VA-Vol-37-No-3-March-2009

GEOFF ROBISON PRESIDENT VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

Challenges and rewards

Its March now and were getshyting closer and closer to enjoying a little warmer weather around here Oh how I long to open the hangar doors and let the sunshine in Unforshytunately that worthless rodent out in Pennsylvania saw his shadow again this year so we are allegedly going to experience another six weeks of winshyter weather around here Yikes And I was hoping for just six more days

I am greatly encouraged by the ongoing developments in our 2009 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh planning Were still a number of months away from the event (148 days from March 1) and well continue to refine our planning for the many offerings for the membership and visitors to our end of the field I think youll share my amazement when you see all the changes that will benefit all of us who enjoy the annual EAA convenshytion and fly-in both in the Vintage Aircraft Association area and the enshytire convention grounds

It continues to amaze me that given the many economic chalshylenges we all face on a daily basis so many of you have chosen to stay strongly engaged in sport aviation as an interest We all need to do evshyerything we can think of to promote the VAA year-round Consider inshytroducing a friend or relative to the ultimate experience of Oshkosh Ofshytentimes I struggle to choose the apshypropriate words to best describe how I feel when I do this especially when its a young person who has had litshytle to no interaction with aviation as a passion Once those new people get here it is better than Christmas to them They walk around for the

first 72 hours practically drooling all over the front of their shirt and in a constant state of overwhelming exshycitement It just doesnt get any betshyter than that I have two (soon to be three) young grandsons and I canshynot wait until theyre old enough to start attending AirVenture That will be a very special time for me

If you havent visited the EAA website recently I would highly enshycourage you to do so The staff at EAA continues to improve the qualshyity and content of this site There are volumes of information about your organization as well as the latest and greatest aviation news It is timely as well as interesting Be sure not to miss Steve Taylors blog http airventuresiteupdateblogspotcom which details all of the convention site improvements currently in the works at Oshkosh I believe you will find it to be useful as well as inforshymative Be sure to check it out at wwwEAAorg and at wwwAirVenture org My congratulations to everyone at EAA who maintains this website on a daily basis It continues to imshyprove and there is something of value there for everyone

Dont forget to also wander around in EAAs calendar of events website It s that time of year to beshygin your 2009 flying season fly-out planning This is a really great site to peruse all aviation events within a deSignated travel distance You can also designate an event type if you go to the advanced search tab on this site wwwEAAorgcalendarItmiddots really amazing to me the number of events that are already announced on this site If your chapter is planshy

ning an aviation event thats open to the public this is a great site to post your event on

As previously announced work on the new Vintage Hangar is conshytinuing to develop The concrete footers for the new structure have now been completed and by the time you read this column the strucshyture itself should be well on its way to coming out of the ground Be sure to also visit the VAA website www VintageAircraftorg to watch for conshytinual updates on this new hangar facility that will house the various type club operations and the Vintage workshop which will continue to demonstrate metalworking and a number of other demonstrations of aircraft restoration skills This facilshyity will also house our VAA Volunshyteer Refreshment Center the Vintage Computer Operations Shop VAA Convention Operations Office and a hospitality receptionconference room Be assured that we will be forshyever mindful of the fact that you the membership made this new facility possible Your continual monetary support of the Friends of the Red Barn fund has proven to be the key to the development of many opporshytunities of this nature Its a simple formula You donate the dollars and we give it all back in direct support to the AirVenture experience It is truly an exciting time for the Vintage Airshycraft Association You wont want to miss out on this excitement

VAA is about participation Be a member Be a volunteer Be there

MARCHN E VOL 37 NO3 2009

CONTENTS IFe Straight amp Level

Challenges and rewards by Geoff Robison

2 News

6 The Indubitably Delightful Dart Big plane class with small-plane cost by Sparky Barnes Sargent

12 Left Turn Only Bill Brennand on the amazing racing career of Steve Wittmans Chief Oshkosh and Buster by Bill Brennand as told to and written by James P Busha

20 Light Plane Heritage The Tipsy S2 by John Underwood

24 The Vintage Mechanic Repairs alterations maintenance preventive maintenance by Robert G Lock

28 Trading Avgas for Clams A different kind of $100 Hamburger by Irven F Palmer J r

32 Dolph Overtons Ford Tri-Motor The outstanding restoration is headed to a new owner in Arizona by Sparky Barnes Sargent

