STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

byEspie "Butch" Joyce

It is with regretthatImust report to
youthedeathofDaleCrites. Dalewas
the person who performed at Oshkosh
eachyearwithhis 1911 CurtissPusher.
Dal e operated Crit es Field in
Waukesha, Wisconsin from the 1930s
until 1969. He and his twin brother
DeanwereinductedintotheWisconsin
AviationHall ofFamein 1989. Dale's
presence at the Oshkosh Convention
willsurelybemissed.
AtourFebruary1991BoardofDirec-
tors meeting we covered a number of
items,someofwhichIwouldliketogo
over with you. The Antique/Classic
Division is looking positively at in-
creasingitssupportofPioneerAirport.
We have appointed a Pioneer Airport
Committee that will be working with
GregAnderson,EAAVice-Presidentof
Development, and the EAA Aviation
Foundation Board. I will have more
news on this in the future as plans
develop.
One ofthe most exciting things that
has been accomplished is thatafter in-
tense negotiations with AVA, Inc. of
Greensboro, North Carolina (Norma
Johnson), EAA Headquarters (Bob
Mackey), Global Aviation Insurance
Services (Tim Williams) and myself,
the Antique/Classic membership has a
group insurance program for their
aircraft insurance. This program has
been tailored to benefit the type of
aircraft that AlC Division represents.
Justsomeofthehighlightsofthis pro-
graminclude:afleetdiscountforthose
people owning more than one aircraft,
andtherewill benohandproppingex-
clusions, and no age surcharge. Also,
nowyoucanbuyhullinsuranceonyour
project, and includedin this policyis a
$50,000.00 liability coverage in the
event thatsomeone were to be injured
whilevisitingyourshop. You mustbe
a memberofthe EAA Antique/Classic
Divisionto participatein this program.
If youhaveafriend whowishestojoin
us,theycandosobycalling1/800/322-
2412. Formore insurancedetails, call
the folks at AVA, Inc. at 1/800/727-
3823. The more members who par-
ticipateinthisprogram,thebetteritwill
become.
DivisionExpansion
Our Criteria Committee gave your
Board ofDirectors a recommendation
onthissubject. Thecommitteerecom-
mendedthefollowingcriteria:
1. Antiqueaircraftwillremainthose
aircraft manufactured prior to
January 1, 1946 with the excep-
tionsnownoted.
2. Classic aircraft will remain those
aircraft manufactured between
January1,1946andDecember31,
1955.
No expansion ofthe two categories
mentionedabovewilloccur.
3. As of January 1, 1992 the An-
tique/ClassicDivisionwill recog-
nize a new category of aircraft.
This new catagory will include
those aircraft manufactured be-
tweenJanuary1,1956andDecem-
ber 31, 1960. This new category
will be called "Contemporary
Aircraft."
4. This recommendation is to be
votedonbytheBoardofDirectors
atourMay, 1991 meeting.
5. If thisvotebytheBoardispositive,
we would allow parking in the
showplacearea at the 1992 Con-
vention. Thiswouldallowpeople
owning this category time to get
their aircraft up to show place
status.
6. Judging of this new category
would begin at the 1993 Oshkosh
Convention. This will allow the
Contemporary Aircraft judging
committee to have the 1992 Con-
ventionto establishthenewjudg-
ingcategories.
As you can see, your Officers and
Directors have been hard at work to
make the the Antique/Classic
Division better. Let's all pull in the
same direction for the good ofavia-
tion; we are better together. Join us
andhaveitall!
PUBLICATION STAFF
PUBLISHER
Tom Poberezny
VICE-PRESIDENT
MARKETING &COMMUNICATIONS
DickMalt
EDITOR
March 1991 Vol. 19, No, 3
HenryG. Frautschy
MANAGINGEDITOR
GoldaCox
ART DIRECTOR
MikeDrucks
ADVERTISING
MaryJones
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
NormanPetersen DickCavin
FEATURE WRITERS
GeorgeA.Hardie,Jr. DennisParks
EDITORIALASSISTANT
IsabelleWiske
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS
JimKoepnick CarlSchuppel
MikeSteineke
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
DIVISION, INC.
OFFICERS
President Vice-President
Espie " Butch"Joyce ArthurR.Morgan
604 HighwaySt. 3744 Narth51stBlvd.
Madison.NC27025 Milwaukee,WI 53216
919/427-0216 414/442-3631
Secretary Treasurer
GeorgeS.York E.E. "Buck"Hilbert
181 SlobodaAve. P.O. Box424
Mansfield,OH44906 Union,IL60180
419/529-4378 815/923-4591
DIRECTORS
JohnBerendt RobertC. "Bob"Brauer
7645EchaPaintRd. 9345S. Hoyne
CannanFalls, MN5E:I::I:'R Chicago,IL60620
507/263-2414 312/179-2105
GeneChase JohnS.Copeland
2159CarltonRd. 9JoanneDrive
Oshkosh,WI 54904 Westbaraugh,MA01581
414/231-5002 508/3667245
Philip Coulson GeorgeDaubner
28415SpringbraakDr. 2448LaughLane
Lawton,MI 49065 Hartford,WI 53027
616/6246490 414/673-5885
CharlesHarris Stan Gomoll
3933SauthPeoria 104290th Lane,NE
P.O, Box904038 Minneapolis,MN55434
Tulsa, OK74105 612/784-1172
918/742-7311
DaleA.Gustafson JeannieHill
7724ShadyHill Drive P.O.Box328
Indianapolis,IN 46278 HaNard,IL60033
317/293-4430 815/943-7205
RobertLickteig RobertD."Bob"Lumley
1708BayOaksDrive 1265Sauth 124thSt.
AlbertLea,MN56007 Brookfield,WI 53005
507/373-2922 414/7822633
GeneMorris Steven C.Nesse
115CSteveCourt,R.R.2 2009HighlandAve.
Raanoke,TX 76262 AlbertLea, MN56007
817/491-9110 507/373-1674
S.H."Wes" Schmid
2359LefeberAvenue
Wauwatosa,WI 53213
414/771-1545
DIRECTOR EMERITUS
S.J.Wittman
7200S.E. 85thLane
Ocal a,FL 32672
904/245-7768
ADVISORS
JohnA.Fogerty Dean Richardson
479Highway65 6701 ColonlyDrive
Raberts,WI 54023 Madison,WI 53717
715/425-2455 608/833-1291
Copyright 1991 bythe EAAAntique/ClassicDivision,Inc. All rightsreserved.
Contents
2 Straight & Level
by Espie "Butch" Joyce
4 AIC News/compiled by H,G, Frautschy
6 Vintage Literaturefby Dennis Parks
10 Recollections of the Tilbury Flash
by Herb Morphew
15 Deja Vu: Then and Now
by Roger Thiel
16 Meyer The Flyer/by Norm Petersen
20 A Family Affair/by Norm Petersen
Page 16
24 To Oshkosh In S8 Years - Part II
by Ken Morris
27 Flaws, Cracks and The Perfect
Airplane/by Wayne Stevenson
29 Pass It To Buck/by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert
31 Calendar
32 Vintage Trader
Page20
34 Mystery Plane/by George Hardie Jr.
FRONTCOVER...Dave Meyerconcentratesankeepinghisnewly
restoredPA-17PiperVagabandinfarmatianwiththecameraship
aver north-centralWiscansin,duringtheJahnHatzSkiplaneFly-In
atHaymeadowField in Gleason, WI. (Photo by H,G. Frautschy,
photoplaneflownbyNormPetersen,)
BACK COVER. , Dave Jameson's (EAA 15612, A/C #2) 1929
LockheedVega5C wascarefullyrestared tatheappearanceof
Wiley Past's 'Winnie Mae" as a tribute ta the Golden Age of
aviatianexplaratian, Purchasedin 1963 fram theGeneralElectric
Company, the Vega is an display at the EAA Air Adventure
Museum,(PhatabyEAAPhotoStaff,)
The words EAA, ULTRALIGHT, FLYWITH THE FIRSTTEAM, SPORTAVIATION, and the logos01 EXPERIMENTALAIRCRAFTASSOCIATION INC.,
EAAINTERNATIONALCONVENTION,EAAANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISIONINC.,INTERNATIONALAEROBATICCLUBINC.,WARBIRDSOFAMERICA
INC, areregisteredtrademarks, THE EAASKYSHOPPEand logosofthe EAAAVIATIONFOUNDATION INC,and EAAULTRALIGHTCONVENTION
aretrademarksoftheaboveassociationsandtheirusebyanypersonotherthanthe aboveassociationsisstrictlyprohibited.
Editorial Policy: Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in anieles are solely those of the authors,
Responsibility for accuracyin reporting restsentiretywith thecontributor, Matenal should besent to: Editor, The VINTAGE AIRPLANE, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh,WI549Q3.3086. Phone:4t4/4264800.
The VINTAGEAIRPLANE (SSN 00916943) is published and owned exclusively by EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc, 01 the Expenmental Aircrah
Associatioo,Inc,andispublishedmonthtyatEAAAviationCenter,P,O,Box3086,Oshkosh,WI 549Q3.3086. SecondClassPostagepaidatOshkosh,WI
54901 andadditionalmailingoffices.The membershiprateforEAAAntique/ClassicDivision,lnc,is $20.00forcurrent EAAmembersfor 12monthperiod
of which$12.00isfOf thepublication01 TheVINTAGEAIRPLANE. Membershipisopen to allwho areinterestedinaviation.
ADVERTISING Antique/ClassicDivisiondoesnolguaranteeorendorseanyproductofferedthroughouradvertising.Weinviteconstructivecriticismand
welcomeanyreportofinteriormerchandise obtainedthroughour advertising so thatcorrectivemeasures can be taken.
POSTMASTER: Sendaddresschangesto EAAAntique/ClassicDivisioo, Inc,P.O. Box3086,Oshkosh,WI 549033086.
VINTAGEAIRPLANE3
compiledbyH.G.Frautschy
NEWMUSEUMEXHIBITS
Two new exhibits of interest to
vintageenthusiastshavebeendedicated
at the EAA Air Adventure Museum.
The first is the "Aircraft Design Gal-
lery", sponsoredbytheEmoryT. Clark
Charitable Foundation of Milwaukee,
Wisconsin. Thegallery paystributeto
all who have engaged in the long and
time consuming process of designing
andbuildinganairplane. In ahands-on
approachtoexplainingtheintricaciesof
aircraft design, the exhibit features a
freestanding kioskcontaininganactual
working wind tunnel, artifacts and
models used during aircraftdesign and
an"Aircraft DesignWorkshop"thatal-
lows museum guests to "design" their
ownversionofa200passengerairliner.
Afteryou are finished with the design,
you can then test it for efficiency. The
wind tunnel features a graphic
demonstration of the relationship be-
tween lift and drag, as you vary the
airspeed within the tunnel. (The wind
tunnel itself is a terrific piece of
craftsmanship by EAA staffer Bauken
Noack,whoseworkis as beautifulas it
is functional.)
The second exhibit is the "Aircraft
Ignition Exhibit",sponsoredby Unison
IndustriesofJacksonville,Florida. The
exhibitincludesavideopresentationon
the workingsofan aircraftignitionsys-
tem. Adjoiningdisplaystracethetech-
nology from the pioneer era to the
presentday,withexamplesofmagnetos
(including a rare Simms L8 from the
pioneerera)featuredineachcase. Also
includedisacutawayofanAllisontur-
boshaftengine,detailing howaturbine
ignition system functions. Nearby,
another display features a Slick 447
magnetoconnectedtoadisplayofspark
plugs. Byturningthecrank,visitorscan
easily generate enough voltage to fire
4 MARCH 1991
the plugs,andgraphically illustratethe
primary and secondary circuits com-
monto today'saircraft ignitionsystem.
PIONEERAIRPORT
OPENINGSET
Grandopeningforthe1991seasonat
PioneerAirportissetfor May 11thand
12th. A number ofexciting activities
are being coordinated by a volunteer
committee. Plans are being made for
the dedication ofthe new Spirit ofSt.
Louis, possibly withsomeofthe Ryan
family in attendance,as well as the ac-
ceptance of the EAA Foundation's
Taylor Aerocar, fresh from its restora-
tion in Florida by the Emil C. Buehler
Foundation. Molt Taylorand his wife
Neilareplanningtoattend. Allsortsof
otherevents are planned, somakesure
you pay homage to yourmother (May
12thisMother'sDay,remember?),then
come on out to Pioneer Airport at the
EAA AirAdventure Museum for what
promisesto beagreatday! If you'rea
local member, oryou plan onbeing in
theareaoveraweekend,whynotvolun-
teer for work at Pioneer? It's a great
way to meet other members, and to
spendsometimewithyourfavoritetype
ofairplanes! ContactMuseumDirector
Carl Swickley at 414/426-4800 for
moreinformation.
MORETYPECLUBINFO
ItseemsIgoofedwhenIgaveyou a
newlistingfor the Stinsonclubbackin
January. Toclarifythewholesituation,
herearethetwolistingsas theyshould
appear:
NationalStinsonClub
c/oJonseyPaul,Chairman
14418SkinnerRoad
Cypress,TX 77429
Newsletter:Quarterly
Dues: $7.50
NationalStinsonClub(108Section)
Bill&DebbieSnavely
115HeinleyRd.
LakePlacid,FL 33852
813/465-6101
Quarterly magazine: Stinson Plane
Talk
AnnualDues: $25 US,
$30Canada/Foreign
MythankstoJonseyPaulforclearing
this item up.
The Bellanca/Champion Club has a
differentaddressthan thatshownin the
listing, one that the Post Office would
preferbeingused. Contactthemat:
Bellanca-ChampionClub
c/oLarry D' Atti 110
P.O. Box708
Brookfield,WI 53008-0708
SUN 'NFUN '90
GRANDCHAMPION
Speaking oferrors,onewasmade in
the January issue concerning Marty
Probst's Fairchild 24, in the article
describing Interview Circle. Marty's
pretty Fairchild is a former Grand
Champion, but from 1982, not from
1990,aswasincorrectlycaptioned. The
honor for being 1990's Grand Cham-
pion at Sun 'n Fun belongs to the
deserving Luscombe Phantom 272Y,
ownedbyDougCombs. No,Doug,you
didn'tdreamthatyouwonit,youreally
did! Thanks to Doug for gently calling
ittoourattention.
SPEAKINGOFSUN 'NFUN...
