MAY 2010

STRAIGHT & LEVEL

GEOFF ROBISON
PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Airport security
ecently, EAAs Office of Industry and Regulatory Affairs submitted nearly 50
pages of comments to the
FAA regarding its proposed policy on
airport access, including the very hot
topic of through-the-fence authorizations. This issue has proven to
be a near to the heart regulatory
potential game changer for many of
our members all over this country.
The comments submitted as part
of the official record in the Federal
Register were developed by EAAs
staff at the FAAs invitation following a meeting with the agencys top
airport officials in Oshkosh this past
February. Three primary concerns:
1. Clarification of adjacent residential through-the-fence agreements.
2. Accessibility to public-use
general-aviation airports by recreational pilots and enthusiasts.
3. Improving support for aviation
activities, including availability of
ethanol-free premium autogas, support for owner self-service maintenance, and clarification of airport
reduced fair-market value rent opportunities for EAA chapters.
Of course we are all very hopeful
that we, EAA, can successfully influence the ultimate outcome of the
final rules related to these membercritical issues. By now, a lot of you
have already heard this news in any
number of aviation publications,
and you are likely asking yourself,
Why is this news so relevant to us
today? My personal concern lies in
the fact that we, as users of the many
public-use airports around the country, have a real responsibility to continuously convince the FAA that we
can be trusted to act prudently in all
facets of general aviation (GA).

We need to start by dialing up our

attitude about the importance of the
existing rules. We need to reconsider
the importance of these seemingly
small rules and change our attitude
about what level of compliance we
currently practice on a daily basis.
Airport security really is an important and relevant issue to us all. If
we cannot be entrusted to follow the
most basic of these rules, how can we
possibly convince the federal government that we can be entrusted to
operate through the fence?
Very few of my pilot friends have
a bad attitude toward these simple
rules, but a fair number of them really do need to dial it up a bit
when it comes to respecting these
rules for what they are intended
to prevent. We all know that the
broader media virtually has a feeding
frenzy with any negative news story
involving general aviation. We are an
entity that truly enjoys an excellent
rapport with the FAA, and we really
have the potential to make a difference here. The Aircraft Owners and
Pilots Association (AOPA) Airport
Watch program (http://www.aopa.org/
airportwatch/) is a great model, and
we would all be wise to practice the
tools this model program preaches. If
we all take a proactive role in securing GA, we will all be much better
prepared to avoid the negative frontpage media coverage even if something does go horribly wrong at our
airports. Winning the public-opinion
war is the name of the game. Safeguarding, defending, and otherwise
jealously protecting GA from anyone or anything that may do it harm
must become part of our culture if
we intend to continue to enjoy the
freedoms and benefits we all take

pleasure in from private, personal air

transportation. So lets all consider
dialing it up a bit. You can check
out the full content of EAAs comments filed with the FAA at http://
www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/
home.html#documentDetail?R=090
0006480acd6b7
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010
continues to develop into yet another world-class event. The most recently announced arrivals include a
very early model of the Harrier Jump
Jet. This aircraft, the only civilianowned example of one in the aviation community, is a BAe Sea Harrier
F/A2 owned by retired Marine Lt. Col.
Art Nalls. He bases this aircraft at St.
Marys County airport in Maryland.
The aircraft was purchased from a broker who got it surplus from Britains
Royal Navy. Boy, imagine the pile of
paperwork the lieutenant colonel filed
with the FAA to get this bird in the
air! This aircraft should prove to be a
real crowd pleaser at this years event.
Be sure to bring your earplugs for this
one, especially for those young ears,
because when they fire those RollsRoyce Pegasus Mk.106 engines, well
all know what that noise is.
The other major recent announcement was the news that well have
something weve not had in the evening after the sun goes down in Oshkosh. For the first time in our history,
EAA will be hosting a night air show
on Saturday night. If you have never
witnessed a night air show, you wont
want to miss this one. Its certain to be
spectacular. You just gotta be there!
See you at EAA AirVenture OshkoshJuly 26-August 1, 2010

A I R P L A N E
Vol. 38, No. 5

2010

M AY

CONTENTS
IFC Straight & Level
Airport security
by Geoff Robison

News

One Gorgeous Taylorcraft From Basket Case to Award Winner

22

Americas most modern low-priced airplane

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

12

The Douglas DC-3

75 years of service: Part 1
by Henry M. Holden

18

Light Plane Heritage

Joseph L. CatoNearly a Legend
by Owen S. Billman

22

My Friend Albert Vollmecke

Part 5
by Robert G. Lock

28

The Vintage Mechanic

Continental W-670 main bearing failures, Part II
by Robert G. Lock

32

Mystery Plane
by H.G. Frautschy

36

The Vintage Instructor

Landingsforced and otherwise
by Steve Krog, CFI

38

Classified Ads

COVERS
FRONT COVER: Restorers Mark McGowan of Plymouth, Michigan, and Ken Kreutzfeld of Por t Clinton, Ohio, took 14 years to complete their restoration of a 1940 Taylorcraft BL-50. Its now a BC65 with a Continental A-65 replacing the 50-hp Lycoming decades ago. Read all about it in Sparky
Barnes-Sargents ar ticle beginning on page 4. EAA photo by Tyson Rininger.
BACK COVER: The creation of the DC-3 star ts with the redesign of the DC-2 into a widebody version for use by American Airlines as the DST, or Douglas Sleeper Transpor t. With 16 ber ths for
sleeping during an overnight transcontinental journey, the DST could also be configured to carr y
24 passengers in seats during the day. It was the dawn of a new era in commercial aviation. The
photo shows the prototype DST, NX14988, over the western United States. Only the DST has
small windows intended for each ber th above ever y other window in the cabin. A three-par t series
written by DC-3 historian Henr y Holden begins in this issue. EAA Archive photo.

STAFF
EAA Publisher
Director of EAA Publications
Executive Director/Editor
Production/Special Project
Photography
Copy Editor

12
Tom Poberezny
Mary Jones
H.G. Frautschy
Kathleen Witman
Jim Koepnick
Bonnie Kratz
Colleen Walsh

Publication Advertising:
Manager/Domestic, Sue Anderson
Tel: 920-426-6127
Email: sanderson@eaa.org
Fax: 920-426-4828
Manager/European-Asian, Willi Tacke
Phone: +49(0)1716980871
Email: willi@flying-pages.com
Fax: +49(0)8841 / 496012

Coordinator/Classified, Lesley Poberezny

Tel: 920-426-6563
Email: classads@eaa.org

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1

VAA NEWS
Pitcairn Autogiro, Sikorsky Top Antique Awards at Sun n Fun

VAA Flightline Safety Operations

Building Replacement
Thanks in large part to a generous contribution by a longtime
Vintage Aircraft Association (VAA)
member, this years upgrade to the
VAA facilities on the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh grounds includes
a new building to accommodate
one of the largest groups of volunteers during the convention, the
Flightline Safety crew. From the
moment an airplane exits the runway next to the Vintage area until
it is safely shut down in its parking spot, the Flightline Safety volunteers handle the aircraft and its
pilot every step of the way. From
confirming its eligibility to park
in the area using a combination of
computer lookup and radio communications, to the dispatching
of scooter-mounted aircraft marshalers who guide each airplane
into a parking location, theres
plenty of coordinated activity to
ensure it all goes smoothly and
safely. For many years these volunteers have operated out of a
small shack that has had to absorb
activities such as computer operations, radio dispatch, and a gathering/rest location for the fl ightline volunteers. The building was
beginning to literally rot out from
underneath them, so the decision
was made to replace the building
with a new structure that will accommodate all those demands
plus serve as secure storage for
much of the equipment needed to
support flightline operations.
The new structure was built
during the first VAA work week-

2 MAY 2010

According to reports from members who attended the event, Jack Tiffany
and Jim Hammonds 1932 Pitcairn PA-18 Autogiro took top honors as the
Grand Champion Antique at the Sun n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland, Florida, while
the Sikorsky S-39 restored by Dick and Patsy Jackson was selected as the
Reserve Grand Champion.
There was no Grand Champion Classic award presented at Sun n Fun. The
judges at the event chose to present an award that is not recognized within
the EAA Official Judging Standards Manual, the Sun n Fun Grand Champion
Custom Classic; it was given to an Aeronca 7AC Champ owned by Richard
Hardy of Lakeland, Florida. The same was true in the Contemporary category,
with the awarding of the Sun n Fun Grand Champion Custom Contemporary
prize. It was presented to a Piper PA-24-400 owned by W. Lee Hussey II, Martinsville, Virginia.
For the entire awards list, visit Sun n Funs website at www.Sun-N-Fun.org.
Click on the Fly-In tab at the top, and then look for the Event Activities tab to
locate the Aircraft Judging page.
end of the year, April 22-25. More
than 35 volunteers spent a cool
and sometimes rainy weekend
raising the walls and getting it under roof before the rain set in later
on Saturday.
At the same time, a group of
electrically talented volunteers
added a donated set of high-bay
lighting fixtures to the Vintage
Hangar. Flashlights will no longer
be required equipment for the type
clubs during inclement weather!
Completion of the Flightline
Safety building will take place during the next two work weekends,
May 21-23 and June 25-27. If youre
interested in volunteering during a
work weekend, please contact Michael Blombach at 260-433-5101
or michael846@aol.com. We cant
promise you glory, but well sure
feed you well (thanks to the efforts of directors Bob Lumley and
Steve Nesse!), and well even give
you a hat!

100th Anniversary of the Seaplane

On March 28, 1910, Frenchman
Henri Fabre flew his aeroplane Le
Canard for the fi rst time, taking of f
from the sur face of the Golfe deFos near Marseille, marking the
invention of the seaplane. Fabre,
who lived to the age of 101, dying
in 1984, was a marine engineer
who had an interest in aviation. His
ungainly canard aircraft is acknowledged as the first powered seaplane
to lift of f the water under its own
power. Join the seaplane enthusiasts at the EAA Seaplane Base during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh to celebrate this milestone.

2010 VAA Friends of the Red Barn Campaign

The VAA annual fundraising campaign fuels VAA action
Dont wait for a mailing from VAA HQ before you send in your contribution
to keep our administration costs as low as possible, were not sending out a mailing
to each VAA member. Please send your donation today, while its fresh in your mind!
Please help the VAA and our nearly 500 dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our many EAA AirVenture guests.
Your contribution now really does make a difference. There are seven levels of gifts and gift recognition. Thank you for whatever you can do.
Here are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund underwrites:
Red Barn Information Desk Supplies
Flightline Parking Scooters and Supplies
Breakfast for Past Grand Champions
Participant Plaques and Supplies
Volunteer Booth Administrative Supplies
Signs Throughout the Vintage Area
Tonis Red Carpet Express Van and Radios
Red Barn and Other Building Maintenance
And More!
Caps
for
VAA
Volunteers
Tall
Pines
Caf
Dining
Tent

Please help the VAA make EAA AirVenture Oshkosh an unforgettable

experience for our many guests. Become a Friend of the Red Barn.
Contribution Levels Diamond Plus

Diamond
$1,000

$1,250

EAA VIP Center

Platinum
$750

Gold
$500

Silver
$250

Bronze
$100

Loyal Supporter
$99 & Under

2 people/Full Week
2 people/2 Days

2 people/1 Day

Full Week

Full Week

2 Tickets

2 Tickets

2 Tickets

1 Ticket

2 People/Full Wk

2 People/Full Wk

2 People/Full Wk

1 Person/Full Wk

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Name Listed: Vintage Airplane Magazine,

Website, and Sign at Red Barn

VIP Air Show Seating

Close Auto Parking
Two Tickets to VAA Picnic
Tri-Motor Certificate
Breakfast at Tall Pines Caf
Special FORB Cap
Two Passes to VAA Volunteer Party
Special Friends of the Red Barn Badge
Access to VAA Volunteer Center

2 Days

VAA Friends of the Red Barn

Name______________________________________________________________________EAA #___________ VAA #___________

(Please print your name the way you would like it to appear on your badge.)
Address______________________________________________________________________________________________________
City/State/ZIP________________________________________________________________________________________________
Phone___________________________________________________E-Mail______________________________________________
Please choose your level of participation:
____ Diamond Plus - $1,250.00
____ Diamond Level Gift - $1,000.00
____ Platinum Level Gift - $750.00

____ Gold Level Gift - $500.00

____ Silver Level Gift - $250.00
____ Bronze Level Gift - $100.00

____ Loyal Supporter Gift - ($99.00 or under)

Your Support $_______

Payment enclosed (Make checks payable to Vintage Aircraft Assoc.)

