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THE PRESIDENTS PAGE

By E E Buck Hilbert President EAA AntiqueClassic Division

KEEP THAT BIRD STOCK

Each of us who owns an Antique or Classic aircraft is privileged to be the curator of our own personal museum piece Its a responsibility whether we realize it or not The more rare the bird the larger the responsibility and the greater the effort should be to keep it original

Pride of ownership pride in having something no one else has and greater recognition is possible by just keeping it factory new and cleaner than the one next to it

Butching up an airframe to make it aerobatic or speedy hanging a bigger engine or in some way taking it out of the original configuration makes it less desirable and also imshyportant less saleable

Some mods are necessary to keep the birds flying Brakes and a tailwheel are an abso shylute necessity in todays world of aviation So is a radio And with engine reliability always a problem a more modern engine is sometimes the only answer But to customize to gain attention will never do the trick If its an aerobatic bird you want go get a special If its speed youre after then step up to one built for it

But keep those Antique and Classic machines stock ask our judging committee

2

VOLUME 1 - NUMBER 5

APRIL 1973

TABLE OF CONTENTS

National Ryan Club Bill Hodges 4 The Arkansas Command-Aire

R obert Lock 7 Now About Those Replica Plans

J ack Cox 10 Around The Antique-Classic World 12

Calendar of Events 14

HOW TO JOIN THE ANTIQUEshyCLASSIC DIVISION

Membership in the EAA Antique-Classic Divishysion is open to all EAA members who have a speshycial interest in the older aircraft that are a proud par t of our aviation heritage Membership in the Antique-Classic Division is $1000 per year which entitles one to 12 issues of The Vintage Airplane published monthly at EAA Headquarters Each member will also receive a special Antique-Classic membership card plus one additional card for ones spouse or other designated family member

Membership in EAA is $1500 per year which includes 12 issues of SPOR T AVIATION All memshybership correspondence should be addressed to EAA Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130

EDITORIAL STAFF Publisher - Paul H Poberezny Editor - Jack Cox Assistant Ed itor - Gene Chase Assistant Ed itor - Golda Cox

ON THE COVER Ryan PT-21s at the Ryan Factory lindbergh Field San Diego

BACK COVER - Lusco mbe on float s Photo by Howard Levy

ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC DIVISION OFFICERS

PRESIDENTshyE E HILBERT 8102 LEECH RD UNION ILLINOIS 60180

SECRETARY RICHARD WAGNER BOX 181 LYONS WIS 53148

VICE PRESIDENT J R NIELANDER JR P O BOX 2464 FT LAUDERDALE FLA 33303

TREASURER NICK REZICH 4213 CENTERVILLE RD ROCKFORD ILL 61102

DIVISION EXECUTIVE SECRETARY DOROTHY CHASE EAA HEADQUARTERS

Postmaster Send Form 3579 to Antique Classic Aircraft Inc Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130

Copyrigh t copy 1973 Ant ique Classic Aircraft In c All Rights Reserved

3

(Ryan Aeronautical Co )

An STM-2 in Dutch markings

NATIONAL RYAN CLUB By Bill Hodges

EAA Air Museum

The National Ryan Club was first organized in 1960 by Everett Cassagneres of Cheshire Connecticut and the ST-3KR Division was started by Bill Hodges then of Quinlan Texas in 1963 and was affi liated with the Anshytique Airplane Association In late 1972 its 213 memshybers voted to establish affiliation with the new Antique and Classic Division of the Experimental Aircraft Asshysociation The National Ryan Club is now being coshychaired by Mrs Pat Friedman and Bill Hodges

The purpose of the National Ryan Club is to mainshytain as completely as possible records of existing preshyWorld War II Ryan Aircraft as well as past to the exshytent of their flyability location owners and disposition Also maintained are records locating parts throughout the world a master photo file and files on authorized modifications This information is avai lable to National

4

Ryan Club members without charge There are no memshybership dues however any contribution to help pay the cost of mailing will be appreciated The Annual Meetshying of the National Ryan Club is now held in conjunction with the Experimental Aircraft Associations Annual Inshyternational Convention and Fly-In at Oshkosh Wisconshysin the first week in August All National Ryan Club members are encouraged to attend this meeting the worlds largest gathering of sport aircraft

Mrs Pat Friedman a noted Mid-West aviatress chairs the STA Division of the National Ryan Club which maintains the information center on all pre-STshy3KR series Ryans Mrs Friedman owns and flies a 1940 Ryan STM-E2 originally owned by the Dutch in the Netherlands East Indies

Bill Hodges continues to chair the ST-3KR Division and maintains an information center on the ST-3KR (PT-21 NR-l PT-22) ST-4 and FR-l series Ryans Hodges is currently restoring his fourth PT-22 and has number five waiting in the barn

Enthusiasm for pre-World War II Ryan aircraft reshymains at an all-time high throughout the country Canada and Australia

The classic lines of the STA are readily apparent and are carried over into the ST-3KRIPT-22 series Large gatherings of Ryans may be seen especially at fly- ins in California such as at Watsonville May 18-20 Mershyced June 1-3 and the 3rd Annual Gathering of Ryans at Paso Robles May 4-6 Large numbers are also planning to gather at the EAA Convention July 29shyAugust 4 where the annual National Ryan Club meeting will be held and the 2nd Annual Mid-West Ryan Owners Gathering to be held at Rockton Illinois on August 18 and 19

Of the 1250 PT-22 series aircraft manufactured 160 remain in the Civil Aircraft Register

Interested persons wanting more information may contact Mrs Friedman at 609 Hill Street in Highland Park Illinois 60035 or Mr Hodges at 3351 So 99th Court in Milwaukee Wisconsin 53227

(Myron Rupprecht Photo)

BELOW - Myron Rupprechts 1942 Ryan PT-22 (SIN 1923) in Mexican Air Force colors at Paso Robles in 1972

(EAA Photo)

The proboscis of an American Classic

(Bill Hodges Collection)

To most fly-in goers of today this is what Ryan is all about the ubiquitous PT-22

(Di ck Stouffer PhotO) (Ryan Aeronautical Co Official Photo) PT-22

A PT-20 in its element

(Photo by Jack Cox) Walt Mindermann of Hollis N Y restored this 5C-3 It has been modernshyized with the addition of a 220-hp Continental and World War II era wheels

THE ARKANSAS COMMANO-AIRE By Robert G Lock (EAA 56824)

1186 N Pecan Reedly California 93654

After the conclusion of World War I a great numshyber of military surplus aircraft were dumped on the civilian market These aircraft were former trainers and fighters which were fabricated in large numbers towards the end of the war by the United States Probably the best known airplane of that era was the Curtiss Jenny Hundreds of Jennies were produced to train pilots for air combat After the war they were sold to the public for as little as $200 When a person could purchase a flying machine for that small amount of money many fell into the hands of unqualified pilots with the result that many Jennies were wrecked As they slowly disapshypeared new aircraft were designed and built in garages and small shops

One aircraft that immediately comes to mind is the Ryan monoplane designed and built by the Ryan Company in San Diego for Charles Lindbergh In 1927 Lindbergh flew the Ryan solo across the Atlantic Cershytainly this event triggered an expansion of commercial aviation and many new designs appeared The Waco made Troy Ohio famous while Cessna Beech and Stearman made Wichita Kansas the capital of comshymercial airplane production Clyde Cessna formed Cesshysna Aircraft Walter Beech formed the Travel Air Compa ny and Lloyd Stearman set up a small factory that was to produce many famous aircraft

Almost all the newly built aircraft had identical features two or three place open cockpit biplanes conshyventional landing gears with tail skids instead of tail-

wheels and large wheels and tires on the main landing gear There was the Waco 9 which received Approved Type Certificate No 11 Beechs Travel Air 2000 holding ATC No 30 and the Stearman C3C granted ATC No 62 The first Approved Type Certificate was awarded under the Air Commerce Act of 1926 in the year 1927 Since there were so many new designs apshypearing the government decided that some type conshytrol was needed to assure safe flight and structural soundness Thus Approved Type Certificate Number One was awarded the Buhl-Verville J4 Airster on March 29 1927

Making an appearance on the commercial market in July 1928 was the Command-Aire 3C3 series The Command-Aire closely resembled the Waco Travel Air and Stearman It had two wings was powered by the surplus Curtiss OX-5 engine and was said to have outshystanding flight characteristics Over 100 of the 3C3 series were built

The factory was located in Little Rock Arkansas in a plant formerly occupied by an automobile manushyfacturer R B Snowden Jr was the President Albert Voelmecke was the Chief Engineer and a noted pilot John Carroll Cone was in charge of sales Voelmecke was formerly with Ernst Heinkel Airplane Works of Gershymany Chief test pilot was Wright Ike Vermilya who dazzled the public by riding on top of the fuselage aft of the rear seat straddling the airplane Of course he wore no parachute he just sat there while the airplane

7

flew itself Thus the Command-Aire was shown to be extremely stable and the word stabili ty was used many times in the firms advertising

As the supply of OX-5 engines became scarce the factory experimented with other engines mostly the radial type The next development by the company was the Command-Aire 3C3-A which received ATC No 118 in March of 1929 Only 20 were built and one Warner powered model serial number W-79 was placed on Edo floats

During the year 1929 distribution and sales were taken over by the Curtiss Flying Service located in 26 of the 48 states Most of the later Command-Aire models were sent to the companys Houston Texas location

The next step in Command-Air~ evolution came in the closing days of March 1929 when the model 3C3-B received ATC No 120 The 3C3-B had a seven cylinder Siemens Halske engine of 105-113 horsepower The enshygine was of German manufacture distributed in the USA by K G Frank as the Yankee Siemens Pershyformance of aircraft and engine was good but engine

thirty-five 5C3s were manufactured by the Little Rock plant All 5C3s were powered by a 185 horsepower six

cylinder Challenger radial engine Performance was very good and the engine was quite reliable Cruise speed was 103 miles-per-hour while full control of the aircraft could be maintained down to 40 miles-per-hour So good was the control and stability of the airplane the Curtiss Flying Service promptly ordered sixteen 5C3s fitted as dusters by the factory and licensed in the restricted cateshygory (NR) Some 200000 acres of cotton were dusted in the southern states in 1929 Price at the factory was $6325 later reduced to $5950 in 1930

The 5C3 was entered in many air races in 1929 but always placed midway in the field each time it was not built for speed Major John Carroll Cone who was still in charge of sales flew a 5C3 to seventh place in the 1929 National Air Tour

During the same month July 1929 one 5C3 airshycraft was modified and a 150-hp Hispano-Suiza (Risso) engine installed The airplane was given ATC No 185 and was probably the best looking of the CommandshyAire models closely resembling the Travel Air 2000 However only one 5C3-A was produced This aircraft was flown from San Diego California to Los Angeles Qalifornia by fearless test pilot Ike Vermilya while

~----------------------------------------------------~

(Photo by Jack Cox)

N970E a 3C-3A is a part of the Wings and Wheels Museum collection located in Santee S C It was beautifully restored for owner Dolph Overton by Ernest E Webb of Charlotte N C The Warner powered Command-Aire has a tailwheel but othershywise is authentic to the smallest detail This is without question one of the counshytrys outstanding antique ai rplane restorations

parts were hard to find Price at the factory new was about $5500 Only three were built and one 4C3 was proshyduced powered by a 135 hp Walter engine of Czechoslashyvakian design

With the increasing interest in flying and pilot trainshying Command-Aire introduced the model 3C3-T in May of 1929 Carrying ATC No 150 thirty or more of this type were manufactured and sold for $1130 in 1929 Lashyter in 1930 the price was reduced to $2250 The one elongated cockpit was quite roomy for two persons seated tandem and was dubbed the bath tub

In the same month Command-Aire received ATC No 151 for the model 3C3-AT It was basically the same as the previous model but had a Warner 110 hp enshygine installed This engine gave the aircraft better pershyformance needed for the higher category license such as limited commercial or transport Only six of this type were built most were used by the Curtiss Flying Service for flight instruction

The model 5C3 was the firms best and most popushylar airplane Granted ATC No 184 in July 1929 some

straddling the rear of the fuselage in his usual style The distance covered was about one hundred miles and only occasional rudder control was used to keep the ship on the proper heading This certainly was a safe and genshytle airplane in its day

ATC No 209 was issued August 22 1929 for the Command-Aire 3C3-BT This model carried the same structure of the 3C3-AT but a 113-hp Yankee Sieshymens engine was installed Only three were manushyfactured

Towards the end of 1929 the Command-Aire Comshypany decided to develop its own sales organization unshyder the direction of Major J Carroll Cone The Curtiss Flying Service would no longer distribute CommandshyAire aircraft This development became effective Noshyvember 1 1929

In the latter part of 1929 another event was taking place - the Great Depression Unfortunately CommandshyAire was among the many companies that suffered severely However ATC No 214 was granted the comshypany for production of the model 5C3-B Only three were built being powered by a newly developed 150-hp Axelshyson engine The Depression was beginning to take its toll

8

WILLARD r SCHMITI 4027 ROCKY RIVER DR NO 22

ilLlNILAND~ OHIO 4413a 1973 COMMANDmiddotAIRE REGISTRATION LIST

Model3C3

N 136EA Ser No 532 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

N 583E Ser No 607 LOUIS Anderson RI 2 Mans f ield Mo 65704

N 7885 Ser No 530 Sileiby B Hagberg RI 1 Box 42 Greenfield Iowa 51343

Mode13Cmiddot3A N 970E Ser No W- l0B Dolph Overton

P a Box 93 Sanlee S C 29142

Mode13Cmiddot38 N 610E Ser No W69 Joseph Erale

1 Willow SI 9rentwood N Y 11717

Model5C-3 N 925E Ser No W-88 Walter A Mlndermann

196 30 Como Ave Hollis N Y 11423

N 996E Ser No W-135 Joh n R McDa nlel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 997E Ser No W-136 Robert G Lock 1186 N Pecan Reedley Calif 93654

N 998E Ser No W-137 John R McDaniel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 939E Ser No W-93 Joseph E rale 4 Willow SI Brentwood N Y 11717

N 946E Ser No W-95 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

(Photo Courtesy of Lloyd TOll )

Major John Carroll Cone Sales Manager for Command-Aire flew this 5C3 to 7th place in the 1929 National Air Tour The engine is a six cylinder Curtiss Challenger with bayonet stacks

The last model manufactured by Command-Aire was ATC No 233 and designated as the 5C3-C Proshyduction began in September 1929 The 5C3-C was powered by a later version of Lindberghs engine the Wright J-6-5 developing 165 hp If the Depression had not hit the country this model would have been the most

popular with the public The Wright engine offered reshyliability greater than the previous engines The pershyformance was outstanding cruising speed 101 mph landshying speed 42 mph and rate of climb was 810 feet per minute from sea level Cruising range at eight gallons per hour was six hundred miles Price at the factory was $7000 later it was reduced to $6025 However the marshyket failed to materialize leaving the company with only the consola tion that a future for this craft would have been assured had the market held up to its normal proshyportions

So ends the story of the Command-Aire Briefly manufactured from 1928 to 1930 the Command-Aire owns a small space in the history and development of aviation Command-Aire no longer lives - only a few examples have survived the past forty-two years Pershyhaps the statement Command-Aire no longer lives is incorrect The name lives in the memories of the pilots who flew them and to those who are fortunate to have found one to restore

COMMAND-AIRE 5C-3

Sometime ago I purchased a 1929 Command-Aire

model 5C-3 The aircraft is in poor condition but is reshybuildable There were approximately 33 of this model manufactured by the Command-Aire Company of Little Rock Arkansas The original design began in 1928 and was powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine Only 5 remain_

The 5C series aircraft were powered by a 6 cylinder Curtiss Challenger radial engine developing 185 hp My aircraft NC997E is the next to last built and has been modified for crop dusting use The engine was changed to a Continental R-670 220 hp

When I begin restoration next year I would like to install a Wright R-540 engine of 175 hp as shown in the 5C3-C aircraft This will mean a change in engine mount ring and of course an engine This engine went out of production in July of 1937 so locating one will be diffishycult However if you should happen to find one let me know I have a new overhauled Hamilton Standard ground adjustable propeller cut down to fit the Command-Aire

My Command-Aire is currently stored in a warehouse in Hanford along with two other 5C3s NC996E and NC998E These are three of the last five that are beshylieved to exist One is NC925E located in New York and the other is in Illinois

These aircraft are said to have excellent low speed characteristics because they were among the first airshycraft to use the Frese type aileron Notice that the landshying speed is a low 40 mph

A rather interesting find in this day and age I am lookshying forward to getting one of these aircraft in the air _ someday

9

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Carl Swanson s fantastically accurate repl ica Nieuport 17

NOW ABOUT THOSE REPLICA PLANS By Jack Cox

EAA Headquarters receives hundreds of requests every year for information on plans for vintage aircraft mostly World War I fighter types

The following list is what we send out to all conshycerned

Bleriot XI

Curtiss Pusher

Curtiss JN4D

DeHavilland 4

Fokker D-VII

10

Mel Miller 2030 Geary Albany Oregon 97321 - Complete set of drawings and instructions for replishyca - $1500 Charles F Schultz 910 Broadfields Dr Louisville Ky 40207 - Set of drawings developed from original Curtiss prints Gordon E Codding 4572 West 147 St Lawndale Cal 90260 - 23 drawings incomplete but good covshyerage Air Force Museum Wright-Patterson AFB Dayton Ohio - Some drawshyings available _ Fred Koin Losy 724 Robin Way N Palm Beach Fla 33408 - Set of Blue Max D-VII drawings Harold Best-Devereux 11 Stoneshyhills House Welwyn Garden City Herts England - Sets of Blue Max D-VII drawings Herbert L Kelly 56424 Handley Rd Yucca Valley Calif 92284 - 11 plates averaging 34 x 54 with all details needed to build 160-180 hp Mercedes D-VII - $11000

Fokker Dr I

Fokker D-VIII

Nieuport 17

Nieuport 27

MacchishyHanriot HD-l

RAFSE5A

Sopwith Camel

Walter Redfern Box G Tekoa Wash - Plans for Warner-powered replica $5000 Brochure $200 E O Swearingen 40 Monee Rd Park Forest Ill 60466 Drawings from Platz originals for Warnershypowered replica Fred Kom Losy (address above) -Rosendaal drawings Air Force Mushyseum Dayton Ohio - Drawings Fred Kom Losy (address above) shyDrawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings

Chris J Warrilow 141 Chairboshyrough Rd High Wycome Bucks England - Set of Drawings $12000 Replica PlanS 953 Kirkmond Cresshycent Richmond BC Canada -Darwings for 85 scale wooden replica Air Force Museum - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings RAE Farnborough Public Records Office Chancery Lane London England - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings of Camel FI and some of 2FI 200 drawings $14400

Sopwith Pup Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Smithsonian Institution Washingshyton D C - 72 drawings 18 x 24 $16200 Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings Hawker-Siddeley Kingston-upon-Thames - Drawings Public Records of Hawker-Siddeley (above has drawings for 100 hp conshyversion)

Sopwith Triplane Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings $7200

SPADs 713 Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings

Thomas-Morse Gordon E Codding (address above) S4C - Drawings

We also recommend that World War I replica enshythusiasts contact two groups which publish newsletters on their favorite activity building and flying aircraft of The Great War They are

World War I Aeroplanes by Leonard E Opdycke 46 Pleasant Ridge Road Poughkeepsie New York 12603

Fokker Verein Contact Dr Stanley L Morel 812 East Park Row Arlington Texas 76010 (Phone 277shy8361) The Fokker Verein is not limited to Fokker enshythusiasts - all World War I types are included

Your editor would like to hear of sources of any other plans andor organizations devoted especially to the above type of activity We will be happy to publish the information in The Vintage Airplane

(Ted Koston Photo) BELOW - E O Swearingens much admired Fokker O-VIII and a friend from another generation

(Ralph Nortell Photo)

ABOVE - Fokker Triplane built by Walt Redfern

(Salo Photo)

RIGHT - Sopwith Camel Now on exhibit at Wings and Wheels in Santee S C

AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD (Photo by Ted Koston)

PROBLEMS

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

PROBLEMS

(Photo Courtesy Lee Parsons)

PROBLEMS

12

OH THOSE PROBLEMS Memorial Day weekend is enough to drive the Anshy

tique and Classic buff from drink That same long weekshyend three of the largest and most active type clubs in the antique-classic world are holding their national flyshyins The Staggerwing Swift and Waco Clubs all meet that weekend their fly-in sites tantalizingly close for those of us who would like to attend all three

STAGGERWING Tullahoma Tennessees big World War II training

field-now-municipal-airport is where Staggerwing Club President Dub Yarbrough will greet his fellow Beech buffs All sorts of down home activities are on tap for the May 25-28 spree Items A Tennessee Hoedown on Saturday night (with Tennessee spirits) panel disshycussions and actual demonstrations of Staggerwing reshypair maintenance inspection and rebuilding featured speaker is Louise Thaden winner of the 1936 BendIx shyin a Staggerwing of course Camping facilities are available - including shower and toilet and electrical hook-up In addition to the stars of the show the Stagshygerwings there will be glider flying and even hot air balshyloons Time is short but for last minute fly-in informashytion contact W C Yarbrough Lannom Mfg Co Inc Tullahoma Tennessee 37388

SWIFT Your first problem in going to the Swift Fly-In will

be finding where to go Gilbertsville Kentucky is the nearest town the landmark to look for is the Kentucky Lake Dam and the airport will be the one with scores of Swifts buzzing all over the place - its name on your chart is Kentucky Dam State Park Airport When you get your chart down to find all this look at the extreme western end of Kentucky find Paducah then trace the Tennessee River east to the Kentucky Lake Dam By then you should have the airport symbol located This is a beautiful resort area and a fantastic site for any kind of outdoor event Last year Charlie Nelsons Swift nuts came in from all over the country in droves - around 100 of the snappy little low wingers were on hand (probably the biggest assemblage of Swifts on one airport since the factory had em sitting around awaiting Aeromatic Props just after World War II) All sorts of activity is n tap with lots of flying promised Your contact IS SWIft Club President Charlie Nelson Swift Association Box 644 Athens Tennessee 37303

WACO We outlined the activities that will go on at the Waco

Fly-In in the February issue of The Vintage Airplane but for new members here is a resume The Hamilton Ohio municipal airport is the site of the annual Waco FlyshyIn and the meet is always a biggie Ray Brandly Presishydent of the Waco Club will host the event Formation flying of huge gaggles of big 01 Wacos is a trademark of this fly-in it goes on all clay everyday if the weather is decent A banquet is held on Saturday night and the featured speaker will be Mr Clayton Bruckner who was President of the Waco Company throughout its existence Mr Bruckner needless to say is a walking storehouse of Waco history - as is Brandly himself Contact Ray Brandly National Waco Club 2650 West Alex-Bellshybrook Road Dayton Ohio 45459

So there you are all are great fly-ins You pays your money and you takes your choice as the saying goes As soon as the Antique-Classic Division membershyship roll hits the one million mark were going to ask the boss to lease a Lear Jet so we can attend all three

RARE WACO FOR SALE There is one Waco YPF-6 left This is the one that

looks a lot like the fabulous D owned by Dick Jackson It has the sliding greenhouse etc but a smaller Jacobs R~755-9 rather than the 450-hp Pratt and Whitney This aircraft was well into the process of restoration when its owner passed away The center section and cowl are complete the fuselage primed and jigs for the wing ribs have been built The engine is zero time since overhaul Wing spars have been purchased The aircraft is a 1935 Waco UPF-6 Serial Number 4375 NC 15700 The enshygine serial number is JO-21395

The aircraft is located just across the street from the Boulder Colorado airport Contact Lucille Bennett 5117 Independence Road Boulder Colorado 80301 (303442-3123 ) This would be a highly desirable antique and a special prize among Waco buffs

PORTERFIELD CLUB If you are an admirer of The Skinny Bird the lIttle

Porterfields of the late 30s and early 40s you will want to join the Porterfield Club and get their newsletter For information write Marc Herman 2306 Hyperion Avenue Los Angeles California 90027

A recent Porterfield restoration is N27281 a 1940 LP-65 rebuilt by William R Knox of Marietta Georgia Painted red and cream the bird is reported to be a beauty This will not be hard to believe for those of ~ ou who remember Bills Fairchild 24 of a few years back He is now hard at work on a 1929 Fleet I

STEARMAN RESTORERS ASSOCIATION

For many years the Stearman Restorers jssociashytion served as the Stearman Type Club for both the EAA and AAA and was an active force in the sport flying world But for the past few years it has been inactive due mainly to the great time and travel requirements of Bill McCrearys job For some time now Bill has tried to get me to take over the position of President of the SRA and get it active again and I have finally agreed to do so With the apparent increase in interest in the Stearman as shown by fly-in activities during the past couple of years I hope that we will be able to make it a Vital part of sport aviation once again In the near future I wIll be mailing a letter to all past SRA members and to other known Stearman enthusiasts detailing the re-activation of the SRA Members who had paid up membership dues during the last active year of the SRA will be c~nshysidered to be paid in full for the next year Anyone mshyterested in the Stearman Restorers Association please feel free to contact me

Thomas E Lowe President Stearman Restorers Association 823 Kingston Lane Crystal Lake Ill 60014 Telephone 815-459-6873

VINTAGE AIRPLANE BACK ISSUES Membership in the Antique-Classic Division of EAA

is growing very rapidly Most new members want to get all the back issues to date - which we have done as long as possible Due to the demand the February issue (which featured Wacos) is completely used up (We alshymost forgot to save file copies for ourselves at Headshyquarters) We still have a few of the January and March 1973 issues and will send them out on a first come first served basis It is amazing that a magazine only four

13

THE PRESIDENTS PAGE

By E E Buck Hilbert President EAA AntiqueClassic Division

KEEP THAT BIRD STOCK

Each of us who owns an Antique or Classic aircraft is privileged to be the curator of our own personal museum piece Its a responsibility whether we realize it or not The more rare the bird the larger the responsibility and the greater the effort should be to keep it original

Pride of ownership pride in having something no one else has and greater recognition is possible by just keeping it factory new and cleaner than the one next to it

Butching up an airframe to make it aerobatic or speedy hanging a bigger engine or in some way taking it out of the original configuration makes it less desirable and also imshyportant less saleable

Some mods are necessary to keep the birds flying Brakes and a tailwheel are an abso shylute necessity in todays world of aviation So is a radio And with engine reliability always a problem a more modern engine is sometimes the only answer But to customize to gain attention will never do the trick If its an aerobatic bird you want go get a special If its speed youre after then step up to one built for it

But keep those Antique and Classic machines stock ask our judging committee

2

VOLUME 1 - NUMBER 5

APRIL 1973

TABLE OF CONTENTS

National Ryan Club Bill Hodges 4 The Arkansas Command-Aire

R obert Lock 7 Now About Those Replica Plans

J ack Cox 10 Around The Antique-Classic World 12

Calendar of Events 14

HOW TO JOIN THE ANTIQUEshyCLASSIC DIVISION

Membership in the EAA Antique-Classic Divishysion is open to all EAA members who have a speshycial interest in the older aircraft that are a proud par t of our aviation heritage Membership in the Antique-Classic Division is $1000 per year which entitles one to 12 issues of The Vintage Airplane published monthly at EAA Headquarters Each member will also receive a special Antique-Classic membership card plus one additional card for ones spouse or other designated family member

Membership in EAA is $1500 per year which includes 12 issues of SPOR T AVIATION All memshybership correspondence should be addressed to EAA Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130

EDITORIAL STAFF Publisher - Paul H Poberezny Editor - Jack Cox Assistant Ed itor - Gene Chase Assistant Ed itor - Golda Cox

ON THE COVER Ryan PT-21s at the Ryan Factory lindbergh Field San Diego

BACK COVER - Lusco mbe on float s Photo by Howard Levy

ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC DIVISION OFFICERS

PRESIDENTshyE E HILBERT 8102 LEECH RD UNION ILLINOIS 60180

SECRETARY RICHARD WAGNER BOX 181 LYONS WIS 53148

VICE PRESIDENT J R NIELANDER JR P O BOX 2464 FT LAUDERDALE FLA 33303

TREASURER NICK REZICH 4213 CENTERVILLE RD ROCKFORD ILL 61102

DIVISION EXECUTIVE SECRETARY DOROTHY CHASE EAA HEADQUARTERS

Postmaster Send Form 3579 to Antique Classic Aircraft Inc Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130

Copyrigh t copy 1973 Ant ique Classic Aircraft In c All Rights Reserved

3

(Ryan Aeronautical Co )

