VA-Vol-19-No-1-Jan-1991

STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

~ 1)

~ tI ~

by Espie Butch Joyce

It is hard for me to believe that we are starting into another decade Givshying thought to writing this article made me stop and reminisce somewhat about the events and my interest in aviation I would like to relate how it has deshyveloped over the years to you

My father was flying by 1935 and I grew up around aircraft I had a fond association with people who were inshyterested in aviation My involvement with EAA began early when I was finishing high-school and starting colshylege I was a young aviator working at the local airport in Shelby North Carolina while I was attending Gardner Webb College I traded my work in for flying time as a lot of other people have done in the past I traveled to a small local fly-in at Carpenters Airport in Charlotte North Carolina which is now closed They had at least three airplanes to show for this event On the field was a Stits Playboy and for some reason that aircraft intrigued me I thought it was the prettiest thing I had ever seen and it was experimenshytal Experimental was new to me and I began to investigate what this experishymental aircraft was all about Thats when I found the Experimental Airshycraft Association

After six months of searching through different publications I finally 2 JANUARY 1991

found an address to join the EAA and begin rece iving their publication Time moved along until 1964 when I went into the the service During that period of time I lost any possibilities of buildshying a Stits Playboy

Around 1966 I started to become interested in aerobatics I jumped into a project of a Pitts Special I planned to build a real hot rod so I purchased a 135 hp Lycoming and proceeded with the project In those days a 135 hp in a Pitts was about as much as you ever heard of and Curtis was saying that those people who were installing a lSO hp were just overpowering the airplane Curtis and I talked on the phone quite a bit during my project Now we see how they have been really modified and it is really a fantastic airplane

While seeking different fly-ins to go to I found an antique group in our area that was called the Virginia-North Carolina-South Carolina Antique Airplane Association These were the same people who were holding the first fly-in which I attended at Carpenters I would attend those events and inspect Wacos Culver Darts and many old airplanes starting my interest in anshytique airplanes My father had always been very active in antique aushytomobiles so I had an appreciation for the old vehicles I owned a 1956 TrishyPacer which I used for transportation but running up on hard times I sold that aircraft but I still had my Pitts project Being without an airplane for almost a year I became very interested in finding another airplane that I could use for transportation I was so detershymined to buy an airplane I had a genshytleman fly me to Gastonia North Carolina to the Antique Airplane FlyshyIn and leave me I had a pocketful of $10000 bills and was determined to find me an airplane and fly it home There was a gentleman there by the name of Randy Williams who had a Dart with a 145 Warner for sale I flew that aircraft but was somewhat skeptishycal of being able to find parts for the Warner engine so I looked at other airplanes one of which was a 90A Monocoupe which had a 160 hp

Lycoming that belonged to a gentleshyman from Newnan Georgia by the name of K D Wright K D took me for a ride in the Monocoupe and I was really shocked at how it performed This airplane was a real hot rod It had several items that needed some tender loving care but basically it was a good airplane It was a 1936 Model 90A N 15427 (I hope one day to be able to recapture ownership of this airplane ) I bought the airplane from K D had him check me out in it and I then headed for home I had several years of enjoyment flying this airplane Of all the aircraft I have parted with I regret having parted with this one more than any other

I was still flying the 90A when an opportunity became available to purshychase or trade for a D-145 Monocoupe with a 185 Warner so I struck a trade with Dick Austin in Greensboro North Carolina I traded him my Pitts Special and some other items that I will not mention for the D-145

There was a gentleman in Charlotte North Carolina by the name of Doug Creech Doug had owned this D-145 Monocoupe when it was new in 1933 He continued to try to persuade me to sell him the D-145 but I wanted to keep it I sold him my 90A and kept the D-145 Doug was very persistent though and one day he traded the 90A back to me for the D-145 I kept the 90A for a couple of more years and sold it to a gentleman near Toledo Ohio

I was asked to serve as Advisor on the EAA AntiqueClassic Division Board of Directors I am not actually sure what the date was but it was when we were still meeting at Hales Comers I served as Advisor for a number of years and then had the privilege of beshycoming a Director of the EAA AnshytiqueClassic Division I ran for Presishydent and have served for one term and am now in my second term When [ first came on as Advisor I believe we had something in the neighborhood of 1500-1800 members Now we are very close to breaking the 7000 mark The growth of your Division has all been

(Continued on Page 15)

PUBLICATION STAFF PUBLISHER

Tom Poberezny

VICE-PRESIDENT MARKETING amp COMMUNICATIONS

Dick Malf

EDITOR Henry G Frautschy JANUARY 1991 bull Vol 19 No1 MANAGING EDITOR

Golda Cox

ART DIRECTOR Mike Drucks

ADVERTISING Mary Jones

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Norman Petersen Dick Cavin

FEATURE WRITERS George A Hardie Jr Dennis Parks

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Isabelle Wiske

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Jim Koepnlck Carl Schuppel

Mike Steineke

EAA ANTIQUECLASSIC DIVISION INC

OFFICERS President Vice-President

Espie Butch Joyce Arthur R Morgan 604 Highway SI 3744 North 51st Blvd

Madisan NC 27025 Milwaukee WI 53216 919427middot0216 414442-3631

Secretary Treasurer George S York EE Buck Hilbert

181 Sloboda Ave PO 80x 424 Mansfield OH 44906 Union IL 60 180

419529-4378 815923middot4591

DIRECTORS John Berendt Robert C Bob Brauer

7645 Ec ho Point Rd 9345 S Hoyne Cannon Falls MN 55009 Chicago IL 60620

507263-2414 312779middot2105

Gene Chase John S Copeland 2159 Carlton Rd 9 Joonne Drive

Oshkosh WI 54904 Westborough MA 01581 414231-5002 508366-7245

Philip Coulson George Daubner 28415 Springbrook Dr 2448 Lough Lane

Lawton MI 49065 Hartford WI 53027 616624-6490 414673-5885

Charles Harris Stan Gomoll 3933 South Peoria 1042 90th Lone NE PO Box 904038 Minneapclis MN 55434 Tusla OK 74105 6121784-1172 918742middot7311

Dole A Gustafson Jeannie Hill 7724 Shady Hill Drive PO Box 328

Indianapolis IN 46278 Harvard IL 60033 317293middot4430 815943-7205

Robert Lickteig Robert D Bob Lumley 1708 Bay Oaks Drive 1265 South 124th SI

Albert Lea MN 56007 Brookfield WI 53005 5073732922 414782-2633

Gene Morris Steven C Nesse 115C Steve Court RR2 2009 Highland Ave

Roanoke TX 76262 Albert Leo MN 56007 817491-9110 507373middot1674

S H Wes Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa WI 53213

414771-1545

DIRECTOR EMERITUS s J Wilfman

7200 SE 85th Lane Ocala FL 32672

904245-7768

ADVISORS John A Fogerty Dean Richardson 479 Highway 65 6701 Colony Drive

Roberts WI 54023 Madison WI 53717 715425-2455 608833-1291

Copyright copy 1991 by the EAA AntiqueClassic Division Inc All rights reserved

Contents

2 Straight and Levelby Espie Butch Joyce

4 AlC NewsCompiled by H G Frautschy

6 Vintage Literaturelby Dennis Parks

8 Members Projectslby Norm Petersen Page 5

10 Fairchild 24W - A Cabin for Four with a Viewlby Mark Phelps

14 The Chiefs Logbooklby H G Frautschy

15 How to Store Your Enginelby Walt Kessler

16 Interview Circlelby Phyllis Brauer

18 1990 Church Ring PropellerWorld Page 11 Vintage Air Rallylby Lang Kidby

21 Carb lcingiby Jim Gorman

22 Taylorcraft Againlby Pete Smith

24 Del Rio Fleet Tenlby Buck Hilbert

28 Pass It To Bucklby EE Buck Hilbert

29 Calendar Page 23

31 Vintage Trader

34 Mystery Planelby George Hardie Jr

FRONT COVER Marty Probsfs Fairchild 24W c ruises the Florida skies during Sun n Fun 90 Up front is a Warner 1650 and a constant-speed prop a rare combination on a Fairchild 24

