JACK J.

PELTON
COMMENTARY / TOWER FREQUENCY

Kids and the WOW Factor

Fostering youth participation in aviation starts with an attention-grabber
BY JACK J. PELTON

OUR MISSION IS TO preserve and promote all forms of personal and

private aviation. Its a big job. And the most fundamental task in pre-
serving private aviation for the future is to attract the next
generation to ying.
EAAs Young Eagles program leads all of aviation in introducing
youngsters to the joy of ight. Soon we will have given 2 million
young people an airplane ride. But the Young Eagles program is
actually the second step in attracting kids. The rst job is to get
their attention.
With social media, television, and movies all competing for
young peoples often short attention spans we need something that
really stands out. Something that delivers the WOW factor to grab a
kids attention. And thats a primary reason we devote so much effort
to the air show at our annual y-in and convention at Oshkosh.
Pilots of every experience level can enjoy an air show and be
impressed by the ying skill of the performers. But to grab kids
attention we need a show that is loud, fast, and thrilling to watch.
Weve put on those shows for decades here at Oshkosh, but this year
for the rst time the Air Force Thunderbirds will perform in our
show Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
When it comes to WOW, nothing beats the Thunderbirds or the
Navys Blue Angels. Flying in close formation in frontline jet ghters
just cant be beat for high-speed action and thrills. Its been that way
since the early 1950s when the jet teams were formed.
None of this is news to the Air Force and Navy. They created and
support the teams primarily as a recruiting tool. They know an air
show by the teams is one of the best ways to get young peoples
attention and interest in joining the service. We want to attract the
same group to all types of ying.
The reason the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels havent own at
Oshkosh before is because our air show aerobatic box hasnt been
large enough. Because the jets y faster than propeller airplanes
more airspace, and space on the ground, needs to be protected.
Businesses and residences to the east of Runway 18/36 at Oshkosh
are located in the larger aerobatic box needed for the jet show. Im
happy to say that the nearby businesses and homeowners have been
pleased to cooperate so the Thunderbirds can y.
The jets also require more of a safety buffer on the show side, the
west side of Runway 18/36. The required safety zone from the run-
way centerline to the closest spectators is typically called the burn
line, and all of us will need to move back to the west several feet on
the days when the Thunderbirds y. We
wont need to move airplanes that are tied
down near the runway, but people wont be
able to be in the rst couple rows of parked
airplanes during the show.
It has been a big project for the EAA
staff and volunteers to work out the details
to bring the Thunderbirds to Oshkosh, and
we very much appreciate the cooperation
of our neighbors who live and work close
to the airport. I think the effort is abso-
lutely vital.
If we dont succeed in enticing the next
generation to join us in our love of ying and
personal aviation, all will be lost. The average
age of people who y and participate in
private aviation goes up each year. The
Thunderbirds cant solve this problem by
themselves, but they will add new excitement
to our air show, and EAA supports all air
shows across the country where attendance
remains strong. Nothing grabs the attention
of young people faster than an exciting air
show, and this year Oshkosh promises to
bring the most WOW ever.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY www.eaa.org1

 A PUBLICATION OF THE EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Contents
Vol.63 No.7 | July 2014

F E AT U R E S D E PA R T M E N T S BETTER PILOT

50
The Short-Field Top Guns
COMMENTARY

01 Tower FrequencyJack J. Pelton

86

90
Stick & RudderWhat Now?

What Went WrongTailwind Leads

Go Nose to Nose to a Stall
Bush babies at AirVenture 06 Letters to the Editor
By Budd Davisson 94 Ill Never Do That AgainAlmost Gear-Up
16 Left SeatJ. Mac McClellan in a Champ

58
The RANS Stu
20 Flying LessonsLane Wallace HANDS ON

A story of bicycles, airplanes, and one very 24 Savvy AviatorMike Busch 96 What Our Members Are Building/Restoring
brainy head to wear many hats
By James Lawrence 30 Light FlightDave Matheny 100 Innovation on the FlyFear and Loathing for China

68
Thunder Over Oshkosh
34

40
Dream Build FlyBrady Lane

Plane TalkLauran Paine Jr.

104 Hints for HomebuildersMaking Smooth Transitions,
Tactile Toggle Switches

USAF Thunderbirds highlight EAAs biggest 106 Shop TalkDuplicating Parts the Easy Way
air show ever presented by Rockwell Collins 44 ContrailsJe Skiles
By J. Mac McClellan MEMBER CENTRAL
NEWS & INFO

76
Legacy of the Liberator
10 Advocacy & Safety
Governmental Issues
111
114
116
Member Central
Pilot Caves
News From HQ
129
132
134
Member Benets
FlyMart
Classied Ads
Flying the most-produced bomber in its 123 Gone West 136 EAAs Logbook
75th anniversary year 14 FlightlineIndustry News 124 Members and
By Je Skiles Chapters in Action

ON THE COVER: Tyson Rininger captured all six Thunderbirds ying in For more on many of the topics in this issue, visit www.SportAviation.org. To view and

perfect formation at an air show in California. submit aviation events, visit www.EAA.org/calendar.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRADY LANE www.eaa.org3

 Vol.63 No.7 | July 2014

EAA PUBLICATIONS
Founder: Paul H. Poberezny
Publisher: Jack J. Pelton, EAA Chairman of the Board
Vice President of Marketing: Rick Larsen
Editor-in-Chief: J. Mac McClellan
Associate Editor: Meghan Hefter
Assistant Editor: Katherine Pecora
Senior Graphic Designer: Chris Livieri
Graphic Designer: Jenny Hussin
News Editor: Ric Reynolds
Copy Editor: Colleen Walsh
Multimedia Journalist: Brady Lane
Visual Properties Administrator: Jason Toney
Intern: Antonio Davis
Print/Mail Manager: Randy Halberg
Contributing Editor: Jim Busha
Contributing Writers: Charlie Becker, Mike Busch, Budd Davisson,
James Lawrence, Dave Matheny, Lauran Paine Jr., Mark Phelps,
Robert Rossier, Je Skiles, Lane Wallace

ADVERTISING
Vice President of Business Development:
Dave Chaimson / dchaimson@eaa.org
Advertising Manager: Sue Anderson / sanderson@eaa.org
Business Relationship Manager: Larry Phillip / lphillip@eaa.org

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086

Phone: 920-426-4800 Fax: 920-426-4828
E-mail: editorial@eaa.org Website: www.EAA.org

Need to change your address or have other membership

questions, call 800-564-6322 (800-JOIN EAA).

EAA and SPORT AVIATION, the EAA Logo and AERONAUTICA are registered trade-
marks, trademarks, and service marks of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. The
use of these trademarks and service marks without the permission of the Experimental
Aircraft Association, Inc. is strictly prohibited.

4Sport AviationJuly 2014

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
SAVING OUR HISTORY
AS IS USUAL, THE MAY issue of Sport Aviation was chock-full of
interesting and informative articles. One in particular had a
personal ring to it for me. The piece on the Parts Magicians
by Lane Wallace truly shed light on those individuals who
are responsible for assisting in much of the various complex
aircraft restorations that have been accomplished and continue
to be done even today. These folks are to be commended for
having the foresight to save and, in some cases manufacture, the
components necessary for the successful completion of many
difficult civilian and ex-military restoration projects. Possibly
because of space limitations, however, some of the earliest of
historic aircraft and parts salvage people were not included.
Those individuals certainly deserve a nod of recognition.
The foremost savers of 1930s aircraft, and especially 40s
warplanes, which our military routinely scrapped, were forward
thinkers like Ed Maloney and Frank Tallman in California (one
of the planes Frank saved from the scrappers in the 50s was my
Corsair), Junior Burchinal in Texas (who saved and gave ight
instruction in several WWII warbirds and checked me out in his
T-Bird 25 years ago), Earl Reinert in Illinois (who had parts for
me when restoring my Corsair 35 years ago), and Wally Soplata
in Ohio, to name a few. These guys have almost faded from our
collective memories but were the real pioneers in this eld, and
many planes, and parts thereof, are now ying because of them.
The aviation community was fortunate to have had them, the
earliest Parts Magicians.
_ _
Lou Antonacci, EAA 73154
Hampshire, Illinois
6Sport AviationJuly 2014
Why We Do It
I WANTED TO TELL you how much I enjoyed
reading Bradys article Oshkosh or Bust
(Dream Build Fly, May 2014). I often struggle
to explain to my nonying friends and
family what drives me to build and/or why
spending a week at an airport in Wisconsin
(or Lakeland) is so satisfying. He really
nailed it in a very eloquent way. Great job!
_
Mike Swain, EAA 1082870
Jacksonville, Florida
THANK YOU, thank you, thank you, Brady,
for writing this article (Dream Build Fly,
May 2014). I just nished it, and you were
nailing me to a T! Thats exactly what
I felt last year when I ew to OSH in a
friends Mooney for my rst ever visit.
I have been a hangar rat since I was a
kid, but never had the money to make the
trip. I was accepted by everyone I met,
the people we camped with in Vintage
parking, the volunteers, the food servers,
everyone was just happy you were there.
We camped under the trees, made new
friends and memories I will never forget.
Your article had helped fan the ames
of staying in the arena and not giving up. I
was totally blown away with the Roosevelt
quote. We will fail when we try, but we
must keep trying.
_
Andy Espinosa, EAA 1116622
Richmond, Texas
B-29 Cure
THANKS FOR THE B-29 article, Lauran!
(Plane Talk, May 2014). Like you said, it
gets expensive. I always ight planned
400 gph at normal cruise. Also a thought
about an instance on tour a long time
ago. Bob Freeman had served as a gunner
in Guam. Bob was working the front
end and Millie in back. Guy comes up to
Bob and wants to look. Bob gets him up
inside FIFI, and they ended up talking/
reminiscing for several hours. Later his
wife gets Millie aside and says, What in
the world? He had a stroke years ago and
hasnt said a word for years, and now he
talked to Bob for hours!
Randy Sohn, EAA Lifetime 2054
Savage, Minnesota
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PBY Reverie
THIS MONTHS STORY of the PBY brought
back many memories of ying in the
PBY while living in Southeast Alaska in
the 60s (Take the Long Way Home,
May 2014). Alaska Coast/Ellis Airlines
ew a number of these aircraft as well
as a eet of Grumman Gooses. They
were remarkable airplanes and so well
suited for ying in an area that had water
everywhere, very few roads, and isolated
villages. I think only one of the PBYs
still had the bubbles, and all had been
converted to carry passengers along with
a more powerful radial engine. Just had
to fall in love with these airplanes, and
the PBY still is my favorite.
_
Howard Patton, EAA 852587
Panama City, Florida

Decades of Glasairs THE TAKE THE LONG WAY HOME article

MY COMPLIMENTS on Budd Davissons outstanding article regarding the in the May issue brought back fond
35th anniversary of Tom Hamiltons team and the development of the memories of watching Air Force PBYs
Glasair kit series (35 Years of Fast Glas, May 2014). Great recognition (AO-10s) landing and taking off at Lac
of the successful development of the rst molded composite kit series De Morbihan a few miles south of the
resulting in the Glasair Is through the Glasair IIIs. Labrador border in Quebec.
I met Tom Hamilton at Arlington, Washington, and ew with During open water months they were
him in his rst GI retractable and shortly became an early and used to haul supplies and diesel fuel from
enthusiastic customer purchasing a GI xed tri-gear kit, which Goose Bay to an outpost weather reporting
with the collaboration with my building partner Roger Heisdorffer station and low frequency radio range site
(rst Glasair taildragger in Arizona) resulted in a Grand Champion on an island in the middle of the lake. I
composite award at the Copperstate Fly-In at Casa Grande, Arizona. was a weather observer there in 1948.
_ Unless someone has salvaged it, there
Tom Robertson, EAA 244767 is whats left of one at the shallower south
Fountain Hills, Arizona end of the lake.
While waiting for another PBY to
tie up at our dock, this one, taxiing with
the wheels down, apparently hit a large
submerged rock that opened up the hull
below the waterline. The plane sank until
it sat on its gear on the bottom, and the
water only came up to the bottom of the
waist blisters.
A recovery crew from Goose was
unable to raise the plane with air bags,
ending up salvaging the control surfaces,
oats, and props. Then they unbolted the
engines and let them fall into the lake,
abandoning the rest.
I have often wondered what eventually
SUBMISSIONS
happened to that hulk.
LETTERS INTENDED for publication should be e-mailed to editorial@eaa.org or addressed to EAA/Letter to the _
Editor, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI, 54903. Please include your EAA number, city, and state. All letters are William L. Havener, EAA 135132
subject to editing. Unpublished letters will not be returned. Sterling, Illinois

8Sport AviationJuly 2014

ADVOCACY AND SAFETY
GOVERNMENTAL ISSUES
Advocacy at AirVenture 2014
Features and events at Oshkosh
EAAS ADVOCACY AND SAFETY staff is planning a full schedule of
government participation at AirVenture 2014. Governmental agencies
and elected officials will travel to Oshkosh to host forums, meet with
general aviation constituents, and discuss policy with EAA advocacy staff.
Many agencies, top-level agency executives, and military groups
were prevented from attending Oshkosh last year due to travel budget
cuts enacted under sequestration. These cuts resulted in the absence
of military aircraft displays, abbreviated visits by key FAA personnel,
and a sharply reduced number of agencies in the Federal Pavilion. This
year many of those travel restrictions have been lifted, and the agencies
may once again participate in the worlds largest gathering of GA pilots
and aircraft.
With the return of senior FAA officials to Oshkosh, EAA advocacy
will have a full calendar of policy discussions. Among the major issues
are third-class medical reform, ultralight and LSA training policy
reform, aircraft certication issues in the wake of the Small Airplane
Revitalization Act of 2013, the Living History Flight Experience
Exemption for operating historic aircraft, and the Second Pilot Program
for experimental amateur-built ight testing. These conversations build
on the successful EAA/FAA Winter Summit and represent ongoing
progress toward reducing barriers to recreational aviation.
FAA Administrator Michael Huerta will host the Meet the
Administrator forum, and acting NTSB chairman Christopher Hart
will present Meet the NTSB. Other dignitaries planning to attend
AirVenture and meet with the GA community are Sen. James Inhofe,
Congressman Sam Graves, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. EAA
also expects delegations from several state legislatures and state
departments of transportation.
10Sport AviationJuly 2014
EAAs Legal Advisory Council is presenting
forums on ramp checks and Customs and
Border Protection stops, as well as a forum on
buying and selling aircraft. In addition, it is
once again hosting a continuing legal education
seminar related to intellectual property issues
in aviation. The EAA Aeromedical Advisory
Council has partnered with Wright State
Universitys Boonshoft School of Medicine
to present the rst AirVenture continuing
medical education seminar, which will cover a
host of topics related to aeromedical tness.
The Federal Pavilion is returning to
full strength and will include the NTSB,
Customs and Border Protections Office of
Air & Marine, NORAD, Bahamas Customs,
the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the
National Park Service, the National Weather
Service, the Department of Defenses See
and Avoid, and Bird Strike USA. In addition
to attendees having the opportunity to
meet and speak face-to-face with agency
members, the pavilion features its own
forum with daily presentations.
For more information about forum
schedules and other planned activities, visit
Presentations & Workshops under Features &
Attractions at www.AirVenture.org.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CINDY LUFT
INHOFE AT OSHKOSH TO TALK EAA COMMENTS ON FAAS
EXPANDED PILOTS RIGHTS FLIGHT TEST MANUAL
U.S. SEN. JAMES INHOFE (R-Oklahoma), a longtime aviator and IN LATE MAY, EAA advocacy and safety staff, with substantial
EAA member, will join fellow members at Oshkosh again this input from EAAs Homebuilt Aircraft Council, developed and
year and discuss building on the original Pilots Bill of Rights that submitted comments to a proposed revision to FAA Advisory
became law in 2012 through a new legislative initiative. Circular (AC) 90-89, the Amateur-Built Aircraft and Ultralight
Sen. Inhofe invites all GA pilots to join him at Forum Flight Testing Handbook. The most recent version of the
Pavilion 1 on Saturday, August 2, at 10 a.m. for a conversation on AC, issued in 1995 and not revised since, was due for an
developing additional GA pilot protections from overreaching update ordered by the General Aviation Joint Steering
FAA enforcement actions, Committee to add language to the handbook regarding
CBP stops, and hangar flight testing after modification. The changes will also make
use restrictions. He will the AC compliant with current AC formatting and the Plain
also address other key Writing Act of 2010.
measures in Congress that EAA was instrumental in drafting the original handbook,
could affect aviators. which details best practices for Phase 1 flight testing of
The senators forum amateur-built aircraft and ultralights, and recognized this
is an example of how proposed revision as a good opportunity to examine the entire
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh handbook and suggest updates that bring the AC up to date in
brings together pilots and terms of current flight-testing procedures and technology.
policymakers in a way The suggested changes include new, better-detailed
where direct conversation guidance on fuel flow testing prior to the first flight, the use
and sharing of ideas are of GPS data to confirm the accuracy of pitot-static derived
possible. Sen. Inhofe is airspeed readings, comprehensive stall testing procedures,
one of many lawmakers, and more. These suggestions are the result of analyzing
FAA officials, and other safety data from decades of Phase 1 flight-testing incidents
federal representatives and accidents as well as insight gained from the practical,
who will be at Oshkosh firsthand experience provided by the EAA Homebuilt Aircraft
to meet and talk with Council and some of the worlds leading flight-test experts on
aviation enthusiasts. the EAA board of directors Safety Committee.

THE FAA AT AIRVENTURE OSHKOSH

BY SEAN ELLIOTT, EAA VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVOCACY AND SAFETY

THERE IS A long-standing
and productive tradition
of FAA management and
the FAA administrator
attending EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh.
With more than 10
percent of the worlds
single-engine piston eet and an even larger
percentage of the nations GA pilots in one
location for the week, there is certainly
good reason for the FAA to value coming
to Oshkosh in force. It is by far the agencys
best opportunity to get in the eld and
interact with the GA community! Many FAA
managers have shared with me privately
that Oshkosh is a very important trip for
them, as it recharges their aviation batteries
and reignites many of their passions for the
GA community. But more than that, it is an
opportunity for the FAA to address serious
issues directly with the community it serves
including many efforts leading to improved
safety and access for all of us.
Topping the list of FAA activities is the
tradition of the FAA administrator meeting
with AirVenture attendees. Over the decades
this has been known as Meet the Boss, FAA officials of the spirit and passion that
Meet the Administrator, and other such
titles. This one-hour session has always been
before a capacity audience interested in
hearing the latest initiatives and news from
the FAA. Perhaps the most popular feature of
the session is the opportunity for members
and attendees to directly ask a question from
the audience. Very few opportunities exist
where a GA pilot can directly ask a question
of the FAA administrator!
EAA is pleased that for AirVenture 2014
the FAA management team will once again be
attending the event in full force, reversing the
limitation caused by last years federal budget
sequestration. This is signicant for you in
a number of ways. It allows the interaction
that I just described. It also reminds key
exists in GA and allows them to see the real
people affected by the agencys decisions
and policies. Perhaps most signicant from
EAAs perspective is that it allows us quality
interaction to solve issues and improve GA.
The EAA community will again benet from
this continued commitment from the agency
to be at AirVenture!

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL STEINEKE www.eaa.org11

ADVOCACY AND SAFETY
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Formation Flight Safety
Part 2
BY CHARLIE PRECOURT, SAFETY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, EAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
WE KICKED OFF OUR Formation Flight Safety series last month with
a focus on the challenges of the lead position, as well as situational
awareness and key collision risk factors. Flying well as a formation
leader can be more challenging than ying the wing, and its
important to emphasize that you shouldnt try to tackle the lead
position until you have mastered ying on the wing. Even if its
easier than leading, ying wing is still a new skill.
I can still remember my rst formation training ight, back
in the fall of 1977 (how time ies!). I remember it because I was
surprised by my instructors demonstration of the wing position.
We briefed a basic two-ship formation skills mission, with me ying
wing. We performed an interval takeoff with about ve seconds of
spacing behind the lead aircraft, and my instructor demonstrated
the takeoff and join-up straight ahead. But it was his technique
of ying in close formation (ngertip in Air Force lingo) that position, look up the wing line of the lead
really surprised me. He was jockeying the throttle back and forth
constantly, plus and minus an inch at a pretty high frequency
(maybe two cycles per second!), and the same was true with the
control stick. He was stirring it constantly. Since we were in the
old T-37, side-by-side, jet trainer, I had a perfect view of his inputs
and resulting position. But what I couldnt gure out was how his
inputs were affecting our position on the leader.
I later discovered that I couldnt gure it out because those
inputs were not having much if any effect on his position! Inside
some of those stirring motions were a few inputs that mattered; I
just couldnt see which ones they were! After all, the leader was not
moving his throttle, and was only moving the stick when he needed
to initiate a roll or pitch maneuver. So we probably didnt need to be
moving the controls so vigorously! Bottom line, if youre ying the
wing well, youll be making smooth deliberate inputs to maintain
position. My instructor was what is known as a high gain pilot,
one who is constantly moving things, even if the movements dont
really matter. His input in one direction was immediately canceled
by an input in the other directionthe net result was zero change.
Having said that, ying the wing position does indeed involve
making constant corrections back to the perfect position relative
to lead. But the corrections you make should be small and timely.
This requires an ability to anticipate. If you wait too long to make
a correction, you will end up farther out of position, necessitating
a large correction, which takes longer to have effect, which means
another correction will follow, and before long youre oscillating in
large variations around the desired position. To learn to anticipate
12Sport AviationJuly 2014
corrections, and get ahead of them, you
need good reference points on the lead
aircraft that allow you to triangulate your
correct position, both laterally and fore-aft.
The three legs of the triangle are:
Your view up the wing line toward
your leaders head.
The leaders fuselage line from his
cockpit back toward his tail.
Your view directly abeam, at his tail.
On the ground prior to ight (as we
discussed last month) set the two aircraft
on the ramp in a desired close formation
position. From your wing aircraft cockpit
aircraft and nd something on the fuselage
or cockpit directly behind an item on the
wing. For example, does the wingtip light
superimpose the canopy leading edge? If so,
remember that; it creates your wing-line
reference. Then look abeam at the tail of the
lead aircraft, where are you relative to the
rudder hinge, for example. These are your
null (good) references. All corrections in
ight with the stick and throttle are meant
to return you to this position. Were looking
for our two aircraft to have wingtips about 3
feet apart laterally, and a wingman stagger
aft of the lead about 30-45 degrees; in other
words our cockpit is that angular amount
from a perfect side-by-side line.
So on my rst formation ight, the
instructor gave me the aircraft after his
demonstration, and I had no idea how to
make the required corrections. I ended up
in that proverbial yo-yo adding too much
power and overshooting, then pulling off too
much and getting behind, banking into lead
and getting too close, then banking away too
much and getting too far away. Eventually,
though, I discovered a very interesting
relationship in the triangulation necessary
for the correct position, one that you
can explore with a simple exercise. The
objective of the exercise is for you to learn
to recognize when a power change is
required to correct back to position versus
a bank angle change. Believe it or not these
two inputs, power and bank, are very closely
coupled in achieving that perfect, stable
wing position.
Start out with your instructor
stabilizing your aircraft in the proper
wing position in wing-level ight on the
leader. Then make a very slight bank angle
input away from the leader (2-3 degrees
of heading change). What you will notice
rst is an apparent lag behind the leader.
If you are not closely monitoring your
triangulation reference, it will appear
that you are drifting behind. Your instinct
will be to add power. In fact, what has
happened is you have increased your
lateral spacing on lead, because of the
heading change. Since you are on a 30-45
degree staggered wing-line reference, any
move outward along this line also appears
to be a move aft. Your intuition is to add
power. But all you really need to do is bank
back into the leader, and you will come
right back up the wing line to the original
correct position. Perform this exercise
until you instinctively know that you are
wide and need to bank toward lead, or that
you are truly aft and need to add power.
Until you master this perception issue,
you inevitably nd yourself in the power
yo-yo moving back and forth about the
desired position in large oscillations.
Another common error for pilots
learning to y formation in the close
position is their over-xation on the
triangulation references. If you look at
only those two reference lines we dened,
you miss the big picture. Once you get
comfortable, those references will become
second nature, and youll be looking at the
whole lead aircraft and seeing movements
in relative position at the inch level instead
of the foot level. In other words, see the big
picture of where you are relative to lead,
and make the correct correction (power or
bank) immediately, when its a matter of a
few inches instead of a few feet.
Once you have mastered this concept,
then other positions take on the same
relative demand. If you want to do a cross-
under to move from the right side of leader
to the left, reduce power slightly, step back
to get to a place where your nose clears
leaders tail, then add power to stabilize.
Then add a small bank change to the left
to move laterally across to the left side.
Then once on the left side, add power to
move forward to the wingtip position.
This maneuver uses all the principles I
discussed above.
Spend some time on the basics above and
youll get really comfortable with relative
positioning on your leader. Once your
corrections are instinctive, youre ready
to move to more advanced maneuvers like
rejoins and trail formations. A topic for next
month! Fly safely out there.
www.eaa.org13
F
LIGHTLINE
INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY NEWS

SUN POWERS FIRST TWO-PLACE

ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT
THE SUNSEEKER DUO, touted by company Solar
Flight as the first two-place solar-powered
aircraft, scored an aviation first on May 30:
carrying two people aloft powered only by
solar power. Husband and wife founders
Eric and Irena Raymond took off in the
aircraft from Solar Flights test facility
near Milan, Italy.
The approximately 90-minute flight
reached a maximum altitude of about 8,000
feet. Subsequent flights have lasted three
hours and reached 12,000 feet.
Compared to a normal airplane, its like
night and day, Irena Raymond said. You
can speak normally even when the motor is
running full power, no headset needed. It
is unbelievable.
A 100-mile cross-country flight to Pavullo
nel Frignano, Italy, was planned for June.
The Duos tail-mounted electric motor
has a maximum output of 25 kilowatts (34
hp) and is powered by a battery pack stored
in the fuselage thats charged by 1,510 solar
cells lining the wing and tail surfaces. It has
a 72-foot wingspan, empty weight of 617
pounds, and the company claims the airplane
can cruise directly on solar power with two
people on board for durations in excess of

First Flight for 12 hours.

Solar Impulse 2
SOLAR IMPULSE 2, the solar-powered electric aircraft Bertrand
Piccard and Andr Borschberg intend to y around the world
next year, made its rst successful ight on June 2 at the Payerne
aerodrome in Switzerland.
This inaugural ight is an important stagea step closer toward
the round-the-world ight, Borschberg said. Professional test
pilot Markus Scherdel was at the controls for the maiden ight
that lasted two hours and 17 minutes. Highest altitude reached was
5,500 feet AGL, and the average groundspeed was 30 knots.
Several more ights will take place in the coming months to
achieve aircraft certication, followed by training ights for Piccard
and Borschberg later in the season. Plans are to begin the solar-
powered world ight in March 2015 from the Persian Gulf area
with a route including ights over the Arabian Sea, India, Myanmar,
China, the Pacic Ocean, the United States, the Atlantic Ocean,
and Southern Europe or North Africa before closing the loop by For more information and direct links to Flightline stories,
returning to the departure point. visit www.SportAviation.org.

14Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEAN REVILLARD/REZOCH AND COURTESY OF SOLAR FLIGHT
BOEING EMPLOYEE GLASAIR PROJECT NEARS COMPLETION
ON THE OSHKOSH ightline
this year, be on the lookout
for a unique Glasair SII kit
plane built over the past
three and a half years by a
team of Boeing engineers
looking to learn about
the challenges of
building airplanes.
The project
Opportunities for New
EngineersBuild, Certify,
and Fly (ONE BCnF)
team is made up of about
30-40 Boeing volunteers,
in conjunction with
the Boeing Employees
Flying Association, said
Brad Walker, structural
stress engineer at Boeing.
Several EAA technical counselors and a
previous Glasair builder who also work at
Boeing have provided assistance.
Were all pretty excited to be at this
point, Walker said after the plane was
rolled out in late May.
// VIRGIN GALACTIC and Spaceport America
signed a joint agreement with the FAA
that helps clear the path for commercial
flights of SpaceShipTwo. The agreement
spells out how the FAAs Albuquerque
Air Route Traffic Control Center and the
New Mexico Spaceport Authority will
work with Virgin Galactic to smoothly
and safely provide clear airspace for
SpaceShipTwo.
The New Mexico Spaceport Authority
also has an agreement in place with the
U.S. Armys White Sands Missile Range
to support space launch activities within
WSMR airspace. In addition, Virgin
Galactic now has agreements in place with
Edwards Air Force Base and the FAAs
Joshua Control Facility to cover space
flights in California.
// ICON AIRCRAFT, which is working to
certify the A5 LSA amphibious aircraft,
selected Vacaville in Northern California
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BOEING
If you cant locate the tail number
N110NE, in honor of Boeings
Opportunities for New Engineers
organization that facilitated the
project, the paint scheme should
be a dead giveaway.
as its new headquarters. Located 50 miles
northeast of San Francisco, operations
will begin in the first quarter of 2015 in a
140,000-square-foot facility adjacent to
the Vacaville airport, also known as the
Nut Tree Airport.
ICON intends to consolidate aircraft
manufacturing, sales, training, service,
and corporate headquarters at the
new location.
// JUST AIRCRAFT ANNOUNCED shipping its
milestone 500th kit, a SuperStol, in May.
Kits have gone to all 50 states and more
than 20 foreign countries.
Though the company is still shipping
out kits for the Highlander, the majority
of sales in the past year have been
SuperStols. Since the versatile SuperStol
was introduced last year, kit sales have
more than doubled, and the company
has added a second shift to keep up
with demand.
GOPRO OFFERS GO FLY
SCHOLARSHIP FOR
FLIGHT TRAINING
POPULAR HIGH-DEFINITION video camera
maker GoPro has announced the Go Fly
$7,500 ight-training scholarship that will be
awarded at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014.
GoPro encourages anyone 16 years
of age and older to apply by submitting
a video on why you want to Go Fly. To
apply, e-mail your video as an attached
MOV or MP4 le to scholarships@EAA.org
and indicate the name of the scholarship,
Go Fly, as the subject line. Include
name, address, date of birth, and EAA
member number (if applicable). But hurry;
application deadline is July 15, 2014.
The winner will also receive a GoPro
Aviators camera package and a one-year
EAA membership. EAA will award the
scholarships in $2,500 increments to the
winner and a flight school.
SuperStols can be built in the
experimental amateur-built category
and are available with Rotax or Jabiru
powerplants. With an empty weight of
720 pounds, the SuperStol has a useful
load capability of 600 pounds.
// FISHER FLYING PRODUCTS, manufacturer
of ultralight and experimental classic
aircraft replica kits, announced it has
been sold to Dave Hertner, owner of
Effectus AeroProducts, a supplier
to Fisher for a number of years.
Hertner said in a statement that he
has been looking for a business he
could work at with his son and plans
to move the business from Calderon,
Ontario, Canada, closer to his home in
Dorchester, Ontario. Kit production will
cease until the move is complete, but
Hertner will contact customers when
manufacturing begins again, expected
in July 2014.
www.eaa.org15
 J. MAC MCCLELLAN
COMMENTARY / LEFT SEAT
What Can We Trust?
J. MAC MCCLELLAN
A FRIEND IS NEARING completion of his private pilot training. He had
just own his night dual cross-country ight when I last saw him. I
asked how the trip went, and he said ne. Except for all of those
required visual en route checkpoints.
As CFIs and examiners insist, he had plotted a checkpoint
every 10 miles along the trip. As his instructor observed he had to
look at the chart, then find the features on the ground that estab-
lished the checkpoint, and confirm his position. That all worked.
Except, he told me, every time he looked down at the chart,
found the details there, and then looked out the window to find
the features on the ground his heading and altitude wandered
off target.
I was taught to y this way, and maybe you were, too. But his
recounting of the ight just screamed to me that we are doing this
all wrong. Flight training hasnt even moved into the second half of
the 20th century, much less into the 21st.
There is nothing more critical in all types of ying than precise
heading, altitude, and airspeed control. Those are the foundations
of good ying during all phases of ight. No matter what you are
ying, or why, you cant be safe and effective without being able to
hold heading, altitude, and airspeed.
But what does our training system do? It requires new pilots
like my friend to constantly divert their attention from the most
fundamental of flying tasks to spend time on a totally unneces-
sary distraction of staring at a sectional chart and then looking
for a power line or road intersection on the ground. Yes, pilotage
is a useful skill, but these days its about as critical as knowing
celestial navigation.
I know some, perhaps many, who are convinced a GPS will
sometimes fail and leave a pilot lost so dont depend on that magic
box. I heard the same worries about LORAN C, and VOR before
that. Even the ancient ADF receiver was treated with suspicion as
though it would go up in smoke at any moment.
Yes, a GPS receiver can fail, but most of us y with more than
one. And with so many fully capable battery-powered portable
16Sport AviationJuly 2014
navigation systems available even a total
airplane electrical failure wont leave a
pilot lost.
Pilotage can be fun, and most of us want
to know what it is we are looking at on the
ground so we check the chart. Flying by
reference to ground features will never go
away entirely. After all, even most IFR
ights conclude with visual approaches to
the runway, so you need to navigate by
looking out the window at least for the last
few miles.
Yes, pilotage is a useful skill, but
these days its about as critical as
knowing celestial navigation.
But we need to reorder our training to
put pilotage, the E-6B, time-speed-distance
problems, and other ancient crafts in their
proper place. And that isnt at the top of
skills pilots need today. We need to teach
new pilots to use the GPS, tablets, moving
maps, electronic charts, and all of the
equipment they are actually going to use
once they break free of the CFI and the
obsolete FAA training requirements.
Most of us learned to drive in cars that
had cranks to raise and lower the windows,
lacked power steering and power brakes,
and air conditioning was an uncommon
luxury. And most of us had to learn to ease
out the clutch while holding our right foot
on the brake while pushing on the gas pedal
J. MAC MCCLELLAN
with our heel to get started up a hill. Do we
force new drivers to learn that way today?
Of course not. If they arent into antique
cars, they will never ever use those experi-
ences and skills.
In the 1960s advances in fiberglass
construction revolutionized boat building
and ownership. With fiberglass close to
mass production, boat prices plunged
compared to the days of wooden craft.
And fiberglass all but eliminated the
time-consuming and very costly annual
painting, caulking, and varnishing that
wood boats require. Boat ownership num-
bers exploded.
If the boating industry had behaved the
way we do in aviation, people who bought
new berglass boats would be required to
paint and varnish them every year just
because thats the way it was always done.
Knowing how to scrape, sand, and paint are
fundamental skills for wooden boat owners,
so if the aviation mentality applied, ber-
glass boat owners would be forced to learn
and practice that just in case the clock
turns back. Think what that would do to
the number of boat owners.
The bottom line is that new technol-
ogy isnt trusted by the general aviation
establishment. By that I mean the FAA
and the instructor corps. And the mis-
trust is particularly profound when it
comes to electronics.
But its just the opposite for real pilots
and real airplane owners. Garmin alone is
closing in on something like 140,000 panel-
mounted GPS systems sold, and who knows
how many thousands of aviation handheld
navigators. And there are tons of companies
building and selling advanced navigation
equipment, so who knows how many GPS-
based systems are ying. I have never seen
any technology catch on as quickly among
pilots of all levels as the iPad has over the
past few years. If there is still an airplane
yingairliner or homebuiltwithout an
iPad onboard, that number is overwhelmed
by the airplanes that have two, three, or
more in the cockpit.
There is a cliche making the rounds of
business babble that says a weakness is a
strength taken too far. I think that applies
18Sport AviationJuly 2014
directly to our emphasis on the fundamen-
tals of yingthe fundamentals of the
1950s, that is.
At the risk of wandering off into Dr. Phil
territory, I think there is a psychological
need among pilots to make ying harder
than it needs to be. At least for new pilots.
For many pilots the availability of very
capable autopilots, moving maps, extremely
precise 3-D navigators, and other advances
can seem to diminish the skills we worked
hard to learn those many years ago. Nobody
wants to believe their skills and experience
are now out of date.
Maintaining challenge in an activity
makes sense in sports. For example, if
everybody could hit a golf ball 320 yards
down the middle every time, the game
would lose most of its challenge, and most
of the reward when we do hit the ball well.
At the risk of wandering o into
Dr. Phil territory, I think there is a
psychological need among pilots to
make ying harder than it needs
to be. At least for new pilots.
If youre looking for a sporting chal-
lenge in ying, there are many opportuni-
ties. For example, ying aerobatics is very
difficult and challenging to do well. And
your performance can be measured and
judged in competition.
Pilots can also try their hand at spot-
landing contests, or take on the challenge
of real backcountry airstrips, or enter ral-
lies where pilotage, not electronics, are
required for navigation. Of course, a
really big challenge is to build your own
airplane, or if you want to go over the
top, design it and then build it. Those
activities are fun, but they are not the
mainstream of flying, and there is no
reason for every pilot to be forced to
learn them.
So if I could rewrite the pilot-training
procedures, what would I do? I would
emphasize basic precise aircraft control.
And I dont mean by teaching oddball
maneuvers like lazy-eights and turns
around a point.
I think the way we learn fundamental
control is to always have a target for head-
ing, altitude, and airspeed. And teach and
check to pretty tight tolerances around
those targets. A pilot who learns to y
within 10 degrees of target heading, 100
feet of target altitude, and 10 knots of air-
speed target will be a good pilot. The
combination of skills required to do that is
employed in all phases of ight and all
types of airplanes.
As for knowing where you are and
where the destination is or where the regu-
lated airspace borders areand soon for all
of us with ADS-B where the traffic is
teach new pilots how to use the very
precise and reliable equipment we already
have to do that.
PERSONAL MINIMUMS
In many instances establishing personal
minimums for your ying makes sense. Im
sure we all can agree that having preset
standards for how much sleep you require
before a ight is a good idea. Or perhaps
you require yourself to get in some practice
before carrying passengers if you havent
own in whatever personal time limit you
have set. We can all think of a list of factors
that have safety implications and set our
own standards that are more stringent than
the FARs.
But when it comes to setting personal
minimums for weather you will or wont y
in, the situation becomes difficult. The
problem is the weather doesnt cooperate.
I was reminded again just the other day
that no matter what a forecast says, or what
the most recent weather report was, you
need to be ready for the weather as you nd
it once you venture out of the traffic pattern.
It was just a short trip from Oshkosh to
Muskegon, Michigan, about 40 minutes.
The weather at Oshkosh was 7,000 scat-
tered, light winds, and good visibility.
Across Lake Michigan the Muskegon air-
port was reporting 3,200 broken with 10
miles visibility. The forecasts for both air-
ports were for no change during the
duration of the ight.
 I was at 7,000 feet when I noticed an
undercast closing beneath me. Then I
dialed up the Muskegon ATIS and heard
that the former ceiling of 3,200 was now
down to 1,100, and visibility was 6 miles in
light rain.
I was vectored for the ILS approach
to Runway 32. I had the raw data ILS
dialed in, and also the GPS LPV approach
that follows the exact same path to the
runway. I still marvel after many, many
hours how magical it is to see the runway
and other terrain features on the Garmin
synthetic vision display on the G600
flat glass PFD. The flight path marker
that is fundamental to syn viz was right
on the runway as I started down the
glide slope even though the nose was
pointed to the right to correct for a
northerly crosswind.
The reported 1,100-foot ceiling would
have put the bottom of the clouds at about
1,700 MSL. The altimeter unwound past
1,700 feet with a good synthetic view of the
runway, but nothing but rain and the inside
of a cloud was visible through the wind-
shield. Finally, after descending another
600 feet on the glide slope the ground
straight down appeared, and then shortly
the runway ahead.
The actual weather when I landed
was below 500 overcast with less than
2 miles visibility in light rain. Not terri-
ble weather for an ILS approach, but
below the personal minimums of many
pilots I know.
Before I departed Oshkosh there was
nothing that indicated conditions would be
worse than basic VFR at Muskegon 40 min-
utes later. But the weather didnt know
that. Some warm moist air aloft was moving
around and interacted with the air over the
still very cold water of Lake Michigan and,
presto, the weather crumped.
So a very careful pilot could have estab-
lished basic VFR as his personal minimums
for ying an instrument approach, but in
this case, and many others, it wouldnt have
mattered. I guess I could have missed the
approach while still 1,000 feet above the
runway and own back over to Wisconsin
and hoped the weather was still good there.
Or a better answer is to be prepared and
equipped to y down to minimums and land.
Personal weather minimums are great,
but being prepared for what you really nd
is essential. For a VFR ight that means
landing or diverting as soon as the weather
begins to deviate from the forecast. For IFR
pilots it means being prepared to y to pub-
lished minimums even though you didnt
expect that to be necessary.
J. Mac McClellan, EAA 747337, has been a pilot for more
than 40 years, holds an ATP certicate, and owns a Beech-
craft Baron. To contact Mac, e-mail mac@eaa.org.
www.eaa.org19
 LANE WALLACE
COMMENTARY / FLYING LESSONS

A Man, a Cub, and a Lifetime

When your airplanes history is your own
BY LANE WALLACE

BACK WHEN I OWNED a 1946 airplane (a Cessna 120), part of its
appeal was the way it linked me to the past. I was aware, when I
ew it, of all the other pilots and owners, dating back 40 years,
who had looked out at the world through that same windscreen. I
used to look at the logbooks that came with the plane, fascinated by
Conrad Tona
all those cryptic notes on trips and adven-
tures the airplane had known before Id
even been born.
The same was true of any old or classic
airplane I saw, actually. There was some-
thing mysterious and intriguing about the
secrets all those Stearmans, Cubs, Wacos,
Travel Airs, and other classics held in their
aluminum, wood, dope and fabric memo-
ries. Secrets, because those memories were
lived by different pilots and different own-
ers, in a different time, and would therefore
remain out of the reach of whoever owned
and ew those planes now.
So last year, when I saw a newly-
restored classic Piper J-3 Cub being rolled
out of a hangar at Flabob Airport, in
Southern California, I instantly began
wondering about the old stories it knew
that only it could tell. I must have said
something to that effect, because one of
the people standing nearby said, Well, its
owner is standing over there. You could
ask him.
Well, yes, I answered. But its owner
couldnt tell me about the stories that hap-
pened before he bought it.
Pretty near could, the bystander dis-
sented. He bought it new.
Bought it new? For starters, the very
idea of buying a Piper Cub new threw me.
Id only known them as antique airplanes.
What year is that Cub? I asked.
The bystander shrugged. Ask Conrad,
he said. But I think its a 46, 47, some-
thing like that.
My mind struggled some more.
So, I answered slowly, he bought it
in 1946?
Thereabouts, the bystander answered.
And hes owned it ever since?

20Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF BERLIN, BERLINCREATIVE.COM

 A nod.
You mean to tell me thats a single-
owner Cub?
The guy smiled, and nodded
again. Yup.
I felt as if Id stumbled on the Hope
Diamond, or some other artifact so rare
that theyre usually only found in care-
fully guarded museum collections. Like
many others, this antique airplane linked
its owner to the past. The difference was,
the past it linked him to wasnt another
pilots, in another time. It was his own.
What must that feel like, having a
plane that knows your past, because it
was present for all of it? And knowing
the story of almost every ight your
plane had ever taken, because you were
the one doing the ying? Theres nothing
and no one in my life that has that kind of
history with me.
So, of course, I asked the only per-
son who could tell me: Conrad Tona,
the owner of that rare but unassuming
little Cub.
Conrad cant remember exactly when
he learned to y, but he knows he had
his pilots license before he had his driv-
ers license. His best guess is about age
16 or 17. His dad was a pilot, and Conrad
used to take the controls in his dads
planes before he was old enough to y
on his own. He learned to y at the
Lancaster, California, airport, which
consisted of two dirt runways just north-
west of the intersection of 10th Street
West and Avenue I.
In 1943, at the age of 17, Conrad
enlisted in the Army Air Corps, hoping
to fly in the war. But he says, It didnt
matter what you signed up for. A lot of
times, theyd see what they needed, and
theyd take your group and just reassign
you where they needed you. So after
starting training as an air cadet in San
Antonio, Texas, he ended up serving as
an altitude chamber technician at
March Army Air Corps Base, in the east-
ern Los Angeles basin.
In 1946, as the war wound down and
Conrad was getting ready to be dis-
charged, he told his dad to look for an
airplane he might be able to buya
Champ, a Cub, something like that. His
dad found a new J-3 Cub that was being
used as a demo plane by a Piper dealer in
Long Beach, California. The price, which
he considered a deal, was $1,800.
Conrad sent his dad the money, and the
plane was waiting for him when he got
out of the service.
You mean to tell me thats a
single-owner Cub? The guy
smiled, and nodded again. Yup.
Conrad still had hopes of ying for a
living, but with so many experienced
military pilots being discharged into the
civilian market right after the war, a low-
time private pilot didnt stand much of a
chance of getting hired. So he went to
work as an aircraft mechanic for
Lockheed, making a premium wage of
90 cents an hour. After a few years, how-
ever, Conrad says he got tired of the
uctuations in the aviation manufactur-
ing industry, from too much work to
worrying about being laid off from lack of
work. So in 1955, he followed his dad into
the auto repair business, opening up the
shop he would own for the rest of his
career, in Tujunga, California.
At first, Conrad kept the Cub up in
Lancaster, but after that airport closed,
he moved it to various other fields in
the Los Angeles area, depending on
where hangar space was available:
Quartz Hill, Santa Paula, San Fernando,
Whiteman, and then finally, 15 years
ago, to its current home at Flabob
Airport in Riverside.
Sixty-eight years is a long time to
spend with anything, or anybody. So
what stories would this Cub tell about
Conrads life, if it could talk? Well, it
wouldnt be tales of epic journeys across
the continent. The Piper Cub was never
designed to be a world traveler, of
course. But when I asked Conrad about
the farthest point hed ever flown in the
Cub, he laughed.
www.eaa.org21
LANE WALLACE
Oh, probably Phoenix, he said.
Thats not to say there werent memora-
ble ights, or moments.
There was, for example, the one and
only ight he took with his future wife,
Joanne, soon after buying the airplane.
I didnt realize that it was too windy for
her, he says with chagrin. I was used to
ying in the wind around Lancaster.
To be fair, the wind around Lancaster is
kind of legendary. The afternoon breezes
are commonly 30 knots or more, and they
often swirl a bit in terms of direction. The
one and only time I flew into the Mojave
airport, just north of Lancaster, the tower
directed me to three different runways in
the course of a single pattern, because the
wind was shifting so much, and so quickly.
And thats not even getting into the bumps
from the desert thermals that churn the
air even more. So even steady fliers can
find themselves unnerved by the air
around Lancaster.
Nevertheless, Conrad says, I scared her
half to death. She was yelling at me to get
us on the ground, and I kept telling her, I
cant! I have to y around the pattern rst! was a fun place to go, Conrad remembers.
After that, Joanne decided she was quite
content to stay on the ground and watch
Conrad y. But she married him anyway, so
it all worked out in the end. Today, 65 years
later, theyre still married.
Many of the ights Conrad told me
about, however, are memorable not because
their signicance at the time, but because
the world they occurred in no longer exists.
He used to use the airplane, for example, to
y up to his parents ranch, near the Lake
Hughes VOR.
Id y up, land in the meadow, go in and
have a sandwich, visit for a while, and then
y back home, he says.
The idea of there being a meadow to
land in up in the high desert sounds far-
fetched these days. But back then Conrad
says there was a lot more grass and green
around. After all, as a local once told me,
the Antelope Valley, where Lancaster is
located, once actually had antelope roam-
ing around on it. And the Los Angeles basin
itself was lled with far more orange groves
and farms than buildings.
22Sport AviationJuly 2014
Back then, you could land anywhere
you wanted, Conrad says with a touch of
nostalgia. Riverside, San Fernando, Orange
County, they were mostly orange groves,
vegetables, and strawberry elds. There
were also so many airports all over LA
Compton, Vail Field, Sprotts AirportI
used to just jump in the airplane and go.
You didnt have to go far to have fun.
As Conrad and the Cub moved forward
in time together, they even grazed a bit of
history, like Tom Hanks character in the
movie Forrest Gump. Conrad, it turns out,
was a regular at Pancho Barnes restaurant
in Rosamond, Californiaright outside the
Muroc Aireld (now known as Edwards Air
Force Base) at the dawn of the jet and
rocket age.
They even grazed a bit of history,
like Tom Hanks character in
the movie Forrest Gump.
It was a rundown hole in the wall, but it
regret? That he no longer has the first
She had a real good breakfast, and reason-
able. And back then, there was no restricted
area. You could land at a little strip right at
her place, right by the main gate of Muroc. I
miss that about ying today.
Conrad was nonchalant about it. But
seriouslyhe took his Cub up to Pancho
Barnes place, to hang out with the likes of
Neil Armstrong, Bob Hoover, Gordon
Cooper, and all the other characters in Tom
Wolfes The Right Stuff?
Well, yeah, I met a lot of people there,
Conrad says with a shrug. But you know,
they werent famous, then. They were test
pilots and such, butits like, now you look
back and you realize it was a very special
place. But to us then, it was justa place. I
mean, I knew they were ying unusual
things. I saw at least three different sizes of
ying wings, when I was ying around
there. But we didnt look at it the way peo-
ple do now.
Oddly enough, I know what he means.
As with the good old days, we rarely rec-
ognize signicant moments or encounters
at the time. Its only in retrospect that we
see the watersheds of historyour own, an
industrys, or a countrysclearly.
As time went on, other airplanes joined
the Cub in Conrads hangar. At different
points he owned a Stearman, a Champ, a
Cessna 120 and Cessna 170, and a
Luscombe. Even now, in addition to the
Cub, he still owns a Cessna 182 that he
bought a mere 30 years ago, and a
Taylorcraft that he bought four years ago
because it belonged to a friend of mine at
Flabob, and it was such a nice little air-
plane, I didnt want to see it leave Flabob.
But no matter what other airplanes have
come and gone, the Cub has remained. Why?
Conrad laughs. I cant really tell you,
he says, except to say that when I get
something I like to keep it. I married my
wife in 1949, and I still have her too!
A better way to put it might be to say that
Conrad has a special soft spot for firsts.
In addition to his first airplane, and his
first wife, he still has the first car he ever
boughta Model A Ford that he pur-
chased in high school. And his biggest
motorcycle he ever bought. When he told
me that, I laughed.
Dont tell me, I said. It was an Indian.
It was! he said. A little Indian Scout!
The dictionary defines an icon as a
person or thing regarded as a representa-
tive symbol of something. The Model A
Ford, the Piper Cub, and the Indian
motorcycle are all iconic symbols of a very
all-American dream: making the open
road and open sky accessible and afford-
able to anyone and everyone. So a man
who holds onto those beloved icons surely
is a bit of an icon himself: an all-American
everyman who didnt just dream of
exploring the earth and sky, but lived
the dreamsharing the road, the sky,
and the journey with traveling compan-
ions whose stories are now inseparable
from his own.
Lane Wallace, EAA 650945, has been an aviation col-
umnist, editor, and author for more than 20 years. More
of her writing can be found at www.LaneWallace.com
and at www.TheAtlantic.com/Lane-Wallace.
 M
IKE BUSCH
C OMMENTARY / SAVVY AVIATOR
How hard could it be to manage the maintenance of a Skyhawk?
A Highly Modified Skyhawk
How does an IA deal with a situation like this?
THE MAINTENANCE OFFICER of a small ying club asked if my company
would be willing to manage the maintenance of the clubs 1976
Cessna 172M. The airplane had been ying about 200 hours a year
and had faced a number of maintenance challenges. After trying a
number of different maintenance shops, the maintenance officer
decided he could use some professional help. My rm usually doesnt
take on ying club aircraft for a number of reasons. But the clubs
maintenance officer was persuasive and convinced me to make an
exception for this particular Skyhawk.
We enrolled the airplane in our managed maintenance program
and assigned one of our most senior IAsthe director of maintenance
of a Cessna Authorized Service Centerto serve as its account man-
ager. The account manager contacted the clubs maintenance officer
and started gathering information about the airplane and its mainte-
nance history, while I turned my attention to other matters, knowing
that the Skyhawks maintenance was now in capable hands.
Within hours, the account manager pinged me and suggested that
I might want to take a closer look at the clubs highly modied 172.
That got my attention. I reviewed the online ticket that wed opened
for the clubs Skyhawk. The more I read, the more I squirmed.
CHRONICLE OF A POWERPLANT
When Cessna delivered this Skyhawk in 1976, it came equipped
with a Lycoming O-320-E2D engine rated at 150 hp and a
McCauley 1C160/CTM fixed-pitch prop with a 75-inch diameter
and a 53-inch pitch.
(The prop pitch is the theoretical distance that the prop would
travel forward in one revolution if there were no slippage. The larger
24Sport AviationJuly 2014
the pitch, the greater the blade angle and the
lower the static rpm at a given horsepower.)
In 1986 the club installed the Pearce
high-compression STC (SE1226CE) and the
Pearce prop twist STC (SA1225CE). These
alterations increased rated takeoff power
from 150 hp to 160 hp (limited to ve min-
utes), compression ratio from 7.0 to 8.5, prop
pitch from 53 inches to 57 inches, maximum
static rpm from 2370 to 2400, and minimum
avgas grade from 80 to 100. (Both of the
Pearce STCs are now owned by Ly-Con
Aircraft Engines.)
In 2000, the club further modied the
Skyhawk by installing a Power Flow tuned
exhaust system (STC SA01801AT). This is
considered by the FAA to be an airframe
alteration rather than an engine alteration
(which is why the STC number starts with
SA rather than SE), but the purpose of
the tuned exhaust system is to increase
engine horsepower and fuel efficiency.
Power Flow does not make any specic
horsepower increase claims, but it does
claim that most xed-pitch Cessna 172 cus-
tomers report an increased rate-of-climb of
150 to 225 feet per minute. Assuming an air-
craft weighs 2,300 pounds with a prop
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MIKE BUSCH
efficiency of 80 percent, that would calculate out
to a climb power increase of 13 to 20 hp. This sug-
gests that the Skyhawks modied O-320 might be
putting out 173 to 180 hp on takeoff.
Indeed, the club found that the 57-inch pitch
prop was overpowered by the modied engine.
Club members reported a number of episodes of
engine overspeed. In 2008, the club had a prop
shop increase the pitch even further, which
helped with the overspeed issue according to the
clubs maintenance officer. Indeed, the Power
Flow Systems website FAQ page states:
You can utilize the extra RPM our exhaust pro-
vides to increase airspeed, but you would have to
allow the RPM to increase. To boost your ultimate
top speed, your only possible alternative is to con-
sider re-pitching your propeller. Some of our
customers have reported that experienced prop
shops have re-pitched their propeller to obtain a
better cruise performance by sacricing some of the
improved climb performance from installing a
Power Flow Systems Tuned Exhaust.
Meanwhile, in 2006 the club performed a top
overhaul on the engine when three of the four
cylinder heads exhibited excessive heat signa-
tures. It installed a digital engine monitor, which
showed excessive CHTs during climbs, especially
at higher altitudes. The club imposed amended
climb procedures to keep CHTs better con-
trolled. But when the engine underwent major
overhaul, the engine shop found annealed com-
pression rings. During post-overhaul test ights,
it was determined that the cylinders were run-
ning too lean even at full-rich mixture. As a
result, the engine shop had the carburetor re-jet-
ted to increase full-power fuel ow from 12.5 gph
to 13.5 gph. And the club revised its operating
procedures to make them more conservative and
less abusive.
Finally, in 2013just before the club enrolled
the Skyhawk in our managed maintenance pro-
gramthe right magneto was removed and
replaced with an Electroair electronic ignition
system (STC SA02987CH). This system produces
a hot, long-duration spark and incorporates a
manifold pressure sensor and a controller that
advances the ignition timing far beyond
Lycomings standard 25 degrees BTDC (before top
dead center) at reduced manifold pressures.
Electroair claims that this provides increased
horsepower, better high-altitude performance,
and signicantly improved fuel economy.

www.eaa.org25

The 1976 Skyhawks original 150-hp Lycoming O-320-E2D engine and
53-inch pitch prop was modied with a high-compression piston STC
and a 57-inch pitch prop STC to produce 160 hp.
The tuned exhaust system from Power Flow Systems probably added
an additional 13 to 20 hp, causing the owners to have the prop pitch
increased further.
The O-320s carburetor was re-jetted to increase takeo fuel ow from
12.5 to 13.5 gph.
26Sport AviationJuly 2014
The Electroair system had just been
installed at the recently completed annual
inspection, and the club hadnt had an
opportunity to fully evaluate its effects
at the time the aircraft was enrolled in
our program.
After reviewing the history of this
Skyhawk and its powerplant modifica-
tions, all I could think to say was Yikes!
This is certainly not what I bargained for
when I agreed for my company to take
responsibility for managing the mainte-
nance of this aircraft.
A QUESTION OF AIRWORTHINESS
My dilemma, of course, was to decide
whether or not the Skyhawk was still air-
worthy with its highly modied power-
plant. If unairworthy, I couldnt allow it to
remain in our managed maintenance pro-
gram. Whether or not it was airworthy was
not immediately obvious to me. For a certi-
ed aircraft to be airworthy it needs to
meet two criteria: It must comply with
its original or properly altered type
design, and it must be in condition for
safe operation.
The rst criterion is theoretically objec-
tive: Either the aircraft complies with its
type design or it doesnt. The second crite-
rion is subjective: Its somebodys opinion
(usually an IA) as to whether the aircraft is
safe to y or not.
But in the case of this Skyhawk, it was
not at all obvious to me whether or not the
rst criterion was met. The airplane obvi-
ously did not comply with its original type
design, which called for a 150-hp Lycoming
O-320-E2D engine with two Slick magnetos,
a McCauley 53-inch pitch prop, a Marvel-
Schebler LVC-5-4PA carburetor, and a
standard Cessna exhaust system. Clearly the
type design had been massively altered from
the original. The question was: Had it been
properly altered?
Some of the alterations were made pur-
suant to supplementary type certicates
(STCs), including the high-compression pis-
tons, the 57-inch pitch prop, the Power Flow
tuned exhaust, and the Electroair electronic
ignition system. Some others werent, and the FAA issued an AD to address the
including re-pitching the prop beyond the
57-inch pitch and re-jetting the carb to ow
13.5 gph instead of 12.5 gph.
Surely the four STCd modications
were proper alterations of the type design,
right? Well, I wasnt so sure. The rst two
alterations that the club made in 1986the
Pearce high-compression mod and the
Pearce prop-twist modwere clearly
proper alterations. But what about the
tuned exhaust added in 2000; was it proper
to make that alteration to the previously
altered powerplant? And what about the
electronic ignition system added in 2013;
was it okay to add that on top of the other
three alterations?
Who decides these things, anyway?
A QUESTION OF COMPATIBILITY
The regulations make it clear that whenever
an alteration is installed on an aircraft, it is
the responsibility of the installing mechanic
to determine whether the alteration is or is
not compatible with any other previously
installed alterations. In fact, both the Power
Flow and Electroair STCs contain the fol-
lowing language:
Compatibility of this design change with
previously approved modications must be
determined by the installer.
But how is the installing mechanic sup-
posed to determine whether or not the
multiple STCd alterations are compatible
with one another? Aye, theres the rub! The
FAA offers no guidance.
In fact, on May 24, 2012, the National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) sent a
safety recommendation to FAA Administrator
Michael Huerta highlighting the problem of
determining STC compatibility. The NTSB
cited two GA accidents to illustrate the
problem. The rst involved the crash of
Cessna Turbo Skymaster N12NA following
in-ight separation of the outboard section
of the right wing and killing all ve occu-
pants. The Skymaster was modified with
22 different STCs, including a STOL kit,
extended wingtip fuel tanks, and winglets.
The NTSB determined that the combina-
tion of STCs installed on the wing created
wing loads that had not been evaluated,
specific issue.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MIKE BUSCH
 The second accident involved a Beech
Baron 58 that crashed into a house during
an instructional flight, killing the pilot
and his flight instructor, and destroying
the house. The Baron had two STCs
installed. One STC involved installation
of vortex generators (VGs) that reduced
the airplanes VMCA (one-engine minimum
control speed) from 81 knots to 74 knots.
The other STC included horsepower
increases of 15 hp per engine plus instal-
lations of winglets, modified engine
nacelle nose bowls, and different propel-
lers, and would have increased VMCA from
81 knots to 87 knots on an airplane with-
out VGs. Investigators determined that
the Barons airspeed indicator was
marked with a blue line (indicating VMCA)
at 74 knots, and that no determination
had been made as to what the actual VMCA
was with both STCs installed, but clearly
it would have been significantly higher
than 74 knots.
The NTSB recommended that the FAA:
Develop specic guidelines and/or a
checklist to help installers determine
the compatibility and interaction
between a new STC and any previously
installed STCs to ensure that the new
STC will not adversely affect the air-
crafts structural strength, performance,
or ight characteristics.
Instruct installers to document on the
Form 337 how the installer determined
the compatibility and interaction
between the new STC and previously
installed STCs.
The O-320s right magneto was replaced with an Electroair electronic
ignition system.
28Sport AviationJuly 2014
Educate owners and operators of all air-
craft with multiple STCs about the
potential hazards of incompatible STCs,
and encourage them to have their aircraft
evaluated for compatibility.
Soare the four STCs installed on the
Skyhawk compatible? I still dont have a good
answer, but frankly Im not at all comfortable
that they are. Each of the STCs increases
engine horsepower. Each of the STCs was
approved by the FAA on the assumption that
it was the only horsepower increase STC
being applied to the Lycoming O-320.
Combining them all together struck me as
being eerily similar to the Skymaster with the
STOL kit, tip tanks, and winglets. And the
heat-distressed cylinder heads and annealed
compression rings seemed like warning signs.
NON-STCD ALTERATIONS
What about the re-jetted carb and the re-
pitched prop, both alterations that were
made without benet of any STC? Neither of
those worried me technically, because nei-
ther increased the horsepower of the engine.
However, for such alterations, the installing
mechanic must determine whether they are
major or minor alterations. would be best removed. I also suggested that
A mechanic is permitted to make a minor
alteration on his own authority with just a sim-
ple logbook entry. But a major alteration
requires approved data and the ling of an
FAA Form 337. The most common form of
approved data for a major alteration is an STC,
but if no STC is available, then the alteration
requires a eld approval from the local FSDO.
FAR Part 43 Appendix A provides guid-
ance to mechanics as to whether a particular
alteration is major or minor. After reviewing
that guidance, I became convinced that both
re-jetting the carburetor and re-pitching the
propeller beyond the 57-inch pitch consti-
tuted major alterations that required eld
approvals. Just to be sure, I checked with my
principal maintenance inspector at the
FSDO, and he agreed that they sound like
major alterations to him, too.
Obtaining eld approvals for those
modications would very likely require
the involvement of the FAA Aircraft
Certication Office (ACO) or hiring a desig-
nated engineering representative (DER),
which would probably make the approval
process prohibitive in terms of cost and
elapsed time.
EPILOGUE
After agonizing over this situation for several
days, and consulting with several veteran IAs
whose judgment I respect, I reluctantly con-
cluded that I couldnt expose my company to
the risk of managing the maintenance of this
highly modied Skyhawk. I just wasnt com-
fortable that it was legal, and I wasnt
comfortable that it was safe.
I phoned the clubs maintenance officer,
explained the situation in detail, and told
him that I would be asking my manager of
operations to refund the management fee
that the club paid and to terminate the ser-
vice agreement.
The maintenance officer seemed sur-
prised and disappointed, but not upset. He
asked my advice on how to proceed. I sug-
gested that he nd a local powerplant DER,
buy an hour or two of his time, and see if the
DER could give him a good idea of which of
the modications could be most easily estab-
lished as legal and compatible, and which
he contact Power Flow Systems and
Electroair to see if either of them could pro-
vide a letter stating that their STCs were
compatible with the O-320 powerplant mod-
ied with Pearce high-compression pistons
and prop twist STCs. Finally, I suggested he
speak with his local FSDO about the possibil-
ity of obtaining eld approvals for the
re-jetted carb and re-pitched prop.
Had this been an RV or a Long-EZ, my
only concern would have been whether the
aircraft was safe. Compliance with type design
wouldnt have been an issue, since an experi-
mental amateur-built aircraft has no type
design to comply with. But it was a certicated
Cessna 172M, so things got complicated.
Mike Busch, EAA 740170, was the 2008 National Aviation
Maintenance Technician of the Year, and has been a pilot
for 44 years, logging more than 7,000 hours. Hes a CFI
and A&P/IA. E-mail him at mike.busch@savvyaviator.
com. Mike also hosts free online presentations as part
of EAAs webinar series on the rst Wednesday of each
month. For a schedule visit www.EAA.org/webinars.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MIKE BUSCH
 Diary of a Lazy Pilot
The inner thoughts of a pilot whose guiding principle is Sure, whatever
(Authors note: I found this diary just lying around somewhere. Its
not by me, I swear, even if there are several points of similarity
between his thinking and my own.)
August 7: Hel-lo? Anybody Home?
ARRIVED AT HANGAR noonish. My plane was wedged in behind two
other planes. Nobody around to move them, so I waited around, had
lunch, took nap. Still nobody around. So I pulled on the two planes
myself until something made a popping sound, but then they slid out of
there okay. Mines good. If theres any damage, I cant see it. What I
always say: If you cant see it from the cockpit, it isnt there. So thats okay.
30Sport AviationJuly 2014
August 12: Happy Hangar Pals
This is denitely a much better way to go. I
get to the hangar, and because my plane was
the last to be put away, it was the rst one
out. But wait, it gets better; it wasnt even
me who put it away or hauled it out. I dont
have to anymore. If you just leave it in front
of the door, the other pilots move it around
so they can get theirs in and out, then put
yours away or take it out, whatever. Works
really slick.
ILLUSTRATION BY DAVE MATHENY
August 16: Stupid Altimeter
This instrument is just worthless. Today the big
hand points to two or thereabouts while the little
hand points to one or something, which would
make my altitude 21, if you believe in that sort of
thing. (Or 12, could be.) Anyway, so okay, ne, so
why did it say something else just yesterday or
Wednesday or Thursday or whenever that was?
The plane has not changed altitude. Has the air-
port gone up? No. Has the airport gone down? No.
You pay all this money, and the thing doesnt even
say the same altitude one day to the next.

