STRAIGHT & LEVEU

Espie "Butch" Joyce

2 AlC NEWS
3 AEROMAIL
4 THIRTY FIVE YEARS AT THE OUTER MARKER
Dutch Redfield
8 MYSTERY PLANE!
H. G. Frautschy
10 TAKEOFF ACCIDENTS/
Roger Gomoll
13 SUN 'N FUN '99/
H. G. Frautschy
21 TIGER MOTHS AND RACING
Michael Maniatis
24 PASS IT TO BUCK
E.E. "Buck" Hilbert
28 CALENDAR
29 WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
Publisher TOM POBEREZNY
Editor-in-Cllief JACK COX
Editor HENRY G. FRAUTSCHY
Managing Editor GOLDA COX
COlltributillg Editor JOHN UNDERWOOD
COlllplller Graphic Specialists BETH BLANCK
OLIVIA L. PHILLIP
PIERRE KOTZE
Photography Staff JIM KOEPNICK
LEEANN ABRAMS
KEN LICHTENBERG
MARK SCHAIBLE
Advertising/Editorial Assistant ISABELLE WISKE
SEE PAGE 30 FOR FURTHER VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INFORMATION
AIGMT
by ESPIE "BUTCH"JOYCE
PRESIDENT, VINTAGEAIRCRAFTASSOCIATION
This month, in your Vintage Airplane you will find bi-
ographies of the Officers and Directors who are up for
election as an Officer or Director in the association. These in-
dividuals are pleased to donate their time and expense to your
Vintage Airplane Association. By taking care of the many
things that need to be done on a year 'round basis, the dona-
tion of their time and talent helps ensure that each member
can enjoy being a part of the organization.
As a general rule, each of these officers and directors will
average almost 30 days oftirne in Oshkosh between meetings
and other activities. The cost or expense of this effort on their
part is paid out of their own pocket. Most of this time is en-
joyable, but there are times when it is just basic hard work.
For my part, I consider it a pleasure and an honor to work
side by side with these people each year.
Just this morning I was informed that George York passed
away the night of May 19,1999. Until George's health
caused him to step down as one of your Directors, he was
very dedicated to the vintage aircraft movement and re-
mained dedicated to the cause. George was one of the
original group who helped to form the then EAA
Antique/Classic Division. He served as an Officer and Direc-
tor from the time the group was founded until only a couple
of years ago when he became ill. George was the chief Clas-
sic judge at Oshkosh for years. A WW-II Navy pilot, he flew
four-engine seaplanes in the Pacific. After the war he re-
ceived an engineering degree and worked for Jim Gorman in
Mansfield, Ohio.
He was one of the first inducted into the EAA
Antique/Classic Hall of Fame. George was known for his
great knowledge of the Beechcraft Staggerwing and also
served as an officer of the Staggerwing Club. He was the type
of person who would always let you know where he stood on
any subject. He would also let you know how you stood with
him and I am proud to say that he always let me know that I
was his friend.
Everyone who knew George will miss him as much as I
will. George, tell Brad I said hello.
I have mentioned before that I left the Baron at Hawk Air-
craft in Tampa to have a new paint job applied. In the
different things I do for a living, it is nice to have the Baron to
travel from place to place. I have been called to do several
aircraft appraisals in different locations by a couple of differ-
ent banks. To fill the gap while the Baron is laid up, I have
called N2628K, my 8E Luscombe, into service to help me do
my business. The Luscombe is not quite as quick as the
Baron, but it makes up for that deficit by being a ball to fly.
With my trusty Garmin 195 GPS and a hand-held com we
took off the other week for a cross country down to South
Carolina. The trip was around 1.5 hours each way, which was
great as the drive would have been 4 hours one way.
I landed and taxied up to the gas pump, parking beside a
Cessna Citation Ill. When I got out of2628K the line boy (or
should I say person now) walked up to me and the first thing
out of his mouth was, "Okay, what is it?"
At that point I could have told him anything, but I was
an honest person and explained that it was a Luscombe 8E,
built in 1947. He looked at me and said, "Well , it looks
nice anyway."
He was just finishing up fueling the Citation, which took a
little over 1,000 gallons ofjet fuel. Next, he came over to the
Luscombe for a top off. It took a total of 8.5 gallons (I had
done some touch and goes the weekend before this trip). I
was even able to pay for the fuel with cash. Sometimes sim-
pler is better!
The V AA Chapter 3 Spring Annual Fly-In was held this
year at the Moore County airport located in Southern Pines,
NC. This event is always held the first full weekend of the
month of May each year. There was some confusion as to
what is to be considered a full weekend. Here is my opin-
ion, but should someone have a better definition please let
me know. As everyone will agree, the weekend is generally
Saturday and Sunday, but if the fly-in activities for the total
weekend start on a Thursday or Friday, then those two days
should be days that are in the same month as the Saturday
and Sunday.
Now that we have that out of the way, the weekend at
Southern Pines was very enjoyable. It was reported that there
were some 170 aircraft in attendance and it should be noted
the EAA B-17 was on hand . Rides on the beautiful old
bomber were sold out for three days.
Also, the Carolina Aviation Historic Foundation's Pied-
mont DC-3 was there for everybody's pleasure. The awards
banquet was a lot of fun, and on Sunday some of us went on a
poker run to different airports. When the poker hands were
put together my wife, Norma, had the best hand with two pair
(she always catches the biggest fish too).
I always enjoy the grassroots fly-ins and love to see old
friends again each year. Do your thing and ask your friends to
join the Vintage Aircraft Association. Let's all pull in the
same direction for the good of aviation. Remember we are
better together. Join us and have it all! ....
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1
" A A N EWS in the automotive design and proto-
1f.H.
compiled by H.G. Frautschy
VINTAGE CLASSIFIED ADS
What do you do when you've got just the
right piece for someone else out there who
needs it to complete their restoration, but
you just don' t know where to advertise it so
the right people will see it?
Why, advertise in Vintage Airplane!
A Vintage Airplane Classified ad will
reach over 9,000 men and women who are
just the people you want to reach, thousands
who are actively looking for parts and ser-
vices for their vintage airplanes. In addition
to reaching just the right people, you can do
so for minimal cost. Only 50 per word,
with an $8.00 minimum. At those rates, you
can reach each and every V AA Member
(and many others who just happen to pick up
the magazine and read it in hangars around
the country) for less than a thousandth of a
cent!
Send your ad and payment to: Vintage
Trader, EAA Aviation Center, P.O. Box
3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, or fax your
ad and your credit card number to
920/426-4828. Ads must be received by
the 20th of the month for insertion in the
issue the second month following (for in-
stance, to place an ad in the July issue, you
need to have at the EAA Editorial office
no later than May 20th).
METAL SHAPING AT
AIRVENTURE '99
EAA and the Vintage Aircraft Associa-
tion will again present our metal shaping
forum. Just as in 1998, it will be in the
workshop tent next to the V AA Headquar-
ters, just east of the Theater in the Woods.
The same group of highly skilled craftsmen
have been invited to return. Again, you will
see the compound curve in sheet metal being
formed using numerous methods. From the
hollowed out tree stump and Marvin Wahl's
Box Elder mallet to the Pullmax machine
we will be shaping metal. English wheels:
kick stretchers and shrinkers, hammers, doi-
lies, slappers, spoons, forming heads, and
shot bags will be demonstrated too. Ever
heard ofa "snarling tool?" We will have
some. Remember this is hands-on-don't
just stand there and watch, try it yourself.
A craftsman new to us this year is Steve
Stringer who will explain and demonstrate
clay modeling. Although used for many
2 MAY 1999
type mdustry, clay modeling has now found
its way into the aircraft industry via the
An example is Cirrus De-
sIgns SR20 Intenor. Wanting to create a
completely new approach in aircraft design,
Cirrus contacted Alternative Automotive
Design (AAD) to assist and guide in the
styling and construction of the complete in-
terior, around the known engineering
requirements and placements or mandatory
components. The process of clay styling,
having been used for over 70 years in the
auto industry, has been long thought of as
being art form beyond the scope of the av-
erage handymanl homebuilderl FRP
laminator, etc.. We hope that's about to
change. AAD's President Stephen Stringer
will give hands-on demonstrations and
seminars during this year's EAA AirVen-
ture ' 99.
Steve will present a variety of projects
from continuous video presentations to con-
struction of various aircraft related
components, along with the methods of cre-
ating quick (minutes, not days) synthetic
gypsum molds, along with methods on pro-
duction tooling in epoxy tooling foam, all
methods, materials and techniques used in
the prototype and one-off production of
glass, epoxy FRP, aluminum and steel tool-
ing. One project piece will be the air scoops
and wing tips for a restoration project being
undertaken by the Valiant Air Command in
Titusville, Florida. A WW-II Grumman
Hellcat from the bottom of Lake Michigan is
being restored by this volunteer group of re-
tired Grumman and other aircraft industry
individuals and enthusiasts. They have re-
stored many of the available components,
but for many areas, no replacements, or re-
storable parts are available. AAD, along
with Eclder Manufacturing of Titusville,
Florida constructed two (handed L&R) oil
cooler intake scoops complete with inner
ductwork from original blueprints. The wing
tips, constructed from archive photos and
the finished parts, tools and clay work will
be on display for all to compare construction
methods and time savings.
Basic itinerary:
Day One: 10-12 a.m., Clay modeling
demos of wing tip construction; 2-4 p.m. ,
General question and answers along with
video, slide presentations, etc.
Day Two: 9-11 a.m., Quick mold
making (finished wing tip); 1-3 p.m.,
Mold making and finishing along with
general clay modeling.
Day Three: 9-11 a.m., Clay modeling
demos of air scoop construction.
Day Four: 10-12 a.m., Quick mold mak-
ing (fmished wing tip).
If you have any questions about our
metal shaping activities planned for Air-
Venture '99, you can call me, Steve
Nesse, evenings between 9:00-10:30 p.m.,
CDT,507/373-1674.
SWIFTERS ON THE WEB
A number of type clubs are getting very
active on the world wide web, as they dis-
cover its ability to get a lot of information
out to many people, without a lot of extra
work for each "hit." An excellent example
can be found at: http://www.napanet.
net/-arbeau/swiftlindex.html the Globe/
Temco Swift Home page. Check it out, and
if you have a favorite type club home page
you're proud of, drop us an E-mail at vin-
tage@eaa.org, and we'll include the address
here in Vintage Airplane. ......
THE COVERS
FRONT COVER . .. Apair of beautiful Stin-
son 108s shot during the Sun 'n Fun EAA
Fly-In. In the foreground is the 108 restored
by Arlington, VA, and right
off hiS left wing IS Don Goodman with his
108-3. Photo by Jim Koepnick, shot with a
Canon Eos1 nequipped with an 80-200mm
lens. EAA Cessna 210 photo plane flown by
Bruce Moore.
BACK COVER . .. Burt B. Mader painted
"See You Next August" as one of aseries of
paintings done by him that depict many of
our favorite civilian classic airplanes. As Burt
explains: "'See You Next August' expresses
the joyful, friendly atmosphere that pervades
all the attendees of the annual fly-in called
'Sentim.ental Journey to Cub Haven', a well
event involving aI/ who love
P!per Cubs, other Pipers, or just airplanes,
pilots and down home nice people. It's held
where most of the Cubs were built, in Lock
PA and until the year after I painted
thiS picture was always held in August. Iron-
ical/y, it is now an annual June event.
faf!1iliar the Wm. T. Piper
Memonal Atrport can Identify the old Piper
factory, the office building, and the engi-
neering buildings in the upper left
(southwest) corner of the field and hangars
#1 and #2 on the right. ''The day is Sunday
- most of the Cubs (up to 250 J-3's alone),
plus other makes too, have already gone
home. "The guy couldn't leave in his Piper
PA-18 Super Cub until al/ his friends had-
it has that effect on me, too. I hate to leave!"
Prints are available, and you can write to
Burt at 40 Hudson Rd. , Sudbury, MA 01776.
BIRD MEMORIES
Dear Mr. Joyce,
I thoroughly enjoy Vintage Airplane---
when I read it I get to relive the past. The
letter regarding the Bird was modified a bit
from the version sent Dr. Woodward and
Dick Hill in 1995. I hear from Dick on oc-
casion.
The letter detailing my experiences with
Robin, NC82H, was sent to Terry Bowden
also in 1995.
This letter was triggered by the photos of
Robin in one of the recent magazines and
pictures ofthe Bird which graced the cover
of your magazine and was used in advertise-
ments. I own a KR which I built over a
period of 12 years and a Bakeng Duce which
I recently purchased and fly on occasion.
After a lifetime career in aviation I still en-
joy getting the wheels off the ground.
Bird NC876W
I was pleasantly surprised to see the pic-
ture ofNC876W on the cover of Vintage
magazine. I last saw the airplane at Naper
Aero, Naperville, Illinois in 1987 when I
tried to buy it-for the second time.
I first purchased it in the summer of
1936 from Spinney Leech (?) a Stinson
dealer based at Roosevelt Field, Long Is-
land, NY. I was the second owner and used
it to barnstorm in the state of Connecticut
during the period 1936-39. I then sold it to
an FBO in North Carolina who planned to
use it in the secondary program of Civilian
Pilot Training Program. I did not see it
again until I visited Naper Aero as a result
of information which I received from Dick
Hill while at Oshkosh.
