VOL. 32, No.

VAA NEWS/H .G. Fra utschy

AEROMAIL

MYSTERY PLANE/H. G. Frautschy

2003 VINTAGE HALL OF FAME

ALFRED KELCH/H. G. Frautsch y

PASS IT TO BUCK/Buck Hilbert

JOHN MILLER RECALLS

TWO CLOSE ONES/Joh n M. Mi ller

JANUARY 2004

10

THE MICHIGAN AIR TOUR

BOYHOOD DREAMS NEVER TRULY DIE
Bruce H. Carmich ael

12

THE ALLEN 'S ASO WACO

WHAT TO DO WHEN THE BASKET IS MOSTLY EMPTY
/Budd Davisson

16

THE 2003 NATIONAL AIR TOUR

THE CHANCE OF A LIFETIME
John Coussens an d H.G. Fra utschy

21

THE 47TH ANNUAL TULSA REGIONAL FLY-IN

SEPTEMBER 19-20, 2003, BARTLESVILLE, OKLAHOMA
Charles W. Harris

24

THE VINTAGE INSTRUCTOR

GPS GLITCHES BETWEEN THE EARS/Doug Stewart

27

NEW MEMBERS

28

CLASSIFIED ADS

~1FA~W
EAA PUBLIC:ATIONS

Publish er
EditorinChief
Executive Editor
News Edito r
Ph otography Staff
Advertising Coordinator
Advertising Sales
Ad vertising/ Editorial Assistant
Copy Editing

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

scon

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

Executive Director, Editor

VAA Administrative Assistant
Contributing Editors

HENRY G. FRAUTSCHY
THERESA BOOKS
JOHN UNDERWOOD
BUDD DAVISSON

Front Cover:

Jeanne and Dave Allen cruise past the EAA camera ship in the
new ly restored Waco ASO they rebuilt and then flew on th e 2003 National Air
Tou r. For more on the Allen's restoration, see the article starting on page 12,
th en flip to page 16 for more on the NAT. EAA photo by chief photogra pher Jim
Koepnick. EAA Cessna 210 phot o plane flown by Bruce Moore.

Back Cover:

In a scene that hasn't been captured on film since the documen

tary days of Martin and Osa Johnson , Thomas Schrade ' s Sikorsky S-38 , "The
Spi rit of Osa ," flown by Waldo Anderson, is fl anked by Dick and Patsy Jackson ' s
Sikorsky 5-39 , " The Spirit of Igor" as they f ly north . Our thanks to photographer
Gil les Auliard of I.A.P.A. in Newington, Connecticut for many of the images,
including thi s one that helped us fi ll out the NAT coverage. You can reach Gilles
at IAPA@att.net.

STRAIGHT Be LEVEL
ESPIE "BUTCH" JOYCE
PRESIDENT, VINTAGE ASSOCIATION

Kicking off 2004

'm putting my thoughts down
on paper just before Norma and
I depart for Kill Devil Hills,
North Carolina, the site of the
Wright Brothers National Memorial.
The weather looks good, the Flyer
built by The Wright Experience for
EAA is set to lift off the launching
rail, and 35,000 people are expected
to be there for the celebration. I'm
sure there will be plenty of coverage
of the event, and we'll have an arti
cle here in the pages of Vintage
Airplane in the February issue.
Writing for publication is one of
the skills I've had to work on while
serving as your president. To some,
like the late Winston Churchill, it
comes easily. Recently, I was reading
an article about Churchill's writing
and speaking abilities. He gave his
first speech at age 13, and his last in
1963, two years before his death at
age 90. His collected speeches fill
eight volumes. He was said to have
spent an hour preparing each
minute of a speech. He once wrote
about his enjoyment of writing:
"Writing is an adventure," he
said. "To begin with, it is a toy and
amusement. Then it becomes a mis
tress, then it becomes a master,
then it becomes a tyrant. The last
phase is that just as you are about
to be reconciled to your servitude,
you kill the monster and fling him
to the public."
He could really knock out the
words in quick fashion, too. One of
the stories highlighted in the article
I read illustrated his enjoyment of
the task. One evening after dinner,
he realized he had not finished an
article. He went off by himself for
two hours and composed 3,000
words. I was in awe! Sometimes it

takes me half a day to put together

600 words for this column! His
prodigious and well-written output
is quite an inspiration!
As we start 2004, the state of the
Vintage Aircraft Association is good.
This condition is a combination of all
of the hard work and dedication of
EAA's staff, VAA's own H.G. Frautschy
and Theresa Books, the officers and
directors, volunteers, and those very
kind and dedicated individuals who
help VAA by contributing to the
"Friends of the Red Barn" fund. Our
membership has remained solid, but
has not increased as the staff and I
had hoped this year.
Besides the downturn in the econ
omy, one of the reasons that has
contributed to us remaining steady
in our total membership numbers is
the simple fact that we have an older
membership base than other avia
tion associations. None of us like to
admit it, but we're all mortal, and
some of our stalwart members have
aged out this past year.
To keep our membership num
bers solid, and avoid a downturn,
our membership committee has
made a great effort in gaining new
members this past year. So you can
see that maybe just a suggestion to a
friend that has a vintage aircraft to
join up with us as a member would
be a great benefit to your Vintage
Aircraft Association.
If we had each of our 8,700 mem
bers help us gain new members
during this next 12-month period,
our membership would grow a great
deal. Increased membership num
bers means a great base of people
from which to draw expertise and
guidance, and we'd be able to add
more to your magazine, Vintage Air

plane. The magazine is a great bene

fit to you as a member. It's the only

publication devoted to vintage air
craft that is published 12 times a
year for your information and enter
tainment. Sure, you can read "feel
good" articles in other magazines,
but how many of these large publi
cations really get down to the
nitty-gritty, such as the recent article
on "How to keep your Tailwheel
from Shimmying," or how to fly a
tail wheel airplane. In 1991, your
Vintage Aircraft Association had the
vision to put together an aviation
insurance program with the help of
AUA Inc. For the past 13 years, AUA
has guided this program through a
number of different companies that
are no longer in business because of
the consolidation of aviation insur
ance companies. By holding this
program together during this hard
ening of the insurance market,
vintage aircraft can still be insured
in this insurance program.
When it comes to aging aircraft
issues with the FAA, your VAA is
there, working closely with EAA,
talking for all of the vintage aircraft.
We look forward to continued
progress in this area.
You can see there is a need for the
Vintage Aircraft Association to be
around for the good of all of us who
love older aircraft, and we can help
to keep them flying. Ask a friend to
join; it will be good for you, too!
Let's all pull in the same direction
for the good of aviation. Remember,
we are better together. Join us and
have it all.
Butch
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

VAA NEWS

EAA Sport Pilot & Light

Sport Aircraft Magazine
Debuts in April
For half a century EAA has dedi
cated itself to making recreational
aviation more affordable to the av
erage person, and it's launching its
sixth decade in this effort with a
new magazine, EAA Sport Pilot &
Light-Sport Aircraft. Serving its
namesake audience, the 64-page
all-color magazine begins its pub
lishing life with its April 2004 issue.
"The sport pilot and light-sport
aircraft rules will offer a great op
portunity to revitalize personal
recreational flying," said EAA Pres
ident Tom Poberezny. "SP/LSA will
remove the barriers of time and
money that have prevented many
people from earning a pilot certifi
cate or continuing their flying
activities. The new LSA category
will offer enthusiasts the opportu
nity to purchase more-affordable
ready-to-fly aircraft and aircraft
kits. This magazine, along with
programs and services that we're
developing, represents EAA's con
tinuing commitment to make
flying for fun more accessible."
With the publication of the new
magazine, EAA will retire Experi
menter magazine, and its readers
will receive EAA Sport Pilot & Light
Sport Aircraft. Experimenter Editor
Mary Jones will edit EAA Sport Pi
lot, and the new magazine will
continue to serve the interests and
needs of those who enjoyed Exper
imenter magazine.

One Dues, Pick a Magazine

Because EAA Sport Aviation and
EAA Sport Pilot & Light-Sport Air
craft are equally important
membership benefits that focus
on different aviation interests, to
better serve members more effi
ciently, EAA is launching "one
dues, pick a magazine" with EAA
Sport Pilot. Starting in April, when
people join EAA or renew their
2

JANUARY 2004

GOOGLE SEARCHES
VAA MEMBERS SITE
Thanks to the staff in EAA's web depart
ment, we continue to add design features
and capabilities to www.vintageaircra(t.org.
Now you can "Google" your way around
.. _,------_....
the site with the world's most popular
._---"':':!.."':!.-
search engine. Or expand your search to
the World Wide Web by clicking on Ii.iiiij;"~~
"Search WWW" on the same page. This
handy search engine is also a part of the members-only section of
www.eaa.org.
Starting early next year, VAA members will have access to a members
only section of the VAA website, which will include a variety of archived
articles from the pages of Vintage Airplane magazine.

___" "

Nominations for EAA Directors

Pursuant to the Experimental Aircraft Association Inc. bylaws, the presi
dent has appointed six members in good standing to act as the Nominating
Committee to receive nominations for Class III directors (three-year terms)
to replace those whose terms expire during 2004, and for a Class IV direc
tor (three-year term) to replace the director whose term expires during
2004. Such nominations shall be sent to Committee Chairman Ron Scott
at N8708 Sky Lane, Rt. I, East Troy, WI 53120.
The terms of five Class III directors and one Class IV director as listed be
low will expire at the 2004 annual business meeting held in Oshkosh,
Wisconsin, and successors to these directors will be elected at that meet
ing. Such directors may succeed themselves.
Class III Directors: Susan Dusenbury, Bill Eickhoff, Bob Gyllenswan,
Vern Raburn, Barry Valentine
Class IV Director: Louis Andrew
According to the EAA Restated Articles of Incorporation, the Class IV di
rector must reside within 50 miles of the location of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Nominations shall be made on official nomination forms available from
Experimental Aircraft Association Inc., c/o Tom Poberezny, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, or e-mail jreader@eaa.org. The nomination peti
tion shall include a recent photo of the candidate and a brief resume of his
or her background and experience. Candidates must have been an EAA mem
ber for the previous three consecutive years. Each petition requires a minimum
of 25 signatures of EAA members in good standing with their EAA number
and expiration date.
Nomination petitions must be submitted to the chairman of the Nom
inating Committee, Ron Scott, c/o EAA Headquarters, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, no later than March 3, 2004. Voting instruc
tions and procedures will be published in a forthcoming issue of EAA
Sport Aviation.
Alan Shackleton, Secretary
Experimental Aircraft Association Inc.
The annual business meeting and election will be held at the Theater
in the Woods at 1 p.m. CDT on Sunday, August I, 2004, at Wittman Re
gional Airport, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh,
to be held July 27 through August 2, 2004.

memberships they will pay the

annual dues of $40 and select the
magazine they wish to receive.
Whether it's a powered para
chute, trike, or fixed-wing, if you're
interested in buying, flying, and
maintaining light-sport aircraft
and their regulatory equivalents
and FAR Part 103 ultralights, EAA
Sport Pilot & Light-Sport Aircraft is
for you, said EAA Editor in Chief
Scott M. Spangler. If you're inter
ested in flying, building, and
restoring aircraft of all types,
EAA Sport Aviation is your maga
zine of choice.
If members want both maga
zines they can add the other for
$20. What's more, EAAers can add
either EAA Sport Pilot or EAA Sport
Aviation at any time during their
annual membership and the sub
scription will be prorated based
on the time left before their mem
bership is due for renewal. In
other words, the magazines and
memberships will all be aligned to
a single expiration date.
One dues, pick a magazine does
not apply to members who belong
to EAA's divisions and affiliate.
However, to provide all members
with streamlined, efficient serv
ice, over the coming year division
memberships (and magazines)
will be aligned with the expira
tion of the EAA membership.
EAA's membership department is
putting the final touches on the
system now, and we'll have more
details here next month.

Material Substitution
Advisory Circular
In a follow-up to the series of
meetings that produced the Best
Practices Guide for Maintaining Ag
ing General Aviation Airplanes,
EAA staffers Earl Lawrence and
Daryl Lenz represented EAA and
VAA during a meeting with the
members of the ad hoc FAA/in
dustry committee. In an ongoing

2003 VAA Volunteers of the Year

For many years, the VAA has specially recognized a pair of volun
teers who, by virtue of their unselfish service to their fellow members,
have been singled out to receive a special award. More than 400 volun
teers put in weeks of work for the VAA and its members. They served
meals to hungry flight line volunteers, or perhaps they parked air
planes in the South 40. They were behind the counter at the Red Barn,
or worked in the Volunteer and Membership booths out on the flight
line. Perhaps they helped out in the Type Club or Workshop tents, or
were out judging airplanes. Wherever you find them, take a moment
and say, "Thanks!"