August 17: Flip-ops

They keep getting caught in the rudder pedals. I
guess the manufacturer of this ne aircraft expects
me to y barefoot.

August 19: Aerodynamics Will Let You Down

Heres what I dont get. Air blows straight back
from the nose to the tail. Yes? Any questions on
this? Straight back, except for that one time when
I did the accidental lomcevak when I was trying
to kill that hornet in the cockpit, and after which
my buddy Brian wont y with me anymore.
Anyway, air ows nose to tail, thats the rule.
Which ought to keep the little door where you
check the oil closed. On the ground, with no air
blowing over it, it sprung open that one time, and
stayed that way. Thats because the latch is busted.
(This is an item they were supposed to catch on
the annual this year, as well as last year. Since I
didnt have an annual done either this year or last
year, that makes two years in a row they didnt
catch it.) So now the little hook deal thats sup-
posed to hold it shut is rusted out and doesnt
catch anymore, and the door stays open. But the
airstream was supposed to x that by pushing the
door shut. Im stuck with the little door open. So
much for aerodynamics.

August 20: Airspeed Indicator Woes

And now its the airspeed indicator. It reads 40
knots when the plane is sitting still inside the han-
gar. Do anything about it? Im playing it cagey on
this one. See what happens. Thing is, they some-
times x themselves, Ive heard.

September 6: Digging Down Deep

You know that place under the seats, way down
under the oor, where nobody ever looks? Well,
turns out thats where the wires or cables or
whatever that connect up the stick and elevators,
thats where they go through. I guess that makes
sense to somebody. So, long story short: I needed

www.eaa.org31
 DAVE MATHENY
change one day for the vending machine
at the airport, and I remembered losing
a whole pocketful of coins and hearing
them rattle around as they went down
there. So Im sitting there thinking those
candy bars are not going to vend them-
selves, and I pull up the oor panel to
look, and there were most of the coins,
but also some sticks and dirt. It also
appeared some of the wires were frayed
and wrapped around each other. They
looked like they were growing fuzzy
hair. I may not be the most mainte-
nance-savvy guy in aviation, but I do
know how to use side cutters to clip off
wires that arent serving any purpose. I
think I did a pretty good job. I even put
the oorboard panel thingy back and
stomped it into place. Now, when I work
the rudder pedals, they have a herky-
jerky motion, but that is bound to
smooth out over time.
September 12: Duct Tape Is so 1990s
Oh, I went along with the crowd, using it
everywhere, but it will let you down
sooner or later. True story: I come out to
the hangar and the left elevator was
drooping down when the right one was
level. Not good. I have always heard that
if one is up, the other should be up, too.
Now, I am not going to pay some A&P to
come and start tearing the whole plane
apart to nd the problem, so I tracked the
problem down for myself and saved a
bundle. Theres an access plate on the
stabilizer, which I would not normally
give a thought to, but this was a matter of
principle. So, inside there is a gizmo that
is supposed to connect to the control
horn on the elevator, and it was not con-
nected at all. Solution: Use duct tape to
hold the whole business together, just like
they should have done it at the factory.
But then the duct tape cut loose when I
was climbing out, and the elevators did
not work at all. So when I got back on the
ground I went after it with cable ties and
did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself.
(Kind of hard to get the access plate back
on, with all those cable-tie tails sticking
out, so I left it off.) But a fella just feels
better knowing that cable ties, which are
21st century, not like dumb old duct tape,
are on the job.
32Sport AviationJuly 2014
You pay all this money, and the
thing doesnt even say the same
altitude one day to the next.
September 13: Cable Ties Are So Lame
Stupid little plastic strips are seriously
overrated, if you want my opinion. They
didnt even last as long as the duct tape. I
can also feel some crunching in the con-
trol column when I go up and down, but
maybe it was always like that? I would say
Ill keep an eye on it, but I wont.
September 18: Persistent
Vegetative Stains
Yesterday took a shortcut from the end of
the runway to the restaurant, and that
must have been when I picked up all this
weird vegetation in the landing gear.
What happened was, I had to go from the
taxiway across the grass, then through
that ornamental shrubbery and some zin-
nias and stuff to get to the restaurant
parking lot. So now there are hunks of
plant matter jammed up in the landing
gear. It doesnt just fall out on its own,
which I had been kind of counting on. But
I am not going to go poking around in
there. Let sleeping dogs lie. It also left
grass stains on the prop.
September 30: All Hail the
Big Car Wash in the Sky
Its true that a straight line is the shortest
distance between two points, but if
theres a cloud in the middle of that line,
hoo boy. I wish they would have told me
these things. It was like a car wash inside
there, except when you come out of a car
wash you are pretty much guaranteed to
be right-side up, which was not the case
when I came out of that cloud. But it got
the plane clean, and no more vegetation
in the landing gear. Prop is clean as a
whistle, too. I might be a cockeyed opti-
mist, but these things always seem to
work out.
Dave Matheny, EAA 184186, is a private pilot and
an FAA ground instructor. He has been ying light
aircraft, including ultralights, for 30 years. He accepts
commissions for his art and can be reached at
DaveMatheny3000@yahoo.com.
 BRADY LANE
COMMENTARY / DREAM BUILD FLY

Robert F. Schneider, Harry Oestreich, William R. Meier, Bob Abresch, Fred Zurbuchen, Bill Bergner, Chet E. Gardeski, Harvin Abrahamson, Bob Schuh, and Scott Welch salute in front of
EAAs B-17 Aluminum Overcast.

Their Final Mission

Freedom Flight
BY BRADY LANE

CHRIS HENRY WOKE at 2 a.m. hoping he still had a full crew. To keep veterans, one from EAAs Timeless Voices
from worrying, he checked the weather, but that didnt help. He was program and the other provided by the
only hours away from his rst mission as squadron commander, a Eighth Air Force Historical Society, and
mission he had been planning for months. The rest of his crew were began making phone calls.
not rookies, but veterans with hundreds of ights between them.
This mission, code named Freedom Flight, would almost cer- ASSEMBLING A CREW
tainly be their last. For three weeks, Chris called more than 150
Chris works at EAA in membership services and B-17 education homes, speaking with veterans and their
and had the idea for Freedom Flight while driving home with families. More than half of the calls resulted
friends from the nal Doolittle Raiders reunion last fall. Would it be in news that the veteran was no longer alive,
possible to reassemble an original B-17 crew for a ight in EAAs and these lists were thought to be current.
Aluminum Overcast? he asked. Chris said we are losing 500 World War
He began researching and soon learned not a single full crew II veterans each day, but each phone call
remained, not even a half crew. The fact that there were crews with made that statistic personal and this mission
just two or three surviving veterans at the most was a poignant more urgent.
reminder about how fast were losing our veterans. We initially talked about doing this
Being a good squadron commander, Chris modied his plan. His ight in 2015 for the 70th anniversary of
new goal: assemble a ight of veterans with all 10 positions repre- the end of the war, Chris said. But after
sented. Even that was a challenge, Chris said. He used two lists of we started calling, we knew we had to do

34Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

BRADY LANE
this ight now. A year from now, it may not
be possible.
When a veteran picked up the phone,
Chris heard time rewind. The guys would
answer the phone as old men, but once I told
them were trying to put a crew back
together, you could hear the years fall off
them. Their voices picked up, and many
began telling me stories about their mis-
sions, Chris said.
After three weeks of calls, Chris nally
assembled a full crew. But my list was
always uid, he said. Several times I had
all 10, then the next morning Id get a call
saying that Grandpa fell last night.
The rst bombardier who joined the
crew passed away before the ight, and just
a week prior to the ight the copilot, who
served as a WASP during WWII, fell and
broke her hip.
I had a glimpse of what it was like to be
a squadron commander, trying to keep a
crew together and a plane ready to y,
Chris said. He admitted it was only a
glimpse, because he was trying to ll just
one crew for one mission on one plane in
peacetimea far cry from the challenges
squadron commanders faced in wartime,
when crews and airplanes didnt return
intact or at all.
Every veteran who accepted Chris invi-
tation said he wasnt any kind of hero and
hadnt done anything special that others
werent also doing. I was just an average
guy over there; nobody special, Chris heard
again and again.
But as we began talking, I learned
each of them had a true story of heroism,
Chris said.
STORIES OF HEROISM
Freedom Flights veteran pilot, Capt. Bob
Abresch, told Chris about the time his copi-
lot suddenly said to add left rudder, which
Bob did immediately without questioning.
A moment later a ak shell burst just off
their right wing, where they wouldve been
had his copilot not had his hunch. Bob
said he never questioned his copilot again.
If he told me to do something, I did it
immediately and saved the questions for
later, he said.
36Sport AviationJuly 2014
The flights bombardier, Maj. Robert
Schneider, was given an award for his
bombing accuracy. In 1943, U.S. 8th Air
Force bombers would get just 16 percent
of their bombs within 1,000 feet of their
target. The USAAF estimated the B-17
had a 1.2 percent probability of delivering
a bomb within 100 feet of an aiming
point, which meant 220 bombers
were needed to ensure destruction
of each target.
One of Roberts bombs hit within 100
yards of the center of the target. Thats son, They need me. The other nine guys are
impressive bombing from 30,000 feet,
traveling faster than 200 mph, Chris said.
Radio operator Sgt. Harvin Abrahamson
was on a mission near Berlin when the
bombardier called bombs away. It was
Harvins job to look inside the bomb bay
and make sure all the bombs dropped.
This time, one bomb was hung up.
Airplanes will be here in the years
to come; the opportunity to thank
and listen to a WWII veteran wont.
It was an armed bomb hanging half in,
half out, and Harvin knew the plane couldnt
land like that. He stepped out on the catwalk
above the open bomb bay (with no handrails
in those days) and tried kicking the bomb
loose. When that wasnt successful, he asked
the bombardier to hold onto the back of his
jacket as he leaned over the open air and
worked the bomb loose with a screwdriver.
Harvins bravery saved the crew, though he
admitted what he was really thinking at the
time: If my mom could see me now, shed
kill me herself.
Waist gunner Sgt. Bob Schuhs airplane
was hit by ak, wounding the men in the
nose and incapacitating the bombardier. Bob
left his station in the rear, climbed to the
front, and gave rst aid to his buddies. While
he was there, they reached their target so
the bombardier talked Bob through how to
drop the bombs, a task no waist gunner was
trained for.
Each of these stories proves these
average men were indeed heroes.
Their stories are impressive, but the
character of a hero is even more impres-
sive. On the morning of Freedom Flight,
these average men continued to
make impressions.
THE FLIGHT
Navigator Bill Bergner woke on April 14,
2014, the day of Freedom Flight, not feeling
well. It was a cold, rainy, and miserable day
to be outside, especially if sick, but Bill
insisted on going to Oshkosh. He told his
going. I need to be there, too. He didnt
want to let his buddies down, even the bud-
dies he had yet to meet. That spirit and sense
of duty is what won the war.
Crews from WWII were often thrown
together at the last minute, and on the morn-
ing of Freedom Flight, Chris enjoyed
watching this crew meet for the rst time.
Im your bombardierIm your navi-
gator, they introduced themselves to
one another.
You could see them become a crew.
They immediately jelled as if it were 1944,
Chris said.
A caravan of WWII Jeeps was arranged
to transport the vets from the EAA museum
to the hangar, but since spring had not yet
come and it was cold and drizzly, Chris sug-
gested they take a van instead. It wasnt
warm in England either, one told Chris as
he buckled himself into the open air Jeep.
At the hangar, bombardier Maj. Robert
Schneider sat his granddaughter in his seat
and showed her where he ew 70 years ear-
lier. Waist gunner Sgt. Bob Schuh showed
his family his station. This was my gun, he
told them.
The youngest veteran on the ight was
90; the oldest, 94. And since the B-17 was
built for war and lacks modern conve-
niences of airliners, Chris was concerned
with keeping the veterans safe on the air-
plane. But when these guys got near the
airplane they were 20 years old again, and
the whole hangar transitioned back to
1944, Chris said.
The tail gunner arrived to the hangar
with a walker, but after 15 minutes reminisc-
ing with other crew members and guests
BRADY LANE
next to the aircraft, the walker was set aside
and he was walking with ease.
The pilots even had their swagger back,
Chris said. During the war, pilots who were
hot shots often wore their captains hats
cocked to the side. Our copilot still had that
coolness about him. His hat was cocked, and
he walked with the swagger.
Climbing into the aircraft the veterans
knew right where to step and where to hold
onto without being told. Its as if they still had
muscle memory from 70 years ago, Chris said.
The ight was short and cold enough
that the veterans breath formed small
plumes, yet not a single man complained.
This was how they remembered the aircraft.
After taxiing back to the hangar, the two
veteran pilots on the ight deck offered to
swing out through the nose hatch, like they
had in their youth. Most passengers arent
even aware there is a door there, but these
men did. This was their home.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
Families applauded as the veterans climbed
out one by one. We made it, Bob Abresch
said to his wife who greeted him with a kiss.
Bob Abresch, Bob Schuh, and Bob Schneider compare notes on missions.
38Sport AviationJuly 2014
The best part was nobody was shooting
at us, he added quickly.
The mission was a success. Ten B-17 vet-
erans became a crew for one nal ight.
They were honored and were able to share
their legacy and history with their families
in a tangible way.
Chris said he was also proud of the way
EAA came together to honor these men.
We adopted some of the attributes of the
greatest generation. We all pitched in,
gathered behind the goal, and became
a team.
We have much to learn from these veter-
ans in our short time remaining with them.
SEIZE THE DAYTODAY
Whether its visiting a veteran or taking a
ight on a B-17, dont wait. Dont put it off for
tomorrow. Make time; do it now. Tomorrow
may not be an option, Chris told me over
the phone as he was practicing what he
preached. He and a friend were on the sec-
ond day of a road trip to Chino, California,
for an air show and gathering of P-47
Thunderbolts. Hes hoping to meet some
Thunderbolt veterans there.
I am currently reading Jim Bushas new
book The Fight in the Clouds and am in awe
at the lives these humble men lived.
Jims book is written in an as told to
style, which beautifully captures the char-
acter of many P-51 pilots and their
gripping stories.
Sadly, many of the veterans Jim inter-
viewed have recently passed away, but some
are still with us. They live in our communi-
ties, walk our neighborhood streets, and
some still attend air shows like Oshkosh.
At AirVenture this year, I invite you to set
aside time to attend a Warbirds in Review
session, wave a ag on the ightline during
the veterans parade, or better yet, buy a vet-
eran lunch and listen to his or her stories as
you eat. Airplanes will be here in the years to
come; the opportunity to thank and listen to
a WWII veteran wont.
Whopa, my grandfather, was a B-29
pilot in WWII. He regularly talked about
Pretty Baby, his plane; his crew; and his ser-
vice to our country. In his nal years he
wrote down his memoirs, which Jeff Skiles
has been sharing these last few months in
his column. Whopa always told stories best
in person, though. Something about the
twinkle in his eye or the way he would
humbly talk about ak ying through the
cockpit. His voice would shiver when he
spoke about the ultimate sacrice many of
his friends made.
I wanted to record some of his stories
in video form and scheduled a trip to
Texas to see him, but unfortunately he
passed away two months before my visit. I
deeply regret missing that opportunity but
am thankful for the opportunities I did
have with my grandfather, and other veter-
ans who have served in similar ways.
Hearing their stories, observing their
character, and shaking their hands have
shaped who I am today.
Please dont wait until next year, next
month, or tomorrow. If youre coming to
Oshkosh later this month, make this the year
to seize these opportunities.
Brady Lane, EAA 808095, is a multimedia journal-
ist for EAA and a private pilot who is scratchbuilding a
Bearhawk. Contact Brady at blane@eaa.org.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY
 LAURAN PAINE JR.
COMMENTARY / PLANE TALK
Norris Warner at Oshkosh in 1971 with his BD-4.
Aviation Pathways
A ight to remember
BY LAURAN PAINE JR.
SOMETIMES, IN THE COURSE of writing columns, one leads to another.
In the April 2014 issue of Sport Aviation I wrote about Wes Schierman,
Remembering Wes, about his courageous journey from prisoner of
war (POW) to airline captain. The mail I received about that column
was gratifying; its nice to know there are still people out there who
appreciate courage and sacrice. And I received an especially warm
note from Wes widow. Notes like hers are what keep me writing.
What follows is a story I received regarding the April column that
is too interesting not to share. And, yes, the letter writer is one of us:
He received his private pilot certicate in a Luscombe in 1952 at
North Platte, Nebraska, and is an EAA member (a former chapter
president and his wife, Joanne, is the treasurer) and a homebuilder.
The story is a personal glimpse into some incredible historical
moments, some you dont see or hear much about but incredible
moments nonetheless. Norris Warner, EAA 9701, our letter writer,
now lives in Texas down the San Antonio way. He wrote that he and I
have a lot in common: U.S. Air Force veterans, both went to U.S. Air
Force pilot training at Webb Air Force Base, Texas, and both have
40Sport AviationJuly 2014
own the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. He
went on to say that he was stationed at Castle
Air Force Base, California, in the late 60s.
There he built one of the rst BD-4sthat
kit was the rage at the timeand showed it at
Oshkosh in 1971. He later attended the
Armed Forces Staff College and then was
assigned to y C-130s at Ching Chuan Kang
Air Base, Taiwan, where he was a ight com-
mander in the 21st Tactical Airlift Squadron.
Now to the heart of the story. In early
February of 1973, Norris and his crew were
selected to y to Clark Air Base in the
Philippines and await orders to y an
American negotiator to Gia Lam Airport,
Hanoi, North Vietnam. Now that right there
would perk the ears up of any U.S. Air Force
crew member; in those days there was not a
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF NORRIS WARNER
person in the military who did not think about
the POWs every day. Its called camaraderie,
and the military has it in spades.
The crew arrived in the Philippines and
waited several days until nally getting the
go-ahead on February 12, 1973. The negotia-
tor onboard was a senior U.S. Army colonel.
They ew a prescribed route inbound to Gia
Lam at 6,000 feet. After landing they taxied
past several MiG revetments and anti-aircraft
artillery emplacements to an assigned spot
very close to the airport terminal. Norris said,
It looked like Casablanca all over again. The
negotiator deplaned, and Norris crew stayed
close to the airplane.
Its like this: In 1971 Norris was showing his
BD-4 in Oshkosh, and in 1973 he was on the
ramp in Hanoi, North Vietnam, very much a
part of the historic negotiations to release
American POWs. Such is the breadth of our
EAA membership; it just never ceases to
amaze and please me.
Now that right there would perk the ears up of any U.S. Air Force
crew member; in those days there was not anyone in the military
who did not think about the POWs every day.
Back to the negotiations. The Army colonel the tail ramp. The sign-out table was placed
returned to the C-130 about an hour later. He nearby. In fairly short order, a busload of
was quite discouraged. He said, I gotta let em POWs showed up. Very slowly, one-by-one,
cool off a bit, and then Ill try again. Norris they walked to the table, at which sat some
was in radio contact with the C-141 that was North Vietnamese brass and the U.S. Army
orbiting feet wet for the pickup. He told negotiator. As you can imagine, after years of
them, Slight snag. Be patient. Yeah, right! I abuse and trickery, the POWs were quite wary.
know what the C-141 crew was thinking: We The C-130 was double-crewed just to be on
want to get our guys out of there now! the safe side. The 10 of them went forward to
The negotiator went back in. After what the table and, after the POWs signed their
seemed to be about two hours he returned, names, received the hand-off salute from the
this time smiling broadly. He said, Bring in POWs, again, one-by-one. The crew members
the C-141. Norris called and gave them the then individually escorted each prisoner to the
words they wanted to hear, Come on in. And ramp of the C-141 and assisted him in boarding.
they did. They parked nearby to the C-130, tail- At no time did any crew member of the C-141
to-tail, shut down the inboards, and dropped deplane; they remained in their crew positions,
www.eaa.org41
LAURAN PAINE JR.
engines running. After the POWs were safely
aboard, the C-141 closed up, started the
inboards, and taxied for takeoff. There have
been some discussions as to how many POWs
were picked up that rst day, but it was either
32 or 34. Of course, nothing was recorded of all
this, no cameras allowed, but I remember
watching American television and seeing the
former POWs deplaning on friendly soil. I wept.
At some point during the second negotiat-
ing period, Norris found they had more
freedom to move about than he rst thought.
He sent his loadmaster to see if they could buy
a case of Hanoi beer. The loadmaster came
back with a case of bottles, and Norris gave
each crew member two as a souvenir. Soldiers
are all about souvenirs and making the best of
Flight plan to freedom: Hanoi to feet wet and freedom again for POWs.
42Sport AviationJuly 2014
any situation. Norris still has one of his, the Ever wonder why you meet so
label now encased in epoxy. The copilot went
into the terminal to le a ight plan. Really! many good people at AirVenture?
Norris still has a copy of it, printed in
Vietnamese, French, and a little English. I People like Norris and his
doubt it got forwarded to anyone; I also doubt
if anyone on the crew cared.
crew are one of the reasons.
Before they left, many of the crew wrote They walk among you.
brief notes and put them in envelopes Norris
had brought. They then mailed them in the Gia in school board issues. There he befriended a
Lam Airport Terminal, Hanoi, North Vietnam. young lady serving on the board. He and oth-
About two months later, some of them actually ers met weekly to devise strategies to assist her
were delivered in the United States, all with in becoming more effective. This went on for a
North Vietnamese postage on them. few years until the young lady went on to grad-
In all that he remembers of the event, uate school and Norris lost track of her.
Norris never mentioned danger or fear, only One day in 2006, Norris was reading the
duty and honor. Brothers in arms take care of San Antonio Express-News and an obituary
brothers in arms. Period. caught his eye: It was for the U.S. Army officer
Ever wonder why you who Norris had own to Hanoi in 1973. Two
meet so many good peo- columns were devoted to describing his work
ple at AirVenture? on that fateful day. Reading the list of surviving
People like Norris and family members, Norris discovered that the
his crew are one of the school board member he had worked with was
reasons. They walk the daughter of the Army officer! He had no
among you. idea. The services were the next day at Fort
The C-141 that Sam Houston National Cemetery, and Norris
brought the rst load of attended. As you can imagine, it was both a
POWs home was nick- nal send-off and a reunion of families with
named the Hanoi Taxi, much reliving of a central story: their part in
and it now is on display freeing American POWs from North Vietnam.
at the National Museum What is Norris up to these days? Hes
of the U.S. Air Force in nearly 80 and ies his Breezy off the family
Dayton, Ohio. Former grass strip in the Hill Country northwest of
POWs have reunions San Antonio. And as life would have it, he is
there; you can imagine caring for his wife after an automobile acci-
the emotions. Theyre dent. Challenges are nothing new to Norris;
older and grayer now, hes met them before, and he and his wife will
but still staunchly proud meet this one and conquer it, too.
and grateful for freedom. I am so often struck by the many paths that
They, of all people, know the passion for ight takes us on. Aviation is a
what freedom means. veritable smorgasbord, something for every-
The C-130? Norris body. So many directions yet were all bonded
doesnt know for sure. by the same thing: the love of ight. The shar-
Given the storied history ing, the friendships, the respectits all there.
of the Hercules, it may And so often the paths, even with all the twists
still be out there and turns, cross, like Wes and Norris and I
somewhereworking. have. Its a wonderful journey.
Now jump to 1984
and Norris is newly Lauran Paine Jr., EAA 582274, is a retired military pilot
retired and living in San and retired airline pilot. He built and ies an RV-8 and
Antonio. Ever the citi- has owned a Stearman and a Champ. Learn more about
zen, he became involved Lauran at his website, www.ThunderBumper.com.
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF NORRIS WARNER
 JEFF SKILES
COMMENTARY / CONTRAILS

B-29s of the 504th Bomb Group y past Japans Mount Fuji in 1945 on a bombing mission. The photo was taken from Pretty Baby, a B-29 piloted by Art McElmurry.

Pretty Baby
Following a World War II cadet through to a B-29 cockpit, Part 4
BY JEFF SKILES

This column is reprinted from My Memories of World War II, an would go to the tail station only while in
unpublished memoir by Art McElmurry. The following is entirely in his combat zone. The radar operator was
words. Art is the grandfather of EAA multimedia journalist Brady Lane. located just aft of the gunnery stations. A
pressurized tunnel, big enough for a person
THE B-29 WAS POWERED by four Curtiss-Wright engines each rated at to crawl through, connected the two cabins,
2,200 hp. Early on the engines ran too hot, swallowed valves, and passing through the upper part of the two
used excessive oil and fuel. The rst ones were questionable and bomb bays.
unreliable at best. Pretty Baby had two crew compartments that On December 20, 1944, we received
were pressurized to an altitude of 8,000 feet permitting us to y orders to proceed to Mather Army Air Force
without oxygen masks. However, the plane was depressurized while Base near Sacramento, California, for an
ying in enemy areas to avoid any emergencies caused by losing overseas destination. At Mather Field we
pressure that could arise in case of a hit. were ordered to depart shortly after mid-
In the forward cabin were the pilots, bombardier, engineer, navi- night on December 28 for John Rodgers
gator, and radio operator. The aft cabin held three gun-sighting Army Air Force Base in Honolulu and then
stations. The tail gunner ew most of the time in the aft cabin and on to Johnston Island, to Kwajalein Atoll in