It is my recollection that this airplane was
customized for a well-known aviatrix, a
member of the Aviation Country Club of
Long Island. The club logo was embla-
zoned on either side of the cockpit at the
time of my purchase. I seem to recall that
the upper wing was shorter than that of a
Kinner Bird which I owned prior to purchas-
ing the model C. There were two large fixed
landing lights installed in the lower surface
of the upper wing. A metal fairing stream-
lined the lights. There were instrument
lights, nav lights and an electric starter pow-
ered by a large battery installed in the front
cockpit. There was no generator. It was an
easy starting engine which we hand-propped
when barnstorming.
The instrument lights were controlled by
a rheostat switch which utilized an open coil
of wire and a wiper type contact adjusted
with a control knob which the pilot used to
control the level of lighting. One night,
while returning from a weekend of barn-
storming, I adjusted the rheostat which
shorted, depositing red hot pieces of wire on
the fabric floor of the cockpit. I distinctly re-
call watching those bits of wire bouncing on
the fabric under my seat until they cooled, a
process which lasted a long lifetime. It was
instrumented front and rear. There was a
liquidometer fuel gauge which was ex-
tremely accurate. The cockpits were
trimmed with blue leather. The brakes were
mounted on the rudder bar and, since there
was little space between the bottom of the
front seat and the floor, it was necessary to
twist one's feet so that the toes pointed out-
ward. The heels were placed on the brake
pedals and the opposite pedal pushed to se-
cure braking, to tum right hold the right
brake and push the left bar. Since the farm-
ers objected to their alfalfa being tom with a
tail skid, I installed a Bassick commercial
type full castering wheel of the type used on
machinery or pallets. This made for an in-
teresting situation on the ground, I didn't let
many fly it.
The exhaust manifold was coated with a
black porcelainzed fmish and attracted much
attention. Surprisingly the porcelain acted
as a flux when welding any cracks. It had a
ring cowl and, with the front windshield re-
moved and a cockpit cover installed, it was a
sleek looking machine . I regularly used
strips of 800 to 1000 feet in length while
barnstorming and it would haul anything
which we could put in it and there were
times when we tested it. It indicated about
105 in cruise. As I recall it was rather heavy
on the controls. On some days I made as
many as 70 or more takeoffs and landings
from short fields. I was braver and in better
shape than I am today.
I made a scale model and painted it in
the same way that 876 was painted at the
time I owned it. I sent some pictures of the
model as well as the Brunner Winkle logo,
removed from the airplane at the time of re-
covering of the fuselage, to Dick Hill for
his archives.
I'm looking forward to seeing it one
day, I'd love to fly it, but that's probably
not possible.
NC82H, letter to Mr. Bowden, 1995
In April of 1936 I went to work for James
Wales in Stratford, Connecticut as a pilot for
his seaplane service. At the time, he had a
C-3 Aeronca on floats and 82H, on wheels,
at the Stratford Airport. I had never flown a
seaplane but was hired for the grand sum of
$15 a week when I succeeded in getting the
C-3, 37 hp, off the water with both of us in
it. It was glassy water to boot!
My logbook shows that on April 20,
1936 Wales and I flew the Robin to the
North Beach airport which is now LaGuardia
Field. Edo had a hangar on the west side of
the airport which was not much bigger than
that portion of LaGuardia occupied by the
Marine Air Terminal some 30 years later.
We arrived in the early afternoon and some
time later had an assemblage of wires, struts,
fittings and a couple of floats which I learned
I was to install. I didn't know it but Wales
had convinced Edo to let us use their hangar
after closing, he didn't know that I was look-
ing forward to a night in a hotel.
Edo had redesigned the float attach fit-
tings and the new type utilized a ball-socket
type connection at the strut ends. The sock-
ets were bolted to the fuselage as well as the
floats, the ball-ended struts enplaced and
held in place with the rigging wires. Since
the ball was free to float out of the socket
until the rigging was tightened, nothing was
stationary, everything moved in all direc-
tions. Talk about a Chinese fire drill! With
plum bob, eyeball and a fair amount of luck
I finished the job as the morning shift re-
ported for work.
We then flew it to Port Washington for li-
censing where George Gay, of the
Department of Commerce and chief inspec-
tor for Pan American Airways, would issue
the license if aU was well.
It was necessary to have a starter unless
the engine was very small, the Challenger
required a starter. We had a starter for a Lib-
erty engine which would mount to the case.
The spline did not fit, however, so we re-
moved it, mounted the starter and installed a
battery. When Mr. Gay tested the starter we
convinced him that the Bendix spring appar-
ently had broken and he issued the license,
not without reservation. After all, the spring
could not be repaired at Port Washington.
- Continued on page 33-
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

-
ears
I
att
Outer Ma
Holland "Dutch" Redfield (EM
48441 " VM 27803)
Cutchogue, NY has generously
offered to allow us to publish
exerpts from his book 'Thirty-five
Years At the Outer Marker, " his
memoirs of an aviation career
that reached from the commercial
use of open cockpit biplanes well
into the jet age. Over the coming
months, weill ride along with
Dutch as he flies us from upstate
New York lakes to the excitment
of an old hand fl ying commercial
aviation's latest machines. It
should be an enjoyable journey.
.. H. G. Frautschy
4 JUNE 1999
,
Prologue
It is the middle of a black Decem-
ber night. We are airoome and I am
alone in the beautiful upper deck
lounge of a span,king new Boeing.
The 747, although being used for
training tonight , is months away
from its final FAA Airworthiness
Certification prior to its introduction
into the service of the world's air-
lines.
There are only four other people
aboard this huge airplane that can
carry as many as 440 people. After
an in-flight exploration of the main
cabin area to see what all positions
sound and feel like in flight , I have
just returned to the upper deck and
am now seated in a comfortable
lounge chair. The door to the cockpit
has swung shut and latched because
of the motions of flight, and I do not
wish to disturb the remaining souls
aboard that are hard at work in the
dimly illuminated crew compartment
just forward of my position.
I am a trainee aboard with my as-
signed partner, Bob Weeks, Chief
Pilot of the Atlantic Division of Pan
American Airways who is also going
through 747 pilot training at the Boe-
ing factory in Seattle. This sour
first flight on this monstrous
and our first chance to operate its
controls. We are climbing eastward
with Bob at the controls and I watch
the lights of Seattle slide farther and
farther behind the family silhouetted
huge wing and engines. The Cas-
cade Mountains sliding in under us
are not actually visible in the inky
blackness below, but all are aware of
their lurking presence as the airplane
growls steadily skyward.
Suddenly without warning power
is snapped back on all engines and a
powerful aerodynamic shudder
shakes the airframe as the airplane
decelerates, is banked steeply, then
pitched over into a steep tail-high
dive . We are a huge dark shape
hurtling earthward toward the unseen
mountains below, marked only by
our three running lights and the soft
glow emanating from the cabin win-
dows. "Good God," I thought, "What
am I doing here?!?"
If you'll stay with me, I will en-
deavor to explain while endeavoring
to also express to the airman, or non-
airman, the great joys, the
frustrations , the deep satisfactions
by Holland "Dutch" Redfield
that have been my lot in a career
totally devoted to av iation . It
started at age 15.
Chapter One
In July, 1927 when only 11
years old I trundled my battered
Columbi a bicycle to the top of a
hill in Syracuse's eastside Lincoln
Park, arriving there early and then
waiting for long hours searching
the eastern skies for the Spirit of
St. Louis flown by Charl es Lind-
bergh, who was to fly over the city
during hi s triumphal tour of the
country after his tran satlantic
crossing of a few months before.
Following the fly-by, he touched
down a Syracuse 's local airport
ther side of town, at that on the
11
in
anH a
time just an emerald green beauti-
sodded field.
uring these days my head was
e clo ds dreaming of airplanes
iat0rs, hile poring through
flying magazines and malting balsa
wood airplane models covered wi
tissue and banana oil. But such
models, although capable of. flight,
were too easily smashed and to me
just never looked right. My interest
soon turned to exactly scaled non-
flying models that were meticulous
in appearance and detail, and I sa-
vored t)1eir functional loveliness.
On my 13th birthday, after weeks
of pestering, my mother drove me to
the air or on a Sunday afternoon
die.
.
a pr,ese t Q a $2.00 airplane
This ay I ended up alone in
the drafty Qpen fron cockpit be-
my ne pilo friend was
e to find anyone e lse , and I
uess he wanteo to go fly' ng any-
I was ba ely able to see over
leather cockpit coamings of the
biplane powered by a WW I Curtiss
OX-5 water-cooled engine, but this
few minutes flight turned out to
have lasting effects as I fi st experi-
enced the soft surge oj; lIfting wings
and the thrust of a propeller. It has
ever since delighted me.
Proceeding through grammar
school and junior high school at the
same time as I, with secret assembly-
hall signals, spit ball throwing and
unscheduled trips to the principal's
office, was a school fr iend, Barb
June, who fi rst exposed me to, and
then shared with me, the same youth-
ful and avid preoccupation with
".. . but this few
minutes flight turned
out to have lasting
effects as I first
experienced the soft surge
of lifting wings and the
thrust of a
propeller. It has ever since
delighted me. "
f1 y: ing machines . Bar and I more
and more found OUli elves playing
hooky ana riding bieycles to the air-
port on the ou skirts of town where
we would poke around du y, f1at-
tired airplanes ,stored fa in the back
of c01d han&,ars. When sure that no
one was looking we'd climb into
them then carefully manipulate the
control sticJ<s and rudder bars while
watching with fascinatio n the sur-
faces move on wingtips and tail. And
we'd stick our noses outside the
leather cockpit coamings and, while
looking past the dead propellers like
real wartime flying aces, pull the
trigger and fire our "machine-guns"
into the airplane ahead, or carefully
jockey our inert machines into make-
believe intricate formations with
each other. The wonderful smells
and the fabric tautness of the dust-
covered, highly painted airplanes
conjured up wonderful and imagined
feats of airmanship as the hangar
echoed our whispers.
On Sundays we would pitch in and
help with the task of brute strength
opening the heavy hangar doors, then
from tightly packed positions, we
would hel p unravel the biplanes from
their interlocked wing and tail posi-
tions and out of the gap ing hangar
doors, as easily lifted tails were
hoisted and the planes wheel bar-
rowed about. Outside in the
sunli ght we would help wipe the
accumulated dust off, pump tires
and hand pump wonderful smelling
aviation gasoline in preparation for
the Sunday afternoon ritual of five
minute sightseei ng rides up and
around the airport.
During the summers, the airport
would be completely encircled by
the cars of Sunday afternoon sight-
seers who were there for the sole
purpose of watching the airplanes
fly. Despite our youth and imma-
turity we would trail behind and
then on our own try to sell plane
ride tickets to those who had been
passed up by the more professional
airplane ride salesmen. Occasion-
ally we would make a sale and then
be at great odds as to which of the
local pilots we should deliver our
customers to, the best flyer in our
view, or the one with the newest
and shiniest airplane.
One of us would occasionally be
taken along on a passenger fli ght
when only one already-sold customer
had possibly been kept waiting overly
long for someone else to buy a ride,
accompanying him as a dead-heading
second passenger in the open front
cockpit. These sought-after but in-
frequent exposures to the feels ,
sounds and smell s of flight were tan-
talizing and overwhelming, and Barb
and I would sweep hangars, wash oil-
streaked bellies, or anything else that
might need doing in the hopes that
we'd be noticed when opportunity
for such a flight occurred.
It was wintertime and Salt City Air
Service had their beautiful Buhl Air
Sedan completely dismantled with its
parts scattered about the heated lean-
to of Salt City' s big hangar. This was
the largest and fillest airplane operated
at Syracuse and probably all of New
York State as well. The Buhl was a
very rugged six place cabin biplane,
powered by a nice cylinder Wright J-
6-9 engine of 300 hp. The plane was
utilized by Salt City for passenger
charter flights to New York City, De-
troit, Chicago and all over the country.
The company also possessed a Kin-
ner-powered Bird open cockpit
biplane used for instructi on of new
pilots and Sunday sightseei ng flights.
Because we seemed to be hanging
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
around and underfoot so much, an
awareness of our frequent presence at
the field inevitably developed among
the airport's aviators and mechanics.
At Salt City there were many menial
chores that had to be done as part of
the Buhl fabric recovery and the en-
gine overhaul job that was in
progress. One day Barb and I were
called in from the cold drafty hangar
where we had been shuffling around
the airplanes in our floppy overshoes.
We stepped into the heated front of-
fice with its glass showcase full of
pilot logbooks, leather helmets and
aviators goggles, wondering what we
had done . We were asked by Fred
around the puffy white clouds I could
see outside noisy classroom windows
and it became more and more difficult
to apply myself to English, Algebra
and French when thoughts were really
engrossed in flight control pressures
and movements, and propellers and
fabric covered airplane wings, and
powerful radial engines.
There were many chores that
needed doing on the Buhl as well as
the other airplanes housed in Salt
City's hangar: removing paint from
the Buhl's aluminum cowlings with
gooey paint removers, forever sweep-
ing hangar floors, wiping oil runbacks
and dried mud from bellies and un-
weights and of incredible strength.
We cleaned and polished and
helped Ed with magnifying lenses
inspect the grayed aluminum
crankcase and the close finned black
cylinders, and rods, and pistons, and
valves of the beautiful Wright en-
gine laid out on a spotless worktable.
Here was developed an appreciation
of the great beauty and the power so
apparent in every component part of
the engine's polished "innards ."
