VA-Vol-23-No-4-April-1995

EDITORIAL STAFF Publisher

Tom Poberezny

April 1995 Vol 23 No4

CONTENTS 1 Straight amp Level

Espie Butch Joyce

2 AlC News Compiled by HG Frautschy

4 Aeromail

5 Vintage LiteratureDennis Parks

9 Type Club NoteslNorm Petersen PageS

11 Fabric RejuvenationlDip Davis

12 Details Details Frank Sperandeo Ills Piper PA-2022 PacerHG Frautschy

16 Frank Warrens Thompson Trophy Paintings

18 Gary Granfors Cessna 172 Norm Petersen

21 Time Bomb - That Old Compressor Could be Deadly Page 12 Cy Galley and HG Frautschy

23 Members ProjectsNorm Petersen

25 Pass it to BucklEE Buck Hilbert

27 Mystery AirplaneGeorge Hardie

28 Welcome New Members

30 Calendar

31 Vintage Trader Page 18

FRONT COVER The 1960 Cessna 172 of Gary Granfors and his partners Gene Leclerc Rick Worringer and Bill Worrlnger was selec ted as the Contemporary Reserve Grand Champion of the EAA AntiqueClassic Division at EM OSHKOSH 95 EAA photo by Jim Koepnick shot with a Canon EOS-l equipped with an 80-200mm f28 lens 1250 sec at f 100 on Kodak Ektachrome Lumiere 100 film Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore

BACK COVER The Piper PA-2220 Pacer of Frank Sperandeo III was honored with a Best Custom Engine Installation award See the article starting on page 12 for a breakdown on Franks many c ustom modifications to his Pacer EM photo by Jim Koepnick shot wi th a Canon EOS-l equipped with an 8O-200mm f2 8 lens 1250 sec a t f 80 on Kodak Ektachrome Lumiere 100 film Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore

Copyright copy 1995 by the EAA AntiqueClassic Division Inc All rights reserved VINTAGE AIRPLANE (ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EM AntiqueClassic Division Inc of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EM Aviation Center 3000 Poberezny Rd PO Box 3086 Oshkosh Wisconsin 54903-3086 Second Class Postage paid at Oshkosh Wisconsin 54901 and at additional mailing offices The membership rate for EM AntiqueClassic Divisionlnc is $2700 for current EM members for 12 month period of which $1500 is for the publication of VINTAGE AIRPLANE Membership is open to all who are interested in aviation POSTMASTER Send address changes to EM AntiqueClassic Division Inc PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 FOREIGN AND APO ADDRESSES - Please allow at least two months for delivery of VINTAGE AIRPLANE to foreign and APO addresses via surtace mail ADVERTISING - AntiqueClassic Division does not guarantee or endorse any product offered through the advertising We invite constructive criticism and welcome any report of inferior merchandise obtained through our advertising so that corrective measures can be taken EDITORIAL POLICY Readers are encouraged to submit stories and photographs Policy opinions expressed in articles are solely those of the authors Responsibility for accuracy in reporting rests entirely with the contributor No renumeration is made Material should be sentto Editor VINTAGE AIRPLANE PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Phone 414426-4800

The words EAA ULTRALIGHT FLY WITH THE FIRST TEAM SPORT AVIATION and the logos of EAA EAA INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION EAA ANTIQUECLASSIC DIVISION INTERNATIONAL AEROBATIC CLUB WARBIRDS OF AMERICA are reg registered trademarks THE EAA SKY SHOPPE and logos of the EAA AVIATION FOUNDATION and EAA ULTRALIGHT CONVENTION are trademarks of the above associations and their use by any person other than the above association is strictly prohibited

Vice-President Marketing amp Communications

Dick Matt

Editar-in-Chief Jock Cox

Editor Henry G Frautschy

Managing Editor Golda Cox

Art Director Mike Drucks

Assistant Art Director Sora Hansen

Computer Graphic Specialists Olivia L Phillip Jennifer Larsen

Advertising Mary Jones

Associate Editor Norm Petersen

Feature Writers George Hardie Jr Dennis Parks

Staff Photographers Jim Koepnick Mike Steineke

Corl Schuppel Donna Bushman

Editorial Assistant Isabelle Wiske

EAA ANTIQUECLASSIC DIVISION INC OFFICERS

President Vice-President Espie Butch Joyce Arthur Morf]an

PO Box 1001 W211 N 11863 Hilltop Dr Modison NC 27025 Germantown WI 53022

910573-3843 414628-2724

Secretory Treasurer Steve Nesse EE Buck Hilbert

2009 Highland Ave PO Box 424 Albert Leo MN fHJJ7 Union IL 60180

507373-1674 815923-4591

DIRECTORS John Berendit Robert C Bob Brauer

7645 Echo Point Rd 9345 S Hoyne Connon Falls MN 55009 2D

507263-2414 Chl~~~~9~~mGene Chose John S Copeland

2159 Carlton Rd 28-3 Williamsbur8 Ct Oshkosh WI 54904 Shrewsbury MA 1545

414231-5002 508842-7867

Phil Coulson George Daubner 28415 Springbrook Dr 2448 Lough Lone

Lawton MI 49065 Hartford WI 53027 616624-5490 414673-5885

Charies Horris Stan Gomoll 7215 East 46th St 1042 90th Lone NE Tulsa OK 74145 Minneapolis MN 55434

918622-8400 612784-1172

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

Indianapolis IN 46278 HaNard IL 60033 317293-4430 815943-7205

Robert Licktei~ Robert D Bob Lumley 1 708 Boy Oaks r 1265 South 124th St

Albert Lea MN fHJJ7 Brookfield WI 53OD5 507373-2922 4147B2-2633

Gene Morris George York 115C Steve Court RR 2 181 Sloboda Av

Roanoke TX 76262 Mansfield OH 44906 817491-9110 419529-4378

SH Wes Schmid 2359 Lefeber Avenue Wauwatosa WI 53213

414771-1545

DIRECTOR EMERITUS SJ WlIIman

7200 SE 85th Lane Ocala FL 32672

904245-7768

ADVISORS Joe Dickey Jimmy Rollison

55 Oakey Av 640 Alamo Dr Lowrenceburg IN 47025 Vacaville CA 95688

812537-9354 707451-0411

Dean Richardson Geoff Robison 6701 Colony Dr 1521 E MacGregor Dr

Madison WI 53717 New Haven IN 46774 608833-1291 219493-4724

STRAIGHT amp LEVEL by Espie Butch Joyce

The 1995 Sun n Fun Fly-In in Lakeshyland Florida will most likely be in full swing when this issue of VINTAGE AIRPLANE reaches your mailbox If youve signed up for the Division durshying Sun n Fun you may have recieved this issue at AC Headquarters Welshycome aboard

As the kickoff fly-in of the season people come to rekindle their aviation soul not to mention bask in the warm sun and good weather Im looking forshyward to this early spring gathering and I hope to see you there