(Photo by Jim Koepnick Photo plane flown by Jim Dorman)

REAR COVER Jim Zantops striking color scheme really enhances the lines of his award-winning Republic RC-3 Sea 8ee For more on Jims airplane see Norm Petersens artic le about the Seaplane Awards in the January issue of SPORT AVIATION

(Photo by Carl Schuppel Photo plane flown by Carl Koeling)

The words EAA ULTRALIGHT FLY WITH THEFIRSTTEAM SPORT AVIATIONand Ihe logos of EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION INC bull EAA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION EAA ANTIOUEJCLASSIC DIVISION INC bull INTERNATIONALAEROBATIC CLUB INC bull WARBIRDS OF AMERICA INC are regislered trademarlcs THE EM SKY SHOPPE and logos ollhe EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION INC and EM ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION are trademarks 01 the above associations and Iheir use by any person olher Ihan the above associations IS strictly prohibited

Editorial Policy Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographsPolicy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authorsResponsibility lor accuracy in repor1ing rests entirely wilh the contributor Material should be sent to Editor The VINTAGE AIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 414426-4800

The VINTAGE AIRPLANE (SSN0091middot6943) is published and owned excluslVely by EM AntiqueClassic [)visionlnc ollhe Experimental Aircraft ASsociation Inc and is published monlhly at EM Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903middot3086 Second Class Postage paid at Oshkosh WI 54901 and additional mailing oHices Membership rates lor EM AntiqueClassic [)vision Inc are $2000 lor current EM members lor 12 monlh period 01 which $1200 is lor Ihe publication 01 The VINTAGE AIRLANE Membership is open to all who are interested in aviation

ADVERTISING -AntiqueClassic [)vision does not guarantee or endorse any product oHered through our advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that COfrective measures can be taken

POSTMASTER Send address changes to EM AntiqueClassic [)vision lnc PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

Compiled by HG Frautschy

EVEN MORE TYPE CLUBS

We heard from a few more Type Clubs during the past weeks The Stinshyson Club asked that we correct the inshyformation listed Their updated inforshymation is

National Stinson Club

Bill and Debbie Snavely 115 Heinley Road Lake Placid FL 33852 813465-6101 Quarterly magazine Stinson Plane Talk Annual Dues $25 US $30 Canada Foreign

The Monocoupe Club is back and doing well according to Editor Bob Coolbaugh Heres their listing

Monocoupe Club Bob Coolbaugh Editor 6154 River Forest Drive Manassas VA 22111 703590-2375 Monthly Newsletter Monocoupe Flyer Annual Directory and the annual Clayton Folkerts Design Excellence Award Dues $15 per year

The American Navion Society is moving their Headquarters Write to them at

ANS PO Box 1810 Lodi CA 95241-1810

The Headquarters building is now loshycated at 59 Houston Lane in Lodi CA 4 JANUARY 1991

The Curtiss Robin Club is also still around and is now headed by Jim Haynes Jim reports that its a rather loose group of owners ex-owners and enthusiasts and exists entirely on donashytions Jim related that there are 51 Curshytiss Robins in existence with only about a dozen actually airworthy Conshytact Jim at

Robins Nest Jim Haynes Editor 21 Sunset Lane Bushnell IL 61422

Finally the Taylorcraft Club managed to fall off of our list this year Bruce Bixlers newsletter can be had by writshying to him at

Taylorcraft Owners Club Bruce Bixler II President 12809 Greenbower NE Alliance OH 44601 216823-9748 Newsletter Quarterly Dues $10 per year

Our thanks to Tom Desalvo of Laconia New Hampshire for bringing this to our attention

From the Fairchild Club headed up by John Berendt we have a correction of their dues The current dues for the Fairchild Club are $10 per year Send your subscription requests to

Fairchild Club John Berendt President 7645 Echo Point Road Cannon Falls MN 55009

91 EAA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The goal of the EAA Aviation Scholarship program is to encourage recognize and support excellence in students pursuing knowledge of the technologies and skills of aviation Anshynual scholarships provide assistance to outstanding individuals demonstrating a financial need to accomplish their aviation goals Applicants should be well-rounded individuals involved in school and community activities as well as aviation The academic records of applicants should verify their ability to successfully complete the educashy

tional actiVIty for which the scholarshyship is requested For information and application mateshyrials for these scholarships ranging from $200 to programs leading to an engineering degree contact the EAA Education Office at EAA Headquarters at 414426-4888

JUDGING STANDARDS

A new edition of EAAs Judging Standards manual was printed this past summer and is available from EAA Headquarters for $200 per copy Conshytaining a complete explanation for judging rules requirements and pracshytices in separate chapters including one for antiques and classics The manshyual is to be used as a guide by EAA Chapters during the judging process at local and regional fly-ins and is a valshyuable resource for anyone who would like to know in advance what to expect from the judging process Decisions regarding the authenticity of a restorashytion project can be addressed by using the guidelines set forth in the Judging Standards Manual

BOGUS PARTS

As detailed in the Hot Line section of the December issue of SPORT A VIAshyTION a bogus part for a Scott tailshywheel has turned up on a Starduster Too Scott analyzed the part and found it was a copy of a Scott arm but did not show any of the correct markings A genuine Scott arm has the word Scott cast on the left prong on the arm and the lot number of the casting is on the right prong A heat treat number is stamped on the bottom center of the arm If you have a Scott tailwheel check that it has the correct markings A bogus part breaking in this area on landing could result in a very expenshysive repair

Bogus parts have been a problem for some time now and for the most part have been confined to the reproduction of all types of hardware with nuts and bolts being the most common Inspect your hardware carefully no matter where it comes from If you find a susshypect piece get back to the outfit that sold it to you right away Most suppliers will want to know imshymediately if they have had a bogus part infiltrate their parts department

~b ~u~mings an avid vegetarian and his n~w Cessna C-3~ in 1937 after the actor had picked up his Airmaster from the factory In Wichita Its Forest green color scheme continued a Cummings trademark started with his first new airplane a Porterfield 35-70 Cummings Porterfield 35-70 Spinach I was restored and flown by member John Innes

NOMINA TIONS FOR ANTIQUECLASSIC DIVISION OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

In accordance with the EAA Antique Classic Divisions bylaws the terms of six Directors the Vice-President and Treasurer will expire at the Division s Annual Business Meeting at Oshkosh Wisconsin on Friday August 1 1991