Steve Peters, Columbia City, Indi

ana, shakes Geoff's hand as he
accepts the VAA Behind the Scenes
Volunteer of the Year award. In
addition to his work during the
day, Steve can also be seen (and
heard on the radio!) during most
of the overnight hours, as he helps
VAA Security ensure everyone
stays safe and secure.
process to make the maintenance
of older aircraft easier, progress is
being made to create a new advi
sory circular that will provide
guidance material for the substi
tution of parts and materials for
vintage planes built more than
30 years ago and weighing less
than 12,500 pounds. Issues that
have to be addressed include 1)
the engineering data that is avail
able to allow a determination as
to fitness of purpose, and 2) ap
plication substitution examples

Dyle Wilson, Trenton, Missouri,

accepts the Flightline Volunteer of
the Year award from VAA Director
and Co-chairman ofAircraft Park
ing Geoff Robison. Dyle has been
a volunteer for more than a
decade, most of that time spent in
helping EAA and VAA members
park their aircraft in showplane
parking and camping.
such as hoses, plastic transparen
cies, wheel bearings, batteries,
welded tubing, alternators, gen
erators, regulators, and fabrics
and glues.
If you have examples of ma
terials you'd like to see on the
list, and can provide engineer
ing justification (or at least
direction where that material
can be obtained), send us an e
mail at vintage@eaa.org and
we'll be sure to add it to the
consideration list.
......
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

AEROMAIL

Chapter Newsletters
Paul Poberezny
Sir,
I received your letter yesterday,
and I wanted to let you know how
much we appreciated getting it. Your
comments on our newsletter were
perfectly timed. Keith Newman and I
have been talking about the newslet
ter the past few weeks, and he was
concerned if he was on the right
track with it. I felt he was. When he
read your letter, he was quite pleased.
I told him that he had his answer for
sure . Keith's love of flying and his
concerns for keeping our freedom to
fly is reflected in his editorials and
his newsletter work in general.
I appreciate your offer for snow. It
is a real novelty here in southeast
Texas, and just a little bit of it brings
everything to a halt. I'll be watching
the skies.
Thank you again for your letter,
and thank you for bringing us to
where we are today.
Clark Morong
President, VAA 2

Many ofus here at EAA headquarters,

including our founder and chairman of
the board, Paul Poberezny, spend time
each month reading Chapter newsletters.
We encourage each Chapter to send us a
copy of your newsletter each month so
we can better understand what issues are
important to the members.
-Editor

MMO
Within Robert Lock's article on ra
dial engines in the August 2003 issue
h e incl uded a reference to having
"used Marvel Mystery Oil in the fuel
for a time." MMO does not readily
mix with fuel and can even settle
4

JANUARY 2004

Dennis Smith, a VAA member from Houston, Texas, enjoys taking all sorts offolks
for a ride. Here he's giving Faye Reimer, 76, ofHempstead, Texas, her first airplane
ride over her hometown of Waller, Texas. They flew out of the Skylakes airport.
out in the tank, which would be dis
astrous. Other knowledgeable
operators generally mix it with fuel
in a shaken 12-gallon can and add it
to the tank immediately before [fill
ing the] tank (usually d u sters or
sprayers) . MMO is best used as an
upper cylinder lube when drawn
into the intake manifold from a nee
dle valve regulated container at 1
quart per 1,000 auto miles. This ratio
actually increases available horse
power by virtue of the lubricity
added to the upper cylinder and pis
tons as well as the valves and seats.
Additionally, its naphtha base dis
solves and removes carbon,
including old, hard material. This
loosens the rings and valves, conse
quently there's no more sticking. I
opened up my 60,OOO-mile flat-head
six in our '42 Dodge after I had been
operating it with a homemade top
oiler for several thousand miles and
found all the carbon was gone, hav
ing been dissolved by the MMO.
Some [of the carbon] blackened the
oil, but most went out the exhaust.
There was none in the heads and
the rings were as loose as new, as
were the valves. I now have a factory
device made by Ampco in 1951, and
still available from Vaco Corp.,
413/586-0978. I'm certain MMO will
remove/or vent the lOOLL crud accu
mulation Mr. Lock is experiencing,
especially if it's used in the top oiler
device. Mixed with the engine oil, it

is far less efficient, but will he lp. I

run this in all eight of my collector
(and new) cars, and if I were still fly
ing, my 1936 Fairchild 24 would sure
have a unit on the Ranger. Many
years ago the CAA did this on a new
0-235-C1 Lycoming, running it to
its TBO, and after finding no discern
able wear, the CAA approved it for
aircraft use, but most unfortunately,
I cannot locate this in my files.
Lee Hurry
Hopkins, Minnesota

Lee Hurry's letter has an interesting

tidbit. Do any ofour members recall the
CAA "approval" mentioned by Lee? If
so, we'd love to hear about it. We have
no record ofit here at EAA .
Lee also included a few pages ofdata
and a rough sketch ofhis upper cylinder
oiler for automobiles. There's too much
data to publish here, but if you'd like a
copy, we'd be happy to send it to you .
Please send an SASE to us here at EAA
H~ and we'll pop a copy in the mail.
No e-mail requests, please.
You can contact Lee at collector
cars@yahoo.com.
-Editor
IF YOU'D LIKE TO DROP

US A LINE, SEND YOUR

LETTERS TO:

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

P.O. Box 3086

OSHKOSH , WI 54903-3086
OR E-MAIL US AT
VINTAGE@EAA.ORG.

BY

H.G.

lot Augy Pedlar from Michigan,

navigator Vilas Knope, and passen
ger Mildred Doran took off in fog
and worse, soon returned for mo
tor adjusting, and left again to "Go
West" into the foul weather over
the Pacific. Excellent Dole race
coverage with aircraft photos,
crew, and even colors is shown in
Aloha by Martin Jensen with the
1927 "Album" series by Russell
Plehinger in June 1967 EAA Sport
Aviation, continuing in December
1967 [issue].
Russ Brown
Lyndhurst, Ohio

FRAUTSCHY

OCTOBE R'S MYSTERY ANSWER

Our October Mystery Plane is a

pretty well-known antique. Its un
usual sesquiplane configuration is
distinctive. Here's our note:
October's Mystery Plane is the
Wright WhirlwindJS powered five
place Buhl Airsedan CA-SA in

factory color trim.

Ill-fated Buhl Airsedan N-X
291S, Miss Doran, with red wings
and nose, white teardrop fuselage
trim, and blue tail was entered in
the infamous 1927 Dole Pineapple
Co. Air Race from mainland San
Francisco to Honolulu, Hawaii. Pi

A number of other members

were able to correctly identify not
only the airplane type, but also the
exact example built. They were as
follows: John Pugliese, Fresno, Cal
ifornia; James Sturber, Mercer
Island, Washington; Thomas Lym
burn, Princeton, Minnesota; John
Mader, Calgary, Alberta; and
Charles F. Schultz, Louisville, Ken
tucky. Other correct answers were
received from Wayne Muxlow,
Minneapolis, Minnesota; Clarence
Hesser, St. Augustine, Florida; Ed
Kastner, Elma, New York; Ed Gar
ber, Fayetteville, North Carolina;
Doug Rounds, Zebulon, Georgia;
and Walter Albert and John
Bishop, Ocala, Florida.
.......

THIS MONTH'S MYSTERY

PLANE COMES TO US FROM

JAMES BAYS OF GARLAND,

TEXAS. ACCORDING TO ONE

ARTICLE HE REFERENCES,

IT DID FLY AT LEAST ONCE.

EM, VINTAGE AIR

3086 , OSHKOSH, WI

SEND YOUR ANSWER TO:

PLANE, P. O . Box

54903-3086. YOUR ANSWER NEEDS TO BE IN

NO LATER THAN FEBRUARY 5, 2004 , FOR IN
CLUSION IN THE APRIL

2004 ISSUE OF Vintage

Airplane .
YOU CAN ALSO SEN D YO U R RESPONSE
VIA E-M Ai l. S E ND YOU R ANS W ER TO

vintage@eaa.org .
B E SURE TO INCLUDE BOT H YOUR NAME
AND ADDRESS (ESPECIA L LY YOUR CITY
AND STATE!) IN THE BODY OF YOUR NOTE
A N D PUT "( M ONTH) M YSTERY PLANE" IN
THE SUBJECT LINE.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

2003 VINTAGE

HALL OF FAME

H.G. FRAUTSCHY

ALFRED KELCH
om in 1918, Alfred Kelch
became enamored with air
planes and aviators at age
6 when his uncle Percy
Bricker bought a war surplus Cur
tiss Jenny and flew it to AI's
hometown of Lake View, Iowa.
Even uncle Percy's crash landing of
the Jenny didn't dampen his en
thusiasm, although little Al was
perturbed with his uncle for wreck
ing "his" Jenny.
He followed every report of
Lindbergh's Atlantic crossing, lis
tening with headphones to the
family radio. While Al was in jun
ior high school, his uncle returned
to town with a Curtiss Robin, and
Al was given his first flight lesson.
A lifelong love affair with all
things mechanical has kept Al
Kelch involved in automobile
restoration, antique boats, and, of
course, airplanes. A career mixing
his talents in art and mechanical

engineering resulted in the found

ing of Kelch Manufacturing, a
company that pioneered a number
of plastic innovations, including
the first plastic steering wheel for
the automotive trade.
During that time, Al met and,
when he cou ld finally afford it,
married the lady who would be his
partner in all his endeavors, Lois.
As his business grew, Al was able
to squeeze a few dollars out of the
budget and begin his collection of
antique airplanes. He purchased a
Piper Cub for $250, and has since
restored more than a dozen air
planes, most of which he flew from
his rural home and airstrip in
Mequon, Wisconsin, where he and
Lois hosted many years of antique
airplane fly-ins.
AI's interest in Lindbergh led
him to collect memorabilia, and
one of the pieces he collected was
a small bronze statuette of the
famed pilot. Its
resemblance to
the Oscar statues
given in the film
industry inspired
Al to create the

A constant in his
life, AI's Piper
Cub. He also
owns the "Num
ber One Cub,"
powered by a
Salmson radial
engine.

JANUARY 2004

Al Kelch designed the

original Lindbergh
trophy used by EAA
for the top awards at
EAA AirVenture. On
the left is the bronze
statue from the
1920s that served as
the basis for the first prototype Lindy
shown here on the right. That first
Lindy was cast using dense armor
bronze, and the finished product was
very heavy.
EAA Lindy trophy we all recognize
today as one of aviation's most
prestigious awards for aircraft con
struction or restoration.
Al was one of the earliest mem
bers of the Antique/Classic division,
and became lifetime member num
ber 6. In the mid-1970s,

~he ~ther constant in his Ii e

hzs vzvacious wF,
L'
ft., Al and
I, e, OIS.

AI's uncle Percy brought a Jenny to town, but man

aged to crash it on Main Street. Little Al (far right,
in coat and hat) was annoyed with his uncle for
crashing "his" Jenny!

he and Lois edited the division's

magazine, Vintage Airplane, and he
also served as the chairman of the
Judging Committee.
He and chief judge Claude Gray
created the core rules for judging
vintage airplanes, a set of rules
that we continue to use to this
day. He also founded the "Grand
Champion Circle" in a successful
effort to invite top award winners
to the EAA convention.
While serving as the president
of the Travel Air club, a visit to the
Parish's in Tullahoma, Tennessee,
inspired Al to add a porch to the
convention headquarters of the di
vision, the Red Barn. With the
design help of Pat Packard and the
carpentry skills of Bob Lumley and
other volunteers, the porch was
added and continues to serve as a
resting and gathering spot for
members during EAA AirVenture.
Al serves on a number of
boards with aviation interests, in
cluding the Sun 'n Fun board,
and is affiliated with the Curtiss
Museum in Hammondsport, New
York, and the Old Rhin e beck
Aerodrome museum . He contin
u es to actively work on his
collection of aircraft kept at the
Brodhead, Wisconsin, airport. His
most recent restoration project is
a Travel Air 4000 formerly owned
by Robertson Aircraft and flown
by Charles Lindbergh.
~

In addti
I on to countless art fi .
annual antique fly-in F;
mrs, A l and Lois were hosts to an
,or many years.

Al loves rare, unusual

airplanes. Here's his
Welch OW8M.

Al at work restoring his

rare Curtiss- Wright
Travel Air 12Q.