An STM-2 in Dutch markings

NATIONAL RYAN CLUB By Bill Hodges

EAA Air Museum

The National Ryan Club was first organized in 1960 by Everett Cassagneres of Cheshire Connecticut and the ST-3KR Division was started by Bill Hodges then of Quinlan Texas in 1963 and was affi liated with the Anshytique Airplane Association In late 1972 its 213 memshybers voted to establish affiliation with the new Antique and Classic Division of the Experimental Aircraft Asshysociation The National Ryan Club is now being coshychaired by Mrs Pat Friedman and Bill Hodges

The purpose of the National Ryan Club is to mainshytain as completely as possible records of existing preshyWorld War II Ryan Aircraft as well as past to the exshytent of their flyability location owners and disposition Also maintained are records locating parts throughout the world a master photo file and files on authorized modifications This information is avai lable to National

4

Ryan Club members without charge There are no memshybership dues however any contribution to help pay the cost of mailing will be appreciated The Annual Meetshying of the National Ryan Club is now held in conjunction with the Experimental Aircraft Associations Annual Inshyternational Convention and Fly-In at Oshkosh Wisconshysin the first week in August All National Ryan Club members are encouraged to attend this meeting the worlds largest gathering of sport aircraft

Mrs Pat Friedman a noted Mid-West aviatress chairs the STA Division of the National Ryan Club which maintains the information center on all pre-STshy3KR series Ryans Mrs Friedman owns and flies a 1940 Ryan STM-E2 originally owned by the Dutch in the Netherlands East Indies

Bill Hodges continues to chair the ST-3KR Division and maintains an information center on the ST-3KR (PT-21 NR-l PT-22) ST-4 and FR-l series Ryans Hodges is currently restoring his fourth PT-22 and has number five waiting in the barn

Enthusiasm for pre-World War II Ryan aircraft reshymains at an all-time high throughout the country Canada and Australia

The classic lines of the STA are readily apparent and are carried over into the ST-3KRIPT-22 series Large gatherings of Ryans may be seen especially at fly- ins in California such as at Watsonville May 18-20 Mershyced June 1-3 and the 3rd Annual Gathering of Ryans at Paso Robles May 4-6 Large numbers are also planning to gather at the EAA Convention July 29shyAugust 4 where the annual National Ryan Club meeting will be held and the 2nd Annual Mid-West Ryan Owners Gathering to be held at Rockton Illinois on August 18 and 19

Of the 1250 PT-22 series aircraft manufactured 160 remain in the Civil Aircraft Register

Interested persons wanting more information may contact Mrs Friedman at 609 Hill Street in Highland Park Illinois 60035 or Mr Hodges at 3351 So 99th Court in Milwaukee Wisconsin 53227

(Myron Rupprecht Photo)

BELOW - Myron Rupprechts 1942 Ryan PT-22 (SIN 1923) in Mexican Air Force colors at Paso Robles in 1972

(EAA Photo)

The proboscis of an American Classic

(Bill Hodges Collection)

To most fly-in goers of today this is what Ryan is all about the ubiquitous PT-22

(Di ck Stouffer PhotO) (Ryan Aeronautical Co Official Photo) PT-22

A PT-20 in its element

(Photo by Jack Cox) Walt Mindermann of Hollis N Y restored this 5C-3 It has been modernshyized with the addition of a 220-hp Continental and World War II era wheels

THE ARKANSAS COMMANO-AIRE By Robert G Lock (EAA 56824)

1186 N Pecan Reedly California 93654

After the conclusion of World War I a great numshyber of military surplus aircraft were dumped on the civilian market These aircraft were former trainers and fighters which were fabricated in large numbers towards the end of the war by the United States Probably the best known airplane of that era was the Curtiss Jenny Hundreds of Jennies were produced to train pilots for air combat After the war they were sold to the public for as little as $200 When a person could purchase a flying machine for that small amount of money many fell into the hands of unqualified pilots with the result that many Jennies were wrecked As they slowly disapshypeared new aircraft were designed and built in garages and small shops

One aircraft that immediately comes to mind is the Ryan monoplane designed and built by the Ryan Company in San Diego for Charles Lindbergh In 1927 Lindbergh flew the Ryan solo across the Atlantic Cershytainly this event triggered an expansion of commercial aviation and many new designs appeared The Waco made Troy Ohio famous while Cessna Beech and Stearman made Wichita Kansas the capital of comshymercial airplane production Clyde Cessna formed Cesshysna Aircraft Walter Beech formed the Travel Air Compa ny and Lloyd Stearman set up a small factory that was to produce many famous aircraft

Almost all the newly built aircraft had identical features two or three place open cockpit biplanes conshyventional landing gears with tail skids instead of tail-

wheels and large wheels and tires on the main landing gear There was the Waco 9 which received Approved Type Certificate No 11 Beechs Travel Air 2000 holding ATC No 30 and the Stearman C3C granted ATC No 62 The first Approved Type Certificate was awarded under the Air Commerce Act of 1926 in the year 1927 Since there were so many new designs apshypearing the government decided that some type conshytrol was needed to assure safe flight and structural soundness Thus Approved Type Certificate Number One was awarded the Buhl-Verville J4 Airster on March 29 1927

Making an appearance on the commercial market in July 1928 was the Command-Aire 3C3 series The Command-Aire closely resembled the Waco Travel Air and Stearman It had two wings was powered by the surplus Curtiss OX-5 engine and was said to have outshystanding flight characteristics Over 100 of the 3C3 series were built

The factory was located in Little Rock Arkansas in a plant formerly occupied by an automobile manushyfacturer R B Snowden Jr was the President Albert Voelmecke was the Chief Engineer and a noted pilot John Carroll Cone was in charge of sales Voelmecke was formerly with Ernst Heinkel Airplane Works of Gershymany Chief test pilot was Wright Ike Vermilya who dazzled the public by riding on top of the fuselage aft of the rear seat straddling the airplane Of course he wore no parachute he just sat there while the airplane

7

flew itself Thus the Command-Aire was shown to be extremely stable and the word stabili ty was used many times in the firms advertising

As the supply of OX-5 engines became scarce the factory experimented with other engines mostly the radial type The next development by the company was the Command-Aire 3C3-A which received ATC No 118 in March of 1929 Only 20 were built and one Warner powered model serial number W-79 was placed on Edo floats

During the year 1929 distribution and sales were taken over by the Curtiss Flying Service located in 26 of the 48 states Most of the later Command-Aire models were sent to the companys Houston Texas location

The next step in Command-Air~ evolution came in the closing days of March 1929 when the model 3C3-B received ATC No 120 The 3C3-B had a seven cylinder Siemens Halske engine of 105-113 horsepower The enshygine was of German manufacture distributed in the USA by K G Frank as the Yankee Siemens Pershyformance of aircraft and engine was good but engine

thirty-five 5C3s were manufactured by the Little Rock plant All 5C3s were powered by a 185 horsepower six

cylinder Challenger radial engine Performance was very good and the engine was quite reliable Cruise speed was 103 miles-per-hour while full control of the aircraft could be maintained down to 40 miles-per-hour So good was the control and stability of the airplane the Curtiss Flying Service promptly ordered sixteen 5C3s fitted as dusters by the factory and licensed in the restricted cateshygory (NR) Some 200000 acres of cotton were dusted in the southern states in 1929 Price at the factory was $6325 later reduced to $5950 in 1930

The 5C3 was entered in many air races in 1929 but always placed midway in the field each time it was not built for speed Major John Carroll Cone who was still in charge of sales flew a 5C3 to seventh place in the 1929 National Air Tour

During the same month July 1929 one 5C3 airshycraft was modified and a 150-hp Hispano-Suiza (Risso) engine installed The airplane was given ATC No 185 and was probably the best looking of the CommandshyAire models closely resembling the Travel Air 2000 However only one 5C3-A was produced This aircraft was flown from San Diego California to Los Angeles Qalifornia by fearless test pilot Ike Vermilya while

~----------------------------------------------------~

(Photo by Jack Cox)

N970E a 3C-3A is a part of the Wings and Wheels Museum collection located in Santee S C It was beautifully restored for owner Dolph Overton by Ernest E Webb of Charlotte N C The Warner powered Command-Aire has a tailwheel but othershywise is authentic to the smallest detail This is without question one of the counshytrys outstanding antique ai rplane restorations

parts were hard to find Price at the factory new was about $5500 Only three were built and one 4C3 was proshyduced powered by a 135 hp Walter engine of Czechoslashyvakian design

With the increasing interest in flying and pilot trainshying Command-Aire introduced the model 3C3-T in May of 1929 Carrying ATC No 150 thirty or more of this type were manufactured and sold for $1130 in 1929 Lashyter in 1930 the price was reduced to $2250 The one elongated cockpit was quite roomy for two persons seated tandem and was dubbed the bath tub

In the same month Command-Aire received ATC No 151 for the model 3C3-AT It was basically the same as the previous model but had a Warner 110 hp enshygine installed This engine gave the aircraft better pershyformance needed for the higher category license such as limited commercial or transport Only six of this type were built most were used by the Curtiss Flying Service for flight instruction

The model 5C3 was the firms best and most popushylar airplane Granted ATC No 184 in July 1929 some

straddling the rear of the fuselage in his usual style The distance covered was about one hundred miles and only occasional rudder control was used to keep the ship on the proper heading This certainly was a safe and genshytle airplane in its day

ATC No 209 was issued August 22 1929 for the Command-Aire 3C3-BT This model carried the same structure of the 3C3-AT but a 113-hp Yankee Sieshymens engine was installed Only three were manushyfactured

Towards the end of 1929 the Command-Aire Comshypany decided to develop its own sales organization unshyder the direction of Major J Carroll Cone The Curtiss Flying Service would no longer distribute CommandshyAire aircraft This development became effective Noshyvember 1 1929

In the latter part of 1929 another event was taking place - the Great Depression Unfortunately CommandshyAire was among the many companies that suffered severely However ATC No 214 was granted the comshypany for production of the model 5C3-B Only three were built being powered by a newly developed 150-hp Axelshyson engine The Depression was beginning to take its toll

8

WILLARD r SCHMITI 4027 ROCKY RIVER DR NO 22

ilLlNILAND~ OHIO 4413a 1973 COMMANDmiddotAIRE REGISTRATION LIST

Model3C3

N 136EA Ser No 532 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

N 583E Ser No 607 LOUIS Anderson RI 2 Mans f ield Mo 65704

N 7885 Ser No 530 Sileiby B Hagberg RI 1 Box 42 Greenfield Iowa 51343

Mode13Cmiddot3A N 970E Ser No W- l0B Dolph Overton

P a Box 93 Sanlee S C 29142

Mode13Cmiddot38 N 610E Ser No W69 Joseph Erale

1 Willow SI 9rentwood N Y 11717

Model5C-3 N 925E Ser No W-88 Walter A Mlndermann

196 30 Como Ave Hollis N Y 11423

N 996E Ser No W-135 Joh n R McDa nlel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 997E Ser No W-136 Robert G Lock 1186 N Pecan Reedley Calif 93654

N 998E Ser No W-137 John R McDaniel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 939E Ser No W-93 Joseph E rale 4 Willow SI Brentwood N Y 11717

N 946E Ser No W-95 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

(Photo Courtesy of Lloyd TOll )

Major John Carroll Cone Sales Manager for Command-Aire flew this 5C3 to 7th place in the 1929 National Air Tour The engine is a six cylinder Curtiss Challenger with bayonet stacks

The last model manufactured by Command-Aire was ATC No 233 and designated as the 5C3-C Proshyduction began in September 1929 The 5C3-C was powered by a later version of Lindberghs engine the Wright J-6-5 developing 165 hp If the Depression had not hit the country this model would have been the most

popular with the public The Wright engine offered reshyliability greater than the previous engines The pershyformance was outstanding cruising speed 101 mph landshying speed 42 mph and rate of climb was 810 feet per minute from sea level Cruising range at eight gallons per hour was six hundred miles Price at the factory was $7000 later it was reduced to $6025 However the marshyket failed to materialize leaving the company with only the consola tion that a future for this craft would have been assured had the market held up to its normal proshyportions

So ends the story of the Command-Aire Briefly manufactured from 1928 to 1930 the Command-Aire owns a small space in the history and development of aviation Command-Aire no longer lives - only a few examples have survived the past forty-two years Pershyhaps the statement Command-Aire no longer lives is incorrect The name lives in the memories of the pilots who flew them and to those who are fortunate to have found one to restore

COMMAND-AIRE 5C-3

Sometime ago I purchased a 1929 Command-Aire

model 5C-3 The aircraft is in poor condition but is reshybuildable There were approximately 33 of this model manufactured by the Command-Aire Company of Little Rock Arkansas The original design began in 1928 and was powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine Only 5 remain_

The 5C series aircraft were powered by a 6 cylinder Curtiss Challenger radial engine developing 185 hp My aircraft NC997E is the next to last built and has been modified for crop dusting use The engine was changed to a Continental R-670 220 hp

When I begin restoration next year I would like to install a Wright R-540 engine of 175 hp as shown in the 5C3-C aircraft This will mean a change in engine mount ring and of course an engine This engine went out of production in July of 1937 so locating one will be diffishycult However if you should happen to find one let me know I have a new overhauled Hamilton Standard ground adjustable propeller cut down to fit the Command-Aire

My Command-Aire is currently stored in a warehouse in Hanford along with two other 5C3s NC996E and NC998E These are three of the last five that are beshylieved to exist One is NC925E located in New York and the other is in Illinois

These aircraft are said to have excellent low speed characteristics because they were among the first airshycraft to use the Frese type aileron Notice that the landshying speed is a low 40 mph

A rather interesting find in this day and age I am lookshying forward to getting one of these aircraft in the air _ someday

9

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Carl Swanson s fantastically accurate repl ica Nieuport 17

NOW ABOUT THOSE REPLICA PLANS By Jack Cox

EAA Headquarters receives hundreds of requests every year for information on plans for vintage aircraft mostly World War I fighter types

The following list is what we send out to all conshycerned

Bleriot XI

Curtiss Pusher

Curtiss JN4D

DeHavilland 4

Fokker D-VII

10

Mel Miller 2030 Geary Albany Oregon 97321 - Complete set of drawings and instructions for replishyca - $1500 Charles F Schultz 910 Broadfields Dr Louisville Ky 40207 - Set of drawings developed from original Curtiss prints Gordon E Codding 4572 West 147 St Lawndale Cal 90260 - 23 drawings incomplete but good covshyerage Air Force Museum Wright-Patterson AFB Dayton Ohio - Some drawshyings available _ Fred Koin Losy 724 Robin Way N Palm Beach Fla 33408 - Set of Blue Max D-VII drawings Harold Best-Devereux 11 Stoneshyhills House Welwyn Garden City Herts England - Sets of Blue Max D-VII drawings Herbert L Kelly 56424 Handley Rd Yucca Valley Calif 92284 - 11 plates averaging 34 x 54 with all details needed to build 160-180 hp Mercedes D-VII - $11000

Fokker Dr I

Fokker D-VIII

Nieuport 17

Nieuport 27

MacchishyHanriot HD-l

RAFSE5A

Sopwith Camel

Walter Redfern Box G Tekoa Wash - Plans for Warner-powered replica $5000 Brochure $200 E O Swearingen 40 Monee Rd Park Forest Ill 60466 Drawings from Platz originals for Warnershypowered replica Fred Kom Losy (address above) -Rosendaal drawings Air Force Mushyseum Dayton Ohio - Drawings Fred Kom Losy (address above) shyDrawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings

Chris J Warrilow 141 Chairboshyrough Rd High Wycome Bucks England - Set of Drawings $12000 Replica PlanS 953 Kirkmond Cresshycent Richmond BC Canada -Darwings for 85 scale wooden replica Air Force Museum - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings RAE Farnborough Public Records Office Chancery Lane London England - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings of Camel FI and some of 2FI 200 drawings $14400

Sopwith Pup Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Smithsonian Institution Washingshyton D C - 72 drawings 18 x 24 $16200 Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings Hawker-Siddeley Kingston-upon-Thames - Drawings Public Records of Hawker-Siddeley (above has drawings for 100 hp conshyversion)

Sopwith Triplane Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings $7200

SPADs 713 Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings

Thomas-Morse Gordon E Codding (address above) S4C - Drawings

We also recommend that World War I replica enshythusiasts contact two groups which publish newsletters on their favorite activity building and flying aircraft of The Great War They are

World War I Aeroplanes by Leonard E Opdycke 46 Pleasant Ridge Road Poughkeepsie New York 12603

Fokker Verein Contact Dr Stanley L Morel 812 East Park Row Arlington Texas 76010 (Phone 277shy8361) The Fokker Verein is not limited to Fokker enshythusiasts - all World War I types are included

Your editor would like to hear of sources of any other plans andor organizations devoted especially to the above type of activity We will be happy to publish the information in The Vintage Airplane

(Ted Koston Photo) BELOW - E O Swearingens much admired Fokker O-VIII and a friend from another generation

(Ralph Nortell Photo)

ABOVE - Fokker Triplane built by Walt Redfern

(Salo Photo)

RIGHT - Sopwith Camel Now on exhibit at Wings and Wheels in Santee S C

AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD (Photo by Ted Koston)

PROBLEMS

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

PROBLEMS

(Photo Courtesy Lee Parsons)

PROBLEMS

12

OH THOSE PROBLEMS Memorial Day weekend is enough to drive the Anshy

tique and Classic buff from drink That same long weekshyend three of the largest and most active type clubs in the antique-classic world are holding their national flyshyins The Staggerwing Swift and Waco Clubs all meet that weekend their fly-in sites tantalizingly close for those of us who would like to attend all three

STAGGERWING Tullahoma Tennessees big World War II training

field-now-municipal-airport is where Staggerwing Club President Dub Yarbrough will greet his fellow Beech buffs All sorts of down home activities are on tap for the May 25-28 spree Items A Tennessee Hoedown on Saturday night (with Tennessee spirits) panel disshycussions and actual demonstrations of Staggerwing reshypair maintenance inspection and rebuilding featured speaker is Louise Thaden winner of the 1936 BendIx shyin a Staggerwing of course Camping facilities are available - including shower and toilet and electrical hook-up In addition to the stars of the show the Stagshygerwings there will be glider flying and even hot air balshyloons Time is short but for last minute fly-in informashytion contact W C Yarbrough Lannom Mfg Co Inc Tullahoma Tennessee 37388

SWIFT Your first problem in going to the Swift Fly-In will

be finding where to go Gilbertsville Kentucky is the nearest town the landmark to look for is the Kentucky Lake Dam and the airport will be the one with scores of Swifts buzzing all over the place - its name on your chart is Kentucky Dam State Park Airport When you get your chart down to find all this look at the extreme western end of Kentucky find Paducah then trace the Tennessee River east to the Kentucky Lake Dam By then you should have the airport symbol located This is a beautiful resort area and a fantastic site for any kind of outdoor event Last year Charlie Nelsons Swift nuts came in from all over the country in droves - around 100 of the snappy little low wingers were on hand (probably the biggest assemblage of Swifts on one airport since the factory had em sitting around awaiting Aeromatic Props just after World War II) All sorts of activity is n tap with lots of flying promised Your contact IS SWIft Club President Charlie Nelson Swift Association Box 644 Athens Tennessee 37303

WACO We outlined the activities that will go on at the Waco

Fly-In in the February issue of The Vintage Airplane but for new members here is a resume The Hamilton Ohio municipal airport is the site of the annual Waco FlyshyIn and the meet is always a biggie Ray Brandly Presishydent of the Waco Club will host the event Formation flying of huge gaggles of big 01 Wacos is a trademark of this fly-in it goes on all clay everyday if the weather is decent A banquet is held on Saturday night and the featured speaker will be Mr Clayton Bruckner who was President of the Waco Company throughout its existence Mr Bruckner needless to say is a walking storehouse of Waco history - as is Brandly himself Contact Ray Brandly National Waco Club 2650 West Alex-Bellshybrook Road Dayton Ohio 45459

So there you are all are great fly-ins You pays your money and you takes your choice as the saying goes As soon as the Antique-Classic Division membershyship roll hits the one million mark were going to ask the boss to lease a Lear Jet so we can attend all three

RARE WACO FOR SALE There is one Waco YPF-6 left This is the one that

looks a lot like the fabulous D owned by Dick Jackson It has the sliding greenhouse etc but a smaller Jacobs R~755-9 rather than the 450-hp Pratt and Whitney This aircraft was well into the process of restoration when its owner passed away The center section and cowl are complete the fuselage primed and jigs for the wing ribs have been built The engine is zero time since overhaul Wing spars have been purchased The aircraft is a 1935 Waco UPF-6 Serial Number 4375 NC 15700 The enshygine serial number is JO-21395

The aircraft is located just across the street from the Boulder Colorado airport Contact Lucille Bennett 5117 Independence Road Boulder Colorado 80301 (303442-3123 ) This would be a highly desirable antique and a special prize among Waco buffs

PORTERFIELD CLUB If you are an admirer of The Skinny Bird the lIttle

Porterfields of the late 30s and early 40s you will want to join the Porterfield Club and get their newsletter For information write Marc Herman 2306 Hyperion Avenue Los Angeles California 90027

A recent Porterfield restoration is N27281 a 1940 LP-65 rebuilt by William R Knox of Marietta Georgia Painted red and cream the bird is reported to be a beauty This will not be hard to believe for those of ~ ou who remember Bills Fairchild 24 of a few years back He is now hard at work on a 1929 Fleet I

STEARMAN RESTORERS ASSOCIATION

For many years the Stearman Restorers jssociashytion served as the Stearman Type Club for both the EAA and AAA and was an active force in the sport flying world But for the past few years it has been inactive due mainly to the great time and travel requirements of Bill McCrearys job For some time now Bill has tried to get me to take over the position of President of the SRA and get it active again and I have finally agreed to do so With the apparent increase in interest in the Stearman as shown by fly-in activities during the past couple of years I hope that we will be able to make it a Vital part of sport aviation once again In the near future I wIll be mailing a letter to all past SRA members and to other known Stearman enthusiasts detailing the re-activation of the SRA Members who had paid up membership dues during the last active year of the SRA will be c~nshysidered to be paid in full for the next year Anyone mshyterested in the Stearman Restorers Association please feel free to contact me

Thomas E Lowe President Stearman Restorers Association 823 Kingston Lane Crystal Lake Ill 60014 Telephone 815-459-6873

VINTAGE AIRPLANE BACK ISSUES Membership in the Antique-Classic Division of EAA

is growing very rapidly Most new members want to get all the back issues to date - which we have done as long as possible Due to the demand the February issue (which featured Wacos) is completely used up (We alshymost forgot to save file copies for ourselves at Headshyquarters) We still have a few of the January and March 1973 issues and will send them out on a first come first served basis It is amazing that a magazine only four

13

VOLUME 1 - NUMBER 5

APRIL 1973

TABLE OF CONTENTS

National Ryan Club Bill Hodges 4 The Arkansas Command-Aire

R obert Lock 7 Now About Those Replica Plans

J ack Cox 10 Around The Antique-Classic World 12

Calendar of Events 14

HOW TO JOIN THE ANTIQUEshyCLASSIC DIVISION

Membership in the EAA Antique-Classic Divishysion is open to all EAA members who have a speshycial interest in the older aircraft that are a proud par t of our aviation heritage Membership in the Antique-Classic Division is $1000 per year which entitles one to 12 issues of The Vintage Airplane published monthly at EAA Headquarters Each member will also receive a special Antique-Classic membership card plus one additional card for ones spouse or other designated family member

Membership in EAA is $1500 per year which includes 12 issues of SPOR T AVIATION All memshybership correspondence should be addressed to EAA Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130

EDITORIAL STAFF Publisher - Paul H Poberezny Editor - Jack Cox Assistant Ed itor - Gene Chase Assistant Ed itor - Golda Cox

ON THE COVER Ryan PT-21s at the Ryan Factory lindbergh Field San Diego

BACK COVER - Lusco mbe on float s Photo by Howard Levy

ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC DIVISION OFFICERS

PRESIDENTshyE E HILBERT 8102 LEECH RD UNION ILLINOIS 60180

SECRETARY RICHARD WAGNER BOX 181 LYONS WIS 53148

VICE PRESIDENT J R NIELANDER JR P O BOX 2464 FT LAUDERDALE FLA 33303

TREASURER NICK REZICH 4213 CENTERVILLE RD ROCKFORD ILL 61102

DIVISION EXECUTIVE SECRETARY DOROTHY CHASE EAA HEADQUARTERS

Postmaster Send Form 3579 to Antique Classic Aircraft Inc Box 229 Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130

Copyrigh t copy 1973 Ant ique Classic Aircraft In c All Rights Reserved

3

(Ryan Aeronautical Co )

An STM-2 in Dutch markings

NATIONAL RYAN CLUB By Bill Hodges

EAA Air Museum

The National Ryan Club was first organized in 1960 by Everett Cassagneres of Cheshire Connecticut and the ST-3KR Division was started by Bill Hodges then of Quinlan Texas in 1963 and was affi liated with the Anshytique Airplane Association In late 1972 its 213 memshybers voted to establish affiliation with the new Antique and Classic Division of the Experimental Aircraft Asshysociation The National Ryan Club is now being coshychaired by Mrs Pat Friedman and Bill Hodges

The purpose of the National Ryan Club is to mainshytain as completely as possible records of existing preshyWorld War II Ryan Aircraft as well as past to the exshytent of their flyability location owners and disposition Also maintained are records locating parts throughout the world a master photo file and files on authorized modifications This information is avai lable to National

4

Ryan Club members without charge There are no memshybership dues however any contribution to help pay the cost of mailing will be appreciated The Annual Meetshying of the National Ryan Club is now held in conjunction with the Experimental Aircraft Associations Annual Inshyternational Convention and Fly-In at Oshkosh Wisconshysin the first week in August All National Ryan Club members are encouraged to attend this meeting the worlds largest gathering of sport aircraft

Mrs Pat Friedman a noted Mid-West aviatress chairs the STA Division of the National Ryan Club which maintains the information center on all pre-STshy3KR series Ryans Mrs Friedman owns and flies a 1940 Ryan STM-E2 originally owned by the Dutch in the Netherlands East Indies

Bill Hodges continues to chair the ST-3KR Division and maintains an information center on the ST-3KR (PT-21 NR-l PT-22) ST-4 and FR-l series Ryans Hodges is currently restoring his fourth PT-22 and has number five waiting in the barn

Enthusiasm for pre-World War II Ryan aircraft reshymains at an all-time high throughout the country Canada and Australia

The classic lines of the STA are readily apparent and are carried over into the ST-3KRIPT-22 series Large gatherings of Ryans may be seen especially at fly- ins in California such as at Watsonville May 18-20 Mershyced June 1-3 and the 3rd Annual Gathering of Ryans at Paso Robles May 4-6 Large numbers are also planning to gather at the EAA Convention July 29shyAugust 4 where the annual National Ryan Club meeting will be held and the 2nd Annual Mid-West Ryan Owners Gathering to be held at Rockton Illinois on August 18 and 19

Of the 1250 PT-22 series aircraft manufactured 160 remain in the Civil Aircraft Register

Interested persons wanting more information may contact Mrs Friedman at 609 Hill Street in Highland Park Illinois 60035 or Mr Hodges at 3351 So 99th Court in Milwaukee Wisconsin 53227

(Myron Rupprecht Photo)

BELOW - Myron Rupprechts 1942 Ryan PT-22 (SIN 1923) in Mexican Air Force colors at Paso Robles in 1972

(EAA Photo)

The proboscis of an American Classic

(Bill Hodges Collection)

To most fly-in goers of today this is what Ryan is all about the ubiquitous PT-22

(Di ck Stouffer PhotO) (Ryan Aeronautical Co Official Photo) PT-22

A PT-20 in its element

(Photo by Jack Cox) Walt Mindermann of Hollis N Y restored this 5C-3 It has been modernshyized with the addition of a 220-hp Continental and World War II era wheels

THE ARKANSAS COMMANO-AIRE By Robert G Lock (EAA 56824)

1186 N Pecan Reedly California 93654

After the conclusion of World War I a great numshyber of military surplus aircraft were dumped on the civilian market These aircraft were former trainers and fighters which were fabricated in large numbers towards the end of the war by the United States Probably the best known airplane of that era was the Curtiss Jenny Hundreds of Jennies were produced to train pilots for air combat After the war they were sold to the public for as little as $200 When a person could purchase a flying machine for that small amount of money many fell into the hands of unqualified pilots with the result that many Jennies were wrecked As they slowly disapshypeared new aircraft were designed and built in garages and small shops