Nominations for any elective office (including the six e lective Directors the Vice-President and Treasurer) can only be made on official nomination forms which may be obtained from EAA Headquarters (contact Mrs Carol Blake) Each nomination form must contain a minimum of ten (10) signatures of EAA AntiqueClassic Division members in good standing together with their membership number and expiration date The nominating petition shall contain a brief resume of the nominee s experience and background and shall be accomanied by a recent photo To be eligible for nomination a candidate must be a member in good standing

Nominating petitions must be subshymitted to the Chairman of the Nominating Committee co EAA Headquarters no later than the end of the sixth month prior to the annual business meeting (February 28) Voting instructions and the official ballot will be published in the June 1991 issue of THE VINTAGE AIRPLANE

HELP NEEDED Some months ago Jim Perkins of

Denton Texas sent us some copies of a booklet he picked up at an antique ~ale entitled S imple Aerodynamics and The Aeroplane by William F Crawford We have no information on

the Crawford the designer or his comshypany in our files here at EAA Does anybody have information on the Crawford A-I Monoplane or the Crawford Motor and Aeroplane Manshyufactory of Long Beach CA The side view drawing shown in the bookshylet is simply too dark to print but it is a 80-100 hp rotary engined parasol monoplane that appears to be a bit on the short coupled side It was to be a three place machine You can reach Jim at Bent Tree Millwork PO Box 50066 Denton TX 76206 Let us know at Headquarters if you have any additional information

BOB CUMMINGS A VIA TION ENTHUSIAST

A viation enthusiast and actor Robert Cummings passed away December 2 at the age of 80 from complications stemming from Parkinsons s Disease Cummings aviation start began even before he was born His father was an aviation buff having been a friend of Orville Wright since Dr Cummings had treated him for a facial fungus early in 1910 Upon Bobs birth later in 1910 Dr Cummings would name his son Charles Clarence Robert Orshyville Cummings In later life all those names would come in handy to pick a stage name from

Bob was an active pilot who always viewed flying as his primary focus and acting as a means to an end Bob owned a sucession of planes many of them bought new that we now conshysider antiques and classics including a 35-70 Porterfield Flyabout a couple of Beech 18s and a Cessna C-37 Air-

master that Cummings picked up from the factory in Wichita He is probably best remembered for his use of aviation themes woven into most of his TV actshying and producing including the use of the Taylor Aerocar on the Bob Cummings Show Cummings also has the distinction of holding Right Instrucshytor certificate I Bob applied for the certificate prior to its being required by law and when the need for the cershytificate became law Cummings was given a grueling 10 hour written exam and a thorough flight test and was then issued the first ever Flight Instructor rating He continued instructing during World War II and was issued an Air Safety A ward by the Canadian Govshyernment for soloing 94 students 84 of whom were sent overseas None of them were injured killed or involved in a serious accident

JENNY ID Chet Peek of Norman Oklahoma

wrote to point out that the Curtiss that Heston Benson was standing in front of in the December VINTAGE AIRPLANE was a IN-4D Jenny and not a Canuck Hes right The rudder was tough to see but Chet gave me a few more items that help to differenshytiate between the two - first the Canuck had four ailerons not just two as shown in Hestons picture Second there is a cutout in the upper wing of the Jenny The Canuck did not have this cutout Finally there appears to be downthrust in the engine installation in the plane in Mr Benson s picture The Canuck had a level engine mount Thanks for your info Chet bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

VI~TA(7~ LIT~I2ATUI2~ by ()ennis Va-ks

UA Lib-ar-y A-chives ()i-ect()shy

FIRST ISSUES FLYING - 1917

Over the years more than a dozen aeronautical publications have carried the name FLYING The earliest was published in London from 190 I to 1903 The first in the United States was published by the Aero Club of America starting in 191 2 The current American publication FLYING began as POPUshyLAR AVIATION in 1927

Our subject FL YING London 1917 was first published January 24 1917 As many aviation journals of its time it was an offshoot of an existing magazine in this case one called LAND AND WATER

The first issue consisted of 32 pages of which 20 had editorial content No editor or staff were listed in the first issue The table of contents page did have some editorial comments on the purpose of the publication

Ten years ago men did not fly The use of the air for any purpose save for precarious observation in a drifting balloon was forbidden to them Flight as a habit as part of our civilization was not only unknown but unlooked for

Today the Great War which will change all our conditions and has closed all our past is dominated by the fact that men can fly by thousands in nearly any weather at almost any height that will support life for hunshydreds of miles at a stretch and for hours without landing

The truth is the modem war for its new great changes pivots upon fl ying will have consequences innumerable It will of necessity create a defensive aerial fleet throughout periods of peace It will be the leading and the most rapidly progressing military thing of the near future It demands youth and absorbs the attention of all those who will within a generation be of most influence in our national life

The stupendous change has not only transformed war It has also in part - and must much more in the 6 JANUARY 1991

SMITHS BRITISH AVIATION INSTRUMENT BOARD

Contractors to Tb BrlJb nd Allied

Qovcmments

Altitude Recorder to any required heiht with button reset to Zero

Time or Trip Clock recordins

Independent Time on Subsid iary Dial

Revolution Indicator recording in

Hundreds of Revolut ions per Minute

future - transformed civilian life The great war came at a moment when this long aspect of flying was far from deshyveloped and when the risks and exshypenses of the first stages were absorbed at once by military necessity

But with the war over the civilian aspect will reappear and the new art will be thrust into the lives of everyone It will come to form part of our experience as the railway has come to form part of it the steamship and the telegraph

So rapidly has the change come upon us that no organ has yet appeared in this country proposing to deal with the general as well as with the technical interests of fl ying to explain and speak of it to the general reader and to deal with its current problems for the exshypert

An organ of this sort it is proposed to be found in the paper the first number of which now lies before the reader It will be our object to present the double aspect of the art the technical and the general to sati sfy the interest which laymen feel in it and as far as possible the special interest felt by the men who construct and use the instruments

The first issue had five articles a section on recent patents and Notes of the Week The articles covered the prospects of post-war commercial avishyation financing the war a description of flying a line-officer s description

We UIJ quote you lor your requ~menu In

AeropJnc ACC4SS0rlU 01 cry ducJptJon

Air Speed Indiator recording to

any required speed

Clinometer for Longitud inal Adjustment

Clinometer for Lateral Adjustment

Fitted with Two Elect ric Lights

(MA) LTO taDOMTER MOU

176 Gt Porttand ato loON DON W

a ta Iw __lEt IIM Lt U Au Lauc~ ~

wt I~J PleueUn W Telal sou W

of the Flying Corps and an article on the early legends of flying

WHA T FLYING IS

The article on what flying is about was by a Lieut-Col Mervyn OGorshyman I haven t been able to identify Mr OGorman but he is listed in the Brocket bibliographies as having writshyten about aviation since 1911

After giving some technical explashynations of aircraft flight in lay terms the author describes some of the sensashytions of flight The following is his de shyscription of landing during his first ride in a Bleriot

Alighting is of course the test of a flyer and I was all attention for the bump - an attention which was conshysiderably sharpened by that falsified impression of speed to which I have previously alluded As we got lower we seemed to go faster and faster The trees and cattle below seemed to be shooting backwards under us away and out of sight in an ever increasing hurry

Little marks on the ground patches of worn grass whizzed past to the rear till at last we touched - a rather bouncy contact followed by a clatter of frequent bounces and little blows which soon combined and our moveshyment resumed the character of a motorshycars progress over a roughish field I

noticed that we were speedshying without brakes towards a large shed door when thank God the machine slowed and stopped in better time than seemed likely

