VA-Vol-30-No-3-March-2002

VOL 30 No 3

STRAIGHT amp LEVELlButchjoyce

2 VAA NEWSHG Frautschy

4 MYSTERY PLANEHGFrautschy

6 CAN I JUST MAKE MINE EXPERIMENTAL

joe Norris

8 LITTLE BIG PLANEArtRink

10 THIRTY-THREE AND A HALF HOURS

john M Miller

11 Giles Henderson

12 IT FLEW TOO WELLHankPalmer

14 ITS A STEARMAN ISNT IT

Budd Davisson

20

22 TYPE CLUB NOTES

24 CALENDAR

26 NEW MEMBERS

27 CLASSIFIED ADS

30 VAA MERCHANDISE

Publisher TOM POBEREZNY

Edltor-In-Clder scon SPANGLER

Executive mrector Editor HENRY G FRAUTSCHY

VAA Administrative Assistant THERESA BOOKS

Executive Editor MIKE DIFRISCO

Contributing Editors JOHN UNDERWOOD BUDD DAVISSON

Graphic Designer OLIVIA L PHILLIP

PllOtography Staff JIM KOEPNICK LEEANN ABRAMS

AdvertlslngJEdltorial Assistant ISABELLE WISKE

MARCH 2002

SPORT PILOT NEWLETTER ENCLOSED WITH THIS ISSUE

III WWWVINTAGEAIRCRAFTORG

5 Be EL BY ESPIE BUTCH JOYCE PRESIDENT VINTAGE ASSOCIATION

Sun n Fun Reflections

In March some early flowers start blooming here in North Carolina March also means its time for Norma and me to begin getting ready to attend the Sun n Fun EAA Fly-In at Lakeland Florida This year will be different One of my favorite parts about this great event is the friends you get to see I have always enjoyed the repeated visits during the week with my good friend Leonard McGinty

This year that will not be possishyble Leonard passed away early last month after having a heart attack He was traveling to Martinsville Virginia to pick up an airplane to rebuild a project he and his son were to do together Leonard was always a wonderful southern gentleshyman a great promoter of aviation a strong supporter of the EAA and one of the original founders of what is now the Sun n Fun organization People say that you remember the bad times and not the good onesshywell this will not be the case with Leonard as I only had good times with him Thanks Leonard Our condolences to his wife Lena and the McGinty family

Helen Caruso sent me a note to inform me that Fred Kirk had passed away during the month of Decemshyber Fred was 93 and still actively flying Most of you may remember Fred On the front row of the Anshytique area of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh each year he was the tall thin guy who sat with Helen under the wing of his beautiful red Howard DGA-15 Fred earned his pishylot certificate in 1930

I have started getting ready to atshytend the Sun n Fun EAA Fly-In For

most folks the event is a sure sign that spring is just around the corner Just as I mentioned that the flowers were starting to bloom here the weatherman informed everyone that tonight the temperature would be down to 15 degrees with snow forecast in the mountains of North Carolina I never look for really deshypendable weather until after Easter

Sun n Fun will be the first fly-in where our new added group of airshycraft will be judged Remember weve now added those aircraft manufactured in 1966 to the Conshytemporary judging category Ray Olcott whos in charge of the vinshytage area parking at Sun n Fun is aware of this change and will be welcoming these new aircraft Ray has been a longtime supporter of the vintage aircraft movement A number of years ago he and I served on the EAA AntiqueClassic Board of Directors together He and his wife Jo were key volunteers at EAA AirVenture for many years

Ray now serves as a director for Sun n Fun and Ray and Jo are key volunteers for Sun n Fun Their service to that fly-in EAA and to the Vintage Aircraft Association has been long-running and is very much appreciated

In any event a number of people based at my home airport are preparshying their aircraft for the trip to Florida As I do every year Id ask that each of you approach the coming flyshying season with deliberate planning

