VA-Vol-33-No-11-Nov-2005

G RN E VOL 33 No 11 2005

CONTENTS 1 Straight and Level

2 VAA News

5 Aeromail

6 The Pylon Club Part IV by Nick Rezich

12 T-Hangar Treasure Getting excited about a contemporary airplane by Budd Davisson

18 Frank Clark Movie Stunt Pilot by Madeleine Kimotek

26 Pass it to Buck Winter ops by Buck Hilbert

28 The Vintage Instructor Weather notes by Doug Stewart

30 Mystery Plane by HG Frautschy

31 Calendar

31 Classified Ads

FRONT COVER Were starting to see more original lookshying Contemporary aircraft at EM events such as this sharp example of a 1967 Piper Cherokee 180 owned and flown by Randy and Naomi St Julian of Garrettsville Ohio EM photo by Phil High EM camera plane flown by Bruce Moore

BACK COVER The Lockheed Altair was one of the sleekshyest airplanes of the Golden Age of Aviation and serial number 180 was flown by Jimmy Doolittle for Shell Oil Company This watercolor by artist David Darbyshire of Sierra Madre California is one of the paintings featured in the 2005 EM Sport Aviation Art Competition show on display through May 2006 at the EM AirVenture Museum The painting is for sale Contact David at 626-355-6293 for more information You can also visit wwwflightgraphshyicscom for more information and photographs of other pieces of Davids artwork

STAFF Publisher Tom Poberezny Editor-in-Chief Scott Spangler Executive DirectorEditor HG Frautschy Administrative Assistant Jennifer Lehl Managing Editor Kathleen Witman News Editor Ric Reynolds Photography Jim Koepnick

Bonnie Bartel Advertising Coordinator Sue Anderson Classified Ad Manager Isabelle Wiske Copy Editor Colleen Walsh

Director of Advertising Katrina Bradshaw

Display Advertising Representatives Northeast Allen Murray Phone 609-265-1666 FAX 609-265-1661 emiddotmail alelllllllfmyCil(sprismm

Southeast Chester Baumgartner Phone 727-573-0586 FAX 727-556-0177 e-mail cballmi (ii) lIillrisprillgmlll

Central Todd Reese Phone 800-444-9932 FAX 816-741-6458 e-mail toddSpc-llIagcom

Mountain amp Pacinc Keith Knowlton amp Associates Phone 770-516-2743 e-mail kkllowitoeaaorg

GEOFF ROBISON PRESIDENT VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Old airports and round engines Sitting around the hangar these

days has gotten to be a chilly affair These fall temperatures just seem to be dropping more and more each day

I like to sit out here and write this column as the airport environment has always been helpful in inspiring aviation thoughts and ideas to conshyvey to the membership Pretty soon Ill need a parka and mittens

A lot of you are aware that I am based at historic Smith Field in Fort Wayne Indiana I am often asked about the fight to keep this airfield open and it has not always been good news Ive been amazed at the number of EAA folks from all over this country who have heard of the fight When they find out I am based here they always ask what the curshyrent situation is

I am pleased to tell you that by all appearances we have turned the corshyner here with the Airport Authority Not only do I believe that we have turned the corner but also the authorshyity has now budgeted to spend more than 18 million dollars in airport imshyprovements for 2006 alone It also reshycently hired a new airport supervisor for Smith Field so we now have a fullshytime person providing oversight and planning for the future development of this airfield

At the time of this writing the new supervisor has been on the field for a mere six weeks and he has in my estishymation already performed six months of work In a short time period we have gone from doom and gloom to a whirlwind of planning activities

Although we are still awaiting word on the FAA feasibility study for the airfield (needed so the airport layout plan can be completed) we remain

enthusiastic that this airfield is now well on its way to becoming a more vital economic asset to this commushynity as well as an important link to the vitality of the national aviation transportation system

You may have heard me state this in the past but it is critically important that the users of all airports across this nation should be conSistently remindshying their communities that the airport plays a vitally important role to local economic development opportunities and the mere existence of an airfield in a global sense offers additional safety of flight options for everyone who opshyerates an aircraft Just when you think all is well the boogeyman can show up at the door of the local airport with a development plan or alternative use for these valuable pieces of real estate All it takes is one seemingly innocuous step in the wrong direction and the fight is on and another valued aviashytion facility is sudden ly at risk Lets all be diligent Keep your eyes and ears open at all times And be especially dilshyigent in reminding the community of the positive aviation activities at your individual airports whether its a Young Eagles event a safety seminar or even an interesting or rare aircraft that is visiting your facility Promote and report everything that would genshyerate the positives and uniqueness of your facilities

Below is a little bit of a really neat perception of the nuances in operatshying old airplanes as compared to the more modern mode of transportashytion by air I thought the membership might enjoy it so I elected to share it with you in this column It came to me from a gentleman and good friend who commanded a B-17 bomber out

of England during World War II I am certain it was especially meaningful to him so I thought you would enjoy it as well Thanks for sharing it Hal

