APRIL 2011
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APRIL 2011
Remember, We’re Better Together!
www.auaonline.com
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Ev has flown more than 100 types of airplanes and he has flown more Ryan airplane types than any other living pilot.
Dealing in any way with AUA is an old-time pleasure. They are, courteous, pleasant, thorough, personable, businesslike, competitive, and on top of that - they love old airplanes and talk the language too.
— Ev Cassagneres
Ev Cassagneres Cheshire, Connecticut
■ Commercial Pilot
■ Flying since 1945
■ Ryan Aircraft Historian
■ Author
TTTTTTTThhhhhhhhaaaaaannnnnkkkkkkkssssss AAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!
2 Straight & Level Young Eagles and spring inspections by Geoff Robison
3 News
5 Aeromail
6 Taylor J-2 Cub In the beginning there was this ‘someday project’ by Budd Davisson
14 The Sky’s the Limit 40th Anniversary of the National Stearman Fly-In by Ed McKeown
18 Leather Helmet, Goggles, and a Rosary Adventures of a teenage barnstormer by Ray Goss
23 My Friend Frank Rezich, Part VII by Robert G. Lock
27 The Vintage Instructor It’s a new season for fl ying—are you ready? by Steve Krog, CFI
30 The Vintage Mechanic Vibrations, Part I by Robert G. Lock
35 Classifi ed Ads
36 Mystery Plane by H.G. Frautschy
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 1
A I R P L A N E A P R I LC O N T E N T S
S T A F FEAA Publisher Rod HightowerDirector of EAA Publications Mary JonesExecutive Director/Editor H.G. FrautschyProduction/Special Project Kathleen WitmanPhotography Jim KoepnickCopy Editor Colleen WalshSenior Art Director Olivia P. TrabboldEAA Chairman of the Board Tom Poberezny
Publication Advertising:Manager/Domestic, Sue AndersonTel: 920-426-6127 Email: [email protected]: 920-426-4828
Senior Business Relations Mgr, Trevor JanzTel: 920-426-6809 Email: [email protected]
Manager/European-Asian, Willi TackePhone: +49(0)1716980871 Email: willi@fl ying-pages.comFax: +49(0)8841 / 496012
Interim Coordinator/Classifi ed, Alicia CanzianiTel: 920-426-6860 Email: [email protected]
C O V E R S
Vol. 39, No. 4 2011
FRONT COVER: Steve Kretsinger’s newly-restored Taylor J-2 Cub was trailered to Watoma, Wisconsin from Eugene, Oregon, then reassembled and fl own to EAA AirVenture 2010. During the convention, the J-2 was reunited with one of its early pilots, EAA Founder Paul Poberezny. Read more about the restoration in Budd Davisson’s article starting on page 6. EAA photo by Jim Koepnick.BACK COVER: Another cover from the drawing table of prolifi c illustrator Frank Tinsley, this fanciful interpretation of Waldo Waterman’s Aerobile shows us what life could be like for the aviation country-club set if Waldo’s dream of production could be realized. The September 1937 cover for Air Trails shows the nation the promise of post-Depression aviation. Unfor-tunately, World War II would interrupt the advancement of civilian aviation for more pressing needs. Tinsley seems to give another nod towards innovation, with the illustration of what appears to be a version of the Everel single-bladed propeller on the prop shaft of the Aerobile. Wouldn’t the Aerobile be a nifty replica project?
6
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2 APRIL 2011
Having just spent four days in Oshkosh, I return home with a renewed feeling of invigora-tion. Every time I engage my-
self in the atmosphere of EAA, even in the month of March with all that snow, I come home with a renewed sense of excitement about this orga-nization. What a great way to slap down the seemingly eternal winter doldrums. It really makes me want to shout it out to anyone who will listen that all of my experiences with EAA are also available to every EAA mem-ber out there. You just need to engage, and ride the wave. I have been riding this wonderful wave of opportunity now for 28 years, and it has been a great ride, a ride I hope continues for at least another 28 years.
If you haven’t heard, I want to share with you the fact that aviation recently lost a good friend in Jack Cox. I didn’t know Jack well, but I clearly knew who he was and what he meant to our organization and the entire world of aviation. He was the epitome of a gentleman and pos-sessed a rare ability to communicate his knowledge of aviation to us all in a fashion that was not just entertain-ing but accurate as well, and he had great value to those of us who enjoy vintage airplanes. My deepest condo-lences to his wife, Golda, and the en-tire family, as well as the huge group of friends Jack enjoyed over all these years. We will miss him deeply.
It’s always a great day at the hangar when we host a Young Eagles event. VAA Chapter 37 in Auburn, Indiana, and the local Fort Wayne, Indiana, EAA Chapter 2 will host about eight in-dividual events during the upcoming
fl ying season. We recently celebrated with two of our members when they reached the remarkable accomplish-ment of “300 Young Eagles Flown.” Congratulations to members Drew Hoffman and David Resler for their generous efforts in sharing the expe-rience of flight with so many young folks throughout our community, and for their direct participation in inspir-ing the next generation of pilots.
The Young Eagles program con-tinues to expand its horizons. Your EAA leadership is now at the ready to launch the next spectrum of Young Eagles by providing an opportunity to assist parents in enabling their child’s journey into aviation. EAA Chairman Tom Poberezny’s March column in Sport Aviation, titled “Brace for Im-pact,” should be read by every pilot who has ever flown a Young Eagle. The research that was recently com-pleted by EAA on the impact to avia-tion this program has produced since 1992 is nothing less than amazing. Tom stated, “The biggest results are yet to come! When you plant the seed of aviation, you don’t know when it will sprout.” Tom’s column reports remarkable data that will not only encourage those pilots who partici-pate now to stay engaged, but also it is highly likely to inspire even more EAA pilots to engage themselves in this amazingly effective program.
With spring’s arrival I want to again remind everyone to perform an extensive preflight inspection of their aircraft prior to that fi rst break-fast run. If you’re like me, your air-craft oftentimes will lie idle in the hangar for months through the win-tertime, and it is clearly susceptible
to those fuzzy little four-legged visi-tors nesting in the most remote ar-eas of your airframe. Taildraggers are particularly vulnerable to these little critters, so you have to get in there and do a thorough inspection in-cluding the tail cone, the wings, un-der the floorboards, and behind the panel. Pull the inspection plates and use a mirror and flashlight to get a good look all around. If you see an unusual stain on your headliner that you can’t account for, you better look into it! Even if you have never seen any mice in your hangar, it is always a good idea to set traps to keep their population to a minimum. Rock that wing and sump a little more fuel than normal to make certain you have no contaminants in your fuel system. Be sure to pop open the engine cowling and look throughout the compart-ment. Remember, they like cozy, out-of-the-way places to nest. If one little piece of grass, shredded paper, or fabric looks out of place, investi-gate further. I could go on and on, but you get the idea here. Be thorough in your inspection prior to that first fl ight, and don’t get in a hurry. It is a real disconcerting feeling when one of these critters tries to run up your pant leg on your initial takeoff run. Trust me, I know the feeling!
VAA is about participation: Do yourself a favor and ask a friend to join up with us. Let’s all pull in the same direction for the good of avia-tion. Remember, we are better to-gether. Join us and have it all.
GEOFF ROBISONPRESIDENT, VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION
STRAIGHT & LEVEL
Young Eagles and spring inspections
VAA NEWS
Jack Cox, EAA Lifetime 14286, VAA Hall of Fame Inductee, who influenced generations of aviators as the longtime editor-in-chief of EAA Sport Aviation magazine and founding editor of EAA’s Vintage Airplane magazine, passed away Sun-day, March 6, 2011.
Jack joined the EAA staff in 1970 when he and his wife, Golda, moved from North Carolina to Wisconsin at the invitation of Paul Poberezny. While busy work-ing at EAA in a variety of roles at the headquarters in
Hales Corners, Wisconsin, Jack was managing the day-to-day work that led to the formation of EAA’s Antique/Classic Division (now the EAA Vintage Air-plane Association), which included his new Classic category for post-war air-
craft, then the largest unaffi liated entity in aviation. Jack created the Division’s new monthly publication, The Vintage Airplane, and served as its fi rst editor. He also designed the Division’s fi rst logo, which featured the Wright Flyer.
In 1972, Jack was named editor-in-chief of Sport Aviation, a position he held until his retirement in 1999. During his tenure, Golda was his partner on the magazine, as she was in all aspects of his life, serving in the role of managing editor.
Jack was born in Seagrove, North Carolina, in Jan-uary 1934 and grew up enamored with aviation, building model airplanes and reading everything
available on aviation. After graduating from college and beginning a teaching career, he began taking flight instruction and soloed a J-3 Cub at Air Har-bor Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, in April 1956. As a private pilot, Jack logged more than 3,350 flying hours in a total of 137 different makes and models of aircraft.
Jack was inducted into the EAA Vintage Aircraft As-sociation Hall of Fame and the EAA Homebuilders Hall of Fame. In 1986 he received a prestigious award from the Aviation/Space Writers Association for his article on the around-the-world fl ight of the Voyager.
Upon retirement, Jack and Golda returned to Ashe-boro and remained active in aviation. Jack was a life-time member of EAA, a member of AOPA, a director of EAA/VAA Chapter 3, and a member of the Ashe-boro Airport Authority. He was also a member of the voting panel of the Motorsports Hall of Fame.
After serving as the fi rst editor of The Vintage Air-plane, he was always available to the editors who fol-lowed, offering story suggestions and helping nurture the growing vintage airplane movement. He was un-failing in his belief in recreational aviation, and we should be forever grateful for his steady guidance of EAA publications, and the work that helped cre-ate EAA’s largest special interest area. I join past edi-tors Dave Gustafson, Gene Chase, and Mark Phelps in expressing our profound condolences to his wife, Golda, and Jack’s extended family.
Feel free to visit www.SportAviation.org for a link to an online obituary where EAA members are invited to share memories of Jack.
Former Sport Aviation Editor and Founding Editor of Vintage Airplane Passes
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 3
4 APRIL 2011
Sportsman PilotCeases Publication
The publication of Sportsman Pilot magazine ended on March 6, 2011, with the death of editor and co-owner Jack Cox of Asheboro, North Carolina.
Jack and his wife, Golda, en-joyed their association with a small but very loyal subscription base for the last 30 years. Upon Jack’s pass-ing, Golda shared this message, “Jack and I hope we have provided as much pleasure as we received producing Sportsman Pilot. Our re-gret is that some interviews from Sun ’n Fun and AirVenture 2010 will not be written. We hope the publication has provided interest, education, and historical knowl-edge to many of our readers.”
Mistakes That Can DerailYour Re-Registration
The FAA’s aircraft re-registration initiative that began on Novem-ber 1, 2010, is going about as expected, according to Walter Binkley, manager of aircraft reg-istry in Oklahoma City. That is to say, it’s going fairly well—with more people than expected using the online registration instead of mailing in the paper form. Re-registering online is much more effi cient, resulting in a one-week turnaround as opposed to the six to eight weeks for fi lling out and
mailing in the form, then waiting for hard copies to wind their way through the queue.
There are some mistakes the branch is seeing that can derail a registration; these include:
• Failure to print or type name.• Making an alteration to the
text and whiting out or obscuring something on the form—the only acceptable way to alter text is to line through and correct.
• Including the appropriate fee.• Checking both “info correct”
and “changes made” boxes or leaving both unchecked—one of the boxes must be checked.
• Sending in the re-registration when it ’s not their turn. “We won’t take applications out of cy-cle,” Binkley said.
If you receive a final notice
even though you have already submitted re-registration materi-als, don’t worry; the FAA wants to give aircraft owners every oppor-tunity to re-register in the event of procrastination, materials lost in the mail, or other reasons, Bink ley said.
