~ ~ ~

..
~
THE RESTORER'S CORNER
Many stories have been written about finding antique airplanes in barns,
garages, on mountain sides, in jungles, and even submerged in lakes. Each
of these stories gives us antiquers renewed hope that we, too, will some
day find the antique airplane of our dreains in some extremely unlikely
location and will pack it up and cart it hqme to our garage to be restored
and preserved for posterity and, incidently, to win us a few Grand Champ-
ionships along the way. While most of these stories which we hear and
read are true, these finds are really becoming more and more infrequent.
Let's face it. We can actually ascertain the number of aircraft built by each
manufacturer from the start of Type Certification in 1927 up to World War
II. This was only a span of fourteen years. If we were to total up the an-
tiques known to exist today (flying, in storage, or being restored) and then
add a reasonable percentage factor for the aircraft totally destroyed, we
would find that the difference, namely, those which have not as yet been
found, is a very small number.
Since we are attracting more people to our hobby all the time and want
to continue to do so, what is the solution? How can we come up with
enough old aircraft so that everyone who wants a vintage airplane can have
one? The answer can be found in one word: REPLICAS.
There is much to be said for the replica. First of all, it is usually a well
proven design. Second, it is easily recognizable as a rare bit of aviation
history, and only an expert can distinguish it from an original if the builder
sticks religiously to the plans. Third, replicas come in all sizes, shapes
and horsepower to fit all sizes of pocketbooks.
Among the more exotic, and sometimes more expensive, replicas are
the World War I fighters, especially so if the builder decides to use an
original engine. There are several organizations devoted to fostering the
construction of World War I replicas, and they are enjoying moderate
success at the moment. Through these organizations information is available
to help the prospective builder obtain plans and parts. We can expect these
groups to grow to a much larger size as more interest is generated.
There are several certificated aircraft of years ago which are now or have
byJ. R. NIELANDER, JR.
been available in plans form. Examples are the Great Lakes Trainer, Heath
Parasol and the Mooney Mite. The old familiar J-3 Cub has been brought
back to life in both plans and kit form as the CUBy. Besides these there are
many more which would make beautiful and relatively easy replicas to
build if the plans were made available. To name just a few, there are the
Aeromarine Klemm, Driggs Dart, American Eaglet, Aeronca C-3 and K,
Curtiss-Wright Junior, Buhl "Bull Pup", Spartan C-2, Rearwin "Junior",
Taylor Cub, and Wiley Post Model A. All of these designs have one common
denominator. Their horsepower requirements are such that they can be
powered by an engine of the Volkswagon class.
If one wants to go to the next larger size aircraft with more horsepower,
designs such as the Monocoupe, Savoia-Marchetti S-56B Amphibian,
Fairchild 22, Kinner Playboy, and Sportwing, Rearwin Sportster and
Speedster, Kari-Keen, Aeronca LC Davis 0-1, Inland Sport, Crosle
Moonbeam, Mohawk "Pinto", Arrow "Sport", and Culver Dart and Cadet
could also be very interesting replicas.
There are also numerouS beautiful designs from Europe. The Chilton
D. W. 1, Miles Hawk, Tipsy Sportster and Junior, and Klemm KL35D
are just a few excellent examples.
All that is needed to give impetus to the antique replica movement is
the availability of good usable drawings. Many of us have partial or even
complete sets of drawings for one or more of these old aircraft . We have
them stored away in a closet or in the attic or basement. Some sheets are
so faded as to be almost unreadable. However, in the hands of the right
technicians with the proper equipment, the faded lines could be brought out,
and using today's techniques, these plans could be copied and reprinted in
an exceptionally legible form. Then they could be made available to those
vintage aircraft enthusiasts who are unable to find the basket case of their
choice to restore as well as to those who would just feel a lot better knowing
that they, themselves, had built their own vintage airplane and that it had
been constructed using all new materials. It's an interesting prospect for
the future, isn't it?
EDITORIAL
STAFF
Publisher Editor
Paul H. Poberezny AI Kelch
ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC DIVISION OFFICERS
PRESIDENT VICE-PRESIDENT
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Route 8, Box 506
Tampa. Florida33618
TREASURER
E. E. "BUCK" HILBERT
8102 LEECH RD.
UNION, IL 60180
Directors
Term expires August ' 76
AI Kelch
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Evander M. Britt
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RR 1. Box 151
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Jack C.Winthrop
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Assistant Editor
Lois Kelch
Centributing Editors
H. N."Dusty" Rh odes
Evander Britt
Jim Barton
ClaudeGray
Ed Escallon
Rod Spani er
Dale Gustafson
Henry Wheeler
Morton Lester
Kelly Viets
Bob Elli ot
Jack Lanning
Bill Thumma
Glenn Buffington
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OFFICIAL MAGAZINE
ANTIQUE / CLASSIC
DIVISION
of
THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAF.T ASSOCIATION
AUGUST 1976 VOLUME 4 NUMBER 8
The Restorer's Corner ........................................ . 1
A SilverEagle - PartII . . .... .... . ... . ... . .. . .... . ... .. .,.... . 3
Watsonville.................................,.............,.., 7
Vintage Album ... ... . ... . .. ..... .. ...... . .. . ... . . .... . ... .. .. 9
Gates Flying Circus ........................................... 11
Treasure Hunt ................................................ 13
Bill Menefee .................................................. 13
Early Bird Vignette- BobbiTrout . ... . .. ..... ..... ... ... . ....., 16
Whistling In The Rigging ............. .... ...... ... .... ... ..... 17
National Ercoupe Fly-In .. . ... . .. . ...... . ... .. . .. .. ........ . ... 18
CalendarofEvents ... . .. ..,.. ... ........ . . ....... . ..... .. ... .. 18
EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSIC DIVISION MEMBERSHIP
oNON-EAA MEMBER - $34.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic Division, 12
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oNON-EAA MEMHER - $20.00. Includes one year membership in the EAA Antique/Classic Division , 12
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PICTUREBOX
(Back Cover)
FRONT COVER
Painting of 1918 Jenny by Ralph Steele.
Jim Nissen's 1918 Jenny won Grand
Curtiss Military Tractor. From Jack
Champion at Watsonville see Page 7.
Rose collection 1918pictures.
Copyrightil 1976AntiqueClassic Ai r craft . Inc.All Rights Reserve:! . 2
A SILVER
E a g l e ~
PART II (Highlights of 1930)
A BIOGRAPHY OF E. M. "MATTY" LAIRD
By Robert G. Elliott Ed Escallon
1227 Oakwood Ave. & 335 Milford Dr.
Daytona Beach, FL 32014 Merritt Island, FL 32952
The highligh t of 1930 proved to be the design and
construction of the "Solution" racer, which became
the first and only biplane to win the coveted Thompson
Trophy race for the fastest aircraft of the day. The
"Solution" had been built in a record thirty days and
was completed just one hour before the race. In the
following year, Matty's newest racer, the "Super
Solution" became the first aircraft to win the new
Bendix Trophy, setting the trans-continental speed
record of 11 hours, 15 minutes, under the very capable
pilotage of Jimmy Doolittle.
