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Vintage Airplane - Mar 1991

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STRAIGHT AND LEVEL

y Espie Butch Joyce

It is with regret that I must report toyou the death of Dale Crites . Dale wasthe person who perform ed at Oshkosheach year with his 1911 Curtiss Pusher.Dal e operated Crit e s Field in

Waukesha, Wisconsin from the 1930suntil 1969 . He and his twin brotherDean were inducted into the WisconsinAviation Hall of Fame in 1989 . Dale'spresence at the Oshkosh Conv entionwill surely b e missed .

At F b 1991 B d f Di

has be en accomplished is that after intense negotiations with AVA Inc . ofGreensboro, North Carolina (NormaJohnson), EAA Headquarters (Bob

Mackey), Global Aviation InsuranceServices (Tim Williams) and myself,the Antique/Classic membership has agroup insurance program for theiraircraft insurance . This program hasbeen tailored to benefit the type ofaircraft that lC Division represents .Just some of the highlights of this program include : a fleet discount for thosepeople owning more than one aircraft,and there will be no hand propping exclusions, and no age surcharge. Also,now you can buy hull insurance on yourproject, and included in this policy is a$50,000 .00 liability coverage in theevent that someone were to be injuredwhile visiting your shop . You must be

a member of the EAA Antique/ClassicDivision to participate in this program.you have a friend who wishes to join

us, they can do so by calling 1/800/3222412. For more insurance details, callthe folks at AVA Inc . at 1/800/7273823. The more members who par

aircraft manufactured betw ee nJanuary 1 , 1946 and December 311955.

No expansion of the two cat egoriesmentioned above will occur .

3. As of Janu ary 1, 1992 th e Antique/Classic Division will r ecognize a new category of aircraft.This n ew catagory will includ ethose aircraft manufactured b etween January 1 1956 and December 31, 1960. This new categorywill be called ContemporaryAircraft. "

4. This recommend ation is to b evoted on by the Board of Directorsat our May, 1991 m eeting .

5. If this vote by the Board is positi v e,we would allow parking in th e

show place area at the 1992 Convention . This would allow peopleowning this category tim e to gettheir aircraft up to show pl acestatus .

6. Judging of this new categorywould b egin at the 1993 Oshko sh

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PUBLICATIONSTAFFPUBLISHER

Tom Poberezny

VICE-PRESIDENTMARKETING& COMMUNICATIONS

Dick Malt

EDITOR March 1991 • Vol. 19, No , 3Henry G. Frautschy

MANAGING EDITORGolda Cox

ART DIRECTORMike Drucks

ADVERTISINGMary Jones

ASSOCIATEEDITORSNorman Petersen Dick Cavin

FE ATURE WRITERSGeorge A . Hardie, Jr . Dennis ParksEDITORIALASSISTANT

Isabelle WiskeSTAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Jim Koepnick Carl SchuppelMike Steineke

EAA ANTIQUE/CLASSICDIVISION, INC .

OFFICERSPresident Vice-President

Espie "Butch" Joyce Arthur R. Morgan604 Highway St. 3744 Narth 51st Blvd.

Madison. NC 27025 Milwaukee, WI 53216919/427-0216 414/442-3631

Secretary Trea su rerGeorge S. York E.E. "Buck" Hilbert

181 Sloboda Ave. P.O. Box 424Mansfield, OH 44906 Union, IL60180

419/529-4378 815/923-4591

DIRECTORSJohn Berendt Robert C. "Bob" Brauer

7645 Echa Paint Rd. 9345 S. Hoy neCannan Falls MN 5E:I::I: R Chicago, IL60620507/263-2414 312/179-2105

Gene Chase John S . Copeland2159 Carlton Rd. 9 Joanne Drive

Oshkosh, WI 54904 Westbaraugh, MA 01581414/231-5002 508/366·7245

Philip Coulson George Daubner28415 Springbraak Dr. 2448 Laugh Lane

Lawton, MI 49065 Hartford, WI 53027616/624·6490 414/673-5885

Charles Harris Stan Gomoll3933 Sauth Peoria 1042 90th Lane, NE

P.O, Box 904038 Minneapolis, MN 55434Tulsa, OK 74105 612/784-1172918/742-7311

Dale A . Gustafson Jeannie Hill7724 Shady HillDrive P.O . Box 328

Indianapolis, IN 46278 Ha Nard, IL60033317/293-4430 815/943-7205

Robert Lickteig Robert D . "Bob" Lumley1708 Bay Oaks Drive 1265 Sauth 124th St.

kfi ld 300

Copyright © 1991 by the EAA Antique/Classic Division , Inc. Allrights reserved.

Contents

2 Straight & Levelby Espie Butch Joy ce

4 AIC News/compiled by H ,G , Frautschy

6 Vintage Literaturefby Dennis Parks

10 Recollections of the Tilbury Flashby Herb Morphew

15 Deja Vu: Then and Nowby Rog e r Thi e l

16 Meyer The Flyer/by N or m P ete rse n

2 A Family Affair/by N orm P eterse n

Page 1624 To Oshkosh In S8 Years - Part IIby Ken Morris

27 Flaws, Cracks and The PerfectAirplane by Wayn e St eve nson

29 Pass I t To Buck/by E.E . Buck Hilb e rt

31 Calendar

32 Vintage TraderPage 20

34 Mystery Plane/by G eo rg e Ha rdie Jr.

FRONTCOVER . . . ave Meyer concentrates an keeping his newlyrestore d PA-17 Piper Vagab and in farmatia n wi t h the camera shipaver north-central Wiscansi n , during the Jahn Hatz Skiplane Fly-Ina t Haymeadow Field in Gleason , WI. (Pho to by H,G . Frautschy,photo plane flown by Norm Petersen,)

BACK COVER. a ve Jameson 's (EAA 15612, A/C #2) 1929

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compiled by H.G. Frautschy

NEW MUSEUM EXHIBITS

Two new exhibits of interest tovintage enthusiasts have been dedicatedat the EAA Air Adventure Museum.The first is the "Aircraft Design Gallery", sponsored by the Emory T Clark

Charitable Foundation of Milwaukee,Wisconsin. The gallery pays tribute toall who have engaged in the long andtime consuming process of designingand building an airplane. In a hands-onapproach to explaining the intricacies ofaircraft design, the exhibit features afreestanding kiosk containing an actualworking wind tunnel, artifacts andmodels used during aircraft design andan "Aircraft Design Workshop" that allows museum guests to "design" theirown version of a 200 passenger airliner.After you are finished with the design,you can then test it for efficiency. Thewind tunnel features a graphicdemonstration of the relationship be

tween lift and drag, as you vary theairspeed within the tunnel. (The windtunnel itself is a terrific piece ofcraftsmanship by EAA staffer BaukenNoack, whose work is as beautiful as itis functional.)

The second exhibit is the "Aircraft

the plugs, and graphically illustrate theprimary and secondary circuits common to today's aircraft ignition system.

PIONEER AIRPORTOPENING SET

Grand opening for the 1991 season atPioneer Airport is set for May 11th and12th . A number of exciting activitiesare being coordinated by a volunteer

committee. Plans are being made forthe dedication of the new Spirit of St.Louis, possibly with some of the Ryanfamily in attendance, as well as the acceptance of the EAA Foundation'sTaylor Aerocar, fresh from its restoration in Florida by the Emil C BuehlerFoundation. Molt Taylor and his wifeNeil are planning to attend. All sorts ofother events are planned, so make sureyou pay homage to your mother (May12th is Mother's Day, remember?), thencome on out to Pioneer Airport at theEAA Air Adventure Museum for whatpromises to be a great day! f you're alocal member, or you plan on being inthe area over a weekend, why not volun

teer for work at Pioneer? It's a greatway to meet other members, and tospend some time with your favorite typeof airplanes! Contact Museum DirectorCarl Swickley at 414/426-4800 formore information.

MORE TYPE CLUB INFO

It seems I goofed when I gave you anew listing for the Stinson club back inJanuary. To clarify the whole situation,here are the two listings as they shouldappear:

National Stinson Club

My thanks to Jonsey Paul for clearingthis item up.

The Bellanca/Champion Club has adifferent address than that shown in thelisting, one that the Post Office wouldprefer being used . Contact them at:

Bellanca-Champion Clubc/o Larry D' Atti 11

P.O. Box 708Brookfield, WI 53008-0708

SUN 'N FUN '90GRAND CHAMPION

Speaking of errors, one was made inthe January issue concerning MartyProbst's Fairchild 24, in the articledescribing Interview Circle . Marty'spretty Fairchild is a former GrandChampion, but from 1982, not from

1990, as was incorrectly captioned. Thehonor for being 1990's Grand Champion at Sun 'n Fun belongs to thedeserving Luscombe Phantom 272Y,owned by Doug Combs. No, Doug, youdidn't dream that you won it, you reallydid! Thanks to Doug for gently callingit to our attention.

SPEAKING OF SUN 'N FUN ...

Only a few more days until the warmevent in Florida, and a sure sign that itis nice down there was the message wereceived from Gene Engle down inLakeland. On Thursday, April 11th,The first of what they hope will be anannual event will take place. A Sun 'n

Fun Golf Outing at the WedgewoodGolf and Country Club is being set up,with the proceeds going to benefit theSun 'n Fun Air Museum. Tee times willstart at 9:00 am, and the entry fee is$75 .00. A barbecue and awards party

ill take place at 6:30 pm that e ening

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conventional small airliners, to the pointwhere one of the Mallards can fly theroute with one crew all day long, andstill have plenty of time for lunch. Still,the stout amphibians from the Grumman "Iron Works" have performed ad

mirably, and we certainly hope thatthese classic airplanes will be back towork doing what they do best in thefuture.