One ofAI's many aviation friends , Ted Koston took this pretty shot ofAl in his
Curtiss- Wright Travel Air 12Q next to the pond at A I's airstrip and home.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

PASS

IT TO BUCK

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

P.O. Box 424 , UNION , IL 60180

Winter and whatnot

The phone rings, and it's our

friendly editor, H.G., bugging me
about a column.
By the time you read this, we'll be
in the grips of another winter session.
No preaching to the choir. If you
aren't well informed as to the what,
how, and when of winter flying,
then you just don't read or listen to
all the things that have been written
and told about it over the years
when it comes to the precautions
and preparations for winter flying.
Me, I' m looking forward to some
fun times. I just came in from the
hangar where I've been looking at the
skis for the Champ. It's time, I said, as
I looked at the weather report for the
next couple of days. The weather guys
are promising 3 to 6 inches of snow.
It's coming! Walking in from the
hangar, the little flurries are evident
with the promise of a lot more. The
temperature is hovering right at the
freezing level, and we are waiting
expectantly.
There is a lot to be said for winter
flying. The air is nice and thick and
fluid, making the engine, the prop,
and the airfoils behave beautifully.
The performance is really enhanced
with the cold air. The airplane just
sort of leaps off the snow, and climbs
like a homesick angel. The air is so
smooth, the scenery so bright and
beautiful, everything so clean, that
you want to live forever.
Provided, of course, that you are
suitably dressed in warm clothing,
the airplane heater is cooking, and
you have your sunglasses on under
your earmuffs. All the preparations
fade into the background as the pure
pleasure of the flight soaks in.
I recall after a conversation with
Norm Petersen, a Minnesota snow
8

JANUARY 2004

lover, his talking about flying his

open-cockpit Starduster Too on skis
in the dead of winter. I asked him
how cold it was.
His reply was, "Don't make any
difference. Once it gets down to zero
it just don't get any colder, and the
flying doesn't get any better than
this!" I'm also reminded of a couple I
know who spend their summer in up
per Ontario, Canada. They go south
for the winter. All the way to Duluth,
Minnesota. It's all in your mind, they
tell me. Make up your mind that
you're going to have fun and enjoy,
and then it's a piece of cake.
I tend to agree. Being on skis gives
one the freedom you never have on
wheels or floats. Every field that's
big enough becomes an airport. You
can fraternize with neighbors like
never before, and often when I flop
in on one of my neighbors and after
giving them a ride, I'm invited in for
hot cocoa, or even something
stronger. Everyone seems to be in an
exhilarated mood, exuberant, and
full of Christmas spirit.
When the ice is nice and thick, it's
also fun to ski and skim along the icy
surfaces. That summer place becomes
even more accessible now, because
you can land on the iced-over lake
and taxi right up to the lakeshore
frontage. Watch out for the ice fisher
men; be sure you clear the area; and
before landing, watch for those crazy
fun-loving snowmobilers. That's
enough of a caveat for now.
Join your fellow aviators in the lo
cal skiplane activity: the chili and
bean fests and, if you can make it, the
Pioneer Airport skiplane fly-in on Jan
uary 24. That's a special one, where we
also celebrate Audrey Poberez ny's
birthday. You know her, our most fa

mous EAA Hall of Fame person. The

wonderful gal who has been right
there since before and ever since EAA
started . Come on out and wish h er
well! If you want to fly your skiplane
into Pioneer, you have to make prior
arrangements. This thing fills up
quickly, since we have only so many
slots available for arrivals. You need to
contact Sean Elliott, who heads up
EAA's Flight Department. E-mail him
at selliott@eaa.org, or call his office at
920-426-6801.
Here's one of the things I learned
about winter flying: Carry a spare set
of socks in your jacket pocket. If
your feet get cold, it's because your
socks are damp. As unseemly as it
may look, pull off your boots and
put on the dry pair of socks. Your
feet will warm up quickly. Tuck the
other pair back in your jacket
pocket, and they'll be ready if you
have to repeat the process.
The increased performance of
your aircraft will really amaze you.
Carefully pre-heat the engine like the
books say, and take it easy so as not to
overboost. It can be done. Some years
back when I was flying in and out of
Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska, for
United, our DC-8 takeoff data did not
show temperature accountability
below -SOF. There were mornings
when we had to wait, believe it or
not, for the temperature to warm up
before we could take off. Engineering
was insistent that we could do dam
age to our engines if we overboosted
them because of the extreme density
of the air at those very low tempera
tures. Isn't that one for the books?
Put your snuggies on, get the
heat up on your attitude, and it's,
Over to you,
'- I(

(( ~tJ.C)C-

ne evening in 1933 I was

returning from a trip in
my New Standard D-25
biplane and flying into
the old Valley Stream, Long Island,
New York, airport. There was no ra
dio at that time, either on the
ground or in the airplanes, so I did
not have any information about
the wind except what I could judge
from the windsock. It showed a
good stiff south sea breeze.
I entered a left downwind, de
scending for a south landing and
arrived at about 1,000 feet at
about midfield and about 70 mph
lAS. As I started to descend, the
airplane suddenly dived. A glance
at the airspeed indicator showed
only about 35 mph. I let the plane
dive and opened the throttle wide
until enough airspeed was re
gained, then leveled off with
barely safe clearance above
ground. To say the very least, I
was surprised and puzzled.
After landing, I took off again
and repeated the downwind de
scent at a much higher airspeed.
Sure enough, there was a very
strong warm north land breeze
above the strong cooler south sea
breeze, with a remarkably smooth
line of separation between the two
opposite winds. When flying to
the north against that strong north
wind and d esce nding suddenly
into the strong south cool sea
breeze, the airspeed of the airplane
quickly dropped at least 40 mph.
I learned there had previously
been a fatal crash of a CommandAir
biplane that had suddenly dived
into the ground without any appar-

I LEARNED

THERE HAD

ent reason at that same location.

Then one day in 1935 when I
was a member of the Marine
PREVIOUSLY
Corps Reserve Squadron at Floyd
Bennett Field, there was a huge
bank of sea fog just offshore,
BEEN A

south of the field. We were flying

Grumman SF-2 biplanes. I was
FATAL CRASH
number three in a formation take
off to the south, right toward that
bank of clouds. The leader mis
OF A

judged the distance to the bank of

clouds and flew right into it.
COMMANDAIR
Number two pilot and I tucked
in close to the leader to keep for
mation in the dense fog. The
BIPLANE

leader made a beautiful left climb

ing turn and we followed him
THAT HAD

through 180 degrees and back out

of the fog.
I spoke on the radio to compli
SUDDENLY

ment him on his great smooth,

climbing turn. He said that he did
DIVED INTO
not even know he had been turn
ing because his turn indicator-the
only
instrumentation in the air
THE GROUND

plane-was dead as a doornail!

He had thought he was going
WITHOUT ANY
to climb out of the top of the fog
bank, straight ahead. We had en
APPARENT
tered the fog at less than 500 feet!
Fortunately, he held his climb air
speed, so did not descend into the
REASON AT
water, and he did not have time
to get vertigo with that dead turn
THAT SAME
indicator faultily assuring him
that he was straight ahead.
I had run out of numbers for
LOCATION.

my close calis, even before that

one.
~
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

The Michigan

Air Tour

Boyhood dreams never truly die

BRUCE

H.

CARMICHAEL

I LLUSTRATIONS BY THE LATE WILLIAM HAGER

ne spring morning in 1969

I stood at the edge of th e
Crystal Fa lls airport in the
Upper Peninsula of Michi
gan. The field was knee-deep in
weeds, and a tattered windsock
hung from its rusting ring. The sin
gle cinder block hangar was fill ed
with road equipment, countering
the Haight Memorial Airport sign
above the door. My thoughts drifted
back to the early 1930s and the mar
velous Stinson old Doc Haight kept
in that hangar. I was sad to see the
fragile interest in aviation that had
existed here was now gone.
As I gazed across the weed-choked
field, a third of a century rolled away,
and I was once again an 8-year-old
boy. Filled with anticipation, I was
riding in an ancient Cadillac touring
car on my way to see the airplanes of
the Michigan Air Tour visiting this
field. In a gesture of defiance to the
crushing Depression that gripped
the country, my flamboyant neigh
bor, Todd Webb, had lovingly
restored the ancient car, a dapper
symbol of a happier time. Donning a
duster and goggles, h e rounded up
the neighborhood kids and pro
ceeded to the air show.
How can I portray the contrast of
the poverty of the times with the
hope and excitement generated by
the sight of those early aircraft?
How can I explain to my children,
raised in affluence, what it was like
10

JANUARY 2004

to have the life-s ustaining iron

mines close down, leaving a vil
lage of able-bodied men o ut of
work? A town with two out of
thre e storefronts boarded up,
kids who could not afford to go
to the movies even when the price
was reduced to a nickel. At the same
time, th ere was exci tement in the
air! Men, alone and in small groups,

had been working to fashion the

fabulous airplanes in which our
boyhood heroes charted the air
trails. There was an innocence and
faith in that time, telling us that
hard work and ingenuity was bound
to payoff. The amazing accomplish
ments of a small group of daring
aviators easily captured our youth
ful imaginations.

As we neared the field we saw

Wacos, Travel Airs, Gypsy Moths,
Stinsons, Bellancas, Fairchilds, and
Stearmans roar around the circuit,
land, and taxi into neat rows along
the fence. A tiny wire-braced mono
plane with its belly dragging on the
ground turned out to be the
Aeronca C-3, predecessor to the
light plane, which would soon dis
place the powerful biplanes of the
1920s as the private pilot's mount.
The fragile beauty of an autogiro in
steep descent against the northern
sky brought a look of wonder to up
turned faces. Suddenly a gasp arose
from the crowd. "He has lost his
landing gear." A few of us wore su
perior smiles as we recognized the
sleek Lockheed Orion lap the field
with unbelievable speed. The crowd
sighed as the wheels dropped down.
The pilot of the Detroit News cam
era plane barely had time to chop
power before we surged around
him. I touched the cool smooth

leading edge of this streamlined

beauty and touched the future.
The pilots were demigods to us.
Standing, talking, smoking, and chew
ing gum with faces tanned by count
less hours in wind and sun. Thin,
wiry, sun-wrinkled, a breed apart.
I was the airplane nut of our vil
lage who studied airplanes from
morning until night. I remember

standing in the drugstore

asking for the latest copy of
Flying Aces magazine. Old
Mr. Sheffer would always
go through the same ritual,
peering myopically at the
rack and muttering, "Fly
Aces, Fly Aces." Pretending
he couldn't see it. He would
peer down over his glasses
and say, "Perhaps it isn't in
yet./I I would point it out to
him, and he would hand it
down. I would stand rooted
to the counter, thumbing
through the exciting pages.
Once I glanced up and saw
his understanding, tender
smile. He knew an airplane
nut when he saw one.
There were other mem
ories of that bygone era.
The joy of the first airplane model
one had built that actually flew!
The many airplane sketches that
festooned school papers. The
smoothness of the air after
takeoff from a sod field on
one's first airplane ride. The
Michigan Air Tour, however,
will always hold a special
place in my memory.
Slowly the past slipped
away, and the deserted air
field once again came into
focus. How strange this remi
niscing would sound to most
people, I thought. But then,
those children of the Depres
sion who became infatuated
with aviation during the
Great Depression will re
member and say, "Yes, that is
just how it was. Where did
the magic go?/I
Many happenings tended
to dim and cloud that
magic. One by one our heroes, the
pioneering long-range fliers, were
lost pointing the way to today's air
travel. Bert Hinkler of Australia hit
a mountain in the Alps. Sir Charles
Kingsford Smith, first across the
Pacific, lost in a typhoon in the
Timor Sea. Round-the-world Amer
ican flier Wiley Post lost in a crash
with Will Rogers near Point Bar

row, Alaska. Jean Mermoz, French

Aeropostal pilot, was lost in the
South Atlantic; the Italian De
Pinedo in a fiery takeoff crash in
New York; and Levanevsky, the
Russian Lindbergh, "Lost between
the North Pole and Alaska./I My
closest high school friend van
ished in his exploding P-38 when
gunners in a flack tower hit it dur
ing World War II. After the war, so
many colleagues lost in dangerous
test flying, including Dr. August
Raspet, who gave me my start in
flight test. In spite of it all, the
magic remains.
If today you should attend a
model airplane meet, a sailplane
meet, an Experimental Aircraft As
sociation fly-in, an air race, an air
museum, or especially an antique
aircraft gathering, there you will
see hundreds of boys. But these are
the boys of the 1930s, their h a ir
thin and graying, but look at the
light in their eyes! Yes, boys still.
The magic has not gone for us. As
long as old airplanes are restored
and flown to air meets, the surviv
ing children of the Depression will
be there patting the airplanes ,
retelling the old legends, bringing
back once more that special time
and the memory of our boyhood
heroes. Bless them all.
......
VINTAGE AIRPLAN E

11

THE ALLENS'

What to Do When the Basket Is Mostly Empty

BUDD DAVISSON

ave and Jeanne Allen

don't know how to do
things the easy way.
They also have this
thing about Wacos. And then there's
their runway at Elbert, Colorado: it's
at 7,050 feet MSL and on ly 36 feet
wide. Like we said, they do nothing
the easy way.
A major indication that the Aliens
don't let logic stop them from doing
enormous projects is the fact that
they built their last Waco, a Taper
wing, from a homebuilt kit. "
Beginning wi th a welded up fuse
lage, a bunch of wood, and a pile of
drawings, they just kept on keepin '
II

12

JANUARY 2004

on until they had a beautiful Taper

wing that you'd have to look at the
documentation to know it wasn't an
original. But they didn't want a Ta
perwing. What they really wanted
was an ASO, straight-wing.
"Whe n we started the Taper
wing," Dave explains, "We knew we
really wanted a straight wing but
there weren't any to be had. Not in
our price range anyway. We thought
about building one, but didn't know
if we could do a scratch-built project
like that, so we did the Taperwing
because there was a basic kit already
available for it. To us, the Taperwing
was nothing more than practice for

the Straightwing project we knew

we'd eventually be doing."
Got that? They built a Taperwing
Waco for practice!
I guess one reason we weren't
afraid of such a big project is that we
really didn't know any better," and
he laughs his often-heard self-effac
ing laugh.
Incidentally, Dave looks so much
like Walter Matthau that you some
times have trouble looking him in
the face and, we apparently aren't
the first to notice the similarity.
When we commented on it, he used
his usual reply, "Oh, really! Most
people mistake me for Tom Cruise."
II

Dave has been a round-motor bi

plane freak since he was in diapers.
liMy mother said I used to sit astrad
dle a couple of boards arranged like an
airplane and make airplane sounds,"
he says. "I used to race the local crop
dusters around Fresno on my bike. I'd
be running down along side the fields
with them and constantly hanging
out at their operation.
"Eventually, they put me to work
and at 11 years old I was flagging fields
for them. I stayed with them for the

when there was a lot for a young Air

Force pilot to do.
"I was put into Special Opera
tions, initially flying a Helio, and a
buddy and I started volunteering to
go to Vietnam. Again, I didn't know
any better. We were young and in
love with the Skyraider and we
wanted to be Sandy pilots. As hard
as we tried, however, we couldn't get
orders to 'Nam. They were sending
all sorts of officers over who had
families, but they ignored a couple
of footloose Lieutenants. It
didn't make any sense then
and it doesn't now."
Everything seems to hap
pen for a reason and when Lt.
Allen was assigned to fly C130s on rescue missions in
England, it allowed him to
make one of the most impor
tant decisions of his life.
"I had met Jeanne before I
went to the Academy and we
pretty much knew we were
going to get married. But, I
couldn't ask her to marry me
if I was going to Vietnam .
When I found I was going to
England, however, I said something
to the effect of 'How'd you like to go
to England . And, oh by the way,
would you like to get married?'"
The Allens come as a pair, and
you can find nothing, from their air
plane registrations to the card on
their propeller at fly-ins that say
"Dave Allen." It is always "Dave and
Jeanne Allen."
"She's the other half of me. She's
hands-down the best thing that has
ever happened to me and if it
weren't for her, I doubt if I would
have done any of the things I've
done. We're partners all the way
through. She goes well past being
supportive. She encourages me and
works right along with me getting
things done, regardless of what it is."
When it comes to airplanes Dave
says, "I never really outgrew the
round motor biplane thing and,
when our two boys grew up and
stopped asking for money, we de
cided it was time to do something
about a biplane.

