MARCH 2004

VOL. 32 , NO . 3

""""
2

VAA NEWS /H.G . Frautschy

AEROMAIL

JOHN MILLER RECALLS

AN AIRCRAFT FOR THE MULTITUDES?/John M . M iller

NAVIGATING WITH A HANDHELD NAV/COMM

Evan McCombs

10 THE VINTAGE INSTRUCTOR

A NEW SET OF SKILLS/ Doug Stewart

12 REUBEN FLEET'S AIRPLANE

AS INTERPRETED BY TERRY BOLGER/Budd Davisson

16 THE CENTENNIAL OF FLIGHT

HONORING THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE CENTURY
H .G. Frautschy

22 PASS IT TO BUCK
SKIPLANE FLY-IN / Buck Hilbert

25 MYSTERY PLANE/H.G. Frautschy

27

NEW MEMBERS

28 CLASSIFIED ADS
29 CALENDAR

Publisher
Editor-in-Ch ief
Executive Ed itor
News Editor
Photography Staff
Advertising Coordinator
Advertising Sales
Advertisin g/ Ed itorial Assistant
Copy Ed iting

TOM POBEREZNY
scon SPANGLER
MIKE DIFRISCO
RIC REYNOLDS
JIM KOEPNICK
JULIE RUSSO
LOY HICKMAN
913-268-6646
ISABELLE WISKE
COLLEEN WALSH
KATHLEEN WITMAN

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Executive Director, Editor

VAA Admin istrative Assistant
Con tributing Editors

HENRY G. FRAUTSCHY
THERESA BOOKS
BUDD DAVISSON
DOUG STEWART
JOHN MILLER

Front Cover: With a determined look on his face, Dr. Kevin Kochersberger does
his best to lift EAA's 1903 Wright Flyer off the launching rail during the first
flight attempt on December 17 , 2003. As witnessed by Edsel Ford II (left) and
Erik Lindbergh, the Flyer just barely flew off the launching truck . The Wright
Experience built the new Flyer to exactly reproduce the airplane built by the
Wright Brothers, and so it's performance also paralleled the original-which
meant at least 10-12 knots of headwind was needed to launch off a rail of limit
ed length.
Just as the airplane was released , the meager headwind fell off to less than 6
knots , far less than was needed to fly the Flyer more that a few feet. VAA photo
by H.G. Frautschy, shot with a Canon EOS 060 and a Canon 80-200 IS lens .
Back Cover: Terry Bolger's Fleet biplane is resp lendent in its bright red and
cream color scheme. Powered by a 125 hp Kinner B-5, the Fl eet needed a total
restoration to be brought up to the condition members saw during EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh 2003 . EAA photo by Jim Koepnick. EAA photo plane flown
by Bruce Moore .

STRAIGHT

Be

EL

ESPIE "BUTCH" JOYCE

PRESIDENT, VINTAGE ASSOCIATION

Luscombes and Sun

Old man winter is still keeping
me from painting the interior of
the Luscombe. The gentleman
who is doing the radio and other
wiring for me has completed all
that he can do until I can move
forward on my end. The good
thing is that at long last it seems
to me that everything is moving
in the right direction.
I'm sure many of you have ex
perienced many of the same
feelings. When you have a project,
and, for whatever reason you get
away from it for a time, it can be
difficult getting back into it.
Years ago I was very blessed to
have Piedmont Aviation Inc. only
a short drive or flying distance
away in Winston-Salem, North
Carolina. It began as Camel Flying
Service, and was founded by Tom
Davis. The restored Piedmont DC
3 and some of the original group
were featured in the AUA ad in last
month's issue of Vintage Airplane.
This was the FBO from which Pied
mont Airlines was founded. They
were Piper and Beechcraft dealers.
They also had a very well-known
engine overhaul shop and a highly
regarded aircraft repair shop.
My father was a customer of
Piedmont's, and bought a number
of aircraft from them over the
years. The last was a brand new
1956 150-hp Tri-Pacer in which I
"cut my teeth" flying. I soloed this
airplane on my 16th birthday,
when it had less than 150 hours
total time on it. Up to that time,
my training had been in Piper J-3s,
with most of my time in J-5s . By
the time I soloed, I had more fly
ing time than the Tri-Pacer! As I
continued to fly, I put over 1,200

hours of this Tri-Pacer's time into

my logbook while getting my pri
vate and commercial pilot'S
certificates. We sold N7006B to a
contractor in Ring Gold, Virginia,
around 1968.

If that's the kind of

thing you like to do,
then you're in luck,
since next month you

will be able to do
exactly that if you plan
on attending the first
major fly-in of 2004.
Getting back to my story, one of
the best parts about Piedmont Avi
ation was their huge aircraft parts
department. They kept wind
shields, props, ribs, fabric, dope,
instruments, and hardware for all
sorts of airplanes.
I got to know all of the guys over
the years, and they would just let
me come behind the counter to
pick out what ever I needed to use
on my projects. I had to pay for it
all, but it sure was handy to go
rummaging around to pick out the
good stuff. Today, ordering parts
over the Internet with credit card
is great. It's a whole lot better than
having to mail an order and wait
for the check to clear. I feel privi
leged to have known these times
and the people at the original Pied

mont Aviation. To all of them,

thanks for the good times.
I guess the next best thing to be
ing able to go behind the counter
is to visit with all of the vendors in
the exhibit buildings and outside
in the display areas during a major
fly-in. It is here that you can feel,
touch, and ask those questions
that have been on your mind.
If that 's the kind of thing you
like to do, then you're in luck,
since next month you will be able
to do exactly that if you plan on
attending the first major fly-in of
2004 . This of course is the Sun 'n
Fun EAA Fly-In, starting April 13.
This will be my 20th year (give or
take a year) attending. It's great
being in the Vintage area, visiting
with members throughout the
week. Those of you who have
been to this great event know how
much fun it can be. If you haven't
had a chance to go in the past,
now would be a great time to head
south and enjoy great weather
and nice airplanes. Be sure to
bring your shorts and sunscreen! I
like it so much I'm going down a
bit early.
Do your part ask a friend to join
up with us-we need the company
and their support.
Let's all pull in the same direc
tion for the good of aviation.
Remember we are better together.
Join us and have it all.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

VAA N EWS

Sun 'n Fun Vintage Parking

It is once again time to think

about going to the Sun 'n Fun

EAA Fly-In in sunny Florida. The
dates this year are April 13-19. If
your airplane was built before
1968, you are welcome to park in
the Vintage area.
If your airplane won an award
in past years, please plan to come
back and park in the first two
rows. These rows are set aside for
past award-winning airplanes.
Row 3 will be for the Antiques,
Row 4 will be all C-195s, and Row
5 is reserved for the SWifts. Plan to
visit with all of them; what beau
ties these are!
Camping is allowed under your
wing, but tell the parkers that you
will be camping; you pay for
camping when you register at Vin
tage Headquarters.
We invite you to plan to watch
the night air show Saturday
evening, and attend the Annual
Fish Fry, but get your ticket early
at Vintage Headquarters. The An
nual Fish Fry is a sell-out every
year. Also plan to watch the bal
loon launch on Sunday morning,
weather permitting. We had more
than 30 balloons last year. What a
beautiful sight!
If you have any questions,
please fax me after March 1st at
Sun 'n Fun, 863/644-9737.
Hope to see you there.
Roy Olcott, Chairman
Vintage Parking

An EAA AirVenture
Place to Stay
Traditionally, reservations at
Oshkosh hotels for EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh fill early, but that doesn't
mean you won't be able to find
someplace to stay during your
visit. If you're planning your first
pilgrimage to EAA AirVenture, the
best place to discover your options
is at the Oshkosh Convention and
Visitors Bureau (OCVB), which
runs the EAA Housing Hotline
2

MARCH 2004

(920-235-3007)

and

website

(www.oshkoshcvb.org/eaa.c{m).

In addition to Oshkosh hotels,

options include dormitories at the
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh;
hotels, motels, and bed & break
fasts in communities up to 100
miles or more away; private resi
dences in the same area; and
there's always room for EAA mem
bers at AirVenture's Camp Scholler.
Housing inquires are picking up,
said Gloria Erickson of the OCVB.
"People are starting to call about
private residential housing, but we
tell them to call back after March 1
when we begin giving out phone
numbers for private residents who
wish to rent their homes, campers,
and RVs for the week." Here is ad
ditional information for EAA
AirVenture:
Oshkosh hot els: Fully booked,
although there are cancellations,
which occur the week of the con-

vention. OCVB makes continuous

checks with all Oshkosh hotels
throughout the week.
UW-Oshkosh dorms: Some
current availability. To check their
status, call 92-424-3226.
Area hotels, motels, and bed
N breakfasts: The OCVB website
continuously updates listings, in
cluding private area campgrounds,
for facilities from 10 to 100 miles
away from convention grounds.
Private housing: Starting
March I, call the EAA Housing
Hotline at 920/235-3007 between
8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Central time
to check on availability of private
housing (ranging from a bedroom
to an entire house) located within
10 miles of convention grounds.
EAA Camp Scholler: For EAA
members only, there is a three
night
mlOlmum
and
no
preregistrations are accepted (first
come, first served). Camp Scholler

Celebrating the Life of Steve WiHman

The EAA AirVenture Museum will
mark the 100th birthday of aviation leg
end S.}. "Steve" Wittman on April 3-5. A
champion air racer, airplane designer
and builder, airport manager, flight in
structor, and early EAA member, Steve
inspired thousands in the EAA family
and around the aviation world.
Built and dedicated in his memory,
Pioneer Airport's Wittman Hangar will
be open each day for guided tours on
April 3-5. On April 5, the 100th anniver
sary of Steve's birth, the museum will
hold a special evening program, Memo
ries of Steve. Adding to images from
EAA's Wittman movie and video archive, a number of Wittman's
closest friends will be on hand to share their memories, including his
biographer Aaron King and EAA Founder and Chairman Paul H.
Poberezny.
This event will be broadcast live over the Internet via the EAA
website (www.eaa.org), beginning at 6:30 p.m. Central time. The
broadcast is made possible thanks to generous assistance from the
Wright Family Fund, a charitable foundation administered by the de
scendants of the Wright brothers that provided the installation of
equipment for live video broadcast of EAA AirVenture Museum pro
grams over the Internet.

opens July I, 2004.

For more information, be sure
to visit the EAA AirVenture web
site, www.airventure.org.

Aerobatic Legend
Duane Cole Passes Away
Longtime EAA member, air
show performer, and aerobatic in
structor Duane Cole passed away
of natural causes on February 3 in
Burleson, Texas, at age 89. Duane,
who held membership card EAA
8, earned his private ticket in 1938
and his instructor rating in 1940.
That year he flew his first air show
and for the next 15 years taught
aerobatics to Civilian Pilot Train-

ing Program students, Royal Air

Force Cadets, and U.S. Army Air
Force Cadets. He was inducted to
the International Aerobatic Club
Hall of Fame in 1987 and the In
ternational Council of Air Shows
(ICAS) Hall of Fame in 1995.
"Duane Cole's legacy and im
pact on aviation, aerobatic
training, and safety will be re
membered," said EAA President
Tom Poberezny. "His decades of
contributions came not only in
the air, but his nine books will
leave a lasting legacy for many
years to come."
Duane was a longtime friend
and colleague of EAA Founder and

FI RST FLI GHT

DECEMBER 17, 1903; 10:35 A.M.
12 SECONDS. 120 FEET

Chairman Paul Poberezny. "I've

known Duane for 53 years, and
he's been a longtime supporter of
EAA," Paul said. "He was involved
in the early years of EAA and flew
a lot of air shows-I would say the
majority of the EAA air shows
over the years up until 10 years
ago when he lost his medical. Du
ane was an inspiration to a lot of
people in the air show business;
it's all he did all his life."
Duane's Taylorcraft is enshrined
at the EAA AirVenture Museum.
Duane is survived by his wife,
Judy, who performed as his wing
rider. Awards over the years in
clude the 1962 and 1964 U.S.
National Aerobatics Champi
onship . He also was involved in
the Reno National Championship
Air Races where he served as di
rector. Duane has been on nearly
1,500 airports (a world record) in
47 states, 10 foreign countries,
and two U.S. territories. He lec
tured throughout the country and
had more than 30,000 hours of
flight time.
......