44 Sport Aviation July 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF ERNEST AND LEIGH ANN LANE
JEFF SKILES
the Marshall Islands, and to Tinian. Our
route out passed near the Golden Gate
Bridgethe lights on the bridge was my last
view of the United States.
TINIAN
Tinian is in the Mariana island group 100
miles northwest of Guam and only 3.5 miles
south of Saipan. B-29s based on all three
islands ew the long 1,500 miles to Tokyo
and back. The island is roughly 7 to 8 miles
long and some 3.5 miles at the widest point
and consists of 40 square miles of limestone
and coral rock covered by a few inches of
topsoil on which the Japanese had grown
sugar cane.
On January 1 when we arrived, the
Seabees were still working around the clock
on North Field where we landed. When
completed, North Field had four paralleled,
8,500 feet long by 200 feet wide, east-west
runways. The east end of the runways had a
30-foot drop-off to the water, which saved
many overloaded B-29s laboring to take off.
Most of our takeoffs were to the east. On the
west side of the island were some cliffs of
100 feet. West Field, located near the center
of the island, had two 8,500 by 200 feet, east-
west paralleled runways. After everything
was completed, Tinian was the largest mili-
tary aireld complex in the world.
The XXI Bomber Command, under the
command of Gen. Curtis LeMay, with head-
quarters in Guam, had ve wingseach
wing had four groupseach group had three
squadrons of 15 crews each. The XXI
Bomber Command had approximately 900
B-29s. It did not take long to learn that we
were in combat, and this was the reason we
had been training for some 22 months. Now
was payback time!
THE EMPIRE OF JAPAN
Most of the missions to the Japanese main-
land averaged 15 to 16 hours of ying time
and the better part of 24 hours from start to
nish. Engine start and taxi were all coordi-
nated with takeoff time in order to conserve
each gallon of precious gas.
Lt. Don Allenby was our airplane com-
mander with over 1,000 hours in a B-17 prior
to qualifying on the B-29. He was a career
46Sport AviationJuly 2014
military man and had some overseas duty.
Don was an excellent pilot and knew the
B-17 very well. His relationship to the crew
was strictly military, particularly with the
enlisted men.
It was nothing unusual for our wing to
have 150 or more planes on a mission. As one
plane started its takeoff roll, the plane in the
starting position on the adjacent parallel
runway would start easing forward all four
throttles. Every 75 seconds a bomber would
take off. With all four throttles fully open, it
was all that Don and I could do to hold
Pretty Baby. When we received the green
light, both of us would simultaneously
release the foot brakes and Pretty Baby
would almost leap forward. For many mis-
sions our gross weight was 139,000 pounds,
well over the maximum overload weight of
135,000 pounds. The Baby with full throttle
labored down the runway, and often Don
and I would pull the plane up at the end of
the runway and over the cliff. The plane
would just mush along 30 feet above the
water until we raised the wheels and
trimmed the plane to reduce drag and
increase our speed. It was a long, hard ight
to the Empire of Japan.
When the radar operator reported that
we were about 100 miles from making land-
fall, Don ordered the crew to prepare for
combat. If the altitude of the mission was to
be 10,000 feet or higher, everyone put on
an oxygen mask and the ight engineer It is difficult to describe the severity of them.
depressurized the plane. After it was
depressurized, the bombardier entered the
forward bomb bay and pulled the pins in
the detonators on the bombs. One of the
gunners, in the back, did the same thing in
the rear bomb bay. Now the bombs were all
cocked and ready to go. Since the outside
temperature could be well below zero at
altitude, we got in a winter ight suit,
gloves, a steel helmet, and a ak apron
(front and back). After the rst mission, we
realized there was as much danger from
ak exploding below as there was from
shells exploding around us. We quickly
found a piece of a ak apron to sit on.
As the war progressed we saw more and
more kamikaze (suicide) pilots. These fel-
lows sole objective was to ram the B-29.
They were deadly at night because of the
difficulty of seeing them. Searchlights were
another weapon feared by crews. As a
bomber approached a defended area at
night, the searchlights would come on and
pan the sky. When the light hit the plane, it
would lock on, and immediately ve or six
more lights would lock on making a cone. It
was next to impossible for a pilot to maneu-
ver a heavy bomber out of a cone. A coned-in
plane drew all the attention of ghters and
ak guns.
After dropping the bombs, the next
objective was to get out to seaaway from
ak and ghters. Upon releasing the bombs,
which could be up to 20,000 pounds, Don
and I had to quickly retrim the plane to
maintain control. Even though we have guns
to re back and bombs to drop, one feels so
lonely and helpless over the target.
FIRE FROM THE SKY
The blitz missions with incendiary bombs
were timed to be over the targets at night. We
learned during the brieng for the April 15
mission that our targets were Kawasaki and
Tokyo. Before landfall we saw the res from
the incendiary bombs already burning up
ahead. Shortly, the searchlights got uswe
were coned in along with three other bomb-
ers. Flak and ghters were everywherethey
shot down two of the four of us in cones.
Then came the thermals from the res below.
Due to the strong updrafts and downdrafts,
Pretty Baby was literally tossed all over the
sky. One second she would be in a steep
climb, and the next second only the seat belt
kept us off the ceiling as the bottom dropped
out. Other times the plane fell away in a twist-
ing, bucking motion.
Around midnight on May 31 we were
briefed for another visit to Osakaa daylight
incendiary mission (mixed in with the re-
bombs were fragmentation bombs to
discourage the reghters). We were to lead
one of the elements of the formation. All
went as planned until we neared the target.
Then everything broke loosethe sky was
black with ak, there were ghters every-
where, some own by kamikaze pilots.
During the bomb run the plane on our right
 JEFF SKILES
wing received a direct hit and had to drop
out. I think most, if not everybody in our
formation received some damage but was
able to complete the bomb run. After
clearing the coast we heard a distress call
and thinking it might be our right wing
man, we tried to nd him. Even though
we were in and out of clouds, the crew in
distress was located. It was our Circle E
crew. They had two engines out on one
side and could not maintain altitude. To
lighten the load, they threw out every-
thing not fastened downguns,
ammunition, the put-put unit (portable
generator) in the back, everything they
could. About the only assistance we could
offer was to stay with them, give encour-
agement, and assure them that if they had
to ditch or parachute, we would give their
exact location to rescue units. They were
nally was able to stabilize their altitude
at 500 feet over the water, and both of us
landed safely at Iwo Jima.
On one mission we ran into more
headwind than estimated and the ETA
and gas consumption became a very seri-
ous matter. With no island in sight, Don
and I discussed our optionsbail out or
ditch. When we nally landed, one engine
stopped on the runway (out of gas) and
another quit on the taxi strip.
When one considers the conditions
under which we ew missions, every
takeoff was a miracle. The plane was from
1 to 2 tons over the maximum overload
takeoff weight, which greatly increased
the possibility of engine failure due to the
engines tendency of overheating under
maximum power. Engine failure during
takeoff was bad news with a capital BAD.
The crew was surrounded with some
9,000 gallons of gasoline and 5 to 10 tons
of explosive bombs.
THE FINAL MISSION
On August 14, we had a mining job
to do. It was back to Flak Alleythe
Shimonoseki Straits. In the brieng, Col.
Martin told us the Japanese might ask for
a cease-re. If the request came and was
agreed to by the president, the code word
October would be sent by radio to all
48Sport AviationJuly 2014
crews. This meant to jettison the mines
and return to the base. If we had already
armed the mines for the bomb run, which
we did before entering the target area, we
would have to y to a designated area to
jettison them for the safety of our own
navy. All the way up to Japan our radio
operator kept glued to the radiobut no
October. The Japanese around
Shimonoseki were not aware of any pos-
sible cease-re agreementthe ak was
moderate, but enemy ghters were very
active. In our group one airman was
injured and two planes received major
damage. About halfway back, we received
the word October. I do not have the
vocabulary to describe the feelingno
more ak, no more kamikaze pilotsno
more ghters coming out of the sunand
those dreaded searchlights, no more.
PROLOGUE
From my minute piece of the action, I can
verify the cost. In our 398th Squadron of
15 crews, there were 11 B-29s lost with
most of the 121 crewmen killed. In our
504th Bomb Group of 45 crews, 28 B-29s
were lost.
From February 26, 1943, when I
entered the service it had been two years
and 282 days and a world of experiences
that had matured a country kid from
Oklahoma into a man. About midnight on
Monday, September 24, 1945, I saw the
lights of the Golden Gate Bridge again.
What a view!
Art McElmurry ew 35 missions in the
Pacic and was awarded the Distinguished
Flying Cross. His experiences were repre-
sentative of the sacrices of the 2.6 million
men and women who were part of the U.S.
Army Air Forces during a war that spanned
the entire globe. Art was blessed to live a
full and satisfying life. Forty thousand of
his fellow airmen never saw home again.
To them and all who served our country, we
owe our undying gratitude.
Je Skiles, EAA 336120, is EAA vice president of com-
munities and member programs. He can be reached at
jskiles@eaa.org.
 THE SHORT-FIELD TOP GUNS GO

NOSE TO NOSE|
Bush babies at AirVenture
BY BUDD DAVISSON

50Sport AviationJuly 2014

 Corey Morgan of Soldotna, Alaska, taxies his Cessna 180 to the chalk takeo line for
the start of the 11th annual Valdez STOL competition on May 10, 2014.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRADY LANE www.eaa.org51

THE SHORT-FIELD TOP GUNS GO

ITS INTERESTING HOW we see popularity

peaks develop in homebuilt aviation. The cur-
rent phase includes airplanes that will take off
and land on postage stamp size airelds. This is
most clearly seen by the wide range of offerings
by kit manufacturers that are designed speci-
cally to scratch the short-eld itch. Plus the
Valdez, Alaska, short takeoff and landing com- Frank Knapp, EAA 111767, won the 2014 Alternate Bush Class (experimental) in his freshly-rebuilt Lil Cub, with a 41-foot takeo and
petition has become a YouTube favorite. There 35-foot landing. He won the 2013 competition in the same aircraft, but last December it was destroyed in a hangar re. Frank
we get to see aircraft landing in truly silly dis- and his wife Kris worked around the clock to rebuild Lil Cub and get it ready for the 2014 competition. Arriving in Valdez this May,
tances with 50-65 feet being common. And Frank said he only had about 20 hours in the rebuilt aircraft. Frank and Kris will be at Oshkosh this summer with Lil Cub Afterburner,
these are the types of competitors well see in where Frank will y the aircraft and showcase his unbelievably short takeos and landings.
action at Oshkosh this year during the
AirVenture/Valdez STOL shoot-out. Well get
to see commonly available homebuilt kits
(Zenith, Bearhawk, Just Aircraft, etc.) out there
in front of the air show crowds butting heads
with the super-modied bush birds.
Considering the outstanding STOL perfor-
mance available in kit form, this is going to be a
fun spectacle. Itll be integrated into the normal
air show and own in waiver time.
The growing interest in being able to land in
short distances on unimproved (read that as
semi-hostile, out in the boondocks, and de-
nitely not smooth) runways is also evidenced
by the rising popularity in what is generally
referred to as backcountry ying, which is
subtly different than true bush ying. The
difference between the two is worth noting
because the aircraft requirements differ greatly,
as do the piloting skills needed. This difference
actually opens the doors for a wider variety of Every ounce counts in homebuilding and that is even more the case with STOL ying. Pilots at Valdez had many creative ways to lose
less specialized airplanes (many of them home- ounces. Frank Knapp never admitted whether the stylish belt he wore during the competition was part of his strategy.
builts) and pilots.

HARD-CORE BUSH FLYING

Its a little hard to dene bush ying versus
backcountry ying, because there is no clear
division between the two. In fact, they overlap
in some areas. However, serious, down-in-
the-dirt bush ying is far more extreme in
almost every way than what is generally con-
sidered backcountry ying, and its unlikely
to be the aim of those buying or building
STOL-type aircraft. However, because of the
extreme conditions, these are the types of
pilots and airplanes that spawn the most vid-
eos because the action is much more dramatic.
These are the guys who are skipping 31-inch
bush wheels off the river to roll up on a sand-
bar made of melon-size rocks. These are the
guys who are 100 miles from nowhere, hang-
ing it all out as they wedge their airplane and a Frank Knapp levels o in Lil Cub after taking o in 41 feet at the competition. That distance, combined with his next landing of
load of supplies into a tiny cleft in the forest, 35 feet, won him rst place in the 2014 Valdez Alternate Bush Class.

52Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRADY LANE

 NOSE TO NOSE|

or stopping on a toadstool-sized at spot on

the very top of a mountain peak. They do this
knowing that the slightest glitch in either
their hardware or their ying skill is going to
have serious consequences.

BACKCOUNTRY FLYING
Backcountry ying might be considered bush
Bobby Breeden, 20, and his father Bob took rst and second place in the 2014 Bush Class ying the same aircraft, a Super Cub Bob ying light. The objective, landing an airplane
bought in 1994, the year Bobby was born. Bobby said he learned to y in the aircraft at the age of 14 on a trip from Alaska to Virginia where you dont normally land airplanes to
with his dad in the backseat. I started that trip knowing only that the stick moved the ailerons, but by the time we arrived in Virginia, experience the wonders of being far enough
I knew how to y, Bobby said. from civilization that your cellphone doesnt
work, is the same as with bush ying. There is
something magical about feeling the gear whis-
pering through the grass in are and
experiencing the almost scary quiet that
descends on you, when you roll to a stop and
kill the engine in a remote location. The differ-
ence between the two types of ying is in the
difficulty involved in the landings/approaches,
the nature of the approaches, and the length of
runway available (and prevailing weather, tem-
perature, airport altitude, humidity, what you
had for breakfast that morning, etc.). In other
words, the risk level is much lower on back-
country ying versus hard-core bush ying,
which makes it a viable, fun venue for many
more people.

ITS NOT ALL IN ALASKA (OR CANADA)

Bobby Breeden takes o in 61 feet at the Valdez STOL competition. His dad, Bob, ew the same aircraft in the next heat and took o in The instant bush ying is mentioned the
just 56 feet. Bobbys landing was 25 feet shorter than his dads, so Bobby took home rst place and his father second. When talking mental image almost always shifts north of the
about landing and takeo technique, Bob said, We broke it down to 1,000 pieces, examined each part, then put it back together border where bush ying is not necessarily a
again. Their precision paid o. Both Bob and Bobby will be at Oshkosh this summer ying their Super Cub. sport. Its a necessity because the terrain limits
access to much of the area, making the airplane
do double or triple duty as the truck, the family
car, and salvation in emergencies. However,
backcountry ying exists almost anywhere.
Although many Western states actually have
backcountry aviation associations and there are
state programs to maintain (more or less) back-
country runways, the backcountry crowd isnt
just in the West. In fact, the Midwest, speci-
cally, Ohio, is home to Ohio Bush Planes (see
www.OhioBushPlanes.com), a loose, but rapidly
growing, organization of pilots who love nd-
ing spots to land and plopping down onto them.
Most places they land look at least a little like
runways and are cleared and legal to land on.
But none are what the average sport pilot is
going to consider a runway. These pilots y a
wide variety of homebuilt and certied air-
planes with the only unifying characteristic
A wind gauge on the wing strut of Bob and Bobbys Super Cub was a last-minute addition. The wind gust variation during the competition being fat tires and a determined, skilled pilot. In
was 7-10 knots, so Bob and Bobby both watched the gauge closely while at the line, hoping to time their takeos with a gust of wind. fact, skill is at the root of the activity.

www.eaa.org53
THE SHORT-FIELD TOP GUNS GO

John Graham and Greg Swingle, charter

members of the Ohio group, have been quoted
as saying, This isnt for everybody, and most
people probably shouldnt be doing it. Johns
farm has ve winding runways cut through
his grass and snaking up his hills. A sign reads:
Warning: Landing off-airport is dangerous.
Landing on hills or gravel bars is treacherous.
Dont risk yourself or your airplane to such fool-
ishness. Of course, the only way you can read Steve Henry, of Nampa, Idaho, is known on YouTube for his dead-stick takeo, 2-mile ight, and landing, but this was his rst year
that sign is by landing on one of the goofy run- competing in the Valdez STOL contest. The Just Aircraft SuperStol he ew in the competition received a lot of attention, being the new
ways on his farm. Were not sure if the sign is kid on the block. He placed third in the Alternate Bush Class with a 71-foot takeo and 49-foot landing.
sarcastic or ironic.

BACKCOUNTRY FLYING CAN BE VERY SOCIAL

Increasingly the Internet has come into play as
a way of letting the birds-of-a-feather thing
work its magic. As with all special-interest avia-
tion niches, backcountry iers like nothing
better than talking about their latest adventure
or letting others know about some out-of-the-
way mini-paradise theyve discovered. So,
naturally, an electronic clubhouse has been
erected in the form of www.BackCountryPilot.org.
Based in Oregon and home to some of the most
inviting backcountry ying available, the orga-
nization reaches across state and national
borders to give backcountry pilots a home and
a never-ending way to exchange information.
Because backcountry ying is as much a social
activity as it is an aviation challenge.
A number of the backcountry organiza- Steve Henrys takeo technique in the SuperStol caused a sweeping ooooh from the crowd at Valdez. The more violent you do
tions, specically Ohio Bush Planes and it, the shorter it takes o, he said. His technique in his own words is to power up, push the nose over, yank the stick back, and pull
BackCountryPilot.org, act as the focus for orga- aps at the same time. He also says timing is everything: A split second can ruin it.
nizing major, multi-plane expeditions that
cruise likely locations in the United States,
Canada, and Alaska. The backcountry folks
love sitting under their wings in out-of-the-
way places, their aircraft parked close to one
another in an obvious show of community. Its
fun to go places as a gaggle. Its also safer.

SO, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO

SEE AT AIRVENTURE 2014?
Essentially what EAA is putting together at
AirVenture Oshkosh is a combination of a ying
competition, trade show, and y-in for the back-
country/bush community with all the rest of us
invited to attend. This is a golden educational
opportunity for those of us who would love to
participate in the backcountry experience but
dont know where or how to start looking.
The aircraft will be launched and then The day before Steve Henry left Idaho to y to Alaska for the competition, he taped extensions onto his aps, still experimenting with
staged in the air on the other side of the run- their performance. I love experimental aircraft, he said. I could never own a certicated aircraft. He was pleased with the
way, as each prepares for his landing. Each is modication, though admitted, You have to pull back pretty hard to get them down now.

54Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRADY LANE

 NOSE TO NOSE|

scored on the total number of feet required to

both land and take off. A multi-man crew will
be located at the landing area charged with
measuring the landings and takeoffs down to
the inch.
This kind of thing is often difficult to view
because all the action takes place on the ground
at air show center, and not everyone can t into
that relatively short span of show line.
Fortunately, the entertainment industry will
come to the rescue. Borrowing from the way in
Josh Peppered won second place in the Alternate Bush Class in a Mackey SQ2. Designer Wayne Mackey will be at AirVenture 2014. which present day concertgoers can be guaran-
teed of virtual good seats, Jumbotrons will once
again be positioned on the ightline. Via the
huge TV images, everyone can be standing
right there on the nish line. Plus there will be
cameras in select cockpits hooked up with a
real-time feed to the Jumbotrons.
When theyre not on the runway or in the
air, the participating aircraft will be parked
together in the area between the runway and
the VAA Red Barn. There the aircraft can be
closely inspected and the pilots questioned
about not only the hardware but also the back-
country aviation lifestyle that has drawn so
many to it.
On Friday evening, EAAers can get up close
and personal with the aircraft in action, when
they are doing their short-eld thing on the
ultralight runway. This will be an unmatched
opportunity to be standing only a few feet from
At Valdez, many pilots sit in the crowd studying the conditions and their competition until it is their turn to y. Chuck McMahan, the aircraft while they are working their short-
EAA 644404, of Gakona, Alaska, does just that. He has won previous Valdez contests and many of the other competitors consider him eld magic.
one of the legends of Alaska bush ying. There will also be a Theater in the Woods
presentation that will let the audience interact
with participating contest pilots. Check the
AirVenture schedule for the times and updates.

A PLACE TO GET THE ANSWERS

Most of us are attracted to the concept of
landing on a remote, heretofore unvisited
piece of grass. Or dropping in to see Aunt
Sadie and landing on her back pasture. Or
keeping our homebuilt at home and ying off
our backyard. All of this is possible, with the
right airplane and the right training. Come to
AirVenture 2014 and nd the best way to
leave runways behind.

Budd Davisson, EAA 22483, is an aeronautical engi-

neer, has own more than 300 dierent types, and has
published four books and more than 4,000 articles. He is
editor-in-chief of Flight Journal magazine and a ight
instructor primarily in Pitts/tailwheel aircraft. Visit him
Chuck McMahan, EAA 644404, of Gakona, Alaska, takes o at Valdez in his Super Cub. on www.AirBum.com.

www.eaa.org55
 A STORY OF BICYCLES, AIRPLANES,
AND ONE VERY BRAINY HEAD TO
WEAR MANY HATS

BY JAMES LAWRENCE

YOU MAY THINK you know this story: Two brothers

create their own bicycle company. Their two
wheeled designs are innovative, and their construc-
tion solutions are typically elegant, practical, and
often ingenious.
In time, the oldest brothers dream takes hold;
hes always wanted to manufacture air vehicles.
The rst winged craft is designed, and one magi-
cal day it ies. Before long, news of the brothers
achievements spreads, customers come, and the new
business begins to grow.

58Sport AviationJuly 2014

Randy Schlitter hangs out with one of his
favorite creations: the RANS S-19 Venterra.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES LAWRENCE www.eaa.org59

 But theres a twist: These brothers go by
the name of Schlitter, not Wright. RANS
Designs Inc. was founded on the wind-
swept plains of Kansas and has created and
marketed dozens of bike and aircraft designs
for nearly four decades.
RANS bicycles have sold worldwide in the
tens of thousands, and for 30 years the aircraft
division has shipped more than 5,000 airplanes.
Located in Hays, Kansas, the companys
whiz designer, chief fabricator, CEO, and now
sole owner is Randy Schlitter. Brother John
left years ago to start his own company.
Considering the long, slow dirge of eco-
nomic woes that has plagued general
aviation for decades, the RANS success story
is nothing less than remarkable.
Lean, resilient, innovative, and well-
managed, the company has weathered the
storm. Its latest model, the S-20LS Raven, is
a prime example of how to survive the ups
and downs of the aviation industry.
Envisioned, designed, and prototyped by
head honcho Randy and his facile crew, the
new bird is impeccably built, offers respon-
sive, sporty handling, and has that singular
clean, crisp look RANS is known for.
Randys latest creation: the S-20 Raven, a bush-bangin, convertible tricycle/taildragger aair. Below: Randy with Michelle Miller.
QUOTE THE RAVEN, EVERMORE
The Raven project came about through feed-
back from the extensive RANS customer
base. They asked for an airplane offering the
best characteristics of two of Randys most
popular designs: the S-7 Courier and the
venerable S-6 Coyote II.
Courier is a factory-built, tandem S-LSA
taildragger with lauded backcountry bush
chops. Coyote II is the much-rened tricy-
cle-gear, side-by-side evolution of Randys
very rst designthe Coyote ultralightthat
debuted in 1983. The high-winger is an E-AB
kit. Both birds occupy the current RANS
product line of 10 models.
Randy attacked the S-20 design with cus-
tomary zeal.
Design is where I live, he says one chilly
evening at Sebring 2014. I could create air-
planes all day long. He ashes a puckish grin
and adds, I like ying, too, by the way.
He also likes nding clever, practical
ways to build his airplanes. Maybe thats
because he cut his baby teeth in his fathers
airplane repair shop.
I was indoctrinated to slave labor from
an early point, he jokes. His dad, Ray

60Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAMES LAWRENCE AND COURTESY OF RANS

Schlitter, was a lifelong aviator, crop duster,
and aircraft rebuilder.
My earliest memories are of taking
screws out of a Champ wing for my dad. I was
maybe 5 years old, Randy says. I guess thats
why I grew up with this vision of someday
becoming an aircraft manufacturer.
The S-20 Raven epitomizes Randys
design oeuvre: Start with a cool idea, iden-
tify whether it will make money, build the
prototype, load test, test y and tweak it to
perfection, debut it at an air show, and wran-
gle those orders.
Ive never felt I built the company
myself, he says. Weve always attrac-
ted this amazing group of employees,
clients and friends, aviation journalists,
even competitors that Ive really en-
joyed knowing.
Sometimes its been that family thats
kept us going when money was thin. He
smiles. But in aviation you get a lifestyle
you cant get any other way.
In elding the Raven, Randy hoped to
morph the robust bush performance of the
tandem Courier with the side-by-side cock-
pit comfort of the Coyote II. One after all
The venerable Coyote II, continuously evolved from the early 80s ultralight that began the whole RANS adventure.
grows weary of watching the back of a fel-
low aviators head.
The Raven expanded Coyotes 4130
welded, powder-coated front cage to a full
steel fuselage. Couriers tandem seating While all RANS designs bear the imprimatur of Randy
became Ravens side-by-side, dual-control
cockpit. Reversible landing legs were added,
which means the Raven easily converts from
tri-gear to a taildragger.
The new, streamlined cowl ares nicely
to top-hung doors that swell gracefully for
46.5 inches of shoulder room. The right seat
even reclines to a chaise lounge that is per-
fect for cockpit air camping or a nap on a
long cross-country leg.
Flight testing demonstrated the Ravens
lower wetted drag calculations with a faster
cruise and lower stall numbers than even the
tandem, narrow-fuselage Courier. Even glide
ratio was a solid 9.4-to-1.
The new model attests to the classic t
and nish that RANS customers have come
to expect. You cant beat tried and true air-
plane construction methods such as welded
fuselage and tail, extruded aluminum spars,
airfoil struts, stamped wing ribs, and top-
quality fabric covering.
HIGHLIGHTS OF A
BRILLIANT CAREER
Schlitters fertile imagination and exacting work ethic,
a few deserve special attention.
RANS S-11 Pursuit
Randy took another run at the lifting body concept in 1991
with the Pursuit. The exotic design has yet to see production.
A single/dual-seater with trike gear, the S-11 derived 80
percent of its lift from the fuselage and strakes and just 20
percent from the wings. Welded steel cage frame, aluminum
ribs, and a composite shell carried a Rotax 912 UL (80 hp).
Randy was seriously burned when the rst prototype
lost power and crashed. Undaunted, the designer reg-
istered two more prototypes as of 1993.
S-6ES Coyote II
The original and still-champion Coyote is one of those
light sport-style airplanes that makes you feel like an
ace the rst time you y it. Responsive with solid climb,
decent cruise, and light, snappy handling, its sporty feel
and easy manners explains its enduring success.
At just 675 pounds empty (645 pounds useful), the current
extended span and LS models both come as low-time (350-
400 hour) kits and include pre-sewn, slip-on, ingeniously
drum-tautened wing skins with a glossy painted look. All
CNC-stamped aluminum ribs, powder-coated fuselage, and
durable construction, some of the nearly 2,000 Coyotes out
there have more than 3,000 hours.
S-9 Chaos
A stocky-framed, shoulder-wing aerobat, the S-9
debuted in 1986 and continues to appear worldwide in
solo and group air show acts. Light, snappy handling,
sturdy frame, and a veteran performer in Sportsman
aerobatic competitions, the 375-pound empty weight
single-seater gets amazing performance out of any of its
inverted-fuel 65-, 80-, and 100-hp engine options. The
S-10 Sakota is a two-seat spino for cross-country com-
panionship and aerobatic training.
S-12XL Airaile
Perhaps the most eye-pleasing tube/fabric ultralight ever
built, the Airaile debuted in 1990 and enjoys ongoing
popularity thanks to Randys career-long habit of imple-
menting customer feedback into modications. Airailes y
in more than 40 countries and can be had as fully or par-
tially enclosed models with a variety of engine sizes.
S-19 Venterra
A delight to y, the S-19 Venterra low-wing aluminum
ivver ts neatly into the light-sport aircraft category.
The horizontal stabilator tail, constant-chord wing, and
tricycle gear along with roomy cabin and headroom for
pilots up to 6 feet 4 inches make a delightful long-dis-
tance cruiser. Theres a 13-cubic-foot baggage space big
enough for two folding bicycles. Handling is vintage
RANS: brisk, light, proportional in all axes, forgiving
in aerodynamics, and about as easy to land as any
aircraft alive. Its one of Randys favorites.
www.eaa.org61
SPARK OF A CAREER loved bicycling and ying. I messed around three-wheel land sailers that you could
We all have talents and abilities. Some of us with land sailers at rst. Hes talking about pedal when the wind died. The two-seat
have enough brains and skills for a dozen those minimalist, low-slung, tricycle-gear prototype weighed 70 pounds, averaged 45
people. Randy is one of those folks adept at frames rigged with a sabot-sized sail. mph in the omnipresent Kansas winds, had
inventive, nuanced design, aeronautical At 13 years old he designed and built his 10-speed gearing, and a baggage compart-
engineering, innovative manufacturing, rst full-size airplane. It was a lifting body ment that held four sacks of groceries.
company management, and marketing savvy. design, he says nonchalantly, as if talking Eagle 4 was the rst production model.
You might call him an auteur: He does it all. about a balsa model kit. Randy celebrated the nations bicentennial
I went to the Spartan School of Id seen a picture in the Hays newspaper by patenting the design in 1976. He hired a
Aeronautics in Tulsa, he says, to be a pilot or of the NASA X-24A. I designed my own, crew and started building. When the welded
an A&P. I got the A&P, then learned everything went to the garage, and a mere 2.5 years later steel Windhawk model debuted, orders
I could about the hands-on part of aircraft. Boy, was towing it down the runway. started pouring in and Randy was a manu-
when you go through a program like that, you And it ew! During one tow, the plane facturer. In all, more than 1,500 sailtrikes
learn everything! Materials processing, oscillated and hit the ground hard, breaking went out the door.
hydraulics, physicsIve used every scrap of an axle and some minor partsan easy x.
information I got out of school in my business. But Dad said, Dismantle that thing; Ill REVERSAL TO FORTUNE
In high school he told his guidance teach you about real airplanes, which meant With the sailtrike business growing into the
counselor he wanted to be a duster pilot he wanted me to wash his sprayer planes, early 80s, Randy revisited his childhood
like his father. change the spark plugs, and such. But along dream of building airplanes.
But Id seen Dad struggle with his fly- the way, I really did learn a lot about planes As he wrote in his company bio on the
ing career. So I also said Id like to be in and what makes them work. RANS website, I was encouraged by my
manufacturing. He laughs, then quips, I Randys entrepreneurial streak wasnt hang gliding friends to consider ultralights.
figured it was the closest I could get to long to emerge. He called his next project a Impressed with the quality of his sail-
legal counterfeiting. sailtrike. I liked land sailing and bicycling, trike designs, they urged him to apply his
Ray didnt initially cotton to the idea of he says. Why not combine the two? designing and building chops to the boom-
Randy as an airplane manufacturer. He worked out the kinks on a couple ing new category that became (in 1984) FAA
He had plans for me and my brother to single- and two-seat prototypes, essentially Part 103-7: The Ultralight Vehicle.
take over his crop-spraying business so he
could retire. It got to the point where I was
building airplanes and bikes while still ying
spray planes.
The day came for a tough decision.
Dad, I told him, I just cant do both.
What makes you think you can build
planes better than anyone else? Ray asked.
Never slow with a snappy rejoinder,
Randy shot back, Because Im your son.
Ray thought a bit, laughed, and said,
Well, youll probably do okay then.
Randy remembers it took 15 years for Ray
to realize how big a name his son was mak-
ing for himself.
He walked around at Sun n Fun one
year, wearing a name tag. People asked if he
knew a Randy Schlitter.
Yeah, hes my boy. When everyone told
him how universally respected Randy and
RANS were, Ray later simply told him,
Youve got a good reputation.
Randy smiles. We always had a kind of
whos the bigger smartass competition.

TO SAIL THE HIGHWAYS

When I was a little kid, I made all kinds of
inventions, Randy says. In particular, he The S-10 Sakota, an E-AB two-seat kit plane with serious aerobatic chops.

62Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF RANS

 Problem was that this young entrepreneur
was into green wings. He had begun work
on a foot-launched sailplane design and
wanted nothing to do with the noise, mess,
and complications of gas-powered ight.
Then he had an epiphany. I asked
myself, Why am I so opposed to this con-
cept of minimal ight? he says.
And he decided if folks so loved these
rudimentary, free-spirit contraptions that
they were willing to put up with the inher-
ent risks and hassles, he would build them
something to get really excited about.
There was just one piece still miss-
ing: money.
A pilot friend happened to see the original
Coyote sketch in Randys shop and asked
about it. He offered to back the project and a
partnership called Aero-Max was born. The
rst prototype ew just four months later in
March 1983.
Coyote was like the animal, Randy says.
Its a real survivor.
Alas, the partnership didnt survive, but
the two parted as friends. From the ashes,
RANS arose.

A TRAILBLAZERS PEDIGREE A young Randy in test pilot repose during evaluation of an early lifting body design.
Today the RANS Designs lineup of bicycles
includes 20 upright, recumbent, and tandem
models. The aircraft line is 80 percent kit
built and 20 percent ready-to-y and includes
eight distinct models. The S-7 Courier comes
in kit and pre-built versions, and the ready-
to-y version of the S-20 Raven will
eventually be available.
Over his prolic career, Randy has cre-
ated and built no less than 17 distinct models
with a total of 44 variants. Each of them
wears the imprint of their tirelessly inven-
tive, hard-working creator.
Im like an artist I guess, he says, who
wants to paint the perfect painting.
Eventually Ill create the perfect airplane;
maybe then Ill feel like Im done.
Its been a fun ride so far. I tell people I
retired when I was 28, he jokes, then, ash-
ing a wry smile says, I hope to continue for,
oh, maybe another 30 years.
When asked for a preview of any new
design hes thinking about, Randy describes
an electric-powered ultralight that would
t within the connes of Part 103. That
would mean single-seat, 254 pounds max
weight, 5 gallons max fuel, with a top An early version of the sleek RANS S-12XL Airaile ultralight rst produced in 1990, continuously rened and still oered in kit form.

www.eaa.org63
 full-power level speed of 63 mph, and a He envisions a medium-distance
RANS AIRCRAFT max stall speed of 28 mph. future where people might fly multirotor
MODELS BY YEAR Randys mulled over that project for a vehicles to work, but cautions to expect a
few years now. The companys ongoing suc- tidal wave of logistical and airspace chal-
1983: S-2, S-3 Coyote prototypes and S-4 Coyote pro- cess keeps him too busy wearing all those lenges. If it does happen, maybe in 20 to
duction prototype other hats. 25 years, it will be the end of aviation as
1984: S-5 Coyote production prototype
I do think a lot of people dont realize we know it.
what a tremendous asset Part 103 is. I believe Randys office has its share of those
1985: S-7 Courier prototype we could make an admirable high-perfor- things you put on the wall: award plaques,
1986: S-7 Courier production, S-9 prototype mance, electric UL motorglider with over a photos of early designs, magazine covers of
20-to-1 glide, at somewhere under $15,000. his airplanes. Recent accolades include
1987: S-9 Chaos production
Thats the cool part about the current EAAs prestigious Homebuilders Hall of
1988: S-6 Coyote II and S-10 Sakota aerobat state of electric propulsion, he adds. As Fame and the LAMA Presidents Award.
production prototypes
long as you dont expect to y under power Ive been so fortunate to be in the
1990: S-6ES TR and TD, S-12 Airaile production too long, you can do it. And its less expen- midst of always creating something
prototype sive because electric power has a lot of new, Randy says. Ive rubbed elbows
1991: S-6ES Coyote II production prototype, S-11 and economic and low-complexity advantages with people like Burt Rutan, Cliff
S-14 prototype, S-14 production prototype, S-14 long- over conventional gas engines. Robertson. Most people in aviation
wing rst ight Looking forward, Randy says, I think are open and willing to share. Not all
1992: S-11A Pursuit lifting body prototype the next big wave we might see would be industries are like that: Im real glad
$15,000-$30,000, one- to two-seat quad- aviation is.
1993: S-11B prototype, S-6S production prototype
copters. Totally impractical, but a total He adds that having his company in
1994: S-16 Shekari prototype blast. Imagine getting together out in a Hays feels at times like living on an island;
1995: S-12XL Airaile two-seat ultralight field and chasing each other around. everything has to be shipped in from some-
production prototype Kind of like snowmobiling or ATVing but where else. Still, we always feel connected
1996: S-17 Stinger ultralight prototype, S-7C proto- in the air. with aviation. Its amazing how tight that
type rst ight
1997: S-16B ies with Rotax 912 engine
1998: S-16B with 1024OB engine, S-16 kits shipped
1999: S-12S rst ight, S-6S new fuselage rst ight,
S-7C 21-inch stretch rst ight, S-17 second version
rst ight
2000: S-17 production rst ight, S-7C conformed
prototype rst ight, S-18 rst ight
2001: S-18 Stinger II with Rotax 582 and canopy rst
ight, S-7C receives type certication
2002: S-18 with 912 and full-enclosure rst ight
2003: S-7S enters production, S-7C kit version
2005: S-6ES Sport Wing rst ight, S-7LS rst company
S-LSA enters production
2007: S-19 Venterra prototype rst ight, S-19 rst
partial kit
2008: S-6LS Coyote S-LSA rst ight
2009: S-19 Venterra S-LSA rst production
2010: S-6ELS rst ight
2011: S-7S rst ight
2013: S-7LS (80 hp) rst production, S-20 Raven
(912 ULS) prototype rst ight
2014: S-20 Raven production, debuts at
Sebring 2014
The all-metal, light-sport, traditional-construction S-19 Venterra.

64Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF RANS

connection can beand how much loss we
feel when we lose somebody.

FALLING CLOSE TO THE TREE

Randys dad Ray passed on a few years ago.
I miss that I cant show him all this latest
cool stuff, Randy says. He was always the
critic. But despite the grouchy old fart act, I
could see through his cover.
One beautiful late afternoon in the spring
of 1999, Ray rolled up in his mini pickup at
the Hays airport. I said, Lets go y the
S-16. He declined. He said he was too weak
to get in the plane. Youre going, I said, if I
have to pick you up myself. He was really
sick with terminal liver cancer.
Randy lifted his dad into the sleek low-
wing Shekari.
That frail man I had just helped slide
into the seat disappeared and the father I
had known all my life, and own with count-
less hours, reappeared, Randy says. I sat
back and folded my arms. He looked over
the panel, then started the plane.
Aloft, the air was smooth and cool, the
sky clear.
We ew for about an hour, Randy says. S-16 Shekari, another E-AB aerobatic design introduced in 1998 but discontinued in 2006.
He didnt say much, just a question or
two about the plane. It had a Continental
engine: right down his alley. He wrung it
out, in his special way, showing again how
smooth and professional he could be at
the controls.
He made a perfect landing. As we taxied
back to the hangar, he quietly said, Best one
yet, son
That was Rays last ight. He passed
away that December.
He will always be my favorite pilot,
Randy says. And hopefully in spirit, my full-
time copilot.
When asked when he thinks hell hang it
up for good, Randy chuckles. Well, Im still
having fun.
I suppose, he adds, Ill feel retired
when Im only putting in 40 hours a week at
the factory.
Consider that a gift and think of all the
cool, fun-ying RANS planes and bikes we
have to look forward to.

James Lawrence, EAA 1017520, former actor (TJ on TVs

SWAT), has own, written about, and photographed aircraft
from hang gliders to warbirds since 1977 and covered the LSA
scene since 2007. Bicycles and aircraft continue to pour out of the Hays, Kansas, home base.

66Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF RANS

 USAF THUNDERBIRDS HIGHLIGHT EAAS BIGGEST AIR
SHOW EVER PRESENTED BY ROCKWELL COLLINS

BY J. MAC MCCLELLAN

68Sport AviationJuly 2014

PHOTOGRAPHY BY TYSON RININGER www.eaa.org69

OVER THE DECADES airplanes of every con-
ceivable type and size have come to
Oshkosh. But never a U.S. military jet team.
Until this year. On Friday, Saturday, and
Sunday during AirVenture Oshkosh the U.S.
Air Force Thunderbirds will y their fast,
loud, and thrilling show over Wittman eld.
The daily air show at Oshkosh is presented
by Rockwell Collins.
MV-22 Osprey
Sean D. Tucker
70Sport AviationJuly 2014
THUNDER OVER OSHKOSH
The Thunderbirds are scheduled to
arrive in their F-16 Fighting Falcons on
Thursday. The arrival doesnt include the
formation aerobatics of the main event, but
is still something to see. The F-16s will make
their precision taxi-in and parking maneu-
vers on the north side of Wittman eld
where there is enough space to maneuver. It
will be possible to get a look at the jets with
their trademark red, white, and blue paint
schemes from the terminal building.
The Thunderbirds are, of course, only
one of more than 50 different air show per-
formers to y at Oshkosh during the week of
AirVenture. Virtually all of the big name air
show pilots will y at least once during the
daily afternoon and Wednesday and
Saturday night shows.
Another military rst this year will be a
performance by the Marine Corps V-22
Osprey tiltrotor team. The Osprey came to
Oshkosh several years ago, but this year the
Marines have perfected a performance that
shows just how amazing the capability of the
big vertical takeoff and landing xed-wing
airplane really is.
Leading the civilian air show performers
is EAA Young Eagles Chairman Sean D.
Tucker in his Oracle Challenger III biplane.
Sean has brought the same fantastic high
energy to the Young Eagles program as he
does his ying. Sean cant quite take off ver-
tically like the Osprey, but he does hang on
the prop like nobody else.
And the Warbirds of America will be
ying its huge variety of historic military
airplanes complete with the pyrotechnics
PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAURIE GOOSSENS AND RON SELLERS
AeroShell Aerobatic Team

that have been an Oshkosh favorite for

many years.
The AeroShell Aerobatic Team of four
T-6s will perform during the afternoon
shows, and again with a smoky, sparkly pro-
gram during the night shows. Another
formation team this year is the Trojan
Horsemen with a six-ship performance in
T-28s. And overhead the Geico Skytypers y
a formation of six SNJs to spell out a mes-
sage in smoke.
This year is the 50th anniversary of the
Breezy, that out in the open air pusher that
has been a xture at Oshkosh. The Breezy
was made famous by co-designer Carl
Unger who gave people rides every day at
the show always wearing his trademark
bright red vest. Carl passed away recently,
but we have invited as many Breezys as Trojan Horsemen
possible to y in and celebrate the anniver-
sary of the design, and commemorate the in Alaska. These pilots and their purpose- THUNDERBIRDS HISTORY
colorful pilot who stopped counting after built airplanes can y so slowly that a The Air Force Thunderbirds trace their
taking the 10,000th passenger for a Breezy landing and subsequent takeoff barely modern history back to 1953 when the then
ight years ago. requires the space of a tennis court, not a very young branch of the military formed a
The opposite extreme of the football eld. The pilots wont y in a score- demonstration unit to show off the capabil-
Thunderbirds will be the pilots from the keeping competition, but will show off the ity of its frontline jet ghters. There had
Valdez Fly-In and Air Show short takeoff skills that made them top nishers at Valdez been an earlier demonstration jet team
and landing contest that takes place annually earlier during this years contest. named the Acrojets ying F-80s in 1949. The

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEKEVIN THORNTON AND COURTESY OF RAPTOR AVIATION www.eaa.org71

 THUNDER OVER OSHKOSH

Acrojets ew only a handful of performances before the unit was

deactivated because of the Korean War. AIRVENTURE 2014 AIR SHOW PERFORMERS
The mission of the demonstration team was to allow the pub- PRESENTED BY ROCKWELL COLLINS
lic to see rsthand the capabilities of the rapidly developing jet
ghter technology. Of course, a prime target to impress were
Sean D. Tucker Oracle Challenger III
young people who the Air Force hoped would sign up for duty.
Mike Goulian Extra 330SC
Supporting Air Force recruitment remains a major Thunderbirds
objective to this day. Kirby Chambliss Red Bull Edge 540 and Parachute Team
Initially the team had an identification number like other David Martin Breitling CAP 232
units in the Air Force. Its not exactly recorded who came up Nicolas Ivano Hamilton Watch Edge 540
with the name Thunderbirds, but the team was formed at Luke Patty Wagsta Extra 300S
Air Force Base in Arizona, which is home to many Native Mike Wiskus Lucas Oil Pitts
Americans whose cultural history includes a mythical bird of Rob Holland MX2
superpowers called the Thunderbird. However it happened, Matt Chapman Eagle 580
its hard to imagine a more appropriate name for a fighter jet Bill Stein Edge 540
aerobatic team. Skip Stewart Prometheus
The Thunderbirds rst ride was the Republic F-84 Rex and Melissa Pemberton Edge 540 and Wingsuit
Thunderjet, a straight-wing single-engine jet that was among the TinStix of Dynamite Melissa Pemberton and Skip Stewart - Pitts and Edge
highest performing in the inventory. The team shortly transi- The 4ce Matt Chapman, Jack Knutson, Rob Holland, and Bill Stein
tioned to the F-84F Thunderstreak, an advanced version with a AeroShell Aerobatic Team Four T-6s
swept wing and capable of higher speeds. The F-84 series was by Geico Skytypers Six SNJs
all accounts a reasonably good ying airplane, but it was most Trojan Horsemen Six T-28s
famous for taking forever to get off the ground.
Jim Peitz F-33C Bonanza
The Thunderbirds were able to put on their most acoustically
Steve Oliver FireDancer
impressive shows when the team switched to the North
Suzanne Oliver Skywriting
American Aviation F-100 Super Sabre in the mid-1950s. If the
Gene Soucy Showcat
show organizers gave permission, the Thunderbirds would gen-
erate a sonic boom as part of the show. Its hard to believe that a Gene Soucy and Teresa Stokes Wingwalking Showcat
sonic boom was allowed, but many of us are old enough to Kyle Franklin Dracula
remember when military jet noise, including sonic booms, was Matt Younkin Twin Beech
called the sound of freedom. The Thunderbirds had to throttle Greg Koontz Xtreme Decathlon
back to below Mach 1 when the FAA banned sonic booms over Kent Pietsch Interstate Cadet
the United States. Jerry Kerby RV-8
As the 1960s began to wind down and the war in Vietnam Justin Lewis FLS Microjet
raged on, the Thunderbirds switched again, this time to the enor- Roger Buis Otto
mous and unbelievably loud McDonnell F-4 Phantom. The huge Chuck Aaron Red Bull Helicopter
size of the twin-engine ghter-bomber made the close formation USAF Thunderbirds Six F-16s
ying even more impressive. And Phantoms create a unique USMC Osprey Demo Team MV-22 Osprey
shrieking sound that left air show crowds amazed, and probably Michael Rambo T-6 Texan II
reaching to cover their ears. Fairey Gannet XT752
The long gas lines of the oil embargos in the 1970s made the Scott Yoak P-51 Quick Silver
fuel-guzzling F-4s seem out of step with fuel conservation and Bob Carlton SubSonex
even fuel rationing programs that were going on across the
Warbirds of America Various Warbirds
country so the Thunderbirds switched mounts again, this time
Young Eagles Various Flights
to the Northrop T-38. The T-38 is a compact twin-engine
Vintage Various Vintage
advanced jet trainer that is capable of supersonic speed.
Homebuilt Various Homebuilt
Because of its small size and relatively small engines the T-38
burned only a fraction of the fuel of the mammoth Phantom. Rotorcraft Various Rotorcraft
The maneuverability of the T-38 allowed the Thunderbirds to Ultralights Various Ultralights
y extremely tight and precise formation maneuvers that never Seaplane Base Showcase Various Seaplanes
failed to impress. Breezy 50th Anniversary Various Breezys
Following a disastrous crash during practice in the T-38s Reno Air Racing Association Various RARA Aircraft
in 1982 the Thunderbirds resumed flying in the then brand Valdez STOL Various Aircraft
new General Dynamics F-16. The single-engine F-16 was the Socata Flyby Various Socatas
first fly-by-wire fighter in the Air Force inventory allowing it

72Sport AviationJuly 2014


to be remarkably maneuverable but
extremely versatile in fighter, bomber, and
attack missions. The F-16 continues to be
the workhorse of the Air Force and
National Guard fleets today, and is oper-
ated by many nations around the world.
The team now ies an advanced version
of the F-16. Formation passes will be in
Breezy
Valdez STOL
74Sport AviationJuly 2014
THUNDER OVER OSHKOSH
excess of 400 knots, and the solo runs
bump up against the speed of sound. We
will also see the famous slow ight dirty
high angle of attack passes, and the canopy-
to-canopy pass. I think its safe to say the
Thunderbirds will be ying faster over
Oshkosh than any other airplane to per-
form, including the Concorde.
The Thunderbirds will be the closing
act of the air show presented by Rockwell
Collins on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The teams show routine lasts about 45
minutes. The afternoon and two night air
show schedules will be available soon.
Check www.EAA.org frequently to see
when the many pilots and teams are sched-
uled to perform during the week.
It took a great deal of coordination with
EAAs airport neighbors and the FAA to
make it possible to enlarge the air show aer-
obatic box to the size necessary for the
high speed of the Thunderbirds. And on the
three days the Thunderbirds perform the
FAA is requiring the show burn line be
moved back to the west farther away from
the Runway 18/36 centerline. That means
we cant sit or stand as close to the runway
as usual for those shows, but here at
Oshkosh we will all get a better view of the
Thunderbirds in action than most of the mil-
lions of people who have seen them y over
the last 60 years.
J. Mac McClellan, EAA 747337, has been a pilot for more
than 40 years, holds an ATP certicate, and owns a Beech-
craft Baron. To contact Mac, e-mail mac@eaa.org.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS MILLER
76Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY
 FLYING THE THIS DECEMBER MARKS the 75th anniversary of one
MOST-PRODUCED of the most signicant aircraft that rose from the
BOMBER IN ITS 75TH 20th century. An airplane own by tens of thou-
ANNIVERSARY YEAR sands of pilots that played a very large part in
winning World War II, and yet it was only actively
own for six years with only two ying examples
BY JEFF SKILES surviving the ravages of time. An airplane that holds
the distinction of being the most produced multien-
gine aircraft in history with more than 18,000

www.eaa.org77
produced, and yet its design was obsolete
almost as soon as it appeared. Its versatil-
ity led it to be used in every theater of
operations during the war as a bomber, a
fuel tanker, a passenger transport, and a
cargo aircraft. But, it was initially viewed
as so unsuitable for combat that the first
examples had the armament removed and
were used by the RAF ferry command as

PLOESTI
The rear gunner has the best view in the house. The bombardier sitting in the nose doubled as a gunner.
No discussion of the impact of the B-24 on the war
eort is complete without a mention of Ploesti. aerial buses. The Consolidated B-24 Liberator went on to blaze its own trail as
Operation Tidal Wave, the ocial designation for Liberator was a true dichotomy in the a significant contributor in the effort to
the mission, was a strategic low-level bombing raid aviation world. vanquish Axis forces.
designed to cripple Axis oil reneries in Romania and
cut o the lifeblood of Hitlers attack forces, gaso- Like many designs, it was born of war The Liberator served in yeoman duty
line. In August 1943 several bomb groups briefed for and was singularly adapted to meet the all over the world, but it pales in histori-
what would become the most famous B-24 mission needs of a world in conflict. However its cal reputation to the rugged, battle-tested
of the war.
first flight was fully two years before the B-17. The beautiful lines of the B-17
Five heavy bombardment groups of the U.S. 8th United States entered into armed struggle. led Hollywood to use clips of the Boeing
and 9th Army Air Forces departed their bases in
northwestern Libya and pointed the noses of their
Designed as a replacement for the B-17 in almost every movie about bombers over
Liberators northeast across the Mediterranean. For Flying Fortress, it was not a next step but Europe. The cinematic appearances of the
this long ight to Romania at least 177 B-24s took a complement to the Boeing heavy slab-sided B-24 are largely limited to the
part, which was one of the largest formations of bomber. But the Consolidated B-24 story of the Lady Be Good, an unfortunate
Allied bombers up until that time.
Heavily loaded with armament and carrying addi-
tional gas tanks in their bomb bays, the Liberators
labored to gain altitude and clear the cloud-cov-
ered Pindus Mountains of Greece. The bomb groups
cleared the terrain, but the climb strung out their for-
mations, threatening the careful synchronization of
their attack. Navigational errors by some further dis-
persed the bombers as they began their treetop-level
approach to the target.
The mission planners were unaware of the signifi-
cant build-up in German anti-aircraft capability
to protect the critical refineries, and the B-24s
were easy prey. German, Bulgarian, and Romanian
fighter aircraft also shredded the American for-
mations, rendering the aircraft unable to protect
themselves because of their staggered and poorly
timed approach.
There were 53 bombers shot down with a total of
more than 600 airmen on board, a 30 percent loss
rate. Two-thirds of the airmen shot down over the
target were killed in action, while one-third sur-
vived to face imprisonment. Many of the B-24s that
survived the initial bombardment were too heav-
ily damaged to return to base. Of the 177 aircraft that
departed Benghazi that day, only 88 returned, and
55 of those had signicant battle damage.
Five airmen were awarded the Medal of Honor for
their heroism during Operation Tidal Wave and
Black Sunday would be remembered as the
worst single mission loss in the war by the U.S.
Army Air Forces.

Diamond Lil is painted to represent the rst Liberators o the assembly line.

78Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

aircraft and crew that disappeared
over Africa after overflying their base
in darkness.
The B-24 was produced in larger
numbers than any other U.S. military air-
craftever. But it was retired from active
service almost immediately upon the con-
clusion of World War II, and its surviving
examples were scrapped or simply left to
rot. It had a reputation for lightweight
construction that rendered it susceptible
to battle damage, and it had an alarming
propensity for catching on fire, but untold
thousands of airmen flew and fought in
the Liberator and returned to home and
hearth after the war.
MODEL 32
The B-24 began life as the Model 32 by
the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation
and ironically grew out of a U.S. Army Air
Corps request that Consolidated consider
building the Boeing B-17 on license. The
use of the manufacturing capability of
companies who would otherwise be com-
petitors was often necessary to produce
the quantities of aircraft required for the
The power quadrant bristles with levers.
The cockpit is small and conventionally laid out.
war effort. Consolidated instead pro-
posed a new design, a high-wing heavy
bomber using a low-drag wing designed
by one of its own engineers. The wing
design would famously be known as the
Davis wing.
To facilitate the new design the Army
Air Corps issued a specification asking
for a bomber that could fly farther, faster,
and higher than the B-17. The specifica-
tion was created with the Consolidated
Model 32 in mind, and in March 1939,
without much competitive pressure, Gen.
Henry Hap Arnold approved a contract
for a prototype, and the Model 32 moved
forward to production.
The aircraft would look very unlike
its predecessors. It would be a high-
wing, twin-tail design similar to other Conso-
lidated aircraft like the Commodore,
Coronado, and Corregidor flying boats.
It would be powered by four Pratt &
Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engines. Its
bomb doors would roll up into the fuse-
lage like a tambour door, and it possessed
a then unusual feature for a military
designa nose wheel.
The crew assembles for a ight brieng.
DESIGNED AS A REPLACEMENT FOR
THE B-17 FLYING FORTRESS, IT WAS
NOT A NEXT STEP BUT A COMPLEMENT
TO THE BOEING HEAVY BOMBER.
The result was a somewhat ungainly
boxy-looking aircraft that would neverthe-
less be redesigned in later models into a
capable bomber that would darken the
skies over Europe.
DIAMOND LIL
Diamond Lil started life early in the long
production run of the B-24. The first B-24s
to roll off the assembly line were destined
to fill orders from several countries. The
United States bought 36, the French 120,
and Britain ordered 164. Diamond Lil was
the 25th aircraft off the assembly line and
was initially destined for Britain. It unfor-
tunately suffered a landing incident on its
delivery flight and was returned to
Consolidated for repair.
Deleted from the initial order,
Diamond Lil was rebuilt into a passenger
www.eaa.org79
transport and became the prototype for
the C-87, a transport version of the B-24
designed to provide heavy cargo and per-
sonnel lift capability with longer range
and higher speed than a C-47. The aircraft
stayed on as a personnel transport and a
test bed for Consolidated until after the
war when it was sold to Continental Can
Company where it was operated as an
executive transport.
After 10 years of operation it was again
sold to Petroleos Mexicanos where it ew
until 1967 when the Commemorative Air
Force acquired the aircraft for its collection.
Today the CAF still flies Diamond Lil,
saluting our veterans and providing ride
flights around the country as one of only
two surviving Liberators in flying condi-
tion and as a B-24A model, the oldest
in existence.
FLIGHT CHECK
Walking around the B-24 makes you real-
ize how large the aircraft is, much bigger
than it appears from a distance, crouched
on the ramp. The wings and engines are
way up in the air and so are the pilots in
the cockpit. The bridge girder landing gear
has massive single tires, and the short-
coupled nose gear looks odd in proportion
to the rest of the aircraft.
The crew compartments are split by a
centrally located bomb bay with the offi-
cers, pilots, bombardier, and navigator in
the front and the enlisted men in the back
in a large rear gunners compartment. The

B-24 VERSUS B-17

Volumes have been written comparing the various

attributes of the Liberator and the Flying Fortress. Why
are people so determined to crown a victor in this
almost 70-year-old competition? Perhaps because in
the end both aircraft were so similar. They both were
four-engine bombers used primarily in the European
theater. They both boasted 1,200-hp supercharged
engines and maximum weights around 65,000
pounds. And, they both carried about the same
bomb load, putting it on target with the infamous
Norden bombsight.
With aircraft boasting such similar statistics, little things
rise to the surface to illustrate the dierences between
them. The B-24 was faster and more ecient with its
thin high-aspect ratio laminar-ow wing, but the B-17
could y higher with its thicker, albeit higher-drag
airfoil. The B-24 was a hydraulic aircraft, where the
B-17 followed Boeings penchant for electrically oper-
ated gear and aps. The B-24 could carry slightly more
weight in the bomb bay, but the B-17 had a reputation
for ruggedness that brought many a crew back home
from the unfriendly skies of Germany.
Certainly the B-17 has more to oer from an aesthetic
point of view with its big round tail and curvaceous
fuselage. Rarely has Hollywood cast the Liberator as a
supporting actor. The lm Twelve OClock High, ironi-
cally written by a former B-24 group commander,
might not have been quite so compelling with the
boxy Liberator. B-17 pilots like to joke that the B-24 is
just the box the B-17 came in. Crew members pull the props through before start.
The Liberator will always boast of the manufacturing
prize with more than 18,000 B-24s produced as com-
pared to the B-17s still impressive 12,000 airframes.
Nearly half of all B-24s were built by Ford at Willow
Run near Detroit. At peak production Ford was roll-
ing out a new B-24 every 63 minutes. I have had the
opportunity to y both aircraft, and while they share
very heavy control inputs, the B-17 is an honest and
harmonious ying aircraft; the B-24 ies like it looks.
The truth of the matter is that both served our country,
helped crush Axis manufacturing might, and got
crews home more times than not. Maybe in the
nal analysis, thats all that needs to be said
about these two ne aircraft. Diamond Lils twin tails are a common design feature on
The B-24 was armed with 10 .50-caliber Browning machine guns. Consolidated aircraft.

80Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

waist gunners fire from staggered side
positions. The tail gunner sits in a sling
much like a childs swing set in the very tip
of the tail, and on some models a retract-
able ball turret could be extended in the
air for protection.
A central walkway connects through
the bomb bay and brings you to the for-
ward control area. The cockpit is fairly
conventionally laid out for an airplane of
its era, and your eyeballs are level with the
shoulder-mounted wings.
Engine start is accomplished jointly
between the pilots, and it takes awhile to
get all four Pratt & Whitney engines turn-
ing. With them all shaking and belching
smoke we wait, warming the oil before taxi.
the bomber begins to trundle down the
runway. The nonflying pilot stabilizes the
power at 45 inches of manifold pressure,
and speed picks up rapidly. Just lighten
the nose wheel and the B-24 will leave
the grounds at about 100 knots. Nose it
over to accelerate, jam on the brakes to
stop the big tires from rotating, and call
for gear up while trying to remember not
to turn. You must be in level flight when
raising the wheels or the awkward
looking outwardly retracting gear can
actually damage the aircrafts structure
with gyroscopic forces. Only when the
gear is safely in the wells should a turn
be initiated.
The B-24s controls are heavy as are all
large aircraft of its day and not particularly
well balanced. The elevator is light
enough, but the ailerons and rudder are
very heavy. Rolling into and out of a turn
requires planning and muscle.

THE B-24 MAY BE ONE OF THE MOST

VERSATILE AND SIGNIFICANT AIRPLANES
OF THE LAST CENTURY, AND YET TODAY ITS
SHORT SIX YEARS OF ACTIVE DUTY ARE
SOMEWHAT LOST TO HISTORY.

For new pilots, taxi can be the most Diamond Lil is powered by four Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engines.
challenging part of the flight. Like other
bombers of the era, the B-24 has a nose
wheel but doesnt have nosewheel steer-
ing. Lateral direction is controlled by
brakes and by differential engine power. It
sounds easy, but the B-24 has an extremely
short wheel base, and taxiing can be a
chore. Differential engine application is
harder than it sounds, and even a little
brake tends to oversteer the nose wheel. A
neophyte lurches down the taxiway over-
steering from side to side. The proper
technique is to ride both brakes and just
curl your toes in the direction you want to
move the nose. Easy to say
At the end of the runway, the throttles
are run up for the laborious checking of all
four engines prior to takeoff. Once satis-
fied with the mechanical integrity of the
four Pratt & Whitney engines loping on
the wings, we lurch onto the runway and
try to get the nose wheel aligned with
the stripe.
While holding the brakes we set field
barometric pressure (30 inches) on the
manifold gauges. The Liberator surges
against the binders. We release the brakes
and walk all four throttles forward while Paul Maupin on the bomb bay catwalk.

82Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

 In the air the B-24 feels as if youre and lock before turning base. Theres the Japanese closed the Burma Road, and
herding livestock as its great bulbous something not right about an outward the C-109 tanker version supplied B-29s
nose is steered around the sky. During the retracting main gear when viewed from operating from China with precious gaso-
war the Liberator was known to be a just about any angle. line to take the war directly to Japanese
handful to fly in formation and could be Coming around on nal the turn must be home islands.
fatiguing on long flights. The intermina- led considerably. You need to get the ship The B-24 may be one of the most ver-
ble missions must have been exhausting lined up with the runway stripe the rst time. satile and significant airplanes of the last
with the control forces necessary and the You dont want to nd yourself having to century, and yet today its short six years
weariness of combat. maneuver down low. Easing the throttles off of active duty are somewhat lost to his-
We set up for landing with a high over the numbers produces a satisfying land- tory. But the legacy of the Liberator
bomber pattern to give plenty of time to ing as the big wing slowly pays off. Miserly doesnt rest in the sound of its engines or
maneuver and for the wheels to come out application of the brakes brings the Liberator the sight of hundreds of heavy bombers in
to a crawl, and the taxi dance begins anew. box formation thundering overhead. It
lies in the faces of the men it brought
LEGACY back home from conflict, the battles it
CONSOLIDATED AIRCRAFT The B-24 served proudly as the Swiss fought in the sky to preserve our freedom,
Army knife of a war-torn globe. Legions of and the faded photographs of those who
Liberators conducted strategic daylight made the ultimate sacrifice for their
Consolidated Aircraft has the distinction of being
one of the most prolic, yet at the same time, least
bombing over Europe from their bases in country. The Liberator had one purpose
known aircraft manufacturers of the 20th century. England and North Africa. Many more and it served it well, a fitting epitaph for
Founded by Reuben Fleet, the company raced from were used as patrol bombers searching for any aerial warrior.
building single-engine biplanes in the late 1920s to U-boats on both sides of the Atlantic. The
large ying boats and four-engine bombers in a fre-
netic 15 years of growth prior to World War II.
C-87 transport version flew cargo over the Je Skiles, EAA 336120, is EAA vice president of communities
Hump to resupply Chiang Kai-shek after and member programs.
Best known for the PBY Catalina flying boat and
B-24 Liberator, the company also produced designs
ranging from the PT-11, a very Stearman-like pri-
mary trainer, to the B-32 Dominator heavy bomber
designed and built as an alternative to the Boeing
B-29 Superfortress. Like the B-29 the B-32 was
powered by the new Wright 3360 engines, was
pressurized, and had remote control gun tur-
rets. Delays in testing and the success of the B-29
in the field led to only 118 examples of the B-32
being manufactured, but it had the distinction of
being the last aircraft to be engaged in combat dur-
ing World War II. Other notable aircraft built by
Consolidated for the war effort were the TBY Sea
Wolf torpedo bomber and the PB2Y Coronado four-
engine patrol bomber.
In 1943 Consolidated merged with Vultee to produce
Consolidated-Vultee, later shortened to Convair. The
company went on to design and produce a success-
ful line of medium-sized civilian airliners as well as
signicant military aircraft such as the F-102 Delta
Dagger, the F-106 Delta Dart, the B-58 Hustler super-
sonic bomber, and the gargantuan B-36 Peacemaker
strategic bomber.
In the 1960s the company shifted focus by shutting
down the assembly line of its Convair 880 and
990 four-engine passenger liners and transitioning
to producing subassemblies for other manufactur-
ers such as Boeing, Douglas, and Lockheed. It
also moved into aerospace where Convairs Atlas
Centaur rockets launched more than 100 communi-
cation satellites.
Lost in a series of mergers among military contractors,
the remnants of Consolidated aircraft and its 73-year
history was completely dissolved by McDonnell
Douglas in 1996.

The tailgunner sits in a sling.

84Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON TONEY

STICK AND RUDDER
BETTER PILOT
What Now?
Dealing with delays, diversions, and dilemmas
BY ROBERT N. ROSSIER
FLYING CHARTERS IS GENERALLY a fun job, especially in small aircraft.
Charter pilots get to travel to new airports, see new sights, and meet
new people. From one minute to the next, you never know where
youre going, or when youll be done. You could be halfway home and
get a call from the company telling you to y somewhere youve
never been to pick up passengers. Of course, sometimes there can be
delayswaiting for passengers, waiting for weather to improve, or
waiting in a long queue for takeoff. The key to success in this busi-
ness is always maintaining situational awareness. In particular,
knowing how much fuel you have and what the weather is doing are
key to safety and survival. On most days, its the best job in the
world. Other days, its a bit more challenging. No matter what, there
are always lessons to be learned.
As far as charters go, this one in a Piper Cherokee Six should
have been a simple ight. The game plan was to pick up four passen-
gers in Groton, Connecticut, in the late afternoon, y them to
Massena, New York, on the Canadian border, and then bring them
back around 8 p.m. that day. The weather called for generally clear
skies, with the chance of occasional thunderstorms over the
86Sport AviationJuly 2014
Adirondack Mountains after midnight. The
nearest coastal fog was expected the other
side of Cape Cod, so the Connecticut coast
should be clear. It would be a short day and
an easy VFR ight.
I made the 10-minute ight to Groton
with time to spare, quickly found my pas-
sengersmembers of a local American
Indian tribeand got them loaded and
briefed for the ight. I made my usual
attempts to engage them in casual conversa-
tion, but these stone-faced and solemn souls
wouldnt take the bait. Not one of them even
smiled. We ew in silence and landed in
Massena on schedule. Before they left the
airport, I conrmed with my passengers
that they would be back at 8 p.m. I called
company dispatch to close my ight plan
and relayed the planned departure time of
ILLUSTRATION BY GARY COX
around 8 p.m. A quick chat with a weather
briefer veried that the forecast hadnt
changed. Everything was going according to
plan. I refueled and waited.
Eight oclock came and went. So did 9,
and then 10. Calls to company dispatch
proved fruitless, and I was asked to keep
waiting for the four men. Dinner would
have been welcomed, but by now most res-
taurants had closed and I didnt want to
risk being away when my passengers
returned. So I waited, periodically
rechecking the weather to make certain it
was still good for the return flight. A few
isolated thunderstorms had already
popped up over the Adirondacks, so I
planned a new route well clear of the
affected area.
Just after midnight, the men arrived for
their charter flight back to Groton. There
was no talk, no explanation. With not so
much as a smile, they loaded into the air-
craft and settled in once again for a silent
I didnt bother rechecking the weather for the 10-minute ight.
I had just landed, it was ne, and Id be back on the ground
quicker than Id get a new brieng, so I reasoned.
flight home. Within 10 minutes I spotted weather for the 10-minute ight. I had just
the first flashes of lightningclear confir- landed, it was ne, and Id be back on the
mation that my new flight plan would be ground quicker than Id get a new brieng,
worth the extra 30 minutes of flight time. so I reasoned.
We flew in silence but for the friendly One of the problems with night ight is
voice of ATC. that we cant see the weather too well.
Once past the Adirondacks the weather Especially over the water, where there is
seemed ne, and we ew toward the little or no light, fog and clouds can come
Connecticut coast in clear skies. I knew I creeping unnoticed. The problem is made
was tired, so to avoid stupid mistakes, I ew worse by the fact that automated weather
the instrument approach procedure in VFR observation systems might not see whats
conditions. By the time I had dropped off right nearby. More than once Ive seen an
my passengers, it was nearing 3 a.m. and I automated surface observing system paint a
was more than ready to be done. Just a picture of clear skies, when in fact the air-
10-minute ight and Id be back at home port was surrounded by low clouds and fog.
base, in my car, and headed for home and a Unless we have pilot reports, we really cant
warm bed. I didnt bother rechecking the be absolutely certain about whats going on.
www.eaa.org87
STICK AND RUDDER
BETTER PILOT
At 3 a.m. along the Connecticut coast, pilot
reports are a rare commodity.
I thought it strange when on departure I
saw a few wisps of white ash in the beam of
the landing light. Or did I imagine that? I
really was tired. Five minutes later, as I
approached my home airport, it dawned on
me what was happening. Fog had rolled in,
and the airport was shrouded in a thick blan-
ket of gray. So much for the forecast, but no
problem, I thought. Ill go land at Groton, tie
down the airplane, take a cab home, and sort
it all out in the morning.
For safety sake, I ew the ILS approach
to Runway 5. I knew it was going poorly
when I couldnt see the runway lights. As I
approached minimums, my landing light
illuminated a sea of fog. Groton had disap-
peared like Brigadoon. The question was,
where to now?
I assumed conditions would be better
inland and called ATC for ight following. I
could go either to Bradley International
88Sport AviationJuly 2014
Airport near Hartford or to Providence,
Rhode Island. Fuel was becoming an issue,
and Providence was closer, so that was my
choice. Still in good VFR conditions, I
pointed the nose north. Not 10 minutes later,
ATC reported that Providence had just gone
IFR with a ceiling of 500 feet. A low overcast
layer had just rolled in. My worry was that
conditions would deteriorate, the fog would
roll in, and I would run out of fuel. I got out
my approach plates, briefed the approach,
and crossed my ngers. I entered the clouds
at about 700 feet and thankfully broke into
the clear just as I hit minimums. By the time
I tied down and called company dispatch, it
was nearing daybreak. So much for the short
and easy day of ying.
The lessons I learned that night
revolved mostly around assumptions. I
assumed my passengers would arrive on
time for the ight home. I assumed the
weather reportespecially the part about
coastal fogwas accurate. I assumed I
knew what the weather was before I
departed Groton on my 10-minute ight
home. My assumption about good weather
for the ight to Providence was awed. I
assumed that despite my fatigue, I could
still y safely, but in reality it played a
major part in poor decision-making. It was
a classic case of get-home-itis. What I
should have done was simply leave the
plane in Groton and take a cab home.
A few days later I was watching the news
when images of my stone-faced passengers
lit up the screen. Once again, they werent
smiling. They were wielding M16 ries in a
tense armed standoff with state police. Im
sure I had been in no immediate danger, but
I shuddered at the thought of what else
might have gone wrong on that ight.
Robert N. Rossier, EAA 472091, has been ying
for more than 30 years and has worked as a ight
instructor, commercial pilot, chief pilot, and FAA ight
check airman.
WHAT WENT WRONG
BETTER PILOT
Tailwind Leads to a Stall
BY J. MAC MCCLELLAN
THERE ARE MANY PILOTS who dont believe wind affects an airplane in
ight. And they are largely correct if the wind is steady in direction
and velocity. But the wind is seldom so tame. When the wind pipes
up, its direction and speed jump all over the place, especially near
the surface where terrain and objects create friction and deect the
wind in various directions.
The NTSB is not in the camp that refuses to believe wind is a
critical factor for any airplane. In fact, the NTSB ruled that a gusting
tailwind was the probable cause of a fatal stall-spin accident in a
Vans RV-7A homebuilt.
The pilot had built the RV-7A kit airplane himself. It made its
rst ight about 10 months before the accident. It was powered by a
Lycoming IO-320 rated at 160 hp. Over about ve months the pilot
ew the RV-7A 35.3 hours to complete the Phase 1 test program
required for the experimental amateur-built airworthiness certi-
cate. The NTSB couldnt nd how many more hours the airplane
ew over the next six months before the crash.
The pilot held a commercial certicate and was rated for land
and sea and multiengine airplanes with an instrument rating. He
also had a CFI. Investigators didnt have the pilots logbook, but on
his most recent application for a third-class medical about a year and
a half before the accident he reported a total ying experience of
5,000 hours with 40 hours own in the previous six months.
The only limitation on the pilots medical certicate was that he
must wear corrective lenses for near and distant vision. The NTSB
notes that the pilot was 79. Not all NTSB accident reports contain
the age of the pilot in command, but this one did.
The accident ight began in Duluth, Minnesota, bound for
Laramie, Wyoming, a distance of about 635 nm. Family members
told investigators the pilot was ying to Laramie to visit a relative.
The pilot made the ight under IFR, but there was no signi-
cant weather along the route. His clearance was direct to the
destination with an initial altitude of 8,000 feet. As the terrain rose
under him he was cleared to 10,000 feet, and then to a nal cruise
altitude of 12,000 feet. The ight was totally routine, so unremark-
able that the report doesnt include any communications between
the pilot and controllers.
90Sport AviationJuly 2014
The only question mark en route was fuel
available. The RV-7A held 42 gallons total,
and according to information from Vans
Aircraft, the kit maker, all of the fuel is usable.
The airplane was topped off before takeoff,
and the pilot told others if the winds were too
strong for a nonstop ight, he would refuel in
Scottsbluff, Nebraska. The NTSB calculated
that with power set at 55 percent and the
engine leaned for best economy, there was
enough fuel for the trip under the prevailing
conditions including the 45-minute reserve
generally required for an IFR ight.
The RV-7A arrived over Laramie ve hours
and 15 minutes after departure. The Laramie
airport elevation is 7,284 feet. Laramie is not
exactly nestled in the mountains, but it is one
of the highest elevation airports in the area.
Cheyenne, only 45 miles to the east, is more
than 1,000 feet lower. As you would expect
given the airport elevation the runways at
Laramie are long. Runway 3/21 is 8,502 feet
long, and Runway 12/30 is 6,300 feet long.
When the RV-7A pilot arrived over
Laramie at midafternoon the automated
weather reporting facility on the airport
recorded the wind at 350 degrees at 14 knots,
gusts to 24 knots; visibility 10 miles; sky clear;
temperature 22C, dew point -4C; and the
altimeter at 30.28 inches of mercury.
Witnesses on the ground saw the RV-7A
approach the airport, overy Runway 21, and
then enter a left-hand traffic pattern for that
runway. An off-duty airline pilot who was
driving by the perimeter of the airport saw
the RV-7A on what he assumed was short
nal for Runway 21.
 The airline pilot watched the airplane and
thought everything looked normal. When he
rst saw the RV it was still east of the road
around the airport and at an altitude of about
300 to 400 feet above the ground. As the wit-
ness watched the airplane cross the road
approaching the runway, he told investigators
he saw some wing rock, like a small Dutch
roll. He then saw the left wing dip, followed
by a very fast right wing drop. The airplane
entered a spin to the right and hit the ground
hard nose rst, and then the right wing. The
airplane at impact was pointed about 180
degrees from its previous approach course.
The pilot was killed by the blunt impact
forces. A post-crash re broke out quickly.
The airline pilot who observed the crash tried
to get to the wreck but was kept away by the
high perimeter airport fence. The re con-
sumed most of the airplane.
An obvious question for investigators is
why did the pilot opt for Runway 21 when a
strong wind was blowing from 350 degrees?
Runway 30 would have been the obvious
choice. Landing on Runway 30 would have
had a crosswind, but overall there was a
signicant headwind component. Landing
on Runway 21 carried mostly a strong tail-
wind component.
Perhaps Runway 3/21 looked more invit-
ing because it is 2,200 feet longer than
Runway 12/30. But for an RV-7A, the 6,300
feet of Runway 30 is more than comfortable.
Maybe the pilot was worried about his fuel
status after such a long ight and just wanted
to get on the ground quickly. But that doesnt
make sense, either. Witnesses saw him y over
Runway 21 and then make a left pattern back
to land. A left downwind for Runway 21 would
have been a base leg for Runway 30, which
would have been an even shorter distance to
get on the ground. Investigators couldnt nd
a reason for the pilots runway selection.
Landing with a tailwind will, of course,
increase overall landing distance because
the wind factor adds to the groundspeed at
touchdown. A tailwind can also present con-
trol problems during landing rollout. But, as
the NTSB decided, can a tailwind cause an
airplane to stall and spin?
There certainly have been accidents
caused by wind shear, which is an abrupt
change in wind direction, or speed, or
both. But a wind varying between 14 and
24 knots in speed shouldnt be enough
wind shear to start an airplane sinking rap-
idly, particularly a lightweight airplane
such as an RV-7A.
But, what a strong and gusting tailwind
on approach can do is mess with a pilots
perceptions. A tailwind of that strength is
enough to change the sight picture the
pilot would have been expecting as he
neared the runway.
The very high elevation of Laramie would
also have contributed to a different view out
the window on approach. Because the pilot
was ying at about 7,500 feet when he lost con-
trol, he would have had a signicantly higher
www.eaa.org91
WHAT WENT WRONG
BETTER PILOT
true airspeed than at the much lower elevation
area where he apparently did his test ying.
Lets guess the pilot was targeting 65 knots
indicated airspeed for approach. At 7,500 feet
and 22C temperature that would make his
true airspeed about 75 knots. The 24-knot
gust from 350 degrees would have added
about 18 more knots to his groundspeed. So
the view of the ground rushing by under the
airplane would have been something like 25 to
perhaps 30 knots faster than the pilot was
accustomed to seeing on approach.
Great discipline, and practice, is required
to keep the airspeed indicator in your scan
as you descend the last couple hundred feet
on approach. Thats why in crew ying the
pilot not ying keeps his eyes inside and
monitors airspeed and sink rate and calls out
deviations. But when we y by ourselves we
inevitably focus on the runway during the
last couple hundred feet of the approach and
subconsciously pick up speed cues from the
view out the windshield. The visual sense of
92Sport AviationJuly 2014
speed becomes ever more compelling the
closer we get to the ground.
Its easy for me to see how a pilot landing at
a high elevation airport with a strong tailwind
could see the ground rushing by unusually fast
and pull back to slow down to some more
familiar sight picture for landing. The wing
cares only about indicated airspeed to produce
lift, so no matter how high the true airspeed,
and thus the groundspeed further accelerated
by the tailwind, any reduction below a safe
indicated airspeed would lead to a stall.
Investigators couldnt nd any pre-crash
issues with the airplane. The post-crash re is
clear evidence that fuel remained, plus a pro-
peller slash mark in the ground indicates the
engine was producing power. An autopsy
couldnt nd any pre-existing health issues in
the pilots body, and toxicological tests came
back negative for drugs, carbon monoxide, or
other volatiles.
It was an unusual accident. And an
unusual probable cause nding by the
NTSB. But it is a good reminder that land-
ing with a strong tailwind can carry more
risk than simply running off the far end of
the runway. Many pilots believe they can
approach and land safely without closely
monitoring the indicated airspeed, and
maybe they can under normal conditions.
Try approaching a very high-elevation air-
port with a strong tailwind, and ignoring
the airspeed indicator may not work out
so well.
This article is based solely on the official nal
NTSB report of the accident and is intended to
bring readers attention to the issues raised in
the report. It is not intended to judge or reach
any denitive conclusions about the ability or
capacity of any person, living or dead, or any
aircraft or accessory.
J. Mac McClellan, EAA 747337, has been a pilot for
more than 40 years, holds an ATP certicate, and owns a
Beechcraft Baron. To contact Mac, e-mail mac@eaa.org.
ILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN
BETTER PILOT
Almost Gear-Up in a Champ
One close call
BY JOHN CARROLL, EAA 271703
DAD AND I PURCHASED an old Champ knowing it had cracked spars
and pitted cylinders. We refurbished it together. He made a fresh set
of wings, from the old ttings and newly obtained wood spar blanks.
I even spray-painted those feather-enders on the trailing edges. We
also found another engine and rebuilt it with a lightweight starter
and generator.
With a lot of wrench and polish, our Champ turned from a des-
perate neglected hangar-queen to a mean, lean, fun machine. The
only major assembly that went mostly unchanged was the landing
gear. Even there I removed a snare cable from the lower section of
each gear leg. The cables were ugly and unnecessary. The airframe
log showed the cables were a redundancy for something already
replaced. Now, the only thing standing between slow speed heaven
and us was a test ight.
I felt nothing unusual on takeoff. The Champ was ying excep-
tionally well. There was no indication of a problem with the landing
gear or anything else. In a xed-gear airplane the only warning you
usually get of a gear failure is the crash. I had no reason to look out
the windows and inspect the wheels, but coming back to the airport,
94Sport AviationJuly 2014
something told me to check the landing gear.
I was only a couple of minutes away from
the eld when I looked hard at the landing
gear in disbelief. Left wheel, okay. Right
wheelgone!
I shouldnt have messed with the cables!
The snare cable I removed was the only
thing holding the right gear leg together
when the weight of the airplane was
removed in ight. I learned afterward that
the original mechanic failed to pass the top
retaining bolt through the piston portion of
the oleo strut. No one had checked the
engagement before signing it off.
Below me was a truck parked on the run-
way, with my dad standing next to it, and a
well-intentioned neighbor holding a sign
that read, Gear broken, burn off fuel. Before I
saw them, Id managed to look under the
ILLUSTRATION BY MATT BELLISLE
side entry door and get a brief look at the
gear. It was a limp mess of hanging and
misaligned parts. The array could fall
apart at any time.
Head north over the forest. No houses, no
people. Circle there. Dont land with fuel.
Emptying the gas was a good idea. The fuel
tank sat under the panel, and between my
legs. Cant chance rupturing it. Electrical
wires. Fire! Combustion wasnt my only
concern, though. There was the nancial
loss and the legal consequences. Can I hide
the plane? Does anyone have to know? They
were short-lived thoughts.
While I envisioned the extent of the
damage that might be done, the town re-
men were preparing for the annual fall
bonre. One of them noticed my gear leg
and positioned re trucks and an ambu-
lance at our little grass aireld. A large
crowd was already forming there. Keeping
this quiet is no longer an option.
I ew around aimlessly, wondering why
God hated me. The fuel level was now low
and starting to bounce on zero. The runway
was clear, and the winds were calm. That
was a good thing. It gave me more choices.
I kept the Champ within gliding dis-
tance of both approaches to the 2,000-foot
runway. The fuel gauge was spending most
of its time on zero. If I landed to the north,
when the right wingtip hit the ground, it
would pull me away from the side where
the people were standing. I tried to consider
everything, even the long shots. If the gear
can fall out, maybe it can be pushed back in.
I started the aircraft toward our destiny
and an entry for a left downwind. Landing
to the north was a better approach than the
reciprocal heading, and the runway was the
most level at that end of the eld. If the air-
plane did crash, Id come to a stop closest to
where the re trucks and the ambulance
were. If things went well, it would give me
some time to get out of the aircraft and pro-
tect the plane from the over-anxious. Power
back, trim for approach. Wheel landing. Need
extra speed to maneuver close to the ground.
Runway still clear.
I was on a low left downwind, almost
turning base and abeam the end of the run-
way, when I shut off the ignition, the fuel
lever, and the switches of a very simple
electrical system. This approach would be
more of an arcing glide than a full-edged
rectangular pattern. Stop prop. Avoid sud-
den prop stoppage. Dont let me screw this
up. The farmhouse at the south end of the
runway was passing by my left wingtip.
Open window. Unlock door.
I had the Champ turning nal. I would
need to sideslip the aircraft to the left
once the right gear came into contact with
the ground, to align the gear properly so
the oleo and spring would feed back into
the housing. Dont balloon. Dont run out
of airspeed too soon. The grass was getting
close now. Line it up. Get closer. Lower
gently. I could feel the right wheel come
into contact with the soft grass rst, a lit-
tle higher above the ground than I
expected. Slip it, left. There was no
unusual noise or sign of mischief with the
gear. Then the Champ started to rise, a
little. Forward stick. Stay on it. Lower.
I couldnt see what I was doing with the
gear, but I felt everything. I counted on
Kentucky windage and luck. Please, God.
The left gear came into contact with the
ground. Thats it! The Champ was slowing
quickly. I felt myself pulling the stick back
and further left, my foot pushing right rud-
der. Same bank angle. The Champ was
settling onto the gear. Both sides, I hoped.
No bangs, no jolts. There would be no way
of knowing until it was done, or too late.
The tail wheel was on the ground
when the wings began to roll level. I
had the stick just about all the way left,
holding my breath. The Champ was sur-
rendering to the loss of airspeed. It
wouldnt be long now. Please stop. The
wing leveled, and then, the most marvel-
ous thing happened. Nothing. The right
wing stopped dropping, and the airplane
rolled to a quiet no-brakes stop.
Cheers outside. We came to rest where
I gured. Thank you, God. My father was
the rst one to the plane. I never saw him
more excited, or with a bigger smile. He
shook my hand and then gave me a big
hug. I am glad he was there and saw what
happened. All I could think to say to him,
smiling widely, was, Hey, Dad. I didnt
wreck the plane!
SUBMISSIONS
SHARE YOUR CLOSE CALL so we can all learn from the
experiencesend your story to editorial@eaa.org
for consideration.
www.eaa.org95
H
ANDS ON
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE BUILDING/RESTORING
Switching to Glide
Fournier RF4D
BY DANN PARKS, EAA 519869; BATTLE GROUND, WASHINGTON
AFTER A SIX-YEAR ground-up restoration, Fournier RF4D N2188
again took to the sky in September 2013. N2188 was built in Germany
in 1968 and was one of 16 imported into the United States, making
them quite rare here. There are a few hundred in Europe (and
around the world), and they are still very popular. They were
imported in the experimental exhibition category primarily because
the original Rectimo 1200-cc VW-based engine has only one mag-
neto. Construction is all wood with plywood skins over most
surfaces. There is a retractable main wheel and outriggers with in-
line skate wheels.
I had just nished an RV-6A and was looking for my next proj-
ect when I saw an RF4D at an antique y-in in McMinnville,
Oregon. Collin Gyenes, EAA 76812, who it turns out is a guru on
Fourniers on this side of the pond and owns an even rarer two-
place Fournier RF5B, was the owner who had a second RF4D
project that needed a home. Since the RV was metal, I thought a
wooden airplane restoration would be a great way to learn some
new skills and make a fun new toy to boot. So the RF4D became my
next project and Collin an essential adviser and mentor. There are
96Sport AviationJuly 2014
seven Fourniers (single and two-place) in
the Pacic Northwest.
The RF4D was designed as a simple
sport plane that was fun to y, aerobatic, and
while not a high-performance sailplane,
could soar in good conditions. The beauty
being you could y to those good soaring
spots, and y back when the lift died. To
keep things simple it was hand-propped to
start, and the prop does not feather. There is
a battery for electrical power and a pull-
starter in the cockpit for in-ight restarts.
The plan was to rebuild and upgrade the
aircraft with new components and for mod-
ern airspace, but keep the simple and fun
heritage of the original (maybe how Rene
Fournier might design the plane today). This
mostly meant adding an electrical system
with starter, radio, and transponder and
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF DANN PARKS

AIRCRAFT SUBMISSIONS
Share your craftsmanship with EAA Sport Aviation
readers worldwide! Send us a photo and descrip-
tion of your project and well consider using it in
What Our Members Are Building/Restoring. Please
include your name, address, and EAA number.
We reserve the right to edit descriptions. For guide-
lines on how to get the best photo of aircraft, visit
www.SportAviation.org.
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P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086
E-mail: editorial@eaa.org
replacing many of the impossible-to-nd
parts with stuff readily available in the
United States. A number of RF4Ds in Europe
have had starters and generators added to
the front of the engine, but it usually results
in bumps and blisters on the cowl to accom-
modate the mechanisms. I thought I would
try a different route.
The mechanical heart of the upgrade is
the Diehl accessory case that was nestled
between the engine and the rewall. This
added the starter, generator, and new Slick
magneto. Amazingly, it t perfectly with no
changes in engine position. The additional
weight was offset by a lighter cowl, intake,
carburetor, fuel system components, and an
Aerovoltz LFP battery that was 5 pounds
lighter than the stock unit.
A new VW-based engine from Great Plains
Aircraft replaced the original engine, and a
new intake system was fabricated for the twin-
port heads and AeroCarb. The system retains
its simple gravity-feed ow through a new gas-
colator and Andair valve. Another part of the
plan was to try to make it very quieteven qui-
eter than the original. After many experiments,
two small and light SuperTrapp-based muf-
ers were developed. And a new Props Inc.
maple prop capped off the nose.
With the mechanicals sorted out, it was
time to turn to the re-covering process. The
fabric covering is not at all like a typical fab-
ric-covered aircraft. Except for the control
surfaces and outer wing panels, most of the
surface is covered with thin plywood. This
makes for a smooth, aerodynamic shape, but
it presents some issues in re-covering. On
those surfaces the fabric is really just for
protection and not an aerodynamic
structure. In Europe, they are starting to
cover the plywood with thin berglass and
use fabric only on the open-ribbed areas. I
decided to cover everything with light air-
craft polyester fabric.
A heat gun and elbow grease removed
the old, doped fabric, revealing an amazing
wooden sculpture. The craftsman at
Sportavia did an astonishing job building the
airframe and scarng progressively thinner
plywood skins on the tapering fuselage and
wing surfaces, which are impossibly expen-
sive to mass-produce today.
Unfortunately, the plywood was not com-
pletely at and instead was undulated with
concaves in some areas. Simply stretching
the fabric over the plywood would leave air
gaps over the concave undulations. After
some experimenting, I solved this by spray-
ing a heavy layer of glue over the newly
varnished plywood and using an iron and
MEK to activate the glue, which simultane-
ously shrunk the fabric and forced it into the
concave sections. Another interesting thing
about the covering is that no rib stitching
was used on the original. The fabric was
glued (very snugly) to wide rib cap strips.
With fabric completed, it was painted
with Poly-Tone in the original paint scheme
with a few modern touches, like a modern
tail logo interpretation that I hope Rene
Fournier would approve of.
In the cockpit, instruments were
upgraded and a GPS and electronic variom-
eter added. For the nal touch, Todds
Canopies fabricated a replacement for the
cracked original canopy with additional
much-needed headroom. The new bubble
doesnt exactly match the beautiful lines of
the original, but one has to t in it to y it.
Throughout the process I worked with a
local A&P and FSDO to make sure every-
thing was airworthy, made correct logbook
entries, and led program letters. Fabric
workshops at the Arlington Fly-In and the
EAA Hints for Homebuilders videos were
very helpful. The most specic resource was
the Club Fournier International online
forum, a very active group of world-wide
experts on these rare and unusual airplanes.
And I am fortunate to live at Parkside
Airpark (WA87) where there is a lot of
homebuilding going on and all manner of
tools and expertise is available.
The plane is a delight to yvery light
and responsive. It will cruise at 110 mph, or
you can putter around on less than 2 gallons
an hour. Find some lift, shut down the
engine (or let it idle), and y for practically
free. Friends tell me the mufflers make it
almost silent at low power 700 feet over-
head. Motorgliders are great sport
planesfun, inexpensive to operate, and no
medical is required. Im surprised there
arent more of them around.
The logs show that over the last 45 years,
N2188 spent time on the East Coast and in
Utah and California. Its now ready for the
next 45 years. Modernized, but true to its
roots. Ill be taking it to many y-ins in the
Pacic Northwest.
Learn more about Fourniers at
www.CFIAmerica.com.
E-mail Dann at dparks@spiritone.com.
www.eaa.org97
H
ANDS ON
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE BUILDING/RESTORING

ALABAMA ACEY DEUCY

THIS IS ACTUALLY the second time around for
me building this Acey Deucy P-70. The
first time it took me 14 years. But it only
took a few seconds to demolish it during
the 2011 Sun n Fun tornado. Undaunted I
vowed to make it better than new, and the
second time around it only took me 14
months to get it back in the air! Knowing
that the airplane is not fast for paint
scheme I wanted something similar to the
old Aeroncas.
The airplane is powered by a C-90
engine, and the single tank holds 14 gallons
of fuel. The airplane was built by the plans;
the only modication I made was for it to
have a round rudder.
(Look for a feature article on this aircraft
in an upcoming issue of Experimenter.)
Ed Marrero, EAA 488793; Enterprise, Alabama
E-mail: edmarrero@yahoo.com

FLORIDA SIKORSKY HO5S-1

MY 1952 HO5S-1 with its original Korean War paint scheme is the old-
est ying Sikorsky helicopter in the world. It served during the
Korean War and has over 700 combat hours and dozens of recorded
medevac pickups. This was the rst helicopter with all metal blades,
and the very rst helicopter to do a loop!
The restoration took 12 years, 4,400 man-hours. Most of it was
done in my garage. Time varied since I was in the Army Reserves and
was deployed for 12 months at a time. The aircraft is all original except
for the Garmin radio/GPS and King transponder. The engine is an
O-425 Franklin that produces 245 hp. Fuel capacity is 57 gallons.
My real inspiration was the dream of owning a helicopter and the
mentality of nishing what you started that my mother pounded into
me. The key to nishing a large project like this is to keep handwritten
lists of the next 50 to-do items so you can have the huge satisfaction of
crossing them off with a pencil when you complete them!

Alex Anduze, EAA 1139001; West Palm Beach, Florida

E-mail: S70driver@rocketsmail.com

98Sport AviationJuly 2014

ILLINOIS HATZ CB-1
HATZ CB-1 BIPLANE NX501P, the third Hatz I built, took two and a
half years to build. My motivation was to build a Hatz that I
could fly light-sport having a gross weight of 1,320 pounds. I
worked very hard to reduce as much weight as possible yet not to
make any modifications structurally. Believing that the lightest
Hatz biplanes are the best fliers, NX501P tipped the scales at 829 Through the building of this plane many wonderful friend-
pounds, offering a useful load of 491 pounds. The airplane solos ships were developed for which I will always be grateful.
from the rear, and in keeping weight down the front cockpit has a Seventy-six hours on the plane to date and having a lot of fun!
stick, rudder pedals, and throttle only, no instrumentation. (Look for a feature article on this aircraft in an upcoming issue
My wife, Shahnaz, was very inspirational offering support and of Experimenter.)
help when I needed it. Shahnaz also did all the rib stitching on
the plane as she had learned years earlier how to rib stitch in a Rick Hansen, EAA 143651; Fox Lake, Illinois
workshop at an EAA convention. E-mail: yer501p@gmail.com

FLORIDA JUNGMEISTER REPLICA

MY JUNGMEISTER REPLICA took three and a half years to build. It started from
Frank Price plans, then when I found the current Bcker group, I found out
about Joe Krybus and his plans. Franks were 22 sheets of basic airframe,
while Joes were over 100 full-size sheets of over 800 individual drawing of
every little detail.
The Jungmeister is powered by an IO-360 Lycoming engine, and inside the
cockpit I have very minimal basic VFR and engine instruments. Fuel capacity is
about 20 gallons with a small 5-gallon aux under the baggage. The paint scheme
is a little of Frank Prices colors and that of the Swiss trainers in all yellow and
black. I also included the Tiger Club logo, a club that I was a member of, along
with the logo from the 1936 Olympics that the original Jungmeister was a part of.
(Look for a feature article on this aircraft in an upcoming issue of Experimenter.)

Leonard Elmendorf, EAA 19270; Summereld, Florida

E-mail: elmendorf@centurylink.net

OHIO TBM-3E AVENGER

I BEGAN RESTORING my 1945 General Motors TBM-3E Avenger over 14
years ago with the help of many talented volunteers. Although this
Avenger was built too late for the war and never saw combat, I
decided to recognize the veterans of WWII and painted it in the
markings of VT-20, which ew off the carrier USS Enterprise in
September 1944.
My advice is to check out the workshops at Sun n Fun and
Oshkosh. There are always very experienced people there and I
always learn something new. If you want to build or restore an air-
plane, the secret to your success is to pick the project that ts you.
If you dont have a lot of resources for tools and equipment, then
pick something small and relatively simple. Just be realistic with
your experience, money, and time available. Have fun doing it; you
meet a lot of helpful people and make new friends. Sometimes its
about the journey!

