EDITORIALSTAFF

Publisher
TomPoberezny
October1996 Vol. 24,No. 10
CONTENTS
Straight& LeveV
Espie"Butch"Joyce
2 AlC News/H.G.Frautschy
3 AlC Chapter List
4 MysteryPlanelH.G. Frautschy
6 WhatOurMembersAre
Page9
RestoringlNormPetersen
8 An ErcoupeFromTheAmish/
G.T. McInerneyII
9 TheAntique/Classic Division's
25thAnniversaryatEAA
Oshkosh' 96/H.G.Frautschy
andNormPetersen
21 WhatTypeofStearmanis That?/
H.G,Frautschy
Page 18
25 Passitto Buckl
E.E."Buck"Hilbert
26 You LearnedToFly
InaWhat?/Charles Trask
27 WelcomeNewMember s/
Calendar
30 VintageTrader
Page26
FRONT COVER ...Unusual Stearmans don't show up too often. and this one
certainlygottheattentionofthespectatorsandjudgesalikeatEAAOSHKOSH '96.
It's a Boeing PT-27 Kaydet, built for use by the Canadian RCAF under t he
Lend/LeaseprogramduringWWII. JockRoethlisbergerofBeaver, PAis theproud

owner, and he was awarded the Military Trainer/Liaison Champion Lindy during
this year's Convention. EAA Photo byJim Koepnick. shot with on EOS-In
equipped with a 70-21Omm lens. 1/125 sec. @ 116 on Fuji Provia 100 slide fi lm.
Cessna210photoplaneHownbyBruceMoore.
BACK COVER ...Loren Chantland, 4319 Pillsbury Av" Minneapolis, MN 55409,
phone 612/827-2356, painted t his month's featured artwork from the 1996 EAA
Sport Aviation Art Competition. Awardedon "Excellence- ribbon, it depictsMaj.
FrancescoBaracca, theleadingItalianacefromWWIwith34victoriesduringthe
downingofonAlbatros OVajustpriortohisdeathJune19, 1918.
Copyright 1996 bythe EAA Antique/ClassicDivision Inc. All rightsreserved.
VINTAGEAIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively bythe EMAntique/Classic Division, Inc. ofthe Experimental
Aircraft Association and is published monlhlyal EMAviation Center, 3000 PoweznyRd., P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54903-3086.
PeriodicalsPostagepaidatOshkosh,WISConsin54901 andat mailingoffices.ThemembershiprateforEMAntique/Classic Division,
Inc. is$27.00forcurrentEMmembersfor 12monthperiod ofwhich$15.00 isforthe publicationofVINTAGEAIRPlANE. Membershipisopen
toallwhoare interestedinaviation.
POSTMASTER:Send address changes to EMAntique/Classic Division, Inc., P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.FOREIGN AND APO
ADDRESSES- PleaseallowatleasttwomonthsfordeliveryofVINTAGEAIRPLANEtoforeignandAPOaddressesviasurtacemail.
ADVERTISING - Antique/Classic Division does notguarantee orendorse any productoffered through the advertising. We constructive
criticismandwelcomeanyreportofinferiormerchandiseobtainedthroughouradvertisingsothatcorrectivemeasurescan betaken.
EDITORIALPOLICY: Readersareencouragedto storiesandphotographs. Policyopinionsexpressed inarticlesaresolely thoseofthe
authors. Responsibilityforaccuracyinreportingrestsentirelywiththecontributor.Norenumerationismade.
Materialshouldbesentto: Editor,VINTAGEAIRPLANE,P.O. Box3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Phone414/426-4800.
The words EAA, ULTRALIGHT,FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM,SPORT AVIATION and the logos of EAA, EAA INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTION,EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISION,INTERNATtONAL AEROBATIC CLUB,WARBIRDS OF AMERICA are registered
trademarks. THE EMSKYSHOPPE and logos ofthe EAAAVIATION FOUNDATION and EAAULTRALIGHTCONVENTION aretrademarks
oftheaboveassociationsandtheirusebyanypersonotherthantheaboveassociationisstrictlyprohibited.
Editor-in-Chief
JackCox
Editor
HenryG. Frautschy
ManagingEditor
GoldaCox
ArtDirector
MikeDrucks
ComputerGraphicSpecialists
Olivial.Phillip JenniferLarsen
MaryPremeau
AssociateEditor
NormPetersen
FeatureWriter
DennisParks
StallPhotographers
JimKoepnick MikeSteineke
CarlSchuppel Ken Lichtenburg
Advertising/EditorialAssistant
IsabelleWiske
EAAANTIQUE/ CLASSIC DIVISION,INC.
OFFICERS
President Vice-President
Espie"Butch"Joyce GeorgeDaubner
P.O.Box35584 2448 Lough Lone
Greensboro. NC27425 Hartford,WI 53027
910/393-0344 414/673-5885
Secretary Treasurer
SteveNesse E.E. "Buck"Hilbert
2009HighlandAve. P.O. Box424
AlbertLeo, MN56007 Union, IL60180
507/373-1674 815/923-4591
DIRECTORS
JohnBerendt RobertC."Bob"Brauer
7645EchoPointRd. 9345S. Hoyne
ConnonFalls, MN55009 Chicago,IL60620
507/263-2414 3121779-2105
PhilCoutson JohnS.Copeland
28415SpringbrookDr. 28-3WilliamsburgCt.
Lawton, MI49065 Shrewsbury, MA01545
616/624-6490 508/842-7867
CharlesHarris StanGomoll
7215East46thSt. 104290thLone, NE
Tulsa, OK 74145 Minneapolis, MN55434
918/622-8400 612/784-1172
DaleA.Gustafson JeannieHill
7724ShadyHill Dr. P.O.Box328
Indianapolis,IN46278 Harvard,IL60033
317/293-4430 815/943-7205
RobertUckteig RobertD."Bob"Lumley
1708BoyOaksDr. 1265South 124thSt .
AlbertLeo, MN56007 Brookfield,WI53005
507/373-2922 414/782-2633
DeanRichardson GeoffRobison
6701 ColonyDr. 1521 E. MacGregorDr.
Madison,WI53717 NewHoven,IN46774
608/833-1291 219/493-4724
GeneMorris GeorgeYork
11SCSteveCourt,R.R.2 181 SlobodaAv.
Roanoke,TX 76262 Monsfield.OH44906
817/491-9110 419/529-4378
S.H.OWes"SchmId
2359LefeberAvenue
Wauwatosa,WI 53213
414/771-1545
DIRECTOR EMERITUS
S.J. Willman
1904-1995
ADVISORS
JoeDickey RogerGamoll
55OokeyAv. 3238VicoriaSt.N
Lawrenceburg, IN47025 St Poul, MN55126
812/537-9354 612/484-2303
SteveKrog
93OToraHLE
Hartford,WI 53027
414/966-7627
STRAIGHT & LEVEL
by Espie "Butch" Joyce
Each year I talk about how the fall of the
year is one of my favorite seasons. Flying
this time of year can be one of the most
pleasant experiences, with the weather coop-
erating and the temperature cooling off. It's
not always perfect - I do remember when I
had the pleasure of owning and flying a
Waco UPF-7. That cockpit could get to be
very cold. Once, I was returning in the
Waco from an Antique/Classic Chapter 3
fly-in held in Camden, South Carolina, after
I had melted the ice off the wings that morn-
ing, my feet got so cold and numb that I
didn't know if I would be able to use the
rudder pedals on landing. At touchdown,
my feet miraculously warmed up in a hurry
and everything worked out ok. There are
many times that we plan or think that our ac-
tions may produce one outcome, only to be
surprised when it does not work out that
way.
Each area of the country has some sort
of weather drawback. Here in the south-
east coastal region, during late summer
and fall we get the pleasure of doing the
hurricane watch thing. The news shows
these storms starting out in the Atlantic
ocean, moving across to the Caribbean is-
lands then becoming a threat to the main-
land. There will be all kinds of specula-
tion about when and where these storms
will come ashore. On the average, most of
these storms will approach the coastline.
Then, because of the counterclockwise
movement of the storm, they will hook the
coastline and head north out to sea, sparing
us of any damage. Having watched hurri-
canes for a number of years I have come to
the conclusion that the important thing to
watch is the forward speed and size of the
storm. Mind you that all of this is my am-
ateur opinion, but any storm with winds
over 100 mph, a diameter of over 200
miles, and a forward movement of 15
knots or better needs to be watched with
respect. A storm that size will most likely
not be turned by any ground friction, con-
flicting weather fronts, etc. when it hits the
coastline. This September 5th and 6th we
were the host to Hurricane "Fran" here in
North Carolina. You can imagine what a
storm of that magnitude can do to light air-
planes and their hangars.
I live some 200 miles from the coast in
foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, "the
Piedmont area of North Carolina." Raleigh,
North Carolina, where my daughter is a stu-
dent at North Carolina State, is about
halfway between my location and Wilming-
ton, North Carolina. Fran roared on shore
at Wilmington doing a great amount of
damage to the barrier islands. Wilmington
also received their share of damage as Fran
passed through that area. Fran was on a
northwest track headed for us later Thurs-
day night or early Friday morning. Norma
and I went and pulled our boat out of the
water at the marina at Belews Lake because
of the 10 to 15 inches of rain that we were
supposed to get that night. Then it was off
to the hangar to make sure that the doors
were secure, that the center pins in the big
door were in place and to move all of the
loose items inside. We headed back home
to put away the wind chimes, hanging
plants, trash cans and lawn furniture. Fran
came to visit us from about II p.m. until 8
a.m. the next day. We got the rain, but the
wind was not as bad as I had thought that it
would be. We were lucky we only got wa-
ter in the basement and lost four or five
trees, but we never lost power as so many
did.
My daughter, Sara, at NC State in
Raleigh, reported the area received quite a
bit of damage and was without power for
five days. There were over 200,000 peo-
ple who had to do without power for some
time and other services. Some of the avia-
tion related stories coming out of the storm
included a group of aircraft owners at a
small airport east of Raleigh who decided
to move their aircraft to a new large metal
hangar at another airport so that they
would be more secure. A good move, ex-
cept with the large amount of rain, there
was a lake dam that broke and flooded the
airport with about five feet of water. One
owner told me that he floated his 172 out
of the hangar, but totally lost a homebuilt
that he had been working on for seven
years. It was almost finished. This loss
was hard for these people particularly be-
cause they had made an extra effort to pro-
tect their pride and joy.
Then there was another owner who
moved his aircraft to a small private field
and put his aircraft in an old "T" hangar
for protection; the "T" hangar blew down
on his airplane. I am sure that everyone
can relate a similar story, be it the floods
in the Midwest or other factors. Most
weather related losses happen because the
owner does not realize or is not given
enough advance notice there is going to
be a problem. With a hurricane you know
it's coming, you know it's coming, you
know it's coming. AUA, Inc., the people
who administer your Antique/Classic air-
craft insurance program, advised that
there were a number of aircraft owners
who called in advance of Hurricane Fran
wanting to buy hull coverage for their air-
craft. AUA, Inc. would like to me to pass
along that when a weather peril threatens
an area of the country the insurance mar-
kets shut down during that period of time
and coverage cannot be obtained in these
areas.
After all of this, this past weekend at
the hangar was just great. The airport was
very active. A number of friends dropped
by to see what was going on and to visit
with each other.