Dedicated to All Who Flew Behind Round Engines

Author unknown We gotta get rid ofthose turbines theyre

ruining aviation and our hearing A turbine is too simple minded it has

no mystery The air travels through it in a straight line and doesn t pick up any of the pungent fragrance ofengine oil or pilot sweat Anybody can start a turbine You just need to move a switch from OFF to START and then remember to move it back to ON after a while My PC is harder to start Cranking a round enshygine requires skill finesse and style You have to seduce it into starting On some planes the pilots arent even allowed to do it Turbines start by whining for a while then give a lady-like poof and start whining a little louder Round engines give a satisfying rattle-rattle click-click BANG more rattles another BANG a big macho fart or two more clicks a lot more smoke and finally a serious low pitched roar We like that Its a GUY thing When you start a round enshygine your mind is engaged and you can concentrate on the flight ahead Starting a turbine is like flicking on a ceiling fan useful but hardly exciting When you have started his round engine successshyfully your crew chief looks up at you like hed let you kiss his girl too Turbines dont break or catch fire often enough leading to aircrew boredom complashycency and inattention A round engine at speed looks and sounds like its going to blow any minute This helps concentrate the mind Turbines dont have enough control levers or gauges to keep a pilotS

continued on page 29

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

EAA President Tom Poberezny with Scott Crossfield at the Countdown to Kitty Hawk celebration in North Carolina on December 17 2003

Scott Crossfield to Speak at EAA Aviation legend Scott Crossshy

field will be the featured speaker at EAAs 3rd Annual Wright Brothers Memorial Banquet to be held Saturday December 17 at the EAA AirshyVenture Museum in Oshkosh The dinner commemorates the 102nd anniversary of mans first successful powered flight

Crossfield made history on Noshyvember 20 1953 when he became the first person to fly at Mach 2 piloting the Douglas D-558-II Skyshyrocket research aircraft to more than 1320 mph After five years as a test pilot for the National Adshyvisory Committee for Aeronautics (precursor to NASA) Crossfield joined North American Aviation As a design consultant and test pilot he helped guide the X-ISs development and made its maiden flight in 1959 Crossfield flew the rocket plane 14 times to a maxishymum altitude of more than 88000 feet and a maximum speed of Mach 297 (1960 mph)

NOVEMBER 2005

Later Crossfield was an execushytive at Eastern Airlines and Hawker Siddeley Aviation and served as technical consultant on aviation to the US Congress House Comshymittee on Science and Technology His aviation awards include the Harmon Trophy (1960) the Colshylier Trophy (1961) and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal (1993) for half a century of service to aviation and aeronautics

During EAAs Countdown to Kitty Hawk celebration in 2003 Crossfield led the pilot training for the 1903 Wright Flyer reproduction which attempted to fly at Kill Devil Hills on December 17 that year Crossfield was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1983 the International Space Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Aerospace Walk of Honor in 1990 He pubshylished his autobiography Always Another Dawn The Story of a Rocket Test Pilot in 1960

Cost to attend this special event is $30 for EAA members $35 for nonmembers Reservations can be

made by calling 920-426-6880 or online at wwwairventuremuseum org Cocktails and a cash bar will be open at 630 pm with dinner served at 700 pm and the keynote address to follow

EAA Instructors Database Surpasses 250

The worlds prime location for loshycating a sport pilot flight instructor keeps getting better Now more that 250 flight instructors in 43 states are listed in the EAA sport pilot datashybase at wwwsportpilotorginstructors making it easier for potential sport pilots to find quality instruction where they live

Scattered among the 250-plus instructors are 74 training aircraft Check the website list for details

EAANAFI extend their invitashytion to current flight instructors to complete an online information form and join the database The form can be found at httpssecllre eaaorgsportpilotinstrllctorhtml

Learn TIG Welding in a Weekend More and more TIG welding is

becoming the preferred method for building amateur-built aircraft Beshying able to easily weld chromoly tubshying stainless steel and aluminum makes TIG a useful skill for building an aircraft says Charlie Becker dishyrector of EAA Aviation Services

Thats why EAA and Lincoln Elecshytric will offer seven weekend SportshyAir TIG welding courses in 2006 at the state-of-the-art Alexander Techshynical Center in Griffin Georgia near Atlanta Participants get their own Lincoln Precision TIG 185 mashychine for use during the class

These classes present unique opportunities to learn TIG welding in a weekend There really isnt any other training like this available for the amateur welder Becker says

The TIG classes are limited to 12 students each to allow for more personalized instruction Tui tion

2

is $359 for EAA members $399 for nonmembers

The schedu le for 2006 is as fo lshylows

e January 20-22 e March 10-12 e March 31-April 2 e May 19-21 eSeptember 8-10 e October 13-15 e November 10-12 To enroll in this or any EAA

SportAir Workshop or to learn more call 800-967-5746 or visit wwwsportairorg

Relive the Magic With the 2005 EAA AirVenture DVD

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2005 will be remembered as perhaps the best all-around convention ever and you can preserve those memshyories by getting your copy of the 2005 EAA AirVenture video proshyduced by the EAA Television staff

The annual video featuring SpaceShipOne GlobalFlyer Glacier Girl and countless other highlights from the Worlds Greatest Aviation Celebration is now available To orshyder your copy today in either DVD format ($2499) or VHS ($1995) call EAA membership at 800-JOINshyEAA (564-6322) or order online through httpshopeaaorg