An Executive Transport biplane became the next
challenge to be designed and fabricated at the Laird
factory at Ashburn Field. Construction was mixed with
an aluminum semi-monocoupe finely tapering fuse-
lage, fabric covered wood wings, and a steel tubing
center section. The prototype was built to an order
placed by George Horton, President of Chicago Bridge
and Iron. Special features included an on-board lava-
tory and provisions for the eventual incorporation of
retractable gear. Performance data of the 450 hp proto-
type included 180 mph cruise airspeed with over 200
mph at full power.
While the "Sesquiwing" was begun in 1931, the
ailing economy together with extensive fabrication
details required for the aircraft, delayed it's roll-out
until 1934. About the time that factory flight tests
were completed, but just prior to their being submitted
for ATC certification, Mr. Horton suffered a fatal
heart attack. Subsequently the airplane was given to
his Alma Mater, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in
Troy, New York. Sadly, the aircraft's subassemblies
were last seen undergoing various stress tests for
aero-engineering classes. Although no doubt of great
educational value, it is a pity this one-of-a-kind Laird
was not preserved instead of being destroyed.
E. M. (Matty) LAI RO
The middle thirties saw the development of a huge
airline industry in this country. Chicago became a
major airline hub and drew heavily on the aviation
talent in the area. Many of Mr. Laird's employees
went with the airlines during the lean year that en-
veloped the Laird Company, and a few are still in-
volved in the management of this industry today.
After a few years of operation, the DC-3, which had
become the airlines workhorse, began to require
refurbishment of the fuel tanks due to corrosion.
Matty bid against the Curtiss Company for this work
and won the contract offered by American Airlines.
In the ensuing years, work on these tanks for Ameri-
can, United, TWA and Braniff provided steady in-
come for the Laird factory. Matty also contracted to
build passenger loading stands for the airlines.
Reminiscent of the early thirties period "Matty's
race-to-the-race" continued into 1937, when Roscoe
Turner brought in two projects just two months be-
fore the National Air Races. They were his damaged
Wedell Williams, and a partially completed new racer.
Matty's brother Harold was assigned to rebuild the
Wedell, which had been a victim of carburetor icing,
causing an engine-out landing in the wastelands of
New Mexico.
Its many flights as a basketcase hadn't helped the
lightweight airframe either. Despite it's condition,
Harold and his team were able to meet the time schedule
and ready the golden racer for the upcoming National
Air Races. Joe Mackey piloted this plane in several
subsequent seasons under an agreement with Ros-
coe. Obsolescence and technical problems prevented
it from ever again placing in a major event.
Roscoe's second major project was a racer which
had been designed by Messers. Barlow and Akerman
of the University of Minnesota and whose subsequent
3
(Photo Courtesy E. M. ' Matty' Laird)
ABOVE: Laird Solution, in which Speed
Holman won the Thompson Trophy
Race in 1930. This aircraft was thirty
days old the day of the race, having
been completed about one hour before
the race began, allowing time enough
for a short test hop and refueling due to
a short postponement of the Thompson
Race start.
LEFT: Speed Holman.
(Photo Courtesy E. M. ' Matty' Laird)
Laird Super Solution in completed rig ,
ready for a race,
(Photo Courtesy E. M. ' Matty' Laird)
ABOVE: The Laird Sesquiwing under construction.
(Photo Courtesy E. M. ' Matty' Laird)
LEFT: Jimmy Doolittle is congratulated by
Matty Laird after winning the Bendix Race,
September, 1931.
(Photo Courtesy E. M. ' Matty' Laird)
BELOW: Full view of completed Laird Sesquiwing.
1-
. (Photo Courtesy E. M. ' Matty' Laird)
photograph made at 1930 Chicago National Air Races whi ch were conducted
at Curtiss-Reynolds Airport, Chicago. ' Speed' Holman is shown at right
rounding a pylon in the Laird Solution. Upper center is what is believed
to be the plane of Arthur Page, who was pulling out of race. Page made a
crash landing and died of injuries, while Holman went on to wi n the Thomp-
son Trophy Race.
construction had been begun by Lawr-
ence Brown of Los Angeles . Various
technical , personal and financial prob-
lems had erupted during the proj ect
forcing Roscoe to have the airplane' s
assemblies shipped to Matty for com-
pl eti on . A review of the design re-
veal ed a wing configurati on which was
unsuitable for the chall enges of the
Bendi x and Thompson. The wings were
di sassembl ed to the spars and rebuilt
with the internal drag braci ng lightened,
as well as a greatl y improved fuselage
attach method incorporated . Existing
ail erons were used, wi th the fla ps ex-
tended to cover the span added to the
wing. The resulting loading of50 pounds
per square foot was among the highest
used in aircraft at that time, and much
technical comment centered about it.
,Actuall y the wi ng turned out to be one
of the really outstanding as pects of the
racer, and it's confi guration was widely
copi ed in the Second World War's
fi ghters.
Additionally, Matty added about a
square foot to the eleva tor surface area,
and compl etely out fitted the fuselage
sructure almos t from scra tch . Larger
fuel tanks than Mr. Brown had planned
on using were included . In many re-
spects the re nova tion of th e Lai rd-
Turner Racer was more diffi cult than
building a compl etely new aircraft.
When fini shed, a weight check con-
firmed that Matty had eliminated over
400 pounds of weight just from the
parts Mr. Brown had shipped him. The
L TR-14 was tes ted success full y and
accepted by Roscoe, who proceeded to
Californi a in it ... on its second fli ght.
In succeeding years th e Laird-Turner
Racer served to change the fortunes of
'tough-luck' Roscoe. During the 1937
Thompson, Roscoe, who was leading
the race, was momentaril y blinded by
the sun whil e rounding a pylon. Turn-
ing back to recircl e th e pylon, he lost
hi s lead to Ea rl Ortman and Rudy Kling.
In a las t minute burst of speed, Rudy
drove the diminuti ve Folkerts racer
pas t Ortman to win. Roscoe foll owed
in third place.
However, the foll owing yea r, the
Laird-Turner, racing as the PESCO
SPECIAL, placed first in the Thomp-
son, brea king Micheal Detroya t's
record speed set two years previously.
The 1939 Nati onal Air Races were
largely overshadowed by the grim turn
of events taking pl ace in Europe.
Roscoe, raci ng for the last time, again
won the Thompson, fl ying the Laird-
Turner, which for the occasion had
become the ' Mi ss Champi on'. This vic-
tory made him the onl y man to ever win
the coveted Thompson Trophy th ree
times . Despite th e credit due Mr. Lai rd,
Roscoe never properl y recogni zed him.
Ma tty, however, never pressed the issue
...as"That'sjustthewayRoscoewas"...
Turner's victories, plus those earli er
in th e decades by the 'Soluti on' and
'Super Solution' gave the Laird Planes;
Three FIRST and two THIRD pl aces in
the Thompson Races, one FIRST in the
Bendi x, a trans-continental and tri -
Capitol speed record, in addition to at
least a dozen different inter- ci ty records .
