APRIL 2010

STRAIGHT & LEVEL

GEOFF ROBISON
PRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Change in season, change in activity

s everybody out there ready
for a brand new flying season?
The weather around here has
finally improved to a point
that we are well into beginning
the annual spring ritual of extensive preflight preparation of all
the airplanes in the hangar. One
Chief needs the dust knocked off,
some fuel, and its ready to go.
The Lycoming-powered Aeronca
TL is likely going to get a different engine, a Continental, to
make it a TC. The Cessna 120 is
finally getting that interior you
have heard me talk about in previous columns. Its also getting a
rework of the panel and replacement of the skylights, along with
an annual inspection. Were sure
it will be completed by the end of
April . . . right!
The other Chief in the hangar is
patiently awaiting its turn for an
annual inspection, and my Cessna
170 is in annual and fl ight ready.
(I cannot remember the last time I
could say that in mid-March!).
In the midst of all this busyness
we are still making progress on
the Neumann Monocoupe, which
we as a chapter are restoring for
the EAA AirVenture Museum. On
top of that, we have now completed the expansion of the VAA
Chapter 37 hangar; you can see
we had a busy winter. Im ready to
do some flying for a change!
One interesting factor that
has developed here at Vintage
Chapter 37 has been an uptick of
youthful participants. It seems as
though the word has gotten out

that we welcome the opportunity

to engage our local youth in our
aviation activities.

Nothing is more
fulfilling to our mission
than reaching out
to these young folks.
Having the
opportunity to engage
these energetic
participants in our
activities has paid off
in many ways.
Nothing is more fulfilling to our
mission than reaching out to these
young folks. Having the opportunity to engage these energetic
participants in our activities has
paid off in many ways. Our Young
Eagles events continue to expand
because we reach out and gather
as many of our local youth as possible. These busy young minds and
hands pay huge dividends to the
chapter experience in many ways.
Because of this single development, I see a bright future for this
chapter. It will continue to thrive,
since we consistently open more

and more doors for these youngsters. Heres hoping that you are
engaged in a local EAA chapter and
it is experiencing similar growth.
Have you participated in an
EAA webinar yet? You have to
check out this latest member benefit. I personally attended the first
two events and have come away
absolutely enthralled. This is great
stuff! Its educational as well as informativeand even entertaining. If you are unable to attend the
webinar fi rsthand, no worries, as
they are also being posted on the
EAA website for viewing at your
leisure. Its better to attend the actual webinar because you have the
opportunity to ask the presenters
questions. Dont miss out on this
opportunity to engage yourself in
these events. Check it out on the
EAA website at www.EAA.org; just
click on Oshkosh365.
May 15 is the first International
Learn to Fly Day, an observance
first announced at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh 2009. EAA is urging all
aviation groups and pilots to participate in the event, which seeks to
spark interest in adults learning to
fly, similar to the success of Young
Eagles over the past two decades. A
new website has been unveiled at
www.LearnToFlyDay.org, which will
help serve as a clearinghouse of information and events surrounding
this new, focused effort in aviation.
VAA is about participation: Be a
member! Be a volunteer! Be there!

A I R P L A N E
Vol. 38, No. 4

2010

APRIL

CONTENTS
IFC Straight & Level
Change in season, change in activity
by Geoff Robison

News

The 1930 Kreider-Reisner Challenger

D.J. Shorts tribute to aviator Bill Watson
by Sparky Barnes Sargent

11

My Friend Albert Vollmecke

Part 4
by Robert G. Lock

26

Light Plane Heritage

The 1924 Mummert Sportplane
by Jack McRae

18

Technical Tidbits

FAA issues SAIB on circuit breakers

21

The Vintage Mechanic

Continental W-670 main bearing failures, Part 1
by Robert G. Lock

26

The Vintage Instructor

Hitting the mark: precision landings
by Steve Krog, CFI

28

STAFF

Mystery Plane
by H.G. Frautschy

30

Mystery Plane Extra

The Flying Dutchman Otto Szekely and his three-cylinder wonder
by Wes Smith

36

11

Type Club Notes

Handy Tip for Drilling Out Rivets
by Gerry Sheahan

38

Advertising Coordinator
Classified Ad Coordinator
Copy Editor
Director of Advertising

Tom Poberezny
Mary Jones
H.G. Frautschy
Kathleen Witman
Jim Koepnick
Bonnie Kratz
Sue Anderson
Lesley Poberezny
Colleen Walsh
Katrina Bradshaw

Display Advertising Representatives:

Specialized Publications Co.
U.S. Eastern Time Zone-Northeast: Ken Ross
609-822-3750 Fax: 609-957-5650
kr40@comcast.net

Classified Ads

COVERS

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

18

FRONT COVER: Inspired by the late Bill Watson, this is the restoration of a 1930 Fairchild

Kreider-Reisner KR-31 Challenger done by D.J. Shor t. With its Cur tiss OX-5 engine popping at
the exhaust por ts, the KR makes a pass for the camera of Gilles Auillard. See the stor y by
Sparky Barnes Sargent star ting on page 4.
BACK COVER: This original illustration of the Bugatti 100 racer is on loan to the EAA Museum thanks to the owner, Marc Boegner, a grandson of one of Ettore Bugattis employees.
Other than the fact that the illustration was produced prior to the actual construction of the
airplane, little is known about the ar tist, A. Lamber t, or if the illustration was also reproduced in print form. It cer tainly evokes the sensation of speed and streamlined purpose of
the proposed racer!

U.S. Eastern Time Zone-Southeast: Chester Baumgartner

727-532-4640 Fax: 727-532-4630
cbaum111@mindspring.com
U.S. Central Time Zone: Gary Worden and Todd Reese
800-444-9932 Fax: 816-741-6458
gary.worden@spc-mag.com; todd@spc-mag.com
U.S. Mountain and Pacific Time Zones: John Gibson
916-784-9593 Fax: 510-217-3796
johngibson@spc-mag.com
Europe: Willi Tacke
Phone: +49(0)1716980871 Fax: +49(0)8841 / 496012
willi@flying-pages.com

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1

VAA NEWS
Senate Approves FAA
Reauthorization
Provisions to release abandoned
type certificate data included
The United States Senate passed
its $34.5 billion version of the
three-year FAA reauthorization bill
March 13, 2010 without user fees,
maintaining the present system of
(slightly higher) fuel excise taxes.
The bill, passing on a unanimous
(93-0) vote, would provide funding for development of the Next
Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) as well as $8.1 billion for the Airport Improvement
Program with a general-aviation
fuel tax increase from 21.9 cents to
36 cents per gallon.
This is a major milestone that
puts our nation on a path to modernization of the air traffic control system, said Tom Poberezny,
EAA chairman/president. Were
extremely pleased that user fees
are not a part of this bill, but we
also are vigilant and ready to act
should user fees be proposed in
this volatile economic climate.
The House version passed last
year with different language than
the Senate version, meaning it
needs to be reconciled in a HouseSenate conference committee before being sent to the president.
Both bills, however, do contain
identical language to allow the
release of abandoned type certificate data, a provision EAA has
been seeking for years in an effort
to assist vintage aircraft owners
in safely maintaining their aircraft. If that provision emerges
in the fi nal version, it represents
a signifi cant win for vintage aircraft owners.
Were pleased to see this language included in the FAA reauthorization bill. Its a great first
step toward the release of data
that is critical for the restoration and maintenance of these
aeronautical national treasures,

2 APRIL 2010

notes H.G. Frautschy, executive

director of EAAs Vintage Aircraft
Association. While the number
of abandoned type certificates
is relatively low, and the actual
amount of TC material maintained by the FAA is not complete,
giving the FAA the legal authority
to release abandoned type certifi cate data allows them to say yes,
rather than being constrained by
outdated rules.
EAA is asking type club members
and vintage aircraft owners who
know of someone who might benefit from this provision to please let
us know at vintageaircraft@eaa.org.

Learn to Fly Day

Saturday, May 15, will be a day
where dreams of flight will become
reality as the inaugural International Learn to Fly Day brings together aviators with those who have
always wanted to discover flight.
International Learn to Fly Day,
first announced at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh 2009 last July, is an aviation communitywide effort to help
people take that next step to discover the fun, freedom, and accomplishment of flight. EAA is joined
by numerous other aviation organizations and businesses in this effort,
which features introductory flights,
seminars, and open houses at airports and other locations throughout the nation and internationally.

The joy, fulfillment, and sense

of accomplishment of flying an aircraft is unlike anything else that
one can experience, said Tom Poberezny, EAA chairman/president,
who announced International
Learn to Fly Day at Oshkosh last
July. We who fly want to share
this unique freedom with others,
as we know there are millions of
people who have thought, I would
love to learn to fly, but have never
taken the next step. We are leading
this effort and calling upon every
aviation business and association
to join us in opening the door for
others to discover flight. EAA also
asks every pilot to individually take
someone flying on May 15.
The information center for International Learn to Fly Day is the
www.LearnToFlyDay.org website,
which features the ability to find
an event that encourages a person
to discover more about flying, or
allows a group or company to post
an event that welcomes those interested in flying.
EAA has taken leadership of this
important effort because of the organizations extensive network of
nearly 1,000 chapters, which support and promote aviation on the
local level. Those grassroots chapters offer resources for those interested in flight, whether it is
through the chapters members or
connections with flight schools
and instructors.
As part of that effort, EAA
chapters are urged to participate
by organizing events in their local communities, and to let people know about those activities
by posting them on the www.
LearnToFlyDay.org website.
EAA chapters offer a very important link to growing the flight
community, as chapters are the
neighborly connection that welcomes new aviators and those
who want to discover more about
flight, Poberezny said.

Gone West
August Bellanca
August Thomas Bellanca, 83,
died March 16 in Annapolis. The
son of aviation pioneer Giuseppe
M. Bellanca and his wife, Dorothy
Bellanca, August became a noted independent airplane designer and inventor and worked as a civilian Navy
aerospace engineer, most recently
in the U.S. Navys Conceptual Design Department in Patuxent, Maryland. Hell be remembered as well
for his work in designing and building the Skyrocket II, an early composite aircraft that broke five FAI world
speed records for single-engine airplanes. August started working in
aviation at his fathers aircraft factory in New Castle, Delaware, and
he held various positions at Douglas
and Grumman before starting his
own company. Our condolences to
his family and friends.

EAA Features Webinars

In March, EAA launched a
regular series of webinars as
a new communications and
learning service to members.
(A webinar is a multimedia presentation transmitted live over
the Internet, viewed on a computer.) The presenter can use
slides, audio, and video during
presentations, while the audience can ask questions, chat,
or be polled for their opinion.
EAAs webinar series will feature a range of speakers on a wide variety of aviation
topics. The first presentationDesign and Development of the B-17 held on March 3
was hosted by Sean Elliot, EAAs director of aircraft operations, and a Flying Fortress
pilot. Initial reaction to that inaugural presentation was positive.
Some of the topics to be discussed in future webinars include medical certification,
homebuilding skills, the Spirit of St. Louis, as well as several AirVenture-focused webinars as we approach the fly-in.
EAAs webinars are offered free of charge to EAA members, but space is limited to
the first 1,000 registrants. To view the webinar your computer (Mac or PC) must have
audio speakers or headphones, and a broadband connection is recommended.
See the schedule of upcoming webinars and sign up at www.EAA.org/webinars.

William Bud Field

The San Francisco Bay area lost
an aviation spark plug when Bud
Field, the president of VAA Chapter
29, passed away after an extended
illness. Bud was one of those guys
who didnt know the word no. He
pressed on in his quest to make aviation a better industry and more
fun. Reading his presidents column in the chapter newsletter,
you always got the feeling this fellow was very bullish on aviation,
and he was an aviation evangelist
of the first order. Under his leadership, Bud helped elevate Chapter 29 into one of the most active
EAA or VAA chapters in the country, with plenty of social and community service events throughout
the year. A passion for aircraft restoration was also part of his makeup,
with Bud overseeing and often participating in the restoration of a
number of unique airplanes, from
a Curtiss Robin to one of his most
recent, a DC-3. Well miss his enthusiastic messages and presence at
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Our condolences to his daughters Nikki and
Angelina, and to his hundreds of
friends across the country.

