Vintage Airplane - Oct 2007

8/20/2019 Vintage Airplane - Oct 2007

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tthis writing I again find myself

pulling volunteer duty with EM's B-17

Bomber

Tour.

This time, my trip began

in

New Jersey. As I was flying commer

cial into Newark, we passed by

the is-

land

of

Manhattan in

New

York

City.

I t

is

always a warm and reassuring feel-

ing to see my girlfriend just off shore,

with her

torch

still flying

high

over

head. She appeared

as

beautiful

as

ever,

forever symbolizing the freedoms this

great

nation

stands for. Again, I have

had the

joy of befriending dozens

of

EAA

and VAA

members all over these

United States. This weekend we are in

the "Queen City" of Cincinnati, Ohio,

being hosted by Warbird Squadron 18.

This is a great bunch of

folks, and

they

have proven to be wonderful hosts

to

the bomber and its crew.

When

you receive this issue of Vin-

tage Airplane EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

2007 will be but a memory to those of

us

who

were fortunate enough

to

at

tend. It was really a great show.

One

of the most surprising and heartwarm

ing statistics I will share with you is the

fact

that

we, the VM, attracted an all

time record-high number of volunteers

at this year's event.

Be

mindful

that

I

am referring only to those deeply dedi

cated individuals who, over

the

previ

ous 12 months, have volunteered more

than 24,000 hours

of

total

volunteer

time to further

the

success of our fine

organization. It is with great pride that

I report to the membership of

the

VM

that

we

had

more than 500 individu

als volunteer at AirVenture during the

2007 event. That's a great

number

by

itself,

but

another amazing element to

this wonderful success story is

the

fact

that the total

number

of

volunteers

continues to climb by 8 percent to 10

GEOFF RO ISON

PRESI D T VINTAGE AIRCRAFT ASSOCI ATION

AirVenture

2007

percent

each year. The word

is

really

getting

out about how much

fun

and

personal satisfaction can be had

when

volunteering. Start

planning

for

next

year:

You

gotta be there."

I

have

had

the

joy

of befriending

dozens of EAA

and VAA members

all

over

these

United States

As most of you are aware, each year

the

VAA

board

of

directors

makes a

special effort to reward and recognize

these special members,

and

it is there

fore my pl

easure

to announce this

year's VAA Volunteers of the Year."

Please join me in recognizing our 2007

Flightline Volunteer of the Year,

Mr. A

Hallett of West Chicago, Illinois. Al has

been volunteering with

the VM

flight

line for more

than

five years now,

and

he continuously has proven himself to

be an extremely valued member of

the

flightline crew. AI, thank you for your

dedication

and

tireless efforts to assist

us

in providing our membership with a

great convention each year.

We

also recognize a VAA

Behind

the

Scenes

Volunteer of the Year."

With tremendous

gratitude we high

light

the "behind the

scenes" efforts of

Steve Moyer

of

Lansdale, Pennsylva

nia, for his

support of the

VAA.

Steve

is a longtime volunteer

who

has

many

talents that go a long way in providing

some very special support to our VAA

volunteers. Steve works

in

the Vintage

data

shack (as well as

being

a terrific

help

as a

photographer)

and

pumps

out

a great nimber of quality products

in support of our organization

and

his

fellow volunteers.

While

on the

topic of this

year's

event,

the

post-AirVenture assessment

of all the activities in

the

Vintage area

reveals

an enormous

amount

of

suc

cess. I tend

not

to

measure

our suc

cesses solely

in

dollar

amounts,

as it

is

more productive to assess what I see

as

the true measure of these successes:

the

results of

watching and

listening

to

as many

attendees

as we can.

One

particularly notable

improvement

we

observed,

and

were particularly pleased

about, was this year's Vintage Aircraft

Awards presentation in

the

Theater in

the Woods on Saturday night.

I personally fielded at least a half

dozen strong and oftentimes emotional

remarks complimenting the division

on this much-improved program

and

its presenters. One of our long-tenured

VAA board members informed me im

mediately after the

event

that

he

has

never missed our awards program since

its inception back in the 1970s, and he

had never seen the program conducted

as

well

as

this year's program. Many de

served

thanks

are offered to everyone

who had a part in this success, includ

ing

EM and

VM staff, the board of di

rectors,

and

the

many

volunteers

who

had a

hand

in

the

solid improvements

to this program this year. I know what

a home

run

looks like, and based on

the many positive remarks we heard,

it's apparent

that

we smacked this one

out

of the park!

As

a matter of course, we always re

continued on p ge

8


3/44

LANE

OCTOBER

35, No. 10

2007

ONTENTS

Straight Level

AirVenture 2007

by Geoff Robison

2

News

5 Aeromail

6

Amazing AirVenture 2007

A vintage year for friends and airplanes

by H.G. Frautschy

6 The Remarkable Bucker Bestmann

A delight in flight!

by Sparky Barnes Sargent

4

Benny Howard's Racers Return

The resurrection of Benny Howard's Giant Killers, Mike nd Ike

by Karl D. Engelskirger

8 What's New for Vintage Pilots

The Vintage Instructor

.

shall become familiar with all available information ..

1

by Doug Stewart

Type Club Notes

The Technical Corner-Instrument Systems

As

originally published in Travel Air

Log

the

newsletter of

the

Travel

Air

Restorers Association

by Robert G. Lock

6

Mystery Plane

by H.G. Frautschy

7

EAA s New Reach for the Sky E-Newsletter

Helping people start making their dreams of flight a reality

8 Calendar

9

Classified

Ads

OVERS

COVER: An

unusual angle for this shot highlights the strongly tapered wings of this

Bu 181 Bestmann, restored and flown here in the United States by Richard Epton. De-

by

Anders

J.

Andersson, the Bestmann has long been known as one

of

the great training

of

its

day.

See Sparky Barnes' story

of

Epton and his Bestmann beginning on page 16.

COVER: High over the broken clouds

of

the north-central Midwest, Skip Holm pilots the

Rider R 4 replica racer, the Schoenfeldt Firecracker as

it

rockets along amongst the cloud

Wathen Foundation, was one of the aircraft featured in

of the VAA Red Barn Hospitality center. For more on this year's VAA activities during EM

2007

please see the article beginning on page 6.

photos by

EM

Chief Photographer Jim Koepnick.

EAA Publisher

Tom

Poberezny

Director

of

EAA Publications David Hipschman

Executive

Director/Editor

H.G. Frautschy

Executive Assistant

Jillian

Rooker

Managing

Editor

Kathleen

Witman

News

Editor

Ric Reynolds

Photography

Jim

Koepnick

Bonnie

Kratz

Advertising

Coordinator Sue

Anderson

Classified Ad

Coordinator

Daphene VanHullum

Copy Editor

Colleen Walsh

Director

of Advert ising Katrina Bradshaw

Display Advertising Representatives:

No rtheast: Allen Murray

Phone 856·229·7180,

F X

856·229·7258, e·mail: aJ/mmlirraK 'lIl illd

sprillg.com

Southeast: Ch

este

r Baumgartner

Phone 727·532·4640, F X 727·532·4630, e·mail: [email protected]

Central:

Gary

Worden

Phone 800·444·9932, F X 816·741·6458, e·mail:

gary.wo

rd

el pc·

lIlag.com

Mountain Pacific: John Gibson

Phone 916·784·9593, e·mail:

ioilllgibsoll(i .spc·lIIag.com

E

urope: Willi Tacke

Phone +49 (0) 8841 487515, F X

+49

(0) 8841 496012,

e·

mail:

willi@{lyillg.page5.com

VINTAGE IRPL NE

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4/44

VAAIEAA

Reaction to

Taylorcraft

AD

As

this

article was

going

to press,

VAA staff and the EAA Government

Programs office were

drafting

a re

sponse to

the

recently issued Airwor

thiness

Directive (AD)

2007-16-14

concerning Taylorcraft lift struts. The

AD, which covers a broad spectrum

of

the

Taylorcraft fleet, including all

A, B,

and

F models, requires owners

to

have

their

lift struts inspected us

ing either

eddy current

or ultrasonic

nondestructive testing (NDT) meth

ods, with the testing being conducted

only by

certified NDT

inspectors

as

defined in

the

AD and Taylorcraft

Ser

vice Bulletin 2007-001. This inspec

tion , due within five hours ' time in

service after August 20, 2007, applies

to unsealed struts built in accordance

with Taylorcraft part numbers A-A815

and A-A84, or their equivalent part

numbers as supplied by

other

ven

dors. Owners should have received

their copy of the

AD

via

the

U.S. mail;

if you've

not

received a copy, you can

download it from the FAA website

at

www.FAA.g

ov

or from

the

Taylorcraft

website at

www.Taylorcraft.com.