Henry Miller was rib-stitching his PA-18
wing, Emory Chronister was stopping some
oil leaks in Sandi's new Taylorcraft, I was
working on my new project of rebuilding a
Pitts S-2A (anybody have any parts?) and
other people were talking hangar flying or
telling jokes. It does not get much better
than this.
Your Antique/Classic Division contin-
ues to grow in membership, we continue to
received good comments about your maga-
zine, VintageAirplane,the quality of your
volunteers continues to improve, and the
quality of the aircraft restorations continues
to improve. I could not be more proud of
activities of the Antique/Classic chapters
and their leadership. I am also proud ofthe
membership and the support that they have
given the Board of Directors and Officers.
Your Board of Directors will be meeting the
first weekend in November so if you have
any concerns please send them to me so we
can talk about these items. Let's make the
next 25 years even better than the past 25.
Ask a friend to join up with us so they too
can be part of the next 25. Everyone needs
to pull in the same direction for the good of
aviation. Remember we are better together.
Join us and have it all! ....
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1
serve all of the various machined and cast
fittings . He has a table full of bagged parts
awaiting identification and, eventually,
restoration. We' ll keep you posted on the
A/C NEWS Bugatti's progress.
compiled by H.G. Frautschy
MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS -
A NEW METHOD
In response to members requests, EAA
will be updating its membership renewal
process. Currently, members who have dif-
ferent expiration dates for the EAA mem-
bership and their Division membership re-
cei ve renewal notices for each one. For
some members, this could mean receiving a
renewal request almost every month.
As a benefit to members and to simplify
the renewal process, a new renewal system
will be implemented so Division member-
ships will expire on the same date as your
EAA membership , making it easier for
members to renew all of their memberships
at the same time. The result of this change
will be better service to members, improved
efficiency and cost savings for your organi-
zation.
A special "Pro-rated Renewal Notice" is
being sent to those members immediately
affected by this change. If you receive a no-
tice, it would be appreciated if you respond
immediately. If you have any questions re-
garding this change, please call our Mem-
bership Services number at 1-800/843 -
3612.
AlC BOARD RE-ELECTED
The results of the voting this past sum-
mer were tabulated at the business meeting
of the EAA Antique/ Classic Division on
Tuesday, August 6, 1996. Re-elected were
president Espie "Butch" Joyce, secretary
Steve Nesse and directors John Berendt,
WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?
Henry Hoffman, 2900 Cypress Ridge
Trail, Daytona
Beach, FL 32124
has a bit of an
advertising histo-
ry mystery on his
hands. Some
t i me back he
found this poster,
measuring 14x28"
in a tobacco bam
in Lynchburg, VA.
No one at the
NASM was able
to identify it, nor
were any of the
cereal or tobacco
companies. It is
printed i n color.
Can anyone help
identify it?
Robert Brauer, Charles Harris, Jean Lehman
Hill , Robert Lumley, Eugene Morris, Geoff
Robison and George York. Elected to serve
as a director is Dean Richardson, who most
recently had served as an AlC Advisor.
Retiring director Gene Chase was lauded
by the Board for his many years of service
to the Division as a director, volunteer and
as an EAA staff member. Also, treasurer
E.E. "Buck" Hilbert announced that he will
resign that position as of the November
board meeting.
HYDROGEN EMBRITTLEMENT
A few inquiries recently to EAA HQ
lead us to believe that there is still some
confusion regarding the chrome plating of
steel parts.
When chromium is plated onto a steel
part, excess hydrogen is also introduced into
the base metal. This extra hydrogen changes
the characteristics of the steel, making it
more brittle. The amount of hydrogen intro-
duced can vary widely from one plat ing
process to another. Rea ll y excessive
amounts of hydrogen can accelerate corro-
sion of the steel.
If the part is not a structural component,
such as a rocker box cover or door handle,
hydrogen embritt lement is not a big prob-
lem, but if it is a st ressed part, say a tail
brace wire, landi ng gear component or fit-
ting, a very real potential for a catastrophic
fai lure is produced. It is possible for some
components to be heated in a heat treating
oven to "bake out" the excess hydrogen -
this requires the knowledge and expertise of
someone experienced in this particular phe-
nomena, and that isn't always the case when
dealing with a plating shop. We'd strongly
discourage anyone from chrome plating any
brace wires or fittings . With the excell ent
epoxy primers and topcoats now available,
there should be little reason to do so. Check
with your local IA or FAA office before
considering plating parts of your airplane.
Making it look pretty could have unex-
pected and unpleasant results.
ERRATA DEPT.
One little detail sli pped through in last
month's article on the Bugatti 100 racer.
The tai l is supported by a hydraulically re-
tracted tailskid, not a tailwheel. It's not cur-
rently mounted within the Bugatti as it sits
now in the EAA Air Adventure Museum,
but all of the parts are with the bits and
pieces that came with the racer when it was
delivered to EAA.
Bruce Jovagg of the EAA staff in
Oshkosh is busy working to clean and pre-
POLY FIBER " LEARN TO
COVER" WORKSHOPS
During the next few months, Poly Fiber
and some of their distributors will host these
four workshops intended to show you how
simple fabric covering can be , even if
you've never done it before. Registration
costs vary between each distributor, and are
in the range of $150-200. Calling to pre-
register is advised. Call the number listed
or call Poly Fiber at 1-800/362-3490 for
more information.
October 19-20 Reno, NY
Alexander Sportair Center
800/967-5746
770/467-9490
November 9-10 Chino, CA
Aircraft Spruce and Specialty
800/824-1903
714/870-7551
December 7-8 Marietta, OH
Aero Coverings
800/203-6645
January 11-12, '97 EI Cajon, CA
EI Cajon Aircraft Supply
800/888-3227
619/448-9000
NE AERO HISTORIANS
ANNUAL MEETING
The 32nd Annual meeting of the North-
east Aero Historians will be hosted by the
Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA Octo-
ber 18-20, 1996. A reception Friday, with
special guest "Amelia" will be held. Satur-
day there is a seminar and banquet, with Dr.
Thomas Crouch, Chairman of the Dept. of
Aeronautics at the NASM speaking. Sun-
day, tours of the American Helicopter Mu-
seum and Education Center and then the
Boeing Wind tunnel will be conducted.
Call 610/ 644-7920, fax 610/ 644-9222 or
write to Ray Noll , 307 Spencer Rd., Devon,
PA 19333. Registration is $75, and the ac-
commodations, Banquet and Fly Market are
at the Holiday Inn, 1800 Market St.. Spe-
cial rate for Northeast Aero Historians.
RAYMOND P. BETZOLDT
Our condolences to the family and friends
of Ray Betzoldt, 84 who passed away this past
summer. Ray was one of AI Meyer's earliest
employees, working as a designer, builder and
test pilot for many of the aircraft constructed
by Meyers Aircraft. As the test pilot for the
Meyers 200, he remained a consultant for
Rockwell after they purchased Meyers. He
also had an FBO for the repair and mainte-
nance of Meyers and Rockwell aircraft at the
Tecumseh, MI airport. Ray was a member of
the EAA, OX-5 Club, Meyers Aircraft Owners
Assoc., and the SPA. All five of his sons grew
up to become licensed pilots, something Ray
was quite proud of - as any father would. ...
2 OCTOBER 1996
Antique/Classic
Division Chapters
Here'sthelatestlistofthetwentylocalEAAAntique/Classic
DivisionChaptershereintheU.S. andoverseas.
CALIFORNIA
29Hayward
WilliamB.Field
229RickenbackerCircle
Livermore,CA94550-7616
Phone: 510/784-1168
Meeting: SecondThursday,7:00p.m.
HaywardAirport.
25 Sacramento
WilliamH.Merwin
47530N.CourtlandRd.
Clarksburg,CA95612-5059
Phone:916/775-1652
Meeting: SecondSaturday,9:00a.m. ,
contactpresident.
COLORADO
19 GrandJunction
DannyNichols
43732 1/8 Rd.
Clifton,CO81520-9005
Phone:970/434-4535
Meeting: FirstThursday,6:30p.m.,
contactpresident.
FLORIDA
1Lakeland
Allan1. Wise
2517 CaribbeanCt.
Orlando,FL32805-5854
Phone:407/442-5027
Meeting: Contactpresident.
ILLINOIS
26LANSING
PeterD. Bayer
P.O.Box 134
Monee,IL60449-0134
Phone: 708-534-6240
Meeting:Winter- LansingAirport
Summer- TBD
Contactpresident.
24 Rantoul
WilliamR. Claxon
205 Willard
Gifford,IL61847
Phone:217/568-7810
Meeting:ThirdWednesday,7:00p.m. ,
contactpresidentoranyofficer.
16 OverlandPark
GeraldGippner
14810W. I59th St.
Olathe,KS 66062-3630
Phone: 913/764-8512
Meeting: ThirdFriday,
7:30p.m. ,contactStanleyBank.
KENTUCKY
28Lexington
DavidM.Trapp
170I AlexandriaDr.
Lexington,KY40504-3149
Phone: 40504-3149
Meeting: SecondSunday, I:30p.m.,
GeorgetownAirport.
LOUISIANA
30NewIberia
RolandDenison
106AlineSt.
NewIberia,LA70560-3802
Meeting: FirstSunday,9:00a.m.,Acadi
anaRegional Airport.
MINNESOTA
13 AlbertLea
GordonG. Kimber
205 HoustonSt. NW
Preston,MN55965-1004
Phone: 507/765-2567
Meeting: FourthThursday,7:30p.m.,
contactpresident.
4 Minneapolis
StanleyV.Gomoll
104290thLn. NE
Minneapolis,MN55424-3353
Phone: 612-784-1172
Meeting:Quarterly- contactpresident.
NORTHCAROLINA
3Mayodan
JamesM. Steele
7683 MabeRd.
WalnutCove,NC27052-9513
Phone: 910/595-2637
I
NEWHAMPSHIRE
15 Hampton
CoreyG.Jacques
98 HeathRd.
Saco, ME04072-9334
Phone:207/283-1010
SecondSaturday, II:00a.m.
ChapterClubhouse,HamptonAirfield.
NEWJERSEY
7 Flanders
ThomasM.Boland
7 SuttonRd.
Andover,NJ07821-2018
Phone: 201/786-5682
Meeting:FirstTuesday,8:00p.m.,
contactpresident.
OIDO
27 Delaware
RogerR. Brown
1201 N. GalenaRd.
Sunbury,OH43074-9590
Phone: 614/965-9252
Meeting: FirstSaturday,9:00a.m.
DelawareMuni Airport.
22Zanesville
lohn Morczowsky
1629WheelingAv.
Zanesville,OH43701-4528
Phone: 614/453-6889
Meeting: ThirdSunday,2:30p.m.,every
othermonthonevenmonths,
lohn'sLandingAirport .
OKLAHOMA
10 Tulsa
Michael McCullough
9124E.49thPI.
Tulsa, OK74145-7323
Phone:918/622-4921
Meeting: SecondThursday,7:30p.m. ,
HardestyLibrary
TEXAS
2Houston
FredL. Langston
P.O. Box691444
Houston,TX77269-1444
Phone: 7\3/351-4059
Meeting:FourthSunday,2:00p.m.,Dry
CreekAirport,
Cypress.
WISCONSIN
11 Brookfield
GeorgeA. Meade
5514N. NavajoAv.
Glendale,WI53217-5039
414/962-2428
Meeting: FirstMonday,7:30p.m.,
CapitolAirport.
ARGENTINA
12 SanPedro
GuidoA.Jontza
SanLorenzo315P 13
Olivos 1636
Argentina
Phone:012991285
Meeting:SecondSunday, 10:00a.m.,
AerodromeMercedesBSAS.