36 Mystery Plane by HG Frautschy

39 Classified Ads

COVERS FRONT COVER While he bought it in 1969 Dolph Overtons 1929 Ford 4-AT-E was only

recently restored to its former Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT) glory Soon to be

on its way to a new owner in Arizona the Ford s restoration was a collaborative effort

headed up by Bob Woods at Woods Aviation in Greensboro North Carolina Photo courshy

tesy Bob Woods

BACK COVER At the 1949 National Air Races in Cleveland Ohio the third year of the

Goodyear trophy races heres an overhead view of 19 of the racers How many can you

name The answer is on page 18 Bill Brennand collection

STAFF EAA Publisher Tom Poberezny Director of EAA Publications Mary Jones Executive DirectorEditor HG Frautschy ProductionSpecial Project Kathleen Witman Photography Jim Koepnick

Bonnie Kratz Advertising Coordinator Sue Anderson Classified Ad Coordinator Lesley Poberezny Copy Editor Colleen Walsh Director of Advertising Katrina Bradshaw

Display Advertising Representatives Specialized Publicatioos Co

US Eastern Time ZonemiddotNortheast Ken Ross 609-822-3750 Fax 609-957-5650 kr40comcastnet

US Eastern Time Zone-Southeast Chester Baumgartner 727-532-4640 Fax 727middot532middot4630 cballmll1mindspringcom

US Central Time Zone Gary Worden 800-444-9932 Fax 816-741-6458 garywordenspcmiddotmagcom

US Mountain and Pacific Time Zones John Gibson 916-784-9593 Fax 510-217-3796 johngibsonspc-magcom

Europe Willi Tacke Phone +49(0)1716980871 Fax +49(0)8841496012 willilying-pagescom

VINTAGE AIRPLANE

VAAs 2009 Friends of the Red Barn Campaign

Next month each of you will be reshyceiving a letter concerning the VAA Friends of the Red Barn (FORB) camshypaign The Vintage Aircraft Assoshyciation has by necessity elected to underwrite a portion of its yearlong activities with funds outside of the regular membership dues The proshyceeds from this fund pay for all sorts of volunteer activities and improveshyments to the VAA area as well as supshyporting VAA advocacy efforts and educational endeavors The addition of the FORB funds to our annual opshyerating budget allows the VAA to keep our dues as low as possible Your anshynual contribution made in the first half of 2009 will directly benefit this years convention activities and VAA programs throughout the year

We ask that you consider actively participating in the 2009 VAA Friends of the Red Barn campaign Your doshynation may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law and you can enhance your part icipation if you work for a matching-gift company You can do so by copying filling out and then sending in the form inshycluded on these pages by filling out and sending in the form included in the mailing that arrived in your mailshybox or by donating online at www VintageA ircra(torgprogramsredbam html If you desire more information concerning the VAAs Friends of the Red Barn campaign feel free to give us a call at 920-426-6110 Wed be happy to speak with you

Type Club Concerns In an effort to add to the ways the

type clubs can communicate in an efshyficient manner with the FAAs Small Airplane Directorate the VAA will again facilitate a series of meetings for clubs that ask for a meeting with the FAA during AirVenture

The Small Airplane Directorshyate responds to the public s conshycerns throughout the year and in

2 MARCH 2 009

as timely a way as possible J notes John Colomy manager of the Small Airplane Directorates Standards Office Although some type clubs contact the directorate whenever they have issues in the past they may have waited to discuss their concerns at the annual meeting of all type clubs held during previous years at EAA AirVenture In order to improve communications the EAA and the FAA have agreed to try a difshyferent approachJ

We ask that any issues the type clubs may have with the FAA be sent

to VAA headquarters by April 30 Durshying the month of May we will comshypile the issues in a list and forward them to Kim Smith the manager of the FAAs Small Airplane Directorate in Kansas City

Kim and her staff will then dishyrectly contact the clubs working to address the issues during the first part of the summer and if need be meeting with the individual clubs during AirVenture

After AirVenture the Small Airshyplane Directorate will report back to EM regarding the issues brought for-

Replica Golden Age Racer Makes First Flight Another incredible replica of a golden age racer has taken to the skies at Flashy

bob Airport in Riverside Cal ifornia Thanks to the vision and resources of EM Presidents Council member Tom Wathen and the talents of Mark Lightsey and his colleagues at Aerocraftsman Inc an Avions Caudron C460 flew for the first time on January 28 Among those who helped build the replica are recent gradushyates of the Wathen Aviation High School

