STRAIGHTAND LEVEL

By Brad Thornas
Communications can present problems with any
volunteer group of leaders and their associates. The
success or failure often ties itself directly to not the
method but possibly the time element involved. Time
is a factor that sometimes bestows apprehension
within a Division member requesting information or
just simply basic facts.
With our Headquarters in Wisco nsin and our
Board scattered throughout the United States, it was
often felt we were not bringing effective and prompt
communications to those requesting specific informa-
tion requiring prompt replies or facts . There is no
single member of our Board nor member of our Divi-
sion that can possibly answer correctly any and all re-
quests presented. We do have available however, an
exceptional group of volunteer members who do
have an enormous amount of expertise relative to
vintage aircraft. Most of us have an area of specific
knowledge that can be readily ta;:>ped and is available
to you.
In order to alleviate some of th ese problems and
bring our leadership closer to its members , we have
begun to formulate several policy areas and have des-
ignated Board Members and Advisors to direct these
specific regions.
For the past few years a committee has been work-
ing and formulating a permanent set of rules and
standards for judging aircraft in the Antique/ Classic
Division of the EAA International Fly-In and Conven-
tion. This basic judging system has been employed
for the past few years and justifies our thoughts that a
method of judging could be developed that was accu-
rate and effective, one that was fair in all respects to
each aircraft judged, and one that could standardize
EAA judging at all fly-ins. It has been our experience
to state that fewer complaints and queries have come
to our attention since the inauguration of our present
system. We are not claiming to be perfect ; however ,
we feel we have arrived at the most practical and ac-
curate system to date.
Not only have we set up the judging system, but
we have compiled guides for use by the restorer in
regard to maintenance, restoration, and construction
standards . Our intent is to have this system estab-
lished for all EAA fly-ins and to extend an invitation
for all fly-ins to use our methods and standards. Av-
ailable from EAA Headquarters is the VINTAGE AIR-
CRAFT COMPETITION JUDGING MANUAL, at a cost
of $1.00. Every restorer, builder or exhibitor should
have a copy in his file for reference.
Board member Claude L. Gray, Jr., has been ap-
pointed Chief Division Judge and he will welcome
your inquiries regarding judging rules for either An-
tique and/ or Classic aircraft, or about maintenance,
restoration, or construction standards.
Is there an EAA Antique/ Class ic Chapter in your
area?
Have you thought about forming one?
Did you know that you need only five Division
members in good standing to form a chapter?
Do you belong to a large EAA Chapter that has not
only homebuilt admirers but a sizeable group of An-
tique and/or Classic buffs?
Have you thought of forming an EAA Antique/
Classic Chapter within your EAA Chapter?
This new chapter policy area is being headed by
Division Advisor Ronald Fritz. After a preliminary in-
formal discussion among those interested , get in
touch with Ron for additional information and details
that will bring into your area a new group who will
not only promote our Division , but create interest
among the regular members .
Plans are already underway to formulate a HALL
OF FAME in our EAA Air Museum. Our Antique/
Classic Division will be playing an important part by
recognizing those worthy persons in a permanent
place for all to pay tribute. As these recipients peaked
their activities in the period of time that our Division
represents, it should be an extremely exciting venture
to envision and see the material being explored by
Morton W. Lester. We will be advising you of prog-
ress in the HALL OF FAME as the material is compiled
and placed on display.
A policy committee has been formed to research
the possibility of establishing definite merchandising
areas specifically to promote and enhance the pr e-
stige of our Antique/Classic Division of EAA. You will
be reading more from AI Kelch and Dick Wagner re-
garding this endeavor.
Every Officer, Director and Advisor is a volunteer
dedicating his time and effort to serve the member-
ship of our Division. Each one has specific duties to
repr esent you , not only during the International Con-
vention, but on a daily basis . Your questions , com-
ments and suggestions are the basic reasons we exist
as your source of information to enhance and formu-
late the polici es of our Division and to fulfill our pur-
pose.
Writ e or call us. Our names , addresses and phone
number s ar e listed in th e front of Th e VINTAGE
AIRPLANE.
2
Editorial
Staff
Publisher
Paul H. Poberezny
(Chris Sorensen Photo)
Ryan ST A owned by Lou Russo.
Editor
David Gustafson,Ph.D.
Associate Editors: H. Glenn Buffington, Edward D. Williams, Byron
(Fred) Fredericksen
Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photog raphs. Associate Editorships are assigned
to those writers who submit five or more articles which are published in THE VINTAGE AIR
PLANE during the cu rrent year . Associates receive a bound volume of THE VINTAGE AIR
PLANE and a free one-year membership in the Divi sion f or their efforts. POLICY-Opinions
expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility for accuracy in reporting
restsentirelywith the contribut or .
Directors
PRESIDENT
Claude L. Gray, Jr . AI Kelch
9635 SylviaAvenue 66 W.622 N. MadisonAvenue
W. BRAD THOMAS, JR.
301 DODSON MILL ROAD
Northridge, CA 91324 Cedarburg,WI 53092
213/349:1338 414/377-5886 Home
PILOTMOUNTAIN, NC27041
919/368-2875 Home Dale A. Gustafson MortonW. Lester
919/368-2291 Office 7724 ShadyHill Drive P.O.Box 3747
Indianapolis, IN46274 Martinsville,VA24112
VICEPRESIDENT
317/293-4430 703/632-4839'Home
JACK C. WINTHROP
703/638-8783 Office
ROUTE 1, BOX 111 Richard H. Wagner
ALLEN,TX 75002 P.O. Box 181 Arthur R. Morgan
2141727-5649 ' Lyons,WI 53148 3744 North51st Blvd .
414/763-2017 Home Milwaukee,WI 53216
SECRETARY
414/763-9588 Office 414/442-3631
M.C. "KELLY" VIETS
7745 W. 183RD ST. John S. Copeland Dan Neuman
Advisors
9' Joanne Drive 1521 Berne Circle West
STILWELL, KS 66085
Robert E. Kesel
913/681-2303 Home 45S Oakridge Dri ve
Westborough, MA01581 Minneapolis, MN55421
617/36&- 7245 6121571-0893
913/681-2622 Office Rochester, NY14617
Ronald Fritz John R. Turgyan
7161342-3170 Home
1989'Wilson, NW 1S30 Kuser Road
TREASURER 7161325-2000, Ext.
Crand Rapids, MI 49504 Trenton, NJ 08619'
E. E. "BUCK" HILBERT 23250/23320 Office
6161453-7525 6091585-2747
P.O. BOX 145
Stan Gomoll Gene Morri s Robert A. Whit e
UNION, IL 60180 104290th Lane, NE 27 Chandell e Drive P.O. Box 704
815/923-4205
Minneapol is, MN55434 Hampshire, IL 60140 Zellwood, FL 32798
6121784-1172 3121683-3199' 305/88&-31 80
THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is owned exclusi vely by EAA Ant ique/Classi c Division, Inc.,
and is published monthly at Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130. Second class Postage paid at Hales
Corners Post Office, Hales Corners, Wisconsin 53130, and addi tional mailing offices. Membership
rates for EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc., are $14.00 per 12 month period of which $10.00 is for the
publicat ion ofTHE VINTAGE AIRPLANE. Membershipisopen to all who are interested in aviat ion.

OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
DIVISION INC.
ofTHE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
P_O. Box 229, Hales Corners, WI 53130
Copyright
Cl
1979 EMAntique/Classic Division,Inc., All Rights Reserved.
MAY 1979 VOLUME 7 NUMBER 5'
The Cover ...Fairchild 24 restored by Charlie Day.