DC-2 to Join Oshkosh DC-3 Celebration

A rare Douglas DC-2, the predecessor to the DC-3, will join the July 26 mass arrival of 40 airplanes at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2010. The aircraft, owned by the
Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington, will lead the group flight of DC-3s just before the opening-day air show to usher in the DC-3s 75th anniversary celebration.
Aviation luminary Clay Lacy, EAA Lifetime Member 285436, who was a driving
force behind the airplanes restoration, will pilot the DC-2 from its current home
at Van Nuys Airport, California, to the group departure airport at Sterling/Rock
Falls, Illinois (KSQI), then on to Oshkosh.
Painted in the classic TWA red and gray scheme of The Lindbergh Line, it is
one of only two airworthy airframes left in the world. The aircraft has rarely been
seen in flight at any air shows since 1985, and it has never been to Oshkosh.
It will be available for viewing and photos at KSQI July 23-25 and will be on the
ground at AirVenture July 26-31.
More than 40 DC-3s are expected to be on the grounds of Wittman Field during
the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the famous aircraft, with more than a
dozen parked in the Vintage parking area in at least two locations. For more on the
DC-3 celebration, visit the EAA convention and fly-in website at www.AirVenture.org.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

The 1930

Kreid

Cha
4 APRIL 2010

ider-Reisner

hallenger
D.J. Shorts tribute to aviator Bill Watson
BY

SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

Like many of its contemporaries, the airfoil of the wing on the KR-31 has undercamber.
ttime was 64 years old
tthat was all hed ever
done. That scared me
d
tto death; I did not want
tto do that. As time and
income permitted, he
in
eenrolled in university
courses to better himco
self. He wanted to learn
se
how to weld, so he took
ho
basic airframe class.
a b
After a couple of weeks,
Af
the instructor recognized
Aviation March
A
that
D.J. had some potentha
1929
tial
and hired him to start
i
l
April 1928
working on airplanes.
Aero Digestt
I had never touched an airplane
D.J. Short is a soft-spoken, me- before, and he pretty much menticulous craftsman with a serious, tored me, says D.J. I stayed at the
intent focus on his work. He thrives university for five years, and I got
upon challengeswhether pro- my BS degree. During that time, I
fessional or personaland strives learned to fly sailplanes, and then
for excellence along the way. His I learned to fly a 40-hp E-2 Cub.
newly restored KR-31 is a fine ex- Eventually I got all my ratings up
through CFI and sailplane CFI. The
ample of that.
guys I worked with owned old airplanes, and a J-2 came available,
Happenstance
D.J. didnt grow up around avia- and they decided I needed that. So I
tion, nor did he foster aspirations bought the project, finished it, and
to fly. His introduction to aviation probably logged about 300 hours a
was quite by happenstance. Imme- year in itI flew that thing to work
diately after high school, he worked every day, and I still have my J-2.
Once D.J. had his degree, his airas a truck driver, moving houses
across the country. It was terrible frame and powerplant certificate,
work and no pay. Then I got an- pilot certificate, and ratings, he
other quality job pouring concrete started his own restoration shop
walls in Kansas City on commer- in 1994. Since then, Short Air has
cial structures, reflects D.J.. And specialized in not-so-common proja gentleman I worked with at the ects, including a Nicholas-Beazley

6 APRIL 2010

NB-3, an Anderson Greenwood

AG-14, several Monocoupes, and
numerous engine conversions. D.J.
sometimes finds time to work on
his own projects, as wellsuch as
the KR-31.

Bit o History
Lewis E. Reisner and Ammon H.
Amos Kreider formed the KreiderReisner Aircraft Company in 1927
in Hagerstown, Maryland. In December that year, they received approved type certificate number 19
for their Challenger C-2 (KR-31) biplane. In the early part of 1929, the
company was acquired by Fairchild
Aircraft Corporation. Kreider and
Reisner were influenced by Waco,
and their KR-31 was very similar to
the Waco 9 and 10 ships, but those
were very heavy, explains D.J. So
Kreider and Reisner made the KR31 lighter by routing out the wing
spars, and they went with the conventional straight-axle gear, which
is much lighter than big oleo struts
hanging out in the wind. Now that
gear is a weak point, but it is light.
The three-place, OX-5-powered
Challenger had an upper wingspan
of 30 feet 1 inch, a lower wingspan
of 29 feet 2 inches, and four ailerons. It measured 23 feet 9 inches
from nose to tailskid, and tipped
the scales at 1,236 pounds empty.
Its useful load was 842 pounds with
a gross weight of 2,078 pounds, and
it carried 33 gallons of fuel and 4

The OX-5-powered KR-31 has four ailerons, which are activated by push-pull tubes.
gallons of oil to feed and lubricate
its 90-hp engine. The Challenger
would cruise at 85 mph for a range
of 340 miles and land at a slow and
easy speed of 37 mph. Its construction was simple yet sturdy, with a

welded steel tube fuselage and wings

of spruce spars and wood ribs.
According to aviation historian
Joseph Juptner (U.S. Civil Aircraft,
Vol. 1), a Challenger model C-2,
powered with an OX-5 engine,

was flown in the Air Derby from

New York to Los Angeles in the latter part of 1928 by Amos Kreider.
He finished in 17th place after a
grueling contest with most of the
countrys finest. There was a good

Modern Cleveland brakes have been installed.

Theres no mistaking the rounded tail of the KR-31. D.J.

Short modified the tailskid to make it steerable.

The lower cowling is opened during preflight to permit

access to the fuel drains.

The instrument panel, circa 1930.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

number of these C-2 (KR-31) type

built during a production period
that lasted through the best part
of 3 years. Today, there are 14 KR31s listed on the FAA Registry, with
maybe only four that are still together, according to D.J.
In the April 1928 issue of Aero
Digest, Kreider-Reisner advertised
their biplane as A Light Weight,
High Speed Plane for Commercial
ServiceEmbodied in the Challenger. . . are all the recognized
improvements in the design and
construction of modern aircraft. Its
remarkably light weightis made
possible by the use of chrome molybdenum steel, duralumin and welded
steel tubinga distinct advance over
the heavier types of construction.
A March 1929 ad in Aviation
touted the KR-31s comfort and performance: Challenger! Comet
OX5Warner: Take your pickstep
into the comfortably upholstered,
roomy cockpit. Notice the complete instrument equipment and
how conveniently theyre placed.
See how the controls respond to
the slightest touch. Give her just
a short run, then up and away.
Watch how swiftly and steadily she
climbshow quickly she obeys.
Loop her and roll herget all the
fun that flying provides. Then put
her down slowlysurely into the
smallest field. Trim of linegraceful as a birdeasily controlled
strong, sturdy, safethe ship of
ships for commerce or sport.

Caretakers
NC10290s date of manufacture
was June 9, 1930. Fairchild Airplane Manufacturing Corporation
(a Division of Fairchild Aviation
Corporation) sold the spiffy new
Challenger to flight instructor Arthur C. Pottorff, who operated the
nearby Waynesboro, Pennsylvania,
airport. His was a familiar face at
Kreider-Reisner, and by the following summer, he was also working at
their flying field. Pottorff kept the
KR-31 in his care for four years before selling it.
It went from owner to owner

8 APRIL 2010

The naked KR-31 before fabric covering.

Kreider-Reisner employees building wings in the late 1920s.

through the decades, and then in
1957, Charles E. Woerner of Geneva, Ohio, acquired NC10290.
The biplane went through an extensive rebuilding process in the
three years it was in his care, and
a Curtiss OXX-6 was installed in
place of the 90-hp OX-5. By October 1970, serial number 358 landed
in the hands of Sid Hess, who added
it to his antique fleet. He owned it
for about eight years.
Fast-forward another decade or
so to June 1998. Thats when D.J.
heard that Roger Freeman of Texas
had a KR-31 for sale. D.J. and his
father, Jackson, took a road trip
to look at the disassembled project. D.J. made the decisionwhich
was really more of a personal commitment to himself (as youll read
later)to purchase the KreiderReisner and restore it. Father and
son hauled the project back to War-

rensburg, Missouri, and work commenced one step at a time.

Restoration
You wont find expensive, stateof-the-art equipment in D.J.s restoration shopprimarily because he
likes to do things the way they were
done back in the day. While he
worked on myriad parts, his father
spent numerous hours working on
the wings. Hes not an airplane
guy, but hes a good listener, and he
spent a lot of time dry-rigging it,
says D.J. with a proud smile. You
can look at the ailerons and the
trailing edges of the wings and see
how well they line up compared to
other old airplanes.
Some pieces had to be reverseengineered by enlarging factory
photos to glean specific details and
measurements. But the most challenging aspect of the project was

Profile of the OX-5-powered C-2 Challenger (KR-31).

finding time to continue working
on it. The work itself, says D.J., is
not really hard. Its all a piece at
a time, and most everything was
hand-built back then, except for
certain castings. There were a lot
of original parts, but most of them
needed to be redone. The top cowl
over the engine is original and was
good enough to use after I did a little patch work on it.
D.J. covered the airframe with
Ceconite fabric and used Randolph
nitrate butyrate dope. Color selection was easy, he says, since there
was a little piece of fabric on one of
the lower wing attach points when
we got the project, and I cleaned it
up to get the true color. I used that
as my paint chip and then called
the manufacturer and had them
send the pigmentsI enjoy blending and mixing the colors myself.
Its an old plane, and I tried to keep
it looking like oneits so easy to
make them look new.

oil comes through the camshaft first

and then to the crankshaft, and all
the overhead oiling is external on
that engine.
The water-cooled OX-5 has its
own special protocol for starting.
You have to flood the carburetor
because its 2-1/2 feet below the
engine. So you turn the fuel valve
on, and sometimes the carburetor
will flood itself, but sometimes you
have to flood it. So when I pull the
fuel valve open after turning the
prop through a couple of times, I
take the cover off the float and pull
the seat off to flood the carburetor
myself, explains D.J. Then it gets
enough through the wells that it
can draw the fuel up to the height
that it needs to get to, so itll start
and then I pull it through with the
choke on. When you get it set up
just right, it fires off and does wonderful. The whole things a process,
so Im still figuring that out, too.

Up in the Air
Venerable OX-5
Fortunately, D.J. had an OX-5 engine core to start witheven if it
did have three loose wrist pins and
only two cylinders. So I had to find
some cylinders and make my own
guides and seatsbut to me, thats
the normal fun part of it, says D.J.
Those engine castings are very porous and difficult to weld, but I got it
in the oven and annealed it and got
everything lined up and tight, with
new bearings for the crankshaft. The

D.J. is pleased with the KR-31s

performance, especially since he
anticipated that it might be rather
sluggish on takeoff and climb-out.
Its wonderful, better than I expected! It took off the ground a lot
quicker than I thought it would.
It rolled down the runway, and in
a couple of hundred feet it was in
the air, he says happily. It runs
great and has a fuel burn of 7 gph
at 1400 rpm, which I think is fabulous. It is a little heavy on the aile-

rons, but thats the way they were.

[The cockpit] isnt real comfortable,
but theres lots of room in there,
and I wanted it to be how it used to
be, because thats part of it.
Flying behind an OX-5 in an
open-cockpit biplane is an experience with which few pilots are
intimately acquainted. D.J. has cultivated his own philosophy about
flying the KR-31. I dont know
airspeeds; I fly everything by feel.
I dont look at altimeters or tachs,
and I dont have a GPS. I just look
at the little map and figure it out
thats part of the process, he declares. You can punch a waypoint
in a GPS and gobut if youre not
looking outside, why are you flying? In the Kreider-Reisner, youre
looking through the radiator when
youre flying, and then looking off
to either side to see if all of your
cylinders are firing. The separate
exhaust stacks on that arent original, because I learned from one of
the old-timers that if you have the
straight stacks, you can see which
cylinder is having issues.

On the Ground
The first flight after restoration went pretty well . . . until the
third landing. The KR-31s original
swiveling tailskid, along with its
straight-axle gear, exerted combined
torsional forces to create a bit of
havoc during that ill-fated landing.
The first hop around the patch
was successful, so D.J. landed
and his father climbed in the
front cockpit. That circuit went
smoothly, as well. After his father
climbed out, D.J. just couldnt resist
going around one more time. During the landing, the wheels started
to give way, and the skid swiveled
and continued to let me go around.
I saw it coming and shut the engine and fuel off real quick, describes D.J., reliving the experience.
Then I started hearing spokes
break, twang, twang, twang! And
then boomit dropped down to
the ground. When the spokes gave
way, the wheel broke in half, and
that piece made a wonderful ski

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

You can punch

a waypoint in a
GPS and gobut
if youre not looking
outside, why are
you flying?
D.J. Short
D.J. Short taxies the 1930 KR-31.
it didnt dig in. It didnt break a
gear leg, thank heaven. I got out
and had a lookthere was no fire,
and everything else looked okay. I
cussed at myself a couple of times,
then put my hand underneath the
wingno mud, no grass, so woohoo! Im good to go.
Understandably, D.J. decided
some changes were in order. He
installed a Cleveland disc brake
system, modifying it a bit, and installed bellcranks (interconnected
with the rudder cables) to allow
the tailskid to be steered. The
rudder bar pivots back and forth
there are no rudder pedalsand
as I run out of rudder, it pulls
the tailskid to the side to keep it
straight, and then it also starts applying the brake just a little bit,
explains D.J. It took six months
to find a good clincher-bead
wheel, and I also had some better
spokes made. The original spokes
and nipples were nickel-plated
brass with cut threads and were
very soft, so I had a friend make
stainless steel spokes and nipples
with rolled threadstheyre a lot
better now.