HELP NEEDED

We have an EAA member who islooking for Piper Drawing 14926 so that

he can complete his STC on removingthe aileron-rudder interconnect cables.He needs the fork for the nose wheel andspringing information to complete hisSTC. f you have this information,please send the drawing or contact BenOwen, Director of Information Services, EAA Aviation Center, P .O. Box3086, Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086.

414/426-4800.

SUPER CUB FUSELAGES

1.E . Soares, Inc. owned by memberJim Soares (EAA 104408, A/C 2243) ofBelgrade, Montana, has received anSTC/PMA from the FAA for themanufacture and repair of the Piper PA

18 and PA-18A fuselage, and for repairsections of the aft fuselage. Both longand short versions of the aft fuselage areavailable . Assorted beef-ups and otherstructural enhancements have beenmade to the basic design, as well as theentire fuselage being made of 4130 steeltubing. Jim's company can also repairyour steel tube Piper fuselage under hisRepair Station Certificate. For more information, contact J.E. Soares, Inc .,7093 Dry Creek Rd, Belgrade, Montana59714 . Phone 406/388-6069 or Fax at406/388-0170.

Lowell Bayles and the Bob Hall designed ee Bee Model Z Super Sporlsler

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GEE BEE DESIGNER DIES

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A U TOPAr:2K t

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THE NATIONAL AIR RACESTHE GOLDEN AGE (Pt. 2)

1930Even though the Golden Age of Air

Rac ing began at Cleveland in 1929, the1930 National Air Races were heldnor th of Chicago at the Curtiss-Reynolds airport.

A GIANT PROJECTThe program of the 1930 National Air

Races reported on the preparations forthe annual event. T he 1930 NationalAir Races are not the product of a merefew days' work. They are rath er theoutcome of an intensive developmentthat has extended over a period of fivemonths. Since early spring a large staffof men and women has been activelyengage d in all parts of the country andin foreign countries, handling the al

most incredibl e amount of work that isnecessary to make the National Air

I PJD N TI O N L IR R £S

b y ()ennis Var-ks

ibr ar y / Ar-chives()i r-ect()r-

Rac es successful from every point ofview.

During the actual staging of theraces, more than 1,200 persons in 47different departments are employed invarious activities at the Curtiss-Reynolds Field alone. Since the latterpart of June, a staff of 125 persons hasbeen laboring day and night at the executive headquarters, making possiblethe efficient running of the vast organization.

NEED LARGE BUDGETA large amount of money obviously

is necessa ry to finance the National AirRace s. This year the budget amountedto $525,000, a fifty percent increaseover the budget for last year's races atClev eland. In the last anaylsis, creditfor the success of the races is due to the

group of public minded Chicagocitizens who underwrote the project for

O f F ICIAL DliUCT O RY OFFICIAL DIRECTORY

1930 NATIONALCUI2T1S5-I2EYNOLD5 AIQPOH

FIELD AQQANGEH(NTN O T TO . sCALf :

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PYLONt )

the sum of $250,000.More than $125,000 was required to

prepare the field alone. Prize moneyamounts to about lOO,OOO, to whichhad been added an additional $50,000for lap prizes and trophies in the derbies.The sum does not include the expenditures necessary for bringing the Army ,Navy, foreign competitors and civilianpilots into participation in the races .

The field has been constructed toseat 65,000 people, the largest seatingcapacity ever built around an airport.There is room also to accommodate anadditional 35,000 people at the field.The stands are three-quarters of a milein length and required about a millionfeet of lumber for their construction .

THOMPSON TROPHYOne of the highlights of the air races

was the first competition for theThompson Trophy . Excited with the

IPIO NATIOi'fAl A lR RAC£

AIQ Q C[S

10

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Curt iss -Reynolds Airport near hicago site of the 1930 Na tional Air Race s

results of the air races held in Cleve landin 1929, Fred Crawford, vice-presidentof Thompson Products and his boss,Charles Thompson, petitioned the National Aeronautic Association for thesponsorship of a feature event for futureNational Air Races. This was to be a

pylon race of at least 100 miles, open toaircraft of unlimited specifications witha large cash prize and an impressivetrophy.

For 1930, Thompson Productsguaranteed a purse of $10,000 with thewinner to receive $5,000. This was a lotof money in the depression and it encouraged a lot of backyard builders,operating on a shoestring, who wereeage r for enough prize money to payback some of their investment in specia lpurpose airplanes.

Late in 1929 the NAA announcedtha t Thompson had received the offic ial

originating cities were: Miami, Florida(1,545 mi les); Hartford, COImecticut(1,170 miles); Seattle, Washington(2,130 miles) and Brownsville, Texas(1,180 miles).

The biggest derby purse was the$12,000 for the nonstop race from Los

Angeles to C hicago, a distance of 1,760miles. The fi rst place prize was $7,500 .

GENE RAL R ULES ANDREGULATIONS

The following are samp le regulationsfrom 1930.

C losed Course Event No. 40(Civilians Only). Sportsman PilotsRace. (1) Open to sportsman pilots with

open type ships which are equippedwith engines having not more than 350cubic inch piston displacement. 2)Five laps of a five-mile course. 3)Prize: Sportsman Pilo t 's Trophy. (Tobe retained by winner.) Note: Asportsman pilot is one who owns andflies his own plane and is not consideredas engaged in the aviation industry. TheContest Committee will decide hisqualifications.

Event No. 32 - (Men only,Thompson Trophy). (1) A free-for-allspeed contest for any type of airplane

equipped with any type of motor ormotors. Superchargers, special fuels, orany other means may be used to increase the speed of planes entered in thisrace. (2) Twenty laps of a five-milecourse. (3) First prize, $5,000; secondprize, $3,000; t hird prize $2,000.

AIRS H OWMany events of an entertainment or

demonstration nature were also held atthe event. Each day, Army, Navy andMarine squadrons displayed formationflying. Jimmy Doolittle , in his ShellTravel Air Mystery Ship and Lt. AlWil l iams in his special stuntingGulfhawk dazzled the crowds with

acrobatic flying. Captain Frank Hawkesalso demonstrated his Mystery Sh ip anddid routines in a towed glider flight.

VALUE OF T HE R ACESClifford Henderson, General

Manager of the 1930 National AirRaces, wrote in the July, 1930 issue ofAERO DIGEST of the value of theraces. ' ' 'Why the National Air Races?'

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is a question sometimes asked, not onlyby laymen, but by members of theaircraft industry as well. Such skepticssee th e annual air pag ean t only as acircus ballyhoo event, a publicityparade for a few prominent pilots andmembers of the aeronautical industry,and spectacular exploitation of the airarms of the various services - Army,Navy and Marine Corps. The doubterssee in the audiences attending chiefly amob of ghoulish-minded yokels out forthrills from the hair-raising nature ofeve nts by which they will be impressed

with the 'D angers' of flying rather thanit s genuine offerin gs of Safety , Convenience and Spe ed.

Had such pessimists dominated theautomobile industry, cars today wouldbe expensive, slow and more dangerousto operate. It was on automobile speedways that the high-compression enginewas evo lved, that such important refine

ments as four-wheel brakes proved theirplac e as standard equipment. Much ofthe speed, safety and convenience in thepresent development of the automobilemay be trac ed to th e motor speedways.The National Air Races a re performingthe same function for aeronautics.

CYCALDWELLCy Caldwell, contributing editor to

AERO DIGEST, gave his viewpoint onthe races in the October 1930 issue ofAERO DIGEST. What, if anything, is

the purpos e of the National Air Races?I'll admit I' v e nev er quite discovered,thou gh l 've been given to understandthat th ey were staged to promote avia

ti o n, to interest the public inaeronautics, to h e lp sell airplanes andnights, to show the world new achievements in speed and efficiency generally,including reliability of equipment. n

short, the races are put on to advertiseour aviation wares to the public

as the public suspects, merely a thrillingdisplay of daring and personal achievement.

But let us make it plain to the publicthat these races are only vaguely relatedto commercial aviation; that we aretrying out new and fast, and ever fasterairplanes; that we are experimentingand feeling our way, sometimes uncertainly, into the future; that, in short, weare having a whale of a sporty time.

RESULTSEv en though the premier event of the

National Air Races was the ThompsonTrophy event, there wer e many otherinteresting events. One of the events,Event No. 30 - Men's MultimotoredRace , demonstrated progress in passenger aircraft. This event was of tenlaps around the five mile course open toall open or cabin type muti-motored

ships. Each aircraft was required tocarry a payload of 1,000 pounds. Thisevent was won by Ford pilot LeroyManning in his Wasp powered FordTrimotor at a speed of 144 .2 mph.Second was W . 1. Fleming in atrimotored Bach Air Yacht at 137 mph .The Ford speed is interesting in that itwas fasterthan thatofthe winning Wasppowered Curtiss Seahawk in the MarineRace. The winner, Lt. Sandy Sanderson, won at 142.4 mph.

