October1997 Vol. 25,No.

10
CONTENTS
EDITORIALSTAFF
Publisher
Tam Paberezny
Editor-in-Chief
JackCax
Editar
HenryG. Frautschy
ManagingEditar
GoldaCox
ArtDirector
MikeDrucks
ComputerGraphicSpecialists
OliviaL. Phillip JenniferLarsen
MaryPremeau
AssociateEditor
NormPetersen
FeatureWriter
DennisParks
StaffPhotographers
JimKoepnick LeeAnnAbrams
Ken Lichtenberg
Advertising/EditorialAssistant
IsabelleWiske
EMANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISION,INC.
OFFICERS
President Vice-President
Espie"Butch"Joyce GeorgeDaubner
P.O.Box35584 2448Lough Lone
Greensboro,NC27425 Hartford,WI 53027
910/393-0344 414/673-5885
Secretary Treasurer
SteveNesse CharlesHarris
2009HighlandAve. 7215East46thSt .
AlbertLea,MN56007 Tulsa.OK 74145
507/373-1674 918/622-8400
DIRECTORS
JohnBerendt GeneMonis
7645EchoPointRd. 115CSteveCourt,R.R.2
CannonFalls, MN55009 Roanoke,TX 76262
507/263-2414 817/491-9110
PhilCoulson RobertC."Bob"Brauer
28415SpringbrookDr. 9345S.Hoyne
Lowton,MI 49065 Chicogo,IL60620
616/624-6490 312/779-2105
JohnS.Copeiand
55OakeyAv.
JoeDickey
28-3WilliamsburgCt.
Lawrenceburg,IN 47025
Shrewsbury, MA01545
812/537-9354
508/842-7867
StanGomoiI
7724ShadyHillDr.
DaleA. Gustafson
104290thLane,NE
Indianapolis,IN 46278
Minneapolis, MN55434
317/293-4430
612/784-1172
JeannieHill
1708BoyOaksDr.
RobertUckteig
P.O.Sox328
AlbertLea,MN56007
Horvard,IL60033
507/373-2922
815/943-7205
DeanRichardson RobertD. "Bob"Lumley
6701 ColonyDr. 1265South 124thSt.
Madison.WI 53717 Brookfield, WI 53005
608/833-1291 4141782-2633
S.H,"Wes"Schmid GeoffRobison
2359LefeberAvenue 1521 E.MacGregorDr.
Wauwatosa,WI 53213 NewHaven,IN 46774
414/771-1545 219/493-4724
GeorgeYork
181 SlobodaAv.
Mansfield,OH44906
419/529-4378
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
GeneChase E.E."Buck"Hilbert
2159CarltonRd. P.O. Box424
Oshkosh, WI 54904 Union, IL60180
920/231-5002 815/923-4591
ADVISORS
SteveKrog RogerGomoll
1002HeatherLn. 321-1/2S. Broadway
Hartford,WI 53027 Apt .3
414/966-7627 Rochester, MN55904
507288-2810
DavidBennett
403TonnerCt.
Roseville,CA95678
916-782-7025
Straight& Level l
Espie"Butch"Joyce
2 AlC News
3 Aeromail
4 ACNolunteers/ TrishDorlac
Page8
8 MysteryPlane/ H.G.Frautschy
9 PassItToBuck/ E.E. "Buck"Hi lbert
10 EAAOshkosh ' 97-Antique/ Classic
Scrapbook/H.G.Frautschyand
Norm Petersen
21 FlyingMilkstool,Indeed! 1
Page10
H.G. Frautschy
25 WhatOurMembersAr eRestoring/
Norm Petersen
Page21
29 WelcomeNew Members
30 VintageTr ader/
MembershipInformation
FRONT COVER ...The GrandChampionClassic airplaneofEAA Oshkosh '97 is this
beautiful 1955 Piper PA-22 Tri -Pacer, restored by partners Kenny Brown and Joe
FleemanofLawrenceburg, TN. A project that included original interior fabric (the
reor seat cushion is the original seat, nota reproduction!), it had members smiling
and remembering the "fabulOUS 50's: EAA photo byEAA ChiefphotographerJim
Koepnick, shot with a Canon EOS-lnequippedwithan80-200 mmlens. 1/250sec.
@ ilion 100ASAslidefilm. EAACessna210phota planeftownbyBruceMoore.
BACK COVER ...Along with " Mister Mulligan. master craftsman Jim Younkin,
Springdale, AR. created the twa " Mull icoupes you see here. The play on words
highlights the fac t that the airplanes are not repli cas ofparticularairplanes, buta
design ofJim's thatcombines the largesize of Mr. Mulligan with the personality of
the Monocoupe. Powered with a Pratt & Whitney R-985 engine swinging a
Hamilton-Standardprop, the twoMullicoupeswerea bighitontheflightline atEAA
Oshkosh. The red airplane wasfinished byJim Younkin, whilethe blac kaircraftwith
red scallops was finished byMonocoupe enthusiast and restorer Bud Dake of St.
Louis, MO. EAAphotobyEAAChiefphotographerJimKoepnick, shotwitha Canon
EOS-ln equipped with an 80-200 mm lens. 1/60sec. @ f20 on 100 ASA slide film.
EAACessna 210photoplanefl ownbyBruceMoore.
Copyright 1997 bytheEAAAntique/Classic DivisionInc.All rightsreserved.
VINTAGEAIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc. of the Experimental
Aircraft Association and is published monthlyat EAA Aviation Center, 3000 Poberezny Rd., P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086.
PeriodicalsPostagepaid atOshkosh,Wisconsin54901 and atadditionalmailingoffices.ThemembershiprateforEAA Antique/Classic Division,
Inc.is$27.00forcurrent EAA membersfor12monthperiod ofwhich$15.00 isforthepublicationofVINTAGEAIRPLANE. Membershipisopen
toall whoareinterestedinaviation.
POSTMASTER:Send address changes to EAA Antique/Classic Division, Inc., P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. FOREIGN AiND APO
ADDRESSES- Pleaseallowat leasttwomonthsfordeliveryofVINTAGEAIRPLANEtoforeignandAPOaddressesviasurtacemail.
ADVERTISING - Antique/Classic Division doesnotguaranteeorendorse any productoffered through the advertising. We inviteconstructive
criticismandwelcomeanyreportofinferiormerchandiseobtainedthroughouradvertisingsothatcorrectivemeasurescanbetaken.
EDITORIALPOLICY: Readersareencouragedto storiesand photographs. Policyopinions expressed inarticlesaresolelythoseofthe
authors. Responsibilityforaccuracyinreporting restsentirelywiththecontributor.Norenumeration ismade.
Materialshouldbesentto: VINTAGEAIRPlANE,P.O. Box3086,Oshkosh,WI 54903-3086. Phone9201426-4800.
The words EAA,ULTRALIGHT,FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM,SPORT AVIATION and the logos of EAA,EAA INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTION,EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION,INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB, WARBIRDS OF AMERICA are registered
trademarks. THE EAA SKYSHOPPE and logos ofthe EAAAVIATION FOUNDATION and EAAULTRALIGHTCONVENTION aretrademarks
oftheaboveassociationsandtheirusebyanypersonotherthantheaboveassociationisstrictly
STRAIGHT & LEVEL
by Espie "Butch" Joyce
Recently, I was reading the newsletter
from Antique/Classic Chapter # 19 in west-
ern Colorado. They are in the process of
selling their Chapter project, a Taylorcraft.
After having someone agree to buy this air-
craft, the prospective buyer must have had
a title search conducted and found an old
lien against the title. When the Chapter
looked into this matter, they found that the
loan company was no longer in business.
What now? I can feel empathy for the ef-
fort that it will take to straighten out this
mess.
Several years ago I purchased a Cessna
172 with the idea of putting it on lease-
back with a FBO operator. I ran a title
search on it and the FAA indicated that all
was "OK." I sent in the request to change
ownership and received a new registration
in about four to five months; again, every-
thing was just fine, according to the FAA.
After having this 172 on lease-back for
about a year, I decided that maybe I should
sell it and upon showing it to several differ-
ent prospects, one person got serious
enough to have a title search done. Then
the call came; "I would like to buy your
plane, but there is a lien on this aircraft
from a loan company in New Jersey." I
replied that it must be a mistake, because I
have a clear registration, in my name, for
the airplane.
"Not to worry, I can straighten this out
by having my own title search done and
show this person that he made a mistake," I
thought. The report came in, and guess
what N-number had a lien against it, filed
by a New Jersey loan company. In check-
ing with the FAA, I discovered that just be-
cause the aircraft has a lien on it, the FAA
will still issue a new certificate of registra-
tion.
Humm, OK.
"Why, I'll just call the listed loan com-
pany and ask them to remove the lien," was
my next thought.
My call to directory assistance did not
help matters as, "Sorry, sir, I cannot find a
listing for that business," was the response.
r could see that this was not going to be
a good day.
The lien paperwork was 20 years old. I
called a buddy who I knew in the area the
company was located at one time and he
sent me to another person who referred me
to another individual. At last J find out the
company was the credit union for Hamilton
Standard. It looked like we were making
headway, except that they had sold the loan
business to a bank located in another city.
After chasing down this bank - it had
merged with another bank - we discov-
ered the paperwork was still around, but it
was located in New York. Great!
More phone calls progressed through
four or five people to the point where I was
told the bank did not loan money for air-
craft purchases or for any other aviation
reason, thank you, and good-bye! To make
a long story short, I finally talked to some-
one who would give me enough time on the
phone to explain my problem. Unfortu-
nately, the person at the bank who I really
needed to talk to was on vacation for the
next 30 days. Have you ever known a
manager who has been on vacation for 30
days who would be interested in this type
of problem?
I final lucked out when this lady lis-
tened to my problem and explained that
these old records had long since been done
away with. They could not write the FAA
and release the lien, but that she would
write a letter stating that this lien had long
ago been satisfied and was no longer in
force, and then I could do whatever I
wanted with that information. I wrote the
FAA and sent in the money, $5 or $10 (be-
lieve me, this is the most important part)
and a copy of the letter, and got the paper-
work straightened out. The new owner is
happy with the 172 and I am happy. Hope-
fully, my experience will give some of you
some resolve - it can be done!
As many of you know, the Monocoupe
is the airplane that fl[st got me interested in
Antique and Classic aircraft, and then the
Antique/Classic movement. In 1969 I pur-
chased a 1936 90A that had been converted
from a Lambert 90 hp engine to a Ly-
coming 160 hp engine . I'm pretty sure it
was one of the very first conversions of this
type back then. Now this conversion has
become commonplace, and I might say that
it also makes the 90A a real hot rod, perfor-
mance-wise. The aircraft that I am stand-
ing in front of in my picture above is a
Monocoupe 110 Special , N 15E. I had the
pleasure of helping the late Dick Austin of
Greensboro, North Carolina restore this air-
craft some years ago.
I've been trying to get to it for the past
two years, and this time I made it. Norma
and I attended the 70th anniversary of
Monocoupes Fly-In held at Creve Coeur
Field, St. Louis, Missouri, September 18-
21. President Bob Coolbaugh of the Mono-
coupe Club put together a very well orga-
nized and educational fly-in. The theme
this year was Monocoupe Madness III, or
Monocoupes to Mullicoupes. Bob, with
the help ofR. V. Adams, a former Mono-
coupe employee (Parts Manager), had a
number of the former factory employees
present.
They related a number of great stories to
us, most of which we hadn't heard before.
I must mention that Al and Connie Stix of
Creve Coeur Field had everyone over to
their home for a lavish dinner and social on
Thursday night. They treated everyone
great. Thanks, AI and Connie. If you are
interested, Bob Coolbaugh puts out what he
calls a "mostly monthly" newsletter; dues
are $15.00 per year. Call him at 703/ 590-
2375 or e-mai l tomonocoup@erols.com.
Bob, thanks to you also for a good time.
We continue to have people hand prop-
ping their aircraft and, because they didn't
take the time for the correct precautions, it
got away from them, damaging aircraft and
property. Guys, this costs everyone when
this happens. A ten or 15 foot rope does
not cost that much. Let's be more careful
out there.