Inspiration
D.J.s personal inspiration and
ensuing commitment to restore the
Kreider-Reisner stemmed from his
admiration of one particular aviator
he met early on in his aviation career.
A hero of mine was Bill Watson; he had an OX-5 KreiderReisner [1928 KR-31, NC7780] that

10 APRIL 2010

he flewhe was the nicest guy in

the world, and I just wanted to be
like him. Not because I knew him
that well, but it was just what I
perceived when I saw himhow
he acted, how he behaved, and
how he treated everybody. I was
still young when I was watching
him, and hed fly the KreiderReisner to fly-ins and haul rides
in that thing all day long with a
smile on his face. I cant imagine
how many peoples lives were altered because he gave them that
ride. And unfortunately, we were
at Bartlesville when they had the
midairhe was killed and we saw
it off the end of the runway, says
D.J. in a refl ective tone. So that
set me to thinking, Well, hes
gone nowmaybe I need to work
a little harder to be like him, so
I dropped some of my attitude.
Then this Kreider-Reisner came up
for sale. I decided to buy it and restore it in memory of Bill, and to
remind myself to lighten up a little bit and be more like Bill. Thats
how I came to get the airplane;
thats the underlying cause.
For D.J. there has been a direct
and fulfilling parallel of simultaneously working on the KR-31 and
working on himselfhis attitude
and outlook, that is. He continually
pushes himself to grow by seeking
new challengeswhether aviationrelated or not. Im a battalion
chief for my fire district, and Im
also a medicthats fun for me,
he says and smiles. I like helping

people when theyre at their worst.

I enjoy doing that; its my monotony breaker.
Through these experiences, he
wants to be a positive role model
within his family and his community. His wife, Margie, is supportive
of his endeavors, and their young
sons, 5-year-old Warner, 3-year-old
Lambert, and 1-year-old Velie, are
already showing an interest in aviation. I dont push them, says D.J.
They just come and ask me to go
flying in the 40-horse Cub. As for
their names, there is a Monocoupe
theme there, but we just liked the
names because they all have history behind them, and I just dont
want to follow the norm.
The Challenger is perhaps the
most aptly named of D.J.s personal
projects because the element of restoration that is most satisfying to
him is not the end result. Its the
process, he explains. You think of
a project as a complex thing, but an
airplanes a bridgeyou build one
piece, build another pieceand as
long as all the pieces are together
and properly in their place, you
have a strong bridge. Thats what I
love doing; thats the fun part.
NC10290 received several awards
during the Antique Airplane Associations national fly-in in September
2009. It was selected as the Antique
Pre-1936 Grand Champion and received the Fairchild Clubs Open
Cockpit Award as well as the Lyle
Hoselton Memorial Award for best
workmanship by owner.

My Friend

Albert Vollmecke
Part 4
BY

verything Albert Vollmecke

had to say was important,
and I did not want to miss
a word. So I purchased
a voice-activated cassette tape recorder to capture every detail of his
career during our talks. On one particular visit with Albert and wife,
Maja (pronounced My-ya), in Silver
Spring, Maryland, I placed the recorder on a coffee table to capture
our conversation. Al left the room,
and Maja asked what that black box
was on her coffee table. I explained
this device was recording the conversation between the three of us.
Oh, Maja said. You dont want
to hear my voice; you just want to
listen to Albert. Ill keep quiet. I
assured her that the input she had
was equally important. When Albert returned to his chair we began the conversation again. Before
long, Maja had forgotten about the
recording device and continued
with her timely comments.
Then there was a memorable ride
with Albert to a local German restaurant in the Silver Spring area where
he lived. Maja had passed away, and
Al lived alone in his townhouse. At
the age of 90, Al still navigated his
car around the area. Al drove to a
little place where we had a marvelous German dinner complete with

ROBERT G. LOCK

beer. Then back at his place we had

a small taste of Frangelico liquor,
which he served in small German
glasses on a beautiful silver tray. He
was priceless, and it was such a pleasure to be in his company. He kept
current on local and world issues.
He liked to discuss whatever was in
Time or Newsweek magazine. One
topic that stands out is a discussion
we had on the legalization of drugs,
such as marijuana. He was still a
thinker of great magnitude.
When Albert visited me in 1982 to
see the plane he had created 53 years
previous, he flew from Monterey,
California, to Reedley, California,
in a Beechcraft Bonanza. He commented how nice the instrument
board was designed. When the Bonanza entered into the long, flat central San Joaquin Valley, he spotted
the aqueduct that moves water from
Northern California to the southern part of the state. It is a long and
straight concrete canal directly adjacent to Interstate 5, a major northsouth highway. He looked to the left
and right, finally asking, What is
that long, straight line down there?
I explained what he was seeing, and
he said, I have never seen anything that long and that straight before in my life. When we landed
at the Reedley airport, I suggested

lunch, but Albert declined, saying he

wanted to go immediately to see the
Command-Aire. He was excited to
see his airplane once again.
On November 18, 1978, Albert
Vollmecke and I, the owner of a 1929
Command-Aire, were united and
were to form a friendship that would

Alber t and Maja Vollmecke outside of their townhouse in Silver

Spring, Mar yland.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

From Popular Aviation, March 1929, this full-page ad- September 1982, the master designer and one of his
vertisement from Command-Aire Inc. touting the talent original wings from the Command-Aire 5C3, NC997E.
of Albert Vollmecke.
The fuselage can be seen in the background.
last until Als death on June 9, 1994.
The friendship had many memorable events even though I lived on the
West Coast and he on the East Coast.
One such event took place on October 26, 1982, when we undertook a
search of the Federal Records Storage Facility in Suitland, Maryland,
for Vollmeckes Command-Aire approved type certificate (ATC) drawings. His first copy ATC drawings
were not to be found, but other data
did turn up. He was disappointed as
was I, but we pressed on with the restoration project.
Knowing Al Vollmecke and his
family was a pleasure and an honor
for me. Al saw pre-World War I aviation; Charles Lindbergh fly nonstop solo from Long Island, New
York, to Paris, France, in 1927; astronauts land on the moon; and the
development of the space shuttle.
He not only saw it all, but also was
a part of the development of aviation. He was a brilliant but humble
man. To have him as a consultant
of an airplane he had designed in
1929 was a great experience for me.
Albert A. Vollmecke is remembered
as an American hero and a giant in
the world of aviation.

Special Memories of
Albert Vollmecke
I am including a few special
stories that happened after I met
Albert Vollmecke. Many of these
stories are not documented by pho-

12 APRIL 2010

This was the fuselage assembly in late 1988, just four months before the
1989 Sun n Fun Fly-In. Completion of the airplane was impossible, so it
was packed aboard a trailer and hauled 2,700 miles to Lakeland, Florida,
to be with Albert.
tographs or tape recordings, but
rather from my memory.
When I was restoring my Command-Aire, work progressed painfully slow because I had a family
to raise and there never seemed to
be money left over to spend on the
airplane. Therefore many of the
parts and supplies were scrounged
or traded. The project had started
in 1978, the year I met Al, and progressed into 1989. Albert wrote me
a letter and asked when the air-

plane would be finished, because

he wasnt getting any younger. We
talked about taking it to Sun n Fun
in Lakeland, Florida, in 1989. He
indicated that he would be attending and that I should have the ship
there so he could be with it. Joe
Araldi was constructing a replica
Little Rocket racer, and it would be
at the show, so I tried hard to make
the schedule. However, it was just
impossible to finish the ship, get it
certificated, and fly it there. Know-

ing this I called Al and told him

my story, and he said hed send me
some money to get that airplane
there. So I designed a trailer big
enough to house the airplane and
planned to haul it there during my
spring break at college.
When Albert arrived by car from
Orlando International Airport, he
saw the Command-Aire together for
the first time. He was elated. In the
foreground is a silver wingtip belonging to Joe Araldis replica Little
Rocket racer. Well have more on
this in the next installment. So both
Command-Aire ships were displayed
next to each other, making it easy
for Al to spend time with the ships.
He and I sat next to 997E engaging
in conversation, when a small group
would gather near the Little Rocket.
He would say, Well, I think Ill go
over and talk to those birds and see
what they are interested in. He used
the term birds to identify people
who he would engage in conversation, but he was interested in conversation that leaned only to the
technical side; he didnt want to just
carry on a meaningless chitchat.
The OX-5ers sent a representative down to the Command-Aire
because they heard Al was in the
area. They offered a golf cart to
transport him to their building,
but he declined. He said he could
walk that far and would be down
later. We walked to the building,
and when he entered it was like a
god from the past had returned. He
was besieged with old-timers wanting autographs and a conversation
with him. He lasted about an hour,
announced he was tired, and we returned to the Command-Aire to sit
and rest. He was interested in the
latest innovations of sport aviation
displayed at Sun n Fun, particularly the instrument boards. My,
how they have changed, he said.
Al stayed at a Holiday Inn in
Lakeland; I would pick him up in
the mornings and drop him off in
the evenings. If he were not too
tired we would have dinner together at the Inn. One evening he
came to Joe Araldis cabin at the

14 APRIL 2010

A special piece of artwork for a special friend.

Green Swamp Aerodrome for dinner. I was cooking chicken on the
barbecue, and he came over to ask,
Bob, what are you cooking? I explained what I was doing, and he
said he had never seen this done
before. The chicken was very good,
as were all the fixings that went
with it. From that time on, whenever he would call the first thing he
would say is, Bob, are you cooking? It was our special inside joke.
Joe arranged with a friend in the
videotape world to come and tape
Albert around his Little Rocket.
When they were finished they offered to tape me conducting an
interview with Al. It was a very
improvised deal, but it turned out
well. It is the only live interview I
have of Al and me, and it was done
about where he is standing in the
above photograph, only we are sitting on chairs.
I had been tr ying to restore
NC997E for some time, and each of
my airframe and powerplant classes
at Reedley College were well aware
of the project. In my 1988-1989 airframe class was a young lady by the
name of Ellen Wickersham who did
exquisite leaded glass work. She offered to build a leaded glass Command-Aire for me, which of course

I accepted, except it would go to the

designer, Albert Vollmecke, instead
of me. She was elated and shortly
produced a superior work of art that
I carried to Sun n Fun. During Als
visit I presented the glass CommandAire to him, and he was thrilled.
In his letter dated April 14, 1989,
Al writes, I bet you had a nice
sleep and you have fully recovered.
I had an enjoyable flight home.
Perfect weather, cruising at 37,000
feet. Everybody here loves the nice
glass Command-Aire you gave me.
Please tell the young lady how
much it is being admired. Thanks
again. I am attaching a small check
please accept it! You did a bang-up
job which I appreciate and I do not
need the money. I trust that it helps
a little. Best Regards to all of you.
Al Vollmecke Al told me over the
phone that he hand-carried that
glass Command-Aire on his lap so
nothing would happen to it. He absolutely loved it. It hung just inside
the front door of his townhouse,
and the sun would shine through
the window and illuminate it brilliantly in the mornings. He said
he would just sit in his chair and
admire it. The Command-Aire was
just on the other side of the room
from his favorite chair.

Light Plane Heritage

published in EAA Experimenter December 1989

THE 1924 MUMMERT

SPORTPLANE
by Jack McRae
EAA 93

In June 1924, Harvey Mummert had completed and

was flying the third of his homebuilt airplanes at Roosevelt Field, Long Island. It was to become the most successful of the three.
The 1924 Sportplane was quite different from his
earlier efforts, which had featured streamlined wood
monocoque fuselage construction, and was apparently
designed more for structural simplicity and good pilot visibility. It was an airplane of unusual design for
1924a cantilever low-wing type, of all-wood construction, with a wide-tread landing gear. The fuselage
was of a rectangular cross section with plywood covering. No stabilizer was used, as the fuselage extended
aft full-width to a horizontal knife-edge. A single-piece
flying tail elevator was installed, with a conventional
fin and rudder.
The thick cantilever wood wing used the Curtiss
35B airfoil at the root, tapering to a much thinner section at the tip, and it had had an area of 135 square
feet. The wingspan was 26 feet; the gross weight of the

aircraft was 550 pounds. It was powered with an 18hp, 74-cubic-inch Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine
that gave the airplane a top speed of about 60 mph.
The Sportplane was first flown with a direct drive to
the propeller, but was soon changed to a chain-drive
reduction gear to improve the takeoff.
In 1923 and 1924 the English lightplane races had
received much publicity and aroused interest in lowpowered airplanes. At the Dayton Air Meet held in October 1924, the first lightplane races of national scope
were held in this country. There were three events
open to airplanes with engines of less than 80 cubic
inches of displacement, and Mummert entered his
Sportplane in all three events.
The first event was a 25-mile race for the Dayton
Daily News Trophy, which was won by Jimmie John-

Lead photo: The Mummert Sportplane waits on the

line at the 1924 National Air Races in Dayton, Ohio.
Note the unusual wheel chock device.

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

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

This profile shot was also taken at the 1924 National Air Races. It emphasizes the sturdy landing gear system
and high tires.