For a small civil based aircraft factory,
the E. M. Laird Company had won a
large proportinate share of the records
and races of the thirties, due to the skill
of the employees and th e genius of
E. M. ' Matty' La ird .
As thi s country's involvement in the
War beca me more eminent, Matty rea-
li zed it was going to be pretty ' tough
sledding' for a non-military manu-
fac turer. In an attempt to get subcon-
tracting work on military aircraft , a
Chicago fri end persuaded him to con-
sider setting up an aviati on di vision for
a manu fac turer of metal door trim, at
Laport , Indi ana. Matt y looked the opera-
ti on over and elected to become Vi ce
President of the Company (l ater be-
coming th e La po rte Corpora ti on. ) He
bro ught wit h him all hi s fac tory ma-
chi nery, equipme nt and materials, but
retained personall y all hi s airplane
designs. The La porte Corporati on s uc-
cessfu ll y met the chall enges of wartime
material s shortages with a labor force
consisting mos tly of women. Although
untrained, and faced with schedules
5
(Photo Courtesy E. M. ' Matty' Laird)
Laird-Turner on the l ine afterbeing rebuiltbythe E. M. LairdAi rplane
Company. Note the famil iar Laird trademark on the tail.
that doubled every month, they rapidly
grew into a skilled tea m under the able
guidance of Matty. His tal ents in pro-
duction were directed to the producti on
of B-24 and SB2C vertical fins, complete
empenage groups for Martin B-26's
and numerous other items such as wing
flaps, radio cabinets, crew bunks and
de- icer tanks for the Martin PBM.
Matty never had any interest in
Military aircraft, with the possible
excepti on of building a trainer for the
Armed Services. He had lost an early
bid for a trainer in the Laird Swallow
days, when Major Reuben Fleet, a
procurement officer for the Army, vetoed
the purchase. Major Fleet later resigned
from the Service and organi zed the
Consolidated Aircraft Company, who
received the order for his training
plane.
The wartime production of the La-
porte Corporation was a credit to Mr.
Laird' s ingenuity in training and mus-
tering every effort from hi s employees
during the critical time of hi s country's
need.
At the War's end, Matty res tudi ed the
designs he had worked up for civilian
airplanes before the War. One particu-
larl y appealing model was a 4 place,
hi gh wing monoplane, with a semi-
monocoupe aluminum fuselage and
wooden wings. Plans were .. . to use
a new six cylinder inverted engi ne that
Continental was developing. In con-
sideri ng th e capitali zati on cos ts in-
volved which had doubled since the
thirti es, and knowi ng first-hand, th e
(Photo Courtesy Roger Don Rae)
ABOVE: Laird-Turner, Pesco Specialwhich Roscoe Turner
flew to victoryin the Thompson Trophy Race in 1938.
(Photo Courtesy E. M. 'Matty' Laird)
BELOW: MattyLaird,center,surroundedbyhisfellowcraftsmen
at the Laport Corporation during WWII . The vertical fins of the
B-24 behindare autographedbyallmembers ofhis work force.
6
boom-bust market that followed the previous War,
Matty decided to retire from the aviation business.
An additional factor which prompted his decision
was the fact that his daughter had contracted polio.
At the time, the only known treatment was frequent
immersions in warm water combined with physical
therapy. Consequently, Matty decided to move to a
warmer climate, choosing Boca Raton, a small com-
munity on the lower east coast of Florida. There, he
and his lovely Elsie, whom he married in 1933, devoted
themselves to raising their son and daughter.
In later years the Lairds purchased some land in
the Lake Toxaway area of North Carolina where they
built a home. The lake had been a millionaires hide-
away in the early 1900's until the dam supporting it
burst in 1916, flooding many of the lower communities.
Ironically, the lake was later re-damed after the Laird's
built their home, and the high water level forced
them to again move. Later they purchased an adjacent
home on the lake shore. Currently they spend their
summer months enjoying this beautiful mountain lake
area, while wintering in their fifty year old Spanish
style home in Boca.
In 1967 Matty became President of the Early Birds,
an International organization of pilots who made their
first flight before December 17, 1916. Mr. Laird also
became active in the Connecticut Aeronautical His-
torical Association's restoration of the 'Solution'
beginning in 1964.
He first became acquainted with the Florida Sport
Aviation, Antique and Classic Association at the
Remuda Ranch Fly-In during November of 1974,
where he was an honored guest. There too, he joined
the EAA. In recognition of his many achievements
prior to 1940, Mr. Laird was awarded the coveted
Silver Eagle Membership in the Association. Since
then the Lairds have been very active in the EAA,
being honored among the Aviation Greats at Oshkosh,
1975, and appearing at many EAA functions through-
out the State of Florida.
His present work on the EAA's restoration of the
'Super Solution' has brought him back, full circle
. . . to th e very work to which he devoted hi s life
beginning in 1910 ... that of building the finest air-
craft in the country.
At eighty years on November 29th, 1975, Matty
has been described by his friends as "a Volkswagen
wi th 80 horsepower".
The Florida Association and th e Experimental Air-
craft Association are very privileged to know and be
able to work with people of Mr. Laird's background,
energies and character.
Mr. Laird ... a true genius and pioneer of Ameri-
can Aviation.
The LairdSpeedwing "Solution"
(Prat& Whitney Wasp JuniorEngine)
Winner 1st Place - Thompson Trophy Race -
Chicago, III. Sept. 1, 1930
Average Speed201 .91 M.P.H. for 100 mile race
(20 laps arounda five mile course)
PilotedbyC. W. "Speed" Holman
(Photo byRobert G. Elliott)
Matty and Elsie Laird enjoy their mountain re-
treat on the shores of Lake Toxaway, North
Carolina, and sat momentarily for this photo-
graph in Julyof1975.
Earl W. Swaney
525 Saratoga Ave.
Santa Clara, CA 95050
The weather was perfect! The airshow
was excellent! Ground and flying activi-
ties were varied and interesting!
But, these variables only added to
the luster. The real stars were the air-
planes. More than 400 of them.
Reading down the rows of prop cards
was like reading from volumes of avia-
tion history. All the names were there:
Waco, Ryan, Stinson, Stearman, Travel-
Air, Beech, Cessna, Great Lakes, Fleet,
Kinner, Davis, Fairchild, Standard,
Curtiss, Pitcairn, Piper, Taylor, Har-
low, Spartan, Howard, Bucker, Meyers,
Aeronca, and even Ford.
The event was the 12th annual West
Coast Antique Aircraft Fly-In and Air
Show held at Watsonville, ' California
over the Memorial Day weekend, May
28, 29 and 30.
Each year the fly-in is co-sponsored
by the Northern California Chapter of
the Antique Airplane Association and
the Watsonville Chamber of Commerce.
The pilots these planes brought to
the fly-in unanimously agreed this
year's meet was " the best yet." They
came from all over California and from
Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada,
Utah, Arizona, and even one from
Minnesota.