(Photo Provided by Charlie Day)
TABLE OFCONTENTS
Straightand Level by Brad Thomas .................................... 2
1970Tour ofSouth America in a 1948 Cruisair
byMichael G. Emerson and William T. Thompson ................... 4
Vintage Album .......................................................14
Borden' s Aeroplane Posters From The 1930's by Lionel Salisbury .... .. ... 16
Second Annual Aeronca Fl y-In byJim and Debbie Polles ... .............18
Radiators and Wh eels for Replica Aircraft byNeil Thomas ... ...... .. ... . 22
Completed Antiqu e/ Classic Aircraft ............. .. . . . .......... ... ..... 26
Antique/ ClassicAircraft Under Construction......._..............._... 26
Calendarof Events ................................................... 26
Letters To The Editor .................................................26
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION MEMBERSHIP
oNON-EAA MEMBER - $20.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/
Classic Division , 12 monthl y issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE; one year mem-
bership in the Experimental Ai rcraft Association and separate membership cards.
SPORT AVIATION magazine notincluded.
o EAA MEMBER - $14.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic
Division, 12 monthly issues of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE AND MEMBERSHIP CARD.
(Appli cant must becurrent EAA memberand must give EAA membership number. )
Page 4 Page 16 Page 18
3
By Michael C. Emerson
and
Willi am T. Th ompson
(Photos Provided by the Authors)
Pu rrr rrrr rr- rrr-rr-r- rrrr r-r rrrr .
" Sounds a little rough , doesn't it?"
" Airplane engines always run rough when there' s
no place to put down. "
Outside our twenty-two year old Bellanca the
Andes , glistening white in their winter wraps, reached
up toward us with icy fingers and we weaved our way
among the higher peaks, cruise-climbing out of San
Carlos de Bariloche in southern Argentina. We were
cli cking away with our cameras and exulting in the
magnificence around us until thi s rude slap back into
reality.
" We're not climbing anymore. Something' s
wrong. "
"Maybe a mag. " Sure enough, switching to the
left mag brought on severe misfiring, whereas the
right by itself seemed to improve matters. Scratch
one mag.
" Want to go back?"
" It looks better up ahead if we can get around
those peaks."
" O.k ."
Well, this was not the best pi ece of geography to
be flying over on one mag , but if the good on e
stayed good and if we could hold altitude ... Many a
pilot ha s gotten into situations where the ego-
bruising question, "how the -- did you get your-
self into thi s mess?" suddenly springs up through the
cowling. For us this was definitely one of those times.
The chain of events leading to this particular mess
was 11,000 miles long and eight months old, the first
link undoubtedly having been the purchase in
California of N74492, a 1948 Bellanca 14-13-3, or
Cruisair Senior, whose long-range capability excited
dreams of faraway places to fly to. Eu rope by way of
the North Atlantic? Too expensive for us. Where
then? Why, South America, of course.
The final decision was made in March, and then
began three months of preparation aimed toward a
June 14 departure from Cape Kennedy, by no means
too much time, considering the amount of territory to
be covered and the scarcity of useful information
about it. Flight planning was done using ONC charts ,
the enroute low altitude package for Central and
South America (for frequencies and restricted areas),
the I nternational Flight Information Manual , Interna-
tionaI Notams and some publi cations from the Air-
-
The authors and their proud bird at the cape (Merritt Is-
l an d, Fl orida ) aft er a strenuo us but enj oyabl e trip.
Mi chael Emerson on the ri ght and Bill Thompson on the
l eft .
craft Owners and Pilots Association. General tour in-
formation was from such sources as the Pan Am
Guide, National Geographic, etc. After laying out the
route (with alternates) and a rough timetable we
bought international liability insurance (mandatory in
Brazil); assembled a survival kit and collection of
spare parts ; got passports, permits, and visas; and
had ourselves vaccinated and innoculated against all
the bad things there are shots for. Inasmuch as this
was to be a low budget adventure, we also acquired
complete camping gear.
492 was powered by a 150 hp Franklin with fixed
metal prop, and counting the auxiliary tank could
hold 54. 5 gallons of 80/87 - enough for seven hours
at economy cruise. That's good insurance for flying
where weather information is infrequent and unreli-
abl e and airports are sometimes far between. Equip-
ment included a full gyro panel, two 90 channel
transceivers, VOR, ADF, and an emergency locator
beacon. The ADF was a new unit bought especially
for the trip despite the chunk out of our budget, and
it proved to be worth the investment , emphatically.
Although there are quite a f ew VOR' s in South
Ameri ca now, some of the more desolate areas are
still without them. And of course ADF is nice to have
over wat er .
4
\
\
'>
1970 TOUR OF
louth

,J.merlca
IN A 1948 CRUISAIR
The Bellanca seemed ideal for what we had in
mind and after a May annual appeared to be in top-
notch condition. Layoffs from our aerospace jobs had
broken the last ties by the time D-day arrived. As we
taxied onto the runway at Merritt Island airport that
June morning, there was a feeling of complete free-
dom, almost as if we were birds ourselves. The Bel-
lanca, loaded to the limit, leaped into the sunrise,
then headed down the coast to cross from West Palm
Beach to the Bahamas.
That was the beginning of ten days of island hop-
ping, all the way to Trinidad and the mainland of
South America. At 2300 rpm we were cruising in the
120's TAS and burning 7 to 7.5 gph. Take-off and
climb were adequate but not spectacular, averaging
about 800 feet ground roll and 600 fpm climbout
when fully loaded at 2150 pounds. A controllable
prop would have helped at both ends of the perfor-
mance range, but we had chosen the fixed metal
prop for economy and reliability. 80/87 fuel being rare
in the islands, we were burning 100/130. Though
much cheaper than in the USA, it was more heavily
leaded and almost immediately began to bother the
Franklin , which is not rated for leaded fuel. Cylinder
compression began to deteriorate and plug fouling
was frequent.
Flying the islands is familiar to many. We found
them to be on the whole expensive and not too
friendly with a tendency to become more agreeable
as one proceeds south. VFR navigation, needless to
say, is a cinch except for the 350 mile stretch from
Grand Turk to Puerto Rico when the clouds are low
and Hispanola cannot be seen. An ADF needle locked
on Ramey AFB Rbn is very consoling then. Otherwise
the only likely problems are numerous summertime
thunderstorms and prevailing headwinds if one is
traveling southeast.
A triple-tailed Bellanca with two guys camping
next to it in a wierd-Iooking pop-up tent is a thing of
curiosity in these parts, we were beginning to find
out. But that's not necessarily bad. At Piarco airport
near Port-of-Spain the refueling crew came over to
look and wound up having a party for us, including
some of the local dishes and first-rate rum. Getting to
meet people like this on a person-to-person rather
than a tourist to native level was one of the most re-
warding aspects of the trip. It became a frequent
happening on the mainland.
This was reached the very next day as we made
the short hop across from Trinidad to a point near
the Venezuela-Guyana border, plagued by extensive
areas of thunderstorm activity not mentioned by the
weatherman. It was a muddy, mangrove-covered
coastline, but it was South America. Things soon im-
proved weatherwise, and so we elected not to make a
fuel stop at Georgetown - maybe a mistake, because
twenty miles from our destination of Zanderij in
Surinam an impassable wall of rain shut us off. No-
thing else to do but test our bird's short field ability
by going into Zorg en Hoop's 700 foot strip of pave-
ment, luckily in the clear, to wait out the weather. No
problem except that following the controller's direc-
tions we wound up hub-deep in mud on the apron.
Friendly hands helped us get out, and soon we were
five gallons richer in fuel and on our way to Zanderij.
5
Another day's flight over jungle that didn't look all
that scarey brought us to the equator and the south
bank of the Amazon at about th e same time. There's
an official entry point for Brazil there at Macapa. Ou r
three week stay in that amazing country got off to a
fine start , though a stumbling one, as we were sud-
denly confronted with having to communi cate in Por-
tuguese.
Actually, it was necessary to land again at Belem
on the Amazon's south bank to go through so me
more entry procedures and buy fuel. The 200 mil e
crossing turned out to be less fearful than expected,
what with several farm strips on huge IIha Marajo,
that fills up much of the delta. After Bel em, though,
such soothing sights were not to be had, only mi les
and miles of unbroken jungle. True, there were occa-
sional small clearings with a few grass houses, but fly-
ing low and surveying them through binoculars, we
never saw a soul - an eerie f eeling to say the least.