If you submit your re-registration and it has not been processed by the prescribed final notice date, you’ll automatically receive a fi nal notice. The FAA also sends a third notice when an aircraft’s registra-tion expires, giving owners a fi nal opportunity to get their materials in and save their N numbers.
Call 866-762-9434 (toll-free) or 405-954-3131 with any ques-tions or concerns. Or go to www.SportAviation.org to fi ll out an online form for fastest response.
Young Eagles Ford Mustang Raffl e OpensThe annual Young Eagles Raffl e features one sweet ride—a 2011
Ford Mustang GT conver tible valued at $42,000. The raffl e, which supports EAA’s Young Eagles program and other youth aviation educa-tion initiatives, of fers only 1,500 tickets at $100 each, and can be purchased at the EAA AirVenture Museum as well as during AirVenture through July 31. Other prizes include four cash prizes ranging from $500 to $5,000.
The prize drawings will be held after the afternoon air show on Sunday, July 31, the fi nal day of the fl y-in. The Mustang is provided with assistance from Ford Motor Company and Kocourek Ford of Wausau, Wisconsin.
TM
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 5
AEROMAIL
Send your comments and questions to:VAA, Letters to the Editor
P.O. Box 3086Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086
Or you can e-mail them to: [email protected]
Thank You!As we get closer to this year’s EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh fly-in and con-vention, it’s fun to see that members sometimes go to great effort to drop us a note. This letter (above) from mem-ber Ken Berger was dropped off at our Red Barn hospitality center just before the awards ceremony. Written on a piece of soft drink packaging, Ken’s heartfelt note reminds us that the ef-forts of our volunteers and staff alike don’t go unnoticed. Thank you, Ken!
Where Are They Now?Dear Sir,
I just read the latest issue of Vintage magazine [January 2011], and found much interest in the Rearwin story.
But my main reason for writing is to ask if anyone out there in our associa-tion knows the whereabouts and sta-tus of the Rearwin Speedster 6000M, NC15865, s/n 36. I was fortunate to fl y that airplane, apparently the pro-totype of the 6000 design, with the Cirrus engine. It was all cream with
orange trim, in original configura-tion. How well I remember the narrow front area where the rudder pedals were, which made me feel as though I was pigeon-toed. Last time I saw the machine was many years ago in a T-hangar on some airport in Michi-gan, and have since lost track of it.
In addition, I would love to know if there are any other Speedsters out there, either fl ying or in restoration.
And lastly, I fl ew a Buhl Pup LA-1, NC12109, back in the late ’40s at New Haven, Connecticut, and wonder if it might have survived, and where it is, and what the status is of that wonder-ful and fun airplane with the “Sickly” three-cylinder engine and cable all around it so the cylinders would not fl y off into the wild blue yonder.
And oh yes, I also got to fl y a Bar-kley-Grow, NC18388 (looked like a Twin Beech D-18 only with large, beautiful wheelpants), out of Bridge-port airport, with Alan Wheeler back around 1957, and wonder if anyone knows where that beautiful twin is.
Please print this in your next is-sue, if you don’t mind. I sure would appreciate it, now that I am 82 plus.
Sincerely,Ev Cassagneres
You can send your response back to Ev care of us here at VAA headquar-ters, via e-mail at [email protected] or regular mail at VAA, PO Box 3086, Oshkosh WI 54903.
Crosswind LandingsHi Steve,
I enjoyed reading your article about windsocks and downwind landings as well as your previous ar-ticles. One can never learn all there is to this business.
That is my 1941 A75-L3 in the background. I owned an Air Repair Stearman previously and checked out in a B75-N1 back in 1969 or so.
When I owned the Air Repair Stear man, I was fl ying for Eastern Air Lines and had the Stearman hangared in Laconia, New Hampshire (LCI). One nice day, I thought I’d fly over to Wolfeboro for some 80 octane, check out the lakeshore, and get me some landing practice. Here I come over the north side of the airport, and I noticed some kind of whiz-jet taking off to the east, then a Cessna of some sort also going to the east. So, what does the gallant Stearman fl ier do? You have it! Fall in a left-hand pattern to the east. As I prepared for another fine land-ing, the Stearman began to get squir-relly and wobbly! What’s going on? Well, I managed to catch a glimpse of the windsock, “Holy-moly, idiot. You had landed or attempted a landing downwind with a right-quartering tail wind!” I immediately applied power and went around to land to the west, as I should have in the fi rst place.
I had fallen prey to doing as others do and not checking the wind direction. Never did that maneuver again! Stear mans just don’t like tail wind landings. In later years when checking out new Stearman guys, I always made it a point to discuss wind direction and my al-most-incident with them.
Thanks for the fi ne articles.Pete Chestnut, VAA 65
6 APRIL 2011
Taylor J-2 CubIn the beginning there was this ‘someday project’
BY BUDD DAVISSON
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 7
“I didn’t want to be one of those who say ‘some-day’ when talking about a project, because ‘some-day’ quite often doesn’t
come. So, I made up my mind to ac-tually start working on the project.”
The speaker was Steve Kretsinger, of Eugene, Oregon, and “…the proj-ect” to which he referred was his uncle’s Taylor J-2 Cub, which had lived in his uncle’s garage for al-most two decades and was often re-ferred to in “someday” terms. Steve was determined to break the cycle and do something about it.
As is almost always the case with decisions like this, it was a long time coming and involved more than just waking up one morning and saying to himself, “I’m going to rebuild the Cub.”
“I’ve always dreamed of fl ying,” Steve said, “but, there was no avia-tion connection of any kind in my immediate family. So, at the time, I just fi gured ‘…yeah, just another kid dream that’ll never happen.’ I was so far outside of aviation that I didn’t have a clue as to what the proper path would be. I had no idea that lots of kids my age were trading paper route money and
Rights: 1st No. American, One Time
Steve Kretsinger
JIM KOEPNICK
JIM
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8 APRIL 2011
wash jobs for flying time. And it went that way for quite a while.
“For one thing, I thought I had to have ground school completed before I could start taking flying lessons. So, when I got older, I en-rolled in a ground school course at the local community college and met a guy there who had a C-152. I told him I was itching to get into an airplane. He said, ‘Fine. How
about Saturday?’ “I said, ‘I can’t. I haven’t fi nished
ground school.’“He replied, ‘Don’t need it. See
you at what time?’“It was just that simple. Then I
started talking about airplanes at home and how I’d like to own one. That’s when my mom said, ‘You know your Uncle Tom has an air-plane in his garage. Go see him.”
At that point Steve was 26 years old and just beginning to dip his toes into the aviation pool, so his avia-tion knowledge was minimal. Still, he knew that he liked old airplanes, and he knew exactly where he could fi nd one. So he set out to visit his un-cle down the road in California.
“First of all,” he said, “it turned out that Uncle Tom didn’t have an airplane in his garage. He had
The rounded tail sur faces and wingtips help distinguish the J-2 from its squared-off predecessor, the E-2 Cub. The changes to the design, created by Walter P. Jamouneau, softened its appearance. In previous writing, the as-sumption has been made that the “J” in J-2 stood for the designer’s name. Pete Bowers, in his 1993 book, Piper Cubs, points out that in reality, the “J” just happened to be the next letter in the series of Taylor Cub models—the previous version had been the 35-hp Szekely SB-3-35-powered H-2, and skipping the letter “I,” since it could be mistaken for the number 1, meant the next model-designating letter would be, at best, a happy coincidence with the design modifi er’s last name!
two airplanes in his garage. A 1938 Fairchild F-24J and a 1937 Taylor J-2 Cub. I guess I never realized how heavy he was into airplanes. It turns out that at one time in the early ’60s he used the Fairchild to commute from Long Beach to work at Vandenberg Air Force Base. He had also been one of the Flabob Airport gang, and vintage/antique airplanes were a big part of his life.
“I started hinting around that I’d like to buy the Cub, and he said, ‘Tell you what: You rebuild the Cub and you can fl y it, but I’ll own it.’ That was 1986, and I took the Cub home to my shop to work on it. Only problem was, I got married and started having kids at the same
time, so the Cub was once again a ‘…someday, I’ll get at it’ project, and it didn’t look as if I was going to get to do the airplane myself.
“I had been introduced to Tim Talen, in Eugene, who was doing airplane restorations (Ragwood Refactory, http://RagwoodRefactory.com), and as I hadn’t even touched the airplane, it looked as if the only way I was going to get it done was by having a professional do it. I talked to Tim about it, and he pointed out that it was going to cost so much to do the Cub that I’d probably have more in it than it was worth. He suggested I have him do the Fairchild instead because I’d have a more valuable airplane, when finished, and would come out better fi nancially. So, I talked to Uncle Tom about doing the Fairch-ild, but it turned out a friend of his wanted to do it for him, and he did. When the airplane was finished, my uncle and I fl ew it to Oshkosh. That was in 2000.
“In 2006 I had the epiphany about ‘someday’ and realized that day wouldn’t come for me on the Cub unless I made it happen. So, I pulled the trigger on it. Only I was going to be as hands-on as I could be, within the limitations of my own time and talents. And that’s when I hired Tim Talen to fi nish the project. As he worked on the proj-ect, I was able to contribute in the areas that he thought were within my abilities. He’d look over my shoulder directing me on the things I could do and taking over for those areas where I was over my head.”
As near as Steve could tell, the airplane hadn’t flown since the 1940s. In the 65 years since it had gone through dozens of hands, each adding their own pile of parts to the ‘someday project,’ but none of them did anything constructive to the airplane, although right at the beginning Steve and his uncle had sand blasted the fuselage and primed it, which, with the passage of so many years, had to be done again. What Steve had was a gigan-tic pile of parts that he hoped to-
taled up to a complete airplane. Steve said, “Tim had already
done a J-2 or two, so he knew what we were looking for and how dif-ferent years of airplanes might have different parts. This fi rst sur-faced while I was doing the wings.” Steve continued: “When we started spreading out the parts, we real-ized that I had three wing panels, but no usable ailerons. Not a one. What we did have, however, were factory drawings for those ailerons. So, starting with the hinge fi ttings and horns, we just built them. The wings needed total rebuilding. I built new spars for them and had to repair every single rib. Some weren’t too bad, but others were mostly trash.
“We bead-blasted the fittings for all three wings and picked the best for these wings. We also tore our hair out looking for new pul-leys of the right kind, but couldn’t fi nd them. We did, however, have a big box of ‘stuff,’ and in them we found enough usable pulleys to put this airplane together.
“One of my mantras was ‘orig-inality and no new parts,’ which turned out to be harder to do than I thought it would be. For instance, when we started rebuilding the seats we found that the top of the seat back was supposed to be a spe-cial C-shaped steel channel that the drawings called a Dahlstrom Chan-nel No. 543. The same channel ma-terial was used in the tail for ribs. Miracle of miracles, it turned out that the company that made them was still in business and still had the dyes. ‘Great,’ we thought, ‘we’ll just give them a call and buy 20 or 30 feet of the stuff. We called the factory and talked to a very nice person who had worked there for a long time, and she told us that yes, they could build the parts, but we’d have to buy a minimum of 5,000 yards! Oh, well, so we got creative with steel while fi lling those gaps.
“The fuselage wasn’t too bad,” Steve said. “Although we had to strip it again, there wasn’t a lot of rust. There was evidence that the airplane
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 9
JIM KOEPNICK
10 APRIL 2011
had some repairs near the wing at-tach points. I had the fi rst three log-books, which didn’t mention an accident, but those logs only covered the 1930s, and I had nothing after that. It also had a good turtledeck structure, so that didn’t need much work. In general, however, compared to the total rebuild of the wings, the fuselage wasn’t too bad.
