Vintage Airplane - Oct 1987

8/12/2019 Vintage Airplane - Oct 1987

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STR IGHT ND LEVEL

by Bob Lickteig

In browsing through a stack of oldLIF magazines, I came across a special issue, June 18, 1956 , called Air Age,Man 's New Way of Life in a World ReShaped by Conquest of the Skies. Thisspecial issue covered the whole spectrum of aviation including military, commercial, airlines, private and the dreamof future space flights.

The major domestic and internationalairlines were all flying reciprocal engine

To emphasize the growth of thedomestic U .S . flag carriers , the editorsof this article presented a summary ofairline business during the 24-hourperiod of June 3 1956. The air carriers

operated a total of 1,095 aircraft totransport 136,823 passengers oncoast-to-coast and border-to -borderroutes. The accompanying chart compares the June 1956 figures with theactual 1985 daily figures.

The six airports show a passenger increase of 300% during the ensuing 30years. This growth reflects the increasein number of aircraft in service including

the increase in passenger capacity aswell as the speed and dependability ofairline service.

Please remember, these statisticsare for 1956 and 1985. The years 1986and 1987 will show a large increase inall categories of airline operation.

One interesting item, in 1956 a seniorairline captain earned $20,000 per year.

Many editors today think the industryhas grown too fast and with de-regulation, mass confusion reigns . Deregulation and open markets to all airlines iswhat our free enterprise system is all

about. This is nothing more than goodold American competition, and that'swhat makes our country great.

Maybe there is an over-schedulingproblem in some markets, but did you

ever think what would happen if our airlines were owned and managed oy thegovernment, as they are in most foreigncountries. That would mean one flight aday each way, five days a week and theairports would shut down at 10 p .m.

I know the airlines' current problemsmake good press, but remember, if thegovernment had listened to the pleas ofthe carriers to expand the system, update the technology, expand and buildmore airports to accommodate thegrowth that was inevitable, we wouldnot have these problems today.

I think it's time the government andthe press stop pointing the finger at theairlines and begin to work together andget started on projects that are already20 years late . This kind of action wouldallow our U.S. domestic airlines to continue to grow and provide the Americanpublic with a first class bargain in airtravel.

Welcome aboard, we're better together. Join us and you have it all.

powered Lockheed Constellations,Douglas DC-6s and 7s , Boeing Stratocruisers, and a few turbo-prop LockheedElectras . All of the airlines were makingplans for the introduction of the new jetage , and the flying of Boeing 707s andDouglas DC-8s approximately threeyears away .

The 1956 projection for domestic airlines was approximately 25 million passengers and 1,250 aircraft in service.Thi ld b th f

U.S. FLAG AIRLINES BUSINESS

1985

Los Angeles ArrivalsDeparturesPassengers

June3 195623226

12666

Daily Average77478

44

Dallas Arrivals 2 3 787Departures 2 4 785


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PUBLICATION STAFFPUBLISHER

Tom Poberezny

VICE-PRESIDENTMARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Dick Matt

EDITOR

Gene R. ChaseCREATIVE ART DIRECTOR

Mike Drucks

MANAGING EDITOR IADVERTISINGMary Jones

ASSOCIATE EDITORSNorman Petersen

Dick Cavin

FEATURE WRITERSGeorge A. Hardie, Jr .

Dennis Parks

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERSJim KoepnickCarl Schuppel

Jeff Isom

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISION, INC.

OFFICERSPresident Vice President

R. J. Lickteig M .C. "Kelly" Viets1718 Lakewood Rt. 2 , Box 128

Albert Lea, MN 56007 Lyndon , KS 66451507 /373 2922 913 /828 3518

Secretary TreasurerRonald Fritz E .E. "Buck" Hilbert

15401 Sparta Avenue P.O. Box 145Kent City , MI49330 Union , IL 60180

616 /678 5012 815 /923 4591

DIRECTORSJohn S. Copeland

9 Joanne DriveWestborough, MA 01581

617 /366 7245

Stan Gomoll1042 90th Lane , NE

Minneapolis, MN 554346121784 1172

Espie M. Joyce, Jr.Box 468

Madison, NC 27025919 /427 0216

Gene Morris115C Steve Court , R.R. 2

Roanoke, TX 76262817 / 491 9110

Ray Olcott104 Bainbridge

Nokomis, FL 33555813 /485 8139

Willia m A. Eickhoff6020 18th Street, South

SI. Petersburg , FL33701813 /229 2180

Dale A. Gustafson7724 Shady Hill DriveIndianapolis , IN 46278

317 /293 4430

Arthur R. Morgan3744 North 51st Blvd.Milwaukee , WI 53216

414 /442 3631

Daniel Neuman1521 Berne Circle W .

Minneapolis , MN 55421612 /57 0893

S .J. WittmanBox 2672

Oshkosh, WI 54903414 /235 1265

TtlI

OCTOBER 1987 Vol. 15, No. 10Copyright ' 1987 by the EAA Antique /Classic Division . Inc. All rights reserved .

Contents2 Straight and Level/by Bob Lickteig4 AlC News/by Gene Chase5 Type Club Activities/by Gene Chase6 From Jets to Jennies/by Gene Chase

11 Vintage Seaplane/by Norm Petersen12 Pass it to Buck/by E. E. "Buck" Hilbert14 Interesting Members - Gene Bohl

by Myron "Mike" Leraaen15 Nostalgair - A La Consolidated

by Mort Kelman16 Bringing Home the C-34/by W. R. Batesole19 Member' s Projects/by Norm Petersen20 Vintage Literature/by Dennis Parks21 Mystery Plane /by George A . Hardie, Jr .22 Volunteers - Antique/Classic Division

at Oshkosh 'S7 /by Ray Olcott23 Welcome New Members24 Vern Brown's Five-Time Winner ...

Ercoupe 415C /by Norm Pe tersen26 Calendar by Events27 I Soloed Today /by John Chapman27 OX-5ers At Oshkosh 8729 Vintage Trader

FRONT COVER . . . Ken Hyde 's Curtiss Jenny. See story on page 6.(Photo by Jim Koepnick)

BACK COVER Bristol Racer Type 72 . Designed by W. T. Reid in1922 this aircraft forecast many features that were to become commona decade later. Features included: a monocoque fuselage; a totallyenclosed engine with ducted cooling; retracting landing gear and wingroot fillets . (EAA Photo Archives)

Page 6

Page 16

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Th d EAA ULTRALIGHT FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM SPORT AVIATION d th l f EXPERIMENTAL


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Compiled by Gene Chase

AUTO FUEL STC FOR CESSNA 195?

Todd Petersen of Petersen Flying

Service , Rt. 1, Box 18 , Minden , NE68959 would like to obtain approvalfrom FAA to issue STCs for the use ofauto fuel in Cessna 195 aircraft powered with the 300 hp Jacobs engine andwith completely stock fuel systems . Avolunteer had offered his C-195 for therequired flight testing (two to threeflights to 10 ,000 feet) , but inclementweather during the period the plane was

available prevented completion of thetests .Because the f lights must be made

when the outside air temperature ishigh , the Petersen 's flight test operationwould be moved to Arizona if a C-195were to be available during the comingwinter months . Anyone wish ing to participate in this venture with their C -195meeting the above requirements shouldcontact Todd Petersen at the above address , or call 1-800-352-3232.

NEW MEMBERS SIGNED AT OSHKOSH '87

The Antique /Classic Division signed

up 155 new members during the EAAConvention , July 31 through August 7 .This brings the total Division membership to 5119 . During the same period ,EAA gained , 8 ,152 new membe rs.

'87 ELECTION RESULTS

Congratulations to the following officers and dire ctors who were re-electedto two -year terms at the Annual Business Meeting of the EAA Antique /Classic Division on August 7 , 1987 atOshkosh , Wisconsin :

Vice-President - M .C. Kelly VietsTreasurer - E .E. Buck HilbertDirectors - John S . Copeland

Stan GomollDale A. GustafsonDaniel F . NeumanPhilip Coulson

. and congratulations and welcomeaboard to William A . Eickhoff who waselected to a one-year term as interimdirector .

EARHART SEARCH PAPERS DONATED TO 99

Documents detailing the 1937 searchfor Amelia Earhart have been donatedto the Ninety-Nines , an organization ofwomen pilots . The papers w ill be madeavailable for public viewing with otherEarhart memorabilia at the Will Rogers

World Airport in Oklahoma City at thestart of next year .Earhart and her navigator Fred

Noonan were lost in the South Pacificduring their 1937 around -the -worldflight. An extensive search by the U .S .

Navy and Coast Guard found no traceof the pair or their Lockheed Mode l 10EElectra .