The micrometer and magnifying
glass examinations that were given
every single part of that lovely en-
gine , and the sensitive fingertip
handling that Ed gave them all, left
III daydreamed at my desk as / made imaginary beautiful, graceful
banks around the puffy white clouds / could see outside noisy
classroom windows and it became more and more difficult to apply
myself to English, Algebra and French when thoughts were really
engrossed in flight control pressures and movements, and propellers
and fabric covered airplane wings, and powerful radial engines. II
McGlynn, Salt City's Chief Pilot, and
Ed Boss , their Chief Mechanic,
whether Barb and I would like to
pitch in and help with the Buhl over-
haul on weekends and afternoons
after school. Our work would be in
exchange for some airplane rides, or
perhaps even on a more restrictive
basis, credit could be given for some
flying instruction time which would
be paid off when we were old enough
to obtain our student pilot certificates
at age 16. Barb and I had a year to go
for this and although the airplane
ride aspects had great attraction, the
thoughts of being able to don a pi-
lot ' s goggles and helmet, then climb
into the rear cockpit of Salt City' s
Kinner Bird to actually receive fly-
ing instruction, compounded into
overwhelming fulfillment of our
most wonderful dreams.
It was inevitable that school skip-
ping would begin taking place and
with more and more frequency, and
that school grades would begin suf-
fering because thoughts were
an ywhere but in school. I day-
dreamed at my desk as I made
imaginary beautiful, graceful banks
6 JUNE 1999
der-wings of closely packed
airplanes, with the latter being done
with frozen fingers that resulted from
bare-hand handling of gasoline
soaked cleaning rags whi Ie lying
prone on a cold hangar floor . And
we also spent much time in the warm
hangar shop, here discovering a won-
derful camaraderie as we came to
know and understand others with the
same avid interests.
In the Shop Ed Boss taught us to
stretch over and stitch the soft pliant
fabric envelopes to the Buhl ' s frail-
appearing yet very strong wooden
wing ribs with long, long straight rib
stitching needles that were poked
through to our partner unseen on the
opposite side of the large wing, trail-
ing yards and yards of rib stitching
cord that had to be kept free of tan-
gles. And on blowy wintry afternoons
in the warm shop we learned to savor
the euphoric and wonderful banana
oil aromas of the nitrate dopes that
were used to tauten, strengthen and
fill these soft, yielding cotton cloth
wing envelopes into graceful, stream-
lined functional forms that produced
shapes and airfoils of very light
lasting impressions of the love that
those who are associated have for
these geometric creations of strokes
and impulses.
PART II
In the early 1930s American Air-
ways (now American Airlines)
operated Airmail Route Number 21
(AM 21) across upstate New York.
Whenever possible, I would forego a
hot supper at home and instead have
a hamburger and a bowl of soup at
the field so as to be there when the
evening flight from Cleveland, Buf-
falo and Rochester landed and took
offen route to Albany and New York.
Often I was able to climb up on the
tri-motor's wing with Tex Perin, an
old-time Jenny pilot who had been
forced to turn gas man due to many
forced landing injuries, shattered
jaws, and the like, while I helped Tex
fuel the airplane.
On wintry nights blowing snow
and high winds were the norm. Quite
often with the airport covered with
drifting snow the captain, after fuel-
ing, would request ballast in the form
of several people to help hold the tail
down as the airplane was taxied
across the field to takeoff position.
Many times, along with other volun-
teers, have I proudly draped myself
across the horizontal stabilizer of a
tri-motor Stinson to prevent it from
nosing over as its fat main landing
gear wheels pushed through un-
plowed drifts. Back on the tail in the
darkness it was a rough, bitterly cold
ride behind the strong propeller
streams. The signal, after the air-
plane had been swung into the wind
at the airport boundary, for us to drop
off, would be a brief pause before the
throttles were opened wide. As the
plane disappeared in the night there
would then be a long head-down hike
through the snow and blustery wind
back to the distant hangar lights.
Often a trip would have to
ovemight at the field and the wheels
would be chocked and the airplane
left out all night in the wind and bit-
ter cold. Getting the cold-soaked
engines running the following mom-
ing could require many hours of
fatiguing work, with plumber ' s
torches and stove piping to duct hot
air to the tarpaulined engines, with
many spark plug changes, starter
changes and battery changes as the
day wore on.
Sometimes all of these efforts
would be of no avail, in which case it
would be necessary for the snugly
hangared smaller planes to be wheeled
outside so the big airliner could be
man-handled inside and positioned in
front of the hangar's heater blowers.
Attempts to get engines running
would continue inside with Ed Boss,
because of the plane's run-down bat-
teries, swinging the propellers by
hand on the hangar floor.
One cold March day after the en-
gines of a tri-motor had been thusly
warmed, Ed beckoned me inside and
Tfollowed him forward through the
empty passenger cabin and into the
cockpit. Here, he carefully explained
how I was to operate the throttles ,
fuel mixture controls, the ignition
switches and the fuel primers. In or-
der to get the center engine running
he had positioned a high platform in
front so he could swing the propeller
by hand.
For a IS-year-old to be in an air-
liner' s cockpit, then on top of that to
feel and hear in the echoing hangar
the engine's shuddering into life and
responding to my positioning of en-
gine cockpit controls was an early
and appreciated responsibility be-
cause confusion, misunderstanding,
or misuse of cockpit controls could
do great harm and possible injury to
Ed. I enjoyed the responsibility.
Curtiss Aviation had established
one of its many nationwide bases of
operation at the Syracuse Municipal
Hangar, from which they operated a
busy flying service using Curtiss
Fledging biplane trainers and Cur-
tiss Robin cabin monoplanes for
sightseeing and charter flights.
Working for Curtiss was a young
Syracuse aviator, Merrill Phoenix,
who was in later years to become a
very dear friend.
One February afternoon Merrill
ambled up to Salt City' S office for a
visit with Fred Mc Glynn and during
the conversation suggested that he
would enjoy flying the Bird, as he of-
ten did, when its engine had not been
run in several weeks. Mac intimated
that because we were around the field
that aftemoon, perhaps Merrill would
take Barb and me with him and give
us each some instruction time now
owed us for our work on the Buhl
overhaul.
This wintry flight with Merrill and
my very first time to experience the
response of an airplane to my hands
- Continued on page 26-
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
OurMarchMysteryPlanewasfamiliar
to manyofyou.Bygolly,we gotover30
responses, many from members who have
nottaken partinourlittleguessinggame.
Welcometo you, andthanksto ourmany
regulars who help fill inthe detailson one
ofourfavorite subjects,oldairplanes.
Hereareacoupleofnotes from our
members:
DearH.G.,
1 want to respond to the March Mys-
tery Plane in Vintage Airplane. It is a
Luscombe Colt, four-place plane designed
by Don Luscombe after he left the com-
pany.
The company went ahead and pro-
duced their design as the "Sedan. "
Don had a firm here build two exam-
ples, and this Colt is the only one that has
survived.
As noted in the picture shown [in the
8 JUNE 1999
Our June Mystery Plane is supplied by
Pete Bowers, who took the photo of this
stubby biplane in June of 1942, while
by H.G. Frautschy
March issue] taken in the east in 1960, it
has the lines ofearlier Luscombes, more
so than the Sedan.
It was severely damaged later in a bad
windstorm and put up for sale.
Joe Johnson and Bobby Slaton bought
it and brought it to Texas where they re-
snooping around an abandoned airport
in Belmont, CA. The fellow peering in the
cockpit is William Larkins, who would
become renowned for his historical docu-
mentation of the Ford Tri-Motor, as well
as many ot her lit erary aviation proj ects.
Your answers need to be in at EAA HQ no
lat er t han July 25, 1999 for inclusion in
the September issue of Vint age Airpl ane.
Send your Mystery Plane correspondence 10: Vin-
tage Mystery Plane, EAA, P. O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh. WI 54903-3086.
Ijyou 'd prejer 10 send your response via e-
mail, send it to: vintage@eaa.org Be certain to
include both your name and the address in the
body ojthe copy and put "(Month) Mystery
Plane" in the subject line.
built it to show quality. It won afew
awards locally.
1looked in my logbook and noted that 1
was flying it for the photos taken and pub-
lished in Sport Aviation in February 1975.
The photo flight was made on 10-24-74.
The plane had never been certified and
had an "NX" number when rebuilt. Your
photo shows a straight N54082. Later,
NX54082 was added.
The plane came to another hard part of
its life when it was severely damaged
when the hangar it was in was destroyed
in a tornado. The plane was sold and the
new owner said he meant to rebuild it, but
that was 10 years ago and nothing so far
has been heard.
Joe Johnson isthe man who also re-
built the Luscombe Phantom that used to
be on display in the EAA museum.
TomHamblet
VAA320
GrandPrairie,TX
,---- ----------------------------..,
From Marshall, TX we received this note from a man with a boy-
hood personal recollection of the Colt:
Our Mystery Plane for March is the Weatherly-Campbell Aircraft
Company "Colt. " This prototype was built in Dallas immediately af
ter WW-/J with production planned for early 1947.
It had a 190 hp Lycoming engine with fixed pitch propeller,
throw-over dual controls, all metal construction with monocoque
fuselage, single spar, single strut braced compound tapered wing.
Thejlaps were mechanically operated with three positions. Lus-
combe fans will recognize the lineage. It was designed originally by
Fred Knack with Don Luscombe and substantially modified for pro-
duction purposes by Raymond Weatherly and William Campbell.
The Colt was unveiled in October, 1946 during the Texas State
Fair at Texas Private Flyers Day, coincidentally as Luscombe was
announcing its all metal 85 hp single-strut Silvaire. The Luscombe
Sedan came a few years later.
Specifications for the Colt were impressive for the time. The gear
tread width was over seven feet, it cruised at 140+ mph (top at 160).
The roomy sound-proof cabin with sloped instrument panel carrying
four adults, 120 lbs., ofbaggage with full tanks (60 gals.) was luxuri-
ous according to the test pilot. The short-field, rough-field, climb
(1,000) fpm) and landing speed (52 mph) performance made the Colt
a very desirable airplane at its projected $5,000 price.
Our father, Dave "Red" Curry was the test pilot. He is visible at
the controls ofthe Colt in the enclosed photographs taken at the new
Highland Park Airport near the SMU campus. The Colt gathered
dust in the back ofthe hangar until sold at auction when the airport
was closed. Dad also served as a test pilot for Globe during the de-
velopment ofthe Swift. His spin testing resulted in the addition of
dihedral to the horizontal stabilizer to improve the stability ofthe
Swift. Dad's friends will remember him as an active pilot, instructor,
designee, mechanic and aerial applicator in the Dallas, Corsicanna,
Gatesville and Mexia areas.
Keep up the excellent work on Vintage Airplane.
Yours truly,
Doyle Curry (VAA 22762), Marshall, TX
James Curry (EAA 445707), Mexia, TX
Sandy Curry, Denver, CO
Other correct answers were received from:
H. Glenn Buffington, Baldwin, LA; John Kennelley, Norwalk,
IA; Ralph Nortell, Spokane, W A; Peter Bowers, Seattle, W A; Jim
Montague, Lake Elmo, MN; Dale Rupp, Mahtomedi, MN; Cy Gal-
ley, Rock Island, IL; Jim Gurr, Alden, MI; Roger Miller, Middletown,
OH; Joseph Handelman, Annapolis, MD; Ted Giltner, Tamaqua,
PA; William Knox, Woodstock, GA; Kaz Grevera, Swmyvale, CA;
Robert Nelson, Bismarck, ND; Harry Barker, West Milford, NJ;
Marty Eisenmann, Alta Lorna, CA; Fred Hollaway, Ontario, CA;
Larry Knechtel, Seattle, W A; Alan Moyer, Perkasie, PA; Joe Nix,
Toccoa, GA; Paul Smoker, Intercourse, PA; Herbert deBruyn, Belle-
vue, WA; Lowell V. Curtis, Des Moines, IA; John Clark, Eagan,
MN; Jerry Carlyle, Winthrop, ME; Steve Wilson, St. Charles, IL;
Gene Chase, Oshkosh, WI; Owen Bruce, Richardson, TX; Lester F.
Everett, Jr., Crawfordsville, IN; P. Douglas Combs, Phoenix, AZ.
The Luscombe Colt does still exist, and is presently being restored
by Jim Zazas, author of "Visions of Luscombe - The Early Years."
Jim is slowly making headway on the project. For more reading on
this four-place Luscombe, we'd recommend pages 246-247 of that
book, as well as the aforementioned article in SpOIt Aviation. ......
Doyle Curry sent along these shots which show his father, Dave
"Red" Curry during his test flying of the Colt, circa Fall. 1946.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
"A takeoff accident! How in the world could anyone have an accident on takeoff?"
Takeoff Accidents in
Tailwheel Aircraft
by Roger Gomoll
M
any pilots consider the take-
off so benign as to be routine.
But insurance figures show
that takeoff accidents still
happen- especially in tailwheel aircraft.
Many of these accidents are due to a loss
of directional control. Some of the causes
are out of the pilot's control, like a blown
tire, a malfunctioning brake or tailwheel,
or a drastic change in wind speed or di-
rection. But some of the causes of takeoff
accidents are within the pilot's control ,
making many takeoff accidents pre-
ventable.
Here are a number of ways that you
can reduce your chances of having to an-
swer the dreaded question- "How could it
have happened to me?"
Preflight check
First things first. A complete and thor-
ough preflight is in order before each and
every flight. And as you preflight your
conventional geared aircraft, pay particular
attention to the tailwheel. A disconnected,
broken, or stretched tailwheel spring or
connecting chain will severely compro-
mise your ability to control the aircraft as
the takeoff progresses. Pay particular atten-
tion to the tailwheellocking mechanism.
Steerable tail wheels commonly found on
light aircraft may have a plunger that lifts
at the extreme travel of the tailwheel for
full swivel.