I was pleased to have EAA Chapshyter 1083 located at Salisbury North Carolina (Rowan County) ask that I serve as the speaker at their Chapter program Jack Neubacher a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Southern Aviator magazine is the spark plug of this group but he cannot do this deed alone It takes all of the other members of the chapter to help keep it going Joe Wilborn is the pershyson who invited me to address the group Hes a retired aeronautical enshygineer from Lockheed in Atlanta Georgia I also found out that Joes wife E leanor is a retired aeronautical engineer and AampP One of the really nice things is that they fly and mainshytain a Cessna 170 Thats a long way from a C5A

Approximately 80-90 people showed up that night (February 14 1995) to visit and talk about aviation My talk was intended to explain to everyone that EAA does a great deal of good for everyone in aviation all over the counshytry with the representation in Washshyington DC and that EAA does not alshyways get a lot of credit for these good deeds

A gentleman at the rear of the group held up his hand and said I know anshyother place EAA is doing a lot of good and is not getting credit for this deed Somewhat puzzled I asked him to exshyplain his statement

He explained Right here in Rowan County OK you have my ear Well if it was not for the EAA all of these people wouldnt be here tonight There was a lot of flying going on here but this EAA Chapter is the only thing that has brought us together Now we are doing things together Its good Thank Paul and Tom for me Well I will and now that you have said so Im goshying to thank them myself also

We took a break and I fielded a number of questions about EAA and Ae After leaving the meeting while driving back home I started thinking (Which has caused me trouble from time to time) that when you work with the staff at Oshkosh like I do you have a tendency to forget what its like on the other end At a number of Chapter functions its been pointed out to me that if it were not for an EAA Chapter people would not have any kind of avishyation function to enjoy - other than working on or flying their airplanes The Chapter system is good and worthshywhile

Asking for a show of hands about 70 percent of any Chapter you visi t will be flying an antique classic or contemshyporary class airplane This speaks well for our type of flying when it comes to EAA members

I received a letter the other day from Dick Matt Dick is a Vice President of EAA in charge of the Marketing and Communications In this letter Dick explained that EAA had struck a deal

with ESPN to produce a 12 part aviashytion series for ESPN Dick writes Im very excited about the series because it has the potential to greatly impact our membership As you know commershycial time on the series would be highly effective for many products If you know of a company group or individshyual who might be interested in becomshying a sponsor please forward the name of a contact person and phone numshyber If you know of a company that you think could benefit from this type of exposure drop Dick Matt at EAA Headquarters in Oshkosh a note so this project can move forward

I have my Baron down for annual again I have always tried to do this anshynual in March each year but every year it seems that I get rushed to get everyshything back together before Lakeland This year I plan on having it signed off in April Besides all of that its got my Clip-wing Cub blocked in the hangar and wouldnt you know it weve gotten pretty weather early this year

Your next mailer will be sent out soon regarding our membership reshycruiting program The last mailer proved to be successful hopefully this one will also Ask your friends to join up with us and enjoy your great monthly magazine VINTAGE AIRshyPLANE

Your AntiqueClassic Board of Dishyrectors will be meeting in May 1995 If you have anything or concerns that you feel need to be addressed please drop me a note We want and nee d the membership input

Lets all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation Remember we are better toge ther Join us andhave it all

compiled by HG Frautschy CIWI MANDATORY EMERGENCY LYCOMING AD

As this issue of Vintage Airplane was going to press we were advised that an emergency Airworthiness Directive applicable to Lycoming engines was to be isshysued The AD has been issued via Priority Mail to inspect for substandard connectshying rod bolts shipped by Superior Air Parts Inc between February 15 1994 and Deshycember 20 1994 If you have overhauled your Lycoming -360 -540 -541 or -720 series engine since February 15 1994 you should immediately obtain a copy of AD 95-07-01 to determine if your engine is affected by this AD The emergency AD imshymediately grounds applicable aircraft until the AD is complied with The AD does not apply to aircraft engines overhauled by Lycoming

The suspect rod bolts have failed in a random pattern and are the result of the parts having been manufactured by an outside source from substandard materials Superior Air Parts issued Service Bulletin No 95-002 dated March 3 1995 detailing inspection and identification of the suspect rod bolts Copies may be obtained by contacting Superior at 800487-4884 or by writing Superior Air Parts Inc 14280 Gillis Rd Dallas TX 75244-3792

For more information on this AD from the FAA contact Richard Karanian Aerospace Engineer Special Certification Office FAA Rotorcraft Directorate 2601 Meacham Blvd Fort Worth TX 76137-4298 phone 817222-5195 fax 817222-5959 or Locke Easton Aerospace Engineer Engine and Propeller Stanshydards Staff FAA Engine and Propeller Directorate 12 New England Executive Park Burlington MA 01803-5299 phone 617238-7113 or fax at 617238-7199

The FAA views this emergency AD as extremely serious - so much so they will not issue ferry permits to move affected aircraft

OTHER FAA NEWS

PMA ENFORCEMENT The FAA has announced that it will

fully enforce total compliance with the regulations concerning the production of replacement parts for sale and instalshylation on type certificated aircraft

If you produce parts for sale and inshystallation on aircraft you must be the holder of a Parts Manufacturer Apshyproval (PM A) issued by the FAA As detailed in Vintage Airplane in the past and confirmed in conversations between the FAA and EAA this policy statement by the FAA does not effect your ability to make parts for a type certificated aircraft that you own under the provisions of FAR 21303

The policy statement by the FAA made provisions for a 90 day period during which persons may begin applishycation for a PMA without the informashytion in the application being used to inishytiate enforcement At the very least a person desiring a PMA to make and sell parts for installation on type certifishycated aircraft must submit a prelimishynary application to the FAA no later than May 30 1995

For more information contact EAAs Government Affairs Specialist Earl Lawrence at 414426-6522 You may also contact the FAA directly at Production and Airworthiness Certifishycation Division AIR-200 FAA 800 Inshydependence Av SW Washington DC

2 APRIL 1995

20591 or call 202267-8361

ANOTHER lOOLL CONTAMINATION

The FAA has announced that anshyother fuel contamination incident has occurred - this time on the East Coast 3000 gallons of 100LL fuel was contashyminated with a small amount of diesel fuel and was delivered to the Chatham MA airport The fuel was used at the airport between December 2 1994 and January 13 1995

The contaminated fuel tested at 895 octane and no significant damage has been reported to the FAA as a result of this contamination The fuel was supshyplied by Texaco who has admitted reshysponsibility for the altered fuel The FAA does not plan to issue any Airshyworthiness Directives unless further inshyformation comes to light If youre conshycerned about your engine and you used fuel purchased at Chatham Airport during the above mentioned time peshyriod you may wish to contact the apshypropriate engine manufacturer or the FAA If you have a Continental enshygine contact Teledyne Continental Motors Service Engineering phone 205438-3411 extension 340 For a Lyshycoming engine you can call them at 717327-7187 and for other engines contact the applicable engine manufacshyturer or call the FAAs Locke Easton Engine and Propeller Standards Staff phone 617238-7113