DanielslWright Poster Available

Many VAA members have expressed an interest in having an un
folded copy of the poster of the Daniels/Wright photograph we
included in your December 2003 issue of Vintage Airplane. We're
pleased to announce that a limited run of unfolded 10- by IS-inch
copies of the poster are now available
The Daniels/Wright photo of the moment of liftoff during the
first flight of the Wright Brothers' Flyer became one of the most fa
mous photographic images of all time. Our offset press print is
made from a scan of the original negative, and shows detail often
lost in prints made from multiple-generation copy negatives.
We've also taken care to include the left side of the image, which
shows the left (starting) end of the launching rail, and the broken
corner in the lower left. By not cropping out the lower part of the
image, the viewer gets a better sense of the activity around the
Flyer prior to the first flight.
For your unfolded copy of the First Flight poster, contact EAA
Member Services at 800-843-3612. The cost is $6 each, plus tax,
postage, and handling. Each poster will be mailed unfolded in a
tube. There are fewer that 250 of the posters available at this time,
so act quickly!

the appetite ofevery

aspiring pilot who dreams of
being another Charles Lindbergh. "
-James A. Lovell, Jr., ApoOo XIII
Inquire about an autographed copy.

128-page book filled with vintage photos,

aviation stories (barnstorming , test pilots,

early airliners) and legendary figures

(Curtiss, Lindbergh, Earhart, etc.)

from the pilot who was part of

aviation's Golden Age.

$50 + S&H. To order, call the

American Bonanza Society
(316-945-1700), or order online
<www.bonanza.org>
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

tery Oil for a long time. It has al

ways worked well for me. I can
recall only one time that a friend
of mine had a problem with a plug
fouling and had a dead cylinder.
We came to the conclusion that it
wasn't mixed properly. We have
not found out what the formula is.
We think that it has a lot of
kerosene and red dye, also some
perfume. It does work well if you
have a sticky valve.
I have found a product that I
think is better than MMO, and
that it mixes better with the fuel.
The product is made for Bom
bardier Rotax. It is for 2-cycle and
is a pre-mix oil-a good synthetic
oil and leaves no deposits and has
better lubrication.
Here is just another tip that I
would like to pass along. If you are
flying an airplane with an Aero
Matic prop and are having a hard
time finding oil for the hubs: For
quite some time, we have been us
ing GM synthetic gear lube . It
makes the Aero-Matic shift better.
Cold weather does not affect the
viscosity. You must clean the hub
well before using the synthetic
gear lube.
Hope that this will help some of
you.
Edward C. Wegner
Plymouth, Wisconsin

AEROMAIL

MORE ON MMO
I can attest to Mr. Hurry's claims
of the profound effect Marvel Mys
tery Oil (MMO) does to the
performance and maintenance of
our aircraft. I too have had great
success with MMO by adding it to
my 100LL fuel since 1993 in Miss
Pearl that has a 0-320B2B Ly
coming power plant. The engine
now has approximately 1,200
hours. With the ratio of 4
ounces/lO gallons of avgas, the
valves have never stuck and the
compression tests over the ensuing
years have been a constant 80/80. I
doubted these figures and per
formed the same test with a
different tester-the results were
the same . In addition, I use the
STC'd Avblend (automotive Zmax)
in the engine oil which is changed
every 40 hours. (1.5 quarts oil us
age between oil changes.) An oil
analysis is performed every other
oil change by Blackstone Labs of
Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and the results
are always normal to below nor
mal in all categories of metal wear.
As for the adding of MMO to the
tank at fill up time, pump the gas
and add the MMO at the same
time to get a uniform mix. In addi
tion, the 1985 Maxima I bought
new indicates close to 300,000
miles on the engine using the same
MMO regimen. (Substitute 1 quart
MMO for motor oil.)
Frank Sperandeo
Fayetteville, Arkansas
I enjoyed the nice letter from
Lee Hurry. I haven't heard from
Lee in quite some time.
I have been using Marvel Mys4

MARCH 2004

SEPTEMBER MYSTERY
PLANE EXTRA
From My Files on Each and
Every Ryan/Mahoney Airplane
Ryan B-1 "Brougham," sin 158,
registra t ion number NC7211.
Manufacturing date September 4,
1928. Engine Wright J-5A "Whirl
wind" of 220 horsepower. Engine
sin B-9135.
Manufactured by the B.P. Ma
honey Aircraft Corp, San Diego,
California.
This airplane had been tested on
Edo Model E floats in 1928. First
owner appears to have been W. H.
Royle of Oakland, California.
It went t hrough several owners
in the Bay area, then down to
Yu ma, Arizona, and other Arizona

locations, and then over to

Louisiana in about 1934. The CAA
license was removed in October
1934. No reason given. Possible ac
cident at Hodge, Louisiana. It was
at New Orleans for a while.
I have a small Xerox copy of a
photo taken at Alameda, Califor
nia, in its all-silver color scheme.
The NC7211 clearly shown on the
top of the rudder. The picture is
part of an advertisement for the
Anchor Post Fence Company of
Baltimore, Maryland.
The B-1 is easy to spot, with the
lower side window of the cockpit,
and the similar landing gear strut
configu ration to the Spirit of St.
Louis. Also the vertical fin and rud
der shapes, although there were
design changes in the Brougham
series during their production
years. That includes all from the B
I, through the B-3, B-5, B-7, and
later C-1.
Do any of our members live near
Hodge, Lo uiSiana, who may have
in formation on the reported acci
dent and if any of the airplane
parts survive today?
Ev Cassagneres
Cheshire, Connecticut
EYEWITNESS TO A
MIDAIR
Letter to Russell L. Farris from
Charles E. Lee, Bartlesville, Oklahoma
A few nights ago I was surfing
the web, just trying to find any
thing interesting that might come
my way. I went to Google and
typed in "Dewey Highway Air
port." The search returned a hit,
which was the August 2003 Vin
tage Airplane magazine article
about your Cessna 170, NBI43A.
My interest in the Highway airport
is that is where I learned to fly in
1957. I was surprised to see the ar
ticle since I have a connection
with it ... I was there.
I am assuming that the day was
a Saturday or a Sunday, because at
that time I was a Civil Air Patrol
cadet and spent every weekend
getting flights with my adult
continued on page 26

betwmt
there were
great hopes that flxed-wing light air
planes would be developed. I don't
consider the future development of the
autogiro to be a retrograde, but a needed
advancement. We are obviously never
going to get the public to take on fixed
wing aircraft. I have been surrounded
by hundreds ofnearby neighbors here
for 83 years, but NONE will consider
airplanes, although they have seen me
flying safely for years. A new direction
has to be taken. This article is not a de
traction of the Bonanza or any other
aircraft, but a solution to the problem
ofgetting more people into the air.
(John)
Many World War I surplus air
planes and engines were used during
the 1920s, but a few slightly more
modern open cockpit biplanes were
developed in those times before avi
ation regulations were adopted in
1927, and they provided design
standards for aircraft and rules for
training and certification of pilots
and mechanics.
The engineers began graduating
from their fixation on the old bi
plane types and began to build
monoplanes of the cabin types,
some following the path of pioneer
Anthony Fokker's stressed-skin type
monoplane wings, but in alu
minum alloy instead of wood
veneer and plywood, and his
welded steel tube structures. Few
aviation people now are even
aware of the influence Fokker's
ideas had on airplane design.
However, aviation did not gain
wide acceptance by the public, partly

to it expense, limlted
ness, dangers, lack of adequa
airfields, and the absence of advan
tages that are common now,
including air navigation aids, air
ports, and many other conveniences.
Of course, the severe depression of
the 1930s was disastrous to general
aviation.

THE AUTOGIRO,
WITH ITS
OUTSTANDING
FEATURE (SAFETY
ABOVE ALL ELSE)
HAS BEEN SITTING
IN THE SHADOW OF
ITS HELICOPTER
OFFSPRING,
WAITING TO BE
REMEMBERED AND
REVIVED.
The airlines did expand rapidly in
the later 1930s, especially with the
stimulus of virtual subsidies in the
form of airmail contracts and the
advent of the modern airliners such
as the Boeing 247, Douglas DC-2
and DC-3, all of very advanced all
metal designs. Of course, World War
II accelerated aircraft design rapidly,
and general aviation has inherited
much of that.
However, general aviation still
has not been widely accepted by
the public. Fixed-wing aircraft are
very expensive to own and to oper

ate. It is also very expensive and in

volved to get the necessary training
to fly them safely and usefully, and
then it is necessary to drive to and
from the airport and to pay high
hangar rentals.
It is obvious that the majority of
people do not either have the real
need for fast long-range transporta
tion or the adventurous spirit it
takes to fly fixed-wing airplanes.
They are afraid of the idea of a single
engine. In my opinion they are jus
tified, when one considers the skill
(and luck) it takes to make a success
ful emergency landing without
power, especially in rough terrain.
Many people assume that a twin
engine airplane would be much safer
than they really are in the hands of
a nonprofessional pilot. The records
indicate the opposite.
One type of aircraft that would be
of great value for personal trans
portation is the helicopter, but it is
far too expensive for wide personal
use, although very successful in
many commercial applications. So it
has been a disappOintment as a per
sonal aircraft. Its landings must
normally be made with power. No
power landings require high skill
and are hazardous on anything
other than smooth terrain, due to
the forward speed required.
THE AUTOGIRO

It is obvious to me that there is

one type of aircraft that has been
sadly neglected since the 1930s that
could fulfill the needs of many peoVINTAGE AIRPLANE

pIe, if further devel

opment could resume
on it. That aircraft is
the autogiro, from
which the helicopter
evolved. The auto
giro, with its out
standing
feature
(safety above all else)
has been sitting in the
shadow of its helicop
ter offspring, waiting
to be remembered
and revived.
Why has this ob
scurity happened? In deciding on
the usefulness of an aircraft, there
are several items that must be con
sidered. If the aircraft is to be
commercially viable, it must not be
too expensive to purchase and oper
ate, must carry a good load, have
long range and high speed.
That leaves safety as the last con
sideration, because without those
first factors, there is no use in ac
quiring the aircraft. On the contrary,
the autogiro was actually devised
with safety as the first considera
tion, and so leaves the other items
in secondary consideration.
To the present time, the autogiro,
with its remarkable safety record,
has been lying in oblivion. The more
adventurous people are happy with
their fixed-wing airplanes, with
their speed, range and load, whereas
there may be 100 times as many
people who would be interested in
an aircraft without those features if
it were totally stall-proof, easier to
fly, could land and take off in a
much smaller space, could descend
and land or crash reasonably gently
and survivably, similar to a para
chute, could carry two or four
people and have some reasonable
speed and convenience for travel to
beat the automobile for commuting,
and finally, would not have to be
confined to busy airports.
The autogiro can fulfill all of
those features, plus more. It is
cheaper to manufacture than an air
plane and only a small fraction of
the cost of a helicopter. Above all, it
is inherently safe, cannot be stalled,
6

MARCH 2004

with the added ability to descend

like a parachute if necessary. It is im
possible to stall the rotor or for it to
stop in the air, if a fixed-pitch rotor
is used. Loss of speed below a certain
minimum merely means a rate of
descent begins, and at zero forward
speed the descent is at about the
rate of a parachute.
What else can be asked of an air
craft? It has its own "parachute," the
rotor, instantly ready and open at all
times for emergency power-off land
ings without roll, even in rough or
muddy terrain.
The rotor of an autogiro rotates
due only to aerodynamic forces, re
gardless of forward speed to zero; it
even backslides, with the rotor not
by being driven by the engine. The
complex aerodynamics are too in
volved to explain here. Once
power-started and in the air, a fixed
pitch autogiro rotor keeps running,
no matter what; it simply will not
stop! It does not make any differ
ence, high speed or zero speed,
backward slide or Sideways in
cluded-a fixed-pitch autogiro rotor
cannot stop in the air. It perSists in
rotating and providing lift, even at
zero airspeed in a vertical descent.
The parachute-type landing tech
nique requires a little explanation.
In the first place, in an extreme
emergency, the descent can be made
straight down, without any flare
possible . Of course, that would
wreck the aircraft, but I have not
ever heard of anyone injured in a
number of such cases, which were
inadvertent by untrained pilots.