Please charge my credit card (below)

Mail your contribution to:

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Signature_________________________________________

*Do you or your spouse work for a matching-gift company? If so, this gift may qualify for
a matching donation. Please ask your human resources department for the appropriate form.

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or donate online at:

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The Vintage Aircraft Association is a nonprofit educational organization under IRS 501c3 rules. Under federal law, the deduction from federal income tax for charitable contributions is limited to the amount by which any money (and the value of any property other than money) contributed exceeds the value of the goods or
services provided in exchange for the contribution. An appropriate receipt acknowledging your gift will be sent to you for IRS gift reporting reasons.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

One Gorgeous
Taylorcraft
From Basket Case
to Award Winner
TYSON REININGER

4 MAY 2010

Americas most modern low-priced airplane

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

It

was as brilliant as a
beacon on the flightline at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh 2009, and
this exceptionally restored 1940 Taylorcraft led appreciative admirers back to a time before
World War II, when the lightplane
business was thriving and Taylorcrafts were one of the top-selling
models. Restorers Mark McGowan
of Plymouth, Michigan, and Ken
Kreutzfeld of Port Clinton, Ohio,
happily answered questions about
the airplane, which they took 14
years to restore. An original black
trim scheme accented its glossy vermilion finish, and the fine details of
this prewar airplanefrom its Taylorcraft compass right down to its
Boots nutsdenoted authenticity.
NC24371 was manufactured by
the Taylorcraft Aviation Corporation in Alliance, Ohio. On March
18, 1940, the new flying machine
climbed aloft, powered by its humble 50-hp Lycoming O-145-A1.
Young William A. Crawford, a
company test pilot with about 570
hours of flying time, put the BL-50
through its paces for 45 minutes.
Satisfied that all was well with the
airplane, he landed and taxied the
Taylorcraft trainer to the ramp. Business was brisk that spring, and serial

number 1707 sold just three days

later to the Lubbock Aero Club of
Texas, where it was based until 1953.
In more recent times, an aviator
named John Munch acquired the
Taylorcraft in 1969 and re-covered
it in 1972. In 1984, his heir at law
sold the airplane to the EAA Aviation Foundation, and the following year, the foundation sold it to
Jun Morris and Kelly OBrien. Ken
went with Jun to Hales Corners,
Wisconsin, and helped him haul
the airplane back to Ohio. We put
it together and flew it for a year,
and then Jun wanted to rebuild it,
so he took it apartbut then he
moved to California, so he sold the
airplane to Denny Wittenmeyer in
1988. Denny did some tubing repairs and put it in his garage, where
it sat for quite a number of years
until Mark and I bought it, recalls
Ken, adding with a laugh, Denny
inspired us to buy ithe worked
me for two or three years to buy it.
Mark and I divvied out the project
and started working on it.
Though their restoration work
commenced immediately, they had
numerous stop-and-go moments
throughout the years, when theyd
had enough and simply pushed it
back in a corner. Later, with renewed interest, theyd drag it back

out and start working on it again.

They obtained drawings from the
Taylorcraft Foundation Inc. and methodically documented the entire
process with photographs. In fact,
they worked on the project long
enough that technology progressed
from film media to digital media.
By October 2007, Mark became the sole owner of NC24371,
though Ken continued working
with him until the airplane was
fully restored. Its first flight was
June 22, 2009and Ken gleefully
placed a phone call to Mark, who
was in Japan at the time, to tell him
the Taylorcraft was flying just fine.
Mark had to wait for two weeks until he returned to the States for his
first Taylorcraft flight. Ken did that
on purpose, says Mark, laughing
good-naturedly.

Taylorcraft B Series
The Taylorcraft B series had similar airframes, but they were powered by different engines. The 1940
Taylorcraft was available with Lycoming 50 to 65 hp, Continental
50 to 65 hp, and Franklin 50 to
60 hp. The new trainer version offered side-by-side seating and interchangeable wheel or stick controls. The B models were priced
from $1,495 and up, according to
SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

This rear view of the Taylorcraft

reveals its clean lines.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

The basket case fuselage, in sad shape before

the restoration.

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

MARK McGOWAN

MARK McGOWAN

MARK McGOWAN

The diagonally painted stripes on the prop tips are original to this new-old-stock prop.

New ribs being installed

on the aileron.

MARK McGOWAN

The aileron, with the fabric removed.

The five-tuck spliced cable was fabricated by Andrew King.

MARK McGOWAN

MARK McGOWA
McGOWAN
WAN
WA
AN
N

Close-up view of the newly fabricated left rudder cable

and the drawing.
6 MAY 2010

The restored wing

and aileron.
nal
An original
ey
McCauley
go.
logo.

MARK McGOWAN PHOTOS

Exploded view of the brake parts.

The assembled brake

parts.

Newly fabricated control cables and restored control columns, ready to be

installed in the cabin.

The powder-coated fuselage, with

new wood stringers.
a March 1940 ad. The approved
type certificates (ATC) for the B series were issued in 1938, and each
model had its own ATC. For example, the BL (Lycoming) was built
under ATC No. 700 (9-22-1938),
the BF (Franklin) was built under
ATC No. 699 (9-19-1938), and the
BC (Continental) was built in accordance with ATC No. 696 (8-241938). NC24371 began life as a
model BL-50, and apparently sometime during the late 1940s or early
1950s, a 65-hp Continental engine
was installed, since records show
it listed as a BC-65 model around
that time. Today, it is still powered
by a Continental A-65-8. (There
are 172 BC-65 models listed on the
FAA Registry to date, and no BL-50
models.)
The earlier B models still had exposed cylinders, but later models
were streamlined with a fully enclosed cowl. The wings had spruce
spars and metal ribs, with metal
leading edges. The Warren-trusstype welded-steel-tube fuselage
was faired with wooden stringers,
and the tail was built of welded
steel tubing. A distinguishing feature was a pair of Flettner trim
tabs, which were mounted on the
fuselage beneath the horizontal
stabilizers. The Taylorcrafts lovely

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT PHOTOS

Above: Kreutzfeld overhauled this Continental A-65-8 engine.

Left: Mark McGowan and Ken Kreutzfeld took 14 years to restore
this 1940 Taylorcraft from a basket case to an award winner.

The instrument panel is dominated by the large tachometer/engine instrument combination in the center.

Close-up view of one of the two Flettner trim tabs that are mounted on the
fuselage beneath the horizontal stabilizer.
8 MAY 2010

wings spanned 36 feet, and the airplane measured 22 feet in length.

Weighing 640 pounds empty, it had
a useful load of 510 pounds. A 12gallon fuel tank was inside the cabin
between the instrument panel and
firewall, and an optional auxiliary
6-gallon tank could be installed aft
of the seats. It lifted off the runway
in less than 400 feet and climbed
out at 620 fpm. It could cruise at 95
mph (max speed of 105 mph) for
250 miles, and when it was time to
land, it touched down softly on its
rubber shock cord gear at 35 mph.
Those shock cords were installed at
the top of the landing gear struts
and were neatly faired to the fuselagejust one more example of
Taylorcraft streamlining. Mechanical brakes, Shinn wheels, and a fullswiveling tail wheel were standard;
a steerable tail wheel was optional.
A company ad in Aero Digest promoted the Taylorcraft B series as
Americas most modern low-priced
airplane, boasting that it has what
it takes to win your choice. A thrilling sight and a marvelous flight
await you in the new 1940 Taylorcraft, now ready for your inspection. Youll instantly enthuse over
the sleek new cowling so beautiful
and modern in design the relaxful
[sic] comfort of chair height seating
the two doors the generous room
the new adjustable ventilators

TYSON REININGER

and the increase of 50 lbs. in useful

load capacity . . . Youll be amazed
by the cabin quietness resulting
from scientific sound-proofing and
the newly engineered single undercabin exhaust which reduces motor
noise to a smooth rhythmic purr
Yes and the quick, eager response
to the controls the fine balance
and handling ease the buoyant
lift and snappy pick-up will truly
delight you with Taylorcraft performance . . . Add to all this the fact
that Taylorcrafts safety record is first
in its class.

sq. ft. to about 72,000 sq. ft. Considerable additional machinery and
equipment were added and the enlarged plant laid out for more efficient flow of production. The productive capacity of the company

Everything
was a challenge
on a prewar

Booming Prewar Business

Taylorcraft Aviation Corporation
took orders for 1,017 airplanes in
1940compared to 487 the previous year, according to the Aircraft
Year Book (1941). Since Taylorcraft
was dealing with an increasing
backlog of incoming orders in 1940,
the company . . . erected additions
to the plant and a new office building of the most modern type. The
building program included an 80
x 100 ft. hangar and experimental
department, two hard-surfaced runways 1,000 ft. each and two seeded
runways of approximately 2,000 ft.
each. Total floor area, including the
hangar, was increased from 22,000

Taylorcraft!
Mark McGowan

was tripled, permitting the building of one plane an hour, or about

2,000 a year in one shift, or about
3,500 a year in two shifts. Total cost
of the expansion program was about
$225,000. (Aircraft Year Book, 1941)
As the war gained momentum in
Europe, the governments new Civilian Pilot Training Program was
established, and lightplanes were
in great demandwhich in turn

required some creative problemsolving at times on the part of aircraft companies. Aviation historian
Chet Peek, in his book The Taylorcraft Story, stated, Taylorcraft now
ranked second in lightplane production, behind Piper. . . . One of
the problems facing Taylorcrafts
sales department was the delivery
of planes to dealers in the more remote areas such as Texas, California
and the Pacific Northwest. On July
3, [1940] Carl Elkins, Sales Manager,
organized a history-making mass
flight that would deliver 20 planes
to the Los Angeles, California,
dealer, West Coast Aircraft. Actually,
this was a sensible and economical way to deliver the planes. Most
of the young pilots would fly free
for the privilege of building up flying time. Navigation was simplified
by dividing the group into flights
of three or four planes each, so that
an experienced pilot could keep the
fledglings from getting lost. . . .
Most of the planes in the flight were
to be put to immediate use in the
CPT Program which was greatly expanded in the fall of 1940. . . . Not
to be outdone by the Californians,
on September 17, a Texas dealer, Kadett Aviation Co. organized a flight
of ten planes to College Station,

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT PHOTOS

Note the cast TAYLOR and CRAFT on the tail

wheel arms.
Texas. These planes were for use in
the CPT Program at Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College.
Another interesting facet of the
companys history is C.G. Taylor
himself, who started the company
in 1936. Peek characterized him in
this fashion: [he] continued to be
liked, almost worshipped, by most
of the young employees. He would
occasionally take one of them for
a ride after work to demonstrate
the performance of the Taylorcraft
and explain his ideas on airplane
design. Taylor was especially proud
of the inherent longitudinal stability of the Model B. . . . C.G. Taylor
can truly be called the father of the
light airplane industry. At one time,
before WWII, his two famous designs, the Taylorcraft and the Taylor
Cub, comprised well over half of
the worlds light aircraft fleet.

Restoration
Although Mark and Ken lived in
different states, they worked on the
restoration as a team. Their first order of business was protecting the
fuselage from further deterioration.
They had it sandblasted, inspected,
and powder-coated, all on the same
day. The Detroit area is industrial,
so the technology existed locally,
and there was a bake oven large
enough to accommodate the fuselage, explains Ken.
Mark and Ken discovered that everything was a challenge on a prewar Taylorcraft! The cowling was a

10 MAY 2010

The prewar wheelpants feature a center-seam trim

crafted out of aluminum.

wonderful projectit took at least

a year. Ken made new boot cowls
and put the windshield on, then
installed the A-65-8 engine (which
he overhauled). With that accomplished, he began the tedious process
of hand-forming the lower cowl, devoting special attention to making
the louvers on the bottom portion of
the cowl. An aftermarket nose bowl
might have been timesaving, had it
fit wellinstead, it required extensive reshaping and reforming.
Ken, an airframe and powerplant
mechanic with inspection authorization, repaired the wings, which
had been in storage long enough
for mice to claim them. We took
the wings out of the hangar and
took the fabric off, recalls Ken,
and the mice had eaten the left
spars out of the wing bay, way up
by the tip. So we had a lot of issues
with the wingssuch as corrosion,
half the ribs had been mangled
from previous repairs, and a lot of
parts were missing.
Ken installed the fabric on the
wings, while George Willford covered the fuselage. Ken used the
Poly-Fiber process with an Aerothane top coat to give the airplane
its glossy appearance.