“The sheet metal needed a lot of work. The boot cowl was all there, but good only for patterns, and the firewall was more holes than metal,” Steve said. “We were able to use the original nose bowl, al-though as it came out of the factory it was a single-piece unit. However, somewhere along the line, this one had been split for ease of mainte-nance, so we put it back together. Tim did the top cowl and some other parts so that it came back to totally original configuration, in-cluding the boot lace clips.”
When an airplane is as basic as the Taylor J-2 Cub, doing the in-strument panel doesn’t require a lot of instruments, but they have to be the right instruments or it’ll look “wrong.” Nothing is more visually jarring than a 1980s airspeed or al-timeter in a super-simple 1930s in-strument panel.
“We had an instrument panel, but not a single instrument. I’m certain they are all in a box under someone’s bed, but that’s when we had to resort to flipping over rocks, looking for what might be available. Tim had some of the in-struments, and I found the right ta-chometer from a guy in Sonoma, California. We ran into a brick wall, however, when it came to the al-
The new Sensenich propeller sports the proper yellow-painted tips and a pair of decals with the correct “Made in Lititz, PA” wording.
Continental’s fi rst-production fl at-opposed aircraft engine, the A-40. Unlike the later “A” series of engines, the cylinder head for each pair of cylinders is cast as one piece, as are the cylinders.
Left: One of the simplest cockpits in the histor y of aviation. The rod at the top with the small knob sur-rounding it is the throttle, and the parallel white ropes activate the pulley controlling the stabilizer an-gle for pitch trim. From left to right we have the minimum instruments needed for VFR fl ight in the 1930s: airspeed, oil temperature, oil pres-sure, and nonsensitive altimeter.
JIM
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JIM
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AMY
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CH
Personal History Steps Out of the Crowd
As Steve told the stor y, “N19252’s original owner was the
Brown Deer Flying Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While doing the
restoration, I was talking to Tim about the history of the aircraft,
and he said, ‘You know, Paul Poberezny grew up in the Milwaukee
area, you ought to see if he fl ew your airplane.’ I e-mailed the EAA,
and they forwarded my letter to Paul. He responded that he did fl y
out of the Brown Deer airport, and said he fl ew several J-2s.
“Fast forward to AirVenture 2010; while we were in Oshkosh, we
were asked to bring the airplane to the ‘Vintage Interview Circle’ to
display the airplane and conduct an interview. Unbeknownst to me
the staff had made arrangements for Paul to appear during our in-
terview. As Ray Johnson was conducting the interview with me, he
said, ‘Steve, I’d like you to meet someone; turn around!’
“To my complete surprise and amazement it was Paul Pober-
ezny! They handed Paul the microphone, and he told some stories
about fl ying in Milwaukee in the ’30s, and as he pointed to my air-
plane, he said, ‘As a young lad, I fl ew this airplane.’ The interview
was followed by handshakes and photographs. This was like icing
on the cake. Here I was in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, over 2,000 miles
away from home, displaying my airplane at the greatest fl y-in in the
world, and I get to meet the man who started it all in front of an
airplane he learned to fl y in!”
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 11
timeter. We thought it was a Ze-nith altimeter but weren’t sure. They came in two sizes, 4 inches and 3-1/8 inches. Fortunately Tim found a Zenith altimeter at a fl y-in swap meet.
When an airplane has a history that includes lots of owners, it’s in-teresting how much extra “stuff” starts to follow it around, each owner adding something they’ve found. If the “stuff” box that comes with a project is big enough, the re-storer can do his shopping at home rather than make Google a silent partner. In this case, the extras are what made some of the project pos-sible. This especially applies to both the tail and the engine.
Steve said, “We had three com-plete sets of elevators and stabs, and all were pretty good, but al-though they were all the right shape, they weren’t all built the same. Some of them appeared to be J-3, not J-2. Tim selected the right ones by matching their manner of construction to that shown by the rudder, which obviously was origi-nal to the fuselage.
“We had two sets of landing gear legs, with two different types of axles. We went with the type that the type certificate said we could run 4-inch Hayes wheels, which we had, and let us run the commonly available 8.00-4 tires.
“Since this ship was built with the option for a tail wheel, we debated about adding brakes, but that would have been a big departure from the idea of total originality. The tail wheel steers fi ne, so that wouldn’t be a problem, but getting stopped might be. Doug Griffi n of Red Bluff, Califor-nia, indicated that the airplane was engineered and built with a little ex-cessive toe out, which scrubs the tires just a little, so that really helps slow the airplane down. If a tail wind is pushing you and you need to stop, you just spin around and put the nose into the wind.
“When we started on the engine,” he said, “we really had a serious pile of ‘stuff’ to sift through. We had two more-or-less complete engines and
Paul Poberezny and Steve Kretsinger enjoy a few moments with one of the J-2 Cubs Paul fl ew as a young man. Steve brought the restored airplane to EAA AirVenture from California.
H.G
.FR
AUTS
CH
Y
12 APRIL 2011
two baskets full of parts that were supposed to contain an engine each. I did some research on the A-40s and found we had a choice of building it as a -2, -3, -4, or a dual-ignition -5. Since this particular ship was origi-nally equipped with the -4 model, we decided to build it as a -4 because of the higher rpm and our parts seemed to lend themselves better to that particular model. And there was that originality thing.
“Rather than do the engine our-selves, I had Al Holloway, of Hol-loway Engineering, in Quincy, California, do it. A-40s are pretty basic, but they are also pretty old, so I wanted it done right.
“Sensenich did the prop pretty much the way we wanted it. I got a hold of Clyde Smith, the recognized old Piper expert, and he said the tip fabric would have been yellow, so that’s the way we did it. Tim had some old Sensenich stickers, but we didn’t have to use them because Sensenich asked us which stickers we wanted, since they knew we’d probably want the Lititz, Pennsyl-vania, address on them to be cor-rect to the period. That all turned out to be very easy.”
When it comes to covering and painting low-power airplanes like a Taylor Cub, it’s always advisable to keep the weight down so the poor little engine doesn’t have to fight gravity quite so hard. And that’s ex-actly what they did.
“Tim had a roll of 1.7-ounce Da-cron with the PMA stamp intact, which was important, since this is a certified airplane. We painted it
with Poly-Tone and hand rubbed it. Poly-Fiber was one of my ‘contribu-tors,’ and their material was easy to work with, but there was a learning process in which Tim had to work to get a consistent shine. We didn’t want it to be glossy, but we didn’t want it to be totally dull either.”
One problem that often plagues projects that change hands so of-ten has nothing to do with the air-plane itself but is still the key to airworthiness: the paperwork. So often the airplane changes hands as piles of “junk,” so the individu-als forget that the FAA paperwork has to be correct, but as Steve was to fi nd, the word “correct” is open to some interpretation.
“My uncle had no bill of sale, and none had been recorded. So technically, it wasn’t his airplane, and we couldn’t register and fl y it until that was sorted out. I back-tracked and was lucky enough to find the widow of the last regis-tered owner, so we got our bill of sale and were legal. The only prob-lem was, however, that it was regis-tered as a 1945 Piper J-2 Cub, which had been built in 1944, which, of course, had never existed. The Tay-lor J-2 Cub was long out of produc-tion by 1945, and I didn’t want my airplane having the wrong birth date on its birth certifi cate.
“The various factions within the FAA couldn’t get together and correct the dates, as that was a ‘change,’ and they couldn’t change paperwork without more paper-work. Neither side would give in. So, I hired a DAR who called reg-
istration. They told him the same thing, so he asked for the supervi-sor’s name. The two of them got on the phone and figured out a way to make it happen. Plus, there was a letter on Taylor’s letterhead say-ing that they had built ‘aircraft No. 1652 in 1937,” so that gave every-one the proof they needed to jus-tify correcting my paperwork.
“We were really trying to get it to Oshkosh, but we flew it for the fi rst time on July 3 and couldn’t get enough flying time on it to break it in or prove its reliability, which we knew was marginal in the best of situations. The truth is that even if we had left that day for AirVenture, the airplane is so slow, we still might not have made it. We got fi ve hours on it, took the wings off, put it on a trailer, and took it to Wautoma, about 30 miles from Oshkosh. We put it together there, fl ew it a little more, then struck out for Oshkosh.
“I can’t adequately tell people what it means to me to be flying an airplane like this and arrive at Oshkosh. When I taxied it into po-sition in the Vintage area and shut it down, I just sat there for a min-ute or two savoring the moment. I so clearly remembered the airplane as a rusty pile of parts, yet here I was sitting in the grass at Oshkosh with that same pile of parts. It was almost a surreal feeling. And ev-ery single bit of the effort involved in getting there was worth it. At that moment I understood why so many people do projects like this. The emotional payoff is huge.”
Yeah. What he said!
AMY GESCH
V E H I C L E P U R C H A S E P L A N
2 0 1 1 F o r d F i e s t a
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14 APRIL 2011
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the National Stea-rman Fly-In held each September in Gales-burg, Illinois. Special
activities are planned for both the public and the 150 or so Boeing Kaydets who will be attending. You may want to mark the week of Sep-tember 5-10, 2011, on your calen-dar to come to Galesburg and enjoy the sights and sounds of Stearmans flying almost around the clock! Check out the websites www.Stea-rmanFlyIn.com and www.Stearman.net for more information.
Of lesser fame but just as impor-
tant are the efforts of a few pilots and volunteers who have contrib-uted to the educational experi-ence of grade-school children and spread the aviation message for the past 17 years.
If you drive by Nielson Elemen-tary School in Galesburg, you will notice inside the front windows a bright blue bulletin board that says “The Sky’s the Limit” in puffs of smoke coming out of a Stea-rman airplane.
You can see it, hear it, and feel it when you enter Nielson. The front bulletin board is painted with a giant Army Stearman air-plane surrounded by cornfields
and sunshine. T-shirts, sweatshirts, folders, school magnets, and sta-tionery sport the phrase “The Sky’s the Limit” as well. You hear it from teachers and students alike during the school year while reaching for understanding. Most importantly, at this school the air and the spirit are charged with the thought that anything is possible if you learn, work hard, and never give up.
It was a casual inquiry by Ce-lia Godsil, a teacher, of pilot Tom Forys at the 1993 National Stea-rman Fly-In that really started the prop spinning. Tom responded “Of course!” to the request to fly over the school so the kids could see
The Sky’s the Limit40th Anniversary of the National Stearman Fly-In
BY ED MCKEOWN
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15
the airplanes, and he added, “Why don’t we visit the school, too, and talk to the kids?”
So Tom organized a group of pi-lots, and they took it upon them-selves to become special mentors to the students at Nielson. After spending time in the classrooms with the children, sharing his love of fl ying and the need to overcome obstacles, pilot Tom would exit the room saying, “The sky’s the limit, and you can do whatever you set your mind to do!” Thus began the spirit that has become the school motto and theme and helps to ce-ment the teachers, students, and families together as a community.
And so it began.It will begin again this Septem-
ber on Thursday morning at 8:30.
A group of six pilots and their Stea-rmans will taxi out and park on the grass area along the runway. As they wait for the four or fi ve school buses to arrive, they will wipe the oil off the airplanes, open up the cowling to expose the fuselage, grab their helmets and goggles, and place the American fl ag in place.
Finally, the children will arrive at the airport to see the planes dur-ing the Stearman fl y-in week. Each class has the undivided attention of one pilot and his airplane. The function of the airplane and fly-ing is patiently explained to the children. They may try on the hel-met and goggles or peek into the cockpit. Everyone is excited—the pilots, the teachers, and most of all the students—and even those standing by and watching some-thing special happening. The ques-tions just keep coming from the kids, even toward the end of the session as they take a short tour to see the rest of the aircraft. By now some of the children might be holding a pilot’s hand or tug-
Author Ed McKe-own briefs the kids from the Nielson El-ementary school in Galesburg, Illinois, on the actions of the tail surfaces on his Stearman.