FCC LICENSE NEWS Back in mid February a bill was inshy

troduced in the United States House of Representatives that could provide the FCC with a way to avoid what has beshycome for them (and us) a bureaucratic headache The title of the bill is To amend the Communications Act of 1934 in order to permit recreational rashydio operations without radio licenses

Representatives Stupak of Michigan and Fields of Texas introduced the bill which was referred to the Commerce Committee It would allow the FCC to get out of the licensing business for a porshytion of personal aviation maritime and personal radio services The part that would affect aviation reads as follows

the commission may by rule aushythorize the operation of radio stations without individual licenses in the folshylowing radio services (A) the personal radio services (B) aircraft stations opshyerated on domestic flights when such aircraft are not otherwise required to carry a radio station

(2) Any radio station operator who is authorized by the Commission to operate without an individual license shall comply with all other provisions of this Act and with rules prescribed by the Commission under this Act

You ll note that the bill would not provide relief from a licensing requireshyment if you wish to fly your aircraft outside of the US - international agreements still require a station lishycense for international flights

You may wish to contact your US Representative and Senator to urge them to support this bill HR 963 shypoint out that the passage of this bill will relieve the federal government of a bureaucratic licensing burden and proshyvide you with a respite from what someshytimes appears to be a never-ending list of fees and taxes that we all have to pay With the current atmosphere in Washington of making government more responsive to the people this line of thinking may well provide a foundashytion of support

PETER MARSHALLS PHONE NO

For those of you attempting to reach Peter Marshall in New Haven CT to try and help him with his quest to reshyproduce a Curtiss Hawk III (see Aeroshymail in the February issue of Vintage Airplane) his correct phone number is 2031773-3268 Peter is looking for any and all information including drawings concerning the Hawk III Give him a call if you have information to share

KNOB RESTORATION Member Bob Hollenbaugh of Midshy

dletown OH and I both wonder if anyshybody has a method to refinish the

Some of these guys take this STC thing just a bit too far Staggerwing Club member Bill Helsell decided he d give the business to the young FAA inspectors who were coming for a

visit (Should it be named the Staggerwing OX trainer How about the Staggerox) The OX-5 seems to fit OK and could certainly lend itself to a nice cowl but were not sure that the climb and cruise wont suffer a bit from the drag of the radiator (But oh think of the cabin heat you could have ) The 90 horseponies put out by the OX are a bit on the light side as well We suspect Bill and his rebuilder Orville Tosch probably sprained their tongues when they planted them so far into their cheeks

Now before you go send off a note asking for more information about this modification for the Staggerwing be sure and check the cover date of this issue

Our thanks to George York of the Staggerwing Club for sharing these shots with us

molded plastic knobs found in the cockshypits of so many of our airplanes In particular Bob is rebuilding SIN 2 Aeronca llAC Chief and has to reshystore the knobs for the throttle carb heat and cabin heat Without resorting to a lathe and sandpaper which would destroy the heat imprinted legends on the face of the knob or painting the knobs themselves (they have a translushycent look to them) is there a rejuvenashytion process that can be done If you know of such a method please send the details to us here at EAA HQ at the address at the end of this next AIC News item

AlC CHAPTER ACTIVITIES AntiquelClassic Chapters have often

been the focus of local activities for a number of our members There are now 18 Chapters with one more to be added to the list this month (Congratshyulations to AIC Chapter 28 in Lexingshyton KY)

With that much interest were sure that the Chapters are coming up with all sorts of projects from the familiar fly-in to other social events Wed like to feature some of those events on a regular basis here in the pages of Vinshytage Airplane A few sharp photos and a write-up on what you do as a Chapter will give you a boost to encourage othshyers to join in the fun and may give othshyers ideas on ways they can enjoy their affiliation with a local AIC Chapter Don t just limit yourself to fly-ins-

Those folks in the Staggerwing Club certainly have a lot of fun - member Jim Gorman shared a list of interpretations for use the next time youre perusshying the classified airplane ads Anybody else got a few to add to this list

HOW TO INTERPRET ANTIQUE AIRPLANE ADS Recovered -Airplane washed Rebuilt -Recovered Totally Restored -Recovered painted Fabric Good -Only flaps a little when flying Fabric Fair -Finger goes through at the slightest touch Rebuilt Engine -New spark plugs Engine needs slight adjustment -Needs complete overhaul Low Hours -About 10000 hrs Lost storage -Neighbors got court order Needs interior -Seats are gone NDH (No Damage History) -On its back twice 200 mph cruise -Airspeed indicator broken New tires Recapped for the third time Modern radios -Omnigator Propeller Overhauled -Straightened after hitting steel pole IFR equipped -Turn and bank

write up a visit to a local restorers shop or a purely social event as well Pershyhaps you have a Chapter restoration project as well - write it up and who knows you might just get some unexshypected help from another source Send your write up and photos (and please dont write on the back of the photos) to the editor at

HG Frautschy EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

STAGGERWING VIDEO If youre a Staggerwing fan your

television can be your ticket to video bliss A 45 minute video has been proshyduced which documents this famous aircraft The video project spearshyheaded by Staggerwing club member Dick Hansen chronicles the history of the famous Beechcraft and the Staggershywing Museum in Tullahoma TN and features air-to-air and historical footage of the Model 17 I saw a preview of the video during the Staggerwing Convenshytion this past fall and was quite enshythralled It can be yours by calling or writing the Staggerwing Museum Box 550 Tullahoma TN 37388 Telephone 615455-1974 or -3594

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

MAIL

Dear Henry

I thought Id send you the latest upshydate on the restoration of the MGM Special Also included is a photo you can publish (see page 3) Im still trying to work up an article on the project

Anyway heres the latest I was able to get a copy of the original stress and design analysis done in Spetember of 1927 That little gem came from the San Diego Aerospace Museum From that I was confident enough to order a sufficient amount of chromoly tubing (I hope) to rebuild both Ryans

Unfortunately the analysis doesn t have anything on the wood structures Im still looking for some form of conshystruction drawings I have a request into the FAA for a copy of what ever they have of the Approved Type Cershytificate for the B-1 series (25) If all else fails Yankee Air Museum in Chino CA has offered to call me when their B-1 (cn 141 NC6956) is rolled onto the restoration floor They will alshylow me to take photos dimensions etc to develop my own plans

From Harmon Dickerson in Columshybia MO I purchased a partially overshyhauled Wright J-5 Whrlwind engine with all accessories It s abso lutely georgeous too I cant wait until its finished and running

Today I purchased a pair of B-1 ailerons from the Antique Airplane Asshysociation Im also in the process of obshytaining from a private collector the original fabric from the rudder of the MGM Special Boy was I surprised to find that

Other than drawings Im looking for photos of the MGM Special as well as any Ryan B-1 Brougham I could also use instruments mag swi tches etc One special thing I need is a complete Pioneer Earth Inductor compass or any parts thereof That s about it right now Hopefully in the next few months I ll be able to start actual reconstrucshytion Ill keep you informed

Sincerely Scott Gifford (AC 17672) 550 Frederick Ln Prescott AZ 86301

4 APRIL 1995

DearHG

For a while now I have thought that one thing that would add value to the whole of vintageclassic aircraft interest would be well prepared write-ups comshyplete with photos dedicated solely to what to check on any particular aircraft prior to purchase or rebuild