Y BUILT

PERWING
o FOR

CTICE!

Jeanne and Dave Allen

next four or five years and they were

even going to teach me to fly. Myavi
ation career got short circuited,
however, when I was 16 and loading
chemicals. I got poisoned and was so
sick that my mom and dad said that
was it for me and aviation."
Although he got the bug, so to
speak, at Lawton Cropdusters in
Fresno, he didn't actually get to fly
until some years later.
"In high school I figured that my
way into the air to be sports and
good grades. I figured if I did well, I
could get a scholarship and then
learn to fly."
That worked big time and he was
awarded an appointment to the Air
Force Academy.
"I don't normally talk about the
Academy becau se I' m about as far
from being a ring knocker as you can
get. ] just wanted to fly and that
seemed to be the way to do it."
He graduated and went directly to
flight training. In 1969 he earned his
wings and that was a period of time

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

13

wouldn't, just write a check and

buy one.
"For one thing, I was just an old
ex-Air Force guy. There was simply
no way I could spend that kind of
money on an airplane. Then, when I
went with the airlines, I kept getting
furloughed and one year, betwee n
Jeanne and I, we had nine W-2
forms, we had worked so many jobs.
Besides, I really like building stuff.
I'm an old-time mod e l airplane
builder and there are times up here,
when it's snowing and you're snug
gled down in your warm shop
building something, that it's really
fun. I guess you could say that's my
comfort zone.
"We figured we could build or re
build an airplane because we
Mmmm, leather. That looks like a pretty
Keeping the original style 4-inch instru wouldn't have to write one big
nice place to sit for a 4,OOO-mile odyssey
ments was high on the list ofthe
check. We could go into it a little at a
through the Midwest and east coast.
Aliens.
time and, when the money slowed
=::--~~---~---------------------------. down,
we'd slow
down too. When we
had money, we'd buy
the big stuff. When
you're building or re
building from scratch,
you buy some materi
als, then you spent six
months or a year
working on it barely
spending a dime. It's a
good way to control
the cash out-flow./I
The first airplane
project was the Nu
WACO Taperwing kit
that was being pro
duced by Ernie Bodie.
"The kit had a fully
welded fuselage, which
is what I wanted be
cause I don't weld. It's
one of those things I keep saying I'm
The Aliens chose to have a Wright 1-6
going
to learn, but I haven't yet. The
power their A50, which technically makes
kit
had
all the wood for wings, but it
it a C50. Relatively speaking, the 1-6 is
was
very
much a scratch built kind
easier to support and maintain than the I
of
project
and I spent a long tim e
S. The large number on the fin is the
making
parts./I
ship's National Air Tour number.
"In the back of my mind I always
"Around here the phrase 'round tude and 450s seem a little too knew the Taperwing was the wrong
motored biplane' translated as 'Stear brutish for me. That's when I started airplane for our runway and, when I
man,' but somehow they didn't quite looking at Wacos./I
got it flying, I turned out to be right.
make the grade for me. The 220
Although there were a number of When you're coming over the
Stearmans couldn't handle the alti Wacos for sale, Dave couldn't, and threshold at 100 mph at a density al
14

JANUARY 2004

titude of 9,000-10,000 feet, the zigs

and zags get really close together and
that 36-foot runway becomes a side
walk. Landings in the Taperw ing
were always a cottonmouth affair.
"We knew a Straightwing, like an
ASO, would be much better for us. In
fact, we had been looking for one for
sometime. We eventually bought
what would have to be called not a
'basket case,' but an 'envelope case'
because basically all we had was an
envelope which contained the pa
perwork for a 1930 ASO Waco."
Not having an airframe for a pat
tern, the Aliens were going to have
to be creative, resourceful, and most
of all, determined.
"We got almost complete draw
ings for the wings from the
Smithsonian. For the fuselage, how
ever, we worked with Mike Strong up
in Powell, Wyoming, who had a pat
tern Waco 10 fuselage to be used in
building a jig. He was already build
ing one for himself and asked if we
wanted one too, so we worked with
him on it."
With a basic fuselage and wing
draWings in hand, the Aliens were
well on their way to having their
Straightwing. However, since Dave
was "weldingphobic," he sent the
fuselage up to a Waco fabrication
speCialist to have the landing gear
and tail built in their hard jigs.
"The wing drawings were actually
pretty good, plus I borrowed a wing
panel from Mike Strong to use as ref
erence. Tim Bode made the metal
fittings for me, which let me concen
trate on the wood.
"Compared to something like a
jungmann, Waco wings are actually
pretty crude. The spars are just big
chunks of lumber, so building the
wings was a big project but wasn't par
ticularly difficult. It took us about a
year and a half to finish them all and
that includes the center section, which
I patterned after an original [ had.
"Truth is, after doing the Taperwing
wings, these were actually pretty easy
because everything was square./I
ASOs originally used the j-5 Wright
as a power plant, but that early engine
conflicted with the goals the Aliens

had set for the airplane.

"What we wanted above every
thing else was a reliable airplane that
we could fly witho u t worrying too
much about it. This airplane was def
initely not going t o be a hangar
queen. We wanted to fly it as if it
was a 'normal' airplane and take it
just about anywhere in the country.
"A]-5 is just too hard to support
and we'd always be worrying about
it. So, we installed a ]-6, which tech
nically makes our airplane a CSO,
not an ASO. The j-6, however, is
much easier to support because parts
are more available. Plus, it's a more
reliable engine. [t may not be a mod
ern engine, but it's as c lose as we
could get on this kind of airplane.
"Dan Murray up in Longmont did
the engine for us and we h ung it on
a mount made by Don Gene."
"Scott Gregerson up in Pocotello,
Idaho, is an expert in sheet metal and
had some original Waco parts that he
duplicated for us . That included the
headrest and the tail cone. Dan did
the compound curved piece on the
top of the forward fuselage but we did
most of the rest. john Cournoyer of
Creve Coeur, Missouri, made the alu
minum fuel tank.
"A lot of the sheet metal, like the
pieces between the cylinders, are
wire rolled and [ couldn't find any
one to do it. So I located one of the
elusive Pexto 322 wire rollers and
taught myself how to do it. I was re
ally worried about some of the parts
because they were supposed to be
compound curves and I expected
them to give me real heartburn. Af
ter I rolled them, however, I found
they took on a compound shape on
their own and I actually had to flat
ten them out a little.
"The lower wing fairings are some
thing we're proud of. It t u rns out
that Waco actually had a drawing
and a part number for them, but you
seldom see them on an airplane. Dr.
john Patterson and his son had made
a set for their Waco and I borrowed
their patterns and made the fairings
out of .032.
When it came time to do the cock
pits and especially the rear

instrument panel, the Allens had

some serious decisions to make.
"We had a bunch of factory pho
tos and wanted to be as original as
pOSS ible, while still making the air
plane usable. We had a few original
instruments we overhauled but we
refaced some modern instruments
too. The altimeter, for one, however,
had to be an original because it was
one of the old four-inch, nonsensi
tive types and a newer altimeter
would have looked out of place.
"We weren't looking forward to
flying with a single-needle altimeter
in some of the controlled airspaces
we'd be flying into, but we didn't
want to make that big of a change in
the appearance of the cockpit. It
turns out we shouldn't have worried.
"We made the main panel look as
original as we could but we mounted
a little bitty 2-1/4" Becker radio and
transponder in small side panels
down by my knees. The transponder
took care of our concerns about the
altimeter because in one of its modes
it will display a correct altitude to
the foot. It's really pretty neat."
Almost every antique project of
any kind involves a photo or two of
a specific airplane that becomes the
model for that project. This was par
ticularly true when it came to the
Allen's ASO.
"We decided early to replicate the
Wacos flown by Art Davis and
johnny Livingston in various races
and the 1929 Air Tour. That's where
some of the fairings came from and
continued on page 26

With the 2003 edition of the National

Air Tour now history, Dave and Jeanne are
just as enthusiastic as when they started.
At the end, as they gathered for their
goodbyes, Dave reflected on his and
Jeanne's experience: "This has truly been
a magical history tour-not only for the
people who've been following us on the
Web and have come out to see us land
and experience these magnificent air
planes, but also for the pilots who've met
the outstanding people along the route."
For more on the National Air Tour,
please see the article starting on page 16.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

15

4iiiiiiiiiiI~~The 2003 National Air Tour

The chance of a lifetime

JOHN COUSSENS
RE-CREATING TilE 192'j-I931

NA.TIONAL AIR TOURS

h roughout life I have

learned that we never rec
ognize the most significant
moments in our lives until
they've passed. When a man named
Greg Herrick introduced himself to
me at AirVenture 2002 and invited
me to fly my 1928 Travel Air 4000
biplane in the 2003 National Air
Tour, I felt flattered. It sounded like
a fun event. Looking back now, I re
alize how thos e few minutes with
Greg changed my life forever.
Thirteen months lat er, loaded
with camping gear, cameras, and
more than a little trepidation, I
headed east from my home airport
in Arlington, Washington. Ahead of
me lay an 8,600-mile odyssey, with
over half that distance needed just
for the round trip to the tour's start
ing pOint at Willow Run airport in
Ypsilanti, Michigan. After two days
flying, I reached western Nebraska,
leaving the Cascades, Rockies, and
high plains of Wyoming far behind
me. After two more days, I joined up
with fellow tour pilots Hank Galpin
and Clay Adams at Brodhead, Wis
consin, for the final flight into
Willow Run.
The sight of the ramp at Willow
Run, filled with antiques from across
North America, gave just a brief
glimpse of the incredible journey to

16

JANUARY 2004

come. When starting day dawned,

electricity filled the air as I ate break
fast and headed to the airport. Low
fog heightened the drama as I
walked among ancient aircraft on
the eerily silent ramp. During start
ing ceremonies, we all listened
intently as Edsel Ford II and Erik
Lindbergh spoke of the history and
value of our coming event.
The first minutes of the tour are
etched in my mind through the
sights and sounds of history relived.
Over 30 radial eng in es including
Wrights, Pratts, Lycomings, and Con
tinentals loafed their idle songs as I
sat in my Travel Air, at the back of
the ramp, watching dozens of pro
peller blades spin lazily in the
brilliant sunshine. One by one: 26
planes with legendary names, iike
Stinson, Fokker, Waco, Travel Air,
Stearman and Sikorsky, staged on the
taxiway. Edsel Ford II, whose grand
father started the original tours,
waved the starting flag for every
plane. Lifting from the pavement at
Willow Run left me speechless, as I fi
nally began the tour after over a year
of personal planning, coordination,
and sacrifice. In that moment every
sacrifice paled, every hurdle dropped
from memory, every fear of failure to
start the tour fell away. Now I just
had to finish ....