The donated papers include copiesof charts drawn for Earhart for the 1937flight. Some of the memorabilia w ill besent to Earhart 's Atchison , Kansasbirthplace , now being opera ted by theNinety -Nines as an Earhart museum .

SISTER STATES EARHART ' WASNOT A U.S. SPY

Trying to debunk rumors and fabrications surrounding her missing sister ,the younger siste r of Ame lia Earhartsaid the aviator was not on a spy miss ion for the U .S . government.

Muriel Pidge Earhart-Morrisseymade her remarks on the 50th anniversary of Earhart 's d isappearance overthe Pacific Ocean . Several books andmagazine articles have claimed Earhartwas on a mission for the governmentand was trying to fly over a suspectedJapanese military build up in the SouthPacific but was shot down , capturedand either executed or died as a prisoner of war.

Earhart-Morrissey and Carol Osborne , a Santa Clara, California aviationhistorian , recently wrote a book containing previously classified Navy andTreasury Department documents onEarhart 's disappearance. The docu

ments include radio logs of ships in thearea and a transcript of Earhart 's transmissions.

All the documentation shows shewas just a quiet , private person try ingto set records , said Osborne .

The old nd the new EAA's Spirit of St. Louis flies over Le Bourget Field at Paris with an ir France Concorde in the background.Occasion was the 60th Anniversary Celebration on May 21 , 1987 of Lindbergh ' s arrival at Paris . The Spirit was flown by EAADirector Verne Jobst and the Super Cub camera plane by EAA Museum Director Jimmie Leeward . Ca rl Sc hupp el


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, y p lu Activitiesompiled by Gene hase

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TYPE CLUBS AT OSHKOSH '87

The Type Club Tent at Oshkosh '87was a beehive of activity with 14 clubsrepresented. Following are those typeclubs who took advantage of free spacein the tent to promote their own programs, including increasing their memberships :1) Bird Airplane Club2) Luscombe Association3) National Waco Club4) International Cessna 120 /140 Association5) Aeronca Lovers Club6) Cub Club7) Aeronca Aviator 's Club8) Ercoupe Owners Club9) Fairchild Club10) International Cessna 170 Association11) Bellanca Club12) OX-5 Aviation Pioneers13) National Stinson Club (108 Section)

14) Eastern 190 /195 AssociationThis same facility, located in the Antique /Classic area near the Red Barn,will again be made available at Oshkosh'88 and we 'd love to see even more TypeClubs participate . It's a great opportunity for club representatives to meet theirmembers face to face , and also to addnew members to their rosters .

For information on Type Club activities at Oshkosh contact Espie M. Joyce ,Jr ., Box 468, Madison , NC 27025, 919 /427-0216 .

A leaking exhaust can ruin your dayin any of several ways . It can give youa headache from increased no ise, it cansmell up the cockpit and it can kill you

from carbon monoxide build up in thecockpit during flight. Leak-checking requires a few special techniques, butshould be accomplished any time thesmallest leak is suspected.

If the leaks are small, a result of tinycracks that were not visible through normal visual inspection , try using WD-40 .Find a way to fog the inside of the suspected tube with the silicone lubricant.The WD-40 will leach through the crackfrom the inside , making any crack readily visible .

For information on the Luscombe Association contact John B. Bergeson ,6438 W . Millbrook Road, Remus , MI49340, phone 517 /561-2393.

NATIONAL WACO CLUB

The 28th annual Waco Reunion heldJune 25-28 , 1987 will be rememberedas one of the most pleasant and conge

nial gatherings of Wacos and Waco admirers . Seven days of beautiful weatherbrought 38 Wacos from coast to coastplus Canada, Texas and Florida .Weather in the U.S. seemed to be noproblem except in the Northeast.

The first arrival was a 1936 YKS-6from Granada Hills , California followed

and received the Certificate of Merit , forflying , maintaining and providing a goodhome for a Waco .

For information on the National Waco

Club , contact Ray Brandly at 700 HillAvenue , Hamilton , OH 45015 .

EASTERN 190 /195 ASSOCIATION

The following advice (pertinent tomore than just the subject aircraft) wasgleaned from a recent newsletter of theEastern 190 /195 Association) :

A suggestion from Jim McCracken ,Jacobs Service Company If you areat a major engine service or overhaulfacility , it might be a good time to cleanthe oil tank. The neck strainer (keepsthe big pieces out) will unscrew if youwill make a tool to engage both notchesat the same time (like a gigantic screwdriver) . The neck strainer and narrowmouth can then be removed . The bot

tom of the tank can then be inspectedwith a light and a small mirror .A forceful washing with hot water and

detergent such as available from one ofthose high pressure (500-800 p.s.i.)auto washers will blast away centuriesof accumulation and leave the interiorshiny and bright. This would be a good


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From Jets To JenniesKen Hyde s Grand hampion Curtiss JN4D

y Gene Chase

When Ken Hyde (EAA 37179, AIC133), R. R 5, Box 294 , Warrenton , VA22186 landed his Curtiss Jenny on thegrass at Wittman Field during Oshkosh'87 , it was the culmination of a long-timedream come true . Ken 's love affair withJennys probably started when he wasold enough to realize that his fatherlearned to fly in one. Since then heknew that one day he would own aJenny.

After acquiring the old Curtiss heknew that one day he would fly it to Oshkosh . And after years of researchingand restoring the plane, his efforts andthose of many who helped) were re-warded when the judges named it theOshkosh '87 Grand Champion Antique .

The 70-year-old Jenny is more than20 years older than its owner , who soloed a J-3 Cub as a teenager in 1955.Ken was working for his idol, CharlieKulp, at the old Manassas, Virginia Airport at the time . Charlie taught Ken tofly and also helped him get his airplanemechanic license .

Shortly after he soloed, Ken bought

an Aeronca C-3 which he still owns. Helater made flights in it to AAA fly-ins atOttumwa, Iowa and EAA fly-ins atRockford , Illinois.

When Charlie Kulp gave up his FBOat Manassas to go to work for Sid Shannon at Fredericksburg, Maryland , Kenwas fortunate to land a mechanics jobwith Capitol Airlines. He worked therefor two years acquiring his engine (now

powerplant) mechanic license beforeCapitol merged with United Airlines.

At that time NASA hired Ken as a copiloUmechanic on their calibrationairplanes used for the Bendix contracton the Mercury, Gemin i and Apollo projects . This was excellent flight experience for Ken as he flew all over theworld for 5 1 2 years on DC-4s, DC-6s,Connies and a B-25 .

Wanting to fly for the airlines andrealizing that at 27 years of age hewould soon be too old, he changed jobsagain , this time going to work for American Airlines. He has been with American for 22 years and currently flies ascaptain on 727s out of Washington, DC.

During his varied aviation career , Kennever lost his desire to own a Jenny, infact if he couldn 't locate one to rebuildhe planned to build one from scratch .The photos he has of his dad as ayoung man wearing a helmet and goggles helped to maintain his fascinationwith Jennys.

While looking for one of the old Curtiss military trainers, Ken had an opportunity to buy a little Farman Sport biplane. He reasoned that if he could re-

store it, he could rebuild a Jenny . Hecompleted the Farman but never flew it.One day he learned that Cole Palen

at Rhinebeck, New York had a Jenny ,which was available . In 1972 Kentraded some LeRhone rotary enginesfor the basic Jenny airframe less engine. Cole had acquired the Jenny froma lady in Scottsville, Virginia whosefather, a Mr . Garrison, had spun it in

during the early 1920s. The front endwas demolished but most of the fittingsfrom the damaged area had beensaved . Ken is indebted to many friendswho helped in many ways during the16-year Jenny restoration project. Incidentally one of the reasons it took solong is that Ken also rebuilt severalplanes for others including two Stearmans, a Cub, Champ, Great Lakes,Luscombe Sedan and John McCullough's Monocoupe Little Butch whichis now in the National Air and SpaceMuseum .

Early in the program Ken traded aBuhl Pup to Dan Neuman in Minneapolis for the left-over spares fromDan's Jenny restoration. Dan restoredthe Buhl and it was named GrandChampion Antique at Oshkosh '80 andboth the Pup and Jenny are currentlyon display in the EAA Air AdventureMuseum.

Other assistance came from MaxKrueger in San Antonio, Col. ClemArmstrong of Rawlings, Maryland aswell as Ted Homan, Santa Paula,California who helped with the CurtissOX-5 engine conversion .