For the first time there was a closedcourse race for wom en pilots. This was

Event No. 34 - Women's 800 CubicInch , for open type airplanes. Gady sO ' Donnel won at 139.9 mph in th eWright J-6 powered taperwing Wacothat she used to win the Womens Class

A Pacific Derby from Long Beach .There were also a series of races for

lightplane racers limited to 350 cubic

This canard was seen al lhe 1930 hicago races. II also has an aft mounled horizon-1 1 slabilizer and a lail skid. in ad d ilion 1 Ihe forward wing and nose wheel

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Capt . Page s Curtiss Hawk racer . Modified to a monoplane the machine was very fast, but Page would be overcome by carbonmonoxide fumes, and would crash on the 17th lap .

inches. Engines such as Cirrus, LeBlonds, Lamberts and Gypsys. Included was a 350 cu. in. Free For All offive laps of the course. Unlike the other350 cu. in . races, this was for specialbuilt racers designed to maximize theperfonnance for engines of around 90horsepower.

The most outstanding of these racers

was Benny Howard's tiny Pete lowwing racer powered by a 90 hp WrightGypsy . With this light, nimble racer,Howard was able to win five races andfinish second at the 1930 Nationals . Inhis free-for-all victory, he averaged 163mph, 20 mph faster than the MarineCurtiss Hawk fighters in their race.

THOMPSON TROPHYHaving lost the 1929 race to the

Travel Air Mystery Ship, the military

was all out towin in 1930. Marine Capt.Arthur Page was to fly the only militaryentry, a heavily modified Curtiss HawkXF6C-6. The standard biplane wasconverted to a parasol monoplane withwing mounted radiators and powered bya 700 hp Supercharged Curtiss ConquerV-12 engine. As a biplane, the airplanehad in May won the Curtiss Marine

Trophy at a speed of 164 1 mph .A late entry in the race, arriving just

minutes before the start, was the biplaneentry built by Matty Laird called theSolution : This racer, one of the first

aircraft to use the new Pratt & WhitneyWasp Junior engines, was flown bySp eed Holman.

Other aircraft in the Thompson weretwo Travel Air racers powered by 400hp Wright engines. One was flown byJimmy Hazlip for Shell and the other

flown by Frank Hawks for Texaco . Errett Williams was entered in a WedellWilliams Model 44 racer with anuncowled 300 hp Wright BennyHoward flew his little 90 hp Gypsy engined Pete .

Capt. Page was off first in his specialHawk racer. His superior speed wasapparent from the first, he almost com

pleted the first lap before the last shiptook off. It was barely three laps beforePage had lapped the field with the battlefor second place between Holman in theLaird and Hazlip in the Shell Travel Air.On the 17th lap, Page, trailing a wisp ofsmoke, flew into the ground. Apparently Page had been overcome by carbonmonoxide fumes from the engine. Hedied the next day.

Speed Holman moved up to firstplace in his Solution and won the racewith an average of 201.9 mph. (Pagehad averaged 219 mph.) Jimmy Hazlipcame in second at 199.8 mph; Benny

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Recollections Of The

B y H erb E. orp h ewIllustration byH G Frautschy

Much of the i ~ f o r m a t i o nthat follows is no doubt redundant and insome cases may differ from that already known. This can be attributedto the characteristics of the humanmind when recollections concernevents that occurred some 60 odd

years ago. Nevertheless the following narrative is presented forwhatever value it may have in establishing the details of the early days ofthe Tilbury Flash.

PA RT

the late winter of 1931 or early1932 Owen R Tilbury who was agraduate engineer in the employ o f Wi

Iiams Oil O Matic Corporation inBloomington Illinois proposed to ArtCarnahan a well-known Bloomingtonpilot that a small racing monoplaneshould be built for the 110 cubic inch

chrome moly tt ch pl tes weredesigned to provide a minimum of discontinuity by extending out along bothf ces of the wood sp rs for approximately 8 to 24 inches, tapering inwidth from tip to root. These plateswere increased in height just past thespar root and provided with a weldeddoubler on each outside face. Two large

The basic proposal was agreed uponand Art was definitely chosen as theofficial pilot for the program. Financesbeing what they were in 1932, Owensecured the financial and physical assistance of Clarence Fundy who was ahighly skilled tool room machinist, alsoemployed by the Williams Oil-O-Matic

Corporation. Hence the project was officially known during initial design andthe 1932 racing season as the TilburyFundy Flash. The detailed designingwas done by Owen in his home draftingroom and construction of parts startedalmost as soon as the ink was dry. Theonly available production engine thatwould meet the displacement limits ofthe class was the Continental A-40.This engine was known to be reliable,but the initial cost w s beyond thebudget for the Flash. Jim Church hadpreviously modified the four cylinderair-cooled Henderson Motorcy le engine

of pressure as I recall. This createdcomplications since the wing was totaper in both plan and form and each ribwas different in chord and thicknessfrom root to tip. The ribs were of conventional spruce construction utilizinggussets made from 1/16 inch mahoganyplywood. The spars, two in number,

were of box design using ash upper andlower chords, mahogany plywood shearpanels and maple block inserts at all boltlocations.

The 1932 wings were sized so as toprovide a 12 foot wingspan. 4130

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within an acceptable range . A great dealof enthusiastic assistance was givenduring the actual construction of theFlash by numerous aviation mindedfriends of both Owen and Art. The onlyprofessional help used in the design and

construction was Art Carnahan;Clarence Rousey, a welder who workedfor the Carnahan Brothers in theirgarage and machine shop; and myselfwho was then a licensed Aircraft andEngine mechanic also working for theCarnahan Brothers. One individualvolunteer who worked many long andhard hours in building the Flash wasClarence D . Curtiss, physical activitiesdirector of the Bloomington YMCA,which was next door to the CarnahanGarage . The 1932 wings were built inOwen's garage at his home. Thefuselage and mechanical details werefabricated in the Carnahan garage in

downtown Bloomington. Fuselage

fairing were also built by Owen in hi shome shop and were fitted to th efuselage at the Carnahan garage justprior to fabric covering.

Fuselage construction was a conventional four longeron warren truss structure with two chrome moly torque boxesbeing built into the structure just abovethe lower longerons and having a depthsomewhat greater than the depth of thwing spar roots. Fore and aft thicknessof the torque boxes was less than the

distance between the wing spar attachplates by approximately 1/2 inch .Machined spacers were fabricated in

various thickness' so that the wingcould be mounted on the fuselage in avariation of positions within the 1/2 inch

range for selection of an optimum position after initial test flight To my recollection, the theoretical center positionwas first used, that is: 1/4 inch of spacerin front of and behind the wing platesand, since it proved satisfactory, noother positioning of the wing was usedduring 1932, 1933 or 1934. The landin ggear was to be a full cantilever design .This was similar to that used on thethen-current Monocoupe. The strutstructure was of welded chrome molytubing hinged at the lower long eronsand incorporating shock cord rings between a horizontal member of eachlanding gear strut and the fuselage crossmember similar to Monocoupe and later

used by Taylorcraft and others. An aftdrag brace from the axle attach pointextended up to the lower longerons approximately one foot aft of the forwardmain hinge point. The gear, as initiallyinstalled and taxi-tested did not incorporate a center tension/compressionbrace. Unfortunately, after the first taxitests the loads imposed caused the gearlegs to bend outward and a combinationtension/compression tube was weldedinto each landing gear assembly as a

temporary fix. As in many similar circumstances, this temporary fix stayedin service so long as I have anyknowledge of the Flash.

Many minor problems were notedduring construction and were handled

by on the spot design fixes. Onewhich is well remembered is that whenthe first assembly of wings to thefuselage was made it was noted that thedirection of aileron travel was reversed.This resulted from the horns beingwelded on the inboard ends of theaileron torqu e tubes 180 degrees fromthe proper position. Fuselage controland structure int erference prevented thesimple fix of rewelding the horns on theaileron spar in the proper position. Instead, since time was becoming critical,a simple walking beam was located onthe upper fuse lage cross tube behind thepilot 's seat. A push-pull tube wasmounted on the left control horn of the

primary aileron control torque tubebeneath the pilot's seat, which thencrossed over fus e lage centerline andconnected to t e walking beam to t eright of center. This then reversed control movement directions. A push-pulltube from eac h end of the walking beamdropped down to the control horn on theaileron spar torqu e tube and now thecontrol throws and directions wereproper. Provisions w e re made duringthi s modification which could have

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provided various aileron throws or evendifferential control. No variation of thebasic specifications was ever made tothe best of my knowledge.

By early summer the Church enginearrived and was inspected. The only

tachometer available in the proper RPMrange was a French Chronometric tach,which was not an instantaneous indicator, but rather sensed the engineRPM at specific intervals and indicatedthe RPM on a reversed reading dial. Asa result, the tach needle jumped continuously during engine acceleration ordeceleration. Surprisingly, it workedfine once you were used to it. EngineRPM was in the 3100/3200 range.

The engine had been built up on anearly Henderson crankcase which incorporated three main bearings. (Later,Hendersons used a five main bearingdesign.) The large capacity oil sumpwas an aluminum casting similar to that

used on the Heath/Henderson conversions. The new Church cylinders wereof cast steel and were installed on thecrankcase by bronze clamps using theoriginal Henderson cylinder hold downstuds. As I recall the bore of thecylinders had been increased to 3 1/8inches. As a result, the four cylinderswhich incorporated integral cooling fins

wer e nested together so closely that thecylinder fins were almost continuous.Cylinder heads were not removable.

The valve arrangement was F headin reverse. That is, the exhaust valveswere in the head and the intake valveswere in the side position . As a result ofthis unusual arrangement, the exhaustvalve was much larger than the intakeand the breathing characteristics ofthe engine were certainly not optimum .On the other hand, exhaust scavengingwas excellent. Regardless of basicth eories and principals, the engines ranfine .

fitted over the knurled sleeve of timing

gear and magneto shafts and securedwith heavy duty steam hose clamps.This provided for infinite timing adjustment and was still in service at our lastcontact with the Flash.