Onlyafew moredaysuntil thewarm
event in Florida, and a suresign that it
is nicedownthere wasthemessagewe
received from Gene Engle down in
Lakeland. On Thursday, April 11th,
The first ofwhat they hope will be an
annualeventwill take place. A Sun 'n
Fun Golf Outing at the Wedgewood
GolfandCountry Club is beingset up,
with the proceeds going to benefit the
Sun'nFunAirMuseum. Teetimeswill
start at 9:00 am, and the entry fee is
$75.00. A barbecue and awards party
will takeplaceat6:30pm thatevening.
Formoredetails, contactBill Averette,
813/688-4954. IwonderifIcanfit my
3-woodin mycamerabag...
CHALKSAIRLINES
Chalks Airline, one of the world's
oldestairlines, has been sold to United
Capital Corp. of Illinois. Started in
1919 by Arthur "Pappy" Chalk as
Chalks Flying Services, it is the only
remainingscheduledflyingboatservice
in theUnitedStates. Facedwithdeclin-
ing usage ofits fleet ofGrumman am-
phibians, the routes flown by thesmall
airlinehavebeensteadilytakenoverby
conventionalsmallairliners,tothepoint
where one ofthe Mallards can fly the
route with one crew all day long, and
stillhaveplentyoftimeforlunch. Still,
the stout amphibians from the Grum-
man "IronWorks"haveperformedad-
mirably, and we certainly hope that
these classic airplanes will be back to
work doing what they do best in the
future.
HELPNEEDED
We have an EAA member who is
lookingforPiperDrawing14926sothat
he can complete his STC on removing
the aileron-rudder interconnect cables.
Heneedstheforkforthenosewheeland
springing information to complete his
STC. If you have this information,
pleasesendthedrawingorcontactBen
Owen, Director of Information Ser-
vices, EAAAviationCenter,P.O. Box
3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.
414/426-4800.
SUPERCUBFUSELAGES
1.E. Soares, Inc. owned by member
JimSoares(EAA 104408,A/C2243)of
Belgrade, Montana, has received an
STC/PMA from the FAA for the
manufactureandrepairofthePiperPA-
18andPA-18Afuselage, andforrepair
sectionsofthe aft fuselage. Both long
andshortversionsoftheaftfuselageare
available. Assorted beef-upsandother
structural enhancements have been
madeto the basicdesign,as well asthe
entirefuselagebeingmadeof4130steel
tubing. Jim's company can also repair
yoursteeltubePiperfuselageunderhis
RepairStationCertificate. Formorein-
formation, contact J.E. Soares, Inc.,
7093DryCreekRd,Belgrade,Montana
59714. Phone406/388-6069 orFaxat
406/388-0170.
MOREENGINE
STORAGENOTES
Henry Cooper, a Manufacturing
AviationSafetyInspectorwiththeNew
England region ofthe FAA, was kind
enoughtoadviseusthattheproperCon-
tinental Motors Service bulletin that
wasreferencedshouldbeS.B.M84-1O,
Revision 1, dated 7 November 1984.
Also included in this S.B. are proce-
dures to be followed ifan engine is to
be stored for an indefinite period of
time. (When your ''I'll rebuild it over
the winter" becomes a 4 year project!)
OurthankstoMr. Cooperforthisinfor-
mation.
Lowell Bayles and the Bob Hall designed Gee Bee Model Z Super Sporlsler.
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GEEBEEDESIGNERDIES
Bob Hall, designer ofthe Gee Bee NationalAirRaces. Hethenmovedon
Model Z racer, the "City of to designing and flying the Hall
Springfield", which won the Bulldogracer.Hallwouldlaterhavean
ThompsonTrophyatthe1931 Nation- illustrious career with Grumman
alAirRaces,passedawayFebruary24 Aircraft, wherehewould workon the
at the age of 85 in Newport, Rhode designsforavarietyoffighteraircraft,
Island. Hall was the aeronautical en- including the F4F Wildcat , F6F
gineerwhoworkedwiththe Granville Hellcat,F8FBearcatandF7FTigercat.
brothersin Springfield,Massachusetts BobHall'sdesignssetthetonefor the
in theearlydaysofGranvilleBrothers earlythirties,thestubbyracerszipping
Aircraft, designing the Model A aroundthepylonsbentonbreakingthe
biplane,andthenthe"Sportster"series latest record. His designs come to
ofaircraft. Hall also flew hisdesigns, mind almost immediately when you
including the winning of the 1931 think back to the Golden Age ofAir
GeneralTireandRubberTrophyatthe Racing.
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Ef'lTRANCE
THE NATIONAL AIR RACES
THE GOLDEN AGE (Pt. 2)
1930
Even though the Golden Age of Air
Rac ing began at Cleveland in 1929, the
1930 National Air Races were held
nor th of Chicago at the Curtiss-
Reynolds airport.
A GIANT PROJECT
The program of the 1930 National Air
Races reported on the preparations for
the annual event. "The 1930 National
Air Races are not the product of a mere
few days' work. They are rather the
outcome of an intensive development
that has extended over a period of five
months. Since early spring a large staff
of men and women has been actively
engaged in all parts of the country and
in foreign countries, handling the al-
most incredible amount of work that is
necessary to make the National Air
I PJD NATIONAL AIR RACS
by ()ennis Var-ks
Libr-ar-y/ Ar-chives
()i r-ect()r-
Races successful from every point of
view.
"During the actual staging of the
races, more than 1,200 persons in 47
different departments are employed in
various activities at the Curtiss-
Reynolds Field alone. Since the latter
part of June, a staff of 125 persons has
been laboring day and night at the ex-
ecutive headquarters, making possible
the efficient running of the vast or-
ganization."
NEED LARGE BUDGET
"A large amount of money obviously
is necessary to finance the National Air
Races. This year the budget amounted
to $525,000, a fifty percent increase
over the budget for last year's races at
Cleveland. In the last anaylsis, credit
for the success of the races is due to the
group of public minded Chicago
citizens who underwrote the project for
Of"FICIAL DliUCTORY OFFICIAL DIRECTORY
1930 NATIONAL
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the sum of $250,000.
"More than $125,000 was required to
prepare the field alone. Prize money
amounts to about $lOO,OOO, to which
had been added an additional $50,000
for lap prizes and trophies in the derbies.
The sum does not include the expendi-
tures necessary for bringing the Army,
Navy, foreign competitors and civilian
pilots into participation in the races.
"The field has been constructed to
seat 65,000 people, the largest seating
capacity ever built around an airport.
There is room also to accommodate an
additional 35,000 people at the field.
The stands are three-quarters of a mile
in length and required about a million
feet of lumber for their construction."
THOMPSON TROPHY
One of the highlights of the air races
was the first competition for the
Thompson Trophy . Excited with the
IPIO NATIOi'fAl A.lR RAC$
AIQ QAC[S
6 MARCH 1991
10
Curtiss-Reynolds Airport near Chicago, site of the 1930 National Air Races.
results of the air races held in Cleveland
in 1929, Fred Crawford, vice-president
of Thompson Products and his boss,
Charles Thompson, petitioned the Na-
tional Aeronautic Association for the
sponsorship of a feature event for future
National Air Races. This was to be a
pylon race of at least 100 miles, open to
aircraft of unlimited specifications with
a large cash prize and an impressive
trophy.
For 1930, Thompson Products
guaranteed a purse of $10,000 with the
winner to receive $5,000. This was a lot
of money in the depression and it en-
couraged a lot of backyard builders,
operating on a shoestring, who were
eager for enough prize money to pay
back some of their investment in special
purpose airplanes.
Late in 1929 the NAA announced
that Thompson had received the official
sanction of the NAA to establish a
trophy that would encourage develop-
ment of faster land-based aircraft. First
awarded in 1930 at Chicago, the
Thompson Trophy was not only the
premier event of the National Air Races
but would come to foster some of the
finest closed course air racing of all
time.
1930
The 1930 races were held in Chicago
August 23 to September 1. There were
seven derbies flying from various cities
to Chicago, and 51 closed course races.
The derbies origi nated from both the
originating cities were: Miami, Florida
(1,545 mi les); Hartford, COImecticut
(1,170 miles); Seattle, Washington
(2,130 miles) and Brownsville, Texas
(1,180 miles).
The biggest derby purse was the
$12,000 for the nonstop race from Los
Angeles to Chicago, a distance of 1,760
miles. The fi rst place prize was $7,500.
GENERAL RULES AND
REGULATIONS
The following are sample regulations
from 1930.
"Closed Course Event No. 40 -
(Civilians Only). Sportsman Pilots
Race. (1) Open to sportsman pilots with
open type ships which are equipped
with engines having not more than 350
cubic inch piston displacement. (2)
Five laps of a five-mile course. (3)
Prize: Sportsman Pilot's Trophy. (To
be retained by winner.) Note: A
sportsman pilot is one who owns and
flies his own plane and is not considered
as engaged in the aviation industry. The
Contest Committee will decide his
qualifications.
"Event No. 32 - (Men only,
Thompson Trophy). (1) A free-for-all
speed contest for any type of airplane
equipped with any type of motor or
motors. Superchargers, special fuels, or
any other means may be used to in-
crease the speed of planes entered in this
race. (2) Twenty laps of a five-mile
course. (3) First prize, $5,000; second
prize, $3,000; third prize $2,000."
AIRSHOW
Many events of an entertainment or
demonstration nature were also held at
the event. Each day, Army, Navy and
Marine squadrons displayed formation
flying. Jimmy Doolittle, in his Shell
Travel Air "Mystery Ship" and Lt. Al
Wil l iams in his special stunting
Gulfhawk dazzled the crowds with
acrobatic flying. Captain Frank Hawkes
also demonstrated his Mystery Ship and
did routines in a towed glider flight.
VALUE OF THE RACES
Clifford Henderson, General
Manager of the 1930 National Air
Races, wrote in the July, 1930 issue of
AERO DIGEST of the value of the
races. '''Why the National Air Races?'
east and west coast. Some of the 1930 Laird Racer with inverted Cirrus engine.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
is a question sometimes asked, not only
by laymen, but by members of the
aircraft industry as well. Such skeptics
see the annual air pageant only as a
circus ballyhoo event, a publicity
parade for a few prominent pilots and
members of the aeronautical industry,
and spectacular exploitation of the air
arms of the various services - Army,
Navy and Marine Corps. The doubters
see in the audiences attending chiefly a
mob of ghoulish-minded yokels out for
thrills from the hair-raising nature of
events by which they will be impressed
with the 'Dangers' of flying rather than
it s genuine offerings of Safety, Con-
venience and Speed.
"Had such pessimists dominated the
automobile industry, cars today would
be expensive, slow and more dangerous
to operate. It was on automobile speed-
ways that the high-compression engine
was evol ved, that such important refine-
ments as four-wheel brakes proved their
place as standard equipment. Much of
the speed, safety and convenience in the
present development of the automobile
may be traced to the motor speedways.
The National Air Races are performing
the same function for aeronautics."
CYCALDWELL
Cy Caldwell, contributing editor to
AERO DIGEST, gave his viewpoint on
the races in the October 1930 issue of
AERO DIGEST. "What, if anything, is
the purpose of the National Air Races?
I'll admit I've never quite discovered,
though l 've been given to understand
that they were staged to promote avia-
ti o n, to interest the public in
aeronautics, to help sell airplanes and
nights, to show the world new achieve-
ments in speed and efficiency generally,
including reliability of equipment. In
short, the races are put on to advertise
our aviation wares to the public.
"If that is true, we should, like all
other men with something they want to
sell, advertise what we have to sell. But
we don't do it. Instead of advertising
our business and our service, we display
only the trimmings. What we have to
sell is a 'service' - that, and no more.
The service is the rapid transportation of
mail, goods and passengers about the
country in time of peace, and the rapid
transportation of bombs and bullets in
time of war. Instead of trying to sell this
service and to notify the public that we
have it for sale, we deliberately, every
year, put it in the background and
proceed to demonstrate that aviation is,
8 MARCH 1991
as the public suspects, merely a thrilling
display of daring and personal achieve-
ment.
"But let us make it plain to the public
that these races are only vaguely related
to commercial aviation; that we are
trying out new and fast, and ever faster
airplanes; that we are experimenting
and feeling our way, sometimes uncer-
tainly, into the future; that, in short, we
are having a whale of a sporty time."
RESULTS
Even though the premier event of the
National Air Races was the Thompson
Trophy event, there were many other
interesting events. One of the events,
Event No. 30 - "Men's Multimotored
Race", demonstrated progress in pas-
senger aircraft. This event was of ten
laps around the five mile course open to
all open or cabin type muti-motored
ships. Each aircraft was required to
carry a payload of 1,000 pounds. This
event was won by Ford pilot Leroy
Manning in his Wasp powered Ford
Trimotor at a speed of 144.2 mph.
Second was W . 1. Fleming in a
trimotored Bach Air Yacht at 137 mph.
The Ford speed is interesting in that it
was fasterthan thatofthe winning Wasp
powered Curtiss Seahawk in the Marine
Race. The winner, Lt. Sandy Sander-
son, won at 142.4 mph.
For the first time there was a closed
course race for women pilots. This was
Event No. 34 - "Women's 800 Cubic
Inch", for open type airplanes. Gadys
O' Donnel won at 139.9 mph in the
Wright J-6 powered taperwing Waco
that she used to win the Womens Class
"A" Pacific Derby from Long Beach.
There were also a series of races for
lightplane racers limited to 350 cubic
This canard was seen allhe 1930 Chicago races. II also has an aft mounled horizon-
101 slabilizer and a lail skid. in addilion 10 Ihe forward wing and nose wheel!
Capt. Page's Curtiss Hawk racer. Modified to a monoplane, the machine was very fast, but Page would be overcome by carbon
monoxide fumes, and would crash on the 17th lap.
inches. Engines such as Cirrus, Le-
Blonds, Lamberts and Gypsys. In-
cluded was a 350 cu. in. Free For All of
five laps of the course. Unlike the other
350 cu. in. races, this was for special
built racers designed to maximize the
perfonnance for engines of around 90
horsepower.
The most outstanding of these racers
was Benny Howard's tiny "Pete" low-
wing racer powered by a 90 hp Wright
Gypsy. With this light, nimble racer,
Howard was able to win five races and
finish second at the 1930 Nationals. In
his free-for-all victory, he averaged 163
mph, 20 mph faster than the Marine
Curtiss Hawk fighters in their race.