Let's also keep this One-on-One mem-
bership campaign a success. Ask a buddy
to join the Antique/Classic Division so they
too can enjoy our good times. Let's all pull
in the same direction for the good of avia-
tion. Remember we are better together.
Join us and have it all! ...
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1
A/CNEWS
MEMBERSHIP
INFORMATION
compiledby H.G. Frautschy
TYPECLUBS
Once again, we will be including a copy
of our Type CLub listing in the December
issue of Vintage Airplane, as well as up-
dating that list on our web page, part of
EAA's web site at http://www.eaa.org. We
will be sending out reminder cards to those
clubs already on our list, including those
who have not updated their listing(s) in the
past two years. Clubs that are no longer
active and have not updated their listing
via the self addressed, stamped postcards
we've included in our mailings over the
past two years will be dropped from the
1998 list, so please be certain to return the
postcards. With so many clubs adding E-
Mail addresses and web sites, we'd like to
include that information in the club list-
ings. If you're the person listed at the con-
tact for your Type Club, you can expect
your mailing sometime in mid- to late Oc-
tober.
AERONCACHAMPSANDCHIEFS
Charlie Lasher, who started the Aeronca
CLub oh so many years ago, has created
two companion volumes to his "Champs
and Chiefs" book of over ten years ago.
"Champs and Chiefs - Book Two" and
"Book Three" continue the spirit of the
first volume, and expand on the technical
information included in it. Contact Charlie
for pricing at 4660 Parker Ct. , Oviedo, FL
32765, 407/678-3467.
Charlie will also send copies of his
added information regarding the current
American Champion Service letter No.
406, which details inspections of wood
spars installed in Champs. Charlie is con-
cerned that the uninitated might mistake
the laminations of Aeronca spars for cracks
in the spars, and he adds his opinions to the
American Champion information. Send
Charlie a self addressed, stamped envelope
(SASE) at the address noted above for a
copy of his spar inspection sheets.
CUBCLUB - L4 WING
There's now a new editor/publisher for
the L-4 Grasshopper Wing. He is Bill
Collin, Rt. 2, Box 619, Gould, AR 71643,
phone 501 /263-4668 . Write to him di-
rectly if you wish to renew your member-
ship or join the L-4 Wing, as the L-4 Wing
is no longer affiliated with the Cub Club.
The club will continue to maintain infor-
mation, blueprints, manual, field approvals,
etc., for those of you who have the military
version of the Cub. The Cub Club can still
2OCTOBER1997
be reached c/o John Bergeson, 6438 W.
Millbrook, RD., Remus, MI 49340,
517/561 -2393.
POBJOY NIAGRAV
Via E-Mail, we recieved a note from
Dr. Dudley E. Smith who is searching for a
Pobjoy Niagra V engine for use in a replica
he is planning on building of the Flagg
Racer. If anyone can help the doctor in his
search, you can contact him by phone at
405/325-1094 or 405/325-1088 (Fax).
MCDOWELLSTARTER
Charlie Lynch, who works for Sikorsky
Aircraft when he's not restoring his Tay-
lorcraft, is looking for a McDowell starter
for his project. Installation drawings and
any other information would also be wel-
come. They were standard items on the
Aeronca Chief, and an option on the post-
war Taylorcraft. Chiefs that still have
them are pretty rare, and rarer still for the
Taylorcraft, but you'll never know who has
one unless you ask! Make Charlie's day
by call ing him at 203/239-7596 (home) or
203/386-5959 (work) if you can lead him
to one of these starters.
WILEY HAUTALA - 1935-1997
EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft
Association, Inc.is$35 foroneyear, including 12
issuesofSPORTAVIATION.Familymembership
isavailable foran additional$10annually. Junior
Membership (under 19 years ofage)isavailable
at$20annually. Allmajorcreditcardsaccepted
formembership.
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
Current EAA members mayj oin the Antique/
Classic Division and receive VINTAGE AIR-
PLANEmagazineforanadditional$27peryear.
EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANEmag-
azine and one year membership in the EAA
Antique/Classic Divisionisavailablefor$37per
year(SPORTAVIATIONmagazinenotincluded).
lAC
CurrentEAA membersmayjoin the Intemational
Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division andreceive SPORT
AEROBATICS magazine foran additional $40
peryear.
EAA Membership, SPORTAEROBATICS maga-
zineandoneyearmembershipin the lACDivision
is available for $50 peryear (SPORTAVIATION
magazinenotincluded).
WARBIRDS
Current EAA members may join the EAA
Warbirds ofAmerica Division and receive WAR-
BIRDSmagazineforanadditional$35peryear.
EAA Membership, WARBIRDS magazine and
one yearmembership in the Warbirds Division is
available for $45 peryear (SPORTAVIATION
magazinenotincluded).
Veteran sea-
plane pilot and
float rebuilder,
Wiley Hautala, of
Ely, Minnesota,
passed away on
Sepember 7, 1997,
from a massive
heart attack.
Born in Tower/
Soudan, MN, on August 10, 1935, to Ernest
and Elna Hautala, Wiley was named after
the famous pilot, Wiley Post, who died in a
plane crash in Alaska just five days later
on August 15, 1935.
An Army Paratrooper during the Ko-
rean War, Wiley attended Northrop Insti-
tute to earn his A & P rating and later
added all the flight ratings. Returning to
Ely, MN, he flew bush for many years in-
cluding several with Pat Magie, before
settling into the float rebuilding business,
where his keen knowledge of all kinds and
types of floats was legendary.
Wiley is survived by his wife, Doris, a
daughter, Michelle, his mother, E1na, two
brothers and a sister. He will be sorely
missd by a host of friends in the seaplane
world. - Norm Petersen
EAAEXPERIMENTER
CurrentEAA membersmayreceiveEAA EXPER-
IMENTER magazine for an additional$20 per
year.
EAA Membership and EAA EXPERIMENTER
magazine is available for $30 peryear (SPORT
AVIATIONmagazinenotincluded).
FOREIGN
MEMBERSHIPS
Please submityour remittance with a check or
draft drawn on a United States bankpayable in
United States dollars. Add$13 postage for
SPORTAVIATION magazine and/or$6postage
foranyoftheothermagazines.
EAAAVIATIONCENTER
P.O.box3086
Oshkosh, WI54903-3086
WEBSITEhttp://.eaa.org
www.flyin.org
E-MAILVintage@eaa.org
PHONE(920)426-4800
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VINTAGE
AeroMail
ALASKA ROBIN HISTORY
Dear Ed Gelvin,
The article about your "Alaska Robin"
in the most recent issue of Vintage Air-
plane by H. G. Frautschy was of particular
interest to me.
For 8-1/2 years I have been compiling
the history of aviation in the Wausau area
from 1911, when the first local man flew
here to the present time. The article's
phrase, "The Robin arrived in Alaska in
1939" set off an alarm bell, and when I
rushed to my newspaper item collection, I
found the enclosed news article from the
Wausau Daily Record-Herald on February
20, 1939.
Not being sure it was the same plane, I
went to my copies of Archie Towle's log-
book and found that he flew 922K for the
first time in 1938 and it had a Challenger
185 hp engine. Furthermore, he was listed
as the owner in the 1939 list of certificated
aircraft in Wisconsin.
Also, the daily airport log kept by the
manager's wife, Margaret Towle, shows
that Curtiss Robin 922K was flown into the
Wausau airport at least four times in May
and June of 1938 by John Cullen ofMed-
ford, a small town 30 miles northwest of
Wausau . I assume that Cullen was the
owner during that time.
A list of certificated aircraft owners in
Wisconsin for 1936 shows the owner of
Robin 922K to be the Manitowoc Air Ser-
vice in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, a town on
the shore of Lake Michigan.
You may already have some of this in-
formation, but if not, I thought you would
be interested in this coincidence. I have
over 700 photos in my collection but have
not found one of 922K, probably because
Archie Towle apparently owned it a rela-
tively short time.
I congratulate you on your efforts to re-
trieve and restore 922K. It is a marvelous
accomplishment.
Sincerely,
Robert C. Wylie
EAA 78593, AlC 23300
TOWER INTRUSION
Airstrip, Tractor and Mower Possibly
For Sale. Please call after the fight.
My brother-in-law arrived at my farm the
other day in his old 7 AC. As soon as he
could shut down the throbbing A-65 and dis-
mount, he came running to me with a large
brown envelope. My thoughts flashed from
his winning the lottery to a new set of plans
for the next project. The contents held none
of these, nor anything good at all. About
two weeks earlier they had noticed some
construction just to the south of their run-
way. As the equipment got larger and heav-
ier, they decided to investigate. What they
found could change their lives forever.
Crown Network Systems, Inc. of Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania had started to prepare
a site including an access road for a 525
foot AGL, 1945 foot MSL tower. This
tower would be located only 1584 feet
south of the runway at the Thermal G Glid-
erport owned by the Gehrlein family in
Erie, Pennsylvania.
Now, a lot of you know this place. It
has been an airport for over 40 years. Its
origins go back way before 1957 when the
elder Larry Gehrlein had a dream to build
and operate his own glider operation. A lot
of blood, sweat, tears and years by the en-
tire family made the Thermal Gone of the
few, and certainly the finest, early soaring
sites in this country.
Today two of Larry 's sons, Jay and
Rod, still maintain the airport on a private
basis . They also use the location as the
base of operations for Gehrlein Products, a
certified repair station for sailplane repair,
including the latest technologies used in
construction today. These people are into
aviation - trust me. A quick walk and
some nosing into the hangars will reveal a
Heath Baby Bullet, Aeronca C-3, Pitts,
Volmer, Baby Ace, Cub, Champ, Newport
replica, gliders, ultralights, balloons and
too much memorabilia to mention.
This new tower will be located directly
on the downwind leg of their east-west sod
strip. It is definitely a hazard to air naviga-
tion, but the Gehrleins were not included in
the FAA Aeronautical Study Mailing. I
also have a private airstrip of my own that
has been in existence for over 40 years .
Now, all of us out there who mow all of
that grass just for the love of it should take
note. The FAA does not recognize a pri-
vate airstrip as part of our airspace system
that we so dearly pay for every April 15th.
(Not to mention each and every gallon of
Avgas!) The study for this, "Obstruction
To Air Navigation," in this case, went to
the commercial airports (two) in the neigh-
borhood. Some other interesting facts in
this case. This airport is located on the
highest ground just south of Erie where the
communications business has created a
"TV alley."
Years ago the same problem faced the
Gehrleins, which prompted a legal battle.
The Gehrleins won that one. The tower
went to the "antenna farm" on the north
side of their airport. At that time the local
township, which is still in business today,
put a law on the books stating that no struc-
ture can interfere with the operation of any
airport. Now how do projects like this get
started with laws on the books and federal
studies not completed?
I flew this downwind the other day in
my C-170 and the site is ready for the steel
with the tower bases and neat little build-
ings all completed. And the deadline for
FAA comments was still ten days away.
Crown Systems knew that with their size,
power and resources they could not lose
this one. Oh, yes, we did not even mention
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Don't
bother, although they are great at sending
the private airport renewal bill right on
time. I hope that you aviators living in
other states get getter support from your
aviation departments.
On the bright side, all of the aviation
community involved with this MESS feel
that they have won Round One. The local
newspaper printed a great article sympa-
thizing with the Gehrleins. A local TV sta-
tion showed up at the field a day before the
township meeting was scheduled to address
this problem. Jay couldn't get the 7AC out
of the barn fast enough to provide aerial
shots. At the meeting it was evident that
the local residents were really becoming
aware of the situation. The opposition to
the new antenna location was unanimous.
Guess what? The township supervisors
have now changed their thoughts from
whatever motivated them to let this project
get underway in the first place. Amazing
what the voters can do to politicians' think-
ing. After the meeting, the supervisors ap-
proached the Gehrleins and said that they
had evoked a "cease and desist" order
against the construction. Crown's attor-
neys were on the phone the following
morning.