In

general

we support the

con

cept

of inspecting the wing

struts

for corrosion. This AD is similar in

scope to the Piper lift strut AD first

issued more than

25

years ago, when

internal corrosion caused

the

failure

of unsealed

steel

streamline

tubing

struts. For this particular AD , we will

be

commenting on the

need for alter

nate methods of compliance for

the

inspection,

as

well

as our

belief that

once

the

initial inspection has

been

accomplished, a longer interval than

two years seems reasonable.

Since the AD was issued, we've spo

ken nearly every day with members af

fected by it. Most are concerned with

the

rationale used to initiate

the

AD ,

and they have been struggling to gain

access to local NDT inspectors

at

a rea

sonable cost. They have also expressed

concerns regarding

the

ability of the

factory to supply replacement struts,

OCTOBER 2 7

Alan Klapmeier

to Speak

at

EAA

Halls of

Fame Dinner

C

irru

s Des ign CEO Alan Klap

meier, a longtime

EAA

memb

er,

will

be th e keynote speaker at the a

n

nual EAA Halls of Fame dinner on

November 9 at

th

e

EAA

AirVe nture

Mu

se

um. Alan and h is bro

th

er, Dale,

began

their bu

s

in

ess with a Cirrus

home

built

design, th e VK-3 0 (th e

prototype is on display in the EAA

AirVenture Museum

),

in th e 1980s.

They moved on to production air

craft, produ

ci

ng th e

SR2

0 and

SR22

,

a

nd

in just over a decade became

one of

th

e top small-aircra

ft

manu

facturers in

th

e world. t AirVenture

thi s year, Cirrus announced develo

p

me

nt

of th e SR Sport , a light-sport

aircraft, and just weeks prior to th e

con venti on unveiled it s the- jet

personal jet.

EA

A memb ers are invited to at

tend the

dinn

er, wh ich includ

es th

e

induction ceremonies for th e

var

i

ous

EA

A halls of fame, including th e

Homebuilders Ha

ll

of

Fa

me

R

and

y

Schlitter); U

lt

ra light Ha ll of Fa me

as

well as

the

cost from

the

factory to

convert the vented struts to those

that

are sealed. Members have expressed

hope that other struts with parts man

ufacturer approval PMA) meeting the

need

for a sealed

strut

will be

made

available by other vendors .

The replacement of

the

vented

struts with new

PMA

'd

or original

equipment manager struts whose de

sign has been modified to be consid

ered sealed terminates the repetitive

inspection requirements for the AD.

Taylorcraft Wing Strut

Attach Fitting

We should also note

that the

struc

tural failure cited by

the

accident in

vestigator

as

the cause of the crash of

a

Ta

ylorcraft

BF12-65

on

July 28, 2007,

is

not related to

the

failure of

the

lift

strut. According to

the

investigator, it

was the direct result of undetected cor-

lan Klapmeier

M

ike

Ma rk

owski); V

in t

age Ai rcraft

Hall of

Fa

me

C

het Peek); Warbi rds

Hall of Fame (Conn ie Edward

s);

In

tern ational Aerobat ic Club Hall of

Fame (Debby Rihn-Harvey, Bill Ker

shner); and Flight In s

tru

ctor Hall

of Fame (Hal Shevers Wolfg

an

g

Lan gewiesch e) . Ticke ts can be or

dered by con tac ting Ma tt Miller at

mmill

er

@

ea

a orgor

800-236

-1

025, or

online at www.EAA org/ha

l/

of ame.

rosion

though

70 percent of

the

strut

attach

fitting welded

to the

fuselage

lower

longeron

. The corroded fitting

failed, pulling out of the longeron and

resulting in the separation of the left

wing

of the

airplane. Renowned sea

plane pilot Dave Wiley and his student/

passenger, Scott Alan Forsberg, died in

the

accident .

The

Ta

ylorcraft factory

has issued Service Letter No. 102-T,

dated September 4, 2007, to address

its concerns regarding maintenance of

this area of the aircraft structure.

VAA and EAA Comment

on

Draft

Policy Concerning

Type Certificates

Late this past

summer

, Edward

S.

Chalpin, AIR-110 and AIR-100, and Da

vid Hempe,

the

FAA

's manager of

the

Aircraft Engineering Division, issued

a draft policy concerning Managing

Revoked, Suspended, Surrendered, And

http:///reader/full/www.FAA.govhttp:///reader/full/www.FAA.govhttp:///reader/full/www.FAA.govhttp:///reader/full/www.Taylorcraft.comhttp:///reader/full/www.FAA.govhttp:///reader/full/www.Taylorcraft.com


5/44

d Type Certificates (TC) And

ntal Type Certificates (STC)."

and VAA are pleased that the FAA

this draft policy to deal

the problems asso

the release of data, which,

with

a law pending in Con

will allow those maintaining and

safe

and cost-effective manner.

We

thank the

FAA for its attentive

to our previous request,

made

previous meetings with EAA

representatives,

that would allow for

distribution of certain types of TC

We understand

the difficulty in

the

issues of proprietary

and

intellectual property rights

creating

the

policy. Having said

number of issues that

to

Chalpin sent at the end of August.

them were the following:

•

Concern that

if

the

law pending

Congress is

not

enacted,

there

is

clear legal provision for

the FAA

to

the

data.

• Concern

that

the rule as

cur-

to

the export of vintage aircraft

the United States.

• Asking for clarification regard-

this policy

and the

restoration

unrestored aircraft

do

not

have current airworthi-

certificates.

•

We

believe it should be stated that

FAA

is

not obligated to create

FAA, in accor

is

obligated

to

release

the

party who may wish to

•

We

stated concurrence with com

made by Dave Ostrowski re

the issues related to aircraft

in the 1920s though

under Group 2 and Bulletin 7A

than 600 air

that were approved in that man

If the policy in place during the

the

TC

concerning

the

to

the

Department

the

same

i t

was for TC d products, then we

agree with Mr. Ostrowski s comment

that these aircraft should be included

within this policy.

• We concur with Mr. Robert Lock s

comments regarding the vintage air

craft

community's hope

that this

abandoned/revoked/suspended/sur

rendered

TC

and

STC

data

would be

considered

to

have

been

placed

in

the public domain for ready access

by

those who have an

interest

in

maintaining

the continued airwor

thiness of Vintage aircraft. The widest

possible latitude for the release of this

data should be available to the agency

so

that

CAMACO can assist

the

own

ers/restorers of these historic aircraft

by

providing

them with appropriate

information.

We

also concur with Mr.

Lock s

comments

regarding his con

cerns related to the resources avail

able within the FAA to comply

with

this policy, and we look forward to

hearing positive news regarding the

inventory and availability of the data

related to this policy.