Left: Bob Matthews (left) Terry Bolger show the kids how to “spread their wings” as they line up to visit the fl ightline during the Stearman Fly-In.
It was a
casual inquiry by
Celia Godsil, a
teacher, of pilot
Tom Forys at the
1993 National
Stearman Fly-In
that really started
the prop spinning.
16 APRIL 2011
Wayne Witt takes time to answer a few questions from the excited youngsters during his class.
Thanks to an inquiry by founding Nielson Elementary school-teacher Celia Godsil (photo left) to Tom Forys now deceased; (his widow, also a founding volunteer, Joanne Forys, is in the center), youngsters attending the school have been learning about science and aviation from the pilots and volunteers of the Stearman Fly-In. Founding volunteer Wally Falardeau (right) has been with the program since it began in 1993.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 17
ging on a pilot’s pants. A yellow bi-plane fl ies by, and they jump and point with joy.
Terry Bolger, one of the origi-nal pilot volunteers, says, “With-out question the day with the kids is the highlight of Stearman week. They are so enthusiastic, happy, and excited; it’s just an awesome experience.”
The following day, the teach-ers who won the school Stearman ride lottery will return to the air-port for a ride with the six pilots with the mission to make several passes over the school. All the staff and students will gather outside to wave and cheer. To date, more than 74 staff and teachers have gone on rides, and they always have a huge smile on their face when climbing out of the plane.
This is the start of a new school year for the students. Teacher Ce-lia Godsil says, “All of these avia-tion activities start off the school
year for the Nielson community and send the message that we are here to work and succeed. Dur-ing the school year you may hear children and staff urging each other on, saying, “Hey, all you have to do is try because the sky’s the limit!” This statement is ex-tremely powerful when spoken from one child to another.”
Today, it is apparent and obvi-ous that the willingness of one per-son to share his gifts has impacted others. More than 2,000 students have made the airport visit during Galesburg Stearman week. Eigh-teen years later, the Stearman is still the school logo, a song has been written, all the classrooms have been repainted in aviation themes, and the spirit lives on.
Good stories don’t always end the way you want; in aviation ver-nacular, Tom Forys “fl ew west” in 2001 due to a medical issue. He is still missed, but his spirit is alive
and well . His wingman Wally Falardeau taxied into position to carry on Tom’s legacy. Asked about his efforts, Wally says, “It has been a great experience that has given me many incredible memories. Maybe some day I’ll meet a pi-lot who went to Nielson School.” Tom’s wife, Joanne, is still in-volved and provides each student with a Stearman pin as a remem-brance of their visit to the airport. Many other pilots and volunteers have stepped forward to carry on.
And now it’s a tradition, and it demonstrates another power of the airplane to motivate, cap-tivate, and make people smile. One person’s passion for fl ying be-comes the vehicle to help others strive for more.
The fly-in founders, Tom Lowe and Jim Lehy, probably had no idea of what good would come from their efforts to “just bring the guys together to fl y.”
The kids and their teacher are happily distracted by a fl y-by while visiting with American Airlines captain Bob Mat-thews and his 450-hp Stearman.
18 APRIL 2011
The anniversary of powered f l i gh t , a historic event that had been introduced by a pair of bicycle-bui ld ing brothers
from Ohio, was already 10 years old when I was born in 1913. As I grew older, so did aviation. I was a toddler in Wisconsin when the “knights of the air” jousted one another with airplanes instead of horses and quickly turned them into killing machines during the “war to end all wars.” Unfortu-nately, wars between nations never ended, and airplanes just became deadlier fi ghting machines. But be-tween the great wars, I participated in aviation’s golden years, where I, along with fellow aerial adventur-ers, flew for the pure joy of flight and a few bucks in our coveralls.
In the summer of 1927, just weeks after Charles Lindbergh made his lengthy takeoff from New York and his landing in Paris, I, too, began my aviation journey. My destination was a lot shorter than his, but nev-ertheless just as adventuresome to a wide-eyed and carefree 14-year-old boy like me. I hopped on my bicycle and rode the 2 miles to the George A. Whiting Airport in Appleton, Wis-consin [now part of the city of Mena-sha], where I waited and watched for an airplane to take off or land.
In those days the airfields were all fenced off to keep livestock, deer, dogs, and nosy little kids like me
Adventures of a teenage barnstormerBY RAY GOSS
AS TOLD TO JAMES P. BUSHA
Ray on the day he soloed the OX-5-powered Waco.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 19
from running onto the grass strip. I used to make such a pest out of my-self as I hung out on the fence for hours at a time. One of the pilots at the airport, Jack Frenzel, had an old Curtiss Jenny on the field. Well, it wasn’t so old back then, but it sure would be today! Anyway, Jack must have felt sorry for me standing by the fence, drooling all over myself every time an airplane took off and landed, and it appeared he finally had enough of me.
I was kind of nervous when he approached me, and I thought he was going to yell at me. Instead he smiled, raised his hand, and mo-tioned for me to come over on the other side of the fence. I was a na-ïve teenager who thought only pi-lots, royalty, and the very wealthy could walk on that sacred ground, but suddenly all that meant nothing as I clamored over the fence and hit the ground running! I was handed a pail of water and a rag, and I was allowed to lay my hands on a real airplane and help wash it. I was tick-led to death!
That summer seemed to fl y by in record time as I became acquainted with the Jenny. It was officially called an OX-5 Curtiss JN-4D Jenny. Its N-number was NC292C, and for a long time this was the last licensed Jenny in the United States. Later, the newly formed CAA would not re-license it because of its wooden fuselage. None of that mattered to me at the time, as I became infected with an incurable disease.
Jack saw that I was “terminally ill,” too, himself having been bit-ten by the aviation bug. With no known cure, there’s only one thing left to do. He took me up for my fi rst airplane ride. Sitting in that front cockpit, right behind the big liquid-cooled 90-hp OX-5, with my short little body and scrawny neck barely able to look outside of the cockpit was like a dream come true.
Jack opened the throttle and the Jenny hopped, skipped, and jumped over the bumpy grass as we became airborne. With the wind in my face, we fl ew over the town I lived in and
the entire world suddenly looked different to me. The thing I would never forget is how the wires would sing as we flew straight and level and made shallow turns, dives, and climbs over the curious onlookers below. The sound the Jenny made was like an out-of-tune piano. With so many wires bracing the double wings, crisscrossing one another, the notes changed their tune each time the Jenny changed direction.
When the Jenny’s power was pulled back and Jack pointed the nose toward the ground to land, those round cable wires, which were not very streamlined, began to wail in a harmonious tune. The slower we became, the softer the wires would sing. There were only small glances from side to side as Jack kept his head out of the cockpit, watch-ing the runway ahead. He taught me how to make a good landing by listening to the sounds the wires made and feeling for the ground. I don’t even remember landing as I sat and smiled to myself listening to the engine hiss and moan as the propeller slowly stopped turning.
Another year went by and I be-came an airport bum, just hanging out washing airplanes and learning what made them tick. I got to know the Jenny pretty good, and I was promoted to aircraft idler. Back then we used 50 weight oil, so the engines would have to warm up for about 15 minutes before the fi rst fl ight of the day. As the oil circulated through the OX-5, I sat in the Jenny’s rear cockpit like some big-shot pilot ready to go into the wild blue yon-der. It made me want to learn how to fl y that much more, and only one
thing stood in my way: money, or lack thereof.
In the late 1920s or early 1930s the only way an airport operator could make money was by barn-storming. A lot of the pilots in Wisconsin, and there weren’t that many of them in 1930, stormed the nearest farmer’s fi eld, looking for a paying crowd of people. There were 199 pilots and 175 licensed aircraft flying in Wisconsin at that time. I was allowed to fl y with two different operators as I alternated between the West brothers and the Larson brothers, barnstorming around the state. I sold tickets, loaded passen-gers, gassed and oiled the airplanes, and washed them down when the day was done.
Every open fi eld was a new airport as I spent my summers at county fairs, church picnics, weddings, and wherever a large group of people gathered. We fl ew Waco 9s and Waco 10s, which carried two paying cus-tomers in the front seat. When it was all said and done, for a weekend of flying, I received 10 percent of the gross, which was darn good money back then. Sometimes, though, all the profits had to be put right back into fi xing the airplanes, and in one case buying a whole new one.
I was with Jack one weekend in his Waco 10. He had sold his Jenny and upgraded to a newer, faster air-plane. The Waco 10 could carry two people up front, affording them the wonderful sights from the air. The going rate at that time was between three and fi ve bucks per person, but flying through white, puffy clouds that dotted the blue sky would of course be extra. A county fair would
Jack Frenzel (right) and his Jenny on a cold day in Wisconsin.
20 APRIL 2011
be our next adventure.Jack and I were expecting big re-
turns as we overflew the Seymour County fairgrounds. A large gathering of people dotted the grounds as we set up shop nearby. The Seymour Fair had been made famous back in 1885 when Charlie Nagreen created the fi rst hamburger there. But now with
the country in a full-blown depres-sion, people had little money to shell out for such extras. Money was scarce and hard to come by, but the ground-bound people were starved for a little excitement in their life. Somehow, an airplane ride seemed justifi ed to help forget about life’s problems, even if it was for only 15 minutes.
Business was good as the locals lined up to fly. Jack flew as I sold tickets, kept the Waco gassed and oiled, loaded and unloaded passen-gers, and shoved the growing wad of money into my pocket. On the last flight of the day, I wish I had used a bathroom scale to weigh the pay-ing load. It seemed that these two people had enough money to fly and to over-enjoy some of the tasty hamburgers and other food at the fair: The Waco 10 was overloaded.
Jack shoved the throttle to the stops as the Waco lurched forward, hesitated, and began to stagger through the field. He was on the ground for a long time until his wheels finally became airborne—that is, when he crossed the ditch line. Unfortunately, the ditch wasn’t very wide and the Waco sunk back down on the other side as he plowed through the ditch wall. No one was hurt, the passen-gers got their money back, but it was the end of a fi ne airplane and a great day of fl ying.
Although it was an unfortunate event, I soon learned three differ-
An interesting mix of aircraft are poised for fl ight at the Larson Airport, about 9 miles west of Neenah, Wisconsin. The airport opened in 1922. From left to right, the Waco 9 soloed by Ray Goss, a Thomas Morse Scout, and a Standard J-1. Now a private strip, Larson Airport was the fi rst airport registered with the state in Winnebago County, and one of the fi rst in the state outside of the Milwaukee area. The airport is registered as a Historic Place with the National Park Service.
Looking north-northwest over the top of George A Whiting Airport, located at the corner of Airport Road and Appleton Road (Hwy 47) in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded by the owner of a local paper company in Menasha (which, in 2011, remains one of the few privately owned paper producers still in business), the airport was a hot-bed of activity before the creation of the fi rst Outagamie County Regional Airport further to the north. Even today the curved roof hangar in the lower right can still be seen at the corner of the intersection—it’s long been the home of a local hardware store, Kitz & Pfeil.
ent things. The fi rst thing I learned was how to rebuild and re-cover air-planes. The second thing I learned was the proper way to fix a tem-peramental OX-5 engine. Instead of whacking it with a hammer or mal-let right away, I was taught how to dismantle it and fi gure out the prob-lem. If the engine still didn’t run right after that, a gentle, persuasive tap from the hammer usually got it to run smoothly! The third and fi nal
thing I learned was how to fl y. I had saved up enough money
from my summers of gypsy living with the barnstormers to buy five hours of fl ight time. I began to take lessons in the fall of 1931, and my flight instructor was Leonard Lar-son. Leonard was a seasoned barn-stormer, and he along with his brothers labored, created, and built by hand one of the fi rst airports in Wisconsin. Although it was no more
than a large, grass strip cut through a farm field with a few outbuild-ings that doubled as hangars, it was nonetheless a very active airport.