Time was getting short and the enginecowling still hadn't been completed A

.. >''

_=-=- ' : :> . . . . - . . . J '>

Above Still with the number 7 on the fuselage, the Flash as she was entered in theJuly 4th American Air Races.Below- The Flash as it appeared later in the summer, at the1933 International AirRaces at s Airport north of Chic o.

c:oa:c(J)

"

Obviously all takeoffs and landings

were east -west or vice versa. The westboundary of the field was marked witha high voltage power line about 30 feethigh. On the east end of the field therewas a railroad embankment about 8 or10 feet high with a grain elevator building located at the north boundary of the

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Iier, the landing gear was not sufficient-ly stressed for the loads and the gear hadto be removed for the overnightmodifications previously reported.Subsequent to th at and other minorchanges the normal speed taxi runs were

successful and Art believed he wasready to tryout the control feel at higherspeeds. Several speed runs were madeusing the longest possible diagonal -southwest corner to northeast corner,but there was insufficient distanceavailable for a takeoff attempt and a safeabort. Reasons for the slow accelera-tions were investigated and it was deter-mined that the 10 inch by 3 inch TravelAir tail wheels used for the main gear ofthe Flash had insufficient bushing toaxle clearance and were galling. Addi-tional clearance and better lubricationeliminated the tight wheel condition butdid not appreciably decrease the runwayrequirements on the next taxi tests .

It was now late into August and Artand I were scheduled to depart for LosAngeles to start the E L. Cord Hand-icap Derby (for commercially cerifi-cated aircraft) from Los Angeles toCleveland. According ly, it was decidedthat Owen would take the Flash toCleveland on a trailer and the actualflight test would be made after Art and

I arrived in Cleveland. (In those daysthe Air Races extended for t e n days andincorporated two weekends.)

This plan was effected and every-thing progressed according to plan. Artwas placing well from day to day in theDerby and Owen had completed assem-bling the Flash .

For reasons unknown except the nor-mal impatience of a designer who hasfinished his work and was sitting fromday to day waiting on someone else todo their job, Owen finally agreed toallow Russ Hosler, a pilot of about Art'ssize and build, to make an initial flight

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934 A new year and another new color scheme . This one is a bit of a mystery the educated guess is that it is blue with orangetrim. The white area around the wing is the fillet between the wing and fuselage. No metal was used here fabric was simply gluedand shrunk in place and the edges finished with fabric tape . It would later be painted to match the fuselage .

a Tilbury financed effort.

933

It was late winter (1932) before anyfurther work was done to the Flash except for a redesign of the wings to increase thei r span to 14 feet andmodifications to the empennage to provide better directional control. This wasdesirable especially at low speeds sinceno brakes were incorporated . Damageto the wings as well as the basic design

prevented any simple fix and new wingswere necessary.

Due to the limits of a one car garageat Owen's home, the entire reconstruction project was carried out in the Carnahan garage building . Woodworking

recalled, this was the first true dorsal finused up to 1932. Douglas Aircraft,which also had a directional control

deficiency in the DC-2 used this samecorrective measure in designing thewell-known DC-3 in 1934. Themodified fin also required the rudder tobe extended in height to match the fin.

I dismantled the engine for inspectionand it was noted that several pistonswere cracked. Crankshaft and bearingswere found to be in excellent condition.

The cracking of the pistons appeared tobe caused by insufficient strength in thepiston head design or possibly detonation. As a result, a decision was madenot to replace with Church pistons butrather to manufacture new ones entirely

the new wings and the fuselage weremoved out to the Bloomington-Normalairport. New hand formed and welded

cowling had been fabricated byClarence Rousey and provided for amuch better streamlining of the fuselagethan in 1932. The wings were installedon the fuselage and everything seemedto be going along O.K. Upon starting towork one morning, it was found that theupper plywood skin of the right wingwas buckling badly due to the majorchange in temperature and humidity between the building in which the wingswere built and the average ambient conditions at the airport. Since there wasno time remaining for the proper reskinning of the wing, the low spots

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One member's commentary on how our Antique and Classic airplanes fit in thismodem world

Our old airplanes may be the oneform of mechanical antiquity that mustcoexist regularly with their modem daydescendants

I recently got re-involved with boating and maritime life, as a live aboardon a modem vessel. The "oldie" hobbyaround the marina is restored runabouts,etc . - and the folks who fix them up,care for them, and bring them to shows,are nautical "antiquers" .

Let me reassure my airplane friends- I'm still into aviation first; tube andfabric will always come beforemahogany and brass However, as I"keel-kicked" at summer classic boatmeets, I noticed a rift of talk I'd neverheard in years of antique fly-ins:

"Trailers very easy". "Can be hauledbehind a small import pickup." "Oneoperator and hand winch only." Or :"Needs a full two-axle setup."

It dawned on me - these varnishedspeedboats and lapstrake rowboatscame to shows almost entirely by powerother than their own A big part of thewhole old boat hobby is how-ittrailers-and-launches". And this trailering talk was unusual only to mebecause I was comparing it to my experience of antique airplanes - andtherein lies our topic :

Classic or antique; open or closed;

by Roger Thiel(EAA 95364, le 1817)

will be continuously thrust upon youuntil you alight at your destination however quaint and rustic the airports ateither end may be .

Our old planes are pretty exclusive inthis Review a list of machines of alltypes - except perhaps for large yachtsand private railroad cars - amosteverything else can be packed into acarrier of some sort and trundled alongthe "modem way".

How about our antique car friends?Most decry the harsher pace of modemday highway traffic (and most agreewith them). Over the past 20-30 years,owners of earlier, less speedy cars havebeen forced off the main highways; tocontend with short trips on older roads,

or - what else? - to get a trailer andhauling vehicle; employing two modementities to transport the antique third.Many mid-year cars, say, of the 1920sand 1930s - may still venture to meetsunder their own power - but usually onthe older highway (with all thestoplights). t is a daring hobbyist, indeed, who will find himself in the biginterstate's right lane, acceleratorpegged, and white knuckles on thewheel Oh, well; the old cars sti II get tomeets - and perhaps that's the message .

But - our airplanes can't There is

not just for the airspace flown , but onthe ground, with all sorts of things youhave to have on your plane And,without commenting on the Type Certificate system, or FAA safety measures- what other hobby ever receivesnotices of mandatory changes? Imagine two Model T Ford owners, discussing their recent annual inspectionresults : "Yeah, the Federal Highwayguy says there's a RoadworthinessDirective on the leather rim for myclutch band; and I have to get a newsqueeze bulb for my ah-oogah hom . . . "

And so, our antique airplanes are continuously and subtly changed, year toyear, as the present each year etches alittle more of itself upon them (and, for

that matter, upon us). Our planesremind us a little more of our past - andhow that past is continuously reactive tothe all pervasive now.

Throughout its history, aviation hasbeen celebrated as the design leader, theinnovator, the cutting-edge of what is

new. Think of the energy when thatopen cockpit was first made At its ownyear 's forefront, its designers andbuilders dreamed of the future to whichit would fly. Could they ever haveforeseen a world in which it would beconsidered appropriate, even stylish, toprecisely restore their machine to its

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Meyer

the lyer

by Norm Pete r sen

control models by age 12 - often gettinghis father to help with all the details andslowly but surely, urging his father,Dave, to "get with the program".

The more the father-son team got involved in aviation, the more interest

Dave began to show. As he says, It'sa fun thing to get into, especially if youhave a youngster for direction "

The end result was the purchase of anAeronca 7AC Champ (complete withFederal A1500A skis) from CharlieTurner in Rhinelander, WI and bothDave and Jeremie began flying lessonswith the legendary John Hatz ofGleason, WI instructing. (John Hatzwas the "mover and shaker" in northcentral Wisconsin aviation circles untilsuccumbing to a pick-up truck accidentin late 1989.)

The anxious Jeremie had to wait untilhe was 16 before he could solo in 1987and Dave made his first solo flight in

December of '88. Meanwhile, he hadlearned through John Hatz of a Continental A65 engine for sale. Figuringthe engine could be used in many kindsof light airplanes, he bought the A65and brought it home. Dave's wife, Joy,promptly exploded His little surpriseA65 was not the least bit welcome.However, as EAA wives are thankfully

prone to do, the crescendo began tosubside and Dave began to learn aboutaircraft engines.

One day, Dave was invited to go fora ride with Terry Oestreich (EAA38763 A C 529) in his Piper PA-17Vagabond. That was it - the die wascast Dave wanted a PA-17 so bad hecould taste it Terry pointed him in thedirection of Tim Gorski (EAA 233102,A C 10759) of Neenah, WI who had aPA-15 "basket case" for sale. The tiredVagabond had come from the late StanGerlach's collection in Palmyra, WI,via Doc Knutson in Lodi, WI. t

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Now here 's a heat er that works Dave 'she ter puts out plenty of he t , a rare com -modity when flying in winter on skis .

The Classic Lines of a Shortwing Piper . .