The airplane gained fame at the 1936 National Air Races in Los Angeles when it shocked its American counterparts by sweeping both the Greve and Thompson trophies The replica is faithful in size and design in every respect except for the engine (a Fairchild Ranger is under the cowl doing excellent stand-in work for the original six-cylinder Renault Bengali ) and the C460 is finshyished in glossy French racing blue

Obviously a plane with only 50 minutes on it is far from proven but it flew fine reported Lightsey who made the maiden flight With the landing gear down and the power at 27 inches and 2700 rpm it was cruising around the pattern at 165 mph

The project follows in the footsteps of the other replica racer projects done at Flabob including the Miles amp Atwood SpeCial Brown B-2 racer Miss Los Angeles Gee Bee Z City of Springfield Laird-Turner SpeCial and de Havilland Comet racer All were built and flown from the airport with notable aviation talents like the late Bill Turner and Ed Marquart having a major part in their creation

The Caudron replica will be transported to Europe for this summers flying seashyson including appearances at the Paris Air Show and the Geneva Classics event in October Since the airplane will be out of the country it will not be at EM AirshyVenture Oshkosh but plans are being made to have the racer at the annual EM convention in 2010

ward and their disposition This process will replace the large

room meeting previously held durshying the convention In that way EM can help facilitate how issues can be addressed more proactively than weve been able to in the past and the FAA and EAA can give all type clubs an equal opportunity for their concerns to be addressed We ask that only the head of each type club send a letter if youre a member of a type club and you feel the club should adshydress a specific problem please conshytact the club directly and ask that the issue be added to the clubs list of conshycerns Club presidents or their desshyignated representatives should send their letter to

Vintage Aircraft Assodation Attn Type Club Issues PO Box 3086 Oshkosh WI 54903-3086 Or you can e-mail your letter to

vintageaircra(teaaorg Only those isshysues brought forth in writing will be added to the list and again please ensure your message is submitted by April 30 2009

New International ELY Regulations in Effect Outside US

The Search and Rescue satellite system officially stopped monitoring 1215 MHz emergency locator transshymitters (ELTs) on February I 2009 and now only monitors the newer 406 MHz units The International Civil Aviation Organization adopted 406 MHz as the international standard for ELTs abandoning 1215 because of the high false-positive signal rate

In the United States the Federal Aviation Administration (FM) has not proposed any changes to Fedshyeral Aviation Regulation 91207 (the regulation requiring ELTs in most airplanes) meaning aircraft owners with 1215 MHz ELTs installed will continue to meet the regulation reshyquirements 1215 MHz ELTs will continue to be monitored but only by ground-based facilities and airshyborne aircraft that happen to have their VHF receiver tuned to 1215 Finding a downed airplane equipped with a 1215 MHz ELT will therefore

be more difficult ments of the regulation This may be reason enough for Several other countries require or

some airplane owners to upgrade are in the process of adopting 406 their ELT A less-expensive but potenshy MHz units tially effective option for US aircraft bull Canada-Transport Canada is owners would be to consider a manushy adopting a policy requiring a 406 MHz ally activated 406 MHz personal 10- ELT installed in all aircraft impleshycator beacon (PLB) which sends out mented during a two-year conversion a distress signal on 406 MHz or a period (Details not yet finalized) SPOT tracking device Either could be bull Mexico-Aircraft with a 1215 a great supplement to the current ELT MHz ELT installed are okay for opshyinstalled in the airplane But neither a erations in Mexico until July I SPOT nor a PLB meets the regulatory 2009 or until the next mandatory requirement of 91207 and cannot be ELT battery replacement whichshyconsidered as meeting the require- ever comes first A 406 MHz ELT is

EAA 8middot17 Tour Set for Takeoff in April Aluminum Overcast

EAAs restored B-17 bomber returns to the sky on Friday April 3 in Chino California the first stop of nearly 60 planned for the 2009 Salute to Veterans national tour

The first tour segshyment includes 16 stops

in five states between April 3 and June 3 The tour continues with the airshyplane back horne for AirVenture July 27-August 2 then back on tour through December

The national B-17 tours have taken place each spring and fall since 1994 Since then tens of thousands of people have experienced this unique airshyplane through its flights and aircraft ground tours