Ifyoll 're interested in starting an A/C
Chapter, contact the EAA Chapter Office at
414/426-4876 and ask for a Antique/Classic
Chapter Starter Kit.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
Imag-
Swift Model 18
having sold Lindbergh the "Spirit of St.
Louis" when he held th e same job with
Ryan.
Other correct answers were received
from Lennart Johnsson, Eldsberga, Sweden;
Marty Eisenmann, Alta Lorna, CA; Jos .
Juptner, Laguna Hills, CA; Charley Hayes,
New Lenox, IL and Fred Mundinger, Clear-
water, FL. ...
by H.C. Frautschy
First, a quick review of the April Mys-
tery Plane. John Underwood wrote to ad-
vise us that it ... "was the creation ofJohn
M. Miller, not to be confused with John M.
Miller of of Eastern Airlines and Pitcairn
autogyro fame. The other JMM was a WW I
naval aviator who had an FBO at New
Brunswick, NJ JMM took out a patent on
the hull design, built a prototype and
crunched it on a test flight on 9 August '29.
It was a bust in every way. The engines are
J-5s. JMM is perhaps best remembered as
the pilot of the Hamilton H-45 in the 1927
Spokane NAR."
The July Mystery Plane jumped off the
page to a number of you. The two photos
on the opposite page were sent in by Walter
D. House, Wichita, KS. His letter is quoted
in the caption that accompanies the two
shots.
The original Mystery plane photos were
sent in by Richard E. Sampson, Ft. Laud-
erdale, FL. He wrote:
"My knowledge of it is limited, but it be-
longed to Ellis Mann who was the head me-
chanic at the Packard agency in EVV, and
was built in Wichita. I never saw or heard
ofanother."
"Ellis dismantled it after he bought a
Gypsy Moth (in which I had about 30 hours
in 1934) and later on, this same Hisso was
put in a 16ft. outboard hull I had on the
Ohio rivet:"
John Underwood recalled the sales man-
ager for the Swifts was a fellow by the name
of A.J. Edwards, whose claim to fame was a
Member Richard Sampson had the Hisso
from a Swift in a boat he kept on the
Ohio river. It looks like the craft is mostly
engine, with a little boat under it.
ine what those twin straight stacks
sounded like as it pounded down the
river!
4 OCTOBER 1996
We love these old photos, so we've
got another mystery for you from the
EAA Archives. A nice looking biplane
with decent proportions, the fuselage
sides appear to be covered in plywood.
I should tell you that the original print
was doctored somewhat around the
rudder, presumably to show better con-
trast between the milky sky and white
fabric on the rudder. Itlooks as though
the shape is correct, but there could be
a slight difference.
Answers need to be in no later than
November 26, 1996 for inclusion in
the January, 1996 issue of Vintage Air-
plane.
FromWalterHouse,Wichita,KS, camethis:
"The July Mystery plane caught myeyeasit looks like the Swift Model 18 built
by the Swift Aircraft Corp., Wichita, KS 1928-1930. As you will notice, the two
Swift Model 18's in the enclosed photos have ailerons on the upper wings
only, while yours has them on the upper and lower wings. Also, yours has a
balanced rudder and one of mytwo has an unbalanced rudder. Swift also
built three other models, the 'Sport,' Model 19 and Model 4000. The models
19 and 4000 were OX-5 powered, while the 18 was Kinner K-5 or Wright J-6-5,
and the Sport was powered with the Quick converted LeRhone stationary ra-
dial, and also tested with a Warner. The model 19 looked a lot like a Swallow
TP. The 4000 looked like a lot of other OX-5 biplanes and only the 4000 had
ailerons on both the upper and lower wings. All Swift models had the outrig-
ger shock strut main landing gear. "
"The one in you July photo looks like a Model 18 with the balanced rudder, but
with wings and ailerons from the 4000. The The Hisso in your photo was a re-
placement, and I found that 8863 in the enclosed photo also had its J-6-5 re-
placed with a Hisso. 8196 in the other photo has the fin and rudder like yours
but not the ailerons. Swift may have built more than I have found in old regis-
tration lists, and their serial numbers do skip. "
Reg# ...... S/N..........SwiftModel............Engine
4647........1000 ........Sport......................Quick
6976.......1001 .......Sport......................Quick
7653........1002 ........Sport......................SuperRhone
8196 ........1005 ........18............................KinnerK-5
372M.......1007 ........Sport......................Quick
9871........2..............4000........................0X-5
8863........5..............18...........................WrightJ-6-5(later,aHisso)
8864........6..............19 ............................ 0X-5
"Note that serial numbers 1003, 1004, 1006, and Nos. 1, 3 and 4 are missing.
Their engineer was C. B. Bennett, later Thomas M. Finnie. Of additional inter-
est, the major investor in Swift was Walt Anderson, the founder of the White
Castle Hamburger chain here in Wichita in the 1920's. Can you read the reg-
istration number on your photo? (yes,itis8196,whenitsportedaHissoon
thenoseatonetimeinitsexistence.- HGF) If yours is not aSwift, then just
forget everything I said after 'Dear H. G. '"
VINTAGEAIRPLANE 5
WHAT OURMEMBERS ARE RESTORING
--------------------------------- by Norm Petersen
Pete Brucato's Stinson 108-1
ThisneatphotoofStinson 108-1,N8874K,
SI N 108-1874, wassentin byownerPeter
Brucato(EAA 224456, A/C 14719)ofKens-
ington,NH. Featuringthe original Franklin
150 hp engine withsix-cylindersmoothness,
Pete'sStinsonemploysa woodenpropelleron
the noseanda Scott3200tailwheel on the tail
end. A closeexaminationofthe photore-
veals float fittings alongthe lowerlongeron
and ski fittings on the landing gear. Pete
plans on riggingtheskis this fall (whileit 's
still warm) so they will be ready when the
snow flies in New Hampshire- which isn't
thatfaraway!
Richard Lounsbury's
Aeronca Sedan
Thisphoto ofan Aeronca 15ACSedanon
floats ,N1398H, SIN 15AC-449,registeredto
Richard LounsburyofAnchorage, AK, was
contributedby Airl ine CaptainLarrySchweitz
ofBurr Ridge, IL. Thepicturewastakenat
LakeHood in Anchorageand showsa nice
looking Sedanon Edo2000floats andpowered
witha Lycoming 180 hp engi ne. The ri ght
sidedoorappearsto swingupwardsas prefered
byseaplanepilots. With its 200sq. ft .ofwing
area, the Aeronca Sedanmakesan excellent
float planeand canhaul a nice load,especially
withthe largerengine.
Aeronca 7EC Conversion in Germany
This photoofa neatlookingAeronca7EC, registered D-EUUU, SIN 7FC-404, wascontributedbyowner, Gottfried Esser(EAA
423075, A/C 19995)ofWi ll ebadessen,Germany. He reports the rebui ld lasted from December, 1992,to the first flight onSeptember
22, 1995,and requiredabout 1500hoursofdedicatedwork. The90hp 7FC tri-gearwasconvertedto a 7EC withtheworkdoneat
Wi.irzburg,Bamberg,Uehlfeldand NeustadtiAisch for fi nal assembly and rigging. Thestickgrips,clockand altimeterare from a Yak-
52, purchasedduringan aerobaticcoursetaken by Gottfried in Kyviskes, Lithuania, in 1993. Thepaintscheme is silverwithdarkblue
trim,a verypleasingdesign. Notethe landi ng light in the leftwingnearthe tip. Congratulati ons to Gottfried Esserona beautiful
restorationand" Welcome"to theworld oftail draggers!
6 OCTOBER 1996
Tom Hamblet's J-3 Cub
Pictured in front of it's hangar near Grand Prairie, TX, is Piper J-3 Cub, NC98641, SIN 18867, that is the
pride and joy of longtime EAAer Tom Hambl et (EAA 15754, AlC 320) of Grand Prairie, TX. Featuring a
standard A65-8 engine with a metal prop, the 1946 metal spar Cub has been flown by Tom for 22 years doing
the "Crazy Farmer Act" at airshows and gatherings throughout the southwest. The Cub was restored in 1971
and has since been flown over 1500 hours. The colors are bright red with black trim edged in white, making it
an unusual looking Cub. In addition, Tom is a member of the three-man Piper Cub Racing Team, who often
take on such high-speed machinery as balloons going up wind, monuments in a cemetery and large machinery
digging drainage ditches. Notice from the photo how grass and Cubs go together.
Ron Tarrson's Waco ARE
This unique photo, taken through the wires of a Waco
UPF-7 by Forrest Lovley of Jordan , MN , during the
American Waco Fly- In at Creve Coeur Airport near St.
Louis, MO , shows Ron Tarrson (EAA 504120, AI C
24996) arriving in the one and only Waco ARE,
NC20953, SIN 5080. Formerly owned by Dave Jameson
of Oshkosh, WI, and restored by John Cournoyer of Ellsi-
nore, MO, the ARE is powered by a 330 hp Jacobs en-
gine swinging a Hami lton Standard propeller. Formerly
owned by the New York Daily News, the big cabin Waco
has enlarged righthand cabin windows for doing aerial
photography and the Daily News logos are painted on the
fuselage and lower left wing panel. Ron reports the ARE
wi ll be receiving a complete new interior this winter and
we all look forward to seeing the majestic cabin airplane
next summer.
Herman Peterson's Luscombe
on floats
From the far off lands of British Columbia,
Canada, comes this picture of an all-metal
Luscombe that has been built up for floats by
veteran pilot, Herman Peterson, of Atlin, Be.
Registered CF-YHQ, the Luscombe features a
Lycoming 150 hp engine conversion and is
mounted on a set of PK 1500 floats. Herman
says the combination works very well and
makes for a good performing seaplane. In ad-
dition, Herman has a Smith Miniplane that he
built some years ago and still enjoys flying on
a sunny afternoon. The photo was delivered
to EAA HQ by Bill Rorhig of Kaukauna, WI,
who stopped to visit Herman on his way back
frArrl A : : c t ~
The straight and narrow cart path back to the main road was a
bit muddy. You can see a number of the ruts were made by a
horse drawn carriage, the standard method of transportation of
the Amish, who prefer a simpler way of life. After clearing away
the small saplings and brush, the Ercoupe was loaded onto a
trailer and hauled back to EAA Chapter 304' s headquarters.
You can see in the close up view that the sheet aluminum has
fared rather well, other that the obvious surface discoloration.
AN ERCOUPE FROM THE AMISH COUNTRY
You all have heard stories of restorabl e
aircraft being found in a barn, urban
garage, or sitting in some dilapidated
hangar just waiting for someone to step in
and blow the dust off of it.
Well, over the years Jackson EAA
Chapter 304 has had it' s share of discover-
ies: an L-19 was found in a chicken coop;
we found a BT -13 in the middle of a woods
with a small tree growing through its fuse-
lage; and a fellow Chapter member found
an original photo reconnaissance P-51
Mustang in an urban garage a few years
ago, restored it and seized the Grand
Champion WW II trophy at Oshkosh. The
fight er had sat undisturbed in this garage
since the mid-1940s and, as far as we
know, is the only representative sample of
a Mustang in a "photo-recon" configura-
tion remaining, let alone flying.
Now, Jackson EAA Chapter 304's most
recent restoration project is a 1946 Er-
coupe. The ' Coupe, less firewall forward,
was purchased after it had mushed into a
corn fie ld in Illinois. As usual , it turned
out to be a ground up restoration project,
lacking everything forward of the firewall.