Because it occurs so often that a pershyson full of enthusiasm purchases a cl ass ic and even if it were perfectly painted up finds that because of pershyha ps rusted out tubing in the landing gear that his beautiful J-3 or other has just now been totaled

There always exists a natural fear of the unknown whenever I purchase a classic I have owned several during my lifetime and am currently down to three namely a PA-17 Vagabond a J-3 Cub and a beautiful Pietenpol Should you publish in Vintage Airplane such a series of articles describing what to exshyamine closely prior to purchase then much of the usual uncertainly will be allayed within all of your members whether purchaser or seller If nothing more it would at least lay some authorshyitative sort of ground rules into how much of an inspection a person should expect or allow on specific classics

As an example of what I am refershyring to I have wanted a good ErshycoupeAircoupe for years I have the manuals I have bits and pieces of inforshymation I have saved magazine articles etc but still I shy away from purchasshying As much as I would love to own a good aircraft of this type I am re luctant to just jump in and acquire one unless I feel that I have done a thorough and meaningful exami nation I am not afraid to have to rebuild or change parts that doesn t trouble me A failed major component due to my lack of knowledge would trouble me some

Basically what is needed is a new sectio n in antiqueclassic magaz ine The section would cover a different airshycraft eac h month This would also greatly benefit owners such as myself who would then pay more attention to their own aircraft thus helping greatly to preserve these classics by perhaps averting disastrous accidents My belief

is that there is much to be gained by knowledge of what to inspect for not only for a potential aircraft purchaser but for the health of the movement in general

Should my suggestions meet with your approval may I suggest the first article be on the Ercoupe family of airshycraft I feel certain that the Ercoupe Type Club would be happy to help out Perhaps then I will feel more easy re shygarding the purchase of one I have adshymired this little aircraft type now since first seeing one back in the forties

Should you publish such an article in VINTAGE AIRPLANE then I would probably have my first Ercoupeairshycoupe in short order At least I would feel quite a bit more confident regardshying the aircraft its future and my own

Sincerely yours

Ron M Hynes 7 Maywood Road Sherwood Park Alberta T8A OJ9 Canada

P S EAA is one of the things in this old world that make life worthshywhile Thanks for all your efforts and a special thanks to Paul Poberezny a great man

Rons idea certainly has merit as Im sure that most of our readers would agree The tough part comes with the execution shywere does one gather the information on a wide variety of aircraft types The anshyswer certainly lies with each of the Type Clubs Other than the few AIs out there with antiqueclassic experience there is nobody with a broader knowledge of each aircraft that those who keep the type clubs going Our staff here at EAA while expeshyrienced cannot possibly cover all the airshycraft that could potentially be in each of the articles so heres my proposal

ld be happy to publish a series of artishycles on the pre-purchase inspection of speshycific aircraft types authored by people with experience with that aircraft make and model If you are member of a type club please feel free to submit it though your club so that a compLete review can be acshycomplished before pubLication PLease feel free to submit photos of specific probLem areas if you have them and dont be self conscious about your writing styLe - well take care of that on our end

Send your articles to AntiqueClassic Aircraft Reviews EAA Aviation Center PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

If you need more guidelines call me at 414426-4825

- HG Frautschy

VI~TA(3~ LIT~l2ATUl2~ b [)ennis IJar-ks)

Libr-ar-~r-chives [)ir-ect()r-

From the pages ofAero

CHICAGO 1911

During January 1910 air racing came to America during a meet held at Dominguez Field outside of Los Angeles Twenty-five thousand spectators jammed the field to see American pilots in Wright and Curtiss mashychines compete with Bleriots and Farmans from Eushyrope Curtiss brought a new airplane and won $6500 in prize money for speed and endurance contests Howshyever he was outdone by Louis Paulham of France in his Farman who captured over $10000 in winnings Both Curtiss and Wright formed flying schools and exhibit teams during the year The number of pilots rose from twenty in 1909 to one hundred by the end of 1910 In October 1910 the aviation world gathered again for Americas second international meet on the occasion of the second Gordon Bennett Cup race the first in America This event took place at Belmont Park outshyside of New York City Prizes totaled $73000 with $10000 set aside for a race around the Statue of Lib-

The Twenty-One Prize Winners Aviator Machine Amount

Thomas SOpwlth Blerlot Wright $13120 Lincoln Beachey Curtlss 10622 C P Rodgers Wright 9960 G W Beatty Wright 6800 Earle Ovington Bleriot Curtiss 6300 A 1 Welsh Wright 981 Rene Simon Molsant 282 Eugene Ely Curtiss 3796 PhllUp Parmelee Wright 3701 James Ward Curtiss 2900 O A Brindley Wright 2606 J A D McCurdyMcCurdy 1900 Howard Glll Wright 1860 John J Frisbie Curtiss 196 Lee Hammond Baldwin 660 George Meatach ~orane 460 J C Turpin Wright 460 Paul W BeckCurtiss 400 J V Martin Grahame-Whlte 260 Frank T Coffyn Wright 160 Andrew Drew ~ Wright 160

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~--~~------~~----~~(Above) After the Chicago meet Cal Rodgers (on right) traveled to Appleton Wisconsin where he gave rides to friends and family of his wife

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

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tional av iation to the Midwest In April 1911 a group of businessmen met a t the

Greatest Event in the History of Aeronautics invita tion of the Aero Club of Illinois They were asked to under take the proshy

INTERNATIONAL ject of bringing international competition to Chicago Under the lea ders hip of Harold McCormick success was assured

AVIATION MEET The site chose n was alon gside Lake Michigan at Grant Park The location in downtown Chicago would ensure access by large crowds Ca ll ed the INTERNAshy

Grant Park-CHICAGO TIONAL AVIATION MEET the event was scheduled for nine days from August

August 12-20 1911 12-20 and prize money was advertised at $80000

ENTRANTS

Under Auspices International Aviation Meet Association-Full Official Sanction T he A ugust S 1911 issue of AERO

$80000 IN PRIZES held that the many entries promised sucshycess of the Chicago Meet With a great entry li st assured so that hangars will be provided for 30 machines at least a nd

Largest purse and most ambitiolB program ever offered in any country each flier entering as a contestant rather

Aviation field exceeding one mile in length Oval course over one and one-thiJd miles than as a n exhibitor it is believed that the competition will be the keenest that

in circumference minimum distance Events embrace every feature and novelty has ever been witnessed in America and that the meet will go down in aeronautic

in aviation Hangars for 40 machines Grand stand for 50000 people annals as the beginning of truly competishytive av ia tion in Am e rica The li s t of thirty names published included Harry Atwood Tom Baldwin James McCurdy

SPECIAL RAILROAD RATES NINE DAYS EVERY AFTERNOON Earle Ovington Charles Willard Lincoln

Many Free Seats Beachey Charles Hamilton Cal Rodgers and Eugene Ely from the United States International entrants included Thomas Sopwith and Roland Garros One of the unu sua l fea tures of th e meet was th e

