than we
would like to be. So few can only do so much.
This is why EAA and your divisions need
loyalty and support, and understanding that
dues are just not enough. Many expect to re
ceive a publication the size of SPORT AVIATION
devoted solely to antique, classic and contem
porary aircraft, warbirds or aerobatics.
However, with only 4,000 members in the Divi
sions (in 2004 , a total of about

19,OOO-Editor), the numbers are not large

enough to cover the costs of printing, publish
ing and mailing a publication that can only be
increased in size through increased member
ships and funds. (In 2004, the dues do cover
the cost of each of the publications .-Editor)
Many times I wonder if we are not in competi
tion with ourselves, when we must put out
three extra publications. Perhaps there is a
better way to go, and yet have the identifica
tion of each group with the leaders to help us,
not only throughout the year but also in con
vention planning and at convention time.
I would like to know your ideas and
thoughts so that I can present them to the Di
rectors of the various Divisions . I can
remember when we started with the An
tique/ Classic Division-for the first year we
did not charge dues and very few joined . When
a dues structure was set up, then people be
gan to join.
I know that most of you are proud to wear
the patches of the groups you belong to, and
this is as it should be-whether it is an EAA
Division, the Antique Airplane Association, the
Professional Race Pilots Association, Soaring
Society of America , or others. This identifica
tion of your interests and enthusiasm is seen
on jackets everywhere. I take my hat off to all
of those who belong to the many organiza
tions , and not only support them through
membership dues, but through personal dedi
cation and enthusiasm.
We must also use the same philosophy
with the FAA to inspire those who may not be
close to the problem or see the reality of the
situation , to take a better and deeper look be
fore making decisions. In my opinion, the day
that FAA is separated from the Department of
Transportation and the President of the United
States sees fit to find and appoint a qualified
Administrator of this important function , the
better off we will all be.

This editorial by EAA Founder and Chair

man of the Board Paul Poberezny ran in the
September/ October 1975 issue of Vintage Air
plane, nearly 30 years ago. Paul brought it to
our attention a little while back, remarking
that it seemed we were still "working towards
many of the same goals. " He suggested we
run the article again , to show our current
members where we 've come from and how we
continue to work together as staff and volun
teer/ member, for the betterment of
aviation.-H.G. Frautschy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

To EAA AirVenture via open cockpits

SUE PACKER

uly 26, 2003-0shkosh con

trol tower announced, "Flight
of three Stearmans, cleared to
land. " Now anywhere else in
the world, this would be an un
usual eve nt for three Stearmans to
be in the traffic pattern at the same
time, but since the start of EAA Air
Venture Oshkosh 2003 was only
days away, this was a common
sight. What made this flight
unique, however, was that Richard
Packer owns all three Stearmans
and that three Packer family mem
bers were the pilots.
First to land was N9856H, piloted
by me. This PT-I7 has been a famil
iar sight in the Past Grand
Champion line since 1986, when
Richard received the Gold Lindy.
Next to arrive were Richard's most
recent PT-I7 restorations. Rich
Packer, our son, was at the controls
of N9856F (nicknamed "Fox"), and
my husband , Richard , piloted th e
third Stearman, N9856G (we call
this one "Golf"). Taxiing off Runway
18, the trio of Army Stearmans made
their way to the Antique parking
area to begin their stay at Oshkosh.

APRIL 2004

Making the trip to Oshkosh from

Radnor, Ohio, required a lot of
preparation and some help from
friends. As you would imagine, the
front seat of each Stearman was a
coveted prize, and each pilot se
lected his or her passenger. Since
this was my first flight into
Oshkosh, my passenger needed
prior experience with the conven
tion traffic. Bill Bruns from
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who re
cently retired from the FAA as an
air traffic controller, was chosen.
Bill had directed aircraft into
Oshkosh for many years, so it was
time to put him on the other end
of the radio. Richard 's passenger
was Krista Wise. Krista has worked
with us in restoring the aircraft. At
17 years o ld, Krista is an experi
enced aircraft fabric envelope
seamstress, rib-stitcher, and sander.
Her normal duties at the Packer air
port include mowing the runway
and washing aircraft. Rich's passen
ger was a longtime friend, Mark
from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Departing from Packer Airport
(5E9) early on July 26, the three

aircraft headed west toward

Chicago with Valparaiso, Indiana,
as the first deSignated fuel stop. A
strong south wind, however,
forced a stop at Warsaw, Indiana,
for fuel. When flying in formation,
the lead aircraft is responsible for
navigation, with the other aircraft
following along. I was in the lead
aircraft, so upon landing at War
saw, both Rich and Richard
promptly wanted to know "where
they were and why were they
there." For those of you familiar
with the Packer family, you are
aware that it is hard for the Packer
men to trust anything done by a
Packer woman!
Proceeding west, we landed as a
trio just southwest of Chicago at
Clow airport, where we made the
last fuel stop before proceeding to
Oshkosh. (Airports with north
south runways were highly favored
that day.) While on the ground,
Richard called the Oshkosh con
trol tower to alert the con trollers
of our anticipated arrival. With the
wind now on our tail, Oshkosh
was just a little over an hour away.

From a stack of
parts in a hangar in
Buckeye, Arizona,
Richard and Sue
Packer and the crew
at Packer Aviation
created two beautiful
Stearmans. Added to
the Grand Champion
Stearman restored by
Richard in 1986, the
trio was flown to EAA
AirVenture 2003 to
celebrate the first cen
tury of flight.
Flying north, we passed through
a narrow corridor between Du Page
and O'Hare Airports. On a clear
day, the airliners going in and out
of O'Hare look close enough to
touch. On this day, the haze
around Chicago limited our visibil
ity. The time to Oshkosh went by
fast, thanks to the tail wind, and
the excitement of arriving at
Wittman Field grew as we heard
on our radios, "Flight of three
Stearmans," at the Ripon and Fisk
checkpoints. We were greeted in
the aircraft parking area by a group
of special people headed up by
Kristie Bruns and Audrey and Bon
nie Poberezny.
Attending EAA AirVenture each
year is the highlight of the sum
mer. Normally, our Past Grand
Champion sits just east of the Vin
tage Barn and provides a common

meeting place for acquaintances to

gather for the air show, or to plan
the next adventure of the day. This
year the National Air Tour aircraft
were displayed in our normal spot,
so we tied our aircraft south of the
Vintage Aircraft Registration
booth. Our Past Grand Champion
sat on the east side of the road fac
ing west, and the two freshly
restored aircraft faced east on the
west side of the road. The three
Stearmans created a beautiful sight
as you wa lked down the road.
Camping in Camp Scholler is
the only way to really experience
the convention , and we need to
give special thanks to Chuck
Howald and his brother, Don. I'm
normally the designated driver to
pull the trailer to Oshkosh, but
Chuck and Don volunteered their
services so I'd be able to fly into

Oshkosh. Thanks again.

With the aircraft secure and the
campsite set up, we were ready to
begin our week of sharing flying
stories and showing off our air
craft. We set up a table between
the two new Stearmans, Fox and
Gulf, and displayed two books
showing the eight-year restoration.
Restoring two Stearmans at the
same time seems like a monumen
tal task, but in many ways the
second aircraft went together eas
ier than you would expect. The
theory that the second time you
do something goes faster than the
first time holds true for everything
but wings. No matter how you look
at it, there are eight wings, and
when it comes to covering and rib
stitching and sanding, the second
time is not any faster than the first.
Restoring aircraft that played
such a vital part in history is re
warding in itself, but sharing the
aircraft with people brings its own
rewards. Hearing the stories from
current pilots mastering the art of
flying an old biplane and watching
an older pilot recall his first flight
makes you forget the frustration of
trying to get the rudder on and the
sore fingers from rib-stitching.
Our week at EAA AirVenture was
over all too soon. Our departure was
planned for Saturday, August 2. As
the aircraft were being preflighted,
Kristie Bruns came out to wish Bill a
good flight. Since Rich's aircraft did
not have a front seat passenger for
the flight home, we convinced
Kristie to come to Ohio with us. She
said it was an offer she could not
turn down. With the aircraft set for
flight, it was time to start the en
gines and head for home.
The flight home was absolutely
wonderful. We had good weather
and good visibility. One fuel stop
was planned at Valparaiso, Indi
ana, where we serviced the aircraft
and ate lunch with the local EAA
Chapter. Flying three Stearmans in
formation cross-country is an ex
perience not to be forgotten, and it
was a great way to celebrate the
lOOth anniversary of flight. ......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

TAGE

Are you ready

for a new

flying season?

DOUG STEWART

The sound of hundreds of wings

in flight was distracting me from
the job at hand, that being to get
an article written in time to meet a
deadline. But as I sat at the com
puter, the buzzing of all those
wings was starting to get irritating.
How could that be? A lover of
flight such as myself being irritated
by the sound of wings in flight?
Distracted, perhaps, for like so
many of us I cannot help but stop
what I am doing and look skyward
whenever I hear the sounds of
flight, but bothered? That's cer
tainly not what the sounds of
flight do to me. Yet here I was,
starting to get really upset.
So I went over to the window.
Looking outside I could see that it
was one heck of a beautiful spring
day. The snow was gone. The grass
was starting to green up. The sky
was inviting me to get out to the
airport and add the Tennessee Red
and Diana Cream of my Super
Cruiser to the cerulean blue that
stretched to the horizon in all di
rections. This was a day to be out
flying, not sitting indoors writing,
or tending to the "honey do" list.
This might be what was causing
my irritation.
But I have learned that there are
times when certain responsibilities
dictate that I cannot be flying, no
matter how badly I wish to be up
in the sky. So that was not the
cause of my aggravation. What
was the cause were the hundreds
8

APRIL 2004

of cluster flies buzzing around the

window. They too were eager to
get outside, to stretch their wings
in flight, before heading to the