We fo und anothe r Ercoupe which had
been sitting in a farmer's pig pen for about
15 years. It wasn't much to look at since
the farmer had dragged it around the pen
with a backhoe, yet we were able to sal-
vage the engine and a few other associated
parts.
But by the fall of 1995 we still were
lacking some ve ry major Ercoupe parts.
But to purchase these parts either new or
restorable on the open market was out of
the question for a Chapter operating on a
limited budget - so our Ercoupe proj ect
came to a screeching halt.
8 OCTOBER 1996
by G. Thomas Mcinerney, II
Then our fortunes took a turn for the
better when fellow Chapter member
William R. Acock, III remembered hearing
an old rumor that there was an Ercoupe sit-
ting on a Amish farm somewhere east of
Coldwater, Michigan, just north of the In-
diana/ Michigan border. Since Bill was fa-
miliar with the Ami sh nuances, we asked
him to investigate and report back to our
Chapter President, Earl Scott , on the ru-
mor ' s va lidit y. Within a week Bill re-
ported that there was indeed an Ercoupe
sitting down in "Ami sh country" and gave
Earl its aircraft registration number.
Turning to the FAA Register, we ob-
tained the name and address of the Er-
coupe's owner. But as fate would have it,
the address turned out to be out of date.
But with Bill asking questions in the Cold-
water area, we began tracking the owner's
movements from Michi gan to Arizona,
and finall y into Ohio. Then with a series
of call s to directory assistance, we located
him in Findlay, Ohio and gained permi s-
sion to inspect the aircraft, of course after
he had noti fied the Amish family leasing
the farm property from him of our attended
arrival. Driving into an " Amish enclave"
was a unique experience for all of us. After
crisscrossing a series of well kept county dirt
roads, we arrived at the Amish farm where
the Ercoupe had been encapsulated for al -
most 30 years.
A young Amish gentleman met us at the
farm's carriage path and guided us to the Er-
coupe. What we viewed was a complete air-
craft; not damaged, it's aluminum only tar-
nished, with little, ifany, corrosion. It had
been protected by a slight knoll on one side
and a wooded area on the other.
We all looked at each other in absolute
agreement, then asked the Amish who had
gathered around if it would be permissible to
remove the brush and small saplings which
surrounded the Ercoupe, so that it could be
removed and loaded on our trailer. (They
were able to use a gas powered chain saw to
clear the brush because the chain saw was
driven with " horsepower. ") Without reser-
vation, consent was given and within the
span of 45 minutes, the aircraft was loaded
and we were on our way back to the Chapter
304 Sport Aviation Center restoration shop
with the trailer and Ercoupe in tow.
We had purchased a perfect 1946 Er-
coupe with a low time engi ne and acces-
sories, and a treasure trove of excess parts
and assemblies. This purchase amounted to
one-fifth of what it would have cost us for
the few needed parts to fin ish our waiting
project. The excess parts and assemblies
wi ll be sold and we will better than recoup
our original investment.
The quintessence of our excursion is to
point out that many a rumor finds its basis in
fact. Now our Chapter philosophy states:
" If a rumor is not followed up, an opportu-
nity has been squandered." ...
EAA Oshkosh '96
... nnt\l' .
by H.C. Frautschy and Norm Petersen
The Division's Silver Anniversary was anticipated by many, and a nice turnout of Antique, Classic and Contem-
porary airplanes helped make the activities surrounding this milestone a success.
The sigllts (a Mylar covered Waco) and sounds (the bark of a rarely heard Wright J-4) added to the enjoyment
of the Division's members and volunteers. Or how about Richard Mueller from Germany, who flew his Comanche
from Germany for the second year in a row!
Everywhere you looked, AIC members were enjoying themselves. What a great place to be in 1996!
Last year's Reserve Grand Champion moved up a notch in 1996 by captur-
ing the top award in the Antique category. Alan Buchner (right) of Fresno, CA
was presented with the Grand Champion Antique Award for his 1932 Waco
QDC. Alan's father, Les Buchner, once owned the Waco back in the late 193Os.
Alan and his wife Connie once again headed east with the Waco from Cal-
ifornia. Prior to departing Fresno, they did have to remove the speed ring, as
the hot conditions in the area when they departed resulted in the engine tem-
peratures bumping against the redline. This photo, from 1995, shows the air-
plane with the ring installed.
A complete article on the restoration was published in the January 1996 is-
sue of Vintage Airplane.
Doug Fuss, Arlington, TX, recently over-
saw the completion of the restoration of
this Laird Commercial by Bob Guttmann,
complete with a 200 hp Wright J-4 engine.
A very historical airplane, it flew the airmail
between Chicago and MinneapoliS/St. Paul,
on a route owned by Charles "Pop" Dick-
inson. After Pop got out of the airmail busi-
ness, the Laird raced in the 1927 Spokane-
New York race, finishing second to Speed
Holman in an identical Laird. Later that
year, it was modified to the " Speedwing"
configuration and was raced, with Pop rid-
ing as a passenger while Ed Blue piloted.
The 1928 Nationals and the coast- to-coast
Air Derby, NY-LA, saw the Laird compete
in the race, and even with mechanical dif-
ficulties, it still managed to finish second.
In 1933 it was returned to the Commercial
configuration, and then flown for a few
years, until being placed in storage.
At EAA Oshkosh ' 96, it was selected the
Golden Age Champion.
I
Antique
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
The Reserve Grand Champion
Antique is this 1944 Beechcraft
D-17 Staggerwing, owned and
flown by Thomas W. Wright, Rus-
sell, KY. Purchased by Tom a few
years ago from
Staggerwing leg-
end Glen McNabb,
it spent the past
year at Doc's Aero
Service in Sand-
wich, Il. The re-
sults are pre-
dictable - another
award winner!
Flown to the Conven-
tion by owner Torquil
Norman and his friend
Henry Labouchere, this
1936 DH-90 Dragonfly
was originally on its way
to EAA Oshkosh '95 via
the North Atlantic, but it
was stopped short by
what turned out to be a faulty oil pressure
gauge. They were joined by Tom Walthan in
the Bill Turner built DH-89 Comet racer repli-
ca for this once-in-a -lifetime shot, taken over
lake Winnebago as Torquil and Henry headed
east to bring the Dragonfly home to England.
In the above photo, AlC Division president
Butch Joyce presents a special appreciation
award to Torquil during this year's Convention.
10 OCTOBER 1996
FrankBorman(right)andhisfriendRonKarp (left)
camet o EAAOshkosh'96inthe1941 WacoSREre-
storedbyFrank,Ronandotherfriendsoverthepast
coupleyears.
OriginallytheNewYorkDailyNewsphotographer's
airplane,it'sbeenusedforcropspraying,andcloud
seeding. Itwasevenpressedintoservicewiththemil-
itaryinWWII.
PoweredbythePratt&WhitneyR-985,manypilots
andaviationenthusiasts
consider the SRE the
finest example of the
cabin Waco ever pro-
duced.
We' re planningafea-
ture earlynextyear on
theSRE'sthathavebeen
seenlately. Lookforitin
thefirsthalfof1997. J:
CurrentlybeingrestoredbyMark
Grusauski at North Canaan Wing-
works in Connecticut, this Waco
ZKC-S,ownedbyLaurenceSmith,
wascoveredwithclearMylarand
placedondisplayinfrontoftheAn-
tique/ClassicRedBarnHeadquarters.
Theclearcoveringallowedcon-
ventiongoerstoseethestructureun-
derneath,andformanywhohadnev-
er seen a fabric covered airplane
"naked," seeinghowlightthestruc-
tureis,coupledwithitsstrength,was
illuminatingformany.
Originally built as the 2,500th
Waco, and designated a YKC-S
equippedwitha245hpJacobsen-
gine,itbecameaZKCwhena300hp
Jacobswasinstalled.
NowbackintheshopinNorthCa-
naan,theWacowillbe completedand
coveredwithcertifiedfabric.
JohnMeyer,Hudsonville,MI
hadnotedCubexpertClyde
Smith,Jr.helphimcompletethe
restorationofthis1938PiperJ-3C
CubSport,pickedastheBronze
Age(1933-1941)Champion.
CompletewithaContinentalC-
50withtheup-exhaust,theSport
hadajazzierinteriorandalistof
30options,includingcolor
schemesotherthanyellow!
Endeavoringtokeeptheair-
planeasoriginalappearingas
possible,JohnandClydeevenin-
stalledathreepiecewindshield.
VINTAGEAIRPLANE 11
JimYounkin,Springdale,AR,builtupthis"Su-
perG"versionofa StaggerwingBeech,which
wasfinishedbyRoyRedmanathisshopinMin-
nesota.OwnedbyGerardDederichofWadsworth,
IL.OriginallyaDmodel,Jim'simpeccablework-
manshipandengineeringastransformeditinto
theultimateStaggerwing,abletomakethemost
sanguineobserverdroolinanticipationofflying
suchajewel.
Roy'sfinalfinishworkandcoveringisjustas
spectacular,andthetwotoneredpaint,reminis-
centoftheTravelAirMysteryShipshelpssetthe
tonethatthisisafastbiplane. Itwasawarded
theAntiqueCustomizedChampiontrophy.
!
E
=;
Looking fora Stearman? How
abouta75% scaleStearmankit?
Ithas a 24'-4" wingspan and a
grossweightof1450Ibs. Theair-
framekitisnowavailable,andun-
derdevelopmentisa smallscale
radialenginetopowerthesingle
placemachine. ContactVintage
75, 518 West St., Raleigh, NC
27601.919/664-8906.
Our1996AntiqueJudgingCorps,startingwiththebackrow,fromlefttoright: ChairmanDaleGustafson,DaveAnderson,
Ken Morris,GeneMorris,DaveMorrow,DaveClark,BobWilson,JohnPipkin,DonColeman,XenMotsingerandBobKit-
slaar. InthefrontrowwehaveGeneChase, PhilCoulson,SteveDawsonandMikeShaver. JerryBrownisrepresentedby
thehatinfront.
12OCTOBER1996
Classic
Pulling in close to the camera with the
canopy open is the 1996 Best of Type
award winning 1946 Ercoupe 415-C,
NC94196, SIN 1519, flown by its owner
and restorer, Syd Cohen, of Wausau, WI.
Powered with a Continental C85-12F of
85 hp, the pretty two-placer was totally
restored over a period of two years, sev-
en months and four days - replacing over
80% of the metal in the airplane! To
date, Syd has flown 258 Young Eagles in
this highly polished Ercoupe besides run-
ning off with the Best of Type award.
(Left and below) Robert Hollenbaugh, Harry Pratt, and David Morgan, all
Aeronca retirees, have spent part of their retirement years rebuilding the
oldest post-war Aeronca Chief - SIN 2, the first production Chief built. Its
unusual color scheme and other slight differences in trim details made
~ - - - r - - - - - - - - - - - ; ; r - - - - , ~ for interesting study by Aeronca fans. It was judged to be the Best Aeron-
ca Chief at EAA Oskosh '96.
You can almost hear the soft growl of the 300
hp Jacobs radial engine as Jim Sayers cruis-
es by in the 1996 Reserve Grand Champion
Classic Cessna 195, NC2197C, SIN 16182.