One aircraft that immediately comes to mind is the Ryan monoplane designed and built by the Ryan Company in San Diego for Charles Lindbergh In 1927 Lindbergh flew the Ryan solo across the Atlantic Cershytainly this event triggered an expansion of commercial aviation and many new designs appeared The Waco made Troy Ohio famous while Cessna Beech and Stearman made Wichita Kansas the capital of comshymercial airplane production Clyde Cessna formed Cesshysna Aircraft Walter Beech formed the Travel Air Compa ny and Lloyd Stearman set up a small factory that was to produce many famous aircraft

Almost all the newly built aircraft had identical features two or three place open cockpit biplanes conshyventional landing gears with tail skids instead of tail-

wheels and large wheels and tires on the main landing gear There was the Waco 9 which received Approved Type Certificate No 11 Beechs Travel Air 2000 holding ATC No 30 and the Stearman C3C granted ATC No 62 The first Approved Type Certificate was awarded under the Air Commerce Act of 1926 in the year 1927 Since there were so many new designs apshypearing the government decided that some type conshytrol was needed to assure safe flight and structural soundness Thus Approved Type Certificate Number One was awarded the Buhl-Verville J4 Airster on March 29 1927

Making an appearance on the commercial market in July 1928 was the Command-Aire 3C3 series The Command-Aire closely resembled the Waco Travel Air and Stearman It had two wings was powered by the surplus Curtiss OX-5 engine and was said to have outshystanding flight characteristics Over 100 of the 3C3 series were built

The factory was located in Little Rock Arkansas in a plant formerly occupied by an automobile manushyfacturer R B Snowden Jr was the President Albert Voelmecke was the Chief Engineer and a noted pilot John Carroll Cone was in charge of sales Voelmecke was formerly with Ernst Heinkel Airplane Works of Gershymany Chief test pilot was Wright Ike Vermilya who dazzled the public by riding on top of the fuselage aft of the rear seat straddling the airplane Of course he wore no parachute he just sat there while the airplane

7

flew itself Thus the Command-Aire was shown to be extremely stable and the word stabili ty was used many times in the firms advertising

As the supply of OX-5 engines became scarce the factory experimented with other engines mostly the radial type The next development by the company was the Command-Aire 3C3-A which received ATC No 118 in March of 1929 Only 20 were built and one Warner powered model serial number W-79 was placed on Edo floats

During the year 1929 distribution and sales were taken over by the Curtiss Flying Service located in 26 of the 48 states Most of the later Command-Aire models were sent to the companys Houston Texas location

The next step in Command-Air~ evolution came in the closing days of March 1929 when the model 3C3-B received ATC No 120 The 3C3-B had a seven cylinder Siemens Halske engine of 105-113 horsepower The enshygine was of German manufacture distributed in the USA by K G Frank as the Yankee Siemens Pershyformance of aircraft and engine was good but engine

thirty-five 5C3s were manufactured by the Little Rock plant All 5C3s were powered by a 185 horsepower six

cylinder Challenger radial engine Performance was very good and the engine was quite reliable Cruise speed was 103 miles-per-hour while full control of the aircraft could be maintained down to 40 miles-per-hour So good was the control and stability of the airplane the Curtiss Flying Service promptly ordered sixteen 5C3s fitted as dusters by the factory and licensed in the restricted cateshygory (NR) Some 200000 acres of cotton were dusted in the southern states in 1929 Price at the factory was $6325 later reduced to $5950 in 1930

The 5C3 was entered in many air races in 1929 but always placed midway in the field each time it was not built for speed Major John Carroll Cone who was still in charge of sales flew a 5C3 to seventh place in the 1929 National Air Tour

During the same month July 1929 one 5C3 airshycraft was modified and a 150-hp Hispano-Suiza (Risso) engine installed The airplane was given ATC No 185 and was probably the best looking of the CommandshyAire models closely resembling the Travel Air 2000 However only one 5C3-A was produced This aircraft was flown from San Diego California to Los Angeles Qalifornia by fearless test pilot Ike Vermilya while

~----------------------------------------------------~

(Photo by Jack Cox)

N970E a 3C-3A is a part of the Wings and Wheels Museum collection located in Santee S C It was beautifully restored for owner Dolph Overton by Ernest E Webb of Charlotte N C The Warner powered Command-Aire has a tailwheel but othershywise is authentic to the smallest detail This is without question one of the counshytrys outstanding antique ai rplane restorations

parts were hard to find Price at the factory new was about $5500 Only three were built and one 4C3 was proshyduced powered by a 135 hp Walter engine of Czechoslashyvakian design

With the increasing interest in flying and pilot trainshying Command-Aire introduced the model 3C3-T in May of 1929 Carrying ATC No 150 thirty or more of this type were manufactured and sold for $1130 in 1929 Lashyter in 1930 the price was reduced to $2250 The one elongated cockpit was quite roomy for two persons seated tandem and was dubbed the bath tub

In the same month Command-Aire received ATC No 151 for the model 3C3-AT It was basically the same as the previous model but had a Warner 110 hp enshygine installed This engine gave the aircraft better pershyformance needed for the higher category license such as limited commercial or transport Only six of this type were built most were used by the Curtiss Flying Service for flight instruction

The model 5C3 was the firms best and most popushylar airplane Granted ATC No 184 in July 1929 some

straddling the rear of the fuselage in his usual style The distance covered was about one hundred miles and only occasional rudder control was used to keep the ship on the proper heading This certainly was a safe and genshytle airplane in its day

ATC No 209 was issued August 22 1929 for the Command-Aire 3C3-BT This model carried the same structure of the 3C3-AT but a 113-hp Yankee Sieshymens engine was installed Only three were manushyfactured

Towards the end of 1929 the Command-Aire Comshypany decided to develop its own sales organization unshyder the direction of Major J Carroll Cone The Curtiss Flying Service would no longer distribute CommandshyAire aircraft This development became effective Noshyvember 1 1929

In the latter part of 1929 another event was taking place - the Great Depression Unfortunately CommandshyAire was among the many companies that suffered severely However ATC No 214 was granted the comshypany for production of the model 5C3-B Only three were built being powered by a newly developed 150-hp Axelshyson engine The Depression was beginning to take its toll

8

WILLARD r SCHMITI 4027 ROCKY RIVER DR NO 22

ilLlNILAND~ OHIO 4413a 1973 COMMANDmiddotAIRE REGISTRATION LIST

Model3C3

N 136EA Ser No 532 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

N 583E Ser No 607 LOUIS Anderson RI 2 Mans f ield Mo 65704

N 7885 Ser No 530 Sileiby B Hagberg RI 1 Box 42 Greenfield Iowa 51343

Mode13Cmiddot3A N 970E Ser No W- l0B Dolph Overton

P a Box 93 Sanlee S C 29142

Mode13Cmiddot38 N 610E Ser No W69 Joseph Erale

1 Willow SI 9rentwood N Y 11717

Model5C-3 N 925E Ser No W-88 Walter A Mlndermann

196 30 Como Ave Hollis N Y 11423

N 996E Ser No W-135 Joh n R McDa nlel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 997E Ser No W-136 Robert G Lock 1186 N Pecan Reedley Calif 93654

N 998E Ser No W-137 John R McDaniel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 939E Ser No W-93 Joseph E rale 4 Willow SI Brentwood N Y 11717

N 946E Ser No W-95 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

(Photo Courtesy of Lloyd TOll )

Major John Carroll Cone Sales Manager for Command-Aire flew this 5C3 to 7th place in the 1929 National Air Tour The engine is a six cylinder Curtiss Challenger with bayonet stacks

The last model manufactured by Command-Aire was ATC No 233 and designated as the 5C3-C Proshyduction began in September 1929 The 5C3-C was powered by a later version of Lindberghs engine the Wright J-6-5 developing 165 hp If the Depression had not hit the country this model would have been the most

popular with the public The Wright engine offered reshyliability greater than the previous engines The pershyformance was outstanding cruising speed 101 mph landshying speed 42 mph and rate of climb was 810 feet per minute from sea level Cruising range at eight gallons per hour was six hundred miles Price at the factory was $7000 later it was reduced to $6025 However the marshyket failed to materialize leaving the company with only the consola tion that a future for this craft would have been assured had the market held up to its normal proshyportions

So ends the story of the Command-Aire Briefly manufactured from 1928 to 1930 the Command-Aire owns a small space in the history and development of aviation Command-Aire no longer lives - only a few examples have survived the past forty-two years Pershyhaps the statement Command-Aire no longer lives is incorrect The name lives in the memories of the pilots who flew them and to those who are fortunate to have found one to restore

COMMAND-AIRE 5C-3

Sometime ago I purchased a 1929 Command-Aire

model 5C-3 The aircraft is in poor condition but is reshybuildable There were approximately 33 of this model manufactured by the Command-Aire Company of Little Rock Arkansas The original design began in 1928 and was powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine Only 5 remain_

The 5C series aircraft were powered by a 6 cylinder Curtiss Challenger radial engine developing 185 hp My aircraft NC997E is the next to last built and has been modified for crop dusting use The engine was changed to a Continental R-670 220 hp

When I begin restoration next year I would like to install a Wright R-540 engine of 175 hp as shown in the 5C3-C aircraft This will mean a change in engine mount ring and of course an engine This engine went out of production in July of 1937 so locating one will be diffishycult However if you should happen to find one let me know I have a new overhauled Hamilton Standard ground adjustable propeller cut down to fit the Command-Aire

My Command-Aire is currently stored in a warehouse in Hanford along with two other 5C3s NC996E and NC998E These are three of the last five that are beshylieved to exist One is NC925E located in New York and the other is in Illinois

These aircraft are said to have excellent low speed characteristics because they were among the first airshycraft to use the Frese type aileron Notice that the landshying speed is a low 40 mph

A rather interesting find in this day and age I am lookshying forward to getting one of these aircraft in the air _ someday

9

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Carl Swanson s fantastically accurate repl ica Nieuport 17

NOW ABOUT THOSE REPLICA PLANS By Jack Cox

EAA Headquarters receives hundreds of requests every year for information on plans for vintage aircraft mostly World War I fighter types

The following list is what we send out to all conshycerned

Bleriot XI

Curtiss Pusher

Curtiss JN4D

DeHavilland 4

Fokker D-VII

10

Mel Miller 2030 Geary Albany Oregon 97321 - Complete set of drawings and instructions for replishyca - $1500 Charles F Schultz 910 Broadfields Dr Louisville Ky 40207 - Set of drawings developed from original Curtiss prints Gordon E Codding 4572 West 147 St Lawndale Cal 90260 - 23 drawings incomplete but good covshyerage Air Force Museum Wright-Patterson AFB Dayton Ohio - Some drawshyings available _ Fred Koin Losy 724 Robin Way N Palm Beach Fla 33408 - Set of Blue Max D-VII drawings Harold Best-Devereux 11 Stoneshyhills House Welwyn Garden City Herts England - Sets of Blue Max D-VII drawings Herbert L Kelly 56424 Handley Rd Yucca Valley Calif 92284 - 11 plates averaging 34 x 54 with all details needed to build 160-180 hp Mercedes D-VII - $11000

Fokker Dr I

Fokker D-VIII

Nieuport 17

Nieuport 27

MacchishyHanriot HD-l

RAFSE5A

Sopwith Camel

Walter Redfern Box G Tekoa Wash - Plans for Warner-powered replica $5000 Brochure $200 E O Swearingen 40 Monee Rd Park Forest Ill 60466 Drawings from Platz originals for Warnershypowered replica Fred Kom Losy (address above) -Rosendaal drawings Air Force Mushyseum Dayton Ohio - Drawings Fred Kom Losy (address above) shyDrawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings

Chris J Warrilow 141 Chairboshyrough Rd High Wycome Bucks England - Set of Drawings $12000 Replica PlanS 953 Kirkmond Cresshycent Richmond BC Canada -Darwings for 85 scale wooden replica Air Force Museum - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings RAE Farnborough Public Records Office Chancery Lane London England - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings of Camel FI and some of 2FI 200 drawings $14400

Sopwith Pup Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Smithsonian Institution Washingshyton D C - 72 drawings 18 x 24 $16200 Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings Hawker-Siddeley Kingston-upon-Thames - Drawings Public Records of Hawker-Siddeley (above has drawings for 100 hp conshyversion)

Sopwith Triplane Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings $7200

SPADs 713 Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings

Thomas-Morse Gordon E Codding (address above) S4C - Drawings

We also recommend that World War I replica enshythusiasts contact two groups which publish newsletters on their favorite activity building and flying aircraft of The Great War They are

World War I Aeroplanes by Leonard E Opdycke 46 Pleasant Ridge Road Poughkeepsie New York 12603

Fokker Verein Contact Dr Stanley L Morel 812 East Park Row Arlington Texas 76010 (Phone 277shy8361) The Fokker Verein is not limited to Fokker enshythusiasts - all World War I types are included

Your editor would like to hear of sources of any other plans andor organizations devoted especially to the above type of activity We will be happy to publish the information in The Vintage Airplane

(Ted Koston Photo) BELOW - E O Swearingens much admired Fokker O-VIII and a friend from another generation

(Ralph Nortell Photo)

ABOVE - Fokker Triplane built by Walt Redfern

(Salo Photo)

RIGHT - Sopwith Camel Now on exhibit at Wings and Wheels in Santee S C

AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD (Photo by Ted Koston)

PROBLEMS

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

PROBLEMS

(Photo Courtesy Lee Parsons)

PROBLEMS

12

OH THOSE PROBLEMS Memorial Day weekend is enough to drive the Anshy

tique and Classic buff from drink That same long weekshyend three of the largest and most active type clubs in the antique-classic world are holding their national flyshyins The Staggerwing Swift and Waco Clubs all meet that weekend their fly-in sites tantalizingly close for those of us who would like to attend all three

STAGGERWING Tullahoma Tennessees big World War II training

field-now-municipal-airport is where Staggerwing Club President Dub Yarbrough will greet his fellow Beech buffs All sorts of down home activities are on tap for the May 25-28 spree Items A Tennessee Hoedown on Saturday night (with Tennessee spirits) panel disshycussions and actual demonstrations of Staggerwing reshypair maintenance inspection and rebuilding featured speaker is Louise Thaden winner of the 1936 BendIx shyin a Staggerwing of course Camping facilities are available - including shower and toilet and electrical hook-up In addition to the stars of the show the Stagshygerwings there will be glider flying and even hot air balshyloons Time is short but for last minute fly-in informashytion contact W C Yarbrough Lannom Mfg Co Inc Tullahoma Tennessee 37388

SWIFT Your first problem in going to the Swift Fly-In will

be finding where to go Gilbertsville Kentucky is the nearest town the landmark to look for is the Kentucky Lake Dam and the airport will be the one with scores of Swifts buzzing all over the place - its name on your chart is Kentucky Dam State Park Airport When you get your chart down to find all this look at the extreme western end of Kentucky find Paducah then trace the Tennessee River east to the Kentucky Lake Dam By then you should have the airport symbol located This is a beautiful resort area and a fantastic site for any kind of outdoor event Last year Charlie Nelsons Swift nuts came in from all over the country in droves - around 100 of the snappy little low wingers were on hand (probably the biggest assemblage of Swifts on one airport since the factory had em sitting around awaiting Aeromatic Props just after World War II) All sorts of activity is n tap with lots of flying promised Your contact IS SWIft Club President Charlie Nelson Swift Association Box 644 Athens Tennessee 37303

WACO We outlined the activities that will go on at the Waco

Fly-In in the February issue of The Vintage Airplane but for new members here is a resume The Hamilton Ohio municipal airport is the site of the annual Waco FlyshyIn and the meet is always a biggie Ray Brandly Presishydent of the Waco Club will host the event Formation flying of huge gaggles of big 01 Wacos is a trademark of this fly-in it goes on all clay everyday if the weather is decent A banquet is held on Saturday night and the featured speaker will be Mr Clayton Bruckner who was President of the Waco Company throughout its existence Mr Bruckner needless to say is a walking storehouse of Waco history - as is Brandly himself Contact Ray Brandly National Waco Club 2650 West Alex-Bellshybrook Road Dayton Ohio 45459

So there you are all are great fly-ins You pays your money and you takes your choice as the saying goes As soon as the Antique-Classic Division membershyship roll hits the one million mark were going to ask the boss to lease a Lear Jet so we can attend all three

RARE WACO FOR SALE There is one Waco YPF-6 left This is the one that

looks a lot like the fabulous D owned by Dick Jackson It has the sliding greenhouse etc but a smaller Jacobs R~755-9 rather than the 450-hp Pratt and Whitney This aircraft was well into the process of restoration when its owner passed away The center section and cowl are complete the fuselage primed and jigs for the wing ribs have been built The engine is zero time since overhaul Wing spars have been purchased The aircraft is a 1935 Waco UPF-6 Serial Number 4375 NC 15700 The enshygine serial number is JO-21395

The aircraft is located just across the street from the Boulder Colorado airport Contact Lucille Bennett 5117 Independence Road Boulder Colorado 80301 (303442-3123 ) This would be a highly desirable antique and a special prize among Waco buffs

PORTERFIELD CLUB If you are an admirer of The Skinny Bird the lIttle

Porterfields of the late 30s and early 40s you will want to join the Porterfield Club and get their newsletter For information write Marc Herman 2306 Hyperion Avenue Los Angeles California 90027

A recent Porterfield restoration is N27281 a 1940 LP-65 rebuilt by William R Knox of Marietta Georgia Painted red and cream the bird is reported to be a beauty This will not be hard to believe for those of ~ ou who remember Bills Fairchild 24 of a few years back He is now hard at work on a 1929 Fleet I

STEARMAN RESTORERS ASSOCIATION

For many years the Stearman Restorers jssociashytion served as the Stearman Type Club for both the EAA and AAA and was an active force in the sport flying world But for the past few years it has been inactive due mainly to the great time and travel requirements of Bill McCrearys job For some time now Bill has tried to get me to take over the position of President of the SRA and get it active again and I have finally agreed to do so With the apparent increase in interest in the Stearman as shown by fly-in activities during the past couple of years I hope that we will be able to make it a Vital part of sport aviation once again In the near future I wIll be mailing a letter to all past SRA members and to other known Stearman enthusiasts detailing the re-activation of the SRA Members who had paid up membership dues during the last active year of the SRA will be c~nshysidered to be paid in full for the next year Anyone mshyterested in the Stearman Restorers Association please feel free to contact me

Thomas E Lowe President Stearman Restorers Association 823 Kingston Lane Crystal Lake Ill 60014 Telephone 815-459-6873

VINTAGE AIRPLANE BACK ISSUES Membership in the Antique-Classic Division of EAA

is growing very rapidly Most new members want to get all the back issues to date - which we have done as long as possible Due to the demand the February issue (which featured Wacos) is completely used up (We alshymost forgot to save file copies for ourselves at Headshyquarters) We still have a few of the January and March 1973 issues and will send them out on a first come first served basis It is amazing that a magazine only four

13

(Ryan Aeronautical Co )

An STM-2 in Dutch markings

NATIONAL RYAN CLUB By Bill Hodges

EAA Air Museum

The National Ryan Club was first organized in 1960 by Everett Cassagneres of Cheshire Connecticut and the ST-3KR Division was started by Bill Hodges then of Quinlan Texas in 1963 and was affi liated with the Anshytique Airplane Association In late 1972 its 213 memshybers voted to establish affiliation with the new Antique and Classic Division of the Experimental Aircraft Asshysociation The National Ryan Club is now being coshychaired by Mrs Pat Friedman and Bill Hodges

The purpose of the National Ryan Club is to mainshytain as completely as possible records of existing preshyWorld War II Ryan Aircraft as well as past to the exshytent of their flyability location owners and disposition Also maintained are records locating parts throughout the world a master photo file and files on authorized modifications This information is avai lable to National

4

Ryan Club members without charge There are no memshybership dues however any contribution to help pay the cost of mailing will be appreciated The Annual Meetshying of the National Ryan Club is now held in conjunction with the Experimental Aircraft Associations Annual Inshyternational Convention and Fly-In at Oshkosh Wisconshysin the first week in August All National Ryan Club members are encouraged to attend this meeting the worlds largest gathering of sport aircraft

Mrs Pat Friedman a noted Mid-West aviatress chairs the STA Division of the National Ryan Club which maintains the information center on all pre-STshy3KR series Ryans Mrs Friedman owns and flies a 1940 Ryan STM-E2 originally owned by the Dutch in the Netherlands East Indies

Bill Hodges continues to chair the ST-3KR Division and maintains an information center on the ST-3KR (PT-21 NR-l PT-22) ST-4 and FR-l series Ryans Hodges is currently restoring his fourth PT-22 and has number five waiting in the barn

Enthusiasm for pre-World War II Ryan aircraft reshymains at an all-time high throughout the country Canada and Australia

The classic lines of the STA are readily apparent and are carried over into the ST-3KRIPT-22 series Large gatherings of Ryans may be seen especially at fly- ins in California such as at Watsonville May 18-20 Mershyced June 1-3 and the 3rd Annual Gathering of Ryans at Paso Robles May 4-6 Large numbers are also planning to gather at the EAA Convention July 29shyAugust 4 where the annual National Ryan Club meeting will be held and the 2nd Annual Mid-West Ryan Owners Gathering to be held at Rockton Illinois on August 18 and 19

Of the 1250 PT-22 series aircraft manufactured 160 remain in the Civil Aircraft Register

Interested persons wanting more information may contact Mrs Friedman at 609 Hill Street in Highland Park Illinois 60035 or Mr Hodges at 3351 So 99th Court in Milwaukee Wisconsin 53227

(Myron Rupprecht Photo)

BELOW - Myron Rupprechts 1942 Ryan PT-22 (SIN 1923) in Mexican Air Force colors at Paso Robles in 1972

(EAA Photo)

The proboscis of an American Classic

(Bill Hodges Collection)

To most fly-in goers of today this is what Ryan is all about the ubiquitous PT-22

(Di ck Stouffer PhotO) (Ryan Aeronautical Co Official Photo) PT-22

A PT-20 in its element

(Photo by Jack Cox) Walt Mindermann of Hollis N Y restored this 5C-3 It has been modernshyized with the addition of a 220-hp Continental and World War II era wheels

THE ARKANSAS COMMANO-AIRE By Robert G Lock (EAA 56824)

1186 N Pecan Reedly California 93654

After the conclusion of World War I a great numshyber of military surplus aircraft were dumped on the civilian market These aircraft were former trainers and fighters which were fabricated in large numbers towards the end of the war by the United States Probably the best known airplane of that era was the Curtiss Jenny Hundreds of Jennies were produced to train pilots for air combat After the war they were sold to the public for as little as $200 When a person could purchase a flying machine for that small amount of money many fell into the hands of unqualified pilots with the result that many Jennies were wrecked As they slowly disapshypeared new aircraft were designed and built in garages and small shops

One aircraft that immediately comes to mind is the Ryan monoplane designed and built by the Ryan Company in San Diego for Charles Lindbergh In 1927 Lindbergh flew the Ryan solo across the Atlantic Cershytainly this event triggered an expansion of commercial aviation and many new designs appeared The Waco made Troy Ohio famous while Cessna Beech and Stearman made Wichita Kansas the capital of comshymercial airplane production Clyde Cessna formed Cesshysna Aircraft Walter Beech formed the Travel Air Compa ny and Lloyd Stearman set up a small factory that was to produce many famous aircraft

Almost all the newly built aircraft had identical features two or three place open cockpit biplanes conshyventional landing gears with tail skids instead of tail-

wheels and large wheels and tires on the main landing gear There was the Waco 9 which received Approved Type Certificate No 11 Beechs Travel Air 2000 holding ATC No 30 and the Stearman C3C granted ATC No 62 The first Approved Type Certificate was awarded under the Air Commerce Act of 1926 in the year 1927 Since there were so many new designs apshypearing the government decided that some type conshytrol was needed to assure safe flight and structural soundness Thus Approved Type Certificate Number One was awarded the Buhl-Verville J4 Airster on March 29 1927

Making an appearance on the commercial market in July 1928 was the Command-Aire 3C3 series The Command-Aire closely resembled the Waco Travel Air and Stearman It had two wings was powered by the surplus Curtiss OX-5 engine and was said to have outshystanding flight characteristics Over 100 of the 3C3 series were built

The factory was located in Little Rock Arkansas in a plant formerly occupied by an automobile manushyfacturer R B Snowden Jr was the President Albert Voelmecke was the Chief Engineer and a noted pilot John Carroll Cone was in charge of sales Voelmecke was formerly with Ernst Heinkel Airplane Works of Gershymany Chief test pilot was Wright Ike Vermilya who dazzled the public by riding on top of the fuselage aft of the rear seat straddling the airplane Of course he wore no parachute he just sat there while the airplane

7

flew itself Thus the Command-Aire was shown to be extremely stable and the word stabili ty was used many times in the firms advertising

As the supply of OX-5 engines became scarce the factory experimented with other engines mostly the radial type The next development by the company was the Command-Aire 3C3-A which received ATC No 118 in March of 1929 Only 20 were built and one Warner powered model serial number W-79 was placed on Edo floats

During the year 1929 distribution and sales were taken over by the Curtiss Flying Service located in 26 of the 48 states Most of the later Command-Aire models were sent to the companys Houston Texas location

The next step in Command-Air~ evolution came in the closing days of March 1929 when the model 3C3-B received ATC No 120 The 3C3-B had a seven cylinder Siemens Halske engine of 105-113 horsepower The enshygine was of German manufacture distributed in the USA by K G Frank as the Yankee Siemens Pershyformance of aircraft and engine was good but engine

thirty-five 5C3s were manufactured by the Little Rock plant All 5C3s were powered by a 185 horsepower six

cylinder Challenger radial engine Performance was very good and the engine was quite reliable Cruise speed was 103 miles-per-hour while full control of the aircraft could be maintained down to 40 miles-per-hour So good was the control and stability of the airplane the Curtiss Flying Service promptly ordered sixteen 5C3s fitted as dusters by the factory and licensed in the restricted cateshygory (NR) Some 200000 acres of cotton were dusted in the southern states in 1929 Price at the factory was $6325 later reduced to $5950 in 1930

The 5C3 was entered in many air races in 1929 but always placed midway in the field each time it was not built for speed Major John Carroll Cone who was still in charge of sales flew a 5C3 to seventh place in the 1929 National Air Tour

During the same month July 1929 one 5C3 airshycraft was modified and a 150-hp Hispano-Suiza (Risso) engine installed The airplane was given ATC No 185 and was probably the best looking of the CommandshyAire models closely resembling the Travel Air 2000 However only one 5C3-A was produced This aircraft was flown from San Diego California to Los Angeles Qalifornia by fearless test pilot Ike Vermilya while

~----------------------------------------------------~

(Photo by Jack Cox)

N970E a 3C-3A is a part of the Wings and Wheels Museum collection located in Santee S C It was beautifully restored for owner Dolph Overton by Ernest E Webb of Charlotte N C The Warner powered Command-Aire has a tailwheel but othershywise is authentic to the smallest detail This is without question one of the counshytrys outstanding antique ai rplane restorations

parts were hard to find Price at the factory new was about $5500 Only three were built and one 4C3 was proshyduced powered by a 135 hp Walter engine of Czechoslashyvakian design

With the increasing interest in flying and pilot trainshying Command-Aire introduced the model 3C3-T in May of 1929 Carrying ATC No 150 thirty or more of this type were manufactured and sold for $1130 in 1929 Lashyter in 1930 the price was reduced to $2250 The one elongated cockpit was quite roomy for two persons seated tandem and was dubbed the bath tub

In the same month Command-Aire received ATC No 151 for the model 3C3-AT It was basically the same as the previous model but had a Warner 110 hp enshygine installed This engine gave the aircraft better pershyformance needed for the higher category license such as limited commercial or transport Only six of this type were built most were used by the Curtiss Flying Service for flight instruction

The model 5C3 was the firms best and most popushylar airplane Granted ATC No 184 in July 1929 some

straddling the rear of the fuselage in his usual style The distance covered was about one hundred miles and only occasional rudder control was used to keep the ship on the proper heading This certainly was a safe and genshytle airplane in its day

ATC No 209 was issued August 22 1929 for the Command-Aire 3C3-BT This model carried the same structure of the 3C3-AT but a 113-hp Yankee Sieshymens engine was installed Only three were manushyfactured