THOMPSON TROPHY
Having lost the 1929 race to the
Travel Air Mystery Ship, the military
was all out towin in 1930. Marine Capt.
Arthur Page was to fly the only military
entry, a heavily modified Curtiss Hawk
XF6C-6. The standard biplane was
converted to a parasol monoplane with
wing mounted radiators and powered by
a 700 hp Supercharged Curtiss Conquer
V -12 engine. As a biplane, the airplane
had in May won the Curtiss Marine
Trophy at a speed of 164.1 mph.
A late entry in the race, arriving just
minutes before the start, was the biplane
entry built by Matty Laird called the
"Solution": This racer, one of the first
aircraft to use the new Pratt & Whitney
Wasp Junior engines, was flown by
Speed Holman.
Other aircraft in the Thompson were
two Travel Air racers powered by 400
hp Wright engines. One was flown by
Jimmy Hazlip for Shell and the other
Dewoitine-Hispano powered D-27. One of the foreign contingent at the races in 1930
flown by Frank Hawks for Texaco. Er-
rett Williams was entered in a Wedell-
Williams Model 44 racer with an
uncowled 300 hp Wright. Benny
Howard flew his little 90 hp Gypsy en-
gined "Pete".
Capt. Page was off first in his special
Hawk racer. His superior speed was
apparent from the first, he almost com-
pleted the first lap before the last ship
took off. It was barely three laps before
Page had lapped the field with the battle
for second place between Holman in the
Laird and Hazlip in the Shell Travel Air.
On the 17th lap, Page, trailing a wisp of
smoke, flew into the ground. Apparent-
ly Page had been overcome by carbon
monoxide fumes from the engine. He
died the next day.
Speed Holman moved up to first
place in his Solution and won the race
with an average of 201.9 mph. (Page
had averaged 219 mph.) Jimmy Hazlip
came in second at 199.8 mph; Benny
Howard placed third at 162.8 mph. In
winning the race, Holman had set a new
closed-course record for a commerical
plane and pilot. It was also the fastest
U. S. landplane race since the 1925
Pulitzer race. This race also marked the
last biplane winner and the last time the
military would compete in the pre-war
series .
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
RecollectionsOfThe
ByHerbE.Morphew
Illustration by
H.G. Frautschy
Much of the that fol-
lows is no doubt redundant and in
some cases may differ from that al-
ready known. This can be attributed
to the characteristics of the human
mind when recollections concern
events that occurred some 60 odd
years ago. Nevertheless, the follow-
ing narrative is presented for
whatever value it may have in estab-
lishing the details ofthe early days of
the Tilbury Flash.
PART!
III the late winter of 1931 or early
1932, Owen R. Tilbury, who was a
graduate engineer in the employ of Wi 1-
Iiams Oil-O-Matic Corporation in
Bloomington, Illinois, proposed to Art
Carnahan, a well-known Bloomington
pilot, that a small racing monoplane
should be built for the 110 cubic inch
class race to be held at the Cleveland
Air Races in early September, 1932.
The plane was to be designed by Mr.
Tilbury around the physical measure-
ments of Art Carnahan and tailored to
the lines established by the engine to be
used. The width and cockpit dimen-
sions were to be as small as possible, yet
sufficiently large for comfortable flight
by a pilot of Art's stature. From the
earliest proposal discussions it was firm
that the fuselage and empennage would
be conventional welded steel structure
and that the wings would be a full can-
tilever plywood design mounted in the
normal low wing position.
10 MARCH 1991
chrome moly attach plates were
designed to provide a minimum of dis-
continuity by extending out along both
faces of the wood spars for ap-
proximately 18 to 24 inches, tapering in
width from tip to root. These plates
were increased in height just past the
spar root and provided with a welded
doubler on each outside face. Two large
bolt holes were drilled through these
plates to match the fuselage attach box.
The ailerons were somewhat longer in
span than normal for racing planes at
that time and were of steel tube con-
struction, fabric covered. The aileron
spar was extended inboard to the
fuselage and served as the control
torque tube and also as a hinge on the
wing aft spar. The actual hinges used
were split hard maple blocks bored to
the aileron spar diameter and then oil
soaked. Simple steel straps attached the
hinge blocks to the wing spar. While
this design may seem crude, it was satis-
factory with aileron stick forces being
The basic proposal was agreed upon
and Art was definitely chosen as the
official pilot for the program. Finances
being what they were in 1932, Owen
secured the financial and physical assis-
tance of Clarence Fundy who was a
highly skilled tool room machinist, also
employed by the Williams Oil-O-Matic
Corporation. Hence the project was of-
ficially known during initial design and
the 1932 racing season as the Tilbury-
Fundy Flash. The detailed designing
was done by Owen in his home drafting
room and construction of parts started
almost as soon as the ink was dry. The
only available production engine that
would meet the displacement limits of
the class was the Continental A-40.
This engine was known to be reliable,
but the initial cost was beyond the
budget for the Flash. Jim Church had
previously modified the four cylinder
air-cooled Henderson Motorcyle engine
and had increased its displacement to
108 cubic inches by using his own
designed cast steel cylinders. He had
successfully flown this engine in his
own design, the "Church Midwing"
monoplane and could supply an engine
for the Flash. It was also believed that
the upright mounting of the Church en-
gine would allow better streamlining of
the cowling and fuselage than the op-
posed design of the Continental A-40.
In view of these considerations and the
lower cash outlay required, Owen or-
dered an engine from Jim Church.
The wing curve chosen for the Flash
was the M6, which had a constant center
of pressure as I recall. This created
complications since the wing was to
taper in both plan and form and each rib
was different in chord and thickness
from root to tip. The ribs were of con-
ventional spruce construction utilizing
gussets made from 1/16 inch mahogany
plywood. The spars, two in number,
were of box design using ash upper and
lower chords, mahogany plywood shear
panels and maple block inserts at all bolt
locations.
The 1932 wings were sized so as to
provide a 12 foot wingspan. 4130
within an acceptable range. A great deal
of enthusiastic assistance was given
during the actual construction of the
Flash by numerous aviation minded
friends of both Owen and Art. The only
professional help used in the design and
construction was Art Carnahan;
Clarence Rousey, a welder who worked
for the Carnahan Brothers in their
garage and machine shop; and myself
who was then a licensed Aircraft and
Engine mechanic also working for the
Carnahan Brothers. One individual
volunteer who worked many long and
hard hours in building the Flash was
Clarence D. Curtiss, physical activities
director of the Bloomington YMCA,
which was next door to the Carnahan
Garage. The 1932 wings were built in
Owen's garage at his home. The
fuselage and mechanical details were
fabricated in the Carnahan garage in
downtown Bloomington. Fuselage
fairing were also built by Owen in his
home shop and were fitted to the
fuselage at the Carnahan garage just
prior to fabric covering.
Fuselage construction was a conven-
tional four longeron warren truss struc-
ture with two chrome moly torque boxes
being built into the structure just above
the lower longerons and having a depth
somewhat greater than the depth of th
wing spar roots. Fore and aft thickness
of the torque boxes was less than the
distance between the wing spar attach
plates by approximately 1/2 inch .
Machined spacers were fabricated in
various thickness' so that the wing
could be mounted on the fuselage in a
variation of positions within the 1/2 inch
range for selection of an optimum posi-
tion after initial test flight To my recol-
lection, the theoretical center position
was first used, that is: 1/4 inch of spacer
in front of and behind the wing plates
and, since it proved satisfactory, no
other positioning of the wing was used
during 1932, 1933 or 1934. The landing
gear was to be a full cantilever design.
This was similar to that used on the
then-current Monocoupe. The strut
structure was of welded chrome moly
tubing hinged at the lower longerons
and incorporating shock cord rings be-
tween a horizontal member of each
landing gear strut and the fuselage cross
member similar to Monocoupe and later
used by Taylorcraft and others. An aft
drag brace from the axle attach point
extended up to the lower longerons ap-
proximately one foot aft of the forward
main hinge point. The gear, as initially
installed and taxi-tested did not incor-
porate a center tension/compression
brace. Unfortunately, after the first taxi
tests the loads imposed caused the gear
legs to bend outward and a combination
tension/compression tube was welded
into each landing gear assembly as a
temporary fix. As in many similar cir-
cumstances, this "temporary" fix stayed
in service so long as I have any
knowledge of the Flash.
Many minor problems were noted
during construction and were handled
by "on the spot" design fixes. One
which is well remembered is that when
the first assembly of wings to the
fuselage was made it was noted that the
direction of aileron travel was reversed.
This resulted from the horns being
welded on the inboard ends of the
aileron torque tubes 180 degrees from
the proper position. Fuselage control
and structure interference prevented the
simple fix of rewelding the horns on the
aileron spar in the proper position. In-
stead, since time was becoming critical,
a simple walking beam was located on
the upper fuselage cross tube behind the
pilot's seat. A push-pull tube was
mounted on the left control horn of the
primary aileron control torque tube
beneath the pilot's seat, which then
crossed over fuselage centerline and
connected to the walking beam to the
right of center. This then reversed con-
trol movement directions. A push-pull
tube from each end of the walking beam
dropped down to the control horn on the
aileron spar torque tube and now the
control throws and directions were
proper. Provisions were made during
thi s modification which could have
The Tilbury Flash as she appeared in 1933 at the American Air Races at Chicago Municipal airport (now Midway Field). The color
is Diana or Shell cream, and the cowling is as yet unpainted.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
provided various aileron throws or even
differential control. No variation of the
basic specifications was ever made to
the best of my knowledge.
By early summer the Church engine
arrived and was inspected. The only
tachometer available in the proper RPM
range was a French Chronometric tach,
which was not an instantaneous in-
dicator, but rather sensed the engine
RPM at specific intervals and indicated
the RPM on a reversed reading dial. As
a result, the tach needle jumped con-
tinuously during engine acceleration or
deceleration. Surprisingly, it worked
fine once you were used to it. Engine
RPM was in the 3100/3200 range.
The engine had been built up on an
early Henderson crankcase which in-
corporated three main bearings. (Later,
Hendersons used a five main bearing
design.) The large capacity oil sump
was an aluminum casting similar to that
used on the Heath/Henderson conver-
sions. The new Church cylinders were
of cast steel and were installed on the
crankcase by bronze clamps using the
original Henderson cylinder hold down
studs. As I recall the bore of the
cylinders had been increased to 3 1/8
inches. As a result, the four cylinders
which incorporated integral cooling fins
were nested together so closely that the
cylinder fins were almost continuous.
Cylinder heads were not removable.
The valve arrangement was "F" head
in reverse. That is, the exhaust valves
were in the head and the intake valves
were in the side position. As a result of
this unusual arrangement, the exhaust
valve was much larger than the intake
and the "breathing" characteristics of
the engine were certainly not optimum.
On the other hand, exhaust scavenging
was excellent. Regardless of basic
theories and principals, the engines ran
fine.
The carburetor was a Winfield side
draft, size unknown. Ignition was
provided by a Simms magneto as
originally used by the Henderson
motorcycle. Due to the new cylinder
design and cowling consideration, the
magneto had to be mounted on its side.
The original coupling provided with the
engine would not provide a sufficient
range of ignition timing and it was dis-
carded. Instead, the timing gear shift
and the magneto shafts were fitted with
a diamond knurled sleeve approximate-
ly 3/4 or 7/8 inch in diameter. A short
section of high pressure steam hose that
had the proper inside dimension was
12MARCH 1991
fitted over the knurled sleeve of timing
gear and magneto shafts and secured
with heavy duty steam hose clamps.
This provided for infinite timing adjust-
ment and was still in service at our last
contact with the Flash.
Time was getting short and the engine
cowling still hadn't been completed. A
temporary cowling was made up, which
was quite crude and was riveted
together to allow initial engine runs and
taxi tests. The propeller had been
laminated, carved and finished by Owen
according to his calculation, assuming
45 BHP at 3100 RPM. When engine
runs were made the engine RPM was
very close to 3100 and seemed to con-
firm the 45 horsepower output.
All final assembly and testing was
done at the old Bloomington airport,
north of Normal on the Herman Wills
farm. This field encompassed 80 acres
and was one-half mile long east and
west; and a quarter mile north and south.
..
>
'" o
'"
_=-=-'::>....-...J '>
Above- Still withthenumber7onthefuselage,theFlash asshewasenteredin the
July4th AmericanAirRaces.
Below- The Flash as it appeared laterin the summer, atthe1933 International Air
Racesat sAirportnorthofChic o.
c:
o
a.
:c
(J)
"
Obviously all takeoffs and landings
were east-west or vice versa. The west
boundary of the field was marked with
a high voltage power line about 30 feet
high. On the east end of the field there
was a railroad embankment about 8 or
10 feet high with a grain elevator build-
ing located at the north boundary of the
field. On the south there was an ordi-
nary Illinois farm barbed wire fence and
along the north boundary a country road
laid with the roadbed approximately
three or four feet below the level of the
airport. The ditches on each side of the
road were steep sharp abutments which
would be sudden destruction to any
airplane crossing the roadway. All in
all, no less desirable place could have
been selected for initial test flights of a
racing plane but it was the only airport
we had.
Final engine runs were finally ac-
complished and everything ready for
taxi tests. Unfortunately, as stated ear-
1934 - The Flash sports a jazzy new color scheme. Orange overall with medium blue
trim, these three shots show off the lightning bolts and lettering. After the 1933 season,
the engine was rebuilt.
Iier, the landing gear was not sufficient-
ly stressed for the loads and the gear had
to be removed for the "overnight
modifications" previously reported.
Subsequent to that and other minor
changes the normal speed taxi runs were
successful and Art believed he was
ready to tryout the control feel at higher
speeds. Several speed runs were made
using the longest possible diagonal -
southwest corner to northeast corner,
but there was insufficient distance
available for a takeoff attempt and a safe
abort. Reasons for the slow accelera-
tions were investigated and it was deter-
mined that the 10 inch by 3 inch Travel
Air tail wheels used for the main gear of
the Flash had insufficient bushing to
axle clearance and were galling. Addi-
tional clearance and better lubrication
eliminated the tight wheel condition but
did not appreciably decrease the runway
requirements on the next taxi tests.
It was now late into August and Art
and I were scheduled to depart for Los
Angeles to start the E. L. Cord Hand-
icap Derby (for commercially cerifi-
cated aircraft) from Los Angeles to
Cleveland. Accordingly, it was decided
that Owen would take the Flash to
Cleveland on a trailer and the actual
flight test would be made after Art and
I arrived in Cleveland. (In those days
the Air Races extended for ten days and
incorporated two weekends.)