The power-off bird

like flare landings
that I developed in
1931 and used con
Sistently for years
(including
some
5,000 takeoffs and
landings during my
one-year airmail ex
perimental contract
to and from the roof
of the post office
building in the center
of Philadelphia in
1939-40), look just
like the landings made in the new
airfoil parachutes developed since
World War II.
The autogiro is put into a power
off steep descent with an airspeed of
about 20 mph. As it approaches the
ground at about 200 feet, the nose is
lowered 3 to 5 degrees, which in
creases the rate of descent from
about 1,800 fpm to a higher rate,
some 200 or 300 feet faster. As the
autogiro gets down to about 100
feet above the ground, a flare is
started, which puts a higher load on
the rotor and increases its rotational
speed, reducing both the rate of de
scent and the forward speed.
The tail wheel touches down first
with the front wheels still about 2
feet high. The backward tilt of the
rotor has stopped the forward mo
tion. The front wheels then drop on
down to the ground, with the rotor
still holding most of the weight, and
the autogiro is landed gently. The
struts compress less than 1 inch.
Due to the flare, the forward mo
tion has stopped . On a smooth
surface, the idling propeller may
cause a slight forward roll. The land
ing can be made with the brakes on,
but it is not necessary and not good
judgment, usually. It is a beautiful
landing, similar to that of a bird and
of the new airfoil parachutes.
I have a TV tape showing these
landings, the only one ever taken as
far as I know. Only two pilots
(friends) came to the roof to see me
fly. One was EAL Capt. M.A.C. John
son and the other was Benny
Howard, the well-known racing pi

lot and UAL captain.

Johnson had a 16
mm camera with the
newly developed
color film. It really
startles airplane pi
lots when they first
see such landings.
But it changes their
prejudice about the
autogiro, pronto.
Similar landings
are now used by the
new parachutes. But
the rotor is always
ready for instant use,
so there is no need
to exit the aircraft
and wait for a chute
to open. And re
member, there is no stall, spin or
dive when speed is lost.
Back in the 1930s, the Pitcairn
Autogiro Co. was developing a two
place autogiro that was roadable,
that is, it could be driven on the
road and kept at home. It had a
three-blade rotor that could be
quickly folded back over the tail and
then it could be driven on the road
with the tractor propeller stopped. It
could be flown to and from a small
grass field and then driven home!
World War II put an end to that
experimental development, and
then after the war it was over
shadowed by the phenomenal
development of the helicopter. It
is now the time to reconsider and
develop it.
As far as I know, that experimen
tal autogiro is now obscurely
hidden in storage at the Smithson
ian's National Air and Space
Museum, and the Pitcairn Autogiro
Co. and the Kellett Autogiro Co. are
long gone. This experimental auto
giro was a very successful aircraft as
far as it went and should be revived.
If built in simple form with a fixed
pitch rotor to prevent accidental
mishandling of collective pitch
control in case of engine failure, it
should provide safe and useful
transportation for many people.
The safety record of the Pitcairn
and Kellett autogiros was phenome

nal. In the tens of thousands of

hours of flying, there were inevitable
crashes, mostly by pilots who did
not have proper transitional train
ing from fixed-wing aircraft, but I
know of no more than very slight
injuries with one exception, which
happened when a student pilot
struck a power line.
The autogiro rotor is, in my
opinion, the most important air
craft safety device ever invented
and it is inexcusable to fail to use
it. Juan de la Cierva, the inventor,
made the first successful flights
with it in 1923, at Madrid, Spain,
the very year of my first solo. I
have followed and participated in
their development much of the
time since then and flown them
thousands of hours, all over the
lower 48 states, demonstrating
them, even including aerobatics to
convince the detractors. A revival
of development of the autogiro
type aircraft is not a retrograde,
but a needed advancement of a re
markable type of aircraft.
In my opinion, the autogiro is the
only type/classification of aircraft
that will be accepted by any appre
ciable portion of the general public.
It is still an aircraft with a propeller
and a rotor that can be dangerous to
nearby persons, so the pilot must be
qualified suffiCiently to minimize
such risks.

With
modern
navigation systems
having moving maps,
terrain depictions
and warnings, cou
pled to autopilots,
amateur pilots could
find their ways to
desired destinations
as simply as they
now operate their
personal computers
and automobiles. At
low altitudes and vi
sual flying, they
should be of little
danger to fixed
wing controlled
traffic. There are
now night vision
goggles available, and terrain de
pictions reflected on look-through
windshields are under develop
ment. Such things are in the
future but are inevitable.
Only when the people are as
sured that violent danger is
unlikely or eliminated in case of
power failure, by the nonstall and
parachute-like ability of the auto
giro rotor, will larger numbers of
people accept private flying.
One important item that must
be developed is a simpler and
longer-life engine, and I am con
fident it will be the Wankel type,
fueled with ordinary automobile
gasoline, or pOSSibly using a
Diesel cycle and fuel. Of course, I
am predicting the future when I
will be gone to the forever and
won't see it, I'm sorry to say.
Reprinted from the September 2003

ABS magazine, with permission from

the American Bonanza Society,

www.bonanza.org.
John welcomes comments. Write
him at 201 Kingwood Park, Pough
keepsie, New York, 12601.
A wonderful compilation ofJohn's
stories is available in the book Flying
Stories. The cost of$50 provides funds
for the ABS nonprofit Air Safety Foun
dation. It is available from the ABS
Company Store, 316-945-1700. It's a
great coffee table page-turner.
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

N~vig~ting Wit~ ~ H~nd~eld

N~v/(omm

EVAN M CCOMBS

EVAN'S AIRe RAIT BODY SHOP, PEYTON, COLORADO

enjoyed reading Paul Gould's

and H.G. Frautschy's articles
about hidden comm antennas
in their Aeroncas, and I agree that
if you can use a hidden antenna in
any antique, classic, contempo
rary, or homebuilt airplane and it
works in an acceptable manner, it's
worth the extra time to experi
ment with and flight test.
After some additional discussion
with other VAAers, the question
came up about using both a comm
and a nav antenna connected to a
switch box and switching between
antennas . This system would be
used with a handheld nav/comm.
At the same time the question
arose about how effective and ac
curate navigation is with one of
these handheld radios. This was
just the excuse I needed for more
flight testing.
Flight test No . I-The first test
was to see how far the navigation
system of an Icom IC-A22 would
work with the rubber ducky an
tenna. While holding the radio
above the instrument panel inside
the windshield, the usable naviga
tional distance was only about 10
miles. You could find yourself if
you were close to the station.
Flight test No.2-My airplane
already has a VOR antenna in
stalled. I then installed a diplexer
in the VOR antenna coaxial cable
and hooked up the Icom radio to
the diplexer in place of the rubber
ducky antenna . After takeoff, I
tuned in to Black Forest VORTAC
and set the OBS to 086 degrees to
track outbound on V-108 to Hugo
VORTAC, which is 56 miles away.
Twenty-eight miles out I changed

MARCH 2004

the frequency to the Hugo VOR

TAC and continued inbound. After
crossing over the Hugo station, I
circled the area and tuned in to
Thurman VORTAC, which is 65
miles away and was able to receive
a signal good enough to identify
the station, but not good enough
to navigate with. 1 then tuned in
to Pueblo VORTAC, which is 57
miles away and received a strong
signal and was able to navigate
with it. At this point I figured that
I was about 54 miles from the Black
Forest VORTAC, so 1 tuned it in
and cruised inbound at about
2,500 feet AGL. This test proved
the VOR function worked wonder
fully, and is accurate when
compared to the VOR receiver in
stalled in the panel.
Flight test No. 3-1 made up a
switch box with three surface
mount BNC connectors and a slide

switch in an aluminum project

box; all the coax shielding was
grounded to the box . This switch
box was installed in my airplane. I
then connected both the comm
and nav antennas and a jumper
coax from the switch box to the
Icom antenna connection. After
takeoff, and while using the comm
antenna, 1 tuned in to the super
UNICOM at Meadow Lake Airport
and made two radio checks. The
first radio check was with an old
hand mic. It worked good enough
for use in the traffic pattern. The
second radio check was with the
boom mic on my pilot communi
cations headset. It worked very
well. I then tuned in to the Black
Forest VORTAC and flew outbound
on the 065-degree radial. At 20 to
21 miles out, the signal became
too weak to navigate with, and the
Morse code identifier had lots of

The [com radio mounted on my instrument paneL with the switch box
mounted beside the radio.

noise and static as I listened with

my headset. Then when I switched
to the nav antenna on th e switch
box, the signal became clear and
the OBS and cor started working
again. Remember that h orizontal
polarization of nav signals requires
horizontal orientation of the nav
antenna.
I must ca uti on anyone w h o
wants to try this system that these
handheld radios must have an an
tenna hooked up at all times.
Please don't use a switch with a
center off position! Th e swi t c h
may be left in the off position by
mistake, and your radio co uld be
damaged. However, a coax jumper
wire connected to the radio and to
the switch box may preclude an y
damage to the radio, but why take
the chance?
As a footnote-on the last test
flight, while using the comm an
tenna , I switched to th e weat her

COAX INPUT
(FROM RADIO)

The antenna switch box. The lettering

on the box refers to the switch posi
tion, not the BNe input and outputs.

function to li sten to the NOAA

weather broadcast. On the ground
I received th e broadcast only on
Channe l 3. In the air I could re
ceive seven of the 10 channels,
including th e wea th er broadcast
from the National Weather Service
NOTE: SEE PHOTO FOR
SHIELDING ROUTING.
BRAIDED COAX SHIELDING
IS JOINED NEAR SWITCH
TERMINALS. AS SHOWN,
DIAGRAM DEPICTS CIRCUIT
CONFIGURATION ONLY.

TYPICAL TWO
POSITION SPDT
SWITCH.

COAX OUTPUT
(NAV ANTENNA*)

SHORT GROUNDING

COAX OUTPUT
(COMM ANTENNA*)

*NOTE: ACTUAL COAX OUTPUT POSITION WILL

DEPEND ON CONFIGURATION OF SWITCH USED.