The glint of reflected sunlight could all too pften be
seen among the trees. Fortunately we were soon
within sight of the Atlantic, and the Franklin could
once again be heard above the sound of our
heartbeats.
The next week was spent cruising down the coast
and then inland in the part of Brazil generally refer-
red to as the Dry Northeast. After rounding the eas-
ternmost reach of the continent near Natal - the
jumping off point for Africa in the old days - we fi-
nally escaped from the persistent headwinds and
were able to make decent ground speeds for the first
time on the trip. The combination of scenery and per-
fect weather when we turned inland from Recife
made flying a pure pleasure. No one living in that
area should be without an airplane, or maybe a
sailplane, as the thermal activity along the Rio Sao
Francisco was phenomenal.
A day and a half of flying and gliding brought us
to the next objective, Brasi lia, right out in the middl e
of nothing. From the air you can't help being im-
pressed with the ambitiousness and inspiration that
must have gone into th e project , still incomplet e
though it is . Even here at the capital we were able to
camp besi de the plane, parked in the general aviation
areaaway from the j ets.
After hours of hiking through the endless ex-
panses of the city and a good night's rest it was time
to move on toward the place we' d most been waiting
for - Rio! It didn' t disappoint us, not from the very
first glimpse coming over the mountains at 9500 feet
and suddenly seeing it all below us tucked in among
the hill s and bays. What a sight to behold! And what
Bellanca N74492 camped on Vieques Island just east of
Puerto Rico. AuthorBill Thompson with the Crui sa ir. The majestic "Pitons " on the southwest end of51. Lucia.
We spent several enjoyable days on St. Lucia . Rented a
car and drove around the island. People were very
fri endly. Picture taken on departure on our way to
Trinidad.
6
Zona-en-Hoop Field, Suvinam. A little tight for the Bel-
lanca, but we made it with inches to spare.
Typi cal small fishing boat harbor on the Amazon River at
Macapa, Brazil.
a thrill to descend then to sea level all on one long,
ear-popping final into Santos Dumont airport with
Sugarloaf right off the end of the runway across a
small stretch of water . Truly one of the unforgettable
moments.
And the excitement didn ' t fade away, not for
seven days. How can it in Rio? Even trivial things can
stimulate the adrenalin. Like taking a bus ride with a
driver who thinks he's in the Nurburgring. Or provid-
ing target practice for VW's the moment you try to
cross a street (beware of occasional sidewalk snipers,
too). Moreover, prices are very reasonable. Two dol-
lars is (was?) enough for a feast, and the public trans-
portation is excellent and only cost a few cents. We
hated to leave the place, and yet the trip wasn't even
to the halfway point. So ...
The next stop was supposed to be Sao Paolo, only
a couple of hundred miles away. But it took three
days to get there - with the airplane, that is. Actually
we overflew it within two hours after leaving Rio, but
someone didn' t keep their promise, and the weather
went IFR shortly before ou r arrival. We radioed for
clearance to the next large city, but that soon went
I FR, too. So, back to the coast , and down to 2000 feet
to get below the cloud level. By then Sao Paolo was
VFR again, but that didn't do us any good since the
mountains we had to cross were obscured. Worse
yet, the fuel supply was at the level where some kind
of landing would soon be imminent.
" Hmmm ... That beach looks good, and cars are
driving on it."
"Oh, but there's an airport."
No matter if it had ruts filled with water. Ker-
plop!!
Well, everything turned out for the best, for we
had just splashed into a workers' union vacation re-
sort. The dentist on duty there arranged overnight
accommodations free of charge, drove us to Sao
Paolo the next day, and gave us a tour of the city.
Thus when we finally did get the somewhat bespat-
tered Bellanca th ere, it was just to buy fuel before
heading inland to Iguassu Falls.
With perfect weather once again we sat back and
watched miles of green forests and farmland watered
by large rivers pass below us . After several hours a
gigantic plume of white appeared in the distance
which looked like smoke, but was in fact the mist
from Iguassu with its 300 separate cataracts, 75 miles
away. The falls were at their seasonal height , sending
spray several hundred feet above and bathing the Bel-
lanca as we made two or three low passes . Next day,
viewing the falls from the ground, we got bathed,
too.
7
At that point we left Brazil and filed advance
noti ce and a f li ght plan to enter Argentina. A hassle
with the Brazilian customs official who kept sending
us back and forth to town for various reasons left a
bit of a sour note on departure. The taxi driver was a
fr iend of his.
Favorable winds helped cool o ur tempers and
rushed us toward Buenos Aires, which we made
non-stop, coming into the main jetport, Ezeiza. Now,
there's a place that can surely rival any in the world
for efficiency in handling arrivi ng foreign aircraft.
One half hour was all it took to go through customs,
and immigration, obtain a 30 day flying permit for the
entire country, and get tied down and r efuel ed. A
dispatcher for Lufthansa, who spoke English, made
reservations at an inexpensive hotel for us , drove us
to town, and recommeded a pl ace to eat beef. Such
beef! If we had our own personal SST, we'd fly to
Bu enos Aires for dinner at l east twice a week.
After five days of feasting and sightseeing we fi-
gu red we' d better get on over the Andes whil e we
st ill could and hopped on a bus to Ezeiza. Dutifully
filing a flight plan and getting everything all loaded in
we pressed the starter button only to find that ou r
bird didn' t want to fly. No amount of coaxing would
persuade the engine to stay lit, as compression was
nearly nil in three cylinders. What to do? Without
going into details , we wound up getting essentially a
top overhaul and were on our way again five days
later and $500 poorer.
During that time we talked to several pilots about
crossing the Andes. Most of them turned a shade or
two lighter when we mentioned going over the Men-
doza pass, 12,500 feet high and flanked by a 20,000
foot peak on one side and a 23,000 foot one on the
other. Their tales quickly convinced us to lower our
ambitions, and so all was back together we took off
for San Carlos de Bariloche, 800 miles southwest.
" Don' t ~ s s Bariloche: ' everyone had said; " It's the
Switzerland of South America. " Wonderful, but how
is it flying in Switzerland in the wintertime? That, we
were about to find out.
Fighting headwinds as high as fifty knots , we made
it across Pampas and into the mountains in two days,
setting down into a typical forty knot wind at
Bariloche just ahead of a snow squall. This turned
into freezing rain and utt er mi sery, last ing two more
days. On the third morning the clouds opened briefly
just after dawn, and y,e zinged ou t of there bound
for Santiago de Chile, about 600 miles to the north.
The clouds cleared nicely over the mo untains, and we
were having a great time, rejoicing in our escape.
That was when th e l eft mag quit.
Looking west up the mighty Amazon at a manganese ore boat.
Rippled sa nd dunes stretch nea rl y 40 miles along the
northeastern coast of Brazil near San Luis.
8
Approaching Recife, Brazil , known as the Veni ce of South
America.
The religi ous mecca of Bom Jesus de Lapa, on the Rio
Sao Franci sco. There was a shrine carved out of the rock
formation near the river. We camped overnight on our
way inland to Brazilia.
Well, we didn't make Santiago. The right mag did
get us through the mountains, though, and we put
down at Chillan. That's not an airport of entry, but
the police were sympathetic to our predicament.
Everyone went out of their way to help us, especially
the radio operators, one of whom invited us to din-
ner with his family while the other insisted that we
use his quarters that night. He slept on the floor in
the transmitter room .
With a new set of points from our spare parts kit
we were off again the next morning bound for San-
tiago, accompanied part way by a retired Chilean Air
Force Colonel in his Piper Pacer. Aconcagua, the
highest mountain in the Americas, was almost im-
mediately visible, beckoning us to the capital, which
we reached in a couple of hours amid a flock of
Hawker Hunters on practice runs. Excellent seafood
and superb wines helped fight off the winter chill for
four days of r & r before att empting the next haz-
ardous stretch of flying - the Atacama Desert.