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Dave began on the fuselage framework,cleaning and checking for weak spotsand when every thing was in readiness,a two-part Stits epoxy primer wassprayed on the tubing. As each additional part was identified (remember,

Dave didn't have the luxury of takingthe PA-15 apart ), it was cleaned andpainted with epoxy primer. Eventually,the fuselage was ready for inside fabric,so the Stits HS-90X cloth was carefullyglued in place and tightened with a flatiron. The front tubing, which is visibleinside the cabin, was sprayed withmetallic blue paint to have that properlook when finished . The inside fabricwas then filled with Poly-Spray andfinished off with yellow Poly-Tone. Afront fuselage stand was then bolted tothe engine mount holes which allowedthe fuselage to be rotated - so handy forcovering all sides .

Fabric was then applied to the outsideof the fuselage and, after gluing theedges, shrunk tight with the iron. Oncethe finishing tapes were in place and allpatches located, final finishing couldbegin. Standard Stits Poly-Tone procedures were followed with the final yellow and metallic blue Poly-Tone coatsfinishing the procedure. A close examination of the finished airplane

reveals some really outstandingworkmanship . It is readily apparent thatDave Meyer learns fast (and doesn'tforget ). In a project such as a PA-17,certain critical items require assistance.In Dave's case, he could call on TerryOestreich of nearby Ringle, WI for help.Terry, who readily admits that much ofhis (substantial) aviation knowledgecame from the late John Hatz, is an"Antiquer" from the word go and

among his finishedprojects is a mint 8

hp PA-17 Vagabondthat flies as smooth asit looks. Terry wasable to answer many

of Dave's questionsand help out whenneeded. In addition,John Hatz was atremendous help inthe beginning andlater, Allan and Clifford Hatz, John ' ssons, came to the res A very pleased and honored Norm Petersen slides into place

cue on numerous oc- after a satisfying flight. Thanks Davecasions.

One big help was when Dave acquired John Hatz's PA-ll nosebowl,which fit the PA-17 perfectly. t neededabout three hours of aluminum weldingfollowed by dent removal and sanding,but it came out looking like brand newafter Dave's "magic touch" was applied. Coupled with some really nicesheet metal work on the nose section(Dave's long suit), the forward part ofthe PA-17 looks factory fresh . Ofcourse, the newly overhauled Continental A65, with its fancy paint job and"cad" plated valve covers, doesn'tdetract either

One item receiving special attentionwere the two control sticks, which werechrome plated and finished with varnished wooden knobs. They tend tocompliment the instrument panel withits new gauges and bright red ignitionhandle. The original PA-17 metallicblue has been carried on the instrumentpanel, the 12-gallon fuel tank and theforward fuselage interior. The sea t isnicely upholstered in hide recovered

from The Great Blue Nauga.For extra range, a six-gallon Wag

Aero wing tank was installed in the leftwing before the wings were covered.The plumbing for this tank follows thetube at the forward edge of the left window where it feeds into an on-off valveby the pilot's left knee. This tank allowsa good three hour range with some tospare.

Using Terry Oestreich's PA-17 for apattern, Dave made a heating duct onthe exhaust system that really puts out.When you pull the Cabin Heat buttonwhile flying, the entire cabin is bathed

in warm air It is so unlike a normal Cubin this respect - almost enough to makea dedicated Cub driver sit down and cryIt re lly works.

Once the wings were covered andDave received instructions in rib stitching from Allan Hatz, complete withburied knots and runners under thefabric, the wings were finished andpainted with yellow Poly-Tone. TheVagabond was then hauled to the Hatzfield (Hay Meadow Airport) where it

was fully assembled and checked overfrom spinner to tailwheel. Nice, shinystainless steel tail brace wires were in

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-.t:U.::J

oL _ _ ________ _ _ ________ Instead of dragging his tailwheelthroughthe snow Dave has this nitty ski installedon his Vagabond

around Merrill, some 10 hours had beenrecorded on the Vagabond and bothfather and son knew they had a firstclass airplane. A set of bushings werelocated to put the Federal A1500A skison the 11/4 axles of the PA-17 and thenecessary rigging was installed. Daveinstalled an aluminum and stainlesssteel ski just like one John Hatz had usedyears earlier. Together with the mainskis, the system worked perfectly andby the time the annual John HatzMemorial skiplane fly-in came aroundin February of 1991, some 30 hours had

been recorded on the tachometer.It was at the above mentioned

skiplane fly-in that we had our first look

at "Meyer the Flyer" and his PA-17Vagabond. Luckily, son Jeremie wasalso able to be on hand, so we got thefull story of how the airplane was restored over two years. The aircraft hadbeen hand rubb ed and waxed to the

point where it stood out from all theother airplanes. In the bright sun,reflected by the white snow - it wasbeautiful

Knowing that your author had flownTerry Oestreich's Vagabond on skis lastyear, Dave offered to let me fly hisPA-17 I accepted, knowing that Iwould be flying several peoples' yearsof ha rd work and dedicated efforts.Crawling into the cabin through thedoor, I noticed a foot stirrup had beenadded for ease of entry. Once in theseat, I had the feeling of sitting in abrand new airplane - it even smellednew With the long, two-seat belt fastened, I readied the controls while Dave

pulled the engine through. The A65started on the first pull and came to life.Making sure the area was clear, I taxiedaway from the line-up of skiplanes andslowly headed for the east end of therunway . A Piper Pacer was on final, soI headed around a runway marker togive him room to land. Once past, therunway was clear so I added power to

the Vagabond and lifted into the cold airafter just a short run. The first surpri sewas how smooth the engine ran Dave

had balanced the engine parts beforeassembly and it really showed results.

The second surprise was when Ipulled the heater control and the entirecabin got warm I made several circuitsof the field as H . G. Frautschy,

VINTAGE AIRPLANE editor, too kpictures during my flybys. Flying thePA-17 was quite a treat as the controlsfelt like a new airplane, no sloppiness orshake, rattle and roll anywhere. And theengine felt like it was ready to respondto any request. This is one smoothmachine .

After several circuits in the companyof Terry Oestreich's Vagab o nd fl ownby his son, I came in for a landing on theFederal A1500A skis - they are abouttwo inches wider than A 1500's. Pullingup to the line, I turned the PA-17towards the south so H . G . could take afew more pictures - with me grinningfrom ear to ear You know, an old Cub

pilot could get ruinedin

machinery likethis.The joy of meeting Dave Meyer and

his son, Jeremie, was indeed a rare treat,but to actually get to fly their beautifulVagabond was frosting on the cak e Itis what flying is all about - and youmight know it h ap pened on the homeground of John Hatz . I just know that

John was up there watching - with thatcustomary smile on his face . Thankyou, John .•

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Harry Whiting s St inson 1 0 8

Few people in this world aresototallyappreciative of EAA and what it standsf th H H Whiti (EAA 32675

by Norm Peter se n

the Classic Cust o m Class C title at EAAOshko sh '90 was frosting on the cake.Th Whi i f il 1946 S i

flying lessons and solo an Aero ncaCh a mp at Faribault, MN in late1946.

H t th h th d t

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Harry Whiting carefully assembles the accessory section on to the b ck of theFranklin engine .

Two very h ppy people , Pat nd HarryWhiting pose by their beautiful Stinson1 8 . Pat is holding the Lindy trophy

w rded t EAA Oshkosh '9 for classicCustom Class C . Note the reflection on thebottom of the wing , so indic tive of theworkmanship on this airplane .

area One day in November, 1965,Harry was in the right seat of Sherm'sBonanza (Old 58 Br avo) as they en tereda right hand pattern for Runwa y 36 atFlying Cloud field, sou thw es t of Minneapolis. Harry asked about an unusualaircraft in the pattern ahead of them .Sherm told him it was an experimenta l

Tailwind and expressed "that was abunch you want to stay away from.They build th e ir own airplanes andthey're called the EAA . Th ey are niceenough, but anybody who builds theirown i rplane has to be crazy," he sai dwith a laugh.

Once on the ground, a curious HarryWhiting made his way to the hangar on

the northeast side of the field to see justwho builds such an aircraft. In so doing,he met Bill Hansen, Wally Carlberg andso many other members of EAA Chapter 25. That was Harry's introduction toEAA and without the knowl edge, helpand especially, encouragement of thisgroup of pioneer EAA folks, none of thethings that were to come would havebeen possible. As Harry says, " W efinished a Nesmith Cougar, which weliterally flew across the country and enjoyed the little high-wing speedster verymuch ." One winter day in 1968, Harrylanded at Southport Airport (which isnow a shopping center) and " there, in asnowdrift, sat this derelict Stin son."

With the fami ly now at thr ee sons an d adaughter, a cabin, larger than the twoplace Cougar, was definitely needed.After negotiations, th e Stin so n(NC97384) was purchased an d th e dismantled aircraft wa s haul ed home toEdi i EAA f hi

airp lane, the S tin son was flown toLeech Lake in northern Minnesota nearly every weekend, the kids playing jackson the floor as they flew along. Inreali ty, the plane became part of thefamily - eve ryo ne did their share in

keeping it going. In 1971, Harryen ter e d th e enviro nm en ta l researchbusiness, which to ok th e family toGr eer's Ferry, Arkansas. Th e familyStins on was flown so uth t o take upresidence in th e "Razorback" state.