Prop
A wooden Sensenich propeller
was standard equipment for the
1940 Taylorcraft, and this is one
area in which Mark and Ken departed from originality. Thats be-

cause they found quite a prize on

eBay and just couldnt resist using a
new old stock 1945 McCauley propeller. It had never been out of the
box, literally, says Mark and with
a smile. And we kept the original
box, which was shipped by rail
from the factory to Connecticut.
The prop had never seen the light
of day; it had just been stored in
a garage. We didnt recognize the
McCauley decals, which were on
it, so I took a photo and sent it to
McCauley down in Dayton. They
verified that logo, and they verified that the diagonally painted tips
were the way they painted them in
1945usually, the stripes are at a
90-degree angle to the prop tip.

Authentic Features
One of the aspects that made the
prewar Taylorcraft such a challenging project was the rarity and scarcity of available parts. Prewars look
identical to a postwar Taylorcraft,
but theres nothing interchangeable. For example, the 6-gallon aux
tank was offered up through only
1940; the 1941 and later models
have wing tanks. Theres a good
reason why they changed to wing
tanks, explains Mark. Theres a
lever down between the pilot and
passenger, near the floorboard, and
its connected to a mechanical fuel
pump. It takes 100 pumps on the
wobble pump to transfer 1 gallon
to the main tanknow you know
why there are wing tanks! That

The black handle is for the wobble pump, and the

brass handle is for the fire extinguisher.
wobble pump is a real rarityit
came with the plane, so we put it
back inbut you would never want
to use itits too much work!
Another unique feature is the
flipper trim system (Flettner tabs).
The trim lever is on the pilots
side, and is placarded for nose-up
and nose-down. That plaque is supposed to be mounted upside down,
because in theory, you have to look
down between your legs to read it,
says Mark and laughs. But in the
Taylorcraft, theres no space for the
pilot to lean over like that!
A close look at the tail wheel reveals yet another unusual detail.
The tail wheel has TAYLOR cast
on the left arm and CRAFT cast
on the right arm. It was a Heath tail
wheel, but it was made exclusively
for Taylorcraft, according to Mark.
Since that tail wheel isnt steerable,
they plan to use a Scott tail wheel
for normal operations.
They found a decent set of prewar wheelpants advertised for sale
in the Taylorcraft newsletter, and
fortunately, the pants required only
a little work to get them into good
shapeincluding polishing the aluminum trim where the two halves
meet. Shinn wheels came with the
airplane, and they ordered new diamond-tread Aero Classic tires. They
completely disassembled the brake
system, cleaned it, and made any
necessary repairs before reassembly
and return to servicejust as they
did with the entire airframe.

A neatly fabricated kick plate surrounds the heel

brakes.

When it came to hardware, Mark

and Ken used original-style fasteners. There are no sharp-edged,
plastic tie wraps anywhere on the
airplaneinstead, they used riblacing cord to do the job. They also
used brass safety wire and silver
cadmium-plated hardware. Along
the way, the two discovered that
white brass polishes to a sparkling
shinejust one look at the pitot
tube confirms this.
Upon close inspection, a discerning eye may detect some rather unusual self-locking nuts. Those are
Boots aircraft nuts, explains Mark.
They are very early prewar nuts,
and are on the doors and hinges
they are original to the airplane.
They have an accordion on the
ends that compresses, so when you
install and tighten the Boots nut,
the accordion keeps the tension
on the threads. They work well, and
when they get loose, you just take
them off and put them in a vise and
squeeze them, or take a hammer and
tap them to compress them again.
Additionally, the control cables
were painstakingly hand-braided
(five-tuck spliced). Andrew King
did that, says Mark. Hes wellnamed; hes the king of spliced
cables! The landing gear cables are
soldered and wire wrapped, and he
did those for us, as well.
Another helping hand was responsible for the interior and upholstery. That was done by Tom Baker
of Effingham, Illinois. He used the

original-type Bedford cord cloth for

the seat, and wool for the headliner.
He had all the patterns for them; he
learned to fly when these airplanes
were new, says Ken, and we had
weekly phone calls with him to ask
him questions.

Award Winner
Mark and Ken are happy and relieved to have the 14-year project finally finished and flying. They were
faced with a momentary dilemma,
however, when they contemplated
flying it to Oshkosh. They had
a scheduling conflict, since they
had already made plans to attend
the annual Howard Aircraft Foundation gathering just prior to AirVenture. But it wasnt long before
they had a solutionthey asked a
friend, John Maxfield, if he would
be willing to fly the Taylorcraft to
Oshkosh for them. John, after taking one look at the airplane, lost
no time agreeing, and Mark and
Ken met him on the grounds the
first of the weekjust in time to
field questions from the aircraft
judges. The judges liked what they
heard and liked what they saw.
NC24371 received the Bronze Age
(1937-1941) Champion Bronze
Lindy award. Thats likely the first
of many awards to be bestowed
upon this beautifully restored prewar flying machine, which Mark
plans to keep and fly for quite some
time. And yes, hell still let Ken fly
it from time to time, as well!

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

BOEING

n December 17,
1935, Donald Wills
Douglas witnessed
the first flight of his
DC-3. By 1939, 90
percent of the airlines in the United States were flying DC-3s. It was the first airplane
that could earn a profit from flying
passengers and not rely on a U.S.
Air Mail subsidy. Four years prior to
that great day in 1935, events that
would change how airliners were
built and flown put the airline industry on the path that led to the
development of the DC-3.
On March 31, 1931, a TWA Fokker F10A tri-motor crashed into a
Kansas wheat field, killing the two
crew members and six passengers,
including Knute Rockne, the legendary Notre Dame football coach.
Shortly after the crash, all 33 of
the Fokker F-10As were grounded
pending the results of the investigation of a wing that had separated
from the aircraft. This caused a near
standstill in the operations of Trans
World Airlines (TWA), Pan American World Airways, and others relying on that aircraft.

12 MAY 2010

The Department of Air Commerce

initially said ice had broken a propeller blade on the starboard engine,
causing the engine to overspeed,
which in turn transmitted enough
vibration to the wing to fracture it.
But investigations showed the airframe had 1,887 hours on it, and the
wing root had rotted away, causing
the wing to break off when the pilot tried to climb above turbulence.
Fokkers name was so well respected
that no provision had been made for
inspection panels for critical parts of
the airframe. The crash ruined Fokkers reputation and his business.
The air transport business was
still in its infancy, and numerous
crashes had caused the public to
lose confidence in commercial aviation. The tragedy would eventually
force the existing airlines to seek
safer airplanes. While Fokkers F-10A
aircraft later went back into service,
the major airlines had abandoned
them. That set in motion events
that would change the world.

A Need for Safer Airplanes

In Seattle, Washington, William
Boeing had struggled through the

The Boeing 247 was the answer to

the noisy, uncomfortable Fords and
Fokkers. The all-metal, twin-engine
monoplane reflected creature comfor ts unheard of in the other airplanes. The carpeted floors, reclining seats, steam heat, and a cabin
insulated from weather and noise had
led William Boeing to say, This plane
is the airliner that will put us in the
Pullman business. However, within a
year the DC-2 made it obsolete.
economic depression of the postWorld War I aviation development
by building military aircraft. Boeing
had developed an all-metal, opencockpit bomber design. However,
his design lost out in a government
competition to a Glenn L. Martin
Company aircraft.
Boeing was stuck with an airplane
design and no buyer, but some saw
its potential as a civilian air transport. The XB-9 bomber was modified extensively, and what rolled
out was the civilian Boeing 247. The
247 was a streamlined, stressed-skin,
all-metal, twin-engine, low-wing
monoplane that reflected creature
comforts unheard of in other air-

THE

Douglas DC-3
75 years of service: Part 1
BY

HENRY M. HOLDEN

The Birth Certificate of

the DC Ships

BOEING

The five seats on each side of the Boeing 247 cabin allowed passengers to
move in the aisle, with one minor inconvenience. Because of the low-wing,
cantilever design, the main wing spar ran through the cabin, interrupting
the aisle. Cabin insulation reduced the noise below the 110-decibel level
of the Ford Tri-Motors. Compare the narrow appearance of the 247 to the
DC-1 photo shown in this article. Even with its shortcomings, the Boeing
247 revolutionized coast-to-coast travel.
planes. It had carpeted floors, reclining seats, steam heat, and a cabin
insulated from weather and noise.
The 10-passenger airliner cost
$68,000, and Boeing estimated that
the total operating costs were 2.5
cents per mile. United Airlines advertised the plane as the ThreeMile-A-Minute Airliner.
TWA went to Boeing to place an
order for the 247 to replace its aging
Ford Tri-Motors and Fokker F-10s.

Boeing was agreeable to an order, but

only after it filled an order for 60 for
United Airlines. This was Boeings
biggest attempt at manufacturing to
date. The order tied up Boeings factory, thus ensuring that Uniteds competitors would not share the prestige
of flying the first modern all-metal
airliner for at least two years. Boeings
refusal to increase its manufacturing
capacity forced TWA to look to the
Douglas Aircraft Company.

On August 2, 1932, 38-year-old

Donald Douglas opened a letter
from Jack Frye, TWA vice president of operations. TWA wanted to
purchase 10 or more all-metal, trimotor monoplanes. Douglas later
called the letter The Birth Certificate of the DC Ships.
The specs called for a gross
weight of 14,000 pounds, a range
of 1,000 miles, the capacity to carry
12 passengers and two pilots, and
takeoff fully loaded on two of the
three engines. After the Douglas
engineering team developed a proposal, Arthur Raymond, Douglas
assistant chief engineer, and Harold
Wetzel, general manager, boarded
a train for New York to present the
proposal to TWA.
We traveled by train for two reasons, said Raymond to me in 1988.
We had much ground to cover and
hundreds of details to lay out, and
I needed secluded time to work out
my performance figures. Also, we
really wanted to get there.
During that period, the airlines
had seen a sharp increase in accidents and neither man wanted to
become a statistic. The state of commercial air travel in 1932 was expensive, unreliable, and dangerous.
Raymond flew part of the way
home on a TWA Ford Tri-Motor. He
knew what TWA was looking for
something like the Ford Tri-Motor,

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

COURTESY HENRY M. HOLDEN

HENRY M. HOLDEN

HENRY M. HOLDEN

A Ford Tri-Motor, similar to the one Arthur Raymond flew

in, is shown here in the skies of Oshkosh, Wisconsin,
in 2005. The Ford Tri-Motor, nicknamed The Tin Goose,
was first produced in 1925 by Henr y Ford and continued in production until June 7, 1933. A total of 199
aircraft were produced.

COURTESY HENRY M. HOLDEN

The Ford was designed for comfor t, with soft wicker

chairs and padded headrests. Seat belts had not yet
come into fashion. The air vent horns stick out from
each window frame, little comfort if the passenger became airsick, which was often the case since the Fords
often flew around 7,500 feet in the turbulent lower altitudes. Note the uniformed radio operator and the early
communications radio to his left.

This 14-passenger TWA DC-2 is 1 month old in this June

1934 photograph. Every passenger flew first class. On
TWA and American Airlines ser vice to Los Angeles,
they typically offered three breakfast and dinner menus
served on genuine Syracuse china with Reed and Barton silver ware. A flight attendant could ser ve 14 passengers in under an hour.
only better. When Raymond boarded
the aircraft, he received the usual
comfort pack, which included cotton for his ears, smelling salts for if
he felt faint, and an airsick cup.
The trip radically changed Raymonds idea of what to design.
What came off the Douglas drawing board was a twin-engine, lowwing, all-metal monoplane. The
engineers decided not to use electrical gear retraction (as in the Boeing
247) since they felt the apparatus
was subject to failure. Instead, the
gear would operate hydraulically,
retracting into the newly developed
NACA streamlined nacelles and deploying by gravity in case of a hy-

14 MAY 2010

BOEING

This is a rare photo of the DC-1 with the rear wheel fairing designed to improve its aerodynamics. This modification was soon removed because the improvement
was negligible. Some Douglas engineer kept tr ying to
get it adopted because it was tried again on the DC-2
and the DC-3.

draulic failure.
For safety, the engineers decided
the wheels would not fully retract.
In the up position, the main gear
wheels protruded from the nacelles about half their diameter. In
a wheels-up emergency landing,
the low wing would help shield the
passengers, and the half-extended
wheels would cushion the landing,
or so the design logic went. This
was a radical departure from the
multiengine aircraft in commercial service. Except for the Boeing
247, most U.S. aircraft, including
the Fokker, Ford, and Boeing trimotors, were high-wing airplanes
with fixed landing gear.