JOIN TODAY 800-322-241 2

Intemet Notes It seems hardly a month goes by where we dont discover a neat spot

on the Internet to learn something new about aviation and its many facets From time to time well highlight some of the interesting sites weve visshyited often while in pursuit of an answer to a question posed by a member For instance

wwwwoodenpropellercomisa site committed to the exchange of information about wooden aircraft propellers in genshyeral with emphasis on World War I and earlier antique proshypellers Its partner site wwwmodernwoodenpropellerscom deals with props a bit newer those built since the 1920s

ewwwconnectedtraleiercom has an interesting interview with the father of the 747 Joe Sutter who is now 85 Sutters interview by Russ Johnson can be downloaded as an MP3 file The genesis of the 747 created by a team of 4500 engineers equipped with slide rules and early computers is covered in detail during the 20-minute inshyterview and can be listened to using popular computer audio programs such as iTunes QuickTime RealPlayer or Windows Media Player

ewwwhotelbeaumontkscomis the website for a neat little spot tucked away just east of Wichita Kansas Originally a cattlemans hotel located next to a rail siding in the small town of Beaumont it has been transformed into a neat aviation-themed bed and breakfast hotel The resshytaurant is open daily Wednesday through Sunday and it makes a great fly-in destination you can land on the grass strip to the east of town taxi up the back road on the south side of town and park across the street from the hotel For more information you can call the Beaushymont at 620-843-2422

ewwwsafarimuseumcomis the home of the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum which is located in Chashynute Kansas (As an aside the city is named for Wright brothers confidant Octave Chanute In 1872 as the chief engineer of the LLampG railroad he helped settle a railroadshyrelated dispute between two small towns With Chanute mediating the dispute the two towns merged and in gratitude the new town was named Chatlute) Martin and OsaJohnson adventurers filmmakers and pilots are well-known for their use of Sikorsky Amphibion aircraft while making their African safari documentary films The museums website hosts a number of great photoshygraphs of the Sikorskys in action and the rest of the site is equally interesting and gives great insight into the early days of documentary filmmaking

If you have an interesting website you think your fe llow VAAers would like to visit please e-mai l us a link at vintageaircrafteaaorg

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

Friends of the Red Barn Campaign Many services are provided to vintage aircraft enshy

thusiasts at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh From parking airplanes to feeding people at the Tall Pines Cafe and Red Barn more than 400 volunteers do it all Some may ask If volunteers are providing the services where is the expense

Glad you asked The scooters for the flightline crew need repair and batteries and the Red Barn needs paint new windowsills updated wiring and other sundry repairs plus we love to care for our volunteers with special recognition caps and a pizza party The list really could go on and on but no matter how many expenses we can point out the need remains constant The Friends of the Red Barn fund helps pay for the VAA expenses at EAA AirVenture and is a crushycial part of the Vintage Aircraft Association budget

Please help the VAA and our 400-plus dedicated volunteers make this an unforgettable experience for our many EAA AirVenture guests Weve made it even more fun to give this year with more giving levels to fit each persons budget and more interesting activishyties for donors to be a part of

Your contribution now really does make a differshyence There are six levels of gifts and gift recognition Thank you for whatever you can do

Here are some of the many activities the Friends of the Red Barn fund underwrites

bull Red Barn Information Desk Supplies

bull Participant Plaques and Supplies

bull Tonis Red Carpet Express Repairs and Radios

bull Caps for VAA Volunteers

bull Pizza Party for VAA Volunteers

bull Flightline Parking Scooters and Supplies

bull Breakfast for Past Grand Champions

bull Volunteer Booth Administrative Supplies

bull Membership Booth Administrative Supplies

bull Signs Throughout the Vintage Area

bull Red Barn and Other Buildings Maintenance

And More

ThankmiddotYou Items by Level

Name Listed Vintage Web amp Sign at Red Barn

Donor Appreciation Certificate

Access to Volunteer Center

Speci al FORB Badge

Two Passes toVM Volunteer Party

Special FORB Cap

Breakfast at Tall Pines Cafe

Tri-Motor Ride Certificate

Two Tickets toVM Picnic

Close Auto Parking

Diamond $1000 X X X X X X 2 PeopleFull Wk 2 Tickets X Full Week

Platinum $750 X X X X X X 2 PeopleFull Wk 2 Tickets X 2 Days

Gold $500 X X X X X X 1 PersonFull Wk 1 Ticket

Silver $250 X X X X X X

Bronze $100 X X X X

Loyal Supporter $99 amp Under

X X

VAA Friends of the Red Barn Name_______________________________________________________EAA________ VAA________ Address ______________________________________________________________________________________ _ City StateZip _______________________________________________________________________ Phone ___________________________________________ E-Mail______________________________________ _

Please choose your level of participation ___ Diamond Level Gift - $100000 ___ Silver Level Gift - $25000

Platinum Level Gift - $75000 ___ Bronze Level Gift - $10000 ___ Gold Level Gift - $50000 ___ Loyal Supporter Gift - ($9900 or under) Your Support $ __

DPayment Enclosed (Make checks payable to Vintage Aircraft Assoc) ---------------- D Please Charge my credit card (below) Mail your contribution to

EAA VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOC Credit Card Number _________________________ Expiration Date ____ __ PO Box 3086Signature ________________________________ ___ OSHKOSH WI 54903-3086 Do you or your spouse work for a matching gift company If so this gift may qualify for ------------------ a matching donation Please ask your Human Resources department for the appropriate form

NameofCompany~~~----~~~~~--~~--~~~~~--~~~~~~~ The Vintage Aircraft Association is a non-profit educational organization under IRS SOh3 rttles Under Federal Law the deduction from Federal Incollle tax (or charitable contributions is limited to the amount by which any money (and the value ofany property other than money) contributed exceeds the value ofthe goods or services provided in exchange (or the contribution An appropriate receipt acknowledging your gift will be sent ta you (ar IRS gift reporting reasons

NOVEMBER 2005 4

Who Dat The person in the middle of this

photograph is my grandfather I dont know who the men are or what the airplane is it was taken at Ford Field in 1928 I would like to know if anyone can tell me any more about the picture identify the airplane and tell us who is in the photo I had a friend whom I work with here at Ford Motor Comshypany tell me that the man with the hat could possibly be William Stout but they were not sure Anyshything that you can tell me would be greatly appreciated or maybe you can point me in the right direction to someone who might know