If the locking plunger for this mecha-
nism has a lot of play, there may be a
chance that the pin may shear with a force-
ful control movement, leaving you without
control at the very time you need it the
most. If your tail wheel is a full swivel
wheel with a locking control in the cockpit,
as found in heavier tail wheel aircraft such
as Wacos and Stinsons, inspect the tail-
wheel with the locking lever in the up and
in the down position- making sure that the
plunger operates as it is supposed to.
When the tailwheel is locked, put a
mild sideways force on the fuselage and
check for extra play. It's amazing how
10 JUNE 1999
quickly tailwheels wear. The combination
of being in a very dirty environment and
the rugged use and neglect that they in-
evitably get makes for a very short lifespan.
As you walk around your aircraft, pay
particular attention to the brakes. Check
mechanical brakes for loose or frayed ca-
bles. Check hydraulic brakes for broken
or cracked brake lines and for fluid com-
ing from the wheel cylinders. These are
indications that your brake system may be
failing. In rugged winds you'll need your
brakes. They may be your best friend on a
dicey takeoff.
As you're looking at your brakes, it
may be a great time to assess your air-
craft's braking system. Is it the old,
barely serviceable system that came with
the aircraft? Does it function only good
enough to keep you stopped on run-up?
Strongly consider updating your brakes
with a new system. On that windy day as
you're wrestling your aircraft to a stop
on a narrow runway, you'll be glad that
you spent the money to install modem,
reliable brakes.
While you're at the main gear, give
more than a cursory glance at all of the
parts of the main gear. If a bungee cord is
sagging, old, and frayed or a supporting
brace or flying wire is cracked and about
to break, there may be a wild ride in your
future. Crosswinds can create a sizeable
sideload on your gear. Putting extra stress
on already stressed components could
lead to failure.
Taxiing
Even before you begin to taxi, check
the brakes. Do they engage with even
amounts of pressure? As you taxi, check
your brakes by using them. Do they oper-
ate normally- and stop you in a reasonable
distance? Now is also a great time to
check your tailwheel steering. Does it feel
loose or uncertain? Does the full swivel
mechanism release too easily, leaving you
without tailwheel steering in a pinch?
On the Runway
One type of takeoff accident is to have
a collision on the runway with another
aircraft, or to have to brake or swerve
your aircraft to avoid another airplane.
Countless tailwheel aircraft have been
abruptly perched on their noses as a result
of hard braking to avoid landing traffic.
The way to avoid these kinds of accidents
is very apparent: look before you move.
Unfortunately, not all of our aircraft are
designed to maximize visibility. To make
doubly sure that there are no other aircraft
in the pattern, try a quick 360 degree tum
on the taxiway before taking the runway.
That wi ll ensure the best visibility in all
directions, and you won't be surprised by
the no-radio pilot who decided to make a
tum from base to final right over the num-
bers. Relying on a radio for collision
avoidance is using secondary information
- your eyes are your best defense.
With the pattern clear, it's time to take
the active and prepare for that faultless
takeoff. Line up on the centerline, using
all of the available runway. Move forward
a few feet to make sure your tail wheel is
straight, and the locking mechanism has
taken hold. Then stop. Make a last minute
cockpit check- especially looking at
flaps, trim, and fuel selectors and gauges.
Look again at the wind, and add aileron
appropriately. How much aileron should
you add for wind? The FAA says that
ALL the available aileron is the appropri-
ate amount . At the beginning of the
takeoff roll, the stick should be full back
in tailwheel aircraft. As you get ready to
apply power, take a moment to review
your abort plan. Are you prepared to pull
power if you haven't achieved your ex-
pected speed by a certain point? Are you
prepared for an engine failure just before
or just after takeoff? With all of these
items checked off, you're ready to go.
The Takeoff Roll
While the brakes are still set, begin
adding power. Take a moment before re-
leasing the brakes to check the oil tempera-
ture and the oil pressure. When you' re
focused back on the runway, release the
brakes and add the rest of the power for
takeoff. The distraction of checking the
gauges or other things inside the cockpit
during the takeoff roll can cause you to lose
directional control. If your aircraft begins a
gentle turn towards the side of the runway
while you' re distracted, resist the temptation
to immediately get the aircraft to the center
of the runway. The best advice in these situ-
ations is to stabilize, then correct. Stabilize
your course to arrest the movement toward
the edge ofthe runway. Only then, begin a
slight correction to the centerline if you
need to.
The first few seconds
of the takeoff
As you begin to move, resist the temp-
tation to immediately push the stick
forward. For the first few seconds, you
want the tai lwheel firmly planted on the
ground to maximize the effectiveness of
tailwheel steering, or of the locked tail -
wheel to provide directional control. Only
when you are sure of having enough speed
to ensure rudder effectiveness should the
tail come up off the ground. In light air-
craft, a count of three is usually sufficient
time to wait.
A smooth raising of the tail is always in
order. The propeller acts as a giant gyro-
scope. If you have any doubts about the
strength of gyroscopic precession, take a
small spinning gyroscope and hold it in the
approximate position of a propeller in a tail
low position. Then quickly move it to the
normal flight position and feel the ten-
dency of the gyroscope to move. The force
is proportional to the speed at which you
moved the gyroscope.
The normal takeoff
For a normal takeoff, you should lift the
tail high as high as it normally would be in
level flight. This will give you an angle of
attack that will minimize aerodynamic
drag and maximize your ability to get to
your rotation speed. As you increase in
speed, slowly reduce the crosswind correc-
tion- and slowly reduce the amount of
pressure that you're applying to hold the
tail into position. At rotation speed, you
should have just enough crosswind correc-
tion in place to keep your aircraft from
moving sideways - and if your aircraft is
trimmed properly, you should be holding
little, if any, elevator pressure to keep the
tail aloft. As you pass through the rotation
speed, you can apply a little up elevator to
begin your climb. Establish your best rate
of climb speed, and you' re off.
The soft field takeoff
For a soft field takeoff, raise the tail-
wheel just slightly when you achieve
control effectiveness. This will maximize
your angle of attack, allowing your aircraft
to lift off at the minimum possible speed.
As you stagger into the air at the earliest
possible moment, the trick is to begin de-
creasing the angle of attack without
touching the ground until you achieve the
best rate or best angle of climb speed.
(Your choice, depending upon any obsta-
cle clearance issue you might have.)
There are pilots who use the soft field
technique as their takeoff technique of
choice. They feel that since the conven-
tional geared aircraft is more controllable
in the air than on the ground, the sooner
they get into the air the easier the aircraft is
to handle. They argue that the slower liftoff
speed puts less wear on the tires and the
landing gear, and puts the aircraft in a bet-
ter position to be controlled at the earliest
moment. Since the aircraft is more at home
in the air, the sooner that one can effec-
tively and controllably get the aircraft into
the air, the higher the chance of making a
safe takeoff.
It's difficult to argue with that - espe-
cially as one witnesses pilots holding
conventional geared aircraft on the ground
long past the point of when they should
have started climbing.
But there are times when the tail low
takeoff should be avoided.
Here's one: It's a short runway. Most
likely grass, possibly dew covered. The air-
craft may be under powered and loaded to
gross with fuel and gear. The pilot, eager to
get the aircraft off the ground, begins a soft
field takeoff. With tail low and angle of at-
tack high, the aircraft is in a position to
maximize lift- and also to maximize aero-
dynamic drag. When the aircraft is light, on
a hard surface, or if the wind is blowing,
most light aircraft will get off the ground in
the shortest possible time with full power
and the tail low. But this time, in these
conditions, with maximum angle of attack,
maximum drag, maximum weight, and
poorest field conditions, there just isn't
enough power to pull the aircraft fast
enough to get it into the air. In what seems
like a very short time, the aircraft has over-
flown most of the runway. The pilot is
confused, checking the tachometer- look-
ing at the flaps to see if they' re down- or is
just staring at the treeline coming up all too
soon. The choice is to power back and try
to stop, or to charge ahead and hope you
gain enough speed to get over the trees at
the end of the runway.
If the pilot had reduced the angle of at-
tack to a minimum, decreasing the
aerodynamic drag by lifting the tail higher,
there may have been a chance to get the air-
craft airborne.
I don' t know about you-but I've wit-
nessed successful ends to this scenario
and unsuccessful ends to this scenario.
The successful outcomes end in increased
heart rate and sweaty palms and maybe
some leaves and branches in the gear- or
a slight embarrassment as the pilot of-
floads gear or waits until the wind picks
up. The unsuccessful ones have to be
trailered out of the woods.
Downwind takeoff
Downwind takeoffs offer their own
kind of problems. "But who in their right
mind attempts a downwind takeoff' you
ask? There may be a couple of instances
where you may consider a downwind
takeoff. One would be when the runway is
oriented in a way that makes the down-
wind option much safer than the upwind
option. If there were large trees on one
end, for instance- or if you were on a
mountain strip that had an unusual grade.
Or, you may be flying at Oshkosh dur-
ing the Convention. On numerous
occasions, controllers have asked pilots to
land and to depart with tailwinds of more
than just a few knots. A miscue here may
not only put you in the ditch, but you'll be
doing it in front of a hundred thousand
people. Be prepared by considering the
downwind takeoff.
The biggest difference in a downwind
takeoff is the apparent wind. A tailwind of
5 knots would make the apparent wind 0
knots when you're traveling 5 knots down
the runway. That means that your wing-
and other control surfaces- will act as if
you were standing still on a calm day. Ex-
pect the responsiveness of your controls to
be diminished during the early part of the
takeoff run. The secret to downwind take-
offs is to keep the tailwheel (which may
be the most effective control you have at
the beginning of the downwind takeoff
roll) on the ground until you are absolutely
assured of control effectiveness.
Takeoff accidents are more common than
we' d like to think. Many of them can be
avoided with a bit of planning and fore-
thought. The next time you' re ready to go at
the end of the runway, review the points
we've discussed here, and smile - knowing
you' ve become a little better as a pilot. .....
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
WHATOURMEMBERSARE RESTORING
by H.G. Frautschy
STINSON108
DonThies(EAA586798,VAA29240)(left),Randolph,NEdroppedusanoteto sharephotosofhis pretty 1947 Stinson
108 Voyager,poweredbyasmoothrunning 165hpFranklin.Hehasowneditforover20years,keepingitonhis 1,500 ft. strip
on the family farm locatedinnortheastNebraska. Afew yearsagothefabric startedlookingbad,soarebuildwiththe helpof
VernonSudbeck(right)andhiswifeBonniehadtheknow-howtogettheairplane redone. Don'swife alsoprovidedalotof
helpaswell,workthatwasrewardedwiththe topNeo-Classicawardatthe AAA-APMfly-in in Blakesburg,IA. Congratula-
tionsto theThies'!
CUBFUN
Ryan Johnson (center)(EAA430352),Dodgeville,WI is picturedwith his dad,Jerry(EAA 142544,VAA5878)and
brotherCory(EAA468383,VAA22819) in frontoftheCubbyrestoredbyMr. Johnsonandhissons. TheCubby'srestoration
was interuptedbytherestorationofthePiperL-4 shownin the otherphoto,whichRyanandhisdadflewouttoMichiganto its
newhome. "Itwasawesome- we flew hardalldayanditwasthebestweekendofmylife,"wroteRyan.Nowthe restorin'
Johnsonsare lookingforaVagabondorareal J-3 Cubto rebuild.
12 JUNE 1999
Aerial photography by Mark Schiable
Ground photography by H.G. Frautschy
As the years pass, Don and Wendy Gaynor
of Englewood, FL continue to improve
their Beech K35 Bonanza. A completely
new paint job frames a neatly reuphol-
stered interior. This year, they were pre-
sented with the Best Custom
Contemporary Trophy.
A nice Spring morning spent on the porch in a swing or rock-
ing chair - who could want more? Before heading off to look
at showplanes, Dr. Roy Wicker (foreground) takes a few min-
utes to relax on the VAA Chapter 1 headquarters veranda with
his cup of coffee. Later in the day, Roy will be back for a cool
cup of lemonade.
Bud Rogers fires up the Chevrolet V-8 firewall forward pack-
age he and his fellow employees at Thrust, Inc. have put
together as a drop-in replacement for a Curtiss OX-5 engine.
Engineered so the engine can be installed without mount
modifications, the Chevrolet can be run until you desire a
change back for historical reasons to the OX. Thrust also offers
plans and components for a Thrust engine conversion pow-
ered Travel Air 4000 replica, which you can see in the back-
ground. The haze in the background is the smoke from a local
brush and forest fire which hampered Fly-In activities on
Thursday. For information, call Bud at the number shown on
the tool box - 407/324-9433.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
Bar Eisenhauer, Winter Haven, FL took home
the Antique - Best Monoplane trophy for his
restoration of this very nice BL-6S Taylorcraft.
This sharp Piper PA-16 Clipper, powered by a 108
hp Lycoming, belongs to Harry Murray, Jr of
Turnersville, NJ.
If the Cub Coupe is your thing,
then this is going to be of inter-
est - this is the prototype Piper
J-4 Cub Coupe, owned and
restored by John McEnaney,
Orlando, Flo
14 JUNE 1999
Doug Coombs and the Don Luscombe
Aviation History Foundation gave us a treat
when they put together something that had
been a dream of Don Luscombe's many
years ago - a turboprop model 8. While
never completed by Don after its conception
in 1950, this modified machine with its
clipped wings can climb out at an almost
ridiculous angle and a nice rate - 2,500 fpm.