We left the lakeshore fog of De

troit behind us and headed west
toward Kalamazoo, my Travel Air as
signed to the slowest group of planes.
That group included the two Sikorsky
Amphibions, and the awe I felt join
ing those two majestic birds in
formation simply defies description.
Across the first four days, we
landed in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa, and
at each stop we were treated like visit
ing heroes. Young and old alike asked
for our autographs on programs and
Air Tour posters, and hosts at each
airport threw open both their hangars
and their hospitality.
Those first few legs held surprises
and challenges, too, with winds caus
ing a few pilots to delay departures,
and a fuel tank support breaking on
one of the Ford Tri-Motors as it left
Anoka, Minnesota. Time for re
pairs delayed that Ford for several
hours and resulted in the plane
getting more than a little muddy
when it reached Des Moines ....
Thunderstorms stood like sentinels
just west of Interstate 3S for our en
tire trip south from Anoka, and
forced us to stay in Des Moines that
night rather than continue to
Kansas City per our schedule. A
radar snapshot, showing storms in
a solid band stretching from Canada

clear to the Gulf of Mexico, con

firmed the wisdom of stopping
short. Craig Schiller, Greg Herrick's
righthand man, saved our bacon in
Des Moines, arranging hotels for
over 80 people and hangars for most
of the planes at that first of several
unplanned overnighters.
Throughout the Tour, weather
continued to alter our plans. During
a scheduled free day in Wichita, the
Stearman owners had arranged to
fly to McConnell Air Force base to
visit the very hangar in which their
planes were built. Concurrently, I
had planned to get all the Travel
Airs to their birthplace at Beech
Field, and possibly visit the original
Travel Air factory buildings that still
stand within the Beech complex.
Steady rains that eased occasionally
but soaked us throughout the day
scuttled both trips.
Although the rains of Wichita
gave way to beautiful skies from
Kansas to Georgia, Hurricane Isabel
lurked ominously in the Atlantic.
Even as early as our first night in
Kansas, Isabel's track looked likely
to hit Kitty Hawk only a day before
we planned to arrive. We watched
TV weather each night and hoped
for a reprieve. It never came.
When we reached Peachtree,
Georgia, the fearsome power of Is
abel stood in our path . No pilot in
the group felt willing to push its
boundaries, so by unanimous vote
we delayed in Peachtree to let the
storm pass. But before the sun had
set, our first day in Georgia took on
an ominous hue. Miss Veedol slewed
Sideways in fickle winds through a
wrenching ground loop that col
lapsed the left main gear up through
her floorboards. OnJy a miracle
saved its two pilots from injury. Our
delay was the Miss Veedol crew's
blessing, however, as several pilots
pitched in and spent the entire extra
day disassembling their once proud
bird for her ignoble truck ride home.
Two days after the hurrican e
passed, we arrived at Wilson, North
Carolina. Scarcely 130 miles from
Kitty Hawk, Wilson was not only a
scheduled stop on the tour, but also

Erik Lindbergh recalls the fact that his

grandfather had planned on flying in
one of the original air tours, but bad
weather kept him from the start.

Edsel Ford waves the starter's flag for

each aircraft and NAT organizer
Greg Herrick and author Tim 0'
Callaghan give a "thumbs up" as
they taxi out for departure.

Typical of the vast majority of the tour stops, the local community of Wausau,
Wisconsin, did their best to make the tour pilots and crew welcome. A terrific
lunch was put on in one of the hangars, and mayor Linda Lawrence and local
Chamber of Commerce members gave a short welcoming speech.

A great sounding rag-tag ramp band was entertaining at various stops along
the route. The band was composed of members of the NAT crew and pilots.
Roger Gomoll, tuba, and Craig Schiller, drums, with Chris Grotewohl on banjo
and Pat Courtemanche and Ryan Mohr on guitars.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

17

Greg Herrick is pleasantly surprised by

Edsel B. Ford II, as Ford presents him
with the family's "Spirit ofFord"
award for his work in recreating the
National Air Tour. Greg's vision of the
three-week long event as one that
would educate the public was borne out
at each stop as hundreds ofpeople (and
in a couple places, even thousands!)
came out to look at the vintage air
planes on the tour.

The NAT planes line up for the first takeoff of the tour from Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Clark Seaborn and his Fokker Uni

versal crew.

E-4000.

Clark Seaborn got a workout at each

stop, hand cranking the inertia
starter on the Pratt & Whitney
mounted on the nose ofthe Fokker
Super Universal.

At each stop, the crowds had to wait

for just a while so that each aircraft
could be serviced with fuel and oil.
Then the crowds were allowed to min
gle with the airplanes and aviators
until it was time to leave.

to fly out and circle the Wright

Brothers Memorial. Roughly half of
our planes made that journey.
I was the only pilot to travel clear
from the West Coast, and circling
Kill Devil Hills felt like reaching the
top of Everest. Viewing damage to
the Outer Banks that ranged from
mild to unspeakable, however, made
that flight bittersweet.
Through the last four days back to
Ypsilanti, the spirit of the tour
changed for me. [ had reached my

furthest goal, if only overhead, and

now [ was heading home. Even so, on
landing back at Willow Run, the rush
of accomplishment overwhelmed me
as nearly a dozen of my fellow pilots
shook my hand before I could even
climb from my cockpit.
In the 18 days we spent together,
our group of 80 pilots, mechanics,
and volunteers grew from "you" and
"me" and "them" to "WE." We caIne
from Washington and Maine, Geor
gia, and Minnesota and everywhere

Ted Davis Flies NAT 27, a Travel Air

Travel Air NAT 2, flown by John

Coussens.

Is this guy having fun or what? Dick

Jackson cruises along in the Sikorsky S
39 that took him and his wife, Patsy, as
well as an army of friends and volun
teers, over 40 years to restore.
the furthest east we could travel
where hotels were available and elec
tricity was still on. Even though a
TFR over Kitty Hawk had been can
celed, the airstrips at both Kill Devil
Hills and nearby Manteo were closed
to non-emergency traffic. Although
landing was out of the question, lo
cal authorities blessed our proposal
18

JANUARY 2004

The Lock family's pair ofNew Standards rest for a moment before start
ing the day's labors. Both big biplanes hopped rides at the tour stops,
often arriving ahead ofthe tour and stimulating interest in the event.

Ted Beckwith and his wife Bev flew

what would be known as the small
est airplane on the tour, their newly
restored Great Lakes 2T-1A .

The grand Champion Antique of

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2003 was
on the tour. Here's Ben Scott and his
spectacular Stearman 4E Speedmail.

A pair of 1928 monoplanes.

Hank Galpin in his Travel Air
6000 flies off the right wing of
the Aviation History Founda
tion's Fairchild FC-2W2.

A pair of Tri-Motors, a Stin

son 6000-B, and the
Skyways Ford pass in review
paying their respects to the
Wright brothers as they pass
by the granite monument at
Kill Devil Hills, North Car
olina, only days after
Hurricane Isabel slashed
through the Outer Banks.

Before being permanently retired, the

FAA's DC-3, N34, participated in the
tour. Used to check airway beacons
and instrument approach systems,
N34 was once a common sight.

The largest formation oftrimotors in many years pays their respects to

Meigs Field, even as the bulldozers tear it up below.

The reproduction of the "Spirit of We

natchee," the 1929 Bellanca Skyrocket built
by EAA Chapter 424, was on the tour. Unfor
tunately, the left main gear folded during
some gusty crosswinds, so the Bellanca had to
be trucked home to Washington state for re
pairs. We wish them well, and if you'd like to
know more about this adventurous project,
log on to www.spiritofwenatchee.org.

Waldo Anderson shep

herds Thomas Schrade's
Sikorsky S-38 around
the midwestern skies of
southern Michigan.

Kim Sailor was one of

the pilots and during
the overnight stop at
Lansing, Illinois, she
was privileged to wear
a dress designed by
Amelia Earhart, nor
mally displayed at the
Amelia Earhart Birth
place Museum in
Atchison, Kansas. Join
ing Kim at the tour stop
was her fian ce, Tom
Williamson.

The sight ofan

other Sikorsky
Amphibion off the
wingtip was enough
to put goose bumps
on anyone. Dick
and Patsy Jackson's
Sikorsky S-39 is
fram ed by the tail
of the S-38 "Spirit
ofOsa."

Clay Adams, Travel

Air pilot.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

19

NAT Diary

byH.G. Frautschy

Echoing John's comments, joining the

flew by at 500 feet. The group of Friends of

National Air Tour, if only for a few days,

Meigs Field supporters and their banner

was the chance of a lifetime. I jumped at

held high were clearly visible, and I'm sure

the opportunity to hop in the second

all of us felt the same frustration at the

Sikorsky 5-38 built by the late Buzz Ka

ability of one man to destroy such a valu

plan's company, Born Again Restorations.

able asset to the city of Chicago. We had all

Owned by Buzz's partner in the project,

looked forward to landing at that great

Thomas Schrade of Las Vegas, the plane

field, but Mayor Daley's destruction of

was being flown on the first portion of the

Meigs made that impossible.

tour by the amiable Waldo Anderson. We

It was an extraordinarily hazy day as we

waddled down the taxiway past a beam

flew north, and as I flew loose formation

ing pair of starters, Greg Herrick and the

with the 5-38 along the lakeshore, there

flag-waving Edsel Ford. Ford clearly en

was no discernable horizon unless you

joyed his immersion in vintage aviation, if

looked inland. Both Dick and I were mes

only for the morning.

merized by the same vision, as we could

Over 20 years ago, I spent the very start

see only the 5-38 framed in the windshield

of my professional career at Sikorsky Air

frame and struts. No lake, no shore, just

craft and had a black and white photograph

the haze tapering up to a bit of blue the fur

of the Sikorsky 5-40 Pan American Am

ther up you looked. The engine noise

phibion hanging by my desk. Never in my

seemed to be far in the background, and

wildest imaginings would I have believed

the two Amphibions were just suspended in

we'd be seeing its two predecessors in the

midair. It felt eerie. It truly was an amazing

air together, let alone me flying one, and

sight, one that none of us will forget.

then later the other. Flying magazine

The next day's leg to Wausau, Wiscon

columnist Lane Wallace and I traded the

sin, was with Ted Davis in John Coussens'

right seat of the 5-38, and we both mar

Travel Air, which gave me a great opportu

veled at the airplane's capabilities. With its

nity to look at a number of the other ships

hull suspended below the wing, and the

in the NAT flight. The lunch in Wausau,

twin outrigger booms stretching back to

hosted by the Chamber of Commerce (in

the twin fins, it seemed that the parts were

cluding VAA member Madonna McMahon)

flying in formation with the hull! Even more

was wonderful. Wausau was an original

amazing was looking out the window and

stop in 1928, and the home field of the

seeing Dick Jackson's incredible Sikorsky

winner of that year's tour, John P. Wood.

5-39 restoration flying in formation. The

Again, the people who turned out were fas

two Sikorskys were paired from the start

cinated with the visit, and wanted to know

until the 5-38 had to leave the tour be

as many details as we could relate about

cause of a commitment to fly the airplane

each aircraft. Greg Herrick's vision for the

for a movie (it served as a stand-in for

tour was vindicated each time we educated

the public about these grand airplanes.

Howard Hughes' 5-43).

It seemed every direction you looked,

Far too soon I, joined by my two chil

there was one of the tour's airplanes within

dren, Alden and Jenny, headed home in

sight, and at each stop, there were times

when it was hard to get away from the air

to take a day off of school and fly to

plane for a few necessary moments, as the

Wausau in the 5-38, including time spent

groups of enthusiastic visitors would crowd

standing up in the open hatch in the aft

EAA's Ford Tri-Motor. They had been able

around and pepper you with questions.

part of the cabin, enjoying the wind blast

What fun!

and the spectacular view. Before we de

H it was possible, the next day was just

parted, we watched the tour flyaway,

as incredible. I flew with Dick and Patsy

raising great clouds of dust as the aircraft

Jackson in their 5-39 from Lansing, Illinois,

roared off (well, some just purr instead of

to Milwaukee, via the Lake Michigan shore

roar) towards Minneapolis. At the risk of

line. Certainly the saddest segment of that

making Greg and the NAT staff apoplectic,

leg was flying by the site of Meigs Field,

I have to ask:

which they were actually bulldozing as we

20

JANUARY 2004

"Can we do it again?"

Even the spectators got in on the fun!

Ruth Coulson dressed up in period garb
for the tour's stop in Kalamazoo, Michi
gan. Ruth and her husband, Phil, later
joined the tour with the Waldo's Flying
Service New Standards, which flew the
tour and hopped rides at each stop.
in between. We were doctors,
lawyers, engineers, airline pilots,
and contractors. Our camaraderie
grew not from our occupations or
hometowns, but rather from the
common love of antique aircraft
that made us willing to give nearly a
month of our lives in order to fly
the tour. Nearly all of us made it
back to where we'd started, success
fully traveling over 4 ,000 miles
across 21 states, and we did it all to
gether. Yet suddenly it was over.
Leaving Willow Run after th e
tour, the sky was strangely void of
friends surrounding me. For the first
time in my life, flying felt odd and
empty and sad; the lump in my
throat stayed with me clear into
Iowa as I mourned the end of such a
grand adventure.
The next day, though, off by my
self in the middle of Iowa, I smiled. I
thought back to gaggles of biplanes
around me, to flying formation with
the New Standards, to framing two
Sikorskys between my struts as we
crossed the Chicago skyline .... Greg
Herrick, along with thousands of peo
ple across the country, I want to thank
you for dreaming so big. You were
right: flying the National Air Tour
truly was the chance of a lifetime.
P.S. If you missed the tour, check
www.nationalairtour.org and read the
e-mail updates! You'll get to share
the tour as it happened!
......

Don Pellegrino's original 1936 Rose Parakeet A-1. It is

powered by a Continental C-90. Don flew 260 cold miles
from Rhome, Texas.

Bill Byars of Okmulgee flew his rare Luscombe T8F to

Bartlesville. It's powered by a Lycoming 0235 of 135 hp.