The Jenny's records show it wasshipped from the Curtiss factory at Buffalo, New York in March, 1918 to theSignal Corps at Taylor Field nearMontgomery, Alabama . It left the military in May 1919 without an engine anda total flight time of only 184 hours. Atthat time it was sold back to the CurtissAeroplane and Motor Corp. The next re-cord of sale was to the previously mentioned Mr. Garrison.

Ken located and acquired an enginein Connecticut and is pleased that it's aCurtiss-Hammondsport OX-5. He disassembled the engine and found it tobe in excellent condition . Bob Wallaceof Baltimore , Maryland reworked thecrankshaft, did the line-boring and in-


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Moments after the Jenny was parked at Oshkosh, Rick Leyes, one of Ken's groundcrew was wiping down the plane's belly.

(L-R) The Hydes, Beverly, Ken and daughKen in his Jenny. ter Pam.

tion wear were sent to California wherethey were molybdenum-baked for better lubrication purposes . The OX-5 wasMillerized and the old Berling magnetoreplaced with a Sc intilla. (Ken won 't flybehind a Berling .)

Ken said another stroke of luck was

in finding a shop that still does Wyattsnickel plating; that was the dull nickelfinish on the cylinders and all hardwareon Curtiss engines. Early Colt firearmsalso had this same finish.

Ken is very pleased with the goodperformance of the engine. It turns 1410rpm static and 1475 rpm on take off buthe normally doesn 't exceed 1450 . Kenalso gives credit to Ole Fahlin, "Blesshis heart ," who carved the Paragontype propeller which performs so well.Many old-time operators of OX-5 engines installed toothpick props to getthat extra 50 rpm but Ken wanted thebig Paragon paddle blades.

He cruises the engine at 1350 rpma comfortable speed for the OX-5 andit's extremely smooth at that setting .And most importantly, the engine "likes "that rpm

The Hyde family was involved withthe Jenny operation and Ken said ,"They gave up a lot of weekends at thebeach and other fun times so I couldwork on the plane ." They primarilyhelped with the fabric work, includingfraying the tapes and patches Thesewere frayed by hand, not cut with pinking shears as in later times . The frayingof the edges (about 1/4 ) was intendedto make a good joint between the tapeand fabric .

When Ken was lamenting the fact hecouldn't f ind the type of brass eyeletsfor the drain grommets, his wife Bev ,sa id she had seen lots of them in fabricshops . She took him to one nearby andsure enough , they were available inboxes of 100. The problem was thateach box contained only six to eight

brass grommets (the others were various enameled colors). Many boxeswere purchased to obtain a sufficientquantity

Bev frayed all the fabric patches forthe drain grommets and performedmany other jobs including that of ch ief"go-fer " During the covering pmcess


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Leather wear patch on a hand-frayed fabric patch . Control cable exits top of fuselageenroute to right rudder horn.

Many wires are characteristic of the Jenny. This is the aileron on the upper left wing.

The 26 x 4 Universal tires were recentlymade in the company 's original 70-yearold molds and are no longer available.The hole in the fabric-covered spokedwheels is for access to the valve stem.

proofs the dope finish .Ken said they made up a lot of test

panels and weren't successful in gettingthe varnish to adhere to the dope untilRick Leyes discovered the proper formula for the varnish . It was describedin a U .S . Army Signal Corps paper ,Specification for Orange Shellac Var

nish (it) shall be composed of 4 -1/2pounds of orange shellac gum cut inone gallon of c lean , neutra l, special denatured , 190-degree proof alcohol ascompounded under Formula No . 1 (95gal. grain alcohol , 5 ga l. approved woodalcohol) , Internal Revenue Departmentstandard .

75-80% of Wood is Original

Ken used as much of the orig inalwood as possible . He had to build a newcenter section and the right lower wingfrom scratch , but the other three panelsare original as is the rear half of thefuselage. The forward fuselage structure is all new ahead of the (factory)


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Ken adjusts the valves - a never-ending task for those who operate OX S engines.

in Long Island, New York where it was up two battery packs of "A" size dry cellsrepaired and re-installed in the shell. and concealed them in the Patterson

The radiator does its job magnifi battery look-alikes .

cently . Even in hard climbs to 3 ,500 feet The instrument light dilemma wason 90 plus degree days , the water tem now only half over , as no 1-1 /2 voltperature never exceeds 75 degree Cen bulbs could be found to fit the three soctigrade . kets. Using typical EAA ingenuity , Ken

The wheels are the original 26 x 4 separated the brass and glass fromclinchers and the smooth tires were several 1-1 /2 and 6 volt bulbs , then aftermade by the Universal Tire Co. in Lan re-soldering wires and judicial use ofcaster, Pennsylvania using the original epoxy , he fashioned some bulbs which70-year-old molds . The word "Airplane " work perfectly Ken calls the lightingwhich appeared on the original tires is system his toy and he loves to showmissing because Universal filled it in as everyone how it works.they also made a run of the same sizefor some vintage motorcycles and cars . Flying the JennyThe company has since stopped pro The Curtiss JN4D Jenny restorationduction and Ken desperately hopes was finally completed and Ken madethey 'll resume because he has only one the first flight in her on June 27 , 1986 .spare set on hand. On take off it's necessary to get the tail

up as soon as possible. She will lift offThe Instrument Light Dilemma in a level attitude when she 's ready , and

The Jenny came from the Curtiss fac not before . The Jenny climbs at 50 mphtory with two "spoon" type lights on the in a level attitude . . . "just like a Fordrear cockpit "dash board" and one"rosebud" light on the horizontal panelbelow the dash . These were poweredby two 1-1 /2 volt dry cell batteries whichscrewed inverted into Patterson BatteryHolders .

Ken tried in vain to find information

Trimotor," Ken says . He is careful notto get it slower than 50 especially ingusty weather.

She trues out around 60 mph and absolutely will not trim hands off . Jim Nissen cautioned Ken about this saying,"The pilot has to make the Jenny do

what he wants or it will do its own thing.He must pull it and push it to make itobey." Jim lives in California and probably has more current time (over 470hours) in Jennies than anyone. He stillflies air shows in his Jenny.

Ken has over 60 hours in his restoredCurtiss and especially after the flightfrom Virginia to Wisconsin, he's beginning to feel comfortable in the Jenny . .

. says it flies 150% better than hethought it would

National Geographic Special

On April 15, 1987 PBS television viewers all over the country saw Ken 'sJenny featured in a new National Geographic special titled "Treasures from thePast." Some excellent footage wasaired showing some of the restorationwork and the first flight.

The TV crew started the filming at theHyde's residence /shop /hangar in thespring of 1986. They live on a privatestrip , "The Meadows" located 3-1 /2miles north of Warrenton, Virginia . Kenwas installing the windshields when thefilming started and the crew made several trips to The Meadows before theseries was completed .

Obviously, much of the Jenny hadbeen restored by that time , but some ofthe work was "staged" by filming scenesof removing and applying fabric to sparewings and control surfaces , etc.

The camera crew was on hand forfilming the first engine run , first flightand the hangar party that followed . TheHyde family thoroughly enjoyed this experience and they made some greatnew friendships.


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Note aileron balance cable running externally along upper surface of top wing. This doesn t help much in the lift department.

The Flight to Oshkosh '87Ken was honored that Charlie Kulp,

his first flight instructor was able to accompany him on this long (for a Jenny)cross country flight. The first items theystowed in the small baggage compartment were the high priority ones :Grease gun, wrenches for setting thevalves , and other selected tools. Thisleft just enough room for one change ofunderwear and a toothbrush for eachman . The empty weight of the Jenny is1,430 Ibs. On Thursday morning, July30 when they departed The Meadows,they were at full gross, 1,920 Ibs.

Chugging along at 60 mph they were

relieved when the mountainous groundbegan to flatten out some after passingWheeling, West Virginia . By nightfallthey made Zanesville , Ohio and all wasfine except their ground support vehiclewas not there.

Ken 's wife Bev, daughter Pam andgood friend , Rick Leyes , were followingthe flight in an RV . For reasons beyondtheir control , they were a half day latedeparting and didn 't catch up with theJenny until the next day .

The third link in this adventure, and amost important one , was their "baseoperator," Mick Gingrich who stood by

the phone back home to relay mes

sages between the folks in the Jennyand RV .