For more information regarding flights and ground tours visit wwwB17 org or contact EMs B-17 Tour Office at 800-359-6217 Special pre-book rates on flights are available for EAA members and non-members and group ground-tour rates are available for schools or other large groups

First Leg- 2009 EAA 8-17 Aluminum Overcast Salute to Veterans Tour April 3-5 Chino California (Host EM Warbird Squadron 16) April 7-8 San Diego California (EM Chapter 14) April 10-12 Torrance California (Torrance Air Fair Association) April 14-15 Camarillo California (EM Chapter 723) April 17-19 Van Nuys California (EM Chapter 40) April 21-22 Visalia California (EM Chapter 262) April 24-26 Hayward California (EM Vintage Chapter 29) April 28-29 Stockton California (EM Chapter 1432) May 1-3 Napa California (EM Chapter 167) May 5-6 Truckee California (EM Chapter 1073) May 8-10 Sacramento California (EM Chapter 52) May 12-13 Redding California (EM Chapter 157) May 15-17 Portland Oregon (EM Chapter 105) May 20-26 Seattle Washington (EM Warbird Squadron 2) May 29-31 Ogden Utah (EM Chapter 23) June 3-9 Denver Colorado (Wings Over the Rockies Air amp Space Museum)

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3

required after that date bull Bahamas-All general-aviation

aircraft are allowed to use 12l5 MHz ELTs until February I 201l

If you have any questions please contact EAA Aviation Services at info EAAorg or call 888-322-4636

Pietenpol Air Camper Turns 80 Group flight to Oshkosh special

activities planned for AirVenture In the late 1920s Bernard Pietenshy

pol of Cherry Grove Minnesota dreamed of designing an inexpenshysive homebuilt airplane using comshymonly available materials powered by an auto engine Eighty years later his creation-the Pietenpol Air Camper-endures as a popular homeshybuilt design built loved and flown by thousands of aviation enthusiasts the world over

EAA will honor Pietenpols deshysign-a two-place open-cockpit airplane of wood construction powshyered by a four-cylinder Ford Model A automobile engine-at AirVenshyture Oshkosh 2009 Bill Rewey (EAA 42474) of Verona Wisconsin is helping organize a gathering of Air Camper builders pilots and planes to partidpate in the celebration

Right now were talking about flyshying up from Brodhead (Wisconsin) on Sunday morning Guly 26) in autonoshymous groups of five said Rewey a member of the Brodhead Pietenpol Ass9ciation type club which conshyvenes its reunion the weekend before Oshkosh We are also encouraging those with radios to use the regular Fisk approach Arriving Air Campers will have reserved parking south of Homebuilders Headquarters near the old main entry arch

Rewey will also change the format of his annual Pietenpol forum trashyditionally held on Tuesday morning

MARCH 2009

during AirVenture Instead of my traditional discussion of the airplane well have individual builders attend and spend a few moments each talkshying about their airplanes he said

Also being planned during AirVenshyture is a special reception for buildshyers and Air Camper pilots at EAAs Pietenpol Hangar on Pioneer Airport On display there is Bernards own N12937 which was built in 1933 and is considered the oldest Air Camper in existence

EAA further honors the Air Camper this year by depicting the airplane on the I Flew My Homebuilt patch given to all homebuilders registering at Homebuilders Headquarters

Look for more information as events and activities are confirmed at wwwAirVentureorg Pietenpol owners wishing to participate at Oshkosh should visit the Brodhead Pietenpol Assodation website www Pietenpolsorg

First Flight of the Silver Dart

Canadas First Flight to Be Commemorated at Oshkosh

Thousands of Canadian aviation enthusiasts annually trek to Oshkosh to participate at EAA AirVenture beshycause of their passion for flight This year theyll have another reason to be here as EAA commemorates the lOOth anniversary of Canadas first successful powered flight

On February 23 1909 John Alexshyander Douglas McCurdy flew the Silshyver Dart at Baddeck Bay Nova Scotia marking the first flight in the entire British Commonwealth EAA is planshyning to celebrate the centennial durshying AirVenture

This is a magnificent opportunity to show our global friends the contrishybutions spirit and pride of Canadian aviation said Jack Dueck an EAA member from High River Alberta who edits the Bits and Pieces e-newsshy

letter for EAA members in Canada If youre one of those Canadians who dreamed of one day making it to Oshshykosh this is the year to do it We can show our proud colours at AirVenture during our flight centennial year with the entire world of flight