And so it is
with many,
many pilots
across this
great land
of ours.
For whatever
reason,they
have managed
to rationalize
not flying
throughout
the winter
months.
greening grass to propagate their
species. Those cluster flies appear
every spring, filling the windows
of many older houses, trying to get
outside. They have lain dormant
in the attics of our buildings, wings

folded in silent submission to the

cruel elements found outside
throughout the winter. They can't
wait for spring to come so that
they can once again be airborne,
fulfilling their purpose here on
Earth.
And so it is with many, many
pilots across this great land of ours.
For whatever reason, they have
managed to rationalize not flying
throughout the winter months.
They wait impatiently for that first
warm spring day to head out to
the airport and partake again of
the gift of wings. For many of these
pilots it might have been at least
30, 60, or maybe even 90 days or
more since they last sat at the con
trols of their aircraft. But unlike
the cluster flies whose instinct for
flight is inborn, these pilots have
in many cases let their flying skills
atrophy. Come the first nice week
end day of spring, they flock to the
airport, as do the cluster flies to
the window, to regain the sky. Un
fortunately it becomes quickly
evident, especially to those of us
who have stayed current through
out the winter, that the adage "Use
it or lose it" is a true saying.
For me, those first few weekends

(or weekdays for those not constrained by oth er re

sponsibilities) are some of the most dangerous times
to be flying. It seems as if every pilot who has spent
the winter chomping at the bit to be back in the air is
taxiing for the active runway, or in the pattern, or en
route to his or her favorite $100 burger destination .
And whereas the bicycle analogy (you never forget
how to ride one) is indeed often true regarding the
ability to fly an aircraft, it is also true that if you have
not flown within the past 30 days, your piloting skills
have probably deteriorated to a certain extent. And if
the last time you took the controls was before winter
set in, I think I could safely say that a little recu rrent
training might be a useful thing.
It is not only stick and rudder skills that can get
rusty (Did you remember to "dive away" from that
quartering tailwind as you taxied to the runway?), but
also the memory of procedures and regulations might
be affected. For example, have you remembered that if
you have not flown within the previous 90 days you
will need to perform three takeoffs and landings (each
to a full stop if in a tailwheel airplane) before you can
legally carry passengers? Do you remember the right
of way rules? Sometimes observing the antics that oc
cur in the traffic patterns of nontowered airports
makes me think that no one remembers those rules or,
worse yet, no longer cares about them. Or is it just as
simple as the fact that pilots forget, during the long
winter, that the best equipment for collision avoid
ance is the two eyes each of us was born with?
So I have a suggestion that could help all of us who
share the skies on those wonderful days of spring fly
ing. Why not use these early days of the season to get
some recurrent training? The FAA Wings program is a
wonderful way to do that! I certainly see more pilots
attending winter safety seminars than I do in the sum
mer. If you have already been in the process of
improving your knowledge by attending a seminar
during those dark winter months, all you need to do
now is get three hours of flight training ... one hour
each of maneuvers, takeoffs and landings, and instru
ment flight.
By getting the recurrent training of the Wings pro
gram, you are not only satisfying the requirements of
a biennial flight review, and quite possibly reducing
your own personal insurance premiums, but you will
also make yourself a safer pilot. At this time of year,
when your pilot skills might be at their lowest level,
why not use the Wings as an excellent opport unity
and incentive to knock off the rust that has accumu
lated over the winter? Doing so will certainly aid in
elevating you from being a good pilot, to being a great
pilot. That is a never-ending endeavor we should all
be taking.
Doug flies a 1947 PA-12. He is the 2004 National
Certificated Flight Instructor of the Year. Visit his web
site: www.dsflight. com.

2004 National Certificated

Fligbt Instructor of the Year
Douglas Stewart, MeFI
North Egremont, Massachusetts
Congratulations go to Doug for earn
ing the distinction of 2004 National
Certificated Flight Instructor of the
Year. Doug holds a Master Instructor
designation and operates Doug Stewart
Flight Instruction (www.dsflight.com) at
Kline Kill Airport (NYl) in Ghent, New
York. A veteran of U.S. Army service,
h e is a longtime aviation safety coun
selor, deSignated pilot examiner, and
member of the National Association of
Flight Instructors.

ir===================;-

Lakeland Air Service

u

tM ~Offle 0& tM r/(,tiatlYt "

(')Uat 7uet

~ ~ tk

Sem

'It

tem 7br11t

Welcomes All VAA Members To

Sun-n-Fun

2004!

(0) (863) 647-3911 Unicorn 122.95

100LL JET-A

www.lakelandairservice.net
Check our web site for the latest news,
discounts, fuel prices, and more!
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

ror many pilots

w~o flew t~e S-39,
it ~ecame afavorite,
an~ one t~ey'~
remem ~er for t~e
rest of t~eir lives.
for ot~ers, it woul~
~ecome an aeronautical
~oly grail.
intage airplanes are re
markable
machines.
When you think about
their longevity, and the
fact that so many of them can be
rebuilt with not much more than
average craftsmanship and a few
special tools, it's no wonder that
roughly half of all airplanes built
since World War II are still flying.
But there are exceptions. Many
of the airplanes built before WWII
did not survive the scrap drives of
that time, or they were tossed into
the dump. And some, despite be
ing built robustly, were "ridden
hard and put away wet." They were
tools to be used and discarded
when worn out, and not a second
thought was given to them by
some who flew and owned them.
The Sikorsky S-39 was one of
those tools, but it was a stubborn
machine. At first glance it looks
ungainly, but a more careful review
of the structure and intended mis
sion for the airp lane gives you a
real appreciation for Igor Sikorsky's
vision of what an amphibious air
plane could do. It could go just
about any place a person wanted to
be on this Earth, from the Tropics
to the Arctic, on a windswept

SIKORSKY

AMPHIBION

African plain or a beautiful blue

green inland lake teeming with
pike and trout.
It was a remarkable aircraft, the
"little brother" to the larger twin
engine Sikorsky S-38, which was
being used all over the globe to ex
plore and survey. The S-39 was to
be the well-heeled sportsman's
personal mount or the conven ient
chariot for a champion of indus
try, an airplane he could take
where he wanted. A person could
handle and dock the airplane
alone if need be, and it wouldn't
need as much fuel as the S-38.
The S-39 proved to be rugged,
even more so than most seaplanes.
Not many were built; besides the
two prototypes, a total of 21 air
planes of the S-39-A, S-39-B, and
the final variant, the S-39-C, were
constructed, but many went on to
serve for more than a decade, and
a few even longer than that, sol
diering on into the postwar years.
During the war they served on
search and rescue missions and as
bush planes, hauling in whatever
was needed.
When first designed by Sikorsky,
the S-39 was literally a shrunk
down version of the S-38, sporting
a pair of 105-115 hp Cirrus Hermes
eng ines and a pair of outrigger
mounted rudders. It was first flown
successfully on Christmas Eve
1929, but a crash on its third test
flight on December 30 nearly
ended the program when famed

Sikorsky test pilot Boris Sergievsky

and the project engineer, Mike
Gluhareff, had to ride the airplane
down to a marsh on Long Island
Sound after one of the Cirrus Her
mes decided to quit. Unable to
maintain flight on the other Her
mes, Sergievsky and Gluhareff
managed to swim away from the
ensuing wreck, but the airplane
was totaled. Since his early days as
a designer in Russia, Igor Sikorsky
preferred multiengine aircraft. He
felt that when properly designed,
the loss of one engine should not
result in the loss of the aircraft.
The S-39 became a single-engine
aircraft after the accident with the
prototype. Although Sikorsky still
would have rather installed a pair
of larger engines, another factor
came to bear when the decision
had to be made. Sikorsky Aircraft
had recently become a division of
the United Aircraft Corp., and
United management made it known
it preferred the airplane be powered
by another United Aircraft product,
an engine built by the Pratt & Whit
ney company. A single 300-hp P&W
Wasp Junior was mated to the S-39
airframe. It could even be argued
that it enhanced safety, since it was
unlikely that a twin-engine version
wi th lower horsepower engines
would have been able to maintain
flight with one engine.
The S-39 isn't written of very of
ten, since its design and production
was taking place at the same time
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

11

Dick Jackson, of
Rochester, New
Hampshire, has
loved vintage air
planes all his life.
He's owned a num
ber of great ones,
and still owns the
rare Waco Model
D, a closed-cockpit
black biplane that
comes straight out
of the pages of 1930s
The (use/age hull and wing bits and pieces for 5-39 pulp magazines like
NSOV, SIN 912, lies in a loading area after being re Flying Aces. He also
covered from the Alaska bush near Naknek, Alaska. It loves seaplanes, and
had been stripped of just about everything usable, and so in 1962 he started
was being used as a clubhouse by an 8-year-old Inuit researching antique
boy and his friends . When found, it had small trees seaplanes. An am
and undergrowth pushing up through the structure!
phibian made the
most sense, since
you didn't have to
leave it outside all
the time, and you
could just taxi up to
the fuel pumps. Be
ing able to alight on
both water and land
gave plenty of op
tions for places to
visit, instead of be
ing bound to only
seaplane bases. For
practical reasons, he
Most often, each piece had to be constructed using the ruled out wooden
original parts for patterns. Here, a portion of the en airframes, since they
gine cowling is used to create a pair of dies that were didn't hold up well
used to press louvers for the cowling.
over the years. That
meant an all-metal
as another Sikorsky Amphibion" airframe, and when the folder of
(Sikorsky's coined term for his am research materials started to grow,
phibious airplanes)-the four it became obvious that the air
engine airliner being designed and plane he was looking for was a
built for Pan American Airways, the Sikorsky Amphibion. He soon dis
S-40. Working closely with Pan Am covered that finding one was a real
consultant Charles Lindbergh, Igor challenge. None were flying, and
Sikorsky designed the airplane to be there were few bits and pieces that
a quantum leap from the capabili could be found. Given the way the
ties of the S-38. The S-39 wasn't an airplane was constructed, I suppose
afterthought, but understandably, it it's not surprising that the parts
didn't get a lot of notice when com seemed to scatter as soon as an air
pared with its much larger brethren. plane was deemed unairworthy.
Dick Jackson's a persistent New
For many pilots who flew the S-39,
it became a favorite, and one they'd England bUSinessman, a character
remember for the rest of their lives. istic that has served him well over
For others, it would become an the years while restoring the S-39.
Once he decided to rebuild a Siko
aeronautical holy grail.

rsky, he was going to pick apart

every lead he could uncover. His
first major breakthrough came in
1964, when he asked his good
friend Steve Rhodes to follow up on
his research. He gave Rhodes a list
of the eight S-39s thought to be in
Alaska. One proved to be if not the
jackpot, at least a good start.
At the end of the Aleutian is
land chain is the small Inuit village
called Naknek. There, Steve asked
about the whereabouts of the re
mains of NC-50V, which had been
rumored to have been abandoned
after being damaged in 1944 or
'45. No adults knew of the air
plane, but an 8-year-old boy
did-he and his buddies were us
ing it as their clubhouse!
By truck to King Salmon and
then by airfreight to Anchorage, it
was finally shipped, dirt and all
(so no little buried parts would be
lost), to New Hampshire, where it
arrived in 1965. Thankfully, the
airframe did still have its all-im
portant nameplate. Now Dick had
a place to start, but didn't know
how long the road would be. If he
had, he might very well have de
cided the project was pure folly.