The two westbound vehicles finallyjoined up at Miller Field , a gorgeousgrass airport at Bluffion, Indiana . Thatnight they RON'd at Joliet , Illinois wherea corporate aircraft was moved outsideso the Jenny could be hangared That'strue hospitality, but there was more.Ken was surprised and somewhat embarrassed that at most stops the folkswouldn 't let him pay for the fuel. Thisbothered him at first until he realized itwas a way for them to participate in theflight of the Jenny (and to say "Thanks

for bringing your rare and beautiful antique to my airport" . . . ed .)After 2 1 2 days and 15 hours, 40

minutes of flying time, Ken and Charliecompleted the 780 mile flight from Warrenton to Oshkosh, landing about noonon Saturday, August 1. There the Jennyjoined 134 other ntiq es some of


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Ken's father, John P. Hyde, and the Jenny in which he took his first flying lessons.

weather they made it in two days, log- when George Dade gave him one piece Asked what he would bring to Osh-ging 15 hours, 10 minutes enroute . off Charles Lindbergh 's Curtiss Jenny . kosh '88 Ken replied, The Jenny, ofTheir good friends, Col. Clem It's an aileron pulley shackle now flying course. He is still researching the his-Armstrong and son Bob accompanied on Ken's Jenny, located on the bottom tory of his Curtiss and if he can deter-the Jenny in their Oshkosh '83 Grand of the right upper wing, serving to route mine which of the four squadrons it wasChampion Classic Aeronca Champ on the control cable to the bottom horn on assigned to at Taylor Field, he will addthe eastbound flight. the right aileron . And displayed in a the appropriate squadron markings . Be

Reflecting on the experiences , both place of honor in the Hyde home is the sure to look for it in the Antique /Classicgood and frustrating, of the Jenny resto- gold Lindy award which his Jenny re- Past Grand Champion Area at Oshkoshration project, Ken felt it was providence ceived at Oshkosh '87. '88

VINTAGE SEAPLANESby Norman Petersen


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P SS II 10 1 ]

n information exchange column with input from readers

by E. E. Buck Hilbert

(EAA 21, AlC 5)P.O. Box 145Union, IL 60180815/923-4591

Identification and Registration Marking, Including Vintage Aircraft

Antique /Classic Director Stan Gomoll( E M 44419, AlC 369), 1042 90th Lane,NE , Minneapolis, MN 55434 , is a master restorer of vintage aircraft and is frequently asked about the correct markings for vintage aircraft . He suggestedthat we publish the pertinent Federal AirRegulations which cover the subject.

In some areas, even FAA inspectorsare not aware of these regulations and

will not approve the application of anNC number on an aircraft when it is perfectly legal to do so.

A perfect example is the beautiful andmeticulously restored 1934 Stinson SR5E which was named Grand ChampionAntique at Oshkosh '84 . The only flawin this restoration was the registrationnumber being preceded by an Nrather than an NC . Owner /restorer

Tom Laurie of Newport Beach, California was told by an FAA inspector thathe could not include the C in the registration number . So Tom complied, notbeing aware of the following regulations .

Subpart C - Nationality and Registra

c) Aircraft nationality and registration

marksu t -

1) Except as provided in paragraph d) of this section , be paintedon the aircraft or affixed by any othermeans insuring a similar degree ofpermanence;

2) Have no ornamentation;3) Contrast in color with the back

ground; and4) Be legible.

d) The aircraft nationality and registration marks may be affixed to an aircraft with readily removable material if

1) It is intended for immediate delivery to a foreign purchaser;

2) It is bearing a temporary registration number : or

3) It is marked temporarily to meetthe requirements of 45 .22(c) 1) .

45.22 Exhibition, antique andother aircraft: special rules.

a) When display of aircraft nationality and registration marks is in ac-

E. E. Buck Hilbert

cordance with 45 .21 and 45 .23through 45.33 would be inconsistentwith exhibition of that aircraft, aUnited States registered aircraft may

be operated without displaying thosemarks anywhere on the aircraft - 1) It is operated for the purpose

of exhibition , including a motion picture or television production, or anairshow;

2) Except for practice and testflights necessary for exhibition purposes, it is operated only at the location of the exhibition, between theexhibition locations, and betweenthose locations and the base of operations of the aircraft; and

3) For each flight in the UnitedStates


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(i) It is operated with the prior ap-proval of the General Aviation District Office, in the case of a flightwithin the designated airport controlzone of the takeoff airport , or within5 miles of that airport if it has no de

signated control zone; or(ii) It is operated under a flightplan filed under 91.83 of this chapter describing the marks it displays ,in the case of any other flight.

(b) When it was built at least 30 yearsago or has the same external configura-tion as an aircraft built at least 3 yearsago a United States registered aircraftmay be operated without displayingmarks in accordance with 45 .21 and45 .23 through 45.33 if

(1) It displays in accordance with45.21 (c) marks at least 2 inches highon each side of the fuselage or vertical tail suriace consisting of theRoman capital letter N followed by

(i) The U.S . registration numberof the aircraft ; or

Small numbers on the fin such as this Globe Swift N2432B, S IN 3732, flown by MikeAdelman of P.O. Box 160, Wauconda, IL 60084, are very pleasing to the eye and tendto compliment the overall paint scheme. Even the numbers on the Taylorcraft NC44101,S IN 9901, flown by George Buechle of Pinconning, MI, look attractive in the background.

(ii)The symbol appropriate to theairworthiness certificate of the aircraft ( C , standard ; R , restricted ;L , limited ; or X , experimental) fol

lowed by the U .S . registrationnumber of the aircraft; and

(2) It displays no other mark thatbegins with the letter N anywhereon the aircraft unless it is the samemark that is displayed under sub

paragraph (1) of this paragraph .(c) No person may operate an aircraftunder paragraph (a) or (b) or this section

(1) In an ADIZ or DEWIZ describedin Part 99 of this chapter unless it

temporarily bears marks in accordance with 45.21 and 45.23through 45.33 ;

(2) In a foreign country unless thatcountry consents to that operation;or

(3) In any operation conductedunder Part 121 , 127, 133, 135 or 137of this chapter.

(d) If, due to the configuration of anaircraft, it is impossible for a person tomark it in accordance with 45.21 and45.23 through 45 .33,he may apply tothe Administrator for a different markingprocedure.

45.23 Display of marks; general.(a) Each operator of an aircraft shall

display on that aircraft marks consistingof the Roman capital letter N (denotingUnited States registration) followed bythe registration number of the aircraft.

(b) When marks that include only theRoman capital letter N and the registration number are displayed on limitedor restricted category aircraft or experimental or provisionally certificated aircraft , the operator shall also display onthat aircraft near each entrance to thecabin or cockpit, in letters not less than2 inches nor more than 6 inches inheight, the words limited , restricted ,experimental , or provisional airwor

thiness , as the case may be .

45.25 Location of marks on fixedwing aircraft.Except as provided in 45.29(f) , the

operator of a fixed-wing aircraft maydisplay the required marks either on thevertical tail suriaces or on the sides ofthe fuselage. The marks shall be dis


14/32

nteresting MembersGENE BOHL

by Myron "Mike" LeraaenEAA 139638)

Charles City, Iowa 50616

Introduction by R. J "Dobby"Lickteig

My candidate for Antique /Classic"Member of the Month " is Gene Bohl(EAA 39859 , lC 8177) of 102 8th St .N. Northwood, Iowa 50459. I haveknown Gime for nearly twenty yearsand he is one of those rare indiv idualswho is a master at motivating his fellowairmen. Whenever an aviation event isscheduled, Gene is the first person onthe airport ramp - ready to go. Nevermind that he has a lready flown 15 milesfrom his home airport to stir the rest ofus into action He is that kind of mover.

I asked Gene 's good friend and flyingpartner, Mike Leraaen (EAA 139638) togive us a rundown on Gene Boht's flyingactivities to date . Along with my thanks

to Mike , here is his report "Dobby "Lickteig.

Gene Bohl enlisted in the Navy in1942, serving until being discharged in1946. Returning to the Chevy garage inBuffalo Center, Iowa, Gene began fly inglessons in a Champ at $2.00 per hour!He received his Private license atGarner, Iowa in 1950 .

During the '50s, Gene sold refrigeration products, flew Champs, Chiefs andStinsons (at 3 .25 per hour) and eventually became a Standard Oil bulkman .By 1960 , Gene had moved to Northwood , Iowa , working for InterstatePower Company and flying in the localclub

A true aviator and "spark plug in every sense of the word, Gene Bohl stands by hisimmaculate Cessna 140 with the Bunny " on the fin.


15/32

with that airplaneThe "Playboy" was sold in 1976 and

a Cessna 140 (N1881V) was purchased . Gene's luck turned bad whena severe windstorm damaged thehangar and his 140 in April, 1978. However , Gene commenced the rebuild and

before long, the 140 was back in the air .In May of 1980, Gene sold N1881Vand bought another Cessna 140,N2578N - an airplane he had been trying to buy for 18 years This deluxe 140with its pretty three-color paint job and

the rabbit (thumper) on the fin has become well known in the midwest duringthe past seven years. Gene has attended flight breakfasts and variousevents in a four-state area and he iswell known for his intimate knowledgeof Cessna 12 /14 airplanes.