16 APRIL 2010

son flying the Driggs Johnson DJ-1

monoplane. Mummert was forced out
of the race after two laps due to engine
failure. The second lightplane race, 50
miles for speed and efficiency, was
won by Mummert; however, he again
had a forced landing due to a broken valve spring. Mummert replaced
his valve spring with one taken from
a motorcycle owned by George Edwards, who had ridden it all the way
from New York City to see the races.
Mummert was then able to take off
again and finish the race in first place
with an average speed of 38 mph. All
the other airplanes were still on the
ground due to either engine trouble or
excessively rough air.
The third event was a 140-mile
cross-country race for the Ricken- A close-up of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine installation showbacker Trophy, which was won by ing the chain drive to the propeller.
E. Dormoy in his Flying Bathtub.
Mummert was consistent in having
engine trouble, which again forced
him to withdraw about 20 miles
from the start.
The 1925 National Air Races were
held at Mitchell Field, Long Island,
and again Mummert entered his Sportplane in the three lightplane events.
He had removed the chain drive to
the propeller, which had given him
trouble the previous year, and had
added an engine cowling. However,
the direct-drive propeller was considerably less efficient, and he was unable
to place in any of the races. All three
lightplane races were won by the Bristol Cherub-powered Powell racer.
After the 1925 National Air Races,
Mummert advertised the Sportplane
for sale for $850 complete, or $750 less The Mummert Sportplane with the Anzani engine installed by Homer
engine. It was sold in 1927 to Homer Goodier. This photo was taken at the Amboy Airport near Syracuse, New
W. Goodier, an engineer from Sol- York, in 1930.
vay, New York. Goodier spent about
two years overhauling and rebuilding the ship and in- titude of about 300 feet and was totally demolished.
In late 1924 Mummert left the Curtiss company on
stalled a six-cylinder Anzani engine. The airplane was
taken to the Amboy Airport near Syracuse, New York, Long Island and became chief engineer for the Aerial
after receiving the identification number 520K and be- Service Corporation in Hammondsport, New York.
ing registered as the Mummert Sportplane serial num- This company later became Mercury Aircraft Inc., and
ber 3. Goodier had learned to fly during World War I Mummert remained there, responsible for a number of
but had not flown since the war. He was checked out at interesting airplane designs, until his death in 1939.
the Amboy Airport and eventually took the Mummert
References: Aviation magazine, October 13, 1924,
Sportplane to his brothers farm near Sauquoit, New
York, where he flew it for some time. On the evening and October 27, 1924, Aircraft Year Book, 1925 and
of August 6, 1930, while flying from the farm field, 1926. Thanks to Owen Billman for research on the
Goodier was killed when the ship spun in from an al- Goodier modifications to the Sportplane.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

TECHNICAL

Tidbits

FAA issues SAIB on circuit breakers

few years ago, the FAAs
Small Aircraft Directorate and Wichita State
University undertook a
study concerning aging aircraft and
how various systems and components deteriorated over time. Barry
Ballenger of the Small Airplane Directorate was actively involved in
the study and briefed us last year
about one of the interesting things
that came to light during this effort.
While disassembling and inspecting an older aircraft, the group
came to the realization that circuit
breakers were prone to failure if
they were not regularly exercised.
Testing of the circuit breakers removed from a well-used Cessna
421 showed that some failed to
trip properly when initially tested.
When they were manually cycled
(pulled out and then reset), some
began to trip at the proper amperage. Many of the breakers regained
proper function just by simply being manually cycled a number of
times. At the very least, each resettable circuit breaker should be
cycled a few times during the aircrafts annual inspection. This type
of inspection will be part of the
new ASTM specification concerning aircraft wiring, ASTM F39.
In a similar vein, the FAA has
recently published SAIB CE-1011R1, dated January 14, 2010. It
gives both maintenance and operational personnel guidance concerning tripped circuit breakers, aging
wiring, and system maintenance.
Recognizing that many pilot handbooks for older aircraft (indeed, if a
handbook even exists) dont have
procedures for resetting circuit
breakers, the SAIB also gives recommended procedures for dealing
with the electrical component.
You can download a copy of the

18 APRIL 2010

SAIB from the FAA Regulatory and

Guidance Library at http://Rgl.FAA.
gov. Just click on the Special Airworthiness Information Bulletins link
on the right side of the page and
you can enter the number above to
download a PDF of the document.

Testing of the
circuit breakers
removed from a
well-used Cessna
421 showed that
some failed to trip
properly when
initially tested.
This SAIB covers such a wide
range of aircraft that were presenting it in its entirety. Heres the
FAAs text:

Introduction
This revised Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) advises pilots, owners, maintenance
personnel, and operators of an airworthiness concern on all 14 CFR,
part 23/Civil Air Regulations (CAR
3) airplanes. It gives best practices
regarding tripped circuit breakers
(C/B), inspection and maintenance
of systems, and aging wires. There
is a potential hazard when resetting
an opened circuit breaker.
This revision is based on public
comments that were adopted.
At this time, this airworthiness
concern is not considered an un-

safe condition that would warrant

an airworthiness directive action
under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR), part 39.

Background
On a flight in the accident airplane, the day before an accident,
a pilot had a weather radar failure
and a burning smell in the airplane.
In response, the pilot turned off the
weather radar and manually pulled
the related circuit breaker. The
burning smell went away according
to the pilots entry in the airplanes
maintenance discrepancy binder.
The pilot continued the flight with
the circuit breaker pulled for another hour.
The next day it is likely the pilots reset the weather radar C/B,
restoring power to the weather radar system wiring. This is consistent with routine or the Before
Starting Engines checklist. Then
10 minutes after takeoff, they announced a problem and crashed
about 2 minutes later. The National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
determined that the most likely failure was from the weather radar and
its associated wiring, which would
be possible only if that crew reset
the weather radar circuit breaker.
Current guidance for part 25,
Transport Airplanes in AC 25-16,
Electrical Fault and Fire Prevention and
Protection that has been accepted for
small airplanes, is to recommend
that no pilot should reset any circuit
breaker more than once. In the accident airplane, we do not know if the
circuit breaker tripped on the last
flight, but if it did, it was after an
uncontrollable fire was started.

Recommendations
We recommend that all airplane owners and operators do

Dean and Lesle Thomas

Sonoma, California

Airline pilots for a Major U.S. Airline

for over 20 years

Both learned to fly with their fathers,

who where WWII Airforce Pilots and CFIs

EAA members and aircraft owners

for over 10 years

We have owned this beautiful 1943 Howard DGA-15P

for 3 years, and AUA has been our Insurance Agent
during that time. Their agents have always been helpful
and courteous, and the rates are very competitive.
Why would we go with anyone else.
Dean & Lesle Thomas

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the following:
The rules, either CAR 3 3.691
or 14 CFR 23.1357, require the
C/Bs that are essential for safety
in flight be located and marked so
they can be reset in flight. The rules
do not require segregation of nonessential C/Bs. This SAIB references
the most current best practices
for circuit breakers, the electrical
system, and aging wiring. It is important to note that many older aircraft may have little or no guidance
on resetting policy in their airplane
flight manuals.
1. Mark those essential for safety
in flight.
2. Essential C/Bs should be reset in flight no more than once,
and only if the affected system and
equipment is needed for the operational environment.
a. after at least 1 minute;
b. if there is no remaining smoke
or burning smell.
3. Do not reset any non-essential
C/Bs in flight.
4. Revise the preflight checklist
to delete Circuit breakersIn if
applicable and insert: Check circuit breakers and if a circuit breaker
is not set, do not reset the circuit
breaker if there is a related maintenance malfunction.
Essential for Safety in Flight C/Bs
For a Day VFR-Only approved
airplane, there may be no essential functions that require electrical
power. However, it may be necessary to supply power for certain
communication capacities.
For other types of operating approvals, consider the following for
providing power. Assuming operations under IFR conditions for 14
CFR part 91 or part 135 operations,
consider the following systems as
essential for safety:
1. Any electrical loads unique
for the airplane characteristics and
needed for continued safe flight and
landing for the intended operations.
2. If needed to comply with 14
CFR 23.1323 and 23.1325, one airspeed indicator with a heated pitot
tube and an altimeter with either a

20 APRIL 2010

This SAIB
references the
most current
best practices for
circuit breakers, the
electrical system,
and aging wiring.
heated static pressure source or an
alternate static pressure source.
3. The magnetic compass and any
display necessary for continued safe
flight and landing that is sufficiently
illuminated for night operation.
4. One navigation system installation appropriate to the ground
facilities.
5. One communication installation system.
6. One gyroscopic pitch and
bank indicator.
7. Any display for the powerplant parameter necessary for continued safe flight and landing.

The following items should be reviewed by pilots during initial and

recurrent training and flight reviews:
1. Review the circuit breaker reset policy in Advisory Circular (AC)
120-80, In-Flight Fires.
2 . A t r i p p e d c i rc u i t b r e a k e r
should not be reset in flight unless
doing so is consistent with explicit
procedures specified in an approved
operating manual or airplane flight
manual, or unless, in the judgment
of the pilot in command, resetting
the breaker is necessary for safe
completion of the flight.
3. While on the ground, avoid resetting circuit breakers without first
exploring reasons for them tripping in the first place, unless instructed by the maintenance manual.
4. Review the indications of hidden fires and the importance of not
arbitrarily resetting circuit breakers.
5. Review the actions required
by 14 CFR 91.213 dealing with
inoperative instruments and
equipment.
6. Include this SAIB in initial and
recurrent training and flight reviews.
The following items should be reviewed by maintenance personnel:
1. Conduct an electrical load
analysis or make electrical measurements that account for all electrical loads in probable combinations
when installing additional electrical devices.
2. Review standard wiring practices including, but not limited to,
wire size, splicing, routing/clamping issues, loop bend radius, and
terminal condition.
3. Replace wires that show evidence of damage due to chafing,
fraying, contamination, moisture,
dirt, cracks, overheating, or are
crushed or kinked.

For Further Information

Contact Leslie B. Taylor, Aerospace Engineer, Federal Aviation
Administration, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust Street, Room
3 0 1 , K a n s a s C i t y, M O 6 4 1 0 6 ;
phone: 816-329-4134; fax: 816329-4090; e-mail: leslie.b.taylor@
faa.gov.

Vintage
Mechanic

THE

BY ROBERT G. LOCK

Continental W-670 main bearing failures

Part I
I started to do an annual inspection of my Stearman biplane, after
the airplane sat in the hangar for
more than two years while I was flying in central Florida. I found more
metal in the sump in my Continental W-670-6A engine than in any
other engine Ive inspected in my
entire career. It turned out to be
pieces of the cage assembly for the
rear main ball bearing; some of the
fragments were 1-1/2 inches long!
So, right up front, let me give
a tip to all you pilots who fly behind the Continental 220. Fashion
a hook out of 1/16-inch-diameter
welding rod, and use it to pull any
foreign material out of the sump.
These large fragments did not
come out when the oil drained; I
stuck my finger in the sump opening and felt them. I used some
0.040-inch stainless steel safety
wire to fish them out.
The main oil screen had very
few small fragments of carbon, but
nothing out of the ordinary. There
was no trace of bearing cage fragments in the main oil screen. When
removing the cylinders, however,
the number 5 cylinder was difficult
to remove. There was a substantial
amount of very small aluminum
fragments lodged around the skirt
of the cylinder, which forms the
power case sump. This could be the
aft bearing cage spinning against
the aluminum case.
So the failure of a rear main
ball bearing becomes this months
subject. I sent a mostly complete

lower end of an engine to Al Holloway in California. Als business

is Holloway Engineering, and he
specializes in the overhaul of radial
engines. He is FAA Repair Station
OHYR527L, located at Gansner
Field Airport in Quincy, California.
When I picked the engine up he
was preparing a freshly overhauled
Wright R-760-A (greaser) to be
placed on the engine stand for a
five-hour run-in. The engine was
beautiful. Al and his staff are craftsmen of the highest quality.
I wanted to discuss main bearing
failures with Al to get his take on the
subject. I was always under the impression that the cause of most bearing failures is operating the engine
with a Hamilton Standard 5404 prop
installed. My assumption turned out
to be false because Al reports he has
replaced rear main bearings on engines that used all different types of
props, including wood.
Al has an FAA supplemental type
certificate (STC) that allows replacing the original front, rear main,
and thrust ball bearings with roller
bearings. That should cure the
problem of main bearing failure.
Obviously the Continental 670 engines were initially under-designed
in the rear main bearing area.
I also spoke with Don Sanders
of Sanders Airmotive in Mustang,
Oklahoma, and he showed me a
new original factory main ball bearing that was magnetized! Just think
of what a magnetic bearing could
attract in the way of steel fragments

carried by the oil. Don places every

bearing in his demagnetizer on the
magnaflux machine in his shop before installing.
Let me list the details of my engine installation and operation
leading up to the failure of the
bearing. This particular engine was
installed in the airplane in 1992
and was zero hours since major
overhaul (SMOH), with a total time
estimated to be 1,725 hours.
A Hamilton Standard 5404 prop
with 4350F blades was initially installed. That prop was operated a total of 218 hours. Due to oil leaks and
paint chipping from all cylinders,
I did a top overhaul at 211 hours
SMOH and then installed a McCauley 41D5926 steel propeller at 218
hours to replace the Hamilton Standard. The McCauley had operated a
total of 234 hours when I discovered
the failure of the rear main bearing.
Therefore the engine had a total
time of 452 hours SMOH.
The engine logbook is vague
about the bearings, only stating
that a new front main roller bearing and thrust ball bearing were
installed. There is no mention of
the rear main ball bearing. It could
be an error in the logbook, or perhaps there was no replacement of
the rear main bearing. Incidentally,
the engine never had a generator or
alternator installed.
So Als conclusion (and I agree)
is that the Continental W-670
main bearings are under-designed
for crankshaft loads. Its inter-