Built in August of 1954, this was one of the
last of the 195 production and was used for
charter work for many years, hauling four pas-
sengers and pilot at 150 to 160 mph. Jim Say-
ers of Marion, OH, used the big cabin Cess-
na for five years in his charter operation be-
fore taking the airplane down for a major
restoration. The results are quite spectacu-
lar and the finished airplane, all done up in
original paint scheme, gave the Classic Grand
Champion a real run for its money. With over
18,000 hours in his logbook, Jim says it is still
a real joy to fly the pampered 195 to aviation
events where people can peruse the highly
polished airplane and ask a million questions.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13
CFI Allen Steffey and Matt Miller,
who is working on his CFI flew this
Cessna 140 and Piper Cub Cruiser
from Prescott, AZ. The Cub Cruis-
er is a working airplane, providing
a mount for those wishing to learn
how to fly with a tailwheel
equipped airplane at Tailwheels
and More, located on the airport in
Prescott. Matt bought the 140 re-
cently and has put over 100 hours
on it, having already flown it to
Long Beach, CA and back, plus his
trip to Oshkosh. A broken valve in
the engine of the Cub meant a two
day stay in Hooker, OK while a
cylinder, piston, rod etc. could be
changed, but it didn't stop our
cross country fliers - nor did a trip
to row 150 in the AlC Parking area.
(Right) David and Roger Jackson of Broonten, MN have fun with Bill
Marcey's " Kidplane," parked in front of the AlC Red Barn. Their grand-
parents, Kay and Brenda Mohr, brought the boys to the Antique/Classic
area this year. Bill built the "Kidplane" as a project for his local EAA Chap-
ter fly-in, and is refining it as more children "test fly" the airplane. Bill's
the volunteer editor of Aerograms, the daily newsletter of the Division
duri ng t he Convention.
14 OCTOBER 1996
This sharp looking triple-tailed 1951 Bel-
lanca 14-19 Cruisemaster, N522A, SIN
2075, was flown to Oshkosh '96 by own-
er Robert Seals and his family of Fres-
no, CA. Robert has owned the Bellan-
ca for over twenty years and did the first
restoration in 1992. Six weeks later, on
a trip to Oregon, the Bellanca was
parked next to an airplane that was
burned by arsonists. The fire melted half
of the Stits covering on the airplane -
but it didn't burn! In 1993, the airplane
was totally restored the second time and
was brought up to its present award-
winning condition. The " Phoenix" in-
signia on the side of the cowl refers to
the airplane arising from the ashes.
With a Lycoming 0-435A engine of 190
hp, the 14-13 cruises at 140 mph with
four people on board. It is IFR certified
and is regularly flown in IFR conditions.
(Left) It's always nice to see a vintage airplane
or two in the daily airshow, and this year, we
were treated to the sight of a pretty Waco CTO
Taperwing being put through its paces by Stu
Moment of Champaign, IL
With lots of Classics, we need lots of judges. This year, they were: (back row, left to right) Larry Keitel, Frank Moynahan, John
Swander, Clyde Bourgeois, Jerry Gippner, Frank Bass, Steve Bender, Chuck Johanson, Dean Richardson, Paul Stephenson (Co-
Chairman). In front are: Carol Womack, Carol Santone, Joan Steinberger, Shy Smith, Kevin Pratt and Chairman George York.
Those two hats in front are Kate Tiffany and John Womack.
Aviatrix Linda Finch is planning
to re-trace Amelia Earhart's at-
tempted circumnavigation of the
world. Linda will use this Lock-
heed 10E, the same type of air-
plane used by Amelia in 1937.
Planning a March, 1997 depar-
ture from Oakland, CA, Linda's
organization, World Flight, will
make an educational program
available to schools and stu-
dents, as well as via the World
Wide Web. For more informa-
tion, contact World Flight, 477
Sandau, Hangar G, San Antonio,
TX 78216. Phone 210/525-9168.
One of the 25th Anniversary special events was
a Young Eagle ride with EAA Founder and Chair-
man of the Board Paul Poberezny in the EAA
Foundation's Stinson SM-8A. Our 225,00Oth
Young Eagle Ian Rosenberger and his father An-
thony thank Paul as he offers his congratula-
tions after lan's Young Eagle ride.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
Contemporary
Running off with the Contempo-
rary Grand Champion Undy at EAA
Oshkosh '96 was this Beechcraft
J-35 Bonanza, N8370D, SIN D-
5463, flown in by its owner and re-
storer, Richard Jones, of Everett,
WA. Powered with the original
Continental 0-470 engine of 250
hp, the beautiful Bonanza drew
many an admiring glance during
its short stay at the EAA Conven-
tion. Finished off in the original
paint scheme as it came from the
factory in 1958, the V-tailed speed-
ster was original in all respects in-
cluding the Brittain Tip Tanks,
which were an option. This is the
first Bonanza to win a Grand
Champion "Lindy" at Oshkosh in
the Contemporary Class.
One of the first of its type to win
big at Oshkosh was this 1960
Piper Colt, PA-22-108, N4742Z,
SIN 22-8298, which garnered the
Reserve Grand Champion award
in the Contemporary class for its
owners, Wicks Aircraft of High-
land, IL. Discovered in 1992 in a
hangar at Fairfield, IL, where it
had been stored following hail
damage, the perky little two-plac-
er had only 1209 hours since new
and still had the original cotton
fabric from 1960. With no expe-
rience in fabric covered airplanes,
the employees at Wicks Aircraft
decided it was an excellent re-
build project. Under the leader-
ship of Bill Weder and Edward
Faiss, the entire Wicks crew
jumped in and totally restored the
Colt from the ground up. Cover-
ing was done in Stits Poly-Fiber
with the final colors matching the
original paint scheme to a "T".
The Colt also won an award at
Kitty Hawk, NC, before coming to
EAA Oshkosh '96.
This 1958 Piper Apache G, a PA-23-160-
G, with the Miller mods, has been all over
the U.S. and Europe. Owner "Smilin" AI
Oien, Roanoke, TX has flown it in the 1985
TransAtlantic Air Rally, from New York to
Paris and back. It's one capable Con-
temporary!
16 OCTOBER 1996
j
E
";
OneoftheclassiestDeHavillandDHC-
2BeaverstoshowupatOshkoshwas
thistotallyrestoredcustomBeaveron
wheelsandflownbyowner,Charles
(Cully)Culwellandhislovelywife,Mar-
ilyn, ofDallas,TX. Originallybuiltfor
the U.S. Army in 1957, this Beaver
spentfiveyearsflyinginS.E.Asiafor
AirAmerica(CIA)andtheninVietNam
forseveralyears. Afterastintinthe
ArkansasNationalGuard,ithauled
parachutersinDallasbeforeCullyCul-
wellboughtitin1986andtotallyre-
storedthebigbird. Includedinthere-
buildwasaWiplineSTC'denlarged
baggagecompartmentandnewrear
deckwindows. Inaddition,seaplane
aux.finswereaddedtothestabilizer
in case the Beaver is ever put on
floats. Itispresentlyusedasafirst
classcampingairplanetotravelto
manyremotepartsoftheworld.
TheContemporaryJudges
thisyearwere:Oefttoright)
Rebecca Greene, Tim
Greene, Chairman Dan
Knutson, Art Anderson,
Co-ChairmanDickKnut-
son,RickDuckworth,Jeff
Anderson.
Joel Miller, of
Solon,IAbroughtthis
verypretty 1956Cess-
na 172 to the Con-
vention. Itwasn'tal-
wayssonicelooking.
In fact, as recentas
last year one might
havecalledit,well,not
toonicetolookat!
Joelandhiswife
anddaughterscannowtoolaroundinstyleinthe172,thanks
toaspectacularjobofrefurbishingdonetotheairplanein
thepastyear. Nowhecanturnthemallloosewithpolish-
ingragstomakeitreallyshine.
VINTAGEAIRPLANE 17
The Antique/Classic GroupTakes All Four Seaplane
Awards atOshkosh '96
by Norm Petersen
Blessed with about five days (out of seven) of excellent fly-
ing weather, the 1996 EAA Oshkosh Seaplane Fly-In was a rous-
ing success with a beautiful representation of seaplanes from
all comers of the country. Included in the 114 registered par-
ticipants were 31 seaplanes from Canada along with their pi-
lots and crews. These folks always add spice to a fly-in and are
usually in the front of the line when it comes to doing vohm-
teer work. The peace and solitude of the Vette Seaplane Base
is a welcome respite from the busy EAA Convention and many,
many thousands of people came to visit and enjoy the cama-
raderie of the seaplane crowd. The Seabase Transit buses were
busy from mornirlg 'til night hauling people between Wittman
Field and the Vette Seaplane Base.
The armual Seaplane Fly-By down Runway 18 at Wittman
Field in front of the large crowd was held Saturday noon. Some
fourteen floatplanes and amphibians made the fly-by in trail
formation led by this author's J-3 Cub on Edo 1320s flown by
Mike Weinfurter. A second fly-by on Tuesday had to be scrubbed
because of too much wind and rough water.
The award for the Best Metal Floatplane at EAA Oshkosh
'96 was taken by a sharp looking 1958 Cessna L-19E Birddog,
N32555, SIN 27701, mounted on a set of Edo 2425 floats and
flown to Oshkosh by John Wallace (EAA 534076) of Birming-
ham, MI. John reports the L-19 is a great performer on floats
with the large wing flaps helping on takeoff as well as land-
ing. He espeCially appreciates the flat top deck on this mod-
el of Edo floats for moving about without slipping into the
water!
1996 will go down in history as an excellent seaplane fly-
in, due to the tremendous help of many, many volunteers un-
der the guidance of the new Seaplane Chairman, Gordy Ol-
son, who took over for retiring chairman, Bill Brennand. With
the popularity of the seaplane fly-in growing every year, it re-
quires more volunteers to handle all the tasks that need to be
done.
In a very fitting tribute and ceremony on Saturday evening,
Bill Brennand and Al Ziebell, the two driving forces behind
the seaplane base activity for over forty years, were honored
with a large engraved stone that bears mute testimony to what
these two floatplane pioneers have accomplished through hard
work and diligent effort. A very special "Congratulations"
and "heartfelt thanks" is extended to Bill Brennand and Al
Ziebell of Oshkosh from the entire gang at the seaplane base.
WinneroftheBestAmphibianAwardfor1996,among
someverydeterminedcompetition,wasa 1956De-
Havilland DHC-2Beaver, N622JM,mounted on a set
of Wipline 6000 amphibious floats, and flown to
Oshkosh '96byJohn Melk(EAA524869)ofChicago,
IL. Fresh outoftheWipline shopsatInverGrove
Heights,MN,thebig DeHavillandlookedreallysharp
with itsmanymodsandfancypaintschemein white
andyellowwith blacktrim. The6000amphibshave
provento be averypopularfloatwhen installedon
theBeaverduetoexcellentflotationandabilitytoget
offwithheavyloads.
18 OCTOBER 1996
Seaplane Base
A Special Recognition
Award was issued this
The Seaplane judges
had a busy time this year
and carried out their
tasks in a professional
manner. The winner of
the Best Fabric Covered
Seaplane was a 1948
Stinson 108-3, registered CF-KJV, SIN
108-4841, mounted on a set of Edo 2440
floats and flown to Oshkosh by its re-
storer, Ric Henkel (EAA 234398, AlC
10766) of Winnepeg, Manitoba, Canada.
A veteran pilot of 20 years experience,
Ric has owned four seaplanes over the
years and purchased this particular Stin-
son 108-3 in 1994 at Timmons, Onto It
had been converted to Super Stinson
status with a Continental 0-470 engine
of 230 hp and a constant-speed prop.