Because of thermal turbulence above the interior
. we were advised to stay over the coast, which has
beaches in some areas but is largely sheer 2,000 to
3,000 foot cliffs dropping right into the pounding sea.
Between La Serena and Arica on the northern border
we saw very little sign of life other than a few mines
and fishing villages and the city of Antofagasta, a
convenient fuel stop. There was a strong temperature
inversion along the whole route (and into Peru , too)
with typical readings of 500 at 2500 feet and 85
0
at 5000
feet. Visibility at low altitudes in flat areas was fre-
quently poor due to blowing sand.
At Arica we spent a couple of days getting pre-
pared for traversing Peru. For foreign aircraft flying in
Peru is the most restrictive of all the countries of
South America. You must have in your possession be-
fore entering permission from Lima giving the names
of the airports you may land at and the dates. VFR
flights are controlled almost as closely as IFR, and HF
equipment is desirable , sin ce man y of the VHF
ground transmitters are eith er too far away or t oo
scratchy for effective communi cations. If, in addition ,
you are not all that handy with the language, you can
expect to have a few troubl es, as we did. Even so, the
country itself was so incredibl y fascinating that it was
worth all the delays and irritati ons.
Except for Lima, which was beneath th e usual
wint er overcast of advection fog from the Humboldt
curr ent , our flight over Peru was CAVU all the way.
Down below yO!} could frequently see ruins from
Inca and pr e-Inca times, some of th em still being
used as dwellings . And, of course, the snow-covered
9
The grim task of a top overhaul at the Ezezza Airport at
Buenos Aires, Argentina. The authors, Bill Thompson,
right and Mi chael Emerson, left, and our mechanic, Pedro
in the middle. The high l ead content of the fuels available
throughout South Ameri ca apparently did in the Franklin
150 valves.
Ca bl e ca r ca rrying t ouri sts to the top of Sugarloaf.
Copacabana Beach i s in the upper l eft of the picture.
10
The author Mi chael Emerson with a view of the Federal
buildings, HOLlse of Congress and a new church. Brazilia,
Brazil.
Brazilia at night as viewed from a popular rooftop restaurant.
Final approach to Santos Dumont field at Rio de /aniero.
Sugarloaf is the peak across the bay.
The magnificent roar of the world's largest cataracts -
Falls of Iguass u. The plume in the pictures could be seen
80 miles away.
N74492 at San Carlos de Bariloche Airport with ice on
the runway and Mt. Tronadon in the background.
A beautiful view of San Carlos de Bariloche on pictures-
que lake Nahvel Haupi. Mt. Tronadon pierces the hori-
zon.
Typical view of inhospitable snow covered peaks. The
chill factor doubles when you are over these peaks on
one magneto.
peaks of the Andes were always off our right wingtip.
Other than getting in and out, we had a great time in
Li ma , fou r days of it. The main ai rport has every
modern facility, probably the best we landed at, but
we had heard talk of shakedowns for " protection"
money there. So we parked next to some RAF Vulcan
bombers with all-night guards. No problems at all!
By this time our supply of travelers checks was
nearing the end of the usable. Therefore, the plan
was to get home as fast and as cheaply as possible,
hopefully within two weeks, making allowances for
some bad weather as we approached the tropics. We
departed Peru at Talara in haste, leaving a surprised
customs official, who had tried to collect the same
ten dollar fee from us twice, standing at the window
of his office while we "went to the plane for the
money". Enough is enough. Soon we were flying
over jungle once more, stopping at Guayaquil to re-
fuel before going on toward Cali, a large city lying
between two mountain ranges in Colombia. VFR
weather was the forecast, and four hours was our es-
timate.
Somehow, four hours became eight days . The
Franklin had already begun to lose compression again
and was really struggling to keep us going at 100 mph
indicated. Added to this, the terrain below us gradu-
ally rose to meet the overcast above, and our ADF
"weather radar" kept pointing toward thunderstorms
right on our course to Cali. The only alternative was
to go back to the coast and either return to
Guayaquil, which didn't intrigue us, or head for
Buenaventura, Colombia's main Pacific seaport. That
didn't intrigue us either because we'd been told it
was a good place to stay out of, but we chose it as
the lesser evil. Unknown to us, the reason to avoid it
had been eliminated two months earlier with consid-
erable bloodshed.
Things were getting rather tense in the cockpit , as
the sky looked about to fall, the Buenaventura
beacon wouldn't come in, and the treetops seemed
closer every minute. From 1000 feet over jungle in the
rain ONC charts leave something to the imagination .
Thank the Lord, or the Colombians, that Buenaven-
tura is in a prominent spot . We sighted it just as the
sky did begin to fall , plopping down half-blind into
the mud .
The next week was spent trying to get back out.
Three cylinders were just about dead, and the engine
would do no more than cough raggedly on its re-
maining good lungs. It was a time for soul searching.
What's an airplane really worth, all considered? The
result of many hours of painful debate was that we
dismantl ed the Bellanca, put it on a truck to Cali , left
it at the aeroclub there for future retrieval maybe,
One of the many ca nyons branching out
Vall ey along the Southern Peruvian Coast.
from the Inca
Plaza de Armar in Lima, Peru. Th e Pres identi al Pal ace i s
the backdrop fo r th e sixteenth century fountai n.
12
Ruins of a pre-Inca culture at Cajamaquilla, fift een miles
outside of Lima, Peru.
Th e dismantl ed Bell anca on the edge of the jungle airstrip
at Buenaventura, Columbi a. A diving knife, some non-
essentials and clothes bought us enough muscl e power to
load the Bellanca into a truck for its trip to Cali.
and as soon as we could get permission to leave the
country hopped on a jet to Miami, much worn out
and wanting more than anything else to get back to
the good ole USA.
Part of the reason for hastening back home, it
must now be revealed, was that my good buddy Mike
had a fast approaching wedding date. Well, it' s hard
to lose two friends at once, so instead of going back
to work I went back to Cali, taking along three good
cylinders and all the necessary parts and manuals .
We'd gotten the wings and landing gear on before
leaving Colombia, and so completing the reassembly,
putting the instruments and radio gear back in, and
swapping the cylinders was really only a one man job
anyway, with an occasional assist when an extra pair
of hands was needed. Ten days later the Bellanca was
ready for a check flight. This revealed ' no problems
except that the trim had to be adjusted. The following
morning 74492 and I were homeward bound.
Depending on how the plane performed, the
route would be either up through Central America or
across the water in a more direct line. From Cali to
Panama all went flawlessly, and so I decided to aim
for San Andres, a speck in the Caribbean 400 miles
north. The friendly Canal Zone radar controllers pro-
vided vectors around some intense cells off the coast,
and with good wishes from the FSS as they an-
nounced I was not leaving the range of VHF com-
munications, I swung left to intercept the course, felt
to make sure my life jacket was there, and began
praying and also looking for ships. At 13,500 feet the
prayers no longer seemed appropriate. Besides, the
ADF was beginning to pick up San Andres. A couple
of hours later the island itself came into view - right
where it was supposed to be.
After that the water flying didn' t seem so bad,
even a long hop to Grand Cayman. There I was un-
able to get permission to fly the Giron corridor across
Cuba and had to take the long way around via Mon-
tego Bay and Great I nagua to Fort Lauderdale, arriv-
ing just in time to pay an eighteen dollar overtime
customs fee . But at least the journey was over, and all
those who had left four months before on this South
American adventure were safely home again.
Finally, this long-winded tale must be concluded
with a word of appreciation. A word of appreciation
to N74492. Thoughout the trip she negotiated rough
fields, soft fields, short fields, crosswinds, turbu-
lence, and every kind of weather, carrying heavy
loads with a sometimes sick engine - with poise and
confidence. Even after an insulting truck ride and
hasty reassembly she winged her way across 2000
miles of water without complaint.
Truly a fine old bird.