The Douglas Commercial 1

On July 1, 1933, at 12:36 p.m.,
332 days after Douglas received
Fr yes letter, the main gear of a
DC-1 left the ground. The takeoff
was perfect, but the new Douglas
airliner was just barely a hundred
feet off the ground when the left
engine sputtered and quit. A moment later, the right engine did the
same. Carl Cover, the pilot, knew
they had a problem, but he did not
know how serious it was. Needing
altitude to maneuver, and with only
seconds to react, Cover pushed the
yoke forward to gain airspeed. Both
engines suddenly cut back in.
He coaxed the plane up to 1,000

BOEING

This DC-2 NC14285, c/n 1328, was delivered to the Standard Oil Corporation of California (now Chevron) in November 1934. It crashed in the Great Salt Lake, Utah, on October 6, 1935. The crew did not perish in the crash,
but did in an attempt to swim to shore.

The DC-1 is shown undergoing static tests. A distinctive feature of the DC-1 wing and one that had
its roots in Northrop technology was the straightchord center section with straight trailing edges
on the outer panels, but swept back 15 degrees
on the leading edges.

BOEING

feet and started to pull the nose up. Again, the engines
sputtered and quit. He put the nose down, and the
engines came back to life. He knew he had to land immediately and safely. He couldnt risk the airplane or
the life of his copilot.
Carl Cover earned his salary on that 12-minute ride.
He landed the plane and taxied into the hangar. They
quickly discovered the cause of the almost fatal flight;
the carburetors had been installed in reverse on each
engine, so that when the nose came up, the fuel flow in
each carb ceased, causing the engine to quit running.

Douglas Commercial 2
The DC-1 went on to meet TWAs requirements, and
it ordered 20 more airliners with suggested changes.
The DC-2 was born, and commercial airlines would
never be the same.
Producing an improved DC-1 was not just a matter
of mass-producing the DC-1 with some assembly line
changes. It meant new drawings, a mock-up, and new
tooling. Wright Aeronautical Corporation had just introduced its 855-hp engine, and with the increased horsepower, Douglas could stretch the DC-1 airframe. Douglas
added 2 feet to the fuselage, which allowed for another
row of seats. Stretching the cabin changed the center of
gravity so the wing had to be moved, effectively creating
a new transport. The Douglas engineers reviewed the
changes and decided to call the new aircraft the Douglas
Commercial 2, or DC-2.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

BOEING

HENRY M. HOLDEN

The DC-1 belly-landed into the runway because no one

lowered the landing gear. What is not widely known is
that Douglas engineers felt that the landing gear did
not need mechanical down locks. Two embarrassing
gear collapses during taxiing at public demonstrations
convinced them to install the devices.

DC-2 NC13711, c/n 1368, at the Museum of Flight in

2008. It was previously registered as NC1934D. This
rare early airliner is expected to take part in the 75th
anniversar y celebration of the DC-3 at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh 2010.

NEW JERSEY AVIATION HALL OF FAME

American Airlines NC14988, Flagship Texas, was

the first DC-3 and was configured as the first Douglas Sleeper Transpor t (DST). You can see the small
windows installed above each sleeper bunk. It was
assigned c/n 1494 and was powered by two Wright
Cyclone SGR-1820-G-5 engines. On May 25, 1942, the
airplane was sold to the Defense Supplies Corp., then
to the War Department on July 21, 1942. It was given
U.S. Army Air Forces serial number 42-43619 and
crashed at Knob Noster, Missouri, October 15, 1942.
In deciding to manufacture the
DC-2, Douglas took another calculated risk. The DC-1 had cost the
company more than $350,000.
TWA agreed to pay $65,000 for each
DC-2 (sans engines), and Douglas
was betting the DC-2 would catch
on so he could recoup his research
and development costs. When the
76th DC-2 rolled off the line, it put
Douglas in the black, clearing the
research, development, and losses
on the DC-1 and the first 25 DC2s. The DC-1 had taken 58,000
man-hours to build, and the experts said they had to cut the time
to 38,000 hours if they wanted to
show a profit. The first 25 DC-2s
came off the line before the arrival
of Henry Guerins hydro-presses.
Guerins presses eliminated much
of the manual shaping of the metal
and cut production time down to
32,000 hours.

16 MAY 2010

FAA

The last DC-3 operated by the FAA, N34, is a retired

flight-inspection aircraft that is used as an aviationawareness static display at air shows around the
countr y. The N34 was used to check the national air
navigation aides.

Douglas Sleeper Transport

Douglas first real commercial
success began when American Airlines entered the picture. Thanks to
the acquisition of different airlines
as American expanded and grew, it
had a mixed fleet of Curtiss Condor
biplane sleepers and Ford and Fokker tri-motors. It needed to modernize its fleet. American was losing
millions of dollars, and it wanted
a modern airplane, with sleeper
berths, since that attracted luxury
passengers. It ordered several DC-2s.
The DC-2 was a vast improvement
over its previous airplanes, but it
was too narrow to fit a comfortable
sleeping berth. American Airlines
decided it needed a bigger airplane.
Cyrus Rowlett (C.R.) Smith,
president of American Airlines, and
William Littlewood, vice president
of engineering, had both flown in
the DC-2 and did not like some

of its performance characteristics.

It had the highest-rated engines
in use at the time, but they felt it
lacked power. It could not make
New York to Chicago nonstop, although it was faster than any other
airliner on that route. They also
had pilot reports that it was difficult to land. It did carry 14 passengers, two more than the DC-1 and
the Boeing 247.
Littlewood sat down with his engineers and began to redesign the
DC-2. His sketches of the proposed
sleeper closely resembled the later
Douglas Sleeper Transport (DST).
Smith, looking for something larger
than the DC-2, telephoned Donald
Douglas with a proposal. He finally
convinced Douglas to modify a DC-2
to Americans sleeper requirements.
Douglas had been reluctant to
take on a new design. The DC-2
was in full production, with 102

In the late 1930s, airport security was a nonissue. In

this gate area at Newark Airport, the only thing keeping
the passengers away from the propellers on this DC-3
is a small iron fence. One passenger compared the
DC-3 to the other airplanes of the day: It was like flying
from your living room. The windows even had curtains.
NEW JERSEY AVIATION HALL OF FAME

Eastern Airlines DC-3s line up on the ramp in front of

the administration/terminal building. The Great Silver
Fleet consisted of Eastern Airlines DC-3s all burnished
to the silver-like finish of the base metal. The individual
planes were called SILVERLINERS. The aircraft in the
foreground survives today and is on display inside the
New England Air Museum, at the Bradley International
Airport, in Windsor, Connecticut.

NEW JERSEY AVIATION HALL OF FAME

NEW JERSEY AVIATION HALL OF FAME

COURTESY HENRY M. HOLDEN

Eastern Airlines 351 DST-318 NC25650, c/n 2225,

was commandeered by the USAAF June 8, 1942. It returned to Eastern July 1944, as NC25650. It was sold
on April 15, 1952, and registered N1300M and went
through almost a dozen owners. Its registration was
canceled in August 1988.
airframes already manufactured,
and another 90 orders ready for the
assembly line. A new model meant
new toolingan expensive gamble.
Littlewoods drawings suggested
the new design would be wider and
have the DC-2 center section and
outer wing panels, but have a larger
cockpit and bigger tail surfaces than
the DC-2. When Douglas engineers
reviewed Littlewoods drawings, they
estimated they would reuse about
80 percent of the original DC-2 design. Littlewood and his assistant,
Otto Kirchner, and Raymond worked
nearly six months on the design.

The DC-3
On July 8, 1935, Smith sent
Douglas a telegram, ordering 10
of the new transports. The actual
specifications for Smiths proposed
airplane arrived at Douglas Aircraft
on November 14, 1935. Before the

On Januar y 7, 1938, American Airlines Flagship Kentucky dropped out of a pea soup fog and pouring rain to
find itself without enough runway to stop before it hit a
fence. The pilot executed a missed approach, overshot
the runway, and landed in the marshlands about a mile
from the runway. The five passengers, three crew, and
750 pounds of mail sur vived. The DC-3 was repaired
and flew for various companies until 1972.

first flight of the DC-3, American

Airlines had also doubled its initial order to eight Douglas Sleeper
Transports and 12 DC-3s.
The actual contract was signed
on April 8, 1936. In todays business environment the contract always precedes work, but in 1935,
American Airlines and Douglas had
such faith in each others dependability, and integrity, that the construction came first and the contract after delivery.
We gave Bill (Littlewood) almost
a free hand in establishing the dimensions in the cabin and deciding
what went into the cockpit layout,
said Raymond. The DC-3 was a
product of teamwork. This was the
primary reason it was so successful.
American Airlines flew a Curtiss
Condor to Santa Monica so the
Douglas engineers could study the
berths and improve on them. Lit-

tlewood and Harry Wetzel lay down

in the mock-up berths to judge the
size and to find the best position
for the reading light, call button,
and airsick cup. When Wetzel felt
closed in, they decided to install
a small window (unique to the 38
DSTs manufactured) in the upper
berths to prevent claustrophobia.
What rolled off the assembly line
on December 14, 1935, was much
more than Littlewood had put on
paper. It was a new aircraft, both in
design and size. It had a wider and
longer fuselage, greater span, larger
empennage area, stronger landing
gear, and more power than the DC2. The final product was only about
10 percent interchangeable with
DC-2 parts.
Aviation design had taken giant
steps in a few short years. Douglas
engineers discovered certain color
continued on page 39

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

Light Plane Heritage

published in EAA Experimenter January 1990

The Model L L.W.F./Cato

Butterfly with Captain
Jack Foote (left) and
Joseph L. Cato.

JOSEPH L. CATO
NEARLY A LEGEND
by Owen S. Billman
Photos from the Paul Matt Collection courtesy Drina Welch Abel, Aviation Heritage Research Center
John Greenleaf Whittier might have had Joseph L.
Cato in mind when he wrote,. . . of all sad words of
tongue or pen, the saddest are these, It might have
been! Throughout his lifespan, Cato was dedicated
to providing a small airplane and a dependable engine
that would be affordable, safe, and fun to fly for his fellow man who shared his longing to fly. His designs were
excellent, advanced for their time; his engines were triumphs of simplicity and efficiency. No less an authority
than the renowned engine designer Harold E. Morehouse
once stated: His (Catos) engine was easily the forerunner of the lightplane engine which was to follow in later

years, after a market (for it) developed.

It is difficult to understand how a talent such as Catos
had escaped recognition and renown except that he really appeared to have been one of those hard-luck kids.
Several times it appeared that he had a sure thing going
when fate would deal him another blow.
Born in 1889 in North Yakima, Washington, of obviously understanding parents, Cato discovered the new
world of aeronautics early on. He was fascinated by the
subject and thoroughly researched it as he grew through
boyhood. Age 14 found him designing, building, and
flying a 28-foot-span glider. It provided two satisfying

Editors Note: The Light Plane Heritage series in EAAs Experimenter magazine often touched on aircraft and concepts related to vintage aircraft and their history. Since many of our members have not had the opportunity to read this series, we plan on publishing those
LPH articles that would be of interest to VAA members. Enjoy!HGF

18 MAY 2010

The Butterfly in its original parasol configuration, summer 1919.