The wiring inside the antenna switch

box. While just one side of a double
pole, double throw slide (DPDT)
switch was used, a single pole, double
throw (SPDT) switch would also work
fine.

transmitter in Dodge City, Kansas,

which is more than 250 miles
away. It would be interesting to lis
ten to the weather broadcast on a
cross-county flight, although it
would take some time to figure out
what city you are listening to.
As always, if you install one of
the handheld comms or nav/
comms in your airplane, please do
lots of test flying. It's fun! Now if
only I could find a way to hide the
antennas inside the steel tubing
fuselage and aluminum wing struc
ture, I'd be happy. Remember, any
excuse to fly! Keep 'em safe and
keep 'em flying.
Editor's Note: A cursory review of
this article by an avionics technician
was done to be sure we were not doing
any harm to any system. His only
comment was the mention of the pos
sibility of some significant signal loss
within the box, which cou ld vary
widely depend ing on the coax us ed
and the techniques used by the
builder. If the signals being received
seem weaker, eliminate the switch
box before assuming the problem lies
with the radio or antenna.
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

NST

A new set of skills

DOUG STEWART

IIN

no, no ... you're

Why would someone

pulling back on
the stick. That's
want to go flying

why the nose is dropping ." The

expecting to get a

voice in my headset was helping to

make my head feel as if my brains
stomach that churns

were going to melt and start drip

more than the

ping out my ears. Worse yet my

stomach felt as if it were getting
bottom of a roll cloud in you have just done. No ... he
has you sequence from one ma
ready to display the contents of my
advance of a
neuver to the next with very few
light breakfast in my lap.
breaks. Un less, of course, that
"You've got to start coming for
thunderstorm, and a
you mess up, or get disoriented,
ward with the stick as you
head that throbs greater which is real easy to do.
transition from knife edge to in
He ' ll have you fly a loop, fol
verted, or that nose wi ll drop. I've
than a round engine?
lowed immediately by an aileron
got it . .. let me show you again,"
Stan said as we ro lled, yet again, through one more roll, then dive to gain the energy for a half-Cuban
eight to reverse course, coming out of that into a four
four-point roll.
We had been flying aerobatic maneuvers for close point roll , sequ encing to a barrel roll. Now reverse
to an hour at this point and my fun meter was just course with a hammerhead. Then perhaps two or three
about pegged out. I had reached that saturation point aileron rolls in sequence (that one can really get my
where my performance was going to be all downhill stomach going) and a course reversal with an Immel
from this point on . It was a good thing we were going man. Are you starting to get the picture?
You certa inl y get your money's worth with Stan.
to be descending for the airport in just a short time.
In the back seat of the Super Decathlon we were After an hour of tra in ing (if you can last that long)
you could easily fly over forty maneuvers . With
flying was Stan Segalla, known to many as "Th e Fly
ing Farmer." He regularly thrills the crowds at the Old some aerobatic instructors you might only get to fly
Rhinebeck Aerodrome every Sunday with his hilarious ten or fifteen maneuvers in an hour. That's not so
routine in a PA-ll Piper Cub. One would not th ink with Stan. And one of the amazing things is that
that a Piper Cub could do the things that Stan does Stan is more than 70 years old. He just doesn't get
with it. I would call it absolute mastery of uncoordi
tired at all. Period.
Many pilots would wonder why anyone would
nated flight. At the end of the act he shows masterly
perfection by coming to a stop, after a dead stick land
want to subject th emselves to the physical stress of
ing, directly beside his farmer's straw hat that had aerobatic flight, or why anyone wou ld subject oneself
"blown" out of the cockpit as he took off.
to the G loads incurred in flight other than straight
And now he was encouraging me to strive for and level. Why wou ld someone want to go flying ex
that same type of perfection in the air. Not that I pecting to get a stomach that churns more than the
was preparing for an air show performance. I was bottom of a roll cloud in advance of a thunderstorm,
just taking recurrent aerobatic training to keep my and a head that throbs greater than a round engine?
Well, for some it's just plain (or should I spell that
skills sharp. Stan is a h ard taskmaster. He doesn't
have you fly one maneuver and then fly straight 'plane') fun. After a few hours of aerobatic flight most
and level for five minutes while yo u discuss what pilots will adapt to the G loading and no longer find

0,

10

MARCH 2004

themselves getting queasy or having headaches. It cer more than one pilot, finding their airplane inverted
tainly is a challenge to fly around the axes' with after a wake turbulence encounter, had opted to split
enough situational awareness to even know which S out of the upset, only to become much more upset
way is up, but when one can start to gain precision in when the wings departed the aircraft as a result of the
these maneuvers one also gains a wonderful sense of speeds well in excess of VNE that were reached before
control was regained. But if a pilot has never had aer
accomplishment.
I know that for me, one of the most rewarding obatic training would they know that the roll is the
things about flying is that there is a/ways something safest way to recover from the upset? And would they
more to learn, something more to perfect. I love the know to roll to the left (assuming an American engine
challenge of always trying to make my flying better. I up front)? Would they know that the split-S would
think that if I ever get to the point where I can say lead to excessively high airspeeds, and that if they did
that there is nothing more to learn or perfect in my keep the wings on the airplane, they might very well
flying, it will be time to hand in my certificates and impact the ground if the upset occurred on the latter
take up crocheting. So for me seeking that ever-elu stages of an ILS?
sive perfection in my flying gets even more difficult
The only way that we as pilots can gain the some
times counter intuitive skills one needs to recover
when the blue side is no longer necessarily up.
But there is also another reason for every pilot to get from these kinds of upsets is through aerobatic, or up
some aerobatic training. Even if you are a pilot that set recovery, training. Might one experience some
dislikes banks in excess of 30 degrees , even if you motion sickness during the training? Yup! Is the
never pitch up or down beyond 10 degrees , there adrenalin valve going to be wide open? You betcha!
might very well come a time in your flying when the But even if you only receive one hour of aerobatic
blue side is down, not up. And it probably didn't get training you will be much better prepared to recover
from an upset, if it ever happens to you. You will
there because of something you did on purpose.
I remember when I was taking my initial Mal know how to get the blue side back on top if you ever
ibu/Mirage training with Attitudes International. It find it down. And you will be taking yet another step
was my final day of training. The simulator that I in the transition from good pilot to grea t pilot.
Read more about Doug's work at www.dsf/ight.com.........

was "flying" was not a motion sim, but was a full

cockpit mockup, with projection on a screen that , - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
wrapped around outside the cockpit windows. The
instructor asked me to shut my eyes; we were going
to do some recoveries from unusual attitudes. So I
dutifully shut my eyes and waited for instructions to
open them and recover from whatever attitude I
found myself in.
Of course the instructor could not disorient me in
this simulator bolted to the floor, as I do when per
forming this maneuver with students in the air, so I
sat there in a nonmoving cockpit waiting to open
~~
~(Jffle ~
my eyes and quickly interpret the instruments and
then recover as appropriate. When I was told to
()~ 7etd ~ ~ tM
'It 7-- 7er11t
open my eyes, I quickly scanned the instruments
Welcomes All VAA Members To
and responded: "You've got to be kidding me." "No
I'm not! Recover from th e attitude. NOW!" the in
Sun-n-Fun
structor commanded.
Looking at the attitude indicator first, I saw that
2004!
the blue side was down. Scanning to the airspeed in
dicator I saw that the airspeed was trending up. Yup!
(0) (863) 647-3911 Unicorn 122.95
No doubt about it. Even though I wasn't hanging
from my seatbelt this Mirage was inverted. But now
100LL JET-A
the moment the instructor was waiting for. How
would I recover? Would I pull back on the yoke and
split-S (a maneuver that pulls from inverted through
the second half of a loop) back to right side up ... or
Check our web site for the latest news,
would I add some forward pressure and th en full left
discounts, fuel prices, and more!
yoke with left rudder in an aileron roll back to
straight and level?
This maneuver had been added to the syllabus after

Lakeland Air Service

tk
tk r/(,tiattYt "
s__

www.lakelandairservice.net

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

11

Reuben Fleet's

As Interpreted by Terry Bolger

BUDD DAVISSON

t really would have been fun to

be a fly on the wall during the
1928-29 meetings of Consoli
dated Aircraft's board of directors.
Then based in Buffalo, New York, they
took a couple of "interesting" side
steps that must have resulted in some
pretty intense internal discussions.
Consolidated was founded by
Reuben Fleet when he combined
Gallaudet and Dayton-Wright air
craft companies in 1923. In short
order, the new company was gain
ing a reputation for both its fIying
boats and its trainers like the PT-l.
However, in 1928 the board of di
rectors apparently decided to stop
messing around with "little" air
planes like the trainers and
concentrate on big ones, where the
real money lay. So, they put their
trainer line up for sale.
The decision must not have
played well in Buffalo because
Reuben Fleet himself formed a sep
arate company, Fleet Aircraft, to
purchase the trainer line for the
express purpose of supplying train
ers to both the civilian and
military markets.
Reuben must have known what
he was doing because a year later
Consolidated bought Fleet Aircraft
and set it up as a separate division
to build trainers. It's not known
whether this gave Reuben steady
employment or put him out on
the street but it would appear that
there had been some serious
"What does Reuben know that we
don't" boardroom head scratching
going on.

12

MARCH 2004

Regardless of what happened to

Reuben, his company flourished
and a branch was opened north of
the border and named Fleet Air
craft of Canada. Fleet Aircraft
disappeared from the official Con
solidated organizational chart in
1939 and Fleet Aircraft of Canada
ceased operations in 1957.
Although 1929 wasn't the ideal
time to launch a new airplane com
pany, Fleet produced a surprising
number of little two-place biplanes.
With an average wingspan of only
28 feet, they bucked the trend to
ward big biplanes (Waco, Travel Air,
etc.) and were powered by smaller
engines-Kinners and Warners with
a range of power from 90 to 160
horsepower.
Fleet produced Terry Bolger's air
plane, NC788V, in 1929, the year
before Fleet of Canada was formed,
which makes his bird a Buffalo
Fleet.
Terry, who is now from Elk
Grove Village, Illinois, develops
and leases shopping centers in his
day job, and was your prototypical
airplane guy from day one.
"I was attending Northern Illi
nois University at DeKalb when I
started flying. The airplane was a
nearly new 7AC Champ and I was
hard pressed to come up with
enough cash to fly very often.
Eventually I was making $13 a
week driving a school bus and, as
soon as I got my paycheck, I was
off to the airport. I literally could
n't wait to spend all of that money
on fIying.

"When I graduated, my flying

slowed down conSiderably, which
is probably a very common situa
tion, since that's about the time
most of us start a family and get
our careers going. I immediately
got into real estate, first buying
and
rebuilding residential
dwellings, then shifted over to
commercial where I am today.
"I finally earned my private cer
tificate in '78 and bought a new
Turbo Lance II. However, at some
point, and I'm not exactly sure
when, I found myself looking more
and more at older airplanes. The
Champ I'd trained in probably set
that hook.
liThe Lance was great for trans
portation but it was missing the fun
factor that was so evident in the
Champ. So, I began looking around
for something with more character.
"I ran into a 220-hp Stearman for
sale that wasn't too far from me
and figured that's the way I'd go. Of
course, I had to learn to fly a tail
wheel all over again. It took about
15 hours to get me back up to
speed, but when I got there, I stayed
there. I've put over 1,000 hours on
the Stearman and I'm a LONG way
from being finished with it."
Terry's Stearman isn't just any
Stearman. All of them have a certain
amount of fame attached to them,
but there aren't many like Terry's.
liMy Stearman came out of the
military and while it was still in a
box went to Paul Mantz. He had it
in storage for a number of years be
fore finally pulling it out and putting

it in the air. Last year at Oshkosh I

met the mechanic who worked with
Mantz in 1950 to pull it out of the
box and put it together./I
In another curious connection,
Mantz used an airplane virtually
identical to Terry's Model Seven
Fleet to set a world record of 150
consecutive outside loops!
The Fleet came along in 1996
and that's where Terry earned his
spurs in aircraft restoration.
liMy other airplanes were in fly
ing condition when I bought them,
but not the Fleet. It had been in
storage for over 30 years and before
that had been half way restored. Be
sides the fact that the work was
quite old, it wasn't very well done. I
poked around on it a little and de
cided to take it all the way down
and start over again./I
It's always a painful decision to
take an airplane that is "almost flyVINTAGE AIRPLANE

13

Terry Bolger

Sitting on the grass, as it was designed by ...~u.~,

Buffalo, New York, it's been to the West

Basic VFR, 1929 style.