Towards the end of 1929 the Command-Aire Comshypany decided to develop its own sales organization unshyder the direction of Major J Carroll Cone The Curtiss Flying Service would no longer distribute CommandshyAire aircraft This development became effective Noshyvember 1 1929

In the latter part of 1929 another event was taking place - the Great Depression Unfortunately CommandshyAire was among the many companies that suffered severely However ATC No 214 was granted the comshypany for production of the model 5C3-B Only three were built being powered by a newly developed 150-hp Axelshyson engine The Depression was beginning to take its toll

8

WILLARD r SCHMITI 4027 ROCKY RIVER DR NO 22

ilLlNILAND~ OHIO 4413a 1973 COMMANDmiddotAIRE REGISTRATION LIST

Model3C3

N 136EA Ser No 532 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

N 583E Ser No 607 LOUIS Anderson RI 2 Mans f ield Mo 65704

N 7885 Ser No 530 Sileiby B Hagberg RI 1 Box 42 Greenfield Iowa 51343

Mode13Cmiddot3A N 970E Ser No W- l0B Dolph Overton

P a Box 93 Sanlee S C 29142

Mode13Cmiddot38 N 610E Ser No W69 Joseph Erale

1 Willow SI 9rentwood N Y 11717

Model5C-3 N 925E Ser No W-88 Walter A Mlndermann

196 30 Como Ave Hollis N Y 11423

N 996E Ser No W-135 Joh n R McDa nlel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 997E Ser No W-136 Robert G Lock 1186 N Pecan Reedley Calif 93654

N 998E Ser No W-137 John R McDaniel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 939E Ser No W-93 Joseph E rale 4 Willow SI Brentwood N Y 11717

N 946E Ser No W-95 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

(Photo Courtesy of Lloyd TOll )

Major John Carroll Cone Sales Manager for Command-Aire flew this 5C3 to 7th place in the 1929 National Air Tour The engine is a six cylinder Curtiss Challenger with bayonet stacks

The last model manufactured by Command-Aire was ATC No 233 and designated as the 5C3-C Proshyduction began in September 1929 The 5C3-C was powered by a later version of Lindberghs engine the Wright J-6-5 developing 165 hp If the Depression had not hit the country this model would have been the most

popular with the public The Wright engine offered reshyliability greater than the previous engines The pershyformance was outstanding cruising speed 101 mph landshying speed 42 mph and rate of climb was 810 feet per minute from sea level Cruising range at eight gallons per hour was six hundred miles Price at the factory was $7000 later it was reduced to $6025 However the marshyket failed to materialize leaving the company with only the consola tion that a future for this craft would have been assured had the market held up to its normal proshyportions

So ends the story of the Command-Aire Briefly manufactured from 1928 to 1930 the Command-Aire owns a small space in the history and development of aviation Command-Aire no longer lives - only a few examples have survived the past forty-two years Pershyhaps the statement Command-Aire no longer lives is incorrect The name lives in the memories of the pilots who flew them and to those who are fortunate to have found one to restore

COMMAND-AIRE 5C-3

Sometime ago I purchased a 1929 Command-Aire

model 5C-3 The aircraft is in poor condition but is reshybuildable There were approximately 33 of this model manufactured by the Command-Aire Company of Little Rock Arkansas The original design began in 1928 and was powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine Only 5 remain_

The 5C series aircraft were powered by a 6 cylinder Curtiss Challenger radial engine developing 185 hp My aircraft NC997E is the next to last built and has been modified for crop dusting use The engine was changed to a Continental R-670 220 hp

When I begin restoration next year I would like to install a Wright R-540 engine of 175 hp as shown in the 5C3-C aircraft This will mean a change in engine mount ring and of course an engine This engine went out of production in July of 1937 so locating one will be diffishycult However if you should happen to find one let me know I have a new overhauled Hamilton Standard ground adjustable propeller cut down to fit the Command-Aire

My Command-Aire is currently stored in a warehouse in Hanford along with two other 5C3s NC996E and NC998E These are three of the last five that are beshylieved to exist One is NC925E located in New York and the other is in Illinois

These aircraft are said to have excellent low speed characteristics because they were among the first airshycraft to use the Frese type aileron Notice that the landshying speed is a low 40 mph

A rather interesting find in this day and age I am lookshying forward to getting one of these aircraft in the air _ someday

9

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Carl Swanson s fantastically accurate repl ica Nieuport 17

NOW ABOUT THOSE REPLICA PLANS By Jack Cox

EAA Headquarters receives hundreds of requests every year for information on plans for vintage aircraft mostly World War I fighter types

The following list is what we send out to all conshycerned

Bleriot XI

Curtiss Pusher

Curtiss JN4D

DeHavilland 4

Fokker D-VII

10

Mel Miller 2030 Geary Albany Oregon 97321 - Complete set of drawings and instructions for replishyca - $1500 Charles F Schultz 910 Broadfields Dr Louisville Ky 40207 - Set of drawings developed from original Curtiss prints Gordon E Codding 4572 West 147 St Lawndale Cal 90260 - 23 drawings incomplete but good covshyerage Air Force Museum Wright-Patterson AFB Dayton Ohio - Some drawshyings available _ Fred Koin Losy 724 Robin Way N Palm Beach Fla 33408 - Set of Blue Max D-VII drawings Harold Best-Devereux 11 Stoneshyhills House Welwyn Garden City Herts England - Sets of Blue Max D-VII drawings Herbert L Kelly 56424 Handley Rd Yucca Valley Calif 92284 - 11 plates averaging 34 x 54 with all details needed to build 160-180 hp Mercedes D-VII - $11000

Fokker Dr I

Fokker D-VIII

Nieuport 17

Nieuport 27

MacchishyHanriot HD-l

RAFSE5A

Sopwith Camel

Walter Redfern Box G Tekoa Wash - Plans for Warner-powered replica $5000 Brochure $200 E O Swearingen 40 Monee Rd Park Forest Ill 60466 Drawings from Platz originals for Warnershypowered replica Fred Kom Losy (address above) -Rosendaal drawings Air Force Mushyseum Dayton Ohio - Drawings Fred Kom Losy (address above) shyDrawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings

Chris J Warrilow 141 Chairboshyrough Rd High Wycome Bucks England - Set of Drawings $12000 Replica PlanS 953 Kirkmond Cresshycent Richmond BC Canada -Darwings for 85 scale wooden replica Air Force Museum - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings RAE Farnborough Public Records Office Chancery Lane London England - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings of Camel FI and some of 2FI 200 drawings $14400

Sopwith Pup Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Smithsonian Institution Washingshyton D C - 72 drawings 18 x 24 $16200 Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings Hawker-Siddeley Kingston-upon-Thames - Drawings Public Records of Hawker-Siddeley (above has drawings for 100 hp conshyversion)

Sopwith Triplane Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings $7200

SPADs 713 Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings

Thomas-Morse Gordon E Codding (address above) S4C - Drawings

We also recommend that World War I replica enshythusiasts contact two groups which publish newsletters on their favorite activity building and flying aircraft of The Great War They are

World War I Aeroplanes by Leonard E Opdycke 46 Pleasant Ridge Road Poughkeepsie New York 12603

Fokker Verein Contact Dr Stanley L Morel 812 East Park Row Arlington Texas 76010 (Phone 277shy8361) The Fokker Verein is not limited to Fokker enshythusiasts - all World War I types are included

Your editor would like to hear of sources of any other plans andor organizations devoted especially to the above type of activity We will be happy to publish the information in The Vintage Airplane

(Ted Koston Photo) BELOW - E O Swearingens much admired Fokker O-VIII and a friend from another generation

(Ralph Nortell Photo)

ABOVE - Fokker Triplane built by Walt Redfern

(Salo Photo)

RIGHT - Sopwith Camel Now on exhibit at Wings and Wheels in Santee S C

AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD (Photo by Ted Koston)

PROBLEMS

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

PROBLEMS

(Photo Courtesy Lee Parsons)

PROBLEMS

12

OH THOSE PROBLEMS Memorial Day weekend is enough to drive the Anshy

tique and Classic buff from drink That same long weekshyend three of the largest and most active type clubs in the antique-classic world are holding their national flyshyins The Staggerwing Swift and Waco Clubs all meet that weekend their fly-in sites tantalizingly close for those of us who would like to attend all three

STAGGERWING Tullahoma Tennessees big World War II training

field-now-municipal-airport is where Staggerwing Club President Dub Yarbrough will greet his fellow Beech buffs All sorts of down home activities are on tap for the May 25-28 spree Items A Tennessee Hoedown on Saturday night (with Tennessee spirits) panel disshycussions and actual demonstrations of Staggerwing reshypair maintenance inspection and rebuilding featured speaker is Louise Thaden winner of the 1936 BendIx shyin a Staggerwing of course Camping facilities are available - including shower and toilet and electrical hook-up In addition to the stars of the show the Stagshygerwings there will be glider flying and even hot air balshyloons Time is short but for last minute fly-in informashytion contact W C Yarbrough Lannom Mfg Co Inc Tullahoma Tennessee 37388

SWIFT Your first problem in going to the Swift Fly-In will

be finding where to go Gilbertsville Kentucky is the nearest town the landmark to look for is the Kentucky Lake Dam and the airport will be the one with scores of Swifts buzzing all over the place - its name on your chart is Kentucky Dam State Park Airport When you get your chart down to find all this look at the extreme western end of Kentucky find Paducah then trace the Tennessee River east to the Kentucky Lake Dam By then you should have the airport symbol located This is a beautiful resort area and a fantastic site for any kind of outdoor event Last year Charlie Nelsons Swift nuts came in from all over the country in droves - around 100 of the snappy little low wingers were on hand (probably the biggest assemblage of Swifts on one airport since the factory had em sitting around awaiting Aeromatic Props just after World War II) All sorts of activity is n tap with lots of flying promised Your contact IS SWIft Club President Charlie Nelson Swift Association Box 644 Athens Tennessee 37303

WACO We outlined the activities that will go on at the Waco

Fly-In in the February issue of The Vintage Airplane but for new members here is a resume The Hamilton Ohio municipal airport is the site of the annual Waco FlyshyIn and the meet is always a biggie Ray Brandly Presishydent of the Waco Club will host the event Formation flying of huge gaggles of big 01 Wacos is a trademark of this fly-in it goes on all clay everyday if the weather is decent A banquet is held on Saturday night and the featured speaker will be Mr Clayton Bruckner who was President of the Waco Company throughout its existence Mr Bruckner needless to say is a walking storehouse of Waco history - as is Brandly himself Contact Ray Brandly National Waco Club 2650 West Alex-Bellshybrook Road Dayton Ohio 45459

So there you are all are great fly-ins You pays your money and you takes your choice as the saying goes As soon as the Antique-Classic Division membershyship roll hits the one million mark were going to ask the boss to lease a Lear Jet so we can attend all three

RARE WACO FOR SALE There is one Waco YPF-6 left This is the one that

looks a lot like the fabulous D owned by Dick Jackson It has the sliding greenhouse etc but a smaller Jacobs R~755-9 rather than the 450-hp Pratt and Whitney This aircraft was well into the process of restoration when its owner passed away The center section and cowl are complete the fuselage primed and jigs for the wing ribs have been built The engine is zero time since overhaul Wing spars have been purchased The aircraft is a 1935 Waco UPF-6 Serial Number 4375 NC 15700 The enshygine serial number is JO-21395

The aircraft is located just across the street from the Boulder Colorado airport Contact Lucille Bennett 5117 Independence Road Boulder Colorado 80301 (303442-3123 ) This would be a highly desirable antique and a special prize among Waco buffs

PORTERFIELD CLUB If you are an admirer of The Skinny Bird the lIttle

Porterfields of the late 30s and early 40s you will want to join the Porterfield Club and get their newsletter For information write Marc Herman 2306 Hyperion Avenue Los Angeles California 90027

A recent Porterfield restoration is N27281 a 1940 LP-65 rebuilt by William R Knox of Marietta Georgia Painted red and cream the bird is reported to be a beauty This will not be hard to believe for those of ~ ou who remember Bills Fairchild 24 of a few years back He is now hard at work on a 1929 Fleet I

STEARMAN RESTORERS ASSOCIATION

For many years the Stearman Restorers jssociashytion served as the Stearman Type Club for both the EAA and AAA and was an active force in the sport flying world But for the past few years it has been inactive due mainly to the great time and travel requirements of Bill McCrearys job For some time now Bill has tried to get me to take over the position of President of the SRA and get it active again and I have finally agreed to do so With the apparent increase in interest in the Stearman as shown by fly-in activities during the past couple of years I hope that we will be able to make it a Vital part of sport aviation once again In the near future I wIll be mailing a letter to all past SRA members and to other known Stearman enthusiasts detailing the re-activation of the SRA Members who had paid up membership dues during the last active year of the SRA will be c~nshysidered to be paid in full for the next year Anyone mshyterested in the Stearman Restorers Association please feel free to contact me

Thomas E Lowe President Stearman Restorers Association 823 Kingston Lane Crystal Lake Ill 60014 Telephone 815-459-6873

VINTAGE AIRPLANE BACK ISSUES Membership in the Antique-Classic Division of EAA

is growing very rapidly Most new members want to get all the back issues to date - which we have done as long as possible Due to the demand the February issue (which featured Wacos) is completely used up (We alshymost forgot to save file copies for ourselves at Headshyquarters) We still have a few of the January and March 1973 issues and will send them out on a first come first served basis It is amazing that a magazine only four

13

Bill Hodges continues to chair the ST-3KR Division and maintains an information center on the ST-3KR (PT-21 NR-l PT-22) ST-4 and FR-l series Ryans Hodges is currently restoring his fourth PT-22 and has number five waiting in the barn

Enthusiasm for pre-World War II Ryan aircraft reshymains at an all-time high throughout the country Canada and Australia

The classic lines of the STA are readily apparent and are carried over into the ST-3KRIPT-22 series Large gatherings of Ryans may be seen especially at fly- ins in California such as at Watsonville May 18-20 Mershyced June 1-3 and the 3rd Annual Gathering of Ryans at Paso Robles May 4-6 Large numbers are also planning to gather at the EAA Convention July 29shyAugust 4 where the annual National Ryan Club meeting will be held and the 2nd Annual Mid-West Ryan Owners Gathering to be held at Rockton Illinois on August 18 and 19

Of the 1250 PT-22 series aircraft manufactured 160 remain in the Civil Aircraft Register

Interested persons wanting more information may contact Mrs Friedman at 609 Hill Street in Highland Park Illinois 60035 or Mr Hodges at 3351 So 99th Court in Milwaukee Wisconsin 53227

(Myron Rupprecht Photo)

BELOW - Myron Rupprechts 1942 Ryan PT-22 (SIN 1923) in Mexican Air Force colors at Paso Robles in 1972

(EAA Photo)

The proboscis of an American Classic

(Bill Hodges Collection)

To most fly-in goers of today this is what Ryan is all about the ubiquitous PT-22

(Di ck Stouffer PhotO) (Ryan Aeronautical Co Official Photo) PT-22

A PT-20 in its element

(Photo by Jack Cox) Walt Mindermann of Hollis N Y restored this 5C-3 It has been modernshyized with the addition of a 220-hp Continental and World War II era wheels

THE ARKANSAS COMMANO-AIRE By Robert G Lock (EAA 56824)

1186 N Pecan Reedly California 93654

After the conclusion of World War I a great numshyber of military surplus aircraft were dumped on the civilian market These aircraft were former trainers and fighters which were fabricated in large numbers towards the end of the war by the United States Probably the best known airplane of that era was the Curtiss Jenny Hundreds of Jennies were produced to train pilots for air combat After the war they were sold to the public for as little as $200 When a person could purchase a flying machine for that small amount of money many fell into the hands of unqualified pilots with the result that many Jennies were wrecked As they slowly disapshypeared new aircraft were designed and built in garages and small shops

One aircraft that immediately comes to mind is the Ryan monoplane designed and built by the Ryan Company in San Diego for Charles Lindbergh In 1927 Lindbergh flew the Ryan solo across the Atlantic Cershytainly this event triggered an expansion of commercial aviation and many new designs appeared The Waco made Troy Ohio famous while Cessna Beech and Stearman made Wichita Kansas the capital of comshymercial airplane production Clyde Cessna formed Cesshysna Aircraft Walter Beech formed the Travel Air Compa ny and Lloyd Stearman set up a small factory that was to produce many famous aircraft

Almost all the newly built aircraft had identical features two or three place open cockpit biplanes conshyventional landing gears with tail skids instead of tail-

wheels and large wheels and tires on the main landing gear There was the Waco 9 which received Approved Type Certificate No 11 Beechs Travel Air 2000 holding ATC No 30 and the Stearman C3C granted ATC No 62 The first Approved Type Certificate was awarded under the Air Commerce Act of 1926 in the year 1927 Since there were so many new designs apshypearing the government decided that some type conshytrol was needed to assure safe flight and structural soundness Thus Approved Type Certificate Number One was awarded the Buhl-Verville J4 Airster on March 29 1927

Making an appearance on the commercial market in July 1928 was the Command-Aire 3C3 series The Command-Aire closely resembled the Waco Travel Air and Stearman It had two wings was powered by the surplus Curtiss OX-5 engine and was said to have outshystanding flight characteristics Over 100 of the 3C3 series were built

The factory was located in Little Rock Arkansas in a plant formerly occupied by an automobile manushyfacturer R B Snowden Jr was the President Albert Voelmecke was the Chief Engineer and a noted pilot John Carroll Cone was in charge of sales Voelmecke was formerly with Ernst Heinkel Airplane Works of Gershymany Chief test pilot was Wright Ike Vermilya who dazzled the public by riding on top of the fuselage aft of the rear seat straddling the airplane Of course he wore no parachute he just sat there while the airplane

7

flew itself Thus the Command-Aire was shown to be extremely stable and the word stabili ty was used many times in the firms advertising

As the supply of OX-5 engines became scarce the factory experimented with other engines mostly the radial type The next development by the company was the Command-Aire 3C3-A which received ATC No 118 in March of 1929 Only 20 were built and one Warner powered model serial number W-79 was placed on Edo floats

During the year 1929 distribution and sales were taken over by the Curtiss Flying Service located in 26 of the 48 states Most of the later Command-Aire models were sent to the companys Houston Texas location

The next step in Command-Air~ evolution came in the closing days of March 1929 when the model 3C3-B received ATC No 120 The 3C3-B had a seven cylinder Siemens Halske engine of 105-113 horsepower The enshygine was of German manufacture distributed in the USA by K G Frank as the Yankee Siemens Pershyformance of aircraft and engine was good but engine

thirty-five 5C3s were manufactured by the Little Rock plant All 5C3s were powered by a 185 horsepower six

cylinder Challenger radial engine Performance was very good and the engine was quite reliable Cruise speed was 103 miles-per-hour while full control of the aircraft could be maintained down to 40 miles-per-hour So good was the control and stability of the airplane the Curtiss Flying Service promptly ordered sixteen 5C3s fitted as dusters by the factory and licensed in the restricted cateshygory (NR) Some 200000 acres of cotton were dusted in the southern states in 1929 Price at the factory was $6325 later reduced to $5950 in 1930

The 5C3 was entered in many air races in 1929 but always placed midway in the field each time it was not built for speed Major John Carroll Cone who was still in charge of sales flew a 5C3 to seventh place in the 1929 National Air Tour

During the same month July 1929 one 5C3 airshycraft was modified and a 150-hp Hispano-Suiza (Risso) engine installed The airplane was given ATC No 185 and was probably the best looking of the CommandshyAire models closely resembling the Travel Air 2000 However only one 5C3-A was produced This aircraft was flown from San Diego California to Los Angeles Qalifornia by fearless test pilot Ike Vermilya while

~----------------------------------------------------~

(Photo by Jack Cox)

N970E a 3C-3A is a part of the Wings and Wheels Museum collection located in Santee S C It was beautifully restored for owner Dolph Overton by Ernest E Webb of Charlotte N C The Warner powered Command-Aire has a tailwheel but othershywise is authentic to the smallest detail This is without question one of the counshytrys outstanding antique ai rplane restorations

parts were hard to find Price at the factory new was about $5500 Only three were built and one 4C3 was proshyduced powered by a 135 hp Walter engine of Czechoslashyvakian design

With the increasing interest in flying and pilot trainshying Command-Aire introduced the model 3C3-T in May of 1929 Carrying ATC No 150 thirty or more of this type were manufactured and sold for $1130 in 1929 Lashyter in 1930 the price was reduced to $2250 The one elongated cockpit was quite roomy for two persons seated tandem and was dubbed the bath tub

In the same month Command-Aire received ATC No 151 for the model 3C3-AT It was basically the same as the previous model but had a Warner 110 hp enshygine installed This engine gave the aircraft better pershyformance needed for the higher category license such as limited commercial or transport Only six of this type were built most were used by the Curtiss Flying Service for flight instruction

The model 5C3 was the firms best and most popushylar airplane Granted ATC No 184 in July 1929 some

straddling the rear of the fuselage in his usual style The distance covered was about one hundred miles and only occasional rudder control was used to keep the ship on the proper heading This certainly was a safe and genshytle airplane in its day

ATC No 209 was issued August 22 1929 for the Command-Aire 3C3-BT This model carried the same structure of the 3C3-AT but a 113-hp Yankee Sieshymens engine was installed Only three were manushyfactured

Towards the end of 1929 the Command-Aire Comshypany decided to develop its own sales organization unshyder the direction of Major J Carroll Cone The Curtiss Flying Service would no longer distribute CommandshyAire aircraft This development became effective Noshyvember 1 1929

In the latter part of 1929 another event was taking place - the Great Depression Unfortunately CommandshyAire was among the many companies that suffered severely However ATC No 214 was granted the comshypany for production of the model 5C3-B Only three were built being powered by a newly developed 150-hp Axelshyson engine The Depression was beginning to take its toll

8

WILLARD r SCHMITI 4027 ROCKY RIVER DR NO 22

ilLlNILAND~ OHIO 4413a 1973 COMMANDmiddotAIRE REGISTRATION LIST

Model3C3

N 136EA Ser No 532 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

N 583E Ser No 607 LOUIS Anderson RI 2 Mans f ield Mo 65704

N 7885 Ser No 530 Sileiby B Hagberg RI 1 Box 42 Greenfield Iowa 51343

Mode13Cmiddot3A N 970E Ser No W- l0B Dolph Overton

P a Box 93 Sanlee S C 29142

Mode13Cmiddot38 N 610E Ser No W69 Joseph Erale

1 Willow SI 9rentwood N Y 11717

Model5C-3 N 925E Ser No W-88 Walter A Mlndermann

196 30 Como Ave Hollis N Y 11423

N 996E Ser No W-135 Joh n R McDa nlel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 997E Ser No W-136 Robert G Lock 1186 N Pecan Reedley Calif 93654

N 998E Ser No W-137 John R McDaniel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 939E Ser No W-93 Joseph E rale 4 Willow SI Brentwood N Y 11717

N 946E Ser No W-95 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

(Photo Courtesy of Lloyd TOll )

Major John Carroll Cone Sales Manager for Command-Aire flew this 5C3 to 7th place in the 1929 National Air Tour The engine is a six cylinder Curtiss Challenger with bayonet stacks

The last model manufactured by Command-Aire was ATC No 233 and designated as the 5C3-C Proshyduction began in September 1929 The 5C3-C was powered by a later version of Lindberghs engine the Wright J-6-5 developing 165 hp If the Depression had not hit the country this model would have been the most

popular with the public The Wright engine offered reshyliability greater than the previous engines The pershyformance was outstanding cruising speed 101 mph landshying speed 42 mph and rate of climb was 810 feet per minute from sea level Cruising range at eight gallons per hour was six hundred miles Price at the factory was $7000 later it was reduced to $6025 However the marshyket failed to materialize leaving the company with only the consola tion that a future for this craft would have been assured had the market held up to its normal proshyportions

So ends the story of the Command-Aire Briefly manufactured from 1928 to 1930 the Command-Aire owns a small space in the history and development of aviation Command-Aire no longer lives - only a few examples have survived the past forty-two years Pershyhaps the statement Command-Aire no longer lives is incorrect The name lives in the memories of the pilots who flew them and to those who are fortunate to have found one to restore

COMMAND-AIRE 5C-3

Sometime ago I purchased a 1929 Command-Aire

model 5C-3 The aircraft is in poor condition but is reshybuildable There were approximately 33 of this model manufactured by the Command-Aire Company of Little Rock Arkansas The original design began in 1928 and was powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine Only 5 remain_

The 5C series aircraft were powered by a 6 cylinder Curtiss Challenger radial engine developing 185 hp My aircraft NC997E is the next to last built and has been modified for crop dusting use The engine was changed to a Continental R-670 220 hp

When I begin restoration next year I would like to install a Wright R-540 engine of 175 hp as shown in the 5C3-C aircraft This will mean a change in engine mount ring and of course an engine This engine went out of production in July of 1937 so locating one will be diffishycult However if you should happen to find one let me know I have a new overhauled Hamilton Standard ground adjustable propeller cut down to fit the Command-Aire

My Command-Aire is currently stored in a warehouse in Hanford along with two other 5C3s NC996E and NC998E These are three of the last five that are beshylieved to exist One is NC925E located in New York and the other is in Illinois

These aircraft are said to have excellent low speed characteristics because they were among the first airshycraft to use the Frese type aileron Notice that the landshying speed is a low 40 mph

A rather interesting find in this day and age I am lookshying forward to getting one of these aircraft in the air _ someday

9

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Carl Swanson s fantastically accurate repl ica Nieuport 17

NOW ABOUT THOSE REPLICA PLANS By Jack Cox

EAA Headquarters receives hundreds of requests every year for information on plans for vintage aircraft mostly World War I fighter types

The following list is what we send out to all conshycerned

Bleriot XI

Curtiss Pusher

Curtiss JN4D

DeHavilland 4

Fokker D-VII

10

Mel Miller 2030 Geary Albany Oregon 97321 - Complete set of drawings and instructions for replishyca - $1500 Charles F Schultz 910 Broadfields Dr Louisville Ky 40207 - Set of drawings developed from original Curtiss prints Gordon E Codding 4572 West 147 St Lawndale Cal 90260 - 23 drawings incomplete but good covshyerage Air Force Museum Wright-Patterson AFB Dayton Ohio - Some drawshyings available _ Fred Koin Losy 724 Robin Way N Palm Beach Fla 33408 - Set of Blue Max D-VII drawings Harold Best-Devereux 11 Stoneshyhills House Welwyn Garden City Herts England - Sets of Blue Max D-VII drawings Herbert L Kelly 56424 Handley Rd Yucca Valley Calif 92284 - 11 plates averaging 34 x 54 with all details needed to build 160-180 hp Mercedes D-VII - $11000

Fokker Dr I

Fokker D-VIII

Nieuport 17

Nieuport 27

MacchishyHanriot HD-l

RAFSE5A

Sopwith Camel

Walter Redfern Box G Tekoa Wash - Plans for Warner-powered replica $5000 Brochure $200 E O Swearingen 40 Monee Rd Park Forest Ill 60466 Drawings from Platz originals for Warnershypowered replica Fred Kom Losy (address above) -Rosendaal drawings Air Force Mushyseum Dayton Ohio - Drawings Fred Kom Losy (address above) shyDrawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings

Chris J Warrilow 141 Chairboshyrough Rd High Wycome Bucks England - Set of Drawings $12000 Replica PlanS 953 Kirkmond Cresshycent Richmond BC Canada -Darwings for 85 scale wooden replica Air Force Museum - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings RAE Farnborough Public Records Office Chancery Lane London England - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings of Camel FI and some of 2FI 200 drawings $14400

Sopwith Pup Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Smithsonian Institution Washingshyton D C - 72 drawings 18 x 24 $16200 Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings Hawker-Siddeley Kingston-upon-Thames - Drawings Public Records of Hawker-Siddeley (above has drawings for 100 hp conshyversion)

Sopwith Triplane Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings $7200

SPADs 713 Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings

Thomas-Morse Gordon E Codding (address above) S4C - Drawings

We also recommend that World War I replica enshythusiasts contact two groups which publish newsletters on their favorite activity building and flying aircraft of The Great War They are

World War I Aeroplanes by Leonard E Opdycke 46 Pleasant Ridge Road Poughkeepsie New York 12603

Fokker Verein Contact Dr Stanley L Morel 812 East Park Row Arlington Texas 76010 (Phone 277shy8361) The Fokker Verein is not limited to Fokker enshythusiasts - all World War I types are included