This plan was effected and every-
thing progressed according to plan. Art
was placing well from day to day in the
Derby and Owen had completed assem-
bling the Flash.
For reasons unknown except the nor-
mal impatience of a designer who has
finished his work and was sitting from
day to day waiting on someone else to
do their job, Owen finally agreed to
allow Russ Hosler, a pilot of about Art's
size and build, to make an initial flight
check. It was never considered that
Hosler would race the Flash. He was
only to test hop it, but as it turned out-
nobody raced the Flash!
Since neither Art nor I were at
Cleveland at the time of the test hop
nothing can be reported except that Russ
never became fully airborne and got into
violent roll oscill ati ons to the extent that
both wing tips were destroyed beyond
repair and all activity for that time
ceased until getting the Flash back
home. That was enough for Clarence
Fundy. After the di sasterous 1932
season, he withdrew from the project
and from there on the Flash was entirely
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
1934 - A new year and another new color scheme. This one is a bit of a mystery- the educated guess is that it is blue with orange
trim. The white area around the wing is the fillet between the wing and fuselage. No metal was used here- fabric was simply glued
and shrunk in place, and the edges finished with fabric tape. It would later be painted to match the fuselage.
a Tilbury financed effort.
1933
It was late winter (1932) before any
further work was done to the Flash ex-
cept for a redesign of the wings to in-
crease thei r span to 14 feet and
modifications to the empennage to pro-
vide better directional control. This was
desirable especially at low speeds since
no brakes were incorporated. Damage
to the wings as well as the basic design
prevented any simple fix and new wings
were necessary.
Due to the limits of a one car garage
at Owen's home, the entire reconstruc-
tion project was carried out in the Car-
nahan garage building. Woodworking
equipment was set up on the fourth
floor, which was not being used, and the
new wings were built adjacent to the
tool equipment. The wing curve (M6)
and design characteristics were identi-
cal to the original wings. The original
wing attach fittings and ailerons were
re-used.
The fuselage was modified in the
Carnahan welding shop, which was on
the third floor. The stem post was in-
creased in height about three or four
inches and a steel tube dorsal fin was
constructed which extended forward to
the aft bulkhead of the cockpit. It is
interesting to note that, so far as can be
14 MARCH 1991
recalled, this was the first true dorsal fin
used up to 1932. Douglas Aircraft,
which also had a directional control
deficiency in the DC-2 used this same
corrective measure in designing the
well-known DC-3 in 1934. The
modified fin also required the rudder to
be extended in height to match the fin.
I dismantled the engine for inspection
and it was noted that several pistons
were cracked. Crankshaft and bearings
were found to be in excellent condition.
The cracking of the pistons appeared to
be caused by insufficient strength in the
piston head design or possibly detona-
tion. As a result, a decision was made
not to replace with Church pistons but
rather to manufacture new ones entirely
from scratch. The facilities of the Wil-
liams Oil-O-Matic manufacturing shop
provided excellent pattern making and
aluminum foundry facilities. Accord-
ingly, new pistons incorporating a new
head design were cast and finish
machined to the individual cylinder
bore requirements. Assembly of the en-
gine and initial run up mounted on the
fuselage indicated that the charac-
teristics of the engine were unchanged.
By this time, spring was fast becoming
summer and the hopes of being ready
for the July 4th American Air races at
Chicago Municipal (now Midway)
looked questionable. During mid-June
the new wings and the fuselage were
moved out to the Bloomington-Normal
airport. New hand formed and welded
cowling had been fabricated by
Clarence Rousey and provided for a
much better streamlining of the fuselage
than in 1932. The wings were installed
on the fuselage and everything seemed
to be going along O.K. Upon starting to
work one morning, it was found that the
upper plywood skin of the right wing
was buckling badly due to the major
change in temperature and humidity be-
tween the building in which the wings
were built and the average ambient con-
ditions at the airport. Since there was
no time remaining for the proper re-
skinning of the wing, the low spots
which were near the mid-span point
were filled with balsa wood fibre mixed
with nitrate dope and sanded to conform
to the proper wing contour. A new
covering of balloon cloth was then ap-
plied over the entire wings' surface
which was doped and fmished in silver.
During the last week of June the as-
sembly was completed and taxi tests
were started. After several long runs to
feel out the controls, Art stated that he
was sure that the Flash would fly, but
that there was no field length margin for
an aborted takeoff. It was "do or die" in
the fullest meaning of the phrase.
To be concluded next month ...
One member's commentary on how our Antique and Classic airplanes fit in this
modem world ...
Our old airplanes may be the one
form of mechanical antiquity that must
coexist regularly with their modem day
descendants!
I recently got re-involved with boat-
ing and maritime life, as a live aboard
on a modem vessel. The "oldie" hobby
around the marina is restored runabouts,
etc. - and the folks who fix them up,
care for them, and bring them to shows,
are nautical "antiquers".
Let me reassure my airplane friends
- I'm still into aviation first; tube and
fabric will always come before
mahogany and brass! However, as I
"keel-kicked" at summer classic boat
meets, I noticed a rift of talk I'd never
heard in years of antique fly-ins:
"Trailers very easy". "Can be hauled
behind a small import pickup." "One
operator and hand winch only." Or:
"Needs a full two-axle setup."
It dawned on me - these varnished
speedboats and lapstrake rowboats
came to shows almost entirely by power
other than their own! A big part of the
whole old boat hobby is "how-it-
trailers-and-launches". And this trailer-
ing talk was unusual only to me -
because I was comparing it to my ex-
perience of antique airplanes - and
therein lies our topic:
Classic or antique; open or closed;
fabric or metal; slow or, ah, very slow;
our entire hobby/avocation must take to
the air and then coexist each time with
the most modem, plastic and digital
stuff there is! At the biggest old plane
meets you may see one or two aircraft
trailered in and assembled - but almost
all, of course, arrive by air.
Every flight you take in your machine
from then will require your immersion
in now! Your journey may take you
from one grass strip to another - but as
you travel, you must relentlessly en-
counter all the modem world has to
offer - perhaps by charts and eyesight;
p e r ~ a p s by radios - but this immersion
by Roger Thiel
(EAA 95364, Ale 1817)
will be continuously thrust upon you
until you alight at your destination -
however quaint and rustic the airports at
either end may be.
Our old planes are pretty exclusive in
this! Review a list of machines of all
types - except perhaps for large yachts
and private railroad cars - amost
everything else can be packed into a
carrier of some sort and trundled along
the "modem way".
How about our antique car friends?
Most decry the harsher pace of modem
day highway traffic (and most agree
with them). Over the past 20-30 years,
owners of earlier, less speedy cars have
been forced off the main highways; to
contend with short trips on older roads,
or - what else? - to get a trailer and
hauling vehicle; employing two modem
entities to transport the antique third.
Many mid-year cars, say, of the 1920s
and 1930s - may still venture to meets
under their own power - but usually on
the older highway (with all the
stoplights). It is a daring hobbyist, in-
deed, who will find himself in the big
interstate's right lane, accelerator
pegged, and white knuckles on the
wheel! Oh, well; the old cars sti II get to
meets - and perhaps that's the mes-
sage.
But - our airplanes can't! There is
only one sky - and certainly no air
going trailers! Airways and designated
altitudes may separate things a bit; but
any point-to-point flight must invoke
that great "window of exposure to
everything else out there"; truly riveting
then to now.
Antique airplane judging does not
penalize radios and navaids - and
rightly so. But - in another hobby, this
would be like equipping a Model A
Ford with an exposed cellular phone
and aerial - without the car show
judges batting an eye!
And for our old planes - the heavy
hand of government will intervene -
not just for the airspace flown, but on
the ground, with all sorts of things you
have to have on your plane! And,
without commenting on the Type Cer-
tificate system, or FAA safety measures
- what other hobby ever receives
notices of mandatory changes? Im-
agine two Model T Ford owners, dis-
cussing their recent annual inspection
results: "Yeah, the Federal Highway
guy says there's a Roadworthiness
Directive on the leather rim for my
clutch band; and I have to get a new
squeeze bulb for my ah-oogah hom ..."
And so, our antique airplanes are con-
tinuously and subtly changed, year to
year, as the present each year etches a
little more of itself upon them (and, for
that matter, upon us). Our planes
remind us a little more of our past - and
how that past is continuously reactive to
the all pervasive now.
Throughout its history, aviation has
been celebrated as the design leader, the
innovator, the cutting-edge of what is
new. Think of the energy when that
open cockpit was first made! At its own
year's forefront, its designers and
builders dreamed of the future to which
it would fly. Could they ever have
foreseen a world in which it would be
considered appropriate, even stylish, to
precisely restore their machine to its
exact brand-new condition?
No, they probably sent it off the
production line with best wishes to keep
on having a happy life in the now of
future years; continuously grappling, as
necessary, with whatever realities
would present themselves.
Now, those realities present them-
selves - as we all know - hard, fast,
early, and often! Take a moment,
then, to savor the richness of the ex-
perience: like yourself, as a kid on the
elementary school steps, trying to pic-
ture what you would be like when -
well, now you are! And so is your
historic airplane! .
Meyer
the Flyer
by Norm Petersen
Dave Meyer & Son Restore a PA-17 Vagabond
So often we hear about folks who
hesitate to restore an airplane because
they have never done it before. In short,
they say, "How can I do it; I don't know
how?"
To David Meyer (EAA 347287, A/C
14800) of Merrill, Wisconsin, the words
don't mean a thing. He comes from the
famous "learn as you go" school, a trait
that has served him well for over twenty
years as a millwright in the nearby large
paper mill. A good knowledge of weld-
ing and fabricating came in very handy,
16 MARCH 1991
but the ability to sit down and reason
things out, one at a time, until all the
pieces fit - that is Dave Meyer in a
nutshell !
The innate ability to do a job is one
thing, the catalyst to actually start is a
whole different ball of wax. In Dave
Meyer's case, the spark plug for this
entire adventure was his second oldest
son, Jeremie (EAA 267101), who must
have been born with an aviation "bent".
Always interested in airplanes since a
youngster, Jeremie was fly ing radio
control models by age 12 - often getting
his father to help with all the details and
slowly but surely, urging his father,
Dave, to "get with the program".
The more the father-son team got in-
volved in aviation, the more interest
Dave began to show. As he says, "It's
a fun thing to get into, especially if you
have a youngster for direction!"
The end result was the purchase of an
Aeronca 7AC Champ (complete with
Federal A1500A skis) from Charlie
Turner in Rhinelander, WI and both
Dave and Jeremie began flying lessons
with the legendary John Hatz of
Gleason, WI instructing. (John Hatz
was the "mover and shaker" in north
central Wisconsin aviation circles until
succumbing to a pick-up truck accident
in late 1989.)
The anxious Jeremie had to wait until
he was 16 before he could solo in 1987
and Dave made his first solo flight in
December of '88. Meanwhile, he had
learned through John Hatz of a Con-
tinental A65 engine for sale. Figuring
the engine could be used in many kinds
of light airplanes, he bought the A65
and brought it home. Dave's wife, Joy,
promptly exploded! His little surprise
A65 was not the least bit welcome.
However, as EAA wives are thankfully
prone to do, the crescendo began to
subside and Dave began to learn about
aircraft engines.
One day, Dave was invited to go for
a ride with Terry Oestreich (EAA
38763, A/C 529) in his Piper PA-17
Vagabond. That was it - the die was
cast! Dave wanted a PA-17 so bad he
could taste it. Terry pointed him in the
direction of Tim Gorski (EAA 233102,
A/C 10759) of Neenah, WI who had a
PA-15 "basket case" for sale. The tired
Vagabond had come from the late Stan
Gerlach's collection in Palmyra, WI,
via "Doc" Knutson in Lodi, WI. It
definitely needed help!
Once purchased, the PA-15 was
hauled to Merrill, WI and the pieces
placed in Dave's 26 X 48 workshop-
garage. The PA-15 would be converted
to a PA-17 Vagabond, using Dave's
A65 Continental engine with assorted
baffling, exhaust system, engine mount
and hookups common to the PA-17. In
addition, dual controls would be in-
stall ed and rounded deck windows
would be added for more light in the
cabin (plus better visibility). PA-17
landing gear shock struts would help
soften the landings.
Jumping into the rebuild with gusto,
Now here's a heater that works! Dave's
heaterputsoutplentyofheat,ararecom-
moditywhenflying in winteronskis.
The Classic Lines of a Shortwing Piper . ..
>-
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(!)
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L ~ ______________________~ ~ = __~ __________________________________________~
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
Davebeganonthefuselageframework,
cleaning and checking for weak spots
and when everything wasin readiness,
a two-part Stits epoxy primer was
sprayed on the tubing. As each addi-
tional part was identified (remember,
Dave didn't have the luxury oftaking
the PA-15 apart!), it was cleaned and
paintedwithepoxyprimer. Eventually,
thefuselagewasreadyforinsidefabric,
sotheStitsHS-90Xclothwascarefully
glued in placeandtightened with a flat
iron. Thefront tubing,whichis visible
inside the cabin, was sprayed with
metallic blue paint to have that proper
look when finished. The inside fabric
was then filled with Poly-Spray and
finished offwith yellow Poly-Tone. A
front fuselage stand was then bolted to
the engine mount holes which allowed
thefuselagetoberotated- sohandyfor
coveringall sides.
Fabricwasthenappliedtotheoutside
of the fuselage and, after gluing the
edges,shrunktightwith theiron. Once
the finishing tapeswerein placeandall
patches located, final finishing could
begin. StandardStitsPoly-Toneproce-
dures were followed with thefinal yel-
low and metallic blue Poly-Tone coats
finishing the procedure. A close ex-
amination of the finished airplane
reveals some really outstanding
workmanship. Itisreadilyapparentthat
Dave Meyer learns fast (and doesn't
forget!). In a project such as a PA-17,
certaincritical itemsrequireassistance.
In Dave'scase, he could call onTerry
OestreichofnearbyRingle,WIforhelp.
Terry,whoreadily admitsthatmuchof
his (substantial) aviation knowledge
came from the late John Hatz, is an
"Antiquer" from the word go and
i ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ E ~ = =
QI
>
o
o
o '--_--"'.......
'> Dave installs the Stits covering on the fuselage. Note the handy stand balled to
the firewall mounts. II makes handling the fuselage a lillie easier.