Gene is a charter member of AlCChapter 13 and has served as its treasurer for years . He has been a memberof the Cessna 12 /14 club and hasattended EAA conventions every yearsince joining in 1969. Gene and I pres

ently own N2578N in partnership and itwas featured on the front cover of theFebruary '85 The Vintage Airplanemagazine .

In his over 2100 hours of just plainfun flying, Gene has introduced many,many people to their first airplane ride .

There is no doubt that Gene is agenuine credit to sport aviation andEAA. If he had a choice between flyingand anything else, flying would comefirst - probably even before his understanding wife

N O ~ T L G I R- LA e O N ~ O L I DTED

y Mort Kelman

" The Aircraft Industry as a wholeis firmly established as a moderneconomic necessity. Profits for investors in it must come from securitieswhose price is backed by such actualities as experience in successfulmanagement ; conservative finanCing

and proven profits; established plantand economical production methods;the ability to keep pace with a growingmarket, and to secure a rightful shareof the gross demand. In other and fewerwords - on Men, Money, Methods andMarkets . "

Does the above paragraph sound likea familiar assessment of the aviation industry as we know it today? Actuallythe quotation was written in a securitiesprospectus presented by ConsolidatedAircraft Corporation of Buffalo, New

York; R . H. Fleet , President, with Lawrence D . Bell as Vice President andGeneral Manager of Consolidated andalso President of Fleet Aircraft, Inc . - in1929

When one looks over the statementand considers the plight of the aviationmarket in this current era, almost 60years later, it appears that little has

changed .To further enhance the thinking of thetime, under a segment in the same offering is this paragraph . . . "The earnings of Consolidated Aircraft Corporation is impressive . It has earned a profitevery year, except the first year of itsexistence (which was May 1923). In thelast 3 years, after all charges have beenmet, net earnings have been more than$1.50 per annum on the shares of common stock now outstanding. In 1928 ,1 ,300,000, of 2 .35 per share was

earned . In 1929, after all developmentchanges on 4 new models have beencharged to operating costs, better than$1.60 per share is expected to beshown." And so it was some six decades ago . With all that money beingavailable to stockholders, wonder whatever became of that outfit and management?

Editor s Note : A few comments re anancient circular turned up by Mort Kel-man , a retired Lt Col. USAF , and oftimecontributor to our publications . ColonelKelman served as a Photography andPubRel type in the USAF.AFRes forover 30 years and is still active as acommercial industrial photographer andaviation enthusiast, first class . He re-sides at Harbor Road Cold SpringHarbor, NY 11724

CONSOLID TED


16/32

BRINGING HOME

THE C-34," .

by W R Batesole

In March 1983 my son Billand I madea flight across the country in a vintageCessna, and in many ways it becamefor us a trip back in time to the mid1930s . The airplane, NC16403, is a restored 1936 Cessna C-34 (predecessorto the Airmaster series), bought by Billa month earlier at Napa , California ; ourtrip in March was a ferry flight to bringthe ship back to its new home-base inSpringfield, Vermont.

I should note at the outset that thewhole show was run by Bill, a communter airline pilot by profession . Heowned the plane , planned the route ,and managed the flight. My role waspretty much just to come along , providecompany and another pair of eyes , andshare the flying chores . Nice duty .

Just as it would have 50 years ago ,the weather loomed as the paramountfactor to be dealt with in trying a VFR

only flight of this magnitude in themonth of March . In fact the weather 'seffect had begun a month before theflight during Bill's trip out to the westcoast to look at '403 with a view to buying it. He found that its home , famedSchellville Airport, was completelyflooded and closed down by the devastating February rains that were causingmudslides and destruction everywhere.With nothing more

togo on than a

thorough inspection and runup, Billbought the ship without benefit of ademonstration flight.

When we arrived in March for the tripback it looked very much like a repeatsituation. Sunny California was reelingfrom still more rains , and Schellville wasonce again flooded - except , wefound, for one sod runway which israised a few feet above the surroundingterrain. We hiked its length and werediscouraged to find puddles and softspots down its center which would leaveBill only about one-third of the width tooperate in. On top of that was the newsthat the former owner had been unexpectedly called away that day so wouldnot be available for a flight check-out (ifhe would have been willing to give one).And on top of that came a weather prediction for a resumption of the rain nextday

In a way that forecast made the decision easier. Bill just climbed in put his

years of taildragger time on the line , andexecuted a perfect take off - while hisdad and fiancee , Mary Tope , stood onthe ground breathing in unison a sighof relief. Oh we of little faith .

Although the picture we found atSchellville had been pretty dark, thesight of the ship had brightened everything for me - it was simply beautiful.I had been expecting a lot , from Bill's

description, but found the real article ,

painted cream with red trim , far moreelegant and perfectly restored than Ihad imagined . That restoration , doneover a period of years in the mid-1970sby Dr. Roy Wicker (EAA 4455, lC 103of Thomasville, Georgia, was clearly alabor of love. The ships 's hand rubbedfinish just gleamed

Bill's solo trial fiight took about anhour, with several take offs and landings at the main Napa airport followedby a careful inspection . We were satisfied to start out , although a b it dismayedby the amount of oil that had beenthrown out behind the cowl. How muchis too much, especially with a radia l engine , is always a tough question; we re-solved to watch it carefully . Finally , aftergood byes were said to Mary , we taxiedout and took off on our way . Later Billand I would admit to each other that atthat moment we both had felt pretty farfrom home .

Our seven cylinder, 145 hp Warner

Super Scarab , the standard engine inthe C-34 was of 1936 vintage, too, andhad been overhauled at the time of therestoration. It sounded smooth andreassuring as we headed down thebroad central valley at 9500 feet MSLtoward Palm Springs, Bill's intended destination for the night's layover .

This was my first chance for a reallygood look at the C -34 from the user 's

point of view . The four-place cabin , appointed in natural wood and cloth , isquite comfortable although the idea thatthe only door is in the back seat areaon the right side (you have to slide theco-pilot's seat back on its track to get inand out) took some getting used to . Thedeep center spar of the one-piece wood


17/32

sence of wing struts. The co-pilot on hisside of the ship, gets to look at the curious little wind turbine generator thatprojects from the leading edge and provides power for battery recharging . Instead of the usual stubby rotor this onehas a cute little scale model of the ship's

big Curtiss-Reed pro 'peller ; it was a conversation piece everywhere .Notwithstanding things like wind

generators, the C-34 is an exceptionallyclean aircraft by any era's standards .Landing gear legs and the tail groupare like the wing, free of any struts orbracing . In fact, the ship placed first inthree of the annual economy races heldduring the 1930s, earning it the title of

"World 's Most Efficient Airplane," asstated prominently in the ero Digestadvertisements of the day. 145 mph at75% power, with a 145 hp engine, musthave been a pretty convincing argument in support of the claim back in1936.

Our route down from the San Francisco area to get around the mountainsis, of course, the time-honored way togo east without trying to be a hero. Itdates back to the earliest days of aviation and has been followed so often thatthere may well be tracks worn in thesky. We stopped for fuel and a look atour oil streaks (reassuringly light) atGeneral Fox Airport near Bakersfield .There we got our first taste of the stirwe would be causing at nearly everystop. An airport employee walked overto greet us having recognized '403 immediately; he had watched the restoration work being done back in Georgia.He also believed, from boyhoodmemories, that this was the same shipRoscoe Turner had been flying whenhe stopped to have repairs done backin Port Huron, Michigan . And his recollection is that Turner had his lion cubalong on that visit. This seems subjectto some question; we know that RoscoeTurner did own '403 , but not until theyear 1943 when his lion-toting dayswere probably long over.

Off again, we were soon through SanGorgonio Pass and approaching PalmSprings, looking up at some pretty formidable snow-covered mountains. A

and sunshine out our motel window .Where had all that haze and cloudcover gone, we wondered. No matter,off to the airport And off we went, enjoying being driven out on the line in theairport trailer cart to our quaint lookinglittle taildragger sitting among the Learjets . In the air at 8 a.m . down throughthe wild scenery of lower California andpast the Salton Sea , we finally turnedthe "corner" and headed east intoArizona under crystal clear skies.

