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. ·. ()Ni VIi r(( ftj :S'f ;':] tJ I J f 4' VAGABOND NEWS #18 NOV 80 I
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()Ni VIi r(( ftj :S'f ;':] tJ I J f 4'
VAGABOND NEWS
#18 NOV 80
I
EDITOR SEZ ...
The Vagabond owners on both coasts had great gatherings this year with 14 , at the Northwestern fly-in and 13 at the Northeast ern fly-in , the Wisconsin Vagabond Fly-in which usually has about 11 didn ' t happen this year as the weather did them in on two dates set, but they vow they will try again next year. It seems to me that the Vagabond population in Ohio and Texas would make it feasable to have a Vagabond Fly-in in those areas, what about it gang.
We just returned from the Marana, AZ EAA Fly-in which is sponsored by all the Airzona EAA chapters, there wern't many old Pipers there but we were awarded the second place for Classic aircraft on our 4382H with first place for Classic aircraft going to a big highly polished Cessna . A 1939 J-3 took the top award for Antique also, so the old Pipe:rs did well.
Clyde Smith Jr. of Piper continues to do some interesting research and has tabulated the asking prices for various old Pipers the last two years by ac'cding up all the prices in various adds from a whole host of papers and Trade-A-Plane, they are as follows, you will note that the Vagabond is down ..
79 80 79 80 J-3 $7 , 830 $8,526 J -4 · $4,750 $4,765 J-5 $5,450 $6,988 PA-ll $9,500 $10,720 PA-12 $10,050 $11,384 PA-14 None for sale PA-15 $6,439 $5,852 PA-16 $6,865 $7,552 PA-17 included with PA-15 PA-20 $7 ,886 $7,421
At the Washington Fly-in we met Roy Shores who ownes the first Clipper which was actually a streached out Vagabond and he had many interesting photos which he had acquired of this plane as it was first f lown by Piper it had the Vag trim and gear , and still sports Vag sticks and torque tubes as I recall, however it was retrofitted and mpre or less brought up to Clipper standards prior t o sale. Another old goodie I saw this summer was a PA-14 at Oshkosh with the original cover and everything , I mean it was all original . As Tim Bowers (Owner of Oshkosh 79 Grand Champion Classic Luscombe Sky Pal) said if they could prove the air inthe tires was original that would be extra points at Blakesburg. The Randolph Paint people were very interested in this plane I understand, it actually had very few belimishes in the cover considering the age.
Lift Strut Forks I'm sure all of you are aware~ this AD, I only know of one Vagabond that was found to have a crack in one upon magnifluxing. Both Jim Jenkins and I bought new ones from Piper and we both agree we would be ashamed to sell parts that looked like these , the 4 I received ~ere all different l engths and had different l ength cuts in the throat of the fork, and Jim got one that wouldn't even fit over the fuselage fi ttings and match the hole, after this I would not aJ·.'ise any one to buy new production ones ,
(;)
from Piper:-and Piper and Univair are the only authorized sources for our particular size strut forks. Univair Aircraft Corp. , Rt 3 Box 59 , Aurora, Colo 80011 has them new production FAA/PMA PN U-11281-00, Rolled Threads , Magnafluxed and packaged individually with a slip in each with the above certification on it, they are $49.50 ea. (considerably less expensive than Piper)
Ron Hynes, 12299 Salk Ave, Montreal North, Quebec HlG 4Z5 PA-17 (N4813H) and C-GBEH
The day has finally arrived, and I now own a Vagabond. I purchased it from a friend of mine Norm Gagne, down in Vermont a few weeks ago . Soon as I can obtain a Canadian fe=y permit, I'll bring it home and start work on it so that it will be ready for dki9 this winter . One thing it will need is to have the interior re-done. At present it is tied down at a beautiful grass field beside Lake Champlain, called Champlain airport, in Vermont .