Not too long after the big move, it

was determined that the o ld girl"needed a complete rebuild. And withfour s harp kids and a lov ely wife to help,Harry felt it was a perfect familyproject. The Stinson was once againdisassembled and the many pieces

haul ed home to th eir new A-framedwelling with its attached small shop.Parts of the Stinson were everywhere in

the home Old fabric was remov ed andthe paint was s tripped with a high powersprayer. Once (squeaky) clean, th eparts were sprayed with Stits epoxy

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All of the tits finishes were sprayed outdoors in the yard due to the lack of a paintbooth. Here, Pat Whiting (lower right) and three members of the crew pose with thevarious paris of the Stinson before assembly. Note the large uN" numbers on the rightwing surface.

pruner.All bearings, pulleys, cables and har

nesses were replaced and the proper tensions were checked on the cables. Eventhe fuel tanks had to have a bunch of

yuck removed from inside beforethey would pass inspection . During itsmurky past, the Stinson had sustainedconsiderable hail damage to its uppermetal surfaces and somewhere betweenone and two million small dents had

to be carefully flattened or filled. Someparts had to be replaced with new metalsections from Univair in Aurora, CO.The covering was done in Stits 103fabric according to Ray Stits' manual.One tiny addition was the use of (first)a 2-inch and then (second) a 3-inch tapeover each wing rib to help transfer theloads from the fabric to the wing structure. (This idea is now commonly usedon agricultural spray planes in severeservice.) Harry is quick to point out thatno bubbles of trapped solvents from thePoly-Brush should be allowed to remainunder the tapes The fuselage was

and Boston maroon Poly-Tone. Thefamily members kinda' screamed at the

thought of laying out the huge registration numbers on the top of the left wingand the bottom of the right wing, however, perseverance prevailed and theWag-Aero masks worked very nicely asNCI08WW was carefully laid out andsprayed . Incidentally, the numberstands for the Stinson series 108 andWallace and Whiting - Pat Whiting's

maiden name was Wallace, from Luck,Wisconsin, yet. Clear Stits Aero-Thanewas used around the fuel tanks on theupper surface of the wings to protectfrom fuel stains.

Next came the Franklin engine. Themanuals on this engine are skimpy, tosay the least, however, Harry and crewproceeded to have the cylinders overhauled and all the parts magna fluxed.Once all the parts were returned, theengine was assembled and carefullybalanced. All accessories were corn-

Harry and Pat's son, Fran, carefully checksthe gap in the new piston rings beforeinstallation in the Franklin cylinder. In thisfamily, everyone contributes andlearns)

pletely overhauled and new wiring, ignition harnesses and propeller were in

stalled .The original Stinson metal wheelpants were in dire need of help and thesewere carefully straightened out, onedent at a time. Eventually, the smooth,rounded finish began to evolve and theprimer coats started to appear withoutwrinkles. Final coats of Poly-Tone andsome elbow grease to rub them out gave

that much desired new look , so n ecessary to an Oshkosh winner.

Many of Harry and Pat's neighborswould come to visit and lend a handduring the project. EAA's masterwelder, Lloyd Toll, earned his coffeeand lunch on many occasions with excellent help. Others included Price Powelland his wife, Florence, who go backmany years in aViatIOn Price was acadet with Paul Poberezny at WestMemphis or some s imilar base nearly 50years ago and is credited with hanging

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Harry with two of his sons, Bill nd Harry Jr. with gr ndchildren Jennifer nd Bridget, all inv olved in the res toration o f Stinson NC 1 08WW .As we said, this was a f mily affair.

Cantilevered l nding ge r features ex -cellent fairings nd original met l wheelBright yellow Scott 3200 tailwheel is sup-pants, so diligently restored to new con-ported by a chrome pl ted leaf springdition. nd oper ted by the all met l rudder.

Even the holes in the rudder arm are notworn to an oval.

the nicknam e Poopdeck on Paul

(Howard) Poberezny in those early days.Th e interior rebu ild was farmed out

to a n upholstery s hop th at H arrydescribed as a "hove l" , however, theman did exce llent wo rk and the entirejob was completed for onl y $300. Aclose exa minati on a t Oshkosh revealedan exce llen t piece of workmanship andit is one more reason the Stinson scoredwell in the jUdging. Even the sma llamounts of chrome plating, such as thenose grills, the door hinges and thesteps, helped to score points in the custom ca tego ry All this adds up to a"Lindy" that will remain on the Whiting

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To Oshkosh in 8 yearsPart II

When we las t left Ken he was watch-in g the gas ga uge bouncing n ear thebottom o the tank trying to conjure uphis n ex t il el stop Siloom Sprin s . . .

I was ju s t starting to compose thele tter in my mind that starts out "Dear

by Ken Morris(EAA 286755, l e 11423)

decided to fly down the runway to savetime and skid. This turned out to beanother tactical error by yours truly, because I landed on the top of the crownand it was, as they say , " downhill fromthe re ." A tail skid doesn't work verywell on pavement but wet pavement

Ken has a quiet flight to Crystal lake Illinois after saying goodbye to his friend the late Jerry Kennedy United AirlinesSecond Officer.

holding full right rudder, hoping for amiracle.Phase two consisted of unbuckling

my seat belt, bailing out and grabbingthe strut (Kids, don't try this at home .I am happy to say I never had to r eso rtto phase two It works in theory

d d b h f b h f

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as indicated by this fiasco.While I scratched my wet head,

looked at my useless wet WAC chartand put gas in the tank, I figured outwhere I was. Amazingly enough Iwasn't too lost.

I was able to follow a road straighteast to Rogers, Arkansas for real fueland real people. I landed just ahead ofa Citation and there were people allaround scratching their heads, wondering who that nut was in that runawaybed sheet.

The nice lady inside was a little upsetthat I hadn't called her on unicom for anadvisory, but after seeing me and theEaglet, I think she started taking up acollection.

After fuel and a Dr. Pepper, it was offagain for the last leg of the day. Ifigured t would take one more hour offlying, but I only had an hour and a halfof daylight left. Speed was important,

and once again I set up a heading usingthe runway heading and picking alandmark out n front of Zeke's topcylinder and before reaching it, pickinganother one and so on. After sort ofholding a heading for 55 minutes, Ilooked out and saw Springfield, Missouri right where t was supposed to be.

Like Jimmy Stewart said in the Spirt

of St. Louis, There's nothin' wrongwith Dead Reckoning navigation, except maybe the name.

Somewhere along the line that day Ilearned that Lorraine and Jason had got

ten away at about 2:30 that afternoon,and if all went well she would get to theOzark airport at the same time I would.

As I approached the airport from thesouthwest I noticed that the wind wasout of the north and that she wasn't there

yet. After the day I 'd had, I could onlyhope theirs went better. As I started aleft turn aro und to enter a downwind, Ilooked up and saw that beautiful 140right behind me. We circled each other,landed and tied down - a fitting end toan interesting day.

As I looked back into the sunset over

There's nothin' wrong withDead Reckoning navigation,

except maybe the name,- Jimmy Stewart in

The Spirit of st Louis

the airplanes, I could see that theywould be ready to go in the morning.As sore and tired as I was that night,

I still didn't sleep well. There wasgoing to be a lot going on the next day.

After burning the midnight oil, a planwas devised that would get everyonewhere they needed to be, Eaglet and 140permitting.

While I aimed for Lincoln, Illinois,about 30 miles north of Springfield,Lorraine would fly all the way to Morris, Illinois (no relation) and drop off myson in a wonderfully planned rendez

vous with her father and his C-l72.Then she would return to Lincoln, pickme up and we would fly to Springfieldtogether to bid farewell to our friend.

The first order of business was to seesome old friends. Ernie and Elizabeth

Sie ler l ive on an ai rs t r ip nearMarshfield, Missouri. t was also theprevious home of the Eaglet for some 30years prior to my dad's purchase n

1975.Ernie's strip has never been easy for

me to find, and that day was no exception. Lorraine was following me and Iwas lost, but t wasn't long before thestrip jumped out at us and we were ableto stop for a short visit.

Ernie had been ill and within a weekafter that visit, he passed away. It'sironic; that morning he told me that hehad purchased a headstone, engravedwith an Eaglet.

My next stop was Rolla, Missouri.

As I taxiied up to the ramp, I saw that Iwas about number five for fuel, behindthe likes of jet powered vehicles, withone little lady trying to fuel them all.When I asked her how long t wouldtake to be fueled, she was not toopleased; as a matter of fact - well,never mind. I explained my time constraints and volunteered to help, so

while she started the avgas truck andfueled the Eaglet, I fueled a King Air.We were a good team, but I had to getgoing.

After another rain infested stop n

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The Morris Ameri can Eaglet during the Antique/Classic fly out to Shawano, WI after arriving at EAA Oshkosh 89.

Wentzville, Missouri, I was on the homestretch to Lincoln, Illinois.

The people that I saw along the way(what people there were) were great,especially the friendly folks at Lincoln.

Lorraine got there right on time andwe flew together to Springfield.

After saying farewell to my friendth e next afternoon, we flew formationto Crystal Lake, Illinois. It was abeautiful, melancholy evening ofmemories.

We only had one fuel stop betweenLincoln and Crystal Lake, and we

decided to stop at Ottaw a, Illinois thistim e .t was near Ottawa that Charles

Lindbergh bailed out of his De -Havilland biplane on his way toChicago in a snowstorm several yearsb f h d hi littl t

Eaglet as I uncurled myself from thefront seat. Extending his hand for awelcome, he introduced himsel f as JulioCorsini. Then, without even taking abreath, he said, We haven't had anEaglet stop here for fuel in quite sometime .

I don't know whether I was moreshocked that he knew what it was or thathe was so nonchalant about us stoppingthere . For a moment it was 1946 again.Lorraine's 140 was brand new, and theEaglet was a 15 year old has been,bought and sold for a couple of hundred

bucks .I would have loved to stay and learnmore about this interesting gentleman,but the sun was marching on and we stihad about an hour to go. I did have timeto answer part of my questions about hisi i ht Th h k h t th

parents and setting the stage for thehome stretch.