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21

esting to note here that the later

W-670-23 engine (which drove a
20 spline constant-speed prop and
produced 240 hp) used roller-type
main bearings, so obviously the
factory considered possible heavier
crankshaft loads on that particular
engine and made the conversion at
the time of manufacture.
I have listened to several folks in
the industry who have told me they
can get only 400-500 hours before
the rear main bearing begins to fail.
So, obviously this is a problem that
needs constant attention during

22 APRIL 2010

oil changes. Check the sump using

the hook previously described for
any metal that may have fallen and
lodged there.
The bearing cage starts to fail
first; fragments are from 1/8 inch
to over 1 inch in length and 1/8
inch to inch wide. These fragments will fall into the sump at
its aft mounting point (the power
case), thus bypassing the main oil
screen. So you probably wont find
any fragments in the screen, only
the sump.
I do not intend, at this time, to

tear down the lower end

of this engine to determine exactly how the rear
main bearing appears
. . . maybe at a later date.
The last time I flew this
airplane the engine performance was normal.
So, hopefully, the bearing assembly is still intact and only the cage
holding the ball bearings
in place has failed.
There are several theories as to exactly why this
bearing fails, but I believe the primary issues
are crankshaft loads and
vibration. The issue of vibration is critical; a sevencylinder radial engine has
a lot of shaking going
on during operation. A
seven-cylinder engine has
power lag, indicating that
there is a time lag between
cylinder firings. A ninecylinder engine has power
overlap, which indicates
that a cylinder is always
firing; therefore it runs
smoother. The R-680 Lycoming is the smoothestrunning radial I ever flew
behind. The two-cylinder
Aeronca E-113 and the
three-cylinder Jacobs were
the roughest running.
Perhaps a brief discussion of vibrations would
be appropriate here.
Things that rotate cause
vibrations; to remove or
reduce vibrations, rotating things
need to be balanced. The more
accurately rotating parts are balanced, the smoother they operate.
The older radial engines were not
well-balanced. Some engines had
crankshaft dampers, others did not.
Vibrations are oscillatory movements above and below a mid- or
neutral point, much like AC electrical current. There are three basic
types of vibrations: normal, sympathetic, and harmonic.
Normal vibrations are caused

by rotating parts of the engine

and propeller, and they are always
there; balancing will help reduce
the amplitude of these vibrations.
Sympathetic vibrations are
caused by one part making another
part vibrate, usually with direct contact between the parts. A propeller
that is out of track or out of balance
will cause the entire powerplant to
vibrate, and that vibration will be
transferred into the airframe.
Harmonic vibrations are caused
by harmonization of several vibrations, thus creating a highly
pitched and dangerous vibration.
Harmonic vibrations can cause
structural failure over a period of
time. In some cases an aircraft tachometer is marked with a yellow
arc with an accompanying placard
to not operate the engine for extended periods in this yellow arc.
This is due to a harmonic vibration.
A cycle is a complete vibratory
movement above and below the
mid- or neutral point. The time required to complete a cycle is called
a period. A cycle is also called
hertz. The frequency is the rate of
occurrence of the vibration. So we
could have vibration caused by the
engine operating at 1800 revolutions per minute (rpm). The crankshaft runs at 1800 rpm and the prop
runs at 1800 rpm (this would give
30 beats per second). The generator
may be operating at 3600 rpm, etc.
You get the point here. The amplitude is the intensity of the vibration. It is actually the distance from
one extreme of an oscillation to the
mid- or neutral point.
Vibrations are classified as low,
medium, high, and very high frequency. It depends on the rpm of
the vibrating part. Helicopters have
many rotating parts, and so they
are subjected to a variety of vibrations during operation.
Low-frequency vibrations are
normally related to the main rotor, which may turn 290-500 rpm,
depending on the aircraft type
and model. Medium frequency vibrations are generally main rotor
hub rocking or a loose component

(door, skid, etc.). High-frequency

vibrations are normally the tail rotor, which turns at a high rpm. Very
high-frequency vibrations may be
harmonic in nature; a combination
of several frequencies of vibrations
combined into a troubling and
dangerous situation.
The major sources for vibration
in old airplanes are the engine and
propeller. With some care, vibration can be lowered but not eliminated by careful balancing. A

propeller out of balance will cause

a vibration at prop rpm.
I have had great luck with
wooden propellers by balancing with extra coats of varnish on
the light blade. One way to field
check your wood prop is to wrap
a 1-inch-wide piece of aluminum
tape around one tip of the prop,
then run the engine. If the vibration got worse you have the wrong
blade; remove the tape and place it
on the opposite blade. The vibra-

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23

tion should lessen. You have found

the right blade. You can keep adding or subtracting small amounts
of tape until the vibration is gone.
Then remove the tape and start
spraying varnish until the prop is
balanced. Its a slow process, but it
works. If a ship with a wood propeller sits outside and there is any
small opening in the varnish covering the prop, moisture will enter and cause the out-of-balance
condition.
If a propeller is out of track, an
abnormal vibration will result. I
have had great luck reducing vibrations caused by the prop by working
to obtain the exact same pitch in
both blades of a ground-adjustable
Hamilton Standard propeller. The
original factory manual indicates
that the blades should be within
one-tenth of a degree of each other
for smooth operation. And they are
right on! The best way to field-set
prop pitch is with a prop protractor, checking blade angle at the 36inch or 42-inch station, whichever
is appropriate for the propeller.
One problem I have with old propellers is they have no operational
history. It is not unusual to have
Hamilton Standard aluminum propeller blades manufactured as early
as 1929 that are still in use. You as
the owner or mechanic have virtually no idea if the blades were ever
damaged and straightened, if they
had minor repairs made at some
time in their life, if the blades were
shortened, or who did the work.

24 APRIL 2010

An overhauled prop indicates the

blades meet manufacturers specifications dimensionally for length,
width, thickness, and profile.
All overhauled props must be
balanced both spanwise and chordwise, and blade pitch angles set

My assumption
turned out to be
false because Al reports he has
replaced rear main
bearings on
engines that used
all different types
of props,
including wood.
for the desired engine static rpm.
Spanwise balance places the prop
in a balance stand in the horizontal position. Weight is added to the
butt end of the light blade until the
prop balances (this is for groundadjustable and constant-speed or
two-position props).
When spanwise balance is
achieved the propeller is placed in
the vertical position to check for

chordwise balance. The clamps of

a ground-adjustable propeller are
moved to change weight distribution, which affects chordwise
balance. There is a limit to the positioning of the clamps toward the
trailing edge of the prop blades.
This is beyond my expertise because this type of work is done at
the prop shop.
A case can be made that the more
severe the vibrations from the engine, the more serious the load is on
the crankshaft. And with the Continental W-670 engine, that is a substantial contributing factor to the
failure of the ball bearing. So one of
my secrets to reducing engine vibration is to closely set the pitch angle
of a ground-adjustable propeller and
pay attention to propeller spanwise
and chordwise balance.
I have found that vibration will
cause the carburetor-mounting elbow on the Wright R-760 engine
to loosen over time. That could be
critical because if it creates a gap
between the carburetor/engine
mounting, a loss of manifold pressure will occur, thus causing a loss
(either complete or partial) of engine power. So during my preflight
of the airplane I always shake the
carburetor air box to feel for any
looseness. During oil changes I
always try to move all engine accessories to check for security of
attachment. I have found loose
magnetos and starter and generator/alternators that were not secured, a fault caused by vibration.

Much of the vibration of older radial engines comes

from the firing of the cylinders. One can work on the
prop blade pitch (if it is ground adjustable) and the balance if it is wood. Some vibrations can be reduced while
other vibrations will always be there. Many single-row
radial engines have two-piece crankshafts. Figure 1
shows the two-piece crankshaft on the Continental
W-670 engine. Upon assembly it is most important to
align the crank properly so the counterweights are in
precise alignment. Reducing vibrations will add to engine/prop and accessory life. To reduce crankshaft loads
operate the engine at an rpm where the least amount
of vibration is felt in the airframe. Every little bit helps!
Figure 1 is extracted from an old Continental
R-670-4 parts manual and illustrates the complete
crankshaft assembly. Item R-166 is the rear main ball
bearing, item R-164 is the front main ball bearing,
and item R-126 is the thrust ball bearing. Item R-169,
the thrust nut, which can be seen on the engine
crankshaft by looking directly behind the propeller
spacer and thrust bearing cover plate. If this were a
W-670-23 crankshaft these main bearings would be
of the roller type.
Based on the following old AAF technical order (TO)
shown in Figure 2, Continental had ball bearing problems from the beginning and furnished heavier bearing components that were installed on overhaul and
subsequent engine production. While this old TO is
outdated, it provides an interesting insight into the
Continental ball bearing problems we still have today.
Note the issue date of June 4, 1943, and application
to the -4 and -5 engines, which correspond to civilian W-670-6A and -6N engines. However, note that
this bulletin applies to only the front main and thrust
ball bearings and not the rear main ball bearing. My
point here is only to inform that these engines have
had a history of ball bearing failures in the past and
an attempt was made by the factory early to correct
the problem. Also note that the front main and thrust
bearings carry the same part numbers.
Let me complete this first part of Continental W-670
main ball bearing problems with some final thoughts.
First, the installation of roller bearings in these engines requires a supplemental type certificate, which
would be noted in the logbook upon overhaul. There
should also be a copy of the STC in the overhaul paperwork that would provide updated inspection procedures and recommended overhaul life of the engine.
Also, there was no mandatory replacement of the
ball bearings by the factory overhaul manual, just an
on condition inspection of the parts by the overhauling person or facility. So, if ball bearings are still
in your engine, keep a close eye for fragments in the
oil sump. If the ship is flying, a sudden rise in oil temperature accompanied by a change in vibration and a
possible lowering of oil pressure may be experienced.
Land immediately!

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25

Vintage
Instructor
THE

BY Steve Krog, CFI

Hitting the mark:

precision landings
he days are getting longer,
outside temps are creeping well above freezing, the
snow is finally melting (for
those of us in the northern climates), and the hangar doors at the
local airport are beginning to open.
Another new flying season is here!
As the new season arrives and
rekindles our love of flight, it also
brings with it responsibility. Not
only do we need to get our airplanes
thoroughly prepped, but we also
need to get ourselves prepped if we
and our fellow pilots are to safely enjoy flying adventures during 2010.
When ready to dust off the cobwebs and improve your flying skills,
in preparation for a fun and safe flying season, give some thought to
the different airports to which you
intend to fly. Then plan for them by
practicing simulated landings at either your airport or a nearby airport.
If Ive had an extended winterweather layoff, one of the exercises
I like to do to get myself tuned up
for safe flight is to practice what I
call precision landings. No, they
have nothing to do with instrument flight rules (IFR) related flying; its all about flying the airplane
precisely while shooting for a landing on a specific spot.
As Ive mentioned in previous articles, after a flying layoff my first
flight will consist of getting reacquainted with the airplane; medium and steep turns done with
an emphasis on coordination and
exact altitude control, followed by