Even t hough the fuselage fabric is good , I ' ll probably strip it down in order to clean and prime the tubing for protection, I'll feel better that way. I expect to get to Ansonia to the flyin and have a good look at the other Vags, however I will have to go via Cessna 150 or car because the Vag won ' t be legal by then. Still have to contend with DOT up here . Some questions I have are, A. air cleaner installation, B. What is best way to guarantee front stab won't fail - -somebody indicated he used control cable as ·a safety? C. Solid gear? from where can we obtain parts? D.Floats has anyone received approval? E. Lift strut forks AD F. Nose bowl-metal who has them. G. Rigging instructions, where can I get them? COMMENTS .... Air cleaner , replace the Vag air box with a J-3 type available from most suppliers, it fits best if you add a spacer about 3/4" so it doesn't conflict with the nose bowl and it can be faired in to lower cowl and a fairing made up to fit around the front to dress it off . New front
_stab carry thru tubes(heavier walled), solid gear struts, and new mfg lift strut forks are all available from Univair. Floats , Tom Clark is working on this see photo and letter this issue . Via Piper dealer you can order PA-ll nose Bowl, which is basicall y the same but will not have the hole for a lye dip stick. Again rigging instructions see this issue.
4813H/C-GBEH
St anley Gerlach, Palmyra , Wis 4802H Mods, Colt struts J - 3 clevis, Colt wings and gas tank, and looks like a J - 3 rudder.
2
Jim Hudson, P. 0. Box 8068, Athens, GA J060J PA-15 N4181H We are presently recovering our PA-15 . We have only a single safety
belt . If any of the fellows could give us some information as to how we could rig up two safety belts, it would be appreciated. COMMENTS ... ! have seen one Vag with this mod and I am sure several have been modified in this respect so let Jim hear from you. The one I saw had a center vertical tube added to the frame at the front of the baggage conpartment with a strap wraped around it with an uppward angle similar to the straps that were originals on each side that accomidated the seat belt bolt, then of course there had to be an opening in the seat sl ing and the seats and I'm not sure what the FAA would say about this, check with your AI before you decide.
Another note from Ian Callier , notes that P. S. Nielsen Yelling, Denmark is rebuilding PA-17- 70 which will be registered as OY-AVW, this is one that had been missing from the series since the begining of Vagabond News.
Denis Morin, 15875 Laflamme, St-Hyacinthe, Quebec J2TJY5 PA-15 C-FZII For the f irst time in living mens memory we did not have snow _during
last winter. The most we had. at· one time was four i nches but it melted within two days. Therefore I did not fly at all on skies, too bad because in Dec 1979 I bought a wide (10 ") pair of Federal 1850 skies. I did fly almost every weekend on wheels during last winter landing on bare ice covered rivers . Would you believe J6" of ice, it was a good winter for motorist and a poor one for skyers.
Talking about wheels, I found a real . bargain for new tires, tubes , brakes, and drums and a new Maule inflatable tail wheel. I bought an almost ready for cover Woody Pusher from a discouraged guy who was in his tenth year of building time. I kept the new landing gear for my PA-15, installed my older but good gear on the woody and sold it to a man in Calgary . I had to make a crate to ship it in and Nas it big 40 " X 40" x 18'. I recently had the good fortune to test fly a Bellanca 7ACA with the Franklin 2 cyl engine at 2950 RPM cruise setting it was quite and smooth, indicating 92mph.
Again this year I had the pleasure to attend th North East Vagabond Fly- in in Ansonia, Conn. The hospitality of the J nkins family is always the greatest . I met some Vagabond owners who were not there last year and I had a chance to fly solo in a stock PA-15 with tho origianl Lye it runs much smoother than my Cont 85 but has much l es muscle . Jim had his PA-17 out and flying, I can attest it is the most beautifully finished airplane I had ever seen. Did you know that AVGAS is mor expensive in the U. S. than in Canada?
August 8th was an anniversary for me I bought my Vag 10 years ago and still enjoy flying her and hope to keep her for a long time in the future .