I{

12

APRIL 2004

Each of the tail booms was repaired

and then coated with epoxy primer.

The completely new center section with its fabric covering applied. You can see
the fuel tanks installed in the center section, which was done in the S-39C
model of the airplane. Earlier versions had the fuel in tanks located in the hull.

The two long hatches and the smaller

aft hatch allow you to gain access to
th e cabin. The aluminum vertical
tub e is a retractable handle that
makes the climb up easier.

the restoration, but Dick was a stick

ler that the airplane be accurately
re-created. Since he didn't have a
riding lens (which serves as an "at
anchor" light when the airplane is
sitting in the water), Dick had a
new set molded. He was also miss
ing parts to the Pioneer position
lights, so molds were made and
new red and green lenses were cast.
Dick owned an original set of
14

APRIL 2004

The engine control quadrant, like the

control wheel, is original.

Pyle landing lights, which were in

stalled on many S-39s. Years before
the project was completed,
smooth-talking Larry Harmacinski
talked Dick into selling the Pyle
lights to him for his Waco ASO
project. It gets complicated after
that, but later, when a complete
set of Pyle lights was made avail
able, Larry bought that set, so Dick
was able to buy back the set of
lights he'd sold Larry years before!
Each part of the project had its

own little mountain to climb.

More than half of the wing ribs in
the 52-foot wing had to be built
from scratch. There are 72 pieces
in each rib, which meant more
than 1,800 pieces were made for
the wing's ribs. The center section
from NC-809W proved to be un
airworthy, so a new section was
built. Since the unusable section

From the original Sikorsky Am

phibian S-39 brochure.

was intact, it showed the technical

changes needed to convert the S
39 to a C model. Dick deviated
from one method of original con
struction-the original corrosion
protection for the wings was a

combination of red lead oxide

primer, covered by beeswax. The
areas coming in contact with fab
ric were dope-proofed using tin
foil. For the restoration, Dick chose
to use epoxy primers.
The tail section also required
the manufacture of some new ribs,
along with a set of spars. The rud
der is an original part that could be
repaired. Even the ripples in the
rudder's skin surface, which were
there when the airplane was built,
have been maintained.
The first major piece recovered,
the hull to NC-SOV, was severely cor
roded. Three major bulkheads
needed to be replaced, as well as the
upper decking, hatches, and win
dow frames. The bottom skins and
the keel also had to be replaced. All
of the riveting was done using the
same methods craftsmen at Sikorsky
had used in 1930. The upset side of
the rivet was rounded, instead of
flat . All of the hardware in the air
frame is white cadmium plated, and
all nuts that must be safetied are
done so with cotter pins-no elastic
stop nuts were used. All of the con
trol cables are spliced, with no
compression fittings used.
The interior is strikingly origi
nal. Since both fabric and leather
upholstery samples were found
from the various S-39s, Dick and

Patsy chose to use leather for the

seat cushions, and the interior side
panels were reproduced from ma
hogany, using the original parts as
patterns. The instrument panel is
equally original, with the addition
of a small panel that hides the
modern switches and controls for
the alternator, radiOS, and inter
com. One of the original parts in
the cockpit is the control wheel,
which was disassembled and then
reglued. The S-39 came equipped
with a control wheel on the pilot's
side, and a removable control stick
on the right.
Unlike the S-38, the cockpit to
the S-39 is entered through the
cabin. (The S-38 must be entered
through hatches on each side of
the cockpit.) With two up forward
in the cockpit, there's still plenty
of room for two or three passen
gers in the aft cabin, though with
three on the seat, they'd better be
married or very close friends!
Above the cockpit, mounted on
the wing center section, is a neatly
cowled Pratt & Whitney 96S-ANl,
which is rated at 400 hp at 2200
rpm while pulling 34 inches of
manifold pressure. (The -ANI is
the military designation for the B
series of the 98S.) The cowling sur
rounding the Wasp Junior is new
and secured using pins and wires.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

15

I have been lucky enough to fly

the S-39 with Dick and Patsy
(Thank you, Hank Jackson) on a
couple of occasions, and one of
the most striking aspects of flying
in the S-39 is the sensation that
you're suspended from the wing
and the rest of the airframe. That
feeling comes from seeing all the
struts that make up the intercon
necting structure of the S-39. All of
the struts on the Jacksons ' S-39 are
new, and they're attached using
the same system originally used by
Sikorsky. Each strut end is secured
using hollow steel tubular rivets,
which are then filled with beeswax
for corrosion protection. It took a
lot of experimentation and re
search to duplicate the system.
The landing gear does have a
modern system installed: Cleve
land wheels and brakes. Originally,
the majority of the S-39 braking
systems were set up so that brake
and rudder input could not be ap
plied at the same time, but since
NC-809W had been revised with
toe brakes, Dick chose to use that
configuration on NC-SOV.
One of the biggest challenges af
ter the fuselage was re-creating the
landing gear. Four struts were re
covered over the years, but none
could be successfully rebuilt. A
complete set of new struts was
built, using chevron seals and the
original end caps. Since the S-39s
were built with varying sizes of
tires, it gave Dick some latitude to
choose something that would work
well on grass and pavement. A set
of 8.5 x 10 tires were picked and
recapped to match the smooth
tread from the 1930s. The tail
wheel size is original and acts as
the water rudder as well. The forks
are original, but the spring, oleo
shock absorber, and a few other
parts had to be replaced.
Two other additions to the air
plane were made in the interest of
safety. A set of wingtip strobes help
keep the Sikorsky visible in the
hazy summer skies, and Dick
added an oil filter to the engine's
oil system.
16

APRIL 2004

Dick and Patsy Jackson toast the restoration crew present after the wings and
engine are hung. By golly, now it's beginning to look like an Amphibion!
The fabric covering is Ceconite,
with dope finish. Dick and his
helpers mixed their own silver
dope, working to get just the right
amount of color. The Sikorskys did
not have a lot of dope applied to
the fabric, so Dick and his helpers
did their best to keep the finish to
a minimum. The yellow inlay on

the top of the wing is exactly per

the Sikorsky finish speCification,
and it matches a sample that came
with the parts from NC-S4V.
But what about that fuselage? In
the 1930s Martin and Osa Johnson
traversed Africa shooting documen
tary films. They used a pair of
Sikorskys, a zebra-striped S-38 they

Friends have added to the collection

of the Jacksons' giraffe motif collec
tion of cabin pillows. Both cloth and
leather seat cushions were used on
the 21 S-39s built-th e Jacksons
chose Leather.

dubbed Osa 's Ark and an S-39 they

called the Spirit ofAfrica. To honor
both the memories of the Johnsons
and of the designer of the aircraft,

Two forward and two or three aft is

the seating arrangement of the S-39.

Dick and Pat chose to name their S

39 Th e Spirit of Igor and paint it in

the same giraffe motif as the John

sons used on theirs. A black and

white photo was projected onto the

hull of the S-39, and each spot care
fully masked off. During their
research, Dick and Pat were amazed
at the number of different types of
giraffe that exist in the wild-there
are nine different marking sets for
the giraffe.
So how long did it take? Well,
over the years, whenever some
body asked Dick when the big
Amphibion would be finished, his
reply was always the same.
"Thursday."
Over the 40 years it took to col
lect and restore the S-39, 2,080
Thurdays went by, with a couple of
years taken off in the middle of the
restoration. And over those decades
40,000 man-hours of work went
into the project. Dick estimates that
over the years, Patsy made thou
sands of lunches for the volunteers.
The restoration took more than
half of Dick's lifetime, and he had
some great helpers along the way.
In the beginning he had Lockhart
"Smitty" Smith, Chickie Mattocks,
and others who are no longer with
us, including Steve Rhodes, Phil
Redden, Lyman Rice, Norman Wal
lace, Stillman Worcester, and Bill
Beck. Since the final eight-year
push to complete the restoration
began in 1995, the core of the
hands-on effort was supported by
John LaChance, Frank Stephens,
Hank Jackson, Barry Jameson, Bill
Thaden, Phil Sawyer, Dwight
Horne, and Arthur Shute. Through
it all, Patsy Jackson was there as
well, supporting her husband to
realize a dream that took an enor
mous amount of dedication.
Persistence. That's what it took.
Heaps of persistence. Always keep
ing the goal in sight, and never
forgetting how much it meant to
have friends who were always there
to help. Do you think Dick Jackson
remembers all that was given to
him by friends and family along
the way during those 40 years? Just
look in his eyes wh e n he talks
about their contributions.
He knows , and he 's eternally
grateful .
~
V INTAGE AIRPLANE

17

very legendary airplane has

to start somewhere. There
has to be a first one. But in
the case of utility airplanes,
like the omni-present Cessna ISO,
the very early airplanes seldom sur
vive. Working airplanes are exposed
to operating conditions that often
preclude long-term survival. Ditto
the tailwheel-taildraggers tend to
have lower survival rates. Still, mir
acles do happen and that is the case

with Red Hamilton and Marilyn

Boese's Fort Bragg, California-based
C-lS0: it is the first Cessna ISO to
leave the factory and only the third
one produced (the first two stayed
at the factory). Even more amazing,
it never deteriorated to the point
that it had to be fully restored.
The C-lS0 was a logical out
growth of the C-170. In fact, the
prototype was exactly that: a C-170
with a 225-hp, Continental 0-470A

stuffed in the nose, plus and modi

fied, rectangular tail surfaces, which
were needed to handle the higher
horsepower and speeds. It's not
known how much input the mar
keting department had on deviat
ing from the curved outline of the
C-170 tail surfaces, but it was a rad
ical departure toward the modern.
Art deco was out, cubism was in.
The result was that, although the
new airplane was clearly based on
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

19

the 170, the 180 stood out in a

crowd as being something new
and different.
Internally, the 180 is essential
ly 170, with a little extra beef
here and there. It's often thought
that the 180 is a bigger, wider air
plane but that's not the case. Not
only are they the same width, but
also for the first several years of
production, many of the parts
numbers were the same.
Factory test pilot Hank Waring
made the first test flight of the
prototype in January of 1952, and
it went into production even
before the full type certificate was
issued. The first airplane rolled off
the production line in October of
that year and full type certification
wasn't granted until December. A
year later, a total of 641 C-180s had
rolled off the line at a base price of
$12,950 1953 dollars.
The first two production air
planes were retained by the factory.
Initially, they were pressed into
service as demonstrators and per
sonnel hacks. In 1956, however, the
factory was updating the 180 line
and one of the updates involved
modified landing gear legs. As part
of the testing they did what was
essentially a test-to-destruction and
the airplane chosen for that test was
old Serial No. 30000. They kept
dropping it from higher distances
until at 12 feet, the airplane itself
was damaged to the pOint that it
wasn't economically repairable. The

Red and Marilyn with their Cessna 180.