Regards Paul E Ostrander Ford Motor Company

We directed Paul to the Waco Hisshytorical Society in Troy Ohio and idenshytified the airplane to him as a Waco 10 but we couldnt help with the peoshyple identification Think you know who is standing to the left and right ofPauls grandfather Weve enlarged that portion of the photo (see inset) so

you can get a better look at the trio Drop us a note at vintageaircraft eaaorg and well forward it on to him

Old Beacons I was wondering if you might

be able to point me to a source for information on old airway beashycons and their routes I am looking for specifics on the Donner beashycon light which is located west of Truckee California on the Reno to San Francisco route This is a mostly complete tower which I would imagine is one of only a few reshymaining I know that the light was damaged in a blasting accident and the buildings are now gone but the tower is still in its original configu shyration Currently the tower is beshying used as a radio site in support of search and rescue communications in Placer County California

Any information would be apshypreciated

Thanks Eric Struble

We pointed Eric toward a couple of sites we found

bull MIL SPEC and RFI SHIELDING CONDUIT ASSEMBLIES custom made per your specifications

bull Original equipment style Braided Conduits in Aluminum Brass or Stainless Steel

bull We carry a complete line of AN - MS Electrical Fittings Backshell Adapters and Specialty Fittings

bull We also have full machine shop capabilities for any custom applications you may require

bull Rebuild your Warbird back to Original

AIRFLEX INDUSTRIES 2538 SUPPLY STREET POMONA CA 91767

Tel 909-392-8474 AI RFLEXIN DUSTRI ES COM

bull httpoldbeaconcombeacon airway _beaconshtm

wwwcentennialofflightgov essay Government_Role navigationP0L13htm

bull wwwnavfltsmaddrcom howitbeganhtm If you have any other books or webshy

sites you think would help Eric please drop us a note at vintageaircrafteaa org and well forward it on to him

If you have a comment quesshytion or wish to contact us reshygarding the content of Vintage Airplane or the activities of the Vintage Aircraft Association youre invited to send us a letter via regular mail or e-mail Send your letters to

Vintage Aircraft Association Attn HG Frautschy Editor PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086

E-mail vintageaircra(teaaorg

VINTAGE AIRPLAN E 5

REMINISCING WITH BIG NICK

THE PYLON C L U B PART IV BY NICK REZICH

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NICK REZlCH

The Pylon Club and the EM were founded at about the same time early 50s with parallel goals of achieveshyment in mind Paul Pobereznys idea was an organization that would foster homebuilding sport flying air racing and air shows The purpose of the Pylon Club was to foster and support air racing air shows and Nick Rezich

Between 1950-1953 the growing years of the Club and EM I never ran into Pobereznys prop wash even though he was only 90 miles away in Beer Town USA Poberezny and I were promoting or helping to promote air shows during this time and in doing so we both used the nashytions top talent namely the world famous Cole Brothers Air Show Paul booked the Cole Brothers in 1950 for an air show at Hales Corners airport and later in 1951 he was instrumental in booking them for the Milwaukee Air Pagshyeant It was during this time that he signed up Marion and Duane as members of EM Numbers 47 and 48 respecshytively I had also been working with the Coles at the Deshytroit Air Races and had hired them for some of my shows in Chicago It wasnt until July 1953 while working a show in Chicago that Marion mentioned Poberezny and EM for the first time Marion asked me if I knew Poberezny or the organization he founded known as EM I replied in the negative and about this time Duane jumped in with both feet and proceeded to brainwash me about EM and

Poberezny only Duane didnt call him Paul but instead reshyferred to him as Poopdeck

After listening to Duane and Marion carrying on about EAA and about 5 gallons of beer later I promised that I would meet with this guy Poopdeck and see if we could help each other In the meantime I was invited to appear with my Travel Air at the 3rd Milwaukee Air Pagshyeant which was also the first annual EM fly-in on Sepshytember 12-13 at Curtiss-Wright Airport in Milwaukee On September 9 1953 I received the following letter on EM stationery

September 8 1953 Nick-co Pylon Club 3017 W 63rd St Chicago Ill

Dear Nick I dont have your last name but Marion Cole told me

that you are going to attend the air show at Curtiss-Wright Airport Milwaukee

Duane also talked very highly of you and gave me your address which was mislaid I am looking forward to meetshying you and telling you what we are trying to accomplish with our organization At present we have more than 100

Reprinted from Vintage Airplane April 1975

NOVEMBER 2005 6

members from all parts of the nation Sincerely Paul Poberezny President EAA

I arrived at Curtiss field Saturshyday morning taxied up and parked next to Roy Timms modified Waco F-2 and before that deep-breathshying Wright up front stopped rotatshying a young skinny healthy-lookshying Ukrainian thrust his hand into the cockpit and gave me the welcome treatment He introduced himself as Paul Poberezny president of EAA Afshyter the formal exchange of introducshytions I was then introduced to ViceshyPresident Carl Schultz Secretary-Treashysurer Bob Nolinske Leo Kohn George Gruenberger and CAA Inspector Tony Maugeri

That evening we all met in the Miller Inn of the Miller Brewing Comshypany for some real cool fresh Miller High Life beer My first beer-drinkshying partner was the late Dick Owens who flew a modified Rose Parakeet in Big Nick hoists a tankard of Milwaukees finest in front of Marion Coles the Cole Brothers Air Show This guy Stearman during the Detroit races Now who was first with the straw hatshywasnt much more than S feet tall Hoover Lyjak or Hillard and weighed less than 100 pounds But when it came to drinking beer he would outlast the major leaguers