Your editor would like to hear of sources of any other plans andor organizations devoted especially to the above type of activity We will be happy to publish the information in The Vintage Airplane

(Ted Koston Photo) BELOW - E O Swearingens much admired Fokker O-VIII and a friend from another generation

(Ralph Nortell Photo)

ABOVE - Fokker Triplane built by Walt Redfern

(Salo Photo)

RIGHT - Sopwith Camel Now on exhibit at Wings and Wheels in Santee S C

AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD (Photo by Ted Koston)

PROBLEMS

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

PROBLEMS

(Photo Courtesy Lee Parsons)

PROBLEMS

12

OH THOSE PROBLEMS Memorial Day weekend is enough to drive the Anshy

tique and Classic buff from drink That same long weekshyend three of the largest and most active type clubs in the antique-classic world are holding their national flyshyins The Staggerwing Swift and Waco Clubs all meet that weekend their fly-in sites tantalizingly close for those of us who would like to attend all three

STAGGERWING Tullahoma Tennessees big World War II training

field-now-municipal-airport is where Staggerwing Club President Dub Yarbrough will greet his fellow Beech buffs All sorts of down home activities are on tap for the May 25-28 spree Items A Tennessee Hoedown on Saturday night (with Tennessee spirits) panel disshycussions and actual demonstrations of Staggerwing reshypair maintenance inspection and rebuilding featured speaker is Louise Thaden winner of the 1936 BendIx shyin a Staggerwing of course Camping facilities are available - including shower and toilet and electrical hook-up In addition to the stars of the show the Stagshygerwings there will be glider flying and even hot air balshyloons Time is short but for last minute fly-in informashytion contact W C Yarbrough Lannom Mfg Co Inc Tullahoma Tennessee 37388

SWIFT Your first problem in going to the Swift Fly-In will

be finding where to go Gilbertsville Kentucky is the nearest town the landmark to look for is the Kentucky Lake Dam and the airport will be the one with scores of Swifts buzzing all over the place - its name on your chart is Kentucky Dam State Park Airport When you get your chart down to find all this look at the extreme western end of Kentucky find Paducah then trace the Tennessee River east to the Kentucky Lake Dam By then you should have the airport symbol located This is a beautiful resort area and a fantastic site for any kind of outdoor event Last year Charlie Nelsons Swift nuts came in from all over the country in droves - around 100 of the snappy little low wingers were on hand (probably the biggest assemblage of Swifts on one airport since the factory had em sitting around awaiting Aeromatic Props just after World War II) All sorts of activity is n tap with lots of flying promised Your contact IS SWIft Club President Charlie Nelson Swift Association Box 644 Athens Tennessee 37303

WACO We outlined the activities that will go on at the Waco

Fly-In in the February issue of The Vintage Airplane but for new members here is a resume The Hamilton Ohio municipal airport is the site of the annual Waco FlyshyIn and the meet is always a biggie Ray Brandly Presishydent of the Waco Club will host the event Formation flying of huge gaggles of big 01 Wacos is a trademark of this fly-in it goes on all clay everyday if the weather is decent A banquet is held on Saturday night and the featured speaker will be Mr Clayton Bruckner who was President of the Waco Company throughout its existence Mr Bruckner needless to say is a walking storehouse of Waco history - as is Brandly himself Contact Ray Brandly National Waco Club 2650 West Alex-Bellshybrook Road Dayton Ohio 45459

So there you are all are great fly-ins You pays your money and you takes your choice as the saying goes As soon as the Antique-Classic Division membershyship roll hits the one million mark were going to ask the boss to lease a Lear Jet so we can attend all three

RARE WACO FOR SALE There is one Waco YPF-6 left This is the one that

looks a lot like the fabulous D owned by Dick Jackson It has the sliding greenhouse etc but a smaller Jacobs R~755-9 rather than the 450-hp Pratt and Whitney This aircraft was well into the process of restoration when its owner passed away The center section and cowl are complete the fuselage primed and jigs for the wing ribs have been built The engine is zero time since overhaul Wing spars have been purchased The aircraft is a 1935 Waco UPF-6 Serial Number 4375 NC 15700 The enshygine serial number is JO-21395

The aircraft is located just across the street from the Boulder Colorado airport Contact Lucille Bennett 5117 Independence Road Boulder Colorado 80301 (303442-3123 ) This would be a highly desirable antique and a special prize among Waco buffs

PORTERFIELD CLUB If you are an admirer of The Skinny Bird the lIttle

Porterfields of the late 30s and early 40s you will want to join the Porterfield Club and get their newsletter For information write Marc Herman 2306 Hyperion Avenue Los Angeles California 90027

A recent Porterfield restoration is N27281 a 1940 LP-65 rebuilt by William R Knox of Marietta Georgia Painted red and cream the bird is reported to be a beauty This will not be hard to believe for those of ~ ou who remember Bills Fairchild 24 of a few years back He is now hard at work on a 1929 Fleet I

STEARMAN RESTORERS ASSOCIATION

For many years the Stearman Restorers jssociashytion served as the Stearman Type Club for both the EAA and AAA and was an active force in the sport flying world But for the past few years it has been inactive due mainly to the great time and travel requirements of Bill McCrearys job For some time now Bill has tried to get me to take over the position of President of the SRA and get it active again and I have finally agreed to do so With the apparent increase in interest in the Stearman as shown by fly-in activities during the past couple of years I hope that we will be able to make it a Vital part of sport aviation once again In the near future I wIll be mailing a letter to all past SRA members and to other known Stearman enthusiasts detailing the re-activation of the SRA Members who had paid up membership dues during the last active year of the SRA will be c~nshysidered to be paid in full for the next year Anyone mshyterested in the Stearman Restorers Association please feel free to contact me

Thomas E Lowe President Stearman Restorers Association 823 Kingston Lane Crystal Lake Ill 60014 Telephone 815-459-6873

VINTAGE AIRPLANE BACK ISSUES Membership in the Antique-Classic Division of EAA

is growing very rapidly Most new members want to get all the back issues to date - which we have done as long as possible Due to the demand the February issue (which featured Wacos) is completely used up (We alshymost forgot to save file copies for ourselves at Headshyquarters) We still have a few of the January and March 1973 issues and will send them out on a first come first served basis It is amazing that a magazine only four

13

(Bill Hodges Collection)

To most fly-in goers of today this is what Ryan is all about the ubiquitous PT-22

(Di ck Stouffer PhotO) (Ryan Aeronautical Co Official Photo) PT-22

A PT-20 in its element

(Photo by Jack Cox) Walt Mindermann of Hollis N Y restored this 5C-3 It has been modernshyized with the addition of a 220-hp Continental and World War II era wheels

THE ARKANSAS COMMANO-AIRE By Robert G Lock (EAA 56824)

1186 N Pecan Reedly California 93654

After the conclusion of World War I a great numshyber of military surplus aircraft were dumped on the civilian market These aircraft were former trainers and fighters which were fabricated in large numbers towards the end of the war by the United States Probably the best known airplane of that era was the Curtiss Jenny Hundreds of Jennies were produced to train pilots for air combat After the war they were sold to the public for as little as $200 When a person could purchase a flying machine for that small amount of money many fell into the hands of unqualified pilots with the result that many Jennies were wrecked As they slowly disapshypeared new aircraft were designed and built in garages and small shops

One aircraft that immediately comes to mind is the Ryan monoplane designed and built by the Ryan Company in San Diego for Charles Lindbergh In 1927 Lindbergh flew the Ryan solo across the Atlantic Cershytainly this event triggered an expansion of commercial aviation and many new designs appeared The Waco made Troy Ohio famous while Cessna Beech and Stearman made Wichita Kansas the capital of comshymercial airplane production Clyde Cessna formed Cesshysna Aircraft Walter Beech formed the Travel Air Compa ny and Lloyd Stearman set up a small factory that was to produce many famous aircraft

Almost all the newly built aircraft had identical features two or three place open cockpit biplanes conshyventional landing gears with tail skids instead of tail-

wheels and large wheels and tires on the main landing gear There was the Waco 9 which received Approved Type Certificate No 11 Beechs Travel Air 2000 holding ATC No 30 and the Stearman C3C granted ATC No 62 The first Approved Type Certificate was awarded under the Air Commerce Act of 1926 in the year 1927 Since there were so many new designs apshypearing the government decided that some type conshytrol was needed to assure safe flight and structural soundness Thus Approved Type Certificate Number One was awarded the Buhl-Verville J4 Airster on March 29 1927

Making an appearance on the commercial market in July 1928 was the Command-Aire 3C3 series The Command-Aire closely resembled the Waco Travel Air and Stearman It had two wings was powered by the surplus Curtiss OX-5 engine and was said to have outshystanding flight characteristics Over 100 of the 3C3 series were built

The factory was located in Little Rock Arkansas in a plant formerly occupied by an automobile manushyfacturer R B Snowden Jr was the President Albert Voelmecke was the Chief Engineer and a noted pilot John Carroll Cone was in charge of sales Voelmecke was formerly with Ernst Heinkel Airplane Works of Gershymany Chief test pilot was Wright Ike Vermilya who dazzled the public by riding on top of the fuselage aft of the rear seat straddling the airplane Of course he wore no parachute he just sat there while the airplane

7

flew itself Thus the Command-Aire was shown to be extremely stable and the word stabili ty was used many times in the firms advertising

As the supply of OX-5 engines became scarce the factory experimented with other engines mostly the radial type The next development by the company was the Command-Aire 3C3-A which received ATC No 118 in March of 1929 Only 20 were built and one Warner powered model serial number W-79 was placed on Edo floats

During the year 1929 distribution and sales were taken over by the Curtiss Flying Service located in 26 of the 48 states Most of the later Command-Aire models were sent to the companys Houston Texas location

The next step in Command-Air~ evolution came in the closing days of March 1929 when the model 3C3-B received ATC No 120 The 3C3-B had a seven cylinder Siemens Halske engine of 105-113 horsepower The enshygine was of German manufacture distributed in the USA by K G Frank as the Yankee Siemens Pershyformance of aircraft and engine was good but engine

thirty-five 5C3s were manufactured by the Little Rock plant All 5C3s were powered by a 185 horsepower six

cylinder Challenger radial engine Performance was very good and the engine was quite reliable Cruise speed was 103 miles-per-hour while full control of the aircraft could be maintained down to 40 miles-per-hour So good was the control and stability of the airplane the Curtiss Flying Service promptly ordered sixteen 5C3s fitted as dusters by the factory and licensed in the restricted cateshygory (NR) Some 200000 acres of cotton were dusted in the southern states in 1929 Price at the factory was $6325 later reduced to $5950 in 1930

The 5C3 was entered in many air races in 1929 but always placed midway in the field each time it was not built for speed Major John Carroll Cone who was still in charge of sales flew a 5C3 to seventh place in the 1929 National Air Tour

During the same month July 1929 one 5C3 airshycraft was modified and a 150-hp Hispano-Suiza (Risso) engine installed The airplane was given ATC No 185 and was probably the best looking of the CommandshyAire models closely resembling the Travel Air 2000 However only one 5C3-A was produced This aircraft was flown from San Diego California to Los Angeles Qalifornia by fearless test pilot Ike Vermilya while

~----------------------------------------------------~

(Photo by Jack Cox)

N970E a 3C-3A is a part of the Wings and Wheels Museum collection located in Santee S C It was beautifully restored for owner Dolph Overton by Ernest E Webb of Charlotte N C The Warner powered Command-Aire has a tailwheel but othershywise is authentic to the smallest detail This is without question one of the counshytrys outstanding antique ai rplane restorations

parts were hard to find Price at the factory new was about $5500 Only three were built and one 4C3 was proshyduced powered by a 135 hp Walter engine of Czechoslashyvakian design

With the increasing interest in flying and pilot trainshying Command-Aire introduced the model 3C3-T in May of 1929 Carrying ATC No 150 thirty or more of this type were manufactured and sold for $1130 in 1929 Lashyter in 1930 the price was reduced to $2250 The one elongated cockpit was quite roomy for two persons seated tandem and was dubbed the bath tub

In the same month Command-Aire received ATC No 151 for the model 3C3-AT It was basically the same as the previous model but had a Warner 110 hp enshygine installed This engine gave the aircraft better pershyformance needed for the higher category license such as limited commercial or transport Only six of this type were built most were used by the Curtiss Flying Service for flight instruction

The model 5C3 was the firms best and most popushylar airplane Granted ATC No 184 in July 1929 some

straddling the rear of the fuselage in his usual style The distance covered was about one hundred miles and only occasional rudder control was used to keep the ship on the proper heading This certainly was a safe and genshytle airplane in its day

ATC No 209 was issued August 22 1929 for the Command-Aire 3C3-BT This model carried the same structure of the 3C3-AT but a 113-hp Yankee Sieshymens engine was installed Only three were manushyfactured

Towards the end of 1929 the Command-Aire Comshypany decided to develop its own sales organization unshyder the direction of Major J Carroll Cone The Curtiss Flying Service would no longer distribute CommandshyAire aircraft This development became effective Noshyvember 1 1929

In the latter part of 1929 another event was taking place - the Great Depression Unfortunately CommandshyAire was among the many companies that suffered severely However ATC No 214 was granted the comshypany for production of the model 5C3-B Only three were built being powered by a newly developed 150-hp Axelshyson engine The Depression was beginning to take its toll

8

WILLARD r SCHMITI 4027 ROCKY RIVER DR NO 22

ilLlNILAND~ OHIO 4413a 1973 COMMANDmiddotAIRE REGISTRATION LIST

Model3C3

N 136EA Ser No 532 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

N 583E Ser No 607 LOUIS Anderson RI 2 Mans f ield Mo 65704

N 7885 Ser No 530 Sileiby B Hagberg RI 1 Box 42 Greenfield Iowa 51343

Mode13Cmiddot3A N 970E Ser No W- l0B Dolph Overton

P a Box 93 Sanlee S C 29142

Mode13Cmiddot38 N 610E Ser No W69 Joseph Erale

1 Willow SI 9rentwood N Y 11717

Model5C-3 N 925E Ser No W-88 Walter A Mlndermann

196 30 Como Ave Hollis N Y 11423

N 996E Ser No W-135 Joh n R McDa nlel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 997E Ser No W-136 Robert G Lock 1186 N Pecan Reedley Calif 93654

N 998E Ser No W-137 John R McDaniel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 939E Ser No W-93 Joseph E rale 4 Willow SI Brentwood N Y 11717

N 946E Ser No W-95 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

(Photo Courtesy of Lloyd TOll )

Major John Carroll Cone Sales Manager for Command-Aire flew this 5C3 to 7th place in the 1929 National Air Tour The engine is a six cylinder Curtiss Challenger with bayonet stacks

The last model manufactured by Command-Aire was ATC No 233 and designated as the 5C3-C Proshyduction began in September 1929 The 5C3-C was powered by a later version of Lindberghs engine the Wright J-6-5 developing 165 hp If the Depression had not hit the country this model would have been the most

popular with the public The Wright engine offered reshyliability greater than the previous engines The pershyformance was outstanding cruising speed 101 mph landshying speed 42 mph and rate of climb was 810 feet per minute from sea level Cruising range at eight gallons per hour was six hundred miles Price at the factory was $7000 later it was reduced to $6025 However the marshyket failed to materialize leaving the company with only the consola tion that a future for this craft would have been assured had the market held up to its normal proshyportions

So ends the story of the Command-Aire Briefly manufactured from 1928 to 1930 the Command-Aire owns a small space in the history and development of aviation Command-Aire no longer lives - only a few examples have survived the past forty-two years Pershyhaps the statement Command-Aire no longer lives is incorrect The name lives in the memories of the pilots who flew them and to those who are fortunate to have found one to restore

COMMAND-AIRE 5C-3

Sometime ago I purchased a 1929 Command-Aire

model 5C-3 The aircraft is in poor condition but is reshybuildable There were approximately 33 of this model manufactured by the Command-Aire Company of Little Rock Arkansas The original design began in 1928 and was powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine Only 5 remain_

The 5C series aircraft were powered by a 6 cylinder Curtiss Challenger radial engine developing 185 hp My aircraft NC997E is the next to last built and has been modified for crop dusting use The engine was changed to a Continental R-670 220 hp

When I begin restoration next year I would like to install a Wright R-540 engine of 175 hp as shown in the 5C3-C aircraft This will mean a change in engine mount ring and of course an engine This engine went out of production in July of 1937 so locating one will be diffishycult However if you should happen to find one let me know I have a new overhauled Hamilton Standard ground adjustable propeller cut down to fit the Command-Aire

My Command-Aire is currently stored in a warehouse in Hanford along with two other 5C3s NC996E and NC998E These are three of the last five that are beshylieved to exist One is NC925E located in New York and the other is in Illinois

These aircraft are said to have excellent low speed characteristics because they were among the first airshycraft to use the Frese type aileron Notice that the landshying speed is a low 40 mph

A rather interesting find in this day and age I am lookshying forward to getting one of these aircraft in the air _ someday

9

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Carl Swanson s fantastically accurate repl ica Nieuport 17

NOW ABOUT THOSE REPLICA PLANS By Jack Cox

EAA Headquarters receives hundreds of requests every year for information on plans for vintage aircraft mostly World War I fighter types

The following list is what we send out to all conshycerned

Bleriot XI

Curtiss Pusher

Curtiss JN4D

DeHavilland 4

Fokker D-VII

10

Mel Miller 2030 Geary Albany Oregon 97321 - Complete set of drawings and instructions for replishyca - $1500 Charles F Schultz 910 Broadfields Dr Louisville Ky 40207 - Set of drawings developed from original Curtiss prints Gordon E Codding 4572 West 147 St Lawndale Cal 90260 - 23 drawings incomplete but good covshyerage Air Force Museum Wright-Patterson AFB Dayton Ohio - Some drawshyings available _ Fred Koin Losy 724 Robin Way N Palm Beach Fla 33408 - Set of Blue Max D-VII drawings Harold Best-Devereux 11 Stoneshyhills House Welwyn Garden City Herts England - Sets of Blue Max D-VII drawings Herbert L Kelly 56424 Handley Rd Yucca Valley Calif 92284 - 11 plates averaging 34 x 54 with all details needed to build 160-180 hp Mercedes D-VII - $11000

Fokker Dr I

Fokker D-VIII

Nieuport 17

Nieuport 27

MacchishyHanriot HD-l

RAFSE5A

Sopwith Camel

Walter Redfern Box G Tekoa Wash - Plans for Warner-powered replica $5000 Brochure $200 E O Swearingen 40 Monee Rd Park Forest Ill 60466 Drawings from Platz originals for Warnershypowered replica Fred Kom Losy (address above) -Rosendaal drawings Air Force Mushyseum Dayton Ohio - Drawings Fred Kom Losy (address above) shyDrawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings

Chris J Warrilow 141 Chairboshyrough Rd High Wycome Bucks England - Set of Drawings $12000 Replica PlanS 953 Kirkmond Cresshycent Richmond BC Canada -Darwings for 85 scale wooden replica Air Force Museum - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings RAE Farnborough Public Records Office Chancery Lane London England - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings of Camel FI and some of 2FI 200 drawings $14400

Sopwith Pup Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Smithsonian Institution Washingshyton D C - 72 drawings 18 x 24 $16200 Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings Hawker-Siddeley Kingston-upon-Thames - Drawings Public Records of Hawker-Siddeley (above has drawings for 100 hp conshyversion)

Sopwith Triplane Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings $7200

SPADs 713 Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings

Thomas-Morse Gordon E Codding (address above) S4C - Drawings

We also recommend that World War I replica enshythusiasts contact two groups which publish newsletters on their favorite activity building and flying aircraft of The Great War They are

World War I Aeroplanes by Leonard E Opdycke 46 Pleasant Ridge Road Poughkeepsie New York 12603

Fokker Verein Contact Dr Stanley L Morel 812 East Park Row Arlington Texas 76010 (Phone 277shy8361) The Fokker Verein is not limited to Fokker enshythusiasts - all World War I types are included

Your editor would like to hear of sources of any other plans andor organizations devoted especially to the above type of activity We will be happy to publish the information in The Vintage Airplane

(Ted Koston Photo) BELOW - E O Swearingens much admired Fokker O-VIII and a friend from another generation

(Ralph Nortell Photo)

ABOVE - Fokker Triplane built by Walt Redfern

(Salo Photo)

RIGHT - Sopwith Camel Now on exhibit at Wings and Wheels in Santee S C

AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD (Photo by Ted Koston)

PROBLEMS

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

PROBLEMS

(Photo Courtesy Lee Parsons)

PROBLEMS

12

OH THOSE PROBLEMS Memorial Day weekend is enough to drive the Anshy

tique and Classic buff from drink That same long weekshyend three of the largest and most active type clubs in the antique-classic world are holding their national flyshyins The Staggerwing Swift and Waco Clubs all meet that weekend their fly-in sites tantalizingly close for those of us who would like to attend all three

STAGGERWING Tullahoma Tennessees big World War II training

field-now-municipal-airport is where Staggerwing Club President Dub Yarbrough will greet his fellow Beech buffs All sorts of down home activities are on tap for the May 25-28 spree Items A Tennessee Hoedown on Saturday night (with Tennessee spirits) panel disshycussions and actual demonstrations of Staggerwing reshypair maintenance inspection and rebuilding featured speaker is Louise Thaden winner of the 1936 BendIx shyin a Staggerwing of course Camping facilities are available - including shower and toilet and electrical hook-up In addition to the stars of the show the Stagshygerwings there will be glider flying and even hot air balshyloons Time is short but for last minute fly-in informashytion contact W C Yarbrough Lannom Mfg Co Inc Tullahoma Tennessee 37388

SWIFT Your first problem in going to the Swift Fly-In will

be finding where to go Gilbertsville Kentucky is the nearest town the landmark to look for is the Kentucky Lake Dam and the airport will be the one with scores of Swifts buzzing all over the place - its name on your chart is Kentucky Dam State Park Airport When you get your chart down to find all this look at the extreme western end of Kentucky find Paducah then trace the Tennessee River east to the Kentucky Lake Dam By then you should have the airport symbol located This is a beautiful resort area and a fantastic site for any kind of outdoor event Last year Charlie Nelsons Swift nuts came in from all over the country in droves - around 100 of the snappy little low wingers were on hand (probably the biggest assemblage of Swifts on one airport since the factory had em sitting around awaiting Aeromatic Props just after World War II) All sorts of activity is n tap with lots of flying promised Your contact IS SWIft Club President Charlie Nelson Swift Association Box 644 Athens Tennessee 37303

WACO We outlined the activities that will go on at the Waco

Fly-In in the February issue of The Vintage Airplane but for new members here is a resume The Hamilton Ohio municipal airport is the site of the annual Waco FlyshyIn and the meet is always a biggie Ray Brandly Presishydent of the Waco Club will host the event Formation flying of huge gaggles of big 01 Wacos is a trademark of this fly-in it goes on all clay everyday if the weather is decent A banquet is held on Saturday night and the featured speaker will be Mr Clayton Bruckner who was President of the Waco Company throughout its existence Mr Bruckner needless to say is a walking storehouse of Waco history - as is Brandly himself Contact Ray Brandly National Waco Club 2650 West Alex-Bellshybrook Road Dayton Ohio 45459

So there you are all are great fly-ins You pays your money and you takes your choice as the saying goes As soon as the Antique-Classic Division membershyship roll hits the one million mark were going to ask the boss to lease a Lear Jet so we can attend all three

RARE WACO FOR SALE There is one Waco YPF-6 left This is the one that

looks a lot like the fabulous D owned by Dick Jackson It has the sliding greenhouse etc but a smaller Jacobs R~755-9 rather than the 450-hp Pratt and Whitney This aircraft was well into the process of restoration when its owner passed away The center section and cowl are complete the fuselage primed and jigs for the wing ribs have been built The engine is zero time since overhaul Wing spars have been purchased The aircraft is a 1935 Waco UPF-6 Serial Number 4375 NC 15700 The enshygine serial number is JO-21395

The aircraft is located just across the street from the Boulder Colorado airport Contact Lucille Bennett 5117 Independence Road Boulder Colorado 80301 (303442-3123 ) This would be a highly desirable antique and a special prize among Waco buffs

PORTERFIELD CLUB If you are an admirer of The Skinny Bird the lIttle

Porterfields of the late 30s and early 40s you will want to join the Porterfield Club and get their newsletter For information write Marc Herman 2306 Hyperion Avenue Los Angeles California 90027

A recent Porterfield restoration is N27281 a 1940 LP-65 rebuilt by William R Knox of Marietta Georgia Painted red and cream the bird is reported to be a beauty This will not be hard to believe for those of ~ ou who remember Bills Fairchild 24 of a few years back He is now hard at work on a 1929 Fleet I

STEARMAN RESTORERS ASSOCIATION

For many years the Stearman Restorers jssociashytion served as the Stearman Type Club for both the EAA and AAA and was an active force in the sport flying world But for the past few years it has been inactive due mainly to the great time and travel requirements of Bill McCrearys job For some time now Bill has tried to get me to take over the position of President of the SRA and get it active again and I have finally agreed to do so With the apparent increase in interest in the Stearman as shown by fly-in activities during the past couple of years I hope that we will be able to make it a Vital part of sport aviation once again In the near future I wIll be mailing a letter to all past SRA members and to other known Stearman enthusiasts detailing the re-activation of the SRA Members who had paid up membership dues during the last active year of the SRA will be c~nshysidered to be paid in full for the next year Anyone mshyterested in the Stearman Restorers Association please feel free to contact me

Thomas E Lowe President Stearman Restorers Association 823 Kingston Lane Crystal Lake Ill 60014 Telephone 815-459-6873

VINTAGE AIRPLANE BACK ISSUES Membership in the Antique-Classic Division of EAA

is growing very rapidly Most new members want to get all the back issues to date - which we have done as long as possible Due to the demand the February issue (which featured Wacos) is completely used up (We alshymost forgot to save file copies for ourselves at Headshyquarters) We still have a few of the January and March 1973 issues and will send them out on a first come first served basis It is amazing that a magazine only four

13

(Photo by Jack Cox) Walt Mindermann of Hollis N Y restored this 5C-3 It has been modernshyized with the addition of a 220-hp Continental and World War II era wheels

THE ARKANSAS COMMANO-AIRE By Robert G Lock (EAA 56824)

1186 N Pecan Reedly California 93654

After the conclusion of World War I a great numshyber of military surplus aircraft were dumped on the civilian market These aircraft were former trainers and fighters which were fabricated in large numbers towards the end of the war by the United States Probably the best known airplane of that era was the Curtiss Jenny Hundreds of Jennies were produced to train pilots for air combat After the war they were sold to the public for as little as $200 When a person could purchase a flying machine for that small amount of money many fell into the hands of unqualified pilots with the result that many Jennies were wrecked As they slowly disapshypeared new aircraft were designed and built in garages and small shops

One aircraft that immediately comes to mind is the Ryan monoplane designed and built by the Ryan Company in San Diego for Charles Lindbergh In 1927 Lindbergh flew the Ryan solo across the Atlantic Cershytainly this event triggered an expansion of commercial aviation and many new designs appeared The Waco made Troy Ohio famous while Cessna Beech and Stearman made Wichita Kansas the capital of comshymercial airplane production Clyde Cessna formed Cesshysna Aircraft Walter Beech formed the Travel Air Compa ny and Lloyd Stearman set up a small factory that was to produce many famous aircraft

Almost all the newly built aircraft had identical features two or three place open cockpit biplanes conshyventional landing gears with tail skids instead of tail-

wheels and large wheels and tires on the main landing gear There was the Waco 9 which received Approved Type Certificate No 11 Beechs Travel Air 2000 holding ATC No 30 and the Stearman C3C granted ATC No 62 The first Approved Type Certificate was awarded under the Air Commerce Act of 1926 in the year 1927 Since there were so many new designs apshypearing the government decided that some type conshytrol was needed to assure safe flight and structural soundness Thus Approved Type Certificate Number One was awarded the Buhl-Verville J4 Airster on March 29 1927

Making an appearance on the commercial market in July 1928 was the Command-Aire 3C3 series The Command-Aire closely resembled the Waco Travel Air and Stearman It had two wings was powered by the surplus Curtiss OX-5 engine and was said to have outshystanding flight characteristics Over 100 of the 3C3 series were built

The factory was located in Little Rock Arkansas in a plant formerly occupied by an automobile manushyfacturer R B Snowden Jr was the President Albert Voelmecke was the Chief Engineer and a noted pilot John Carroll Cone was in charge of sales Voelmecke was formerly with Ernst Heinkel Airplane Works of Gershymany Chief test pilot was Wright Ike Vermilya who dazzled the public by riding on top of the fuselage aft of the rear seat straddling the airplane Of course he wore no parachute he just sat there while the airplane