The field housed Standard J-1s, a Thomas Morse Scout of World War I vintage, Curtiss Jennys, Waco 10s, and the Waco 9 I learned to fly in. The Waco 9 I flew, NC2574, was powered by the same mass-produced Curtiss OX-5 engine that had been bolted to countless Jennys like the one I took my fi rst ride in.
The fuselage on the Waco 9 was welded steel tubing, and the wings were all-wood structure. The fu-selage, tail group, and wings were completely fabric-covered. The Waco 9 had a dual cockpit with a single seat in the back for the pi-lot and a bench seat up front that could hold two passengers quite snugly. The Waco 9 was a solidly built airplane for its time and was used by quite a few barnstormers and racers. It was a good rough-fi eld airplane, too, something I ex-
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 21
Ray soloed this Waco 9 from the Larson Airport.
Ray Goss’ $250 H-10 Pheasant. The H-10’s pleas-ing lines were not enough to overcome the lethargic economy of the early 1930s. By 1934, only 30 were completed and sold, and the company was shuttered.
Ray in Miss P.
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22 APRIL 2011
perienced right before I soloed.On October 23, 1931, as I sat in
the cockpit, warming the OX-5 for another flight, Leonard climbed in front, turned around, and yelled, “Give me a good takeoff and landing and I’ll solo you.” This was the big day. Something I had dreamed about for a long time. I lined the Waco up on the center of the runway and eased the throttle forward as my feet danced on the rudders, keeping the nose centered as the tail came up. The engine was like a thoroughbred as I climbed to pattern altitude.
As I circled the airport and came up on the downwind leg, the throaty engine noise changed to complete silence, as everything became very quiet. The engine just up and quit! I was still 10 seconds behind Leonard as he instinctively grabbed the stick and pointed the nose down. Glanc-ing from side to side, all I saw was a cow pasture dead ahead, and it was full of cows! Leonard tried to slow it down the best he could as we skipped and skidded through the herd and sloshed around on fresh cow pies.
The cows were spared from becom-ing the main course at the Seymour Fair as we slid to a stop. Leonard hopped out and found the problem right away: The fuel line had been broken. The cows kept their distance as the airport mechanic rushed over and quickly fixed the problem. I hand-propped the engine, and Leon-ard flew it out of the pasture as we made our way back to the real airport.
There was no discussion between Leonard and me; heck, there wasn’t
any time to think about what could have happened to us as Leonard hopped out of the back seat and I hopped in as Leonard patted me on the shoulder and said, “Okay, it’s all yours. Go solo.” I slid my goggles down over my eyes, tightened the chin strap on my leather helmet, and prepared to go it alone. Leonard leaned his head into the cockpit and gave me one last piece of advice: “Oh, by the way. Stay away from the cows!” I half-smiled as Leonard turned and walked away, and I said a little prayer to myself.
I made a couple of landings in front of Leonard’s watchful eye, and he signaled me to come in and land. With almost four and a half hours of fl ight time under my belt, I was now baptized a new pilot. That was the last time I took instruction. That was the way fl ying was in those days. No license, no rules, no regula-tions, no nothing. There was only one thing left to do, and that was to buy me an airplane.
I found one for sale nearby that had the same OX-5 engine I had become accustomed to and a set of brand new, factory-fresh wings on it. The plane was officially called the H-10 Pheasant and sold new for $2,895. That was way out of reach for a guy like me trying to make a living with a depression going on, so I set-tled for a used one that set me back $250. It was now time to venture out on my own and barnstorm the state.
I had a lot of experience hawk-ing customers, so all I had to do was look for a family gathering like
a wedding or a picnic and overfly them. To get their attention, I roared the Pheasant over their heads at low level, and with an overabundance of farm fi elds to pick from I sat the Pheasant down and set up shop.
Back then the farmers welcomed us with our flying machines, and soon crowds would gather to see who the “darn fool was in that aeroplane” that almost crashed into the line of trees. Most of the people were just curious, and it usually took a dare or challenge from two elbowing friends to see who would risk their life fi rst. Back then, life was worth $3 bucks as the fi rst victim hopped into the front seat. When the crowd saw that I re-turned this brave soul back to mother earth, most relaxed and stood in line to await their turn. And that was, for a couple of years, the way fl ying was for me until the war clouds in Europe erupted and the CAA got a lot stricter.
After the CAA officially licensed me, I helped train Navy pilots in the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP), instructing them in N3Ns. After the war I flew bushplanes in Minnesota and Canada for six years and then went into crop dusting in the Midwest. I had 20,000 hours of flight time in my logbook when I stopped counting and probably had more than 25,000 hours total.
In the late 1950s I even restored the same Waco 9 I soloed in for Capital Airlines’ 30th anniversary. It turned out that this aircraft, named Miss Pittsburgh, was one of the three original planes that Capital Airlines started out fl ying with in the 1920s before being sold to Leonard Larson. I fl ew it back home to Pittsburgh on Easter Sunday, 1957, and took one of the original pilots, Merle Moltars, back up on his original mail run from Pittsburgh to Youngstown, Ohio.
But the flight I will always re-member was my first, when the Jenny’s wires sang to me, encourag-ing me to fl y. That was a tune I will never forget.
We’ll have more on the Pheasant H-10 biplane in next month’s is-sue of Vintage Airplane.
Miss Pittsburgh was restored by Merle Zuelke and Ray in the late 1950s. It can be seen today on display as it hangs from the ceiling of the Land-side Terminal of the Pittsburgh International Airport.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 23
My FriendFrank Rezich
Part VIIBY ROBERT G. LOCK
PHOTOS COURTESY OF REZICH FAMILY COLLECTION
Nearing the end of his career in aerospace, Frank was not re-ally happy with jumping around to various jobs, mostly to trouble-shoot some type of manufacturing flaw. Frank recalled, “I went back to Rocketdyne on the engine boost program for the shuttle. Then I went to Sunstrand for the B-1B pro-gram. Sundstrand built the wing swing mechanics, and it was not working well under load. I also had
the slats/fl aps program run by my good friend Dick Spencer. He was building the slat and flap actua-tors. He later got hired to become the vice president of Sundstrand. So I went there, and we got that straightened out.”
Frank jumped from one job to another. He was assigned to the Air Research Corporation in Phoe-nix to consult on an F-16 auxiliary power unit (APU). It had the sec-
ondary power package; it built the turbine APU and Sunstrand built the generator.
Then Frank recalled this story that may be one for the books. “One day, it was July 4 but I don’t remember what year. I just got to Chicago, and I am getting on the airplane, and the agent comes over paging, ‘Frank Rezich, Frank Rezich. ‘You have a phone call here to get your luggage off the airplane
A familiar sight in the Midwest is Travel Air NC606K with smoke on and Nick Rezich doing his stuff before a crowd of people admiring his skills as an air show pilot.
24 APRIL 2011
A young Frank stands beside NC8115 at the Chicago Municipal Airport ready for fl ight—cigar and all. Note the coveralls of “The Mechanic” of the Rezich family. The year was 1942, and the ship was immediately put into the shop as required by the government at the start of WWII. When one thinks about these old airplanes, it can be humbling. The 606K was built in 1929; by 1950 it had 21 years of service on the air-frame and engine. It was time for a restoration, so owners sold these types of airplanes at a low price be-cause they did not want to pay to have the airplane rebuilt. That was an ideal situation for the Rezich boys, particularly “money man” Mike.
NC606K when the ship was purchased by Mike in 1950. It is parked at the old Howell Airport in Blue Island, Illinois, just 8 miles straight south of Chicago Muni on Cicero Avenue. It still had the 30-5 wheels and a Wright E2 engine. Frank converted it to the 7.50-10 air wheels shortly after Mike bought it and Nick fl ew it back to Chicago.
An accomplished pilot and mechanic with a
background in manufacturing and a
self-taught engineer of the highest quality . . .
because you are going in another direction.’
“The boss says, ‘We want you to turn around and go to Lima, Ohio. We have a qualification test that has to be done this weekend, and they’ll be expecting you. The gen-eral manager will meet you at the
Frank at his Paso Robles hangar with nephew Jim, conducting an inspec-tion on the Culver Cadet that Jim had purchased. The ship passed with fl ying colors, and Jim fl ew it cross-country back to his home base at Rock-ford, Illinois. Jim recalled, “The Culver Cadet I purchased was the same one my dad [Nick] bought new in 1942. The registration number has been changed, but it’s still the same airplane. It was terrifi c to be able to have Frank go and look at the airplane for me, and get it ready to bring home, where it is based at the Greater Rockford Airport, now listed as the Chi-cago-Rockford International Airport. The trip home took two and a half days, 20 hours of fl ying, 107 gallons of fuel, and covered 2,450 miles!”
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 25
airport. Get yourself up to Lima, whatever way—rent a car, go by air, whatever the heck you want.’
“I had a blank check for travel! Okay, I get off the airplane, get a little airplane, go to Dayton, rent a car, and go to the place. Go in there and meet the general manager and the Air Force rep. Where is our in-spector…? [I] couldn’t fi nd our rep, so we proceeded. Air Force, are you satisfi ed we got the test set up cor-rectly? ‘Yes.’ Westinghouse, you okay? ‘Yup!’ Okay, I’ll represent Rockwell, the customer. Let’s go.
“We run the test around the clock; we fi nally got it all done. The unit is acceptable—flight ready—ship it. Well, we need a Rockwell inspector to sign the acceptance pa-perwork. Where the heck is he? I don’t know; we tried to find him. Okay, the heck with it, I’ll sign it! They shipped the thing, and it goes to the assembly floor at Rockwell. The receiving inspector looks at the paperwork and says who in the h--l is Frank Rezich? He calls his boss and says, ‘We got the alternator for the engine, but we have Frank Rezich as the inspector; he’s not on our list.’ About six to 10 hours later the phone rings and a voice says, ‘Hey, Frank, how’re you doing? What’s going on? We want to talk to you about shipping the alter-nator out of Westinghouse.’ What about it? It passed the test and is perfectly good. Who else you got in the room there? He said, ‘Only a few people, like the director of quality control.’ I said, ‘Oh, hiya, Bill!’ He said, ‘Frank, what the h--l are you doing?’ I said, ‘I’m ship-ping hardware.’
“He says, ‘Oh, what happened?’ I said, ‘We went to test and tried to fi nd your man; we couldn’t fi nd him anywhere. I wasn’t going to stop when I had the Air Force and the manufacturer—we’re running.’ He said, ‘Frank, did you ever think of calling me at home?’ I could hear my boss chuckle in the background with the guy from manufacturing. Later on my boss was describing me and said, ‘When the going gets
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Frank with daughter Kathy fl anked by brother Nick’s son, Jim (right), and Jim’s son, Nick (left). Jim is a 30-plus-year veteran in aircraft maintenance and is second generation, while Nick is a third-generation maintenance professional. The Rezich name is deeply woven into aviation history, having owned Travel Air airplanes from 1936 to the present. Not many fami-lies can top this.
tough, the tough get going.’” This lengthy story pretty well
sums up Frank’s brilliant career in aerospace manufacturing. His fa-vorite “proverb”—”You don’t ask
for permission; you take it!”One rarely considers qualifica-
tion testing, one of the things in the background of building an air-plane for the government. Each
26 APRIL 2011
component built under contract, no matter how small or large, how simple or intricate, must undergo strict qualification testing before it can be installed on the aircraft by the manufacturer. Frank dealt with many suppliers, like Sund-strand, GE, Westinghouse, Air Re-search, Vickers Pump, and many more. His approach always was getting the job done correctly and to specifi cation.