13
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BORDEN'S AEROPLANE POSTERS
FROM THE 1930'S
.J
,
Poster number four in our series from 1936, as pub-
lished by the Borden Company, as a promotion for
one of their dairy products , illustrates the Pitcairn
PA-19 Autogiro.
Do you recognize the buildings in the background?
I do! Even though I was never there to see it the way
it used to be. It's the skyline of New York City. I recog-
nized it from photos I recall from that time, and also,
as it was in an old movie about Mayor Jimmy Walker
of that city, as shown recently on TV.
The three-vi ew and notes are from the back of the
poster.
NEXT MONTH - The Boeing Transport Model No. 247
Article number 4, poster number 4, seri es number
The Pitcairn Autogiro
By Lionel Salisbury
7 Harper Road
Brampton, O ntario
Canada L6W 2W3
16
PITCAIRN PA-19 CABIN AUrOGIRO
L30' s"
~ @:----r
r--------------26:0'-'------------
,UIUY'A, 1", _
DESCRIPTION OF PITCAIRN PA-19 CABIN AUTOGIRO
T
13'-6"
L
"tIUl.V.UT! (. ... l tHAWdtk. Of CO"'''' UK. ( Of
Specifications: Rotor diameter, 50 ft. 7'12 in. Length
overall, 35 ft. 9 in. Heightoverall , 13 ft. 9'12 in. Weight
empty, 2,675 Ibs. Gasoline capacity, 90 gallons. Use-
fulload, 1,360 Ibs, Gross weight, 4,035 Ibs.
Perfonnance: Topspeed,120milesperhour.Cruis-
ingspeed, 100 miles per hour. Landing speed, 0 miles
perhour.Take-offdistancewithoutwind,260 ft. Cabin
holds 1 pilot and 3 passengers. The engine installed
in the first series is the Wright R-975 E-2 delivering
420 hpat 2,150 rpm.
Provision is made also for easy modification to ac-
commodate a Pratt & WhitneyWasp Junior.
This ship incorporates a complete innovation in
rotor pylon, the mass supporting the rotor blade.
By meansofacrankandwormgear,therotorpylon
can be moved to vary the angl e of incidence of the
entirerotorassemblyrelativetotheship. Bythismeans
the pilot can maintain the rotor at a correct angle to
obtain a maximum performance in both vertical de-
scentand forward flightconditions.This would be like
changing the angle of incidence, that is the angle at
which the wing is placed in respect to the horizontal
pathoffl ight,onaregularairplane,butthisisnotdone.
The PA-19 has two small fins and rudders instead
of one large fin and rudder because of the need for
adequate clearance between the rotating blade and
the tail surfaces.
17
SECOND ANNUAL
A
~
I t ~
By Jim and Debbie Poll es
299 Nazareth Drive
Nazareth, PA 18064
The sun did not come up that morning, rather the
rays penetrated the fog and haze. Whether the fly-in
was to be or not was questionable. Nonetheless, we
decided to go ahead with the day's planned activities.
We would at least be at the airport to welcome the
hardy few who decided to penetrate the northeast's
answer to L. A. smog. The hot , humid, hazy, calm air
did not prove to be enough of a deterrent to dedi-
ca t ed Aeronca l overs. By t en a. m. wh en th e f ly-in
was schedul ed to start , vi sibility was still lousy but al-
ready half a dozen Aeronca' s were on the flight line.
From then on it was a fun game of hearing, waiting,
and finding the arriving air craft . Usually th ey were
spotted by the early arrivals who already knew where
the haze was the thickest and thines!, and would look
for the ' thin ' corridors to the airport. Antici pation of
who would spot the next arrival set the mood for the
rest of the day. Within the hour visibility would im-
prove t errifi cally helping those who fl ew long dis-
tances to more easily f ind the airport and really " .
get the show on the road".
~
.4\ ~ .,
I
Aerial view of flighl line, this picture was taken before the
peak of the fly-i n onl y about 2135 of the tota l ai rcraft are
in the pi cture. Note C-/72 and Luscombe in near end of
rea r row.
18
Having an annual Aeronca fly-in was a brainstorm
of mine which was brewing in my head for a couple
of years, but one which I thought was out of reach
(or should I say reality?) for one person to organize.
Most of the fly-ins my wife and I had gone to had a
ground crew of eight to ten people, plus some serv-
ing food , some selling various tickets, and another
dozen doing all the odd jobs connected with a fly-in.
It seemed frightening to think of organizing such an
event.
Still, the idea stuck. Letters were written to Charlie
Lasher , President of the Aeronca Owners Club,
phone calls were made to local Aeronca owners ask-
ing if they would attend this sort of fly-in , and a lot of
hangar visits at different airports started getting re-
sponses. Finally, the commitment was made. We
would have the fly-in and play it by ear . Charlie
Lasher was a great help, offering ideas to help guide
us along. Also the response from local owners was
terrific, everybody thought it was a great idea and just
couldn ' t wait for the day of the fly-in.
That was in 1977 and the first annual Aeronca fly-in
was a roaring success, with seventeen Aeronca's and
a few non-Aeronca's making a total of twenty-two air-
craft . The next year we decided to do it again with a
little more publicity to ' spread the word'. The first
year single page flyers were sent to airports for bulle-
tin board posting. In 1978 that was done again , along
with notices in SPORT AVIATION, Th e VINTAGE
AIRPLANE, and two Northeast publications . That did
the trick!
Soon, there were about a dozen Aeronca' s on the
flight line. Chiefs and Champs abounded, with a
sprinkling of Sedans, Champions, and a Defender.
Harry Williams , Leonard Marcus and Orville Wright
Williamson all flew in with identical Champs painted
white with red trim. On the side of Harry' s Champ is
placed one small flag for each state he has flown it in ,
and a good part of the Champ is covered by flags.
Talk to him for a few minutes and you get the impre-
ssion he likes to fly in the Champ. These were not
the only identical triplets at the fly-in , but more of
that lat er . N47502 i s an Army L- 3B devoid of her origi-
nal colors. Flown in from Sussex, New Jersey, by Bill
Shatt and hi s wife, '502 is all white with Bill 's artwork
on the side in the form of a cute Raggedy Ann doll
and smile faces under the wings. While looking 'up at
the underside of Bill's wings at one point, you can
also notice an echelon of three Champs arriving from
Bermudian Valley Airport, near Harrisburg, Pennsyl-
vania. After circling once and getting everyon e's at-
tention th ese little Blu e Angel s proceeded to fly
overhead and peel off one by one, then follow each
other in to a landing in a very professional manner.
Upon closer examination this second trio of identical
Champs was definitely out to secure your attention.
They taxied, turned, parked and shut down in time
with each other faultlessly. Each was painted with yel-
low wings , dark blue fuselage with red band behind
the side windows and yellow tail with the rudders
having a vertical blue stripe on the hinge line and
horizonal red and white stripes behind that. Army
stars on the wings gave the finishing touch. Bart
Baughmon, G. E. Tolbert and Ralph Griffiths were the
pilots of these neat machines, and can be very proud
of them . Impressive is the word to see them perform.
As Bart , G.E. , and Ralph were swamped with ques-
tions and picture takers, yet another formation of
three Champs approached Easton Airport after leaving
Sky Manor Airport , New Jersey just a few minutes be-
fore . Rather than just make a quick hop from one
airport to another these three fellows decided to ar-
rive ' in style' and therefore flew the twenty miles to-
gether, led by Aeronca Ace Gary Hartung.