Your aviation alphabet associations can
help you save the private airports.
Now get ready for Round Two.
Gene D. (Pete) Engelskirger
EAA 394286, AIC 18337
HinkleY, OH
A phone update with Pete mentioned
that more positive steps have been taken to
stop the construction o/the tower, includ-
ing a second visit from the local TV station.
The Township, to their credit, realizes and
admits they made a mistake in approving
(Continued on pg 28)
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
WORKSHOPTENT
by
Patricia "Trish" Dorlac
George Meade, AlC Workshop chairman, instructs Carl Campbell in the exact art of rib-
stitching.
Don Marrissette, co-chairman of the Workshop tent, and
Dane Volzke examine a crack in a Cessna 170 axle using a
Spotchecktool kit.
, before you head off to the EAA Forums up
north of the Control Tower, be sure and check out the
Workshop tent next to the Red Bam! Operating every
day during the Convention ...even the day before ... this
is a great place to get your hands busy and learn the
techniques you need to know
to FINISH that long overdue
project!
The A/ C Workshop is
manned by the fLne gentlemen
from Antique/Classic Chapter
11 out of Wauwatosa,
Wisconsin. There is no need
to doubt the capabilities of
these men. They have earned
their expertise through good
old hands-on experience!
Every Tuesday they travel to
the Kermit Weeks Hangar and
volunteer. They have put in
over 5,000 hours working on
planes including the B-17 and
P -51. They even 'beefed up'
the ribs on the Curtiss Robin!
Here is a partial list of the
things you could have learned
this year at Oshkosh:
Safety wiring, including
bolts and turnbuckles
Spray painting, with
outside air respiration
Crack and Leak Detection
Metal Shrinking
Metal Forming
Acrylic Windows, including
cutting, drilling and
polishing.
FabricWork
While the division provides the tent,
tables and chairs, this group usually
brings everything else used in the work-
shop. This year they received supplies
donated by PolyFiber, Magnafiux, Fast
Tech and U.S. Industrial Tool & Supply
Company. OUf thanks to these fme sup-
pliers!
Although absent this year, Airtex usu-
ally puts a new interior into a Cessna
170. President Don Stretch already has
secured a Cessna 170 to work on at next
years Convention. If you need to learn
how to do your interior, take advantage
of this wonderful opportunity!
If you have always wanted to know
4 OCTOBER 1997
more about the Curtiss OX-5, this is the
place to see parts and engines from this
flying machine. There are several other
old engines around if you have questions
or just want to see them. Red Perkins has
been our expert on the OX-5 and his
absence this year left a great void. Red
learned to fly in a Jenny and later helped
to maintain the engine in Dale Crite' s
19l1 Curtiss Pusher.
Paul Poberezny had the idea of the
Antique/Classic Division providing people
Red Perkins (left),
with a hands on aircraft restoration experi-
discusses t he
ence, and the Workshop Tent was brought
Curtiss OX-5 with
into existence. Chairman George Meade
one of the many
was approached by Art Morgan about 10-
vi sitors in the
12 years ago and with the help of other
AIC Workshop
dedicated foLks, got it off to a great start.
tent.
Rich Fischler is the vice-chair-
man and Clarence Schreiber
and Don Morrissette are the
co-chai rmen. Other people
who keep this operation going
all week incl ude Demosthenes
Staver and Jerry Cutsforth.
The time and effort these gen-
tlemen put into the workshop
tent is greatly appreciated by
the many of us who need to
learn skills that just are not
taught at the local community
college!
George says that the great-
est benefit they get is helping
someone else. Someone can
come in to learn how to do
something and can walk away
havi ng mastered the skill by
havi ng the opportunity to
actually do it with people who
are experienced and can teach
them! One of the interesting
things that was taught this
year was an approac h for
crack and leak detect ion.
Referred to also as the
AlC Chapter 11 representatives who help make the AlC Workshop tent operations run so
'aerosol container method', it
smoothly, f r om left to right are: George Meade (Chairman), Bob Whitehouse, (visitor),
consists of three easy steps:
Demosthenes Staver, Jeff Custforth, Don Morrissette (co-chairman), and Clarence Schreiber
I) Spray item that you are
(co-chairman).
checking for leaks with a
cleaner and wi pe cl ean. 2)
Spray item with a red penetrant and wipe
off with a clean cloth. 3) Spray with a
white developer that will show bleed red
in areas with cracks!
One of the most interesting years was
when there was a Pietenpol project that
kept people involved all week long. The
owner was an older gentleman (in his
mid-80s) who desired to see it finished so
that he could fly it! Workshop was able
to complete a great deal of it in the two
years they had it.. .that is only two
WEEKS in Oshkosh time. In just that lit-
tle amount of time, with a lot of enthusi-
astic volunteers, they were able to ready
the wing for painting and remove the
original muslin fabric (on since 1930)
Jon Goldenbaum, of Poly-Fiber, conducts t he fabric covering
seminar in the AlC Workshop tent.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
from the fuselage andprepare it forrecover-
ing! George saidtheparticipation wasgreat,
partly due to the high rate ofinterest. The
ownerwas therehelpingoutaswell!
IfyouhavedecidedthatNEXTyearisthe
year you are going to get that project done,
be sure to go by the Workshop Tent and
gleansome knowledgefrom this great bunch
ofvolunteers!
TRAMTIMEINTHEANTIQUE
CLASSICDIVISION
Rich Fischler (left)
As ifthe Workshop Tent was not enough
and Clarence
for the members ofChapter 11, another
Schreiber listen in
Chapterproject was completed this year!
on the fabric dis-
Dave Broadfoot (who has also cussion.
been a volunteer in the work-
shop tent) boughtand convert-
ed a trailer for our area. He
installed smaller wheels and
added aramp to enable wheel-
chair access, although many
others also enjoyed this wel-
come respite from walking!
Many other members from the
chapter helped with the weld-
ing and other areas ofcon-
struction on this trailer. What
a great idea! Hats offto the
fine folks in Chapter II for
helping to make Oshkosh a
betterplaceto be!
EARLNICHOLAS:
BACKSTAGEVOLUN-
TEEROFTHEYEAR
If you have not met Earl,
you probably have not been to
Oshkosh. Earl hasdoneevery-
thing from flight line opera-
tions to manpower to the
Aerogram, not to mention
everything else. Ifsomething Donald Hyra, yet another member of AlC Chapter 11, volunteers some time operating the
needs to be done, chances are Tram.
Earl is the one that wi ll be
asked to do it! Every time I
was in the Aerogram building this summer,
someone was looking for Earl! "Earl,could
you please... . " and naturally, as soon as he
could, Earl would take care ofthe request.
Earl actually brings the equipment for the
Aerogram operations and troubleshoots all
computerproblems. NowonderEarlwasthe
Backstage Volunteer ofthe Year for this
year's Oshkosh extravaganza. It is people
like Earl who make it just that! THANK
YOU EARLFORALLYOUDO!!!!
RANDYHYTRY: FLIGHTLINE
VOLUNTEEROFTHEYEAR
Recognized at this year's annual Antique
Classic Vol unteer party as the "Masterful
Man Who Moves Heavy Metal Pl anes,"
Randy has been a poi nt operator on the
flightline for many years. He commutes
daily and this yearworked typical Oshkosh
hours in spiteofhis involvementwithagreat
band Uazz and all that good stuff!).
Anna Osborn, Jason Hartwing, and Earl Nicholas, the 1997
Antique/Classic "Behind the Scenes" Volunteer of the year.
6 OCTOBER 1997
Randy...congratulationson yourawardandTHANKYOV forall
ofyouryearsofservice!
WOW,WHATAPARTY!!!
Specialthankstoall whohelpedmewiththisyear'svolunteer
party!
TIMFOXandtheentiresecurityteam....Exceptionalpizza
delivery!
DAVEandNANCYBELTZandBOBHVNT...Drinkand
tentsetup!
GLORIAandPAULBEECROFT.. Cakepickupanddelivery!
WALT'BOSEPHUS'DORLAC... Assistantextraordinaire!
SUEandDWAYNETROVILLION... Forpreparingdoor
prizes!
BOBLUMLEY... ProvidingvideoentertainmentoftheBEST
groupofvolunteers!
Harvey Highspeed, AKA Dave Beltz, lent a whimsical air to the goings
on in the AlC area this year. In the tradition of "Where's Waldo,"
members were kept busy all week keeping an eye out for Harvey.
Thanks, Dave!
GEOFFROBISONandEARLNICHOLAS... Printingup
awardcertificates!
LINDABETZOLDT ... Premiercakecutter/server!
MIKEKOST A. .. Dualinstructionassistant!
STEVE'ICEMAN'WHELAN.. .Icedelivery!
CHAPTER11 .... Forallowingustoinvadetheirspace!
AVA. ..Generoussponsors!
DUBIOUSAWARDRECIPIENTS... . foryourgracious
acceptanceofyourcertificates!
(Editor's Note: Trish will give me an aw, shucks look when I
say this, but she missed one essential element of the volunteer
party - her. In addition to her instructional duties training new
Flight Line Volunteers, Trish spent her abbreviated stay at the
Convention chasing down additional stories for the Volunteer
column, and coordinating the plans for the AIC Volunteer party.
Three cheers for Trish Dorlac, organizer extraordinaire! - HGF)
Thankseveryone! Seeyou nextyear! *
(Above) Our " Art Morgan Flightline
Volunteer of the Year" is this smiling
fellow, Randy Hytry. This shot is par-
ticularly rare, as, 1) Randy is inside,
and 2) he is sitting down. He can be
found during almost every daylight
hour, directing aircraft traffic at the
AlC "Point Fondy," during which he
rarely has a chance to sit. Fortunately,
his wry sense of humor helps keep
everybody on their toes down in the
south half of the AlC parking area.
Geoff Robison accepts his "Keeping the Cool" award from Tim Fox and Dave
Beltz during the annual AlC Volunteer party, one of the benefits of volunteering
during the Convention!
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
The July Mystery Plane wasa repeat
from 1989,as pointedoutbya few read-
ers . It was theParamountSportsterof
1931. Designedby RalphJohnson, the
Sportsterwas fitted withapairoffloats at
the requestofJoseph Behse, Paramount's
founder, who felt an airplane from the
Great Lakes oughtto be fitted with floats.
Firstflown on April 10, 1931, it was
placedon displayduringthe National Air-
craftShowin Detroitin mid-April, 1931.
On May 16, 1931 Behseand mechanic
WhitneyMerritttookthe Sportsterup for
ademonstrationflight. It didn'tlastlong-
theairplaneclimbedtoonlyabout 150 feet
before itenteredarighttumanddove into
the waterofthe SaginawRiver, killing
MerrittandBehse.
Answers were receivedfrom Herbde-
Bruyn, Bellevue,WA;L.F.BudRogers,
Deland,FL; LennartJohnsson,Eldsberga,
SwedenandRobertPauley, Farmington,
MI, whowrotethe articleaccompanying
the answerpublishedin theJune 1989 is-
sueofVintageAirplane. ...
SendyourMysteryPlane
correspondenceto:
Vintage MysteryPlane
EAA
P.O. Box3086
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086
Arriving j ust a day too late to make it in the
September i ssue was a note from Dick
Simpson of Birmingham, AL. He enclosed
this photo of Huff-Daland Petrel No. 62 as
the engi ne was being run up prior to final
assembly. Restored by EAA Chapter 152, it
is on di splay in Birmingham' s Southern
Museum of Flight.
This month 's Mystery Plane isfrom the collection of Curt
Szymanski, Mukwonago, WI. Hisfamity has had afew glass
plate negatives ofthe early days ofaviation in their possession
for many years. We have no clue as to the photograph's loca-
tion, nor do we know the aircraft type. Answers need to be at
EAA HQ no later than November 26, 1997for inclusion in the
January issue of Vintage Airplane.
We are still open to your suggestions for Mystery Planes,
and you can send in your candidates to the address shown at the
end ofthe article.