The turbine engine is an Apex (Solar)
T62T32A 1-32, originally used in the Boeing
Chinook helicopter as an Auxi liary Power
Unit. It develops 150 hp. An NSI CAP 140
prop is mounted to the Ross Aero 2.85:1
gear reduction unit added to the gear
reduction on the engine itself, which steps
the turbine shaft rpm down from 66,000
rpm to 2,200 rpm at the prop. The
DLAHF is in the midst of a final
push to secure a permanent home
for their organization, which has
collected and preserved a large
number of tooling and drawings of
Luscombe aircraft, and have been
actively involved in keeping many a
Luscombe in the air. For more infor-
mation, contact them at DLAHF, PO
Box 63581, Phoenix, AZ 85082 or
call 602/917-0969.
Chip and Sue Fisher of Senoia, GA have been enjoying
their recently restored Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser, subject
of an article in Vintage Airplane in June, 1998. The stock
Cruiser was the winner of the Best Restored Classic (101 -
165 hpj trophy. Great VAA hat, Chip!
N3089B is the constant work-in-progress of Ron
Karwacky of Riverside, CA. The persimmon trim on pol -
ished silver really stands out. Ron has been flying this
195 for over 15 years, and, in fact, received his initial
tailwheel checkout in this very airplane, with no prior
tailwheel experience!
Taking a seat in the shade, some of the spectators and those who have been
manning a booth in the Type Club tent get settled in for the afternoon air-
show. If you come to the Fly-In looking for information on a specific brand of
older airplane, you can often find what you need right here.
Looking northeast, the VAA headquarters building is on
your left, tucked in at the edge of the tree line. Can you
spot your vintage airplane?
Betcha haven't seen one of these except in some corner
of a book on floatplanes - this is the one and only
Piper PA-23 Apache on Edo floats. Flown by Belgian Erik
Banck, the Apache is used primarily for twin-engine
float training.
Having a fly-in during the school year means a great loca-
tion for a field trip! These school kids and their teachers
were just a few of the hundreds who came to the Fly-In to
learn about aviation and history.
16 JUNE 1999
Stan Dollan's Meyers OTW still looks great, its deep
black paint not yet covered in the fine dust that was
the result of the extraordinary drought experienced in
Florida this past Spring. Officials had trucks spraying
water on a regular basis each day, which helped a lot
to keep the dust down. Later in the week, the dry
conditions contributed to a brush fire that blackened
over 200 acres a couple of miles to the south/south-
west of the airport. End of the week rains helped
bring relief to the parched state, and the fire danger
for Florida began to ease somewhat after Sun ' n Fun.
Hooray! Bob Coolbaugh is done with his Monocoupe!
With the help of Andrew King, Bob completed the
restoration of his 110, powered with a 125 hp Warner
engine. The wild color scheme was originally created for
the Detroit Air Show, an event similar to today's huge
auto shows in many major metropolitan locations.
The Swifters always show with a
strong contingent of beautiful air-
planes for us all to drool over, but
please don't touch!
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
The little Mooney M-20A seems to be gaining in pop-
ularity. We look forward to the day when we see a
fully restored M-20 take home all the marbles in the
Contemporary judging category. This nice example is
owned by Marshall Seymour, Gold Hill, NC.
Is it our imagination,
or is aluminum metal
polish getting better
and better? This
exceptional example
of a Cessna 140 is
owned and flown by
Billy LaForce of Big
Sandy, TX.
Harry Mutter has been campaigning
the " City of Angels" Piper PA-12 Super
Cruiser on behalf of the Piper Aviation
Museum of Lock Haven, PA. This PA-12
is one of two flown around the world
in 1949. We'll have much more on this
airplane and its restoration in a future
issue of Vintage Airplane.
18 JUNE 1999
And then there were three ... Len McGinty,
Thonotoasassa, FL, is happy to say he has seen the end
of the restoration of the prototype Johnson Rocket. The
only one built with a conventional landing gear, the
majority of the restoration was done at Kevin and Jim
Kimball's shop in Zellwood, FL. The first Rocket now
joins Roy Foxworthy'S and Orville Fairbairn's as three fly-
ing Rockets in the world out of 19 produced.
Holding the Best Custom Classic (over 165
hpj award are Don and Wanda Goodman of
Goode, VA. Their Stinson 108-3, restored
with help from craftsman Butch Walsh, is an
exceptional piece of work.
Mike Reese searched for many years looking for
just the right Grumman G-44 Widgeon to buy.
First delivered to the Coast Guard as a J4F2, it
was declared surplus and went through a series
of private owners. Once he found it, Mike
brought an already great airplane up to the pin-
nacle of standards for showplanes. Mike is the
owner of the former home base for McKinnon
Conversions.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
(Top) One of the prettiest speedsters of the post-war
age, the Bellanca Cruisair. This fine example is owned
and flown by Ozzie Levi, Lancaster, CA.
(Left) Just fresh from a new paint job, this Luscombe
Model 15 Sedan might look familiar. It's been flown by
Frank and Marilyn Lamm since 1974. Frank says the
Sedan is a good airplane as long as the pilot learns its
particular ways and does not try to make the airplane
do something different.
(Right) This great looking 1956 Piper Apache was
restored by Lori Seymour of Atlanta, GA.
(photo by Jim Koepnick).
(Below) Ohh, boy! Thundering along behind a beautiful
Wright J-6-9, this is Roy Redman's Waco ATO recreation
done for Jerry Wenger of Powell, WY. With a custom
paint job that hearkens back to the beautiful work done
by the original company in Troy, OH, the ATO is a spec-
tacular airplane.
We'll be looking for you in
Lakeland for the 26th Annual
Sun 'n Fun EAA Fly-In, April 9-
15, 2000. See you next year!
20 JUNE 1999
TIgerMoths
andRacing
by Michael Maniatis, Chairman, The deHavilland Moth Club of the USA
W
hile most American airplane
enthusiasts affectionately
view the Tiger Moth as the
slow flying, forgiving biplane trainer
of the RAF during WW II, it is also
remembered in England for an illus-
trious civilian career as personal
transport, aerobatics mount, and rac-
ing machine.
In 1925 Sir Geoffrey deHavilland
designed the Gipsy Moth, which
was the forerunner to the Tiger
Moth. During the period between
1925 and 1931 , the Gipsy Moth was
raced often in such prestigious
events as the King's Cup race, a
closed course handicapped race held
annually in England. A close in-
spection would reveal that the Gipsy
Moth has all the attributes for racing
success. A light airframe, a thin air-
foil section of only 6.5% thickness
and a narrow streamlined fuselage
with an in-line engine all combined
to make an efficient biplane.
As the design matured, the fuse-
lage developed from a wooden box
structure to steel tube construction
By the time war
broke out in 1939,
all Tiger Moths,
even civilian owned
examples, were
absorbed into
the military. Most
were usedfor
training and
observation duties.
in 1928. In 1931 the Cirrus engine
of 90 hp was replaced by the newly
designed Gipsy Major putting out a
whopping 130 hp at 2500 rpm. This
added considerably to the perfor-
mance of the aeroplane and brought
the Gipsy Moth into the public eye
as a higher performance machine.
Also in 1931 the overall growth of
the deHavilland company led it to
try to attract a military contract by
submitting the Gipsy Moth as a pri-
mary trainer. The first RAF
objection concerned the visibility
over the nose - it was restricted by
the upright engine. The engineers
knew they could rectify that prob-
lem. They would simply turn the
engine upside down. Now the nose
sloped down from the cockpit top,
improving the forward view, and
the thrust line became higher, al-
lowing for better prop clearance.
Unfortunately, the RAF was still not
satisfied. With the top wing directly
over the front cockpit and all those
wires, how could a pilot wearing a
parachute get out quickly? The en-
gineers at deHavilland went back to
work. They decided to move the
top wing forward to clear the cock-
pit, but in doing so they introduced
a e.G. problem. The solution -
sweep the wings back and then they
added more dihedral for ground
clearance on the bottom planes .
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
I

I
I
, ,
.
t'/. f ..
. -/
.4
Barnstorming Tiger Moth showing off its slim fuselage and thin
wings during ribbon cutting.
GAOXS with streamlined hood over Bagington Aerodrome,
Coventry, scene for many years of the National and Kings Cup
Air Races.
Thus, the Tiger Moth was born and accepted for use in
the RAF.
During the thirties, with tensions mounting in an un-
stable Europe, most Tigers went to the RAF, but some
were bought by civilians and used in flying clubs
throughout England, where the general population had
access to flying activities . These consisted of flight
Two of the four Super Tigers put together by Roll ison aircraft for the
Tiger Club.
Tiger Moth G-APDZ "The Bishop." The lower wing faring and cockpit
fairing are visible in this close up photo.
days as an RAF trainer and now the government was
disposing of the fleet. Many Tigers left England for
flight school s in Holland, Belgium and France. The one
bright spot was that at the time one could be had for as
little as 150 pounds Sterling. This seemed to be just the
catalyst needed to start one of the most famous of all
civilian flying clubs - the Tiger Club.
A Tiger Moth could be rented for as little as 45/- per hour. The re-
quirement for joining was 100 hours flight time. You also had to be
patient, since you had to wait for a vacancy!
training, aerobatics and even racing at some clubs. This
also had a large influence in preparing future military
pilots. By the time war broke out in 1939, all Tiger
Moths, even civilian owned examples, were absorbed
into the military. Most were used for training and ob-
servation duties.
The postwar period got off slowly for civilian flying
in England. The country was involved in a recession
and money was tight. The Tiger Moth had outli ved its
22 JUNE 1999
Originally located at Croydon airport in southern
England, the Tiger Club was founded by Norman Jones.
Croydon was an ideal location, for it was where Rol-
lisons, one ofthe premier Tiger Moth overhaul facilities,
was located. A second branch was set up at Fair Oaks
airfield. Potential members could chose either loca-
tion. All flying at Croydon was under the supervision
of C. Nepean Bishop. Costs were kept to a minimum.
A Tiger Moth could be rented for as littl e as 45/ - per
July 1961, Tiger Moths G-ADUY and G-ACDC bending around the
Pylons.
hour. Therequirementforjoiningwas 100hours flight
time. You also had to be patient, sinceyou had to wait
for avacancy!
TheTigerClubwasnotreallya primarytrainingfacil-
ity, buttheywereinterestedin the finerpointsofflying,
suchasdevelopingtheprospectiveaerobaticspilot, and
providingopportunitiesforracing. ManyoftheTiger
Mothswereracedon the weekendshowsputontoenter-
tainthepayingpublic. Theseshowswerescheduledat
differentairportsduringthe flying season. Theyusually
consistedoftwo orthree heatsofracingfollowedby
parachutedemonstrations,aerobatics, some individual
acts,andthefinal racingheats in theafternoon.
In 1960 the clubmoved to Redhill , not far from
Gatwick. It hadgrownto over400 membersand be-
cameinternationallyknown fortheirweekenddisplays
and participatingin National aerobaticsand racing
competitions. SeveralTigerswere modifiedwith in-
vertedfuel systemsandracing modifications. Onesuch
TigerMoth wascalled"TheArchbishop"afterflight
leaderNepeanBishop,nowaffectionatelyreferred to as
"Bish." This airplane was modifiedby removingthe
upperwingtankandplacingthetank in the front cock-
pit. Thecenterwingsectionwas neatlyfaired overand
acoverplacedoverthe front cockpitwithfront wind-
screenremoved. Theenginewas upgradedto 145 hp
andthe final step in thetransitionwasmountingaFairy
Tied together formation of "The Canon" "The Archbishop" and G-
ACDC during a Tiger Club Demonstration. ACDC remains the oldest
surviving Tiger Moths.
Tiger Moths and one Jackaroo (modified Tiger) lines up with engines
roaring for the start of the National Air Races.
Reed metal propeller. Themodifications weresosuc-
cessful thata secondTigerwasmodified to similar
specificationsandnamed the"Deacon." A thirdTiger
mounteda streamlinedcanopyfrom the front cockpitto
the rearand also doubledas an airtaxi. Theseaircraft
couldreach speeds inexcessof120mph and became
quite famous fortheirracingandaerobatics routinesall
through the 1960s. Butinevitably, suchanolddesign
could notremain competitiveand bythe mid '60sthey
were clearly becomingoutclassedbymore modemde-
signs. Interest in handicapped racingwas diminishing
in Englandandsomeofthe largesponsorsreducedtheir
financial support.
TodaytheTigerClub is still in existencenow located
at Headcorn in Kent, and is stillarguablythe world's
largestand bestknownall-pilot flying club. Theyare
stillputtingonaerobatics displays andgivingshowsin
the sametraditionas whenNormanJonesandBish
wererunningthingsandyes, theyare still occasionally
bendingthoseTigerMothsaroundthepylons.
Credits:
The Tiger Club A Tribute - by LewisBenjamin
Tiger Moth - byStuartMcKay .......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
PASS IT TO BUCK
by E.E. "Buck" Hilbert
EAA #21 VAA #5
P.O. Box 424, Union, IL 60180
WOW! HELLO OLD FRIEND!
I wondered where you went.
How long have you been here? It
sure is good to see you.
These were some of the thoughts
that crossed my mind when I met this
"Old" Friend at the Combat Air Mu-
seum at Topeka, Kansas in February.
Actually there were a couple of "Old"
Friends there in the museum.
The first one to get my attention
was Elton Rowley ' s I N-4 replica .
Elton, unfortunately now deceased,
gave Matty Laird and yours truly
rides in this Milwaukee Tank pow-
ered "wind wagon" back in 1976
I N-4 replica built by Elton Rowley
when we had the dedication of the
monument to the Wichita Pioneer
Aviators. This monument is located
on the fringes of the McConnell Air
Force Base, and is a beautiful trib-
ute to the people who birthed the
Aviation Center that Wichita was
and is today.