THE 47TH ANNUAL TULSA REGIONAL FLY-IN

September 19-20, 2003, Bartlesville, Oklahoma

CHARLES W. HARRIS, SR. CO-CHAIRMAN
could not have been better if one had set out to
write the perfect script and then implemented
that mythical, impossibly perfect plan.
The weather was beyond belief.. .simply be
yond the ability to conceive; absolutely sheer
clear cloudless skies in virtually total calm, overlooking
manicured acres of thick grass parking; two incomparable
Oklahoma Indian summer 60- to 75-degree days, back to
back; what could more perfectly set the stage for the Tulsa
EAA Chapters to host the 47th Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In.
A turnout of 323 grand grass-roots airplanes came from
near and far. The variety was seemingly infinite! How is it
possible to park a 1929 OX-5 Command-Aire bathtub
cockpit biplane next to the most beautiful, highly pol
ished 1938 Spartan 7W; which is parked next to an
Executive parked next to a Grand Champion level 1936
SR-8C Gull Wing Stinson, which is, in turn, parked next
to an equally spectacular 1937 SR-9E Gullwing, which is
in turn parked next to a pristine and rare 1931 Davis D1
W? These beauties were placed on the west perimeter of
the Frank Phillips Field Ramp as Jim Younkin's stark white
DGA-6 Mulligan and u.S. Senator Jim Inhofe's brand
spanking new RV-8, sporting the insignia of the U.S.

Senate, occupied the front and center space. On the south

side of the ramp parked right in the middle of all this fin
ery was Steve Patterson's gorgeous 1979 Aero L-39C
Czech-Russian jet trainer whose camouflage paint had
been polished to a high-gloss sheen. That's the way the
ramp was parked, if you don't count the two glistening T
6s that were parked just west of Mulligan, or the C)-6 and
the Yak 52 parked just behind the T-6s. The T-6s and the
CJ-6 and Yak had arrived in the closest of practiced forma
tion, further exciting the several thousand aviation fans
on the field admiring the show airplanes.
But the showcase ramp airplanes were just the tip of
the iceberg. While we had a few airplanes on Thursday the
18th, Friday the 19th saw a healthy number arrive and by
Friday evening, we had nearly 100 aircraft in and grouped
into their respective categories. The body of the iceberg
came into full view on Saturday as the airplanes began to
arrive in big numbers even before 8:00 a.m. The enjoyable
and pleasantly cool 60-degree temps and crystal clear skies
coupled with near total calm brought the airplanes into
Frank Phillips Field like flies to a mid-summer outdoor
picnic table. And come they did, seemingly every make
and model that one can imagine-from Art and Betsy

Ken Clark of Tulsa shows us his rare 145-hp Wamer

powered Fleet 1.

Ken and Lorraine Morris arrive from Poplar Grove, flli

nois, in their championship-level Spartan Executive.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

21

Knowles' rare bathtub cockpit

brings the great music of the Big
47th Annual Tulsa Regional Fly-In
configured 1929 Command-Aire
Band
Era as background to the
Balloted Grand Champions
open biplane to Tom Gutmann's Grand Champion, Antique
fly-in activities when Bill is not
two brand new, fresh out of the
1938 Spartan 7W Executive , NC 17616 live on the microphone.
box, European-import super slick
Bill kept everyone alerted to
Ken & Lorraine Morri s , Poplar Grove , IL
composite 12S-hp CT2Ks, two of Grand Champion, Classic
the high-profile arrivals, both as
only three in the entire United
to the personalities and airplanes.
1953 Piper PA 20 Pacer
States. And they were all at
There aren't many fly-ins that
Frank Sperandeo, Fayetteville, AR
have the great fortune of an
Bartlesville! The display of fine Grand Champion, Contemporary
nouncing arrivals such as Ken
show planes was impressive.
1967 Grumman Widgeon, N 4453
and Lorraine Morris in their 7W
While we do not have a hard
Mark Trimble, Holl ister, MO
Spartan, or Jim Younkin in his
count on all affinity type air Grand Champion, Experimental
fabulous DGA-6 Mulligan, or Art
planes, we know we had 16
1961 Corben Baby Ace, N 385T
and Betsy Knowles in their OX-S
Luscombes, 14 Short Wing Pipers,
Jim Eck, Ponca City, OK
powered Command-Aire biplane,
13 Cubs, four or five Swifts, etc.
Grand Champion, UltralightlSport Aircraft
or, of all things in landlocked
There was a batch of RVs, I would
1998 Team Air Bike , NX 61453
northeastern Oklahoma, Mark
guess 12-1S, bu t we d idn't get a
Pau l Fiebich , Derby, KS
Trimble in his flaming red twin
good count or a good count on Grand Champion, Warbinl
300-hp Lycoming radial-powered
the 120/140s, 170s, 19Ss, but
1943 Fairchild M-62A, PT-19, N 54712
Grumman Widgeon amphibian!
there were a goodly number of
Alan Brakefield, Goldsby, OK
And there are even fewer fly
each group. Obviously, when 323 Chainnan's Choice
ins that can announce forum
airplanes attend, there was a lot of
1943 Howard DGA-15P N 9599H
everything on hand.
schedules, especially forums
Joe Dudley, Allen , OK, & Don Sharp,
There are few, if any, fly-ins
that include the chief of the en
Pauls Valley, OK
that keep their guests, patrons,
tire FAA medical section, Dr.
and staff as well-informed like the newcomers who might not know the Warren Silberman, who is t he best
thing tha t has happened to civil
annual Tulsa classic does. The pub history of sport aviation, its people,
lic address system is up and its airplanes, and its lore . Bill pro aviation regulatory medical matters.
operating early on so Bill Hare can vides the fly-in patrons with a He is a champion and without ques
keep everyone informed on impor constant array of up to the moment tion, the best the FAA has ever had.
tant happenings. Bill's vast reservoir information to assist the guests in
The forums included sessions on
current
during
the
show.
It
is
the
already mentioned FAA medical
staying
of aeronautical knowledge is a golden
matters,
aviation oils and lubricants,
resource to all, but most especially to this same sound system that also

John Smith of Greensboro, Georgia,

flew his 210-hp custom Swift 760
miles to Bartlesville.

Terry Wallace ofBedford, Texas, owns

this extremely rare 1931 Davis D1-W
It is powered by a 125-hp Warner.

A pair of fire-breathing 300-hp Ly

comings powered Mark Trimble's fire
red 1967 Grumman Widgeon. It was
the Contemporary Grand Champion.

There are few custom Stearmans as fine

as Ruth and Dwight Hill's 450-hp
1942 Boeing Model 75. The Hills are
from McPherson, Kansas.

Jerry Chappell ofPlains, Kansas,

has re-powered his 1950 Cessna 190
with a 360-hp Russian radial en
gine. It goes!

Joe Dudley ofAllen, Oklahoma,

parks his 1943 Howard DGA -15P. It
was the fly-in's Chairman's Choice
award winner.

22

JANUARY 2004

Cessna 120/140s, Cessna 170s,

Cessna 195s, the Luscombe 8 series,
Swifts, Cubs, short-wing Pipers,
Mooney Mites and Culvers, experi
mental autopilots, the RV series of
experimental airplanes, ultralights,
and light-sport aircraft, as well as a
forum on Getting Your Experimental
Certificated.
The big Phillips hangar south of
the FBO office was filled with people
all day Saturday buying things of in
terest to airplane people. In this area
we owe FBO David Harding a huge
vote of thanks for the use of the
hangar and the great Phillips avgas
discounted to $1.99/gallon.
And, speaking of Phillips 66, we
were pleasantly and singularly hon
ored on Saturday morning by the
visit to the busy ramp by newly ap
pOinted Phillips Aviation Manager
Steven McCullough, his lovely wife,
and their two children. They are new
residents of Bartlesville and we were
thrilled to have them out on the
ramp to enjoy the wonderful Okla
homa weather, the people, and of
course the airplanes. We showed
Steve the Ken and Lorraine Morris
perfectly polished 1938 Spartan Ex
ecutive, which Steve had trouble
believing was manufactured long be
fore he was born! Please, everyone,
remember Phillips is EAA's invalu
able partner in fuel support for the
Young Eagles program. Can you be
lieve it has been 10 years since we
initiated this Phillips 66-Young Ea
gles Fuel program for EAA? Then
Aviation Manager Jack Hammond
was very gracious and warmly recep
tive to our efforts. Later Aviation
Managers Jill Bogan and Mark Wag
ner were highly supportive of the
world of sport aviation. Steven Mc
Collough represents a whole new
fresh and inspired generation for
Conoco Phillips Aviation Sales and
will do extremely well; he is in
volved! And, Allen Bretz, director,
General Aviation Sales, has been
there all the way! Thank you Phillips
66! What a huge support program
this has been to now over 1,000,000
Young Eagles flights!
By mid-afternoon, the forums had

concluded and some of the airplanes,

which had been parked all the way
from the FBO ramp south to the ter
minal building ramp, began to
depart; we counted the ballots and
determined our winners.
We held the awards dinner in the
large lion the field" tent; the food
was excellent, the band and vocalists
outstanding, and the award winners
very deserving.
The 47th Annual Tulsa Regional
Fly-In had come to a conclusion. It
was a picture perfect fly-in under ab
solutely ideal conditions in a superb
location. This is one show we don't
have to take on the road six weeks to
get right!
The 47th was in the finest tradi
tion of all of its predecessors. The
planning and organizing committee
is already at work on the 48th, sched
uled for Bartlesville on September 17
and 18, 2004; hold your breath!
Our deepest thanks to the 200
plus volunteers whose unreserved
talent, dedication, and passion for
airplanes and airplane people made
......
this happen. Thanks!

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696E. 1700 Road
Baldwin City, KS 66006
800-544-8594
['ax 785-594-3922

www.mcfarlane-aviation.com
sales@ mcfarlane-aviation.com

Steve McGuire's Mooney Mite is all dressed up in RAF garb, including a fun set
of radio call letters. Steve flew combat patrol over the fly-in to ensure its safety.
He's from Ponca City, Oklahoma.

Allen Brakefield, a fly-in regular from Goldsby, Oklahoma, was honored when
his PT-19 was named "Best Warbird./I
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

23

GPS glitches

between the ears

DOUG STEWART
"Cleared for takeoff, left turn on
course approved," the tower instructed
me. Looking to the right to ensure that
no one was on final (never trust any
one ... not even the tower controller),
I taxied onto the runway. I applied full
power, and as the rudder gained re
sponsiveness I lifted the tail. Shortly
thereafter the mains left the runway,
and I was on my way back home after
dropping my son off to return to
school after a weekend home.
Observing local noise abatement
procedures, I climbed through 1,000
feet MSL before turning left on course. This route was be
coming quite familiar to me, now that my son was attending
school on the other side of the state from where we lived. I
was getting to know all the landmarks that defined the
route like the back of my hand. It wasn't a long trip, just less
than 100 miles by 1 mile, but it always took a lot longer go
ing back home into the westerly winds. Back when I used to
fly the Mirage for my boss to this same airport, the trip
home usually took a little under half an hour. In my Super
Cruiser it was more like an hour and a half trip.
Thus I was somewhat shocked when my GPS said the
ETE (estimated time en route) was more than 12 hours. I
also noted that the CD! (course deviation indicator) was
starting to drift off to the right, yet looking out the win
dow showed that I was right on course, directly over the
highway intersection that lay under the course line on my
chart. I checked the bearing to fly, and the GPS said 300
degrees. Hmm ... I thought my memory was starting to
go ... (those of you that know me, no comments!) . ..
Wasn't the course home a little west of that? More like
286 degrees?
While I was looking at the "distance remaining" on the
GPS the dawn of recognition started to light up in my brain
as the sun started to settle to the horizon out in front of
me. The GPS said I had 743 nautical miles to go until I
would be landing. As I mentioned earlier the distance from
KOWD to KGBR is only 99 nautical miles. The next data
field to check on the GPS was the waypoint field. Sure

Thus I was
somewhat shocked
when my GPS
said the ETE
(estimated time en route)
was more than
12 hours.