Plane
by H.C. Frautschy
(Above and below) The Paramount Sportster, powered by a 110 hp Warner engine
and, according to our resident float expert Norm Petersen, fitted with a pair of Air-
craft Products Co. (APC), floats. Light yellow with a black stri pe, the Sportster
looked pretty good, but its looks didn't speak for i ts flying characteristics - it
crashed only a month after being completed, killing the company president and a
mechanic.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 8
by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert
EAA #21 NC #5
P.O. Box 424, Union, IL 60180
It's coming back, yeah! There it is on
the overhead. Another one of the swi tches
and gadgets so prevalent of these DC-6Bs.
I' m sitting in the right seat of a Cargo
DC-6B up at Anchorage, Alaska. I've
come up here on National Aeronautical As-
sociation business, and when I saw the tail
number, I had a sudden bout with past
memory. This is one of my United air-
planes. I haven ' t been near one for many
years; I must look at this one!
Sitting in the right seat seems natural.
All the switches and direct reading gauges
are right where they should be. I close my
eyes and begin to recite the old memory
bank.
Engine failure on takeoff- throttle-
feather-mixture-firewall shut off- runs
through my mind. The other procedures
committed to memory so many years ago
come surging through. Small wonder, I
muse; after all, I had flown from this seat
almost ten years and accumulated about
7500 hours. That should make some sort
of permanent imprint, right?
Well, things change and you move on.
My next step was jet flying and the Car-
ave lie. From there it was back to Douglas
again and the DC-8s- still in the right seat.
Then the time came when a Captain va-
cancy opened up and it was back to the
DC-6.
Talk about shock! Ground school was a
refresher course, a pleasant return to old fa-
miliar terminology of manifold pressure,
rpm, boost pumps and the like . No more
thrust lever and high pressure fue l cocks and
tail pipes. This was the real flying where
you counted eight blades, turned the switch
on, got it running on the primer, brought in
the mixture, called oil pressure and let it idle
while you started the other three.
When you took the "salute" and re-
9 OCTOBER 1997
PASS db
BUCK
leased the brakes, the airplane moved. You
didn't have to add throttle; idle was power
enough. On the run up pad you took about
ten minutes to go through the entire proce-
dure of checking the props, the mags, all
the gauges, manual, auto feather, reversing
and anti-detonation injection sys tems .
Then , and only then, you went through
about a 21 item pre-takeoff check list,
called the tower and it was time to go.
Here is where the memory items were
reviewed. As you took position on the run-
way, your mind was arming itself to the
disaster position. Engine failure on takeoff
procedures run through your mind. You
brief the crew as to what you plan to do in
the event of an emergency. The pilot fly-
ing will FLY the airplane. The pilot NOT
flying will handle the emergency along
with the Flight Engineer. After the situa-
tion is under control, the deci sion to return
to the airport, or any further action, will be
the Captain's choice.
All this was coming back to me as I sat
there in that right seat. I was living my
past and thinking of all the wonderful, and
sometimes not so wonderful, people I'd
flown with in those years and hours so long
ago. It didn't seem like that long ago; it
felt like I'd come home. But then I thought
of that upgrade to Captain.
After jet flying for four years, the first
shock in the school was the ever so compli-
cated systems reviews. The cabin air-con-
ditioning and pressurization- crude, yes,
and not too effective on the ground; the
lack of an APU (auxiliary power unit) to
provide ground air-conditioning; the com-
plications of things like engine oil quantity.
Hey, the jet measures it's oil consumption
in pints. Here we tolerate gallons!
And so on. The review brought back
memories I hadn't thought of in the past
four years, and the FAA oral was a piece of
cake. It lasted four hours and 15 minutes.
The company check pi lot objected strenu-
ously to the detail the FAA inspector was
going through and was shocked at his re-
ply. "I'm learning things about this air-
plane I never knew - he has long passed the
oral, I'm getting an education!"
What he didn't know or appreciate was
that I had grown up career-wise with this
airplane . I had spent days at the United
Airlines maintenance base following the
airplane through major maintenance. I
watched an airplane taxi into the overhaul
dock, and over the next seven days be com-
pletely disassembl ed down to the bare air-
frame. Every piece came off; all the wiring
and plumbing was either replaced or re-
worked. The structures were X-rayed, dye
checked, Eddy Current or Sonic inspected,
and the bare airframe was given a clean
"good as new."
The engines, propellers and all the ac-
cessories were off, going through the ac-
cessory overhaul and engine shops while
the airframe work was being done. The
landing gear came off the airplane was
brought back and the reassembly began.
The disassembly took two and a half to
three days; the reassembly of all the over-
hauled and inspected parts and roll-out for
flight test took four and a half or five days.
When it came out of the base, there
wasn't any term other than "new" to con-
tend with. Resplendent in new upholstery,
new paint, newly overhauled engines, pro-
pellers and accessories, all new hydraulics,
hey- it was a "NEW" airplane again.
And I was right in the middle of all that.
I'd check out a pair of coveralls and get
right in there with the wrenchers, the acces-
sory overhaul people, the hydraulic and en-
gine shops, the propeller boys and the in-
spectors. I knew what every weep hole and
ram air duct on that airplane was for, and I
was ever so proud of the job the crews at
the maintenance base in San Francisco did.
Anyway, after the oral came the check
ride, and that was a shocker. We had simu-
lators for all the practice stuff like proce-
dures, both standard operating and emer-
gency, and flying the simulator was tough
because it was all instruments, no visual
references, and you flew it all the time. It
didn't exhibit the natural flying characteris-
tics of the airplane. It wasn' t supposed to.
If you could do a reasonable job of operat-
ing the simulator, you could fly the air-
plane.
But the proof was in the final flight
check. That part, after the engine out on
takeoff, the air work, stalls, steep turns,
(Continued On Page 33)
'97
(Below) The Classic Judging crew consisted of (front row, left to right) Joan
Steinberger, Jerry Gippner, Kevin Pratt, John Swander and Frank Moynahan. In the
back row we have: Clyde Bourgeois, Larry Keitel , Frank Bass, George York, John
Womack, Carol Womack, Steve Bender, Dean Richardson, Chuck Johanson, Paul
"CO" St ephenson, and Shy Smith.
Built especially for Tex Rankin's Hollywood
Air Aces, the diminutive 1938 MG-2 Special
has been restored by Jim Moss of Graham,
WA. Another of the crowd's favorite air-
(Above) Our Contemporary Judges this year were Jeff Anderson, Tim Greene, Becky
planes, it was presented with the Champion
Greene, Rick Duckworth, Dick Knutson, Dan Knutson and Art Anderson.
Antique Custom Built trophy.
10 OCTOBER 1997
Antique/ClassicJcrapbook
by H.G.Frautschy and liormPetersen
Volunteersfill manyjobsduringtheConvention,andoneofthebiggestgroupswho
givetheirtimearetheAntique,ClassicandContemporaryjudges. Athanklessjobat
times,theygivetheirtimewillingly.
(Left) TheAntiquejudgesare,fromlefttoright,startinginthefrontrow,BobWilson,
Don Coleman, Steve Dawson, Gene Morris,Xen Motsinger,JerryBrown,and in the
backrow, Dale Gustafson, BillJohnson, Dave Clark, DaveMorrow,Ken Morris, Phil
CoulsonandDaveAnderson. Representedbythehatinfrontis MikeShaver.
(Below) The Grand
ChampionAntiquefor
1997 isTom Wright's
(right)BeechcraftStag-
gerwing D17S, an-
other extraordinary
E Staggerwing restor-
ationbyBern"Doc"
::; Vocke and hiscrew
inSandwich,IL. Itwas
..., last year's Reserve
GrandChampion.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
(Left) The Cunningham-Hall PT-
6F ("F" is for freighter) has been
resurrected by Greg Herrick
and the folks at HO Aircraft in
Anoka, MN. Part of the Golden
Wings Flying Museum of Anoka
County Airport, it had been kept
from harm for many years by
Gene Frank of Caldwell, Idaho,
who has saved many an antique
airplane from oblivion.
The Cunningham-Hall was
awarded the Bronze Age
Outstanding Closed Cockpit
Biplane trophy.
It was a "double scoop"
week for Greg, as along
with the Cunningham-Hall
he was able to display the
newly restored Buhl Sport
Air Sedan, Model CA-
3D/E. Designed by the
famous Ettienne Dormoy
(of "Dormoy Bathtub"
fame), this Sport Air
Sedan was used by the
Packard Motor Company
to demonstrate their air-
craft diesel engine.
The Buhl was selected as
the Antique Silver Age
Runner-Up. While on the
flightline, the two air-
planes constantly had a
crowd around them.
Tim Talen, of Springfteld, OR was partced
way down past row 120 with his Stinson
HW75, but the judges knew where he was,
and they had a great time pouring over his
extensive restoration book. A beautHul
piece of wort<, Tim's Stinson was given the
Bronze Age Champion trophy.
Ken Uchtenberg
12 OCTOBER 1997
(Right) W.F. Bohannan, of Columbus, OH and his son,
Bill Jr. of Carefree, AZ, pause in front of their 1936
Waco YKS-6 that was recently restored. Neatly
rebuilt, the YKS-6 has long been a favorite of Waco
fans everywhere.
(Below) The WW II era Champion in the
Antique category is this D17S Stagger-
wing Beech owned and flown by
Stephen Johnson, Bloomington, IN.
Stephen even had a model of his
Staggerwing on display alongside the
original. Mike Stanko's Gemco Aviation,
Youngstown, OH did the beautiful
restoration of the Beechcraft.
(Left) Worked on by the late Bud Kilbey, South
Bend, IN and finished by Ted Davis for Bud's son
Mark, this 1930 Waco ATO "Taperwing" is the 1997
Antique/Classic Silver Age Champion. Bud had
worked on the project for many years, and its com-
pletion serves as a way to honor him, a well
respected restorer. Many members will recall Bud's
Fleet restoration of a number of years ago.
A "busman's holiday" sort of
project, Steve Dyer (left), his
son Jim (right) and daughter
Wendy rebuilt this Beechcraft
Staggerwing (below) so well, it
was awarded the Antique
Reserve Grand Champion tro-
phy. Steve is the proprietor of
Univair, the supplier of PMA'd
parts for many of our vintage
airplanes.
(Right) Lori and Bob Kitslaar,
Luxemburg, WI have enjoyed their
custom Stearman, the "Flying
Dutchman," for a number of years.
Bob's latest addition to the
Stearman is the slick looking spin-
ner and engine fairing, reminiscent
of the combination used on the
Stearman C3. Built with a crafts-
man's touch, the addition looks
great on their custom biplane.
(Left) The Antique Transport Category
Champion was this beautiful Continental
Airlines DC-3, shown here during a
stopover at Chicago's Meigs Field.
Continental showed its support of Meigs
by volunteering to give rides to many of
the people who fought hard to save the
lakefront general aviation field, including
members of the "Tuskeegee Airmen" and
"Friends of Meigs Field." Shown with the
airplane in period stewardess uniforms
are Continental Flight Attendants Carmen
Franks (left) and Joy Lou.
(Left) The Smith family of Erie, PA brought their pretty Taylor J-2
Cub restoration to the Convention with a great story to tell. The
elder Mr. Smith, Robert, owned this very airplane in partnership
with his brother Donald as the second owners of the airplane
before WW II.
Keeping a bare metal 1949 Beechcraft Bonanza bright and
shiny is a never ending task, as demonstrated by Doug Steen
(above, right). This very nice looking Beech is owned by Waldo
Steen of Mt. Laurel, NJ. Here, the lower side of the wing gets
the "polish on, polish off" treatment.
(Above) AlC Director Jack Copeland
heads up the production and distribution
of the "Participants Plaque" each year
during the Convention. Each pilot who
registers his Antique/Classic or
Contemporary airplane can pick up a free
commemorative plaque featuring a photo
of his/her airplane and the Convention
logo as a souvenir of their flight to EAA
Oshkosh.
The Reserve Grand Champion of the Classic
judging category (1946-1955), this Is J.F. Fisher III,
of Senoia, GA and his Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser.