7

flew itself Thus the Command-Aire was shown to be extremely stable and the word stabili ty was used many times in the firms advertising

As the supply of OX-5 engines became scarce the factory experimented with other engines mostly the radial type The next development by the company was the Command-Aire 3C3-A which received ATC No 118 in March of 1929 Only 20 were built and one Warner powered model serial number W-79 was placed on Edo floats

During the year 1929 distribution and sales were taken over by the Curtiss Flying Service located in 26 of the 48 states Most of the later Command-Aire models were sent to the companys Houston Texas location

The next step in Command-Air~ evolution came in the closing days of March 1929 when the model 3C3-B received ATC No 120 The 3C3-B had a seven cylinder Siemens Halske engine of 105-113 horsepower The enshygine was of German manufacture distributed in the USA by K G Frank as the Yankee Siemens Pershyformance of aircraft and engine was good but engine

thirty-five 5C3s were manufactured by the Little Rock plant All 5C3s were powered by a 185 horsepower six

cylinder Challenger radial engine Performance was very good and the engine was quite reliable Cruise speed was 103 miles-per-hour while full control of the aircraft could be maintained down to 40 miles-per-hour So good was the control and stability of the airplane the Curtiss Flying Service promptly ordered sixteen 5C3s fitted as dusters by the factory and licensed in the restricted cateshygory (NR) Some 200000 acres of cotton were dusted in the southern states in 1929 Price at the factory was $6325 later reduced to $5950 in 1930

The 5C3 was entered in many air races in 1929 but always placed midway in the field each time it was not built for speed Major John Carroll Cone who was still in charge of sales flew a 5C3 to seventh place in the 1929 National Air Tour

During the same month July 1929 one 5C3 airshycraft was modified and a 150-hp Hispano-Suiza (Risso) engine installed The airplane was given ATC No 185 and was probably the best looking of the CommandshyAire models closely resembling the Travel Air 2000 However only one 5C3-A was produced This aircraft was flown from San Diego California to Los Angeles Qalifornia by fearless test pilot Ike Vermilya while

~----------------------------------------------------~

(Photo by Jack Cox)

N970E a 3C-3A is a part of the Wings and Wheels Museum collection located in Santee S C It was beautifully restored for owner Dolph Overton by Ernest E Webb of Charlotte N C The Warner powered Command-Aire has a tailwheel but othershywise is authentic to the smallest detail This is without question one of the counshytrys outstanding antique ai rplane restorations

parts were hard to find Price at the factory new was about $5500 Only three were built and one 4C3 was proshyduced powered by a 135 hp Walter engine of Czechoslashyvakian design

With the increasing interest in flying and pilot trainshying Command-Aire introduced the model 3C3-T in May of 1929 Carrying ATC No 150 thirty or more of this type were manufactured and sold for $1130 in 1929 Lashyter in 1930 the price was reduced to $2250 The one elongated cockpit was quite roomy for two persons seated tandem and was dubbed the bath tub

In the same month Command-Aire received ATC No 151 for the model 3C3-AT It was basically the same as the previous model but had a Warner 110 hp enshygine installed This engine gave the aircraft better pershyformance needed for the higher category license such as limited commercial or transport Only six of this type were built most were used by the Curtiss Flying Service for flight instruction

The model 5C3 was the firms best and most popushylar airplane Granted ATC No 184 in July 1929 some

straddling the rear of the fuselage in his usual style The distance covered was about one hundred miles and only occasional rudder control was used to keep the ship on the proper heading This certainly was a safe and genshytle airplane in its day

ATC No 209 was issued August 22 1929 for the Command-Aire 3C3-BT This model carried the same structure of the 3C3-AT but a 113-hp Yankee Sieshymens engine was installed Only three were manushyfactured

Towards the end of 1929 the Command-Aire Comshypany decided to develop its own sales organization unshyder the direction of Major J Carroll Cone The Curtiss Flying Service would no longer distribute CommandshyAire aircraft This development became effective Noshyvember 1 1929

In the latter part of 1929 another event was taking place - the Great Depression Unfortunately CommandshyAire was among the many companies that suffered severely However ATC No 214 was granted the comshypany for production of the model 5C3-B Only three were built being powered by a newly developed 150-hp Axelshyson engine The Depression was beginning to take its toll

8

WILLARD r SCHMITI 4027 ROCKY RIVER DR NO 22

ilLlNILAND~ OHIO 4413a 1973 COMMANDmiddotAIRE REGISTRATION LIST

Model3C3

N 136EA Ser No 532 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

N 583E Ser No 607 LOUIS Anderson RI 2 Mans f ield Mo 65704

N 7885 Ser No 530 Sileiby B Hagberg RI 1 Box 42 Greenfield Iowa 51343

Mode13Cmiddot3A N 970E Ser No W- l0B Dolph Overton

P a Box 93 Sanlee S C 29142

Mode13Cmiddot38 N 610E Ser No W69 Joseph Erale

1 Willow SI 9rentwood N Y 11717

Model5C-3 N 925E Ser No W-88 Walter A Mlndermann

196 30 Como Ave Hollis N Y 11423

N 996E Ser No W-135 Joh n R McDa nlel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 997E Ser No W-136 Robert G Lock 1186 N Pecan Reedley Calif 93654

N 998E Ser No W-137 John R McDaniel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 939E Ser No W-93 Joseph E rale 4 Willow SI Brentwood N Y 11717

N 946E Ser No W-95 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

(Photo Courtesy of Lloyd TOll )

Major John Carroll Cone Sales Manager for Command-Aire flew this 5C3 to 7th place in the 1929 National Air Tour The engine is a six cylinder Curtiss Challenger with bayonet stacks

The last model manufactured by Command-Aire was ATC No 233 and designated as the 5C3-C Proshyduction began in September 1929 The 5C3-C was powered by a later version of Lindberghs engine the Wright J-6-5 developing 165 hp If the Depression had not hit the country this model would have been the most

popular with the public The Wright engine offered reshyliability greater than the previous engines The pershyformance was outstanding cruising speed 101 mph landshying speed 42 mph and rate of climb was 810 feet per minute from sea level Cruising range at eight gallons per hour was six hundred miles Price at the factory was $7000 later it was reduced to $6025 However the marshyket failed to materialize leaving the company with only the consola tion that a future for this craft would have been assured had the market held up to its normal proshyportions

So ends the story of the Command-Aire Briefly manufactured from 1928 to 1930 the Command-Aire owns a small space in the history and development of aviation Command-Aire no longer lives - only a few examples have survived the past forty-two years Pershyhaps the statement Command-Aire no longer lives is incorrect The name lives in the memories of the pilots who flew them and to those who are fortunate to have found one to restore

COMMAND-AIRE 5C-3

Sometime ago I purchased a 1929 Command-Aire

model 5C-3 The aircraft is in poor condition but is reshybuildable There were approximately 33 of this model manufactured by the Command-Aire Company of Little Rock Arkansas The original design began in 1928 and was powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine Only 5 remain_

The 5C series aircraft were powered by a 6 cylinder Curtiss Challenger radial engine developing 185 hp My aircraft NC997E is the next to last built and has been modified for crop dusting use The engine was changed to a Continental R-670 220 hp

When I begin restoration next year I would like to install a Wright R-540 engine of 175 hp as shown in the 5C3-C aircraft This will mean a change in engine mount ring and of course an engine This engine went out of production in July of 1937 so locating one will be diffishycult However if you should happen to find one let me know I have a new overhauled Hamilton Standard ground adjustable propeller cut down to fit the Command-Aire

My Command-Aire is currently stored in a warehouse in Hanford along with two other 5C3s NC996E and NC998E These are three of the last five that are beshylieved to exist One is NC925E located in New York and the other is in Illinois

These aircraft are said to have excellent low speed characteristics because they were among the first airshycraft to use the Frese type aileron Notice that the landshying speed is a low 40 mph

A rather interesting find in this day and age I am lookshying forward to getting one of these aircraft in the air _ someday

9

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Carl Swanson s fantastically accurate repl ica Nieuport 17

NOW ABOUT THOSE REPLICA PLANS By Jack Cox

EAA Headquarters receives hundreds of requests every year for information on plans for vintage aircraft mostly World War I fighter types

The following list is what we send out to all conshycerned

Bleriot XI

Curtiss Pusher

Curtiss JN4D

DeHavilland 4

Fokker D-VII

10

Mel Miller 2030 Geary Albany Oregon 97321 - Complete set of drawings and instructions for replishyca - $1500 Charles F Schultz 910 Broadfields Dr Louisville Ky 40207 - Set of drawings developed from original Curtiss prints Gordon E Codding 4572 West 147 St Lawndale Cal 90260 - 23 drawings incomplete but good covshyerage Air Force Museum Wright-Patterson AFB Dayton Ohio - Some drawshyings available _ Fred Koin Losy 724 Robin Way N Palm Beach Fla 33408 - Set of Blue Max D-VII drawings Harold Best-Devereux 11 Stoneshyhills House Welwyn Garden City Herts England - Sets of Blue Max D-VII drawings Herbert L Kelly 56424 Handley Rd Yucca Valley Calif 92284 - 11 plates averaging 34 x 54 with all details needed to build 160-180 hp Mercedes D-VII - $11000

Fokker Dr I

Fokker D-VIII

Nieuport 17

Nieuport 27

MacchishyHanriot HD-l

RAFSE5A

Sopwith Camel

Walter Redfern Box G Tekoa Wash - Plans for Warner-powered replica $5000 Brochure $200 E O Swearingen 40 Monee Rd Park Forest Ill 60466 Drawings from Platz originals for Warnershypowered replica Fred Kom Losy (address above) -Rosendaal drawings Air Force Mushyseum Dayton Ohio - Drawings Fred Kom Losy (address above) shyDrawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings

Chris J Warrilow 141 Chairboshyrough Rd High Wycome Bucks England - Set of Drawings $12000 Replica PlanS 953 Kirkmond Cresshycent Richmond BC Canada -Darwings for 85 scale wooden replica Air Force Museum - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings RAE Farnborough Public Records Office Chancery Lane London England - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings of Camel FI and some of 2FI 200 drawings $14400

Sopwith Pup Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Smithsonian Institution Washingshyton D C - 72 drawings 18 x 24 $16200 Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings Hawker-Siddeley Kingston-upon-Thames - Drawings Public Records of Hawker-Siddeley (above has drawings for 100 hp conshyversion)

Sopwith Triplane Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings $7200

SPADs 713 Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings

Thomas-Morse Gordon E Codding (address above) S4C - Drawings

We also recommend that World War I replica enshythusiasts contact two groups which publish newsletters on their favorite activity building and flying aircraft of The Great War They are

World War I Aeroplanes by Leonard E Opdycke 46 Pleasant Ridge Road Poughkeepsie New York 12603

Fokker Verein Contact Dr Stanley L Morel 812 East Park Row Arlington Texas 76010 (Phone 277shy8361) The Fokker Verein is not limited to Fokker enshythusiasts - all World War I types are included

Your editor would like to hear of sources of any other plans andor organizations devoted especially to the above type of activity We will be happy to publish the information in The Vintage Airplane

(Ted Koston Photo) BELOW - E O Swearingens much admired Fokker O-VIII and a friend from another generation

(Ralph Nortell Photo)

ABOVE - Fokker Triplane built by Walt Redfern

(Salo Photo)

RIGHT - Sopwith Camel Now on exhibit at Wings and Wheels in Santee S C

AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD (Photo by Ted Koston)

PROBLEMS

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

PROBLEMS

(Photo Courtesy Lee Parsons)

PROBLEMS

12

OH THOSE PROBLEMS Memorial Day weekend is enough to drive the Anshy

tique and Classic buff from drink That same long weekshyend three of the largest and most active type clubs in the antique-classic world are holding their national flyshyins The Staggerwing Swift and Waco Clubs all meet that weekend their fly-in sites tantalizingly close for those of us who would like to attend all three

STAGGERWING Tullahoma Tennessees big World War II training

field-now-municipal-airport is where Staggerwing Club President Dub Yarbrough will greet his fellow Beech buffs All sorts of down home activities are on tap for the May 25-28 spree Items A Tennessee Hoedown on Saturday night (with Tennessee spirits) panel disshycussions and actual demonstrations of Staggerwing reshypair maintenance inspection and rebuilding featured speaker is Louise Thaden winner of the 1936 BendIx shyin a Staggerwing of course Camping facilities are available - including shower and toilet and electrical hook-up In addition to the stars of the show the Stagshygerwings there will be glider flying and even hot air balshyloons Time is short but for last minute fly-in informashytion contact W C Yarbrough Lannom Mfg Co Inc Tullahoma Tennessee 37388

SWIFT Your first problem in going to the Swift Fly-In will

be finding where to go Gilbertsville Kentucky is the nearest town the landmark to look for is the Kentucky Lake Dam and the airport will be the one with scores of Swifts buzzing all over the place - its name on your chart is Kentucky Dam State Park Airport When you get your chart down to find all this look at the extreme western end of Kentucky find Paducah then trace the Tennessee River east to the Kentucky Lake Dam By then you should have the airport symbol located This is a beautiful resort area and a fantastic site for any kind of outdoor event Last year Charlie Nelsons Swift nuts came in from all over the country in droves - around 100 of the snappy little low wingers were on hand (probably the biggest assemblage of Swifts on one airport since the factory had em sitting around awaiting Aeromatic Props just after World War II) All sorts of activity is n tap with lots of flying promised Your contact IS SWIft Club President Charlie Nelson Swift Association Box 644 Athens Tennessee 37303

WACO We outlined the activities that will go on at the Waco

Fly-In in the February issue of The Vintage Airplane but for new members here is a resume The Hamilton Ohio municipal airport is the site of the annual Waco FlyshyIn and the meet is always a biggie Ray Brandly Presishydent of the Waco Club will host the event Formation flying of huge gaggles of big 01 Wacos is a trademark of this fly-in it goes on all clay everyday if the weather is decent A banquet is held on Saturday night and the featured speaker will be Mr Clayton Bruckner who was President of the Waco Company throughout its existence Mr Bruckner needless to say is a walking storehouse of Waco history - as is Brandly himself Contact Ray Brandly National Waco Club 2650 West Alex-Bellshybrook Road Dayton Ohio 45459

So there you are all are great fly-ins You pays your money and you takes your choice as the saying goes As soon as the Antique-Classic Division membershyship roll hits the one million mark were going to ask the boss to lease a Lear Jet so we can attend all three

RARE WACO FOR SALE There is one Waco YPF-6 left This is the one that

looks a lot like the fabulous D owned by Dick Jackson It has the sliding greenhouse etc but a smaller Jacobs R~755-9 rather than the 450-hp Pratt and Whitney This aircraft was well into the process of restoration when its owner passed away The center section and cowl are complete the fuselage primed and jigs for the wing ribs have been built The engine is zero time since overhaul Wing spars have been purchased The aircraft is a 1935 Waco UPF-6 Serial Number 4375 NC 15700 The enshygine serial number is JO-21395

The aircraft is located just across the street from the Boulder Colorado airport Contact Lucille Bennett 5117 Independence Road Boulder Colorado 80301 (303442-3123 ) This would be a highly desirable antique and a special prize among Waco buffs

PORTERFIELD CLUB If you are an admirer of The Skinny Bird the lIttle

Porterfields of the late 30s and early 40s you will want to join the Porterfield Club and get their newsletter For information write Marc Herman 2306 Hyperion Avenue Los Angeles California 90027

A recent Porterfield restoration is N27281 a 1940 LP-65 rebuilt by William R Knox of Marietta Georgia Painted red and cream the bird is reported to be a beauty This will not be hard to believe for those of ~ ou who remember Bills Fairchild 24 of a few years back He is now hard at work on a 1929 Fleet I

STEARMAN RESTORERS ASSOCIATION

For many years the Stearman Restorers jssociashytion served as the Stearman Type Club for both the EAA and AAA and was an active force in the sport flying world But for the past few years it has been inactive due mainly to the great time and travel requirements of Bill McCrearys job For some time now Bill has tried to get me to take over the position of President of the SRA and get it active again and I have finally agreed to do so With the apparent increase in interest in the Stearman as shown by fly-in activities during the past couple of years I hope that we will be able to make it a Vital part of sport aviation once again In the near future I wIll be mailing a letter to all past SRA members and to other known Stearman enthusiasts detailing the re-activation of the SRA Members who had paid up membership dues during the last active year of the SRA will be c~nshysidered to be paid in full for the next year Anyone mshyterested in the Stearman Restorers Association please feel free to contact me

Thomas E Lowe President Stearman Restorers Association 823 Kingston Lane Crystal Lake Ill 60014 Telephone 815-459-6873

VINTAGE AIRPLANE BACK ISSUES Membership in the Antique-Classic Division of EAA

is growing very rapidly Most new members want to get all the back issues to date - which we have done as long as possible Due to the demand the February issue (which featured Wacos) is completely used up (We alshymost forgot to save file copies for ourselves at Headshyquarters) We still have a few of the January and March 1973 issues and will send them out on a first come first served basis It is amazing that a magazine only four

13

flew itself Thus the Command-Aire was shown to be extremely stable and the word stabili ty was used many times in the firms advertising

As the supply of OX-5 engines became scarce the factory experimented with other engines mostly the radial type The next development by the company was the Command-Aire 3C3-A which received ATC No 118 in March of 1929 Only 20 were built and one Warner powered model serial number W-79 was placed on Edo floats

During the year 1929 distribution and sales were taken over by the Curtiss Flying Service located in 26 of the 48 states Most of the later Command-Aire models were sent to the companys Houston Texas location

The next step in Command-Air~ evolution came in the closing days of March 1929 when the model 3C3-B received ATC No 120 The 3C3-B had a seven cylinder Siemens Halske engine of 105-113 horsepower The enshygine was of German manufacture distributed in the USA by K G Frank as the Yankee Siemens Pershyformance of aircraft and engine was good but engine

thirty-five 5C3s were manufactured by the Little Rock plant All 5C3s were powered by a 185 horsepower six

cylinder Challenger radial engine Performance was very good and the engine was quite reliable Cruise speed was 103 miles-per-hour while full control of the aircraft could be maintained down to 40 miles-per-hour So good was the control and stability of the airplane the Curtiss Flying Service promptly ordered sixteen 5C3s fitted as dusters by the factory and licensed in the restricted cateshygory (NR) Some 200000 acres of cotton were dusted in the southern states in 1929 Price at the factory was $6325 later reduced to $5950 in 1930

The 5C3 was entered in many air races in 1929 but always placed midway in the field each time it was not built for speed Major John Carroll Cone who was still in charge of sales flew a 5C3 to seventh place in the 1929 National Air Tour

During the same month July 1929 one 5C3 airshycraft was modified and a 150-hp Hispano-Suiza (Risso) engine installed The airplane was given ATC No 185 and was probably the best looking of the CommandshyAire models closely resembling the Travel Air 2000 However only one 5C3-A was produced This aircraft was flown from San Diego California to Los Angeles Qalifornia by fearless test pilot Ike Vermilya while

~----------------------------------------------------~

(Photo by Jack Cox)

N970E a 3C-3A is a part of the Wings and Wheels Museum collection located in Santee S C It was beautifully restored for owner Dolph Overton by Ernest E Webb of Charlotte N C The Warner powered Command-Aire has a tailwheel but othershywise is authentic to the smallest detail This is without question one of the counshytrys outstanding antique ai rplane restorations

parts were hard to find Price at the factory new was about $5500 Only three were built and one 4C3 was proshyduced powered by a 135 hp Walter engine of Czechoslashyvakian design

With the increasing interest in flying and pilot trainshying Command-Aire introduced the model 3C3-T in May of 1929 Carrying ATC No 150 thirty or more of this type were manufactured and sold for $1130 in 1929 Lashyter in 1930 the price was reduced to $2250 The one elongated cockpit was quite roomy for two persons seated tandem and was dubbed the bath tub

In the same month Command-Aire received ATC No 151 for the model 3C3-AT It was basically the same as the previous model but had a Warner 110 hp enshygine installed This engine gave the aircraft better pershyformance needed for the higher category license such as limited commercial or transport Only six of this type were built most were used by the Curtiss Flying Service for flight instruction

The model 5C3 was the firms best and most popushylar airplane Granted ATC No 184 in July 1929 some

straddling the rear of the fuselage in his usual style The distance covered was about one hundred miles and only occasional rudder control was used to keep the ship on the proper heading This certainly was a safe and genshytle airplane in its day

ATC No 209 was issued August 22 1929 for the Command-Aire 3C3-BT This model carried the same structure of the 3C3-AT but a 113-hp Yankee Sieshymens engine was installed Only three were manushyfactured

Towards the end of 1929 the Command-Aire Comshypany decided to develop its own sales organization unshyder the direction of Major J Carroll Cone The Curtiss Flying Service would no longer distribute CommandshyAire aircraft This development became effective Noshyvember 1 1929

In the latter part of 1929 another event was taking place - the Great Depression Unfortunately CommandshyAire was among the many companies that suffered severely However ATC No 214 was granted the comshypany for production of the model 5C3-B Only three were built being powered by a newly developed 150-hp Axelshyson engine The Depression was beginning to take its toll

8

WILLARD r SCHMITI 4027 ROCKY RIVER DR NO 22

ilLlNILAND~ OHIO 4413a 1973 COMMANDmiddotAIRE REGISTRATION LIST

Model3C3

N 136EA Ser No 532 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

N 583E Ser No 607 LOUIS Anderson RI 2 Mans f ield Mo 65704

N 7885 Ser No 530 Sileiby B Hagberg RI 1 Box 42 Greenfield Iowa 51343

Mode13Cmiddot3A N 970E Ser No W- l0B Dolph Overton

P a Box 93 Sanlee S C 29142

Mode13Cmiddot38 N 610E Ser No W69 Joseph Erale

1 Willow SI 9rentwood N Y 11717

Model5C-3 N 925E Ser No W-88 Walter A Mlndermann

196 30 Como Ave Hollis N Y 11423

N 996E Ser No W-135 Joh n R McDa nlel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 997E Ser No W-136 Robert G Lock 1186 N Pecan Reedley Calif 93654

N 998E Ser No W-137 John R McDaniel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 939E Ser No W-93 Joseph E rale 4 Willow SI Brentwood N Y 11717

N 946E Ser No W-95 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

(Photo Courtesy of Lloyd TOll )

Major John Carroll Cone Sales Manager for Command-Aire flew this 5C3 to 7th place in the 1929 National Air Tour The engine is a six cylinder Curtiss Challenger with bayonet stacks

The last model manufactured by Command-Aire was ATC No 233 and designated as the 5C3-C Proshyduction began in September 1929 The 5C3-C was powered by a later version of Lindberghs engine the Wright J-6-5 developing 165 hp If the Depression had not hit the country this model would have been the most

popular with the public The Wright engine offered reshyliability greater than the previous engines The pershyformance was outstanding cruising speed 101 mph landshying speed 42 mph and rate of climb was 810 feet per minute from sea level Cruising range at eight gallons per hour was six hundred miles Price at the factory was $7000 later it was reduced to $6025 However the marshyket failed to materialize leaving the company with only the consola tion that a future for this craft would have been assured had the market held up to its normal proshyportions

So ends the story of the Command-Aire Briefly manufactured from 1928 to 1930 the Command-Aire owns a small space in the history and development of aviation Command-Aire no longer lives - only a few examples have survived the past forty-two years Pershyhaps the statement Command-Aire no longer lives is incorrect The name lives in the memories of the pilots who flew them and to those who are fortunate to have found one to restore

COMMAND-AIRE 5C-3

Sometime ago I purchased a 1929 Command-Aire

model 5C-3 The aircraft is in poor condition but is reshybuildable There were approximately 33 of this model manufactured by the Command-Aire Company of Little Rock Arkansas The original design began in 1928 and was powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine Only 5 remain_

The 5C series aircraft were powered by a 6 cylinder Curtiss Challenger radial engine developing 185 hp My aircraft NC997E is the next to last built and has been modified for crop dusting use The engine was changed to a Continental R-670 220 hp

When I begin restoration next year I would like to install a Wright R-540 engine of 175 hp as shown in the 5C3-C aircraft This will mean a change in engine mount ring and of course an engine This engine went out of production in July of 1937 so locating one will be diffishycult However if you should happen to find one let me know I have a new overhauled Hamilton Standard ground adjustable propeller cut down to fit the Command-Aire

My Command-Aire is currently stored in a warehouse in Hanford along with two other 5C3s NC996E and NC998E These are three of the last five that are beshylieved to exist One is NC925E located in New York and the other is in Illinois

These aircraft are said to have excellent low speed characteristics because they were among the first airshycraft to use the Frese type aileron Notice that the landshying speed is a low 40 mph

A rather interesting find in this day and age I am lookshying forward to getting one of these aircraft in the air _ someday

9

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Carl Swanson s fantastically accurate repl ica Nieuport 17

NOW ABOUT THOSE REPLICA PLANS By Jack Cox

EAA Headquarters receives hundreds of requests every year for information on plans for vintage aircraft mostly World War I fighter types

The following list is what we send out to all conshycerned

Bleriot XI

Curtiss Pusher

Curtiss JN4D

DeHavilland 4

Fokker D-VII

10

Mel Miller 2030 Geary Albany Oregon 97321 - Complete set of drawings and instructions for replishyca - $1500 Charles F Schultz 910 Broadfields Dr Louisville Ky 40207 - Set of drawings developed from original Curtiss prints Gordon E Codding 4572 West 147 St Lawndale Cal 90260 - 23 drawings incomplete but good covshyerage Air Force Museum Wright-Patterson AFB Dayton Ohio - Some drawshyings available _ Fred Koin Losy 724 Robin Way N Palm Beach Fla 33408 - Set of Blue Max D-VII drawings Harold Best-Devereux 11 Stoneshyhills House Welwyn Garden City Herts England - Sets of Blue Max D-VII drawings Herbert L Kelly 56424 Handley Rd Yucca Valley Calif 92284 - 11 plates averaging 34 x 54 with all details needed to build 160-180 hp Mercedes D-VII - $11000

Fokker Dr I

Fokker D-VIII

Nieuport 17

Nieuport 27

MacchishyHanriot HD-l

RAFSE5A

Sopwith Camel

Walter Redfern Box G Tekoa Wash - Plans for Warner-powered replica $5000 Brochure $200 E O Swearingen 40 Monee Rd Park Forest Ill 60466 Drawings from Platz originals for Warnershypowered replica Fred Kom Losy (address above) -Rosendaal drawings Air Force Mushyseum Dayton Ohio - Drawings Fred Kom Losy (address above) shyDrawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings

Chris J Warrilow 141 Chairboshyrough Rd High Wycome Bucks England - Set of Drawings $12000 Replica PlanS 953 Kirkmond Cresshycent Richmond BC Canada -Darwings for 85 scale wooden replica Air Force Museum - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings RAE Farnborough Public Records Office Chancery Lane London England - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings of Camel FI and some of 2FI 200 drawings $14400

Sopwith Pup Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Smithsonian Institution Washingshyton D C - 72 drawings 18 x 24 $16200 Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings Hawker-Siddeley Kingston-upon-Thames - Drawings Public Records of Hawker-Siddeley (above has drawings for 100 hp conshyversion)

Sopwith Triplane Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings $7200

SPADs 713 Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings

Thomas-Morse Gordon E Codding (address above) S4C - Drawings

We also recommend that World War I replica enshythusiasts contact two groups which publish newsletters on their favorite activity building and flying aircraft of The Great War They are

World War I Aeroplanes by Leonard E Opdycke 46 Pleasant Ridge Road Poughkeepsie New York 12603

Fokker Verein Contact Dr Stanley L Morel 812 East Park Row Arlington Texas 76010 (Phone 277shy8361) The Fokker Verein is not limited to Fokker enshythusiasts - all World War I types are included

Your editor would like to hear of sources of any other plans andor organizations devoted especially to the above type of activity We will be happy to publish the information in The Vintage Airplane

(Ted Koston Photo) BELOW - E O Swearingens much admired Fokker O-VIII and a friend from another generation

(Ralph Nortell Photo)

ABOVE - Fokker Triplane built by Walt Redfern

(Salo Photo)

RIGHT - Sopwith Camel Now on exhibit at Wings and Wheels in Santee S C

AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD (Photo by Ted Koston)