Scale of Prices 25c to $150 Box Seats $200 novel plan of distributing a large part of the prize money according to flying time thus making the event especially att racshytive to skill ed fly ers T he plan guaranshyteed contestants two do ll ars for eac h

erty The Curtiss and Wright teams both weren t able to match the performance of minute they were in the air during official entered fo ur aviators each There were the Europeans Graham-White was outshy hours The program also included a varishyalso seven independent American e nshy standing at th e mee t winning both the ety of contests durati on speed altitude trants England provided three pilots inshy Gordon Be nn ett Cup and th e race and cross-country races This was the first cluding Claude Graham-White a nd around the Statue of Liberty With inshy tim e flyers we re n t paid appearance France nine including Roland Garros ternational events on both the West and mon ey For nin e days th e fl yers comshyThe event was quite a disappointment for Eas t coasts in 1910 it was dec ided in peted for records and prizes Top honors the Wright a nd Curti ss tea ms who Chicago that it was time to bring internashy in the speed contest went to Sopwith

Fifteen hangars were built on the Grant Park site for the 1911 meet The Blackstone hotel is in the background

6APRIL 1995

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Beachey and Ovington Sopwith recorded seven first- two secondo and one third-place awards Prizes from the speed contest netted the Englishman over $10000 Along with his other prizes he earned over $13000 the most for any contestant Beachey established an altishytude record of 11642 feet which wou ld last for three years This along with ten other awards earned Beachey nearly $11000 Honors for total duration went to a newcomer Cal Rodgers Using a slow but reliable Wright B he remained aloft three hours nearly every day At the close of the meet his total time aloft was 27 hours and 16 seconds earning him over $9000 Another highlight of the meet occurred on August 14 when Harry Atwood piloting a BurgessshyWright biplane landed after a 283 mile trip from St Louis It was the first part of a flight to New York city which would earn him the $10000 prize offered by Victor Evans a Washington DC patent attorney His journey of 1295 miles exshyceeded the worlds distance record by 82 miles

(Above) Phillip Parmelee one of the Wright team pilots at the starting line in one of the short wing Model Rs Parmlee flew a little over five hours during the meet

(Below) Wright Model B Flyer in the air Probably taken at Detroit during September 1910 The Model B first flew in July 1910

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(Above) This Burgess Model E also known as the Grahame-White Baby was flown in the Chicago meet by J V Martin This aircraft was designed by Grahame-White and manufactured by Burgess It is very similar to a Farman biplane

(Above right) The Curtiss hydro-aeroplane flown by Hugh Robinson attracted a great deal of attention The use of this craft for rescue work was demonstrated when the pilot landed at the site of Johnstones crash into Lake Michigan

ACCIDENTS

Even though it was a great meet these were the pioneer days of aviation and it was marred by a few acc idents two o f the m fa ta l Both of the fa taliti es took place on Tuesday August 15

In the first Willi am Badge r flyin g a Baldwi n biplane ove rstressed his mashychine by ma kin g a sudd en di ve a nd a quick climb As the climb was begun the wings collapsed and the plane dropped 50 fee t to the gro und killing Badger H e apparently was trying to duplica te a mashyneuver of Linco ln Beacheys where he dove into a sunken portion of Grant Park and then pulled up abruptly into a breathshytaking climb giving the appea rance of coming up out of the ground to the asshysembled crowd

The other victim was St Croix Johnshysto ne fly ing a Moisant Ble ri o t mo noshypl ane H e had bee n in th e a ir fo r two hours when his plane suddenly dove from about 3000 fee t into Lake Michigan The p ilot was tra ppe d in th e mac hine as it sunk out of sight Some believed that the gyroscopic forces of the Moisant s rotary

engine had caused the accident St Croix had ea rlier announced that it was his inshytentio n to give up fl ying at the close o f the meet and go into the airplane supply business on a large scale in New York

GREATEST MEET

The August 16 1911 issue of AERO declared that the Greatest Mee t Ever Held E nds Happily What Tom Sopshywith ca ll ed the greatest avi atio n meet the world has eve r seen ended yestershyday the facts and figures of the nine days of fl ying proving it wi thout the shadow of a do ubt Pro ba bly three o r fo ur mil shylions of people have witnessed at least a pa rt of th e meet a t which $80 000 in prizes have been wo n two new wo rld s records made and $140000 taken in a the gate How many people have become practica lly interested in aviation as a reshysul t of the meet is a matter of conjecture but if o ne in every tho usand who wit shynessed th e mee t has b ee n conve r ted there are today 3000 new foll owe rs of the sport science or industry During the n ine days t here has bee n tw ice as

much fl ying as the world has ever heard of in a like period Lincoln Beachey in an all-American Curtiss biplane has set a new altitude mark of 11 578 feet fo r the wor ld to ma rve l a t a nd WG Bea tty with th e ink hardl y dry o n hi s pilo t s brevet has broken a long standing durashytion record with a passe nger by flyin g 3 ho urs 42 minutes 22-15 seconds in an a ll -American Wright b ipla ne Cal P R odgers in a no ther Wright has fl own mo re tha n 3 ho urs dail y witho ut stopshyping save on one day when his dura tion was less using a Wright biplane that he lea rn ed to fly onl y a mo nth ago H e showed the comparative simplicity of the task by lolling in his seat each afternoon legs crossed and dangling a ciga r in his mouth American motors and Amerishyca n ae ro planes have come to the fro nt with indisputable evidence of superiority Altitude and duration with a passenger the two most sea rching tests have been met and passed with a rush of victory A Curtiss biplane with a Curtiss motor has taken the fo rmer a Wright Biplane with a Wright motor the later with a worlds record to the credit of each

(Above) Lineup of Curtiss entries at Chicago with the Burgess overhead In the background (on the left) appears to be Lincoln Beacheys headless Curtiss

(Above right) There were no injuries to aviators beyond the two fatal ones but many accidents to machines occured An auto truck was kept busy carting machines to sheds minus wheels skids parts of wings etc This was the unfortuante encounter of a Mosiant Bleriot and Cottyns Wright Cottyn appears to be the pilot at fault in this instance

8 APRIL 1995

Notes From the International Cessna

120140 Association Newsletter Bill Rhoades Newsletter Editor

(612-652-2221)

Carb Ice

Through the years there have been attempts to warn the pilot of carburetor ice by showing the carb air temp etc Back in 1946 when the Cessna 120 and 140 came out an MIT brain and close friend introduced me to the installation of a manifold pressure gauge in his sinshygle engine airplane with a fixed pitch prop I soon made a similar installation in a Cessna 140 and havent been withshyout one since Why I think it is the best power indicator to use and it is relshyatively cheap I take off at full bore and climb at 26 HG and cruise at 23 HG which is around 65 power Also reshymember that you lose about one inch of manifold pressure per thousand feet of climb up to 8000 where it is slightly less per 1000 climb Anyway back to the HG meter as an ice indicator When flying at a constant altitude and power setting if any ice starts to form in the carb throat it restricts the flow into the induction system which acts the same as closing the throttle except it is much more sensitive When this happens the HG meter will drop If the ice build-up is small and the meter reflects it slightly in most cases it isnt noticeable as far as RPM goes If the meter is down but an inch or two of HG put on carb heat This will cause a further drop in HG beshycause of less dense heated air plus pipshying resistance in the hot air system Wait a short time and take off the carb heat If the HG needle goes up higher than when heat was applied - you had ice in the carb It works