Just beyond the Jenny was the
Number One Meyers OTW. Del
Denly, an avid antiquer from Osce-
ola, Iowa had scrounged, scratched,
begged and traded everything he
had back in the '60s to get this air-
plane restored and flying . Harold
Lossner of Des Moines did the en-
gine for him, and a lot of us
Antiquers did our best to encourage
and help. Del , also now deceased,
was a prominent figure in the early
days of the AAA Air Power Mu-
seum. His pick-up and trailer were
used to great advantage bringing
donated airplanes and artifacts to
the fledgling museum. With both of
us being Aeronca C-3 aficionados,
we had a lot in common.
24 JUNE 1999
------- - -
A good Qia-Harvard
When Del's health began to fail,
and the airplane had to be sold to
cover the bills, I wanted it, but just
couldn't forego my own family
obligations to acquire it. Where it
went, I never knew, but here it is ..
. Hello again, Old Friend.
I could go into great detail about
the times we had flying together.
Del in # 1, me in #2, Harold Loss-
ner in #57, and Chuck Downey in
his "Fly Navy," but that's all past
history only valued by the two of
us who have survived. The memo-
ries are sweet and sorrowful at the
same time.
On past the Meyers, another "Old
Friend" ... a Fairchild UC-61 K,
but different now than when 1 last
saw it. It had a round engine on it
in the old days; now it has a Ranger.
The gentleman doing the restora-
tion told me that he hoped to run it
that day. His workmanship on the
restoration is pretty darned good. I
found it hard to believe, but he'd
fabricated the entire cowling, in-
cluding the nose bowl, from
scratch! Now that is an accom-
plishment. Sand bag and a mallet
metal forming is a lost art unless
you are a Younkin.
In the Combat Museum collec-
tion are quite a few jet fighters and
light bombers. We did see an array
of " flight ready" airplanes - a
Boeing "Kaydet" (Stearman), a
Harvard and some heavy iron, but
I'm narrow minded and aside from
the North American 0-47B, I really
wasn't too interested. These great
big clunkers were the mainstay of
the Air National Guard in the late
thirties and seeing this one trig-
gered more memories of my high
school days and my first instructor
who flew them from Chicago's Mu-
nicipal Airport. He and his 0-47
were second only to Lindbergh in
this kid's mind.
The visit was worth the effort
and the admission price. At least to
me as I learned where and what had
become of these fondly remem-
bered "Old Friends." Take a look at
the pictures, courtesy of the Com-
bat Air Museum.
Over to you,
The No.1 Meyers OTW, restored many years ago by Del Denly.
A Curtiss 0-478 - what a beast!
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
THIRTY FIVE YEARS at the
OUTER MARKER
-Continued ji-om page 7-
and feet on its controls made deep
and lasting impressions. Manyyears
later, and not too manyyears ago, I
endeavored to convey to myoid
friend how muchthisflight ona bit-
tercolddayhadreallycometo mean
to me overthe years. Iwroteofthis
in a poemto Merrill describingthe
impactofthis wonderful eventin my
life.
ITWASTHERE - YOU
SHOWED ME!!
Merrill- oldfriend
Weare bothgettingold.
Ofsomewonderful memories
There'soneneed betold.
With Barb,I' dswepthangar
When said you to McGlynn.
T'woulddoKinnerBirdgood
A longtime sinceaspin.
Oil heaterwasimmersed
Thenprieddoorsalongicytrack.
Muchsnowonthe ground
As we threepushedherback.
Stiffpropyoupulledthrough
AndtheswitchesworkedI.
T'wasaresponsiblechore
Thatforprivilegewe'dvie.
Fivecylinderssooncycling
Propswished,yousteppedback.
Nicesoundsus to hear
Fromcollectorringstack.
Coldpropstreamyou leaned into
Howcontrolsworkedshowedme.
Andalreadylife
somefeel wasthere
Thoughairstreamsflowwings
not yetsee.
Soonyouflew her-
youclimbedher
Up into hersky.
Onbrightcoldwinterday
Shewaseagerto fly.
Strongthrustthroughprop
from engine
Sofirm andyetsopure.
In snugrearopencockpit
Notmuch coldformeendure.
Wingsstructuresheldveryrigid
Withshakingstrutsandtightwires.
Heregracefulnessso lovely
Sensedonlythosewho'reflyers.
Andframed bystrutsand
tau fabric wings
Tippedthe airman'ssky,
youbankedso I'dsee.
Suchsturdyplane-
26 JUNE 1999
suchfriendly sky
Iwassureno harm
you'dletcomeme.
Thenyouyelled,
"here, letmeshowyou"
"Youfollow methrough!"
Andyouuppedheranddownedher
Defttouchwastherefrom you.
Such lightmovementsIfollowed
Asgracefulturnsyoudidmake.
Withsomethingso nimble
CouldIhopeduplicate.
Andyousaid,
"Nowyou'vegother"
"Let'sseehowyoudo!"
Oh,Lord,whatafeeling
Hereheld live thingfortrue!
Suchlighttouchesdid it
NewfeelsdidIsense.
In spiteverytautmuscles
Notatbestwhen so tense.
Theplane'severyfibre
Withhercontrolsnowalive.
Mustnudgeherso lightly
So'snothurtherIstrive.
Asharedfeel ofthe sky
Camebacktomefrom you.
'CausewhatIwassensingthere
Thisyoualreadyknew.
Canrecall to-dayyourhelmet
Yourhand signalsstill see.
Andthesheeraweandwonder
"GoodGod,wasthisme?"
Andyoumademesenseandfeel it
Andyoudrove it indeep.
Iknewitnowandgrabbedit
Foreverfor metokeep.
Onlytenminutesupthere
Butthat'sall thatittook.
Andthatwhichyouleftme
Foryearsothersstill look.
Thenyoubroughtherback
to landher
Controlsstill felt Iwithyou.
Tobaresmallspot,snow
coveredfield
Wheredriftingsnowstill blew.
Thoughfrozen stiffasIclimbedout
Forfirsttimedid Iknow.
Yes,atlastIknew-
no longerguessed
Thewayfor meto go.
Inthe next few weeks as I con-
templated and savored this
wonderful flight anewand powerful
drivetookover. Ifthere had been
anypreviousdoubtonthe direction
for me to go, the lightnow illumi-
nating the picture was precisely
directedand withan attractionthat
wasstrongand unmistakable.
My father was ill atthe time and
there wasdifficultysharingwithhim
this importantphaseofmy life now
beingentered,butmymothertried
and Iknow thatshesawand under-
stood whatwas goingon within me.
She was later to respond after
monthsofsoul searching, andwhatT
nowknowwasagony, bypermitting
mywithdrawal from high school, af-
tera promiseto return in a year. It
was only a short while ago that I
learned that Professor Shea, my
school principalencouragedthis . I
have neverdoubtedthatthis move
wastheproperonefor me,becauseI
have beenan extremelyhappy man
in myprofession.
Age 16 quicklycamearoundand
with muchtrepidationItookmyvery
first flight physical from "Doc"
Lewis,the DepartmentofCommerce
medical examiner,at his office in
downtown Syracuse. Whether I
wouldsqueakthrough, ornot, caused
worryandapprehension. Flightphys-
icalsto thisdayhavethesameeffect.
A pilot'slogbook was selected
fromtheshowcasein Mac'sSaltCity
officeandI waspreparedto record
anyflight instructionthatmightbe
received. TheoverhaulontheBuhl
continuedand my logbookshows
several dual instructionflights onthe
BirdandoneonaTaylorCub, with
newflights exceeding20minutes.
All ofmyflying timeforquiteafew
yearswasearnedbyworkingforeach
minuteflown and I woulddo any
choreatall, onanyone'sairplane,
car, oranythingelse, to earn even
five minutesflying time. In Septem-
ber 1933,afterthreehoursand 30
minutes instruction, Iwassoloed.
Itis difficultto describe to the
non-airmanthewondersofa pilot's
firstsolo. Therewasatotal aware-
nessofwhere Iwas, myleftfoot was
ontheleftrudderpedal,myrightfoot
ontherightrudderpedal,thethrottle
in my left hand, the controlstickin
the fingers ofmy righthand, andthe
wideseatbeltfirm across my lap.
Gogglesarepulleddown, thenthe
throttleeasedfull forward, andthe
lightenedairplane withoutmy in-
structoris felttoaccelerateas itnever
has before. Thelandingwheelstrun-
dle and rattle across the lumpy,
sodded field as with the rudders I
holda straightcourse. Agentlepres-
sureon the now live stickand the
buoyant wings take over with a soft
surge of lift.
As I climb away I ease my gog-
gled face over the leather cockpit
coamings into the airstreams of flight
and look back at my instructor kneel-
ing on the grass, watching me fly
away, and at the moment both of us
are very much alone. To better fly, I
scan the horizon forward of my posi-
tion, and the now empty front cockpit
with its untended dual controls mov-
ing as do mine, shouts his absence as
the thrott le is eased and I start my
glide for the field and my very first
and totally alone landing.
As I hunch low in the cockpit be-
hind the Bird's tiny rear windshield,
as I bank and descend, the lovely,
sodded field slowl y swings into a
beautifully framed position, framed
by the upper and lower wings ahead
of me, and their struts and bracing
wires. Their sighs and moans and
whistles of flight produce delightful
tone cues of much aid to the open
cockpit airman.
The field boundary fence line slips
toward, then beneath, the lower wing
panels and alone and not far ahead is
my instructor, who during my circuit
of the field has walked forward to a
position near which I am to touch
down. I start my level-off for land-
ing with the gentlest of pressures on
the very live controls, and now with-
out the pull that kept me gliding on
my slide downhill from the landing
pattern, speed rapidly falls off. I
must keep the Bird's wheels from
touching before all lift is gone lest
we do an ungainly bounce back into
the air. A faster and faster backward
movement of the stick becomes more
and more necessary to hold the
plane's wheels only a few inches
from the grass tops and they must be
kept there until the last ounce of
rapidly fading lift has been nursed
from the wings.
The stick is now full back and in
my stomach. The wings can support
flight no longer and with a fluff and
gentle shudder, as the last tenuous
grasp is lost, we settle to the ground
with a whump. I stay busy with the
rudder to hold her straight and the
dragging tai l skid and the main
wheels again trundle and rattle as
with idling engine I roll past my re-
lieved instructor.
During my training prior to sole in
the 1930s, all my turns were left turns
and I never got higher than seven or
eight hundred feet, nor had I flown
outside the airport traffic pattern.
The first right turn I ever flew was a
few hours after solo when I bravely
departed the circuit pattern one
day and climbed to the breath-
taking height of 3,000 feet, while
keeping the airport in sight over
my shoulder at all times.
There was no such thing as
pre-solo stall training, just the
landing itself, which was al-
ways made in a full stall with
the wings totally devoid of lift.
When I soloed, besides the
dearth of right turns, I had never
made a crosswind landing or
takeoff, because on the large
grass fields of the day you could
land in any direction. When I
was puzzled why the airplane's
nose yawed in a direction oppo-
site to the rolling aileron I was
using, I taught myself to offset
this yaw by use of the rudder,
and developed coordination ex-
ercises of my own.
Such loneness, self-reliance,
self-discipline and great satis-
faction is good for anyone,
especially a 16-year-old who
had just been issued a junior
"As I climb away I ease my goggled face over
the leather cockpit coamings into the airstreams
of flight and look back at my instructor kneeling
on the grass, watching me flyawa'/t and at the
moment both of us are very much alone. "
driving permit . Yet joys similar to
solo continue for all airmen, being
renewed and savored each time a
personal contribution has been made
toward getting any airplane up, or
down, and it is there whether direct-
ing or being directed, and whether
supporting or being supported by
other cockpit crew. All airmen seem
to sense this, and you will absolutely
never fail to see an airman of any
cockpit position, upon alighting
from a flight, as he walks away, not
momentarily turn and look back at
his plane with a great sense of ac-
complishment.
To be continued in the July issue
of Vintage Airplane. ......
VINTAGE
TRAgER
Something to buy, sell or trade?
An inexpensive ad in the Vintage Trader may be just
the answer to obtaining that elusive part .. 50 per
word, $8.00 minimum charge. Send your ad and pay-
ment to: Vintage Trader, EAA Aviation Center, P.O.
Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, or fax your ad
and your credit card number to 920/ 426-4828. Ads
must be received by the 20th ofthe monthfor inser-
tion in the issue the second month following (e .g.,
October 20th for the December issue.)
MISCELLANEOUS
BABBm BEARING SERVICE - rod bearings, main bear-
ings, camshaft bearings, master rods, valves. Call us Toll
Free 1/800/233-6934, e-mail ramremfg@aol.com Web site
http://members. aol.com/ramremfg/Home. VINTAGE
ENGINE MACHINE WORKS, N. 604 FREYA ST.,
SPOKANE, WA 99202.
FREE CATALOG: Aviation books and videos. How to,
building and restoration tips, historic, flying and entertain-
ment titles. Call for a free catalog. EAA, 1-800-843-3612.
Newsletters for Arctic/Interstate (6 Back issues/$9.00),
Beaver/Otter (3/$5.00), Norseman (16/$21 .00). $16.50/4
issues. Free sample: write, call, fax. ALL credit cards
accepted. Dave Neumeister, Publisher, 5630 South
Washington, Lansing, MI 48911-4999. 800/594-4634,
517/882-8433. Fax: 800/596-8341, 517/882-8341.