20

APRIL 2004

second airplane produced was

destroyed in an accident leaving
N2802A (the first airplane the facto
ry actually delivered to a customer)
the oldest surviving C-180.
Incidentally, the first 600 air
planes reportedly had sequential
liN" numbers beginning with
N2800A, with the only exceptions
being the occasional custom num
ber for a customer. The last two dig
its in the liN" number match the
last digits in the serial number.
The airplane was an instant hit.
With what was blazing performance
for the time, it was hailed as a true
"Business Liner" and sales were
strong, peaking out in 1955 with an
astounding 891 airplanes built. The
next year, however, Cessna intro
duced the C-182. This was the C
180 with a training wheel up front

and no cowl flaps, and sales

dropped sharply on the taildrag
ger as the rank and file pilot dis
covered the joy and simplicity of
the nosewheel. By the 1960's
approximately 150 airplanes a
year were being delivered to those
pilots who still saw the taildragger
as the ultimate utility airplane
and capable of going places the
nose-dragger didn't dare go.
Production continued until 1981
when the last 180 rolled off the
line September 10th of that year.
The first airplane delivered,
N2802A, went straight to Conti
nental Motors who put 788 hours
on it over the next three years.
Then it went through a succession of
owners until Red Hamilton saw it
listed for sale. Red freely admits that
he is mechanically fixated on older
machinery. In fact, that's how he has
always made his living.
He says, "I just like old stuff that
works."
He's always had an interest in air
planes but it wasn't his primary pas
sion when younger.
"I suppose I shouldn't admit it,
but I never did build model air
planes as a kid. I was into cars,
and still am. Especially flathead
Fords. When I was in my teens, in
the 1950's, I started rebuilding
Stromberg carburetors. In those
days, the old Flathead V-8 wasn't
old. A lot of folks were still driving
them and the hotrod community,
which I was closest to, still used lots
of them. My first V-8 was a '39
Deluxe coupe and, after driving
Model A's, it made me feel as if I had
really arrived."
In his twenties Red went to work
for an aerospace company where he
found himself working with any
thing but antique hardware.
"I was in the R&D lab and we were
building all sorts of stuff for the space
program, including parts for liquid
fuel rockets and ablative materials.
"Outside of work, I was doing a
fair amount of official and unoffi
cial drag racing. Among other cars I
had, and still have, was a 427 Ford
Galaxie on which I built the head

ers. I'd found on the

flatheads that the best
thing you could do for
horsepower was get rid
of the manifolds and
go with tubing headers
to make the exhaust
flow easier.
"I was rebuilding a
lot of engines, the
majority of them flat
heads and I equipped
just about everyone Many have speculated that the Cessna 180 was bigger
with headers. Then, in than the 170, but they are the same size. The early 180's
1974, J. C. Whitney, instrument panel is nearly identical to its earlier cousin.
my primary source for
founder
of
the scheme draWings from Cessna and
headers, stopped producing them, so Bombardier,
had it stripped and put back in its
I started making them myself and International Cessna 180/185 club.
that's where my present business got He told us about an airplane that was 1952 paint scheme.
its real start."
"I'm an engine guy so I did the
for sale and told us where to find the
As improbable as it sounds, today ad for it. The ad read " . .. oldest C engine, an 0-470U, myself under the
the old flathead Ford engine is enjoy 180 for sale ...." The word "oldest" supervision of an A & P. I love doing
ing a major resurgence courtesy of the is probably what drew us in.
crankshaft and rod work so I brought
"That was about 1987 and no one the engine up to my standards. That
nostalgia boom in hotrodding as well
as the growing interest in early V-S was interested in whether an airplane was 600 hours ago and the engine
Ford cars (1932-1953). Hamilton's like a 180 had any significance or not.
has been trouble free and super
company, Red 's Headers (22950 It was just another old airplane to smooth during the entire time.
Bednar Lane, Fort Bragg, CA 95437, most people. We, however, really
"Being a hotrodder at heart I
707-964-7733, www.reds-headers.com)
liked the idea of owning the oldest added a Snyder speed kit to the air
was ideally positioned and became Cessna 180 and especially liked the frame that added five to six miles per
part of the boom. The activity was fact that it was the very first one sold.
hour so it cruises at an honest 160
partially fueled by the discovery of In production airplanes it's hard to 165 mph. It already had the pants on
hundreds of new flathead Ford come up with something unique.
it.
engines the French military released
"In some ways this airplane is a
"We also cleaned up the panel.
in the '90s. Besides his signature tub celebrity because it is one of the air The top half is original, including the
ing headers, he supplies virtually planes shown in the 1953/54 pilot's "hockey puck OG" and antique arti
every part necessary to rebuild or handbook.
ficial horizon. The original plastic
hOp-up a flathead Ford as well as
"In the course of owning the air work is still on the bottom center
doing custom rebuilds himself.
plane we've tried to find out as much and we found an original glove box
"When we were starting a family I as possible about the airplane and door through the C1S0/185 club.
made it a point to avoid airplanes while doing that we ran across an ex
"Basically, we've just enjoyed the
because I knew they'd suck me in, Cessna engineer who had lots of old airplane and fixed things as we
and I couldn't afford them. By 'S4, records about our airplane.
needed to."
however, things were going well
"During the first few months,
Red, however, is the kind of
enough that I started working on my from October 1952 until January hands-on guy who always has to be
license and did a lot of flying in our 1953, the factory did a lot of rework building/fixing/modifying stuff.
club's ]-3, 172, etc.
on the airplane. In fact, the paper And that's what drove him to his
"We bought our first airplane, a work generated by Cessna on this current project.
ISO, in 'S6 and had two partners. one airplane during that time is a
"I bought a 150-hp Tailwind proj
Unfortunately, one of them totaled stack of paper about an inch thick.
ect that I finished and just started fly
that airplane so when it came time
"When we got the airplane it was ing. It may be a little odd looking
for a new airplane, we didn 't have a actually in pretty good condition compared to more modern airplanes,
partner."
and most of what we've done has but it flies really well and is quite fast
When Red and his wife, Marilyn, been in the area of cosmetics and for a 50-year-old design. Like I said, I
went looking for another airplane the making sure it is good mechanically. like old things that work."
ISO was on the top of their want list.
We wanted it to look original so we
And that pretty well sums it up,
"We called Charles 'Bomber' bought a copy of the original paint doesn't it?
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

21

A Tribute to Cole Palen and

His Friend Gordon Bainbridge

The early days at the Aerodrome

Ev CASSAGNERES

am very saddened about the recent layoffs of

three key people who were part of the Old
Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Rhinebeck, New York.
Ken Cassens, Jim Hare, and Scotty MacKenzie
were devoted workers whom I got to know intimately
and respected. I wish I knew the real reason for their
layoff, but I do not. However, I would like to at least
convey my early experiences with that world famous
aerodrome, created by James Cole Palen.
Cole Palen and Gordon Bainbridge, along with a
handful of others, will go down in history books as
strong, quiet, humble, kind, and interesting pre
servers of our wonderful flying heritage.
I first knew about Cole Palen in the early 1950s,
when flying friends said, "some guy" has been flying
a WW I Spad 13 out of Stormville Airport, Stormville,
New York (Pete O'Brien's place) on Sundays. Wow, I
thought, what a sight that must be. I never did get
over there to see such a flight.
I did meet Cole, however, in about 1956 at an air
show in Massachusetts. I was riding an original 1880
high-wheel bicycle at the show, and it was not long
before we struck up a conversation when he needed
someone to "prop" the Spad, or perhaps it was the
Nieuport 28. I had earned my flying lessons in 1945
while working as a "line boy," and propping airplanes
all day long, winter and summer. I thought I knew all
the commands for getting one of these things started
"by hand," until he informed me of the command
"buzz," but that's another story.
Some months later I recall riding my bicycle to
where he lived in Poughkeepsie, New York, at his par
ents, small home down the street from Vassar College.
Imagine my eyes when he took me out back to the
chicken coops and yard where he had stored several
WWI airplanes, in various stages of repair, or disre
pair, depending on how you looked at it.
Eventually he purchased an old piece of property in
Red Hook, near Rhinebeck, New York, with one house
and lots of trees. Apparently there had been a murder
in the old house, and the locals were a bit supersti
tious, and the price kept dropping, as no one wanted
it. But then along came visionary Cole Palen. The deal
was made in no time, and soon the tree cutting be
gan. Rock picking parties were the order of the day