- Curt Hewitt Bethany CT

Oil Pressure Update

I am writing to follow up my plea for help from Cessna 1201140 owners in solving my recent oil pressure problem Many suggestions were made to raise the tail one friend claimed they had to do this with brand new airplanes Howshyever my AI was opposed to doing it with a fresh overhaul since it does not solve the problem it only gets around it

by Norm Petersen

After the time and money to overhaul the engine there was too much to risk As it turned out we found the fault lay in a new part of the oil pump

Due to the way the new cover plate was machined it was warped and alshylowed oil to escape from the pump cavshyity

My A amp P who overhauled the enshygine had used a petroleum based grease in the pump to keep the gears from runshying dry until the pump primed and this apparently sealed the gap for some five hours of running Hard to believe but it did Today after lapping the cover plate to the pump body I get a strong 40-45 psi at cruise and at idle Thanks for the help

- Craig Kloppenburg NH Rep

From the American Bonanza Society magazine

Patrick Rowley editor (316-945-6913)

Propeller Ordeal Which well subtitle - It pays to get a

second opinion

I have just gone through an interestshying ordeal with my Beech 278 propeller that may be of interest to our members

About one year ago I had my prop overhauled by Thunderbird Propellers Inc in Bethany Okla (405-789-1830) A short time back after about 100 hours in use I began seeing stains on the back side of one blade After a call to Thunshyderbird I was advised to have a meshychanic look at the prop immediately to determine whether the leak was oil or grease I was told that if the leak was oil I had a potential major problem but if it were grease I only needed to have the blade seal replaced

An IA determined it was a grease leak but he did not want to open the prop I then agreed to have it sent to a local prop shop to have the seal replaceshyment Two days later I was informed the prop had been disassembled inshyspected and 10 discrepancies related to the hub were noted Four parts includshying the hub itself had been red-tagged Rather than agree to pay an estimated

$1600 to $1900 to have the prop reshyassembled with new parts by the local shop I returned it to Thunderbird

Upon receiving the disassembled prop Thunderbird immediately sumshymoned an inspector from the Oklahoma City FAA office All parts were re-exshyamined and micrometer measurements were referenced to the Beech overhaul manual by both Thunderbird personnel and the FAA inspector The hub was sent out for an X-ray procedure and in the end all red tags were removed by FAA Additionally not one of the 10 discrepancies cited by the local shop proved to have any merit

It is interesting to note that the hub in question was supplied during a previshyous overhaul by the local shop that preshycipitated this fuss Additionally both the FAA inspector and Thunderbird could not understand (1) why the prop was disassembled for a simple blade reshyplacement and (2) the rationale behind the red tags without reference to either micrometer readings or the Beech overshyhaul manual

Throughout this ordeal Thunderbird responded professionally in good faith and with utmost courtesy The hub was reassembled and the prop was returned to service My billing from Thundershybird Not one red cent Thunderbird even prepaid the return air freight

From my experience I would highly recommend Thunderbird to owners of older Bonanzas over any local prop shop These people are specialists and appear to be in business to keep us flyshying by fixing and repairing rather than selling new parts and props

-Cliff Low Oregon

Meltdown

My wife and I were at Punta Colshyorada (Mexico) over Thanksgiving holishyday when we took pictures of what reshymains of a Model 36 This is the story we were told On about November 10 an American Bonanza driver landed his 1980 Model 36 at a remote strip south of LaPaz Baja California Sur He had buzzed the Punta Colorada Hotel one mile south for a pickup but no one came so he started walking Soon a truck came by from the direction of the airstrip with the driver gesturing franti-

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

cally for the pilot to get in Th ey roared back to the strip where the 36 was billowing black smoke from the cabin area

After seve ral explosions another employee arrived with a hand-held fire extinguisher The aircraft was almost totally melted down with flames comshying out of the open root of the right wing The volunteer fireman risking his eyebrows squirted out the remainshying fire

The pilot reported that the only conshyceivable source of ignition was a magnishyfying glass lying on a map in the back seat

The rudder and elevators are all that remain unscathed - and they may fly again (The rudder is equipped with an SMP Upper Bracket)

- Dick Wilson California

From The Texas Chapter AAA Newsletter shy

Penny Richards editor (817-482-6175)

Temple Monoplane Arrives Love Field

On Thursday Jan 19 the one-of-ashykind Temple Monoplane was flown from Temple TX by its restorer Jerry Ferrel to Love Field Jerry donated the plane for display at the Frontiers of Flight Museum

The Texas Temple was the first aircraft designed to be mass produced in Texas by the first commercial comshypany to be licensed to sell airplanes in Texas It was developed and flown in 1927 by George W Williams Jr who was the first man to design and build an airplane in our state He built and flew Texas first airplane in 1910 in the pasture behind his home in Temple

Jerry Ferrel has been using a Warner engine on the Temple so on Monday January 30 he and Joe Haynes changed out that engine for its original Anzani The Anzani is a Clyde Cessna modified engine which added push rods for the intake valves Ed McCracken donated a wooden Rogers prop which Jerry took home to finish

This last remaining Temple was asshysembled from the parts of several It was famous for introducing several unique safety features such as landing lights that were fully adjustable by the pilot in flight No planes were ever mass produced as planned due to the death of George Williams and the stock market crash

The silver and red Temple will be temporarily stored at Foxtronics while the Frontiers of Flight Museum arranges for its display in the main tershyminal at Love Field

10APRIL 1995

(Ed note The Texas Temple is listed in Juptners Volume I Page 121 under ATC 45 dated June 1928)

Square Tip Prop

David Stark is progressing well on his Stinson SR-9 having completed the wings tail and put new wood on the fuselage This news was passed on to (us) here by Joe Haynes along wi th a question he couldnt answer for David Put on your thinking caps

Davids prop has a squared-off tip The blade is legal but doesnt look like the original blade The question is Will this square tip provide any better performance

If you have the answer call David Stark at 817-594-9519

From The Bucker Newsletter shyChris Arvanites editor amp publisher

(815-436-1011)

I attended an FAA Seminar the other day regarding approved parts for air shycraft It covered acceptable standards of certification identification of parts acshyceptable traceability and how to detershymine if the parts conform to type design All these parts that are approved is any part that is manufactured and approved under the provisions of FAR Part 21 provided that the part is used for the purpose it was originally intended and it has been maintained in an airworthy condition As far as being airworthy they say that a part must conform to type design and be in condition for safe operation Do you know that you can produce a part for your own aircraft

A few important things to remember know your supplier issue specific inshystructions on the PO (Purchase Orshyder) perform receiving inspections and have a good certification and traceabilshyity There is an avition safety hotline number 800255-111l