As this article was being written,

further

comments regarding

the

ex

port of vintage aircraft were being con

sidered, with a fOllow-up letter being

drafted to address this issue.

It

should

be noted that this portion of the pol

icy

is

driven in large part by the stan

dards regarding the support of TC d

products imposed by other countries.

For the full text of the letter, please

visit www.

VintageAircra{t.org,

e-mail us

at VintageAircra [email protected], or drop us a

line

at

920-426-6110; we d be

happy

to put a copy in the mail to you.

Enjoy

Fall's Colors

in

the

Tri-Motor

Wisconsin s spectacular fall foliage

can be breathtaking at eye-level, but

it s simply spectacular from

the

air.

EAA's

1929 Ford Tri-Motor will again

be

taking

fall

color

flights

October

13-14. Reservations

can

be

made by

calling 920-426-6880 or going online

at www.AirVentureMuseum.org.

Complete the AirVenture

ilots

ATC

Survey

Did you

fly

your airplane to

EAA

AirVenture Oshkosh 2007? If

so,

the

FAA's air traffic control team asks

that you take a few minutes to com

plete a lO-question survey located

on the EAA AirVenture website at

https://Secure. EAA orgiAirVenture/atc

feedback. h

tml

Your help will provide impor-

tant

information

that

will allow

controllers

to continuously

im

prove the process to make

for

safer, more efficient operations

at

future fly-ins.

Vintage Errata

In last month's feature story about

Bob Lock and his Command-Aire 5C3,

we

managed to misspell valued contribu

tor Gilles Auliard s name in

the

credit

line for the author. Our apologies, Gilles

Copperstate Caps

the

Regional Fly-In Season

Copperstate EAA Regional Fly-In of

ficials report that early exhibitor regis

trations for this year s event are running

well ahead of previous years thanks to a

great reception at its exhibit at EAA Air

Venture Oshkosh.

The fly-in

is

scheduled for October

25-28 at

Casa

Grande Municipal Airport

(CGZ).

Visit www.Copperstate.org for an

updated exhibitors list, as well as every

thing else you need to know about this

year s event.

CGZ

is located midway be

tween Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona,

just a

few

miles west of Interstate 10.

The Southeast Regional

EAA

Fly-In

is

scheduled

for

October 12-14 at Middleton

Field (GZH) in Evergreen, Alabama. For

more information, visit www SERFI.org.

VINT GE

IRPL N E

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6/44

It's

Spooktacular

EAA's Haunted Hangar

If you live within driving distance

of Oshkosh, consider a fun tr ip with

your

children or

grandchildren for

a spooktacular event .

The

spirit

of

Halloween

connects with aviation

history at

the

EAA

AirVenture Muse

um's popular annual event

as EAA's

Haunted

Hangar takes place Octo

ber 19-20 and the following week

on

October 26 and 27.

All

the lights are turned off in the

museum and spooky guides will lead

guests

on

an exciting flashlight tour.

Watch out for Halloween ghosts and

surprises as you

hear

chilling stories filled with

ghastly aviation history.

Admission to the Haunted

Hangar is just S per per

son, and all visitors are en

couraged to dress in their

favorite Halloween cos

tume. EAA members and

children

S

and

younger

are admitted free . Reser

vations are not required

but are recommended by

calling 920-426-6880 or

by visiting our secure registration site

at www AirVentureMuseum org Volun

teers are needed for this event. If you

are interested please contact the mu

seum at 920-426-4818.

The Slightly Haunted Hangar

For younger visitors, EAA's Slightly

Haunted Hangar

is

a fun and friendly

way to celebrate Halloween

on

Octo

ber 28,

11

a.m.-2 p.m. They'll have

the opportunity to trick or treat, play

games, participate in Halloween activ

ities, and even come dressed in their

favorite costume. Admission to

the

Slightly Haunted Hangar

is

included

in regular museum admission.

EAA

members and

children ages Sand

younger are always admitted

free

.

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LESS

&

FLY

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Visit the

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OCTOBER 2 7

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7/44

SEND YOUR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS TO:

,

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

P.O. Box 3086

OSHKOSH , WI

54903-3086

OR YOU CAN E-M IL THEM TO: vintageaircr t @eaa.org

I Remember That

Airplane

Editor s Note: In addition

to roles

as the

computer

systems

gum

When I saw the cover on the July 2007 issue of Vintage and

later

as

director

of the EAA museum (and wearing a

variety

it brought back a memory of some

SO

years ago.

of

other

hats

as

well),

Gene Chase served as senior editor

of

EAA

the

Utah

Oil

Refining Company s Cessna

publications and editor

of

Vintage Airplane

magazine

from

N4811

B out of

Salt Lake

City and

dropped off a

979

through

1987, and

he has remained

not only a valuable

at

McGowan Field

at

Boise, Idaho. Always on

resource

regarding the

history

of EAA and its divisions (his wife,

lookout for old airplanes, I spotted this vintage Travel

Dorothy, once served

as

the

office

secretary for the divisions), but

tied down

on

the

flightline and took two

photos

also an active

EAA/VAA volunteer

and

all-around nice

guy

ever

my aged Kodak 620 (see below). On the back side since

his

retirement in

1987.

Gene was

bestowed

with the title

Di

the prints is noted: October 18, 1956, Travel Air lO-D, rector

Emeritus

upon his retirement

from

the VAA board.

HGF

SIN

10-2011, Jacobs

R-7SS. As

I recall,

the

right

cabin

door had

been

.- -- - -

---------

Inquiring about

plane at

the

FBO office,

was told

the

Travel Air was

to drop bales of

hay

to

cattle in the

I am

pleased

to see

this

old

girl

is

flying

and

I congratulate

Waldron and

Harry

for their beau

restoration.

Gene R. Chase

Oshkosh, Wisconsin

VINT GE IRPL NE 5

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


8/44

by H G Frautschy

This

spectacular

1940 Cessna

Airmaster

finished in Civil

Aeronautics

Authority

CAA)

colors is the

product of the

hard work

done by

Vernon Heyrman

of

De Pere,

Wisconsin. It

was

presented with the

Antique-Bronze

Age

Outstanding

Closed-Cockpit

Monoplane trophy.

OCTO ER

2 7


9/44

M

re than a thousand vintage showplanes and campers

parked by hundreds of

VAA

volunteers. Twenty-two Type

Clubs hosted

in

the Type Club tent. Dozens of pieces

of sheet metal used to teach sheet metal forming in the

And

this isn t everybody

Moyer braved the heights

the VAA Flightline Shack roof

capture this

shot of

many

of

nearly 500 VAA

volunteers

make

it

possible

for the

to host

1,014 showplanes

vintage

campers.

Great

job,

all

Flightline

"Volunteer of

the

Year" award

recipient

AI Hallett doing what he

does

best

and with

great

enthusiasm,

directing

VAA members and their

airplanes

to

a spot in the

grass

in

the Vintage area.

Workshop tent. Thousands of bags of popcorn popped in the

VAA

Red

Bam Hospitality Center. Zillions of people served at the

VAA

Help Desk

in the

Red

Bam. More

than

600 VAA participant plaques handed out to

members. About 15,500 flowers planted

on

the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

grounds (thanks, Karen and volunteers ). More than 400 volunteers who

pitched

in

and helped the

EAA

maintenance department. Approximately

7,600 meals served to those vo lunteers before the start of AirVenture.

And 2,500 meals served at the

VAA's

Tall Pines Cafe, cooked

and

served

by dozens of VAA volunteers. Oh, yes, and nearly 1,200 portable toilets

to

provide for the comfort of the volunteers, members, and visitors

who

trek over the 1,600 acres of AirVenture grounds.