Excitement was at a high after the arrival of the
two flights of Aeronca's and it seemed the Second
Annual Aeronca Fly-In was in full swing. Many other
proud owners had washed and waxed their prized
Aeroncas and were there to show them off. There
were 7AC's , 7Ee's, the L-3B, 7BCM's, 11AC's, 15AC's,
and a few newer 7ECA's and 6GCB's. (For you non-
Aeronca types, that means Champs, Champions, De-
fender , ' Super' Champs, Chief's, Sedans and Citab-
rias.) The Champs outnumbered all the others , with
examples like that of H. H. Rice of Staten Island, New
York, with his all silver 7AC finished in Air Force
" Stars and Bars" making it look like it was right out of
WW II. Also there were a surprising amount of fac-
tory style paint schemes on many of the Champs,
with at least five of them trying to turn back the
hands of time. If a person were to concentrate on
looking only at the original paint jobs and listening to
the sounds of all the engines idling, taxiing, taking
off, and flying overhead, it might seem, with a little
imagination thrown in, like a busy day in Middletown
during the post-war year s. Should you manage to
transport yourself to the late Forties there were two
other aircraft present with which you could continue
your time trip right back through the Forties to the
mid-Thirties. These were a couple of very appealing
airplanes , and Aeronca ' K' and a C-3.
Gary Hartung and wife soaking up the fl y-in. Ga ry l ed the
echel on of Champs from Sky Manor Airport to Eas ton
Ai rport i n his Champ, N2828E.
Head-on close up of Ted Giltner's C-3 with all 36 hp
hanging out.
Ja ck McCluan i s the proud owner of this sharp 1947
Champ, N391 6E. Flying in from Berwi ck, Pennsylvani a,
Jack was the first arrival of the day.
I
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'-I,;, . '---.I .'

'--------
NC1142H is one of two 15AC Sedans which showed up
for the fly-in. The Sedan is a four place machine powered
. by a 145 hp Continental. This good looking example is
owned by Gene Krou.t of Lewistown, Pennsylvania and
recently turned 31 years old! (The airplane, that is.)
'
N82L, owned by Bart Baughan of Kralltown, Pennsyl-
vania. There was not a place on the outside of the
airplane that did not shine like the underside of the wing,
which says something for the pilots since their home field
has cows roaming the grass runways!
Gordon White arrived with his 1938 ' K' in due
fashion. It is almost authentic although it is powered
with a 65 hp engine instead of the original Aeronca
engine. Gordon has done a superb job of keeping
the 'K' from showing her age as is exhibited by the
super clean interior and sparkling green and yellow
exterior. Blue and red were the colors of Ted Gilt-
ner's C-3 which he flew in from Walter Grimes Air-
port, some sixty-five miles distant. That might not
seem remote in today's 150 hp trainers, but Ted flew
the whole way back behind only 36 hp since his im-
maculate C-3 has an original Aeronca engine. His trip
to the fly-in in the 1934 C-3 took him a little over an
hour but he was fighting a headwind all the way. The
little C-3 seemed to turn into the apple of everyone's
eye as one after another of those attending the fly-in
gave it a going over, and then their stamp of ap-
proval. Indeed, it was hard to find a flaw that Ted had
not already tidied up. Too bad Oshkosh is so far from
Grimes ' Airport, otherwise Ted would have some
trophies decorating the mantle.
As mentioned earlier, there were a few original
factory paint schemes present that beautiful summer
day, John Vicario, Ed Thuesen, Jay Gleitz, John
Stewart, and S.R, Swyers all had their Champs look-
ing like they just rolled out of the Middletown facility
in the late ' 40's. Dave Keller had the sole example of
the 11AC line. Hailing from Lincoln Park, New Jersey,
Dave's Chief although not original colors had the
original paint scheme. Decorated in basic vintage
cream, with red trim, the Chief definitely had the air
of a distinguished Classic about it, as did all the
Aeronca's present. Bob Bahruth accompanied Dave in
his own Chief which was also tastefully painted, but
in the colors of blue and white. Paralleling Bob's
Chief was the Chief flown in by Kirby Anderson of
Mattawana, Pennsylvania, which was white with the
priginal blue trim on the fuselage and broad stripes
on the wings and tail. Kirby's Chief was recently re-
done by N. R. Metz and one look can tell that he put
much time and thought into it. Many of the aircraft
present, if not all, exhibited extensive evidence of
tender loving care. It seems that as these airplanes
reach middle age they are being given a much
needed shot in the arm (wing?) toward maintaining
their youth . Instead of sitting in the back row of tie
downs and looking forlornly for a bath they seem to
be popping up in the better hangars with mainte-
nance a big part of their life as it should have been all
these years. Too many were left to rot outside while
time passed them by. Let us hope that some day all
these aircraft will receive the attention they've de-
served all along.
The Second Annual Aeronca Fly-In reached its
peak about one o'clock in the afternoon, and after
that departures began for those who traveled long
distances and wanted to get a head start in case it
was necessary to dodge a thunderstorm or two. As
the last Airknocker winged off and we pushed our
own Champ into the hangar which was used for the
food lin e during the fly-in, a count on the registration
sheet showed a total of 36 Aeronca's had graced the
green grass of Easton Airport that day. Hopefully
many happy memories were also made that day. It
was encouraging to see the response and turn out of
th ese peopl e at the fly-in because the simple fact that
all these people did turn out is proof of the con-
tinued interest we all have in grass roots today. let's
all hope for our future generations' sake that that
spark is never quenched.
Should any of you decide to host a fly-in such as
thi s, let me give you a quick run down on the things
you will need. It's not as bad as you might think. First
off, and most important , (because you won't get
anywhere without her) is one loving and understand-
ing wife, who is willing to coordinate all the feeding
of those at the fly-in. She must be able to make su re
30 pounds of bar-b-que will be ready on time, along
with 15 gallons of Kool-aid, potato chips, buns and
cupcakes. Also needed is a dedicated family and
friends to help out. In our case, we had both sets of
parents, brothers, sisters-in-law, cousins, uncles and
aunts and every other relative and friend we could
round up for the day. Most of the male help was
used on the field doing whatever needed to be done,
while the female counterparts were kept busy dishing
out the food to the hungry fliers. My many thanks to
them all , and to all of those who flew their cherished
aircraft to the fly-in. Without them, there would have
been no fly-in . And many thanks to Ed Braden for the
use of his airport, without which the fly-in would
never have gotten off the ground.
Finishing up, I would like to say if any of you have
any interest in putting on your own fly-in definitely do
so. The rewards are many, the satisfaction great, and
it' s a lot of fun. Plus when it is allover there' s a feel-
ing of accomplishment and gratification that you have
done something for your aviation community. I will
be happy to answer any questions and provide help
to anyone wanting to put on their own fly-in. Just
write. Incidentally, these things are like a habit, once
you start it's hard to stop. The Third Annual Aeronca
Fly-In will be on July 8, 1979, rain date one week la-
ter . See you there in your Airknocker!
N4409E, owned by John Vicario and Ed Thuesen, at rest
at the Fly-In.
N47502 is a LJ-B owned by Bill Shatt of Sparta, New Jer-
sey . . Note most of the original greenhouse is covered
over. Rag doll and smile face are Bill's handiwork.
RADIATORS
AND
WHEELS
FOR
REPLICA
AIRCRAFT
By Neil Thomas
2572 Arthur Kill Road
Staten Island, New York 70309
(Photos by Ray Pignato)
RADIATORS
Having initiated the romantic notion of building a
flying replica antique aeroplane from scratch, I had to
consider the problems of keeping my SESa as near
the original as possible while remaining within the
boundaries of current safety requirements. One of
my primary concerns was how to resolve the engine
cooling problem.
Forging ignorantly and smugly ahead (strange how
those two words seem inseparable), I kept postpon-
ing the day of reckoning concerning a radiator. I
never believed I would find an original, though such
luck is not all that extreme when antiquers start
scrounging. I had toyed with the idea of letting prac-
tical and economic considerations turn me from a
true reproduction on this one item. As I looked
deeper into the problems of building a pair of twin
radiators and started to resolve the difficulties in the
construction of tanks, necks, and ancillary plumbing
parts I concluded that all this was a great deal of
work . Since I was so committed to this volume of
work why settle for a tube type core similar to pre-
22
"
sent day automobile practice. " Why , for a few
hundred more and a little extra work I could have a
pair of honeycomb/cartridge type cores."