I did not fly much this year only 65hours in the Vag and about 20 in other planes mostly on floats .
My engine totals 1725 hours since new and never gets a complete overhaul but the time wil l arri ve very soon and I am horrified at the price I will have t:o pay.
J
Baxter Greir, Box 609, Boerne, TX 78006 Creator of our Happy Vag Logo
"LITTLE JEWEL" gets flown about twice a week from my front yard strip during the twelve years I have owned her. She gets a new battery about every three years, but is still on the same tires. Repair cost have been minimal other than the rare AD's and installation of a newer radio and now a transponder:
Baxter refers to 4309H as
his "LITTLE JEWEL"
4309H had the following modifications when purchased .. C-90-12 full electric , Colt wings and fuel tank and rear windows .
4
.'Plain Jane' plane
Vagabond wanders no longer by Tames LaMalfa ·
For years, the Piper Vagabond was the kid on the block nobody wanted, a kind of fl ying untoucha ble.'
The sh ip cos t a round $2 ,000 new a nd was built primaril y to use up a huge pile of raw materia l and engines Piper had accumula ted a ft er the grea t li ghtplane boom went bus t in the winter of 1945.
The ploy worked, Piper was saved from bankruptcy and the company went on to build other aircra ft.
The ba sic, ga rden va riety Vagabond was the PA-15, powered by the Lycoming 0-145, 55 horsepower engine. Color was Cub yellow, without even the amcnliy of a black lightening stripe - too expensive!
The wing of the PA-15 was a cut down, all metal Cub wing, with three feet lopped off each root. Since the Cub wing was otherwise unchanged, the Vagabond ended up with almos.t full span ailerons and the quickest roll rate of any lightplane in its cla ss.
The Vagabond had only one set of controls, situa ted in front of the lefthand sea t. Seating was side by side, ala the Cub Coupe. The throttl e was a simple push-pull knob, mounted near the pilot's left hand.
Trimming rhe ship was done with a lever located nea r the pilot's hip and was quite effective. In fa ct, the ship could almost be flown with the trim. which actua ted a tab on the left elevator.
The short-winged Vagabond required no jury struts and the ail eron cables were routed down the lift struts to the single joy stick, which the pilot s traddled. The single door was loca ted on the ship's right side tt ncl in::;lrumonlaiion w as minimaL
The cabin interior was not uphols tered: li ke the J-3 interior , it was covered with doped cotton. The Vagabond had no skylights or D windows and it s fuselage had a squa redoff look. It lacked the spruce stringers tha t gave the Cub some curva ture .
The landing gear shock system was simplicity itself, in fac t it was a lmost non-exis tent. The PA-15 had no oleo struts or bungee cords bu t reli ed on two oversize BOO x 4 tires to so ften the jolts of primitive runways. The Ianding gear struts were bolted d irectly to the fuselage longerons. There were brakes of the J-3 shoe type on the pilot's side only.
By January 1948, 514 Piper Vagabiiii A"1 5s had- De'en sold and the Piper family began to think in terms of sprucing up the little pla in
5
Jane ship .
I Piper inaugura ted production of
the PA-17, which gave the Vagabond a black lightening s tripe, a Continenta l 55 horsepower engine and later, an 85 horsepower version. A cer. ter m. ounted throttle and bungeetype shock absorbers, covered with meta l fa irings, was added and a kit to bring the PA-15 up to PA-17 s tanda rds was ava ilable.
Of the approximately 500 Vagabonds manufactured by Piper, the last 200 or so were the PA-17 vers ion.
For many yea rs , the diminut ive little VagaboiJd languished a t grass strips and in stora ge. The machine wa s so basic, so simply built, that it was often overlooked by potential buyers. As a result, the Vaga bond in any condition could be had for ridiculously small sums.