Also something to know is they are goi ng to do away with all yellow tags on parts and an FAA form 8130-3 airworshythiness approval tag (which is really an 8 X 10 sheet) will be used from now on and you should keep (the sheet) in your record folder and don t staple it to your log books

- Chris Arvanities editor

From the Cessna Pilots Association newsletter shy

John Frank editor (316-722-1352)

Paper Towel Downs Aircraft

During a cross-country flight the pishylot of a single-engine aircraft experishy

enced a loss of oil pressure and an inshycrease in oil temperature While at shytempting to locate an airport for landshying the engine quit The aircraft sustained substantial damage during the off-airport landing

An investigation and engine tearshydown revealed small pieces of a paper towel caught in the oil pickup strainer The remainder of the paper towel was found in the engine oil sump It was determined the paper towel restricted andor blocked oil flow to the engine resulting in 1 rod bearing seizure and failure of the connecting rod

Although the chain of events that led to the paper towel getting into the engine could not be determined it reshyminds us of the care that must be taken during maintenance to assure items are not left in inappropriate places Quite often towels or rags are used to cover crankcases when cylinshyders are removed or oil dipsticks are taken out Additionally tools used during maintenance have been left in places where they could cause fatal damage to the aircraft and its occushypants In this case the occupants sufshyfered serious injuries and a beautiful aircraft was destroyed Please use the events related in this article as a reshyminder to review your procedures for assuring proper control of all items not intended for installation in the asshysembly on which you are working

From Coupe Capers -Ercoupe Owners Club shyCarolyn Carden editor

(919-477-1832)

When Roy Prugh wanted to work on his nose gear strut he had to raise the nose of the plane and control its position by him self To do this he started by removing the cowl then lowering the tail with two bags of softshyener salt

(Ed note [think Id want to wrap those bags in plastic and then give the airplane a good bath after this You also want to keep the added weight as close to the centerline of the fuselage as possible)

Then he attached a cable between a rafter and the engines lifting ring (with a ratchet on the cable)

After removing and fixing the strut he removed one of the bags from the tail Then using the ratchet on the cashyble he was able to lower the nose down onto the strut a fraction of an inch at a time When necessary he was able to re-raise the nose a little adjust the strut then lower the nose back down onto the strut

With this method Roy was able to reinstall the strut by himself with comshyplete control

-- -

-BRIC REJUVENATION

by W D Dip Davis bull NC 1804 bull Cooper Aircraft Inc

Restoring Your Aircrafts Dope Finish

Here we go misleading you right from the title Actually aircraft covering fabric cant be rejuvenated The term really refers to a process of restoring the finish that is applied to the fabric Since synshythetic fabrics primarily polyesters have almost completely replaced the organic materials of coUon and linen the useful life of the actual aircraft covering has been extended many times over and unshyless given regular doses of tender loving care the finish will deteriorate to the point of un acceptability while the fabric itself is still airworthy

Thought should be given to the condishytion of the structure which is hidden by the fabric on components which can t be thoroughly inspected through access panshyels The amount of deterioration which can occur in 15 or 20 years could be enough to cause catastrophic failure unshyder severe loads If you (and your inshyspector) are satisfied with the condition of the basic airframe and have detershymined that the fabric itself still tests above the minimum allowable tensile strength which is based on the wing loadshying and never exceed (red line) speed of the particular aircraft then finish rejuveshynation can be done

Airplanes with a wing loading of nine pounds per square foot or less and a Vne of 160 mph or less were originally allowed to use Intermediate grade fabric which tested 65 pounds tensile when new Heavshyier andor faster aircraft were required to be covered with Grade A cotton which tests 80 pounds tensile strength Since the strength is allowed to deteriorate to 70 percent of the original before it must be replaced this means your 1-3 Cub or 7AC Champ can test as low as 46 pounds and still pass the test but your Cessna 140 or Staggerwing Beech fabric must pull 56 pounds or better (Reference FAA AC 4313-2 Figure 31)

Chances are excellent that your polyshyester fabric will still register readings well above the minimum a llowable unless some areas have lost all of the finish alshy

lowing direct exposure to sunlight Howshyever there are probably cracks in the finshyish next to stringers or other supporting structure Ringworming can happen where a sharp blow occurred such as from a hailstone or small stones from an unimproved runway These areas will reshyquire individual attention before beginshyning an overall finish rejuvenation

First determine that the finish is dope rather than enamel or other non-soluble material If there is any question about the topcoat a quick determination may be made by dampening a cloth with MEK or acetone and rubbing lightly in an inshyconspicuous spot If the color comes off on your rag the finish is resoluble Dont be misled by the removal of a little oxishydized pigment-you can feel a drag or reshysistance to your rubbing if the material is being softened Check on the trim stripes and registration numbers we well It s not uncommon to find that someone sprayed enamel trim over a pigmented dope base coat This can usually be reshymoved using sandpaper andor solvents

An enamel finish is generally not reshypairable If the topcoat is beginning to chip and flake in large areas it might be feasible to remove dry using plastic scrapshyers Chemical paint removers almost never produce satisfactory results in reshyfinishing as it is extremely difficult to completely remove all the stripper residue from the material under the enamel If the cracks are minor you might merely fill them with a bead of ceshyment wet sand the entire airplane and give it another light coat of enamel

OK You have determined that the finish is pigmented dope and it is becomshying brittle The first step is to thoroughly clean the airp lane I prefer to use a strong low suds detergent such as Spic amp Span rather than wiping down with solshyvent cleaners which may just relocate the grease rather than removing it Follow the deterge nt wash with a clear water rinse Dont drown the airplane by hosshying it down or it might take a week to

dry A terry cloth towel rinsed often and pretty well wrung out will remove all of the soap residue without a total soaking You will be amazed at the amount of oxishydized dope which will be removed which will open the pores and allow good peneshytration of the rejuvenator

When the airplane is completely dry you can attend to the cracks and ringshyworms in the finish by brushing unreshyduced rejuvenator onto those areas using a small watercolor brush Allow a few minutes for the solvents to work and apshyply a second coat Thick finishes may reshyquire a third or even fourth application to soften all of the material clear down to the fabric Avoid direct sunlight and temperatures above about 85 degrees which will dry the solvents before they have had time to perform their task When the dope is pliable enough to allow you to do so heal the cracks by rubshybing the softened dope into them with your finger making the surface as smooth as possible and avoiding furrows

After all the damaged areas have been taken care of a spray coat of rejuvenator is applied to the entire surface

Rejuvenator is a special blend of solshyvents and plasticizers that are strong enough to penetrate completely through old brittle or sun baked nitrate or bushytyrate dope

It will probably be necessary to reduce or thin the material to get it to atomize properly for spraying Use retarder or retarding thinner rather than regular dope thinner so that the surface will stay wet long enough for the solvents to peneshytrate the entire dope film Unless yours is a minimal thickness finish a second apshyplication of rejuvenator will be required This is followed by a coat of non tautshyening clear butyrate dope before the reshyjuvenator has cured more than a few hours Clear dope doesnt make a good topcoat as it will tend to yellow with age so a light coat of pigmented dope should be applied as soon as practical You will find that the original trim stripes and regshyistration number lines are still quite evishydent and it wont be difficult to mask off and repaint using the original design If you wish to change the trim lines you can wet sand the edges with approximately 320 grit wet-or-dry paper and copious amounts of elbow grease before spraying any rejuvenator