The Cruiser has become a popular restoration
subject over the past ten years, particularty since
Clyde Smith's restoration in the mid-80s.
(Above) Every year we present the Antique/Classic Parade of Flight during EAA
OSHKOSH. Here, Chairman and AlC Director Steve Nesse gives the takeoff signal to
one of his favorite airplanes, a Navion owned by Doren Anthony of Glen Ellyn, IL. This
particular Navion is this year's "Flagship of the Fleet."
Each of the pilots who volunteer to participate in the Parade of Flight is given a spe-
cial commemorative instrument panel medallion as an expression of the Division's
appreciation.
(Left and below) Richard
Charette, Wadsworth, IL has
been a perennial winner in the
Best of Type - Aeronca Champ
category for a few years.
Richard's wife, Christine, and
daughter, Alison, join him for
some family fun at the
Convention with their very
original looking Champ.
From a project that was described by owner/restorer Bill Goebel as one in which "everything not
bent was either corroded or worn out," this 1953 Cessna 170B has been completely restored,
including replacement of 85% of its aluminum skin. Both wings, all corrugated surfaces and the
vertical and horizontal tail were re-skinned, and the left landing gear box was repaired, as were
many, many other components. It's a first class job that won the Classic Best of Type award for the
Cessna 170.
Getting together at the Hartford, WI air-
port prior to a mass flight of Aeroncas, pilots
and passengers get the side-by-side and
tandem Air1<nockers running and ready for
the big jump to Oshkosh. Twenty-nine
Aeroncas made the en masse trip, and the
crews assembled for a group shot on
Saturday morning.
For others who wish to park as a group at
the Convention, it's simple - arrive together,
and you park together!
The Swifts have done it, the Ercoupes too,
and so have the Navions - all it takes is
some prior planning and a litHe well-ahead-
of-time coordinating with Antique/Classic
parking Chairman George Daubner.
Our thanks to Densel Williams and his
wife Judy for being the sparkplug of this get-
together, and to all the pilots who braved
such a clear, beautiful morning to go
"Aeroncavorting."
Aircraft Registration in the Antique/Classic
area is capably handled by a number of vol-
unteers, including these three smiling
faces - Slim Caselman, Sue Tupper and
Holly Caselman.
(Left and below) Joe Jacobi, of Mexico,
MO shows off the neat-as-a-pin restora-
tion of his Stinson 108-3. The Best of
Type - Stinson award winner, it has a
beautiful interior highlighted by the
stock instrument panel , and a very pro-
fessional looking engine compartment.
Joe's project is first-class quality, one
that anybody would be proud to call his
own.
Earning the Reserve Grand Champion
Lindy Award in the Contemporary Class
was this immaculate 1956 Cessna 172,
N6910A, flown in by its owner/restorer,
Joel Miller (EAA 468452, AlC 26464) of
Solon, IA. Born August 3, 1956, Joel
bought the 172 in 1994 after waiting 20
years for the previous owner to sell!
Entirely painted when he purchased the
airplane, Joel took so much kidding
about the "ugly" looking machine, he
took it home and stripped it down and
started to polish. The results are quite
startling and the judges soon swarmed
over the brightly polished Cessna. When
all details were checked, Joel had
earned the Reserve Grand Champion
Contemporary Lindy. He and his family
were one happy bunch of folks.
Sheldon (EAA 503381) and Colleen
Soldwisch of Bensenville, IL are an
enthusiastic couple and have a great
time with their brightly painted 1959
Cessna 175 Skylark.
1997 Vintage
Jeaplanes
E>y tiorm Petersen
Sparkling in its new red and white paint
scheme is this 1946 Aeronca 7AC
Champion mounted on a set of matching
Edo 1400 floats. Recently refurbished by
its new owner, Mark Wrasse, of Neenah,
WI, the pretty tandem is powered with a
Continental C85-8 swinging a flat-pitched
seaplane propeller. Long time Wisconsin c
seaplane pilots will remember this Champ
from when it was based at Tillman's !'l
rf
Seaplane Base on the Fox River at Green oE
Bay, WI for quite a number of years. z
Pictured in the amphibian area
at Oshkosh '97 is this extreme-
ly low time 1952 Piaggio P-136,
N222A, SIN 194, with only 914
hours since new! Built in Italy
and imported by Kearney &
Trecker of Milwaukee, WI, this
was the model 136 with wood
props and 260 hp Lycoming
engines (of the two 136's built,
this is the sole remaining
example, the other going to
King Farouk of Egypt and was
eventually wrecked). Owned
for over 25 years by George
Stevenson (EAA 21249) of
Eagan, MN, it was upgraded to
P-136-L standards with 290 hp
Lycomings and constant speed
props. Presently owned by
Barry and Rex Hammerback of
River Falls, WI, the attractive
pusher twin was flown to the
Churchill River area near
Hudson's Bay, Canada before
making the trip to EAA
Oshkosh '97. Barry reports the big twin cruises at 130 kts at 30 gph and is a really fine handling airplane on the water. While at
Oshkosh, they ran into Carl Koeling (EAA 20000) of Milwaukee, WI who made the initial test flight on the airplane for K & T when it
was brand new! Carl even furnished the new owners pictures of the airplane being unloaded from a transport ship in New Jersey.
There are presently 14 Piaggio "Royal Gull" listed on the U. S. register.
Winner of the Bronze Lindy Trophy in the
Seaplane Category at EAA Oshkosh '97
was this bright yellow 1947 Piper PA-12,
N3736M, SIN 12-2675, mounted on a set
of brand new Edo 2000 floats and flown
to Oshkosh '97 by Dave Zawistowski
(EAA 563307) of Eagle River, WI.
Completely restored specifically for
floats by Chuck Andreas of Neenah, WI ,
the PA-12 features flaps, 150 hp
Lycoming, enlarged baggage, increased
gross weight and a host of additional
"goodies." (Note the glass in the lower
seaplane door.) This particular PA-12
served as a glider tug for many years at
Aero Park Airport in Menomonee Falls,
WI, before being rebuilt for floats. With
the entire airplane and floats finished in
AN-Yellow/Orange, Dave has the advan-
tage of excellent visibility on the waters
of Wisconsin.


8
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"
This year's EAA Oshkosh '97 Grand Champion Classic shows us what a
great restoration can do for a plane that seems to get little respect.
Has it really beenfive yearsalready
sincewe lastsawa Tri-Pacerrestoration
like this? Surprisingly, ithas.Manyof
you will recall JoeFleeman's(EAA
428226, A /C 20349) workon Delton
Perry'sPiperPA-22Tri-Pacer,theone
pickedas the Reserve GrandChampion
ClassicofEAAOshkosh '92.A beautiful
restoration ofa long neglectedaircraft
type, Joeenjoyed Delton'sairplane so
much he decidedhewantedonefor him-
self!
TheTri-Pacerhas long been one of
Joe'sfavorites ,eversincehisgrandfather
taughtaman to fly hisalmostnew PA-22.
Joe wasa five-year-old tyke. " It
lookedsportyto me, even back
then," he recalled. Afterthree
yearsofinstruction, the fellow be-
ingtaughtbyJoe'sgranddadwas
ableto finish the requirements for
his Private Pilot'slicenseandgo
for hischeckride. Then, littleJoe
Fleemanwentfor a ride in that
Tri-Pacer. It must have made
quite an impression on him,and
yearslater,thebugdidn'tgoaway,
evenafterowningand flying one
fora numberofyears, andthen
finishing Delton'sairplane.
KennyBrown(EAA545516)
ByH.G. Frautschy
ofLawrenceburg,TN had beena friend of
Joe 's fora longtime.Hehad gone for a
ridein theTri-PacerJoe ownedand flew
over 10 yearsago, and memoriesofthat
timemusthavebeen simmeringin hissub-
conscious for quitea while.When hefi-
nally decided to haveago at aircraftown-
ership, heoriginallythoughta Cessna 172
wasgoingto fill his hangar. He wasjust
aboutto head down thatpath when Delton
Perry showedup totingthe Reserve Grand
Championtrophy in his newlyrestored
Tri-Pacer,N8740C. Kennywent for aride
in 40Cafew times,andhe noticed thatthe
great lookingand smoothflying short-
___...:.-........ the 1955 PA22-150Tri-Pacerin
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
wingPiperattractedalotofattentionat the
airportsthey landedat, far morethanthe
Skyhawksgenerated.It also seemedto
justbe more fun! MemoriesofJoe'sTri-
Paceralso camebackand he recalledhow
muchfun thatairplanehad beento fly, too.
Theobvious road to take then wasto go
looking for a Tri-Pacerofhis ownto fly,
buthis sightsweresethigh,given the out-
standingairplanehe wouldjudgeall others
against. Notsurprisingly,it boileddown to
this- ifKennyBrownwantedabeautiful
PiperPA-22 to ownand fly, he wasgoing
to haveto find a projectandgetto work.
Theresimplyweren'tanyto be had that
methis desires.
Joe Fleemanhad beenkeep-
ing his eye on a Tri-Pacerhe
knew wasresting in the backofa
hangar in Jackson, TN. Flown
onlyninehours in the 10 years it
had been owned by its lat est
owner,It was in Humboldt,TN
undergoingan annualwhenJoe
andKennycaught up with it. The
enginefailed theannual inspec-
tion whenmetal wasdetected in
theoil,lotsofit.
Theytrackeddowntheowner
and workedouta deal, putting
(Left and below) The rear seat is the original seat, not a replica. The fabric was in
excellent shape, and the vinyl just needed to be dyed to look like new. The front
seats were completely restored using black fabric that also matches the 1957 Chevy.
The Tri-Pacer makes an excellent family airplane, with plenty of room for baggage
and camping equipment.
22 OCTOBER 1997
aviation for almost 15 years when he
started on the Tri-Pacer project. Trisha, his
wife, has been his inspiration, and has been
very supportive of the project. When
Kenny was working on the Tri-Pacer and
would get depressed at the lack of progress
or some other snag, she would encourage
him and keep him going. "Without her
help and motivation and support I would
have never been able to finish it," Kenny
said during our visit at EAA Oshkosh '97.
One of the first challenges to be met
were the innards of the Lycoming 0-320-
AlA. Delton would have a hand in re-
building this part of the airplane, having
obtained his FAA Powerplant mechanic's
license during the overhaul of the Ly-
coming in his Tri-Pacer.
Tearing it apart showed the camshaft
had started to disintegrate, with two of the
lobes fractured and lying in the bottom of
the crankcase, and understandably the tap-
pets had been beat up pretty bad. The
crankshaft, while showing pretty strong ev-
idence of wear from the main seal, was
able to be professionally reworked, along
with the crankcase at Divco in Tulsa, OK.
Even the cylinders were sent out to be
chromed and welded where necessary.
When they were sent out, Joe was told
by the vendor that it was highly likely that
all of the cylin-
ders would have
cracks, whether
they could be
seen with the
naked eye or
not. New detec-
tion methods
used by Divco
showed cracks
in the cylinder
heads that would
have previously
gone unnoticed,
and sure
enough, each of
them had weld-
ing repairs done
to them.
The engine
work was done
Kenny Brown (left) and Joe Fleeman, both of Lawrenceburg, TN
are partners in NC2848P.
their laps to restore. It would be Kenny's
first project, although he was no stranger to
aviation. He started his aviation career as
an engine mechanic for the Air Force,
bending wrenches on the F-lOO, and pro-
gressing up through the engines on the A-
10 Warthog. Nowadays he works as an
electrician for the Tennessee Valley Au-
thority's Brown's Ferry nuclear power
plant, and as an electrical instructor teach-
ing others the ins and outs of keeping the
wiring in top condition in such a critical
application. A family man with two
grown-up youngsters (the youngest is a ju-
nior in college), he'd been away from civil
by Delton
Perry, who, as
we mentioned
before, had earned his FAA Powerplant li-
cense during the restoration of his Tri-
Pacer in the early 1990's. As it was being
rebuilt, keeping it looking original was also
a priority, and to that end Joe checked an
old copy of the Lycoming overhaul manual
and determined the crankcase was gray and
cylinders black. Everything could be
matched, except for the spark pl ug har-
nesses. They were originally black, but the
new ones were a bright blue color - hardly
appropriate for the 1950's era engine com-
partment. Joe solved the problem by cover-
ing each lead with black heat shrink tub-
ing, which neatly reproduced the look he
wanted. The use of aluminum flex tubing
for the cabin and carb heat ducting and
proper stencil style lettering on the inside
of the cowling helped finish off the engine
compartment to "like new" status.