But there were those who saw the virtues._o[ the. machine. And to his credit , G~il "Ogles of Goronado, Galff., maintained interes t" in the Vagabond-· _witrr liis newsletter, "Vagabond News'~and his forums on the -Vagabond anhe. annual Oshkosh FlY-in. .
In th!l- . surf\mer .· of 1975·, - the Vagabond. ste pped. into the winner 's circle aCClshl<osh, having been judged a champion.
This honor was a tta ined by two EAA members from Stoughton. Wis., Bill Admudson and Dick Pe terson. The title of Grand Champion Classic Aircraft was bestowed on their PA-15 Vagabond. ··
They had removed the PA-17 dual controls , throttle and shocks, restoring the a ircraft to PA-1 5 specs . And theirs is unique, for many PA-15 owners have modified their machines so tha t very few PA-15s rema in in license.
Also enthusiastic a bout the Vagabond, · Dick Wagner of Lyons, Wis ., began working in 1975 on a Vagabond replica. It took Wagner
two yea rs to bu ild tho prototype. The Wog-a-JJond. os Wagner chr is tened his repli ca. was presented to the homebuilde r fra ternit y a t the 1978 Oshkosh Fly-in.
Wagner's replica comes in two versions: the Wag-a -Bond , which outwardly looks like the origina l a nd should a ppea l to the purist: and the Traveler . · a kind of a irborne rec rea tional vehicle.
Wagne r used a Cub ta il on the Vagabond replica . However, unlike the origina l, the Wag-a -Bond and Traveler wings a re built from a ircra ft grade spruce. Some meta l is used , as for example, in the leading edge skin. which is a luminum a nd some of the fittings. which are chrome-moly steel.
Both a ircraft utilize the same steel tubing airframe as used on the origina l. In the classic version, either the PA-15 or PA-17 vers ion could be built.
If one chose to build the Traveler, one would end up with a hybrid aireraft. It would· have 18-ga llon wing fanks, a Pacer engine mount ,. Tri-
- Pacer exhaust system, D· windows, two doors a s. per the Clipper, dual stick controls , dual disc-type brakes , a Pacer nose bowl and cowlings, wheel pants and two seats like the Colt .
Elimina ting the sometimes troublesome ja ck screw trim sys tem tha t Piper used on many PA-series a ircra ft opens up the ta il cone. There is room for a fabric-lined compartment that ex tends ha lfway back to the ta il and , with the sea t folded-forwa rd, this "tunnel" sleeps one normal or two very thin people.
The Vaga bond may have experienced a comeback because of a wave of nos ta lgia for simpler times, but also because it is a low-cost machine to own and mainta in. However , the certifica ted versions . whP-n for s8 !1l , ~ r~ ge tt ing expensive to buy. Ed 'Busse sent this cl i pping al ong with t he below photo of his Vag PA-15 N4458H , which has been sold and gone to Engl and
James Wentink, 904 East Evergreen St., Wheaton, IL 60187 PA-17 4956H I always enjoy receiving VAGABOND NEWS and from the letters you receive,
it is certainly apparent that there are many kindred souls scattered around the country. Now that I am more, or less, retired, I plan on finishing 4856H and getting it into the air. It has been a long, long road.
I have the tail feathers all ready for installation and will do so very soon. However, I am wondering if you possibly have available any drawings or sketches covering the rigging of the control systems. My plane has duals.
Tried to get this information from Piper but was unsuccessful. In the past they had been very helpful but now they merely refer. you to their distributors. For items of this nature Idon't believe they would be particularly helpful. If you can assist in this area, I will be most appreciative.
It is unfortunate that Piper isn't as cooperative as they once were. However, once these com~anies become a portion of a large conglomerate, Bangor-Punta in this case, they usually become pretty impersonal in their general attitudes. C'est la vie. COMMENTS .... Jim has hit the nail on the head ·about Pipers support of people like us, Clyde Smith Jr is the only current Piper employeethat has the owners of older Pipers at heart, a set of rigging instructions are part of this issue as this is one of the most fre~uently re~uested items.