Charlie Cartledge, EAA 372111; Orrville, Ohio

E-mail: lakeeriewarbirds@gmail.com

www.eaa.org99
HANDS ON
INNOVATION ON THE FLY
Fear and Loathing for China
Are we really seeing it for what it can be?
BY MARK PHELPS
A MADE IN CHINA data plate is certainly a lightning rod for contro-
versy in the aviation business. Some of the reasons are viable. Some
are based on presumptions that may or may not be based in iron-clad
fact. How will Chinas general aviation activities and aspirations ulti-
mately affect innovation? Will what goes on in that section of the
world be good, bad, or indifferent when it comes to how we buy and
y here in North America?
I recently got back from Shanghai where I was working at the
Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (ABACE) trade
show. It was my first time there, and it was obvious to me that
general aviation in China is a hot topic, for not just the Chinese
but also the rest of the world. The downside for GA in China is
the grave restrictions based on government control of airspace
and high import duties on aircraft and parts. Thats the bad news.
But recent changes have everyone anticipating an explosion of
GA in the country, including owner-flown light aircraft. The good
news: With a booming economy, huge distances between popula-
tion centers, and the dearth of highways and rail lines, general
100Sport AviationJuly 2014
aviation could be a major boon to the
infrastructure. Private industry in China
strongly supports the growth of general
aviation, and it looks like the political
powers that be are slowly but surely giving
ground and recognizing its potential.
This years ABACE show marked the
first appearance by piston airplanes since
the first show in 2012, and in fact, some
were saying it was the first time a piston
aircraft had landed at the Shanghai
International Airport in recent memory. A
brand new Beechcraft Bonanza G36 and
Baron B58 twin were on display, flown all
the way to China from the factory in
Wichita. Perhaps even more significant, a
Diamond DA40 single was attracting
much attention on the flightline. This
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIM KOEPNICK
It was my rst time there, and it was
obvious to me that general aviation
in China is a hot topic, for not just the
Chinese but also the rest of the world.
example was produced in China at the Shandong
Bin Ao Aircraft Industries factory in the Peoples
Republic of China as part of a joint venture with
Diamond in Austria. Chinese-made Diamonds
have Centurion diesel engines, a refinement of
the old Thielert design now owned by
Continental Motors, itself a Chinese-owned busi-
ness entity. Since avgas can be problematic to
find, the Centurion is a good choice.
A lot of folks in the United States are disturbed
by the growing influence of the Chinese in gen-
eral aviation. They are concerned over quality
control of aircraft produced in Asia, but probably
more angry over what they perceive as a loss of
U.S. jobs. The perception is that labor is cheap in
China (and workers are ill-treated), and when it
comes to quality control, you get what you pay
for, critics say. Both concerns have basis in fact,
but maybe a closer look is in order.
For the most part, the negative perception of
the Chinese labor force is based on industries that
manufacture mass quantities of relatively simple
productstoys, cellphones, electronic compo-
nents, for example. In some cases, lax government
oversight has led to serious consequences, such as
the scandal over baby formula production. In the
1950s, made in Japan had the same stigma, as
cheap transistor radios and other products
flooded the American market. With the develop-
ment of high-quality Japanese brands, those
negative stereotypes have long since been rele-
gated into historys dustbin.
The Cessna Skycatcher program is seen by
many as a poster child for the just say no to
China movement. In November 2007 Cessna
announced the Skycatchers airframe would be
manufactured at the Shenyang Aircraft
Corporation in China for later assembly in
Independence, Kansas. Objections centered on
how Cessna was exporting jobs (especially after
the company faced major U.S. layoffs resulting
from the financial crisis that hit the following
year in 2008), and there were doubts about qual-
ity control. Cool political relations with the
United States, a disturbing human rights record,
and other factors were also involved. In the end,
its probably safe to say that the decision to build

www.eaa.org101
HANDS ON
INNOVATION ON THE FLY
Skycatcher airframes in China was low on
the list of reasons for the programs ulti-
mate failure.
As mentioned before, Diamond
has been assembling DA40s with
Continental Centurion diesel engines
for the Asian primary training market
at a rate recently ramped up to 108 per
year. Continental Motors is owned by
Chinese financial interests.
Its well-documented that the China
Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. Ltd.
(CAIGA) acquired Cirrus in 2011 and is
largely bankrolling the development of its
single-engine jet. Whats less well-known
is that CAIGA South China Aircraft
Industries assembles Cirrus SR20 and
SR22s in Zhuhai for customers in the
Pacific Rim.
Other Western designs that are now (or
are expected to be) produced in China
include Brantly and Enstrom piston-pow-
ered helicopters, Epic Aircraft turboprop
singles, Flight Design CTLS and C4 mod-
els, Pilatus PC-6 and PC-12 turboprop
singles, and more. Chinese investors have
backed numerous other Western GA man-
ufacturers, including AgustaWestland,
Embraer, Eurocopter (now Airbus
Helicopters), Mooney, Sikorsky, and
Superior Air Parts.
So should we be concerned that the
Chinese are buying up Western technol-
ogy to abscond with all that we have
102Sport AviationJuly 2014
So should we be concerned that the Chinese are buying up Western
technology to abscond with all that we have accomplished in general
aviation? Maybe, but maybe not so much.
accomplished in general aviation? Maybe,
but maybe not so much.
One of presidential candidate Mitt
Romneys biggest slips of the tongue during
the last election occurred when he said hed
heard Chrysler was planning to move pro-
duction of Jeeps to China. The car company
quickly corrected the comment, explaining
that it was expanding its factory production
in China to accommodate the huge demand
for Jeeps and had no plans to close down
production of the iconic U.S. brand in
Toledo, Ohio. Rather, Chinese interest in
Jeep products dictates ramping up local pro-
duction to meet market needs.
My personal experience started with the
car that picked up my colleagues and me
from the airport to take us to our hotel.
What I did not expect wasa Buick. There
were a lot of GM cars on the road, including
a noticeable number of Cadillacs. Last year,
GM reported that its Shanghai joint venture
would invest $1.3 billion in a new factory to
increase production of Cadillacs to 100,000
per year by 2016, up from 30,000 in 2012. A
GM spokeswoman said, Weve decided that
the luxury market is going to grow, and we
want a bigger share. BMW is already a
signicant investor in the Chinese luxury
car market.
Though the market for luxury cars isnt
exactly the same as that for private light
aircraft, there has always been a correla-
tion. And spreading out the production of
Cirruses, Diamonds, and other light air-
craft brands throughout China could be a
boon to manufacturers. The Chinese mar-
ket will never be the same as its Western
counterparts, just as the European market
for light aircraft is vastly different from
that in North America. But light airplanes
are a very small-scale production item,
which could benefit significantly from the
buffer of a new outlet where customers
have the means to buy.
Combined with the opportunity of
locally manufactured aircraft, and the
anticipated relaxation of government con-
trol of airspace, the Chinese market could
give traditional Western manufacturers the
scal breathing space they need not just to
survive, but to create future innovation.
Mark Phelps, EAA 139610, is an aviation writer living
in New Jersey. He is the former editor of EAAs Vintage
Airplane magazine.
H
ANDS ON
HINTS FOR HOMEBUILDERS
A smooth, uniform transition that is now ready for painting.
Making Smooth
Transitions
Simple fairing using epoxy plumbers putty
BY CHARLIE BECKER, EAA HOMEBUILT COMMUNITY MANAGER
I WAS CHECKING OUT the progress that John Monnett of Sonex
Aircraft was making on the SubSonex jet and noticed a neat little
trick he uses for smoothing out the lines on his sheet metal aircraft.
Of course, metal airplanes do not lend themselves to owing lines
like composite aircraft. In order to make smooth transitions from
one metal surface to another, we typically resort to a berglass fair-
ing. John has found success using ordinary epoxy plumbers putty
available at any hardware store to smooth out small transitions of
104Sport AviationJuly 2014
sheet metal between the fuselage and
the horizontal stabilizer.
The putty sets up quickly so make
sure the surfaces are already prepped
by rubbing the surface with Scotch-
Brite and then cleaning with a solvent
before you start in on the putty.
You need to really work the epoxy
putty to make sure it is mixed well. Once
it is ready to go, roll it into a long thin log
appropriate to the size gap youre trying
to ll. Lay it into the gap and work it into
shape. It is like caulking a bathtub. You
can put a little solvent on your nger and
run it over the putty to smooth it into
shape to get the appropriate radius.
Once it is cured, you can use some
sandpaper around your finger or a
dowel rod to get the final fillet shape.
As you begin sanding, low spots will
show up as a dark gray. Keep sanding
until it is a uniform shape and color. If
need be, you can add more putty.
No transition from fuselage side to leading edge of elevator.
Here is the same fuselage to elevator transition with the
use of epoxy plumbers putty to ll the gap and smooth
the transition. Im not sure that it will make the plane any
faster, but it does look more pleasing to the eye.
GOT A HINT?
SEND YOUR TIPS to cbecker@eaa.org.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHARLIE BECKER
TACTILE TOGGLE
SWITCHES
BY KAS OSTERBUHR, EAA 672928; FORT COLLINS, COLORADO

WHEN YOU HURRIEDLY pull off the runway after a landing in a

retractable gear aircraft, you grab the flap switch to put it up
and recite the very old adage: Looks like a flap, feels like a
flap, must be a flap. It is critically important for a pilot to
distinguish between a landing gear switch (wheel shape)
and flap switch (flap shape), yet many builders fail to con-
sider this when selecting switches and go with the basic
toggle switch.
Wouldnt it be great to be able to know the important
switches without having to look at your panel before select-
ing a switch?
A very simple solution that costs almost nothing is to use
a little tubing to give your fingers feedback on those impor-
tant switches. My tubing method was born way back in the
day when I was 15 years old flying model airplanes with a
dozen switches for changing rates, mixing, etc. It was diffi-
cult to find the right switch without glancing or feeling my
way around the transmittersomething you cant do easily
when flying the model.
Editors note: Kas solution is great for those of us
with finished panels, but if you are still in the building
stage, I would strongly encourage you to spend the extra
money for tactile switches for key things like flaps and
gear. On the EAA Zenith staff
build (www.Zenith750Project.com)
we are using this nice flap-
shaped switch from Aircraft
Specialty. For as many times as
you are going to use flaps, I think
it is a good investment.

ILLUSTRATION BY CHRIS LIVIERI www.eaa.org105

H
ANDS ON
SHOP TALK

Everything needed to make duplicate ttings. Note

the safety glasses have bifocal lenses. Eight bucks
at Rockler. Shop roll sanding cloth is 15 bucks a roll
and indispensible (Econ Abrasives). The sanding
disc and cut-o wheel on the angle head grinder
are very versatile. Also, a good pair of gloves and
high-quality les. Use chain saw sharpening les for
inside radii. They come as big as 3/8 inch.

Duplicating Parts
the Easy Way
If somewhat crude
BY BUDD DAVISSON

IF I WERE BORN 100 YEARS earlier, theres a good chance I would have been Face shields or safety glasses are an abso-
a blacksmith. Except, of course, for the muscle part. I do, however, like work- lute must.
ing steel so much that when Im in some sort of funk, I wander out into the First class, heavy leather gloves (Wells
shop, make a bunch of sparks, and walk away with a smile on my face. But Lamonts are good) are another must. I
not everyone sees steel that way. And thats understandable. cant count the times they have saved some
For some, steel iswellits steel, and everyone knows how tough it is to of my hide.
work, which just isnt true. Steel is nothing more than wood thats too hard to Do not remove the guard! Lots of folks do, but
drive nails into, but it can be worked the same way. I dont know why, except for easier access in
I made this particular venture just a little obtuse because I decided to some places. I love the guard because my left
prove what can be done with a minimum of expensive tools. No power hack- hand can rest thumb and forenger against it
saw, although I did use a drill press. I used the most basic of hand tools that and steady and guide it. Without the guard,
we all either already have or can afford. these little beauties are incredibly dangerous
This having been said, anyone working steel for any reason would be well for a number of reasons.
served to buy even a Harbor Freight power hacksaw. They arent the most Properly used, you can do anything with one
accurate machines in the world but are okay for our purposes as long as you of these things. If Michelangelo had one, his
have patience and make a heavier, larger table for it. I used up two in about sculptures would have been nished much faster.
30 years, then upgraded to a Grizzly, which is quite a difference. A power
hacksaw would make this job easier and more accurate. 3-BY-36-INCH STATIONARY SANDER
Its a known fact that man never has enough
THE ANGLE HEAD GRINDER: THE SPARK-MAKING MAGIC MACHINE different stationary sanders (I have two 6-by-
First a blanket statement: No one should even think about working steel 48-inch ones, a 2-by-72-inch for knife making,
without an angle head grinder, which has to be the most versatile tool of its and a 3-by-36-inch), but the little, cheap ($50-
typeas long as you know where to get the right kind of discs (try McMaster- $65) 3-by-36-inch sold by Harbor Freight
Carr). The two that make it so useful are the 1/16-inch-thick cut-off disc and works just ne for the homebuilder, and I used
the apper sanding wheels. The sanding wheels are almost frightening when it for nal shaping of these tting blanks.
it comes to high-speed steel removal.
The cutting discs dont seem to know that steel is an inch thick or so and is MAKING FITTINGS: THE CONCEPT
considered pretty stout. They just chew away and work their way through it. The photos and the captions will explain the
Be advised, however, that there are a couple of guidelines that shouldnt process, but take note: I only take the process
be violated when working with one. through making the blanks. Ive done no nal

106Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BUDD DAVISSON

prep on them. So they still will need the edges nal sanded to at
least a 320-grit nish, with 400 preferable. All the edges need to be
broken: slightly softened and rounded to eliminate sharp edges
and the stress risers they represent. The edges of the holes should
be slightly broken, as well. The nal product should have zero
scratches, nicks, or discontinuities.
Basically, what we do to guarantee absolutely identical hole
placement and shape in ttings is to make them all at one time in a
stack that we weld together in places that will be cut away. Again,
the photos will give the whole story.
Major note: Never assume a drawing is accurate even though in
the data block it may say full size. Humidity and printing, espe-
cially duplicating with a copy machine, can introduce dimensional
errors on paper drawings. So, check the dimensions carefully (this is
a good application for a cheap dial caliper) and, if necessary, redraw
the piece on paper or the piece of steel being used. The hole place-
ment dimensions are the most critical. If youre worried about the
drawing youre using changing dimensions over time because of
humidity, etc., draw or print it on vellum, a kind of plastic draftsmen
used back when pencils still existed.

Budd Davisson, EAA 22483, is an aeronautical engineer, has own more than
300 dierent types, and has published four books and more than 4,000 articles.
He is editor-in-chief of Flight Journal magazine and a ight instructor primarily
in Pitts/tailwheel aircraft. Visit him on www.AirBum.com.

HOW TO

It was assumed there would be four pieces for the rear spar attach ttings on a Monocoupe, so four
pieces of plate were used. Clamped drawing to piece of steel, traced outline, and used an automatic
punch to center the holes because its more accurate. Then smacked again with a normal punch
and a ball peen. Use a bench anvil as it allows deeper, more accurate center punches.

www.eaa.org107
 H
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SHOP TALK

MIG-welded the four plates together at places that would be the last part to be cut/sanded
away. Drilled pilot holes with 1/8-inch bit because it centers on punch marks better than
big ones. Drilled other holes 1/64-inch undersize to allow for reaming to nal size. Note: The
1/8-inch hole shown is to give a radius in the corner of the square cut, even though its not
shown in the drawing. Square corners are a no-no.
Since a cut-o wheel in the angle head grinder was used, not a hacksaw, the excess
had to be butchered o in straight lines. The line on the right is cut last because there are two
weld beads there. The silver lines were drawn with a Prismacolor metallic silver colored pencil.
Theyre cheap and useful. Google them.

When sanding straight lines, use the platen on the sander. However, when working curves,
use the area between the roller and the platen where the belt has no support and is semi-
slack. Thatll make for much smoother transitions and curves.

The nal product ready to be taken apart for detail sanding, scratch removal, and the
blending of the straight lines into the inside radius of the square cut on each piece
individually. From start to nish this took about 60 minutes. Every piece is identical. Thats
hard to do when making the pieces individually no matter how careful we are.

108Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF BUDD DAVISSON

 p.114 Pilot Caves p.116 News From HQ p.123 Gone West p.124 Members/Chapters in Action

JOIN THE COMMUNITY

OF 5,000 PASSIONATE
EAA VOLUNTEERS

EAA is blessed to have so many amazing

Kyle Voltz gives Jake Staerkel a Young Eagles ight
in the EAA Employees Flying Clubs Wag-Aero CUBy.
QUESTIONS ABOUT
YOUR MEMBERSHIP?
Want to change your address
or need other assistance? EAAs
Membership Services sta is
available to assist you Monday
through Friday from 8 a.m. to
6 p.m. and on Saturdays from
8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Central time).
Call 800-564-6322 (800-JOIN-EAA),
e-mail membership@eaa.org, or
visit www.EAA.org/membership.
volunteers. We really couldnt do all that we do
without them. Thousands of volunteers help
prepare for and deliver the AirVenture experience,
y more than 70,000 Young Eagles annually,
run our network of nearly 1,000 chapters, and
deliver member benets including the museum,
webinars, and Aeromedical Advisory Council,
Technical Counselor, and Flight Advisor programs.
EAA Member Services Representative Kyle Voltz,
EAA 880499, is a pilot, Young Eagle, Air Academy
attendee, member of Chapters 75 and 252, and has
own more than 40 Young Eagles. When asked
why he volunteers, his answer is simple: It just
feels good to give back to a community that has
become such an important part of my life.
For more information on volunteering, visit
www.EAA.org/volunteer.

www.eaa.org 111
MEMBERCENTRAL
PILOT CAVES

Pilot: W.D. Lewis, EAA Lifetime 844731

Location: San Carlos Airport (SQL), San Carlos, California

W.D. LEWIS QUICKLY found that living in a congested major

metropolitan area like the San Francisco Bay Area, hangars
are at a premium.
When I began ying here in 1981 the wait for a hangar
was estimated to be around 20 years, he said. Lifes
changes forced me to quit ying in 1987. I began ying
again in 2002, and not long after that I put my name in on
the hangar list. I bought N182WD, a 1979 Cessna TR182
(Turbo Skylane RG), in 2007. Luckily around that time
the management for the airport had put together a plan
and built more hangars. The addition of all those hangars
took a lot of aircraft owners (and aircraft owner hopefuls)
by surprise, and the list went quickly. W.D. nally got his
hangar in January of 2011.
I couldnt help going overboard, W.D. said. I pressure-
sprayed the oor, then stained and sealed it. I wired it up
with outlets and sound and then sheetrocked it. I couldnt
help putting the crown molding around the perimeter and
then putting LED Christmas lights in it for effect. I know its
a bit much for a rental, but I knew that it would be like my
second home, and it was just a dream come true.

Do you have an interesting pilot cave? Send a snapshot to editorial@eaa.org

to share your aviation space with fellow EAA Sport Aviation readers.

114Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF W.D. LEWIS

MEMBERCENTRAL
NEWS FROM HQ

aviation engagement. These include Young

Eagles and the EAA Flight Plan, Eagle Flights,
chapters, the Air Academy, and EAAs special
interest groups, including EAA Warbirds of
America, the International Aerobatic Club,
EAA Vintage Aircraft Association, as well as
homebuilder and ultralight communities.
Also represented will be the Academy of
Model Aeronautics.
On the southeast corner, visit the EAA Mer-
chandise tent for great collectibles, and next door
will be the EAA Insurance Solutions tent. Inside,
visitors can learn more about available plans
through the EAA Aircraft Insurance Plan from
representatives of Falcon Insurance Agency.
See you at EAA Square!

PHP TRIBUTE: THE HEART OF EAAS WELCOME CENTER

The EAA Welcome Center features a lineup of
special programming and perks for EAA mem-
bers. The oasis will have member-only perks
like use of desktop computer workstations,
charging stations, and a place to cool off with a
drink and rest during busy days at convention.
But the focus of the center will be a grand,
weeklong tribute to EAA Founder Paul
Poberezny. The PHP tribute will include a
looping video on Pauls life; photo mural and
timeline tracing EAAs history; special display

Show Central of his first aircraft, the Waco Primary Glider;

his trademark Red One VW Bug; and a
signing board where members can share per-
AirVentures EAA Square sonal memories.
Were eager to welcome all to our Paul
Poberezny tribute area, which will use his
WHERE ELSE THAN AIRVENTURE can you discover all that EAA has to own words to describe his life and the growth
offer members, learn about EAAs extraordinary youth education of EAA, said Eric Cernjar, membership mar-
initiatives, help build an airplane, and nd great merchandise keting manager. Weve also brought together
offerings and aircraft insurance optionsall on one corner? Wel- many different elements of EAA, such as
come to EAA Square, located at the intersection of Knapp Street Young Eagles, homebuilding, advocacy, chap-
Road and Celebration Way. ters and more, into a cohesive story encom-
At the northeast corner youll nd the EAA Welcome Center, passing all of EAA.
a place to join and renew a membership, get questions answered,
become a lifetime member, register for the Runway 5K, pick up a
WomenVenture T-shirt, and much more. This years main feature
will be a special tribute area for EAA Founder Paul Poberezny,
chronicling his life and the history of EAA through the exhibit
Paul: In His Own Words.
On the southwest corner, visitors can participate in the One
Week Wonder project in which participants will build a Zenith
CH 750 Cruzer from start to nish during the week of AirVen-
ture. All AirVenture visitors will be welcomed to pull a rivet, de-
burr a part, or help out in some other way.
The northwest corner features EAAs Pathways Pavilion,
a showcase for EAA programs and communities dedicated to

116Sport AviationJuly 2014 ILLUSTRATION BY NICK HANSON PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF EAA


CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF SPORT
PILOT/LIGHT-SPORT AIRCRAFT AT OSHKOSH
A PAIR OF GROUNDBREAKING new categories
of aircraft and pilot certication are celebrat-
ing 10-year anniversaries at EAA AirVenture
this summer, as dedicated events focused
on sport pilot and light-sport aircraft will be
highlighted through the week at Oshkosh.
After a decade it is still a work in prog-
ress, said Timm Bogenhagen, EAAs ultra-
light and lightplane community manager,
citing EAAs continuing efforts to include
training in low-mass, high-drag aircraft, and
opening possibilities for electric aircraft.
This rule, however, has allowed more
than 100 new ready-to-y aircraft designs
to enter the market, representing one of
the greatest bursts of aircraft introductions
over the past half-century. The sport pilot/
LSA approach to aircraft certication is
also being used as the model for FAR Part
23 reform.
flyingtales.com
More than 4,000 people have become
new sport pilots and thousands of existing
pilots have chosen to y under the sport pi-
lot rules, which allow use of a valid drivers
license for medical certication in lieu of a
third-class medical certicate.
EAA is working with the Light Aircraft
Manufacturers Association (LAMA) on 10th
anniversary activities during AirVenture.
Some of those include:
A display of light-sport aircraft that high-
lights the history and contributions of the
sport pilot and light-sport aircraft rules
A forum with major players in the devel-
opment and growth of the LSA
community on Tuesday, July 29
Recognition for Oshkosh light-sport air-
craft arrivals and sport pilots
Flying demonstrations from the ultra-
light airstrip
MEMBERCENTRAL
PAIR OF RARE FAIRCHILD
71S TO APPEAR TOGETHER
VINTAGE AIRCRAFT enthusiasts are in
for a treat this year at Oshkosh as
two Fairchild 71s are slated to
appear at EAA AirVenture 2014.
There are only four 71s on the FAA
aircraft registry.
The first plane announced was
NC9727, a 1927 model owned by
Gary Coonan, EAA 665101, of Bell
Buckle, Tennessee, which earlier
this year received a tremendous
reception at Sun n Fun in Lake-
land, Florida.
I was actually amazed at the in-
terest in the airplane, Coonan said.
People thanked me profusely for
bringing it.
The second 71, built in 1929, is owned
by Marlin Horst, EAA 139319/VAA
31119, of Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania.
www.eaa.org117
 MEMBERCENTRAL
NEWS FROM HQ

DEBBIE TRAVIS KING TO SPEAK AT

WOMENVENTURE POWER LUNCH
THERES ONLY ONE Boeing B-29 Superfortress ying in the world,
the Commemorative Air Forces FIFI, and Debbie Travis King
is the only woman in the world authorized to y it. Shell speak
to other female aviators at this years WomenVenture Power
Lunch on Wednesday, July 30, at Theater in the Woods during
AirVenture Oshkosh.
When she was in high school, she earned her private pilot
and commercial pilot certicates along with an instrument
rating. At Texas A&M University Travis King earned her CFI
and CFII certicates and was soon ying and instructing in
multiengine aircraft,
eventually earning an
ATP certicate and
jet rating.
Along with the CAFs
B-29, Travis King also
pilots its B-24 Liberator
Diamond Lil. Shes an
instructor in the Falcon
900, and ies Falcon 20,
50, 900B, and 900EX
jets along with numer-
ous other aircraft.
The WomenVenture
Power Lunch starts at
11:30 a.m., immediately
following the annual
WomenVenture photo
on the Plaza. Pre-regis-
tration for the lunch
is required.

118Sport AviationJuly 2014 PHOTOGRAPHY BY CONNIE ROPER

 MEMBERCENTRAL

Name: Chris Jovaag, EAA 539527

Position: Membership Marketing Coordinator

WHOS WHO AT HQ
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love EAA and EAA members, and I have a great inter-
est in seeing that our organization remains vital and
grows. I can never forget that behind each number is a
person to whom aviation is a real passion and for whom
EAA can make a difference, and thats what makes my
day job worthwhile.
But the most enjoyable part of my job is AirVenture.
Our volunteers are an inspiration to me, and I love talk-
ing to members from all over the worldall here in Osh-
kosh, in person!

Most memorable person you met through EAA:

It would have to be Paul PobereznyI miss him! One of
the last times I talked to Paul was when he came to say
goodbye to a fellow employee who was leaving EAA for
another job. I must have looked really sad, because Paul
put his arm around me and said, Dont worry, hon, Ill
still be here. You and I, well always be here. Since Paul
was on the other side of 90 at the time, I knew that his
promise to always be here in person would be difficult
to keep for long. But I have no doubt that somehow he is
still here at EAA, so I always clean and organize my desk
each Friday before I leave for the weekend!

What is the most unique airplane youve taken a ride in?

The absolute thrill of my life was getting a ride in a P-51
called Moonbeam McSwinein formation with Paul 1
and one other Mustang! My husband, Bruce, had done
some work for Paul, and as a thank-you, Paul offered him
the P-51 ride. But Bruce knew how much I wanted to go
up in one, so he told Paul that they should take me up
instead. Honestly, words just cant express.

www.eaa.org119
120Sport AviationJuly 2014

Gone West
Not alone into the sunset but into the company of friends who have gone before them.
ARIZONA
James Matola (EAA 616385), Sedona
CALIFORNIA
Mark Gassaway (EAA 17587), Oxnard
Alan Goldman (EAA 452569), Camarillo
Douglas Hopper (EAA 138652), Rancho Cucamonga
William Madsen (EAA 536828), Garberville
Charles Shaer (EAA 67175), Monterey
Norman Valor (EAA 748745), Manhattan Beach
COLORADO
Jim Peoples (EAA 629039), Littleton
Robert Richardson (EAA 524934), Nederland
CONNECTICUT
Sandra Devine (EAA 337215), Meriden
FLORIDA
H.W. Barnhouse (EAA 7478), Vero Beach
Rufus Davis (EAA 716503), Stuart
M.W. Buzz George (EAA 433860), St. Augustine
Lawrence Grondzki (EAA 140143), Live Oak
Jason Koesy (EAA 246685), Miami
Reed Somberg (EAA 368191), Jupiter
Walter Strumienski (EAA 618536), Fort Myers
Jim Treadwell (EAA 733279), Tavares
IDAHO
George Simchuk (EAA 741655), Dover
INDIANA
Howard Shrode (EAA 1037225), Columbus
IOWA
Melvin Dale Folkerts (EAA 26525), Rudd
Paul Hofmeyer (EAA 1002805), Iowa City
KANSAS
Bob Gandy (EAA 56732), Olathe
C. John Rew (EAA 358912), Lenexa
LOUISIANA
John Hitt (EAA 236234), Shreveport
MAINE
James Rogers (EAA 521229), Windham
MARYLAND
Robert Byers (EAA 881275), Hollywood
Frederick Herold (EAA 395010), Tilghman
MICHIGAN
Bruce Cotter (EAA 292990), Weidman
Lawrence Gunderson (EAA 365000), Ishpeming
Henry Haigh (EAA 12829), Howell
Delos Hickcox (EAA 2120), Baroda
MINNESOTA
Stanley Cimmiyotti (EAA 571865), Sargeant
MISSOURI
Bill Burch (EAA 1125309), Sikeston
MONTANA
Les Gard (EAA 757172), Great Falls
Leon Rediske (EAA 163412), Grafton
NEW JERSEY
Clarence Hook (EAA 370328), Mays Landing
NEW YORK
Lawrence Krutick (EAA 650310), Roslyn
Gonzalo Pardo (EAA 379004), Shoreham
Kenneth Talbot (EAA 264189), Mamaroneck
NORTH CAROLINA
Allan Irwin (EAA 61354), West End
OHIO
W. Grady (EAA 800866), Dayton
Robert Newcomb (EAA 801502), Kettering
PENNSYLVANIA
Darryl Wisbar (EAA 19558), Finleyville
TENNESSEE
Jack Christie (EAA 1026049), Thompsons Station
Walter Richardson (EAA 833791), Taft
MEMBERCENTRAL
TEXAS
John Abitz (EAA 9295), Roanoke
David Coats (EAA 151836), Tyler
John Klusendorf (EAA 17028), Flower Mound
John Kowalski (EAA 203907), Trenton
Barry Millwood (EAA 1029413), Fort Worth
Jim Prater (EAA 153673), Taylor
William Saucier (EAA 188800), Early
Lloyd Werner (EAA 45742), Fort Worth
WASHINGTON
Kent Curtiss (EAA 371554), Kent
Roland Smith (EAA 347741), Port Townsend
WEST VIRGINIA
John Harris (EAA 6811), Charleston
WISCONSIN
William Arndt (EAA 357112), Milwaukee
Paul Jung (EAA 1028735), Mayville
Ralph Kuhr (EAA 319431), Appleton
Gerhardt Strauss (EAA 1012752), Milwaukee
Walter Wendt (EAA 155432), Watertown
Jerome Zuelsdorf (EAA 12852), Mayville
AUSTRALIA
Rob Goldstiver (EAA 1016795), Dayboro, Queensland
John Grin (EAA 1025217), Sydney, New South Wales
CANADA
Howard OConnor (EAA 124281), Napanee, Ontario
Byron Varner (EAA 1052642), New Germany,
Nova Scotia
James West (EAA 528465), Dunchurch, Ontario
GERMANY
Klaus Dornenberg (EAA 304362), Rsrath
SOUTH AFRICA
David Grosvenor (EAA 603909), Hillcrest
www.eaa.org123
MEMBERCENTRAL
MEMBERS/CHAPTERS IN ACTION

CHAPTER VIDEO MAGAZINE

GO INSIDE EAAER Mark Marinos
workshop as he builds an airworthy
replica of a Benoist Type XIV flying
boat, the worlds first heavier-than-
air airliner, in the July issue of EAAs
Chapter Video Magazine. Then get a look
at the open source aircraft being built
by MakerPlane founder John Nicol. This
months video also features an update
on the AirVenture site changes and
improvements for 2014. To watch
this months video simply attend an
EAA chapter meeting near you. You
can locate a chapter in your area at
www.EAA.org/chapters/locator.