The final day was a little bit anticlimatic compared to the rest of thetrip, but it was just as beautiful.

As I picked up the highway north outof Milwaukee, I could see lots ofcampers and trail e rs heading north for athrilling week at Oshkosh . Manywaved as I went by. North of Fond duLac I could see the large expanse full ofaviation - past, present and future.

I neared Oshkosh and could see otherairplanes funneling into the area, per

haps with their own exciting stories oftheir trip. f they had half the fun I did,they enjoyed it

Entering a left downwind for runway18, I was almost there, adding a little bitmore of our past to the collection. Perh b b i i O hk h li i

l k d h

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Flaws, Cracks and thePerfect Airplane

We've just arrived home from EAAOshkosh '90 (the best yet) and duringour mental debriefmgs, two ideas keeprecurring. One is an image of happyshoppers heading out of the flymarket,clutching their treasures : a pair ofwheels, a motor mount or a prop . Theother is the recollection of a discussionbroadcast over the PA system regardingthe age of the general aviation fleet.Maybe you remember hearing it Anaverage age of 33 years was mentionedand the announcer commented thatmany of us are flying antique aircraft,intentionally or not.

Both these ideas relate to somethingI m interested in : nondestructive testing, NDT, or, sometimes, nondestructive evaluation, NDE. High-time,fatigued, or just old airframes andpowerplants sometimes develop hidden

cracks, officially called material discontinuities. Sometimes a part has beenoverstressed, or sometimes an improperor inadequate repair has led to thesesame discontinuities. Antique andClassic restorers ne ed to be especiallycareful here because most of us cannotafford all new parts (or find them at all )and so we take what we can get. Howcan we be assured of the integrity of thematerial in that flymarket part? Therewere some great looking airplanes outthere on the flight line, with how manyyears, how many hours, how manyslightly sudden landings how many

by Wayne Steve n sonEAA 180367

Illustrations byH .G. Frautschy

Magnetic particle inspection canonly be used on ferrous metals that willexhibit magnetic lines of flux. It is bestat finding surface cracks, poor at findinginternal flaws . A fair amount of equipment is involved in order to generate amagnetic field in the part to be examined. Tiny metal particles withfluorescent dye are flowed over the surface and are attracted to the cracks anda black light makes them show up . Thepart must then be de-magnitized . It'soften used on connecting rods andcrankshafts and is very effective.

Liquid penetrant inspection can beused on a wide variety of nonporousmaterials, magnetic or not. The part is

thoroughly cleaned and then dipped ina low surface tension liquid fluorescentdye that penetrates surface cracks bycapillary action. The excess dye is

washed off and a developer chemical isapplied. Then the part is examined witha black light. This method finds flawsthat are open to the surface and is quitereliable if properly done.

SEAT FRAME

Eddy current can be used on anymateria l that will conduct electricity. Itis commonly used on stressedaluminum skin around rivet holes oraround bolt holes in wheels . Electricityis passed through a coil of wire whichproduces a magnetic field . This coil isplaced next to the material to be tested,which induces a secondary electricaleddy current in the material. The current lines will be interrupted at anycracks that might be there and thoseinterruptions can be sensed and displayed on a meter or a cathode ray tube .What it really senses is a change in theconductivity of a material. That meansthat if an alloy has been altered by overheating, perhaps, for example, abrake/wheel combination, eddy currentwill show it This method is often usedto quickly sort parts into "good" and

"flawed" groups. Then the flawed partsare confirmed with liquid penetrant inspection.

Ultrasonics are better at finding internal flaws, especially in composites. A

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CONNECTING RODNDING GE R PIVOT......... POSSI lE

CR CKS

M CHINED SURF CES POSS IBLE CR CKS

DRllLEp HOLE

/

POSSIBLE CR CKS

and is quite reliable in the handsof an experiencedfilm reader.

Infrared ther-mography makesuse of heat sensit ive film to

photograph thematerial to betested . Discon-tinuities will show

high frequency generator applies physical energy to the material to be testedand some of that energy is reflectedback by an internal discontinuity like adelamination . The reflection can besensed and recorded . Some fairly expensive equipment is required, as wellas a large amount of time .

Acoustic emission is also often usedon composite materials. A sensitivereceiver is placed on the part to be testedand the part is placed under load. Thereceiver actually hears the internal

up because theenergy emission

characteristics arealtered at crack

surfaces . This technique, as well asvibration analysis, tends to be used almost entirely at the manufacturer levelin their quality assurance programs.This method will also show load distribution in a part .

The conclusion here should be thatthe method of choice will depend uponwhat sort of flaw is suspected, what thematerial is, where it is located and, ofcourse, practical considerations of time,money and availability .

Let s get practical then. What kind of

Bending around a radius that is toosmall for the thickness of the material orbending material that is too hard (brittle)will cause cracks . The third possiblesource is at the in-service stage. Thisinc ludes the commonly knownphenomena of material fatigue as wellas corrosion, brittle weld repairs andplain old accidental damage. On aheavily loaded part, even a scratch canbe classified as damage.

Most of our concerns are in the lasttwo areas : processing and in-service.However, in composite structures, the

material is, in a sense, being manufactured on the spot and extra care must betaken to assure consistent material characteristics. There are a variety of potential discontinuities in composites thatcan be almost entirely eliminat ed bycorrect construction technique but ifyou are the least bit suspicious about apart, either reject it or have a NDT contractor check it out.

(Since comp osite p rtsfor antique orclassic aircraft tend t be non-structural, such as replica fairings and cowlings, the amount of discontinuity that is

acceptable depends more on how

P SS TO

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From the Daw n Patrol...Dear Buck,

Thanks for the use of your tail skidOur Swallow is thr ough cover on thefuselage and the tail surfaces . Here aresome pictures taken prior to covering.The cover will be Grade A cotton andButyrate dope . I'll send a completestory and pictures when it's completed .

P.S My Ryan M l is now in Seattlewith your Swallow

Thanks again,Ty Sundstrom, Dawn Patrol AviationExter, CA

Ty Sundstrom's Swallow is a "Com-mercial", the same as our MuseumFoundation machine. The pictures of

the "bare bones" fuse lage is indicativeof his attention to detail and his dedica-tion to originality . He insisted on in-stalling a tail skid, and I loaned himmine. I also cautioned him regarding

the handling on the ground with theshort moment arm of the skid, but he isgoing original.

P SS T TO~ ~ V ~

n information exchange column with input from readers .>-€uo

by Buck Hilbert,. (EAA 21, le 5. lo

P.O. Bo x 424Union, IL 60180

With it 's nose bolted tight to a rotating stand , the b re bones of Ty Sundstrom 'sSwallow rest in the California sun .

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This Swallow T is now is h nging in the San Diego Airnd Space Museum. (These photos were taken on

the ramp nex t to the museum s restoration facilit y tGillespie Field.)

More Swallow InfoDear Buck,

Putting together an AT -9 would be apiece of cake compared to getting mySwallow TP sorted out. At least working plans are available from the USAFarchives . Ed McCOImell is a prince ofa fellow - but the "plans" he had wereonly a sketch of the wings for the Swallow sent to Charlie Klessing in Fargo .He s been a lot of help as he has remembered quite a bit regarding your "Varney" Swallow. You rascal- wiping outa few wings - ti sk, tisk! (Ha!) If youwant to donate that swallow instrument

Klessing s Swallow went to amuseum in West Fargo, N .D . alongwith a few WWI aircraft and miscellaneous aeronautical artifacts.

Low and Slow,George WaltmanLong Valley, NJ

Walt sent along some pictures of theSwallow TP located at the San DiegoAir and Space Museum. Covered in theBlue River process and immaculate, itis a standing tribute to the volunteerswho did the work I envy the San Diego

the trip i f you are in the SouthernCalifornia area. -HGF

More LeBlond PartsDear Mr. Hilb ert,

Reading the December 90 issue ofVintage Airpl ane, I noticed that a Mr.Ted Davis is in need of LeBlond engineparts. I own a Porterfield 3S-70 whichhas been going through a slow but highquality rebuilding process for the last Syears. I also have a good Ken Royc e 90(SG), a margin al LeBlond SF plus aconsiderable parts collection for SF's

April 6 - Wichita KS 3rd Annual June 21-23 - Pauls Valley OK Ok

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April 6 Wichita, KS. 3rd AnnualArthritis Foundation Proficiency Air Rally,Col. James Jabara Airport. To obtainentry/pledge collection forms or more information, contact The Arthritis Foundation,Kansas Chapter, 316/263-0116; in Kansas,call 1/800/362-1108 .

April 7 -13 - Lakeland , FL - Annual Sun'n Fun EAA Fly-In A Tribute to Aviation .For more information, see the ad on pages44-45 in the January issue of SPORT A VIATION or call 813/644-243l.

April 27 - Levelland, TX MunicipalAirport . EAA Chapter 19 Fly-In Breakfast,8:00 AM. Contact Jolm Smith 806/7937889 . If it rains, drive - we'll be there.

May 3-5 - Burlington, NC - EAA Antique/Classic Chapter 3 Annual Spring Fly-Infor antique and classic aeroplanes. All typeswelcome. Alamance County Airport.Trophies, a major speaker and vintage aviation films. For more Information, contactR . Bottom, Jr ., 103 Powhatan Pkwy,Hampton, VA 2366l.