There were many full-fledged antique
airplane buffs among the 30,000 visitors
to the show. But most of them came to
see the airshows put on each day.
Highlighting the aerobatic routines
were veteran performers such as San
Francisco's Don Carter flying an au-
thentic Bucker Jungmeister, Jim
Mandley in a homebuilt Steen Skybolt,
Eddie Andreini in a stock Stearman,
and Amelia Reid in a Bellanca Decath-
lon.
Grand champion award went to Jim
Nissen for his 1918 Curtiss IN-4
"Jenny". Nissen, from Livermore, CA,
retired from his position as airport
manager at San Jose Municipal Airport
last August and has spent the time since
th en res toring the Jenny. He purchased
it in 1958 after a friend found it in a
barn in Oregon and told him about it.
7
Virgil Adair Congratulates Jim Nissen (on left).

Ni ssen has restored the Jenny to its
original configuration as a trainer used
by the Army Air Services at Love Field
in Dallas, TX. It is painted an ochre color
and has a brightly polished brass radiator
for its OX-5 engi ne: The stru ts and other
woodwork is finished natural and highly
varni shed. The fuselage wood was in
such good condition that Nissen was
able to use about 90 percent of it in
hi s restoration.
Mayor' s Trophy winner, a 1929 New
Standard NT-I, Navy trainer, (D-29A
civilian) is owned by George Dray of
Concord, CA. This New Standard is one
of six built for the Navy and is beli eved
to be the only one of its kind flying
today.
Best Homebuilt Award in the show
went to a Bede BD-4 owned by Don
Phillips of San Jose, CA.
76-year-old Virgil Adair flew his
Ranger-powered Ryan PT-22 from
Lewiston, Idaho, and took the award
for the oldest pilot. Adair's original
pilot's license was signed by Orville
Wright.
Robin Reid, 17, of San Jose, took
honors as the youngest licensed pilot .
The varied activities for participants
included an Oktoberfest party Satur-
day ni ght, a lumberjack breakfast Sun-
day morning, and the Awards Dinner
Sunday night.
Of the 428 display aircraft, 86 were
antiques, 74 warbirds, 160 neo-c1assic,
and 105 homebuilts . In addition about
500 modern aircraft brought flying
spectators to the event.
Co-chairmen for thi s year's fly-in
were Bob DeVries for the Antiquers
and John Payne for the Watsonville
Chamber of Commerce.
In the flying contests, Russ Weil of
Sunnyvale, CA, pulled hi s J-3 Cub into
the air after a run of 150 feet to take
first place in the short field takeoff con-
test for planes under 100 horsepower.
Watsonville Grand Champion
Jim Nissen' s 1918 Jenny
In the over 100-horsepower category,
Richard Collins of Portola Valley, CA,
coaxed his Swift off in 250 feet.
Rate of climb under 100-horsepower
winner was Phil Garris of Reno, NV,
in a Piper L-4 climbing to 200 feet in
19 seconds. Over 100-horsepower
award went to Orrin Anderson, River-
side, CA, in a Cessna 170, also 19
seconds.
The Antiquers plan to use their share
of the proceeds toward establishment
of a museum to di splay these rare birds
and other aviation history memorabilia.
8
...
Vintage

l
"
...
'I . ' ", Menand Their
.,... .
. .,.J' , ":'
-........ ...... ,:', . . .r .......

1929 Travel Air NC 8719 1941 Vultee BT 13A N55642
-
Owner: Max Robertson, Vancouver , WA Owner: Gary Giannandrea, Areada, CA
' -': "It
_____ , -- ,iZ
- ,1::.1 "
- , .. I i
" '.
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Travel Air 2000 NC 6130 1936 Stinson SR8B Ole Fahlin says, " This prop has got to go". Jim Nissen receives the Grand Champion award
Owner: Gregg Caldwell , Vancouver, WA
Owner: Ernie Fillmore, Los Gatos, CA for his Curtiss IN-4 Jenny from fly-in queen
Amelia Reid.
,
1931 Travel Air 12K Ford Tri-Motor 1930 Stearman N788H - Owner: Ray Gail Turner added a touch of glamour to he
Owner: Paul Lawrence, Battle Ground, WA Owner: Irv. Perch, Morgan Hills, CA Stephen &Gabby Hansen, Santa Clara, CA homebuilt Fly Baby. Gail took first place hor.
ors in the rate of climb contest for
WA T S (
If you want to meet a group of congE
just must attend one of the WatsonvillE
28th - 31st, and came away impressed
all , the comaraderie of the people, fror
who come out by the thousands to ae
cluded Fly-Bys, Contests, Aerobatic S
The grand finale was abeautifully organ
1934 Krider Risner 831N 1929 Davis V3 #848H - Owner: Clyde Gail McCullough has worn out 5 engines we' re coming back,
Owner: John Reid, San Jose, CA Bourgeois, Santa Barbara, CA for atotal of 5800 hours on her Cessna 190.

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>-=::-
Album

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tage Machines


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1929 Pitcairn Mail Wing - Owner: Don Fairchild 24 N81386

-
Clause, Astoria, OR, passenger brother Owner: Claude Gray, Northridge, CA
Terry.
Winner of a Special Award for Golden Age First place winner in the Classic age open 1929 New Standard # 155M 1929 Student Prince N10471
through Neo-classic was this Harlow PJ2C monoplane category was this Fairchild 22 Owner: Geo. Dray, Concord, CA Owner: James Turrell , Sedona, AZ
owned by Mel Heflinger of Redondo Beach, CA. I owned by Kal Irwin of Pasadena, CA.
Vew Standard D-25A, 5-place open cockpit ' Second place winner in the Golden John Reid, who was the official announcer
Ruth Spencer's " Baby Stearman" _
)wned by Irv Perch of Morgan Hill, CA. " The open biplane category was this Fleet 7 and did an admirable job.
parked beside hubby's big job.
=Iying Lady", is for Irv's wife Jan who is the owned by R. Von Willer of Spring Valley,
"""Q
lying member of the family. CA.

hard working flying enthusiasts - you
ifornia Fly-Ins. We did just that on May
the airplanes, the weather, and most of
participants to the enthusiastic public
the beautiful airplanes. The activity in-
, and even a " lumberjack" breakfast.
\wards Banquet. Keep the sun shining - 1935 Fairchild C8C won a special award 1926 Travel Air J4 NC3945 - Owners: Ray Driggs Skylark NC64K
for the Golden through Neo-classic ages. & Larry Stephen, San Jose, CA Owner: Don Burkhart, Orangevale, CA
(Lois Kelch, Asst. Editor)
It is owned by D. Cullum and George
Pearson of Vallej o, CA.
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The Gates Flying Circus had five air-
craft carrying passengers at Pough-
kepsie Airport. The airport was nothing
but a cow pasture with a stone fence at
one end and some trees to the right of
us. Saturday was a very successful day
- all five aircraft were busy all after-
noon. They carried something like 200
passengers. We stopped our operations
just before dark and checked in one of
the best hotels in Poughkepsie. We
were all tired and dirty, but quite rich.