Dope is not a suitable finish for metal so if your cowling and fairings are unshysightly against your shiny new fabric finshyish you will want to sand and repaint usshying a matching enamel Or better yet strip to bare aluminum prime and reshypaint

Sound like a lot of work I didn t say it was easy but carefully done this proceshydure wi ll prolong the life of your fabric for several years and give you an airplane you can be proud of again

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

by HG Frautschy Details Details bull bull bull bull The Custom category of the judging

guidelines for Classic airplanes allows for

modification for those who prefer an airshy

plane with a few more amenities YouFrank Sperandeo IIIS can take it as far as you wish from the

simple addition of a shiny paint job to an

otherwise stock Piper Cub all the way to Piper PA-2022 Pacer what you see on these pages

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(Above left) In the category of aerodynamic mods the wings saw a great deal of cleaning up On top of the wing the aileron horns were covered by a pair of fairings The light two piece affair fits cleanly over the aileron horns on both the top and the botshytom of the wings and as the aileron is moved the fairings telescope inside of one another The flap hinges were also given a simshyilar treatment All of these fairings were made of fiberglass The fairing molds were first built up with balsa wood and then fashshyioned out of multi-directional glass cloth (Above center) Even the lowly tailwheel was given its proper attention Yes Frank assures me that the tailwheel springs were baked to eliminate hydrogen embrittlement after chroming Thin plastic spring shims are used to keep the springs from chafing on each other (Above right) Good golly even his tiedowns were given the polishing treatment Frank improved upon the three spike tiedown by putting a bushing made of Nylatronreg a graphite impregnated nylon invented by Dupont He also used the Nylatrollreg for the cable fairleads Teflonreg was used for the control yoke bushing mounted in the instrument panel

(Above left) The door holders on the Pacer received aerodynamic as well as machine tool attention A smooth polished clamp is used to hold the strut mounted pin holder while the door mounted receptacle is secured to the door using a pair of studs and nuts The pin is adjustable and the ball at the end of the pin snaps behind a spring loaded ball hidden in the side of the receptacle Look closely and you can see the thin rubber pad used to cushion the strap from the strut (Above right) Even the wing fuel tank drain valves did not escape the attention of the fiberglass man - a smooth teardrop cover was built for each of the drain locations Theyre mounted using double sided foam tape Just to the rear (left) of the drain fairing is the wing root fairing mounted courtesy lights

12 APRIL 1995

Eank Sperandeo III (EAA 387132) of Fayetteville AR wanted an airplane he could fly but he also wanted someshything beautiful at the same time and to his eye that meant each and every surshyface and fitting on his airplane was to be worked on Each part was to be machined to a gleaming finish polshyished painted and buffed to perfection or it didn t get on the airplane He works as a design engineer teaching students the fine art of manufacturing design processes in the physics lab at the University of Arkansas and solvshying difficult mechanical problems is just part of the job His job routinely involves tolerances as tight as 1130 the thickness of a human hair (1 mil) Frank also enjoys the cha llenge of imagining modifications and then mashychining them into reality (He s a pretty hot banjo player too) On his Piper PA-20-22 Pacer Frank has 75 different modifications he worked into the basic airframe

Special spring-loaded gap sea ls on the aerodynamic surfaces based on Franks design of a spring loaded laser mirror mount for the physics lab were built and installed During EAA Oshkosh 94 they were some of the most talked about modifications made to the airplane

Seemingly easy changes were made to the airplane to make using it just a bit easier The baggage door is held open by a gas-charged door opener adapted from an automotive applicashytion When the door is opened a mi shycroswitch activates a pair of lights inshyside the compartment so you can see what you are doing A custom deshysigned microchip circuit then turns off the lights after 2-112 minutes All doors are carefully sealed with weatherstripshyping to preclude excess wind noise and the doors were installed with atshytention paid to minimizing the gap beshytween the doors and the fuselage

The interior is finished with a velour common to the 84 Chrysler New Yorker with a copy of the Cadillac reef embroidery used on each seat complete with Franks initials in old English script

Electrical goodies include a mishycroswitch on the landing gear to autoshymatically activate his enroute timer shybreak ground and the timer starts land and it stops Another function on the clock counts down to a preset time afshyter which a beep is heard in the headshysets and a light illuminates on the panel reminding Frank to switch fuel tanks Changing fuel tanks is impor-

The instrument panel does not depart from the original configuration as far as instrushyment layout is concerned but it was extended 2 inches on the bottom to make room for switches and circuit breakers It features a pair of yokes salvaged from a Piper Seneca II It has a few electronic gadgets that were fun for Frank to create Theyre detailed in the text Full dual controls including brakes are included on this Pacer An interesting addition to the panel is a small receptacle (on the far left bottom of the panel) for the external antenna of a handheld radio just in case the panel mounted unit fails

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

The upper end of the wing strut is also faired and the quick disconnect wing tiedowns are neatly fitted into a mashychined block mounted to a spacer in the wing The ribbons an idea of Betty Turshyney Garfield AR are the same colors as the airplane and feature small pearls since Betty decided the airplane should be called Pearl Why White Sandstone Pearl paint (a Nissan Maxima color) was used for the final color finish The trim is a Chevy truck red Both paints are a PPG automotive base coatclearcoat polyurethane with flex agent added

14 APRIL 1995

tant on a cross country trip because he has two long range tanks installed Flying solo with the tanks filled to the brim with 64 gallons of 100 octane gives him an endurance of nearly 7-112 hours

Another electrical change involved a new pair of landing and taxi lights The landing light lamp the same as used on the Boeing 747 pulls 29 amps when operating hence the need for a 70 amp alternator

it absolutely lights up the whole runway observed Frank

What did all of this cost in terms of weight Frank says that his airplane weighs about 40 pounds heavier that a stock P A-20122 - not bad considering the added mods and changes made to the airplane He says his useful load is about 850 pounds

Where possible he paid close attenshytion to trimming weight from the origishynal airframe and kept the weight of

his modifications to a mInImum Amazing weight savings were realized by shaving 17 pounds from the seat cushions - the result of removing steel springs from the cushions and replacshying them with progressive resistance shock absorbing foam commonly reshyferred to by a trade name Tempershyfoam The change to a smaller battery saved 3-4 pounds (an STC is in the works on this by BampC Specialty) and 8 pounds were shaved off with the use of an STCd starter from BampC

Since visiting EAA Oshkosh 94 he has been busy recovering the tail surshyfaces and has been tweaking little deshytails here and there including the inshystallation of a set of disc brakes He did mention that he plans on attending EAA Oshkosh 95 so be sure and look for him on the Convention flightline

Weve detailed some of the other highlights on his modification list with these photographs