22

APRIL 2004

(billions of rocks I'll have you know) but with the

help of other airplane nuts like myself, a flying
airstrip began to form, funny looking as it was.
Driving over there from Connecticut on weekends
as time went on, in my trusty old 1951 Hillman
"Minx" was a real adventure. Spending the whole
weekend completely absorbed in this fairy/dreamland
was nothing short of fantastic.
Cole was a task driver from the word go. We would
work hard all day long on airplanes, rocks- you
name it. The old house was full of charm-and I
might add-dust, by the proverbial inch. No running
water as a start, no operating toilet, and well, you
know the rest. This was pioneering, and who cared,
really; there were important airplanes out there to be
taken care of.
I remember it like it was yesterday. At lunch time,
to the minute, we would break, go to the house, and
sit in the, ahem, 'dining room,' where, and picture
this, there was this absolutely huge, and very heavy

old dining table, the likes of a monster pool table,

upon which you were likely to find just about any
thing, and I mean anything, but usually airplane
parts, a whole crankcase from a Hisso, OX-5, rotary,
dope cans, pieces of fabric, water soaked old airplane
books, and an "official" man eating "guard Kat," by
the name of Pete. Pete the one-eyed cat, yes, a real
live (most of the time anyway) honest to goodness cat
with one eye. He drifted in from we know not where,
became part of the crowd or crew, and left some years
(many years) later just the same, off to we know not
where and has not been seen since.
Pete and the rest of us shared that humongous
table, with real food of the day-a huge round can of
the life-giving peanut butter, and a loaf of bread,
maybe a piece of cheese here and there, a banana or
two, much milk (much to the delight of old one-eye)
and of course ice cream which we attempted to keep
"ready" in an honest to goodness "ice box" (any of
you younger aviators out there ever hear of one?).
As Cole and I were single at the time, we would al
ways look forward to Saturday night. Why? Because
we could jump into his 1953 (I think) Chevy, and
drive the 30 or so miles off into the country to
Williams Lake, better known to the locals as "Willie's
Pond." What was there, you ask? Aha, water and soap
for one. They actually had real running water in
showers and sinks and all that kind of thing. We
would go early,
get all cleaned up
from two days of
grime, and into
our finest dress
clothes (or what
ever we could
afford at the time
with our limited
funds,
which
surely were lim
ited). Actually we
really were rich
men at that time.
Even though we
drove old cars,
funny ones at
that, we had an
airplane or two. Cole had more than I. I only owned a
rare thing called a Ryan, with two little holes in the
top of the fuselage, and an upsidedown blue engine
up front. Between us we barely had enough money
just to put fuel in them.
Well sir, as soon as we sort of became proper like,
and I use the term a bit loosely, we would go upstairs
from the shower room, and make a grand entry to the
grand ballroom, where much to our delight was a live
band, with the most wonderful music you could
imagine, but mainly Scandinavian stuff, for dancing,

like the waltz, fox trot, rumba, hombo, and Iawegeon

polka. AND, real live girls, the kind who would actu
ally talk to you and look like girls, in real dresses and
all the rest of those fine and frilly feminine attrac
tions. What fun it was, for the two "daring young
adventuresome" aviators to attack the place with our
stories of grand dogfights over the "front" of
Rhinebeck. That was living, I can assure you.
In fact, this is where Cole met his future bride, Rita,
whom he stayed married to for a long time. Rita had
been a wonderful and devoted lady and a close com
panion to Cole.
But getting back to Willie's. When midnight ar
rived , Cole would come over to me no matter at
what stage of a wild hangar flying adventure I was in
to some unsuspecting young thing who would "in
sist" on giving me her phone number so she could
find out the next exciting episode. He'd say "it's the
bewitching hour, and we have to get back to the
field to get some sleep" so we could arise at 6 a.m. to
begin working on the airplanes. With that we'd head
straightway for the door.
I recall one night when it was raining rather hard,
we drove along this dark and lonely road. Cole's head
lights spotted some kind of animal that appeared to
have been hit by a car in the middle of the road, and
was just kind of lying there staring up at us. Cole
stopped the car; we both got out, and went to the ani
mal. It was completely Cole's idea to do something,
even though I have always loved animals and nature.
But he did something. He very, and I mean VERY,
gently, and with a board , picked up the animal-I
think it was a possum or beaver. He carefully moved
the poor thing way into the woods out of the sight of
people, and remarked, "animals and nature have a
wonderful way of healing themselves and should be
given a chance to survive like us." I never forgot this,
Cole the giver, a man with a lot of love and respect for
life, his fellow man, and laughter.
We had a lot of fun in those days, scared ourselves
all the time, but always found things to laugh about,
even our own rather stupid mistakes and antics. Cole
gave me a lot of chances to learn about "real" air
planes, which I had loved since early childhood while
building models.
Back at the aerodrome, and after the interesting
strip was cut out, with a hill at the south end and a
curve at the northeast end, some flying began to hap
pen. Some of the most interesting characters began to
show up from all over the place. There were no "air
shows" then. Just a lot of dreams on Cole's part.
Sometimes, especially on a nice Sunday afternoon,
people would show up, and mind you there were no
advertisements, only word of mouth. If a family with
children would stop in, Cole would ask if they would
like to hear an engine run; and if they could adjust to
that okay, "Would you like to see one fly?" And that
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

23

GORDON BAINBRIDGE
(Passed away October 31, 1993)
Gordon Bainbridge was learning to fly from Dave Fox and rebuilding a Taylorcraft at
the same time, when I first met him.
Gordon was the first announcer for Cole Palen, in the very early days of the Old
Rhinebeck Aerodrome air shows. I have to admit I enjoyed just as much listen ing to
Gordon on the microphone as I did watching all the aerial antics of Cole's WW I air
planes as they flew overhead.
It was a laugh a minute with a profound education on what was going on up in the
air as well as who and what was in the air. Why? Because Gordon Bainbridge, like Cole
Palen, was a special kind of person.
He was an educator by profession, and at the time was teaching art and drafting in
the local school system. He was also a very accomplished artist and craftsman. When
those first old-time hangars went up on the field , Gordon was the artist who painted the
names of Curtiss, Fokker, Spad, and others on them, to give the place that special kind
of appearance, atmosphere and nostalgia. He also liked to do "caricatures" of those of
us who hung out there, and was extremely keen on picking up on our so called talents
as well as our weaknesses and blunders-especially our blunders. Case in pOint ... I
had just purchased a 1936 Ryan ST, and spent a couple of weeks polishing and waxing
it, and flew it down to an air show in Pennsylvania. When asked to fly with Harold Krier
alongside his Great Lakes by Pathe News, I jumped at the chance. However, upon take
off, and at altitude of about 50 feet, the Menasco engine quit cold, and with thousands
of people all over that airport, I had only one little corner to land the Ryan. All went
well until the left wing stalled first at just about the same time the left landing gear hit
the ground, and broke the left rear spar at the junction of the flying and landing wires.
So what does this have to do with Gordon and Cole? With not much money to have
it fixed, Cole offered to do the job, loaned me his 1953 Chevy and "Rube Goldberg" air
plane trailer and I brought the sick bird up to Rhinebeck, in a snow storm yet. All that
winter the wing was repaired and both wings re-covered. By spring all was ready, and
on a nice Sunday afternoon the airplane was put together on Cole 's front lawn right in
front of his house.
Of course I had to start up the engine, and taxi it off the lawn, down the road, and
across the rickety bridge to the airstrip. But wouldn't you know that with all myexcite
ment and "hurry-up-itis" I hit Cole's three-bladed propeller mounted mailbox with the
wing tip, putting quite a dent in the mailbox, and scratching up the wing tip.
Cole never stopped laughing about this but of course it was Gordon Bainbridge who re
ally picked up on the opportunity to do a caricature of this "federal offense," which he did
and which hung in the museum in some glass cabinet for many years. Every time I went
over there and saw it I had to laugh myself, especially at my embarrassing blunder.
Gordon was an inspiration to us all back then, and as the years went on he was re
sponsible, together with his lovely wife, Catherine, who worked at his side, for the
restoration of many of Cole's airplanes, and in addition building brand new replicas for
the show.
Gordon, his lovely spouse, and I were good friends, a friendship I have cherished all
these years, and hope never to forget.
Gordon Bainbridge had a special kind of quiet and wonderful dignity and a sense of
humor similar to Garrison Keillor, one of my favorite humorists.
I miss Gordon Bainbridge very much.
Incidentally, it was at Rhinebeck where I first learned about and met John Miller,
who flew a Bonanza in one day to Cole's place. Most impressive. I very much enjoy
reading John's articles in Vintage magazine; he is quite a guy indeed.
For the past several years I have been regularly flying into the Old Rhinebeck Aero
drome in my 1953 Cessna 170, N1953A, to help with the building and authenticity of
the replica Spirit of St. Louis. All other airports are boring in comparison. I will miss
many trips into that place and how much fun it was.
24

APRIL 2004

was that, and we would put one

in the air, with Cole doing the
flying, of course.
One day, I shall never forget ,
when he said to me, "Hey Ev,
why don't you take the Aeronca
C-3 up and do something funny
with it?" (NC17447, which is still
there.) And I said, "like what?"
"Oh, I don't know, you have a
good sense of humor, whatever
comes into your mind is fine
with me."
So with that, we propped the
little "bathtub" airplane, as it
was known, and with only a tail
skid on the rear end, managed to
"climb" up to the top of the hill
at the south end, turn it around,
check the single mag (single ig
nition) and push the throttle full
forward . All 36 horses of that lit
tle horizontally opposed
two-cylinder engine got us
started at "breakneck " speed,
down the hill with what ap
peared to be a lot of effort, even
down hill. I was glad I was a thin
and lightweight guy at the time.
After what seemed like forever I
finally coaxed that little pow
ered glider off the ground, got
some much needed altitude and
played around with it for a
while. Then I cut the power and
glided off over the hillside and
disappeared over a potato field
and slow flew (that's the only
kind of flying that airplane knew
anyway) at 100 feet over the
field. I then decided I had scared
Cole long enough and came
"thundering" over the field,
crosswise, like there was no to
morrow, finally doing a loop or
two, and coming in on one
wheel, forgot which one , and
screeched to a stop. "Solo" the
flying clown was now in the air
show business, thanks to Cole
Palen, and I went on to do this
many years after that, usually
with a C-65 powered Piper J-3,
dressed as a real clown. Yes, it
was Cole who gave me that start.
Some of the characters who
became part of the land there