After a tasty buffet dinner we all sat down for some seshyrious talk about EAA Poberezny fortified himself with the big guns of EAA like Steve Wittman Marion and Duane Cole Roy True Pete Myers Carl Tietz Ned Kensinger George Hardie and about 2S other early EAA members About two barrels of Miller High Life later I was convinced that I should join EAA

I pledged my total support to Poberezny and his orshyganization and promised I would do everything within my power to help EAA grow I left Milwaukee with a bagshygage compartment full of applications and very much imshypressed with Poberezny and EAA Before I left I presented Paul with a membership card in the Pylon Club and told him he qualified as a member by the virtue of finishing in last place Saturday during the running of the midget races which was won by none other than the great SJ Wittman flying Buster followed by Owens in Tater Chip True in Slow Poke Bruce Pitt in Yellow Jacket and Poberezny in Little Aushydrey the former famed Howard Pete

When I returned to the Club I set up an EAA recruiting comer at the end of the bar where we signed up more than 2S new members during the first week

About this same time I was co-hosting a TV show on WBKB-ABC Chicago called Flight Plan and I would have Poberezny and the others on the show plugging EAA The show not only helped but it was also good for the sashy

loon business In Duane Coles book This Is EAA he tells it like it was but he left out one chapter of the early-day meetings held in the Gran-Aire hangar lobby

It seemed to me that every meeting night it was either a blizzard or an ice storm and as I drove to Milwaukee I kept telling myself Youve got to be nuts to drive in this stuff to a meeting that wont have anybody in attendance Much to my surprise I would find Wittman there from Oshkosh Kensinger Doc Torrey and the whole gang from Peoria along with members from Racine Monroe West Bend Chicago and Milwaukee

I really made a fool of myself the first meeting I atshytended

Audrey and Lois Nolinske had a table set with coffee pop and cookies on one side and beer and raw hamburger on the other end After the meeting I went up to the table for a beer and Audrey asked if I cared for a sandwich to which I replied in the affirmative She proceeded to spread raw meat on the rye bread and handed it to me I looked at the raw meat and figured it must be a dO-it-yourself proshygram so I began searching for the hot plate to cook my burger only to find there was no hot plate I then noticed that the others were eating the meat raw and I said to myshyself They must really be in bad shape not being able to afford a hot plate

I didnt want to put the meat back on the table so I flashyvored it with three more beers and finally got it down By now I was feeling sorry for Poberezny and EM so big time

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

Steve Wittmans Buster seemingly about to be gobbled up by an aluminum monstrosity of sorts Buster has since been placed in the Smithsonian in Washington

Bill Falck in Rivets

me I offered to buy a hot plate to cook the meat or pick up the tab for cold cuts They looked at me like I just flipped my cookies and all burst out laughing As I was trying to figure out what I said that was so funny Poberezny inshyformed me that the raw meat mixed with onions is a comshymon delicacy in Wisconsin and thanked me for my conshycern for the status of the treasury

The next stupid statement to leave my big mouth was directed to Wittman I casually asked if he had much difshyficulty driving down from Oshkosh He also looked at me somewhat oddly and answered Oh no I flew down-did you drive I crawled out of my hole and went over and sat down like all little boys should do Other than the raw hamburger I liked what I saw and heard at the meetings and I knew Poberezny was on the right track and the orgashynization would grow

The Pylon Club pledged to furnish all the major troshyphies for the future fly-ins and along with the trophies I also accepted the job of emceeing the awards program The Club also provided onoff field liquid refreshments

NOVEMBER 2005

which were never very hard to locate All one had to do was locate the two red and white pylons on the roof of my car and you were there

We expanded our trophy program to include special awards for the ladies of EAA Today they are known at the Mink Coat awards sponsored by Ray Stits Stits was and still is a great behind-the-scenes supporter of EAA

Many people think that I have always been the field anshynouncer for EAA Wrong The first field announcer for EAA was Stits with Duane Cole taking over for the air show porshytion along with Duanes brother Arnold

You know where the idea of giving away an airplane during the fly-in came from It was Ray Stits in Rockford 1961 I knew Stits before I was in EAA-in fact he holds one of the lowest-numbered Pylon Club cards During the fly-ins or air races Stits and I would always be joshing around doing something crazy like when he got on the mic at Rockford and offered my Travel Air to the membershyship for $1 a ticket with the drawing to be held after the air show I dont know if you were one of the multitude who rushed me with dollar bills that day but believe you me I turned away more than $10000 The next night after the air show I announced that Stits was having an open house at the Holiday Inn and everybody was invited When that mob hit his room he knew immediately who was behind the prank

Stits also has his serious moods I remember one very well Lester Cole the then West Coast aerobatic chamshypion was hospitalized with a very serious back injury He was without any insurance and funds were running out in the Cole family to pay the doctor and hospital And to make things worse Christmas was coming and no money

The Pylon Club received a letter from Stits explaining Lesters plight He asked if we could raise some money to help pay Lesters bills without Lester knowing it and thanked me in advance for any help we could furnish from the Club Like I said in an earlier issue when you hollered Hey Rube in the Pylon Club you got results The Cole brothers were very well liked by the Club memshybers and most everyone knew the Coles from their visits to the Club or the shows they flew in and around Chishycago When I posted the notice that we would have a Lesshyter Cole night with all proceeds going to the family the place ran over the brim with customers We raised a hatful of money and I sent two checks to Lester-one for hospital bills and one later to his wife for Christmas presents Yes the Pylon Club and EAA were very close