Neither cockpit is overly
endowed with instruments.
Back then, and even today,
the wind on your face tells
you far more than the
needles on the gauges.
able" apart and start a
process you know is go
ing to ground it for a
really long time. But, con
sidering what Terry found
inside his Fleet, it's a good
thing he decided to do it
right.
A lot of the tubing was
in bad shape. Really bad
shape. It had the traditional
rear fuselage moisture dam
age and most of the lower
rear longerons were re
/I

placed. Same thing for some

of the cross tubes. However,
considering that the air
plane was nearly 70 years
old at the time, you'd have
to expect that kind of thing.
"In general, my wings
had to be completely re
built because there were
so many things wrong. It
had cracked spars, fabric
nails were rusty, the
ailerons were falling
apart, most of the ribs
were trashed and many of
the fittings were rusting.
So, we just took every
thing apart and literally
built new wings."
The Fleet uses a different type of
wing construction than most of its
peers in that it has traditional wood
spars, but the ribs are aluminum
with stamped, hat-section caps.
"First, let me say I would have
been unable to restore the airplane
without the help of local restorers
and the International Fleet Club.
They shared their knowledge, time
and tools. The ribs are an excellent
case-jn-point.
"The ribs use a special 3/64-inch
rivet and are hard to work on with
out some sort of jig. I borrowed
International Fleet Club President
Sandy Brown's jig. He gave me a
supply of the necessary 3/64-inch
rivets and the special tool to set
them. I was glad when that task was
behind me."
Once the aluminum ribs were
done it was time to tackle the wood

work and there was lots of that to

be tackled.
"The lower spars were cracked so
they had to go. As far as that goes,
most of the wood had to be re
placed. The ailerons were good for
patterns only and are completely
new. The top wing main spars were
okay and I reused those but every
thing else had to be replaced, so all
of the wood up there is new, too.
"The aluminum leading edge
was rolled for me by Wag Aero who
had an old machine that was made
specifically for this kind of work.
They did it in 6-foot sections, which
I flush riveted to the ribs.
"The drag-anti-drag wires are ca
bles, not threaded rod, and the ends
are pulled through the fittings,
lapped back on themselves then
wrapped with wire. They were a
major pain to do that way, but I
was doing my best to make the air
plane as original as practical.
"The fuel tank, which had been
manufactured on the East Coast
years ago, looked pretty good. Un
fortunately, I had the airplane
finished and the weight and bal
ance done and we were fueling it
for its first flight when we found it
leaked. Not a little, but a lot.
"I took the upper wing off,
pulled the tank, and sent it to Wag
Aero to weld the leaking seams and
all rivet heads. Then I started re
covering the 28-foot wing again."
Once all the major parts were fin
ished (wings, fuselage) it was time to
start working on the myriad of small
parts and the control system.

"The control system was actually in

pretty good condition. I bead blasted
all of the parts and painted them. I
did all of the control cable runs just
like Fleet did it in 1929, which means
no Nicopress fittings. The cables were
all spliced the same way they do ropes
on a boat. There are very few people
who still know how to do that, but
Andrew King of Lovettsville, Virginia,
came to my rescue."
The Fleet airplanes are known for
high system friction, something
Terry confirms.
"The problem with the aileron
control system is that it uses all
push-rods, no cables, and none of
the connections have bearings. So,
you have dozens of bolts just going
through steel fittings and push rods
running in greased phenolic guide
blocks. In flight the airplane is
much more responsive than a Stear
man but the system friction makes
it feel as if you ' re working harder
for what you get. Still, that's the
way it was done back then and
that's the way I did it."
When it came time to work on
the fun stuff, the panel, windshield,
etc., Terry was pretty much on his
own because he had little with
which to work.
"The instrument panels were
nothing but junk. They weren't
even good for patterns because they
had been so badly butchered. I used
factory photos as our guide and
made new panels for both cockpits.
The good news, however, was that I
had some of the original instru
ments with the airplane, so, other
than replacing a nonsensitive al
timeter with a two-needle unit, we
have original looking panels that
function perfectly.
"In the interest of safety, I moved
the magneto switch from its original
mounting under the instrument
panel because, at 6 feet S inches, I fill
the cockpit up so much that my knee
would hit the switch and shut it off.
"The windshield was fabricated
exactly to the original plan we ob
tained from the late Tony Farhat in
California. The windshield chan
nels are all hammered into shape

and I'm proud to say we got it right

the first time.
"I had all the leather for the air
plane, including the combing, seats,
and the boots around wires and
stuff made by a local motorcycle
clothing shop."
Terry says the mechanical brakes
inside the big 8-1/2-by-1S-inch
wheels were fairly easy to rebuild
because he was fortunate to find
enough of the right parts that he
didn't have to fabricate anything.
"The engine, which is a 12S-hp
Kinner B-SR with the rear exhaust,
had supposedly been overhauled,
but I didn't trust it and it turned out
I had good reason not to. I sent it
down to Al Ball at Antique Engines
in Santa Paula, California. He's a
wizard with old engines and he
found a lot of stuff wrong, including
a main bearing installed crooked,
unairworthy pistons of questionable
origins, magnetos infested with
bead blasting material and valve
guides and seats installed and
reamed crooked. Large amounts of
abrasive material had already caused
severe damage to most of the mov
ing parts. It was a failure just waiting
to happen."
Terry made an effort to learn as
much about the airplane's history
as possible.
"We know the airplane was used
as a test airplane by the Army to de
termine the suitability of Fleets for
their aerobatic program. I don ' t
know if it ever had a YPT deSigna
tion attached to it. It was at
Roosevelt Field in New York in the
CPT program during WWII and in
19S0 was towing banners in Jack
sonville, Florida.
"It was towing banners when
Navy lieutenant Charles Keating
bought it. When he was discharged,
he flew it home to California, where
he went on to fly for Pan American
Airlines. He's retired now but dur
ing the five years I was restoring the
airplane, we kept in close touch. Pe
riodically, I'd send him pictures of
the work in progress.
"At Oshkosh last year, I had the
continued on page 24
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

15

.,ltl~mence

(lower center right, without hat) explains some of the drive

the Countdown to Kitty Hawk pavilion. The pavilion was often packed,
the thousands ofpeople who came to take part in the festivities.

IM

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

17

Six ofthe ancestors ofthe original witnesses from the Kitty

Hawk Life-Saving Station were on hand to take part in the
celebration. John Wesley Daniels, great-grandson of us Life
Saving Service Surfrnan John T. Daniels, was there and
posed with this period box camera, which was used to re
create the famolls "Daniels photograph" of the first flight.

Dr. Kevin Kochersberger stands by as the Flyer is readied

for the first flight recreation attempt on December 17th.

Scott Rawlings of The Wright Experience works to remove

one of the propellers from the Flyer as it is prepared for the
flight attempts on the 17th.
18

MARCH 2004

1S-year-old high school sophomore Andrew Grant from

German Valley, fllinois, was the 1 millionth Young Eagle
flown. Andrew and his family were brought to Kitty
Hawk by EAA to represent each ofthe youngsters who
participated in the program. The weather didn't cooperate
and allow General Chuck Yeager, shown here with An
drew, to fly on December 17th. A few weeks later, General
Yeage" the Young Eagles program's Honorary Chairman,
and Andrew flew together in California.

Scott Crossfield, experienced test pi

lot, was responsible for the pilot
training of the pilots who flew the
1903 Flyer reproduction.

George W Bush, president of the United States, spoke during the morning cere
monies honoring the Wrights.

U.s. Air Force Academy Cadet Mike Heddinger holds Aurora, one of the
Academy's mascot falcons. Aurora is a rare white Gyr falcon, one offive
species offalcons in North America. The Academy's presence at the Cen
tennial ofFIight celebration was just one ofmany organizations that
highlighted the width and breadth ofaviation.
Terry Queijo, one of the two pilots who flew
the repro Flyer at the Kill Devil Hills site
prior to December 17th, chats with a young
lady who was interested in learning more
about the airplane. Terry did not fly on the
17th, choosing instead to act in a supporting
role for the attempted flights on the 100th
anniversary offlight.
The Wright brothers' great-grandniece Amanda
Wright Lane and great-grandnephew Steven
Wright are with Dr. Kevin Kochersberger, who
piloted the Flyer on two of the three flights
made prior to December 17th, and on the flight
attempt that morning.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

19

Lee Greenwood sang a rousing rendition of his hit, "God

Bless the USA." At the climax of the song, an eagle was re
leased from the base of the Wright Brothers Memorial, and
it gracefully flew down to the center of the flight circle.

The Wright Experience did their best

to precisely duplicate the hardware
used by the Wrights . Here, laying up
side down, is the reproduction of the
truck used to support the aft end of
the Flyer as it rolled down the metal
topped rail during its takeoff run.

The original crankcase of the 1903

Flyer is displayed in the visitor's cen
ter at the Wright Brothers National
Historic Site in Kill Devil Hills. The
crankcase was badly damaged after
the fourth flight on December 17th,
when a strong wind gust tumbled the
Flyer over and over.
20

MARCH 2004

A number ofEAA volunteers shared their expertise with

visitors to the Countdown to Kitty Hawk pavilion who
tried out the Microsoft Flight Simulators. This lucky lady
reacts to her successful landing ofEAA's Ford Tri-Motor
as Cody Welch, one ofEAA's Ford Tri-Motor captains,
coaches her through the process.

Addie Tate and her husband,

William, the postmaster ofKitty
Hawk, hosted the Wrights when they
arrived for the first time in the fall of
1900. As they assembled their first
glider in front of the Tate's austere
home, Addie allowed Wilbur to use
her sewing machine, one of the few
luxuries among the hearty band of
Outer Bankers living on that part of
North Carolina's shoreline. This is
that very machine, now on display in
the visitor's center.

Also on display at the visitor's center is

this modified bicycle hub, which served
as the front "wheel" ofthe original Flyer.

The frame home of the Tates burned to

the ground early in the last century, but
its location is marked by this obelisk,
first dedicated in 1928, and then
rededicated with a new marker in
1989. It's on the west side ofMoor
Shore road, just south ofKitty Hawk
Road in Kitty Hawk, about 4-1/2 miles
north ofthe National Memorial site.

These two photographs capture the first flight attempt, when the Flyer
left the rail briefly. In the first shot, Terry Queijo stands in for Wilbur
Wright as she runs alongside to steady the wingtip of the Flyer.
Unfortunately, the wind, which had been blowing at about 10 knots, fell
off to about 6 knots after the Flyer started down the rail. To fly, the Flyer
needed at least 10 knots ofheadwind to lift off the rail and fly any distance.
The brief leap was the best the day's weather would allow, as the wind con
ditions didn't improve enough later in the day to permit a second attempt.

Harry B. Combs, noted aviator, historian, author, and businessman, do

nated this new reproduction of the 1903 Flyer to the National Park Service.
It too was built by The Wright Experience, and will be placed on display in
the visitor's center at the Wright Brothers National Historic Memorial.
In Harry's remarks at the dedication of his gift to the NPS, he said. '"'It
has been my joy that I have been able to live my life in the rarefied field of
aviation, and I am proud to be able to give this gift to the American peo
ple...I trust that it will endure for generations for all those whose hearts and
souls are above the clouds."
After returning home to Colorado, Harry Combs passed away at age 90
on December 27,2003.

CK

SIT

BY E.E. "BUCK" HILBERT, EAA #21 VAA #5

P.O. Box 424, UNION, IL 60180

Skiplane fly-in
PHOTOS BY JIM KOEPNICK

shkosh weather: Next to per

fect.
Visibility: Awesome! Seventy
five miles or better.
Temperature: Brutal, single digits.
Wind: NW at about 10.
Just enough snow cover to do
the job. What a beautiful day for
the event.
I had the skis installed on the
Cessna 120, Number three son, Lee,
was spring loaded with his Champ,
and as the snow began the day be
fore, we thought we had it made.
Then with little more than an
in ch accumulation, the wind
switched. We lost our lake effect
snow showers, and the wind blew
what little snow we had away.
There we were, with too little cov
erage to get airborne on skis.
Son Lee proved one thing;
tenacity will win in the end. He
and his fellow Champ owners did
the unbelievable. They flew over to
a nearby frozen lake on wheels,
landed on the ice, and then in
near-zero weather they installed
the skis. How about that?
Meanwhile, I got a call from an
RV-6 owner who wanted to go, but
h e had a slight problem. His air
plane, fresh out of annual, still had
not been put back together. Could I
come over, help him finish the job,
and then fly with him to Wittman
Regiona l Airport to attend the
skiplane fly-in? Of course, his
heated hangar and the thought of a
free ride afterward did the trick.
We finished the annual, checked
the weather again, and launched
in an attempt to rendezvous with
the Cha mps, which were already
en route. We figured with our 165

22

MARCH 2004

...-
Mark Holiday flew over (romT ake Elmo, Minnesota, with his recently
acquired Piper PA-20 Pacer.
[mph?] cruise speed we'd catch
them before they got halfway
there. Ha! Think again.
We never saw them, and when
we arrived at Wittman and were
greeted at Basler Flight Service by a
super friendly line boy who then
gave us a ride over to Pioneer Air
port behind the EAA AirVenture
Museum, we knew we were in the
right place.