Everybody involved brought their own
favorite talents to the project, and first-time
restorer Kenny did as well. His enjoyment
and expertise in doing wiring dovetailed
well with Joe 's preferences, who would
rather do the detailing of the interior and
the covering. Kenny helped all throughout
the rebuild process, as did Delton. Even
the nasty job of installing fiberglass insula-
tion for soundproofing was done by all
three gentlemen, who came away itching
and scratching, no matter how much they
covered themselves during the process.
Before all of that could be done, the
fuselage needed to be prepared first. The
airplane was quite straight, and corrosion
free as far as damage was concerned. Both
it and the engine mount were powder
coated in a matching shade of gray. The
sheet metal door skins, wrap cowling wing
leading edges and other various parts
wouldn't survive similar scrutiny. Joe esti-
mates that about 90% of the sheet metal
was replaced, and the rest took some hand
work to get it into airworthy and show-
plane shape. The nose bowl and "chin
cowl" (the open-ended bowl on the bottom
of the lower cowl) both needed to be
worked on, with the chin cowl needing
some welding too. An English wheel and
later a well greased mallet rubbed on the
inside of the cowl smoothed out any dents
in the formed pieces.
Before the insulation could be installed
on the newly coated fuselage, the interior
was restored with a few special items of
note. The rear seat is not just like the origi-
nal, it is the original seat! The black wool
fabric was still in nearly perfect condition,
and the vinyl , while faded, was in good
condition too. An application of Dupont's
vinyl dye of a red color to match the new
vinyl makes it impossible to tell which is
new material and which is the 32-year-old
vinyl. Avsco, an old Piper dealer in
Florida, supplied Joe with new old stock
black vinyl material for the top trim on the
doors and instrument panel. For the front
seat, the fabric was a good match with the
black fabric used on the '57 Chevy. The
red loop pile carpeting is also original, and
to complete the scene, a brand new towbar
was build by Joe to replace the ramp-worn
example that was still with the airplane.
The bar is held in place with a couple of
straps on the back panel of the luggage
compartment.
Once you've looked at the excellent job
done on the seats and side panels, your
eyes are drawn to another piece of out-
standing workmanship. The headliner is a
cotton nap material sewn by Joe after care-
ful realignment of the headliner bows. Joe
says he custom sews each headliner, mea-
suring between each bow and trimming to
VINTAGE AI RPLANE 23
The engine compartment of the Tri-
Pacer has been meticulously restored,
including the stencil type lettering on
the inside of the cowl. Aluminum
flexible air duct tubing, new heat
shrouds and baffle felt that has been
stapled in place, per the original, all
helped earn points towards the Grand
Champion Classic Lindy trophy.
fit. Shrinking isn't necessary, if the fit is
good, since the cotton will accept some
amount of pulling and tugging to smooth
out the wrinkles. Unable to find any curved
zippers, Joe made his own by ironing and
shrinking one side of the available zippers,
curving his own and sewing them in place
with few of the usual puckers and wrinkles
you often find in headliner zippers.
The work Joe did looks like it was
molded in place. Capping it off is a nice
example of the overhead speaker/dome
light grill. When you see one today, they're
often cracked and pretty unattractive, but
not this one - like so many parts of this air-
plane, it looks like it did the day it was first
installed in the cabin in 1955.
The instrument panel was one of the
few pieces that had been modified over the
years, so it did require some reworking to
put it back into original condition. Since
thi s Tri-Pacer is outfitted as one of the "Su-
per Custom" models with a full set of gyro
instruments and a Narco Superhomer, Joe
did the same, with the Narco guaranteed
not to work - it 's a dummy, in faceplate
only with a modern radio nestled in the
panel behind it. A vi ntage round micro-
phone Joe had been saving for years was
the fini shing touch on the radio installation.
The yoke medallions were re-chromed and
them the trim paint added, and the yokes
cleaned up to look like new. A full set of
block lettering finished off the red and
black instrument panel. Surrounding the
24 OCTOBER 1997
Modern instruments and radio, circa 1955. The PA-22 Tri-Pacer "Super Custom"
version gave you a full set of gyro instruments and a radio, plus a snazzy interior.
The side panels on the doors and cockpit are sheet metal, with the top edge trimmed
in black vinyl.
panel is a new windshield with the correct
profile as molded by Aircraft Windshield
Co., in Cali fornia. It matched the curve of
the windshield Joe had bought over 10
years ago from Piper.
After the headliner was installed, the in-
sulation was put in place, but this time Joe
did somet hing different. On Delton's
plane, they covered the insulation with
plastic, but not this time. Joe had noticed
that if you looked carefully, you could see
places where the pl astic was up against the
back of the Dacron fabric . To him it
looked unsightly, so he was determined not
to have it happ en again . Any possible
places of water intrusion were carefull y
taped, and at the bottom of the insulation,
Joe made a Dacron "sack" that would
make certain the insulation could not fall to
the bottom of the fuselage.
Covering the Tri-Pacer was done in
Joe's favor ite method, Cooper Superflite
102 with a nitratelbutyrate finish with Ran-
dolph products. Dac Proofer, followed by
2 coats of clear nitrate dope, then 5 coats of
clear butyrate, 8 coats of si lver butyrate
and then a white base coat. The final fini sh
is 8 coats of Sun Valley Ivory, with the ar-
eas receiving the Tennessee Red masked
off before the Ivory was sprayed, then the
I vory was masked off to the paint line and
the red appli ed. Besides the fact that the
red is a "bleeding red," meaning a li ghter
color cannot be applied over it, painting the
red trim in this manner gives you an unde-
tectable edge between the colors after the
finish is hand rubbed out using Dupont ex-
tra fine rubbing compound. Joe then fol-
lows the rubbing out process with two
products from Gear's Laboratory sold un-
der the brand name "King's Ransom." Joe
still remembers the slick finish on the origi-
nal Tri-Pacer when he was a youngster, and
wanted to duplicate that feeling of quality.
It 's funny, but both Joe and Kenny are of-
ten asked, " What did you do to make it
look so nice?" Joe 's response is simple:
"Nothing special - we just put it back to the
way it was." Time has a way of softening
our memory, and people just don't remem-
ber them being so nicely made.
I often ask a first time restorer if they'd
do it again. More often than not they reply
yes, and Kenny Brown seems to have the
building bug now. He's already thinking
about what he'd li ke to build. He enjoyed
helping with the tube and fabric, and thinks
a Tri-Pacer on floats would be a neat pro-
ject. Combined with his love of hunting
and fishing, it would make a great getaway
airplane for him. He's quick to acknowl-
edge the mentorship of Joe Fleeman, and
the contributions of his fellow Tri-Pacer
owner and engine rebuilder Delton Perry.
Now, thanks to his partner Joe, Kenny can
fly hi s wife Trisha into airports and collect
those disbelieving looks from those who
just don't remember Tri-Pacers looking
that good. After they take a good look in-
side and out, I'll bet there are not too many
" flying milk stool" comments.
I sure didn't hear them during EAA
Oshkosh - people were too busy ooohing
and aaahing. ...
An outstanding resource for peo-
ple interested in buying, flying or
restoring Tri-Pacers is the Short
Wing Piper Club. They publish a
bimonthly magazine, and you can get
more information on the club from
Bob and Eleanor Mills, 220 Main,
Halstead, KS 67056. Phone 316-835-
3307, Fax 316-835-3357 and E-mail
at 103 167 .245@compuserve.com.
WHATOUR.MEMBERSARERESTORmG
----------------------------by NormPetersen
Gilles Beda's Miles Magister in France
This photo of a Miles Magister MI4A Hawk Trainer, registered F-AZOR, was sent to Butch Joyce by owner, Giles Beda (EAA
508177, AlC 25204) of Paris, France. Gilles reports it is one of only three Magisters currently airworthy worldwide and was built on
July I, 1940, and immediately pressed into
service at the Central Flying School in
England. Of all-wood construction, the
"Maggie," as it is affectionately called,
was restored in the early 1990s and the 130
hp Gypsy Major lC was majored in 1993.
Resplendent in original RAP training col-
ors, the pretty tandem two-placer is fully
aerobatic at 1950 Ibs. gross with a max.
gross of 2000 Ibs. for normal flying.
Gilles, who has owned a Bucker Jungman,
a Staggerwing and a Rockwell 112, would
like to trade the "Maggie" for the likes of a
J-2 or J-3 Cub. His FAX number is 016-
205-0569 in France. He is especially fond
of VINTAGE AIRPLANE magazine and
extends his thanks to all involved "for all
the pleasure you give me each month."
Jack Phillips' Piper PA-16 Clipper
Cruising along over rural Illinois is Piper
PA-16 Clipper, N5230H, SIN 16-34, owned
by Jack Phillips (EAA 515831) of Mt. Ver-
non, IL. Jack reports he is busy learning the
art of flying with a tailwheel from his friend,
Lyle Endicott, an ex-Corsair fighter pilot of
outstanding experience. With side-by-side
control sticks and a Lycoming 115 hp engine,
the P A-16 makes a dandy full electric air-
plane (note the landing light in the left wing)
with nice cross-country capability. This neat
looking Clipper was formerly owned by
longtime EAAer, Warren Jolly (EAA 49328,
AlC 1285), now of Corinth, KY.
Dennis Blunt's Fairchild PT-23C
From Rockford, IL, comes this neat
photo of Dennis Blunt's Fairchild PT-23C,
N60418, SIN 337SL,just putting three
wheels on the grass. Dennis reports he re-
stored the PT in 1994-95 following a taxi
incident. At both '96 and '97 EAA
Oshkosh Conventions, the PT-23 won
Runner-Up Awards in the Trainer/Liaison
Category. Power is supplied by a 220
Continental R-670 pulling a wood prop.
Dennis (EAA 155248, AlC 19776) admits
flying in the summertime in an open cock-
pit trainer is about as good as it gets. Note
the front seat solo position where the pilot
gets an excellent view of what's going on.
There are presently 50 PT -23Cs listed on
the U. S. registry.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
WHATOUR.MEMBERSARERESTORING
by NormPetersen
Mobil Pipeline Patrol Luscombe
These photos were sent in by Ron Otto
of Mena, AR, who added that this paint
scheme was used on Luscombe 8-E, N1862K, SIN 4589, now registered to Terry Newbury of Florence, AL. One Luscombe 8-E that
was based in Midland and Odessa, TX, on the Mobil Pipeline Patrol, amassed over 22,000 hours on the airframe with the Continental
C85-12 engines often going 3,000 hours between overhauls. Even the interior duplicates the Mobil scheme with white, red and grey, in-
cluding the seats. Other standard items were Maule tailwheels and strobe lights on the belly of the Luscombe.
Waco UIC, NC13418
This photo ofa very nice looking Waco VIC, NC13418, SIN 3776, registered to Marice and Sandra Hodges ofJenks, OK, was con-
tributed by Paul Poberezny, who took the photo during the Biplane Fly-In at Bartlesville, OK. Originally equipped with a Continental
210 hp engine, this VIC, like most of the 17 on the FAA register, have been redone with 220 Continental R-670 engines. Note the pol-
ished Curtiss-Reed propeller, the streamlined landing lights in the lower wing and the metal wheel pants. The original factory "fish
hook" paint scheme is beautifully done.
26 OCTOBER 1997
The Boardof DirectorsofOcean Reef Club
Key Largo, Florida
cordially invitesyou to attend
THE4THANNuALVINTAGEWEEKEND
December 5th,6th and 7th, 1997
Honoringclassicconveyancesby air, land, andsea
~ andincluding ~
TheAntiqueandClassicAirplaneFly-in
The Concourse d'Elegance ofAutomobiles
~
TheAntiqueandClassic Yacht Rendezvous
RSVP
Milrry Kilby- (305) 367-5874
Because Ocean Reef Club isaprivate club,
The Vintage Weekendis open only to
membersandinvitedguestsstayingin
the InnorMarina.