My drive to raise money for the air-racing fraternity was endless I traveled the nation knocking on agency doors searching for sponsors My quest for sponsors surshyfaced in October 1953 During my TV show I would deshyvote half of the show to air racing In October I depicted a possible show for the Chicago area to be presented during the Fourth ofJuly weekend or the Labor Day weekend On the third week of the show I hit the jackpot I received a

8

phone call from a large Chicago agency advising it had a client interested in underwriting the races I also received a phone call from a young executive from the stations radio affiliate he identified himself as Frank Tallman from Glenshyview Illinois-also an EAA member He was very much inshyterested in the show and offered his assistance and posishytion to see the show materialize

The following day I met Frank for lunch and we disshycussed the possible use of Naval Air Station Glenview as a possible site to hold races As a member of the Navy he knew Adm Dan Gallery well-as well as Cook Cleland former Thompson Trophy winner who was based at Glenshyview at that time He felt confident in securing the Navy base for the show and assured me it was quite all right to inform the sponsors of the possible use of Glenview I then met with the agency and its client where I really gained an education about sponsors

My initial program that I presented was a carbon copy of the Cleveland National Air Races-big bores midgets and aerobatics After several meetings expired the client agreed to sponsor only one event the Unlimiteds Several meetings later we signed a conditional contract for a guarshyanteed purse of $30000 and an option for two additional years With the contract in my hand I literally floated out of the office and headed for the Club to celebrate the reshyturn of the National Air Races to Chicago

The following week I jumped the gun and went on the tube announcing the Chicago National Air Races would be held Labor Day weekend 1954 I really stuck my neck out a long way with that announcement but that little or was it big white lie paid off The agency called again and informed me that it had anshyother client for the midgets providing I could meet their request I put on my best manners and a clean pressed suit and met with a very distinguished gentleman in an office the size of my saloon

I knew I was lin the minute I stepped into his office There hanging on the wall was an autographed photo of Benny Howard and Mr Mulligan After ten minutes of name-dropping we were on a first-name basis He wanted to sponsor not only the Chicago races but also an addishytional six races He named the six cities where he had his major outlets and wanted races run in each of the cities prior to the Chicago race His idea was to build the product name with the races prior to the Chicago date When he mentioned six additional races I couldnt believe my ears I was so elated I gave him a lyes sir right then

During lunch at his private club we worked out the money distribution which wasnt as much as I was seekshying but enough to be acceptable After lunch his lawyers worked up a conditional carte blanche contract which was signed and sealed by 430 pm the same day Believe you me the champagne flowed freely at the Club that eveshyning I spent the next 30 days trying to nail down the airshyport site before I made any more announcements I wasnt having too much luck with the airport problem but I was

John Paul Jones in the original Shoestring After a these years it is still the plane to beat at Reno

Ray Stits Worlds Smallest Airplane Now on display in the EAA Museum

confident that I would be able to secure one of the three Chicago airports As I was preparing for my proposed race program for Professional Race Pilots Association (PRPA) and NAA I received a newsletter from the PRPA announcshying December 9-10 as the dates of the annual business meeting to be held in Cincinnati Ohio and that any race programs be presented at the meeting for sanction I immeshydiately sent in my reservations and advised PRPA I would be in attendance I left Chicago armed to the teeth with enthUSiasm a portfolio full of contracts totaling $127000 and options for an additional $100000 and hopefully the future of air racing At Cincinnati I met with Poberezny Duane Cole and Manyard Corkill to discuss some of the program in preparation to the announcement

When I signed the conditional contracts with the sponshysors we arrived at the amounts of the purses in relation-

V IN TAGE AIRP L A N E 9

EAA President Paul Poberezny and his homebuilt Little Audrey

ship to time of sponsor exposure (Le $10000 per hour for the midgets and $20000 per hour for the Unlimiteds plus a guarantee of a minimum of 10 airplanes entered in the Unlimited and 15 in the midgets) I was confident that PRPA would accept the terms of the sponsors without question therefore I never consulted it before signing

You may believe it or not but I never had a chance to present my completed program at Cincinnati and

my whole program went down the drain When I announced my program I went about it all ball ackwards I started with the five midget races-I told them I had six races scheduled at $3500 per race and one at $10000 plus $5000 for estabshylishing a point-standing purse Before I could anshynounce the $30000 race for the Unlimiteds I was promptly advised that the only purse PRPA would consider would be $25000 or nothing

I quickly reminded them of the $10000 purses of Continental Motors and the $5000 Tennessee Products Cup Race and that nobody raced in 1953 for any kind of purse Again it was a flat no followed by a 10-minute lecture on

The late Pylon Club Trophy He was later killed in a Beech King Air while on an instrument approach to Racine Wisconsin

10 NOVEMBER 2005

how much it cost to build and race a midget Now-the guy giving the lecture didnt have a dime invested in a racer-he was only the pilot of a racer that belonged to a friend of his By now my temper is running about 80 and I proceed to inform him that I am my own builder and financier In the meantime the chairman intervened and had both of us sit down