Ric took the Stinson down to bare bones
and restored the airplane from the
ground up, using the Stits process and
finished off with Aerothane. The pro-
ject, which took nearly two years of
spare time work, produced a beautiful
looking, high performance seaplane
which cruises at 135 to 140 mph and car-
ries a good load with ease.
year to an impressive
looking antique seaplane, a 1930 Waco CSO biplane, NC656N, SIN 3136, mounted on a set of Edo M-2665 floats that
were also built in 1930 (and may be the oldest set of Edo floats presently flying on an aircraft). The Waco owners, Lar-
ry and lise Harmacinski (EAA 241492, AlC 11740) made a dolly takeoff from the airport near South Bend, IN, and flew non-
stop to Oshkosh where they made the first water landing with the Waco in 32 years. Powered with a 250 hp Wright R-
760 engine swinging a Hamilton-Standard ground adjustable propeller, the Waco performed very nicely off the water and
was a tremendous hit with the seaplane crowd.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
A special presentation was made to Kate Morgan, the
wife of past AlC Division Vice president Art Morgan,
who had served as the Chairman of the AlC Parking
area for many years. Art passed away last year just
prior to the Convention. AlC President Butch Joyce
and Andy Anderson, a long time volunteer and good
friend of Art's, present the "Art Morgan Volunteer of
the Year" plaque to Kate. Now displayed on the wall
of the AlC Red Barn, a new name will be added to the
plaque each year as a deserving volunteer is named as
the recipient of this honor.
Georgia Schneider, an 8-year AlC vol-
unteer, was the "Back Stage" Art Mor-
gan Volunteer of the Year award recip-
ient. Georgia lends her time and talents
to the AlC Red barn Sales area.
Volunteers
The Art Morgan
Volunteer of the
Year Awards were
presented by AlC
Director and Se-
curity Chairman
Geoff Robison.
The Flight Line Art Mor-
gan Volunteer of the
Year award was pre-
sented to Kathy McGur-
ran, Aurora, CO for her
work at AlC Point, help-
ing the endless stream
of AlC airplanes find a
spot to park.
(Right) This beautiful-
ly engraved granite
boulder commemo-
rates the unfailing
volunteer dedication
and work done by
Bill Brennand and AI
Ziebell at the Bren-
nand/ Vette Seaplane
Base over the past 40
years.
1996 is the silver anniversary of the Division, and on Monday
night of the the Convention a special program was held in the
Theater in the Woods. Hosted by E. E. " Buck" Hilbert, it hon-
ored many of the men and women who were the charter mem-
bers of the Division. Reminising about the beginnings of the
Division, as well as the start of the Classic and Contemporary
categories were all part of the festivities. Special commemo-
rative plaques were presented to the charter members.
1997 will be dedicated by EAA as "The Year of The Volunteer,"and we certainly wish to second
that motion. All we do and all we are within EAA and the Antique/Classic Division is meant to
serve you, our fellow members, and the unselfish devotion shown by the thousands of people who
give of their time during the annual Convention and beyond continually show why Vintage
Airplane people are a special breed. To the Chairmen and volunteers alike, you're all to be
congratulated and we extend our thanks to each and everyone of you.
20 OCTOBER 1996
The cockpit is essentially stock, and the Boei ng de-
signed canopy completely encloses both cockpi ts.
You can see that the r egular windshields were re-
t ained, in the event the military choose to remove the
canopy. Although Ken Wilson and Jack are certain that
more than one of the PT -27s was equipped with the
Boeing canopy, the exact number made is unknown. A
t otal of 300 PT- 27s were built by Boei ng- Wichita.
Stearman became a subsidiary of Boeing in 1934.
The PT -27 was sent to work under the RCAF as part of t h4
they were first (at least on paper) U.S. Army Air Corps airpl
Canadian squadron number and markings. You can also s
A 50F temperature isn' t too bad until
you add a 100 mph wind chill factor to it!
Some of the winterized PT-27's had gaso-
line powered heaters installed, but again, in
a situation like the canopies, not all of the
airplanes were so equipped. Another limi-
tation of the full canopy was the distracting
glare from the cockpit lights when the slid-
ing canopy was closed - in fact, the current
FAA restricts the PT-27 from night flight
with the canopy closed. Flying at night
with the canopy open or removed is okayed.
Delivered from the factory in Wichita, KS
between February, 1942 and the following
October, the PT-27's augmented the train-
ing the RCAF was doing to support the war
in Europe. Later, many of them were re-
turned to the U.S. to serve with the Navy.
Of the examples built with the canopy (we
don't know the exact number), fewer still
kept them after they were brought back to
the States. Because of that, not too many
22 OCTOBER 1996
people have seen a complete PT-27, includ-
ing the Boeing designed canopy.
Jack Roethli sberger (EAA 504155, A /C
26270) of Beaver, PA knew what it looked
like, and he wanted one. In fact, he's had
more than one! A number of years ago, he
had a PT-27 project from New Jersey he
was slowly restoring, but he lost interest in
it and decided to se ll the project. The
fr iend, Jeff Lee, who bought it to ld Jack
that he'd cry when it left. He was right,
Jack did when his project pulled out of his
driveway. Sometimes life has a interesting
way of working out. That project didn't
have the Boeing canopy, and it had been
painted up in the regular yell ow and blue
PT-1 7 color scheme. Seeing his first PT -27
project go was too much, and Jack started
looking for another. What he found was a
series of six Boe ings . As he ' d get one
about hal f done, someone woul d co me
along and buy it. He had projects he found
in New Jersey, Kentucky, and Georgia. Fi-
nall y, he found what he was looking for in a
PT-27, only 20 miles away from his home
near Pittsburgh. Guess who he bought it
from? Jeff Lee! Not the same airplane he
had sold to Jeff, but another project, com-
plete with a full canopy. A rusty old hulk,
it hadn't flown since 1950, and Jack was
only the third owner since it had been mus-
tered out of the military. Jack and his son
Mark dove into the project full force.
A Stearman project is not a little job, as
you can see. It's sheer size can be impos-
ing, and it tends to take over whatever
space you've allotted, and then some. Not
only is it taller than most garages when sit-
ting on its main landing gear, there are a lot
of parts to keep as you get closer to the end
- you've got to find room to store four of
the prettiest wings you've ever seen.
As so many of our members have expe-
rienced, a full airplane restoration takes the
Jack and Mark Roethlisberger of Beaver, PA
lease program in pl ace during the second World War. Since
hey carry a US serial number and stencils, in addition to their
winter front cowl for t he Continental R-670-5 engine.
airframe down to the last nutplate and
screw. Everything that is bolted or glued
on is removed, refurbished and then, after
the fuselage frame has been inspected for
cracks, every newly refinished part is re-in-
stalled. The real fun starts when a part is
missing or worn out. The search is on, and
the phone bills show it! A trip to consult
with the staff at the Smithsonian National
Air and Space museum was in order, to
check on prints for some of the parts they
needed. Jack and Mark intended to rebuild
the PT -27 as close to original as possible,
so they needed lots of information. Fortu-
nately, there are quite a few people who
know the aircraft exceedingly well. One of
them is Ken Wilson of Indiana. He was
able to provide documentation about the
position of some of the unusual equipment
and markings on that particular PT -27, in-
cluding the mounting of the running lights,
compartment and panel markings, along
with the exact color scheme. If Stearman's
are your thing, the '27 presents some un-
usual markings. The airplane carries a U.S.
Army Air Corps serial number, along with
its Canadian roundels, Canadian flag ban-
ner on the vertical fin and squadron number
on the aft fuselage. This particular PT-27,
U.S. Air Corps SIN 42-15-595, RCAP SIN
753784 served in Calgary, Alberta, for a
year before it was returned to the U.S. and
serving as a military trainer at a civilian run
training school at Thunderbird Field in Ari-
zona.
Research also led to the construction of
the landing light fairings built into the lead-
ing edge of the lower wings. Prints were
not available, so by carefully scaling up a
photograph, Jack was able to reproduce the
fairing using a sealed beam light, instead of
the reflector/lens and bulb combination that
was most likely used on the original.
Jack was never able to put his hands on
one of the heater units, and he says he's not
too sure he'd be willing to install it in his
fabric covered airplane, even if he had one.
Besides building L-4's for the Army,
Piper Aircraft in Lock Haven also kept
busy with subcontracting work. One of
these contracts was with Boeing, building
the canopy frames for the Canadian PT's.
Many of us have seen the Rawdon Hood
canopy retrofitted to some PT -17s after the
War, but the Boeing hood is different. The
Rawdon is built in a practical way, and
serves its purpose well. The Boeing hood
strikes you as very substantial, and able to
take anything you could dish out. Expect-
ing it to be handled by students in cold con-
ditions, when they may act a bit quicker
and are less likely to take their time, the en-
gineers put together a canopy that's built to
last. Jack enjoys flying with the canopy.
"It's real nice on a long cross country - you
don't lose your maps!"
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
The unusual lines of a full cockpit
canopy on a Stearman is just one
of the changes made by Boeing
for the model designated the PT-
27. Other changes included a
winter front cowl for the engine
with controllable shutters, and a
full set of running and cockpit
lights, and landing lights mounted
on the lower wings.
Research ledto complet-
ingthecanopy. Happily,the
canopywascompleteexcept
for onesmall partthathadto
beduplicated. Eventhe orig-
inal Plexiglaswas intact,
butsince itshowedthesigns
of years of neglect, Jack
farmed outthe moldingof
somenewtransparencies,one
oftheonlypieceshe haddone
outsideofhisshop.
Modernconcessions in-
cludeacommradio, cleverly
hidden behind the throttle
quadrant so it'snotto obtru-
sive. A GarminGPS helps
Jackand Markfind theirway.
Otherwise, the cockpit is
stock. In the enginecompart-
ment,an oil filter has been
added to help makethe Con-
tinental last longer. TheCon-
tinental turnsaJasco alterna-
torinsteadofa generator, making the
electricalsystemmoreefficient.
All oftheaccesspanelsand inspection
windowsareas theywere, andthebig bi-
planeeven has the original Stearman
brakesandwheels. Jackproudlypointed
outthat his sonMark, who had a veryac-
tiverolein therestoration,polishedtheen-
ginepartsandfirewall dishpan. "Igave
himacoupleofCokesandabuffmgwheel
and let himgo!"herecalled.
Thecoveringis Ceconite, and the air-
plane is finished withthe AirTechprocess.
The markings have been carefully re-
searchedand applied, rightdown to the
white inspector'sblockand stamps. The
properpaintcode is appliedto eachpart,
and all oftheU.S. ArmyAirCorpsfuselage
markingsare reproduced, thanks to the re-
searchdonebyKenWilson.
What does an airline captain and his
son do with such a prettyprize? Whyfly
it, ofcourse! ThisStearmanis no hangar
queen. 22-year-old Mark was finally
turned loose with the Stearmanearlierthis
24 OCTOBER 1996
!
n
Jj
year, and has been helpinghis dad addto
the over200hoursthey'veputonthe air-
planesinceit was restored. Markearned
his Private licensewhen he turned 17
yearsold, and has been workingto master
the PTsince his Dad let him solo it. Fly-
ing it with theother5Stearmansonthe field,
theRoethlisbergershave fun flying in forma-
tionandcritiquingeachother'slandings.
They'vetaken ittoEAAOshkoshandtothe
bigStearmanFly-IninGalesburg,IL, so
cross-countryflyingwiththebiplaneisjust
greatfun forthis fatherandson. Sharingad-
ventures likethatarewhatmakeaviation
moremeaningful,andto do itwithyourdad
orsonisjustplainwonderful. ...