flights before a resounding crash ended the project. Later,
when his family moved to San Francisco, he enrolled for
a night-school course in engineering.
In 1908, at age 19, he submitted plans and specifications to the U.S. War Department, presumed to be receiving bids for a flying machine. He received little more
than an acknowledgement, but he continued his studies
and construction, producing three Curtiss-type biplanes
and a Bleriot-style monoplane between 1909 and 1915.
His activities during this period were accomplished after
hours out of necessity, as he was employed days as a machinist and gas engine repairman, good experience for
events to follow.
In 1914, Cato left California to join Captain Thomas S.
Baldwins team of exhibition aviators. The next year, he
returned to his first love, designing aircraft and engines,
this time with the Sloane Aircraft Company, Bound
Brook, New Jersey. He was dissatisfied with his assignments there, so after having started with Sloane in November 1915, he left in April 1916 to join the L.W.F. Engineering Company at College Point, Long Island. L.W.F.
was a well-respected company by then, and Cato soon
found himself with the title of experimental engineer
and assistant to the general manager.
Throughout his career, he was obsessed with the desire to produce an aircraft that would be affordable and
simple enough to be maintained by the average man.
To achieve these requirements, he was convinced such
a plane would, out of necessity, be small, but adequately
powered by a simple, light engine that had the further
quality of dependability in adequate amounts, one that
could be counted on to keep running indefinitely or as
long as the pilot required it to operate. Such engines for
light planes were extremely rare in those days.
With these goals in mind, he worked in his spare time
on both his ideas of a small plane and a suitable engine,
alternating his attention as time would allow. The engine
design that he developed was an air-cooled, two-cylinder,
horizontally opposed, four-stroke type designed to develop 70 hp at best rpm. Later, when it was finished,
it developed 72 hp at 1,825 rpm and weighed just 134
pounds complete.
While Cato was in this position and with his assistance, L.W.F. planes went on to great renown. Their work

with their Model V (a large biplane) introduced several

innovations for the time, one being the first fully monocoque, molded plywood fuselage, and balanced control
surfaces. Powered at first with the 135-hp V8 Thomas
engine, it was upgraded with the substitution of the Liberty 6 and was flight-tested in January 1918. These planes
exhibited excellent performance and went on to make
many noteworthy flights.
In the summer of that year, Cato learned that the Marlin-Rockwell Company of New Haven, Connecticut, was
contemplating the marketing of a small sportplane and
engine for postwar use, something that appeared to be
right down his alley. His work with L.W.F. had been engrossing and he had been of great value to that company,
but his first love and dream had seemed no nearer to fruition, so it is not surprising that he left and soon found
himself hired and hard at work at Marlin-Rockwell.
While there, he was able to fly the requirements for
his pilot license. His design work progressed rapidly, since
he was able to spend full time on it, but quite soon it
became evident that the Marlin-Rockwell Company officials had changed their minds about putting his little
plane and engine into production. The following spring,
he left to return to the L.W.F. Corporation on the promise
that he could develop just such a lightplane while at the
same time assisting on the redesign of L.W.F.s mailplane
candidate dubbed the Owl.
On leaving Marlin-Rockwell, he had retained the
rights to manufacture his small two-cylinder engine and
was able to design his new small lightplane around it
(now whimsically dubbed the Butterfly, as contrasted
to the much larger Owl).
This new plane appeared initially as a parasol monoplane. It was light and flew very well in this configuration; however, he was not satisfied with it, and it was
soon modified so that the wings were mounted at the top
longeron in shoulder-wing style. This change resulted
in better performance because of reduced parasite drag,
since many struts and wires were eliminated.
Catos concept of the ideal airplane for the common
man had no provision for high speed; he favored ease
of control, slow landing and takeoff speed, economy
of operation and maintenance, and above all, safety.
So, his Butterfly could do 72 mph maximum, carry 383

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19

pounds of payload, and still get off at

30 mph.
The prototype, designated the
Model L by L.W.F, was extensively
tested at Hazelhurst Field, near Mineola, Long Island, by the (then) wellknown Army pilot Captain John
Foote in the autumn of 1919 and
again (the shoulder-wing version) in
early spring 1920. Captain Foote was
pleased with the new version, declaring it a true pleasure to handle, both Captain Foote and the L.W.F. Cato Model L Butterfly.
on the ground and in the air. Landing
at 30 mph, he was able to consistently
demonstrate that he could touch
down into a light breeze, estimated
at 6 mph, and come to a complete
stop in 60 feet. His takeoffs were eyeopeners, too, as he could get off regularly in 50 to 60 feet from a standing start. In those days, the biplane
was king and there were many scoffers. But these scoffers were shown
and fed the required information;
Foote was able to change frank disbelief to grudging acceptance that Sitting on the Butterflys back helped hold it down during high engine
such outstanding performance could rpm run-up.
be had from a monoplane design.
Several sales commitments were essential to ensure
The evidence was there and simply couldnt be denied.
profitability, as extensive investments would be necIt became obvious that Cato had a good thing going.
The Butterfly was put through a very extensive pro- essary for jigs in building the aircraft as well as heavy
gram of flight tests for the next three months. Captain investments in tooling and casting required for manufacFoote was so impressed that he urged company officials turing the new Cato engine.
The outlook was grim, but it reached disastrous proto permit him to take the little plane on an extended tour
of the country, making flight demonstrations as he went, portions on March 31, 1920, when Captain Foote was
stressing its ability to provide safe, low-cost, fun flying for killed in the Butterfly while demonstrating at Hazelhurst
the weekend pilot. If certain unfortunate circumstances Field. A large crowd, including several executives of the
had not intervened, it is quite likely that this little plane Curtiss Company, were watching while Foote made a low
and its dependable Cato engine would have marked an pass. As he pulled up sharply and started a left turn, the
early breakthrough in the marketing of the lightplane for right wing broke loose at the outboard life strut fittings
and rotated upward, wrenching that wing free of the
civil aviation.
The L.W.F. Company was so pleased with the perfor- aircraft. As the wreckage struck the ground, the popular
mance of the Butterfly that it started a campaign of ad- Captain Jack was killed instantly.
vertising, quoting a price of $2,500 complete, F.O.B. ColLater it was proven that this crash, which dashed the
lege Point, New York. The shoulder-wing model looked hopes of marketing the Butterfly, was caused by an outravery racy to the crowds of young men who showed up geous act on the part of one of L.W.F.s employees who
to watch it perform. During the summer of 1920, the maintained the aircraft: In the course of one of the modicompany stepped up its marketing efforts, but a running fications required, this man had inadvertently drilled a
survey confirmed its fears: The customers interested in hole nearly through a wing spar, and then to hide his
purchasing a new plane simply would not spend that blunder, he had filled the hole with a nonstructural makind of money when it was possible to purchase brand- terial. Because of this act, a fine pilot was killed and an
new Jennies and Standards just out of the crate as war excellent new design had to be shelved. But it also had besurplus for as little as $500, often even less than that. In come apparent that the world was not yet ready to accept
addition, replacement engines, landing gear, and wing the light sportplane, at least not at the prices required to
panels were available at giveaway prices. Thus the Butter- market it at a reasonable profit. Catos Butterfly and his
flys price tag of $2,500 placed its purchase on a plateau hopes for a lightplane were quashed, at least temporarily.
that was beyond the reach of most prospects.
Although Cato was visibly shocked and disheartened

20 MAY 2010

over the tragedy, his enthusiasm

for the concept of a cheap, practical
lightplane wouldnt be quelled. He
soon left L.W.F. and joined with G.
Elias & Brother Inc. of Buffalo, New
York, where he was able to continue
his campaign by designing a new
lightplane titled the Elias Aircoupe.
This plane seated two persons sideby-side and featured a closed canopy
that might be removed for summer
flying, if desired. The seating arrangement was well liked and several were
sold, but once more, it appeared that
fate intervened in the form of the
Stock Market Crash of 1929. And that
candidate, too, was withdrawn from
the market.
Cato, pioneer plane builder, pilot, and aeronautical engineer, was
a visionary who, from the first, had
enthusiasm for the mere possibility of flying. He, like so many of his
contemporaries, was initially led to
build something that looked like an
airplane and then do his utmost to
coax it into the air. Unfortunately for
him and for us who love to fly, the
timing of his efforts seemed invariably wrong. What might have been
the result of his efforts if . . . if . . . if!
Cato left the Elias company in
1930 to become general superintendent and production manager
at the Emsco Aircraft Corporation,
Downey, California, where he supervised the redesign of three of its
planes and steered them through the
required Approved Type Certificate
test. During this period, he designed
another lightplane and engine on his
own time. The Emsco Aircraft Corporation ceased operation, another
victim of the Depression, so Cato
started his own company, hoping to
get into manufacturing on his own.
But this did not materialize.
In 1941 he became chief aircraft
maintenance inspector and general
superintendent of shops at Castle
Air Force Base, Merced, California.
He remained there until his retirement in May of 1953. He died at
Turlock, California, on February 28,
1965, at age 77. He was survived by
a wife and son.

Cato 72-hp Aero Engine

In the original design laid down for this engine, all experimental and untried features were eliminated, and only features which had been proven by the designers
long experience were used.
Light weight was obtained by simplifying design rather than building light parts.
The engine was a two-cylinder, horizontally opposed, four-stroke, air-cooled, valvein-head type Bore, 5 inches; stroke, 6 inches; piston displacement, 263.63 cubic
inches; compression ratio -4.33 to 1; and weight complete ready to run 134
pounds, corresponding to a specific weight of about 1.86 pounds per horsepower.
The rated horsepower was 72 at 1,825 rpm.
The crankcase was a two-piece aluminum alloy casting split vertically. The engine
was bolted to the fuselage with eight 3/8-inch bolts set at a large pitch diameter at
the rear of the crankcase; the rear of the crankcase formed the gear-case housing.
The actuating mechanism consisted of one camshaft with two cams: one inlet cam
and one exhaust cam, operating four tappets, each connected to its valve push-rod.
The cylinders were machined from solid-steel forgings; 15 cooling fins were machined on the outside of the barrel. Two sparkplug bosses were provided, one on
each side of the cylinder head between the valves.
The crankshaft was also machined from a solid-steel forging and was of the doublethrow type. The flange for the propeller was machined integrally with the crankshaft.
The oiling system was of the dry-sump noncirculating type. Oil pressure was
provided by a dual plunger-pump drawing oil from a tank in the fuselage, delivering
a small quantity to each of the cylinders every 7-1/2 revolutions of the crankshaft.
On the down stroke of the plungers, a small quantity of oil was delivered into the
gear case, lubricating the oil pump reduction gears and the valve-operating mechanism. The main bearings, crankpin, and piston-pin bearings were lubricated from
oil spray in the crankcase.
Ignition was by Bosch magneto, carburetion by Zenith carburetor.
Overall dimensions were: width 46-1/8 inches, length 23-1/10 inches, height
20-1/4 inches. Oil consumption was 2 pounds per hour.
This engine, driving an 86-inch propeller, provided a lot of torque at its takeoff
rating of 1,825 rpm and cruising rating of 1,650 rpm. The old truism, assuming
engines of equal displacement, holds: The old system of turning a large-diameter
propeller at a relatively low rpm provides more torque than the current practice of
turning a smaller propeller at high speed.
The Cato engine was ideally suited to powering aircraft of its day.

Acknowledgments
I wish to express my thanks to the following for their generous input to
this ar ticle: George A. Hardie Jr., A. J. Jack McRae, and Dennis Parks.
Other sources: Aerial Age Weekly, October 6, 1919; Flight Magazine, October 9, 1919; Aviation magazine, March 1, 1920; Whos Who in American
Aeronautics; AAHS Journal, No. 4, 1967; Paul Matt Historical Aviation Album, No. 11; and Long Island Early Fliers Club Newsletter, April 1986.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

My Friend

Albert Vollmecke
Part 5
BY

ROBERT G. LOCK

hen we ended last months installment, we

were at the Sun n Fun Fly-In in 1989 (that
seems like yesterday to me) in the company of Albert Vollmecke. About the same
time that I discovered Vollmecke, my Florida friend
Joe Araldi discovered him, too. Araldi wanted to build
a replica Little Rocket racer and was able to acquire a
copy of the original prints from Vollmecke. He had
given them to his son, Albert Jr., for safekeeping.
Vollmeckes design was far advanced for its time.
The Little Rocket featured shock absorbers located inside the wheels. And it had a unique aileron control
system; a small crank on top of the control stick allowed the pilot to crank both ailerons down 15 degrees
for landing, which increased the camber of the wing,
thus giving it more lift. The increased lift was needed
for takeoffs and landings in the high country of the
west, as the ship had only 88 square feet of wing area.
The Command-Aire Little Rocket was piloted by Lee
Gehlbach in the All American Cirrus Derby and won
the race with an average speed of 127.11 mph. This average speed was achieved using a 110-hp supercharged
Cirrus inline, four-cylinder engine. Gehlbach and the
Little Rocket had bested some of the best racing pilots and airplanes of the day. Three in particular stand
outLowell Bayles flying the Gee Bee Sportster Model
X, Jimmy Wedell flying the Wedell-Williams Racer,
and Harvey Mummert flying the Mercury Racer.
After winning the race the Little Rocket racer was
immediately sold and went on to race in the 1930
National Air Races held in Chicago from August 23 to
September 1. The ship was flown by E.Z. Newsom and

22 MAY 2010

My file copies of Alberts Little Rocket prints given to

me by Als son, Albert Jr. The drawings are highly detailed, providing data to make every part of the aircraft.
I asked Al if he ever made the drawings with some
details left out to be finalized upon manufacture, and
then drawn. He said it didnt work that way and that his
drawings were rarely revised. The factory built only one
Little Rocket.