And so it would go for the next threedays as we followed that patch of beautiful weather all the way home - whilehearing about storms and tribulationnearly everywhere else in the country.With the unlimited visibility our flyingcould be done 1930s-style using mapreading pilotage with almost no dependence on radio aids. Bill had chosen touse WAC charts rather than sectionals,a new experience for me and theyproved wholly accurate while greatly reducing the acreage of paper in the

cockpit. To add an ace-in-the-hole, we

made sure o be ing within gliding distance of major highways whenever possible. It was pleasant to look down forhours at the cars and trucks chuggingalong the interstates at about half ourspeed; we averaged over 130 mphground speed for the entire 3200 milesflown. Fuel consumption was approximately 7.5 gallons per hour, whichcomes out to a respectable 17 miles pergallon.

As time and miles passed, our growing knowledge of the ship's behaviorbegan to dispel that original feeling ofbeing in a totally strange vehicle. Gaugereadings, flight characteristics , the various noises, all were becoming familiarto us . The C-34 is a pleasure to fly,being light on the controls and responsive . We know that it has something ofa reputation for being hard to land, i.e .a floater and groundlooper. It does indeed float, as a result of that clean design. Although configured with electrically driven flaps, they don 't seem to

add much drag and thus do little to en-

Palm Springs, CA. The author prepares or takeoff in the morning o the second day.


18/32


19/32

Original engine data plate proudly wears its "battle scars " Bolted to the 500 cubic inch Warner 145 is a highly polishedearned in over fifty years Quite a number of cubic feet of air (and very desireable) Curtiss-Reed metal propeller. Note thehas passed this little old plate during that time. small wind generator propeller on the right wing.

sey , we flew by the mammoth dirigiblehangars and once again the 1930s tapped us on the shoulder . Our year , 1936 ,had been the high watermark of commercial airship travel as the LZ-129 Hindenburg landed time after time atLakehurst , its U .S. port for Atlant ic

cross ings . The hangars faded andahead lay New York City and New England beyond .

Just a few hours later our trip wasover . Looking back we both realizedhow attached we had become to the"new " little ship during our three andone -half days of flying. It had performedflawlessly , becoming our safe perch inthe sky. From it we had looked down on

the whole length of Amer ica , a beautifulexperience that the two of us will , I'msure , never forget

Editor s Note : Bill Batesole (EAA135658 , AlC 4603) has since sold the C 34and now owns a 1953 Cessna 180 anda 19374 hp Piper J-3 Cub . The Cubreceived the runner-up award in the Antique Contemporary Age (1933-1945)category at Oshkosh 87 . Bill currently

flies a Boeing 727 for Federal Expressand he and his w ife , Mary, live at 2463Birch Tree Drive , Germantown , TN 38138 .

MEMBER S PROJ TS ...by Norm Petersen

Oon Weber (EAA 68856 , AlC 4569 of 351 W. Michigan, Palatine,IL 60067, sent in this photo of his 1941 Stinson 10A, N9570W ,SIN 9757 , powered with a 90 hp Franklin. Flown on a regularbasis, the pretty little three-placer has just had its instrumentpanel updated and a new interior is next on the agenda . Stinsonbuilt approximately 760 model 10A's of which 117 are still listedon the FAA register.


20/32

V I ~ T A ( 3 ~L I T ~ 1 2 AT U 1 2 ~by Dennis Parks

Aeronautics Bulletin No. 21Trend in Airplane DesignApril 1 1931

Many important changes in the trendof airplane design were represented bythe approval type certificates issued bythe Aeronautics Branch of the Department of Commerce . Those trends wereconcerned chiefly with detail of design,rather than with fundamental principlesof aircraft engineering . In general thetheory of flight as applied by the Wrightbrothers a quarter of a century earlierhad been followed faithfully.

In Aeronautics Bulletin No . 21, Trendin Airplane Design as Indicated by Ap

proved Type Certificates , the Aeronautics branch took a look at the trends asevidenced by the 390 aircraft for whichapprovals had been issued betweenMarch 29,1928 and January 1, 1931, aperiod slightly less than four years. Thefirst aircraft approved was the Buhl-Verville J4 Airster and the last of the studyper iod was the Fairchild Model 100 .

One of the major findings of the study

was in speed . It has been noted particularly that the speed of the airplanehas increased since the first approval ... and to attain higher speed, designershave had to alter other performancecharacteristics or make concessionsalong other lines . For example , higherspeed frequently meant less pay loadcarried, and the study shows that theaverage pay load in proportion to horsepower has been decreasing steadily.

The trend in the volume of aircraftproduction showed a fairly steadygrowth in the number of new designs 'tilthe second and third quarter of 1929which showed remarkable increases.The third quarter of 1929 was responsible for over 19 percent of the new air

I"e I~

11

I . , I 1I,.( I

x~ 13 : ~ 6 4 :I:

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12 II

0 0 1 f\, ' ~ z~ 1 2 (w - V ~

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2 3 4 , L _ - , 2 l - . . ~ _ . 4 J 4J 1 _ '2 - , .0 '3 '--_.: . .1,

'5128 1 28 '5130

YEARS IN QUARTERS

~827

Average high speed and average landing speed increased irregularly but persistently.

monoplanes and open cockpit vs.closed aircraft. There was a definitetrend in the ratio of monoplanes vs. bip

lanes . At the beginning of the period theratio was 80 percent biplanes and 20percent monoplanes. At the end of 1930it was almost a fifty-fifty split with a slightedge for monoplanes.

No one type was dominate over theother in the ratio of open vs . closed aircraft . Through the period the ratio remained nearly fifty-fifty with the predominate configuration fluctuating backand forth between the two styles .

SpeedThe average high speed and average

landing speed increased irregularly butpersistently . Throughout the periodthere was a definite tendency toward

a peak of about 63 mph in the first quarter of 1930 . At the end of 1930 the average landing speed was around 60 miles

per hour.

Power LoadingThe average weight supported by

each unit of horsepower decreased during the period of study while at the sametime the average load carried by eachsquare foot of wing increased steadily .

The trend for power loading wasdown in nearly all of the quarterlyperiods of the study. The tendency toward lower power loading indicated thedevelopment of higher power engines,with resultant higher speeds and maneuverability . In terms of load factors,lower power loading means higher factors required, which in turn has called


21/32

down the average wing loading hadbeen going up . While the horsepowerhad been increasing there was an increase in the gross we ight , but usuallythe wing area remained constant. Theaverage wing loading went from undernine pounds per square foot in 1927 toa high of over 19 for the new designsof the second quarter of 1930 .

Payload

While speeds and horsepower hadbeen increasing during the period theaverage payload in percent of grossweight and in pounds per horsepowerdecreased . (See chart below .) Thepayload per horsepower went from ahigh average of 20 Ibs .lhp in the thirdquarter of 1927 to a low of under 16during the third quarter of 1930.

. . ..

11_2511

+ 2:t

" 3 ~ _ eII

\\\

i 2

". ..2'

~ . . 1 g

9~ . lL.V...>~ I

I

I

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II

\\\

II , /I \\/ \ , \\

/ \ \ ." \ \ II'-.... / \ , - / \ \ II

,. , . . ' --'- /\

.........' /

~ ,.......

II II ,I II ,I." . . Conclusion 8 2 8 .30

Y ~ A R N QUAftTRS

"The use of more powerful engines to Average pay load in percent of gross weight and average pay load in proportion toachieve greater speed has resulted in horsepower both declined during the four-year period.a decrease in power loading , and at thesame time w ing loading , in general, has less in percent of gross weight , and less A later issue will take a sim ilar look

become greater . Pay load had become in proportion to horsepower . at the trends from 1930 to 1939.

by George A. Hardie, Jr,

cruising speed was 115 mph .Complete details on the airplane are

given in the Juptner book . All threeairplanes were operated by Interstateinto the 1930s when American A irways(later American Airl ines) took over . Itwould be interesting to know if any survived.

A record number of correct answerswere received , including from E. C.Garber , Jr ., Fayetteville , NC, WayneVan Valkenburgh , Jasper, GA ; H. GlennBuffington, San Diego, CA; Frank H.Abar , Jr ., Livonia , MI; Norman Orloff ,San Antonio , TX; Hal Swanson , NorthBranch , MN; M. H. Eisenmann , Garrettsville , OH ; Greg Babcock , Wapato ,


22/32

YOLUII,.EERSAntique Classic Division At Oshkosh 1987

by Ray W . Olcott - Volunteer Manpower(EAA 133869, le 4476)104 BainbridgeNokomis, FL 33555

Another E M "Oshkosh" is over and

like all the rest , we could not have doneit without every one of those who comeback year afte r year to volunteer . Eachyear we have many new people volunteer , such as Thomas Heiwig and PeterBruns from Switzerland and CoryMcKirdy from Holland .