were such names as IBM engineer Bob Love, old-timer

and highly respected pilot Dave Fox, Morgan Cobb,
Akron Funk, Don Brewster, (C-3) Owen Billman, 0-3)
Tom Stark, Ralph Hasking, and of course the leg
endary "Mike Spandau."
We were all given the chance to fly his airplanes at
one time or another, sometimes without warning.
One nice spring day, during the week, when there was
just the two of us sort of taking a break from working
on the Spad and Fokker D-7, Cole asked the $64,000
question, Ev, would you like to fly one of these
things? Hah, what a question indeed. I figured I had
died and gone to heaven, and could not wait to climb
into the Spad. I was all fired up, and full of confidence
(which can be dangerous) until he swung that big
prop and the Hisso came to life. Then every bone in
my body shook, and I said to myself, "This is for real,
kid, think you can handle this?" And the answer
quickly came back-"NO, NO, NO." But what the
heck, you only live once, just another adventure to
add to the list of life's exciting challenges.
So after a couple of dry runs, with the tail off the
ground, down the runway, in both directions, I de
cided I was now Captain "Rick-et-y-back" and had to
take care of the Huns somewhere out over the Rhine
(actually the Hudson River). And off I went. But that's
another story, which ended up with a "fair" landing,
and a smile from Cole. The D-7 was next, and this
skinny old Connecticut fly-boy suddenly became the
Von Richtofen of Deutsch-et-e-kut.
Yes, Cole Palen was the kind of guy who loved air
planes, old ones, and I think he got just as much
enjoyment out of sharing this love with others who
had the "disease" too. I was not the first pilot and I
know not the last one he gave a chance to fly such
historically exotic flying machines and other vehicles
at the"Aerodrome" in Rhinebeck.
What I liked about the place and him was the low
key atmosphere. He was quiet, kind, unassuming,
and gentle, with an excellent sense of humor. He
could dish it out and by the same token, he would re
spect others' attempts to crack a joke or funny story

and laugh along with them. He could laugh just as

much at himself as with others. And that is one heck
of a special kind of fellow in my book. He could be
stone serious one minute due to some weird mechan
ical problem , and splitting his sides laughing two
minutes later over some silly or simple solution to
the problem.
Cole Palen was a modern day Rickenbacker, Doolit
tle, Lufbery, Lindbergh, Acosta, Papana, all in one, with
all the talents, daring, adventure, skill, cleverness nec
essary to develop and run such an operation. A man I
will always admire and remember, and miss.
.......

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

25

The four wings are of equal length, double cambered,

forward staggered, and ganged for an adjustable angle
of attack. (Dust the bottom and top wings were ad
justable.-Editor]) Tom Flannery flew the Air Sedan
from a field on the Washington County Fairgrounds in
Fayetteville, Arkansas, for a distance of about 1,000 feet
before being damaged on landing. No other flights of
this aircraft were recorded. However, Mr. Zerbe contin
ued to attempt flight with multi-winged aircraft after
BY H .G . FRAUTS C HY
moving to California and becoming an instructor at
JANUARY'S MYSTERY ANSWER the Los Angeles Polytechnic High School. He devel
oped a S five-wing Quintaplane with an open fram e
and tricycle gear in 1910. This plane was reported to
have damaged its landing gear prior to takeoff at the
1910 Dominguez Hills Air Meet in Los Angeles, Califor
nia. The plane did participate in the closing parade and
was last seen being airlifted by a hot hot-air balloon to
Mr. Zerbe's workshop. Mr. Zerbe also developed a Sex
tuplane with six IS-foot forward-staggered wings and
two tractor props, but again there is no record of its
success.
Tom Godfrey
Superior, Wisconsin
Greg Carter of Fayetteville, Arkansas, would like to
point out that Mike Eckels and the Fayetteville Air Mu
seum at Drake Field in Fayetteville did much of the
research done on Professor Zerbe and his Air Sedan.
Our January Mystery Plane was not a great aircraft,
but it was fairly well known . Here's one of the letters
we received:
The January 2004 Mystery Plane is the 1909 Zerbe
Air Sedan, 4pC quadruplane, designed and assembled
by Jerome S. Zerbe of Fayetteville, Arkansas. The cabin
is clad with plywood; the engine is a 100-hp Gnome.

A number of other members were abl e to correctly

identify not only the airplane type, but also the exact
example built. They were are as follows: Jim Funk,
Plano, Texas; Thomas Lymburn, Minneapolis, Min
nesota; Larry Knechtel, Seattle, Washington; Wayn e
Van Valkenburgh, Jasper, Georgia; and Dick Harden,
Richfield, Minnesota.

T HIS MONTH ' S MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM THE EAA LIBRARY
ARCHIVES - EDWARD TRIPANI COLLECTION.
SEND YOUR ANSWER TO : EAA, VINTAGE AIR
P.O . Box 3086 , OSHKOSH , WI
54903-3086 . YOUR ANSWER NEEDS TO BE IN
NO LATER THAN MAY 5, 2004 , FOR INCLUSION
IN THE JULY 2004 ISSUE OF Vintage Airplane .

PLANE,

YOU CAN ALSO SEND YOUR RESPONSE VIA

E-MAIL. DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF JUNK MAIL
BEING SENT TO THE ORIGINAL E-MAIL AD
DRESS, WE'VE HAD A NEW ONE CREATED ,
JUST FOR THE FANS OF MYSTERY PLANE .
Now YOU CAN SEND YOUR ANSWER TO

mysteryplane@eaa.org. BE SURE TO IN
CLUDE BOTH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS
(ESPECIALLY YOUR CITY AND STATE!) IN THE
BODY OF YOUR NOTE AND PUT " (MONTH) MYS
TERY PLANE " IN THE SUBJECT LINE .
26

APRIL 2004

NEW MEMBERS

John Gurholt ... . ........ Dartmouth, NS, Canada

Alex Burton . . ........ . .. Chilliwack, BC, Canada

Carl Zwanenburg ... Niew-Vennep, The Netherlands

Viorel Popescu .......... .. .. .. .. Arges, Romania

Stig Norrby .................... Ljusdal, Sweden

James w. Martin, Jr. . . .. ........ ... . Newport, AR

Stephen G. Chial .................... Aguila, AZ

T. Randy Gillette .. . .. . .. .......... Chandler, AZ

Brett M. Austin . .. ........ .. ... Laguna Hills, CA

John Balunda .. . .. . .. .. .... West Sacramento, CA

Tom Bower ........ .. ...... . .... Santa Rosa, CA

Roger Durham ................. Yucca Valley, CA

R. Richard Farnell .... . .. . .. . . Newport Beach, CA

Dwayne C. Green ..... .. .. ..... .. Santa Rosa, CA

William Madsen ...... . ......... . Garberville, CA

David Romero ... .. ......... .. .. Santa Ynez, CA

F. Hal Smith . . ............ . ..... San Ramon, CA

Paul Williamson ................ Chino Hills, CA

Terry S. Bloom ... .. ..... . ... .... Port Orange, FL

Lothar Boeck . . .. . . .. .. .. South West Ranches, FL

Michael G. Quinlan ..... ........ Summerfield, FL

Jamie w. Rhea .......... . ..... Bonita Springs, FL

James B. Roseneck ... . .... .. . . ... . .. Sarasota, FL

Billy J. Sides . .... ......... ....... .. Orlando, FL

William Smythe .............. .. ... Pa lm Bay, FL

Gerald L. Giroux ..... .. . .. .. . .. . Williamson, GA

Richard N. Pann ..... . ...... .. ..... Augusta, GA

Colie Pitts ..... . ..... .. ........... Douglas, GA

Todd Bledsoe ..... .................. Salmon, ID

David Schuck .. .. ....... ..... ..... ... Hope, ID

Terry R. Beachler ................. Chi llicothe, IL

William Harter .................... Bell eville, IL

William Kuesel .. .. . . ........... Streamwood, IL

Thomas R. McDonald .......... .. .. Napervi lle, IL

Thomas Murray . . ........... . ... . .. Rockford, IL

Perry Rhoads .. . .... .. .. . .. . ... .. . Carlinville, IL

Steve A. Comer .. .. . . .. . ... ... ... Glenwood, IN

John McGlone .. .... .. . ... ..... . .. Speedway, IN

Larry Schlotterback .. ..... . ... . ..... Syracuse, IN

David Voelker ........ ... ... .... Indianapolis, IN

E. David Crane . .. ....... . ....... Great Bend, KS

Larry E. Leyda . . .. .... .. . . ... .. .. Coffeyvi lle, KS
Pompei A. Cedrone .. ......... East Falmouth, MA
Irvin F. Holdgate .... .. .... ...... Nantucket, MA
Steve Page ..... . .. .. ...... ...... Amesbury, MA
Doug Stewart ..... . .. . ..... North Egremont, MA
David Willey ... .... ........ Vineyard Haven, MA
Bruce R. Hoener ........... . .. .. .. Odenton, MD
Danny C. Green ...... . .. .. . .. ...... Linden, MI
Frank Mowinski .. ........ . .. Sterling Heights, MI
Angiolino Consolati . . ...... . .. Bloomington, MN
Scott Emkovik . .. ............ . Cannon Falls, MN
Dean A. Griswold .. . ...... . ...... Princeton, MN
Jennifer Lang . .... .. . .. .. . .. .. .... Beaufort, NC
Storm Williams ... . .. . . ... . .. Winston-Salem, NC
William Compitello ........ .. ... Englishtown, NJ

John E. Grindley ........ . . . ........ Yonkers, NY

Mike Current ..... ...... ...... . .. Loveland, OH

Matthew P. Frederick . .......... ... Freemont, OH

Leigh Mantell .. ........... .. ..... Nashport, OH

Steven Schmid .................. Jamestown, OH

Ted Williams .... . . .. ... .. ..... .. . Marietta, OH

Gary McClendon . .. ... . . ........ .. Skiatook, OK

Allen Miles .... .. ........... . ... Charleston, SC

William Dender. .. ... .... ......... . Etowah, TN

Rickie M. Friar ......... .. ... .. .. Millington, TN

Happy E. Smith ................ . Rogersville, TN

Brad Donner ... ................ ... .. Hurst, TX

John Luscher .... . .... . ... .. . .. ..... Dallas, TX

Daniel J. Martinez ........... . .. San Antonio, TX

Jan Scott.... .. ................. Lovettsville, VA

Kenneth G. Bixler .. . .............. Olympia, WA

Charles W. Hood . .... .. ......... Gig Habor, WA

Matthew Malkin ......... .. ......... Seattle, WA

Randall W. Snodgrass . . ............. Sumner, WA

Henry F. Bassett ... . ............... Madison, WI

Lawrence Runge ................. Franksville, WI

Tom Gomes .......... . .... . ..... .. Gillette, WY

WI''I.