Duane Cole got up and calmed the group and asked if they would listen to my proposal and reconsider the offer When I regained the floor I advised the group that before I could guarantee a $25000 purse there would have to be some changes in the length of the races I suggested that the heat races be increased to 10 or 12 laps in place of the present 8-10 laps and that the feature race be changed to 30 laps rather than 10-15 laps of the past Well I would have been better off throwing a bomb in the place rather than suggest a 30-lap feature To make a longer story short-I was told in so many words to sit down Before sitting down I reminded the group that prime TV time was cheaper and more captive than any air race flown by a bunch of unknowns That statement practically had me thrown out of the place

I never did get around to explaining my $5000 pOint-standing offer

Duane Cole and Maynard Corkill got up and said we were wasting our time with this bunch and suggested a beer was in order to which I agreed wholeheartedly

Later that evening some of the fellows who I knew quite well offered to run for the proposed purse without PRPA sanction but there wasnt enough of them to make up a competitive field of racers that would meet the sponshysors specifications of our contract

I left the convention licking my bloody wounds trying to figure out why in the hell did I spend three years and $14000 trying to help those jerks My biggest licking was yet to come I had to face the agency and sponsors and

try to get out from under the contracts without losing anshyother $5000

As it turned out I lost some money terminating the Unlimited contract but I came out ahead on the midgets

Two days before Christmas the midget sponsor dropped into the Club to wish me the best of the holidays and to check on the outcome of the Cincinnati meeting When I informed him of the happenings he told me to forget the whole matter and congratulated me for trying to bring back air racing on a national level

The next day Christmas Eve his chauffeur delivered to me a huge spread of flowers and a cheese and sausage package large enough to feed an army We went on to beshycome close friends I called him before I wrote this and asked if I could use his name or the products name He laughed and said fiNo-Ill have every air show promoter in the country after me So went the big Chicago Nashytional Air Races that never bloomed Believe you me-the Pylon Club tried

As it turned out the PRPA had only one race in 1954 and it was not for $25000 As a matter of fact the PRPA has never had a $25000 purse for the midgets since Cleveland 1949

Before I closed the Pylon Club I made one more small effort to help racing the Pylon Club sponsored a troshyphy for the 1957 Fort Wayne races I did it for Duane Cole more than for the PRPA We also plugged the races and attended them Believe you me Duane tried to revive racing and deserves more credit than he has received

I still believe in air raCing and I believe there is a bright future for it mainly because of the new breed of pilots and builders

The midgets will always be the crowd-pleasers along with the biplanes The big bores will eventually die because of equipment attrition not because of spirit I also believe there is a strong future in Unlimited stocks Le Bonanshyzas Mooneys Cessnas etc-with no limitations to engine size or modifications I would like to see them pull out the stops and let em go Stop trying to protect the man who wants to race He knows the risks-thats why hes there The name of the game is money versus risk

If I had my own airport believe you me I would turn it into a race course and run stocks homebuilts midgets and anything else that flies every Sunday on a 6040 gate and at the end of a year Id need an airport the size of Moshyjave to stay in business If you want air racing to flourish you have to open the avenues to the young newcomers and you cant do it with a closed association Remember A] Foyt AI Unser and the others didnt get their first ride at Indy they started with stocks midgets dune buggies or sports cars

My experience with PRPA was devastating but it has not dimmed my enthusiasm or interest in air racing-I see I am beginning to preach so I better sign off

Before I do-tell me-am I crazy or do you believe in stock airplane racing

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11

Hs Naomi St Julian visited her friends T-hangar she couldnt help but notice that the hangar next door didnt look as if it was

opened often Hey she asked whats in the

hangar next door I dunno her friend answered

Some sort of old airplane Hasnt flown for years and years

The easily excited Ms St Julian got excited What kind of old airplane

Dunno take a look Naomi quickly inserted as much

of her face as she could in the narrow gap between the doors and tried to make out a vague outline in the gloom beyond Whatever it was it

12 NOVEMBER 2005

was covered in plastic and even in the semi-darkness she could see the outline of a low-wing airplane that hadnt moved in a long time It was every vintage airplane buffs most cherished dream the abandonedshysuper-rare-airplane-in-the-barn was a reality Now if she could only figure out what it was

Later as they gained entrance to the hangar and pulled aside the plastic covering she realized it was even better than she had hoped for It wasnt some rusty old Cub or cherry Staggerwing No this was a treasure that seemed destined specifically for her and her husband Randy It was a 1967 Cherokee 180 They had struck pay dirt

Now before any of you gray beards start sticking your nose in the air and uttering things like 1967 Hell Ive got socks older than that A Cherokee 180 aint no vintage airplane Its a used airplane lets talk about this a bit

For one thing it would help if we all checked our calendars 1967 was 38 years ago and anything made that long ago may not be truly vintage but its a lot older than used In fact it would be the equivalent of restoring a Cessna 140 in 1988 and we certainly didnt consider those used airplanes at the time They were classics then as they are now

More importantly to an even

larger (and younger) portion of the population something like the St Julians found Cherokee 180 is this generations classic and represents an affordable portal into aviation For the St Julians who describe themselves as just normal folks and far from rich finding the Cherokee was the answer to a longshyheld dream but were getting ahead of ourselves

Randy is a switchgear specialist for General Electric and Naomi is a legal secretary Their paths wouldnt have crossed if her son hadnt been dating Randys daughter She was dropping her son off at Randys house and he noticed with more than a little interest that she was

wearing a glider club jacket That was reason enough to ask the obvious question Do you fly gliders

When the answer was in the affirmative the next line was equally as obvious as Randy had been flying power planes since he was a ramp rat as a kid Do you want to go flying some time

They were married shortly thereafter and decided they had two goals One was to remedy Randys renter pilot status by getting an airplane which would achieve the other goal of getting Naomi her power certificate