The Logbook reads:
PASSdk
BUCK
byE.E. "Buck"Hilbert
EAA#21 A/C#5
P.O. Box 424, Union, IL 60180
Dec. 12 1945 Aeronca Chief"N" (number missing) Total Time I :05. Private Pilot Flight Exam :35 Solo :30. The Pilot's name: Harry D.
Fenton.
This is the way it was right at the end ofWW II. Itwas unusual for a student to have more than eight hours dual before solo and in that lit-
tle length of time he learned to handle an airplane with enough skill to do emergencies, a series of seven different stalls, spins, precision land-
ings, short and soft field work, crosswind work, even downwind landing and takeoffs. He learned map reading, how to use an old E-6-B cal-
culator (they called them computers in those days), how to draw a line on the map and do his True Course and then correct for magnetic
variation, compass deviation, wind correction, figure his groundspeed, and then fly his cross-country.
I go back to that time and I knew Harry D. Fenton. The Fenton name is probably familiar to you cause Harry's son, Harry L., is the mag-
neto guru over at Unison Industries (read Slick) over at Rockford, Illinois. Harry has done some neat stuff with ignition systems and is al-
ways willing to help a fellow pilot or mechanic. Unison has that new electronic ignition system installed on Bruce Bohannon's "Pushy Ga-
lore" that goes around breaking all those time to climb and altitude records.
Back to the scenario. Here's Harry with his brand new Private Pilot certificate. He has a total time of 60 hours and 10 minutes 39:55 of
this time is solo.
His next log entry is December 23rd 1945 and reads:
12-23-45 Aeronca C-3 NCI5290 1:20 solo with remarks, checking ship and preparing for trip to Florida. Lawrence
Matheson, my first passenger Beloit and Rockford.
01-01-46 Aeronca C-3 NCI5290 home to Rockford :30 remarks, gas up and start for Florida.
01-01-46 Rockford to Lafayette, IN 2:30. Overnight at Purdue U airport.
01-02-46 Lafayette to Indianapolis 1:00. Shank Airport. Very nice and friendly - good field
01-03-46 Shank to Ramsey, IN 3:25. Headwind, had trouble finding Bush Airport cement runway.
01-04-46 Ramsey to Bowling Green, Kentucky 2:45. Bad winds - fog, etc. very rough.
01-04-46 Bowling Green to Nashville, Tenn. Gillespie Airport, nice but sod runways.
01-04-46 Nashville to Pelham, Tenn. 1 :45.3 miles from Pelham in a cove surrounded by mountains, too late to make
Chattanooga.
01-07-46 Pelham, Tenn. local :30. Clouds and storm forced landing 10 miles from Pelham.
01-08-46 Pelham to Winchester, Tenn. :30. Finally got to University of South airport.
01-08-46 Winchester to Chattanooga :55. Clouds near top of mountain at Chattanooga.
01-09-46 Chattanooga to Nashville 2:00. Landed at Berry Field. Taxi to Vultee side (looks like he gave up and started home).
01-12-46 Nashville to Bowling Green, Kentucky. 1:00. Great to fly at 5700 feet.
0112-46 Bowling Green to Louisville 1:35. Forced to fly at 600 feet account offog.
01-12-46 Louisville to Indianapolis. 2:00. Low ceiling 1000 ft. with lower scattered.
01-13-46 Indianapolis to Villa Grove, Illinois. 2:00. Good weather, stayed with Burnett.
01-13-46 Burnett home to Cooper Airport :10. Ralph rode with me.
01-13-46 Cooper to Champain. :35. Got tail skid fixed.
01-13-46 Champain to Burnett's Farm 0:30. Landed :30 minutes after sunset. Moon up.
01-14-46 Burnett's to Dekalb 2:30. Landed at 5:15 P.M. very dark - no moon - bad headwind.
01-15-46 Dekalb local and home :45. Landed home at 4:35 Florida trip finis!
What an adventure! He was enroute 15 days, never got to Florida, flew through weather that must have been horrible with a 2-cylinder,
single ignition engine, but loved every minute of it.
Son Harry added these remarks:
Dadgothisprivatelicensein Decemberandacoupleofhourslaterfeltreadytomakea2,000mileround-tripflighttoMiamiandbackintheC-
3. HeskippedNewYears'dinnertotakeoff. Hisfolks werestillangryaboutthisyearslater.
The wifeoftheowneroftheRamsey, Indianaairportwrotetomydadforanumberofyearsafterthisflight.
ThePelham, Tennesseestopwasaninterestingone. Oncedadwason theground, thelocalsweresuspicioushewasa "revenoor." Afterawhile
theygotto likehimandmoreorless wouldn'tlethim leavesothattheycouldentertainhim. Hisairplanewasoneofthefewcontactsthelocalshad
with theoutsideworld. Manyyearslatermyfamilyvisitedthetownon vacation. AlotofpeoplehadfondmemoriesofmyDad's visit.
RalphBurnettewasanArmybuddyojDad's. RalphwaspilotofaB-17thatwasshotdown overGermanyandspentagoodpartofthe Warasa
POW
Thefarm whereDadkepttheC-3 isstillownedbythefamily. Theairstripwasdeactivatedyearsagodueto CommonwealthEdison'swiresand
surroundinghousingdevelopment.
I guess we were all a little naive in those early postwar days. We weren't brave, or daring, we just didn't have much knowledge. With all the
schooling that the private pilot gets today, they still do some dumb things. We had an excuse! What's yours?
Over to you, f'(
YOU LEARNED TOFLY INA
WHAT?
This is the airp lane
that I learned to fly in:
AeroncaC-3, NC13098.
I never flew it solo be-
cause I wasn't quite old
enough, but I learned a
lot. The floats were Edo
990s, probably the
smallest size that Edo
ever marketed. Time
and place were summer
1940 at Lakeport,New
Hampshire on Lake
Winnipesaukee to the
left of the dock for the
excursion steamer Mt.
Washington, an old-
time side-wheeler with
a walking beam steam engine. There was a
pulp mill on the other side that required con-
stant vigilance for pulpwood that had strayed
outside the boom. I was 15 that sununer and
I worked there for several weeks. My in-
structor was Lillian Putnam, a college st u-
dent whose father ran a garage at Newport,
New Hampshire and a grass airport on the
edge of town, mostly on weekends; I believe
she had learned to fly in an Alliance Argo as
soon as she was old enough to grip the stick
and reach the rudder pedals. Together we
probably weighed less than 200 pounds.
We usually flew in the evening after the
passenger hopping was shut down and the
other airplanes were secured for the night.
At first we simply went out on the lake and
taxied around, and later on whe n we
couldn't coax the Aeronca into the air due
to excess ive evening calm, we ran about
on the step and got soaking wet. Some
evenings we had a five to ten mile an hour
breeze and a bit of a choppy surface and
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 26
by
CharlesN. Trask
NC 31631
were able to head into the wind and take
off without incident for a little air work,
but when we were faced with only a glassy
swell, a bit of ingenuity was required. Al-
most as soon as the takeoff run began,
there was a feeling as to the possibility of
taking off going straight into the wind and
the procedure called for a large circle to
the left; in the first quadrant of the circle a
bit of aileron would be fed in, in the down-
wind quadrant the right float would come
out of the water as the left float came up on
the step and speed relative to the water
would begin to build up as the C-3 com-
pleted the circle and came into its own
wake at which point the wings would be
leveled up and with slight back pressure on
the stick, the airplane would fly - maybe.
At times my coordination would be off - or
something - and the thing would come
down off the step and we'd go around
again in a larger circle just outside the first
and then we'd fly. Failing thi s, we'd go
back to the C-3's tiedown buoy and I'd log
a half-hour of taxi practice. The rest of
my instruction was the same as flying a
land plane, although landing on a glassy
surface is a bit tricky inasmuch as one
looks down at the bottom of the lake, not
at the surface of the water.
After the Labor Day weekend, the sea-
plane operation closed down for the season
and the various operators took their air-
planes home. Lillian and I went back to
our respective schools. I had some 20 or
30 hours of dual in my logbook, and when
I turned 16 at the end of September I made
my first solo flight in a J-2 Cub on wheels.
The following month I got my private. I
never flew NC 13098 again, but I ran a lot
of errands in another C-3 that had a winter
enclosure during the 1940-41 winter - even
into East Boston (now Logan) several
times. I' ll never sell an Aeronca C-3 short,
be it on floats , wheels or skis. 1940 was a
very good year for me. One more mile-
stone was a bit later - in 1941 [ received
my driver's license. ...
Fly-In Calendar
The following list of coming
events is furnished to our readers
as a matter of information only
and does not constitute approval,
sponsorship, involvement, con-
trol or direction of any event
(fl y-in, seminars, fl y market, etc.)
listed. Please sendthe informa-
tion to fAA, Att: Golda Cox, P.O.
Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-
3086. Information should be
received four months prior to the
event date.
J. MikeAbrahams ........Des Moines, IA
DougJ. Armstrong.... .....Charlotte, NC
Pau lL. Baker...........Grasonvil le, MD
Paul Bale............... Summerville, SC
EugeneR. Bl air ..... . .. ..Birchwood,WI
Howard Bohl. ............Temecula, CA
Charles V. Boswell ......Brandywine, MD
Jon A.Braithwaite ............Moore, ID
William F.Brown .............Oca la, FL
Char l i e Buller .......... Caesarea,Ont ario,
Canada
Carl Burden.................Sedan, KS
GarthJ.Cameron...Dunedin,NewZealand
LawrenceCarlson . ... ....Solomons, MD
Charl es J. Champieux........Buffalo, MO
Charl es B. Cianchette .......Pittsfield,ME
LianeConway . ..... ... ..San Mateo, CA
Lesli eC. Conwell ....NewPort Richey, FL
Patricia A. Cooke ..........Roanoke, TX
Rod L. Crane. ..... ...Savannah, NY
James A. Dalton .... ........E. Peoria,IL
PeterR.Davis ..........Wi lmington, NC
John K.Dawson ...........Florence,Ms
David L. DeWolfe.......... Machias, ME
James E. Denly....... ....... ..Erie, CO
JosephE.Deruytter . ... ...Lake Placid, FL
Lee Dodd..............Woodstock, GA
Greggory L. Dohrer .......Long View, TX
Charles D. Elms . . .... ... ...Manteo, NC
Thure H. Er ickson ...........Blaine,MN
ArthurE.Ertel . ... . .. .... . .Goshen,OH
Louis Farhood ..... . . . ...Fowlervi ll e,MI
David L. Fayman ..........Lawrence, Ks
Pau lR. Fedorka ..... .. . .......Kenai ,AK
Larry G. Fischer ...........Waseca,MN
DavidM. Fischl er... ...... . .Elkhorn,WI
Glynn Frets....... ......Gainesvi ll e, GA
Hargrave Garrison ......N.Yarmouth,ME
OCTOBER 9 . 13 - SAN DI EGO, CA - Silver
Wings Fraterni ty National Convention for those
who soloed over 25 years ago. Open house
and Fly- In, San Diego Aerospace Museum
Annex, Gillespie Field. Pickup at Montgomery
Field and Hanalei Hotel . For info call Marian
Banks Prophett 619/272-7914 or 800/554- 1437.
OCTOBER 13 - TOWA NDA, PA - Towanda air-
port (N27) Fly-In Breakfast - all you can eat.