18 MARCH 1991
among his finished
projects is a mint 85
hp PA-17 Vagabond
thatfliesassmoothas
it looks. Terry was
able to answer many
of Dave's questions
and help out when
needed. In addition,
John Hatz was a
tremendous help in
the beginning and
later, Allan and Clif-
ford Hatz, John's
sons,cameto theres-
A very pleased and honored Norm Petersen slides into place
cue on numerous oc-
after a satisfying flight. Thanks Dave!
casions.
One big help was when Dave ac-
quired John Hatz's PA-ll nosebowl,
whichfitthePA-17perfectly. It needed
aboutthreehoursofaluminumwelding
followed by dent removal andsanding,
but it cameout looking like brandnew
after Dave's "magic touch" was ap-
plied. Coupled with some really nice
sheet metal work on the nose section
(Dave's long suit), the forward part of
the PA-17 looks factory fresh. Of
course,thenewlyoverhauledContinen-
tal A65, with its fancy paint job and
"cad" plated valve covers, doesn't
detracteither!
Oneitem receivingspecial attention
werethetwocontrolsticks,whichwere
chrome plated and finished with var-
nished wooden knobs. They tend to
compliment the instrument panel with
its new gauges and bright red ignition
handle. The original PA-17 metallic
bluehasbeencarriedontheinstrument
panel, the 12-gallon fuel tank and the
forward fuselage interior. The seat is
nicely upholstered in hide recovered
fromTheGreatBlueNauga.
For extra range, a six-gallon Wag
Aerowingtankwasinstalledin theleft
wing before the wings were covered.
Theplumbing for this tankfollows the
tubeattheforwardedgeoftheleftwin-
dow whereitfeeds intoan on-offvalve
bythepilot'sleftknee. Thistankallows
a good three hour range with some to
spare.
UsingTerryOestreich'sPA-17 for a
pattern, Dave made a heating duct on
theexhaustsystem that really putsout.
When you pull the Cabin Heat button
whileflying, theentirecabin is bathed
inwarmair! ItissounlikeanormalCub
inthisrespect- almostenoughto make
adedicatedCubdriversitdownandcry!
Itreally works.
Once the wings were covered and
Davereceivedinstructionsin ribstitch-
ing from Allan Hatz, complete with
buried knots and runners under the
fabric, the wings were finished and
painted with yellow Poly-Tone. The
Vagabond was then hauled to the Hatz
field (Hay Meadow Airport) where it
was fully assembled and checked over
from spinner to tailwheel. Nice, shiny
stainless steel tail brace wires were in-
stalled and the Vagabond was readied
for inspection by FAAon October 10,
1990. Dave Meyer's many hours of
blood, sweat and tears paid offas the
PA-17 passed with flying colors (pun
intended) and after the paperwork was
signed and sealed, Clifford Hatz made
thefirstflight in thebrightyellowbird.
Itflewhandsoff- theriggingwasright
onthemoney!
Dave got checked out in the PA-17
and,of course,Jeremiewassooncheck-
edoutso hecould fly the planewhen-
ever he came home from college at
Madison, WI (Mechanical Engineer-
ing). By the time snow was flying
>-
.t:
U
.:!
:J

o
IL-__ __________ ________""
Instead of dragging his tailwheelthrough
the snow, Dave has this nitty ski installed
on his Vagabond.
around Merrill, some 10 hours had been
recorded on the Vagabond and both
father and son knew they had a first
class airplane. A set of bushings were
located to put the Federal A1500A skis
on the 11/4" axles of the PA-17 and the
necessary rigging was installed. Dave
installed an aluminum and stainless
steel ski just like one John Hatz had used
years earlier. Together with the main
skis, the system worked perfectly and
by the time the annual John Hatz
Memorial skiplane fly-in came around
in February of 1991, some 30 hours had
been recorded on the tachometer.
It was at the above mentioned
skiplane fly-in that we had our first look
at "Meyer the Flyer" and his PA-17
Vagabond. Luckily, son Jeremie was
also able to be on hand, so we got the
full story of how the airplane was res-
tored over two years. The aircraft had
been hand rubbed and waxed to the
point where it stood out from all the
other airplanes. In the bright sun,
reflected by the white snow - it was
beautiful!
Knowing that your author had flown
Terry Oestreich's Vagabond on skis last
year, Dave offered to let me fly his
PA-17! I accepted, knowing that I
would be flying several peoples' years
of hard work and dedicated efforts.
Crawling into the cabin through the
door, I noticed a foot stirrup had been
added for ease of entry. Once in the
seat, I had the feeling of sitting in a
brand new airplane - it even smelled
new! With the long, two-seat belt fas-
tened, I readied the controls while Dave
pulled the engine through. The A65
started on the first pull and came to life.
Making sure the area was clear, I taxied
away from the line-up of skiplanes and
slowly headed for the east end of the
runway. A Piper Pacer was on final, so
I headed around a runway marker to
give him room to land. Once past, the
runway was clear so I added power to
the Vagabond and lifted into the cold air
after just a short run. The first surprise
was how smooth the engine ran! Dave
had balanced the engine parts before
assembly and it really showed results.
The second surprise was when I
pulled the heater control and the entire
cabin got warm! I made several circuits
of the field as H. G. Frautschy,
VINTAGE AIRPLANE editor, took
pictures during my flybys. Flying the
PA-17 was quite a treat as the controls
felt like a new airplane, no sloppiness or
shake, rattle and roll anywhere. And the
engine felt like it was ready to respond
to any request. This is one smooth
machine.
After several circuits in the company
of Terry Oestreich's Vagabond fl own
by his son, I came in for a landing on the
Federal A1500A skis - they are about
two inches wider than A 1500's. Pulling
up to the line, I turned the PA-17
towards the south so H. G. could take a
few more pictures - with me grinning
from ear to ear! You know, an old Cub
pilot could get ruined in machinery like
this.
The joy of meeting Dave Meyer and
his son, Jeremie, was indeed a rare treat,
but to actually get to fly their beautiful
Vagabond was frosting on the cake. It
is what flying is all about - and you
might know it happened on the home
ground of John Hatz. I just know that
John was up there watching - with that
customary smile on his face. Thank
you, John .
HarryWhiting'sStinson108
Few people in this world aresototally
appreciative of EAA and what it stands
for than Harry H. Whiting (EAA 32675,
A/C 1648) of Greers Ferry, Arkansas.
This feeling of appreciation towards
Paul Poberezny and the many, many
people who have helped to nurture thi s
fine organization extends not only from
Harry's lovely wife, Pat, but also from
thei r four grown children, Harry, Fran-
cis, Bill and Vicki - who have all at-
tended the Air Force Academy at
Colorado Springs, CO!
Such an unusual cluster of tal ent,
brains (and good looks) in one family
doesn't just appear from nowhere; it has
to be nurtured over a long period of
time. The fact that it culminated in win-
ning the beautiful "Lindy" award for
20 MARCH 1991
by Norm Petersen
the Classic Custom Class C title at EAA
Oshkosh '90 was frosting on the cake.
The Whiting family 1946 Stinson
Voyager, NC108WW, SIN 108-384,
caught the judge's eye with its bright
Stinson yellow paint scheme, accented
with Boston maroon trim. The story
actually began sixty years ago.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on
June 30, 1930, Harry H. Whiting grew
up with a fascination for aviation that
was very common among younger
people in those years. (This author
speaks from experience - he is just twen-
ty days younger than Harry Whiting!)
The lure of model airplane building was
prominent in Harry's young life (the
1946 Nationals were held at Monticell o,
Milmesota) along with a chance to take
flying lessons and solo an Aeronca
Champ at Faribault, MN in late1946.
Harry went through the cadet pro-
gram at the University of Minnesota and
finished as a single-engine jet pilot in
the Air Force with a tour of duty in
Korea in the early 1950's. Following
his service duty, he joined with his
brother to form a big game hunting and
fi shing operation in Canada, starting in
Ontario and ultimately ending in the
Arctic. The "bush" flying part of the
operation led to an association with
Sherm Booen (EAA 184586), whose
legendary "World of Aviation" pro-
gram on WCCO-TV (Minneapolis-SI.
Paul ), was religiously watched every
Sunday morning for over 25 years by
every airpl ane aficionado in the vi ewing
2:-
J:
o
.;;
Harry Whiting carefully assembles the accessory section on to the back of the
Franklin engine.
Pat Whiting readies the right wing for Stits 103 fabric. Note the Stits epoxy on the
inboard section of the wing surrounding the fuel tank.
Two very happy people, Pat and Harry
Whiting pose by their beautiful Stinson
108. Pat is holding the " Lindy" trophy
awarded at EAA Oshkosh '90 for classic
Custom Class C. Note the reflection on the
bottom of the wing, so indicative of the
workmanship on this airplane.
area! One day in November, 1965,
Harry was in the right seat of Sherm's
Bonanza (Old 58 Bravo) as they entered
a right hand pattern for Runway 36 at
Flying Cloud field, southwest of Min-
neapolis. Harry asked about an unusual
aircraft in the pattern ahead of them.
Sherm told him it was an experimental
Tailwind and expressed "that was a
bunch you want to stay away from.
They build their own airplanes and
they're called the EAA. They are nice
enough, but anybody who builds their
own airplane has to be crazy," he said
with a laugh.
Once on the ground, a curious Harry
Whiting made his way to the hangar on
the northeast side of the field to see just
who builds such an aircraft. In so doing,
he met Bill Hansen, Wally Carlberg and
so many other members of EAA Chap-
ter 25. That was Harry's introduction to
EAA and without the knowl edge, help
and especially, encouragement of this
group of pioneer EAA folks, none of the
things that were to come would have
been possible. As Harry says, "We
finished a Nesmith Cougar, which we
literally flew across the country and en-
joyed the little high-wing speedster very
much." One winter day in 1968, Harry
landed at Southport Airport (which is
now a shopping center) and "there, in a
snowdrift, sat this derelict Stinson."
With the fami ly now at three sons and a
daughter, a cabin, larger than the two-
place Cougar, was definitely needed.
After negotiations, the Stinson
(NC97384) was purchased and the dis-
mantled aircraft was haul ed home to
Edina - in true EAA fashion!
The experience of disassembling a
factory airplane was a super learning
process and Harry is adamant in hi s
praise for the help received from ot her
EAA members during the process. One
thing he remembers well; over twenty
feet of enema tubing was removed from
the pitot-static system. Yes, enema
tubing! (This was certainly not what the
book called for.) After going through
the rest of the airframe, the engine was
taken to John and Don Stuber at
American Aviation (Flying Cloud) for
overhaul and before long, the Stinson
was assembled and ready for fli ght.
Serving as the Whiting family
airplane, the Stinson was flown to
Leech Lake in northern Minnesota near-
ly every weekend, the kids playing jacks
on the floor as they flew along. In
reali ty, the plane became part of the
family - everyone did their share in
keeping it going. In 1971, Harry
entered the environmental research
business, which took the family to
Greer's Ferry, Arkansas. The family
Stinson was flown south to take up
residence in the "Razorback" state.
Not too long after the big move, it
was determined that the "old girl"
needed a complete rebuild. And with
four sharp kids and a lovely wife to help,
Harry felt it was a perfect family
project. The Stinson was once again
disassembled and the many pieces
haul ed home to their new A-frame
dwelling with its attached small shop.
Parts of the Stinson were everywhere in
the home! Old fabric was removed and
the paint was stripped with a high power
sprayer. Once (squeaky) clean, the
parts were sprayed with Stits epoxy
o
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
All of the Stits finishes were sprayed outdoors in the yard due to the lack of a paint
booth. Here, Pat Whiting (lower right) and three members of the crew pose with the
various paris of the Stinson before assembly. Note the large uN" numbers on the right
wing surface.
pruner.
All bearings, pulleys, cables and har-
nesses were replaced and the proper ten-
sions were checked on the cables. Even
the fuel tanks had to have a bunch of
"yuck" removed from inside before
they would pass inspection. During its
murky past, the Stinson had sustained
considerable hail damage to its upper
metal surfaces and somewhere between
"one and two million" small dents had
to be carefully flattened or filled. Some
parts had to be replaced with new metal
sections from Univair in Aurora, CO.
The covering was done in Stits 103
fabric according to Ray Stits' manual.
One tiny addition was the use of (first)
a 2-inch and then (second) a 3-inch tape
over each wing rib to help transfer the
loads from the fabric to the wing struc-
ture. (This idea is now commonly used
on agricultural spray planes in severe
service.) Harry is quick to point out that
no bubbles of trapped solvents from the
Poly-Brush should be allowed to remain
under the tapes. The fuselage was
covered using the blanket method and
all parts received a brush coat of Stits
Poly-Brush. This was followed by
spraying two coats of Poly-Brush and
then five coats of the silver Poly-Spray,
sanding off almost every coat except for
any unevenness. As Harry says, "There
are two ways to produce a show finish.
One is to spray on lots of paint. The
other is to sand between coats. Our
Stinson weighs approximately 10 per-
cent less than the figures given in the
1946 manual using dope and cotton
fabric finish."
The final color coats were done in
Ray Stits' color matched Stinson yellow
22 MARCH 1991
and Boston maroon Poly-Tone. The
family members kinda' screamed at the
thought of laying out the huge registra-
tion numbers on the top of the left wing
and the bottom of the right wing, how-
ever, perseverance prevailed and the
Wag-Aero masks worked very nicely as
NCI08WW was carefully laid out and
sprayed. Incidentally, the number
stands for the Stinson series 108 and
Wallace and Whiting - Pat Whiting's
maiden name was Wallace, from Luck,
Wisconsin, yet. Clear Stits Aero-Thane
was used around the fuel tanks on the
upper surface of the wings to protect
from fuel stains.
Next came the Franklin engine. The
manuals on this engine are skimpy, to
say the least, however, Harry and crew
proceeded to have the cylinders over-
hauled and all the parts magna fluxed.
Once all the parts were returned, the
engine was assembled and carefully
balanced. All accessories were corn-
Harry and Pat's son, Fran, carefully checks
the gap in the new piston rings before
installation in the Franklin cylinder. In this
family, everyone contributes (and
learns)!
pletely overhauled and new wiring, ig-
nition harnesses and propeller were in-
stalled.
The original Stinson metal wheel-
pants were in dire need of help and these
were carefully straightened out, one
dent at a time. Eventually, the smooth,
rounded finish began to evolve and the
primer coats started to appear without
wrinkles. Final coats of Poly-Tone and
some elbow grease to rub them out gave
that much desired "new look", so neces-
sary to an Oshkosh winner.