Numbers are sometimes fun

to

contemplate,

but

if you look closely

at the paragraph above, it repeats one word more

than

any other-

volunteer. Without your volunteer participation, the annual EAA

convent ion simply woul

dn t

happen. Not like this, anyway. It would

be a lot more expensive, and it probably would

not

be filled with as

many

member-requested forums

and

displays

as

there are today. This

annu

al

event has become the go-to destination for people worldwide,

and you and your fellow VAA/EAA members can look at one another

with pride and

say, Yeah, we

help create the world's greatest aviation

celebration./I Congratulations to you, the volunteers, to the hundreds

of pilots who take

the

time and cover the gas money to fly their vintage

airplanes to Wittman Field, to the thousands of members who attend

the convention, and let's

not

forget the staff of

EAA.

Sure, it's their job,

but I guarantee you, if it were not for the passion and dedication to

the mission of EAA and VAA I see in the office all year long,

the

annual

aviationfest we call AirVenture wouldn't come off nearly as effiCiently

and well run. Our thanks to all of you

But it's

not

the prospect of swatting Wisconsin's legendary mosquitoes

that brings us to the upper Midwest each summer; it's the vintage

airplanes and our friends who we see each year

that

brings us back. Let's

take a look at many of the planes and people who make AirVenture the

Singular experience

i t

is.

ST V MOY R

~ ~

VINT GE A I R

PL

A N E


10/44

"Hey, isn t that a ••? Most people walking

by

Rick Hamlin s Ryan

knew

it

looked

familiar, but they just couldn t put their finger

on

what it

was,

exactly.

Well,

it s a Ryan

PT-22,

modified

by

the late

Mark Hoskins in the early 1960s. Thanks to sharp-looking

wheel

fairings and a 220-hp Continental, the

Super

Ryan, as it was

dubbed by

Hoskins, wowed

those who

remember it from 40 years

ago.

Now owned by Hamlin,

a noted Auburn, Cord, and Duesenberg

automobile restorer and a vintage airplane pilot, the Ryan is again

turning

heads

wherever

it goes.

Left: Dave Carlson (left)

and Archie Jones have

just put the finishing

touch

on

the

VAA Red

Barn Hospitality

Center,

the VAA windsock. You

can

bet

they wear

their

stickiest shoes

The

new VAA

Awards

program

now presents all of the VAA

awards

within

one

hour

on

Saturday night, and thanks in

part to the volunteer efforts

of

emcee David

Clark

(one

of

the VAA's judges, unfortunately

not shown in this photo), the

program came

off beautifully.

Seated on

the left, VAA

President Geoff

Robison

joins

the crowd in

acknowledging

the

efforts of the VAA judging corps,

who

were

all

asked

to stand

and receive

the appreciation

ovation.

Shown

are (back

row,

left to right), Dean Richardson,

Dan

Knutson, and Tim Popp,

and

in the front row, Geoff,

Dale

Gustafson,

and

Don Coleman.

OCTO E R 2 7


11/44

ohn Watts

does

his

thing as he

works

the taxiway

in

the

Vintage

parking

area.

John travels to

irVenture every

year

from

San

Diego, California.

The

Grand

Champion

Contemporary

Award

went to

Bill Rose s 1956

de Havilland

DHC·1B·2·S5

Chipmunk.

o

often the sheet

metal

on

a

vintage airplane

used

for flight

training can

look

a bit like a lumpy

burlap sack, but

not this excellent airplane. The sheet

metal

and nose bowl

looked

as

though they d just been

created

by the de Havilland factory,

and

the rest of the airframe was equally

as

expertly finished.

VIN T GE IRPL NE

9


12/44

Lars DeJounge

has

the only flying Saab

91

Safir in the United States. Designed

by

legendary

Swedish

engineer

Anders J. Anderson, this Safir was built in Linkoping, Sweden, late in 1961 and first

registered in March 1962.

Anderson

also designed the Biicker Bestmann (see the article starting

on

page 16), and the two aircraft share

many

similar characteristics.

The

type

was

originally built as a

training aircraft for

both

the

Swedish

and

Finnish

air forces.

It was

fun

to see

the 1950 Anderson

Greenwood

AND-51-A

on the flightline. Winner

of the Classic Class II

(81-150

hpJ Bronze

Lindy, David

Powell s

neat

restoration of this

rare Classic category

airplane (there are six

currently registered)

drew admirers

throughout the week.

The subject of one of

next

month's full-color

eatures in Vintage

Airplane

this is the

Antique Golden

Age

(1918-1927) Champion,

Chuck Wentworth

Antique Aero s

restoration of John

Seibold s

Stinson

SM-1B,

the

only

one left.

1

OCTO ER 2 7


13/44

TelT}'

Chastain

lands the Waco

QCF

restored by the

folks at

Old

Style Aircraft Company of

Creve

Coeur,

Missouri.

Special

arrangements

were made to

designate

a strip o

grass south

and slightly west o

Runway

36L

as

a

grass

landing strip. Don't

wony, Teny

didn't

land

short;

those

cones

highlight a

spot in the grass

a bit

smoother

for

touchdown! The QCF was

presented

with the

Grand Champion

Gold Lindy

award.

Each Saturday

during

the

convention,

the

town

of Shawano,

Wisconsin,

hosts

a fly-in for

those

pilots at

AirVenture

who'd

like to "fly-out."

This

year's "fly-outers"

gathered

for a group

shot

with

VAA

Director Jeannie

Hill

(center,

kneeling)

prior to their early-

morning departure.

The Antique

airplane

judges. The

Classic

airplane

judges.

VINTAGE

IRPL NE


14/44

The VAA Tall Pines

Cafe

is the place

on

the field

for a great breakfast.

Cooking the pancakes

in the foreground is

Jim

Roberts,

and

the

scrambled eggs are

being herded around the

grill

by

Chuck

Sandager.

You can t

see

him

very well in this shot,

but Mike

Hoag is

also .

helping in the kitchen.

Mary Lynch

of

Green

Bay,

Wisconsin,

and

David

Carlson

of Monticello, Minnesota, spent

much

of their

day

delivering

bags

of

ice

and bottles of

water

to hundreds of

VAA

members

camping

in the

Vintage

aircraft

parking area. The construction of

an

insulated

box

to carry the ice

allowed

Mary and David to range

far afield

before having

to return

to

base

for more supplies. We

caught up with

them

well south of

the

Runway

36 threshold, about

Row 135. Like the

many

John

Deere

Gators lent to

EAA

for the

convention

by John Deere,

this

Gator proved to be invaluable in

serving the members

needs.

12 OCTO E R

2 7


15/44

A pair of award-winning

Waco

QCFs from

Rare

Aircraft of

Owatonna,

Minnesota, rest in the Antique

parking area. On the left is the Antique

Reserve Grand

Champion, a 1931

Waco,

while to the right is

the Silver

Age

(1928-1936)

Champion,

another 1931

model

QCF.

Michael Kosta, co-chainnan of VAA Flightline Safety,

steps toward the cockpit as Glenn Peck, the restorer

of the Historic Aviation

Museum s

de Havilland

DH

4M2A, shuts down the mighty Liberty engine in mid

afternoon

on

Friday.

JACK McCARTHY

The relief of finally

making

it to

Oshkosh

shows on Glenn s

face as

he

greets friend

Don

Parsons

after his alTival. The odyssey

began the previous Saturday, and only

through

tremendous

perseverance

did

he

continue the flight from

Creve

Coeur,

Missouri, to Oshkosh. We ll have more

on this one-of-a-kind

biplane,

and Glenn

Peck s restoration,

in

an

upcoming

issue

of

Vintage Airplane

While the DH-4

did

alTive after the judging deadline had

passed

the

judges

were

unanimous

that

a special Antique

Judges

Choice award be

presented to Glenn and AI Stix for their

massive

mailplane.