All of the pilots opera ted on a 20% basis
and we were making anywhere between
$75.00 to $100.00 a day. The following
day, Sunday, we all got out to the airport
about 9:00. Our standard procedure
was go up and do a little stunti ng and
looping on the outskirts of the city every
morning. (I had forgotten that after the
previous day - all the step ladders and
stunt paraphernalia was stored in my
ship.) 1 took off with my parachute
jumper in the front seat and climbed up
to 3000 ft. and commenced looping.
We of the Gates Flying Circus were
using Hisso Standards modified to
take 4 passengers in the front cockpi t.
All Standards were powered by 150 to
180 engines. While looping 1 had ap-
parently drifted over the center of
the city. On one of my final loops I
hung the airplane in an upside down
position and stalled it. Things began to
fall out of the cockpit including my
parachute jumper, who desperately
hung onto a couple of struts. 1 saw
bundles of tools, our step ladder and
other things leaving the cockpit. After
the flight was over, I landed and pro-
ceeded carrying passengers as though
nothing happened. A couple of hours
later, a couple of men appeared on the
field carrying a bundle under their
arms. They asked to see the manager
of the Flying Circus - he was Clyde
LEFT: Joseph R. James and Marion
Wells - Gates Flying Circus at Green-
field, Mass. 1927.
Pangborn' our Chief Pilot. The men in-
quired if the bundle belonged to one of
us pilots. Clyde Pangborn acknowledged
that this was our folding step ladder
used for stunt flying. Pangborn ap-
proached me and asked if 1 had these
things in my ship. 1 admitted seeing
things fall out of my plane while in a
loop in an inverted position. The two
men informed us that this particular
package crashed through the Orpheum
Theatre ceiling and landed about 20
feet from the orchestra. The Orchestra
was rehearsing and were astounded
by the crash and all the glass falling
on top of them. They threatened to
sue the Circus but Pang somehow
reimbursed them and sent them back
to town. 1 was fined $25.00 for this in-
cident bu t on this same night, I recovered
more than the $25.00 in a poker game.
This was not a very happy incident for
me.
After a weekend at Troy, New York
we proceeded with seven ships to Pitts-
field, Mass. The whole town was plas-
tered with great big placards "Gates
Flying Circus - the World's Best Pilots" .
Our advance man had made a deal with
the local newspaper - he was to pro-
vide us with about 50 papers that we
were to drop off close to the field. Who-
ever picked up a paper with a lucky tick-
et in it went for a free ride in one of our
ships.
We started flying early in the morning
about 9:00. The more we flew, the more
passengers came out, to line up for rides.
Mac McKay was flying a Curtis R, a three
cockpit job powered by 450 hp 12 cylinder
Liberty engine. We were using straight
commercial gas as supplied by Texaco
Company. Mac's Curtis R was bouncing
over the bumps for take-off and belching
black smoke out of both sides. Mac was
leaning out one side to see where he
was going and getting his face full of
the black soot. That day Mac said "the
blacker I am the richer I am" which was
very true.
We kept flying without hardly a stop
- the more passengers we carried, the
Lee Mason - With Gates Flying Circus
1927
more came. $3.00 and $5.00 passengers
were shoved into the same airplane
and had the same kind of ride. The aver-
age ride was about a minute and a half
long. At 3:00 in the afternoon, five planes
were down with some trouble or other.
There were only 2 ships left. At 8:30
p.m. it was getting dark - we quit fly-
ing and there were still a number of
passengers in the corral. The boss said
Joe why don't you take one more load?
Reluctantly I took off with 4 people.
On the way back 1 could hardly see the
field. I took my glasses off and unfor-
tunately a bumble bee hit me in one eye.
1 made a blind landing from about 50',
overshot the field and knocked off a
couple of headlights of a nearby car with
my wing tip. It was a rather sad ending
to my record passenger carrying day.
I broke the record for the year - carried
$700.00 worth of passengers in one
ship in one day. On the other hand, the
next day 1 spent repairing my wing tip,
wondering if I could catch up wi th the
rest of the circus.
This is another incident of the Gates
Flying Circus the same autumn of
1927. The Gates Flying Circus had four
aircraft at Troy, New York airport. It
was a successful 3 day stand. We carried
something like 500 passengers the 3
days. Monday morning we were getting
ready to leave for Pittsfield, Mass.
Things were kind of dull.
A pilot, who I was instrumental in
getting to join Gates Flying Circus by
the name of Ray Ahern, approached
me and made a deal. He said "Joe,
you see that little flag on top of the tent
where all our supplies are stored and
where our manager, was still asleep."
1 said "Yes 1 see the flag" . He said ''I'll
bet you $25.00 that you can't knock that
flag down in two at tempts". I said -
"You're on". I took off and circled
the airport and dove for the flag, attempt-
ing to knock it off with the landing gear.
My first pass was unsuccessful and I
made a second attempt, which was also
unsuccessful. The third pass 1 really
had to do it. 1 took half of the mast and
12
Johnnie Runger, ParachuteJumper
GATES FLYING CIRCUS, 1927
the flag leaving onlya shred sticking out
on top of the tent. Ahern, in the mean-
time made another proposition. "Joe,
I'll bet you $25.00 I can knock the rest
ofthatflag inthreeattempts". Naturally,
I agreed. Ahern, in his second attempt
knocked down the balance of the fla g.
In the meantime, with all thi s noi se
going on, we woke up the manager,
who rushed out of the tent and was
shaking his fi st up at the sky while we
were diving at his tent.
Here is another incident with Gates
Flying Circus in September 1927. Five
of our ships descended on Ithica, New
York. Our fi eld was a narrow strip be-
tween tall trees on both sides and on
one end was one of the Finger Lakes.
As ususal we had the field covered
with paying passengers, who were
waiting to get a chance to get in the air.
Our normal load was four passengers
in front just behind the 150 Hispana
engine J1 standard. I complained to
Clyde that my ship was somewhat
out of ri g and I couldn't make the
turn to the left as was our pattern.
He said Joe, go ahead and take only
two passengers a nd see if you ca n
make it. Iagreed to that.
I took off with two passengers,
climbed up to about 500 ft., started my
turn and found out the left wing was
still real heavy, and I had to use all
opposite rudder in order to keep it from
turning to the left. I was skidding all
over the place and was losing altitude.
I realized I couldn't make th e fi eld
and I had to come down at right angles
to the strip. I picked two of the bushiest
trees and put the nose of the Standard
right in between th em. All four wings
crumpl ed and we were suspended
about 20' in the air. I climbed out of
the fuselage and helped the passengers
down out of the trees. I returned the
tickets to the two gentl emen and told
them to go ahead and take their ride
with one of the other planes. They
agreed.
I told the passengers that one of my
wings was too heavy and I los t control
of the ship. The next morning the
newspapers in Ithica had a headline
"Two engineers escape death in a
disabl ed airplane". The reporter mis-
interrupted my statement on th e fi eld
and said the pilot admitted that he
flew off the wing (?) The passengers
happened to be two engineering pro-
fessor s atCornell College.