Attendant sprites rushed out and asked me how I like it to which I nodded my combined sense of great deshylight and extreme cold To the flyer I expressed my adshymiration and gratitude for our lucky escape from death

PATENTS Among the patents listed

was one by a Mr Birkigt which showed an invention which enabled the engine to run at a high speed while the air-screw ran at its most effishycient speed Or what today is called a bolt on gear reshyduction unit

Another patent presented a novel idea of engine coolshying middotmiddotin which six narrow radiators three to each side of an engine would rotate to vary the amount of airflow through each thus varying the amount of cooling for the engine

Spark plugs were also the subject of a patent Sooting up of the plug is unfortushynately a somewhat common defect and with the usual type of sparking plugs if this occurs the only thing to do is to take it out and clean it

This patent allowed a mixture of air and gas to be drawn through the working plug during the intake stroke in order to automatically clean and cool the points

ADVERTISERS Though the editorial conshy

tent of the British publicashytion FLYING was similar to American aviation journals of the time the advertiseshyments were definitely differshyent

All the advertisers in the American publications were directly related to aviation mainly aircraft producers or accessory manufacturers For example the January 1

FORshy

WINDSCREENS OIgtSERVATION PANElS

GOGGLES AND

every pltgtrt of an

AEROPLANE 0shy

AIRSHIP where CELLULOID or MICA is employed

USE

TluP~ SAfETYGLASS

[[) THE TRIPLEX SAfElY GlASS C L~~ I Albermarle Street

LONDON)v rprrn

T~phon $HATr~ItLYS H~CLNr IJIO cer LOIYDOIt~

The Airmans W eatherproof

THETIELOCKEN 1 JJ E idea l safeguard (or

IlIuIuted the Airman in thlt it NbullbullbullI or combines with its slHtrt Miliebull workmanlike des ign slich Clopu effecti vc I)()wers of protecshyPOlt fr bullbull

tion th3t winrl rain and snow can all be (ucd with 311 3SSlIrlIlCe of (011shy

plete immunity from disshycomfort or risk to health

Unlike rubber-proofs or weatherproofs interlined with oiled-silk Til E-TI EshyLOCKEN whilst 511111)shyjng efficient security agunst wel or cold is Cree from the enervating heat se t up by air-tight buries

Apart from wet-resi stance the material is so denselyshywoven that the fiercest wind cannot find a way through it This in conjunction with linings of Wool Fleece or

c~Fur mkes TilE TlEshy~ LOCK EN the mostpcrfect coat available (o r air-work

Its design ensuresmiddot that every vulneralJle part of the body is doubly covered providing from chin to knce~ a light yeL lu xushy

~ riously warm ~a (eguard

~Anotheradantageo(TIIE ~TIELOCKENtllatappea~s

- especially to Aviators is it ~ quick adjustment A str=tp-lIld-bucklc holds it securely - no buttons to catch in wires

Complete RNASMilitary bullbull well bullbull NbullbullbullI Tielockenbullbullupplied nd RFC Kill

uu bullbullIUfUI wUfrtUlIftOn upound bullbull~AL ALIt 01 _ UbullbullbullbullbullTIctlfD ~ JmiddotmiddotI7 r llaIII in 2 10 4 Oybullbull roor 0- _~ - n _ u S IU bull1 lmiddotC

-_=-~~L ~~f~l rtr~middot 1t~~~~ j or Ready to Ue

--- y-- S HAYMARKET LONDONBURB E R-RBd MI~herbu PARIS aDd PrOyiDci1 Acnb

1917 issue of AVIATION had seven full page ads from aviation manufacturers

However the January 24 1917 issue of FLYING had a dozen advertisers who were clothing manufacturshyers Three of the companies had full page ads of outer clothing for military officshyers This included a comshypany that is still in business - Burberrys They advershytised the Airman s Weathershyproof THE TIELOCKEN long coat Part of the copy read The ideal safeguard for the Airman in that it combines with its smart workmanlike design such effective powers of protecshytion that wind rain and snow can all be faced with an assurance of complete immunity from discomfort or risk to health

Also unlike its US counshyterparts FLYING had no advertisements from aircraft manufacturers There were three full-page ads related to aircraft These included an ad from the Palmer Tyre Ltd an ad for Ebora propelshylers and one for Triplex safety glass

Triplex had been in aviashytion use since at least 1915 It was composed of two layers of glass with a layer of xylonite compressed inshybetween Xylonite was a British nitrocellulose prodshyuct hardened by camphor that was similar to celluloid The Triplex glass was adshyvertised for aircraft windshyscreens and aviators goggles and every part of an aeroshyplane or airship where celshyluloid or mica is employed

Other advertisers inshycluded Lodge aero plugs Smiths aviation instruments and Castrol R (racing) oil the one oil for all engines

FL YING would continue to publish as a weekly through to the end of the First World War and until the end of summer of the first post-war year with pubshylication ceasing in August 1919 bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

(Above) Oscar Leidi works on the tail assembly of Ricardo Schilshylacis Stearman as the rebuild begins to show real progress Note the new stainless firewall and the very nice workmanship on the fuselage

A close-up look at the left side of the cockpit reveals the trim tab control chrome plated mixture and throttle and fuel valve Boeing data plate is also visible

8 JANUARY 1991

From Buenos Aires Argentina comes this Boeing Stearman E75-N1 N2S-5 SIN 75-5384 restoration by Ricardo Schillaci (EM 362436) He writes that the Stearman was bought by the Argentine Navy from US surplus and then released to civilian status as LV-GNF Ricardo bought the airplane in 1989 and has been working on the restoration ever since His helpers are Oscar Leidi (overshyhaul) and Carlos Barreto (finishing) It will be finished in US Navy markings as furshynished by Ken Wilson who also furnished the assignment history of the plane Reshygretfully Ricardo will be moving to Spain in the near future and will have to sell the Stearman after 4000 hours of work on it

Carlos Barreto works on the fuselage getting ready for the baskef installation on the two sides The instrument panels are ready for the shock mounted sections to be installed

This photo of a Piper J-2 Cub in Finland registered OH-CPE was contributed by Hannu Riihela (EM 185733) of Lahti Finshyland (See page 21 of December 1990 VINshyTAGE AIRPLANE) Perhaps this might be called a Piper J-2Igt as it appears to be J-3 from the firewall forward - 65 Contishynental and metal propeller The thinner struts non-balanced rudder and nonshyswiveling tailwheel are J-2 The small wording behind the window says 80 Old 35 liters refering to the fuel type and quantity Planes such as this one are very highly prized in Finland and the object of much affection and attention

This photo of a really rare Sikorsky S-43-WH N440 SIN 4327 was sent in by Randy Roark (EM 78646) of Houston TX The only surviving S-43 of 53 examples built this amphlb was owned by Howard Hughes (Summa Corp) and was at one time being readied for a round-the-world record attempt as NR440 Powered with two Wright GR-1820-G102 enshygines of 900 hp each (1100 hp on takeoff) the S-43 has an empty weight of 14544 Ibs and a gross of 20000 Ibs Restored by an antique auto dealer from San Jose CA the S-43 was flown to a CAF airshow at Ellington Field this past summer On retum it was disshycovered that corrosion was quite evident in the hull and further restoration work is needed