The original Little Rocket racer under construction at the

Command-Aire factory in Little Rock. A 5C3 left upper
wing covered and painted through silver is used as a
backdrop to highlight the wooden structure of the ship.
attained a speed of 151.85 mph in the Mens Free-forall for engines up to 350 cubic inches. Newsom finished second behind Ben Howard in his Gypsy Howard
at 161.01 mph.
The final chapter of the Command-Aire Little Rocket
came in 1932 when the owner drove to Memphis to retrieve the airplane, which had been damaged in a landing accident. In a letter from the Hartford Fire Insurance

Barbara Baron
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operated the fixed base at Martinsville Blue Ridge Airport
for 15 years. She later became the Chief Flight Instructor
at Averett University, Danville, Virginia.
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The license for the completed ship was issued July 7,

1930, and number NR-10403 was assigned, with an
expiration date of September 18, 1930. The ship was
restricted for racing purposes only.

Below: The completed Little Rocket racer outside the Command-Aire factory building.

The men involved in the creation and racing of the first

Little Rocket. Left to right are Lee Gehlbach (pilot), Albert Vollmecke (designer), Robert Snowden (president
of Command-Aire Incorporated), and Charles E. Shoemaker Jr. (president of the Little Rock Racing Association). The aircraft was designed to compete in the All
American Cirrus Derby, a 5,500-mile course beginning
July 21, 1930, starting at Detroit, Michigan, and ending back at Detroit. The Little Rocket won and received
a cash prize of $15,000, a huge sum in 1930.

Lee Gehlbach won the All American Cirrus Derby with an average
speed of 127.11 mph.
Company, Chicago, Illinois, dated March 15, 1932, to
Mr. Clarence Young, Assistant Secretary, Department of
Commerce, Aeronautics Division, Washington, D.C.,
the disposition of the Little Rocket is made very clear:
On or about May 28th or 29th the plane started from
Little Rock to the Birmingham races and stopped at Memphis where the plane was laid up for repairs and was never
flown thereafter. It would appear that the trouble at this
time at Memphis was caused by a cam bearing being worn
out, the bearings in the supercharger ruined, and that the
oil, as well as the crank cover, all of which allowed the oil
to run back in the supercharger. The plane was dismantled
by the engine being removed and was never repaired. On or
about June 17th or 18th, the owner with others appeared
at Memphis and had the engine temporarily boarded in
the plane and the plane placed in the trailer, and while
the plane was being towed in this trailer by a Ford Coupe
between Little Rock and Russellville, it caught fire and
was burned, for which a claim was first presented against

24 MAY 2010

this company in the sum of $10,000, and later suit [was]

brought to recover $7,500. The claim was investigated by
the writer and the company denied liability and prepared to
defend the suit in the Federal Court in Little Rock, the case
coming up in the April term of court there.
Thus ends the story of the Little Rocket designed by
Vollmecke and built by Command-Aire Incorporated,
Little Rock, Arkansas.
That is until Mr. Joe Araldi came along. Araldi formerly owned a Command-Aire 5C3, NX925E, until
it was sold to the Arkansas Aviation Museum in Little
Rock. He was anxious to get started on another Command-Aire and decided to re-create the Little Rocket
racer. Vollmecke furnished Araldi with a complete
set of Little Rocket drawings that he had compiled in
1930; they were the only drawings that survived the
closing of the Little Rock factory.
Araldi started the painstaking job of building a replica of the Little Rocket racer from scratch, including the

The construction of the second Little Rocket fuselage takes shape in Joe
Araldis hangar. Compare this fuselage to the original shown earlier in
this column. Note the small fuel tank contoured to fit the shape of the fuselage and the wood engine-mount structure. The fuel and oil capacities
were 31-1/4 gallons and 2-1/2 gallons, respectively.
With Bob Lock looking on, Joe Araldi
puts some ground
time on the newly
overhauled Wright
Gypsy engine. So
impressed with the
project, Vollmecke
decreed that Araldis
Little Rocket was serial number 2, and it
was so designated.

Little Rocket serial number 2 in flight.

shock-absorbing wheels invented
by Vollmecke. Araldi could not locate an airworthy Cirrus engine,
so he decided to build the airframe
around a similar engine, the Wright
Gypsy four-cylinder, upright, inline, air-cooled engine. Construction took place in Lakeland, Florida,

26 MAY 2010

primarily in Araldis hangar at the

Green Swamp Aerodrome. The project of replicating the ship took eight
years from start in 1982 to test flight
in 1990.
The aircraft was fully assembled
and rigged at Araldis hangar, then
disassembled and moved into the

Joe Araldi fabricating an aileron

with the Little Rocket replica being
assembled in background. Note the
leading edge faired in with balsa
wood. The aircraft is constructed
mostly of Sitka spruce and mahogany or birch plywood, making the
ship very strong and light in weight.
Araldi decided not to try and duplicate Vollmeckes drooping ailerons
for low-speed control.
maintenance hangar at the Sun n
Fun site on the Lakeland airport.
Araldi and Bob Lock completed a
weight and balance of the Little
Rocket and adjusted the center of
gravity slightly by adding two bags of
lead shot inside the forward fuselage.
Both Command-Aire ships, my
model 5C3, NC997E, and Araldis
Little Rocket serial number MR-2,
were proudly displayed in the museum at the 1989 Sun n Fun Fly-In
at Lakeland, Florida.
Araldi completed and flew the
Little Rocket on April 13, 1990. On
April 17 he flew the ship with the
Vollmecke family present. Araldi
made a total of four flights on the
ship before it went on display in the
Sun n Fun museum at the Lakeland
airport, where it can be viewed today.
Albert A. Vollmecke (19011994)
will be remembered for his achievements and expertise as an engineer
and designer of aircraft, having
served the public well in the Civil
Aeronautics Administration and the
Federal Aviation Administration for
a good part of his life. He is indeed
an inspiration to those fortunate
enough to have known him.

Vintage
Mechanic

THE

BY ROBERT G. LOCK

Continental W-670 main bearing failures

Part II
Since the first installment in a
previous issue on the subject of rear
main bearing failures in Continental W-670 aircraft engines, I am reminded of another such incident in
a Boeing Stearman here in central
Florida. The bearing began to fail at
approximately 380 hours after engine major overhaul, at about the
same operating time my bearing
failed. The logbook showed the engine had been overhauled by a very
reputable facility in 1994, and both
front and rear bearings had been replaced with new parts. So here we
go again with the same old problem,
which, if not caught early, can have
catastrophic results for both pilot
and airplane. This particular airplane
had a Sensenich wood prop installed;
therefore, it would be my conclusion
that bearing failures can occur on
engines with either wood or metal
props, just as Al Holloway had stated
to me several months ago.
Unlike other small seven-cylinder
radial engines such as Wright, Lycoming, and Warner, the Continental W-670 was manufactured
in huge numbers for aircraft, boats,
and tanks. Many airplanes continue to fly using this powerplant.
It is obvious that the rear main ball
bearing is the weak link in this particular type of engine. When Continental modified the W-670-6A or
-6N to the -23 in order to accommodate a constant-speed propeller,
engineers boosted the horsepower
to 240 and installed a roller bearing
in the rear main position. Again it

28 MAY 2010

is obvious that they knew the ball

bearing would not hold up with
the Hamilton Standard 2B20 prop,
and the higher compression ratio
placed more stress demands on the
crankshaft. With a constant-speed
prop, the engine drives a governor,
which may also place additional

stress on the crankshaft.

To understand what must be
done to the front and rear main
ball bearings during overhaul, one
must consult the W-670 overhaul
manual. The overhaul manual calls
for only an inspection of the bearing, not for mandatory replace-

Figure 1
Figure 1 shows a typical front and rear ball bearing as used in the Continental W-670 radial engine. These bearings are the only support for the
crankshaft, which produces only 15 hp less than the Wright R-760 bearings
shown in Figure 2.
On the left is the thrust, and on the right is the rear main ball bearing.
The bearing contains an inner and outer race separated by hardened steel
balls. To keep the rotating balls separated, there is a cage assembly, and
it is this portion of the bearing assembly that apparently fails first. When
the bearing in my Continental failed, large pieces of cage metal fell directly
into the oil sump and therefore bypassed the main oil screen. The screen
in my engine was completely devoid of any sign of metallic failure inside
the engine. I was informed that the main oil screen in the most recent bearing failure showed traces of metal. Therefore it is most important to use a
magnet and insert it into the oil sump after the oil has been drained. I have
also fashioned a hook out of 3/32-inch-diameter welding rod to fish out
fragments. If any metal is found in the engine oil sump, the airplane should
not be flown, as it is most likely the start of rear main bearing failure.

ment at the overhaul cycle. If the

engine logbook doesnt specifically
state that the bearings were replaced with new parts, you must assume used bearings were installed
at overhaul with an unknown total
time on them.
Again it becomes obvious to me
that the condition of these highly
stressed main bearings is a judgment call by the overhauling facility or the individual mechanic.
Therefore total operating hours on
these bearings is unknown, yet it
is these bearings that are the cause
of several failures of Continental
W-670 aircraft engines. Some failures are found during the beginning stage as the cage that holds the
steel balls in place begins to disintegrate. Continued operation of the
engine beyond this stage will eventually lead to complete failure of
the rear main bearing and damage
to the crankshaft, necessitating an
immediate emergency landing of
the airplane in terrain that may not
be too hospitable for such an event.
In the event the bearing completely
fails, the crankshaft rear main is
free to move wherever loads will
take it. Think of what this movement would do to the master rod,
link rods, and moving parts in the
accessory section. Remember the
old saying: Flying is many hours
of boredom separated by a few moments of stark terror!
I have a friend in Lodi, California, who has lot of experience overhauling and operating Continental
W-670 engines. His name is Peter
Precissi, and for many years, the
family owned and operated the largest fleet of Travel Air 4000 dusters
in the United States. The airplanes
carried sulfur dust applied to wine
grapes to prevent mold. Peter told
me they overhauled engines every
600 hours time-in-service, they had
experienced several failures of the
rear main bearing, and the part was
the weakest part of the Continental
engine. He also indicated that they
began installing roller bearings to
combat this problem. Keep in mind
that the Precissi Travel Airs were

My Travel Air 4000, NR3670 serial number 288, with a Precissi overhauled engine and prop.

Figure 2
Figure 2 shows the Wright R-760 main bearing arrangement. Note that
the Wright has (from left to right) a front thrust ball bearing, a center main
roller bearing, and a rear solid main bearing. The crankshaft size for the
Wright is SAE 30. Thats rather substantial when compared to the Continental W-670 with its smaller SAE 20-sized crankshaft.
Alignment of the three bearings in the Wright is critical; therefore the
rear main bearing must be linebored to fit the rear main journal
in the crankshaft. Replacement of
main bearings in a Wright engine is
much more difficult than in a Continental. The Wright main bearing arrangement is built like a brick outhouse!

Figure 3
operated under CAR Part 8 (now
FAR Part 137), and modifications
were somewhat easier to accomplish when an aircraft was certified
in the Restricted Category than on
an airplane certified in the Standard Category. The blue and yellow
Precissi Travel Airs prowled the air
around Sacramento for decades until recently when they were retired.
All are now in the hands of private
owners who will restore them to
their stock condition, except for one
airplane that has been donated to
the California Agriculture Museum
in Tulare, California. There, in all its
glory, is the airplane flown by Peters
uncle Joe for many years.

Figure 3 shows replacement Continental W-670 front and rear main

roller bearings. An STC is required
to install these bearings, since this
modification is an alteration to the
original engine type cer tificate. On
the upper left is a rear main bearing, and to its right is a front main
replacement roller bearing. The contact sur face is much greater on a
roller bearing compared to a ball
bearing, so bearing failures on the
Continental should be eliminated by
changing to the roller bearing. The
large bearing is a Wright front main
roller bearing with its inner race removed to clearly illustrate the appearance of a roller bearing.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

It is my firm belief that all W-670

engines should have the rear main
ball bearing replaced with a supplemental type certified roller bearing as
soon as possible, or at least when the
engine is due an overhaul. To install
this bearing in the engine requires
an FAA supplemental type certificate (STC), since it is a modification
of the original engine type design.
Only holders of an STC should perform this task; dont allow anybody
to install a bearing without an STC
approval. An entry in the engine logbook and an FAA Form 337 should
accompany the engine when it returns from the overhaul facility.
Make sure the FAA Form 337 is filled
out completely; then send the original copy to the FAA records branch
and place the second copy in the aircraft records file.
Since STC approvals for installations of roller-type rear main bearings are a recent occurrence (within
the past 10 years), many engines
are in service with original balltype rear main bearings. If a person is looking to buy an airplane
powered by a Continental W-670
engine (other than a W-670-23),
check logbooks and paperwork to
see if this modification has been
accomplished. If no record can be
found, then you must assume that
the modification has not been accomplished during the last overhaul or engine disassembly. If this
is the case, an owner must pay
particular attention for any fragments that may appear in the engine oil sump. I always change oil
every 25 hours of operation and
always drain the oil sump. I have
previously described how to check
for rear main bearing failures. But
it may be worth repeating at this
time. The following information
represents my opinions based on
personal experience. I would encourage other folks in the aviation
industry who have additional ideas
or information to contact any Type
Club or the Vintage Aircraft Association with their thoughts and
opinions. In this way, we can disseminate vital safety information.