PROBLEMS

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

PROBLEMS

(Photo Courtesy Lee Parsons)

PROBLEMS

12

OH THOSE PROBLEMS Memorial Day weekend is enough to drive the Anshy

tique and Classic buff from drink That same long weekshyend three of the largest and most active type clubs in the antique-classic world are holding their national flyshyins The Staggerwing Swift and Waco Clubs all meet that weekend their fly-in sites tantalizingly close for those of us who would like to attend all three

STAGGERWING Tullahoma Tennessees big World War II training

field-now-municipal-airport is where Staggerwing Club President Dub Yarbrough will greet his fellow Beech buffs All sorts of down home activities are on tap for the May 25-28 spree Items A Tennessee Hoedown on Saturday night (with Tennessee spirits) panel disshycussions and actual demonstrations of Staggerwing reshypair maintenance inspection and rebuilding featured speaker is Louise Thaden winner of the 1936 BendIx shyin a Staggerwing of course Camping facilities are available - including shower and toilet and electrical hook-up In addition to the stars of the show the Stagshygerwings there will be glider flying and even hot air balshyloons Time is short but for last minute fly-in informashytion contact W C Yarbrough Lannom Mfg Co Inc Tullahoma Tennessee 37388

SWIFT Your first problem in going to the Swift Fly-In will

be finding where to go Gilbertsville Kentucky is the nearest town the landmark to look for is the Kentucky Lake Dam and the airport will be the one with scores of Swifts buzzing all over the place - its name on your chart is Kentucky Dam State Park Airport When you get your chart down to find all this look at the extreme western end of Kentucky find Paducah then trace the Tennessee River east to the Kentucky Lake Dam By then you should have the airport symbol located This is a beautiful resort area and a fantastic site for any kind of outdoor event Last year Charlie Nelsons Swift nuts came in from all over the country in droves - around 100 of the snappy little low wingers were on hand (probably the biggest assemblage of Swifts on one airport since the factory had em sitting around awaiting Aeromatic Props just after World War II) All sorts of activity is n tap with lots of flying promised Your contact IS SWIft Club President Charlie Nelson Swift Association Box 644 Athens Tennessee 37303

WACO We outlined the activities that will go on at the Waco

Fly-In in the February issue of The Vintage Airplane but for new members here is a resume The Hamilton Ohio municipal airport is the site of the annual Waco FlyshyIn and the meet is always a biggie Ray Brandly Presishydent of the Waco Club will host the event Formation flying of huge gaggles of big 01 Wacos is a trademark of this fly-in it goes on all clay everyday if the weather is decent A banquet is held on Saturday night and the featured speaker will be Mr Clayton Bruckner who was President of the Waco Company throughout its existence Mr Bruckner needless to say is a walking storehouse of Waco history - as is Brandly himself Contact Ray Brandly National Waco Club 2650 West Alex-Bellshybrook Road Dayton Ohio 45459

So there you are all are great fly-ins You pays your money and you takes your choice as the saying goes As soon as the Antique-Classic Division membershyship roll hits the one million mark were going to ask the boss to lease a Lear Jet so we can attend all three

RARE WACO FOR SALE There is one Waco YPF-6 left This is the one that

looks a lot like the fabulous D owned by Dick Jackson It has the sliding greenhouse etc but a smaller Jacobs R~755-9 rather than the 450-hp Pratt and Whitney This aircraft was well into the process of restoration when its owner passed away The center section and cowl are complete the fuselage primed and jigs for the wing ribs have been built The engine is zero time since overhaul Wing spars have been purchased The aircraft is a 1935 Waco UPF-6 Serial Number 4375 NC 15700 The enshygine serial number is JO-21395

The aircraft is located just across the street from the Boulder Colorado airport Contact Lucille Bennett 5117 Independence Road Boulder Colorado 80301 (303442-3123 ) This would be a highly desirable antique and a special prize among Waco buffs

PORTERFIELD CLUB If you are an admirer of The Skinny Bird the lIttle

Porterfields of the late 30s and early 40s you will want to join the Porterfield Club and get their newsletter For information write Marc Herman 2306 Hyperion Avenue Los Angeles California 90027

A recent Porterfield restoration is N27281 a 1940 LP-65 rebuilt by William R Knox of Marietta Georgia Painted red and cream the bird is reported to be a beauty This will not be hard to believe for those of ~ ou who remember Bills Fairchild 24 of a few years back He is now hard at work on a 1929 Fleet I

STEARMAN RESTORERS ASSOCIATION

For many years the Stearman Restorers jssociashytion served as the Stearman Type Club for both the EAA and AAA and was an active force in the sport flying world But for the past few years it has been inactive due mainly to the great time and travel requirements of Bill McCrearys job For some time now Bill has tried to get me to take over the position of President of the SRA and get it active again and I have finally agreed to do so With the apparent increase in interest in the Stearman as shown by fly-in activities during the past couple of years I hope that we will be able to make it a Vital part of sport aviation once again In the near future I wIll be mailing a letter to all past SRA members and to other known Stearman enthusiasts detailing the re-activation of the SRA Members who had paid up membership dues during the last active year of the SRA will be c~nshysidered to be paid in full for the next year Anyone mshyterested in the Stearman Restorers Association please feel free to contact me

Thomas E Lowe President Stearman Restorers Association 823 Kingston Lane Crystal Lake Ill 60014 Telephone 815-459-6873

VINTAGE AIRPLANE BACK ISSUES Membership in the Antique-Classic Division of EAA

is growing very rapidly Most new members want to get all the back issues to date - which we have done as long as possible Due to the demand the February issue (which featured Wacos) is completely used up (We alshymost forgot to save file copies for ourselves at Headshyquarters) We still have a few of the January and March 1973 issues and will send them out on a first come first served basis It is amazing that a magazine only four

13

WILLARD r SCHMITI 4027 ROCKY RIVER DR NO 22

ilLlNILAND~ OHIO 4413a 1973 COMMANDmiddotAIRE REGISTRATION LIST

Model3C3

N 136EA Ser No 532 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

N 583E Ser No 607 LOUIS Anderson RI 2 Mans f ield Mo 65704

N 7885 Ser No 530 Sileiby B Hagberg RI 1 Box 42 Greenfield Iowa 51343

Mode13Cmiddot3A N 970E Ser No W- l0B Dolph Overton

P a Box 93 Sanlee S C 29142

Mode13Cmiddot38 N 610E Ser No W69 Joseph Erale

1 Willow SI 9rentwood N Y 11717

Model5C-3 N 925E Ser No W-88 Walter A Mlndermann

196 30 Como Ave Hollis N Y 11423

N 996E Ser No W-135 Joh n R McDa nlel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 997E Ser No W-136 Robert G Lock 1186 N Pecan Reedley Calif 93654

N 998E Ser No W-137 John R McDaniel Box 757 Ft Pierce Fla 33450

N 939E Ser No W-93 Joseph E rale 4 Willow SI Brentwood N Y 11717

N 946E Ser No W-95 John S Thurmond 4302 S Camino Verde Tucson Am 85714

(Photo Courtesy of Lloyd TOll )

Major John Carroll Cone Sales Manager for Command-Aire flew this 5C3 to 7th place in the 1929 National Air Tour The engine is a six cylinder Curtiss Challenger with bayonet stacks

The last model manufactured by Command-Aire was ATC No 233 and designated as the 5C3-C Proshyduction began in September 1929 The 5C3-C was powered by a later version of Lindberghs engine the Wright J-6-5 developing 165 hp If the Depression had not hit the country this model would have been the most

popular with the public The Wright engine offered reshyliability greater than the previous engines The pershyformance was outstanding cruising speed 101 mph landshying speed 42 mph and rate of climb was 810 feet per minute from sea level Cruising range at eight gallons per hour was six hundred miles Price at the factory was $7000 later it was reduced to $6025 However the marshyket failed to materialize leaving the company with only the consola tion that a future for this craft would have been assured had the market held up to its normal proshyportions

So ends the story of the Command-Aire Briefly manufactured from 1928 to 1930 the Command-Aire owns a small space in the history and development of aviation Command-Aire no longer lives - only a few examples have survived the past forty-two years Pershyhaps the statement Command-Aire no longer lives is incorrect The name lives in the memories of the pilots who flew them and to those who are fortunate to have found one to restore

COMMAND-AIRE 5C-3

Sometime ago I purchased a 1929 Command-Aire

model 5C-3 The aircraft is in poor condition but is reshybuildable There were approximately 33 of this model manufactured by the Command-Aire Company of Little Rock Arkansas The original design began in 1928 and was powered by a Curtiss OX-5 engine Only 5 remain_

The 5C series aircraft were powered by a 6 cylinder Curtiss Challenger radial engine developing 185 hp My aircraft NC997E is the next to last built and has been modified for crop dusting use The engine was changed to a Continental R-670 220 hp

When I begin restoration next year I would like to install a Wright R-540 engine of 175 hp as shown in the 5C3-C aircraft This will mean a change in engine mount ring and of course an engine This engine went out of production in July of 1937 so locating one will be diffishycult However if you should happen to find one let me know I have a new overhauled Hamilton Standard ground adjustable propeller cut down to fit the Command-Aire

My Command-Aire is currently stored in a warehouse in Hanford along with two other 5C3s NC996E and NC998E These are three of the last five that are beshylieved to exist One is NC925E located in New York and the other is in Illinois

These aircraft are said to have excellent low speed characteristics because they were among the first airshycraft to use the Frese type aileron Notice that the landshying speed is a low 40 mph

A rather interesting find in this day and age I am lookshying forward to getting one of these aircraft in the air _ someday

9

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Carl Swanson s fantastically accurate repl ica Nieuport 17

NOW ABOUT THOSE REPLICA PLANS By Jack Cox

EAA Headquarters receives hundreds of requests every year for information on plans for vintage aircraft mostly World War I fighter types

The following list is what we send out to all conshycerned

Bleriot XI

Curtiss Pusher

Curtiss JN4D

DeHavilland 4

Fokker D-VII

10

Mel Miller 2030 Geary Albany Oregon 97321 - Complete set of drawings and instructions for replishyca - $1500 Charles F Schultz 910 Broadfields Dr Louisville Ky 40207 - Set of drawings developed from original Curtiss prints Gordon E Codding 4572 West 147 St Lawndale Cal 90260 - 23 drawings incomplete but good covshyerage Air Force Museum Wright-Patterson AFB Dayton Ohio - Some drawshyings available _ Fred Koin Losy 724 Robin Way N Palm Beach Fla 33408 - Set of Blue Max D-VII drawings Harold Best-Devereux 11 Stoneshyhills House Welwyn Garden City Herts England - Sets of Blue Max D-VII drawings Herbert L Kelly 56424 Handley Rd Yucca Valley Calif 92284 - 11 plates averaging 34 x 54 with all details needed to build 160-180 hp Mercedes D-VII - $11000

Fokker Dr I

Fokker D-VIII

Nieuport 17

Nieuport 27

MacchishyHanriot HD-l

RAFSE5A

Sopwith Camel

Walter Redfern Box G Tekoa Wash - Plans for Warner-powered replica $5000 Brochure $200 E O Swearingen 40 Monee Rd Park Forest Ill 60466 Drawings from Platz originals for Warnershypowered replica Fred Kom Losy (address above) -Rosendaal drawings Air Force Mushyseum Dayton Ohio - Drawings Fred Kom Losy (address above) shyDrawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings

Chris J Warrilow 141 Chairboshyrough Rd High Wycome Bucks England - Set of Drawings $12000 Replica PlanS 953 Kirkmond Cresshycent Richmond BC Canada -Darwings for 85 scale wooden replica Air Force Museum - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings RAE Farnborough Public Records Office Chancery Lane London England - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings of Camel FI and some of 2FI 200 drawings $14400

Sopwith Pup Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Smithsonian Institution Washingshyton D C - 72 drawings 18 x 24 $16200 Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings Hawker-Siddeley Kingston-upon-Thames - Drawings Public Records of Hawker-Siddeley (above has drawings for 100 hp conshyversion)

Sopwith Triplane Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings $7200

SPADs 713 Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings

Thomas-Morse Gordon E Codding (address above) S4C - Drawings

We also recommend that World War I replica enshythusiasts contact two groups which publish newsletters on their favorite activity building and flying aircraft of The Great War They are

World War I Aeroplanes by Leonard E Opdycke 46 Pleasant Ridge Road Poughkeepsie New York 12603

Fokker Verein Contact Dr Stanley L Morel 812 East Park Row Arlington Texas 76010 (Phone 277shy8361) The Fokker Verein is not limited to Fokker enshythusiasts - all World War I types are included

Your editor would like to hear of sources of any other plans andor organizations devoted especially to the above type of activity We will be happy to publish the information in The Vintage Airplane

(Ted Koston Photo) BELOW - E O Swearingens much admired Fokker O-VIII and a friend from another generation

(Ralph Nortell Photo)

ABOVE - Fokker Triplane built by Walt Redfern

(Salo Photo)

RIGHT - Sopwith Camel Now on exhibit at Wings and Wheels in Santee S C

AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD (Photo by Ted Koston)

PROBLEMS

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

PROBLEMS

(Photo Courtesy Lee Parsons)

PROBLEMS

12

OH THOSE PROBLEMS Memorial Day weekend is enough to drive the Anshy

tique and Classic buff from drink That same long weekshyend three of the largest and most active type clubs in the antique-classic world are holding their national flyshyins The Staggerwing Swift and Waco Clubs all meet that weekend their fly-in sites tantalizingly close for those of us who would like to attend all three

STAGGERWING Tullahoma Tennessees big World War II training

field-now-municipal-airport is where Staggerwing Club President Dub Yarbrough will greet his fellow Beech buffs All sorts of down home activities are on tap for the May 25-28 spree Items A Tennessee Hoedown on Saturday night (with Tennessee spirits) panel disshycussions and actual demonstrations of Staggerwing reshypair maintenance inspection and rebuilding featured speaker is Louise Thaden winner of the 1936 BendIx shyin a Staggerwing of course Camping facilities are available - including shower and toilet and electrical hook-up In addition to the stars of the show the Stagshygerwings there will be glider flying and even hot air balshyloons Time is short but for last minute fly-in informashytion contact W C Yarbrough Lannom Mfg Co Inc Tullahoma Tennessee 37388

SWIFT Your first problem in going to the Swift Fly-In will

be finding where to go Gilbertsville Kentucky is the nearest town the landmark to look for is the Kentucky Lake Dam and the airport will be the one with scores of Swifts buzzing all over the place - its name on your chart is Kentucky Dam State Park Airport When you get your chart down to find all this look at the extreme western end of Kentucky find Paducah then trace the Tennessee River east to the Kentucky Lake Dam By then you should have the airport symbol located This is a beautiful resort area and a fantastic site for any kind of outdoor event Last year Charlie Nelsons Swift nuts came in from all over the country in droves - around 100 of the snappy little low wingers were on hand (probably the biggest assemblage of Swifts on one airport since the factory had em sitting around awaiting Aeromatic Props just after World War II) All sorts of activity is n tap with lots of flying promised Your contact IS SWIft Club President Charlie Nelson Swift Association Box 644 Athens Tennessee 37303

WACO We outlined the activities that will go on at the Waco

Fly-In in the February issue of The Vintage Airplane but for new members here is a resume The Hamilton Ohio municipal airport is the site of the annual Waco FlyshyIn and the meet is always a biggie Ray Brandly Presishydent of the Waco Club will host the event Formation flying of huge gaggles of big 01 Wacos is a trademark of this fly-in it goes on all clay everyday if the weather is decent A banquet is held on Saturday night and the featured speaker will be Mr Clayton Bruckner who was President of the Waco Company throughout its existence Mr Bruckner needless to say is a walking storehouse of Waco history - as is Brandly himself Contact Ray Brandly National Waco Club 2650 West Alex-Bellshybrook Road Dayton Ohio 45459

So there you are all are great fly-ins You pays your money and you takes your choice as the saying goes As soon as the Antique-Classic Division membershyship roll hits the one million mark were going to ask the boss to lease a Lear Jet so we can attend all three

RARE WACO FOR SALE There is one Waco YPF-6 left This is the one that

looks a lot like the fabulous D owned by Dick Jackson It has the sliding greenhouse etc but a smaller Jacobs R~755-9 rather than the 450-hp Pratt and Whitney This aircraft was well into the process of restoration when its owner passed away The center section and cowl are complete the fuselage primed and jigs for the wing ribs have been built The engine is zero time since overhaul Wing spars have been purchased The aircraft is a 1935 Waco UPF-6 Serial Number 4375 NC 15700 The enshygine serial number is JO-21395

The aircraft is located just across the street from the Boulder Colorado airport Contact Lucille Bennett 5117 Independence Road Boulder Colorado 80301 (303442-3123 ) This would be a highly desirable antique and a special prize among Waco buffs

PORTERFIELD CLUB If you are an admirer of The Skinny Bird the lIttle

Porterfields of the late 30s and early 40s you will want to join the Porterfield Club and get their newsletter For information write Marc Herman 2306 Hyperion Avenue Los Angeles California 90027

A recent Porterfield restoration is N27281 a 1940 LP-65 rebuilt by William R Knox of Marietta Georgia Painted red and cream the bird is reported to be a beauty This will not be hard to believe for those of ~ ou who remember Bills Fairchild 24 of a few years back He is now hard at work on a 1929 Fleet I

STEARMAN RESTORERS ASSOCIATION

For many years the Stearman Restorers jssociashytion served as the Stearman Type Club for both the EAA and AAA and was an active force in the sport flying world But for the past few years it has been inactive due mainly to the great time and travel requirements of Bill McCrearys job For some time now Bill has tried to get me to take over the position of President of the SRA and get it active again and I have finally agreed to do so With the apparent increase in interest in the Stearman as shown by fly-in activities during the past couple of years I hope that we will be able to make it a Vital part of sport aviation once again In the near future I wIll be mailing a letter to all past SRA members and to other known Stearman enthusiasts detailing the re-activation of the SRA Members who had paid up membership dues during the last active year of the SRA will be c~nshysidered to be paid in full for the next year Anyone mshyterested in the Stearman Restorers Association please feel free to contact me

Thomas E Lowe President Stearman Restorers Association 823 Kingston Lane Crystal Lake Ill 60014 Telephone 815-459-6873

VINTAGE AIRPLANE BACK ISSUES Membership in the Antique-Classic Division of EAA

is growing very rapidly Most new members want to get all the back issues to date - which we have done as long as possible Due to the demand the February issue (which featured Wacos) is completely used up (We alshymost forgot to save file copies for ourselves at Headshyquarters) We still have a few of the January and March 1973 issues and will send them out on a first come first served basis It is amazing that a magazine only four

13

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

Carl Swanson s fantastically accurate repl ica Nieuport 17

NOW ABOUT THOSE REPLICA PLANS By Jack Cox

EAA Headquarters receives hundreds of requests every year for information on plans for vintage aircraft mostly World War I fighter types

The following list is what we send out to all conshycerned

Bleriot XI

Curtiss Pusher

Curtiss JN4D

DeHavilland 4

Fokker D-VII

10

Mel Miller 2030 Geary Albany Oregon 97321 - Complete set of drawings and instructions for replishyca - $1500 Charles F Schultz 910 Broadfields Dr Louisville Ky 40207 - Set of drawings developed from original Curtiss prints Gordon E Codding 4572 West 147 St Lawndale Cal 90260 - 23 drawings incomplete but good covshyerage Air Force Museum Wright-Patterson AFB Dayton Ohio - Some drawshyings available _ Fred Koin Losy 724 Robin Way N Palm Beach Fla 33408 - Set of Blue Max D-VII drawings Harold Best-Devereux 11 Stoneshyhills House Welwyn Garden City Herts England - Sets of Blue Max D-VII drawings Herbert L Kelly 56424 Handley Rd Yucca Valley Calif 92284 - 11 plates averaging 34 x 54 with all details needed to build 160-180 hp Mercedes D-VII - $11000

Fokker Dr I

Fokker D-VIII

Nieuport 17

Nieuport 27

MacchishyHanriot HD-l

RAFSE5A

Sopwith Camel

Walter Redfern Box G Tekoa Wash - Plans for Warner-powered replica $5000 Brochure $200 E O Swearingen 40 Monee Rd Park Forest Ill 60466 Drawings from Platz originals for Warnershypowered replica Fred Kom Losy (address above) -Rosendaal drawings Air Force Mushyseum Dayton Ohio - Drawings Fred Kom Losy (address above) shyDrawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings

Chris J Warrilow 141 Chairboshyrough Rd High Wycome Bucks England - Set of Drawings $12000 Replica PlanS 953 Kirkmond Cresshycent Richmond BC Canada -Darwings for 85 scale wooden replica Air Force Museum - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings RAE Farnborough Public Records Office Chancery Lane London England - Drawings Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings of Camel FI and some of 2FI 200 drawings $14400

Sopwith Pup Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Smithsonian Institution Washingshyton D C - 72 drawings 18 x 24 $16200 Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings Hawker-Siddeley Kingston-upon-Thames - Drawings Public Records of Hawker-Siddeley (above has drawings for 100 hp conshyversion)

Sopwith Triplane Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings $7200

SPADs 713 Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings

Thomas-Morse Gordon E Codding (address above) S4C - Drawings

We also recommend that World War I replica enshythusiasts contact two groups which publish newsletters on their favorite activity building and flying aircraft of The Great War They are

World War I Aeroplanes by Leonard E Opdycke 46 Pleasant Ridge Road Poughkeepsie New York 12603

Fokker Verein Contact Dr Stanley L Morel 812 East Park Row Arlington Texas 76010 (Phone 277shy8361) The Fokker Verein is not limited to Fokker enshythusiasts - all World War I types are included

Your editor would like to hear of sources of any other plans andor organizations devoted especially to the above type of activity We will be happy to publish the information in The Vintage Airplane

(Ted Koston Photo) BELOW - E O Swearingens much admired Fokker O-VIII and a friend from another generation

(Ralph Nortell Photo)

ABOVE - Fokker Triplane built by Walt Redfern

(Salo Photo)

RIGHT - Sopwith Camel Now on exhibit at Wings and Wheels in Santee S C

AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD (Photo by Ted Koston)

PROBLEMS

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

PROBLEMS

(Photo Courtesy Lee Parsons)

PROBLEMS

12

OH THOSE PROBLEMS Memorial Day weekend is enough to drive the Anshy

tique and Classic buff from drink That same long weekshyend three of the largest and most active type clubs in the antique-classic world are holding their national flyshyins The Staggerwing Swift and Waco Clubs all meet that weekend their fly-in sites tantalizingly close for those of us who would like to attend all three

STAGGERWING Tullahoma Tennessees big World War II training

field-now-municipal-airport is where Staggerwing Club President Dub Yarbrough will greet his fellow Beech buffs All sorts of down home activities are on tap for the May 25-28 spree Items A Tennessee Hoedown on Saturday night (with Tennessee spirits) panel disshycussions and actual demonstrations of Staggerwing reshypair maintenance inspection and rebuilding featured speaker is Louise Thaden winner of the 1936 BendIx shyin a Staggerwing of course Camping facilities are available - including shower and toilet and electrical hook-up In addition to the stars of the show the Stagshygerwings there will be glider flying and even hot air balshyloons Time is short but for last minute fly-in informashytion contact W C Yarbrough Lannom Mfg Co Inc Tullahoma Tennessee 37388

SWIFT Your first problem in going to the Swift Fly-In will

be finding where to go Gilbertsville Kentucky is the nearest town the landmark to look for is the Kentucky Lake Dam and the airport will be the one with scores of Swifts buzzing all over the place - its name on your chart is Kentucky Dam State Park Airport When you get your chart down to find all this look at the extreme western end of Kentucky find Paducah then trace the Tennessee River east to the Kentucky Lake Dam By then you should have the airport symbol located This is a beautiful resort area and a fantastic site for any kind of outdoor event Last year Charlie Nelsons Swift nuts came in from all over the country in droves - around 100 of the snappy little low wingers were on hand (probably the biggest assemblage of Swifts on one airport since the factory had em sitting around awaiting Aeromatic Props just after World War II) All sorts of activity is n tap with lots of flying promised Your contact IS SWIft Club President Charlie Nelson Swift Association Box 644 Athens Tennessee 37303

WACO We outlined the activities that will go on at the Waco

Fly-In in the February issue of The Vintage Airplane but for new members here is a resume The Hamilton Ohio municipal airport is the site of the annual Waco FlyshyIn and the meet is always a biggie Ray Brandly Presishydent of the Waco Club will host the event Formation flying of huge gaggles of big 01 Wacos is a trademark of this fly-in it goes on all clay everyday if the weather is decent A banquet is held on Saturday night and the featured speaker will be Mr Clayton Bruckner who was President of the Waco Company throughout its existence Mr Bruckner needless to say is a walking storehouse of Waco history - as is Brandly himself Contact Ray Brandly National Waco Club 2650 West Alex-Bellshybrook Road Dayton Ohio 45459

So there you are all are great fly-ins You pays your money and you takes your choice as the saying goes As soon as the Antique-Classic Division membershyship roll hits the one million mark were going to ask the boss to lease a Lear Jet so we can attend all three

RARE WACO FOR SALE There is one Waco YPF-6 left This is the one that

looks a lot like the fabulous D owned by Dick Jackson It has the sliding greenhouse etc but a smaller Jacobs R~755-9 rather than the 450-hp Pratt and Whitney This aircraft was well into the process of restoration when its owner passed away The center section and cowl are complete the fuselage primed and jigs for the wing ribs have been built The engine is zero time since overhaul Wing spars have been purchased The aircraft is a 1935 Waco UPF-6 Serial Number 4375 NC 15700 The enshygine serial number is JO-21395

The aircraft is located just across the street from the Boulder Colorado airport Contact Lucille Bennett 5117 Independence Road Boulder Colorado 80301 (303442-3123 ) This would be a highly desirable antique and a special prize among Waco buffs

PORTERFIELD CLUB If you are an admirer of The Skinny Bird the lIttle

Porterfields of the late 30s and early 40s you will want to join the Porterfield Club and get their newsletter For information write Marc Herman 2306 Hyperion Avenue Los Angeles California 90027

A recent Porterfield restoration is N27281 a 1940 LP-65 rebuilt by William R Knox of Marietta Georgia Painted red and cream the bird is reported to be a beauty This will not be hard to believe for those of ~ ou who remember Bills Fairchild 24 of a few years back He is now hard at work on a 1929 Fleet I

STEARMAN RESTORERS ASSOCIATION

For many years the Stearman Restorers jssociashytion served as the Stearman Type Club for both the EAA and AAA and was an active force in the sport flying world But for the past few years it has been inactive due mainly to the great time and travel requirements of Bill McCrearys job For some time now Bill has tried to get me to take over the position of President of the SRA and get it active again and I have finally agreed to do so With the apparent increase in interest in the Stearman as shown by fly-in activities during the past couple of years I hope that we will be able to make it a Vital part of sport aviation once again In the near future I wIll be mailing a letter to all past SRA members and to other known Stearman enthusiasts detailing the re-activation of the SRA Members who had paid up membership dues during the last active year of the SRA will be c~nshysidered to be paid in full for the next year Anyone mshyterested in the Stearman Restorers Association please feel free to contact me

Thomas E Lowe President Stearman Restorers Association 823 Kingston Lane Crystal Lake Ill 60014 Telephone 815-459-6873

VINTAGE AIRPLANE BACK ISSUES Membership in the Antique-Classic Division of EAA

is growing very rapidly Most new members want to get all the back issues to date - which we have done as long as possible Due to the demand the February issue (which featured Wacos) is completely used up (We alshymost forgot to save file copies for ourselves at Headshyquarters) We still have a few of the January and March 1973 issues and will send them out on a first come first served basis It is amazing that a magazine only four

13

Sopwith Pup Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Smithsonian Institution Washingshyton D C - 72 drawings 18 x 24 $16200 Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings Hawker-Siddeley Kingston-upon-Thames - Drawings Public Records of Hawker-Siddeley (above has drawings for 100 hp conshyversion)

Sopwith Triplane Chris J Warrilow (address above) shyClayton and Shuttleworth drawings $7200

SPADs 713 Gordon E Codding (address above) - Drawings Air Force Museum Dayton Ohio shyDrawings

Thomas-Morse Gordon E Codding (address above) S4C - Drawings

We also recommend that World War I replica enshythusiasts contact two groups which publish newsletters on their favorite activity building and flying aircraft of The Great War They are

World War I Aeroplanes by Leonard E Opdycke 46 Pleasant Ridge Road Poughkeepsie New York 12603