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

27

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

P.O. Box 424, UNION , IL 60180

What if?
I had a question the other day.
A guy wanted to know about re
porting an airplane accident. His
question came at me all at once:
Whom do you report it to? What
is the definition of an accident as
opposed to an incident? And what
could he expect in the way of
reprisals from FAA?
I couldn't answer right offhand.
I've been over this ground before,
but since having an accident is the
furthest down on my want list, I
tend to ignore the subject.
I did, however, do a little re
search, and this is what I came
up with.
The criteria concerning an acci
dent or incident are related to
damage, costs, and injury. If a se
rious injury resulted , that
generates an expeditious report
that is to be phoned into the near
est National Transportation Safety
Board (NTSB) regional office and
the local Flight Inspection Safety
District Office (FISDO) office. (It's
in the phone book under Govern
ment.) Your report will trigger an
investigation. The person you talk
to on the phone will ask ques
tions and decide whether you
need an immediate investigator,
whether or not you can move the
aircraft, and what course of action
you should take. NTSB is the re
sponsible investigating agency.
The FAA provides technical assis
tance and in some cases may be
designated by the NTSB to do the
investigation, since FAA investiga
tors are usually the first on the
scene.
A Flight Service Station can re
lay an accident report to the NTSB
and FISDO if you go that route.
28

APRIL 2004

Basically, if you've busted your

airplane and can fix it with a mini
mum of effort and dollars, and
nobody got hurt, it's an incident.
In all probability, if it was off-air
port, the loc al fearless crime
fighters (law enforcement) will be
on the scene . They have the au
thority to ask for your, and the
airplane's, credentials and will call
the firefighters and the rescue
squad, and perhaps the State De
partment. of Aeronautics, as a
matter of routine.
It will probably generate media
attention as well-they monitor
the local police radio bands, and
as you know, airplanes create lots
of interest.
Do what the NTSB person tells
you. Don't do anything to the air
plane other than what is necessary
to care for the injured. Post a guard
to preserve the scene for the inves
tigators and protect the public.
What is the difference between
an incident and an accident?
Mostly, it's in the eye of the be
holder. I'd say they were both
reportable, but they may be either
substantial or minor.
How much metal can be bent?
The NTSB doesn't consider cowl
ings , fairings, a simple engine
failure, bent propeller, and dented
metal, substantial damage, but the
FAA and the insurance company
will certainly be interested.
If it's busted to the extent that
it's a mess, or serious injury has oc
curred, then it's substantial. That
generates immediate reports and
follow-up paper work to be done
in the next ten days.
But like I said, if the local law
enforcement and rescue people are

involved, then you report it as a

matter of self-defense. Get your in
surance people on the phone, too;
they have a real interest in what
happened, and may want to re
view your report before it is sent to
the NTSB. Most certainly they'll
have an adjuster assigned who will
want to look.
With the emphasis today on
general aviation operations and
the supposed threat to National
Security, that's another considera
tion to think about. The media
may just start with the "What if?"
journalism, so be aware of this
tactic.
If your airplane is on a private
airstrip, and no one is around,
then the problem is between you,
your conscience, and the insur
ance adjuster. Keep a low profile;
don't be afraid to talk to your in
surance people. Normally there are
no exclusions in your policy about
FAR violations, but if it was a will
ful neglect Situation, who knows?
The insurance people are in
terested in your report for other
reasons, too. Is this a trend? Are
they having repetitive accidents
with this particular brand of air
plane? What's the pilot's history,
etc.? You can rest assured their
statistical computations will be
correlated and digested, and
then the rates will be adjusted
accordingly.
The opinions stated here are en
tirely mine and no one else's. Do
what's legal and what your con
science tells you.
Over to you,

FLY-IN CALENDAR
JUIRIL
<r ~.

_... _ <_ . "'MNEWIIIIAN

S>f

The following list of coming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of information only
and does not constitute approval, sponsorship, jnvolvement, control or direction of any event (fly
in, seminars, fl y mark et, etc.) listed . To submit an event , please log on to
www. eaa.org/events/e vents.asp. Only if Internet access is unavailable should you send
the information via mail to: Att: Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.
Information should be received four months prior to the event date.
MAY 1-2-San Martin, CA-Wings of
History Museum "Wings &
Things Fly-In." Breakfast & lunch

served. Info: 408-683-2290 or

www.wingso{history.org.
MAY 8-Kennewick, WA-Vista Field,

EAA Ch. 391 Fly-In Breakfast.

Info: 509-735-1664.
MAY 14-16--Kewanee, IL-Muni (EZI)
2nd Annual Midwest Aeronca Fes
tival. Camping on field, breakfast,
flying events. Info: 309-853-8141,

www.angeifire.com/stars4/aeroncafest.
MAY I S-Middletown, OH-Middle

town Municipal Airport (MWO).

"Chris Cakes" Pancake Breakfast
Fly-In, 8am-1pm. Sponsored by
the Middletown Aviation Club.
Info: Bob 513-422-9362.
MAY I S-Riverside, CA-Flabob Air
port, EAA Vintage Ch. 33, 5th
Annual Open House. 200+ vintage
aircraft and dozens of vintage cars
and hot rods are expected. Fabric
covering demonstrations, radio
controlled aircraft flying, welding
demonstrations, and a flea market.
Young Eagles flights. For more in
formation or to make reservations
for Young Eagles flights, contact
Kathy Rohm, 909-683-2309, ext.
104 or kathyrohm@aoi.com.
MAY 16--Warwick, NY-Warwick
Aerodrome (N72), EAA Ch. 501
Annual Fly-In, Info: 973-492
9025, or donprov@optonline.net.
MAY 23-Troy, OH-WACO Field
(1 WF). VAA Ch. 36 Old Fashioned
Barbeque Fly-In, llam to 4pm.
Lunch at noon. Young Eagle Flights
will be given, weather permitting.
Info: Dick and Patti 937-335-1444,
dickandpatti@aol.com; or Roland
and Diane at 937-294-1107,

navion@gemair.com .
JUNE 17-20-Bellamy Field,

Knoxville, IA (OXV). Ercoupe

Owners Club 2004 National Con
vention. Info: j.M.(Mike)
Abrahams, 515-287-3840,
ppcmike@hotmail.com. Full info. at
www.ercoupe.org under 2004 Con
vention button.

JUNE 17-20-Middletown, OH-(MWO)

12th Nat'l Aeronca Assoc. Conven

tion. Air Force Museum and
Aeronca plant tours. Aeronca air
craft judging and awards, Aeronca
forums, banquet with speakers. All
welcome. Info: 216-337-5643, or

bwmatzllac@yahoo.com.
JUNE 26--Prosser, WA-EAA Ch. 391

Fly-In Breakfast. Info: 509-735-1664.

JUNE 26--Gardner, KS-Gardner Mu

nicipal Airport (K34). Greater

Kansas City Vintage Aircraft Fly-In.
Enjoy vintage aircraft at the "Great
est Little Airport in Kansas!" Info:
816-363-6351 or jsullens@kc.rr.com.
JUNE 26-Gardner, KS-Gardner Mu
nicipal Airport (K34). Greater
Kansas City Vintage Aircraft FlyIn. Enjoy vintage aircraft at the
"Greatest Little Airport in
Kansas!" Info: jeff, 816-363-6351,

jsullens@kc.rr.com.
JUNE 26-27-Bowling Green, OH-

Wood County Airport (lGO) Ch.

582 Plane Fun 2004. Young Eagles,
pancake breakfasts, aircraft dis
plays, pilot forums, antiques,
warbirds, homebuilts, and auto dis
plays. 9am-5pm both days. Info:
john, 419-666-0503, www.eaa582.org,
or jbmcavoy@thevavz.com.
AUGUST 14-Cadillac, MI-Wexford
County Airport (CAD), FlyIn/Drive-In Breakfast, EAA
Ch. 678. Info: 231-779-8113,

jdpashad@hotmail.com.
AUGUST 21-Newark, OH-Newark-

Heath Airport (VTA). EAA Ch. 402

Fly-In Breakfast. Info: Tom, 740
587-2312, tmc@aiink.com.
AUGUST 21-Broomfield, CO-jeffer
son County Airport. 8th Annual
jeffCo Aviation Assoc. Fly-In, 7am
noon. Trophies awarded in 9 classes.
Drawing for a free flight in Dick
jones T-6. Info: Daril 303-423-9846.
AUGUST 27-29-Mattoon, IL-Coles
County Airport (MTO). 2004 Lus
combe Fly-In. Forums, Luscombe
judging, shower, camping, electri
cal hook-ups. $50 distance award.
Info: jerry 217-234-8720.

13-.

Sun 'n Fun EM FIy-In

Lakeland, R. (tAL)
www.sun-n-fun.org

MAY 14-15

Southwest EM Regional Ryln

New Braunfels, TX (KBAZ)

www.swrfi.org

JUNE 18-20

Golden West EAA Regional Fly-In

Marysville, CA (MYV)

www.goldenwestflyin.org

JUNE 26-27
Rocky Mountain EAA Regional Fly-In
Front Range Airport (FTG)
Watkins, CO
www.rmrfi.org

JULY 7-11

Northwest EAA Flyln

Arlington, WA (AWO)

www.nweaa.org

JULY 27 -AUGUST 2

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Oshkosh, WI (OSH)

www.airventure.org

SEPTEMBER 18-19

Virginia State EAA Fly-In

Petersburg, VA (PTB)

www.vaeaa.org

OCTOBER 13

Southeast EAA Regional Flyln

Evergreen, AL (GZH)

www.serfi.org

OCTOBER 7-10

Copperstate EAA Regional Fly-In

Phoenix , AZ (A39)

www.copperstate.org

SEPTEMBER 4-Prosser, WA-EAA

Ch. 391's 21st Annual Labor Day

Weekend Posser Fly-In. Info: 509
735-1664.
SEPTEMBER 612-Galesburg, IL
Galesburg Municipal Airport
(GBG). 33rd Nat'l Stearman Fly-In.
Fun and camaraderie. Aerobatic,
formation, short-field takeoff and
spot-landing contests. Aircraft
judging and awards. Technical
seminars. Aircraft parts, souvenirs
for sale. Dawn patrol and break
fast. Lunch-time flyouts. Pizza
party. U.S.O. show. Annual ban
quet. Info: 309-343-6409,
stearman@stearman{lyin.com, or

www.stearman{lyin.com.
SEPTEMBER 2526--Nashua, NH

Boire Field, adjacent to the College.