When your aircraft has been stored for the winter you should be extra careful when returning your pride and joy back to the airways Extend this level of concern to your

piloting skills too Ive set up the time frame for my annual inspecshytion of the Baron and the Luscombe to be completed during the month of January Then I schedule an inshystrument proficiency checkride in late February I understand there are all kinds of skill levels in our pilot community We all need to take our responsibility to the public seriously and Id like to extend my thanks to each of you in advance for your caushytion in that regard Dust off your aircraft and head to Florida to have some fun in the sun at Sun n Fun I plan on being there to enjoy the time with you

Youll have plenty to see and do plus it will be a prime spot to get up to speed on the FAAs proposed rules regarding the certification of aircraft and airmen for the operation of light-sport aircraft EAA views this NPRM as one of the most important initiatives presented within the past decade and its asked us to include at no additional cost to you or to the Division the EAA Sport Pilot newsletter in the next two issues of Vintage Airplane I urge you to read both newsletters thoroughly and to make appropriate comments about the NPRM to the FAA The newsletshyter is bound in the center of this issue of Vintage Airplane and weve included some additional informashytion within VAA News on page 3

Lets all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation Remember we are better together Join us and have it all

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

VAA NEWS COMPILED BY HG FRAUTSCHY

EAAs SPIRIT OF ST LOUIS REPLICA IN NATIONAL SPOTshyLIGHT FOR LINDBERGH FLIGHT 75TH ANNIVERSARY

EAAs replica of Charles Lindshyberghs Spirit of St Louis will be in the national spotlight this spring during this years commemorashytion of the 75th anniversary of his historic solo flight from New York to Paris In May 2002 EAAs replica airplane will be part of The Lindbergh Foundations nashytional schedule of events that celebrate the 1927 flight that captured the worlds imaginashytion On May 10-11 the airplane will be in St Louis Missouri to re-create the arrival of the origishynal airplane in that city from Ryan Aircraft Company in San Diego California It will then fly to New York City to participate in re-enactment festivities on May 18-20 marking the 75th annivershysary of Lindberghs departure from New Yorks Roosevelt Field en route to Europe

At the same time a real-time re-creation of Lindberghs 33-12 hour flight will be taking place at the EAA AirVenture Museum in Oshkosh using the museums Operation Aviation flight simulashytors This re-enactment will begin on May 20 and operate continushyously through the night and into the evening of May 21 75 years to the day when Lindbergh touched down at Le Bourget Airshyfield in Paris

There are few events over the past century that completely capshytured the worlds attention as thoroughly as Charles Lindberghs solo flight across the Atlantic said Adam Smith EAA AirVenture Museum director This achieveshyment is something that should be celebrated for what it meant to aviation as well as how it brought the world closer together through

2 MARCH 2002

air travel EAAs commemoration of

Lindberghs flight supported by a grant from the Ryan Foundashytion begins May 4-5 with the opening of the EAA AirVenture Museums Pioneer Airport The Spirit of St Louis replica will be used for flying demonstrations as well as historical presentations on the ground

Following its appearances at St Louis and New York the Spirit replica will stop at the US Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio (May 25-26) before returning to Oshkosh for EAAs Family Flight and Balloon Festival June 1-2 The aircraft will then travel to West Bend Wisconsin Gune 14-16) a St Louis air show (July 4-7) EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2002 (July 23-29) Lindberghs boyhood home in Little Falls Minnesota (August 9-11) and the Kansas City Missouri Aviation Expo (August 17)

At the same time more special activities are scheduled at the EAA AirVenture Museum Those include a special screening of the film The Spirit of st Louis starring Jimmy Stewart (May 20) and a Spirit of St Louis ground-school session (October 11-l3) Other activities will be announced as they are finalized

The EAA Aviation Foundation has a long tradition of celebratshying Lindberghs pioneering flight On the 50th anniversary of the journey in 1977 EAAs original Spirit of St Louis replica re-created the North American tour flown by Lindbergh upon his return to America in 1927 On the 60th anshyniversary in 1987 EAAs replica was shipped to Paris and landed at Le Bourget exactly 60 years to the day from when Lindberghs original airplane touched down in Europe