Now retired, Frank shares time with his constant companion, Ruth Elvin, and his daughter, Kathy, who resides in West Hills, Califor-nia, close to the old family home in Woodland Hills. Kathy, now a pri-vate pilot, is checked out in Frank’s Cessna 182 so they can fl y together.
Frank Rezich has enjoyed an ac-tion-packed career in the aviation business. An accomplished pilot and mechanic with a background
in manufacturing and a self-taught engineer of the highest quality, he is recognized wherever he travels. I know fi rsthand because Frank and Kathy flew with me on the 2003 National Air Tour and the 2006 American Barnstormers Tour.
Now it is time to share a few more stories and pictures from Frank. Enjoy!
Mike Rezich purchased a Travel Air D4D from Andy St inis in 1950 because he wanted a better-performing airplane than the Wright J-5-powered ships. It was a sister ship to the Pepsi Skywriter, NC434N. NC606K was to become famous as brother Nick fl ew the air-plane on the air show circuit and at EAA Rockford and Oshkosh. Nick was the “voice of EAA” dur-ing the air show events and much has been written about his exploits (“Reminiscing With Big Nick”). He operated a tavern near the Old Chi-cago Municipal Airport, now Chi-cago Midway, where he, Mike, and Frank grew up and began their avia-tion careers. Just think, at one time, there could have been the three Rezich boys working together, but not directly in aviation. There was Mike, who owned a beer distribu-torship; Nick, who owned the Py-lon Club tavern; and Frank, who was driving the delivery truck bringing Blatz beer to stores in the local area. You wonder if the three beer-related careers ever crossed…
During this time Mike wanted to advertise his beer-distributing com-pany and Blatz beer, so he had a de-cal made to put on the side of the fuselage, since 606K was really his airplane. Nick’s son Jim recalled, “There are two photos of NC606K with the Blatz beer emblem on the side. One was taken in the 1950’s when the airplane was blue with a yellow stripe. The other was taken when Frank fi rst got 606K to Cali-fornia, but I believe the beer busi-ness was over or very close to it, and Mike was now divorced.”
Next, Frank on the 2003 Na-tional Air Tour and the 2006 Ameri-can Barnstormers Tour.
A regular air show visitor, Frank displays a trophy awarded at a West Coast event. He was always at the Friday-evening “early bird” gathering at Merced, where he drew a crowd when telling his fl ying and mechanic sto-ries from the past.
N8115 and N606K at the San Miguel strip just below Frank’s Flying R Ranch. These Travel Air ships have been in the Rezich family for many years. The house can be seen atop the bluff overlooking the strip. NC8115 was sold and now resides in England.
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 27
Here’s the scenario. You are en route to a fly-in several hundred miles from home. Your trusty air-plane is running like a Swiss watch, the GPS indi-cates you’re exactly on course, the air is smooth, and visibility is approximately 8 miles with haze. Can life get much better?
Then you notice a wisp of a cloud rapidly slide under your left wing, then another, and another. No problem, though—the GPS indicates that you are still on course. Just after completing another scan of the engine instruments and the GPS and settling back into your seat, the wispy clouds become more pronounced. The wisps have become scattered clouds for as far as the eye can see. This certainly wasn’t in the computer briefi ng you reviewed at home two hours prior to take-off and one hour into your fl ight.
You begin to think, “What did that briefi ng really tell me?” not recalling any mention of possible bad weather developing. It was supposed to be a clear, sunny day, perfect for taking your grandson along to his fi rst real fl y-in.
A few more minutes pass. The scattered clouds be-gin to thicken, becoming broken. Although you feel a hint of alarm, and a small pit in your stomach makes its presence known, you think to yourself, “This re-ally shouldn’t be a problem.” After all, you’re only another 40 miles from destination. And you can still see the ground through the broken layer of clouds. Following another quick scan of all instruments de-termining that all is fi ne, you take a deep breath and settle back in the seat. Then the GPS screen goes blank, and you quickly determine it is inoperable. Now what are you going to do?
Has this or a similar situation ever happened to you? It’s quite easy to become complacent with the introduction and use of the GPS. It is never wrong, and as long as you stay on the course line, you’ll end up over the top of your destina-tion airport, right?
Naturally, as a good, safe pilot, you took a deep breath, scanned the current Sectional Chart on your lap, determined approximately where you were lo-cated, assured yourself that you were near neither ob-structions nor controlled airspace, found a comfort-
able break in the clouds, and then descended below the developing cloud layer.
But you aren’t a completely safe pilot today. Taking the GPS for granted, you never bothered to fi nd your current Sectional Chart and place it near you for this fl ight. Trying to act nonchalant and comfort-ably in command, you quietly begin looking around the cockpit. There must be a Sectional Chart in here somewhere. Unable to locate the map, you ask your grandson to hop over the seat and get the map from the seat-back pocket behind you. You’re certain that is where you last saw it.
The descent through the hole in the clouds is un-eventful. Your grandson was in awe as he watched the building clouds fl ash by the right wingtip. “This is re-ally fun, Gramps. I’ve never fl own in clouds before,” he tells you.
After breaking out of the clouds, reality strikes; vis-ibility is only an estimated 4 miles with haze. Now you ask yourself, “Should I continue the flight or turn around and head for home?” But a quick glance over your left shoulder tells you a 180-degree turn may no longer be an option. The horizon is dark with rapidly building cumulonimbus clouds. “Where did they come from?” you think to yourself, not recalling anything in the forecast for scattered thunderstorms. It’s then that you realize you really didn’t get a good weather briefing at all. Wanting badly to make the fl ight with your grandson, you were concerned only with seeing VFR and light surface winds in the com-puter forecast you viewed.
Now what are you going to do?How many of you keep a current Sectional Chart
in your airplane? Do you have it out, readily avail-able, and follow along, even on short, simple fl ights? Even when completely relying on the GPS? Be hon-est with yourself!
Virtually all who fly antique airplanes closely fol-low the Sectional Chart even when supplemented by a good handheld battery-operated GPS. Classic airplane pilots usually do the same. But contemporary aircraft pilots, at least many that I fl y with, rely heavily on the GPS. Remember though, anything mechanical or elec-
BY Steve Krog, CFI
THE Vintage Instructor
It’s a new season for fl ying—are you ready?
28 APRIL 2011
trical can and will fail at some point, usually when the use of same is most critical.
All of us, during the course of flight training and regular fl ight reviews, have been trained to read a Sec-tional Chart. Unless you’ve thoroughly studied the new charts, however, you’ll find there are many nu-meric and symbol changes.
Let’s assume you were the pilot in the above exam-ple. After a quick look at the Sectional Chart locating your approximate position, your altimeter indicates 2,200 feet MSL, but you notice this symbol: 24.
What is it telling you? Should you be concerned? Are you safe to continue your route of fl ight at 2,200 feet?
The numerical symbol is known as the maximum elevation figure (MEF) and represents the highest elevation, including terrain and other vertical obstacles (towers, trees, etc.), within a quadrant.
In the determination of MEFs, extreme care is exer-cised to calculate the values based on the existing el-evation data shown on source material. When a man-made obstacle is more than 200 feet above the highest terrain within the quadrant, determining the MEF is done by the following procedure:
Determine the elevation of the top of the obstacle above MSL.
Add the possible vertical error of 100 feet to the source material of the above fi gure.
Round the resultant figure up to the next higher hundred-foot level.
EXAMPLE: Elevation of obstacle top (MSL) = 2,245 feetPossible vertical error = +100 feet
Equals 2,345 feetRaise to the following 100-foot level = 2,400 feetMaximum Elevation Figure (MEF) = 24 When a natural terrain feature or natural vertical
obstacle such as a tree or peak is the highest feature within the quadrangle:
Determine the elevation of the feature.Add the possible vertical error of 100 feet to the
source of the above feature.Add a 200-foot allowance.Round the resultant figure up to the next higher
hundred-foot level.EXAMPLE: Elevation of obstacle top (MSL) = 2,245 feetPossible vertical error = +100 feetEquals 2,345 feetRaise to the following 200-foot level = 2,400 feetMaximum Elevation Figure (MEF) = 25Pilots should be aware that while the MEF is based
on the best information available, the fi gures are not verifi ed by fi eld surveys.
The current Chicago Sectional Chart, the map cov-ering the area where I do most of my flying, states that the effective date began on October 21, 2010 and expires on May 5, 2011. In many respects the chart is already obsolete on the day of effectiveness. The data contained in the map was compiled approximately 60 days before the chart was issued. As fast as windmills and telephone towers can be erected today, there is al-ways a chance of encountering a new obstruction not yet added to the Sectional Chart.
When was the last time you were headed for home in low, overcast, marginal-visibility conditions de-pending on an altimeter that has probably not been checked for accuracy in years to keep you from collid-ing with obstructions?
Another symbol that has begun to appear on a lot of Sectional Charts is this:
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29
This group, indicating multiple obstructions of less than 1,000 feet AGL, denotes a windmill farm. Located near the blue symbols is a rectangular blue box.
The information contained within the box provides you with the elevation of the highest of the windmills within the cluster. However, if the letters “UC” are contained within the box as shown in this example, it is telling you that the height is unverifi ed. Use cau-tion and give them wide berth when flying near a windmill farm.
The examples I’ve provided are just a few of the chart symbols, and in some cases changes and, yes, even chart misinterpretations, that I’ve recently en-countered when conducting a flight review. I highly recommend that everyone who uses, or should be us-ing, a VFR Sectional Chart visit the FAA website and download a copy of a publication titled Aeronautical Chart User’s Guide, 9th Edition. You can easily fi nd it by visiting the website address below:
http://AeroNav.faa.gov/index.asp?xml=aeronav/applications/digital/aero_guide.
Once you’ve opened this site, download the follow-ing two documents. Both are available in a PDF format. Just click on PDF, and let your computer do the rest. Be sure to save both documents for review whenever you have time.
Introduction to VFR Symbols (2.3 MB) . . . . PDF VFR Chart Symbols (10.2 MB) . . . . . . . . . . . . .PDF As pilots we represent less than one-tenth of 1 per-
cent of the U.S. population. Consequently, we all have a responsibility to conduct every fl ight as safely as pos-sible. Every aircraft incident/accident reported by the local media is generally blown far out of proportion, drawing a lot of negative attention. Have fun on every fl ight, but remember to fl y safely, protecting the plea-sure of fl ight for others.
Vibration is a constant nemesis for aircraft, particularly for the older ships that have little or no means of damping such vibrations. Vibrations are associated with both the airframe and powerplant, but it is the propeller, powerplant, and accessories that cause much of the vibration levels mechanics must troubleshoot and remedy.
Learning how to identify and deal with vibration is a highly tech-nical subject. Unless the mechanic can operate or fly in the airplane to witness a vibration problem, it is very difficult to solve problems based on a pilot’s description.
Before entering into my dis-cussion, I would be remiss not to provide a description of a most ex-tensive investigation of vibration between two aerospace vehicles I have ever seen. Before NASA began to flight-test the space shuttle En-terprise, the shuttle was mated atop NASA 905, a highly modifi ed Boe-ing 747-200 obtained from Ameri-can Airlines.
In the largest hangar at Edwards Air Force Base in California, the 747 was placed on jacks while various modes of vibration were introduced into the structures. Everything was monitored to see what vibration would be transferred to the shut-tle and what vibrations the shuttle would transfer back to the 747.
It was a magnificent display of the science of vibration, and one of the most memorable experiences of
my aviation career. I was at Edwards to view the fi rst “captive” fl ight and landing of the 747 with shuttle at-tached. Later I went back to witness the fi rst air launch of Enterprise, as seen in the photo above.
The most common terms used in the discussion of vibrations are outlined below.
Simple harmonic motion: An ex-ample of a simple harmonic motion is the swing of a clock pendulum. Aircraft components that rotate all have one or more harmonic vibra-tion frequencies.