V I N T

GE A IRPLANE

3

Oxyacetylene welding

and many

other sheet

metal skills were taught

and

demonstrated in

the

Workshop

tent located between the

Red

Barn

and

the Type

Club

tent.


16/44

The Type

Club

tent hosted 22 type clubs from around the

country,

each

a committed group of folks who enjoy flying

and

restoring their favorite airplanes.

Lorraine Morris

and

her husband,

Ken, were

two of the volunteers

who

hosted

and

demonstrated the proper

techniques for

hand

propping a

vintage airplane.

The

demonstrations,

held just

east

of the

Red

Barn

Hospitality

Center, proved

to be

among the most popular of the VAA s

educational programs.

The

VAA

board

of directors

and executive

director (kneeling)

pause

for a group

photo

after the annual

business

meeting.

Each

o

these folks dedicates

hundreds

of volunteer

hours

over the

course

of the

year. (Except for

yours

truly, [kneeling] who gets paid to work with

these

fine folks.)

Veteran

VAA

photographer

Jack McCarthy

kept muttering something about herding cats

when

referring to trying

to gather the group for the shot. I'm sure

none

of

us knew

what he

was

talking about•••

14 OCTO E R 2 7


17/44

Left: Tom

Poberemy

speaks

and

Buck

Hilbert

presents

the

Dorothy Hilbert

Volunteer

Award,

presented each year

to a female

EAA

volunteer

who

exhibits the same

passion,

dedication, and

devotion for volunteerism

as

did the late Dorothy

Hilbert. Buck Hilbert created the

award

to honor

the memol)'

of

his wife steadfast

EAA

volunteer,

who

passed away last year. Dorothy

was

a

dedicated 3S-year volunteer

at AirVenture,

Buck

said.

She was known as

the

'Hangar Queen at the

Wearhouse'

because she

has

helped organize

all

of

the women volunteers. The inaugural

recipient

of the award

is

Dolores Neunteufel, who

chairs

the

EAA AirVenture Assistance

Center.

Dolores

is

one

of those 'quiet volunteers' who has always worked

behind the scenes and not in the spotlight,

said

Sandy Marsh, chairman of the Activities Center.

She has always

been

willing to

do

whatever

it

takes

to get the job done.

= _

VAA Volunteer Center

Chairwoman

Anna Osborn

chats

with

a

volunteer.

Anna and

her

volunteers processed

more than 500 volunteers

over

the

course

of the

week.

The

Grand Champion

Classic is this vel)'

neat

Cessna

170

belonging

to

Steve Jacobson

of Fort Worth,

Texas. Steve tells

us

that if he'd really known in

advance

what it would take to restore it he'd have

walked away. After admiring both the interior and exterior, I'm pretty

sure

he's

glad

he didn't think

about it too hard.

VINTAGE AIRPLANE 15


18/44

'chard Epton is one happy

pilot, and he radiates an in

fectious enthusiasm when

e describes his Bucker Best

mann. He's owned

other

airplanes,

but the Bestmann is something spe

cial to him, and not just because it's

the

only

one

actively flying in the

United States (one is

on

display

at

Fantasy of Flight in Florida), but also

because

of

its classic good looks

and

excellent performance.

It's incredibly responsive on a

6 OCTO ER 2 7

A

delight in flight

Y SP RKY B RNES S RGENT

flyby when you waggle the stick. If

you do that in a Tiger Moth noth-

ing happens, but do it with a Bucker

and i t goes knife-edge, says Epton,

his cheerful countenance aglow, add

ing, For a 1940s airplane, it was way

ahead of its time.

Brief

Biicker Histol)

A brief look at the history of Bucker

aircraft shows that in

the

early 1920s

Carl Clemens Bucker, a naval avia

tor

who

had taken

his flying career

to

Sweden from Germany, started

an aircraft company called Svenska

Aero (known

today

as SAAB . About

10 years later, Bucker

moved

back

to Germany and named his new air

craft company Bucker Flugzeugbau

GmbH. In 1933, Anders]. Andersson,

his chief engineer, designed and built

a two-seat trainer, the BU-131 ]ung-

mann, in less than six

months.

The

small biplane was fully aerobatic and

economical to operate and soon went

into production for the Luftsportver


19/44

It's

incredibly

responsIve on a

flyby

when

you

waggle the stick.

If you do that in

a Tiger Moth

nothing happens

but

do it

with a

Bucker and it

goes

knife-edge.

Richard pton

The wings are ready and the fuselage is

work

in

progress.

band, a civilian flying association.

In 1934,

the need

arose for a sin

gle-seat

advanced trainer that

was

more aerobatic,

and

the BU-133 Jung

meister was designed.

Other

aircraft

were also

designed

by Bticker Flug

zeugbau GmbH, including

the

two

place,

low-wing Bti 180 Student;

a

two-place

Bti

181 Bestmann;

and

a

single-place

Bti 182

Kornett.

In the

following years, several

other coun

tries,

including

Switzerland, Japan

Spain

and

Czechoslovakia

were li

censed to build various models of

Bticker aircraft.

Bticker aircraft were never licensed

for production in

the United

States,

but by the 1960s they began enter

ing the

country

and

were classified

as

experimental-exhibition or

exper

imental-amateur-built

depending

on

how

they

were built. Their origi

nal engines, such as

the

Hirth, Tigre,

or

Siemens-Halske,

have

often

been

replaced

with more

reliable Warner,

Lycoming, or

LOM

(Letecke opravny

Malesice) engines.over the years.

The

Bestmann

The prototype Bticker Bu 181 Best

mann

took

to the

skies in early 1939,

and

production of

this model

began

the following year

at the

Bticker fac

tory

in Germany, where it continued

throughout World War II.

The

Best

mann

was a

primary trainer

for

the

German

Luftwaffe, and it quickly be

came quite popular for several rea

sons. For one, it allowed an instructor

and

student to sit side by side in

the

comfort

of an enclosed cabin, as op

posed

to

the earlier Bucker models,

which had tandem seating

and

typi

cally an open cockpit. Its aerobatic

J) capabilities, combined with its rapid

and fluid response to control input,

allowed

students to

learn basic com

bat

maneuvers. And its long fuselage


20/44

The

spacious cockpit of the Bestmann.

has restored

both

Zlin and Bucker

aircraft, "There are many similarities

between

these aircraft,

to the extent

that a lot of components are inter

changeable, particularly in

the

land

ing gear

and

control system."

N94245

Epton's Bestmann (s/n

145) is a

handsome example of

the

Czecho

slovakian-built Z-381 and was manu

factured in 1949. Previous owner Joe

Moriarty of Phoenix, Arizona, im

ported

the

aircraft in September 1981

from

Karl

Wittig of Gande

Kasse,

Ger

many. I t was shipped

to

Houston ,

Texas, where it was reassembled, in

spected,

and

test flown before being

flown to its new home in Arizona.

According to

Epton , Moriarty

flew it for

many

years

and then

dis

assembled it. "Joe

is

an outstanding

gent, and he had decided it was time

to

restore the aircraft. Its fuselage is

wooden monocoque construction

and the wings and tail are wood as

well, so he found a

brand-new

fuse

lage somewhere in Europe," recalls

Epton, adding, and

the

aircraft was

finished

by a

gentleman

called Joe

Krybus in Santa Paula, California.

He's the guru in Bucker aircraft,

and

he

also

installed

a

new

LOM 332B

four-cylinder inverted, in ine engine,

with a

constant-speed prop

. Origi

nally, the aircraft had a 105-hp Hirth

HM

504 engine."