Many of Harry and Pat's neighbors
would come to visit and lend a hand
during the project. EAA's master
welder, Lloyd Toll, earned his coffee
and lunch on many occasions with excel-
lent help. Others included Price Powell
and his wife, Florence, who go back
many years in aViatIOn. Price was a
cadet with Paul Poberezny at West
Memphis or some similar base nearly 50
years ago and is credited with hanging
Harry with two of his sons, Bill and Harry Jr., with grandchildren Jennifer and Bridget, all involved in the restoration of Stinson NC 1 08WW.
As we said, this was a family affair.
Cantilevered landing gear features ex-
cellent fairings and original metal wheel
Bright yellow Scott 3200 tailwheel is sup-
pants, so diligently restored to new con-
ported by a chrome plated leaf spring
dition.
and operated by the all metal rudder.
Even the holes in the rudder arm are not
worn to an oval.
the nickname "Poopdeck" on Paul
(Howard) Poberezny in those early days.
The interior rebuild was farmed out
to an upholstery shop that Harry
described as a "hovel", however, the
man did excell ent work and the entire
job was completed for onl y $300. A
close examinati on at Oshkosh revealed
an excell ent piece of workmanship and
it is one more reason the Stinson scored
well in the jUdging. Even the small
amounts of chrome plating, such as the
nose grills, the door hinges and the
steps, helped to score points in the cus-
tom category. All this adds up to a
"Lindy" that will remain on the Whiting
mantle for years to come.
In 1982, Harry Whiting earned his
coveted A & P rating and is presently
working on his Inspection Authoriza-
tion. In short, he never stops educating
himself and in like manner, his family
members have foll owed right in his
footsteps. As I said in the beginning,
things like thi s don't happen overnight
- they have to be nurtured!
Congratulations to Harry and Pat
Whiting and their four lovely children.
These people are a credit to EAA and
what it stands for. Stinson NC108WW
is a shining example of what people can
do if they work together..
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
ToOshkoshin58years
Part II
When we last left Ken, he was watch-
ing the gas gauge bouncing near the
bottom of the tank, trying to conjure up
his nextfilel stop, Siloom Springs. . .
I was just starting to compose the
lett er in my mind that starts out "Dear
FAA,"whenIsawarunwayoffmyleft
wing! Springing forth the necessary
skillstoenteraleftdownwindInoticed
thatithadthenumbers32and14adorn-
ing the ends of it. I still had no idea
where I was, but at least I could land
thereand fuel.
As I turned final for runway 14 at
abollt200feet,Icouldreadtheroadsign
shapedlikeanarrowpointingatCrystal
Lakeairportnea rDecatur,Arkansas. It
was still raining steadily with no wind
on the crowned 3400 foot runway.
Wearingout thetai lskidwasstill fresh
on my brain, or maybe the wet leather
helmetwassqueezingmyhead, whenI
24 MARCH 1991
byKenMorris
(EAA286755,Ale11423)
decidedtofly downtherunwaytosave
time and skid. This turned out to be
anothertacticalerrorbyyourstruly,be-
cause I landed on the top ofthe crown
and it was, as they say,"downhill from
there." A tail skid doesn't work very
wellonpavement,butonwetpavement
it "noworky"atall. At leastit doesn't
wear much. Small consolation as the
endoftherunway wascomingtomeet
me. Therunwayendedinalakeorpond
(itreallywouldn'thavematteredmuch)
with a largehangarontherightsideof
therunway. Phaseoneoftheemergen-
cystoppingprocedureintheEagleisto
tum offthe fan. (Eliminating residual
thrustforyoujetfolks.) Thisisacalcu-
latedriskbecauseoncetheenginestops,
therudderbecomesevenlesseffective.
Now I couldn't steer or stop. (What a
day!) I prepared myselffor phasetwo
oftheemergencystoppingprocedure,I
was on the north side ofthe runway,
Ken has a quiet flight to Crystal lake,
Illinois after saying goodbye to his friend,
the late Jerry Kennedy, United Airlines
Second Officer.
holding full right rudder, hoping for a
miracle.
Phase two consisted of unbuckling
my seat belt, bailing out and grabbing
thestrut! (Kids,don'ttrythisathome.)
Iam happy to say I never had to resort
tophasetwo. It worksin theory.
Meanwhile, back on the runway,
therewasamiraclein progress. Justas
therunway wasgivingup,Ifelt thetail
starttomoveeversoslightlytothenorth
(right tum) . The more it moved, the
faster itmoved that way andthecloser
Iwasgettingtothathangardoor,butby
the timeIgotcloseto thehangarIwas
in a full fledged groundloop - Icame
to a stop facing the opposite direction
directlyin frontoftheofficedoor. The
locked office door. Forthe third time
thatsamedayIarrivedalone. IguessI
shouldbe happy that nobody wasthere
toseethatanyway. Noamountofskill
andcunning canovercomedumb luck,
as indicated by this fiasco.
While I scratched my wet head,
looked at my useless wet WAC chart
and put gas in the tank, I figured out
where I was. Amazingly enough I
wasn't too lost.
I was able to follow a road straight
east to Rogers, Arkansas for real fuel
and real people. I landed just ahead of
a Citation and there were people all
around scratching their heads, wonder-
ing who that nut was in that runaway
bed sheet.
The nice lady inside was a little upset
that I hadn't called her on unicom for an
advisory, but after seeing me and the
Eaglet, I think she started taking up a
collection.
After fuel and a Dr. Pepper, it was off
again for the last leg of the day. I
figured it would take one more hour of
flying, but I only had an hour and a half
of daylight left. Speed was important,
and once again I set up a heading using
the runway heading and picking a
landmark out in front of "Zeke's" top
cylinder and before reaching it, picking
another one and so on. After sort of
holding a heading for 55 minutes, I
looked out and saw Springfield, Mis-
souri right where it was supposed to be.
Like Jimmy Stewart said in the "Spirt
of St. Louis," "There's nothin' wrong
with Dead Reckoning navigation, ex-
cept maybe the name."
Somewhere along the line that day I
learned that Lorraine and Jason had got-
ten away at about 2:30 that afternoon,
and if all went well she would get to the
Ozark airport at the same time I would.
As I approached the airport from the
southwest I noticed that the wind was
out of the north and that she wasn't there
yet. After the day I'd had, I could only
hope theirs went better. As I started a
left turn around to enter a downwind, I
looked up and saw that beautiful 140
right behind me. We circled each other,
landed and tied down - a fitting end to
an interesting day.
As I looked back into the sunset over
"There's nothin' wrong with
Dead Reckoning navigation,
except maybe the name,"
- Jimmy Stewart in
"The Spirit of st. Louis"
the airplanes, I could see that they
would be ready to go in the morning.
As sore and tired as I was that night,
I still didn't sleep well. There was
going to be a lot going on the next day.
After burning the midnight oil, a plan
was devised that would get everyone
where they needed to be, Eaglet and 140
permitting.
While I aimed for Lincoln, Illinois,
about 30 miles north of Springfield,
Lorraine would fly all the way to Mor-
ris, Illinois (no relation) and drop off my
son in a wonderfully planned rendez-
vous with her father and his C-l72.
Then she would return to Lincoln, pick
me up and we would fly to Springfield
together to bid farewell to our friend.
The first order of business was to see
some old friends. Ernie and Elizabeth
Sieler live on an airstrip near
Marshfield, Missouri. It was also the
previous home of the Eaglet for some 30
years prior to my dad's purchase in
1975.
Ernie's strip has never been easy for
me to find, and that day was no excep-
tion. Lorraine was following me and I
was lost, but it wasn't long before the
strip jumped out at us and we were able
to stop for a short visit.
Ernie had been ill and within a week
after that visit, he passed away. It's
ironic; that morning he told me that he
had purchased a headstone, engraved
with an Eaglet.
My next stop was Rolla, Missouri.
As I taxiied up to the ramp, I saw that I
was about number five for fuel, behind
the likes of jet powered vehicles, with
one little lady trying to fuel them all.
When I asked her how long it would
take to be fueled, she was not too
pleased; as a matter of fact - well,
never mind. I explained my time con-
straints and volunteered to help, so
while she started the avgas truck and
fueled the Eaglet, I fueled a King Air.
We were a good team, but I had to get
going.
After another rain infested stop in
lorraine Morris' Cessna 140, fresh from it's restoration.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
The Morris' American Eaglet during the Antique/Classic fly out to Shawano, WI after arriving at EAA Oshkosh '89.
Wentzville, Missouri, I was on the home
stretch to Lincoln, Illinois.
The people that I saw along the way
(what people there were) were great,
especially the friendly folks at Lincoln.
Lorraine got there right on time and
we flew together to Springfield.
After saying farewell to my friend
the next afternoon, we flew formation
to Crystal Lake, Illinois. It was a
beautiful, melancholy evening of
memories.
We only had one fuel stop between
Lincoln and Crystal Lake, and we
decided to stop at Ottawa, Illinois this
time.
It was near Ottawa that Charles
Lindbergh bailed out of his De-
Havilland biplane on his way to
Chicago in a snowstorm several years
before he made his little over water
cross-country, and about five years
before the Eaglet was even dreamed
of.
The greeting that we received in Ot-
tawa more than made up for all of the
"nobody's homes" that we ran into
along the way. It will go down in the
books as one of the ten best Eaglet
quotes in our 15 years experience with
curious comments.
I circled overhead and landed on the
grass, followed by Lorraine and we
taxiied up to the pumps together. As I
reached up to shut off the mags, I saw
an elderly gentleman walking out of the
office. He slowly approached the
26 MARCH 1991
Eaglet as I uncurled myself from the
front seat. Extending his hand for a
welcome, he introduced himself as Julio
Corsini. Then, without even taking a
breath, he said, "We haven't had an
Eaglet stop here for fuel in quite some
time.
I don't know whether I was more
shocked that he knew what it was or that
he was so nonchalant about us stopping
there. For a moment it was 1946 again.
Lorraine's 140 was brand new, and the
Eaglet was a 15 year old has been,
bought and sold for a couple of hundred
bucks.
I would have loved to stay and learn
more about this interesting gentleman,
but the sun was marching on and we sti II
had about an hour to go. I did have time
to answer part of my questions about his
insight. The reason he knew what the
Eagle was, was that he was a test pilot
for American Eagle. Furthermore, he
said he had given Amelia Earhart a
cockpit check-out in one.
At that point I was ready to pitch a
tent for the night just to listen to more,
but wiser minds prevailed and we
decided we had better leave. So after
some 80 octane, old "Zeke" blatted to
life. As we taxied out to leave, I looked
back over my shoulder to wave goodbye
and I could see the smile on his face.
That stop was worth the trip. Maybe it
was 1946.
We arrived in Crystal Lake near dusk,
spending the evening with Lorraine's
parents and setting the stage for the
home stretch.
The final day was a little bit an-
ticlimatic compared to the rest of the
trip, but it was just as beautiful.
As I picked up the highway north out
of Milwaukee, I could see lots of
campers and trailers heading north for a
thrilling week at Oshkosh. Many
waved as I went by. North of Fond du
Lac I could see the large expanse full of
aviation - past, present and future.
I neared Oshkosh and could see other
airplanes funneling into the area, per-
haps with their own exciting stories of
their trip. If they had half the fun I did,
they enjoyed it.
Entering a left downwind for runway
18, I was almost there, adding a little bit
more of our past to the collection. Per-
haps by bringing to Oshkosh a living
monument of our past, we may better
understand our future.
Touchdown, and it was over. No, it's
not over! There's that dam crosswind
again! It ain't over till it's over. After
the flagmen picked themselves up off
the ground, they waved me to the infield
where I shut off the very dependable
Szkeley. Then it was over. I climbed
out, a little sad, a little glad and a lot
tired. Being there was exciting, getting
there was challenging, but being part of
it is rewarding.
It now occurred to me that when I
arrived, I was only half way. But that's
another story .
Flaws,Cracksandthe
PerfectAirplane
We've just arrived home from EAA
Oshkosh '90 (the best yet) and during
our mental debriefmgs, two ideas keep
recurring. One is an image of happy
shoppers heading out of the flymarket,
clutching their treasures: a pair of
wheels, a motor mount or a prop. The
other is the recollection of a discussion
broadcast over the PA system regarding
the age of the general aviation fleet.
Maybe you remember hearing it. An
average age of 33 years was mentioned
and the announcer commented that
many of us are flying antique aircraft,
intentionally or not.
Both these ideas relate to something
I'm interested in: nondestructive test-
ing, NDT, or, sometimes, nondestruc-
tive evaluation, NDE. High-time,
fatigued, or just old airframes and
powerplants sometimes develop hidden
cracks, officially called material dis-
continuities. Sometimes a part has been
overstressed, or sometimes an improper
or inadequate repair has led to these
same discontinuities. Antique and
Classic restorers need to be especially
careful here because most of us cannot
afford all new parts (or find them at all!)
and so we take what we can get. How
can we be assured of the integrity of the
material in that flymarket part? There
were some great looking airplanes out
there on the flight line, with how many
years, how many hours, how many
slightly sudden landings, how many
high "G" turns on them? How do you
know whether or not some of the
molecules have stopped holding hands?
Well now, there are some things you
can do to check it out. One is to clean
everything thoroughly and take a close
look, regularly. Another is to use
various technologies, generically called
nondestructive testing (NDT) (evalua-
tion) . No single test method finds all
flaws in all materials though. The list
of methods includes magnetic particle,
liquid penetrant, ultrasonics, eddy cur-
rent, acoustic emmission, radiography
(x-ray), infrared thermography and
vibration analysis.
by Wayne Stevenson
(EAA 180367)
Illustrations by
H.G. Frautschy
Magnetic particle inspection can
only be used on ferrous metals that will
exhibit magnetic lines of flux. It is best
at finding surface cracks, poor at finding
internal flaws. A fair amount of equip-
ment is involved in order to generate a
magnetic field in the part to be ex-
amined. Tiny metal particles with
fluorescent dye are flowed over the sur-
face and are attracted to the cracks and
a black light makes them show up. The
part must then be de-magnitized. It's
often used on connecting rods and
crankshafts and is very effective.