Ian Callier, 4, Blagrove DR., Wokingham, Berkshire, RGll 4BB, England PA-17 G-BDVA
Just a line to let you know I'm still flying the Vag as usual. Some general maintenance items .. just managed to pick up a Scott pneumatic tailwheel in exchange for some bits and peices. The Hays tailwheel I have is really getting rather tired.
PA-16 is finished but .the gods won't let me fly it yet. My friend Cliff Lovell has just been over and bought a BC-12, PA-15 and
a PA-17 and locked them into a container enroute to England, they should be here next week for resale. No problem selling them, infact one is already sold without even being seen. They are PA-17 -41 · NlJ8N and PA-15-248 N4458H. COMMENTS ... . The English Vag Population continues to grow, the PA-17 belonged to Robert Foltz of Endwell, NY and the PA-15 to Ed Busse, Carversville,PA. Ian has some difficulty with the paper work on his PA-16, see his letters in previous issues. Also Ian the last news ~etter I sent to Ben and Jan Cooper was returned, do you know of a new address and do theystill have the Vag?
The above Vagabond, PA-15-19 was spotted by the editor several years ago at Fla-Bob airport when this photo was taken, and the interesting item was that the entire lower portion of the interior was done in a red brick pattern sticky back paper , it also had plexi-glass skylight and large rear windows.
6
Ron & Hilary
The Great North Western Vagabond Fly-In on the 28th and 29th of June 1980 was a great success with a t otal of 14 Vagabonds. This was all possible at a great place the Flying B, with our great host Ro~ and Hilary Peck . The poem below by Hilary and cartoon were part of the many invitations mailed out and these were all followed up by phone calls by Ron and Hilary
I CaN'f GeT STC\RTeD
WiTH OUT Youf
Photo below showes 12 of 14 Vags all lined up on the Pecks front yard Dal e Turner had l eft with his and we were flying one for these photos . The Short wings on the other side belong t o PA-20, PA-16 , VanGrunsuen RV-6, a Bucker, t hen an Idaho 182 that brought an other Vagabond owner .
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This fly-in actually began on the 26th when Paul & Joan Good of Phoenix,AZ made a low screaming flyby down the runway at the Flying B on their way to Dale Turners, Paul and Joan flew the longest distance. Then the afternoon of the 27th Cecil & Lil Ogles arrived in 82H shortly after Ken Knight had arrived with Steve Ogles 96H from southern California. Then all was ~uite except for prepration§, Ron finishing up the sewer line between the hangar and septic tank Hilary trying to recall the things she might have forgotten and Ed Graham The Fairchild 24 guy from across the strip who prepaired and B- Bqued the many pounds of beef for Sat evening. Sat morning arrived with low clouds andlight drizzle, but by shortly after 10 a coupla flights of three had arrived and the weather improved and the crowd grew. The afternoon was filled with some exhibitions taking place rather spontainously, along with spot landing contest, flour bombing, lots of Vagabond tails, and the late arrivals Russ and Carol Hills who had just repaired their Vag gear and wing after an encounter with an object on some sand bar. Then there was Carol & Gary Guthrie who thought that by taking their door off the red Vagabond that they would have a better chance in hitting the bulls eye in flour bombing. As the afternoon wore on several other types of planes brought other visitors that stopped by for a few minutes to see this great gathering of Vagabonds . As the sun dropped below the horizon the icy tubs of refreshments, the beef, salads , pastries and fruits were enjoyed by the fire and in the hangars along with lots of hangar flying. Next year should bring Len & Lisa Pugsley flying in their Vag instead of driving and Richard and Russel Straw11in their Vag from Idaho, Oh yes! and that the weather will be nice enough to the east that John Hartman will be able to get over the "hills" from Colorado with his Vag
Vagabonds attending , N4161H Russ & Carol Hills, Kent WA, 4J07H Paul & Joan Good, Phoenix, AZ, N4J54H Bud & Candy Blanchard, Eatonville, WA, N 4J82H Cecil & Lil O~les, Coronado, CA, N4425H Norval Ferguson & Pat Bruck Roseburg, OR, 4494H B1ll & Joyce Benson, Bow, WA, N 4518H Harry & Sandie Day, Salem, OR, N4528H !om Eagan , Seattle, WA, N4678H Dale Turner, South Prairie, WA, N4660H Ron & H1lary Peck, Roy, WA, N4696H Steve Ogles(flown by Ken Knight) Hemet, CA, N48J5H Ron Karr, Mount Vernon, WA, N4857H Gary & Carol Guthrie Dundee OR N4870H Ron & Hilary Peck, Roy , WA. ' ' '
The l ine up at Shady Acres where a delightf ull breakfast was had on Sun morning t o top off this Weekend Vagabond Happening , oh yes there is that Bucker and a Ces sna too.