FRONT COVER Well Im pretty sure I saw a Stearman Dave and Peggy Bates earned a ChampionshyCustomized Bronze Lindy at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2001 for their beautifully customized Boeing Stearman EAA photo by Jim Koepshynick shot with a Canon EOSIn equipped with an 80-200 mm lens on 100 ASA Fuji slide film EAA Cessna 210 photo plane flown by Bruce Moore

BACK COVER They made only 26 of them and this was one of only three flying in 1994 when EAA photographer Jim Koepnick capshytured this 1964 Champion Lancer restored by Bob Herman Inshytended to be a light inexpensive twin-engine training airplane the Lancer is powered by a pair of 100-hp 0-200 Continental enshygines driving fixed-pitch props Certainly each of EAAs judging categories has its own brand of rare unique airplanes

BUCKS VACATION Our resident sage Buck Hilbert

certainly has earned his editorial stripes over the years and this year he took an extended vacation during the winter months His column will be on hiatus for this issue but don t worry-Im sure hell have plenty to say when he gets back

PRE-1980 EAA MEMORABILIA DONATIONS SOUGHT

Do you have an EAA item or artifact youd like to see expertly preserved and displayed by the world-renowned EAA AirVenture Museum If so the folks at the museum would like to hear from you Our staff is actively solicitshying donations of memorabilia for two purposes to create a special golden anshyniversary display in honor of the 50th AirVenture this summer and to more accurately and authentically docu-

ment the history of EAA for future genshyerations

We are looking for artifacts reshylating to EAA and EAA fly-in conventions in particular those prior to 1980 said Curator of Collections Ron Twellman Items from the very early days of EAA (1953-1970) are especially sought including EAA-reshylated souvenirs clothing (hats jackets T-shirts sweatshirts) and convention-related ephemera (pins patches decals posters)

Items not needed include EAA magashyzinesprograms (unless you have some of the earliest mimeographed Experishymenters from 1953) and trophiesplaques awarded to fly-in participants Because we cannot guarantee the return of unsoshylicited items and are not looking for loaned items please check with Ron beshyfore sending anything to EAA You can reach him at 920426-5917 or via e-mail at rtwellmaneaaorg

FLYING COMMERCIAL TO AIRVENTURE

Special airfare discounts are now available for EAA members and others who plan to attend EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2002 The 50th annual aviashytion gathering will be held July 23-29 at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh

EAA AirVenture discounts are ava ilshyable from the folJowing airlines (be sure to refer to the proper file number when requesting the discounts)

American (800433-1790) 5 percent off published fares 60 days in advance is 10 percent off during travel from July 10 to August 7 arrival cities are Green Bay Milwaukee and Chicago File No A6072AG

Delta (800241-6760) 5 percent off published fares 60 days in advance is 10 percent off during travel from July 13 to August 5 arrival cities are Appleshyton Milwaukee Chicago (ORO and MOW) and South Bend Indiana File No 185511A

Midwest Express (800452-2022) 8 percent off published fares 60 days in advance is 12 percent off during travel from July 13 to August 5 arrival cities are Appleton and Milwaukee File No CMZ1164

Northwest (800328-1111) 5 percent off published fares 60 days in advance is 10 percent off during travel from July 10 to August 8 arrival cities are Appleshyton Green Bay and Milwaukee File No NYQSS

United (800521-4041) 5 percent off published fares 60 days in advance is 10 percent off during travel from July 13 to August 6 arrival cities are Oshkosh Appleton Milwaukee Green Bay and Chicago File No 501ZR

SOHAVE YOU GOT THE RIGHT STUFF

EAAs Pioneer Airport is seeking qualified tailwheel pilots to volunteer one weekend a month from May to October or several days during the