26 APRIL 2010

slow flight and a few power-off and

power-on stalls, then a minute of
Dutch rolls, and then returning to
the traffic pattern for some work on
precision landings.
There are many aspects to precision landings. The more things that
can be done right and with precision while in the traffic pattern, the
fewer things that need correction
or can go wrong on short final.
Answer these questions of yourself as you read along. Upon entry
into the traffic pattern are you at
the exact traffic pattern altitude every time? Or is plus or minus 200
feet good enough? An additional
200 feet of altitude at midpoint
downwind is barely noticeable until turning final. Then the 2,500foot runway on which you intend
to land begins to look like the retired aircraft carrier Midway.
When turning downwind, are
you also flying the same horizontal distance or separation from the
landing runway each time? This leg
should track parallel to the landing
runway with about 1/2- to 1-mile
horizontal separation, depending
upon size and speed of the aircraft
you are flying. A J-3 Cub is quite
comfortable with a 1/2-mile separation, but a Beech 18 is something
quite different in speed, weight,
and handling, so it does require a
wider pattern.
In my opinion, a good landing
begins at the downwind midpoint.
As a flight instructor spending a
lot of time in the traffic pattern, I

can usually predetermine the quality of a students landing by where

theyre at when at midpoint on
downwind. Inaccuracies in altitude, speed control, and horizontal separation from the runway will
usually make for a sloppy approach
and landing.
Once established on the downwind leg and with the prelanding
checklist completed, its time for the
next step in a precision landing.
When abeam the numbers, reduce
power and begin the descent. Trim
is added, approach speed/nose attitude established, and when approximately 45 degrees off the approach
end of the runway, initiate a shallow
to medium bank turn to base leg.
Note: Its amazing to me, when
giving biennial flight reviews, how
many pilots are unfamiliar with
the phrase abeam the numbers.
They must all have taken the day
off from flight school when it was
defined. You are abeam the numbers when your left shoulder is
horizontally aligned with the runway numbers (for left-hand traffic).
Once established on base leg,
there are three things to perform to
continue toward a precision landing. Think ahead of the airplane by:
Checking for traffic that may
be making a straight-in approach
(at a nontowered airport).
Thinking about and checking
your altitudedoes it look or feel
like you are too high or too low?
A general rule of thumb under reasonably normal conditions is: If

you are 500 feet above ground level

(AGL) at midpoint of the base leg,
youre where you want to be.
Planning and making the descending turn from base to final.
(See the article in the February 2010
issue of Vintage Airplane.)
No two flying days are ever the
same. Temperature, surface winds,
and density altitude will differ,
causing you to make minor adjustments to achieve consistent precision landings.
After making three or four landings and getting the feel of your airplane, its time to challenge yourself
to improve your proficiency, which
will in turn make you a better and
safer pilot. Some of you reading
this article might be saying, But
gas is $5 per gallon, and I know I
can get my airplane on the ground.
Why spend the extra money?
Let me explain via this example. Your airplane burns 10 gallons
per hour and one extra hour in
the traffic pattern will cost $50. At
the moment $50 seems like a good
chunk of change just to fly the pattern. But now put yourself in the
airplane flying to your first pancake breakfast of the season. Its a
bit breezy, the destination runway
is short, and there will be a lot of
traffic in the pattern. Would you
have rather spent $50 perfecting
your landings back at home? Or
are you prepared to make a spectacular, crowd-entertaining, tirescreeching, metal-scraping arrival
at the breakfast? Your beautifully
restored vintage airplane worth
a thousand times more than one
hours worth of fuel is being photographed and e-mailed to all
corners of the world! Put it in
perspective, a $50 upfront investment may save you $50,000 in repair bills.
One of the exercises I like to perform to improve my skills is to practice reduced power approaches.
Years ago when all the airports were
grass and one could land in most
any direction, full power-off approaches were quite common. Today, we have improved airports

with designated hard-surface runways, established traffic patterns,

etc., so rather than performing
complete power-off approaches, we
use reduced-power approaches for
safety. Heres where you can safely
challenge yourself, improve your
skills, and have a lot of fun.
To b e t t e r d e f i n e a r e d u c e d power approach for the purpose of
practicing landings, reduce power
abeam the numbers and continue
reducing as required throughout
the approach and landing. Heres
the challenge: You can reduce
power in this exercise, but you
cannot add power. Now obviously
if you need to add power because
youll wind up short of the runway,
then add it. But do your best to
hone your skills so you dont have
to add powerunless required for
safety. If you have flaps, they may
be added but not retracted when
practicingagain, unless required
for safety. This doesnt mean you
should fly a 7-mile 747 final. Fly a
normal pattern.
Pick a spot on the runway on
which you intend to touch down.
For examples sake, use the numbers. Now look beyond the numbersapproximately the distance
equal to two runway lights or two
runway centerline stripesand
note that point. With this distance in mind, practice three or
four reduced-power approaches
and see if you can comfortably
and safely get your airplane down
in that distance.
Speed and altitude judgment
are critical in order to touch down
within the runway parameters
youve established. At 70 knots
you are traveling 118 feet per second, and at 60 knots, 101 feet per
second. If your approach speed is
supposed to be 60 knots and you
are at 70 or greater, and if it takes
five seconds to dissipate the excess speed, you will have floated
at least 500 feet down the runway,
well beyond your desired point of
touchdown. There is no hard and
fast rule that applies, but generally
for every 10 extra knots you carry

on final approach, you will use at

least 500 feet of additional runway.
Practicing three or four reducedpower spot landings at the conclusion of each pleasure flight will
significantly improve ones landing skills. Now go out and do the
same when you have a light crosswind. Also, if your runway length
permits, pick different spots or
touchdown points down the runway. Then practice the reducedpower approach with the goal of
touching down on the spot youve
selected. This exercise will pay
handsome rewards if flying to EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh.
Many vintage airplane owners
like to fl y their airplanes to Oshkosh (OSH) for EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh. If youve not done it
before, it can be a bit nerve rattling, but its a fun and worthwhile experience, provided youve
prepared for it. One practice employed by the air traffic controllers at Oshkosh is to direct you
to land long and not touch down
until on or after the large colored dot painted on the runway.
Thats no problem, you might say
to yourself; the runway in use is
8,000 feet long. Whats there to
worry about?
Now visualize yourself in the
OSH flight pattern. Keeping your
head on a swivel, you see at least
15 airplanes in trail either ahead
or parallel to you, all heading for
either 36L or 36R. If there are 15
airplanes ahead of you, there are
probably that many behind you
that you cannot see. This certainly
isnt like landing at the old home
airstrip! Youve been directed to
land long on or beyond the orange
circle on 36L. Even though your
palms are sweating, arent you glad
you practiced midfield spot landings prior to arriving at OSH? Your
landing was safe and uneventful,
and your photo wont be flashed
worldwide for all to see! Now you
can relax and enjoy the fly-in,
knowing that youre a better pilot
thanks to your taking the time to
enhance your flying skills.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27

by H.G. FRAUTSCHY

MYSTERY PLANE
This months Mystery Plane comes to us from my old modeling buddy,
Dave Stott of Trumbull, Connecticut. Weve seen a photo and an
illustration of this unusual OX-5 powered buggy but have little
information on it beyond the buiders name.

Send your answer to EAA,

Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your
answer needs to be in no later
than May 15 for inclusion in

the July 2010 issue of Vintage

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

Be sure to include your name

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

JANUARYS MYSTERY ANSWER

We enjoy your suggestions for
Mystery Planesin fact, more
than half of our subjects are
sent to us by members, often via
e-mail. Please remember that if
you want to scan the photo for
use in Mystery Plane, it must be
at 300 dpi resolution or greater.

28 APRIL 2010

You may send a lower-resolution

version to us for our review, but
the final version has to be at that
level of detail or it will not print
properly. Also, please let us know
where the photo came from; we
dont want to willfully violate
someones copyright.

ur January Mystery Plane

was a snappy-looking
parasol wing monoplane.
Heres our answer:
The Mystery Plane in the January
issue of Vintage Airplane is the oneof-a-kind Jackson O-2, registration
number X12875. This plane was built

by Clifford C. Jackson in
Marysville, Michigan.
Jackson had worked
as an engineer for the
Buhl Aircraft Company,
also in Marysville, from
1927 until they closed
in 1932. After Buhl
Aircraft closed, Jackson
built the O-2 as a training airplane.
The O-2 had a 20foot, 8-inch long steel
tube fuselage, and the
wood wings had a wingspan of 31 feet, both
with fabric covering. It
had full-span ailerons,
and as can clearly be
seen in the photograph,
it had Handley Page style slots on the
leading edges of the wings. The O-2 was
powered by a 125-hp Warner engine.
The useful load was 525 pounds. The
first flight was on January 23, 1933.
Clifford Jackson later went to work
for Stinson Aircraft. In 1941 the O-2
was sold to Meyers Aircraft Company
in Tecumseh, Michigan. Meyers intended to put the O-2 into production,
but that never materialized. The plane
was eventually scrapped.
On a related note, this Mystery Plane
photo was taken in front of the main
hangar at the Pontiac Municipal Airport
in Pontiac, Michigan. Here is an interesting nighttime photo of this hangar
full of period airplanes that was taken in
approximately 1930. The Pontiac Municipal Airport was the first airport to
receive an A-1-A rating from the U.S.
Department of Commerce on February
11, 1930. Now called Oakland County
International Airport (KPTK), the airport is currently the sixth-busiest general
aviation airport in the United States.
Lynn Towns, Holt, Michigan

COURTESY LYNN TOWNS OF PONTIAC AIRPORT

from Wesley R. Smith, Springfield, Illinois; Wayne Muxlow, Minneapolis,

Minnesota; and Jack Erickson, State

College, Pennsylvania.

Dave Cleavinger of Livonia,

Michigan, adds this:
In the 1970s, Cliff Jackson retrieved
what was left of his aircraft with
thoughts of rebuilding it. Ultimately,
he chose to construct an entirely different design. He died in 1992, and the
fate of the O-2 is unknown.
Other correct answers were received

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

MYSTERY PLANE EXTRA

The Flying Dutchman Otto Szekely
and his three-cylinder wonder
BY

WES SMITH
tto E. Szekely (pronounced
say-kai) was born in Hungary (then, the Habsburg
dual monarchy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire) on June
17, 1889. He is said to have been
educated in Europe at Budapest,
Vienna, and Berlin. Szekely immigrated to the United States in 1910,
and by the time of Americas entry into the Great War, he was living in Moline, Illinois (Rock Island
County). His prewar and wartime
activities are unclear, but by 1920
he was married to 37-year-old Marian H. Szekely. By this time, the Szekelys had two children, Elizabeth
(age 6) and Marjorie (age 4).
According to one source (Lombard, Gerald B. Szekely Aircraft and
Engine Company. Skyways. No. 27,
July 1993, pp 8-13), Szekely was employed by the Velie Motor Vehicle
Company (1909-1916) and the Velie
Motors Corp. (1916-1928) in Moline.
Velie was originally a well-known
carriage manufacturer, and its first
automobile, built in 1909, was powered by a 30-35-hp American and
British Manufacturing Company
(Bridgeport, Connecticut) fourcylinder engine. This same engine
was advertised in several early American aviation periodicals and was
used as the powerplant of various
early American aeroplanes, notably
Thomas Wesley Benoists first Curtiss-type built in 1910 (Aero. December 17, 1910, p 9). Velie was backed
by the Deere & Company, and Velie
automobiles were sold through John
Deere dealers until 1915.
From 1914, a series of four- and
six-cylinder Velie autos were offered,
and in 1917, Velie began using Con-

O
From the 1930
Aircraft Yearbook

30 APRIL 2010

to pay damages in a patent suit. When the senior

Velie family members
died in 1928, the company was incorporated
into John Deere the next
year. This engine was then
turned over to a subsidiary
and eventually evolved
into the Lambert M-5.
After working for Velie, Szekely became an engineering consultant and
established a piston ring
manufacturing business
at Moline. He also worked
with the Maytag Washing Machine Company,
and his talents came to
the attention of the VacA-Tap Washing Machine
Company, a competitor
to Maytag. In 1925, Szekely moved his piston ring
business to Vac-A-Taps loGood-quality photos of the Flying Dutchcation in Holland, Michman are hard to come by. Heres an adigan. When Vac-A-Tap
vertisement from the August 1929 issue
failed, Szekely stayed in
of Aero Digest.
Holland (Ottawa county),
tinental engines. In 1918 Velie of- Michigan, and formed the Szefered a handsome four-seat sports car kely Aircraft and Engine Company.
with wire wheels and in 1922 began On May 28, 1928, Aviation magato make its own six-cylinder engines, zine announced the new SR-3 (i.e.,
which were supplemented by Lycom- Sky Roamer three-cylinder) engine
ing straight-eights in 1927. While (Vol. 24, No. 22. The Szekely SR-3
Velie ceased automobile produc- Air Cooled Engine, pp 1516, 1517,
tion in 1928, the name was adopted 1551). This was predated by an arin 1916 as a suburb of Shreveport, ticle that appeared in the February
Louisiana, because of the local pop- 1928 issue of Aero Digest (Vol.12,
ularity of Velie cars. Of course, Ve- No. 2. Szekely Aero Engines, p 200).
lie would also build the 60-hp Velie A more detailed account followed in
five-cylinder radial that powered the the June 1928 issue of Aero Digest
early Monocoupe designed by Clay- (Vol.12, No. 6. Szekely Sky-roamer,
ton Folkerts and Donald Luscombe pp 970, 972).
Early Szekely engines comprised
(also of Moline). The Velie Bear borrowed heavily from the Detroit Air several types. The first three-cylinder
Cat (but replaced the cylinder head radial was of under-head valve dewith an aluminum type). The De- sign (Smith, Herschel. Aircraft Piston
troit Air Cat had been designed in Engines, p 157). This was followed
1927 by Glenn D. Angle (teamed by L-headed three-cylinder and fivewith Edward Vernon Eddie Ricken- cylinder radials (Rice, M.S. Guide to
backer) for the Monocoupe. Unfortu- Pre-1930 Aircraft Engines, pp 49-50).
nately, the company was dissatisfied There was also a two-cylinder design
with the reliability of the engine and (SR-2. Janes All the Worlds Aircraft
delivery schedule. However, the Ve- 1930) and a seven-cylinder type (SRlie was such a close copy of the Air 7. Janes All the Worlds Aircraft 1929)
Cat that the company was forced of unknown configuration that were

probably never built.