Cold it was, about 8F even with

the sun shining. With the air so
clean, it was a joy to be there.
When we got to the hangar, we
found hot coffee, sweet rolls, juice,
and warmth. [ think it was several
minutes after imbibing and having
something sweet that I began to
realize there were several dozen
other people in the hangar. The
hunger and the cold will make a

'lM''AnjIison-tn-law, arrived at
the Cessna 170A. More
more people drove in, and
the three Champs from home
came slipping in . Pretty soon
there was a pretty good lineup of

Champs, two Maules, a

of 1 70s , a co up le of Piper
types, maybe 30 or 40 cars, and
maybe 80 to 100 people.
Audrey Po berez n y arrived
about 11:00. A presentation was
made to EAA by the Minnesota
group, Audrey was introduced,
and we all sang "Happy Birthday"
to Audrey. Paul , unfortunately,
was home nursing a cold.
I know a while back I was com
plaining about the lost camaraderie

Part of the volunteer ground crew from EAA Chapter

237, Bla~ne, Min?esota, gets. ready for another arri:val.

T HE JOURNAL OF
TH E EARLY AEROPLAN E
Leonard E. Opdycke,Editor

THE AIRPLANE 1920-1940

David Ostrowski, Editor

OUR TWO JOURNALS, WHICH

CONTAIN

*inform ati on on current proj ec ts

*news of muse ums and air shows

*technical drawings and data

*aeroplanes, engines, parts for sale

*scale modelling materia l

*your wa nts and disposals

*news of current publications

*informati on on paint and color

*photog raph s

*histori cal research

*workshop notes

SERVICES WE PROVID E
*early tec hni cal books, magaz ines
*copies of orig inal draw ings, manuals
*assistance in locating parts,

informati on
*back issues of the 2 Journals
*donated copies of early av iation books
*a worldwide networking service

FREE BACK ISSUE FOR NE W SU BSC RIBERS:

MENTION T HI S A D!

WORLD WAR 1

~,

INC.

15 Crescent Road Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 USA 845-473-3679

SAMPLE ISSUES @ $4 + $3 postage
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

23

had a grand time. I

must have talked to
30 or 40 different peo
ple, sometimes all at
once. I was in avia
tion heaven with my
kind of fellow avia
tion people , and we
really made the best
of it.
After the birthday
Audrey Poberezny enjoys the rousing birthday song being song, it was eatin'
time . We had chili
sung by the assembled crowd at EAA's Pioneer Airport.
(hot or mild), tomato
soup, all the bread,
crackers, and good
ies, cookies, coffee,
soft drinks, and
plenty of cake. Norm
Petersen, who origi
nated this event
several years before
he retired from EAA
and his job in Avia
tion Information
Services, claimed one
of the three cakes as
All the comforts of camp. Bill Weber's Champ fea
his very own, and the
tures a pair offoxes for prop covers, and a small
rest of us shared the
portable Honda EX lODe generator is energizing the
engine pre-heater to keep the oil hot while Bill enjoys other two. There was
plenty! Wh e n you
some chili and cake.
have a cake that 's
about 3 feet by 2 feet,
three like that go a
long way.
Now with the fires
stoked , I put on my
insulated coveralls
and snow boots,
went outside to
watch the airplanes,
and savored the day.
:., ....
It was just bee-yooty
. t ..
....
...".
-
full! The airplanes
were better than the
Lee Hilbert went to the trouble of taking offon wheels
in Illinois, landing on a frozen lake, putting the skis on, icing on the cake,
and then flying on to Oshkosh. Now that's dedication! and everyone was in
a festive mood. The
around the airport-the loss of the wind had died to a whisper, and
small talk and the feeling of belong with the sun shining so brightly
ing. Well, all that took a back seat that the sunglasses wouldn 't help,
here. With people from Texas, Min there was a great feeling of com
nesota, Indiana, some local and far fort and well-being. There we were,
distant Cheeseheads as well, Illinois, among friends , and among air
Ohio, Michigan, and a good show planes. What more could one ask?
ing of Vintage members from who
-;::;2.
1_
Over to you,
(( c.!{.-/~CJCknows where (even Colorado!), we

~.

24

MARCH 2004

Reuben Flee~~
continued from page 15
pleasure of meeting Keating for
the first time. He told me wonder
ful stories about his flight from
Florida to California in a very
beat up, ex-banner towing Fleet
without a functioning airspeed or
altimeter.
"At one point during the trip,
he got caught on top, low on gas,
and not sure where he was. He did
the airmail pilot trick of spinning
down through the overcast, hop
ing for a reasonable ceiling. He
popped out at 500 feet agl, broke
the spin, and landed in a farmer's
field. He says it took him 45 min
utes to get his bladder back under
control.
"At Oshkosh he climbed into
the airplane and sat in it for the
first time in SO years. A lot of pic
tures were clicked as we told
people of the historic meeting of
the pilot and his old airplane./1
After all the hard work, Terry
says he's happy with the final re
sult.
"It cruises at about 85 mph ,
which doesn't exactly make it a
speed demon, but you don 't fly
airplanes like this to go places.
You fly it for fun.
"I bring it down final at 60-65
mph and it's like most old biplanes
in that it bleeds off speed quickly
as you bring the nose up to flair.
Ground handling is excellent be
cause of its huge rudder, which is
almost as big as a Stearman's. It is
quick and responsive in crosswind
landings. It flies about 10 mph
slower than a Stearman but will
out-climb it and uses a lot less stick
and rudder travel to control it. Af
ter flying the Fleet for several
weeks, the Stearman looks and
feels as big as a 747./1
Having been bit hard by the
restoration bug, Terry is now restor
ing a 1946 7AC Champ. So, he has
come full circle to the type that got
him started in the first place. ....

BY

H.G.

FRAUTSCHY

DECEMBER'S MYSTERY ANSWER

Our December Mystery Plane

was not very well known, and as a
result we only had two responses,
one from Ed Kastner, Elma, New
York, and the other from Wayne
Muxlow of Minneapolis, Min
nesota.

The biplane in the photograph

sent by Peter Wiggin is a Thomas
Morse 0-19. Thomas-Morse had
been working on aircraft built with
metal structures since 1919. The
0-19 was built with a metal frame
covered in fabric, with the move-

able control surfaces covered in

corrugated aluminum. Built be
tween 1928 and 1931 , the 0-19
had a variety of engines installed,
including the Pratt & Whitney
Hornet and the Curtiss H-1640-1
Chieftain.

THIS MONTH' S MYSTERY PLANE COMES TO US FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE

TRAPANI COLLECTION OF THE EAA AERONAUTICAL LIBRARY

SEND YOUR ANSWER TO:

EAA, VINTAGE

AIRPLANE, P.O. Box

3086, OSHKOSH, WI 54903-3086. YOUR ANSWER NEEDS TO BE

IN NO LATER THAN APRIL 5, 2004, FOR INCLUSION IN THE JUNE
2004 ISSUE OF Vintage Airplane.
You CAN ALSO SEND YOUR RESPONSE VIA E-MAIL.

SEND YOUR ANSWER TO

vintage@eaa. org .

BE SURE TO INCLUDE BOTH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS

(ESPECIALLY YOUR CITY AND STATE!) IN THE BODY OF
YOUR NOTE AND PUT "(MONTH) M YSTERY PLANE" IN THE
SUBJECT LINE.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

25

Flight Control Cables

Custom Manufactured!

Each Cable is Proof Load Tested

and Prestretched for Stability

*Quick D elivery
*Reasonable Prices
* Certification to MIL-T-6117
& MIL-C-5688A
*1 / 16" to 1/ 4"
*Certified Bulk Cable and
Fittings are Available

"'-...McFa,lane
Aviation Products

McFarlane Aviation, Inc.

696 E. 1700 Road

Baldwin City, KS 66006

800-544-8594

Fax 785-594-3922

wVlw.mcfarlane-aviatio n.com
sales@mcfarlane-aviation.com

A
continued from page 4

friends in the local CAP squadron's

Piper PA-18. On that day I was fly
ing with William S. Johnson, who
is now deceased, and we were land
ing at the Bartlesville airport, south
bound on final to runway 17. Just
as soon as we touched down, the
"tower" (Bartlesville is an un-tow
ered airport, however, Phillips
Petroleum Company at that time
had a person on hand that gave
traffic advisories) gave us a red light
with the biscuit gun. The aircraft
we were in had a radio, and it was
on, however he just gave us contin
uous flashing reds, so we pulled off
the active runway immediately af
ter touchdown and proceeded on
the taxiway to a parking area at the
terminal.
Just as we were pulling into the
tie down spot, I noticed a DC-3 on
rollout about mid-field , and my
first glance at it told me something
26

MARCH 2004

was wrong; however, it wasn't read

ily apparent. (I sometimes "look"
but do not "see.") A second glance
made me realize that the horizontal
stabilizer and elevator were "shred
ded." I was immediately distracted
from the DC-3 when this silver
Cessna 170 with red trim pulled
into the tie down spot to our right.
Here again, first glance said some
thing was wrong. The aircraft did
not have the top part of the engine
cowl. And as the door opened, the
guy that stepped out looked very
shook up. At first, seeing an aircraft
without the cowl and taxiing on
the airport, my first reaction was
that he had perhaps been working
on his engine, and just taxied into
the parking spot. Second glance
showed that the aircraft was full of
children, and if I remember cor
rectly they were very upset, perhaps
crying or hysterical.
I spoke to the pilot and asked,
"What's going on?" or something
to that effect. The reply was some
thing like "He (pointing to the
DC-3) ran over me!" At that point a
second look at the DC-3 , which
was pulling into one of the Phillips
corporate hangars south of the ter
minal, indicated that it was indeed
damaged. I didn't go down to
where the DC-3 was, but as the
people got off it appeared that it
was nearly full. I didn't have any
further conversation with the pilot
of the Cessna, and within a few
minutes a few people started gath
ering at the airport, one of which
was a person that recovered the
cowling from the yard of the Jane
Phillips Elementary School, which
was evidently the point at which
the two aircraft collided and would
have been on the downwind leg of
a left approach to runway 17.
That is essentially all I know of
the incident. I'm sure there was an
account of it in the local paper, but
I don't remember it. That has been
a number of years ago for me. I was
15 at the time, and today I am near
ing my 63rd birthday.
A few years later, in the early '60s
I was a student at Oklahoma State

University at Stillwater. I remember

one day I was just "surfing" the
University library, picking up any
book that looked remotely interest
ing, with absolutely nothing in
mind. I found a book detailing vari
ous aviation accidents over the
years and was flipping through the
pages when something caught my
eye. It was a diagram showing a
map of Bartlesville. I quickly recog
nized it and turned back to it. It
was an account of this accident.
To the best of my knowledge, it
said that the DC-3 was northbound
on the downwind leg for runway
17 at pattern altitude. It said the
fellow flying your Cess na was a
"relative from out of town" who
was showing these children their
house from the air. He was flying in
a circle at the time of the collision,
banking around a pOint. My recol
lection of the explanation of the
accident was that neither aircraft
saw the other, the Cessna because
of the wing low attitude, and the
DC-3 because of the restricted visi
bility from the cockpit.
One year later in July of 1957 at
age 16, I started taking flight in
struction at Dewey Highway
Airport and in Septe mber of that
year, soloed in a Piper J-3. Over the
years I flew other Piper and Cessna
aircraft, but never took a checkride
for a private license. I guess at my
age now, I probably never will.
I just thought that you would be
interested in what little I knew
about this incident. As you obvi
ously are aware, the potential for a
real tragedy was never greater, but
it was a miracle no one was hurt. I
am glad that you own this plane
now, and it has survived all these
years. (As a side note, I'm a collec
tor of military firearms, and I like
them just as you like your aircraft,
original and "un-messed with."
Original examples like your aircraft
are extremely rare.) I'm also pleased
to know that the DC-3 is also "alive
and well."
Sincerely,
Charles E. Lee
Bartlesville, Oklahoma
.......