Daniel Webster College 2004 Avia
tion Heritage Festival. Aircraft,
speakers, activities. Adult admission
is $15, children 6-12 are $7, and
children under 5 get free admission.
Special discounts for families, sen
iors, veterans, and groups. Info:
603-577-6625 or www.dwc.edu.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

29

VINTAGE

TRADER

Something to buy, sell or trade?

TAKE SOME OF THE EXPERIMENTING

OUT OF HOMEBUILDING

HANDS-ON
HOMEBUILDER WORKSHOP

Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words ,

180 words maximum, with boldface lead-in on
first line.
Classified Display Ads: One column wide
(2.167 inches) by 1, 2, or 3 inches high at $20
per inch . Bl ack and white only, and no fre
quency discounts.
Ad vertising Closing Dates: 10th of second
month prior to desired issue date (i.e., January 10
is the closing date for the March issue). VAA re
serves the right to reject any advertising in conflict
with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per is
sue. Classified ads are not accepted via phone.
Payment must accompany order. Word ads may
be sent via fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail (c/a s
sads@eaa.org) using credit card payment (all cards
accepted). Include name on card, complete ad
dress, type of card, card number, and expiration
date. Make checks payable to EM. Address ad
vertising correspondence to EAA Publications
Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh,
WI 54903-3086

April 23 - 25

Corona, CA

May 14-16

Oshkosh, WI

RV Assembly

May 14 -16

Griffin, GA

TIC Welding

May 15 -16

Griffin, GA

Finishing and Spray Painting

May 22 - 23

Frederick, MD

Sheet Metal Basics Fabric Covering

Composite Construction Cas Welding
Electrical Systems and Avionics

june 4 - 6

Corona,CA

RV Assembly

1-800-645-7739

june 11 - 13

Denver, CO

RV Assembly

THERE'S JUST NOTHING LIKE IT

ON THE WEB!!

june 25-27

Griffin, GA

TIC Welding

june 25-27

Lakeland, R...
Sun "n Fun Campus

RV Assembly

BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod bearings, main

bearings, bushings, master rods, valves, piston
rings. Call us Toll Free 1/800/233-6934, e-mail
ramremfg@aol.com Website www.ramengine.com
VINTAGE ENG INE MACHI NE WO RKS , N. 604
FREYA ST., SPOKANE, WA 99202.
Airplane T-Shirts

150 Different Airplanes Available

WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR AIRPLANE!

www.airplanetshirts.com

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www.aviation-giftshop.com

A Website With The Pilot In Mind

(and those who love airplanes)

......raIIfts....-.com

~ ......, SportAlr Sponsors

1-800-WORKSHOP
1-800-967-5746
YOU CAN BUILD IT! LET EAA TEACH YOU HOW.
30

APRIL 2004

Warner engines. Two 165s, one fresh O.H.,

one low time on Fairchild 24 mount with all
accessories. Also a fresh O.H. 145, 1938
Fleet 1OF, Helton Lark, and Aeronca C-3.
Find my name and address in the Officers
and Directors listing and call evenings. E.
E. "Buck" Hilbert.
Flying wires available. 1994 pricing. Visit
www.f/yingwires.com or caIiSOO-517-9278.
For Sale - 1939 Spartan Executive, 3500TT,
10 SMOH. 214-354-6418.

Membership Services
VINTAGE

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

Directory'

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

OFFICERS
President

VicePresident

Espie "Butch" joyce

704 N. Regional Rd.
Greensboro, NC 27409
336-668-3650
windsock@aol.com

2448 Lough Lane

Hart/ord, WI 53027
2626735885
vaaflyboy@msn.com

secretary
Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave.
Albert Lea, MN 56007
5073731674
stnes@deskmedia.com

George Daubner

Treasurer
Charles W. Harris
7215 East 461h 51.
Tulsa, OK 74147
9186228400

cwh@hv5u.com

DIRECTORS
Steve Bender

DaJe A. Gustafson

85 Brush Hill Road

Sherborn, MA 01770
508-6537557

7724 Shady Hills Dr.

Indianapolis, IN 46278
317293-4430

sstlO@comcast.nel
David Bennett
P.O. Box 1188
Roseville, CA 95678
916-6458370

antiquer@inreach.com

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

Web Site: http://www.eaa.org and http://www.airventure.org

E-Mail: vintage @ eaa,org

dalefaye@msn.com
Jeannie Hill
P.O. Box 328

Harvard, 1L 60033-0328

8159437205

dinghao@owc.net

john Berendt

7645 Echo Poinl Rd.

Cannon Falls, MN 55009

50726324 14

mj bfchld@rconnect.com

1002 Heather Ln.

Hartford, WI 53027

262966-7627

Robert C. "Bob" Brauer

9345 S. Hoyne
Chicago, [L 60620
7737792 105

Robe,rt D. "Bob" Lumley

1265 Soulh 1241h SI.
Brookfield, WI 53005
2627822633

photopiiot@aoJ.com

lumpe,r@execpc.com

Dave Clark
635 Veslal Lane
Plainfield, IN 46168
3 [78394500
davecpd@iquesl.ncl

Gene Morris
5936 SIeve Court
Roanoke, TX 76262
8174919110
n03capl@nash.nel

john S. Copeland
l A Deacon Street
Northborough, MA 01532
508-3934775
copelandl@juno.com

Dean Richardson
1429 Kings Lynn Rd
Sloughlon, WI 53589
6088778485

Phil Coulson

28415 Springbrook Dr.

Lawlon, MI 49065

2696246490

rcouoon516@cs.com

Geoff Robison
1521 E. MacGregor Dr.
New Haven, IN 46774
2604934724
chief7025@aol.com

Roger GomoU

8891 Airport Rd, Box CZ

Blaine, MN 55449

763-786-3342

pledgedrive@msncom

2359 Lefeber Avenue

Wauwalosa, WI 53213
4147711545
shschmid@milwpc.com

Steve Krog

EAA and Division Membership Services

800-8433612 .... . ...... .. FAX 9204266761
Monday-Friday CSn
(8:00 AM-7:00 PM
New/renew memberships: EAA, Divisions
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Address changes
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Programs and Activities

EAA AirVenture FaxOnDemand Directory
..... .......... .... ..... .. . 7328856711
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DIRECTORS

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GRCHA@Charter.net

EAA Aviation Foundation

Artifact Donations ........... 920-4264877
Fi nancial Support ...... ...... 8002361025

sskrog@aol.com

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Associ
ation, Inc. is $40 for one year, including 12 issues of
SPORT AVIATION. Family membership is available
for an additional $10 annually. Junior Membership
(under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually.
All major credi t cards accepted for membership.
(A dd $16 for Foreign Postage.)

E.E. "Buck" Hilbert

P.O. Box 424
Union, IL 60180
8159234591

buck7aC@mc.net

AVIATION magazine not included). (Add $15

for Foreign Postage.)

WARBIRDS

Current EAA members may join the EAA War

birds of America Division and receive WARBlRDS
magazine for an additional $40 per year.
EAA Membership, WARBIRDS maga zine
and one year membershlp in the Warbirds Divi
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION sion is availab le for $50 per year (SPORT
Current EAA members may join the Vintage
AVIATION magazine not included). (A dd $7 for
Aircraft Associaton and receive VINTAGE AIR
Foreign Postage.)
PlANE magazine for an additional $36 per year.
EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE
EAA SPORT PILOT
magaZine and one year membership in the EAA
Current EAA members may add EAA SPORT
Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46
PILOT magazine for an additional $20 per year.
per year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine n ot in
EAA Membership and EAA SPORT PILOT
c1uded). (Add $7 for Foreign Postage.)
magaZine is available for $40 per year (SPORT
AVIATION magaZine not included). (Add $8 for

lAC

Gene Chase
2159 Carllon Rd.
Oshkosh, WI 54904
92023 15002

Flight Advisors information .... 9204266522

Flight Instructor information ... 9204266801
Flying Start Program ... .. ..... 9204266847
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Medical Questions ... . ........ 9204264821
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Benefits
AUA . ..... ................. 8007273823
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Term Life and Accidental ... .. . 8002416103
Death Insurance (Harvey Watt &: Company)
Editorial . ........ .. ........ . 9204264825

........ . .... ....... .... FAX 9204264828

Submitting article/ photo

Advertising information

Current EAA members may join the Interna

tional Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and receive
SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an addi
tional $45 per year.
EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBATICS
magaZine and one year membership in the lAC
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Foreign Postage.)

FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS
Please submit your remittance with a check or
draft drawn on a United States bank payable in
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Membership dues to EM and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions.

Copyright 2004 by the EAA Vinlage Aircratt Association

All rights reserved .
VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 009t 6943) IPM 40032445 is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Vinlage Aircratt Association of Ihe EXperimental Aircratt Association and is published monthly at EAA Aviation
Cenler, 3000 Poberezny Rd" P.O. Box 3088. Oshkosh, Wisconsin 549033086. Periodicals Poslage paid al Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and al addilional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EM
Vintage Aircraft Associalion. P.O. Box 3086. Oshkosh. WI 549033086. Return Canadian issues to Station A. PO Box 54. Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at leasl two monlhs
for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE 10 foreign and APO addresses via surface mail. ADVERTISING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any producl offered through Ihe advertising. We invite
constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertiSing so that corrective measures can be taken.
EDITORIAL POUCY: Readers are encouraged 10 submit stories and pholographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely Ihose of Ihe authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely will1lhe
contributor. No renumeralion is made. Material should be sent 10: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, P.O. Box 3088, Oshkosh. WI 549033088. Phone 9201426-4800.
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE

31

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CAF member since 1978
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renamed Commemorative
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WWII "Warbirds" enthusiast
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