I think it is safe to say that throughout this entire
aeroplane building project the two qualities that have
helped me come as far as I have are a monumental
ignorance of the depth of the problems to be en-
countered; an ignorance that i s surpassed only by a
gargantuan stubbornness that some have generously
call ed " tenacity of pu rpose". There is a world of dif-
ference between building a pair of radiators with fin
and tube type cores and building a pair of cartridge
type cores. But I can t ell you that only now.
Like so many problems one encounters in life the
real difficulties often lie in the contemplation and
when one starts digging in many shrink, but practi-
cally none disappear! The shrinkage occurred only
because of help from tool and die maker fri ends and
old timers in the automobile replacement core indus-
try who remembered cartridge type cores. Nonethe-
less, I struggled on and succeeded in producing a
rather acceptable SE5a radiator of reaso nable accu-
racy.
A fellow antiquer on Long Island saw photos of
the radiator and about a year later call ed me on the
phone with a request. The Scylla of i gnorance and
the Charybdis of over-confidence seduced me into
agreeing to build their monsterous progeny, the Fok-
ker DVII radiator . I can honestly say that of all the
projects so far undertaken in building my SE5a, the
radiator was the most difficult . Yet compared to the
DVII radiator it was relatively silllPle. It must be
borne in mind also that I went into the SE5a radiator
with no knowledge or experience and yet th e
background acquired in manufacturing it still did not
let the DVII radiator be anything l ess than three times
as difficult.
The frontage areas of the two are rather close, if
anything the DVII is just a bit smaller. The SE5a, using
3/8" O.D. brass tubing, required about 3000 4" long
tubes. The DVII was supposed to have 1/4" tubes
(7mm) but John wanted me t o use 5/16" to hold down
costs somewhat. This reduction by 1/16" from 3/8" to
5/16" jumped the number of tubes for th e same fron-
tal area from 3000::!:: to 6500::!::. According to an article
in World War I Aeroplanes (January '78) the U. S.
Army Air Service evaluation group put the number at
3000 with 1/4" tubes. They forgot to multiply by 2.5!
I'm sure glad John wanted to save money. Losing
another 1/16" in diamet er down to 1/4" would have
set the number over 8000. As it is , with splitting los-
ses et cetera, you're talking of a 1/2 mil e of brass tube
at $.40 per foot!
I st art ed with th e flat center portion . After all ,
build the flat, small er, center portion first; tis easi er.
Di saster! The solder alloy used to dip automobile
heater cores work s great under heavil y co ntro ll ed
production methods but is useless for the amateur.
Scratch one old timer's advice. One idiot metallurgist
told me to throw out $450 worth of solder and start
over! Scrat ch him!! I finally resolved the solder for-
mulation problem and succeeded in face dipping the
center core. It came out beautiful.
Confidently and much pleased with myself I then
proceeded to the side cores. 2500 brass tubes could
not be held together for one dipping as long as the
crankshaft slant was included in the pre-form. The
idea of making the staggered side in blocks of 800::!::
tubes and then soldering the blocks together looked
good on paper but the angle of stagger in each seg-
ment could not be held with anything even approach-
ing accuracy or similarity. Try taking 2500 stuck-
together brass tubes apart, cleaning them up, and
soldering them together again - 3 times! For the first
time since starting my SE5a, I felt just about beat , but
by a Fokker DVII!! I finally got four blocks of tubes
that fit together and proceeded to lay up an addi-
tional 900::!:: tubes on each side by hand to form the
bottom slants for the crankshaft cl earance . Now
being able to hold the stagger for each side I pro-
ceeded to face dip the assemblies as a unit. The re-
sult was dramatic and acceptable. The upper and
lower tanks were straight forward boxes and pre-
sented no problems. Since no dimensions for the top
tank, filler neck or cap were available these wer e
"eyeballed" from photographs and drawings, often
themselves interpreted and eyeballed.
23
We concluded that the radiator cap held a pres-
sure device so I provided two removable inserts from
a modern automobile radiator cap, one 4 pounds and
the other 10 pounds. No one seemed to kn.ow the
reason for the protruding tube in the side of the filler
neck. It may have been an attachment whereby hot
water could be pumped through the motor for easier
winter starts. The engine oil was preheated for just
that very reason. Things were rough in the Great
War.
Everyone has an idea of what a DVII radiator
should look like and john and I established what he
wanted in appearance for his. In all the literature,
photos, drawings, etc., there did not turn up one that
fit what we thought was typical - this is until I was
nearly done and john produced an old magazine
photo of a DVII in the French National Museum that
matched ours perfectly. On page 172, of Funder-
burk's "The Fighters" is another that I did not notice
until the radiator was finished. Most had very narrow
flat centers, which would only have made the job
even more impossible, and john and I decided that
this type was not very typical - history and facts not-
withstanding. john later asked me if I ever figured
out how the Germans made them in production dur-
ing World War I. I never did, but I learned why they
lost the war. Everyone was building DVII radiators
and there was no one left to do the fighting. They've
had a latter-day revenge though: 60 years later they
really brought SESa production on Staten Island to a
screeching halt for six months!
I'm glad that I was asked to make the radiator. It
provided valuable insight into the construction,
metallurgical, and supply problems that will make fu-
ture aeroplane and antique automobile cores easier
to assemble. I'll make cores but complete radiators of
this complexity require too much of my time for jobs
that cannot be delegated. Besides, almost everyone
knows a "tin knocker" or hobbyist coppersmith who
can turn out a decent tank. It is the core that defied
solution and that I can do.
WHEELS
I bought a pair of original clincher jenny-type
wheels but decided not to use them because respok-
ing them to SESa style would have been as much
trouble as making new wheels altogether and I would
have lost a good pair of original wheels that someone
else could use. I had a pair of old Harley side-car
hubs and decided to work around them. If I were
doing it again I would use Suzuki front wheel spools .
These can be bored out to take 1314" axle with thick
bronze bushings. The spool itself has provisions for a
bolt-on brake disc for those wishing better ground
control and the rims are of course much lighter.
Using Harley steel rims gave me great strength
and weight. I have, basically, a 19" motorcycle wheel
with a bored out and sleeved hub extension to permit
the attachment of the side load spokes. The rims
were drilled near the rim flange and spokes were at-
tached radially to the extended hub. The wheel cover
clips at the rim are 1/16" stainless steel cotter pins
placed between the radial spokes. I then mounted
Dunlop tires and got my wheels. If, however, I can' t
strike a workable weight and balance I shall be ob-
liged to remake them but from Suzuki parts.
With the wheels and radiator finished I now have
a very expensive test stand for my 220 hp Hispano-
Suiza motor - it' s called an SESa fuselage.
Dear David:
I thought you might be interested in this 8" x 10"
photograph of our classic C-170B for The VINTAGE
AIRPLANE. This photo was taken in the 170 fly-by at
Oshkosh '78. Lake Winnebago is in the background.
This aircraft is owned and flown by Glenn A. Loy, Sr.,
of Flint, Mi chigan . Photograph was taken by his son,
Glenn Jr.
Sincerely,
Glenn A. Loy, Jr.
2357 Southampton
Flint, Michigan 48507
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
MAY4-6- BURLINGTON, NORTH CAROLINA- Spring Fly-In. Planes
to be judged should be on the fi eld by 2 P.M. on th e 5t h. Awards
dinnerSaturday evening. Sponsored by EAA Antique/Classic Chap-
ter #3. For further information, contact Geneva McKiernan, 5301
Finsbury Place, Char lotte, NC28211.
MAY5-6 - SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA - First Annual Foot-
hill s Fly-In , sponsored by EAA Chapters 249 and 584. Awards, con-
tests and breakfast on Sunday, with camping. Rain Date May 19-
20. For further information, contact Brian Benjamin , 803/518-6607
or Don Sankey, 803/244-4292.