Frequency: The frequency of motion is the number of cycles or complete oscillations occurring in
any definite period of time. This is usually given in terms of “per minute” or “per second.” Common reference will be “low frequency, medium frequency, and high fre-quency.” The common unit for frequency measurement is “hertz.” One hertz equals one cycle.
Period: The time for one com-plete oscillation to occur, usually expressed in terms of “per second” or “fractions of a second.”
Amplitude: The length or width of one complete oscillation cycle. Amplitude can be the severity of the vibration, such as low, medium, or high amplitude. Amplitude is mea-sured in “inches per second” by ac-
30 APRIL 2011
BY ROBERT G. LOCK
Vibrations, Part I
THE Vintage Mechanic
The fi rst air launch of space shuttle Enterprise from NASA 905, a highly modi-fi ed Boeing 747-200, over Edwards AFB on California’s Mojave Desert. The pilot was Fitz Fulton, the copilot was Tom McMurtry, and the fl ight engineer was Don Malic.
NASA
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 31
celerometers and is expressed using the “IPS” scale. Zero is perfect bal-ance, while large numbers (such as 0.7 to 1.0) express high amplitude.
Exciting force or defl ecting force: Any unbalanced force that can pro-duce vibrations is an exciting or de-fl ecting force.
Natural frequency: The natural frequency of any body or structure is the frequency at which the am-plitude of vibration or the body or structure is at maximum.
Node: The point or points in a vibrating body free from vibration are the nodes. For example, a cable that is vibrating may have one or more points that have no apprecia-ble motion.
Resonance: Vibration produced in a body or structure by a peri-odic force having the same period as the natural period of the body or structure is called resonance. An example of resonance is that of a simple swing. A succession of light pushes exerted upon a person in a swing will, when properly timed, cause the swing to move through an increasingly larger arc. If an equal number of pushes were ex-erted upon the person in a swing at random intervals, the result would be very little motion.
Normal vibration: Rotating parts in the airframe or powerplant have patterns of vibration that are nor-mal to their operation and cannot be removed by balancing.
Sympathetic vibration: Vibration of a component, either airframe or powerplant, caused by another part in physical contact. Frequencies
must be close to the same.Illustration 2 shows a rotating
pendulum that scribes a sine wave of vibration. The time required to complete one cycle is called the period. The number of com-plete cycles occurring per second is called the frequency (hertz). The distance from the midpoint to maximum displacement is called the amplitude (Y and Y’). The distance of the vibrating point from the midpoint at any particu-lar time is called displacement (p’ is point a).
I taught rotary wing subjects at the college for many years using a Bell H-13G, a Bell 206B3, and a Hughes 269A. All rotary wing craft have vibratory problems, particu-larly the older ships. Modern heli-copters have incredible vibration damping and isolation qualities. But all vibrations were termed low, medium, and high frequency, and the source could be isolated, partic-ularly with the older Chadwick sys-tem, and more recently, the digital electronic system such as Vibrex.
In general, exciting forces of low frequency cause greater vibration. Vibrations of low frequency are most noticed by pilots and may be reported as “roughness.” Vibrations of high frequency may be defined as vibrations, the source of which is multiples of the engine, propeller speed, or a problem accessory.
They exist at twice and up to 10 times engine crankshaft speed. They are not extremely serious if their amplitude is low, but if their amplitude is high, excessive stresses
may be set up in component parts of the engine, propeller, accesso-ries, and aircraft structure.
It is this type of vibration that causes breakage of control rods, loosening of nuts and fasteners, excessive wear in accessories, and under extreme conditions, break-age of components. The principle sources of high-frequency vibrations are inaccuracies in propeller bal-ance, track, and pitch (particularly with direct-drive engines), reacting of propeller blade frequency on the airplane structure through the slip stream, engine fi rst- and second-or-der unbalance, engine cylinder fir-ing frequency, and engine fi rst-order torsional reaction due to inequali-
ILLUSTRATION 2
ILLUSTRATION 3
ILLUSTRATION 4
32 APRIL 2011
ties of ignition and fuel distribution.Perhaps the easiest set of vibra-
tion modes to understand is that of the propeller. At overhaul the propeller is statically balanced both spanwise and chordwise. Static bal-ancing of a propeller is completed on a balancing stand and is done by adding weight to blade shanks or by removal of a small amount of metal from the heavy blade. Wood props are balanced by adding more varnish to the light blade to bring the prop into spanwise balance. Il-lustrations 3 and 4 detail the hori-zontal and vertical balancing of a ground-adjustable propeller.
Illustrations 3 and 4 are obtained from the Hamilton Standard Pro-peller handbook, dated 1930. The method of prop balancing has not changed appreciably since the earli-est days of propeller manufactur-ing. The closer a technician gets to perfect balance, the lower the vi-bration level produced by the pro-peller. The propeller manual states, “If the propeller is out of balance, the light blade is removed from the hub and a small amount of heavy metal is placed into the bore of the blade end.” Note that every time weight is added to the blade end, the hub must be disassembled.
Further, the manual states, “Per-fect balance with the blades in the vertical position can be secured by adjusting the clamping rings. The eccentric weight of the bolts is sufficient to correct the unbal-ance, when the rings are shifted to one side. The bolt always should be moved toward the light side of the propeller until perfect balance is secured.”
Dynamic balancing assumes the propeller is operating on the engine. There is a substantial dif-ference between static and dy-namic balance. Dynamic propeller balance can only be achieved us-ing special balancing equipment, which is rarely done on an old ship with a radial engine.
Illustration 5 shows a schematic of a three-blade propeller that is statically and dynamically out
of balance. In the schematic the numbers show the out-of-balance condition of the vertical blade. A digital dynamic balancer using ac-celerometers would show a simi-lar scenario. Ten would represent 1 inch per second (IPS) of vibration. A reading of zero on the IPS scale would be perfect balance, which is almost impossible to achieve, therefore the lowest possible IPS number (0.02) would represent the best balance possible. As weight is removed from the heavy blade(s) and is added to the light blade, the circle will move to coincide with centerline of the hub and therefore the crankshaft.
If one could see the crankshaft rotation with an out-of-balance propeller, it would resemble a cir-cle that is off-center from the hub. This is what is introduced into an engine crankshaft when a propel-ler is not balanced correctly. The crankshaft tries to “wobble,” set-ting up a vibration that is trans-ferred from the crankshaft to the engine case, to the engine mount and into the airframe.
This same concept happens in a helicopter main rotor, except that compared to a radial engine, the main rotor turns slowly. Main ro-
tor rpm may be as low as 290-320 for a Bell 47 and would be classifi ed as a low-frequency vibration (on a two-blade rotor system it would be one cycle per revolution or 290-320 cycles per minute, the vibration be-ing felt in the cyclic stick and a side-to-side movement in the fuselage. Tail rotor rpm is 1920, and an out-of-balance condition would be classifi ed as a high-frequency vibration (on a two-blade rotor system it would be 1920 cycles per minute or 32 cycles per second), the vibration being felt in the tail rotor control pedals.
In rotorcraft, abnormal vibra-tions fall into three ranges: low frequency (100 to 400 cycles per minute), medium frequency (1,000 to 2,000 cycles per minute), and high frequency (2,000 cycles per minute and higher).
Assuming that a radial engine would be operating at 1800 rpm, an out-of-balance condition would cause a one-beat-per-revolution vibration (vibration would be 1800 cycles per minute or 30 cycles per second). The greater the amplitude the greater the vibration felt in the airframe. Pro-peller out of balance is always rpm sensitive; increase the rpm and the vibration increases, while reducing rpm reduces the vibration.
ILLUSTRATION 5
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 33
I remember a vivid example of the art of static-balancing a propel-ler. Peter Precissi in Lodi, California, balanced his McCauley propellers used on the Precissi Brothers Travel Air 4000 dusters, powered by Con-tinental W-670 radial engines.
I f l ew my Trave l A i r 4000, NR3670, from Lodi to Selma, Cali-fornia, behind one of Peter’s Con-tinental engines and McCauley props. It was the smoothest combi-nation I’ve ever fl own. Peter would static-balance his props by slowly adding steel wool to a blade shank, and then would get the last bit of balancing by adding one or more coats of paint to the light blade. His props were impeccably balanced, the mark of a true craftsman.
Illustration 6 shows setting blade pitch using a propeller bench specifi cally designed for this task. The propeller setting is usu-ally specifi ed as the blade angle at a point 42 inches (known as the 42-inch station) from the center-line of the rotating axis. This rule cannot be applied for very small or very large propellers.
Interestingly, Hamilton Standard Propeller states, “When it is desir-able to change the rpm of the en-gine at full throttle by adjusting the pitch of a ground adjustable
or variable pitch propeller, the fol-lowing general rule may be ap-plied. The engine will slow down 60 rpm for each degree of increase in pitch and will speed up 60 rpm for each degree of decreased pitch.” This step, plus e x a c t b a l a n c -ing, will give the smoothest pro-peller operation.
The final step will be to install the propeller on the aircraft and check its track.
Here, Hamilton Standard Propeller states, “The running, or dynamic balance of the propeller is ordinar-ily roughly checked by testing the ‘track’ of the propeller. The pro-peller is mounted on the engine or in a suitable mandrel, and the blades are swung through an arc of 180 degrees. Both blades should pass through exactly the same patch, and the amount by which they fail to do so is the error in track. Hamilton Standard propel-lers are set very accurately at the factory, the two opposite blades being set to correspond to within 1/10 of 1 degree. It is not always possible to set these blades accu-rately in the fi eld, but it is recom-mended that an effort be made to keep the angle of the two blades alike within 2/10 of 1 degree.” FAA AC43.13-2A recommends a maximum out-of-track condition of 1/16 inch (plus or minus) from the opposite blade’s track.
One last thought regarding pro-peller vibration is contained in FAA AC20-66A. It states, “One of the worst operating environments for a propeller is on the ground when the airplane is not moving and the wind is blowing from the side to behind the propeller disc. This type operation is known as ground
crosswind operation. Under this type of condition the fl ow into the propeller is constantly changing and many excitation orders occur: 1P, 2P, 3P, 4P, etc.”
Engine vibrations transferred to the airframe can be caused by sev-eral factors. Radial engines of three-, five-, and seven-cylinder design have “power lag.” Power lag means that there is a lag between the fir-ing of each cylinder, which causes natural roughness of the engine. Nine-cylinder engines have “power overlap,” which means that there is always a cylinder fi ring; therefore nine-cylinder radial engines tend to operate more smoothly than seven-cylinder radial engines. When mak-ing a run-up check, if spark plug(s) are not firing properly, the indica-tion will be a vibration with im-pulses one-half engine rpm.
To conclude our preliminary dis-cussion of vibrations, the propeller blade frequency can and will react on the airplane structure through the slipstream. This type of vibra-tion can be introduced into the aft fuselage, particularly the hori-zontal and vertical tail surfaces, which produce some very strange vibration. In some cases these vi-brations can be of relatively high amplitude, enough to cause dis-comfort and concern.
Early designers did not under-stand this phenomenon because there was no wind tunnel data to show possible vibration modes. In most cases this type of vibration cannot be removed, and if it per-sists, maintenance personnel should conduct close examination of at-tachment points on the horizontal and vertical stabilizers and also at-tachment points of elevators and rudder at regular intervals. Illustra-tion 7 depicts propeller slipstream.