Among Canadian aircraft and pishylots scheduled to take part are the Snowbirds aerobatic team the worlds only flying Lancaster bomber in Royal Canadian Air Force markings and dozens of unique homebuilt vintage and other aircraft

Specific programs and activities will be announced as they are fishynalized As those activities are conshyfirmed complete information will be available at wwwAirVentureorg which also includes valuable inforshymation regarding flying to Oshkosh from Canada as well as admissions and housing information

Subscribe to Bits and Pieces at www EAA orgbitsandpiecessubscribeasp

AirVenture Grounds Update Steves Blog

In the midst of one of Wisshyconsins worst-ever winters you wouldnt think much could be acshycomplished on the AirVenture conshyvention sites redesign project But a lot is happening and you can keep up to speed through Steves Blog an online update by EAA facilities manager Steve Taylor

The blog includes information about redesigned transportation routes several new building locations reconfigured exhibit areas the new Vintage Hangar which will host type clubs and workshops as well as other VAA activities and new flush toilets in some of the camping areas

See the blog at httpAirVenture SiteUpdateblogspotcom

RideShare Gets You Here EAAs RideShare online bulletin

board operates on the simple premise Let no seat go unused

Need a ride to EAA AirVenture Oshshykosh Already driving or flying in and have space available Then head on over to EAAs RideShare (www

continued on page 35

4

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5

The Indubitilblg Delightful Dilrt

Big-plane class with small-plane cost ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY SPARKY BARNES SARGENT

Kurt Grasso enjoys buying anshytique airplanes and fixing them up if they need it flying them for a while and then selling them But when he acquired NC20930 he had a dilemma on his handsshythe little airplane had quickly enshydeared itself to fellow pilots at Air Acres his local airport in Woodshystock Georgia-and they didnt want to see it flyaway to another location Ill tell you how much this airplane is loved at my airshyport where hangar space is at a premium explains Grasso with a smile There are three people with hangars there who just love havshying the Dart in their hangar How

MARCH 2009

nice to have an airplane so adorshyable and so loved you dont have to pay for hangar space

Since he and his brothers have a longstanding love for the Dart design and have grown rather atshytached to NC20930 hes decided to keep it in the family by relinquishshying possession of it to his brothshyers I dont think theres another one around that has the modernshyday appointments and avionics for such an antique airplane while reshytaining its romantic lines And not only that the Dart has the flying characteristics that are so enjoyshyable and which are lost nowadays in a lot of airplanes It will almost

do basic maneuvers and aerobatics by [the pilot] just thinking about it-and that is the lovely thing about the Dart

Kurt has been involved in aviashytion since he was a youngster-he grew up in his fathers aircraftshyautomobile salvage yard just outshyside of Boston Massachusetts My jungle gym was a BT-13 and I traveled with my father when he went on the road We hit all the fun air shows up there and at that time air shows were more handsshyon and more about helping each other and just flying They had bomb-dropping contests with flour bags spot-landing contests-and

6

middotmiddotThilt is the thing thilt

illot of people dont

fathom nowildilgsshy

being one with the

ilirplilne ilnd middotweilring it_

Now thilt is Hging -Kurt Grasso

N4HM is a nice example of an Applegate-Weyant Dart

now its all too much of a liability had come through my life have And [I remember seeing] the Darts been powered by radial engines-or when they had their small radial I have converted them to radial enshyengines he fondly recalls liMy gines Ironically the Dart is the first first love has always been creating airplane I have owned that was the and building nostalgic-themed airshy other way around planes with lots of radial-engine brute power that fly like they Genesis of the Dart look When you get in them and The Dart was indeed designed put your hands and feet on the conshy and built to fly behind a radial enshytrols the airplane becomes a part gine although NC20930 now has a of you and you become a part of Lycoming 0-290-D To understand them So most of the aircraft I have the genesis of this sleek nostalgic

little airplane lets take a brief look back into the mid-1930s While Al Mooney was working for Lambert Aircraft Corporation he designed the radial-powered low-wing airshyplane called the Monosport Model G In 1937 Mooney and Knight Culver formed Dart Manufacturing Corporation in Columbus Ohio Dart bought the prototype design and production rights-as well as tooling and parts-to build three Monosports which were powered by the 90-hp five-cylinder Lamshybert R-266