The initial SR-3 was an overhead
valve (later an L-head), threecylinder, air-cooled radial of compact design. The bore was 4.125
inches, and the stroke was 4.75
inches, yielding a displacement of
190.4 cubic inches. Slipper-type,
drop-forged, heat-treated connecting
rods that floated on a bronze-backed
babbitt-lined bearing were held together with aluminum bronze connecting rod lock rings that were held
in place with four heat-treated nickel
steel bolts. The piston end of each
rod was bronze-bushed. The counterbalanced, single-piece crankshaft
was drop-forged and machined
and was made of S.A.E. 3140 nickel
steel. It was 1-37/64 inches in diameter, and the connecting rod bearing was 1-7/16 inches by 2 inches.
Crankshaft rotation was counterclockwise, viewed from the front of
the engine. It was mounted on deepgroove radial ball bearings to absorb
the thrust and radial loads. The compression ratio was 4.8:1, and the operating speed of 1500 rpm to 1800
rpm gave the SR-3 an output of 40
hp. (Aero Digest states that the original SR-3 produced over 42 hp,
and states that it developed 40 hp
at 1725 rpm, which was guaranteed
at 1800 rpm.) The SR-3 weighed 117
pounds dry and 142 pounds complete. (Aero Digest states that the prototype weighed 153 pounds, but that
production engines weighed 148
pounds. The SR-3 Models O and L
weighed 135 pounds.) Lubrication
was accomplished by a duplex geartype pump, with duraluminum teeth
of special shape that were cast integrally with the aluminum (later,
magnesium) front cover. The upper
pump supplied pressurized oil to the
crankshaft and bearings, via a duraluminum ring in front of the forward
main bearing. The lower pump scavenged the excess oil. Oil pressure was
normally 40-60 psi, with a recommended gauge pressure of 4-10 psi.
The scavenged oil was delivered to a
storage tank via a 3.8-inch line.
Overall, the SR-3 was 29.5 inches
in diameter. (The latter SR-3 Model O

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31

32 APRIL 2010

NASM PHOTO

had a diameter of 36 inches, and the

SR-3 Model L had a diameter of 30
inches.) Oil consumption was 0.016
pounds/hp-hour, and the fuel consumption was 0.60 pounds/hp-hour.
Ignition was supplied by dual Scintilla PN-3-D or Bosch FU 6/3 magnetos, and two B.G. plugs per cylinder
(later, B.G. or Bosch plugs). The magnetos ran at 1.5 times the crankshaft
speed. The cylinders were originally
made of close-grained nickel iron
(Aero Digest states that they were
chrome nickel gray iron) but were
later changed to a chrome molybdenum cast iron alloy on the SR-3
Models O and L, with integrally cast
heads being replaced by bolt-on aluminum heads that were attached
by six studs and nuts. The cylinders
were attached to the crankcase by
four studs and nuts, with the cylinder skirt extending 2.5 inches into
the crankcase. Carburetion was originally supplied by a balanced Zenith
1.5-inch venturi carburetor. On the
latter Models O and L, Stromberg
NA-R3 or NA-S3 carburetors were
used. The one-piece cast aluminum
(magnesium alloy on the Models O
and L) crankcase had a circular intake manifold molded integrally,
with an opening for the carburetor at
the bottom. The intake system also
consisted of pipes and flexible tubing
that ran between the manifold and
cylinder inlet valve. The cam gears
and tappet arms were assembled with
the rear cast aluminum (later, magnesium) crankcase cover. The rear
end of the crankshaft carried the timing gear that drove the three separate
cam gears. An extension shaft that
plugged into the crankshaft drove
the magnetos through spur gears.
It would appear that only a small
number of Sky Roamer engines were
produced, just enough to supply the
limited number of Szekely Flying
Dutchman monoplanes (the subject
of December 2009s Mystery Plane)
and perhaps a few Williams monoplanes that were constructed in 1928
to 1929. The main production variants were the SR-3 Models O and L
(ATC 70 and 53, respectively). The
original SR-3s had the intake for the

The pilot standing next to the airplane isnt identified, but his stature gives some clue as to the size of the Flying Dutchman.

Otto Szekely and his Flying Dutchman.

cylinder head located on the rear side
of the cylinder, and the exhaust located on the front side. On the Models O and L, these were moved to the
rear side of the detachable aluminum head. Likewise, the spark plugs
were relocated from the side of the
cylinder to the head on the Models
O and L. The cylinder fins were cast
integrally into the cylinders, but no
SR-3 variants ever had cooling fins
on the dorsal side of the head between the plugs, as this was accepted
practice by that point in time. The
valves were set at a 45-degree angle
and were of the mushroom type,
made of Silchrome. Each valve was
1-13/16 inches in diameter and had a
lift of 11/32 inch. The total gas flow
area was 2.5 square inches per valve.
Valve seats were made of bronze,
screwed and shrunk into the head.
Pistons of the SR-3 were aluminum
and had two compression rings and
one oil scraper ring at the base. The
steel piston pin was held in place by
soft aluminum plugs at each end,

which were allowed to float within

the piston and connecting rod. The
rings were 1/8-inch thick, and the
piston skirt was solid.
The unique triple valve train of
the SR-3 consisted of three camshafts and gear assemblies that ran
at one-half the crankshaft speed.
There were two tappet arms and
two tappets per cylinder. The single cam lobe on each camshaft operated both the intake and exhaust
tappets. These in turn operated the
hollow pushrods (with hardened
ends) and actuated the valves. There
was a minimum of change in this
system between the original Sky
Roamer and the latter O and L types,
only the tappets being altered. Conventional valve springs and dropforged (bronze-bushed) rocker arms
were used. Adjustment of the tappets was by a screw and lock nut on
the rocker arm. An Alemite Zerk fitting was used to lubricate the rocker
arm, but all other external parts required periodic manual oiling with

an oilcan. The engine was mounted

to the airframe by six through bolts.
These ran through the front case
cover, main crankcase, rear cover,
and mounting flange, locking everything together. In addition to the integrally cast provisions for the cams
and valve gears, the rear case had
external provisions for mounting
the dual magnetos, oil pressure regulator, tachometer, and breathers.
As the SR-3 evolved, some other
features changed. The Models SR-3-O
and SR-3-L of 1931 had slightly different horsepower ratings and compression ratios. The Model L developed
30 hp at 1750 rpm, and the Model
O was rated at 45 hp, also at 1750
rpm. Aircraft that used the SR-3 series included the American Eagle Eaglet, Rearwin Junior 3000 and 3100,
Alexander Flyabout D2, Lincoln Eaglet B-31, and Taylor H-2 Cub. However, the greatest numbers of SR-3s
were used by the Curtiss-Wright Junior (280), and the Buhl LA-1 Bull
Pup (100-plus).
Introduced to the public a few
months after the SR-3 engine was
the Szekely Flying Dutchman, an
attractive single-place, low-wing
monoplane that was first displayed
at the 200,000-square-foot pavilion
in Mines Field during the 1928 Los
Angeles National Air Races and Aeronautical Exposition (Boone, Andrew
R. Inside the Exposition Building.
Aviation. Vol.25, No.13. September
22, 1928, pp 932, 933, 962, 964, 966,
970, 972, 976, 978). It is difficult to
tell much from the photo that appeared on page 972 of the article, and
a full description of the Szekely Flying Dutchman did not appear until the following spring of 1929 (The
Flying Dutchman - Single Place,
Low Wing Monoplane Powered
With 40 Hp SR-3 Engine Now Being
Produced by Szekely Aircraft Corp.
Aviation. March 2, 1929, pp 640-641).
While beyond the scope of this
article, the 1928 U.S. National
Air Races was the first of these annual events that proved so central
to American aviation from 1928 to
1939. Organized by Clifford Henderson, the 1928 exposition displayed

36 different types of aircraft, including a Hanriot HD.1 that was said to

have been flown by Charles Nungesser during the Great War, and the
Travel Air Woolaroc for which Goebel and Davis had recently won the
Dole prize for their flight to Honolulu. In addition to the races that
were held over the nine-day period
(September 8-16), performances by
the military included aerobatics by
the USN Seahawks and the USAACs
Three Musketeers. Unfortunately, Lt.
J.J. Williams was killed when he suffered an engine failure at 200 feet.
He was buried the next day, and
Charles A. Lindbergh, who was present at the event, took over for Williams, having trained with the Three
Musketeers at Rockwell Field several
years beforehand. Just how the Flying Dutchman was displayed outside
of the pavilion is not known; however, several photos exist (National
Air and Space Museum laser videodisc 1, side B, frames 43,450-43,455)
of one marked with the race num-

ber 11, registration NC9450. This

aircraft has a checkerboard pattern
painted on the cowl, vertical rudder,
ailerons, and elevators. Interestingly,
the final frame of the sequence shows
the aircraft under the right wing of a
Ford Tri-Motor. Just where and when
the photos of NC9450 were taken is,
unfortunately, unknown.
The little Flying Dutchman displayed two types of vertical stabilizers and rudders. It is unclear which
came first, but the more pointed design seems to have predated the more
rounded shape shown in the 1929
Aviation article. The aircraft was of
conventional design; however, the
design was obviously intended to be
an aerobatic airplane. The wing was
a fully cantilevered design with box
spars. The spar cap strips were spruce
with mahogany plywood sides. The
cap strips were tapered and spaced
with spruce spacer blocks along the
spar. The mahogany was two-ply with
the grain being arranged at 90 degrees to each layer for added strength.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33

34 APRIL 2010

NASM PHOTO

Wrap fittings of cold-rolled half-hard

steel plate that were wrapped entirely
around the spar and were attached
with chrome nickel steel bolts that
ran completely through the wing
spar. The eight compression members were made of steel tube arranged
as a Warren truss. The wing ribs were
made of spruce and were also in the
form of a Warren truss.
Each rib was gusseted to the spar
with plywood and was said to have
been capable of withstanding a
350-pound load. Each rib was spaced
at 10.5-inch intervals along the span
of the wing. Steel tie rods of square
cross section were used in place of
wire drag braces. Each rod was insulated against vibration. The wingtips
of the Flying Dutchman were of a
patented welded steel tube frame.
They were designed to give the
wings a dihedral effect to promote
lateral stability. Welded in a jig, the
wingtips were designed to be exactly
the same and to be capable of absorbing hangar rash from contact
with other aircraft and hangar doors.
A most noteworthy feature of the
wings was their attachment to the
fuselage. They completely encircled
the spars and were designed for a
safety factor in excess of 13!
The fuselage of the Flying Dutchman consisted of welded mild steel
tubing. All joints were placed in compression or shear and were arranged
in the form of a Warren truss. The
tubing was painted with red oxide
primer for corrosion-proofing. The
engine mount was made of steel
tubing, welded to a cold-rolled steel
plate. According to the 1929 Aviation
article, four nickel steel bolts were
used in double shear to attach the
engine to the airframe.
Streamlined, drag-reducing forms
were placed fore and aft of the cockpit. These consisted of a series of steel
arches welded to the frame that were
designed to protect the pilot in the
event of a nose-over.
The headrest was heavily padded,
and the interior of the cockpit was upholstered with weatherproof fabric.
The pilots seat was made of cane
and mounted at an easy angle to the

With the pilot in the cockpit, the moderate size of the Flying Dutchman is apparent.
floor. The windscreen was made of a
heavy celluloid, and the control stick
had a rubber grip handle. The throttle had a ball attachment knob designed so as not to snag on a pilots
clothing. Instruments were of the
Department of Commerce type.
Aft of the cockpit was a small baggage compartment. A first aid kit and
fire extinguisher were included in
the equipment. Aft of the metal firewall and in the upper part of the fuselage was a 10-gallon fuel tank made
of terneplate, supported on padded
steel mountings. In the lower part of
the fuselage was a terneplate oil tank
of 2.5 gallons. All piping that passed
through the firewall was grommeted,
and the electrical conduits were of
the flexible loom type to prevent
breakage from vibration. The engine
aluminum cowling could easily be
removed by use of snap clamps.
The fabric covering for the airframe was cut to shape and sewed
before being installed. It was attached by hand stitching to tape
wrapped on the longerons, and then
taped. The plane was then given
five coats of high-grade aircraft finish, hand dressed with pumice and
varnished. The colors used are not
known, except that a dark color
seemed to predominate.
The landing gear was of the splitaxle type, the shock absorbers consisting of rubber rings to provide equal
tension. The two axles were made of
chrome molybdenum tubing, and
the wire wheels were covered with
fabric, doped and painted to match
the color of the airplane. Tires used
on the Flying Dutchman were of a
specially made 24-inch by 3-inch design. The tail skid consisted of a steel
leaf spring fitted with a steel shoe. All

control surfaces were made of jigwelded steel tubing, covered with fabric. The controls were operated by a
conventional stick attached to cables.
In the case of the ailerons, they ran
to bellcranks that operated a pushrod connected to a control horn. Aluminum alloy rudder pedals operated
the vertical rudder via cables. Panels
at each wingtip allowed easy inspection of the internal aileron linkage,
and the other controls were visible
throughout their entire length.
The span of the Flying Dutchman
was 26 inches, and the chord was 4
feet 8 inches. The length was 18 feet
and the height was 6 feet. The wing
utilized a Gottingen 387 airfoil, and
the total wing area (including ailerons) was 108 square feet. Wing loading was 7.3 pounds/square feet, and
the power loading was 19.4 pounds/
hp. The aspect ratio was 6.5. The area
of the ailerons was 14 square feet, and
the vertical stabilizer and rudder had
an area of 7 square feet (although this
appears to have been for the more
curved type). The horizontal stabilizers and elevators had an area of 20
square feet, the empty weight of the
Flying Dutchman was 540 pounds,
and the useful load was 215 pounds,
giving a gross weight of 735 pounds.
In this condition, the aircraft could
take off in 75 to 100 feet and land
in less than 300 feet at 25 mph. The
VC was 75 mph, and the VMAX was 80
mph. Maximum ceiling of the Flying Dutchman was 12,000 feet. The
fuel consumption of the SR-3 was 3.5
gallons/hour, giving an endurance of
2.86 hours. In a zero-wind condition
(at cruise), this yields a range of about
214.5 miles. The propeller type fitted
to the Flying Dutchman remains unknown to this author.