Wanted to buy, signature of Otto Timm, Detroyat.Dave
Jameson, 4322 Bellhaven, Oshkosh, WI 54904, E-mail:
djameson@execpc.com
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
-'
.....
r J. _
Fly-In Calendar
The fo llowing list ofcoming events is furnished to
our readers as a matter ofinformation only and
does not constitute approval, sponsorship, in-
volvement, control or direction of any event
(fly-in, seminars, fly market, etc.) listed. Please
send the information to EAA, All: Golda Cox,
P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Infor-
mation should be receivedfour months prior to
the event date.
JUNE 12 - ALL OVER THE WORLD - INTERNA-
TIONAL YOUNG EA GLES DA Y. Contact your
local Chapter regarding Young Eagles events, or
call the EAA Young Eagles Office at 920/426-4831.
Fly ayoungster!
JUNE 13 - ROCK FALLS, IL - Whiteside COllntv
Airport (SQ/). 17th Annllal EAA Chapter 410 Fly-
In/Drive-In. Pancake Breakfast. 7 a.m.-noon. Info:
Bill Havener, 815/626-0910.
JUNE 16 - COOPERSTOWN, NY - (NY54) EAA
Chapter 1070 Pancake breaAfast and old Aeroplane
Fly-In. 7a.m. -noon. Info: 607/547-2526.
JUNE 17-20 - CREVE COEUR, MO - American
Waco Club Fly-Itl. Info: Phil COllison. 616/624-
6490 or Jeny Broll'/1, 317/535-8882.
JUNE 19 - MOOSE LAKE, MN - Lake Air Flying
Club Annual Fly-In BreaAfast. 7:30-11:00 a.m. Info:
Lany Peterson. 218/485-4441.
JUNE 20-25 - DURANGO, CO - Animas Air Park.
31st annual International Cessna 170 Association
convention. Bassed at the Doubletree Inn, 970/259-
6580. Info: David or Judy Mason, 409/369-4362.
JUNE 26 - PROSSER, WA - EAA Chapter 391 Fly-In
BreaAfast.lnfa: 509/735-1664.
JUNE 26-27 - WALWORTH, WI - Bigfoot Field
(WI05). Pancake breakjilst/brunch. Aerobatic demo
at 10 a.m., Stearman rides and displays of vintage
aircraji, warbirds and experimental". 7a.m.-I p.m.
Info: John Anderson, 414/248-8748.
JUNE 26-27 - PETERSBURG-DINWIDDIE, VIR-
GINIA - 3rd Annual State EAA Flv-In. Contact:
Ron VanSickle, 832/932-4709, W"'II'. ,;aeaa.org.
JUNE 26-27 - LONGMONT, CO - Van ce Brand
Airport (2 V2.ji-eq. 122.975). Rody Mountain Re-
gional Fly-In. Pancake breakfast and lunch served
on both days, For more info, see the RMRFl web
page at IIww.greeleynet. comleaaregiollal/index.htm
JUNE 27 - HAMMONTON, NJ - (N81) EAA Chap-
ter 216 Red. Whit e and Blueberry Festival Fly-In
Pancake Breakfast. Info: George Bigge, Jr ..
609/582-5630.
JUNE 27 - NILES, MI - Jerry Tyler Memorial Air-
port. EAA Chapter 865 Pancake Breakjast. 7a.m.-I
p.m. Info: Ralph Ballard, 616/684-0972 or Dick
28 JUNE 1999
Haigh. 616/695-2057.
JUNE 27 - ZA NESVILLE, OH - Municipal
Airport, EAA Chapter 425 Airport Awareness
Day, Fly-in, drive-in breakfast 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Info: Darrell Todd, 740/450-8633.
JULY 1-5 - JACKSO NVILLE, IL - 1999 Er-
co upe National Convention. Contact: John
Wright. Jr, 2317/698-8243. Everyone welcome.
JULY 3-5 - WELLSVILLE, PA - Footlight
RClllell. 10th annual Fourth ofJuly Tai/dragger
Fly-In. Info: John Shreve. 717/432-444101' Email
ShreveprtN@aol.colII
JUL Y 5-8 - DENVER, CO - Centennial Ai/port.
Short Wing Piper Club annual convention. This
year's theme: "Rocky Mountain Rendezvous. "
Info: Kent O'Kelly, 303/979-3012, (Head-
winds@msn,com) or visit the SWPC web site at
http:www.shortwing.com
JULY 7-11- ARLINGTON, WA -Northwest EAA
Regional F(v-in at Arlington Airport. COlltact: Bar-
bara Lawrence-Tolbert. 360/435-5857. or
I'WW,/Hveaa, org/nweaal.
JULY 9-10 - GAINESVILLE, FL - (GVL) 31st
Annual Cracker Fly-In. Fly Ollt Friday (6:30 pili) to
Cornelia (AJR) for dinner, then Saturday Pancake
breakfast and Fly-In. Info: Mick Hudson, 770/53 1-
0291 or Gary Ames 770/534-2994.
JULY 9-11- LOMPOC, CA - 15th annual West Coast
Piper Cub Fly-In. Info: Bnlce Fall, 805/733-1914.
JUL Y 10-12 - ALLIANCE, OH - Alliance-Barber
Airport (2DI). 27th AlIllual Taylorcraji Owners
Club Fly- In alld Old Timer's Rellnion. DisplaysJo-
nUlls. workshops, Sat. evening program. Breakfast
Sat, and Sun. served by EAA Chapter 82. Sunday
worship service, Info: Bruce Bixler. 330/823-9748.
Forrest Barber 330/823-1168, jbarber@al-
liancelink.colII; or check IVlvw.taylorcraji.org
JULY 16-18 - COTTAGE GROVE, OR - Oregon An-
tique & Classic Aircraji Club Bi-Annual Fly- III.
Contact: 5411746-3246.
JULY 16-18 WEST YELLOWSTONE, MT - 13th an-
nual Northwest Mountain Region Family Fly-In,
Safety Conference and Trade SholV at the Holiday
Inn Conference Center. Sponsored by local EAA
Chapters and the FAA Flight Stalldards District 0/
fice, Kit plane exhibitors and seminars. Contact:
Jim Cooney. FAA FSDO. 1-800/457-9917.
wwwjiw. govljsdolhill.
JULY 17 - STURGIS, SD - EAA Chapter 39 Fly-In.
Pan cake Breakfast and YOllng Eagle rides. Info:
605/347-3356
JUL Y 17 - COOPERSTOWN, NY - (N I'54) EAA
Chapter 1070 Pancake breakfost alld old Aeroplane
Flv-In, 7a.lII. -noon, Info: 607/547-2526
JULY 25 - ZANESVILLE, OH - Parr Airport. EAA
Chapter 425 Airport. Flv-in. drive-in breakjilst 8
a.m. - 2 p.m. Info: Darrell Todd. 740/450-8633.
JULY 26 - BURLING TON, WI - 7th Annual Group
Ercoupe Fly-In to Oshkosh. Wheels up I:00 p.m.
Contact Svd Cohen 7/5/842-7814. Eve/jane wel-
come to joill.
JULY 28-AUGUST 3 - OSHKOSH, WI - 47th Annual
EM AirVellture Oshkosh '99. Wittmall Regiollal
Airport. Contael Johll Burtoll , EAA, P.O.Box
3086, 11'154903-3086 or see the lVeb site at:
1V1V1V.airveflture.org
AUGUST 7 - LAKE ELMO, MN - EAA Chapter 54
Aviatioll Day Fly- In/Breakfast FundraiseI'. Infix
6511430-1200.
AUGUST 8- QUEEN CITY, MO - 12th annual Fly-III
at Applegme, Airport, Info: 660/766-2644.
AUGUST 21- COOPERSTOWN, NY - (NY54) EAA
Chapter 1070 Pancake breakjast and old Aeroplane
Fly-In. 7a.m. - noon, Info: 607/547-2526.
AUGUST 21- SPEARFISH, SD - EAA Chapter 806
Annual F(y-In. Camping onfield. Cream Can Din-
ner. Awards. Poker run 011 Saturday. SD Aviation
Hall of Fame Indu ction Sat. Email:
c2Jgolay@mato.com
SEPTEMBER 3-5 - PROSSER, WA - EAA Chapter
391 16th Annual Labor Day Weekend F(y-In. Info:
5091786-1034,
SEPTEMBER 3-6 - WELLSVILLE, PA - Footlight
Ran ch. 10th annual Labor Day Fly-In. Info :
John Shreve. 717/432-4441 or Email ShreveprtN@
aol. com
SEPTEMBER 4 - HA YWARD, CA - EAA Vintage
Aircraji Assn. Chapter 29 Air Fair/Air SholV. Info:
925/455-2300.
SEPTEMBER 4 - MARION, IN - 9th Annual Fly-
In/Cruise-In Pancake Breakfast. Aircraft, vintage
cars and motorcycles. rayljohnson@busprod. com
SEPTEMBER 4 - STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO -
EAA Chapter 649 Vintage Fly- In.
SEPTEMBER 4 - MARION, IN - Marion Municipal
Airport. 9th Annual Fly/ln-Cruise/ln all YOII can
eat Pancake Breakfast. Features Antique. Classic
& Custom Cars as well as all Ai/planes. Info: Ray
L. Johnson (765) 664-2588 or rayjohnson@blls-
prod. com
SEPTEMBER 5 - ZANESVILLE, OH - Riverside
Airport. EAA Chapter 425 Airport. Fly-ill. drive-in
breakfast 8 a,m. - 2 p,m, Info: Darrell Todd.
740/450-8633.
SEPTEMBER 5 - MONDOVI, WI - 14th Annual Fly-
In. Log Cabin Airport. Info: 715/287-4205.
SEPTEMBER 5 - NAPPANEE, IN - EAA Chapter 938
Sundayfor a Sundae Ice Cream Social, 12 to 3 p.m,
SEPTEMBER 10-12-ATWATER, CALIFORNIA
- Golden West EAA F(y-In at Castle Ai/port. Con-
tact: Wlvw,gwfly-in.org.
SEPTEMBER IJ - OSCEOLA, WI - 19th Annual
Wheels & Wings Fly-In. Antique car show, book
sale, pancake breaAfast. Info: 800/947-0581.
SEPTEMBER II-l 2-MARlON, OHIO - MERFI
Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-In. Contact: Lou Linde-
man, 937/849-9455,
SEPTEMBER 11-12 - EASTON, PA - EAA Chapter
70 FAA Safety Seminar. Annual Fall Fly-In. Fly
Market. plaques for all aimaji. Info: 610/588-0620.
SEPTEMBER 17- 18 - BARTLESVILLE, OK -
Frank Phillips Field. 42nd Annual Tulsa Regional
Fly-In, sponsored by EAA Chapter 10, VAA Chapter
10, lAC Chapter 10, AAA Chapter 2. and the Green
Coullty Ultralight Flyers. All types ofaircraji and
airplane enthusiasts are encouraged to attend. Ad-
mission is by donation, Info: Charles W. Harris,
918/622-8400.
SEPTEMBER 17-19-JACKSONVILLE, IL - (UX)
15th Alillual Bvron SlIIith Memorial Midwest Still-
son Reunion. I;ifo Suzette Selig. 630/904-6964
SEPTEMBER 18 - COOPERSTOWN, NY - (NY54)
EAA Chapter 1070 Pancake breaAj[lst and old Aero-
plane Fly-In. 7am-noon. Itifo: 607/547-2526
SEPTEMBER 18-19 - ROCK FALLS, IL - North
Central EAA Old Fashioned Fir-In. Forums. work-
shops. fly-market. Camping i1l1d Air Rally, Info:
630/543-6743 or http://members.aol,com/nceaa
SEPTEMBER 25 - HANOVER, IN - Wood. Fabric
alld Tailwh eels Flv-In. Contact Rich Davidsoll
812/866-5654. .
FrancBadofszky...... ..........................
.. ... .. .. ...22260RioDeJaneiro,Brazil
Steve1. Atkins........ .... ...... ..... ...... ... .. ..
.............. ....Windsor,Ontario,Canada
JohnM. Bogie.......... .. .... ...... ........ .... ..
....... ......... ....Ottawa,Ontario,Canada
JackFerguson.... .... ......... ..... .... ....... ...
...................London,Ontario,Canada
KlausDieterMartin........... ..... ...... .....
.......................Landsberied,Germany
AnthonyE.Rose..... .......Winscombe,
... .. ....... ....N. Somerset,GreatBritain
DavidGraham.......Co.Laois,Ireland
BassemHatem......Caracas,Venezula
HermannG.Zingg........ ..... ... ......... ....
.. ... ...... .. .... .. ...........Caracas,Venezula
RichardT. Reynolds... ...... .......... ...... ..
...............................Montgomery,AL
MichaelD. Scrogging........................
.. .. .. .... ... .. ... ... .... ...... ..... .... Decatur,AL
FrankP. SperandeoIII....... ....... ..... ....
.......... .... ........... ...... ... Fayetteville,AR
JoeChisolm......... .... ... .. . Phoenix,AZ
Ellis1. Collier........ ..... ..Chandler,AZ
Maurice1. Moriarty... ...Glendale,AZ
JamesE. Nelson...... .....Glendale,AZ
RayA. Arceneau... ..... ...... ........ ....... .. .