Eggs, sa usage, pancakes, 100% pure maple
syrup. 7a.m. - 1p.m.
OCT. 13 - ZANESVILLE, OH - Riverside Airport.
EAA Chapter 425 and the ARTHRITIS FOUN-
DATfON Hog Roast. 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Contact
Don Wahl at 614/454-0003.
OCTOBER 13 - WEYBRIDGE, SURRY, ENGLAND
- Brooklands Museum Fly-In. Contact: julian C.
Temple or Peter Edmunds, Brooklands Museum
Trust, 01932857381 or FAX 0 1932855465.
New
OCT. 18-20 - KERRVILLE, TX - Southwes t
Regional Fly- In. For info call 800/221-7958.
Vendors should call 2 10/9 14-3746.
OCT. 18-20 - GURDON, AR - Forest Festival Air
Expo. Call Mary Burns at 501/353-25 14 or FAX
353-4348 for info.
OCTOBER 19 - DA YTON, OH - Moraine Airpark
(173). 11 a. m. - 4 p.m. Chili Fly-In, Antique,
Classic and Wacos are all welcome. Call
5 13/866-2489 for more info.
NOV. 1-3 - LANCASTER, CA - Fox Field National
Air Races and EAA Fly-In. 1FT races, Aerobatics,
Gee Bee R-2, Long EZ Dash, Antique/Classic
aircraft. Call 805/940-1 709 for info.
JANUARY 1, 1997 - NAPPANEE, IN - EAA
Chapter 938 5th annual New Years Day Hangar
Over Party/Fl y- In. 11:00 a.m. - 2p.m.. For info
call "Fast Eddie" Milleman, 219/546-4997.
Members
PaulGiebudowski... . ..Evergreen Park, IL
Robert Gordon .......Warner Robins, GA
Eri cW.Gray..... .. ........Aurora,CO
Ronald V. Grewell ...WestCarroll ton,OH
RodneyHald ...... ...... Burnsvill e, MN
RogerW. Harris. ........ .. ..Laveen,AZ
Jon K.Heggen. ..........Yel lowPine, ID
H.K. Herring..... ..._.....Ashvil le, NC
Scott C. Hersha ...... ....Cincinnati,OH
Robert L.Horner ..... ....Boardman,OH
Terr i L. Hull..........Fort Recovery,OH
Kathleen L. Jaffe .... .....Maplewood, NJ
Colin M.Jenkins........ ..Houghton, MI
ThomasJenkins . .. ... . ...FortWorth,TX
Frank T.Johanson... . ..... ..Auburn,ME
Raymond W.Johnson. . . . ....Buffalo, MN
Ri chard W. Johnson ... ......Lawton,OK
James King... .... ......Indianapol is,IN
Carole Kr ieghoff ..........Loveland,OH
RobertKritzler.........Overl and Park, Ks
Nikita Kushelevsky ........Livingston, TX
Edward E. Leineweber .. . ..LoneRock,WI
ChrisA. Manzo ...........Norcross,GA
TimothyS.Manzo...........Chicago, IL
Charl esS.Maples ....... .Alexandria, VA
Mart inMattingly........ .. .Frankfort, KY
DonMcClure...........Clearwater, MN
Bruce Mci ntyre....Campbell vi lle, Ontario,
Canada
Dani el R. Mead ............. .Aurora,IL
James M.Meisenheimer......Frankl in,WI
TimothyMickel ..........SciotoMi l ls, IL
Benjamin R. Mill er.......Indi anapoli s, IN
HarryMiltner . .. ...... ..Ell ensburg, WA
All an R. Moltzen,Jr.... . ..Menlo Park,CA
DavidMoney... . ... . .Paremata, Porirua,
New Zealand
Wi lli am B.Morris. . . ...... .Holl and,OH
Bruce R.Nield ............Dumfries, VA
Steven R. Nurnberg.........Frankli n,MA
Ronald I. Oehler .........Burnsvill e, MN
MatthewN. Olson .........Tacoma, WA
DavidOreck..... .. . ...NewOrl eans, LA
Christopher Pajak... .. ..Minneapoli s, MN
PhilipW. Partee .........Vero Beech, FL
Wil lard E. Perkins ... .. .....Plainfield,IL
Peter Petersen IV..... ...Chesterl and, OH
Jim Poulter ........ .. . . ....Chelsea,MI
IanQuinn .... ..... . ... ....HongKong
Peter D.Rawl inson .........Crossvill e, IL
Jean PierreRiendeau..Granby, PQ, Canada
John B. Robertson.....MountClemens, MI
R. Malcolm Rose.Port MacQuarie, Australia
LouisJ. Schmidt ...........Anaheim,CA
Patrick H.Sea le ..... ......Winona,MN
Danielsenseman ........Terre Haute, IN
JeffreyC. Smith ...........Asheboro, NC
SamuelV. Smith ..........Arlington, VA
TimothyE. Smith..........Livermore,CA
Benjamin H.Stevens ......E. Windsor, NJ
Jerald D. Stewart, Jr...........Dal las, TX
Fred St iteler....... ........Windsor, CT
Ei ichirosugita..Ushhiku-shi,Ibaragi,Japan
Diran Tori gian,Jr. ........SimiVall ey, CA
BernardT. Trudeau . . ... ..Midlot hi an,TX
MichaelJ.Turok. .........Norfolk,VA
CalvinE. Wal lace .........51. Louis,MO
Donald D.Wa ll s.... . .. .Yorba Linda,CA
NancyD. Walsh ...Rochester, MN
Lin Watki ns........ColoradoSpri ngs,CO
Adam W.Weber ....... . ..Hast ings,MN
Bri tton C. Weldon ........Haymarket, VA
Dr. GaryWell er ...........Ash land, MA
DonaldM.Wil liamson ......Bealeton, VA
Charl es Zaloom.... .... .Washi ngton, DC
...
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Darton International, Inc., 1996.
The Boardof DirectorsofOcean Reef Club
Key Largo, Florida
cordially invitesyou to attend
ThE 3RD ANNuALVINTAGE WEEKEND
December6th,7th and8th, 1996
Honoringclassic conveyancesby air, land, andsea
andincluding
TheAntiqueandClassicAirplaneFly-in
The Concourse d'Elegance ofAutomobiles
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TheAntiqueandClassic Yacht Rendezvous
RSVP Participation includeswelcomingcocktail
ManyKilby - (305) 367-5874
partyin aprivatehome Friday evming;
Satin-day day-long celebration ofboats,
by November 1st
cm"S,andplanes; gmuineMaine lobster-
Because Ocean ReefClub is aprivate
bake Saturday romingIvith specialguest
elub, The Vintage Weekend is open only
Maine humorist Tim Sample; mvards
to membersandinvitedguestsstaying
andfme'Welllrreakfast Sunday moming.
$150perpmon
in the Inn orMarina.
OCEAN REEF CLUB
31 O C E A N R E EF D RI V E, S U ITE C-300 K E Y LAR G O , FLO RIDA 33037
MEMBERSHIP
INFORMATION
EAA
Membership in the Experimental Aircraft
Association, Inc. is$35foroneyear, including 12
issuesofSPORTAVIATION. Familymembership
isavailable foranadditional$10annually. Junior
Membership (under 19years ofage) is available
at$20annually. Allmajorcreditcardsaccepted
formembership.
ANTIQUE/CLASSIC
Current EAA members may join the Antique/
Classic Division and receive VINTAGE AIR-
PLANEmagazineforanadditional$27peryear.
EAA Membership, VINTAGE AIRPLANEmag-
azine and one year membership in the EAA
Antique/Classic Division is available for $37per
year(SPORTAVlATIONmagazinenotincluded).
Something to buy, sell or trade? An inexpensive adin the Vintage Trader
maybe just the answer to obtaining that elusive part. .40 per word, $6.00
minimum charge. Send your adand payment to: Vintage Trader, fAA
Aviation Center, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086, or fax your ad
and your credit card number to 414/426-4828. Ads must be received by
the 20th ofthe month for insertion in the issue the second month following
<e.g., October 20th for the December issue.)
lAC
CurrentEAA membersmayjointhe International
AerobaticClub, Inc.DivisionandreceiveSPORT
AEROBATICS magazine for an additional$35
peryear.
EAA Membership, SPORTAEROBATICSmaga-
zine and one year membership in the lAC
Division is available for$45 peryear (SPORT
AVIATIONmagazinenotincluded).
WARBIRDS
Current EAA members may join the EAA
Warbirds ofAmerica Division and receive WAR-
BIRDSmagazine foranadditional$30peryear.
EAA Membership, WARBIRDS magazine and
oneyearmembership in the Warbirds Division is
available for $40 peryear (SPORTAVIATION
magazinenotincluded).
AIRCRAFT
1950 CaliAir A.2, Rare, one of36. STOL
150 Lycoming, 620 SCMOH. 100 hrs. since
completeAF rebuild. 315/677-9900. (1101)
MISCElLANEOUS
SUPER CUB PA-18 FUSELAGES - New
manufacture, STC-PMA-d, 4130 chromoly tub-
ing throughout, also complete fuselage repair.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN AIRFRAME INC. (J.
Soares, Pres.), 7093 Dry CreekRoad,Belgrade,
Montana 59714, 406/388-6069, FAX 406/388-
0170.
Repairstation No.QK5R148N. (0387)
FREECATALOG- Aviationbooksand videos.
How to, building and restoration tips, historic,
flying and entertainment titles. Call for a free
WANTED-SPARTAN EXECUTIVE 7W stabiliz-
er tips or any related 7W parts. Anything
you've got, interior/exterior. Please call Ed
201/288-4775.
A Life in the Clouds - Written by retired
Eastern CaptainJohnAnderson. An interesting
story about Aviation Cadets, crop dusting, fly-
ing as a fighter pilot and flying for the airlines.
388 pages, $19.95 + $2.00 shipping. IL resi-
dents add $1.45 sales tax. Order from Jean
Anderson,605WestSpringSt.,
SouthElgin,IL60177.
EAAEXPERIMENTER
Current EAA members may receive EAA
EXPERIMENTERmagazineloranadditional$18
peryear.
EAA Membership and EAA EXPERIMENTER
magazine is available for $28peryear (SPORT
AVIATlONmagazinenotincluded).
FOREIGN
MEMBERSHIPS
Please submityour remittance with acheck or
draft drawn on a United States bank payable in
United States dollars. Add$13 postage for
SPORTAVIATIONmagazine and/or$6postage
foranyoftheothermagazines.
EAAAVIATIONCENTER
P.O. box3086
Oshkosh, WI54903-3086
WEBSITEhttp://www.eaa.org
E-MAILVintage@ eaa.org
PHONE(414)426-4800
FAX(414)426-4873
OFFICEHOURS:
8:15-5:00mon.-fri.
1-800-843-3612
MEMBERSHIPDUES TOEAAAND
ITSDIVISIONSARENOTTAX
DEDUCTIBLEASCHARITABLE
CONTRIBUTIONS.
catalog. EAA,1-800-843-3612.
Ragwing Replicas - Ultralight legal
Aircamper, Heath,Pitts, Duster,Triplane. Plans
$52. Brochure$3. P. O. Box39, Townville,SC
29689. (0400)
Freshly Minted Aeronca hubcaps and metal
placards/label plates. SASE for information:
7AC Specialties, 835 New London Turnpike,
Stonington,CT06378. (1004)
ATTENTION AVIATION ART COLLECTORS!
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First flight on 9th
Birthday in a 1936
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1952 graduate ofAir
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Former New York
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