It was miraculous that the fu selage
didn' t have a crack and new wings were
shipped in from Hackensack. The fuse-
lage was haul ed down, the new set
of wings ~ t c h e d and new propeller
installed and the aircraft continued to
barnstorm its way down to Florida.
Thi s incident finished me with Gates
Flying Circus. The crates were getting
out of ri g and were showing signs of
lack of maintenance. I collected what
was coming me from Irwin Gates and
returned to Hackensack, NJ . It was
amazing that in this incident neither
the passengers or myself even got a
scratch. I told my passengers how safe
it was to crash an airplane between the
trees.
TREASURE
HUNT
Many old timers like Joseph
R. James have interesting' ma-
terial hid away in dresser
drawers. It is fun finding it
and bringing it back to life.
HAVE AT IT.
',':'
;.:;:.
MENEFEE
The articleon the following
page is printedas a posthumous
tribute to BillMenefee,who was
killed, along with the owners ofa
fourplaceairplane thatcrashed
July24, 1976atFredricksburg, VA.
This article hadbeen written.and
submittedpriorto the accident. Bill
. Menefee was a pilotforUnitedAirlines
:-:.: andhe was active in the "Potomac An-
tique Aero Squadron", EAA andAAA.
His many friends will miss him as will
:: :: the numbers that saw him fly at the
FL YING CIRCUSAERODROMEatBeal-
ton, Virginia. Billwas an accomplished
pilotanda dedicatedantiquer.
13
(Photo by.Lou Davis)
KCA Balloon Festival. Bill Menefee's
WW I Replica Sopwith Pup in fore-
ground.
T
hi s Sopwith Pup, a replica of Britian's World War I
fi ghter was built by Bill Petrone, a professor at
th e Uni versity of Iowa. It took nearl y seven (7) years
to complete and was built fr om origi nal Sopwith
plans. The Pup looks every bit the original , the only
excepti on being that it does not carry an actual factory
serial number.
The prototype Sopwith Pup appeared in France in
May of 1916 with the Royal Naval Air Servi ce and
shortly thereaft er, with the Royal Flying Corps . It
was intended to be a high altitude fighter and was
more than a match against the German Albatross Vll1
at 16, 000 ft. The aircraft remained in service thru the
summer and autumn of 1917. The Sopwith was also
the pioneer aircraft to be based on an aircraft carri er .
By E. A. " Rick" Roki cki
365 Mae Rd.
Glen Burnie, MD 21061
1820 EAA Anti que/Classic Division
In thi s case, the wheels were removed and skids were
installed. La ter, the Pup went back to England where
it was used success full y as a defense against the giant
Gotha bombers . The Zepplin too was a favorite target
of the Sopwith Pup. There's no denying it was a grea t
ai rplane in its day.
Bill Menefee, a United Airlines Ca ptain (DC-8) ,
bought the Pup immedi atel y aft er completion in Octo-
ber of 1973. It was purchased primaril y beca use of hi s
involvement in the FLYING CIRCUS activity at Beal-
ton, Virginia . The ori ginal aircraft was built with
either the 80 hp Clerget or the 80 hp Gnome. Later
models had the 100 hp Gnome . Bill's Pup has a more
modern engine, that is, if you can call a 40 year old
engi ne " modern". The 125 hp Warner radial that
powers the Sopwith remains the favorite of WWI
builders beca use of its small er di ameter and relatively
low weight. The torque values of the original rotary
engines and that of the Warner are quite comparabl e.
Futher, the gross weight of the replica Pup is within
100 lbs. of the original. Additi onal deviati ons from
the original were made as a result of fli ght tes ting. The
rudder bar, tail skid and lack of brakes, necessitated
some changes. The rudder bar was replaced by the
more standard pedals. The tail skid had to go for ob-
vious reasons and was replaced by a small tail wheel.
The additi on of cable operated brakes was the last
bi g change.
14
(Photo by Lou Davis)
Bill Menefee doing his thing for the FL YING CIRCUS at
Bealton, Virginia , in his world War I Fighter (Sopwith Pup) .
Taxi tes ts started out as fa st taxi, then tail lift then
off the deck for a few feet and back again. The maiden
fli ght was attempted after the 4th such tes t. According
to Bill, the Pup leaped into the air with less than a 200'
run in very li ght wind. It felt a littl e tail heavy and
needed right rudder correction through out the fli ght
to compensate for ail eron drag. Eleva tor press ures
seemed light in compari son to ail eron feel. Further
testing showed the aircraft to be qui te maneuvre-
abl e and it side-slips beautifull y. Bill Menefee says
the slip is a very necessa ry thing in the Pup, since the
aircraft is quite blind in a head on approach . The rudder
is effective to the degree that proper ail eron input is
extremely important, oth erwi se the machine simpl y
will not turn. What happens in such an uncoordinated
turn is that the wing will drop in the directi on of the
turn but the nose will yaw in th e other directi on. The
Pup will just hang there and set up a shudder. The
first landing was a bit of an experi ence since the cl ose
- coupl ed design makes it a prime ca ndidate for
ground loops. However, a grassy touch down and
about 150' later it ca me to a stop. Preparati ons for the
fli ght home were started immedi ately.
Before setting out fr om Ames, Iowa, Bill worked
out a bungee cord arrangement on the control stick
to compensa te for th e sli ght tail-heaviness and right
rudder correcti on . It has been so successful that it
remains in use without change. The fli ght from Ames
to Bealton included five (5) stops and a total of 12
fl ying hours . The ai rspeed indi ca tor was suspected
of reading low since the aircraft would "slow fl y"
at 38 to 40 mph before it would stall out. The second
day out of Columbus, Ohio, whil e on a course for
Fairmount , Bill smell ed gasoline. A considerabl e loss
showed on the quantity ga"tl ge, a nd while th e replica
Pup had a 30 gall on tank (the ori ginal had onl y 20), it
was obvious he woul d have to set it down before
long. Clarksburg, Wes t Virginia was the pl ace, he
decided since there were maintenance facilities there.
He climbed to 6,000' and bega n a slow spiral down .
The new tower was not yet acti va ted, but someone
saw him a nd gave him a green li ght to land. Winds
were 25 to 30 mph wit h gusts . Remembering that the
brakes were not the best even under ideal conditi ons,
Bill decided to line up on th e ru nway and take a light
crosswind. Just aft er touch-down, a severe gust tossed
the Sopwith Pup back into the sky like a lea f. Power
on for a go-around ... a qui ck look at the fu el quantity
showed the tank to be empty. On the downwind leg,
he decided to land on a grassy area between the runway
and taxi strip. The landing roll was less than 40 feet.
It didn't take long to rapidl y reach the conclusion that
crosswind landings with this machine would lead to
the inevitabl e ground loop.
Inspecti on of the gas tank showed that the tin had
a seam crack and it didn' t take much to solder it up
and get back into the air. Helped along by a good tail
wind, he made the FLYING CIRCUS AERODROME
in just under two (2) hours .