From way down in Titusville Florida the home of Smllin Jacks Pack EM Chapter 866 comes this Piper PA-2220 N3936P SIN 22-3611 which was rebuilt by AI Hoppe (EM 223027) of Titusville AI reports this was his first attempt at the 7600 Process of covshyering and it went very well The Pacer which employs the original Tripacer landshying gear cruises at 125 mph on a little over 9gph

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

Dateline EAA Sun n Fun 90

We d been taxiing for about 15 minshyutes Before that we spent an hour and a half obtaining FAA blessing and performing a thorough briefing with seven pilots and two photographers Before that it took half a day to get all the players in one spot at one time Somewhere along the line I had deshyveloped a headache Now that we were ready to go with six airplanes to shoot and evening lighting that was just right I finally started to relax We were rolling on the runway and the hard part was over

Martin Propst of Jacksonville Florida was in the left seat His Fairshychild 24W was tail-end Charlie in this daisy chain of airplanes and I decided to ride along I to do what I could do to help the photographers and 2 beshycause I had never ridden in a Fairchild 24 With the throttle buried to the hilt the Warner picked up the tempo and the Packard-with-wings began to pick up steam Tail up Then the eight-inch oleos began to extend until they ran out of cushion and the airplane was flying 10 JANUARY 1991

by Mark Phelps

We kept a tight lookout because all around us there was a Ryan PT-22 an Emigh Trojan a Biicker Jungmeister a Cessna 120 and an Aeronca Sedan as well as the Cessna 170 photo plane taking off and forming up at the same time Even with a solid plan of action this was a confusing scene that brings to mind the mass take-offs of bombers from England in World War II All we were trying to do was head five miles out from Lakeland Municipal Airport and orbit as each subject plane took its turn flying on the photo ship

As we taxied out many Sun n Fun regulars may not have given Martins Fairchild a second look except perhaps to wonder where it had been for the

past few years If they had examined the bright yellow airplane just a little closer they would have realized that although Martin has owned the Fairshychild for 30 years and it won Grand Champion honors at Sun n Fun 82 he hadnt stopped there What they saw in 1990 was a completely rebuilt airplane albeit in the same basic color scheme The latest rebuild takes the state of the art much further

The Fairchild 24 was an outgrowth of the sporty luxury-cabin Fairchilds of the late 1920s and early 1930s Fairshychild actually began in 1925 when both Fairchild and Kreider-Reisner Aircraft companies were formed later to merge under the management of Chairman of the Board Sherman Fairchild The main production facilities were located at Hagerstown Maryland and the comshypany built both airframes and Ranger in-line air-cooled engines Fairchild divided most of the cabin airplane marshyket with Waco and Stinson building aircraft for the discriminating ownershypilot and improving the breed with minor advances year after year The Model 24 was the final step in the evolution

When the company mated one of its Ranger in-line engines to the Model 24 airframe the sleek lines proved very popular among pilots of the time Numerous modifications to the airshyframe and control system over the years turned the Model 24 into a smooth gentle-mannered four-placer that any pilot would be proud to own As war clouds gathered and the milishytary began to build up Fairchild scored a large contract for a low-wing primary trainer the PT -19 powered by the comshypanys Ranger in-line engine The facilities at Hagerstown were doubled in size to handle the production of the M-62 Cornell as the series of trainshyers was called Unfortunately producshytion of Ranger engines lagged behind that of airframes and the Model 24 had to be re-engined with a Warner Proshyduction of the Model 24 continued through the war and several were delivshyered to the US Army and Navy as Fowarder transport aircraft and some went to the British RAF as the Argus

Concurrently the Wackett company in Australia had designed a two-place low-wing trainer comparable to a BTshy13 only with a Cirrus engine on the prototype Such engines were all but unavailable in Australia at the time however so the company turned to the

The Packard With Wings bull bull bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

Martys Cabin Class aerial limousine defined Class in the pre- and post-war period The huge spaces provided in the large cabin allow an expansive instrument panel Note the Fairchild Pegasus emblem on the rudder pedals

Warner engine company in the US and bought three or four years supply of Model 165Ds The -Ds main differshyence was its hollow crankshaft enshyabling the installation of a constant speed propeller considered an essenshytial element in training military pilots at the time More on the -0 engine later

Martin became infatuated with his Fairchild in 1960 when he drove out to the airport one afternoon in his Jaguar drophead coupe There sat the beautishyful airplane and the 29-year-old pilot who had been involved in aviation since 1946 sold the Jaguar to take the Fairchild home as his own Hes been tinkering with it sometimes heavily ever since

It was about 1971 that he caught onto the idea of getting a 1650 engine The one he has came from Australia where it once powered a Wackett prishymary trainer Getting it right however involved a lot more than bolting it on the nose of the Fairchild It seems that the Australians manufactured their own replacement pistons without reshygard for the delicate balance required 12 JANUARY 1991

to get the Warner to run properly Also the spacing of the rings was incorrect In 1940 Warner redesigned the pistons and came up with the 8549 that e limi shynated many of the problems associated with earlier parts but the Wackett wrench-spinners Down Under never got the word or the specifications The Aussie engine was a rolling terror when he first got it That didnt stop Martin however Alex McLarty worked on the engine and got himself a set of 8549s and had the Warner dynamically balanced After a year or so of worrying over the engine the Warner was set and humming

After World War a number of Fairchild 24s were built up from parts bought out by Texas Engineering and Manufacturing Co or Temco for short Martins airplane is one of these although he has restored it as a 1941 Model with severa l of the options avai lable in the pre-war Fairchilds One of the factory options in 1941 was the Warner 1650 engine with the Hamilton Standard constant-speed prop President of the Fairchild type club John Berendt said Fairchild

would build you anything you wanted There were two models to choose from Standard and DeLuxe Standard was a stripped down bareshybones aircraft similar to the military transport version and DeLuxe meant anything goes

Among the other pre-war options that Martin has included on his airplane is the leather interior The design is similar to the interior layout previously done on the Fairchild in naugahyde This time however Martin went to England and bought a hide of Bridge of Weir leather Im told that it is one grade above Connolly which is what Roll s Royce uses he said The headshyliner is fabricated from West of Engshyland broadcloth and the sidepanel mashyterial is from a 1958 Ford Thunderbird Thats the closest match to the original Fairchild pattern that is available today according to Martin Even at that the fabric is tought to find and he was down to about the last square inch of material for the sidepanels

The seats and soundproofing are not original cotton Martin found a new style of loaded foam cushioning and

foam insulation that saved a total of 30 pounds of weight When Martin first hired an upholstery man to do the inshyterior work he found that his workshymanship was excellent but his lifestyle left a lot to be desired He ultimately fired the man and hired Harold Bray who did a fine job completing the work Martin also helped a lot with the interior - a project that consumed a full year itself

Martin replaced all the stringers and formers on the fuselage with new ones milled from Douglas Fir instead of Spruce The fir is considered a firmer wood The covering of the fuselage led to another of the mini-disasters associated with the latest rebuild of the Fairchild