EAA SPORT PILOT NEWSLETTER Bound in the center of this months

magazine is a special informational

newsletter created and published by EAA

The newsletter the cost of which has

been covered by EAA will help you undershy

stand the many facets of the FAAs

proposed rules regarding the certification

of aircraft and airmen for the operation of

light-sport aircraft While intended to

cover the operation of some homebuilt

and newly certificated aircraft that meet

the specifications of the proposed rule

sections of this proposed rule will allow a

portion of the current fleet of antique and

classic aircraft to be operated under

these new rules For those of us who fly these types of

aircraft and who operate under Part 91

be sure to look at page 7 of the newsletshy

ter and read the short chapter that

discusses the minor changes to other

FAA regulations

We cant stress too strongly the proper answer when referring to the medical reshy

quirements of the proposed sport pilot

certificate Yes there is a requirement

and its tied directly to your ability to hold

a current drivers license and have no exshyisting medical condition that could

preclude your operating any motor vehishy

cle All pilots must adhere to FAR 6153

Prohibition on Operations During Medshyical Deficiency which prohibits pilots

from flying as pilot in command whenever

they know or have reason to know of any

week Adjacent to the EAA Aviation Center in Oshkosh Wisconsin Pioneer Airport re-creates the golden age of avishyation with period hangars clustered around a grass strip and the pilots will be Hying classic vintage aircraft like the Travel Air E-4000 and Waco YKS-7

To be considered pilots must hold a commercial pilot certificate and secshyond-class medical have extensive tailwheel experience and meet EAAs minimum flight experience requireshyments Flight time minimums and volunteer duties are posted on EAAs website at wwweaaorg Ifyoumiddotreinshyterested send your resume to EAA Flight Operations Attn Pioneer Pilot Screening 1145 W 20th Ave Oshkosh WI 54902

medical condition or are taking medicashy

tion or receiving treatment for a medical

condition that would prevent them from

having a safe flight

After the newsletter was printed but

just prior to going to press with this issue

of Vintage Airplane we found an error on

page 4 in the paragraph related to operatshy

ing a light-sport aircraft certificated in a

category not listed on your private pilot

certificate (powered parachute and

weight-shift contrOl) That paragraph

should read

If you want to fly a light-sport aircraft

of a different categoryclass you must

receive and log ground and flight training from a sport pilot instructor and then

complete a proficiency check adminisshy

tered by a different instructor Following

the successful completion of the profishy

ciency check the second instructor will

make a logbook endorsement for the apshy

propriate categoryclass

EAA will also be supplying a copy of

the next issue of the EAA Sport Pilot

newsletter in the April issue of Vintage Airplane In that issue EAA will provide its

evaluation of the NPRM Wed also encourage you to visit EAAs

sport pilot website at wwwsportpilotorg

The NPRM s 90-day comment period

ends on May 6 2002 To make comshyments to the FAA about the NPRM please

follow the guidelines listed on the last

page of the newsletter

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

MYSTERY PLA E

BY H G FRA UTSC H Y

While certainly not unknown the December Mystery Plane isnt one you see on the antique fly-in circuit at least not yet Heres our first letter

The December Mystery Plane would appear to be an Alexander Eashyglerock Combo-Wing with a 90-hp OX-5 or 100-hp OXX-6 engine The Alexander Film Company got into the aircraft business when it formed Alexander Aircraft in Denver in April 1925 The Eaglerock designed by Daniel Noonan and assisted by Alshybert Mooney appeared in August 1925 About 455 OX-powered Eagleshyrocks were built by 1928 when the company moved to Colorado Springs Further aircraft appeared with Whirlwind Salmson Hispano

Siemens and Comet engines Alexander went under in 1931

The Eaglerock was the first OX-5 powered lightplane to receive a type certificate The Combo-Wing was cershytificated as ATC No7 in April 1927

Thanks for the fun Just out of cushyriosity how many Eaglerocks still exist

Tomas H Lymburn Princeton Minnesota

According to the FAAs electronic database available at wwwlandshyingscom only two Long- Wings are registered with the last registration activity in the mid-J980s Three Combo-Wings are registered and one of them is in the collection of the Mushyseum ofFlight in Seattle Washington The other two are registered to private

owners and we expect that at least one will be flying in the upper Midshywest As sometimes happens with old type certificates the airplanes in the FAA database don t list Alexander as the manufacturer but rather the last holder of the type certificate Aircraft Mechanics Inc