I have flown several different types of aircraft, and they all vi-brate and all differently. A biplane will show ground vibrations that are transferred into the fl ying and landing wires, mostly at rpms from idle up to magneto check speed. Each ship will have strange vibra-
ILLUSTRATION 6
34 APRIL 2011
tory modes during engine warm-up. Vibratory modes can be caused
by airfl ow over the aircraft surfaces. Buffeting has been defi ned as an ir-regular oscillation of a part of an air-plane caused by the eddying wake from some other member. A pre-dominate eddy frequency does ex-ist, and the resonant effects may be experienced by the tail surfaces from the wake of the wing. Unlike fl utter, buffeting is not always a destructive phenomenon. Its occurrence on tail surfaces, however, may prove to be a decided nuisance and a source of structural fatigue and wear.
More on vibrations in a future article.
Resources:Elements of Technical Aeronautics, 1942. New York National Aeronau-
tics Council, (Figure 6)Hamilton Standard Propellers, 1930. Hamilton Standard Propeller Cor-
poration (Figure 2, 3 and 5) Airplane Maintenance, 1940. Hubert G. Lesley, Maintenance Engineer,
Eastern Air Lines (Figure 4)Basic Science for Aerospace Vehicles, 1972. James L. McKinley and
Ralph D. Bent (Figure 1)
ILLUSTRATION 7
Have a comment or question for Bob Lock, the Vintage Mechanic? Drop us an e-mail at [email protected], or you can mail your question to Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903.
What Our MembersAre Restoring
Are you nearing completion of a restoration? Or is it done and you’re busy fl ying and showing it off? If so, we’d like to hear from you. Send us a 4-by-6-inch print from a commercial source (no home printers, please—those prints just don’t scan well) or a 4-by-6-inch, 300-dpi digital photo. A JPG from your 2.5-megapixel (or higher) digital camera is fi ne. You can burn photos to a CD, or if you’re on a high-speed Internet connection, you can e-mail them along with a text-only or Word document describing your airplane. (If your e-mail program asks if you’d like to make the photos smaller, say no.) For more tips on creating photos we can publish, visit VAA’s website at www.vintageaircraft.org. Check the News page for a hyperlink to Want To Send Us A Photograph?
For more information, you can also e-mail us at [email protected] or call us at 920-426-4825.
Are you nearing completion of a restoration? Or is it done
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 35
MISCELLANEOUS
www.aerolist.org, Aviations’ Leading Marketplace.
Retractable Tiedown Plans. Hand prop, get in plane, release and retract tiedown and store it in plane. [email protected]
SERVICES
Always Flying Aircraft Restoration, LLC: Annual Inspections, Airframe recovering, fabric repairs and complete restorations. Wayne A. Forshey A&P & I.A. 740-472-1481Ohio and bordering states.
Biplane Builder Ltd. Restoration, fabric, paint, fabrications, paperwork with 53 completed projects, Wacos, Moth’s, Champs, Pitts etc. Test flights and delivery. Indiana 812-343-8879 [email protected], www.biplanebuilder.com.
B u l l y A e r o p l a n e Wo r k s a n d Airshows provides complete a i r m a n e s t a t e a n d a v i a t i o n collection services without the hassle and invasiveness of on-site auctions. We specialize in antique, aerobatic, and experimental aircraft and parts. References available. Contact Eric Minnis at 336-263-8558 or [email protected]
VINTAGE TRADERSometh ing to buy, se l l , o r t r ade?
Classifi ed Word Ads: $5.50 per 10 words, 180 words maximum, with boldface lead-in on fi rst line.
Classifi ed Display Ads: One column wide (2.167 inches) by 1, 2, or 3 inches high at $20 per inch. Black and white only, and no frequency discounts.
Advertising Closing Dates: 10th of second month prior to desired issue date (i.e., January 10 is the closing date for the March issue). VAA reserves the right to reject any advertising in confl ict with its policies. Rates cover one insertion per issue. Classifi ed ads are not accepted via phone. Payment must accompany order. Word ads may be sent via fax (920-426-4828) or e-mail ([email protected]) using credit card payment (all cards accepted). Include name on card, complete address, type of card, card number, and expiration date. Make checks payable to EAA. Address advertising correspondence to EAA Publications Classifi ed Ad Manager, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.
There’s plenty more
and other goodies atwww.vintageaircraft.org
AERO FriedrichshafenMesse Fr iedr ichshafen, Fr iedr ichshafen, GermanyApr i l 13-16, 2011www.AERO-Friedrichshafen.com/html/en
Virginia Regional Festival of FlightSuffo lk Execut ive A i rpor t (SFQ)Suffo lk, V i rg in iaApr i l 30-May 1, 2011www.VirginiaFlyIn.org
Golden West Regional Fly-In and Air ShowYuba County A i rpor t (MYV)Mar ysv i l le , Cal i forn ia June 10-12, 2011www.GoldenWestFlyIn.org
Arlington Fly-InAr l ington Munic ipal A i rpor t (AWO)Ar l ington, Washington Ju ly 6-10, 2011www.ArlingtonFlyIn.org
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Wittman Regional A i rpor t (OSH)Oshkosh, W isconsin Ju ly 25-31, 2011www.AirVenture.org
Colorado Sport International Air Showand Rocky Mountain Regional Fly-InRocky Mountain Metropol i tan A i rpor t (BJC)Denver, ColoradoAugust 27-28, 2011www.COSportAviation.org
Mid-Eastern Regional Fly-InGrimes F ie ld A i rpor t ( I74)Urbana, OhioSeptember 10-11, 2011http://MERFI.com
Copperstate Fly-InCasa Grande Munic ipal A i rpor t (CGZ)Casa Grande, Ar i zonaOctober 20-22, 2011www.Copperstate.org
Southeast Regional Fly-InMiddleton F ie ld A i rpor t (GZH)Evergreen, A labamaOctober 21-23, 2011www.SERFI.org
For details on hundreds of upcoming avia-tion happenings, including EAA chapter fl y-ins, Young Eagles rallies, and other local aviation events, visit the EAA Calendar of Events lo-cated at www.EAA.org/calendar.
Upcoming MajorFly-Ins
36 APRIL 2011
We enjoy your suggestions for Mystery Planes—in fact, more than half of our subjects are sent to us by
members, often via e-mail. Please remember that if you want to scan the photo for use in Mystery Plane,
it must be at a resolution of 300 dpi or greater. You may send a lower-resolution version to us for our re-view, but the fi nal version has to be at that level of detail or it will not print properly. Also, please let us know where the photo came from; we don’t want to willfully violate someone’s copyright.
Our January Mystery Plane came to us via Wes Smith of Springfi eld, Illinois. Our fi rst answer submitted was from Hillis Cunliffe of Mill-brook, Alabama: “The January Mys-
Send your answer to EAA, Vintage Airplane, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086. Your answer needs to be in no later than May 15 for inclusion in the
July 2011 issue of Vintage Airplane.You can also send your response
via e-mail. Send your answer to [email protected]. Be sure to in-clude your name plus your city and
state in the body of your note and put “(Month) Mystery Plane” in the subject line.
This month’s Mystery Plane comes from David Nixon.It is of foreign manufacture.
MYSTERY PLANEby H.G. FRAUTSCHY
J A N U A RY ’ S M Y S T E RY A N S W E R
VINTAGE AIRPLANE 37
tery Plane is the SAL KZ IV designed specifically for use by the Danish Air Ambulance Service.”
Via e-mail we received this reply from Lars Gleitsmann of Anchor-age, Alaska:
This wonderful little twin is the Danish Kramme and Zeuthen KZ IV, a really nice, good flying STOL medevac bird; one is still airworthy! Steel tube fuselage, wooden wings and tails, fabric all over…note the Danish fl ag under the wing and on the vertical tail/rudder. The fl ying museum that owns the survivor is in Stauning, on Jutland’s North Sea coast…where Dansk Veteranfl y-samling (The Danish Collection of Vintage Aircraft) runs a great show! Very nice people. Links about it exist: http://en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Skandinavisk_Aero_Industri and www.DanFly.dk/KZ4.html.
All the KZ planes were great well-fl ying and well-built airplanes; two thumbs way up on them!
Jack Erickson, adds:The subject is the Skandinavisk
Aero Industri A/S (SAI) KZ IV regis-tered OY-DIZ. It was designed and built in Sluseholmen, Sydhavnen, Co-penhagen, Denmark. My information is from Jane’s All the World’s Aircraftfor 1947, which includes the same photo which Wes Smith provided for Vintage Airplane. Quoting from Jane’s:
“The KZ IV was built during the German occupation of Denmark to the designs of K.G. Zeuthen. It was produced originally to the require-ments of the Zone-Redningskorp, the Danish fi rst aid organization, as an ambulance, but it is also convertible to a passenger and cargo aircraft. The KZ IV is not in series production.”
The twin four-cylinder inverted inline engines are 130-hp de Havil-land Gipsy Majors. The aircraft struc-ture was, of strategic necessity, wood, covered with plywood, except for fabric on the tail control surfaces. As an ambulance, the crew was a pi-lot, co-pilot, two stretchers (above and below each other with an atten-dant for each). The “ZONEN” on the nose in the photo apparently is an abbreviation for Danish fi rst aid.
There is extensive coverage of the KZ IV on various websites. OY-DIZ had construction number (c/n) 43 and has been restored along with a second KZ IV, c/n 70, OY-DZU built in 1949. Viggo Kramme was a designer along with Karl Gustav Zeuthen, and the designation KZ includes both. Both aircraft had il-lustrious careers, especially the fi rst which made a mercy fl ight to Ber-lin carrying Folke Bernadotte, the distinguished Swedish count who negotiated with Heinrich Himmler for the safe release of all Danish
prisoners in Germany during the latter days of World War II.
There are also several excellent color photos on the Internet of both restored KZ IV aircraft. “Folke Ber-nadotte” is painted on the nose of OY-DIZ in honor of his humanity and his flight on the aircraft. Other correct answers were received from Toby Gursanscky, Sydney, Australia; Wayne Muxlow, Minneapolis, Min-nesota; and, of course, Vintage Air-plane’s longtime expert on the aircraft from Denmark, our own Norm Pe-tersen of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Telephone Orders: 800-843-3612From US and Canada (All Others Call 920-426-5912)
Or send to: EAA Mail Orders, P.O. Box 3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086Limited supplies available.
*Shipping and handling NOT included. Major credit cards accepted. WI residents add 5% sales tax.
The Superman plastic travel mug keeps drinks warm and fi ts nicely into most car beverage holders. Holds 16 oz.Travel Mug PLU 5265833800000 $9.99
38 APRIL 2011
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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 39
Picnic Set for TwoEnjoy the outdoors. Get in the plane and stop for lunch with this simple to go picnic set for two. Includes thermos, cups, napkins, uten-sils and more. Great gift for weddings and anniversaries. 52658559
Tagless Youth TeeScreened print t-shirt with DC-3 anniversary image in navy is a youth t-shirt that will be great for summer.YM 5265840703061YLG 5265840704061
Opal Blue Izod ShirtPerfect for warmer weather fl ying.Classy, casual combed cotton shirt is pill resistant. Small VAA logo is dis-played on the left sleeve. SM 5265339102060MD 5265339103060LG 5265339104060XL 5265339105060
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WI residents add 5% sales tax.
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40 APRIL 2011
Copyright ©2011 by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association, All rights reserved.VINTAGE AIRPLANE (USPS 062-750; ISSN 0091-6943) is published and owned exclusively by the EAA Vintage Aircraft Association of the Experimental Aircraft Association and is published monthly at EAA Avia-
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MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
VINTAGEAIRCRAFT
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
DIRECTORS
DIRECTORSEMERITUS
PresidentGeoff Robison
1521 E. MacGregor Dr.New Haven, IN 46774
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N57W34837 Pondview LnOconomowoc, WI 53066
Steve Bender85 Brush Hill Road
Sherborn, MA 01770508-653-7557
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Lawton, MI 49065269-624-6490
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Greensboro, NC 27409336-668-3650
Steve Krog1002 Heather Ln.
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Gene Morris5936 Steve Court
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