Martin hired a young man to do the cover job in Irish linen like the origishynal fabric Apparently the young man was not experienced working with

older types of fabshyric and he shrunk the linen too tight The sound of crackshying wing ribs started to haunt the hangar and the young man simply disappeared one day Martin was extremely fortunate to find 67-year-old James Stevens of St Augustine Florshyida to re-do the fabshy

ric (One af Jim The headliner and side panels show the attention to detail that Stevens latest proj- helps make the entire airplane a complete Grand Champion ects was the canshystructian af the wings during the sumshymer af 1990 far the replica Pitts S-l shySee the article in December SPORT A VIA TION - HGF) He stripped all the linen and repaired the broken ribs He re-covered the tail surfaces in linen

A rare sight indeed The neatly cowled Womer 165D and Hamilton Standard constantshyspeed propeller are not seen on any other Fairchild 24Ws but as John Berendt says Fairchild would build you anything you wanted

except the rudder which remained unshydamaged and then it was time to make a hard decision about the rest of the airplane Ultimately they opted to cover the airplane in Ceconite but comshyplete the finish with butyrate dope The hand-rubbed finish was another of the options available with the DeLuxe Model Fairchild 24 of 1941 The genshyeral belief seems to prevail that most of these options were unavailable from Temco in 1946 but Martin has ads from FLYING Magazines from the late 1940s that indicate that a hand-rubbed finish was available to buyers at that time as well

Besides belonging to Martin for the last 30 years the Fairchild has another significant link to the past It seems that the first mechanic to work on the airplane was none other than Curtis Pitts developer of the Pitts aerobatic biplane Curtis signature graces many of the Fairchilds early logbook enshytries Of particular note is one of his modifications that adds a doubler to the inside of the leading edge of the cowl eliminating a chronic probshylem of cracking that existed on many Fairchild 24Ws Martin reports that he has never had any difficulty with his cowl

As we headed west from Lakeland Municipal for the photo mission I was able to enjoy that sensation of riding in a 1930s sedan only with a birdseye view of most of the state So many of the antique cabin aircraft have that charm Theres nothing like flying along the countryside low and slow with one elbow stuck out the side winshydow and the big radial thumping away up front For Martin Propst its been a long 30 years with the same antique and even with the trials and tribulashytions flights like this one make it all worth the money and the effort bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

----- By RG Frautschy

THE CHIEFS LOGBOOK

Weve all heard the horror stories told about recovering a wing and findshying more rodent residue than wing ribs in a particular area usually the wingtip The Aeronca wings I just got a peek at are not quite that bad but the damage is still costly 3 or 4 spars these days runs into more money than even the sawmill in Twin Peaks is worth That may be a slight exaggeration but the cost involved is staggering Let me illustrate the damage apparently done by mice in the wings of my Super Chief In the left wing the initial inshyspection after covering removal reshyvealed the average amount of dirt and bug residue that one would expect in a wing that had not been recovered in at least 20 years How much is that I hear you all grumbling Well I found less bugs inside than I will find on an average month on my garage windowshysill but not by much Quite a bit of residue was found inside the trailing edges and a closer inspection of the residue (not exactly my favorite part of the job) showed that not only bugs had been in the wing No nests were found but a cursory examination of the spars showed some disturbing damage At the point where the aileron sector is bolted onto the aft spar a section on the top of the spar 2 inches long and 3116 deep was chewed upon See photo 1

Right away I went to AC43-13A for a little guidance Was this type of damage repairable What about the other places on the spar where damage had been done at least as deep as this 43-13 had bad news and it was very specific in this regard a surprise for me since in the past I have found the book to be somewhat generic in nature as it was intended to be by the FAA Figure 19 in AC43-13A shows the type of repair I would have to make to the spar but requires that no fittings be installed within the dimensions of the reinforcing plate I was sunk The repair would go well beyond the spot 14 JANUARY 1991

Photo 1 The chew damage on the lower edge of the spar is too deep to repair and is located too close to the aileron sector mount (left side of the picture) to allow a legal repair

where the aileron sector is bolted in place Scratch one spar I also have to admit that I could find no fault in the logic that the FAA used in determining that there was no reasonable repair to be made in this area First the inboard aileron mount would if bolted to a patch on the spar be at least 116 closer to the aileron and would push the inboard end of the aileron a correshysponding amount Second and most importantly the rear spar on a Champ or a Chief is flexible and is designed that way I tried to avoid looking at the other spars for a couple of days fearshying that my checkbook would never reshycover from the numbers I would have to withdraw Curiosity got the best of me by the next week and I took a good hard look at the forward spar A few more words about the ancestry of the mice that had taken up residence in my wing were muttered as I determined that the forward spar was only margishynally better than the rear but was probshyably un airworthy for most of the same reasons A few thoughts about repairs in an OK area AC43 13 may give you guidance that allows a repair to be performed but before diving in reshymember that there are a few items to

consider First wherever the repair is made if a rib had to be removed to allow access that rib if it must slide over the repaired area will have to be modified How many ribs are you willshying to modify Second once you have modified the rib theres no going back Sure later on the next time you rebuild the wing and you finally reshyplace the spar you can rework the rib again to the original dimensions but its still additional weight and work

To clear up a question about the issue in 4313 about no repairs in the area of fittings the ribs are not conshysidered fittings in this sense The drag and anti-drag wire fittings compresshysion tubes and the strut attach locations are some of the places where repairs are not allowed not under the rib atshytach points

My path has now been changed and I now have to think about replacement - will it be a used spar a new one from a manufacturer or one made from airshycraft quality wood stock Ill discuss that with you next time Feel free to contact me with your opinions or sugshygestions on this issue or any other you think we should cover here in the VINshyT AGE AIRPLANE bull

STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

(Continued from Page 2)

brought about and made possible by the hard work of your Board of Direcshytors and Officers past and present and also the membership who volunteer to help in any way they can I constantly receive a lot of correspondence from different members some critical and some on the positive side A recent example is a letter I received from Bill Ware in Dallas Texas He just wanted to pass along his feelings as far as the Division is concerned offering his sershyvices in any way that we might desire and giving good comments all around I would like to thank Bill for taking time to write and express his opinions We are now working on a couple of new projects that I think the membershyship might find of interest The quesshytion constantly keeps coming up as to when are we going to expand our years of recognition for older aircraft We now cut off at December 31 1955 This subject is now being discussed by the Board We have appointed a workshying committee to investigate the feasishybility of expanding our years of recogshynition I would like some input from the membership on this subject I want to know how the membership feels The committee will meet to discuss this matter prior to the February Board meeting and then report to the Board of Directors who will discuss this issue at our Board meeting We have set a goal to make a decision on thi s matter at our May 1991 Board meeting

We are also investigating the feasishybility of acquiring a group aircraft inshysurance policy for the membership Hopefully by the February issue I can report to you on the progress of these two matters

HG our new editor has come on board and has taken off running He is doing an excellent job and we are glad to have him

As you can see I am proud to have been a part of this development in your Division in the past and look forward to serving you in the future Should you have any concerns please feel free to contact me or any of your directors or officers I look forward to an inshyteresting year in 1991 and am glad to have every member in our organizashytion Lets all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation Join us and have it all bull

How to Store Your Engine

Here are some short-term storage tips from one of the driving forces of the Vintage Aero Club located in Northern Illinois

by Walt Kessler (EAA 115420 Ale 6989)

Most of us sometimes don t fly enough and as a result our aircaft beshycome inactive for long periods of time between flights We have all been told that an engine should be flown at least every week up to operating temperashyture so as to get rid of the moisture acids etc that cause corrosion on cyshylinder walls etc