I realize Im more than late in identifying the Mystery Plane That trick with the door edges is clever I couldnt believe that I would find a combination wing Eaglerock in a Mystery column Doesnt everybody recognize that

But then I thought maybe it could be only me Im old enough-and maybe we have mostly young readshyers That one-a combination wing-was pretty early and was probably manufactured in Engleshywood Colorado before the tragic fire The original design avoided the odd slant of the struts by having a few additional feet on the lower wing And beginning with the Model A it was changed to incorposhyrate a center section and both wings on each side were the same length

Through the 1920s I was growing up in Fort Collins Colorado and was able to visit the fields around Denver and Colorado Springs Go ahead-ask me about an Eaglerock I

MARCH 2002 4

THIS MONTHS MySshyTERY PLANE COMES TO US VIA THE COLLECTION OF JAMES MARTIN OF SOUTH BEND INDIANA

have pictures of most models RH Osborne (Dick) Colorado Springs Colorado

I recently published a book Wings North Wausaus Aviation History which includes information relating to Alexander Eaglerocks in Wisconsin

The Hall Aircraft Corp Wausau was the Eaglerock distributor for all of Wisshyconsin in the late 1920s and I have numerous photographs of their Eagleshyrocks at Wausau Among my collection but not in the book is a photo taken on April 13 1928 of a group of Chrysler Corp executives next to an Eaglerock in exactly the same location in front of the very same hangar as in your photo (left) Mark Hubbard president of Hall Aircraft Corp and AT Tracy sales manager for Hall Garage Inc a Chrysler dealer are briefing them

It appears to me that the man on the left in your photo is Mark Hubbard probably on a sales or delivery trip to Milwaukee

Above my desk I have a framed piece of original fabric with the handshypainted Eaglerock logo salvaged by Irv Hall from the rudder of a damaged Eashyglerock

Robert C Wylie Wausau Wisconsin

MARCH MYSTERY PLANE

SEND YOUR ANSWER TO EAA VINTAGE

AIRPLANE PO Box 3086 OSHKOSH WI 54903-3086 YOUR ANSWER NEEDS TO

BE IN NO lATER THAN APRil 10 FOR INshy

CLUSION IN THE JUNE 2002 ISSUE OF

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

You CAN ALSO SEND YOUR RESPONSE

The best reference for Eaglerock history is The A lexander Eaglerock A History of the Alexander A ircraft Company written by Col John A deVries and published by Wolfshygang Publishing Colorado Springs Colorado in 1985 There have been other articles and mentions in several books The Eaglerock can be found in Vol 1 of Juptners US Civil Aircraft The combo-wing Eaglerock received ATC 7 and the long-wing is ATC 8 Later models can be found listed under ATCs 57 5859 139141 and 190 The Noshyvember 1973 issue of EAA Sport Aviation contains an article entishytled An Alexander What by Jack Cox

The Eaglerock is easily identifishyable by the inward slanting wing struts the cowling design enclosing the OX-5 engine which powered most of them and the radiator locashytion under the aft end of the cowling It is identified as a comboshywing because the lower wing panels are shorter than the upper wing All Eaglerock wing panels have a conshystant chord with identical rib sections The only difference is length This approach simplified manufacturing and maintenance

VIA E-MAil SEND YOUR ANSWER TO

vintageeaaorg BE SURE TO INCLUDE BOTH YOUR NAME

AND ADDRESS (ESPECIAllY YOUR CITY AND

STATE) IN THE BODY OF YOUR NOTE AND

PUT (MONTH) MYSTERY PLANE IN THE

SUBJECT LINE

The original wing configuration or long-Wing used 18-foot wing panshyels and because of the 2-foot width of the fuselage at the lower wing atshytach point the overall span for the lower wing was 38 feet while the upper span was 36 feet This proshyvided an excess amount of lift so the lower wing panels were reduced to 16 feet The A model was introshyduced in 1928 and featured a 6-foot center section in the upper wing with the 16-foot outer wing panels then used for both upper and lower wings It could accommodate two people in the front cockpit if you were willing to be friendly enough So technically it can be identified as a three-place airplane