Our records show that over 150 volunteers worked over 3400 hours on theAntique /Olassic flight line. Some people

gave over 100 hours in the ten daysthey were at Oshkosh , including Br ittHoward , Flight Line Chairman , alongwith Dani Sandlin . Then there wasReinhart Kuntz from Duluth , Georgiawho I know vo lunteered well over 85hours he just would not quit. ChuckClaussen is another Flight Line Cha ir-man who was always there. Don andSue Tupper in Aircraft Camping Reg is-tration had too many hours to count.

It was a p leasure to have Geof Rob ison of New Haven , Indiana selected asthe "Volunteer of the Year. " With somany fine volunteers to p ick from , ArtMorgan , Chairman of the Flight LinePark ing and his comm ittee had a problem to pick just one for the award .Aga in our congratulations to Geof .

My Co-Chairman , Gloria Beec roft,and her husband, Paul, both put inmany, many hours. Accord ing to my re-cords, others who put in 40 hours ormore on the Ant ique /Classic flight lineduring Oshkosh '87 were :

Karl Bihary, 45Earl Nicholas, 46Bob Majka , 60


23/32

WEL OME NEW MEMBERSThe following is a listing of new members who have joined the EAA Antique /Classic Division (through July 6, 1987). We arehonored to welcome them into the organization whose members' common interest is vintage aircraft. Succeeding issues ofTHE VINT GE IRPL N E will contain additional listings of new members.

Jacques, Corey, G.Saco , Maine

May, J. R.Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

Landon, Robert P.Kettle Falls, Washington

Graves, TomGermantown, Tennessee

Hichway, Richard D.Ann Arbor, Michigan

Paine, Charles O.Miami, Florida

Carney, George A.Lisle, Illinois

Pratt, William A.Arlington, Texas

Jarrot, JuanSan Juan, Puerto Rico

Oligney, Ellsworth R.lola, Wisconsin

Abler, Richard P.Norfolk, Nebraska

Parr, Richard B.Gainesville, Georgia

True, Raymond V.Hinckley, Minnesota

Wrabetz, Michael J.Anchorage, Alaska

Olsen, Robert O.Templeton , Massachusetts

Klevstad, Eric R.

Poteet, Kenneth W.Homestead, Florida

Winget, Neil M.Lima, Ohio

Rogers, MikeSomonauk, Illinois

Ginzberg, JoelMonroe, New York

Jetter, Donald J.Elkhart, Indiana

Dahl, Michael K.Crystal Lake, Illinois

Rasor, Roger A.Racine, Wisconsin

Cole, Edward H.Boulder, Colorado

Walsh, Kenneth J.Green Bay, Wisconsin

Womble Jr., James GrayRichmond , Virginia

Boren, Stanley J.Fort Meyers, Florida

Seley, Doyle E.DeSoto Texas

Gilmer, KenAnchorage, Alaska

Gilbert, Robert N.Jacksonville , Florida

Voorhees, KirkLorton, Virginia

Munn, Samuel P.

Laudati, RogerTampa, Florida

Thompson, Roger N.Renton, Washington

Chasteen, LeoFriendswood, Texas

Elsea, George E.Scott Air Force Base, Illinois

Isern, Douglas J.Golden, Colorado

Gruenwald, GeorgeSanta Ana, California

Conner, Jack E.Struthers, Ohio

Reid, Harold R.High Point, North Carolina

Krog, Steven L.Hartford, Wisconsin

Van Gelder, GordonCanandaigua, New York

Ganzel, Terry J.West Bend, Wisconsin

Gunter, RandallSherwood, Arkansas

Willicuts, William D.Port Townsend, Washington

Foley, JosephColumbus, Ohio

Foley, Kenneth F.Columbus, Ohio

Shanks, Roger


24/32

Vern Brown')Five-Time Winner

Ercoupe 415CIf ever the term "working classic "

Text and photos by orm Petersen

mulating a batch of awards that would lated some 1800 hours of flight time , so

offer down Present price is about


25/32

Vern Brown taxies out for the Oshkosh '87 Parade of Flight (Note sequence number inwindshield). Besides an improved shine to the aluminum, 1987 improvements includea flat black glare shield on top cowling and a nosewheel scissor fairing.

A happy Vern Brown sta nds by the highly polished MacCauley propeller wit h its originalspinner. Both landing lights are visible on the two landing gears, each having a smallreflector on the upper inboard side. Unique double fork on nosegear makes for closequarters with the 5:00 x 5 nose tire.

offer down Present price is about$15,000 . Ouch )

Vern 's Ercoupe was built on October31, 1946 as a 415C model using theContinental C75-12 engine of 75 hp and188 cubic inches. The engine is complete with a starter, generator and aflanged crankshaft. The propeller is a73 x 51 MacCauley metal and hasserved well since Vern bought theairplane.

During its lifetime, N3675H has hadseven owners in Michigan and Min-nesota and has never been exposed tosalt air. Perhaps this is part of thereason for the corrosion-free airframe.This past summer, Vern ran into theprevious owner at the Duluth , Minnesota air show. The man was quite ex-cited to see his old 'coupe which he hadowned for 14 years and was totallyamazed at the beautiful condition of theaward-winning classic.

The former owner admitted to Vernthat he still had the set of three Federalskis for the Ercoupe in his garage andthey were for sale However, Vern fliesfrom a plowed, hard -surface runway in

the wintertime and suspects the airportpeople would take a dim view of himshoveling snow back onto the runwayfor take off Vern thanked the gentleman for his offer .

Since 1978, Vern has flown the Er-coupe to such places as Sun n Fun(twice), Phoenix, Carlsbad, NewMexico and Washington state . Duringthese many fabulous trips, he noticed

the oil consumption kept getting a littleworse and some of the take off runswere getting a little longer (Remember ,this took place over eight years andgradually gave notice to Vern that anengine overhaul was due.) In late '86,he pulled the C75-12 engine and hadDarrel Bolduc of Bolduc Aviation, AnokaCounty Airport in Blaine, Minnesota doan extensive major overhaul.

Vern was especially pleased with thequality of Darrel's work and reports thathe now has 75 horses to fly with ratherthan 75 tired ponies The results wereimmediate in that the Ercoupe oncemore performed like new and a recenttrip to Tahlequah, Oklahoma and backused only 2 pint of oil in 18 hours


26/32

finish. The metal is polished with "RolIite" polish made in Milwaukee. Vern hastried them all, but this one is his favorite.The fabric-covered wings , which weredone in Ceconite in 1977, look absolutely brand new, especially along theleading edges . Not only does the cleaning after every flight keep the airplanelooking nice, but every time Vern opensthe hangar door to go flying , he is looking at a spotless airplane (Thanks forthe tip, Vern.)

Ercoupe 3675H, which is one of 1015415-C models on the FAA register, stillhas the original Goodyear brakes whichhandle the braking chores very nicely .Vern says all they have to do is hold forthe engine run-up, as he hardly everneeds them for ground handling . (Remember that Vern has been fly ing thissame machine for nine years and manyhundreds of hours.)

Vern's Ercoupe has a unique doublesided front fork on the nose whee l instead of the one-sided fork as used on

This is what Vern's Ercoupe would have looked like had he purchased the skis fromthe previous owner. The photo was taken by Kirk Erickson early in the morni ng on Lakeof The Woods with the temperature at 42 degrees below zero

the later machines. He questioned thedesigner, Fred Weick (EAA 7882, DOB3-14-99) at Oshkosh and learned thatthe double fork was standard through1941 and some were used on the '46models . The change was made to accommodate Ercoupe owners in Arkansas who reported trouble with mud plugging up the nosewheel on the doublefork The single fork apparently solvedthe problem . Vern says his double forkhas been on the airplane since new andhe has logs going back to day one atthe factory .

Under the wings, the Ercoupe mainlanding gear legs have a small landinglight in an aluminum fairing. Together,

the lights allow a person to make goodnight landings such as Vern makeswhen he returns home after an E M

Chapter 748 meeting at Benson's Airport in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.The "trailing link " type of main landinggear allows not only a considerable''throw'' to the wheels, but combines intoone of the most unique qualities in allof aviation . It is acually possible to comein for a landing with an Ercoupe andfeel the tires ''tickle the grass beforethe weight of the airplane goes on thegear. The incredibly soft landings possible with an Ercoupe are reserved forthose lucky pilots who have flown them .No amount of explanation will get themessage across - you have to fly oneto understand

Thank you, Vern Brown, for helping

to keep the marque alive and congratulations on your award at Oshkosh '87 .See you at Oshkosh ' 8 8 .

CALENDAR OF EVENTS


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I oloed Today!The following letter was sent to us byJohn Bergeson (EAA 16546 , AlC 207),6438 W Milbrook Road, Remus , MI49340 who wrote: I thought this letter,written by good friend o mine in 1944would be appropriate to reprint in TheVintage Airplane . It is not only poignantbut also tells lot about how it was .