Beaver further explains the advan

tages of

the

LOM engine, saying, It

has true multipoint, timed fuel in

8

OCTOBER 2 7

jection and an overhead cam, like a

modern

car. It

is

a very modern en

gine

that

runs more

like a

Honda

than a Lycoming Unusually, the su

percharger can be engaged or disen

gaged in flight, so it produces 160 hp

when

the

supercharger is

engaged

and 140

hp

when it is turned off."

Epton purchased N94245 from

Mo-

riarty in July 2006 and requested the Z

UJ

willing and capable

help

of Beaver,

('}j

who also owns and

flies

a Bucker Jung-

f

mann, to fly i t home to Brooks, Geor-

gia. Reflecting

on that

flight, Beaver

says, It was a privilege

to

fly Richard's

Bestmann from Phoenix. Even though

rJ)

rJ)

k f

ew pounds94245 has pic ed up a

over

the

years (as have I ,

the

super-


21/44

aviation in general, it helps to

know

a bit more about this Englishman. He

fondly recalls how, as a child, he helped

his father, Eric Claude Epton, milk the

cows in a cold milking

shed

while

listening

to

his tales of

how

Hurri

canes and

Spitfires chased Heinkels

and Junker 88s all over the Lincoln

shire

coun

tryside,

known

as Bomber

County,

and how he

had

heard

the

roar of the Merlin engines in Lancast

ers. We made frequent visits

to

the

old runways

and

airfields,

which

he

had visited

as

a lad, and I in turn took

my son to the very same fields. I was

hooked, and it was simply a matter of

time before I became airborne "

Epton

has been flying now for

about 20 years

and

was first involved

in the

wo rld

of microlight

flying in

his home country, where it

s

quite ex

pensive

to

learn

to

fly

.

When he

relo

cated to t

he

United States in January

1990 to establish a company for one

of his English clients, flying become

much more feasible

and

accessible to

him.

"I

came over with

my wife, son, dog, and

grandfather

clock, he

says congenially, and I

started a business which

is now very successful. I

i

mport

refrigeration dis

play

cases

and

supply

th em to conventions,

as well as selling via a

dealer network through

out the USA ."

By the mid-1990s,

Epton

completed

his

student pilo t

training

at Peachtree City and

earned

his pilot certifi

cate. Then he

bought

an Ercoupe pro ject and,

chuckling, says he "won

dered how my transition

was

going

to

be

from

'super light' to 'heavy

metal Ercoupe.' I t was

great,

and

I flew it for 14

years, then so ld

it

and

bought a

Super

260 Navion, which

we restored

and

made pretty. Then I

bought

a twin Navion, which

my

22

year-old son, Richard, soloed when

he

was 19, and he's got 1,000 hours

now. And to think when I was a teen

ager, I was

only

driving a tractor "

Epton also owned a Tiger Mo th

prior

to

the

Bestmann and, with

h

is

jovial sense

of

humor, describes it as

"a fabulous plane. Every Englishman

should

own

one . It's the ep it

ome

of

flight

in

Great Britain-just stick a

nd

rudder. Actually, it's a grea t t rai ner

because it highlights your shortcom

ings as a pilot

without

breaking any

thing. So

my

transition to

the

B cker

was an easy one because

the

engine

is upside down,

as

the Americans say,

and

the

propeller

turns the

'wro

ng

way,' as

did the Tiger Moth's."

The Numbers

N94245

ho

lds 32 gallons of fuel in

its fuselage tank, located directly be

hind the seats and just below the bag

gage

compartment.

Handily, t

he

gas

cap

has a dipstick-similar to

an

oil

cap-so the fuel level can easily be as

certained visually. The Bestmann

is

a

good short-field performer, taking off

in 918 feet and landing in 459 feet. It

has an empty weight of 1,166 pounds

and

a payload of 704 pounds (less for

aerobatics), so with a full load of fuel,

512 pounds are available for pilot, pas

senger, and baggage on a typical flight.

The efficient

Czechoslovakian

built LOM 332B engine bu rn s

fe

wer

Above: Close-up

view

o

the

split flap.

Left:

This Bestmann is

powered by a

Czechoslovakian

LOM

332B

engine

o

140

hp

or

160

hp when supercharged).

The

Bestmann opens wide for easy ac

ess

to

the

cockpit and

engine.

VIN T GE IRPL

NE

9

The

aerobatic

Bestmann has

seats that

were

de

signed to comfortably accommodate parachutes

while a

cargo

net keeps

items

securely stowed in the

baggage

compartment.


22/44

than

7 gallons

per

hour, according

to Epton, at an economical cruise of

about

115

to

117

mph. I f you want

to

burn more gas, you can engage the

supercharger. I normally fly for two

hours before refueling,

but

you could

fly safely three hours, with a reserve

remaining. So Lakeland, Florida, was

an easy shot from my

home in

Brooks.

I flew halfway, landed in Thomasville

for gas,

and then

came straight

on

in to Lakeland. The weather was per

fect, with a high overcast

that

kept

the sun off

my

head. I've tinted the

top glass of the aircraft because it

is

a

:

c ;

greenhouse

when

the sun is shining

directly on you.

g;

The nearly 6 foot 9 inch tall

Bestmann

sits a bit

high on

its nar-

ptonflew his Bestmann. row gear,

yet

Epton finds that its

2

OCTO ER 2 7

Son

Richard

and

his

lady friend Dee flew D16A Twin NaYion to the show and


23/44

Joe Moriarty

with

N94245 in Phoenix Arizona.

Steve

Beaver with the

Besbnann

upon

aniYal at Epton s

home

in

Brooks Georgia.

ground-handling characteristics

are very good, with its large cable-

operated rudder and effective brakes.

The fully swiveling tail w heel

has

an oleo-spring shock strut, as do the

main gear. The ailerons and elevators

are activated by push-pull rods that

glide easily

through their

bushings

and require

only

the typical light-as

a-feather Bticker touch. The ailerons,

elevators, and

rudder

are fabric-

covered,

and

the tail group

is

of wood

construction

(fabric-covered ply

wood on the horizontal and vertical

stabilizers), as are the tapered, canti

levered wings, which have a span

of

34 feet 9 inches. From

nose

to tail,

the

Bestmann measures

25

feet

9

inches, and its

wooden

monocoque

fuselage has a steel

tubing

framework

protecting the cabin area.

A

Delight in Flight

Although the Bestmann's

inte

o

rior has a rather Spartan appearance,

Epton finds that it s a very comfort

able airplane and functional as well,

since the seats are designed to ac

commodate seat-style parachutes and

the instrument panel

and controls

are easily accessible from either seat.

Since visibility

over

the

nose is ex

cellent, Epton

doesn't

need to S-turn

while taxiing, and

in

flight visibility

is even better. That, combined with

its quick responsiveness, makes it a

pleasure to fly

Describing his first

flight

in

the

Bestmann, Epton says, It

was

in

Phoenix, where i t was 105 degrees.

We had a

heavy

load. I was in the

left seat,

where

the only brakes are,

and

the

other

pilot

was

in

the

right

seat, with plenty of fuel. We taxied

for 25 minutes, and I'm wondering

just how we're going to do. Takeoff

asks for 15 degrees of flap, and with

steady application of full power the

aircraft accelerates smartly in a three

point attitude. He said,

'Don't

push

the stick, just open the throttle and

stay dead straight. t 45 mph, put

one

finger

on

the stick and move it

forward

one

inch, feel the tail come

up, and

then

at 55 mph move it back

1

inch'-and i t

gently becomes air

borne. It s a throaty, noisy little rascal

on

takeoff, as it has straight pipes of

only about

10 inches. Then with the

split-style flaps retracted, speed in

creases very quickly to the best climb

speed of

80

mph,

and

by the time

you level off at cruise, the airspeed is

around 115

mph.

The Bestmann is well-behaved dur

ing landings, provided

the

pilot stays

alert, as

in

any

tailwheel aircraft.