According to the Culver Clubs Culvers Going Places newsletshyter (Issue No5) lithe first totally Dart-built airplanes [had] two adshyditional engine choices availableshythe Ken-Royce [sin prefix GK] or the Warner Scarab Junior [sin preshyfix GW] both of which were 90-hp

S-cylinder radials The Lambert and Ken-Royce engines had smooth cowlings but the Warner had cowlshying bumps In 1939 the comshypany name was changed to Culver Aircraft Corp and the airplanes beshycame Culver Darts After World War II Applegate and Weyant of Tecumshyseh Michigan bought the rights to the Dart and put the Dart back into production They changed the cockpit enclosure to a hinged gullshywing type and switched over to a

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7

J

29-6 ~

Kurt Grasso

Continental 100-hp 6-cylshyinder horizontally opposed engine [sin prefix GC]J All told around 60 Darts were produced today there are about 30 Darts (Models G GK GW and GC) listed on the FAA Registry

Dart proudly marketed its Model G as a low-wing full-cantilever monoplane of exceptional design new in beauty in operating ease and safety every factor of its practical sensible design inspires confidence and assures long life and satisfaction Two-place seatshying powered with a 90-hp Lamshybert engine type R266 providing a top speed of 130 mph and cruisshying speed of 110 mph Priced in the medium areaJ

And aviators of the day would likely have vouched for the feashytures touted by that advertisement since the spirited Dart possessed not only good looks and aerobatic maneuverability with its ever-soshysensitive-to-the-touch flight conshytrols-it was also a strong design with solid construction The Airshycraft Yearbook for 1939 highlights the Dart Models GK and GW statshying that they found favorable acshyceptance from private flyers and fixed-base operators Numerous small schools and operators also use Darts for primary and acrobatic instruction A standard Model G Dart was flown at the National Air Race Aerobatic Exhibitions by

MARCH 2009

I

Dart GW three-view from the Aircraft Yearbook for 1939

Leonard R Peterson and amazed spectators by its maneuverability and inverted flight characterisshytics The facilities and factory floor space were enlarged three times during the year to accommodate increasing business J

Dart Construction The Dart Model GK measures 18

feet 7 inches from nose to tail stands 6 feet tall and has a wingspan of 29 feet 6 inches The wings are built of laminated spruce spars and sprucel plywood wing ribs with wooden leading edges Kurt observes Its a very thick wing it has two spars running through it which youd think were tree trunksJ Those eyeshycatching elliptical wings are graceshyfully faired into the fuselage with a metal fillet complementing the Darts neatly faired fuselage

The fuselage and cantilever emshypennage are built from welded steel tubing and the airframe is covered in fabric As powered by the 90-hp

Ken-Royce it weighed 950 pounds empty had a useful load of 590 pounds and a maximum payload of 250 pounds with 25 gallons of gas and 25 gallons of oil It burned just a tad more than 5 gph and gave its pilot a high speed of 135 mph and a steady cruise at 118 mph with a range of more than 500 miles When it was time for landing it wanted its pilot to slow it down to 40 mph before touching terra firma with its tripod-style main landing gear and it cushioned the transishytion from sky to earth with its Dart oil-and-spring shock struts

Interestingly in late November 1939 the Civil Aeronautics Aushythority (CAA) issued an airworthishyness maintenance bulletin for Dart Models G GK and GW (sin 1-49) which requested a precautionary inspection of the fuselage strucshyture at the wing front spar outer atshytachments and if defects such as cracks in the tubing or signs of unshydue stress were found the structure

8

Kurt Grasso taxis the 1939 Dart into the vintage aircraft area at Sun n Fun

should be reinforced If no defects were found a 25-hour inspection was deemed necessary

According to Kurt Grasso there are a few details about the Darts landing gear that have been modshyified through the years-such as replacing the shock struts with a Cessna spring steel gear but when you see this thing fly [with its neatly streamlined tripod gear] it looks like a 1930s racer-the gear legs drop way down when it takes off And this one has the original 3-inch Dart hubs and mechanishy Side view of N4HM a 1946 Applegate-Weyant Dart powered by