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COVER PHOTO ... Tom Clark, 194 Post Office Rd, Enfield, CT 06082 4370H
Enclosed are a couple of Vag photos for the newsletter, 4370H is my PA-15 on 1320 EDO floats and a Cont 85 (see cover Photo). 4149H is Kevin Murray's PA-15 converted to a PA-17 (see back cover). Kevin has since sold the plane, but only after about 80 hours of fun flying in 4 or 5 months. I had the opportunity to be the only one that flew two planes to Jim Jenkinsm fly-in this spring. Sunday morning I went down with my Vag on floats and made 4 or 5 fly-bys, but did not land for obvious reasons. Later in the day I took 4149H down tothe fly-in and had a good lunch and a great time.
I have yet to get a good "in the air" photo of my Vag on floats and if anyone at the fly=in got any good pictures I would appreciate any copies or negatives. I noticed a lot of cameras when I was flying by.
I am still flying the Vag on floats with a experimental certificate and progress on a STC is very slow. Every time I submitt a package to the FAA, they ask for more. Presently they want a complete stress analysis of the airframe, floats and fittings and would like it approved Qy a independent consultant. It is looking like I am going to stay experimental for a while.
I took the Vag to the annual international seaplane fly-in in Sept. This is held at Moosehead lake in Greenville, Maine and is a fair sized fly-in, three days and 90 seaplanes , I entered the Vag in the take-off contest and opened a few eyes, I WON!! It was a good time and it was nice to come home with a trophy. Maybe next year I will go back with a 100 HP engine.
Gordon Meeuwsen, 434 Riley St., Holland , Mich Wag-A-Bond N36GM This is the second Wag-A-Bond I know of other than the original
Gordon please provide us with some figures about the cost of building yours and the sources of your materials.
SERVICE
Service Memo No . 14
MODEL PA - 15, 17 RIGGING PROCEDURE
l . Leveling: Place adjustable jacks or blocks under the axle extension so that the j<tcks or blocks do not touch the brake line s or connections. Raise each wheel by pushing up on tl1e lift struts on one side and pulling down on t3e opposite side . All lifting or pulling pre::;surc must be applied as near to the wing attachment points as possible so as to be sure that the lift struts will not be bowed. Raise the tail to approximate level flight position and suppon it on an adjustable jack or block.
To level the airplane laterally and longitudinally, drop a plumb bob on a string from the hole located on the side of the upper door ira-me· member apj!roximately 5-3/4 inches a-ft oLthe f-ront door frame member, to the center punch mark located-on the seat front cross -tube just inside the door. Adjust the jacks or blockS, untiFtfle plumh bob centers over this mark. ·
2. · Dihedral Angle: Stretch a length of string from wing-tip-to wing ti'p· ai~:mg the top ·of th<~ wing _at the ·front spar location . Measure down from the string to~ the toiJ.·of the fuselage front wi ng hinge fittings a distance of 4-7/8 inches. Adjusnhe front lift strut fork fittings in nr out to produce this dimension.