Participation includeswekomingcocktail
partyin aprivatehomeFridayevening;
Saturdayday-longcelebration ofboats, cars,
andplanes; genuineMaine lobsterbake
Saturday eveningwith The BillAllredJazz
Band; awardsandfarewellbreakfastSunday
morning. $160perperson
OCEAN REEF CLUB'
31 O CEA N RE EF DRIV E, SUITE C-300 ' K EY LAR GO, F LORIDA 33037
AEROMAIL (Continued from pg 3 )
the project, and have enforced the "Cease
and Desist " order.
We'll have more on this situation in next
month's Vintage Airplane. - HGF
EAA FORD INFORMATION
Dear Ben (Owen),
I read with interest the recent article in
SPORT AVIAnON (July issue) about
EAA's Ford 4AT-E Tri-Motor NC8407 and
realized I had worked with this airplane in
the 1950s and saw it several times when I
was on charter flights to Bradley Field in
Boise, Idaho.
Here is some Ford history from my log-
book in 1956. I worked for Abe Bowler in
Orofino, Idaho maintaining Ford 4s and 5s,
Fairchild 71, Fokker Super Universal, Stin-
son SM7A, Cabin Waco with 450 Pratt &
Whitneys, J-3s and PA-12s. I chartered in a
PA-12, taught students in J3s, and was the
copilot in the Ford 4 and 5.
From June 21 to July 19, 1956, three
Fords sprayed timber at Ennis, Montana.
Jerry Wilson's Ford 5 AT-C with 550 hp
Pratt & Whitneys, N 1124N, Abe Bowler's
Ford 4 AT-E with 975 Wrights, N9612, and
the Bradley Ford 4 AT -E with 985 Pratt &
Whitneys with constant speed propellers,
NC8407 (from Bradley Field at Boise,
Idaho). All flew about 70 hours each, spray-
ing timber near Ennis, Montana and Yellow-
stone Park.
Just prior to this spray project at Ennis,
Montana, there were seven Ford Tri-Motors
parked in a line at Missoula, Montana. We
were there for the Forest Service to check
the swathe width and calibration prior to
commencing spraying. In addition to the
three Fords at Ennis, Bob Johnson's Flying
Service had three Fords, and I believe Bob
Waldemeyer had one. I did not take a pic-
ture. I thought at the time that these Fords
would be around forever. However, Na-
tional Geographic photographed them all to-
gether at Ennis.
The Ford 5 hauled 550 gallons of diesel
and DDT, applying one gallon per acre. The
Ford 5 sprayed 52,259 acres in about 96
trips. The Ford earned 18 cents per acre. I
was paid one cent per acre as copi lot. My
duties as copilot included fueling, checking
oil, greasing the rocker arms and washing
the airplane every day. Both Ford 4s hauled
450 gallons each. I flew copilot in the Ford
5, 1124N. All three Fords ran out of gas on
this project, and all landed safely. The Ford
5 burned one gallon of fuel per minute. We
burned 168 gallons from Orofino, Idaho to
Bozeman, Montana. My hearing has suf-
fered since flying a Ford for 120 hours.
We flew in and out of many back country
strips in Idaho. Fords were known then as
"sinkers" in rough air, but were faster than
most light airplanes such as the Stinson and
Cessna 170. Only the Cessna 180 could pass
one. The rudder and elevator were extremely
heavy - 70 turns on the nose up trim. The
ailerons were so ineffective that you could
28 OCTOBER 1997
either work yourself to death in rough air, or
do nothing when the wi ng was down and it
would return to level flight on its own. We
carried a 2 x 4 that, when wedged between
the seat and rudder pedal, would lock full
rudder. When an outboard engine was shut
down, this was removed on short final. Your
leg could only hold full rudder for two or
three minutes.
E. O. Frank of Caldwell, Idaho owned
two non-flying Fords, the slick skinned Ford
that Harrah's restored and SIN I 0, a partially
restored open cockpit Ford powered by J-4
Wrights. I believe he still owns SINIO.
Just thought I'd pass this on to the EAA
for whatever interest it might be.
Sincerely,
Dean Wilson
EXPLORER A VIA nON
Idaho County Airport
Grangeville, ID
Backlight stayson until you turn it
PAYS FOR ITSELF AS YOU USE IT
Pickup ATISand get clearance
before the Hobbsstorts running!
NEW! BUILT-IN SIDE TONE
Includes headset interface &PTT jock
LOUD, CRISP AUDIO
A22 audio cuts through high cabin noise
SIMPLE TO OPERATE
ICOM's si ngle knob tuning - instant
frequency selection even in turbulent conditions
50 user-programmable memory channels
Instant access to 121.5 MHz
RUGGED ERGONOMIC DESIGN
One-piece die-cast aluminum chassis
with asuper-tough polycorbonate casing
ALL AT AVERY REASONABLE PRICE!
Fly-In
Calendar
OCTOBER 9-12 - MESA, AZ - Copperstate
Fly-In. Call Bob Hasson, 520/228-5480.
OCTOBER 12 - TOWANDA, PA -
Towanda Airport (N27) Fly-In Breakfast.
All you can eat, including 100% pure
maple syrup! 7 a.m. - 1p.m. For info,
call Carl Lafy, 717/265-4900.
OCTOBER 10-12 - EVERGREEN, AL -
Southeast Regional Fly-In. Call Harold
"Bubba" Hamiter, 334/765-9109.
OCTOBER 10-12 - WILMINGTON, DE _
East Coast EAA Fly-In. Call Andrew
Alvarez, 3021738-8883.
O CTO BER 17-19 - KERRVILLE, TX -
Southwest Regional Fly-In. Call Stu
McCurdy, 512/388-7399.
W ~ l O m ~
Allan Adelman ......... Rockville, MD
Eric Alexander . ............. Bend, OR
George M. Allen .. .. .. .... . Amory, MS
James K Ames ........... Ooquet, MN
Deshler D. Annstrong .. Rochester, NY
Thomas A Arsenault .. ... Fridley, MN
Richard A Ash ..... .. .. .. Piffard, NY
Robert D. Askins ... . ..... Warsaw, KY
James D. Atkinson .......... Mena, AR
Steve Aughinbaugh ......... Plano, TX
Brian Aukaes .......... Des Monies, IA
Lloyd L. Austin . ........... Dover, DE
Tom Austin, Jr........ . . Battlecreek, MI
Neil E. Baker .......... Huntington, IN
Randall C. Baker ... Coleman Falls, VA
Jack Baldwin .. . ..... Whitefish Bay, WI
Charles Brandon Ball .... .. Millville, NJ
Stephen L. Barnes ................... .
............. Macclesfield, Great Britain
Martin Baston .. . . . .... Sand Point, AK
Troy Bates .. . . ........ Fayetteville, AR
Doug Beck .......... Minnetonka, MN
Nick J. Bentz ............ Chaska, MN
Roy H. BischoffIII ... . .... Belleville, IL
Jeffrey Boddiger ... . .. .. Dodge City, KS
Bernie W. Bolster ... Grand Rapids, MN
Dave P. Bordano .. . . . .. Big Rapids, MI
Gib Boren .............. .. ... Boise, ID
Tim A Bourassa ..... .... . Mexico, ME
DonJ. Boyd ........... Mocksville, NC
Raymond Broomfield ... Camarillo, CA
Keith E. Brown ............. Dillon, CO
Derrell F . Brown .... Winter Haven, FL
Henry Budzynski .... .. Wmchester, VA
Robert A Bunton .... . . Shreveport, LA
G. L. D. Burnett Hilton Head Island, SC
Roderick Burnett . ..... . . Brooklyn, MI
Dan Bush ................ Denton, TX
Alan Bush . ........ . .. . Strongville, OH
Frank Caldwell .......... Radford, VA
Roy G. Calvert ...... . Maurertown, VA
Patrick Carron ..... ... . Palos Park, IL
John R. Chapman ...... Kalamazoo, MI
Jerry D. Chappell .. .. .... . .. Plains, KS
Bruce Christie . . . . ..... Anchorage, AK
Brooks Oark ....... Monks Comer, SC
Russ Oemens ........... EI Cajon, CA
Terry E. Oifton ..... .. . Savannah, GA
G. V. Cline .............. Callahan, FL
Douglas W. Ooud . ..... Overbrook, KS
Jerry M. Cohen ........ . .... Plano, TX
Randel D. Compton ... Gulf Breeze, FL
Gary K Cooper ......... Wauconda, IL
StevenJ. Coulter ...... Fort Payne, AL
Jesus C. Cuevas ....... Snohomish, W A
Bill Cullere ..... ............ Stuart, FL
David L. Cummings .... Woodland, WA
J ohn A Dale ...... ....... Colbert, W A
Robert C. Dalzell .. .... Owensboro, KY
Douglas WilliamDavis .... Ra:MuxI Oty, CA
Paul M. Densley .. .. ........ Leeds, UT
Mark Dickey ............... Murray, U
Dennis Diem . .. . .. ... Long Beach, CA
David G. Dix . . ...... . . Centre Hall, P A
William D. Dixon .......... Warren, MI
Thomas N . Dixon ....... . ... Lodi, CA
Russell G. DonCarlos .. Gladewater, TX
Charles J. Dorey ...... . . Rice Lake, WI
L. DuV e ............ Victoria, Australia
Albert L. Dyer ............. Batavia, IL
Elwin E. Ellis ... .......... Augusta, MI
David Ellis ....... .. . ... Martinsville, IN
Richard A Elms ... Laguna Beach, CA
Terry L. Emig ...... . Casa Grande, AZ
Craig Engel . . ...... . ... .. .. Amboy, IN
Dale W. Ensing ............... Cary, IL
Tom Entrekin .. .... .. . Manhattan, CA
Douglas W. Eshelman .. Brentwood, TN
Tom Fagan ... . .... . .... Randolph, NJ
Edward J. Farkas ...... Milwaukee, WI
Alan E. Fearns ..... . ..... Lecanto, FL
Wayne Iven Findley .. . ..... Dexter, IA
Richard F. Fischer. Arroyo Grande, CA
Eliot Fishman ............. Chicago, IL
Patrick H. Floyd . Nepean, Ont, Canada
James W. F loyd ........... Chicago, IL
Timothy J. Flynn ....... Woodstock, IL
Charles Foster .......... Newtown, CT
Lisa Fox . . ........ . .... Carrollton, GA
Dan H. Freeman ........ La Plata, MD
Gary W. Fuller ........ The Colony, TX
William J. Gallagher ...... Chalfont, PA
Antonio Garcia .......... Norwalk, CA
Richard N. Gaylord . .. .. Rochester, NY
John D. Gerth . ... . ... . ... . Clinton, IN
Lars Gleitsmann .. . Northeim, Germany
James N. Godwin ...... ..... . .... .... .