The writer , John Chapman , went onto fly P-40s and P-51s after getting hiswings . He did not fly after WW /I butstayed in the Air Force Reserve, retiringas a Colonel . For a time he served asliaison in the northern Illinois area to theAir Force Academy . He is retiredteacher /school administrator and currently lives in DeKalb , IL John Chapman retains an interest in all types oflying and enjoys going up with me inmy aircraft.

July 18 1944

Dear Mother and Daddy,

Well, this has been a very excitingday for me . I soloed this morning. Thatis I took her up alone . I was the firstone out of our class of 250 cadets tosolo. I sure did feel proud . It is to anyone's advantage to solo early . You have

to solo between your 8th and 12th hour.I had just reached my 8th hour. Thatwas really one of the highlights of mylife so far .

Out of the 250 fellows in my class ,about 30 to 40 of them will be washedout because of failure to solo . I was surebubbling over with joy when I camedown. I flew by myself for 20 minutes.I made 3 landings . Each time I wouldcome in and land and take off again .Boy, I'm telling you, a lot of things ranthrough my mind while I was in the airby myself for the first time . I was reallynervous as I came in for my first landing .

It was sure funny how it all happened.I didn 't have the slightest idea that I wasgoing to solo . My instructor and myselfwere flying off an auxiliary field practicing landings and take offs . After we hadbeen doing this for about an hour, he

told me to taxi up to the wind tee . Afterwe got up there he said , I guess it'stime for me to get out. He said , Fill outyour form for solo. You 're going upalone.

I almost fell out of the cockpit. I almostasked him if he was sure I was readyto solo, but I didn 't. He told me a fewlast minute instructions and then toldme to use my own judgment on what to

do . He told me not to take any chances .It sure was a thrill and made me feelpretty good .

When we got back to the home fieldeveryone in my flight knew I had so-loed . That is what every new cadet looksforward to. They all crowded around meand asked how it felt to be up all aloneand lots of other crazy questions . Iguess my answers were just as crazy .

I suppose you know the tradition inthe cadets is to throw a fellow in thelake when he soloes. I was no exception . As soon as we got back to the hotelon the bus , about 10 guys grabbed metook my shoes off and gave my valuables to someone to hold and thenthrew me in the lake . I can hardly waitto get even.

Also, now that I have soloed I canwear the gold wings on my flight cap

and can wear my goggles on myforehead . Before you solo you have towear your goggles on the back of yourneck .

I guess I had better close for now asI have a lot of studying to do .

Love , John


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TO ORDER: send $28.95plus $2 .00 Shipping.

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Complete interior assemblies for do-it-you rself installation .

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Fabric Selection Guide showing actual sample colors andstyles of materials : $3 .00 .

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and Wittman recreat ed as never before in this600-page two -volume series. Printed on high gradepaper with sharp , clear photo reproduction. Officialrace results 1927 through 1939 - more than 1,000

photos - 3-view drawings - scores of articles aboutpeople and planes that recapture the glory , the drama ,the excitement of air racing during the golden years .

Volume 1 and 2 sold at $14.95 each - add $2 .00postage for first item and $1.00 for each item thereafter - a total of $3 .00 for both volumes . SPECIALOFFER! With purchase of both THE GOLDENAGE OF AIR RACING , Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 , above ,


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Where The Sellers and Buyers Meet ...25 per word , 20 word minimum . Send your ad to

The Vintage Trader, Wittman AirfieldOshkosh , WI 54903-2591 .

AIRCRAFT

For Sale - 1941 J-3 Piper Cub, N41458 , $10 ,000Firm . Call Jim Reed , 601 /686-4802. to-I)

J-3 Cub - 1946 . Complete TAIL GroupElevators , Stabilizers , Fin , Rudder , Fa iring. Zinc

chromated. Excellent. $530. F.O. B. Opalack , 1138Industrial , Pottstown , PA 19464. (to-I)

PLANS

POBER PIXIE - VW powered parasol - unlimitedin low-cost pleasure flying. Big, roomy cockpit forthe over six foot pilot. VW power insures hard tobeat 3' ; gph at cruise setting. 15 large instructionsheets . Plans - $60 .00. Info Pack - $5 .00 . Send

check or money order to: ACRO SPORT , INC.,Box 462, Hale s Corners , WI 53130. 414 /5292609.

ACRO SPORT - Single place biplane capable ofunlim ited aerobatics. 23 sheets of clear , easy tofollow plans include s nearly 100 isometrical drawings , pho tos and exploded view s. Complete parts

and materials list. Full size wing drawings . Plansplus 139 page Builder 's Manual - $60.00 . InfoPack - $5.00 . Super Acro Sport Wing Drawing$15.00. The Technique of Aircraft Building $10.00 plus $2.00 postage . Send check or moneyorder to: ACRO SPORT , INC., Box 462, HalesCorners, WI 53130. 414 /529-2609.

ACRO II - The new 2-place aerobatic trainer andsport biplane . 20 pages of easy to follow, detailedplans. Complete w ith isometric drawings , photos ,

exploded views . Plans - $85.00 . Info Pac$5 .00 . Send check or money order to: ACROSPORT , INC. , P.O. Box 462, Hales Corners , WI53130.414 /529-2609.

MISCELLANEOUS

BACK ISSUES . . . Back issues of THE VINTAGEAIRPLANE (and other EAA Division publications )are available at $1 .25 per issue. Send your list of

issues desired along with payment to: Back Issues ,EAA-Wittman Airfield, Oshkosh , WI 54903-3086 .

Windsocks - 20 inches long, 5 inches diameter.$19 .95 plus $2.75 shipping and hand ling. Also: 30inches long , 8 inches dia ., $39.95 plus $2.75 shipping and handling. Both models have metal fram es ,metal mounting mast , treated orange nylon sock .Made in USA. WING 'S N WIND PRODUC TS, 2364Bunker Hill Road , Mooresville, IN 46158 . (10-3)

The SunShine House proudly introduces the two latest additions to theAviation Heritage Library Series

The

uscombeStory

by John C . Swick

Hardback3-color Dust Jacket

1/2 x 11"216 pages

190 photographs

The Earhart Disappearance -The ritish Connection

by James A . Donahue

Hardback - 3-color Dust Jacket1/2 X 11"

Approx. 200 pagesApprox . 160 photographs(includes previously unpublished photos from over the wor ld)

35 maps, charts & graphs(rare collection of materials used in research which has been

overlooked by other authors)

S T I T S P O LY- F I B E R


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MEMBERSHIPINFORMATION

EAAMembership in the ExperimentalAircraft Association , Inc. is $30 .00for one year, including 12 issues ofSport Aviation. Junior Membership(under 19 years of age) is availableat $18.00 annually. Family Membership is available for an additional$10.00 annually.

ANTIQUE/CLASSICSEAA Member - $18 .00 Includesone year membership in EAA Antique-Classic Division, 12 monthlyissues of The Vintage Airplane andmembership card. Applicant mustbe a current EAA member and mustgive EAA membership number .

Non-EAA Member - $28.00. Includes one year membership in theEAA Antique-Classic Division, 12monthly issues of The Vintage Air-

plane, one year membership in theEAA and separate membershipcards. Sport Aviation not ncluded .

lACMembership in the InternationalAerobatic Club, Inc is $25 .00 annually which includes 12 issues ofSport Aerobatics. All lAC membersare required to be members of EAA.

WARBIRDSMembership in the Warbirds ofAmerica, Inc . is $25 .00 per year,which includes a subscription toWarblrds. Warbird members arerequired to be members of EAA.

EAA EXPERIMENTEREAA membership and EAA EXPERI

MENTER magazine is available for$25.00 per year Sport Aviation notincluded). Current EAA membersmay receive EAA EXPERIMENTERfor$15. 00 per year.

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You ve borrowed a buddy s airplane to fly the family to a remote, grass landing strip for aweekend of camping. Theweather is warm and the greatoutdoors beckons. Life doesn tget much better.But what if your flight doesn tgo as planned? A VEMCO wantsyou to be a protected pilot. e-fore you fly a borrowed, rentedor flying club airplane, callAVEMCO for the bes t aviationinsurance available.

In most cases, the owner s insurance protects him, not you. fyou have n accident, it is probable that you will be sued andsuffer financial loss (attorney sfees, court costs, judgmentsand more). AVEMCO however,can help you protect yourself

against potential financial loss.Deal direct with AVEMCO. You llavoid time and confusion, whiletaking advantage of rates thatare among the most competitivei h i d W


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Vintage Airplane - Oct 1987

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