Liquid penetrant inspection can be
used on a wide variety of nonporous
materials, magnetic or not. The part is
thoroughly cleaned and then dipped in
a low surface tension liquid fluorescent
dye that penetrates surface cracks by
capillary action. The excess dye is
washed off and a developer chemical is
applied. Then the part is examined with
a black light. This method finds flaws
that are open to the surface and is quite
reliable if properly done.
SEATFRAME
Eddy current can be used on any
material that will conduct electricity. It
is commonly used on stressed
aluminum skin around rivet holes or
around bolt holes in wheels. Electricity
is passed through a coil of wire which
produces a magnetic field. This coil is
placed next to the material to be tested,
which induces a secondary electrical
eddy current in the material. The cur-
rent lines will be interrupted at any
cracks that might be there and those
interruptions can be sensed and dis-
played on a meter or a cathode ray tube.
What it really senses is a change in the
conductivity of a material. That means
that if an alloy has been altered by over-
heating, perhaps, for example, a
brake/wheel combination, eddy current
will show it. This method is often used
to quickly sort parts into "good" and
"flawed" groups. Then the flawed parts
are confirmed with liquid penetrant in-
spection.
Ultrasonics are better at finding inter-
nal flaws, especially in composites. A
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
CONNECTING ROD
lANDING GEAR PIVOT
_______-.........--- POSSI BlE
CRACKS
MACHINED SURFACES
POSSIBLE CRACKS
DRllLEp HOLE

/
/
POSSIBLE CRACKS
and is quite reli-
able in the hands
of an experienced
film reader.
Infrared ther-
mography makes
use of heat sensi-
tive film to
"photograph" the
material to be
tested. Discon-
tinuities will show
high frequency generator applies physi-
cal energy to the material to be tested
and some of that energy is reflected
back by an internal discontinuity like a
delamination. The reflection can be
sensed and recorded. Some fairly ex-
pensive equipment is required, as well
as a large amount of time.
Acoustic emission is also often used
on composite materials. A sensitive
receiver is placed on the part to be tested
and the part is placed under load. The
receiver actually "hears" the internal
squeaks and groans as the material
changes shape under load. Flawed
material will sound different than non-
flawed material. It is often used in com-
bination with ultrasonics.
Radiology (x-ray) is good at finding
internal discontinuities and, yes, it is the
same familiar process the doctor used to
find the crack in your arm bone after you
fell off the stepladder. The equipment
is expensive and dangerous, though.
Exposure to an overdose of loose x-rays
can do you a lot of harm. The technician
has to know what he is doing. This
method is often used on large castings
and forgings like landing gear trunnions
28 MARCH 1991
up because the
energy emission
characteristics are
altered at crack
surfaces. This technique, as well as
vibration analysis, tends to be used al-
most entirely at the manufacturer level
in their quality assurance programs.
This method will also show load dis-
tribution in a part.
The conclusion here should be that
the method of choice will depend upon
what sort of flaw is suspected, what the
material is, where it is located and, of
course, practical considerations of time,
money and availability.
Let's get practical then. What kind of
flaws should you expect to be there?
There are three origins of discon-
tinuities. The first possible source of
flaws is at the original manufacture of
the material. There might be impurities
in the alloy or problems in the rolling
mill or casting foundry. Remember that
when you build a composite aircraft,
you are manufacturing the material as
you go. The second possible source is
at the processing and fabrication stage.
This includes things like forging, weld-
ing, bending, machining and so forth.
For example, misaligned forging dies
will cause "laps" in the part. Sudden
cooling after welding can cause cracks.
Bending around a radius that is too
small for the thickness of the material or
bending material that is too hard (brittle)
will cause cracks. The third possible
source is at the in-service stage. This
includes the commonly known
phenomena of material fatigue as well
as corrosion, brittle weld repairs and
plain old accidental damage. On a
heavily loaded part, even a scratch can
be classified as damage.
Most of our concerns are in the last
two areas: processing and in-service.
However, in composite structures, the
material is, in a sense, being manufac-
tured on the spot and extra care must be
taken to assure consistent material char-
acteristics. There are a variety of poten-
tial discontinuities in composites that
can be almost entirely eliminated by
correct construction technique but if
you are the least bit suspicious about a
part, either reject it or have a NDT con-
tractor check it out.
(Since composite partsfor antique or
classic aircraft tend to be non-struc-
tural, such as replica fairings and cowl-
ings, the amount ofdiscontinuity that is
"acceptable" depends more on how
often you want to repair a cracked part,
rather than it's ability to carry a load
HGF)
Our company uses liquid penetrant
and eddy current because we specialize
in aircraft turbocharger overhaul and we
routinely check turbine wheels, shafts,
castings, etc. for cracks. If you have any
questions about NDT or if you need
some help, call me at 1-800-387-3089.
If you have some parts you'd like
checked, indicate that you are an
EAA or RAAC member when you call
and I'll try to return some of the help and
encouragement I've had from the
homebuilders' fraternity over the years .
From the Dawn Patrol...
Dear Buck,
Thanks for the use of your tail skid!
Our Swallow is through cover on the
fuselage and the tail surfaces. Here are
some pictures taken prior to covering.
The cover will be Grade A cotton and
Butyrate dope. I'll send a complete
story and pictures when it's completed.
P.S. My Ryan M-l is now in Seattle
with your Swallow!
Thanks again,
Ty Sundstrom, Dawn Patrol Aviation
Exter, CA
Ty Sundstrom's Swallow is a "Com-
mercial", the same as our Museum
Foundation machine. The pictures of
the "bare bones" fuselage is indicative
of his attention to detail and his dedica-
tion to originality. He insisted on in-
stalling a tail skid, and I loaned him
mine. I also cautioned him regarding
the handling on the ground with the
short moment arm of the skid, but he is
going original.
PASS IT TO
~ ~ V ~
An information exchange column with input from readers.
>-

u
o
o
by Buck Hilbert
~
,. (EAA 21, Ale 5)
.!l
o
P.O. Box 424
Union, IL 60180
With it's nose bolted tight to a rotating stand, the " bare bones" of Ty Sundstrom's
Swallow rest in the California sun.
This closeup of the Swallow shows the neat installation of
the controls and the wiring.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
This Swallow TP is now is hanging in the San Diego Air
and Space Museum. (These photos were taken on
the ramp next to the museum's restoration facility at
Gillespie Field.)
MoreSwallowInfo
DearBuck,
Putting togetheranAT-9 would bea
piece ofcake compared to getting my
SwallowTPsortedout. Atleastwork-
ing plansareavailablefrom the USAF
archives. Ed McCOImell is a princeof
a fellow - but the "plans" he had were
onlyasketchofthewingsfortheSwal-
low sent to Charlie Klessing in Fargo.
He'sbeenalotofhelpashehasremem-
bered quite a bit regarding your "Var-
ney"Swallow. Yourascal- wipingout
a few wings - ti sk, tisk! (Ha!) Ifyou
want to donatethatswallowinstrument
panel, tail skid and head rest, I'd be
happy to add this to my collection. I
traded a Lairdrudderand verticalstab
for a good Swallow equal, as well as
someaileronsandwingstrutsthatIalso
needed. I need the cabane struts or
measurements. I decided to use the
Kinner instead ofthe OX-So LaterTP
Swallows had the Kinnerasan option.
I missed an OXX6 in Trade-A-Plane
recently for $800.00. Ithoughtitwasa
misprint,butitturnedouttobegenuine.
Showsyougot to follow all leads.
My Air Corpsbuddystill wouldlike
to build up an AT-9 - he'd trade his
collectionofHen'steeth foralead.
30 MARCH 1991
Klessing's Swallow went to a
museum in West Fargo, N.D., along
with a few WWI aircraft and miscel-
laneousaeronauticalartifacts.
LowandSlow,
GeorgeWaltman
LongValley,NJ
Waltsentalongsomepicturesofthe
Swallow TP located at the San Diego
AirandSpaceMuseum. Coveredinthe
Blue River process and immaculate, it
is a standing tribute to the volunteers
whodidthework. IenvytheSanDiego
Museumforall its volunteers. Retirees
find theclimateand the opportunity to
work for the museum irresistible. The
Geriatric Corps of restoration volun-
teersfeaturetheexpertiseofmanyyears
ofmilitaryand airlineexperience. It's
a real treat to watchtwenty ormoreof
these guys out there at Gillespie Field
working together on a project such as
this Swallow. The air is full of en-
thusiasm and thestoriesthey tell while
they areworkingarefascinating.
Their recovery from a disaster such
as the fire set by a vandal in 1977isalso
nothing short ofamazing! The museum
is a first class facility, and iswell worth
the trip if you are in the Southern
California area. -HGF
MoreLeBlondParts
DearMr. Hilbert,
Reading the December '90 issue of
Vintage Airpl ane, I noticed that a Mr.
TedDavisis inneedofLeBlondengine
parts. I owna Porterfield 3S-70 which
hasbeengoingthroughaslowbuthigh
quality rebuilding processfor thelastS
years. IalsohaveagoodKenRoyce90
(SG), a marginal LeBlond SF plus a
considerable parts collection for SF's,
SE'sandsome2main-bearingengines.
Since business commitments and a
1991 relocation will not leave much
timeforfinishing theproject,Iwill ad-
vertiseitinTrade-A-Planeinthespring.
Sincerely,
GottfriedSchiller
7778ChilsonRd.
Pinckney,MI 48169
Gottfried also mentioned that he
would prefer to sell the entire project,
ratherthanindividual parts.
Overto you,
Buck
April 6 - Wichita, KS. 3rd Annual
Arthritis Foundation Proficiency Air Rally,
Col. James Jabara Airport. To obtain
entry/pledge collection forms or more infor-
mation, contact The Arthritis Foundation,
Kansas Chapter, 316/263-0116; in Kansas,
call 1/800/362-1108.
April 7 -13 - Lakeland, FL - Annual Sun
'n Fun EAA Fly-In A Tribute to Aviation.
For more information, see the ad on pages
44-45 in the January issue of SPORT A VIA-
TION or call 813/644-243l.
April 27 - Levelland, TX Municipal
Airport. EAA Chapter 19 Fly-In Breakfast,
8:00 AM. Contact Jolm Smith 806/793-
7889. If it rains, drive - we'll be there.
May 3-5 - Burlington, NC - EAA Anti-
que/Classic Chapter 3 Annual Spring Fly-In
for antique and classic aeroplanes. All types
welcome. Alamance County Airport.
Trophies, a major speaker and vintage avia-
tion films. For more Information, contact
R. Bottom, Jr ., 103 Powhatan Pkwy,
Hampton, VA 2366l.
May 3-5 - Camarillo, CA - EAA Chap-
ter 723 lIh Annual Fly-In. Pancake Break-
fasts, BBQ dinner dance on Saturday,
speakers and more. Camping and hotel ac-
comodations available. Trophies given for
best of each type aircraft. For more informa-
tion, call Larry Hayes, Chairman, 805/496-
3750.
May 4-5 - Winchester, V A Regional
EAA Spring Fly-In at airport. Trophies for
winning showplanes. Pancake breakfast
Sunday. Concessions and exhibitors. All
welcome. Contact George Lutz, EAA
Chapter 186, 703/256-7873.
May 5 - Rockford, IL EAA Chapter 22
Annual Fly-In Breakfast. Mark Clark's
Courtesy Aircraft, Greater Rockford Air-
port. 7:00 AM until Noon. ATIS 126.7.
For more information, call Wallace Hunt,
815/332-4708.
May 5 - Nationwide Cessna 120/140
Breakfast Fly-In to be held simultaneously
in each State. Sponsored by the Internation-
al Cessna 120/140 Association. Contact
your State Rep. or Jack Cronin, President,
433 Franklin Street, Denver, CO 80218,
303/333-3000.
May 17-19 - Albuquerque, NM, Double
Eagle Airport. 4th Annual Albuquer-
que/Southwest Airlines Air Show and Fly-
In. Duke City "100" Race for
experimentals. Awards all classes of show
aircraft. Contact George Applebay,
505/264-0331.
May 18-19 - Hampton, NH Airfield.
15th Annual Aviation Flea Market, Fly-In,
Drive-ln. Camping on airfield; food avail-
able. No fees! No rain date. Anything avia-
tion related OK . For info, call
603/964-6749.
May 19 - Benton Harbor, MI. EAA
Chapter 585 Fifth Annual Pancake Break-
fast. Warbirds, Classics, Homebuilts, Car
Show, Static Displays. For information con-
tact AI Todd, 616/429-2929.
May 24-26 - Watsonville, CA. 27th
Annual West Coast Antique Fly-In in
memory of Jean Lamb. Contact: 2464 El
Camino Real, Suite 445, Santa Clara, CA
95051,408/496-9559.
May 24-26 - Columbia, SC Annual Pal-
metto Sport Aviation Memorial Day Fly-In.
Columbia Owens Downtown Airport.
CUB. Contact Jack Hilton, (Day) 803/699-
0233, (Evening) 803/782-0088. Housing,
contact John Gardener, 803/796-2400.
May 25-26 - Decatur, AL. EAA Chap-
ter 941/Decatur-Athens Aero Services 3rd
Annual Memorial Day Fly-In and Southern
Aviation Reunion. Classics, Warbirds,
Homebuilts. Camping, transportation to
Alabama Jubilee, Hot Air Balloon Races.
UNICOM 123.0, VOR on Field 112.8 -
205/355-5770 for information.
May 31-June 1 - Bartlesville, OK Na-
tional Biplane Association 5th Annual Con-
vention and Exposition - BIPLANE EXPO
'91. Free admission for all biplanes and
current NBA members, all others paid ad-
mission. For more information, contact
Charles W. Harris, 918/742-7311 or Mary
Jones, 918/299-2532.
June 2 - DeKalb, IL EAA Chapter 241
will serve its 27th Annual Breakfast, 7:00
AM - Noon, Dekalb-Taylor Municipal Air-
port. Contact Ed Torbett, 815/895-3888.
June 2 - Tunkllannock, PA Skyhaven
Airport (76N). Fly-In Breakfast, 8am - 2pm.
Located on the NY sectional 19 miles from
LHY VOR 110.8 on the 289 degree radial or
19 miles from A VP vor 111.6 on the 333
degree radial Unicorn 122.8. Antique and
classic people welcome. Crafts and Flea
Market. Campground with modern
facilities available on the field. More infor-
mation, contact Steve Gay at Skyhaven Air-
port, 717/836-4800.