A check of the available registration numbers for the

Szekely Flying Dutchman indicates that as many as 16
may have been built. The first two were apparently registered 10027 (subject of the Vintage Airplane photo)
and 10028. These are also listed as Szekely 4 and 26,
respectively. NC8089-8091 are listed as Szekely 19-21.
Seven others were registered as NC9450-9456 (Szekely
12-18). Three Flying Dutchmen are registered as 3088
(Flying Dutchman No. 7) and 9355 and 9356 (Flying
Dutchmen Nos. 10 and 11). And finally, 120E (Flying
Dutchman No. 5).
Szekelys subsequent activities now become somewhat less clear. The 1930 census shows that the Szekely family had grown to four children: Elizabeth, 16;
Marjorie, 14; Mary Lee, 7; and Charles, 2-1/2. A Joanne
Jansen, 24, is also listed as a member of the Szekely
household at Holland, Michigan. The success of the
developed SR-3 Models O and L was short-lived. The
peak year for SR-3 production, 1931, was long after the
Flying Dutchman had passed from the scene. The company filed for bankruptcy on March 9, 1932.
Extant views of Szekely vary wildly. One account has
him being too liberal with his spending, and another
states that he was good to his employees, but that they
were infrequently paid. Three engine types are listed for
Szekely in the 1932 Aircraft Yearbook (3-35, 3-45, 3-55);
however, the only other Szekely engine to actually be
built was the five-cylinder, 315-cubic-inch SR-5 of 70
hp. The cost of developing this engine is what may have
caused the company to fail. According to a newspaper
account (New Firm to Produce Engines in Plant Here.
The Holland Sentinel. June 17, 1936), the plant was still
semi-idle in 1936. A year later in 1937, Szekely obtained a U.S. patent for a variable ratio transmission.
Szekelys activities during the Second World War are
unknown to this author, but in 1951 he obtained two
other U.S. patents: one for a three-wheel vehicle with
all-wheel steering and one for a rotary impact tool.
Otto Szekely passed away at Palm Beach, Florida,
on November 4, 1971, at the age of 82. However, that
isnt the end of the story. The late (and legendary) Peter M. Bowers, while working for Boeing, had what he
called a nodding acquaintance with the engineer in
the next office. One day, Bowers noticed his surname
and asked if he was related to Otto E. Szekely. The man
not only corrected Mr. Bowers on the proper pronunciation of his Hungarian surname, he told him that
Otto E. Szekely was his uncle. It is worth noting that
there is a small group of Hungarian-speaking folk in
eastern Transylvania (Carpathian Mountainstoday,
part of Romania) known as the Szkely, that have their
own flag and have recently been seeking a renewal to
their autonomy. The history is rather complex, and at
one time or another, the area has been either fully autonomous or has been part of the Austro-Hungarian
(Habsburg) Empire, Hungary, or Romania. The name of
the placeSzkely land.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35

Type Club Notes

Handy tip for drilling out rivets
From the Luscombe Association Newsletter No. 202, 2009
BY

cant remember the first time

I watched someone drill out
an airplane rivet, but it was
decades ago. That shade-tree
mechanic would drill down
through the rivet head and into the
shank of the rivet, until the drill
would go through both the entire
rivet and the pieces of metal the
rivet was joining together. While
this method was quick and effective, it usually had the undesirable result of enlarging the original
hole. If any of the pieces were to
be reused (and they usually were),
the original-sized rivet would often then be undersized in that hole.
Even as a kid, I remember thinking.
Isnt there a better way?
Turns out, there is. Years ago,
when I was doing some metal repairs on my Luscombe, I was being
helped by an airframe and powerplant mechanic from a local airline
who was a sheet metal specialist.
He taught me that you dont drill
through anything. Instead, you
partially drill into the rivet head,
but only far enough to weaken
the head, not remove it. You then
hit the side of the rivet head with
a hammer and small chisel and
(hopefully) shear it off. The good
news is you dont damage any of
the metal underneath the rivet.
But theres also bad news; its an
inexact science. Because of either
the force used when the rivet was
originally driven or minor inconsistencies in the alloys that make
up the rivets, similar rivets vary in
hardness. Even after practice you
will often find yourself with rivet
heads that have too much material

36 APRIL 2010

GERRY SHEAHAN

remaining in the head to be sheared

off easily. You then either mash the
head sideways or have to re-drill
or both. Or, despite thinking you
arent that far into the rivet head,
you accidentally drill the head off
and go into the metal underneath
anyway. Oops.

that
sharp bit
was still
really
digging
into the
rivet head
and
throwing
off a nice
curly
shaving.
T h e r e s m o r e b a d n e w s . U s ing this method, even when done
properly, the shearing action will
usually produce a burr in the rivet
shank that remains. This burr
makes separating the two pieces of

aluminum difficult and can still result in a slightly elongated hole.

Those of you who have done
lots of sheet metal work might be
thinking, Just buy the rivet removal tool from Aircraft Spruce
(or some similar aviation supplier).
This tool comes with four differentsized drill bits and guides, and the
theory is, it accurately drills the
depth of the center of the rivet
head, with no damage to the material underneath. According to
Aircraft Spruces 2009-2010 catalog, this tool with the accessories costs $59.95, plus shipping. I
dont have one.
But heres the good news, and
no person taught me this tip; my
variable-speed DeWalt rechargeable
drill taught me this one.
A couple of weeks ago I was deriveting the horizontal stabilizer on
a 1939 Model 8 Luscombe project
I recently purchased. Interesting
projectmy dad used to own the
airplane when I was a kid, and its
the first airplane I remember riding
in. Anyway, I was using the drilland-chisel method, and my battery
pack was running low on charge.
Even with the trigger pulled on full,
the low charge allowed the drill to
turn at only a snails pace. While it
was a fluke, this turned out to really
work in my favor.
Something else was working in
my favor I also didnt consider. At
Oshkosh this year I had purchased
a short tube of 1/8-inch drill bits;
I think there are 10 of them in
the tube. They are about 3 inches
long and double-endeda bit at
both ends. I knew Id be doing a

lot of metal work on this project,

and you can never have enough
1/8 bits, right? I assumed because
they werent very expensive that
they probably werent very good
or wouldnt last very long. Wrong!
Drilling only aluminum, they wear
like iron and are sharp as razors,
which is also important to this
drilling method.
So, there I was almost done deriveting for the evening with a drill
that is barely turning. But that sharp
bit was still really digging into the
rivet head and throwing off a nice
curly shaving. I bore down a bit
harder on the dying drill, and as I
was watching, suddenly the rivet
head spun and stuck to the drill bit.
I pulled it away, and what remained
was perfectly smooth and flat; there
was no burr anywhere. I did it again,
and again, and again with the same
result. And the pieces of metal simply popped apart with no effort, no
damage, and no elongated holes.
I swapped out my dead battery
pack for a recharged one and kept
on going, but I changed my technique by bearing down a bit harder
and drilling as slowly as possible,
instead of the medium to high
speed I had always been using. And
the results were the same as when I
was using the drill with the nearly
dead battery. What is happening
is, those sharp bits at a slow speed
are digging into the rivet head and
forcing it to fail in shear just before
it gets to the metal underneath. Listening closely, I could actually hear
the rivet shank snap as the rivet
head started to turn. I havent used
my chisel since.
Try this instead of the drill-andchisel method:
1. Make sure youre using a drill
size equal to the shank of the rivet.
2. Establish the start of the hole
with a couple of revolutions of the
drill to make sure its in the center
of the rivet. If not, make adjustments in the angle you are holding.
You need to be in the center.
3. Drill as slowly as possible.
4. Bear down on the drill to
make that sharp bit really dig

into the head.

5. Watch the rivet head, and
when it turns, stop! Youre done!
There might be experienced metalworkers who have been using
this method for years, but I doubt
it. A friend pointed out that it requires a variable speed drill capable of turning at a slow speed with
good torque. Those types of drills
havent been around that long.
And if your rechargeable drill gives
you the choice of high speed or

high torque, use the latter.

A Couple of Final Thoughts

This method does not work on
countersunk rivets.
When done correctly, the remainder of the rivet head will be jammed
on the end of the drill bit. It is very
sharp; resist the temptation to remove it with your fingers. If you use
a pliers instead, your thumb wont
have a series of small painful slices
. . . like my thumb did.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 37

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

MISCELLANEOUS

www.aerolist.org, Aviations Leading Marketplace

Flying wires available. 1994 pricing. Visit www.

flyingwires.com or call 800-517-9278.

SERVICES

AIRPLANE T-SHIRTS 150 different airplanes

available. WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR
AIRPLANE! www.airplanetshirts.com or call
1-800-645-7739. We also do Custom T-shirts
and Caps for Clubs.
Are you tired of hauling to EAA every year?
Storage units available for rent as low as $50/
month less than 1 mile from EAA grounds.
Call Todd @ (920)850-0502.
38 APRIL 2010

Always Flying Aircraft Restoration, LLC:

Annual Inspections, Airframe recovering,
fabric repairs and complete restorations.
Wayne A. Forshey A&P & I.A. 740-472-1481
Ohio and bordering states
Biplane Builder Ltd. Restoration, fabric, paint,
fabrications, paperwork. with 53 completed
projects, Wacos, Moths, Champs, Pitts etc. Test
flights and delivery. Indiana 812-343-8879 mike@
biplanebuilder.com, www.biplanebuilder.com

JUST A REMINDER...

You can buy your tickets online now and save time and money.
Go to www.airventure.org/tickets
and get to the fun fasterand cheaper.

SEE YOU THERE!

J U LY 2 6 A U G U S T 1

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

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

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

DIRECTORS

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

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

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

Espie Butch Joyce

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

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

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

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

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

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

Robert D. Bob Lumley

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

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

S.H. Wes Schmid

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

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

Membership Services Directory

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

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

E.E. Buck Hilbert

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

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

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

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

John Turgyan
PO Box 219
New Egypt, NJ 08533
609-758-2910
jrturgyan4@aol.com

Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Sites: www.vintageaircraft.org, www.airventure.org, www.eaa.org/memberbenefits E-Mail: vintageaircraft@eaa.org

EAA and Division Membership Services (8:00 AM7:00 PM

MondayFriday CST)
membership@eaa.org
800-564-6322
FAX 920-426-4873
www.eaa.org/memberbenefits
New/renew memberships Address changes Merchandise sales Gift memberships
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
888-322-4636
www.airventure.org
Sport Pilot/Light-Sport Aircraft Hotline 877-359-1232
www.sportpilot.org
Programs and Activities
Auto Fuel STCs
920-426-4843
EAA Air Academy
920-426-6880
www.airacademy.org
EAA Scholarships
920-426-6823
Flight Instructor information
920-426-6801
www.eaa.org/nafi
Library Services/Research
920-426-4848
Benefits
AUA Vintage Insurance Plan
800-727-3823
www.auaonline.com
EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan
866-647-4322
www.eaa.org/memberbenefits
EAA VISA Card
800-853-5576 ext. 8884
EAA Hertz Rent-A-Car Program
800-654-2200
www.eaa.org/hertz
EAA Enterprise Rent-A-Car Program
877-421-3722
www.eaa.org/enterprise
Editorial
920-426-4825
www.vintageaircraft.org
VAA Office
FAX 920-426-6579

airventure@eaa.org
sportpilot@eaa.org
dwalker@eaa.or
airacademy@eaa.org
scholarships@eaa.org
tdeimer@eaa.org
slurvey@eaa.org

membership@eaa.org
membership@eaa.org
membership@eaa.org
vintage@eaa.org
tbooks@eaa.org

EAA Members Information Line

888-EAA-INFO (322-4636)
Use this toll-free number for: information about AirVenture Oshkosh; aeromedical and technical aviation questions;
chapters; and Young Eagles. Please have your membership number ready when calling.
Office hours are 8:15 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Monday - Friday, CST)

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

EAA SPORT PILOT

DIRECTORS
EMERITUS

TM

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

Current EAA members may add EAA SPORT

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

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

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

receive SPORT AEROBATICS magazine for an

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

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

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

IAC

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

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

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

40 APRIL 2010