MAY12- FRANKLIN, WISCONSIN- MidwestAeroHistori ans Spring
Meeting. EAA Aviation Museum, 11311 West Forest HomeAvenue,
in Franklin. Registration at 8:30; program at 1:00 p. m. Hi story of
Ryan aircraft by Bob Baker . Ot her speakers and a film. For further
information contact Ken Borkowitz, 707 West Maplewood Court,
Milwaukee, WI 53221, 414/482-0696.
MAY 20 - ROMEOVILLE, ILLINOIS - First Annual Fly-In Breakfast
ofthe year at the EAA building at Lewis University Airport. 7a.m.
to 1 p. m. For f urther information, contact J. P. Fish, P. O. Box 411 ,
Lemont, IL60439.
MAY 25-27 - WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA - Fift eenth Annual An-
tique Aircraft Fly-In and Air Show at the Watsonville Airport. Co-
sponsored by the Northern California Chapter, Antique Airplane
Association and Watsonville Chamber of Commerce. For further
information contact Earl Swaney, 525 Saratoga Avenue #3, Santa
Clara, California 95050, 41 5/645-3709 days, 408/296-5632 evenings.
JUNE 2-3 - FRONT ROYAL, VIRGINIA - EAA Chapter 186 Annual
Spring Fly-In. Warren CountyAirport. Hangar Dance on Saturday.
Pancake Breakfast on Sunday. Quarterly Va. Ercoupe Gat hering.
Cont ests, awards, and lodging available. For further information,
contact Jack Crat er, 2502 Ryegate Lane, Alexandria, VA 22308 or
703/360-3954 after 6p.m.
JUNE 3 - ELMIRA, NEW YORK - Fly-In/Walk-In/ Drive-In Breakfast .
Waco 10 and StardusterToo rides. Chemung County Airport.
JUNE 9-10 - FLANDERS, NEW JERSEY - First Annual Fly-In spon-
sored by EAA Antique/Cl assic Chapter 7. Hangar Square Dance,
Saturday. Rai n Dat e is June 16-17. For further information, contact
Walter Ahlers, 60 Main Street, Flanders, NJ 07836, or 201/584-7983
or Anne M. Fennimore, Four Ridge Road, Succasunna, NJ 07876
or201/584-4154.
Dear David:
JUNE 23-24- LONG ISLAND, NEWYORK- Summer Fun Fly-In spon-
sored by Chapter 594. For further information, contact Alf R. Ti
berg at 516/825-4148 or at Seven Birchwood Drive, West, Valley
Stream, NY 11580.
JUNE 23-24 - SAN ANGELO, TEXAS - Mathis Field. Antiques and
CAF. Awards. For further information, contact Charlie Day, 915/
944-2621.
JUNE 24 - ANSONIA, CONNECTICUT - Piper Vagabond Fly-In. For
'further information contact Jim Jenkins, 569 Moose Hill Road,
Monroe, CT 06468 or at 203/261-5586.
JULY 6-8 - MINDEN, NEBRASKA - Third Annual National Stinson
Club Fl y- In. Pioneer Fi eld near Harold Warp' s Pioneer Village.
For further information, contact C. R. Bob Near, 2702 Butterfoot
Lane, Hastings, NE 68901 orat 402/463-9309.
JULY 7-8- TOLEDO, OHIO- Annual Fl y- In sponsored byEAA Chap-
ter 149. Met calf Field. Free breakfast for pil ots of homebuilts and
antiques both days. For further informati on, contact Dave at 419/
923-3712 or Geneat 419/531-1819.
JULY 14-15- ROMEOVILLE, ILLINOIS- Nineteenth Annual Midwest
Fly-In and Air Showat Lewi sUniversityAirport. Show's themeand
feature will be W.W. I aircraft. Airport will be renamed to add to
the illusion of the era. Sponsored by Chapters 15 and 86. tor
further information, contact J. P. Fish, P.O. Box 411 , Lemont , IL
60439.
JULY 15 - FORT WAYNE, INDIANA- Eleventh Annual World's Big-
gest Little Fly-In & Air Show at Smith Field. Sponsored by EAA
Chapter 2, the activities include breakfast and lunch, flea market ,
workshops, static displays, and an air show at 2 p. m. For further
information, contact Jay Henschen at 219/485-5709 or 219/485-7282.
JULY 28 - AUGUST 4 - OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN - Twenty-seventh
Annual EAA Fly-In. Plan now toattend- it's th e greatest showon
eart h. \
OCTOBER 12-14 - CAMDEN, SOUTH CAROLINA - Fly-In. All divi-
sions, awards will be presented. For further information, contact
Geneva McKiernan , 5301 Finsbury Place, Charlotte, NC 28211.
Sponsored by EAA Antique Classi c Chapt er #3.
SEPTEMBER 5-9 - GALESBURG, ILLINOIS- Ninth Annual Stearman
Fly-In. Anyone with any interest in the Stearmans is cordially in-
vited. For furt her information, contact the Stearman Restorer s
Associ ation, Inc. , 823 Kingston Lane, Crystal Lake, IL 60014.
SEPTEMBER 27-30 - TULLAHOMA, TENNESSEE - First Annual Fly-
In. Plan nowtoattend- it's the greatest showon earth.
Staggerwing Museum Foundation of Tul-
lahoma, Tennessee, has authorized reprinting
1..
of Robert T. Smith' s book "STAGGERWING",
the story of Beeche' s Classic Model 17 Bi-
Dear David: plane.
Your inquiry regarding Barkley-Grow' s still Now a collectors' item, this 248-page book
in existence prompted this quick note - yes was originally published in 1967. A group of
- at least one is sti ll extant and I saw it last dedicated Staggerwing pilots has undertaken
summer on the way back to O'k in Assiniboia, updating and publishing this famous book.
Sask. It is in the collection of Harry Whereatt Sixteen pages will be added with current in-
and I believe it was sin 1 - not registered as formation.
CF- BVE - in excellent shape - not currently The book, hard bound, will be available in
airworthy, though. Also, I just acquired a '39 August , 1979, for $27.95. A special pre-publi-
Stinson HW-75 and need lots of info for res- cation price of$22.95, plus$1.75 postage and
toration purposes. Enjoying The VINTAGE, handling, will be ineffect until July30, 1979.
hope the i nfo is of interest - thanks for your Orderswith remittancemaybesentto:Stag-
help. gerwings Unlimited, P. O. Box 964, New Mil-
Regards, ford,CT06776.
TimTalen For further information contact: James C.
P.O. Box 920 Gorman,President ,THESTAGGERWINGCLUB,
CottageGrove,OR97424 1885MillsboroRoad, Mansfield, OH 44906.
James C.Gorman
COMPLETED
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC AIRCRAFT
AERONCA CHIEF 11-BC
Harlan D. jacobson, 1501 Loftsgordon Avenue, Madi-
son, WI 53704
CESSNA 195
Ray B. Anderson,133Vi sta DelParque,RedondoBeach,
CA 90277
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
AIRCRAFT UNDER CONSTRUCTIO
AERONCA7AC
john Mike Connor , 79 Hillsborough Drive, Sorrehto,
FL 32776
BELLANCA 14-13-2
William B. Camp, Rt . 3, Hwy. 230 West, Hawkinsville,
GA31036
CESSNA 140
Coy E. johnston, Pleasant ValleyAirport, Rt. 1 Box 178,
Snyder, OK 73566
LUSCOMBE 8A
Tim Bauer, 110 W. Cherry Street, Compton, IL 61318
john A. LeRoche, 17 jerome Avenue, Bloomfield, CT
06002
PIPER CLIPPER
Butch Walters, 285 Pare Road, Kelso, WA98626
STINSON 108-2
Lars F. Williamson,840 Marin Drive, P.O. Box 736, Mill
Valley, CA 94941
TAYlORCRAFT B-C-65
Edward Allen Mori, 107 West Wendy Ct. , Union City,
CA 94587
26
(Dave Gustafson Photo)
Bill Schmidt's PA-16 rolls across the ramp at Oshkosh . ..
won't be long before it happens again.