Proper preservation of your engine is most critical Lycoming Service letshyter No Ll80A andor Teledyne Contishynental Motors S B M84-1 Revision I make interesting reading Both bulleshytins say that engines at greatest risk are those with new steel cylinders

In a recent bulletin Lycoming says Our experience has proven that in reshygions of high humidity active corroshysion can be found on cylinder walls of new engines inoperative for periods as brief as two days Lycoming points out that in engines that have accumushylated 50 hours or more in service the cylinder walls will have acquired a coating of resin that tends to protect them from corrosive action such enshygines can remain inactive for several weeks without damage by corrosion

Lycoming and Continental both disshytinguish between active and inactive storage

Active Storage - The aircraft is flown but not regularly

Inactive Storage - The aircraft may be inactive for at least 30 days but less than 90 days

Lycoming recommends the followshying for active storage engines In a favorable atmospheric environment the engine of an aircraft that is flown intermittently can be adequately proshytected from corrosion by - TURNshyING THE ENGINE OVER FIVE REVOLUTIONS BY MEANS OF THE PROPELLER This will dispel any beads of moisture that may have accumulated and spread the residual lubricating oil around the cylinder walls

Continental says about the same

thing engines or cylinders with less than 50 operating hours are to have their engines pulled through every five days with the engine started and run and flown for 30 minutes every 15 days Engines with over 50 hours are to be pulled through every seven days and flown 30 minutes at least once every 30 days

Continental also advises how to pull the engine through The propeller should be rotated by hand without runshyning the engine Continental explains For 4 or 6 cylinder straight-drive enshygines rotate the engine six revolutions stopping the propeller 45 to 90 degrees from the original position For 6 cylinshyder geared engines rotate the propeller four revolutions and stop the propeller 30 to 60 degrees from the original posshyition

Both engine companies do not recshyommend ground-running an engine during periods of inactivity Ground running the engine for brief periods of time is not a substitute for turning the engine over by hand Lycoming says that ground running will tend to agshygravate rather than minimize corroshysion formation on the engine

Continental says that if you cant fly the engine once every 30 days temshyporary storage (up to 90 days) is in order

The procedure consists of spraying the cylinders with MIL-L-46002 preshyservative oil (NOX RUST VC-I-105 Petrotect V A or equivalent) via the top spark plug hole followed by a crankshycase misting (via a sprayer inserted into the oil filler neck) The oil doesnt have to be hot and a pump-up type garshyden pressure sprayer may be used

Since this is temporary storage there is no need to replace the crankshycase oil

For long term engine preservation we recommend you obtain a copy of Lycoming or Continental Service Bulshyletins bull

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15

Charlie Nelson and Charlie Harris discuss Nelsons Globe Swift for the camera in front of the Red Barn during EM OSHKOSH 90

INTERVIEW CIRCLE by Phyllis Brauer

(EAA 349224 AIC 15666)

Even among antique and classic airplanes a few still outshine the rest and it is this select number that Charlie Harris (A C Chapter 10 Tulsa Okshylahoma) invites into the Interview Cirshycle during convention week

Charlie explained that recognizing and finding these outstanding aircraft is hardly a problem When you see one it does its own communicating It is a significant airplane because of the quality of the restoration or because of unique traits such as a Jenny People gather around it its a show stopper and you know it

Among Charlie s finds at the 1990 convention was a bright yellow 1946 Fairchild 24W owned for the past 30 years by Marty Probst of Jacksonville Florida This aircraft has a rare instalshylation of a Hamilton Standard constant speed propeller and is a prior Grand Champion at Sun n Fun

Another 30 year owner was Lou Russo of Marengo Illinois who apshypeared in the Interview Circle with his 1938 Ryan STA Special This aircraft has never suffered any damage history and is described by Charlie as a beaushy16 JANUARY 1991

tiful late model example of a rare prisshytine level supercharged STA

Not surprisingly a number of planes that Charlie invites into the Circle turns out to be award winners at Oshkosh Ken Volk of Rhome Texas who reshystored his Stearman N2S was judged AIC Divisions World War II Military Trainer runner-up award winner and was Grand Champion Open Cockpit at the National Biplane Association Conshyvention at Bartlesville Oklahoma in June 1990

Bud and Connie Dake of St Louis Missouri completed restoration of their 1941 Monocoupe 90AF the night beshyfore leaving for Oshkosh and won Reshyserve Grand Champion at the convenshytion

The 1947 Luscombe 8E owned by Jim Rushing and Owen Bruce Allen and Richardson Texas was voted the Best Luscombe at Oshkosh 90 Jim and Owen restored this plane over a six year period to a condition so aushythentic that it has been awarded the Luscombe Association Dayton Ohio Fly-Ins Most Original Award twice

Another Luscombe owned by Doug

Combs Phoenix Arizona a 1934 Phantom has been a major award winshyner at Oshkosh on two occasions and is the only flying Phantom in the world

The 1929 Waco 10 ASO brought to the convention by Tom Collier of Jonesboro Georgia was judged Grand Champion Silver Age Antique at this past convention

Before coming to Oshkosh and the Interview Circle Lee Hartman of Arshylington Washington flew his 1947 Cessna 140 from London England to Brisbane Australia (March 17 to May 5 1990) in the London to Brisbane Vintage Aircraft Rally

Charlie selected Bob Pfaffs (Johns Island South Carolina) Bticker Jungmann 200 LYC for the Circle not only because he considered this plane to be a unique Bticker aircraft but al so because of a very fresh restoration

He spotted a 1946 Globe GC I B owned by Charles Nelson of Athens Tennessee Charlie liked this plane beshycause it is a very outstanding custom Continental 210 polished bubble canopy version of the legendary Swift

Allan J Wise of Orlando Florida was invited to the Circle with his Pietenpol Aircamper powered by a Continental C65 which he has owned for the past 20 years A retired USAF pilot who flew an assortment of milishytary aircraft considers his Pietenpol the ultimate fun airplane

Steve Givens and Jim Wright Anshyderson Indiana worked on their 1940 Culver LCA Cadet almost day and night for a year to get it into flying condition Charlie commented that it is one of the finest of the relatively few Culver LCA Cadets flying today

[n addition David Prosser of Vicshytoria Australia was interviewed He was tour director for Oshkosh 90 and led a group of 38 visitors from Down Under Dave informed Charlie that in Australia a good Cub costs $40000 an Aeronca $30000 to $40000 and a Stearman $IOOOOO

Even before the convention begins each year Charlie scouts the grounds to pinpoint potential planes for the Cirshycle First he identifies the aircraft for his agenda and then locates the owners to get permission for the interview They are agreeable in virtually every instance he said They are proud to be asked to share their accomplishshyments Since only 140r 15 interviews

can be taped during each convention those who are invited form a select group

Before the taping is done Charlie and his subject have a pre-interview off camera While thi s is not exactly a rehearsal it does enable the plane s owner to be prepared for what will be discussed in front of the camera This preparatory step takes the better part of an hour and is usually longer than the taped conversation

[ remember the bas ic information so that [ do not have to work from notes Charlie said He strives for a natural uninhibited flow of talk

The kind of information that Charlie elicits of course depends upon the plane itself Besides establishing the year make and model he asks about the original state and quality of the plane He and the owner discuss what was done for the restoration and how long the project took Did the owner do it himself or did someone else do it Charlie finds that the answers suggest the direction of the interview