Ep-

ton describes

the

procedure this way:

With 15 degrees

of

flap at 115 mph

(or less) slowing to a downwind speed

VINT GE

I R P L N E 2


24/44

This Bestmann was built for towing

gliders Note the tow hook aft of the

tail wheel

of

80

mph,

you

turn

base

at

70 mph

and

fly

final

at

65 mph with the full

45 degrees of flap. Touchdown is

around

50

mph and the

aircraft may

be three-pointed, or wheel landed,

though

attention must

be

paid to

rudder

input as

she

will

'smell

the

OCTO ER 2 7

He re you can easily see two of the

four metal str

ap

s that

run

lengthwise

on

the wooden

monocoque fuselage

The straps distribute the load of tow-

ing gtiders

Z reveals just how

much

of a delight in

flight it really is. "Like its brethren,

the

Bestmann

is

a good aerobatic per

former. The controls are very light,

smooth, and

perfectly balanced," ex

:


25/44


26/44

Benny Howard's

he

resurrection

of

Ben

ny

Howard s

Giant Killers, Mike nd ke

BY KARL D. ENGELSKIRGER

PRESIDENT, TH NORTHERN OHIO MUSEUM OF AVIATION

After

nearly 60 years in relative

obscurity, Benny Howard s origi-

na

l

1932 Howard

DGA-S

air

racers,

ike and Ike

are

undergoing

resto

ration

to

airworthy condition.

My

business partner Tom Matowitz

Above:

Benny

Howard s Mike. The

registration

currently on the airplane

is

not

the original number

issued to

the racer, Mike s original registration

number of NR55Y is now registered

to

Gus

Limbach s

Gusty

homebuitt

aerobatic airplane,

while

Ike s original

number is

assigned to

Kim

Kovach s

Ike

replica.

Left: Ike s original

cowl and Menasco

8-6 Buccaneer

engine

await restoration.

4

CTO ER

2 7


27/44

and

I were able to obtain

both

air-

planes from

their longtime

owner

Joe Binder. Binder purchased the

vintage National Air Races aircraft

in the

early 1950s with

the hopes

of restoring both

airplanes

but

he

never

quite accomplished his goal.

Other than brief appearances at Os-

hkosh

in

1991

and

Mike s

brief stay

at the Crawford Museum in Cleve-

land

during

the mid 1990s both air-

planes have

been

out of public view

for more than half a century.

The restoration process began

in

early

May

2007

at our shop in

We

are very

fortunate

that

both airplanes are

virtually

complete

and

n amazing

condition considering

their

age.

Hinckley

Ohio . I t is our goal to

have Mike back

in

the air in roughly

three years and Ike airborne shortly

thereafter.

We are very fortunate

that both airplanes are virtually

complete

and

in amazing condition

considering their age . With the ex-

ception of Mike s original

Menasco

B S

engine an

original

Bosch mag-

neto SWitch and a few

sheet

metal

fairings

all of

the

parts are

pres-

ent. I t is

our

goal

to

restore

the

airplanes as close to original con-

dition as possible. In the interest

of safety a few modifications will

Ike's Benny

Howard

stablemate, Mike. The early

versions

o the airplanes were distinctly different in

appearance

with

Ike

sporting

a pair of tandem-wheel main landing gears. Later, when Ike's gear was

revised to the

standard

two-wheel gear configuration, only differences in the

markings and

nose bowl

configuration (plus, of course, the different

markings and aircraft

registration numbers) made it

possible

t tell the differences

between

the

two

racers.

VINT GE

I R P L N E S


28/44

Mike and

Ike

in the Ohio sunshine. Mike s restoration is further along, and the

plan

is

for Mike (now equipped

with

a Czech LOM inline engine) to be completed

first

followed shortly

by Ike s restoration.

Moving day after the sale.

Except

for a

visit

to EAA

during

the annual

fly-in

and convention in

99

for

EAA s

celebration

of

the Golden Age

of Air

Racing,

and a display of Mike at

the Crawford Museum in the

1990s,

neither

airplane had been out of the

garage

since

Joe Binder s purchase

from Benny

Howard

in the late 194Os.

Thanks

to

the efforts of

Binder,

both

airplane

projects

were

complete.

in

clude

the installation of brakes

ta

il wh

eels, and

a

Czech M-13?

A

engine

to power

Mike

To

th

e best of our knowledge,

n

ny

Howard s

Mike and Ike

are

likely

th

e only original Thompson

Tro

ph

y racers with any potential of

retu rning to airworthy status. Both

ha

ve

great

h is t

orical

importance:

Mi

ke

placed third in the

Thompson

Tro p

hy

Race in 1933 and won the

Greve Trophy in 1935 and

Ike

held

the inver ted world speed record dur

ing th e mi d 1930s. When ke returns

to th e a ir after an 80-year hiatus he

will be powered by the original six

cylinder Menasco Buccaneer that he

had wh en he left Benny Howard s

Kan sas City shop in July of 1932.

Please

fo

llow our progress by visiting

our website at

www FlyNOMA org

Mike s

uncovered fuselage highlights

it

as

a

racer:

short, with ts graceful

aft

neatly streamlined

behind the

inline

six-cylinder

Menasco

engine.

6

OCTO ER

2 7

http:///reader/full/www.FlyNOMA.orghttp:///reader/full/www.FlyNOMA.org


29/44

Charles

and

Barbara Hagen

Bradenton L

• Charles began

aviation

career

in

the u s Navy

in 1958

• Pilot with

American Airlines

from 1965 to 1996

• Purchased NC29925

Waco UPF

in

1996

/II searched for an insurance company that had a reputation

for great service at a reasonable

cost. U

fit that bill. Many

insurance companies did not want to insure antique aircraft

and those that did wanted a premium to do

so. U has

is

and will be my insurance company. U should be

considered by anyone thinking of insuring an airplane./I

- Charles

Hagen

AUA

is Vintage Aircraft Association approved.

To

become a

member of VAA call

8oo·843·36J2.

AUA s Exclusive E Vintage

ircraft ssociation

Insurance Program

Lower liability and

hull premiums

Medical payments included

Fleet

discounts for multiple aircraft carrying all

risk

coverages

No

ports endorsements


30/44

for vintage pilots

Organized

Weather Briefings

Sometimes all the web-based downloads you can find are

still not enough, and

that's

when

Sporty's

Weather Briefing

Cards can help pilots organize information from weather brief

ings. You can fill in information in the appropriate spaces on

the kneeboard-size cards,

wh

i

ch

are organized in order

of in

format ion given. A pad of

50

item number

1362A)

sells for

3.95.

For

more information call

800-776-7897

or visit www

Sportys com

DVD Offers Through-the-Helmet Look

at TIG Welding

HTP America Inc. now offers

a new DVD

designed

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novice

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structional video Welcome to

the

World of TIG

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vides explanations and exam

ples of

the

TIG welding process.

Call 800 872 9353 or visit www

USAWeld com

to order.

LY

NOW

The Smithsonian s National

Air

and Space Mu

seum and

National

Geographic

present the

his

tory of flight

in FLY NOW The Poster Collection

o

the Smithsonian National Air and Space Mu -

seum, which

spans nearly two centuries of aer

ial adventure and

air

travel. The images in

FLY

NOW/ some

never

before

published-are

culled

from the National

Air

and Space Museum s collec

tion

of

1,400

aeronautical posters. Each tells a

story of flight,

from

the hot air balloon to the sleek

777

Worldliner

jet. The earliest

poster dates

from

1827.

The

book, by

Joanne

Gernstein London, a

curator

at the

National

Air and Space

Museum,

is

the

companion

volume to

the

FLY NOW/ traveling

exhibition. It

is also

a

companion to

America by

Air,

a

new

exhibit opening

at the museum s

flag

ship building

on the National Mall

in Washington

in

late 2007.