Pete Jansen Seattle Washington

Other correct answers were reshyceived from John Miller Poughkeepsie New York Bill Vogelshysang Madison Wisconsin Mark Weigand Troy Michigan Dave Paulshyley Osage Wyoming Allen Herr Yuba City California Ed Kastner Elma New York George Jevnager Hopkins Minnesota and Tom Hegy Hartford Wisconsin

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

On a regular basis here at EAA headquarters memshybers ask us if there is any advantage to converting

their airplane to the experimental category Many aircraft owners have the idea that they will save money if they switch their factoryshybuilt aircraft from standard category to experimental This noshytion no doubt stems from the fact that they see owners of homebuilt aircraft doing their own mainteshynance repairs and inspections or using more modern auto-engine conversions This brings forth the idea that if they converted their standard category aircraft to expershyimental they could save money by reducing maintenance expenses andor taking advantage of modshyern engine technology Actually its not that simple

The fact is there isnt just one experimental category Rather there are several purposes for which the FAA might issue an experimental airworthiness cershytificate One of those purposes is for operating an amateur-built

6 MARCH 2002

aircraft This is the certificate unshyder which homebuilt aircraft are operated There are several other purposes for which an experishymental airworthiness certificate can be issued These include reshysearch and development crew training exhibition air racing market survey and others Each purpose has its own unique charshyacteristics and limitations

In truth there is little benefit to changing from standard to experishymental category Heres why Since the aircraft is factory-built and certificated in standard category it would not be eligible for experishymentalamateur-built status The FAA defines amateur-built aircraft as aircraft in which the major portion has been fabricated and assembled by a person(s) who unshydertook the construction process solely for their own education or recreation A factory-built aircraft does not meet this definition Also amateur-built aircraft cannot have been previously certificated in another category This means that the aircraft would have to be

Its not certificated within one of the other experimental purposes The least restrictive of the available purposes would be exhibition but this purpose still places signifshyicant restrictions on the use of the aircraft

FAA Order 81302D outlines the procedures for certificating aircraft and related products and it conshytains the definition and limitations of various certification categories Section 8 covers operation of airshycraft under the experimental purpose of exhibition and air racshying The description of this certification purpose reads

A certificate for experimental exhibition shall only be issued when an aircraft is to be used for va lid exhibition purposes Inshycluded in those purposes are organized air shows organized air races organized fly-in activishyties organized exhibitions youth education events shopping mallschoolsimilar static disshyplays organized aerobatic competition sail plane fly-ins or competitive races or meets and

E1eri-mental movie or television productions

Youll notice that recreational and cross-country flying are not mentioned

Experimentalexhibition cateshygory is further broken down into four groups identified by Roman numerals I through IV Aircraft that were formerly certificated in standard category fall into Group IV Group IV aircraft will be issued operating limitations that include the following

The proficiency area is limited to non-stop flight that begins and ends at the airport where the airshycraft is based with sufficient fuel reserve to meet the applicable opshyerating rules of Part 91 An alternate airport selection is not available for aircraft in this group (Italics ours)

This means you cannot fly the aircraft to any other airports unshyless it is to an exhibition registered in advance with the FAA You need to submit a program letter to the FAA that lists the exhibitions you wish to attend and you must contact the FAA in advance to fly

to an exhibition that is not listed in your program letter Any flight that is not to from or at one of these exhibitions is a proficiency flight and must be conducted on ly from your home field and you can land on ly at your home field-no $100 hamburger trips for pleasure

Only FAA-certificated mechanshyics with appropriate ratings as authorized by FAR 433 may pershyform inspections required by these operating limitations

Unlike the amateur-built cateshygory where the builder can apply for a repairman certificate that authorizes himher to do condition inspections (basically equivalent to an annual) you will not be authorized to do so on your exhibition aircraft You would need to find a certificated mechanic to do the inspections Further because your aircraft preshyviously held a different category airworthiness certificate all of the maintenance requirements of FAR Part 43 sti ll apply That means you have to have an AampP