Some interesting notes on the Pup. It cruises
easil y at 80 mph . At an indicated airspeed of 125 mph,
one of the wires starts to "sing". When thi s happens,
he will back off on the throttl e and set up hi s air-
speed just under the audible warning. Bill intends to
keep it that way. When first feeling out the aerobati c
ability of the airplane, he found out that it did not
slow-roll well at all. Aileron drag slows up the Pup
when inverted and it becomes necessary to get the
nose down qui ckly to get enough airspeed to compl ete
the roll-out. There is no inverted fu el or oil system
install ed and the engine will cut out if left upside
down too long. In additi on to that , the airfoil is not
at all suited to that kind of fl ying. It rolls to the left
beautifull y, but not too well to th e ri ght, althoug h it
is accompli shed as part of the aerial pattern he does .
A short loop and Cuba n 8's are a part of the routine.
On landing, th e Pup feels fairl y s tabl e throughout
th e fl are and will set up a li ght shudder just before
the three-point stall. To quote Bill Menefee "at that
time, if the ground is in the ri ght pl ace, you' ll have a
pretty decent landing."
At thi s writing, th ere are six (6) known Sopwith
Pups in fl ying conditi on. One is in Ca nada, another
in Rheinbeck, NY and another on th e west coast.
These are repli cas just as N4781 T. The remaining
two are in th e Shuttl eworth Coll ection in England
and are the onl y remaining ori ginals.
15
BOBBI
TROUT
One of the Southern California
Ninety-Nines charter members who
helped call attention to women in
flying circles was Bobbi Trout who took
the lead in promoting the Golden Eagle
aircraft by chalking up a number of
impressive record flights. She learned
to fly in early 1928 and then became a
factory demonstrator pilot for Golden
Eagle. She acquired Transport license
2613, the fifth woman in the USA to do
so, and was probably the Country's first
woman test pilot.
Miss Trou t flew one of the early
Golden Eagles at the dedication of the
Los Angeles Metropolian Airport at
Van Nuys, December 16, 1928. While
the endurance flight of the Army Air
Corps' Fokker "Question Mark" was
underway, Bobbi tookoff for her first
non-refueling endurance attempt from
Van Nuys Airport. Using a LeBlond 60
hp Golden Eagle, she remained aloft
12 hrs. 11 min., Jan. 2, 1929. Using the
same plane and flying from Mines Field
(now Los Angeles International), she
boosted the women's non-refueling rec-
ord even higher Feb. 10-11 with a flight
of 17 hrs. 5 min. While setting this rec-
ord she made the first all-night solo flight
by an aviatrix.
1929 continued to be a stellar year for
Bobbi Trout. She flew a 90 hp Golden
Eagle to 15,200', a new women's altitude
record for that particular category. In
latter summer she entered the Golden
Eagle, 90 hp Kinner, R223M, in the First
Women's Air Derby from Santa Monica
to Cleveland, Aug. 18-26. Although a
forced landing near Yuma put her out
of the competition, she managed to
fly the course and finish at Cleveland
a few hours after the winning o n t e s ~
tants.
Later in the year, with Elinor Smith
(License 3178), Bobbi established the
first in-air refueling endurance record
for women. Together they logged 42 hrs.
5 min., using a Commercial Sunbeam
aircraft powered with a Whirlwind 300,
over Los Angeles, November 27-29. The
refueling ship engine gave out, forcing
the fliers to land.
This record was upped considerably
by Bobbi and Edna May Cooper (Li-
cense 13310), Jan. 4-9, 1931. Flying a
Challenger Curtiss Robin, "Lady Rolph",
NR749M, they remained airborne 122
hrs. 50 min., again over Los Angeles.
The flight ended after the engine went
bad.
There were plans afoot for Bobbi to
attempt a Trans-Pacific flight from
Hawaii to the Mainland the summer
of '31 in a Lockheed Sirius, however
the flight did not materialize for
lack of backing. However, she sub-
sequently piloted one of the three
Women's Air Reserve Stearmans on a
trans-continental junket, along with
Pancho Barnes and Mary Charles. She
participated in local air shows with
Gladys O'Donnell, Margaret Perry
Cooper, Clema Granger, Aline Miller
and Yolanda Spirito, among others.
Bobbi Trout has always had the ingenu-
ity to meet her goals, working hard for
her accomplishments. To supplement
her earnings in the early days, she owned
and operated a service station. Prior to
WWII she hit upon the idea of salvaging
the discarded rivets from the various
aircraft manufacturers, sorting and
readying them for use again.
Currently and since 1960, she has been
in real estate in the California desert at
Palm Springs. She still finds time to do
some inventing, prospecting, cycling,
hiking and touring in her beautiful mo-
bile home - and occasionally she will
reflect fondly on the flying years.
Suited up for high altitude flight, Bobbi poses with one
of the Golden Eagles.
Elinor Smith and Bobbi Trout with the Commercial
Sunbeam in which they set the first women's in-air
refueling record - November, 1929.
16
WHISTLING IN THE RIGGING
By
Tom Poberezny
The 1976 EAA Convention is now hi s tory. This
year's event was the mos t successful one yet for many
reasons:
Attendance was the larges t in the 24 year hi story
of the EAA Convention.
Volunteers turned out in record numbers to
assist with th e numerous tas ks associated with
the operation of the world's larges t aviation
event.
The quality of res toration and construction
again improved.
I could list numerous other factors, but the point
is that by far the majority of those attending and par-
ticipating ca me away happy and proud of their organi-
zation.
I want to take this opportunity to commend every
Officer, Chairman and Volunteer and anyone else
associated with the AntiquelClassic Di vision operation
of the 1976 EAA Conventi on. The orga ni za tion and
dedi ca ti on of all who worked so hard was refl ected
in the smooth operation of your acti viti es through-
ou t the week.
The size and scope of th e EAA Convention con-
tinues to grow by lea ps and bounds. With thi s growth
comes the associated probl ems encountered in the
handling of traffic, parking aircraft, security, judging,
etc. Having worked with your officers, directors and
chairmen throughout the past year, I ca n attest to the
hard work and dedi ca ti on they put forth. The Board of
Directors of the Experimental Aircraft Associati on
expressed praise th roughout th e Conventi on for the
opera tion of the AntiquelClassic activiti es.
One of the hi ghli ghts of the 1976 Convention was
the " Hi story of Flight". Where else could an aviation
enthusias t go and see so many examples of the ai r-
craft that have shaped our aviati on heritage. Beca use
of uncooperative weather conditi ons, the 1908 June
Bug was unabl e to parti cipate in this program. But
those who were abl e to stay through Saturday were
able to see thi s ra re bird take to the air that evening.
This yea r a grea t deal of work went into strea m-
lining and improving the overall awa rds program for
the Convention. The judging methods in each cate-
gory (custom, antique, classic and warbird) under-
went great change, trying to bring in as much obj ecti vity
as possibl e. The awards program puts one "between
a rock and a hard pl ace". There are so many outstanding
aircraft and individuals, that there are not enough
awards for all who deserve them. To eliminate the
awards program would be wrong. To expand it would
dilute its quality. Much was learned and I am sure
that next year's system and criteria will be much im-
proved again .