WELCOME, NEW LIFETIME MEMBERS

Khosro Adib (EAA 308590), Madison, Wisconsin
John Baker (EAA 244915), Macon, Georgia
Nicholas Benner (EAA 718810), Katy, Texas
Arnold Billig (EAA 106653), Madison, Wisconsin
Robert Bina (EAA 235944), Elburn, Illinois
James Bowen (EAA 192882), Ankeny, Iowa
Roger Bullock (EAA 132077), Bellbrook, Ohio
Julius Calloway (EAA 208740), Indianapolis, Indiana
Malcolm Carpenter (EAA 76689), Anderson, Indiana
Richard Charney (EAA 404277), South Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Herbert Cheek (EAA 422110), Amherst, New York
Sydney Cohen (EAA 98446), Wausau, Wisconsin
Joseph Cozzi (EAA 151436), Kildeer, Illinois
Roger Czarnowski (EAA 206996), Lake St. Louis, Missouri
Donald Davies (EAA 370203), Hastings, Minnesota
Clark Davis (EAA 829755), Briggsdale, Colorado
Tammy Davis (EAA 1140966), Briggsdale, Colorado
Donald De Witt (EAA 38724), Elk Grove Village, Illinois
James Duncan (EAA 91336), Minneapolis, Minnesota
Lane Esswein (EAA 97963), Farmington, Minnesota
Thomas Finch (EAA 573334), Middletown, Delaware
Carl Franz (EAA 511275), Pinckney, Michigan
Colleen Fritsche (EAA 606213), Greenleaf, Wisconsin
James Fritsche (EAA 606212), Greenleaf, Wisconsin
Dennis Gardisser (EAA 542153), Lonoke, Arkansas
Terrance Glimn (EAA 260460), Bark River, Michigan
John Golderer (EAA 380079), Ringwood, New Jersey
Quinten Graber (EAA 714544), Brooksville, Mississippi
Terry Grin (EAA 145234), Rock Hill, South Carolina
Dennis Griswold (EAA 191953), Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
Jerry Hain (EAA 457546), Tucson, Arizona
James Hall (EAA 110064), Mount Angel, Oregon
Robert Hamilton (EAA 393031), Wauconda, Illinois
Philip Handleman (EAA 227599), Birmingham, Michigan
Carl Harris (EAA 267682), Longmont, Colorado
Richard Hawley (EAA 243135), Conifer, Colorado
Mark Heath (EAA 545719), Auburn, Washington
Jim Hergert (EAA 119183), Sedona, Arizona
Bernard Hogan (EAA 380139), Evansville, Indiana
Vernon House (EAA 115791), Tripoli, Iowa
Anita Human (EAA 659386), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
David Human (EAA 445157), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
M. Huggins (EAA 75991), Timmonsville, South Carolina
Cli Huss (EAA 608474), Ogden, Utah
Barry Jay (EAA 151119), Torrance, California
John Jorgenson (EAA 137249), Omaha, Nebraska
Robert Kublank (EAA 358493), Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin
Je Matson (EAA 350611), Milford, Michigan
Kathleen Mayer (EAA 267191), Redgranite, Wisconsin
Carolyn McAlexander (EAA 235207), Brooklyn, Michigan
William McAlexander (EAA 120269), Brooklyn, Michigan
David McClanahan (EAA 372941), Franklin, Tennessee
David McCredie (EAA 1097477), Flint, Michigan
Jerry Morelock (EAA 434347), Omaha, Nebraska
William ODonnell (EAA 550897), Bush, Louisiana
Anthony Panto (EAA 238135), Toms River, New Jersey
John Parke (EAA 869999), Oakland City, Indiana
Robert Patrias (EAA 356831), Le Sueur, Minnesota
Ed Phillips (EAA 372466), Millbrook, Alabama
Randall Rakovec (EAA 454394), Greenwood, Wisconsin
Dani Redmon (EAA 1122210), Lebanon, Tennessee
Jason Redmon (EAA 439535), Lebanon, Tennessee
Michael Rewey (EAA 366134), Verona, Wisconsin
Bob Riggle (EAA 350509), Woodhull, Illinois
John Rosenberg (EAA 539066), Chanhassen, Minnesota
David Ross (EAA 98512), Wakeman, Ohio
John Santucci (EAA 392759), Boonton, New Jersey
John Schmidt (EAA 91953), Altadena, California
Thomas Schneider (EAA 219803), Darien, Connecticut
William Schroder (EAA 532825), Rowlett, Texas
Brandon Scott (EAA 351054), Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Letece Scott (EAA 1140790), Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Ronald Scott (EAA 501185), Buda, Illinois
Donald Sefton (EAA 1118204), Fallon, Nevada
Jerey Sheridan (EAA 131707), Burnsville, Minnesota
David Singstock (EAA 405777), Hague, Virginia
Bryan Sisk (EAA 435343), Coopersburg, Pennsylvania
Kurt Skodje (EAA 392274), Faribault, Minnesota
Dennis Smith (EAA 209826), Houston, Texas
James Sonnleitner (EAA 71607), Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Robert Squires (EAA 191476), Ovilla, Texas
John Stewart (EAA 12047), Slatington, Pennsylvania
Richard Tems (EAA 288875), Jamison, Pennsylvania
Jack Textor (EAA 508092), West Des Moines, Iowa
Susan Textor (EAA 508093), West Des Moines, Iowa
Robert Torres (EAA 285673), Morgan Hill, California
Ian Ward (EAA 438210), Arlington, Virginia
Robert Williams (EAA 390069), Corpus Christi, Texas
John Wills (EAA 481773), Jasper, Alabama
Gary Woyak (EAA 410828), Plaineld, Wisconsin
F. Yoder (EAA 398555), Wellington, Florida
Dominique Youakim (EAA 386272), Charleston, Illinois
Shannon Youakim (EAA 1141527), Charleston, Illinois

124Sport AviationJuly 2014


PILOT PLANS TO BE YOUNGEST CIRCUMNAVIGATOR
ON MAY 31, MATT GUTHMILLER, 19, of
Aberdeen, South Dakota, embarked on
an around the world ight that could
land him a Guinness World Record.
Matt, EAA 1133537, planned a departure
May 31 from Gillespie Field in El Cajon,
California, estimating to arrive back July
12 after ying a total of 28,000 miles.
Matt, a computer science freshman
at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
was inspired after reading about Jack
Wiegand last year, who at 21 years old
became the youngest pilot to y solo
around the world. Several months later
that record was broken by Australian
Ryan Campbell, 19, EAA 1001585. Both
of those young pilots attended EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh 2013.
I thought, I could do that, he said Other stops include London, Cairo, Rome,
after reading of Wiegands ight. If Matt
is successful, hell be the youngest person
to y around the world. Matt also plans to
attend AirVenture this summer and give a
presentation about his adventure.
While setting a Guinness World
Record would be exciting, Matts true
goal is to inspire other young people
to do big things. Thats what I hope
to accomplish with this ight, he said,
calling it Limitless Horizons. Its also
a charitable mission designed to benet
Code.org, a 501(c)3 organization devoted
to expanding access to computer science,
particularly in underserved areas.
Matt is ying a modied 1981 Beech
A36 Bonanza (N367HP) with a Continental
IO-550 engine. The plane has been
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVID MAX STEINBERG
MEMBERCENTRAL
specially outtted with ferry tanks, giving
it a 2,800 nm range at an expected cruise
speed of 155-175 mph at 11,500 feet MSL.
The aircraft, which is being leased
from High Performance Aircraft of El
Cajon, has a well-equipped glass panel
including a Garmin G500, dual GTN
750s touch-screen navigators, GSR 56 for
weather, GDL-69A data link, GTS 800
traffic advisory system, and ADS-B out.
He is using Paramount Aviation
Resources Group to help secure landing
permits and overight privileges, as well
as manage other issues that can challenge
international private ights. The 28,000
nm journey includes planned stops
in Aberdeen, Teterboro, New Jersey,
Newfoundland, and the Azore Islands.
Dubai, and Honolulu.
Matt has always been fascinated by
aviation and took to computer simulators
when he was younger. He started ight
lessons at the Aberdeen Regional Airport
(ABR) FBO, Hangar 9, in July 2011. Ten
hours of dual training later, he soloed
on August 14, and passed his checkride
on his 17th birthday, November 29, 2011.
Since then hes added instrument, glider,
and commercial single-engine land/
sea ratings.
Nothing is impossible, Matt said.
And Ive never been the kind of person
to just hang around and wait for great
things to happen. If you really want to
achieve something great, you have to go
out and get it.
www.eaa.org125
126Sport AviationJuly 2014
128Sport AviationJuly 2014

Member Benefits Spotlight
MEMBERSHIP IN EAA makes aviation more fun, economical,
and accessible. Below are free and discounted programs
offered exclusively to EAA members. Join, renew, or
ask questions by visiting www.EAA.org/join or calling
800-564-6322 (800-JOIN-EAA).
PROGRAMS
EAA Aircraft Insurance - Obtain extensive liability and hull
insurance for all types of aircraft at an exceptional price. Ask for
the EAA Endorsement and get added benets, like zero deduct-
ible from day one, at no additional charge. Weve also designed a
plan unique to Canada (C-PLAN) with coverage for standard, ultra-
lights, amateur-builts, and kit planes. www.EAA.org/insurance,
866-647-4322 (U.S.) or 855-736-3407 (Canada)
EAA Aviation & Non-Aviation AD&D Insurance - Get per-
sonal insurance coverage that picks up where traditional life
insurance stops with coverage for nearly all aviation and non-avi-
ation activities at a fraction of the cost of amending existing life
insurance policies. www.EAA.org/insurance, 877-230-3252
EAA Visa Credit Card - Earn points to redeem for member-
ship renewal, gift memberships, travel, cash back, or more! Use
your card on purchases at Aircraft Spruce & Specialty and youll
also receive up to 10 percent off. www.EAA.org/visa
ASTC Museum Passport Program - Enjoy free access
to more than 300 museums and science centers worldwide.
www.EAA.org/passport
EAA Webinars - Attend free, weekly webinars with content
ranging from Flying Efficiently to Getting Started With
Ultralights. www.EAA.org/webinars
EAA Hints for Homebuilders Videos - Online videos featur-
ing easy explanations of aircraft homebuilding and maintenance
techniques. www.EAAVideo.org
EAA Flight Advisors - Flight advisors counsel members con-
sidering purchasing an aircraft, preparing for flight in a newly
built or restored aircraft, or looking to transition to an unfamiliar
aircraft. www.EAA.org/flightadvisors
EAA Technical Counselors - Experienced builders, restorers,
and mechanics volunteer their time to help you present a zero
defect airplane for inspection. www.EAA.org/techcounselors
EAA Ford Tri-Motor Experience - Experience the
golden age of aviation aboard EAAs 1929 Ford Tri-Motor.
www.FlyTheFord.org
EAA B-17 Flight Experience - $40 off your flight as you stand
in the footsteps of the bombardier, the navigator, and the waist
gunner and relive history. www.B17.org
MEMBERCENTRAL
MEMBER BENEFITS
DISCOUNTS
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh - $15 off/day plus discounts on food,
access to camping, and more! www.AirVenture.org/tickets
EAA SportAir Workshops - $40 off hands-on workshops for
homebuilders. www.SportAir.com, 800-967-5746
EAA Merchandise - Discounts on select merchandise during
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and on www.ShopEAA.com.
PSI LaserGrade FAA Tests - $10 off FAA written exam.
www.EAA.org/lasergrade
AirDocs - 10 percent off preparation and filing fees for an
FAA medical special issuance. www.EAA.org/airdocs
Ford Vehicle Partner Program - $400-$4,000 off the
purchase or lease of most new Ford and Lincoln vehicles.
www.EAA.org/ford
John Deere Partner Program - $35-$1,000 off the purchase
of equipment. www.EAA.org/johndeere
EAA Travel Choices - Free member perks, special offers, and
up to 25 percent off at Avis, Budget, and Hertz. www.EAA.org/travel
COMMUNITIES
EAA communities are groups organized in a local community
or around a particular interest like an aircraft type. They
meet up, share advice, and work together on important
community projects.
EAA Chapters - www.EAA.org/chapters/locator
EAA International Aerobatic Club - www.IAC.org
EAA Warbirds of America - www.Warbirds-EAA.org
EAA Vintage Aircraft Association - www.VintageAircraft.org
EAA Ultralights - www.EAA.org/ultralights
EAA Homebuilders - www.EAA.org/homebuilders
www.eaa.org129
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*Purchase tickets at the EAA AirVenture Museum or during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, July 28-August 3, 2014. Drawing is
at 3:00 p.m. Sunday, August 3, 2014, at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Show Center, EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, 3000 Poberezny
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132Sport AviationJuly 2014

LED & CONVENTIONAL aircraft lights

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CLASSIFIED ADS
AEROMEDICAL
FAA Medical Problems? We specialize in helping pilots, ATC, etc., when
FAA Medical Certicate problems occur. Professional and aordable.
ARMA Research, LLC, 920-206-9000 www.ARMAResearch.com
AIRCRAFT
Velocity 173 LW 75% nish in primer, wings by hanger 18, seats built,
rmolitor@tampabay.rr.com, 715-634-5055
2008 Tundra 4-place. Factory assist build. Superior engine, 3-blade
prop, Dynon EFIS, Trutrak autopilot, Garmin. Hangared, pvt owned.
Featured in Sport Aviation. $120K obo. 605-382-7093.
N438JC Skyraider II w/New Jabaru 2200, Top Quality Work by Master
Builder Who Is Deceased. Fine Machine!!! 619-562-0990 Detailed
Photos @ www.sandiegoaircraftsales.com
RV-6A 180 hp IO-360-B2B 135 SMOH, TT135, Catto F.P. prop, day/night
VFR, tip-up canopy, Never damaged, always hangared. $64K
Barracuda Project for sale, many completed parts & most hardware,
920-566-2566
Velocity XL-RG Fast-Build Kit. Early stages of build. Atlanta, GA area. Medical
condition forces sale, $25,000 OBO 404-754-8637 dmarier56@comcast.net
76 Piper Warrior, orig, hngrd, 8 radios, 5903 total hrs, 1572 since
MOH, 84yr old AMP owner, $25.5K, 763-210-8856 or 763-323-7606
Glasair RG-1 project (NH), 30% complete, willkalinuk@gmail.com
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KIS TR1 always hangared, $39,600. Details George: 517-536-1034
Biplane Construction, Ron Walker A&P-IA, a1airplanemech@aol.com,
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AIRCRAFT INSTRUMENTS
Eighteen years manufacturing AOAs www.riteangle.com 360-260-0772
Digital Altimeter & Gauges Adaptive Interfaces www.adaptint.com
BOOKS
Books by aircraft designer Dan Raymer: Living in the Future: The
Education and Adventures of an Advanced Aircraft Designer Fun read
for everyone who loves airplanes and wonders how they get designed.
Simplied Aircraft Design for Homebuilders Enjoyable how-to for
homebuilders and high school students. Order at www.aircraftdesign.com,
www.atlasbooks.com (800 247-6553), or www.Amazon.com
Sport Aviation magazines 1964-2012. Free. You pay postage. 512-657-6288
LIGHT AIRPLANE CONSTRUCTION for the amateur builder. Molds, tools, jigs,
311 illustrations, 92 pages, $60. LIGHT AIRPLANE DESIGN-statistics, weights,
sample calculations, 61 illustrations, 80 pages, $65. LANDING GEAR DESIGN
FOR LIGHT AIRCRAFT-245 pages, 463 illustrations, $85. PL-4A CONSTRUCTION
MANUAL-104 pages, 394 illustrations, $60. CUSTOM BUILT AIRCRAFT OWNERS
OPERATORS MANUAL-$25. Mail: USA $7; Canada $20, Foreign air & ins. $28.
PAZMANY PL-9 STORK video or DVD $30. Mail: USA $5, Foreign air & ins. $24.
PAZMANY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION, P. O. Box 60577, San Diego, CA 92166. FAX:
619-224-7358 E-mail: *info@pazmany.com, www.pazmany.com
WORLDS MOST POPULAR Aircraft Design Books @
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ENGINES
Revmaster Engines for Sport Aircraft. Proven reliability since 1968.
Complete R-2300 85HP . Die cast. RevFlow injector carb 30-42mm.
Revmaster Aviation 760-244-3074. www.revmasteraviation.com
Engines starting @ $200 - guaranteed Kawasaki, Rotax, Hirth & most other
brands w/BEST reduc drive, carb, exhaust selection of access w/top-notch
service from friendly sta J-Bird, 262-626-2611, jbirdengines@yahoo.com
Lycoming Overhauled IO360A3B6D $23.5K more info 203-637-9670
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Hirth Aircraft Engines: 15-110 HP. 1,000 hr rated TBO. 1 yr warranty.
Sales, service & parts. Highest power to weight ratio in the industry.
BlueMax 2-cycle aviation oil. Recreational Power Engineering 5479 East
Country Rd. 38, Tin, OH 44883. PH 800-583-3306 FX 419-585-6004.
Visit us on the web: www.recpower.com
134Sport AviationJuly 2014
VW Power from Great Plains Aircraft! Type 1 - 1600cc to 2276cc. Direct,
Reduction and Flywheel Drives. Kits and Parts. Engine packages for all
VW powered aircraft. Contact Great Plains Aircraft at 402-493-6507
or GPASC.com
Kawasaki package - save 50%, engine, reduction drive, carburetor
& exhaust. 0-time, 64 lbs, 40 HP Contact J-Bird 262-626-2611
jbirdengines@yahoo.com
LEGAL
Experienced Patent Attorney & fellow pilot ready to help you protect &
prot from your invention. Clients located across the US. Free consultation
& only quality work. Michael L Wise 914-879-4642 www.mlwise-law.com
MISC
Composites & Supplies - 37+ years of excellent customer service,
designers, manufacturers, materials. Always in stock: epoxy, polyester,
Vinyleter resin, carbon ber, Kevlar, lightweight fairing & bonding
compounds, Nida Core, PVC Foam Core, Vacuum bagging & vacuum
resin infusion supplies. Order online www.lbiberglass.com or call for
free catalog 800-231-6537, technical assistance
65 HP Continental $1500, motor mount $500, new Sensenich wood
prop $1500, 603-485-9658
Centennial WWI, screen printed, Great War aviation T-shirts.
www.GrithAviationScreening.com
Hand painted historic aviation oorcloths for home or shop
www.ericksonying.com
DreamFlyer simulator, 3, 20 monitors on castered base. Software.
$1800 704-491-7464, earllynch@bellsouth.net
Holy Cowls - RV & Mustang II, www.jamesaircraft.com 850-342-9929
Uncommon Gifts for your home, hangar or oce. www.2nd-Sun.com
Landing Gear-Wittman type rod gear since 1969. Contact Harmon
Lange 503-397-1478, harmon@langair.com
Aircraft wires from Bruntons of Scotland. Certied wires featuring
stronger rolled threads. AN665 stainless terminal assemblies. Call for
quote. Steen Aero Lab, (321) 725-4160. www.steenaero.com
Carbon ber cowls for non-certied PA 18 aircraft. Selkirk Aviation,
208-664-9589. www.selkirk-aviation.com
BUILD YOUR OWN BOAT! Send $9.95 for catalog of over 300 boats you
can build, includes FREE Dingy plans. Glen-L, 9152 Rosecrans Ave/EAA,
Bellower, CA 90706, 888-700-5007. Online catalog: Glen-L.com/EAA
FLOATS BY ZENAIR 750# to 2500# straight & amphib kits
www.zenairoats.com
MAGAZINE ANNUALS EAA 1956-08 $100 AOPA 1958-08 $275 FLYING
1941-08 $290 EAA MANUALS-MISC $75 Details www.barraircraft.com
Jim Barr 570-368-3655
OSHKOSH/AIRVENTURE HOUSING
5 bdrms, Ripon, E-side, for AV14, $75 per person/night. Call Judy
920-748-7420 for details
OSHKOSH BOUND? Visit Sleepy Hollow Farm - the closest
private RV campground to AirVenture. Call 1-877-438-6531
or www.sleepyhollowfarm.com
PARACHUTES
Pennsylvania Parachute Company-Pilot Emergency Parachutes
www.pennsylvaniaparachute.com, 610-317-2536
PLANS/KITS
Aircraft plans advertised in EAA Sport Aviation must have satised
the FAA minimum requirements of the Experimental Amateur-built
Category and must have been operated a minimum of 25 hours when
using an FAA certied engine or 40 hours with a non-certied engine
and should have satisfactorily demonstrated its advertised qualities.
The FAA Operation Limitation must have been amended to permit ight
outside the test ight area.
RV-7A quick build wing & fuselage kits, untouched $10K for both,
Santa Fe, NM Call 505-670-2009
LANCAIR IV P Wings Extended Fuel Cells Speed Brakes. Stabilizer &
Elevator Complete.$8,000.00 Right Wing 60% Complete.$12,000.00
Lift Wing 50 Complete.$10,000.00 All Parts And Wing Cradles
402-540-5969 brownbird1@juno.com
Volksplane-Complete VP-1 Plans $64 w/FREE Designers
Handbook, Pilots Handbook, builders photos & Flight Reports.
www.volksplane.com & www.evansair.com
11 Wooden low wing C. Piels designs. Catalog $25.00. S.Littner, 432 Hamel,
St-Eustache, Quebec J7P 4M3 Canada, 450-974-7001, slittner@videotron.ca
Skybolt plans $165, Pitts S1-C plans $250, S1-SS updates $100, materials
& components. Knight Twister plans: single $250, two-place $285.
Firebolt plans $275. Great Lakes plans $350. Pilot & aircraft accessories.
Steen Aero Lab, (321) 725-4160. www.steenaero.com
RV Builders-Upper/lower gear leg intersection fairings
www.aerosu.com 507-635-5976
CLASSIC HOMEBUILT AIRCRAFT PLANS - Cozy Mark IV $500 Christavia
MK-1 $375 Christavia MK-2 $289.95 Christavia MK-4 $275 Starduster One
SA100 $115 Super Starduster SA101 $158.95 Starduster Too SA300 $250 Star-
let SA500 $125 Acroduster Too SA750 $125 V-Star SA900 $195 Acrolite 1B $295
Wittman W10 Tailwind $195 Wittman V-Witt Racer $95 Baby Great Lakes
$295 Super Baby Great Lakes $295 Buddy Baby Lakes $275 One Design
$376. Aircraft Spruce (951) 372-9555, www.aircraftspruce.com
PROPELLERS
www.PerformancePropellersUSA.com. Two & Three Blade Multi-
Laminate Wood composite propellers for up through 300 HP. 713-417-2519
Ed Sterba Propellers Custom Carving for Homebuilts 513 68th St
Holmes Beach, FL 34217 941-778-3103
MT & Homann Propellers for aerobatic, homebuilt & production
aircraft. Call for quote. Steen Aero Lab, (321) 725-4160. www.steenaero.com
REAL ESTATE
Custom ranch, 6K sq ft, direct waterfront, serene & private, minutes
to Cranland Airport (28M) & Chapter 279! $699,900 781-582-6459,
tbl283@aol.com
Hangar Home in gated residential airpark, Naples FL, FAA:FA37
baholder@aol.com 239-793-2001
Island home for sale,1 acre private Island, .08 miles from EAA/Witt-
man. Newer stone A frame, 2 boat lifts, by owner 920-230-4240
Brand New Hangars for Sale or Rent. Hayward Executive Airport (HWD),
California. 42 x 34 box hangars with electric bi-fold doors, internet access,
and re sprinkler protection. www.haywardhangars.com; (888) 617-0300
Airpark home Jackson MI. 3BD 2BA Ranch, 25x30 heated hanger room
for larger, 3000 grass runway 517-569-2644
Log Home 2/2 1,591 Sq Ft, 50 X 70 Hanger, 1.07 Acres in Kitty Hawk,
Live Oak, FL, vhroberts44@gmail.com
HANGAR ON ONE ACRE FOR SALE CALL BROKER BILL 760-792-8072
CRISPY CEDARS PRIVATE AIRFIELD - Beautiful Door County WI - Lots on
2K runway. Just $44,900 - crispycedars.com 920-495-7539
SERVICES
Patent, Trademarks, Copyrights. Robert Platt Bell, Registered Patent
Attorney, EAA Member, 821 Riverview Drive, Jekyll Island, GA 31527.
robertplattbell@gmail.com. PH. 912-635-2147.
Caravella Aerospace: engineering design & analysis, Solidworks CAD &
FEA. www.caravella.aero/content/services
3D CAD, Lofting, Drawings, Rapid Prototypes, Machining. Michigan
Aerospace MSE. KESLLC38@GMAIL.COM (248) 486-2619
WANTED
Parts for Aeronca L-3 and/or TG-5 glider. Building a replica TG-5 for
EAA Museum. Contact Chuck Burtch, cburtch@windstream.net
Donate your factory built plane to leave a signicant legacy! A char-
ity that provides mission/medical services to remote areas of the world.
www.samaritanaviation.com 970-249-4341
 AT YOUR SERVICE: ADVERTISERS IN THIS ISSUE AD INDEX

ADVERTISER PAGE WEBSITE PHONE ADVERTISER PAGE WEBSITE PHONE

Advanced Flight Systems 101 www.Advanced-Flight-Systems.com 503/263-0037 Icom America 29 www.icomamerica.com/avionics 800/872-4266
AeroConversions 119 www.AeroConversions.com 920/231-8297 International Aerobatic Club (IAC) 126 www.iac.org 920/426-4800
AEROX 92 www.aerox.com 800/237-6902 Jeppesen 33 www.jeppesen.com/itedeck-vfr31 800/353-2107
Aircraft Specialties Services 45 www.aircraft-specialties.com 800/826-9252 John Deere 115 www.johndeere.com/gator 309/765-8000
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty OBC www.aircraftspruce.com 877/4-SPRUCE J.P. Instruments 37 www.jpinstruments.com 800/345-4574
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty/Cozy 102 www.aircraftspruce.com 877/4-SPRUCE Lancair International 35 www.lancair.com 541/923-2244
Aircraft Tool Supply Co. 105 www.aircraft-tool.com 800/248-0638 Lansing Community College 92 www.lcc.edu/aviation 517/267-6406
AKG Aviation 81 www.akg.com/aviation 813/221-4181 Leading Edge Air Foils, LLC 118 www.leadingedgeairfoils.com 800/532-3462
Aviat Aircraft Inc 13 www.aviataircraft.com 307/885-3151 Levil Technology 117 www.aviation.levil.com 407/542-3971
Avidyne 73 www.avidyne.com 800/284-3963 Lincoln Electric 109 www.lincolnelectric.com/moneymatters 888/355-3213
Bearhawk Aircraft 107 www.bearhawkaircraft.com 877/528-4776 Lockwood Aviation 131 www.lockwood-aviation.com 800/527-6829
Bendix King 65 www.bendixking.com 855/250-7027 Lycoming 23 www.lycoming.com 800/258-3279
Better Aircraft Fabric 105 www.betteraircraftfabric.com 907/229-6792 Magic in the Air/Marc Paulsen 117 www.yingtales.com 503/330-1226
Bose 56, 57 www.bose.com/A20_13 888/501-8769 Mahindra Aerospace 75 www.ga8airvan.com 855-4-AIRVAN
California Power Systems 108 www.800-airwolf.com 800/247-9653 MGL Avionics 118 www.mglavionics.com 877/835-9464
Cirrus Aircraft 67 www.cirrusaircraft.com/2014 800/279-4322 MT-Propeller 119 www.mt-propeller.com 386/736-7762
CSC Duats 88 www.duats.com 800/345-3828 Pacic Health 93 www.claroxan.com 855/820-4050
CubCrafters, Inc. 87 www.carboncubex.com 509/248-9491 Piper 89 www.piper.com 866/FLY.PIPER
Daher-Socata 17 www.tbm850.com 954/993-8477 Plane Power 125 www.plane-power.com 877/934-5700
DTC DUAT 39 www.duat.com 800/243-3828 Poly-Fiber Aircraft Coatings 4 www.polyber.com 800/362-3490
Dynon Avionics IFC www.dynonavionics.com 425/402-0433 Port-a-Cool 25 www.port-a-cool.com 800/695-2942
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014 113 www.airventure.org 800/564-6322 Progressive Insurance 103 www.progressive.com 800/PROGRESSIVE
EAA Aviation Insurance/Falcon 122 www.eaalowerrates.com 866/647-4322 Randolph Aircraft Products 31 www.randolphaircraft.com 800/362-3490
EAA B-17 128 www.b17.org 800/359-6217 Rotec Aerosport 21 www.rotecaerosport.com 61 3 9587 9530
EAA Eagle Flights 110 www.eaa.org/eagleights 800/557-2376 Sandys Airpark 32 www.sandysairpark.com 800/908-4359
EAA Ford Tri-Motor 126 www.ytheford.org 800/564-6322 Savvy Aircraft Maint. Management 133 www.savvyanalysis.com 702/655-1359
EAA Job Fair 120 920/426-4863 Sennheiser Aviation 19 www.sennheiser-aviation.com/S1 860/434-9190
EAA Merchandise 127 www.shopeaa.com 800/564-6322 Sigtronics Corporation 95 www.sigtronics.com 909/305-9399
EAA SportAir Workshops 85, 131 www.sportair.com 800/967-5746 Sky-Tec 48 www.skytecair.com 800/476-7896
EAA Sweepstakes 2014 112 www.eaa.org/sweepstakes 800/236-1025 Sonex Aircraft, LLC 32 www.sonexaircraft.com 920/231-8297
EAA Travel 128 www.eaa.org/travel 920/426-6875 Sportys Pilot Shop 9 www.sportys.com/stratus 800/SPORTYS
EAA Webinars 131 www.eaa.org/webinars 800/967-5746 Stewart AC Finishing Systems 107 www.stewartsystems.aero 888/356-7659
EAA Young Eagles 121, 126 www.youngeagles.org 877/806-8902 Superior Air Parts 43 www.superiorairparts.com 800/277-5168
Epic Aircraft 83 www.epicaircraft.com 888-FLY-EPIC Tempest 2 www.tempestplus.com 800/822-3200
Flight Design USA 41 www.ightdesignusa.com 860/963-7272 Trade-A-Plane 118 www.trade-a-plane.com 800/337-5263
Ford Motor Company 47 www.ford.com 800/392-3673 Trutrak Flight Systems 31 www.trutrakap.com 866/TRUTRAK
ForeFlight IBC www.foreight.com team@foreight.com UMA Instruments 118 www.umainstruments.com 800/842-5578
Garmin 5 www.garmin.com 800/800-1020 Vans Aircraft, Inc. 101 www.vansaircraft.com 503/678-6545
Glasair Aviation 91 www.glasairaviation.com 360-435-8533 Vertical Power 108 www.VerticalPower.com 425/328-1658
Grand Rapids Technologies, Inc. 25, 102 www.grtavionics.com 616/245-7700 Wag-Aero 119 www.wagaero.com 800/558-6868
Hamilton Watch 27 www.hamiltonwatch.com 800/234-TIME Zenith Aircraft Company 7 www.zenithair.com 573/581-9000
HondaJet 49 www.hondajet.com/OTWEM 888/453-5937

For more information from EAA Sport Aviations advertisers, please phone or visit them on the web, and mention that you saw their ad in EAA Sport Aviation. Visit www.EAA.org for a listing of this months advertisers.
Copyright 2014 by the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. All rights reserved. EAA SPORT AVIATION (USPS 511-720; ISSN 0038-7835; CPC#40612608) is owned exclusively by the Experimental Aircraft Assn., Inc. and is published monthly at the EAA Aviation Headquarters, 3000 Poberezny Rd.,
Oshkosh, WI 54902. Periodical Postage paid at Oshkosh, WI 54901 and other post offices. [U.S. membership rates are $40.00.] EAA STATEMENT OF POLICY Material published in EAA SPORT AVIATION is contributed by EAA members and other interested persons. Opinions expressed in articles are
solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Inc. Accuracy of the material is the sole responsibility of the contributor. ADVERTISING EAA does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through our advertising.
We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EAA SPORT AVIATION, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

www.eaa.org135
EAAS LOGBOOK
WHERE WE CAME FROM

INSIDE THE ISSUE

Highlights from July 1964

A shot of the large pusher prop Ray Hegy, EAA 276, made for the Navy, with
Chris Mornichen in the background.

EAA Chapter 11s Thomas M. Shelton, EAA 6647, and Amelia Earhart
pose with Thomas Crusader, which had its rst ight in 1935.

EAA Icons Galore

T
he first Midget Mustang was built and redesigned by James
T. Graham, EAA 1227, of Indianapolis, Indiana, to take a
fully retractable landing gear. Other topics in the issue
include a two-part story written by builder-pilot Ray Hegy, EAA
276, about how he learned to make propellers by hand, in particular
the one for the iconic EAA fly-in red biplane El Chuparosa, and
a look back at one of EAA Chapter 11s most famous members,
Thomas M. Shelton, EAA 6647, and his AG-4 Crusader.
With the EAA Rockford fly-in coming up on August 4-9, Calvin A. Bugbee, EAA 12894, of Salt Lake City, Utah, and his children show o
a preview outlined the daily schedule and that the event the fuselage in progress on their Volmer Sportsman.
would be transferred to a different part of the Rockford
airport to accommodate an expected 50 percent increase in View archived issues of EAA Sport Aviation at www.EAA.org.
aircraft attendance.

136Sport AviationJuly 2014

Aircraft Spruce carries everything a pilot could need,
including pilot supplies & avionics always at the
lowest prices. Aircraft Spruce supplies components
for a wide variety of homebuilt aircraft and factory
built aircraft. Visit www.aircraftspruce.com