JOE NORRIS EAA AVIATION INFORMATION SERVICES

mechanic do the required mainshytenance or supervise you while you do the maintenance on your aircraft just like when it was in standard category

As you can see the experimenshytalexhibition category places significant restrictions on the opshyeration of the aircraft which in turn limits the utility of the airshycraft while offering little if any opportunity for cost savings These limitations also signifishycantly reduce the market value of the aircraft should the owner ever want to sell it and once an airshycraft is removed from standard category it is difficult and expenshysive to move it back For these reasons we do not recommend that you change the certification category of a standard category aircraft unless you truly meet the requirements of experimental exhibition category and the purshypose

Reference FAA Order 81302D in Adobe Acrobat httpav-infoaagovdst81302DC3pdf

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

LITTLE BIG PLANE The Rearwin Cloudster only looks big in photos

T HE CLOUDSTER WAS

THE LAST OF A SERIES

OF LITTLE ROUND ENshy

GINE AIRPLANES DESIGNED BY

REARWIN AIRPLANES THE CAA DESshy

IGNATED THE ORIGINAL 1939

CLOUDSTER AS AN 8125 THIS ENTRY

INTO THE MARKET WAS REARWIN S

ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE NEW SIDE-BYshy

SIDE SEATING A FIVE-CYLINDER KEN

ROYCE ENGINE THAT DEVELOPED 90

HP AT 2250 RPM POWERED THE

8125 ONLY ONE WAS PRODUCED

In 1940 Rearwin changed the engine to a seven-cylinder radial and with that came a new designashytion 8135 A seven-cylinder Ken Royce engine that produced 120 hp at 2225 rpm powered the 8135 Cloudsters They had the same sideshyby-side seating but had a sideways facing seat in the rear Some of the 8135 Cloudsters were additionally designated as 8135T denoting a two-place tandem-seat instrument trainer They had an additional inshystrument panel in the back seat for the instructor and a second door for

The seven-cylinder Ken Royce enshygine develops 120 hp at 2225 rpm The radial engine and stout appearshyance give the Cloudster the look of

a small Howard DGA

MARCH 2002

ART R INK

t-----zmiddot------1

r----shy - ----------oshy-shyu middotmiddotshy--------1

Rearwin Cloudster A two to three-place private owner plane with a choice of Ken Royce engines from 90-120 hp Aircraft Yearbook-1941

8

Art Rink refinished his 1940 Rearwin Cloudster in chocolate brown in memshyory of Smilin Jack Mosley and his real-life airplane NC2600

entering and exiting the rear seat My Cloudster NC25545 was a

flying airplane in December 1999 Since I didnt have a hangar at the time I decided to buy some time by having work done to the exterior One thing led to another so over a period of 12 months I had the wood in both wings repaired where needed I also had new leading edges pulleys cables and electrical wiring installed at the same time

Following that over the next six months both the wings and ailerons were covered in Ceconite 102 and finished using Randolphs STC The fuselage was rejuvenated and all the metal parts were stripped and painted with Randolph products The propeller was sent back to Sensenich for a complete overhaul John Talmage the previous owner had rebuilt the engine firewall inteshyriof and instrument panel so I didnt have to rework those items

The 8135 Cloudster cruises at 120 mph at 2050 rpm using 7 gallons of fuel per hour Since all the control cables have ball bearing pulleys the airplane is a real joy to fly The flight controls are sensitive to light presshysure On the ground the forward visibility is limited but the steerable tail wheel makes it easy to do Sshyturns while taxiing The brakes are mechanical with bronze plates and they work very well The airplane has an empty weight of approxishymately 1200 pounds and a gross weight of 1900 pounds The fuel tanks hold 34 gallons and are fed through a selector valve making the fuel management simple

Of about 120 Cloudsters built you could count the number curshyrently flying on both hands A quick check shows the FAA has 22 of them registered but that many sure arent flying

I find the Rearwin Cloudster a straightforward airplane that flies and looks like a big airplane Best of all the engine makes that incredible throaty sound that only a round enshygine makes The airplane is pure fun I look forward to each weekend

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9