24

JANUARY 2004

enough, there was the problem. In

stead of saying KGBR (Great
Barrington, Massachusetts) it said
KGRB (Green Bay, Wisconsin).
Apparently a little bit of dyslexia
had crept in as I programmed my GPS for the flight home.
And for those of you who might ask "Were you in a hurry
when you programmed the GPS?" the answer would have
to be in the affirmative. Had I not been familiar with the
route I might not have noticed the problem as quickly, and
might have found myself well off course, and perhaps even
violating some airspace.
Herein lies one of the traps of GPS usage ... and there are
many traps. Whether because of haste, dyslexia, or a myr
iad of other reasons it is quite easy to incorrectly enter a
waypoint into our GPS. If we do not have a chart with a
course line drawn on it, and if we have not plotted our
true course and converted it to a magnetic course, we
might find ourselves rivaling Mr. Corrigan for "wrong
way" honors.
Now, although I was in some rather congested airspace
underlying the Boston Class B area, I would have to keep
my eyes in the cockpit while I reprogrammed the "direct
to" waypoint in my GPS. Fortunately I am rather intimately
familiar with the use of my GPS, and this would not take
long to do, but it would have my eyes inside the cockpit for
longer than I like when flying in busy airspace.
This is another problem that GPS can create. The prob
lem of too much "heads down" time. Even when a pilot is
familiar and conversant with the operation of a GPS, the
time it takes to program and edit the GPS takes away from
time when our eyes should be looking out the window for
that embedded aluminum. And if the unit is new to you, it

is all too easy to hit the wrong button and become totally
"lost" as you try to get back to the screen you were origi
nally viewing. (For those who know what buttons to push,
it's also very easy to hit the wrong one when the turbulence
starts to kick up.)
Another problem that GPS has created is that of more
frequent airspace incursion. Wait, you say, doesn't GPS give
us much better situational awareness? Indeed it does. But if
we blindly accept what the GPS says without backing that
up with a chart, and if we are using a less expensive unit
without a moving map, or have our moving map scaled
down to a small scale (to give better clarity to the map), we
might not see that we are about to (or perhaps already have)
bust some airspace. Believe me, it is happening all too often.
At the seminars I give on GPS usage I like to ask the au
dience the following questions. Please answer for yourself,
as well.
1. How many of you have a handheld or panel-mounted
GPS? Many hands usually go up for this one.
2. How many of you know how to program a "direct
to" waypoint? Usually the same number of hands is held
high.
3. How many of you know how to program a route on
your GPS? For this question the number of hands held up is
reduced by typically 50 percent to 75 percent.
4. And how many of you who know how to program a
route also know how to edit the route? At this point there
are usually only a few hands being held up. I would like to
say that if you cannot answer the last question in the affir
mative, you still have a great deal to learn about your GPS.
I would like to offer a few tips for better, and safer, use of
GPS navigation systems. If the unit is new to you, take it
home and learn how to use it in the "simulator" mode in
the comfort and safety of your favorite easy chair. In the
cockpit, in flight, is not the time to be learning how to use
your GPS! If using a handheld unit, program your route be
fore engine start. (In the winter it might be better to
program after engine start, but before taxiing, while the en
gine warms up.) Whether you have a handheld or
panel-mounted GPS, do not attempt to program your GPS
while you are taxiing. Too many runway incursions have
happened as a result of this, and taxi collisions have oc
curred when a pilot busy programming a GPS fails to see the
aircraft in front has stopped.
Do not neglect to have current charts available and ac
cessible in the cockpit, and use them. And last, but not least,
if you are a VFR pilot, do not get fooled into flying in visibil
ity conditions that would challenge you if you did not have
the security of your GPS. Remember, batteries die, external
power connections fail, and satellite reception can be lost. If
you couldn't fly in the weather conditions with just a chart,
a compass, and a watch, then you shouldn't be flying in
those conditions with the GPS as your crutch.
GPS is certainly becoming the navigation system of to
day. Learning the proper and safe usage of this system will
be one more way of making the transition from good pilot
to great pilot!
.......

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Wall panel sets
Headliners
Carpet sets
Baggage compartment sets
Firewall covers
Seat slings
Free catalog of complete product line.

Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors and

styles of materials: $3.00.

Qil1~RODUCTS,

INC.

259 Lower Morrisville Rd., Dept. VA

Fallsington, PA 19054 (215) 295-4115

website: www.airtexinteriors.com

Fax: 800/394-1247

WE'.

e. . .
D
hese are the first tools you need
to buy when you re~cover your
airplane. Anyone who has used them
will tell you they're the next best
thing to having one of our staff right
beside you. The VHS tape and the
DVD will give you the Big Picture,
and the manual will walk you step
by step through every part of the
process. You're never on your own
when you're using Poly~Fiber.

www.polyfiber.com
e-mail: info@polyfiber.com
Aircraf1; CoaUngs

800-362-3490
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

25

FLY-IN CALENDAR

ASO WA C 0

that's the airplane our paint job is

designed to duplicate.
At some point every airplane project
approaches completion, which means
it's time to start thinking about getting
the airplane certified and registered .
Sometimes that's as big a project as the
airplane was.
"We don't know how this project
would have turned out if we hadn't had
Richard Brandiger, a DAR, helping us
work out way through the certification
maze. He 's an ex-FAA employee and
not only knew the system, but also was
a never-ending source of how-to infor
mation. At every turn he was telling us
how we could do this thing, not how we
couldn't do it.
"By the time we got all our paper
work in order we had gotten
approvals for exactly twenty 337s,
some of which you wouldn't think
you'd need a 337 for. For instance, we
used some Taperwing parts and de
signs but had to 337 them because
they weren't original to the ASO."
"We don't know where to start
thanking people, but the American
Waco Club has to be right on the top of
the list. They were amazing in not only
the support of the project but in the in
formation they freely gave us.
"And then there's our friend Ron
Hasz who is the go-to-guy for all things
mechanical. He has a way of knowing
everything about everything and was a
real guiding hand on this project."
When they got the airplane flying
in the spring of 2003, they say it was
everything they hoped it would be
and more.
"We're coming over the fence at
least 20 miles per hour slower and visi
bility is much better because the
fuselage isn't barreled out like the Ta
perwing is. I'm still nervous as a cat on
landing, but nothing like it was with
the other airplane.
You'd think that just getting such a
monstrous project finished would be
excitement enough, but there was still a
lot to come for the AlIens.
"When Greg Herrick announced
his plans for the Air Tour we thought
'Hey, we have an airplane with an Air
II

:.....,;~~-~

..."'"

The following list ofcoming events is furnished to our

readers as a matter of information only and does 1I0t con
stitute approval, sponsorship, involvement, control or
direction of any event (fly-in, seminars, fly market, etc.)
listed. To submit an event, please log on to
www.eaa.org/evenrs/events. asp. Only if Internet ac
cess is unavailable should you send the information
via mail to :, AU: Vintage Airplan e, P.O. Box 3086,
Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. infomJation should be received
four months prior to the event date.

June 16-19, 2004-Lock Haven, Pa

19th Annual Sentimental Journey
to Cub Haven 2004. Fly-in, drive
in, camp. Info: 570-893-4200 or

j2cub@kenet.oTg
July 27-August 2, 2004-EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh (KOSH) . www.airventuTe.oTg

JUNE 18-20

Golden West EAA Regional FJy-Jn

Marysville, CA (MYV)

www.goldenwestflyin.org

JUNE 26--27
Rocky Mountain EM Regional Fly-In
Longmont, CO (2V2)
www.rmrfi.org

JULY 711

Northwest EM Fly-In

Arlington, WA (AWO)

www.nweaa.org

JULY 27AUGUST 2

EM AirVenture Oshkosh

Oshkosh, WI (OSH)

www.airventure.org

AUGUST 2729

Mid-Eastern EM Fly-In

Marion, OH (MNN)

www.eaa.orgj communicationsj
eaanewsj 030S22_merfi.html

SEPTEMBER 18-19

Virginia State EAA Fly-In

Petersburg, VA (PTS)

www.vaeaa.org

OCTOBER 13

Southeast EM Regional Fly-In

Evergreen, AL (GZH)

www.serfi.org

OCTOBER 7-10

Copperstate EM Regional Fly-In

Phoenix, AZ (A39)

www.copperstate.org
26

JANUARY 2004

continued from page 15

II

Tour paint job and we'd love to be in

something like that.' But, we didn't re
ally have any contacts or know
anyone who could vouch for us and
get us included. So, we just called Greg
cold and told him what we had and
that we'd like to come along. Just like
that, he said, yes.
"We're literally on cloud nine. First,
the airplane is exactly what we want but
the Air Tour puts us in contact with
some really heavy hitters and we have to
pinch ourselves, it's so unbelievable./I
Was the humungous project worth
all the effort? To hear Dave talk about
it, it was.
"Every so often I'll be on short final
and I'll hear a little voice in the back
of my head say, 'Hey, you did it. You're
flying your own Waco,' and I have to
tell you it just doesn't get any better
than that."
If you spend long enough with
Dave and Jeanne for their euphoric
grins to soften enough to allow them
to philosophize, you'll find that be
neath it all, they think their big blue
Waco is carrying a message.
"None of us are getting any younger
and on top of that the number of fly
able, or even restorable, antiques are
getting harder to come by, and they're
definitely not getting cheaper. A lot of
folks are getting priced out of the game.
We don't see any younger folks coming
into our part of the aviation commu
nity and that shouldn't be . If we , a
husband and wife, can do it, others can
too. We did it the hard way, but I hope
others can see that there's a way you
can get in to big antiques without hav
ing to spend a fortune . You'll spend a
small fortune maybe, but not a big one.
We've proven that. We wanted a big bi
plane, couldn't afford it, but found a
way to do it.
"On seeing our airplane, so many
people say"... gee I wish I could, but I
can't ... " and the way I see it, if you
say you can't, you can't. But, believe
me, if we can, anyone can . If there is
one thing I hope people take away from
visiting with our airplane, and us, it is
that it can be done. Simple as that.
Nicely said.
........

II

~a

:.;;

TM

NEW MEMBERS

Dave Miller .... . . .. . ..... . . Comox, BC, Canada

Ian Sutcliffe ............ Unionville, ON, Canada

Allessandro Spiritelli ........... San Giorgio, Italy

Michael K. Armstrong ............. Fairbanks, AK

Laurence R. Hunt .. . ......... . .. .. .. Lillian, AL

Mark Nowell .... . ......... .. . .... .. Ozark, AL

Ralph A. Baxter . .... .. .. .. . Rolling Hills Esta, CA

Dean C. Frost ..................... Phelan, CA

Bruce McLemen ... .. . ... . .. ..... Camarillo, CA

Larry Rose ..... . .. . ..... ....... Bakersfield, CA

Jack H. Wismeyer ................. Montara, CA

Charley William Zurian ... . . ..... . Ca marillo, CA

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Robert E. Lackey .... . .. . . ... .. . .... Aurora, CO

Peter Ludke ..................... Durango, CO

Jim Shuey . . ...... . .. .. ... .. . . ... .. Parker, CO

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Charles H. Silcox .. . .. . .. . .. . .... Clearwater, FL

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Robert A. Kuhns . . . ...... ...... . . .. Geneseo, IL

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Marion Holmes ......... ..... .. . River Ridge, LA

William Johnson . .. .............. Littleton, MA

Jeffrey R. Melzack .............. ... Walpole, MA

John Mici ..... .... .. . .. . .. .. .... Bedford, MA

John A. Pardee .................. Westboro, MA

Th omas W. Guthrie ............... Worton, MD

Winston T. Mann ............. Adamstown, MD

Gerry Bryce ........... . .. ..... Shelby Twp., MI

Michael J. Mauer ........... . .. . ... Davison, MI

Bernard T. Strong . .. . .......... Traverse City, MI

Ross O. Warner .............. Benton Harbor, MI

Donald M. Larson . ........... . Zimmerman, MN

Steve Undis . . . . ... . ....... .. . . .. Excelsior, MN

Robert Sneberger . .. ......... ... .. Alberton, MT

John S. Thomas . . .......... . .... Pinehurst, NC

Jack Meyer ........................ Dover, NH

Jon T. Daffer ................. AJbuquerque, NM

William Jakobleff . .. .... . ..... . ... Ashland, NY

Jeff Morrow .............. . . Mount Vernon, NY

Robert S. Storms ............. .. .. Rochester, NY

Dylan Sujet .................. .. . . Clinton, NY

Steve Garcia ..... .... .. .. ... . .. Columbus, OH

Daniel Mapp ................ .. ... Dayton, OH

Peter Petersen, IV ......... . .... Chesterland, OH

Jim Black ..... ........ .. .. .... Bartlesville, OK

Darrell Lynch ...... ............... Lawton, OK

Ron Coffman ... .. .. . ...... . . Central Point, OR

James R. Ott .. .. . ... ... ... .. ....... .. Bath, PA

Steve D. Lewis . . . ............ . Elizabethton, TN

John C. Parker . . ...... . ... .. ...... Hixson, TN

James Allison ...................... Marfa, TX

Bobby Coyle ............. .. .. .... ... Rice, TX

Aaron C. Cummins . .. ...... . . ... . Midland, TX

Mark E. Eaton ................... Seabrook, TX

Chris Freeland . .. ......... ..... .... . Early, TX

Louis W. Hastings ............ ... ... Boerne, TX

David W. Mason . .................. Reklaw, TX

Van Rippstein .. ..... . ... ... . New Braunfels, TX

Jack Smith ........ .. ... .. . ..... . Big Sandy, TX

Tim O. Snow ..... .......... .. .. Huntsville, TX

Robert W. Walters MD ........ . . San Antonio, TX

Tracy A. Ake . ... .. ... .......... Centerville, VA

John J. Ziegler ................ Williamsburg, VA

Cuteill Young ........ .... ...... . St. Thomas, VI

George C. Wright, Jr.. ... ... . ......... Derby, VT

Wil Byers .................. West Richland, WA

Scott Holland .................... Graham, WA

John Ireton ...... . .. ........... Anacortes, WA

Jim S. Moss ................... .. . Buckley, WA

Gregory J. Books .......... .. ... .... . Omro, WI

Ryan Books . . ............... . ... .. . Omro, WI

Sarah J. Books .... ... .... .. .. ....... Omro, WI

David j. Courtney.... .. .... ....... Hartford, WI

Tye Hammerle ... .. ... .. .. .... .. . Kenosha, WI

Mark Alan Heusdens.. ... . ..... . . . Rochester, WI

Joe McNally . . ................... Janesville, WI

William G . Tuchscherer .... ........ Oshkosh, WI

Ken Whyte ... . ............ ... .. Brookfield, WI

David J. Humphreys ........ Shepherdstown, WV

Michael Lakin ................ . Charleston, WV

Joe Hutchison ........ .. ... ....... APO, AE, US

~
VINTAGE AIRPLANE

27

VINTAGE

TRADER

Something to buy, sell or trade?