NEW MEMBERS

Nathan Townsend .......... Northmead, NSW, Australia

Tom Vodarek ... .. ...... . . .... Rockwood, ON, Canada

Dirk Dobbelaere ...... . . . . . Rijswijk 2281, Netherlands

Michael Shepard ........ . .... ..... .... Pine Bluff, AR

Dave Bell . ........... ...... .. ...... .. . Torrance, CA

Hugh Bennett ... .. . . . . ... ... . . ... ... . San Diego, CA

Steve P. Bentley. . . . .. . . . . .... . . . ........ San Jose, CA

Harry Hirschman .... . . . .. .. . ......... . Palo Alto, CA

Wilfred Laycock . . ..................... . . Hemet, CA

Adli Yacoub . .. . ................... San Francisco, CA

Leon Koller . . .................. Colorado Springs, CO

Andrew C. Moffat ..... . . .... . .... .... .... . Delta, CO

Dale W. Matheson . ............. . . .... .. Simsbury, CT

Jerry Russell .... . ... . . ........... . ..... Titusville, FL

Kenneth Raymond Lilja ..... . ........... Snellville, GA

Clarence Carlson ..... ..... .. ... .... . ... . .. Joyce, IA

Bill Weyers ... .... . ... . . ... . . . ......... . . . Clive, IA

Arlen Woodbridge ........... . ....... . . . .. Rupert, ID

Robert Anderson ... . . . . ..... .... Arlington Heights, IL

Carl Culver ........................... Crestwood, IL

Charles Jansen . ...... . . . . . ....... . Machesney Park, IL

Mark 1. Yerkes ........ . ...... .. ...... ..... Worth, IL

Ron Huddleston ... ... .... ... . . ... .. North Vernon, IN

John Atkin ...... . ........... .. ... . . Yates Center, KS

David Grantham . .... . ............. . .. Covington, LA

David Landry .. .. . ... .. .. ... . .. . ...... . Franklin, LA

Bruce R. Underwood ................... Alexandria, LA

Gary Riddell .. ..... . ..... ... ...... .. South Lyon, MI

Edsel H. Aswegan ... .... ... . .. .. . . . . Minneapolis, MN

Douglas Boyd .. ..... .. .... . . ... . .. .... Pinetown, NC

Joseph Holladay . . .. . .... .... ... .. Winston Salem, NC

Terry Jevne ... . .. . ... . . ... .. .......... Lansford, NO

Raymond E. Anderson .. .... ............ Papillion, NE

Hubert]. Brunk ... . ... ........ ... . . ..... Lincoln, NE

Michael Josi. ........ .. ........... .. ..... .. Wall, NJ

Nicholas Kapotes .............. . . . Pompton Plains, NJ

Mark E. Pfunke .......................... Califon, NJ

Ralph Stechow .............. . . ..... . . Old Tappan, NJ

Cole Hedden .... ... . ... . . .... . . .... Cedar Crest, NM

Justin M. Johnson ... . . .............. Gardnerville, NV

Robert G. Dart ............ . ... . . . . . . . .. Mayville, NY

Mark Rzadca . .. .. .. ......... . . ... . . . . . . Fairport, NY

Jon Bartell .. . . . ... ........ . ... . . . . .. Springfield, OH

Wes Jones ... . . . .. ...................... Orient, OH

Thomas G. MatowitzJr. . ............. . . . . Mentor, OH

Jenny Rasor . .... ... .... ........... .. .. Clayton, OH

John F. Spain . .. . .. ...... ..... ......... . Dayton, OH

Kenneth B. Coughlin, Jr. ... . ...... . Oklahoma City, OK

Ronald Hazlett ... . .. . .... . .... ... ......... Enid, OK

Douglas Fava ..... ............ ... ...... Lebanon, PA

Jim Haunstein . ............... ...... .. Marysville, PA

Jack Holgate .... . .. . . ...... .. . ........ Hartsville, SC

Gary Bain ................ .. ...... . . . .. Humble, TX

Timothy D. Hahn . .. ... ............. ... . Tomball, TX

Stan Price . . .... .... ... ..... .. . ....... Grapevine, TX

Alain Proteau . . . . .. ..... . . . .. .. . ...... . .. Hurst, TX

Gene W. Titus .......... ..... ......... Greenville, TX

Robert Orr .................... ... .... .. . Fairfax, VA

Thomas J. Anderson ..... ... . .. ...... . .. Spokane, WA

Carol A. Goodsole .. ...... .... . .. ....... Spokane, WA

Marc Lange. ...... ....... . . .... . . ...... Garfield, WA

Eric Newhouse ........... ... . ... .... .. . Tacoma, WA

Karl Schaefer ..... . .... . .. . ...... . . ..... Everett, WA

Robert Skowronski . .. ......... . ...... Moses Lake, WA

Jack Jasinski ................... ... ..... Necedah, WI

Wade S. Pennau ................... . ... Wautoma, WI

Gary Fisher . .. . ......... .. . .. . . .... Parkersburg, WV

Fly high with a

quality Classic interior
Complete interior assemblies ready for installation
Custom quality at economical pri ces.

Cushion upholstery sets

Wall panel sets
Headliners
Carpet sets
Baggage compartment sets
Firewall covers
Seat slings
Free catalog of complete product line.
Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and
styles of materials: $3.00.

Qil1~RODUCTSI

INC.

259 Lower Morrisville Rd., Dept . VA

Fallsington , PA 19054 (215) 295-4115
website: www.airtexinteriors.com

Fax: 800/394-1247
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

27

VINTAGE

TRADER

Something to buy, sell or trade?

Classified Wo rd Ads: $5.50 per 10 words,
180 words maximum, with boldface lead-in on
first line.
Classified Display Ads: One column wide

TAKE SOME OF THE EXPERIMENTING

OUT OF HOMEBUILDING

Introduction
to Aircraft Building Sheet Metal Basics
Composite Construction Fabric Covering
Sheet Metal Basics
RV Assembly

(2.167 inches) by 1, 2, or 3 inches high at $20

per inch. B lack and white only, and no fre
quency 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 re
serves the right to reject any advertising in conflict
with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per is
sue . Classified ads are not accepted via phone.
Payment must accompany order. Word ads may
be sent via fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail (c1as
sads@eaa.org) using credit card payment (ali cards
accepted). Include name on card, complete ad
dress, type of card, card number, and expiration
date. Make checks payable to EAA. Address ad
vertising correspondence to EAA Publications
Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh,
WI 54903-3086
BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod bearings, main
bearings, bushings, master rods, valves, piston
rings. Call us Toll Free 1/800/233-6934, e-mail
ramremfg@aol.com Website www.ramengine.com
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS, N. 604
FREYA ST., SPOKANE, WA 99202.

RV Assembly

Griffin, GA

TIC Welding

MaylS -16

Griffin, GA

Finishing and Spray Painting

May 22 23

Frederick, MD

Sheet Metal Basics Fabric Covering

Composite Construction Cas Welding
Electrical Systems and Avionics
RV Assembly

Airplane T-Shirts

150 Different Airplanes Available

WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR AIRPLANE!

www.airplanetshirts.com
1-800-645-7739
THERE'S JUST NOTHING LIKE IT

ON THE WEB II

www.aviation-giftshop.com
A Website With The Pilot In Mind
(and those who love airplanes)
Warner engines. Two 165s. one fresh O.H .
one low time on Fairchild 24 mount with all
accessories. Also a fresh O. H. 145. 1938
Fleet 1OF, Helton Lark, and Aeronca C-3.
Find my name and address in the Officers
and Directors listing and call evenings. E.
E. "Buck" Hilbert.

WORKSHOPS

---~---

1-800-WORKSHOP
1-800-967-5746

YOU CAN BUILD IT! LET EAA TEACH YOU HOW.

28

MARCH 2004

Flying wires available. 1994 pricing . Vi sit

www.f1yingwires.com or call 800-517-9278.
For Sale - 1939 Spartan Executive, 3500TT,
10 sMOH. 214-354-6418.

FLY-IN CALENDAR

~.:........~~~..-____ "

.,.

,j'MIIE_

The following list ofcoming events is furnished to our readers as a matter of information only
and does not constitute approval, sponsorship, involvement, control or direction ofany event (fly
in , semin ars, fl y mark et, etc.) listed. To submit an ev e nt , pl ease log on t o
www. eaa.org/e vents/events .asp. Only if Internet access is unava ilable should you send
the information via mail to:, Att: Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.
Information should be received four months prior to the event date.

MAY 7-9-Burlington, NC-Ala

mance County Airport (BUY)
VAA Ch. 3 Annual Spring Fly
In. All Classes welcome. Info:
Jim 843-753-7138 or
eiwi lson@homeexpressway.net
MAY 16-Romeoville, IL-Lewis
University Airport (LOT) 33rd An
nual EAA Ch. 15 Fly-In Breakfast,
7am-Noon,. Adults $5, under
twelve $3. Info: 630-243-8213
JUNE 4-S-Bartlesville, OK-18th
Annual Biplane Expo. All aircraft
and airplane enthusiasts are wel
come. Static displays, forums,
seminars, & exhibits. Info:
Charlie Harris 918-622-8400.
JUNE 4-6-Columbia, CA-Bellanca
Champion Club West Coast
Fly-In, (022). Camping, ho
tel/motel facilities, Friday BBQ,
Saturday steak dinner/mtg. Ad
vance registration strongly
encouraged. Info: 518-731-6800,
Robert@beiianca-championciub.com
or www.bellanca-championclub.com.
JUNE 5-6-Washington, lA-Fly
Iowa 2004 & Diamond Anniver
sary of D-Day, usa Show-Dance
Evening of 5th. All aircraft wel
come. Info:www.flyiowa2004.com
JUNE 11-13-Gainesville, TX
Texas Ch . Antique Airplane
Association 41st Annual Fly-In,
Gainesville Municipal Airport
(GLE). Info: Jim 817-468-157l.
JUNE 12-Ghent, NY-Klinekill
Airport (NYl ), EAA Ch. 146 Sum
mer Fly-In Pancake Breakfast,
8:30-noon, $5. Fly-in or drive-in,
all welcome. (Gas available at Co
lumbia County Airport, IBl.)
Rain date 6/13. Info: 518-758
6355 or www.eaa146.org.
JUNE 16-19-Lock Haven, PA-19th
Annual Sentimental Journey to
Cub Haven 2004. Fly in, drive
in, camp. Info: 570-893-4200 or
j2cub@kcnet.org.

AUGUST 13-15-Alliance, OH-6th

Annual Ohio Aeronca Aviators

Fly-In, Alliance-Barber Airport
(2Dl). Breakfast Sat & Sun. 7
llam by EAA Ch. 82. Primitive
camping on field, local lodging
available. All welcome. Info:
216-337-5643, www.oaafly-in.com
or bwmatzllac@yahoo.com.
SEPTEMBER 4 -Marion, IN-14th
Annual Fly-In Cruise-In, Mar
ion Municipal Airport. Event
features antique, classic, con
temporary, homebuilt,
ultralight, & warbird aircraft
and vintage cars, trucks, mo
torcycles, and tractors.
Pancake Breakfast. Info:
www.FlylnCruiseln.com or
rayjohnson@FlylnCruiseln.com.
SEPTEMBER 6-12-Galesburg, IL
Galesburg Municipal Airport
(GBG) 33rd Nat'l Stearman Fly
In. Everything Stearman! Fun
and camaraderie. Aerobatic,
formation , short-field takeoff
and spot-landing contests. Air
craft judging and awards.
Technical seminars. Aircraft
parts & souvenirs for sale.
Dawn patrol and breakfast.
Lunch-time fIyouts. Pizza party.
U.S.O. show. annual banquet.
Info: Betty 309-343-6409,
stearman@stearmanflyin.com, or
www.stearmanflyin.com.
SEPTEMBER IS-Bartlesville, OK
48th Annual Tulsa Regional
Fly-In. Info: Charlie Harris 918
622-8400.
SEPTEMBER IS-Ghent, NY
Klinekill Airport (NYl ), EAA
Ch. 146 Fall Fly-In Pancake
Breakfast, 8:30-noon, $5. Fly
in or drive-in, all welcome.
(Gas available at Columbia
County Airport, IBl. ) Rain
date 9/19. Info: 518-758-6355
or www. eaa146.org.