........ .. .. .... ... .... .... ..CameronPark,CA
JeremyH.Bishop... .....Pasadena,CA
RonCovell... ..... ..... ......Freedom,CA
JohnR. Crouse..... ...Sacramento,CA
PaulA. Devereaux...... .... .. Aptos,CA
Michael1. Harris.... .......Sonoma,CA
RickJorgensen..................Davis,CA
CharlesS. Sooter... . LosAngeles,CA
BruceE. Tracey.. ... ... .SanBruno,CA
AnthonyL. Wright,Jr.... Auburn,CA
PaulR.Antoinette....Broomfield,CO
TomPool... ... ...... .... ... ...Littleton,CO
DanTietmeyer....... .. ........ .....Gill ,CO
RonaldC. Bradley......Longwood,FL
MaxC. Bridges... ....ZephyrHills,FL
Thomas1. Byne.......PalmHarbor, FL
NormanNoyes......... . PortRichey,FL
TimL. Preston.... .. .......Tangerine, FL
O. AshbyReardon...... ......Naples,FL
DanielC. Shaw...... .........Geneva,FL
EdM.Verner.. .. .. ...... ...PlantCity,FL
CharlesN.Waldrip... ......Orlando,FL
RaymondWalsh.......... . Tavernier,FL
Robin P. Whidden............Tampa,FL
DerrickJoeYoung.. ......... ...... ... ... .......
.. ....................... .. ......HobeSound,FL
RonnieL. Cox..........sharpsburg,GA
JamesRexGrimes .... .....Carlton,GA
DickKrysiak..................Atlanta,GA
BillRobertson... ........Dunwoody,GA
ThomasSotheriand......Ringgold,GA
WilliamE. Woodrum,Jr..Millen,GA
Robert1. Brandi s........Taylorville,IL
AlexFrakt... ... ...............OakPark,IL
BrianR. Lemke...................Joliet,IL
GeraldThornhill....... .. Hampshire,IL
Michael Swinney.... ... .Columbus, IN
DavidA. Walton...........Rockport,IN
RobinP. Blankenship................... ......
...... .............. ......... ... ...Louisville,KY
D.ScottMiller......... .Winchester, KY
M.MillerMonarch....... ... ..... ... ... .......
........... .......... ... .......Hardinsburg,KY
CharlesHolmesIll ......... ...... ... ...........
..... .................. ..... ...BatonRouge,LA
GregoryPichon...... .... .. ....Slidell,LA
JavierRodriguez........ .. .......... ......... .. .
.... ....... .............. ......BatonRouge,LA
ToddC.Turner........ ... ....Monroe,LA
BenjaminC. Suddard... ....... ...............
........... ..... ....... ..... .......Wareham,MA
DavidL. Carder... .. Cumberland,MD
DavidB.Garey..... ....... .. Denton,MD
Joseph1. Miller..... .......Freeland,MD
StevenOxman....................Riva,MD
MatthewPatrick..... ...Annapolis,MD
MassimoStucchi....Stevensville,MD
WarrenS.Bolton,Sr .......... . Niles,MI
Kenneth M.HaraldsonIll...... ... ........
......... ..... .... ...... .... ... ... . Cassopolis,MI
RoyD.Hillman.......BattleCreek,MI
LeonardM. Jansen....... ......Niles, MI
StanJones................ .... ...Holland,MI
DaveKeller....... ... ........ . Brighton,MI
MartinD. Mottweller..........Niles,MI
DavidL. Swift.. .. .......... .... ..Niles,MI
JamesThompson...... ....... .. . Niles,MI
RobertM. Cotter...... ......Duluth,MN
LarryE. Milless.... .... .. ... . Anoka,MN
RossSublett......BrooklandPark,MN
Charles Webb............Burnsville,MN
JamesS. Bullock.....Rogersville,MO
RobertLayne.........Chesterfield,MO
JohnT. Williams.... .KansasCity, MO
CampbellF. Barnett......Mt.Airy,NC
TimothyK. Evans..... .Smithfield,NC
GaryWitt.. ... ................Gastonia,NC
DanielF. Traynor....... ..Atkinson,NH
RobertB. Cody.............Yardville, NJ
SteveMazzarelli.....Lambertville,NJ
JamesNorling..... ........Mendham,NJ
JohnF. Sheridan..... Kendall Park,NJ
FredD. Balmer...... ...... .. Folsom,NM
EricP. Beebe.. ........ . Kinderhook,NY
ThomasBirch...... .. ......Peekskill,NY
JerryE. Burton..... ...Branchport,NY
Dennis1. Seath...............Queens,NY
RoyPugh........ .... .............Akron,OH
AllenSchultheiss.. BeaverCreek,OH
FredHouston.......BrokenArrow,OK
DavidG. King.........Bartlesville,OK
FredW. Fehling........Waynesburg,PA
HeberSoto.......... ..........SanJuan,PR
SteveCorley......................Aiken, SC
GaryMarkham.....Murfreesboro,TN
PerryN. Mcdonough....... ....... .. ..... .. ..
................................ Chattanooga,TN
RonaldT. Nimick.....Greeneville,TN
Anthony1. P. Carew..... .. ..Austin,TX
PeterN. Coffey... .... .... .. . Cypress,TX
WaaDeeHudson.... .......Sherman,TX
1. A. Kelley.............. ......... . Plano,TX
WilliamT. Thursby......Arlington,TX
CharlesKevinWard.........Sanger,TX
JohnElwell......... ...BrighamCity, UT
DavidP.Widauf................Logan,UT
EdwardM. Gravely.Martinsville,VA
RonaldKing.... ... ......Gainesville,VA
RayTolbert............... .....Arnherst,VA
Keith Bracht..............Anacortes,WA
GregN. Larson...... .... .....Everett,WA
TerryMcCartney...... .. Arlington,WA
MarvinE. Pugh.......... .......Selah,WA
ClydeEakins...............Janesville,WI
CalvinGreenfield.... ... ...Waupun,WI
Robin Lawson..... ...... ..Somerset,WI
RobertMcLaughlin...........Ripon,WI
LarryD. Rather.....Oconomowoc,WI
LarryE. Truchinski..... ............. ..........
.... ........ ....... ... .WisconsinRapids,WI
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
VINTAGE
AIRCRAFT
Services Directory_
Enjoy the many benefits ofBAA and the
ASSOCIATION
OFFICERS
Presldenl VlcePresidenl
EspieBulchJoyce GeorgeDaubner
P.O. Box3S584 2448LoughLane
Greensboro.NC27425 Hartford.WI 53027
91O/393'()344 414/673-5885
e-mail:windsock@aoi.com e-mail :ontique2@aol.com
Treasurer
Secrelary
CharlesW. Harris
SIeveNessa
7215Easl46thSl.
2009HighlandAve.
Tulsa.OK 74145
AlbertLea.MN56007
918/ 622-8400
507/373 1674
cwh@hvsu.com
DIRECTORS
GeneMorris JohnBerendt
5936SIeveCourt 7645EchoPoinlRd.
Roanoke.TX 76262 CannonFalls.MN55009
817/491-9110 507/263-2414
e-mail:n03capl@flash.nel
PhilCoulson
RobertC. Bob Brauer 28415SprIngbrookDr.
9345S. Hoyne Lawton.M149065
Chlcago.IL60620 616/624-6490
312/779-2105
e-mai: pholopiol @aoi.com DaleA. Gustafson
7724Shady Hili Dr.
JohnS. Copeland Indianapolis.IN46278
1 ADeaconstreel 317/293-4430

RobertUCklelg
e-mail: 1708Boy OaksDr.
copelandl@juno.com AlbertLea.MN56007
507/373-2922
JeannieHili DeanRichardson
P.O.Box328 6701ColonyDr.
Harvard.IL60033 Madison.WI 53717
81 5/943-7205 608/833-1291
dar@resprod,com
RobertD. Bob Lumley SIeveKrog
1265South 124thSI. 1002 HeatherLn.
Brookfleld.WI53005 Hartford.WI 53027
414/782-2633 414/966-7627
e-mail: e-mail:
lumper@execpc.com sskrog@aol.com
RogerGomoll
1521 E. MacGregorDr.
Geoff Robison
321-1/2S.Broadway#3
NewHoven.IN46774
Rochester.MN55904
219/ 493-4724 507288-2810
e-mail:chleflO25@aoi.com rgomoll@hertlagehalls.org
DIRECTORS
EMERITUS
GeneChase GeorgeYork
2159CamonRd. 181 SlobodaAv.
Oshkosh.WI54904 Mansfield.OH44906
920/231-5002 419/529-4378
E.E. BuckHilbert
P.O. Box424
Unlon.IL60180
815/923-4591
e-mail:buck7oc@mC.net
ADVISORS
AlanShacklelon David Benne"
P.O. Box656 403 TannerCI.
SugarGrove.IL 6Q554-0656 Roseville.CA95678
63(}466-4193 916-782-7025
103346.I772@COO"jllJSefVe.com anliquer@soflcom.nel
BAA Vintage Aircraft Association

EAA Aviation Center, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903-3086
Phone(920)4264800 Fax(920)426-4873
WebSite:http://.etul.organdhttp://www.airventure.org E-Mail:Vintage@etul.org
EAA and Division Membership Services
800-843-3612 FAX920-426-6761
(8:00AM - 7:00PM Monday- FridayCST)
New/ renewmemberships:EM,Divisions
(VintageAircraftAssociation,lAC,Warbirds),
NationalAssoci ationofFlightInstructors
(NAFI)
Addresschanges
Merchandi sesales
Giftmemberships
Programs and Activities
EMAirVentureFax-On-DemandDirectory
..............................732-885-6711
AutoFuelSTCs................920-426-4843
Build/restoreinformation ......920-426-4821
Chapters: locating/organizing..920-426-4876
Education. . ........ .... .... ...920-426-6815
EMAirAcademy
EMScholarships
EMYoungEaglesCamps
FlightAdvisorsinformation.....920-426-6522
FlightInstructorinformation ...920-426-6801
FlyingStartProgram ..920-426-6847
LibraryServi ces/ Research ......920-426-4848
Medi calQuestions.. ... ........920-426-4821
TechnicalCounselors ..........920-426-4821
YoungEagles..... .... ..... ....920-426-4831
Benefits
AircraftFinancing(GreenTree) ...800-851-1367
AUA... ......... ..... ... ......800-727-3823
AVEMCO .....................800-638-8440
TermLifeandAccidental .......800-241-6103
DeathInsurance (HarveyWatt&Company)
Editorial
Submittingarticle/ photo;advertisinginformation
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- AEROMAIL Continuedfrom page 33-
Thereafter I spun the prop from the rear
while standing on the float.
I spent more time cleaning the latrine,
building ramps and floats and fighting cor-
rosion than I did flying. The last entry of
82H in my logbook is dated May 31 , 1936.
This was the end of the Wales flying ser-
vice and the last that I knew of 82H until
your article.
Our base was located on the Housatonic
River in a building which had housed the
Huntington Aircraft factory whi ch unfortu-
nately failed following the crash of 1929.
Drawings and various parts and assemblies
of the planned aircraft were still stored in
the loft. With typical foresight we left them
there and, as far as I know, no airplane was
ever completed and the company faded into
oblivion.
Hope you find this interesting.
Chris Tennstedt, Daytona Beach, Florida
LINDBERGH COMMENTS
Dear Sir,
I read with a great deal of interest John
Underwood's review of the book Lind-
bergh, by Scott Berg. Your comments on
an airplane book are well taken, but I don't
believe it will ever be written.
In his book "Wartime Journals" Lind-
bergh writes of resigning from the Air
Force Reserve, but I don't believe this res-
ignation was ever effected. Here' s why.
In 1949 I was crew chief of an F-80B
(458613), in the 53rd Fighter Squadron at
Furstenfeldbruck AFB, Germany. Parked
next to it on the flight line was the Squadron
CO's F-80B, tail #458674. It was early
morning of a typical morning in Bavaria,
low ceiling, but we were waiting for flight
crews in case they flew. I was standing in
the door of our flight shack, with my eyes
on the door of operations, when it opened
and out came the familiar figure of our CO
Lt. Col. Richard Hunziker. With him was a
tall balding man carrying a parachute. As
they drew nearer I recognized him, but was
really I suppose in a state of shock, but I
turned and said to Dick Richards, the CO's
crew chief and said "Dick, here comes Lind-
bergh to fly your plane." After some ribald
comments he came to the door, looked at me
with eyes bit as saucers, then took off run-
ning for his plane.
I went over to help Dick with the starting
cart and looked and listened as the two pi lots
made a walk-around and Lindbergh got in
the cockpit. At this time I got the distinct im-
pression that this was his first experience
with a jet aircraft. He spent about 15 min-
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utes in the cockpit before starting up, then he
taxied out and took off. We waited with a
great deal of interest for his return, and after
an hour or so he returned, made the standard
360 degree approach and then greased it in.
This was really something, the F-80 was a
stiff legged little aircraft and some pilots
never made a good landing.
He subsequently flew my aircraft I be-
lieve three times, once with no tip tanks and
thanked me for the trouble of dropping
them. On one of the flights I prepared a du-
plicate Form IA (Aircraft Maintenance
Record) he signed off on the flight as "O.K.
Flight, good ship. Chas. A. Lindbergh, Col.
USAF." So that's why I believe he was still
in the AF Reserve, though most historians
believe he didn't come back until the Eisen-
hower administration. I just don' t believe
Col. Hunziker would have been checking
any civilian pilot out in one of his aircraft -
he was a hard-nose, a stickler for regulation.
Lindbergh flew with the Squadron for
about two weeks. On one occasion [ asked
one of the younger pilots how he liked to fly
with Lindbergh, he stated in no uncertain
terms that this guy was a great pilot , he
could stay on the taillike glue and nobody
could stay on his.
I regret my Form I A was lost with some
household goods in 1965, otherwise I would
send you a copy.
Yours truly,
Lee Ballard, Lexington, Kentucky
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33