... . ........... Guelph, Ontsrio, Canada
Robert R. Gorry ..... Germansville, P A
Craig Greenlaw .......... Durham, NC
Jerome H. Grzybek ...... Bur Ridge, IL
Ralph H. Guditz .. ....... Bellevue, WA
Cabaroos Lomba Guillermo Puentes, Spain
Ralph Gutowski .. . . ... ... . Oxford, OH
Steve Gutzmer . .......... Langley, WA
Sheridan W. Hale ... Walnut Creek, CA
Gary E. Hamilton ......... Milburn, OK
Gregor G. Hamilton .. .. . ... Chicago, IL
Dean N. Hannemann. Manchester, NH
Donald Harbeck ........... Elyria, OH
Mike G. Harr .. . .. .. .... ... Griffin, GA
William H. Harridge ....... Marengo, IL
David A Harris .. . ........ Senoia, GA
Robert K Harrold, Sr........ Buder, IN
James G. Hathaway . .. Mill Creek, WA
Tim Haverland ............. Cocoa, FL
Celia H awley ............ Olympia, WA
Robert C. Hill .. ... .... Greensboro, NC
Eugene R. Hill ............ . Detroit, MI
William Hinkle ... . ....... Wellston, OK
William M. Honan .. .... Manassas, VA
Tom B. Hopkins . ... ........ Sarco, ME
Carl Hubbell . ....... .. Fort Worth, TX
Sheila Horsley Hubbell. Fort Worth, TX
Sarah Hubbell ... . .. ... Fort Worth, TX
Margaret C. Hubbell ... Fort Worth, TX
Rachel Hubbell .. .. . ... Fort Worth, TX
Carl Ed Hubbell ..... .. Fort Worth, TX
A1iciaHubbell ......... Fort Worth, TX
Jason Hubbell ......... Fort Worth, TX
Bob Hurd ... . .. .. .. .... Tillamook, OR
Harold W Hyde . .. ... .. Baltimore, MD
Eric Hylen .......... . Cold Spring, MN
Lawrence L. llg ....... Mt Prospect, IL
Steven C. Inabnit ..... ... Richland WA
Darrel Inman ......... . .. Lewiston, ID
Richard James ........ . . Gambrills, MD
Thomas E. Janke ..... ...... . Orion, MI
Dan J. Jankowski .......... Merton, WI
Oare W. Jenkins .......... . .. . Rio, WI
Mike Johnson ..... .... . . EI Segundo, C
Howard B. Johnson ........ Lively, VA
Walter F. Johnston ....... Burbank, CA
Bernd Keil ......... EriswiI, Switzerland
Richard Kempa ........ Grandview, IN
Dennis M. Kern ........... Del Rio, TX
Kerry Kilpatrick ... New Brunswick, NJ
Charlie Wayne Kiser .. Willmington, NC
F rederik Klopper .. .. . ... . .. .......... .
.. .... Pretoria, Republic of South Africa
John Kortus . ....... ...... Baraboo, WI
Lawrence E. Krengel ...... Marengo, IL
Ross Krumbholz ......... ...... .... .. .
... Runaway Bay, Queensland, Australia
Patrick F. Leonardi . Elmwood Park, IL
Robert F. Lindley III.. Oak Harbor, WA
Robert Thomas Little .... Maynard, AR
Thomas B. Lockyear ....... Normal, IL
Wayne Lohmeyer .... . Cedar Park, TX
Henry D. Longhurst ......... . . ...... .
......... Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada
Mark Ludwig ........... Knoxville, TN
Richard E. MacOeery . Birmingham, MI
Robert W. Mackie .. .. .. F ly Creek, NY
Michael Magee ............ Hinton, WV
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
WILcomI NIW
Robert W. Marshall ..... San Diego, CA
Ronald Matuska ... Morieno Valley, CA
Millard G. McCarty ...... EUettsville, IN
Keith L. McCutchan ... Mt Vernon, IN
George McCutcheon ... Glenmoore, PA
Dennis K McDaniel .... Harrisburg, PA
James Montgomery McKim Midland, MI
Michael D. Mckinney . Sacramento, CA
Adam V. McKinstry .. Hubbardston, MI
Orris D. Memck ......... San Jose, CA
Keith A. Michel ........... BeUeville, IL
Bob Milkie ................. Racine, WI
Phillip Miller .......... Valley City, ND
Mike MitcheU ........... Lewisville, TX
Robert Moore .............. Dallas, TX
Douglas Morgan ............ Cary, NC
Harold O. Moms, Jr.... Huntington, WV
Michael W. Muchmore Kennebunk, ME
Harry P. Mutter ............ Media, PA
Alan D. Nelson ............ Ottawa, IL
Dagmar Nicholas ..... Uniontown, OH
Harold E. Nord, Jr..... Rye Beach, NH
Mark Nord .......... Marshalltown, IA
David D. Offutt ........ . .. Conroe, TX
James M. Page ............ Raleigh, NC
Richard L. Pankratz ..... Fall City, WA
George Papich ............ Benicia, CA
Thomas Parsons ......... Sarasota, FL
James M. Paulas ........ Mt Eden, CA
Philip Pauley ............ San Jose, CA
Rex Pease ........ . .. Grand Haven, MI
John Petschelt .. . .......... Antioch, IL
Douglas PfundheUer ..... Stoughton, WI
Lt Oliver Philippi ..... Chesterfield, MO
Ernest L. Phillips ........ Aberdeen, SO
John D. Pickett ........ Tallahassee, FL
ComeJ. Pieterse ..................... .
Kempton Park, Republic of South Africa
Michael P. Pope .... OUppewa FaIls, WI
Michael N. Porter .................... .
.............. Orangeville, Ont, Canada
Merl A. Potter ............. Wichita, KS
Ace G. Powers ...... Albuquerque, NM
Alan C. Powers ...... Westminster, MD
Penelope Price ........ Bloomington, IN
Richard B. Prideaux ....... Loving, TX
Ben D. Prince .... . ..... . ..... Alta, CA
Anthony Pucillo ............ . ........ .
.... . ......... Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Kenneth E. Rabbitt .... Battle Creek, MI
Donald M. Ramsey ..... Huntsville, AL
James L. Ray .......... . Huntsville, AL
James R. Reid, Jr........ CoUeyville, TX
Stuart G. Roat .... . ...... Maywood, IL
John R. Rosenberg ... Chanhassen, MN
John D. Rosenoff ........ BeUevue, W A
Daniel M. Ruh ............. Afton, MN
30 OCTOBER 1997
Bernard J. Rusiewicz ..... Natrona, PA
Arvid G. RusseU ......... Onalaska, WI
Alex RusseU .............. Tuscon, AZ
Angela Sams .............. Lorton, VA
Thomas ScheUhammer ............... .
................ F1wiingen, Switzerland
Don Schelm .............. Omaha, NE
Scott Seegers .............. Catlett, VA
Otto Seruga ... Dwight, Ontario, Canada
Joel Severinghaus ......... Omaha, NE
Walter Shiel .......... Weatherford, TX
Scott Shock .............. Helvetia, WV
Stephen D. Showalter ..... Linville, VA
Allen Silbennan ........ W. Chester, PA
Gerry Snapp ............. Poulsbo, W A
Sheldon S. Soldwisch .... Bensenville, IL
Casper Sorich . ....... Morgan Hill, CA
Richard I. St Onge . Crestview Hills, KY
David H. Stadt .......... Wauconda, IL
Paul Stafford ....... San Francisco, CA
Phil Stallings .. . ............. Hurst, TX
Joe A. Stamm .... . .. Chagrin Falls, OH
Mark A. Stemheimer, Jr... Richmond, VA
Robert J. Stewart, Jr.... . ... . .. Erie, P A
Henry J. Stone ... Colorado Springs, CO
Lynn Stortz ............ La Crosse, WI
Terry Strong ................ Mesa, AZ
Dwayne J. Struck .................... .
............... Kanata, Ontario, Canada
John P. Studebaker . New Madison, OH
J. SunIin ...... . .......... Saratoga, CA
David A. Theis . ..... Crested Butte, CO
Robert W. ThisseU ...... Plymouth, MA
Paul A. Tomaszewski ... Sunnyvale, CA
Daniel Tomczak ....... Ann Arbor, MI
Robert L. Trinque ...... Plymouth, MA
Kevin Yap ................. Olathe, KS
Thomas R. Wade .......... Tyrone, GA
Garry Waite ..... . ..... Las Vegas, NY
Paula Waite ........... Las Vegas, NY
Mason Waite ......... . Las Vegas, NY
Spencer Waite ........ . Las Vegas, NY
Jacque Waite ......... . Las Vegas, NY
Oliver Waite ........... Las Vegas, NY
Orristopher Walsh ........... Novi, MI
Paul B. Weaver ...... Wapakoneta, OH
David Webb ...... Blooming Grove, TX
John L. Webb .......... Wilsonville, OR
Richard Weeden ......... Brodhead, WI
Charles R. Whale, Jr........ . . Kuna, ill
Sam Williamson ...... . . Logansport, IN
Charles M. Williamson ... Southfield, MI
Donald R. Wolters ....... Barrington, IL
John D. Wright ......... Eau Oaire, WI
Richard W. Yaws .. New Braunfels, TX
David York .. . ............ Carmel, IN
Peter Zweifel .... Oberhasli, Switzerland
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Pass It To Buck
(Continued From Page 9)
holding patterns and whatever, and then the
three engine ILS approach, missed ap-
proach, second engine failure, culminating
in a circling approach with two engines
out, both on one side, naturally, and a suc-
cessful landing, the inspector then did
about an hour debrief and handed you your
type rating.
So much for background. Here I am go-
ing back in time. The Captain flying thi s
cargo-liner is more than 30 years younger
than I am, an EAA member, and well quali-
fied I find, and so is the First Officer and
the Engineer. If clothes make the man,
these guys certainly don't fit that mold.
Dressed in jeans and loose shirts, joggers
and about as informal as you can get, their
looks belie their professionalism. Their
preflight planning all completed, we're on
the flight deck and go ing through the
prestart check list. [watch. I li sten. I'm
impressed.
The takeoff releases a flood of sensa-
tions and memories. The growl of the en-
gines, the feeling of flight taking place, feel
the ai rplane lifting, gear up, flaps up, climb
power, and we are on our way.
[n cruise the Captain invites me to take
the right seat. No autopilot in thi s opera-
tion, so I am handed the job of keeping it
straight and level and on course. I chide
the engineer to sync hi s engines and I settle
down to some serious heading, altitude and
course application.
The conversation is most pleasant. The
deference to age and experience is gratify-
ing. They act as if they are really interested
in what I have to say, and especially my ex-
periences in flying the DC-6 airplanes, so
much so they challenge me to make the ap-
proach and landing.
Knowing full well that the Captain's
ticket and future are on the line, I decline.
The copilot resumes his seat and [ sulk in
the observer's seat, deriding myselffor not
taking the challenge but knowing that it's
the right thing to do.
Now I learn why the jeans and joggers.
When we taxi in and park, the crew be-
comes the cargo handlers . They r ally
around the mule, a little hand operated pal-
let mover, place the pallets in the doorway
where a huge forklift takes them off, and
reposition pallets for the next stop. Taking
on new pallets reverses the procedure, and
in a matter of minutes we are buttoned up
and off to the next stop.
Guess what? Alaskan weather! Nome,
our next stop, is fogged in! We start for our
alternate and then the Station Manager, or
whatever his title is, calls and says the run-
way visual range has improved to 4400 feet.
Hey! That's minimums, so we go for it.
I watch and li sten to the Captain brief
the crew. He will fly the approach, the
copilot will watch for the li ghts and the
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runway, the engineer will call the altitudes,
airspeeds and minimum descent altitudes.
The go around procedure is rehearsed, and
we leave the holding pattern.
The end result is a beautifully executed
approach and landing. I must admit seeing
that raw data on the panel and NO flight di-
rector gave me a twinge , but this guy
welded those needles in place and from the
observers seat I saw the runway until he put
the nosewheel down and reversed the
props.
The cargo hustle and bustle again, and
after a ten minute stop we are back in the
air. The next stop is a 4,000 foot grave l
runway and a straight in approach. Visibil-
ity is unlimited and the Alaskan twilight
doesn't coincide with the clock. It 's past
midnight.
We take on 7,000 pounds offish at this
stop and we are off for Anchorage. An-
other beautiful landing, and after the thank
you and good-bye, I tum my back on some
of the most rewarding flying I 've experi-
enced in years. I can hardly wait to get
back home and look through my logbooks
to find when I last flew that particular air-
plane.
For the record, it was January 4 and 5,
1959, and my books s how I had 7,500
hours as a DC-6 copilot and I, lOO hours as
a Captain. One of the old-time Captains r
flew with back in those days told me you
never lose a qualification. Well , maybe he
was right. I must admit it all came back
and it all came together, and by the time
that six hour flight was over, I certainly felt
like I could fit right in. If I had only taken
him up on hi s offer. . . rr 3t(d 4'
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33