June 7-9 - Merced, CA Municipal Air-
port. 34th Merced West Coast Antique Fly-
In. For information contact Merced Pilots
Association, P. O. Box 2312, Merced, CA
95344, or Mac Duff, 209/383-3975.
June 7-9 - Denton, TX Muncipal Air-
port. 29th Annual Texas Antique Airplane
Association Fly-In. Registration $3.00
donation per person; Registration and meals
$20.00 donation per person. Fly-In Chair-
men: Mary and Bert Mahon, 1803 Concord
Lane, Denton, TX 76205, 817/387-2620.
June 8 - Newport News, V A Patrick
Henry Airport. 19th Annual Fly-In spon-
sored by EAA Chapter 156. Contact Chet
Sprague for information and NON-RADIO
ENTRY at 8 Sinclair Rd., Hampton, VA
23669, 804/723-3904; leave message.
June 9 - Portsmouth, OH Airshow '91.
Warbirds, Antique, Classic aircraft;
ultralights, paraplane, rotorcraft. Military
fly over and static display. Sky divers, hot
air balloons. Hangar party June 8tll. Plus
more. Hours 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Infor-
mation, Don Hulbert, 1012 Ruhlman Ave.,
Portsmouth, OH 45662, 614/353-3574 or
820-2400.
June 21-23 - Middletown, OH. WACO
Gathering, Hook Field. Forums, vendors and
other activities. Chairman, Phil Coulson. For
more information, call the IW A office,
812/232-1042, or Phil at 616/624-6490.
June 21-23 - Pauls Valley, OK. Ok-
lahoma City Chapter of AAA Fly-In. All
types of aircraft welcome to eat, drink and
be merry. For information, call Doug
Andreson, 405/350-1420 or D. J. "Bud" Sut-
ton, 405/392-5608.
June 26-30 - Lockhaven, PA Wm. T.
Piper Memorial Airport. ERCOUPE
OWNERS CLUB 1991 National Conven-
tion. Open to all Ercoupe owners and per-
sons interested in Ercoupes; public invited.
Awards, trophies, special events, tours,
seminars, picnic, banquet Saturday night.
For convention and reservations, contact
Steve Kish, 215/838-9942 evenings.
June 27-30 - Mount Vernon, OH 32nd
Annual National Waco Reunion Fly-ln.
Wynkoop Airport. Make your reservations
at the Curtis Motor Hotel 1-800/828-784 7 or
(in Ohio) 1-800/634-6835. For additional
information, contact the National Waco
Club, 700 Hill Av., Hamilton, OH 45015 or
call 513-868-0084.
June 29-30 - Orange, MA Municipal
Airport. 15th Annual New England
Regional EAA Fly-ln with antique steam
and gas engine show, flea market, food .
Trophies both days for homebuilts, antiques,
classics, warbirds. Chapter 726. Contact:
David White, 508/544-8189.
June 30-July 5 - Jelmings, LA. Inter-
national Cessna 170 Association 23rd An-
nual Convention; Holiday Inn on airport. P.
O. Box 896, Jennings, OK 70546, 318/824-
5280. Arrival Sat., June 30; Departure Sat.,
July 6. Information, Ron Massicot (Conv.
Chrm.),318/332-4597.
July 6-7 - Emmetsburg, IA Airport.
Tail Dragger Club 3rd Annual Aeronca
Champ Fly-In. Annual Flight Breakfast
Sunday, July 7. Camping by airplane & free
breakfast to pilot & co-pilot. Contact Keith
Harnden, Box 285, Emmetsburg, IA 50536,
712/852-3810.
July 13-14 - lola, WI Annual Fly-In,
Central County Airport. "Old Car Show"
weekend. Midwest's largest car and swap
meet. Breakfast and transportation available
both days. Info, 414/596-3530.
July 26-Aug, 1 - Oshkosh, WI 39th
Annual EAA Fly-In and Sport Aviation
Convention. Wittman Regional Airport.
Contact Jolm Burton, EAA Aviation Center,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 414/426-4800.
For housing information, contact Housing
Hotline, 414/235-3007.
August 23-25 - Sussex, NJ Airport
(Route 639). 19th Annual SUSSEX AIR-
SHOW '91. Gates open 8am, show starts
1 :30pm. Information, contact Paul G.
Styger, Sussex Airport Manager, P. O. Box
311, Sussex, NJ 07461, 201/702-9719 or
201/875-7337.
September 13-15 - Jacksonville, IL.
Seventh Annual Byron Smith Memorial
Stinson Fly-In and Reunion. Seminars on
Stinson 1 08s and Franklin engines, Saturday
banquet. Fly-outs, contests, camping at
field. Contact: Loran Nordgren, 4 W.
Nebraska, Frankfort, IL 60423, or call
815/469-9100.
October 6 - lola, WI Central Country
Airport. Annual Fall Colors Chili Dinner
Fly-In. Serving lOam-3pm. Come and
enjoy the beauty of Central Wisconsin in
autumn. Info, 414/596-3530.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
Where The Sellers and Buyers Meet...
AIRCRAFT:
CulverLCACadet- A75Cont.,444SMOH,Stitsfabric,StitsAerothane
greenandivory.Excellentwood,outofannualFebruary1990,hangared
SouthCarolina. $12,000, 813/575-4162, 5-9 p.m. EST(3-1)
HANGARS:
AIRPLANE HANGARS/STEEL ARCH BUILDINGS - made in USA,
factory direct. Compare prices and options, then see.Somebuilding
companies distribute buildings that are made in Canada or Japan.
Ours is 100% American made. (We will not be undersold.) ATLAS
STEELBUILDINGS CORPORATION 1-800/338-8457.
QUONSETSTYLE STEELBUILDINGS- Idealfor airplane hangars,
equipment and workshops. Easy to erect and disassemble. Buy
factory direct and save up to 40%. U.S. ARCH BUILDINGS COR-
PORATION, National 1-800-527-4044.(c-5/91)
MISCELLANEOUS:
Cause, Circumstance - Results of 211 recent Aeronca accidents.
Conclusionsfreewith stampedenvelope.Totalentiredetailedreports
free with $20 Aeronca flight manual or $12 outright. Charlie Lasher,
4660 ParkerCt., Oviedo, FL32745(3-2)
CUB PIN - Authentic yellow Cub with safety clasp. $5 ppd. Profile
House, P.O.Box331045,Ft. Worth,TX76163-7105(4-3)
CURTISS NJ4-D MEMORABILIA - You can now own memorabilia
from the famousJenny", as seen on "TREASURES FROM THE
PAST".Wehaveposters,postcards,videos,pins,airmailcachets,etc.
We also have R/C documentation exclusive to this historic aircraft.
Sale of these items support operating expense to keep this "Jenny"
flying for the aviation public.We appreciateyourhelp. Writefor your
free price list. Virginia Aviation Co., PDv-5, Box 294, Warrenton,VA
22186.(c/11-90)
SuperCubPA18fuselagesrepairedorrebuilt- in precisionmaster
fixtures. All makesoftube assembliesorfuselages repaired orfabri-
catednew.J.E.SoaresInc.,7093DryCreekRoad,Belgrade,Montana
59714, 406/388-6069.RepairStation 065-21.(UFN)
1910-1950OriginalPlaneandPilotItems- GosportSystem,$40.00,
1930's Lunkenhiemer Primer, N.O.S.$85.00, much more. 44- page
catalog $5.Jon Aldrich, POB-706, Groveland,CA95321 - 209/962-
6121. (6-4)
NOSTALGIC AIRLINE POSTER BOOKS - Colorful publicity of the
airlines of the World! FREE DETAILS! Gerard, 3668-VA Hilaire,
Seaford, NY11783-2710. (6-4)
EAA AVIATION
OPPORTUNTIES FOR YOUTH
PARTICIPATE IN THESE SPECIAL
EM ACTIVITIESDEVELOPED
EXCLUSIVELY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE!
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Building real airplanesin schools andyouth
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lelephone(414)426-4800 '0UN1)A'1OI'o
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FLYING MACHINES
Whimsical marionettes handcrafted
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and sportcolorful handsewn
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Specify choice offigure(s) (A,B,C) and
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AIRCRAFr OWNERS SAVE MONEY ... FLY AUTOGAS
Ifyou use80 octaneavgasnow, you could be using lessexpensiveautogaswith an EM-STC.
GetyourSTCfrom EM- theorganizationthatpioneeredthefirstFMapprovalforanalternative
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CALLTODAY FOR MORE INFORMATION
414-426-4800
Orwrite: EAA-STC, EAAAviationCenter,Oshkosh,WI 54903-3065
Forfasterservice, haveyourairplane's"N"numberandserialnumber;yourengine'smake,model
and serial number;and yourcreditcard numberready.
32 MARCH 1991
p.O. box 468
madison, north carolina 27025
(919) 427-0216
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Phone (714) 684-4280, Fax (714)684-0518
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Completeinteriorassembliesfordo-ityourselfinstallation.
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Cushion upholstery sets
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Firewall covers
Seat slings
Recover envelopes and dopes
Free catalog of complete product line.
Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and
styles of materials: $3.00.
INC.
259 Lower Morrisville Rd., Dept. VA
Fallsington, PA 19054 (215) 295-4115
this portfolio of pen &ink stUdies by noted aviation
arti st Charles A. Knotek. These are executive qual
ity, printed on handsome stock and signed by the artist:
enclosed in II "x I4" white presentation mat mounts ready for fram
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HISTORICAL WORLD WAR II VIETNAM ERA WORLD WAR I
(09) SpiritISt louis (17) B17 fortress (01) SPAo XIII (29) Al Skyraider
(10) Air Racing (18) P5t Mustang (30) f4 Phantom
Camel
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Days (19) B24 liberator (31)A-6 Inlruder
(11) Ford Tri -Motor (20) P-38 lightning (03) OeHavilland (32) fl05
(12) Gullhawk II (21) fSf Hellcat Thunderchlef 0.4
(13) Boemg Cl ipper (22) F4U Corsair
(OS) fokker E.l1I
(04) Albalros 0.111
(14)Jenny (23) "Fl ying Tigers"
(IS)OC3 (24)Spitlire (06) Tnplanes HElICOPTERS
Skysleeper (25) PTt9 Cornell (33) UH I " Huey" (07) Nieupo rt 17
(16) Constellation (2S) PT1 7Kaydet (34) Hueycobra (08) Bristol f .2B
(27) 6T-13 Valiant (35) C47 Chinook
(28) ATStSNJ (36) Jolly Green Giant
$12.00 each
$45 .00 anyfour , 'Pleaseallow 34 weeks lor delivery .
$2 .40 postage & Send check or money order to:
NY State residents add .07 112% tax Box 855, Syosset , NY 11 791
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33
by George Hardie, Jr.
Although the quality of the photo of
this month's Mystery Plane is poor, it
adds to the challenge of identifying the
airplane. The photo was submitted by
Edward Peck of Louisville, Kentucky.
Answers will be published in the June,
1991 issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE.
Deadline for that issue is May 5.
The first response to the December
Mystery Plane came from Pat Packard,
Director of Exhibits, EAA Air Adven-
ture Museum, who telephoned his
answer the day the magazine appeared.
But Ted Businger of Evening Shade,
Arkansas sent in the most complete
reply. He writes:
"The airplane is the Prest 'Baby
Pursuit' built by Clarence Prest in 1930.
Mr. Prest learned to fly in 1910, in-
structed military neophytes through
World War I and barnstormed and raced
motorcycles until 1921. Then he and
Gil Budwing decided that Alaska bush
flying was the upcoming bonanza so
they flew a Jenny there in 1922 but
cracked it up on arrival. Returning to
California, Prest set up a Iightplane
manufacturing plant operation at Ar-
lington, California. The first plane be
built was nicknamed 'The Poision.' It
was a tiny 18 foot span biplane with a
50 hp Gyro rotary engine.
34 MARCH 1991
"In 1929 and 1930 he built seven
'Baby Pursuits,' most powered by the
3-cylinder 45 hp Szekely engines. The
timing was poor as this was the begin-
ning of the Great Depression. Most of
them were sold in the Orient. One ship
was modified to carry a 6-cylinder air-
cooled rotary engine of unknown make.
On May 28, 1930 Mr. Prest flew a 'Baby
Pursuit' around a 100 kilometer closed
course at San Bernadino, California at
the then record speed of 100.79 mph.
This was in the category of planes
weighing less than 440 Ibs. Old-time
residents at San Bernadino gleefully
recall the times Prest flew to visit the
Miles brothers, Lee and Fred. He al-
ways put on an aerobatic demonstration
for the onlookers. The airplane registra-
tion number was x-
818K.
who lived on a ranch near Lancaster,
California. He brought the airplane to
the EAA Chapter Fly-In in January,
1957 and took third place in the flight
contests. Later he allowed a young
man to fly his plane. Unfortunately he
started to perform low level aerobatics
without authorization and hit inverted.
Fillinger always promised to rebuild
the wreck but that never happened, so
we lost another bit of aviation his-
tory."
Other answers were received from
John Underwood, Glendale, California,
Charley Hayes, Park Forest, Illinois;
Marty Eisenmann, Garrettsville, Ohio;
Frank Pavliga, Alliance, Ohio; Cedric
Galloway, Hesperia, California; and
Lynn Towns, Brooklyn, Michigan.
"Around 1940
Prest went to work at
Lockheed and passed
away near the end of
World War II. He
and Tony LeVier
were long-time
friends.
"The last known
remaining 'Baby
Pursuit' was owned
by Ernest Fillinger
Clarence Prest's ' Baby Pursuit'.
president
Butch Joyce.
ANote
irom
\
9 \99\
February ,
. Classic Member". . hard to
Dear AntlQuel .' has been wor\<.lng 'rcratt. We
. DivIsIon lor your al
nce program '11 be 01 great
lhe EAA od group rogram that WI
assemble a go what I leel IS a P
in place .
now have membershIP" be able to .
beneht to our . . . a requirement to you can JOIn
NC DivisIon IS member, .
11 you ,800) 322-24 \ 2 In
participate In tEAA membershIP nu
by call"lng the
Oshkosh. . . Agency.lheir
derWntlng . h t
ram is AViation Un ore participatIon t
Our agency lor this program WI
tolllree our membershIP,
we can have r r benelits.
beCome. . d explanation 01 you
r a more deta
lle
C
all AUA. INC. 10 better tOgether.
we are
Remember, s very truly.
"Butch" Joyce e/Clas
s
'
IC
Division
<' EAA AntlQu
preslden<,
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