30 MAY 2010

Figure 4
Figure 4 shows a por tion of the Continental rear main ball bearing assembly. Ive tried to show the bearing cage assembly in some detail. It is
this cage assembly that holds the steel balls in place, and fragments of
this portion of the bearing will be found in the sump. Fragments may not go
to the oil screen because the scavenge pump will not draw them out of the
sump; therefore, no fragments will likely be found in the main oil screen.
When my bearing failed, fragments up to 1 inch in length were found in the
oil sump when the plug was removed.

Figure 5
In Figure 5, you can see the entire Continental W-670 crankshaft/bearing assembly. It shows the front and rear main ball bearings in their correct location. The master rod and link rods have not been installed for this
photograph. Between the front main bearing and propeller splines, there is
a threaded section. The thrust bearing is located at this position against
a spacer. The thrust bearing, spacer, oil slinger ring, and thrust nut are
installed after the nose case is assembled.

My experience with rear main bearing failures shows me that:

The rear main ball bearings do
not suddenly fail, rather the support cage begins to disintegrate,
leaving the unsupported bearing
balls still in place between the inner and outer races. As the engine
continues operation, the bearing
will catastrophically fail, requiring
an immediate emergency landing
in whatever terrain the airplane is
flying over. It has been reported
to me that a pending bearing failure will show an increase in the
oil temperature with an associated
drop in pressure. If the bearing
fails completely, there will be no
true support on the crankshaft rear
main journal and the engine will
begin internal disassembly, which
will lead to failure of the engine.
Heavy vibrations will accompany
the failure mode.
It makes no difference what
type of prop is installedHamilton Standard, McCauley, or wood.
If the bearing is going to fail, its

going to fail! How long it takes the

bearing assembly to fail after the
cage fails is anybodys guess. However, let me state that if fragments
of the bearing cage are found in the
engine sump, do not operate the engine again!
If I were operating a Continental W-670 radial engine (and
I have a W-670 engine installed
in our Stearman), I would immediately check the records to see if
the engine had been previously
modified to incorporate a rear main
roller bearing in accordance with
an STC. If not, I would have the engine torn down and a roller bearing
installed. That will eliminate the
problem. If the engine is low time
since overhaul, the cylinders can
be removed and inspected with associated disassembly of the power
section and installation of the new
roller bearing. I would think the investment for the installation of a
roller bearing would far outweigh
the consequences of waiting for the
ball bearing to fail. I would be inter-

ested in the opinions of others on

the subject of Continental W-670
rear main ball bearing failures. The
more this is discussed, the better off
well all be.
Review the photos and their extended captions for a closer look at
the bearings.
It is my mission, through this
column, to identify this potential
engine problem with operators of
Continental W-670 (R-670) 220-hp
radial engines. I would appreciate
receiving input from the field regarding any experience with rear
main bearing failures. I would
guess that most Continental W-670
220-hp radial engines are installed
on Travel Air, Waco, and Boeing
Stearman aircraft, with other types
of aircraft representing a smaller
number of engines in use at this time.
Remember, if your engine logbook does not show installation of
roller bearings and if there is no FAA
Form 337 showing this major alteration, then you have to assume that
ball bearings are installed.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31

by H.G. FRAUTSCHY

MYSTERY PLANE
This months Mystery Plane comes to us from the EAA archives.

Send your answer to EAA,

Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your
answer needs to be in no later
than June 20 for inclusion in

the August 2010 issue of Vintage

Airplane.
You can also send your response via e-mail. Send your
answer to mysteryplane@eaa.org.

Be sure to include your name

plus your city and state in the
body of your note and put
(Month) Mystery Plane in the
subject line.

FEBRUARYS MYSTERY ANSWER

32 MAY 2010

he February Mystery Plane came to us

via Wes Smith of Springfield, Illinois.
Heres the answer from Jack Erickson of
State College, Pennsylvania.
The February 2010 Mystery Plane seems to be the
first of the two Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada) 4580 Sekani, c/n 101, CF-BHD, light transport sesquiplanes for 10-12 passengers to be built. A second was
built as c/n 102, CF-BHE. Both were powered by a pair
of nine-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Jr. SB
engines of 400 hp each. The information here is principally from the Putnam book Canadian Aircraft since
1909 by K.M. Molson & H.A. Taylor. The same photograph of CF-BHD as yours is in this reference, as well
as a photo of CF-BHE on wheel-mounted skis. There is
a photo of a Sekani on floats on the Aerofiles.com
website as well, but I could not tell of which aircraft.
The aircraft were designed and built in 1936-1937
by a team under new Fairchild chief engineer and general manager Nathan F. Vanderlipp. The factory and
its airfield were in Longueuil, Quebec. Both aircraft
were fi rst fl own by Alexander Schneider. The aircraft
was unsuccessful for its planned usage as a light passenger transport and aerial photography platform
for several reasons. The aircraft were overweight and
lacked the desired rate of climb and ceiling. Also, the
handling qualities were not good, and the structure
exhibited some weakness. Finally, neither civilian customers nor the Royal Canadian Air Force saw them as
being useful aircraft for their mission requirements.

Lars Gleitsmann, of Anchorage, Alaska, and

Tom Lymburn of Minneapolis, Minnesota, both
pointed out what is a rather humorous story that
goes along with the shortcomings mentioned
above. It probably wasnt very funny at the time,
but today
Lars wrote: After its first flight, the company
test pilot Alec Schneider chased the designer and
general manager N.F. Vanderlipp around the factory with the engine-starting hand crank! The
plane had really bad flight characteristics and was
also too heavy, yet was structurally weak. Only two
were built. Some others had been started; all were
scrapped. Kent A. Mitchells book Fairchild Aircraft
1926-1987 tells the whole story and has the very
same photo in it.
Other correct answers were received from Hillis
Cunliffe, Millbrook, Alabama; Timothy Dub, Orlans, Ontario, Canada; and Russ Norman, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35

Vintage
Instructor
THE

BY Steve Krog, CFI

Landingsforced and otherwise

t was too rainy and foggy to
do any flight training today, so
I started scanning through a
foot-tall stack of tagged articles
set aside to read in the future and
came across the most recent FAA
Preliminary Accident Data. I find it
to be a good source for giving me
reminders on what I should reinforce with students during their pilot training.
The accident data reviewed
covered just the first nine days of
March, in which there were 91 preliminary accident reports on file
that included 21 forced landings
and 25 landing accidents. Onehalf of all accidents reported in
the nine-day period involved either forced landings or landing accidents. Quite a startling statistic!
As we begin the activities of
a new flying season and enjoy
the pleasures of our vintage airplanes, we need to prepare not
only the airplane for a summer
of fun, safe flying, but also ourselvesespecially for the potential of a forced landing.
Forced landings and learning
how to deal with them are among
the prerequisites in preparation for
taking the private or sport pilot
checkrides. Time is spent selecting
a field, setting up for the landing,
and accomplishing a number of
cockpit checks prior to the landing. All designated examiners are
required to test the student candidate on forced landings, and most

36 MAY 2010

students are adequately trained to

deal with the situation.

Even after taking

all the preflight
cautions, the potential
exists that you could
have to land your
airplane away from
an airport, or at the
very least land at
an airport within
gliding distance.
However, once flight training is
completed and the checkride satisfactorily passed, few pilots, regardless of experience, will take the
time to practice this maneuver and
remain proficient.
Back in the 1970s when this
country was dealing with the Arab
oil embargo, aviation fuel was

rationed. Traveling cross-country was sometimes a hair-raising

event, as many airports would allow only an 8-gallon purchase of
avfuel per engine. Trying to deliver a fuel-hungry Cherokee Six300 from eastern South Dakota to
southern California was a series of
takeoffs, short hops, and landings
after exhausting the fuel supply
taken on at the departure-point
fixed base operator. It doesnt take
long to consume 84 gallons at 17
gallons per hour! During this period of time there was a rash of
forced landings due to fuel starvation. The FAA took note and
renewed the effort to teach individuals about forced landings.
Since that time, avfuel availability hasnt been a problem and
many pilots have become lax in
understanding and executing simulated forced landings. Skills diminished, and today were seeing
growing numbers of forced-landing
accidents. The cause is twofold:
fuel starvation, followed by lack
of planning. Well more than half
of the off-field landings are due to
fuel mismanagement, and almost
half of the serious forced landings
occurred during or just after takeoff when the pilot attempted to return to the airport and land.
When was the last time you
gave thought to a potential forced
landing or even practiced a simulated one? Did the fl ight instructor who gave you your last fl ight

review have you demonstrate a

simulated forced landing? And
if so, how did you do? Had the
forced landing been real rather
than simulated would you have
been able to safely get your airplane on the ground?
One of the best lessons I learned
was taught to me by an old-time
barnstormer and crop duster just
after receiving my private pilot
certificate. During the checkout
in one of his airplanes, he taught
me situational awareness long before the FAA ever grabbed on to
that phrase. While checking me
out, every two to three minutes he
asked where I would land if the engine quit at that given moment. It
was an exercise that has stuck with
me ever since, and Ive shared it
with every student of mine over
the past 35 years.
A forced landing can definitely
ruin an otherwise great flying day.
Even after taking all the preflight
cautions, the potential exists that
you could have to land your airplane away from an airport, or at
the very least land at an airport
within gliding distance. How have
you prepared yourself to handle
this potential problem?
There is very little written
about forced landings in most
primary flight-training manuals.
Other than reminding you to pick
a field, establish the best glide
speed for the aircraft being flown,
and land, little more is offered. To
find more information, one needs
to look through years of aviation
magazines or conduct an extensive Internet search for additional
helpful data.
Lets take a look at the basics.
The most important first step
when experiencing a forced landing is to keep flying the airplane!
Then execute the following steps:
1. Immediately establish the best
glide speed attitude for your
airplane and keep the airplane in that attitude.
2. Select a field in which to land.
3. Plan your approach into the
field.

4. When items 1-3 have been accomplished, try to identify

why the engine is causing you
to execute a forced landing.
a. Is the fuel selector valve
ON?
b. Is the fuel selector properly positioned on the
fullest tank of fuel?
c. Move the mixture control to FULL RICH, if
your airplane has a mixture control.
d. If the engine is still partially producing power,
apply carburetor heat.
e. Conduct a magneto
c h e c k . Yo u m a y h a v e
experienced the partial
failure of one magneto
causing the engine to run
quite rough.
If you have been able to complete all of the checks and the
problem still exists, its time to
prepare for the forced landing.
While continuing with and/or adjusting your approach to the selected field, youll want to do the
following:
1. Move the mixture control to
FULL OFF.
2. Shut the fuel OFF.
3. Shut the master switch OFF.
4. Position the magneto switch
in the OFF position.
5. UNLATCH the cabin door.
The ultimate goal now is to continue to fly the airplane and touch
down in your selected field with
the airplane flying as slowly as
possible but still well under control! Tube, fabric, and aluminum
can be repaired or replaced. The
human body is much more difficult to repair. If the field youve selected is rough, allow the airplane
to absorb the impact. Save yourself
and your passenger(s).
There are some common everyday
exercises a pilot can practice to ensure a safe off-field forced landing.
Here are a few that I practice with
every student.
When taking off, take a mo-

ment and ask yourself this:

1. If the engine quits before leaving the ground, what would
I do?
2. If the engine quits just after
takeoff, what would I do and
where would I go?
3. If the engine quits before
reaching at least 500 feet
above ground level, where
would I go?
Refamiliarize yourself with
not only your home-base field,
but also every field in the area to
which you regularly fly. Referring
back to the old-timer who taught
me a valuable life lesson when flying, I regularly ask students where
they would land at different points
during and after takeoff as well as
in the traffic pattern. For training
purposes we do practice forced
landings from all of the points.
The goal here is to break the automatic thought of attempting to
return to the airport via the impossible 180-degree turn. (Theres
an article on that topic in the April
issue of Sport Aviation, along with
a spirited discussion in the Flight Instructor HQ forum on EAAs www.
Oshkosh365.org website.HGF)
During the training (or local
pleasure) flight, remain aware of
the surface wind direction. If the
wind was from the south when departing for the hour-long flight,
it will probably remain from that
direction during the flight. Having good knowledge of the surface
wind will help when selecting a
field for a forced landing.
When flying cross-country it is
fairly easy to remain aware of the
surface wind direction through
pilotage. Look at the ripple or
wave action on bodies of water.
The shoreline where the water is
smooth will tell you that the wind
is coming from that direction. (Seaplane pilots know that smooth area
as the wind shadow.) Trees, when
in foliage, are also a good indicator.
Look at the leaves. Theyre moving away from the wind. Smoke is
also an excellent indicator. Large
flags located in residential yards or

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 37

VINTAGE TRADER
S o m e t h i n g t o b u y, s e l l , o r t r a d e ?