Fokker Verein Contact Dr Stanley L Morel 812 East Park Row Arlington Texas 76010 (Phone 277shy8361) The Fokker Verein is not limited to Fokker enshythusiasts - all World War I types are included

Your editor would like to hear of sources of any other plans andor organizations devoted especially to the above type of activity We will be happy to publish the information in The Vintage Airplane

(Ted Koston Photo) BELOW - E O Swearingens much admired Fokker O-VIII and a friend from another generation

(Ralph Nortell Photo)

ABOVE - Fokker Triplane built by Walt Redfern

(Salo Photo)

RIGHT - Sopwith Camel Now on exhibit at Wings and Wheels in Santee S C

AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD (Photo by Ted Koston)

PROBLEMS

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

PROBLEMS

(Photo Courtesy Lee Parsons)

PROBLEMS

12

OH THOSE PROBLEMS Memorial Day weekend is enough to drive the Anshy

tique and Classic buff from drink That same long weekshyend three of the largest and most active type clubs in the antique-classic world are holding their national flyshyins The Staggerwing Swift and Waco Clubs all meet that weekend their fly-in sites tantalizingly close for those of us who would like to attend all three

STAGGERWING Tullahoma Tennessees big World War II training

field-now-municipal-airport is where Staggerwing Club President Dub Yarbrough will greet his fellow Beech buffs All sorts of down home activities are on tap for the May 25-28 spree Items A Tennessee Hoedown on Saturday night (with Tennessee spirits) panel disshycussions and actual demonstrations of Staggerwing reshypair maintenance inspection and rebuilding featured speaker is Louise Thaden winner of the 1936 BendIx shyin a Staggerwing of course Camping facilities are available - including shower and toilet and electrical hook-up In addition to the stars of the show the Stagshygerwings there will be glider flying and even hot air balshyloons Time is short but for last minute fly-in informashytion contact W C Yarbrough Lannom Mfg Co Inc Tullahoma Tennessee 37388

SWIFT Your first problem in going to the Swift Fly-In will

be finding where to go Gilbertsville Kentucky is the nearest town the landmark to look for is the Kentucky Lake Dam and the airport will be the one with scores of Swifts buzzing all over the place - its name on your chart is Kentucky Dam State Park Airport When you get your chart down to find all this look at the extreme western end of Kentucky find Paducah then trace the Tennessee River east to the Kentucky Lake Dam By then you should have the airport symbol located This is a beautiful resort area and a fantastic site for any kind of outdoor event Last year Charlie Nelsons Swift nuts came in from all over the country in droves - around 100 of the snappy little low wingers were on hand (probably the biggest assemblage of Swifts on one airport since the factory had em sitting around awaiting Aeromatic Props just after World War II) All sorts of activity is n tap with lots of flying promised Your contact IS SWIft Club President Charlie Nelson Swift Association Box 644 Athens Tennessee 37303

WACO We outlined the activities that will go on at the Waco

Fly-In in the February issue of The Vintage Airplane but for new members here is a resume The Hamilton Ohio municipal airport is the site of the annual Waco FlyshyIn and the meet is always a biggie Ray Brandly Presishydent of the Waco Club will host the event Formation flying of huge gaggles of big 01 Wacos is a trademark of this fly-in it goes on all clay everyday if the weather is decent A banquet is held on Saturday night and the featured speaker will be Mr Clayton Bruckner who was President of the Waco Company throughout its existence Mr Bruckner needless to say is a walking storehouse of Waco history - as is Brandly himself Contact Ray Brandly National Waco Club 2650 West Alex-Bellshybrook Road Dayton Ohio 45459

So there you are all are great fly-ins You pays your money and you takes your choice as the saying goes As soon as the Antique-Classic Division membershyship roll hits the one million mark were going to ask the boss to lease a Lear Jet so we can attend all three

RARE WACO FOR SALE There is one Waco YPF-6 left This is the one that

looks a lot like the fabulous D owned by Dick Jackson It has the sliding greenhouse etc but a smaller Jacobs R~755-9 rather than the 450-hp Pratt and Whitney This aircraft was well into the process of restoration when its owner passed away The center section and cowl are complete the fuselage primed and jigs for the wing ribs have been built The engine is zero time since overhaul Wing spars have been purchased The aircraft is a 1935 Waco UPF-6 Serial Number 4375 NC 15700 The enshygine serial number is JO-21395

The aircraft is located just across the street from the Boulder Colorado airport Contact Lucille Bennett 5117 Independence Road Boulder Colorado 80301 (303442-3123 ) This would be a highly desirable antique and a special prize among Waco buffs

PORTERFIELD CLUB If you are an admirer of The Skinny Bird the lIttle

Porterfields of the late 30s and early 40s you will want to join the Porterfield Club and get their newsletter For information write Marc Herman 2306 Hyperion Avenue Los Angeles California 90027

A recent Porterfield restoration is N27281 a 1940 LP-65 rebuilt by William R Knox of Marietta Georgia Painted red and cream the bird is reported to be a beauty This will not be hard to believe for those of ~ ou who remember Bills Fairchild 24 of a few years back He is now hard at work on a 1929 Fleet I

STEARMAN RESTORERS ASSOCIATION

For many years the Stearman Restorers jssociashytion served as the Stearman Type Club for both the EAA and AAA and was an active force in the sport flying world But for the past few years it has been inactive due mainly to the great time and travel requirements of Bill McCrearys job For some time now Bill has tried to get me to take over the position of President of the SRA and get it active again and I have finally agreed to do so With the apparent increase in interest in the Stearman as shown by fly-in activities during the past couple of years I hope that we will be able to make it a Vital part of sport aviation once again In the near future I wIll be mailing a letter to all past SRA members and to other known Stearman enthusiasts detailing the re-activation of the SRA Members who had paid up membership dues during the last active year of the SRA will be c~nshysidered to be paid in full for the next year Anyone mshyterested in the Stearman Restorers Association please feel free to contact me

Thomas E Lowe President Stearman Restorers Association 823 Kingston Lane Crystal Lake Ill 60014 Telephone 815-459-6873

VINTAGE AIRPLANE BACK ISSUES Membership in the Antique-Classic Division of EAA

is growing very rapidly Most new members want to get all the back issues to date - which we have done as long as possible Due to the demand the February issue (which featured Wacos) is completely used up (We alshymost forgot to save file copies for ourselves at Headshyquarters) We still have a few of the January and March 1973 issues and will send them out on a first come first served basis It is amazing that a magazine only four

13

AROUND THE ANTIQUECLASSIC WORLD (Photo by Ted Koston)

PROBLEMS

(Photo by Dick Stouffer)

PROBLEMS

(Photo Courtesy Lee Parsons)

PROBLEMS

12

OH THOSE PROBLEMS Memorial Day weekend is enough to drive the Anshy

tique and Classic buff from drink That same long weekshyend three of the largest and most active type clubs in the antique-classic world are holding their national flyshyins The Staggerwing Swift and Waco Clubs all meet that weekend their fly-in sites tantalizingly close for those of us who would like to attend all three

STAGGERWING Tullahoma Tennessees big World War II training

field-now-municipal-airport is where Staggerwing Club President Dub Yarbrough will greet his fellow Beech buffs All sorts of down home activities are on tap for the May 25-28 spree Items A Tennessee Hoedown on Saturday night (with Tennessee spirits) panel disshycussions and actual demonstrations of Staggerwing reshypair maintenance inspection and rebuilding featured speaker is Louise Thaden winner of the 1936 BendIx shyin a Staggerwing of course Camping facilities are available - including shower and toilet and electrical hook-up In addition to the stars of the show the Stagshygerwings there will be glider flying and even hot air balshyloons Time is short but for last minute fly-in informashytion contact W C Yarbrough Lannom Mfg Co Inc Tullahoma Tennessee 37388

SWIFT Your first problem in going to the Swift Fly-In will

be finding where to go Gilbertsville Kentucky is the nearest town the landmark to look for is the Kentucky Lake Dam and the airport will be the one with scores of Swifts buzzing all over the place - its name on your chart is Kentucky Dam State Park Airport When you get your chart down to find all this look at the extreme western end of Kentucky find Paducah then trace the Tennessee River east to the Kentucky Lake Dam By then you should have the airport symbol located This is a beautiful resort area and a fantastic site for any kind of outdoor event Last year Charlie Nelsons Swift nuts came in from all over the country in droves - around 100 of the snappy little low wingers were on hand (probably the biggest assemblage of Swifts on one airport since the factory had em sitting around awaiting Aeromatic Props just after World War II) All sorts of activity is n tap with lots of flying promised Your contact IS SWIft Club President Charlie Nelson Swift Association Box 644 Athens Tennessee 37303

WACO We outlined the activities that will go on at the Waco

Fly-In in the February issue of The Vintage Airplane but for new members here is a resume The Hamilton Ohio municipal airport is the site of the annual Waco FlyshyIn and the meet is always a biggie Ray Brandly Presishydent of the Waco Club will host the event Formation flying of huge gaggles of big 01 Wacos is a trademark of this fly-in it goes on all clay everyday if the weather is decent A banquet is held on Saturday night and the featured speaker will be Mr Clayton Bruckner who was President of the Waco Company throughout its existence Mr Bruckner needless to say is a walking storehouse of Waco history - as is Brandly himself Contact Ray Brandly National Waco Club 2650 West Alex-Bellshybrook Road Dayton Ohio 45459

So there you are all are great fly-ins You pays your money and you takes your choice as the saying goes As soon as the Antique-Classic Division membershyship roll hits the one million mark were going to ask the boss to lease a Lear Jet so we can attend all three

RARE WACO FOR SALE There is one Waco YPF-6 left This is the one that

looks a lot like the fabulous D owned by Dick Jackson It has the sliding greenhouse etc but a smaller Jacobs R~755-9 rather than the 450-hp Pratt and Whitney This aircraft was well into the process of restoration when its owner passed away The center section and cowl are complete the fuselage primed and jigs for the wing ribs have been built The engine is zero time since overhaul Wing spars have been purchased The aircraft is a 1935 Waco UPF-6 Serial Number 4375 NC 15700 The enshygine serial number is JO-21395

The aircraft is located just across the street from the Boulder Colorado airport Contact Lucille Bennett 5117 Independence Road Boulder Colorado 80301 (303442-3123 ) This would be a highly desirable antique and a special prize among Waco buffs

PORTERFIELD CLUB If you are an admirer of The Skinny Bird the lIttle

Porterfields of the late 30s and early 40s you will want to join the Porterfield Club and get their newsletter For information write Marc Herman 2306 Hyperion Avenue Los Angeles California 90027

A recent Porterfield restoration is N27281 a 1940 LP-65 rebuilt by William R Knox of Marietta Georgia Painted red and cream the bird is reported to be a beauty This will not be hard to believe for those of ~ ou who remember Bills Fairchild 24 of a few years back He is now hard at work on a 1929 Fleet I

STEARMAN RESTORERS ASSOCIATION

For many years the Stearman Restorers jssociashytion served as the Stearman Type Club for both the EAA and AAA and was an active force in the sport flying world But for the past few years it has been inactive due mainly to the great time and travel requirements of Bill McCrearys job For some time now Bill has tried to get me to take over the position of President of the SRA and get it active again and I have finally agreed to do so With the apparent increase in interest in the Stearman as shown by fly-in activities during the past couple of years I hope that we will be able to make it a Vital part of sport aviation once again In the near future I wIll be mailing a letter to all past SRA members and to other known Stearman enthusiasts detailing the re-activation of the SRA Members who had paid up membership dues during the last active year of the SRA will be c~nshysidered to be paid in full for the next year Anyone mshyterested in the Stearman Restorers Association please feel free to contact me

Thomas E Lowe President Stearman Restorers Association 823 Kingston Lane Crystal Lake Ill 60014 Telephone 815-459-6873

VINTAGE AIRPLANE BACK ISSUES Membership in the Antique-Classic Division of EAA

is growing very rapidly Most new members want to get all the back issues to date - which we have done as long as possible Due to the demand the February issue (which featured Wacos) is completely used up (We alshymost forgot to save file copies for ourselves at Headshyquarters) We still have a few of the January and March 1973 issues and will send them out on a first come first served basis It is amazing that a magazine only four

13

OH THOSE PROBLEMS Memorial Day weekend is enough to drive the Anshy

tique and Classic buff from drink That same long weekshyend three of the largest and most active type clubs in the antique-classic world are holding their national flyshyins The Staggerwing Swift and Waco Clubs all meet that weekend their fly-in sites tantalizingly close for those of us who would like to attend all three

STAGGERWING Tullahoma Tennessees big World War II training

field-now-municipal-airport is where Staggerwing Club President Dub Yarbrough will greet his fellow Beech buffs All sorts of down home activities are on tap for the May 25-28 spree Items A Tennessee Hoedown on Saturday night (with Tennessee spirits) panel disshycussions and actual demonstrations of Staggerwing reshypair maintenance inspection and rebuilding featured speaker is Louise Thaden winner of the 1936 BendIx shyin a Staggerwing of course Camping facilities are available - including shower and toilet and electrical hook-up In addition to the stars of the show the Stagshygerwings there will be glider flying and even hot air balshyloons Time is short but for last minute fly-in informashytion contact W C Yarbrough Lannom Mfg Co Inc Tullahoma Tennessee 37388

SWIFT Your first problem in going to the Swift Fly-In will

be finding where to go Gilbertsville Kentucky is the nearest town the landmark to look for is the Kentucky Lake Dam and the airport will be the one with scores of Swifts buzzing all over the place - its name on your chart is Kentucky Dam State Park Airport When you get your chart down to find all this look at the extreme western end of Kentucky find Paducah then trace the Tennessee River east to the Kentucky Lake Dam By then you should have the airport symbol located This is a beautiful resort area and a fantastic site for any kind of outdoor event Last year Charlie Nelsons Swift nuts came in from all over the country in droves - around 100 of the snappy little low wingers were on hand (probably the biggest assemblage of Swifts on one airport since the factory had em sitting around awaiting Aeromatic Props just after World War II) All sorts of activity is n tap with lots of flying promised Your contact IS SWIft Club President Charlie Nelson Swift Association Box 644 Athens Tennessee 37303

WACO We outlined the activities that will go on at the Waco

Fly-In in the February issue of The Vintage Airplane but for new members here is a resume The Hamilton Ohio municipal airport is the site of the annual Waco FlyshyIn and the meet is always a biggie Ray Brandly Presishydent of the Waco Club will host the event Formation flying of huge gaggles of big 01 Wacos is a trademark of this fly-in it goes on all clay everyday if the weather is decent A banquet is held on Saturday night and the featured speaker will be Mr Clayton Bruckner who was President of the Waco Company throughout its existence Mr Bruckner needless to say is a walking storehouse of Waco history - as is Brandly himself Contact Ray Brandly National Waco Club 2650 West Alex-Bellshybrook Road Dayton Ohio 45459

So there you are all are great fly-ins You pays your money and you takes your choice as the saying goes As soon as the Antique-Classic Division membershyship roll hits the one million mark were going to ask the boss to lease a Lear Jet so we can attend all three

RARE WACO FOR SALE There is one Waco YPF-6 left This is the one that

looks a lot like the fabulous D owned by Dick Jackson It has the sliding greenhouse etc but a smaller Jacobs R~755-9 rather than the 450-hp Pratt and Whitney This aircraft was well into the process of restoration when its owner passed away The center section and cowl are complete the fuselage primed and jigs for the wing ribs have been built The engine is zero time since overhaul Wing spars have been purchased The aircraft is a 1935 Waco UPF-6 Serial Number 4375 NC 15700 The enshygine serial number is JO-21395

The aircraft is located just across the street from the Boulder Colorado airport Contact Lucille Bennett 5117 Independence Road Boulder Colorado 80301 (303442-3123 ) This would be a highly desirable antique and a special prize among Waco buffs

PORTERFIELD CLUB If you are an admirer of The Skinny Bird the lIttle

Porterfields of the late 30s and early 40s you will want to join the Porterfield Club and get their newsletter For information write Marc Herman 2306 Hyperion Avenue Los Angeles California 90027

A recent Porterfield restoration is N27281 a 1940 LP-65 rebuilt by William R Knox of Marietta Georgia Painted red and cream the bird is reported to be a beauty This will not be hard to believe for those of ~ ou who remember Bills Fairchild 24 of a few years back He is now hard at work on a 1929 Fleet I

STEARMAN RESTORERS ASSOCIATION

For many years the Stearman Restorers jssociashytion served as the Stearman Type Club for both the EAA and AAA and was an active force in the sport flying world But for the past few years it has been inactive due mainly to the great time and travel requirements of Bill McCrearys job For some time now Bill has tried to get me to take over the position of President of the SRA and get it active again and I have finally agreed to do so With the apparent increase in interest in the Stearman as shown by fly-in activities during the past couple of years I hope that we will be able to make it a Vital part of sport aviation once again In the near future I wIll be mailing a letter to all past SRA members and to other known Stearman enthusiasts detailing the re-activation of the SRA Members who had paid up membership dues during the last active year of the SRA will be c~nshysidered to be paid in full for the next year Anyone mshyterested in the Stearman Restorers Association please feel free to contact me

Thomas E Lowe President Stearman Restorers Association 823 Kingston Lane Crystal Lake Ill 60014 Telephone 815-459-6873

VINTAGE AIRPLANE BACK ISSUES Membership in the Antique-Classic Division of EAA

is growing very rapidly Most new members want to get all the back issues to date - which we have done as long as possible Due to the demand the February issue (which featured Wacos) is completely used up (We alshymost forgot to save file copies for ourselves at Headshyquarters) We still have a few of the January and March 1973 issues and will send them out on a first come first served basis It is amazing that a magazine only four

13

months old is already considered a collectors item Thank you all for your confidence

On another matter we simply were unprepared for the landslide of mail the Antique-Classic Division and The Vintage Airplane have generated Many of you asked questions made special requests etc in your memshybership letters Please be patient we will answer you as soon as possible

EAA IN ACTION Within the past few years a number of antique airshy

craft produced in foreign countries have been imported to the U S These include such favorites as the Bucker Jungmann and Jungmeister Canadian built Tiger Moths Stampes plus various ex-military aircraft such as Me lOSs and 109s Spitfires Sea Furies and others One of the first problems the new American owner enshycounters is how (and if) the FAA will license the airshycraft All the aircraft mentioned have never been certishyficated in the USA and no category exists for such machines except the catch-all Exhibition classifishycation Several hundred non U S type certificated airshycraft have been placed in this category in recent years This caused no undue hardship until the crash of the F-S6 into an ice cream parlor in Sacramento California last fall

Now all FAA offices have been instructed to enforce the letter of the law on Exhibition Category aircraft This means the plane can ONLY be used for proficiency flights in a small local area designated by the FAA flown to and from bona fide air shows and with no passhysengers Obviously this renders these otherwise fine airshycraft almost useless

In order to bring about some relief for owners of such aircraft EAA President Paul Poberezny called a meeting of all national sport aviation groups and the FAA at EAA Headquarters That meeting was held March 2 A second meeting will be held at Hales Corners on April 30 As of this writing there are indications that your organizations efforts will bring much needed reshylief to owners of these fine vintage aircraft

This is Joseph L McKinstray (EAA 50730) 1500 W Belle St Belleville III 62223 and his 1946 Piper J-3 which he completely restored The plane was destroyed () by fire and was acquired by Joe in March of 1970 Two years later he had it flying again The bird required one spar 50 new ribs new instruments and a difshyferent engine and prop It is covered in Stits Polyfiber and is painted as close to original (except for side numshybers) as possible

MENASCO NEEDS H C Leydecker 2031 Sprucewood Place Birmingshy

ham Alabama 35214 has a Menasco D-4-S7 A that is alshymost new but lacks a few parts one intake valve rocker and shaft starter and adapter and a gasket set Can anyone help

Mr Leydecker is also restoring a 1946 14-13-2 Bellanca with a 190-hp Lycoming and would like to hear from others with the same kind of airplane

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

MAY 4-6 - SANTEE SOUTH CAROLINA - 5th Annual Spring Fly-In of Carolinas-Virginia EANAntique-Classic Chapter 395 Wings and Wheels Museum-Airport Contact Morton Lester Box 3747 Marshytinsville Va 24112

MAY 4-6 - PASO ROBLES CALIFORNIA - 3rd Ryan SC St PT Fly-In Contact T D Strum 1570 Kensington Circle Los Altos Cal 94022 - Rain Date May 11 -13

MAY 18-20 - WATSONVILLE CALIFORNIA - Annual Fly-In MAY 18-20 - CALLAWAY GARDENS GEORGIA - Eastern 195 Anshy

nual Meeting Business meeting followed bV maintenance semishynar Family type affair Contact Bill Terrell M D Rt 2 Box 380 Hillsboro Ohio 45133 (513) 393-4454

MAY 20 - HARVARD ILLINOIS - Dacy Airport Antique Fly-In Contact Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Crystal Lake III 60014

MAY 25-28 - TULLAHOMA TENNESSEE - Staggerwing Fly-In Contact W E Dub Yarbrough Lannon Mfg Box 500 Tullashyhoma Tenn 37388

MAY 25-28 - GILBERTSVILLE KENTUCKY - National 73 Swift Association Fly-In Contact Charlie Nelson Swift Association Inc Box 644 Athens Tenn 37303

MAY 26-28 - HAMILTON OHIO - National Waco Fly-In Hamilton Ohio Airport Banquet on Saturday night featuring Clayton Brukshyner President of the Waco Company as guest speaker Contact National Waco Club 2650 W Alex-Bellbrook Rd Dayton Ohio 45459

JUNE 1-3 - MERCED CALIFORNIA - Annual Fly-In Contact Anshytique Fly-In P O Box 2312 Merced Calif 95340

JUNE 3 - BURLINGTON WISCONSIN - Burlington Municipal Airport Piper Fly-InSwap Meet for Piper Aircraft from the E-2 to the PA-20 Pacer Sponsored by EANAntique Classic Division For further information contact EAA Headquarters

JUNE 8-10 - DENTON TEXAS - Denton Municipal Airport 11th Annual Texas Antique Fly-In Everyone welcome Texas hospitality assured Contact Jack Winthrop 3536 Whitehall Dr Dallas Texas 75229

JULY 21-22 - LA RUE WISCONSIN - 5th Annual Antique Transshyportation Meet Near world famous Baraboo Wisconsin Antiques only Registration fee - $500 This is a fun meet For information contact Edward C Wegner 10 Stafford St Plymouth Wisc 53073

JULY 29-AUGUST 4 - OSHKOSH WISCONSIN - 21st Annual EAA International Fly-In Convention Complete program and awards for antique and classic ai rcraft Worlds greatest aviation event

AUGUST 10-12 - ARLINGTON WASHINGTON - EANAntique FlyshyIn Contact Dick Baxter 15845 8th N E Seattle Wash 98155 Phone 206EM5-1657

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GASTONIA NORTH CAROLINA - Gastonia Municipal Airport Carolinas-Virginia Chapter 395 Annual Fall Fly-In Contact Morton Lester P O Box 3745 Martinsville Va 24112

SEPTEMBER 28-30 - GALESBURG ILLINOIS - 2nd National Stearman Fly-In Contact Jim Leahy 445 N Whitesboro Galesburg Illinois 61401 or Tom Lowe 823 Kingston Lane Crystal Lake Illishynois 60014

14

EAA AntiqueClassic embroidered patches (pictured at right) - A distinctive colorful emblem $1 50 each

EAA Caps - men and ladies Specify small medium large or extra large Ladies one size $225 each

1973 EAA Calendar Made of heavy unbleached cloth Features full color renditions of a Standard J-1 P-51 Scorpion Helicopter and a Dyke Delta $230 each

EAA Flight Bags Durable nylon with waterproof lining Blue with EAA decal on both sides $450 each

-------- -------shyWrite for a complete listing of EAA publications and merchandise free of charge Includes a listing of all available back issues of Sport Aviation

-------- ------ shy

EAA PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST TO ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC ENTHUSIASTS ANDOR RESTORERS

Wood Vol 1 $200 Wood Vol 2 $250 Sheet Metal Vol 1 $250 Sheet Metal Vol 2 $250 Tips on Fatigue $250 Welding $200 Dope and Fabric $250 Hand Tools Vol 1 $250 Hand Tools Vol 2 $250 CAM 18 (Reprint) $300 CAM 107 (Reprint) $400 Flying and Glider Manual Reprints

1929 $200 1932 $200 1929-32 $200

Add 30c postage for first manual plus 10c

for each additional one

-

Wings Of Memory - 72 pages of Aero Digest reprints Covers the greats of civil aviation from 1932 to 1941 Ryan STA Howard DGA-9 Fai rchild 24 Cessna Airshymaster Rearwin Speedster Fleetwings Sea Bird Stinson SR-1O Stearman Model 80 and many more Beautiful photos 3-views and flight reports $250

Golden Age Of Air Racing - 168 pages covering the great 1929-1939 air racing era All about the racers and their pilots who flew for the Bendix Thompson Greve and other trophies $275

Back Issues of American Airman While they last - 25c ea

ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS - When you complete the restoration of an anshytique or classic (specify which) you are eligible for a beautiful certificate you will frame and be proud to display in your home or office These certificates are free courtesy of EAA to recognize your efforts to save another great old airplane Just send your name and address and the year make and model (ie - 1937 Monocoupe 90A) of your ai rcraft Solo certificates are also available

JOIN EAA - JOIN THE ANTIQUECLASSIC DIVISION - WRITE FOR INFO PACKET - $100

EAA AntiqueClassic Division P O Box 229

Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130 15

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The Vintage Airplane is the official publication of Antique Classic Aircraft Inc a division of The Experimental Aircraft Association Hales Corners Wis~onsin

EAA AntiqueClassic embroidered patches (pictured at right) - A distinctive colorful emblem $1 50 each

EAA Caps - men and ladies Specify small medium large or extra large Ladies one size $225 each

1973 EAA Calendar Made of heavy unbleached cloth Features full color renditions of a Standard J-1 P-51 Scorpion Helicopter and a Dyke Delta $230 each

EAA Flight Bags Durable nylon with waterproof lining Blue with EAA decal on both sides $450 each

-------- -------shyWrite for a complete listing of EAA publications and merchandise free of charge Includes a listing of all available back issues of Sport Aviation

-------- ------ shy

EAA PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST TO ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC ENTHUSIASTS ANDOR RESTORERS

Wood Vol 1 $200 Wood Vol 2 $250 Sheet Metal Vol 1 $250 Sheet Metal Vol 2 $250 Tips on Fatigue $250 Welding $200 Dope and Fabric $250 Hand Tools Vol 1 $250 Hand Tools Vol 2 $250 CAM 18 (Reprint) $300 CAM 107 (Reprint) $400 Flying and Glider Manual Reprints

1929 $200 1932 $200 1929-32 $200

Add 30c postage for first manual plus 10c

for each additional one

-

Wings Of Memory - 72 pages of Aero Digest reprints Covers the greats of civil aviation from 1932 to 1941 Ryan STA Howard DGA-9 Fai rchild 24 Cessna Airshymaster Rearwin Speedster Fleetwings Sea Bird Stinson SR-1O Stearman Model 80 and many more Beautiful photos 3-views and flight reports $250

Golden Age Of Air Racing - 168 pages covering the great 1929-1939 air racing era All about the racers and their pilots who flew for the Bendix Thompson Greve and other trophies $275

Back Issues of American Airman While they last - 25c ea

ANTIQUE AND CLASSIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS - When you complete the restoration of an anshytique or classic (specify which) you are eligible for a beautiful certificate you will frame and be proud to display in your home or office These certificates are free courtesy of EAA to recognize your efforts to save another great old airplane Just send your name and address and the year make and model (ie - 1937 Monocoupe 90A) of your ai rcraft Solo certificates are also available

JOIN EAA - JOIN THE ANTIQUECLASSIC DIVISION - WRITE FOR INFO PACKET - $100

EAA AntiqueClassic Division P O Box 229

Hales Corners Wisconsin 53130 15

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0deg0 U)1lshyWI ugtO o iE d ogt-~ ltC ~ Y -lulJ= 0 gt ~IlW

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The Vintage Airplane is the official publication of Antique Classic Aircraft Inc a division of The Experimental Aircraft Association Hales Corners Wis~onsin

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0deg0 U)1lshyWI ugtO o iE d ogt-~ ltC ~ Y -lulJ= 0 gt ~IlW

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The Vintage Airplane is the official publication of Antique Classic Aircraft Inc a division of The Experimental Aircraft Association Hales Corners Wis~onsin