To check for equal dihedral in each wing, use a 30 inch level held spanwise agair;st: the underside of tbe wing at the front spar location. Note the amount of off level on one
wing and see if the ot her wing ha s the same amount of off level. Adjust the front lift strut forks in on one side a nd o ut on the other to get the same amount of off level in both wing:; " Check the 4-7/8 inch dimension after this adjustment to see that it has not been affe cted by the equalizing adjustments.
3. Wa s h Out: Place a 1-3/8 inch block under the wing at the rear spar location at the outil"an; a ileron rib, Place a 30 inch leve l chord-wise across this block with the front end of the· level at the fron t spar location, The bubble will center ifthe wing .has the proper 2-1/2 degree washout . Adjust the rear lift strut forks in or out to bring the bubble to center.
Tail Assembly: L evel the s ta bilizers at the rear spar with the airplane in level position, Adjus tment i s accomplis hed by the tightening and loosening of the tail brace wires. Take up as many turns a s the opposite wires are let out to keep the same tens ion o n the wires. Do not scratch or mar the wires with pliers or wrenches as this may cause the wire's to fractur e . Plumb the rudder hinge line. Slight adjustments can be accomplished by firmly pushing aga ins t the fin rea r s par in the· direction r equired to bring the hinges in line.
As sembly of Tab Control : Re move jam nuts from tab cable te rmina ls "
(over) 10
PIPER AIRCRAFT CORPORATION. LOCK HAVEN. PA .. U. S. A. J
Service Memo No. 14 - Cont.
Insert tab cables through hole in patch at inboard end of left e levator ; pass ing through "U" clip on elevator spar, then along inboard side of the first rib and through openings in patches on upper and lower surfaces of elevator. Access openings are provided on the under surface of the elevator.
The cables should maintain their relationship from fuselage attachment to tab horn attachment, that is, the tab cable at the fuselage must be connected to the upper horn of the tab •
. A machine screw and clip attachment is provided at the elevator rib to secure the cable housing before it passes outside of the elevator covering. This clip and the end terminals of the cables allow for proper adjustment of the control.
The "U" clip at the elevator spar should be formed around the cable housings .
Install jam n'uts on cable terminals and then attach to tab horn fittings.
Adjust cable housings and terminals to obtain proper tab travel. .
. . The tab travel should be coorduiated with the position of the tab control lever in the
cockpit, at the neutral position and at the "up" and "down" limits.
5. Control Surface Travels:
ll
Aileron Rudder Elevator Elevator Tab
17° 12° UP 17°12° DOWN 16° I 2° RIGHT 16°. / 2° LEFT 24° I 2° UP 23° f 2.0 DOWN 25° 12° UP 41° I 2° DOWN
End
Clyde Dyer, Rt 8 Box 223, Live Oak, FL N4127H I now have the engine mounted on the fuselage and am working on the
cowling and wings. Everything is shaping up real nice. Found no previous damage to wings or ailerons. My biggest problem is running down the AI to sing my work off.
4127H prior to engine installation
Bill Mixon , Rt 1 , Box 155, Kite, GA 31049 N4329H I purchased my Vagabond in 1975, it had been recovered with ceconite ,
had a C-85 Continental installation, with full electrical system, 30 gallon fuel capacity with the addition of a 18 gallon fuel tank in the right wing. Shortly after I bought it I found sand in the oil strainer, so I had the engine overhauled. I have added Cleveland 600-6 wheels and brakes,
nd late model Cessna wheel pants, like the prototype Wag-A-Bond. I have a landing strip at our farm, it is 800 feet long, and the Vag
with the 85 handles this very well. It cruises at 110, indicated at 2300 RPM, and will loop from level flight very well.
I have enjoyed my Vagabond more than any airplane that I have had, and I'm planning to keep it.