cal brakes which work very well a 100-hp Continental

Sometimes they used a Goodyear [18x8x3] airwheel tire with those Engine Companys 90-hp LeBlond an engine change The Warner was 30-inch wheels but they became 5-F and had a Flottorp fixed-pitch removed and a 125-hp 0-290-D unobtainable Somewhere along wood propeller By May 1940 Lycoming was installed with a the line somebody made an STCshy NC20930 had already been airshy Sensenich propeller Of course approved outer ring [Lamb adapter] borne for 165 hours the change from a radial to a horishythat fits inside the wheel-that By 1957 this particular Dart was zontally opposed engine required made the wheel diameter a little in Michigan where it was conshy other modifications as well inshybigger and they put 4-inch Cubshy verted from a Dart Model GK to cluding a different engine mount style tires on them and thats what a Dart Model GW with the instalshy and the installation of Piper PA-20 this airplane has lation of a Warner Scarab Junior baffling with a PA-22 spinner and

radial engine All parts forward nose cowl as approved under SupshyNC20910 of the firewall were replaced with plemental Type Certificate SA3-408

NC20930s first bill of sale was parts from another Dart and an and Larsen Industries drawings drawn between Culver Aircraft Corshy adjustable Hamilton-Standard proshy Hence NC20930 evolved from poration and John Arlt of Saginaw peller was installed The airplane its beginnings as a Dart Model GK Michigan on April 12 1939-three was re-covered with Irish linen to a Dart Model GW-and although days before this airplanes formal and dope around the same time In it still has this latter designation date of manufacture At that time early 1968 NC20930 was in Ohio the discerning eye will note that its it was powered by the Ken-Royce where once again it experienced serial number GK-34 quietly bears

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9

testimony to this Darts early life when it was

powered by the Ken-Royce radial

Modern Appointments Today this 69-year-oltl Dart has a

total time of only 950 hours Covshy

smooth lines And its fu lly instrushyment flight rules equipped with a NARCO MK-12B navcomm with course deviation indicator King KTshy76A transponder with encoder and Apollo GPS and it has a four-posishytion cylinder exhaust gas temperashy

Dart advertisement in the April 1939 issue of Western Flying magazine

A Iowwi lWlcLllw_ monop1acw of 0shy

orpcionJl~p_iGt-YiDoplaquo1Itini _ and tal fry larnu of ill pnc tiaI ~bJe daip impira [1)f16d~ Dd ~ b sli(t and a tWaction

TIIIO-~ Matioa powued i~h 90 hp Lanlbm tIIglnt Iype Rl66 ptovidu bull top ~pNd of no mph snd cruiti08 amppeed of 110 rnph Priced in 1M medium ftbull

Inquirifs IOlkilH from pbM owner potead1 -d)(t)~ and distributort

THE URT MAUFACTlRIIamp CORP POn coIuus COLUvs OHIO

ered in Ceconite and finished in cream with green trim its a standshyout on the flightline-and on the taxiway where the author spotted it taxiing in to Sun n Fun this spring rts 125-hp Lycoming is neatly conshycealed by a cowling that facilitates

the retention of the Darts

ture gauge The exceptional thing about

this airplane shares Kurt is that not only is it an antique airplane but it has a full panel is fully upholshystered in leather with heat cabin air dome lights and intercom-and it is a lovely cross-country air-

r------------~--lr~~~p~la~ne~I~d~id~n~o~t~re~s~t~o~re~~upgrading it

bull Tit Dart coati ratlolt wherebullbullr ~~ t a riqcll d~ Oft th olrpoN of tit I-a wit It reu Ubullbullbull It quality of bull COIIry Its middotUkerry ria bullbull It 10 cobullbulltrueobullbullbull411 te our Ower yry~ JbullbulleII ~pndClbmt middottidmiddot Iibullbull A_d _ lie 0 its ootllftow_

Whoever fl1 a D for port or 10 art elbullbullr cOlllmrcfally p ral of middotfbullbulliI~UCobull Ibullbull f_ f~ y aad tilbullbull0 wi 0 ~~rol IbullbullCa dow a weat Wei ca e

Twoplace 0 It p e~d Oft a porto r bullbulltlene Ivldmiddot 0 135 lIIph Co errlorie avallobl a 0 derahle ac or fre du~~~~abllled do_

CULVER AIRCRAFT CORP rORT COLUMUS COLUMUS OHIO

~

10 MARCH 2009

Above Dart advertisement reprinted in Culvers Going Places the Culver Club s newsletter

this airplane-an older fellow did and he put his heart into tastefully

Darting About Kurt revels in flying NC20930

and describes its handling charshyacteristics much the way a proud paren t would his honor roll student He steps up onto the wingwalk settles down into the comfortable cockpit and from takeoff to landing just lightly holds the stick using only finshygertip pressure for control in-

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