The most important factor for a sucshycessful interview according to Charlie is to do the necessary preparation about

the plane and its owner so that the main purpose - that of getting interesting information - can be accomplished Although the pre-interview may go well the person may not respond welJ in front of the camera so I might have to carry the interview myself he stated

The interviews are taped between 000 am and 200 pm every day during the convention This schedule allows enough time in the morning to set up and to conclude before the air show begins

Once the taping session is fixed We gather the ground crew the video people the stiJl photographers and the owner The plane is towed to the circle with the help of Art Morgans flight line safety volunteers and after the inshyterview it is returned to its assigned place Charlie emphasized that planes are never moved unless the owner is present at all times

Bob Lumley of Brookfield Wisconshysin and Jeannie HilJ of Harvard Ilshylinois operate the video equipment and Jack McCarthy of Chicago the man covered with cameras does the still photography

Charlie has observed that the aircraft in the Interview Circle frequently are the focus of an owners life and that restoration is not always measured in terms of months and years One of his subjects told him that during the II years he took to restore his plane he went through two marriages one girlfriend and one dog Nevertheless this man seems to be living happily ever after with his beloved plane

The interviews that Charlie conducts at the convention form part of the film library that records EAA history for posterity and are available for viewing at the EAA Air Adventure Museum during visiting hours These tapes said Charlie record where we are in aviation and where we have been As an example he cited the 1989 interview with Ray Brooks a WWI flying ace who at that time was 94 years old There are no other tapes of him so this material is priceless commented Charlie

The recording of aviation history is an ongoing process which Charlie will help to continue at the 1991 Convenshytion Watch for him in action in front of the Red Bam bull

Charlie Harris and Marty Probst show off Martys Fairchild 24W 1990s Grand Champion at Sun n Fun VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17

1990 CHURCH RING PROPELLER World Vintage Air Rally

ENGLAND TO AUSTRALIA On 25 March J990 24 aircraft all

built before 1950 departed White Waltham Airfield near London Engshyland to fly the 10000 miles to Aushystralia The bulk of entrants came from the USA and Australia several flying their aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean to reach the start line Events prior to the start were somewhat dramatic with one entrant destroying his lovely Piper Pacer fortunately survIvIng unshyscathed Other entrants suffered shipshyping damage to their aircraft and were working feverishly to have them ready some still going 15 minutes prior to the start The smallest aircraft in the rally a Piper Cub did not arrive from the docks until Friday evening and all hands gathered to assemble the plane as it emerged from its container alshythough the pilot departed with minor jobs still not completed hoping to do them along the way

On Sunday morning of the departure the last two cross-Atlantic aircraft arshyrived one appearing from Iceland only two hours before the start The crews of these 1948 Bonanzas had little time to get going and one elected to leave the following day to catch up with the fleet

On the Friday evening prior to the start a party was held at the White Waltham Clubhouse complete with 1940s band This was the first time the whole team had been together and a fine time was had by all A two hour briefing was held on Saturday morning and an outline of rally procedures for the first few days was discussed Repshyresentatives of the British CAA were present to answer questions and to go over points discussed at the Heathrow Control Centre on Thursday evening by a gathering of most crews

The day of departure was extremely cold with windy and damp conditions but visibility was sufficient to make a departure As the morning drew on the weather improved and crowds started to arrive and visiting aircraft appeared on the horizon A selection of vintage and aerobatic aircraft put on displays which delighted the crowd that had swollen to about 3000 by midday Deshyspite the presence of TV and other 18 JANUARY 1991

by Lang Kidby (EAA 284957 AIC 12157)

media representatives the crews were taking no notice involved as they were in a frenzy of last minute activities with customs flight planning and last minshyute repairs and adjustments

At midday Richard Branson owner of Virgin Airlines and noted advenshyturer arrived at the platform to pershyform the appropriate speech About 1000 people stood shuffling their feet while Lang Kidby the rally director was found (pumping fuel from an airshycraft for a last minute crew change) Richard made suitable comments then boarded a vintage Bentley to take him to a runway where he fired a green Very flare into the air to release the Tiger Moth (escorted by two other Tishygers as far as the English Channel) The other aircraft took off into the misty sky at one minute intervals with the crowds lining the runway waving in the style of the 1920s roaring each time an aircraft lifted off

The passage past the control zones of Gatwick and Heathrow caused no problems thanks to the thorough briefshying by the CAA and despite strong headwinds the fleet managed to find Troyes in the Champagne district of France Sadly we received the news that the Tiger Moth had crashed on landing at Le Touquet on the coast and the Piper Cub following him in for fuel had side windows blown out by the same freak wind gust that caused the Tigers demise Bill Andrews who had flown his 1947 Bonanza all the way from Zimbabwe for the start ofshyfered to take spare parts belonging to the Tiger (distributed amongst the fleet aircraft) all the way back to Le Touquet He returned with confirmashytion that our only biplane was finished

The second day of the rally turned out miserable with cloud down to ground level and 50 knot winds on the surface at Dijon only 60 miles away on our track The first layday was called and the local police commander (and president of the aero club) was pershysuaded to organise a tour of the area A great day was had by all culminating in the cellars of a champagne maker

who was also a keen pilot The following day was also fairly

substandard but all except the four most conservative crews decided to give it a go and managed to escape to the blue skys and sunshine of the Cote d Azur and the town of Cannes The Cannes weather was beautiful and the crews spent the day touring while waitshying for those left behind in Troyes where the weather had closed in for the next five days An early departure leaving those behind to catch up was made from Cannes and a magnificent flight followed across the Mediterrashynean to Rome Some crews chose to go direct over Corsica and Elba while others followed the coast past Genoa and Pisa

The entry into Rome was a trying experience for all the pilots and none had ever experienced the deluge of inshystructions track changes and routing around restricted areas before in their lives Eventually all the crews were warmly welcomed at Ciampino Airport and were soon on their way to the Garshyden Hotel situated on a volcanic lake poised above the city of Rome The compulsory bus trip around Rome enshysued and everyone was photographed in St Peters Square and the Coliseum before returning to the hotel The exshychange rates here were probably the most blatant attempt at robbery on the whole trip

A decision was made to catch up a day and the fleet departed Ciampi no (I hour 42 minutes from Clear to taxi to Clear to takeoff was the record) and overflew the original destination of Brindisi and went to Kerkira on the Greek island of Corfu The reception was magnificent the hotels cheap and the scenery exactly as expected of the Greek Islands Regretfully leaving Kerkira we set out on the first of the long overwater crossings to Iraklion on Crete via the island of Milos Bad weather over the first half of the trip caused concern for many crews but eventually all arrived between thunshyderstorms and strong wings at Iraklion Airport The reception was marvelous and the Australians found particular inshyterest in standing on the site of a despshyerate defence against German parashy

troops 50 years earlier A couple of days were spent waiting

at Iraklion for our Egyptian clearances to come through and the time was spent touring the rugged interior of Crete attending a huge political rally with many members of the crowd firing aushytomatic weapons gaily into the air in their excitement and eating magnifishycent Greek food During this time the fears of several weaker crews came to light and three aircraft left the rally convinced the fleet would never get through the as yet unapproved Saudi Arabia as a group Two of these later asked to rejoin the rally one being acshycepted back and the other being overshywhelmingly voted against in a ballot of all team members