TAKE SOME OF THE EXPERIMENTING

OUT OF HOMEBUILDING

Feb 6-8

llC \Ak>lrlir,n

Feb 20-22
Feb 21-22

lakeland, FL Composite Construction Fabric Covering

campus)

(Sun'll Fun

8ectrical Systems, Wiring, & Avionics

Introduction to Aircraft Building
Sheet Metal Basics

Feb 27-29

Corona,CA

RV Assembly

March 6-7

Dallas, TX

Composite Construction
8ectrical Systems, Wiring, & Avionics
Fabric Covering Sheet Metal Basics
Introduction to Aircraft Building Gas Welding

Classified Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words,

180 words maximum , with boldface lead -in on
first line.
Classified Display Ads : One column wide
(2 .167 inches) by 1, 2, or 3 inches high at $20
per inch. Black and white only, and no fre
quency discounts.
Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second
month prior to desired issue date (i.e., January 10
is the closing date for the March issue). VM re
serves the right to reject any advertising in conflict
with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per is
sue. Classified ads are not accepted via phone.
Payment must accompany order. Word ads may
be sent via fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail (clas
satis@eaa.org) using credit card payment (all cards
accepted). Include name on card, complete ad
dress, type of card , card number, and expiration
date. Make checks payable to EM. Address ad
vertising correspondence to EM Publications
Classified Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh,
WI 54903-3086
BABBITT BEARING SERVICE - rod bearings, main
bearings, bushings, master rods, valves, piston
rings. Call us Toll Free 1/800/233-6934, e-mail
ramremfg@aof.com Website www.ramengine.com
VINTAGE ENGINE MACHINE WORKS , N. 604
FREYA ST., SPOKANE, WA 99202.
Airplane T-Shirts

150 Different Airplanes Available

WE PROBABLY HAVE YOUR AIRPLANE!

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1-800-645-7739
THERE'S JUST NOTHING LIKE IT

ONTHEWEBI!

www.aviation-giftshop.com
A Website With The Pilot In Mind
(and those who love airplanes)
Warner engines. Two 165s, one fresh O.H.,
one low time on Fairchild 24 mount with all
accessories. Also a fresh O.H. 145, 1938
Fleet 1OF, Helton Lark, and Aeronca C-3.
Find my name and address in the Officers
and Directors listing and call evenings. E.
E. "Buck" Hilbert.
Flying wires available. 1994 pricing. Visit
www.f/yingwires.com or call 800-517-9278.
For Sale - 1939 Spartan Executive, 3500TT,
10 SMOH. 214-354-6418.
1942 AERONCA L3B: AWARD WINNING AN
TIQUE WARBIRD TAILDRAGGER.
METICULOUSLY RESTORED. RECENT
RECOVER. TSMOH 146.63. $35,000. 860

455-9929

1-800-WORKSHOP
1-800-967-5746
YOU CAN BUILD IT! LET EAA TEACH YOU HOW.
28

JANUARY 2004

FOR SALE: 1941 AERONCA CHIEF. 1398 nAF,

115 SMOH, CONT. A65-8, SUPERIOR AIR PARTS
MILLENNIUM CYLINDERS, SENSENICH WOOD
PROp, scon 2000 TAILWHEEL, SHIELDED
IGNITION, TANIS ENGINE HEATER, SLICK
MAGS, AMERI-KING ELT, W/AERO M2000 SKIS.
$25,000. 715-362-4732

Membership Services
VINTAGE

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

Directory'

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

OFFICERS
President
Espie ' Butch' Joyce
704 . Regional Rd.
Greensboro, NC 27425
336-6683650
windsock@aoLcom

Vice-Preside nt
George Daubner
2448 Lough Lane

Hartford, WI 53027

262-6735885
vaaflyboy@msn.com

Secretary

Treasurer
Charles W. Harris
7215 East 46th St.
Tulsa, OK 74147
9186228400

Steve Nesse
2009 Highland Ave.
Albert Lea, MN 56007
5073731674

stnes@deskmedia.com

cwh@hvsu.com

DIRECTORS
Steve Bender
85 Brush Hill Road
Sherborn, MA 01770
5086537557

sstlO@comcast.net

Dale A. Gustafson
7724 Shady Hills Dr.
Indianapolis, IN 46278
3172934430
dalefaye@msn.com

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

jeannle Hill
P.O. Box 328
Harvard, IL 60033'()328
8159437205

dinghao@owc.net

john Berendt
7645 Echo POint Rd.
Cannon Falls, MN 55009
5072632414
fchld@rronnect.com

Steve Krog

1002 Heather Ln.

Hartford, WI 53027

262-966-7627

sskrog@ao\.com

Robert C. "Bob" Brauer

9345 S. Hoyne
Chicago, II. 60620
7737792105
photopilot@aol.com

Robert D. "Bob" Lumley

1265 South 124th St.
Brookfield, WI 53005
262782-2633
lumper@execpc.com

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

Gene Morris

5936 Steve Court

Roanoke, TX 76262

8174919110

n03capt@flash.net

john S. Copelaod
Northborough, MA 01532
5083934775
cope1andl@juno.com

Dean Richardson

1429 Kings Lynn Rd

Stoughton, WI 53589

6088778485

dar@aprilalre.com

Phil Coulson
28415 Springbrook Dr.
Lawton, MI 49065
2696246490
IcouLson516@cs.com

Geoff Robison
1521 E. MacGregor Dr.
New Haven, IN 46774
2604934724
chief7025@ao\.com

Roger GomoU
8891 Airport Rd, Box C2
Blaine, MN 55449
763-786-3342
pledgedrive@msncom

S.H. "Wes" Schmid

2359 Lefeber Avenue
Wauwatosa, WI 53213
414-7711545
shschmid@milwpc.com

lA Deacon Street

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

Web Site: http://www_eaa_org and http://www_airventure_org
E-Mail: vintage @ eaa_org

EAA and Division Membership Services

800-843-3612 .. ........... FAX 920-426-6761
Monday-Friday
(8:00 AM-7:00 PM
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CSn

(NAFI)

Address chan ges

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Programs and Activities

EAA AirVenture Fax-On-Demand Directory
....................... . .... 732885-6711
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Build/ restore information ...... 920-426-4821
Chapters: locating/organizing . . 920-426-4876
Education . ............ ... ... 920-426-6815
EAA Air Academy
EAA Scholarships

Gene Chase

2159 Carlton Rd.

Oshkosh, WI 54904
920-2315002
GRCHA@Charter.net

E.E. "Buck" Hilbert

P.O. Box 424
Union, 11 60180
8159234591
buck7aC@mc.net

EAA Aviation Foundation

Artifact Donations ........... 920-426-4877
Financial Support ........... . 800-236-1025

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft Associ
ation, Inc. is $40 for one year, including 12 issues of
SPORT AVlA110N. Family membership is available
for an additional $10 annually. Junior Membership
(under 19 years of age) is available at $23 annually.
All major credit cards accepted for membership.
(Add $16 for Foreign Postage.)

VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

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

lAC

DIRECTORS

EMERITUS

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

Flight Instructor information ... 920-426-6801
Flying Start Program .. . ....... 920-426-6847
Library Services/Research ...... 920-426-4848
Medical Questions .. ... .. . .. . . 920-426-4821
Technical Counselors .... .. .... 920-426-4821
Young Eagles ... ............. . 920-426-4831
Benefits
AUA ...... .. .. . ............ 800-7273823
EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan ... 866-647-4322
Term Life and Accidental ...... 8002416103
Death Insurance (Harvey Watt & Company)
Editorial .. .................. 920-426-4825
.. ..... ..... ...... .. .... FAX 920-426-4828
Submitting article/photo
Ad vertising information

Current EAA members may join the interna

tional Aerobatic Club, Inc. Division and receive
SPORT AEROBATICS magaZin e for an addi
tional $45 per year.
EAA Membership, SPORT AEROBATICS
magaZine and one year membership in the lAC
Divi sion is available for $55 per year (SPORT

AVIATION magaZine not included). (Add S15

for Foreign Postage.)

WARBIRDS
Current EAA members may join the EAA War
birds of America Division and receive WARBlRDS
magazine for an additional $40 per year.
EAA Membership, WARBIRDS magazine
and one year membership in the Warbirds Divi
sion is available for $50 per year (SPORT
AVIATION magazine not included). (Add S7 for
Foreign Postage.)

EAA EXPERIMENTER
Current EAA members may receive EAA
EXPERIMENTER maga zi n e for an addi
tional $20 per year.
EAA Membership and EAA EXPERIMENTER
magazine is available for $30 per year (SPORT
AVIATION magaZine not included). (Add S8 for
Foreign Postage.)

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

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

Copyright 2004 by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association

All rights reserved.
VINTAGE AIRPlANE (ISSN 0091-6943) IPM 40032445 is published and owned exclusively by the EM Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviation
Center. 3000 Poberezny Rd. P.O. Box 3086. Oshkosh. WlSCOOsin 54903-3086. Periodicals Postage paid at Oshkosh. Wisconsin 54901 and at additiooal mailing offICeS. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EM
Vintage Aircraft Association. P.O. Box 3086. Oshkosh. WI 54903-3086. Return Canadian issues to Station A. PO Box 54 . WindSQ(. ON N9A 6JS. FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months
fOf delive<y of VINTAGE AIRPlANE to foreign and APO addresses via SUlface mail. ADVERTlSING - Vintage Aircraft Association does not guarantee Of endorse any product offered through the advertising. We invite
constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken.
EDITORIAL POLICY: Readers are encouraged to subm~ stories and photographs. Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors. Responsibility fOf accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the
contributOf. No renumeration is made. Material should be sent to: Ed~Of. VINTAGE AIRPlANE. P.O. Box 3086. Oshkosh. WI 549033086. Phone 9201426-4800.
EMe and SPORT AVIATION", the EM Logo" and Aeronautica~ are registered trademarks. trademarks. and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association. Inc. The use of these trademarks and service
marks without the permission of the Experimental Aircraft Association. Inc. is strictly prohi b~ed .
The EM AVIATION FOUNDATION Logo is a trademark of the EM Aviation Foundation. Inc. The use of this trademark without the permission of the EM Aviation Foundation. Inc. is strictly prohibited.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

29

Order Online:

http://shop.eaa.org

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

Adult md
Adult 19
Adult xl
Adult 2x

VlOl02 .. $42.95
Vl0l03
Vl0l04
Vl0l05

Youth sm
Youth md
Youth 19
Youth xl

Polo . . ... $21.95

This 100% cotton polo with a tone

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

Sm ............... .... Vl1442

Md ................... V07041

Lg .................. V07042

Xl ............
... V07043

V00605 .. $38.95
V00606
V00607
V00608

Pilot Bear Bank .... $12.95

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

Bank

V5l479

Black

.......... $39.95

This black pocket polo has a tan

bird's-eye trim and the Vintage
logo in tone-on-tone.

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

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

Picture Frame
Weather Vane . . V00711

$45.95

Beautifully crafted wooden

frame in three sizes.
4x6 .. ... V01207 ..... $23.99
5x7 ..... V01220 ... . . $24.99
8xl0 .... . V01222 ..... $28.99

Traveler Print Bag . ....... $39.95

Take your essentials or throw

together a days necessities
into this 12x14 travel companion.
Choose a vertical bag
with cloth handles
or a horizontal bag
with black handles.

Bag . .......... V01168

Blue Trim Polo . ....... $39.95

Three-piece Baby Outfit

~
Set includes a soft t-shirt appliqued
with an airplane, pants and hat.
State color choice of blues or pinks.

6 month size . .... V03130

12 month size .... V03131

Butter cream in color with two blue

stripes on the collar and sleeve
edge, this polo is made of 100%
combed cotton.

Sm . ................... V11437

Md . ................... V07027

19 ..... .. ............. V07028

Xl ...... . ............. V07029

John Reynolds
Jonesville, WI

Home bose:
Poplor Grove, IL
Most notable flight: EAA
Ford Trimotor Ground
Schoo/, October 2000
Presently working on
glider rating

"The security of AUA insurance is priceless

and the Safe Flying Discount on
insurance rates can't be beat."

- John Reynolds

AUA is Vintage Aircraft Association approved. To become a member of VAA call 80084336 J2.

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

800-727-3823

Fly with the pros... fly with AUA Inc.

~~QualitYCheCked

Certified Pre-owned

~
.( Manufacturer's 6-year / 75,OOO-mile
powertrain limited warranty backed
by Ford
-( 115-point inspection
-( 24-hour roadside assistance

-( Vehicle history report

.( Service available at any Ford,
Lincoln or Mercury Dealer
nationwide
.( A full tank of gas, fresh oil
and filter at delivery

LINCOLN
PR E MIER C E RTIFIED PRE-OWNED

1ll Manufacturer's comprehensive

1!1 6-year/ 75 ,OOO-mile limited
warranty backed by Ford

1ll A full tank of gas, fresh

oil and filter at delivery

ur

ur your first M otorcrafr" oil and

1ll Service available at any Ford,

Lincoln or Mercury Dealer
nationwide

ffi

111 Complimentary certi ficate for

141 -point inspection

ur

filter change
24-hour roadside assi stance

MERCURY

CERTIFIED PRE OWNED

Manufacturer's 6-year /75,OOO-mile

, powertrain limited warranty backed
by Ford
115-point inspection
24-hour roadside assistance

d\ Vehicle hi story report

Service available at any Ford,
Lincoln or Mercury Dealer
nationwide
~ A full tank of gas, fresh oil
and filter at delivery

For a certified pre-owned dealer and special financing options,

visit www.fordcpo.com or call 866-222-6798.