A special word of recognition should go to Director
Al Kelch for the work he did in developing and build-
ing thi s year's awards. The top trophi es presented
fea tured a beautiful bust of Charles Lindbergh. Many
of the plaques had a reli ef of Speed Holman, complete
with helmet and goggles . The purpose of these new
awards is to recogni ze EAA'ers wi th a trophy that ca n
only be earned at your nati onal conventi on. It cannot
be purchased anywhere. It is something that all will
be proud to di spl ay in their homes and carry great
meaning.
It was my pl easure to talk with many nati onal, state
and loca l government official s, congress men, and
media personnel. Many had attended before ... for
others, it was their first vis it. It was interesting to
li sten to th eir reactions and see how they marveled
at the Convention's size, scope and hi gh standards of
conduct and cl ea nliness.
As I told each one of them, the aircraft on di splay
may be the stars of the show, but the real story is the
people . When you look at th e enthusia sm and hard
work that went into making an event as large as your
Convention so success ful and consider that the ma-
jority of th e work is done by volunteers, it makes th e
EAA story that much more amazi ng.
I know that th e vast majority of the peopl e attend-
ing Oshkosh 76 thoroughl y enj oyed themselves. For
the few that may have felt that they were not treated
properl y, please understand that your fell ow members
spent 12 to 14 hours per day (using their vacations) to
make thi s event possible. Everyone is doing the best
humanl y possible. Unfortunately, those who should
be reading thi s never will beca use they are not members.
EDITOR'S NOTE
Due to the heavy load on everyone at Con-
vention time, this month' s issue and probably
the next, will be slightly late. Bear with us and
we willgetbackon schedulesoon.
The November issue will be dedicated to
Oshkoshandthe Greater1976 EAA Convention.
I invite anyone having interesting pictures and
stories to contribute - DO SO IMMEDIATELY!
I cannot promise that all will appear in
print,thosethathaveinterestingcopyandrepro-
duciblephotographswillbegiven allconsidera-
I invite anyone having interesting pictures and
tion. It is your magazine and I will continue to
makeitreflectthe likes ofthemembership. Itis
up to you to keep me informed of those likes.
Stories about adventures going and coming
from the Convention, camp ground activities,
interestinganecdotesthattookplaceattheCon-
vention, and things with just plain old human
interest. Remember that the magazine is not a
classified column, andstick to things that con-
tribute to thepleasure ofthe membership.
Let's have fun in ourunique hobbyandnot
take even ourselves too seriously.
The Convention was a smashing success -
THANKS TO ALL OUR MEMBERS, and par-
ticularly those who worked for the enjoyment
ofTHE TOTAL MEMBERSHIP.
17
NATIONALERCOUPE
Fly-In
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
May 29,30,31, 1976
ByKelly Viets
R.R. 1
Stillwell, KA
Yes, they are a special breed . These people who
love and fl y the littl e two place, twin tailed beauty.
These are the solid citi zens of sport aviati on who love
fl ying for fl ying' s sake. No aerobati cs needed to show
off what heros they are. Therefore they fly the safes t
of aircraft . The plane that made hi story as the leader
of the modern, advanced planes, the tri-cycl ed gear
Ercoupe.
This was the second annual Fly-In headed up by
DubHallofTulsa,Okl ahoma. He, withAlvernaWilliams
of Grand Prairie, Texas as Co-Chairman, and their
numerous helpers who wrote hundreds of letters to
all Ercoupe owners, backed by Skip Carden andCoupe
Capers did a fantasti c job. Edna and myself and the
Internati onal Ercoupe Associati on helping them from
the side lines.
By Fl y-In time they had 240 pre-registered planes.
If the weather East of the Mississippi had cooperated
the 240 number surely would have been reached and
passed . With thunder storms predi cted and in action,
with tornados in Oklahoma and rains that turned into
floods in Tulsa, just 50 mil es away, there were still
140 planes that made it .
Forty-two States were represented . Keith Whiting
fle w in from as far away as Alaska , 35 fl ying hours.
LaRoy Wri ghta nd hi s wife Eil een arri ved fr om Oregon,
six planes fl ew in from Californi a. There were three
Ercoupes that came in from Florida. One coupl e from
Calendar
of Events
The California group - front row:
Dave Kenney, Wayne Olson, Joe
Figueras andJack Owens.
thi s group was Mr. & Mrs. Fred E. Weick, the designer
of the Ercoupe. The pl ane they used was a borrowed
1946 415C Ercoupe and Imi ghtadd that although he is
77 he still handles the airplane beauti full y (j ust as
tho' he made iL)
Even though the weather was bad or threatening
all the time we were there; the usual Fly- In contes ts
were held . Many trophi es and pri zes were given but
mostl y there were fri endships made or renewed and
lots of looking and hangar fl ying.
With the assembl y of all these Ercoupes, one was
abl e to see them from the meticul ously maintained
factory original to the excellent modi fied versions.
Row aft er row were lined up - each an example
showing to all what pri de ofownershi p ca n mea n.
Frankl y, we beli eve thi s is the way to achieve the
much searched for, but never achi eved goal of safety
in fl ying. No Government regulations, no doctrines
or threa ts can achi eve one- tenth the excellance jus t
a small amount of pride can. THAT is what we saw
there - pride of ownership. It is a shame that more
peopl e could not have seen thi s event. You woul d
have heard the words of praise and admiration that
the Ercoupeowners continuall y hear from the publ ic.
Everyone who was there thi s year plus all the others
who couldn' t make it are already making plans to be
abl e to attend next year. Look for a continued interes t
and growth of thi s Fly- In next year.
AUGUST 29 - SEPTEMBER 6 - BLAKESBURG, IOWA - 6th Annual
Invitati onal AAA-APM Fly- In.
AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 3 - FOND DU LAC. WISCONSIN - 11th
Annual EAA- IAC Internati onal Aerobatic Championships. Spon-
sored by Internati onal Aerobatic Club.
SEPTEMBER 10-12 - GALESBURG, ILLI NOIS - 5th National Stear-
man Fly- In. Contact Jim Leahy, 445 N. Whitesboro, Galesburg,
IL 61401, or Tom Lowe,823 Kingston Lane, Crystal Lake, IL 60014.
Rows andRows ofErcoupes.
Dr. Joe McCawley and Sharon talk-
ing with FredWeick,flewwingtogether
from Flori da.
SEPTEMBER 17-19- GEORGETOWN, SOUTH CAROLINA- Second
Annual Spirit of '76 Fly- In at Georgetown County Airport, South
Carolina. Sponsored by Chapter 543 Antique/Classics, Warbirds
and Homebuil ts. For information contact Herb Bail ey, P. O. Box
619, Georgetown, SC 29440. (803) 546-2525 days, (803) 546-3357
nights and weekends.
WANTED - Stinson ReliantSR 5orSR (straightwi ng). Will
pay good money for a rebuil dable wi th all part present. Tom Rench,
1601 Circlewood, Racine, WI.
18