Anyone wishing to convert to C-85 with an electrical system can contact me if I can be of any help. ~-
4329H
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I'
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G. C. Waterman, Rt 1, BOX J6Z, Pipe Creek, TX 7806J PA-15 N4J56H I have recently completed the restoration of a PA-15. Baxter Grier
of Boerne, TX gave me your address. Iam in need of rigging information. It flies good with the C-85 but perhaps could be made better by proper rigging . How about the thrust line is it drooped down? COMMENTS .... Rigging instructions were sent and are aslo contained in this issue, originally the engine mount for the Cont enginegave a 2t0 down thrust. I dont have any drawings on the Lye mount, but I assume it had the same.
Norm Gagne, RFD 2 , Swanton, VT OS488 PA-17,5827H I'm looking for another PA-17 prefer one with a C-85 or 90 and must
be in mint condition and recently rebuilt. Sold my Clipper and J-J, and have my Luscombe for sale. I have J hangars and can keep just so many. Have just put my Pacer away for the winter, want to keep it fresh .
13
Norm's Vag
Cecil Ogles with 4J82H over Southern Cal on one of those horizonless days.
The next issue will have coverage of the North eastern Vagabond Fly-in as all the photos had already been s cr eened f or this issue when we received Jims package.
The following help pay for the Bob Burke
person~ contributed to the printing and postage . •.
Len &Lisa Pugsley Russ & Carol Hills Keith Swalheim Roland Wallis Univair
Russ Olson Tom Egan Pat Bruck Merle Miller Dick Erwin G. C. Waterman Ed Busse Bill Mixon
fund to keep Vag News going and
Al Eygabroad Bill Benson Norval Ferguson Me=el Steele Tom O'Loughlin Clyde Dyer James Wentillk Helen Stapleton
Gene Selchow Ron Hynes Gary & Carol Guthrie
Easter Grier Ron LeMon
Jim Kincaid
This year there was a very megar showing of Vagabonds at Oshkosh, but the Cessna 120/140 bunch did it right they arrived in mass aproxmately 21 together and of course there were more straglers, this is a sure way to have your own lines there, wouldn't i~ be great if we could do the same thing. At Blakesburg t here were more Vags and Jim Jenkins took four major awards with his freshly restored PA-17 4811H, he also took the overall Grand Champion and Best Classic at the New York Long Island AAA Fly-in. Below are the photos of Jims #J Vagabond as he picked it up, I'm sure it will be another prize winner ..•
We have very skimpy info an a Vagabond trip thru Alaska and out over the Artie Ocean by Norval Ferguson in his PA-15, Norval let us have a story for Vag News with some photos.
SPECIFICATIONS - PIPE R PA-15 AND PA-17 "VAGABOND"
PA-15 PA-17 (TC-800) (TC -805}
Powcrplon l Propeller
Lycoming ·o-J 45, 6 5 hp Continental A-6 5. 6 5 hp Sensenich 70LY34, Scns.en ich 72CK42
70LY38 Fuel Capacity 12 US Ga llons Oil Capaci ty 11!4 US Ga llons Gross We ight II 00 l bs Empty Weight 620 Lbs Use ful Load 480 Lbs Wing Span 29.3 Ft
12 US Gallons 2 US Gallons 1150 Lbs 6 50 Lbs 500 Lbs
Length 18 .7 Ft some
H eight Wing load ing Power l oading Maximum Speed Cruis ing Speed Stalling Speed Rotc of Climb Service Ceiling Range
6 Ft 7 .5 Lb / Sq Ft 16.8 Lb/hp 102 m1=1h 90 mph 45 mph 510 fpm 10.000 ft 250 miles
same 7.8 lb / sQ ft 17.7 lb / hp 100 mph 5o me
530 fpm 10,500 ft
Source of informa tion: THE A IRCRAFT YE/,RBOOK, 19 49. Press, W ashing ton, D.C.
Thought the above was rather interesting, ------- listed with a 2 gal oil capacity
first time I ever saw a Cont 65
14
Lincoln
92118
FIRST CLASS