MAY 14-15
Southwest EM Regional Ay-In
New Braunfels, TX (KBAZ)
www.swrfi.org

JUNE 18-20
Golden West EM Regional Ay-In
Marysville, CA (MYV)
www.goldenwestflyin.org

JUNE 26-27
Rocky Mountain EM Regional Ay-In
Front Range Airport (FTG)
Watkins, CO
www.rmrfi.org

JULY 7-11
Northwest EM Fly-In

Arlingto n, WA (AWO)

www.nweaa.org

JULY 27-AUGUST 2
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

Oshkosh, WI (OSH)

www.airventure.org

SEPTEMBER 18-19
Virginia State EM Fly-In

Petersburg, VA (PTB)

www.vaeaa.org

OCTOBER 1-3
Southeast EM Regional Fly-In
Evergreen , AL (GZH)
www.serfi.org

OCTOBER 7-10
Copperstate EM Region al Fly-In
Phoeni x, AZ (A39 )
www. copperstate.org

OCTOBER 1-3-Pottstown, PA-Bel

lanca-Champion Club East

Coast Fly-In, Pottstown Munic
ipal Airport (N47). Info:
518-731-6800,
Robert@beiianca-championclub.com,
or www.bellanca-championclub.com.
OCTOBER 2-3-Midland, TX-AIR
SHO 2004, Midland Int'l Airport,
Commemorative Air Force HQ.
Info: 432-563-1000, est. 2231 or
publicrelations@cafhqorg.

VINTAGE AI RPLAN E

29

--.-~

Order Online:

http://shop.eaa.org

Forest
Navy MA-1 Jacket
Stay warm in this great looking
jacket with the Vintage logo.
This jacket has a bright orange
lining and comes in youth and
adult sizes

Adult md
Adult 19
Adult xl
Adult 2x

Vl0102 .. $42.95
Vl0l03
Vl0l04
Vl0l05

Youth sm
Youth md
Youth 19
Youth xl

Polo ..... $21.95

This 100% cotton polo with a tone

on-tone VAA logo is so versatile it
can be worn for business casual
or just plain fun.

Sm ....... ............ V11442

Md ................. .. V07041
19 ........ . ......... V07042
Xl . . . . . . . . . . . .
. .. V07043

V00605 .. $38.95
V00606
V00607
V00608

Pilot Bear Bank .... $12.95

There is no doubt that this cute resin bear is an aviation buff. He sits approxi
mately 6 inches high holding his favorite toy.

Bank

V5l479

Weather Vane
Handcrafted using 14 gauge solid
steel with a durable copper vein
powder coated finish baked on.
The textured finish gives the
appearace of hammered copper.
State garden or house mount

Black Polo .......... $39.95

This black pocket polo has atan
bird's-eye trim and the Vintage
logo in tone-on-tone.

sm ...... .... ......... Vl1438

md ............. . ..... V07044
19 ................... V07045
xl ........ ......... .. V07046

Weather Vane .. V00711

$45.95

Beautifully crafted wooden

frame in three sizes.
4x6 .. . .. V01207 ..... $23.99
5x7 ..... V01220 ..... $24.99
8xl0 ..... V01222 ..... $28.99
To Order: 800-843-3612
from US and Canada All Others 9204265912
or http://shop.eaa.org

Membership Services Director~

VINTAGE

AIRCRAFT
ENJOY THE MANY BENEFITS OF EAA AND
THE EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
ASSOCIATION

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

OFFICERS
President
Espie "Butch" Joyce
704 N. Regional Rd.
Greensboro, NC 27409
336-668-3650
windsock@aol.com
Secretary

Steve Nesse
2009 H.ighland Ave.
Albert Lea, MN 56007
507-373-1674
stnes@deskmedia.com

Vice-Preside nt

George Daubner
2448 Lough Lane
Hartford, WI 53027
262-673-5885
vaaOylx>y@msn.com

Treasurer
Charles W. Harris
7215 East 46th St.
Tulsa, OK 74147
918-622-8400

cwh@hvsu.com

DIRECTORS
Steve Bender
85 Brush Hill Road
Sherborn, MA 01770
508-653-7557

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

sstlO@comcast.net

dalefaye@msn.com

David Bennett
P.O. Box 1188
Roseville, CA 95678
916-645-8370
antiquer@irueach.com

Jeannie Hill

P.O. Box 328

Harvard, IL 60033-0328

815-943-7205

dinghao@owc.net

John Berendt

7645 Echo Point Rd.

Cannon Falls, MN 55009

507-263-2414

fchld@n:onnect.com

Steve Krog

1002 Heather Ln.

Hartford, WI 53027

262-966-7627

sskrog@aol.com

Robert C. "Bob" Brauer

9345 S. Hoyne

Chicago, [L 60620

773-779-2105

photopiJot@aol.com

Robert D. "Bob" Lumley

1265 South 124th SI.

Brookfield, WI 53005

262-782-2633

lumpel@execpc.com

Dave Clark

635 Vestal Lane

Plainfield, IN 46168

317-839-4500

davecpd@iquest.net

5936 Steve Court

Roanoke, TX 76262
817-491-9110
n03capt@flash.net

Jobn S. Copeland

lA Deacon Street
Northborough, MA 01532

508-393-4775

copelandl@juno.com

Phil Coulson

28415 Springbrook Dr.

Lawton, MI 49065

269-624-6490

rcouJson516@cs.com

Roger Gomoll

8891 Airport Rd, Box C2

Blaine, MN 55449

763-786-3342

pledgedrive@msncom

Gene Morris

Dean Richardson
1429 Kings Lynn Rd
Stoughton, WI 53589
608-877-8485

da.r@aprilalre.com
Geoff Robison

1521 E. MacGregor Dr.

New Haven, IN 46774

260-493-4724

chief7025@aol.com

S.H. " Wes" Schmid

2359 Lefeber Avenue
Wauwatosa, WI 53213
414-771-1545
shsc)lmid@milwpc.com

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

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

Phone (920) 426-4800 Fax (920) 426-4873

Web Site: http://www.eaa.org and http://www.airventure.org

E-Mail: vintage @ eaa.org

E.E. "Buck" Hilbert

P.O. Box 424
Union, IL 60180
815-923-4591
buck7aC@mc.net

EAA and Division Membership Services

800-843-3612 .... ......... FAX 920-426-6761
Monday-Friday
(8:00 AM-7:00 PM
New/ renew memberships: EAA, Divisions
(Vintage Aircraft AsSOciation, lAC, Warbirds),
National Association of Flight Instructors
(NAFl)
Address changes
Merchandise sales
Gift memberships

CSn

Programs and Activities

EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory
..... .. .................... 732-885-6711
Auto Fuel SICs ... .. ........ .. 920-426-4843
Build/ restore information .... .. 920-426-4821
Chapters: locating/organizing .. 920-426-4876
Education ..... __ .... . . ... _.. 920-426-68] 5
EAA Air Academy
EAA Scholarships

Flight Advisors information .... 920-426-6522

Flight Instmctor information ... 920-426-6801
Flying Start Program . ......... 920-426-6847
Library Services/ Research ... __ . 920-426-4848
Medical Questions ... _.. .... . . 920-426-4821
Technical Counselors .......... 920-426-4821
Young Eagles ........... _..... 920-426-4831
Benefits
AUA ... .. _... . ... _....... .. 800-727-3823
EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan . . . 866-647-4322
Term Life and Accidental ...... 800-241-6103
Death Insurance (Harvey Watt & Company)
Editorial _...... __ ... ........ 920-426-4825
... . ... ..... ... .. ....... FAX 920-426-4828

Submitting article/ photo

AdvertiSing information
EAA Aviation Foundation
Artifact Donations .. . ........ 920-426-4877
Financial Support .... _...... _ 800-236-1025

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Associ
ation, Inc. is $40 for one year, including 12 issues of
SPORT AVIATION. Family membership is available
for 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.)

AVIATION magaZine not included) . (A dd $15

for Foreign Postage.)

WARBIRDS

Current EAA members may join the EAA War

birds of America Divisiolland receive WARBlRDS
magazine for an additional $<10 per year.
EAA Membership, WARBIRDS magaZine
and one yea r membership in the Warbirds Divi
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION sion is avai lable for $50 per year (SPORT
AVIATION magazine not included). (Add $7 for
Current EAA members may join the Vintage
Foreign Postage.)
Aircraft Associaton and receive VINTAGE AIR
PLANE magazine for an additional $36 per year.
EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANE
EAA EXPERIMENTER
magazine and one year membership in the EAA
Current EAA members may receive EAA
Vintage Aircraft Association is available for $46
EXPERIMENTER maga zin e for an addi
per year (SPORT AVIATION magaZine not i n
tional $20 per year.
cluded). (Add $7 for Foreign Postage.)
EAA Membership and EAA EXPERIMENTER
magazine is available for $30 per year (SPORT
AVIATION magaZine not included). (Add $8 for
lAC
Foreign Postage.)
Current EAA members may join the Interna
tional Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and receive
SPORT AEROBATICS magazi ne for an addi
tional $45 per year.
EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBATICS
magazine and one year membership in the lAC
DiviSion is ava ilable for $55 per yea r (SPORT

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.

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

Copyright 2004 by the EAA Vintage AircraH Association

All rights reserved.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE OSSN 0091-&)43) IPM 40032445 is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Vintage AircraH Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EAA Aviation
Center. 3000 Poberezny Rd., P.O. Box 3088. Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EAA
Vintage Aircraft Association, P.O. Box 3088, Oshkosh. WI 54903-3086. Return Canadian issues to 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 surtace mail. ADVERTISI NG - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising. We invtte
constructive critk:ism and wek;ome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken.
EDITORIAL POLICY: Readers 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 witI1 the
contributor. No renumeration is made. Material should be sent to: Edttor, VINTAGE AIRPLANE. P.O. Box 3088. Oshkosh, Wi 54903-3088. Phone 9201426-4000.
EAAe and SPORT AViATIO~. the EAA Logoe and AeronauticaN are registered trademar1<s. trademar1<s. and service marks of the Experimental AircraH Association, Inc. The use of these trademarl<s and service
marks without the pennissioo of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.
The EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION Logo is a trademarl< of the EAA Aviation Foundation, Inc. The use of this trademark wtthout the pennission of the EAA Aviation Foundation, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

31

_ Delta Airlines pilot/line

check
airman/instructor 7970
2002
_ Current/}' flying a
7945 G35 Bonanza and a
7932 Great Lakes
_ Restoring a 7937 Aeronca K

/I

AUA has always met our insurance needs with flexibility

and a very pleasant attitude. Their response to our some
times unique requirements has always been timely and
professional. I continue to recommend AUA to all my
flying friends ./I

- Ted Beckwith

AUA~

Exclusive Ej\A Vintage Aircraft Association Insurance Program

Lowe liability ane! hull premiums

Medical payments included - Fleet discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all risk coverages - No hano-propping exclusion
No age pepalty - No component parts endorsements - Discounts for claim-free rene'tlals carrying alt risk coverages

The best is affordable. Give AUA a call - it's FREE!

800-727-3823
Fly
fly
AUA
with the pros ...

with

Inc.

AVIATION UNLIMITED AGENCY

www.auaonline.com

Tr a vel

confidently boldly powerfully impressively luxuriously assertively securely distinctively

We II

Heated and Cooled Front Seats'

Navigation System'

Rear-Seat DVD Entertainment System-

a;a~y?~

Vehicle Discount