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. Black and white only, and no frequency discounts.
Adver tising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired
issue date (i.e., January 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA
reser ves the right to reject any adver tising in conflict with its policies.
Rates cover one insertion per issue. Classified ads are not accepted via
phone. Payment must accompany order. Word ads may be sent via fax
(920-426-6845) or e-mail (classads@eaa.org) using credit card payment
(all cards accepted). Include name on card, complete address, type of
card, card number, and expiration date. Make checks payable to EAA.
Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classified Ad
Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

EAA Calendar of Aviation Events Is Now Online

EAAs online Calendar of Events is the go-to spot on
the Web to list and find aviation events in your area. The
user-friendly, searchable format makes it the perfect webbased tool for planning your local trips to a fly-in.
In EAAs online Calendar of Events, you can search
for events at any given time within a certain radius of any
airport by entering the identifier or a ZIP code, and you
can further define your search to look for just the types of
events youd like to attend.
We invite you to access the EAA online Calendar of
Events at http://www.eaa.org/calendar/

Upcom ing M ajor F l y - I ns

Virginia Regional Festival of Flight
Suffolk Executive Airport (SFQ)
Suffolk, Virginia
May 22-23, 2010
www.VirginiaFlyIn.org

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Yuba County Airport (MYV)
Marysville, California
June 11-13, 2010
www.GoldenWestFlyIn.org

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Arlington Fly-In
Arlington Municipal Airport (AWO)
Arlington, Washington
July 7-11, 2010
www.ArlingtonFlyIn.org

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Wittman Regional Airport (OSH)
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
July 26-August 1, 2010
www.AirVenture.org
Colorado Sport International Air Show and
Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-In
Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC)
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August 28-29 2010
www.COSportAviation.org
Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In
Grimes Field Airport (I74), Urbana, Ohio
September 11-12, 2010
www.MERFI.info
Copperstate Fly-In
Casa Grande Municipal Airport (CGZ)
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October 21-23, 2010
www.COPPERSTATE.org
Southeast Regional Fly-In
Middleton Field Airport (GZH)
Evergreen, Alabama
October 22-24, 2010
www.SERFI.org
Fo r d e t a i l s o n h u n d re d s o f u p co m i n g av i at i o n
happenings, including EAA chapter fly-ins, Young Eagles
rallies, and other local aviation events, visit the EAA
Calendar of Events located at www.eaa.org/calendar.

instructor
continued from page 37

in front of businesses also tell you

what the surface wind is doing.
While flying cross-country get
in the habit of looking for suitable
fields in which to landif the engine
would quit at that instant. During
the two- to three-hour dual crosscountry flight made with students,
Ill ask them to point out fields along
our route of flight. Then Ill have
them simulate a forced landing into
one of the fields selected along each
leg of the training flight.
When returning to your home
field after an hour-long pleasure
flight, at what point is your airplane most likely to experience an
engine problem? Im sure you all
answered the question by thinking, its obvious; an engine problem is most likely to occur when
the power is significantly reduced.
That point is on downwind abeam
the numbers of the runway youve
selected for landing.
If this is the critical point in the
flight where an engine problem is
most likely to occur, when was the
last time you practiced a no-power
approach and landing from that
point? If traffic flow at your airport
allows, practice the no-power approach a time or two every month.
If traffic activity doesnt allow you
to practice this maneuver, try it at
a nearby airport that is less busy.
Youll amaze yourself, first, because
youve become somewhat lax after flying the normal approach
and, second, after a few practice
attempts youll renew your understanding of your airplane and what
you need to do to execute an altered traffic pattern to make a safe
no-power approach and landing.
Spending a little time practicing
for a potential forced landing will
sharpen your skills, making you
a better and safer pilot. Flying is
a challenge and also a lot of fun.
With a little practice we will all be
able to do it more safely. And isnt
that what its all about?

Douglas DC-3

continued from page 17

combinations tied into a general uneasiness among passengers. The DC-3

did not use certain shades of green,
since tests revealed it gave some passengers balance problems and airsickness. Certain patterns in colors, although the colors were satisfactory,
also caused passenger discomfort.
Carpets in the DC-3 were dark to
give the feeling of strength and security underfoot. The walls and ceiling were light in color to prevent an
uncomfortable feeling of confinement and evoke a feeling of airiness and freedom.
On December 17, 1935, the DC-3
began to move down the runway
at Clover Field, slowly at first, but
within 1,000 feet, it lifted off effortlessly. The lives of millions of people
throughout the world for decades to
come were about to change.
In contrast to maiden flights of
todays aircraft, covered extensively
by the media, this flight, like the
maiden flight of the DC-1, went virtually unnoticed by the press, but
turned out to be one of the most significant events of the 20th century.
The historic flight drew so little corporate attention that no one thought
to photograph the moment.
The DST configuration was the first
aircraft off the production line. American Airlines used it in a day-plane
configuration until the DC-3 came off
the line in September 1936. Coast-tocoast air travel on American Airlines
new DST sleeper service began on
September 18, 1936. Americans DC-3
Flagship Mercury Service reduced

coast-to-coast time to 15 hours westbound and 19.5 hours eastbound.

The fare was $269.90 round trip.
American Airlines DC-3/DST was
the first American aircraft to have
hot kitchen facilities. No longer did
captive passengers have to eat boxed
lunches consisting of a cold sandwich and a piece of fruit. Now flight
attendants served hot, full-course
mealsand they were free.
American Airlines offered meals
served on genuine Syracuse china,
with Reed and Barton silverware.
Wild rice pancakes with blueberry
syrup, cheese omelets or julienne
of ham omelets were the breakfast choices. For dinner there was
chicken Kiev, duckling a lorange,
breast of chicken Jeannette, strip sirloin, or filet mignon, served with a
choice of salads and pastries for dessert. Luncheons were light, featuring
consomm, fried chicken, peas, and
mashed potatoes, with ice cream and
chocolate sundaes for dessert.
In 1936, the DC-3 helped American Airlines show its first profit in
years$4,590. By 1937, its earnings
were up more than $1,400,000, with a
22 percent increase in revenue passengers. The DC-3 enabled the airline to
fly passengers only and show a profit.
Well continue the history of the
DC-3 in next months Vintage Airplane. Part 2 will cover the C-47, and
Part 3, which will be published in the
July issue, will cover postwar civilian
use, Vietnam, and turbo conversions
of the world-renowned Douglas Commercial product, the DC-3.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39

VINTAGE
AIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION
OFFICERS
President
Geoff Robison
1521 E. MacGregor Dr.
New Haven, IN 46774
260-493-4724
chief7025@aol.com

Vice-President
George Daubner
N57W34837 Pondview Ln
Oconomowoc, WI 53066
262-560-1949
gdaubner@eaa.org

Secretary
Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave.
Albert Lea, MN 56007
507-373-1674
stnes2009@live.com

DIRECTORS

Steve Bender
85 Brush Hill Road
Sherborn, MA 01770
508-653-7557
sst10@comcast.net

Jeannie Hill
P.O. Box 328
Harvard, IL 60033-0328
815-943-7205

David Bennett
375 Killdeer Ct
Lincoln, CA 95648
916-645-8370
antiquer@inreach.com

Espie Butch Joyce

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

Jerry Brown
4605 Hickory Wood Row
Greenwood, IN 46143
317-422-9366
lbrown4906@aol.com

Dan Knutson
106 Tena Marie Circle
Lodi, WI 53555
608-592-7224
lodicub@charter.net

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

Steve Krog
1002 Heather Ln.
Hartford, WI 53027
262-966-7627
sskrog@aol.com

John S. Copeland
1A Deacon Street
Northborough, MA 01532
508-393-4775
copeland1@juno.com

Robert D. Bob Lumley

1265 South 124th St.
Brookfield, WI 53005
262-782-2633
lumper@execpc.com

Phil Coulson
28415 Springbrook Dr.
Lawton, MI 49065
269-624-6490
rcoulson516@cs.com

S.H. Wes Schmid

2359 Lefeber Avenue
Wauwatosa, WI 53213
414-771-1545
shschmid@gmail.com

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

Membership Services Directory

Enjoy the many benefits of EAA and
EAAs Vintage Aircraft Association
Phone (920) 426-4800

Robert C. Brauer
9345 S. Hoyne
Chicago, IL 60643
773-779-2105
photopilot@aol.com

E.E. Buck Hilbert

8102 Leech Rd.
Union, IL 60180
815-923-4591
buck7ac@gmail.com

Gene Chase
2159 Carlton Rd.
Oshkosh, WI 54904
920-231-5002
GRCHA@charter.net

Gene Morris
5936 Steve Court
Roanoke, TX 76262
817-491-9110
genemorris@charter.net

Ronald C. Fritz
15401 Sparta Ave.
Kent City, MI 49330
616-678-5012
rFritz@pathwaynet.com

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New Egypt, NJ 08533
609-758-2910
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MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is $40 for one year, including 12 issues
of SPORT AVIATION. Family membership is an additional $10 annually. Junior Membership (under
19 years of age) is available at $23 annually. All major credit cards accepted for membership. (Add $16
for Foreign Postage.)

EAA SPORT PILOT

DIRECTORS
EMERITUS

TM

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

Current EAA members may add EAA SPORT

PILOT magazine for an additional $20 per year.
EAA Membership and EAA SPORT PILOT
magazine is available for $40 per year (SPORT
AVIATION magazine not included). (Add $16 for
Foreign Postage.)

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Current EAA members may join the Vintage
Aircraft Association and receive VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine for an additional $36 per year.
EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine
and one year membership in the EAA Vintage Aircraft
Association is available for $46 per year (SPORT AVIATION magazine not included). (Add $7 for Foreign
Postage.)

receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an

additional $45 per year.
EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBATICS
magazine and one year membership in the IAC
Division is available for $55 per year (SPORT
AVIATION magazine not included). (Add $18
for Foreign Postage.)

WARBIRDS
Current EAA members may join the EAA Warbirds of America Division and receive WARBIRDS
magazine for an additional $45 per year.
EAA Membership, WARBIRDS magazine and
one year membership in the Warbirds Division
is available for $55 per year (SPORT AVIATION
magazine not included). (Add $7 for Foreign Postage.)

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

IAC

Current EAA members may join the International Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and
TM

Membership dues to EAA and its divisions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions

Copyright 2010 by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association, All rights reserved.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750; ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EAA
Aviation Center, 3000 Poberezny Rd., PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086, e-mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org. Membership to Vintage Aircraft Association, which includes 12 issues of Vintage Airplane
magazine, is $36 per year for EAA members and $46 for non-EAA members. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to Vintage Airplane, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. PM 40063731 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Pitney Bowes IMS, Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. FOREIGN AND APO
ADDRESSES Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surface mail. ADVERTISING Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse
any product offered through the advertising. We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken.
EDITORIAL POLICY: Members are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely
with the contributor. No remuneration is made. Material should be sent to: Editor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone 920-426-4800.
EAA and EAA SPORT AVIATION, the EAA Logo and Aeronautica are registered trademarks, trademarks, and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The use of these trademarks
and service marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

40 MAY 2010

GET
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& S KE
AV TS

E!

75th Anniversary of DC-3s:

50 plus DC-3s will be ocking to join
the AirVenture birthday bash

Opening day concert by Chicago

Monday, July 26, presented by
Ford Motor Company

More than 800 Exhibitors

Its the worlds largest
aviation shopping mall!

The Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebration | July 26 August 1 | www.airventure.org

Salute to Veterans
a week-long celebration featuring Collection of World War I
ying replicas
special Vietnam-era Air Show and
on display & taking to the sky
the 75th anniversary of the B-17

More than 500

Forums, Workshops
& Presentations

Night Air Show

Saturday night FIRST EVER!