May 3-5 - Camarillo, CA - EAA Chapter 723 lIh Annual Fly-In. Pancake Breakfasts, BBQ dinner dance on Saturday,speakers and more . Camping and hotel ac

comodations available . Trophies given forbest of each type aircraft. For more information, call Larry Hayes, Chairman, 805/4963750.

May 4-5 - Winchester, V A RegionalEAA Spring Fly-In at airport. Trophies forwinning showplanes . Pancake breakfastSunday. Concessions and exhibitors. Allwelcome. Contact George Lutz, EAAChapter 186, 703/256-7873 .

May 5 - Rockford, IL EAA Chapter 22Annual Fly-In Breakfast. Mark Clark 'sCourtesy Aircraft, Greater Rockford Airport. 7:00 AM until Noon. ATIS 126.7.For more information, call Wallace Hunt,815/332-4708 .

May 5 - Nationwide Cessna 120/140Breakfast Fly-In to be held simultaneouslyin each State . Sponsored by the International Cessna 120/140 Association . Contactyour State Rep . or Jack Cronin, President,

433 Franklin Street, Denver, CO 80218,303/333-3000.May 17-19 - Albuquerque, NM, Double

Eagle Airport. 4th Annual Albuquerque/Southwest Airlines Air Show and FlyIn. Duke City 100 Race forexperimentals. Awards all classes of show

Columbia Owens Downtown Airport.CUB. Contact Jack Hilton, (Day) 803/6990233, (Evening) 803/782-0088. Housing,contact John Gardener, 803/796-2400.

May 25-26 - Decatur, AL. EAA Chapter 941/Decatur-Athens Aero Services 3rdAnnual Memorial Day Fly-In and SouthernAviation Reunion. Classics, Warbirds,Homebuilts . Camping, transportation toAlabama Jubilee, Hot Air Balloon Races.UNICOM 123.0, VOR on Field 112.8 205/355-5770 for information.

May 31-June 1 - Bartlesville , OK National Biplane Association 5th Annual Convention and Exposition - BIPLANE EXPO'91. Free admission for all biplanes andcurrent NBA members, all others paid admission . For more information, contactCharles W. Harris, 918/742 -7311 or MaryJones, 918/299-2532.

June 2 - DeKalb, IL EAA Chapter 241will serve its 27th Annual Breakfast, 7:00AM - Noon, Dekalb-Taylor Municipal Airport . Contact Ed Torbett, 815/895-3888 .

June 2 - Tunkllannock, PA SkyhavenAirport (76N). Fly-In Breakfast, 8am - 2pm.Located on the NY sectional 19 miles fromLHY VOR 110.8 on the 289 degree radial or19 miles from A VP vor 111.6 on the 333degree radial Unicorn 122.8 . Antique andclassic people welcome . Crafts and FleaMarket. Campground with modernfacilities available on the field. More information, contact Steve Gay at Skyhaven Airport, 717/836-4800 .

June 7-9 - Merced, CA Municipal Airport. 34th Merced West Coast Antique FlyIn . For information contact Merced PilotsAssociation, P O Box 2312, Merced, CA95344, or Mac Duff, 209/383-3975 .

June 7-9 - Denton, TX Muncipal Airport. 29th Annual Texas Antique AirplaneAssociation Fly-In . Registration $3.00donation per person; Registration and meals$20.00 donation per person . Fly-In Chairmen: Mary and Bert Mahon, 1803 ConcordLane, Denton, TX 76205, 817/387-2620.

8 N N VA P i k

June 21-23 - Pauls Valley, OK. Oklahoma City Chapter of AAA Fly-In. Alltypes of aircraft welcome to eat , drink andbe merry. For information, call DougAndreson, 405/350-1420 or D J "Bud" Sutton, 405/392-5608.

June 26-30 - Lockhaven, PA Wm . TPiper Memorial Airport. ERCOUPEOWNERS CLUB 1991 National Convention. Open to all Ercoupe owners and persons interested in Ercoupes; public invited .Awards, trophies, special events, tours,seminars, picnic, banquet Saturday night.For convention and reservations, contactSteve Kish, 215/838-9942 evenings.

June 27-30 - Mount Vernon, OH 32ndAnnual National Waco Reunion Fly-ln .Wynkoop Airport. Make your reservationsat the Curtis Motor Hotel 1-800/828-784 7 or(in Ohio) 1-800/634-6835. For additionalinformation, contact the National WacoClub, 700 Hill Av., Hamilton, OH 45015 orcall 513-868-0084.

June 29-30 - Orange, MA MunicipalAirport. 15th Annual New EnglandRegional EAA Fly-ln with antique steamand gas engine show, flea market, food .Trophies both days for homebuilts, antiques,

classics, warbirds. Chapter 726. Contact:David White, 508/544-8189.June 30-July 5 - Jelmings, LA. Inter

national Cessna 170 Association 23rd Annual Convention; Holiday Inn on airport . PO. Box 896, Jennings, OK 70546, 318/8245280 . Arrival Sat., June 30; Departure Sat.,July 6. Information, Ron Massicot (Conv.Chrm .),318/332-4597.

July 6-7 - Emmetsburg, IA Airport.Tail Dragger Club 3rd Annual AeroncaChamp Fly-In. Annual Flight BreakfastSunday, July 7 . Camping by airplane freebreakfast to pilot co-pilot. Contact KeithHarnden, Box 285, Emmetsburg, IA 50536,712/852-3810 .

July 13-14 - lola, WI Annual Fly-In,Central County Airport . "Old Car Show"weekend. Midwest 's largest car and swapmeet. Breakfast and transportation availableboth days. Info, 414/596-3530.

July 26-Aug, 1 - Oshkosh, WI 39thAnnual EAA Fly-In and Sport AviationConvention . Wittman Regional Airport .Contact Jolm Burton, EAA Aviation Center,Oshkosh, WI 54903-3086 414/426-4800.For housing information, contact HousingHotline, 414/235-3007.

A t 23 25 S NJ Ai t

Conclusions free with stamped envelope . Total entire detailed reports

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Where The Sellers and Buyers Meet

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Super Cub PA 18 fuselages repaired or rebuilt - in precision masterfixtures. All makes of tube assemblies or fuselages repaired or fabricated new . J .E. Soares Inc., 7093 Dry Creek Road, Belgrade, Montana59714, 406/388-6069 . Repair Station 065-21 . (UFN)

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NOSTALGIC AIRLINE POSTER BOOKS - Colorful publicity of theairlines of the World! FREE DETAILS ! Gerard , 3668-VA Hilaire,Seaford, NY 11783-2710. (6-4)

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by George Hardie, Jr.Although the quality of the photo of

this month's Mystery Plane is poor, itadds to the challenge of identifying theairplane. The photo was submitted byEdward Pec k of Louisville , Kentucky .Answers will be published in the June,1991 issue of VINT GE AIRPLANE

Dead lin e for that issue is May 5.The first response to the December

My stery Plane came from Pat Packard,Dir ec tor of Exhibits, EAA Air Adventu r e Mu se um, who telephoned hisansw er the day the magazine app eare d.But Ted Businger of Evening Shade,Arkansas sent in the most complete

l H it

In 1929 and 1930 he built seven'Baby Pursuits,' most powered by the

3-cylinder 45 hp Szekely engines. Thetiming was poor as this was the beginning of the Great Depression . Most ofthem were sold in the Orient. One shipwas modified to carry a 6-cylinder aircooled rotary engine of unknown make.On May 28, 1930 Mr. Prest flew a 'BabyPursuit' around a 100 kilometer closedcourse at San Bernadino, California atthe then record speed of 100 .79 mph.This was in the category of planesweighing less than 440 Ibs. Old-timeresidents at San Bernadino gleefullyrecall the times Prest flew to visit theMil b th L d F d H l

who lived on a ranch near Lancaster ,California . He brought the airplane to

the EAA Chapter Fly-In in January,1957 and took third place in the flightcontests . Later he allowed a youngman to fly his plane . Unfortunately hestarted to perform low level aerobaticswithout authorization and hit invert ed .Fillinger always promised to rebuildthe wreck but th a t never happened, sowe lost another bit of aviation history .

Other answers were received fromJohn Underwood, Glendale, Californ ia,Charley Hayes , Park Forest, Illinoi s;Marty Eis enm ann, Garrettsville, Ohio ;F k P lig Alli Ohi C d i

INC

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presidentButch Joyce

ANote irom

\ 9February ,

. Classic Member . . hard toDear AntlQuel . has been wor\<.lng 'rcratt. We

. DivIsIon lor your alA n t i Q u e / C l a s s l ~nce program ' be 1 great

l h e EAA od group I n s u r ~ rogra m that WI

assemble a go what I leel IS a Pin place .

now have membershIP be able to .beneht to our . . . a requirement to you can JOInNC DivisIon IS member, .

M e m b e r s hi ~i n h ~ ~ e p r O g r a myou a ~ ~ ; t~ ,800) 322-24 \ 2 Inparticipate In tEAA membershIP nuby call lng theOshkosh. . . Agency.lheir

derWntlng . h tram is AViation Un ore participatIon t I ~

Our agency lor h i \ ~ ~ 6 07 2 7 - 3 8 ~ \ ~ : ~ : t e rthis program WI

tolllree u ~ ~ ~our membershIP,we can have r r benelits.beCome. . d explanation 1 you

r a more deta lle

Call AUA.INC. 10 better tOgether.we are

Remember, s very truly.~ O s U p \ eButch Joyce e /Clas s Division

< • • EAA AntlQupres lden <

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