Naomi says We found a Cessna 1SO and were getting ready to buy it but there was some sort

of misunderstanding We figured it needed over $2000 worth of work and we thought the seller had agreed to reduce the price that much but that turned out not to be the case

Randy picks up the story The owner called his wife and they wouldnt budge but we wanted that airplane We were right up against the wall financially and Naomi finally told him wed pay it but wed have to take the money out of her daughters savings at which point her daughter broke into tears and started sobbing It was as if we had planned it because he relented

They started flying the wings off

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 13

the little airplane and Naomi got her power rating in it However at some point they realized their goals had changed Now they wanted a cross-country airplane and instrument tickets Besides the C-1S0 was just too small

Many of our friends were on Atkins diets Naomi says We thought about losing weight if nothing else because wed fit in the airplane better Then we said Nah lets just get a bigger airplane

We like their way of thinking It was right at that juncture

that Naomi saw the seemingly abandoned Cherokee in the hangar

The airplane wasnt actually abandoned but it had not flown for six years The owner was Meigs Adams a well-known local NinetyshyNiner who had owned the airplane for 27 years We called and while she hadnt thought seriously about selling the airplane shed at least let us in the hangar and talk to us about it

Before going any further its important to know something

14 NOVEMBER 2005

about Naomi St Julian She is shall we say excitable With just a hint of drama And we would have given a hundred bucks to be standing in a corner of the hangar watching as they pulled the plastic off the Cherokee Theres no doubt that her reaction had more than just a little to do with Meigs Adams decision to sell them the airplane To say her excitement is infectious is an understatement

This was the perfect airplane for us simply because even though it needed work Naomi says for what we could afford it was as close to perfect as we were going to get

Randy says It hadnt turned a blade in six years but it only had 1300 hours on the engine and airframe It would have to be gone through but at least we were starting with something really good

The panel was basic Randy says but still IFR and the interior was at the very least usable So we could concentrate on the engine and forget about the rest for the time being

Naomi was only half-listening to

Randy talk about the engine because at the moment of discovery they werent sure whether theyd have to repaint it or not

The airplane was really dusty Naomi says but as soon as we started washing it I began to get excited (oh gee were surprised) because the paint was in terrific condition And it was an interesting color because Meigs had it repainted in 1991 using the original scheme

As an afterthought she says She was named after the airport you know

Dormant engines are best left sleeping so rather than taking the chance of damaging it by flying it Randy says We did the engine almost immediately and I have to admit that when the engine came back after being overhauled Naomi was really afraid something would happen to it In fact it was in the back of a pickup going to the airport and Naomi drove 30 feet behind it all the way ready to put her car in front of anything that looked as if it might hurt our motor

One advantage to working with an airplane like Meigs Cherokee is that there is none of the threeshysteps-forward -and -two-ba ck process that haunts most airplane rebuild projects First of all even though the airplane had a lot of years on it at 1300 hours total time it had not spent enough time flying to be exposed to hard times Plus not only had it almost always been hangared but also as the second owner Meigs obviously loved the airplane and kept it protected So there was no critter damage (mice birds etc) and it had been kept totally dry so there was no corrosion to worry about Because of the way the airplane was cocooned and stored it was something of a time capsule since all of its systems worked Only the engine had the potential of suffering from the lack of use and Randy cured that by having it overhauled

When we finished hanging the engine Randy says I took a CFI along on the break-in flight which turned out to be so uneventful

Naomi and Randy 5t Julian proud owners of N4815L winner of an Outstanding Piper PA-28 Cherokee plaque in the Contemporary judging category

that it was actually a boring two hours Which is a good thing

After the break-in we started working toward our goal of both of us getting our instrument tickets in the airplane While just about everything in the airplane worked we still had go to through everything making certain it was appropriate for instrument flying in this age The first flight after engine break-in was to Carroll County Ohio to have a new IFR-certificated Apollo UPSAT GX-60 GPS installed and the pi totshystatic certification We installed an alternate static source digital clock audio panel and a four-place intercom We kept the VFR Apollo GPS as a backup system

As we started bringing it back to life an extensive annual was done including complying with all applicable ADs replacement of all hoses tank drains tanks screws battery turn-coordinator flashing beacon steering horn and stops new O-rings in the brake master and wheel cylinders new tires and tubes cable tensions Rigging was checked and then we started on the project of pulling the fuel tanks

Naomi chimes in There had to be a thousand screws holding those things in and it was a lot of work getting them all out Then when we thought we were home-free and ready to take the tank out-we were initially worried theyd fall out when the last screw was removed-they wouldnt

budge Randy was beating on them very carefully and they just wouldnt come out It was ridiculous So I went down and talked to our AampP who was helping us throughout the restoration His suggestion to my surprise was Get a bigger hammer so we did Thankfully there were no leaks and we changed the hoses and fuel sender gaskets while they were out

The airplane has flown more than 100 hours per year almost since the day they got it and it has all been fun although Naomi says there were some tense moments

She says I really struggled with the whole IFR thing I was studying like crazy for the instrument written and wasnt sure Id be able to do it Then right out of the blue Randy decided wed take the test at the same time I did well and would have been proud of my 96 percent if Randy hadnt walked in cold and walked out with only one wrong She laughs

Naomi took her checkride first and busted it and says she just couldnt get it together but that cured itself

When I went the second time everything just sort of fell into place and I found it was the best rating I ever got she says

Several years after buying the airplane and many hundreds of hours of flying later they decided the original interior although not in terribly bad shape had to go

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15