Published by National

Geographic Books,

the

book

is

available for 25 at

your

favorite local

bookstore

or

online

retailer.

8 OCTOBER

2 7

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31/44

Cessna 120/140 Fuel Valve

The folks

at

Univair in Aurora,

Colorado , never seem to

stop

solving vexing problems for vin

tage airplane owners. This time

the

beneficiaries of its engineer

ing and manufacturing expertise

are

the

owners of Cessna 120

and

140 series airplanes. Ever since

Imperial/Gould discontinued

its series of brass fuel valves,

the

120/140 owners have had

to

do

their best

to

keep

their

valves in

airworthy condition. Univair has

been issued FAA PMA approval

for its new replacement fuel valve

and

handle for

the

120/140 series.

Univair has

engineered

the unit

to have a smooth turning action,

with detents in the proper loca

tions

and no

sticking or

binding

,

unlike the original valve.

It

does

not require periodic seal replace

ment

or lubrication

and mounts

nearly identically to the original

valve

,

using

the

same

tank

se

lector plate and

mounting

hard

ware. The

new

handle

complies

with airworthiness directive 47

43-02, with no pointer on

the

handle. The new kit is part num-

ber U0411716-500, and

i t

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399. For more information, call

Univair at 888-433-5433 or e-mail

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32/44

BY

DOUG

STEWART

•

shall ecome familiar with all

available

infonnation

...

The first day after my arrival home from EAA AirVen

ture

Oshkosh

'07, with

virtually no time to

savor

all

the

wonderful

experiences

of

that annual

pilgrimage, I

found myself in my office, catching

up

on phone mes

sages and mail

as

I awaited the arrival of two clients in

their

Cardinal,

who

were

to

begin

their training

for the

commercial certificate. I had my handheld transceiver

turned on

to

monitor

the UNICOM frequency and

thus

give me a heads-up

on their

imminent arrival.

Prior

to

tuning to the UNICOM

frequency

I had lis

tened to the automated weather observation system

(AWOS),

not only

to see if

my

weather

observations

matched those of the robot stationed at

the north

end

of the

field,

but

also to see if

any of the pre-recorded

announcements had

changed.

Indeed

,

nothing had

changed there. The usual announcement of Runway

21

being

the

preferred calm-wind runway remained

the

same.

As

well,

the

notice to

airmen

(NOTAM) re

garding the UNICOM frequency change

that had

be

come effective

back

in the beginning of March

was

still

being

broadcast.

When

I heard my client announce

entering

the 4S de

gree for

the

downwind to Runway 21, I

headed out

to

the

ramp. Sure enough,

the

windsock was

hanging

quite

limply, so my client

had

made the proper choice of run

way. But as I

continued

my survey of

the

field, I noticed

a Super

Cub

turning base

to

final for Runway 03. Most

Super Cubs

have

radios, but I didn't

hear this

pilot

an

nounce any of his intentions.

Perhaps

this

was

one of

those

tailwheel pilots who

doesn't like

to

use the

radio

unless he

has

to . Or per

haps it was a NORDO (no radio) Super Cub. Whatever

the case,

the pilot

certainly seemed to

know how

to

fly

his airplane as he executed a beautiful short-field land

ing, touching

down

on his large tundra tires in a perfect

three-point landing.

As

the

Cub taxied

up

to

the

self-serve fuel

pump

I

strolled in

that

direction. (By now, my inbound cli

ent

was

on

a

mid-field downwind

for

Runway

21.)

As

I

approached the Cub,

it looked very familiar,

and

I

3

OCTOBER 2 7

realized that

the pilot

of

this

PA-18

had

been a for

mer client

of

mine. Indeed he

had

been

one heck of

a

challenge

for

me,

as

an

instructor.

His

stick

and

rud

der skills were wonderful, so that

had not

been

the

challenge.

What had been

a Sisyphean

chore

for me

was

trying

to help

this pilot in

overcoming his

haz

ardous

attitudes.

At the forefront

of these

was

his

anti-authority

attitude.

Prior

to

coming

to me

as a student pilot,

he had been

flying all

over

the place, without any current

endorse

ments,

and

furthermore

, carrying passengers. It was dif

ficult

getting

through to him that his actions would be

frowned

upon

by the FAA He feigned having difficulty

understanding

why

he

couldn't

fly hi s Cub,

minus

a

transponder,

over Class C airspace. I

could

continue the

list but would run out of space before I finished.

The pilot,

who

shall remain

anonymous,

climbed

out

of

the Cub

with an

excited, "Hey, Doug. Check

out

the

mods I've done

to

my Cub /I He was eager

to

show

me

not only

a

new

200-hp Lycoming engine, but also all

th

e

improvements to his panel.

It

was

no longer

a NORDO

Cub, what

with

some of the latest and greatest in small,

space-saving avionics

now

installed

in

his airplane. Not

only

a transceiver

and transponder

graced

the

panel,

but

a panel-mounted

Garmin

496 was there, as well.

As

I

walked up

to

get

a

closer look my clients

were

now

touching down

on Runway 21. The pilot of

the

Cub

said

to

me:

Can

you believe those folks in that airplane

that just landed . They not only didn't announce a single

word on

the UNICOM, but

th

ey landed

on the wrong

runway as well. Someone should say

something to

them

before they hurt somebody /I

"Sam,/I

I won't

use

his

real

name here) what

fre

quency were you on?/I I asked. "122.8,"

he

replied . "Uh

did YOll listen to the

AWOS

before you got here?" I

now

asked . "No, I just came overhead and looked

at the

sock

you know those

AWOS

things can't

ever

trust 'em," he responded. "And what was the sock

doing

when

you looked

at

it?" was my

next question.

"Hang

ing limp," he said.


33/44

"Well, Sam, if

you had listened to the AWOS

in ad

ments, alternatives available .... "

to

all

the

pertinent weather

information,

like

Nothing is said, specifically, i n 91.103,

about NOTAMs

ceiling, winds, and altimeter setting, you would

which

might include frequency changes; navaid outages;

also

heard that

the

preferred

calm-wind

runway

airport closures,

both temporary

as well as permanent;

Runway

Two

One.

And

i

you

had listened further,

fuel availability, or the lack thereof;

the

activity of

SUA

have heard

that 'effective March I, 2007, the

(special use airspace);

and that old bugaboo,

especially

UNICOM

frequency

for the

airport

is

123.05.'

It's

post September

11, TFRs.

Nothing

is

mentioned,

spe

for five

months

now, Sam." A pained look

cifically, in the

FAR

about having current publications,

embarrassment

started

to

spread across Sam's face .

such

as a

current chart and

Airport/Facility Directory

A/

"And even if you

hadn't

listened

to the AWOS

if you

FD .

Need I continue the list?

looked at

a current

sec-

I know of several pilots

who

not

Uh

. you

do have

only

don't

have

a

current chart

don't

you, Sam? The

new

with

them,

but

also never have an

came out

back in

the

be

When we wake

up

A/FD on

board,

current

or

other

of May . you would

wise. They choose to rely

on

their

seen the

new

frequency

and

real

ize that

G

PS

for all their available infor

there.

I

hoped

I was

mation,

but then

only

bother

to

some impact. "But Doug,

update

the

database

on their GPS

almost

every

up the frequency

on

my

on

a

once-a

-

year basis,

i

that.

he

proudly said,

and They

use

the

excuse

of

not

calling

had 122.8 there, too."

regulation is

there

for a

briefing, because the wait

"Well, Sam, is

your

database

times

are

ridiculous, now that

Let me check, I said,

Lockheed Martin has taken over."

Vintage Airplane - Oct 2007

Documents